(2) I know you're scared

Normally music was her most favourite subject. Michiru loved her teacher and she was happy whenever she could play her violin. But not today. Not when her best friend was sitting next to her struggling with her pain. No one saw it, but Michiru knew that there was a bandage hidden under the school uniform's brown jacket. A bloodstained bandage.

I only want to help.

Michiru winced as Haruka raised her head and looked directly at her with her coldest glare. Then the blonde concentrated again on the text before her. But she did not accompany the rest of the class in their singing, because she needed all her breath to function and not to break down. She did not want to go to the doctor. There was no way she could explain to him how she got herself so badly hurt. There were already enough problems in her life, she did not need an old man in a white coat asking her stupid questions.

I don't want to see you in pain.

Michiru rubbed her tired eyes and gave up following the lines. She knew the song, of course she did, it was a famous European song Japanese people loved to sing during Christmas time, but she could simply not concentrate on the lyric. So she sang lalala instead and hoped that no one would find out.

Mercifully this lesson did not last forever and two verses later she was saved by the bell. Now lunch break would start and they had another hour before their teachers could torture them again. Okay, normally Michiru liked school. She was talented and this boarding school did challenge her talents in arts and music, but after a long night fighting youmas she felt tired and only wanted to creep in her bed and not learn strange vocabularies by heart and play an instrument while the notes got blurred on the scale.

"You should go and see Dr. Tomoe." He was the school's doctor and did a good job in helping sick pupils. His own daughter, Tomoe Hotaru, was very ill and he gave her excellent treating so that you often forgot how weak little Hotaru-chan actually was.

"No. I won't!" Haruka slapped away Michiru's hand and walked straight to the cafeteria. She let her bag fall and sat down heavily on her chair. Shortly the pain was shown clearly on her face but she did hide it well, as she was able to hide so many other things in her young life.

"But, Ruka…"

"Just let it be, Michiru." Haruka shook her head and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes and stayed in this position for the next five minutes. Michiru sighed deeply and sat down opposite from her best friend. She pulled their bentos out of her schoolbag and pushed Haruka's before her. The blonde did not open her eyes, did not react at all. Probably she was not going to eat her lunch. Again.

"Don't blame me when you're not able to hold your henshin anymore!" Michiru made a noise that sounded almost like a growl before she separated her chop sticks and started to eat her sushi. They never knew when another youma would attack so she ate when they had time. Or when she spent the rest of the night making bentos when she could not sleep.

"I won't go to any doctor!" snapped Haruka back. She did not open her eyes, but her eyebrows almost made contact as she was frowning angrily. "They only ask stupid questions I won't answer."

"So it's better to have a bleeding arm instead?" Michiru gulped another sushi and clenched her fist around the wood. It looked like this would become another of their recently so frequently happening arguments. Michiru was not only tired because of her lack of sleep, but also because of their lack of reasonable conversation. Okay, Haruka had always been a hotspur. Now, however, she lost her temper at every occasion.

"So it's better to tell Dr. Tomoe what's really going on?" aped the blonde and finally opened her eyes to glare at her only friend. "Great idea, really!"

"You want to be injured instead?" Michiru looked disbelieving at Haruka and turned towards her bento again. "Why the heck do I care?" she muttered and shook her head while she pushed the last sushi in the bento box around.

"Because you don't take this mission serious!" Haruka's voice was dangerously silent. Surely she wanted to shout, but was aware of them not being alone in the cafeteria. "All what counts is to find Mistress 9. Nothing is going to endanger our mission! Not a bloody youma and not a silly scratch on my arm."

That's not a scratch.

Michiru bit her lip as she was aware of the meaning behind the blonde's words. Suddenly she felt sick and regretted to have eaten all of her meal. Her stomach started to hurt and she laid down her chopsticks, because her hands trembled suddenly.

"Not even the death of one of us?" Her voice was hoarse and she needed some moments to raise her head. However, Haruka was not directly looking at her. The blonde was merely staring at the pupils passing by. Talking to their best friends. Giggling. Laughing. Being so young and so damn naive.

"Nothing." It was not more like a whisper. Michiru shivered slightly as she heard the word that sounded like a scream in her ears. It reminded her of the promise they gave each other when they became senshi: That their mission was the most important thing in their lives. If the other one would not be able to fight any longer or even die, the surviving one had to go on, had to fight against the youmas, had to reach their goal.

Nothing but you…

Michiru knew that she was not able to leave Haruka behind, no matter what destiny had decided for them. She was not only her best friend, she was the most important person in her life, the only light in her darkness. Whatever happened, Michiru was not willing to let the blonde down. Not as senshi and not as human.

"I've gotta go." Haruka ignored her bento and rose abruptly. "Have fun with your art lessons, see ya in the evening."

"Ruka?" Michiru got up as well, but did not reach for her best friend. She knew when she was fighting a lost battle.

"Hai?" The blonde grabbed her bag and hang it loosely around the shoulder of her healthy arm. Then she looked directly at Michiru and the sea beauty gulped. Haruka's face was ashen and her green eyes widened. She plucked nervously at her bag's shoulder strap and looked away quickly.

Nothing is to endanger our mission!

Michiru blinked and took a deep breath to get her feelings under control again. Then she forced herself to smile.

"Rice and fish for dinner?" she asked this question instead of all the others whirling in her head, making her dizzy. "That's alright?"

"Fine with me. See ya." Haruka did not look up again as she walked past her and left the cafeteria in a badly hidden hurry. Michiru watched her go and then sank back on her chair to bury her face in her icy hands.

Nothing is to endanger our mission!

Really, Ruka?