"Who are your friends, Michiru-san?" "They are Duchess Ten'ou Haruka of Tohoku and Kino Makoto." "Duchess Ten'ou? Michiru-san, I thought the Ten'ou Family was dead." "There is quite a long history associated with that. Aren't you going to invite us in, old friend?" The Regent of Chubu, a man with chestnut brown hair, smiled as he bowed and let the women walk past him. Brown-eyed Toyoma Eiki looked at Haruka for a moment before bowing deeply. "I see Kazeko in your eyes, Haruka-san. Let me invite you into my house." "Thank you." Haruka followed Michiru, and Eiki caught Makoto's arm. Her eyes widened as he stared at her, taking in every detail and thinking very fast. "Little Mako-chan? Our Thunder God?" Makoto blushed as she vividly remembered one instance from her childhood when she got into a fight with a boy twice her size. "Mother called me that." Eiki hit one knee, head bowed. "Kami-sama, I wouldn't have believed it. It's really you, Mako-chan. When my brother Meisha and his wife died on that plane, we all assumed you were gone, as well. We mourned the loss of such a new, vibrant life; the entire Region cried for you. Kino Makoto, Mako-chan, on behalf of Chubu, I welcome you home." "Thank you, Uncle Eigo." Makoto smiled as Eiki chuckled at his nick-name. He liked English things so much that baby Makoto always called him that, avoiding the harder syllable in his real name. "Don't bow to me, please." Eiki shot to his feet and embraced his niece, tears in his dark eyes. "I missed you so much. I've never had my own child and Meika let me pamper you to death. I am so glad you're home." His emotions aired, Eiki took Makoto's arm and led his guests into the Chubu Castle. Haruka smiled at the joy in her sister's eyes, an alien emotion to that point. Makoto was well and truly happy, and Haruka turned to Michiru. "Thank you." "For what?" "For bringing us here and making Mako-chan happy. She's never been like this before. I can never repay you." "Nonsense! If she's happy, then I am content with this day's work." Inside, the aqua-haired duchess smiled. It was nice to see both of the orphans smiling. *~*~*~*~*~*~* "What?" "I think it would be for the best, Haru-chan. You want some time away from me so you can pursue a real relationship, and I remember these people. I want to try to make up for the past fifteen or so years, if that is at all possible. Michiru-san tells me that the young Duchess Mizuno Ami of Chugoku, the one who wants to teach me how to read, will arrive here tomorrow night, leaving to return home the a few days later. We can meet up on Shikoku like we planned, and you'll have time to see Kinki, Chugoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. That should give you time to discover whom you can trust and love. Please let me stay and learn how to be a duchess." "If it really means that much to you, then stay. I love you too much to hold you back. And I hope I really can figure out this new world and life while we're apart." Makoto let Haruka embrace her before the taller woman turned to leave. "Michiru-san says that our ship will sail in an hour." "I'll be there to see you off. Thank you, Haru-chan." *~*~*~*~*~*~* Michiru watched Haruka exit Makoto's room, frowning as the blonde closed the door and leaned against the wall beside it. Clenching her fists, she returned to her room, forgetting to shut the door. Michiru followed, peeking into the room, and she felt tears fill her eyes at the sight. Haruka had fallen onto her bed and was sobbing into the pillow, fists clenched in the blankets. Michiru entered the room, closing the door behind her, and Haruka looked up at the sudden noise. "It's just me," Michiru whispered. "What's wrong?" Haruka looked away, unwilling to answer, and Michiru sat on the bed beside her. When Haruka still refused to look at her, Michiru pulled the taller woman into her arms and turned her chin up. "Tell me what happened, Haruka." "She's staying," Haruka whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You don't understand what it's like to only have one person for your whole life but then she has a new life and moves on without you. I'm supposed to be the strong one, but I don't know how to say goodbye." "It's not really goodbye, is it? I mean, we'll meet up with her again, won't we?" "She's going to travel to Shikoku with Mizuno Ami." "Then don't worry. She only wants a little freedom. You're beginning to build a new life, too, aren't you? After all, you promised Ken'nin-kun that you would return. Didn't you ever think that when you went to Tohoku and Makoto-san came here that you would be apart?" Haruka nodded, her tears slowing. "I just never thought it would be this hard." "I know. Why don't you try to get a little sleep before we sail? A short nap might do you good." Haruka nodded as she stretched out on the bed, arms tightening around Michiru as the woman stood up. "Stay with me. I sleep better in your arms." Blushing at the very simple request, Michiru stretched out beside Haruka and let the woman pull her into her arms. She hid her smile as warmth spread though her body. She never wanted Haruka to let go. She fell into the easiest sleep of her life, a smile lighting her face. She never noticed Haruka kiss her forehead before closing her eyes. Together, they dreamed of a kingdom where they were partners and so much more. And they both wished for a love strong enough to survive life and death and rebirth. The servant who found them an hour later smiled and left the room, calling for the Regent Duke. Eiki knocked on the old wooden door, smiling at the sounds of rustling inside. "Haruka-san? Michiru-chan? Nani wo shite?" "Nothing, Eiki-kun. Doshite?" "Your ship is ready to sail to Kinki, Michiru-chan. I sent a servant to find you, and she decided to let me handle things." "We'll be out there in a minute, Eiki-kun." Eiki nodded and left. Inside the room, Haruka smiled at the trapped expression on Michiru's face. "Are you embarrassed that he caught you in here with me?" "Not embarrassed so much as worried. He is an old friend of my father's, and if he happens to mention this the next time he visits Kanto . . ." Haruka's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry, Michiru; I never realized that this might cause problems for you." "Our friendship is not a problem, Haruka; I'm just afraid that some might see this in a different and not entirely good light." "They might think we're lovers." Michiru blushed at the words, a very vivid image of her in bed with Haruka filling her mind. "They might." "And? Aside from your parents, who would care?" Michiru looked up, seeing no mockery in her companion's eyes. "Won't Makoto-san mind?" "Why?" "I saw you sleeping with her in Tohoku Palace. You chose her." Haruka felt mirth build inside her, but somehow she knew that to laugh at the other woman's assumption would ruin the friendship they were slowly building and chase Michiru away forever. So, for the first time in her life, she consciously took control of her urges and shoved her mirth back into the deepest recesses of her mind. Changing approaches, she stood and pulled the stiff woman into her arms. "I slept with her because she was lonely—she told me that she is still getting used to sleeping alone and she just wanted me to hold her. We've had nothing but each other for fifteen long years, and Mako-chan depends on me. Because she sees me as her sister. And I do love her as I would a younger sister, in a protective way." Michiru looked up, slowly relaxing in Haruka's arms. "You didn't choose her?" "We both decided that we are not soul mates, merely soul sisters. I released her to find the man or woman she is bound to by fate, and she released me. We chose not to be lovers." "I just saw you there and you seemed to belong . . ." "No, Michiru; this is where I belong. You fit in my arms and my heart. If I chose anyone that night in Tohoku, I chose you. When you told me that Mako-chan would be there for me when I decided who I am, I realized that that had never been a question in my mind. I was afraid you wouldn't be there. At that moment, I realized that Mako-chan is reliable and dependable like a sister, but I would die if I never got to see you again. I chose you." Michiru smiled, feeling a strange, empowering warmth fill her frame. "You chose me?" "Does that make you happy?" "Oh yes," Michiru sighed as Haruka leaned down. The instant their lips touched, enormous power filled the room, an energy akin to that which poured through Haruka the day she turned Rei back into a human. Both women embraced that power, their kiss deepening as they searched hungrily for something they could not name. Both felt a tingling, burning sensation on their foreheads as a symbol appeared on each. The astronomical symbol for Uranus shone from above Haruka's brow, and Michiru's was Neptune. A huge burst of power filled the room, and the women broke their kiss, gasping. They stared at the space between them, where two sticks—one dark blue with V-shaped rings on a sphere topping it and the other aqua with a ringed crescent planet on top—floated in fields of energy. Makoto chose that exact moment to enter the room, and she stared at the sticks. A tall, familiar green-haired woman with garnet eyes entered the room behind Makoto, followed an instant later by Rei, eyes wide in the throes of a vision. "What happened?" "You two managed to Summon your henshin sticks," Setsuna answered, though Michiru did not remember asking the question a moment before. "That is what lets you become the Senshi we saw in our dreams." Michiru reached out her hand, fingers hovering on the edge of the energy field, fear mixing with curiosity as she wondered what would happen. Haruka cringed away from the stick, knowing that she did not want any part of that destiny. "I don't want to be a Senshi; I told you that already." "Choose as you wish, Haruka-san," Setsuna began; "after all, the only person who can make that decision is you, but it seems to me that Michiru-san wants to take that stick. How will you protect her if you do not become Sailor Uranus?" Haruka looked up sharply, sensing in the back of her mind that Michiru wanted that henshin stick. "You and she are ancient partners; who will fight beside her against all of the evil that is to come if you turn your back on your destiny? Would you let her die; would you abandon the others who will be Senshi—Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan, me? You have the choice, but remember who will benefit and who will suffer." Haruka looked at Makoto, who smiled, and Michiru, who stared, transfixed by the stick in front of her. "I will protect the people I love," Haruka whispered, reaching out to take the stick. Power filled her frame like the wind, a hurricane too powerful to be controlled, and she paused, something telling her to let Michiru go first. "Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!" "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!" The power Haruka felt all around her pulled in, cloaking her with unimaginable strength, bonding to every molecule of her being, vibrating in time with every thought and emotion. She opened eyes she no longer remembered closing and glanced down at herself. It was all there—the gloves, the fuku, the bows, the boots, the tiara. She was Sailor Uranus. And in front of her, pulsing with a power that matched hers beat for beat, stood Sailor Neptune, aqua-colored fuku and stone matching her sandal-like half-boots. Neptune smiled, sensing her partner in the tall woman before her. "Are we Senshi now?" Setsuna laughed. "Of course you are." She reached into an unseen pocket and brandished a light purple henshin stick of her own in her hand. "Pluto Planet Power, Make Up," she cried, and Sailor Pluto faced her companions. "See? I'm the Senshi of Time and the Guardian of the Time Gate." She held up her long silver staff, waving it through the air. "This is why I like history so much. And now I'm not alone anymore. It's nice." Sailor Uranus waved her hand, and Haruka stood there once more, the henshin stick in her hand. "Okay, I think I can do this." "Haru-chan, are you okay with me staying here? After this . . ." Haruka smiled at Makoto as Pluto and Neptune also detransformed. "No, Mako-chan, I will not destroy your dreams. I want you to stay with your family. We'll see each other again in Shikoku, and that's soon enough." Makoto smiled. "Then please allow me to escort you to the docks."
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