Chapter 7
What's the problem, baby?
"You are sick." Michiru put her palm away from Haruka's forehead. "Traveling the world is a hard business." The racer sneezed. With a gentle smile, her wife stood up from the bed. "Don't go" Haruka mumbled. She was always a whiner when she had cached a cold. Nonetheless, Michiru had no time to look after her. The studio and her new album waited. Plus, she had an appointment with some fellow artist, Haruka was not very pleased about. "Really? This guy again? Oh boy." The racer hid under the blanked. The violinist sighed. "Sometimes I wish Seya came back. Then I don't have to imagin this posh pianist looking at you with those eyes." The mumbled sound from underneath the blanked gave the situation a nearly comedic touch. Besides that, Haruka was in her "I am sick and a little crybaby"-state. The jealousy was more a symptom of her cold than a real problem. Nothing to concern about, when she finally had some soup and rest.
"Will you stay forever under the blanket, or can I give you a kiss goodbye?" Haruka dragged the fabric down so her eyes reappeared. "You could get infected." Michiru leaned down and kissed her wife on the forehead. "A risk I'm willing to take. You will be fine. Setsuna is looking after you and I will be back in the evening." Haruka sat up a bit. "Alright. And can you call Hotaru later? I'm just curious if she is having a good time with Tenzin." Their daughter spent some days with Michiru's brother in another area of Tokyo. A little change in scenery, showing her his radio station ans the rooms of his record label. He also wanted to take her to a concert. A better way of spending the summer break than fighting monsters or getting killed several times.
"Yes, I call her. And I get you something nice." With a last look back, Michiru got out of the room and closed the door behind her. She had a bad conscience leaving her sick wife behind. But work called. The album production was in full swing and a tour has to be planned. Catching a cold herself was not on the bucket list for her week. On her way out she said goodbye to Setsuna who worked from home today. Haruka will be fine, she thought to herself. And the good thing in this situation: She could drive with her wife's blue Ferrari. A rare occasion she would enjoy with a little joyride on the way home.
The postbox was full as always. Haruka grabbed an amount of letters from fans, a magazine about motorsport, some collaboration requests and a catalog with the new summer fashion collection, which swell out of the little metal box. They needed an own post office when this goes on like that. The racer squished everything in her schoolbag and walked over to the elevator. Back in her flat, she threw the mail on the kitchen counter and started to sort it. This time there was just one letter for her between the papers. No sender was written on the envelope. Haruka got leery. She held the envelope against the ceiling light. It seems that just a note was put into it. The racer sighed and opened it up. Her eyes glided over the handwriting she couldn't recognize. Someone called Yuichiru wanted to meet her the next day by a construction site. A strange place and she was not sure where to put this person.
At this moment the key rattled in the lock and Michiru got home. Haruka heard a bag been dropped and shoes changing. Some seconds later, the violinist stood in the space between the open kitchen and the living room, fumbling on the buttons of her school uniform. She led the blouse slid down her shoulders revealing a black t-shirt. With a tired smile she came over to Haruka rubbing her stiff neck. The racer leaned down to kiss her girlfriend, who clasped her arms around the waist of the taller girl. Michiru nestled her head against her shoulder. "How was your training?" Her breath left a warm sensation on the fabric of Haruka's white school shirt. "Good. How was the rehearsal?" A groan escaped the violinist's mouth. "Exhausting. I need a cup of tea and some personal time. Is this ok?" Haruka kissed her girlfriend on top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "Of course. I make the tea and you can relax." Michiru mouthed a "Thank you" as they parted, and she stretched her arms over the head. Her shirt hitched up a bit just to show some parts of her skin underneath. The sudden urge to touch the girl in front of her again let Haruka's heartbeat rise up. But her girlfriend needed rest and not a lustful lovebird stomping on her nerves.
With a heavy heart, she let her go to the bathroom to take a shower and got herself to the kettle to make the tea. While the water started to heat up, she looked again at the note, which was still in her hand. "For love and justice" were the concluding words on the paper she read out loud. Should she bother Michiru with this? Surely not. Her girlfriend had no time for this stuff. She would only get very angry because Haruka's flirting went too far this time, making some guy jealous. They made indeed a little game out of the whole "people getting flirty with them"-thing. But the racer must slow it down. Their mission was important and besides this, they wanted to bring some stability into their everyday life. Also, because, they had a rough start, trusting each other.
Haruka stopped her motorbike near the entrance of the University of the Arts. Leaning against her vehicle, she took off her helmet, letting the warmth of the late summer sun touch her skin. She placed her helmet on the seat, dragging a spare one off her arm. There was some dust on the visor. She rubbed it away with the hem of her motorcycle suit. It was a rare occasion that Haruka took someone with her on her bike. In the end, she was a racer, and driving slow, so a potential passenger didn't throw up after the ride, was no option. But she came straight from the training and had no time to get her car. And she knew her companion for the ride was no fainter. After a few minutes of waiting, a pair of a man and a young girl stepped outside the building. Haruka pushed herself off the motorbike, getting a better view of the two people coming nearer. They were involved in a deep conversation. The man looked enthusiastic, and before they parted, he took the young girl by her shoulders. The racer felt a sting in her heart. This was too close for her taste. But the girl put the hands of the man politely away and said her goodbye with a bow down. The man seemed a bit irritated but replied the gesture and they parted.
"Was this your partner at the production?" Haruka sounded a bit harsher than intended. With a knowing smile, Michiru took the spare helmet from her hands. "Benjamin Thomas, yes. Americans are always so…" "Invasive." The dryness of the racer's words made the shorter girl laugh. "Where did that came from?" Haruka reddened. "I… I think we should go. There is no time for talking about…" "Any intense political problems between two states?" "Yes, because there are our own intense problems we have to solve." They put on the helmets and Michiru placed herself behind Haruka in a side position. As they drove off, her grip tightened around the racers' torso. A very pleasant feeling, the taller girl had to admit. But the drive was not long enough that she could enjoy this sensation any longer.
"Here we are. The Mugen Academy." Michiru dragged off the helmet and shook out her hair. It was a high skyscraper with a shiny, reflecting window façade. "What an eerie place." Tenzin told them that his friend bought the drug from some students at this academy. This was the only trace they had. Maybe this was the place where they could find the people, who were behind the talismans themselves, turning humans with pure hearts into monsters. Suddenly, Michiru felt a stinging pain inside her head. "Michiru!" Haruka shouted as her companion clutched her hand on her head, slumping down. "What is with you?" But the violinist could not answer because of the pain. Unexpectedly, the Neptune sign started to shine bright on her forehead. She opened up her eyes. Haruka was in shock when she saw them glow.
"The silence is coming nearer. This is the source of darkness. We have no time to hesitate." Michiru's voice sounded not like her own. A strange force had caught her. But as sudden as it came it left her, and she sunk in Haruka's arms, nearly unconscious. "Michiru" Haruka whispered in distress. Slowly she opened up her eyes which stopped glowing. "I never felt this before" she said hardly audible. "Everything was clear as day." "We have to get you away from here. Can you lean on me?" Michiru nodded. Carefully, they stood up, holding on to each other like their lives depend on it. Besides, they had an obvious problem, too. How could she drive the motorbike with the violinist passing out by any time? But the racer had an idea. She opened the trunk bag where she stored the school bags and Michiru's violin. Under this stuff, she found a rope, which she had put there after she got badly stuck the other time.
"Let's see if this could work" she mumbled and helped the smaller girl up her bike. It was hard to stabilize her and getting up herself behind the girl, who leaned against the body of the taller one. "Can you do me a favor?" With hooded eyes, the violinist looked up. "Can you hold as long onto me as you could? I will now bind us together with this rope, but it would appease me more when you can stay with me as long as you can." Michiru nodded. She laid one arm around Haruka's waist with a tight grip. The other hand clutched on the fabric near the collar of her suit. Meanwhile, the racer wrapped the rope around their bodies, tightening it hard. She was afraid to hurt her companion, but she made no noise. Suddenly, she heard shouting and running footsteps behind her.
"Hey! Don't start the vehicle! I dare you! This is the police!" Haruka turned around and saw a familiar pair of reflecting sunglasses. "Not you again" she said out loud to herself after recognizing the police man who wanted to arrest her after the fight with Michiru. There was no time for thinking. Haruka started the engine and got away as fast as she could. "Let the girl go, you are arrested! What's wrong with you?" The police man was totally out of breath. With a short look back, the racer headed out of the situation. It would be better to get to the nearest place which was safe for them. Unfortunately, it was her home. But Michiru's state worsened with every minute. So the simultaneously short and dangerous ride ended behind a big high security gate she had the transponder for. As fast as she could, she got up the driveway and stopped her motorcycle in front of the protruding veranda with the white columns. A three-story home which is getting larger in the back. The front door opened and the butler of the home appeared. "Miss Tenou? What happened?" "Can I explain this later, Botan? I need some cooling pads and someone who holds the door open for me." The butler shouted something inside the house and stepped outside. Haruka untied the rope and Michiru's lifeless body almost fall down from the seat. The racer got her and slid down the seat. This didn't look very elegant, but she got a good hold to pick the smaller girl up and carried her inside the house. As she finally reached her room, she laid the violinist on her bed. It was better when she got some rest and then some food later.
After two hours, Michiru finally opened up her eyes. She found herself alone in an unfamiliar room. The flat of her parents could have fit into this. Rubbing her eyes, she took a better look at her new surroundings. She sat in a canopy bed with two night stands. On the one next to her stood an alarm clock and a glass of water. A book laid next to it. "20,000 miles under the sea?" She took it in her hands and flipped through the pages. This book was not read for the first time, she could say, by the worn out cover. With curiosity, she looked up from the book and scanned the place with her eyes. The stand-out item was a big piano. Michiru got up from the bed and walked over to the instrument. As she did, she realized, that someone has changed her clothes. Now she was wearing some black pajama pants and a very familiar band shirt with the face of a rotting woman on it. With a smile, Michiru sat down on the piano bank. There were no sheets on the stand. Again, the violinist looked around. The room was not very personal. A treadmill, motorcycle helmets and the door to a walk in closet. The only thing that gave a hint of a person living here was the messy desk full of school stuff. The other items seemed to come out of a lifestyle catalog. With less life, in this case. With a groan, Michiru got up and back to the bed, sliding under the covers. The scent of Haruka's perfume was everywhere. But where was the other girl?
Michiru took the water of the night stand. She was still a bit dizzy and she felt hungry. Right on cue, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in" she said, and then the door handle was pushed down. It was Haruka who entered the room backwards with a tray in her hands. "Hey, you're awake." She said as she placed the tray on the empty nightstand. Two plates with sandwiches and tea were on it. "Are you hungry?" "Starving." The racer smiled and gave Michiru a plate. After she stood a chair next to the bed, she sat down on it with the other plate in her hands. For some moments, they ate in silence. After Haruka finished, she fumbled nervously with the ceramic in her hands. "I hope it was ok." Michiru stopped chewing. She nearly responded with a full mouth, but could hold herself back last minute. Both reddened. "I had to change your clothes. I thought it would be better… I don't want to be intrusive. But the clothes are now washed and ready…" Michiru hold up her hand to stop the other girl. "It is fine. Not the first time you saw me naked, so." She shrugged. "But you said 'washed'?" Haruka nodded. "The perks of having cleaning staff in the house." The violinist shook her head. "And I called your mother. She said it is okay when you stay here. Well, talking of being intrusive. I know." Michiru was aware of the fact that the racer had good intentions. "And Tenzin will rip my head off when I lay a single finger on you." Michiru rolled her eyes and took another bite from her sandwich. She observed Haruka who stared shy in her tea cup. She wore e heather gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Both had the logo of the clothing company of her family on it. Everything was different here. Like another world, Michiru should have not entered. Haruka was not her confident self as usual. Something changed.
"Can you tell me what is going on, on your busy mind?" The racer grimaced. "It was hard for me to see you like this. With this glowing eyes, like some strange force conquered you. And then this silence." She rubbed her face. "I was so afraid." Michiru took Haruka's hand in her own. "I am fine." But there was indeed a strange force that gave her a rush of energy. Her senses felt different since this encounter. "I think it was this place. The Mugen Academy. Something there triggered my psychic abilities. There is something evil." Before Haruka could respond to this, there was another knock on the door. Immediately, the blonde dragged away her hand and straightened her seating position. "Come in" she called out. The change in behavior made Michiru nervous. But as a female figure with long strawberry blond hair and a red dress entered, the racer relaxed. "It's just you, mum." The woman put a bright smile on her face as she strolled nearer. "I don't want to interrupt you two for too long. I just want to make sure our guest is alright." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Your condition looked awful as Haruka brought you here." "I am fine now. Just some bad migraine." Haruka's mother tapped the sheets where Michiru's legs were. "My daughter takes good care of you. And clearly this is a wild circumstance, but I am glad to have a face to the stories she told me. You are involved in a school project, aren't you?" Michiru nodded, and she was a bit baffled that Haruka told her mother about her. In her imagination, her parents were some aloof people. But the way her mother interacted with them was lovely and very kind. They talked for some time, and the violinist had the impression that the woman liked her.
"You gave her this disgusting shirt, Ruka? Michiru, I have to apologize. Sometimes I really don't know where she got her taste in fashion from." Haruka reddened by this out call. "But the artist is talented, I have to say." "Thank you" Michiru said with a shy smile, and now it was Haruka's mother who blushed. "This is my brother's band and I draw his artwork." The eyes of the woman widened. "Yes, Ruka told me that you are a talented artist. I am amazed. The world needs more art. Everything is so gray those days. All those monsters attacking the children. Awful." With this, she got up from the bed and walked over to the door. "Darling? Stay decent. I like your new friend."
"She is a bit extra" Haruka apologized after her mother walked out. "I like her. She is American, right?" The racer nodded. "Yes, she was an upcoming designer at some great fashion brand in the states. Then she met my dad and they started to work together. Bringing haute couture into the world of sports and masculinity." A bitter smile appeared on Haruka's face. "Like you." Michiru mumbled and regretted her words immediately. But the blond was in her own thoughts. Or she just ignored her comment. "Maybe it is better when we go to sleep. We have school tomorrow. I can go to…" Michiru interrupted her. "You saw me naked, and we slept in the same bed for two weeks." Haruka nodded. It was odd seeing her so shy. "But can you do me a favor?" "What is it?" "Can you hold me? I feel a bit lost tonight." "Of course."
The next day felt like a dream. Michiru was still a bit unstable and school went by slowly. The events of the last night occupied her thoughts. Sleeping in Haruka's arms was a thing she could get used to. It was rarely that she felt secure like this. "Where is your genius mind?" Benjamin ripped her out of her thoughts. He sat at the piano with a pencil in his hand, writing on some note sheets. "Here we go. A little pause there, and it would sound more interesting with a little tremolo at this point. I show you." He started to play the last part they worked on. Michiru tried to concentrate, but the upcoming headache made it hard. "You are not at your best today. Is everything alright?" The pianist was worried. "Nothing. Just a little headache. I drink some water." She excused herself and went to the bathroom. Her mirror image looked tired. She splashed cold water in her face and patted it carefully away with a paper towel. As she came back, Benjamin awaits her with a welcoming smile on his face. Suddenly she felt the urge to get her transformation stick. It was in her school bag, so she walked over to it. "Oh Michiru, I have something that could help. A friend of mine gave me an ampulla of this new panacea today." Slowly, the violinist turned around. "It feels prohibited, but maybe it will relax us both a bit. Well, getting creative and stuff." Danger laid in every word he spoke. As he came closer, Michiru's grip around her transformation stick got tighter. She should call Haruka over her communicator. But there was no time. Benjamin fixated her with his eyes, walking nearer. "Oh, don't worry. I take the first sniff." He opened up the vial and poured some powder on his hand. After he sniffed it away, it only took seconds, and he turned under screams into a monster.
"Haruka! Benjamin used something of the drug. We are at the…" The monster attacked her and the connection broke. There was no time to think twice. She transformed into Sailor Neptune while she jumped out of the way as the monster attacked her again. She couldn't destroy it inside the rehearsal room. The precious instruments stood in the way. But it was hard to maneuver the daimon out of there. In addition to that, there could be other students. She could not risk any victims. The monster had to be killed inside those walls. Neptune hesitated. She did this often. Maybe one day her hesitation could wound her or Uranus. Or worse: someone innocent. Being bold was the part of her companion Uranus. Her strength laid in the power of the wind. Neptune's laid in the silence of the ocean. But the sea could be restless and merciless. Especially when the storm appeared. Where was the storm now? Was she nothing without her partner? Deep inside her, a force took its turn. She felt something new and odd. However, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. As the monster attacked her again, a new wave of strength got her and with every fiber of her body she evoked the strongest "Deep Submerge" until then. The monster was hit by a force that made it explode immediately, and an exhausted Neptune sank to the ground. Everything in the room was hit by a massive shockwave. Even the windows crashed. "How strange" Neptune whispered. "How excessive" she heard a voice behind her speak up. It was Uranus who came just in time to inspect the unconsciousness pianist on the floor. "Hurry! The police will be here soon." Neptune got up and walked over to Uranus with unsteady legs. The last two days were much. Thought she achieved a new power over her psychic abilities and her fighting skills evolved. That was on the good side. The bad part was the item Uranus found in the pockets of the pianist. "A teachers' card for the Mugen Academy. All roads lead there, I think." "But how can we get inside there?" With a stone-cold face, Uranus stood up. "Well, ever thought about a change of schools?"
Michiru was pissed. Haruka knew it by the way she grabbed her hand and lead her out of the alleyway, where they transformed back to their civilian form. "We have to talk when we are back home. Your flirting is getting out of hand." A big lump formed in the racers' throat. She took it too far in the past, for sure. But this time she was just friendly to Rei. She was not aware of the impact this would have. As they arrived at home, Michiru slammed the door. It became rare those days that she got this angry. "So, now we get into fights with some boyfriends? Can you explain yourself?" Haruka swallowed hard. "I ran into Rei the other day. She looked exhausted, because she was up all night for this fire ritual. She is psychic, as you are." Michiru took a deep breath. "And then she told me everything about this Yuichiro guy, who got jealous because of me." "Okay." Her voice was still icy. "I sleep in my room tonight. The day tomorrow will be exhausting. This is the third pianist in my career who dropped out of a production." Haruka nodded. Benjamin Thomas was in a rehab program for drugging himself. And he was lucky not to end up in jail. They found a replacement for her first record, but after that, he broke his hand. And the last one called it quits for another opportunity in Germany. It was like a curse.
The next day hit Haruka hard. A small stray of sunshine teased her through the curtains. She rubbed her eyes and stood up to make some tea and breakfast for her and Michiru. As she walked through the door, she saw her girlfriend by the window with her violin in hands. With narrowed eyes, she looked at a sheet and scribbled something down. Haruka tried to be quite, so she wouldn't interrupt her. But the cursing of the violinist revealed to her that she had a struggle nonetheless.
"Good morning" Haruka called out through the room. With no reply, Michiru looked up. The quietness between them was unnerving. Suddenly with a warm smile the violinist signaled her girlfriend to walk over to her. The blond did as she was told. The smaller girl reached out to her and laid her arms around her neck as she got close. "I am sorry." "Don't be. You did nothing wrong." "Neither did you." They parted after a quick peck on the cheek by Michiru. "But I feel stuck" the violinist said with a gesture to the music stand. The notes were pure chaos and nothing like the smart genius. She was a bit out of her head. Haruka took the sheet in her hands and scanned the trouble. "We can fix this." She said, and sat down at her piano. Naturally, she got into the flow of the score. Certainly because she heard Michiru playing this part over and over again in the past days. Then she got stuck on one part. With quick thinking, she changed some notes and pauses. The arrangement got a smoother flow. "This was it. Thank you." Michiru laid her hand on Haruka's shoulder. "I can play this song with you. I mean, if it is good enough for you when I…" The violinist interrupted her with a hug from behind. It felt like a big rock fell from her at this moment. Some tears rolled down her cheeks. The stress of the last months pushed her to her limits. Haruka turned around, and her girlfriend could sit down in her lap. They sit in silence for a few moments. After Michiru got herself together, she could finally talk again. But her voice trembled still. "Yes. I could need your help here." The blond kissed her on the head, inhaling the scent of her hair. A thing she missed the last night. "After this, we find you a new greasy pianist." Michiru gave her a soft slap on the collarbone. But a light laugh escaped her mouth. "What if I found mine already?" "Oh you!" With that comment, Haruka lifted the smaller girl up and carried her to the kitchen. "You can make up for this with a nice breakfast, my dear." Michiru giggled, aware that those rare moments would be precious memories in the upcoming darkness.
Haruka woke up to the movement of the mattress. Her eyelids fluttered but were a bit heavy to open. She slept the whole day, and it was already dark outside. The rest was needed. She already felt better. Suddenly, elegant fingers brushed through her hair. "How are you?" The voice of Michiru was muted by the pillow her head was sunken into. "I think it got better. But you look tired." "I am. Maybe a cached something from you." Haruka snorted. "Told you." Her wife groaned. "But there is so much work to do." The racer got up on her elbows. "I can make us a cup of tea?" The mumbling that came from the pillow sounded like a yes. But a strong hand held her back. Then Michiru turned her head around for a better view at her wife. Her hair tangled in front of her eyes. "But you stay here. I can make it. Just give me a second." The second was enough to carry her into sleep. With a soft smile, Haruka got up and walked out the room down the stairs and into the kitchen. There she found Setsuna with a steaming cup of tea in her hand. "Change of position?" Haruka shrugged. "I think so. I let her rest for a while and bring her some tea later." Setsuna agreed. "She fired the next pianist" her co-parent said casually. The racer sighed. "Again?" The both started to laugh. It was an ongoing drama with those pianists. "He was awkward and creepy, she told me. So, I think you are going to jump in again. Destiny is calling, my dear friend." The laughing brought them to tears this time. Destiny or curse. They can't really tell sometimes.