Author: Lady Hiko Email: ladyhiko@yahoo.com URL: www.geocities.com/ladyhiko Rating: PG. Chapter: 4 'A Spirited Beginning' The sun shone brightly as it drifted over our sleeping heroine, bathing her in its glow, annoying her to wake up. Poke! Poke! "Snoax...Just one more minute mommy, and then I'll get up...just one more minute...snoax..." she mumbled, swinging her arm in the air trying to dissuade me. No, this was not Serena, if that is what you were thinking, but another holder of power, one that was born under difficult circumstances to be held to the most saddening job. I look down at her, so cute, almost a little sister if you ask me. I'd have to say that Jarod would have to agree with me on that one, they are the closest thing to a family I've got. I stare down at her for another moment before I have to wake her for the one thing we all dread, school. Poke! Poke! "Oh mommy, just one more minute and I'll get up okay? You can take Mister Snuggles if you want, just let me sleep one more minute mommy...." Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! "Angelaaaaa...." No movement. "That's it!" I mumble as I push her off of the bed. *~Angela~* On the floor, I sleepily open my eyes and see Damion. "Groaaaaannnn.... Damion! Why did you have to wake me up?!" With amusement in his voice, he asks, "Do you realize how late we are?" "What?!" With the blankets still around me, I hopped off the floor, only to land flat on my face. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?!" "Because you're so funny when you're late." Gritting my teeth, I got out of the tangled mass of blankets around me on the floor and up to usher him out. "Grrrrrrr... Out! Out!...Out! Out! OUT! Because of you I'm late!" Damion now securely outside my door, I rushed to put on my uniform, making sure my earrings (two peculiar set of hooked hoop earrings,) are securely fastened in place, I ran out the door. Damion and Jarod were no where behind me. I didn't have time to go back and get them; I was too late as it is... And on my first day! I rounded the corner to the Juuban High School; I was never told where it was, but somehow I knew. Something was nagging me at the back of my mind, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. And then it hit me, literally. Darian was always jogging at this hour, and I smacked right into him. How Serena of me. "Oof!" I uttered as I fell on my keister, yep right on my keister...Thank Kami I didn't fall on him. I know for certain that Serena would have killed me. "Ouch!" He mumbled as he rubbed his head. "Gomen, gomen nasai," I mumbled with my head bowed. "It's okay," and he offered his hand to me. One problem, I couldn't get up, as another body landed on me with a resounding thud. Now I'll give you one guess as to who was on top of me...well you really don't need that guess, it was Odango Atama of course. So there I was, tangled in a mass of golden hair, the golden hair of a screaming blond asking poor Darian as to who I was. "What the?! DARIAN! WHO IS THIS GIRL AND WHY AM I ON TOP OF HER?!" "Why don't you ask her yourself?" So there I was, flattened on the ground, only partially to the girl's weight, but more by her stare. If she stared any more intensely at me; I swear, my hair would catch fire! "Who are you, and what were you doing with MY Darien?" "Eh...eh...Nothing. I just accidentally ran into him? Not buying it. Waving my hands in a frantic matter, I quickly stammered, "Really! It's the truth!" Swiftly to change the subject, I stuck out my hand, "My name is Angela...Angela Hopeno." Staring at my hand as if it belonged to some alien force, Serena took my hand and swiftly shook it. One pump only. "Serena Tsukino..." "Well, nice meeting ya, but I've gotta go! Ja ne!" ~~~~Serena~~~~ (Later in first hour) Just then there was a small knock on the door, causing my Spanish teacher to finally shut up about cognates or whatever. Upon opening the door her face lit up and some odd array of word came flying out... as if I could ever understand her anyways, whether speaking Spanish or Japanese. Taking a step back, a young girl about my age stepped into the room. She had mid-length raven hair and her eyes blue. She seemed somewhat taller than me and looked somewhat familiar. My head shot up from the desk. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, another person walked in behind her. An incredibly hot guy MUCH taller than I...I'd say Darien's height, with caramel brown hair and hazel eyes. They stepped towards the front of the class and bowed to the 'professora'. Tugging them the rest of the way, Professora Kegerbower turned to rest of the class and began, "Hola classe. We have two more new students. Meet..." She turned to Angela and whispered something, and turned back to the class. "Angela and Damion. Er- why don't you two introduce yourselves?" Angela went to go first, stepping to the middle of the class and making a modest bow, hands clutched on her Spanish book, hair cascading around her face, shrouding it from the rest of us. Lifting her head back up and tucking a stray section of hair behind her ear she turned to the class to speak, her gold earrings glimmering as she spoke. Blushing furiously she began, "Well, as she said, my name is Angela, Angela Hopeno. Though I was originally born in Japan, I am an American. I came to America at the age of 8 with my brothers Damion and Jarod after our parents died. I love to sing and draw," she paused and then added quickly, "and Sailor Mars is my favorite senshi." With that she bowed and stood back against the chalkboard while her deliciously hot brother stepped forward to speak, all the while staring at her quizzingly. Temporarily brought out of my revere, I looked back up to gaze upon her brother. As I said, he stepped forward, purposely, clearing his throat, while staring at the class intensely, almost threateningly, as if daring someone to go against what he was about to say. "As Angela has already said, I am her brother, her OLDER brother. Meaning if any of you guys out there are tempting to flirt with her, remember, you are going to have to go through me...as well as my twin, Jarod." He continued, "Any questions?" No one in the class dared to raise their hands, or look at him for that matter. Poor Angela, she just flushed to her roots, looking impossibly paler against her ebony-red hair. Trying to lighten the mood, I cautiously raised my hand. He looked down at me, as though just realizing that I was there for the first time. A look of recognition passed over his face and his mood lightened slightly. His eyebrow raised as he simply asked, "Yes?" All eyes were on me, as every class member was curious as to what I was going to say. Cheeks already beginning to redden, I meekly inquired, "Who's YOUR favorite senshi?" His face brightened considerably as a smile cracked onto that seemingly stone cold face. He looked up at the ceiling as if contemplating it and a chuckle escaped his lips. He looked back down at me, eyes dancing with mirth as he simply replied, " I'd have to say it is a tie between Sailor Jupiter, and...Sailor Moon." On the pronunciation of Sailor Moon, he stared directly at me, as if expecting some odd reaction to come from me. Did he know something I didn't? Laughing slightly uncomfortably, Professora Kegerbower stepped back into the center stage of the class. "Well, wasn't that...er...educating. Angela, you can take a seat over there, and Damion, well, you can take a seat over there," she said, indicating the two seats to the left of me. With that the two new kids descended down the aisle and sat in the two seats to my left, Angela immediately next to me and Damion in the seat to the left of her. I glanced to my right at the other new guy, Anton, who seemed to be drooling over Angela. What was so special about her anyways, and who would actually name their kid Anthony Lupin?! I swiftly looked over to the seemingly oblivious Angela and to Damion. Yeesh, if looks could kill, Anton would be dead on the floor by now by the look Damion was giving him. I look back at Anton to see him sheepishly avert his gaze. What was so special about her anyways? I turned my head back towards Angela, trying to figure it out. She looked simple enough. Typical blue eyes and black hair...kinda reminds me of Darien, I wonder why? I study her form; she looks similar to me, possibly a little more graceful...kinda conservative like Amy. I mean, I think she actually understands what Ms. K is saying! I spy her necklace, a diamond shaped silver pendant with what looks to be like a garnet inside, like something that either Setsuna or Rei would wear. And then my eyes get caught on her, what could only be described as peculiar, earrings. Who wears gold with silver anyways? Heck, who has two hooped earrings hooked together? Shouldn't they be, I don't know, in separate holes? She turns her head slightly to the side, and light from the outside, from the sun, catches them and seemingly blinds me with the light. So intense, then the world goes black. ```Still Serena``` I feel almost as if I've left my body...sort of a feeling of weightlessness. The area around me is dark, almost red in feeling. The air around me is heavy, and I see two lone figures on the ground below me...no make that three, one is holding another within their arms. One is dark, almost black in color, yet one is wearing all silver. The one in the black one's arms is indistinguishable, except that they are in something white. The wind is blowing steadily around me and I can catch bits of their conversation. "Fault...dead..." "No..." "Gotta stop..." "Dead..." "Gone forever..." "No return..." "No chance..." A wisp of golden hair is caught in the wind and is blown up to me. Golden, like my own hair, and incredibly long. And then realization dawns upon me as I realize what they are talking about. The white thing down there is me...and I'm DEAD! ````Still Serena, in class```` I wake with a scream, sweat perspiring down my body, the whole class staring at me. "Aweeee.... did poor Sewena have a nightmare?" "Does Sewena boo boo want me to kiss her and make it all better," I heard some of the classmates chortle in the background. Rolling up her sleeve, Angela turned to the crowd, particularly those two boys and replied with menace enough to rival Rei, "Not unless you want a knuckle sandwich from her boyfriend Darien after school, or better yet, how about one right now from me?" She said while flexing the well-tuned muscles in the bared forearm just as Ms. K. stormed up. "Serena! I would have expected better of you than to fall asleep then disturb my class, and Angela! I would have thought you would have had better sense than to threaten someone in my class, and on your first day! I'll be seeing both of you after class, TODAY!" <...> Sighing, I made another quick glance towards Damion. It appeared as though he had figured out which two boys had said that, for there were two of them cowering in their desks. Oh well, I got detention once in her class already, not like I'm going to be able to get another one...so as my eyes got increasingly heavier, my head thunked to the desk, and I was asleep once again. ~~~~SECOND HOUR...Angela~~~~ The room was quieted once again as I laid another gentle rap on the door, Jarod right behind me. Slowly the door crept open to the auditorium where the theatre arts class was held. A seemingly mousy woman of small stature with dyed boyish brown hair opened the door, peering at me through a set of glasses before she realized what was going on. With a wry grin she ushered Jarod and I in. Turning to the class that was on the stage in the middle of a skit, she cleared her throat and announced, "Class, I would like to meet our new transfer students Angela and Jarod who came all the way from America." They all just stared blankly at Jarod and I. "Uh...Howdy?" First it started with a chuckle from the crowd, then a snort which turned into a good round of laughter. One swift look from the teacher and they were silent again. Looking directly at me, she said, "Well, why don't you tell us a bit about yourselves. It must have been interesting to have lived in America." Sigh, " My name is Angela. I was originally from Japan, but lived in the US for 8 years after my parents died. I came back to spend some time in my place of birth. Now to you Jarod!" I said, swinging my arm to Jarod as though I was introducing some talk show host. Thoroughly stunned, Jarod stepped forward. "M-my name is Jarod," he stuttered, but upon spotting a blond in the crowd, his tone once again resumed its usual tone. "I am Angela's older brother, and if you had Spanish first hour, there's a good possibility that you've met my twin, Damion, my fraternal twin." The odangoed blond in back waved her hand around in mid-air, shouting from upstage, " No kidding. I thought he was going to bite anyone's head off that merely looked at Angela!" "He tends to be like that. Give him some time Serena, it takes him a while to warm up to anyone." He so smoothly replied. She seemed shocked that he knew her. With another interesting smile, Ms. Ajack ushered us to the stage as with a wry smile Jarod took stance between the two bubbly blondes, Mina and Serena. "Okay, our first exercise today will be streets and allies. All of you have played this game, am I correct?" she grinningly asked. Everyone but Jarod and I shook their heads. Curling her index finger under her everlasting grin, she replied with bemused eyes, " So I guess they never taught you this in America, huh? Okay, first things first. Arrange yourselves in four vertical columns of three. Good. Now stick your arms out straight like a T. Great! Now when I say streets turn your arms right, and when I say allies turn your arms to the left. Do it quickly for it to work. This is to teach you how to do things without thinking. Don't intellectualize it, just play the game to play the game. Mina and Serena, why don't you guys go first. Serena, you'll be the cop, and Mina; you'll be the robber. Okay, now go!" "Streets!" We turned to the right, making three long columns of pathways. Serena chasing Mina all the way. "Minnnnnaaaaaaa!!! Wait up!" "Allies!" We turned to the left, separating Serena from Mina, allowing her to escape in a fit of giggles. It was weird, seeing blonde chasing blonde, but I know which one Jarod was following... "Streets!" We turned once again, Jarod tuning a little quicker to stop the rampaging, yet giggling Serena. "Serena, Jarod! Stop intellectualizing it!" Ms. Ajack called as the illusive Mina escaped once again. A few more "Allies!" and " Streets!" and Mina was caught by Serena in a full klutz attack. Bracing herself with her hands on her knees, "Okay *pant*, someone else's turn to be a cop," Serena panted. "Any takers?" Ms. Ajack asked eyeing Jarod. "You!" She said, pointing directly at Jarod. "You'll be the cop, and Mina, you'll be the robber again, since you make such a good one." Eyeing Ms. Ajack closely, almost inquizively Jarod stepped forward. " Okay, BEGIN!" She shouted, clapping her hands together. Jarod leapt forward a little too eagerly, falling with a resounding thunk. "Streets!" He got up and started heading after Mina. "Allies!" He headed the other way after her. "Streets!" "Allies!" "Streets!" "Allies!" "Streets!" She was now saying it so rapidly that I was beginning to get dizzy trying to keep up with her. But Jarod, being himself, was starting to get tired of this. He had an objective, and an object to get to, Mina, and considering that, he was tiring of the wait. Idea firmly set in his mind; he shot up into the air, leaping over his classmates. "Hold your concentration class, remember that! Jarod! Stop intellectualizing!" So the game intensified despite the teacher's indigence. "Streets!" "Allies!" Leap after leap those two went, Mina giggling as Jarod so fervently chased after her, occasionally leaping even over me. "Streets!" "Allies!" It kept on going until with one swift leap, Jarod caught up, tackling the laughing Mina to the ground just as the bell rang. "Okay class, that's enough. Mina, Jarod, I guess we'll just have to retire you as the undefeated champs for the evening. Have a good day class and don't forget to get a sonnet to show me tomorrow!" She called out, waving to the class as we departed. ```Still Angela``` It was around the time of the last hour bell that I felt that old familiar pang in my stomach. Something was wrong. I stared up at the clock, pleading it to strike 2:25. The pain intensified so much that I was practically doubled over in my seat, Mr. Sorenson staring worriedly at my palened face. I had to transform fast or the pain would overtake me, but there were too many witnesses. At the sound of the final bell, I raced out of the classroom, on the verge of hurling to the call of "Angela? Are you okay?!" in the distance. With pain this intense, I knew that Jarod and Damion must know something was up too, must be feeling this pain. An explosion of great proportion let loose on what once to be called the house across the street, leaving bewildered students to stare at the gargantuan hole where there was once a house as I crept outside unseen. Alsessaly had made his first move, now it was time to make mine. I clasped my right earring, causing my locket to fall into my hand. Knowing what I had to do, I called out, "HEAVENLY METAMORPHOSIS!" In the still and empty Kreiser theatre I felt the power overtake me. My body was no longer my own as the familiar transformation took over. No longer could I feel my familiar school uniform, but was enwrapped in the powerful and intensifying burning golden power as my form glowed and formed a simple white fuku around me. Butterflies of gold swarmed around me, flying through my hair as I doubled over, touching my feet as crimsoned red shoes formed at my feet. I sprung back twirling as crimson painted itself across my collar and streaking across the bottom of my skirt, gold flowing alongside it. With my second locket forming at my front and gold spilling onto my bows, I stood in my transformation pose, posing to no one. Pain pierced me no longer in my abdomen, but in my heart. Something was seriously wrong. The pain wasn't a fleeting feeling; it was long and slow, feeling as though I was going to die, making my eyes water. Peeling myself off the floor, I raced out the theatre, getting stares from everyone as I raced out the front doors towards where the house once stood. Cars sped across the street and out in all directions trying to get away from the site. Above what appeared to be a crater shone the silvery hulk of some sort of ship floating in mid air. A menacing gleam caught my eye as a SUV went careening off of the road in my direction. No where to escape. Too tall to leap over. Panic gripped me ever so quickly as my heart pounded within my chest, SUV almost to me. My mind stood frozen, but it was like as though my body wasn't ready to go yet, for it took on a mind of its own as I felt flesh painfully ripping at my back in a ghostly glow of light. A scream pierced the air, one I had unknowingly created. But the car did not hit. I suddenly felt cold, wind suddenly violently ripping around me in immense gusts. Mind and body suddenly going into focus, I realized that I was no longer on the ground, but on an updraft in mid-air. Pain racking my body with every uplift, I look back to behold two glistening white wings like that of an angel's sprouted from my back. Determination working its way through my mind, overpowering the intense feeling of ripped flesh at my back; I soared over to the disaster site. There on the ground, in a pool of blood before me lain Jarod and Damion in a bloody heap. ~~~~~~***Author's Notes***~~~~~~~ *Lady Hiko looks at readers with pleading eyes.* "Please don't kill me," she wimpers. I'm sorry I took soooo long, but my inspiration was held elsewhere. Forgive me? Arigatou to the still few readers that I have. Arigatou to Kawaii Hoshi and Pluto-san for reading and encouraging me to go on with my stories. Without you I wouldn't be able to go on, and nary a word would be ever written by me ever again. It's nice to know I have fans. Also, an arigatou goes out to Marianya for, well, just being there. She has never read a single one of my stories, but she has encouraged me with my poetry. Thanks guys, you're the best. ~Lady Hiko