Author's notes: See! I did manage to update this week! . Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this, your long awaited first PROPER interaction between the lovely Haruka and Michiru. I wish I owned them, however, I do not, so the usual disclaimers apply.
I love reviews, incidentally. Like most authors, it's a rush, but while appreciated, they aren't required (obviously). Please, enjoy and I'm going to do my absolute best to write more often so that I can update like this more regularly. ^_^
OH! And italics are text messages. Because they text. A lot.
Standing out on her balcony, Michiru stared up at the moon. The flood of memories coming back to her had slowed. They weren't as painful now as they had been at first. At least not physically. Memories of stolen moments brought an entirely new level of pain to her life. Still, she welcomed them, hoping to understand herself, how to access the powers she'd once had. The answer to why she'd been reborn had been given that afternoon, which was why, she was sure, Setsuna had made sure she and Uranus were in attendance. She wondered if Haruka realized it yet. Or what the other girls had to do with it? Or were they all just friends? The latter seemed unlikely. Her phone buzzed and danced on the bistro table behind her.
We need to talk.
Michiru nodded, her fingers ghosting over the screen. Another nod and she added the contact: H. Tenoh. For a moment, she'd thought to put her in as Uranus, or even Haruka, but one was a security risk, the other far too intimate.
She began to respond, then erased the response irritably. There was no reason to be angry with the woman for being involved already. After all, she could still feel the oath they'd sworn in their previous life. It wasn't as if they could actually be together here. Pain gripped her chest and Michiru closed her eyes, shaking her head until the pain receded to the dark corners of her soul. She couldn't focus on that.
Agreed. Do you want to come over?
She shouldn't have suggested it. Not only was it far too provocative, Ami was quite possibly still up studying. The moment the text was sent, Michiru began typing furiously to apologize. The response came too quickly.
No. Here.
Michiru stared at the screen for a few moments, completely at a loss for what to say. Neptune would know what Uranus meant, but she wasn't just Neptune and the woman on the other end of the line was most definitely not just Uranus.
Where's here? Text? I don't think that's a better idea. And you have a girlfriend.
When the expected response didn't come right away, Michiru ground her teeth together. Was she not supposed to point out the obvious? She knew she shouldn't care. They were forbidden each other, not condemned to celibacy. With a final angry glare at the moon, Michiru headed inside, deciding to end the day before she got any more surprises.
Change of plans. Downstairs. Bring a jacket.
"Insufferable. Even here." The thought of ignoring the text was tempting, particularly since it had taken the other woman a full twenty minutes to respond. Knowing full well she was being childish, Michiru waited to respond to the text. She looked at herself in the mirror. The clothes from the party seemed inappropriate now, but she hadn't bothered changing afterward. She might have chosen something else had she gotten fully changed for bed. As it stood, she was debating if her crochet cardigan was an appropriate jacket. She wasn't entirely sure she cared but in the end she shrugged it off. "Maybe I'll get lucky and hate her." The plea was hollow, even to her own ears. Even with a different childhood, Haruka was Uranus, and Neptune had responded to her, even from miles away and through a television screen. The best she could hope for was to find a pale substitute.
Are you coming?
Michiru could hear Uranus's tone even through the text. She smirked and typed her own response before grabbing her white windbreaker from the closet and slipping on her shoes.
Patience. Trying to decide what to wear.
Don't make me come up there.
Michiru stepped out of the elevator and saw the blond standing outside by her car. Haruka couldn't see her just yet, not unless she was looking exactly at the elevators, which she wasn't. She hit send on her text.
Tempting.
Taking a breath to still her nerves, she headed toward the taller woman. Flirting probably wasn't the best line of defense, but it seemed better than wallowing in the awkwardness. Besides, if she didn't think about it too much, it seemed natural. Almost.
"You really are too easy," she teased lightly, stepping outside the doors. Haruka looked up from the phone offering the shorter woman a glare, then down to the screen briefly. Michiru watched her finger hover before closing the phone. Perhaps she'd gone too far? Though when it came to them, how far was too far? She didn't know anymore, though pretending like they didn't know each other, that she didn't have those memories? She would only do if she had to. If that's what they agreed on.
"Just get in." Haruka opened the door to the car for Michiru, none of the irritation she heard in the woman's voice showed in the gesture. Michiru nodded and did as asked, opting to not antagonize her companion any longer.
With the top down and the wind in her ears, Michiru didn't bother trying to start the conversation. There were some things you couldn't rush, and Uranus was one of those. She might be all too willing to charge into battle, but only when it suited her. If forced into something, the woman could dig her heels in with the best of them. So, Michiru waited, enjoying the ride and watching the city thin out around them as Haruka headed along the coast. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she turned to smile gently at the woman who was trying so obviously hard to ignore her presence.
It wasn't until they were well beyond the night traffic that the car slowed. Michiru kept her silence out of respect for her companion as the woman rolled the car into a scenic pull-off. Under other circumstances, the scene would be romantic: the giant moon over the ocean, the wind in her hair. It really was a shame, Michiru thought. Cruelty.
"Why did you interrupt earlier?"
Michiru turned in her seat, the chuckle she felt dying in her throat as she noticed the white knuckles still gripping the steering wheel. "Because there was no point in the two of you fighting when she wouldn't give you the answers anyway."
"She might have."
"You don't believe that."
Haruka sighed loudly and hit her steering wheel with her palm. "None of this makes sense. I don't get it."
"Tsukino-san didn't give you a gift today, did she?"
Green eyes flashed under the moonlight. "I'm talking about this…whatever this past life idiocy is and you're talking about presents at a party?"
Michiru tried to look calm without looking patronizing. She shook her head. "Tenoh-san."
"Haruka."
"Pardon?"
"I can handle a lot of things, but for you and I to pretend to be strangers," she shook her head. "Call me Haruka."
Michiru nodded, "Of course, Haruka-san." Green eyes flashed again, "Would you prefer Haruka-kun?"
"I would prefer…" She stopped and hung her head, nodding. "Sure. Let's go with that." Michiru gripped her hands together to keep from reaching out to the tormented woman next to her. It physically hurt to hear pain from the low voice. There should be no distance between them, not even the distance of syllables, but there would always be. There had to be.
"You were right, you know." Michiru offered, hoping to avoid more confrontation that shouldn't exist. When Haruka didn't look up, she continued. "I imagine you figured out who Setsuna was?"
The blond nodded. "There's only one person in the universe who could get under my skin like that."
"She wasn't precisely trying to deny it, was she?" Michiru relaxed slightly as Haruka chuckled dryly, shaking her head. "Anyways, I haven't figured out everything, but I know why she wanted us there. Tsukino-san."
"What about her?" Haruka finally turned her head to face Michiru. The green eyes searched blue for a moment before going wide. "Are you sure?"
Michiru nodded. "I felt it when she gave me a present. It wasn't much, a glass dolphin, but as she thanked me, offering me a gift of appreciation, something shifted and I knew. There was no doubt." She shrugged and turned to face the sea. "Even if there had been, the lengths Setsuna-san went to make sure you and I were both there? How hard she was pushing to have you prove Uranus was inside you? She confirmed it. Tsukino-san is the reincarnation of our Princess." She refused to turn back around to watch the play of emotions she knew had to be crossing Haruka's face. Let her have some privacy, some time to absorb things.
"Our service hasn't ended, has it?"
The heartbreak in Haruka's voice broke Michiru's resolve and she bowed her head, shaking it as she turned glistening eyes to face broken green ones watching them fade into the resolve of the warrior Neptune once knew. "No, it hasn't." A single nod was all Haruka offered her before turning to face the front of the car again. "How much do you remember?" Michiru's voice was soft, quivering just slightly.
"Enough." It was Michiru's turn to nod in silence, turning to face the direction Haruka stared into. Both stole sideways glances at each other, not daring to linger too long. "If I'd known we'd be betrayed—"
"No, stop. Please. I need no temptation to commit treason with you."
"That oath was to the Queen."
"That oath was tied to our service to the Princess."
"The Queen left us to die."
"I know."
Michiru stared into the horizon, willing the tears to not come. The wind played in her hair, enticing her to close her eyes and relax. She knew she couldn't, not completely. Her guard would never be fully down again.
"Soldiers first."
Haruka's low voice brought Michiru out of her reverie and she looked up at the determined eyes of the woman next to her, smiling gently and nodding, taking the hand that was offered. Friendship was not forbidden. It couldn't be. They had to work together too closely.
"Soldiers first," Michiru echoed, gaining a nod in response.
"Are you going to confront Pluto?"
"That depends."
"On?"
Michiru shrugged, "On whether or not it becomes necessary. Or worth it."
"Right."
##
It was nearing one o'clock in the morning when Haruka pulled up to Michiru's building. Most of the evening had been spent in silent contemplation, broken occasionally by awkward conversation and renewals of promises made a lifetime ago. In the end, Haruka felt worse, but determination was never a stranger to her. Wrapping herself in the comfort of the righteous soldier, she accepted her fate. At least Michiru hadn't been one of those sobbing silly girls who needed to be rescued. No, her tears were worse because they were the tears of a soldier who had resigned herself. A partner who tried to remain strong even as her world crumbled before her.
As the aqua-haired woman walked into the building, Haruka sighed, turning her head to the sky offering wordless prayers to gods she wasn't sure she believed in. The part of her that was Haruka wanted to be insulted that Michiru had so readily agreed to remaining just friends whereas the part that was Uranus mourned her lover and admired the soldier.
Speeding into the night, Haruka headed to face the other demon waiting for her. A bed and the arms of a woman she knew for certain she didn't love. Maybe the couch didn't sound so bad tonight.
The lights were off when she got home and Haruka carefully put her keys on the table in the entryway as she slipped her shoes off. It wasn't unusual for her to go out for late night drives. Not common, but not unheard of. She would curl up on the couch and offer the honest, if deceptive, excuse that she hadn't wanted to wake the other girl. Everything was going according to plan. Everything except the cat sitting on her kitchen table. On her sword.
"You have a death wish, cat." She lunged quickly, grabbing and swiping with the sword in a fluid motion she hadn't realized she practiced. The cat screeched, leaping out of the way almost a moment too late. The cat bolted toward Minako's room, skittering to a stop behind Minako. A very awake Minako, who was still dressed.
"Haruka?"
The tall blond blushed and lowered her sword. "It's late."
"I waited for you."
Guilt leapt up, grabbing her throat. There was no subtlety, no pause. The adrenaline rush faded quickly leaving only the guilt and a clawing at her soul she couldn't identify but knew was separate from the first. "I didn't mean to make you wait. I'm sorry."
Minako shook her head. "It's fine. I think we need to talk."
Haruka nodded, setting her sword down on the table once again, sparing a chance to send an icy glare at the animal who seemed to cock its head inquisitively. Motioning to the couch, Haruka led the way, assuming the younger blonde would follow. She frowned as the shorter woman sat on the edge of the couch, her hands clenched in her lap.
"We've been friends for a long time."
That was never good. Haruka nodded, wishing she felt worse about the direction she thought Minako was heading in. "You've been one of my best friends for a long time."
Minako nodded, shaking slightly. "That's…that's why I think we should break up."
She couldn't keep the twinge of pain she felt when her pride wanted to defend itself. The larger part of her was relieved. She wouldn't have to do the breaking. She offered her classic smile, "We both knew this couldn't last. You're straight, Minako."
"I didn't want to be." While her body had already begun to shake, it was the first pain she'd let slip in her voice.
"I know. It's all right. I don't regret it." It was the truth, she realized. As much as the relationship had frustrated her, on multiple levels, she couldn't regret the closeness they'd shared, the bond that had grown between them. Minako had been in many ways everything she was supposed to want in a relationship, someone who would push her, encourage her to be the best version of herself she could be.
"I'm glad." Minako looked up at Haruka, offering a smile much calmer than the older woman expected. "I didn't want to lose the friendship."
"You won't." She chuckled. "I'll still come to all your performances and I'd like for you to come to my races."
Minako nodded. "Thank you." Haruka reached over and took her hand eliciting a smile from the younger woman.
"So, I guess you're free to go after Kaioh-san."
Haruka's eyes widened and her jaw slacked slightly. "Kaioh-san? Why would you…?"
She was silenced by a delicate finger on her lips. "I know you saw her. You left her card on the table."
Haruka stood up, shaking her head and running her hands through her hair. "It's not what you think. We're not. There is no possible way she and I could ever be an item." It took every ounce of self-control she had to keep her voice from shaking. No, she and Michiru could never be and Haruka hadn't admitted to herself how badly she wanted that until she'd voiced the denial. Still, she needed to give Minako an answer. She was still her best friend.
Pivoting on her heel, Haruka sighed, "I left her card on the table. Yes. I went for a ride, but I'm not chasing after Kaioh-san. She gave me a card because she wanted to make doubly sure you had her information." Not entirely truthful but not precisely a lie. "Minako, I may be many things, but I'm no cheater. You know that."
Minako nodded, "I know. I didn't think you had. I just, thought you might want."
Haruka chuckled, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way. Not every pretty girl in a skirt is a lesbian." She made a pointed look at Minako who blushed. It bothered her to be disingenuous about Michiru's sexuality, well Neptune's sexuality, but it was safer to act as though she didn't know. "So, are we good now?"
"Yeah, we're good." Minako nodded then hugged a surprised Haruka before turning. "Come on, Artemis. Bed."
Artemis.
Haruka barely kept her reaction in check as the cat took a final look at her before following his mistress. Artemis. White cat. Crescent moon on his forehead. Pluto's warning.
Shit. Minako was one of them. Haruka's hand shook as she retrieved her sword, only the grace and training of Uranus keeping the Talisman from clattering against the table. Last lifetime she nearly was exiled for a relationship with Neptune. How much worse would the charges of treason be now? Making it to her room, Haruka had never been so thankful in her life for being rejected.
Once inside the safety of her own room, she sent a text to her partner.
Until proven otherwise. All girls at party considered Senshi. Artemis found Minako. Talk again tomorrow.
Unable to deal with the matter further, she closed her phone and ignored the response without looking.
12