9. Chapter 9 (1/2)

authors note: today is harukas birthday! after watching the stream, where we found out about her new voice (for sailor moon crystal) i felt like had to post this chapter. its a pretty important one and the longest so far. hope you all enjoy it. dont forget to send a review :d

disclaimer: i dont own anything. not sailor moon, not takarazuka and anything related.

chapter 9

a few weeks after the autumn concert, december came and the senior class was starting to get ready for their graduation. of course everyone knew graduation didn't mean the end for them, but just another step in their journey to shine on stage.

the yonkasei were getting excited about the idea they would be seniors in march. it was like their first year had passed by like lightning. at least for haruka. she couldn't believe the end of the year was coming.

after the concert, and her minor incident at ballet class, the blonde girl was feeling like herself again. she was sleeping fine, eating all her meals with gusto and doing her exercises to take care of her sore body after a rough day of class. she still felt a little stupid for what had happened, but at the same time, she was glad. glad that now she had at least an idea of what she was truly facing.

growing up with her grandma, just as a spectator didn't prepare her for the fierce competition the school was. not just the school, but she now had an idea of how she had to improve as a person to become, at least, a decent sienne.

and if she wanted to be top star someday, she would have to learn how to control her nerves. to let them get the best of her almost ruined everything. but, thanks to michiru, haruka felt a lot better. more put together.

after their presentation, michiru made sure haruka was feeling better and centered. the aquamarine haired girl knew how much the revue meant to her friend. and she worried about her, haruka was her rock, her safe place, she felt like she could do anything, everything with the blonde by her side.

haruka knew that. she knew michiru relied on her to help her going through school. but, deep down, haruka couldn't help but feel like she had failed her friend.

december would be a quiet cold month. a short month, since the students and faculty would enjoy 10 days of winter

eak, to cele

ate new year's. so haruka would take that time to rest a lot and prepare for her final moments as a freshman.

during lunch, basically the only time during their busy schedule they could talk more freely, haruka, michiru and their friends were discussing their plans for their short vacation. haruka was a little quieter than usual, focused on her fried salad. as usual, michiru noticed her friend's behavior. she was slowly overcoming her crush, concentrated in becoming haruka's friend, especially because anything else wouldn't ever happen. not in this lifetime.

so the aquamarine haired girl decided to do what she did best: hide her true feelings, never talking about it, never letting out to

eathe. michiru never felt like she was wrong for being gay. she just felt wrong to have these feelings for haruka. so eyes on the prize, it was for her. if letting it die by itself wasn't going anywhere, she would kill it with kindness.

"what's wrong? you seem a little blue," michiru asked softly, not wanting to interrupt takako and her tale of going home in nara for the holidays.

haruka looked at her friend. michiru was proving to be someone haruka could count on. why she couldn't be her roommate? the school was already hard enough with her allies, but everyone left her at the end of the day. damn, she was indeed feeling blue.

"i decided to not go home for winter

eak," haruka told her, her voice no higher than a whisper. she felt alone. at this time, she would be helping her mother with new year's cleaning, finding her

others good christmas presents and getting ready to go to her grandma's. before coming to tms, life used to be so simple...

the girls stopped talking, finally noticing their informal leader's tone. haruka was always so energetic and passionate about everything. the blonde girl rested her chopsticks on her rice bowl and sighed.

"it's not worth it. nagano is too far, almost 6 hours away. i wouldn't be able to rest at all." after what happened, she was welcoming those days off. "it's too much work and my house is always so busy at new year's..."

takako put her hand on haruka's shoulder, trying to being supportive.

"i'm sorry to hear that, tenou-san," she said.

"maybe you can fly home or something," kaoru tried, knowing how important family was to haruka. she also came from a lovely household. her parents were really supportive and her younger sister was also practicing to come to the music school next spring. "dad's planning to take us to visit his family back in nagoya. he's so excited about it i didn't have the heart to tell him i don't like flying..."

"nah, too stressful traveling during the holidays. we don't have enough days to just chill at home." haruka appreciated her friends trying to cheer her up.

"or you can just come to spend the holidays with me," michiru said, feeling a little self-conscious with all the looks she got from her friends.

"wait, what? you mean going to osaka?" haruka couldn't really believe she had a better destination for her days off than staying in her dorm. "your parents won't mind?"

"not really. father was invited by tokyo philharmonic to play and since mother is going to be play at the same concert, they will stay in the city for the holidays," she clarified. that was probably the most she told their little group about her family.

"so... you will be all alone?" haruka felt a pang in her heart, not being able to imagine how someone could just leave michiru behind. she was one of the greatest people she ever knew and she deserved so much more.

"if you say yes, i won't." michiru could feel haruka was hesitant. with a smile of her beautiful lips, she tried to calm her mind... she was just trying to help her friend. nothing else.

so, why she felt like her heart was about to rip her chest apart?

haruka stood in front of the kaiou conservatory, completely flabbergasted. she knew michiru's family ran a music school, but she didn't have any idea of how huge the facility was.

the front part of the main building was the only original part, from when michiru's great great great great grandfather, kaiou tetsuya, started teaching a few noblemen's children how to play western instruments, while his wife was in charge of teaching the girls japanese dance and traditional instruments.

200 years later, tetsuya's descendants were working hard to keep his dream alive. kaiou mansion, where he lived with his family, was fully converted in classrooms. the second building was raised after the war, but it was just a storage facility. not until michiru's grandfather, takuto, who decided to use that space, to accommodate the ever growing conservatory, into more classrooms, a couple of dance studios to rent and an amphitheater, for the students' performances.

michiru and her cousin ami were born and raised in those walls. the conservatory was their home; a place where young talents came to learn to perfect their gifts. like the revue itself, but in a much smaller scale.

walking by that building reminded michiru about everything she gave up. about how angry her father was. about how he ignored her and made her feel invisible. she hasn't put her foot in the conservatory since she started school. and she wasn't planning to change that.

"is this your house? i never saw a place like this in my life!" the perfect mix between old and new were nothing haruka was used to.

michiru chuckled.

"no, i live in an apartment not far from here. this is just kaiou conservatory, my family's music school," she said, continuing to walk.

"i still can't believe you have your own music school." haruka smiled at her own pun. just being there was making her feel a little less depressed.

"my family does, not me."

haruka noticed the almost angry hint in michiru's voice, but decided to drop it. michiru was always so polite, educated. she had the manners of a true lady, knowing how to present herself to society. being raised in a traditional family helped her in that matter. and of course, that would help her becoming the musumeyaku she wanted to be.

and haruka was just a tomboy who wanted to be a prince. how two girls this different could be great friends was beyond her. or maybe not.

it was destiny.

haruka was raised in a comfortable apartment near the hospital her father worked practically his whole professional life. she had a room for herself, since she was the only girl. but michiru's place was nothing like she imagined. her apartment was located in kita-ku, in the north ward of the city, just a few blocks away from the conservatory.

the place was huge, and haruka noticed the lack of furniture in the living room. just a white leather couch, a few chairs and a bookcase, full of neatly arranged books. some paintings and plants decorated the room and the blonde couldn't help but think how cold that place was.

"please, make yourself at home," michiru said, taking her heavy coat and hat off. haruka tried to give her a smile, but she was genuinely sad for michiru. how she could make herself at home if this place didn't feel like home?

how could anyone live like this?

she followed her friend and also took off her car and hat. she had

ought a duffel bag, with clothes, leotards and her dance shoes. and of course her books for studying. it would be nice to have someone to do homework together during the holidays. the last one was mamoru, back in junior high and she missed that.

"here, let me show you my room."

michiru lead her friend to a room in the end of the hallway. the bedroom was just like the rest of the house, beautiful decorated, but lacking warm and life. but haruka smiled, realizing that it was michiru's room. a few music sheets with tms logo on it were neatly arranged on a support, her violin case rested on her bed, open. like meeting an old friend, haruka looked over the violin inside the case. she just saw michiru playing once and she already admired her talent.

for what she knew, michiru was like her, someone who had a musical gift, but decided to pursue another path. haruka loved playing piano, but nothing was a match for her dream of becoming a sienne.

a bed, a bookcase and a desk were the only furniture in the room. haruka noticed photos and drawings all over the desk. most of the photos had michiru, a blue haired girl, slightly younger and an older woman. they looked so happy on them.

some pictures, more sober, had michiru with a couple, her parents probably.

"do you want to take a bath now or do you want to wait until after dinner?" michiru let haruka wander in her room; she would be living there for the next days, so it seemed a good idea to let her get familiar with her new surroundings.

"if you don't mind, i would like to take one after dinner. but i hope you know how to cook, because i can burn water," the blonde said, almost proud of her lack of skills in the kitchen.

"oh, don't worry. we will go to my aunt's for meals." the former violinist closed the case and put it in her closet. "are you hungry?" she looked at her balcony, one of the few luxuries she had demanded. since it was saturday, they had a half day at school. so they would have a few hours to kill before heading to saeko's.

"oh no, i'm cool, thanks." the home had a weird atmosphere, and that made haruka feel a little uncomfortable. the two girls stood there, in an awkward silence. haruka wasn't used to go to her school friends' houses. just mamoru, basically because he lived next door.

after a few silent and awkward moments, michiru realized she was being a bad host. she had invited haruka in an impulse, but she didn't regret it. her friend needed her; she couldn't let her alone at school.

"sorry, i'm not used to have people over." michiru decided to be honest.

"not even people from junior school?"

"not really. it's barely one year since i came back to japan, and i went right to practice, so no time to meet anyone." she sat on her bed, her hand neatly posed in her lap.

"what do you mean by that?" haruka shyly sat at the end of the bed, feeling weirdly self-conscious.

"i lived in united states for a few years. my parents had jobs in new york." michiru answered, in a nonchalant way. her years living in new york weren't that great and she never really talked about it. it was just something that happened in her life. nothing else.

"really? that's so amazing!" suddenly, haruka wasn't feeling weird or out of her place. "mom is an english teacher and she's crazy about the us."

"there's not too great about us. new york is a beautiful city, but i don't know. never felt like that was my place. i just couldn't fit."

michiru lowered her eyes, not really wanting to meet haruka's.

"when i was younger, my last name opened a lot of doors for me. i was just 12, but that didn't prevent me to be in charge of the school orchestra, or of being class representative." she sighed. "when i moved to new york, i had to work even harder to catch up, and the language was a barrier."

putting her hand over michiru's, haruka tried to comfort her friend. she could only imagine how hard it was for the other girl.

feeling the warmth of haruka's hand, michiru let out a sad smile. how could she let herself be so vulnerable in front of haruka? if she was trying to suffocate something inside her, this wouldn't do her any good.

"i'm glad you're back in japan, michi," haruka told her, a smile on her boyish face. "'cause if you had stayed in new york, we wouldn't ever meet."

michiru looked so intensely into her friend's green eyes; she could see herself in those deep emeralds.

why haruka was making this almost impossible for her? why she had to be so thoughtful, and say the right words?

"let's go change and we can go to my aunt's." desperate to change the subject, michiru suggested it. she untied her red bowtie and stood up. "thanks, haru. i kind of needed that." she finished, her voice shy.

haruka looked at her, and chuckled.

"the prince always saves the princess. or gives them a shoulder to cry. it's our duty."

haruka packed light when she moved to the sumire hall. since she spent most of her days in her uniforms, provided by the school, she didn't really feel the need to

ing her whole wardrobe. so, for her short stay at michirus, she got her two pairs of jeans, a couple of shirts, her heavy coat and a scarf. when she told her parents she wouldn't be going back home for the holidays, her mother sent her a kimono, so this way haruka could wear it for new years, like she did at home.

her family wasnt too traditionalist, but ayako made sure they kept some of their old habits. like new year's cele

ation. every year, the tenou family got together and did the cleaning of their houses and the family clinic. rina was a little upset for not having her only daughter home, but hideo had a good talk with his wife, to make her understand why haruka wasnt there. it was hard for him too, not having his baby girl home, but she had a point. when she called them, telling the news, he was worried, thinking she would be alone.

but haruka tried to calm her father's heart telling him about michiru's invitation. and hideo didn't want to admit the painful truth.

his children were growing up.

first, haruka moved out, then hideyuki and hiroaki started college. now his baby girl wouldn't be coming home for new years. soon they would be busy enough, with work or their own families to spend a holiday with their old parents...

he felt silly with that thought. for a smart man, hideo could be really dense now and then.

so he smiled, told his daughter to call first thing in the new year and wished her a great time in osaka. because haruka was his strong girl. and he was so proud of her...

in completely silence, the girls left the building where michiru lived, to go to her aunt's place for dinner. the weather was getting worse, but the sky was still really beautiful. so clear, not one cloud in the vast blue.

dressed with her heavy winter coat, haruka looked at the sky and a gentle smile adorned her face. in hakui, she used to lie down in her grandmother's backyard and count the stars.

she loved the night sky. since she was a little girl. and her grandmother's backyard was the perfect place for that. during the summer, she lost count of how many hours she spent looking at the shiny dots. and haruka always thought she would become a star someday.

she chuckled. when she was a child, life was so much easier... her younger self didn't have any idea how hard and frustrating the path she chose was. the long hours spent practicing... it was an exhausting life.

but she wouldn't trade it for anything. because that was where she was supposed to be. and she was so grateful for that. haruka wasn't a religious kind of girl, but she felt like she had someone looking after her. helping her in times of need. sending her amazing friends, to support her and just be there for her.

sending michiru.

haruka looked up and saw the other girl looking back at her. since it was getting cold, michiru was wearing a dark teal pea coat and a white scarf. her delicate musician hands were protected by black leather gloves. and a cute wool hat completed her outfit.

"i hope you don't mind spending time with my family…" michiru said, in her quiet voice.

"oh, not at all. to be truly honest, i'm really curious to know your aunt, she must have all these stories about the revue, right?" haruka was used to cold weather, so she was wearing boots, a dark pair of pants, a simple dark green t-shirt, gloves and her heavy coat. she felt weird wearing regular clothes after spending a lot of time in her uniform. "i mean, i hope she doesn't mind sharing with me, i never had someone to talk about it, besides my grandma..."

"don't worry, aunt saeko loves to reminiscence. i always thought she should go back to the orchestra, but she says the conservatory takes a lot of her time... " michiru explained, while waiting to cross the street. "maybe tomorrow, i can take you to mayuko-san's studio. i think she won't mind if we use it for our homework."

the last thing michiru wanted to talk, or even mention, was school. but she knew if she didn't talk about anything else, she would just focus in the fact that she invited haruka to spend new year's with her. still an impulsive act and she shouldn't regret helping a friend. she just hoped she would be able to deal with haruka being around for the next 10 days.

'oh, be strong my poor heart', she thought, trying to pay attention to what the other girl was saying. but how to concentrate if those lips seemed so inviting? michiru never had kissed anyone in her short life. she was always so busy and always so nonchalant about people in general. haruka was the first person who was able to gain her attention.

and that helped her realized she was just a teenager. she was supposed to have crushes in this age, wasn't she? to fall in love, have heart

eaks, it was something that people her age did. but michiru wasn't like the other teenagers. she didn't even know how a 'normal' girl her age would act.

after a few minutes back to walking, haruka decided to

eak the silence. this was the first time they were together outside school and in another city, so they could, at least for a few hours, pretend that they were just regular students, enjoying the holidays.

"so, osaka seems a very beautiful city," the blonde girl said, looking at the buildings and stores they passed by.

"i guess so. i was born here, but i don't think i know this city. never had the time." michiru let out a tired sigh. "you must think i'm a spoiled young lady."

haruka could understand what michiru was saying. for the untrained eye, the aquamarine haired girl indeed seemed a spoiled heiress. but haruka never really saw michiru like that. not even when they first met.

"spoiled? not really. focused? for sure. "haruka couldn't say she understood from where michiru came from and how she was raised. "i think you don't give yourself too much credit, michi," she finished, her charming boyish smirk on her face.

michiru felt her heart melt at the sight of that smile. haruka wouldn't ever know how she made michiru feel. but that wouldn't stop her of feeling.

at least, not now.

ami spent her first school free morning working on her homework. she was an incredible student, with a really sharp and fast mind. doing homework was a pleasurable task for her. at 13, ami was starting to blossom into a fine young woman. very intelligent, polite and gentle young woman.

even not being a kaiou by name, her last name was mizuno, after her father, ami was still a kaiou by heart. her mother, saeko, was raising her to follow her footsteps and becoming a musician. now that michiru had declined her family duties, it was up to ami to fulfill everyone's expectations. at least, until the 'rightful heir' came to her senses and took her place in the family conservatory.

but ami wasn't built for that. she wasn't a bad musician, she could play beautifully her instrument of choice, cello, and she was a skilled japanese dancer. and, like her cousin, ami wanted to defy family traditions and become a doctor. she couldn't see herself as a professional cellist. music gave her a lot of pleasure, she couldn't study without lists in to her favorite songs, but that wasn't her dream.

of course, she had to play her part. especially since she was still practically a child in her family's eyes. having a different last name took some pressure away from her shoulders, but it was expected of her to perform every now and then, and her and incredible mind helped her mother a lot with financial reports and optimizing how they ran the conservatory.

ami had all the reasons to hate michiru for being 'selfish'. but how could she hate someone she loved like a sister? michiru was her best friend, one of the most amazing people ami knew. and she was there to support her cousin/sister, doing anything in her power to help michiru.

ami was still young. she still had a lot of time to make up her mind, pick up some courage and follow her dreams.

"ami? are you done?" saeko asked from the door of her daughter's room. "michiru will be here any moment and she's

inging a friend from school."

the blue haired girl smiled at her mother. saeko still loved dearly anything from the revue. she was so excited to meet michiru's friend, especially because michiru didn't say much about the girl. but the older woman wasn't surprised. michiru was quieter than usual when she started her classes at tms. she wasn't taking lightly what happened with her father. saeko knew how important daiki was for his daughter. and she knew how hurt michiru was with his rejection.

ami was satisfied with her work, she was almost done with homework. sometimes, she wished for a challenge, school was starting to get easier... so she put her books and notes away. going after her mother, the younger girl was hit by the tasty smell of dinner. ami was used to lose herself in her books and homework, especially during the holidays. drowning in knowledge was one of her favorite thing ever.

"is dad coming to have dinner with us?" ami asked, arranging the plates and chopsticks on the table.

"oh no, honey, i'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but jun will be traveling for a couple of days." saeko was proud of her husband's accomplishment. mizuno jun was one of the youngest conductors at the revue and he was really close to becoming main conductor one day. and being a former musician there, the woman understood he would be working long hours and spending a lot of time in takarazuka. "he will perform in a christmas dinner show, but he will be back for new year's."

ami noticed the sad tone in her mother's voice. she knew saeko loved working at the conservatory, and she did a great job there. but she missed being just a cellist. now she barely played, just when she was feeling frustrated, or sad. or just really excited. and ami didn't like that. she had chosen the cello to be her instrument because she admired saeko. her mother was very talented and so passionate about music...

maybe one day she would realize her true path was playing. not being behind a desk, reading financial reports, and working on teachers' schedules.

the two mizuno women worked in silence, saeko tasting her seasoning and ami tidying up the living room.

after all, they had a visitor coming.

after a few minutes walking, michiru led haruka to a small building a few blocks away from the conservatory. it was one of the few buildings with more the three stories in that residential neighborhood. saeko and her family moved there because they needed an extra room for storing their instruments and saeko decided to build a small studio there, so they could practice without disturbing their neighbors.

"aunt saeko?" michiru asked, taking hers and haruka's coat and hanging in the closet next to the door. she gave haruka a small smile, feeling happy to have her friend there, letting her into her inner circle. it was a big step for her.

saeko smiled when she saw her niece. she had been so busy the past few days; she barely had time to spend with michiru.

"michiru! you look so beautiful! i take the school is treating you well."