A few weeks into the start of the school year, the Kaiou family moved into a larger house in a different neighborhood. While the houses were closer together in this neighborhood, they had found one backing up to a large lake, which more than made up for the tighter quarters they would be in. The lake was far enough back from the house that flooding wouldn't be a problem, and thanks to the fact that the yards were raised up and had docks since the lake was set a few feet down, even if it did start to fill up more than usual, it wouldn't matter. A hill on the opposite side led up to a park with a playground, and would undoubtedly provide much entertainment. The move didn't effect which schools they attended; in fact, they now lived closer to their school than before. It was a couple months into the triplets' last year of junior high, and their parents hadn't wanted to mess up where they went. Their new house was upscale from their previous; columns, tile floor in the entryway and on all floors except the bedrooms, bay windows, lots of skylights, and an indoor pool. Even after moving in, they didn't really get to meet most of their neighbors; Tadashii and Ki were busy with work, Kanzen with studying, Kirei and Suteki with their friends, Genki with whatever it was he did, Kanpeki with her own thoughts (plus she hated being around other people), and Michiru just didn't feel like it. The kids did plan to make an effort after the school year started to meet more people. Ki's parents lived in the neighborhood, so they were always telling the other neighbors about "how cute their grandkids are" and "how talented they all are" and many people had already come over to meet them. Michiru looked over her school uniform with her usual look of approval and gladly put it on. The uniform was sky blue with loose, light bows, and was very cute. Michiru smiled at her reflection and carefully brushed her wavy hair, putting on a headband to hold her hair back. Kirei and Kanpeki came into her room wearing the same type of uniform. "Michiru-chan, you almost ready?" "Yes, just let me grab my things." Kirei walked with them even though she was in high school like Suteki and Kanzen. She thought it was her "duty as a big sister". Genki attended their school, but walked with some friends of his instead. Suteki showed obvious disinterest in school, despite the fact that she was a very bright pupil, while Kanzen eagerly devoured the work. Michiru had been doing great in school and breezed through everything, but Kirei struggled to maintain her grades. Kanpeki followed Michiru's example. Genki just did the work and did all right. Michiru shrugged it off and went downstairs with her sisters, all grabbing their bookbags, and said bye to Ki. Ki had her blue hair pulled back in a tight bun with loose tendrils framing her face, her usual style. She kissed their foreheads and waved them off. Michiru was a bit upset at how her mother was so cold at times. Ki had raised her girls to be ladies, instilling in them grace, good manners, skill, and other things to make them fit her ideals. She never seemed to care whether or not they _wanted_ to do it. Tadashii was busy with work most of the day, and once he came home, he worked on reports and things, so Michiru rarely talked to him. Michiru had learned early that her parents weren't going to give her a lot of attention and care, only try to mold her into a "perfect woman," and expect highly of her. Michiru spent her time alone, painting and drawing pictures, and playing her violin. It hadn't taken long for her to master it; she was quite the prodigy and had a natural talent for it. She played so well that her parents already talked about wanting her to perform and to send her on tour. Michiru stubbornly refused; she wasn't interested in having an audience, she played to release emotions, not to share them with others. "Michiru-chan, are you listening?! Hel-LO?!" Michiru blinked and saw Kirei was standing there yelling at her. "What?" "Leave her alone, Kirei-chan," Kanpeki mumbled. "Hush, Kanpeki-chan. You almost ran into that pole, Michiru-chan. You all right?" Michiru looked away from her sister. "Sorry, I was just thinking..." Kirei snorted and turned away as they continued walking. Kanpeki slumped a bit as she walked, her shoulder-length blond hair hiding her deep blue eyes. Michiru thought her triplet sister was odd; sometimes she was very cheerful and excited, but other times she was so sad and quiet. It was strange that they could be so different from each other despite the fact that they were triplets. Kirei brushed her brown bangs out of her face as she looked around at other students walking around. Some students from another middle school were walking to their school as well. Michiru admired the cute uniforms some of them had--one school's girls' uniform in particular, the trim being dark blue-gray, with a long sleeved shirt, and instead of a ribbon in the front, the shirt laced up with string and was tied on top. She heard Kirei squeal and point frantically, "Oooo... look at him! Isn't he just the cutest?!" Michiru looked over at the boy, wearing the boys' version of the uniform she'd been admiring, this one having dark blue-gray pants with a white dress shirt and dark blue-gray vest and blazer. The boy had short brown hair combed back from his face and sparkling brown eyes, and was talking excitedly with a girl next to him. Michiru's eyes widened a bit when she saw the girl. She was tall, very slender with an athletic build, short blond hair and haunted teal eyes. She seemed nervous and though she was obviously physically powerful, she looked fragile emotionally from the way she carefully avoided any physical contact with anyone. She was very beautiful though... Michiru felt a strange feeling go through her, a rush of warmth and excitement, and she had the strangest sensation that somehow this girl was meant to be with her... The boy seemed to know her well and was making various hand gestures as he talked with her and was growing increasingly irritated with her silence. "Too bad, he's _your_ age," Kirei sighed. "Younger boys are so immature. But hey, maybe you would look cute with him?... Or Kanpeki... No, I think that might be his girlfriend walking with him." "I don't think so," Michiru murmured, her eyes still locked on the tall girl. "She looks like she doesn't want anyone near her." "Oh, I recognize her... what's her name... Ten'ou Haruka. She lives in my friend's neighborhood; her house is across the street from the park on the other side of the lake. Her aunt lives a few doors down from us, too. Ten'ou-san never, _ever_ comes out of her house, only reason I know who she is was that my friend's mom knows her mom, and her mom was showing pictures. Some people say they hear her screaming at night sometimes and then the next day she's all bandaged up. They think maybe her dad beats her but no one can be sure. She had a twin brother when she was born but he died and it made her dad go a bit wacko. She's really... different. Oh well." "What's wrong with being different?" Kanpeki murmured, her eyes focusing on someone else walking to school. Michiru didn't notice who. "Haruka..." Michiru murmured. That name seemed familiar somehow... after a few minutes, they turned a corner and lost sight of Haruka. "What else do you know about her?" Kirei chuckled and looked at her slyly. "Why do you want to know?" "I'm curious, that's all," Michiru said irritably, turning her face away to hide her blush. "She looks like... a good subject for a painting." "I'll ask around for you, if you want, and you could talk to her aunt," Kirei offered. "Thanks, onee-san." Kirei grinned. "I'm just hoping that I'll find out more about that cute guy she was walking with! On second thought, who cares if he's younger good looking as he is! I wonder what his name is..." "Haruka-chan! Are you listening?" Sai prodded. "We ran into each other a few months ago and you still won't talk to me. C'mon, it's been several years since we really talked. Don't you have anything to say to me?" "Leave me alone," Haruka mumbled, her eyes focused on where she was walking, refusing to even look at him. "I don't want to talk. You know that." "Haruka-chan! Geez, you've changed. Oh well. At least tell me how you've been. You never tell me that, either." "Go away," she muttered, picking up her pace. Sai continued to follow her. Haruka was very irritated with him. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? She thought it was obvious that she didn't want to see him. She quivered as she starting jogging to try to get away from him. He might have been her friend once, but she couldn't let him near her again. He could hurt her, just like Katai... Katai still beat her every several days when he got mad; not as badly as he had that first time, he hit her back mostly because no one would notice the marks there, while if he hit her face and limbs people would start to wonder. That isn't to say he never did, he only did once in awhile to keep suspicions down. Sunao tried talking with Haruka to ask her what was wrong; she'd become so withdrawn she rarely said anything unless it was necessary. Teinei was obviously worried as well. She would come visit sometimes and try to get Haruka to talk to her, but Haruka clammed up and wouldn't say a thing. Haruka's grandparents on both sides would occasionally visit, but Haruka stayed in her room; she couldn't remember the last time she'd said anything besides "Hello" to them. Her old friend had been trying for months to be her friend again, but she couldn't let him be friends with her or she'd risk getting hurt even more. Haruka was a bit nervous with the way he kept looking at her. Did he have an interest in her of some sort? Haruka hated it when people looked at her, especially boys. At first she thought she was just being immature; she was fourteen now so why should she care? After awhile it dawned on her what was going on. She noticed all the other girls paid attention to the boys, talking about how cute they were and how they wanted to go out with them. Haruka never cast a second glance at boys, never had and probably never would. She _did_ notice the girls though. Haruka was nervous as hell when she realized that her interest in them was more than just friendly. God, what was she?! She had to stay in her home and get beaten by Katai, she was interested in girls, what else could go wrong for her?! Haruka stumbled a bit on the pavement but picked up her pace until she reached her school. Sai was in her class and sat near her, and she wanted to get there first so she wouldn't have to deal with him trying to grab her arm while going to her seat. Why did he do that? On the first day, he'd shown up in her class and was clearly excited to see her, and had made sure to get a seat by her. Every time she walked by, he reached to touch her and she swatted him away. Haruka was very irritated with him and ignored him frequently, but he kept prodding her and bugging her no matter what she did. She took her seat and then Sai came in to take his. The bell rang for homeroom to begin. Once roll was taken, the teacher gave everyone permission to talk. "Hey Haruka-chan," Sai said, "my parents and your mom agreed to let me come over to see you today after school, so I'm going to go home with you, okay?" Haruka gritted her teeth. Great... her mom couldn't get her to talk, was she trying to set her up with someone now? "I don't want you to come over," she growled. "Too bad!" Sai said gleefully. "Besides, I need to have a talk with you," he added quietly. "In private." Haruka felt a wave of disgust and nausea go through her. No... no way... Maybe he didn't feel that way... she hoped she was wrong about this. Homeroom ended, and she headed to the locker room for P.E. Going to her locker, she grabbed her clothes, then promptly went to the bathrooms to change. She couldn't risk anyone seeing the marks on her back and reporting it. She desperately wanted to seek help, to find someone to tell to get her father sent away, but she was too afraid that if she told someone, the authorities wouldn't come quick enough and Katai would just beat her senseless, maybe kill her. She shivered as she changed her clothes into her P.E. uniform and went back to her locker to put her clothes away. She could hear the other girls whispering about her; "Isn't Ten'ou-san odd? Why does she always go change alone? Is she afraid to be seen?" "That's stupid, what does it matter?! We're all girls." "I see her looking at you sometimes, I think she's a le--" "Shut up! That's sick!" "Yuck! No way!" Haruka curled up her legs and rested her face against her knees. When would this torture be over? She hated coming in here, with all these girls standing around her changing. It made her _very_ uncomfortable. It seemed like _everything_ nowadays made her insecure. When would her life finally be over? Michiru practically ran home from school that day. She'd found out a lot of things about Haruka today, and she couldn't wait to get home. It was a Friday; maybe she could convince Ki to let her go meet Haruka's aunt, Teinei, then she could talk with Teinei and find out more about Haruka! As she flung open the door to the house, Kirei screaming from behind her to slow down, she couldn't help but wonder just why she was having these thoughts towards another girl, but shrugged it off. Gender didn't matter to her, now that she thought about it. From what she'd learned about Haruka, Haruka was an incredibly interesting person. "Okaa-san! Okaa-san! Where are you?!" Michiru had already shut the door behind her and entered the living room. Kirei grumbling afterwards on having the door shut in her face while Kanpeki had a strange grin on her face. "I'm right here," Ki said from somewhere behind her. "There's no need to shout." "Can I go over to our neighbor's house, please?" "Sure, but shouldn't you practice your violin first?" "... all right..." "I'll go over to their house and ask them to come over. I have to return a cookbook anyways." Michiru breathed a sigh of relief as Ki left the house, her heart pounding fast. All she had to do was get her playing over with, then she could go speak to Teinei. But then again, would Teinei want to talk to her? Sure, she was new to the neighborhood and it could be seen as her wanting to get to know her neighbors better, but what if Teinei just got mad? She figured she had better worry about that later and go get her violin before Ki and her parents got back. She headed up the stairs, taking her time as she went. As she passed Suteki's room, she heard Kirei talking with her and paused briefly to listen. The door was shut, so they wouldn't know she was there, but she could still hear them well. "--seems really interested in this Ten'ou Haruka," Kirei was commenting. "She's our neighbor Teinei's niece, lives across from that park over there. I'm beginning to wonder about Michiru..." "You never know," Suteki commented. "I heard Ten'ou-san might be... y'know. I have a friend that goes to her school and has P.E. at the same time as her. She said Ten'ou-san sometimes looks at the other girls when they're changing then quickly hides it and is very nervous around girls. She never dresses out around them. And my friend's younger sister in her class says Ten'ou-san has a friend named Sai that has an _enormous_ crush on her, and she doesn't seem to notice and doesn't seem to want him anywhere near her." "Did he have brown hair and eyes?" Kirei asked. "I saw a really cute boy walking with her today and I was curious if that's him. He did seem to like her..." "She loaned me the yearbook from the junior high, let's take a look. Here we are." "Oooo! It's him! Isn't he cute?!" "Hmmm, you'd _have_ to be a dyke not to like _him_!" Suteki agreed. "How can she keep ignoring him unless she's--" "Well, she must be, because she pretty much avoids him like the plague." "_She's_ the one with a plague!" Suteki howled. They both laughed at that. "It's a shame... she's really pretty," Kirei said. "Yeah, but what good is being beautiful if you aren't going to use it to get guys?" Michiru nervously went back to her room, gathering her violin case in her arms. They thought Haruka was... no way... She couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she headed over to the stairs. She bumped into Kanpeki, who was just starting her way down, too. Michiru thought she saw tear-stains on her sister's cheeks but wasn't sure; Kanpeki fled down the stairs too fast. Michiru wondered about it, then stopped thinking about her family and went back to her thoughts of Haruka. If Haruka was also... maybe she would be interested in her... She set the case down on a couch and took out her violin, laughing silently. Strange how fate works sometimes. If she was going to be this interested in that girl, it was good that Haruka would be interested in girls, too. "Hey Michiru-chan!" Kanzen called. "They're here! Geez, you fall asleep or something? Come on, they're out on the back porch!" Michiru blushed to herself as she went out to the porch with her violin. Rippa and Miyage sat there waiting; Rippa wore her waist-length deep blue hair down as usual, with a long-sleeved white shirt that buttoned up the front with a high collar, and a long black skirt; Miyage in a blue-gray business suit, his green hair touched with white and gray around his temples. Michiru often thought it odd that while her mother had faint white and gray hairs, the older Rippa did not, and she didn't even dye her hair. Her face seemed untouched with age except for faint lines around the corners of her eyes. Perhaps it was Rippa's almost carefree attitude; while she was definitely a refined lady, she was easygoing unlike Ki, who while also was a refined lady, was strict and uptight. Rippa came over and hugged Michiru, and Michiru bowed to Miyage who returned the gesture. "Thank you for having us over. We don't see you often enough, even if we do live only a short walk from each other." "Any chance to spend time with family is a welcome one," Michiru replied formally with a weak smile. She really wanted to get this over with. "I'm surprised your brothers and sisters didn't come down to see us," Miyage commented. "I asked them if they wanted to listen to you with us but they said they would rather not." "Well, that's my silly siblings for you." Michiru commented. "Well, they are a bit silly sometimes," Rippa said. "Want to set your case down over here?" "All right," Michiru responded dazedly. She couldn't get her mind off Haruka. Sure, she'd just seen her today and only knew about her from what people told her, but she was fascinated with the aloof blond. "Ojii-san, I have a favor to ask," she started as she set the case down. "All right, go ahead," Miyage replied. "There's a woman that lives a few houses down--Ten'ou Teinei--and I want to know if you could listen to me for less time than usual today so I can go speak with her after I'm done." "Of course, Michiru-chan. May I ask why though?" Michiru hid her blush. "I just wanted to, uh, talk to her about... about her niece." "Eh? The girl living with her?" "Huh?" "Oh... sorry, there's a girl about your age living there, Murasaki's her name... I think she's a cousin of some sort, or something like that..." "Oh... not her..." "That's fine," Miyage said. "Say, why don't we get a quick snack before you play; you want your energy, don't you?" "Sure." Michiru didn't really want to play for him, but it would be rude of her to refuse. Oh well. She had plenty of time to talk to Teinei, no sense in rushing things. Haruka adamantly refused to speak to Sai when they got back to her house. She dropped her things by the couch and attempted to run away from him to her room. Before she could get up the stairs, he grabbed her around the wrist and pulled her, kicking and screaming, back down. "Leave me alone!" she shouted. "Don't touch me! Go away!" It terrified her when he had grabbed her arm, reminding her of that first time Katai had beaten her. She didn't even notice her father was in the next room listening as she started shouting incoherently at Sai, who stood with his arms crossed as she rambled on. When she stopped to suck in a breath of air, he cut in, "I have no idea what you were saying, Haruka-chan, and frankly, I don't see why you are so upset. I just want to talk to you, what's wrong with that?" "I don't want to--" Sai interrupted, "Just hear me out, please!" Haruka bit her lower lip and turned away abruptly. "I don't want to talk to you." "You don't have to say a thing, just listen what I have to say." Haruka sighed deeply and turned back around to face him. Let's get this crap out of the way, then I can get safely locked in my room before otou-san gets home, she thought to herself. "Haruka-chan..." he blushed slightly and looked up at the ceiling a moment then back to her. "I'm going to be blunt with you... I like you, a _lot_. I've been wondering ever since school started again if you would go out with me, so I am wondering, will you?" Haruka clamped her hand over her mouth and coughed hard, overwhelmed with horror and disgust. "No," she choked out. "I can't." "Why not? Your parents?" Haruka looked down at her shoes mutely, then shook her head. "I don't think they care." "But you obviously do. You like someone else, don't you?" Haruka didn't answer him. "Let's see, who could it be?" He pressed his finger against the side of his chin. "Tero?" She shook her head. "Yaiba?" Another shake of her head. He racked off more names, each met with the 'no' reply. "Rikutsu? Jitto? Fusawashii?! Zongai?!!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Damnit, Haruka- chan! What's wrong with you? Don't you like _any_ guys?! Are you a lesbian or something?!" His frustrated question was met by a horrified, stunned look on her face that clearly read "you found me out!" Haruka quickly changed her expression and attempted to cover it up, but Sai was already backing towards the door. "I hate you!" he hissed. "I can't believe it, you turning out this way! You... you goddamn fucking dyke! How could you do this?! Never talk to me again, Haruka-- not that you ever do!" Haruka flinched as the door slammed and at the derogatory way he left a suffix off of her name when he usually used -chan. She then tensed up with shock and fear as she heard her father's voice from behind her, "So, Haruka, you disappoint me yet again," also leaving off a suffix from her name in contempt for her. "No..." she whispered, turning to face him. "How... why are you..." "I got off work early," he hissed. "Look what I come home to find!" He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the cheek. Haruka was thrown back by his blow, and quickly picked herself back up off the floor. "So, you're a fucking lesbian aren't you? You're just one big _joke_, aren't you?!" He grabbed her collar and pushed her up against the wall and hissed, "_You_ should have been the one to die. _You_ shouldn't be here! I wanted a child I could be proud of, and look at what I got!" He slapped her hard again. Haruka dully lowered her eyes. She didn't even feel the tears in her eyes, strange... He was hitting her again and again, but she barely felt them. Was this what it was like to approach death? Maybe she was coming close now? She hoped so. She couldn't bear this anymore. Katai suddenly stopped and dropped her limp form to the floor. "I heard Sunao pull up in the driveway... get in your room, NOW, and don't come out until I say so!" Haruka hobbled up to her room as fast as she could, clutching her bleeding arm in her hand. She quickly shut and locked her door, then dropped to the floor. She dimly noted liquid running down her face, a mixture of blood and tears. She tore her bloodied uniform off and wiped her wounds clean the best she could with cotton balls and some hydrogen peroxide she kept in her room for this purpose. She carefully wrapped her wounds and put on her pajamas, then lay down on her bed, aching all over. She heard her mother calling but didn't answer; it would probably just make Katai mad enough to hit her again. She closed her eyes and tried to go asleep so she wouldn't have to face the pain, drifting off into a restless slumber filled with nightmares and memories. Michiru had demanded that Miyage let her play this piece her _own_ way and not to interrupt with his comments and criticism. She made it clear that she wanted him to just listen and respond to what he heard when she was _finished_, not before. She stood out in the lawn while her grandparents sat on the porch. She could feel the tiniest bit of a breeze, stirring the water in the lake slightly. Perfect. She felt a great amount of relief when she lifted the violin to play. Maybe now he would truly appreciate her skill. He always had a tape player to record her pieces, and usually ended up pointing out her mistakes later. She decided to improvise and just play from the heart, not trying to perform some one else's music, but let her own thoughts and feelings sing out from the strings. What to let out first? She closed her eyes and started to play a quiet, sad melody; her family was so suffocating, so demanding of her. She wanted to be her own person; they were holding her back and making her miserable because of it. She started playing a bit quicker now, a more intricate melody that had a note of joy the previous section lacked. She did have something that they couldn't take away from her. She had her music and her art. She could express herself through these without their interference. Though they could try to mold her into their image of how she should be, they could never really force her to be something else other than what she was. Her thoughts drifted to the beautiful girl she had just seen today, her music spiraling into a melody filled with happiness sprinkled with longing and a bit of confusion. She took off on little bits of the themes she'd already played; changing their mood, rhythm, and tempo as she played them; throwing in unexpected bits of fast, but controlled melody. She couldn't help but think of Haruka; her teal eyes that reflected a deeper emotional and physical pain, a mask of nonchalance over them that tried to hide the other emotions within her of hope and despair mixed together; her soft, shiny hair, a rich dark blond, with that cute flip of hair next to the bangs brushed across the right side of her face; her delicately curved lips that looked so inviting and a strong chin framed by deep cheekbones; her hands, graceful and smooth, with long fingers that were perfect for her to play the piano with; her unusually slender, tall frame, hilighted by her toned muscles that clearly showed just how strong she really was physically, and her softly curving waist and well-developed breasts, all combining to give her a distinctly beautiful yet sexy appearance; the strange way she carried herself, as if she were moving with the wind, her feet seeming to not notice that they were in fact touching the ground, perfect posture but seeming to not care where she was going as long as she escaped... from what? Michiru sucked in a breath of air; Haruka seemed to not even notice the fact that she was stared at quite hard by other students for her beauty, and if she did, she didn't care for their attention. Other students had described her as being unfriendly, silent, distant, and Michiru sensed that it wasn't out of genuine disdain and contempt for everyone else, but that she was afraid to let anyone near her. She knew Haruka loved to play the piano, and about her family, but she still felt like she had so much more to learn about this lonely girl. Michiru drew her playing to a close with a sweet, soft melody that slowly trailed away into silence. A gentle click alerted her that the tape player had stopped. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the looks of astonishment and awe on her grandparents' faces. "That was beautiful," Rippa said after a moment or two. "I think you play even better like this, playing your own music, than being confined in another's composition. You did an excellent job. I don't think I've ever heard better playing." "I have to agree," Miyage said, standing up to hug her. "I think that by making you stick to all those pieces I gave you, I was just holding you back and not letting your talent fully shine through. What you just played for us showed that you are obviously far beyond most other musicians in ability, skill, creativity, etc. I'm afraid that I've been wrong to try to teach you; you could certainly teach _me_ a few things!" Michiru grinned as she returned the embrace. "Thank you, both of you... how long was I playing anyways? I got so caught up in it..." She looked up at the sky and saw the sun had noticeably moved from where it was when she had started playing. "I don't know," Rippa said, "I lost track of time as well. It was very long though, definitely over forty-five minutes." "I almost ran out of tape!" Miyage said. Michiru was very surprised to hear that. When she played, she usually would play a bit, then pause to contemplate, then play again, never playing for _that_ long non-stop. She wondered about that. Perhaps it was the inclusion of these new emotions towards Haruka that made her play so long... she wasn't even sure _what_ she felt yet, but was sure that adding her into her playing was why it had been so long. "Well, Michiru-chan," Miyage was saying, "why don't we let you play on your own for a bit? Come inside whenever you're ready. Tape is still in the deck, just put it on the other side if you want." Michiru nodded as they left and slipped the tape into her violin case, and after a few moments, started to play again. She didn't close her eyes this time, letting her eyes wander as her mind drifted and her fingers created music with the violin. She was surprised when a strange thought came to her mind: "...You'll find someone though, someone to be happy with, and then you'll realize you never really needed anything else... you'll know it when you first lay eyes upon them..." Michiru's eyes widened in surprise. Where had _that_ come from? The voice was strangely familiar, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't figure out whose it was. But those words... was Haruka the one they were speaking of?! She knew the words were true somehow... she _had_ felt like they were destined to be together when she first saw her... but was Haruka really the person fulfilling this prediction? She sighed to herself, hoping she was right, and slowly drew her playing to a close, putting away her violin, then went back inside. It was time to talk with Teinei. "I'm going to go see Ten'ou-san now," she called to anyone who would care to hear. "Yes dear, but do you know where she lives?" Ki asked from the kitchen. Michiru felt very embarrassed. "Well... not exactly." "Could you take her there, okaa-san?" Ki asked Rippa. "Sure, you just go on and finish your cooking." Rippa came over to her and they walked out the door. "I know who she is; don't know her very well but I do know _of_ her, I should say." Michiru looked around at the houses as they walked. They were very nice, and large too, a very uncommon sight to most people, but since Michiru's immediate family was wealthy enough to own their own house too, she wasn't daunted by it. They came up to a house, a bit smaller than the others, and with a tiny yard, but Michiru figured that since only two people lived here, it was more than large enough. Rippa rung the doorbell and it was answered by a girl of average height with brown eyes and black hair falling near her chin. "Is your cousin home?" Rippa asked. "Second cousin," the girl mumbled, then raising her soft, high voice, she said, "Do you want me to get Teinei-san for you?" "Please." The girl walked away, leaving the door open. "Who was that?" "Teinei's second cousin, Ou Murasaki. Her parents died when she was a baby, and her grandparents took care of her for awhile. She decided she was getting tired of hanging with the old folks and decided to come live with Teinei--" A woman much taller than Michiru with long strawberry blond hair and deep purple eyes came to the door. This was _definitely_ Haruka's aunt; they had similar features and shared that towering height. "Hello there, Teinei-san," Rippa greeted her politely. "Hello to you too, Rippa-san," Teinei returned. "Sorry to keep you waiting. What brings you two here?" "My granddaughter just moved here a few weeks ago and wanted to speak with you, about your niece? I really haven't a clue why, not that Haruka isn't a nice girl... would you mind speaking with her?" Teinei seemed very, _very_ surprised. "You know Haruka-chan?!" Teinei cried out to Michiru. Michiru could feel her cheeks color slightly. "Well... I saw her today when I was walking to school and wanted to learn more about her." "Probably sees her as an idol," Rippa offered. "Waitaminute," Michiru broke in, "do you know her, obaa-san?!" "I've seen her a few times when she's come to visit Teinei-san. It's been a long time since I've seen her though." "Um, I don't mind talking to you," Teinei said, "does it matter when she gets home?" Teinei turned to Rippa now. "I'm going back to my house, but I don't think her parents mind when she gets back to hers," Rippa responded. She hugged Michiru briefly. "Bye, Michiru-chan. Don't forget to go home; you'll worry your mother sick," she teased. "I won't forget. Bye, obaa-san." Rippa left and Teinei opened her front door wider to let Michiru in. Michiru saw her home was quite comfortable and had all sorts of pictures and things of her relatives and friends. "Make yourself at home... ah, I didn't catch your name." "Kaiou Michiru." Teinei grinned. "Nice to meet you, Michiru-san. Your family should introduce yourselves to everyone, y'know? I didn't even know there was anyone but your parents living in your house... Hold on a moment, all right? Murasaki-chan!" Murasaki walked over. "Yeah?" "I need to talk with Michiru-chan... Why don't you go introduce yourself to her family?" "Um... well..." "I'm sure they won't mind," Michiru interjected. "My triplets would probably like to meet you." "Oh yeah, I remember hearing about them... Um, the girl's Kanpeki, right?" Murasaki blushed very faintly. Michiru looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, you know her?" "I... saw her on the way to school... with you and, um, one of your other sisters?... I wanted to meet her." "Oh... well, go on over, if you'd like." Murasaki nodded, gave Teinei a quick hug, and left. "May I offer you some tea or something to eat?" Teinei asked Michiru when Murasaki had left. "No, thank you," Michiru declined. "I'm really not hungry." "Except for knowledge about Haruka, hmmm?" Teinei teased. "Let's go in the living room, then you can ask away." They went into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Just out of curiosity, why _are_ you so interested in learning about her when you just saw her today? Does she even know who you are?" Michiru blushed slightly. "She doesn't know me, at least as far as I know. I... I saw her and thought she was very beautiful, I mean, physically attractive and something about her struck me as being beautiful on the inside as well, and was interested in learning more about her to confirm that." "This isn't an idol thing, is it?" Teinei gently asked. "Or just a friendly thing?" "...no..." Michiru turned away with embarrassment. Teinei sure was observant. Then again, she had been pretty obvious with what she was saying... "It's perfectly all right," Teinei replied, and her voice indicated that she really thought it was. She then grinned, "Quite frankly, I think that Haruka-chan has 'other interests' as well. I sometimes drive over near her school to pick her up and she's always looking at the girls and ignoring the boys. I have no problem with that type of thing; I had many close friends in school that were... y'know, and they had to hide it; I accidentally found out. I feel sorry for them; because of their parents, they had to end up marrying people they would never have choose to marry, just because their parents were too prejudiced to accept that they could be happy just as much with their own gender as with other people, in fact they would be _happier_. I don't want to see that happen to anyone else." Michiru looked over to her with surprise, pushing back the hair that had fallen across her face despite the headband she wore. "You really think Haruka might be..." She blushed and coughed. "I can't believe I just referred to her simply as Haruka!" Teinei laughed, "It's all right, I won't tell a soul anything we discuss... Well, if for some reason things work out with you two--" Teinei winked, "--then I'll want to make it known to Haruka that _I_ helped with things. Teinei the matchmaker, eh?" Michiru blushed deeply and let her eyes wander around the room to the pictures Teinei had up of her family and some friends of hers. "You're very... blunt." "Yeah, I know. It's my opinion that people will never know what you mean unless you put it in plain terms." "Well, some people can't seem to understand the simplest terms, so I suppose it can be a wasted effort to try to talk at all to them," Michiru chuckled. She fell silent for a few moments, then asked, "Haruka... she seemed so lonely and everyone I talked to seems to think she's some rude, unfriendly _wacko_. She isn't really like that though, is she?" Teinei sighed and rested her chin on her hand. "That's a tough question ... When she was younger, she was so carefree, a bit too sure of herself sometimes, not really unfriendly so much as everyone else just seemed to want to avoid her for some reason. Around the end of elementary school... she just changed overnight. I don't know what happened or how; one day, she was talking to everyone, playing the piano, quite calm; then the next... That night, her mother had spent time with her family, leaving Haruka alone from the afternoon until evening, when my brother, Katai, gets home, and she didn't see Sunao-chan until the next afternoon. She was bruised, cut up, bandaged heavily, with a black eye... Said she'd gotten into a fight the previous day, and Katai says so too. Ever since then, she's been cold, withdrawn, barely said a word to anyone, even her own family. It seems like every week now, she somehow gets beaten up. I don't know what to think of it, but it scares me to think that maybe... Well, all I can really confirm is the fact that she has changed since then, probably not for the better." "I think," Michiru started in a careful, soft voice, "that maybe she's been hiding something ever since she first started getting beat up, and it's scared her so badly that she keeps everyone away from her and acts cold and silent because she's afraid to admit anything. It's wrong for all those other students to be so cruel and think she's a bad person just because of it. I..." She paused, and considered her words carefully, before she said, "I think that somewhere in her is a hidden side of her, a warmer side that she can't let out because of whatever this is she's not telling anyone. I don't know how I can tell from looking at her, but I think that deep inside, she's an incredible, gorgeous person that no one knows about. She's pretty on the outside as well, but she's also facing fight situations very frequently, and someone needs to put a stop to that. Some people are physically beautiful but otherwise repulsive, but not her." "Haruka _is_ pretty; you should have seen her when she was a baby, she was soooo adorable!" Teinei grabbed a picture from the lamp stand and showed it to Michiru. "Oh, she was so cute even then!..." Michiru breathed, then blushed at her words. Teinei chuckled. "Yep." She then set it down and her face turned serious again. "But about what you said... I think what you are saying makes a lot of sense, and I do wish I could help her, as her aunt and as a friend, get through whatever situation it is she's facing. Someone is keeping her from telling anyone, I think, whoever it is that is doing this to her. I have suspicions as to who it could be... but..." She bit her lip and broke off. "Teinei-san? Please, tell me. I want to know... if I know of any suspects, maybe I can keep an eye out for anything that would suggest that it really is this person. I--" She could feel herself color again, "I want to learn about her, not just from what other people tell me, but I want to observe her, follow her around and see what she does, and if I am going to do this, I want to help her anyway I can by trying to figure out what's wrong and get help for her without placing her in danger." Teinei looked at her with genuine awe. "My God..." she whispered. "You're serious, aren't you? I mean, it's just the first day you've become aware of her, but..." "Teinei-san," Michiru said in a voice quieted by embarrassment, "I really don't know how I feel about her yet. I know I have a rather deep interest in her, but I can't put a name to the feeling yet. I haven't been around her long enough yet." "Well, I can see that you are definitely going to fall in love with her," Teinei mused. She cut off Michiru before she could try to argue, "Michiru-chan, I'm going to tell you about this because I think that, as someone who is going to be around her a lot and who either does or will come to care for her, you deserve to know. You better promise me that you won't take action if you find proof, though, without consulting me first. If the person I suspect is the culprit, they could become even _more_ dangerous if we move against them too quickly, maybe even kill her. Promise me you'll be careful." Michiru's eyes widened with horror. "I promise!" she immediately answered. "I don't want her hurt... especially not because of me." Teinei gave a tiny half-smile, then sighed sadly. "I think... I think that it's Katai beating her up." Michiru sat perfectly still, her face pale and eyes wide open in shock. "Her... own... father..." she whispered shakily. "Why do you think he would do that?" "H-He always wanted a son, and when Akarui unexpectedly died... he went nuts. At first, he just fell into deep depression, and when he came out of it, he became obsessive with work; working long hours, rarely spending time at home, growing increasingly irritable, and he'd started drinking after he got home. He hid the fact he was drinking, and acted semi-fatherly towards Haruka-chan, despite his incredible strictness, cold attitude, and lack of sympathy towards her. She did trust him though, because he was her father, and talked to him whenever she had the chance, and he knew her quite well while she didn't really know him. Katai blamed Haruka for Akarui's death, and he's always said that if one of them had to die, it should have been her instead. He has a complete lack of anything close to respect or care for her. "The day Haruka-chan was left alone and ended up injured, Katai had a rough day at work. I pulled up his evaluation for the day; he hadn't eaten a thing, had several long, exhausting meetings, tons of paperwork, etc., got home really late because of traffic and a flat tire... Unfortunately for Haruka-chan, it seems that life went out of the way to become miserable for Katai that day, and it's my belief that he got drunk when he got home and beat her as soon as he saw her. Katai's always been violent when he's irritated and doesn't think right... he attacked his best friend once when he was about seventeen during a misunderstanding after failing a test. Considering what kind of day he had, it's obvious that he took it out on Haruka-chan, and has been beating her since then. Not to mention... he's an alcoholic. He's the only one really that could have done it the first time and be around her enough to beat her all these other times." After being silent several moments, Teinei wiped her quickly moistening eyes, then buried her face in her hands and starting crying. "Why... why did he have to change like this? Haruka is a wonderful girl, and now, because of him..." Michiru had started crying as well, and grabbed the box of tissue sitting on the coffee table, grabbed one for herself, and handed the box to Teinei. Teinei took it with a trembling hand, sniffling, and then emitted a sad, choked laugh. "Thank goodness... I finally could tell someone... strange, isn't it? To be sitting here, sharing tears with someone you just met over someone the both of us are concerned about?" Michiru wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I s-suppose..." She clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle a sob. "I-I'm sorry... I just..." "It's all right," Teinei murmured, reaching for the tissues again. "I've done it many times." Michiru drew in a shuddered breath, then slowly started taking in deep breaths to calm herself down. It was hard to relax when she was feeling so terrible, but somehow, she managed to. "Teinei-san... I p-promise... I promise that I will do everything I can to..." She sniffled again, biting her lip as she held back more tears. "I-I'm going to follow her everyday. I d-don't care if I have to follow her home a-and hide in her yard, I'm going t-to watch her and make s-sure that she is okay. I... I don't th-think we can do anything yet to stop her from getting beaten ... b-but if she gets hurt badly and is left alone to tend to her own wounds... I'll do what I can to help her... bandage her, call for an ambulance if it gets too bad... just do what I can to keep her from... from..." Teinei shakily stood up. "I'm going to make some tea... maybe that will help calm us down..." She then held out her hand to Michiru. "As for your promise... I can't thank you enough; it gives me hope to know that Haruka-chan will have someone there to help her. Thank you." Michiru shook her hand lightly, and stood up as well. "I must look awful..." she muttered as she dashed her hand across her eyes again. Teinei couldn't help but start to laugh, and Michiru eventually started laughing as well. "Here I am, worried about my looks at a time like this," she commented sadly. "It's all right," Teinei chuckled, "it's only natural to comment on ordinary things after crying, to try to change the mood." She walked off into her kitchen and left Michiru sitting alone in the living room. She came back after she had set the pot on the stove. "Here, I want you to have this," Teinei said, pulling a key out of her pocket. "It's the key to their house; I have two just in case. I hope you won't ever need to use it, but if you do..." "Thank you," Michiru said, slipping it into her pocket. "I'll keep it with me all the time." "Let's talk about something a bit less grim, all right?" "That would be a very good idea," Michiru murmured, sighing softly. "So, um, what type of things is she interested in?" Teinei thought a bit and started talking, pausing to get the tea and bring it in, then talking between sips. Michiru occasionally broke in with a question, but pretty much just sat and listened. "Well, it's getting late," Teinei said after they'd chatted a few hours. "Your parents probably will want you back." "Can I come back tomorrow?" "Sure! I'm free weekday evenings and on weekends, unless I take time off. I have to job to juggle, after all," Teinei grinned. "I can always send Murasaki to your house... oh, tell her to come home when she feels like it ... Well, bye." "Bye." Michiru was just walking out the door when Teinei called, "Hey, are you the one I heard playing the violin earlier? I know your grandfather plays some, but the playing I heard was the best!" Michiru colored faintly from the compliment and smiled. "Yes, that was me." "Bring your violin tomorrow, all right?" "All right." Michiru waved and walked out the door, carefully shutting it behind her. She walked back to her home a bit reluctantly. She would have loved to stay and learn more about Haruka, but she _did_ have to go home at some point. When she got home, she found Murasaki in Kanpeki's room and quickly told her to go home whenever she wanted, then went straight up to her room and flopped on the bed. If only she could talk to Haruka face to face... but no, Haruka obviously didn't want to talk to anyone right now, better to wait than spoil her chances too quickly. Michiru just hoped that one day Haruka would be free from all this pain and be given the chance at a better future than the one she seemed to have in store for her now. Haruka awoke, screaming loudly and drenched with sweat. As soon as she realized she was awake and not asleep still, she fell dead silent. Oh God, what if he heard and... She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, taking in deep breaths as she tried to calm down. The bandages she'd applied earlier had come loose in some places, others had become soaked with blood and would need to be changed. She looked over to her window and was surprised to see that it was night already. She climbed out of her bed, grimacing slightly at the stinging and soreness that went through her. She was surprised to see a note had been slipped under her door. She picked it up and read it carefully. 'Haruka-- Sunao and I have gone out for the night. Will be back around 2 AM. You may leave your room, but you better be back in there when we get home. --Katai.' Haruka couldn't help but tremble a bit. He didn't even seem to think of her as part of the family anymore... Not that she wanted anything to do with _him_. After removing the bandages she'd applied earlier, she took a quick shower to clean off, then put on fresh bandages and clean pajamas. Her stomach growled loudly, and she quite excitedly ran down to the kitchen. She looked down at herself when she got there; her body was slender, almost to the point of being skinny, from lack of food. She would often sit locked in her room for hours, sometimes days, because of her father, and during that time she didn't get the chance to eat. She hated being starved so much, but it was better than facing a beating at Katai's hands. But now, now she was alone, and she didn't have to hide; she could come out of her room and eat whenever she got hungry, do what she chose, until he came home. She grabbed any food in sight that looked appealing, and then grabbed a can of tea from the fridge. She went up to her room to eat; if they came home early for some reason, she wanted to be safely hidden in her room and still have something to eat. She eagerly wolfed down the food and tea, making her stomach hurt from all the food, and when she put away her dishes and threw away the garbage, she was quite content. Most people don't appreciate how lucky they are, she thought bitterly to herself. They don't have to face what I face. She felt a strange urge inside her and sat down at the piano, then wondered why she'd done so. She never played unless she was forced to, but for some reason, she felt like playing it. She rested her fingers on the keys, then laughed slightly. She didn't even have any music out! Silly... Oh well, she didn't care right now. She started playing the notes at random, not caring how it sounded. She just let her fingers dance across the keys, her mind wandering. She noted that she was actually playing quite well, and continued to play for about ten minutes. She was just about to wind to a close when she heard a strange voice in her mind. "...you will know a lot of pain and sadness, but then you'll know a joy much greater than many others can ever experience." What was _that_?! She didn't stop playing, but her thoughts were whirling around, and she was very confused. That voice... what was it supposed to mean? Some sort of premonition? Pain and sadness... she certainly had a lot of that... joy? None... Was the voice trying to tell her she'd get away from here somehow? Whose voice was it anyways? She sighed softly as the notes trailed off, and she stood up and walked away from the piano. She wondered what she should do now. It was strange, actually being alone in the house, given permission to do as she pleased. She was so used to hiding... The phone rang, startling Haruka. She let it ring; who knew who was trying to call. The answering machine picked up. Haruka listened for a little bit, then walked away. It was Katai's parents. She could care less. Michiru swam lazily in the pool, floating on her back a lot of the time. She was so tired... all that crying must've worn her out, she figured. Kirei and Suteki were playing volleyball in the shallow end of the pool, using a net held up by poles on either side. Kanzen sat in a chair on the deck, studying for his college courses and barely noticing them. Ki had insisted that someone be "lifeguard" but didn't feel like doing so herself. Genki was off watching television somewhere. Kanpeki was in the large room they used for art purposes, and Murasaki, who still hadn't gone home, was watching her paint something. Michiru dove under, swimming down along the bottom. She felt nervous; how was she to go about following Haruka without getting caught? Couldn't she get in trouble for "stalking" her? Wouldn't her family wonder why she was gone so much? She surfaced for a breath of air, and instead ended up gasping for it after her sisters' volleyball landed in front of her and splashed water in her face while she inhaled. Kanzen looked up, assumed she could get it under control, and went back to reading. After clearing her lungs of water, Michiru irritably threw the ball back to the other end of the pool, her sister never offering an apology. Flash. A bright burst of red. Utter silence. A chill wind whipping through the air. Statues, several of them, shattering from some unseen force. A girl holding a weapon high over her head. The Earth engulfed in a beam of dark energy... Michiru shuddered and stumbled. What the hell... What was that she just saw?! Her sisters looked at her nervously. Ki came in with a thrilled look on her face. "Michiru! You'll never believe this!" Michiru was shaken out of her thoughts. "What, okaa-san?" "We've been able to arrange it so you can perform for an hour at the symphony hall next weekend! Several other noted violinists will be there... isn't this great? You better practice a lot; you want your debut to be a good one. Maybe you can secure a record deal." Michiru's fists clenched tightly, almost drawing blood. "I thought we'd discussed this... I don't want to perform." "Nonsense! We'll be paid, and you'll get to show how good you are to all the people there. It'll be perfect. Don't swim too long; you'll get wrinkled and you need to prepare some pieces anyways." Then again, she really wouldn't mind getting away from here to follow Haruka. They only reason they'd notice her absence was because they missed making her do what they wanted. ... And what was that strange vision?
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