The next morning, Haruka stirred and woke up. She lay there in the bed, unmoving, thinking of nothing in particular for a few minutes. The ceiling was different. The walls, the bed, the window... Hmmmm... where am I anyways? She tried to sit up, and found herself too weak to do so. She sighed and settled in again. She glanced down at herself, at the bandages and gauze she was used to seeing, at the pajamas that someone must've put on her while she was unconscious. what happened this time? Katai... grabbing her around the neck, beating her... her mother... pulling a gun... It was hard to remember... Haruka gulped a bit... she couldn't quite remember anything... what happened earlier, the previous day?... she seemed to remember seeing someone... no, that was impossible... She realized she was wearing her cross. She hadn't been when Katai attacked... where had it come from? She heard someone in the other room, then sounds in the kitchen of breakfast being started. Sunao walked in shortly afterwards. "Haruka..." she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's... it's good to see you awake. How do you feel?" "M-mom? I... I'm so weak... so tired... Am I... am I going to be ok?" Sunao hugged her tight, fighting back tears. "You will be. You lost a lot of blood, so you'll definitely feel weak for awhile... but that'll pass." "Where are we?" "A friend's apartment, generously given to us now. I... I had to get you away... I had to make sure Katai couldn't hurt you again. Your stuff is here, as much as we could bring. I'm going to enroll you in a different school..." "Where?" "It's called Goban Yobi-ko... a very elite preparatory school, quite pricey, but I think it'll be good for you. I can't be sending you to public, not with what's going on. I'll... I'll need to find a new job, so Katai can't track me... you... you better hide as much about yourself as you can. Money will be tight for awhile... if you feel up to it, you could get a part-time job to help out..." "Mom... go ahead and cry. It's ok." Sunao covered her face in her hands and Haruka awkwardly held her as she sobbed. "I should have seen it sooner... put an end to it! Now look what's happened!" "It's not your fault. It's all _his_ fault. Don't blame yourself. It's going to be ok." Haruka felt a bit silly comforting her mom, but she understood that it needed to be done. "I'll find some sort of job to help out, ok? Something that I'll earn a lot in... I don't think it'll be easy to hide myself too much." Sunao wiped her eyes and drew back. "Don't reveal any details of your past, obviously. Keep to yourself. Dress different, act different, whatever it takes. It will be a bit suspicious... I mean, if he does try to find us, and sees there's a girl who happens to be named Ten'ou Haruka at that school..." Haruka suddenly had an idea. "No... I don't have to be a _girl_." Sunao looked at her quizzically. "Haruka-chan, what is _that_ supposed to mean?" "You said I have to hide myself, right? Well... it'll be a bit awkward to do, but... I could just get the boys' uniform and act like a boy, and no one would be the wiser." Sunao considered it. "It's not that I mind it, but..." She chuckled a bit. "Haruka, you have a lot to hide, you realize. Things boys don't have." Haruka blushed and covered her chest with her arms. "Well... the jackets are thick..." "And your face is rather--" "Could hide with makeup maybe... darken my eyebrows and cut my hair even shorter or something." Sunao sighed. "It's a good way to hide... a bit unusual, but it'll work, I believe... Well, better get back to making breakfast." She turned and left. Haruka looked over at her nightstand and saw her blue notebook lying there. She grabbed it, fearful that someone might have looked through it. She recorded everything in it, and if someone saw it... It was untouched, thank goodness. What was it doing out? What was going on here? Haruka had to struggle to get over to the kitchen when breakfast was ready, refusing her mother's help; she wanted to do it on her own. Sunao didn't really say anything. She just sat, ate, and sighed. Haruka noticed her neck was bruised, and she had difficulty swallowing. Haruka pushed her food around a bit when she'd finished. A meal this big would have normally been finished quickly to satisfy her nearly constant hunger, but she felt too tired and strangely didn't want to eat. She looked down at herself, how thin she'd become, how obviously female she was, and grimaced a bit. It was going to take a _lot_ of work to trick people into thinking she was a guy. Sunao told her she'd start at the new school in a week and should try to be ready by then. Haruka nodded and stumbled back into her room. She grabbed her notebook and started scribbling down notes, then searched for some colored pencils. Strange, they'd been placed in the drawer she'd always kept them in... but this was a different dresser. How would anyone have know where do put them? Maybe it had something to do with that weird feeling she got all the time, as if someone was watching her... maybe someone was. Maybe they'd arranged her things. She scrawled several notes, scribbling a bit of a picture, of sorts. She'd never taken drawing seriously, nor writing; she just figured if she got it down on paper, it was good enough. When she took her time, she could write quite well, but had never put effort into art. Hmmm... She really needed to get out and exercise. She was getting too weak... plus, having some muscle would help if she was going to fake being a guy. It took Haruka awhile to get dressed and convince Sunao she'd be okay if she went out on her own for a jog. She wasn't even sure herself if she could handle it. She had to do it... she convinced herself of it. The streets were relatively calm today, which was a surprise. She took things slow, keeping a steady but careful pace as she headed for the park... not the one by her old house, but the large park everyone seemed to go to. Huge lake, trees everywhere... she'd rarely come here, and was pleasantly surprised. The wind off the lake was wonderful, quite nice. She circled around the lake, slowing as she came towards a street leading off somewhere. She felt a bit curious to see what exactly was out there-- she hadn't gotten out much in the past few years, after all. She walked at a brisk pace towards... hmmm, a large stadium, lots of noise coming from it... She stopped when she reached the chain-link fence, and watched with wide, excited eyes at the sight. It was a race track... cars zooming by everywhere, fans cheering ecstatically... but best of all was the speed... everything was going so quickly, and she could feel the breeze stirred up by the cars even from the distance she was at. Haruka was _definitely_ interested in this. There had to be a way in somewhere... ahhh, there it was, a garage on the far side, gone unnoticed by most. A small section of the fence was loose... perfect. Haruka had to suck in her breath a bit to slip through, but it was otherwise easy to get in. They should have tighter security. She sat down on the concrete, so close to the track now. Her eyes were aglow as she watched the cars zip by. Oh, to be able to go that fast! Like the wind... "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" Haruka jumped with a start, quickly standing and whirling around to face the voice. An older man stood there, hair almost entirely gray and balding, but his blue eyes still sharp. He looked a bit tired, but he was no doubt quite strong in his day, not to say he was weak now. "I... I... came to see..." Haruka didn't know what to say. She was in big trouble now... "Watch the race, huh?" Haruka nodded slowly and glanced at the track again. Damnit, she wanted to be out there! He seemed amused and leaned against the wall. "Name's Engi, yours?" "Eh?" Haruka turned, eyebrow lifted quizzically. "Why do you care?" "Well, you trespassed for one thing... but I might just let you go. I run this garage here, and you seem pretty interested in the cars. I could let you help out... but of course, that's up to you, Miss Anonymous." Haruka lowered her eyes in embarrassment. "My name's... um, Haruka... I... sorry, I'm not used to... being around people." "That's all right. Don't need people skills to work with a machine." Engi chuckled a bit. "Want to come in and take a peak? Got a couple cars just waiting to get out on the track... sheesh, look at the crowd today! It's just a practice, too!... Anyways, a couple guys gonna be headed out soon, so you could take a look at the cars a bit before they go." "Um, sure!" Engi laughed loudly. "You're a real character, Haruka-chan. I can see it already. Haven't even been around these babies before, have you?" "No... I just was out for a walk and stumbled across the place." Her eyes gleamed a bit. "I saw how fast they went, and I wanted to be in one, going that fast, too." Engi chuckled. "Look out, a girl wanting to race!" Haruka glared at him. "Something wrong with that?" Engi winked. "Not at all. I've slipped a couple into the races before. All it takes is a clever disguise and a few mannerisms, and the officials never know otherwise." "Huh?" He sighed then. "You really don't get out... Women aren't allowed to race, according to the rules. But I'm not afraid to bend them for someone who has what it takes to be a good driver. Show me what you got, prove you can hide what you are, and you just might end up behind the wheel. Whaddya say?" Haruka wanted to burst with excitement. "Deal!" "All right then, let's go show you some of these cars, eh?" He opened a small door to the garage and lead her in. The air smelled of gasoline and sweat, the sound of engines roaring and tools at work deafening. Haruka was overjoyed. Engi lead her around, just letting her see the cars for now, "Look but don't touch!," pausing to say hi to the drivers he knew, then took her into his office in the back where it was quieter. "Well, what do you think?" "It's great!" "I knew you'd say that," he said with a grin. "Today's too busy to try you out in one, but tomorrow it'll be all clear. Just a few people out on the track, enough to make it interesting but not dangerous for a beginner. If we can train you well enough... well, you might just be in for some races." Haruka eagerly rubbed her hands together. "Hey, Engi-san!" A tall, black haired man was pounding on the doorframe. His fire suit was slick with grease, and a small trail of blood trickled down the side of his head. "We could use a hand out here, you know!" "Be right there, Hayasa-san," Engi replied. "C'mon, Haruka-chan, you need to see what makes a car run." Haruka followed, carefully to dodge people running around and tools tossed from driver to mechanic and back again. She was caught up in the hectic pace of it all, eager to be a part of it. Engi stopped in front of a long, shiny red car with sponsor's stickers plastered all over it. He popped open the hood and looked around carefully. Hayasa was talking about some stuff she didn't understand, and she just peered in, wondering what all the parts did. Something caught her eye, a person moving in the background. She turned quickly, and was surprised to see a familiar face... she'd only seen pictures, but... "Murasaki?!" The girl whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed on Haruka, staring in shock. She made her way over quickly an excited look on her face. "Haruka?" Haruka had never actually met her third cousin. Teinei'd briefly mentioned her, Sunao spoke of her occasionally, but that was it. "Strange place for a first meeting, isn't it?" Murasaki chuckled. "Great to finally run into you!" "Yeah..." Haruka scratched her head, at loss for words. "Ummmm... so... what are you doing here?" "Just stopping by for a moment. A friend of mine works on-- Hayasa- kun! What's wrong with it now?!" Hayasa grinned up at her. "Brakes out of alignment, almost had a crash out there the other day!" "You idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Hayasa shrugged. "The life of a racer... full of risks. It's worth it though." He chuckled and went back to work. "Your friend, I assume?" Murasaki chuckled. "Yup. He's a nut, but he's a good guy." "Is he your bo... ah... y'know..." Murasaki looked a cross between nauseous and exploding with laughter. "Oh my god, no way!" It was then that Haruka finally noticed the girl that had been silently following Murasaki around. It was when she laughed a bit at Murasaki's comment that Haruka noticed her. She seemed quite... small; she was short and slender, and had a sort of detached air to her, like she didn't belong and knew it. "Oh, uh, Haruka-chan... I should have said something sooner, this is Kanpeki, my gi-- uh, my good friend." Haruka's ears had perked a bit, and she felt a bit disappointed when Murasaki ended up saying "good friend" instead of what she'd thought she'd say. Haruka had always wanted to meet someone else "like her" to talk to about it. Kanpeki rolled her eyes slightly and giggled. "We can tell _her_, Mura-chan!" She held out her hand to Haruka, eyes twinkling a bit, and said, "Let's try this again. I'm Kanpeki, and as of yesterday, I'm her girlfriend." Haruka was much more pleased to hear that. "Nice to meet you," she said, shaking her hand. "... as of yesterday?" Murasaki blushed faintly. "Well, we, uh, didn't really go out until, uh, yesterday and all..." "Yeah, and if _someone_ had only had the courage to bring it up sooner, *ahem*." Murasaki winked. "You know you were just as nervous as me." Haruka had zoned a bit during their teasing banter. In her mind, she was picturing herself with a girlfriend of her own someday, with... "So, Haruka--" Haruka had to shake her head clear of visions of aqua and blue, "--what have you been up to?" "I... um..." Haruka had to think up an excuse, quick. "Well..." "Oh, I'm sorry, geez, we only know each other through parents and... let's see, Teinei is my... second cousin? I think..." "No, it's okay... I was just... I thought the track looked interesting, wanted to see--" Engi popped up with a grin. "She wants to drive, that's what!" "Ah!" Murasaki gave Haruka a knowing wink. "Good luck!" "Er..." "Maybe I should stick around awhile, see you drive, huh? I have plenty of time on my hands. Could stay hours, if I have to!" Kanpeki smiled at Haruka. "She's just being silly. I hope it works out for you... it's hard for girls to get into racing, I'm sure Engi-san's told you." She turned to Murasaki. "We need to be going now, you know... Mic-- uh, my sister's waiting for us and all." "Right... right... well, see you, Haruka-chan." "Um, bye, Murasaki-chan." Haruka was amazed at the two; she'd never thought two girls really could have a relationship. She shook her head and turned back to watching Engi and Hayasa work on the car. "Is she done yet?" Michiru asked Kanpeki quietly. "Yup. See, told you it wouldn't take long. Now we can go to that art museum!" Michiru would ordinarily be excited, but today she felt sleepy and had no interest in anything. The only reason she'd gone with Murasaki and Kanpeki was because her parents decided they should all spend time together, not realizing their blond daughter had other reasons for wanting to spend time with Murasaki. Michiru had no interest in racing, so she stayed outside while the couple went inside. "Hey, Michiru-chan, you'll never believe who we saw in there!" Kanpeki said excitedly. "... No, I probably won't, who?" "Haruka!" Michiru's eyes shot up. "You've got to be kidding." "Nope, it was definitely her," Murasaki said. "We talked a little bit. She seems to have taken an interest in racing." "She's in there?! Now?!" "Calm down!" Kanpeki said. "Did she... um, did she seem all right?" Murasaki and Kanpeki exchanged a confused glance. "I got the impression that she's a bit... well, out of it. She didn't say that much, kinda fumbled for words and mumbled a lot. I guess she doesn't get out much or something." "...Yeah..." "She's very pretty," Kanpeki said in a helpful tone. Murasaki looked shocked. "Kanpeki!" "Don't worry, I still think you're the most beautiful person in the world," she said with a wink, "but that doesn't mean there aren't other pretty people around." "Do you, um, think she's still there?" "Onee-chan... there's a lot of people in there, and most of them are guys. I think they'd notice you watching her, and I don't think it'd be easy to keep an eye on her while fighting off all their silly flirting, you know?" Michiru sighed sadly. "Yeah..." "C'mon, we'll go to the museum and have fun. You can see her some other time." "... Oh ok..." "And we better hurry... you have to go record some more, don't you?" "Yeah... I have to make that CD," Michiru grumbled. "What're parents for, eh? Hey, wouldn't it be interesting if they actually noticed _me_, too? I mean, they are soooo ignorant--" "Yeah..." Haruka left the track a few hours later, after promising Engi and Hayasa she'd return the following day. Engi was really great, she decided, almost like... she sighed bitterly, like a _real_ father, unlike her own. And Hayasa... he was just such a nut, and she could see he was good to his friends. She'd never really had friends before ... except... Again, a bitter sigh, remembering her childhood friends, Sai and Cindy. She was inwardly expecting the reaction she got when she finally got home. "Where have you been?!" Sunao shouted, wringing her hands in upset. "I've been worried sick about you!" "I'm sorry, okaa-san... I was..." Haruka grinned sheepishly. "I was at the race track." "And _what_ were you doing there?!" "Oh okaa-san, it was so wonderful! Everything moves so fast, and I met this nice guy named Engi who runs the garage and he says I can try out driving tomorrow, and maybe I can race, too!" "Race?" Sunao sat down hard on the couch and grabbed a half-full glass that was sitting there. "Haruka-chan... you know only men can race." "I know, I know... but Engi-san said he'll sneak me in... and I'm going to have to pretend I'm a boy anyways, so it'll be just like... I dunno, extra practice." "I don't know... racing isn't very safe..." Sunao took a sip from the glass and slowly swallowed. "Well... think of the money, okaa-san!" Sunao sighed. "If... if you really want to... but you had better be VERY careful, young lady!" Haruka laughed and hugged her tightly. "I will, I will!" They sat for a bit, then Sunao asked, "Anything else interesting happen?" "Well... I ran into Murasaki-san while I was there. She was visiting her friend, Hayasa-san." "Oh really? That's good. How is she?" "She's... fine. Just great." Sunao raised an eyebrow. "Ahhhh... Say, was she there with anyone?" Haruka nervously asked, "Why?" Sunao chuckled and leaned back. "Teinei says Murasaki's been interested in this nice girl named Kanpeki for awhile, and she thought they might have gone out--" "Oh all right, yes, they were there together and yes, they are seeing each other now-- just last night, ok? That was their first date." "That's great," Sunao said with a smile. "Teinei's was always talking about how she wished Murasaki would meet a nice girl... It's amusing, actually, how she looks at Murasaki as if she were a daughter even though she's a second cousin..." Haruka voice wavered a bit as she asked, "Okaa-san, do you find it... um, unusual that... Murasaki... uh, likes girls?" Sunao raised an eyebrow to her. "Well, it's not what most people are, but there's nothing wrong with it, nothing at all. I've had many friends that were... er, well, why do you ask?" Haruka looked away. "... No reason..." Sunao gazed down into her glass. "A shame you can't just tell me," she whispered. Haruka jumped a bit. "Uh, er, what do you mean?" "I hoped you would just admit it to me on your own, but I guess I'll have to just bring it up myself." Sunao let her glass down, then sat in a prim fashion, legs crossed with hands resting on her knees. "You're lesbian." Haruka coughed a bit and tried to look anywhere but at her mother. "Um... well... uh..." Sunao smiled and chuckled. "Haruka, you don't have to hide it from me. I'm your _mother_. Believe me, I'm fine with it." Haruka blushed a bit. "Really?" "Yes." Sunao gave her a hug. "I'm not one of those psycho moms that is desperate for grandchildren and will stop at nothing to get their daughter together with any guy willing to have them." "That's good," Haruka said, laughing weakly. "You still seem a bit... well, why can't you just be open with me? We never talked much at all until today." "I know... I know..." Haruka fought back tears. "But... I just... after my father--" "Not otou-san?" Sunao asked with amusement. "pfttt! He's just some bast-- uhhhh, he's a jerk, and I won't call him by that." "Heh heh, go on." "Well... he... found out... Sai-chan came over to ask me out, and it slipped... guess it was too obvious on my face... my father saw the whole thing and... well, you know how he was..." "Oh, Haruka, I would never hurt you, not my own daughter!" Haruka sighed and lay back on the couch. "I know... but... I'm just so afraid to tell anyone _anything_, after what he did..." Haruka clenched her fist tightly. "He really messed me up..." "Things will be all right," Sunao said soothingly. "You can work past it." "Yeah..." Haruka mumbled. "I hope so." "You'll meet someone, one day, just like Murasaki did." Haruka raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you _sure_ you have no objections?" "As long as you're happy," Sunao said with a smile. "Hmmm." Haruka shut her eyes, struggling with her thoughts. God, why couldn't she remember... she vaguely remembered seeing someone... But as for what Sunao had said... maybe one day she could meet someone... she blushed a bit at the thought. "You all right, Haruka?" "F-fine." Haruka ran to her room and quickly slammed the door. Sunao laughed a bit. Haruka was a bit flustered over the idea... it was quite cute. That was good, she was starting to feel things again, she wasn't shut off to her emotions... and the sooner she recovered, the sooner she could meet that nice girl, Michiru, and... well, Michiru was quite interested in a relationship, and Haruka should be, too... Sunao sat back in her chair and smiled. Haruka sat, leaning against the door. She could feel her heart racing quickly. God, why did she have to-- What the hell... She couldn't see... everything had gone black... Red and black swirling around, so dark... the wind was cold, terrifying... A building, crumbling, shattering, destroyed by energy... A beautiful girl in a sailor suit, hovering in the air, surrounded in a greenish glow, eyes closed, hands folded together... "The Silence is approaching. We have to find the Messiah quickly. Only you and I can do this!" Haruka shuddered as she opened her eyes. The girl in the vision... she seemed familiar... What could something that horrible mean? Why had she seen such a vision? She rubbed her temples a bit. "I'm going crazy. I really am going crazy." ********** It wasn't as hard as Sunao expected to enroll Haruka at Goban Yobi-ko. True, she had to make up things for some parts of the application and lie on others, but it would all work out in the end. Once they'd processed the form and called her back, she went to the school to pick up Haruka's new uniform. Sunao was in awe the moment she stepped foot on the campus. It was clearly a very serious preparatory school, with all the latest facilities. She went to the main office and waited a suprisingly short amount of time for the uniform to be delivered to her. She raised a quizzical eyebrow as she looked over it; pants with a sky blue and navy plaid pattern and sky blue jacket, white dress shirt, and a navy tie. She sighed inwardly; it was for the best, though Sunao thought Haruka would look silly in it. She was turning to leave when she bumped into a woman with wavy blue hair pulled back in a tight bun. She quickly muttered an apology, then noticed the woman seemed familiar. "Pardon me, do we know each other?" the other woman asked. "I was just about to ask the same thing!" Sunao said with a laugh. The woman held out her hand. "Kaiou Ki." "Kaze Sunao-- waitaminute..." Sunao had a sharp memory, and she remembered vaguely a trip to the grocery store while pregnant... "Ah, I remember now. We met a long time ago; you were pregnant with triplets and..." Sunao bit her lip a bit, "I was pregnant with twins." Ki's forehead crinkled with amusement. "Good memory. I seem to remember you by another name... ?" "I, ah, am filing for divorce... my last name had been Ten'ou." "Say, I know a woman named Ten'ou Teinei, an in-law maybe?" "My best friend! Yes, she was my sister-in-law... How do you know her?" "She's my neighbor, actually," Ki said with a laugh. "The girl who lives with her is great friends with one of my daughters... one of the triplets, as a matter of fact." "Oh really? Hmmm, so, tell me about them." "Well, there's the oldest, Genki, the middle Michiru, and the youngest is Kanpeki. Genki, he's the sweetie, pretty good in school... Michiru loves art, the violin, swimming, and she's quite smart..." A cold shock went through Sunao. Kaiou Michiru... that nice girl that liked Haruka, that had saved their lives! "--and Kanpeki's the quiet one of the family, and I don't believe she's ever had friends over until Murasaki-- that's the girl staying with Teinei." "Oh yes, I know Murasaki..." She was pretty much tuning out the babble about the kids. Hmmm, wait, did she mention a girl named-- "Oh I'm sorry! I forgot about you and Teinei... Anyways, Kanpeki's smart and seems to like art somewhat" Ki's voice beamed with pride. "A good, large family, all attending this school." "That's wonderful." "So, how are the twins?" Sunao felt a sharp pang in her heart, and would have confessed completely what happened, but instead just said, "I'm enrolling the survivor here, one died shortly after birth." "My God! I'm so sorry!" Ki's eyes grew wide and concerned. "It's all right... it was... it was a long time ago. And I still have a child." Sunao smiled slightly, sadly. "I wish we could talk more, but I have errands to run. Good to see you again, Sunao-san." "You too, Ki-san." They parted their separate ways then. It was just as Sunao was sitting down in her car that the humor of the situation hit her. "Kanpeki and Michiru are sisters? But... Kanpeki's seeing Murasaki... and Michiru is interested in Haruka..." Sunao had a good, long laugh about that as she drove home. "Here it is," Sunao said as she handed Haruka the uniform. Haruka wrinkled her nose up a bit. "And I only have till tomorrow to be used to it." "It's not that bad." "But... it has _plaid_..." "The high school uniform has it, too." Haruka sighed bitterly. "Oh well..." "You better try it on, you know. Make sure it fits and that your... that you look like a boy in it." Haruka nodded and carried it into her room. This was going to take a bit of work. She slipped on a sports bra before putting on the uniform, then checked herself in the mirror. It didn't _quite_ hide her... but it wasn't that noticeable. "Now, what can I do about my face and hands?" Haruka quickly concluded that nothing could be done for her hands, and went to work with makeup. After applications of dark eyebrow pencil, some pale colored mascara that made the tips of her lashes looked more sun-bleached (and thereby looking shorter), and some fancy use of concealer and powder to make her face seem more masculine, plus a tiny bit of cologne, she stepped out into the living room. Sunao's hands flew to her mouth and she stood up slowly. "Haruka... you really pulled it off." Haruka grinned sheepishly. "Good!" "Wow... I think this may work. You're... well, you're tall enough and your voice is deep enough to pass for a guy's--" "Hey!" "I'm not trying to be insulting! Anyways, I think you'll do fine... Mmm, wait, you _are_ wearing a bra?" Haruka's face turned bright red. "_Yes_, of course!" "That isn't going to work, doesn't hide it enough. I think..." Sunao sighed. "Wait here a moment." "What are you doing?" "You'll see." Sunao returned with long strips of cloth. "Now, it's going to be uncomfor--" "Okaa-san! That'll _hurt_!" "Well, how else will you hide it? You... uh, fill out the top too much to hide with just a bra." Haruka grumbled and took the cloth, slamming the door to her room. She returned after a few minutes. "There you go, perfect." "This is quite irritating." "Well, it works, doesn't it?" "_You_ try binding your breasts. It is _not_ enjoyable." Sunao chuckled a bit. "Let's just go in and get your hair trimmed... it'll give you the chance to practice, anyways." The hair salon wasn't that far from the apartment, so the drive was rather short. Haruka held the door for Sunao, who almost laughed at the sight, the followed her to the counter. "How may I help you?" the blond lady behind the counter asked. "My son would like a haircut," Sunao said calmly. The blond rather obviously and appreciatively looked Haruka over. "I just need to take your name down, and it'll be about a fifteen minute wait." "Haruka." "Howsabout a phone number?" she asked with a wink. "Ahhh... sorry, I don't have time for a girlfriend." Sunao led Haruka to the chairs, chuckling softly. "You definitely can fool people," Sunao commented quietly. "Uh, yeah, I guess I do." "And you are remembering to use masculine terms instead of feminine; very, very good job." "Ummm... thanks." Haruka kinda liked having that woman flirt with her. No one had ever flirted with her before, except for (*shudder*) Sai-chan. "You really wouldn't have minded having her phone number, would you?" "Oh hush, okaa-san!... She's not my type, anyways." It drove her nuts waiting for her turn. She had never been patient, and waiting for fifteen minutes with nothing to do was torture. "Ten'ou Haruka?" Finally! Haruka went over and sat in the indicated chair, and a balding, mustached man starting getting hair tools together. "So, what are we in for today, sir?" Haruka laughed silently to herself and said, "I need a major trim... it's getting too long in the back, need a bit off the sides and bangs, too." He looked over her hair and chuckled. "You sure've let it go! How long has it been since you've gotten it cut?" Haruka shrugged and he got to work. She was pleased at how quickly things went from there. In no time, she was out the door with Sunao and heading home. "Well, do you like your hair?" Sunao asked as they were driving. "Eh, it's definitely different... but it makes the guise more convincing." "Well, it _is_ quite convincing." "Yeah... just got to make sure I talk and act like a guy... and it wouldn't hurt to gain a little weight; I'm so thin, ugh! I need to fill out the shoulders a bit more." "Shouldn't be too hard after awhile." "Yeah." They were stuck in traffic awhile before they reached home, and Haruka promptly went to remove the bindings and put on a loose shirt, then went into the kitchen for a snack. Now that she could actually eat when she was hungry rather than let it go away because she didn't acknowledge it, she was eating quite often. Sunao wasn't mad that she ate a lot; like Haruka said, she needed to gain weight. "Well, I need to go to the grocery store and the mall to get some things, so I'll see you later, all right?" Haruka nodded and mumbled, "Bye, okaa-san," between bites of food as Sunao was walking out the door. Once she was done eating, she flopped onto the bed in her room, grabbed her notebook, and started writing frantically about the vision she'd had. ********** Haruka wobbled slightly on her feet as she stepped out of the car, a huge grin on her face. Engi and Hayasa were clapping enthusiastically, and several other racers gave her encouraging slaps on the back. It was the third time she'd taken the car out on the track, and she'd performed perfectly. "Waa hoo! I can't believe it!" Engi shouted, laughing as he shook his head. "It took months, no, years to get some of these boys in shape to race, and you just went out there like there was nothin' to it! Incredible!" "Guess it just comes naturally to me," Haruka said with a sheepish smile. "I'd like to do a practice run with you," Hayasa said, eyes gleaming. "Let's see how you do with someone else out there." Haruka laughed and shrugged. "Why not?" She slid behind the seat of the Formula 1 car, pulling the helmet back on over her head. Hayasa gave her a thumbs up and they both turned to watch the signals. Haruka felt the sudden exhilaration as she had before once she hit the accelerator and shot down the track. She couldn't believe how wonderful it was, going so incredibly fast, with only your skills and instincts to keep you from making a fatal mistake. Hayasa shot out from behind her and pulled ahead. The corner of her mouth twitched and she pulled in front of him effortlessly. This was a hard sport? It was _fun_! He tried to nudge her to the side to get around her, but she kept him back. She floored the accelerator and finished the final lap with ease. Once she was able to slow to a stop, she practically leapt from the seat, shouting out loudly in excitement. "You _have_ to let me enter a race, Engi-san, pleeease!" She clasped her hands in front of her as she plead with him. "You see how well I do!" "Not so fast," he said, steadying her with his hand. "You need more than a day's worth of driving, just to make sure. And you need to make sure you can handle more than just one other car being out there with you." "Well, let's get more out there then! I want to race!" Engi laughed, and Hayasa came over with his hand stretched towards her. "Incredible performance, Haruka-chan. I can't believe a beginner beat _me_." "Maybe you're not as good as you think," she said with a wink. "On the contrary," Engi said quietly, "he's one of the top racers in Japan right now." Haruka felt her heart thud hard. "Really? Hayasa-kun?" "It's true. Believe me, I didn't hold back at all out there. You have some real natural talent, Haruka-chan, to beat me that easily on your first try!" "Um, wow!" Hayasa and Engi both laughed. "C'mon, girl, you better get out there again. Howsabout we race you next week if you do good the next few days?" "Yesssss!!"
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