Chapter Four (July)
A soft melody filled the air. Nothing could be heard except the sweet music. The audience watched the young woman on the stage in awed silence.
They would clap into their hands when the song would be over, but now they were bewitched by the young woman in that long blue evening dress. Her sea green hair covered her back. She didn't wear shoes - as always. Herr blue eyes were closed and she moved gently to the music she was making with her violin. The melody was the only thing that seemed to exist for her in the whole wide world. It was tender and full of love.
Haruka, I miss you.
Michiru smiled and put all her love into the next song. She wrote it during the past weeks when the yearning for her lover increased. While her fingers stroked her instrument's strings she could imagine Haruka racing the car. Haruka with the helpless attempt to cook an eatable meal. Haruka under the shower. Haruka playing gently with their little Hotaru...
Michiru sighed and tears shimmered under her closed eyelids. The melody got sadder with every moment.
It had been now for over three, almost four months that she left Japan. At the moment she played in Barcelona. The next week she would go to America.
Well that's not so far away. But actually it's too far...
I will always wait for you - as long as I live. Michiru smiled sadly as she remembered her Ruka's loving words. They gave her the strength to carry on. To go on stage almost every evening. And maybe these words would help her to overcome the pain that still raged inside her. Since the day after the operation...
I love you, Ruka.
Every night she called her up and they talked for hours about the things that happened in Japan or on tour. With every evening it got harder to say goodbye and often Michiru cried herself into sleep. But when she stood upon the stage and saw all those people who really loved her music she knew that it was the right thing she did. Here she could be herself. Here she was completely recovered.
Here she was the Michiru she had been before that day in late March.
Her play became more and more hopeful and she could almost hear the melody of a piano soft in the background. She actually wrote this song for a violin and a piano. but she played it alone on the stage, because she didn't want anyone else than Haruka to play the other part. It was her love song.
Michiru heard the inner senshi's excited voices and Mamoru's nervous laughter. Doors were slammed and different telephones rang. Then there was the scream of a new born child.
The violinist opened her blue eyes and looked up to the bright endless sky above the stage. The melody got more and more tender and happier than ever before.
"Welcome to this world, little Chibiusa." Whispered Michiru. Then she closed her eyes and returned into her own world made of music.
The telephone rang.
Haruka turned over to the other side of the bed and put her pillow over her aching head. Tomorrow she would have another important race and she didn't want to be more tired than usual.
Finally someone picked up the telephone.
Haruka was very thankful for this person.
Then the door to her bedroom was pushed open loudly and Yaten crashed down into her bed like a wild comet. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her quite fiercely. Haruka tried to defend herself and pushed him away, but he was stronger than her.
And heavier!
"Wake up!" he shouted at her while he turned on the light. His face was redden and a furious smiled appeared on it. "It's a girl!" he said happily and his light green eyes shone with luck.
"Get off me!" Haruka pushed him back again and corrected the T-shirt she wore instead of her beloved pyjamas.
Hopefully he didn't see my grown belly.
Her doctor confirmed her that she was in the sixteenth week now - and everyone who looked closer would see it.
"We all knew that it would be a girl." She said coldly and regretted her words immediately as she saw the disappointment crossing his young face.
"But it's my only chance to say these words." Whispered Yaten. Haruka only stared at him with her green eyes.
Maybe not...
The young man suddenly blushed as he realized that he actually sat on her bed. He let her go immediately.
"Gomen... I...I didn't want to..." stammered Yaten and sighed. Then he went over to the door to leave the room again.
"Hey, Yaten. Cheer up." Apologized Haruka and left her warm bed. She took her black pants she brought last week. They were wider and adjustable. The nice saleswoman in the shop called them maternity clothes. Haruka had always been very slim but now her jeans didn't fit her anymore.
But I will never wear a dress! As long as I live!
The young woman swore silently to herself while she put on the pants and followed Yaten out to the corridor.
There must be some other way!
Hotaru already wore her violet summer dress and looked very tired. Her black hair hadn't been brushed and her tiny dark eyes watched Setsuna in surprise who talked all the time. She seemed to be very excited.
"Hurry up!" she said to the little girl.
"What's all this..." whispered Hotaru and held her teddy tighter. It was late at night and she leaned against Haruka who took her small daughter into her arms.
"We're going to the hospital." Declared the young woman and followed the nervous senshi of time. Yaten was already waiting in the silver Ferrari. "Chibiusa is born."
"Chibiusa?" Hotaru's dark eyes looked shocked. "But my cards are in my room!"
"You can show them to Chibiusa the next time." Haruka gave her little daughter a loving kiss on the forehead, then she sat her down next to Yaten in her child's safety seat on the car's backseat.
"Let's go." The car racer whispered and got into the car behind the steering wheel. Then she hesitated and watched Setsuna working with her seat belt.
"Anything wrong?" asked the senshi of time and looked at her friend in confusion.
"Do you really want to go to the hospital like this?" replied Haruka with a smile on her face. "Although it looks really sweet."
Setsuna stared at the green negligée she wore and blushed deeply.
"Oh..." was all she was able to say. Then she left the car and ran upstairs to her room.
"Sometimes I think she's more nervous than Mamoru." Gasped Yaten before he burst out into laughter.
It was silent in the small hospital room. Usagi laid in the only bed in the middle of the room. She was tired but very happy. Her long blonde hair covered the blankets and with her white night skirt she looked like an angel in the moonlight that shone through the open window. It was still very hot outside.
Mamoru sat next to her and watched the tiny bundle she held so softly in her arms. He didn't even notice that the door was pushed open and the inner senshi entered the room carefully.
"Mercury, put that book away!"
"And what about your cake? Chibiusa isn't able to eat it! She's just a few hours old!"
"Then Usagi can eat it. After I've sung my song!"
"Oh shut up!" Sailor Mars watched the other three in disbelieve. "How can you argue in a moment like this one!"
The four were silent when they saw the tiny baby in Usagi's arms and automatically they went down on their knees on the bed's left side.
"I hope we aren't too late!"
The future Queen raised her head and smiled in surprise. She'd never heard Sailor Pluto that nervous. Not even during the battle against Galactica.
"Calm down!" The other voice belonged to Yaten.
"In the middle of the night! This child's worse than her mother!" A noisy yawning later Sailor Star Fighter entered the room. For the first moment he looked shocked down at the bundle in Usagi's arms, then his face got sad. But it brightened up as he met Usagi's happy shinning eyes.
Congratulations. he formed the word silently and knew that he meant them.
Thank you, Sejya.
The two of the outer senshi went on their knees right next to their future Queen's bed. Hotaru left her Haruka-papa and came over to the bed. The little girl was the only one who didn't transform, because she was too young to know about her destiny about Sailor Saturn. Curiously he looked down at the sleeping baby and a bright smile appeared on her face.
"Hello, Chibiusa." She whispered and touched carefully the baby's tiny hand. "I've missed you." She didn't even realize that she said the words aloud. The small girl just watched the tiny fingers holding her taller ones weakly tight.
"She's so weak." Hotaru's face got serious and she couldn't look away from the peaceful face. "But at the same time she's so strong to determine my life..." She said the words very quietly and spoke out what all of them thought.
"Let's go!" said Fighter and wanted to leave.
"Why can't we protect two Queens?" Yaten watched Usagi and Mamoru and knew that he did the right thing. "Why shouldn't we trust this Queen who saved us all?" He went on his knees in front of the bed and ignored his colleagues' deep gasps for breath. "Why can't we protect her little Princess, too?"
"He's right." Whispered Healer and looked at Fighter who lowered his head. "Be honest. You don't really want to leave. That's the true reason why we didn't go with Princess Kakyuu some years ago. She wants to rebuild a new home. That's her will and we've accepted it. But we didn't follow her. Maybe it was our duty to be with her but I think we couldn't leave this planet. Because it became our new home." Healer kneeled down next to Maker and waited. "Maybe Princess Kakyuu will recognize it one day that she belongs to this planet, too. That she belongs to us..." His voice became quieter and finally vanished into the night. Fighter sighed and secretly he had to agree with the other two. So he finally followed them and kneeled down.
The jewels in ten head bands started to glow. Different lights of different colours covered soon the bed where the future Queen, the future King and the future Princess of Crystal Tokyo were. Rei begun to speak with her high and calm voice. It sounded like a blessing. And at the same time it was an oath of unconditional faithfulness.
When did she change her outfit?
Michiru turned from the bed and stared at her lover. She wasn't amazed about the fact that she wasn't in her hotel room anymore but in the hospital she knew too well. It was her job as Sailor Neptune to protect the future Princess of Crystal Tokyo. As it was the job of the rest of the Sailor Team. Including the Sailor Star Lights...
Michiru was amazed about her partner's Sailor uniform. Normally Haruka liked to wear narrow clothes and that was how her costume was tailored. Normally. But today Sailor Uranus wore a wide white shirt with blue sleeves. It almost covered the short skirt she hated. However, she had never been able to change it because all Sailor senshi wore similar uniforms - except the Star Lights.
Why did she change her uniform?
Michiru swallowed hard but she couldn't explain it.
How did she change it?
In that very moment Haruka raised her head and watched the shinning person who appeared next to her in the small hospital room. Sailor Neptune smiled loving at her. The senshi of the most powerful planet tried to reach her lover's hand, but it was impossible for her. She could see through Sailor Neptune and knew that her partner was still in Europe.
Dark green eyes where full of unspoken words.
I miss you.
Soft blue eyes smiled tenderly.
I love you.
Michiru concentrated again on the young priestess's words and her blue light got stronger.
I could tell her.
Haruka hesitated then she decided to keep silent. This wasn't the right time. She concentrated on Sailor Mars' words, too, but she didn't actually hear them, less understand their meaning. After all, this was Chibiusa's moment, not hers.
The lights got stronger and the voice's volume increased. Nine other quiet voices echoed Mars' as they spoke the oath.
Then Sailor Mars rose from her kneeling position and went over to the bed. She stroked the baby's fluffy pink hair and smiled confidently at little Chibiusa.
Then she made the funniest faces Usagi had ever seen from her friend. She giggled and couldn't fight back a laughter as she heard the young priestess' next very important words:
"Guchi-guchi-gooo!"
