Act 1
Hikari Taiyono
I sighed heavily as I trudged over to Juuban Public Middle School, expecting another boring day. I brushed a strand of hair out of my face, feeling spent already, just preparing myself for the cold shoulder everyone will give me. Oh, I'm sorry. I should probably introduce myself.
My name is Hikari Taiyono. I'm fourteen years old. My birthday is December 4th, my blood type is AB, and I'm in the eighth grade. My classmates describe me as rude and aloof, and I have a few unresolved anger issues. That's about all there is to it.
Oh, and I'm also the heiress to the largest fashion company in Tokyo, Colorful Styles. Yes, the same Colorful Styles infamous for its questionable business practices and less-than-legal labor policies. My father isn't exactly an ethical businessman. My mother was the former CEO of the company, but she died five years ago, so my dad took over. With his reign, Colorful Styles' reputation went down the drain, and mine went with it. My father is a corrupt, questionable man, and everyone expects me to end up the same way.
I held my head down at that thought, staring at the school uniform I had on. I was at least grateful my dad let me go to a public school instead of an uptight, private one. I turned towards a nearby shop window, looking at my reflection. All I saw was a fair-skinned girl with bright red eyes, black hair tied into three braids, two framing her face and a longer one in the back, with blonde highlights going from halfway down each braid to the ends, and breasts noticeably larger than what a girl my age should have. The only thing that indicated it was me was the small amulet around my neck… the last thing I have to remember mom by. The amulet was gold colored, and round, with a design like a burning sun set in the center. Its diameter was about equal to that of a golf ball.
I stared at the amulet for a few minutes… I remember mom's death like it was yesterday. She gave me this amulet on her deathbed… and I remember her saying that if I was ever in a position where I had to protect someone I consider a friend, I should hold it above me and say something, but I can't remember what that something was. Well, I don't have any friends, so I guess it doesn't matter.
I was knocked out of my thoughts when I felt someone ram into me, sending the both of us to the ground. I looked up at the offender to see, who else, Usagi Tsukino, running late as always.
"Hey, watch where you're going, buns-for-brains!" I shouted at her.
"I'm so sorry!" Tsukino shouted back, reaching her hand towards me. "Here, let me help you up."
"I can stand up on my own, thank you very much!" Why can't this girl just let me hate her like I'm supposed to? I turned away from her in a huff, moving to get up onto my feet, glancing around the area at anything but the Tsukino girl. I glanced at the store, the street signs, the blonde cat staring at me from atop a wall, that white van on the opposite side of the street…
Wait a minute, since when do cats come in blonde? And why does it have a ring-shaped bald spot on its forehead?
I abruptly heard the bun-head scream in panic, seeing that she was running extra late now, so she grabbed me by the wrist and made a mad dash for the school. Long story short, we both got there late, and were made to stand out in the hallway. On top of that, we both failed miserably on our last English exam. I'd like to say that I still did better than Tsukino… but that would be a lie.
After school, while Osaka took Tsukino to her mother's jewelry shop, I just shuffled home, staring at my English exam. 25%. I scored a pathetic 25% on that exam! Like I said earlier, Tsukino still did better than me, at a slightly less pathetic 30%.
"Worthless trash!" I screamed in anger as I crumpled the test in my hand, and threw it into a nearby trash can. I then continued to walk back home in an angry huff, when suddenly I heard someone scream in pain right next to me. Startled, I jumped back a bit to see this boy about the same age as me, with short white hair, dressed in a filthy tracksuit, messaging his foot. When he looked up to glare at me, I could see that he had blue eyes.
"What the fuck is your problem, bitch!?" He demanded angrily. "Why'd you go and stomp on my foot like that!?"
"Oh, you wanna go, fucker!?" I screamed back. I was still angry about being a bigger failure than Tsukino, okay? "I'll fight you right here right now!"
"You're seriously picking a fight with me!? You got something against me or something!?"
"You want nothing more than to piss me off, don't you!?"
"Bitchface!"
"Jackass!"
We kept going on like this for a whole hour before finally walking away from each other. Even then, my heart was still racing from the sheer anger I felt towards him… at least, I was certain it was anger.
When I finally got home, I stomped straight towards my room without making any contact with my dad, and slammed the door. I looked around my room for a few seconds. The walls were painted a bright yellow while the ceiling was white. I had a twin-sized bed up against one wall, a large desk opposite it with a large mirror on top, and an open window across from the doorway. The room was fairly large, as you'd expect of a rich girl like me.
I sighed heavily before slumping at the desk, setting my bag down on the floor next to my chair. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, seeing the same girl I saw in the shop window. The face I always see in the mirror… I feel like it's not me. But why should I even bother trying to be anything else? Why be anyone else? I'm a rich girl from a corrupt business, and that's all I'll ever be.
"There's just no point in lying to myself…" I muttered aloud. I was about to get my homework from my book bag when suddenly…
"Um… E-excuse me…"
I flinched at the sudden voice. I didn't hear anyone approach, and I didn't recognize the voice. I could tell it was a male speaking, at least. I jumped out of the seat and looked frantically around my room.
"Who's there!?"
"Uh… you're…" When I heard that voice again, I started rubbernecking again, before looking down to see the same, blonde cat I noticed earlier. "You are… Hikari Taiyono… right?" The cat asked.
Wait… the cat… just spoke to me… the cat… is talking. I promptly screamed at the top of my lungs and started throwing pillows at the poor thing.
"WHAT ARE YOU!?"
"Hey, OW… Please, calm down…"
"Calm down…? CALM DOWN!? How are you talking to me!? What the fuck are-"he suddenly scratched me across the face, and I fell back onto the bed, clutching my face in pain.
"I-I'm so sorry, but you left me no choice…" the cat apologized immediately. "Now… will you please listen to me?" I took a few seconds to pull myself together before sitting up to glare at the cat.
"Alright, fine, what do you want?" The cat flinched at my gaze.
"Uh… m-my name is Apollo… I came here to find you, Hikari."
"That's another thing; how the heck do you know my name?"
"I told you… I came here to find you… so you could claim your destiny."
"My destiny?" I looked at the cat... Apollo… with a confused look on my face. "My destiny of following my father's filthy footsteps and becoming a corrupt businesswoman?"
"What? No! Your destiny as a guardian."
My expression morphed into one of disbelief. "A guardian of what?"
"A beautiful guardian who fights for love and truth…" he began. "As it stands, strange things have been happening in Tokyo… things the police can't handle… but guardians like you can. I need you to awaken and aid the four other guardians in their mission. Also, you must find our princess, and protect her…"
"I wonder if I had any alcohol by mistake earlier today…"
"H-Hey! You're not listening to me!"
"No… you are crazy if you think I'm capable of being a guardian for love and truth… or anything for that matter."
"Alright, fine. If you don't believe me, then prove I'm wrong by following your mother's instructions." That got my attention.
"Wha-What?"
"You heard me, Hikari. Follow the instructions your mother gave you on her deathbed. Hold the amulet she gave you above your head, and say the phrase she whispered in your ear." I'm not even going to question how Apollo knew about those. Instead, I got up, and walked over to my desk, staring at the mirror behind it.
"You're even crazier than I thought." I commented. "Mom told me to do that if I had to protect a friend. I don't have any, so there's no reason for me to follow them outside of proving you're insane (not that I see how they would prove anything). Besides, I don't remember what she wanted me to say."
"Try 'Sun Spectrum Power, Make Up'." I chuckled to myself at the stupidity of this whole thing.
"Alright." I took my amulet off, and halfheartedly raised it above my head "Son Spectral Power, Make It Up…" I also recited halfheartedly. Nothing happened, just as I expected.
"IT'S 'SUN SPECTRUM POWER, MAKE UP', YOU IDIOT!" Apollo screamed at me in annoyance.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it your way," I responded. I proceeded to do it again, but saying exactly what Apollo wanted me to say. "Sun Spectrum Power, Make Up…" Again, nothing happened.
Suddenly, I mentally slapped myself across the face. What the heck am I proving by just going through the motions? If I want to really drive home Apollo's insanity, I have to do this like I mean it!
Ready to really prove everything here and now, I repeated the previous actions, this time with feeling!
An image of the Sun is visible in the background as the amulet is raised into view. Hikari's hand turns and her fist opens, letting the amulet hover in the air.
"SUN SPECTRUM POWER! MAKE-UP!"
Hikari's nails turn white, and she grabs the amulet as her hand becomes a patterned silhouette, she spins around until we see her from the front. She affixes the amulet to her neck as rings of light emit from the amulet to form a white choker holding it in place. A massive hoard of light rings burst from the amulet and flow around Hikari, eventually wrapping around her torso to form a white leotard with a yellow sailor collar with three white stripes at the edge.
A white, circular button appeared on the front of the leotard, and a yellow ribbon formed around it. Hikari held her arms in front of her as light rings wrapped around them, forming white, elbow length gloves with yellow cuffs. The light rings encircled her legs in an intricate pattern before solidifying into white, high-heeled sandals with straps crisscrossing halfway up her lower leg.
A pair of golden hoop earrings appeared on her ears as the colors of her hair switched with each other; blonde hair with black highlights halfway down each braid. She twirled around as a yellow miniskirt formed around her waist, with a yellow back ribbon. She leaned back as the astronomical symbol for the Sun appeared in the middle of her forehead, before morphing into a golden tiara with a white gem at its center, and a pair of tensen fans appeared in her frontal hair braids.
She opened her eyes, removed the fans from her hair, unfolding them before striking a pose, back straight, left foot in front of her right, and arms stretched down and to the sides.
I blinked in confusion when I saw the image in the mirror. How the heck did this happen? I was expecting another dosage of nothing, not to suddenly turn into a Sailor V cosplayer.
"What…?" I couldn't even articulate the confusion I felt… and yet, at the same time, I felt… free. "What is…?"
"Do you believe me now?" I heard Apollo ask from the center of the room. Before I could answer him, I heard a scream coming from the Colorful Styles store down the road. I recognized the voice as my dad's secretary. She must have been going to pay the employees there behind Dad's back.
"Oh no! That was Ms. Raino! I have to help her!" Without giving it much further thought, I raced out the window to the store, noting absently that it was already nighttime.
Meanwhile, at the Clothing store
Heh, just as I expected, these humans spend so much energy worrying about the latest trends… using this clothing store as a spot to gather it was a stroke of genius on Master Jadeite's part. Of course, I highly doubt that I'll find the Legendary Silver Crystal here… but I suppose I can let my sister Morga have that if she happens to find it in that jewelry store.
My plan was similar to my sister's; I kidnapped the store's clerk, locked him in the backroom, disguised myself as him, and held a sale to give the girls in town tainted clothing that will slowly sap their energy for our great ruler. Although, this chain apparently has a nasty reputation, so I had to pretty much give the clothes away, but whatever.
It was now nightfall, and the flow of energy was reaching a climax. In a brief moment of excitement, I allowed myself to revert to my true form, the youma Mordri, and when I did, I abruptly heard a woman scream behind me. I turned around to see a human woman, late twenties by my estimate, in a prim business suit, with a stack of paper bills in one hand.
"Who… who are you!?" she screamed in a panic. "Where's Kaito?!"
"Kaito isn't available at the moment…" I muttered at the moment. "But you saw me… so I'm afraid… I can't let you leave this store alive." I immediately grabbed her by the throat, threatening to crush it at any moment.
"I… can't let you get away with this…" she rasped out.
"Not going to happen, missy…"
"Stop right there!" At the second interruption of the day, I briefly dropped the woman to look at the doorway, where I saw a young girl in a sailor suit standing there. "How dare you rope an innocent secretary into your twisted scheme!? Even in a million years, I can never forgive you!"
"Oh really?" I responded. "And who are you to make such claims?"
"Uh, me?" the girl responded, apparently caught off guard. "I-I'm… uh…" She stuttered like this for a few seconds before finally regaining her composure. "For love and truth, I am the pretty guardian in a sailor suit! I am Sailor Sun! Now submit, to the fury of the light!" She was striking poses the entire time she was saying this.
"Sailor Sun?" I responded. "Never heard of you." I scoffed lightly, then raised my hand above my head. "Arise, my slaves; foolish humans who have given your energy to our great ruler. Come to me… and kill this girl."
I don't know what I was expecting to find when I arrived at the store. It certainly wasn't the gray-skinned monster threatening to crush Ms. Raino's windpipe. I also can't help but cringe at the way I introduced myself to it. Submit to the fury of the light? THAT'S what I felt the need to say?!
The absolute last thing I expected? A massive mob of people trudging to the store in a zombie-like trance and assaulting me with the intention of killing me. I made the only sensible decision and made a run for it.
"What do you think you're doing, Sailor Sun?" I heard Apollo ask me from the doorway. "You have to fight back! Defend yourself!"
"Are you crazy!?" I shouted back. "I can't hurt them! They're just innocent bystanders!" It was that moment of distraction when one of the people scrapped my leg with a broken bottle. I cringed at the intense pain, slumping against a wall. I looked down at my leg to see that the cut was bleeding.
This is real.
I'm going to die here.
I looked up at the people slowly approaching me, feeling overwhelmed by everything that has been happening to me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end to come.
Suddenly, I heard a howling sound echo through the store, like a wolf or something. My eyes shot open, spinning towards a window above the entrance, finding a tall, werewolf-like creature in tattered jeans standing in the frame. It looked down at the crowd, then turned to the monster commanding them.
"I knew something was wrong…" the beast replied simply, surprising me at its ability to actually talk. "I can't let this go unpunished." With that he leapt at the monster, only to be swatted in my direction. I only narrowly dodged the furry being, but I ended up dropping one of my fans in the process. But I just stared at it, noticing how the moonlight seemed to be gathering in it.
I picked up the fan, briefly hearing a sort of instruction in the back of my head. At this point, the crowd of hypnotized pedestrians returned their attention to me, as that monster reminded them of their primary target: me. This time, however, I was prepared for it.
I opened one of the fans and held it in front of me as it collected light from the moon, causing it to glow softly. When it reached maximum capacity, I folded the fan and held it in front of my chest. "Communion…" I started, before swinging the fan above my head. "…Flare!" The light collected in the fan burst out in a glorious flash that disoriented the crowd and blinded the monster, forcing it to cover its eyes.
"Now's your chance!" I heard Apollo shout. "Throw your other fan at the youma! NOW!" I followed the cat's orders, unfolding my other fan and throwing it at the monster. The fan sliced clean through the monster's neck, and it disintegrated into dust. The crowd that had been under his control all passed out, lying on the floor. I panted slightly as the excitement of the ordeal began to wear off.
"That was hectic…" I muttered.
"You did it, Sailor Sun!" Apollo congratulated me, but my focus was on the werewolf that had inadvertently saved my life, as it was glancing around the store.
"I knew it…" I heard him mutter. "It's not here. I hope he had better luck at that jewelry store." As he said that he quickly ran out the door and into the night, but I raced after him.
"Wait!" I shouted after him. "I need to thank you! For saving my life!" I heard the wolf chuckle in the distance.
"I barely did anything. You were the one that saved those people, Sailor Sun." He remained silent for a few seconds. "Heh… Sailor Sun… I'll be sure to remember you."
"But… who are you!?" I asked him as he leapt into the distance.
"Call me… the Hellhound." That was the last thing I heard him say before he disappeared into the night.
But as I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder… would I ever see him again?
The next morning I was getting ready for the day when I overheard my dad screaming at someone over the phone about property damage to a local store outlet. I was about to just ignore him, but a name escaped his lips that froze me in my tracks.
Sailor Sun.
Last night really wasn't a dream… though I probably should have realized that during that shower I had earlier. My feet were filthy.
But then… what would that mean for me down the line…? And… why did Sailor Sun feel so much more real than Hikari Taiyono?
FIN
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