Crimson Kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own sailor moon or any of the characters; all credit goes to Naoko Takeuchi, creator of Sailor Moon.

Chapter Seven: The End

Not even out of breath, the senshi made her way up the stairs of the great hall. She knew where she was going as though she had been there only yesterday. From the memories of her sire she could tell where everything led to, which way to turn, how to get there, and where the vampire was. Nephilim had been a fool to leave Haruka alive. She bounded up the stairs, coming to the great double doors that had been closed for the dark ritual.

In her heart Haruka Tenoh hoped that Michiru was still alive.

Knowing that she might have to choose between her duty to stop the darkness from coming and saving her one true love, Haruka rested her palms on the door's edge. The carving of roses stretched across the door in a beautiful pattern...almost unfitting of the events that had unfolded inside. As though she were merely moving a light wooden door the warrior opened the double doors and instantly gazed at the scene before her.

"It seems that we would have a disturbance..." a dark female voice called out, not that of Nephilim's.

Before her Haruka could see the vampire queen hovering above Michiru, the angel limp in her hands. Nephilim snickered by the dark queen's side though the shock at Haruka's being here was still written plainly across her face. She looked under dressed standing next to the ancient vampire queen.

"Nephilim! Did you think that you could pull one by me?" Haruka yelled, anger coursing through her veins.

The dark demon could only laugh, crossing her arms over her chest and gazing at the warrior of wind as though she were a fool. But the vampire queen next to her, the one holding Haruka's beloved Michiru, seemed phased by the power she could feel resonating from Haruka. She understood that this fallen angel would be her downfall if she was not destroyed.

"Kill her Nephilim! I have no need for her!" She laughed.

Nephilim didn't need to be told twice. Lighting-speed she approached Haruka and swung at her. Nails grazed the spot where Haruka had been standing moments before and Nephilim released air in the form of a shocked gasp. Haruka, not wasting time, revealed her position behind Nephilim.

"Missed me," She taunted, "my turn!"

Faster than Nephilim Haruka pulled out her pen that Michiru had given her. From the pen resonated a golden light, one that was the reason she had been able to save Michiru before. Feeling the wind flowing through her soul, the senshi called the words that resonated in her vampire heart.

"Uranus Planet Power...Make Up!"

Golden light surrounded the fallen angel of the wind and lightening cracked as the light formed her battle uniform. Her wardrobe mirroring that of Michiru's the day that she had tried to save Haruka; she stood with pride and hatred for the figure that had ripped her lover away from her. But Michiru could still be saved...right? She didn't have time to waste for Nephilim had already charged. Drawing her energy into the form of an attack, she struck.

"Uranus World Shaking!"

The energy blasted from her hand, wrapping around the figure in front of her and destroying the vampiress's powers shred by shred. Defeated, the fallen vampiress fell to the ground with a quick thud. Her body was covered in deep heat bruises and bloody patches that no amount of vampiric healing could fix. It was obvious that she would die without aid.

Pathetically, Nephilim eyed her mistress, who had dropped Michiru's wrist to gaze at the fight with bloodied lips. Weakly she reached out for the vampire that she had ressurected, sure that this was the moment of glory. That the mistress would finally give her the power that she so long had craved for!

"Please...Mistress Nine..." she pleaded.

The sounds of the footsteps of heels echoed across the floor as the woman approached to talk to her minion. To save her. Haruka didn't bother to pay attention to the scene relaying before her but skidded away from the two and, in silence, approached Michiru. Words echoed through her ears and she turned her attentions to the fallen minion who let out a cry of pain as Mistress Nine stepped on her hand.

"Worthless girl...did you think I would give power to someone so unworthy?" She laughed.

In her misery, Nephilim saw that she would not survive the day. Anger rose up in the vampiress's tone and she struggled to stand but it was all in vain for the Mistress only kneed her in the side and sent her to the ground again.

"I...saved you! How could you...throw me...away? You witch!" she screamed and with the last of her energy charged the great vampiress.

With the flick of her finger, Mistress Nine eyed the vampiress. Her eyes turned black and instantly Nephilim was burning with a dark flame. She fell to the ground, crying as the darkness burned her soul.

"How could you! No..." and she fell, bursting into dark flames that fluttered around the air into a thousand little pieces. Disappearing, Nephilim was no more. Haruka remained disturbed by what the woman had just done. Even Nephilim hadn't deserved such an uncalled for death. The Mistress's eyes turned to Haruka, her gaze holding a horrible smugness to it.

"Little solider...you've done well to come this far," she chimed with her sweet voice, "but every story must have its end!"

No warning sounded as the dark witch raced across the pavement, faster than Haruka's eyes could see. She had no time to react as the woman smacked her across the side of the face. Haruka could feel the pain running through her side as she was thrown into the cold stone ground. Blood flowed freely from her forehead and the wound sealed itself up. But before she could react the Mistress was there, her hand smacking down so hard on Haruka's back that the senshi felt a few of her ribs crack. Screaming, she lay on the ground in pain while the vampiress above her laughed.

"Nobody can even stand up to me!" Her laugh was haughty.

Wincing from pain Haruka tried to regain her sense of movement but her broken ribs only stung more. Even her vampire healing powers couldn't patch up a rib wound that fast. From where she lay she could see the figure of Michiru almost lifelessly resting there. But there was a small movement, her expression dull and deer-like as she gazed across at Haruka with those angelic eyes. Michiru's hand moved, stretching out towards Haruka's.

"Haruka...I love you..."

Her words were not even whispered loud enough to hear but Haruka read the girl's lips and watched as the single tear dropped from the artist's eyes. Michiru closed her eyes, still to the world as the dark woman before Haruka finally decided that she had revealed in her glory long enough.

"Your turn to die!"
She laughed, pointing her finger at Haruka so that she cover her with the same dark energy that had banished Nephilim.

Instantly she found her resolve, her will to live on. To save Michiru.

Something inside Haruka shifted as she lay there thinking of the love that she had to save. There was no thought for Hotaru for she had been swallowed by the demon in front of Haruka and she was not even sure if she could help the poor girl now. But the resolve to save Michiru burned in Haruka's eyes and unthinkingly, she heard the crack of the dark energy just in time.

There was a soft glow from the item that she held in her hand and then the crack of the dark energy. Then the darkness bit at Haruka, threatening to destroy her as it burned her clothes and skin like it had Nephilim's. But she didn't move, she endured the pain without a wince.

"Space sword!" She cried and forced the sword she clutched so tightly in her grips up into the black heart of the Mistres

A moment passed and all was quiet.

"How...could...you?" The vampire cried and then fell to the floor in a crumpled mess.

Haruka staggered as she stepped back from the dark woman. Shades of purple and black whirled around her in the form of shimmering black butterflies. Instantly the butterflies flew this way and that, out of the vampiress that had threatened to destroy the world. All that remained in her wake was the unconscious form of Hotaru.

Without a thought of what kind of condition she was in, Haruka dropped the sword she had clutched in her groups and ran for her lover. She picked up the sleeping angel's head and cradled the girl in her arms.

"Michiru!" she cried, trying to shake the girl awake, to feel for a pulse, any sign that she was alive.

Michiru fluttered her eyes, the front of her white nightgown was soaked crimson with her own blood. She gazed up at Haruka with her beautiful eyes. From where she sat Haruka could feel that Michiru's heart was on the point of stopping. Tears brushed the woman's eyes and she gazed into Michiru's face.

"Haruka...I was...wondering...when you'd...come." Michiru laughed, her laughs turning into deep coughs.

"Please...don't waste the energy on speaking!" Haruka shushed her.

"I wanted to see you again...before I...go..." weakly, she spoke.

"Don't say things like that!" Haruka's voice wavered slightly.

"Always...always...I'll love you," she sung, echoing Haruka's words.

Michiru closed her eyes and Haruka panicked. She couldn't hear the soft beat of Michiru's heart anymore. Holding her love close to her, Haruka shook her head, disbelieving of the scene that had stretched out before her. She shook Michiru though not violently.

"Wake up Michiru! You can't do this to me! You can't!" she cried, shaking harder not before realizing that the girl was no longer speaking. Defeated, she held Michiru close to her not before uttering soft words, "that's so unfair of you to go off into your own world without me..."

A blue butterfly danced across, landing on Michiru's hand, still intertwined with Haruka's...

Opening her eyes, Haruka found herself alone in the beautiful house that she had bought. Sunlight pooled out onto the floor before her, arrayed in a pattern of summer. Haruka placed her hand in the sun and marveled at the way it made her appear only more human. She was no longer a vampire thanks to the death of her sire Nephilim. Purging her mind of the thoughts of the horrible occurrence of last week, she paced across the floor of her room and into the kitchen.

A soft melody washed over her, soothingly beautiful as it waved its way across from the garden.

Following its allure Haruka moved to the edge of the living room and to the slider door. With strong hands, she opened the screen slider and stepped out into the light. Remaining on the deck, she turned her expression to the beauty before her.

Soft waves of a violin being played echoed through her mind as she watched from the table, smiling softly at the woman clad in teal. A violinist, her song was a sweet melody that seemed to personify her soul. Lost in her own world of music, Michiru Kaioh continued to play as though nobody else were listening but Haruka. Feeling the soft violin tones of Pachelbels Canon sound through the hall, Haruka Tenoh found herself happier than she had ever been before.

Michiru, sensing she had a listener, stopped.

"Good morning sleepy head!" she laughed.

Haruka grinned, glad that her Michiru was in a good mood today. Gliding across the deep flowers of various colors, Michiru came to stand on the deck. On the opposite side of where they stood, her easel rested. Gazing over towards the painting, Haruka raised her eyebrow.

"Did some early morning painting?" She questioned.

Michiru could only smile deviously as she pointed to the art that she had painted.

"Hai."

"You know...it looks nothing like me..." Haruka began.

Michiru poked her playfully, inching close as the two both gazed at the painting.

"Don't be such a realist!" She laughed, sliding her hand into Haruka's, "it looks exactly like you."

Skimming over the painting, Haruka admired Michiru's work.

A tall figure with blonde hair lay facing another woman, her eyes closed in slumber. The other woman, an angel with blue hair and delicate hands, lay facing the blonde haired racer. In the middle of the delicate painting rested their hands, intertwined to represent the fate that they would share together; their undying love for one another.

Scowling, Haruka sighed.

"I guess it does...just a little."

Note from the writer:
So that's it. I love the ending and so did my friend.
Just gotta say that you guys have been an awesome audience and that I am honored that you read my little fic!
This is the end of this series but i'm going to set out and get working on a new one...and it'll involve...pirates?
Of course it'll be a MichiruxHaruka fanfiction because there is nothing better than that!
So, until next we meet!
Love, Haruka-Cira