Disclaimer and Addendum: Again, I don't own anything here but the plot and original content. Otherwise I wouldn't have to write these at the beginning of each chapter. There's more extrapolation to come, so if you're still here; thanks. If you're new to us; I'm glad we got this chance. Not many of us have it, and too few of us really take it.
On another note: On principle, I do not put trigger warnings. My work has content filters and tags, and I try to be as accurate as possible with them. Granted I know that fluff can be great; gripping stories are about blood, sweat and struggle. Ask Mark Millar why he makes the massive nuyens. No offense to anyone else, I've my own mental maladies—but I'm not here to heal you or humor you. Now let me tell my damned story.
Dose Three: 'Lest Beasts We BecomeThe airport terminal in Seoul was filthy—at least to Michiru—just like everything else in Korea. The bright fluorescent glow of the interior lights clashed with the grimy sun filtering through the windows. The Senshi of Seas mentally warred with herself; her mother's racism conflicting with her actual worldviews. Still though, the residue of pollutants was stronger here; mainly from all the oil rigs in the South China Sea. That wasn't the fault of the Air Korea stewardess, Michiru reminded herself. Her Queen stood beside Mamoru in front of her on the escalator down to street level. Taiki was explaining more to them about the Dragonian Imperium. He'd told them about their escape from the casino on the flight over—not surprised to find that the Starlights had their own jet. Seiya and the others had elected to wait at the hotel while Michiru accompanied her sovereigns to bail Haruka out. She winced at the possible mayhem caused by bringing Fighter to help bail her wife out of Korean prison.
"Haruka took care of whatever they'll have an issue with, so really all we have to do is have Setsuna-san contact the system Monitor and report the area free of contact because of the energy release. It's technically accurate, but the Monitor may question you about specifics. You're the rightful rulers, so he has to deal with you diplomatically for now. The better things go over in this meeting; the less of a chance of any wider Imperium contact." Maker said. He seemed more uneasy than normal; the toll of his adventures and the withering effect of excessive paranoia wearing the alien down. The royal couple stepped lightly off of the escalator and towards the exit of the terminal, splitting off from the rest of the group. Michiru cut her eyes to the side; checking again on Hotaru as she had been during their flight. Regardless of whether or not Koreans were all dirty; all Korean men were suspect around a Japanese teenager.
"If this Imperium is like you say; then we may have no choice but to deal with them directly. As you said; we are Sovereign." Usagi replied, waving to her friends as they departed with the Starlights in the limousine. The 'extraction party' as Minako had called them turned in the opposite direction and headed toward a waiting taxi.
"That may be the case, but remember; the Imperium is more likely to overreact than to remain still." He replied. The cab driver hopped out of the taxi and opened the sliding door for the quartet to enter. Michiru thought that the stretch cab was a bit much for them to get Haruka; but the size of their party required something like this or two vehicles—which would only garner more attention to them. The Senshi of Seas continued to ruminate turgidly over the situation, going over what Taiki had told them of the events leading to their separation.
The elevator dinged at the garage level, a blunted series of pings that descended in triplet succession; opening the doors to reveal Haruka and Setsuna wildly pulling up to retrieve the alien with the wailing screech of skidding tires. The halogen lights glared yellow off of the gleaming chassis. The familiar purr of the Nissan filled her ears, and her heart ached for Haruka again.
"We've got to move! Those two were relatives of mine!" Haruka said in a panic. Michi winced slightly; remembering the twins and why Haruka didn't talk to her extended family.
"I'm not following, Haruka-san; what's the deal with your family around here?" Taiki replied, hopping into the back seat as Setsuna floored the Nissan—squealing tires screaming in her ears. It was odd that Haruka was letting Setsuna drive; but with the way things had gone, Haruka would have been recognized by her driving as much as her other features. Michi continued to remember the scene as Taiki currently explained how Administers were chosen. He sounded more steady in the now—not the irregular quasar synthesizer sound that came from his throat in the then.
"You've had too much, man; did you forget why we came here?! They're Yaks! They're all fucking Yaks and we're bailing out of the Cop Convention! We've got to move, now!" Haruka impassionedly exhorted. Taiki seemed to get the gist of it with a muted "Oh, fuck…" as the car swerved to the right and shot out of the lower end of the parking garage into the afternoon heat of Osaka. What would have been a routine exit was complicated by their fleeing and the now approaching patrol cars that pulled behind the Nissan. Michiru grimaced at the memory; it was nearly without precedent—had Haruka not been wilder when they had first met. And with the prospects of what she was about to face, she could understand why her wife had done what she had done. Understanding the whole thing didn't excuse her behavior in Michiru's mind, however.
"Well, do you have what they want?" Taiki asked, adjusting to the back seat and buckling his seat belt. Why one would buckle in the middle of a high-speed chase with robbers and cops after you was lost on the Neptunian. She chalked it up to his normally unflappable nature. The afternoon sun glinted off of his glasses, hiding the bloodshot, violet orbs that had sunk into his face from the last two days of partying and mayhem.
"Yeah, but with your little 'distraction' I imagine that won't matter anyway. Floor it, Sets!" Haruka barked. The Blonde's temper was obviously under the cocaine influence of anger. The way her voice sounded so strained; it made Michiru think of when they had first run off together. Though it had been a long time, it was as if they'd really never left The Cruise behind. The Nissan sped down a side street and flew around the next turn with only one patrol car in tow. The wailing cry of the sirens mixed in with the metallic, grinding whine that covered the reality of Korea. Whatever was throwing off her psychic senses before; was not doing so any longer. The melodic sounds of her enhanced perception gave a color to the world that was hard to describe; and even harder in absentia.
Setsuna proved to be skilled behind the wheel; which caused her to question why Haruka wasn't demanding control of her treasured possession. The last patrol car got lost in a flow of traffic from where another street merged with the one they were on and angled away from it just a bit later. The small echoes of a ticking clock ran through the Neptunian's ears—signaling that Setsuna had used what small amount of her skills were permitted to allow their escape.
"I wasn't in much of a state to think faster when I came up with the idea. What were we supposed to do otherwise; calmly explain to the pit boss and the honorable inspector that the psychic, the alien and the Time Lady wanted to do a bit of fleecing?" Taiki responded wryly, the pianissimo of his tone suggested that the adrenaline rush he'd gotten from showing off in front of Setsuna back at the casino mezzanine was wearing off.
"Kuso! I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Obaa-san! I could have been cuddled up with Michi by now—instead of running from the cops and the Yaks through the city with a case full of drugs!" Haruka snapped to her driver; jerking her thumb to the back seat where Taiki had found the case. Her voice sounded strained like strings stretched too tight on her violin. The storm inside must be killing her; Michiru sighed for a moment, put out of her anger at her wife by the sympathy of what she was going through.
"And let your cousin get killed, his wife become enslaved and then have Jun leaning on your father? You know his legs aren't what they used to be, Haruka…" Setsuna fired back, cutting the wheel to the right once more to change lanes and get onto the freeway. Her voice sounded flat; the dropping of a large rug on the floor was the only other descriptor for it. The words landed with such a weight that Haruka only muttered 'Just drive, bitch,' under her breath—a wispy sound like the breeze at night at their 'parking spot'. Still her heart cracked in subtle fractures from the animosity between the two. She could understand Haruka's hurt; but was Setsuna hurt that Haruka was accusing her or that she wasn't doing what was expected of her? The tones of those two emotions—that she'd both heard on the Time Guardian before—were the only things that gave the low, ticking tone that manifested whenever Setsuna had a 'moment'.
"Where to?" Setsuna said with obvious chill. It carried the tone of her Office as she called it; the psychopomp and circumstance of Death itself. Her role in the whole matter had been odd—Michiru wasn't sure why Setsuna had spurred Haruka on. It couldn't have been just to save her cousin; Setsuna had been the first of them to give voice against their Queen's first Decree. And from what Taiki had been explaining to the royals, the Senshi of Seas began to form her own thoughts about why the Time Guardian had pushed her wife into old habits.
"Nishiyodogawa. That's where Jun's shipping concerns are." Equally frigid came the Wind Senshi's reply; like the north-eastern stream that pulled winter into Tokyo. Michiru gave a shiver that earned her a few looks from her Queen; although she said nothing.
The three sped along the freeways and overpasses through the Osakan Metropolis, the whoosh and thrum of the road mixing into the sounds caused by their emotions. Haruka continued to frantically rant and Setsuna rebuffed her only when necessary to spur her into a different direction. Taiki's exhaustion muted the sounds gradually as they went, before altogether stopping as the muted serenade of sleep claimed him. The police had pulled off the chase—but neither Taiki nor Michiru through his telling knew why.
The building roar of the engine and the piercing taka-taka-taka of automatic gunfire pulled the recollection forward from silent bliss once more; bringing with it the rush of forward motion and the distinct sound of Haruka saying "Goodbye, Nia-san", right before the giant splash of the car impacting the bay waters that truly woke Taiki up from his chemically induced nap. The taps of Setsuna's heels against the loading dock were eerily similar to the ones of her Queen's heels as they walked into the reception lobby of the local Police Precinct in this part of Seoul. The Senshi of Seas cringed at the Osaka harbor's grime and oil. The offensive smells and sickly slick feel of oil permeated her every breath; every pore as her recall ended and Michiru came back to reality. She shook her head slightly to cast the sensations away.
The grating whine lessened when they entered; but Michiru could now hear muffled pleas of innocence and the sharp crack of a cane coming from all directions. Even though she knew it to be groundless, Michi thought back to her childhood again and mused if maybe her mother had been right about Korea and China. Only after Mamoru spoke with the officer at the desk and began negotiating bail did they find out why exactly they had kept her wife and friend. He started off politely; but the King's tone hardened at each denial of any 'Japanese prisoners'. After a sharp and very short remonstrance that Michi knew the King used only in his most terse and agitated; the booking officer scuttled away to file the paperwork for the bail.
"The only thing the Koreans said that they had on them was that they entered the country illegally on board a cargo tanker. It doesn't seem that there have been any other charges from here or our country." He told them, after securing Haruka and Setsuna's release and making a bank transfer. It wasn't too large of an amount, but Michiru was certain that her Queen would demand no less than three dresses and fourteen different pairs of shoes from her for the expense. While she would normally not mind an outing with Usagi at all; the prospect of having to pick up the bill for her spending habits didn't loom too well on Michiru's horizons.
"When did you learn Korean, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked as the guards went to retrieve the missing two Outers. Her voice was the only one which didn't carry any kind of extra sound, timbre or tone; sounding off clear and unobstructed. The only way she could describe it; was that it was the only real sound in the universe. Everything else was just echoes from something else—distant and ephemeral.
"When Nguyen-san and his technicians came to the lab for our thorium-salts experiments last year I had to learn in order to communicate with him better. He spoke Japanese as well—but he didn't tell me that until after I'd gotten a basic smattering of it down." Mamoru replied, hand behind his head. The oaken tone of his speaking sounded solid and sure; like the firmament they rested on. Another wave of the prisoner's lament drowned out the rest of the story; filling Michiru's ears with the grating slam of iron bars and clattering of chains. They had to get out of this place soon. Maybe she wouldn't even be as mad at Haruka if this is what this place sounded like. She chided herself: It was nonsense. No one else heard the sounds; the music that the universe echoed throughout it. Rei understood—a bit—even though her perceptions were tied to her spiritual role and beliefs. Michi just heard the things that no one else did. Another 'gift' from Neptune.
The door to the booking office opened to the group to show two corrections officers with stun batons in the lead with a nearly implacable Setsuna—and why was Haruka's arm in a sling?! Michiru barely noticed the two guards behind the two. Ignoring completely the warnings from both the Royals and the guards, she approached her wife placed an arm around her waist—searching for the teal eyes she dove into with reckless abandon. Those teal eyes that were cast downward and refused to look at her. Hmph, Haruka had always beaten herself up more than anyone else could ever punish her.
"They are barred from entry from the Republic of Korea indefinitely. We will escort you to the airport to ensure that they do not attempt to flee from deportation." One of the guards said in halting Japanese. Michiru cut her eyes towards him, but stopped short of unleashing the tempest here and now. Her Queen had taken matters into her own hands this time.
"Were they actually going to be deported? Or how long were you going to wait before notifying our government that you had two of our citizens detained? And why is her arm broken?!"Usagi started in. Before a response came, she resumed her inquest; barely a breath of pause betwixt them. "There will be formal inquiries made from the diplomatic offices about the treatment of female prisoners. Since you found them stowed away on a boat—did you even think that they could have been victims! How many girls do you find in containers that just…vanish into one of these places and never get a call out!?" Her voice; clear and perfect began to rise in volume. The full Royal Wrath seemed to be on parade. Mamoru crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a heavy breath—like the beginnings of a sandstorm.
"With the amount of trafficking that goes on between Laos and Thailand you would think that the treaties in effect would reduce this kind of thing. I trust that nothing else happened while the two of you were detained?" He said, turning to meet Setsuna's gaze. The sounds were like the beginnings of a cave in—those small cracks and drops that signaled the coming of an unstoppable crushing weight.
"Hmm. You're right, Usako. I'll call Kaneda and we'll see about filling in Civil Court to recover any damages. It's obvious that the staff can't keep the detainees safe." He finished. Their reaction seemed to have the intended effect—the sergeant had begun to sweat with worry. Michiru smirked on the inside—guiltily glad that these Chon were getting their comeuppance.
"'Ruka…" She said softly. Her wife finally raised her eyes to meet; and Michiru dove into them eagerly.
"I'm sorry, Michi…" She breathed out weakly—the sound like the last gentle breezes of spring before the rains came.
"Shh. It's okay, love. Tell me later, when we get home." Michiru replied. She cut an accusatory look at Setsuna before turning to see the end of their Sovereign's dressing down of the prison warden; assuring him that there would be calls placed, lawyers contacted and suits filed. The Time Guardian showed no visible response—but Michiru could tell that there was a great deal of hurt in her.
After they made it back to the cab; Haruka's uneasy silence made things more awkward than they were in the beginning. "Now that's taken care of, Setsuna-san; do you mind contacting the system Monitor so that the other ends of this are tied up?" Taiki started, the calm pulsing coming back to the alien's voice as they filed into the back seat area. The Time Guardian stayed silent for an all too convenient second before Maker's question was interrupted by Usagi's query.
"Setsuna… How long have you known about all this? How long have these people been watching our planet?" Usagi asked plainly.
"Ever since Serenity's death and invocation on the Ginzuishou. The Imperium was rather involved in the early formation of the Silver Millennium." She replied with the same, hollow, Deathly tone that she had in the then. Did she expect Serenity to kill her again for using her powers?
"What was my—I mean, Serenity's mom's involvement with them?" No one else spoke—the gravitas of the last few days kept everyone moving in an orderly fashion. The terse silence hung in the air like the sensation of grime that attacked Michiru's every sense.
"Serenity kept her kingdom separate but under the auspices of the Imperium—much akin to the way some of the Gauls collaborated with Rome." The reply came back flat; the last tick of a watch that had died. The Neptunian felt the cold void that was building in her friend; and it troubled her more than anything else that had happened between them. She could be distant—sometimes outright and deliberately unknowable—but Setsuna did not cloak herself in her Office with the Queen, ever.
"Are you okay?" The query came; crystalline but with care. Usagi was trying to pierce the aura of doom around the Senshi of Time. Setsuna didn't break her hold yet; Michi was still mostly focused on her wife. Haruka seemed shocked, although she didn't show it. Why would you be, Haru? Usa forgave us… She thought.
"That isn't relevant right now, my Queen. Star Maker was right; we need to introduce you to the system monitor. A belated announcement like this would be preferable to any kind of Inquiry from them." The Time Guardian replied; still wearing her Office as armor. She knew something; Michiru could tell that from her tone—like a watch spring that was about to snap from over-tension.
"It is!" The Queen shot back, "I'm not my mother, Pluto. I care about you. Not your Office, nor whatever extragalactic issues may be at hand. Two of my friends were locked up in Korea—and you had to hack a cellphone together to get a call out to let anyone know you were still alive at all. Are you okay?" She asked again.
"I'm fine physically. Haruka's arm got broken when the guards in our block made mention of taking 'comfort' in us." The Senshi of Time responded. Michiru barely kept the shock from her outer expressions; it would rain in Seoul for years, she thought. The bays would roil and waves would crash and wash this place away clean of all the filth. The Neptunian paused herself again, gripping Haruka's good hand to reassure herself. It wouldn't do any good to cause a tsunami. Mamoru's look darkened again at Setsuna's statement.
"They took us out of general pop after that." Haruka said, again her tone barely there—like a fading chord resolving to tonic.
"The Second War was a long time ago; there's no use in trying to take out their frustrations on you two." Mamoru said, the landslide in his voice still building. Michiru was relieved that she wasn't the only one having to keep her temper under wraps.
"And after they isolated you?" Usagi asked.
"I set Haruka's arm and then she retrieved the pieces of my cellphone that I'd tucked away." The Time Guardian answered. The tension had reached a point where it rang like a note; Michiru shook her head again slightly to clear the noise.
"We'll have to have Ami-chan look at it when we get back home." The Lunarian royal stated; her flawless tone subtly stating that her directives would not be questioned for a time. "Haruka?" she asked, turning her Outer Lieutenant, "I haven't asked what happened before we met—but I'm concerned that this isn't a first time thing for you. Is this something that happens often?" She added.
"Are you asking me if I have a problem?" Haruka responded, her tone hurt and glum. Michiru stilled her response; things were distant enough between them and the royals as it was after Galaxia. There was no need to defend Haruka either—although she wondered silently if this wasn't a sign of a newly starting issue rather than a relapse to her sukeban days.
"We care, Haruka; like Usako said. If you need our help, all you need do is ask." Mamoru intoned.
"It isn't something that's regular by any means; I was just firing from the hip, and I got dragged back into things that used to be a part of who I was. I'm over that now—there's nothing tying me to that kind of life anymore. And no; this isn't the first time I've went wild." Haruka started in her confession. Michiru wondered exactly what all happened in the jail to ease her wife into coming clean. Maybe it was just Usagi's armor penetrating love that pried Uranus out of her normal shell.
"When I first awakened as a Senshi; there was a girl at my school like how Jun was. Possessed and full of hate and anger. I served this girl once; but my dad broke me out of that crowd. Then after I met Michiru and became Sailor Uranus; we took a cruise to Hawaii. I went a little crazy while we were abroad to try and deal with the guilt of what happened to her; to us... I guess I just pre-empted what was going to have to happen with Jun with the wild part this time." She explained; a summer gust in her voice this time as the remembrances took both of them back to what they called The Cruise.
"Okay. One last thing: Did you use your transformation during all of this?" Usagi inquired. Haruka started to respond before Setsuna conveniently interrupted her.
"No, she didn't; but that fact has led to the difficulties that Haruka has had to face. You will have to come to a decision; the enemies of your coming throne are many—and they will not hesitate to use the rules you set for us against you." She said; the last ticks of stopping clocks returning to her voice. It was almost as if she had scripted the entire series of events to coincide with this proposition; turn against her first decree and allow the Senshi to target and harm mortals in collusion, or not. The tension hung across them all as yokes of iron.
"Why should we interfere with human lives?" The question hung.
"You are either Sovereign or you are not. If these people are your subjects; then you have to have some method of control. You've rejected Celestine's ways, but you've also let the Black Moon Sisters live on earth." The answer came, but did not satisfy the Queen.
"That's not relevant, Pluto. I refuse to shackle my subjects without free will; and Coan and her sisters were purified. They don't possess any more dark power than any other regular human."
"But it is, my Queen. The Imperium makes no such distinctions between those who have active power and those who've given it up. And with the knowledge they have; that power could easily be acquired again. The mere possibility of a threat is enough to warrant annihilation." The cold in her voice wasn't intended as an affront; more as a way to steel her ruler for the things she saw on the horizon. Michiru began to build somewhat of an understanding from her senses; but the majority of whatever the Time Guardian was acting for or against was still beyond her. The Korean highway sprawl began to pass them by as they approached the Hotel to drop off Taiki.
"You have so little faith in my power? That isn't like you." Usagi asked.
"Faith is not the question now; Usagi. My concerns are that you have tied your hands in an effort to make peace and foster understanding. There are some that cannot be healed, that will never understand anything but their own pain; the Black Moon Invasion should have taught you that. You need deniable assets—what your mother had asked of us Outer Senshi in the kingdom before. Otherwise, your dictates are as shackles and fetters to those who would protect your people." Setsuna replied, the last tick of the watch sounding off and creating a near-tangible silence. Nothing bothered Michiru more acoustically than the sound of absolute stillness.
"What you're suggesting is closer to state sponsored assassination. I refuse to stoop to the lower behaviors of those who came before; we can be better rulers than that." Usagi said defiantly.
"Every ruler has stained their hands red; and no matter how many times you cry 'out, out; damned spot', there will always come a time when forceful action is needed. 'Better' or 'Worse' are quantifiers that you should discard now. I know you understand that the worth of a ruler is in the wealth of their people. That's what led Serenity IV Celestine to use the Ginzuishou as she did." Setsuna countered; her voice still carrying the grave-like silence tone with it. Michiru glanced over to her wife; the teal orbs revealing nothing as to her opinion of what should be done.
"I refuse to do that. I have and always will consider the free will of my subjects of the utmost importance. There is no virtue in a choice between good and evil if it's made out of coercion." The statement was made with a firm voice.
"Then you will have to accept that some of your Senshi may be required to disobey your directives in the knowledge that what is necessary is not always legal or good. The actions you have taken up to this moment have changed the future—for the better I would say myself. The wider galaxy however; will move along its prescribed road." Equally unmoving came the response.
"Is Crystal Tokyo in danger?" Mamoru asked.
"No; and I'm sure you'll find your asset soon. Fate has been changed because of our actions; and because of that, the Imperium and my colleagues are taking a more active interest in our affairs." Setsuna answered. The hotel pulled into view as the stretch cab came around the corner of the block. There weren't too many people out here; and there were no security barricades—so Taiki knew that the fangirl horde hadn't found out where they were staying yet.
"I know it might be a bit forward to butt into your business here; but I think there's a sentiment that I'm not getting. Maybe it's an Earth thing; but I'm beginning to think it's a Japanese thing. Control of yourself and your environment is preferable to chaos; but I've found that an overly strong locus of control leads to the delusion that you can control everything. Haruka's not binge crazy, and anything to excess is damaging; but you all could use some steam venting from time to time." Taiki started as they pulled up to the awning. The other Senshi were waiting for them in the lobby—although the Outers would be returning to Japan with the royals.
"What does that have to do with anything, Taiki-kun?" Usagi asked.
"Well, to start with it would seem to imply that there's some tension between you that calls back to our battle with Galaxia. When we first came here; the plan was to hide from the locals since interacting and uplifting a primitive species is against our laws and culture. But, had we sought you out first—we'd have found Kakyuu first and been able to help against the enemy more. It's the same here; don't be afraid of losing control and operating within the flow of things. Setsuna-san may have withheld knowledge; but in doing so she ensured that certain events went as they did. I'd have never been uninhibited enough to talk about the Imperium; Haruka wouldn't have been backed into a corner to do what she had to." Taiki surmised. The Senshi of Time looked touched to have an advocate among them; but surely she should know that Michiru didn't condemn her for any of this.
"That makes sense; sort of." Mamoru said thoughtfully.
"I thought you were talking about the whole wild-party things that you two were doing." Usagi piqued.
"Oh, that…" Taiki said, again placing his hand behind his head in mild contrition, "This is the one time since we were here last that I've gotten to act like—you know—a rock star. No good in having a cover identity if you never use it and we get so few times on Kinmokusei to enjoy ourselves. There's a reason I like Eloiha; it breaks down whatever conceptions you had before and forces you to find new ones. I'll warn you to be careful; but I won't caution you against experimentation like this. It might show you something completely new; Buy the ticket, take the ride." He advised as the cab stopped and the alien got out.
Michiru puzzled over his statement for a few moments before his seat was occupied by Ami and Hotaru. There wasn't a lurch to signal the beginning motion of the cab; but the small push back from momentum soon followed. Haruka glanced at her adoptive charge once before casting her eyes back downward. The thirteen year old refused to let that be the end of their interaction, however.
"Haruka-papa?" The inquest came to the Senshi of Wind from the seat beside her. Pale lavender pools that had known tears only shortly before gazed up into her downcast view.
"Hai, Hime-chan?" Haruka responded; some of the gust coming back into her voice.
"Are you coming back home with us?" She asked earnestly. Her small voice was like a fading pulse of her namesake at twilight; Michiru thought.
"Of course, hon; you would have known it if your Michiru-mama had thrown me out." Haruka replied with a wry smile, tapping the younger girl on the nose with her good hand. The tempest began to calm with their departure from the hotel, much to Michiru's relief. Maintaining the placid overlay was easier when her emotions and senses didn't roil as they did before.
"Can I fix your arm?" The Saturnine requested. Normally, she was repulsed by her powers—and the magnitude of her healing abilities had increased since their last battles. But; Michiru knew her daughter well, and that she would suffer internal discomfort for her family and allies without hesitation.
"No need for that, it isn't that bad." Haruka started to dismiss the offer. Michiru cut her a look and stepped in with: "Haruka. Don't let yourself suffer because you think you deserve it; let her help this time. It's rare that she ever wants to use her power."
"It would be easier than the surgery to fix your shoulder." Ami interjected, "It looks like you've torn your rotator cuff, Haruka-san." She analyzed, the frosty but friendly tone she carried a cool balm on Michiru's formerly raw nerves. The Senshi of Winds relented and Hotaru began to send out the pulsing, purple waves that signaled her healing abilities. They sounded as a low, reverberating Aum; bouncing back in on itself as Haruka's shoulder muscles and arm began to reknit itself to hale. Soon after, the blonde pulled her way out of the sling and began to work the slight stiffness out of the joint. She caught up the Senshi of Death in a hug as way of reassuring and of thanks for her ministrations. Michiru sighed; the last puffs of a seaside evening breeze fading away into night. It had been a long couple of days…
"You're not staying for the concert, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked, breaking the momentary scene of familial life.
"No. I've got clinicals this week; so I'm heading back with you guys. Makoto's been looking forward to having me stay for a while; and I'd hate to disappoint her." Ami replied; a small break in the calculated veneer of ice showing when she talked about the Senshi of Thunder. Michiru smiled a small bit; glad to be not the only pair of girls in love among the Terran Court.
"Ahh. Mako-chan already has you on a leash; I like it." Haruka jabbed playfully, winking at the now blushing Mercuran. If she was recovering from the shock enough to tease Ami; her wife figured that things would adjust better than she had expected.
"Haruka…" Michiru sighed.
"Sorry… You and Mako-chan should come by whenever you can unchain yourself from the hospital." Haruka replied; admonished only slightly.
The rest of the ride was quiet while everyone mulled over the events and revelations of the past weekend. Michiru was at once relieved; but still tense from the uncertainty of what was to come. They'd have to deal with another force—that if she remembered everything right, would turn hostile at a moment's notice based on dogma from an eternity ago. Setsuna seemed wrapped up in their machinations too; but Michi was sure she was still playing for their side. It wasn't any specific knowledge she could point too; just the feeling that Setsuna hadn't shifter her loyalties. Seoul Airport came into view, and as they pulled into the loading area several armed policemen waited outside the terminal entrance. Probably here to 'escort' us out of their hovel… Michiru thought; still slightly bitter from the ordeal at the prison—and not bothering to check herself for spite of the gesture. The party exited and proceeded through the terminal in silence. The gate they arrived at was the same one they entered from; and from the looks of it Taiki had lent them the use of their jet again. The next time they were in the cluster, Michiru would have to host them; she concluded.
After boarding the plane and getting everyone fastened in; the queries began again, out of the earshot of the unpowered public.
"Haruka-papa… What happened back there, really?" Hotaru asked. Her voice carried the silence that she wielded with it; when it wasn't the faint pulsing tone, it held off slightly muted, the last notes of it just outside of aural range.
"What in particular, Hime-chan?" Haruka responded.
"Well, why did you have to shoot him?"
"Because he wasn't human anymore. Not really; when he'd given himself over to the greed completely, he started changing. I'm not sure how long he'd been possessed; but when we met to do the exchange, he threw the deal out from the beginning. There wasn't any other way to save Tsurugi and Keiko."
"Then how did you and Setsuna-mama end up in Korea?"
"It's a bit of a story; so I guess I'd better start with where I lost the car…" Haruka sounded like she regretted the decision of sending the car into the harbor.
"I was wondering why you did that. Was it the stuff in the case affecting your judgment?" Usagi asked the question on several minds at the time. The Senshi of Wind's attachment to the vehicle only rivaled her attachment to her wife and family.
"Yeah…I didn't want them to catch Taiki and end up using him as a hostage in all this. So, it was after sending the car off the dock; that Setsuna and I ran off towards the warehouse where I was supposed to meet Jun." Haruka recounted; Michiru allowed herself to be taken away on the breeze of Haruka's voice towards the memory—the vision swimming overlain on her vision like a hologram, still solidifying.
P/A/N: I know Michi's supposed to be perfect—but come on; her parents are a part of the Japanese business elite, and they are some of the most racist and cloistered socialites ever. She rails against these types of thinking to try and become what others perceive her to be—but perfection takes constant effort. It's why Ami studies all the time, and why Michi practices violin when she could probably play Mozart on a cold open.
Chon = Japanese racial slur for Koreans.
Sukeban = Girls gang.