Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners. I don't own Sailormoon but I'll like to own Haruka & Michiru. ^_^ Previous parts available at http://web.singnet.com.sg/~chiaty/fanfics-Moon.htm < > represents a character's thoughts. LIVING WITH MICHIRU Part 5 By GSL The sky was slightly overcast, filled with dark clouds, looking like it was going to rain any minute now. The waves were crashing onto the shore, their ferocity fuelled by the strong winds. It was not often that Haruka cursed her element. This was one of those times. The plan that she had so painfully thought out would be for naught if the weather continued on its destructive course. There was so much at stake here. Although not a life and death situation, it determined Haruka's future happiness. The blonde looked down at the aquamarine-haired beauty and attempted a weak smile. Damn. She cursed in her mind again. This was supposed to be the day that she asked Michiru to be her girlfriend. Now, it didn't seem that she could have a romantic picnic by the beach anymore. "I guess we have to change our plans," Michiru said as she fingered a strand of stray hair behind her ear whilst looking straight ahead at the turbulent sea. To think that she had spent so much time preparing for this. From coming up with the idea to the execution, it was as if Haruka was trying for the Amazon's rites of adulthood. There was the excruciating decision to select the right mat to bring out the right atmosphere, not to mention that choosing the right wine almost became impossible. And the simple task of making sandwiches wasn't as simple as she thought. Then, there were the words that she prepared to whisper into Michiru's ear. Things that she thought long and hard for, which would eventually seal their fates together. Now, everything was gone just because she didn't call up for the weather report. "Don't be so glum. We can still do this at home." Michiru comforted. She knew this outing was something of great importance to Haruka. For what reason, she could hazard a few guesses. "But it wouldn't be the same." Michiru had to stifle a smile as she thought how cute Haruka was when she whined. "I know how much effort you put into this." Michiru began, almost leaning her body on Haruka. "I really appreciate it." Her eyes speaking volumes that she meant what she said. And Haruka relented. A sigh escaped from her lips which Michiru found so adorable that she couldn't resist placing a small kiss on the blonde's lips. "Now, can we go home? I'm getting cold here." "Ah... but I can keep you warm," Haruka unabashedly said, her foul mood forgotten, hugging the smaller girl to prove her point. "As tempting as it is, the wind is messing my hair." "Woman!" "And you're not." "You don't see me complaining." Michiru was eyeing her speculatively. "What?" Haruka asked but decided she didn't want to hear Michiru's answer. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know." "Wise choice." Michiru smiled, annoyingly in Haruka's perspective. Before they would return to their car, they felt something. Sinister and evil, nothing unfamiliar but a bane nonetheless. Romantic date forgotten, they prepared for battle. Unanimously, they transformed without exchanging any words. It was a good thing that the beach was already deserted, so they did not need to worry about any innocent passerby that would get into their way. But at the same time, they were thinking, "where was that daimon?" Its presence was strongly felt but not seen. They broke into a run, following where their gut feeling led them. It wasn't long before they realised that they were heading towards the clubhouse. While the place was usually filled with merry-makers, today, there was a cloud of omen over it. As usual, the two senshis prepared for the worst, hardened their hearts, and stepped into the battleground. Bodies were lying on the ground, their human essence as if sucked away. And not far away stood their target. The hideous form was like a person morphed into a large tree. Its roots seemed to grow forever, entangling with every body that their eyes could bear to see. And it wasn't too soon that those roots began to attack the newly arrived fuku-clad senshis. They leapt away, barely succeeding. Once they were on relatively safe ground, they both called forth their gods and unleashed the powers that they have been blessed with. The grisly scene before them strengthened their resolve to exact the maximum damage on the monster, almost forgetting that it was human once. Haruka couldn't remember how many punches and world shakings she had delivered but she couldn't seem to get near the trunk of the tree where she was sure the heart of the demon lay. The roots were attacking her relentlessly and it seemed that the stubborn, refusing to-go-down- just-like-any-good-daimon-should tree had regenerating powers. For a moment, she diverted her attention to her partner. She could see the fierce determination on Neptune's face, propelling her to re-double her efforts. Michiru was holding her own against the monster. If she could get past the swift roots, she knew she could defeat the daimon. A plan was already forming in her mind when she saw Haruka rush into the minefield. "Haruka" was all she could manage as she watched ghastly at the danger that Haruka was putting herself in. Without a second thought, she too joined her partner in closer combat with the tree monster even if danger surrounded them. After several close shaves here and there, Haruka finally saw the break that they needed. She knew that Michiru was behind her and would protect her from the roots, so she concentrated all her energies into making the ultimate world shaking and slammed it against the trunk. Just as she thought her attack had succeeded, a root that seemed to come from nowhere grabbed hold of her leg and flung her across the room. The next thing she knew, the world had blackened. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Haruka. Someone was calling her name, piercing through the mist surrounding her mind. She couldn't put a name to that voice although it was very familiar. She knew she had to open her eyes. The voice became louder, like a beacon for her to return to the land of consciousness. And with a flutter of eyelids, she was greeted by a vision of loveliness. She had never seen Michiru smile so widely before. Neither had she seen her partner cry. But even in her hazy mind, she knew she was the cause of it all. "Shh..., I'm fine now. Don't worry." Haruka pacified, reaching up to wipe the tears away from Michiru's face. "Baka! Don't scare me like that again." Her voice was soft, not reproaching, merely telling Haruka how frightened she had been. "I'm sorry." With that, Haruka smiled her patented smile and was promptly hugged by the other girl, whose sobs had become uncontrollable. Even though she was hurting all over, Haruka could not bear to push the distressed girl away. Instead, she tried her best to comfort her partner. And it lasted the whole night. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Good morning, Michiru." Haruka chirped, her voice higher pitched than usual. "Morn-," the words died in her mouth as her mind slowly registered the scene before her. "I hope you don't mind. I was looking through my closet and I found nothing that I could wear. So I tried yours. It doesn't really fit well but it'll do." Seeing that Michiru was still staring at her, Haruka did a turn. "So what do you think?" "I...," Michiru was never so lost for words. Feeling Michiru's apprehension, Haruka pouted, "it doesn't suit me, does it?" "No, you look very nice in a dress. I'm just shocked, yeah that's all." The answer seemed to satisfy Haruka and she started to sit down and began eating her breakfast. It was a moment before Michiru joined her. "So, what prompted the change in dressing?" "I don't know. I just feel bored." It didn't feel right. All the alarms in her head were ringing. Thinking about head...,"How does your head feel?" "Better." "What's your name?" "Ten-, hey!" "Just checking." Michiru still wasn't sure. Haruka did have a hard fall from the previous daimon attack. Although Haruka's final blow had greatly weakened the daimon, it was Michiru's desperate sea submerging that had saved the day. Maybe they should make a trip to the doctors, just to make sure. "Can't I wear something different?" Haruka pouted again. This was the second time in the morning that she had done that. While she would admit that Haruka did indeed look nice in her stylish dress, this was simply too un-Harukalike for her. "I'm sorry. I over-reacted." Just as Michiru was thinking of how to broach the subject of doctors, she was interrupted by Haruka's unexpected question. "Where do you shop? Can you bring me there? I was thinking of getting some dresses myself." "Uhm..." Before she could continue, she was faced with a puppy dog expression on the blonde's face. There was no way she could say no. --------------------------------------------------------------------- It was turning into a nice enough day. Shopping with a very willing Haruka was not something you get any day. Whatever had changed the blonde, it was for the better, at least now, Michiru would have a partner for all those manicure, facial, and shopping sessions. They could even try yoga, something that Michiru was interested in but never tried. Haruka herself seemed to be enjoying the trip so far. They have gotten themselves several articles of clothing and more if they had it their way. "Haruka?" It was a male voice. Michiru turned at the same time with the named girl, finding a rather dashing young man standing a few feet away from them. He seemed to have gotten past his uncertainty and came forward to approach them, near the walkway outside a department store. While the man seemed to know who Haruka was, the blonde simply looked clueless. Michiru felt a surge of protectiveness as the man reached them. "Haruka, it's you. We haven't seen each other for such a long time." When it was apparent that the blonde did not share his enthusiasm, he continued, "you don't remember me, do you?" "Well, I'm sure you can help me remember." Haruka was batting her eyelids, smiling so seductively that Michiru would have strangled her right then and there if she had one less inch of control that she was reigning. "I'm Yoshi. We were classmates back at Osaka." That seemed to unlock Haruka's mind and she began to converse ardently with the young man, much to Michiru's displeasure. When they had finished, with a promise that they would meet up again, Michiru was sure that Haruka had gone crazy. "What was that all about?" Michiru seethed as the man was out of earshot. "What was what?" Haruka blinked innocently. That was the last straw and Michiru found herself moving angrily away from the blonde. She didn't know why she was so angry. She never lost control before. And to think that she had actually lost her cool in front of her Haruka, it made it seem like the biggest sin in the world. But she couldn't help it; she hated what she was feeling now. It was something so new, so incomprehensible, something that she had no control over. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Still stranded on the streets, Haruka wondered what had just happened. It wasn't like Michiru to leave just like that. She must have angered the girl somehow but for whatever reason she could hardly fathom. On hindsight, she should have run after Michiru. That would have solved a lot of problems. At least she wouldn't have to decide what to do now. Sighing, she decided to head back home. Problem solving would come later. It was therefore a surprise when she saw Michiru cheerfully greeting her when she stepped onto the doormat that read 'Welcome home'. What was more surprising was that Michiru was being especially nice to her, being all friendly and cuddly. Although she was enjoying all the attention, she felt that something was not right. It only lasted until Michiru pushed out a tray of delicacies, and she began to dig in with feminine grace. If only she had listened to her gut feeling... Haruka was strapped onto a chair and felt herself prodded at all sorts of places. She was sure she could feel the end coming; after all her head was x-rayed, her blood was taken, and the doctors seemed to come up with new stuff to torture her. Michiru was standing in a corner, looking worriedly. It was for her own good, she had said. A full body medical examination that Haruka had to endure against her wishes. Even in her state, she did not curse Michiru. It didn't seem the right thing to do, not something a proper lady should do even if these atrocities were committed against her. So, she persevered. "There seems to be nothing wrong with Ms Tenoh." The doctor finally decided. Michiru looked somehow disappointed as if she wanted the blonde to be ill or something. Released from her bonds, Haruka could barely look at Michiru. Brushing past her, she headed towards home, still reeling from the feel of betrayal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm sorry." "That doesn't cut it." Haruka steeled her voice, even though her voice held a higher pitch than usual. "You changed. It's like you are not you anymore." Michiru tried, worry and regret mirrored in her eyes. But most of all, she couldn't stand the feeling that Haruka was angry at her, possibly hating her for what she did. "Just because I'm dressed differently.." "No, not only that. You were flirting with that guy." Was she making any sense here? Did Haruka understand? Why couldn't she? "So?" "What about us?" Michiru asked incredulously. "What us?" And that was the end of the conversation. Haruka watched as Michiru fled through the doors, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. Remorse had bated the strains of furies. But was it too late? Haruka had to admit that not everything felt rosy. There was a sense of incompleteness within her. She could remember things in the past but it was as if she hadn't lived through the events. Detached, that was how she felt. Was there really something wrong with her? As a matter of fact, she knew there was. Or she wouldn't feel the clenching pain in her heart. It seemed that every fibre of her being was burning with agony, regretting the way that she had treated Michiru. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Was this how it felt to be in love? All her happiness depended on one person. A day ago she could be happy as a lark and the next, her heart broken into pieces. If it was, then she didn't want to be in love. The pain was simply too much for her. As her thoughts returned to Haruka, Michiru burst into fresh new tears, believing that this was an injury that she would never recover. But whom was she kidding? She couldn't stop herself from loving Haruka. It would be akin to stopping the sun from rising. Her thoughts returned to happier times, reliving every precious moment that they had created together. What had gone wrong? Did Haruka stop loving her? Self-doubts arose like a volcano erupting. She questioned her every act, analysing and reexamining their impact on Haruka's behaviour. Logic had helped to curb the flow of tears but nothing else. Perhaps with love, sensibility didn't matter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a long time ago when Haruka felt at ease being alone. No responsibilities, no commitments to anyone other than your own self. She was totally comfortable with that until now... A large part of her felt missing. There was a nagging feeling in her mind that she should do something, to remember someone but she couldn't. The morning she had found herself waking on the couch again. It was as if she was waiting for someone to come back but her actions didn't mean anything to her. She felt like she was losing herself but everytime the thought surfaced, her mind would wander elsewhere. With every passing day, the less Haruka-like she became. Not that the name mattered anymore. Like many other days, she found herself sitting aimlessly at the park. Sometimes she thought she would see the ghosts of an image of a green-tressed girl. She looked sad, just like always. And it was an image that only Haruka would see as people walked past her like she didn't exist. She ought to know the girl for she brought forth feelings of warmth that nobody had done so. Haruka sought to reach out to the image, wanting to brush away the tears that she was sure were there. And like her every attempt, the apparition burst into nothingness upon her touch. Her disheartened heart didn't have time to moan for the loss as screams permeated the park. Chaos reigned while people were seemingly running for their lives. Haruka felt the stirrings of energy waiting to burst within her. It was strong and alien, urging her to do something, but what? The demon soon came within sight. Its hideous form was frighteningly familiar. Haruka was rooted to the ground, undecided as to running for her life or staying to fight the form that looked like a tree. That indecision caused her a slash in the arm. There would be more blood if not for the timely arrival of a fuku-clad gal. Without so much of a pause, her saviour began to fight valiantly against the monster of a tree. It was an even match but she was growing increasingly worried for the girl. She was aching to help, her mind barging on the need to transform but her body couldn't. "Haruka, transform!" Her saviour screamed, the desperate plea in her voice apparent. How? The uncertainty in her eyes must have faltered the senshi as her defence dropped, letting through a root delivering a blow against her lithe body. Just as the tree advanced, Haruka jumped in to save the girl, unheeding of the danger. Her mind and body seemed to unlock themselves at the danger that her saviour was facing. Words spilt out of her mouth that she didn't remember saying. Her clothes dissolved and replaced with a fuku alike to her saviour’s. Power formed in the tip of her fingernails growing bigger and taking a shape of a planet that finally blasted the surprised demon. As quickly as it came, Haruka found her powers leaving her. Her clothes returned to what she was wearing earlier, leaving no traces of what had happened a minute ago. Amid her confusion, she saw the senshi got up and delivered her own attack against the demon. Haruka watched unbelievably as the tree froze up and exploded into splinters, revealing an unconscious young boy. The senshi walked towards the boy, checking for a pulse before she turned towards Haruka. "Are you okay?" The senshi asked as she knelt in front of Haruka. The concern in the other's voice sparked a sense of melancholy within the blonde. She brought her hands up and stroked her saviour's cheeks. This time, it didn't disintegrate. Amazingly, Haruka slowly found her voice, "I'm sorry, Michiru." -------------------------------------------------------------------- She was becoming more frantic, her actions urgent. The cut was not unusually deep but blood flowed. She pressed the towel against the wound, not too hard, out of fear that it would hurt the violinist more than she already had. Michiru was lying on her bed, a weak smile on her face as she watched Haruka tending attentively to the slash at her abdomen. She was almost half-naked. In other circumstances, she would imagine Haruka blushing from head to toe. But now all she could see was a self- recriminating Haruka. "It's okay. I'll survive." There was no doubt that Michiru would recover. Haruka knew that. Yet she couldn't forgive herself for not reacting when she was needed, and most of all, for forgetting Michiru. "You don't understand." Haruka muttered, as she put on the final touches of securing the bandage, her eyes still unable to meet Michiru's. How could she, when Haruka herself was at a loss. Then, she felt Michiru's hand on her cheek, gently prodding her to face her. "Let's forget everything and start anew." She looked at Michiru, so serene and beautiful. How could she be so forgiving? "We continue on our normal routine stuff, school, work, senshi business, dates..." Haruka was not hearing anymore, two words ricocheting in her brain. Senshi business. Was this what it was about? To make sure that Haruka continued to be Sailor Uranus. Did Michiru really have feelings for her? Or was this a ploy? After all, how could someone as great as Michiru fall in love with a tomboy like her? "Haruka?" Michiru noticed that she no longer held Haruka's attention. Her partner seemed to be lost in a world of her own. She suppressed a gasp when the far-away look on Haruka's face was replaced with one of hatred and scorn. "You don't love me. You were just using me." With a fluid move, Haruka grabbed a pair of scissors near her and aimed at Michiru's heart. All the training sessions culminated to this point. Michiru caught the pointed object before it could make its mark. "Haruka, that's not true." The eyes that returned her pleading gaze were not Haruka's. She wouldn't believe that Haruka would do something like this to her. They wrestled for control over the scissors. Michiru was at a disadvantage since she was still lying on the bed. She could have kicked Haruka off the bed but she was unwilling to hurt her, even if she didn't recognise the aura surrounding Haruka. "Listen to me. This is not you. Something is happening to you. Fight it off." The scissors dipped further, barely touching skin. Haruka was in a mess of emotions, each warring with the other. Wrath was winning and in that deep secret corner of herself, the real Haruka was panicking. "You lied to me. I will not believe you anymore." Michiru was visibly straining to protect herself. "How can you not see the love in my eyes? Believe in us, I know you can." Her strength was bleeding away. She was almost too tired to protect herself. But she needed to hold on, if only for Haruka's sake. "These few months were the best time of my life..." "You were the best thing that happened to my life." She was so exhausted. Sleepiness had threatened to overcome her, a side effect of too much blood lost. Seconds later, the scissors plunged into her shoulder, drawing more blood. That was the final thing that the hidden essence of Haruka could do to avoid the fatal stake in the heart. Ignoring the pain, Michiru single-handedly hugged the blonde tightly to herself. "I love you, Haruka. Don't ever doubt that." The words seemed to make Haruka overcome her bloodlust, giving her more control over her body. She no longer fought against Michiru, her body finally content to just lie in Michiru's embrace. She could continue to hear Michiru's sweet whisperings in her ear, speaking of reassurances, love and commitment. Like a lullaby, calmness seeped into her treacherous heart. Slowly, as the last of the doubt left her body, Haruka became very aware of what had happened. It was inexcusable and unforgivable. She tore herself away from Michiru and ran into the arms of the darkness outside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The beach had held no meaning to her until she met Michiru, the person she almost killed hours ago. Now, her sub-consciousness had just driven her to this place. Her tears ran freely, unstoppable, as she tiredly sat on the sandy beach. She didn't understand what was going on. A suggestion, a single suggestion that came from nowhere got her all worked up. Fury clouded her mind, with no room for rational thoughts. It wasn't her, she reasoned. But it was her too. How was Michiru? It was the umpteenth time that she asked herself that evening. No amount of answers would satisfy her until she could see for herself. But she couldn't. Not yet. Her impotency was the source of her grief. Nightmarish situations of Michiru bleeding to death alone with no one around to help her filled her mind. But she was a coward, for she couldn't even make a call to confirm her well-being. "Crying doesn't suit you." Haruka's eyes widened in shock, recoginsing the voice. She didn't turn back to face the speaker. Couldn't. What if her bloodlust started again and this time she couldn't control herself. What if... "I love you." She felt herself being hugged from behind, the familiar warmth too good to be true. "No matter what happens." The whisper in her ear, the complete trust that Michiru was showing was breaking her self-doubts. She felt Michiru leaning her head against her shoulder, humming a tune to compensate for her silence. The tears had stopped, exactly when she couldn't tell, probably around the time when Michiru appeared. Michiru had once said that she was the strong one. But she wasn't, not when Michiru wasn't there to support her. She was only good at running and that was all that she did. Michiru made her face herself, made her face her destiny and became her destiny. She could no longer reject Michiru, just like she could not reject oxygen. She leaned against her love, slowly but surely accepting her embrace. "Did you like the tune? I made it for you." Michiru could feel the change in the blonde, happily so; the fear of Haruka bolting away from her was quenched. Then, Haruka turned to face her finally. Their eyes locked onto each other, hungrily. She noted how the usually strong and almighty blonde was swamped with defeat, guilt and pain. She cupped her hands on the blonde's drying cheeks, wanting reassurance that Haruka would not run away from her, wanting to reassure her that nothing would ever change her love for her. Even if Haruka almost took her life. But she knew that wasn't Haruka. They would get to the bottom of this. It was just that this wasn't the time yet. Haruka closed her eyes, seemingly enjoying her touch. And she began to hum some more, stopping only when she felt Haruka stir. There was panic in her eyes, so different from moments before. As if she just remembered something, Haruka began to speak, the first time since she found her, "Are you hu..." She silenced her with a finger. She knew what the blonde was going to ask, her injuries. And no matter what she said, Haruka would go guilty on her, which was not what she wanted. Right now, words were unwarranted. Haruka seemed to understand what she was thinking, taking her hand into her own, not trying to speak. Actions did speak louder than words. With amazing slowness, Haruka descended onto her lips. It was a desperate kiss. But, still wonderful, for it represented all the right things. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Reassurance. Commitment. Their love shone bright and healed their emotional scars, washing away the pain, leaving their hearts beating as one. But it was short-lived. Haruka screamed in pain, clutching her head, falling onto the sand. Her screams continued, distressing the violinist. "Haruka, what's wrong?" The helplessness of the situation was bringing tears to her eyes. How could she help? Frantically, she brought the fallen girl into her arms, stroking, comforting. "How touching." A new voice commented, garnering the attention of the two senshis. "You are strong." The man said, pointing to Haruka. "I've never met someone like you. Twice, you foiled my mind control." Understanding crept into their minds. Anger surfaced in retaliation to his sneering look. Haruka tried to suppress her screams, not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain, but she failed. "Stop what you are doing to Haruka." Michiru shouted menacingly. "Give me more credit than that. Do you honestly believe that I would listen to you?" He smiled. Shredding his business suit, he changed into what would be his battle suit, all in a flash. "It's time to end it. Starting with you, Neptune." His charge was deflected weakly by Michiru who had to protect Haruka. They were sent several feet back but luckily the damage wasn't great. Michiru stood up and transformed, having no choice but to leave Haruka behind to fight the enemy all by herself. The battle began. Energy balls played back and forth. There were leaps, punches and kicks. None had really connected, but it was becoming obvious that Michiru was straining. "No matter how much you try to deny it, you are hurt." The man was smirking. Haruka so wanted to wipe it off his face but the pain... It was too much to bear. Michiru. "I need to help her." Haruka said with much effort. She tried to get up but crumbled as the mental torture intensified. Michiru was down; the enemy advancing on her. "Those tree monsters were my best creations. I was surprised that you managed to defeat them. But at least, they did some good to lock in on Uranus. Once you are dead, the team of Uranus and Neptune will be no more. Professor Tomoe would be so glad." Haruka tried to concentrate, calling for her godly powers, calling for divine intervention. Sheer stubbornness allowed her to stand again, even if for a minute. She transformed. Michiru had said that they had a higher tolerance to pain when they were in their senshi form. She was counting on that. He didn't see her coming, too absorbed in gloating his glory. It turned out that he was the mastermind of the demons possessing innocent human bodies and they had ruffled his hair for too many times. It was payback, he said. And she could agree no less. The world shaking was desperate, all that she could muster in the midst of the mind-numbering pain. The target was hit but the battle was far from over. She stood ready for his retaliation, too spent for a follow-up attack. He didn't rush at her, as she expected but began chanting. The effects were deeply felt, as she fell to the floor, convinced that her head would explode. As soon as it happened, it ended. Michiru had attacked him. It wasn't fatal, but it gave Haruka time to come up with her own version. With all her speed, she dashed towards the enemy, feeling oddly propelled by the wind. She could feel energy forming in her hands. It wasn't a world shaking but it felt right. He couldn't have defended himself. Not a chance. She brought her hands, slashing his body from down to up with a blazing white energy oddly resembling the shape of a sword. He was a goner, disintegrated almost immediately. Haruka panted heavily, the physical exertion had taken a toll on her. What was good was that her mental torture was receding quickly. Without losing another second, she sought for the visage of her Michiru. Safe. Smiling. Amazingly, her body managed to bring her to her beloved's side, before collapsing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a few days later when they recovered from the fight. Everything seemed to have returned to normal but Michiru seemed to be rather persistent that Haruka tried dresses once in a while. "You look very cute in it." Michiru smiled, cuddling close to Haruka in front of the television. "That's not me." Haruka restlessly flicking through the TV channels, not really watching until a certain thought entered her mind. "Besides, aren't you afraid that I would go off with some guy?" "You wouldn't." Michiru sat right up, admonished. Haruka laughed, gathering Michiru into her arms again. "I bet that whatever-his-name-is had something to do with it." Getting into the comfortable position again, Michiru sighed. "You know, we never did figure out that sword energy you had." "It just happened. I was going crazy over your safety, if you remembered. But now, I can't seem to muster it again." Michiru was looking thoughtful and Haruka couldn't resist. "Maybe you should put yourself in danger and I see if it comes again." Haruka joked, earning a slap on the arm. Reluctantly, Michiru broke away slightly so that she could face Haruka. "Seriously, what’s-his-name did mention a certain Professor Tomoe. I've done some checking. It turns out that he works in Mugen Gakuen." "Seems like a move is in order." The statement signalled the end of their discussion on senshi business. They continued to cuddle, totally comfortable with each other on the couch, revelling in each other's warmth. Until Haruka decided to break the silence... "You know that I love you, don't you?" Haruka whispered into Michiru's ear, almost teasingly "This is the first time that you said it." The appreciative sigh was not missed on Haruka. "Then I should say it more often." Smilingly, they began to lean in for a kiss. *********************** Author's Notes: This part was the hardest to write and that was why it took me so long to update my series. Admittedly, it was months after the last part that I started on this. The reason which would be dealt with later. It was hard because halfway through the story, I became dissatisfied with my plot. I needed to change it but I didn't know how. I was also becoming desperate. This was where Cass came in, she helped me with my plot, offering suggestions, thereby putting me back to the writing route again. For this, I thank her. It was hard because I was losing interest in this fanfic. I wasn't motivated; didn't feel the urge to write. I'm sorry to say this, but this series will be put on hold until I find the inspiration to start on this again. When will that be? I seriously have no answer to that. What I can say is that, I have another story that I want to write. A Haruka & Michiru one. So, for all of you who enjoyed my writings, please continue to support me in my new venture. Before I go, let me thank all of you who emailed me; I've cherished your mails. To my pre-readers, Cass & Albrecht Halbstein, you have my gratitude. Thanks for reading. GSL 11 March 2001