A/N: Okay guys, here's chapter 3. It's a little shorter than normal for this story, but I reached a good stopping point. I've realized that most of Part II is kinda filler, but it's important because you get introduced to characters I barely touched on in part I or you get a better sense of characters that weren't around a lot in Part I. Like for instance, in this chapter you get a better look at Hailey and TJ. Stella is also very important for Part II, just like Dawn was important for Part I. They have similar functions anyway. I'm hoping everyone is keeping track of all of the little plot points I have, and all of the flashes of memories for the characters. It's difficult for me to keep it together, and I'm working off of notes, so I can understand if you get lost in places. I'll do a recap at the bottom just in case some people have gotten lost or don't see what's going on.

Posted: January 8th, 2015

Chapter 3

Dreamscape

As I slept, I dreamed. The dreams wove and pulled through my subconscious like vague memories I had no recollection of. I sat pouting in my room, or what I recognized as my room anyway. I was young, not extremely young, but younger than I am now, a pre-teen or teenager probably. I sat on my bed, pouting.

"Michelle, stop this pouting and come on," a voice called from outside my door.

"Mom," I wined, "I don't want to go! I hate going to Uranus, Haruka gets on my nerves, keeps staring at me."

"Young lady, you come out right now, we have to go!" The voice came again, more insistent this time.

"Mom!" I protested again.

"Now! We have to leave for-"

"Ma'am…"

End Dreamscape

"Ma'am," a voice shook my out of my dream. I opened my eyes, blearily blinking away the sleep from my mind. I turned my head and saw the flight attendant standing next to me in the aisle. "Please place your seat in the upright position ma'am, we're about to begin our descent to land.

"Alright, thank you," I replied, my voice still thick with sleep. The flight attendant nodded and walked off. I slowly moved my seat back upright, rubbing my face with my hand trying to brush the sleep away. I looked back a few rows and caught sight of Minako staring wide-eyed at the movie screen on the seat in front of her. She had told me that she didn't sleep on planes and I didn't believe her, but the blonde was showing signs of extreme sleep deprivation. The blonde glanced up and caught my eye, smiling broadly at me with wide eyes. I stifled back a laugh as the blonde looked more like a raccoon with dark circles under her eyes and turned my attention towards the front.

I felt the plane start its descent a few minutes later and I braced myself as the landing gear dropped and the wheels touched the tarmac. I waited for the all clear before unbuckling my seatbelt and reaching into the overhead compartment and retrieved my suitcase. I looked back at Minako and noticed that she hadn't moved. "Mina," I said, moving around the people to poke at her.

"Huh?" She said, snapping out of her sleep-like state to turn her attention to me.

"Are you okay?" I laughed out, gesturing around at all of the other passengers who were standing up.

"Huh, oh, we're here," Mina commented, standing up as well. "I need to get my bag out, we need to get going. I still have to get back home."

I stifled a laugh as the clearly exhausted girl stared unblinkingly at the suitcases in the overhead compartment, searching for her own carryon. I pointed it out to her and she nodded absentmindedly and grabbed it. "Mina, why don't you come home with me tonight and sleep it off," I chuckled as we finally exited the plane.

"That's okay Michi- I mean Michelle," Mina slurred, "I can get home…" Her words trailed off as she nearly fell into me in a dead sleep.

"Oh no you don't," I said, slapping her lightly on the cheek a few times to wake up.

"I'm awake," Mina mumbled into my shoulder, and pushed herself off of my shoulder. We waited and grabbed our bags when they came around, and headed out to the short-term parking lot.

"My brother said he was dropping my car off…" My voice trailed off as I spotted the teal Ford Fiesta that my parents had purchased for me last year. "Ah, there it is, let's go. It's late, so you are spending the night at my house." I bundled the younger girl into my car and placed our bags in the back before jumping into the driver's seat and starting home. It took me some time to navigate out of London, dealing with traffic and narrow streets, but soon I was pulling up to my family's estate just outside of London.

"Woah," Mina said as I drove through the gate and she got a good look at the house and grounds. "This is amazing! Like something out of Pride and Prejudice."

I chuckled at her reaction. "My father is technically a Lord," I told her, pulling up to the front of the house. "His title is actually the Earl of Winchester, and this is just our city estate. My family has held the title since the Norman invasion, the oldest in the country. Technically I am Lady Michelle Assana Huntington."

Mina whistled, "So you're basically royalty here."

"Nobility, but only technically. My family didn't raise me to just rely on my noble title to get my way. My parents work and hold jobs, though being titled did allow for my mother to stay at home with my brother and I after we were born. It also has allowed me to seriously pursue my music career."

"Understandable," the blonde girl replied. "My family aren't title or anything like that, but my parents are wealthy. It has allowed me to live the life that I have." She looked hesitantly out of the window as I stopped the car in front of the house. "You did tell your parents that you were coming home right? And that you were bringing someone, I mean it was a kinda last minute decision."

"I let them know when the plane was coming in, and that I might bring you home instead of allowing you to try to get home this late at night," I replied, getting out of the car.

Mina grabbed her bags after I did and followed me up the stairs. I was about to pull out my keys to unlock the doors when they were opened from the other side. "Michelle darling," my mother said as she rushed out to grab me in a fierce hug. While my mother was normally put together, due to the late hour she was in her bathrobe, and her long hair, a shade lighter than mine, was tussled and pulled up on top of her head.

"Hi Mom," I gasped out, trying to pry myself from her vice like embrace. She didn't let go so I just stood there and motioned towards Mina with my right hand. "Mom, this is my friend Mina, she's going to stay here for the night."

"Oh, Mina darling," my mother cried, detaching herself from me and embracing my blonde friend. After thoroughly squeezing the life out of the blonde, the older woman released her. "I'm so sorry, where are my manners, I'm Michelle's mother Catherine, come in, come in, you both have had a long flight and must be exhausted."

"Thank you Countess," Mina started to reply but my mother shook it away.

"Oh nonsense darling, call me Cat, most everyone else does," my mother said, dismissing Mina's protests. "Now follow me. Would either of you like something to eat or drink before you go to bed? I can bring something up for you while you girls get ready for bed."

"None for me, I'm about ready to collapse from sleep deprivation," Mina sighed. "I ate and drank everything they gave me on the plane, so I'm just ready for a shower and a good, long nap."

"I just want some water Mom, but I'll get it," I said, moving through the house to the kitchen. "You just go ahead and show Mina to one of the guest rooms and go back to bed."

"You sure you don't need anything dear?"

"I'm fine mom, I can find my own room. Just help Mina, she's pretty much dead on her feet as is right now," I said, motioning towards the swaying blonde.

My mother turned her attention to the younger girl and hustled her upstairs while I continued to the kitchen for some water. After filling a glass with ice water, I headed upstairs and dumped my bags in my room before moving into the accompanying bathroom. I barely remember the shower, drinking my water and pulling on my pajamas before I passed out face down in the bed.

"You sure you don't want to come inside?" Mina asked two days later when I was dropping Mina off outside her house. The both of us had slept until late afternoon the previous day and Mina decided that it was better to just stay with me until the next day when she had fully recovered from the trip. Her parents weren't at home currently, so she would've been by herself anyway.

"No, it's okay Mina," I said, looking at the fairly large brownstone where the younger girl spent her formative years. It was situated in a nice neighborhood, and the top floors had an amazing view over the local park, so I could see that Mina's family was extremely well off. "When are your parents getting home anyway?"

"In a few days," the other girl replied. "They wanted to be here when I got home, but something came up with work and they had to head to a conference for the week. My older brother Coop will be coming home to check up on me apparently, and he said his girlfriend Paige might come over." The blonde rolled her eyes at that. "I am almost 16 years old, I don't exactly need a babysitter. They left me alone in Japan with Artemis, and I was fine."

"Artemis is still in quarantine," I reminded her. "And he'll be there for at least another month. And didn't you tell me that Usagi came over all the time? Your family probably just doesn't want you to be alone. Don't view them as babysitters, more of companions instead."

"I'll try to keep that in mind. When are you heading to Paris?"

"Not for a few weeks, I have to find a more permanent place to stay. Every time I'm there I just stay in hotels. Since I'm going to be staying longer, I'd rather have a place to live," I answered.

"Understandable. Do you want to hangout some before you head to France?" Mina asked.

I thought for a minute before nodding. "Sure, when does your semester start?"

"Not until the end of August, so you'll be leaving before I start school."

"Alright, if we don't meet up again before I head out, we'll keep in touch," I assured the younger girl. I could understand her hesitance about us parting way; I felt the same way. Mina was the last remainder of my life in Japan, the last one close by anyway. Usagi had left to pursue a future of her own making, so I could not truly count her as something of that time that lingered on. Hopefully the other girl would be part of my future, but until then, Mina was all that remained. I wanted to hang on to her, to remember the good and the bad in order to better shape my future. However, I knew that if both Mina and I lingered, we couldn't move beyond the past into the future.

I was about to say something else when Mina's cell phone beeped with a new text message. "Sorry," the blonde said, glancing down at her phone. I'd never seen someone pale as fast as I saw Mina do in that moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Ugh, an old friend of mine, my first real best friend really, found out that I had come back to town and that I hadn't told her or called her immediately. She is furious," Mina blanched. "I really should go call her or see her or something, I'll talk to you later Michelle!" With that, the blonde disappeared into the house.

I stared after her in disbelief before shaking my head and starting my car up and pulling away from the curb. "Looks like I was the one having difficulty letting go," I murmured, heading home.

A little while later, I pulled back into the driveway of my childhood home, mentally preparing myself for dealing with my mother for a while longer. Stepping out of my car, I recognized one of the other cars sitting in the garage. I quickly walked to the door and moved through the house to the family sitting room. "TJ!" I yelled, seeing my older brother sitting on the sofa with his fiancée.

"Michelle," TJ greeted, standing up to hug me, his dark blue eyes twinkling with a smile. "Mother told me you were home, it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah, a few months at least, you weren't here the last time I was home," I replied, smiling at my brother. I turned my attention to the woman that was with him and offered her a friendly smile as well. "Hailey, it's good to see you again too."

The sandy blonde grinned at me and stood up, pulling me into a backbreaking hug. "Good to see you again Michelle," she said once she had released me. "How have you been?"

"I've been better," I replied honestly. "I didn't leave Japan in good terms with many of the people I knew. It was good to leave, as I didn't like who they were proving to be, my girlfriend especially, but it was still difficulty for me."

"We never did meet your girlfriend did we?" Mother asked.

"No," I answered, shaking my head ruefully. "Haruka was rather resistant to coming with me here to meet everyone."

"What was her name?" Hailey questioned, looking at me with an indiscernible expression.

"Haruka, Haruka Ten'ou."

At my reply, Hailey burst out laughing. "Oh wow, it really is a small world," Hailey gasped out, trying to hold in her laughter. "Haruka's my cousin. She had a severe falling out with practically the entire family, that explains why she never came around with you, she didn't think she could show her face around her again."

I stared at Hailey in puzzlement. "Haruka told me that her family kicked her out because she was a lesbian, but that doesn't…"

"Doesn't fit with what you know of my family," Hailey finished. Her smile was still on her face, but it was smaller, less pronounced than it was before. "No, the falling out was more personal, not something I want to get you guys involved in. Let's just say that she was proved to be in the wrong, and she didn't take it well, left in a huff years ago and hasn't been back since."

"She does have a melodramatic flair to her doesn't she," I sighed. "Also has a propensity for lying, that's part of why I broke up with her. She lied to me and I didn't appreciate it, or what she lied about. Haruka is in my past, and that's where she'll remain."

Hailey nodded in understanding. "Would it be alright with you if I told my family about Haruka, just so that they'll know she's alright. She might be a bitch, but my aunt and uncle have been worried sick about her."

"Is she their only child?" Mother asked, shooting me an apologetic look as she realized she was just prolonging the conversation.

The blonde girl chuckled, "No, not anymore anyway. Haruka was a, how to say this… Adolescent indiscretion for them, they decided to wait to have more kids and had a son, Hunter, a few years ago." She pulled out her phone and showed us a picture of a young boy, barely five years old. I could instantly tell he was related to Haruka, with his flyaway hair, and prominent cheekbones, but while Haruka seemed to have the weight of the world pressing down on her, this boy, Hunter, was smiling and happy as a clam. I glanced up at Hailey and really looked at her, studying her features. I did see some of my ex-girlfriend in her face and posture, but not much, must be the difference in personality.

"Your family really loves 'H' names don't they?" TJ sighed, smiling fondly at his fiancée. "What are we going to do when we have our own children?"

"Hmm, one of the boys will be name Triton James of course," Hailey replied with her own smile. "All the rest of them will be 'H' names though. Heather, Hannah, Harry, Hubert…"

"Hubert?" TJ sputtered.

"It was my grandfather's name," Hailey defended, glaring at my squirming brother.

I stifled back a laugh before I turned my attention to my mother. "Mother, there's still a lot I need to do before I start my new job, and I really should get to it-"

"Oh that's right," Hailey interrupted, turning her gaze back to me. "TJ told me about that, and that's why I wanted to come over, one of the reasons anyway, other than continually planning a wedding that might never happen if left to your brother to plan anything."

"I've been helping," my brother protested before he was silenced with a withering glare from both Hailey and our mother.

"Anyway, as I was saying, if you're looking for a place to stay, I know of a place," Hailey started. "My best friend lives in Paris, for most of the year anyway, when she isn't touring or in New York with the rest of her family. She has a pretty big flat and has a spare room. I already asked her, and she said she's cool with you staying with her."

"She's okay with a complete stranger living in her flat?" I asked in disbelief.

Hailey just shrugged. "I think she gets lonely. She used to live with her sister all the time, or me. Now it's just her and her dog, maybe she wants some human company? And both TJ and I vouched for you, so that makes you okay in her book."

"What's her name?"

TJ smirked at me. "You better sit down." When I just glared, his smirk widened. "Stella Parker."

I choked back a gasp. "What?" I cried. "The Stella Parker, I'm going to be working with her, and you're saying that I might get to live with her too?" I turned my attention to my brother and whacked his arm. "And you knew her and didn't tell me? She's one of the biggest names in classical music right now."

"Sorry sis," TJ winced, rubbing his arm.

Hailey giggled, "Sorry, this is kind of amusing for me. Meeting people so excited about people I've known for years is almost surreal. Stella isn't how you think she is."

"What do you mean?"

The blonde just snickered again. "You'll see, so should I tell her you want to take up her offer?"

A huge grin crossed me face, as I nodded my head. "Yes!"

And here's the end of Chapter 3. Part II is going to be shorter than Part I, I'm thinking I only have about maybe 4 or 5 chapters left for this section, but then comes the difficult part, which is Part III. That is kinda like the crux of the story, the explanation on why things are the way they are, the truth of the matter I guess. I have restarted this section multiple times, so we'll see how it goes. Now, as for a recap, let's take a look at the familial connections being revealed shall we?

Dawn, Stella and Serena= sisters, obviously

Christa and Anna= sisters

Flora, Fauna= sisters, twins

Hailey and Harper= sisters; Hailey and Harper + Haruka= cousins/estranged

TJ (Triton James) and Michelle= siblings

Brigitte + (estranged, so far unidentified cousin)

Sofya and Ami= sisters, twins/estranged

Coop (not yet met) and Mina= siblings

Aydan (not yet met) ?

Have I identified everyone so far? That I've discussed anyway. Do you guys see what's going on? Review or PM me if you have ideas