Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Trials ❯ Violent Winds ( Chapter 3 )

BlueDolphin ************************************** (..careful on the corners...go in high, come out low..)
(..faster....must go faster...must beat my record..)
(..careful! Not too careless!..)
(..only a little more..) She watched the posts marking the finish line flash by and slammed on the brakes, spinning the wheel expertly as she came to a halt facing the way she had come and the timeboard recording her laptimes. She waited patiently for the last number to be posted, lifting the cobalt-blue helmet off her head and shaking out her boyishly-cut short blonde hair. The racers she competed against all thought she was male, something she never discouraged. It was just easier that way.

The blank spot next to lap number 20 lit up. With a sinking heart she saw that she was three-tenths off of her personal best. She leaped out of her car and flung the helmet that matched her fierce blue eyes away from her. Only three-tenths more and she would have set a new record! The thought angered her.

"You will do better next time, Haruka."

Tenoh Haruka turned to face the speaker who sounded calm and certain of themselves. Kaioh Michiru stood not far from where Haruka was standing looking at the racer calmly. She knelt and picked up the discarded helmet that lay at her feet, returning to face Haruka. Michiru was tall, nearly as tall as tomboy Haruka, with serious aqua-blue eyes and wavy hair of a matching hue. The Tokyo sun was setting behind her as she stood there, giving her aqua-blue hair fiery highlights. "It is time to go, Haruka. You will break your goal another time," she continued, walking toward Haruka, helmet in hand.

"It was three-tenths, Michiru - three-tenths! In competition against the best, that time could be the difference between first and last place," Haruka said bitterly, taking the helmet from Michiru's hands and returning it to the car. She was still angry at herself, but she felt her anger slowly melting away in Michiru's presence.

"This isn't competition, Haruka," Michiru reminded her calmly. "Its simply you against yourself, and its well known that you are your worst critic."

"Come on, Michiru, get in," Haruka said gruffly, changing the subject. "Its getting late."

Obligingly, Michiru climbed into the passenger side of the sports car and waited as Haruka started the car and peeled out of the racetrack.

Little conversation was exchanged between the two as Haruka sped home to their mansion not far from the racecourse. She pulled up the long driveway and parked before the sprawling mansion, getting out just as the first few stars began to shine above them. Michiru met her at the start of the walkway to the front door and, after a quick kiss, walked hand in hand with her to the door. They let themselves into the darkened mansion, no doubt the other two occupants, Meioh Setsuna and Tomoe Hotaru were already in their rooms. Such a large house provided for a certain degree of privacy. They ate a quick dinner together in their spacious dining room, then retired to their equally-spacious bedroom.

Haruka lay on top of the covers of their four-poster bed and listened to the muffled drum of the shower where Michiru was. Calmness had replaced the anger at herself, had faded into memory. Anger was a useful weapon, but only when used properly.

The shower stopped then, and Haruka barely managed to overhear humming; no doubt Michiru was towel-drying her hair. Sure enough, the bathroom door opened and the aqua-haired woman appeared wearing a long aqua nightgown and vigorously rubbing her hair with a fluffy towel. She eyed Haruka lying in her two-piece pajamas carefully and said matter-of-factly, "You're tired."

Haruka hid a smile. "Yes. And I leave tomorrow too."

"For the championship race in Munich," Michiru stated, pausing in her drying. "I nearly forgot." An unreadable look flashed across her face as she vanished back into the bathroom. She reappeared a moment later without the towel and crawled beneath the covers beside Haruka. "Be careful," she said softly.

Haruka turned to face Michiru, a hand reaching out to trace the scar just beneath Michiru's hairline. Haruka still blamed herself for that scar. "You say that as if you know something I don't," she said, half-jokingly.

Michiru turned her head away from Haruka's hand. "I always worry for you," she said after a moment. She reached out and turned off the solitary lamp beside their bed, plunging the room into darkness. "Good night, Haruka."

Haruka awoke during the night, her deep sleep disturbed by something she couldn't identify. She felt oddly tensed, as if she were awaiting something that was supposed to happen. She reached over to touch Michiru to reassure herself, rising to her elbows and glancing beside her when she found the bed empty. Wide awake now, Haruka only hesitated momentarily before climbing out of bed and pulling on a robe. Still feeling slightly out-of-sorts, she left their bedroom in search of Michiru.

Michiru knocked softly on the ebony door before her in the moonlit hallway. "Setsuna, are you awake?" she asked just as quietly. Soft light shone beneath the door, but she thought she had better be sure. "Its Michiru. I....I need to talk."

"Come in," Setsuna called from behind the door. Michiru gratefully turned the knob and entered.

The room was done in dark woods with wine-red carpetting, giving the whole of it a dark look. Lamps set into the walls and atop desks were on and cast a soft light that dispelled most of the shadows. Meioh Setsuna sat at a dark mahogany desk set against the far wall, looking thoughtfully at several open books. When Michiru entered, she rose and turned to face her. "I've been expecting you," Setsuna said in her soft voice, her garnet eyes serious. "Come, sit and we shall talk." She pulled two chairs close to the black marble fireplace against one wall and gestured to one as she sat in the other.

"I...hope I haven't interrupted you, Setsuna," Michiru said as she sat, her eyes straying to the open books on the desk. A few closed ones sat there as well, and Michiru realized as she tried to read the titles engraved in elegant script on the bindings that they were all in some foreign language she didn't recognize. "I know its late..."

Setsuna gestured dismissively. "Some things shouldn't wait."

"Setsuna, I'm worried," Michiru said all at once, her eyes staring into the low fire burning before her. "I have that feeling again..."

"And Haruka's leaving tomorrow," Setsuna finished. "You don't want her to go because you fear she will be tested while she is gone." Setsuna paused. "You want to tell her everything, don't you?" she finished, lowering her voice further.

"I want to prepare her!" Michiru burst out defensively, her eyes turning to Setsuna. "After what happened to Hotaru....what if she fails, Setsuna?"

"Calm yourself, Michiru. You do not sound like yourself," Setsuna said calmly. "You cannot go around attempting to manipulate what will be, for things may go terribly wrong. If Destiny sees fit that Haruka - "

"If Destiny sees fit?! Haven't you told us many times before that the time of Crystal Tokyo is approaching and that we - all of us! - play a large role in that?" Michiru demanded, her voice rising.

"I have told you no such thing!" Setsuna shot back, her tone cracking like a whip. "I have seen the inner senshi in the future. Not us."

Michiru paused. "What?" she asked, blinking as if struck.

"I have seen Neo Queen Serenity and her four guardians in every future I have visited. I have only seen us a few times. Only once have I seen us all together," Setsuna explained, her tone considerably calmer. "The futures where we were present, we looked insubstantial. Like ghosts."

"Like ghosts...." Michiru repeated, her eyes empty. "We...we don't exist?"

Setsuna was quiet a moment, her eyes fixed at a point above the fireplace. "The future is never as black and white as that, Michiru," she responded finally. "Perhaps it only means that our Destinies aren't as certain as the others. Every decision we make affects us more than them."

"Which is why I cannot tell Haruka," Michiru concluded dully. "I must keep this from her."

"Exactly."

Haruka was on her way to Michiru's studio in the dead of the night, figuring that if she were anywhere, she'd be there. She navigated the hallways and stairs expertly, born from much practice. For whatever reason, Haruka found herself traveling the long way, close to Setsuna's room.

As she passed Setsuna's hallway, she noticed light shining beneath her study's door. Faint voices reached her ears, drawing her closer. One was Setsuna's, of course, and the other - Michiru. Pausing outside the door with one hand on the knob, she was just about to enter when she heard her name mentioned.

" - cannot tell Haruka. I must keep this from her."

"Exactly."

Haruka stopped to listen.

"Knowing would do Haruka no good," Setsuna went on, her tone quiet. "It would hurt us all more in the end."

Miciru stayed quiet, her hands fidgeting. "And Hotaru - "

"Knowing would have affected her Destiny. It is best that she went into it without knowing. The result is more truthful." Even as she said this, she looked troubled. Silence descended over the room, broken only by the sharp crackle of the fireplace. Setsuna finally stirred, touching Michiru's hand. "Do you now know what you must do?"

Her answer was a long time coming. "Haruka musn't know," she said finally, the words sticking in her throat.

"It is for the best," Setsuna added.

Michiru lowered her head. "I know."

Haruka stepped back from the door then, eyes wide. What were they talking about in there and why was Michiru keeping something from her? It sounded important too....

Feeling more hurt than she would bring herself to admit, Haruka retreated down the hallway and back to her lonely room.

"That doesn't make it any easier," Michiru added with a sigh. "If Haruka discovered I'm keeping something from her - " She broke off, swallowing her words as she rose. "Thank you for telling me this, though I don't think it helped much," she said instead.

"I'm sorry I cannot provide you with the answers you want to hear," Setsuna replied, also rising. "But you're welcome, in any case."

"Goodnight, Setsuna," Michiru said, a hand on the knob.

"Goodnight."

In their moonlit room, Michiru slid into bed with a quiet sigh. Sleep was long in coming. The fact that Haruka lay with her back to Michiru, something she never did, escaped her notice.

Michiru slept longer than she intended to, so when she woke up and stretched, she grew angry with herself after realizing Haruka was already up. Wasting no time, she hurriedly tied a bathrobe around her slim figure and departed from the room.

She entered the breakfast room where she found Setsuna reading the paper and Hotaru silently eating a bowl of cereal. Hotaru had become more introspective in the days following her trial, and even now, a full two months afterward, she was still quieter than she was.

"Good morning, Michiru," Setsuna greeted without looking up. "Did you sleep well?" Hotaru said nothing.

"Well enough," Michiru replied. "Where's Haruka?"

At this, Setsuna lowered her paper and looked up. "She is gone, Michiru. She left very early this morning," she said slowly.

Michiru paused in the act of reaching for a cinnamon roll on the table. "What? She couldn't have," she said firmly. "She wouldn't have left without - " Michiru broke off then, swiftly turning and leaving the room. Setsuna watched her go.

"What was all that about, Setsuna?" Hotaru asked then, breaking her brooding silence.

"I do not know," the ageless woman replied neutrally. Setsuna hoped her expression betrayed none of the worry she felt.

Beyond the runways where planes took off and landed continuously, the golden sliver of the morning sun was just beginning to show itself over the trees. One hand on the glass window before her, Haruka watched its slow progress with impassive thoughtfulness. She wondered at what Michiru and Setsuna had been talking about before she had overheard them, wondered too why she hadn't burst in on them and demanded answers. Something had held her back, the same something that had driven her to Setsuna's part of the mansion to begin with.

Was it those strings tied around her life that brought her there? Haruka didn't know. She had discovered long ago that she could no longer discern the difference between Destiny and Chance in her life. It seemed to her that there was more of one than the other. If Setsuna were to be believed, her life and the lives of the other senshi revolved entirely around Destiny. Everything that happened to them and everything they did served some greater purpose. A rather depressing thought.

"Tenoh Haruka, please report to the terminal counter. Your flight is ready." The voice cut through Haruka's broodings. Stooping, she picked up the two bags at her feet and turned away from the spectacular sunrise that stained the sky and clouds pink without another glance. Without someone who had an affinity to the arts there with her, a sunrise was just a sunrise. She walked away.

The ride to Munich was uneventful for the most part, Haruka managing to nap a little to make up for waking early. However, disturbed by dreams in which she found herself attacking and killing Michiru as Sailorneptune innumerable times, she didn't sleep long. As she stepped off of the jetliner reserved for her, the cool air hit her face and she breathed appreciatively. She descended the stairs with her duffel slung over one shoulder, sparing the small crowed gathered at the opposite site of a chainlink fence a glance as they screamed in recognition. Nearly all female, Haruka saw with an inward smirk. If only they knew their 'handsome racecar driver' was a female, there wouldn't be any crowd. Still laughing to herself, she boarded the small cart that had been sent for her and let the attendant bring her to the terminal.

"Fill the tires a little more," Haruka ordered as she circled around the front of her racecar. A pit crewmember scurried to carry out Haruka's orders under her watchful eye. Satisfied, she continued circling her car and calling out orders as she did so. Finally, she stood at the head of the car and critically raked it over with her eyes one last time. "Very good, Randy," she said finally to the short, squatty man next to her. "Your team is very skillful."

Wiping his greasy hands on an equally greasy rag, the man responded in his gravelly voice, "I picked them especially for you. I know how picky you are when it comes to your car." Randy was Haruka's pit chief and accompanied the racer to nearly every race to oversee the crews. A man from the States, Randy had been working for Haruka for nearly ten years now. "Still, you should compliment them and not me. They all think you're an unreasonable bitch -- pardon my language."

Haruka grinned. "All the better. People do a better job when they fear the person they work for."

The next day, Haruka rose early in the suite provided for her and left for the track after a quick shower and breakfast in hopes of beating the crowds that always gathered at the entrances. She drove herself in a nondescript car provided for her instead of indulging the chauffer service offered to the participants of the race, though as she drove up close to 9 a.m., the small group of reporters and die-hard fans recognized her as she neared. She drove by them all and parked the car in the nearly empty private lot, lost in thought as she was. Whenever she participated in large races such as this one, she spent long hours beforehand readying herself mentally. She had discovered long ago that the key to winning lay in mental preparations rather than her car. Besides, she knew her car intimately and knew it was as prepared as it could be. Still wrapped in her thoughts, Haruka entered the main building hours before the race was to begin.

"~Why was Michiru hiding something from me?~" Haruka caught herself wondering, shattering her carefully-constructed state of mind. Angrily, she banished the stray thought as she sat waiting in her customized racecar, starting the process over again. She had to be focused solely on the race; thoughts of anything else could very well distract her.

Haruka eyed the track spread out before her critically, basing how she would race on the conditions. The morning showed the beginnings of a hot, sunny day, passable driving conditions as long as she was careful not to overheat her tires. However, a line of clouds hovering just above the horizon caught her attention, causing her to wish fervently that those lead-grey clouds would stay where they were. She returned to her mental preparations.

"Drivers, start your engines!" The announcer declared, causing the spectators to surge to their feet in anticipation. As one, the cars started, the roar from their engines deafening. Haruka tensed, gripping the wheel tightly as she waited for the signal. After seemingly an eternity of waiting, the man with the starting flag waved it, and Haruka was off. Her mind calm, she whizzed around the first corner just as the first few wispy clouds began to obscure the sun.

The track was soaked by mid-race. Cursing whatever forces controlled the weather, Haruka was forced to exert more concentration than usual to stay on the track. She swore bitterly as yet another car inched up on her right and passed her. Reaching over, she grabbed the radio she carried with her and said into it, "Have the crew ready. I'm coming in on the next lap."

"Understood," came the reply, and Haruka tossed the radio away from her. She hated to pit, but in this weather, she needed to optimize her car to work better in the rain. (..I can still catch up. I must catch up..) Grinding her teeth in impatience, Haruka watched from behind the wheel as the crew seemed to take an absurd amount of time changing her tires. Randy was helping them, but even then, Haruka watched as the seconds ticked by. Finally, the last bolt was tightened, and Haruka stuck her helmet back onto her head. Randy hurried over just as she was preparing to pull out and said, "Be careful, Haruka. The track looks slick and the rain's only just begun. I wouldn't be suprised if they called this race."

"I'll watch myself," Haruka said with a quick smile before peeling out of hte pit and back onto the track. She nodded in satisfaction as she saw that her car was handling better, letting herself relax. Some.

Another fifteen minutes later, Haruka drew close to the end of the race. Two cars were before her, both within sight and could be easily overtaken. Her drive to win overpowered her caution. Heedless of the wet pavement, Haruka accelerated, intent on overtaking the two..... (..two more laps...I'm nearly there..) Haruka crept up behind the closer car, added a bit more gas and easily passed it. (..only one more car...you can do it, Haruka..) As before, she crept up behind the lead car. Then, on the final curve, she swung outward and inched past the car. (..yes! I'm doing it!..) She prepared to cut in front of the lead car. Suddenly, a chill feeling crept over her. Without fully realizing what she was doing, her hand left the wheel and grasped her henshin wand, the words to her henshin phrase on her lips. A jolt cut through the feeling. Her rear end had been clipped by the car she had been passing. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Haruka desperately tried to regain control, but it was too late. Her car was sent spinning out before the oncoming cars....

"Michiru!" Hotaru's horrified voice brought the aqua-haired woman running from the kitchen. Hotaru was on her feet before the TV they had been watching the race on, staring transfixedly at the screen. Joining the girl at the TV, she watched wordlessly as Haruka's car was sent spinning out of control directly in the path of oncoming cars. One car...another...a third...they consecutively slammed into the car. Still spinning wildly, the car slammed into the wall, the force of the impact flipping it over. Michiru couldn't breathe....

"Looks like a bad crash for Haruka Tenoh," the announcer said. "An ambulance is already on the track...."

The world swam around Haruka. Curiously, Haruka was reminded of the motorcycle accident only six months ago. The way she felt the motorcycle go, how she had instinctively leapt off and rolled while Michiru had been sent flying. She had almost lost her beloved that night..... (..why was she keeping something from me?..) Tired, she let the thought go. The world slid away...

It was dark around her. Or maybe her eyes were just closed? She didn't much care.

"Open your eyes, Guardian of Winds," a timeless voice said commandingly. "Open your eyes and awake, so that I may see you."

Puzzled by these words, Haruka did as she was told. It was still dark, but a cluster of sparkles before her cast a dim glow a short distance away. It illuminated nothing save a smooth grey floor. Haruka found herself standing, throwing her senses off balance for a brief moment until they righted on their own accord.

"Ahh," that timeless, ageless voice said, Haruka pinning it to the sparkles. "So it is you."

"I am Tenoh Haruka," she responded carefully. "Who am I speaking with?"

"You are more than that," the voice chided mildly. "You are Sailoruranus, Guardian of Winds. The unreadable one."

Haruka blinked. "The unreadable one?" she questioned. "What do you mean by that? And how do you know me?"

The sparkles seemed to shrug. "Is that really so important?" When Haruka didn't answer, it went on. "I am what you are."

"What I am?" Haruka asked, growing more exasperated as time went on. "Listen, I don't know who or what you are, unless I hear from you otherwise, you are evil," she growled, her henshin wand appearing in one clenched hand.

The voice laughed merrily. "Always impatient and impulsive, you are. Have no fear, Haruka, for my intent is not to injure you in any way," it said, laughter in its voice. "But none of this serves the purpose," it added briskly, business-like. The cloud of sparkles drew closer to Haruka who stiffened. "Peace, my impulsive friend," the voice said patiently. "I am merely trying to get a better look at you." Having said this, it circled Haruka, seemingly regarding her carefully with invisible eyes. "You are not as easy to read as the others," it said finally, returning to where it had been. "You know your duty, you fear nothing that you shouldn't, and you are seemingly comfortable with your Destiny."

Haruka said nothing, letting the being before her reveal more of itself as it talked. She was generally sure that she was living some dream, but she still wanted to be careful.

"Yet," it continued, speculation in its voice. "There is one quality you possess....one that may be of use to me."

Haruka waited for the being to continue, however when it didn't, she grudgingly asked, "What do you mean?"

"A Trial," the voice said simply. "I must test worthiness." The being's voice changed its tone, as if it were reciting something. "The beings that possess power enough to make or break the very fibre of the Universe must be tested. None shall pass between the Old Age and the New Age that do not prove their worth."

"To protect the Queen?" Haruka asked probingly.

"Among other duties, yes," the voice replied evasively. "Two of you have already come before me. The Warrior of Oceans and the Soldier of Death," the voice said abruptly. "Do you wish to see their trials?"

Before Haruka could respond, however, the cloud of sparkles vanished, leaving her in darkness so intense, Haruka felt smothered. After a moment though, soft light glowed around her as a section of the darkness became translucent, displaying an image of dazzling clarity. Though Haruka felt some qualms about watching what was undoubtably going to be shown to her, curiosity won out. She watched.

It was the park in Tokyo, Haruka saw. Two figures stood facing each other unmoving. One was Hotaru as Sailorsaturn, she saw immediately. The other, after a moment of scrutiny, she recognized to be Mistress 9. Almost as if they had been waiting to be recognized, the two sprang into action as Haruka looked on. Brandishing her glaive, Sailorsaturn charged towards the evil woman, who likewise charged the girl. Closer and closer they drew until finally, at the last minute, Sailorsaturn threw her glaive aside. "No! Hotaru!" Haruka burst out, fearing for the girl, but her cry was lost. The two collided. The view changed, drawing closer to the two. Haruka's startled eyes beheld Hotaru and Mistress 9, bitter enemies, embracing. Hotaru's face was nearly rapturous as she clasped the woman tightly, Mistress 9 slowly fading from sight. Then, her face dreamy and distant, Hotaru retrieved her discarded glaive and raised it into the air.

"Death Reborn Revolution...." Haruka heard Hotaru whisper, the words echoing ominously around her in the dark. Purple-black light spilled from the glowing glaive, consuming the view - and out into the dimly-lit darkness. Startled, Haruka could only throw her hands over her face before the unmaking light was upon her. Agony washed over her for a brief second and then blissfully disappeared.

Haruka waited a slow ten-count before she opened her eyes. The air before her showed a new view, the shore of some sea. Instinctively she knew just from the view what this portended. She moaned lowly in her throat.

Michiru as Sailorneptune stood on the white sand, gripping the haft of an unfamiliar trident and glaring defiantly. Usagi as Sailormoon was also present, holding the aqua-haired senshi back and talking with her urgently, pleadingly, but Michiru made no appearance that she heard. Or cared.

There was another figure, one Haruka felt her heart sink when she recognized. It was Sailoruranus. Herself. "No! I do not want this Destiny!" Michiru cried, her voice ringing out around Haruka, pounding her ears mercilessly. With a sudden movement, Michiru sent Usagi flying and dashed towards Sailoruranus, her trident before her. Haruka wanted to turn away and not look, but her body wouldn't respond. "I do not want my Destiny!" Sailorneptune repeated just before she plunged the raised trident into Sailoruranus's chest.

Flinching, as if feeling the blow herself, Haruka grew cold.

Calmly, Michiru shook the unmoving body off her trident and rested the haft on the sand. Blood dripped from the points and gleamed in the bright sun as it dripped down the shaft and stained the hand that gripped it tightly. "My life is my own again," she whispered, a slight smile on her face. The light that lit up this horrific scene went out.

"Well?" the voice from before asked from the darkness. "Is this what you expected?"

Haruka forced herself to calm her turbulent mind, to achieve the calm impassiveness that had helped her through life. When she was in control of her emotions, she asked, "Was that real?"

"There was truth in everything you saw; how much or how little was determined by you," the voice responded.

"None of that could be real...." Haruka said. "I trust them both." She forced herself to stop the voice inside her mind from asking, "~And what about Michiru hiding something from you..?~"

As if reading her thoughts, the voice from the darkness asked shrewdly, "Is that really the case, Guardian of Winds?"

All at once, bright light drove away the darkness in all directions, leaving a substantial area lit against the darkness that still lurked around the edges. From the darkness stepped two figures. Hotaru and Michiru. As Haruka's eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, she saw that both of them wore smiles that seemed to mock her, smiles that hid malice and dark knowledge. After a moment's more of examination, she saw with detatched horror that Hotaru's face seemed insubstantial, her features twisting to accomodate the leering face of Mistress 9 for brief moments before twisting back. The uncertain flicker of the girl's face horrified and repulsed Haruka, and she looked away.

"What's the matter, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked sarcastically, her voice sounding like two at once. "Can't you look at me? Have I become ugly?"

Haruka licked her lips and swallowed. "I don't know...I don't know who you are."

"I'm Hotaru, Haruka-papa. Don't you trust me?" the girl demanded, drawing closer to the speechless Haruka. When Haruka didn't respond, the flicker suddenly vanished, and regular Hotaru stood where the perverse one had been looking near tears. "Haruka-papa...I'm so scared...please help me...I need a hug..."

Haruka made no move to approach the girl, the memory of what she had been only moments before making her wary. She didn't know what to make of this or how to respond.

Seeing Haruka's indecision, Hotaru began crying. "Please...." she repeated miserably.

The girl's words drove her to action, and Haruka gathered Hotaru in her arms. Hotaru clung to her chest before a brief moment, crying as she did. Then, all at once, Haruka felt a chill wind sweep over her and she knew something was wrong. "What's the matter, Haruka-papa? Don't you trust me?" Mistress 9's voice hissed mockingly in her ear. Before Haruka could react, the being in her arms vanished.

Haruka took a few stumbling steps forward, thrown slightly off balance by the sudden disappearance of the one she had been half-supporting herself with. Michiru stepped forward out of the shadows she had been lingering in then, striding forward with that same secret smile on her face. "Poor Haruka," she said, sounding truely sympathetic. "You do not seem as sure of yourself as you normally do." She put a hand on Haruka's arm.

Haruka jerked her arm away as if she had been burned. "Don't touch me. I don't know who you are," she rasped, her face lowered. This was all a dream...wasn't it?

"Why, I'm Michiru, love," the aqua-haired woman said quizzically. "Who else might I be?" Her smile laughed mockingly. When Haruka didn't respond, she went on speculatively, "Of course, it might be that I'm not who I say I am. That my goal is to put you out of the way."

"What do you mean?" Haruka found herself asking.

Michiru's face became dark. "I want a new life!" she said vehemently. "I'm tired of fighting, tired of enemies, tired of having my life mapped out for me."

"But...to get rid of me?" Haruka asked, uncomprehendingly. A voice inside was shouting at her, but she ignored it. She had to understand.

"You bind me to my Destiny, Haruka. My partner," she sneered. "If you die, the ties binding me are gone. I would be free."

Haruka closed her eyes. "So you would kill me so easily?" she asked tiredly, half to herself. "Perhaps it is better this way..." Wind whistled past her ears as if she stood on a high cliff and one step would carry her over the edge....

....It was pure reflexes that saved Haruka. With a cry, she grabbed her Space Sword from the air and successfully blocked the trident aimed at her chest. They stood with their weapons wedged against each other as Michiru struggled to strike against Haruka, who was barely holding back the sharp points with her sword. "Give up!" Michiru snarled. "You said it yourself! It would be better this way!"

Haruka said nothing. She was reliving those minutes spent eavesdropping outside Setsuna's door. "~ - cannot tell Haruka. I must keep this from her~" What was she keeping a secret? Visions of Michiru's Trial followed closely on the heels of that thought. How could Michiru have slain her so easily without a second thought? Anger boiled from these thoughts. Michiru was out to ruin her.

"~Please....trust in me, Haruka~" Michiru's voice said suddenly in her head.

After a long moment, Haruka replied, "I cannot." With a wild cry of anger, she threw aside the threatening trident and leapt towards the startled woman. Still blinded by hurt and rage, Haruka brought the glowing Space Sword down and across Michiru's shoulders. Everything went silent inside Haruka's mind as she watched Michiru's body crumple slowly to the ground detatchedly. With a sickening sound, Michiru's head fell and rolled away.

Haruka threw back her head and howled a cry of anger and pain as darkness settled around her.

(..you have failed. Ruler of Uranus, your title is denied..)
(..title? Failed? How was there any way to pass? What were the right choices?..)
(..I cannot answer that. You have failed..)
(..damn it, I want to know!..)
(..I cannot..) Haruka jerked awake. Something covered her eyes, preventing them from opening. She tried to reach up to uncover her eyes, but her arms felt queerly heavy, and they ached when she tried to move. Her head felt fuzzy, and it was hard to form coherant thought. "Hello?" she said thickly around swollen lips.

Instantly she heard stirring beside her. "Haruka?" a tired voice asked hopefully. Somebody took her hand.

Haruka felt her face pull into a snarl as she recognized the voice. "Don't touch me!" she whispered. Anger and fear cleared her mind, leaving only the memories of Michiru's betrayal replaying inexhorably in her mind.

The hand pulled away. "Haruka? What's wrong?" Michiru asked, sounding hurt and scared.

"Leave me, Michiru," Haruka said lowly, forcing herself to keep her voice level. "Send someone else in. I'm not prepared...I'm not ready..." She fell silent.

"Oh Haruka, it was just - " Michiru started.

"GET OUT!" Haruka roared, her chest protesting against the sudden outburst.

Silence settled before Haruka heard Michiru draw in a shuddering breath, and soft footfalls as she did what she was told.

It was much later than Haruka expected before anybody came to confront her. She discovered from doctors and nurses that came in periodically that the shattered windshield of her racecar had driven shards into her eyes, and the bandage around them was needed for several weeks. Both her legs were broken, and she suffered from broken ribs as well as a moderate concussion. She had been unconscious for nearly a week.

The door opened as Haruka lay in her unending darkness and shut again. Then silence. Haruka had the feeling she were being watched critically. "Who's there?" she asked.

"You are a fool, Tenoh Haruka," Setsuna's voice said caustically. "Don't you know that what you experienced was a dream?"

"Not all was a dream," Haruka replied roughly. "I know my killing Michiru was a dream, but the reasons why were not."

"Do you know what you've done to her?" Setsuna demanded, her tone no less sharp.

Haruka sighed. "Perhaps I was too rough with her, but how was I supposed to react? I feel betrayed..."

"What did you see?" Setsuna asked gently.

The compassion in the ageless woman's voice angered Haruka who shot back, "What were you and Michiru talking about the night before I left?"

Setsuna was quiet. "How much did you overhear?" she asked finally.

"Does it matter?" Haruka returned. "I ask again, what were you talking about? What was Michiru keeping from me?"

Setsuna's reply was long in coming. "You are asking the wrong person. I cannot tell you what Michiru should tell you herself." Setsuna paused. "You failed, didn't you?" she asked at last.

Haruka scowled into the darkness that surrounded her, but nevertheless replied shortly, "Yes."

Movement told Haruka that Setsuna was headed for the door when she said, "Perhaps you would have passed if you hadn't eavesdropped where you didn't belong." The door opened quietly, then closed again, leaving Haruka to her own thoughts.

In the waiting room of the hospital, Hotaru sat in one of the hard plastic chairs and pretended to read out of a magazine as she awaited Setsuna's return. Beside her, Michiru was asleep with her head resting against Hotaru's slim shoulders, much to the girl's private relief. Michiru couldn't have gotten more than six hours of sleep total while Haruka was unconscious. Haruka. What was going on that she didn't know about? Michiru had brought word that Haruka was awake, but Hotaru could see hurt deep in her eyes. Michiru had taken Setsuna aside, and the two had talked in low, urgent tones. At one point, Hotaru could see Michiru crying, something she couldn't ever remember seeing. And nobody would give her a straight answer.

She shifted gently in her chair so as not to wake the woman asleep beside her, hoping Setsuna would return soon with some news as to what was going on. The arm of the shoulder Michiru was asleep on was starting to cramp up, and she had to go to the bathroom.

Almost as if summoned, the green-haired woman pushed through the swinging double doors into the nearly-deserted waiting room looking drained. She sank into the chair on Hotaru's other side and put her head in her hands. "There's much I understand, but so much I don't....so much..." the woman nearly groaned.

Unsure as to what to do, Hotaru closed her magazine and put her free arm around Setsuna carefully, so as not to jar Michiru. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"We're being driven apart....Haruka failed her Trial. I have yet to take mine...will I pass or fail? And to what end? What will happen to us when Crystal Tokyo comes into being?" Setsuna breathed, half to herself. "And what of before then? Already distrust grows among us...what will happen now?"

Wordlessly, Hotaru sat in mute horror as she saw the normally-unshakable Keeper of Time reduced to frustration and indecision. Never before had she seen Setsuna like this. Finally, though, Hotaru cleared her throat and said, "You have to be strong, Setsuna, whatever happens. We need you to be strong so that we have somebody to...." Here, Hotaru paused, searching for the right words to say what was in her mind. "...to brace ourselves against."

Setsuna slowly raised her head from her hands and regarded Hotaru with her garnet eyes as if seeing her in a new light. "You speak well for your age, Hotaru," she said slowly. "And you are right. I cannot let myself fail like I just did. How long has Michiru slept?"

"An hour, maybe. I can't tell because my back is to the clock," Hotaru responded. "This isn't very comfortable.

Setsuna smiled faintly, then rose and gently lifted Michiru's head off Hotaru's shoulders, allowing her to rise which she did gratefully. Setsuna lowered herself into Hotaru's chair and let Michiru's head rest against her shoulder. "We'll share the discomfort," she said softly after Michiru stirred slightly and sighed in her sleep.

Massaging the cramped arm, Hotaru turned and said, "Don't worry, Setsuna. Usagi will still become Queen and she will have the otehrs to protect her. That's the important thing." Slightly uncomfortable at having to comfort the ageless woman, Hotaru turned and left before Setsuna could respond.

Alone in the waiting room with the sleeping Michiru, Setsuna watched the doors swing shut behind the girl fondly. "You are right once again, Hotaru. That is the important thing," she said quietly.

Three floors above her, lost in her inpenetrable darkness, Haruka came to an important conclusion. In the still room, she whispered, "I can forgive you, Michiru, but I cannot trust you as I have before. Not now. Perhaps not ever."