Chapter 17

Previously:

"I can because I am Tenoh Haruka." You unsheathe your sword and point it at everyone in the room in a sweeping gesture, stopping once the tip is aimed at the Oracle. Your voice rings loudly in the silence of the pavilion, no one daring to move. "I can because I am the Queen of Uranus. I can because I am your Queen!"

The Oracle rises to his feet unsteadily. "How can you be her? My eyes see you but my mind denies it… even after seeing what you just did."

"Uranus was attacked by Chaos all those years ago." You answer, staring at the people in the room. Your people you realize. "It came for me. My Mother and Father died for me… I saw it happen. And I saw our people died. They died until Chaos was in front of me and I was all alone." The wind ruffles your hair for a few moments that everyone spends staring at you, wanting to listen to your words.

"I don't know how I did it, but I managed to send it away. I managed to defeat it. But the strain it had on me was too much and I fainted, right into the arms of Queen Serenity. She too was here that night and she fought alongside you as if Uranus was her home. And she trusted me to one of her oldest friends and sent me to live on Neptune, where I have been since I was 8 years old."

"Why didn't I return you wonder? Why did I stay in the Planet of those slummy Neptunian traitors?" that gathers you some applause from the oldest people in the room. It would seem that some inch of resentment still lingered on some of their minds after the treason of Neptune all those years back. "It's rather simple. I didn't remember."

"You did not remember?" the Oracle says, shaking his head, obviously not believing a single word that comes from your mouth. "How is that possible?"

"Yes, I did not remember asshole. And I have no idea why. I don't care why! All that matters is that I remember it." You take a step back and open your arms, staring at the people again. "You may not believe me but it's the truth. And how can you deny it when on my forehead the sign of Uranus shines?" you point a finger at the Oracle and frown at him, starting to feel incredibly frustrated with the whole situation. "What is your explanation for this? How when you must know all that this mark implies?"

He says nothing, but you can see him shake in barely restrained anger.

"Are you all that is left of the people of Uranus?"

"That is none of your business!" the Oracle hisses, venom dripping from his whispering voice.

And you have had enough. You march your way up to him and aim a punch filled with all your strength at his stomach, quietly watching as he crumbles to his knees. "Be quiet, idiot." He groans but quickly chokes the sound down, wisely doing as you say.

"We are not the only ones." Charlie says and you cast him a sideways glance.

"How many more?"

"A few thousand people."

"Then you must prepare." You respond in a louder voice. "Chaos is back." Voices immediately start whispering at your words. "How do I know? I've seen it. I've spoken with it."

"And what does that have to do with us? We live here in Uranus in peace. We do not bother anyone."

"Don't be stupid!" you snap in an angry voice. "You think Chaos will just leave you alone in your own little corner while it takes control over the rest of our solar system?!"

"Serenity will protect us!"

"Serenity has been captured!" your booming voice overlaps that of your uncle's, echoing off the walls eerily. "Both she and her daughter. The Moon is defenseless, and no other Planet is willing to help since they all think like your precious Oracle. So I came here to my home, to ask my people to consider the possibility of grabbing their arms and fighting Chaos. The same Chaos that brought destruction to Uranus fifteen years ago."

The people don't seem to be convinced. "How can we fight Chaos?" someone asks "Why should we? Nothing warrants that it won't leave us be!" others say.

But Masahiro's eyes shine while he stares at you. You know that the people will listen to him. "Don't you want to avenge yourself? Don't you want to take revenge for the family and the home that you've lost?"

"I do, Haruka." He says. "But I have to think of the others too. There are not many of us, but those that exist are family people. They are fierce warriors – everyone on Uranus is – but this threat is not real to them. I do not know how you will convince them."

"Haruka…" Artemis suddenly says, nearing you and lowering his voice so that no one else hears him. "Tell them where Chaos is. Tell them who Chaos is."

It's the most logical thing to do, you are well aware. But you don't want to do it – you can't help but think that it's low, hitting them there, were you have seen that old wounds still linger. You are suddenly certain that mentioning Neptune is going to gain their attention but it feels wrong to appeal to the bad blood that runs between both planets.

But nothing is fair in war you reason with yourself, and if you were to have second guessed all of your low decisions you wouldn't have done more than half the things you've done in your life. You would not be standing where you are… but then again, you probably wouldn't be alive either.

"Neptune…" you start, hesitating as the word has everyone quieting down and staring at you. Charlie frowns and tilts his head, curious. "Neptune is allied with Chaos. Chaos is operating through Princess Michiru… or Queen Michiru since I killed her Mother in an attempt to keep Chaos at bay." That's not true, but they don't need know that. "Neptune will declare war on the rest of our solar system. And it will be Neptune that will control everything."

You close your eyes as angry voices immediately ring out, everyone automatically rebelling against the mere thought. You've just started a war, of that much you're certain. It troubles you what costs that war will have.

Charlie looks around the room and his eyes also shine with the glint of war. He sends you a rugged, satisfied grin. "I think that will do, Haruka. I think that will do."

H&M

A soft, warm hand caresses your face in relaxed, loving strokes, slowly rousing you back to awareness. Despite the fact that you haven't slept as well as you just did in a long time, you still feel tired. So you snuggle deeper into the warmth that you feel surrounding you, burrowing your head against the softest pillow you've ever had. The hand stops with your movements and you let out a disgruntled groan, wanting to feel it move again.

A warm laugh rings in your ears. A pair of lips presses a kiss against your forehead before brushing against your own, and two arms cross over your chest, pulling you back against a gentle embrace. "Haruka…" You groan in response and shake your head, inhaling the intoxicating perfume that envelops you. Your pillow trembles as another laugh comes forth. "Ha-ru-ka."

"Mi-chi-ru." You respond in the same tone of voice, not willing to leave the comfort of her arms just yet.

"We need to get up." She whispers, going back to stroking your head, face slowly nuzzling against yours.

"You keep doing that and I am more than willing to stay here for the rest of the day instead." You mumble, already half-asleep.

"No." she says in a louder voice, starting to pepper kisses all over your face. "We have to talk, my love. I cannot stay for long."

"Why?" you ask, suddenly serious. "This is my dream… And I want us to stay here quietly, away from everything, in peace. I want you to keep touching me and I want you to keep kissing me."

You lean up and capture her lips that had been hovering over yours in a searing kiss, feeling her melt against you. Your hands rise to cup her cheeks for a few moments before you pull away slowly, lingering slightly, and you open your eyes to find hers still closed. Her hair fell around you both some while back, keeping you shielded from the outside world, and you wish that you could remain there forever, in your own bubble of happiness, away from all else.

Just you and her.

You kiss her again for a shorter while before whispering in a sincere voice one of your deepest desires. "I don't want to think of you as my enemy, Michiru."

Her eyes open immediately and she stares intently at you. "I know you do not." she runs her pointer finger over your brow gently. "But that does not change the fact that I am."

You sigh and sit up. "Shouldn't you do as I say considering this is my dream?"

Michiru chuckles and shakes her head slowly. "This is not a dream, Haruka."

"Isn't it?" you ask, eyes narrowing. You suspected it wasn't. It hardly was the first time you had a dream that involved Michiru, but never before had she felt so real.

"No."

A longer sigh escapes you and you push yourself in to a sitting position on the bed, crossing your legs and facing her. "What is it that we have to talk about then?"

"I am sorry." She says immediately. "I know that saying it does not change anything but I am. I wish things could be different."

"They can, Michiru!" you counter, frowning. "All you have to do is want to change them."

She scoffs and a wistful expression takes hold of her face. "I wish it were that easy."

"Why can't it be? Why don't you make it easy?" she gives you no answer. You rub your eyes, feeling suddenly exhausted, and rise to your feet, walking towards the window and staring outside. "Where are we?"

"I do not know..." she answers, hesitantly coming to stand next to you. "I recognize the landscape… it is a place on Neptune that my Father used to take me to when I was a child. But this room itself, I do not recognize it."

"We are at one of the towers of the Palace of Uranus. This was my childhood room." You say, gazing around and immediately feeling some sense of safety from your surroundings.

"So we are in a mix of both of our worlds." Michiru sighs. "Haruka…" she turns to face you and waits for your acknowledgment before continuing. "What are you doing in Uranus?"

"What makes you think I'm in Uranus?" you question, narrowing your eyes at her.

"You underestimate Chaos, Haruka." She whispers, staring out the window once again. "Spies are everywhere."

"If spies are everywhere, how come you're asking me that? Shouldn't you know the answer already?"

A small smile curves her lips. "The place where you are at keeps your intentions hidden. You are the master of Uranus, Haruka, and Uranus will bend to make sure you are safe."

"Oh?" you let out, curious, but she doesn't elaborate any further.

"Chaos is keeping an eye on you, though. It would be wise of you to keep an eye on… the Oracle? I think that is what he calls himself…."

"I knew there was something strange with that creature!" you say, already conjuring up ideas on how you would take care of him. She could be lying – you have the feeling she isn't – but you still don't like him.

"Do not kill him." Michiru quickly intervenes, guessing your intentions. "If he dies, Chaos might suspect that I…"

"That you…?" you prompt when she quiets, a troubled look on her face. "That you've helped me? Doesn't it know at all?"

"My mind is my own." She replies quickly, chin lifting in defiance.

"Is it?" your voice reeks of disbelief.

"How do you think I am able to be here right now?" she asks, looking slightly offended at your doubt. "If Chaos knew… If Chaos even suspected that I was here with you… I do not know what would happen."

"Maybe it would take advantage of the opportunity…" you counter, walking towards her and forcing her to step back continuously. "Maybe it would make you ask me questions so that it could learn what I am planning on doing." Her back hits a wall behind you and you are quick to trap her between it and your body, arms extending until your palms are at either side of her head. "Maybe it would use you to kill me. Again."

She doesn't give you an answer, head falling down, obscuring your view of her features. You think you see a flash of hurt in her eyes before they lower to the ground, but even still you are relentless. "How close am I to the truth, Michiru?" you press onward, wanting to extract some kind of response from her.

"You think that low of me?" she murmurs, peering up at you with a blank look on her face. "You think I would do something like that?"

You feel like laughing at the mere absurdity of the question. "Why shouldn't I?" you ask in lieu of an answer. "You betrayed me on our last life, killing those that were dearest to me and eventually even killing me, and we were married." You lean closer to her, voice rising slightly in anger. "And now in this life you're taken my best friend to Chaos along with Queen Serenity and the others so that they are met with the same fate! You have given me no reason as to why I should think any differently."

"They are not dead!" Michiru screams right back at you, shoving you away from her and stumbling a few steps sideways. "I had no part on the fate of your family but rest assured that the others are safe."

"Safe?!" you yell, hitting the wall with a tightly closed fist, the material crumbling under your anger. "Is that your idea of being safe? Being captured by a crazed enemy who is just itching to kill them?"

"It will not!" she snaps in a lower voice but with eyes still ablaze with fury. "You may not believe whatever else I say but believe me when I tell you that they are safe."

Something in the way she looks at you has you swallowing back the venomous words that were ready to come out and refute her. "But for how long will they remain safe? You aren't by their side at all times to make sure of it… how long will it be until Chaos decides that it's bored and that maybe it would be fun to kill them?"

"That will not happen." She insists, moving closer to you. "I will not let that happen."

"Michiru…" you say, shaking your head.

"Please." She cuts in, touching your cheek hesitantly, almost as if waiting for you to slap her away. "Please… trust me."

"Do not trust her!" Uranus exclaims, pointing a finger at her, grabbing onto your clothes with her other hand and pulling you closer. "She is not who you think she is! Trusting her got you killed in your past life!"

A flash of your conversation with Uranus rings in your mind and you know you shouldn't allow yourself to trust her. But, just like you had been unable to take her life when you had the chance, you're unable to deny her request now. "Alright."

A bright, though restrained, smile curves her lips and lights up her eyes, but she quickly grows serious again. "You should be very careful while in Uranus. There will be people who will try to gain your trust. Pay special attention to the Oracle… feed him false information. Anything to lead him astray." She pauses and seems to debate with herself whether to continue or not. "I believe that you are in Uranus to rally the troops and to try to gather the support of the rest of the Planets to fight against Chaos."

You nod in response.

"That is something that I believe completely eludes Chaos. The people of Uranus were left in such poor condition that I highly doubt that it would consider that you would dare such a thing. Play your cards carefully and at the right moment and you might have a chance of catching it off-guard." She smiles sadly at you and strokes your cheek with her thumb. "You need to be ready for the cost of your actions, Haruka. A lot of blood will be spilled in such a battle… and you will feel responsible. You are not a murderer… this is something that I know. It will be hard on you."

"Why are you telling me this, Michiru?" you lean against her hand, wanting to turn back time so that you might be once again curled in bed with her, not a single care in the world. "Why risk yourself the way you are?"

"Is it not obvious?" Her face softens and she sighs. "I am doing this because I love you, Haruka."

Your mouth dries and you swallow drily. "Michiru…"

"I love you and I want you to be safe." She steps away from you and goes back to the balcony, leaning her weight on the railing and gazing at the setting sun. "I know it is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, especially from me, but it is the truth." Her shoulders shake slightly and her voice thickens but she presses onward. "I need you to know that. I need you to know that because soon things will be decided and I do not know if I will ever have the chance to say these words to you again and I just… I just…" she chokes up then and quiets down.

And she cries.

You stand a few inches away from her, simply watching her quietly. You don't think you've ever felt as conflicted as you do in this moment: torn between wanting to sweep her into your arms and let her cry her sorrows against you shoulder, or growing colder instead and straying the further away from her possible. Her confession rings in your ears and you know that it may be just a way to gain your trust but you desperately want to believe her.

"Michiru…" you whisper and it is seemingly the only thing that you manage to get out of your mouth. The battle inside your rages on but it quickly dies down once a choked sob escapes her. Throwing everything to the wind, you walk until you're standing right behind her, wrapping your arms against her waist and pulling her back against your chest.

She stiffens in your embrace for a few, brief moments, before she struggles to free herself. You let go reluctantly, not wanting to upset her any further, but she only pulls away to turn to face you before falling into your arms again.

And it hits you suddenly. How much she's lost. Her Mother, her freedom… Her Home. Your hold on her tightens unconsciously and she sags in your hold, succumbing to her sorrow. A sudden thought invades your mind and you slowly realize that this is probably the first time she's allowed herself to cry since everything happened.

"You can't tell me you love me and then say that it might be the only time I'll ever here those words escape your lips." You mumble against her hair, breathing in her scent. She pulls away from your arms again, fixating you with a watery gaze as she tries to discern the meaning of your words.

"Why does it matter Haruka?" she responds after a lengthy pause, tears long dried from her cheeks.

You find yourself swallowing drily, fighting against the lump that suddenly forms in your throat. You shouldn't make yourself vulnerable in front of her, that much you know, but you can't seem to help it. A quiet, choked chuckle manages to escape you and you see her growing more confused. And suddenly it doesn't matter what she's done or who she's allied with. All that matters is that she's with you and you can't see in her the Michiru you had seen in Uranus' visions.

"It matters because I, I've never felt the way I feel about you in my whole life. Even now, when we are enemies, I still care. I still want you safe."

She shakes her head and steps back but you react quickly, seeing her mouth opening to retort, swooping down and claiming her lips in a heated kiss that leaves you both breathless. "I don't know what happened in our past life, Michiru. I honestly can't find it in myself to give a shit about it. All I can care about is this life that we're living and it will not end like our last. I will assemble an army and I will march on Neptune and save Serenity and the others. I don't know how but I will. And I will save you as well."

"Save me?" she whispers, bumping her forehead against yours softly, eyes close. "How do you know if I am not beyond saving?"

"You aren't." you insist, nuzzling your nose against hers. "I am going to save you, Michiru. And I will destroy Chaos as well. But I will need your help. If you are in control of yourself, even if just in these dreams or whatever they are, I need you to help me. I know Neptune fairly well but using your words, it won't bend for me. You are the righteous ruler. Neptune will stand behind your decisions." A pregnant silence settles between you before her eyes snap open, filled with determination.

"Alright." She says. "Alright. I will help you to the best of my abilities."

A smile curves your lips and you kiss her again, feeling your forehead heating against hers, not needing to look to know that your marks are shining fiercely on your skin. "Tell me then, Michiru. Do you happen to know how I can smuggle an army into your planet?"

"You are reckless." Michiru takes one of your hands and leads you back to the bed, laughing with amusement as she pushes you down. "But I might have some ideas."

Your hands find her hips and pull her, and she winds up straddling you. Another kiss and all traces of amusement leaving her face, leaving behind only the telltale signs of arousal. "Then start talking."

And so she does.

H&M

You wake up feeling refreshed, quickly standing and making your way out of the room you had been giving, thinking only of one thing.

The people of Uranus all stop to gaze at you and you nod in acknowledgment, finding your place next to Masahiro quickly. He looks at you, confused, but you pay him no mind, staring instead at your people. A commotion quickly follows once you open your mouth, just as you knew it would, and you don't bother hiding the satisfied smirk that curves your lips at the reaction.

"There has been a change of plans. We march on Neptune tomorrow."

AN

Hey guys. I cannot even begin to express how sorry I am for how long I have made you wait for this, I know I hate waiting when I'm following a story. This past year took a turn for the worse and life has been complicated to say the least. But I'm feeling much better and the Muse has emerged from whatever dark space she hid herself in my mind so I will try my hardest to wrap this up quickly.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and no, Haruka and Michiru didn't do anything other than talk in their shared dream, though I was tempted to make it otherwise.

Tell me your thoughts, I treasure them greatly. Thanks for Reading and reviewing, as always, and hang in there with me ok?

Until next time,

LW