SM Monthly Fanfic Challenge Theme #114 (24APR06)
Title: New Year's Gift
Author: Raya
Theme: Michiru (Optional: "I have seen the future, and it doesn't work." -- Robert Fulford)
Genre: Romance
Version: PGSM (Spoiler Level Pallas, i.e., NONE)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1426 (Edited)
Disclaimer: Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Ten'oh were created by Takeuchi Naoko. I have merely converted them into Live Action dolls to play with for a little while.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So are constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks!
This story takes place after the events in PGSM Act 49, but before the ones in Special Act. It also takes place after my stories 'Til We Meet Again and I Get a Kick Out of You, although knowledge of those fics are not required to enjoy this one. - Raya
New Year's Gift
Michiru nervously checked her appearance in the bedroom mirror for the fifth time in as many minutes. Haruka would arrive soon, and she wanted to look perfect. She straightened the sleeve of her indigo blue kimono, and then turned to check that the white obi had not been crushed or crumpled when she had sat down to put on her makeup.
She fingered the red chrysanthemum in her dark hair, and wondered if Haruka would know what it and the daisy pattern on her kimono meant or if she would think they were just pretty decorations. She never knew with her friend. She could be so absolutely clueless about some things that Michiru thought every girl knew, such as what her birthstone was, and yet know other things such as the exact dates that Calvin Klein would be revealing his new fashions. There was a possibility that Haruka would know what the flowers meant. There was an equal chance that she would not.
'Well, if she doesn't know,' Michiru reasoned as she leaned closer to the mirror to inspect her makeup again, 'she soon will.' She jumped when the doorbell rang, and placed a slim hand over her heart which was beginning to race wildly. She closed her caramel brown eyes and took several deep breaths, and then turned to walk to the door.
"Good after..." Haruka's voice faded away as she got a good look at Michiru. Her friend was always pretty, but the traditional outfit that she wore today made her look particularly stunning. "Umm..." She swallowed, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Haruka-san," Michiru replied formally. "Welcome to my house." Haruka caught a glimpse of a smile as the smaller woman bowed to her. Quickly, she returned the gesture, and then stepped into the penthouse suite when Michiru moved to one side.
Michiru eyed Haruka's dark aqua kimono appreciatively as she followed her friend into the living area. Its simple cut and design accentuated her friend's height, and the color discretely emphasized her European looks without over-emphasizing them. She blinked and looked more closely as the light reflected off of a subtle pattern. She smiled again when she realized that the kimono was actually covered with aqua colored cranes. Her smile grew as she wondered how many there were.
"I see you still have your kodomatsu up by the door," Haruka said as she settled comfortably onto the floor.
"Mmm," Michiru replied with a small nod. Her heart was still racing. "I thought we could take them with us to the bonfire tonight." As Haruka agreed and began to talk about how she wished she had thought to do that, Michiru tried to think of some way to bring up the topic of the kiss Haruka had given her two weeks before.
She was still trying to find a way to work it into the conversation several hours later when they arrived at the local shrine for the traditional bonfire. It was so hard to just come out and say that she, too, wanted to be more than just friends.
They wandered around the grounds for a while, eating roasted rice cakes, laughing at the antics of the hyper children, and admiring the large bonfire. They each added one of Michiru's pine bough arrangements to the blaze, and stood silently by, watching it burn.
Haruka turned towards her friend and felt her breath catch once again at the other girl's beauty. Her blue eyes skimmed over Michiru's face, admiring her arching eyebrows, her high cheekbones, her nose, and her full lips. The corner of her own mouth twitched as she noted that Michiru was wearing her usual small, mysterious smile, and that the caramel brown eyes had a distant, far-away look to them.
"Are you reading the future in the fire?" she teased.
Michiru blinked, and then turned to look at her. Here it was. Haruka had just given her the perfect opening. She felt her heart stop, and then begin pounding once more as she began to tremble. "I have," she said breathlessly. She turned to look back into the fire. Maybe if she wasn't actually looking at Haruka this would be easier. "I have seen the future..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to make the next words come out. '... with you.' Why was this so hard? It was what she wanted!
"That bad is it?" Haruka teased as the pause stretched out. "Don't tell me... Ito-san convinced your father that he was the perfect mate for you, and they arranged a marriage behind your back. Don't worry. I'll kidnap you on the night before the wedding, and we can escape to Bora Bora, open a tiki bar, and eek out a living selling drinks and shell necklaces to the tourists."
Michiru smiled at the silly idea, just as Haruka had intended, and relaxed marginally. "I have seen the future," she said again as she turned to look at her friend again, "and it doesn't work." Haruka blinked at this odd statement and looked at her curiously. Michiru gave up trying to say what she meant and reached for Haruka's hand.
Haruka still looked confused, but something in Michiru's caramel eyes made her catch her breath. She caught it again when she realized that the brunette was trembling, and automatically tightened her hand reassuringly around Michiru's. "It doesn't work?" she asked softly, trying to understand. "A future with me in it? I thought... we were going to continue to be friends."
Michiru nodded, and then shook her head. "I cannot do that," she said. This time it was her turn to squeeze Haruka's hand reassuringly as the blonde instinctively pulled away. "A future as friends will not work. Not when we... when we both want... more."
Haruka stiffened. "We... both...?" she asked hesitantly.
Michiru laughed nervously. "You really need to learn flower language. Garden daisies mean shared sentiments," she said as she brushed her free hand across the pattern on her kimono. "And red chrysanthemums mean..." She swallowed. She had come this far. She could do it. "Love," she forced out.
"You don't have to do this, Michiru," Haruka said tightly as she looked away. "I told you, being friends with you is enough. You don't need to force yourself to..."
"I'm not!" Michiru interrupted loudly. She glanced around at the people around them, and lowered her voice once more. "I'm not. I've thought about it. I've been thinking about it for the past two weeks. Ever since you... ever since you kissed me at the New Year's Eve party. I never realized that I was a lesbian before. Actually, I was beginning to think that I was indifferent to everyone. Until you kissed me. That surprised me. I didn't know what to think. My head was spinning, my heart was pounding, and I couldn't seem to breathe right. The only clear thought that I had was... that I wanted you to kiss me again."
She glanced at Haruka out of the corner of her eye and felt her heart twist at the blank look on her friend's face. Obviously, the blonde did not believe her. Hurt, she pulled her hand away. "Forget I said anything," she mumbled as she turned to walk away.
Haruka grabbed her hand once more and sped up to walk beside her. "I don't want you to do this just because you think you should," she said quietly as she guided Michiru towards the shrine entrance. "You don't have to be anything more than my friend. I don't want to lose that."
"Neither do I," Michiru protested.
"Then don't force yourself," Haruka retorted.
Michiru suddenly stopped and glared at her. Haruka did not have time to notice. Michiru tightened her grip on the taller girl's hand and jerked her to a stop. Then, she pushed her friend off the path and into the shadows.
"Michiru?"
Still glaring, Michiru pushed her against a tree, placed her hands on Haruka's biceps to make her stay still, stretched up, and kissed her. Haruka stiffened in surprise, and then melted into the kiss. When the blonde did not fight her, Michiru slowly relaxed her grip.
"Does that feel like I am forcing myself?" she asked several minutes later as she relaxed into Haruka's chest.
The blonde automatically wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "No..." she sighed in wonder as she settled her chin on top of the brown head. "Not at all." Then, they were silent, enjoying the closeness.
Author: Raya
Theme: Michiru (Optional: "I have seen the future, and it doesn't work." -- Robert Fulford)
Genre: Romance
Version: PGSM (Spoiler Level Pallas, i.e., NONE)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1426 (Edited)
Disclaimer: Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Ten'oh were created by Takeuchi Naoko. I have merely converted them into Live Action dolls to play with for a little while.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So are constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks!
This story takes place after the events in PGSM Act 49, but before the ones in Special Act. It also takes place after my stories 'Til We Meet Again and I Get a Kick Out of You, although knowledge of those fics are not required to enjoy this one. - Raya
New Year's Gift
Michiru nervously checked her appearance in the bedroom mirror for the fifth time in as many minutes. Haruka would arrive soon, and she wanted to look perfect. She straightened the sleeve of her indigo blue kimono, and then turned to check that the white obi had not been crushed or crumpled when she had sat down to put on her makeup.
She fingered the red chrysanthemum in her dark hair, and wondered if Haruka would know what it and the daisy pattern on her kimono meant or if she would think they were just pretty decorations. She never knew with her friend. She could be so absolutely clueless about some things that Michiru thought every girl knew, such as what her birthstone was, and yet know other things such as the exact dates that Calvin Klein would be revealing his new fashions. There was a possibility that Haruka would know what the flowers meant. There was an equal chance that she would not.
'Well, if she doesn't know,' Michiru reasoned as she leaned closer to the mirror to inspect her makeup again, 'she soon will.' She jumped when the doorbell rang, and placed a slim hand over her heart which was beginning to race wildly. She closed her caramel brown eyes and took several deep breaths, and then turned to walk to the door.
"Good after..." Haruka's voice faded away as she got a good look at Michiru. Her friend was always pretty, but the traditional outfit that she wore today made her look particularly stunning. "Umm..." She swallowed, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Haruka-san," Michiru replied formally. "Welcome to my house." Haruka caught a glimpse of a smile as the smaller woman bowed to her. Quickly, she returned the gesture, and then stepped into the penthouse suite when Michiru moved to one side.
Michiru eyed Haruka's dark aqua kimono appreciatively as she followed her friend into the living area. Its simple cut and design accentuated her friend's height, and the color discretely emphasized her European looks without over-emphasizing them. She blinked and looked more closely as the light reflected off of a subtle pattern. She smiled again when she realized that the kimono was actually covered with aqua colored cranes. Her smile grew as she wondered how many there were.
"I see you still have your kodomatsu up by the door," Haruka said as she settled comfortably onto the floor.
"Mmm," Michiru replied with a small nod. Her heart was still racing. "I thought we could take them with us to the bonfire tonight." As Haruka agreed and began to talk about how she wished she had thought to do that, Michiru tried to think of some way to bring up the topic of the kiss Haruka had given her two weeks before.
She was still trying to find a way to work it into the conversation several hours later when they arrived at the local shrine for the traditional bonfire. It was so hard to just come out and say that she, too, wanted to be more than just friends.
They wandered around the grounds for a while, eating roasted rice cakes, laughing at the antics of the hyper children, and admiring the large bonfire. They each added one of Michiru's pine bough arrangements to the blaze, and stood silently by, watching it burn.
Haruka turned towards her friend and felt her breath catch once again at the other girl's beauty. Her blue eyes skimmed over Michiru's face, admiring her arching eyebrows, her high cheekbones, her nose, and her full lips. The corner of her own mouth twitched as she noted that Michiru was wearing her usual small, mysterious smile, and that the caramel brown eyes had a distant, far-away look to them.
"Are you reading the future in the fire?" she teased.
Michiru blinked, and then turned to look at her. Here it was. Haruka had just given her the perfect opening. She felt her heart stop, and then begin pounding once more as she began to tremble. "I have," she said breathlessly. She turned to look back into the fire. Maybe if she wasn't actually looking at Haruka this would be easier. "I have seen the future..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to make the next words come out. '... with you.' Why was this so hard? It was what she wanted!
"That bad is it?" Haruka teased as the pause stretched out. "Don't tell me... Ito-san convinced your father that he was the perfect mate for you, and they arranged a marriage behind your back. Don't worry. I'll kidnap you on the night before the wedding, and we can escape to Bora Bora, open a tiki bar, and eek out a living selling drinks and shell necklaces to the tourists."
Michiru smiled at the silly idea, just as Haruka had intended, and relaxed marginally. "I have seen the future," she said again as she turned to look at her friend again, "and it doesn't work." Haruka blinked at this odd statement and looked at her curiously. Michiru gave up trying to say what she meant and reached for Haruka's hand.
Haruka still looked confused, but something in Michiru's caramel eyes made her catch her breath. She caught it again when she realized that the brunette was trembling, and automatically tightened her hand reassuringly around Michiru's. "It doesn't work?" she asked softly, trying to understand. "A future with me in it? I thought... we were going to continue to be friends."
Michiru nodded, and then shook her head. "I cannot do that," she said. This time it was her turn to squeeze Haruka's hand reassuringly as the blonde instinctively pulled away. "A future as friends will not work. Not when we... when we both want... more."
Haruka stiffened. "We... both...?" she asked hesitantly.
Michiru laughed nervously. "You really need to learn flower language. Garden daisies mean shared sentiments," she said as she brushed her free hand across the pattern on her kimono. "And red chrysanthemums mean..." She swallowed. She had come this far. She could do it. "Love," she forced out.
"You don't have to do this, Michiru," Haruka said tightly as she looked away. "I told you, being friends with you is enough. You don't need to force yourself to..."
"I'm not!" Michiru interrupted loudly. She glanced around at the people around them, and lowered her voice once more. "I'm not. I've thought about it. I've been thinking about it for the past two weeks. Ever since you... ever since you kissed me at the New Year's Eve party. I never realized that I was a lesbian before. Actually, I was beginning to think that I was indifferent to everyone. Until you kissed me. That surprised me. I didn't know what to think. My head was spinning, my heart was pounding, and I couldn't seem to breathe right. The only clear thought that I had was... that I wanted you to kiss me again."
She glanced at Haruka out of the corner of her eye and felt her heart twist at the blank look on her friend's face. Obviously, the blonde did not believe her. Hurt, she pulled her hand away. "Forget I said anything," she mumbled as she turned to walk away.
Haruka grabbed her hand once more and sped up to walk beside her. "I don't want you to do this just because you think you should," she said quietly as she guided Michiru towards the shrine entrance. "You don't have to be anything more than my friend. I don't want to lose that."
"Neither do I," Michiru protested.
"Then don't force yourself," Haruka retorted.
Michiru suddenly stopped and glared at her. Haruka did not have time to notice. Michiru tightened her grip on the taller girl's hand and jerked her to a stop. Then, she pushed her friend off the path and into the shadows.
"Michiru?"
Still glaring, Michiru pushed her against a tree, placed her hands on Haruka's biceps to make her stay still, stretched up, and kissed her. Haruka stiffened in surprise, and then melted into the kiss. When the blonde did not fight her, Michiru slowly relaxed her grip.
"Does that feel like I am forcing myself?" she asked several minutes later as she relaxed into Haruka's chest.
The blonde automatically wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "No..." she sighed in wonder as she settled her chin on top of the brown head. "Not at all." Then, they were silent, enjoying the closeness.