p a r t t w o

I thought I wouldn't have to 'run like the wind' again . . . that I wouldn't desire to run. Why do I want to run when I know the light at the end of the tunnel won't be there? These thoughts plagued Haruka's mind over and over as she drove towards her destination, wind from the high speed tossing her blonde locks in all directions. Michiru . . .

Of course she couldn't think of anything else as more important; she hadn't been able to since they had first met. However, she was even more upset because Michiru was not the person she was rushing to. Considering the direness of the situation (as well as the fact that police weren't present for a good few miles), the female pushed the gas to around one hundred and forty-five miles per hour (nearly ninety miles per hour). Flashes of Michiru's form mixed with her confusion, anticipation, and slight guilt.

After an hour or so, she drove into the urban district of Jyuuban. Having circled around an elementary school for a while, Haruka parked in the parking lot in the back. She walked around the school to the front for a reason: she needed to cool herself down. Taking in a sharp breath, she entered the school to find a very festive spring layout. Chicks, bunnies, and bright colors were everywhere; the children of Jyuuban were creative. Canting her head, she smiled a bit and entered the main office.

"May I help you?" asked an office aide; it was obvious that she was just starting out. Her smile made Haruka realize that the young woman must have thought she was a handsome man.

Hell, I'd think I was a man, too. This was the thought she had as she looked over her generally masculine clothes. "Yes. I am here to see Miss Setsuna Meioh. Is she available?"

"Of course. Just one moment." The receptionist paged Setsuna and then came back to her desk. "She should be here shortly."

Haruka, being who she was, took in the general look of the girl. Red hair, kind of tanned, amber eyes . . . she compared nothing to Michiru. She had a nice smile, though, so perhaps she was in the right place. "I'll just sit here," she said, sitting in one of the waiting chairs.

Fifteen minutes had passed, and right when Haruka was becoming impatient, the red-haired girl walked up to her. Of course, the girl, whose tag read Ai, was looking towards her face when she looked up. A smile crossed Haruka's face as when she noticed a slight falter in Ai's smile. She knows. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but you will have to go to the nurse's office. Once you exit from here, take a left and it will be the third door down. Thank you for waiting."

"My pleasure." She flashed the girl a smile and made her way to the office where Setsuna would be.

Exhaling a little loudly, Haruka studied the closed door to the nurse's office. Why is she still here? Not delaying things any further, she entered the office slowly, giving Setsuna a second to realize that she was entering. Haruka would come to find a woman with dark forest green hair, about down to her thighs, with her back to her. Some of that hair was in a neat bun at the top of the back of her head; one would wonder how long her hair truly was. It could be seen that she was wearing a semi-long, lab-coat-like doctor's uniform. A small dark line under this coat revealed that she was wearing a skirt; the uniform only reached to the bottom of her thighs, just under her hair. She wore simple black heeled shoes.

Another patient already? These kids today, thought the woman, Setsuna. Her back was to Haruka because she was watching over a sleeping little boy on the bed before her. When Haruka obtained a glance past Setsuna, she saw him. He wasn't hurt; perhaps he was just really sick. Either way, Haruka felt bad for the child, but couldn't help but feel that she wanted to switch places. Setsuna turned around slowly, expecting to see a child. "Yes . . . oh! Haruka. You came."

As she saw Setsuna smile a little, a smirk appeared upon her face. "Did you think I'd not come? I love you, too."

"From the sound through the phone, I'd thought you were hurt."

"Here I am."

"Obviously rushed, too."

"Shall we cut the bullshit?"

Setsuna, who was then arranging things, gave a sigh, as well as a disapproving look, and led the other woman to the smaller part of the room, the actual office. Once they were both inside, she closed the door but opened the blinds, in order to keep an eye on her patient.

"Now , is it true? Is Galaxia back? Is that bitch really here?" asked Haruka, pent-up anger rising. She had to clench her fists to keep from actually yelling. That didn't keep her from raising her voice, though.

"Calm down, Haruka." Setsuna, known to the Sailor Senshi as Sailor Pluto — guardian of time — was known for her level-headedness. "Yes, she is alive. However, she isn't after Sailor Moon and her court."

"Then why is she here?"

"You and Sailor Neptune tricked her; she's here for revenge." She felt weird, calling Michiru by her Sailor name.

When Haruka heard the word 'Neptune,' she looked away. By the time Setsuna had realized she had more to tell, the nurse caught a glimpse of the 'miserable face' Michiru kept telling her about. It broke her heart to see the wind soldier in dismay, so she changed the subject from Galaxia to something else. Little did she know that it was a mistake to do so. "Where is Michiru? I thought she would have tried to come with you."

Silence. Haruka even turned around, doing her best not to make an outburst.

"Haruka. Where is Michiru?"

"I . . . don't know. Is that all I came here for? Are we done?" Haruka forgot about the Sailor-related questions she originally wanted to ask. The sandy blond walked towards the office door.

Of course, Setsuna would block the path, putting herself against the door and crossing her arms. "You will not leave until we are done, and for the record, no, we have more to discuss, and no, we are not done. Sit."

Setsuna stayed at the door until the fuming Haruka sat down in one of her office chairs. After she saw that, she looked out the window to find the boy still sleeping. Good. We have time. Smiling to Haruka, she also took a seat, one right beside the sandy blonde. After crossing her legs and clearing her throat, the nurse looked Haruka in the eye. As usual, when Haruka was upset, she gave a glare.

"Don't be so sour." said Setsuna. Haruka gave a smile that was obviously fake and spoke the words I wish I could hit you over and over again. "Anyways, I'm sorry to have to tell you that I won't be able to help you with Galaxia."

This pissed her off even more. "What are you talking about, Setsuna? We're a team! We've always been a team!"

"And we'll always be a team. However, since my involvement could involve Hotaru and maybe even Chibiusa in this and the fact that Galaxia is only after you and Michiru, it would probably be best if I did not fight. Remember — we exist to protect the Inner Senshi and keep —"

"— any foreign threats from making their way inside, I now. But you should help us. Who knows if we'll survive?"

"You were able to trick her. You'll do fine."

Haruka crossed her arms and was silent once again.

"What happened, Haruka?"

Again, she said nothing.

"Please tell me. I'm sorry if I've angered you further. Please?" Now Setsuna was deeply concerned since Haruka wouldn't talk to her. An awkward silence totaling around four minutes ensued, their gaze never lost.

" . . . the phone . . ."

"What?"

"She . . . she answered the phone . . ."

"And?"

"I . . . I did . . . well, she had to lean over me and everything. When she was talking, I . . . did this." She flicked her wrist to where her palm would be upwards and raised a finger, only to curl it. She was sure Setsuna would understand.

She did. "Now, you and I both know that Michiru isn't always the most playful person."

"Yeah, yeah, but she seemed to be even more angry than usual at me. And she said she was late, too, when she hung up. Where could she possibly — argh. Let's get back to Galaxia. Do you know where she is? Or where she has her base?"

"I've only learned a few things from Taiki. I was told to relay the message. Maybe if you went to see the Lights, they could tell you more."

"Yeah, maybe. Thanks." She sat there for a moment before adding, "You left the Time Gate to just tell us this, didn't you?"

"Actually, no. I liked my job as a school nurse, so . . . here I am." When she looked towards the window, she saw the little boy trying to get off the elevated bed. "Oh, and here I go!"

Setsuna walked out of the office and helped the boy by putting him back up there, looking him over, and taking his temperature. "Be a big boy and stay there. Your mommy will be here soon, okay?"

"O . . . otay . . ." He sat there and smiled, before coughing.

"Oh, here, here, hon . . ." She gave the boy water. "Drink it slowly, all right?"

Haruka smiled a little. Setsuna was always maternally inclined. "Then children are your passion." she said, as she walked through the area, about to leave.

Setsuna looked away from the boy, having heard Haruka speak and donned a curious expression. "How poetic of you."

"I guess. "

"Wait. Are you going to talk to her?" Setsuna was rubbing the small boy's back idly, as to comfort him.

"Yeah. After I cool off, or if she calls me or something. Later." Before the nurse could call after her, she winked and exited. On her way down the hall, she spotted Ai and winked to her, too, before donning her sunglasses she found in her pocket. It could be said that Haruka looked her best when not truly prepared; the 'grunge' look looked good on her, especially when she left that school.

Haruka knew that Michiru was close, but . . . she couldn't see her yet. It wasn't the time. The health club, that was where she needed to go. She still had the urge to run, to leave everything behind her feet. Haruka knew she couldn't do that, so . . . she could free her mind and run there. Luck must have been with her, because she had kept one of her workout outfits in her car 'in case of an emergency.' This, to her, was well into the 'emergent' category.

Once she arrived at the health club, she fumbled to find her health club card, showed it, and then ducked into a locker room to change. Being the simplistic one she usually was, she wore a white tank and green shorts with worn-out sneakers. She locked her normal outfit and other possessions up, then walked up a few couple of flights of stairs to the track portion of the establishment. Haruka was lucky yet again, for there was no one there. She could run without worrying about others' safety.

Even though she had walked up two flights of stairs, she didn't feel stretched enough. With the long legs she had, of course she needed to stretch more. So, when she finally made it to the luxurious running floor, she sprawled herself upon the floor, stretching in various positions. Standing, she looked over the track. Slowly, she made her way to the gathering of white lines on one side, taking runner's stance behind the one farthest from the center. Imagining a gunshot sound, she bolted from her position.

I wonder if I'm still 'running like the wind.' I wonder if she'd still want me to . . . I wonder if I could run like the wind to save her if Galaxia harmed her . . . I wonder if I could stop myself. Could I? Michiru . . .

As she ran, she exhaled through her mouth and inhaled through her nose, breathing being the only thing steady in her life.