Chapter 10

A cloud in the blue sky

The following mornings, Michiru and Haruka lived as in a dream, like every young couples the first times and they couldn't see what could go wrong. Everyone envied them more than ever. They were intelligent people, always smiling, kissing, and on top of that they seemed perfectly in love. Many were jealous, especially the men of Haruka Rugby's team. Michiru was always present at the trainings, observing Haruka. The coach had no objection but the guys couldn't hide their jealousy towards Haruka, she was stronger than them and she had the most beautiful girlfriend. But they didn't care the others. Haruka was doing her best, and Michiru's presence cheered her up. Michiru realised drawings of her lover in her sportive activity.

"I don't understand why you draw so much." Said Haruka after the training. Michiru was talking to some men of the team but when she heard Haruka she left them.

"I don't know… you inspire me. And I like to observe you but with doing nothing it would be boring at the end."

"You're right, and I love those drawings. I wish I could draw as well as you do. I would draw pictures of you ever and ever."

"Knowing you… I would be naked on most of them." Said Michiru laughing. Haruka smiled and blushed a little.

"I'm not a pervert… but I think we could see that later… when we will be home…"

"You said you don't know how to draw."

"Who talked about drawing? I was talking about you being naked."

"Sounds interesting…"

They came back home in each other arms.

The following morning, they were ready to go home, when Michiru found out she had forgot something, her drawings wallet. She searched for it everywhere but she didn't find it. Finally she had to leave without it. It was strange, she always kept it with her, or in a eyes-catching place… And there were drawings of Haruka in it, drawings that could betray her. She said nothing. She didn't wanted to worry her. They left for school, but Michiru wasn't able to concentrate. On the evening, Haruka went to one of her trainings, but Michiru didn't come, she directly went home to try to find her drawings.

Haruka arrived always with ten minutes late to have the changing room for herself. But maybe she wasn't late enough, because there were men in it.

"Hey Tenoh! You're late." Said one of the guy.

Haruka was annoyed, how would she change in front of them ? She knew the guy who talked to her, he was in other sports teams with her, as Rugby and racing.

"But what the hell are you doing here? This is the men changing room, didn't you know? Girls aren't allowed in there, Tenoh."

Haruka looked at him. Had she heard him well? How could he know? No one knew at the university… and she always took the greatest care… No one knew except… Michiru. "You're stupid, Ruka. Michiru wouldn't do such a thing…" But then she remembered that Michiru had been talking to the men after the training while she was under the shower, and when she came back she had suddenly stopped… And it had to be her, she was the only one to know… But she refused to admit it… it simply couldn't be. She left the changing room without a word. She was angry, and she was feeling betrayed… and hurt. She drove back home in a hurry to find Michiru. If she wasn't her, and she hoped she would have an explanation.

She opened the door in a nervous manner. The first thing she saw was Michiru, her face really pale. She looked at Haruka in a sad glance.

"Michiru. I've got a problem." Said Haruka angry.

"Yes, me too. You'll be mad at me…" she said in a trembling voice.

"Yes, I think so."

"So… you know?"

"Yes I know. What were you thinking about?"

"I don't know…"

"Let me tell you the story, I think you'll find it quite funny… I arrived at the changing room late, as ever, but the men where still in it. I was thinking of a solution when one of the guys told me 'girls aren't allowed'! Michiru… I trusted you! Why did you betray me? I thought you… you loved me… as much as I loved you."

"I understand that you're angry, I shouldn't have… but don't you think you're overreacting… I always take the greatest care, but this time I don't know what happened…"

"You think I'm overreacting! After what you did! You knew how important it was… it had to remain a secret. I'm a woman for you, that's a thing, but for the others I must stay a man!"

Michiru didn't understand… she had imagined Haruka would be disappointed but not that angry. She was really mad at her, but she only lost the drawings. It was her fault, but it is not as though she showed it to everyone willingly…

"I… I think I'll go home. My home. You're too angry, let's see if you're more calm in tomorrow, or in a few days."

Michiru came to the bedroom and took some clothes and left. Haruka did nothing to make her change her decision. She didn't want to see her anymore, she had betrayed her and now she had the courage to say she was overreacting!

Michiru began to cry as soon as she had closed the apartment door behind her. What had happened to Haruka? She had never been like that before, so aggressive. She never imagined her to be like this with her. She thought that maybe Haruka would have understood and helped her to search. But maybe she had wrong, maybe Haruka wasn't the person she knew, maybe she had been blind.

For her part, Haruka didn't cry on the moment, but the night that followed was sleepless and agitated.

The following day, Haruka disengaged from all the sportive activities she was in except racing. She saw Michiru nowhere. She was feeling empty and cold without her, and a little lost. A part of her had been pulled apart and the part that was still there was awfully painful. She head mutters around her, everyone seemed to know they had broken.

Michiru had stayed home the whole day, she was ill. The events of the past night had let her very weak. She passed the day sitting rolled in a blanket in her special room, thinking. Because she couldn't draw, nor play violin. She was so cold inside. She took sight of the turquoise ring that never left her. The time received it was sad, but at that time, she loved her. She wasn't that angry…

Michiru reappeared at university a week later. Haruka was still mad at her but she didn't see her. Now she had strengthened, and Ami, who was still near her, had told her about the situation, because the scene in the changing room had not been discreet, everyone knew. And she understood that her drawings were not responsible, and that Haruka, once more, had not trusted her. The guy was just jealous and he knew she was susceptible. He had just wanted to make her angry. So Michiru had decided she wouldn't talk to Haruka again. So the weeks went on like this, painful as hell for each of them. But they were too proud to tell it. And they bear each other a grudge, Michiru for Haruka not having trusted her, and Haruka for having being betrayed. She couldn't knew the poor Michiru had done nothing. She couldn't know their love was untouched. Only Michiru could have put an end to their misunderstanding. But she didn't wanted to. Haruka had no trust in her since the beginning. First she didn't tell her she was a girl, but she had accepted it. But now she accusing her without any proof. She couldn't bear it. She had love for Haruka, and being apart was unbearable, but she had to.

One afternoon after school, Haruka was cleaning her car when she found something in the glove compartment: Michiru's drawings. It was strange. She never left this wallet… she must have been searching for it. But it was her problem now. She opened the wallet unwillingly. She looked at the drawings. They were so beautiful. She liked to look at them, there was so much love in them… suddenly she closed it. She mustn't be nostalgic. Michiru was just a betrayer. But she couldn't convince herself to hand the wallet back to Michiru, it had this calming scent of ocean, melted with pencil and pastel…

So they continued not to talk each other for long. But sometimes they caught sight of each other. Michiru had success with men, though she hadn't any known boyfriend, and was always with Ami and her friends after school, but their friendship wasn't enough to warm her heart up. Haruka was spending more and more time outside university, she drove a lot. And after a while she linked with some people, essentially women In love with her, thinking she was a he. But none interested her, none was like Michiru. No one have her grace and beauty, and this special thing she had that she couldn't identify. This warm presence, nearly magical, that made her feeling so good. After a while she had to admit that she missed Michiru, then, she understood that a life without her was not worth living. She was jealous of all those men she was talking to, or maybe she was dating. She wanted to try something, just to approach her a bit, but she had no idea how to do it.

One evening, before her race training, something made the things easier for Haruka… she heard voices coming from the changing room. Two guys were talking together, she identifies one of them as the captain of the team.

"Ogata! We have to discuss something. It's about Tenoh."

"I knew you would, you're scared he would leave the team before the competition…"

"He is the better, so I hope you won't tease him like you did at the beginning of the year."

"I'm sorry about this, I couldn't guess he would take it seriously. But recognize It was easy… he is thin and light and his face looks so feminine. Well… I know he is a man, but I was fed up. He is an athlete, he is intelligent, and at that time he had the cutest girl of the university…"

"Yeah I know, and you didn't speak about his desire to be alone in the changing room… I must admit I had doubts, but when I saw he was with Michiru Kaioh… and a girl couldn't do what he does in sport."

"That's right. I don't know what happened between them… they seemed in love… I always regretted what I said that evening, I couldn't guess he would be so angry."

"Angry? He simply disengaged from all his sportive activities except racing. I'd rather say he was mad of anger."

"I wasn't serious, It was just a bad joke. I don't why he took it this way…"

Haruka had listened carefully the conversation and had opened her eyes widely in horror. She had lost Michiru for a bad joke! She felt awfully bad. She was an idiot, the greatest idiot in the galaxy. Michiru would never forgive her. But she had to try. This time she knew what she was going to tell her…

She took her car and headed for Michiru's house. She arrived in no time and knocked at the door. The butler opened her.

"Hi there. I'd like to see Michi… Miss Kaioh, please."

"I guess she won't receive you, M. Tenoh."

"I must talk to her!"

"Come in, I'll tell her, but she is always in this room upstairs, she never leaves it while she is at home."

The butler went upstairs. Haruka was wet, the time outside was awfully rainy. Suddenly, she saw her. Dressed in a blue long dress that fitted her perfectly, she went down the stairs in a graceful pace. Her hairs were shorter, now they fell on her shoulders. It fitted her perfectly.

"Michiru! I have something to tell you!"

"Leave us alone." Said Michiru to the butler.

She was arrived downstairs. She could see that Haruka was agitated and it worried her to see her wet and trembling with cold. But she had no idea why suddenly she had come to see her. She had given no sign of life for months. Her first reaction had been to refuse to see him, but the butler had insisted so she finally had accepted.

"Michiru… Please hit me, do whatever you want… I'm so sorry… I made a huge mistake, maybe the worst of my life. I understood. I heard this conversation between the guys and I understood… they were just making fun of me when they said I was a girl! I'm so sorry…"