DISCLAIMER: I donÕt own Sailor Moon! Really! I wish to anything I did but I have not the genius of Naoko Takeuchi. Oh well. ^_^()
It was a beautiful day in Tokyo. Haruka and Michiru were driving Hotaru to school. They all went there, it was a place called Mugen Gauken Academy. Nobody knew what was to come...
HotaruÕs P.O.V.-
I got to homeroom and sat down in a dark corner, taking out the books IÕd be needing for my first class. But, to my surprise, the teacher didnÕt start class! Instead, she called out,
ÒClass! Please pay attention!Ó everybody snapped to attention. ÒToday,Ó she began, ÒWe have a new student.Ó everybody looked forward, not sure what to expect. A girl walked in. She looked to be about my age. (AN: In this story, Hotaru is two years younger than Haruka and Michiru.) She had brown hair streaked with red in AmiÕs style, only with a silver headband; her eyes were an odd earthy-brown color and framed with glasses resembling AmiÕs. She was quite pale, save for a band of freckles which ran across her nose and cheekbones, fading near the ears. ÒThis is Morino Kori. Would one of you like to show her around school as the day goes by?Ó I donÕt know what made me do it, but I raised my hand. The teacher looked the class over. ÒNobody?Ó she asked, not seeing me.
ÒPlease,Ó I began. ÒMiss Jikan, IÕd like to.Ó She looked over at me.
ÒYOU, Hotaru?Ó I nodded. ÒAll right then. Kori, it seems that Hotaru is your new Ôbest buddyÕ, so go and sit near her.Ó Kori waked over to me, and bowed to me. I nodded a bow, seeing as I was sitting down. Then she went to sit next to me.
I watched as she prepared for class. Close up, it surprised me how tiny she seemed. No, she wasnÕt short, rather, her frame was immensely tiny for one of her height.
ÒSo, Kori.Ó It was lunchtime, and we were eating together outside, beneath a tree. ÒHow do you like it here?Ó
ÒItÕs pretty-Ó she was cut off by somebody grabbing her from behind. It was Murano Su, the biggest bully in the entire grade.
ÒSo, youÕre the new kid.Ó she said, picking her up by the collar. ÒYou look awfully small to be a Junior.Ó (Junior in high school)
ÒI-IÕm fourteen.Ó she said. ÒThe school system here is different from back home. There I was just a Freshman.Ó
ÒOh REALLY? Well that explains it!Ó She lifted Kori off the ground. ÒListen, kid. YouÕre new and you need to learn your place. Seeing as you decided on Tomoe here for your first friend, youÕre officially a freak. No changing it, either. DonÕt talk to anybody except her or be prepared to face the consequences.Ó Kori nodded. Su lifted her higher.
ÒHah! Giving me the little Ôinnocent actÕ, eh? Well it wonÕt work!Ó I was scared out of my wits. Su was about to beat the tiny girl up, when she screamed. (Kori screamed, that is.) Even though the scream wasnÕt exceptionally loud, Su dropped her and covered her ears.
ÒOKAY! OKAY!Ó she screamed over the noise, looking scared. ÒIÕLL LEAVE YOU ALONE, JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!Ó then she ran off. My mouth was hanging open. Kori wasnÕt screaming anymore. She was shaking. ÔShaking?Õ I thought, looking at her closer. She almost seemed to be fading in and out. As if she was but a mirage, a reflection in a river. I scrambled around to the way she was facing, and looked at her. Tears were streaming from her earthy-green eyes and down her flushed cheeks. I realized with a shock that there was somebody around who was tinier, more fragile than I. I put my arm around her shoulders, for fear she might shrink into nothing.
ÒItÕs alright.Ó I said, and continued whispering nonsense words to her until she calmed down.
HarukaÕs P.O.V.-
I was walking around, trying to find Hotaru when I heard a scream. I ran to where it was, and found Hotaru with her arm around another girl.
ÒHotaru!Ó I exclaimed. ÒAre you all right? What happened?Ó Hotaru turned to me, and I realized it wasnÕt Hotaru who had been in trouble.
ÒIÕm ok, Haruka.Ó she said. ÒIt was that bully, Su. She scared Kori.Ó I went over to them, and knelt down to look at this new ÒKoriÓ girl.
ÒYou ok, kid?Ó I asked, feeling and looking more concerned than I sounded. She looked up at me, and I inwardly stepped back. Her large, green gaze reminded me terribly of my own blue one, and HotaruÕs at the same time. HotaruÕs because her eyes seemed terribly large, as HotaruÕs used to; mine for itÕs intensity. She wasnÕt too much smaller than me, which surprised me, she also reminded me of the Sailor Starlights... rather, their princess. But why?
ÒI think so...Ó she said. ÒWhat... how... where did that girl go?Ó
ÒUmm... you donÕt remember?Ó Hotaru asked. The girl shook her head.
ÒNo...Ó
ÒUm... well, a teacher caught her and she got in trouble.Ó Hotaru made something up for the girlÕs sake.
ÒOh.Ó I stood up, and offered my hand to help the girl up. As I did so, I noticed a ring on her hand. It was a silver band, with two hearts on the front surrounded by vine patterns.
ÒThatÕs a very pretty ring.Ó I commented. She looked down at it, then back up at me.
ÒThank you.Ó she replied. ÒWhatÕs your name?Ó
ÒIÕm TenÕou Haruka. Nice to meet you.Ó Suddenly the bell rang for class. ÒOh shoot, IÕm late.Ó We all began running to class. Hotaru was behind, but I found that it was not me in front, but Kori!
ÒWow, youÕre fast!Ó I said to her once we reached our classes.
ÒThank you.Ó she replied.
ÒHey, how about a race after school on the track?Ó Her dark eyes lit up.
ÒWow, really?Ó she exclaimed.
ÒOf course!Ó
ÒOh wow! IÕd love to!Ó I smiled, and we went to our classes.
School was finally over, and I waited on the school racing track. I really was exited about racing this girl. Most people I could outrun without a thought, but, strangely enough, this girl looked to be a challenge.
ÒHaruka!Ó a familiar voice called out to me.
ÒHi, Michiru!Ó I called back.
ÒWhat are you doing all the way out here?Ó she asked. ÒFinally found a racing partner? Or is this just tryouts?Ó I laughed.
ÒSilly. No, I just met this one girl today, and she seemed to be interested in racing me.Ó
ÒReally? What grade is she in?Ó
ÒHotaruÕs, but she seems younger. I get the feeling she just moved here from another country.Ó
ÒInteresting.Ó I looked around and saw Kori and Hotaru walking towards me.
ÒThere she is.Ó I said, pointing to her. Michiru raised her eyebrows.
ÒReally? Wow, she does look younger.Ó They finally reached us.
MichiruÕs P.O.V.-
I looked at the girl. She seemed younger, despite the fact that she was an inch taller than me. Her green eyes shined with excitement. I was surprised at the aura she seemed to carry. It was one of faith, purity, trust, love, not unlike UsagiÕs.
ÒYou ready to race?Ó Haruka asked her, and she nodded eagerly. They each put a small timer on near their ankles. They would measure the time exactly from the time they began moving to the time they crossed the finish line. I watched the girl as she prepared for the race. She looked to have a light bone structure, quite a bit of adrenaline and a good muscle system, expecially in the legs. I stepped forward as they took their stances.
ÒReady, set, GO!Ó I yelled. They both took off like lightning. I watched in awe as they raced, neck-and-neck. Their styles were very different. Haruka was, as always, like the wind. Blowing along as easily as a leaf caught in the fall breeze. The other girl seemed to be like another attribute of the sky- the rainbow. I couldnÕt pinpoint why, but she just seemed like that. They crossed the finish line. I couldnÕt tell who won. Haruka seemed very impressed with the girl. They took off the timers and smiled, both sure they won.
ÒWow, a new record!Ó they both said at the same time, then looked at each other. Hotaru looked at their timers and gasped.
ÒI-I canÕt believe it!Ó
ÒWhat is it, Hotaru?Ó I asked.
ÒThey... they TIED!Ó she exclaimed. I was almost sure HarukaÕs eyes were going to bug out.
ÒWow.Ó was all I could say. Haruka offered her hand to the girl. (you know, for a handshake)
ÒAmazing.Ó she said. ÒThat was an incredible race. How did you learn to run like that?Ó
ÒIÕm not sure. I took it up a year ago when I outran a guy in my class. I never really tried to pursue it, though, because I canÕt run in cold weather. My throat gets clogged up and I canÕt breathe.Ó Haruka looked genuinely surprised, which, considering her expressions are always toned down, meant she was flabbergasted.
ÒWell, that was really amazing. IÕve never raced anyone like you before! It would be great to race you again sometime. Does tomorrow after school sound good?Ó
ÒSounds great!Ó the girl exclaimed. ÒBut, how about two laps around next time instead of just one?Ó Haruka smiled, a rare occurrence.
ÒPerfect.Ó they shook hands, and the girl went off to get her books and go home.
HotaruÕs P.O.V.-
Once again, I donÕt know what made me do it, but that day had been full of strange occurrences- what could one more possibly do? I decided to follow Kori. It wasnÕt hard. I was, after all, the Senshi of silence. What WAS hard was to keep from dying of laughter when she ran headlong into someone. THREE someones to be exact.
ÒOof.Ó mumbled Yaten, the one in particular she ran into. Seiya helped her up, while Taiki helped Yaten up.
ÒOh gosh!Ó she exclaimed. ÒIÕm so sorry! Are you all right? I didnÕt mean to-Ó Yaten cut her off.
ÒIÕm ok. Really, IÕm used to it. DonÕt think anything of it.Ó It surprised me that they were about the same height.
ÒOh, good.Ó she replied, obviously flustered. She looked over and slightly up, into YatenÕs green eyes. It occurred to me at that moment that they both had green eyes, but I never could figure out why. ÒIÕm really sorry about running into you.Ó she said again.
ÒNo, no, really itÕs ok!Ó Yaten assured her. I wasnÕt quite sure if he was wasting breath or not, trying to keep her from apologizing again. ÒUm, whatÕs your name?Ó She blushed.
ÒIÕm Morino Kori. Who are you?Ó Yaten was surprised.
ÒIÕm Kou Yaten, and these are my brothers, Kou Seiya and Kou Taiki. WeÕre the singing group called the Three Lights.Ó Kori looked thoughtful.
ÒOh yea. I think I heard about you guys once. Sorry I didnÕt know about it sooner, you guys arenÕt exactly plastered all over the place in America.Ó
ÒAmerica?Ó Seiya asked. ÒYouÕre from there?Ó Kori nodded.
ÒYes. I just moved here from the city Cincinnati in Ohio.Ó
ÒBut then how did you get such a traditional Japanese name as ÔMorino KoriÕ?Ó Taiki asked.
ÒWell, I figured that it would be too awkward to go by my English name, so I made something up that I liked.Ó
ÒSo what was your English name?Ó Yaten asked.
ÒOh. ItÕs Krise Summonara.Ó (Her name is pronounced like Chris) I could nearly see the sweatdrops on the three guys.
ÒCool.Ó Seiya replied for all of them.
ÒWell, it was nice meeting you guys, but I have to get on home. The teachers at Infinity College give lots of homework.Ó
ÒSee ya!Ó Yaten called after her as she skipped off. ÒHope to see you at our next concert!Ó Kori turned around to call back,
ÒYou will!Ó I followed her for a long time. After a while, I started to wonder just how far away she lived. Finally she came to what she seemed to think was her house.
It was the biggest mansion I had ever seen. It must have been a hundred stories tall and twice as wide! Some of the windows were regular glass, and others were stained glass. Chibi-usa had described the Crystal Palace to me, but this seemed even bigger than that! The most spectacular thing I could see on the outside was a giant rose window. It was a picture of some symbol in front of a multi-coloured, pastel sparkle. Some symbol... some golden symbol... some upside-down golden symbol that almost made me fall out of the tree I was hiding in. As soon as she went inside the house, I jumped out of the tree and away, thinking ÔSo thatÕs what one more strange occurrence can do...Ó
It was a beautiful day in Tokyo. Haruka and Michiru were driving Hotaru to school. They all went there, it was a place called Mugen Gauken Academy. Nobody knew what was to come...
HotaruÕs P.O.V.-
I got to homeroom and sat down in a dark corner, taking out the books IÕd be needing for my first class. But, to my surprise, the teacher didnÕt start class! Instead, she called out,
ÒClass! Please pay attention!Ó everybody snapped to attention. ÒToday,Ó she began, ÒWe have a new student.Ó everybody looked forward, not sure what to expect. A girl walked in. She looked to be about my age. (AN: In this story, Hotaru is two years younger than Haruka and Michiru.) She had brown hair streaked with red in AmiÕs style, only with a silver headband; her eyes were an odd earthy-brown color and framed with glasses resembling AmiÕs. She was quite pale, save for a band of freckles which ran across her nose and cheekbones, fading near the ears. ÒThis is Morino Kori. Would one of you like to show her around school as the day goes by?Ó I donÕt know what made me do it, but I raised my hand. The teacher looked the class over. ÒNobody?Ó she asked, not seeing me.
ÒPlease,Ó I began. ÒMiss Jikan, IÕd like to.Ó She looked over at me.
ÒYOU, Hotaru?Ó I nodded. ÒAll right then. Kori, it seems that Hotaru is your new Ôbest buddyÕ, so go and sit near her.Ó Kori waked over to me, and bowed to me. I nodded a bow, seeing as I was sitting down. Then she went to sit next to me.
I watched as she prepared for class. Close up, it surprised me how tiny she seemed. No, she wasnÕt short, rather, her frame was immensely tiny for one of her height.
ÒSo, Kori.Ó It was lunchtime, and we were eating together outside, beneath a tree. ÒHow do you like it here?Ó
ÒItÕs pretty-Ó she was cut off by somebody grabbing her from behind. It was Murano Su, the biggest bully in the entire grade.
ÒSo, youÕre the new kid.Ó she said, picking her up by the collar. ÒYou look awfully small to be a Junior.Ó (Junior in high school)
ÒI-IÕm fourteen.Ó she said. ÒThe school system here is different from back home. There I was just a Freshman.Ó
ÒOh REALLY? Well that explains it!Ó She lifted Kori off the ground. ÒListen, kid. YouÕre new and you need to learn your place. Seeing as you decided on Tomoe here for your first friend, youÕre officially a freak. No changing it, either. DonÕt talk to anybody except her or be prepared to face the consequences.Ó Kori nodded. Su lifted her higher.
ÒHah! Giving me the little Ôinnocent actÕ, eh? Well it wonÕt work!Ó I was scared out of my wits. Su was about to beat the tiny girl up, when she screamed. (Kori screamed, that is.) Even though the scream wasnÕt exceptionally loud, Su dropped her and covered her ears.
ÒOKAY! OKAY!Ó she screamed over the noise, looking scared. ÒIÕLL LEAVE YOU ALONE, JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!Ó then she ran off. My mouth was hanging open. Kori wasnÕt screaming anymore. She was shaking. ÔShaking?Õ I thought, looking at her closer. She almost seemed to be fading in and out. As if she was but a mirage, a reflection in a river. I scrambled around to the way she was facing, and looked at her. Tears were streaming from her earthy-green eyes and down her flushed cheeks. I realized with a shock that there was somebody around who was tinier, more fragile than I. I put my arm around her shoulders, for fear she might shrink into nothing.
ÒItÕs alright.Ó I said, and continued whispering nonsense words to her until she calmed down.
HarukaÕs P.O.V.-
I was walking around, trying to find Hotaru when I heard a scream. I ran to where it was, and found Hotaru with her arm around another girl.
ÒHotaru!Ó I exclaimed. ÒAre you all right? What happened?Ó Hotaru turned to me, and I realized it wasnÕt Hotaru who had been in trouble.
ÒIÕm ok, Haruka.Ó she said. ÒIt was that bully, Su. She scared Kori.Ó I went over to them, and knelt down to look at this new ÒKoriÓ girl.
ÒYou ok, kid?Ó I asked, feeling and looking more concerned than I sounded. She looked up at me, and I inwardly stepped back. Her large, green gaze reminded me terribly of my own blue one, and HotaruÕs at the same time. HotaruÕs because her eyes seemed terribly large, as HotaruÕs used to; mine for itÕs intensity. She wasnÕt too much smaller than me, which surprised me, she also reminded me of the Sailor Starlights... rather, their princess. But why?
ÒI think so...Ó she said. ÒWhat... how... where did that girl go?Ó
ÒUmm... you donÕt remember?Ó Hotaru asked. The girl shook her head.
ÒNo...Ó
ÒUm... well, a teacher caught her and she got in trouble.Ó Hotaru made something up for the girlÕs sake.
ÒOh.Ó I stood up, and offered my hand to help the girl up. As I did so, I noticed a ring on her hand. It was a silver band, with two hearts on the front surrounded by vine patterns.
ÒThatÕs a very pretty ring.Ó I commented. She looked down at it, then back up at me.
ÒThank you.Ó she replied. ÒWhatÕs your name?Ó
ÒIÕm TenÕou Haruka. Nice to meet you.Ó Suddenly the bell rang for class. ÒOh shoot, IÕm late.Ó We all began running to class. Hotaru was behind, but I found that it was not me in front, but Kori!
ÒWow, youÕre fast!Ó I said to her once we reached our classes.
ÒThank you.Ó she replied.
ÒHey, how about a race after school on the track?Ó Her dark eyes lit up.
ÒWow, really?Ó she exclaimed.
ÒOf course!Ó
ÒOh wow! IÕd love to!Ó I smiled, and we went to our classes.
School was finally over, and I waited on the school racing track. I really was exited about racing this girl. Most people I could outrun without a thought, but, strangely enough, this girl looked to be a challenge.
ÒHaruka!Ó a familiar voice called out to me.
ÒHi, Michiru!Ó I called back.
ÒWhat are you doing all the way out here?Ó she asked. ÒFinally found a racing partner? Or is this just tryouts?Ó I laughed.
ÒSilly. No, I just met this one girl today, and she seemed to be interested in racing me.Ó
ÒReally? What grade is she in?Ó
ÒHotaruÕs, but she seems younger. I get the feeling she just moved here from another country.Ó
ÒInteresting.Ó I looked around and saw Kori and Hotaru walking towards me.
ÒThere she is.Ó I said, pointing to her. Michiru raised her eyebrows.
ÒReally? Wow, she does look younger.Ó They finally reached us.
MichiruÕs P.O.V.-
I looked at the girl. She seemed younger, despite the fact that she was an inch taller than me. Her green eyes shined with excitement. I was surprised at the aura she seemed to carry. It was one of faith, purity, trust, love, not unlike UsagiÕs.
ÒYou ready to race?Ó Haruka asked her, and she nodded eagerly. They each put a small timer on near their ankles. They would measure the time exactly from the time they began moving to the time they crossed the finish line. I watched the girl as she prepared for the race. She looked to have a light bone structure, quite a bit of adrenaline and a good muscle system, expecially in the legs. I stepped forward as they took their stances.
ÒReady, set, GO!Ó I yelled. They both took off like lightning. I watched in awe as they raced, neck-and-neck. Their styles were very different. Haruka was, as always, like the wind. Blowing along as easily as a leaf caught in the fall breeze. The other girl seemed to be like another attribute of the sky- the rainbow. I couldnÕt pinpoint why, but she just seemed like that. They crossed the finish line. I couldnÕt tell who won. Haruka seemed very impressed with the girl. They took off the timers and smiled, both sure they won.
ÒWow, a new record!Ó they both said at the same time, then looked at each other. Hotaru looked at their timers and gasped.
ÒI-I canÕt believe it!Ó
ÒWhat is it, Hotaru?Ó I asked.
ÒThey... they TIED!Ó she exclaimed. I was almost sure HarukaÕs eyes were going to bug out.
ÒWow.Ó was all I could say. Haruka offered her hand to the girl. (you know, for a handshake)
ÒAmazing.Ó she said. ÒThat was an incredible race. How did you learn to run like that?Ó
ÒIÕm not sure. I took it up a year ago when I outran a guy in my class. I never really tried to pursue it, though, because I canÕt run in cold weather. My throat gets clogged up and I canÕt breathe.Ó Haruka looked genuinely surprised, which, considering her expressions are always toned down, meant she was flabbergasted.
ÒWell, that was really amazing. IÕve never raced anyone like you before! It would be great to race you again sometime. Does tomorrow after school sound good?Ó
ÒSounds great!Ó the girl exclaimed. ÒBut, how about two laps around next time instead of just one?Ó Haruka smiled, a rare occurrence.
ÒPerfect.Ó they shook hands, and the girl went off to get her books and go home.
HotaruÕs P.O.V.-
Once again, I donÕt know what made me do it, but that day had been full of strange occurrences- what could one more possibly do? I decided to follow Kori. It wasnÕt hard. I was, after all, the Senshi of silence. What WAS hard was to keep from dying of laughter when she ran headlong into someone. THREE someones to be exact.
ÒOof.Ó mumbled Yaten, the one in particular she ran into. Seiya helped her up, while Taiki helped Yaten up.
ÒOh gosh!Ó she exclaimed. ÒIÕm so sorry! Are you all right? I didnÕt mean to-Ó Yaten cut her off.
ÒIÕm ok. Really, IÕm used to it. DonÕt think anything of it.Ó It surprised me that they were about the same height.
ÒOh, good.Ó she replied, obviously flustered. She looked over and slightly up, into YatenÕs green eyes. It occurred to me at that moment that they both had green eyes, but I never could figure out why. ÒIÕm really sorry about running into you.Ó she said again.
ÒNo, no, really itÕs ok!Ó Yaten assured her. I wasnÕt quite sure if he was wasting breath or not, trying to keep her from apologizing again. ÒUm, whatÕs your name?Ó She blushed.
ÒIÕm Morino Kori. Who are you?Ó Yaten was surprised.
ÒIÕm Kou Yaten, and these are my brothers, Kou Seiya and Kou Taiki. WeÕre the singing group called the Three Lights.Ó Kori looked thoughtful.
ÒOh yea. I think I heard about you guys once. Sorry I didnÕt know about it sooner, you guys arenÕt exactly plastered all over the place in America.Ó
ÒAmerica?Ó Seiya asked. ÒYouÕre from there?Ó Kori nodded.
ÒYes. I just moved here from the city Cincinnati in Ohio.Ó
ÒBut then how did you get such a traditional Japanese name as ÔMorino KoriÕ?Ó Taiki asked.
ÒWell, I figured that it would be too awkward to go by my English name, so I made something up that I liked.Ó
ÒSo what was your English name?Ó Yaten asked.
ÒOh. ItÕs Krise Summonara.Ó (Her name is pronounced like Chris) I could nearly see the sweatdrops on the three guys.
ÒCool.Ó Seiya replied for all of them.
ÒWell, it was nice meeting you guys, but I have to get on home. The teachers at Infinity College give lots of homework.Ó
ÒSee ya!Ó Yaten called after her as she skipped off. ÒHope to see you at our next concert!Ó Kori turned around to call back,
ÒYou will!Ó I followed her for a long time. After a while, I started to wonder just how far away she lived. Finally she came to what she seemed to think was her house.
It was the biggest mansion I had ever seen. It must have been a hundred stories tall and twice as wide! Some of the windows were regular glass, and others were stained glass. Chibi-usa had described the Crystal Palace to me, but this seemed even bigger than that! The most spectacular thing I could see on the outside was a giant rose window. It was a picture of some symbol in front of a multi-coloured, pastel sparkle. Some symbol... some golden symbol... some upside-down golden symbol that almost made me fall out of the tree I was hiding in. As soon as she went inside the house, I jumped out of the tree and away, thinking ÔSo thatÕs what one more strange occurrence can do...Ó