Tsuki no Mikazuki Productions presents...
Written by Dana ‘Ariel Silantat' Ritchel...
Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon R - Sailor Atlantia Episode 5:
"Memories of a Past Life; Questions Asked, Answers Given"
Sailor Atlantia 5
Ariel tossed and turned in bed. Sweat beaded her brow.
She was walking, in a long, white hall, wearing a beautiful white gown. Everything was in slow-motion. Yet still she walked on, listening.
"All the preparations are finished." a strange, but somehow familiar male voice said.
Ariel turned her head, unconsciously, and saw none other than Luna walking next to another cat, this one white, but with a crescent moon on it's forehead, just like hers.
*What the? Luna?!* Ariel thought, but it was as if the dream was pre-programmed, she couldn't control the body she was in.
"Very good, this ball needs to be perfect for the Princess." Luna said. Ariel's eyes would have bugged out had she the ability to control her body.
*Talking?! What is going on here?*
"Oh, Good evening, Princess Areil." Luna said formally, giving a little cat bow. The white cat did the same, and then the two resumed their conversation and walked off.
*What?! Princess...?*
Suddenly, the utter strangeness of the dream became too much for her, and everything went black...
Ariel sat up, wiping the sweat away from her face with the sleeve of her pajamas.
"Okay, that was weird. Why...why was I having a dream of Luna talking to another cat, who was talking back, and that I was some princess?" she shook her head to remove the vivid pictures from her mind.
"Oh, that's right. I'm going insane." she laid back down and was asleep again in moments.
[Silver stars and gold moon crescents spiral around until a feather-formed heart appears in the background and the Japanese writing appears]
"Memories of a Past Life; Questions Asked, Answers Given"
Written by Dana Ritchel
Ariel woke up late the next morning, remembering nothing of the strange dream she had.
Mamoru had gotten her in early the night before, after his exhilarating kiss, and she had been asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But now, as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she was amazed at how little the sleep had done for her.
"I look really pale...no, it couldn't be. It's just the way the light's playing on my skin." she said.
Then her mind turned to other things. Well, it was late already, she might as well make the most of it. She started the water running in the bathtub. Detention or not, she was going to have a nice, lingering bath this morning. But why did she still feel so tired?
"Silantat?" Haruna-sensei asked, her pencil hovering over her attendance book. No answer. She sighed, and 'X'-ed Ariel off. Then the door opened, and Ariel walked in, looking quite exhausted. Haruna shook her head and erased the 'X', replacing it with a '/'.
"Excuse me, Ms. Haruna." Ariel said softly, with out much of the fire she normally reserved for the red haired teacher, as she walked to her desk and slumped down in it. This disturbed the teacher.
"Are you all right, Ariel-chan?" she asked, concerned. Even if Ariel was a thorn in her side, she couldn't just ignore her if the girl was in trouble.
"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying..." she said, yawning afterward.
"Well if you don't feel well in a little while, I have to send you to the nurse's office." Haruna said, a feeling of deja-vu sweeping over her as she did so.
While no one was watching her, Natsume was grinning viciously.
After Ariel had sat down, and Haruna had assigned something for the class to do, Usagi turned to Ariel.
"Ariel-chan, what's wrong?" she asked, clearly concerned for her friend.
"I got in late last night..." was Ariel's mumbled reply, "Didn't get much sleep..."
Usagi knew the real reason. *She must be really drained from all of the Cardian attacks.*
"Why don't you try and go home early?"
Ariel shook her head, even as Usagi spoke. "No... I want to go to your house."
"My house?" Usagi blink-blinked, "Why?"
Ariel nodded. "I want to go there...see Luna. I don't have a cat of my own...she's so cute..." then Ariel slumped forward and fell asleep.
Usagi knew that something was terribly wrong.
At lunch Ariel and Usagi sat together. However, Ariel was soon asleep.
"Mako-chan, Ami-chan, Terra-chan," Usagi said as her friends sat and ate, "Ariel-chan is horrible. All the energy draining is getting to her."
"It must be, from the way she was snoring in class." Ami said. "I heard it even all the way on the other side of the room!"
"I'm actually surprised Haruna-sensei didn't yell at her, or wake her up, or anything." Terra said, "But, seeing the way she reacted when Ariel didn't snap at her this morning..."
"Why doesn't she go home?" Makoto asked.
"She keeps mumbling that she wants to...talk to Luna." Usagi said, embarrassed.
"Luna?" Terra eyed Usagi, "Did she say why?"
"She doesn't have a cat of her own, and she adores Luna." Usagi said.
A muffled snore from Ariel, laying down next to Usagi, made the group stop talking. Soon enough, though, she was sleeping peacefully again, her chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm. They started their conversation again, but spoke more quietly.
"Should I let her go?" Usagi asked, a little more than a whisper. "She's SO tired..."
"Well, if she DOES go back to your house," Ami said, "maybe Luna can help her relax a little. Animal therapy has been proven to work."
"Well, Ami-chan, you're the doctor!" Terra said, chidingly. Then she looked at Ariel and added, "But I don't think Ariel-chan needs any help in relaxing!"
"You're right..." Ami blushed, "But now, about this new threat, the cardians..."
While the others had their own conversation, Ariel was having another strange dream.
She was sitting in a garden, in the same dress she had been in before. She didn't recognize many of the plants, at least not HER mind. Her OTHER mind was naming various varieties and what planets they were from. In the sky, hanging like a beautiful blue globe, was the Earth.
*The Earth?* Ariel thought. But again she couldn't move. *Another pre-programmed dream. Wonderful.*
"Areil, what are you doing here?" she heard a feminine voice say, from near the ground. It was Luna again.
She yawned, well, the body she was in yawned. "Resting from all the duties of court."
Ariel knew she hadn't answered.
"True, life on the council is tough, but you've stood up to it's perils very well." Luna said, almost proudly, "Atlantis has brought us two of our strongest individuals."
"But he has more duties than I do."
*He?*
"Yes, that's true. But you must remember, he is a soldier and commander of a strong part of the army."
"I wish I could fight alongside him..." Areil(as Ariel had figured out that was what her body was called) said longingly, looking at the earth. "...protect him..."
"How? Areil, you are one of the greatest diplomats we have. Your brother is the strongest soldier we have. Both of you have different traits that make you valuable to us." Luna said.
"But he's a diplomat too! I could be a soldier! I could!" Areil argued, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince the cat.
"Areil, every person has their own destiny. We must face that fact as anyone else does. He also must deal with an arranged marriage. You have your choice of who to marry."
"I don't care!" Areil said, standing up. "I would marry anyone! Anyone! As long as I could do something besides reconcile the people of two nations feuding over some sacred goat!" she sat down again, and softened her voice. "But I'll never be able to...just like daddy said..."
Luna shook her head sadly, then the scene faded to black again.
It was like she was deep underwater, and waking up was swimming to the top. She swam for an eternity it seemed, finally breaking through. She was laying down next to a tree at lunch, surrounded by her friends-Usagi, Terra, Makoto, and another girl, one she didn't know except from seeing her in class.
*I'll just have to be quiet, until I can confirm my new suspicions...* she thought as she groggily stretched.
"Ariel-chan!" Usagi said, hugging her friend. "You're awake!"
"Yes, Usagi, I am..." Ariel replied, mumbling slightly.
"You slept through lunch." the girl she didn't know said.
"I'm sorry..." Ariel said, embarrassed. "But, um, what is your name?"
"Oh!" the girl blushed. "Mizuno Ami."
Ariel smiled. "Ariel Silantat. Nice to meet you!" *I slept through the whole lunch hour?*
"Usagi was looking at your lunch, but we knew you'd be hungry when you got up!" Makoto said.
"Well, you'd better eat fast, if you're going to eat at all." Terra added. "You have about three minutes."
"I'm not all that hungry. You can have it if you want, Usagi."
Usagi started to drool, but through uncharateristic force of will, stopped herself. "No, you'll be hungry later."
Something kept nagging Ariel, even after the bell had rung to get them back to class. She'd had at least 12 hours of sleep since she'd gotten in last night...
Why did she still feel so tired?
Later that day, Usagi, Terra, and Ariel were walking, after school, to Usagi's house.
"Ariel, you're sure you're all right?" Usagi asked her, concerned. Ariel nodded.
"I'm sure."
"Okay, but if..."
"I'll let you know if I feel the least bit strange, all right?"
"Okay. Thank you, Ariel-chan."
"Maybe what Ami said will work, maybe Luna can help..." Ariel heard Terra mumble.
*But, I won't tell you why I'm really going over to your house. I doubt you'd trust my sanity if I said, "I want to see if your cat can talk."*
It had come as a shock, but her weird dreams finally made some semblance of sense. *Luna CAN talk, I'm NOT going insane!* then she thought that comment over, *Well, at least not yet...*
"Ariel-chan, sit tight. I'll be right back."
Ariel nodded as Usagi left the room. She was left sitting in her friend's room, in front of her desk. She glanced over at the bed. Luna was there, curled up and asleep. Ariel stood, and walked over to the bed. She sat down, and picked the cat up, holding her in front of her.
"Luna." she said, simply. The cat opened one, then both of her eyes, and meowed.
*Either she thinks I'm nuts, or has no idea whatsoever.*
"Look, I know you can talk!"
Luna sweatdropped.
"Ah-HA! You must..."
"Ariel-chan?"
It was Terra. Ariel blushed as a sweatdrop formed on her head. The cat jumped away and ran out of the room.
"Yes, Terra?" she asked, as sweetly and innocently as she could muster, possibly overdoing it.
"What are you up to?" she asked as she walked over and sat at the desk.
"Oh, nothing, just playing with Luna."
"You really do like her." Terra said, more to stimulate the lagging conversation than anything.
Ariel nodded. "Yes, I love cats."
Terra smiled. "I can see."
As she watched Usagi playing her new Sailor V game, Sailor V: Dark Crystal Kingdom, Ariel was wondering how she could get some time alone with Luna, when it hit her.
"I have to go to the bathroom!" she said quickly, walking out of the room. Since Luna hadn't come back, she'd have to hunt for her.
*Now, if I was a cat hiding from a cat fanatic, where would I hide?* she pondered a moment, hunching over stroking her chin in thought.
She snapped up straight again, snapping her fingers.
"That's it!" she proclaimed, then thought, *The laundry room!*
To her surprise(and Luna's dread), she DID find her there. After making sure no one was watching, she closed the door quietly and walked over to Luna.
"You have some questions to answer, Miss Luna!" Ariel said in her most scolding tone possible. The cat didn't answer, and for a moment, Ariel felt afraid and fell to her knees, begging. "Please, Luna! I know you can talk! I have all these memories...."
"Memories?" Luna asked, quizzically.
"Wow, you DO talk!" she smiled triumphantly. "I'm NOT insane!"
"Of course I do and of course you're not! Now, what type of memories?" Luna pried.
"Well, of this palace, and this beautiful garden, and you and this white cat with a crescent moon on his forehead, like yours...of being on the Moon."
"How do you know it's the Moon?"
"Well, the Earth was in the sky." Ariel said, stating the obvious.
"Oh." Luna said, a sweatdrop forming.
"Well, what should I do?" Ariel asked.
"Hmmm.... I really don't know, I never thought I'd find anyone else from the Silver Millennium!" the cat admitted.
"The Silver Millennium..." Ariel said, entranced. "...that sounds peaceful."
"It was." Luna smiled nostalgically, then became serious again. "Until, that is, a dark force arrived, and destroyed it all..."
Ariel's voice was filled with sincere apology. "That's horrible!"
"Yes, it was." she came as close as a cat could come to let a tear fall. "The great Celestial Hall and Moon Palace were destroyed, as were hundreds of thousands of lives."
"Is their any way you can give me more of my memories? Everything's so sketchy, in pieces, like a puzzle."
"I can try." Luna said, "Close your eyes."
Ariel complied. Luna closed her own eyes and her crescent moon flared. A beam of light shot up and struck Ariel on the forehead. Ariel felt a rush of memories, memories that ahd been locked away in the deep recesses of her mind...
Areil, Princess of Atlantis, stood in the Celestial Hall, her white and silver gown falling smoothly around her, her silver hair like a nimbus. She watched him, in full armor, his silver hair hanging loosely about his shoulders, his crystal blue eyes deep as hers. His sword was sheathed at his side, and he stood, awaiting possibly the worst news that he could. As she looked at him, she noticed he was gazing up at the domed crystal ceiling of the Celestial Hall, and at the murals and representations of stars and various planets that made up the Twin Planets' League.
*This used to be my favorite place to come before the Dark Kingdom arrived.* she thought. *It was always so peaceful, I would stare at the stars through that dome for hours...*
Then she noticed the man she had been watching had nodded to the general that stood at the center of the now-center of the war.
"...Are these orders clear, Commander?" the senior man asked.
"Crystal, sir." the winged one said, "If there are any warriors out there, General, be assured that they'll soon wish they weren't!"
After another brief exchange, the winged man turned and walked to meet Areil. She hugged him as he wrapped his warm, feathery wings around her. She could remember that he'd done that since they were small.
"Johan, you don't have to go." she said, pleading.
"You know I do." he answered, tousling her hair with his hand, which he had kindly removed from his armored gauntlet.
She sighed. Her twin brother certainly was honorable, even if she wished he wouldn't go out and get himself hurt. *Why do I worry so much?*
"I'll come back all right. This is just a reconnaissance mission, there may not even be anything out there."
"Still, you know I'll always worry." she looked up at him.
He nodded. "I know. Why would you not worry?" his wings pulled away from her and loomed over his head as he replaced his gauntlet. "I'm a commander in this war against the Dark Kingdom, and God knows how well my predecessors have fared."
"Johan..."
"What is it, sister?"
"Don't forget me, in the battles, don't forget our parents, with all the bloodshed and finally, don't forget our homeland, when it is darkest."
She blink-blinked(well, mentally). *I certainly did sound serious.*
He nodded, taking the comment quite seriously, and smiling.
"You are becoming more like mother with each passing day. Of course, sister, I will never forget. You have my word of honor as a Phoenix Knight."
She smiled, tenderly, and shook her head.
"Silly you, I don't want that...I want your honor as my brother."
His smile widened. "Very well then, you have my word of honor as your brother."
She smiled again, then hugged him.
"Be careful!" she said as she pulled away again.
"Alturi, Darethan, let's go!" she heard her brother say as she left the hall, walking quicky.
The Earth cast it's light upon the Moon so beautifully, those who walked by didn't know if the silver haired girl was crying at the heart-wrenching beauty, or at something far deeper. It was the latter.
"I don't want him to go..." she whispered, her tears falling onto the marble bannister. "Why does he-?"
"Areil?" she heard a soft, sweet voice, and turned around. It was her brother's wife-to-be, and one of her close friends, the Princess of Venus, Mina.
"Princess Venus!" Areil exclaimed, bowing.
"Silly Areil, you know you don't have to be formal with me..." Mina smiled warmly.
"I'm sorry, Prin...Mina."
Then everything went black again.
Once again, Ariel felt as if she was swimming, memories trying to hold her down, drown her. But, she fought, and persevered. She felt as if she broke through the water, into the day. From the serene beauty of Moon Kingdom...back into the chaos of the laundry room at Usagi's house.
*And now, even though I know so much, I have so many, many, many unanswered questions.*
"Ariel-chan, what are you doing in here?"
Ariel turned to see who it was, it was Usagi's mother.
"I was looking for Luna, Mrs. Tsukino." She said, smiling, as she picked the now awake cat up. Ikuko smiled.
"I see. Well, Usagi and Terra are looking for you. Hurry along, and get back to them."
"Of course, Mrs. Tsukino." she stood up, holding Luna.
"What were you up to, Ariel-chan?" Terra asked, as Ariel entered the room, holding Luna.
"Oh, I wanted to find Luna."
"She was hiding in the laundry room, wasn't she?" Usagi asked.
Ariel nodded. "Yeah, she really wanted to hide from me."
"She looks so calm now..." Terra remarked.
"I know, weird, isn't it?" Ariel replied, as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
*What am I supposed to say?* Luna asked herself, from her resting place on Ariel's lap. *Ariel remembers the Silver Millennium, and I remember more now that I ever did before...Including her! The Princess of Atlantis!*
Ariel was wondering the same thing, but much more as well.
*This has been a long day. I've learned so much today.... I'm a Princess, or at least I WAS a Princess.... Areil of Atlantis, and I had a twin brother! Johan!* then something hit her:
*What in the world am I going to do now?*
"Ariel was part of the Silver Millennium!" Luna cried out.
Everyone (Terra, Usagi, and even Ariel) was looking at her.
"What?" she asked. "How else would I have told you?"
*They know she can talk?* Ariel asked herself.
"Is this true, Ariel-chan?" Usagi asked her.
"Who was she, Luna?" Terra asked the black furred cat.
"In that time, she was known as Princess Areil, of the Kingdom of Atlantis."
"Does that mean..." Usagi began, but Ariel superseded her.
"That brooch..." Ariel said, something else coming to her. "You were there too! Princess Serenity of the Moon. And you, Terra, Princess of the Earth." Ariel's gaze lowered, then she looked up at both of them, "You're Sailor Moon and Sailor Earth, aren't you?!" the two nodded. "Does that mean I'm a Senshi too?"
"That's what I was going to ask." Usagi said, flatly.
Ariel sweatdropped. "Sorry for talking over you, Usagi."
"Don't worry, Ariel-chan." she said, cheery again.
"Well, Luna, is she a Senshi?" Terra asked the cat. Luna shook her head.
"I don't have anything for her. Up until now, I didn't know that anyone else from the Silver Millennium was still around!"
"Too bad, it would have been great having you as another Senshi!" Usagi said.
"I know, it would be nice." said Terra.
Ariel nodded, then sighed.
"Still, I was part of the Silver Millenium. That's more than most can say."
The End of Episode Five
Stay Tuned for Episode Six of SMR-Sailor Atlantia:
"Soldier of Silver Flame, Sailor Atlantia Arrives!"
If you enjoyed this, e-mail questions, comments, or praise to arielsilantat@juno.com.