Author: Kyouryoku Senshi
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's been a year after the battle with Galaxia. The senshi are taking advantage of the time of peace, Setsuna is married with daughter, and Haruka and Michiru are married and on their honeymoon when a sudden vision causes them to question the current Utopia they are experiencing.
Disclaimer: No part of Sailor Moon belongs to me, the show and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. Miyoko and Shukensha belong to me as well as some other made up characters.
Haruka and Michiru boarded the cruise ship in which they were going to spend their honeymoon for a week. Once they were on the top deck, they waved to Setsuna, Shukensha, Miyoko and Hotaru who waited at the dock until Haruka and Michiru were on the ship. Their luggage was to be boarding the ship and taken back to their cabin within the next few hours and in the mean time, Haruka and Michiru were looking around the top of the ship.
After their family left, they leaned against the railing, taking in the fresh ocean breeze. There was a buffet on the top deck as well as more and more people boarded the ship, stopped for a bite to eat. Haruka smiled across the top deck was a stage,
where she had watched Michiru play her violin for the first time.
Tough her past was filled with much sadness, she had been able to meet Michiru. Haruka leaned towards Michiru as they both overlooked the ocean.
"The ocean is calm." Michiru said softly
Haruka smiled softly "The wind is placid and free of any threat."
Then quickly turned towards Michiru and smiled, placing her hand on her lower back "Come on let's get something to eat."
A few hours later, they decided to go to their cabin where their roller suitcases were waiting beside the door.
Haruka took out one of the two key cards she and Michiru had been given and slid it into the door as it unlocked. Haruka picked up hers and Michiru's roller suitcase and pulled them in behind her and held open the door for Michiru afterwards.
The inside the room were two beds, though they only really needed one.
There was a small circular window on the far right, which only came with the more expensive cabins, which they could easily afford.
On the left side of the beds was a wooden polished closet, then on the opposite was a
Bathroom. In the far front of the room was a 19 inch TV. Haruka placed their luggage beside their bed as Michiru took a seat on the edge of the bed, picking up a map on the dresser beside the bed and looked at the different locations on the map, when a location for a tunnel aquarium caught her eye.
"Haruka!"
Haruka turned while she removed her coat
"Nani?"
"There's a large tunneled fish tank on the first deck, let's check it out after diner."
Michiru suggested with a smile
Haruka nodded "Alright, I think I'm going to take a shower first."
Michiru smiled "Am I invited?"
Haruka grinned "Always."
Around six o' clock that evening, Haruka and Michiru took the elevator up to third deck and found a relatively quite diner. A waiter escorted them to a booth with an ocean view.
Classical music played in the back round. Knowing already what they were going to Order, Haruka and Michiru set their menus aside. "It's so beautiful tonight."
Haruka whispered softly looking out of the window watching the ocean's ripples as they passed along the oceans current. The ship had departed two hours ago and the evening sun was blazing as it set, turning into dusk, as if it were melting into the calm sea.
Michiru reached over and placed her hand on top of Haruka's, both of their rings glimmering in the soft light that shined upon their table.
"Hai." Michiru agreed
A few minutes later, the waiter came by taking their orders, then left.
Both sat there in silence watching the scene outside the window before them,
feeling the slight movement of the ship.
It seemed like only minutes ago the waiter had just left and returned with their food which brought them out of their revere.
Haruka had ordered a dinner salad and Michiru ordered Sashimi.
"Do you think the others will be alright?" Michiru asked taking a bite of sashimi
"I'm sure they'll manage without us, besides Setsuna would always contact us if something was wrong or if it is a dire emergency." Haruka nodded reassuringly
Michiru allowed a smile to tug at her soft pink lips "I suppose you're right, I just hope that this utopia will sustain long enough for us to enjoy our vacation."
'And maybe perhaps even longer, at least I hope so.' Michiru added inside her mind
Once they finished their dinner, they took the elevator down to the aquarium which was close enough near the bottom of the ship that they could feel the slight movement of the ship.
They opened the door after the descended the staircase, to reveal a long tunneled fish tank filled with tropical fish. Michiru entered first followed by Haruka who was close behind her. A ways ahead of them were some couples, singles and some small families standing and admiring the fish.
They both watched in awe as the seen unfolded before them. Michiru took a few steps ahead then looked above them through thick glass,
the tropical fish glided through the clear waters with such elegance and grace. Haruka smiled as she recalled a familiar moment with Michiru, just watching could make you be at peace. They both found themselves on a side of the aquatic room watching the fish through the clear glass. "This must be a new installment, I don't recall there ever being a small aquarium on this ship." Michiru said folding her hands
"Do you?" Michiru asked Haruka
The blond shook her head "No."
"Do you like it?" A familiar voice called behind them
Haruka and Michiru turned around to see a gentleman with average height who appeared to be in his fifties standing behind them.
Michiru smiled and bowed "Konnichiwa, Kasamatsu Hiroshi-san."
"I'm glad you've decided to come back on my ship again, Michiru-san." Hiroshi replied then glanced over at Haruka "And who might this be?" he asked with a warm smiled
"I'm Tenou Haruka, nice to meet you." Haruka said with a bow
The slightly shorter man's eyes went wide "The famous racer of all Japan? I'm Kasamatsu Hiroshi, owner of this ship, it's a pleasure to have you on my ship,
have you been on here before I might ask?"
"Hai." Haruka replied then motioned to their aquatic surroundings
"I don't believe I've seen this section of the ship before though, is it new?" Haruka asked
Hiroshi nodded "Hai, it was installed about a little over a year ago now, beautiful isn't it?"
Haruka and Michiru nodded
"You're really getting quite popular for your music through Japan, Michiru-san.
Tenou-san you play an instrument?" He asked
Haruka nodded "Hai, the piano."
"That's great."
"Anyway, special occasion for the two of you?" Hiroshi asked taking note of their rings Haruka placed her hand on Michiru's lower back
"We've just recently married."
Hiroshi smiled "Well congratulations, to you both, though I must get going,
please enjoy your stay, and if you both need anything just let me know…" He trailed off then turned back to them
"Wait, I know the last night of the cruise evening performance at top deck is currently open, if you two would like to perform for the audience, I could reserve it for you two, It would be an honor."
Michiru turned to Haruka and nodded at her giving the 'If it's fine with you, it's fine with Me' look.
"We would be honored to; I brought a violin for such an occasion as well."
Hiroshi smiled "We have a piano available as well, young man."
Haruka didn't bother to correct him on the 'young man' part but rather bowed slightly
"Arigatou gozaimasu, that would be great."
"Is there a piece you'd like us to play or…" Michiru trailed off
"No, this is totally up to the two of you, whatever you decide will be an honor and I'm positive the audience will enjoy." Hiroshi replied
"Anyway, I must be going now, sayonara."
Haruka and Michiru bowed "Sayonara."
The day of the concert
Haruka and Michiru lounged in the indoor hot tub which was near the workout room on the ship. Haruka wore a blue shirt and swim trunks to conceal her femininity incase the men were to join the hot tub across from them. Fortunately though, since it was late morning, it was just the two of them. Haruka had finished her jogging on the treadmill as did Michiru, so both were lounging in the hot tub before they decided to shower and rinse off and leave.
"Some times it's nice for some seclusion, though only in moderation. When we were stationed in the outer rings of the solar system, it was a very lonely place.
I do enjoy time of peace, but not 24-7." Michiru spoke softly
Haruka hummed her response as she stroked Michiru's aqua locks of hair.
"I wish we could stay like this forever." Haruka sighed Michiru smiled to herself as she traced circles in the waters.
"So do I, but we should get ready. I heard they also have a salon on board, I think I'm going to get my hair done."
"Alright, I'm going to relax in the sauna for a bit, I'll see you a bit later." Haruka smiled and leaned forward and gave her wife a kiss before they both parted
Michiru had made a quick stop by their cabin to change into a silky white gown and scheduled an appointment with the salon on the telephone and sure enough they were able to fit her in for a 12:00PM appointment which she had been thankful for, she had wanted some time to practice and then relax before the concert. Once the hair stylist had her take a seat, she took notice of a flyer next to the mirror, which advertised their upcoming concert tonight and announced their marriage.
Next to the writing was a picture of Haruka and herself, which she assumed had been taken sometime while they were on the ship. She remembered some photographers taking some snapshots of them during dinner, which this one must have been from.
Michiru watched silently with her hands folded in her lap as the hair stylist combed her hair up into a high ponytail, with a jeweled band to hold it in place.
Aside from the back round music, the session was in total silence. About an hour or so later, when the stylist finished Michiru's hair, Michiru paid and thanked her.
When Michiru arrived back at her cabin, Haruka was already inside fully dressed in the Tux she had brought with her for such an occasion. The blond turned away from the mirror when she heard the door open and close.
She almost forgot to breath when the sight of her beautiful partner stood before her,
gazing into her teal eyes. "What's the matter?" Michiru asked innocently Haruka grinned to herself before looking back to the elegant beauty in front of her.
"You look beautiful, love." Haruka said taking a few steps forward until she stood only about a foot apart from the love of her life
Michiru wrapped her arms around Haruka's waist "Likewise. I can't believe it, time really flew by. It's already our last night here. I mean I do miss everyone…but at the same time I don't want it to end." Michiru spoke softly as she rested her head against Haruka's chest.
Haruka smiled softly and reached up to stroke Michiru's face. "It won't end…It doesn't
have to; we could always do something like this again." Haruka tried to reassure her though they both shared the mutual understanding that battle could arise at any passing moment
Michiru pulled away slowly and took hold of both Haruka's masculine hands, strong, yet gentle and kind. "I know, I just don't want our time together to go to waste." Michiru said with a grin Haruka rewarded her with a seductive grin of her own
"Alone time with me is never a waste, we should take advantage of this time while we have it." Haruka winked
Michiru giggled "Oh My."
That Night
Haruka and Michiru stood behind the stage, watching as the vacant tables became full, weather it was couples, families or friends.
They both stood next to the railing taking a deep breath and inhaling the ocean air. They both gazed up at the night sky and the stars that illuminated the darkness of the night. Michiru wore a similar gown to the one she had wore in the joint concert with the three lights and Haruka her usual Tux for when she performed in front of an audience playing the piano.
They both sighed deeply when they heard their cue for getting on stage. Slowly they made their way to the side stairs of the stage, Michiru carefully holding her glass violin that she had been given for her birthday.
Once the two of them came to the center of the stage, the audience erupted into a roar or cheering. Haruka took seat by the piano and rested her long slender fingers just above the keys and smiled at her ring ringer.
Once the applause ended, there was a brief introductory speech before they were signaled to begin.
Michiru closed her eyes, and let her subconscious take over as she passed the bow over the strings of her violin, creating a soft melody which emanated her emotions.
Michiru opened her eyes and narrowed them some.
Haruka who was on the far right of her, played a tune to accompany the tone of Michiru's music. Haruka's fingers glided over the keys as she felt herself being pulled unconsciously into an illusion of some sort.
The image of the audience before began to swirl, and before she lost sight of the audience she saw Michiru's eyes slip shut while she continued to play the violin, Michiru's melody softened as did her own. Haruka felt her vision return, but it wasn't that of the audience, though the scene she felt herself in was familiar, the white came into view she recognized the outside of the Outer's mansion.
She saw Michiru and Setsuna standing on each side of her and Shukensha beside Setsuna, before them were three smaller figures she figured that must be young girls, her vision was blurry and it was difficult to make out the faces.
Though she could make out one with seemingly neck length purple hair, the next had shoulder length light green and the other one Haruka could make out had wavy ice blue colored hair that just touched her shoulders, this one reminded her slightly of Michiru.
The one with ice blue hair seemed only slightly younger than the other two, and the one with purple hair the oldest. The two with purple and light green hair looked familiar but their faces were in a blur that she couldn't make out.
Haruka couldn't help but absently smile to herself when the three of them, were laughing while running after one another, the one with ice blue hair trailing behind, though never the less giggling as she watched the two other girls. Haruka turned and looked over at Michiru, Setsuna and Shukensha who were smiling as was Haruka.
Her smile quickly turned into a frown when the vision of dark skies came into view,
the four of them found themselves moving farther away from the children as they called out to them 'Mama' and 'Papa' with sadness.
Haruka immediately felt a deep feeling of loss in the pit of her stomach, she knew Michiru, Setsuna and Shukensha had felt it as well as the vision of the children moved farther and farther away from the four of them. All four of them had called out to the children desperately
'Wait!'
Haruka could hear the music of her piano and Michiru's violin quickly emanate a melody of depression and sadness.
The vision of the children and their voices became so distant and far away that they lost complete sight of them, and the vision became a pure white once more and Haruka had opened her eyes as the vision of the audience came back into sight.
It was then that the now saddening music came to an abrupt halt as their music ended. The awe filled audience stood up and cheered loudly, throwing roses.
Haruka instantly connected eyes with Michiru and it was that moment she had known that her partner had had the same vision.
After managing to push through the crowds, Michiru found and alternate way to the entrance to the inside of the ship and made her way down the staircase taking a seat at the end of the descended stairs.
Michiru turned to her left and found that some of her more recent paintings were hung on the wall; one was a picture of a mermaid swimming contently in the deep sea as well as one with the ocean enveloping planet Neptune, with an emerging whale.
This was the same exact spot she had confronted Haruka a little over five years ago, Haruka had been standing adjacent to her painting of the world's destruction, which she had requested to be taken down a few months after the battle of Galaxia.
She sat on her knees and folded her hands in her lap, giving herself some time to think. She was glad she made It out before she was swarmed with crowds,
and that this part of the ship was vacant besides her presence, Haruka must have had the same vision, as well as Setsuna and Shukensha, they were both in the dream so they must have had the vision as well.
She looked up when she heard a door close and Haruka had stepped in and began to take a few steps down the stairs in a daze from all the screaming fans until she locked eyes with Michiru and briefly recalled the moment Michiru had confronted her like this five years ago.
Haruka turned and smiled to herself as she looked at the paintings,
"You paint so well, have you decided to take it up again since the continuous battles, have currently held back?" Haruka asked softly not wanting to bring up her vision knowing full well her emotions would rise
Michiru turned away and ignored the question "You had the vision too…Haruka, not only were we there, but Setsuna and Shukensha
Were there as well…but only the four of us. So it must mean we're the only ones somehow connected." Michiru said softly
"Do you think Setsuna had the same vision when we did?" Haruka asked as she looked down at the staircase
Michiru nodded slightly "Yes, since it involved her too…I'm sure she did."
"What do you think the purpose was of that vision? It wasn't one of destruction, though it left me with a sinking feeling of great loss." Haruka said softly
"Usually visions are to prepare you for what's to come. I can piece together some of the vision, but can't make it out completely. I think the girl with light green hair shares a great resemblance with Miyoko, and the one with purple hair…" Michiru trailed off
"Hotaru." Haruka finished Michiru nodded "Though, I wish I knew who the other girl was."
Haruka and Michiru finished off the evening with dinner before retreating to their cabin and going to sleep. They both lay next to one another restlessly and unable to sleep.
Michiru shifted on the right of Haruka, opening her deep blue eyes and adjusting them to the darkness of the cabin. Haruka stirred next to her, and slipped her arms around Michiru's waist. "Still can't sleep?"
"Iie. I can't get that vision out of my mind. What was the meaning of it?" Michiru asked as she rested her arms over Haruka's
"During the dream, I felt a great deal of loss, perhaps…like you said, it was meant to prepare us for something, perhaps a future loss." Haruka whispered softly wincing at her own words
Michiru forced her eyelids shut "I'm not sure how much loss I'll be able to take,
sacrifice and loss, it's what our lives have always been about, even our past lives."
Haruka moved her slender hand to tuck one of Michiru's aqua strands of hair that had managed to come loose. "I know, but let's not waist precious time, and cherish what we have. We'll deal with it when the time comes." Haruka said reassuringly "What about those children…and…the third one?" Michiru asked
"We'll talk to Setsuna and Shukensha about it later, tonight's our last night. Let's enjoy ourselves and leave the worrying until we get home." Haruka said still uneasy and was unable to shake the feeling of loss in the pit of her stomach
"You're right." Michiru said feeling the same emotions as Haruka but grew somewhat tired as she spoke "I love you, Haruka…Good night."
"I love you too, Michiru…Good Night." Haruka responded and kissed the side of her forehead as they both closed their eyes and allowed sleep to slowly overcome them
The next afternoon, Michiru stood on top deck sketching the view from the top of the boat, before they were to depart the already docked ship. All the luggage was currently being unloaded as Haruka was getting their luggage ready before they were to leave the ship.
Once Michiru finished the sketch of the ocean and after noon sky, she began to shade in the details slowly. She felt like she had been standing there for hours until she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her. "It's almost time to go, love." Haruka said softly as she rested her chin on Michiru's shoulder
"I know, I'm almost finished." Michiru said as she took note as the amount of people on deck as well as on board decrease As much as she wanted to find out about their vision, she didn't want to leave.
While Haruka stood by the railing, she inhaled the fresh air, oblivious to the picture Michiru was drawing of her next to her sketch of the ocean.
In the sketch, Haruka was leaning on the railing, with a faraway look in her eyes,
her long strands of sandy blond hair dancing in the wind.
Michiru smiled at the sight as she finished the sketch, "Alright, all set."
Haruka looked over lazily until she caught sight of Michiru's sketch and smiled "It's really beautiful, of course so is the person in the sketch who modeled for you." Haruka teased with a wink
"Oh My." Michiru giggled
"Well I guess we better get going, Setsuna and the others should be waiting for us, we'd better retrieve our luggage first after we leave." Michiru said reluctantly
Haruka pulled Michiru closer towards her giving her a deep kiss, placing her arm around her waist. "Yeah."
"Let's go."
To be continued…
Authors Notes:
Happy Birthday Sailor Neptune! (March 6)
Hiroshi Kasamatsu is one of the characters I made up and is mentioned in
Forthcoming Destiny, Another fan fiction I've written which is centered around
the time Haruka and Michiru meet. Anyway, R&R Please!
