Hope Never Dies

Chapter 1: Out of Place

City streets were bustling with many civilians as the noontime traffic went through. A normal day in Crystal Tokyo. Dark toned eyes watched from where she sat in the central park as apple green fingernails ran through very short rainbow locks that donned the head of Star Masuno. Yes, she looked quite odd, but she never minded the stares that went her way. Bu today, her normally carefree attitude was stained with worry.

At 21, Star had just finished schooling at Crystal Tokyo University, majoring in Astrophysics. It had always been somewhat of an obsession with Star and astronomy. It was her passion and her reason to study for the degree she had wanted since she had been a child. One had to wonder what would worry her on this day in late September.

Dreams had been plaguing her mind for many months now. They weren't like the normal odd dreams where you had the occasional carrot chasing you or where you walked around naked. No, these dreams were beyond ordinary.

It started out the same every time she had this dream. It started out, deep in space with a dark castle settled among dead stars. Flashing forth, she always went inside the castle, observing the darkness held within it. The same people always spoke to her, flashing smiles and acting as if she knew them more than they knew her. A pretty girl with blonde hair, a woman with amber eyes and flaming orange hair, and a woman with hair the tone of blood that always greeted her last. They always were decked in the fuku designed for those in the Sailor Scout ranks.

There was a woman, decked in regal clothing, always sitting on a throne of beryl, watching her with eyes that were warm and cold at the same time. Her hair was a bright pink and it was in her presence that Star always found she and the others kneeling. She always spoke the same phrase in her voice, so haunting.

"Find the others. You have the power to return."

In the end of the dream, she always turned to see a man standing before her instead of the regal woman. His hair was silvery white and his eyes were a comforting shade of green. How her stomach fluttered when she saw him. It was his face and smile that always stayed in her mind as she left the dream.

She didn't know what it meant, or why she dreamt of such things. Maybe it was just a random dream, or so she would have thought if she hadn't had the dream so many times before. Why did it keep coming to her?

Stopping to sit, Star felt her eyes close as, instinctively, she reached to her neck, fumbling with a silver chain. It wasn't long before a small charm came, settled in her palm. It was a small star shaped charm. The star itself was a deep purple while it was outlined in black. Sort of morbid, if she thought about it. And the odd thing was, she didn't remember where she got it.

Dark toned eyes looked to the sky as a sigh escaped her lips. It was the oddest feeling. The feeling of being out of place. Like she didn't belong. And, it was with these thoughts, that she watched the rain move in.

Somewhere else, working in a fast paced city café, Sanyo Tenchiba was working extra shifts. At 18, she had been working here for many months now, trying to earn her way through her first year of college. Which she had found out was hard. Brushing a wisp of light blonde hair out of her sea green eyes, she move from table to table, refilling coffee and taking orders as the lunch rush ran it's course.

Catching her breath after whirling through the doors to grab more food, she took a seat in the kitchen, grabbing a glass for Coca-Cola. She hated the Lunch rushes. It wasn't like she wasn't friendly enough, because Sanyo loved people. It just got so busy at the café she worked at, thus it got old.

Filling up her glass, she chugged about half of it before she hurried back to work. She knew that Suzuno hated to work alone at this shift and, if she was lucky, she could leave earlier if she worked harder. Bustling in and out for another half hour wasn't so bad. But she knew when she finished she would hate herself for working harder than she needed to.

As she stopped for a moment, she felt her hand go to her neck. There, nestled in folds of fabric, sat a necklace of a belt of stars. She didn't know where she got it or why she had it, but it was always a constant comfort. Especially now as, moving to get to work, she felt a surge of a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time: like she didn't belong.

Shaking her head, she heard Suzi call her name and, hurrying back to work, the thoughts slipped easily from her mind.

Off in the middle of town, Kari Mameratsu leaned against her car. Long locks of red hair had been pulled off her face, back in an elegant bun that ended at the nape of her neck. A tan business blazer donned her slender figure while her red tinted eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Her mission today? To face the chief.

Kari may have only been 21 years old, but she had worked her way into Crystal Tokyo Police Department early in her college career, which was cut off at her first year. She was a Cop and loved her job. But, recently, she had felt like she didn't want to work at the moment. She needed a break, that's what she needed.

Finally, after standing there for a moment, out side the Police Station, she uncrossed her arms. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she stepped inside the Station. Many people greeted her as, raising a hand in her own greeting, she headed for the Chief's office and, reaching it, brought a fist and rapped against the glass door.

"Come in." Chief Hango called from inside. Taking in a deep breath, Kari stepped in. "Ah, Miss Mameratsu, how are you today?"

"Fine sir." She replied curtly. "Listen, I can't be here long. I just came to ask for some vacation." She said this rather quickly, but she knew he had heard her.

"Vacation?" He frowned. "Well, it is a busy time around here. We need all the officers around as much as possible. The Sailor Scouts have been on some of their own breaks..." He looked rather darkly, thinking of the scouts. She knew he despised them for making the Police seem "slower" than the crime-fighting females.

"I don't need to be gone long. Just some time to clear my head." She said, taking off her sunglasses. "I need this time. How many times have I asked for a vacation?"

Chief Hango sighed. "You've never taken any vacation other than holidays off, like everyone else." He said, sounding defeated.

"Which means I should take a break." She said. "So, I'll be back in next Monday. Seven days of break. Ciao!" she turned, without letting him have another word before she could get her seven days of freedom. Truth be told, Kari hadn't been feeling very well for a while. Out of place was more like it. Subconsciously, she fumbled with a small charm on a silver chain.

The charm was of a sun, outlined in black. It was beautiful and dark at the same time. Yes, she got questions as to where she got it and why she wore it, but she couldn't give them answers. She loved this charm for some reason, even though she didn't know where the hell she got it.

Placing her sunglasses back onto the bridge of her nose, she climbed into the convertible. Placing the keys into the ignition, she went off, streaking off home. Not caring that it looked like rain, she drove the whole way with the top down.

Almost a hundred miles away, training on the mountainside, Komeeko Ohira sat, meditating after training hard on the slopes of Mount Fuji. Her bright orange hair flowed free today, falling to the middle of her back in waves. Amber eyes were closed right now as she breathed in and out, focusing on how she was breathing.

The 20 year old had retreated to the mountain this time because she hated the city. The smog always got to her. She hated the feel of all these people around her. And, above all, she felt contempt towards those Sailor Senshi. Why she felt this way, she didn't know. But she hated them with a passion every time she saw them.

Thus, she found Mt. Fuji as an escape away from it all. She loved being alone and the mountain air was clean. Plus, no one bothered her about anything. Well, most of the time. There was this real annoying girl named Sen who always wanted to be around her. It made her shudder trying to spend time with her.

Opening her eyes, she felt a sigh leave her lips as she reached at her wrist, feeling the chain and charm still there. The charm was simple enough- a flame from fire. But where she got it was a mystery. Sure, she was an orphan in this world, but she always wondered if her real mother or father had left it with her. Like in that musical, Annie. But she didn't like to hope so.

Leaning against the wall that was behind her, she heard the rain starting to pound on the rooftop. It was soothing and, soon enough, she found herself falling asleep. Yes, sleep. It brought that weird dream that she always welcomed with open arms. The dark castle...

Sweat was beading at his hairline as, waking from the same dream he had beheld the night before, Sirius Tabuchi sat up in bed. His long hair of silvery-white was pushed away from his green eyes with his hand as he closed his eyes, trying to think why he kept having the same dream over and over again.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he rubbed his eyes. Rain was pouring down on Crystal Tokyo, which wasn't such a surprise for spring. Late May always brought rain, but he guessed that "April showers" would bring Mayflowers this year.

Standing, he let the images of the rainbow haired woman enter his mind. He didn't know her, but he had a funny feeling about here every time he saw her. As if he had known her better than she knew herself. But that wasn't true. He had never seen her in his life. Yet, he always felt something towards her every time he saw her in the dream, there wasn't any doubt that he felt something.

Blinking his eyes, he moved over to his dresser, picking through the socks until he found what he had been looking for. It was a star shaped like a dog upon a chain. He didn't know why he kept it when he didn't know where it came from, but it was a constant comfort.

Sighing, he turned, watching the rainfall outside his window.

Somewhere nearby, a pair of gray eyes watched each of the individuals. Lips curving into a smirk, a voice spoke. "It is time."