Chapter 3: Painful Memories...
It was now day three of Haruka and Michiru's stay in America and the two women were now getting ready to head out into they city and enjoy the sites that were there to see. Or at least that is what they would have been doing if it had not start raining the previous night and continued into the next day, now they were both stuck indoors with their host, Alexander. Since they were all stuck indoors and were not be able to leave the house, Alex thought now would be for him to do some work around his home and since they had nothing else better to do, both Haruka and Michiru decided to help him. It was the least they could do after he welcomed them into his home.
"So Alex," Haruka began as both her and Michiru were now dressed down in shorts and T-shirts, "where do we start first?"
"You know you don't have to help me, you are my guest here." Alex reminded them.
"It is no problem, Alex. We don't mind helping you." said Michiru, as she held up a hand broom and dust pan. "Besides, I don't mind doing a bit of home cleaning now and again."
"Okay, if you insist." Alex replied, as he picked up a broom himself "There is not much to do, just have to clean out the kitchen and the garage. That's all."
"Well, I guess I will take the kitchen!" the aqua haired woman said eagerly, as she hurried off into said room. Alex just stood there blinking, "Your girl friend must really like to clean"
"You have no idea..." Haruka answered, as both she and Alex went into the garage.
There was not much work to be done in the garage, just some boxes that needed to be moved around, stacked or thrown out and since Alex had parked his Jeep outside the night before, the duo had more room to work. "So... how is uncle Derick?" Haruka asked, as she help her cousin move some boxes out.
"Oh dad's fine," Alex replied, "You should really give him a call when we are done."
"I will. Um... how he has been since...?"Haruka trailed off, fearing that she might strike a sore nerve with the cousin. It had been ten years since Alex's mother Ako, Haruka's aunt, had died of cancer and it had a great effect on her family at large. Especially on her uncle and cousin, who were a close knit family.
"Don't worry about him, he is actually seeing some one right now. I have met her, nice lady." Alex reassured her.
"So you are okay with him dating some one else?" the blond woman asked curiously. "Well I will admit, I was a bit wary at first when I found out he had found some one else. But then I met the woman and I saw just how happy he was well... did I realize that it was a good thing." the man replied, as he looked in some opened boxes.
"Well I am glad to hear that he found some one again. I think I will call him a bit later." Haruka replied, as she stopped what she was doing and began to remember all the times she had spent with her Uncle Derick and his family.
She remembered all the times she had gone to spend the day with his family and when ever she visited them, they would always go out of their way and treated her as if she were there own. She would always be welcomed with open arms when ever she visited them and she felt as if she could go to them if ever she was in trouble.
That fact soon became evident the day Haruka came out and decided to her parents that she was gay. Unfortunately for the young woman, her parents were not too pleased with their daughter's announcement and kicked her out of the house that very same night. Distraught and with no where else to go, she called the only people that she thought she could turn to in her time of crisis. The only people that she could trust at that point. Both the uncle and aunt picked her up that night and Alex even offered to give her his room for the night. It was then and there on that night that Haruka realized that no matter what happened to her, she would always have family at he side no matter what.
But their kindness came at a price for the next day, Haruka's aunt and her husband confronted her parents and stripped several layers off of them for the way they had treated their daughter. What happened was a very heated argument between the two couples and in the end, Haruka ended up living with her aunt and her family for a while until she got a place of her own and her adopted family moved away to America. She never spoke to her parents again after that day.
"Earth to Haruka... come in Haruka..." Alex joked as he waved his had in front of his cousin, "you zoned out for a bit there kid."
"Oh sorry... " Haruka said quickly, as she quickly recovered and began to work again. Alex saw the semi sad look on her face and knew instantly just what she was going through her mind, but he thought it best not to confront her and just continue with their cleaning.
{{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}}
While the two cousins were both busy cleaning in the garage, Michiru was busy as well and had begun to clean out the home's kitchen. As she looked around she had to admit that for a guy, Alex kept his place rather clean considering that he lived by himself. She just wished that Haruka would have kept their kitchen this clean when they lived in the mansion with their house mate and and daughter.
At that moment Michiru froze at the memory of the family that she and her lover once had. Haruka would be in her favorite harm chair in the living room, fully engrossed in the latest racing magazine. Setsuna would also be there either silently reading a book or one of the fasion magazines that she had most likely borrowed from her and little Hotaru would be at her side in the kitchen. Watching her "Mama" either prepare dinner or just there to keep her company. They were one big happy family, just where did it all go so wrong?
At one point, the young violinist could picture her young daughter standing at her side. The young child peering happily up at her with a smile on her face and those big violet eyes that seemed to dance and shimmer when ever she looked into them. At one point the young woman wanted to reach out and hug her adopted daughter, but soon reality caught back up with her and Hotaru's image was replaced with a empty kitchen stool. It was just another cruel trick her guilt filled mind played on her. Michiru began to wonder for just how long will she feel this way, just how long will she keep continuing to punish her self like this?
Maybe she would never fully recover from the trauma that she and her lover brought upon themselves and she may never be able to live with her guilt. For a split second, the thought of taking her own life flashed through her mind. It would not be to hard for her, all she would need to do was slit her wrist with one of the kitchen knives there and with luck she would bleed out and die before her lover would find her and try to save her. It would all be over and the pain would end.
But if she were to do this then what would happen to Haruka? Even though her lover would put on a brave face for her, the violinist knew better than any one else that her love was really hurting inside, Haruka was feeling the same guilt that she did but it was possibly ten times more worse for her, seeing that it was her plan that got them into hot water with the rest of there fellow senshi. Michiru hated seeing her lover in distress and if she were to act on her emotions right now, all she would be doing was adding to the pain that the tall blond woman already felt and there was no telling just what might happen to her. She had to stay strong for her lover's sake.
Fighting back the tears that had begun to well up in her blue eyes Michiru resumed her cleaning, all the while saying a small prayer and hoping that she and her lover could return to being the happy, carefree couple that they once were.
{{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}}
It took a few hours, but Haruka, Michiru and Alex had finished all that needed to be done. The garage and the kitchen had been completed, the trio were now taking a well earned rest in the home's living room and were now watching TV.
"I don't get it?" Haruka spoke up, "If the station is called Cartoon Network, then why is it showing the Inspector Gadget movie? It is not even a cartoon."
"I really don't know." Alex shrugged, "Well the man on the news said tomorrow should be sunny, I guess that I can finally show you two around town."
"Can we go to Sea World?" Michiru asked excitedly. Ever since she was a child growing up in Japan, Michiru always wanted to go to Sea World, it was her one big dream and now she was in the very same city where the park existed. She just had to go and see it, she just had to.
Both Haruka and Alex just stared at the aqua haired young woman, who now had a hopeful look on her face and was now starting to resemble a young child that was pleading to her parents for a toy that she really wanted. "Sure, I don't see why not." Alex replied, a amused look starting to form on his face.
For the next hour or so, Alex told them what he had planned out for them the next day. He intended to show the couple a number of land marks around the city in the morning and treat them to lunch at one of his favorite dives in the city. Then after that they would spend the rest of the evening at La Jolla Shores, a popular beach in the area. The rest of the evening was spent just relaxing in the living room and after enjoying a delicious dinner compliments of their host, Haruka and Michiru turned in for the night.
"It would be nice to finally be able to leave this house for the day." Michiru commented as she got ready for bed and now dressed in a form fitting silk nighty.
"Yea, it would." Haruka replied, as she was now dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white T-shirt that looked almost too big for her, "A day around town followed by an evening on the beach is just want the doctor ordered."
Soon the two lovers were in bed and Haruka began to snuggle up behind her girlfriend, enjoying the feel of the silk combined with the natural heat of the lover's body. But as much as she wanted to take full advantage of this beautiful young woman that laid next to her, she just could not bring herself to do so. Even if they had been passionate lovers before since the fight with Galaxia , Michiru had not shown any interest in re igniting the fire that they once had for one another. Sure Michiru said that she still loved her with all her heart, Haruka could not help but to wonder if Michiru still harbored hatred towards her.
It would not surprise Haruka if Michiru hated her, she was the one how came up with that plan to betray their fellow senshi and strike at their own princess and in the end the plan had failed horribly. Thanks to her they had lost their family and were now on a self imposed exile in America for who knows how long. She may not have admitted it to any one, her biggest fear was losing Michiru and after the fiasco with Galaxia, that nightmare just might became reality.
Haruka tightened her grip around her lover's waist and moved in closer, she was not about to let her biggest mistake take away the only thing she had left.
{{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}} {{{ }}}
A/N: I am sorry if this chapter is a bit short but i felt that it was needed. Anyway thanks for all the reviews and there is more to come so stay tuned.