Chapter 6

Everywhere

The morning was quiet. Michiru leaned on the kitchen counter holding a steaming cup of green tea in her hand. Some birds flew by, landing on the tree in front of the kitchen window. With a deep breath, the violinist closed her eyes before taking a sip of her tea. She couldn't relax. There was no use of trying harder. The time will not run faster just because her mind did. Of course, the last fight against an enemy lay in the distant past of a couple of years. But her memories were still fresh. What if? This was the big question she couldn't get rid of. And with Haruka so far away, she was not able to calm down. She turned half around to look at the countertop where she had placed her mirror before. Hesitant, her fingers touched the handle. Carefully, she picked up the talisman, throwing a glance at her own reflection. She was not sure if she was ready to take a look in the future. The mirror would show her everything she wanted to see with grim accuracy. This was not the right time. She shook off her thoughts and called out to the other family members if anyone wanted a cup of tea, too. Only her father responded while walking inside the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" The old man had a feeling for his daughter's mood. But this was not a topic she could share with him. Her parents had no clue that her daughter was kind of a superhero who nearly died in lots of fights against evil forces. "Not really. I miss Haruka." This was only half the truth, but still the truth. Her father scratched his head. It was no secret that he was a man of another generation. Not quite good with talking about feelings, even when he can sense them. "I understand. You are very close and being apart is hard." Michiru raised an eyebrow. He tried, she thought. It will not get any better than this, but it was fine for her. Her father rubbed his hand against his tea cup. "You know… Maybe…" "I can talk to Tenzin, if you want." He nodded. "Good idea. I go and find your mother. We take Hotaru to a park today. Then you have some time for yourself." Having some time alone, was the last thing she wanted. The surrounding quietness wouldn't sooth her mind. Possibly, Setsuna and Tenzin would go with her on a shopping spree for distraction.

She finally found them sitting on a bench in the garden by the artificial pond. Tenzin left his business look behind for his holiday. In his old manners he wore a sleeveless shirt with a wide cutout reveling some of his tattoos on his arm and rip cage. His hair was messy. Still the old punk, even when he has his own good selling record company. This was dedication. Setsuna on the other side wore a prim blouse and skirt in some lilac tones. For a short time, Michiru watched them from afar. Tenzin told a story and gestured wildly. His interlocutor laughed loud as he arrived at the point. Maybe this was the tale of him catching a fish as they were kids. A funny and almost true story. The fish gets bigger every time he told this someone.

"You seem to have a good time?" Michiru interrupted the scene. The two startled as they were totally absorbed in the presence of each other. "Oh, hey sis! Want to join us?" Tenzin invited her with a wave of his hand. They sloughed together to let Michiru sit with them. "I wondered if you two want to come with me to the city? Hotaru is with our parents, and we can kill some time going shopping? Lunch?" Tenzin's features brightened up. This could be the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Setsuna and, of course, his sister. "Yes! Let's go!" He jumped up, running inside the house. The women laughed about his enthusiasm. But then Setsuna got serious abruptly. "Can I ask you a question? I felt something strange and confusing lately." Michiru's nerves were alarmed. With a deep breath, Setsuna prepared herself before she continued. "Do you think he likes me like I do?" Michiru's eye twitched. This was not what she was expecting. But there could be a chance that the time period of peace last longer this time.

The moments before every race were quiet. Haruka leaned against her motorbike, turning her helmet in her hand. She was deep in her own thoughts. These were the only moments she had for herself. The hunt after the talismans stole so much time from her. There were so many roles to perform throughout the day. In the first place, she was a Sailor Guardian, who has a mission. An order to fulfill. A burden even. Then she was still in collage and has a career path. Some day she was the heiress of the imperium of her family. The carrier of a legacy. Her eyes wandered to the company logo on her fireproof overall. All of this was laid in her cradle. And then there was her personal desire. Her feelings and her relationship with the first person, who really got her, had high priority. But her duties kept her too far away from her wishes sometimes. "I got to go" she said out loud as she looked at her wristwatch. With a last pad on her pockets, she felt the familiar bulge of her transformation stick and her communicator. She was prepared.

At the start line, she swung herself on her bike, starting the engine with the other contestants. To her right, a big guy sat calmly on his bike. This was Yamada. Her target. Michiru's psychic abilities, which sensor pure hearts, evolved over the months. Sometimes Haruka wondered what she could see in the heart of her love. Maybe she should ask her this someday. The other girl sat on the grandstand next to the racetrack. She seemed steady, but her hand clutching her heart area told another story. Haruka gave her a little salute before she closed her visor. She did this every time, but at this moment she caused a tumult some places onward. Usagi and her gang were also a part of the visitors. They screamed her name as if they were at a rock show. Haruka sighed. As she looked up again, she noticed that Yamada never let her out of sight the whole time. Like a predator watching his prey. A shiver run down Haruka's spine. But there was no time to think about this further. The start signal sounded and the race began.

The morning sun rose over the seaside. Haruka stopped her morning run to appreciate the upcoming warmth, which was not too hot like the rest of the day. A thin line of sweat ran down her cheek. With one swipe of the back of her hand, it disappeared. "You do not sweat because you can hear the voice of the wind, blah blah" she imitated Michiru's comment she made when they first met. Then she laughed at herself after this silly taunt. Maybe her nerves were on edge, or she lost her mind. Either way, a week went by, and they had still no clue where there could find the kids with the daimon drugs. Before Haruka continued her morning run, she cursed loudly. And this worked as an invocation. A second later, a rusty old Jeep drove by. Some gloomy looking kids with dark eye shadows sat inside the vehicle. "Maybe I am biased, but they could be my targets." Behind the next tree, she transformed into her Sailor Guardian form and followed the Jeep. It stopped in front of an old gate. They slipped through it underneath the big chain, which hang loosely around some bars. With her powers, Uranus had no problem jumping over the gate to hide inside a tree, so she could observe them easily.

The four kids surrounded an old gravestone in the backyard of an abandoned kominka house like they want to summon something. "Tonight we can clear this out" said the tallest of them. He wore an old leather jacket and looked a bit like Yoshi, just blond. We stranded in "Rebel Without A Cause", Uranus thought and rolled her eyes. The little rockabilly clan gave that away. In the next line, someone would drop something about a race to change it all. "The cars are ready for tonight. Sato will get what he deserves." And here we go. Uranus was annoyed. She needed more information, but they talked about cars and the conflict with another teenage group. As they reached the "which girl from the friend group was the hottest" Uranus had enough. But as she was about to turn around, the first who spoke said something about her and Michiru. "Yes, I noticed those two weirdos, too." "But do you not recognize the one with the wavy, turquoise hair? It's Michiru, Tenzins sister." The other three made some strange sounds. Uranus got very angry. One false word, and they could see their world shaking. "Do you think she has some of the stuff? Tenzin would not give me some. He said he turned his back on drugs. Slacker." They laughed. "Good old White-Nose-Tenzin done with drugs? Well…" This was too much for Uranus. They called Tenzin what? White nose? She had many questions. But on the good part, he was done with it.

"But Birdy has something left. I need this for tonight. Turning myself and my girl on. The race will be hot!" Another boy with a blue jeans' jacket turned in. "Do you think this Michiru is up for some fun, too?" Again they laughed. Besides the boy who asked. "Nah, she is with this race car pro. I saw her face in a magazine. But we can mess her up a bit. They get their invitation." "We will see" Uranus mumbled to herself and jumped out of the tree heading back to the hotel.

Haruka was not sure how she could tell Michiru about the things she found out. Nervously, she knocked on the hotel room door. The voice of her companion told her to enter. "You don't have to be so polite" the violinist said in a serious tune. She sat on the little table opposite to the bed, fully clothed and looking inside a bowl of water. "Are you sick?" Haruka asked as she saw this strange scene. "No, I try to activate my psychic abilities. In Delphi, they used water bowls and some substances to see into the future. But maybe some water and chamomile tea will do it for me." The racer couldn't tell if the other girl made fun of her. But her concentration on the surface of the water didn't seem like a joke. "When you need some substances to get into the right mood, I can tell you where you find them." Michiru looked up in surprise. With a mild smile, Haruka let herself down on the edge of the bed. "Did you found something?" The racer nodded. Then she told everything about the boys she saw. "Can you show me the place?" Haruka agreed and got into the shower. They were finally a step closer on the way to resolve the mystery of this strange drug, which turned people into monsters. That would bring them closer to the invisible enemy, who was after the talismans, like them. Maybe their mission could be over soon. And then they could finally… Haruka washed her thoughts about Michiru down the drain. They were not innocent at all. And it was hard to concentrate with all the hormones in her system.

Haruka parked her car a bit away from the old gate. Michiru looked troubled as she saw where they were going. She knew this place all too well. "Is everything alright" Haruka asked tentative as she noticed her companion's pale face. The violinist sank in her seat and her eyes looked watery. This place had something to do with her past. "We can come back later if you want." Michiru shook her head. Without saying anything, she got out of the car and walked over to the gate. Behind the fence, wild bushes conquered the garden over time. Haruka got out of the car, too. Slowly, she walked up to Michiru's side. "There was a time, when this gate was not looked. Not for me, though." It began to dawn on Haruka that this must be the violinist's old home. "This was your place?" "Was." A big lump formed in the racers' throat. There must be a reason the smaller girl didn't show her the old Kaiou family home earlier. Some moments later, after they slipped through the broken gate and walked down the path to the backyard, she knew why. Silent tears run down Michiru's cheeks as she hesitantly touched the weathered gravestone. Haruka was aware that she needed a moment alone and stepped back.

"Please, don't go" Michiru whispered. The taller girl came closer. She was uncertain what she could do. Should she take the grieving girl into her arms, or should she say something? "This is the gravestone of my grandparents. After my grandpa died, we had to leave. I was born into a family of instrument builders. Violins, to be specific." A bitter laugh escaped Michiru's mouth. "My father could not work anymore. He got gout. And now he works as a janitor for some snobby teenagers." Her voice cracked. Haruka knew what she was talking about. Her father was the target of many cruel pranks. When she saw one, she intervened. The students at her school respected her. But they were nonetheless assholes.

"You are not supposed to rescue me or my family, Haruka." Michiru said coldly. Immediately she realized how harsh she sounded. "I mean… This is not your problem. You have your own and we have the mission. Please, don't bother yourself with my personal burden." "But we are partners, Michiru. Your burdens are mine. We are in this together." A small smile appeared on the violinist face. She held out her hand to signalize Haruka she needed an embrace. The racer closed the space between them and clutched Michiru strongly. The other girl broke loose in her arms. Tears run down her light blue linen jacket, leaving some wet spots behind. "I am sorry" Michiru whispered as they parted. "Don't ever be sorry for your feelings." She grabbed the smaller girl by the shoulders to get her out of this gruesome place. They drove to a nearby diner to eat something for a late breakfast.

"So they said something about a late night race?" Haruka nodded while observing their environment. The room was not very crowded, but they had to be careful. "They mentioned something about an invitation we will receive" Outside the window, the weather turned dark and chill. "The sea is restless." "So is the wind." They faced each other and shared an affectionate smile.

As they entered the hotel lobby, the owner waved them furious to him. "I am so sorry to bother you with this. But some idiots were here after you left this morning. They gave me something, and I know very well what this is!" He held up a little envelope with a little symbol of a phoenix on it. Michiru and Haruka shared a short side glance before the racer took the envelope. "I beg you not to go. It is too dangerous. Two kids lost their lives last month." He whispered, although nobody was there besides them. Haruka overheard this comment on purpose. "What does the phoenix mean?" The voice of the old man got lower. "It was in the year 1990." He said as if this what was not just a couple of years ago. "Watanabe Wataru died in a car crash as he raced against this little idiot who came here today. The idiot is his brother Iwao. He said killing his own brother and replacing him in line was like a phoenix out of the ashes' moment." Haruka and Michiru couldn't process what they heard. Today, he won the prize for the atrocious family story of the year. They thanked the old man and got back to their hotel room, where they hatched out a plan for the night.

When the clock strikes midnight, they waited on the abandoned mall parking lot. Haruka set her car under a lamp, so there was some light around them. "I have a bad feeling about this" Michiru said after she checked her red lipstick in her hand mirror for the thousand time. Haruka glanced over to the beautiful girl in her passenger seat. She wore a midnight blue dress, white knee socks and black pumps. Her hair was tied up. She looked like a church girl on a Sunday morning. On the other side, Haruka wore some turtleneck, trousers and a leather jacket combo in black. It was hilarious.

"I don't think it was a misunderstanding. So I go with your trap theory." After saying this, car lights appeared behind them. A horn signaled them to get out of the car. They did so and found themselves surrounded by six over cars. One of them was the Jeep Haruka hunted down the street earlier. "There we go! Welcome to our little, nice and neat city, Tenou Haruka!" This was Iwao, who stepped into the light of the headlamp. "And you brought our long-lost citizen with you. Welcome home, Michiru." The violinist crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What do you want?" Haruka asked with a firm voice. "Well, you are not the chatty person, eh?" The racer got angry. "You are fishing in my waters, now we will see who the best is." "Your waters, Tenou? Driving around in your Mustang with one of our hometown girls? Yoshis heart is broken. Now you go to hell with me." Iwao was not the jester of the town, he was the leader, who keeps intruders out of his patch. "Ridiculous" Haruka scoffed but Michiru grabbed her arm. She was anxious, and the James Dean lookalike smelled her fear. "Lovely. How can I break apart two lovebirds like you?" The crowd behind him laughed and roared simultaneously. "Well, maybe when I kill your handsome lover in a race? Or are you too afraid, Tenou?" Haruka laughed bitterly. There was no turning back at this point. "Do you think I chicken out?" Iwao putted his hands on his hips. "Great! The rules are simple. We drive up to the signal tower on the hill. Turning around and end up here. First, price is the car of the loser and the girl." He winked in Michiru's direction. She looked like she was about to vomit.

They placed their cars in one line. Michiru would wait for her at the finish line. "Please be safe" she said and kissed Haruka on the cheek. With a gentle smile, the taller girl took off her leather jacket and gave it to her. "You too" were the last words before the racer got back into her car and gave Michiru a little salute with two fingers. The violinist reddened and stepped away from the car, pulling the jacket over her shoulders. Her knees got a bit weak as she sensed the scent of Haruka's perfume; a mixture of wood and leather.

Haruka's hand gripped tight around the steering wheel. Her sharpened senses noticed every movement around her. This was her element. After a last look in the rearview mirror to Michiru, she closed her eyes for a second, and then there was no turning back. A young man stepped in front of the cars. He held his hands up high over his head. Everyone started their engines. He counted from three down, shouting every number over the loud noise of the machines. After one, his arms fall down and the race began. Entirely, the professional Haruka left everyone behind. She worked with the gear shift like a virtuoso. But Iwao was not bad either. He went after her like he was on a hunt. "Not bad" the racer mumbled. In no time they got up the curvy hill to the tower and went around it. Haruka and Iwao got into a good battle against each other, and he was a pain in the ass rival.

Haruka had to admit that the race was fun. But on the way back, a tragedy showed up on the side of the street. One of the cars got into an accident. There was no time to think twice. Haruka hold her car on the opposite street side. The car lay on its roof. Glass was everywhere. Kneeling down, the racer looked inside the vehicle. The driver of the car was conscious but in shock. He couldn't let loose of the steering wheel. And there was so much blood. "Can you hear me?" Haruka shouted. Slowly, the boy turned his head around. "I… I think this is not my blood. Where is he?" Haruka looked around. There was no one else. "Who do you mean?" she asked gently after getting back on her knees. "My… My… friend. Hiroshi?" Then he screamed the name of his friend. "Is he alive?" Haruka heard Iwao's voice behind her. "Yes, but maybe his friend is not. Someone called Hiroshi?" "This stupid idiot. Hiroshi is down there with the others. He drove alone. This must be the shock." "Alright. But how can we get him out of the car?"

Iwao ran back to his own vehicle, returning with some blankets. "We let him down gently. His neck is not broken." "What are you? A paramedic?" Iwao grimaced. "In training, yes." "And then you risk the life of your friends in some stupid races? Are you insane?" "We call it bored, big city boy! Let's go!" Haruka mumbled some curse, but slow and gentle, they got the young man out of his car. Eventually, the others came to help them. "I get the service car from my uncle. We clean this space up until the police can find us" another young man said and ran back to his car. "One hand washes the other, am I right?" Iwao laughed. "Shut up, superstar. We have to bring him down. There I can check his wounds." Haruka rolled her eyes. They placed the wounded on the backseat of Iwaos' car and another guy sat down next to him. "See you down there! And Tenou?" Haruka looked outside her car window. "Thank you!" With a salute, the racer started her motor.

"This is not my blood" Haruka tried to calm down Michiru, who fumed from anger. "Maybe but… you… I can't believe this." The laughing reaction of the taller girl was just the cherry on top of her fury. "Everything is fine. The boy is well and I am fine." "But you lose, Tenou!" Iwao appeared on her side with a beer in his hand. "But this genius here gave me a hard time and she rescued my friend. We can call it a standoff?" Michiru gave Iwao a good old slap in the face. He tumbled, but Haruka got his arm. "You two are strong" he said in confusion. The violinist closed her eyes. She had to control her anger. Slapping and punching people in the face was no solution. "I am sorry." "But maybe you are right" Iwao admitted. "This was stupid. Nearly another kid died." "So, you will stop this madness born out of boredom?" Iwao took a deep breath before he answered the violinist question. "Or we have to renovate the old racetrack. A safe space for us idiots." "Maybe." With a smirk, Iwao slapped his hand on Haruka's shoulder. "She is a catch, Tenou. Hold her or I send Yoshi to Tokyo." He laughed and said his goodbyes.

The pair were not much in the mood for a party. They got back into Haruka's car and left the parking lot. "I am sorry, Michiru. This was stupid. I endangered our mission because of some childish competition." The other girl stayed quiet for a while. "Can we drive a different way? I have to show you something." Haruka agreed and followed Michiru's directions to a large lake on top of a hill surrounded by the forest. The pale moon dipped everything in its silvery light. "We have to wash out the blood." "But we can…" Before Haruka finished her sentence, Michiru got out of the car. With a heavy sigh, the racer followed her. "Take your clothes off." "It is not very warm for a swim." Michiru glanced over her shoulder, not saying a thing. She let down her hair and took off her clothes. It took Haruka a while to understand what was happening. Fully naked, the shorter girl walked over to the water and let herself in. "Come on, coward." The order was clear and the racer obeyed. She took off her bloody clothes and followed the other girl into the chilling water. It was ice-cold. "How can you stay so calm?" Haruka quivered. "Because I am not the one who needs a cool down, Tenou." Sometimes I hate you, the blond thought. As the freezing water reached her hips, Haruka started covering her naked breast with her arms. Michiru swam over to her. She got up and Haruka lost her countenance. "Take my hands" the violinist said. Hesitant, Haruka loosened her grip around her chest and took the other girl's hands. Suddenly, a devilish grin appeared on Michiru's face, and she dragged the racer with her in the freezing water. This was the perfect punishment.

"Oh no! My gyozas are empty" Usagi cried out after eating a whole box of dumplings. "You can have mine." With a friendly smile, Michiru offered the younger girl her box. "Thank you." Usagi said, and filled her mouth with the food. The violinist observed that spectacular while getting back in her previous position into Haruka's arm. The racer seemed a bit absent after the fight with the daimon. Kaorinite gave them a hard time and the blond's motorbike broke down. Taking the bus home was kind of embarrassing for the trained racer. She laid her head back into her neck, closing her eyes. "Hey, Haruka, is everything alright?" Usagi asked curious. "Nothing. I am just tired." Michiru placed her hand on Haruka's thigh. "You can take a nap when we are at home. I cook for us." With a smile, she placed a kiss on her cheek to underline her words. "You are just like me and my Mamo" Usagi cheered. But you two would not let the other one get killed for a mission, Haruka doubted. Seeing Michiru in danger triggered something inside of her. It was alright to talk about all this stuff, but seeing it actually happen was on another level. Every minute with the girl she loved was a treasure. And with this in mind, she held her girlfriend a bit closer.

Elegant fingers caressed Haruka's sweaty skin. She could return to the shower, she left not long ago. "Nice to have you back" Michiru whispered underneath her. The racer got back in the middle of the night. Carefully, she sneaked inside the house. The others went to bed hours ago. Only Tenzin and Setsuna sat in front of the TV in the living room, but they had fallen asleep over some movie. Gently Haruka put a blanked over the two, who wondrously snuggled against each other. But there was no time for questions. After getting upstairs and inside the shower, she tiptoed inside her bedroom, where Michiru waited for her. She could not sleep, knowing that she would be reunited with her wife this night. The greeting needed no words. But after that, Haruka lost herself in Michiru's hair, whispering in her ear how much she missed her. Their bodies were entangled, as if they never would let each other go away again. "You only sweat like this when you fuck me" Michiru said in a seductive tone. Haruka laughed. It was rare that her wife got vulgar like this. "This is because I only want to give it all when I am with you. Give me to you entirely." "Hopeless romantic." The teasing started, which was the signal for the next round. Haruka placed a kiss just on the right spot on Michiru's neck. It drove her wild. Hopefully everyone got a deep sleep this night.