Epilogue (December 24th)

I love you.

The young woman paced through the long white corridors for the tenth time. Or the eleventh? She didn't know. She didn't count. She didn't think of anything at all. Of anything else than her lover who fought with her life. And she couldn't help her!

Michiru clenched her fists and stepped over to the big window. She looked straight over to a huge tree standing in front of the hospital. It was covered with snow like all trees were in Japan in this time of the year.

I love you.

She said the words over and over in her mind like a silent prayer while she stared down on her watch more times than necessary.

Please survive! I can't live without you!

Michiru didn't even feel the tears that burned in her blue eyes. That ran down her pale cheeks. That wetted the white pullover she wore. A white pullover with blood all over it.

Her blood.

What if the doctors did any mistakes? What if Haruka was dying this very moment? And she was not with her! Would never be with her again...

Michiru thought at her lover who pulled her closer under the mistletoe at the street. Who kissed her gently between the snow flakes flowing down from heaven.

Heaven...

The young violinist raised her head and looked up to the dark sky above, saw all the snowy clouds there.

Please god, let her live!

She had not often prayed in her life, but this night she did. With all her heart. With all her love.

"Everything will be fine." Said Setsuna quietly and laid two hands comforting on her trembling shoulders.

"Did you ask the future?" whispered Michiru but knew that the senshi of time would never do something that was against the universe's law.

"I just know it." Answered the tall woman and glanced over to the others who stood in silence near the entrance. Usagi and Mamoru stayed in their big house together with the children. But the inner senshi and the Three Lights were here to be with Michiru.

To be with her if anything went worse...

No, everything will be fine!

Setsuna's looked determinedly into Michiru's desperate ones.

The young woman raised her head as she heard the doctor's steps. Her heart beat slowed down and she automatically held her breath.

Please let her live! Please live, Ruka. Just live!

In that very moment Michiru knew that she would survive their child's death. The end of her deepest wish. Of her greatest dream. She wouldn't be angry with Haruka loosing their child. She wouldn't be desperate about the final truth. She would never ever think of hiding into her own world leaving her Ruka behind...

Please, live...

She swallowed hard. Then she saw the smile on the doctor's face. Confidently he looked into nine worried faces. "So who's the lucky daddy?" he asked and glanced the famous boy group's members.

"How..." Michiru swallowed again and her own voice sounded strange in her ears. "Is she alright? Is Ruka okay?"

The doctor glanced at her and frowned.

"Are you a sister of Miss Tennô?" he asked as he saw the terrified look in her deep blue eyes. The young woman didn't answer. Silent tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

"She's okay, isn't she?" asked another woman with a calm steady voice.

"Hai. She arrived at the hospital not a second too early, but she will recover. We had to do a caesarean, but there weren't any complications."

"And the baby?" Yaten appeared on the crying woman's other side and the doctor decided that he had to be newborn child's father.

"The girl is feeling fine. She has a very loud voice. Congratulations." He shook Yaten's hand who just stared back at him in silence.

"She's got your eyes. The same green. Maybe a little bit darker."

Michiru sat down on the bank next to the window as her legs would not carry her any longer and looked down at her trembling hands.

Dark green eyes.

Like Ruka's...

The young violinist didn't even notice the nurse who came over to the team. She held a tiny bundle carefully in her arms. Skilfully she placed it into Yaten's arms.

"Congratulations." She said and smiled happily at him. Then she watched the others coming nearer and glancing over the young man's shoulder who just stared down at the small child in his arms.

"Are you all aunts?" she asked surprised.

"Hai..." whispered Rei with tears in her dark eyes.

"Hai..." replied Makoto and Minako with one voice.

The book with the Christmas Carol fell loudly on the floor as Ami came slowly nearer.

"And uncles." nodded Tahiki and smiled as he thought of Yaten's words at Chibiusa's birth.

Why can't we protect her little Princess, too?

This girl would never be the Princess of Crystal Tokyo but she would be a princess, too.

"She's so tiny..." whispered Sejya and touched gently the baby's forehead. A baby who looked like both Haruka and Michiru. He thought of the tomboy and wondered how it could be possible...

The girl yawned and stared at him with her dark green eyes.

But it is possible!

Yaten looked up and walked slowly over to Michiru who just observed him quietly. Her eyes grew wide as she felt the warm bundle in her arms.

"Congratulations." Whispered the young man and wiped away the tears on her pale cheeks. Michiru couldn't say a word. She just nodded.

Deep green eyes watched her tiredly. Another yawn. Then the child settled into sleep after her exciting birth. The young violinist stroked softly fluffy sea green hair that covered the tiny head.

She looks like Ruka.

Michiru swallowed and tears rolled down her cheeks again. But it weren't no longer tears of sorrow. Now it were tears of joy.

She looks like me...

"Can I see her?" she asked after a while she just rocked the baby gently in her arms. It felt so wonderfully warm. So tiny the little girl already controlled all her life. She was all her life.

"Hai, but..." asked the doctor and looked very confused at the young woman who reacted as if she was the mother of the child, not the woman had given birth to it.

"Just show her." Said Yaten. Then he went over to the next telephone to tell Usagi and Mamoru that everything was alright.

And our Himmi-chan.

The nurse only nodded.

"Ruka..."

Michiru stood next to the bed still holding the bundle of joy softly in her shaking arms. The young woman looked so small in the bed, so fragile.

Her short blond hair covered her forehead, her eyes were shut. Her face was very pale.

Then Haruka opened her green eyes and smiled tiredly but happily at her lover.

"Gomen. I didn't want to scare you." She whispered and took a deep breath. She made a face as the pain returned into her belly.

"They really cut me off." She tried to joke and reached out for her. Her right arm was connected to a drip. Michiru sat down next to her on the bed and took the warm lover's warm into her own icy one. With the other hand she held the little girl carefully tight.

"But she was worth all pain." Haruka looked from the baby into Michiru's still wet face. She raised her trembling hand and wiped away the tears.

"Don't cry, Michi-chan. Everything will be fine."

"I know." Whispered the young violinist and carefully gave the tiny child into Haruka's arms. The small girl only yawned and kept sleeping.

"Hey, she's as lazy as her mother." Mocked Haruka but her face got serious as she looked into Michiru's blue eyes. The young violinist leaned over her and gave her a short kiss with her warm lips.

"I want to live together with you for the rest of our lives." Declared Michiru and blushed deeply.

"I know." Smiled Haruka and looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. Still it was hard believe that this tiny being had been inside her belly. Growing.

Kicking!

"You're my best friend. My partner and my lover. And now you're the mother of our daughter." Michiru swallowed hard as she watched Haruka stroking fluffy sea green hair.

"I want you to live together with me as my wife."

Haruka raised her head as she heard the quiet voice above her. She looked into Michiru's blue eyes and saw all the love there.

"Are you sure? You know I am not what one would call a perfect husband." She joked tenderly.

"Just say hai!" demanded Michiru and her face came closer to her lover's one.

"Hai..." whispered Haruka and their lips met in a sweet kiss that lasted for a long time. It ended when the baby yawned again and her tiny hands grabbed some sea green hair.

The young violinist turned towards the small girl and watched her for a while in silence.

"It wasn't just a dream." She finally said very quietly and touched the tiny hands as if she still couldn't believe it. That this dream became true. Her greatest wish.

"I said I'd carry her." Answered Haruka simply but her voice betrayed all her feelings.

"Arigato." Again tears were running down Michiru's cheeks. "Arigato, Ruka. For..."

"I wanted this child, too. Although I had been scared." Interrupted the young car racer her partner. "I had been very scared. But now I see that she's worth it!"

The young car racer stroked her lover's cheek and sighed gladly as she saw the happy smile on the young violinist's face.

Haruka pulled her Michiru closer and gave her another long and loving kiss.

She will be a great mother to both of them. To our small princess. And to our own child.

Written: 15th March 2000 - 15th May 2000

Corrected with the best of my knowledge and belief: May/June 2005.