"Merry Christmas!" Kids screamed as they ran down the halls of Himogatchi
Junior High to catch the early ferry back to Honshu. All except one.
Shanka Etoranze sighed as she carefully gathered her things. She stood and started slowly towards the extension road that conjoined the two mainmade islands that made up the two Himogatchi schools.
"Shanka-hoei!" Etoranze turned.
"Mugenko-sempai. Genki?" The seventh-grader asked, pushing strands of blue hair out of her ruby eyes.
"Didn't Kou-hoei call you?" Mugenko-sempai asked as she caught up with the younger girl.
"Iie. Well, she might have, but I was working on an advanced physics paper online all night. What's up?"
"Since it's Christmas, we called off chess club. Sorry. Do you need a ride home?"
Etoranze looked down saddly. "Iie. I'll call my mother...or something." She sighed lightly, then looked back up at Mugenko-sempai. "Well, Merry Christmas, I guess."
Mugenko-sempai gave Etoranze a sad smiled. "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, Etoranze. Let your heart be light. See you after Western New Year!" She waved and jogged down to the shore to catch the ferry before it left.
Etoranze let out a heavier sigh. Her mother was always too busy either at school or at the hospital to do anything for Christmas, and her father was adiment about only celebrating the Emperor's Birthday in December. Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, Etoranze kicked the safety bar.
"You really shouldn't do that, Etoranze."
Etoranze turned around, surprised, at the unwanted visitor. "Who are you?"
"I'm you guardian Angel." The blonde-haired girl bowed.
"You look like Minako-obasan when she was twenty." The seventh-grader muttered, eyeing the 'angel'.
"Then you can call me Minako-obasan if you wish. But I'm not Unizarishita's mother. Let's just get that straight."
"Right, whatever." Etoranze rolled her eyes. "Minako-obasan."
Minako-obasan brightened, then poked Etoranze in the chest with what appeared to be a henshin stick with the crest of Nexus intermingled with the crest of Mercury. "Now then, what's with you? Most kids your age are exstatic to be out of school. Don't tell me you're like Ami-chan and hate Christmas because you like studying."
"Mom didn't like Christmas? That explains a few things."
"Etoranze..." Minako-obasan gave the girl a warning glance. "Answer me.."
"Fine, fine. I just wish, I dunno, I guess sometimes I wish I had never been born."
"You shouldn't've said that." Minako-obasan sighed.
"Wh-?" Etoranze was cut short as the ground started to shake, the wind picked up, and the hairs on the back of her neck pricked up.
Then it stopped. Etoranze blinked, and dusted off her uniform. "That officially qualifies as freaky." She muttered, eyes readjusting to the light. "Okay, so all that fuss just to end up in the same exact place we were two seconds ago?"
Minako-obasan rolled her eyes. "I thought you were a genius. Well, look at your watch."
Etoranze blushed. "I don't wear a watch."
"Figures. Baka left-brainer. Anyway, look over there, at the clock tower. It says it's seven-ten. School's just starting."
"I knew that." Etoranze started towards her school, unsure of what she was doing. "This isn't some stupid Scrooge thing where they can't hear or see me, is it?"
Minako-obasan smiled. "Actually, that's exactly what it is." Etoranze rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look kid, it's standard proceedure 6/7-B. You don't like it, tough." Minako-obasan smacked Etoranze on the head with the henshin stick.
"Hey! What was that for?" Etoranze complained.
"Standard Proceedure 6/7-C. It beats walking." Minako-obasan shrugged. They were now in the field behind the school.
"Hey! It's the Quad! But, um, why aren't Death to Pop practicing? They always have a rehersal at this time." She looked at the half-shell that was abnormally empty of the many amps and electric instrument paraphanalia that went with the rock band.
"Well, that's a good question. Why don't we go find Kidenka-chan, okay?" Minako-obasan said with mock confusion. She smacked Etoranze in the head again. The girl was about to complain, but Minako-obasan stuck out a finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Standard Proceedure."
The air shifted and they were in the library. Kidenka sat there, reading Death Be Not Proud out-loud with a group of kids. "Where are we? Kidenka doesn't read anything but manga and magazines."
"The Kidenka you know, maybe, but..."
"But? Oh, don't tell me, this isn't the Kidenka I know, is it? Minako- obasan, just exactly where are we?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Minako-obasan flipped her blonde hair over her shoulders and cleared her throat. "We are in an alternate reality where you, my lovely Shanka Etoranze, never existed. Oh, and just so you know, there are no Senshi."
"Why not?"
"You need a Senshi from every planet to have a Senshi team." Minako-obasan shrugged. "No you's messed up everyone's ki, I guess."
"Bully for me." Etoranze grumbled. "Now, why's Kidenka reading?"
"This Kidenka doesn't dream of being a rock star. You left a void for smart people at Himogatchi, so Kidenka was a likely choice to take your place." Minako-obasan giggled.
"Okay, what's so funny."
"Nothing, nothing. C'mon. I can't wait to show you Gurubi-sama!"
"Oh no, not the henshin stick again!" Minako-obasan ignored the young girl's sarcasm and merely pushed her down the hall to the front quad. "Hey, why are we out here? Why isn't Gurubi-sama with Kidenka-chan?"
"This is an alternate reality. You take physics, you should understand this." Minako-obasan pushed Etoranze closer to a group of kids. Etoranze recognized them imediately as Sakura's friends.
"This is a little much for me to believe. Gurubi friends with Sakura? That's impossible, in an alternate reality or not." Etoranze crossed her arms around her chest, and turned towards the angel. "I don't believe it."
"Good, because they're not friends. Gurubi doesn't have someone to stick up for, so she doesn't have the protector persona that she had when she had you to defend. Instead of Sakura being number one in the social ladder of the eighth grade, it's Gurubi. Actually, even in your reality, you'd think that'd be a given, ne?"
"Iie. Gurubi gave up her popularity to be friends with me, when I was in kindergarten." Etoranze looked downcast. "I feel bad about that, she looks like she's having fun."
"Take a closer look." Minako-obasan said, nudging the young girl closer to the group. Etoranze looked into Gurubi's eyes, and realized that there was a sadness lingering there. "She subconciously wants to be someone's protector. But,..."
"She's not even a warrior of peace anymore. Not in this reality..."
"Bingo. Now, seeing as we're talking about Gurubi and Sakura, let's find Sakura, shall we?" Minako-obasan jabbed Etoranze with the henshin stick, and they were in the Advanced Physics room of Himogatchi High School. Sakura had her hair pulled up in a pony tail and a pair of lab goggles on, along with a lab apron.
"Sakura's taken my spot in the Senior Physics class?" Etoranze burst out into laughter. "Now this I wish I was around to see more often!"
Minako-obasan slapped Etoranze in the back of the head as Sakura's own head looked up, eyes narrowed. She looked directly at Etoranze. "She's Rei- mikosan's daughter, remember? She can sense our prescence. Baka."
"Oops." Etoranze winced and Minako-obasan wacked her with the henshin stick once more.
"I'm running on a time limit here, so let's speed this thing up." They ended up in front of the chess room, where Ouji and Unizarishita were playing against each other. "Since you weren't here, Zari-chan took your place on the chess team. Oh, look, here come's Ichijin-san!"
Ichijin walked into the room, and wrapped her arms around Ouji, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Etoranze's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in surprise. "Ichijin-san and Ouji-san? Now I've seen everything!"
"Well, since you weren't here to create the Senshi team, they're love started to bloom. Neither Ouji nor Ichijin know Gurubi-sama."
Etoranze grabbed Minako-obasan's arm. "B-but they kissed! In public!"
Minako-obasan smiled faintly. "Ah, a kiss. The most intimate thing in the world. Have Gurubi and Ouji kissed yet in your time?"
"Iie. Gurubi says she's too young." Etoranze whispered. "Iie. I said she was too young, and she agreed." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned back to Minako-obasan, this time pleading. "Please bring me back, I like the way it is in my time."
Minako-obasan smiled smuggly. "I thought you'd see it my way."
And Etoranze was standing on the extension again, shaking. "Shanka-chan, what's wrong?" Someone asked. Etoranze quirked an eyebrow towards the speaker.
"Kou-sempai?" She asked.
"Hai." The young man answered. "Shanka-chan, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Etoranze looked into the water, and she could faintly see her reflection coinsiding with that of Minako-obasan's. "Iie. I've just seen an angel." She whispered.
Kou-sempai looked at her, confused, then sighed. "Hey! Move outta the way, Kou-kun!" Gurubi yelled, running over and pushing Kou-sempai out of the way. "Eto-chan, are you alright?"
"Just answer me these things, Gurubi-sama."
"Gurubi-chan. How many times do I have to tell you, Eto-chan?"
"Well that answers one question. Now, is Death to Pop still a band?"
"Last time I checked."
"Does Sakura-san take Advanced Physics?"
Gurubi burst out into laughter. "I'd love to see that!"
"Do you know Taiyo Ouji?"
"That's a stupid question. He's my boyfriend!"
"Last one, does Unizarishita play chess?"
"Only badly, believe me, I've played against her." Gurubi smiled. She shook her head lightly and allowed brown strands of hair to fall into her face. "What's all this about, Eto-chan?"
"Oh nothing. Merry Christmas, Gurubi-chan. I'm planning on having a party with the rest of the Senshi this week!"
Etoranze left. Gurubi rolled her eyes lightly, then nodded. "Domo arigatou, Setsuna-obasan." She whispered. Setsuna and Minako stepped out from behind the post proclaiming High School grounds, both giggling.
"Hey, glad we could get Eto-chan back into the Christmas spirit. I just hope we didn't hurt her too much."
"We, Minako-chan? I believe you were the one whacking her with her own henshin stick." Setsuna muttered. Merry Christmas!
Shanka Etoranze sighed as she carefully gathered her things. She stood and started slowly towards the extension road that conjoined the two mainmade islands that made up the two Himogatchi schools.
"Shanka-hoei!" Etoranze turned.
"Mugenko-sempai. Genki?" The seventh-grader asked, pushing strands of blue hair out of her ruby eyes.
"Didn't Kou-hoei call you?" Mugenko-sempai asked as she caught up with the younger girl.
"Iie. Well, she might have, but I was working on an advanced physics paper online all night. What's up?"
"Since it's Christmas, we called off chess club. Sorry. Do you need a ride home?"
Etoranze looked down saddly. "Iie. I'll call my mother...or something." She sighed lightly, then looked back up at Mugenko-sempai. "Well, Merry Christmas, I guess."
Mugenko-sempai gave Etoranze a sad smiled. "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, Etoranze. Let your heart be light. See you after Western New Year!" She waved and jogged down to the shore to catch the ferry before it left.
Etoranze let out a heavier sigh. Her mother was always too busy either at school or at the hospital to do anything for Christmas, and her father was adiment about only celebrating the Emperor's Birthday in December. Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, Etoranze kicked the safety bar.
"You really shouldn't do that, Etoranze."
Etoranze turned around, surprised, at the unwanted visitor. "Who are you?"
"I'm you guardian Angel." The blonde-haired girl bowed.
"You look like Minako-obasan when she was twenty." The seventh-grader muttered, eyeing the 'angel'.
"Then you can call me Minako-obasan if you wish. But I'm not Unizarishita's mother. Let's just get that straight."
"Right, whatever." Etoranze rolled her eyes. "Minako-obasan."
Minako-obasan brightened, then poked Etoranze in the chest with what appeared to be a henshin stick with the crest of Nexus intermingled with the crest of Mercury. "Now then, what's with you? Most kids your age are exstatic to be out of school. Don't tell me you're like Ami-chan and hate Christmas because you like studying."
"Mom didn't like Christmas? That explains a few things."
"Etoranze..." Minako-obasan gave the girl a warning glance. "Answer me.."
"Fine, fine. I just wish, I dunno, I guess sometimes I wish I had never been born."
"You shouldn't've said that." Minako-obasan sighed.
"Wh-?" Etoranze was cut short as the ground started to shake, the wind picked up, and the hairs on the back of her neck pricked up.
Then it stopped. Etoranze blinked, and dusted off her uniform. "That officially qualifies as freaky." She muttered, eyes readjusting to the light. "Okay, so all that fuss just to end up in the same exact place we were two seconds ago?"
Minako-obasan rolled her eyes. "I thought you were a genius. Well, look at your watch."
Etoranze blushed. "I don't wear a watch."
"Figures. Baka left-brainer. Anyway, look over there, at the clock tower. It says it's seven-ten. School's just starting."
"I knew that." Etoranze started towards her school, unsure of what she was doing. "This isn't some stupid Scrooge thing where they can't hear or see me, is it?"
Minako-obasan smiled. "Actually, that's exactly what it is." Etoranze rolled her eyes and sighed. "Look kid, it's standard proceedure 6/7-B. You don't like it, tough." Minako-obasan smacked Etoranze on the head with the henshin stick.
"Hey! What was that for?" Etoranze complained.
"Standard Proceedure 6/7-C. It beats walking." Minako-obasan shrugged. They were now in the field behind the school.
"Hey! It's the Quad! But, um, why aren't Death to Pop practicing? They always have a rehersal at this time." She looked at the half-shell that was abnormally empty of the many amps and electric instrument paraphanalia that went with the rock band.
"Well, that's a good question. Why don't we go find Kidenka-chan, okay?" Minako-obasan said with mock confusion. She smacked Etoranze in the head again. The girl was about to complain, but Minako-obasan stuck out a finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Standard Proceedure."
The air shifted and they were in the library. Kidenka sat there, reading Death Be Not Proud out-loud with a group of kids. "Where are we? Kidenka doesn't read anything but manga and magazines."
"The Kidenka you know, maybe, but..."
"But? Oh, don't tell me, this isn't the Kidenka I know, is it? Minako- obasan, just exactly where are we?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Minako-obasan flipped her blonde hair over her shoulders and cleared her throat. "We are in an alternate reality where you, my lovely Shanka Etoranze, never existed. Oh, and just so you know, there are no Senshi."
"Why not?"
"You need a Senshi from every planet to have a Senshi team." Minako-obasan shrugged. "No you's messed up everyone's ki, I guess."
"Bully for me." Etoranze grumbled. "Now, why's Kidenka reading?"
"This Kidenka doesn't dream of being a rock star. You left a void for smart people at Himogatchi, so Kidenka was a likely choice to take your place." Minako-obasan giggled.
"Okay, what's so funny."
"Nothing, nothing. C'mon. I can't wait to show you Gurubi-sama!"
"Oh no, not the henshin stick again!" Minako-obasan ignored the young girl's sarcasm and merely pushed her down the hall to the front quad. "Hey, why are we out here? Why isn't Gurubi-sama with Kidenka-chan?"
"This is an alternate reality. You take physics, you should understand this." Minako-obasan pushed Etoranze closer to a group of kids. Etoranze recognized them imediately as Sakura's friends.
"This is a little much for me to believe. Gurubi friends with Sakura? That's impossible, in an alternate reality or not." Etoranze crossed her arms around her chest, and turned towards the angel. "I don't believe it."
"Good, because they're not friends. Gurubi doesn't have someone to stick up for, so she doesn't have the protector persona that she had when she had you to defend. Instead of Sakura being number one in the social ladder of the eighth grade, it's Gurubi. Actually, even in your reality, you'd think that'd be a given, ne?"
"Iie. Gurubi gave up her popularity to be friends with me, when I was in kindergarten." Etoranze looked downcast. "I feel bad about that, she looks like she's having fun."
"Take a closer look." Minako-obasan said, nudging the young girl closer to the group. Etoranze looked into Gurubi's eyes, and realized that there was a sadness lingering there. "She subconciously wants to be someone's protector. But,..."
"She's not even a warrior of peace anymore. Not in this reality..."
"Bingo. Now, seeing as we're talking about Gurubi and Sakura, let's find Sakura, shall we?" Minako-obasan jabbed Etoranze with the henshin stick, and they were in the Advanced Physics room of Himogatchi High School. Sakura had her hair pulled up in a pony tail and a pair of lab goggles on, along with a lab apron.
"Sakura's taken my spot in the Senior Physics class?" Etoranze burst out into laughter. "Now this I wish I was around to see more often!"
Minako-obasan slapped Etoranze in the back of the head as Sakura's own head looked up, eyes narrowed. She looked directly at Etoranze. "She's Rei- mikosan's daughter, remember? She can sense our prescence. Baka."
"Oops." Etoranze winced and Minako-obasan wacked her with the henshin stick once more.
"I'm running on a time limit here, so let's speed this thing up." They ended up in front of the chess room, where Ouji and Unizarishita were playing against each other. "Since you weren't here, Zari-chan took your place on the chess team. Oh, look, here come's Ichijin-san!"
Ichijin walked into the room, and wrapped her arms around Ouji, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Etoranze's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in surprise. "Ichijin-san and Ouji-san? Now I've seen everything!"
"Well, since you weren't here to create the Senshi team, they're love started to bloom. Neither Ouji nor Ichijin know Gurubi-sama."
Etoranze grabbed Minako-obasan's arm. "B-but they kissed! In public!"
Minako-obasan smiled faintly. "Ah, a kiss. The most intimate thing in the world. Have Gurubi and Ouji kissed yet in your time?"
"Iie. Gurubi says she's too young." Etoranze whispered. "Iie. I said she was too young, and she agreed." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned back to Minako-obasan, this time pleading. "Please bring me back, I like the way it is in my time."
Minako-obasan smiled smuggly. "I thought you'd see it my way."
And Etoranze was standing on the extension again, shaking. "Shanka-chan, what's wrong?" Someone asked. Etoranze quirked an eyebrow towards the speaker.
"Kou-sempai?" She asked.
"Hai." The young man answered. "Shanka-chan, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Etoranze looked into the water, and she could faintly see her reflection coinsiding with that of Minako-obasan's. "Iie. I've just seen an angel." She whispered.
Kou-sempai looked at her, confused, then sighed. "Hey! Move outta the way, Kou-kun!" Gurubi yelled, running over and pushing Kou-sempai out of the way. "Eto-chan, are you alright?"
"Just answer me these things, Gurubi-sama."
"Gurubi-chan. How many times do I have to tell you, Eto-chan?"
"Well that answers one question. Now, is Death to Pop still a band?"
"Last time I checked."
"Does Sakura-san take Advanced Physics?"
Gurubi burst out into laughter. "I'd love to see that!"
"Do you know Taiyo Ouji?"
"That's a stupid question. He's my boyfriend!"
"Last one, does Unizarishita play chess?"
"Only badly, believe me, I've played against her." Gurubi smiled. She shook her head lightly and allowed brown strands of hair to fall into her face. "What's all this about, Eto-chan?"
"Oh nothing. Merry Christmas, Gurubi-chan. I'm planning on having a party with the rest of the Senshi this week!"
Etoranze left. Gurubi rolled her eyes lightly, then nodded. "Domo arigatou, Setsuna-obasan." She whispered. Setsuna and Minako stepped out from behind the post proclaiming High School grounds, both giggling.
"Hey, glad we could get Eto-chan back into the Christmas spirit. I just hope we didn't hurt her too much."
"We, Minako-chan? I believe you were the one whacking her with her own henshin stick." Setsuna muttered. Merry Christmas!