Chapter 9

Walking in my shoes

Setsuna took a deep breath while she fumbled for the key in her purse. It was a long day at the lab. Too many hours watching at tiny specimens through microscopes. Relaxation filled her body as she finally grabbed her key and pushed it into the keyhole. The house was quiet. This was suspicious. She changed her shoes and put down her purse. No footsteps, no voices. Slowly, she walked over to the living room. No one. "Strange" she said to herself. Suddenly, she heard a key behind her in the door. Laughter reached her ear and her family entered the house. "We were at the supermarket. Haruka and Hotaru had a sudden craving for ice cream" Michiru explained to Setsuna passing her with bags in her hands. "I see" she said in amusement, watching Haruka and her daughter wrestling over a bucket of ice cream. "You want some?" Haruka mumbled with a spoon in her mouth. Setsuna declined the offer. "A letter from your mother came today" said Michiru while she browsed through the mail. She gave the envelope to Haruka and opened up another letter. Setsuna grabbed a fashion magazine that was put on the table. "This is the invitation to the yearly summer party at the beach house. So get your bathing suits." Michiru's eyes widened in excitement, and Setsuna groaned. "What's up? This is always fun." The scientist rolled her eyes. "I am not sure." Haruka cleared her throat. "The whole family will be there." She nodded in Michiru's direction. "So?" "This was the subtle hint that my brother is there too" the violinist enlightened her co-parent who got red immediately. "Don't be this indiscreet, Michiru" Haruka hissed. Her wife grimaced. "And we take Hotaru with us. You have no excuse." Setsuna looked into the curious faces of the other adults. She envied Hotaru who sat in total bliss eating ice cream and watching cartoons. Being a kid again must be great. But seeing Tenzin again was a point. She had a big soft spot for this crazy guy who was pretty sexy in his sleeveless shirts and the tight jeans…"Fine" Setsuna gave in and found herself in a group hug. So much about her quiet evening.


"Do you sense something?" "Not yet." Michiru's fingers tightened around the violin shaft. Her eyes wandered through the room. Usagi and her friends are everywhere, she thought. But she couldn't feel clearly who had the pure heart. Something distorted her psychic sensory. It was like the room was filled with them. "Let us play, and then we can split at the dance floor." Haruka threw a playfully hurt look to the violinist. "But safe the last dance for me." With a smile, Michiru got up on her toes and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "We will see. Maybe a good-looking person will swipe me off my feet." Haruka snorted. "Then I will step on them first." The shorter girl giggled. "You're indeed good at this."


The sun was already setting as the bell dismissed the students of the Juban High School. A stream of faces Haruka never saw before appeared at the schoolyard. She straightened her position still leaning against her green Mustang. The crowd cleared up slowly, and two familiar faces walked in the direction of the gate. A tingling sensation rose in her stomach as she saw the aquamarine haired girl in her black winter coat over her blue school uniform. Elza walked by her side and spotted Haruka first. After whispering something to Michiru, they giggled like little girls. The tingling changed into a sting. "Hello Haruka. What you are doing here?" Michiru greeted the racer, eying her up and down. Elza put her hand to her mouth to hide the laugh. "Well, I have an idea. But I will not stick around for the reveal. See you tomorrow, Michi!" The girls said their goodbyes. Then Michiru turned around with an altered facial expression. It was serious and concerned. "Now tell me, what happened?" Haruka pushed herself away from the car, taking some steps nearer to the violinist. "Can I interest you for some cacao? I want to talk to you." Michiru nodded, and the racer opened up the car for her.

As they arrived at the café, they took a seat at the window, watching the snow slowly start to fall. After an eternity of silence, Michiru looked up from her steaming cup. "You want to talk?" Her voice sounded strange in the tranquility of the moment. Haruka looked up from her hands, which fumbled with her teaspoon. "Yes." "So?" Michiru got a bit nervous. What was wrong with her partner? Mentally agonizing over a thousand horror scenarios, her palms start to sweat. Haruka noticed the change in her counterpart. She reddened and put her hand in the inside pocket of her jacket. With a nervous smile she dragged an envelope from it which she laid on the table between them. In a neat handwriting, Michirus name was written on the white paper. This was not Haruka's. She saw the racer scribble down words like a wild animal. The eyebrows of the violinist rose. "What…" "Just open it." The racer was in visible distress. Carefully, Michiru opened up the envelope. There was a card inside that looked like an invitation. Before she dragged out the card, she looked a last time up to Haruka. It seemed as she was suffering. Opening up the card, the eyes of the violinist wandered over the nice handwriting. "A ball?" The racer nodded and turned her face to the window, pretending to watch the snow fall. A deep breath later, she turned back to Michiru. "It is the annual winter ball at the beach residence of my family. They ask you to accompany me." "This is nice. Thank you." There was the silence again. This was a big step for Haruka. The relationship with her family was far from good. "And there is something else" the racer started. With a shy smile, her fingers enclosed around her tea cup. "It is the weekend after my birthday, and it's like a debut in the family. Having the first dance and so on." She paused and scratched her head. "I don't know how to dance. But you told me that you took lessons last year?" With a sigh, Michiru sipped from her cup. The cacao was perfect for her trembling nerves. "The ball is in two weeks?" "Yes." "We need a miracle."

Jimi Hendrix' "All Along The Watchtower" started to play as the car drove along the drive-way up to the enormous mansion on top of the hill. Like the watcher of the sea, it, enthroned in the landscape over the waves. "How atmospheric" Michiru mumbled as she leaned forward to have a better view of the building. The sun went down an hour ago on this early Friday evening. Right after school, Haruka picked the violinist up, and they drove out of town. The Mansion was near Tokyo, but it still felt like another part of the world. "Are you ready?" "As ready as a young heart can get, being eaten alive by count Dracula! You want any?" A bag of chips appeared between them. With a simultaneous groan, both girls in the front seats declined Tenzin's offer. Grinning bright, he sat on the back seat eating his chips like nothing could ever bother him. "Don't turn this tune off. It's a classic!" Turning around to face her involuntary guest, she was not very pleased seeing him crumble chips all over the floor of her car. Getting back in her former seating position, she gripped the steering wheel hard. As the knuckles of her fingers turned white, she felt the warm hand of Michiru's on hers. "Whenever you're ready" she whispered. A smile appeared on Haruka's face. With her, she would be safe. "Yeah, Ruka! It will be fine." Michiru's mother thought they would be safe when Tenzin was around. But after the attack at the vernissage it was no wonder that their mother was not happy letting her children go out of town. Haruka promised her to keep an eye on her daughter, but she was more pleased with Tenzin to accompany them. "Then let's go" the racer sighted and opened the car door. The stormy wind of the winter blew ice-cold in her face. Immediately, a young man appeared and took the keys from her. "I can take my own stuff!" Tenzin shouted, but another boy got the luggage right away from them. "Please. Just let it go for one weekend" Michiru hushed her brother who looked huffy. With a light laugh, the racer observed the scene between the siblings.

After they got inside the entrance of the mansion, Haruka's mother greeted them with a glass of wine in her hand. That raised a concerned side eye from her daughter. "Welcome to the annual Tenou family gathering and my little pumpkins' birthday party!" Michiru and Tenzin started to giggle, while Haruka got hugged and kissed like a little child, although she was a head taller than her mother. "But let me now greet our guests. Welcome, Michiru" she gave the violinist a heartwarming hug. "And you must be her brother, Tenzin? I am Zelda Tenou. Nice to have you with us." The young man smiled and kissed Haruka's mother on the hand. "Where do you find those attractive, young people, my dear?" Zelda asked her daughter, who was a bit ashamed. That was not the first glass of wine for her mother at this day. "You're having fun?" "Your uncle awaits you in the dining room" was the short and only answer she got from her mother, who sipped again from her wine to underline her words. A lump formed in Haruka's throat. At this point, there was no way out of the situation. And out of the confrontation, of course. The wine glass in her mother's hand should have been a hint.

"You can go to your rooms if you want." Michiru and Tenzin shook their heads. "We are in this together" the young man said and grabbed the racer's shoulder. "Alright" Haruka mumbled, and they walked in the direction of the dining room. The lump in her throat wandered to her stomach. Entering the big hall with the enormous dining table, the three stopped as they saw Sota Tenou sitting with the back to them. "You are late, Haruka. As always." Getting up from his seat, his intimidating figure got visible. He towered Haruka with his heavy body. His grim face did the rest. Dark eyes scanned them. "How strange it is to see you with someone." His voice was as heavy as the steps he took to get nearer. "Someone… nice. And you brought an acceptable partner." He stopped right in front of them. "Tenou Sota. You are the guests of my brother and his wife, and I will treat you like this." He bowed down just an inch. The siblings returned the gesture more politely. "Good for you to bring the young man here. I was not sure if you were as stupid as the last time." With that, he walked past them to leave the dining room. "Don't touch the seat cards. Took me an eternity to sort this dumb seating arrangements out for Zelda's idiotic family" he barked before he finally left the door.

"What a sunshine" Tenzin remarked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "But what does he mean?" Haruka grimaced. "Which part do you mean?" she asked through gritted teeth. "The part about me would be interesting." "Later" was the short answer of the racer who steamed inside. "Let's just go to our rooms. Sorting our things out and cool down a bit." Michiru grabbed her brother by the arm and started to drag him out of the room as another man entered. He was a tall, slender man with gray hair and a trimmed beard. He looked exactly like Haruka, and it was visible that Michiru's and even Tenzin's features changed abruptly. "Hey, dad." A shy smile appeared on the older man's face, who seemed to be Haruka's father. "Good evening. I see you made it safe and sound to our mansion. I am Haruto, Haruka's father." He bowed down way deeper than his brother. Obviously, he was even nicer than him. "I hope my brother will not scare you away so easily." The siblings just stood there in awe and could not say a word. "We can talk later, dad" Haruka said in a hurried manner. It was not the time to talk about her uncle. They had to settle first. And she was not sure if the man had indeed scared her friends. Without waiting for an answer, she pushed the siblings out of the door. "Botan? Which rooms are ready for my special guests? I want to show them by myself." The Butler nodded and whispered something to Haruka the others could not understand. And it was better this way, because they would sleep in the mistresses' suites. What a fortune, Haruka thought. "The bags are already there", Botan said, bowed down and walked away. "Nice service", Tenzin whispered sarcastically, folding his hands at the back of his head. Then he groaned after Michiru had punched him in the side. "Ouch." "Deserved."

They walked in silence through the mansion. Up a staircase followed by a long hallway. "I need a map to find my room." A light laugh escaped Haruka's mouth at Tenzin's comment. "As I was a kid, I got lost a lot of times. This house is like a maze." Then she stopped in front of two doors. "Here we are. The keys are on the inside, if you need one." She opened up the first door, presenting the room to Tenzin. With a yawn, he entered. " I take a shower." Haruka nodded. "Alright. Dinner is served at 7. So you have an hour. Michiru, this is your room." She opened the door for the violinist. Stepping aside, the smaller girl walked past her, turning around before she fully got inside. "And where is your room?" Haruka looked if Tenzin was already in his room. With a wide grin, she entered into Michirus room. The violinist looked puzzled as the racer walked straight to a wall with a big tapestry. "Right here." She pushed the fabric aside and a hidden door appeared. Baffled, Michiru came nearer. "How curious." "Yes, this is the magic of rich people's homes. If you need anything…" They stared at each other, not knowing what to say. It felt like an eternity until the racer cleared her throat and walked through the hidden door. "I hope you like it." "I love it." A small smile hushed over Haruka's face, and then she turned around, leaving the other girl behind.

She had an hour to herself, and she needed it. Sorting her stuff out and hearing some music to calm down. A nice midnight blue dinner jacket, matching trousers and a white shirt would be perfect for the first night. As she walked nearer to her bed, she found two clothing bags on the duvet. Each one had a note. A strange feeling filled her body immediately. In a quirky handwriting, the one note just said "Wear this" as the other stood "Happy birthday – Mum and Dad". She opened up the first bag. A beige dress with frills. Sota picked this ugly thing for her. She was sure that he wanted her to wear this monstrosity at the ball the next evening. "Asshole", she whispered, closing the bag and putting it on the backrest of a nearby chair. Then she turned to the second bag. Carefully, she opened it, squeezing her eyes together. But to her surprise, it was a light mint green tuxedo with a purple west. A letter fell out as she took a closer look. "Haruka, our loved child. I had the idea for this tuxedo in mind since you first put on the shirts of your father. You were a little kid and I knew, that you are special. It is not a fireproof suit for your shining career. But I hope it makes you bulletproof on your big day. We love you. Mum + Dad. PS.: Safe a dance for me, your dad." Tears filled Haruka's eyes. This was every validation she needed this weekend. Her parents loved her no matter what. And they would never allow her uncle to hurt her. Hopefully.

To overplay the silence at the family dinner, a quartet performed in the background. Unlikely that a rich family like the Tenous would turn on the radio in the kitchen, like at the Kaiou household. At this night it was just the inner circle: Haruka's parents, her uncle, her two aunts Virginia and Emily with their husbands and altogether four children. Sota sat at the front end of the table, which was built for quite more people. The others would appear the next day. Friends, business partners and Haruka's grandmother from America. Her plane had a delay. But for her uncle, who sat there like a grim lion over his feast, it would be better if no one came. His eyes wandered from time to time between his niece and an empty chair right next to him. That was Shota's place. At the second course he finally appeared. He walked calmly and excused himself for being late. His father doesn't even notice him. Michiru, who sat right next to Haruka leaned over to ask the racer who the new participant at their table was. "This is my cousin, Shota", she whispered back. She had told her about the difficult relationship between them, so she didn't ask any further questions while everyone was around. She just observed the young man, who was just a few years older than Haruka. He had black hair and looked a little bit like the racer. His tender features made him very calm. Quite the opposite of his father.

After the dessert, Sota leaned back in his chair, burning a cigarette with an expensive looking lighter. "So, and you are the new friend of our cover girl" he spoke up to Michiru. The girl blushed, irritated. "Yes. We met at a school project." The man laughed bitter. "This is how you call it nowadays. Right. I hope she pays you enough." Anger filled Haruka's chest. But Michiru's hand touched her thigh suddenly. The gesture should calm her down, but did quite the opposite. "With her kindness, yes." The answer elicited a snort from Sota. He was drunk and the evening already ruined. "You got my present?" Haruka nodded. She had no ambition to talk just one word with this man. "Good. Wear it and we are fine." With this, he stood up and gave his son a slap on the back of his head. "Idiot. Be on time tomorrow." "Yes, father." Tenzin slid on his chair. "Hey, why don't you…" But Michiru laid her hand on his shoulder to stop him. Sota ignored the scene and walked out of the room. "Just let it go, Tenzin" she hissed. "We are just guests here." "But he…" "It is fine" Zelda stepped in. "Don't bother yourself with this asshole. He was indeed in a good mood this evening." Tenzin snorted and fumbled with his napkin. "But thank you." Everyone looked up to Shota. A shy smile appeared on his face, and Tenzin blushed. Michiru rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's change the subject." Zelda nodded while sipping from her wine. "Yes, Michiru. And I have to say, you look beautiful as always tonight." The violinist thanked her with a kind smile. "You do", said Haruka quietly to her. The smaller girl turned her head to the racer and her smile got wider. She wore a light blue dress with a dark blue bow at her cleavage. "I can give this compliment back." Tenzin groaned. "Oh, get a room" he muttered under his breath. The hit he got on his thigh was deserved, and laughter rose at the table. This was the icebreaker for them, and now they chatted in peace. Just Shota sat there in silence, observing Haruka and the others until he excused himself from the table and got back to his room.

After everyone parted, Haruka got to her room, loosening the tie and throwing it on the little table next to the window. It was pitch black outside, which was a shame. From her room, she had a perfect view over the sea. Nevertheless, her eyes were glued to the reflecting glass while she hangs her jacket over the chair. It was time for some soothing music. She got to the CD player and put the "Violator" record by Depeche Mode inside. She swayed to the music while buttoning down her shirt. The image of Michiru in her dress got into her mind. Her heartbeat rose. Just a wall was between them. Her fingertips touched the cold wallpaper. How would it be to be next to her right at this moment, forgetting all the shit her uncle ever said to her. What a failure she was in his eyes. Whatever she did, even if she won every race and was a big impact on the increasing wealth of the company, she would never be good enough for him. Before she left for her year in America, he said it clearly. "Haruka, you are god's mistake." It stayed in her mind forever. She sat at the table thinking about the situation as suddenly someone knocked on her door. For a second she hoped it was Michiru. But after she let the stranger enter her room, she sat there in a slight shook.

"Shota?" The young man closed the door behind him. "I don't want to disturb you for too long." Haruka paused the CD player. "Okay. Sit down." He shook his head. "I am just here to wish you a happy birthday. A little late, but after not talking to you for so long, what is lateness anyway." "Hurtful" was the cold answer of the racer. A bitter smile appeared on Shota's face. But Haruka's features stayed ice-cold. "Sometimes I wonder if I ever get an explanation." Shota crossed his arms in front of his chest. His mind ground hard on this remark. "Listen, I was just… just." He was never good with words. With numbers, he was a genius. Someday, he and Haruka would inherit the company, with him on the financial side. Like his father. But he should never talk to the press. "Haruka, I was so angry with you." "Because I am like this?" "Because you could have done your coming out better. An escalating charade like that with this girl was just stupid." Haruka gulped. This was a good point. "I am not good with words. But I have to say something. I was angry because I am like you." "A failure in the eyes of your father?" Tilting his head, he groaned. "Maybe. But I feel things like you." Slowly, it clicked for Haruka. This was the coming out of her cousin. A lump filled her throat. She was such an asshole herself. "And seeing you throwing this precious thing around, like it was nothing, made my heart break. I hated you." Nice words everyone wanted to hear at their birthday. "But I followed your path. And I was impressed how you changed in that short time span. And seeing you interacting with this girl, you brought here, made me happy. You really like her." "You mean Michiru?" "Yes. You are a sweet couple." Haruka laid her head back. "No. We are just friends." "We will see." His words were followed by a kind smile. Maybe this was the beginning of a new, good relationship with her cousin. But there was no time to deepen the conversation, as again someone knocked at the door. "Get in!" Haruka called out. It was Michiru. A knowing smile appeared on Shota's face. "I leave now. Have a good night. Tomorrow will be stressful." He walked past a troubled looking Michiru. She had many questions, but they had to wait.

"I don't want to interrupt you." The violinist was bewildered, so Haruka stepped nearer, putting her hands on her shoulders. "It's fine. We finished our talk anyway. But what brought you here?" Michiru laid one hand on Haruka's. "I sensed something evil since we got here. And it was not your uncle." Confused, Haruka put her hands down. The psychic abilities of the shorter girl got better since the day they went to the Mugen Academy. So there must be something going on at the mansion. Hopefully no one of her family got involved in something bad. Or her feelings about Tenzin were right. Was he the source? And maybe Michiru knew this already, but her mind fought this knowledge down to secure herself from the heartbreak? "But it would be better when we look after this tomorrow." Haruka agreed while she changed into a black t-shirt for the night. Michiru wore already her nightgown. She looked even more stunning in the simple white fabric with her hair down.

"And I have something else for you." The racer looked up with a big question mark in her face. In her hand, she had behind her back all the time without Haruka noticing, Michiru pulled out a little present. "Happy Birthday. I know I am two days late but…" Haruka's face was crimson red. It was too much for her that Michiru got her something for her birthday. An absolutely nice gesture, but she didn't have to buy her anything. "Thank you", the racer said with a little tremble in her voice. After she opened up the little package, her eyes widened in surprise. "How?" "I saw a copy of their last record in your room near your CD player, so I thought you would like it." Haruka was exited. She loved her gift. It was the newest record of Alice in Chains, "Jar of Dirt" that came out two days before her birthday. She was sad that she had no time to go to the record store and buy it herself. "The Wizard sent the copy to me. Just early enough. I was so nervous if it would be there in due time." With a tight hug, the taller girl showed her thankfulness. "We can listen to it right now." She put the CD in the player, and they laid down on the bed, after Haruka turned on the lamp on the nightstand. The dim light and the smooth guitar were a great invitation to slide into sleep. Neither of them said a word until Michiru turned around to face her companion. "Now I got an image of how hard it must be growing up with an uncle like Sota." "It was not always like this. When I was a child, he was different." She talked not very often about her childhood. But Michiru was the perfect person to share some memories with. So she talked about building a snowman with this grim man or him letting her drive in his expensive car on his lap. He even read good night stories to her and her cousin. But everything changed as they got older, and he got divorced. This was the day he became this monster he was now.

As she talked, Michiru drifted nearer, holding the racer in her arms as she finished. Tears rolled over her cheeks. "Please don't cry for me. I came to terms with it, maybe. Shota apologized to me before you came into my room." "Really?" Michiru whipped her tears away with the back of her hand. "And he somehow came out to me, I think." Now the violinist got up to have a better view of Haruka. She looked confused. "Yeah, I know", she said nonchalant. "But this is a good thing, or? Did he say something else?" The racer got up on her elbows. "Maybe." "Don't let me ferret this out of you. I have my methods. You know." They laughed. But Haruka didn't know how to put those things into words. However, she had to give it a try. "He said we would make a good couple," she said, as casually as something like this could be. She laid back again on the mattress and waited for Michiru to put this topic aside. But she just laid herself down on Haruka grabbing on the fabric of her shirt and pressing her forehead against her chest. The sensation of her touch was overwhelming. "I know" she said in frustration. Her head got back up and for some seconds they looked each other deep in the eyes. "And I wish the time will come sooner for us." Now it was Haruka who looked confused. "Listen" Michiru started. "I feel something for you, and I am not willing to hide it anymore. I saw today how much stress it cost to hide from true feelings. But our mission has the priority. I am afraid that being in a relationship right now would get in the way of our fate." With a loving smile, Haruka got Michiru's hand in hers and kissed her knuckles. "I feel something for you, too. And I agree. But what can we do now?" The violinist moved forward and kissed the forehead of the other girl. "Going to sleep. Can you turn off the light? I stay." "Promise?" "Yes." And after turning out the light, they went to sleep in the arms of each other.


From their viewpoint, they could keep the party perfectly under their surveillance. "Eudial is getting more audacious. Do you think we are getting closer?" Uranus straightened her position. "What do you sense?" Neptune looked up to the moon behind them. The silence was like a stalker, lurking around the corner. The end of the world was about to take over. She stood up on the branch. "It is getting clearer in my dreams. But I am not sure." Uranus face turned grim. But the touch of Neptune's hand brought her back into the now. "And I have the feeling that everything has something to do with Usagi." Uranus nodded. "One of them was not attacked, yet. Maybe she has the talisman." "Minako?" "Yes." "Then is she our next target?" Uranus tuned around to leave the tree. "We will see. Come on. It's getting late."


Setsuna stood in front of her open wardrobe, scanning every part of her clothing. What would be perfect for a beach party? Something simple, she could take off, easily revealing a stunning bathing suit underneath. This would be perfect. But why occupied this thought her mind so strongly? Was it because of Tenzin? What would he wear? He had one of those bodies which were athletic and thin. She could see his muscles, but he had also something soft and tender. With all this, tattoos on his rib cage and his upper arms. How would his hair tangle in his face when he came out of the water? Setsuna got lost. But one sad though wandered back into her head. Was it ok to get to know him? Would it be difficult for the family when it doesn't work out? A knock on the door got her out of her thoughts. "Come in!" It was Michiru. She had sensed the distress coming from Setsuna's room. "Hey, I want to ask you if you want to eat dinner with us." Setsuna looked up. "I don't know anymore." What a strange answer. Michiru closed the door behind her, walking closer to her friend. "You think about what to wear for the weekend?" Setsuna groaned. "I can't figure it out. What if… I think about something that would fit perfectly. But I am afraid that, when I wear it, it turns out unsuitable. And then I embarrassed myself in front of everyone." Michiru shook her head. But she got a clue that she was not talking about her clothing problem. "We will figure it out for you." She said with an encouraging smile. "Thank you" Setsuna answered, and she felt a warm feeling in her chest. They would find a way. She was sure about that.