Chapter 2: Awakening…Twice
„Oh my God." Haruka whispered to herself while she knelt down next to the unconscious form of the young woman. "I killed her! I killed her!" her mind screamed. It stopped when she realized that the woman was breathing. "Thank God." Haruka panted. Her eyes fell on the bleeding wound right above the aqua haired woman's right eyebrow, and to her relief, it turned out to be nothing more than an abrasion. Carefully, Haruka picked the unconscious woman up and carried her over to her car. "I ran you over, I'll take care of you." She whispered while placing the woman on her passenger's seat. Getting into the car herself, Haruka started the engine again and drove off.
Ungrateful bitch…I'll teach you…bitch…slut…whore…Kenshi's voice echoed in her mind when Michiru returned from the depths of unconsciousness and came back into the world of the awake people. Keeping her eyes closed, the aqua haired woman laid still, until the voice of her husband faded away, leaving nothing but a feeling of pain behind. Michiru finally opened her eyes – to two teal ones looking back at her. Letting out a gasp, the aqua haired woman scrambled backwards in the bed she laid in…wait a minute. That wasn't her bed, and it wasn't her room. Where was she? The room was dark, making her unable to see more than schemes. Michiru panicked, and when the owner of the pair of eyes that had been looking at her before grabbed her wrists, she screamed in tremendous fear. "No! Please don't hurt me! Please!" she shouted, her fear clearly showing through her voice. "Calm down!" the husky, low voice of the one who held her replied. "Calm down, I don't want to hurt you!" Upon hearing this, Michiru calmed down a little. The voice that had been talking to her seemed somehow familiar, as if she'd heard it before. She heard how the person who had been talking before walked away from the bed, and one second later, the light bulb that hung from the ceiling went on. And when Michiru realized that it was Haruka Tenoh who stood next to the light switch, looking at her, she fainted.
"Hey!" Haruka called out, her eyes widening, when the woman first stared at her, then let out a sigh and slumped back, unconscious again. "Holy Moly!" the blonde spoke to herself before she hurried back to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. Her eyes wandered over the young woman's body, from her legs up to her hips, on to her stomach, chest and finally stopped at her face. Haruka sighed when the words of the doctor she had called came up in her mind again. "Haruka, look at all these bruises." The elderly man had spoken, his voice full of sorrow and sympathy. "Did I cause them?" Haruka had replied, fear in her voice. The doctor had shaken his head. "No, they are a few days old. I think someone beat her." "Someone beat her." Haruka spoke out loud, looking down at the now sleeping form of the young woman. "Who did this to you? Who scared and hurt you so much that the first words you said to me were Please don't hurt me?" the blonde whispered, gently running one hand over the aqua colored locks of the young woman. Letting out another sigh, Haruka stood up and left the room, so that her guest could get some sleep and recover from the accident.
When Michiru awoke the second time, sunlight shone through the window. The aqua haired woman rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed, yawning. Her mind was blank for a few moments…until she remembered that she had seen Haruka Tenoh. In the same room. With her. "No, that can't be." Michiru thought to herself. "I surely just dreamed about her…" Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and a well-known face appeared in the frame. Haruka Tenoh. Michiru gasped, her eyes went wide, and her hand came up to cover her mouth. "Hey." Haruka spoke, smiling. "I know that I look a little scary in the morning, but it's not that bad!" Michiru just shook her head, unable to say anything. Haruka pushed the door completely open and entered the room, carrying a tray with a can of coffee and ham and eggs in. "I made you breakfast." She explained, sitting the tray down on the night desk. Michiru just continued to stare, and Haruka sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey, you can talk to me." She joked. "Care to tell me your name?" "Michiru." The aqua haired girl finally managed to stammer out. "Michiru Kaioh." "Well then, Michiru, nice to meet you. I'm Haruka." Haruka replied, a warm smile on her face. "I…I know." Michiru managed to stammer out. "I'm…I'm a fan of you, Tenoh-san." "Oh please." Haruka sighed, waving her hand around. "Call me Haruka. Do you remember what happened last night?" Michiru shook her head; all she remembered was Kenshi kicking her out of their home, herself running through Tokyo…and then nothing. "I nearly ran you over with my car." Haruka explained, her shame clearly showing through her voice. "You were unconscious, and so I took you home with me." Michiru gaped at the blonde racer. "I'm at your home?!" she finally cried out, astonished. "I'm at the home of the great racer Haruka Tenoh?" Haruka just nodded, dumbfounded. She had encountered a lot of fans before, but this woman…she seemed to be a very devoted fan. Very, very devoted. "Oh my God." Michiru now breathed. "I can't believe it!" Haruka couldn't help herself, but chuckled at the obvious joy of her guest. "Hey, calm down again. I'm not a goddess or something." She then spoke, grinning. "No, you're not." Michiru replied, her gaze falling downward to her legs. "But…you are one of the little joys in my life, Haruka-san." Haruka didn't know what to say, and the two women just sat on the bed, in an awkward silence.