Chapter 13

I'll give you wings

Michiru tried to contact Haruka by all means the weak that followed. She tried to call her on her cell phone, at her house… but no one answered her. She was worried. She had come at the flat, but Haruka at changed the lock. She had also come to her father's house, but the butler said he hadn't seen Haruka for about a week. She also came at the tracks, but Haruka was nowhere to be seen, and nobody gave her any piece of information.

"You don't understand… I must talk to he… him!"

"Haruka is not there."

"But… he… must have passed here… I need to talk to him…"

Michiru was almost crying, but the guy didn't care, Haruka had asked everyone not to say anything to Michiru if she passed by. In fact she was not far. She watched the scene with great pain… she hated to see Michiru worried like this… but it was evident, she was feeling guilty, she wanted to apologize or something like that before living her new life with that damned guy… She knew she wouldn't bear to talk to Michiru, she would not bear to look straight in her eyes and not see this sparkle of love in them. So she just listened without showing herself. Michiru finally left.

"Thank you, Motoki." Said Haruka to the guy when Michiru was out of sight.

"You know… I think you're wrong… this girl still love you. You should talk to her."

"No. I won't."

"By the way, you should stop seeing those guys… with their motorbike… it's risky."

"We all ride bikes…"

"Not the way you do…"

"It's my problem… you know I always liked to take risks… and I have nothing to lose."

"But she…"

"Stop it now."

Haruka pulled a hand on her chest, she was wearing a necklace, with Michiru's ring on it. She hadn't left it since the day Michiru gave it back to her. But she felt so empty. In a way… she wouldn't admit it but the truth was that she wanted to die. In a week, she had put herself in danger so many times.

Her father was worried, but he knew there was nothing he could do. His daughter seemed to have lost every sense of reality and had no limits. She drove faster and faster without thinking of the risks, as if she had lost the taste for life. He knew why… it was because of Michiru Kaioh. But the girl wasn't responsible, he was the one to blame. If he had let his daughter tell the truth since the beginning, maybe Michiru wouldn't have had this impression of distrust to begin with. Obviously, he didn't know what the girl had done in the café. The way she had wounded Haruka.

Suddenly someone called on his cellar phone. It was a responsible on the motorbike racing circuit. He was a friend of the family.

"M. Tenoh! It is your son, I think you should come, he had become mad. He went with some other guys to tempt a record by jumping a large precipice with his motor bike. But I know this place… your son is the best racer I know, but even him won't be able to reach the other end!"

"No… he wouldn't to that, Haruka is not a candidate to suicide… Maybe she is…"

"I don't know… he has been acting strangely lately, always putting his life on the line when it's possible… You'd rather come."

"All right, I… I'm on my way... This is this huge precipice near the tracks?"

"Yes."

"I'll be there in about ten minutes."

He took his car and drove to Michiru's house. He knew only her could help. Haruka had never listened to him. He stopped in front of the house and knocked at the door. The butler opened.

"Miss Kaioh, please."

"You're lucky she just came back."

Michiru was in the hall, she was coming back from another afternoon passed searching for Haruka. When she caught sight of Haruka's father, and the expression of intense fear on his face, the glass of water she had in her hand broke on the floor.

"Miss Kaioh. My son is in danger, please come with me… or he'll probably die."

Michiru didn't thought of it twice. She ran towards the man who jumped into his car. He explained everything on the road.

"But why?" asked Michiru, with tears in her eyes.

"Isn't that clear? She doesn't want to live. I heard her the other day while she was talking with one of her race mate… she said exactly 'A life without Michiru isn't worth living'. Haruka is not weak, but I think she knows what love is, and that you can't live without. She supported many things, but she can't bear you hatred."

"I don't hate her. I just…well I wanted to give her a chance, but this wasn't Haruka on this damned stage… I think I overreacted. I truly love her, but I know she don't trust me… you know, she asked me to marry, as if girls could marry… then there was this scene at the… and she didn't listened…"

"Haruka can marry you."

"What?"

"No one except you and me know who she really is. I told you her mother declared she was a boy at birth. In the eyes of institutions, Haruka Tenoh is a man. She can marry a girl. I think she was serious."

Michiru felt suddenly stupid. She knew this, but since the day she had learned Haruka being a girl she hadn't imagined they could marry.

"But still… I have been stupid… you know… the next morning I felt bad and I went to see her… she had drank and was ill, so I took care of her, then I left… but I made a huge mistake right after…"

"I didn't hear of that… so you went to see Haruka… I was told that you just argued with her after the…"

"No… and I tried to make jealous, because I couldn't bear to see her so weak… but I didn't expected her to be so violent… then she misunderstood my reaction… I just wanted to have her back. And she doesn't know it! I tried to talked to her for a week… and I didn't even been able to catch a sight of her. I truly love her."

"She needs to know all this. I hope we'll arrive on time."

They arrived at the place where Haruka was to do her desperate thing. She was in a secondary state. Nothing would stop her, cause a life without Michiru wasn't worth living, and that this same Michiru wasn't in love with her anymore. Tempting records was interesting after all. No matter if death was to take her. She had lost Michiru so easily, loosing her life would not be more difficult. She heard a car behind her, she knew the sound of the motor. Her father would try to reason her. But it wouldn't work. She put on her helmet and started the motor bike.

Michiru was paralysed, she looked at her lover. She was putting her helmet on, and there was this huge precipice in front of her. She ran to catch her but it was too late. The motor bike had started. She broke into tears. Haruka had always had wings in her mind, but this time it wouldn't be enough… Michiru ran to the precipice when she saw a bridge not far. Haruka had nearly reached the point where she was to jump… yes… she was going to give her wings. She came across the bridge and reached the other side of the precipice.

Haruka's motor bike was going faster and faster, she had nearly reached the point where she would jump. She had her eyes closed. It was not important, she knew she wouldn't survive this. She imagined Michiru. A loving Michiru, who would forgive her, who would embrace her warmly… She was on the other side her arms widely opened and she was yelling something… She was telling her that she loved her. Haruka suddenly realised that her eyes were not closed. Or Maybe she was already dead… no she could feel the wind… everything was clear. Michiru was on the other side and she was calling for her… telling her something important, something warming... She had to reach the other side.

Michiru had tempted her last chance, she was on the other side yelling.

"I love you Haruka! You have to live! Come to me! I love you!"

Maybe Michiru's words were magical and really gave Haruka wings, anyway Haruka reached the other side, but the way she fell on was not as elegant as she wanted. She fell from the motorbike and rolled on herself many times before to lay on the ground, injured. Michiru ran and kneeled near her. She seized her hand in her and grabbed her body like this day at the stadium a year and a half ago. Haruka opened her eyes to see her crying.

"Ruka… you're so stupid! so stupid!"

"Michiru… you… you gave me wings, your love gave me wings… I love you."

"Never do this again! Do you think I could bear it if something were to happen to you!"

"You care about me…"

"I'm sorry… I just rejected you when you tried to tell me your feelings… I was blind. Then I made this stupid thing…"

"You're precious to me, more than life."

"And this story of marriage… it was your way to show me your trust."

"No… well yes… but I really meant it. I love you… and I really want… to awake with you every morning, without you, I'm just a shadow."

"I'm not better than this."

"Do you accept to marry me Michiru?"

"Yes, I do."

Haruka used the little strength she had left to take the ring she had give Michiru long ago and she put it on her finger, then she kissed her before collapsing.

Her father and some of the guys came to transport Haruka, but Michiru insisted to do it herself. Haruka's father wanted to bring her to the hospital, but when she awoke, Haruka refused.

"I'll take care of her myself." Said Michiru.

M. Tenoh added nothing. His daughter trusted Michiru Kaioh with her very life. And she was probably right. He could see the love and the determination in the girl's eyes. So he would bring them back home and the family GP would come to help.

Later in the summer, everyone was inviting to their marriage. Haruka had completely recovered thanks to Michiru's love and she had brought her things back to their apartment. Michiru had explained her everything while healing her, about the guy at the café. Haruka had laughed.

"You seriously thought I wouldn't hit him? In fact I would have been able to kill him…"

"I'm sorry…"

The marriage occurred on a cliff near the sea, a wonderful place where the wind was blowing freely transporting the smell of the ocean.

"I'll never leave you again, Ruka." Said Michiru seriously.

They were on the balcony of their hotel's room, looking at the stars.

"I know… we're married, so you can't." said Haruka in a teasing way.

"That is all marriage implies for you?" asked Michiru smiling and passing a tender hand on Haruka's chest.

"No… I'm more interesting in the honey moon."

She grabbed her and kissed her lovingly.

"This is how I love you. Light and loving."

"I'm like this because you're with me. For my part I love the girl who passes her arms around me so often, who makes me accept my nature, the one I can trust with my life."

"I'd like to stay like this forever." Said Michiru, in Haruka's embrace.

"Only like this… ?"

She didn't wait for an answer. She just took Michiru from the floor and led her to the bed.

The End

AN: So this is it… a happy ending that I hope you'll like. Sorry if you wanted a new girlfriend for Haruka… but I'm a romantic. Thank you for all your reviews they touched me, they were helpful and encouraged me to write. I hope I'll be able to write other stories and that you'll like them, I'm on a new one called love or friendship and now that I'm finished with my exams I'll be able to write to write more… I hope so.