All mistakes are mine, Sailor moon not.
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In theory, the probability to not fall in love with other women was near to zero for the blond racer. She had been fully committed to her partner as long as she could remember. She loved harmless tease and playful flirts but it was impossible for the blond to fall deeply in love with other women except her Michiru.
In theory.
Haruka was an idiot when it came to statistical data. Human heart could not be measured by any science. The genius Mizuno Ami had once told her that. If mankind miraculously invented a device to make that possible, then it would make love and hate obvious for everyone, which… was very boring.
She didn't need any data to make a hypothesis and Haruka thought it was enough to prove her love theory by actions everyday to Michiru. Now, Haruka had never expected a day like this would come. The blond never calculated the probability for a woman who looks alike Michiru… or perhaps, she was Michiru in different dimension.
And Haruka wasn't supposed to love the woman. Well, she knew she was fucked by only looking at gorgeous aqua haired princess. What made her burden heavier was she had both their life as leverage.
Damn bad luck. Damn poseidon. Haruka thought.
"What are you thinking?" Pluto asked. The priestess had been accompanying Haruka walk back to their temporary residence.
"Why do you ask? Usually you just say whatever in my mind spookily right." Haruka mumbled.
"Although you have been making interesting frowns and expressions, I still can't figure out what you are thinking… I only have speculations." Pluto replied. She halted her steps.
Haruka stopped her pace too, looking back to Pluto. The woman had been her only person that she could confide with everything. Setsuna was very mysterious but this Pluto was totally in different league with Setsuna. Setsuna was her best friend and they had known each other so long until the point they didn't need words to talk. This priestess had this aura which made Haruka shiver occasionally. The blond couldn't put it the right way, but somehow she felt that Pluto had been hiding something with her.
"What are your speculations?" Haruka raised an eyebrow.
Knowing it would turn into a banter, Pluto answered shortly. "You, princess, love, confused."
"Okay…" Haruka rolled her eyes. "Those are keywords. Not speculation."
"I am certain that the princess is thinking the same thing… the keywords." Pluto's face turned grim. Haruka couldn't help but paying attention for some other time when something had anything to do with Neptune, Pluto had been making expression like that.
"Of course she is… it is about her life and mine…" and about love.
"Tell me about it." Pluto crossed her arm. She was getting comfortable, not caring that they both were in the middle of the castle's hall.
"If I love her, I'd die… If I don't she'd die… it seems that her fate is now in my hand."
"So… the choices here for you are not to die or not to feel guilty?"
That was a cruel way to put Haruka's situation into words but the blond only nodded.
"Others would choose their life above anything…" Pluto shrugged with a hint of pity in her eyes. Haruka didn't need that now.
"I'm not others… I would rather have no one is dying."
"That would be nice for everyone… however I'm afraid that we will not have a happy ending in this story." Pluto added calmly.
"Which side you're on? Love or not?"
"It is your heart's decision, Haruka. I am Pluto… the princess is important person in my life…. If I held control over your heart, I'd rather sacrifice you."
Haruka was speechless. She knew about that, however she hadn't expected Pluto to say that loud to her bluntly.
Watching Haruka's shock expression, Pluto's face softened, "I apologize. You are very good person. I-" Whatever Pluto was about to say, it had died down in her throat. Instead, the priestess turned her face away from Haruka.
That kind of reaction was new for the usually collected Pluto.
"Have you ever been in love?" Haruka asked and felt dumb after asking it.
A smile and the priestess replied, "I have… once." A whisper but Haruka heard it. Pluto's smile was like an exposure for Pluto's vulnerability. So, Haruka decided it was best to leave it like that without prying further.
"How can you love someone and not be able to be with them…" Pluto continued. At first, Haruka had thought that Pluto was speaking about Haruka's situation but the blond racer noticing how Pluto was shutting her eyes with a pained expression. It was like she was reminded by painful memory which had been buried deep.
Haruka wished the thing Pluto had just said wasn't a question.
Haruka didn't have any answer.
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The next day, Haruka went to the royal training ground. She had figured out her circumstances and had conclusion that she wouldn't leave the dimension anytime soon. So, she should getting used to it. The environment, the people, and everything. Perhaps… little perhaps… there would be a way for her problem with the curse. Haruka had bored to death for only staying inside the room. She needed fresh air to think. Her first thought of destination had been a library. She had intended to read and search about anything related to the curse. However, Pluto then informed her that the curse wouldn't be in any book in the library. Even if there were several information, it wouldn't be in a book that Haruka could read. It was written in Neptune's ancient language and Pluto had read them long time ago without results.
Training ground was Haruka's second choice. She would've gone for a lap with her bike to have fun but there wasn't any bike in this dimension. There was adequate substitute for her bike though… and she had asked Pluto to make some arrangements for that sake.
I need something that I can ride… it has to be fast like the wind.
Haruka walked through decorated pavement in training ground. She walked passing plenty palace guards who were starting their morning exercise. Due to a good mood, Haruka even stopped a second to greet one of them.
The horse stable was Haruka's destination. She recalled Pluto's words about the fastest ride on the land had been kept in the royal stable near training ground. The problem was, there were more than one horse inside. The priestess hadn't given her a clue about which one was the fastest.
Haruka spotted that every horses had a name. They were cute ones too like thunderstorm or snow… as she reached the end of the stable Haruka had almost memorized all the horses' name. Made her wonder which one was the princess's horse.
Haruka saw the horse on her left. The name was 'Marine'. It was a beautiful brown horse with light colored-almost white hair.
Haruka whistled, "Hey, Marine." Haruka greeted. It was dumb but the blond felt it would be a waste to encounter such a beautiful horse but not to greet them.
The blond senshi was too busy fixing her attention to Marine that she couldn't feel another presence coming to the stable. Not until the other person walked and stepped on a branch resulting a little snap sound.
Haruka turned and caught the princess who wore her riding attire stood awkwardly staring at the blond. Haruka could only pray that the princess had just arrived and not witnessing her making one way conversation with a horse affectionately. Haruka blushed before she managed to find her own voice.
"Princess…" A greet with brief nod and nervous smile.
"Haruka." Polite reply, too official bordering almost cold but managed to appear sincere enough.
"Pluto said that I can find the fastest ride here…" Haruka tried to open the conversation.
"I see…" Neptune responded. She walked closer toward Haruka. "She is mine." The princess continued.
"Excuse me?"
"Marine. The horse you have been hitting on… she is mine." The words were spoken cold and harsh but there was spark of humor inside the princess's eyes. Haruka smirked.
"I apologize… I promise that will not happen again." Haruka made a face, looked totally whipped.
"Squall." Neptune pointed a stable across Marine's. "The horse you are looking for. She is the fastest horse on the land and lately she seems… bored, I think?" A glint of sad smile from Neptune.
Haruka peeked inside. A black horse was sitting comfortably and although the blond wasn't an expert for horse's face… it was indeed look a bit down. The color reminded Haruka to a certain horse though.
"… Is she… Uranus's?" The deepest black color which would easily blend in with the night had given away the truth. She had seen it once, Uranus, the soldier with black armor and horse.
"You knew." Now Neptune smiled more sincere. The princess didn't say anything more as she exited the stable with Marine in tow.
Haruka had witnessed Michiru in many occasions. She loved Michiru in any circumstances and well… positions. However, Haruka just realized that she never saw the lovely aqua haired senshi riding a horse. Imagine it had stirred something dangerous inside the blond racer while actually watching it had taken Haruka to another level. Lust and aroused but above it all is yearning.
The princess was now in her third lap around the palace ground. From afar, Haruka could see that the princess was smiling during the ride. Her body moved still elegantly even on top of the running horse. Unconsciously, Haruka smiled too. She was sure if anyone caught her smiling like that, one would guess that she was in love with the princess.
Wait….
No.
Think about it more clearly, how could her timing and the princess to enter the stable was too weird. It could've been a coincidence but now Haruka had suspicions. Pluto was on her love's side. She wanted Haruka to love the princess so the curse would shift to her.
"Let's say it was her plan from the start…" Haruka sighed. Her feelings were now totally conflicted. She should go to train her heart more. What she capable of doing now was only repeating inside her head that the princess wasn't her Michiru.
Neptune is not Michiru and never will be. What I need is going home-
That and when the blond put her sight again at the princess, she lost her mind. It was so damn difficult.
The attire was the main problem. No, the saddle… no, it was the wind who selfishly had been playing with her Goddess like aqua haired….
Speaking of Goddess…
The princess spotted Haruka who was watching on the sidelines. She tilted her head, for a moment Haruka had felt that the princess wanted to wave at her direction since she had lifted her hand midway but then looked like Haruka had been wrong. The princess turned the horse back, to opposite direction away from Haruka's spot.
That time an arrow whizzed past from behind the blond. It was so close and so fast that Haruka hadn't realized it until she saw it pierced through a tree before her. Her body automatically jumped backward and her ankle unknowingly got tangled to some big roots on the ground.
Her ass kissed the ground hard. The pain came short after she capable to register what had happened to her. The shock was still overwhelmed her mind.
A shout from distance, "Sorry!" Haruka guessed it came from one of the soldier who was doing training exercise.
The blond blinked and now aware that she had just almost got stabbed by an arrow. That didn't happen everyday.
Bad luck?
A laugh bursted out. Now, she just got a bad luck because she was staring at the princess?
Haruka's cheek hurt or rather stings a little. She touched it and winced by the sight of blood. The arrow had grazed her cheek, standing few inches to the right, it would be her skull that got pierced by the arrow. Haruka shivered.
Shits got real.
The blond racer saw horse feet came to her line of sight.
"Haruka." An awfully similar melodic voice called. Haruka looked up, she would always answer the voice no matter what happened.
She met pool of green concerned eyes, "are you alright?"
Haruka slumped on the ground with bloody cheek, her eyes full of admiration looking up to elegant figure holding a rein of gallant horse. One would've said that they were in reverse situation but Haruka wouldn't have it any other way.
"It begins," Haruka said softly. "The curse begins."
Concerned eyes replaced with horror from realization. The princess shook her head while muttering 'NO, YOU CAN'T!' multiple times.
Understanding the princess's feeling Haruka knew that she should've headed back. Each of them had been in very complicated situation even without the curse. She and the princess had been played with the fate under the shadow of their true love. The painful and cruel situation which had left both no one to blame and nowhere to seek solace.
The only path was moving forward but each of them knew that the path would divide into two. Neither of them would contain both of them together. With or without curse.
The curse had made the situation deeper complicated. Even now that one of them took step back, it would only leave heartache and damnation for the other.
Haruka was an idiot when it came to a statistical data. So she would stop calculating. To conceal wasn't her option anymore. The only thing she knew that clear was she didn't want anyone to die… her love would save her.
Haruka stopped calculating and gave everything to her own heart to decide while searching for possible way out.
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AN: Love or not love? Which bet you are on? I apologize for long update, perhaps you should re-read the story again from the first. (_ _)