Authoress note: Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I last updated! But finally, I was able to find some inspiration to continue this story, and I really hope someone is still willing to give it a go. Thank you for your patience!

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Chapter 6 – Calling for you

"It's not a fantasy! I can see that scene clearly…"

"If someone has to do it, then you can do it…"

"I don't want to do it either…"

With a squeeze of guilt in her heart, Haruka pushed the sheets aside and sat on the edge of the bed with a hand pressed to her forehead. She wanted to scream, but her voice was trapped at the back of her throat.

She felt restless, lost, and above that, ashamed. In her own desperate attempt to outrun fate, she hadn't considered the possibility that Michiru might be feeling as trapped and desperate as herself.

"Coward… I'm a coward", Haruka said in a bitter voice. She got up and padded barefoot across the room, crossing her arms over her chest. Her pale reflection stared back from the mirror as she stopped in front of it; her hair was pasty and her eyes seemed somewhat dazed in the hours that preceded dawn.

"I… am… a… coward", she repeated; her eyes burned and her jaw quivered, but she refused to look away. "I am Tenoh Haruka, and I am a coward."

But even as she said those words, she could feel her body rebelling against them; a challenging brow was raised and a smirk wiped the defeated look from her face. She might be many things, but she was not a coward. She would look for Michiru in the morning, and together, they would make sense of that madness they had found themselves in.

Sleep came more easily when she returned to bed, and for once, the nightmare was replaced with images of porcelain white skin and eyes as deep and mysterious as the depths of the ocean.

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Michiru leaned against the tree, heart hammering, her breath coming in ragged bursts. She was surrounded by the excited voices of other students, but she had never felt so alone. Her mind had once again been filled with visions of destruction, but they had felt more intense and real this time, maybe because they had happened in broad daylight.

That had never happened before… had Haruka ever experienced it like that?

As the memory of their previous encounter sprang to her mind, Michiru could feel tears starting to build up, and she swallowed hard to stop them from coming. Crying would not solve anything and she wouldn't stand it if someone saw her in a moment of weakness.

As she took a deep breath to regain her composure, a hand clamped down over her shoulder; an involuntary cry of panic rose in her throat as she swiveled to see who had startled her.

"Kaioh-san, are you alright?"

"Oh, Gray-san…" Michiru mumbled as she met Elsa's confused stare.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", Elsa was saying, but her words sounded muffled to Michiru's ears. "You look really pale… are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine", Michiru replied in a shaky voice. "You just startled me."

"Do you want to stop by the cafeteria before we go to class? I think a chamomile tea would be good for you. And maybe you can tell me what it is that is making you so jumpy in these last few weeks."

"A tea would be nice, thank you", Michiru said in a voice that was beginning to sound normal. She knew she could not tell Elsa what was bothering her, but maybe the warm tea would have a soothing effect on her restless soul.

There was a churning feeling inside of her, and she could only hope that it went away if she did not allow herself to think about it.

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In the bright morning light, Michiru's skin looked paler than usual; from behind a tree, Haruka watched as the other girl crossed the yard at a hurried pace. Half-way across, Michiru stumbled a little and almost lost her balance; Haruka stepped forward, but after making sure that no one had seen her, Michiru started making her way towards the cluster of trees where Haruka waited.

It was obvious that Michiru was in distress, and in her haste to seek solitude, she had not seen that Haruka stood but a few feet away. Even though Haruka had come here this morning to speak to Michiru, she still found herself holding back.

There was no way of knowing what was going through the other girl's head, but her profile revealed a deep sorrow that Haruka hoped was not connected to the way she had behaved the previous night. But if it was, she would now correct her mistake.

Drawing a deep breath, she prepared to step away from the tree, but a glimmer of pink stopped her. Elsa Gray… Gritting her teeth in impatience, Haruka pressed her back against the tree trunk, hiding herself completely from the other two.

The distance that separated them was small, so Haruka heard their conversation and silently cursed her luck when they began walking away. Her own classes were about to start, so she couldn't follow them and hope to catch Michiru alone. And maybe it was better if they spoke in another place… "Guess I'll have some investigation to do…"

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There was a faint blush of color in the sky, but it would soon be dark. Sighing, Michiru picked up her towel and wrapped it around her body. Swimming had not dissipated the tension she had felt building up all day, and all she wanted now was to return home. After a quick shower, she was ready to go.

The wind had picked up while she was inside and the darkness was slowly setting around her. It was a short walk to her apartment, but the distance seemed bigger that evening; her legs felt heavy and the wind was unusually chilly for that time of the year.

She cut across the park to save some time, but something didn't feel right. She had felt tense and on edge all day, but now she was sure that something was about to happen. The hair on the back of her neck started to prickle and her eyes darted from left to right, but there was no one in sight.

Picking up her pace, she half-walked, half-jogged through the park; she was almost at the edge when it happened. A blood chilling scream pierced through the wind's howling; Michiru froze her stomach wrenching as the scream died abruptly.

She knew then a kind of fear like she had never felt before, but she also knew she couldn't just walk away. Inhaling sharply, she turned around and began running to where she thought the scream had come from.

Destiny had caught up to her and it was time to face it.

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Haruka closed the door and leaned against the car, looking up at the tall building. It was made mostly of glass, and the sky was reflected on it on shades of orange and pink. It was a beautiful sight, but that was not why she had come here. According to Atsuko, this was where Michiru came to swim almost every day. Hopefully, she would be there today.

Squaring her shoulders, Haruka headed for the door. If she had looked to her right, she would have seen a green head disappear behind a corner.

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Michiru ran until she found herself in a small clearing; standing in the middle of it was the strangest creature she had ever seen. It had arms and legs, but its skin was purple. Filled with a horrible fascination, she edged closer, but then the creature turned its chilling black eyes to her and Michiru froze. A few tense seconds went by and then the creature bellowed fearsomely.

Michiru stepped back as slowly as possible, but her motions set off the creature and it began running in her direction. Spinning around, Michiru darted for the trees, hoping to lose her pursuer there. She did not know what that thing was, but she would not stay behind to find out. She could hear it crashing after her, sounding closer and closer.

Michiru panted heavily as she zigzagged through the woods, terrified to look back, but more terrified for not knowing how close the creature was. She risked a frantic glance over her shoulder, and then she was soaring through the air.

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and the pain was so strong that for a second she forgot where she was. The sounds of branches breaking brought her back to reality and she rolled onto her back, wincing, but determined to kick her legs out at the approaching threat. Bracing for the worst, Michiru waited for the impact, but it never came.

Stunned, she scrambled to a sitting position and saw what had stopped the attack; a mysterious green light was hovering between her and the creature. Whatever it was, it seemed to bother the thing; its overly long arm was protecting its eyes.

Without pausing to think, Michiru heaved herself to her feet, moaning as the pain rippled through her body. There was something inside the orb of light, and Michiru stared at it, unsure of what to do.

Grab the pen…

"What?"

The creature thrashed its head at the sound of her voice, but the mysterious light was still keeping it at bay.

"Who said that?" There was no one around, but Michiru was sure she had heard a soft voice telling her to pick up the… pen? Narrowing her eyes, she stepped forward, hand outstretched. The voice spoke again and this time she realized it was ringing in her mind.

Grab the pen and fulfill your destiny as a Sailor Soldier…

"No!" Michiru shook her hand and let her hand drop. This was what the visions and the dreams had warned her about, and she knew that if she took the next step, there was no going back.

Everything will be clear once you grab the pen…

"No… I wasn't supposed to be alone! Haruka… Haruka was supposed to be with me! I can't do this alone!"

Find the strength you need within you… Close your eyes and feel it…

So she closed her eyes. With one last step and a shaky breath, her hand closed around the object that would change her life forever.

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"Dammit!" Haruka hissed as she pushed the door a bit more forcefully than necessary. Outside, she stopped to look at both sides of the street, but Michiru was not in sight. According to the lady in the reception, she had just missed her leaving.

She climbed onto her car determined to drive around the block to look for Michiru, but then she was hit by a wave of dizziness. Grabbing the steering wheel with both hands, she waited until her head stopped spinning and she could see straight again.

Michiru… Something had happened to her, she was sure of it. It was as if the other girl was screaming for her and she could feel it echoing deep within her soul. Michiru was calling to her and she could not answer her. "Forgive me…"