Disclaimer and general notes

First things first! Besides my computer, I don't own anything! All Sailor Moon characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just a college student with a wide imagination, and an undeniable love to Sailor Moon. Only Keiichi and Kiho belong to me, I swear! So please don't sue me!

A little warning. The main characters are Haruka and Michiru. And yes, they are lesbians. Not friends, not cousins, lesbians. And of course there will be some sexual tension and interaction between the two. So if you are in any way uncomfortable with this, please don't read. I know for a fact there are a lot of fanfics that would be much more of your liking.

Besides the homosexual general line of this story, there's also some language and just generally adult conversations and/or situations. So, if you're under 18, you probably shouldn't read this. You've been warned!

All characters will be making an appearance, some more than others, just so the story can work out the way I want it. I will be taking some characters a bit out of character from time to time (specially Usagi, and probably Mamoru) just because I want to. And I'll be using the japanese names 'cause I like them better (I mean, really, Amara?? Haruka just sounds so much more, well, Haruka!). I don't really know that much about Japan general geography, so be nice and work with me. And I don't really follow their costumes, so you can say they're living in Japan, or anywhere else you'd like them to. Use your imagination on that one!

There are some chapters with a somewhat darker tone, but the story in general is suppose to be a funny romance and general friendship fic.

For the record, and to avoid future misunderstandings, on this particular story, Haruka and Makoto are both 19 years old. Mamoru is 24, and Usagi is somewhere between his age and Setsuna's, who's 22. Michiru, Minako, Rei and Ami are all 17, and little cute Hotaru is 5. To find out if they are somewhat related and how exactly they all know each other, you'll just have to read this story. Ok? Great, now on with the story!

Hope you like it!

1 -I need a way out

She sat on her bed and red the letter for the millionth time, wondering if she would be able to actually do it. Sure, she had planned everything to the last little detail. She knew for a fact that they would accept her as a student. She was, after all, a very good violinist. The very best one this side of the country, and she was only 17 years old.

It all started four months ago, on one of her recitals at school. It was some stupid recital to celebrate the school's soccer team success on the nationals, and some teacher had asked her to play. So she did. Not out of school spirit, like everyone else, but out of passion for her instrument, her music, and that magic world she entered whenever she played her violin.

A woman on her late forties had approached her after the recital, and giving her a business card, told her that the Silver Moon Music Academy would be more than grateful to have her as a student next year.

At first she thought someone was playing a very bad joke on her. Of course she had heard of the Silver Moon Music Academy, and of course she knew for a fact there would be no way she would be attending to that particular school. Her mother couldn't pay for it, and neither her nor her bad excuse of a husband would allow it. Send her across the country? No way! They wanted her with them, were they could keep a close eye on her, and the money she made with her music.

Of course she didn't say any of this to the woman, Saeko Fukami was her name. No, she simply told her she wasn't interested. After this school year was over, she would be free of school for the rest of her life. Free of all of them and they're pitying, questioning eyes, she said to herself.

But Miss Fukami had insisted.

"There's a form you could fill, for a full scholarship, for you to come to our school and not have to worry about anything but your music. It is the perfect place for an excellent musician like yourself to improve, if that's even possible according to what I heard tonight. Anyway, it might be a good experience for you, please think about it" Miss Fukami had say that night.

She fold the letter, putting it on the white envelope again, and tucking it under her mattress.

Of course she thought about it. Right after Saeko Fukami said those magic little words, full scholarship, she had though about it non stop for the last four months.

So she had sent the form, along with her grades, and a letter of recommendation from her music teacher at school. And waited. And prayed.

This was her way out. Out of this house, out of this life she was so tired of. So scared of.

She didn't even feel like herself anymore. She didn't feel anything... So she had to run. She desperately needed a way out.

And that school was so perfect! It was on a somewhat small town, far away from here... And it was that same town where she knew Setsuna had moved to. It had been three years since she last saw her and little Hotaru.

Back when Setsuna lived on a small apartment with her little 2 year old daughter, working at a music shop as an assistant, trying to come up with enough money to pay her rent and feed her little sunshine.

Back when her father was still alive, and they were still a loving family.

But something had happened to Setsuna's family, and she went back to her home town to take care of some family members of hers. Oddly enough, right after Setsuna left, her own father died on a really stupid car accident that should of never happened in the first place.

Some irresponsible teenager had crossed the red light, hitting his full speed running car right against her father's, crushing it in such a way, that in order to take him out of it and to a hospital, they had to literally tore the car apart. More that it already was...

She could still remember that day as if it had just happened. The way the principal entered her classroom, asking for her to come with him, with the saddest expression on his face. The way he told him her father just had an accident, and that a car was waiting for her outside school to take her to the hospital.

Her mother was already there when she had arrived, sitting on the waiting room with tears in her eyes, listening to what some doctor was telling her.

"Where's dad?" she had asked, without listening to what the doctor was saying.

She remember them saying something, trying to explain something or the other to her, but all she cared about was her dad. Was he ok? Where was he?

Soon they took her and her mother to one of the emergency rooms. And there was her father, with some really big ugly looking metal peace plugged to his midsection, hooked up to all kinds of machines, and blood all over him. But he was awake, and looking at his daughter.

"Guess I won't be able to take you to that beach, sweetie" he had said in the most shallow tone of voice she had ever heard coming from her father.

"No, daddy, don't say that" she begged, "you'll be fine, you'll see. The doctors will fix whatever is wrong, and you'll be coming home with us, you'll see..."

"Michiru" her father had interrupted her "I won't be coming home... I'm sorry"

And that's when she understood her mother's heartbroken tears, the doctor's words, her father's sad voice. There was no way for him to make it. He wouldn't be ok.

"No, daddy!". She had said, taking her father's hand in hers, pleading him to stay with her.

But she knew, deep down inside she just knew that her father was dying, and there was nothing any doctor in this damned planet could do to stop it. He had internal bleeding, his legs were crushed, and he was incredibly pale. He had lost too much blood already, and the moment they took that metal out of him, the bleeding would be just too much to stop it. He had been aware of this all along, and had asked for time, whatever little time they could give him, to say goodbye to his wife and to his daughter.

All in all, it was a miracle he was alive long enough to see his daughter one last time.

Michiru hugged her legs and buried her head between them, trying hard not to cry over the memory. Not to cry over what her life became after her father died.

She felt like she was dead already, even though she was still breathing and functional. She hardly ever smiled anymore. She didn't really find a reason to. Not anymore. Not with her mother giving her cold glances, not talking to her like they used to. Not with that man that was now her stepfather, living on the same house, sleeping on the same bed her father had occupied.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she laid down on her stomach, closing her eyes. That man. That damned man. His black cold eyes scared her to no end, even tough he had never done anything to her.

But the way he laid eyes on her... Under his cold eyes, she felt like a little helpless rabbit waiting for the big black wolf to eat her alive.

And she knew, she just knew, that man was dangerous. So she tried her best not to be alone around him. School, her violin practice, and his job did the trick for most of the day. The lock on her bedroom door did it for the nights. She couldn't really explain it, but somehow she just knew he was waiting for the right moment to hurt her. To really, truly hurt her, and destroy her.

She thought of the letter again. They had accepted her. They wanted her in. Two more days for school to be over, and then the summer. And afterwards she would be free.

She just had to figure out a way to escape without them knowing.