Sea Breeze
A Sailor Moon fanfiction
By Mithril-rama (TUsagi_CMamoru@yahoo.com)

"The beach?  How much sappier can you get?"  I asked as I hopped out
of the car.  It was definitely windier here near the ocean.  Even my
short sandy-blond hair whipped into my face, and I had my hair cut 
especially for the purpose of preventing that from happening.

"I never said you had to come, Haruka.  All I mentioned was that I 
wanted some scenery for a painting, and you insisted on tagging 
along."  A faint gust from the ocean caught Michiru's soft green hair
and tousled it a bit, letting it flap in the wind for a brief moment 
before setting down on her shoulder again.  "Can you really not stand
to be apart from me for even half an hour?" she retorted in that 
sarcastic-yet-gently-teasing way of hers as she locked the doors.  

I grunted and flushed ever so slightly as I picked up some of her art
supplies.  How does she always manage to do this to me?  I, the great
and strong Haruka, who wouldn't change shades if the entire 
population of Juuban High School walked in on me in the shower (okay,
maybe I'm exaggerating a little).  But just a few words from Michiru,
a light comment that came and went as easily as a bubble, and I'd 
find myself flustered beyond speech.  The worst part is, she notices
it no matter how hard I try to hide the fact, and she enjoys it too.
Maybe it makes her feel so tough and important, having control over 
the famous star racer Haruka Ten'ou.  Humph.

I laughed to myself.  Just face it, it's because you're crazy about 
her.  Ever since the first time you met her, you knew she was the one. 
Her blue eyes deeper than the ocean, her marine-green hair with the 
soft gentle waves of the sea.  It's because she's run away with your 
heart, because you gave it to her more willingly than anything in 
your entire life.  She knows just which strings to tug, which spots 
to tickle, which--"OW!  Shimatta!"

Michiru paused and looked over her shoulder to see the cause of my 
exclamation.  What a sight I must have made, too.  Trying to balance 
paint trays and brushes in one hand, holding my toes in the other and
hopping on one foot, all the while cussing under my breath.  She 
raised an eyebrow.  "My, my, Haruka, I'd have expected more grace 
from you than that.  And such language, too."

There she goes again, poking the exact nerve that triggered direct 
blood flow to the facial area.  "I can't help it!" I protested
helplessly like a nine-year-old.  "Something bit me!"  I desperately
searched around in the fine warm sand for a culprit, just so I won't
sound completely ridiculous.  A movement in the expanse of tan and 
gold caught my eye--a medium-sized, dust-colored crab scurrying 
towards the waves crashing in.  "There it is!" I shouted, pointing 
accusingly at it.

Michiru couldn't help but laugh.  "Haruka, don't tell me you're 
scared of that little crustacean," she teased, holding the little 
eight-legged creature up to my face.  I pretended to cower in fear.  
"Besides, crabs don't bite; they pinch."  She emphasized her point by
demonstrating on my arm.

"Okay, okay, you don't need to turn my arm black and blue too," I 
said with a grin as I cautiously backed away.  Michiru giggled and 
placed the crab in a nearby tide pool.  We walked down together to 
the waves, just before the borderline between wet and dry sand.  
Michiru sat down with her sketching pad and went right to work.  I 
kicked off my sandals and stepped up to the water, letting it rinse 
over my burning toe.  The sun was setting, and stained everything a 
golden red.  Pink clouds swirled near the horizon, casting their 
reflections over the shifting sea.  Deep blue liquid mixed with the 
sharp bright rays over the water--the effect was hypnotizing.

A breeze skimmed over the beach, and I shivered slightly, realizing 
that my pant cuffs are wet.  I quickly hopped out of the water and 
walked to where Michiru was drawing.  The tide was coming in, and she
had retreated to a large rock where she sat, an occasional wave 
touching the tips of her toes.  Her art supplies lay next to her on 
the rock, as well as my sandals that probably would have been washed 
off to who-knows-where.  (Just one more thing I love about her--her 
thoughtfulness)  I took a peek over her shoulder--she had finished 
the light pencil sketch, and was now starting to mix the paints.  
Looks like this will take a while, I mused.  I figured I might as 
well go for a quick run to kill time.

I started off at a slow jog down the long stretch of shoreline.  The 
sand was still warm, holding on to the heat it had captured from the 
sun during the day.  I veered off slightly to the right towards the 
water, so I wasn't running on the dry loose sand, which slowed me 
down.  The surf rhythmically washed over my bare feet, washing sand
from beneath them.  The sensation was almost ticklish.  I smiled to
myself and picked up the pace.  The wind combed through my hair, 
pulling at my shirt.  I fairly sprinted along the beach, feeling like
I was flying.  Maybe I was--who knows?  I've always wanted to be like
the wind.  To escape the bounds of gravity, to soar through the 
air... perhaps that's why I love car racing so much.  I can drive as 
fast as I want, as fast as I can, with the wind in my hair and 
behind my back and everywhere...  It's probably as close as I'll ever
get to my dreams, to be one with the wind and sky...

I slowed my steps, breathing deeply, and looked back.  Yep--she's 
still there, aqua hair trailing down her back, head bowed over her 
piece of art.  As much as I love running, I'd prefer to keep Michiru
in sight.  I just feel that much more secure knowing she's around.  
Not like I depend on her to protect me or anything, of course, but as
long as she's there, I feel better.  I sprinted a few meters further,
then started heading back.

Out of anyone, Michiru would probably understand my passion for speed
the most.  Of course we already understand each other down to the 
tiniest detail, but some things about me I don't share with everyone--
just her.  She's the only person I've met that can actually match my 
running speed.  You'd never guess it from looking at her--the 
delicate soft, pretty girl that she is compared to my tall stature, 
but she can run like anything.  Unlike me, though, she prefers the 
pool to the track.  Maybe we do match each other more perfectly than 
we might have known--I want to be the wind, and she wants to be the 
sea.  Those powerful long legs that push her on land are more than at
home propelling her through the water.  See, when I run, I'm 
unbeatably fast, but that's about all.  When Michiru dives into her 
element, she's not only fast, but more graceful than a dolphin.  She
does flips and turns and twists in the water that I'd never have 
imagined, and holds her breath until I'm sure she'd have drowned.  
(She'd scared me more than once that way.)  She doesn't like to show
off her athletic abilities like me though-her artistic and musical 
talents are much more displayable.

Before I'd realized, I had gotten back to Michiru's rock.  She let 
out a breath I'm sure she had held for a long time as she added the
final stroke.  I was yet again amazed as I gazed at her newest 
creation, just like I have so many times before.  She had perfectly
captured the sunset down to the most innocuous detail.  The crimson
glow, the ripples over the sea, the golden threads woven into the 
blue--they're all there, part of the perfection that is the picture,
that is her.  And I had only been gone for... what, ten, fifteen 
minutes, most?  I know it doesn't take me that long to run such a 
short distance.

"If it only takes you this little effort to draw something so 
spectacular, why did you even need to come here?" I asked, astonished.
"I've seen you paint at home without having to look at models and 
they turn out just as good."

She leaned back and sighed.  "I didn't come here for the view.  I 
just needed to get some tension out."

"Tension?"  Now that I thought about it, she had seemed somewhat 
stressed the last couple of days.  Even her driving when we headed to
this beach was jerky. "So this helps you relax?"  I've always failed 
to see what about sitting still and dabbing at a piece of cloth or 
paper is so relaxing.  If anything, the tiny restricted movements 
would probably make me more aggravated.

"Different people have different ways of calming down, Haruka.  You
run, and I paint.  It lets me concentrate on different things."

I sat down next to her and slipped on my sandals.  The moon was 
rising delicately from the east.  "So what were you so frustrated 
about?"

She blew at her bangs.  "I'm not frustrated.  At least... I don't 
think I am...  It's just...  I guess I was getting kind of worried."

"About what?"  My attention was quickly roused.  Michiru had been 
right about bad things about to happen in the past...

"I don't know...  It's just so... peaceful.  I'm not used to it, I 
suppose.  I always expect something to come up, and we'd be thrown 
into battle again.  There's never any rest..."  She stretched, her 
slender fingers clutching for the stars.  "I don't know.  I really 
don't.  It's so confusing..."

I hopped off the rock, and helped Michiru down.  We sat down on the 
sand and leaned against the rock, letting the waves pour over our 
feet.  "Don't worry about it," I comforted her, "things are bound to
get better sometime.  Bad things can't happen all the time--maybe 
we're finally getting that vacation everyone deserves."  She still 
looked doubtful.  "Come on, Michiru.  You can't be telling me that 
you actually dislike this tranquility."

She laid her head on my shoulder.  "Yeah, maybe you're right..."

I gazed towards the horizon, where the dark blue tints of the sea and
the sky blended into one.  The wind caressed the surface of the ocean,
making the reflection of the moon dance about.  Even though the sun 
had disappeared, the full moon and its many companions of stars in 
the sky lit up the beach.  Now the waves took on a silvery hue.

Michiru suddenly stood up and retrieved her painting from atop the 
rock.  "You know, this really isn't that good.  I was too distracted
when I did it--I should probably throw it away or something."

"What?"  I stood up beside her and looked over the picture.  "What 
are you talking about?  It's great!"

She shrugged.  "Nothing exceptional, really.  There's nothing special
about it--I mean, you were right--I could have done this at home just
as easily."

I studied the paper carefully--it's true, the sunset was pretty 
typical (for her), but maybe if over here there would be a little 
more something to even things out...  "So you don't want this?"

Michiru shook her head.

I hopped back onto the rock and picked up a clean brush.  "Then you
won't mind if I play around with it a little?"

She looked astounded.  "You want to paint?"

I grinned at her.  "Is there anything wrong with that?  You don't 
know everything about me yet, girl.  Just one request--could you pose
for me?"

Michiru opened her mouth to say something, but shook her head.  "You
are really something, Haruka Ten'ou," she chuckled as she waded out 
into the water and climbed onto a dark shape that I recognized as one
of the rocks in her painting.  I licked my lips as I stirred the 
paints and prayed that I won't ruin the picture, even if she had said
she didn't want it--hopefully, I'll still remember those couple of 
art lessons my parents made me take in sixth grade.

After about half an hour, when Michiru started to jokingly complain 
that her legs were falling asleep, I finally ended up with something 
hopefully satisfactory.  She splashed back to land to inspect my work.
I held my breath, hoping that I had at least made the figure 
recognizable.

She gasped.  "My God, when did you learn to draw so well?"

On the paper, gazing at the sunset, sat a mermaid with a glittering 
tail.  Her face was turned away, but she had an unmistakable head of
wavy sea-green hair.

"Kami-sama..." Michiru breathed as she stared at the picture.  "Can I
keep this?  It's beautiful!"

"Beautiful?"  Compared to her art, my scribbles were... well, 
unmentionable, that's for sure.  "Surely you joke."

"No..." she protested and wrapped me in a hug so tight I had to cough. 
"Thank you so much!"

"Yep," I choked out through her embrace, "I knew the beach would be 
way too sappy."  But I was smiling through it.

"All the better to torture you with, my dear."

We spent the rest of the night gazing at the stars.

*******
Wow, I'm not even sure where that came from.  It was probably partly 
inspired by the many wonderful Haruka/Michiru fics out there (to 
which this story pales, no, bleaches by comparison), and I wouldn't 
be surprised if I unconsciously incorporated some elements from those
into this story.  So if you see something that might look familiar, 
please don't kill me. (please?  I'll be your friend!)  And I
 considered myself an Usagi/Mamoru fanatic...  I guess the hopelessly
romantic side extends to all characters eventually.  This _is_ the 
first fanfic that I've ever tried to publish on the net, so be nice, 
please.  Anything at all you'd like to say about it should be sent to
TUsagi_Cmamoru@yahoo.com.  Also, if you feel like it, please visit my
(unrelated to this fic other than the SM part) fanart site at 
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/2733/.

Oh yeah, the disclaimers: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, associated 
characters and names, etc. does not belong to me.  They are owned by
really rich people and big companies whom I don't want to mess with.