The Crystal Senshi

Savagekitty

Dedicated to those who are true senshi of the heart and spirit.

Chapter One

Remembering the Beginning

Her alarm clock woke her up rudely and as she pounded the damnable button to make it stop its loud whining, she actually saw what time it was. She was going to be late. Catherine, also known as Caty, cussed and rolled out of bed, looking for her pants. Her clock read 5 am, and she had to be at work by 6 am to open the small grocery store deli where she currently worked. She hated mornings, but somehow, she ended up opening every day until Saturday. She pulled her shirt on and buttoned it, as she went to the bathroom to brush her sleep furry teeth. She checked her watch, 5:29 am. She had good timing. She walked to work, since she didn't drive, even at 21 years, she didn't drive. She didn't really need to. She lived in a large city area in San Diego California. It was a 15 minute walk and as she grabbed an apple for breakfast, the chubby brunette left her home for work.

Work crawled by so slowly, she thought she was going to have to put a chicken leg to her eye and push to make time go faster. Or at least make work more interesting. Three o'clock finally came and she grabbed her purse and sunglasses, heading home. Saying goodbye to the people she was friendly with, she left the air conditioned store. Caty was noticeable on the street, she was six feet tall after all. Tall for a girl. Boys hadn't noticed her very much, she carried more weight then she needed in her middle and face, but she liked herself, which she knew counted. She left the shopping area where her store sat and walked along the sidewalk that ran along the canyon. It was more of a dry riverbed, sloping from one side down and back up to the other side.

It was such a nice day, clear blue skies and a perfect 76 degrees, she decided to take the long way home, cutting through the canyon that ran behind her house and the grocery store. She crunched on the rocky ground down the slope, it had been a dry winter, so the canyon was yellow with thirsty brush. She hoped there wasn't a fire this season. Caty was digging through her purse, looking for her headphones when she heard feet behind her. Nothing to get excited over, a lot of people used the canyon for dog walking. She stepped to the side to let the people pass, still digging in her purse. She pulled the headphones out and looked up. No one had passed her and the footsteps had stopped. She blinked a few times, "I'm going nuts." She muttered to herself and continued walking. She slipped the headphones on, turning her mp3 player on. The battery flashed low and it shut itself off. She cussed, thinking, hadn't I just put a new battery in this damn thing? She sighed, slipping the headphones off when she heard the footsteps again. She looked behind her, this was getting annoying. She walked a little faster and the steps behind her sped up. What was going on. She finally went to a full out run and as she looked behind her, slipped on a loose stone. She fell forward, trying to brace herself with her palms. She felt gravel dig into them as she hit her head on a large stone, the world swimming and finally, she blacked out.

Opening her eyes, her head thumped, making her feet a little sick. She sat up slowly, pushing the covers down. Her fan loudly whirring and circulating the hot air of her closed bedroom around her. Bedroom? She was sure it was her bedroom. Hospitals didn't have fans, and she could see the glass stars that hung from her ceiling, even if it was dark. She leaned over , turning on the light by her bed. She blinked the blinding light away, then gasped. Caty stared around her room. It was naked. It was so naked, she almost thought she was robbed until she saw two suitcases and a large box by her dresser. All her selves were bare, even her cluttered pin up cork board was naked, save for one parchment envelope. She closed her eyes, unsure of what was going on. There was a knock on her door and it opened, her father peeking in. Caty got her height and hair color from him, though he was slightly balding, he was still handsome,

"Youre awake, good. I thought you'd like to have a shower before you got ready to go."

She looked confused for a moment, even her clock was gone so she didn't know what time it was, so she asked. He said it was almost 7 Am and her flight would leave at eleven, though, they needed to leave early because of airport security. He shut the door and she blinked. Airport? Leaving? She flopped back down on her bed and covered her face with her sheet. This was a dream. One of the most real dreams she ever had, but a dream. She breathed out slowly and pulled the covers back. Her room was still naked and that weird envelope still stared at her. She sat up and pulled it off her board, opening it.

Congratulations Catherine!

You have been selected as one of the top students to be inducted into the Tokyo University Foreign Exchange Program!

Your tickets are included, and you will be met at the airport by your senior peer helper.

She read it over and over. It just gave a history of the program, the times and dates for her flights, and she might be meeting other peers in the program on the plane. She popped out of bed and went to the living room, "Is this a joke?"

Her father looked puzzled as he sat on the couch, watching cartoons, "What?"

"This, this letter and my room. It's a bad joke…"

"Cat, are you high or something? This has been in the works for months…" He looked at her puzzled as she looked at him horrified, "What?"

"Ok, I know what this is." Standing, he went to her and started pushing her towards her room, "You're afraid to leave, you are 21 years old, Cat, you need to leave the nest, see the world! Hell, you're brother is in the navy now. He left before you did." That old fight. She was a grownup and needed a life. She was happy with her life… kinda. She took a shower, still confused and got ready.

9 AM saw her at the airport, shuffling through security. She said goodbye to her father, still a little confused. Scared, yes, shitless, but the confusion was almost gone. She was leaving Americas for Japan. Somehow, she had her passport in her side bag, her ID, snacks, a lunch, books, her mp3 player. Everything she needed to travel. She shuffled through San Diego Airport and waited for her plane to LA. From La, she would go to Hawaii and from there, Japan. She finally got on the place, settling in, shock, first class. In the handful of times she had ever flown, she never got to sit in first class. It really was better. Roomier, the seat were super comfy and if she had a long flight ahead, this was where she wanted to be. She settled in and was ready for the flight. She didn't even have to change planes, which was convenient. The flight to LA was easy enough. She was the only one in first class, and the flight was short, not even a half an hour. More passengers shuffled on the plane, but she ignored them. Three people settled into first class and the plane took off. She, again, ignored them. She didn't like strangers, and being on a plane for so long with strangers made her stomach tighten. And it made it worse when someone sat next to her. There were ten other seats and someone sat next to her. She stared down at her book, trying to ignore them when the person grabbed her earphones and yanked them off. She looked up, startled and blinked.

The young girl looked back at her. She had long hair in a braid down her back, she looked young, her face just chubby enough to make any age think twice about settled in her features. Her eyes friendly brown. Her best friend from Virginia. Bonnie. Caty blinked again. She had lived in Virginia for 10 years and for 5 of those years she and Bonnie were like sisters. Caty moved to California with her parents when she was 19 and Bonnie went off to college. She was still in shock when another familiar face popped over the seat. Perky, small and blonde, Lauren smiled at her. The third in the trio, Lauren was the smallest. Caty blinked again, "What the hell?"

Bonnie laughed and settled back, "Well, Cat. We're just as confused as you are. Here." She passed the too familiar letter to Caty and Lauren scratched her head, her short hair moving slightly, though Caty didn't see how, it was so styled and processed. She shook that thought off and looked at the letter. "You got one too?" Bonnie nodded, "Lauren also. I didn't even apply." Caty took out her own letter,

"I'm not even IN college, I don't see ho-"

"Excuse me…"

A girl…a woman… stood in the aile, looking at them. Her hair was long and in a pony tail down her back, her hair laced with shades of red and pruple. She was slightly on the heavy side, but it didn't show in the way she carried herself. She was light, like Bonnie was. Caty blinked at her, she knew her from somewhere. The woman took out a letter from a pocket of her jacket, "I…have one too…"

"Erinchan…" Caty stood, but was jerked back by her lapbelt. She cussed and unbuckled it. She stood leaning over Bonnie, "Erin?"

The woman blinked, "Yeah?"

Caty smiled big, "Erinchan! It's me! Caty!" Erin blinked back then her smile grew, "Holy crap."

Bonnie looked up at the woman, "Huh?"

Caty looked at Lauren and Bonnie, "She's my friend from Canada. We've been talking over Messenger for like….5 years."

Erin smiled, "Hi."

"Erin, this is Bonnie and Lauren. They're my best buds from Virginia."

"Is it just me, or do we all have a connection through Caty?" Lauren asked, finally talking. Caty sat back down as Erin leaned over a seat by Lauren.

"Well, I don't know about that, but, we all got these weird ass letters. I know remember falling in the canyon behind my house, passing out, and waking up in my room, my bags packed."

Lauren's face scrunched in thought, "A horse kicked me."

Erin looked puzzled, "Horse?"

"My family owns a horse farm. I was brushing out one I had just rode and it kicked me. I woke up, bags packed."

Bonnie sucked on her back teeth, "I went home for the weekend, my room was empty and this letter was on my desk and a letter of transfer from VA Tech."

Erin looked at her own letter, "I slipped at the lake I live near. I fell in and almost… I was… drowning. I came to in my room."

Caty looked disturbed, "Our stories are too similar. I don't know about you guys, but this freaks me out."

Lauren nodded, "This is wiggy weird ass shit ok. But all we can do is find out what's at the end of the line."

Tokyo International Airport floated out in the middle of the ocean. It was so busy and cramped, that when the small group gathered their bags, they sat outside on the curb of the airport, slowly freaking out. A strange land, not knowing the language, no currency for the land, they were at their wits end. They were tired, hungry, and all wanted a shower from hours cramped on a plane with recycled air. Caty kept an eye out for anyone that might be looking for them. All their letters had said someone would be. Finally, Bonnie spotted a tall very handsome Japanese man holding a sign bearing their names. Caty volunteered to go to him. She fought through the crowd as the three woman watched as she spoke to him. They saw relief spread over her face as she came back to them, with him following.

"Guys, this is Mamoru."

The man had coal black hair, razor cut to flatter his face. All Japanese had black hair unless they dyed it, or at least dark hair. He was handsome. Handsome being an understatement. He wore dark blue jeans like they were apart of him, a white t-shirt and a tweed jacket. But his eyes. His eyes were crystal blue and seemed to search their souls. When he spoke, his English was perfect, with only a slight trace of accent,

"I'm sorry I'm late, ladies. I was held up. Are these your bags? Lets get them into the car and I can take you to your apartment."

They walked to the parking garage to a large black SUV. Mamoru loaded their gear into the back as the girl piled into the car. Somehow, Caty ended up in front. She wanted to know how that happened, but Mamoru was in and started the SUV. They pulled out and onto the road leading to the bridge back to mainland Japan. It would be an hour drive, Mamoru had said. So the girls in back fell asleep quickly. Caty watched the waters as they passed through light traffic over the bridge. They hit land and Caty watched greenery and flowers fade into crowded buildings and then back again. She also noticed Mamoru kept lancing at her in the rearview mirror. She couldn't quite tell the look he had through his sunglasses, but she knew it wasn't the kind of look a man gave an attractive woman. She finally looked at him, scouling, "What?"

"I'm sorry?" He was playing stupid.

"Why do you keept looking at me?" She hissed so not to wake her friends.

"I…" he sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just… I thought you were a myth…"

She raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what the hell he was talking about when his face opened up in surprise and he cut the wheel sharply, sendig the SUV into a spin on the highway. They ended up face traffic as they both turned in their seats, looking out the back.

The girls were startled awake and screaming about what had happened. Caty and Mamoru just stared, Caty, it seemed, more then Mamoru. Three miles or so ahead on the highway, the traffic had stopped and people were running, screaming, towards them. A twenty foot clown was picking up cars and tossing them like toys. Mamoru unbuckled his seatbelt, "Stay here and stay low!" He opened his door. Caty grabbed his arm, "What are you doing!" He looked at her, a look that would burn through steel. He removed his sunglasses, "I'm going to help." He slipped out of her hold and was gone. Caty swore she saw the end of a cape whip by the door, but she could have been wrong. She unbuckled her own seatbelt and opened the door. Erin leaned through the gap in the seat, "Caty! What the hell?"

Caty turned to her as she set feet on the high concrete, "I want to see what's going on."

She didn't know why she wanted to see what was happening. Deep down, it was like a kick to her stomach. She needed to. She crouched low along the side of the SUV and kneeled by the bumper. People ran by , women hugging children, men screaming into cell phones. Somewhere there were sirens. She blinked. A dark figure jumped around the monster, that had a car in one hand, and what looked like a woman in the other. She squinted, wishing she had better eyesight. There was a shake and she saw the clown thing, running towards her. Her and her friends. Her eyes widened behind her glasses and she stood. What happened next, she had no idea, because again, the world turned fuzzy and she blacked out.

She woke up, warm, but not too warm. A breeze came through the small window, blowing the curtains back. She sat up slowly, the room almost dark, save for a sliver of light from a doorway. She could hear voices through that doorway, just whispers in the wind. She ignored it for now. She looked around the room. It was still fuzzy and she knew why. She found her glasses on the night table next to the bed that sat on the raised platform. It was a bed that all typical Japanese had, a futon on the floor. But it was soft and comfortable. The room was simple, probably a guest room, just a desk, a painting on one wall, and the side table. The door opened and a small woman…no a girl… came in carrying a tray. She smiled at Caty and set the try on the table. Her light voice, speaking perfect English, seemed to match her small and fragile form,

"You're awake, good. Sooner then I had hoped. Here is a sandwich, peanut butter is alright I hope. Some aspirin, and milk to help settle your stomach. We are in the living room when you're ready. The bathroom is through this door." she bowed and left. When she hit the light, Caty swore her hair was blue. She stood and padded over to the desk, sitting in the chair. Her shoes were missing, and she was wearing a different shirt then what she wore on the plane. There was a rip in one leg of her jeans and yes, her head pounded. She nibbled the sandwich, not really that hungry, but drank all the milk before she discovered it was soy. She gagged, but was happy she took the pills before she drank the milk. She went into the bathroom, flipping the light. It blinded her for a moment before she saw herself in the mirror. She blinked. She blinked again and leaned into the mirror. Her hair. Her hair used to be short and brown. She had it cut to her jaw line, but now. It was to her shoulders and… it was a shade of dark red. Almost maroon. What had happened. Dark rings under her eyes. Her eyes! They had been a dark green, normal eyes no one noticed but now they were a deep and brilliant green that were piercing. She stumbled back, sitting on the toilet. She had bruises on her cheek, looking at her arms in the light, she had them there too and her knuckles where skinned. She washed her face. Another bad dream that didn't seem to go away.

She finally walked out to the living room. Bonnie saw the look on her face and got up from where she sat on the floor. She went to her friend and guided her to a spot on the couch between Erin and Lauren. Bonnie returned to the floor, sitting around the coffee table that was so low, Caty thought it was just a board on the floor. She also noticed they weren't alone. Mamoru sat on the other couch next to a girl that only looked about 17, maybe 18. Her hair was long and blonde. Probably dyed, Caty thought. Her eyes were blue as the sky. Her hair was in a strange style, two balls sat on top of her head, made of hair. Like a ponytail, two thich ropes of hair streamed from them down, over her shoulders and pools around her lap. Caty blinked,

"This can't be right…"

Laurne looked at Caty, "Are you ok? What can't be right?"

Caty leaned forward, looked from the blond to the next girl and the next in a clockwise motion, for they sat in a circle. A brunette with a high ponytail, little rose earrings at her ears, and a tough facial set but her eyes were soft. A raven haired girl with hard eyes. The blue haired girl with glasses and bookish demeanor. Another blonde holding a white cat in her lap. She looked back to the girl by Mamoru, "No… you… you're fiction…."

The girl smiled, sweetly, but didn't say anything. Another woman came from the kitchen, carrying a tray. She was small, as small as the blue haired girl. She was delicate, creamy white skin, her hair a foam to her waist of purple black hair. A tall man with shoulder length white hair followed with another tray. Caty's eyes widened. She looked at the white cat in the second blonde's lap back to the two people who just entered. They set the trays down, but remained standing, looking from Caty to Erin to Bonnie and then Lauren. They went back to Caty and the woman smiled,

"Welcome to Tokyo, Catherine. I am Luna, this is Artimus. You know who we are. It's time to know who you are."

Caty's eyes were as big as plates as she gripped Erin's and Lauren's hands, "You're fiction…"

Artimus smiled, "Until 5 months ago, Catherine, we thought you were too."

End Chapter One