A/N: I'm procrastinating I know, I'll buckle down on Success here soon, look forward to it!

Chapter One

If you can see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future

_Danielle Steel

I was fifteen when my father brought home Himemiya, I was shocked at her beauty, and she seemed gentle enough when she took my father's hand. She had dinner with us, and talked about her two beautiful daughters; Luna and Sumire. I thought that she really loved my father.

I was wrong.

What Himemiya loved most was money, and my father had plenty of it, within weeks of my meeting Himemiya, they were married. And I was forced to share a room with her two awful daughters.

"Mikan you're so slow!" called Luna from downstairs, jerking me out of a pleasant dream I'd been having of a dark haired stranger sweeping me off my feet. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head only to have it yanked off again the next second. I looked up into the eyes of Sumire, who flashed a wicked grin at me.

Sumire was a sufferer of pack mentality, if Luna was being crude then so was she, but on her own she was rather harmless. I sat up and yawned, stretching my arms over my head.

"Hurry up." said Sumire, tossing the pillow at my face.

"Mother is gone and so it's up to you to make us breakfast."

I rolled my eyes, it was up to me to do a lot of things. I hastily brushed my hair and washed my face as Sumire rapped on the door over and over again. Taking my time tying my hair into two pigtails, I took even longer getting dressed, and when I was finally done Luna had joined her sister in knocking on the bathroom door.

"I'm coming~" I said as I swept out of the bathroom, only to be violently pushed back into it, falling on my backside. I looked up, wide-eyed into the face of Luna, who loomed over me. She pressed her foot against my chest and pushed me farther back onto the bathroom floor.

"Oh, you think that's cute huh?" she asked. Sumire looked very uncomfortable.

"That's your own little act of defiance, is it?" she bent over me, flashing her perfectly white teeth, her hair fell over her eyes, giving her a malicious appearance. I was frightened, I couldn't help it. Her foot pressed harder into my chest and I yelped involuntarily, she straightened up and chuckled.

"Get down stairs and make breakfast." She said, turning around and flipping her honey colored hair over her shoulder.

I did as she asked.

After I had washed up the dishes, I took the first opportunity to leave the house, yelling over my shoulder that we were out of blackberry jam. I ran as fast as my feet could take me, only stopping once I reached Hotaru's house. She didn't answer on the first knock, or the second, or the seventh, but she answered on the twelfth, and all annoyance melted from her face when she saw me.

"What's wrong dummy?" she asked, escorting me inside and shutting the door behind me.

"Did you fall on the way here?" I wiped the sweat off of my face with my handkerchief, and sat down, breathing heavily. Hotaru sat down in a large plush chair across from me. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were sympathetic.

"Luna went too far this time." I said, once I had gathered myself. Hotaru's eyes darted towards the side, to what we affectionately called "The Weapons Closet".

"What'd she do?" she asked, her voice betraying nothing. Sighing, I put a hand on my chest and pushed on the area where Luna had stepped on me. I patiently recited the entire story.

"Where did she hurt you?" Hotaru asked, I pulled down the collar of my blouse, exposing a large purply-brown bruise the size of a grapefruit. Hotaru clicked her tongue, she looked for all the world like we had just been discussing the weather, but I could tell by the set of her jaw that she was furious.

"You can't keep putting up with this Mikan." She said. another indication of her anger, she only ever called me by name if thing's were serious. I nodded

"I've been saving up my wages from Anna's bakery, soon I'll have enough to get my own place, nothing fancy, but it's better than living with Luna." I said. Hotaru's eyes once again darted to the Weapons Closet.

"It's not fair that they've chased you out of your own house." She said quietly. I stood up and straightened my skirts.

"I know…but I don't mind really, it'll be good to live on my own after all, you pull it off fine." I said with a grin, Hotaru rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but I'm not an idiot."

I shrugged as I headed for the door, Hotaru followed me, I could see the gears turning in her head.

"Don't worry about me Hotaru." I hugged her tight, and she groaned, pushing me off of her.

"Promise me something." She said, as I was heading out the door.

"Sure, anything." I said, slipping on my working clogs. Her brow furrowed, a rare display of worry.

"Be careful." She said. I hugged her again, this time she didn't shove me off.

"I will be." I said, kissing her cheek in farewell and heading out towards the Market Place.

Halfway to the market place I took a detour, dipping into a forested path on my right where a field of wild flowers grew year round, side by side with a field of wild pumpkins. I sat on one such pumpkin, one as large as a barstool and with a big dent in the side, perfect for sitting, and weaved daisy chains absently, calming my racing mind.

My fingers moved rapidly, as I struggled to make my mind focus on one thing, I thought about the tin off money I kept buried out in the stable, I was only 5 gold rabbits away from owning my own house, I already had one picked out in my mind, a shabby one story cottage, that, with a little love could become something worth while, something I could be proud of.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by a loud crash, I jumped to my feet, ready to run like a startled deer, but I was too late, whatever it was crashed right into me, knocking me over and splitting open the pumpkin. I yelped as something that felt like an elbow jabbed me right where Luna had stepped on me.

"What the Hell?" the voice was distinctly male, I kicked my legs frantically.

"Get off" I hissed through my teeth.

I opened my eyes, and found two pairs of bright crimson eyes staring back at me. I sat up with a jolt, smacking my head into whoever's head was in front of mine, and promptly fell back down, unconscious.