Chapter 6: Forgiveness
When Michiru arrived at school, she was nervous. Joe's words had encouraged her to apologize to Haruka, but with every step she took, her nervousness grew. Finally, she reached the class, and much to her dismay, Haruka was already there. "Good morning." The aqua haired girl softly spoke. Haruka looked up at her and replied: "Morning." Her voice wasn't all to friendly, and Michiru looked down on the floor when she spoke on: "Can I talk to you? In private?" Haruka frowned before she finally nodded and stood up. That was when Michiru saw the dark blue bruise on the blonde's chin, and her eyes widened. "Dear God!" she blurted out. "What happened to you?" Haruka just pointed at the door, and the two girls hurried out and into the girl's washroom. There, Haruka leaned against the wall, casually crossing her arms over her chest. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked. Michiru looked at Haruka, trying to stay calm and not let her nervousness show. "I'm sorry." She finally said. Harukas eyebrows went up, and she waited for Michiru to talk on. "I'm sorry about the things I said yesterday." Michiru admitted. "So, you're sorry for calling me a sick dyke, huh?" Haruka asked. "And you think that saying I'm sorry is enough to make it all vanish?" "No." Michiru answered, looking down on her feet again. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Haruka, not after the things I said to you. But…I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry and didn't mean it." Haruka sighed and gave Michiru an almost friendly look. "Michiru…tell me why you said it." "Huh?" Michiru stared at her dumbfounded, and Haruka gave her a smile. "Tell me why you tried to hurt me." She then demanded. Michiru avoided her gaze when she almost inaudible answered: "Because I didn't want us to get close." Haruka took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on Michirus shoulder. She felt the smaller girl stiffen, but Michiru relaxed again after a few moments. "Why not?" Haruka asked softly, and when Michiru looked up at her this time, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I don't want to get hurt." She whispered. "I would never hurt you, Michiru." Haruka replied. Michiru nodded, the tears finally flowing. "I want to believe you, Haruka…but I just can't. Not after…" She stopped in mid- sentence, horrified about the fact that she almost told Haruka about her stepfather's actions. "Not after what?" Haruka asked immediately. "Nothing!" Michiru quickly blunted out. "What happened to your chin?" she then tried to change the subject. Haruka just shrugged. "Hiroshi happened to me. Hey, we should get back into class before the bell rings." Michiru nodded, and the two of them hurried back into class.
Joe was strolling down the hall, on the way to her class, when she saw a weird looking guy standing in front of the headmasters office. The man spotted her and approached her, trying to give her a charming smile. With the end effect that he looked like an idiot. "Hello, young Sir." He spoke, and Joe rolled her eyes. "Hello old man. I'm not a Sir, I'm a woman." She then informed him. The guy bowed to her, and Joe realized that he was dead drunk. "My mistake. Sorry. Hey, I have a question." "Yeah? So ask it." Joe replied, impatiently; she didn't want to be late for drama class. "Do you know Michiru Kaioh? She looks like…that." With that, the guy showed a photo of Michiru to Joe, eyeing her hopefully. Joe thought about telling him that she went to that school, but when she looked at the photo closer, she decided better not to. The picture had some weird stains on it, and the American didn't really want to know where they came from. "Nope, have never seen her. Sorry." She lied. The man's face fell, and he looked as if he was about to cry. "Too bad. The headmaster won't give me any information about the students of this fucking school." He then complained. Joe gave him a fake grin and replied: "Poor guy. Anyway, I gotta get into my class. Bye bye!" And, before the guy could reply, Joe zoomed down the hall and vanished into her classroom.
It was lunchtime. Michiru had agreed to have lunch with Haruka and Joe again, and Joe decided to tell her about the guy who had asked for her. "Hey, Michiru." The American began, causing Michiru to look at her. "Yes?" she asked, while Haruka also eyed her American friend curiously. "Today some guy came walking up to me and asked for you." Joe informed the aqua haired girl. Michiru paled immediately, causing Haruka to shoot her a worried look. "What…what did he look like?" the aqua haired girl stammered, and Joe shrugged. "Normal. Brown hair, a little taller than Haruka…he was dead drunk, by the way." "Oh God, no." Michiru whispered, obviously shocked. "He can't find me…he just can't…" Harukas and Joes eyebrows went up simultaneously, and both let out a little gasp when Michiru suddenly jumped up and ran out of the cantina.
Haruka found the aqua haired girl in the washroom, leaning against the wall and sobbing desperately. "Hey." The blonde spoke, slowly approaching her friend. "Are you okay?" Michiru looked up at her for a second before she threw herself into the stunned Harukas arms, crying even more. Haruka just stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, but finally she wrapped her arms around the crying Michiru and held her tight. "Shht." She whispered, trying to give her voice a soothing sound. "Shht. Calm down. Everything is alright." Michiru hid her face in Harukas chest, her whole body shaking with desperate sobs. Outside the toilet, Joe's voice could be heard: "No, you can't go in there now! Get away! Hush, hush!" That made Michiru calm down a little, and Haruka smiled down at her while she stroke the long aqua colored hair. The blonde made Michiru look up at her once more and asked: "Feeling a little better now?" Michiru gave her a weak smile and nodded before her expression grew serious again. "Haruka, there's something I need to tell you." She then said. Haruka nodded, realizing that Michiru now was ready to talk about the things that bothered her. "Let's go to my place after school." The blonde suggested. "There we can sit and have a talk." Michiru nodded, and the two of them left the toilet.
When Michiru arrived at school, she was nervous. Joe's words had encouraged her to apologize to Haruka, but with every step she took, her nervousness grew. Finally, she reached the class, and much to her dismay, Haruka was already there. "Good morning." The aqua haired girl softly spoke. Haruka looked up at her and replied: "Morning." Her voice wasn't all to friendly, and Michiru looked down on the floor when she spoke on: "Can I talk to you? In private?" Haruka frowned before she finally nodded and stood up. That was when Michiru saw the dark blue bruise on the blonde's chin, and her eyes widened. "Dear God!" she blurted out. "What happened to you?" Haruka just pointed at the door, and the two girls hurried out and into the girl's washroom. There, Haruka leaned against the wall, casually crossing her arms over her chest. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked. Michiru looked at Haruka, trying to stay calm and not let her nervousness show. "I'm sorry." She finally said. Harukas eyebrows went up, and she waited for Michiru to talk on. "I'm sorry about the things I said yesterday." Michiru admitted. "So, you're sorry for calling me a sick dyke, huh?" Haruka asked. "And you think that saying I'm sorry is enough to make it all vanish?" "No." Michiru answered, looking down on her feet again. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Haruka, not after the things I said to you. But…I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry and didn't mean it." Haruka sighed and gave Michiru an almost friendly look. "Michiru…tell me why you said it." "Huh?" Michiru stared at her dumbfounded, and Haruka gave her a smile. "Tell me why you tried to hurt me." She then demanded. Michiru avoided her gaze when she almost inaudible answered: "Because I didn't want us to get close." Haruka took a step forward and placed a gentle hand on Michirus shoulder. She felt the smaller girl stiffen, but Michiru relaxed again after a few moments. "Why not?" Haruka asked softly, and when Michiru looked up at her this time, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I don't want to get hurt." She whispered. "I would never hurt you, Michiru." Haruka replied. Michiru nodded, the tears finally flowing. "I want to believe you, Haruka…but I just can't. Not after…" She stopped in mid- sentence, horrified about the fact that she almost told Haruka about her stepfather's actions. "Not after what?" Haruka asked immediately. "Nothing!" Michiru quickly blunted out. "What happened to your chin?" she then tried to change the subject. Haruka just shrugged. "Hiroshi happened to me. Hey, we should get back into class before the bell rings." Michiru nodded, and the two of them hurried back into class.
Joe was strolling down the hall, on the way to her class, when she saw a weird looking guy standing in front of the headmasters office. The man spotted her and approached her, trying to give her a charming smile. With the end effect that he looked like an idiot. "Hello, young Sir." He spoke, and Joe rolled her eyes. "Hello old man. I'm not a Sir, I'm a woman." She then informed him. The guy bowed to her, and Joe realized that he was dead drunk. "My mistake. Sorry. Hey, I have a question." "Yeah? So ask it." Joe replied, impatiently; she didn't want to be late for drama class. "Do you know Michiru Kaioh? She looks like…that." With that, the guy showed a photo of Michiru to Joe, eyeing her hopefully. Joe thought about telling him that she went to that school, but when she looked at the photo closer, she decided better not to. The picture had some weird stains on it, and the American didn't really want to know where they came from. "Nope, have never seen her. Sorry." She lied. The man's face fell, and he looked as if he was about to cry. "Too bad. The headmaster won't give me any information about the students of this fucking school." He then complained. Joe gave him a fake grin and replied: "Poor guy. Anyway, I gotta get into my class. Bye bye!" And, before the guy could reply, Joe zoomed down the hall and vanished into her classroom.
It was lunchtime. Michiru had agreed to have lunch with Haruka and Joe again, and Joe decided to tell her about the guy who had asked for her. "Hey, Michiru." The American began, causing Michiru to look at her. "Yes?" she asked, while Haruka also eyed her American friend curiously. "Today some guy came walking up to me and asked for you." Joe informed the aqua haired girl. Michiru paled immediately, causing Haruka to shoot her a worried look. "What…what did he look like?" the aqua haired girl stammered, and Joe shrugged. "Normal. Brown hair, a little taller than Haruka…he was dead drunk, by the way." "Oh God, no." Michiru whispered, obviously shocked. "He can't find me…he just can't…" Harukas and Joes eyebrows went up simultaneously, and both let out a little gasp when Michiru suddenly jumped up and ran out of the cantina.
Haruka found the aqua haired girl in the washroom, leaning against the wall and sobbing desperately. "Hey." The blonde spoke, slowly approaching her friend. "Are you okay?" Michiru looked up at her for a second before she threw herself into the stunned Harukas arms, crying even more. Haruka just stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, but finally she wrapped her arms around the crying Michiru and held her tight. "Shht." She whispered, trying to give her voice a soothing sound. "Shht. Calm down. Everything is alright." Michiru hid her face in Harukas chest, her whole body shaking with desperate sobs. Outside the toilet, Joe's voice could be heard: "No, you can't go in there now! Get away! Hush, hush!" That made Michiru calm down a little, and Haruka smiled down at her while she stroke the long aqua colored hair. The blonde made Michiru look up at her once more and asked: "Feeling a little better now?" Michiru gave her a weak smile and nodded before her expression grew serious again. "Haruka, there's something I need to tell you." She then said. Haruka nodded, realizing that Michiru now was ready to talk about the things that bothered her. "Let's go to my place after school." The blonde suggested. "There we can sit and have a talk." Michiru nodded, and the two of them left the toilet.