Michiru held her breath when she saw Harukas
car speeding around the corner at vicious speed. "She's way too fast!" Hotaru
cried out at Michirus left. Michiru shook her head. "No, she isn't, Hotaru.
After all, she's racing. And about to win." Although Haruka and Michiru knew
each other for almost a year now, it was the first time that Michiru watched
one of Harukas races. And she was scared out of her wits about her companion.
When Haruka drifted around a curve, the heck of her car sheered out for a moment,
and Michiru almost had a heart attack. "You're right." She then told Hotaru.
"Haruka is driving too fast." "I
don't want to see." Came Hotarus muffled voice. Michiru looked down in
surprise, only to see that her adopted daughter pressed her rucksack against
her face. Michiru giggled before returning her attention to the race. She just
looked in the right time to see Haruka speeding over the finish line, of course
as the winner. The blonde brought her car to a stop and got out, grinning over
her triumph. She took off her helmet and waved over to the screaming girls.
"Marry me!" could be heard, and Michiru shook her head. "If they only knew…" A slight smile appeared on the aqua haired
girls face. She watched how Haruka received her trophy and her gold medal, and
how the second and the third driver splashed her with champagne. However,
Michiru didn't miss the slight angry look on the second driver's face, and
suddenly she got worried about Haruka. The driver looked at the blonde with
sheer hate in his dark eyes.
"Another one." Haruka said while putting the
trophy on the shelf where already twelve others stood. Michiru smiled at her
best friend and teased her: "We'll need a bigger shelf if you keep winning like
that." Haruka just shrugged. "Than we'll buy one. I've got enough money, you
know." Michiru sighed. "That was a joke, Haruka. Come on, gimme a smile!"
Haruka grinned at her partner and vanished into the bathroom.
At the same time, Harukas biggest opponent, an
american driver named Trevor Jackson, sat in his apartment and brooded over his
enemy. "Damn that Tenoh guy", he
angrily thought to himself while staring at a racing magazine that had Haruka
on it's cover, smiling into the camera. "I
just want to win the next race. If I don't, my contract won't be renewed
anymore, and I'll be jobless." Suddenly, blinded with rage, Trevor grabbed
the magazine and ripped it in two. He smashed the remaining parts of the
magazine on his desk and screamed at it: "Why don't you just die, stupid
asshole!" "Why don't you just kill him?" a
voice in Trevor's head suddenly said. Trevor looked around hectically. "Who's
there?" he asked fearfully. "You can't
see me, Trevor. But that's not important. Just do as I tell you and kill the
Tenoh guy." "But I can't kill him!"
Trevor shouted. "I'll be locked up!" "Than
at least beat him half dead, so he won't be able to drive the next race." The
voice suggested. Trevor considered this for a moment. "Okay", he then said.
"I'll do it." And with that, he went into his bedroom and searched through his
dresser, until he found heavy brass knuckles. Trevor smiled when he put them
into his pocket and left his apartment.
"Haruka, darling, can you get the mail?"
Michiru asked sweetly, her voice dripping with sugar. Haruka just sighed; if
Michiru looked at her like that, she never was able to deny her something.
"Sure." The blonde racer now said, grabbing the key to her and Michirus
mailbox. "I'll be right back." And with that, Haruka left the apartment.
Trevor reached the house where Haruka's
apartment was and entered it, trying to avoid all noises. Suddenly he heard
heavy footsteps marching down the stairs, and a deep, husky voice hummed a
tune. "I'm so lucky!" Trevor thought to himself. "It's Haruka!" He reached into
his pocket and pulled out the brass knuckles, adjusting them to his right hand.
Trevor put on a dark mask that only left his eyes visible and hid in the dark
spot between mailboxes and the door to the cellar. Haruka came down the stairs,
softly humming to herself, and unlocked her mailbox. Suddenly a very soft noise
came from behind. Haruka spun around fast, but still not fast enough. A masked
guy smashed his fist into her stomach, knocking the air out of her. Before
Haruka could scream, he kicked her in the abdomen. Haruka fell to her knees
gasping for air, knowing that the beating just started. And she was right. The
unknown attacker hit her with his fists, the brass knuckles he wore digging
deep into her cheeks, breaking teeth and her nose. Haruka wanted to scream for
help, but before she even had been able to get enough air into her lungs, her
attacker kicked her into the ribs. Haruka could hear them break; it sounded as
if a frozen twig breaks under the weight of snow and ice. Haruka gasped when
stinging pain ran through her lungs, and blood oozed from the corner of her
mouth. Her attacker grabbed her collar and pulled her up until they were eye to
eye. He looked at her for a moment before smashing the back of her head against
the mailboxes. Haruka sank to the floor in a bloody heap, coughing and wincing.
Her attacker just grinned before spitting on her, then he calmly walked away,
leaving Haruka on the floor.
"What is taking her so
long?" Michiru
wondered. "Maybe I should send Hotaru to check on her." The aqua haired girl
said aloud. "HOTARU!" she then yelled. "Yes Michiru-Mama?" the girl asked while
skipping into the kitchen, where Michiru was making dinner. "Be so nice and
look for you Haruka-papa, okay? She should be at the mailboxes." "Sure, mama!" With that, Hotaru dashed out of the apartment
and down the stairs. Michiru went back to cooking, but she didn't cook long.
Suddenly Hotaru burst into the kitchen, screaming and crying for her
Michiru-mama. "Oh my God!" Michiru called out. "Hotaru, what happened?"
"Haruka-papa…someone hurt her…" the girl cried. Michiru dropped everything she
held and rushed down the stairs, only to find Haruka lying on the floor next to
the mailboxes. "Haruka!" the sea
senshi cried out, kneeling down next to her wounded friend. "What happened?"
Haruka just coughed and shook her head. Michiru advised her adopted daughter to
call an ambulance while pulling Haruka's head into her lap, gently stroking the
bloody face of her friend. They stayed like that until the ambulance came.