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 Four: Sorano Hikaru a.k.a. Sailor Acheron
"She did it again!"
"No way!"
"Let me see!"
A horde of Azusa Yomi Municipal High School students crowded around the mock exam results for the latest test. Multiple pairs of eyes scanned the list of top students, but all eyes flew to the first name listed.
"Oh my God! They're right!"
"Sorano-san is amazing!"
Mamoru picked her head up. "What's all that noise outside?" she thought aloud as she closed her book.
Takeyuki (Shiro-sensei) leaned on Mamoru's desk. "The latest exam results are up, and Sorano-san's the top pupil again."
"Pupil?" Mamoru echoed, looking at him over the top of her book as she opened it again. "Are you sure you want to start using an old teacher's language?"
Takeyuki blushed. "Hey! Don't joke about that, Chino-san! I'm just saying-"
"There's no need to overreact, Shiro-sensei." And that was all she said to him. She just quietly went back to her book.
She'll never change, Takeyuki thought as he gathered his papers together on his desk. He paused and smiled to himself. But I wouldn't want it any other way.
The bell rang and the majority of the students rushed out of the classroom. Mamoru took her time packing her bag and was heading out the door when he called to her.
"Uh, Mamoru-chan-!" Takeyuki managed. He didn't realize what he had said before it had slipped out of his mouth. What do I say now! he thought, his face growing hot as he felt Mamoru's eyes on him. "I-uh-"
She deeply exhaled and looked him squarely in the eye. "Now is neither the time nor the place." Mamoru turned on her heel.
"Then when is?" Takeyuki asked. I don't want it to come to this, but-
"Maybe never," Mamoru replied. She finally exited the room, but not without Takeyuki seeing her tears first.
I have to make her understand! "Mamoru, wait-!" But it was too late. She was gone from the room, the hallway, and probably the building in a minute. The literature teacher sighed and slammed his fist down on his desk. "Dammit…!"
"Mamoru, are you okay?"
The taupe-haired girl caught her breath and looked behind her. "Oh, Kako-chan…"
"I saw run out of the building five minutes ago. You've been leaning against that lamppost for a while now."
"Oh, I just, uh, got a really bad grade on a quiz I got back from last period," she said.
Kako frowned at her. "It was you who told me that lit was your best subject, Mamoru…"
"So?"
"It was also you who told me that you have lit last period, Mamoru."
"Oh…"
Kako yanked on Mamoru's gray blazer. "What happened?"
Mamoru fell silent. "I…really don't want to talk, Kako. I'll see you tomorrow, though, okay?"
"Bring the end of the novel with you, all right? That's the only way I'm gonna let you off the hook for now, Mamoru!" Kako hollered.
Mamoru only smiled over her shoulder as she ran away into the distance, but then she turned away from her friend. From her friend and…her past.
The notebook and pen landed on the floor with an audible CA-THUNK. "Well," Mamoru commented to herself triumphantly, "I'm glad I ended the story that way. Maybe it was wrong to kill him off, but she had to be with the other guy. I just felt it." Her smile faded. Could his job have been considered the other girl? She forced a small chuckle. It was the only reason… There was no one to stop us from being together… A tiny tear escaped Mamoru's left eye and she jumped out of her thoughts. "Look at me! Crying over something like that! It's so…stupid…"
Mamoru drowned in her tears as three shooting stars whizzed by her window outside. The time is now. I…I want him back!
The girl glanced up from her book. Her clear, light blue eyes pierced those of her classmate. "May I help you?"
"I was just wondering if you could help me with my math homework, Sorano-san," the boy squeaked.
Hikaru closed her book and her eyes. "That is the assignment from last night, correct?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Then I will not offer my help to someone who just slacks off and leaves their education for last. You are free to try someone else, though." Hikaru picked up her book and opened it, ignoring her classmate completely.
"H-hey…!"
"Kako, your grades are awful!" Mamoru stated, not managing to stifle her laughter one bit.
The pink-haired shrimp furrowed her brow. "Well, sorry! I can't help it if I don't do well in math! Besides, should you really be talking, Mamoru? You, with your D+ average?"
"Hey!" Mamoru shoved the progress report back to Kako. "Leave me outta this!"
"Maybe we should get a tutor," Kako suggested, looking her progress report over one more time before stowing it away in the bottom of her school bag.
Mamoru looked at her over her shoulder. "Like who? Are you going to use some of that Amano wealth to help us out?" Mamoru smiled mischievously.
"No," Kako replied, ignoring her. "I know of someone who may offer her talents. For free."
"Let's go now," Kako said to Mamoru, popping her head in the door to Mamoru's junior classroom.
Mamoru frowned. "Does it have to be during lunch?"
"Yes!"
"It's such a shame, too. I finished the novel last night. I loved doing the ending, you know…"
Kako bit her lower lip. "It won't work this time, Mamoru!" She yanked on her friend's earlobe as she dragged Mamoru behind her out of the classroom. "We're going to seek help!"
"See! There she is!" Kako whispered to Mamoru. They looked around the corner of the hallway and saw Sorano Hikaru, but she wasn't alone.
The blonde girl in front of the others pushed Hikaru back against the wall, hard. "Why can't you say anything! Are you to good for us!"
Hikaru didn't lift her head.
A brunette stepped in front of the others, including the blonde. "You keep your nose in your books one minute, and in the air the next. Nice. Real nice." She motioned to the blonde. "Give her another lesson before we go back to lunch."
The blonde nodded. "Right." As the other girls followed the brunette, the blonde turned back to Hikaru. "You would've been better off not born at all, you know."
Mamoru and Kako noticed Hikaru clenched her fists right before the blonde girl punched her left cheek with a strong right hook. "We can't let her do that!" Kako whispered to Mamoru.
"I have an idea," Mamoru said. She stepped out from behind the safe haven of the corner and confronted the blonde. "You have no right to harm her just because she's smart."
The blonde looked at Mamoru like she was an idiot. "Excuse me!"
Mamoru glared at the girl. "I think it's best that you back away. Now."
The girl looked unsure, but, after a minute, she backed off and disappeared down the hallway.
Kako appeared and helped Hikaru straighten up. "Are you all right? She hit you pretty hard…"
Hikaru slapped Kako's hand away. "I'm fine!" She stood up and walked away from the both of them.
"I think I know that blonde girl," Mamoru told Kako. "She's the captain of the girls' boxing club."
Kako shuddered. "I didn't even know we had a boxing club!"
The two made their way back to their classrooms and separated at Mamoru's classroom door. Kako waited until the door was shut before she went back the way they came, to the girls' bathroom. Kako cracked the door open just a smidgen. I was right, she thought.
Hikaru was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, swallowing her tears. "I'm strong!" she whispered to herself. "I'm strong. I…" She bit her lip.
Kako backed off and headed straight for her classroom. I didn't know things were so bad for Sorano-san, Kako thought dismally to herself.
"I'm…taking another route home today," Kako said.
"Okay… I'll save the ending for tomorrow, then," Mamoru commented with a smile.
"Y-yeah…"
I should probably stay far behind if I'm going to keep an eye on her, Kako thought. She watched Hikaru's form make its way down the street, elegant-like. It's hard to believe she has no friends. She's so beautiful!
Just then, Hikaru fell to one knee, huffing. Kako rushed to her side. "Are you all right!"
Hikaru shot her a nasty glare. "I'm fine! Were you following me!"
"Look, I didn't mean to-"
"Just shut up! My head's pounding! That noise coming out of your mouth is making it worse!" Hikaru grabbed the sides of her head with her hands and cried out. The pain was almost unbearable for her!
"We've got to get you to the hospital!" Kako whined. But when she moved to help Hikaru up, she was shoved away.
"It's not anything the hospital can fix!" Hikaru said.
"What!"
Hikaru's breathing became labored, but she cooled down a bit. "It's not a medical condition or anything. It only started happening recently…"
Kako blinked. "A throbbing headache that you only started getting recently…?"
The girl with her crystal clear light blue eyes picked up her things and stood. "You don't need to worry yourself over my health."
"But I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help!"
"You're better off leaving me alone!"
"NO!"
Hikaru was taken aback by Kako's forthrightness. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
"You're my classmate. I just want to make sure you're okay!"
"I'm not your classmate. You're a freshman. I'm a sophomore. Now will you please leave me alone?" She turned to go, but she fell again, her head even worse this time. "Not again…"
"What kind of headache leaves you on the ground struggling with pain!"
"Just shut up already! It's not a real headache, okay! I'm channeling someone's emotions. I've become an empath!"
Before the confused Kako could say anything, there were low grumbles behind the girls. Both turned to look and found themselves staring into the eyes of a pack of zombie-like people. There were only several of them, but they looked scary.
Hikaru looked bewildered. "What's going on here!"
Kako scanned the people and caught a glimpse of one of the people's shadows. Just as I thought, she pondered. These people are being controlled by those monster masterminds. The pink-haired shrimp groped around in her pocket and found exactly what she needed. "It's show time," she said under her breath. Kako whipped out her brooch. "Lethe Forgetfulness Fulfillment!" The cold fall air engulfed the girl and she was once again Sailor Lethe. "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!"
"Sailor Lethe!" Hikaru echoed. "What's going on with me! The empathic power I've gained, zombies, and now this freshman just transformed in front of me!"
"Now's not the time for thinking about how you might be crazy!" Lethe yelled at Hikaru. She stood still and focused. "Lethe Forgetfulness Quintessence!"
The attack should've surrounded the enemies and secured them, but that was not to happen this time around. Instead, Lethe ended up just throwing her power all around with the attack. In seconds, she was exhausted and lost consciousness. As she collapsed, Hikaru moved and got to her feet to help the girl.
"Hang in there, Amano-san!" Hikaru cried. But it was no use. Kako felt deathly still in her arms. "…K-Kako?" When she didn't reply, Hikaru let her body fall to the ground as she ran to her bag. "This isn't happening!" she screamed. As her fingertips touched her bag, a blue fire kept her from leaving. Scared, Hikaru stepped back and looked behind her. I can't get out of here! She turned back the blue fire and realized that something was emerging from it this time. "Is that a…a brooch!"
"Help us…," the people moaned.
Hikaru felt their emotions whizzing through her head just like before. The brooch reacted to that. At once, the blue fire grew enormous and wrapped itself around Hikaru. There was a flash of sapphire light, and a new sailor had arrived.
"Woefulness reminds people of their sins. Guided by the river of woes, Acheron, with a blue fire, I bring about destruction through their guilt- that is my mission! Sailor Acheron!"
What can I do to help these people? Acheron thought to herself. I have no idea what I'm doing, let alone what's going on. Maybe…maybe I'm worthless after all… But her headache grew stronger. NO! She looked to the people for an answer and saw it in their eyes.
"Help us…," they groaned again.
What if…what if… Sailor Acheron stiffened. "A-Acheron Woefulness Incarnation!"
The people seemed immobilized, and they fell to the ground after a brief moment. Something stirred behind Acheron, though.
"Kako!"
"I know we're not classmates, but," Lethe said, sitting up and transforming back into Kako, "can we at least be friends?"
Acheron copied Kako's moves and became Hikaru once again. She was on the verge of tears as Kako stood up. "Why do you care?" she choked.
"Because it's not right what's happening to you. It's even worse that you're going through it alone. I want to change that."
"Th-thank you…" Hikaru dried her eyes and flung her arms around Kako's neck. "I'm sorry for being so nasty to you!"
"Oh, it's okay. Nasty is better than frightening."
"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked as they picked up their things and began walking.
"When I first met Mamoru, she scared me; she was so tall!"
Hikaru froze. "Are you going to tell Chino-san what happened?"
"Don't worry about it," Kako reassured her. "Actually, Mamoru has a brooch, too. She's Sailor Pheleg- Phleg-"
Realization occurred in the blue-eyed genius. "Sailor Phlegethon?"
Kako's bright eyes widened. "How did you know!"
"It's easy. And I think there may be two others with brooches and powers similar to us."
"Who?"
Hikaru thought for a moment and then noticed that they had come upon her house. "Oh!" She turned to the pink-haired shrimp. "I'm sorry again, Kako. This is my house. Look, I'll see you at lunch if I figure out what's going on. See you!" And with that, the hazel-haired girl ran into her house. Kako turned and headed home herself.
"Who was that?"
Hikaru kicked off her shoes and slipped on her slippers. "Don't you mean, 'welcome home'?" she taunted.
"Yeah, yeah," the guy mumbled. "'Welcome home' and all that other crap."
"Hey!"
He followed her into the kitchen. "Just who was that, though?"
"A new friend I made," Hikaru stated, searching the fridge for a Snapple juice drink. "Her name's Amano Kako."
There was a ten second pause before the male placed the name. "Wait. Isn't she that super popular and rich girl? How'd you come to be friends with her?"
"You left out overly-nice."
He chuckled. "Did I, now?" He walked up to Hikaru and touched her cheek; she winced. "They cornered you this time, didn't they? If only I could be there and protect you…"
Hikaru frowned. "It wouldn't do either of us any good. You can't go around beating up all of my enemies when you're in a different class. It's best to just leave things where they stand. Besides," Hikaru continued, letting him hug her close, "Kako's friend Mamoru stopped Mitsuki from beating me again."
"Again with the captain of the boxing club, huh?" He paused. "Do you mean Chino Mamoru by any chance?"
"I know what you're thinking, but she's not as mean as everyone believes. She stepped in and told Mitsuki to back off. Mamoru's also Kako's friend, so she must not be all that bad."
"Well, since you're the same genius I am, I guess I'll trust your word. Why don't you go rest?"
Hikaru nodded. "I definitely need some sleep, but only after I look up a few things in my books."
He sighed exasperatedly. "There you go again with your books!" he pointed out to her as she headed up the stairs. "You mind drawing a bath for me on your way to your room first?"
"I'm your sister," Hikaru yelled down the staircase, "not your maid!"
"Yeah, yeah…," he muttered again. He searched through the stack of newspapers and found what he was looking for. The article was titled: 'CHAIRMAN AMANO: A FAMILY MAN AS WELL AS A BUSINESSMAN'. The photo beside it was a recent black-and-white picture of Chairman Amano Hiro beside his daughter, Kako. The teen smiled to himself. Amano Kako, huh? Popular, rich, and nice wrapped up all into one small package. I'd like to see just how nice someone like that could be. He folded the newspaper and placed it with the others before he headed to the washroom. Those pigtails of hers are quite cute, too…
mew-tsubaki here! I hope you're enjoying this fanfic even though the original senshi only appeared in the first chapter. But this is a spin-off. Anyway, I just wanted to say that the reason why this last section of this chapter with Hikaru and her brother was confusing is because I don't want to reveal too much about him yet. Look for upcoming chapters to see more of him! -