Chapter 6: While in London…
Um wow, this hasn't been updated in THREE years? Jeez, I'm lazy…because this has been done much longer than that. To be very fair, two of those years I was in college and this last year I've been consumed by my crap job. Woohoo, adult life! So yeah, thanks for anyone who is still reading this out here! This is the chapter where Michiru and Haruka FINALLY get to talk to each other, so I hope you're excited about that!
"Hey Mama, will you help me get the rabbits into their indoor cages?" Usa-chan called into the house.
"In a minute, honey," Usagi replied, keeping her focus on Luna.
"Now is a better time. They're totally frying out here," Usa-chan called again, her voice more insistent.
Usagi sighed. "I have to keep the rabbits cool. I will be right back."
As Usagi went outside, Kumiko came inside.
"Hey Luna-san," Kumiko began, chewing on her lip.
"Hello Kumiko-chan," Luna greeted back carefully.
"Um, so, will you come home with me? Artemis is being so annoying and Mama is going to explode if she has to deal with any more of his moping," Kumiko asked.
Luna sighed. "Kumiko-chan, we are like any normal married couple and sometimes we disagree with one another. Sometimes it's my fault, but most of the time it's his and he needs to learn to come apologize before he's allowed in the house again."
Kumiko pouted. "But Luna, he's super sorry, I promise! He spends all day moping around and we even caught him crying! Please get him out of our house!"
"He's sleeping on your bed, isn't he?"
"It's totally unfair! He says it's because my comforter reminds him the most of your hair or fur or whatever, but I know it's really because my bed is the comfiest besides Mom and Dad's and Mom would totally kill him if he tried to take her bed. Luna, it's so creepy having a grown cat-man take over my room! Please get him out!" Kumiko pleaded.
Luna sighed, defeated. Kumiko was so distressed that Luna knew she'd feel guilty if she didn't help.
"Alright, I will go with you," Luna replied.
"Ohmigosh, thank you SO much! Mama will be here in a minute, so I'm going to go change then we can go. Thank you Luna, I love you!" Kumiko cheered happily, giving Luna a quick scratch behind the ears.
"Mamoru-san, I must tell you then," Luna insisted, knowing her time now was short. Mamoru obediently leaned forward. "I believe she has the starseed of Uranus in her."
Mamoru's eyes grew wide. "You realize what this may mean, don't you?"
Luna nodded. "It can mean only one of two things."
Unfortunately, neither got a chance to discuss their theories on which thing would be true as Minako opened the door.
"Kumiko, honey, let's get going! We gotta pick up Akihiko from soccer practice and Sachiko from her dance class!" Minako called into the house. She then spied Mamoru and Luna, completely oblivious to their tense and pensive features. "Oh Luna, good, you're here! I have a huge favor to ask you!"
"Kumiko beat you to the punch, and I said yes," Luna replied. She hopped down from the couch to go to Minako's feet. "Make sure Diana doesn't eat too much dinner. She's been far too sluggish lately."
Kumiko came back into the house. "Alright Mama, let's go! Bye, Chiba-san! Ja ne minna!"
Mamoru went to the window and looked out at the new girl. He knew what two options Luna was thinking: either Haruka had died and this girl now possessed her starseed, or this girl was of relation to Haruka. Although Haruka had practically dropped off the face of the earth, everyone was certain she was still alive. And Mamoru knew for a fact that Haruka had no family in this century. He scrutinized the features of the girl carefully. There didn't seem to be much resemblance, or at least anything that would put her as a dead-ringer for Haruka's relative. She looked like any average American young girl: long blonde hair and blue eyes. Although Mamoru felt strange about it, he moved his gaze south to see if anything about her body would look familiar. He noticed right away that she looked very toned for someone so young, and her legs were extremely well defined as if she were a runner or swimmer. Mamoru sighed, realizing that just because she may be a runner, that didn't mean she was of Haruka's blood.
"Papa?" Nibori asked cautiously. "Listen, I know Mama is a bit flaky, but if you're gonna look for a mistress, I suggest someone legal."
Mamoru turned and fixed his son with a glare. "Don't be so perverted, Nibori, I was just watching over Chibi-chan," Mamoru said. A thought occurred to him. "Nibori, how old is the new girl?"
Nibori shrugged. "I dunno, but I'd say around all their age." He eyed his father suspiciously. "Seriously, Dad, don't be one of those fathers. Usa-chan has too many girl friends and she'd kill you if you were the reason she couldn't see them anymore."
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Stop it Nibori! Go study or something!"
Nibori laughed. "Geez Dad, I'm just kidding! Lighten up!" He kept laughing as he made his way into the kitchen.
When his son was gone, Mamoru stole one last look at the girl. The more he thought of Haruka's features compared to this girl's, the more he saw the similarities. All he needed was her age and he knew he'd be sure.
When Sakara returned to the hotel that evening, she hardly gave her mother a passing glance as she made her way into her room, wanting instead to savor how great her day had been. Sure, she was a bit down that the majority of the group would be gone for a while, but that had only been a mere moment of disappointment in an otherwise fun day. Although she was a bit behind at times in their conversation, she had managed to once more successfully bond with the girls. She was learning fun facts about them, like that Hotaru was an avid lamp collector, and that despite the fact that her mother owned a bakery Moriko was completely inept at the skill, and that Usa-chan liked to wear fake glasses to cram school because she thought they made her look smarter. In turn, they learned all about Sakara's cats, her friends back home, and what life was like in Florida.
"Sakara, do you want some dinner?" Haruka asked.
Sakara ignored her mother as she turned on her computer, prepared to blog away about her day.
"Sakara, you know I'm sorry. Please, can we just pretend like I never messed up so badly? Let's go out for some sushi and then some ice cream. Doesn't that sound fun?" Haruka tempted.
Sakara gave an over exasperated sigh and slid noisily away from the desk. She only opened the door a crack. "I already ate today. I was out in the sun all day, so I'd like to go to bed now. Good night." And she closed the door.
Haruka sighed, putting her forehead to the door. "You'd be proud of me, you know."
Sakara leaned her back against the door, arms crossed and determined to be angry.
"I'm going to speak to Michiru. I wrote her a note and I'm going to deliver it personally to her door and hope she'll see me." Haruka traced little patterns on the door with the tip of her finger. "I'm terrified. What will I do if she won't come, if she just tears up the note?" Haruka scoffed. "Or if she actually comes? Then what will I do? Can I really do this? Can I really face her again after nearly fifteen years of absence, can I really stand in front of her and try to explain my actions? I can't even imagine what she'll say back to me."
Sakara opened the door and hugged her mother tightly around her waist, burying her head in her chest. "Everything will be okay, Mom. I know it will."
Haruka held her daughter tightly. "I'm so sorry, Sakara. I never meant what I said."
Sakara shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I've been acting like a spoiled brat. You're my mother and I need to respect you."
Haruka laughed. "Gee, kiddo, when did you get so grown up?" She then smiled sincerely. "I've been treating you like a child this whole time, when in reality you're growing into a young woman. I've been so selfish keeping you from those girls, when I know that you have every right to be with them. From now on, feel free to see them whenever you'd like."
"Thanks so much Mom!" Sakara cheered happily, hugging her mother with renewed enthusiasm.
"If you really too tired, so should we have some ice cream and watch some TV?" Haruka offered.
"No dinner?"
Haruka shrugged. "Sometimes ice cream is exactly the right kind of dinner."
Mother and daughter fixed their bowls and settled down in front of the TV. The news was the first channel on.
"In entertainment news this week, long-time retired actress Toya Minako is leaving for London, England this Thursday to meet with a currently unnamed director to discuss a new project that will be returning her to the big screen. According to her fan page, Toya-san said that the movie will be about aging ex-super heroine Sailor V, a character made popular back in the early 90's, returning to fighting crime after a villain takes her daughter's school hostage. Long time fans of both Sailor V and Toya-san's work are excited by this news and the Internet is already buzzing with possible casts to go along with this worldly actress."
The image on the screen shifted from a split screen of the teenaged Sailor V and an adult Mina to one that shocked Haruka and Sakara. It was Michiru and Michiko and some man in the park! Michiko had left the group shortly after Kumiko to go somewhere with her mother and Sakara hadn't even given it another thought.
"World renowned concert violinist Kaioh Michiru was spotted this evening with her daughter, Michiko, and the famous concert pianist, Hasegawa Keiji having what seemed to be a family outing. Ever since Hasegawa-san was present at the birth of Kaioh-san's daughter, it has been highly speculated that he is the father. Neither party will confirm nor deny these accusations, yet they are continuously spotted together on outings with Michiko and seem to be more than friends. The Internet boards have been lighting up all night, each person asking the same question: when will ever make their relationship official? Will there soon be beautiful music in the air for this secret couple? In sports news…"
Sakara didn't know what to say.
"Hasegawa-san was a friend of mine," Haruka said quietly after a moment. "I usually accompanied Michiru on piano, until one day I was unable to. I knew Hasegawa-san from school and suggested that he fill my spot. As high school kept getting in the way, he played for her more often. I just never imagined that he'd fill every spot for me."
Sakara grabbed her mother's hand and remained silent. There was nothing she could think to say that would help. After all, she saw the picture, and they did look like a perfect family. In fact, she had noticed that Michiko was holding his hand, a move that was too familiar for someone as proper as Michiko to do with someone she wasn't absolutely comfortable with. Maybe Chikako or Moriko would have an answer?
Haruka was heartbroken once more. She should have guessed that someone as beautiful and talented as Michiru wouldn't have wanted for any companionship, and she knew from a few little hints that Michiru did not mind the company of men. But Haruka had always been so positive that Michiru was the only one for her, and the same for Michiru. They were so perfect for one another, always so in sync with their every thought and emotion. And how could Keiji do this to her? He was supposed to be her friend!
Silently, Haruka got up and put her bowl in the little sink. Kissing her daughter on the top of her head, Haruka retired to her bedroom. Sakara turned off the TV and went into her own room. She'd forgotten that she'd turned her computer on, and saw several blinking boxes waiting for her on Facebook. She obediently responded to them all, and soon fell into the easy rhythm of talking to her friends from home, along with Kumiko who was gushing all about how she finally had her room back, whatever that meant.
"Done!" Sakara announced proudly. She and Moriko were at Chikako's penthouse where Chikako had promptly given Sakara a Japanese workbook and Moriko an English one.
"Let me see," Chikako said, holding her hand out. For her own part, Chikako had kept herself busy with Sudoku puzzles. She pulled out a pink highlighter and began to mark where Sakara had made mistakes. She handed the book back and Sakara sighed. "Don't lose hope, they were all little mistakes! In conversation, most people will still be able to understand you, if not with a bit of confusion. Just try again!" She happily handed over another workbook.
"Jeez Chikako, where do you get all of these?" Sakara mumbled, settling back at her spot. She wanted to request that they move this to the kitchen table where there were chairs to sit at instead of pillows on a floor, but she knew that it would be rude. She wondered how they could get anything done in such an uncomfortable position. Didn't their backs hurt? Perhaps she was just too spoiled by chairs, Sakara giggled to herself.
"From my mother. She wants us to be as well rounded as possible in our education, so we have quite the stock of workbooks. She had the ones you have order special to help us learn English by understanding how our language is translated by another. As for Moriko's, they're pretty standard here," Chikako replied.
"Oh man, I couldn't handle so much studying. Don't you have to take entrance exams for high school or something?" Sakara asked.
"Yes. We have to study very hard to get into the best high school possible so that we may get into the best college possible," Chikako responded.
"That would suck! The only stuff we have to worry about studying for is the SAT and ACT," Sakara replied.
"It's normal for us," Chikako replied with a soft smile.
Sakara instantly blushed. She needed to do more research on the Japanese culture before she continued to make an ass of herself.
"Done!" Moriko announced happily. Sakara felt a bit better when Chikako handed Moriko a new workbook along with her pink-marked previous one.
"Do you know a lot about Michiko-chan?" Sakara asked casually.
"We've known her our whole lives. Why?" Chikako asked. "Ugh, three!" she muttered to herself darkly, quickly erasing a box.
"I was just curious about her parents is all. I saw her on the news the other night," Sakara replied. She knew that going the truthful route was the best way possible, as she really had no reason to lie. She just had to keep her tone conversational. "I mean, she's never mentioned much about her family."
"Oh yeah, that. Mama was really upset about it. Everyone is so sick of people talking about Kaioh-san like that. It really is unkind of them all," Chikako replied.
"So he's not her father?" Sakara asked.
Chikako turned to Moriko and asked her a quick question. When Moriko shrugged, Chikako did the same. "I guess we've never actually asked her, out of respect for her and her mother, of course. All we know is that every two or so weeks, Kaioh-san and Hasegawa-kun take Michiko out for the day. I've also noticed that she receives birthday and Christmas presents from him, although that could mean anything. After all, according to Mama Kaioh-san and Hasegawa-kun have been close friends since high school, so it would not be unusual for him to dote upon her daughter. But if you want my personal opinion," Chikako leaned in as if it were a huge secret, "I totally think that they've been carrying on a secret romance ever since high school and that Michiko is their love child but they're too terrified of their own intensely strong feelings for one another to ever take it farther then the relationship they currently have."
Sakara had to laugh a bit. After all, Chikako seemed so educated and serious most of the time, and here she was gushing about a secret romantic affair, her eyes shining and her smile wide. She definitely defied her stereotype.
"Now enough distractions! After you're done with this round, you will both attempt conversation with one another without any help from me," Chikako ordered a moment later in both languages. She was met by dual groans and looks of fright.
Sakara had never studied so hard in her life on one single subject at a time. Moriko was used to Chikako's slave-driving studying habits, but she had the sudden urge to hurt the blunette, as they had been going at this for a few hours.
"Girls, how about a snack?" the cheery voice of Ami interrupted.
Although Sakara didn't catch the last word, she immediately perked up at the chance for what seemed to be a break.
Ami entered Chikako's room carrying a tray with sandwiches cut into triangles, a bowl of chips, and some drinks. She set it down in the middle of the table.
"Sakara-chan, how is your leg?" Ami asked.
Sakara stretched out and up her leg and smiled. "Healing very well, thank you Dr. Urawa."
"How does she stretch like that?" Moriko gasped.
Chikako translated and Sakara laughed. "Years of track and dance classes." She almost made comment to those things being the reason for her lack of boob, but she had a feeling that it was a bit too personal. She was glad that she was watching what she was saying, most of the time. She was so comfortable with these girls that it was hard to remember that they weren't her friends from back home, weren't the people she'd grown up with forever, but instead girls she'd only spent a few weeks with and she may never see again.
"It looks wonderful. And that stretching will help heal it as well, but be careful of reopening any stubborn scar tissue," Ami advised. "Don't study too hard, girls. Remember to have a bit of fun when you're still young, because it may soon be too late and you'll be all grown up before you know it."
Although Sakara's knowledge of the Japanese language was still lacking in some areas, she knew enough of what Ami was saying to connect the look in her eyes with what Sakara knew she meant. Sakara thought back to what it must have been like for her mother, being so very young, only fifteen, and having the fate of the world in your hands constantly. Sakara was thankful that her one and only transformation had seemed to be a fluke, that one monster just something completely random. Although it saddened her deep down inside, it also made her happy to know that she had a shot at a normal adolescence. Sakara wondered if Moriko and Chikako knew what Ami was hinting at, but by the way they dug into the food instantly, Sakara figured that neither did. Maybe they didn't know their mother's pasts?
By the end of their three days together, Sakara had gotten much closer to Moriko and Chikako. Chikako had helped move along her study of the Japanese language, and although she was still heavily dependent on Rosetta Stone at night, she and Moriko were finally able to communicate without needing Chikako (much). Moriko had finally mastered the basics of conversation in English, and Chikako had decreed that by the time Sakara returned home, she'd be fluent in Japanese.
"But Chikako, what am I going to do with Japanese in Florida?" Sakara asked.
"Talk to us, of course! We will be expecting daily Skype updates," Chikako giggled.
"You better not forget us," Moriko added with a teasing smile.
How could I? Sakara found herself thinking.
Haruka felt amazing as she sped through the streets on her motorcycle, the familiarity of it all making her ache with homesickness fifteen years in the making. However, a different sort of sickness began to fill her as she neared a familiar street. She ached to imagine that Michiru would reject the invitation. After what she'd seen on the news, Haruka was sure that Michiru had already replaced her and moved on completely. Why would she want to reopen old wounds now when she obviously looked so happy? But Sakara had been insistent that morning before she left that Haruka give it a shot. With Michiko and Hotaru out of town ("heck Mom, they're off the continent!" Sakara had said) there would be less of a chance for an awkward run-in involving awkwardness with children and putting Hotaru in the awkward position of having already known that Haruka had returned.
Haruka didn't have to deliver the note. She didn't even have to go up to the apartment. She didn't even have to get off her motorcycle; Michiru was stepping out of a car just as Haruka pulled up, and Michiru knew right away who was behind her.
Still, her expression was stunned. For a few minutes, Haruka and Michiru stared at one another, or rather Haruka looked at Michiru while Michiru looked at Haruka's helmet shield. Realizing that she still had her helmet on, Haruka quickly removed it. Finally, Michiru spoke.
"You grew your hair out," she said softly.
Haruka's hand immediately flew to her hair, as if noticing for the first time ever that she had it. "Yeah, I did."
Michiru scrutinized Haruka for a moment. "It's different."
Haruka didn't want to play this game. She held out the other helmet. "Will you come for a ride?"
Michiru didn't even hesitant. She took the helmet and slid onto the motorcycle. When she slid her arms around Haruka's waist, heat shot throughout her body. It had been too long since they had made contact, far too long.
Haruka drove them to the park. After parking, they silently made their way down the path and to the lake. Neither spoke for quite some time and Haruka was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable. And yet she knew that nothing she said would start things off right, so she waited.
"What brings you back?" Michiru asked as they sat silently on a bench.
Haruka gulped. Should she just come right out with the truth about her daughter? "I'm on vacation."
"From where?" Michiru asked.
Haruka sighed. "I live in Florida."
Michiru nodded. "That explains the tan."
Haruka looked down at her hands and noticed how tan she looked compared to Michiru. Michiru's hands were white and delicate, the hands of a beautiful artist who could probably take out insurance on her hands because of the skills they possessed. Haruka was a racer, and her nails had dirt under then from years of oil changes. Her skin was tan and she had never even noticed the difference.
"What do you do there?" Michiru asked.
"I race," Haruka replied.
Michiru smiled a half smile. "I knew you'd never stop."
"And you?" Haruka asked.
Both knew by her tone that Michiru's answer was unnecessary, but she replied anyway.
"I am a concert violinist, and I still paint. In fact, I just got back from setting up my latest exhibit. My agent has high hopes about my work," Michiru said.
Silence fell between them like a thick, heavy blanket.
After what seemed like a lifetime, the question was asked.
"Why did you leave?" Michiru whispered. She was looking down, her hair covering her flushed face.
"Michiru—I," Haruka paused, unable to answer suddenly.
Michiru looked up at her, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Why? Why did you leave us, leave me? What did I do? What did I do to push you to far away? How could you do that?" Michiru asked, her voice raising in pitch as her tears began to flow.
Haruka instantly took Michiru in her arms, Michiru sobbing openly into Haruka's chest. Tears of her own ran down Haruka's face.
"I'm so sorry, Michiru," Haruka whispered as she stroked Michiru's hair.
"That's never going to be good enough," Michiru sobbed, shooting back out of Haruka's hold. Her eyes were red and hateful. "I was so heartbroken when you left, I could hardly stand to live. Our daughter suffered because you weren't there. Do you realize what you did to Hotaru? When she wasn't sleeping she was crying, and she hardly slept at all. Do you realize what kind of damage you may have done to her? To us? Kami-san Haruka, how could you do that? Why did you leave me? I loved you with everything I had in my soul, every single piece of me, and you left like I never meant anything to you! How—why—what—why!?" She could hardly speak, her tears were so violent.
Haruka hadn't meant to, but it came out anyway.
"I was pregnant."
Michiru's eyes went wide.
"What?" she asked.
'Smooth,' Haruka chastised mentally. "I—I was pregnant, Michiru. I was pregnant and scared, so I left."
Michiru just blinked.
"Pregnant?" she repeated quietly.
Haruka nodded shamefully. "Yes. I was so ashamed that I couldn't face you or the girls, so I left."
"You were pregnant?" Michiru asked again.
"Yes."
"Were?"
Haruka's eyes widened at the implications of that word. "I was pregnant, and now I'm a mother."
"But how? Haruka you-you,"
"I know. I don't want to discuss the details of the conception at the moment, but all that is important is that I have a daughter now," Haruka said.
"You're a mother? Of your own child?" Michiru whispered.
Haruka nodded. "Yes. I know it's a bit crazy to think of me as a mother; sometimes I still can't." Haruka took a deep breath, confident in her next words. "But I would never regret a single thing that led to her birth. I love Sakara so much, I can't imagine life without her."
Michiru smiled softly. "Sakara? That's a lovely name."
"Thank you."
Again, it was silent.
"I shouldn't have left," Haruka whispered. "I've known that since the moment my plane landed. I knew that I was being a coward, knew that I was hurting everyone who had ever loved me, but especially you. I couldn't stand what I had done to you. But the damage was done and I was too afraid of what I'd face if I went back. I was scared that if I told you the truth, you'd leave me and everyone would no longer love me."
"So you left us instead," Michiru added quietly.
Haruka nodded. "I was being a coward. But I was so scared, so confused, that I didn't know what else to do at the time. I wanted to come back, I wanted to pretend like I hadn't done it, but I didn't think I could. So I stayed."
"Did you ever think about," Michiru didn't need to finish.
"Never once. As scared and ashamed as I was, as much as I'd never forgive myself for leaving, I knew it would be even worse if I terminated. I was angry, yes, but I already knew I loved my child. We never imagined a future as parents of our own children so I would not give up my opportunity," Haruka explained.
"You really thought I'd be angry with you?" Michiru asked.
"I was terrified. I thought you'd thought I had cheated on you, that I had changed, that you would take Hotaru and leave me forever," Haruka said.
Michiru sighed heavily. "I want to be angry at you. In fact, I still am, and I will be for a long time. My heart has never healed from that pain, and I've spent too many years crying. I do not know if I can ever forgive you or if we can ever be friends again, much less anything more." She then paused. "However, I cannot be angry for your reasoning. I know only too well what you were feeling when you made you decision, and although it shames me greatly to admit this, I fear that if I had been first, I may have done the same."
Haruka waited for an explanation.
"I was a mess when you left and everyone was so concerned about everything in the situation, such as where you'd gone and Hotaru and how I was. Everyone was very kind, but I was too devastated to handle kindness. So—I went out and I got drunk. More drunk then I've ever been in my life, really. Honestly, I can't remember much about the night, only that I—well—I," Michiru sighed, looking down at her hands. "Keiji-kun was so kind to me. He's been the most wonderful man ever since."
Haruka remained silent, even though she knew where this story was leading.
"My daughter, Michiko, was born ten months after you departed. I'd suppose that means that our daughters have close birthdays?" Michiru asked.
Haruka nodded. "So Hasegawa-kun is her father then? Just like the news said?"
Michiru looked up, angry again. "I'm so sick of that! Everyone needs to mind their own business! So Keiji is the father of my daughter and he likes to be in her life. And so I'm still close with my daughter's father, who cares? Why does everyone in this world think that because we have a child, we should be married? Michiko has not at all suffered from the arrangement we have, and we are both still able to live normal lives. If people paid more attention they'd know that Keiji has a girlfriend, one he is very seriously about."
Haruka couldn't believe it. "So you're not together?"
Michiru shook her head. "No. We thought about it long ago, when Michiko was still a baby. We thought it would benefit Hotaru as well, having a stable father figure instead of two mothers and a man who comes around once in a while. But we could never get past our friendship. And," she looked at Haruka, "and neither of us could imagine doing that to you. I hated you, and he was less than pleased you'd abandoned Hotaru and me, but we could not get rid of our deep-rooted loyalty to you." Michiru blushed. "I never have," she added almost silently.
"I haven't either," Haruka replied, taking Michiru's hands in hers.
For a moment, everything seemed alright. As they gazed into each other's eyes, there was a spark of their old love, their old dedication to one another eternally. The rest of the world fell away, all their problems gone, and it was only them. As Haruka leaned in for the kiss, Michiru pulled away. Reality returned.
"No," she whispered. "I can't."
"I understand," Haruka replied sincerely, although shattered internally.
"Maybe never again," Michiru said.
Haruka nodded. "I know." She sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Me too."
They got up and began walking back without another word, silently mounting the cycle to return home. Michiru's grasp was loose around Haruka's waist, and she seemed to be trying to avoid contact as much as possible. When they arrived at the complex, Michiru handed back the helmet gingerly.
"I'd like to meet her," Michiru said finally.
Haruka's eyes widened. "You would?"
Michiru nodded slowly. "Not yet. It's still a lot to handle. But soon, I'd like very much to meet your daughter. And I'd like you to meet mine, and see Hotaru. She misses you very much, you know. Setsuna and I know that she remembers her other lives and she knows you're absent."
A thought struck Haruka. "Has she-?"
Michiru shook her head. "Thankfully, no. Not a single one has. We're all hoping that perhaps we will get to live peaceful lives and our daughters will be spared our curse."
"The others have daughters?" Haruka asked, although she already knew. She just didn't want to conversation to end.
"Yes, each one. And other children as well, I swear Minako and Makoto were in a race to see who could have more." Michiru smiled warmly as she thought of the girls. "They're a wonderful group of girls. I'm always reminded of us when we were their age. They're so amazing, so energetic and full of life," Michiru said.
Haruka chuckled. "I'm constantly amazed by how much strength Sakara has for someone so young."
They both shared a laugh, the sort of laugh that mothers share when speaking about their children. When that died, Michiru offered a ghost of a smile.
"Good night."
"Good night."
The homecoming was held at the Hikawa Temple, much to the distress of a few teenagers. But Minako had insisted that since she didn't want to deal with guests and unpacking, there was no other argument. Although Sakara knew the meeting was a success and that Michiru was aware of her existence, it was agreed that a reunion with the others would wait a bit more, so only Sakara went, Michiru herself absent. And although it was hugs all around when the group arrived (sans Kohaku, who had mysteriously disappeared), they seemed a bit jumpy to Sakara.
"Hey Sakara, I know it's totally a bother, but can you go outside and ask Kohaku where another pillow is? I swear she's hiding them all and she doesn't hate you so you're our best bet at getting them," Kumiko asked the moment the hugs had finished. There was an edge to her tone that made Sakara suspicious, but still she agreed and left the room.
Being the suspicious person she was, she hung around at the door.
"Kohaku should really be here for this. It's only right," Chikako said.
"Forget her! She's the one who ran away the instant we came up the stairs, she can deal with being left out of the loop. It's not like that's unusual or anything," Kumiko snapped.
"Hey, we don't have much time remember?" Moriko reminded them all.
"So what happened?" Chikako asked.
"It," Usa-chan whispered.
There was a gasped from Chikako and Moriko.
"Kami-san, are you kidding?" Moriko gasped.
There was a bit of shuffling followed by yet another gasp.
"Oh my gosh! I cannot believe it! You guys actually transformed! Holy shit this is amazing!" Moriko said.
"What happened? Why did you transform?" Chikako asked.
A voice Sakara didn't recognize spoke up. "They were heading back to the hotel when someone started screaming. Immediately they responded and came upon a youma attacking some guests at the pool."
"Diana was amazing," Usa-chan praised. Diana? Sakara mouthed. Did Usa-chan really mean her cat? Was her cat seriously the mysterious voice? "She just did a little flip in the air and suddenly, there were our henshin brooches."
"It was an amazing feeling," Michiko sighed dreamily.
"You actually got to fight?" Chikako asked. Sakara could hear the envy in her voice so well that she felt bad.
"We kicked butt!" Hotaru cheered happily.
"It was incredible. I don't know how we knew anything, but suddenly we were shouting attacks and kicking that youma's ass," Kumiko said happily.
"I'm so jealous I could cry," Moriko pouted.
"What did your mom say?" Chikako asked.
"Well first she cried for about five minutes, and then she couldn't stop telling us how proud she was of us. She was a bit weird-ed out that there was a youma attack in London, and she seemed unsettled that she hadn't felt the attack herself, but she couldn't stop congratulating us the entire ride home. I'm sure she's telling all to your mothers right now," Kumiko said.
"I just can't believe you all actually transformed. I mean, it's been peaceful for nearly twenty years!" Chikako said.
"I think it's weird that we're the same age as our mothers were," Kumiko said.
"I think we need to be focusing on who sent the youma rather than envy or coincidence," the mysterious voice said.
"Then we need to start training," Michiko said.
"I cannot believe you're senshi," Chikako said quietly.
"I wonder when Sakara will get back," Hotaru said suddenly.
"Oh my gosh, yeah! Quick, help me get out the presents for everyone!" Kumiko said.
Figuring she should look like she had attempted her task, Sakara quickly moved away from the door and went to find Kohaku.
"Kohaku-san!" Sakara called out, spying the raven haired girl underneath a tree sweeping.
Kohaku only glanced at Sakara. Sakara ran to her.
"Crap, how do I say this?" Sakara muttered. She paused for a moment, thinking through her lists of vocabulary words. Finally, she remembered the correct one for pillow.
Kohaku regarded Sakara for a moment before replying. "Closet."
"Arigato!" Sakara said, running back to the shrine.
Kohaku went back to sweeping even before Sakara's heel had turned. As Sakara headed back into the temple, she thought about this new information. Usa-chan, Kumiko, Hotaru, and Michiko were senshi, just like her. Chikako, Moriko, and she assumed Kohaku had either not yet been given the opportunity to transform, or they may never. Sakara wondered if the others would get to be senshi, if they were all going to be a team like their parents were. Then Sakara remembered that she wouldn't get that chance because first, she wasn't staying, and second, how does one explain senshi powers linked to Uranus without revealing ones parentage?
"We have presents for you!" Kumiko greeted almost too brightly when Sakara reentered the room with another pillow.
As Sakara sat there watching everyone open their various presents, she sought out a certain gray cat. Diana was sleek and thin, her coat shining and perfectly kept. She looked young, maybe a year and a half, but she knew from merely glancing at pictures in Usa-chan's house that Diana was much older than that. As Sakara stared at Diana, she noticed something strange for the first time: there was a little bald spot on her forehead, but Sakara could not quite see what the shape of it was. However, she had a pretty good idea.
"Do you not like your presents?" Kumiko asked, noticing that Sakara didn't seem that interested in the parcels in her lap.
"Huh? Oh, no! I mean yes, they're all fantastic, thank you so much, you're the best!" Sakara replied in a quick ramble.
The girls stared at her for a moment, confused by her behavior.
"Sorry, I've just been majorly spacy today," Sakara amended, blushing.
Kumiko laughed. "You're so strange, Sakara-chan!"
"Mori-chan!"
The door slid open and in walked a beautiful tall young woman with dark red wavy hair and blue eyes, accompanied by another young woman with a baseball cap on.
"Kazue-san!" the girls greeted.
"My big sister, Kazue," Moriko explained to Sakara quietly.
"Welcome back, girls. Did you have fun?" Kazue asked. Immediately the girls responded in a quick burst of happiness. Kazue laughed. "I'm glad you're all home safe." She gestured to her companion. "This is Miyoko, my friend from school. This here is my sister and these are her friends."
The girls all said their named and Miyoko waved at them with a friendly smile. Sakara couldn't help but notice that Miyoko skipped over Usa-chan all together, although she assured herself that maybe she was just reading into things too much. There were a lot of them after all, lots of names, it was easy to miss someone.
"What brings you two here?" Usa-chan asked.
"Oh, right! Moriko, your phone died," Kazue stated plainly.
"So?" Moriko replied with a raised eyebrow.
"So Mom has been trying to call you! She wants you to head over to the shop and work a few hours for her."
"Why can't you?" Moriko argued.
"Because I have other plans. Now get your stuff together and let's go, kiddo!" Kazue urged.
Moriko grumbled under her breath as she gathered her things, enticing giggles from all her friends. Sakara noticed that Diana was staring intently at them in a stiff posture that Sakara recognized from her own cats as being alert. Diana then shook her head and relaxed back onto her pillow.
"We should get going, too. Mama never lets us miss our lessons just because we were vacationing." Hotaru laughed. "As if we didn't swim at the hotel pool or anything." She looked over at Chikako. "Are you going to swim with us today?"
Michiko's expression turned competitive at this. "I could use the challenge."
Chikako stood up, reading to meet the challenge. "Always."
Sakara was amused by this new display of competition from two of the more docile members of the group.
"Anyone else who wants to come is welcome," Hotaru said, "but Mama is probably going to make us do timed laps today so I don't know how much fun it would be for everyone else."
For a moment Sakara thought about taking them up on the challenge, but knew that doing so would lead her to a meeting with Michiru. With one glance at Hotaru, Sakara knew that the dark-haired girl was thinking the same thing and she decided that introducing herself into Michiru's life without her mother's presence would probably not be a welcome thing. Besides, she wanted to tell her mother what she'd learned.
Haruka's shock was evident.
"So it has begun for some of the others," she muttered sadly.
"What do you think this means? And do you think the others could?" Sakara asked.
Haruka frowned. "It seems strange that first a youma attacked us in Florida, then the girls in London, yet I've heard no other news about attacks anywhere else. Could some new villain be trying to catch us off guard?" She sighed. "But attacking our children, what could that possibly accomplish? I suppose they wouldn't have guessed that our children would have inherited our powers, but still."
"No one has really specifically attacked any of us yet, just where we happen to be near," Sakara reasoned.
Haruka shook her head. "Of course not, directly attacking one of you would be a foolish act, a direct affront to any of us. But forcing you to come upon the scene, that makes it seem accidental. It will put part of the blame on us, for not watching you, for not protecting you. It's clever, really."
"So you think there is a new enemy out there? What could they want? Hasn't the universe learned yet that the senshi are not to be messed with?"
For a moment, her mother looked unbelievably sad. "In the far future, an enemy will have succeed in killing us all."
Sakara grabbed her mother's hand and held them firmly. "But you've told me this story, you told me that Eternal Sailor Moon defeated Chaos. You're safe from that future harm. Whoever this new enemy is must just be really stupid and have no idea who they are messing with."
"Perhaps I should confront the girls now and lend myself to the causing of finding whoever this enemy is," Haruka mused.
Sakara shrugged. "I guess that could work. It would take a lot of stress off of my shoulders at having to hide all of this."
Haruka gave her a half-smile. "I'm sorry you are being burdened by my secret."
Sakara smiled back. "You're my mom and I'd do anything for you. And besides, I know it's only for a little bit longer. Once you're comfortable enough to tell them about me, it will happen. Until that time, I'll do as you asked."
-End of chapter!
I promise they stop being so ridiculously cry-y soon! I know, it's super weird for them! But I DO tend to write when I'm emotional, so it makes sense...anyway the next chapter IS written, so I'll post it soon, I prooooomise!
-Sere