A/N - This is my first story, please be kind and leave a review. I hope other people can enjoy my writing.

The main story is basically unchanged, just moved from Japan to the USA because Japan does not really do much for Christmas. Also some stuff for backstories and Haruka having some OC friends, but that comes up later.

Disclaimer: I don't own sailor moon

I have done a few minor edits since I first posted this

On a cold day in Mid December, snow is falling, I see the lights twinkling on the decorations of the Mall and it reminds me of...

-BUY! BUY! EARLY CHRISTMAS SALES TODAY DON'T MISS OUT!-

I get overwhelmed by the HUGE crowd as they are rushing to get in to the mall, it's like being hit by a train only worse it's by people and for what? To take advantage of the sales even though its clear they are getting cheated. I try to push through to get away from the shouts of the perfume woman, the swarm of persistent salesmen that keep getting in my face and then the crowd of kids screaming louder then a crowd of Banshee.

Michiru saw Haruka being swarmed with people all around and quickly dashes through the mess to save her, just in time for a pile of loud teenage girls and guys rushing through as a store opens with the newest imitation celebrity sponsored glowing running shoes at a rock bottom price.

I quickly get to Haruka and start to dust her off only to notice someone must have been holding food because there's some sort of sauce on her new jogging pants, she looks angry enough already as is I will tell her later. I give her a quick kiss and ask with concern "Ruka?"

I feel ready to hit someone but Michi's kiss always seems to catch me off guard, if I was ever in a wrestling match with her I'd be doomed, I quickly look at her, answering "Yes Michi?"

I look at my Ruka with worry, I know crowds are not her thing, I feel guilty bringing her here "Are you OK?" We watch as more and more teens rush faster into the designer shoe store. What is with people pushing like that, it's just shoes.

I am tired from work, I am hungry, my patience is wearing very thin and I don't see any hope in this crowd getting better, but anything for my Michi. I take a deep breath "I am just fine Michiru, but if I get pushed again someone else WILL not be" it does not take long for my stomach to start growling loud enough that I'm sure a few people heard it.

As we look at the food court and see no seats available with line ups so long it looks like we could wait a week and still not get breakfast. I know leaving and eating at home is best but Michi looks determined, still I can at least try to talk her out of this... "Its so crowded lets just go to my place, I'll order anything you want, so can we get the hell out of this mall?"

I look reassuringly into Haruka eyes "I promise I will go as quickly as possible, I am tired from the violin rehearsal, but I need to begin my shopping today I have no idea what to get my mother. It will be the first holiday she will be home in years and I feel very nervous" but as I am about to suggest that Haruka can sit on the bench...

I am interrupted by loud Christmas band music as a HUGE crowd gathers singing and watching "ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME..." the children look like angels all dressed up in what looks like costumes from the 1800s, no wonder this area was empty. Noticing the sign announcing the Children's Choir to raise money to help hospitals. I picked a great place to talk didn't I? I give them some money and wish them well only to find myself alone wondering "Now where did Ruka go?"

I'm lost in thought looking at the big mall Christmas tree, feeling bad for complaining about everything. I know how excited she is at having her mom home for the Christmas holidays and I don't want to ruin it for since her parents divorced when she was a kid, she used to go to her dad's in Japan for Christmas so that she wasn't just spending it with the maids but when he remarried and his new wife got pregnant he asked her not to contact him anymore as his wife wasn't comfortable raising a child that was not hers. After that Michi never went back and has been mostly alone, her mother the internationally famous violinist Sakura had spent most of her life preforming on tour. She has many expectations, putting a lot of pressure on Michiru to follow in her steps. As I turn to apologize to Michi...

I find myself surrounded by over a dozen people, some seem to be part of this Christmas Event. I must of chose a bad place to stand because next thing I know a lady happily shouts "Great, your here!" and I'm half dragged to an area back stage before I can figure out what to say.

"You must be the replacement, the volunteer that was supposed to play here..." the strange woman was rushing around dressing her in the Santa hat and coat hurriedly "He got sick and we only get the malls band so long, they are finishing jingle bells just now but they only agreed to play two songs so we need you on stage don't be nervous! You'll be great! I gotta go up on the stage now, just remember when the curtain opens you start playing."

"But uh..." and she had rushed away before I could say anything. Its been awhile since I've played for an audience. I guess I can do something I just need to look at the keys, siting down I try not to let my nerves get to me, as the curtains open "alright here goes" I say to myself as I begin to play...

"Hey sorry I'm late, traffic was terrible, I think that blizzard will hit harder then the weather people think... Aww, good you found someone to cover for me till I got here."

"Wait... your the volunteer!?"

"Yup sorry, got here as fast as I could"

"Then that means I just shoved a random girl on a stage!"

"Well look on the bright side she plays terrific! I can take over soon as shes done. Come on we will just direct her over here..."

As I finish playing I hear the audience clapping loudly and some people are even whistling for me. Wow I didn't think I had played that well. I see the lady from before with another woman waving me over to them. I rise from the bench, bow and walk off, I'm so glad to be off there.

"I'm sooo very sorry young man but thank you for helping in a tough spot, I didn't know what the volunteer looked like and since you were near our Christmas display I thought you were her you played magnificently by the way."

"Thank you, I am glad I could help" I hurriedly pull off and hand back the Santa jacket and hat "but please excuse me, I must find my girlfriend" before rushing away to find an at least a bit less crowded spot to hopefully spot Michiru from.

I am used to being called a man, it never bothers me and knowing what hospitals are like, I am glad to lend a hand for charity but now I have no idea where Michiru is. I look and not far from me I recognize Usagi carrying a pile of bags and as usual she is so lost in her own thoughts that shes walking into the path of a crowd of kids racing to the new Virtual Reality game store with a tired looking man on their heels speeding by...

"WHOA"!

I rush over and catch Usagi in my arms to steady her balance, her eyes looking at me with an embarrassed blush lighting up her smiling face, I smile back at her as I gather up and return her the bags "Are you alright Odango?"

"Haruka! Thanks that was so close, I'm fine, I am just here shopping with Ami and Minako and I cant find her but Ami is in the food court studying. Yuck. Oh and did you know there's something on your pants?"

"Hmm there is?" I look and sure enough there is and I haven't even had them on a day. I was just on a stage not long ago like this. Great. Oh well I have had much worse.

"Are you here alone Haruka?"

"No I lost Michiru too in this chaos, I wanted to help her but I'd prefer a battle field to this big mess." I notice Usagi don't seem as cheerful as her warm smile usually is but before I can even ask anything...

-Cellphone starts ringing-

I already know who it is but there's no way I'm going to hear a damn thing in this place, texting him quickly to give me just a moment I look at Usagi "I have to take this important call Odango, I hate to leave Michiru in here but if you see her please tell her I am right out front waiting in the car."

"Sure thing Haruka OH and thank you for saving me!"

Outside it's already getting dark and very cold, even for the states where we live in Chicago most times it's not this cold. I don't bother to look at how bad it is as I rush to my car, phone in my hand, barely hearing the ringtone. The wind is very strong snows falling much more heavily then earlier...

SLIP

I try to regain my balance but it's no use!

OOF!

Hearing yelling from my phone, I pick it up out of the snow and sit up slowly as I feel the burning pain in the joint of my arm. Fuck.

Holding the phone to my ear with my left arm now "Yes dad I'm just fine, I know. Just a minute" I stagger up out of ice and snow watching my steps carefully as I unlock my car and get in closing the door.

With how nasty the cold is this is a good time to start it up and get the heat going for a bit. I turn the key and take a moment to enjoy the rumble of the engine roaring to life before turning on the heat, with a deep breath I focus and try to ignore the sharp pain in the joint of my right arm. I'll be fine I tell myself. Pulling my phone out of my pocket with my good arm "Sorry for the wait dad, can't wait to see you. It will be your first time in my new place. No I wont give you a clue on what I got you. OK dad I'll check in with you later."

As I awkwardly shift around putting my phone away I find myself thinking about how with my racing and my dad working long hours at his construction job, we don't see each other even though hes the only real family I have left. As I grew up my mom hit me a lot when I didn't please her which was many occasions, one day when I was 10 my dad caught her giving me a beat down and its all I can remember other then when I was told she was arrested. We moved three months later. Since then I never saw her again. Now its 7 years later and we are both doing great, my thoughts are interrupted with a SLAM as Michi gets in the car.

As she tucked the gifts into the back seat Michiru happily explained "Well I got the rest of our friends gifts and your gift Haruka, but for my mother I am still at a loss sadly, however I am glad Usagi found me and told me where you were. Though with how you hate shopping I figured you would come back here to read your sports car magazine. Hope I didn't keep you waiting, love."

Before I could get a single word out I felt arms wrap around my neck gently but quickly pulling me in for a sweet kiss, which always takes my breath away, I pull her closer as we continue to kiss passionately I feel the heat rising. I don't know if it's the heat kicking in finally or just me but I hardly notice the cold or the pain with how distracted I am, if this is a dream no one better wake me...

knock knock, KNOCK KNOCK!

I quickly pull away from Michi "did you hear that noise from outside" before she can answer I turned to my window only to see three familiar shivering girls, the one with a very pink blush on her cheeks is Ami, the other sighing then saying "so romantic" is Minako and the one just shivering with her cheeks so rosy you don't know if she was blushing, freezing or both is Usagi but one thing was certain, they had seen us kissing...

Usagi is the first to speak "S.. S.. Sorry I S... S.. saw your car we mi MI..CHOOOOOO the bus" tears start running down her cheeks as she begged "pleeeaaassseee give us a ride!"

"Don't cry Odango, go ahead all of you hop in and warm up" while they are getting in I catch a look at Michi she smiles at me and takes my hand, she knows how I feel since we really didn't tell the Sailor scouts anything about what was happening between us its still new to me, it took me awhile to let my guard down and stop fighting how I felt and to trust someone like I do now...

As I squeeze Ruka's hand I whisper to her in a comforting voice "don't worry its alright, they are our friends, if they have questions I don't mind and we know they care for us."

I'm glad shes not worried, I scratch the back of my head nervously "ahem, you ladies ready back there now?"

"Yup! Its Usagi fault we missed the bus, she just had to get something more to eat and the line was forever!" I hear Minako say as she leans closer to us to tell us how it all happened like a star in the spotlight...

"OK so as I said, it was NOT my fault, Usagi lost me in the first place. If she just stayed close like I told her or remembered to charge that old phone of hers like I have been telling her to then when I saw the Cuuuuutteee guys at that new arcade she never would of lost me in the first place. She could have called me, I was so worried about her that I left my shopping half done to check on her, so I'll need to go again but maybe there will be even more sales if I'm lucky!"

"That's no fair just blaming me Minako! You got food to eat too!" I try to lean forward but bump into Michiru's seat "Plus I didn't want to look at the boys, I wanted to look at the cool new clothes in the Forever Teen shop!"

"I only got food because I was in line, why shouldn't I? Also since when do you not want to see the latest hotties?"I look at Usagi a bit concerned "is there something wrong?"

"You know I have Darien, there's nothing wrong he is just away on vacation with his family is all, the holidays are a big deal them with how they are gone all December till past the new year, you know that!"

"Oh there's my place Haruka, thanks I owe you big time for this"

I step out and to open the door but the wind catches it, fiercely pulling it open I have to grip it hard to keep from getting hit and my arm aches. I smile through the pain "no need to thank me" and hand her the bags.

"Well drive safe, by the way so glad for your new romance Haruka! See ya later, don't forget to come over tomorrow to help me decorate you guys! Also you two should really come it can be your first party as a couple!" and with a wave she disappeared inside.

"Bye Minako! We will be there won't we Ami?" As I move over closer, I see shes reading a thick book on mathematics and I cant help making a sour face "Ewww we didn't get any homework, why are you reading that? You haven't stopped since we met up for shopping in the afternoon."

Silence...

"Earth to Ami?" And with no answer I gently tap her shoulder "are you OK?"

"What? Oh sorry yes I am just fine Usagi, thank you for asking, the mathematics in this text book is fascinating especially the chapter on Computer Science. Just think of the assistance it will provide us and with the growth in the area of technology the possibilities are endless, would you like to hear more? Usagi?"

"ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZ soooo sleepy math so boring ZzZzZzZzZzzzZ"

Giggling "you know how Usagi is with anything school related" I turn to speak to Ami "but may I ask why all the studying? Not that I am saying getting extra education isn't a good choice but don't forget there's a balance."

"I know Michiru. I am sorry for being so distracted,I promise to participate more when we all meet at Minako's home tomorrow. Will you two be joining too?"

"But of course! She has invited Haruka and I as a couple" giggling "I am sure you know now as well?" Seeing her blush red and nod giggling "don't worry Ami we know all of you saw us kissing, we just hadn't yet said anything since we were not sure on how you other Sailor scouts would take it, considering our duty to the mission at hand of keeping an eye out for possible pods that were not destroyed and such we also were not rushing anything but there's no use in pretending otherwise now" I look at my partner who's shade would be described as a deep beautiful blush on her face.