A/N: Another chapter for you all! I'm going to admit that I'm making up this story basically as I go along, as I believe I have stated before. So I myself have no idea how this is going to turn out, not a clue more then you do! I know most of you must be excited to see something happen between Haruka and Michiru, and believe me, I'm just looking for the right time to insert the scene I have in mind. I'm sure it'll be pretty enjoyable.
I might have to bump up the rating of this story to an 'M'. I'm still not sure whether I should, so I'll give it some thought before I do that. Can I get any feedback to how you all would feel if I did bump up the rating a bit? I'd love some of your opinions, such as whether it would drive you away or closer, haha.
AlterEgoErin; o: Thanks for all the reviews you've left so far! It's nice to have your opinion on each of the chapters, and I'm really glad that you're enjoying my story so far. You're right, I haven't stated whether Naiad is older or younger then Proteus, but it'll be revealed soon. Haruka and Titan just might have a fight at this rate, you're right about that. C;
Petiyaka; I'd be pretty jealous is my sister was stealing such a pretty girl away from me too. :'D Haha, thanks for the review.
Haruki97; Yep, he's finally noticed how sneaky Haruka is being. C; I definitely hope my story will be able to entertain you for a while! Thanks for the review.
Beu; I'm glad you're liking this so far! Haha, yes, I tend to do that as well when other couples I don't like are in the reading. So I don't mind if you decide to skip those parts, as I know I would if I didn't like the couples either. Either way, I hope you still enjoy my story. Those couples won't be coming in for a while.
Miharu; Only starting to hate Titan? That's a surprise, I thought everyone already hated him! xD
Tripower; I'm glad this is one of your favorite stories! I hope it stays that way. C:
gxFANGIRL XD; Haruka will make him pay! xD
hankthefluuphiwaffle; Drama indeed. xD
SangLune; Probably. o3o

-0-

Quietly sneaking into the room, lightened green eyes peeked into the darkness. She could faintly make out the outlines of a lavish bed and other articles in the room, and from the outlines, she could make out that the room was pretty clean. She took a silent step into the room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it as she allowed her eyes time to adjust to the darkness. The only sound in the room was the slow ticking of a clock nearby, and if Haruka's eyes had already adjusted correctly, it was the piece of furniture at the far corner of the room. She moved her eyes away from it to stare at the bed instead. Or, more accurately, the person sleeping in the bed.

Haruka's lips twitched up into a grin as she quietly made her way forward, completely silent, feet not even making any sounds as they hit the floor. Stealth was something that had been injected at her practically at birth; sneaking into a room undetected was far too easy. A joke, even.

She paused when she made it to the edge of her target's bed, letting her eyes run over the sleeping woman. She noticed how relaxed her body was as she slept, slow, even breaths relaying no sign of distress. Her aqua hair was splayed all over the pillow, face turned in Haruka's direction. Her body was covered by blue covers, arms comfortably keeping them there. A soft sigh of contentment escaped her and she shifted slightly.

For a moment, Haruka felt guilty about what she was about to do. But hey, what could be done? She had to do this. After all, there was no better time then now.

"Hey, Princess, wake up." Haruka's tone was low in the room and she hoped she could at least wake up the beauty peacefully. Michiru only shifted over to the side, apparently oblivious to the words. Haruka let out a chuckle as she leant closer to the girl, seeing her colored eyebrows tug down gently. "Ruka?" The question was in a whisper and soon after the word Michiru seemed to doze off again.

A low grunt from Haruka escaped. "Comon, Princess, we have a lot to do today." She didn't let go of the honorific, a smirk gracing her face. She knew that Michiru was always particularly irked when Haruka called her so formally in private. Her complaint was always the same, "We're friends, Ruka, that is so unnecessary."

Michiru fully turned on her side, pulling the covers up above her head and curling up into a little ball. Something that Haruka personally was finding adorable. Then again, with Michiru being uncooperative. "Ruka… what are you doing here?" Michiru said, voice grouchy. Haruka held back a snicker at the sound of her voice, sitting down next to Michiru on the bed and hearing the girl give another low groan at the feeling. "… go away…"

"Michiru, wake up or I'll force you up."

Michiru would have quirked an eyebrow up at the statement, or at least been concerned, but she was far to tired to even care. She just wanted to go back to sleep. And that she tried to do. She just curled up tighter in her ball, closing her eyes and ignoring the threat. "Michiru…" She heard the murmur and chose to ignore it instead.

Probably not the wisest decision.

Haruka slipped under the covers, just before she slithered her arms around Michiru's waist, mildly grinning at the gasp she heard from the girl. Just before a stuttered version of her name was about to leave her lips, Haruka let out a snicker as her fingers went to work. "Right here, right?" The breathy chuckle was whispered into Michiru's ear, and the only thing in response was a gasp and a giggle that followed after. Haruka's grin widened and she pulled the other closer, hearing giggles increase to light laughs. Michiru jerked and thrashed in her arms, which only made Haruka grasp her tighter, a purr of, "Nu-uh," escaping her lips and drifting into her ear. Michiru's cheeks were flushed and she squirmed in her tight spot, moving her head from side to side until it finally landed on Haruka's shoulder. "S-Stop, stop! H-Haruka!"

Haruka smirked as she stopped tickling the aquanette.

Michiru left her head on Haruka's shoulder for a while, giggles and squeals finally toning down as she fought to catch her breath. Her chest heaved as she breathed deeply. All of that sudden squirming and laughing had gotten her worked up, and Haruka's fingers pretty much did the trick. Michiru was awake and she doubted she was able to fall back asleep. She closed her eyes, letting out a huff of air when she heard Haruka laugh gently behind her. She slowly felt the blond's hands slide out of under her shirt, warm, calloused touch disappearing and instead resting against the fabric of her nightgown. She made no effort to move and neither did Haruka.

"Hmm, well…." Michiru could feel her friend's chest heave as a breath was taken, and she chose to continue leaning on her. She could feel the faint thump of Haruka's heartbeat, and fought to not question the quickened rate of her heart. She turned her head to look at Haruka's expression; a sly grin and sparkling green eyes. "I was telling you to wake up, wasn't I? This was the last resort."

Michiru snorted at the reply, tempted to close her eyes but afraid of what Haruka would do – or resume doing – if she did. "Really, Haruka?" She let out a sigh that was meant to sound disappointed… though the content was hidden in it. Being in Haruka's arms wasn't too bad, and she even felt more comfortable like this then bundled up in blankets. How could she even think that? She inwardly scolded herself.

"Yeah. Really. You're real stubborn, you know that?" Michiru responded with a light grunt. The two stayed silent for a few more moments, before Haruka finally withdrew her arms and shifted away from the other. She stood up, rubbing her neck and yawning. "Comon, get up and get ready."

Michiru raised an eyebrow. Right, she still didn't know why Haruka had come to wake her up today. She could not recall anything that needed to be done. Speaking of which, what time was it? Her gaze wandered over to the closed window, not seeing even the occasional little peek of light from it. She turned back to look at Haruka. "What? Haruka, what time is it?"

Haruka disregarded the second question. "Remember the conversation we had yesterday? The one we had before my idiot brother came to whisk you away?" The last comment was insanely sarcastic.

Michiru sat up, pushing the blankets away from her gently and swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She stared at Haruka for a few minute, urging the girl to continue. Yes, she remembered talking with Haruka earlier yesterday, but what was so important about that?

"Well, today's the day we're going to start your training."

Michiru did not respond. Which was okay, for Haruka was not about to push her for words. What Haruka was going to push her to do, however, was to get dressed. She quickly busied herself with rummaging through the artist's closet.

"Haruka!" Michiru immediately scolded at the sight of the tomboy carelessly looking through her articles of clothing. She stood up and began to walk towards her, a frown appearing on her lips. "Right now? At this moment?" Her eyes darted back to the dark window and the lack of sunlight. "And just what time is it?"

"I hope you know how repetitive you just sounded, Michi." Haruka's tone was playfully smug and she stood up straight after looking in her closet. "Don't you have anything suitable for training? Hell, even a tunic would work." Michiru pushed Haruka out of the way gently, looking through her own closet this time. She shuffled through a few clothes. Her closet was composed of everything but training material.

"It's not as if I'm particularly prepared for this sort of thing, you know. They kind of don't train me." Michiru reminded Haruka as she felt her head peek into her closet again. Michiru pulled out a tunic she hadn't used in a long time, and both of them raised an eyebrow at the same time. "That's it?" Haruka finally said.

"Do you want me to put it on or not?" Haruka shrugged in response, rubbing her neck again and leaning against the wall, watching Michiru hold it up to herself.

"It looks a little small. You sure it'll fit?"

Michiru did not reply to that, only resting the get-up on her counter and turning to look at the amused Haruka. "I'm going to check. Are you just going to stand there and watch me?"

"Why not?" Haruka smirked at her, before laughing gently at the glare she received. She put her hand over her eyes, turning around to face the wall. "Aw, Michi, I thought we were all girls here." Haruka feigned hurt as she heard the ruffling of fabric. Her cheeks tinted pink at the thought of Michiru stripping right behind her.

Certainly not a good thought to be having at the moment. She shifted awkwardly, trying to clear her thoughts only for Michiru's to pop in.

"You? A girl? Hilarious, Ruka." A scoff from Michiru. Haruka wasn't hurt, for she knew that the aquanette was just smiling behind her.

"Ouch," Haruka said childishly, faking a sniffle and shifting again. "That really burns, you know?"

"Sure, Haruka." The sound of the door opening reached Haruka's ears and she took it as her cue to turn around. She spotted Michiru silently walking outside, following her and closing the door behind her when they both stood in the hall. Haruka let her eyes run over Michiru's form, seeing that the tunic wasn't as small as they previously thought it would be.

"Comon, follow me." Haruka walked down the hall and heard Michiru's steps behind her's, albeit a bit slower. She took a few turns in the halls and hearing a small curse from Michiru, she let a smirk appear on her lips. The fact that she was still drowsy and that the halls were dark didn't seem to be helping at all. "Are we going to the training grounds?"

"Yep." Haruka slowed down so that Michiru could catch up with her, realizing her strides were far too wide. Michiru appeared next to her a moment later, and they both resumed walking at a steady pace until they reached the entrance to the training grounds. Haruka opened the door for Michiru, waiting until said girl walked outside before she followed, closing it gently.

"Haruka, the sun isn't even out yet…" Michiru muttered mostly to herself, staring up into the night sky, illuminated by the moonlight only. The soft glow was enough to help her see in the darkness, and she briefly wondered how early it was. Judging by the fact the sun wasn't up it must have been early, but just what time was it?

"I know. I'd rather train when the sun is up, however…" Haruka stretched as she looked around the yard, making sure there was no one around. "I don't think people would take kindly to seeing me train you, Princess, so this was the only time I could manage to without questions." She let a pout form on her lips, and Michiru sighed in response.

"You do have a point. How am I supposed to see in this dim lighting though?"

Haruka walked away from Michiru, pausing as she bent down to get something. She came back up with a lantern, smiling wryly at the other as she pulled out a pack of matches from her pocket. "I borrowed these, hope you don't mind." She set to lighting the lanterns she had, before hanging them up on various posts around the grounds. The darkness lightened up softly.

Michiru saw Haruka set each of them down carefully, walking back to her after. "So, a question for you, Michi."

"Hm?"

"Hand to hand combat experience?"

Michiru stayed silent for a bit, coaxing Haruka to give a long, deep sigh. "We have a long way to go."

-0-

After a few long minutes of Haruka getting the other to be in the right position, Haruka finally stood up straight, hands on her hips as she judged the form Michiru was in. Every time the girl moved her foot would slide away from it's original position, making Haruka have to go back and correct it once more. She couldn't teach the other how to fight without teaching her the basics, and position was an important thing in combat. Haruka had to hold back another breath when she moved to fix Michiru's position one more time, straightening out her back with her hand.

"Hey, Haruka?" Michiru said while she got into position, watching as Haruka walked away only to turn and regard her again. "Yes?" Haruka responded, crossing her arms before nodding at the sight before her.

"I want to make a compromise." Haruka raised an eyebrow at the question, but didn't shrug it off. A compromise? Haruka walked a little closer to Michiru now, grasping her hand and moving it a little upwards, into a defensive blocking position.

"Compromise?" Haruka let out a little chuckle as she gingerly flung her arm forward, grinning in satisfaction when Michiru successfully blocked her blow with her arm. Her gaze went down to her feet, checking her position and nodding . "I'm going to teach you how to be on the defensive."

Michiru nodded in response. "If I'm allowing you to train me right now, then you have to let me do something." Haruka paused for a second. In all honesty, the thought of what Michiru would want her to do was intriguing, so she allowed it. She stood up straight, gesturing for Michiru to do the same so they could talk.

"I just might take you up on that offer you had earlier." Michiru watched Haruka's features turn completely confused and she smiled. Of course the girl wouldn't remember; that conversation had been way back on the second day they had met. Michiru stretched, leaning against a post and holding back a giggle at the expression on Haruka's face. Finally, a sigh left the blond.

"Nope. No idea. Care to enlighten me?" Haruka crossed her arms.

"Haruka, what would you think if I asked to draw you?" Haruka seemed to tense up slightly at the question, before a sly smile made it onto her lips and she chuckled softly in response.

"You want to draw me?" Haruka replied with a faint smile on her lips, closing her eyes and tilting her head downwards as she gave it some thought. Having Michiru draw her… the fact that Michiru even wanted to paint her was surprising in itself. She ran a hand through her hair, turning back up to look at the smaller girl.

"It'd be nice. I'd love to, actually." Michiru admitted.

Haruka gave it some thought. "Only one picture?"

"Yes. Just one picture, if that all you want." Michiru affirmed, looking at Haruka for a positive response. She noted the bemused look that graced the Uranian's features. "But," Michiru started to say just before Haruka replied. "It has to be anything I want."

Haruka let out a light laugh, shaking her head in amusement. So there was a catch in this catch, wasn't there? Haruka was a little bit nervous about the prospect, but then again, it couldn't be anything too bad, could it? "If I do agree, when would you do this?"

"Whenever you're free. Though, I'd love to get it done sometime between this week or next week."

Haruka let out a slow breath, contemplating this. She finally let a complete smile arise on her lips, striding towards Michiru and stopping just in front of her. She bent down so that her eyes were level with Michiru's. "Fine. Let's do that sometime next week. Okay? I wanna take time to train you all this week."

Michiru took the chance immediately, nodding.

"Now let's work on your defensive skills…"

-0-

Naiad stretched as he walked down the halls, seeing the sunlight peeking out from under the curtains situated in the halls. He paused in front of a door, letting out one more yawn before he opened it. He walked outside, squinting slightly at the sunlight, before finally rubbing his eyes and taking a careful look around the training yard. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, continuing forward only to pause again. He blinked a few times in confusion, looking around as his blue eyebrows darted up under his bangs. "Uh.." He walked over to an unlit lamp, though judging by the looks of it, it had been recently used.

He carefully picked it up and off of the post, examining it closer and let out a confused, "Huh."

"What's that?" He heard his older brother's voice appear from behind him, followed by a childish and pretentious snort following. Naiad rolled his eyes at the next remark, spoken by a female voice.

"A lantern, can't you see? They're nearly everywhere here." Thalassa brushed back her straight, aqua hair and stepped next to Naiad, who put the lamp back down. The male scratched the back of his head, turning only to see Proteus walking into the field and towards another recently used lamp.

"That's a little weird. They seem to have been recently used." Proteus finally uttered as he collected it, bringing it back to where Naiad was standing and setting it down. He stared back up into his brother's questioning expression, then at Thalassa's amused one. "Late night training? Ohh, suspicious…"

"Don't start rumors, Thalassa." Proteus calmly retorted, rubbing his chin before looking at Naiad. "Do you have an idea who it must have been? I have a few thoughts."

Naiad shrugged, staring at the lamps, then back at his two siblings. "Either one of the Uranians? Maybe they didn't want to disturb our early morning training, so they opted to train at night or hell, really damn early." He saw Proteus frown at the minor choice in language, before shaking his head and sighing.

"Well apparently they don't know how to clean up after themselves." Thalassa spoke smugly, gesturing to the lamps, to which she earned a scowl from Naiad. Naiad crossed his arms, rubbing his head and scoffing. "You know, they at least seemed considerate enough to not mess with our routine."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Naiad gave her another look.

"You're just as much of a pompous ass then the Prince. Maybe you two should hook up instead." At the face Thalassa made, Naiad gave a smirk, knowing he had practically won at the moment. When Thalassa opened her mouth to remark, Proteus stopped them both.

"Oh stop that you two. Watch your language as well, Naiad." Proteus went to collect the other lanterns, Naiad following behind him. The two put each of the lanterns neatly in a corner, finishing up quickly. They both returned to standing next to Thalassa, and then Proteus spoke once more. "It's odd as to why they'd train so early though. The lanterns were recently used, so the only conclusion is that they woke up very early."

Both Naiad and Thalassa shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe afternoon training just isn't for them."

Proteus gave a slight sigh, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them as he mused over this. Maybe whoever was training just didn't want to be seen. It was hard to believe they'd go through all this trouble when they could just train in the afternoon. A slight smirk graced Proteus' lips, and although he didn't voice it, he had another thought that Naiad certainly shared.

Their curiosity was piqued.

-0-

A/N; I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I really liked writing this one and I'm definitely going to get back on track with this story. It's just been so hard since I've been feeling a pull towards Madoka Magica at the moment. xD Were any of you are Supercon in Florida this year? I was there and I was the Mugen Gakuen Haruka on Sunday! If any of you were there and saw me, I'd love to hear you guys say so. xD It would be really cool.
Reviews are appreciated!