Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Knight for Neptune ❯ Chapter 6

Rating: PG

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing.

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A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 6
by Katrina Kadabra

The sheer amount of exhaustion actually caused Michiru to sleep rather soundly that night. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything to calm her nerves. The whole incident made Michiru even more uptight than she was before. That voice they had heard laughing was hauntingly familiar to her, the same voice she had heard in her dream. But what do about it? She could say something to Haruka, but then again, she didn't want to worry anybody. Especially now when the senshi already had enough to be concerned about. No, Michiru decided. She would keep quiet for just a bit longer. See what happened. Besides, she didn't always want to rely on Haruka and the others. She could handle things on her own. Couldn't she?

"What on earth was that?" Eos asked when Garnet reappeared in their lair.

"What was what?" Garnet asked casually as she took a seat, tossing her braided hair back like a whip.

"Telling them 'This was only the first battle?'" Eos quoted. "Garnet, they wiped out over half our resources! And I spent years breeding together that bug army too." Eos childishly turned out her lower lip just to show how really upset she was. But Garnet didn't seemed to care too much.

"The point is I scared them," she said. "This is all a mental game, Eos. And now we have the advantage. The Sailor Senshi were exhausted from that battle, and as far as they know, we still have unlimited power. As long as we can keep their spirits down, we'll win for sure."

"That may be your only chance," Cin said quietly, as she looked into the water mirror. Garnet walked over to curiously peer over Cin's shoulder. The lights near the inner planets were going stronger. "Their awakening is soon," Cin informed her mistress. Garnet cursed under her breath.

"We can't play games anymore," she muttered. "We have to strike quick and hard before those new lights appear."

"Let me do it," said Eos, standing up. "I'll take the rest of the army and fight with this..." she held up her red hand mirror. "With my power, I can devastate the Sailor Senshi before they have the chance to recover."

"You'd better," said Garnet. "Otherwise you'll have a lot more to worry about than your little insect friends." Eos nodded confidently and faded into the darkness.

It was Friday afternoon. Haruka was actually home for once, reading the latest copy of her racing magazine, while Michiru sat off to the side, still working on her painting. Anxiously, she dabbed the brush into the paint to touch the canvas with quick delicate strokes. The image forming depicted a beautiful seascape among a green and blue mist. And in the air above a jet black sky, which Michiru was delicately sprinkling with minute white stars.

"Another Neptune painting again?" Haruka asked. Michiru looked up startled, not realizing that Haruka was even watching her.

"Yes," she replied. "I've been trying for a while to do a painting of my planet that I like, but everyone turns out looking terrible."

"Terrible?" Haruka asked, looking wide-eyes at the canvas. "Michiru, stop being so hard on yourself. It looks gorgeous."

"Maybe to you," Michiru sighed. "But to me it looks like there's something missing."

"Why don't you give it a rest for today?" Haruka suggested. "Don't forget you have your concert tonight. You can take another shot at this tomorrow."

"I suppose you're right," said Michiru, placing the paintbrush down as the two girls headed for their respective rooms to get changed.

Haruka's dress for the evening was a beep blue, tight at the waist and hips, unlike her typical clothing. She wandered into Michiru's room, fidgeting with a thin silver chain that she was trying to get around her neck.

"Can you give me a hand here?" she asked.

Michiru giggled and walked behind Haruka, taking the two ends of the necklace and fastening them together. It was a lovely compliment to the simplicity of Haruka's attire, reminding Michiru of a time all but lost to memory.

"You look like a princess," she commented, alluding to the Silver Millennium.

"Thanks," Haruka replied, so Michiru couldn't tell whether she got the reference or not. "So do you."

Michiru smiled at Haruka's compliment, then began to gather her music for tonight. Anxiously she flipped through the pages, even though she'd already checked them a dozen times. Still, better safe than sorry, she told herself. She'd be in a real mess if one page was missing. But there were worries to be had; all the pages were there just as she had left them. Confidently, Michiru tapped the pile on her desk so all the papers lined up nice and neat.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Since Michiru was still getting ready, Haruka took it upon herself to do the answering, figuring it was probably Taylor anyway. She was a bit surprised when she opened the door and found someone else there instead.

"Hey Michi!" she called out. "Visitor here to see you!"

"Huh?" Michiru asked, peeking out from her bedroom. When she saw who standing there, she almost dropped her nicely-ordered music pages into a mess on the floor.

"Nathan!" she exclaimed. "Aren't you early?" The young man glanced down at his watch.

"Only ten minutes," he said hesitantly. "But I can wait in the car if you want..."

"Oh no, come on in," Haruka offered, stepping aside. Nathan nodded and stepped in, Michiru walking up to greet him. He was wearing a dashing white tuxedo, complimented by a blue-green rose pinned near his right shoulder.

"Hey, check it out," he said with a nervous laugh, indicating Michiru dress. "We match." Michiru looked down at her attire. It was the exact same color. Without another word, Nathan undid the rose and stepped up to place it behind Michiru's ear. As he worked the stem through her hair, Michiru reached up to feel the petals. They were firm and fresh, and the blossom's sweet scent tickled her nostrils.

"There you go," said Nathan, stepping back, shifting from one foot to another, as if to wonder if he had just stepped out of his place. Michiru glanced over in the mirror, unable to resist doing otherwise. It did look rather nice, she thought, and thanked Nathan for the gesture.

At that moment, the doorbell sounded again.

"That would Taylor," said Haruka pointing to the door, swinging it open to find her hunch confirmed.

"Hello, Haruka," he said, stepping in and immediately taking Haruka into his arms, an action which she did not resist in the least. "You look gorgeous," Taylor went on, running his hand down Haruka's side and feeling her skin through the fabric.

"You're not bad yourself," Haruka replied, giving a quick kiss on his cheek. Taylor was sporting a jet black tuxedo, the type of thing Haruka occasionally made formal appearances in. "Geez, I feel like I'm in such a role-reversal," she added, blushing a bit and turning back to Michiru and her date. She quickly introduced Taylor to Nathan, though Nathan replied that he had actually met Taylor a couple times before, through classes and the like.

"Hey, that makes things easy," said Haruka. "Shall we go then?"

Michiru nodded in reply and picked up her violin and sheet music, after which she allowed Nathan to take her arm as they headed out the cars. He had a kind and gentle touch, Michiru thought, but quickly tried to push those ideas from her mind. This was just casual, she had to remind herself of that. Meanwhile, Nathan fumbled a bit through his pockets, trying to remember where on earth he had put those car keys, but noticed that Taylor wasn't doing any such thing. His keys were still on the table where he'd dropped them as he came in.

"Aren't you driving?" he asked Taylor. Taylor looked at Nathan in shock.

"Are you kidding?" he replied with a smile. "Haruka would have my head."