a/n: YES, ANOTHER MULTI-CHAPTER. I'm working on Hetalia in Wonderland, I swear it! It's just that I have serious writer's block on that. Also, I like writing Greece and Japan. Thus, I am beginning a new story.

Disclaimer: IN THE NAME OF THE RISING SUN, I DON'T OWN HETALIA!

Hetalia!

It was a perfectly normal day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping—

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

—and an innocent bystander was being chased by a…thing, which was itself chased by a schoolgirl. Yup. Perfectly normal day.

"SUPER CHRYSANTHEMUM BEAM!" A bolt of coloured light shot from the tip of the wand the schoolgirl was holding and collided with the…thing. The…thing promptly dissolved into a cloud of sparkles that left no messy corpse behind.

"Oh, thank you, Sailor Sunrise!" the innocent bystander said gratefully to the schoolgirl.

"Do not thank me," the girl ordered. She was short, with short black hair and dark brown eyes. "It was nothing. I am simply doing my job." She turned and ran, her knee-length skirt rippling dramatically in the wind. She disappeared into a nearby alley.

Kiku leaned agains the brick wall of the alley and clutched at a sunburst pendant around his neck. "Kai," he muttered, and the Sailor uniform—blouse, sailor collar, skirt, knee socks, and flats—shifted to Kiku's own, slightly more practical clothing—a white button-up, khakis, and sneakers. His form shifted as well, from feminine to more masculine. He sighed and slid down the wall to sit at its base, closing his eyes.

He'd become a Sailor a few weeks ago, when he'd encountered a…thing on the way home from school one day. One moment, utter normality—the next, bam, new outfit and new powers. He'd had a dream that night in which a formless apparition told him about what it was to be a Sailor and gave him the sunburst pendant and his alias, Sailor Sunrise.

Over the past few weeks, he'd occasionally gotten texts from a blocked number, telling him of various…things that he had to go and fight. The battles invariably involved running (in flats, no less) and the yelling of peculiar attack names.

Opening his eyes, Kiku pushed himself to his feet. Battles were always exhausting, partly due to the transformation, partly due to the running. He'd probably get home all right, but he made no guarantees to himself that he'd be able to get his homework done.

On his way home, he paused by a city park. It was a very peaceful place, easy to fall asleep in. A little rest would do him good. He made the turn and wandered the pathways slowly, appreciating what warmth the fading sunlight gave. After a while, he happened upon one of the many benches scattered around the park and sat down.

"Mew?"

Kiku looked down to where the sound had come from. It was a little kitten, barely bigger than a puff of pale gold fur. It directed its cuteness at Kiku, and he could not resist. He picked up the kitten and held it gently, slowly stroking its ears. It purred.

"Um, excuse me…"

Kiku looked up. Before him stood a boy, about Kiku's age, with curly brown hair and sleepy green eyes. Unlike Kiku, he was dressed quite casually in a white t-shirt and brown cargo pants.

"Yes?" Kiku asked.

"That's…my cat," the boy said.

"I apologise," Kiku replied, standing to offer the kitten.

"No…I have too many cats already," the boy refused. Indeed, he was surrounded by a veritable horde of cats—big cats, small cats, fluffy cats, shorthairs, black cats, white cats, tortoiseshells, tabbies—there must have been at least fifteen, if not more than that. "Keep her…she needs a home."

"Ah…thank you," Kiku answered. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Kiku Honda." He bowed, mindful of the kitten in his arms.

"Oh…it's nice to meet you too, Kiku," the boy replied. "My name is…Herakles Karpusi. There's no need to…stand on formality," he commented, and sat down on the bench, the many cats swarming around him and climbing onto him.

Kiku sat. "So…what is the the cat's name?"

"She…doesn't have one yet," Herakles admitted. "She hasn't…been with me for long, so I haven't…bothered to name her yet."

"I think, then…I'll call her Sunshine," Kiku decided.

Sunshine purred.

"So…Kiku…"

"Mm?"

"Why did you pick up my cat?"

Kiku hesitated. "Well…she is very cute."

Herakles nodded. "Kittens are like that."

They sat in comfortable silence like old friends, though they'd only just met. Perhaps it was the sleepy air of the park, perhaps it was the mutual love of cats, but whatever it was, they got along well.

The calm was shattered by a shrill beeping noise. Kiku glanced at his watch and panicked.

"Ah! I'm late!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Ah…Karpusi-san, will you be here tomorrow at a similar time?"

Herakles smiled and nodded. "Yes…I'll be here," he confirmed. "Or…somewhere nearby."

"Ah—thank you again, Karpusi-san!" Kiku raced off towards home, still holding Sunshine in his arms. He didn't know if he'd see Karpusi-san again, but he certainly hoped so. It was nice to meet someone else who wasn't part of the bustle of the world.

Hetalia!

a/n: Yes. Kiku is a Magical Girl. Yes, Kiku has to crossdress. Poor thing.

More will be revealed later, I swear. Also, I'll make an effort to make everything a plot point, so look out for that!