"Haruka?"

Michiru opened a bleary eye at the lack of response and was surprised to find herself alone in the bed, cocooned in blankets. She propped herself on her elbow, looking around the dark room, but found it empty. Rolling over to look at the clock on the bedside table, she groaned when she saw that it was already after 6.

She and Haruka had gone to bed a little over 4 hours ago . . . but they hadn't done much sleeping. They had both agreed that their time together had no strings attached, but that didn't stop them from spending the wee hours of the morning making love and talking, sharing as much of their histories, desires, fears, and dreams as they possibly could before falling asleep in each other's arms.

She smiled, recalling the details of their time together. Michiru had a long, exhausting day ahead of her, but she wouldn't trade her night for anything in the world. It had been a long time since she had connected with someone like that. There was just something about Haruka . . .

She sighed. Figuring she should track down her host's whereabouts, Michiru got up, shivering in the cold morning air, searching for her discarded clothing on the floor. Finding her leggings, she grimaced when she realized they were still a bit damp, and decided to put on the clothes Haruka offered the night before instead.

Opening the door to the garage, she padded down the stairs, quickly spotting Haruka under her car, which was high aloft the hydraulic lifts.

"Hey you," she said as she approached Haruka, who ducked her head out from under the car. "What are you doing up already?"

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed, not quite looking Michiru in the eye. "I figured I'd come down here and make myself useful."

"Make any progress?"

"Yep. Turns out it was your dizzy."

"My dizzy?"

"Your distributor."

"Oh . . ."

"I repaired it best I could, but you should replace it once you get to Northwaters."

"Wait, you're saying it's fixed? I can get to Northwaters today?" Michiru asked.

"Yep, it'll be ready to go in a few."

"Haruka, thank you, seriously," she said, stepping closer.

"No problem," Haruka said, waving a hand and turning away. "The princess needs to get to her castle, right?"

"Yeah . . ." Michiru looked down, not feeling quite as relieved as she thought she would at the news that her car was once again drivable.

"You should probably get showered and hit the road if you want to get there on time," Haruka said.

"Right, good idea. Oh, can I throw my clothes in the dryer while I shower? They're still a bit wet . . ."

"Sure."

"Thanks." Michiru smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Haruka turned away, once again disappearing below the car as Michiru returned to the loft to shower.

By the time she was clean, dressed in dry clothing, and had called the dean to assure her that yes, her car was fixed and she would be there on time after all, Michiru's car was off the lift and nowhere to be found. Thankfully, as she came down the stairs, the side door opened and Haruka stepped in, kicking snow from her boots.

"Just loaded your car onto the tow truck," Haruka explained. "I'll tow you to the highway since the back roads haven't been plowed yet."

"I see. Makes sense."

"It's ready to go whenever."

Michiru nodded. She glanced at the clock, realizing that she had just enough time to make it to Northwaters by 9 if she left right away.

"Just give me a minute to gather up my things," she said, proceeding to hunt down the various items she had left in the garage the night before.

A few minutes later, she was bundled up and back in the cab of Haruka's enormous truck and headed back to the highway. It was still dark out, and the tow truck's headlights illuminated their way as they steadily plowed their way through the snowy roads. The ride was quiet—both women lost in their own thoughts.

As they approached the highway, Haruka cleared her throat. "Like I said, you'll need a new distributor once you get to Northwaters."

"Right."

"Take it to Von Holdt," Haruka said, parking the truck and turning on the hazards. "He's a buddy of mine. Does good work."

Michiru nodded, making a mental note to remember the name.

"I uh, changed your oil," Haruka said, her voice sounding slightly scratchy. "And topped off your antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid."

"Haruka," Michiru said, turning to the other woman, "you didn't have to do all that."

Haruka didn't answer, instead exiting the truck's cab without a word.

Michiru sighed, wondering if their one-night-only, no-strings-attached evening had more than a few lingering threads. She certainly had no regrets about what had happened; she just hoped that she hadn't inadvertently hurt Haruka in any way.

She bit her lip, thinking of how withdrawn Haruka had been all morning. Maybe it hadn't been wise to go all in so fast, after all.

Michiru stared ahead at the sky, now lightened to the rich blue of pre-dawn, listening to the steady and sure sounds of the tow truck's hydraulics as her car was lowered to the street. Hearing her car start, she opened the door, jumping into the snowy street clutching her belongings. She found Haruka standing beside the car, her elbow propped on the open driver's side door, an unreadable look on her face. Squeezing by her, Michiru tossed her things into the car, then stood to say her goodbyes.

"Haruka—" she began, but the crushing hug she was suddenly engulfed in cut her off. Overcoming her momentary shock, Michiru returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around the taller woman.

"Michiru," Haruka whispered into her hair, "thank you."

Michiru chuckled into Haruka's chest. "For what?"

"For everything. Last night . . . it meant a lot. More than you know."

Michiru tightened her embrace for a moment. "You know, Northwaters isn't really that far from here . . ."

Haruka shook her head sadly, pulling away. "I think . . . I think I need to work on myself for a while, y'know?"

"I understand," Michiru said, nodding.

Haruka cleared her throat. "You'd better get going."

Michiru sighed as she climbed into the car. Haruka held onto the door, shutting it closed once she was settled, then backed away from the vehicle, her hands tucked in her pockets.

After arranging her things, Michiru looked back at her rescuer, then rolled down her window.

"Hey," she called, waving Haruka over. Haruka walked back to the car, leaning down and folding her forearms across the open window's sill.

"What's up, Princess? Forget something?"

Michiru smiled. "A goodbye kiss," she said, tugging on Haruka's jacket through the window. Haruka was only too happy to oblige. Though it was brief, Michiru tried to put as much emotion as she could behind the kiss. You aren't just some meaningless one-night stand to me, she hoped it said. I'll be thinking of you . . .

Breaking apart, Haruka lingered for a moment, resting her gloved palm on Michiru's cheek as they gazed at one another, until the sound of another truck coming down the road prompted them to break apart. Haruka stood beside the car as the noisy truck pulled up next to them and the driver rolled down his window. Michiru quickly recognized driver as the middle-aged gas station attendant from the night before.

"Need any help?" he asked them.

"Nah, everything's good, Joe," Haruka told the man, who was peering into the car.

"Hey little lady," he called to Michiru. "Did Tenoh get you sorted out?"

"Oh, she sure did," Michiru replied with a subtle smirk. "Thank you so much for the recommendation."

"Sure thing! Glad it worked out," he said with a friendly smile.

"Me too," Michiru said.

"Have a safe drive. See you 'round, Tenoh," he said, waving out of the open window as he drove off.

Haruka turned to face Michiru once again, the ghost of a blush on her cheeks. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Great. That man's the biggest gossip in town."

Michiru furrowed her brows. "I didn't get you into any trouble, did I?"

"Nah, these people had me figured out a long time ago," she explained, waving her hand. "But you passing through here is probably the most exciting thing that will happen in this town all winter. It's probably all they'll talk about for months."

Michiru giggled into her gloved hand. They looked at each other for a moment, but Michiru's smile slid soon from her face and she turned away.

"I'd better get going," she said.

Haruka nodded, patting the roof of the car.

"Thanks again," Michiru told her, a sad smile on her face.

"Sure thing," she said, stepping back from the car. "Oh, and Princess?"

"Yeah?"

"Get some snow tires, will ya?"

Michiru smiled. "Got it."

Rolling up her window, she waved, then maneuvered her car around Haruka's truck. She flicked her eyes to her rearview mirror, watching Haruka's unmoving figure grow smaller and smaller, finally disappearing as she turned onto the highway.

The first tendrils of dawn that snaked across the pastel sky went unnoticed by Michiru as she started the last leg of her journey north. Instead, her thoughts remained with the woman she had just left behind.

"Hand me that torque wrench, will ya, Joe?"

"Sure thing!" Joe said, momentarily pausing his monologue about the latest townie gossip.

After handing Haruka the wrench she requested, he resumed his chatter and returned to the folding chair he had set up by Haruka's workstation—his usual spot when he stopped by on his days off.

Haruka went back to tuning him out (as usual) as she finished replacing the break pads on her Harley—one of the last tasks on her maintenance checklist before she hit the road the following day.

Joe didn't mind her lack of attention. All he needed was a warm body to talk at and he could go on for hours. Haruka was just thankful that she herself wasn't the current topic of conversation; after Michiru's brief stay, speculation over Haruka's love life was indeed the most exciting topic of local gossip for the rest of the winter, just as she had predicted. If Joe weren't like a brother to Haruka she would have throttled him long ago for his big mouth.

He was still droning on (Haruka had long since moved on to the next item on her checklist) when the sound of a car pulling into Haruka's driveway drew his attention.

"Tell whoever that is to go away, will ya?" Haruka asked, engulfed in her work.

"No problem," he said, getting up as a car door slammed shut. Haruka could hear him conversing with someone outside as she worked.

"Hey Tenoh," he called from the doorway a few moments later, "I think you should come out here."

Haruka turned to yell, but Joe was already gone. She sighed, cursing Joe as she peeled off her gloves and tossed them on the ground by her bike.

"What is—" Haruka stopped in her tracks as she stepped through the doorway. There was Joe, casually chatting with a woman wearing a soft summer dress and a wry smile; a woman with beautiful waves of teal hair that had fueled many of Haruka's fantasies in the cold winter months.

"Well, I think I'm gonna get goin'," Joe said with an annoyingly satisfied smile, shaking Haruka from her trance. She looked over at him, inwardly cringing with the knowledge that she had just regained her spot as the #1 topic of local gossip.

"Oh uh, right." Haruka cleared her throat as he made his way to his enormous truck.

"You have a good trip, you hear?"

"Sure thing, Joe," she said, returning her gaze to the woman casually leaning against her car.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he said, starting the truck.

"Right."

"Good seeing you, little lady!" he yelled, waving as he drove off.

The two women stood still, watching each other in silence as the sound of Joe's truck faded into the distance.

Finally, Michiru spoke.

"I realized something very important after I left," she said, slowly walking toward Haruka. "I was halfway to Northwaters before I realized it."

Haruka stood rooted to the spot as Michiru approached.

"You see," she continued, coming to a stop dangerously close to Haruka before pulling a credit card out of her purse, "I realized I never paid you."

Haruka looked down at the card, then back at the mischievous look in Michiru's eyes. She smiled, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, your money's no good here."

"Really?" Michiru asked, leaning closer.

Haruka nodded, reaching a hand out to touch Michiru's arm. She felt warm and soft and achingly real.

"Well in that case, I think my car could really use an oil—"

Haruka cut her off, crushing her lips to Michiru's. Michiru happily sunk into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Haruka's neck as Haruka grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss for a few moments before calming, softening the kiss to something more tender, more meaningful. Michiru sighed happily into Haruka's lips, content in her embrace. Eventually they broke apart, and Michiru leaned her head against Haruka's chest, both slightly overwhelmed.

"Not that I'm complaining," Haruka said after steadying her breath, "but why are you really here, Michiru?"

Michiru picked at Haruka's worn T-shirt as she considered her answer. "To tell you the truth, you've been on my mind a lot, since that night. You're not an easy person to forget."

Haruka smiled. "I know what you mean, Princess." She kissed Michiru's head, reaching a hand up to entwine her fingers in Michiru's hair. "To tell you the truth, I couldn't really forget you, either."

"Really?" Michiru asked, looking up at Haruka.

"It's not often that a beautiful woman creates award-winning art about our night together," she said, smirking.

Michiru's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know about that?"

"I maybe sort of looked you up on the Internet after you left."

"You did?"

Haruka nodded, thinking of the lonely night two weeks after Michiru's departure when she finally caved, booted up her ancient computer, and googled Michiru.

"Yep. I found your blog and, well, I guess I just kept checking it to see what you were up to up there. And when I saw the big piece you did . . . well, it brought back some memories."

She smiled, remembering how shocked she had been after seeing videos of the completed art installation. Michiru had somehow managed to capture that night on the lake—the bite of the cold wind, the delicacy of the snow, the majesty of the aurora all around—with mirrors and lights and fans and god only knew what else all carefully arranged and contained in a single room. It had garnered quite a bit of attention from the art world and wound up being quite the coup for the little college.

"Haruka! I can't believe you used the Internet because of me! I'm honored," Michiru teased.

"Well, you should be," she said, then softened her eyes, stroking Michiru's hair. "Seriously, though, congratulations."

Michiru smiled. "Thank you, Haruka. You helped inspire Aurora, after all. I was just trying to recapture the feeling of being there on that lake with you that night. It was nice, actually . . . every time I worked on it I got to think of you."

Haruka breathed in deeply, running her hands up and down Michiru's back as Michiru once again laid her head against Haruka's chest.

"Are you OK with me being here?" Michiru asked.

Haruka chuckled, wrapping her arms around Michiru. "I'd say I'm more than OK with it."

"Are you . . ." She paused a moment, considering her words. "Have you been doing any better? Since the last time I was here?"

Haruka took a breath, exhaling slowly before answering. "I am. I found a . . . uh . . . therapist. A few towns over. She's helped me work through some things. Helped me let go of a lot of anger."

"Haruka . . . I'm so happy for you," she said, tightening her hold on Haruka.

"I mean, I still have more work to do, but I'm getting there. I'm a work in progress."

Michiru looked up, smiling at Haruka. "Yeah. I think we all are, really."

They gazed at each other, both still a little stunned at being together again after so many months apart.

"So," Michiru said, stepping back a bit, "your big road trip starts soon, yeah?"

"Yep. Tomorrow, actually. I was just tuning up my bike when you got here."

Michiru looked down, fiddling with a lock of her hair. "So I was wondering . . . I mean, you don't have to, but what would you think about me sort of . . . joining you?"

Haruka raised her eyebrows. "You want to come with me?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be the whole way if you don't want, but—"

"Hold on a second," Haruka said, cutting her off. She turned and jogged into the garage, returning a few moments later with her hands behind her back.

"So," she said with a smile, "you want to know what I think?"

Michiru nodded, still a bit nervous about Haruka's reaction. But her fears were put to rest when Haruka pulled a motorcycle helmet from behind her back—a helmet airbrushed in waves of blue and teal. Across the front, Princess was artfully written in gold cursive.

"Haruka . . ." She held out a hand, delicately running her fingers over the lettering. She swallowed, blinking back the tears that were suddenly pricking her eyes. "I can't believe this . . ."

"Well," Haruka said with a lopsided grin that made Michiru's heart skip a beat, "I figured that you needed inspiration for your next big piece, right?"

Michiru gave a watery chuckle, nodding in agreement. Haruka stepped forward, placing the helmet in her hands.

"What do think?" she asked, running her hands along Michiru's bare arms. "Want to give this a go?"

It was plain to Michiru that Haruka wasn't just talking about their road trip. A smile bloomed across her face as she looked into Haruka's hopeful eyes.

"Absolutely," she said, wrapping her arms around Haruka's neck and pulling her in for a kiss. "I'm ready for our adventure to begin."

That's it! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again to my bae-ta and to everyone who has commented, followed, and fav'd. YOU are my fav's! :)