Within the Waves

The soft gleam of a midsummer's sunset drifted through thick, frosted windows and settled along the surface of an indoor pool, fluttering away as a soft ripple spread out from the water's edge. A sharp gasp echoed through the empty air as Michiru dove into the shimmering deep, a thin trail of crackling rising and bursting at the surface behind her as though the wind was cheering her on. Lounging at the poolside and smiling softly, Haruka joined her hands behind her head and listened as the soothing rhythm of Michiru's splashes and strokes spilled through the air. With her newest scars just recently healed and her bones still aching from their most recent battle, the quiet cadence of Michiru's breath as she cut through the water's surface was one of the few things that could give Haruka a sense of peace, however fragile it might be. A week ago, they had both lain at the brink of death in battle and even though they had survived, the next day could always see them fighting for their lives once again. For the moment, though, Haruka's worries fled into the corners of her mind, chased away by the quick whisper of a silhouette gliding across the water's edge.

As Haruka's thoughts drifted away into warm glow of the setting sun, the symphony of splashes suddenly faded into silence and a brief round of applause filled the air as Michiru climbed out of the pool as water fell across her body and crashed into the ground.

"Haruka, if you're bored, you can always join me..." Michiru flashed a soft smile across the room as she slowly walked over to Haruka's side. Grinning faintly, Haruka opened her eyes to meet Michiru's gaze and chuckled lightly.

"I could never be bored, as long as I'm watching you."

"Oh?" Michiru brushed a drop of water from her brow, "Then you wouldn't mind joining me, would you?"

Haruka hesitated for a moment before shaking her head slowly. "I could never keep up, especially not when I'm constantly so distracted by you."

"Is that it?" Michiru laughed quietly, "Or is it that you don't want to try any sport where you don't have the upper hand?"

"Nonsense." Haruka's eyes narrowed slightly and a fond, satisfied smirk spread across her face. "You know that I enjoy it just as much when you have the advantage, Michiru..."

"Good," Michiru knelt down and reached into her bag, "Then there's no reason for you not to join me."

Momentarily stunned, Haruka blinked and sat up abruptly. "B-but, I didn't bring a swimsuit, I can't-"

In response to her protests, a pair of swim trunks and a tank top dropped from Michiru's hands onto the arm of Haruka's chair. With her excuses defeated and facing Michiru's inviting smile, Haruka was left with no choice but to suit up and enter the water.

Standing at the top of the ladder that led down into the shallow end of the pool, Haruka clenched her teeth and slowly lowered one foot into the water. The stinging chill gave her pause, though it wasn't the cold that kept her glancing down as her feet slowly sank into their own reflection; the instant her legs fell beneath the surface, she suddenly felt the weight of the water closing in around her, pressing against her skin and resisting her every movement. It wasn't that she disliked the water, but being surrounded by it made her uneasy. With the pull of the tides and the weight of water all around, Haruka felt as if she was robbed of the freedom she had each time she raced against the wind.

Hanging precariously from the ladder's edge, Haruka winced as she contemplated letting go and stepping down onto the pool floor when Michiru turned back to check on her.

"Haruka, is something wrong?"

The moment Michiru's voice reached her ears, Haruka's hands slipped and she fell gracelessly into two and a half feet of water, her arms flailing awkwardly as she struggled to regain her balance. As Haruka finally pulled herself up and leaned against the edge of the pool, Michiru giggled softly and swam back to the shallows.

"Sorry, I didn't think you would startle so easily. Are you alright?"

Rushing to compose herself, Haruka straightened herself up and ran a dripping hand across her forehead and through her hair. "Of course." She finished her recovery with a confident smile to mask her quivering voice and trembling hands. "Though the water's gotten cold, hasn't it?"

"Did you think I'd fall into your arms just because you're dripping wet?" Michiru gave a coy grin as she pulled her hair back over her shoulders, "If you were expecting something like that, you'll have to meet me at the other end." Turning and diving to the bottom of the pool, Michiru was already ten yards away by the time Haruka finally steeled her nerves and stepped beyond the safety of the shallow end.

As the water reached her waist, the color drained from Haruka's face. Calm down! She gripped the edge of the pool as her stomach churned and writhed. No matter what, I have to get to the other side... if Michiru finds out that I never learned how to swim, she'll never let me live this down. Breathing deeply, Haruka forced her legs forward and tried to take advantage of her other athletic abilities; holding her breath and closing her eyes, she began running along the bottom of the pool and fighting against the water for every step. Although she had trained for marathons and footraces that lasted dozens of miles, the sixty yards between Haruka and the edge of the pool suddenly seemed torturous and infinite, almost entirely because it was and always has been a bad idea to hold one's breath while running.

As her forehead finally slipped beneath the surface and her foot reached the floor, Haruka slipped. With her balance lost, she tumbled forward and thrashed about wildly, somehow managing to force herself down even further as her chest burned and her lungs screamed for air. As the faint light of the fading sun disappeared behind the clouds, Haruka sank down to the bottom of the pool and lamented her inexperience in the water. I'm sorry, Michiru... this is probably the end for me... Ah, if only I had taken the time to learn how to swim. Did I really need to get my driving license, motorcycle license, pilot's license, and take that helicopter piloting course so soon in life? As her thoughts rushed off into silence, a soft chill seeped beneath her skin and stole the last of her breath.

"Haruka! Haruka!"

A haze of fragmented light and broken sounds filtered through the heavy ringing in Haruka's ears as she coughed and wheezed uncontrollably. Within moments, the murky shapes and muffled noises cleared as Haruka finally realized that she was floating in shallow water, a firm warmth wrapped around her waist as she cleared her lungs and gasped for air.

"Haruka, are you alright!? Answer me!" Pausing as she pulled Haruka toward the shallows, Michiru studying her face and anxiously awaited her reply.

"I'm-" A strained response, scarcely more than a whisper passed over Haruka's lips as she hacked and coughed violently, "-fine. I'm fine, now..." She breathed in sharply and cleared the last of the water from her throat, finally able to stand on her own but still leaning on Michiru for support.

After a heavy sigh, Michiru drew closer and circled around to Haruka's side. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim? You nearly drowned!" Her words were severe and yet painfully fragile. While she had told herself over and over that someday one of them would meet their death in battle, she was entirely unprepared to see Haruka die when she was certain they were safe for the moment. Wiping the water from her eyes, Haruka turned to Michiru and smiled weakly.

"You're right. As your partner, I can't afford to be caught looking so clumsy." She chuckled faintly and brushed Michiru's hair from her face. "Sorry to make you worry."

"No..." Michiru shook her head softly, "It was selfish of me to ask in the first place. I'm sorry, for making you go along with my silly fantasy..."

"Hm?" Haruka blinked and stared at Michiru, confused. Looking back toward the twilight sky, Michiru's gaze drifted off into the shifting sea of stars.

"It's childish, I know, but I've always wanted to hold you while we sank beneath the waves... I suppose it's not too different from feeling of driving at night with the wind all around us, but if you asked me to explain, I couldn't tell you why I'd ever want to try such a thing."

For the second time that day, Haruka's breath was stolen as she stared into Michiru's eyes and saw the glimmer of a faint, formless memory. Slowly, Haruka wrapped her hands around her partner's waist and lowered her lips to Michiru's ear. "Alright then, let's try it."

Blushing lightly, Michiru turned her head slightly to meet Haruka's gaze. "What are you saying? You nearly drowned just now, of course we can't play around like that."

Haruka chuckled softly. "How could it be dangerous? You'll be there to pull me up again, won't you?"

Closing her eyes and resigning herself, Michiru slid her hands over Haruka's. "Haruka, you're not going to let this go easily, are you?"

Haruka smiled warmly. "Well, I make it a point never to leave you unsatisfied."

A faint grin and a soft laugh washed over Michiru's face as she turned to face Haruka. "You do have a rather impressive record there." She reached forward and found Haruka's hand, lacing their fingers together as she steadied her racing heart. "Alright then... Hold your breath, and squeeze my hand if you run out of air."

After taking a deep breath, Haruka and Michiru fell slowly into the deep, spinning softly as they sank just out of the light's reach. Immediately, Haruka was struck by the powerful sense of calm she felt, rolling into the darkness as she and Michiru held one another tightly. After a few seconds, Haruka finally understood exactly what it was that Michiru couldn't explain; floating together beneath the surface, it was as if they were completely isolated from the rest of the universe, as though nothing could reach them and no one could pull them apart. Drifting, swirling, and falling through this empty space with Michiru's arms around her, Haruka had never felt safer. As they fell further away from the world beyond the surface, Michiru closed her yes, pulled herself near, and pressed Haruka's lips against her own. In that instant, the slightest trace of a memory raced through their minds. The water around them faded into the starry night sky as scenes lost in time poured in around them. A grand masquerade ball, the royalty of Uranus and Neptune, a quiet garden where two princesses stole away to hide from the crowds and gaze into the night... their fleeting glimpses, their playful dance, and then, just as the party drew to a close, their very first kiss, all beneath an endless sea of stars.

"No, you've got to keep your legs straight." Michiru scolded Haruka as she flailed awkwardly at the shallow end of the pool. "If you keep moving like you're running track, you'll sink right to the bottom again."

"That-" Haruka gasped quickly before pushing her face back below the water, squeezing Michiru's hands and kicking furiously. More than a little embarrassed, Haruka dropped her feet and stood up, glancing aside indignantly. "Just don't tell anyone about this."

Michiru grinned softly. "Are you worried that this would ruin your reputation?" She pulled her hair back and tied it up with a small red ribbon. "I suppose I can keep it a secret, if you can manage to show up to dinner on time from now on..."

Haruka's eyes went wide and her voice tensed up. "Ah, Michiru, that was just because-"

"It's alright. I'm not mad." A blatant lie, and one that only made Haruka even more anxious. As she dried her arms and replaced her earrings, Michiru glanced toward the large clock hanging above the exit. "It's later than I expected though... we won't have time to make dinner ourselves."

"Ah, yes," Haruka nodded quickly, seizing the opportunity to make amends. "Do you want to go out somewhere then? What about the trattoria we ate at last week?"

Michiru furrowed her brow and she grimaced slightly. "I would prefer eating at a place where you won't flirt with the hostess all night."

"R-right, of course." Haruka forced a laugh and then cleared her throat, looking for a way to escape Michiru's piercing gaze. "Oh, I'll go bring the car around for you." In an instant, Haruka was hurrying outside and Michiru was left standing in the midst of an empty gym, staring at the door in disbelief.

"Wait, Haruka, you haven't even changed out of your swimsuit yet!" Her voice fell flat against the door as it swung shut and she sighed fondly. "Perhaps I am being selfish, but..." She smiled and closed her eyes. "Haruka, if you ever feel like indulging me again, I'd like to dance with you like that again..."

As she finished changing her clothes and headed out to meet the waiting car outside, Michiru paused and stared off into the night sky, her gaze fixed on two tiny points of light glimmering in the dark. Even if their duty as Senshi would never change, even if these peaceful evenings would soon become distant memories, she was grateful that she was alive in a world with Haruka, that they were together in a time without war, and that, even if for only a moment, they could still dance together just as they had done centuries ago.