#first 8 chapters

~~~Ch. 2 Did she really?

Color Haruka intrigued. She had just pulled up to house after being away for a month, to see an unfamiliar car pulling from the drive, the driver however was one she knew all to well. "Seiya." Haruka growled, what the hell was Michiru thinking bringing that harlot here? 'She wouldn't have...' Haruka had a moment to ponder on the thought, she had left 3 days after Michiru had asked her about Seiya, she'd been gone for a month, with little contact due to the way the races were set up.

She shook the thought away as she got out of her car, grabbing her bag from the back, all she really wanted right now was a hot shower and to sleep in her own bed. As she walked through the front door she saw Michiru exiting their bedroom, seemingly buttoning up her shirt. She looked surprised to see Haruka standing there, " I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow"

If Haruka didn't know better Michiru had an accusing tone to her voice, but she honestly want to believe she was just tired from the flight and drive. " I got an earlier flight." Haruka dropped her bag on the floor,  walking up to Michiru, she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, she buried her face in Michiru's hair. "I missed you while I was gone."

Haruka felt Michiru's arms wrap around her waist. She needed this. " How were things while I was gone?" Haruka was curious if Michiru would tell her that Seiya had been there.

" Oh, it was rather boring really. I spent a little time with the girls, took Hotaru to the new play in town, nothing to exciting." Michiru had looked up at Haruka as she spoke. Haruka didn't see any deception in her partners eye's, but why hadn't she mentioned Seiya?

"Really? What did you and the girls do?" Michiru shifted in her arms then, stepping back. Haruka thought it was odd of her partner, ' Don't assume anything, it's probably not what you're thinking.'

"We hung out at the Crown, went to the festival... " Michiru tapped a finger to her chin. "Oh we went to a Three Light's concert too. It was rather interesting to listen to them from the crowd."

Haruka nodded. "Sounds like it wasn't too boring then." She smiled, keeping her voice light even has exhaustion edged it's way in. "I think I'm going to take a shower, before going to sleep." Haruka stepped around Michiru and headed to their room.

"Would you like something to eat?" Michiru's voice stopped her for a second as she headed down the hall.

"No, I ate on the plane, wasn't great but I'm not hungry right now. Thank you, though." Haruka walked into the room and looked around, nothing seemed out of place. She shrugged of her jacket as she sat on the bed, she leaned forward and took off her boots. She sat there for a moment, running a hand through her hair. 'God, maybe sleep should come first.' She grabbed the front of her shirt and sniffed, her face twisted in distaste 'Nope, a shower can not wait."

Haruka flipped the nob for the hot water,  letting it run for a moment before stepping in the shower. "Ah..." The hot water sent a wave of ease through her, slowly she felt herself relax as the water washed over her.

~~~Ch. 3 The Pillow

Haruka didn't bother dressing after her shower, She dried herself and that was good enough. Admittedly, Haruka liked being naked behind closed doors, it was much more free. That and she had no shame when it came to her body. She glanced at the bed side table, looking at the clock it was already eight. How had so much time passed, it'd only been six-ish when she got home.

With a sigh she dropped on to the bed and sprawled out. "Ah, this is nice." The bed was a bit cold, but she didn't mind it. She was sure that soon enough Michiru would be joining her and she'd have all the warmth she wanted.

Haruka closed her eyes and pulled the blankets around her and buried her face in the pillows, her eyes snapped open, that was not Michiru's scent. She sat up and looked at the offending pillow, "The hell?' Just as she reached to pick up another pillow, the bedroom door opened and in stepped Michiru.

Michiru gave a curious look to Haruka, "Haruka, What are you doing with the pillows?"

"They smell funny..." It was the truth and to a sleepy Haruka it was a reasonable answer.

Michiru gave her a look, before walking over to the bed and climbing into it, she picked one of the pillows up, sniffing. A look flashed across her face but was gone before Haruka could read it. "They smell fine." Michiru's voice held a laugh to it.

"No, they smell weird!" Haruka snatched another pillow and held it to her face, that was most certainly not Michiru's scent. She held the pillow out to the other woman with a pout " It doesn't smell like you." Even to her own ears it sounded childish, but she'd looked forward to sleeping in a bed surrounded by Michiru's scent for a month.

Michiru sighed and took the pillow from Haruka, and placing it back at the head of the bed. " Lets just sleep Haruka." She leaned forward and gave the whirl wind blonde a chaste kiss. Laying back into the pillows, she waited for Haruka to lay down as well.

Haruka was sure Michiru was trying to avoid something, but what ever it was didn't seem to matter to her sleepy mind. She laid down and curled into Michiru's side. " G'night Michiru." She stifled a yawn, "I-I love you." Haruka was sure that her lover had stiffened, but it pasted so quickly.

" I love you too, Haruka."

Haruka smiled as her eyes fluttered shut, sleep claiming her.

~~~Ch. 4 The Wake Up

When Haruka woke, she noticed that Michiru was no longer with her. She wasn't overly surprised by it as Michiru had always been an early riser. What confused her was the sound of Michiru talking to someone in the living room. She got out of bed and went to the dresser, pulling out clothes, she quickly put them on and went to the bedroom door, cracking it so she could hear more clearly.

" Have you spoken to her yet?" The unknown person questioned, they were clearly female, but Haruka couldn't place the voice. At first. It took all of thirty seconds for Haruka to realize that black haired devil was in their house, she swung the door open, not waiting to hear more.

" What the hell are you doing here?" Haruka demanded, adding after a second " And why were you here yesterday?" Haruka looked between the two woman, the look on their faces, said they'd been caught. But caught doing what? Not getting a response Haruka grabbed Seiya by the collar of her shirt yanking her up from the chair, " What the hell are you doing in my house, and why were you here yesterday, Kou?"

Michiru grabbed Haruka's arm "Haruka, Please, let her go!" Haruka could not believe her lover was trying to protect the other woman.

" NO! Not until I get some answers!" Haruka dislike shouting at Michiru, but damn it, she wanted some answers now. Suddenly a familiar smell hit her nose, her eyes went to the Starlight in her clutches. "You..." Haruka's voice was low and dangerous. " You were in my bed." Before Michiru or Seiya could react, Haruka had shaken Michiru off her and had Seiya slammed against the wall behind the chair.

" What the hell is going on? Someone better answer me now, or so help me, Usagi won't even be able to bring you back!" To say Haruka was pissed, would be an understatement, she felt down right murderous.

Michiru took a step forward, only to be met by a feral look from Haruka, she stopped. "Haruka... She was here yesterday because I asked her to come. Just like I did today." That really didn't answer the why, the real why of it all.

Haruka stared at Michiru, keeping Seiya pinned, luckily Seiya was smart and not struggling at the moment. " What did you do, Michiru?" Haruka's voice was controlled and steely.

Seiya and Michiru shared a look, they hadn't done anything per say, they'd had lunch together, dinner too,  watch some classic movies, and shared a bed. Michiru had merely wanted to warm Seiya up to the idea of the three of them, once she had, she would work on Haruka again.

~~~Ch. 5 The Definition of Sleep

"Haruka it's not what you're thinking." Seiya figured she would try to sooth the enraged senshi of the sky, however it seemed to do the opposite as she was roughly shaken by said woman.

"Why were you in my bed?" Haruka was just barely able to keep herself from growling. To say that Haruka was a jealous woman when it came to Michiru was definably wrong, She wasn't jealous, she was protective. At least that's how she justified it.

"Haruka..." Michiru stepped forward, going to touch Haruka until the other woman pinned her with cold teal eyes.

" Don't! I want her to tell me!" Those cold teal eyes turned back to the raven haired woman. "Talk, Seiya!" It was a sharp command, Haruka was not going to let either woman try to smooth talk her.

Seiya stared at the blonde, even when she'd been protecting Usagi, Haruka had never looked this ferocious or murderous. Seiya bit back a gulp " Haruka, it was just late when we finished watching movies and talking, I could barely stay awake." As she spoke the blonde seemed to calm, but none of the tension left her. " So Michiru asked me to stay the night."

Haruka growled, that still did not answer why the woman who she was tempted to murder and hide in the back yard had been in her bed, the sofa would have been perfectly fine for her to sleep on.

"I asked her to sleep with me, Haruka."

Haruka blinked, thinking that she'd suddenly gone mad and none of this was actually happening. Michiru had asked another woman into their bed, Haruka was positive this was a nightmare. Haruka dropped Seiya, disappearing from the room in a flash.

"Haruka!" Michiru tried to catch Haruka as she brushed past her, She need to explain that it wasn't that way. That yes, she and Seiya had shared a bed, but it was just to sleep, and possibly a little cuddling. Michiru had been lonely while Haruka was gone, that wasn't an excuse but she hadn't crossed the line that Haruka thought she had.

"Let me talk to her." Seiya was rubbing her neck where her shirt had pinched her. She got the feeling that Michiru had forgotten to tell her that Haruka had not approved in the first place.  Seiya walked down the hall to the bedroom, she paused watching as the blonde tore through the room, grabbing clothes and random items and putting them in a duffle.

" Haruka... " The voice made Haruka freeze mid-step. She didn't want to see either of them, but she really couldn't stand the thought of seeing Seiya at that moment. "We didn't sleep together in that way." The other woman sounded sincere, but Haruka was a mass of mixed emotions.

~~~Ch. 6 Sudden Interest

Haruka didn't say anything, she just sat on the edge of the bed, wringing the object in her hands in a fashion akin to strangling someone. Her eyes didn't leave the floor, she really wasn't sure what to think of this. What if she'd just said yes? Would Michiru still have done this? Obviously she was missing some key information, she just wasn't sure if she could bring herself to hear either of them out.

Seiya stepped into the room, careful to keep distance between herself and the raging tornado that sat on the bed. "So I'm going to assume you didn't know Michiru had asked me to hang out?" Seiya figured the best way to handle the situation was to try and be friendly, then perhaps Haruka wouldn't kill her.

Haruka's head snapped up, eyes locking on Seiya as if she was the first prey after a long winter. Those eyes were dangerous and it was clear that Haruka was not in a friendly mood. " No, she didn't mention it." Haruka clipped the words as she spoke.

Seiya sighed "If I'd know you weren't aware, I would have stayed away until you were home. She said she'd spoken to you about it." Seiya had actually been flattered when the aquamarine woman had come to her. She was lonely since she no longer got to spend as much time with Usagi, as she had Mamoru back, so she didn't need to lean on Seiya an longer. Seiya had always found the violinist interesting, especial after the joint concert, so when she came asking if, Seiya would like to spend time with her, she jumped at the chance.

Haruka stared at the other woman, had Michiru spoken to her about it during one of their brief phone calls? It was possible, Haruka had been so busy that she couldn't recall everything they'd spoken about. Haruka thought back to that day little more than a month ago. It had been very sudden when Michiru brought up the Starlight, sure they'd talked about other woman before, even going so far as talk over the possibilities of bringing someone home.

It wasn't that they were bored of each other or even needed the added spice, it was just something different for them. despite what most thought, She'd only ever been with Michiru and vice versa. Haruka was sure that there had been times Michiru wished to explore and try something different. Haruka, herself had her moments.

"She did, just not about this." Seiya gave the blonde a questioning look, to which Haruka asked " Did she tell you the reason behind her sudden interest?"

Seiya shook her head, Michiru hadn't come out right and said anything about it, other than "You're like Haruka." to which Seiya had laughed and told her that she was obviously confused.

~~~Ch. 7 The Ocean

Michiru stood in the hall, listening. She should have just told Haruka everything last night when she'd mentioned the pillows. Michiru sighed, Haruka wouldn't change her mind now.

"Seiya, How do you like Michiru?" Haruka was curious, despite her jealous rage, she knew that Michiru was a beautiful woman. She also knew that on more than one occasion someone had tried to play on that. Michiru wasn't simple minded, and wouldn't easily be wooed by a charming fan or even a rather charming cross-dressing female singer. Haruka couldn't really say anything about the cross-dressing, she did it too. Her reason were perhaps different than the Star Lights but either way they had that in common. Now that Haruka had the passing thought, they had several things in common. 'Damn.'

Seiya was taken back by the question, "How do I see her? She's beautiful, intelligent, strong... " Seiya paused, shook her head with a chuckle, "She's like the ocean, beautiful and dangerous, you see the surface that is calm and beautiful even as waves crash on shore, but below that... twisting tides and secrets. She could drag you in and drowned you before you even knew what was happening..." Seiya suddenly wondered if she was already drowning, because as she stood looking at the blonde, she realized that the blonde was not an unattractive person. Michiru had told her a little bit about Haruka, answered the questions she'd had about the blonde senshi of Uranus. 'Ah, I played right into her... I let her make me curious.' The realization hit Seiya, yet she could not find it in herself to really feel mislead.

Haruka sat listening to the raven haired woman, She hit the nail on the head when talking about Michiru. Michiru could draw anyone in, she was a siren like that, but Haruka knew that she didn't always intend to drown the people she lured in. She stood suddenly and crossed the room, not allowing her self to think and acting souly on instinct. Haruka stopped in front of the Star Light, bring a hand to rest on the back of her neck, she noticed that Seiya was the same height as her, she didn't need to bend as she did with Michiru. She looked into those midnight blue eyes and before she could stop herself, she gave a gentle tug on the raven haired woman's neck, bringing her close.

Seiya's eyes had gone wide as the blonde came toward her, she couldn't make herself back away, so she stood rooted to that spot. Haruka's hand was warm on her neck, a faint shiver ran down her spine. She met Haruka's eyes with questions in her own. Feeling the gentle pull, she stepped closer, into the blondes space, she felt warm, which was strange. A gasp left her when she felt soft, unsure lips catch her own. Slowly, uncertainly she let her eyes slip closed, a sudden wave of curiosity over coming her, she laid a hand on Haruka's hip, the other on her throat. The edge of fear and uncertainty left her feeling the blonde respond to her.

Haruka wasn't sure what she'd expected, but Seiya return the kiss was not it. Although, Haruka could not find it in herself to stop. Even unsure of what they were doing this felt good, feeling the slightly calloused fingers on her throat, caused her to thread her fingers in Seiya's hair at the nape of her neck. She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but she pulled away panting slightly. They said hatred was a kind of passion similar to love, but in that moment Haruka was not certain if that was what she felt. "Seiya..."

Michiru had heard Haruka get up and then silence, she wasn't sure if they'd just killed each other or what, so she peeked into the room. Emotions swirled in the pit of her stomach, Haruka was kissing Seiya. Michiru blinked, that wasn't possible. She couldn't move, she watched them and the way they reacted to each other, it was like a silent passion had been growing in them. A passion that could only be answered in the other. 'Did I just set myself up to lose Haruka?' the terrifying thought was enough to knock the air from her. What drove it home was the way Haruka said Seiya's name as the kiss ended. It was so like the way that Haruka told Michiru that she loved her. 'Was this really what I wanted?' Michiru went to her knee's as the shock finally took her.

~~~Ch. 8 Not Unlike Us

Haruka and Seiya both turned their attention to the door stepping away from each other. "Michiru, I-" Haruka started to say she was sorry, but stopped, because she didn't regret it. It surprised her that she didn't, so she wasn't going to apologize for it. She went to Michiru and knelt in front of her. She reached out and touched her shoulder. "Michiru, What happened while I was gone?" For some reason that seemed the most logical place to start.

Seiya watched the blonde go to the aqua haired woman. She felt a pull in her chest to go to her also, but she felt that this was between them, that they needed to talk and she was a little worried about Michiru's reaction. She'd obviously seen the kiss and it had hurt her if the reaction was anything to go by.  She went and sat on the bed. She would end up being part of this conversation eventually.

Michiru looked about at her, tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe Haruka had just kissed Seiya. "Nothing! nothing happened." Michiru heard her voice crack, she shook her head, that was wrong. Something had happened and that's why this hurt even more. She had been right in saying that Seiya was not unlike Haruka. She and Seiya had gotten together after the concert, they went for coffee and ended up talking all night long. Seiya was different from Haruka in several ways, but fundamentally they were the same and that drew Michiru to the Starlight even more. The thing that truly gave Michiru pause with Seiya was that she saw a bit of herself in the raven haired woman. Seiya was like this piece that just fit and as Michiru got to know her that piece seemed to fit better and better.

"We went for coffee after that concert I told you I went to, we ended up talking all night. Just getting to know each other, Did you know her favorite color is teal? like your eyes?" It was off handed information but it had struck Michiru as odd. " We hung out more, mostly with the girls and then sometimes not. We'd get lunch together or go and work on music in the studio." Michiru babbling and she knew it, but she wanted to put it all out there. She hadn't done what Haruka thought. At least not completely, but she knew she'd towed the line.

"The day before you came home, I asked her over for lunch, we just got so lost in conversation and soon it was dinner. We both decided to cook something and watch some movies that Seiya hadn't seen yet and before we knew it, it was early in the morning and I didn't want her to drive home, half asleep." Michiru stopped, taking a deep breath.

Haruka stared at her, so far it didn't seem that bad what they'd done. Then Michiru brought up the day before she'd gotten home, the day Seiya had been in her bed. She felt the muscles in her back tense, she may have just got done kissing the woman and that confused her, but that didn't mean she was ok with any of this. She didn't say anything, just nodded her head for Michiru to continue.

"She was going to sleep on the sofa, but then I thought, why not sleep with me? I know it was wrong, but I missed you... and I thought that maybe it would open her up to further possibilities. Which was wrong of me. I know that. Nothing happened though, we may have cuddled in our sleep but for the most part we stayed on separate sides of the bed. I swear it, Haruka!" Michiru wanted to make sure Haruka knew she hadn't crossed that line, it would be the one thing that Haruka wouldn't forgive. Although she could hold the kiss against Haruka. It wasn't that Haruka had kissed Seiya, she actually found that rather appealing to watch, it was the after affect.

"Why did you kiss her?" The question caught Haruka off guard and she looked back at the Starlight who seemed just has surprised as she felt.

She turned back to Michiru and before she even knew what she was saying words tumbled from her mouth. "She'd not unlike you." The words mirrored Michiru's, the reason she had wanted to taste Seiya in the first place. Haruka realized with some amount of horror that, Michiru had been right, but she was right too. Seiya was not unlike them, she loved her Princess, was a devoted Senshi, but she also loved their Princess, who, Haruka, herself loved in a way similar to how she loved Michiru.

It was more than that though, Seiya was both playful and cold, soft and stone like. She had a way with music that reminder Haruka of times when she and Michiru would play together. It was filled with so much of her. Haruka didn't know how she'd missed it before, maybe it was her jealousy, maybe it was that this woman was an outsider to their world, but now Seiya called Earth home, she wasn't an outsider, she wasn't unknown. She was Seiya, She was Fighter. Blinking in shock she realized that she'd played right into Michiru.