30/03/05 - Unbelievable... chapter 11 got a lot of reviews :O
I guess you really liked it... but I hope you'll enjoy next chapters even more :)
Here you go some replies (if you're not interested, just skip this passage):
Leena9: Message delivered and thanks for your reviews :)
kyanite: Well.. about H&M's relationship, I don't think we can (or should) consider it like a normal thing.
The first reason is obvious: their both girls and homosexuality isn't something that society can easily accept (and it cannot be ignored... lesbian or not, you have to live in that society anyway).
As it wasn't enough, they are also sailor senshi (share duty as well as love could be difficult, to say the least)... they have to fight evil and have a mission to accomplish (if they fail, it's the end of the world... not a very reassuring prospect, ne?)
Not to say that.. yes, they are more mature and talented than other people of their age, but they are still young teenagers (you know.. hormones, moodiness.. that sort of stuff...)
Besides, there's another thing to say (the last one, I promise!): you're right... I really LOVE seeing you on tenterhooks :D
So if you want to know when they will finally get together, just keep on reading! ;)
dieberlinerpiret: Sorry but understanding Japanise is something beyond my skills... maybe, if you can translate it...
However, thanks for the review :)
For everybody else: As usual a huge arigatou for all your many reviews and support... you're great guys!
Chapter 12: Good Evening, Mr. Tenoh
"Are you kidding me?"
"Please, Haruka! Many people mistake you for a guy... there's no difference with this..."
"Oh, there's a huge difference! I don't care if they thought I was a guy, but you're asking me to -pretend- to be one!"
"It's just for one night... please!"
"But why me?"
Michiru knew Haruka was beginning to give in and went for the final move: her best pleading eyes.. "Because you're the only one I trust..."
At that, Haruka could only sigh in defeat... the aqua-haired beauty was always able to get what she wanted from her blonde friend... how was that possible?
"All right... I'll do it..."
"Arigatou, Haruka! You saved me!" Michiru hugged her partner tightly in her excitement, not noticing how the taller girl blushed.
It all started with the arrival of Michiru's parents, of course...
The girl met them at their family home.. they had lunch together and talked about various things, exspecially Michiru's studies and her transfer to Mugen High.
That afternoon, Yoshiro (Michiru's father) stayed in his study to work, while Michiru and Kasumi (her mother) went shopping - something that the young violinist had never done with her mother before...
She really enjoyed the time she spent with her parents and began to think that Haruka may have been right, after all... what a big mistake.
"Will you stay here tonight?"
"I can't. I have an apartment at Mugen High, but it is still part of a dormitory... I'm not allowed to sleep elsewhere." also she didn't want to leave Haruka alone that long.
"I see. I hope that they will let you out on Friday night if we ask them..."
"Friday night..?"
"There's a party being held by the Ikomi family... there will be many important people.. authorities, artists, businessmen... and we want you to come with us."
"Fukuma-chan will be there too." her mother added in... and that was the moment the aqua-haired girl heard an alarm bell go off in her head...
The Ikomi were old friends of their family and Fukuma was their son. He was sixteen years old (like her), brown short hair, dark eyes... he was shorter than her but also larger.. not really fat, however...
She just couldn't stand him... a spoiled, selfish boy, who seemed to have been interested in her for a very long time.
Unfortunately for Michiru, her parents found him adorable (and rich) and wanted her to 'get accustomed' to him, to say the least...
"He will be your partner, of course." her father continued with a bright smile.
"But I already have a partner, father..." there it was, the chance to get rid of all this!
"You have..? And who is he?"
"Tenoh Haruka, the famous racer."
"The racer? Isn't he too old for you?"
"Father, Haruka is sixteen.. just like I am..."
Yoshiro considered her words for a bit: "Well, then... you can come to the party with this Tenoh. I'm looking forward to meet him..."
"You'll like him, father." Michiru reassured him.
And then the problems began...
Haruka looked at herself in the mirror with a critical eye. She was wearing a black tuxedo and a white bow-tie. It fit her perfectly, hiding her female curves... yes, now she looked like a real gentleman... Michiru's escort, to be exact...
Pleased with her appearance, she smiled to herself and left the apartment to go to Michiru's family house (they couldn't arrive there together, could they?).
Even though she didn't like the 'pretend to be a boy' part, she was happy to spend the evening at a party with Michiru... it was a rare - no, unique - occasion to be with the violinist not as her friend or partner, but as her boyfriend... yes, it was just an act, but still better than nothing, don't you think?
When she rang at the door bell, an elegant woman of about thirty-seven years welcomed her inside. She had long wavy aqua colored hair, dark eyes and an innate grace.
Haruka politely bowed and smiled to the woman: "Now I finally understood from whom Michiru got her incredible beauty and elegance... at last, I have the honour of meeting you, Kaioh-san."
"There's no need to be so formal, Haruka-kun... Michiru told us a lot about your many qualities... I see that she wasn't exaggerating..."
"Arigatou."
'First round: point taken.' Haruka exulted in her mind, as Mrs. Kaioh let her in.
The woman wasn't as strict as she had feared at first... but now she had the talk Michiru's father round... and he would be the toughest opponent, as her partner had already alerted her.
And here he came... a tall man on his earlier forties with dark hair (a bit grey on his temples) and piercing light-blue eyes...
"Good evening, Mr. Tenoh." Yoshiro said coldly, openly scrutinizing the 'intruder': "We finally met..."
"It's a pleasure for me to meet Michiru's parents. Your daughter is wonderful... she brings you much honor..."
"She is a dutiful child." confirmed the man shaking Haruka's hand with a firm grip.
"So... how long have you known each other?"
"Almost two months, sir..."
"Only two months? That is a very short time..."
"It is... but we have a lot of time ahead of us..."
"And what makes you think that she will be spending it with you?"
Before the tall blonde could reply anything to that not-so-veiled attack, Michiru appeared at the top of the stairs...
"Haruka!" she exclaimed delighted, starting to descend.
The sandy blond girl was left speechless from the vision before her...
The young violinist wore a long, white dress that perfectly fit her slender body, putting in evidence every curve of her angelic figure. It was sleeveless, with a long vent on the left.
Michiru's make-up was perfect (as always)... two rose-shaped earrings adorned her ears and her hair was swept up in an elegant style...
Haruka could only find one word to describe her: stunning... incredibly, absolutely stunning.
The young car racer followed her friend's descent with frank admiration... Michiru looked like a real princess... every gesture of the aqua-haired beauty was full of grace and refinement in which Haruka lost herself...
Luckily, when Michiru arrived in front of her with those sparkling blue eyes, she had already regained her power of speech: "You look gorgeous... even more than usual, I mean..."
Michiru's smile widened: "Arigatou."
"But there's something missing..." Haruka took a little box from the inner poket of her jacket and opened it in front of the smaller girl.
Inside was a pendant... it was a silver cross with a sapphire in the center. It looked relatively simple but also precious...
Michiru stared at the surely expensive gift with wide eyes... was Haruka really going to give that to her?
Apparently yes, because other the girl moved behind her and placed it around her neck... then Haruka came back in front of her partner for a better look: "There you go, the most attractive woman I've ever seen..." she whispered, never breaking eye contact with the other girl.
The aqua-haired beauty was blushing slightly... Haruka sounded so sure that Michiru could almost believe her words... as if she were speaking with her heart, her true feelings... but if the blonde was still only pretending... well, then she was a real actress!
"It's time to go now. The Ikomi family doesn't like late-comers." Yoshiro said, disrupting the magical atmosphere. Taking his car keys, he walked toward the front door, followed by his wife.
Haruka then had a moments hesitation and Michiru felt it: "What's wrong?"
The taller girl thought about it for a moment... 'Ikomi'... no, it couldn't be the same family...
She smiled to her friend and offered her arm to the stunning sea goddess: "It's nothing... let's go, milady."
Michiru had to giggle a bit at that... "Milord" she replied, taking the offered arm and then they left with the older couple...
The big mansion was situated just outside of Tokyo. It was surrounded by gardens, with fountains and many stone paths that wound from the different areas (the pond, the parking lot, the swimming-pool, the glasshouse...) to the mansion.
When they arrived, the buttler greeted them and let them in, guiding the family to the ballroom were the party was being held.
There were several people.. talking, discussing current events, drinking, eating...
The buttler bowed respectfully and then disappeared into the crowd.
"Kaioh Yoshiro, you were almost late..."
"Almost, my friend, almost..."
A large man of about forty year smiled, putting a hand on Yoshiro's shoulder... he had brown hair and blue eyes.. "It's nice to see you."
"Nice to see you too, Nobu. Aah, Shoko, you're beautiful.. as always."
"And you are exaggerating.. as always." replied the woman standing next to Nobu (his wife). She had long black hair and dark eyes.
"And what about your wife, Yoshiro-san?" asked Nobu, turning his attention to the other woman: "Kasumi, you look very becoming tonight and... oh, don't tell me that this pretty girl is little Michiru-chan!"
"She's grown up a lot... and now she looks exactly like you, Kasumi." intervened Shoko with marvel.
"Arigatou." the aqua-haired girl replied politely.
"And who is this boy? I remember only a daughter..." Nobu said with a bright smile.
"He's Tenoh Haruka. My daughter's... friend." Yoshiro explained.
"Pleased to meet you." Haruka said, shaking hands with Nobu and then, kissing Shoko's.
"Tenoh... I've heard this name before..." the man said slowly, but before he could remember anything else, another voice shyly joined them: "Good evening, Yoshiro-san, Kasumi-san.. Michiru-chan..."
The boy who had spoken had brown hair, dark eyes and he was rather fat... Fukuma, Haruka presumed.
She didn't like the intimacy he was showing toward her Michiru, but before she could say anything, she spotted another person beside the fat boy... and this person noticed her as well: "Haruka-kun!"
"N-naoko-san..." she replied unsure, knowing that Michiru was now looking at her with an intense, questioning eyes... things were going to become much more complicated now...
"You know each other?" Yoshiro asked surprised.
"Now I remember..." Nobu spoke again before Haruka could say anything: "You're that brilliant racer my brother Kobu sponsored in many competitions... he talked a lot about you.. well, not as much as Naoko-chan." he corrected himself, before turning to Michiru: "You don't know her, ne Michiru-chan? She is my neice, Fukuma's cousin, Ikomi Naoko."
"Nice to meet you." the young violinist said politely (even though Haruka could sense a bit of coldness in her voice) to the other girl, who just smiled before turning her whole attention to the blonde. The soft music produced by a small orchestra had just started to play a waltz: "Do you want to dance with me, Haruka-kun?"
The young car racer had to find a solution and quickly... she gently took Michiru's hand and just smiled to the other girl: "I'm sorry, but I promised to dance with my partner first."
The aqua-haired beauty was relieved by those words... at last the young couple had found a moment of peace for themselves.
"I couldn't stand that situation a second longer..." commented Haruka with a sigh.
"You've done pretty well so far..." Michiru encouraged, before giving her a strange look: "So.. you knew that girl..."
Haruka winced, feeling guilty.. well, not guilty (she had done nothing wrong, right?), just a bit uneasy: "Uhm, yeah.. when you have a sponsor to deal with, there are parties and ceremonies you have to take part in... and I met her there sometimes... but for me, she's just Mr. Ikomi's daughter..."
"I see..." Michiru said with that enigmatic smile Haruka loved and feared at the same time.
"However..." the tall blonde spoke again, lost in her partner deep blue eyes: "I'm glad to be here.. with you..."
"Me too..."
Again they stared, lost in each other's eyes, lost in their own world.. then, something disturbed them: "May I dance with my daughter?"
It was Yoshiro.. with Kasumi.
Haruka glanced at them, startled for a moment.. "Sure." she said (even though she was not so sure)... and in the next moment, she found herself dancing with Michiru's mother.
"I saw the way you look at my daughter..."
The woman spoke so softly that Haruka almost feared she had heard wrong... "I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it from you: do you really love her?"
At that Haruka blinked confused for a moment... Kasumi was looking quite determined and the taller girl decided to answer with absolute truthfulness... the woman deserved it: "Yes, I do. With all my heart."
"Good." replied Michiru's mother visibly reassured by her words.
There was a moment of silence, then Kasumi spoke again: "I think you should know that our family and the Ikomi have been friends for a long time... we had always wished our children could marry each other one day. I admit it, I don't like Fukuma that much and I have seen that Michiru feels the same.. but my husband... he can be so stubborn sometimes... he just wants the best for our daughter."
Haruka frowned at her words... she had a bad feeling...
Then the older woman suddenly moved away from her and a second later, she found herself dancing with... Naoko.
"He's becoming taller and taller... give him a few more years and he will be a real man." Yoshiro said with a proud smile, while twirling around with his daughter.
"You're talking about.. Fukuma..?" came the doubtful reply.
"Of course! He's a good boy..."
He is a spoiled child, she wanted to reply but didn't dare and said instead: "Haruka is a much better match for me..."
"How can you be so sure?" her father sounded more than doubtful...
"Because s-" Michiru bit her tongue and cursed herself. She should be more careful about her partner's gender, otherwise the situation could get even worse.. "He is the person I want to be with... not Fukuma."
"You didn't even give him a chance..."
"I don't need to."
Father and daughter glared at each other with anger...
Damn... why couldn't he understand her point of view?
"I don't care about that Tenoh! Fukuma-chan is the best choice for you."
"But-!" Michiru, however, couldn't finish her speech... her father spun her around and in the next moment, she was in the fat boy's arms...
"I can't believe you're actually here... I missed you so much these past few months... why don't you race anymore? Anyway, you can still come to my father's party... as my guest, of course."
"Thanks, but these days I'm not interested in those.. things." Haruka replied.
"Aah, what a pity!" moaned the other girl, smiling attractively to the taller blonde, who didn't pay much attention to her... she was scanning the room and the many dancing couples, in search of a familiar aqua-haired girl... and when she finally saw her, she was shocked: Michiru was dancing with that Fukuma...
Naoko already knew that and felt the tension in her partner's body...
she turned for a moment to see her cousin with the other girl, then the world went black for her and she fainted in Haruka's arms...
"Ehi, are you alright?" asked the concerned car racer.
"I.. I'm fine... it's just... too hot in here..." came the weak reply.
"Let's go outside, then... the cool air will help you."
Naoko just nodded and leaning against Haruka, she slowly walked out...
She was dancing with Fukuma, but she couldn't stop herself from watching Haruka and Naoko with a pang of jealousy... she saw all too well how the girl constantly tried to get closer to her friend... yet, she was so frustrated by the whole thing that she didn't noticed how hard Haruka tried to keep the girl away.. how her eyes were cold when looked down on Naoko...
"It's been a while since the last time we saw each other... I almost didn't recognize you..."
"..."
"They are a beautiful couple, aren't they?"
Michiru had to blink a bit before realize that Fukuma was talking to her... finally catching the girl's attention, the boy spoke again: "My cousin really admires that Tenoh..."
"Many girls do..." Michiru replied impassively, looking away from the object of her desire.
"Oh.. sure... and you're one of them... am I right?"
Now Fukuma was smirking like an idiot, but Michiru was uneffected by it as she calmly replied: "No... what I feel for.. him.. has nothing to do with the admiration of an idol.. I love him for what he is inside"
Fukuma listened to her, but looking in his eyes, Michiru was more than certain that he didn't understand her... it didn't matter, however...
"Then, Michiru-chan.." he spoke again using that childish suffix (she hated the way her name sounded when he pronouncedit): "I'm sorry for you, because he doesn't deserve you..."
The aqua-haired beauty frowned at that, then she looked in the direction Fukuma was pointing... she couldn't believe her own eyes...
Haruka was holding Naoko in her arms, while they were moving to leave the ballroom all alone...
"I'm really sorry, Michiru-chan..."
"Better now?"
"Oh, yes..." came Naoko's soft reply. The recovered girl was now sitting on a bench on the balcony.
The moon was full that night and there were so many bright stars in the sky... the lights of the city were too far away to obscure them... and the music that drifted from inside was a perfect backdrop for what the young girl wished would happen...
"Well, then... I'll just go back in..." Haruka didn't want to leave Michiru alone with that Fukuma a minute longer, but her dance-partner seemed to have other plans... "No please! Stay here with me a little more! I'm still weak.. and I don't want to be left outside alone..."
The whole thing greately annoyed Haruka, but she couldn't just leave the girl... what if she fainted again?
So she moved nearer to the railing, putting both her hands on it.
The night was so quiet... so peaceful... if only Michiru was there with her to enjoy it...
"Aah!"
What was wrong now? Haruka had to struggle with herself not to say it out loud... and when she turned to face Naoko, she asked with a slight bitterness: "Is there something wrong?"
"My eye... there's something that's stinging in my eye..."
"I understand if you want to follow them."
Michiru looked at the fat boy with wide eyes... Fukuma was really surprising her tonight...
"They went on the balcony... we can see them if we pass through that door." he explained, indicating another exit.
Michiru knew Haruka would never do anything with that girl... but the wrongness of the whole thing made her loose her usual calm... she needed to see what was going on.
"Let's go, then." she nodded and the fat boy guided her outside... out on the long balcony there were some coloumns that could hide them and at the same time, let them watch the other couple...
Naoko was sitting on a bench, while Haruka was looking at her from the railing... then the tall blonde moved closer and had a seat next to the other girl... what followed was like a stab in the heart for Michiru... no, she couldn't believe it... that wasn't possible...
Fukuma, however, had another opinion: "They're kissing..?"
The aqua-haired beauty had never felt that way before... so empty, so alone, so.. betrayed...
"Fukuma-chan..." her voice was nothing more than a whisper... the fat boy wondered if the girl was actually crying, but he couldn't see... she was looking down and her hair covered her face... "Can you take me home, please?"
"Of course!" replied the boy, not even trying to hide his happiness.
Without a second thought, Michiru left the balcony and her friend, her love.. lost love...
"I can't see anything..."
"But it hurts! Please, look closer..."
Haruka felt like an idiot. She sat down next to Naoko and tried again to look into the girl's eye to see what was causing her such pain...
She sensed something wasn't right... truth to be told, there was nothing right... she wanted to spend her time with Michiru and yet, here she was with Naoko... she was also starting to believe that the girl was acting this way just to keep her there.
Suddenly she stood up barely hiding back her annoyance: "I'm sorry, Naoko-san, but this is not the place where I should be. I'll call your cousin to keep you company."
"Wait, Haruka-kun!"
With no hesitation, the blonde strode purposefully back inside.
She looked around to find her friend, but Michiru was nowhere to be seen...
Strange, she thought and walked to the girl's parents, still talking with the Ikomi family and some other influent guests.
"Excuse me... where's Michiru?"
"Oh, Mr. Tenoh..." Yoshiro greeted her with a huge smile.. "My daughter was a bit tired and Fukuma-chan drove her home..."
"Better to say that our chauffeur did... my son is a bit too young to drive... don't you think?" Nobu joked.
"But he still accompanied her, my friend. He's really a good boy..."
Haruka didn't like what she heard... "Sir, can we go home also?"
"Uhm? Another thirty minutes and we can go. Have fun." Yoshiro encouraged her, before turning his whole attention to his friends.
Kasumi chose that moment to intervene: "Dear, I'm tired and you have to be up early tomorrow morning..."
Michiru's father looked surprised at his wife, but then.. "All right, let's go home..."
When Yoshiro's car stopped in front of the house Michiru's parents owned, Haruka wasted little time in saying good-bye to the couple.
She jumped on her parked motorbike and sped through the streets to get home as soon as possible... she had to speak with Michiru...
Finally at home, Haruka knocked on the door of her friend's bedroom: "Michiru? Are you still awake?"
No answer...
The tall blonde sighed... maybe it was true that she was tired...
The next morning they would clarify everything, she was confident of that... and with the memory of her dance with her beautiful partner still fresh in her mind, she went to sleep, not noticing the silver pendant left lying on her desk...
