A/N: Two words to describe this chapter. Filler chapter. Well, at least it seems that way anyways. It's actually meant to build up the.. .whatever it is Michiru and Haruka have, haha. The next chapter will definitely be better though, and it'll build them up too. I hope you enjoy the little scene in here that I typed up. Well, enjoy the chapter. I actually didn't like this one either, but I wrote it all in one shot, so. xD
gxFANGIRL XD; … your review… made me so happy, I'm being completely honest! xD –insert heart here- I'm glad you loved the chapter as much as I loved typing it. Having your full attention? Oh no, I feel honored about that. xD I've seen your HaruMichi stories before, so I recognized you. They're wonderful too. And I'm gonna admit… I didn't spot the ;D the first time around. Haha! "Run away with me, Princess, I'll be your knight." Was my favorite line in that whole chapter. C: Thanks for the review!
Sanglune; I agree, she does need to brush up on stalking. Maybe she will next time. C;
Haruki97; Ya tu va a ver, Proteus no es muy malo. C; Jaja, si, el Principe con el ego muy grande. xD Gracias mucho. Espero que le gusta este capitulo. No se como escribir el espanol mucho, perdon por eso.
-0-
A week had gone by in the castle. A week that had gone by far too slow for Michiru's liking. She had spent the days dodging the famed Uranian Prince like the plague. Having already been good at dodging people, she thought it wouldn't be too hard with the blond haired cocky male. Of course she always managed to slip out of staying with him for too long, but whenever he came near she couldn't help but feel uneasy with his presence. It was probably his mannerisms, the air of over-confidence he held, and the fact that he was always trying court her, although it was obvious she didn't want to be with him. In the week Michiru had also learned that he would be staying here for an entire 6 months, until the date of the wedding was planned. She inwardly flinched at the thought. The wedding would be this year, it was already decided. She could do nothing to stop it.
Six months trying to shy away from the Prince.
Then again, there was six months with the female who became her best friend as well. She smiled faintly at the thought.
That was also a week that had gone far too fast for Michiru's liking. How could that make sense? Anyone would ask that question, but it wasn't too hard to answer for the Neptunian royalty. It became a simple matter of not wanting to chat with the Prince and being in a certain Princess' company later on that day as well.
Michiru had a habit of meeting up with Haruka later on in the day, always pleasantly surprised by the comments she would hear. Something along the lines of, "You've reduced my brother to a love-struck puppy, have you noticed?" Then the female would flash that gorgeous grin of her's and continue with another similar comment much like, "Kicking the puppy would be easy, but unfortunately, it wouldn't be allowed." Michiru herself always took it as a silent statement from Haruka that the blond wished she could keep Titan away from Michiru. After those light comments, the two wouldn't talk about the topic much at all, only musing about different subjects and learning more about each other. Something that Michiru enjoyed far too much.
It wasn't a surprise Michiru enjoyed the other's company, though. After having an entire day of being practically chased by her fiancé ( it still pained her to think of it, honestly. ), chatting with Haruka was the best thing in her entire day. It was refreshing. The tomboy knew exactly what words to say to lighten the mood, what joking words to say to make Michiru laugh, and Michiru guessed that she'd also know what to say when Michiru herself was upset. Perhaps she'd know exactly how to calm her down. It wouldn't be odd, considering how well the blond sat with her now.
There was also something Michiru couldn't put her finger on about Haruka either. The way those teal-grey orbs gazed at her at moments, how they flashed with the faintest of vivid greens. Her eyes were something Michiru was awe-struck at. How they would change from a murky teal to a vivid green, and sometimes, they'd revert to a blue-grey that would always catch Michiru's gaze so easily. There was something hidden in those eyes and Michiru wanted to know.
She laughed a little. Of course she wanted to know; getting to know everything Haruka was something she was thinking about a little too often. It wasn't her fault that the masculine female was so interesting. Alluring, even.
Michiru found herself walking to the garden, as usual, only stopping when she heard the sound of hard breathing and something clashing against metal. She raised an eyebrow, looking around to check if anyone was in the hallway, before she noticed where she was standing. Right near the door that led to the huge training courtyard that her brothers often used to train. Honestly, that wouldn't have been odd at all, but it was, considering the time. Naiad and Proteus trained in the afternoons, meaning that they wouldn't be out at the moment. It was already slightly past the evening , meaning that the moon was already shining in the sky, sun gone. She could either walk away and assume that it was just a solider who was sent for training or one of her brothers out at night.
Curiosity got her.
Walking through the doors, Michiru felt a breeze caress her face, nighttime air chilly and making her let out a slight sigh. She continued forward, the sounds of training growing louder with each step she took, as well as the faint gusts of wind that pushed against her face. Grass crunched underneath her feet as she took another step, stopping there just as the sounds of a sword abruptly stopped, breathing hitching as the owner held their breath. And as soon as the breathing stopped, an out of breath chuckle came from the armor clad female, making Michiru open her eyes only for a smile to form on her lips. A faint one.
"You found me, huh?" An exhausted puff of air and the tip of the sword sunk into the ground when the blond leaned on it, another chuckle leaving her. "Do you just have a knack for knowing where I am, wherever I am?" Murky eyes sparkled playfully.
"You were quite loud, I must admit." Michiru replied, watching the other grin slightly. "You're training at this time of night?" A nod in response to her question.
"Yeah. I can't slack off just because I'm here, you know." Haruka brushed her other hand through her hair, picking up her sword and swinging it around carelessly, making the look on Michiru's face grow more wary at her actions. Swords were not toys, and if Haruka accidentally let go of that….
Haruka seemed to see that and continued her actions, her swings becoming more erratic as she continued speaking. The glint in her eyes never left. "If I need to go back for any reason, I need to be prepared. Ready. If I just do nothing and neglect training, then when I dash into combat, I won't be as effective." Her eyes flickered over to the wooden post that was now littered with slash marks, the wood splitting from the merciless attacks from earlier. "I want my enemies to end up like that. So I needed to find some time for training, and with your brothers always here in the daytime…"
Michiru frowned at Haruka's actions, taking a step back and away from what seemed to be a psychopathic blond with a sword. "You do have a point, however, can you even see at night? It see—Haruka, please, stop swinging that around while I'm speaking."
"Sorry. Are you afraid I'm gonna lose my grip on it or something?" Haruka clicked her tongue and laughed at Michiru's displeased expression. She put the sword down, flexing her fingers and hearing them crack. "I've never lost my grip on a sword ever, so you don't have to worry about that."
Michiru let out a soft sigh, walking over to the standing Uranian and noticing the armor she was wearing. The plate had the golden symbol of Uranus on it, something that she couldn't miss even if she wanted. It shone even in the dim moonlight. "Isn't that thing heavy?" She asked, looking up at Haruka, who looked amused by the question. Michiru saw Haruka lift up the sword and lower it multiple times from the corner of her eye, as if she were testing the weight.
"No, not really. At least I don't think so." She paused before smirking slightly at Michiru. "You want to try holding it?" Michiru was about ready to decline the offer, Haruka only grapping her hand and making her fingers curl around the handle of her sword, her hand covering Michiru's. Michiru glared at her for a second, only letting out a sigh.
"I'm gonna remove my hand now, okay? You tell me if it's heavy or not." Haruka's words had a hidden malice to them, like she knew something Michiru did not. Michiru only agreed… Haruka did say it wasn't that heavy, right?
So when Haruka let go of Michiru's hand, why did the sword sink right back into the ground, Michiru's arm being dragged down with it too? What a liar her friend was.
The next thing she heard was Haruka's loud laughter, and Michiru immediately scowled, releasing the sword and crossing her arms. Haruka had a hand over her stomach while she laughed, murky greens that shined with amusement, something that made Michiru's anger tone down slightly as she watched the female. Michiru still felt an urge to tackle the girl to the ground too, and if she didn't stop laughing, then it would be done.
"Sorry, sorry," Haruka apologized in the midst of her laughter, having to cough a few times to regain her composure again, eyes apologetic as they gazed down at Michiru with an amused smile. "It's just that… I've never actually seen anyone have trouble holding up a sword!" Another laugh and Michiru stomped on Haruka's foot, satisfied when she heard the blond let out a pained whine of, "Michiruuu…"
Michiru didn't reply, only stepping away from Haruka and turning on her heel to leave. She had to keep back a smile when she heard Haruka whine audibly, but for a different reason. "Wait, wait, I'm sorry Michi!" Haruka apologized quickly, grasping Michiru's wrist to keep her from walking any further. The blond pursed her lips, thinking for a way to keep the girl here. Michiru listened closely as she heard a slow sigh.
"Hey, I can teach you how to hold it, okay?" Haruka offered and Michiru just had to turn back around at the childish tone her voice turned into. She looked at Haruka up and down, seemingly pondering the offer although just by seeing the pleading look on Haruka face, it was a yes.
A sigh and Michiru let herself crack a smile. "Fine. Show me."
Haruka let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief at Michiru's quick forgiveness, nodding and smiling at the aquanette. "Alright. Just hold on a second," Haruka told her while stripping herself of her armor, letting the metal fall to the floor in a pile. She stretched at being free from the metal, letting out a soft groan before she smiled at Michiru's confused face. "I don't want the metal to bother you while I teach you."
That only made Michiru's confusion grow.
Picking up the sword, Haruka held it away from her, examining the weapon before smiling and moving behind Michiru instead. Before Michiru was able to ask what she was doing Haruka had moved closer to the girl, her front touching Michiru's back. Heat was quickly shared between the two, and at the sudden intimate position, Michiru had to hold a shuddering breath. Haruka gently grabbed Michiru's hand, her other holding the sword. Her fingers were longer the the violinist's as her palm held onto the back of Michiru's hand, guiding her to the handle of the sword before curling her fingers around the handle easily. Haruka rested her head onto Michiru's shoulder, hot breath tickling Michiru's ear and she even seemed unaware of his fact as well.
"Look," Haruka spoke, her breath rushing into Michiru's ear, chin tucking into Michiru's neck as she turned her head to look at the sword. "With me holding onto your hand, the sword doesn't feel too heavy, right?" Haruka asked her calmly, feeling Michiru shift slightly against her. Her back was still pressed against Haruka's front and the blond had already noticed the intimacy of the situation.
Haruka was taking complete advantage of it anyways.
Haruka felt Michiru take in a rather large breath, and she felt some satisfaction at feeling Michiru's back heave against hers. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she let out a strained chuckle into Michiru's ear, licking her lips before opening her eyes again. "Flex the muscles in your arm. You need those, just so you know." Haruka's teasing tone flowed into Michiru's ear again, and Haruka could swear she felt a shiver against her. After a moment the Uranian also felt the muscles in Michiru's arm tense up, and slowly, she removed her fingers from Michiru's. "Okay." Michiru's tone came out calm, and Haruka was left wondering if Michiru was feeling as she was. If she was, she was amazing at covering it.
".. got it?" Haruka said as she completely released Michiru's hand, watching carefully as the Neptunian faltered with the sword for a few seconds. Haruka let herself turn her head downwards, nose brushing against Michiru's neck as she quietly took in the sweet scent that filtered in her nose. She hoped that Michiru didn't know what she was doing—she could feel her lips brushing against her neck and a minute later she heard a sharp intake of breath from Michiru and the sound of the sword dropping to ground. Haruka snapped her head back up from Michiru's neck, looking at the fallen sword and then at Michiru.
"Hey, are you okay?" Haruka's words tumbled out faster then she thought they would. She had made a mistake, doing that to Michiru so readily. It would make sense if the girl was angry with her, displeased. She'd take whatever the punishment of words was. She had only known the girl for just over a week after all—what right did she have to do that?
"Haruka…" Michiru spoke slowly after regaining herself, and Haruka grimaced at what she was sure that was to come. Michiru was going to say something to her, something about not wanting to see her. Or maybe Haruka could fake a lie that it was a Uranian custom.
No, Michiru couldn't possibly be that stupid…
Haruka quickly moved her body away from Michiru's, nearly stumbling back on her own foot. She stretched again, to divert her attention away from having to look at Michiru, her gaze falling onto the sky after as she listened to the Neptunian's next words. She bit her lip.
"… your hands were cold, we should go inside." Michiru finally breathed out, smiling faintly at Haruka who looked dumbly at her. Haruka took a few seconds to wonder why she wasn't scolded, nodding and grabbing Michiru's hand as it was offered to her. She bend down to grasp her sword and pick up her armor, smiling slightly as relief flooded through her that Michiru must have decided to let her slide or something.
"Kay." Haruka responded pretty happily as she held the armor in one arm, her sword sheathed and strapped to her waist. She followed Michiru as they both went inside, walking down the empty corridor. Haruka had no idea how late it was, however, judging by the lack of servants in the halls, it must have been late enough that everyone was asleep. "Shh," Michiru sounded out to her, a finger on her lips in a gesture that Haruka found endearing. She let the girl lead her down the halls, seeing as if she were to do it, she'd probably get lost.
The two stopped in front of Haruka's room, Michiru looking up at the royal Uranian crest the hung over the door. Haruka squeezed her hand, a gesture that Michiru took as, "Hurry up and go inside, someone might see us."
Once again, it wasn't like their meetings were forbidden and anything. It was just that if they were seen together it would certainly spark some interest to everyone. And rumors were something Haruka and Michiru really didn't want around.
Michiru opened the door and squeaked softly as she was shoved in by Haruka, and when the two were in the safety of the room, Haruka let her weapon and armor fall to the ground. The thunk heard was loud and at Michiru's scowl, Haruka smirked in amusement at her. "You're gonna wake up your brother," Michiru scolded, hands on her hips.
"He deserves it." Haruka responded and smiled at Michiru innocently, something that made the scowl on Michiru's face deepen, though on the inside Michiru's resolve to scold her crumbled completely. After a minute of the two staring at each other, Haruka smiling and Michiru scowling, the Neptunian Princess finally gave up and sat on the bed.
"Hey, do you plan to stay here or something?" Haruka said as she saw Michiru get as comfortable as she could, a raised blond eyebrow as Haruka walked into the bathroom.
"No," Michiru answered, laying her head down on a pillow and sighing at the comfort it brought. "Just for a little while. No one's looking for me anyways, right?"
"Hopefully," Haruka said while closing the door, shrugging off her tunic and running her hands through her hair. She turned on the shower, setting the temperature to hot before stripping off the rest of her clothes. "It wouldn't be very good if they caught you in my room, you know." Haruka laughed slightly after she said this.
"Point taken," Michiru's voice was muffled by the door separating them and the rushing water. "Want me to leave?"
Haruka was about to protest with a, "No!" of desperation, only to catch herself quickly. She had done way too much in this short period of time anyways. She leaned against the door a little longer, closing her eyes. "I don't want you to get caught sneaking back into your room either, Michiru."
A soft sigh was heard in response and shuffling, Michiru getting up from the bed, Haruka guessed. She heard the footsteps move further away and she couldn't keep the frown that slithered onto her face away. "Fine, Haruka. I'll see you tomorrow?" Michiru already knew the answer, and she could already picture that smile on Haruka's face as she replied.
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
She left the room and Haruka, also leaving Haruka with her thoughts.
-0-
When Michiru got into her room, falling down onto her bed, she cursed into a pillow. Something was awfully wrong. Something had to be awfully wrong, because what Michiru was thinking was in no way right, and if it was true, it was something Michiru was going to berate herself over later. Or now. Now was a good time to do so.
She was currently attracted to Haruka.
She did know one thing for certain though; she had to stop it. Being attracted to Haruka in itself wasn't bad… if she weren't in this position. In her position, being attracted to Haruka was bad. Bad in terms that at the moment, Michiru's brain could not even properly comprehend. But no, the attraction wasn't too bad, right? It was just a little crush. She had a little crush on Haruka and it would leave soon.
At the moment, Michiru Neptune had a "little" crush on Haruka Uranus.
-0-
A/N: I hope that everyone enjoyed the little HaruMichi scene I added in there. I think Haruka needs to learn how to keep her hands to herself. C; I know this chapter seemingly has nothing to do with anything, but it'll tie into some things later. I know this chapter seems insanely random as well, but don't worry. It was mostly meant to build up their relationship as I stated before—but don't worry(or worry xD), they aren't going to get together juuuust yet. I don't want this to be a completely rushed thing either.
Reviews are appreciated!