Michiru considered this suggestion for a moment l9160l1 l9160l1 2 2001-11-05T06:55:00Z 2001-11-05T06:55:00Z 2 1005 5730 Kapsch AG 47 11 7036 9.4402 21

Michiru considered this suggestion for a moment. "No", she then slowly said. "There's another way, too." Both Haruka and Sergio frowned. "And that would be?" Haruka asked, sounding interested. "Well…I could tell the police that you are my bodyguard." Michiru said. Harukas eyes bulged out. "Are you crazy? Why should they believe you?" "Why not?" Michiru shot back, obviously enjoying that thought. "Maybe because I threatened you with a gun before?" Haruka asked, sounding angry. "I'll take care of that. Just trust me." Michiru begged. Sergio was about to decline her offer when Haruka surprised him by saying: "Okay, let's try it." Michiru smiled and helped Haruka getting to her feet. The wound was still bleeding, but the pain had lessened, much to Harukas delight. The two women walked over to the door, Michiru unlocked it and they left the court.

As soon as Haruka and Michiru appeared on the doorstep, guns were raised and the officer yelled into his megaphone: "Let go of the judge now!" Michiru let go of Haruka, who leaned on the doorframe in pain, and yelled back: "He's my bodyguard! Let us go!" The officer almost dropped his megaphone when he heard this. "Your…bodyguard?" he stammered before remembering that Michiru couldn't hear that. "I don't believe you!" he yelled into his loudspeaker. "We know that this guy is a Mafioso! He forces you to say this!" "No, he doesn't!" Michiru yelled back. "He's not a Mafioso! Believe me!" The officer sighed; he knew that he couldn't do anything if this stupid judge said that the Tenoh guy was her bodyguard. "He needs a doctor!" Michiru now yelled. "Call an ambulance!" The officer sighed and told one of his cops to do what the judge said. The ambulance soon arrived, and Haruka was brought to the hospital.

After three hours of operation, the bullet had been removed and Michiru was allowed to visit her "bodyguard". When she entered the room, she was greeted by a smiling Haruka. "Hey there." Michiru grinned, sitting down next to Harukas bed. "How are you doing?" "Fine, thanks." Haruka fumbled with her bed sheet. "There's something I want to ask you, Judge Kaioh." "Well, just do it." Michiru encouraged her. "Why did you help me?" Haruka asked, looking directly into Michirus eyes. The judge blushed and looked to the side. "I don't know." She admitted. "Maybe because you have such a…fascinating aura." Haruka chuckled. "Fascinating? What could be fascinating about a Mafioso and professional killer?" Michiru also giggled. „Don't ask, Haruka. I really don't know." "You're strange." Haruka commented. Michiru shot her a dirty look. "I'm not strange." She said. "I'm just…different." "Different? What do you mean, different?" Michiru shrugged. "Nevermind, it's not that important." Haruka frowned and just wanted to ask once again when the door opened and Sergio popped his head in. "Bon Giorno, Haruka." He grinned and entered the room. "Hi", Haruka and Michiru answered in unison. Sergio nodded to Michiru and took a seat next to her. "How are you doing, Fox?" he asked. "Fine, thanks." Haruka answered while shooting him a deathglare; he wasn't supposed to call her by her code name when anybody else was around. Sergio, however, didn't really seem to mind if Michiru knew Harukas codename. "Don't look at me like that, Fox. I think we can trust the judge, after all she helped us to get out of this mess." Haruka sighed and shrugged. "Whatever. Besides, what are we going to do now? If the big boss finds out  that we let the judge help us, he'll get us killed." The tomboy worried. Sergio also sighed. "Guess that's right. We are in a real mess now." He stood up, looking determined. "We have to leave the hospital and hide somewhere. And the judge has to come with us." "But you can't leave now!" Michiru protested, looking at Haruka worried. "You are hurt!" "I've survived worse." Haruka answered cool. "Let's get outta here."

Sergio and Michiru smuggled Haruka out of the hospital successfully, and on their way to the car they thought about a good hiding place. "What about your house in the woods?" Haruka suggested, but Sergio shook his head. "No, the Mafia knows about it." "I own a little house on the beach." Michiru piped in from the backseat. Haruka and Sergio looked at her, frowning. "And you would hide us there?" "Of course." Michiru answered. "After all, you didn't kill me when you had the chance." "She has a point." Haruka agreed, and Sergio nodded. "Well…if you would do that for us, we really would be your bodyguards." Michiru grinned at her two "captors" and said: "So, let's go to my house!"

After two hours of driving, Haruka noticed something that bothered her. "Sergio, someone is following us." She told her companion. Michiru wanted to turn around, but Haruka quickly hissed: "Don't! They must not know that we know about them." Michiru nodded and looked out of the front window again. Sergio slowly increased the speed, searching for the next drive to the highway. He shot Haruka a weird look. "They won't go after us if we do some motorist driving against the traffic on motorway, won't they?" "Are you insane?" Michiru screamed from the backseat, only to be ignored by the two Mafiosi. "Do it." Haruka answered, much to Michirus dismay. Sergio drove up on the highway and brought his car next to the neap margin that separated the two highways. "Michiru, watch out. We are changing the sides." Sergio warned her, checking the car behind them again. Suddenly he fully stepped on the gas, harshly pulling the steering wheel to the left. The car rumpled over the margin, and the other drivers started to honk at them shocked when Sergio drove into the wrong direction. He looked into the side mirror, only to see that the other car still followed them. His attention was drawn from the road when he started cursing, something that could be highly dangerous if you drove against the traffic. Michirus eyes widened, and she started to scream: "Truck, TRUCK, *TRUCK*!!!" Sergio looked back on the road and screamed while Haruka clutched to the armature board as if for her dear life. Sergio reacted fast and used a trick he had been taught a long time ago. He quickly hit the gas while steering extremely to the right, causing the car to drive on the two right tires, the left ones high in the air. Haruka got thrown against the car door, hitting her wound and moaning in pain while Michiru screamed her lungs out in the backseat. Sergio slithered past the truck, which was honking like crazy, and stepped on the break wildly, causing the car to fall back on all four tires. Haruka slumped against the car door, holding her side and moaning in pain. "Haruka!" Michiru called out, putting on hand on the blondes shoulder. "It's…alright." Haruka said through gritted teeth. Sergio checked for the other car again and found out that they had managed to get rid of their chasers. He quickly drove off the highway and continued their way to the beach.