Lady in the tower part 3 END

 

Elza thinks to herself that Haruka's as attractive as ever. She asks Haruka where Michiru is, and Haruka replies that she's in bed. She then asks Elza to leave after she's had her drink, which pisses Elza off. Elza thanks her for the drink, but decides she's going to deliberately drink it slowly. 

 Elza asks Haruka how she got hurt, and Haruka tells her that she had a fall while she was out on her motorcycle. Elza then exclaims about how dangerous that is, and about how damaging it could be for Haruka to injure her legs. 

Haruka replies that she doesn't do track anymore. Elza wants to know why. Why would Haruka waste her talent like that? Haruka just replies that it's none of Elza's business. 

 Elza counters that it is her business, and suggests that Haruka just wants to quit while she's ahead. Haruka just says that neither she nor Michiru has time for Elza.
Elza asks where Michiru is again. 

 

 Haruka tells her once more that Michiru is asleep, but Elza insists on seeing her. She isn't going to wake her up, she just wants to see her face. Haruka continues to deny her, yelling "No!" Now Elza's miffed that Haruka's yelling at her. 

 She starts asking Haruka who she thinks she is, what she is to Michiru, why she's acting like this when she isn't even Michiru's girlfriend or anything. Haruka cuts her off, asking if her behavior would be acceptable if she were Michiru's girlfriend. That certainly shuts Elza up. 

Haruka continues on, saying they're actually closer than that, in a sense. Elza's shocked. Haruka suggests that Elza ask Michiru about it next time she sees her at school, and asks Elza to leave the apartment. 

 Haruka tells Michiru that Elza came to return Michiru's bag, and that she's gone now. 

 Haruka says that Michiru needs to get lots of rest so her injuries can heal. She tells Michiru that everything's going to be all right.
Elza spots Michiru at school. 

 It's been a week since she's seen her. She asks if Michiru's all better now. Michiru thanks her for bringing her things by. Elza says that she was surprised to see Tenoh Haruka there.
In the narration, Elza notes that Michiru doesn't say anything about Haruka, and Elza doesn't ask. 

 A girl asks Elza if it's true that Michiru's going to go to a different high school when she graduates from junior high. Elza hasn't heard anything about it, even though she's close to Michiru. What will happen to their school if Michiru leaves? The underclassmen, especially Michiru's fan club, are panicking.

Elza's planning to go to a different high school as well.
Elza thinks to herself that Michiru must be planning to go to the same high school as Tenoh Haruka. 

 Elza tells Michiru that she got into the school she wanted, and as a scholarship student, too. She asks if Michiru is going to a different high school, too. Michiru says that she liked this school uniform, but... 

 

Michiru asks Elza if she can see her for a moment after their graduation ceremony. Elza agrees, and asks what for, but Michiru says it's a secret.  

 It's graduation. Most of the students are going on to the associated high school, but there are a few leaving, like Michiru. 

 Elza's late to her meeting with Michiru because some younger students were bugging her to give them her scarf and stuff to remember her by (she jokingly describes it as "highway robbery," lol). They even talked her into giving them her school uniform. Michiru notes that it happened because Elza's popular, and Elza counters that Michiru's much more popular than she is--she just spotted some younger students writing on Michiru's desk, for example.

Michiru notes that today will be the last day she'll wear this school uniform. 

 Now Elza kind of regrets giving hers away, though she didn't have much choice in the matter.
Elza thinks to herself that this is the last time she'll see Michiru wear this uniform--in four months, Michiru will be wearing a new one.

It suddenly occurs to Elza to ask if Michiru is missing anything. Michiru replies that a painting of hers is missing. 

 Elza's shocked that someone would steal a painting of Michiru's; Michiru interrupts her to say that the painting was of Elza. It was a small painting, and she'd planned to give it to Elza to remember her by, since she knew they'd probably never see each other again. 

Elza protests that they might see each other again sometime, but Michiru says they won't.

 Elza asks if she's allowed to ask why, and Michiru requests that she not ask--she likes Elza, so she doesn't want to have to lie to her. 

 Elza drops the subject, and suggests that Michiru give her something else in place of the missing painting. Michiru agrees, and asks what she could give Elza. Elza says anything's fine, but vetos the idea of Michiru giving her the watch she's wearing (since it's expensive). Michiru says that the only other things she has with her are things like handkerchiefs and writing implements. 

 Elza: "Anything's fine?"
Michiru: "Yes."
Elza: "Anything."
Elza: "Y-......"
Elza: "You really mean......"
Elza: "anything......?"
(I think we all know where this is leading. Whoo!) 

 Michiru: "...Yes." 

 Michiru looks out the window and sees that Haruka is at the gate even though she asked her not to come.

Elza comments that Haruka's like a prince or a knight come to rescue the princess. Michiru says that Haruka is a knight--a golden knight from a silver kingdom (Silver Millennium, anyone?). Elza asks if Michiru is going. 

 Michiru asks Elza not to laugh at her, then confesses that she thought Haruka was a guy the first time she met her, and that she fell for Haruka at first sight. Then, over time, her feelings deepened and changed into something else. 

 Michiru says she has to go, but as she's about to leave, Elza stops her and tells her, "Take care. I'm sure you'll end up becoming the thing you most want to become. Good luck."

 "Goodbye......"
In her mind, Elza bids farewell to the princess in the tower, and thinks to herself that she knew from the beginning, without having to be told... 

 Because of the look on Michiru's face. 

 Haruka comments on Michiru's popularity, and Michiru scolds her for coming. Haruka points out that this is the last time she'll see Michiru in that school uniform. 

 Haruka asks Michiru what happened to her scarf, and Michiru replies that a cowardly highway robber took it from her. Haruka doesn't get it, of course.
(It wasn't a kiss Elza took after all. Darn.)
And that's the end! 

Lady in the tower part 2

A flier for a UranusxNeptune event. Uranus bursts in and says they're not allowed to put out a book with a different pairing since it's a "Uranus & Neptune only" event.

 Another flier. A scene from later in this part is twisted to be about Elza looking for the ElzaxMichiru book instead of looking for Michiru.

 The story skips ahead to Elza's race with Haruka.
The crowd is looking at Haruka. Someone exclaims that she's handsome. Elza comments to Michiru that Haruka doesn't really look like a girl, but she does have breasts. Michiru is thinking about backing out,

 but Elza says she's come too far to back out now.
Michiru is going to watch from the stands and then come down after the 100-meter dash. Elza spots her in the stands.

 Title page for this part:

 A girl teases Elza about having gotten her butt kicked in the race. Naturally, Elza is in a crappy mood today, but it's not just losing that pissed her off...
It was the fact that Haruka turned Michiru down.

 Elza is totally shocked at this, and wonders who the hell Haruka thinks she is.
Then on the way home that day, Michiru started crying.

 This upset Elza because it meant that Michiru liked Haruka enough to cry over her.
Elza doesn't get what Michiru sees in Haruka. It's unforgivable... though of course, it was Elza who introduced them in the first place. Elza can't just oppose them without a plan, because obstacles only make love stronger.

The other girls, of course, are completely baffled by Elza's mumbling, but they decide to overlook it since she's a foreigner.

 The girls are talking about their plans for summer vacation. At their age, going on a family vacation is embarrassing; they'd rather stay home, but with their parents' credit card, of course!
Elza plans to go visit her parents and train with the coach she has there. She'll go to Seychelles, too, and enjoy the ocean.

 Elza sees Michiru again after summer break.

 Michiru thanks Elza for the postcard she sent.
Elza thinks to herself that Michiru is now even prettier than before.

Some of Michiru's fans approach Elza.

 Elza thinks they're just looking for Michiru (whom they cutely refer to as "Michiru Onee-sama"), but it turns out they want to ask Elza herself about something: whether it's true that Michiru is going out with Tenoh Haruka of N Junior High. Some people saw Michiru and Haruka together in Yokohama (with various rumors having them being seen in various Yokohama hotels, all of which are prime spots for a date).

 Apparently the pair looked like lovers, and had quite a mood going between them.

Elza asks if they've tried asking Michiru herself, and they're horrified by the suggestion. They seem convinced that Elza knows the truth, and insist that she tell them. She assures them that she doesn't know, explaining that she wasn't even in Japan during summer break. She adds that since they don't know if the rumor's true, they shouldn't spread it around too much.

 "......Oh. So it went well for them. Oh..."

 Elza is continuing her training; she might go to a high school with a strong track team (a place where she can make track her focus), but she's not sure. She does want to do it seriously, though. Michiru asks if she's going to aim for the Olympics, but Elza doesn't think she should aim that high. Michiru insists that Elza could do it,

 that she could win a medal in the Olympics. Elza says that when an amazing person like Michiru says that Elza can do it, Elza feels like she really might be able to. Michiru says that she's jealous of people like Elza and Tenoh Haruka. Elza is surprised.

Elza notes that Michiru is looking pale, and asks if she's all right. Michiru says that she's just been busy lately, and the summer heat is wearing her out a bit. The two say goodbye, and as Elza is marveling at the fact that Michiru could be jealous of someone else, Michiru collapses.

Cut to a scene of Michiru and Elza in the infirmary, where they're waiting for the school nurse.
Michiru apologizes, saying it's just a touch of anemia. Elza replies that she doesn't know what's keeping Michiru so busy, but that Michiru should have a doctor look her over. She points out that Michiru's body is important since she's a violinist, or rather, a painter.

Michiru hears the ocean stirring. DUM DUM DUUUM! (That was some ominous music to set the atmosphere for you guys.) 

Michiru says she needs to go (presumably to fight whatever monster has popped up). Elza misunderstands, thinking Michiru is agreeing with her about needing to see a doctor. Then Michiru runs off without even taking her bag, leaving Elza confused. 

Elza is talking to Michiru's teacher, who says Michiru is out sick, apparently with a cold. 

Elza offers to take Michiru her schoolwork for the day she missed (also the bag that she left at school).
Elza's amazed by Michiru's apartment complex, and the fact that Michiru lives alone there. Michiru also happens to live on the top floor. Whoo!

Someone else (we find out who in a minute) answers Michiru's intercom, and Elza stutters out her name and why she's there. The person tells her to come on up, and she goes up to find the door answered by none other than...

Haruka!
Naturally, Elza is shocked to see Haruka there, but Haruka just coolly asks her for the bag and schoolwork, taking the items and shutting the door in Elza's face with a brief "Thanks." Elza tries to keep the door from shutting, crying, "Hey, wait just one minute!"

And that's the end of part 2. 

Elza asks, "Is this really the end of part 2? Are we seriously cutting it off here?"
Haruka replies, "Yeah, I'm with you there. The best is yet to come!"
The caption at the bottom of the image says that the two of them will be stuck in this position until part 3 begins. lol

Then down below, we find that they've been stuck like that for 4 years (since 4 years passed before part 3 came out), and that people made comments about it when part 3 came out. lol 

 Studio Canopus Times.
Just some more humor about how much time passed between part 2 and part 3.
This page was drawn for a November 2000 Sailor Moon doujinshi event, but Yamada forgot to take it with her to the event. lol