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Italics mean the thoughts of characters

Echoes of the Past

Chapter 6

Seiya pulled into the parking lot and slowly drove up to the backstage door of the concert hall. Michiru sat silent in the seat beside him. Their dinner had been half an hour of Seiya talking as if he thought Michiru was having the greatest time in the world when truly every word that came out of his mouth only made her more sure that this was a bad idea. This wasn't like her, this jealousy thing. It wasn't something she liked and it definitely wasn't how she wanted to win Haruka. So by the time they arrived at the hall, she had made up her mind. She would talk to Seiya after the concert and tell him that it was off between them. Then she would go to Haruka and just tell her the truth, something she knew she should have done a long time ago.

Michiru got out of the car and turned back. Leaning in the window, she handed a small slip of paper to Seiya. "This is a backstage pass. Please come to my room after the concert. I'd like to speak with you." She smiled sweetly and Seiya beamed back at her. "Of course." He said, thinking Michiru was going to tell him that she loved their evening and she wanted to do it again sometime. Michiru stood up and turned to walk into the hall. Seiya watched her for a moment before driving off to find a parking spot.

Suniko came out of the bedroom and twirled in her light blue dress. "What do you think?" She said to the girl on the couch. Haruka looked up from her book for a moment and said "You look great", before turning her attention back to the book. "What's the occasion?" Suni's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean 'what's the occasion'? Michiru's concert of course!" She looked Haruka over. "Why aren't you dressed?" Haruka's eyes remained on her book. She said simply, "I'm not going."

"What do you mean you're not going?"

"You heard me." An angry Suniko knelt in front of the blonde and pushed her book down. Haruka looked at her.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but you can't just not go to her concert. You guys are still friends! And besides, she came to your race." Haruka was surprised. "She did?"

"Yes! You didn't see her? She was sitting in the front row!" Suniko laughed "And it was funny because when everyone thought you were losing they were all out of their seats screaming, but Michiru just sat there smiling as if she knew exactly what you were doing." Haruka grinned sadly and averted her eyes. "She probably did." So Michiru had come to her race after all. Maybe I was wrong about her, Haruka thought."Haruka!" Suniko said, breaking Haruka out of her thoughts. Haruka looked at her. "Okay, I'll go."

After the concert, Michiru walked back into her dressing room. She sighed and set her violin down on the countertop. She smiled at her reflection. A good concert for a good day. I will tell Haruka today how I feel. She heard a knock at her door and it opened to reveal Seiya holding a bouquet of roses. He stood in the doorway and set the roses down on the table next to the door. "Congratulations. That concert was fantastic."

"Thank you." Seiya moved a step closer to her

"There was something you wanted to talk to me about." Michiru drew herself up. She was not sure how Seiya would react to this and she needed to appear strong. "Yes, there is. Look Seiya, about tonight…"

He smiled, again moving closer to her. "I know. Wasn't it wonderful?"

"Well, not exactly." He stopped moving, the smile wiped off his face.

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"Well, Seiya, you're very nice and all, but I'm afraid I just don't see this going anywhere." Seiya clenched his fists. "You're dumping me?"

"I'm sorry." For a moment he looked as if he would hit Michiru, but instead he just turned and walked out of her room.

"Wasn't that a great concert Haru?" Suniko hung on the blonde's arm. Haruka just smiled. "Ooh..and guess what? Michiru gave me backstage passes!" Haruka laughed, amused at the giddiness of the smaller girl and allowed herself to be dragged over to the stage door. They showed the guard the pass and he allowed them to go in. Just as they were entering, however, Suniko's cell phone rang. She excused herself and walked back outside while Haruka proceeded down the hallway towards Michiru's dressing room. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man walking out of it. No, it wasn't just a man, it was Seiya. A moment after he walked down the hall the opposite way from Haruka, Michiru came into the doorway and looked after him. Then she turned and saw the blonde. "Haruka!" She said, her bright smile fading when she saw the look on the blonde's face. "What was he doing in your room?" Haruka growled.

"I can explain Haruka."

"You better." Michiru was taken aback at this. She had never seen Haruka truly angry before. The rage in her eyes scared Michiru, but she kept her cool and smiled again. "Look, why don't you come in and sit down and I'll explain everything." She turned to return to the room, but Haruka caught her wrist and she turned back towards the blonde.. "What was he doing in your dressing room?" Now Michiru was indignant. Haruka was treating her as if she was property. "Well honestly I don't see why that's any of your business. After all, you have Suniko." With that, Michiru turned again to her dressing room, but Haruka pulled her wrist with such force that she ended up pressed against the blonde. "Tell me" Haruka stared straight into the smaller girl's eyes and her grip on Michiru's wrist tightened with every second. Now Michiru was really scared. "Haruka, Haruka you're hurting me" she pleaded. "TELL ME!" Haruka screamed. "Haruka, Michiru, where are you?" Suniko's sing-song voice came down the hallway and Haruka let go of Michiru. "Oh there you are" the black haired girl turned a corner, a bright smile on her face before she noticed the tension between the two girls. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Haruka simply glared at Michiru for a moment and then quickly turned and walked out, not even glancing at Suniko as she passed by. Suniko watched her and then turned her gaze back to Michiru. "What's going on?" She asked, worried about the small girl who seemed about to cry. Michiru held in her tears. "Nothing"

"Michiru, come on, I'm not a complete idiot, just tell me."

"Suniko, please, just leave me alone." She said it with such a broken tone that the smaller girl felt compelled to obey. "Okay" she said softly and ran to catch up with her girlfriend.

When she heard the backstage door close, Michiru fell against the wall. Tears poured out of her eyes as she held her wrist. She opened her eyes to look at it and saw the imprints Haruka's fingers had made. "Michiru," she heard the familiar voice and wiped the tears from her face, attempting to hide her fragility. "Hello Judiko." Judiko neared the girl, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "I saw what happened Michiru. Look, I don't know what is going on between the two of you, but…well, I've never seen Haruka that…."

"angry" Michiru finished for him.

"hurt" he corrected. Michiru looked up.

"Hurt?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Maybe you don't know her as well as we thought you did. Haruka's anger comes from pain Michiru. Yeah, she can be a real dick sometimes just for the hell of it, but the only time you'll see her truly angry is when she's hurt. That's what happened today. Those eyes you saw, the ones full of rage and hate. I've only seen those eyes once before and that was when she found Suniko and Tristan together." Michiru looked down. So Haruka was as hurt by Suniko's betrayal as she was by Michiru's? That wasn't exactly good news. "But Michiru, tonight was more powerful even than that. She was more hurt tonight than I've ever seen her before. Michiru, I can't believe I've never seen it before, the girl's a good actress but…she loves you." Michiru felt the greatest joy and the strongest sadness of her life in that moment. But all that came out of her was more tears. "And you love her" Judiko finished before gathering Michiru in his arms and taking the small girl home.