Author: Shirley aka Slytherish
Title: 寮の恋仲 – Dormitory Amours
Genre: Romance
Warnings: Alternate Universe; Girls' Love
Claimer: Story …
Disclaimer: Every character belongs to Naoko Takeuchi & the places and names of the school belong to Sakurako Kimino.

Plot: Usagi Tsukino is a hopelessly bad student who could be a lot better if she just wanted to. That's why her parents decide to send her to another school – a school that is located with two another related schools on the top of the Astraea Hill. There Usagi would live in the so-called „Strawberry Dorms" – a dormitory for all those students that live outside of town. First, Usagi is really unhappy about that, but soon she changes her mind. An exciting boarding-school-life awaits her, with all its ups and downs. It's all about friendship, passing the next exams, the reputation of each school and, of course, love. So Usagi becomes a victim of a hopelessly lovestory – or maybe not?

A/N: Hi! I decided to start translating another story of mine, too. :) This one here is still in progress in German, so I don't know how long it will be in the end. :3 For now there are 43 chapters. I have to explain one thing: This story will be taken in an alternate universe – the universe of another anime/manga: "Strawberry Panic!". Some things of that anime/manga will be in here, too, but it's an own story. Also there are only the places from "Strawberry Panic!" but no characters! The characters are only from "Sailor Moon". :) (I've been told that this would be a crossover then, too, that's why I marked it as one)

Oh and, by the way. You know I'm in love with Seiya and Usagi, so they will have a great part in here, too. After the prologue I guess you can put one and one together ... :D Please let me know if I should go on with translating this for you!

Prologue

Cheerfully, Usagi Tsukino opened the frontdoor and entered the house. "I'm home!" The bad mark she got at school that day again didn't drag her down. It never did. Why should it? School's out for today, so she could spend her time with things that are really important. Like eating someting, reading some comics, maybe sleep a little bit ...

"Usagi?", her mother called her from the kitchen.

"Coming!" The girl with the long blond hair that was tied to two pigtails put off her shoes and went to the kitchen. "Is dinner ready?" She looked around and noticed that her mother didn't even had started cooking. Funny, dinner was almost always ready when she got home ... She gave her mother a confused look.

Ikuko took off the white apron and hung it on one of the kitchen chairs, before she put back her long blue hair and turned to the living room. "Do you have a minute?"

Hesitantly, Usagi nodded and followed her mother to the living room, where her father sat on the sofa. Okay ... Now that was really strange. She got an awkward feeling. Has her mother maybe found one of her bad exams she always hid under her bed? In thoughts, Usagi prepared for a long sermon referred to her poor performance at school while she sat down on the blue sofa.

Kenji looked up, folded up the newspaper he was reading and put it aside. "Usagi! Good to see you. So, we can start, then?"

Usagi swallowed. A little bit nervous she shrugged her shoulders. "Start what ...?"

"There is something, um ... something we have to talk about", Ikuko answered. For a moment she kept standing in the middle of the room, but then sat down next to her daughter. "Usagi ... It's about school."

In thoughts Usagi sighed. She thought so. She gave her mother a guilty smile and nodded. "Actually I just wanted to get upstairs and learn ..." Just when she finished that sentence she regretted it. Because it was a lie.

And her mother knew that. "No, darling. You didn't." She replied her smile and dropped her gaze. "Your father and I were discussing this for a while ... How it should go on, you know."

Usagi wanted to say something, but her mother continued.

"This time something has to happen, Usagi. You should be lucky about the fact that you were allowed to the entrance exams for high school – when I talked to your teacher it sounded like ... Well, it was out of pity. Because they know that you actually can do it. But it still doesn't seem like you want to."

"And it's high time for that", Kenji said then. "That's why we decided to -"

"Hold on!", Ikuko interrupted her husband. "Don't blurt it out like that ...!"

"Why beat about the bush?" Kenji sighed and nodded. "Fine."

Ikuko gave him a thankful look and turned to her daughter again, who started to get more nervous each minute. "Even if you're maybe getting us wrong first – the only thing we want is that you can do something with your life. That's what you want yourself, too, right?"

Usagi nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yes, of course ...!"

"Good." Ikuko took a deep breath. "Now you maybe don't understand why we come to a decision like that, but ... I'm sure some day you'll understand. At the latest when you graduate from school with really good grades. With a school-leaving qualification you can really do something with, Usagi. Get a great job, or go to college ..."

Usagi got so nervous that she could feel a lump in her throat. Yes, she was a crybaby, but that moment she didn't care. Actually she never cares. "Yes, I ... I know. I, um ... For the next three years I'll give my best, I want to be good at school, too, and ..." She didn't know what to say anymore. It was hard for her to say something like this, though it was the truth. But she never showed how she thought about that. She always thought there was enough time for learning, anyway – with every exam she bungled, she thought 'Next time I'll be better'. But she never was. Of course she often thought about it, and she really wanted to give her best, but ... somehow ... she just didn't.

"Then you'll maybe like our idea", her father said. "Well, not really an idea anymore ... We already decided."

Usagi stared at him and looked to her mother then, seeking help.

She sympathetically looked at her daughter but got serious then. "Usagi ... We decided to send you to a boarding school."

For a long moment there was nothing but tense silence. The cat was out of the bag. Usagi couldn't believe what her mother was just telling her. She should ... go to a boarding school? Leave her school, leave her best friend Naru, leave her home? "What ...?" Her blue shining eyes filled with tears.

"Well, it's not a real boarding-school, actually", Kenji mentioned.

With hope in her eyes Usagi looked up at him.

"It's a school with a dormitory for those students who live outside of town."

Usagi's heart stopped for a moment. "And ... where is that school?"

"In Shimada", Ikuko answered.

Usagi never heard that name. That meant it had to be far away – too far to get there by bus each morning ...

Just a moment later her father proved her thoughts. "So you can live in that dormitory then. Usagi, those schools really have a good reputation. You'll graduate there, come back home and then you can live your life the way you want. Just like you want. Because every door will be open to you!"

Ikuko eagerly nodded. "He's right! And only because you're in another town for a while that doesn't mean we forget you or something. You can write letters to us – or phone us, what would be your preferred option." She laughed quietly.

Usagi clung her fingers to the skirt of her school uniform. She didn't feel like reacting to her mother's words. "Schools ...?"

"Oh, yes!" Kenji nodded. "If I have understood correctly there are three schools located on the top of the Astraea Hill. The students of those schools live in the same dormitory."

"Only girls", Ikuko added.

"Girls' school ...?", Usagi whispered.

"Yes, isn't that great?" There was no mistaking that Kenji was completely satisfied.

Ikuko gave her daughter a worried look and carefully touched her arm. "You'll understand, believe me ... It's not easy for us to let you go, too."

"Oh, isn't it?" Usagi tried not to sob. "And when ... When shall I leave?"

"Usagi ..." Her mother bit her lips. "We're not sending you off like that." She sighed. Everything she said was useless that moment, anyway. "On Monday."

"Wha- ..." Usagi caught her breath. So that was her last day at her school? At her former school? That would be her last weekend in Tokyo? Her last two and a half days at home?

Kenji and Ikuko looked at each other for a moment, and then suddenly their daughter jumped on her feet.

"I'll go and pack my bags!"

And then she sobbingly ran out of the living room.

Of course Usagi didn't pack her bags that day, that was just an excuse. A poor excuse – Kenji and Ikuko knew she just wanted to be alone and give vent to her feelings. Her anger, sadness and fear of what's waiting for her. Because of course she would go there. She would go to that boarding-school – or, well, to one of them. She never contradicted her parents.

And deep in her heart she knew that maybe it really was the best thing for her to do. That knowledge hid in her subconscious and she tried her hardest to keep it there.

She spent the weekend with her friend Naru, who was really unhappy with those bad news. But she thought it was the best for Usagi, too – she always told her she should finally start learning for school, again and again. But it was just useless. And maybe that would change now?

Time went by like water. Usagi felt like she had just been told about that boarding-school – but it was already Monday. When she said goodbye to her brother – who really seemed to be happy that his sister would only come home on vacations – she climbed into her parents' car and they moved off to Shimada. All the way to that unknown town Usagi looked out of the window. A little at a time there were no houses anymore, only trees. Sometimes she could see the ocean from their road before it got out of her sight and disappeared behind the next trees.

After about three hours they reached Shimada. They drove to a great hill where the schools and the dormitory were located on. The steeple of a cathedral that towered up above the treetops could be seen from a distance. Just when they reached an arduous path that led to the hill, Kenji suddenly stopped the car.

Confused, Usagi frowned. Her parents turned around to her.

"Unfortunately we have to say goodbye down here", Kenji said.

"What ...?" Usagi blinked. "But ... Why?"

"The people here are a little bit ... religious, you know?", Ikuko explained. "And that Astraea-Hill is known as a pure sanctuary. No men allowed."

Kenji nodded, satisfied. "Right."

Usagi puffed and leant back. She hadn't a good feeling about this, anyway – and now she should go up there by herself? How shold she know where to go?

"The school you are attending is the St. Miator's Girls' Academy", Ikuko said and gave her daughter a notepad on which the name of that school was written. "Just in case you forget the name ..." She laughed a little bit. "Go to the dormitory and notify your arrival to the sister, her name is Mariko. That's written on the notepad, too. She's the head of the dormitory and will introduce to you your roommate."

"Mhm ..." Usagi dropped her gaze and nodded.

"Well, then ..." Kenji waited for a moment, opened the car door and got out.

So did Ikuko, and finally Usagi, too.

"You can call us anytime, you know that, alright?" Ikuko went to her daughter who still stood at the car, looking to the ground.

"Well, not when I'm at work, but -"

Ikuko threw an angry look to her husband who kept his mouth shut immediately.

"Um ... Alright", he said then. "Am I allowed to ... give you a hug?"

Usagi looked up to him. A lot of feelings could be seen in her eyes – she wasn't angry anymore, but anything else but happy about the coming three years. Hesitantly, she nodded and let her father, and then her mother, too, take her into their arms.

"I'm sure you'll find a lot of friends", Ikuko said and started to cry a little bit.

Usagi sighed – and then she had to smile. It was a sad smile, though, but a real one.

"And you're roommate will be a nice girl, hm?" Kenji gave her a pat on the back. "Come on, get up there. You won't make it for school, but you should familiarise yourself with the new area at least." He looked around. "Seems to be nice here, doesn't it?"

"Well, she won't be down here often, I guess." Ikuko wiped a tear off her face and turned to Usagi. "Shall we wait until you're gone or -"

"No, no, it's okay", Usagi muttered. Of course she would love them to accompany her. With the car.

"Okay ..." Kenji nodded, took a deep breath and turned to the car. "Come on, darling."

Ikuko gave her daughter a last smile before she got in the car. They waved to their daughter – then Kenji started the engine, turned the car and slowly drove back. Back to Tokyo. Back home.

Usagi watched the car getting out of her sight. It took just a few moments until she couldn't hear the engine anymore, too. She felt a tear running down her cheek and wiped it away. Slowly she turned around. It seemed like that path would lead her into deep forest ...

She took a deep breath, smoothed her – now former – school-uniform down and got going.