(6) When courage starts to disappear

Michiru stared at the closed door. Haruka had not left her room the past evening. She did not come to eat her dinner nor did she try to talk to Michiru about Hotaru again. The young woman could hear the muffled music all night and knew that her best friend was brooding over the problem, without finding a solution.

"…" Michiru bit on her lip and instead of knocking only touched the wood. She knew that it was senseless to talk to the blonde when she was in a bad mood, but it hurt to be not able to help her. To be there for her. To be able to explain why she had reacted the way she had yesterday.

I want so badly to be your best friend, but maybe I am just your partner in crime, nothing more. No one special…

She sighed deeply and looked down at the carpet, at the empty place right before Haruka's door. Michiru tightened up her shoulders and searched the small corridor for the blonde's boots. Finally she found them behind a black schoolbag. They were both extremely dirty and no St. Nicholas would have given her anything. But Michiru was not St. Nicholas nor did she ever let a gift go waste. Particularly since it was a gift Haruka needed, because she tended to lose her winter clothes at the gymnasium.

Michiru knocked off the worst dirt and put the boots noiseless down, hoping that Haruka would not stumble over them when she left her room. If she ever intended of ever leaving her shelter again. The sea beauty put the dark green cloth carefully over the boots and stroked it, lost in thought.

At that moment the telephone rang. She almost jumped and held her racing heart. It took her some time to realise that it was only the phone ringing and nothing worse, but the caller did not mind, because the black phone kept making the squealing noise. Haruka did not react, there was not even the sound of movements within her room. Michiru sighed and got to her feet to answer the phone.

"Moshi-moshi?"

Here's Usagi. We want to go to cinema since it's Saturday and no school. There was a snigger at the other end of the line and Michiru could imagine the girl dancing around happily because there was no teacher there to torture her today. We'd wonder if you'd want to come along.

We. That meant not only Usagi, but also her boyfriend, Mamoru, the little girl, Chibiusa, and her best friends, Makoto, Ami, Rei and Minako. It sounded like a great trip to a romantic movie, eating popcorn, listening to happy laughter and forgetting all this bullshit for at least two hours. Before Michiru had to gather up all her courage to ask Usagi, or better, Sailor Moon, to help them. To help them rescue Hotaru. Somehow. Please…

"Sure, sounds like fun."

Cool! We'll meet at Rei's temple in an hour. Is that okay?

"Hai."

Cool! What? Chibiusa! Put that down, that's…

Michiru smiled and did not even notice that Usagi had already hung up. Where there was this girl there was chaos - and hope.

The sea beauty rose and quickly changed from her nightdress into white pants and pullover. At least at the weekends she did not want to wear this ugly, dark school uniform. Maybe the snow-look, as Hotaru called it, made her look distant and cold, but she felt more comfortable in it. Then she looked into the fridge, but decided that she did not feel very hungry. Maybe she would eat something in the cinema, maybe she would share some popcorn with Usagi and her friends and enjoy an unhealthy but delicious meal.

What if Ruka gets hungry?

Michiru put on an apron and made some rice balls with bits of fish and cheese in them and a core made out of ketchup, just the way Haruka liked them the most. Carefully she put them on a plate and back into the fridge. The blonde could decide whether she wanted to eat them cold or warm. Haruka could not cook, but even she was able to use a microwave without blowing up their apartment.

"Ruka?" She had to knock at the door, to tell her friend that she was leaving and where to. To inform her about the rice balls waiting for her patiently in the fridge's bitter cold to be eaten for lunch. The blonde had to eat something. At least once a day. However, Michiru could not knock. Instead she tried the handle and saw surprised that she did not meet any resistance. The door was not locked. So Michiru opened it slowly, trying not to cause any noise. She did not know what Haruka was doing right now, maybe she was standing on her chair and her biology books trying to fix her posters of sport cars and motorbikes. Michiru did not want to startle her and cause her to fall.

"Ruka?"

There was still no reply, but Michiru was sure that Haruka was still in their apartment. She would have realised when the blonde had left, hadn't she?

The young woman peered into the room and spotted her best friend on the most untidy bed in the entire universe. Haruka liked thick pillows, just to throw them around in her sleep. They laid on the ground between old socks, dirty shirts and school books, of course. Their Japanese teacher would have burst into tears if he had seen their literature book pasting to the carpet, right on top of a half eaten chocolate bar.

"Ruka?"

There was no reaction and as Michiru came nearer, avoiding to make contact to anything laying on the ground in case it came to life and attacked her. Haruka was obviously fast asleep. Her eyes stayed closed as Michiru bowed over her and she hugged the last pillow that had not flown through the air the past night. Blond hair was messed and there were traces of dirt on a pale face. Traces of tears.

Oh, Ruka…

Michiru knelt down next to the bed and stroked lovingly through wild strands. Haruka did not wake up, she kept dreaming, however, her lips curved in a small smile.

My strong Ruka.

The sea beauty covered Haruka's slightly shivering body with the soft blanket and sat back on her heels, watching her best friend sleep, protecting her from her nightmares; wished she could protect her from real life, as well.

My brave warrior.

Michiru almost missed her appointment with Usagi and her friends.