*Note: This is late in coming, but still better late than never. I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of the story. It took me far longer than I had anticipated to be able to continue it, but I promise the next chapter will come much sooner.

            "Michiru, hurry up!"

            "I'll be down in a minute," she called back. Michiru carefully recovered the paints she had been using and put them away. She gazed for a short moment at the freshly painted canvas. The face that looked back at her seemed sad. She had once again used too much paint on the eyes in a futile attempt to portray the depth which she desired, and as she looked at it, a drop of blue paint trickled down the cheek. 'A tear-stained angel,' she thought, and then sighed, 'will we ever meet again, Haruka?'

            "Michiru! We're going to be late!" she had been called again. Why must her mother insist on setting her up on these dates? She had met the boy before. His name was Brad. He was 17, a year older than she, and extremely ill-mannered.  Brad's father was the head of the firm which employed her mother, but couldn't she find another way to climb her way up the corporate ladder?

Michiru grabbed her purse and sweater and headed down the stairs. Brad had already gone out the front door and was sitting in his car waiting. He blasted his horn impatiently as she made her way to the car and got into the passengers seat, and sped away from the curb before she had time to buckle her seatbelt.

"What's the rush? Where are we going, anyway?"

"Don't get rude with me, girl. I told you we were running late. We're going to the racetrack." With that he began accelerating. Nothing more was said until they had parked in the lot by the racetrack.

Brad got out of the car quickly and started away as Michiru, still uneasy from their bumpy car trip fumbled with the handle and stumbled out of the car, nearly falling on the pavement. "Come on," Brad turned and beckoned impatiently at her.

She caught up with him, and soon they had bought their tickets and were seated in the midst of an excited crowd of spectators. Michiru listened uninterestedly as the announcer called out the names of the racers until she heard: "Tenoh Haruka". When she heard this, she leapt out of her seat. "What's wrong with you," growled Brad as he grabbed her roughly by the arm and jerked her violently back down into her seat.

Michiru felt embarrassed of her childish display. She knew full well that this could not be the Haruka that she knew. After all, there were no female racers. 'It must have just been a coincidence,' she thought as she rubbed her arm where Brad had just hurt her. She only half-watched the race, all the while in contemplation of the name she had heard, when after a long while she heard it again. The race was ending and the announcer was saying: "The winner is newcomer Tenoh Haruka. Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnesses to history. Never before in the history of the circuit has anyone won the first professional race of their career at age 16."

16? Haruka? 'It must be another coincidence,' Michiru tried to convince herself. She wasn't going to allow her to get her hopes up. She had waited too long for that.

"Come on," Brad stood up and pulled at her wrist, "the race is over." Michiru allowed herself to be led into the parking lot. "You wait here, Michiru. I need to do something." She complied, still dazed from the day's events.

She wasn't alone for a moment when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd of people. It couldn't be… "Haruka?" she called. A tall figure began to approach her. In the midst of the crowd, standing less than 10 feet away from her was Haruka. She didn't need to ask any questions. She could only stare into those familiar eyes as they stared back at her. She thought of a million things that she had wanted to say, but none of them seemed right and none seemed necessary. They had found each other again. That's all that mattered right now.

Michiru heard a horn beeping and a voice hollering. It was Brad. She ignored it and made her way over to where Haruka stood. "Michiru," Haruka embraced her, lifting her off the ground as she held her tight. She set her down lightly and they let each other go.

Suddenly, Brad's car pulled up and a crowd of autograph-seeking fans began to surround Haruka. Michiru quickly reached into her purse and pulled out a small white envelope. She reached out to hand it to Haruka, but it fell to the ground when she was jerked backwards by the back of her collar. She quickly spun around, only to see Brad glaring icily back at her. "Get in the car," he growled at her, but before she could get in, he got out and thrust her into the seat himself and sped off.

"What was that for?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, talking to that guy? You're my girlfriend and I won't have you flirting with other guys and whoring yourself around the racetrack!"

Michiru was infuriated. "I am not your girlfriend." Upon hearing that, Brad took his hand off the wheel and struck her full in the face. Michiru didn't do or say anything else for fear that her anger would get the better of her, but slammed the door when he dropped her in front of the house.

"What was that?" her mother demanded when she walked in the door.

"What was what?" asked Michiru as she rubbed her face.

"Don't get smart with me! I heard you slam that door. You know how important this is. You'd better be nice to that boy, Michiru. You'd better get on his good side. Do I have to remind you who is father is?" Her mother was exasperated and had obviously been drinking again. She continued to scream, but Michiru was used to it by now and ignored her as she headed up the stairs to her room. She didn't care how angry she would be later. Michiru just wanted to be alone right now.

She locked her door quickly behind her. 'I was so close, Haruka. I can't have lost you again. Not again.' She wearily curled up into her bed and fell into a heavy sleep.

            The crowd had dispersed and most everyone had left the racetrack. Haruka stood still and alone, her figure silhouetted against the setting sun. She quietly contemplated the events of the day. It had been her first professional race. She had won first place. But despite all this, she was desperately sad. 'Michiru,' she sighed. Tears began to trickle silently down her cheeks. She heard a familiar voice calling her name and quickly wiped them away.

            "Hello, grandfather," she tried to sound cheerful as the older man approached her.

            "Well now son," he greeted her. "It's time that the team goes out and celebrates. This is your first big race and you've won it. You heard the announcer when the race ended. You've made history!"

            Haruka forced a smile, "I'll be right there. Just give me a moment to think."

            "Okay, we'll be in the garage waiting for you, champ!" he grinned at her again as he left.

            Haruka was slowly making her way to the garage when she saw a white envelope laying in the middle of the parking lot. "I wonder what that is?" she said to herself as she bent over and picked it up. Inside was an invitation to a concert being held on a cruise ship the following weekend. "Violinist: Kaioh Michiru" she read aloud with renewed hope. She carefully put it back into its envelope and continued the rest of the way to the garage with a spring in her step.