Kaiya’s POV
“It’s raining.”
Staring blankly outside, I watched the transparent knives intertwine and harmlessly charge the Earthen rock. A cool breeze then swept across the landscape and feeling the sudden chill, my knees instinctively bent up into my chest making an attempt to keep warm. Perhaps leaving the room door open to watch the rain wasn’t such a good idea. I bit back a chuckle; although the weather may be of some concern to my health, it definitely wasn’t as hazardous to it as a certain enraged, raven-haired miko would. As soon as I returned to the shrine from today’s ‘adventure’ Rei almost freaked when she saw I was soaking wet. Although she wasn’t that much better off; it looked like she had been caught outside as well. Anyway, I swear… her words are still ringing in my ears.
“Look at you! You’re soaked to the bone!”
She really does have a loud voice. But then again, it must be essential for all aspiring singers I suppose. Against my will I felt myself grinning stupidly at the remembrance. She really was angry… For a moment I thought she would slap me; the anger she emitted was terrifying, more so than an angry Hotaru, if one could imagine it. However, I did point out it wasn’t entirely my fault, I mean, how was I supposed to know it was going to rain? It had been a clear, sunny sky after all.
“But you know I don’t watch television Rei and it was beautiful weather all day before the unexpected downpour. You can’t really hold that against me can you? …Umm…Rei?”
Rei’s mouth was open as though she was about to say something else but stopped. However I also noticed her accusing finger hadn’t lowered from my face.
“Grr…Nevermind” The miko snapped. “You! Go get take a warm shower, I don’t need you getting a cold!” She started to push me down the wooden boardwalk towards the bathroom.
“And why’s that?”
“What do you think?” She looked away quickly as I turned to look down at her. “Yuuchiro won’t be able to do all the chores by himself you know, and I can’t keep looking after him.”
It might’ve been my imagination, but either Rei was also coming down with a cold, or she was blushing. Denial…I smirked.
“Hey, what’s that look for?” She demanded.
“Nothing Rei, nothing at all.” My grin widened. Seeing this, the short tempered girl frowned suspiciously before she shoved me into the bathroom with a tremendous force, causing me to almost trip and fall. Wow, we were here already?
“Woah!”
“And don’t forget to wash behind the ears!” She glared before slamming the delicate door shut.
Well I did take a shower and even washed behind the ears; getting on Rei’s bad side isn’t a great idea, which I learned quickly enough. My thoughts were interrupted when a noise caused my ears to perk up. Tup, tup, tup, tup.
“Hmm?” What do we have here?
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone walking along the elevated wooden ledge that led around the shrine. Instantly I recognized the owner’s scruffy hairstyle through the transparent, clear poncho. Yuuchiro must be going out to check up on the plants I immediately concluded. In an amused manner I studied the figure’s movements until he made a quick left around the corner and disappeared from view into the rain.
It was a bit of a surprise when I first learned that ‘macho man’ had an interest in gardening. Just imagine all the patience needed- planting the seed, watering it, making sure it receives light and tending to it constantly…Even if it means going out in this weather! I really can’t imagine myself picking up such a habit. But…I sighed in exasperation. Hopefully that baka won’t catch a cold over this. Sure, he may clumsy, loudmouthed and a hot head at times, but there’s no doubt he has a good heart. Perhaps Rei will come to appreciate it someday.
Oh, speaking of which…
“Ahh! Wait, the plants!” I heard a familiar voice cry -oh, she caught him.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! First Kaiya and now you too! You two will be the death of me, I swear!”
“B-But Rei!”
“No buts! You are coming with me this instant! Oh, stop that whimpering, it’s not manly you know.”
My heart went out to Yuuchiro as I saw him being dragged back to the shrine by the hood of his coat. Now that’s gotta hurt, I cringed. It was short lived though; Yuuchiro’s protests slowly died away, being replaced with the sound of falling rain. Once reassured the balance had been restored, I relaxed into another neutral mood and watched the unchanging scenery again.
Unconsciously my gaze came across one of the large, growing puddle. My interest had been captured instantly as I watched almost mesmerized at the reflected portion of outdoor scenery within its shimmering surface. The illusion depicted our dormant sakura trees twitching almost violently. Beautiful but somehow sad…What little leaves remained were unmercifully battered without rest, some were even ripped from their perches. Nature can be so cruel sometimes…
A yawn had escaped me before I realized my eyelids had drooped down to half closed position. There really wasn’t much left to do, not that I could remember anyway. I looked back into the room over my shoulder towards the only desk drawer. Then again, I suppose I could always do another journal entry but I’m tired as all hell. Sleep looked good about now.
“Ah…screw it.” I grumbled, whilst closing the sliding door. Still being ultimately cautious of disturbing anyone my fingers gently completed the task without any noticeable sound. Seconds following up the futon was set up at the back of the room, away from the cool atmosphere where I had shuffled under soft welcoming sheets. Almost immediately the numbness in my limbs started to ebb away, leaving a cool, tingling sensation. I hadn’t even noticed that little detail until now either. Nevertheless, it felt good, to be embraced in warmth.
I closed my eyes and let it all take me, reliving that moment with Uranus and Neptune earlier today. Strangely enough I wasn’t feeling cold to the core at the thought of their presence. It was…different somehow.
No matter… if it comes down to it, I will finish it without doubt.
Michiru’s POV, at her house
“Wow, it sure came out of nowhere didn’t it Michi?” Haruka mused.
I knew she was talking about the sudden downpour and I had to admit, I had been caught off guard as well. Normally I could sense these things! What was wrong with me? I shook my head slightly. Perhaps today’s stress had sent a few of my senses out of whack. Nevertheless, Haruka and I needed shelter, so without arguing we both decided unanimously that my place was closer.
“Michi? Are you listening?”
“Yes Ruka.” I assured the impatient blonde. She must be feeling so cooped up right now. Then she’ll…
“Do you need some help with those?”
“Only if you’re sure…”
Haruka strolled over to my side and in a matter of seconds, left with two plant pots, one clutched in each hand and carried them to the kitchen table. I smiled weakly as I watched the blonde finish the chore with ease.
“Arigato Ruka.” I thanked her quietly.
“No problem, don’t mention it.”
Sometimes I felt so guilty, so weak for relying on Ruka so much. It’s not supposed to be this way, but…I can’t help it. Why does it make me feel so bad, why does it feel so wrong? The question burned inside of my being as if a muted voice were screaming at the top of its lungs. To want to be stronger, to pull my own share in all the obstacles that inevitably await Ruka and I in the future. That’s the reason isn’t it? Then surely bringing the plants inside the house should be a simple enough task. And yet…
Turning my back to Ruka’s I tended to one of the pots I brought in myself, where I found an unpleasant surprise. What’s this? All the other seeds have already sprouted but this one… Bending down slightly for a better look, cautiously I brushed the surface of damp grains, looking, feeling for any sort of progress whilst hoping Ruka would not notice. Ever once in awhile my eyes darted to make sure the other woman’s attention was distracted.
Nothing.
What’s wrong with it? I pondered. Did I not water it enough? Give it enough light? I found myself softly biting my bottom lip with worry. If Ruka found out…
“Hey, how’s it doing?”
I froze for a split second but found enough strength to weakly whisper her name,
“Ruka…” I moved over reluctantly, allowing the taller woman to gather herself at my side.
Haruka studied the pot of dirt with a critical eye. Her bright green eyes seemed to dim slightly at the sight. As she did so, her forlorn expression tore me up inside. It was the one we planted together…I remember how enthusiastic she was when we first agreed to it.
Thinking back
“You’re really good at growing flowers Michi.”Ruka said as she scratched the back of her head.
We came to my house straight from school that day so I could tend to the plants; they need water frequently on these hot days. The two of us had also changed out of the uncomfortable school uniforms into more casual, comfy wear, to take advantage of the sunny weather.
“Why thank you Ruka. It’s not that hard actually…”I looked up from the plant I was watering, rewarding her comment with a smile. The shift in weight reminded me that my legs were beginning to cramp slightly at the odd position. With that, I began to straighten up from my kneeling position. Haruka was kind enough to back up a few steps and give more space.
“What? Are you serious?” She shot me a suspicious look as I proceeded to brush the dirt off of my jeans and blue blouse. “You have to water them everyday, makes sure they get a lot of sunlight and have some super inhuman patience not to give up on them.”
There was a short pause of silence. Her words slowly seeped in, leaving me slightly speechless for once. So instead of a verbal response she expected, I did the next best thing and broke out into a giggle.
“W-What’s so funny?” Ruka attempted to frown.
“You make is sound like absolute torture.” I giggled again as the blonde’s face betrayed her embarrassment. She looked so cute. After quickly calming down and regaining my composure I watched serenely as the sunlight bounced off of Haruka’s favorite white shirt and yellow slacks. Sometimes, I think she needs to relax. She just seems to uptight lately. Maybe…I know!
In sudden inspiration I asked my companion, “Want to give it a go?”
The shocked look of horror that plastered itself on her face implied an immediate ‘no’.
“You mean, me…GARDENING? Tell me you’re joking.”
I merely shook my head, then watched her reaction with an amused expression.
“You’ve got to be kidding, you know I’m not good at that sort of thing!” She argued back.
“Have you ever tried?” I leaned in, making her lean back.
“Well…no.”
“So how would you know whether it’s your thing or not?” Haruka suddenly looked away and I knew immediately I had said something wrong. “Haruka…I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t…”
“No, you’re right Michi. I should be sorry.” The blonde forced a weak smile. “It’s….”
“…”
“…”
“It’ll be alright Ruka, I’ll help you. We can plant one together.”
Haruka seemed to hesitate at first but then nodded.
Back to reality
We had briefly went over the basics of gardening and then spent the rest of that afternoon picking out a pot and seed type from the local farmers market. I remember that part but…But why does it feel like I’m forgetting something?
“No, you’re right Michi. I should be sorry. It’s….”
What did she say after that?
What did she say? The question echoed in my mind. Why can’t I remember? It was…something important, I know it was! But…what? It was as though reality had ripped me from a pleasant dream. I leaned against the table for support, feeling my forearms tremble slightly under clammy palms. I usually don’t forget things, or more importantly, nothing important. This isn’t like me at all, I inwardly groaned. Okay, stay calm; I’m sure it’ll come back to me in time. It could be that I’m too tired to think clearly. I mean, after a day like today who wouldn’t be?
“I should’ve left it to you…I told you I wasn’t good at this stuff.” Haruka broke the silence.
Upon hearing her distressed voice all other thought went out the window into the rain.
“Don’t say that Ruka.” I tried to re-assure her. “Sometimes…it takes others more time to bloom. Think of it this way, plants are like people; they need love and friendship to grow and mature.”
“Plants…people…” Ruka shook her head with a pained expression. “I don’t really care about that. I just…”
My hand reached out to touch her cheek, silencing her words. The taller woman didn’t flinch from the contact and didn’t pull back, but allowed it to continue.
You don’t mean that…You’re just disappointed.
“…Want to see it grow, I know.” When she did not respond my hand moved down to take her’s in mine, embracing warmth with the contact.
We had been standing for some time now and I was sure our legs were becoming stiff, so I walked us over to sit down on a one of the couches in the living room. Sitting down felt so good, I found myself thinking as I leaned back into soft leather with Ruka beside me. I glanced over to the blonde. Ruka must have been thinking the same thing; she seemed to let out a soft, contented sigh as we sat there. For awhile, none of us said anything, only allowing our weary bodies to bathe in the silent darkness of the room. However, during the time I noticed the blonde hadn’t bothered to let go of my hand. Then again, I had no desire to point it out either. It felt nice to know someone was there with you.
“Michi…?”
“Hmm…?”
“You know…about the people and plants…I didn’t mean…”
“It’s alright, I understand. “ I paused. “It’ll work out, we just have to be patient.”
Ruka gently squeezed of my hand. Her silent approval prompted me to change the subject to something we could talk casually about. I don’t think either of us wanted to talk abouttoday’s events quite yet.
“You know, you and Kaiya have a lot in common.”
“What?” The wind senshi remarked in shock. Seems she has found her voice again, I thought to myself. “No way, we’re nothing alike!” Although I couldn’t see her face, Ruka’s voice betrayed the laughter that laced those words. In turn, I found myself smiling despite my weariness.
“Yes you are.” I teased. “A pair of stubborn mules. Are you sure you two aren’t related?”
“Michi, such language!” Haruka laughed out-loud, her voice echoed through the room. It sounds so good to hear her laugh again. “I do believe Kaiya is starting to rub off on you-the little brat.” She quickly added.
“Could be.” I sighed. But is that really a bad thing?
It wasn’t just me though. Whether Haruka’s noticed it or not, she’s changed a little as well; she smiles a lot more, laughs more and makes jokes a lot while picking on the smaller blonde. It used to be so different. Ruka rarely expresses any sort of affectionate emotion to supposed strangers and so, it was a pleasant surprise when the two hit it off. In fact, right now you could probably mistake the ‘two stubborn mules ‘ as siblings; always expressing their friendship through bickering.
Ruka suddenly sighed, almost in longing.
“What’s wrong?” My companion seemed to ponder the question, carefully choosing the right words to express her issue.
“Remember before we even met Kaiya? You said you had a vision…is Kaiya really a target?” The last portion was barely audible.
“I don’t know…” The discussion was taking a serious turn. I suppose I should’ve seen this coming. The ambiance tensed up immediately- pure hearts, saving the world and the one word of burden, chaining us to our fate, ‘duty’. “I’m pretty sure it was her.” I finally responded quietly.
I squeezed Ruka’s hand, unconsciously looking for the comfort that I was wrong.
“I mean, there hasn’t been any sort of indication… and it’s been awhile and nothing, so isn’t it all right? She won’t be attacked now right?”
“I don’t know…” Just what were the chances that our friend would be targeted now if not already? Maybe…It was a false vision. I wouldn’t mind being wrong this one time. “Ruka, if Kaiya was targeted and she did have the talisman…what would you do?”
My companion remained silent, leaving me to my own doubting thoughts. Of course, what sane person would answer that so quickly? Speaking of which… what would I do if it came to it? It’s unavoidable to stop the deadly silence without those specific three lives. All three and only those three are the required sacrifices. No substitutes, no exceptions. Could we really let one go and sacrifice millions as a result of our selfishness? With my eyes closed I could still see Kaiya arguing with Ruka, Kaiya looking embarrassed in her dress clothes, Kaiya painting by the window at school…I should be able to say ‘no’ without hesitation but…it hurts. It was then in my faltering commitment that I couldn’t find the resolution to say ‘yes, I can do it’. I need more time to get over this…
“Right now, let’s not worry about it,” Ruka finally replied, “we shouldn’t get depressed over something that could be nothing. Take things as they come.”
“…You’re right.” The logic made me feel a sense of false ease. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help but it will come back eventually. In a sudden moment of weakness I leaned against the taller woman’s side, allowing my head to rest against her shoulder. Ruka tensed at first under the sudden new weight but relaxed once her body adjusted to the change. She must really be beat, poor Ruka. Then a new thought struck me. “But what about our new ally? They seem dead serious about their sense of ‘duty’. Even if for a good cause, the way they’re being cold and distant makes the whole job seem criminal.”
“We really don’t need their help, you know.” Ruka’s voice grew determined. “We’re strong, I’m sure we can get through this together, with or without our new ally.”
Haruka’s POV
Our new ‘friend’ is unquestionably strong, but trustworthy? I don’t know, only recently teaming up with this character. I just get a weird feeling around that person, something about them makes me feel uneasy. It’s hard to pin point the exact reasoning behind it…It’s something familiar but with a double edge, almost as though one is dancing with death itself. Cold and distant, all those times it felt like they were looking down at me as inferior and I hated it. Thinking of it always makes my blood boil. I mean Michi and I could do this by ourselves, which is the way it’s supposed to be; we don’t need the inner senshi or some mysterious stranger for help. But how can I prove it?
“You’re still sure we can trust this stranger Michi?”
“Yes Ruka.” She mumbled. The aqua goddess seemed so distant in the response, she’s falling asleep I realized.
We can talk about this later.
“Oyasumi nasai Michi.” I whispered to the drowsy girl while wrapping one arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. She mumbled something that I couldn’t make out, probably dreaming already. I smiled at the thought; I wonder what she’s dreaming about?
“I don’t need…your help.”
I could still see the other blonde’s back turned to me as my vision faded out. The rain…I still could hear it.
Mid Afternoon, next day
“Aww, I knew I should’ve studied harder!” I groaned. A red, circled mark of 82 stared up mockingly from my test page. Great, now I’ll never hear the end of it! Slowly my gaze moved from the page to my side where Kaiya and Michiru were chatting up a storm. ‘Storm’…The word made me twitch in irritation. Chasing a very appearance conscience youma yesterday really tired me out. I was planning on getting up early this morning and squeeze in some extra studying time too but was thwarted by the condition of ‘sleeping in’.
“Gee, that’s too bad Haruka.” Kaiya peeked over my shoulder.
“Hey!” I pulled the paper out of her view to my other side, unknowingly shoving it into Michi’s face.
“Oh. It’s not that bad Ruka.” One of the smartest girls in school casually assured me.
Unable to make a snappy comment I merely dropped the paper down for another quick peek, hoping the number would magically change. I was disappointed again. Wouldn’t it be great if you could use your powers to change test marks? Yes, using a world shaking and disintegrating the paper to a pile of ashes was very appealing right now.
“Hmm…Yeah, it’s okay I guess.” I finally conceded half heartily.
“Are you kidding me?” Kaiya teased.
“Okay, so what did you get smart ass!”
The shorter blonde closed her eyes and cleared her throat, as if trying to dramatically draw out the ‘suspense’.
“Ninety-six.” She must’ve seen the shocked look on my face because she added, “Oh, but don’t worry; Michiru beat me and aced the exam.” Won’t the torture stop! I silently begged. If I were a brick wall I’d say I would be crumbling into rubble right about now.
“Whatever…” I crumpled the fragile sheet into a ball and stuffed it into my school bag.
“Where are you going Ruka?” I heard Michi call behind my quickened paced steps.
“The library, to s-t-u-d-y.” I turned to face the ‘intelligent’ pair. To my indignation their faces were frozen in a state of shock. “Hey now!” A blush crept across my face as I strained to hear their apologies through broken laughter.
“S-sorry but…haha.”
“R-really?”
Fuming I turned on the spot and left my two ‘best friends’ to enjoy their inside joke. Working my way through the crowd I couldn’t help but thinking, ‘who needs school’ and ‘one exam mark means nothing’. It wasn’t a bad mark at all, could be easily made up. Besides, I shouldn’t be worrying about this right now, I shook my head. It’s in two days, I have to get prepared. That means training and…The test mark floated through my mind again.
“Go away!” I snarled, swatting the air in front of me.
At that moment someone walked out from around the corner and cried “Oof!”
Whap! Thud.
My palm was tingling where I struck the person. Oh shit, did I just hit someone just now? Although I was clearly staring at the person on the ground the thought didn’t quite register until now.
“I-I didn’t mean to…Are you alright?” Damn, why can’t I just say sorry?
The small girl meekly nodded. When she returned a gaze I found myself staring into a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Our school uniform?
“Look, I really didn’t mean to, uhh, knock you over.” I bent down and picked up the things she had dropped.
“…” She merely nodded in what I assumed to be understanding. I handed her a few books and pencil, taking her appearance in unconsciously. Dark hair, eyes, pale complexion and our school uniform…But, there’s this weird feeling about her I can’t shake. Does she really go to our school? Couldn’t be high school, although, I suppose it wasn’t impossible since the younger grades were stationed on the lower levels. But still…Why does she look so pale? It’s almost sickly…
“You can talk can’t you?” When she did not respond I my patience slowly fading. Maybe I should just leave- why was I still here anyway? I asked myself. Not too far away I could hear motor vehicles honking down the street at a red light. But was it that something told me not to go? My train of thought was broken when the presumably younger student started to tremble, progressively taking quicker breaths. Kami did I hit her that hard? I felt my eyes widen. “Are you okay?” I asked again, reaching out my hand.
“Don’t…” Came a whimper. “…Get…close…”
“I’m not going to hurt yo- Ugh!”
A shock of negative energy suddenly gripped my outstretched limb inches from her face. What the hell? I cursed, trying to keep from yelling outright. The blast had caused a surge of burning pain shooting up to my elbow. I couldn’t stop twitching I realized; it was as though the nerves had been shot.
“What are you…?” My words came out cold and hard. I stepped back instinctively when the gravity of dark energy began to build exponentially around the human form. Her eye color changed as they were now emitting a distinct sinister red. What is she, another youma in disguise? The possibility hit me hard, remembering yesterday’s incident. I ground my teeth in frustration; there’s no way I can transform out in the open! So many damn people, someone might get killed in the crossfire. I stood frozen, unable to decide what do to. But whatever it was, I had to do it fast! The extreme power radiating from this ‘girl’ is incredible, larger than anything I’ve ever encountered. Worse of all, it was still growing. In the swirl of thoughts, another had struck me, ‘I could be killed’.
“Haaaaaruka!”
I spun on the spot towards the energetic voice. Kaiya?
“Stay back!” I shouted. There was a crackling noise from my backside, had the energy accumulated this much already? Now I was truly torn, choosing to transform or possible death. “Kaiya you idiot, I said stay where you are!”
“Kaiya…?” A barely audible whisper hung in the wind but I ignored it, probably my imagination created by fear.
“Why?” Kaiya blinked back a look of confusion. Just when I was about to leap forward and drag the other blonde away from the area she remarked, “Oh, nice to see you again Hotaru.”
“Hotaru…?” I mouthed, stopping in my tracks. Do they know each other or something? I reluctantly turned sideways to allow Kaiya to step up beside me. The energy…it’s fading away, I can feel it. However… my arm remembers. I definitely did not imagine that. With my other hand I squeezed the inflicted flesh under the cloth to find it still hadn’t recovered yet even with my senshi powers. Shimatta, it’s practically numb! Whatever she did to me wasn’t giving me good vibes; if I had actually touched this ‘Hotaru’ my arm might’ve been shredded up into a pile of mush or something worse.
“Umm…It’s good to see you again.” Hotaru gave a short bow to Kaiya.
“Jeez, no need to be so formal.” Kaiya outstretched her hand towards Hotaru and messed up her short, dark hair with a free hand. “Quite a coincidence you happened to be around, I was planning on looking for you actually.”
So she could touch her, I noted. And the negative energy hasn’t jumped up or anything as far as I can tell. Does that mean that girl’s power is some sort of defense mechanism or something? No, that can’t be it; it was definitely negative energy. That type could never be used for good.
“R-really?”
“Yeah, why not? We’re friends aren’t we?” Kaiya smiled first before being joined by Hotaru in the act.
Friends? I don’t get it, when, how…?
“So…you guys are ‘friends’?” I questioned. Pushing aside the uneasiness from the previous encounter I stared down coldly into dark eyes again. They were essentially blank, was she masking her killer instinct? This doesn’t make any sense at all! I raged inwardly. Someone that young couldn’t possibly harbor such self control. That is, if she’s really human.
“Mhmm, we met about awhile ago, shortly after I ‘moved’ here.” Kaiya tried to explain.
“That so?”
So basically they’ve only known each other for a few short weeks. Good, this might make things easier. It would be harder if they were childhood friends or related in some way.
“Look, you shouldn’t hang around that girl.”
“Huh? What do you mean Haruka?”
Two pairs of confused expressions stared blankly at me. Kaiya’s however was turning to one of impatience.
“If this is a joke, it sure isn’t funny.”
“It’s no joke.”
“What?”
“ Come on, we should be going.” I made to grab my friend’s arm.
“Hey! What has gotten into you!” She yanked her arm away from me. Hotaru stood behind Kaiya, nervously watching the events that were unfolding.
Over and over I reminded myself Kaiya didn’t know anything, nothing about youma, sailor scouts, nothing. Knowing her, she wouldn’t buy the idea that her friend possibly was some toy of the death busters or her life may be on the line by just hanging out with the presence. Then again, what normal person would? I spat out the first complete sentence that came to mind,
“It’s for your own good.”
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best answer explanation but it was the absolute truth. However, a gut feeling told me I had said the wrong thing as soon as the words left my mouth.
“Listen.” Kaiya’s rebellious eyes trained their sights on me, sending a chill down my spine. Where had I felt this feeling before? “I choose who my friends are, not you. Last I checked you were my friend as well, not my mother. Besides, you don’t know her.”
“I don’t have to.” I snapped back.
“Why’s that? Because you think you know everything? I’m sure that showed up in today’s test.”
“What?” That was a low blow.
“Besides, Hotaru is a nice person, if you’d give her a chance-,”
“But she’s not normal!” I blurted.
There, I had said it. No one moved or made an attempt to scream at the other’s face. In truth, I half expected the smaller blonde to hit me; the anger apparent on her face looked murderous. Both of us were now gasping for some air, the debate had taken a toll on both parties but I was more concerned with what would happen next. Would Kaiya listen?
“Haruka…” She started and to my surprise, turned her back to me. No… “Michiru asked me to remind you about our shopping plan later, apparently she wants to pick up some cosmetics. Would you tell her that I’ll take a pass this time?” Speechless I watched Kaiya take Hotaru’s small hand in hers as the dark haired girl kept sending nervous glances between my blonde counterpart and myself. “C’mon Hotaru.” Kaiya urged. And without turning to look back she slowly added, “Good luck with your studying Haruka.”
Was she disappointed of me? A sinking feeling was making me sick to my stomach. No, I’m not her mother, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be worried about her right?
“Fine, be that way!”
You idiot…
Kaiya’s POV
I was fuming to the point of furious. What did Haruka mean that Hotaru wasn’t ‘normal’? She couldn’t have known about Saturn’s powers…in fact, now that I think about it, Saturn hasn’t made any appearance that I was aware of since I came here. A thought then occurred to me. Does that mean Hotaru hasn’t awakened yet? I turned to look down at the smaller girl walking by my side. I don’t sense anything from her…I frowned. Not abnormal anyway. If I didn’t know her, I’d say she was just another ordinary looking person to me.
“The park?” Hotaru quietly asked.
“Huh?” My mind snapped back to reality to register the younger girl’s question.
Somehow we had made our way to the park entrance. I didn’t even until now.
“I guess so, is that alright with you?” I tried to smile.
Hotaru merely nodded, her eyes never leaving the ground. Why does she look embarrassed? Did I say something wrong?
I pondered the thought as we wandered into the spacious playground area, towards the very same place where the two of us first met. Wow, its sure nice seeing the place in broad daylight and right side up. And if I remember correctly, Michiru often come here to paint. About what, I’m not sure. I felt my eyebrows furrow slightly. She refuses to say, only that ‘it’s a surprise’. Although… I do have a few guesses. Perhaps it’s the small lake on the other side of that hill, the fluffy white clouds floating aimlessly in the sky or the children interacting on the playground. But then again, what if it wasn’t the scenery she was painting? There was one other possibility I had in mind but…Hmm…I wonder. Michiru better show me once its done like she promised, or I might die from curiosity!
Ho-hum.
I kicked the clump of sand at my feet. We’ve been sitting on this hot cement sidewalk for awhile now and you know what? I’m bored!
“Hey Hotaru, wanna go on the swings?” I jumped up and shouted enthusiastically.
There was an odd flicker in Hotaru’s eyes but it quickly faded.
“What do you say? It might be fun.” I offered again. Jeez, it almost sounds like I’m making a sales pitch.
Hotaru nodded, making a small sound of agreement.
Taking her small hand in mine again, I laughed at her response as we made our way to the swing set; the Hotaru I knew wasn’t this shy. “I know you can talk.” I teased. With an amused expression I watch the younger girl turn a bright shade of pink. “You can say what’s on your mind you know… I’ll listen!” I continued as we both took seats on the swing set. There was another moment of silence following when I assumed that Hotaru was trying to find the right words to express herself. It’ll come to her, I told myself. Was it really that hard to come out and say what was on her mind? I wonder what happened to her; most people aren’t usually this shy without a reason. With one foot I began to prod the leaps of sand once again, causing the tiny mountains to come falling down. It’s like being mesmerized with the feeling of power... or over imagination. Sometimes I wonder if a world shaking was strong enough to make a real mountain collapse. Wouldn’t that be neat to try someday? I shook my head. Nah, it wouldn’t be nearly strong enough, or at least mine anyway…You’d need all of the outer’s powers at least.
…Hmm, I wonder if Haruka is still mad at me. Woah that thought came out of nowhere didn’t it? But…I suppose what I said earlier was pretty cruel, now that I’ve actually stopped to think about it. Still… she was the one who started it. She shouldn’t have been so obnoxious, saying all those things in front of Hotaru like that. How would she feel if someone said that about her? Did she ever stop to think about that? I sighed knowningly. No, knowing Haruka she probably spoke before she thought. Sometimes I don’t get her, just what is going through that head of her’s?
“You…didn’t have to do that, back there.”
“Hmm?” Did Hotaru just say something?. “Have to about what? Oh! You mean being your friend?”
A sad look loomed over Hotaru’s features, everything screamed sorrow, perhaps even despair.
“Look, don’t worry about it, you’re a nice person. I want to spend time with you, really!”
She turned to look at me. “How do you know that?”
“Well, it’s one of those things you feel but can’t explain.” But a certain truth was my secret, I smiled.
“I see…” She lowered her head. I thought she was just looking at the ground at first, that was, until I heard the sobs.
Is she…
“It’s alright, just let it all out.” I placed a hand on her closest shoulder. Cry because you can. “Don’t let it build up.” Hotaru sobbed harder with the gesture, softening my facial features. Did you know, when you’re used to being on your own with only yourself to count on…all the physical pain in the world couldn’t produce the same tears that a simple act of kindness could?
Some time later
It was awhile later before Hotaru finally calmed down. The wait didn’t bother me in the least; I’m sure she needed that, everyone has a weak moment one time or another. However I was a becoming a bit concerned for her health. Although I knew exactly how physically weak she was in the future I had very little knowledge concerning her past condition or conditions. Who knows what sort of illness she may have- she always seems so pale in these days.
“It’s a bit warm out isn’t it…?” Hotaru looked up. The look on her face indicated that what I said was dawning on her. “I’m going to get us something to drink, got any preferences?”
A shake of the head, I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then.
“Great, I’ll be right back as fast as I can. Wait here okay?” I ran off, hoping to make a quick exit and return.
Tup, tup, tup, tup…
Tup, tup.
“Well, what do we have here, the freak.”
Michiru’s POV, shopping mall
I wonder what’s taking Haruka and Kaiya so long, we agreed to meet here at 4:00pm. If the mall’s clock is correct, then it really is 4:10pm. I can see Haruka being a few minutes late, maybe, but Kaiya is always on time. For the fifth time in the last ten minutes my eyes wandered through the crowds, filtering through the mass of faces as I searched for my close friends. Have I been stood up? The flicker of the thought was short lived; no, neither of them are like that. Then maybe something happened? Haruka would call if there was a youma attack…So that couldn’t be it.
“Ah!” I let out a soft gasp.
Finally I spotted Haruka, the blonde had just turned the corner and was heading over here. Instead of shouting unnecessarily I waved calmly to the tall woman. I doubt she would hear me over this crowd anyway.
“Hi…Is something wrong Ruka?” Was it just me, or was there something different about her…?
“It’s nothing.” The wind senshi brushed off the concern. “By the way, Kaiya asked me to tell you that she’s taking a rain check on our shopping plans.”
“Really? Did she say why?” The news surprised me; it was rather sudden. What could’ve made her change her mind so quickly after we spent all morning planning?
“Well… not specifically, no.”
“Ruka… do you know why?” I noticed the hesitation in her last statement. Unsurprised, I watched the blonde nod her head slowly. Chalk one up for trusting gut feelings, I silently noted. A thoughtful expression crossed Ruka’s features shortly before her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. “What’re you thinking about?”
“We got into a fight.”
“What?” I felt my eyes widen.
“Nothing physical or anything like that, we just… disagreed about something.” Ruka mumbled.
They fought? I didn’t think Kaiya or Ruka would ever get into one of those fights; ones that would put a serious strain on their friendship. Sure the two blondes would get into little arguments here and there, but it was often for fun and they’d shake it off as fast as it started. Suddenly the reason why Kaiya decided not to come clicked. Before I could say anything else, Ruka quickly muttered,
“Can I tell you later?” How did she…? That intuition of hers must be working overtime. I guess I should let it go for now.
I nodded. It made me feel uncomfortable, the whole situation was still very vague to me. I hope it isn’t that serious…What could they have disagreed about? Quickly I stood up to follow Ruka, who had decided to lead the way at that moment.
Oh Ruka… I thought as I followed closely behind her, you knew this could’ve happened from the beginning.
Cosmetic store, empty aisle
“What do you think of this one Ruka?”
“Looks good.” She mumbled.
Ignoring her unenthusiastic reply I continued to apply the sample lipstick. Really any color would’ve done at the moment because I was more interested in watching the blonde through the compact mirror than my own lips. You can really tell she’s trying hard to be nonchalant with the entire issue, the way she’d roll her eyes for no reason, how she’d sigh frequently, then frown…it’s driving me crazy! We both know there’s something wrong. Come on, can’t you tell me Ruka? Instantly a sense of shame washed over me; it’s not really any of my business is it? It’s their fight…I suppose there’s a thing of trying too hard to be helpful…
“I’ll take this one.” I cheerfully decided. As I turned on the spot I added, “Want to grab a bite to eat? There’s this place I know and the food is great.”
The wind senshi looked thoughtful at the suggestion.
“Sure, why not?” She shrugged. “I did miss lunch today.” Haruka smiled. The moment was slightly ruined when her stomach added in its two bits.
“I see…” Try as I might, I couldn’t help but giggle at poor woman.
“Ah, that was unintentional.” Ruka quickly explained.
“But it was amusing nevertheless.” I teased.
Presumably at a loss for words Haruka blushed, looking a tad bit flustered.
“Where’s that restaurant?” She finally snapped out of her frozen state and dashed past me.
“Well maybe if you slowed down I can show you.” I turned to follow.
“What’s the name? I’m sure I can find it myself.”
“Ruka…”
Finally at the restaurant, Haruka’s POV, forty minutes later
She did that on purpose, I know she did! I raised a glass filled with iced water to my parched lips, still fuming over the wild goose chase Michiru had lead us on. Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly like that but stopping at every store along the way was too excessive for my taste; I detest spending hours upon hours hunting for a single piece of garment. Unfortunately a certain party sitting across from me is in love with this sort of stuff. With wearing patience I watched one of her slender hand’s pull out a familiar object out of the pile of purchases.
“Here.”
“…” I scrunched my face up at the mere thought. “No.”
“Who knows, maybe it’s your color.”
“I don’t wear make-up.” I flatly stated the obvious.
Michiru sighed and smiled knowingly.
“I know but I was just curious.”
“Well I’m not. Give it to Kai-“ I stopped and froze mid-sentence. Remembering the earlier events I groaned inwardly. That’s right, Kaiya probably hates me now.
“You were about to say Kaiya weren’t you?”
Refusing to meet Michi’s stern gaze I stubbornly looked down at the tablecloth; suddenly counting the square designs became very appealing. Should I nod? Without another thought I made to dip my head through the motion but was stopped when a cool hand found its way under my chin, lifting my face up to see the expectant pair of aqua eyes. After getting my undivided attention Michi asked quietly,
“What happened?”
“I…You know, this really isn’t a great place for it.” I swung my head towards the crowded tables occupied by customers.
“They’re all busy, no one will hear.”
“But Michi…” I almost whined.
Her eyes searched mine, never breaking contact.
“It’s not a regular argument is it?” I gulped, amazed at her sixth sense and reluctantly nodded. To show her the exact reasoning behind it I pulled up my shirtsleeve to reveal the inflicted area. Michi gasped as the fabric peeled away, allowing the bright, red marks marring the skin to be seen. They’ve healed somewhat, most of them have closed…but the redness still lingered. Nothing that a good transformation wouldn’t heal though. I almost recoiled back in pain when my companion reached out and touched the marks; they still burned, even the lightest pressure made me involuntarily twitch. Seeing my pained reaction the ocean senshi apologetically whispered,
“Gomen ne…”
“It’s alright.” I reassured her while I allowed the fabric to slide back down. As it did so I noted every burning spot that flared up where the fabric rubbed against the irritated marks. It freaking hurts, I cursed, taking in sharp breaths to hold back any rebellious outcry.
“Did Kaiya…” Michi started, her voice weighed heavy with concern at the possibility.
“No.” I shook my head. The aqua goddess leaned back into her chair for a moment, looking somewhat relieved but obviously confused. Her eyes darted across random objects, calculating what may have happened. However, I decided to save her the trouble.
“It wasn’t her, her ‘friend’ did it.” Wait…Oh, shit!
“Friend?” Michiru echoed my words. “Huh? Wait, where are you going Haruka?”
I shot up from my seat, making to leave immediately, pausing only a minute to pull out my wallet and inquire a nearby waiter for our bill.
“Never mind.” I snapped at the shorter man. “Take this and keep the change.”
“Haruka?” Michi was now standing as well.
“If you want to know what happened then let’s go. I’ll tell you on the way.”
Snatching up two fistfuls of shopping bags I moved out of the establishment entrance, angrily tearing myself down for letting it slip my mind. Baka, baka, BAKA! My mind screamed at me. Why did I just leave Kaiya alone with that thing after I made all that effort to avoid it? Who knows what could be happening right now- is she okay? And wasn’t she a potential target…? No, no, no! Shut up, nothing is going to happen.
I lengthened my strides considerably.
“Haruka, slow down.”
“No time.” Michiru didn’t protest back again.
Nothing is going to happen because I’m going to be there! I was running now, faster, stronger, following the wind.
“Come on Michi!”
Park, Kaiya’s POV
I can’t believe I had to go to five different machines before I found one that actually worked! I sighed to myself. That took forever, this old technology age really sucks sometimes. Hopefully Hotaru isn’t bored out of her mind… who knows, maybe she found someone to hang with while I was away. It is a playground after all…
“Freak!”
“Don’t touch me you monster!”
What going on? I dropped the drinks and sprinted towards the shouts to find a group of middle school aged kids surrounding a small body. Hotaru?
“Hey! Get away from her!” I charged down towards the small group of kids, taking in all their ugly mugs into precise consideration.
“W-What are you doing trying to defend that monster?”
I looked down at the spoiled brat. Obvious he was one of those pampered kids who go out looking for trouble- in this case the ringleader of the group judging from the other’s agreed nods.
“What did you do to her?” I coldly glared.
Ignoring the question completely caught the smaller youth off guard.
“Nothin-“
“Don’t give me that crap! What did you do?” I half snarled, narrowing my eyes to mere slits.
The boy backed away immediately, so fast that he tripped over a crack in the uneven sidewalk. His followers retreated back a few steps as well, their faces in complete shock. What, was I that scary? If that were all they did I might’ve believed it myself but when the blood drained from their faces I then began to wonder.
“M-monster…” One of them whispered. The word sparked me fuming again. Just as I made to berate them the others screamed,
“Run for it!” And they scattered.
“Run for it?” I repeated their words. Why did they…? I slowly made to turn around. “Hotaru?”
Thud!
I spun on the spot in time to see Hotaru collapse onto the cement.
“Hotaru!” I ran to her. “Hey, are you alright? Talk to me!” I shook her gently, hoping she would respond in some way to show she was conscious. Taking my palm to her forehead I realized she was burning up. This sun and that uniform, suddenly made sense. Why didn’t loosen she her shirt collar if she was feeling too warm? Moving my own hands down I made to loosen the unbelievably tight collar. As I did so, I was thinking how those brats may have had something to do with it as well. If I see them again…
“There, that should do it.”
She might breath easier now. Hotaru was still involuntarily gasping hard but it slowed a bit. Wait, what am I doing sitting here? There’s no time for that, I’ve got to get her to a doctor! Picking up her light form I threw her carefully onto my back and started to run.
Hang in there Hotaru! I silently begged. What do I do? Where do I go?
“Kaiya?”
I skidded to a stop. “You’re…Please I need a help, can you...”
Hospital, shortly later
“Will she be okay?”
“They did a few tests and she seems perfectly fine aside from a few bruises. It’s possible that she has a weaker body than most people.” The blue-haired attendant flipped through some pages on her clipboard. “The heat seems to be the main cause of her collapse as far as we can tell…Give her some time to rest and cool off and she’ll be on her feet in no time.”
“Arigato Ami.”
The small blue eyed girl nodded, modestly accepting the thanks. It was sheer luck that she happened to be walking home at that moment, even more so that her mom is a doctor. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she hadn’t shown up, I had no clue where the nearest clinic or hospital was. No…Don’t think about what could have happened, this is what happened, accept it and be glad. But I couldn’t help thinking, was it just me, or is Hotaru weaker here in this time than her future self? Attending all those official meetings never worn her out nearly as much as standing out in the sun for too long. Maybe it was something she just grew out of?
Ami moved over to the I.V unit and checked the remaining volume. It still looked pretty full to me. My eyes trailed the falling liquid from the large bag, down the tube to Hotaru’s uncovered arm. I stared particularly at the lengthy needle; I hated needles, the mere thought of having the prickly things jab into my flesh sent shivers down my spine. One time I remember this one time where it was mandatory for all residents at the palace to be vaccinated for an unusual strain of illness, some continually mutating virus. I also remember that I would’ve preferred the illness over the needle but it wasn’t to be; eventually the staff caught me. Taking down ten guards is the record though.
“Remembering a happy memory?” Ami quietly inquired. “You don’t have to tell me but you were smiling so…”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t exactly call it happy…Merely amusing.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
Silence.
“Can I ask you another thing Kaiya san?”
“Kaiya is fine.” I replied without a thought.
“Oh…Umm, are you related this girl?” Ami referred to the patient. “You really seemed frantic when I bumped into you; and that sort of concern is virtually non existent between strangers.”
I looked to Hotaru, then towards Ami. It seemed like an innocent enough question. Her logic made perfect sense and I found myself agreeing with it; perfect strangers wouldn’t have been worrying themselves to death and if you were judging by the age difference between Hotaru and myself, it would be difficult to believe we were friends to begin with. Nothing gets by this girl, perhaps something to watch out for in the future I noted. For now I guess I should make this believable and play along.
“ Sisters, but not related directly if you get me.”
“I see…Nevertheless she’s lucky to have someone watching over her.” Ami quietly finished.
“No siblings of your own then?”
She shook her head. “Only my mother and myself.” I noticed how she didn’t mention her father but choose to let it pass.
“Must be hard…ever get lonely?”
“Sometimes…” The girl admitted. She looks so serious doesn’t she ever relax? “My mother always spends late nights working but I’m usually busy studying so I don’t notice.” Liar…I thought. It’s in your eyes, you just want to believe that don’t you? “I have thought about what it would be like to have an older sibling who would protect me, be someone I could go to for advice…That might’ve been nice. But then again, I wouldn’t mind having a younger brother or sister to protect; having someone lean on me for a change. Perhaps I wouldn’t be like this if things were different, maybe I wouldn’t have become ‘study Ami’ who’s… only good at… studying.”
Her last words were cut off by the beginnings of tiny sobs. For a moment I was speechless; when I meant relax I didn’t mean break down!
“Come on, your not useless. I’m sure there are a lot of things you can do. Umm…for starters, what do you like to do?” Ami began to open her mouth and I quickly added, “Besides studying.”
“Besides studying? I-I don’t…”
“There has to be something. Let’s see, are you into fortune telling?”
Ami shook her head.
“Dancing? No? How about…computer programming?”
“A bit.”
“See? Not a lot of people can do that!”
“I suppose…” She reluctantly agreed. Okay, there definitely has to be something she really likes to do that doesn’t involve studies!
“Do you do any sports? Anything to relax? I mean, you can’t study all the time…And it must be stressful sometimes right?”
There was a brief silence as Ami seemed to ponder over something but hesitated to say outright. So there was another detail she wasn’t revealing. Was she embarrassed about it?
“It can’t be that bad. You can tell me, I won’t laugh.”
“Swimming.” Did I just hear right?
“Really? You can swim? That’s awesome!’
“D-do you swim Kaiya?” She stammered, taken aback by my enthusiasm.
“Me? Nah, but sometimes I wish I could.” On quite a few occasions I might add. “But you know, Michiru swims as well, you two should go together or something, I’m sure you would become great friends.”
“Ah, no, no, no.”
“You’ve already met her?”
“It’s just…She’s …I can’t compare to her at all.” Ami seemed to squirm in her chair.
“Michiru won’t bite or anything …or at least as far as I know.” To my delight Ami seemed to giggle for a split second before her will clamped it down again. Feeling motivated I continued. “It’s in your mind…Being good friends with someone doesn’t have to be about equal status, same age or talents, it’s just being there for another person with or without all that.” Haruka’s face flashed before my eyes, her pained expression. I really should listen to my own advice…
“Still…”
“I could introduce you two and like you said before, you like to swim. Michiru is obsessed with the sport. You two already that much in common.”
“Perhaps…” She started to sound cheerful again.
“Mm…?”
Ami and I turned towards the muffled sound to see Hotaru starting to regain consciousness.
“Don’t move too much, you still have the I.V attached to you.” Ami quickly warned the drowsy girl.
“What…Where…? Kaiya?”
“Hey, good to see you awake again.” I tried to keep my voice down for her sake, I’m sure loud noises would only give her a headache since she was waking up. “How do you feel?”
“Tired…” She groaned. “What happened?”
“You collapsed.” I quickly explained. “The heat must’ve gotten to you. I’m really sorry that I didn’t get you a cool drink sooner.”
“It’s okay…” Hotaru sleepily mumbled. “It always happens to me, don’t worry about it.”
“She’s right Kaiya, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. And you did try to keep her cool…”
“But it wasn’t good enough.” I almost replied bitterly.
For a few minutes no one said anything, each person in her own world. That was before Ami broke the silence.
“Kaiya, would you blame a doctor that couldn’t save a patient from a severe wound? If they tried to do everything possible but came up short in the end?”
“No, of course not.” I automatically answered.
“Then why are you blaming yourself so harshly? You’re only human. Bringing Hotaru to the hospital was the most you could’ve done for her. She’s alright now because of it.” She reasoned.
It slowly dawned on me that the tables had been turned; now it was Ami giving me the lecture. I knew I should’ve seen this coming! Don’t get me wrong, I do understand what Ami was getting at but it still irritated me, I wish I could’ve done more. It’s just…I didn’t want to hear theses words right now.
“Sometimes the best you can do is to prepare all you can and hope it’ll turn out in the end.” The blue-haired girl continued. She looked down at her wrist to check her watch and exclaimed, “Oh no, I have to get to my next shift. It was nice meeting you Hotaru, I hope you get better soon. Nice talking to you again Kaiya, perhaps we can chat again some other time.”
The girl gave a slight bow and then exited the room. When all became quiet other than the sound of Hotaru’s soft breathing I turned my attention towards the sleepy girl once more.
“I’m really sorry…”
Hotaru opened one eye slightly and seemed to smile despite herself.
“I told…you…”
“Not just for the drink, but for not being there when those bullies showed up- although, I doubt they’d show their faces anytime soon…I’m also sorry about what Haruka said earlier, I’m sure she didn’t mean it; she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Hey, please don’t start crying again, try to save your strength.” Hotaru weakly nodded her head, attempting to swallow any vocal sound. “I’ll be right here.” I squeezed her hand gently. Try to get some sleep okay…?”
I waited for the next five minutes, watching anxiously as her breathing slowed to normal. She’s…so fragile. What… what if she becomes the next target? Would she be able to survive such a violent attack?
I may not be able to protect her from herself but…
“I’ve got to get stronger.”
Michiru’s POV, park area
Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!
“And you let her go?” I shouted to my partner. What were you thinking?
Huff! Huff!
“It’s not like I had any choice!”
Haruka leaped through some grass into another pathway with me following close behind.
“Do you have any idea where they went?” I inquired because running around like chickens with their heads cut off wasn’t going to do much good.
“Well, they headed in this general direction, so I figured they came to the park. Its called intuition!” She yelled back over her shoulder. “Besides, can’t you use that sixth sense of yours to track them?”
“Well, it’s…not a radar you know.”
I was trying but I couldn’t pick up anything. Or at least not yet. What I told Ruka was true. My power doesn’t allow me the luxury of sensing where a certain person is at this exact time; it tends to work around such settings. Picking up past vibes, viewing into the future, even interpretations of another person’s emotions to a certain extent was covered by what Ruka refers to as my ‘sixth sense’.
Huh?
“Ruka! Wait a second.” I had halted to a stop and focused my attention to a set of swings. Something seemed familiar, the energy that lingered.
“Find anything Michi?”
“Shh…” I hushed her. Closing my eyes and taking slow, deep breaths I walked into the center of energy. It was strong, whatever it was; it had to be if it lingered in this area for this long. A good five hours at best I’d say. Now let’s see…A dark, purple cloud… Someone panicked. But, what’s this? I stepped forward, attempting to sort through the mess. There’s something else here but I can’t see it. I can sense it but…all I can see is this purple fog.
“Michi? What is it?” Ruka whispered, keeping her voice low and out of earshot of bystanders.
My eyes fluttered open and I blinked a few times afterwards to clear my bleary vision.
“Something happened, but I can’t say for sure what.” I replied in the tone she had set.
Out of my peripheral vision I saw Ruka bite her lower lip.
“Is…Is it bad?”
“Someone…panicked. More than a few hours ago.” I added, careful to keep my voice steady for both our sakes.
“So we have no clue at all then? Argh!” In frustration the wind senshi pivoted on the spot and punched one of the swing’s metal supporters.
Ping!
“Woah! Didn’t that hurt mister?”
A girl of perhaps five years of age ran up to an enraged Haruka out of nowhere.
“Ruka, please calm down.” I tried to persuade the taller woman. “Hurting yourself won’t make things better. I’m sure Kaiya’s okay, we would know if it happened.”
“Who’s Kaiya?”
“Look kid, we don’t have time for this. Why don’t you go back and play with your friends or something.” Ruka managed to make out calmly enough.
To my surprise the youngster seems unaffected by the blonde’s coldness, more or less driven by curiosity I’d say.
“Hey mister, did you lose something?” The girl looked sad as she said this or at least, she sounded sad.
“I don’t know.” Ruka sighed exasperated. “Maybe…”
“That’s too bad…Does your hand hurt?” I looked to Haruka’s hand to see the knuckles still a bright red. “Maybe you should go see a doctor.” The child continued. “Mommy says they’re supposed to help you but then they make you eat yucky medicine.” She scrunched up her face for emphasis. I could see her tiny mouth curl downward into a thoughtful frown. Wow, the sun is sure bright… It would be much easier to see her face if she weren’t standing directly in the light. “Maybe they’ll make that other girl eat yucky medicine too?”
“A friend of yours?” I finally spoke up for the first time.
The girl shook her head. “…I heard someone say they were going to take her to the hospital.”
“The…hospital?”
“One of them had pretty golden hair, maybe mine will be like that when I’m older?” She jerked her thumb towards her own mid-back length hair and smiled.
Ruka’s eyes widened in shock and instantly I knew what was on her mind.
“What did you say?” I asked the child again.
“I said, one of them had pretty golden hair.”
“Thank you, that’s all we needed to know.” I thanked her. “We got a lead Ruka, shall we go?”
My partner nodded her head as she steeled herself with a cold demeanor. Cold, determined eyes met my own. It could be really bad… but it’s worse off not knowing, right Ruka? We left.
“Bye mister...Let’s play again sometime.” She seemed to giggle, then vanished with the wind.
Kaiya’s POV, Hikawa Shrine
“Deep…SUBMERGE!” I cried. “Come on! Why won’t you work?”
I let my arms fall back to my sides after holding them up for the countless attempts during the past hour; they were starting to feel very heavy. This secluded training ground was perfect but what good does it do if the training doesn’t go well? Absolutely none!
Huff…huff…
One of my free hands brushed off a trickle of sweat that had made its way down a side temple.
“There must be something that I’m doing wrong…But what?” Only the expected silence greeted me. I…Hotaru’s face flashed past my eyes, have to get stronger! Not just for her but for everyone; I don’t want to be the weak one to drag them down either.
“Maybe…” Another idea struck me. “World…SHAKING!”
The expected bright ball of energy came forth and I threw it into the ground like many times before. It swirled, marking its path through untended grass and overgrown weeds until it collided with a small bolder, shattering it into a pile of useless rubble.
Crackle!
Now…
“Deep…”
Suddenly the air around me became cold, an unfamiliar sensation was approaching; I could feel it. Goosebumps started to form on my bare forearms, causing me to shiver slightly. My eyesight was starting to go bleary I realized and why…why was it getting harder to breath?
Craaash…
It sounds like crashing water…But that can’t be right, I’m nowhere near the ocean! I tried to step back but froze. When I looked down my heart beat sped up exponentially.
Luuuub duuuub! Luuub duuub! Luub duub! Lub dub! Lub dub! Lub dub!
Water…The only thing holding me up was no longer the ground, but an enormous surface area of water. It looked so real and felt so real…was it really here? Before another thought could cross my mind it parts to two sides and shot up, startling me.
“AHH!”
Thud.
There was a soft thud as I fell to my knees. At that moment I felt immensely relieved that it was soft grass that cushioned my fall and not the watery abyss. I thought I was going to drown! There was so much water…where did it all come from? Was that part of the deep submerge? My hands trembled under me, shaking precariously.
“I… have to get stronger!”
I think…I know the problem. With that I trudged back towards the shrine, feeling determined more than ever.
“Kaiya would you- Hey! What happened?”
“I fell into some of the thorn bushes out back while attempting to weed. Rei, can you phone Ami up for me?”
“Yeah…” The miko hesitated. “But why?”
“I wanted to ask her something.”
Rei raised an eyebrow but asked no more questions about it. We walked into the kitchen where she dialed the number with memorized precision.
“Here.” She handed the phone to me.
“Arigato.” As I listened to the line ring at the other end I was well aware that the miko hadn’t moved from my side. “Rei…”
“Alright, alright, I get it!” She sighed. “I better go check up on Yuuchiro anyway.” She mumbled. With that she exited the room into the sunlight outside. I know she’s worried but realkly…
Briiiing. Briiiing. Brii-
“Hello? Mizuno residence.”
“Ami? It’s Kaiya.”
“…Oh! Is something wrong Kaiya?” Came the familiar voice. I wonder why she said that?
“No, nothing’s wrong.” Although that wasn’t entirely true, I gritted my teeth at the memory. “I walked Hotaru home and she seems good as new like you predicted.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear it.”
“But…”
“Can I ask you for a favor Ami? You said you can swim right?”
“That’s right.” She seemed to make a noise of agreement from the other end.
“Can you teach me how to swim?” I blurted.
“What? Y-you’re asking me…for swimming lessons?” I could’ve sworn I could hear the shock in her voice.
“Please?” I really didn’t want to start begging. “If you don’t want to…”
“No! I…I don’t mind at all. When’s best for you?”
“Umm…Anytime is fine. But shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”
“Well, I was planning on going for a swim tonight…we can do it then if that’s alright with you.”
Tonight? That’s perfect! For a moment I thought I’d have to wait at least a few days before Ami would have the time.
“Yeah!” Oops, that was a bit loud. “I mean, sounds great.”
“So we’ll meet…”
Outside the sports center, late evening
My eyes looked the large building up and down. Hmm…I don’t think I’ve ever been to this place before, I wonder which floor the pool is on? Ami said she’d meet me here but I don’t see her, I thought as I looked around. Perhaps she’s already inside? Probably…I made my way towards the door.
Inside, at the pool, Haruka’s POV
“Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” Michi called out. “Haruka, I know you can hear me.”
Yeah, I can hear you, I thought to myself. I really didn’t feel like moving is all; I only recently found a comfy position and it took forever. Do you know how hard it is trying to sleep atop of a diving board suspended half a floor up?
“No thanks, I’m good.” I waved lazily over the edge, still lying on the flat of my back.
“Why not? It might help you to relax.” The water goddess coaxed.
“But I am relaxed.” Okay, that might’ve came out a bit forced.
I heard a small splash and a sigh. “At least we know she’s okay Ruka. Wasn’t it was quite a surprise that it was her friend who collapsed?”
“…Yeah, a great surprise.” It all seemed suspicious, how could someone with so much power faint from an overdose of sunlight? Or it might’ve
been an act to win Kaiya’s sympathy, who knows? “I told you what I saw Michi and you saw the results too.” I stubbornly reminded the ocean senshi.
There was an unexpected silence.
“What, you don’t believe me?” This time I peeked over the edge. Michi was floating on her back, staring up at the ceiling with half closed eyes.
“No, I believe you.” Her eyes shifted to meet mine. “But…someone’s coming, can’t you feel it?”
“Hmm?” I turned towards the changing room’s direction. No, it wasn’t an enemy…Who else is looking for a swim at this hour of night?
The changing room door creaked open and out walked a familiar short, blue-haired, eyed girl.
“Oops…” She squeaked.
“Ami is it?” I called out from the diving bored. The painfully timid girl nodded, seeming amazed about something; did she think I’d forget her name? “Michiru, you’ve met Ami before haven’t you?”
Michi seemed to stare the girl down with a curious expression. It caused Ami to squirm uncomfortably on the spot. Jeez Michi, don’t you know that you scare some people doing that? I know you don’t mean it but still…I smirked. I remember the feeling myself, when the two of us first met.
“No…I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced.” Michi smiled. The Mizuno girl seemed too afraid to do anything, so I gave her a helping hand.
“Michiru, meet Mizuno, Ami. Ami, this is Kaioh Michiru, the girl who takes waterlogged to a new level.”
“Haruka!” I heard her gasp. Ahh…That’s the best part about being this high up, being out of slapping range. Although, that death glare is sure drilling into my back pretty hard.
“Umm…Nice to meet you.” Ami finally spoke up.
“So Ami, do you like to swim often? –don’t pay mind to Haruka.”
“Yes, I like it a lot.” It sounds like she was finally losing some of that nervousness. “It’s really helps me to relax after a difficult day.”
“That’s good to hear.” Michi paused. “How good of a swimmer are you?”
“I-I’m not sure. Decent I suppose.”
“Want to race?”
“Race?”
“Why not? I’d let you warm up first of course. A little competition every now and then would do me some good.”
“S-Sure.”
As promised Michi let the Mizuno girl take a few laps around the pool before they decided to start. I, of course, was to be the starter.
“Ready? GO!”
The two pushed off the wall and kicked into their front crawl routine. Finding myself amused with the excitement I watched each of them carefully, wondering who’d win; Ami seemed to better than the average swimmer. And who knows, maybe as good as Michiru. One, two, three, tilt head to the side and breathe…One, two, three and tilt to the opposite side and breathe…Wow, look at them go!
Splish, splash!
Hah…hah…
Huff, huff…
“Tie!” I shouted as two hands hit the concrete edge simultaneously.
Michiru’s POV
A tie? No…Why did she slow down? Did she think I wasn’t worth it or something? However, Before I could get a word out I heard someone shout,
“Good race!” That didn’t sound like Haruka, I frowned.
“Huh…?”
I turned to see that Kaiya had arrived unexpectedly. What was she doing here? And why was she dressed in a t-shirt and shorts? Was she planning on swimming too? No, wait a second, she can’t swim! Did Ruka know she was here? My head shot up to the diving board and I saw that the blonde had noticed as well. I nervously looked back and forth between the two; they haven’t made up or anything yet. Secretly I hoped that Haruka wouldn’t lose it and mess this up.
The silence ensued while the two spectators eyed the combatants. It was suffocating; the suspense, the heavy atmosphere…Won’t someone talk?
“Kaiya, I…”Haruka tried to start. It wasn’t looking good, I felt myself worry. I don’t know if Ruka can say it. “I…uhh…”
The other teen crossed her arms before seemingly to have made up her mind about something. Her facial features turned into a frown and she began to open her mouth. Was she going to reject Haruka’s attempted apology? I held my breath.
“Being the pervert as usual eh, Haruka?”
I blinked. What did she say?
“What?” My partner shouted back. “Who’re you calling a pervert?”
“You. Who else?” Kaiya rolled her eyes.
“Why I outta…”
“What can you do? It’s the truth, admit it; you just came to watch girls swim in bathing suits didn’t you?”
Haruka’s face flushed furiously. Hmm…I wonder, was that true? I looked towards the blonde for an explanation.
“So that’s why you refused to come for a swim then.” I teased.
“No! It’s not what you think.” Haruka drew an ‘x’ with her arms for emphasis.
“Oh dear.” Ami joined in.
Soon before we all knew it we were all laughing our heads off. That went rather well, I thought with a smile. I knew those two couldn’t stay mad at each other.
“Just what are you doing here Kaiya?” Haruka muttered, not looking the shorter blonde in the face.
“Er…to learn how to swim.” Kaiya barely whispered.
“What? Speak up will ya?”
“To learn how to swim!”
“Ha! I already know how to swim.” Haruka gloated, payback for earlier.
“I know that.” Kaiya snapped back, looking irritated. That pink color spreading across her cheeks was adorable.
“No need to be embarrassed.” I assured the teen. “All it means is Haruka had to learn at an earlier age, that’s all.”
“Bleeeeeeh.” Kaiya blew a raspberry in Ruka’s direction and in turn, Ruka’s eyebrow started to twitch.
“Well at least I can swim!” Haruka retorted.
“Just you wait smart ass.”
“Hmm…I’m guessing you asked Ami for lessons then?” I casually inquired.
Kaiya nodded, “That’s right.”
“You know, you could’ve asked myself or Ruka…” It kind of hurt that she didn’t ask for our help.
“Like I’d ask for Haruka’s help. –She probably sucks at it too.”
“Hey! Are you saying I can’t teach a person how to swim?” Haruka demanded.
“And…well…” Kaiya hesitated onwards, completely ignoring the other blonde.
“I can leave if you want…” Ami timidly offered.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary.” I responded automatically. Out of my peripheral vision I could see the wind senshi grow increasingly flustered, being ignored the entire time.
“HOLD IT!” Everyone suddenly shut up. “I say we all should teach Kaiya how to swim!” She commanded.
“Say what?” Kaiya sweat-dropped.
“And lesson one starts in the water!” Haruka grinned evily.
“Ack!”
Splash!
“N-not far!” Kaiya gasped, as she gripped onto the edge with a death hold.
“Ruka, go get changed.” I bid the taller woman away, saving the younger blonde for a moment. “And stop laughing.” I shot a handful of water in the blonde’s direction for motivation.
“You can let go Kaiya,” Ami told the teen, “We’re in the shallow end.”
“Huh? Hey, I can touch the ground.” She mused. I could see her feet prod the bottom cautiously through the transparent liquid.
“See? Haruka wasn’t entirely wrong about lesson one.” I smiled. “First step really is getting into the water. And…you did it.”
“I-I guess I did!” She beamed.
“Now, lesson two is learning how to back float. Let’s try to learn this one before Ruka gets back…”
Kaiya’s POV, several hours later
“I’m tired…please, no more.” That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. All I learned was how to front crawl, tread water and float.
“It is getting late isn’t it?” Michiru half mumbled to herself. “But excellent progress Kaiya, you really learned a lot.”
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
“Don’t be like that Kaiya.” Ami chipped in. “It takes years of practice to become good at it. What you’ve picked up today was remarkable.”
“You think so?” I asked.
Michiru nodded her head. “It’s like this, you can start early in childhood but there’s only so much progress one can make; its relatively based on strength. The major advantage a person can receive is experience. That’s why it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to learn the activity so quickly; you’re mostly grown. All you need is practice.”
“Oh, I get it.” My arms wrapped themselves together. I was shivering slightly, perhaps being in the water for too long caused it?
“And maybe a warm shower too.” Michiru finished with a giggle. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” She seemed to look over to where Haruka was shivering like crazy, not doing much better than I was.
I grinned at the sight and then nodded before hoisting myself out of the ladder.
“Umm…Arigato for the help.” I finally thanked them. No matter how I looked at it, I felt embarrassed that this many people decided to help me.
“No problem” Haruka managed to get out, still shaking as she exited the body of water. I felt my hair become slightly meshed as her hand ruffled through the top strands. That was also when I noticed it.
“Hey, what happened to your arm Haruka? It looks all scratched up.”
“I…er…I could say the same thing for you.” Her eyes seemed to darken upon seeing my scrapes.
“I fell…” We both began.
“Into some thorn bushes!”
“Down the stairs!”
“So both of you are also clumsy, very interesting.” Michiru mused. That sparkle in her eye betrayed an inside joke. What was she laughing at?
“Gah, it’s freezing! I’ll meet you guys in the lobby.” Haruka dashed off, reminding me of my own discomfort.
“I think I’ll swim a few more laps before I leave.” Ami spoke up.
“Okay, I guess we’ll see you later then.” Michiru waved good-bye to the younger teen and made her way to follow Haruka.
“See ya, and thanks again.” I said my farewell as well. I’m freezing!
Haruka’s POV, lobby
“You weren’t really that cold were you?” Michi walked out of the change room with a mysterious smile placed on her lips.
“How’d you guess?” I pretended to be shocked, although I already knew the answer to that one. “It’ll happen anytime now won’t it.”
Michiru nodded her head. “You’re getting better at this.”
“I’ve had practice… What’s the situation? Has Kaiya left?”
“I think we’re alright; Kaiya left shortly before I did. Did you see her come past this way?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t take another route. This place has a lot of exits.”
“Then that means…”
“Mizuno is the one Ruka.”
“Then we wait for our cue I guess…”
Kaiya’s POV, change room
Is Michiru finally gone? I peeked out around the row of lockers. It seems like it. For a moment there when she turned around I thought she had spotted me, it was like she was trying to sense something…Good thing she left though. I really dislike risking the chance of changing in front of someone, no matter who it is!
I turned to my locker and rotated the tiny key until a small click was heard. Following the routine I opened the metal door and slipped my hands in to grab the dry clothing. Unfortunately my pants had turned upside down in the mess and my bracelets fell out.
“Oops, can’t have that happening.” I reminded myself. It would really bite if they broke because I dropped them or something like that. Examining the mysterious objects I found no noticeable, visual damage. I stood still for a minute, listening to make absolute sure that no one was around still. When I heard nothing I relaxed. Everyone must’ve gone home for the day…Now before Ami gets out…
“Silence Glaive…” I whispered.
The symbol of Saturn glowed on both discs, before it became brighter and increasingly intense. As the flash of purple light ebbed away I found myself dressed in one of the cloaks I used to wear at home.
“It still works, whew.”
I discovered this neat feature during today’s training; when I was lamenting about how useful it’d be to have Saturn’s silence glaive surprise attack the bracelets suddenly reacted. It was weird and startled me; I thought I broke them…Then when the light disappeared, I was like this.
Huh…Leave it to sis to be the creative one- guess she wanted to be fashionable during those business travels too, I grinned. However, that password was genius! Normal people don’t know anything about the scouts and those who do, well, who would bother memorizing attacks and weapon names? Er…except me. I scratched my cheek. Note to self, thank my studying for that one.
“AHHHH!”
Did someone just scream? It then dawned on me. Ami!
Out at the pool
Still disguised I watched the events unfold from the bleachers. Uranus and Neptune had jumped into action without me.
“World…SHAKING!”
“Deep…SUBMERGE!”
The youma laughed and then threw both its arms up. Following the motion, a barricade of water shot up, shielding it from harm’s way. What an annoying laugh, I frowned. Everything about this one irked me like many others; the immature water tube around its waist, the snorkel around its mouth and especially the fact it was holding the heart crystal! Inching along against the side of the near wall I slowly made my way behind the enemy. If I can just knock it loose, I’m sure Uranus would be able to nab it. Ready…wait…wait…
“World…SHAKING!” Uranus launched another attack. Again the barricade rose again and squashed her power easily.
“You need to cool off!” The youma mocked. However, as it raised it’s arms a world shaking collided into its back, sending it howling in pain.
“YaAaAaH! What the!”
The heart crystal fell into the miniature whirlpool and carried away by the currents toward where Neptune swept it up gracefully with the palm of her hand.
“It’s ours.” She claimed.
“What? But how!” It spun on the spot. “You!” It hissed.
During that one moment as Uranus called the attack, I had also released my own world shaking. That stupid monster thought only one person was shouting.
“Get them, kill them all!” With the point of a finger the pool’s water’s diverged and shot out, attempting to spear us as one would spear fish in a river.
Shink! Shink! Shink! Shink!
I could hear the sound of the crashing liquid close on my heels. However, as I quickly started to run out of space I glanced over across the room to see Neptune and Uranus were barely avoiding trouble themselves. These demons just keep getting stronger and stronger! I skidded to a stop, hoping to form an attack but leaped down to ground floor as another barrage nearly met me.
“World…SHAKING!” Uranus tried again but failed. “Argh, stupid defense…!” She cursed. “AH!”
A stream of water finally hit home on one of its targets.
“Uranus!” Neptune called out.
We have to finish this fast. In a hasty decision I tried to penetrate the barrier with my body but was rebuffed to the side where Uranus and Neptune were stationed.
“Gah!” Skidding across concrete really hurt!
“This doesn’t look good…” I heard Neptune whisper. Still feeling a bit off balance, I forced my eyes open to see what she was talking about.
“Oh crap…”
The water barrier was extending around from the center of the room, blocking off our access to the other half. Our only way to get out was to get through this thing. But what could we do? Uranus’s world shaking had no effect at all. I looked down to the wounded wind senshi- barely conscious. I’ve never seen her this weak before, what could’ve tired her out this much?
“Can you do a deep submerge?” Neptune demanded in a calm, hopeful voice. She wasn’t even looking at me. Was she just assuming that I could?
“What’re you planning?”
“To suffocate that thing.” Her eyes narrowed, seeming to calculate the possible outcomes. “Uranus’s attack is drawn from the wind, that’s why it won’t have much effect; wind usually hovers over water. However…if you’ve noticed, our opponent has surrounded itself with the substance.”
“And if we can get that weight to come falling down…” I followed up.
“Deep…SUBMERGE!” Neptune cried out.
“Deep…” Once again the familiar scene came rushing back; surrounded by the shimmering substance for the second time today. Except this time, I wasn’t going to back down. When the watered walls rose up at my sides I raised my own hands following the action and waited. I needn’t wait long though; almost immediately thousands of droplets flew off into my palms where they became a shining blue energy. “SUBMERGE!”
Both attacks descended upon their target, converging into one blast just moments before the youma’s barricade shot up to counteract. It was incredible- the force of two deep submerges pushed their way through the wall, blasting through and creating a hole where it broke past. Then as almost on cue, the rest of the liquid followed suite, crashing down onto its victim. A loud death cry echoed through the complex but none of us paid it mind.
“Boom.” Neptune concluded as we watched the waters recede. “Ugh!” She gripped her head suddenly, sinking onto one knee beside Uranus, who was still gasping for breath.
“What’s wrong?” Came my automatic response.
“N-nothing. Here, the crystal isn’t what we’re looking for, give it back to the girl.”
Michiru’s POV
I watched our ally take the crystal carefully and then ran to the fainted girl.
“Nep…tune. Are you…alright?” Uranus gasped.
“I…” I’m crying? But why? A blurred image continually played before my eyes, interchanging between the illusion and our reality. The receding water…A shore?
“I think…I think I just remembered something…”
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