Chapter One- The Meeting:

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Side note:  This is only my second fanfic.  It's all about Haruka and Michiru.  At the beginning they're only 12, just so you know that.  And I know that it doesn't follow the original storyline exactly, so you don't have to say it.  I really hope you enjoy it, and please Review.  Thanks!

Chapter One- The Meeting:

            It was a beautiful day at the beach.  It was warm, and sunny, and the ocean was a deep, clear aqua green.  The hot sand was scattered with sunbathers and people building sand castles.  There was a group of small children wading in the shallows, searching for seashells.

            Around noontime, dark clouds began to gather, and threatened rain.  The beach-goers took heed and soon it had been evacuated.  This previously busy and life-filled haven had now begun to seem quite desolate.  It was, however, not completely vacant.

            A young girl aged about eleven or twelve was steadily approaching the waters edge.  She had aqua curls, deep blue eyes, and was wearing a flowered sundress.  She bent down, un-strapped her sandals, and cast them aside.  Then she stood up and waded into the water.

            Alone she stood, for all too brief a moment, when suddenly someone speaking startled her.  She turned around to face a group of boys, all slightly older then she, and all laughing hysterically- at her!

            "Hey princess!" the boy who seemed to be the oldest of the group sneered.  "I haven't seen you around here before."

            Coolly, she made her way up to the shore, and stood facing the group, about 10 feet away from them.

            "You're a pretty little thing." The same boy said again.  "Why don't you come here and give me a kiss?"  With that, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward himself.

            She jerked her hand out of his grasp and slapped him hard in the side of the face.  "Stop that!" she tried to make a run for it.  Two of the others from the group came up behind her, and held her back.

            "Where do you think you're going?"  The boy persisted devilishly.  "You forgot your shoes."

            Her shoes.  She had almost forgotten them.  She didn't want to imagine the look that would be on her mothers face if she were to come home barefoot.  She had already had a stern talking to, and these were brand new sandals.  She made a grab for them, but the boy pulled them out of her reach with one hand, and with the other hand, he violently shoved her to the ground.

            You had better give them back to her right now!" came a loud and unfamiliar voice.  The boys all turned to see who was speaking.  Standing about fifty yards away was a tall girl of about twelve, with shoulder length sandy blonde hair, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. 

            "Well, well," the boy sneered.  "If it isn't our resident tomboy, come to pick another fight?  What the fuck are you doing here?  This is none of your goddamn business!"

            "I told you to give that girl her shoes back and to leave her alone," she spoke once more.  Her warning went unheeded and she charged furiously at the boys, taking them completely off guard.  Most of the boys left right then, but the oldest one, was still holding the sandals in his hands and decided to run.   That was a mistake.  She chased him down, and caught up with him easily.  She was so very fast, almost like the wind.  She wrestled him to the ground, and wrenched the shoes from his grasp, getting herself a bloody lip in the process.  Finally, she arose from the mess triumphantly, and the boy slunk away, defeated.

            She returned with the sandals, and faced the other girl.  "I got your shoes back for you," she gasped, still winded from the fight.

            "Arigato," She smiled, and then noticing the blood trickling down her face, her expression changed.  "You didn't have to do this," she added concernedly, holding the taller girls face in her hands, and wiping it clean with seawater.  Looking into her eyes for a long moment, she saw something familiar.  What was it about those eyes?  They stared just as intently back into her own.  "Have we-?" she began, but then thought better of it.  They couldn't have met before, what a stupid question. 

            Suddenly, they were both knocked over by a huge wave crashing down on them, followed by another that swept them into the ocean.  The aqua haired girl quickly got over the shock, but it wasn't she who had gotten the full force of the wave.  The other girl had knocked her mostly out of the way.  She searched frantically for her.  It didn't take more than a few seconds to find her.  She seemed to be unconscious, floating in the water about 30 yards away. 

            She wasted no time, but quickly dove beneath the swell, and swam with all her might.  She swam so fast, and gracefully that she seemed to belong in that ocean.  Soon, she had reached her, and putting her arm around the girls waste, she pulled her to shore, and out of reach of the waves.  She carried her through the backdoor of a beach-house, and up the stairs to her own room, and laid her in bed.

All night, she attended to her every need.  She sat quietly at a desk near the bed, diligently writing, and scribbling things out.  When she was satisfied, she checked once more on the girl beside her.  She was sleeping.  Quietly, as not to wake her she tiptoed out the door, using only the light of the sunrise to aid her in finding her way.

            It was morning.  The girl awoke with a start and began surveying her unfamiliar surroundings.  She was in a bedroom, but not her own.  There were no curtains in the large picture window that looked out onto the beach.  Wondering where she was, and what had woken her, she got to her feet, and approached it.  It was then that she heard it again.   Someone must have been playing the radio nearby, because she heard an enchanting melody, probably some kind of classical piece, being expertly played on a violin.  She looked out the window, and saw the same girl from yesterday, standing by the ocean, and playing the violin. 

            She just had to see her up close again.  There was something special about this girl.  She wasn't sure what it was, but- She made her way out the door, being careful not to step on the suitcases, and boxes that partially blocked the exit.  She rushed out the front door, and toward the girl on the beach.  She stood in front of her.

            "I-" the blonde stuttered, now looking intently into her companion's misty eyes.  "Arigato.  I didn't get to thank you."

            "I was glad to." She smiled.  "Now we are even," she pointed at her shoes.

            "I didn't introduce myself to you, did I?"

            "No."

            "Haruka"

            "Michiru,"

            "You play beautifully," Haruka indicated the violin.

            "Do you really think so?  I want to become a violinist some day."

            "What was that song you were playing when I got here?"

            "Oh, did you like that?" Michiru blushed.  "It's called 'Destiny'.  I wrote it last night for—"

            She couldn't finish her sentence.  A car horn honked noisily only a short distance away.  "Michiru!" called a woman's voice from the drivers seat. 

            "That's my mother.  I have to go." She explained.  She embraced her new friend, and dashed off to the waiting car.

            Haruka stood there, and watched the car pull away.  She could have easily overtaken Michiru if she had wished, but didn't even try to.  Somehow she knew that this would not be their last meeting.  The car vanished into the distance, and Haruka sadly made her way back home.