Chapter 4
Come as you are
Family days were a precious gem in the household of the Outers. Sometimes it was hard finding a way to spend some quality time together. But some days of the month were reserved just for the four of them. No studios, no labs, no racetracks or homework. Just the park, a picnic and sunbaths.
"Papa-Haruka, I found one" Hotaru called out for her parent who laid on the blanked her head hidden under the book she was reading earlier. She had fallen into a doze, but the voice of her daughter got her back to reality. "No, it flew away." The dismay in Hotaru's voice let Haruka's heart sink. This was the empathic commitment that every parent has when their child got irritated or sad. "What was it, princess?" Haruka crouched down next to the little girl. "A butterfly. Your favorite one. The blue with the white dots." "A Sasakia charonda?" Setsuna stepped to their side. Haruka looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Exactly." Setsuna stretched out her hand to Hotaru. "Maybe we find him again. Come on." Haruka stood up, watching the both walk away. Her heart swelled with love, seeing them in such a playful and relaxed mood.
"Can I win you for a cup of tea?" Haruka turned around to her wife, who held a thermos jug in her hands. The racer dropped back on the blanked next to Michiru. She gave her a cup of the steaming hot herb tea. "They kept this strange statue still in this park." Haruka looked up, following the gaze of Michiru to a nearby hill. She showed her teeth in disgust as she saw the heart shaped statue they both knew very well. A daimon hid in this ugly thing as they contested in this stupid game show a long while ago. "Can't believe that this thing shall enhance this area." "What thing?" a young voice behind Haruka's back asked. The racer turned around to her reappeared daughter. "Oh, I can tell you. This was quite an unpleasing day." "But somehow a bit romantic, you have to admit" Michiru added with a light giggle.
"I don't think they make it." Haruka squinted her face as this Umino guy failed badly at the affection contest they participated in. Michiru cringed as well. "It's like seeing a puppy wobbling around." Non-voluntarily, they were witnesses of the downfall of two teenagers dancing around in their relationship like some helpless idiots. Fools in love with a bigger weight on the fool part. "But he really loves her" the violinist assumed after observing them for another couple of minutes. Haruka sighed. "So maybe he can be the holder of a pure heart with a talisman? When it's his shoulders the world lies on, I will eat my hat." Michiru tilted her head. "But please don't wear one." The remark made the racer laugh. "Oh, come on" she cried out and hooked her arm around her lover's waist. It was still a bit weird to finally call her that. After all the time they spent together since her awakening as Sailor Uranus. And she was not sure if there could ever be more than friendship between them. Countless nights, she thought about what it would feel like taking her in her arms and kiss her. Now she knew it. How tender her lips felt on hers. Or how it is to wake up by her side. They never went further than this. Even in this pre-apocalyptic times, they take it slow. It would be the first time for the both of them. Making out was one thing but…
"Haruka? Are you still on this planet?" Michirun teased the taller girl as she drifted off in her thoughts. The racer shook her head to reassemble her mind. "Yes?" "Did you hear what I said?" "I… well… no." Michiru crocked one eyebrow. "OK, then, for our always well-sorted soldier." Haruka snorted, but Michiru was not put off by that. She had a very good time annoying her girlfriend. It was a play that deepened after they broke down the last remains of their walls.
"He must win this game. But I think we need to tap out for his chance." Haruka put on a face of fake sadness. "You break my heart, Michiru." "I will make up for this later. Promise." Then she looked around to make sure that no one watches them before she gave her lover a quick kiss. With a wide grin, Haruka laid her arm around the shorter girl's shoulder as they walked off to the stage. "They are so cute, and they work perfectly together" someone whispered in the crowd.
"Stop running so fast!" Neptune yelled after Uranus as they followed a daimon across the streets. "Hurry up. We don't have time!" Uranus was angry. Her partner was always so hesitant when it came to battle. To kill a victim of this ghastly wormlike transformation was the biggest fear of Neptune. That was something Uranus found out very quick. But in first line they had to find the talismans. And killing one to safe a million was a bitter price to pay. Nevertheless, she was willing to do so. After some turnarounds, the monster got stuck in an alleyway. "Now!" Uranus called out to Neptune and they both send their attacks down to the daimon. Dust clouds filled the air. After they vanished, a young girl in a school uniform laid down, coevolved in the dirt. No talisman in sight.
"You have such a fiery temper, Uranus." Neptune could not hide the fury in her voice. "Can you just slow down for once?" It was rather an order than a request. The other Sailor Guardian bristled with anger. They argued a lot about this issue. And they both were stubborn. "I am just straight forward. You are wandering around on eggshells with those daimons. In case you do not know it, I can remind you that you have indeed superpowers, Neptune. Still waters run in doubt with you." With this, Uranus crossed the line. But Neptune was tired of arguing. At least she was tired of arguing with words. Nobody saw it coming, but the well-behaved, calm and shy girl, Neptune seemed to be, was gone. Her anger turned into rage and gave her enough courage to punch her partner right in the face. It hurt on both sides. Furthermore, Uranus was in great disbelieve. "What the…" But Uranus was not able to end her sentence because Neptune already turned around and stomped away while transforming back into her civilian form.
"Michiru…" Uranus mumbles and transformed back as well. The heat in her heart was gone with one swoop. But she could not stand around doing nothing. She helped the girl and got her an ambulance. After doing her duty, she sat down on the sidewalk. It was not the best place but she felt too lost to think about this circumstance at all.
"Excuse me, but we have to bother you with some questions." A police officer turned to Haruka who was still in thoughts. With a blink she turned her head up to the uniformed man. He had a face she would hardly recognize if she ever saw this man again. Mostly because it was hidden behind big reflecting glasses. "Do you guys had an argument?" he asked pointing to Haruka's puffed eye. This would turn into a black eye, when she weren't a Sailor Guardian. "No. Another girl did this." The man huffed. "Ladykiller" he mumbled. Haruka sighed. She had not the nerve to correct the man who scribbled down some words. "I am out" the racer said getting herself up from the ground. The police officer tried to hold her back but Haruka pushed the man aside who fell to the ground. He yelled something after her. Something about disrespecting authority, but she didn't care. Her mind stuck on the last fight she had with Michiru. She replayed everything over and over again. There was no balance between them. And this fight could be the end of their partnership. They knew that they could only succeed if they make it work. But they had built walls around their hearts before they even met. Stubborn and cold as ice. Haruka let in a deep breath to calm her mind. These walls must be deconstructed. And Haruka knew someone who could help her save her relationship with the withdrawn girl.
"My sister did what?" Tenzin fell almost from his barstool after Haruka told him about the fight she had with Michiru earlier. She let out some details about monsters and world ending prophesies, but she got to the bottom of it. They had a problem. A hard one. The kind only a loved one can help with. So the stubborn racer opened up to the musician. Of course he was some hardcore dude with piercings, making loud music about tuff themes, but he was also very empathic. However hearing his sister getting physical because of pure rage made him laugh a bit too hard. Haruka grumbled.
After wiping away his tears, Tenzin got serious. "You two need to talk." "We talked." "No, not arguing around in circles. I mean… THE talk." He emphasized his words in a dramatic manner. "Get up." Without any further discussion, Haruka got up and followed Tenzin. She had to trust him. It was the only way to get a foot into Michiru's door. They walked outside the door of the old factory hall of the Jigoku. The air was crispy cold. Strange for an early Mai evening. They walked around the courtyard to a little, busted looking coin-operated phone system hanging near an old garage door. Tenzin picked up the receiver and slapped the box with his palm. A dial tone was clearly audible. Haruka was baffled that this old device still work, even thought the handling was a bit unusual.
There was a crack in the line. "Yeah, here is Tenzin. Yes… yes, I know. You borrowed my shirt, I leave my socks behind. No big deal, sis. I am just like a cat leaving traces of my love… yeah… no… really? Well… yes… Listen. I am with someone. Someone who looks like a lost puppy. Broken-hearted. Or more: broken nose-ed?" Haruka could hear Michiru's sigh even from the place she was standing. It was not clear if the violinist was ready to speak to her right now. For some very long moments, there was no response from the other side. But she has not hung up yet. Then her voice reappeared, but Haruka was not sure what she told Tenzin. He just turned around with a big grin on his face. "For you." He gave her the receiver and strolled, hands in his pockets, away from the racer. "Thank me later." He called out before he disappeared around the corner.
After an eternity, Haruka realized that she held the device in her hand. She got herself together and finally answered the call. Michiru was still on the other end. Lucky for the racer. "Hello, Michiru." Silence. Haruka was irritated, but she pushed through her bad feelings. "I said some really dump stuff earlier." Again, nothing but silence. Anger and desperation filled the racer. This was not going well for her. "You are right. I am really stubborn. And dump." "You said this already." Michiru's voice was icy. Frustration rose from Haruka's heart to her head. "I don't want to talk about this on the phone. Can I come to your place?" "It is late. My parents are asleep." Right, Haruka thought. "What about tomorrow? We sleep over all the things we said and…" A loud explosion interrupted the call. "What was that?" "I don't…" Another explosion shook the ground under Haruka's feet. And with a following third one, the line was dead. The racer abandoned the phone without hanging the receiver back on the cradle.
No one was around, and she could transform into her Sailor Guardian form without witnesses. She ran inside the factory hall where people moved around screaming in pure fear. On the other side of the big hall, nearby the concert area, appeared two big wormlike daimons. They stumbled against the walls. Parts of the ceiling and lots of dust swirled around. Uranus knew that she had to be careful. One wrong step and someone of the crowd could be seriously hurt. There was no place for her fiery temper. She heard Neptune's words in her head. Maybe this was her intention after all. Being careful with the people who got in those dangerous situations. Uranus had to act with calculus. This could be a good opener for the conversation with her partner.
After observing the situation, Uranus noticed Tenzin in the crowd directing the panicking visitors out of the hall. "Hey!" she yelled down to the young man. He looked up with a distorted face. But he was not surprised, seeing her. "Get them in the concert room. They are trapped there!" Tenzin waved with his left arm in the direction Uranus had to go. She nodded and placed two well considered attacks to maneuver the daimons in the required direction. But the concert area was very small. She had to be careful to get out alive. And she was also concerned about the building. The possibility of collapsing hang like a Damocles sword above Uranus head. But the monsters let her no time to think about that properly. One of them started an attack and the Sailor Guardian of the wind had trouble to escape. Meanwhile, the other monster appeared behind her. She was in shook. It was too late to jump away. Uranus rose her arms in front of her face to protect her. Suddenly, the worm imploded. Dust swirled up and as it abated, Neptune came out of the cloud. "You are here!" Uranus said as the other soldier stepped to her side. "Kicking your ass is exclusively my pleasure." Joking was a got sign, Uranus thought.
Without further hesitation, Neptune and Uranus attacked also the other creature, and it imploded as well, leaving behind a young grunge girl. The other worm transformed back to a punk guy. Both were unconscious. The Sailor Guardians ran to their sides, to examine the victims. "This is strange" Neptune said out loud. Uranus turned around to her partner, who held a little vial with a pink powder in her hand. "I found this in his hand. He cramped to it with bare life." Then they got back to the girl. Beside her body laid the same vial with pink powder in it. "We have to investigate this. Maybe this powder is like a drug, turning people with pure hearts into monster?" Neptune assumed. Uranus nodded. "Let's get out of here!" "Wait." Neptune grabbed her by her hand. "We have to find Tenzin." Uranus shook her head. It was too dangerous. He could recognize his sister, and then their identities were revealed.
"He is alright. I saw him helping the others getting out of here." Neptune closed her eyes for a moment. "Alright. Now it was me who got heated." They smiled at each other. Eventually, a babble of voices appeared outside. It could be the police from the fragments of words they heard. "Hurry!" They escaped through a side door and out to the parking lot. "Take this on" Haruka said, handing over her helmet after they transformed back and getting to her motorcycle. Michiru took the helmet on and clutched her arms around the taller girls' torso before they drove off into the night. Stopping by an abandoned parking lot, Haruka dismounted her motorbike, carefully fixing her tousled hair. Michiru kept her side-saddle position, observing the racer after she took off the helmet. No one said a word. The tautness stood like a wall between them. Slowly with great cautiousness their faces mirrored each other.
"I…" "I…" They spoke and stopped simultaneously. With a tender smile, Michiru glided from the bike and walked over to Haruka. Hesitant she raised her hand caressing the fading black eye of the other with her fingertips. "This was unacceptable of me." Her voice was low and Haruka could hear the contrition clearly. "I was so frustrated with you. You rush into every fight, and I am so afraid that you hurt yourself badly. Or worse." The racer took the hand of her partner in her hands. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between them. She always thought Michiru was patronizing her. In reality, she was just worried. "We have a heavy burden to bear. Today I got an idea of the trouble you have all the time." They shared a short period of silence. "I should act more deliberated. We are no use when we are dead." Michiru nodded. A tear glistered in the corner of her eye.
Without adding something to Harukas words, she took her in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry." She muttered her apology against the racers' chest, who gave her a short kiss on the head. "Can I take you home?" Michiru pushed herself a bit away. With a head shake, she declined this offer. "I have to find Tenzin." Haruka agreed, and they drove back to the factory hall. A lot of police, firefighters and ambulances illuminated the environment with their beacon lights. The chaos was not over. Michiru looked around in fear. "Please… please… there he is!" she shouted and ran into her brother's arms. He looked tired and mournful. Haruka watched from afar. This was a moment between the two siblings she couldn't interrupt. As Tenzin looked up at her, they shared a short small lipped smile before Haruka turned around getting back to her bike hitting the way home.
"You chickened out" Michiru teased Haruka while leaning on the kitchen counter. Her girlfriend locked up from the teacups she was filling with boiling water. "What are you talking about?" she asked, clueless. The smaller girl giggled. "When the show master asked you to confess your true feelings to me, you changed the subject." Haruka reddened. A long-drawn-out "No" escaped her mouth. Michiru pushed herself from the counter, closing the space between them. "Can you do it now for me?" Haruka rolled her eye in a mocking manner. "Is it for your ego, Michiru?" The addressed nudged the other in the chest. "Nothing can escape the cold heart of Uranus." The grip around the smaller girl tightened. Haruka buried her face in Michiru's hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her beloved. "I don't know if I can couch my feelings for you. All the memories we made so far and the trust we gave each other. Coming home with you after a fight is the best reward for all the privation. Taking you in my arms as my lover and standing by your side as your partner. The burden of our mission is bearable with you." Suddenly, Haruka felt something dripping against her chest, damping her blue button-down shirt. Michiru cried silent tears. "I… I am sorry" Haruka whispered, cupping the chin of the other girl in her hand. "It's alright. Can you just hold me?" The racer tightened the embrace again. They both knew how fragile their relationship was. Every next day could be the last for them.
"Can you just hold me?" Michiru whispered while she positioned her naked body on top of her wife. Haruka was about to doze off but took the violinist automatically in her arms. "You can't go." With one eye barely open, the racer tried to concentrate on her words. "Ijustwantosleep…" she mumbled. Michiru lifted her head. "No, I mean tomorrow." Haruka opened her second eye. She needed sleep because her flight to America would take off early the next day. But she also wanted to comfort her wife, who only let her go with a heavy heart. "The two weeks will fly by in no time. I call you every day." "Promised?" "Promised." Haruka started to doze off again. "Haruka?" "Yes?" "I love you." Haruka opened one eye again with a smile. With a nudge of her nose, she suggested Michiru to lift her head again. She followed the order and the two of them moved to kiss each other goodnight.