Special thanks to: Samaka, UKT and Vientocortante. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well!

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Chapter 2 – Consuming dreams

The sunrays filtered through the glass, filling the room with a warm light. Michiru pulled her hair into a low ponytail and stared at the quiet waters with a smile of anticipation. Her days did not feel complete if she didn't come to the pool before school.

Inhaling, she dived. The water was warm enough and Michiru cut through it with easy strokes. Swimming came naturally to her. When people saw her swimming, they felt fascinated by her speed and gracefulness in the water. There was no one to watch her now, though, and Michiru preferred it that way. She did not consider herself a loner, but she did seek solitude more often than company. She had a few friends, but she had the feeling none of them understood her completely.

These thoughts soon left her mind as she delved into the pleasure of swimming. After ten minutes, she reluctantly climbed out of the pool and picked up a blue towel to dry her hair. School would start in less than an hour, so she had to hurry. Glancing one last time at the still waters, Michiru finally found the courage to leave.

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Speed. She was addicted to it. Nothing compared to the feeling of the wind ruffling her hair as she drove on the highway. The morning sun was just beginning to get warm and it tickled her skin pleasantly.

School was about to begin, but Haruka would rather drive aimlessly through the streets of Tokyo, enjoying that serene feeling that always took hold of her when she drove.

The nightmare seemed like a distant memory now, but Haruka knew it was just waiting to surface again. She would not allow it to cripple her. She would continue living her life until the nightmare faded completely from her mind.

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Michiru was acutely aware of the chatter around her. She clutched the book to her chest, doing her best to ignore the comments as she walked through the yard.

"Why is she always alone?"

"Does she think she is better than the rest of us?"

"I heard she is really rich..."

"That is probably the reason why she looks so smug…"

Walking as dignifiedly as she could, Michiru found a vacant spot near a tree and sat with her back against it. She opened the book and shielded her face with it, but she was not reading. She should be used to those comments by now, but they still bothered her.

As usual, people lost interest in her and resumed their conversations. Michiru relaxed and began reading.

"Did you go to the race? Tenoh-san won again!"

At the mention of Haruka's name, Michiru snapped to attention.

"I know she is a girl, but I wouldn't mind cruising along the beach on her car", a girl was saying, and her friends giggled in response.

"That makes two of us", another girl sighed.

Michiru lowered the book a fraction and observed the girls discreetly. Their faces were flushed and their eyes gleamed dreamily as they talked about Haruka. Elsa had been right when she said Haruka was popular among girls.

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Haruka crossed the yard with her hands stuffed on her pockets. Nothing in her posture indicated she was aware of the excited chatter that followed her every step.

"Did you see her on the race?"

"She won again! She is so cool…"

"She could take me for a ride any time…"

The shadow of a smile crept over Haruka's face, but she continued walking with a relaxed posture until someone called her name. Turning around, she saw Atsuko saying goodbye to a group of girls and then rushing to her side. "Good morning."

"Good morning", Haruka greeted back. She looked sideways at Atsuko, who was shaking her head as if in disbelief. Intrigued, Haruka looked back and saw the girls were giggling and covering their faces.

Atsuko sighed in frustration and said: "Really, this is getting ridiculous, Tenoh-san!"

Haruka frowned. "What is?"

"This!" Atsuko snapped, opening up her bag; Haruka's frown deepened as she saw a large number of envelopes protruding from the bag. "Do you know what these are?" Haruka shook her head no. "Love letters… for you!" Atsuko explained in a mortified tone.

Haruka tipped her head back and laughed softly. "How did you end up with all of those?"

Atsuko shot her a murderous look. "It all started with a girl from my class, who asked me to deliver her love letter to you. I agreed to it, but next thing I knew, girls from all over the school were following me around, begging me to deliver theirs as well!"

At these words, Haruka laughed even harder.

"Don't laugh, Tenoh-san! This is your fault! If you didn't encourage them, this wouldn't happen."

Haruka flipped her palms up, claiming innocence. "When do I ever encourage them?"

Atsuko opened her mouth to retort, but just then a girl dropped a book in front of Haruka and the blonde rushed to help her. Her knuckles brushed the girl's hand softly as she returned the book. "T-thank y-you", the girl stuttered, blushing furiously.

"No problem", Haruka replied, winking. "It's a pleasure to help a cute girl like you." The last words were spoken in a seductive tone.

Atsuko watched, stunned, as the girl blushed even harder and walked away. She turned back to Haruka.

"What?" Haruka said in response to the look Atsuko was giving her.

"When do I ever encourage them?" Atsuko repeated sarcastically, giving her a meaningful raise of her eyebrows.

Haruka winked slyly at Atsuko but made a face of innocence as she said: "I really don't know what you're talking about."

The red-haired girl snorted but made no further comments.

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The wave was approaching. She could only stare in horror as it grew higher and higher, towering over the tallest buildings. There was nowhere to run. They were all going to die.

Michiru's eyelids fluttered open, revealing her terrified blue orbs. She gasped for air as she sat on the bed, hand clutched to her chest; her heart was pounding violently against her ribcage.

Long minutes dragged by until Michiru trusted her legs to move. She padded barefoot to the studio and stopped in front of an unfinished painting. Her stomach clenched as she studied the painting. It was unlike anything she had tried before; it was dark and tragic.

"The end of the World", Michiru whispered in a drained voice. "How am I supposed to stop it?"

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Haruka wiped sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Running had calmed her mind somewhat after another restless night, but she was feeling tired and discouraged.

She had tried to ignore the nightmare, but it continued to grow stronger every night. It consumed her, obliterating all other thoughts. She was slowly losing her mind and running and driving were the only things that helped, but they were not enough to make her forget.

The green light was like a beacon in the middle of the darkness; it was impossible not to look. She desperately tried to see who was hiding behind it, but the light was too bright and it hurt her eyes.

The voice spoke again and the urgency in her words frightened her. "The Messiah… we have to find The Messiah. Darkness is coming and we have to stop it."

Haruka shook her head, blinking in confusion; the dream had crept onto her mind even when she was wide awake. "Damn it", she whispered, staring around. There was only other person running at such early hour, a girl with pink hair and olive skin. Haruka watched her discreetly, but the girl had her back turned to her, so she probably hadn't noticed her strange behavior.

Sighing in relief, Haruka turned her back on the track and began walking away, failing to notice a pair of apprehensive blue eyes following her.

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The poignant melody created by the violin was like a balm to her worries. When she played, the world faded into a distant corner of her mind. If she opened her eyes, she would see a room full of people watching her in awe. They admired her not only for her ability to play, but also because of her peaceful beauty. No one seemed to notice the aura of sadness that enveloped her. They only saw a beautiful girl who was lost in the melody she had created.

When Michiru finished playing, the auditorium was filled with applause. She slowly opened her eyes, reluctant to return to reality. She bowed and smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes completely. Again, no one seemed to notice.

As the applause grew fainter, Michiru bowed one last time and retired to her dressing room. It was only after closing the door that she allowed the smile to fade from her face. She kicked off her shoes and lowered herself onto the corner of the sofa.

She would have to go out eventually to greet the fans and the journalists, but she needed a few minutes on her own. Her eyes circled the room, but her mind was straying to the very thing she sought to forget.

"The End of the World is near. If you find the Talismans, you can stop it."

Michiru looked around, but there was no one there. The disembodied voice was gentle but firm, but it scared her. She covered her ears as she shook her head, refusing to listen, but then the voice spoke to her mind.

"Embrace your destiny as a chosen warrior and find the one who can help you on your quest for the Talismans."

"NO! I am not destined for anything. I am not a warrior!"

"I am not a warrior." Michiru repeated the words from her dream, but they sounded feeble to her own ears. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she angrily blinked them away. "I am not", she repeated, this time more firmly.

She was Kaioh Michiru, a girl with dreams and ambitions. She would not sacrifice those to chase after an illusion.