*Disclaimer: ::sweet voice:: Naoko-sama!!
If I babysit your new kid, will you give
me the rights to BSSM? ONEGAI!!

*Silence*

Darn...must work on another approach...

Medical Miracle
Interlude
By: The Rose Society
Rating: PG-13
Email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society/

*San Francisco, California, United States*

	Haruka's long tapered fingers danced
across the keys, coaxing a merry tune from
the piano. She loved playing the piano; it
was relaxing, especially after a long day at
the race track.

	Suddenly, a piercing ring shook her
from her reverie. But before Haruka could
stop playing a single note, Michiru's voice
floated to her ears from the other room.

	"I'll get it!"

	Haruka smiled. She and Michiru had
been living together for a long time now,
ever since they began touring, she as a racer,
Michiru as a violinist and painter. Although
a lot of people were shocked to find out that
the short-haired blonde Haruka was actually
a girl, even more were appalled at the notion
that she and Michiru were involved. Some still
didn't accept that fact and openly snubbed the
couple. But Haruka and Michiru didn't mind. So
long as their true friends accepted them, the
rest could all go to...Before Haruka's thoughts
turned to more distasteful matters, the soft
voice of the piano called out to her, drawing
her within it's spell. She didn't even hear
Michiru's gasp nor the panic in her normally
calm voice.

	"Love," questioned the soft voice of
Michiru as she finally entered the music room.
Haruka's hands immediately stilled when she
saw Michiru's pale complexion. The blood had
drained from her face so completely that her
blue-green hair gave her face a sickly green
color. Alarmed, Haruka ran to Michiru's side.

	"What is it, aisuru?" Haruka had never
seen her beloved so shook up before. She placed
a strong hand on Michiru's quivering elbow to
steady her.

	Michiru turned her wide eyes to Haruka.
"..." Still frozen in horror, her voice had
given out on her. After a few more false starts,
she was finally able to say, "That was
Ami-chan. On the phone. She has news on the
latest test results. The cancer..." Her voice
dropped to the barest of whispers. "It's
spread...Oh Kami-sama...it's spread." The
cordless phone dropped from her cold fingers,
clattering on the floor, the only sound in the
deafening silence.

	Haruka felt her heart stop. "Iie..."
she whispered. "Neko-chan..."

	Michiru placed her hand on Haruka's
shoulder, each trying to comfort the other.
She knew that Haruka's pain was as great as
her own. "Haruka, I called our agent. He's
cancelling our events. He also booked tickets
back to Tokyo for tonight." She gave Haruka's
shoulder a slight squeeze. "Ami-chan told me
that Usagi said we didn't have to worry and that
we shouldn't cancel anything to come roaring
back to Tokyo." Managing a small smile, Michiru
continued. "Silly Usagi-chan... even now she
still thinks of others. It's so like her..."
Stopping, Michiru held back the choking sobs
that were threatening to overcome her. "I'll go
pack." Kissing Haruka on the cheek, Michiru
slowly walked back to her room, hoping to find
packing a way to distract her from her pain.

	Haruka's mind didn't even register
Michiru's retreating form. Moving completely
on autopilot, she turned back to the piano
keys. 'Neko-chan...' she thought. Her numb
fingers began to depress a few keys, drawing a
discordant moan from the piano. 'Kami would not
be so cruel...' Her fingers halted their
mindless march. "IIE!" With an angry yell,
Haruka slammed the cover back onto the piano,
heedless of its protests.

*Bel Air, California, United States*

	Minako took another sip of her iced
tea. It was another gorgeous day, to be
spent lounging by the pool, under the warm
California sun. Filming had wrapped on her
latest film and she was enjoying a nice week
long vacation before she headed back home in
Tokyo.

	Suddenly, the electronic version of
'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' began blaring
out of her cell phone. Startled, Minako
accidentally dumped her iced tea on herself.
"AAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!" she screamed.
Dabbing at her now chilled and wet swimsuit
with a towel, she called out, "I'll be right
there! Hold your donkeys!" But, just as
abruptly as the song started, the song
stopped. Glaring at the now quiet cell, she
grabbed the offending piece of technology and
thought about chucking it into the pool. But
the caller ID caught her eye.

	'Mako-chan,' she wondered. 'Why would
she be calling me when she knows that I'm
coming back in a few days?' Mentally, she
rechecked the date in her mind. 'I don't think
it's my birthday...nor is it any of minnas...'
What was it about today that caused Makoto to
call her long distance? 'There hasn't been
anything in the news about me lately...' Finally,
it came to Minako. 'The test results are in...'

	Another shrill beep emanated from
the cell phone. This time, however, indicated
that Minako had a message. Opening her phone's
inbox, she read the message from Makoto. And
then, she re-read it. And re-read it again.
Her entire world halted. Jumping from the
lawn chair, Minako raced into the house,
yelling for her personal assistant.

	"Pack my things! I want to be on the
next plane to Tokyo!"

*Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan*

	Rei poured another cup of tea for
Hotaru and Setsuna. The two had dropped by for
a visit earlier and, with Rei, had enjoyed a
wonderful packaged lunch made by Makoto.

	Hotaru sighed in bliss. "That was very
delicious! Remind me to thank Mako-chan later."
She patted her stomach. "Ano...maybe I ought to
yell at her, for making me gain some more weight!"

	The three friends shared a joyous laugh.
Setsuna, wiping a tear from her eye, grinned.
"Good for Mako-chan! You need a little more meat
on those bones of yours. Or else your boyfriend
won't be able to hug you without fear of you
breaking!"

	Gasping, Hotaru poked Setsuna in the
ribs. "HEY! I'm not that thin! I've filled out!"

	"And I'm sure your boyfriend appreciates
every place that you've filled out," Rei said,
slyly as she jabbed an elbow into Hotaru's side.

	Setsuna and Rei burst into laughter as
the poor girl's face flamed into a scarlet red.
They were still laughing when the door to Rei's
room opened. All eyes turned to the newcomer. It
was Yuuichirou, looking oddly grave.

	"What is it, Yuui-chan?" asked Rei. But,
seeing her fiancé's face, she had a feeling that
she knew...

	"That was Gurio Naru..." began Yuuichirou.
He hesitated, not at all eager to be the bearer
of bad news.

	Shutting her eyes tightly, Setsuna tried
to control her breathing. "It's about Usagi-chan,
ne?" All the girls could feel an tightness in
their chests, as if an invisible hand was
squeezing their lungs.

	Yuuichirou nodded. "It's spread."

Translations:
	aisuru- beloved
	iie- no
	neko- cat

Author Notes:

	I always liked exploring the depths of
the other characters. I hope I did them all
justice. I know there were a lot of you that
thought MM was finished. Unfortunately (or
fortunately, depending on your POV) it's not.
Until the next chapter...

~The moonlight carries the message of love.~
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~