Chapter 5
Two months passed by and Taiko had more or less moved in with Hoshi and Michiru, living in the guest room on the bottom floor. Hoshi was hard at work in her studio, with some people from the record company she had been contracted to. Hoshi was sitting behind a microphone in the recording booth, as she called it, playing on her violin. She was wearing a white top, which was slightly too large on her, and the left strap of it was hanging over her shoulder, and a pair of blue jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, while some strands of hair fell gracefully on each side of her cheeks.
The two men sitting by the mixing board where smiling, listening to the beautiful music that was heard in their head phones, which they hadn't had to change in anyway since the day had started. "She's a perfect newcomer to the company." Said one of them while smiling at his partner, who just nodded in agreement.
The closed door was slowly opened and Taiko and Michiru peeked in, Taiko biting on a bit of toast, while Michiru was sipping some iced tea. Taiko was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of green shorts, which she had cut herself from a pair of old jeans. She had cut her hair and added some blue strands, which made the thirty year old seem like fifteen. And Michiru was wearing a white summer dress with some red and blue flower patterns here and there, and her hair was hanging loose at her shoulders.
"She's just getting better for everyday." Taiko grinned while munching on her toast.
Michiru nodded in agreement with a smile over her lips. She watched her mother with a warm gaze, feeling more and more proud about her when she was playing her music.
The two men noticed the two in the doorway, and soon one of them waved in them with a smile. "Want to listen?" He asked in a low voice as he pointed the headphones towards Michiru.
Michiru was the first one to skip into the room, and soon the headphones were placed over her ears, as Taiko walked over and sat down on one of the chairs. Michiru watched Hoshi while listening to the music in the headphones, which only made the music sound better, with its carefully added effects.
Hoshi was playing with her eyes closed while a smile was softly placed over her lips, which made her seem at peace, a face that Michiru hoped to see forever, since it calmed herself more than anything.
I hope I can make her just as proud over me, as I am proud over her. Michiru thought with a shining gaze in her eyes.
Hoshi slowly opened her eyes and spotted the girl behind the glass wall in front of her. She smiled back at her daughter and kept on playing, now getting up from the stool and walking around in the small room. Slowly the music stopped and Hoshi ended up by the microphone. "Was that good kitten?" She spoke with a smile over her lips, while looking right at Michiru, who gave her the thumbs up, just like the two men and Taiko, who had finished her toast.
The men started cleaning up the work for the day as Hoshi walked out of the booth, and was hugged by Michiru. "You really are working hard." The girl noted with a proud shine in her eyes.
Hoshi smiled at the girl and nodded. "Someone has to make a living." She noted while giving Taiko a tender gaze, who just stuck out her tongue at the comment. Hoshi looked at the two men who slowly got up from their chairs. "See you next week guys."
"Fine work today Hoshi-san!" One of them smiled, while tears were clearly seen in his eyes. "I can sleep great tonight." He added as he shook hands with Hoshi, as so did the other, before they walked out of the room.
"So, what shall we do now, oh mega-star?" Taiko asked as she got up from the chair with a smile, while she placed her hands into her pockets. "Want to go out for dinner?"
Hoshi smiled at the woman before she looked at Michiru. "What does my angel say?"
Michiru smiled back at her mother. "If I can pick the restaurant." She replied.
Taiko and Hoshi nodded at the same time in agreement, knowing that the girl was great at picking out the perfect restaurant. The three left the room, turning of the machines and lights, before they walked up the stairs and into the hall, were they got their shoes and jackets on, before they walked out of the house, locking the doors and then walking over to Hoshi's car. They all got in and Taiko sat behind the wheel for once.
The three were sitting at Restaurant Life later that evening, and letting the dinner calm down in their stomachs while they talked about Michiru's school work for music class, it being a essay on Mozart on fifteen pages.
"You really think he was like that?" Taiko asked from behind her glass of water, while looking at Michiru with a gentle gaze. "What if he actually was a mad man who only was out to get everyone's attention?"
"I don't think he was like that." Michiru shook her head as she placed down her glass of water. "I think he was like his music."
"I have to agree with Michi." Hoshi pointed out, while sipping her white wine. "A mad man could never make the kind of music as he did." She added as she placed the glass onto the table, with her hand under her chin.
Taiko rolled her eyes but smiled, knowing that the two thought pretty much the same when talking about music and the great composers. "I think this discussion had come to a dead end." She whispered gently and picked up her glass again. "Why don't we go home and see a movie before bed?" She asked instead, not wanting to get her hands slapped by quick comments of her being lazy in a serious discussion.
"Sounds like a plan." Hoshi replied with closed eyes and a smile over her lips. She soon looked at Michiru who drank up the rest of her water. "Does the kitten agree?"
Michiru nodded and placed down her glass. The three soon got up from their chairs, leaving the tab for the evening in the middle of the table, which Taiko had paid for. She had gotten a raise at the café and was more than happy to use the money as much as she only could, in spoiling her new family.
Michiru and Hoshi stopped in their tracks suddenly, staring at the air in front of them.
Taiko was standing behind them and couldn't really see what the two were staring at, but soon she noticed a family walk in. An elegant family, that seemed to have pretty much money to spare. The father of the family was wearing a black tuxedo, and he was handsome, with his short black hair pulled back and a pair of smart looking glasses over his dark green eyes. The mother was wearing a white dress, which reminded Taiko of a royal ball dress for some reason, and she was beautiful, with her dark blue highlighted black hair and a pair of hazel eyes. The last Taiko noticed of the family was a daughter with blonde hair, which was cut short and green eyes. She was wearing a dark blue dress, in which the girl didn't seem comfortable. The blonde girl seemed to be the same age as Michiru. "Isn't that Tenoh Ryoshi?" Taiko suddenly whispered, while tapping Hoshi on the shoulder, having a slight memory of seeing the man in some newspaper. "The owner of Music/Media Inc?"
Hoshi nodded a little, knowing whom the man was since he was her boss, but kept her eyes on the blonde girl, just like Michiru.
The blonde girl looked at her parents and suddenly stopped in her tracks, before noticing Hoshi and Michiru, who were clearly looking her way. The girl looked at them for a while but soon she just looked at Michiru, whose eyes shined gently.
The mother of the family stopped by a table where her husband had sat down, and was now waving towards a waiter. "Haruka?" The mother said in a high voice, looking at the blonde girl. "Come sit down dear."
The blonde girl's gaze was almost like ripped away from Michiru's gaze and ended up at her mother. "Yes, mom." She said in a low voice and before she walked of, she gave Michiru a quick gaze.
Was that her? Hoshi thought as she looked after the girl, who slowly walked over to her parents and sat down by her father. Could it really have been her? She thought as she let her gaze end up at Michiru, who was gazing at the floor. Did she sense it was her... her partner? Hoshi got a worrying feeling, thinking that soon Michiru would have to leave her, just like the tanned mystery woman had said.
"Can we go mother?" Michiru whispered suddenly, taking Hoshi's hand while still gazing at the floor.
"Let's." Hoshi nodded and slowly walked of with Michiru, while Taiko just followed after them without saying a word, thinking that the sudden stop and the chilling silence was a bit scary.
The movie had been seen under silence, and Taiko had stopped worrying about the two others, who had sat more or less in their own thoughts, than watched the movie. Hoshi had tucked in Michiru and was now sitting by her bed, staring at her nightstand with a serious gaze over her face. She soon took a deep breath and slowly opened the top drawer, where she found the wand she was given with Michiru. The Neptune symbol hadn't shined since the first night, which only was a sign for Hoshi that the time wasn't close. She slowly picked up the wand, studying it with a worried gaze, now thinking about the mystery woman and wondering why she hadn't been around for so long.
Suddenly Taiko appeared in the open doorway, wearing a robe and carrying to cups. "Want some tea?" She asked carefully as she took a step onto the bedroom floor.
Hoshi jumped slightly and almost threw the wand into the drawer, and slammed in the drawer, staring at Taiko with a pale face. "Oh god..." She gasped and soon calmed her last nerves. "It's just you." She whispered and looked at the floor.
"Just you? Hmm, didn't sound like a very nice thing to say, don't you think?" Taiko asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down beside Hoshi, giving her the cup. "You seem tense."
Hoshi smiled gently while she looked at the cup she was now holding with both hands. "You could say that I am..." She answered with a sigh. "Can't you sleep?" She whispered after a while, now looking at Taiko who was carefully sipping her warm tea.
"Not really." Taiko replied while gazing at Hoshi from behind the cup. "But it doesn't matter. I have the day off tomorrow." She added with a gentle smile.
Hoshi smiled back and nodded gently, looking back at the cup in her hands.
"What's wrong?" Taiko asked after a second of gazing at the troubled look over Hoshi's face, while at the same time scooting closer to the woman. "Care to share your secrets with me?" She asked after a short while of silence, before sipping her tea.
Hoshi smiled a little, not really knowing what to say to almost blue haired woman sitting beside her. I can't tell her what's really going on. She thought and slowly placed the cup onto the nightstand. She wouldn't understand, since I hardly understand all this. She sighed and soon looked at Taiko, who was looking pretty childish in the large robe, while she was making large puppy-eyes towards her. "I just have things in my head..." She replied after a while of gazing into the large eyes.
Taiko's eyes turned gentle while a soft smile appeared on her lips. "What kind of things? Something you want to talk about? I'm all ears right now."
"It's nothing really." Hoshi whispered and ended up looking at the bed, and Taiko's naked knee. "It just feels like life is changing so much everyday. I hardly can keep up with it sometimes. Or at least my mind doesn't."
"Ah." Taiko nodded and placed the cup onto the floor, slightly under the bed. "That isn't anything that you can stop you know? Life, I mean." She replied and ended up sitting with her legs crossed while she lied down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with her arms behind her head. "Just take the minute as it comes, that's my motto." She continued and looked at Hoshi who was looking over her. "Don't be scared of life, things do change, but they change as much as you want them to change." She added, now smiling gently.
"When did you turn into a philosopher?" Hoshi grinned suddenly, feeling a slight teasing feeling in her fingertips.
Taiko grinned back the same grin and sat up in the bed, looking at the wall. "I'm what I am and I have what I have been given." She replied before she looked at Hoshi, who raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that the woman would continue her sentence. "And I take what I want... well, sometimes." Taiko added with a soft laugh.
The two looked at each other for a while under silence, before Taiko's hand found it's way to Hoshi's.
"Want to go back to what ever you were looking at, before I stormed in?" Taiko smiled gently suddenly.
Hoshi's eyes widened a little, while a gentle blush appeared in her face. I didn't think she noticed. She thought and was about to open her mouth, when Taiko's gaze stopped the words in Hoshi's mouth.
Taiko raised an eyebrow towards Hoshi, before she slowly moved her had closer to Hoshi's, keeping her eyes at Hoshi's slightly staring eyes. "Or it maybe wasn't that important?" She asked in a low and gentle voice, while a soft smile played over her lips. She gently squeezed Hoshi's hand, which was under her own, while she gently placed her lips against Hoshi's cheek.
Hoshi slowly closed her eyes, letting the woman kiss her without making any protest, while trying to remember that her bedroom door was open, and on the other side of the hall was another open door, behind which Michiru was sleeping calmly in her bed. Hoshi just sighed gently as Taiko's mouth slowly found it's way to Hoshi's, and at the same time Hoshi's free hand found its way to the backside of Taiko's head.
At the same moment in Michiru's bed room, where the girl was sleeping calmly while hugging one of the two pillows. The girl sighed gently and moved onto her back. After a sigh from the girl and slightly twitching eyebrow, a sudden shine appeared on her forehead. The shine slowly turned into the symbol of Neptune, which slowly gave the whole room a gentle green and blue shimmer. "Mother..." She whispered in her sleep while her fist tightened a little.
Hoshi's eyes widened, like if she heard the silent whisper in the silence of the house. Her eyes suddenly had a gentle green and blue shimmer to them, and her hand slowly left Taiko's head.
Taiko slowly moved way from Hoshi's lips and while she slowly opened her eyes, noticing the shimmer in Hoshi's eyes. "What the...?" Taiko gasped under her breath and jumped away from Hoshi, while just staring at the woman who reminded of a zombie for a second.
Hoshi suddenly blinked and the shimmer in her eyes was gone. "Michiru." She gasped and got up from the bed before she stormed out of the room and across the hallway, where she stopped in the doorway into Michiru's room.
"What's going on?" Taiko huffed as she ran over, but ended up staring into the shimmering room.
Suddenly the shimmer faded and a young woman appeared by the window, but she wasn't solid, she looked more or less like a ghost than anything else, as she stood there with her eyes closed. She was wearing a white body with a short dark green skirt, with its dark green sailor collar, which was in a bow over the young woman's chest. She had white gloves that ended at her elbows and a pair of dark green high heels. And on her forehead she had a tiara, which carried a dark green stone. The young woman was beautiful with her aqua colored shoulder length hair and tender face.
Hoshi's eyes widened a little, knowing whom the young woman was. Why is she appearing here, and why now? She thought as she took a step into the room.
At the same time the young woman opened her blue eyes, which rested on Hoshi. The young woman smiled gently and nodded towards Hoshi as a greeting, before she crossed her arms.
"Why are you here?" Hoshi whispered under her breath.
"I have come to visit the future." The young woman replied with a gentle voice as she took some steps closer Hoshi. "Pluto says that you are a good mother, Hoshi-san." She added and gently placed her right hand under her chin, while a smile appeared on her lips. "I thank you..."
Taiko's eyes widened, knowing the gesture more than well. Hoshi used to do the same thing, as so did Michiru from time to time.
"Is this a memory?" Hoshi whispered suddenly and held her breath as she awaited the answer.
The young woman nodded gently and soon removed her hand from her chin, only to look at Michiru who was sleeping. The young woman smiled warmly and her eyes shined a bit. "Pluto was right..." She whispered before she looked back at Hoshi. "You are perfect."
Hoshi swallowed and nodded a little. "I am trying my best."
"I know you are." The young woman nodded with slightly closed eyes, which only made the young woman's gaze seem more tender than a second ago. "The future will become a bright one, and we will always remember you, Hoshi-san, even when the time comes when we must leave..."
Hoshi looked at the young woman for a while before she looked at Michiru. "When is this time?" She asked carefully, before she looked back at the young woman.
The young woman sighed and her gaze turned slightly saddened. "Five years from now, all must change, I am afraid."
Hoshi's eyes filled with tears as she heard the answer.
The young woman gazed at Hoshi for some time, only to see the first tear run down Hoshi's cheek. The young woman felt clearly what Hoshi was going trough and gently placed her hand onto Hoshi's face, before drying away the tear. "None of us likes to see tears in your eyes..." She whispered.
Hoshi just gazed at the young woman, knowing what was to become of Michiru when she was gone. "Promise me one thing..." She whispered.
The young woman smiled comfortingly and nodded. "We'll be strong." She whispered and soon they both looked at the sleeping Michiru. "We both promise you this, mother."
As the words were spoken Michiru moved her head on her pillow, facing Hoshi and the young woman, who was to become her future and once had been her past. "Promise..." She whispered in her sleep, while a gentle smile appeared on her lips. At the same time the symbol on her forehead slowly started to face, as so did the shimmer in the room, and with that, the young woman started to fade.
As the rooms walls turned back to it's gentle green painted walls, everything turned silent. Except for Taiko's heartbeat, which was echoing all around the house, and could been heard clearly. The woman's face was pale and her hair was standing on ends, but no more words were said that night, when Hoshi went to her room, leaving Taiko standing in the hall outside, staring at the nothingness in front of her, while not believing her eyes.
Two months passed by and Taiko had more or less moved in with Hoshi and Michiru, living in the guest room on the bottom floor. Hoshi was hard at work in her studio, with some people from the record company she had been contracted to. Hoshi was sitting behind a microphone in the recording booth, as she called it, playing on her violin. She was wearing a white top, which was slightly too large on her, and the left strap of it was hanging over her shoulder, and a pair of blue jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, while some strands of hair fell gracefully on each side of her cheeks.
The two men sitting by the mixing board where smiling, listening to the beautiful music that was heard in their head phones, which they hadn't had to change in anyway since the day had started. "She's a perfect newcomer to the company." Said one of them while smiling at his partner, who just nodded in agreement.
The closed door was slowly opened and Taiko and Michiru peeked in, Taiko biting on a bit of toast, while Michiru was sipping some iced tea. Taiko was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of green shorts, which she had cut herself from a pair of old jeans. She had cut her hair and added some blue strands, which made the thirty year old seem like fifteen. And Michiru was wearing a white summer dress with some red and blue flower patterns here and there, and her hair was hanging loose at her shoulders.
"She's just getting better for everyday." Taiko grinned while munching on her toast.
Michiru nodded in agreement with a smile over her lips. She watched her mother with a warm gaze, feeling more and more proud about her when she was playing her music.
The two men noticed the two in the doorway, and soon one of them waved in them with a smile. "Want to listen?" He asked in a low voice as he pointed the headphones towards Michiru.
Michiru was the first one to skip into the room, and soon the headphones were placed over her ears, as Taiko walked over and sat down on one of the chairs. Michiru watched Hoshi while listening to the music in the headphones, which only made the music sound better, with its carefully added effects.
Hoshi was playing with her eyes closed while a smile was softly placed over her lips, which made her seem at peace, a face that Michiru hoped to see forever, since it calmed herself more than anything.
I hope I can make her just as proud over me, as I am proud over her. Michiru thought with a shining gaze in her eyes.
Hoshi slowly opened her eyes and spotted the girl behind the glass wall in front of her. She smiled back at her daughter and kept on playing, now getting up from the stool and walking around in the small room. Slowly the music stopped and Hoshi ended up by the microphone. "Was that good kitten?" She spoke with a smile over her lips, while looking right at Michiru, who gave her the thumbs up, just like the two men and Taiko, who had finished her toast.
The men started cleaning up the work for the day as Hoshi walked out of the booth, and was hugged by Michiru. "You really are working hard." The girl noted with a proud shine in her eyes.
Hoshi smiled at the girl and nodded. "Someone has to make a living." She noted while giving Taiko a tender gaze, who just stuck out her tongue at the comment. Hoshi looked at the two men who slowly got up from their chairs. "See you next week guys."
"Fine work today Hoshi-san!" One of them smiled, while tears were clearly seen in his eyes. "I can sleep great tonight." He added as he shook hands with Hoshi, as so did the other, before they walked out of the room.
"So, what shall we do now, oh mega-star?" Taiko asked as she got up from the chair with a smile, while she placed her hands into her pockets. "Want to go out for dinner?"
Hoshi smiled at the woman before she looked at Michiru. "What does my angel say?"
Michiru smiled back at her mother. "If I can pick the restaurant." She replied.
Taiko and Hoshi nodded at the same time in agreement, knowing that the girl was great at picking out the perfect restaurant. The three left the room, turning of the machines and lights, before they walked up the stairs and into the hall, were they got their shoes and jackets on, before they walked out of the house, locking the doors and then walking over to Hoshi's car. They all got in and Taiko sat behind the wheel for once.
The three were sitting at Restaurant Life later that evening, and letting the dinner calm down in their stomachs while they talked about Michiru's school work for music class, it being a essay on Mozart on fifteen pages.
"You really think he was like that?" Taiko asked from behind her glass of water, while looking at Michiru with a gentle gaze. "What if he actually was a mad man who only was out to get everyone's attention?"
"I don't think he was like that." Michiru shook her head as she placed down her glass of water. "I think he was like his music."
"I have to agree with Michi." Hoshi pointed out, while sipping her white wine. "A mad man could never make the kind of music as he did." She added as she placed the glass onto the table, with her hand under her chin.
Taiko rolled her eyes but smiled, knowing that the two thought pretty much the same when talking about music and the great composers. "I think this discussion had come to a dead end." She whispered gently and picked up her glass again. "Why don't we go home and see a movie before bed?" She asked instead, not wanting to get her hands slapped by quick comments of her being lazy in a serious discussion.
"Sounds like a plan." Hoshi replied with closed eyes and a smile over her lips. She soon looked at Michiru who drank up the rest of her water. "Does the kitten agree?"
Michiru nodded and placed down her glass. The three soon got up from their chairs, leaving the tab for the evening in the middle of the table, which Taiko had paid for. She had gotten a raise at the café and was more than happy to use the money as much as she only could, in spoiling her new family.
Michiru and Hoshi stopped in their tracks suddenly, staring at the air in front of them.
Taiko was standing behind them and couldn't really see what the two were staring at, but soon she noticed a family walk in. An elegant family, that seemed to have pretty much money to spare. The father of the family was wearing a black tuxedo, and he was handsome, with his short black hair pulled back and a pair of smart looking glasses over his dark green eyes. The mother was wearing a white dress, which reminded Taiko of a royal ball dress for some reason, and she was beautiful, with her dark blue highlighted black hair and a pair of hazel eyes. The last Taiko noticed of the family was a daughter with blonde hair, which was cut short and green eyes. She was wearing a dark blue dress, in which the girl didn't seem comfortable. The blonde girl seemed to be the same age as Michiru. "Isn't that Tenoh Ryoshi?" Taiko suddenly whispered, while tapping Hoshi on the shoulder, having a slight memory of seeing the man in some newspaper. "The owner of Music/Media Inc?"
Hoshi nodded a little, knowing whom the man was since he was her boss, but kept her eyes on the blonde girl, just like Michiru.
The blonde girl looked at her parents and suddenly stopped in her tracks, before noticing Hoshi and Michiru, who were clearly looking her way. The girl looked at them for a while but soon she just looked at Michiru, whose eyes shined gently.
The mother of the family stopped by a table where her husband had sat down, and was now waving towards a waiter. "Haruka?" The mother said in a high voice, looking at the blonde girl. "Come sit down dear."
The blonde girl's gaze was almost like ripped away from Michiru's gaze and ended up at her mother. "Yes, mom." She said in a low voice and before she walked of, she gave Michiru a quick gaze.
Was that her? Hoshi thought as she looked after the girl, who slowly walked over to her parents and sat down by her father. Could it really have been her? She thought as she let her gaze end up at Michiru, who was gazing at the floor. Did she sense it was her... her partner? Hoshi got a worrying feeling, thinking that soon Michiru would have to leave her, just like the tanned mystery woman had said.
"Can we go mother?" Michiru whispered suddenly, taking Hoshi's hand while still gazing at the floor.
"Let's." Hoshi nodded and slowly walked of with Michiru, while Taiko just followed after them without saying a word, thinking that the sudden stop and the chilling silence was a bit scary.
The movie had been seen under silence, and Taiko had stopped worrying about the two others, who had sat more or less in their own thoughts, than watched the movie. Hoshi had tucked in Michiru and was now sitting by her bed, staring at her nightstand with a serious gaze over her face. She soon took a deep breath and slowly opened the top drawer, where she found the wand she was given with Michiru. The Neptune symbol hadn't shined since the first night, which only was a sign for Hoshi that the time wasn't close. She slowly picked up the wand, studying it with a worried gaze, now thinking about the mystery woman and wondering why she hadn't been around for so long.
Suddenly Taiko appeared in the open doorway, wearing a robe and carrying to cups. "Want some tea?" She asked carefully as she took a step onto the bedroom floor.
Hoshi jumped slightly and almost threw the wand into the drawer, and slammed in the drawer, staring at Taiko with a pale face. "Oh god..." She gasped and soon calmed her last nerves. "It's just you." She whispered and looked at the floor.
"Just you? Hmm, didn't sound like a very nice thing to say, don't you think?" Taiko asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down beside Hoshi, giving her the cup. "You seem tense."
Hoshi smiled gently while she looked at the cup she was now holding with both hands. "You could say that I am..." She answered with a sigh. "Can't you sleep?" She whispered after a while, now looking at Taiko who was carefully sipping her warm tea.
"Not really." Taiko replied while gazing at Hoshi from behind the cup. "But it doesn't matter. I have the day off tomorrow." She added with a gentle smile.
Hoshi smiled back and nodded gently, looking back at the cup in her hands.
"What's wrong?" Taiko asked after a second of gazing at the troubled look over Hoshi's face, while at the same time scooting closer to the woman. "Care to share your secrets with me?" She asked after a short while of silence, before sipping her tea.
Hoshi smiled a little, not really knowing what to say to almost blue haired woman sitting beside her. I can't tell her what's really going on. She thought and slowly placed the cup onto the nightstand. She wouldn't understand, since I hardly understand all this. She sighed and soon looked at Taiko, who was looking pretty childish in the large robe, while she was making large puppy-eyes towards her. "I just have things in my head..." She replied after a while of gazing into the large eyes.
Taiko's eyes turned gentle while a soft smile appeared on her lips. "What kind of things? Something you want to talk about? I'm all ears right now."
"It's nothing really." Hoshi whispered and ended up looking at the bed, and Taiko's naked knee. "It just feels like life is changing so much everyday. I hardly can keep up with it sometimes. Or at least my mind doesn't."
"Ah." Taiko nodded and placed the cup onto the floor, slightly under the bed. "That isn't anything that you can stop you know? Life, I mean." She replied and ended up sitting with her legs crossed while she lied down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling with her arms behind her head. "Just take the minute as it comes, that's my motto." She continued and looked at Hoshi who was looking over her. "Don't be scared of life, things do change, but they change as much as you want them to change." She added, now smiling gently.
"When did you turn into a philosopher?" Hoshi grinned suddenly, feeling a slight teasing feeling in her fingertips.
Taiko grinned back the same grin and sat up in the bed, looking at the wall. "I'm what I am and I have what I have been given." She replied before she looked at Hoshi, who raised an eyebrow at her, knowing that the woman would continue her sentence. "And I take what I want... well, sometimes." Taiko added with a soft laugh.
The two looked at each other for a while under silence, before Taiko's hand found it's way to Hoshi's.
"Want to go back to what ever you were looking at, before I stormed in?" Taiko smiled gently suddenly.
Hoshi's eyes widened a little, while a gentle blush appeared in her face. I didn't think she noticed. She thought and was about to open her mouth, when Taiko's gaze stopped the words in Hoshi's mouth.
Taiko raised an eyebrow towards Hoshi, before she slowly moved her had closer to Hoshi's, keeping her eyes at Hoshi's slightly staring eyes. "Or it maybe wasn't that important?" She asked in a low and gentle voice, while a soft smile played over her lips. She gently squeezed Hoshi's hand, which was under her own, while she gently placed her lips against Hoshi's cheek.
Hoshi slowly closed her eyes, letting the woman kiss her without making any protest, while trying to remember that her bedroom door was open, and on the other side of the hall was another open door, behind which Michiru was sleeping calmly in her bed. Hoshi just sighed gently as Taiko's mouth slowly found it's way to Hoshi's, and at the same time Hoshi's free hand found its way to the backside of Taiko's head.
At the same moment in Michiru's bed room, where the girl was sleeping calmly while hugging one of the two pillows. The girl sighed gently and moved onto her back. After a sigh from the girl and slightly twitching eyebrow, a sudden shine appeared on her forehead. The shine slowly turned into the symbol of Neptune, which slowly gave the whole room a gentle green and blue shimmer. "Mother..." She whispered in her sleep while her fist tightened a little.
Hoshi's eyes widened, like if she heard the silent whisper in the silence of the house. Her eyes suddenly had a gentle green and blue shimmer to them, and her hand slowly left Taiko's head.
Taiko slowly moved way from Hoshi's lips and while she slowly opened her eyes, noticing the shimmer in Hoshi's eyes. "What the...?" Taiko gasped under her breath and jumped away from Hoshi, while just staring at the woman who reminded of a zombie for a second.
Hoshi suddenly blinked and the shimmer in her eyes was gone. "Michiru." She gasped and got up from the bed before she stormed out of the room and across the hallway, where she stopped in the doorway into Michiru's room.
"What's going on?" Taiko huffed as she ran over, but ended up staring into the shimmering room.
Suddenly the shimmer faded and a young woman appeared by the window, but she wasn't solid, she looked more or less like a ghost than anything else, as she stood there with her eyes closed. She was wearing a white body with a short dark green skirt, with its dark green sailor collar, which was in a bow over the young woman's chest. She had white gloves that ended at her elbows and a pair of dark green high heels. And on her forehead she had a tiara, which carried a dark green stone. The young woman was beautiful with her aqua colored shoulder length hair and tender face.
Hoshi's eyes widened a little, knowing whom the young woman was. Why is she appearing here, and why now? She thought as she took a step into the room.
At the same time the young woman opened her blue eyes, which rested on Hoshi. The young woman smiled gently and nodded towards Hoshi as a greeting, before she crossed her arms.
"Why are you here?" Hoshi whispered under her breath.
"I have come to visit the future." The young woman replied with a gentle voice as she took some steps closer Hoshi. "Pluto says that you are a good mother, Hoshi-san." She added and gently placed her right hand under her chin, while a smile appeared on her lips. "I thank you..."
Taiko's eyes widened, knowing the gesture more than well. Hoshi used to do the same thing, as so did Michiru from time to time.
"Is this a memory?" Hoshi whispered suddenly and held her breath as she awaited the answer.
The young woman nodded gently and soon removed her hand from her chin, only to look at Michiru who was sleeping. The young woman smiled warmly and her eyes shined a bit. "Pluto was right..." She whispered before she looked back at Hoshi. "You are perfect."
Hoshi swallowed and nodded a little. "I am trying my best."
"I know you are." The young woman nodded with slightly closed eyes, which only made the young woman's gaze seem more tender than a second ago. "The future will become a bright one, and we will always remember you, Hoshi-san, even when the time comes when we must leave..."
Hoshi looked at the young woman for a while before she looked at Michiru. "When is this time?" She asked carefully, before she looked back at the young woman.
The young woman sighed and her gaze turned slightly saddened. "Five years from now, all must change, I am afraid."
Hoshi's eyes filled with tears as she heard the answer.
The young woman gazed at Hoshi for some time, only to see the first tear run down Hoshi's cheek. The young woman felt clearly what Hoshi was going trough and gently placed her hand onto Hoshi's face, before drying away the tear. "None of us likes to see tears in your eyes..." She whispered.
Hoshi just gazed at the young woman, knowing what was to become of Michiru when she was gone. "Promise me one thing..." She whispered.
The young woman smiled comfortingly and nodded. "We'll be strong." She whispered and soon they both looked at the sleeping Michiru. "We both promise you this, mother."
As the words were spoken Michiru moved her head on her pillow, facing Hoshi and the young woman, who was to become her future and once had been her past. "Promise..." She whispered in her sleep, while a gentle smile appeared on her lips. At the same time the symbol on her forehead slowly started to face, as so did the shimmer in the room, and with that, the young woman started to fade.
As the rooms walls turned back to it's gentle green painted walls, everything turned silent. Except for Taiko's heartbeat, which was echoing all around the house, and could been heard clearly. The woman's face was pale and her hair was standing on ends, but no more words were said that night, when Hoshi went to her room, leaving Taiko standing in the hall outside, staring at the nothingness in front of her, while not believing her eyes.