DREAM-SOULS
Rachel Seyujia Filteau
Prologue
Chibi-usa yawned. "This is boring, Diana," she told the gray kitten. "Why do I have to learn it? It's not like it's got anything to do with what I'm learning from Mama and Papa about how to rule Crystal Tokyo."
"It is always good to be prepared, Small Lady," Diana replied. "This way, you will know what to expect. It helps, believe me."
"I'll take your word for it, Diana."
"Of course."
Bored beyond belief, Chibi-usa flipped through the book she was supposed to be reading. When she got to the index, she glanced over it to see if there was anything that might catch her interest. It was in this way that she discovered the word, "dream-souls." She looked at the page number and flipped to it, so that she might read more about it. "This looks interesting...."
"Small Lady, you should not be straying from your studies!"
"I'm not. Not really." She put her finger to the page and began to read out loud, "'A dream-soul is very complicated and difficult to describe. It is when the soul of a person is able to leave the body willingly while the body is asleep or unconscious, yet able to return before being awakened; sometimes, it can leave the body and not come back until it wants to, causing a sort of coma to the body. What it does while gone is not really sure, but it is believed that dream-souls can gather together in an unconscious world far from the reach of the real world, creating friendships and companionships that would not normally occur under normal circumstances. How a person finds out whether he or she had a dream-soul is unknown, but it is possible that temporary comas are one possible way of finding out.'" Chibi-usa looked at Diana. "Hey, that sounds neat! I wonder if Helios has a dream-soul. He was able to leave his body willingly."
"Possible, Small Lady." Diana did not seem happy that Chibi-usa was straying from her studies, but she, too, found herself becoming more curious about "dream-souls."
Chibi-usa looked back into the book. "'According to extensive research, it had been concluded that a dream-soul can only communicate with other dream- souls. Apparently, trying to communicate with a non-dream-soul is impossible, refuting any connections to channeling.'" 'Does that mean I have a dream-soul?' Chibi-usa thought. 'I wonder...."
"Chibi-usa!" Chibi-usa looked up and towards the closed door at her father's voice. "It's time for lunch! The cook has prepared your favorite!"
"Pancakes!" Chibi-usa said happily, tossing the book over her shoulder. She jumped out of her chair, threw open the door, and ran for the stairs. "Coming!" Just as she reached the top step, however, she tripped over the hem of her dress; she had gotten used to wearing mini-skirts while living with Usagi. With a shout of surprise, she went tumbling down the stairs like a ball.
By the time she crashed into the wall six feet from the bottom stair, she was unconscious.
End of Prologue
Prologue
Chibi-usa yawned. "This is boring, Diana," she told the gray kitten. "Why do I have to learn it? It's not like it's got anything to do with what I'm learning from Mama and Papa about how to rule Crystal Tokyo."
"It is always good to be prepared, Small Lady," Diana replied. "This way, you will know what to expect. It helps, believe me."
"I'll take your word for it, Diana."
"Of course."
Bored beyond belief, Chibi-usa flipped through the book she was supposed to be reading. When she got to the index, she glanced over it to see if there was anything that might catch her interest. It was in this way that she discovered the word, "dream-souls." She looked at the page number and flipped to it, so that she might read more about it. "This looks interesting...."
"Small Lady, you should not be straying from your studies!"
"I'm not. Not really." She put her finger to the page and began to read out loud, "'A dream-soul is very complicated and difficult to describe. It is when the soul of a person is able to leave the body willingly while the body is asleep or unconscious, yet able to return before being awakened; sometimes, it can leave the body and not come back until it wants to, causing a sort of coma to the body. What it does while gone is not really sure, but it is believed that dream-souls can gather together in an unconscious world far from the reach of the real world, creating friendships and companionships that would not normally occur under normal circumstances. How a person finds out whether he or she had a dream-soul is unknown, but it is possible that temporary comas are one possible way of finding out.'" Chibi-usa looked at Diana. "Hey, that sounds neat! I wonder if Helios has a dream-soul. He was able to leave his body willingly."
"Possible, Small Lady." Diana did not seem happy that Chibi-usa was straying from her studies, but she, too, found herself becoming more curious about "dream-souls."
Chibi-usa looked back into the book. "'According to extensive research, it had been concluded that a dream-soul can only communicate with other dream- souls. Apparently, trying to communicate with a non-dream-soul is impossible, refuting any connections to channeling.'" 'Does that mean I have a dream-soul?' Chibi-usa thought. 'I wonder...."
"Chibi-usa!" Chibi-usa looked up and towards the closed door at her father's voice. "It's time for lunch! The cook has prepared your favorite!"
"Pancakes!" Chibi-usa said happily, tossing the book over her shoulder. She jumped out of her chair, threw open the door, and ran for the stairs. "Coming!" Just as she reached the top step, however, she tripped over the hem of her dress; she had gotten used to wearing mini-skirts while living with Usagi. With a shout of surprise, she went tumbling down the stairs like a ball.
By the time she crashed into the wall six feet from the bottom stair, she was unconscious.
End of Prologue