Author's note: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to yuuramlover, Samaka and OneTenoh. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well.

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Chapter 1 – Destined to meet

Haruka's heart was beating erratically as her legs propelled her faster along the track. Her hair was pasty with sweat and her muscles were beginning to ache, but she did not slow down. She wasn't running fast enough; she wanted to be like the wind. She wanted to escape the confusing thoughts that assaulted her mind relentlessly. But she could not outrun them; they always found a way to catch up with her. And she was running out of track.

Gradually, Haruka began to slow down, allowing her breath to stabilize and her legs to relax. Finally, she stopped. She looked back and grinned as she saw the others were far behind. A girl named Atsuko was the first to reach her and she was panting heavily. "I-don't-know-how-you-do-it-Tenoh-san", she stuttered, gasping for breath.

Haruka only shrugged. She waited for Atsuko to recover her breath and then they walked together towards the locker room. As they walked side by side, heads turned to follow them, but Haruka seemed to be completely oblivious to this scrutiny. Atsuko, however, was well aware of it, even though she knew she was not the one people were looking at. She risked a sideways glance at Haruka.

The tall girl walked with a confident stride. Her light hair was tousled by the breeze and her eyes stared straight ahead, but something about the curve of her mouth made Atsuko think that she was secretly pleased about the longing stares that followed her. "Tenoh-san, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

Haruka cocked her head like she wasn't sure she had heard right.

Atsuko explained. "Everywhere you go girls follow you with longing stares and sighs."

Haruka didn't have to look around to know she was right; she could feel the stares burning on her back.

"I wonder if all of them think you're a boy", Atsuko continued, not bothered by Haruka's silence.

At her words, Haruka smiled mischievously; she was sure most of these girls knew she was not a boy and that they didn't care.

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She looked magnificent; her whole body looked like it was built for speed. She was running fast, yet nothing indicated she was feeling tired. There was something incredibly serene about her expression… Michiru gave a sigh of longing, wishing she had brought her notepad with her.

Her eyes followed Haruka as she circled the track one last time and finally stopped. Soon, she was joined by a red-haired girl and they started walking away. Michiru got up and followed discreetly after them. If she was not so mesmerized, she would have seen other girls behaving strangely as Haruka walked by.

"Kaioh-san!"

Michiru whirled around, surprised to find a girl with pink hair and dark-blue eyes smiling warmly up at her. "Oh, Gray-san."

"You came! I thought you had things to do", Elsa said, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Well yes, but I found some time", Michiru replied dismissively. She turned back to where she had last seen Haruka, but she was gone.

"Looking for someone?" Elsa asked, following Michiru's stare.

"Hum, no… I was just-"

"My, my, Kaioh-san, did you come here hoping you would see Tenoh-san again?" Elsa teased, crossing her arms defiantly.

Michiru blushed in embarrassment; Elsa had guessed her real intentions and that made her feel uncomfortable. She was not the kind of person that allowed other people to see her emotions and it troubled her deeply that she had come here on an impulse just to see Haruka again. Not that she was about to tell Elsa that. Squaring her shoulders, Michiru spoke in what she hoped was a cold voice. "Don't be ridiculous, Gray-san. I only came here because you invited me."

Elsa gave her a pointed look. "Right… if you say so." When she noticed Michiru was about to protest, she added in a soothing tone: "Don't be mad, Kaioh-san! I won't talk about it again, ok?" Reluctantly, Michiru nodded. "Now, I'm going to get clean and you will wait for me."

"Is that so?" Michiru inquired, raising a doubtful brow.

"Yes, and then I will buy you lunch at that new restaurant we saw the other day. I want to hear all about this concert you are preparing", Elsa replied matter-of-factly, locking arms with Michiru and dragging her along.

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Haruka felt a jab in her stomach as she exited the locker room. A Goddess… that was what she was seeing. She was leaning casually against a tree and the wind was playing with her green curls. Her eyes were closed peacefully, as if she was enjoying the warm caresses of the breeze. Haruka stopped, admiring such perfection.

The soft skin of her neck was exposed and Haruka wondered how it would feel like to brush her knuckles there. Smooth and pale, that small patch of skin was inviting; Haruka could not look away.

"Tenoh-san!" Atsuko called and Haruka snapped immediately to attention. She turned around and followed after the red-haired girl, not daring to look back.

Michiru opened her eyes as she heard Haruka's name and saw her walking away. She watched her in silence a moment and then whispered: "We will meet again, Haruka." Even though she could not explain it, she was certain they were destined to meet.

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The darkness was swallowing the world. Haruka stared around in horror, unable to move, unable to breathe. The wind was cold and threatening; it spoke of terrors and fears. She wanted to run, she wanted to scream, but her body did not obey her commands.

And then, as the darkness grew closer, an eerie light shone in the sky; Haruka looked up, startled. "The Messiah… we have to find the Messiah…" a soft voice spoke and it seemed to come from the light. Haruka shielded her eyes with her hand, trying to see past the green glow, but to no avail. "Who is there?" Was that her voice, so feeble and scared?

"Find me…" The voice was fading and so was the light.

"WAIT!"

Haruka looked around, blinking and gasping, trying to make sense of what had happened. The dream had changed. She had never heard that voice before. What had it said? The Messiah, they had to find the Messiah. What did that mean? And who had said those mysterious words?

Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose, struggling to remember all the details. She thought she had seen a vague shadow through the light, but it had been too quick and the light had been too bright.

"Find me…" That voice had stirred something that had been hiding deep inside of her. It was as if she should remember something, something that had happened long ago. If she just focused enough…

"No!" Haruka said, shaking her head. Whatever it was, she did not want to remember it. She had the feeling that if she did, her life would change irrevocably.

To be continued…