The Other Side
by Goz

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, I would've made them wear more clothes.

Warning: This is a Sailor Moon fanfic concerning various new Sailor Scouts of my own creation. It also contains liberal mixing of the Japanese version with the dub. Caveat emptor.

Timeline Note: In 2004, after the (apparent) final battle with Queen Beryl, the Sailor Scouts finally chose to vanish from public view. And indeed, the evil forces of the universe remained markedly quiet - or at least subtle - until 2035. That would be where this story begins.

Explanation: I wrote this two years ago as a Christmas present for Neko Rebera. (For the love of God, go review her fics already! She's driving me insane, here!) I'm posting it now because I have begun work on the next part of the series, having driven myself crazy scribbling down unrelated scenes for the past few months.
As for "The Other Side", the bit you're about to read, I'm not particularly happy with it, but you don't have to read it, do you? In fact, why don't you go read "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes? Now, that's a good short story!

Chorus: Da bee da bee dee da da da bee da bee dee da da da bee da bee dee da da da

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Part 1

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Ariane felt the quality of the air change as she stepped off the shuttle ramp and looked about apprehensively. Asahikawa Airport, where she had boarded the shuttle, seemed comparatively very small next to Tokyo Airport.

She glanced around for someone holding a sign saying "Ariane Erhlic." She had been promised, when she left Asahikawa Orphanage, that someone from the Tokyo orphanage she was going to would be there to meet her. But she didn't see any signs at all, so she headed off to the baggage claim. Her photo had been sent to the orphanage, so she assumed that the person who came to pick her up would recognize her.

At baggage claim, she inserted her ID card into the claim-machine. "Please wait," the little back-lit screen read. So she waited. And waited. Just as Ariane was gearing up to kick the machine, her duffel bags dropped with a thud into the slot. She winced and picked her bag up gingerly, hoping her decrepit old book-disk reader hadn't been broken. Of course, nothing seemed to work right these days - why *shouldn't* it break?

Ariane picked up the bags and carried them back toward Terminal J-42, where the person from the orphanage would know to look for her. Her back twinged again - she had been tripped trying to get out of the fire at the orphanage, but hadn't mentioned the little pain to anyone. She could usually ignore that kind of thing. Unless, of course, she was carrying bags around an airport.

When she reached the terminal she dropped her bags into a seat and immediately sat down in the next one, closing her eyes and sighing with relief. She promptly opened them again, and surveyed the area. It was an airport, like any other, however big, filled mostly with business travellers and vacationing families. She was surrounded by bawling children and grim-faced men and women in suits.

Far from being tired, even though it was nearly eleven at night, Ariane felt optimistic and exhilerated. This changing orphanages thing was going to be an adventure! She had never even left Asahikawa before.

She stood up and walked over to the window to watch the shuttles take off and land in the dark. And just beyond the landing pads, she could see the bright lights in the buildings of Tokyo...

Ariane jumped and whirled, fists raised, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She relaxed when she saw the unpreposessing woman before her. "Yes?" said Ariane, annoyed with herself for her jumpiness. "May I help you?"

The black-haired, brown-eyed woman behind her glanced at a piece of paper in her hand and asked, "Are you Ariane Erhlic or Andrea Carpenter?" "Ariane Erhlic." she replied, wondering at the note of strain in the woman's voice.

The woman smiled. "That's a relief. I was afraid I'd have to search the whole airport to find you! I'm Connelly Potter, from New Hope Orphanage. I'm supposed to be picking you and another girl up."

Ariane nodded and and walked over to get her luggage. Connelly followed her silently. As she gathered up her bags, Ariane asked "Who's the other girl? What does she look like? I could help you find her." "Her name is Andrea," Connelly replied. "As for what she looks like, I'm not sure. The two pictures I got are both of you. I guess it was some sort of error -" She was cut off by the startled look in Ariane's face as she stared over Connelly's shoulder. Connelly turned and followed Ariane's gaze, to the exit ramp of Terminal J -44.

"My God," Connelly murmured. "Maybe it wasn't a mistake..."