Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Knight for Uranus ❯ Chapter 7

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: The original Sailor Moon characters and story all belong
to Naoko Takeuchi. Any characters that did not appear in the original
story are my own creation.

Ratings/Warnings: Somewhere between PG and PG-13. If the idea of
Haruka showing interest in a guy makes you see red, you probably
won't like the story.

Summary: Long ago during Silver Millennium, each of the Sailor
Princesses ruled over her own planet, protecting Queen Serenity and
her young daughter from danger. And protecting each princess was a
knight: one sworn to guard and protect her no matter what. Though the
two of them were never required to marry each other, it seemed like
destiny as the princesses fell more in love with their protectors
each day. So Artemis tells the story. But if it is true, then each of
the girls should also have a person they are destined for in the
present time. As spring blooms and romance is in the air, this seems
to be coming true for everyone... except Haruka.

Story Setting: Shortly after SuperS.

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A Knight for Uranus: Chapter 7
by Katrina Kadabra

The next day Haruka entered the apartment, clutching a package to her
chest. Michiru was not due to be home for at least another hour.
Briskly she walked through the sitting room and into the bedroom.
Looking carefully around, she shut the door behind her and placed the
box on her bed. She carefully lifted the cover and pushed aside the
white tissue paper adorned with department store's logo. This was it.
This was the dress Taylor had pointed out. Haruka could not explain
what had possessed her to buy it. Only that Taylor had said he wanted
to do something different tonight. Something special. Haruka
carefully pulled it out and held it against her body, glancing into
the mirror.
About twenty minutes later, Michiru arrived home. She found the front
door unlocked, meaning Haruka had come home before her. Stepping into
the apartment, she looked around for her, but did not see anyone. It
was as if the building was empty.

"Haruka must be in her bedroom sleeping," Michiru thought. She walked
quietly towards the room so as not to disturb her. The door was shut,
but Michiru gently turned the handle. When she opened the door, she
found Haruka standing in front of the mirror wearing a light blue
summer dress. When she turned her hips, the skirt turned with them in
a gentle flowing wave. Haruka was so engrossed she did not even seem
to notice Michiru's presence until she actually spoke.

"Why, don't you look charming."

Haruka jumped and let out what sounded like a small yelp as she
turned around to see Michiru standing in the doorway.

"I didn't think you'd be home already," she said quickly. Michiru sat
down her purse.

"I got off early," she explained. Michiru walked up to Haruka,
carefully looking her over.

"It's nice," she commented. "Is this for your date tonight?" Haruka
nodded. She was having a hard time articulating tonight, at least in
front of Michiru. But Michiru seemed to understand as she nodded
approvingly. "When did you get it?"

"This afternoon," Haruka said. "Taylor and I went to the department
store down the street yesterday." She looked at herself in the mirror
and in a voice so faint it was hard to hear added, "He said I'd look
beautiful in it."

"Were those his exact words?" Michiru asked playfully. Nothing seemed
to get by her. Haruka smiled and turned her head.

"None of your business," she teased. To this, Michiru clutched her
arms across Haruka's chest, playfully pulling her towards the floor.

"Come on!" she said.

"Okay, okay!" Haruka pleaded. "You win. His exact words." Michiru
released Haruka and smiled; Haruka returned the gesture. At least she
was a little less tense now.

"Well, if you're going to go out tonight, why don't I help you,"
Michiru said. Without waiting for a reply, she sat Haruka down in
front of the mirror. Michiru was like a mother getting her daughter
ready for the prom. She pulled out a comb and began daintily stroking
Haruka's soft, ash blonde hair, forcing her to sit facing mirror.
Haruka stared at the reflecting image long and hard. She barely
recognized the person looking back at her. Why was she doing this -
this prettying herself up? To impress some guy? Haruka couldn't explain
it, even to herself, but Taylor had made her feel something she never
had. This feeling, which had never reared itself before, suddenly made
Haruka feel happy and excited whenever she was in Taylor's presence.
What was it about him? He was good-looking, even she had to admit that,
but it was not as if he had girls pouring over him or that Haruka
had every found herself attracted to men's good looks for that matter.
So what was it? Perhaps Haruka would never know. All she knew were her
feelings, those as if she had lost something in her life. In all
the fuss of her sport, her work and her duty as a solider, she had
been left behind in something, but in Taylor she found it.

"You're ready," Michiru said, almost in a whisper. Haruka took in a
deep breath. Ready? She wasn't quite sure about that.

Michiru waved good-bye as Haruka got into her familiar yellow
convertible and drove down the street. After she was out of sight,
Michiru sighed, leaning herself against the wooden doorframe. As she
did, she heard someone behind her. Michiru turned around.

"Setsuna!" she exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Setsuna answered. "I came in through the back door."
Michiru nodded and, busy as ever, started for the kitchen.

"Well then, why don't I make us some light snacks?" she said
cheerfully. But Setsuna reached out and put her hand on Michiru's
shoulder, stopping her before she could get started.

"Michiru, are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Michiru assured her. She stepped away from Setsuna's hand and
walked into kitchen, with Setsuna following behind her. "Why do you
ask?"

"I know you're feeling isolated from Haruka," Setsuna said. "It's
written in your face." Michiru tried to shrug off Setsuna's
observation.

"Haruka is her own person, after all," she said. "She can do as she
pleases." She picked up a dish and held it in her hands, looking down
at her own reflection in the porcelain surface. "But it does make me
feel a little lonely, yes."

"If you don't mind my asking," said Setsuna. "Why do you continue to
push Haruka and Taylor together when you know it will drive the two
of you apart?"

"I don't think it will drive us apart, at least not in the sense that
we care for each other. I think there will always be a bond between
Haruka and I. If nothing else, we've lived through some of the
toughest times of our lives together. But when it comes to love..."
Michiru's voice seemed to be trailing off. "I've always thought that
I could be everything to Haruka. Fulfil her every need, even down to
love. But there was something missing. Maybe Haruka and I both felt
it but neither of us admitted it. Something was wedged between us
telling us this wasn't the way it was supposed to be." Michiru let
out a deep sigh again. She wasn't quite sure why she was telling
Setsuna all this, she didn't even realize she was thinking so deeply
about it. But Setsuna had always been a welcoming friend and a
listening ear.

"You know," Michiru said after a pause. "I kind of humored this thing
of Haruka's at first. I told her she should go out with him, that it
would be good for her, never realizing it would go this far. But the
strange thing is, as much as I try to make myself, I can't regret my
decision. She's so happy with him, Setsuna. I've never seen her like
this before. So carefree and full of life again. She hasn't been this
way since she was a child. She's just... Haruka."
"It must mean a lot to you," Setsuna said. "To do this."

"It does," Michiru admitted. "But in the end, it's about her and
what's she's going to do with her life. I can't bring myself to try
and take this away from her."

* * * * *

Haruka and Taylor sat down on a park bench. There was no one else
around. It was late and all the children who usually played in the
park were probably in bed sleeping soundly. Often couples would be
seen strolling the park paths at night. Even she and Michiru had come
here on one occasion, if Haruka's memory served her correctly,
although it was earlier in the day. Now the sun had faded over the
horizon, leaving the sky not black, but a deep midnight blue.
Occasionally along the path a couple of lampposts lit the stage for
the music of the crickets, echoing all around. Haruka placed her
hands in lap, as if they were in the way and she didn't know what
else to do with them. She glanced over towards Taylor. He looked
handsome tonight, his strong arms visibly outlined in the moonlight,
and his soft thick hair gently brushing against his face. Gazing into
his loving eyes, Haruka found herself lost deep in an ocean. She just
wasn't sure if she should actually tell him so.

"Taylor?" Haruka asked. He turned to her. Her hand was shaking a bit;
she wasn't quite sure how to phase the question she was about to
ask. "Taylor... that night on the bridge when we saw the shooting
star the first time? And you told me to make a wish?"

"Yes."

"What did you wish for?"

"Me?" Taylor asked. Haruka nodded and he breathed a sigh. "I just
wished to be closer to you. You always seemed so distant. I wasn't
sure if there was any room for me in your life." Haruka tightened her
hands a bit.

"I distance myself from a lot of things," she admitted. "I'm not as
sure of my path as I act all the time." Haruka paused. "I guess I'm a
little scared. For the longest time, I was running away from..."
Haruka bit her tongue. She had become so comfortable talking to
Taylor that she was about ready to start going on about her mission
to become a Sailor Soldier. "Well, I was running away from
something," she finished clumsily. "And even though I knew how right
that something was, it was foreign to me and I was afraid I would be
hurt. Then I was given a choice. I could take the path I'd been
avoiding so long or I could go back to running."

"What did you choose?" Taylor asked. He seemed to be leaning in
closer to her, but Haruka couldn't tell.

"I decided that... even though I was scared I couldn't live my life
pretending there was a part of me that didn't exist." Now Haruka was
leaning forward, but not consciously. Her body seemed to be doing it
on its own, as if something about Taylor was pulling him towards her.
Slowing, Taylor put his arms around her and embraced her. As she felt
his warm and inviting arms touching her skin, Haruka's whole body
tingled. It was a completely new sensation for her to be held this
way. A rush of energy flowed through her veins, and she found a more
gentle and relaxed aura about herself. Was this her more feminine
self showing through? Maybe. Haruka had always thought of that part
of her as a weaker, submissive entity to be suppressed, not indulged.
But now in some strange paradox, it made her feel stronger.