Genesis, Chapter 4 By Distant Sky King Rated PG-13 All standard disclaimers apply. Author's Note: This fanfiction is an attempt to tell the story of how Haruka and Michiru initially met during the Silver Millennium. Parts of this story may be too mature for younger audiences, so if you're under 18 or don't think you can handle adult situations, turn back now. Chapter 4 On top of going to bed at such a late hour Uranus slept badly. If her brother hadn't woken her from her troubled sleep she probably would have slept through her alarm and missed class entirely. Ever since Neptune arrived her sleep patterns had changed dramatically for the worse. With Neptune's arrival came troubles she had never before known, and now they were effecting her sleep. She'd had troubled sleeps before, though, but this morning was different. This morning when she awoke, she felt as though she were missing something. Something vital. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was very familiar. "What's up with you this morning?" Orion printed on his sister's notebook. "Didn't sleep well," she scrawled. "Up late studying?" "You could say that." "You should do well on the test, then. Good luck." Uranus stared at her notebook in horror. She had completely forgotten about the exam scheduled for that morning. Without studying, she was doomed. Relax, Uranus, relax, she told herself. You rival Mercury for the best grades in class so just relax. It'll be a breeze. But what was the exam in? History? Math? She'd always had a natural talent for math. Kanji? The arts? Professor Beta called the class to attention and passed out the examination. Uranus looked down at it apprehensively, but breathed a sigh of relief when she spied the numbers before her. Math. She was lucky this time. She pulled out a pencil and dug into the first equation. The exam passed easily, as did the rest of her classes that day, but Uranus found it hard to stay awake when the day was done. After exchanging views on the exam with the shy little Princess of Mercury, she slipped away to find a place to rest. As was her custom, she sought out the oak tree near the wall and lay down beneath it, reveling in the comfort of the breeze flowing in off the nearby pond. Tomorrow was Friday, she realized. The day of Neptune and Orion's date. She wondered vaguely what they were going to do, but remembered that she had arranged for them to meet by the pond at dusk. They were probably going to walk the grounds while talking and later on indulge in her brother's favorite activity, "mutual exploration of the physical self." Her brother could be so disgusting at times, but she knew that he possessed an amazing charm. Once he turned it on no girl could resist him. A pang of jealousy followed by horror flashed through her body as she thought of Neptune succumbing to his power. The poor girl didn't know what she was up against. She yawned and closed her green eyes, willing sleep to come and carry away all her troubles. Moments later she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep. It was dusk when she awoke, not feeling any more rested than before she fell asleep. She rubbed the back of her neck to work out a knot collected while napping on the hard ground and with a groan, stood. She cast her eyes toward the brightly-lit palace and decided that it must be about dinnertime. She trudged her way back to the palace and into the dining room, where she found Neptune waiting by the door. The girl smiled when she approached, but it soon turned into a frown when she saw her friend's drawn face. "You look terrible," she remarked with concern as she led her to a couple seats she reserved by the fiery, black-haired Princess of Mars. "Thanks," Uranus responded dryly. "Where did you go after class?" she asked, taking her seat. "I tried looking for you." Uranus also slid into her designated chair. "I was by my oak," she told her. "Oh my. I didn't even think of looking there." She nodded her thanks to a liveried servant as he set the evening's entree on the table before her and laid the lavender napkin across her lap. Uranus looked at her own meal with distaste. A big slab of meat occupied the plate, surrounded by a few steamed vegetables and some rather strange looking grayish goop. They never served enough fresh vegetables. As was typical of most of her meals, Uranus grabbed an apple from one of the bowls in the center of the table and took a bite. She soon grew aware of Neptune looking at her quizzically. "I'm not a big meat-eater," she explained around a mouth full of apple. Neptune nodded and delicately pierced a piece of limp broccoli with her fork. She watched it with distaste as it slid off the utensil and formed a small pile of green goop identical to the unidentifiable gray matter beside it. "Must be the cauliflower," Uranus whispered behind her hand. Neptune giggled at the joke and likewise chose an apple from the fruit bowl. She laughed even harder when she found that next to her the Princess of Mars had done the same, as did Jupiter and Mercury down the way. Jupiter had a particularly guilty look about her as she silently chewed her pear. Princess Mars leaned over to Neptune and whispered, "The head cook quit this morning when Jupiter told her she was using too much salt in the soup stock." Uranus grinned. "Well, she was!" the brunette Princess of Jupiter defended. "Too much salt ruins it!" "Everything was fine until you had to stick your nose in it!" Mars fumed. "Did you see the amount she threw in there? That stuff was saltier than the sea!" "I can stand one afternoon's salty soup than an eternity of this slop! That woman was the best cook on the entire moon!" "Girls, please," the blue-haired Princess of Mercury interjected meekly. "Mercury, tell this culinary heathen that there was too much salt in the soup!" "Don't listen to her, Mercury! She's biased to her own cooking!" "Can I help it if I'm superior?" "To snails, maybe!" Listening to the girls' spirited argument and Neptune's tinkling laughter made Uranus feel a bit better about her exhaustive day. She leaned back in her chair and with a chuckle bit into her apple again. If nothing else, the younger girls were definitely entertaining. Neptune insisted on walking Uranus back to her room when she had discovered that the blonde had fallen asleep at the dinner table. Uranus protested that she was fine but the aqua-haired beauty would hear none of it. She opened Uranus's chamber door and gently prodded her inside toward the bed. The blonde collapsed face down on her bed and closed her eyes. "I told you you weren't fine," Neptune scolded. She pulled open the doors to the wardrobe and began rooting through the drawers. "Haruka, where do you keep your pajamas?" She muttered something incomprehensible into the blankets below her face. "What did you say?" Neptune asked. Uranus slowly sat up and winced slightly when a sharp jab stuck her on the back of the neck again. She clasped her right hand over it to work out the cramp. "I said I don't wear pajamas," she grumbled. She reddened when she realized what she'd just said. Neptune's blue eyes widened a bit, but the darkness completely concealed her knowing smile. So the Princess of Uranus slept in the nude. Interesting. "What's wrong with your neck?" she asked, noticing the pained expression on the blonde's face. "Oh, nothing. Just a cramp," Uranus muttered. Neptune closed the wardrobe doors and went to the bed. "Here, let me help," she said, taking a seat next to her friend and reaching for her shoulders. The blonde involuntarily jumped. "That's not necessary," she said apprehensively. "Nonsense. Move over." There was no getting rid of her now, so Uranus nervously complied. "Now lie down," Neptune instructed. The blonde flopped back down on her stomach with a sigh. If she had any energy she might have been able to resist her, but in her sleepy state she was completely powerless. Warm hands touched her shoulders and she flinched. "Relax," Neptune chided softly as she gripped onto the warm flesh below her and began kneading it, working out the knots. She was amazed at how tight the blonde's muscles were. "What have you been doing to yourself?" she asked in awe. Below her Uranus mumbled something about stress and shifted slightly. Neptune giggled softly and continued her massage. God, did it feel good. With every expert touch Uranus thought she was going to pass out from sheer pleasure, but she somehow managed to remain conscious. She could feel her muscles relaxing with every poke, every, touch, every stroke of the soft, gentle hands. The hands slowly worked their way down her shoulders and onto her taut back, but it was to remain taut no longer. Next was her lower back and sides. The light fingers tickled her but she was too tired to respond. Slowly but surely, as the hands continued their soothing trek, Uranus fell asleep. The next morning Uranus awoke with the sun. She stretched luxuriously and noted with satisfaction that Neptune's massage the night before had left her completely relaxed. Neptune. She sat bolt upright in bed and looked around her dimly lit room. How rude of her to fall asleep in Neptune's company! What was she thinking? She was thinking of not sleeping well for the past week, that's what. She blinked her green eyes in wonder as she realized that she slept the whole night through and awoke at her usual early-bird time. It was most likely due to exhaustion, but she suspected that Neptune's gentle hands also had something to do with it. And what hands they were. So soft and gentle and knowing. Uranus hugged her knees to her chest and smiled slightly at the memory still fresh in her mind. It was a cheap thrill, she knew, but she couldn't help it. She wished that someday she could experience that kindness again, and reciprocate. No. The thought came to her like a kick to the head. No. It could never be. Neptune was destined for someone great, not a boyish freak with a short temper like herself. There was absolutely nothing endearing about her, anyway. With a sigh, she glanced at her bedside clock. There was a considerable amount of time before class. Just enough time, in fact, for a morning run. She hadn't done that since her sleep pattern was destroyed a week earlier. Uranus slipped out of bed and dug through her wardrobe drawer for her running shorts and one of the t-shirts she always wore. She noted with disgust that she had fallen asleep fully dressed, but there was nothing to do about it now other than remember not to do it again. She unbuttoned her rumpled shirt and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor, then pulled the white-t-shirt over her head. She scowled at how it fit a little too snugly around her chest. The laundry service must have shrunk it. Either that or she was getting bigger. She laughed at herself for the last thought and replaced her wrinkled slacks with the dark blue shorts, pulled on some sneakers, and headed for the door. Once outside Uranus took a deep breath of the morning air. She loved how the air smelled first thing: So clean and fresh. She looked to the north side of the gardens and took off at a gentle pace. The morning dew had yet to evaporate and she didn't really relish the thought of slipping on the wet grass and having to spend the next few days hobbling around the palace with a crutch. She'd learned that lesson the hard way about a year ago. No need to have a refresher. She turned left at the hedge and followed it down a gentle slope where the grass was exposed to the sun and completely dries. She quickened her pace and continued along the hedge, crossed the bridge over the lightly misted pond, and turned onto the dusty main road leading from the palace. Exhilarated, she sped up again and charged ahead at full tilt, soaking in the soft morning sun and the wind as it whipped through her blonde hair. The wind was especially strong that day and met her head-on, working against her. She grinned ruefully at the playful element. "So you want a race," she breathed aloud. "Then a race you'll get." The wind tousled her hair as if in response. Uranus skidded to a halt and turned around to face the palace once again, the wind at her back. She knelt in the runner's start position and counted down. "Three...two...one...Mark!" Like a bolt of lightning the young princess flew down the road faster than she had ever run before, daring the wind to even try to compete with her. She was pleasantly surprised at how her body was able to do her bidding after a week of neglect and urged it faster. She was now tearing down the road at breakneck speed, passing the shrubbery with a blur, and flew over the bridge once again. She grinned in defiance as she realized she was winning--by a landslide. She laughed in the face of her friend and nemesis, the powerful wind, and slowed her pace just a bit. Tossing another grin over her shoulder she rounded the hedge's corner and--struck something. Hard. The wind completely escaped her body as a fierce pain ripped through her stomach and lower chest. She clutched at it and fell to her knees, gasping, unable to draw any air into her lungs. Her green eyes widened as she doubled over, heaving desperately. Her mind raced with fright and dizziness all at once. A very far away voice was talking to her. "Oh my goodness! Haruka!" Uranus blinked and looked up at her aqua-haired attacker. She felt she knew her, but in her dizzied state she couldn't quite place the face. The assassin dropped to her knees on the grass beside her and reached out to her, probably to stick a knife in her back and finish the job. Uranus fought her off as best she could while still clutching at her destroyed middle, and had she been fully aware of her actions she would have realized that her feeble attempt at self-preservation only resulted in a weak little wave. Her arm struck something hard and cold. She felt it give way under her skin and watched out of the corner of her eye as a tall marble pillar teetered precariously toward her. As if in slow motion the pillar lost its balance. Uranus suddenly felt a new and much sharper pain emanating from her chest. The pain gained intensity and shot through her body like thousands of little swords poking her every surface. Her vision blurred red, then white, and then finally black. The last thing she saw before she passed out was a pair of watery blue eyes gazing down at her. End Part 4 End Note: You may have noticed that while the other senshi have made an appearance, Usagi has not. There's a reason for this. I'm not all that fond of Usagi, and I don't really like writing about her. The only other characters who turn me off more are Mamoru and Chibiusa (woah! My spellcheck didn't pick up on Mamoru as a misspelled word!). Usagi will appear in the fanfic, but only briefly, like the others. Right now she's off doing princess things or something. You can tell I really put a lot of thought into her role. :oP You also may get a little confused with the usage of names. Neptune is immediately comfortable with calling Uranus by her true name and does it almost exclusively, unless she's cracking a joke. It's taking Uranus a little bit longer to begin calling Neptune by Michiru, so until she does the senshi of the sea is referred to as Neptune. All cleared up? Excellent. Any and all questions and comments will be answered because I love getting mail! Send all that kind of stuff to distantskyking@moonkingdom.com, and don't forget to check out my humble little shrine to Sailor Moon at www.uvm.edu/~vlaporte. Thanks to any and all who read this, and yes, sailormoon.org folks...Diana and her kitty love will be posted soon! :o)