[Just a few quick notes. Sorry for the lack of updates; I've just been busy. There might not be another for a while, but it will come, really.
Story by the one and only Michie.
They're not mine. Though, I like to have fun with them. I can't let Takeuchi-sama have all of the fun now, can I?
Haruka's parents will turn out to be very interesting, so stay tuned.
The song they're listening to is "Mars", from Holst's Planets suite.]
After a long day of more packing and preparations, the worn out Haruka slumped into bed. Without even bothering to take off her clothes, she pulled the fluffy white bedcovers close around her, settled her head down onto the soft pillow, and closed her eyes. What would have turned into sleep was interrupted by the light being turned on again.
"Michiru..." Haruka groaned, shifting her head into her pillow. "I'm trying to get some sleep. For the past two days, it's just been- "
"Packing and packing. Yes, I understand, but can you at least change into your pajamas? And your teeth won't get any whiter unless you brush them."
"What, change here? In front of you?" Haruka feigned disgust and turned away from the woman in front of her. "Honestly Michiru, I thought I knew you!"
Giggling, Michiru slid into bed next to her. Hanging up her silky aqua robe on the bedpost, she yawned and smiled at Haruka. "Well, if you really feel that way, I can leave..."
"Ah, well, you know I didn't mean that."
"But, did you? Don't worry Haruka, I won't look." By this time, Haruka was red in the face and Michiru was laughing out loud. Rolling her eyes, the taller woman slowly eased herself out of the bed, and staggered over to the oak dresser. Pulling open the top drawer, she grabbed a tank top and some short, loose cotton shorts. With her back to the bed, she began to remove her wrinkled clothes.
"Haruka. I can see you in the mirror."
Glancing up, Haruka noticed the large, nearly wall-sized mirror that loomed in front of her. Sighing, she didn't attempt to move away. "I give up. It's nothing you haven't seen before."
"Ah, that's true. Besides, what is there to see, if I'm reading a book?"
Looking into the mirror, Haruka sighed. It was true. Michiru had her face buried in a book of poetry.
The morning dawned clear and bright. Waking up with the sun, which was unusual for her, Haruka sighed softly to herself. Today was that day, the day the two of them left. Mentally running over the checklist in her head, Haruka started thinking up excuses as to why the couple shouldn't waste their Christmas over at her parents' house. After going through all of the ones she had used in the past three days, her mind simply gave up. There was no escape, was there? She was doomed.
Glancing at the clock, she fell back in bed. Just after seven in the morning. Michiru was breathing softly next to her, head nestled in her pillow. Quietly, Haruka slipped out of the covers, pulling the excess up around the sleeping figure beside her. Michiru stirred, and Haruka held her breath.
"Oh, Haruka..."
No! Don't wake up now! Haruka mentally reprimanded herself. Of all days to wake Michiru up, why today?
"...no. Haruka, those cookies weren't for you..."
Heaving a sigh of relief, she climbed the rest of the way out of bed and wandered downstairs.
The departure time the pair had planned on was around nine-o-clock. With Michiru's daily morning routine to take into consideration, as well as breakfast, Haruka decided that her lover had a good half-hour left to sleep. She hated waking her up, but since Michiru was the one who wanted to go in the first place, Haruka decided that it would be only fair if they at least left on time.
Her thoughts drifted back to her childhood, as well as memories that would best be left untouched. Lonely parties at which she always stood out, races not watched, expensive dolls not played with. And of course, her mothers constant nagging, paired with her father's frequent lady visitors. The only good memories she had were the hot summer afternoons spent in the garage with her father's mechanic, working on expensive Ferraris and Lamborghini convertibles, being helpful at a task she enjoyed. Of course, when her mother had found out, that was the end of that, and the start of horseback riding. Haruka smiled sadly to herself. In a way, that man had been her only true friend back then, as well as the father figure she'd never had, and a teacher to her. Attending his funeral two years ago had been a heartbreaking experience.
Pouring herself out a bowl of cereal, Haruka's thoughts drifted into the present. Moving out when she was fifteen into her mother's new apartment in the city had been the best thing that had happened to her. That was the same year she had awakened as Sailor Uranus, met Michiru, and saved the world. She couldn't say that it was the best year of her life, but it was definitely an improvement from the past decade. And, two years after that, moving away from the city and off of her parents' support, living with the love of her life, their best friend, and their child, all together in this pretty house out here. Best of all, they were paying for this house themselves. Michiru always complained about the cost of bills and the like, but Haruka couldn't have loved it more. She didn't need them any longer; she could live her own life in peace.
And then, the invitation came.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Haruka heard soft footsteps on the stairs. Whirling around, she noticed Michiru standing on the staircase behind her, her fluffy robe billowing around her long legs. Just a small corner of the elegant purple nightgown peeked out.
"You look better in lingerie," Haruka called up to the sleepy woman. "Especially the short, lacy- "
"Oh, shush! Have you had breakfast yet? We have to go soon, and, well, are we ready?"
Holding up the cereal bowl, Haruka beamed. "I really can take care of myself, honestly. Maybe I should be worried about you."
"Well, you could do me a favor by making me some toast, please. I'm going to go get in the shower."
"No fancy breakfast? All right. Toast it is."
The small sports car was loaded with the heavy suitcases, as well as a nice suit for Haruka that sat on top of them. Michiru, dressed in a warm winter coat, hunkered down inside of the vehicle, shivering, while Haruka slammed down the lid of the trunk. Sliding into the driver's seat and closing the door, she started the car and waited a bit for it to warm up.
"So...cold. Will it be like this at your family's place?"
"Probably. They live further up north than we do. They spend most of the winter inside, hosting parties, drinking champagne, and buying expensive French vases. On another note, it took you a while to get out here..."
Michiru gave Haruka a hurt look. "I was fixing my hair. Don't you want me to look nice?"
"Yes, of course. But only for me," she said confidently. "Besides, you look beautiful all of the time."
"Will you even like me when we're old and gray-haired?"
Haruka chuckled. "You know I will. You'll always be beautiful. Now, me on the other hand...you just might want to find someone new."
"You know that I would never do such a thing. We've been through so much together as it is. I like to think that we were meant for each other."
"And we're about to go through much more," Haruka muttered under her breath. She leaned in and gave Michiru a quick kiss, then drove out of the garage, down the winding driveway, past the beautifully painted mailbox, and out onto the winter road.
Driving past almost everything imaginable in the barren countryside, the little navy blue car didn't stop, didn't slow. Under its driver's firm hand, it climbed farther north, an hour, then two. Through cities, with huge skyscrapers, horrid traffic, and bright lights even in the day, to quaint farms blanketed by a soft snow, it drove on for a while.
Eventually, while stuck in traffic, the car's driver relaxed to talk to the passenger. For most of the ride, the two had been in silence, with the radio on quietly, providing nice background noise to the harshness of the city sounds. Switching the Holst off, the driver contemplated the slight lack of sound that filled the car.
"Drums..."
"Yes, plenty of them. It's only the first movement of the symphony though. In five-four time."
"Hm. Well, you would know, wouldn't you? I would assume you've played the piece."
"Then you would be correct. But, why did you switch it off?"
Haruka sighed. "Because, I want to talk to you."
"All right, what do you want to talk about?" Michiru replied, running her hand through her hair.
"You know I love it when you do that," Haruka smiled. Michiru brushed her wavy hair aside again. "Ah, traffic's moving. We should be there in no time."
Settling back into her seat, Michiru switched the radio back on.
The little sports car pulled up to the huge, imposing black gate. It glared down at them, like a beast with dark iron fangs. All to the sides of it, a tall brick wall ran around the edge of the property. It seemed to stretch off as far as one could see.
"This is it," Haruka announced, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "The wall looks so horrible in the winter... Now, where's the intercom?" She rolled down her driver's side window, letting a blast of chilly air in. Michiru shivered, but Haruka didn't even twitch. Pressing a small gray button, she bent out, searching for the speaker.
"Yes, who is it?"
"Uh, yeah. It's Ten'ou Haruka. My parents should be expecting us." Hearing the sound of static, she cursed under her breath. "Kouichi-san, is that you? Open the gate!"
"Ah! Sorry, Ten'ou-san. Your mother is...looking forward to your visit. It's been too long."
"Well, we can catch up later. Can you let us in?"
"Yes, yes! Sorry!"
Swinging open, the black gate made hardly a sound. Looking beyond it, Michiru noticed a winding stone road that curved off through what appeared to be a garden of shaped hedges. While the small car drove up, she noticed that all of them had been carefully pruned down for the winter. Straw was carefully placed over countless flowerbeds, and tall, perfectly groomed trees sat leafless in the gray nothingness. To her, it seemed a bit too much. The perfection was obvious; each patch of soil, plant, and tree was spread out in an exact symmetry. Nothing was out of place. It seemed that someone had taken much care to ensure that this garden was perfect.
"What one of your parents does the gardens? They look...well taken care of."
Haruka snorted. "Neither of them. Of course my mother wouldn't, she might dirty her hands. And my father's too busy with...business, I suppose. No, there's a gardener who they sit down with once a year to plan everything out. The garden is my mother's design, but the work isn't."
Turning around a bend in the road, the house came into view. The structure was huge, though not towering. The whole house was made of some sort of gray stone and had been built so that it was only two stories tall. It looked like something out of a picture book, or a house that you would find in Europe a hundred years earlier. Giant columns imposingly framed the front door, and large, heavily draped windows dotted the sides of the house.
The house the couple shared was a nice blend between the elegant and the modern. Sleek, metallic kitchen appliances blended seamlessly with vases of flowers and curtains of delicate lace. In a way, it was like the pair themselves: the modern, always changing Haruka with the graceful, gorgeous Michiru. But this house, however, looked like it was stuck in the past.
Pulling up to a stop in front of the main door, the couple climbed out of the small car. With feet crunching on the snowy stones, they walked up to the door and rang the bell. It seemed to echo through the whole house. With a sigh, Haruka waited to be greeted.
Slipping her hand through her lover's, Michiru glanced at Haruka. The tall woman had her jaw set in a forced look of determination. No matter what, they'd pull through this together.
[tbc]