Author's Note: This takes place a few years after the last chapter. Okay, I am told that I really messed Haruka's character up in this chapter so I decided to rewrite some parts. If you have any further advice on how to make it even better, it would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter VI: Reunions
"Haruka, you've got mail."
Handing her partner a stack of envelopes, Michiru sighed and flopped down into the couch next to Haruka. She smiled gently as she watched Haruka casually flip through her mail. The first day that she had met the other woman, she had thought that her partner was a clumsy idiot. She never expected that they would be this close. Or that she would grow so attached to her.
Michiru tugged softly at a lock of her aqua hair as she stared thoughtfully out the window. Rain pounded against the glasswhile the wind howled loudly, causing the castle to creak and moan. The princess found herself watching entranced asdroplets of water slowly trickled down the glass panes and dissapeared from view. If only life could remain so simple and beautiful.
"What about you?" asked Haruka, causing the aqua haired woman to break away from her thoughts. When Michiru stared at her partner inquiringly Haruka held up a envelope. "Didn't you get any mail?"
"My parents are probably too busy."
"Too busy even to write to their daughter?" Haruka paused to think this over. Though her mother was always busy trying to restore Uranus, she always used a part of her personal time to write to Haruka.
Michiru chose not to reply to the question. She had already noticed how their relationships with their parents were different; Haruka's mother, no matter how busy, always found some time to write to Haruka and even if it were the smallest letter with only a few sentances, Haruka would understand the love behind the words; Michiru's parents as diligent rulers would always put their duty before their own personal needs. The letters that Michiru did recieve reminded the girl of her responsibilities as a princess but Michiru took it as their way of saying that they care.
Seeing that Michiru wasn't going to answer anytime soon, Haruka impatiently asked, "What about your friends?"
Michiru shook her head. She couldn't tell Haruka that she didn't have any. Yet that was the truth. Michiru never had any true friends; the only people that she had were those who wanted to use her for money and power. They didn't care for her. Michiru pushed the unpleasant thoughts away and turned her attention back to Haruka, who was currently reading a letter silently to herself. Haruka had decided not to push Michiru for an answer to her earlier question, which greatly relieved the aqua haired woman.
Michiru turned to see Haruka staring intently at a letter. Curious, the princess stood up and glided over to Haruka. Her emerald colored skirt rustled softly as she moved across the room, causing Haruka to glance up at her partner.
"Who is it from?" Michiru asked, sitting down beside Haruka.
"A friend." Haruka smiled mysteriouslyas she carefully folded the letter and placed it in her pocket.
"Who?"
"A friend." Haruka repeated, smiling softly. Something that Haruka hadn't done for a while.
This person must be really special. Frowning, Michiru crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, what does it say then?"
"He's coming here for a visit."
"Michiru," Haruka called, poking her head into Michiru's room.
"Hm?" Michiru leaned curiously over in her chair and glanced past Haruka, spotting two figures standing by the door. One was a male with brilliant lime-green eyes and light hair that framed his fair face. Michiru recalled her conversations with Haruka earlier and presumed that he was Yaten. The other was a young woman with wavy, bright orange hair that hung around her shoulders. Her apricot coloured eyes and sugary smile made the young woman seem dainty and cute.
"Oh," replied Michiru, unsure of how to react. Remembering her manners, Michiru set all four legs of her chair back on the grond once again and got up to greet the visitors.
"They will be staying with us in the castle. I just asked Setsuna. Come on, I want to introduce you guys properly to one another."
Michiru smiled softly as Haruka introduced each of them to one another.
"Yaten, this is Michiru. Michiru, meet Yaten."
Yaten reluctantly held out his hand and waited for Michiru to shake it.
"I have heard a lot about you," Michiru said as she took Yaten's hand. Haruka had spent the entire week raving about Yaten and Michiru couldn't help feeling somewonder forthe person that had been able to gain Haruka's complete trust. Haruka had difficulty opening to people and only a handful of people have gotten the chance to know the real Haruka.
"They all better be good things, Haruka," Yaten said, elbowing the blonde.
Haruka laughed, before walkingtowards the young woman beside Yaten.
"I have met Mimet only a few times before," Haruka said, gesturing to the orange haired woman. "But each time was extremely memorable. Yaten introduced us to one another and we have been on very colorful adventures in the market place."
Haruka grinned as she remembered the shopkeeper of a fruit stall chasing after the three of them after he caught Mimet and Yaten stealing a few of his apples. Haruka had learned a few tricks herself from them but she never felt comfortable stealing from others. Other than tricks used for stealing items, Yaten had taught Haruka how to defend herself and fight. Those moves have come in handy many times on their adventures and also became useful for her training. Whenever Mimet and Haruka were together, she always learned something new. The orange haired girl was very sly and devious, always with interesting tricks up her sleeve. Haruka couldn't help but feel dispirited, now that she couldn't join them on any more adventures.
"Well, we have a lot to catch up on," Haruka said and slung an arm around Yaten's shoulders, leading him out of Michiru's room.
Michiru ran her long elegant fingers through her hair and stared wistfully after them. Though Haruka does not display all her emotions, Michiru could tell that she was truly pleased to have Yaten here with her. She was happy for her friend but at the same time felt slightly upset that all of Haruka's attention was focused on Yaten.
"So, Michiru, how close are you to Haruka?" Mimet questioned and peered curiously at Michiru's face.
"Oh, I guess we are just friends," the princess replied, turning her attention to Mimet.
Mimet narrowed her eyes and examined Michiru even more closely. Then she smiled, her eyes gleaming mysteriously. "Excellent. This will be much more easier than I thought."
Michiru watched in confusion as the orange haired woman happily skipped out of the room. What did she mean?
Michiru's hold on her pencil tighten as she heard three familiar voices approaching from the other side of the garden wall. The princess stared down at her sketchbook, pretending to ignore their light hearted voices and laughter yet found that it echoed in her head.
The princess shrunk further back into the shade under her favorite tree. Every Sunday morning, Michiru would come to this particular tree and sit down in it's shade to sketch in her sketchbook. It always relaxed her after a work of hard training and she enjoyed the sounds of wildlife that enveloped her whenever she visited this particular spot in the palace gardens.
However, her relaxed mood instantly vanished when she saw Haruka, Yaten and Mimet walk through the archway of the garden wall. It wasn't that she didn't like them. It was more because that she had been feeling more neglected lately. She would watch enviously by the side as they would talk, tell jokes,or play games. They had invited her to join them, but it felt like she wasn't included at all. Today, Michiru felt tired of dealing with them, and just wanted them to walk by without noticing her at all.
Just as she wished, the group walked past her spot hidden in the bushes without noticing the aqua-haired princess. Michiru sighed and put her sketchbook and pencil down by her side. The beautiful scene that she was sketching earlier was completely forgotten at the moment.
"Well, at least one thing turned out the way I wanted today," Michiru said to herself, burying the pain that was risng in her chest.
"Where could it be?" Michiru murmured, tossing her pillows roughly aside and searching desperately under her blankets. She bit hard on her lip, willing herself to calm down.She knew that she couldn't accomplish anything if she wasn'tthinking clearly."I couldn't have lost them."
The princess sat gloomily on the edge of the mattress and placed her head in her hands. Closing her marine colored eyes, Michiru tried to recall where she had left her aquamarine earrings. The aqua haired woman sighed, remembering the day she had received them.
It was a beautiful warm evening and Michiru -accompanied by palace guards- sat back to watch the market place close at the end of the day. The young princess had thought the market would help her take her minds off things because her parents were too busy to spend time with her. It was her first time out of the castle and the market place seemed very exciting throughout the whole day. From the start of the morning when the sweet smell of fresh baked bread drifted lazily in the air to the end of the day as the princess watched the many shop owners scurry home to their family, the princess had loved every moment of it.
"Princess, it is late," a guard said roughly. "It is time to go home."
"Can't we stay a bit longer?" Michiru asked, hopefully looking up at the stern man. It had taken her so long to convince her mother into letting her visit the market place and the day seemed to pass by too quickly.
The man shook his head. "The queen said to take you home on time for dinner."
The young girl wanted to protest but paused to think it over. It was useless to argue. Her mother set the rules and no one dared disobey. Not even Michiru. Michiru glanced around the market place wistfully. How she longed to be free and to be able to do whatever she wanted to do for just a day. How she longed to shed the chains that bound her so tightly.
"I really wanted to visit the beach," Michiru said quietly as she slowly followed the guard down the winding path that led to the grand palace. Pouting slightly, Michiru glanced sadly over at the sparkling ocean that lay in the distance. The surface seemed to glow with the many bright colors reflected from the beautiful sunset in the sky.
Suddenly the calm atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of many thundering hooves. Their group stopped and stepped on to the side of the road as they saw who was arriving. Curious, Michiru glanced up to see a band of riders quickly approaching from behind. The riders were dressed in the magnificent armor of the royal knights. Leading the group was a tall man on a magnificent black horse.
"Majesty!" Simultaneously, all the guards bowed deeply.
The king smiled warmly as he quickly dismounted off his horse and strode over to Michiru. His bright cerulean colored eyes were filled with joy as he swept Michiru into a tight hug.
"I've missed you so much daddy," Michiru whispered softly.
"I've missed you too," he replied, stroking the princess' hair. "But I had work to do in other places."
The king was seldom at home with his family because of his duty's but when he did return from the tiresome journeys, he made sure that he made up the time with his family. Michiru squirmed with delight as she unwrapped herself from her fathers arms. She had lots to tell him about. It has been such a long time.
"Could we go to the beach?" the young girl asked hopefully. She knew the guards wouldn't dare object if the King agreed to go.
"Well..." The man scratched his chin thoughtfully. He was very tired from his journey but then, he spent so little time with his daughter. Michiru looked up at him sweetly and he smiled to himself.
"Alright," the king said, tweaking Michiru's nose. "Just for you."
They both strode over to the beach silently, admiring the breathtaking scenery. A million colors decorated the vast sky, waves roared in the distance and the smell of salt tickled their noses. The king had managed to convince the guards to return to the palace so he and Michiru could spend some time together without interference.
"Father," Michiru said slowly. "Do you sometimes feel like a marionette?"
"A marrionette?"
"Do you feel that you can't choose how to lead your life? That you have no control of where it goes?" Michiru stared down at her small elegant hands, waiting for an answer. Surely her father has felt the same as she did now. It seemed that the queen had set up Michiru's entire future for her, whether she liked it or not.
"Well... I believe that everyone is able to choose," the king said thoughtfully and bent down to look at Michiru in the eye. "You are the only person that is able to choose the path you want to take. Some may end up with happiness and joy and some paths may end up with regret and pain."
Michiru paused to consider this, but she still couldn't quite understand what her father meant. She had no control of what path she took, her mother did. Seeing the expression on his daughter's face, the king reached into his pocket and drew a small box out.
"That reminds me," he said, smiling slightly. "I got these from you while on my journey."
Curiously opening the box, Michiru gasped as she saw a pair of beautiful earrings. They were gems shaped like little dolphins with gold lining the edge of the design. It glowed a beautiful aquamarine and shimmered magically in the sunlight.
"These are to remind you that you will always be free like the dolphins," the king said closing the lid of the box and handing it to Michiru. "I want you to follow your heart. There is a sea of possibilities out there and if you follow your heart, it will never lead you astray."
Michiru shook her head. She had always remembered what her father said those many years ago, but it never seemed to make any sense to her. The princess still felt she was a puppet, being whatever her mother wanted her to be. She had no choice. However, the dolphin earringsgave her hope.The aqua haired woman stood up and glanced around her room. Drawers hung open, bed covers and pillows were tossed aside and accessories littered the soft carpeted floor.
"I'm sure I had left them on my beside table," Michiru said, running a hand through her hair. The young woman strolled over to her beside table and looked through it thoroughly for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Where are they?
"Oh, it's useless," the princess moaned, slumping against the coldwhite wall. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Perhaps -perhaps Haruka could help me find them."
I hope she isn't busy with Mimet or Yaten again. Stepping up to her friend's bedroom door, Michiru gently pushed it open.
"Haruka, could you- Oh, am I interrupting?" Michiru asked, blushing brightly.
"Oh, um, me and Yaten are just -cough, cough- talking," Haruka said, trying not to meet Michiru's eyes.
Michiru coldly turned to Yaten,"Could you excuse us for a moment?"
Yaten stared at Michiru strangely and slowly got off the couch. Michiru frowned at Yaten as he walked passed her and slipped out through the door. Michiru didn't pay any attention to him, instead she focused on Haruka.
"You never told me that you and Yaten had that kind of relationship," Michiru mumbled, staring at Haruka. "I thought you trusted me."
"I do," Haruka explained, trying not to show her frustration. She just wasn't good at opening up to others and couldn't find a chance to tell her friend about Yaten. Besides from what she had seen, Michiru was not interested in hearing things about Yaten. Haruka was able to tell -being with Michiru for the past five years- whenever the woman was not pleased with something. Though Michiru was always composed and collected, the blonde would never fail to notice a spark behind those cool eyes and a ripple in the calm atmosphere whenever something angered her friend. "I just didn't think that you needed to know."
"Because I would have never known if I hadn't walked in on you two slobbering over each other." Michiru couldn't bear to look at her friend any longer.
Haruka opened her mouth to explain but nothing came out.
"I guess it doesn't matter," Michiru mumbled, though she didn't feel that way. Why did it make her feel so empty, knowing Haruka had a boyfriend? It just didn't seem right. "It's really none of my business."
"Michiru..." Haruka admired Yaten. He showed her that fate did not control your entire life, that you were free to choose whatever road you walked down. Yaten showed Haruka how he had chose his own path, despite the fact that he was born into a poor family.
Besides the fact that she admired him, Haruka liked how he was always straight forward with her, never bothering with falsity, flattery, or half-truths. Haruka didn't have many close friends and she truly valued Yaten. The blonde tried to conjure words that would explain how much that they both meant to her but nothing came out.
Michiru and Haruka both stood in silence, not wanting to meet the other's eyes.
"Did you need something?" Haruka finally asked.
"I was just wondering if you could help me find my dolphin earrings," Michiru replied, still staring at the floor. Did she want Haruka to help anymore? What else didn't she know? What else was Haruka hiding from her?
"Oh, sure, let's go," Haruka said, and started for the door. She was greatly relieved that Michiru did not push the issue any further.
"Wait, I want to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"What do you know about Mimet?"
"Um..." The question itself was easy to answer, but Haruka was unsure of how to present it to Michiru. How was she to tell Michiru that Mimet and Yaten were thieves?
"Well, she is a nice person, she is great at planning but..."
"But?"
"Mimete..."
Michiru frowned as she felt Haruka holding back from her.She had thought that theywouldn't keep secrets from one another.
"She is a thief," Haruka said finally. Seeing the horrified expression on Michiru's face, Haruka added, "She is a wonderful person. You can't judge her-"
"I just don't trust her," Michiru said firmly, recalling the odd comment that Mimet had said the first day she had arrived. The aqua haired woman didn't want to question Haruka's friends but she felt that something wasn't quite right about them. When ever she saw Haruka and Yaten together, she felt her heart tug painfully as if trying to tell her something was wrong with the situation.
"You should try to get to know her better."
"So Yaten is a thied as well," Michiru commented to herself.
Seeing where this was leading to, Haruka jumped up to defend her friend. She may not seem like it, but Haruka was a person who would defend someone to the very end once you hadgained her friendship. Yaten was no exception. "Listen, I've known him for almost my entire life and I know he is a good person."
Frowning, Michiru thought back to her friends and how they had treated her. Though she had stayed composed and polite whenever they approached her, the once naive little girl had learned not to trust any of them because behind all those kind words and smiles were a goal to gain power and wealth. "How do you know he isn't using you?"
"Listen," Haruka said. "Yaten didn't even know I was a princess when we became friends. Michiru would you stop questioning my friends? I know them and I am sure that they are good people with no intentions of harming you."
"I'm trying to help," the violinist protested, stung by the tone that Haruka was using on her.
"I can trust my own judgment. Michiru, are you sure you are not jealous?"
"Jealous?" Michiru replied icily but the aqua haired woman felt that Haruka had struck something inside her. The aqua haired woman couldn't help but feel shaken by the statement. Was she jealous of Yaten? She was displeased of how much time Haruka would spend with him, the way that they were able to talk to one another and the activities they excluded her from but she wasn't jealous, was she? She shook her head and clumsily regained her poise. "Why would I be jealous of that commoner?"
Haruka instantly flared. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry we are too far beneath you to be your friends. Perhaps you should just leave," the blonde said curtly, pointing to the open door.
Michiru stared coldly at Haruka. So she was asking her to leave? Fine. Michiru stuck her nose in the air and turned to exit, without once looking back at her friend.