I'm sorry about the long wait. The pause in production came from me being busy and a few events that proved to be . . . well, let's just say they were less than stellar. If my writing seems to be a little rusty, forgive me. I hope you all enjoy this.— Ju-chan.
p a r t s e v e n
"Haruka . . . no . . . no . . . y-you can't . . . no . . . " Not without me . . . Sailor Neptune was most definitely shaken. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes were widened considerably, and she trembled. After watching the flames for about thirty seconds, she closed her eyes and sobbed.
You idiot . . . are you really going to leave her to cry like this?
Sailor Star Maker felt Sailor Neptune tense in her arms just as she felt her own blood boiling within her skin. Even though she had an urge to run to the wreckage and smack the living hell out of Uranus, dead or alive, she didn't act upon it. Something like that would have been way too dangerous, and if Sailor Uranus really were dead, Neptune would have needed support. Knowing from experience and the expression upon the sea warrior's face that Neptune's going back was out-of-the-question, Star Maker let the woman go.
As soon as she relinquished the Sailor, Star Maker saw Neptune ball her fists and fall to the ground, beautiful face resting upon her hands. From the heaving of her chest and back, Maker inferred that she was crying still. Seeing Neptune that way helped her to understand how Uranus felt when Galaxia laid a hand upon her. Standing up, she gazed upon Neptune for a few minutes before peering at the building, determined.
You'd better not be dead . . . she thought as she walked forward to stand between Sailor Neptune and the fiery scene. Maker knew that they didn't have that much time to escape before fire trucks and ambulances would be near. That meant they had little time to stand there. Maker scanned everything around them for a sign of life from Haruka. From behind, she heard Neptune's sobs amplify themselves, along with a few incoherent words. The Starlight felt a little nauseous at this point; this feeling came from the thought of Uranus really being dead. Whether Haruka could stand her, she knew that Michiru couldn't live without her. Thoughts of Michiru punishing and eventually killing herself added to the nausea and a lone tear fell down her right cheek. Star Maker realized that she didn't really dislike Uranus; she disliked her luck. Looking at the site once more, she exhaled a long breath . . . she was giving up.
Not knowing what else to do, Maker turned around and crouched before Sailor Neptune. One hand touched the sea soldier's shoulder and the other reached through dark cyan waves to grasp her chin and lift it. "We have to go."
Sailor Neptune looked up to Sailor Star Maker with an incredibly worried expression. Her eyes had reddened, her form was still trembling, and her skin had become very pale. "But . . . but she . . .she has to . . . "
Maker closed her eyes and hugged Neptune for a few precious seconds, seconds they weren't supposed to be wasting.
"She . . . she has to come back, Maker . . . she has to . . . "
Another tear fell down Star Maker's right cheek in the exact trail the first one blazed.
Finally able to stop her crying for the moment, Sailor Neptune separated from Star Maker. She stood up and turned from her fellow Senshi; once she spoke, her voice lacked tone. "Let's go, then."
Star Maker stood and stared down at Michiru's hair, not able to see her face. Taking a side step to the right and another step forward, she put a hand upon Neptune's back momentarily to guide her into moving. Slowly they walked away, the blazing building their backdrop.
As the two Sailor Senshi walked, Neptune closed her eyes and thought of different events in her life. So many times had Haruka said her name. In public and casual settings, she spoke it calmly. When emergencies happened or when she herself was in danger, she yelled it. Once Haruka was embarrassed or not winning a lover's quarrel, she grunted it. During the most intense acts of sexual passion, she screamed it. Afterwards, upon the sheets, she whispered it gently. Michiru could not believe that this was all gone. She imagined more situations in their time together.
"Michiru . . ." It was a faint sound.
" . . . I've gone mad. I hear her calling out to me." Sailor Neptune whispered out loud and kept walking.
Maker should her head. For some reason, she could hear the same sound; perhaps it was her jealousy showing itself in order to drown out her sorrow. As appalling as it was, Sailor Star Maker was extremely jealous of Uranus at the moment, and for not even a second, she rejoiced at the possibility of not having her around. That twinge of feeling within her shocked her so much that she tensed up to exorcise herself of it. Was it her mixture of emotion that was making her hallucinate?
"Michiru!" A thud sounded soon after that.
Maker's eyes widened a bit, and Sailor Neptune chuckled. "Ha ha . . . if I turn around she probably won't be . . . "
The curiosity and morbid humor within her forced her to actually turn herself around to look behind them. Still chuckling in hysteria, she looked to the former restaurant and everything else between them. " . . . there . . . "
Sailor Neptune's eyes widened once she saw the heavenly sight of sandy blonde hair, long, beautifully pale legs, and navy pleats. The Sailor had fallen prior (the 'thud' noise), but she had risen again to walk. Seeing Sailor Uranus's form was not only a relief but also an arrow to the heart. How dare Michiru lose faith in her love so quickly? Tears streamed down her face immediately, and she ran across the grass of the suburban field to Uranus, hoping that the woman wasn't a mirage.
Whether Sailor Uranus was a mirage or not, her overall appearance spoke that she wasn't necessarily 'good as new,' either. The heels and bottoms of her boots were nearly ragged. Rips and tears were scattered all over her uniform, the tear from Galaxia's blade being the largest; it had grown so much that it revealed the top of her ribcage and the undersurface of her right breast. Blood flowed from the area, slowly staining the garment. Scratches, bruises, and cuts adorned her legs, but they were still beautiful. Her gloves were torn in different places, both of them bloody at the palms. Bloodstains ran down the fingers of Uranus's gloves like tributaries to a main river. Her face held a few small cuts from carelessness; Sailor Uranus had bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood while dealing with the pain of Galaxia's blade and her fall. Ash and smoke particles covered her whole body, the usual when one is near such a fire. Disheveled sandy locks completed her mien, which was one of an exhausted hero with a happy ending. However, she was sure they all knew this adventure was far from ending.
Please let her be real . . . please . . . Neptune closed in on Uranus and reached out her arms, closing her eyes for the moment of truth — the second she'd either touch her lover or fall to the ground. Her heart pounded within her chest rapidly; during that moment, she felt as if she were falling off of a cliff. She wondered if she was going to go straight to the bottom of if she was going to sprout her wings.
Her 'wings' sprouted and a cloud caught her. When she grabbed Sailor Uranus's torso, she was able to breathe again. Keeping her eyes closed, she squeezed the woman slightly while exhaling rather deeply. Unbeknownst to Neptune, Uranus had a shocked look on her face when they met, but after a second or two she smiled and closed her eyes. The arms that made Sailor Neptune feel safe and secure were finally closed around her again.
Sailor Uranus held Sailor Neptune there while rocking her gently from side to side. A few seconds afterwards, she leaned her head forward and down to kiss the crown of her love's head. Weakly, she used one of her bloodied-gloved hands to raise Neptune's head by her chin. Her usual piece-of-a-smile shown down upon the other woman's beautiful face before she kissed her lips gently.
"I'm glad you remembered not to die," said Sailor Neptune, smiling through new tears after the kiss.
Kissing up each tear she could catch, Sailor Uranus pulled Neptune closer. "Don't cry . . . "
"I can't st — "
"Shh. Let's go." whispered the sky soldier, and soon after, they separated and walked to Sailor Star Maker.
Moving farther away from Sailor Neptune, Uranus approached Sailor Star Maker and stopped about a foot away from her. In her usual tone, she asked, "You okay?"
A shiny, black-gloved hand reached out and slapped Sailor Uranus. "That's for making her cry."
Star Maker turned from the other two Sailor Soldiers. Naturally, Neptune was about to confront Maker until Uranus held her back with an arm; not a word was said. Once she had walked several yards away, Sailor Star Maker spoke over the din. "I'm fine. Welcome back, dumbass."
Chuckling, Sailor Uranus rubbed the right side of her mouth with her wrist. At the side of blood, she rose an eyebrow. Not bad; you've got a few years before you can slug me, though, kid. Feeling the small sting of the strike, she started to feel the rest of her wounds and winced at the pain.
Neptune gazed at Sailor Uranus with a bewildered expression. " . . . why didn't you . . . ?"
"It's how we communicate. And don't worry . . . I deserved it. She's right, ya know . . . come on, someone's probably seen us by now."
They escaped without a soul finding them in sight; luck was with them.
"Is Haruka-poppa sick?" whined a small voice, one that dripped with the innocence and curiosity of a child.
"Um . . . sort of, dear. Come on, put your socks on; we don't have that much time if you wanted to go play somewhere." said Setsuna to this little girl, who was named Hotaru. She had short, black hair that came down to about her chin and two of the most gorgeous violet eyes any had ever seen. Pale white skin contrasted the darkness of those features and, along with her sweet voice, created a perfect balance. As beautiful as she was, she was not without flaw. Her curiosity had a habit of leading her into trouble. No matter how much trouble she was led into, though, she knew when to be silent, because she was the reincarnation of Sailor Saturn — soldier of silence and death.
"Okay, Setsuna-momma!" chirped the child, happy that they were going to see loved ones. When the first battles with Galaxia had finally ended, Hotaru had been reborn not more than a half-year later. Why that happened, no one knew, but oddly enough she didn't grow as abnormally as the last time; her intelligence was still higher than the average three-year-old, though. Hotaru seemed to be living a normal childhood, despite her brightness. Not only was Setsuna happy about this, but Michiru was ecstatic! Her 'baby' would finally live a normal life. However, Setsuna insisted that she raise Hotaru and live separately from Haruka and Michiru; when the two finally agreed, Setsuna bought an apartment, joyful about her new life full of children.
Eventually, Hotaru slipped her socks on and beamed up to Setsuna.
"Ah, going fancy, are we? Lace." Setsuna said, chuckling. The little girl had donned lacy, light purple socks to accent the short violet sundress she wore.
"Mm-hmm! Wanna be pretty-pretty for Haruka-poppa and Michiru-momma!"
After patting Hotaru's head, she walked to the doorway and switched the slippers she wore for white sandals that perfectly matched the white tank top she was wearing with flower-printed white and purple Capri-style pants. Once Hotaru fastened the buckles on her own purple sandals, Setsuna opened the door for the both of them and followed the girl outside. In the driveway stood a small black car; obviously it wasn't prized for much besides commuting, because it was kind of old. In other words, it was nothing like Haruka's car.
"Oh, I forgot sometin'!" cried Hotaru, and tugged Setsuna back to the door. Please! It's really special!"
Raising an eyebrow, Setsuna unlocked and opened the door, holding it ajar. She smiled down to the anxious child. "Hurry and get it."
Hotaru ran inside and came out in a little under two minutes, giggling. In her arms was a small brown lunch bag with a hurriedly-drawn smiley face. Even with their difference in height, Setsuna could smell permanent marker. After closing and locking the door behind them again, Setsuna was actually able to walk to, unlock, and enter her car without a squeal. Confident in the child in the backseat, she didn't immediately turn around to see if she had her seatbelt buckled and ask, like many parents would. That did not stop her from pretending to adjust her mirror to check, though. Once they were all set in the car, Setsuna put the key in ignition, shifted to Drive, backed out, and proceeded on her way to Haruka and Michiru's house.
It's been three days . . . that is pretty long for Haruka to stay down. Come to think about it, two days is pretty long for Michiru to go without notifying me. How serious was the battle? thought Setsuna, drowning out the smooth sounds of the car. Every now and then, she'd smile at the sight of Hotaru in the rear-view mirror. Not very long after they zoomed past city surroundings, Hotaru had fallen asleep, holding her paper bag. Adorable . . . hm, sometimes, I wish I could be a child again . . . no worries, usually, and most of the time, things are handed instead of waved over one's head. Yet . . . if I were a child, I couldn't care for them. Hah . . . I wonder if Haruka is still a childish patient. I know she's sure as hell a childish thinker when it comes to confrontation.
She continued to drive for almost an hour until the beautiful mansion-like house came into view. So many memories appeared in Setsuna's mind. Good times . . . bad times. I love this place. Driving down the side road to their house took a few minutes, but eventually Setsuna parked behind Michiru's car. As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Hotaru woke up and yawned. Chuckling, Setsuna took her key from the ignition and unbuckled her seatbelt. Next, she opened her door, got out, closed it, and opened Hotaru's door. The woman unbuckled the sleepy child's seatbelt for her and picked her up from the seat, setting her feet down on the driveway right after. "Wake up, darling. Stretch your legs; we're here."
"Mmnnn . . ." Hotaru rubbed an eye with one wrist while her other hand held her beloved bag with a death grip. Another yawn escaped her lips when Setsuna shut the car door and locked all the doors with a remote control. Beaming yet again to her second 'momma,' she said, "Ready, Setsuna-momma!"
"Good." Setsuna took Hotaru's free hand and walked with her up to the porch. Motioning to the doorbell with a smile, she winked and opened her arms to the little girl. Hotaru hugged her and was lifted up to press the doorbell. With a kiss to the forehead, the child was set back down. A few seconds after that, the front door of the house opened and Michiru was standing before them, wearing her infamous short lavender dress that looked like a closed trenchcoat.
Michiru smiled brightly to the both of them. "Why, hello there."
"Hi, Michiru-momma!" Hotaru immediately hugged Michiru, nuzzling into her legs.
"Good afternoon, Michiru." Setsuna smiled back to her friend.
"Come on in, you two." Miss Kaioh eventually stepped back so her guests could enter. Once they were all inside, she closed and locked the door. As soon as silence hit them, Hotaru beamed to Michiru.
"Where's Haruka-poppa?"
"This way, sweetie." said Michiru, leading Hotaru to the left. Setsuna followed after admiring the house yet again; it was like a wonderland every time she saw it.
"How is she?" Setsuna asked quietly.
"Well. Restless, but well." A chuckle escaped from Michiru's lips as she remembered an earlier moment in the day. "Ah, here we are."
The door to Haruka and Michiru's bedroom was closed, but after a moment, Michiru slowly turned the knob to give Haruka a warning. That was the only warning she received, because as soon as the door was opened to a decent angle, Hotaru rushed in and stopped beside the bed at Haruka's torso, beaming at her. "Haruka-poppa . . . here!"
Haruka blinked when a brown bag with a smile was shoved in her face. "Hey there, kiddo. For me? Thanks. How's my girl?"
"I'm good, poppa! Open it!" The child was obviously excited.
"All right, all right . . . let's see what we got here . . . " Haruka said, chuckling. She reached into the lunch bag and pulled out a can. Upon turning it around, she found a cute picture of a chicken in a bowl. Not only did Haruka chuckle, but Michiru and Setsuna giggled with her. "How thoughtful, Hotaru. Chicken soup is one of my favorites. Thank you."
Taking the child's head in one hand gently, she petted her and brought her closer to kiss the top of her head. Next, Haruka turned her around, gave her a little push, and said, "Now, go play. There are a few new things in your room here."
Still beaming, the little girl took off out of the room and down the hallway into her own room. Michiru watched her enter her room before she shut the door to the bedroom the adults were in.
"Isn't she just the cutest thing? Children are just . . . so adorable." said Setsuna as she walked to Haruka and sat upon the bed near her ribs. The school nurse in her came out and she put her hand to Haruka's forehead.
"Pedophile." Of course Haruka was joking . . . or was she?
Setsuna smiled sweetly to Haruka before turning her head to Michiru. "Oh, Michiru, did I tell you that Haruka was fli—"
"—pping off security at her school a few days ago." said Haruka, after clamping her hand over Setsuna's mouth and pulling her down onto the bed to hold it there; she winced when it stung. "No, you didn't tell her, because I just did, right?"
Setsuna played along with Haruka's story and nodded in order to be let up. Chuckling, she sat up and looked again to Michiru, who was a bit confused. "You two are still silly together, I see."
"Of course we are." said Setsuna, rising from the bedside. "I don't think any of us will change. Turn over, Haruka; let me see the big wound."
Reluctantly, Haruka turned over onto her left side and pulled up her white T-shirt to reveal the bandage on her right. Setsuna bent down and pulled part of the bandage up so she could see, only to have it moved from her hand. "Be careful . . . I'm sensitive."
"Oh, hush. Be a big girl, Haruka." Setsuna patted one of the woman's bruised legs then examined the wound. "Jesus, Haruka, what happened?"
She recklessly jumped into a battle that could have finished her, thought Michiru, without me . . .
"Galaxia threw that big-ass sword at me, and I didn't know it until it was too late."
"You really have to be more careful, Haruka." Michiru chimed in, walking to the door, opening and walking through it, then closing it behind her.
"What's going on now, Haruka?"
"I have no idea."
In Hotaru's room, the little girl was there, reading on her bed. Her intense hunger for knowledge was something that all three of her guardians loved, especially Michiru. After about ten minutes of being in her room alone, there was a light knocking sound and Hotaru's door opened slowly. "Hey, sweetie."
"Look, Michiru-momma! Haruka-poppa bought me this book!" Hotaru said, with glee, knowing it was from Haruka because of the 'From Poppa' tag; the book was about astronomy, filled with pictures and fun facts.
"Yes, she did . . . you like it?"
"Uh-huh!" Hotaru then put down the astronomy book and picked up another item, a seahorse plush doll that had a mini-picture-book attached to it. "And this is from you!"
"Mm-hmm. So, you like it, too?"
"Uh-huh! I'm going to sleep with the dollie tonight!"
"Aww, how cute. Read that book, okay? You'll get to learn about seahorses!"
"Okay. I promise."
Michiru closed the door behind her, then walked further into the dim, beautifully lamp-lit room and sat upon the bed. After running a dainty hand through the child's hair, she turned her upper body towards Hotaru. "May I have another hug?"
A little surprised, but still happy, Hotaru beamed to her 'momma.' Scooting over to Michiru, she hugged her tight. To make things less awkward with positioning, Michiru picked the girl up and put her into her lap. For a few minutes, Michiru held her there. Hotaru didn't seem to mind, because she closed her eyes and snuggled into the lady's bosom. After those minutes, Michiru leaned forward a bit and put her head to rest against the child's, closing her own eyes. "I love you, Hotaru."
"Love you, too, Michiru-momma . . ."
"You're so sweet." said Michiru, opening her eyes and kissing Hotaru's hair. Her eyes closed again and she held the girl upon her lap, as if she were all she had.
After Setsuna and Haruka talked for a few minutes, Haruka insisted they both go to find Michiru and Hotaru. So, Setsuna helped the injured woman to her feet and they went searching through the halls. They decided to search for Michiru first so they could all go to Hotaru's room together, but after searching the entire house they couldn't find her. The two women gave each other knowledgeable yet concerned glances. Haruka and Setsuna both had similar feelings about the situation — why Michiru went to Hotaru so abruptly.
When they arrived at Hotaru's door, they stopped before it and looked at each other once more. Exhaling quietly, Haruka opened the door slowly. When she spoke, her voice was unusually soft, sort of like Setsuna's was normally. "Hota—"
The scene within the glowing room blew Haruka's words away. Michiru and Hotaru were cuddled. It was cute, but it had to mean something. Also, since Hotaru seemed to be sleeping, it was obvious Michiru had been holding her a long time. Something . . . what the hell . . . Michiru only does this when she 'needs innocent influence.' The urge to walk out of the room reared its ugly head, and she stepped back. However, Setsuna was behind her, gently pushing her in with a straight face. Setsuna was way too intelligent sometimes.
Michiru finally looked up after a few moments, making Haruka's heart sink. Managing a smile, the blonde walked to them and knelt before Michiru's knees. Gently, she touched Hotaru's shoulder. When it didn't faze her, Michiru shook her gently. "Hotaru . . . sweetie . . . it's time for you and Setsuna to go now. I think she's going to take you someplace."
Sleepily, the little girl looked towards Haruka and then up to Michiru. Once she was able to focus, she beamed and snuggled into Michiru before hopping into Haruka's arms. "Thank you, Haruka-poppa. I love you."
"Love ya, too, kid. Be good, all right?" Haruka whispered, smiling and embracing the child despite the small bouts of pain Hotaru's squeezing caused.
"Don't forget your things, Hotaru." said Michiru, gathering them. She extended the plushie doll and books to the little girl and patted her dark-haired head again when she took them. "Do as Setsuna says."
"Okay, Haruka-poppa, Michiru-momma." She beamed to the women, now standing in front of them, near Setsuna. "Can you walk with us outside?"
"Um, yeah." Haruka said, surprised that Hotaru actually asked such a simple thing instead of expecting it, like usual.
"Of course, honey." Said Michiru, smiling and standing from the bed. She extended a hand down to her lover and helped her to her feet, retaining the same smile. Linking arms with Haruka slowly, Michiru led her to Hotaru and then reached her free hand out to the child. "Let's go."
All four females exited Hotaru's room and walked through the halls of the luxurious house. Once they made it outside and neared Setsuna's scar, Hotaru slowly let go of Michiru's hand and Michiru unhooked her arm from Haruka's for the moment. Hotaru and Setsuna both gave the couple a hug and eventually departed. Haruka and Michiru stood there together until a few minutes after the car was out of sight; Michiru was longing for her 'baby' to magically come back for those few minutes and Haruka stayed because she was confused as to why Michiru was still standing there. When Michiru finally realized what she was doing, she looked up to Haruka with a bashful smile. The blond only shook her head and smirked down to her partner. What is it, Michiru? "Can we go inside now?"
Chuckling, Michiru nodded and linked arms with Haruka again. The two walked inside and through the halls slowly without a word. Even when they reached the haven of their master bedroom silence was the only thing between them for about two minutes. During those two minutes, they separated and performed small tasks around their areas of the quarters. Hating the fact that silence was deafening in tense situations, Haruka walked to the doorway of the master bathroom and turned on the light. Turning back towards Michiru, she asked, "Shower with me?"
A smile crossed Michiru's lips. "Yes."
Turning her palm upwards and moving her whole hand towards her body, Haruka motioned for Michiru to join her. Not waiting for Michiru to make it into the bathroom, she started the shower, making it just how they liked it — hot. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Michiru standing before her in only her panties so soon. Those deep, blue eyes of hers pierced Haruka's very being, and the blonde slowly fell to her knees, wincing at the pain. She put her hands upon either side of Michiru's hips and squeezed them gently, looking up to the face of her beloved. Once she had her fill of her gaze, she put her forehead against her soft, flat stomach and closed her eyes. Haruka felt the fingers of her love run through her hair slowly. Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, she brought her face back from Michiru's panties so she could stare once again into her eyes, the sound of their running water becoming nothing. Her hands moved down slowly, brining the undergarment down about a third of its way; a few strands of soft, aqua pubic hair were visible. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
Michiru was oddly enough speechless the whole time, and with the sentence Haruka just uttered, she thought nearly every thought a woman could. Canting her head a little and gazing at her lover dreamily, she reached out and touched Haruka's right cheek only to caress it gently and slowly. "Go ahead, darling."
While Michiru had replied, Haruka had raised her head up and planed the softest kiss she could give upon the exposed netherhairs, closing her eyes and making sure she had her question's words right. "What did Galaxia whisper to you, Michiru?"