Thanks to everyone for the reviews. It's nice (or terrifying) to know that people actually read this garbage, rofl. Hey, as long as you're enjoying it, whatev. :D
Sailor Moon ain't mine. That's all I'm sayin.
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The following day began Haruka and Michiru's Senshi training. They met up and walked to the Training Arena near the back of the palace grounds, and were introduced to their instructor: a large, broad, man resembling a bear, with a jet black ponytail and a goatee.
They learned that his name was Guru, and he had trained the original Sailor Senshi in many years past. He was not unkind, but very determined and demanded much from his pupils.
Haruka and Michiru's days were mostly filled with physical and mental focus training to build their Senshi powers. At first learning to transform and transform quickly under pressure, coupled with toning muscles, endurance training and other exercises designed to build their stamina. It was rough, and for the first two weeks neither of them could do much more than go to training and go to sleep, battered and bruised. It was easier on Haruka than Michiru, having been the commander of the Uranian military and been through toned-down levels of many of the exercises, but it was still exhausting.
After the initial first two weeks, it became easier, yet harder. Their physical training had become easier now that they were past the initial toning, but on top of that Guru had added bookwork to test their mental capabilities. Most of it consisted of math, science, and problem-solving strategies. Michiru excelled in this area and soon they both noticed that they complimented each other in ways they could have never guessed at first glance.
Part of the first month's training was used to build trust in each other and to find their balance, discovering each other's strengths and weaknesses and learning to bridge the gap. However, it was surely a weakness for them to depend too much on each other, and some days they were trained separately and alone.
After two months, Guru upped their training level, and they began working on how to control their planetary powers and attacks. This proved difficult, because with their fitness training still intensifying to accommodate all kinds of scenarios, summoning the strength to unleash planetary powers was, to them, an impossible feat.
At three months, they had mastered unleashing their planetary powers and were learning to summon their talismans and to combine them with the use of their planetary powers, creating new, stronger attacks. Now Guru had their fitness training familiarizing them with different environments found in their solar system, and they learned just why the Training Arena was used for training- it could emulate whatever extremes needed.
Learning to fight in subzero temperatures, extreme heat, or on unstable ground with sometimes lethal weather such as acid rain or hurricane-force winds was a difficult task as well.
After five months of training, and levels of bookwork increased to where they had nearly no time to sleep, it seemed likely that they would not finish their training alive.
From Haruka's point of view, she wondered how the Inner Senshi had ever survived any of this, being that they were so young. But then, she remembered Queen Serenity's words- that they were at another level and their powers were stronger than theirs.
Haruka was curious to see what their last month of training would consist of, and Michiru was not far behind her.
"We've reached the final month of your training," Guru started seriously. "This is the most important training of all. Should mistakes be made here, it can prove fatal. We have moved past the months of easiness. There will be times, during these last weeks, where it will be extremely difficult to continue. But this is when you must search inside yourself. Are you ready?"
What could they say but yes?
They nodded, and Guru bowed his head. "Very well then. Let us begin."
At the end of his statement, he unleashed a ball of energy that shook the entire arena. Haruka and Michiru barely had time to dodge the first attack before he was letting loose another one at them.
"Transform!" Michiru shouted as the walls crumbled around them.
They summoned their henshin sticks and were instantly Uranus and Neptune.
"World… Shaking!" Uranus threw a ball of energy at Guru, who easily absorbed it and blasted her with one of his own.
"Haruka!" Neptune cried, turning to the blonde as she hit the floor.
Guru stopped his attacks and the Training Arena reverted to its original form. He walked closer to the two senshi and stopped.
"This is a fatal mistake," he said. "You must learn to leave your partner and finish the battle at all costs."
Neptune looked up with horrified eyes, kneeling beside Uranus, who sat up painfully.
"It will be hard," Guru's voice quieted. "But if you cannot do it, then you will surely cost the solar system its peace. My point has been proven. You are free for the day."
Michiru was troubled by Guru's request. Leave Haruka at all costs? She admitted that she was attracted to the blonde, and after months of spending every hour together, she could also admit that she cared very deeply for her as a friend and partner, and perhaps something else that she had been denying. Because of her caring, how could she just leave her to die?
But if she did not, was she doing her duty? Guru had said the fate of the solar system depended on her doing so if it came down to it. Could she?
It was the hardest decision Michiru had ever had to make. But it was one she had to face, for certain.
Their next day at training, Guru did not mention their previous lesson. Nor did he mention it for the following month that completed their training. However, he had been right about it being their most difficult section. Guru had, at times, hurt them very badly and demanded they keep fighting. Training them how to fight with wounds was a part of the program that Guru did not like. But it was something that had to be done.
The final week, Guru trained them on quick first aid of several wounds. If able to get to a safe area, they could perform first aid in the span of a few moments and be back in the fight.
At last their six-month training was nearly over. They had one final test, which resulted in them battling Guru again, but this time, their perfect trained fighting technique won out.
"You have completed your training," said Guru at last. "There is nothing more I can do for you." He smiled. "Haruka, Michiru… I do believe you are stronger, even, than the previous Uranus and Neptune. Please, remember my words when you are on the battle field." He looked directly into Michiru's eyes. "For all our sakes."
"Ne, Minako, have you seen Haruka and Michiru?" Usagi was curious of the duo, and had not seen them since the beginning of their training. She sat eating a small snack cake, lounging on a chair.
"No, I haven't," The other blonde replied. She thought for a moment. "I think their training is perhaps over."
"We should go and visit them!"
"Yes!"
"Visit who?" Makoto asked, entering the two's quarters, followed by Rei and Ami.
"Haruka and Michiru!" Usagi answered.
"Ah."
Five minutes later, the five girls were sneaking around the Palace.
"Do you see them?"
"SSHH! Usagi, be quiet!"
They tiptoed around the corner, and stopped when they heard the sound of laughter.
"Hey, little kittens, you're a long way from your wing of the Palace."
The girls turned at the sound of Haruka's voice.
"Haruka! Michiru!"
"Hello, girls," Michiru smiled warmly.
"Are you done with your training?" Rei questioned.
"Yeah! How was it?" Makoto followed up, punching her left hand with her fist.
"Was it hard?" Usagi asked.
"It was… difficult," Michiru answered carefully, still smiling. She glanced at Haruka.
"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head.
"But you two are now Sailor Senshi, officially," Ami pointed out.
"Mm-hm," Michiru answered, still glancing at Haruka.
"Say, kittens, we've got to go. We've still got bookwork, you know," Haruka said, and at the looks of their disappointment, continued, "But we will be seeing you around. We do live here, after all. Ja."
"Bye," Michiru said with a friendly wave.
"Haruka! Spar with me sometime?" Makoto called.
"Tell me when and I'll be there," Haruka winked as they departed.
"They seem very friendly," Ami commented as the five of them watched the duo go.
"Yeah, almost as if they grew up together or something," Rei agreed.
"They look almost like a couple!" Minako blurted.
They all turned on her, blushing like mad and nearly falling over. "WHAT?!"
"They're cute," Haruka said once her and Michiru were down the hall.
"Yes," Michiru agreed. Haruka paused, glancing down at Michiru, whose eyes held a faraway look.
"Michiru," Haruka started.
"Hm?"
"Is there something wrong? You seem… well, distant."
"It's nothing." Michiru smiled. "I'm perfectly fine."
Haruka nodded, but remained unconvinced.
Once in her room after saying good night to Haruka, Michiru threw off her clothes, stripping down to her underwear. She examined herself in her full-length mirror, and sighed.
'Oh, Haruka,' she thought. 'Frustration is what's wrong with me.'
She inspected her body- she was not unattractive by anyone's standards, and yet, Michiru found herself trying to find things wrong with her.
Truthfully, she missed the intense attraction that Haruka and she had first shared upon their introduction. It was herself she had been talking about when they had first engaged in conversation, herself who had fallen madly in love with her. News of the Uranian civil war had reached Neptune; after all, the planets were somewhat connected. She had heard of Haruka even before she had met her, which started the longing behind her crush. That first fated meeting on the moon and the fact that they were Senshi, whose duties entwined more strongly than any in the universe's existence, was more than she had ever hoped for.
She was desperately attracted to the blonde for reasons even she could not come up with. Haruka was no more dashing, no more charming and no more handsome than many of her previous suitors. And yet… she was more so. It was because she was so beautiful that Michiru could not contain herself.
She knew that Haruka was attracted to her as well… but then, what was stopping them from consummating that attraction? She shivered at the thought.
She sighed again. Perhaps Haruka wasn't as attracted to her as she thought. It had been 6 months since they had met. What had changed about her so much that would have quelled Haruka's attraction?
Her hair was a bit longer. But that was a trifle which she hoped would not mean so much to one she loved so dearly. Her stomach was flatter, perhaps. Her thighs and legs more toned than they were, from training. She met her eyes in her reflection, sadly. What was it?
Down the hall, Haruka was questioning her status with Michiru as well. Truthfully, she was worried about the aqua-haired girl. To Haruka it seemed as though Michiru was troubled by something, but she wasn't stupid. She could see the way Michiru looked at her. Those deep, ocean blue eyes held so much intense emotion that it made her stomach want to do back flips. She wanted to take the initiative, make a move, something, but the reality was that she was scared of how things would change after she did so. Relationships always complicated things, and she wasn't sure that if they did try and it didn't work out, that senshi duties could still be performed.
Her attraction to the aqua-haired beauty had only grown since their first meeting, and every day she spent with her made it stronger and harder to contain.
'I need a hobby…'
Over the next few days, Haruka found just that- a hobby. She spent a lot of time with Makoto sparring, helping to build the young Senshi of Jupiter's fighting strength.
Michiru also occupied herself with things to do. She spent many afternoons painting or swimming in the bay. Solitude was what she was accustomed to, though it hurt slightly that Haruka and she did not spend as much time together as before. She found herself missing the blonde's presence at times, but kept her distance.
One such day she was sitting on the grass in a field, painting the horizon. The sound of her brush stroking the canvas gave a feeling of calm, and she could smell the ocean on the wind.
"May I join you?"
She turned, recognizing Haruka's low voice at once. The sight of the blonde nearly took her breath away. Haruka was dressed no more stunning than she usually was, but the ache in her heart made Michiru realize that she had missed her a lot more than she would let herself believe. She smiled curiously, raising one eyebrow. "Join me?"
Haruka took a few casual steps towards Michiru's easel. "Yes. Unless you and your painting would like to remain… alone."
Michiru laughed and patted the grass next to her and Haruka sat, resting her arm on one bent knee, the other leg stretched out in front of her. She looked skyward.
"So what brings you out here, Haruka?" Michiru asked as she dabbed absently at her painting.
"The weather's nice. I wanted to watch the clouds." Haruka closed her eyes and felt the wind caress her face. She laid back and gazed up at the clouds, watching them roll serenely by.
"We don't have clouds on Neptune," Michiru commented.
Haruka looked astonished. "No clouds? No rain, then?" The aqua-haired girl shook her head.
"Neptune is covered almost completely in water. Because of that, the atmosphere is incredibly misty, with a very high humidity rate. It makes it somewhat harder to breathe on the surface of the small continent on the planet."
Haruka shook her head. "Wow. I wonder why they don't teach us that in school?" The aqua-haired girl shrugged. Haruka looked thoughtful for a minute. "How long have you been painting?"
"My entire life," Michiru smiled. "Don't you have an outlet?"
Haruka laughed gently, turning her head to look at Michiru. "I do, but it's rather embarrassing to say. I learned when I was much younger. It was at my mom's request that, though I learned the art of sparring and horsemanship at a young age, I should also learn some form of refined art as well to balance." She ran a hand through her blonde hair.
Michiru paused and focused on the blonde. "Well?" Haruka laughed again. "Do I have to pry it out of you?"
"That won't be necessary," the blonde grinned, then turned suddenly serious. "I write poetry."
Michiru giggled. "Poetry?"
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Yes, poetry. I told you it was embarrassing."
"No, Haruka! Not at all. I think it's sweet."
Haruka just rolled her eyes again. "Of course."
They sat for another few moments, observing their environment, Haruka watching the clouds and musing over Michiru's earlier statements. Finally, she stood up, smiled, and took her leave of the artist. Michiru watched the blonde leave, and suddenly it felt a lot colder outside.
It was later that night, as Haruka was brooding in her usual thinking spot, that she noticed it. A cold wind rushed past her face, making her shiver. It had already begun to get cold as the winter approached, but the wind that she had felt was a different chill altogether. She was only in her Pjs, which consisted of her usual tee shirt and boxers, but the frosty breeze was enough to raise her guard. The sound of the door opening and closing made her turn, reacting with a fighting stance.
"It's just me," Michiru said softly, and Haruka noticed that she was wearing only a light blue bra, matching panties, and an open white dress shirt which hardly covered her form. She was shivering lightly.
Haruka stared for a moment before raising her gaze to Michiru's eyes. "Did you feel that?" she asked, her voice a little unsteady, mostly because the sight of Michiru had affected her more than she would have liked.
Michiru only nodded, still shivering slightly, and their eyes locked, their gaze intense. Haruka nodded slowly, and they both pulled out their henshin sticks.
"URANUS PLANET POWER!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"
"MAKE UP!"
Seconds later, they were Neptune and Uranus, and Uranus gestured for Neptune to follow her as they jumped off the balcony and headed into the woods.
Once in the woods, Neptune closed her eyes, trying to sense where the darkness was located. She took a step to the left, trying to catch the vibe. Uranus watched her, keeping her ears and eyes open for any signs of the dark presence. She turned when she heard a small sound, like the cracking of a twig. She took a view steps towards the sound, drawing her Space Sword, but did not feel any dark energy. She lowered her sword only slightly, and turned back to find Neptune gone.
She glanced quickly at the direction where the aqua-haired girl had been, and from out of the darkness, instead a black youma hurled itself at her. It was thin and tall, awkwardly shaped, and had huge claws on its arms and a large gaping mouth full of sharp teeth. Its claws landed on her shoulders, pushing her back. She sliced with her sword, but the thing was too fast!
It slashed at her and she dodged, leaping back. The youma laughed and again tried to attack her. 'I've got to get a few seconds to attack, but this thing is too fast,' she thought as she dodged yet another attack. She finally managed to land a blow in the creature's leg, and it went down, screaming in pain.
"DEEP SUBMERGE!"
A huge wave of energy crashed over the youma and it cried out and reverted into a human form, much to Uranus and Neptune's surprise.
"He's battered, but alive," Neptune confirmed, kneeling next to the fallen man. "He's unconscious."
"We'll see what Queen Serenity decides to do with him, then."
After tying him up and transporting to the palace, Uranus and Neptune were greeted by Queen Serenity, five palace guards, and the Inner Senshi.
"Thank goodness," the Queen said, a tone of relief evident in her voice. "I was concerned. Mars sensed an evil presence and I sent guards to stir all the Senshi, but you were gone by the time they went to wake you."
Uranus glared at their captive, who was beginning to awaken. "It seems we were already roused by this vermin."
She had him over her shoulder and now, disgusted, flung him to the floor. Queen Serenity gasped as she noticed the uniform.
"The Dark Kingdom!"
All eyes turned to the Queen as she clenched her fist.
"What, your majesty?" Neptune questioned.
"The Dark Kingdom," Queen Serenity repeated. "They were the original downfall of my fellow Senshi long ago… But I banished them! How is it that they have returned?"
Uranus glanced at the Dark Kingdom scout. She reached down to grab his collar, lifting his upper back from the floor. "Speak, filth! Why were you hiding in the woods?"
"I do not answer to the likes of you!" the man said hoarsely, glaring and grinning maniacally.
In an instant Uranus's sword was drawn, pressed against his throat. "Perhaps with some persuasion, you will!"
"Haruka, let it go," Queen Serenity stated calmly. "I will make sure he is taken care of."
"That's right, little minion," the Dark Kingdom scout crowed. "Listen to your traitorous queen!" He laughed insanely, and Uranus narrowed her eyes, ignoring the gibe.
"Hold your tongue, worm, or I'll cut it out for you."
"Guards," the Queen started.
The Dark Kingdom scout's eyes looked fearful, and then he randomly burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, which ended in a sudden spasm. Uranus backed off of the scout just in time to see his body crumbling into a fine, black powder, which began to melt into an oozing, bright green acid that burned into the floor.
"Ugh…"
"Everyone, let's get back to bed. Mars, Neptune- any more vibes?"
Mars shook her head. "I feel none, Your Majesty."
"Nor I," Neptune agreed.
"Well, then. Guards, let us get this mess cleaned up."
The Inners reverted their transformations and Uranus was amused to see the bunny slippers and pink, fuzzy robe Usagi was wearing. She laughed slightly at the sight.
"Haruka, Michiru," the Queen began. "Thank you."
"No need," Uranus said seriously as she lowered her head in respect.
"It is our duty, after all," Neptune smiled, giving a small bow as she did.
Back near their quarters and in privacy, they detransformed. Haruka was once again caught off guard at Michiru's outfit.
Michiru scratched her head. "It's your shirt," she started softly.
Haruka nodded, a little confused.
"Remember when my leg got seriously wounded from Guru's training?"
Haruka turned slightly and lowered her eyes. She remembered all too well. Images of her removing her shirt to bandage the ocean senshi's wound came back to her. The sight and smell of blood and her own shaking hands flashed in her mind. "Yes. I do."
Michiru was silent. "Well…" She took a few tentative steps towards Haruka's tense frame, hoping to initiate some sort of conversation.
"Michiru, I--" Haruka started, looking up. Her startled eyes met the blue depths of Michiru's and Haruka swallowed at her sudden closeness. Her face was a few inches from the aqua-haired girl's, and she could feel the warmth of Michiru's body heat. Michiru stood there, feeling rather helpless, wondering if she should make the first move or not. It would be so easy…
Haruka pulled back, slowly, and turned her head. This was not the time for such feelings. "Never mind."
Michiru swallowed, remaining silent.
"It's been a long night. I think we should retire." Haruka began to return to her room. "Good night, Michiru."
"Good night, Haruka…"
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So, the plot thickens... I used rue... Hyuk hyuk, little cooking joke, there. I do have a day-job as a chef, after all, hahahaaaa...
Yeah, so the Training Arena was kind of emulated off of the Danger Room from X-men, which also isn't mine... but uh... it's just slightly different. It's not called the Danger Room. Haha.
My ideas - soooo not original.
...yeah, so anyways. See you next time:)