All was silent, except for the sound of raindrops hitting the glass beside her. The last echo of the words Haruka had spoken hung in the air, requiring no response. And so Michiru said nothing, simply looking at her with concern. She had to say something.

Instead, Haruka found her eyes drifting to her own right hand. She lifted it a bit, then the other, staring at them with resignation. I know these hands are dirty already...

"Just a moment, Haruka - don't touch it. Your hands are filthy," Michiru chided her gently. "You'll leave marks."

Haruka gave her a reassuring smile. "I was working in the garage today," she told the aqua-haired girl at her side. "Sometimes the job's a dirty one, and the dirt and grease doesn't come off right away. It often takes a few days."

"So you don't mind getting your hands dirty?"

The question sounded innocent enough, but Haruka stiffened. She knew what Michiru really meant, and it had nothing to do with working on cars. She turned her attentions back to the piano. "I don't mind."

"But your hands are quite lovely," Michiru observed, sitting down beside her on the piano bench. "Aren't you afraid that each time you do your job, a little more of the dirt will stay there? It could end up that your hands are stained permanently, if that were the case."

"Perhaps," Haruka said, after a moment's thought. Putting her fingers to the pristine white keys, she began to play the first thing that came to mind, a piece she'd learned a long time ago. The cascading notes had reminded her of a waterfall at the time, and she hadn't so much as thought of it for over a year, but now it came rushing back. Now it reminded her of Michiru's hair, tumbling over her shoulders and around her face. "Even if it is a dirty job, it's one that needs to be done by someone. If I can do it well, it saves everyone a lot of trouble. And if it gets my hands dirty... well then..." She reached a crescendo, and finished with a flourish. "It's only my hands, right? Does it really matter if my hands are clean, so long as the job gets done properly?" she asked, turning to Michiru.

Michiru, on the other hand, had her attention still on the keys of the piano. "I hope it doesn't," she said softly. She looked up, and suddenly her face lost the gravity that came over her whenever they spoke of this subject, and became warm and friendly again. "I see you were right," she commented. "You left no marks on the keys."

As always, Haruka marvelled at how Michiru could change from a serious topic to something so banal in just an instant. And as always, she felt a little left behind after the sudden shift. "Yes... You'll have to learn to trust my judgement."

"Of course." Michiru stood again, looking around the interior of the apartment. "But there's still so much I don't know about you. I didn't know until just now that you played the piano." She gave Haruka an infuriatingly innocent yet teasing look. "What other surprises do you have in store for me, I wonder?"

"Well, I promise I won't surprise you with a look like the one you just gave me," Haruka commented. "I don't think I could get away with it."

"I don't know..." Their eyes met, and Michiru smiled at Haruka's sudden discomfort. "I think you could get away with a lot."

A moment's awkward silence passed between them, before Haruka turned away. "So, I was going to take you for that drive by the ocean." Driving usually helped to clear Haruka's mind, but would it be the same with Michiru there? The girl seemed to muddle her thoughts completely, between their shared destiny, and... the other thing. Perhaps this time, it would only make matters worse. "Are you ready to go?"

"Anytime."

The breeze brought the salt scent of the ocean, and it did seem to calm Haruka's mind, in a sense. The mingling of the two, the wind and the sea, was reassuring, despite the fact it reminded her of her uneasy situation. Michiru sat at her side in the passenger's seat, her hands in her lap, her legs crossed primly beneath the long skirt she wore. She'd said nothing during the entire drive, remaining silent and with her eyes shut until the first breath of the ocean arrived on the wind. Ever since, she'd been staring out at the water each time Haruka glanced away from the highway.

It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, however. Despite her doubts, Michiru's presence was not an intrusion or burden, but a welcome calming influence. She'd become Haruka's friend in the last days just as the wind and the road had always been. Perhaps more...?

Having a girl flirt with her was nothing new to Haruka. She invited it, dressing and acting like a man, but as soon as the cute girls she toyed with discovered the truth, they became embarrassed. Michiru though... Michiru was different. As much as she teased, Haruka could see the honesty behind the girl's words, enough to know that she wasn't really joking. There was something there, something that perhaps could be brought to light given time.

And yet, something held Haruka back. They shared everything else - the terrible dreams, the dark destiny, and the burden of the fate of the world - but that was all forced. They had no choice in the matter, despite what Michiru had told her before she'd taken hold of the pen.

Haruka had never liked being forced. Now it was too much, all at once...

Haruka returned to watching the highway ahead, and pressed the gas pedal a little harder. As long as she could keep moving, it would be all right.

Michiru turned away from the ocean to look at her. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not at all," she replied.

Michiru simply nodded and turned back to the ocean. Haruka couldn't hide anything from her, and they both knew that, but she was grateful Michiru indulged her in this.

Although, sometimes she wondered if Michiru really understood the gravity of their situation. She had a tendancy to not react to things that might have bothered her, to go off into her own little world... just like she was doing now, staring at the ocean. The ocean held nothing for them, they had something important to discuss. And Michiru was staring at the ocean.

"What do you see out there?"

Michiru looked over at her, surprised at the abrupt question. "What do I see?"

Haruka nodded. "What is it you see in the water that's so fascinating?"

Michiru thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure. It feels as though I'm seeing myself, somehow. In fact, I see both of us."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It's funny, isn't it?" Michiru turned back to the water. "The water evaporates into the air, becoming clouds in the sky that show the movement of the wind. The wind blows over the water and creates waves on the surface. It's an ongoing, endless cycle of the two interacting."

Just like you and I? It was a perfect time for Haruka to speak her mind on the matter, but again, something held her back. "Hmm. It's getting late," was all she said. "We should go back." Without waiting to hear Michiru's opinion, she turned onto a side road, heading away from the ocean. The girl's face fell, just a little, and Haruka cursed the uncertainty that caused her to be so cold.

As they rode in silence, she tried to pin it down exactly. What was it about Michiru? They were already friends, partners; they shared almost everything anyway. It wouldn't have been hard to go just one step further, and bring those feelings out into the open...

Haruka's eyes widened as she sensed something, and she glanced at Michiru to see that her blue eyes were set in that cool demeanor she so often assumed. "The sea is stirring," she said softly. Haruka nodded and pulled over to the side of the road. It was time to put aside those uncertainties and do what they were born to do.

They'd driven into a forested area, and a rustling in the brush a short distance into the woods drew their attention. Following the sound, they discovered a path through the grass and bushes, where someone had trampled it. "This one's still human for the time being," Michiru whispered, "or it would be heading towards civilization rather than away from it."

As usual, her voice was prefectly level, and Haruka's heart was beating wildly. She didn't want to do this, not again... And certainly not for the rest of her life. "Whoever this person is, they're not an 'it'," she reminded Michiru.

Michiru shrugged. "Not yet."

Haruka frowned, but said nothing. "We're getting close," Michiru added. "It's time to transform." Holding her transformation pen aloft, she spoke the words, and the energy swirled around her body in waves, clothing her in the power of her heritage. Haruka did likewise, feeling the strange forces settle in her body and around it comfortably. Michiru might be used to it, she thought, but no matter how right it felt, the transformation was still new and a little bit disturbing. When the energy had calmed, Michiru was watching her. Haruka nodded, and the two of them continued towards the source of the noise.

Another minute passed, and they drew closer. But just when they seemed to be almost on top of it, the noise abruptly stopped, and so did they. Haruka and Michiru exchanged a puzzled glance. "Were we wrong?" Haruka whispered.

"No... I'm positive," Michiru said, looking back in the direction they'd been heading. "It's out there, and I still feel it..."

A slight movement in the brush caught Haruka's eye, and she grabbed Michiru's arm, pulling her partner towards her. "Neptune!"

A sharp claw tore upwards through the air just where Michiru had been standing, and the monster rose to its full height, towering over them. Michiru caught her balance and jumped aside before the monster swiped at her again, but Haruka hadn't been prepared for the attack. As the monster's claws came plunging down at her, she threw herself to the ground and rolled out of reach.

Michiru bought her enough time to get to her feet again by lunging at the monster and giving it an elbow to the face, and Haruka gathered the energy of her guardian planet. "World Shaking!" she intoned, sending the concentrated cosmic forces straight at the creature. The monster shuddered, then cried out in pain as its body convulsed under the assault, but it wasn't enough to reverse the transformation.

"Deep Submerge!" Michiru's voice rang out, and a tidal wave crashed over the monster, dissolving the rest of its deformed body and leaving behind a young man, who fell to the ground unconscious. Haruka and Michiru went to his side, and Michiru felt for a pulse. "He'll be fine in time," she assured Haruka.

"Good." Haruka slid her arms under the young man, lifting him as she stood.

Michiru regarded her with some confusion. "What are you doing?"

"We can't just leave him here in the forest, can we?" she replied, heading back the way they'd come.

"I suppose not." Michiru caught up to walk beside her. "Then... what do you intend to do with him?" she asked, with a hint of a smile. "Will you give him a ride home?"

It would have been the decent thing to do, but Haruka shook her head. "No. Too risky. But we can at least leave him near the road, so that someone else might, or he can find his way back to wherever he came from."

"That sounds good," Michiru agreed, smiling up at Haruka. "You're a very kind person."

Perhaps too kind, thought Haruka. At least, from Michiru's standards. Michiru never batted an eyelash at the violence they had to use to achieve their goals. It was as if she didn't care at all what happened to the people who were tormented by these monsters, as long as the monsters were destroyed. But that wasn't a bad thing - their mission was just that important. It would make things so much easier if Haruka didn't care either.

They left the young man lying underneath a maple tree, and swiftly reverted to their everyday identities, returning to Haruka's convertible. Haruka placed the keys in the ignition, then froze as a hand covered hers. "Haruka...?"

Haruka's eyes traced the hand back to the wrist, to the graceful arm and finally back to Michiru's face. Her eyes were troubled, almost pleading. "Why is it you're never so kind to me? I know... I know what you feel inside, so why is it you push me away?"

Michiru was being so bluntly honest, Haruka had no idea what to say. "I... I'm sorry."

"Was I wrong then?" Michiru asked. "Do you really feel nothing for me?"

"Michiru..." Haruka was completely at a loss for words.

"I wanted to drive along by the ocean with you, I thought it would be perfect, you and I," Michiru continued, her eyes shimmering. "And then today, seeing the waves, it made me realize, we are the wind and the sea. Without the waves that the wind stirs up, the sea would be flat and dull. Without the clouds that the sea gives, the wind would be invisible, and the sky empty. Each like distant mirror images of each other, lifeless and empty."

"Michiru..."

"I wanted to feel the wind make waves," Michiru murmured. "I wanted to feel your hands in my hair... to know that I'm not lifeless and empty too..." Letting go of Haruka's hand, she turned away, leaning upon the door of the convertible dejectedly.

Haruka understood that feeling all too well, and she couldn't take it any longer. Just this once, maybe she could put her misgivings aside and ease Michiru's mind. But upon stretching her hand towards Michiru, she caught a glimpse of her hands, grass-stained and soiled from the recent battle, and frowned. "You wouldn't want my hands in your hair," she commented. "They're rather dirty."

Michiru looked back at her in surprise, and smiled vaguely at her. "That's all right," she assured Haruka, placing her fingers lightly over Haruka's. "I like your hands... no matter how dirty they are."

She leaned forward, sliding an arm around her waist, eyes closed as she leaned her head on Haruka's shoulder, and Haruka bowed her head in indecision. It felt so right, more so than when she'd transformed for the first time. This was how things were meant to be, how they should always have been, and it should never be any other way...

And it was then that she realized what was wrong.

"Michiru," she said softly. "This can't happen."

"What?" Michiru drew back, looking concerned. "Why not?"

"It's... too good," Haruka tried to explain. "We have a destiny to fulfill. A dark destiny, full of sacrifices."

"That doesn't mean we have to sacrifice everything we hold dear!" Michiru exclaimed.

"No, but our lives are uncertain now, and will become more so," Haruka continued. "Our mission is more important than anything else - the world depends on us. At least three innocent lives will have to be sacrificed, but that might not be all. What if one day, to accomplish this mission, we end up having to make a decision? What if it comes down to a choice between your partner or the world?" Haruka asked, frustrated. "What would you do then?"

The question stopped Michiru's protests dead, and her eyes grew frightened. "I know... the world needs to be saved," she whispered. "But I don't know if I could-"

"There are no buts," Haruka told her firmly. "The world must be saved, and that's all there is to it. We can't risk it not happening. Michiru, you have to promise me, if you ever have to make that choice, you will leave me behind and choose the world."

Michiru's eyes were upset, but she nodded. "You're right," she admitted. "I promise, if anything happens to you, I'll go on without you for the world's sake. And you, will you go on without me?"

"I promise," Haruka answered, leaning back in her seat, looking up at the clouds passing across the sky. Clouds to show off the wind, given by the sea. "And it will be a lot simpler to keep that promise if we're simply partners, no more. Do you understand now?"

"I do," Michiru replied reluctantly. "But once we've fulfilled our mission? Then will it be all right?"

She did understand - she was so wonderful. Haruka smiled at her, grateful. "I hope that day comes soon," she said honestly. "I think between the two of us, there's more than one destiny."

Haruka stared dully at her palms, thinking of what the day would surely bring. Of all the sins they'd committed, this would be the worst. But she would do whatever it took. I will make any sacrifice, and use any means to get the Talismans.

She glanced up as Michiru came to stand beside her. "Michiru?" Her face was troubled, very unlike her usual coolness.

And then, suddenly, Haruka felt a hand lacing its fingers through her own.

"Come on, what's wrong?" she asked Michiru, startled. She was acting very unusual all of a sudden. Not that she minded, but...

Michiru smiled at her warmly. "Haruka... don't worry," she said simply. "I like your hands."

Haruka stared at her for a moment longer before she finally smiled back, understanding.