Pandora's Senshi
A Sailor Moon Spin-off Fanfiction
By mew-tsubaki
Note: Ha-HA! This time, I have copyright power over these characters because their MY OWN! (Woo-hoo!) Anyway, I want to give some credit to Naoko Takeuchi-sensei, though, because I used the original names she had planned for the Sailor Moon characters (Sorano Hikaru, Yoruno Miyabi, Chino Mamoru, and Artemis; only Amano is hers- I came up with Kako), and the original scouts (Moon through Saturn) are hers. By the way, I know that the senshi names (Phlegethon, Colytus, Styx, Acheron, and Lethe) come from rivers in Hades (I read it somewhere) and have nothing to do with Pandora's Box, but read on to discover what they're really about. - Don't forget: READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY! P.S.- the Artemis in this fanfic isn't the same as the cat-turned-human Artemis from the original series. She's someone completely different. Also, the other senshi will not be making anymore appearances. It's original from here on out.
Chapter Three: Amano Kako a.k.a. Sailor Lethe
"Thanks for breakfast! See you later!" The girl dashed out of the house with her school bag in hand.
"Why does she think she can run and make her pigtails at the same time?" the girl's father asked himself. He sighed. "As long as Kako can stay strong without Mama around anymore…"
"Hi, Kako-chan!"
"Good morning, Amano-san!"
"Hey, Kako-chan!"
The girl with pink pigtails smiled at everyone. "Hi!" She walked in Azusa Yomi Municipal High as the other students watched her. It's kind of hard to be popular, she thought. Now if I could only get the good grades Dad wants to see in math, grammar, history, and gym. Boy, do I hate those subjects!
Ahead of Kako was a rather large group assembled in front of one of the message boards. The mock-exam results must be posted.
"She did it again!"
"Yeah. I can't believe it!"
"She uses all of her time to study… I heard that her family is even used to it!"
Kako looked over her shoulder and saw the girl who they were talking about. She was a slender girl who wasn't really the bookworm type, but all of her grades were pretty much perfect. With hazel hair and clear, light blue eyes, the genius girl, Sorano Hikaru, was more of the popular type like Kako, but she read a lot and stayed away from people, so it was easy to see why people didn't like her much.
If I could only ask her to help me study…, Kako thought. She sighed and went into her classroom. "Oh, well."
"All right! Lunchtime!"
"Kako, you sure do love your food, don't you?" one of Kako's classmates asked her.
"It's the best time of the day!" Kako grabbed her bento and a notebook from her bag and was halfway out of the classroom when one of her classmates stopped her.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, I'm going to go eat by myself on the roof. I have something I want to do." And then she left.
"She's always like that," one of the other girls said.
"Yeah, but that wasn't her sketchbook she took with her. It was something else."
"Not her sketchbook? That's so weird…"
"Let's see… I was on chapter fifteen…" Kako sat Indian-style as she leaned against the railing on the school roof. She opened the notebook on her lap and began reading as she happily munched on her onigiri (rice ball). She sat reading and eating, for a while. Finally, a breeze blew by and forced Kako to pause for a moment to brush her hair out of her face. Thank god I can get away from everyone once in a while. Putting up a face is…hard. The freshman looked over her shoulder at the cityscape below. I just wish I could trust someone…
"AAH! MY NOVEL!"
Kako looked up to see a tall girl run towards her. She recognized her as the one who had transformed in front of her. Quickly, Kako packed up her lunch and stumbled to her feet, but she had bad timing. The girl was too close now for Kako to be able to make a quick escape, so she crumpled backwards towards the railing.
"I'm sorry," the taupe-haired girl said. "I hope I didn't scare you. I think I lost my novel when I bumped into you and I can see that you have it." The girl ran her hand through her hair. "Can I have it back?"
"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Kako fumbled with the notebook, but gave it back to the girl. "I was meaning to give it back to you after I had finished it."
"Actually," the girl mumbled, "it's not done yet. I only started it recently."
"Really? It's quite good. Have you ever considered entering a contest or something?"
"Yeah, I have, but no one likes my stuff…"
"I like it a lot. The character development progresses at a great rate. Not exactly slow, but not too fast, either." Kako smiled at the girl. "I'm Amano Kako. What's your name?"
"Oh! I-I'm Chino Mamoru." Mamoru was silent for a moment. "So, you really like it?"
"The story's really good. When are you going to finish it?"
"I haven't really decided yet…" There was an odd pause between the two, seeing as how neither of them could really figure out anything to say.
"Uh, well…," Kako began, heading for the door, "I've gotta go! See you around!" She turned to leave, but Mamoru caught her arm.
"Look," Mamoru started, "I know you saw me yesterday."
Kako froze. What would Mamoru do to her!
"Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I am just as scared as you were when you saw me. Please, don't be afraid of me." The look in Mamoru's eyes wasn't necessarily hurt, but something more like…longing. "I don't have any friends, so I hope you weren't completely freaked when you saw me…transform." The girl hung her head as she clutched the notebook to her chest.
Kako thought for a moment. It wasn't really being scared so much as it was startled, she thought. She put on a bright smile. "I thought it was kind of cool, actually. How'd did you do it?" she asked Mamoru.
Mamoru looked up in surprise. "What?"
The pink-haired shrimp held out her hand. "Friends?"
"Y-yeah…" Mamoru shook Kako's hand and felt like some of the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She had…made a friend!
"So that means you'll be working extra-hard on the novel, right, Mamoru?" Kako urged.
"Y-yeah…"
"See you guys later!" Kako grabbed her jacket and was halfway out of the classroom when the same classmate stopped her.
"Kako, where're you going? Don't you usually stay for art club?" the girl asked worriedly.
"Could you tell sensei that I can't make it today? I'm going over to a friend's house. Tell her I'll make it up to her, I promise!" Kako waved good-bye once more and left the building.
"Missing ART CLUB! Kako must've hit her head!"
"So what's your house like?" Kako asked.
Mamoru blushed. "It's not much… I live in an apartment complex by myself, but I manage." She kept on walking until she realized that she was walking by herself. She turned around. "Kako…?"
The girl's eyes were wide. "You live by yourself! And you MANAGE! That's so mysterious! Cool!" Kako joined Mamoru once again.
"It's not all that cool, though…" Mamoru drifted off into thought for a moment when she realized that they were in front of the building. "Oh! H-here we are!"
The only thing Kako could say was "Wow…" as they walked in through the main lobby. It's less than a penthouse, Kako thought, but way more than an apartment!
The two went up the elevator to the top floor and headed straight for Mamoru's room. When Mamoru opened the door, Kako was shocked: no one was there!
"You really meant you live by yourself…," Kako mumbled. Mamoru merely nodded. "Do you have any family?"
Mamoru put her things on the couch and grabbed (you guessed it!) a soda. "Yes, but my parents are divorced and currently on separate ends of the Earth." She feigned a smile, but her new friend could tell it was fake. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked. "I can't cook much, but I have snacks like Pocky."
"Pocky sounds great!"
The taupe-haired girl grabbed a box and showed Kako around. There was the living room with the couch, a coffee table, a TV, and a PS2 (slim version); the bathroom; her parents room which had remained untouched for years; the kitchen with a counter that also served as the dining room table; and Mamoru's room, with her single bed, a closet, a desk, and chair.
"There's not a lot of décor in the whole place," Kako thought aloud.
Mamoru scratched her head. "Never thought it'd do much good, so I've never dealt with it."
Suddenly, an idea popped into Kako's head. "I know! I can draw you anime posters to decorate your room with! You do like anime, don't you?"
"Of course!" Mamoru looked in Kako's eyes while there was a long pause.
"Tokyo Mew Mew!" they said in unison- another pause. "Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne! Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch!"
Both broke out in laughter as they rolled around on the carpet. "That's too funny!" Kako said between giggles. "We watch exactly the same things!"
Mamoru sighed happily as she stood and went to her closet. "Yeah… I watch a lot of shoujo, so it helps me when I go to write my stories." She opened the closet to reveal a HUGE stack of notebooks, all full with her handwriting. "I have a lot of time on my hands, as you can see."
Kako's eyes went even wider than before. "You…wrote all of those?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. Not much I like to do."
The freshman jumped up from the floor and ran to the closet, skimming each notebook.
"Wh-what are you doing!" Mamoru asked.
"I'm deciding which ones I'll want to read right now." Kako looked Mamoru in the eye. "So you can finish the other one I had already started. Think of me as a fan, not a critic." She smiled and Mamoru felt relaxed.
"Well, I guess since you already started the story, and because it's only you, it's okay."
"Yes! SCORE!"
"It's getting late," Mamoru said after she looked at the clock. It was ten o'clock. The girls had spent the whole day watching anime, reading manga, Kako reading Mamoru's stories, and Mamoru working on Kako's favorite story. "Don't you think you should call your parents? They'll be worried about you."
Kako paused rereading Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode volume two, but she didn't look up from the book. "Dad'll be fine with me sleeping over. It's just him and me, so he won't mind."
"Oh, I'm sorry. When did she pass away?"
"Last year." Kako glanced at Mamoru. "Don't worry. I'm holding up fine."
"Whatever you say… I'll get you the phone so you can let him know. I think I have some pajamas you can borrow. Look in my closet for the smallest set. I think only those'll fit you."
Kako found the pjs and changed while Mamoru hunted for the phone. Soon, both were exhausted and spread out on the living room floor, both fast asleep and dreaming of the weekend.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
Kako rolled over and lazily opened her eyes. "Breakfast? Oh, uh…" Her eyelids were so heavy and a pillow was right by her head…
"Kako!" Mamoru shook her awake. "Stay awake! It's the weekend!"
"All right, all right… Do you like waffles?"
"Sure, but I don't have any mixes or anything."
"That's okay. I know this place that has the best waffles around." Kako grabbed her clothes and changed in the bathroom. When she came back out, Mamoru was ready to go, too.
As they headed out the door, Mamoru turned to Kako. "What place do you have in mind? I don't have a lot of extra pocket money right now since I haven't gotten my paycheck yet, so we probably shouldn't go somewhere too fancy."
"Let me worry about breakfast," Kako stated, yawning halfway through her sentence.
Mamoru shrugged, but when they approached a really ritzy-looking restaurant, she hesitated. "A-are you sure this is all right?"
The pink-haired shrimp ignored her friend's question and just entered the place while Mamoru followed closely behind. Someone held the door open for them and, when Kako showed up to the hostess, she was welcomed with a, "Hello, Amano-san. Please, this way."
The blonde hostess led them into the back to a private table and seated both girls. Soon, she left with Kako's order of "the usual".
Mamoru couldn't hold it in anymore. "How do you know this place?"
Kako smiled. "My father and I are regulars here, so we always have a table ready for us whenever we walk in the door. You'll love their homemade waffles, though."
"O-okay…"
"These are delicious!" Mamoru dug right in when their food was brought. She and Kako ate at a moderate pace and were soon heading out the door just as fast as they had come. "That was amazing!"
"It's not much…" Kako fell silent for a brief moment, but Mamoru didn't notice. "Want to go shopping?"
"Sure!" The two were on their way to the stores in town when they saw a large crowd ahead of them. "Oh, that's right. Namajima Ayu is doing a book signing and interview today."
"Namajima Ayu?" Kako thought for a moment. "Isn't she that famous author?"
"Famous author? She's much more. She's penned over seventy books in her whole ten year career! She's amazing!"
"She's your idol, isn't she, Mamoru?"
The taupe-haired girl froze. "UH! Well, I have to say- I- Well, um…"
"You should go meet her," Kako urged.
"N-not today!" Mamoru turned away from the crowd and took her shortcut down an empty street.
The shrimp caught up with her. "Why not? Maybe she could give you advice or you could show her one of your stories."
"I'd rather not." There was a firmness in Mamoru's voice that Kako understood was the signal to stop bugging her about it. Both continued further down the street, but the end was nowhere in sight. "What the…?" The taupe-haired girl looked all around her. "Where's the end of the street!"
Kako was shaking. "Is it possible we missed the turn?"
Mamoru shook her head. "This street is straight. There aren't any bends or turns in it." Suddenly, she tensed. Something's not right.
CLINK. CA-CLUNK, CLUNK.
Both girls looked up and saw a woman with a bloody butcher's knife in her hand, dragging a body behind her. She scanned the girls' eyes. "He was such a nuisance," the woman said in a strange voice, an eerie smile creeping onto her face, "I only gave him what he deserved… You won't tell on me will you?"
There was a flash of light and the brooch from the other day appeared in front of Mamoru. "This is…"
"Transform already!" Kako yelled at her.
"Uh, right! Phlegethon Rage Fulfillment!" Again, lights enveloped Mamoru and she became Sailor Phlegethon. "In Hades, the Phlegethon River brings out the rage in lost souls. To free those souls and turn them to destruction by the angry earth- that is my mission! Sailor Phlegethon!"
"It's about time already!" Kako hollered.
"Sailor…Phlegethon?" the woman said.
Sailor Phlegethon stood straight and stretched out her hand. "Phlegethon Rage Embodiment!"
The attack came from deep within Phlegethon and it surged through her arm and shot out of her hand. But the woman dodged it! "Don't think I'm some pushover!" the woman screamed.
Sailor Phlegethon tried her attack several more times, but it was no use. Every time she blasted, the possessed woman would sidestep the attack. Finally, Phlegethon fell to her knees. "It's no good!" she panted. "I've used up too much power trying to hit her."
"Hit the woman?" Kako echoed. "Are you nuts! You could kill her!"
Phlegethon shook her head. "I won't, but the thing living in her shadow would disappear. Take a look; you can see it from where you're standing."
Unsure, Kako did as Sailor Phlegethon suggested and saw a bright pair of shining eyes in the woman's shadow. It's just as she said! Kako thought in horror. There's something there. The pink-haired shrimp felt something deep within her. Her eyes glazed over. "Maybe it's not something you can take care of," Kako said without realizing it.
Phlegethon blinked. "What? Kako, did you just say-"
There was an amethyst light and an ice cold breeze as Phlegethon saw a brooch-shaped item appear in front of Kako.
"No! Don't touch it! If you do, you'll-"
But it was too late. Kako unwillingly, absentmindedly, reached for the brooch. There was another flash of light and the ice cold wind enveloped Kako. A moment's later and the wind was gone- Kako along with it.
Phlegethon felt her stomach steel. "K-Kako…?" Her rough voice was barely above a hoarse whisper.
"Take one sip of the waters of the Lethe River from Hades, and you are bound to become a mindless servant. To bring about destruction through forgetfulness and rebirth with the bewildering air- that is my mission! Sailor Lethe!"
"Another 'Sailor', is it?" the woman asked. "Never mind that! I'll get rid of both of you right here, right now!" The woman lunged forward, but Lethe stood still.
"What are you doing!" Phlegethon screamed. "Make a move or get killed!"
Suddenly, there was a thump. The taupe-haired sailor looked over her shoulder and saw the form of the woman crumpled up on the ground in a heap. The woman was deathly still, but breathing nonetheless. Her shadow was also back to normal.
Phlegethon turned back to Lethe. "But, how did you…?"
Lethe smiled. "I spread my attack all around through the air. Didn't you hear me say, 'Lethe Forgetfulness Quintessence'?"
"No," Phlegethon answered as she stood up. She clutched her brooch and became Mamoru once again.
"So that's how you do that." Lethe did the same to transform back into Kako. "Well, that was fun!"
"FUN! You made me think for a split-second that you were going to get killed!" Mamoru picked up her purse and turned around. "Let's go!"
"Sorry!"
"So, what do you make of all of this?" Kako asked Mamoru as they stared out the window in the school hallway. The rest of the weekend had been uneventful save for Lethe's introduction and a week had passed since then already.
"I don't know," Mamoru mumbled, her mind wandering to her past when she saw Shiro-sensei run out of the building and into the rain. "I really don't know…"
Kako watched her friend gaze longingly at their youngest teacher. Did something bad happen in class? Kako thought. No, that couldn't be it. By the look in her eye, it's something else… "Mamoru?"
Mamoru stopped leaning against the windowsill and turned away from Kako. "I'm sorry, but I'm not in much of a mood to talk right now." She glanced over her shoulder as she walked away from Kako. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kako-chan!" And with that, she was gone.
"Yeah…"
