Here is the second chapter! I hope everyone is liking it. I enjoyed writing it on my new Mac lappy...even though technically it's several years old...but I'm rambling...
Thanks to X00001, moonqueen, RunningStorm, and petiyaka for reviewing. Digital invisible cookies should be on the way. If other people want them they'll just have to review for 'em.
Full Summary: After defeating the Silence, Haruka discovers her family has been murdered by vampires. She undertakes a quest to avenge her family while Michiru is just coming into her powers. As Haruka learns to let go of her hate, a group of vampires sets their sights on destroying the Sailor Senshi.
As per usual, I don't own anything in this story except maybe the plot, but even then I'm not sure.
Dozo minna-san! (Enjoy everyone!)
Haruka walked into the graveyard, a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. She made her way through the grave markers, ignoring the rain that was pouring down and soaking through her clothes. She came to a halt in front of several markers, each with the same last name and same date of death. The blonde knelt down in the wet grass and set the bouquet of roses down.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I was too busy playing hero as Uranus. I stopped the Silence only to lose what was most precious to me. Please forgive me. I will find the ones who killed you and make them pay. I swear it," Haruka whispered. She bowed her head and quietly prayed for her family's souls. After several minutes she rose to her feet and headed for the entrance of the cemetery. On her way out she saw a young woman with aqua hair standing over a grave marker under a tree. The wind suddenly started blowing and the blonde's eyes narrowed and she looked up.
A bolt of lightening erupted from the sky and struck the tree the woman was standing under. Without thinking the blonde rushed forward and tackled the young woman out of the way. A large tree limb crashed to the ground where the aqua haired woman had been standing. Haruka glanced back at the tree limb and was stunned how close it was to them. She turned to the woman.
"Daijoubu?" she asked.
"H…hai…" the woman said a little shakily.
Haruka rose to her feet and helped the woman up. "You're sure?"
The woman nodded. "Arigatou gozaimasu…ano…"
"Ten'ou Haruka."
"Kaioh Michiru."
Haruka arched a brow. "As in the famous violinist?" Michiru nodded. "I heard you play once a few years ago with my family. You were incredible."
"Arigatou. Aren't you the famous racecar driver?"
Haruka shook her head. "Not anymore," she whispered.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I saw your first race, at least I think it was, and I was amazed at your skill," Michiru said.
Haruka nodded. "I lost the motivation to keep racing."
"Gomen na sai."
"It's all right." Haruka glanced down at her thick-banded black leather watch. "I need to get going. It was nice to meet you."
"You as well. Thank you again for saving me." Haruka nodded and left the cemetery. Michiru watched her leave, her heart thudding loudly in her ears. "I hope we can meet again," she whispered.
- - - - - - - - - -
Vampiru watched as Haruka walked over to her. The half vampire was standing on a large mat in the middle of the backyard. She wore a pair of black martial artist pants and a black gi jacket, her long hair tied back. Haruka stepped onto the mat. She wore the same outfit as Vampiru except hers was dark blue. Both women had black belts tied around their waists.
"You know how to fight humans, but you know nothing of how to fight a vampire," Vampiru began. "Vampires are stronger, faster, and have better senses than you can ever hope to possibly have. So you have to be smarter than the vampire." She slid her feet into a fighting stance. Without warning she leapt in with a jump front kick.
Haruka leapt high into the air and flipped over Vampiru. She hit the ground and spun around, facing her opponent. Vampiru whirled around and backhanded Haruka. The blonde was hurled to the ground, but she tucked into a ball and rolled to her feet. Vampiru charged in and Haruka leapt up over her leg sweep. She thrust her right leg out and it slammed into the vampire. Haruka landed on her feet and slammed one foot into Vampiru's neck.
"Impressive," Vampiru commented.
Haruka stepped away. "I've had some practice in fighting strong opponents."
Vampiru rose to her feet. "How good are you at sword fighting?"
"I can hold my own," came the reply. "Why?"
"Because it might be best if you used a weapon when fighting vampires, and a sword would help because…"
"It's the best weapon to use against vampires," Haruka finished.
Vampiru nodded. "You are a quick learner."
"I try," Haruka answered.
"We'll practice a bit more then you can see what sword you like best from our armory," Vampiru said.
"Armory?" Haruka asked. "Exactly what is it that you and your father do?"
"We track down vampires who attack humans. Needless to say we aren't too well liked among the more…crueler vampires."
"And here I thought all vampires were all evil."
"Vampires are just like humans. There are good vampires and evil vampires."
"I've should've known better than to judge," Haruka whispered softly. "So let's go again," she said louder, sliding her feet into a fighting stance.
- - - - - - - - - -
One year later…
- - - - - - - - - -
"How goes the training?" Dracul asked.
"Well. She knows quite a few moves," Vampiru asked. She noticed her father watching the television. "What's going on?"
"I was just about to come out and get you. A group of renegade vampires have been attacking downtown near the Tenth Street Shopping area. The Sailor Senshi are trying to hold them off, but these vampires…they have powers the others don't."
Haruka studied the television. Her teal eyes grew cold and they narrowed. "I'll go down and try to help," Vampiru said. She turned to Haruka only to find that the blonde was gone. "Ten'ou!" she shouted. The two ran to the window and saw Haruka tearing down the driveway on her motorcycle.
"She'll die if she goes," Dracul commented.
"I know." Vampiru sighed. "I'll have to go now." She quickly changed into her street clothes and climbed onto her own black motorcycle. The half vampire revved the engine and drove after Haruka.
- - - - - - - - - -
Haruka expertly weaved in and out through the traffic. She could feel her henshin pen pulsing with power in her pocket. Finding a parking spot for her bike, she turned the engine off and ran into an alley. She pulled out her henshin pen and stared at it. "Give me strength," she whispered. She held the pen up to the sky after ensuring the alley was deserted. "Uranus Planet Power! Make UP!"
Uranus leapt up to the roof and ran the rest of the way. She skidded to a halt and looked down at her friends. She immediately saw that Moon had received a new henshin as did the Inners. She shrugged it off and leapt down to a lamppost. She pulled out her Space Sword and twirled it. "Space Sword Blaster!" The attack slammed into a vampire, killing it. The others turned to her. "Guarded by Uranus, planet of the skies! I am the soldier of flight, Sailor Uranus!"
"Why are you here?" Jupiter demanded.
Uranus leapt down. "I'm just here to see why these losers are different than other vampires," she said.
"We are the future, Sailor Senshi! All will worship our might!" a vampire laughed.
"I don't think so," Uranus returned. "World Shaking!"
The remaining two vampires leapt away. "We'll be back Senshi! Count on it!"
"I didn't know you could count," Uranus smirked as they ran off.
"Why are you back, Uranus?" Pluto asked. "You made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing more to do with being a Sailor Senshi."
She looked at them all. "It looked like you needed help. Next time I won't join in and let you all die." She turned and began walking away. She saw Vampiru staring at her, a knowing look in her eyes. Uranus turned and looked back at the Senshi. "Have you found Neptune yet?" she asked.
"No. Chances are she'll never be reborn," Pluto said.
Uranus nodded and walked away, ducking into an alley. Vampiru quickly followed her. "Is there a reason you kept being a Sailor Senshi from us?" she asked.
"Would it have made a difference?" Uranus asked. She undid the henshin.
"No, but I thought we would've at least earned some of your trust," she said.
Haruka sighed. "I don't know why I just transformed. I just…I've already lost too much to vampires, I didn't want to lose them as well."
"I am not judging you Haruka-san. Though it would prove wise to use your Senshi powers against the vampires. You'll last longer and be able to fight them easier."
"That's what I was thinking," Haruka agreed. She looked at her friend. "I'm going to go try to talk with the others. It might be a while."
Vampiru nodded. "Go make amends with them. Friends are important." Haruka began walking out of the alley when Vampiru stopped her. "Take this with you," she said, pressing a pendant into the Senshi's hand. "It will let other vampires know you are a member of the House of Blood Dracul."
"But I'm not…" she began.
"I know. But for my Father and I, the few friends we have are like family to us. That is why we decided to give you this pendant."
Haruka smiled. "Arigatou." She slipped the pendant on over her head and walked out of the alley. She headed for the Hikawa Shrine, knowing that that would be where the others would go to talk. She climbed up the stairs as the sun slowly set behind her. She reached the top stair and stopped, looking at the shrine grounds. It had stayed the same in the year Haruka had been gone.
The blonde let out a slow breath and began walking towards Rei's room. She stepped onto the deck after slipping her shoes off. She knocked softly and shoved her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. The door slid open and Rei stared at Haruka, the others sitting down.
"What do you want?" the Fire Senshi asked a little harshly.
"To talk," Haruka answered.
"About what?" Minako asked.
"Minna!" Usagi exclaimed. She leapt to her feet and walked out to Haruka. "What did you want to talk about?"
Haruka shrugged, suddenly finding the ground more interesting. "Whatever you guys wanted to ask me."
"So why did you abandon us? We could of used your help with the Dark Moon last year," Makoto said.
"My family was killed by a group of renegade vampires. I wanted revenge…I still do actually."
"So is that the only reason you helped us?" Rei demanded.
"I didn't want to lose you guys like I lost my family," she whispered. She lifted her head. "I don't expect you to forgive me and frankly I don't care if you do or not. But I am going to fight as a Senshi again."
Usagi smiled. "I forgive you Haruka-san."
Haruka nodded and smiled faintly. "Do you guys know what those things were?" she asked.
"A new enemy," Ami figured.
"Hai, demo…they're vampires."
"You're serious?" Setsuna asked.
Haruka nodded. "Though I've never seen vampires with energy powers before."
"And it's not like we can just ask a vampire if its normal," Rei muttered.
"Why not?" Haruka asked. "Most of them aren't evil." They stared at her in surprise. "What?" she asked.
"Didn't you say vampires killed your family?" Makoto asked.
"What of it?"
"Doesn't that make them evil?" Rei asked.
"Humans have done evil things. Does that make them all evil?" Haruka countered calmly.
"She's right," Usagi agreed.
"I take it you know some vampires," Setsuna said.
Haruka nodded. "Only a few who try to keep the renegade vampires from taking over the world."
"So we can ask them then," Ami said.
"I'll ask," Haruka said.
"Why you?" Minako asked.
"One, I've been living with them and two, one of them knows I'm a Senshi and I don't want them to know that you guys are Senshi. Not yet anyways."
"She's right," Setsuna agreed. "We need to keep our identities secret."
"How did this vampire figure it out?" Usagi asked.
"I'm not sure," Haruka admitted. "And that has me a bit worried. Look, I know we have our differences. Just be careful and keep an eye out for anyone following you." She turned and walked out, slipping her feet back into her shoes. Setsuna hurried after her. Haruka looked at the Time Senshi.
"Hotaru is fine," she said. "She's a healthy baby. I know she'd love to see you."
Haruka nodded. "I just can't believe how close we came to losing the world to Silence," she whispered. "I searched for Neptune. I swear I did."
"I know Haruka-san. But she must not have been reborn in this world. Either that or she had no need to reawaken." Haruka nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"I've just been having some dreams about Uranus and Neptune from the Silver Millennium. I had been hoping it meant Neptune had been awakened."
"I'm sorry," Setsuna said.
Haruka nodded. "I need to get going. I'll keep you guys posted as best I can," she said. She turned and walked away.
- - - - - - - - - -
Haruka stopped her bike and stared up at the burning mansion. She revved the engine and drove up to the house. She tore off her helmet and ran into the burning building. "Vampiru! Dracul!" she shouted. She cautiously made her way through the burning mansion, looking for her two friends. "Vampiru!" she shouted. "Dracul!" She saw a shape lying on the ground and ran over to it. "Vampiru!" she exclaimed. She hauled the unconscious woman to her feet and pulled her out of the mansion.
Vampiru coughed and opened her eyes. "Haruka…what…where…" she trailed off when she saw her home burning. "Father!" she cried as the roof fell in. She turned to Haruka. "Please tell me you found him!"
Haruka bowed her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "Who did this?"
Vampiru glared at Haruka. "As if you don't know."
"I don't," Haruka returned, confused.
"Your precious Sailor Senshi friends did this!" she snapped. She rose to her feet and glared down at Haruka. "Pray that we don't meet again. If we do, I will drain you dry." She turned and walked towards the fire.
Haruka slowly backed away to her bike, having seen the feral look in her friend's eye. She got on and drove away. She parked in front of an abandoned warehouse and pulled the bike in. She grabbed a set of fresh clothes and quickly changed into them. She then pulled off the fake paint sheets on her black motorcycle, turning it midnight blue. She rolled the bike out and pulled something out of her pocket. She tossed it into the warehouse and it exploded, a swirl of mixed smells coming out. Haruka got back on her bike and drove to a few more warehouses, repeating the process.
Satisfied that Vampiru wouldn't be able to track her scent, she drove to Setsuna's house, still being careful about not leaving an obvious trail. It was close to ten in the morning when Haruka finally came to a stop in front of her friend's house. She got off the bike and rolled it into the garage. She then went to the front door and knocked. Several moments later a tired looking Setsuna opened the door.
"Haruka-san?" she asked.
"We have to talk. Now," the blonde said. Setsuna was instantly awake at her friend's tone and stepped aside. Haruka walked in and the Time Senshi locked the door. The two women went into the main room and sat down. Haruka saw white sheets covering much of the furniture.
"I don't use this place that much," Setsuna said. "It is your home after all, not mine," she added.
"That' doesn't matter at the moment," Haruka said. "We might have a big problem," she said.
"How big?"
"Someone burned down a vampire's mansion, the one I've been staying at for the past year in fact. The only survivor claims Sailor Senshi set fire to it."
"That's not possible. The others spent the night at Rei's. They're still there."
"I know. Something isn't adding up but the survivor seems intent on revenge."
"What's the survivor's name?" Setsuna asked.
"Vampiru, Blood Dracul's daughter."
"I'll tell the others to watch out for her," Setsuna said. "Is there any chance of talking to her?"
"Not if I don't want to die. She said next time she saw me she'd drain me dry."
"So you'll be staying here then," Setsuna stated more than asked.
Haruka nodded. "It's time I stopped chasing my family's killers. If I meet them, then fine. If not, I know they'll understand."
Setsuna smiled. "Vengeance is never the answer."
"I know." They both lifted their heads when faint crying met their ears.
"Hotaru," Setsuna whispered.
"I'll get her," Haruka said, rising to her feet.
"You sure?"
Haruka nodded and walked upstairs. She opened the door to Hotaru's room and stepped in, shutting the door behind her. She walked to the crib and carefully picked the crying baby up. "It's okay Hotaru. I've got you," she said. The baby quieted down and looked at Haruka. It smiled and giggled, causing the older woman to smile as she sat down in a rocking chair. "I'm sorry I left little one. I didn't know what else to do. Forgive me?" Hotaru grabbed a small fistful of Haruka's shirt and closed her eyes. The blonde smiled and carefully pulled off her leather jacket. She draped it over them and leaned back in the chair, drifting to sleep.
Setsuna smiled from her position at the door. She silently shut the door and walked down to her room. Her face grew grim as she remembered what Haruka had told her only moments before. "It seems we have a new crisis," she whispered. She closed her door and got ready for bed.
- - - - - - - - - -
Michiru sighed as she brushed her aqua hair. It had been a year since her first meeting with Haruka and she had run into the blonde on several occasions since, but they had not become close friends, which was strange since Michiru felt a strange attraction to the blonde. She sighed and finished brushing her hair out. Her hand set the brush down and hovered briefly over a drawer. She slowly opened it and pulled out a strange pen. "Maybe it's for the best if I don't see Haruka again," she whispered sadly. She sighed and walked to her bed, curling up under the covers. She closed her eyes and wondered what it would be like to be held by Haruka. The thought startled Michiru and she shoved it away. "It's wrong for two girls to love each other," she whispered, remembering what her parents had told her. She slowly fell asleep, unable to stop her dreams about being held by Haruka.
Japanese Word Guide:
Daijoubu: Are you all right?
(Domo) Arigatou gozaimasu: Thank you very much.
Ano: Um, uh, etc.
Gomen na sai: I'm very sorry.
Minna: Everyone.
Demo: But.
Don't you just love these nice long chapters? I know you love them enough to drop me a non-flame review! Come on! You know you want to! Just one little button click! They'll make me happy!...just like how happy I was yesterday downloading a fair number of Seramyu mp3s to iTunes on my Mac lappy...um...I'm rambling so just drop me a review. Digital invisible cookies and/or pudding for those who review consistently!