Author's Note: The inspiration for this story came from a line I used in a previous fanfic I had written. In chapter one of "Blood on the Moon", when Sailor Moon bursts in on a hostage situation at a bank, one of the startled thugs mistakenly called her 'Sailor Vulcan', a reference of course to Star Trek, my favorite TV show. A few weeks later, I was suddenly struck by an inspiration like a bolt from the blue and said to myself: 'Why the hell not?' Lots of other folks here on this site and others have created their own Sailor Scouts, both female AND male, so I've decided to follow in their footsteps and do the same. My character, T'alya is an iron willed but enigmatic Vulcan teenager struggling to deal with the power of her emotions which fate prevented her from purging and had yet to master. This I feel will be key to the story as T'alya's experiences with Serena and the girls will blunt her coldly ruthless, and, at times lethal approach to fighting evil as a Sailor Scout, and ultimately give her a lasting and logical appreciation of both her emotions and, more importantly, the value of friendship. If you wish to comment on T'alya, or my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. All references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.

Across The Millennia
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part One: New Girl In Town
Rating: PG-13

Serena Tsukino pouted like a child as she trudged towards school. From the sour look on her pretty face, someone who didn't know her would think she was on her way to prison instead. However, to Serena, that was how she viewed school since she had an uncanny knack for always winding up in detention, her private version of solitary confinement at the end of the day.

"Jeez Louise, Serena! You look like you're on your way to death row!" said her best friend, Molly Baker, walking beside her, a look of concern on her face. "Don't tell me you forgot to study for today's Algebra test!"

"Uh, yeah. 'Fraid so, Moll," Serena replied listlessly. She didn't feel like coming up with a more elaborate excuse for her grim disposition. That meant thinking, something she avoided doing so early in the morning. And telling Molly the truth was clearly out of the question.

The truth was that Serena spent a solid two hours last night as Sailor Moon, training with Luna, Artemis and the other Scouts in the countryside. Even though there hadn't been any threats from the Negaverse for several weeks, Luna, always the stern taskmaster wanted to make sure the team didn't lose it's finely honed fighting edge should the enemy return to cause trouble. And if there was one thing Serena hated more than studying, it was the grueling, Boot Camp like atmosphere of a Scout training session as she and the girls were relentlessly drilled by the familiars. Especially when she was the only one who made mistakes and got chewed out for it by Luna and Sailor Mars.

Listening to Raye and Luna pitch a fit every time I screw up is enough to make anyone depressed, Serena thought glumly. I mean, I'm only human! Now I gotta deal with a test I was too tired to study for. I swear, being a superhero is a real pain in my butt! Well, at least I won't be late today. Big whoop.

Serena's glum reverie was suddenly interrupted by Molly gently rapping her knuckles on the side of Serena's head.

"Hel-lo! Earth to Serena! Is anyone home?" Molly asked, an edge of annoyance in her voice from being ignored. "Have you been listening to me? I said: you're not gonna get to high school like this you know!"

"Yeah, you're right," Serena replied grimly. Of course, if I get whacked by some ugly monster, high school will be the least of my worries. I wonder if heaven has high schools? Talk about your higher education! That silly thought made Serena suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" a puzzled Molly asked.

Serena covered her mouth to hold back her laughter. "Nothing."

Molly shook her head. Despite having grown up with Serena whom she knew like the back of her own hand, there were times when the pigtailed blonde was an absolute mystery to her.

"Sere, you are one goofy chick. But that's what I love most about you. Do you wanna go shopping after school today?"

Serena mulled over that for a few seconds. "Shopping? Hmm, I dunno. I'm kinda short on funds, and I don't get my allowance for another three days. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, the Fall Dance is a week from today. We're gonna need new dresses for it, you know. Or did you forget about that too?"

"No! No! I haven't forgotten. Why don't we wait until Friday when I get paid. Then we can shop ourselves sick," Serena suggested. Unless I'm grounded once mom finds out I've flunked another test! Going toe to toe with all the creepazoids from the Negaverse would be more fun!

After entering Crossraods Junior High, Serena and Molly made their way down the hall, crowded with chatty, boisterous kids to where their lockers were for their books when someone all but jumped in front of them from around a corner like a tiger pouncing on its prey. The girls, startled, stopped short.

"Good morning, ladies! My, but you're looking especially radiant this morning!" Melvin Grier screeched in greeting, a huge, toothy smile on his face. Serena and Molly groaned. Besides being the least attractive boy in school, what with his short, thin frame, spiky brown hair, whiny, high pitched voice and his incredibly thick lensed glasses, Melvin, for all his brilliance was a complete and total loser in social circles. 'The King of the Nerds' everyone called him, a role Melvin actually cherished.

"Will you stop doing that! I swear, Melvin, you are such a dork!" Molly complained.

"Yeah! Don't you have anything better to do than pester us?" Serena grumbled. For once, she was in no mood to deal with Melvin's antics.

"What do you mean pester? I like being with you, Serena. Besides, I just picked up the latest gossip!" Melvin said triumphantly.

Serena immediately perked up. "Did you say gossip? Suddenly, I'm glad you're here, darling!"

For all of Melvin's faults which, in Serena's eyes were legion, she did admire his amazing ability to dig up dirt on all the goings on in and out of school. And, being a normal, healthy teenage girl, Serena loved gossip which Melvin scooped up like a vacuum.

Molly grinned. She was interested too. "Yeah! So spill! What's up?"

Pulling a notepad from the pocket of his shirt, Melvin flipped through it to a page he had paper clipped. "Ahh, yes, here we are. A new girl's enrolling here today. An exchange student from the States. And, according to my sources, she's plenty mysterious!"

Serena, hearing that, frowned. It seemed that every time new students arrived at Crossroads, especially girls, it wound up directly impacting on her life. First was Amy Anderson and Lita Monroe who turned out to be fellow Scouts and her closest friends. Then Ann Grainger who, along with her brother Alan were, in fact, aliens from the Negaverse in disguise, having arrived on Earth to suck up energy from humans to revive their sinister Doom Tree.

It was because of them and the monsters they employed that Serena had been forced back into her danger filled life as Sailor Moon. It didn't help that Alan had fallen in love with her while Ann had gone crazy over Darien, something which almost led to a full blown disaster that threatened the city. That was three months ago, and despite the madness that soon followed with Rini, the Black Moon family, the mysterious Sailor Pluto and the demonic Doom Phantom, the incident with Ann was still fresh in her mind. The notion of a new girl in school left Serena with a strange sense of foreboding.

"As a matter of fact, here she comes now!" cried Melvin, pointing excitedly behind the girls. Serena and Molly whirled around to see what he was pointing at.

The crowded hallway suddenly parted like the Red Sea as the girl Melvin spoke of walked past throngs of now silent kids who gaped at her, practically in awe. She was tall as the statuesque Lita but not as muscular as her body was slim, lithe and well toned. Her light skin was flawlessly smooth as she sported glossy black hair styled in a short but attractive pageboy with long, straight bangs neatly trimmed across her face and arched eyebrows. The girl, carrying a black leather briefcase walked with a gliding, fluid gait and had a regal air about her, almost to the point of arrogance, yet her face was strangely cold, impassive, totally devoid of emotion. She never acknowledged anyone in the crowd, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead.

There was a hush in the hall, the only sound being the soft swish of the girl's school uniform skirt and the steady click-clack of her low heeled black pumps on the tile floor as she approached Serena, Molly and Melvin. As the girl walked past them, Serena and Molly, both wide eyed gasped out loud at seeing her close up. The girl, smelling pleasantly of jasmine was elegant and, even without makeup was incredibly beautiful with richly exotic Oriental features. Serena and Molly were mesmerized. The girl then surprised everyone by slowing, then stopping. No one dared move or say a word as the girl stood stock still. Everyone wondered what she would do next. As if to answer that collective question, the girl slowly turned around and stared straight at Serena.

The girl's piercing, cobalt blue eyes, large, deep and shining seemed to pull at Serena with a powerfully irresistible psychic force she never experienced before, and she suddenly felt herself drowning in those azure pools. Unable to tear herself away from the hard, penetrating stare of the girl, Serena shivered, feeling her knees grow weak, her breath coming in short rasps while her heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest. Her mind hopelessly clouded, completely unable to move, Serena, now frightened, felt the world spinning madly like a centrifuge and knew she was only moments away from fainting. Still, she couldn't tear herself away from the girl's forceful stare. It felt totally alien, yet, at the same time....it was hauntingly, achingly familiar.

All at once, Serena experienced a montage of split second flashbacks to another place, another time, another life. Yet, she couldn't fully distinguish the eerie images her mind's eye produced which brought an awful sadness to her heart. Just before Serena blacked out, the spell broke when the girl blinked. Serena wobbled for a moment on braced legs and had to lean against a surprised Molly for support. In spite of herself, Serena looked at the girl who continued to stare, though not with the same intensity of before. The girl cocked an eyebrow, seemingly from curiosity, then turned back around and walked away. The episode only lasted an instant, yet it felt like an hour to Serena. The hallway then returned its clamorous normalcy.

What the heck was that, Serena wondered, totally confused.

"You okay, Sere?" a worried Molly asked, an arm around Serena's waist. "Your eyes went glassy, like you were in a trance. For a minute there, I thought you were gonna pass out. What happened?"

"I....I'm not sure," Serena replied. She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "You're gonna think I've lost it, Moll, but, somehow, I feel like I've met that girl before."

"I can't imagine how," said a frowning Melvin, consulting his notepad. "According to my intelligence, she's from California. San Francisco to be precise. Her name's Talia."

"Talia. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Molly said with a wistful sigh and a sweet smile. "I think I'm in love. I wonder what brings her here?"

"That's a darn good question," said Serena, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the girl, before she rounded a corner. Something about her really freaked me out. Could she be another goon from the Negaverse?

The brief encounter with the blond girl left the newcomer feeling troubled, a feeling she was not at all accustomed to. Something deep inside her mind told her over and over and over again that she wasn't supposed to feel troubled. In fact, she wasn't supposed to feel anything at all. However, she did have feelings, powerful feelings that she continually denied having, leaving her terribly conflicted.

And because she couldn't discern the logic of the situation, it made the newcomer angry. That was a feeling she despised most.

Anger. I should not be able to feel that. Yet, I do, thought the girl. It is so hard to maintain control of the beast inside of me. If only I could slay this monster. Then, I would have peace.

Stopping at the door to the girls' restroom, the newcomer decided to go inside. The newcomer discerned that the restroom was empty. This pleased her as she needed solitude to recover from her encounter with the blond girl. Placing her briefcase on a sink, the newcomer turned on a spigot and splashed her face with cold water which helped to settle her down and refresh her.

While drying her face with a paper towel, the newcomer thought about the blond girl, and why she stimulated her like she did. Even though she had never met the girl before today, her face, her large, bright blue eyes and her unusual hairstyle stirred long buried memories within the mind of the newcomer. Memories of someplace else she had been in her life. A place of great beauty and tremendous importance to an entire civilization. A place that met a tragic and terrible end. Thinking about it saddened her.

No matter how hard she tried, the newcomer could not place a name to that face, or make sense of the memories swirling in her mind, memories that brought her here in the first place. The face was, in some ways, as alien as all the others in this school, yet, it was as familiar as her own. The newcomer scowled, her face darkening from the intense frustration she felt. She hated being unable to resolve a problem. And it disturbed her to hate.

"It doesn't make sense!" she snapped. Frustrated and angry, the newcomer suddenly rammed a fist into the sturdy metal paper towel dispenser on the wall, crumpling it like tin foil with a single blow. The newcomer took several deep breaths to release the strangling tension within her. Staring at the dispenser, then at her curiously uninjured hand, the newcomer remembered what happened the last time she let the anger take control of her. She frowned from the ugly memory.

The ringing of the bell caught the newcomer's attention. Classes would soon be starting, as would a new phase in her life here in this strange city that drew her here on her quest, her mission. It was like something in this city issued a siren call from halfway across the world, a call she couldn't resist no matter how hard she tried.

With a sigh, the newcomer straightened herself and ran her perfectly manicured hands through her hair on both sides of her head, briefly exposing sharply pointed ears before the jet black tresses covered them up. Picking up her case, the newcomer, restoring her stoic mask, left the restroom.

"Class, I want to introduce you to our newest student!" said Miss Haruna from the podium at the center of the stage in the school's auditorium to the assemblage before her. "This is Talia Kirk, an exchange student from America! I want you all to make her feel right at home here at Crossroads!"

Standing in the back of the auditorium, Serena, Amy and Lita stared at the girl who stood next to Haruna.

"Hmph! So that's the bimbo who spooked you, huh, 'Rena?" Lita asked Serena, arms folded across her chest, her penetrating, emerald green eyes narrowed from suspicion. Orphaned as a child after her parents were killed in a plane crash, Lita adopted Serena, Amy, Raye and Mina as her surrogate family, and didn't take kindly to anybody or anything she perceived as a threat to them. "Already I don't like her. She doesn't look at all friendly."

"Don't be so judgemental, Lita. You can't possibly know what her true personality is like," cautioned Amy, as always, the voice of reason because of her great intelligence. "If memory serves, the kids here were wary, even frightened of you when you started here because of the ill-deserved reputation that followed you from your old school as----what did Melvin call you?----ah, yes, 'The Karate Maniac'. Even Serena and I had our doubts until we discovered you were a Sailor Scout."

Serena gasped. "Hold on! Are you saying Talia might be a Scout?"

Amy chuckled and shook her blue maned head. "You're jumping to conclusions, Serena. Of course not. With the memories of our past lives on the Moon restored, I would remember someone like her. I don't. I'm sure there's nothing at all to concern ourselves with about her."

"I guess you're right, Amy. You always are," said Lita with a sigh. "The paranoia from fighting Nega-sleaze all the time gets to you after awhile. She's probably just another snotty brat like Raye. I mean, just look at her! She hasn't smiled so much as once the whole time. You'd think she hates being here."

"Well, she is new here. And she came from so very far away," Serena pointed out. Although she didn't know why, Serena felt sorry for the girl. "Perhaps she's shy and has trouble opening up to people. For sure she's probably lonely, being apart from her family and friends back home. I think I'll introduce myself to Talia later. Let her know she's not alone."

"You never fail to amaze me, Serena. Ten minutes ago, you suspected Talia might be from the Negaverse. Now you want to befriend her. What gives?" asked a puzzled Amy.

Serena giggled. "C'mon, Ames. Can't a girl change her mind? Maybe we just need to give Talia a chance. Don't ask me to explain it, but I really want to know her better. I think Talia and I can be good friends."

Amy and Lita looked at each other, then shrugged. Just like Molly, they also found Serena to be occasionally inscrutable. As Haruna dismissed the assembly, Talia focused on the rear of the auditorium where she saw Serena and her friends leave. And for a second time, she cocked an eyebrow, her face filled with insatiable curiosity.

The Mediterranean Sea, 1030 hours....

Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Moses Cleary, a twenty-five year veteran in the United States Navy was, to his subordinates, and his superiors, the meanest son of a bitch on two legs.

Standing on the forecastle of his ship, the Guided Missile Cruiser U.S.S. Yorktown, Cleary barked out orders to his large detachment of men as they prepared for an underway refueling operation. Cleary, hardly the friendliest of men in even the best of times was in a really foul mood today because of a migraine that wouldn't go away. What annoyed Cleary, a scowling African-American was that he never had migraines in his life.

He had woken up with it that morning and it felt like someone had driven a marlinspike through his skull as he slept. Cleary stomped to Sick Bay for pain relievers, but that didn't help, he then tried several cups of coffee, but to no avail. Cursing under his breath, Cleary decided he would deal with it. That was his style from the day he became a Petty Officer, then later a Chief: bully the world into submission.

Braving the pain that seemed to grow worse as the morning went on, Cleary could see the oiler Yorktown would refuel from, some three hundred yards away. Even though Cleary had undergone this operation hundreds of times in his career, he always treated it with extreme caution. One slip up at any point during the operation could mean disaster for the ship, or the loss of life, and Cleary had never had either happen during his career.

"It is time. Come to me." a voice in his head suddenly whispered.

As Yorktown drew closer to the oiler, the pain in Cleary's head suddenly spiked to levels even he couldn't tolerate. Besides the pain, bizarre images flashed through Cleary's mind to another time when he was someone other than the man he was now. That, and the voice, calling out to him. Crying out, Cleary clutched his head and bent over. The Seamen and Officers out on deck, seeing Cleary slump over rushed to his aid.

Another brutal stab of pain made Cleary scream from agony and, before the shocked eyes of the men, he tumbled over the side. Chaos erupted as the word was sounded over the loudspeaker system: "MAN OVERBOARD!" The refueling operation was immediately postponed as Yorktown came to a stop and put boats in the water to search for their shipmate. They would search for the entire day and into the night. They would not find him.

20,000 feet over the French Riviera....

Giselle Dupre loved to fly. She felt most at peace with the world when she was far above the ground. At the controls of the Piper Cub, Giselle was able to leave all her troubles behind. And right now, those troubles were many.

In spite of herself, Giselle's mind wandered back to the messy divorce proceedings with her ex-husband who threatened to take everything she had----including her plane---- after she had been caught at a romantic retreat with another man. Giselle knew she had made a terrible mistake when she became involved with the young and handsome French Air Force pilot who loved to fly every bit as much as she.

It was all so innocent at first when we met at that air show some six months ago. He lived for flying just like I did. It was only natural that we became friends, Giselle thought, trying to rationalize the mess in her own mind in the blind hope that she would be expunged of all guilt. But she knew it didn't work that way. And when friendship blossomed into something more, Giselle knew she was headed down a dark and troubled road.

Then came the getaways, the secret encounters, one after the other. Giselle thought she could keep it a secret from Henri, but he just so happened to be a Police detective, so it didn't take him long to add two and two, equaling a betrayal. Just then, Giselle felt a sudden, stabbing pain in her head, worse than any headache or migraine she ever had. It felt like someone was pounding a sledgehammer against her skull from the inside.

The pain was so incredible and persistent, Giselle found herself unable to concentrate on flying, the only thing that helped to ease the turmoil in her life. With a shaking hand, she reached for the auto-pilot control and flicked it on. While she no longer had to worry about crashing, the pain persisted. Even worse was the voice Giselle now heard in her mind, calling out to her. And the flashes of old memories.

"It is time. Come to me," the voice said.

Giselle then unfastened her seat belt and rose from her seat, her head bombarded by both pain and that voice, relentlessly calling to her. Unable to control her movements, Giselle reached for the latch that operated the door and threw it open. Harsh, biting winds assaulted her as the voice told her to jump. Giselle, standing in the doorway was hesitant, but then jumped, feeling more free than she ever had been in her life.

Hebron, 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem....

Yakov Ben Nasser took care not to jostle the package of explosives as he planted them in the hole that had recently dug. Even though dynamite could not be detonated by poor handling, Yakov was not one to take any chances with something that could blow him to Kingdom Come.

Yakov, a small, quiet, gentle man who loved being one with the earth prided himself on the quality of his work as a Construction Engineer, something he always wanted to be from when he was a little boy. What made him even happier was that his company was helping to build settlements in the occupied territory of the West Bank for his people. The pride he felt today of being Jewish swelled his heart with tremendous joy.

The work he was performing here today, the work Yakov felt honored to be doing would help his people settle down in well deserved homes that they had to fight and fight to achieve for a millennia. And, at the risk of sounding selfish, there was the personal satisfaction of knowing that one of the homes to be built on this site would be set aside for he and his growing family. That increased his happiness.

Enough of this, Yak. Be happy after you've detonated the package, Yakov admonished himself. Twenty feet down in a hole, Yakov gently and carefully put the package in place, attached the fuse and was about to begin his climb out of the hole when he suddenly felt a terrible, stabbing pain in his head. Clutching his head, Yakov barely managed to keep from crying out as the pain was so great.

Stumbling backwards against the earthen wall, Yakov swore he could hear voices inside his aching head, pleading for him to come. But he had no idea where. Then came the strange kaleidoscope of visions, visions of a past time, a past place, of a life he lived before but was vastly different than the one he was living now. Yakov sank to his knees and clutched the sides of his head, as if trying to squeeze the pain from his skull.

"It is time. Come to me," said the voice.

Ignoring the shouts of co-workers above him on the surface, Yakov's head continued to throb from the insidious combination of the pain and the voice that now commanded him to cut the detonator cord short, which he did with a penknife he pulled from his pocket, snipping it to only a six inch length. Then, Yakov removed a lighter from his shirt pocket and, offering up prayers, he lit the fuse. Seconds later, Yakov truly became one with the earth.

Bonn, Germany

To Helmut Schmidt, the shrill, piercing wail of the fire engine's alarm sounded sweeter to him than the most glorious concerto ever composed by the likes of Brahms, Wagner or Beethoven. The alarm was the music of fear, of terror, of exhilaration.

For Schmidt, being a firefighter was his lifelong dream. From when he was a boy, he loved to hear the sound of sirens wailing, wondering where those brave men were going and how many lives they would save. From that point on, Schmidt's life centered around being one of those brave and fearless men who risked their lives to help others. For him, no other profession would do.

Two minutes later, the engine screeched to a stop near a warehouse that was burning. Four other engines along with a ladder truck were already on scene, spewing out men and hoses to battle the blaze. Leaping out, Schmidt felt elated. This was what he lived for, the thrill of risking his life whenever the call came in. Life would be dull and hopelessly boring otherwise.

After getting his assignment from the Captain, Schmidt and eight of his companions manned a fully charged hose, and with Schmidt up front on the nozzle, they moved towards the front door, spraying a high powered stream of water at the blaze. As he neared the leading edge of the fire, Schmidt felt confident the blaze could be overcome. There was plenty of men and equipment on scene. This won't take long he thought.

Then came the sudden and terrible bolt of pain that lanced through his head, almost causing him to cry out from the sudden anguish. While Schmidt had his fair share of headaches, this was beyond pain, beyond suffering. Yet he moved forward to fight the fire because it was his job. Now, on top of the pain, Schmidt saw flashes of old memories whizzing past his eyes like a movie. And, he could hear a voice in his mind.

"It is time. Come to me," said the voice.

The men with Schmidt were stunned when they saw him drop the charged hose and inexplicably walk straight into the hungry flames. The first two men on the hose rushed forward to grab Schmidt, but he fought them off with the strength of a madman and, while hearing a voice no one else could, Schmidt broke into a dash and leaped into the maw of the demon he had grown up wanting to fight and defeat. Only this time, the fire won.

Because of classes, Serena was unable to find Talia like she had planned. The longer the morning went on, the more Serena thought about finding the new girl, practically to the exclusion of everything else. It was if she needed to see the girl and talk to her. Why, Serena had no idea.

When the bell for lunch rang, Serena all but ran to the lunchroom, figuring Talia would be there. Upon arriving at the lunchroom, already filling up with kids, Serena wandered all around, searching intently for the tall, elegant, ebon haired newcomer, but saw no sign of her. This left Serena frustrated. She stamped her foot, a scowl creasing her face.

"Darn it. Where could she be?" Serena muttered. She glanced out a window and, snapping her fingers, an idea came to mind. "Maybe she's outside!"

Serena jogged out of the lunchroom and headed outside where students gathered in cliques to eat and to chat. But Serena ignored everyone, her mind focused exclusively on Talia whom she was now determined to find, no matter what. Serena couldn't remember the last time she obsessed over anything or anybody to such a degree. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Gosh, look at me, desperate to find a girl, thought Serena. I hope this doesn't mean I'm gay. Darien would be so disappointed if that was the case.

After twenty minutes spent wandering about the grounds, Serena spied a girl with jet black hair sitting under the shade of a tree at the furthest spot from the building. With her heart pounding in her chest, Serena cautiously approached the girl, careful not to make a sound, hoping, almost praying she found who she had been searching for.

Tiptoeing up to the girl, Serena smiled when she saw it was Talia. Then her expression turned to one of confusion when she saw Talia in the Lotus position, shoes off, her head tilted slightly back and her eyes closed.

Meditating? I thought only Raye did that stuff, thought Serena.

For reasons she couldn't understand, Serena found it fascinating. For several minutes, she didn't move, didn't say a word, she just stood in front of Talia and watched her, studied her. All the time, she wondered what was it about the newcomer that captivated her. As she observed Talia, Serena confirmed her realization that the newcomer was indeed familiar to her, even though Serena had never seen her before today.

"Did you find your observation of me satisfying?" asked Talia, her eyes still closed. Her voice was cultured like a Briton, her words clipped and precise, her tone perfectly modulated. Talia then opened her eyes and stared up at Serena.

Serena gasped from surprise. "You knew I was here?"

"Yes. I heard you coming." Talia paused to stare deeply into Serena's eyes, as if searching for something important, but not finding what she sought. She frowned slightly. Uncurling from the Lotus position, Talia put her shoes back on and tucked her long legs under her. "I suppose introductions would now be in order. My name is Talia Kirk. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, yeah. I was wondering if we could talk. I'm Serena. You're new here and I thought I'd roll out the welcome wagon. Can I join you?"

Talia nodded and Serena sat down beside her. "So, what's with the meditation? You into Yoga or something?" Serena asked.

"Yes. It serves to refresh me. To clear and sharpen my mind."

"Sounds neat." Serena stared intently at Talia for several long moments, then blushed. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, Talia, but I think you're very pretty."

"If that was meant as a compliment, then I accept it. Thank you."

Serena gasped, her eyes widened when she heard those words and her hands flew to her mouth in shock. "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I'd swear you've said those words to me before."

Talia cocked an eyebrow. "At face value, that would be a grossly illogical statement to make, considering we have just met. However, I also sense some form of....past recognition between us. Most curious."

"Deja vu all over again, huh?" said Serena with a grin. She didn't know why, but she felt immediately comfortable with the new girl, as if she had known Talia all her life.

"I know this is awfully sudden, but, would you be my friend?" Serena asked haltingly, her eyes filled with pleading. "Something inside my heart is telling me we should be together, nutty as that sounds. I'd really love to know you better. But, if you don't want to...."

"On the contrary, Serena. I do. Being new here in Tokyo, and alone, I would welcome the opportunity to have a companion," Talia replied. "And, unlike the rest of the student body, I find your company to be particularly enjoyable, though I am at a loss to fathom why."

"That's okay, Tal....if you don't mind my calling you that," said Serena, relieved that Talia accepted her. She scooted closer to the girl and their shoulders touched. "Friendship is something to be treasured, not examined like a bug under a microscope. So, what brings you here from California?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, Serena, I am not entirely sure. Nine months ago, I began experiencing strange dreams initiated by unfamiliar memories that suddenly surfaced," Talia explained, feeling more at ease with Serena. "Those memories haunted me, obsessed me, drove me to journey here. You see, I am looking for someone, a girl, but I cannot remember who she is, only that she lives in this city, and is someone I am personally indebted to. She was....the closest friend I ever had in my life."

"That's deep. And you don't know who she is? What she looks like?"

Talia shook her head. "No. My memories of her are vague, disjointed. It was if my mind had suddenly been privy to knowledge I never knew existed. Since then, they have forced me to come here and search for her."

Golly! That sounds so familiar. Just like with the others. Is that weird or what, thought Serena. Just then, the bell rang.

"Uh, oh! Almost time to go back to class!" Serena rose quickly to her feet. "Maybe I can help you somehow. I have a friend who's really good at finding people. I'm sure she could help. Interested?"

Talia nodded as she stood. In spite of herself, she found she enjoyed being with Serena and felt she could trust her. "That would be a start. But, I am puzzled. Why would you so readily offer assistance to a complete stranger?"

"We're not strangers, Tal. Not anymore. We're friends," Serena replied earnestly. She then gave Talia her kindest smile. "And, I like you. I like you a lot. I don't know why, but somehow, you feel really....close to me."

Hearing those words, Talia felt a sudden warmth envelop her. Though the feeling was unusual, Talia found that she liked it. Emotions. How perplexing, she thought. "Curious. You seem to have the same effect on me, Serena. Perhaps we are, in a way, kindred spirits."

Serena giggled. "Really? I think that's cool! Why don't you meet me right here after the final bell and I'll take you to Raye. She can be a little witchy, but she's got a good heart and loves to help." As Serena started walking, she tripped over a thick tree root and fell.

"Ouch! That hurt!" she said, rubbing a skinned knee. She grinned to hide how embarrassed she felt. "Don't mind me. That was just my natural grace shining through."

"No doubt. Allow me," said Talia, offering Serena a hand to help her up. When Serena clasped Talia's hand, she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

All at once, thousands of images flashed through Serena's mind at lightning fast speed. Memories of the distant past, memories of her previous life on the Moon a millennia ago. Memories of an aloof, dark haired girl who had become close to her in a way that went beyond even intimacy. The powerful rush of memories overloaded her mind and she screamed from the pain. Serena could hear someone else screaming as well. Talia? She couldn't tell. A second later, Serena was past caring as the world went dark.

Next: A Convergence of Memories

GO TO CHAPTER TWO