Chapter 12: Perfect World
„This is the police speaking! Haruka Tenoh, we know that you are in there!" the loud, metallic voice tore Michiru out of her sweet dreams, and she sat up in her bed, wide-eyed. "I repeat!" the voice now came again, causing the aqua haired girl to jump out of the bed and hurry over to the window. On the rather big meadow that laid in front of Ami and Makoto's house, five police cars stood, almost one hundred meters away from the house. Inspector van Dyk stood in front of her car, speaking into a megaphone. "Let your hostages go!" the blonde woman now demanded. Michiru hurried into the living room, where Ami and Makoto sat, both looking a little pale. And guilty. "You called the police?" the aqua haired girl cried out, disbelief in her voice. "Why?" No one of the two women replied; instead, Harukas voice spoke up. "Don't blame them, Michiru." Michiru flinched at the unexpected sound of her lover talking and looked over to the couch, where Haruka now sat, her shoulder bandaged. "They did the right thing." The blonde now added before she coughed, blood speckling her lips. "Haruka…" Michiru whispered, hurrying over to her lover and taking the blondes hands into hers. "I need a hospital." Haruka now added, wiping the blood she had coughed out off. "But they'll lock you in!" Michiru cried out, her eyes filling with tears. "They'll send you to prison…" Haruka nodded, but for some reason, she smiled while she did. "That's true. But I'll always be there for you, no matter what." Michiru hid her face in the taller woman's healthy shoulder, and Haruka put both arms around her. "Don't cry." She whispered into the aqua haired girls ear. "Don't cry, Michiru…" The blonde held her lover for almost twenty minutes, then she let go of her again. "We should go outside now. Bring to this an end." The blonde spoke, earning a sob from Michiru. "Come on." Finally, the aqua haired girl came to her feet, and together with Haruka, walked over to the front door. Ami and Makoto had been watching all of this with mixed emotions, and now they stood up and followed the two women. "You should go first." Haruka spoke, looking at them. They nodded and left the house, walking over to the police, where they were greeted warmly. "Michiru…you have to go next." The blonde softly spoke as soon as Ami and Makoto had reached the police people, looking down on her girlfriend. "I love you, Haruka." Michiru whispered in reply. The couple gently kissed, then Michiru walked out of the door. Haruka waited one second, then she followed her.
"Here she is." The sniper who knelt next to Inspector van Dyk mumbled. He readied his gun and aimed, keeping Harukas chest in the telescope of his gun. "You won't shoot unless I tell you to." Inspector van Dyk warned the man, earning a nod in reply. She raised her goggles and looked at the two women who came walking out of the house, Haruka shortly after Michiru.
Haruka just started to walk towards the police cars when she remembered her gun. And then, under the negative influence of pain and blood loss, the blonde made the biggest mistake in her entire life. "Michiru!" she called out, already reaching backwards to where she kept her weapon. Michiru stopped and turned around to look at her. Haruka pulled her gun out. "Here, you should take it. I…"
"She'll kill her!" the sniper yelled out, and before anyone else reacted, he had fired. "NO!" Inspector van Dyk yelled out, suddenly grabbing the man. She yanked him upwards, and her knee connected with the man's crotch as hard as possible. "You bastard!" the inspector shouted, letting go of the whimpering man and looking over to where Haruka and Michiru had been when the sniper had shot.
"Here, you should take it. I…" A shot rang, and suddenly, Haruka stopped talking in mid-sentence. Michiru didn't know what had happened, and it took her a while to realize. Haruka stared down to her chest, where a small hole had appeared all of a sudden. "Haruka?" Michiru asked worried, taking one step closer to her lover. The gun Haruka had been holding slid from her suddenly numb fingers and hit the ground; and all of a sudden, a thin stream of blood ran from the hole in her chest. "My…God…" Haruka whispered before her knees gave in underneath her, and she fell, landing on her back. "Haruka!" Michiru cried out, kneeling next to her fallen lover's side within the next second. "Haruka, no!" Haruka looked at her lover, giving her a weak smile. "Shot twice…within…24 hours." The blonde whispered, blood running from the corner of her mouth. "Seems…like today's…not my day." "Stop talking." Michiru sobbed, while Harukas searching hand found hers and held it. "You'll be alright…they'll take you to the hospital, and you'll be alright…" the aqua haired girl cried. Haruka just shook her head. "Too late." She whispered, squeezing her lovers hand. "It's over…" "No." Michiru sobbed, denying what she already knew deep inside. "No…you promised you wouldn't die…you promised…" "I'm sorry." Haruka whispered, the stream blood that ran from her mouth increasing. "Michiru…" the aqua haired girl looked at her lover, suddenly knowing that this was the last time Haruka would speak to her. "You…you made me feel like…like…" the blonde stopped talking and coughed, a terrible mass of blood splashing from her lips while she did. "Like…I'm living…in a perfect world." Haruka finally managed to finish her sentence. "You made my life perfect…I love you." "I love you too." Michiru whispered back, gently stroking her dying lovers face…and finally accepting the truth. "I'll always be with you." Haruka added, smiling weakly. "Remember…you'll never be alone." Michiru smiled back, with hot, salty tears running down her face. "I'll remember, Haruka…I'll remember you forever." She bent over her fallen lover, their lips meeting in one last, gentle kiss. Then, Haruka let out a shaky breath and, after a last loving look at her lovers face, closed her eyes. Forever.