Having Met You

--- a short fanfic by Albrecht Halbstein*
<[email protected]>
==============

[PG, I think]

Notation:
{.......} action
/* ... */ author's comment
_CAPITAL_ emphasis
* endnote

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's get over with the usual stuff first. The Sailor Moon characters are
the properties of their creator Takeuchi Naoko, the publisher Kodansha, and
the animation company Toei. I use the characters and the stories without the
permissions of the aforementioned parties.
This is the first attempt to write a story of any kind by the author. It was
rushed out in 4 days (which I consider an accomplishment for someone who hates
writing more than anything else), so a revision should be needed in the
future. All comments regarding the story itself, the crippled and awkward
writing style, the intolerable grammar and spelling, and the inappropriate
vocabulary usage are welcome and encourag!
ed. I do appreciate any idea for my
possible revision. The author's e-mail address is [email protected].
The story is told in the first person point of view. I find it easier to
tell a story this way. If it bothers you, well, tough luck. It you do not
like the main character, Ten'ou Haruka, in this story, well, you are welcome
to disregard this story. Nobody forces you to like her anyway. If you do
not like the way I portray her, _YOU_ come up with a better one. If you do
not like me, I do not necessarily like you, either. So, there!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I drive my yellow Toyota 2000GT along the shoreline. Sitting by me is
my elegant and beautiful schoolmate with turquoise hair. A hair of that color
does look odd. But, somehow, it looks really nice and natural on her. I
guess you can say, "it is her color." The golden sun is setting to our right.
The whole car basks in the golden rays. The wind!
ever-so-lightly brushes
against my face. It is a blessed feeling.
"It is great to have met you, Michiru," I say.
"Huh?" says my schoolmate, who is obviously puzzled by my sudden burst of
the comment.
I chuckle.

++++++++++

I have always been alone. No, I have never lacked friends. It is a
feeling.

++++++++++

"Uh...uh...please excuse me, Haruka-san. Would you please tell me how
to solve this 'pulling 3 blocks' problem?" asks a classmate nervously.
"Has the teacher not explained how to do a 2-block problem? It uses the
same principle. Can't you just pay more attention to the teacher and use
your brain? Anyway. You are given the mass of each block and the friction
coefficient. Use the masses and the coefficient to determine the maximal
friction of the 3 blocks. Don't you know action and reaction? Just draw
arrows of the forces according to the way action and reaction work. Then,
it is just _BASIC_ algebra. If you know how to do a 2-b!
lock one, why don't
you know a 3-block one? It is just one additional block! Sheesh! You
really are ..." I say and trail off due to an interruption.
"Hey, Haruka, old mate. Explain to me again how you got the solutions of
this clock question," interrupts an old friend.
"Use your head and look at your watch! The question asked when the 2
hands would overlap between 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock. The short hand has a
30 degree head start and sweeps 0.5 degree for every 6 degrees the long hand
sweeps. So? Set up an algebraic equation and solve it! What's so hard about
it? It is only simple algebra!" I say, almost yelling.
"Oh, I see...... But I don't have an analog watch. It is digital," she
sort of complains.
My academic grades are not too bad. My classmates seem to be under the
impression that I can solve any problem thrown at me.**

++++++++++

Why does the world suddenly look red? And people on the street...they...
they seem like statues. !
Why isn't anybody moving? Can't you see the dark
whirlwind coming this way? It is destroying the buildings. It sweeps up the
statues...no, the people...on the street and smashes them. What is happening
here? Why am I seeing this? I turn as I hear a voice coming from behind me.
It is too bright. I cannot see clearly. There seems to be a woman addressing
to me. What is she saying? What does she want? Is this a vision or
premonition?
"Haruka-san! What you did in class was really great. How did you gather
the nerve to confront the teacher like that?"
I snap out of it as several classmates walk towards me and talk to me.
"Yeah! That was brave of you. Did you see the teacher's face turning
blue? I tried very hard to hold back my urge to laugh."
"Way to go!"
"You mean the English teacher? That was nothing. I was merely teaching
her a lesson," I reply.
"But, are you sure that there should not be an 'it' between 'put off' in
'never put !
off until tomorrow what you can do today'?"
"Of course I am sure. I am always right. We don't want the teacher to
teach us the wrong thing, do we?"
"Well, we just want to tell you how courageous we think you are. Never-
theless, you need to watch your back from now on. The teacher is already on
your case."
"Thanks for the warning. She can't really do anything to me when I am
right. But I will be careful." I wink at the group.
"What's wrong?" A friend comes up to me after the group of classmates
walked away.
"Huh?" I am slightly startled.
"You looked dazed a few moments ago," she said.
"Oh! Nothing really. Just daydreaming," I respond perfunctorily.
Was it really a daydream? Why does it pop up repeatedly? It comes more
often recently.

++++++++++

"Haruka! Come here for a few minutes. Pop and I would like to have a
few words with you before you sleep," Mother yells from the kitchen.
"Hai hai......" Here we go a!
gain. I growl inwardly.
"We are proud of your performance at school. But running and car racing?
Can't you at least _TRY_ to behave more like a lady? I don't think you would
ever get into a skirt if your school did not require you to wear one."
"Aww...what's wrong with pants? I can jump and run around with more ease
in pants. What's so great about wearing a skirt anyway? You always have to
watch out," I sort of complain. /* not whining */
"A lady should not move about that much. But let's put the dress issue
aside for now. You know how much I object to the idea of you competing in
sport games. Why can't you try something more ladylike for a change? For
example, playing a music instrument."
"Since there is a girls' track team, it means that I am not that
different from that many girls. Who says that girls should not get into
sports? I am only killing my time with sports. In addition, I did learn to
play piano in elementary school, didn't I?" I !
really complain.
"But you do not play it anymore."
"I don't have extra time for a music instrument right now."
"That was my point, young lady! If you _QUIT_ the track team, you _WILL_
be able to kill time, as you call it, with playing music instrument."
"But...but playing piano by myself is boring."
"Hey, that Pop over there! Say something to your daughter. It was bad
enough that she loves machines and school's sports. She is now obsessed with
auto racing. You led her into a motor speedway. You should knock some sense
into her. It is a very dangerous sport."
"Haruka, did you hear what your mother said? You should listen to her."
"Daaaad...how could you say that? You, too, know what other members of
the team said about me. I am a genious racer. I am happy on the speedway.
Don't worry about me, please? Maaa... I will compete in track events in
tomorrow's municipal games. May I go to bed now? May I? May I?"
"......"
"Th!
anks! Good night." I slip out of the kitchen before my mother has a
chance to utter another sound.

++++++++++

I have always felt alone. Do I differ from other girls that much?

++++++++++

The world looks red. The buildings crumble as the dark whirlwind sweep
through the street. The statues that were people are smashed. I turn around
as I hear a voice behind me.
"The Silence is approaching. The Messiah must be found quickly. That
mission can only be accomplished by me...and you."
Not again! It was the same vision again. Only this time I can see and
hear the woman behind me. Who is that woman in a sailor suit? What is she
trying to tell me? Does this mean that I can foresee the destruction of the
world?
"Are you Ten'ou Haruka? I have heard about you. People say that you are
fast. But that does not scare me. I will not lose," says the girl standing
in the lane to my left.
Another over-confident fool. She does not bother me one bi!
t.
"_READY_..._BANG_!!!"
This running is just another piece of cake for me. I am good at any
sport that I put myself into. A sport is just something I use to kill my time.
A sport is something I do to relieve my boredom. I like running because I can
feel the wind. I want to be the wind. I want to be free from the pull of
gravity. But the only thing I really love is auto racing. The speed makes me
feel like I am almost the wind. Auto circuit is everything to me.
As expected, I finish the race way ahead of everyone else, including that
strange over-confident girl.
At the rest area, when I finish changing my clothes and am about to leave,
that over-confident girl comes up to me.
"I have heard that you are fast, but I do not know that you are _THIS_
fast. Anyway, I would like to introduce to you someone who wants to meet you.
Come here, Michiru! Kaiou Michiru. She is a genious painter."
Ah! She is the lady who appeared in my vision. She i!
s just in her
regular school uniform and not in the sailor suite. She does not have the
tiara on, either. She looks different, but I _KNOW_ it is she. Why does she
appear now?
"There is not a single drop of sweat on you. You must have reserved a
lot of your strength in that race," says Michiru.
"What do you mean?" I question her.
"Did you hear the wind stirring?" asks Michiru.
From that moment on, I know that she has sensed my true strength. She
knows what I have foreseen. She knows that I have seen her in my vision.
I now know for sure that it _IS_ my mission to find the Messiah. It means
that I will have to give up my happy life for the holy mission. I don't want
to, at least not now. I have a wonderful school life. I have a dream of
becoming a star auto racer to fulfill. I don't want anything to change.
"Strange fellow. So, what do you want?" I ask.
"Could you be a model for a portrait I want to paint?" asks Michiru.
"Nah! !
I am not interested in that," I decline and walk away.
Somehow, a queer feeling starts to grow in my heart. It is true that I
jittered slightly when I realized that she is the person who appeared in my
horrible premonition. I feel that I knew her from somewhere before. Could
it be...in our previous life? But there is another feeling that shakes me.
A feeling that I should not have. No matter what, I want to see her again.

++++++++++

"Haruka! A letter came for you. It is from a person named Kaiou
Michiru. Is she a friend of yours? I have never heard of you mentioning her
before," shouts Mother, as if I could not hear her from my room.
"Coming!" I respond.
There is that electrical shock feeling again. A letter from Michiru? I
wonder what it is for. Does this mean that I will get to see her again? I
can almost hear my own heartbeat accelerating. Stop that feeling. Hmm...
Interesting...an invitation to her performance aboard a cruise ship. Sh!
e
plays violin. Hmm. Should I pick up my piano lessons again? Well. It is
nice to be able to see her again.
"Mom! I'm going to attend someone's concert next Sunday."
"Are you going with your friends? You _WILL_ wear that dress we bought
for you."
"Ahhhh! No way! I am not going to get into that thing. And I will go
to the concert alone. Yeah, I know, I know. I will be back by 10."

++++++++++

"Would you like something to drink, sir?" asks a waiter.
Sir? {laugh} This is not the first time I am mistaken for a man.
Mother always gets mad when I wear my tuxedo. In my opinion, it is a _LOT_
better than a dress and a lot more comfortable, too. Am I weird? Some
people think so.
"A glass of iced tea would be fine," I respond.
I scan my surroundings. There is no sign of her. I guess that I will
not be able to see her before her performance. Why am I so eager to see her
again? This strange feeling somewhat bothers me. There is a!
scent of
familarity about her. When she was introduced to me the other day, I felt as
if I finally found my long lost ...
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome aboard. Tonight we feature a rare
performance by a famous violinist and talented rising star Kaiou Michiru. It
is an honor to have her here with us. We hope you enjoy the concert and
enjoy yourselves on this ship. Thank you. Let's welcome Miss Kaiou Michiru,"
announces the host, the captain of this ship.
I can hear my heart pumping really fast. I can feel my eyes glittering.
She is beautiful, more beautiful than I remembered. Maybe I was too astounded
to look at her carefully enough during our first chance meeting. Maybe it is
because I never cared too much for beautiful people or things before. Never-
theless, she looks really elegant and graceful, like a goddess who walked out
of a Greek mythology book. She looks cute, too. My cheeks are getting hot.
Relax, Haruka. You are here to enjoy an evening's!
concert. I deeply inhale
a lungfull of cool air.
"Here you are, sir."
"Oh, thank you," I say.
I thanked him for bringing me the drink, and more importantly, for
interrupting my thought. The music starts while I am still mentally thanking
the waiter. According to the program, the first piece is Rossini's String
Sonata No. 2 in A minor. /* Even though it is for 2 violins, cello, and
double bass, I still like to use it here. I happen to like this piece. I
assume that an appropriate ensemble, e.g., chamber players, is available on
board to play this. */ The second piece is Kreisler's Liebesfreud. The
third piece is a violin solo written by a contemporary composer named Arisawa
Takanori. /* I tried to come up with a name for this piece, e.g., serenade,
impromptu, tone poem, etc. But I could not think of one for this short
violin piece that Michiru played in Sailor Moon Super. Sorry. */ Hmm...
Arisawa... I have never heard of him. An intermission will !
follow these 3
pieces. After the intermission will be the Menuetto, Adagio, and Rondo
movements from Mozart's Divertimento No. 1 in D major. /* I happen to like
this piece of music a _LOT_.*/ I stop studying the program and look up. Her
music is as beautiful and graceful as she is. I am completely drawn into the
music and forget where I am. It is as if she, the music, and I are the only
things that exist in the universe. That serene feeling is interrupted by the
conversation between the couple sitting at the next table.
"That Kaiou Michiru looks so young and pretty."
"She is only in junior high school."
"Really? She must have many friends in her school. She is famous."
"I heard that she is not very sociable."
They were talking about her. I have never heard of her before our first
meeting. I love motor sports. Circuits were everything to me...until I met
her. I am unfamiliar with the news in the music world. Maybe I really
should start p!
ractice piano again. Mother would be very happy. Their
conversation led my thoughts into a scene at school on Friday......
"Do you like Ten'ou Haruka? I just cannot stand a person like her. Did
you see the way she answered people's questions? She always looks down on
people and insults them. Who does she think she is? An all-knowing goddess?
People are afraid to ask her questions but still go to her for solutions
because she does know an awful lot. But, still, that does not give her the
right to treat people like an inferior species."
I overheard a classmate talking about me with another classmate in the
far corner of the classroom. I was slightly stunned by her comments and
curious to hear more.
"She does not insult _EVERYONE_. Haven't you seen her talking rather
cheerfully with some classmates? And, she still answers everyone's questions
in the end, doesn't she?"
"You mean _THE GROUP_? I guess that she considers that elite group of
good stude!
nts her equal. But that group of classmates are much much more
approachable and friendly than she is. Don't you feel that she is queer? I
mean that she likes machines and cars. She even entered a few auto races!
I wonder how she managed to drive a car and race at her age. Nonetheless,
don't you think that she is not like a girl? Do you suppose that she has a
special leaning?"
"......"
That comment startled me. Was that how my classmates have been looking
at me? Should I care what they think? What is this feeling that I have for
Michiru? My thoughts drift back to the present. The music has not stopped
yet. I stand up from my chair. I have to leave this deck now and sort out
my tangled thoughts. I walk down the stair case and let the door from the
upper deck close behind me. A huge painting is hanging on the wall. I stop
decending and turn right to look at it. "Destruction of the World", it is
titled. The artist is...Kaiou Michiru? The painting itsel!
f is great, but
the disaster it portrays looks horrifying. The tidal wave in the background
seems about to engulf the city in the foreground. It reminds me of my
horrid premonition.
"Thank you for coming, Ten'ou Haruka-san, the genius racer."
"Ah... You seem to know a lot about me." I respond.
I was stunned for a second by the sudden coming of the voice. I did not
turn around, but I knew it was her. Shouldn't she still be playing? How did
she get to the stair a few steps down so quickly?
"You are very famous, even in my school. There is someone in my school
who wants to take a ride with you along the shoreline even though she is a
girl."
"Destruction of the World. How could a gentle girl like you have a
dream so horrifying as this?" I ask.
"It is not a dream! It is what will happen in the future. You can see
it as well as I do."
I finally turn around and look at her, who stands several steps down
from where I stand.
"Stupid no!
nsense! I, Ten'ou Haruka, am a Japanese junior racer. I will
not give it up. Please stop investigating me. Whether it is the memory of
the previous life or the end of the world, it is none of my concern. If
someone has to do something, why don't you do it?" I burst out.
I see that her whole body begins to quiver. She looks down and grasps
her hands tightly together as if she was trying to hold something back.
"Don't be so selfish! The world is about to be destroyed. It is our
destiny to stop it from happening. Do you think I like this mission? I want
to be an artist and play violin!" she says with fury.
I am astounded by her sudden changed of attitude and temper. I stand
there without a word. She takes a few minutes to calm herself and walks away
to continue her concert. I stand there alone, thinking about the conversation
that just took place. Am I really selfish? Should I give up my dream and
take on the mission? If I decided to fulfill this !
mission, I could not
possibly continue to pursue my dream before the mission is completed. She is
willing to give up her dream. Why can't I? Is my dream more important than
the future of the world? I have a happy life. My parents love me and are
proud of me. I am one of the top students at school. I have a bright future
of getting into best schools and finding a good job. I would have to give
all those up, too. But, what would be my future if there is no future for
the world? What should I do?

++++++++++

"Haruka's Pop! Would you please come here for a second? Haruka still
insists on entering that auto race today. Since you are the one who started
her racing hobby, you should try to talk her out of it," shouts Mother.
"Mom! Today's race is not that dangerous. It is not a big event. But
I still want the experience. You promised that as long as it does not affect
my grades at school, I am allowed to race. Haven't we been through this
before? Please!
let me go...please?" I sort of beg. /* I don't really like
the idea of having Haruka begging. But I think it is better than having her
slam the door behind her and walk out of the door. */
"{sigh} Fine, fine. I know that once you set your heart on something,
you will get it no matter what. We still think it is too dangerous and it is
too un-lady-like," says Mother.
"Maaaaaa...I will be careful. I must get going now. Bye bye."

++++++++++

That race was yet another unchallenging one. I only consider it a
practice. I want to be a Formula-1 race driver. I want to compete with the
top drivers in the world. But I can use these smaller events to keep me on
my toe.
On my way back to my team's garage I hear a painful groan coming from
someone else's garage. My curiosity drives me to take a look. I see a male
student in Mugen Gakuen's uniform twinge. I rush into the garage and ask him
what is wrong. As soon as I touch his back, he begins to transform!
into a
giant monster. I step back and grab a steel bar laid among other tools. I
want to strike it with the bar but hesitate for a second. I see an image of
the boy calling out from the monster. The monster decides to attack me. The
steel bar is knocked away from me, and I fall down on my back. When the
monster is about to launch a second attack, a bright light appears between the
monster and me. The monster suspends its attack for a few moment. An object
that resembles a stick or a rod forms in the light. It just hangs in the air
before me. I reach out my hand in order to grab it. However, just before I
am able to touch it, a voice calls out to stop me.
"Don't! Don't touch it. If you take it, you will never be able to
return to your normal life."
It is Michiru again. Why is she here? The stick falls on the floor. I
turn my head and see her standing at the door. She takes out a stick and
point it up to the sky. A bright light shoots out from the e!
nd of the stick
and transforms Michiru into that lady in a sailor suit in my premonition! She
leaps into the garage and begins to attach the monster. The monster is
knocked down for a moment. I come up to her in order to stop her from killing
the monster.
"You cannot kill it. It was still a human being just moments ago," I
plead.
"I must kill it. If I don't, it will destroy others," she says firmly.
"To carry out your mission, you will not choose your method, will you?" I
ask her.
"You are right. I will not choose my method," she replies angrily.
Suddenly, her expression turns into a shock.
"Danger!" she shouts.
Before I can react, the monster starts to jump on me. She shoots forward
and holds me tightly to block the monster's attack with her body. I am
surprised by her action. After we were sent off flying and fell on the
ground, she stands up and does a strange attack called "Deep Submerge". A big
ball of watch shoots toward the m!
onster and knocks it down. The monster
reverts to a human being again. She collapses and drops on her knees. I come
forward and help her sit up.
"How is the boy?" she asks.
"He has been reverted to a human again. Don't worry."
"I could have killed it. Next time I will. I don't like it, either.
But I am a warrior. I have no choice."
"Why did you try to protect me? You could have injured your arms and
would not be able to play violin again," I ask with a trace of concern.
"I am interested in you not because you are the other warrior. It was
before I knew. I saw your first race. I have always wanted to take a drive
with you in your car along the shoreline. You are always independent and
honest to your feelings," she says in an obvious agony.
"I never was. I have kept fleeing."
"I know you better than you do. After all, I have been watching you. I
did not want you to take the same path as I did. But when I knew you were the
oth!
er one, I was so happy. I am sorry. I should not have told you all this.
I really am very sorry."
I can see the tear in her eyes. What should I do? Am I going to give up
my happy and normal life? I look at her pretty but painful face. Yes, I will
give up my normal life and dream...for her. I turn my head and see my shining
stick lying on the floor. I have chosen the path that my destiny leads me to.
I do not feel alone anymore.

++++++++++

I drive my yellow Toyota 2000GT along the shoreline. Sitting by me is
my beautiful classmate. The Sun is setting to our right.
"It is great to have met you, Michiru," I say.
"Huh?" responds Michiru.
I chuckle.
"Let's keep taking a drive together. You will not be able to go home
tonight," I say.
Michiru giggles. I laugh.

[THE END]

* The name is a little joke on the name of the great physicist Albert
Einstein. Bu!
t no disrespect is intended.

** I am not doing too great in math or physics or whatever, so I only use
the most simple questions to get to my point. Differential equations and
Schr'o'dinger's equation will have to wait till another time, IF there is
another time.

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