Chapter 13

Unconscious betrayal

The following days were hell for Haruka and Michiru. Being apart was a torture. And Michiru had another problem, Sousuke was never very far. She tried to keep her distances, cause if she did something that could suggest there was something between us, Haruka would know it, cause as soon as they would come back, there would be gossips. But it was difficult to act coldly, Sousuke was very nice to her, he knew she depressed by Haruka's absence and he tried to cheer her up. And Michiru had all the reasons to be depressed… Haruka hadn't call for days. She was on her sixth day of trip and Haruka hadn't called, nor answered her cellular for three days. She hoped nothing had happened to her, or that Haruka was angry and jealous because of Sousuke being with her. She kept telling herself that nothing was wrong, that she worried too much… she was very tempted to come back home by the first flight, but she was an important element of the orchestra. If she left, it would cause huge problems.

Haruka had suffered hell for the three first days… but one afternoon, Michiru had arrived to the tracks, with her luggage, tears falling on her cheeks.

"Haruka… I'm sorry… I missed you too much…"

"Michiru…"

Haruka had just embraced Michiru without asking herself any question. She was far too glad to have her back. And after her phone had mysteriously disappeared.

"Michiru… they won't miss you… I mean the orchestra?" asked Haruka while helping the aqua-haired girl with her luggage in the stairs.

"I'm not that exceptional, they'll be able to do it without me."

"You're always modest… I bet everyone was desperate."

"Yes."

Haruka found that Michiru was a little cold… but she didn't care. Miharu was a good actress when she really wanted to. And she had passed the last days before Michiru's departure to watch her closely, listening to conversations, watching her expressions and all… She had passed the three last days watching videos she had made of her sister and trained herself to look perfectly like her, she even bought the same clothes. She knew that Haruka would be the hardest to convince. But she knew she was almost a man… so she just had to act with her as if she was a man… in other words, not a very smart person.

But she realized at evening that she had forgot about something… she hadn't thought about an activity that couples usually have in bed… something Haruka hardly desired since she had missed Michiru that much. She almost jumped from the bed when she felt Haruka's hand leaning on her waist, then breast… Haruka felt her body tensed under her touch. Michiru never had this reaction, even the first time.

"Michiru… what's wrong?"

"I… I'm sorry… I'm too tired… the trip you know."

"So tired?... but we didn't see each other for three long days… and when you said you missed me I thought it meant that…" began Haruka with an evil smile.

"I… I missed you're presence, Ruka… you're so precious to me… you know I love you, I felt like I was lacking of oxygen."

"I know what you mean… it was like a part of me had been violently pulled apart… I didn't even gone to class… I could only go to the tracks… I'm lost without you… that's awful, because sometimes I wonder what I would be without you. I begin to think that we're on earth together, and that when one of us will go, the other won't be able to continue."

Miharu couldn't help but be touched by Haruka's words… this woman was not that freaky after all… "My dear myself is lucky to have someone like this… but she doesn't deserve this luck."

Miharu finally won against Haruka that night, they didn't make love. Even if she thought Haruka wasn't bad after all, she was still disgusted by lesbians. She was not very at ease when she felt Haruka's glance on her body. But she had to play Michiru's role… but she knew it would be only for six days, she just had to find good reasons to not make love. And Haruka being a sex addict it wasn't easy. "This girl really acts as a man… she never thinks of anything else…" Then she discovered that her sister probably was as addicted as her beloved… she found a large collection of toys in her dressing. "Well… you finally aren't the virgin, the saint, the chastity goddess our parents think you are Michiru."

Haruka began to wonder about Michiru's behaviour… and the fact that she couldn't find her cellular annoyed her very much… the idea she had was that Michiru maybe was feeling guilty… she had imagined a whole movie in her head in which Michiru would have cheated on her with Sousuke and was feeling so ashamed that she refused to make love… she also wondered if Michiru hadn't even fell in love with him and didn't dare to tell her. It made her mad to think those things but she couldn't help it. But she would never have tell Michiru about it.

So four other days went like this…Haruka hadn't imagine a single minute that the girl in front of her was Miharu… maybe because Miharu did her best to not spend too much time with her. She went to swimming pool very often because she knew Haruka hated this place. She avoided to go in class, because she knew Haruka did and that she couldn't follow the class properly, not knowing Michiru's schedule and ignoring everything from the subjects she studied.

So one day after her arrival in London, two days before the departure, Michiru had still no news. She was really worried by now, so she tried to call someone else.

"Hi… Lily? It's Michiru."

"Michiru? Where are you? You said we would go shopping when you would come back?"

"I… I'm in London."

"London? But I heard you were back for already four days."

"I promise I'm in London… who told you that… NO! not this… not her?"

"Michiru? What's wrong."

"No! Miharu! Miharu is with Haruka! She took my place!"

"Michiru… what are you imagining? I said it was a rumour… maybe people saw her in town and thought it was you…"

"No… it must be this! Haruka isn't answering the phone for exactly four days, Lily."

"But how…"

"How? She's my twin! It's not difficult… but it means… it means Haruka fell for it… again."

"Don't blame her… maybe she didn't thought of it… knowing Haruka she was too glad to have you back."

"Lily… I know Haruka… it means… it surely means they slept together."

"You said you sister was homophobic."

"She hated me, she would do anything to hurt me… I'm coming back. I take the next flight and I come back. Could you pick me at the airport when I'll arrive? I think I won't be able to call Haruka."

"Okay… I'll be there."

So Michiru take a night flight. She felt so nervous that she felt sick. She arrived in Japan late in the morning.

This same morning, before going to pick Michiru at the airport, Lily went to find Haruka. She knocked at the door and was answered by Haruka herself. There was no trace of Miharu.

"Haruka! I'm glad I found you."

"Lily… what's happening? Nothing wrong to Michiru I hope?"

"Maybe. Do you know where she is."

"She went to the swimming pool, I'll meet her at the public garden for a picnic? Why?"

"Cause she left London few hours ago."

"What?"

But this last question was useless. Haruka suddenly understood everything.

"No… Michi's gonna kill me!"

"She'll be at the airport in no time. Her plane arrive at midday."

"And it is 10.30 a.m.… I think I'll go to my little date with her charming twin before…"

"You're in trouble Haruka… you know it?"

Haruka had the saddest look Lily had ever seen on her face.

"I don't know why I have been so stupid, I should have known... I noticed she was not her usual self… but I didn't think about Miharu… you know me… I just imagined she had cheated on me or something… I even thought that she might not be in love with me anymore."

"Silly… she was mad of anxiety… she tried to phone everyday, she thought something might have happened to you."

"How will I explain her…"

"I don't know."

"Do you think I have a chance ?"

"Love is said to be the strongest thing in the world… but sincerely… I think this time she won't forgive. Did… did you slept with Miharu?"

"No. And this in itself should have give me a hint. If I had seen her naked I would have guessed. I know Michiru's body perfectly, maybe they are similar, but Michiru as a little scar from when she had her appendix out… I know perfectly where and how it is. Even if Miharu as one too, it can't be the same."

"You know each little detail…" said Lily smiling.

"Apparently not… I'm with this girl for four days and I didn't notice anything… You know… I was so glad when I saw her at the tracks that day, and she looked so sincere that I didn't ask myself any question."

Haruka left on these words. She took her car and headed for the public garden. Her date was at eleven. Lily went to the airport to pick a rather white-faced, very sad Michiru.

When Haruka arrived to the public garden, she found Miharu sitting on a bench. The girl smiled to her widely and acted as she had for four days. "I know why I fell for it... she really does act as my Michiru… she must have trained hard… she's not the same as the first time…the expressions are perfect, the glare too… nearly perfect… something's missing now I think of it…"

Haruka wasn't smiling. She didn't sat.

"Why?"

"Why what?'

"Don't play that silly game, I know everything."

"I bet you didn't guessed by yourself. Who told you? Surely not my dear myself… she can't call you since you lost you cellular…"

Miharu picked a little black cellular from her handbag and handed it to Haruka.

"It was you… I must admit it is smart… you're evil. You're the most awful person I ever met. Why do you want so much to break Michiru down like this? Do you imagine how she must feel? Do you know how I feel?"

"I know what how it feels, thanks, I lived it. And you don't know what it is to live in her shadow. I'm the same as her, but she's more gifted, and our parents always loved her much… One day, I came back from school, I had won an important competition, I was captain of the volley-ball team, but it didn't interest anyone since my sister had been elected best junior violinist of Tokyo the same day."

"It's your parent's fault, not hers… It's not a reason for breaking her life… aarrrghhh…"

Haruka suddenly saw something awful behind Miharu. A girl had suddenly changed into a monster.