Family Affairs

-of-

The H&M Chronicles

Chapter Eighteen: Consolation, Part Two.

" Michiru! " Makoto yelled after her girlfriend, concerned as to why she ran away after the dance. She wanted to switch with Haruka to regain her dance partner again but it never happened. For some reason the aqua-haired girl had left the ball room not moments before she could request the next dance. Makoto looked at Haruka who was just as surprised as she was. " What happened? " The brunette asked, wanting to be angry but refraining from doing so. Makoto knew that her change in mood wouldn't improve the situation so she had to be as calm as possible. " I hope you haven't ruined the night Haruka. We still have an after party to go to. "

The blonde didn't much in response, in fact, she didn't even pay attention to the brunette who seemed to be getting more annoyed by the second. Haruka watched Michiru as she saw the girl disappear from the dance hall. " I'll go get her. " The blonde decided without much hesitation.

" No. " Makoto stepped in front of Haruka. There eyes met and she could have sworn in the second that their eyes were locked, they came upon an agreement. " Let me handle this. She is my girlfriend. I want to be there for her. " Makoto watched as Haruka nodded in determination. " If we don't return, we will show up for Seiya's party, okay? "

" Of course. " Haruka replied smoothly, hoping that she was showing signs of her regaining her composure. She temporarily lost it for a moment. She didn't know what happened between her and Michiru but it concerned her deeply. There wasn't anything she wouldn't have to done to be given the chance to run after her, but she knew it wasn't her place.

" Haruka? "

It took the blonde a few seconds to realize that someone had been addressing her. She took a deep breath and turned to Minako. Maybe she couldn't be strong for Michiru but she could at least be strong for Minako. " Come here. " Haruka placed an arm around Minako's shoulder and began to sweet talk her. A part of her had silently wished that it wasn't Minako beneath her grasp but Michiru…

" Haruka, what happened to Michiru? " Seiya approached Haruka very concerned for his best friend. " Where is she? "

The blonde lost it again. She only stared at Seiya with a blank expression. " I don't know, Seiya. " Haruka walked away from Seiya coldly, not feeling the need to explain herself. She should have known better than to dismiss Seiya so easily but it was the best thing she thought of to do. The dark haired boy caught up with her and placed a hand on her chest. " I said, I don't know. She ran off. "

Seiya tried to find the Haruka that he knew but he stood facing a very cold and lifeless one. " What's going on? " When he realized she wouldn't change any time soon he had to resort to drastic measures. " Haruka, for goodness sake, pull yourself together. " Seiya held her arm firmly, hoping that his words would knock some sense into her.

" I am together. " Haruka shot back, offended by the statement. Was she so obvious about her feelings that Seiya could read them off her face? 'He's right, pull yourself together, Haruka.' The blonde caught Seiya's eyes, silently telling him what was wrong. No words were exchanged, no gestures made; they continued to stare at each other until Seiya began to understand what she was trying to say. Haruka was too afraid to verbally announce her opinion on the situation but she felt helpless sitting around when she knew Michiru was in pain, somewhere. " I am together, Seiya. " Haruka affirmed, more for herself than for Seiya. " I have to get back to Minako. I have been entirely too distant from her. "

" Of course. " They exchanged another set of glances, this time with Seiya acknowledging the fact that he was fully aware of the circumstances. " We shall see you at our party in an hour - okay? Be sure to bring Minako. "

" Why would I forget her? "

" Because your mind is elsewhere. " Seiya whispered as he too, returned to his date. Haruka felt the words sting but she knew it was the truth. How could she spend the night with Minako knowing that her mind was far from the smaller blonde? She didn't even know where to start anymore. There was a part of her that knew where to start, but it was a matter of whether or not she could gather enough courage to act upon this 'start.'

" Haruka? " Minako took hold of the blonde's arm and pulled her away from the scene. " Can we take a walk? I need to talk to you. "

Haruka hated those words. The minute the sentence came out of Minako's mouth, she knew that Minako didn't have something she needed to talk about, she had something to confess. " Yes. Let's take a walk, it's a bit stuffy in here. " Haruka escorted her from the dance hall and began to walk through the garden at Junai. " It's beautiful tonight. " The word sparked a thought within Haruka's mind. " You looked beautiful tonight as well. "

" Thank you. " Minako replied, clearly speaking with her thoughts elsewhere. Haruka didn't feel brave enough to interrupt Minako's busy thinking. Instead she basked in the moonlight, remembering the night she first saw Michiru play on the balcony. She could remember the smell of the wind on that night, she could remember every detail about the situation. The way Michiru's hair was freely flowing in her face, the way that her dress was moving with the wind, the way that she looked so peaceful when she was playing. All of this seemed fresh in her mind even though it was months ago. 'Months ago… I didn't feel this way… months ago… I still had my own heart.'

Haruka offered herself up to the wind as it picked up strength. Sometimes she wished she would disappear into the wind. She knew that the wind was her element but she needed it now more than ever. She felt like she was losing Michiru and Minako at the same time, though she cared less about the latter than she did about the former. She hated to admit it because she sounded so careless, playing with Minako's feelings, but she simply couldn't deny the truth - it was eating her up.

" Haruka… I have a confession to make. " Minako finally released her breath, hoping that she would be brave enough to continue forth. She sat Haruka down on a stone bench in the garden, motioning for the blonde to get comfortable. " This may come as a surprise but I have to admit that my feelings for you… they're not… " Minako paused, searching for the right words to use. She didn't want to hurt Haruka with her confession but she simply couldn't hold it in any longer. " I'm sorry, Haruka. All this time I have been -- "

" What is it? " Haruka replied, though her intuition already informed her that Minako was in a sense, breaking up with her. There was no doubt about that assumption, she could read it all over Minako's face. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or concerned. " Minako, really, it's okay. "

" I don't have feelings for you, like everyone says I do. I think you are very attractive… not just as a guy but as a girl too. " Haruka wasn't, in the least, surprised that Minako had found about her secret; anyone who dated her and was observant enough, would put two and two together. Eventually whoever dated her would find out her true nature, and that's not something she didn't expect when she took the risk of dating Minako. A part of her was truly interested in Minako and still was, but she had overwhelming feelings for Michiru that refused to be ignored. " I know I didn't tell you that I found out. But I could just tell. You don't know how much I appreciate you, Haruka. You are everything a girl could ever want. You are so sweet. Better to me than any guy I ever knew. You always listen to me on the phone and are always very attentive. You even give me gifts for absolutely no reason, except that you like me. Your kisses are sweeter than candy, your lips are soft too. Believe me, I knew that you were a girl from pretty much the beginning and my feelings for you haven't changed because of that. I would give anything to love someone like you. Romantic dinners, fantastic dancing, dreamy walks in the park, shopping sprees funded by you, and more laughter in the arcade that I have ever had in my life. " Minako paused hoping that Haruka's expression wasn't a result of her confession. When the blonde failed to look her in the eye, she continued with what she had to say, but in a very anxious manner. " …And all of that was great, but I think my intentions for dating you were mixed. " Haruka found her eyes drifting towards the clouds. Now more than ever she wished she was part of the wind. She was sure the wind would take her far from here. " I think I dated you for a reason that I can't forgive myself for. I dated you because I felt a great deal of pain in my heart. "

Interested by the last sentence that came out of Minako's mouth, Haruka focused her attention on the girl standing before her. " What kind of pain? "

" … the kind of pain that follows you everywhere. The kind of pain that forces you to seek solace in the company of another, even if you don't love that person. What I'm trying to say Haruka, is that I am completely and utterly heartbroken. " Tears came to the bright blue eyes that Haruka had grown fond of. It made Haruka cringe to see Minako in so much pain. " I am heartbroken because the love of my life is with someone else and I was silently hoping that dating you, would bring the love of my life back. I have only realized that dating you was nothing short of hurting you. "

Haruka stood to comfort the girl, who sought the strong arms only Haruka could provide. Minako embraced Haruka, leaning her head in the blonde's chest. She never felt this much pain in her life. Haruka slowly rocked to a song in her head that Michiru had played some time back. " It's okay Minako. I understand. " Did she? Did she understand or was she simply saying that to bring comfort to the sobbing girl in her arms? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Haruka be, in the least, a good friend. She slowly danced with Minako, in hopes of relieving the pain that was plaguing her heart. Haruka too, wanted to cry, when thoughts of her unrequited love entered her mind. 'Be strong, Haruka. Be strong.'

" I'm so sorry Haruka, please don't be mad at me. I had to make this confession. You are such a good person at heart. " Minako admitted, shamefully.

" Minako, I could never be mad at you. I only hope that I can help you either get over this love, or regain this love of yours. I promise that I will be here when you need me, this is the very least that I can do for you. " Haruka whispered as she felt Minako's body relax in her arms.

" Thank you so much, Haruka. " Minako clenched Haruka tightly as she closed her eyes. " Thank you so much. "

Michiru had to run. There was no way she could continue to be in Haruka's arms. She wasn't prepared for this, not at all. So many ideas, memories and thoughts were colliding in her mind.

Makoto. Michiru loved her, she truly did. There was no doubt about it. Makoto had always been there for her from day one. She was the one to give her support when she first entered high school and she never stopped since then. Michiru knew she could place all of her trust in Makoto and never once regret it. But something in her heart was simply not the same. Sure, she loved Makoto, but why couldn't she think of Makoto as much as she thought of Haruka? Why couldn't she force Haruka from her mind? Why couldn't she stop thinking of the one person she couldn't have? She would never leave Makoto. Makoto was her security, Makoto was the person she had always been with. She was amazed at how many happy memories that flooded her mind when she thought of the brunette. No one had ever been there for her as much as Makoto did - that is - until Haruka showed up. So many memories. Memories of Makoto. No one else except the brunette. A tear rolled down Michiru's cheek. And yet, despite how fond she was of those memories, they melted and shattered at the thought of Haruka's smile. There was something about Haruka's smile that seemed to light up the world. Nothing was better than watching the blonde beam down at her with an expression of happiness plastered all over her face.

She felt weak from the emotions that began to consume her heart. Michiru didn't want to admit it, the truth was something she was never fond of. She laughed bitterly at a notion that came forth. Haruka was her weakness. That much she knew. In all of her life, she never truly had a weakness, until now. It was strange to feel like her whole life was in the hands of this blonde, who she seemingly couldn't push from her mind.

It wasn't just the smile of Haruka, it was everything about the blonde that seemed to flood her senses. She loved the way Haruka's skin felt, she loved every feature on her face, she cherished every smile that was given to her, every laugh, every wink, every thought that Haruka gave to Michiru. All of this was what she couldn't stop thinking of. All of this belonged to Haruka. Her jokes, her advice, her support, her hugs, her dances, her music, her unbelievably muscular yet feminine body. Michiru reminisced on the smell of Haruka's skin, the way she looked when she slept, the way she took special care of her when she was sick but most of all, she reminisced on all of the times Haruka had embraced her. Those were moments that were etched into her mind and would never leave her for a second. One of Haruka's hugs could set all wrong, right. One of Haruka's hugs made her feel as if she were safe for eternity, as if nothing would bad would ever happen to her as long as she were with Haruka. One of Haruka's hugs made her heart skip a beat, gave her butterflies in her stomach, and made her realize how much she had needed the blonde. 'Tell me I don't love her. I can't love her.'

Michiru took a seat in the garden she had ended up in. She was tired from running, she wanted to go back. She wanted to hold Haruka again. She wanted to feel the comfort that the blonde offered her. She wanted to feel like her world was alright. She wanted to know that everything would be okay. In other words, what she really wanted, was Haruka's hug. Michiru took a deep breath, wiping tears from her eyes, but the tears didn't go away, especially not after what her eyes had fallen upon.

Michiru could barely hear the conversation, though she didn't purposely intend to hear it. " You don't know how much I appreciate you, Haruka. You are everything a girl could ever want. You are so sweet. Better to me than any guy I ever knew. You always listen to me on the phone and are always very attentive. You even give me gifts for absolutely no reason, except that you like me. Your kisses are sweeter than candy, your lips are soft too... a girl would give anything to love someone like you. Romantic dinners, fantastic dancing, dreamy walks in the park, shopping sprees funded by you, and more laughter in the arcade that I have ever had in my life. " Michiru stood to walk, she couldn't bare to listen anymore, as more tears fell down her cheeks. These words were nothing of her concern and were only causing her to feel even more pained than she already was. She mentally blocked out the rest of the conversation, trying to focus on someone other than Haruka.

" Michiru -- " Makoto finally caught up to her and slowed down as she reached Michiru. " Michiru, are you okay? " The brunette was concerned with the tears that formed on her girlfriend's face. " Michiru, come here. " Makoto pulled Michiru in for a hug. The aqua-haired girl broke down in Makoto's arms. The image of Minako leaning over Haruka, saying the things she was saying, it burned more than anything she had ever felt. And all she could do was cry, cry in the arms of Makoto. " I don't understand, what's going on? " Michiru burrowed her head into her girlfriend's shoulder, doing her best to wipe Haruka from her mind. " Please tell me what's wrong. "

" I … I was thinking of my mother, that's all. " Michiru lied but Makoto fell for it, holding her even tighter.

" Come on, let's get you home, no party for us tonight. " Makoto rubbed Michiru's back as if she really understood the situation. The brunette released her hold on Michiru and began to walk back to the dance hall to pick up her car. She took her girlfriend's hand for reassurance but didn't look back at her as she lead the way to her ride.

'Haruka…' Michiru allowed one more tear to fall as she turned back to see Haruka and Minako embracing each other. They were slowly dancing, with Haruka holding Minako as if the world were going to end. 'Haruka… I love you… even if you'll never find out. Know that someone, somewhere, loves you more than Minako ever will.' Michiru bit her lip as she forced herself to look away. " Makoto, I don't want to go home. Let's go to Seiya's party. I could use a good stress release. "

Makoto seemed reluctant to agree but finally gave in. " You got it. "

AN: Again, thanks for all the reviews. You guys give me enough inspiration to update as much as possible and make the story more interesting. I'm sorry for not incorporating the romance as much as I could have in the beginning of this story, but because you guys care so much for this fic, I'll hype it up just for you. Thanks so much. Silas C.