Chapter 2:

The Promise

Sukeban : Magical Princess Dream Warrior


Kaneko grumbled as her eyes fluttered open. She was back in the bottom bunk of her new bed. She sat up, tired and yawning as the rays of early morning sunshine peered through the window. It took a solid 30 seconds of Kaneko groggily sitting there to recognize the incongruity in her memory. When she passed out last night, she was in the backyard and Minny was…

Minny!

Quickly throwing off the covers, Kaneko scrambled up the side of the bed to check if the girl was there. She thought that if she could see Minny’s face again, it could confirm that she was the same girl that she saw last night, which would confirm if it was even real. As she discovered though, Minny had already vacated her bed. Great.

Maybe it was a dream? It seemed too real and a bit too convenient for that to be the case, but it's not like Kaneko could prove anything. Something was off, but she figured she’d let it be for now and look out for any suspicious occurrences as the day went on. Aside from Minny not being in her bed, of course.

Stepping out the bedroom door, Kaneko made her way into the living/dining room. The rooms were separated by nothing more than the fact that the living room had a carpet and the dining room had hardwood floors. The layout was similar to what Kaneko was used to in her cramped Neo-Tokyo apartment back home, only bigger.

Sitting out on the dining room table was a modest platter of various western breakfast foods. There were eggs and some bacon, alongside some small flapjacks. There was also, to Kaneko’s mild surprise, a rice cooker and a little bowl of miso soup laid out.

Kaneko’s Aunt, Airi, came out of the kitchen and lit up when she saw Kaneko. “You’re awake!? Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, more or less. I’m a little groggy, but I should be fine once I get to class.”
“Mmhm. Good Japanese work ethic, I love to see it.” Airi said, before turning to the dishes on the table. “Well, I made you a very special breakfast for your first real day in the states. A little bit familiar and a little bit unfamiliar. Just like my first time coming here.”

Airi’s expression shifted into something nostalgic yet slightly sad, pausing for slightly too long, before she realized what she was doing and continued. “I really hope you have a good time. It can be a lot, but California has so much to discover!”

Kaneko didn’t respond. She didn’t know how to. She wasn’t used to this level of affection and excitement directed towards her and the fact that she had just woken up jetlagged was not going to help. Her first instinct was to bow and thank Airi, but remembering last night, she decided to simply nod, smile and give a polite “Mhm” before sitting down to eat.

Staring at the table in front of her, Kaneko grabbed some chop sticks that were laid out for her and started to put some food on her plate. She was starting to feel self conscious as Airi watched her eat and tried to focus on something else. Seeing Airi and everything she had done for her made Kaneko nearly forget about the “dream” from the night before.

Seeing as she wanted to fill the void of conversation anyway, Kaneko decided to ask, “So, did you see Minny this morning? Or did she leave early or something?”

Airi shook her head, snapping herself out of a train of thought. “Uh… No. No, usually she’s up before me. Her dad has to get up very early for work, so she likes to eat breakfast with him. She’s often out and about, grabbing bubble tea before class or hanging out with friends.” Airi paused, clearly thinking about how to phrase her next words. “She’s very laid back, You know? She likes taking things at her own pace.”

Kaneko nodded as if she understood. She still wasn’t totally convinced that her cousin wasn’t hiding a secret double life as a magical girl, but she didn’t want to give that impression to Airi.

“Maybe you’ll see her at school.” Airi smiled as she glanced up at an analog clock that was set up on the dining room wall. “Oop! Speaking of School, you should probably start eating quicker if you want to have time to get ready. Don’t worry about anything you don’t eat, I can pack it up for leftovers.”

Airi smiled a reassuring smile and disappeared back into the kitchen. Kaneko started to speed up, quickly eating what was left on her plate, as well as a bit of the rice. The food was delicious and Kaneko lamented having to hork it down in order to fit in a shower before her first day at a new school.

As soon as she was done, Kaneko cautiously dropped her dishes in the sink, hoping that’s where they went, before she grabbed clean clothes out of her bag and took a quick shower. Kaneko didn’t want to start at her new school with a bad reputation, so she was planning on showing up at least 15 minutes early to get her bearings before she was supposed to show up at the main office.

After briefly saying goodbye to her Aunt, Kaneko was out the door with time to spare, the thin messenger bag she had folded up into her luggage under her arm. She decided that she’d let herself go at a fairly leisurely pace and kind of see the sights. Checking her map app though, Kaneko’s best route was mostly through neighborhoods, so she wasn’t that hopeful that she’d get to see anything of note.

Kaneko was right, there wasn’t anything particularly interesting about her walk to school. That did not mean that she didn’t enjoy it though. Every house along the block was unique and strangely refreshing. Kaneko was sick of Neo-Tokyo by the time she left. She was happy to see that there was at least something different in the world.

By then, there were several other students walking the same way as Kaneko. She was surprised how different all their clothes were. She had known about the lack of school uniforms, but seeing it in person was completely different. Kaneko was struck by how surreal it was going to be to actually be on campus with these kids. It was scary to think that it was different than she was used to.

Closer to the school, Kaneko cut through a park. It seemed to be where everyone else was walking, so she decided to follow even though it wasn’t the route she mapped out in her brain. The park was massive. At least compared to what she was used to in the heart of the city. The park she was walking through had grassy hills and plenty of space. There were large parks in Tokyo as well, but those were the exception. This was absolutely normal for these Americans, which was baffling.

Kaneko stared in awe at the playground and field, surprised at how much there was of each. She was walking, along with some other students, down a concrete path that wound through the sparse but large trees. Something that she spotted out of the corner of her eye made her give an actual double take.

Beside a tree, off on the other side of the park, there was a cat. A familiar cat, whose black fur seemed to trap all light, making it pitch black even in the early morning sun. It was the cat she had seen last night, right before she passed out. It was sitting there, taunting her.

Without thinking, Kaneko ran over towards it. As she got close, the cat seemed to cautiously rise from its position. Once Kaneko was too near, the cat bolted in the opposite direction, blocking itself from view, behind a tree. Kaneko started to chase it behind there as well, oblivious that she looked kinda weird to the other students who were on their way to school.

Kaneko got to the tree and suddenly saw the cat next to another one. And after it walked behind that tree, she followed it, only to find that it had somehow appeared next to another tree, further along.

Obliviously, Kaneko was being guided away from the eyes of her peers and into what was sort of the “back” of the park. It was a secluded area, with some sort of recreation or administrative building for the parks on one end, and the rest of it surrounded by tall hedges aside from a small opening to enter. Overhead, there were many trees which shaded the entire area, while still letting in enough light that it wasn’t dark. It was probably a pretty good place to host a barbeque or birthday party, even having a few picnic tables set up.

As Kaneko looked around, there was something that she couldn’t see. The cat was completely gone. She hadn’t noticed up until then how supernatural this all felt. That cat wasn’t fast, it was teleporting. And it was leading her here.

On the building was a door, which was slightly ajar. Even without wind, the door was gently swinging on its hinge. It was so obvious that Kaneko was supposed to go in there, that she almost turned and walked away. But she could feel herself being drawn inside. Some force, inseparable from her own mind, was telling her to go inside.

Stepping closer, Kaneko reached out for the door handle. Slowly, she opened it to find the same dark void that the cat seemed to be made out of. She looked around, hoping someone was around to catch her before she went in. There was nobody.

Trepidatiously, Kaneko reached her hand inside. She expected it to plunge into a thick tar or ooze, instead, her hand didn’t pass through anything. Defying all logic, it appeared that the void had no depth or volume. It simply ‘was’. Pushing her hand further inside made that even more apparent. The hand was lit, not only from the outside but by reflections off the walls and floors, like in any other room, but nothing around it seemed to follow the same behavior.

Kaneko gulped, knowing what she was going to do next. She slowly reached her foot inside, only to find a ground that she couldn’t actually see. Testing it; shifting her weight, Kaneko decided that it should be able to hold her. It felt like solid, flat ground underneath her feet.

As she stepped inside, She could feel the air around her cool. It wasn’t much colder than outside, but it was enough to give the space a more magical feel. As she slowly made her way further in, she looked back to find the door back sitting in the void. Aside from herself, it was the only color she could see.

Kaneko shrugged, saying, “I’ve gotten this far.” under her breath.

She continued slowly in a straight line from the door until her outstretched hand met something solid. Feeling around, it felt like a shear wall, flat like the ground she was standing on. There was something strange about her hand now though. It was being lit by something other than the door.

Looking to her side, Kaneko saw a hallway. It was still filled with utter blackness, like everything else in the room, but she could tell it was a hallway. There were sconces on the walls, carrying lit torches and on the other side of the hallway was a podium with some object on top. Behind that, there was a massive wooden door with decorative red accents. It was something you’d see in an anime.

Kaneko stepped towards the podium, with more confidence now. As she got about halfway through the hallway, Kaneko heard a woman start to speak, “Kaneko, if you step any further, your fate will be set. Go back now if you want a normal life.”

Well, it wasn’t that she heard her, there was no sound entering Kaneko’s ears. Instead, the voice seemed to pass right over those and enter her brain directly, as if she was thinking the thoughts herself.

Kaneko froze as she spoke to the voice. “Um… How are you doing that?”

The voice responded, “I am the comet Goddess, Gaia. I use magic, silly.”

Gaia’s voice was motherly and nurturing, as well as powerful and commanding, even as she said something like ‘silly’. She didn’t waver in her complex yet simple intonation.

“So if I go down to the end of this hallway… What? My life becomes more chaotic than it already is?” Kaneko asked.

“Yes. But, if you don’t, your cousin will suffer more than necessary.”

“You’re the reason that Minny’s a magical girl?” Kaneko waited for a moment, but was only met with silence. “...Figures. I guess if I have to go in then. And she won’t be tortured or anything?”

“She will be safe at the end of the journey you will find yourselves on. Stronger even. I can promise you that.”

Kaneko let out a long breath, realizing what she was about to do. “If that’s what it takes.”

The delinquent took a step forward. And then another. And another, continuing to take conscious steps until she made it to the pedestal at the center of the void.

On the pedestal sat what appeared to be a tape dispenser. The kind that movers use when packing up boxes, with a handle and everything. Except the roll of tape was completely enclosed aside from having a small opening at the top where tape was dispensed. It was bright red, which happened to be Kaneko’s favorite color, and it had black accents along its body.

Kaneko moved to pick it up, she could feel the tape dispenser almost magnetize with her hand. As soon as she touched it, she felt a feeling like none other. She was doused with euphoria and wholeness. She was happy for a moment.

And then she woke up. This time, she wasn’t in bed. Kaneko sat up in the empty lawn outside what appeared to be her new high school. On a digitized sign out front of the school, the time read “8:44”.

“Aw, what? I’m 15 minutes late!?”

Instantly, Kaneko was awake and jumping up to run towards the front office.

(A/N Hey, so this is my book! The start of it at least. If you liked it, please like and comment and if you didn't, please tell me why in a comment. I always try to improve my writing, so any criticism will probably be appreciated. Anyways, now that the shilling is over, I can go over my plan for this book.

Basically, aside from this chapter, I'm trying to have a chapter out every Wednesday and Saturday. This one took a long time because I forgot, and I was at anime Expo, so yeah... I'm sorry for that. Whatever, here it is! I hope you stick with me as I continue to publish chapters and finish this off!

-Rabat)