Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Newage Zodiacs ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Sailor Moon does not belong to me, however the characters of the Zodiac Senshi do. Ask if you want to borrow them.

Newage Senshi

Prologue

Being stuck inside on such a nice day was not a good idea of fun, Hi decided as she watched people walking on the streets below. Then again, it never was fun. She should know, after all, she had been stuck inside no matter what the weather ever since her father and brother had been killed seven years ago. She was aloud outside for school but very little else. She couldn't really blame her mother though. Miraino Miaka was a very open woman and the death of her son and husband had very nearly killed her. Hi knew the only reason her mother continued to live was to keep her daughter safe.

Too bad safe meant captive.

Miraino Hi shifted position in the window seat listening to her mother moving around in the next room. Everyone was running around down there preparing for the ball that was coming next week. Hi's best friend, Ai, was going and both girls were sad that even if Hi had received an invitation her mother had refused to allow her to go by not passing on the invitation.

Angrily, the seventeen-year-old girl pushed herself to her feet and drew the curtains over the window with a snap. She was the only person in Senior High in Crystal Tokyo not able to go. She strode over to the full-length mirror on the back of her door and stared at her reflection.

She spent most of her time working out at the gym on the ground floor of their apartment building so was in pretty good shape. Her body was lean; some would consider her fragile if they didn't know her strength. Her long legs were currently encased in a pair of denim jeans that had a patch over the hole on her right knee. She wore a t-shirt whose bright red colour matched her hair and eyes. A smile curved her lips at that thought. She couldn't even count the number of times people had asked her if that was her real hair and eye colour and their disbelief when she told them yes.

She started to turn away when there was a knock on her door and turned back to answer it. "Nani?" She asked her mother.

"I'd like to talk to you please." The older woman said before heading back to the kitchen.

Hi shrugged and looped an elastic around her wrist and began putting waist length hair that was still damp back into her usual braid as she padded barefoot out to join her mother at the kitchen table.

Hi folded her long body into one of the chairs, watching her mother quietly. Miaka used to have the same red hair that Hi now had, but over the last several years she had aged quickly and her face was lined and tired and her hair was grey. The two weren't very close but Hi still found herself trying to resist the urge to hug her mother.

The two were quiet for a minute until Miaka started when Hi snapped the elastic onto the end of her braid.

"You know I have been, overprotective, since the accident." Miaka started after a minute.

Hi groaned and sat up straight. "Mother we have had this talk a million times. Dad and Touya died in an accident. King Endymion himself came here and apologized! He told us himself that these accidents almost never happen and wished there was something that could be done about it but he would make sure that nothing like it happened again and no one has died in shootings since." She said, her voice frustrated.

Miaka nodded curtly. "That's why I've decided to let you go to Princess Usagi's birthday next week."

Hi opened her mouth to argue then blinked in surprise unsure of what to say.

"I can't keep you inside and besides, the Palace is a very safe place with all the Sailor Senshi to protect you." Miaka said awkwardly. "Now go buy yourself a dress to wear before all the good ones are sold out." She finished, sliding some money across the table to her stunned daughter.

Hi sat in silence for a moment more, then jumped to her feet. "Okaa-san, arigato!" She cried giving her mother a quick hug and grabbing the money.

Hi ran to her room looking at the clock as she pulled on socks and sneakers. Ai was planning on shopping today as well; if she hurried she could catch her friend before she left.

She grabbed her jacket and ran from the apartment yelling a hurried good-bye over her shoulder.

She ran down the outer hall, swerving to avoid a couple who was too close as she skidded around a corner and started to take the branch to her friends apartment when she saw the familiar head of brown hair stepping into the elevator.

"Ai-chan! Matte!" She yelled but was too late, the elevator doors closed.

Hi turned and jerked open the door to the staircase. They were only on the ninth floor after all. The redhead ran down the stairs as fast as she could, barely managing to keep her balance, and arrived on the ground floor at the same time as the elevator doors dinged open.

"Ai-chan!" She cried, as she leaned against the door gasping for breath.

"Hi-chan! I thought that was you but I wasn't sure." Ai said with a laugh as she came over. Ai and Hi were the same age, off in birth only but a couple months, but Ai had lived a much more sheltered lifestyle and looked younger. She had eyes of an eerie golden colour and her hair was a light brown that went just past the bottom of her shoulder blades. She was a bit shorter than Hi, and dressed in a more feminine way. Today she was wearing a pale yelled summer dress with a white zip up sweater loose over it and slim yellow sandals. The two girls were inseparable.

Hi got her breath back in a rush and grabbed Ai's hands. "I'm aloud to go to the ball!" She practically crowed.

"Nani?" Ai half screamed.

"Hai!" Hi replied with a grin. "That's what I thought. Demo Okaa-san said that the Palace was really safe since the Senshi are all going to be there and I shouldn't be able to get into too much trouble!"

Together the two girls started walking to the nearby mall, laughing and talking about how much fun they were going to have at the ball. They arrived soon enough and wove their way in through the other customers looking for a nice dress shop.

Ai was in the middle of saying something to Hi when someone in front of her suddenly stopped, causing Ai to collide with the other persons back.

"Oh! Gomen!" Ai said quickly.

The other women turned around, brushing a long lock of curly aqua hair back off a perfect cheek and Ai automatically stepped back a bit as matching aqua coloured eyes managed to seem to look down on her even though the aqua haired beauty was several inches shorter. "You should be, watch where you are going." The woman said coldly.

Ai blinked in disbelief and Hi quickly stepped forward to glare at the shorter woman. "She said sorry." Hi said coldly, narrowing red eyes that always seemed to make people think twice about taking her on.

This woman, however, just drew herself up and opened her mouth to give what Hi guessed would be a scalding lecture on manners, but was interrupted by one of her companions. This woman was a bit older, but looked younger as she wore her shoulder length silver hair up in pigtails on both sides of her head. She sighed and shook her head. "Nijima, you can't pick fights with everyone here, if you wanted such perfect peace you should have ordered from a catalogue instead of coming to a mall."

Nijima shrugged. "But half the fun of shopping is being rude to other shoppers Milo," she replied. "Especially poor ones."

Hi and Ai were feeling just a bit speechless over this woman's total attitude when they were interrupted by two bag laden men. The older one had the distracted attitude of someone whose mind was on something totally unrelated, and his silver hair was in a disarray looking like it needed a trim. The younger however, caught Hi's eye. He had sandy blond hair that was a bit longer then his companions and seemed to be deliberately arranged into a flyaway look to show he didn't care what it looked like. Studying him, Hi noticed that all four wore pricey outfits and each had the crest of one of the outer planets pinned onto his or her clothes somewhere.

"Could we go already?" The older man said, drawing her attention away for a second. "I have lots of stuff I need to do before next week besides carrying your bags ladies."

Nijima shook her head. "Fine Xinifall, lets leave the lower beings to their own devices." She said as she turned, taking the young man's arm to lead them off to another store.

Hi frowned and turned to Ai as soon as Milo and Xinifall turned to follow the other two. "Forget about them Ai-chan, it's a well-known fact that Palace Kids," she emphasised the word kids even though most of them were older. "Are taught basic schooling in everything except manners." She caught the younger man's surprised and slightly appreciative glance and led Ai off before Nijima and Milo could think of proper comebacks.

They were both giggling when they ducked into the crowd and then into a nearby store to wait for the four to move off. "I think you may have made us enemies, Hi-chan." Ai commented through her laughter.

Hi grinned, totally without remorse. "Hai, demo they really deserved it, ne?"