The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium

*Title: The Last Sacrifice: The End of the Silver Millennium

*Author: kazeko

*Chapters: 1/1

*Couples: Haruka/Michiru

*Time: A few years after the end of Stars

*Timeline: Fits in Kazeko a month after Haruka proposes, but it's really just a fun little one-shot to get some images out of my mind.

*Summary: Haruka offers to give Michiru anything she wants for her birthday.

*Disclaimer: I don't any characters from Sailor Moon

"I didn't expect to see you this time of the morning."

The aqua-haired violinist shrugged as she sipped her tea. Her roommate watched her with curious garnet eyes, her own tea steaming in her hands. "I have a long list of things to do today, Setsuna-san. It's good to get an early start."

"On your birthday? Honestly, I'm surprised your fiancée let you out of bed."

Michiru forced herself not to blush at the mental images conjured by the taller senshi's words, casually flicking her hair over her shoulder as she placed her empty cup in the sink. "I admit that usually I like to spend my birthday as naked as possible, but this year is different. It's only been three weeks since she proposed but I already feel like I've been waiting forever to marry her."

"You certainly waited a lot longer this time," Setsuna murmured, the faraway look in her eyes letting her roommate know that she was remembering something from their past lives in the Silver Millennium.

"If you say so," Michiru replied demurely, knowing that the time guardian was still reluctant to release their full memories. "There are just some things I want to do today with her, before our wedding."

"How did you keep her asleep?"

Michiru summoned her talisman and smiled mysteriously. "Apparently my power of suggestion works on Haruka when she's very tired. Do you have plans with Hotaru-chan today?"

"Should I?"

"Yes."

Michiru's voice was calm and emotionless, but the sapphire light in her teal eyes betrayed her true intentions. Setsuna nodded slowly, standing from her chair and bowing to her friend. "Enjoy your birthday, Michiru-san."

Michiru stood in the doorway of her room, the hint of a smile on her face as she watched her lover sleep. The blonde rolled over as the light from the doorway interrupted her dreams, the satin sheets piled at the end of the bed and tangled around her feet, her underwear dark against her tanned skin. Michiru had convinced her lover to switch from men's boxers to much more adorable boy-short girl underwear with lace on the hems, and she loved looking at Haruka when she was wearing that and nothing else. Michiru flexed her slender fingers in anticipation as the light from the hallway played across the strong muscles of her lover's back and the unruly mop of dark blonde hair.

Haruka groaned as her body began to wake, turning her head to the side as her green eyes slowly opened, cloudy with sleep. "Michiru?"

The siren smiled as she entered the room and closed the door, a flush coloring her chest. She loved how deep Haruka's voice could be in the morning when she first woke up, even though the blonde had no idea what kind of effect she had on her partner. "Good morning, Ruka."

The senshi of the skies slowly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, freeing her feet from the blanket as she glared at the alarm clock through bleary eyes. "I was going to get up early and make you breakfast for your birthday." Her voice was clearer now, but Michiru could hear the pout in her husky tones. Haruka was upset that she didn't get to pamper her partner on such a special day. The pianist stretched one arm out toward the clock to make sure it wasn't broken, the muscles of her back shifting to help her keep balance on only three limbs. Michiru stared at the sight for a moment, her eyes darkening to full sapphire as they traveled across Haruka's back and down her legs, drawn back to the navy fabric covering Michiru's favorite treat. She felt a rush of heat fill her frame, and she was suddenly too horny to think straight. She might appear to be an elegant, reserved young lady to the rest of the world, but Haruka knew the side of her that was an insatiable sex-crazed maniac, and right now that maniac was rearing its head.

Unable and unwilling to stop herself, Michiru pounced. Haruka grunted in shock, pulling her arm back to keep herself balanced as the weight of her fiancée landed on her back, delicate hands grabbing for her breasts while familiar thighs took up position on either side of hers, trapping the blonde. "Michiru!"

The aquanette purred, her lips and teeth attacking Haruka's neck while her fingers pulled on her suddenly erect nipples. "Shh, Ruka," she whispered, biting hard enough to leave a bruise as her lover hissed.

"Michi, you shouldn't . . ."

"Shouldn't what?" Michiru released Haruka's right breast and let her fingers dance across the blonde's flat stomach, taking a moment to enjoy the muscles flexing beneath her touch before slipping her hand lower. She used her weight on Haruka's back to keep the blonde still as she pulled her underwear over her hips, helping Haruka lift her legs in sequence so she could pull the scrap of fabric off. Despite her words moments before, Haruka complied with her mate's unspoken commands, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as Michiru's fingers danced around her core. Haruka couldn't stand having body hair, so her mound was clean-shaven, and every feather-light brush of Michiru's fingers sent shocks of ice through her overheating body. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No," Haruka breathed, her emerald eyes closing as Michiru's fingers deftly slipped inside her. Firmly anchored inside her lover, Michiru leaned back, using the hand on Haruka's breast to pull the blonde with her. Settling into a sitting position with the blonde between her legs, Michiru moved until she could lean back against the headboard, facing her vanity against the wall opposite the bed. She paused for a moment, staring at their reflections in the mirror as she kissed Haruka's neck again and kneaded her breast.

"Look how beautiful you are," Michiru whispered, watching as Haruka opened her eyes and stared at their reflection. The blonde's legs were spread wide, Michiru's fingers pumping in and out of her tight sheath while her other hand continued to tease her breasts mercilessly. "Can't you see why I love you?"

"Michi," Haruka moaned, throwing her head back as her lover pressed down on her clit with her thumb, slowly increasing the pace of her thrusting. The wind senshi was always horny when she first woke up, and she wasn't going to last much longer. Michiru felt her lover start to tremble so she increased her speed again, pulling the blonde as close to her as possible. Haruka screamed as her orgasm hit, alternately bucking against the hand still pumping in and out of her and arching back against her lover's lap. Michiru moaned softly as Haruka thrashing body pressed on her own clit, giving her a smaller version of the crashing ecstasy pulsing from her lover through their bond.

Haruka went limp as the aftershocks of her orgasm faded, reaching weakly for her partner in an effort to return the pleasure. Michiru, fingers still buried inside her blonde's tight heat, slipped out from behind the taller woman and pushed her back against the bed, letting her free hand return to her lover's breast. "I didn't say we were done." Without giving Haruka a moment to consider what she meant, Michiru slipped her fingers out and buried her tongue inside her lover, thumb pressed against her clit as the racer screamed. She didn't let up as Haruka's body convulsed underneath her, wave after burning wave of pleasure pulsing through the blonde and echoing across their bond. Michiru felt her body tremble with smaller versions of Haruka's orgasms, and she finally pulled out of her lover's warmth when she couldn't move anymore.

Haruka collapsed on their silky blue sheets, her juices staining Michiru's hands and the cloth beneath them, her emerald eyes almost glowing with the aftereffects of her pleasure, sweat covering her tanned skin. She tried to lean up, but her arms were too weak to support her, so she satisfied herself by running her long fingers through Michiru's wavy aqua hair. "What was that?" Her voice was deeper again, the husky timbre that Michiru loved to hear after their lovemaking sessions.

"It's my birthday, Ruka," Michiru whispered. "I wanted to play with my favorite toy." The senshi of the seas watched as a fierce blush spread down her lover's chest and across her breasts, the violinist letting her fingers dance across those smooth globes once more. "Let's take a quick shower, koi; we have places to be today."

"Places? I thought . . ."

"I know. But I want to do something else today." Michiru slipped out of bed and pulled the blonde with her into the bathroom. They showered quickly, Michiru preventing her lover's wandering hands from keeping them in the water for more than a few minutes, fixing her hair and finding a simple blue day dress to slip over her head. The blonde watched her, slightly dazed, as Michiru found a nice gold suit for her partner to wear, helping her dress and gesturing for her to fix her hair.

"Where are we going?"

"Out," Michiru replied simply. "Let's go; you're driving."

Haruka couldn't stop looking at Michiru, but every time she did her partner would scold her for not watching the road. They were driving along the beach, wind flowing through their hair, Haruka finally letting herself relax and enjoy her element while Michiru watched the waves crashing on the shore beneath them. "Is this what you wanted?"

"I love driving along the beach with you," Michiru replied, the words almost an answer.

"I wanted to give you something for your birthday."

"I don't need anything other than you for my birthday, year after year."

Haruka blushed, running her fingers through her hair in a gesture Michiru has learned to interpret as her lover's inability to take a compliment. "I still want to get you something. Anything you want."

"Anything?"

Haruka nodded and Michiru smiled, placing her delicate hand on Haruka's thigh. "Pull over up ahead, Ruka."

The blonde obeyed, carefully maneuvering her precious car off the road and onto a bluff overlooking the water, following Michiru as the sea senshi headed for the water, heels in her hand. Haruka watched as Michiru entered the sea, foamy water lapping at her ankles as she stared off across the water, a secretive smile on her face. The blonde stayed above the high-tide mark, hands in her pockets as the wind danced around her, whispering to her as the sea whispered to her fiancée. They stood there for over an hour as the sun floated lazily across the sky, Michiru enjoying the surf on her ankles and Haruka enjoying the sight of the beautiful siren before her.

"I'm ready to go."

"That was sudden." Haruka watched her partner leave the water, more relaxed and centered than she had been before. "Feel better?"

"You know I do, koibito. Did you want to go for a swim?" Haruka snorted and offered her hand to Michiru, leading the smaller woman back to her car. She fished a small hand towel out of the trunk and helped the aquanette sit in the passenger seat with her feet outside the car, kneeling on the ground and drying Michiru's feet before helping her slip back into her heels. "If I told any of the others that you kneel on the ground and dry my feet after we leave the beach . . ."

Haruka laughed and ran her fingers up Michiru's legs, enjoying the silky skin under her callused palms. Michiru stopped her before Haruka could slip her hands under her skirt, gently rebuking the blonde. "What?" Haruka pouted when Michiru stopped her, emerald eyes dark with lust.

"Anything, right Ruka?"

"Of course. Anything you want."

"I need you to drive me somewhere."

"What is this place?" Haruka was back in protective girlfriend mode, glaring at the neon letters hanging over the blacked-out doors.

"It's a tattoo and piercing parlor, Haruka." Michiru entered the establishment without any hesitation, forcing her partner to follow her. Inside, the building was very clean and well-lit, a long counter dividing the space into a tattoo parlor on one side and a piercing salon on the other. A nice young woman with her arms covered in tattoos and her face covered in piercings greeted Michiru, as if elegant and refined violinists visited that side of town every day. Haruka, hands firmly entrenched in her coat pockets, looked at the rows of books covering the walls, each one filled with dozens of designs, a central column covered in even more books and more designs. Doors along the left wall led to private rooms where the tattoos were performed, and she glanced over the central counter to see that the piercing side was set up almost identically. A small collection of soft-looking chairs surrounded the central column, and Michiru led her there after speaking with the woman at the desk.

"Why are we here?"

Michiru smiled and took Haruka's hand, sapphire eyes warm. "You said I could have anything I wanted today."

"You want a tattoo?" She raised one eyebrow skeptically as she waved one hand at the books on the wall, sitting on the couch beside her siren. "Or maybe a piercing?" Michiru giggled and shook her head, refusing to answer her partner. Haruka, taking the sea senshi's silence as a challenge, touched Michiru's lip, a teasing lilt to her voice. "Are you getting a piercing here? Or maybe here." She let her hand wander lower, across Michiru's collar and over her breast, grinning unrepentantly when her hand was slapped away from a suddenly erect nipple.

"Michiru-san?"

Haruka's lust cooled in an instant as she stood, facing a tall woman with dyed bright blue hair who seemed to know her partner very well. The blue-haired woman smiled, the piercings in her lips flashing in the light as she stepped forward, every exposed inch of skin covered in very colorful and very intricate tattoos. "Hello, Kai-san." Michiru slipped around her girlfriend, patting Haruka's arm reassuringly as she bowed to the tattoo artist. "I was happy to see that you were working today."

"It's been years since I've seen you," Kai replied, ignoring the glare Haruka was shooting her. "You've become famous. And your new girlfriend is quite lovely."

Haruka started at the word, crossing her arms over her chest. "I prefer the word partner."

Kai chuckled and walked away, leading the pair into one of the rooms along the wall. Michiru grabbed Haruka and forced the blonde to follow the tattoo artist, entering the small room and pushing her lover toward the chair in the center of the floor. "You want to know how I can see through your manly disguise."

"It's not a disguise," Haruka grumbled, glancing at the vials of ink and tattoo guns on the counter. "I do wonder, though."

"Well, Michiru is a lesbian, so you have to be a woman."

Michiru offered an enigmatic smile as her lover glanced up at her sharply. "Kai and I dated briefly in middle school before I met you." Haruka leaned forward, her eyes flashing furiously before Michiru touched her shoulder. "We were young, Haruka; we weren't lovers. I never lied when I said you were my first."

Kai snorted as she ran her longer fingers through her artificially-colored hair. "Your partner dumped me the instant she saw you running on that track. She fell head-over-heels for you and left me far behind. I'm over it though; my current girlfriend has the decency to not be a sailor senshi."

"How the hell do you know that?!"

"Ruka, don't worry about that. We're here for a reason, and I trust Kai."

"Fine. Why are we here?"

"You said I can have anything I want for my birthday. I want a tattoo." Haruka started, shock turning her green eyes a pale, nearly grey color. "On you."

"What?! No!"

"You said anything, Haruka."

The blonde sighed and looked away from her lover, closing her emerald eyes in defeat. "What . . . what kind of tattoo?"

"Just a little one," Michiru whispered, holding her fingers barely an inch apart. "You'll like it, Ruka; I designed it for you. And I'm going to have one just like it."

Haruka turned her head back, one eyebrow raised but the rest of her expression neutral. "Matching tattoos?" Michiru nodded. "Can I see?" Michiru reached into the pocket of her light jacket and pulled out two pieces of paper, each one printed with the symbols of Uranus and Neptune intertwined. On one, the golden symbol of Uranus was on top, edged in navy, and the other had teal Neptune on top edged in cerulean blue. The tattoos were small, no more than an inch across, and they matched the women's senshi symbols perfectly. Haruka touched the golden symbol of her planet, a smile lighting her face. "I wouldn't mind this, I think. Where?"

"Well, I don't want it to be visible to anyone else. So I was thinking on your breast."

"No."

Michiru smiled and placed her hand on Haruka's hip, fingers resting on the dip where the blonde's leg met her body. "Here? It might hurt more."

"That would be alright."

Michiru grinned and turned to Kai, handing the two images to the tattoo artist. Kai nodded and walked out of the small room, returning a few minutes later with two transfer papers, closing the door behind herself. She turned to Haruka and raised her eyebrow, holding up the paper. "Lift your shirt and pull down your pants." Haruka sighed at the other woman's phrasing, letting Michiru help her shrug out of her jacket. She pulled her shirt off, revealing the tight bindings she used to hide her breasts, pushing her jeans down far enough to reveal the patch of skin Michiru had chosen for her tattoo.

Kai adjusted the chair until it reclined nearly flat, pulling Haruka's pants a little lower and checking the skin for any cuts or abrasions. "You aren't going to faint on me are you? This being your first time and all, I hope that you've eaten something today."

"We just spent the afternoon at the mall and we ate before we left," Michiru replied smoothly, sensing her lover bristle at the insinuation that she would faint.

Nodding at the answer, Kai turned toward the sink and started to wash her hands. She dried her hands and slipped on a pair of gloves, grabbing a paper towel, spray bottle of soap, and a razor. She cleaned Haruka's skin, using the razor to eliminate any hair, then placed the transfer paper on the blonde's tan skin. Kai pulled the paper off, making sure that the grey trace lines had copied correctly before turning back to her table. She hummed something to herself as she selected a tattoo gun and a sterile needle, opening a cup of black ink. "Ready?"

Haruka sighed and nodded. "As much as I ever will be." She twined her fingers with Michiru's, tightening her grasp as the needle dug into her. She sat there for what seemed like hours while the needle danced across her flesh, leaving black ink and blood behind. Kai finished the fine outline, blotting the design before switching to a larger needle and a navy blue ink. She outlined the Uranus symbol first, choosing a dark cerulean to outline Neptune and then a rich teal to fill it in. Searching through her ink collection, Kai found a rich, dark gold to finish the Uranus symbol, blotting the last of the blood away as she put her gun back on the table. Kai folded a piece of gauze into a square grabbed a roll of medical tape, waving her free hand at the mirror on the wall. "What do you think?"

"Not bad," Haruka murmured, staring at the tiny image etched into her skin.

"I love it," Michiru whispered, her eyes sapphire in the light. She held her hand above the angry skin, knowing better than to touch an open wound, pulling back so Kai could tape a bandage over the fresh tattoo. "I love decorating your body."

"This is the only one," Haruka warned, standing from the chair and carefully pulling her pants back up. She winced at the pressure on her tattoo, grabbing her shirt and slipping it back on as Michiru took the chair. "Will my senshi healing affect this?"

"It's under the top layer of your skin. It should be just as permanent on you as it is on me," Kai replied, throwing away her gloves as she washed her hands again, grabbing a new disposable razor and fresh paper towels. Haruka grinned as she grabbed the hem of her lover's dress, pulling the skirt above Michiru's hips. She draped her jacket over Michiru's thighs, hiding her girlfriend's lacy blue underwear from the tattoo artist. Kai turned around and rolled her eyes at Haruka's actions, but she didn't say anything as she began the process of inking the aquanette.

Michiru's tattoo took longer than Haruka's, but her skin decided not to turn the same angry red shade that her lover's had. Kai gave Michiru a moment to admire the flash of color on her hip before covering it with a bandage. She turned around to put her gun and inks away, giving Michiru time to stand and adjust her dress while Haruka slipped back into her jacket. "This is the oddest birthday present you've ever asked for, Michiru."

Michiru giggled and reached into her jacket pocket for her checkbook, pausing as Haruka pulled out her own wallet and passed a handful of bills to Kai. The tattoo artist's dark eyes widened at the amount of money in Haruka's hands, her posture indicating that it was way too much for the two small tattoos, but the blonde just smiled. "You made my crazy artist happy. Thank you."

Michiru linked her arm with Haruka's and led her out of the room, exiting the building into the chill of an early spring night. She shivered and the blonde pulled her closer, protecting her from the cold, running her hand down her lover's arm. "So I'm crazy now?"

"You are a bit," Haruka replied, amusement in her voice. "My crazy siren."

"Well what do we have here?" The greasy, haughty voice floated out of the darkness, accompanied by more than half a dozen shifty-looking men in ragged pants and heavy coats. The leader faced Haruka, pulling his coat back to reveal the gun on his hip, lust in his dark eyes. "Nice girl you've got there."

Haruka pushed Michiru behind her, fists clenched as she assumed a fighting stance. The blonde had never expected to run into trouble, even in this part of the city, especially not an armed robbery. She knew that she could handle all of them if they weren't armed, but the leader's gun worried her. She sensed the gang members circle around behind her, behind Michiru, and she chanced a glance over her shoulder to make sure that her lover was safe. When she turned back to the gang leader, he pulled his gun and pointed it at her. "What do you want?"

"Move away from her," he commanded, his voice hard. Haruka felt Michiru tense behind her, fear pulsing through their bond as the blonde reluctantly stepped away, her fists still at her side. "Good. You look like a rich man; toss your wallet on the ground." Haruka obeyed, eyes never leaving the gun as her wallet landed at the gang leader's feet. She cursed her fierce heartbeat and the fear wriggling inside her, struggling to keep herself from shaking. She was a senshi, a warrior, but there was nothing she could do against a man with a gun. She could still be shot and die; worse, Michiru could still be shot or left at the mercy of these filthy men. They couldn't transform; the change wasn't instantaneous and anything could happen while they were between forms and vulnerable. So Haruka stood there in the dimly-lit parking lot, Michiru too far away for her to touch and a gun pointed at her chest.

One of the gang members pushed Haruka's arm, forcing her to walk away from Michiru and stand on the opposite side of the circle. Michiru's pale teal eyes met Haruka's stormy grey-green across the emptiness, and the siren's eyes were full of fear. The leader of the gang moved closer to Michiru, leering at the aquanette, looking up at Haruka as the blonde growled low in her throat. "You have a very pretty girlfriend."

"Keep your hands off of her," Haruka hissed, taking a step forward. The leader raised his gun again and rested his finger on the trigger, forcing the blonde to freeze. Her eyes met Michiru's again, asking her fiancée to be strong, promising that they would emerge from this encounter unscathed.

The gang leader snorted as Haruka backed down, running his fingers down Michiru's arm in a parody of the loving caress she had received from the blonde earlier. Michiru flinched away from the touch, unable to force her mask of indifference into place while her girlfriend's life was in danger. The gang leader's hand wandered lower and he grabbed the aquanette's breast roughly, Michiru gasping in pain as she tried to pull away.

It was too much for Haruka. She moved forward again, determined the stop the greasy man from touching Michiru, emerald eyes filled with fury as two of the lackeys grabbed her partner's arms to prevent her from moving. The senshi of the seas gasped in terror as the man beside her fired his gun.

Haruka froze in her tracks, eyes wide in shock as the bullet tore through her side, pain flaring through her body as blood soaked her shirt. Her eyes darkened, the green giving way to furious grey as a wild smile slowly spread across her face. Michiru shook her head as her partner seemed to glow, the bullet neither stopping nor slowing her. "You shouldn't have done that. Never make a Uranian mad."

"What?" It was the only word he managed as Haruka dashed forward, dodging the next three bullets before her fist connected with the gang leader's side, rupturing his spleen in an instant. He fell to the ground, already dead, as Haruka turned to the men holding Michiru, breaking one's sternum and the other's ribs, eyes glowing as she turned to the other men, taking them down in a whirlwind of fury.

Michiru caught Haruka as she stumbled, pulling the blonde away from the unconscious and dead men, walking to the curb and helping her partner sit down so she could examine the wound. "That was reckless."

"He touched you."

Michiru pulled Haruka's coat back and lifted her shirt, sighing at the ragged, bleeding hole in her lover's tan skin, noting that it was below her rib and probably not near any major organs. "Does it hurt?"

"It stings, but no more than any other wound I've received as a senshi."

"I don't think it hit any organs. And it's nowhere near your new tattoo."

Haruka snorted, the grey clearing from her eyes as she smiled. The adrenaline was slowly draining from her, leaving the pain behind as well as relief. "I don't care as long as you're okay."

"Haruka-san!" Sailor Mars landed beside the pair, crouching beside Haruka as she stared at the bullet wound. "What happened?"

"I got shot. How did you know?"

"I sensed your fury. I sensed Michiru-san's fear." Mars dropped her transformation, brushing her long hair away from her face as she pulled a handkerchief out of her tight red skirt, handing it to Michiru. The sea senshi nodded in thanks, cleaning Haruka's wound as she glanced at Rei's incredibly sexy shirt, raising one eyebrow.

"Where were you?"

The senshi of flame blushed and looked away, tugging at the hem of her sparkling red shirt in a futile attempt to cover her belly button. "I was . . . out. With Minako."

"Oh? How's that working for you?" Haruka took the cloth from her partner and held it over the wound, trying not to move too much. "Did the bullet go through?"

"Slowly," Rei replied, glancing at Haruka's back. "Courting Minako is like dancing around in a field full of live mines. Yes, it went through. The hole in your back is larger. The police will be here soon; don't transform until they leave."

"Minako is just afraid after that night when you saw her in the flames. Give her time. The cops will want me to go to the hospital."

"I've taken care of that."

Rei sat with Haruka and Michiru until the police arrived, having been summoned by Rei's anonymous emergency call while she ran across the rooftops following her fellow warriors' calls. Three of the officers gathered near the men Haruka had taken down, the fourth one kneeling beside the three women. "What happened?"

"They tried to rape her." Haruka touched Michiru's arm, her free hand still holding the cloth over her bleeding wound. "The leader shot me and I rushed him."

The officer glanced over his shoulder as his partners cuffed seven of the unconscious men, preparing to load them into their squad cars. They ignored the eighth, the body. "You killed the one who shot you."

Haruka shrugged and nodded. "I punched him. I think I burst his spleen."

"Can I see your ID?"

Haruka waved her hand at the dead body across the parking lot, leaning her head on Michiru's shoulder. She was tired and her bullet wound hurt and her tattoo felt like really bad sunburn. "He took my wallet. I'm Ten'ou Haruka."

"The F-1 racer?" The cop's eyes widened in awe, turning to the aquanette. "Then you must be Kaiou Michiru the violinist. Are you alright?"

"They didn't hurt me."

The officer nodded and held his hand near Haruka's wound, silently requesting that she move the handkerchief so he could see her injury. She complied, wincing as she began to bleed again, the officer nodding as he waved a hand at his partners. "You need to get to a hospital. I'll call an ambulance."

"That won't be necessary." Rei pointed at a blue car entering the parking lot, a petite blue-haired woman emerging from the vehicle and rushing over to Haruka's side. "This is Mizuno Ami, a doctor from Azabu General Hospital. She's a close friend."

"I came as quickly as I could." Ami sat down beside Haruka, placing a medical kit on the ground and pulling out gloves, antiseptic wipes, and bandages. She took the bloodied cloth away from Haruka and began to clean the wound, moving with the ease of both long practice healing senshi wounds and her medical training. She sprayed a numbing compound on the skin around the area, breaking open a sterile pack containing sutures attached to a fine, curved needle, glancing up at the blonde warrior for permission. Haruka nodded, gripping Michiru's hand tightly as the tiny needle bit into her flesh, not unlike the needle of the tattoo gun she had endured more than an hour earlier. Ami silently stitched both wounds closed, covering them with bandages before packing her medical kit away. "From the lack of major bleeding, it seems that the bullet missed any organs. You'll heal in no time."

One of the three police officers who had loaded the unconscious men into their squad cars approached his superior, silently handing him a dark leather wallet, gold lettering on the cover. The officer glanced at the wallet, opening it to check the ID before handing it to the senshi of the skies. "Tell me what happened, in detail please."

Haruka sighed and pushed herself to her feet, the other three senshi echoing her action as the policeman also stood. She related the events of the evening, describing her own actions and those of the gang members, being careful not to omit any detail. The two cops nodded as they finished taking notes, the leader calling for someone to fetch the body of the gang leader before turning back to Haruka. "It's clear that your actions were justified, Ten'ou-san, and we are going to press charges against the other men for armed robbery and attempted rape. Do you have a number we can contact you at if we need more information?" Haruka gave the officer her cell phone number, waiting until an ambulance came to collect the body and the four police cars left before she collapsed against her car.

"Haruka!"

"I'm alright, Michiru," the blonde murmured, waving off Ami's concerned hands, as well. "I really need to transform so I can start healing."

"Don't do it here," Rei replied, tugging at the hem of her short skirt absently. "Setsuna-san can sense your transformation halfway across town, and she's got too much on her mind right now to worry about you. Can you wait until you get home?"

The blonde reluctantly nodded. "It's not a long drive. I can wait." She turned her gaze toward Rei, tilting her head curiously. "How did you really know to come here? You've never sensed us before."

The senshi of flame pointed at her counterpart of the seas. "She called me."

Michiru nodded at her lover's questioning gaze. "Our powers share some similarities, so I was able to call her with a strong enough emotion."

"Your fear. You amplified it?"

Michiru smiled and opened the car door beside Haruka, helping her partner into the passenger seat. "How could I truly be that afraid with you nearby?"

"I'll always protect you," the blonde promised, her tone unusually sentimental in the presence of the other two senshi.

"I know." Michiru turned to Rei and Ami, offering each of the younger women a grateful hug. "Thank you for helping tonight."

"We aren't just fellow warriors, you know; we're your friends, too." Rei transformed into Sailor Mars and jumped onto the nearest rooftop after her parting words, Ami silently returning to her car to leave the parking lot. Michiru walked to the driver side of Haruka's car, ready to take her fiancée home.

"It's been an interesting birthday."

Haruka snorted, handing Michiru the keys and leaning back against the seat. "This is definitely the most memorable one yet. Give me an hour or so to heal up, and we'll finish what you started in the bedroom this morning."

Haruka poured herself a cup of coffee with one hand, pulling her shirt up to examine her wound with the other. The morning sunlight filled the living room, giving her ample illumination to see that the wounds had healed completely, Ami's clear sutures the only evidence that she had been injured at all. Shrugging, she let her loose shirt fall back down, wandering into the living room as she wondered how long Michiru would sleep. She might have time for a morning jog before her partner tempted her back into the bedroom. Sighing in defeat as her own imagination urged her to return to bed, Haruka placed her coffee cup in the sink and turned back to her room.

"I didn't expect to see you up this early."

"Setsuna-san, do you intentionally wake up early every morning to chide me and Michi about our sleeping habits?"

The red-eyed senshi chuckled as she poured herself a cup of coffee, adding generous amounts of cream and sugar before sipping on the concoction. "I wake up at the same time every morning, regardless of your sleeping habits. Or lack thereof."

Haruka blushed as she put her cup in the sink. "Did we keep you up? Sorry, it was just Michiru's birthday and all . . ."

"I don't bother seeking excuses for your sexcapades anymore," Setsuna replied smartly, enjoying the blonde's red face. "I just wanted to ask you about something I read in the paper this morning." Her voice had turned serious and a little dark, worry in her crimson eyes. "Would you like to see?"

Haruka held out her hand and accepted the folded newspaper from her roommate, glancing at the headline on the front page. "Famous F-1 racer Ten'ou Haruka shot last night while defending fiancée Kaiou Michiru from a band of thugs. As you can see, Setsuna-san, I survived."

"It says you killed the one that shot you."

"I killed the one that touched her," Haruka countered, emerald eyes hardening as she remembered that instant when she could no longer hold herself back. "I knew what he intended and I couldn't let him."

"You're a senshi, Haruka-san, and much stronger than a normal human. You chose not to pull your punch."

"What would you do to protect the woman you love?" Haruka intended for the question to be rhetorical, but from the flash of pain in Setsuna's garnet eyes, the green-haired woman received it literally.

"I've done . . . so much worse for love. I've destroyed so much more, sacrificed so much more, and caused the suffering of so many. For love. I suppose I can't judge you for that one lapse of control."

"Setsuna-san?" Haruka reached out for her roommate's arm, concern in her green eyes. Setsuna smiled, the pain fading from her garnet eyes as the calm, centered woman faced her blonde friend once more.

"I'm glad you're both alright. You should go back to your room; Michiru-san will be waking soon and it wouldn't do for her to find an empty bed."

Haruka grinned and nodded, turning back to her room and her fiancée. She wondered if she could convince the siren to spend the day in bed with her even though Michiru's birthday was over. Noting her roommate's train of thought, Setsuna decided that it might be a good idea to take Hotaru out anywhere far, far away from the Outers' mansion.

AN: Yeah I just had these images floating around in my head, so I shoved them together and made a fanfic. This fits into Kazeko technically, but it works as a one-shot just fine. The images: Michiru and Haruka sex and mirror scene in the beginning, the matching tattoos of their planetary symbols, and the guy shooting Haruka. I'm not terribly sure where that last scene came from (dream?) but I've been aching to write it for weeks. Anyway, it's lighthearted fun and should be enjoyed as such, and I'm off to continue writing The Last Sacrifice so I can have another chapter for you all this week.