Haruka knocked on the door, thankful that Michiru was out and Hotaru was studying quietly in her room. She would have a chance to talk with Setsuna alone. "Come in." Haruka entered Setsuna's study, chasing all emotion from her face. The Guardian of Time looked up from the book she was reading, gesturing for her leader to sit. Haruka, a bit uneasy, cleared her throat, unable to meet the older woman's eyes. "Setsuna-san, we've been friends for a very long time, since the Silver Millennium, and you've always been very helpful, even after what happened." Setsuna inclined her head, a half-smile on her face. "I've come to ask for your help once more." "What do you need, Haruka-san? And, to be blunt, why aren't you talking to Michiru-san?" "She doesn't understand, Setsuna-san, and she can't answer. I've been wondering lately why she and I are together. Is it really fate, or is it just because we fight side-by-side as Sailor Senshi?" Setsuna put her book down and turned her full attention on her leader, sensing that Haruka's mood was far worse than any normal bout of depression. "Haruka-san! Why are you wondering such things? You love her, I can tell. Everybody can tell. You do love her, don't you?" "More than I can express in words. But why do I love her? If it isn't for the right reasons, then I'm holding onto Michiru and preventing her from the living the life she's destined for. In other words, what if the binding between the two of us is not the red string of fate at all but merely the strong attraction between our henshin sticks that brought us together?" "I cannot answer that, my friend, but I do not think that you need an answer. Destiny or duty, you two are together and you love each other. That is all that really matters, Haruka-san. Any false love would have shattered by now." Haruka shook her head, dismissing the green-haired woman's argument. "That's what Michiru said, and I can't believe either of you. Setsuna-san, you've been alive for a very long time as Sailor Pluto, and you've seen a lot of things. Isn't there someway to test fate? I have to know. After what happened with Galaxia, I just have to know." Setsuna nodded, her dark red, mysterious and unnerving eyes thoughtful. "Go to the temple near Usagi-san's house tomorrow morning. Your only chance for an answer will be there." "Thank you, Setsuna-san." "Don't thank me, Haruka-san," Pluto warned. "I do not think that you will like what you find. My friend does nothing the easy way." Haruka nodded. "Wakarimasu. Demo, shiranakucha. It isn't fair to Michiru if we aren't meant to be together. No matter the sacrifice, I have to discover the truth." "Very well. We'll see what happens." *~*~*~*~*~*~* "Excuse me?" The head priest of the temple turned around, one eyebrow raised. "Yes?" "Boku wa Ten'ou Haruka desu. I was told to come here." "Ah, Meiou Setsuna's friend. The person she sent to meet you is in that room, though she asked me to warn you about what you will see and experience." "Thank you, but I've already been warned." Haruka bowed and entered the indicated room, breathing in once before closing the door behind herself. "Oshou-san?" The priest, wondering at the sudden increase in visitors, turned again, smiling. "Ah, Rei-san!" The Shinto priestess bowed to her friend, smiling but clearly worried. "Hino Rei, what a surprise. I didn't expect you to come down from your hill today." "I came with a couple of friends." Rei introduced the blonde girl beside her as Tsukino Usagi and the tall, dark-haired man as Chiba Mamoru. "We came because we are worried about Ten'ou Haruka, our friend. Is she here yet?" A third woman, one with shoulder-length aquamarine hair and piercing sapphire eyes, joined the group, worried about the answer. She was clearly also a friend of Rei, Usagi, Mamoru, and Haruka. "Why yes, she is. She came to see a friend of Setsuna-san, to ask for some help. I don't know what her question is, but Setsuna-san seemed very worried about her." "I wish she would talk to me," the sapphire-eyed girl whispered. "I'm pretty sure I know what her question is, and I already told her that everything would be okay. I really wish she would trust me or any of you." "Should we go see her, Michiru-san?" "No, Usagi-san, that's okay. If you would talk to her once she emerges, though, I'd be grateful. She respects you, and she only won't listen to me because she knows I speak from love." "I'll talk to her," Usagi promised, looking up at her boyfriend. She knew what it was like for the person you loved not to speak to you even though there was something dreadfully wrong. She wouldn't let anything like that happen to Haruka and Michiru. "I have a bad feeling about this," she whispered. "Me, too," Rei replied, all eyes watching the door Haruka had disappeared through. The small group waited patiently, all knowing deep inside that Haruka would not be the same when she emerged. If she emerged.
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