Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, I'd have a grownup Hotaru all to myself. Speaking of which, Hotaru is an adult in this piece, because I don't want anyone to think I condone underage drinking.

The Prisoner

A trembling hand passed through the bars of a prison cell, finding a lover's face laced in shadow. "Please Haruka…tell me, why do you tear my heart asunder?" Breaking with emotion, Michiru could barely make out her words as she gazed at her beloved partner through tear stained eyes.

"Times have changed, Michiru-san, I'm not the same person I was back then. I have to follow my own path now." Haruka turned away. She could not let Michiru know how much it pained her to say those words.

The suffix caused Michiru to fall to her knees, grasping desperately through the metal she called out, "NO! Haruka, please save me from this, don't walk away from what we had…Haruka…" she sobbed.

And the dam burst. Haruka wheeled around, facing Michiru, tears streaking her face, displaying emotion that only the aquamarine haired beauty could invoke on her. "You want to know why I can't help you! Damn it Michiru, kami knows how much I want to get you out of there! I just.."

"Haruka! I've given you my mind, my body, and my soul! What more could I possibly give you?" Michiru screamed, all the while tasting the tears of her sorrow.

"You could give me…"

"No!" She pleaded, "Please Haruka, you know that is something I cannot give…"

Haruka dropped her gaze, no longer able to meet the eyes of her lover. "Then I'm sorry, Michiru. This is where it ends." With those words, she turned and began walking toward the light of freedom.

"Haruka." And she stopped, refusing to turn around.

"Promise me one thing…" Michiru said. Emotions spent, she now realized the futility of her pleading.

"Promise me that no matter where you go…that you will never…ever…forget how much I love you."

"Michiru…" Haruka whispered, her voice reaching Michiru's ears like a fallen cherry blossom. "Every breath, every beat of my heart, is for you and you alone. Goodbye." And with that, she walked away.

"Damn it Haruka! Will you just give her the freaking 'Get Out of Jail Free' card so we can continue this game?" Setsuna hissed, slapping the blonde on the back of the head.

"Seriously, Papa, do you have to turn everything into a Shakespearean tragedy?" Hotaru said, swishing around the Hennessey in her glass before downing it in one single gulp.

"No. She can't have it." Haruka said firmly, "Not unless she agrees to give me…"

"Tenoh Haruka!" Michiru interrupted, hopping up and down on her seat in agitation. "If you think for one minute that I would trade my Park Place for that card you have another thing coming!"

"Well, then you'll have to suffer the consequences. And you thought you were so lucky hitting doubles twice. You forgot what happens if you get three in a row." Haruka said, her trademark smirk gracing her face.

"Here, Mama, roll the dice again and see if you get out." Hotaru handed over the once 'lucky' dice.

shake shake roll A five and a two. Michiru slapped her forehead in frustration.

"Gomen Michi, but it looks like you'll be spending another night in the slammer." Haruka couldn't resist chiding her aqua haired lover.

"And you're headed for another night on the couch, baka." She retorted. Sticking her tongue out at the no longer smirking Senshi of the Wind.

Hotaru couldn't resist groaning, this happened every time they played the game. You'd think they'd have learned not to play with those two by now. "Okay, who's turn is it now." She said, breaking up the ensuing tongue war.

Haruka plucked the dice out of her daughter's hand. "That would be mine." With great flourish, she tossed the dice onto the board. A six and a three greeted her, and she moved her car piece (you'd think she'd play as anything else?) away from the 'Just Visiting' area of the Jail nine spaces.

"Haruka…" Michiru tried pleading once more. "Please, can I have the card?"

"Not unless you give me Park Place, love." She responded absently, counting her money.

"How about I let you 'park' in my 'place' later tonight instead…" Michiru said suggestively, running her finger up and down her lover's chest. Haruka's eyes lit up.

"Did she seriously just say that?" Hotaru asked aside to her Setsuna-mama.

"Yes, Hime-chan, I'm afraid she did." Setsuna held her head in her hands.

Hotaru suppressed the urge to throw up all over the game board. Then she caught sight of her now empty glass of liquor. Hell, if I'm going to have to sit through this again, I might as well get plastered. Maybe I'll find it funny instead of nauseating this time… She thought to herself.

"More cognac?" she asked her Mama.

"Yes, and be a dear and bring the bottle this time. It'll be a long night." Setsuna replied. Rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Bet she didn't need her 'Time Gate' to figure that one out…Hotaru thought to herself, getting up to fetch the bottle of alcohol, leaving her Setsuna-mama to try and pry the Senshi of the Wind off of the Senshi of the Ocean, again.

END

Okay, I hope you're not mad at me for doing the ending like that. I really wanted to try and do some drama, but I'm not a very serious person at heart (as you can see.) Besides, I would sooner put a bullet through my laptop before I could bring myself to break Haruka and Michiru up, I'd be like blasphemy to me. Anyway, if you liked the fic, do me a huuuuuuge favor and let me know it, the button is right down there at the bottom. Finally, I want to say, 'thanks' to those of you that reviewed my first story, I wanted to email a 'thanks' to you, but there was no link to your email in your profiles.