Slightly A/U, but parallels the true storyline; the general timeline is the same, except it starts in 2003 instead of 1992 because I wanted to have exact dates & it's easier for lazy me to use this year's calendar. Even though it's set in Japan, US grades are used (1-5 is elementary, 6-8 is jr high, and 9-12 is high school). Normal disclaimers apply.
Title: Split Souls
Author: AriallaZarinth
Chapter One: A Warrior of the Moon
Email: crystalstarr89@yahoo.com
$$Prologue:
*Silver Millennium, night of the Fall, after the Massacre*$$
Luna and Artemis wept with their queen as Serenity drew the Moon Wand from her stained robes. The purple haired counselor placed one shaking hand on Serenity's wrist, silently pleading against the sacrifice. The tall white-haired man stood in silence, ready to protect his love and his royal, tears rolling freely down his face. He tensed as running footsteps resounded in the hall leading to the Prayer Room where the Queen knelt to perform her magic, his sweat-slicked hands gripping the pommel of his only ceremonial blade. Naru, the princess' handmaiden, rushed into the chamber, apologies tripping one over another. Her Terran counterpart, Endymion's manservant, followed in her shadow.
"Naru, Motoki, you mustn't be here!" Serenity whispered, "It is over; we are finished."
"If you please, my Queen, we just wanted to find the Princess and the Prince." Naru ventured.
"They are on that balcony, there." Luna moaned, voice cracking, eyes still begging for reconsideration.
"Stay away, children. It is time." But the pair heeded not, even as Serenity uttered the words of sealing and transport they ran to the balcony.
Endymion was sprawled on his back, the flesh of his stomach gaping, warm entrails oozing onto the marble floor. Motoki stumbled blankly to his liege, kneeling to run his fingers over the symbol of Earth that began to burn on the prince's forehead.
Serenity was doubled over, one hand in Endymion's, the other still wrapped white-knuckled on the hilt of her lover's blade, the sword that she had driven through her heart. The magically wrought steel protruded through her back, puddles of blood in her lap, ivory silk settling into a salty sticky crimson. Naru cradled the princess's head, her lips brushing the moon on the corpse's brow.
A great flash, and the queen wept alone, breathing her last.
$$Chapter One: A Warrior of the Moon
*Mid to Late March, Negaverse Throne Room*$$
"My Generals," the occupant of the throne addressed the four men who knelt before her, "our Master decrees it is time to strike once more. We have all been awakened to conquer the Earth." A half-truth, if there could be such a thing. Tattered memories and a too-weak Master left them almost clueless. "General Jadeite, you have won first duty. Overtake this Tokyo. Now."
"With pleasure, my Queen." The man that replied stood, bowed, and exited the chamber.
His green eyes held chilled sparks; sandy hair managed to give him a youthful appearance much to his dismay. His grey general's uniform went unadorned.
$$--break--
*3/10/03, Azabu Juuban, Juuban Jr. High, Sakurada Haruna's 8th Grade Class*$$
"Sakurada-san?" The school secretary's voice crackled through the PA system, interrupting the English lesson. "You have a phone call on line two."
"Class, stay quiet while I'm gone." Haruna said quickly, walking out of the room with a flip of her wavy reddish-brown hair.
The momentary silence as the door clicked shut was broken by Tsukino Usagi's gleeful: "Breakfast!" As she dug a small pack of rice cakes out of her desk, the boy behind Usagi tweaked the long golden plait she always wore her hair in.
"Why don't you change your hair style, Usagi-san?"
"I don't know anything else to do with it." She replied between mouthfuls.
"Can I style it, Usagi-chan?" Osaka Naru asked shyly; she had just become friends with the other girl recently and was still surprised by her ever-cheerful attitude.
"If you wanna..." Usagi's food disappeared back into her desk. She slid her chair next to Naru's as she undid the braid.
As the two girls chatted, Naru automatically began to tie Usagi's hair into two complex buns, a part of her mind wondering why this felt so familiar.
$$--break--
*3/10/03, Azabu Juuban, Crown Arcade*$$
"So, Rika was wondering if you and Keiko-san would be joining us Friday night?" Furuhata Motoki grinned.
"Iie, Motoki-kun. Keiko-san is boring; why would I want to date her?" Chiba Mamoru replied flippantly as the arcade doors jingled, alerting Motoki to a new customer.
Mamoru had to repress a smile as a certain angel skipped up to the counter. Her sunny locks were in two buns on either side of her head, twin streamers of hair falling to almost her ankles.
"Konnichiwa, Usagi-chan, what can I get for you?"
"Konnichiwa, Motoki-kun." Usagi batted her eyelashes, hopping onto a barstool. "Double chocolate shake, please!"
"Well, well, come to beat the Sailor V game senseless again, Odango Atama?" Mamoru drawled lazily, hiding his smile at her flushed face in his coffee mug.
"Oh it's you again! Why can't you just leave me alone, baka?! Don't you have anything better to do?" Usagi complained. "Honestly, 'toki-kun, how can you /stand/ him?"
"Just drink your shake, Odango, and let the rest of us enjoy some peace." Mamoru snapped irritably.
"Hey! My name is Usagi! Oo--sah--gee!"
"I'm gone, Motoki-kun. It sickens me to watch this little girl whine and stuff herself." He walked out the door seconds before Usagi started bawling.
$$--break--
*10/21/03, streets of Azabu Juuban*$$
An irate blonde plowed her way through the sidewalks.
^How dare she? How dare she humiliate me like that?! Just like Mizuno Ami, to have the prefect answer to a problem I sweated over last night and today in class! The way she says the answer in that calm, assured voice of hers, like she was saying two plus two equal...^
"Oof!" Tsukino Usagi slammed head-on into someone very hard and warm, sending them both sprawling. "I'm so so sooo sorry," Usagi spluttered.
"It would be the arcade klutz, Odango Atama?" The lazy drawl infuriated and melted her at the same time.
"Oooh why did I have to run into the biggest jerk in the world today of all days?! I hate you, Mamoru-baka!"
And thus the skirmishes of Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru broadened from the Crown Arcade to the outside world.
$$--break--
*10/21/03, Azabu Juuban, outside a private Residence*$$
Luna's memories stirred and tumbled through the mind of the now-feline adviser. Only one thing was completely clear: find a senshi of the Moon. The brooch used to give the warrior access to her powers lay in the cat's sub-space pocket. She had found this moon warrior. Today, the slumbering lunar powers would be awakened.
The small black cat with its curious gold crescent hopped nimbly into a teenage girl's window.
"Excuse me," Luna spoke softly, startling the girl out of her daydream.
"Oh what a cute kitty!" She cooed. "Now how did you get in here?" She shook her head, trickling laughter, short red hair bobbing energetically.
"Naru-san!" Luna barked sternly, willing her courage and duty to last long enough to get this girl to listen before her own doubts of whether or not Naru was 'the one' began to show. Naru stared at the cat a moment, astonished, before bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Oh, wow, I must be dreaming. Cats don't talk."
"Not most felines, no. But, Naru-san, this is not the point. You are the one I have been looking for; you will help us on our Great Quest. You are the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon!" ^Please, listen! Oh, Selene, let me be right!^
"Eh, heh, heh, ha. This is a dream. A dream. Talking cat, gotta be a dream. You're sooo kawaii! I think Mama would let me keep you."
"Here, Naru-san, I've got a present for you." Luna pushed the brooch forward enticingly.
"For me?! Oh it's so pretty! I wanna wear it everyday to school!" Naru squealed, picking up the bauble. She untied the bow on her school uniform, letting the red ribbons flutter freely. As she tried to thread the brooch onto one of the strips of fabric, she asked offhand: "So, what's your name, kitty? Since you can talk and all."
"Excuse my rudeness; I am Luna." The cat paused, then continued, "Will you humor me with something?"
"Humor you? I'm already talking to you and acting like I'm actually going to keep this pretty jewelry, why not?"
"Take that brooch I gave you and call out 'Moon Prism Power.' I guarantee you'll be shocked."
"Well, Luna, here goes." Naru held the brooch above her head, calling 'Moon Prism Power!'
The transformation power burst from the locket just as, a few blocks away, a certain dynamic duo collided again. And, as the Warrior of the Moon transformed, memories of thousands of years past flooded Usagi and Mamoru as they clung to each other in shock, acid words evaporating in their throats, a montage of images separate but connected obscuring reality.
A new objective revealed itself to the advisor.
The Senshi of Selene marveled at herself, her too-keen senses telling her that she was not dreaming. She believed herself, and the cat.
The Princess and Prince stumbled to an alley, reeling from reliving snatches of an old old old life.
Title: Split Souls
Author: AriallaZarinth
Chapter One: A Warrior of the Moon
Email: crystalstarr89@yahoo.com
$$Prologue:
*Silver Millennium, night of the Fall, after the Massacre*$$
Luna and Artemis wept with their queen as Serenity drew the Moon Wand from her stained robes. The purple haired counselor placed one shaking hand on Serenity's wrist, silently pleading against the sacrifice. The tall white-haired man stood in silence, ready to protect his love and his royal, tears rolling freely down his face. He tensed as running footsteps resounded in the hall leading to the Prayer Room where the Queen knelt to perform her magic, his sweat-slicked hands gripping the pommel of his only ceremonial blade. Naru, the princess' handmaiden, rushed into the chamber, apologies tripping one over another. Her Terran counterpart, Endymion's manservant, followed in her shadow.
"Naru, Motoki, you mustn't be here!" Serenity whispered, "It is over; we are finished."
"If you please, my Queen, we just wanted to find the Princess and the Prince." Naru ventured.
"They are on that balcony, there." Luna moaned, voice cracking, eyes still begging for reconsideration.
"Stay away, children. It is time." But the pair heeded not, even as Serenity uttered the words of sealing and transport they ran to the balcony.
Endymion was sprawled on his back, the flesh of his stomach gaping, warm entrails oozing onto the marble floor. Motoki stumbled blankly to his liege, kneeling to run his fingers over the symbol of Earth that began to burn on the prince's forehead.
Serenity was doubled over, one hand in Endymion's, the other still wrapped white-knuckled on the hilt of her lover's blade, the sword that she had driven through her heart. The magically wrought steel protruded through her back, puddles of blood in her lap, ivory silk settling into a salty sticky crimson. Naru cradled the princess's head, her lips brushing the moon on the corpse's brow.
A great flash, and the queen wept alone, breathing her last.
$$Chapter One: A Warrior of the Moon
*Mid to Late March, Negaverse Throne Room*$$
"My Generals," the occupant of the throne addressed the four men who knelt before her, "our Master decrees it is time to strike once more. We have all been awakened to conquer the Earth." A half-truth, if there could be such a thing. Tattered memories and a too-weak Master left them almost clueless. "General Jadeite, you have won first duty. Overtake this Tokyo. Now."
"With pleasure, my Queen." The man that replied stood, bowed, and exited the chamber.
His green eyes held chilled sparks; sandy hair managed to give him a youthful appearance much to his dismay. His grey general's uniform went unadorned.
$$--break--
*3/10/03, Azabu Juuban, Juuban Jr. High, Sakurada Haruna's 8th Grade Class*$$
"Sakurada-san?" The school secretary's voice crackled through the PA system, interrupting the English lesson. "You have a phone call on line two."
"Class, stay quiet while I'm gone." Haruna said quickly, walking out of the room with a flip of her wavy reddish-brown hair.
The momentary silence as the door clicked shut was broken by Tsukino Usagi's gleeful: "Breakfast!" As she dug a small pack of rice cakes out of her desk, the boy behind Usagi tweaked the long golden plait she always wore her hair in.
"Why don't you change your hair style, Usagi-san?"
"I don't know anything else to do with it." She replied between mouthfuls.
"Can I style it, Usagi-chan?" Osaka Naru asked shyly; she had just become friends with the other girl recently and was still surprised by her ever-cheerful attitude.
"If you wanna..." Usagi's food disappeared back into her desk. She slid her chair next to Naru's as she undid the braid.
As the two girls chatted, Naru automatically began to tie Usagi's hair into two complex buns, a part of her mind wondering why this felt so familiar.
$$--break--
*3/10/03, Azabu Juuban, Crown Arcade*$$
"So, Rika was wondering if you and Keiko-san would be joining us Friday night?" Furuhata Motoki grinned.
"Iie, Motoki-kun. Keiko-san is boring; why would I want to date her?" Chiba Mamoru replied flippantly as the arcade doors jingled, alerting Motoki to a new customer.
Mamoru had to repress a smile as a certain angel skipped up to the counter. Her sunny locks were in two buns on either side of her head, twin streamers of hair falling to almost her ankles.
"Konnichiwa, Usagi-chan, what can I get for you?"
"Konnichiwa, Motoki-kun." Usagi batted her eyelashes, hopping onto a barstool. "Double chocolate shake, please!"
"Well, well, come to beat the Sailor V game senseless again, Odango Atama?" Mamoru drawled lazily, hiding his smile at her flushed face in his coffee mug.
"Oh it's you again! Why can't you just leave me alone, baka?! Don't you have anything better to do?" Usagi complained. "Honestly, 'toki-kun, how can you /stand/ him?"
"Just drink your shake, Odango, and let the rest of us enjoy some peace." Mamoru snapped irritably.
"Hey! My name is Usagi! Oo--sah--gee!"
"I'm gone, Motoki-kun. It sickens me to watch this little girl whine and stuff herself." He walked out the door seconds before Usagi started bawling.
$$--break--
*10/21/03, streets of Azabu Juuban*$$
An irate blonde plowed her way through the sidewalks.
^How dare she? How dare she humiliate me like that?! Just like Mizuno Ami, to have the prefect answer to a problem I sweated over last night and today in class! The way she says the answer in that calm, assured voice of hers, like she was saying two plus two equal...^
"Oof!" Tsukino Usagi slammed head-on into someone very hard and warm, sending them both sprawling. "I'm so so sooo sorry," Usagi spluttered.
"It would be the arcade klutz, Odango Atama?" The lazy drawl infuriated and melted her at the same time.
"Oooh why did I have to run into the biggest jerk in the world today of all days?! I hate you, Mamoru-baka!"
And thus the skirmishes of Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru broadened from the Crown Arcade to the outside world.
$$--break--
*10/21/03, Azabu Juuban, outside a private Residence*$$
Luna's memories stirred and tumbled through the mind of the now-feline adviser. Only one thing was completely clear: find a senshi of the Moon. The brooch used to give the warrior access to her powers lay in the cat's sub-space pocket. She had found this moon warrior. Today, the slumbering lunar powers would be awakened.
The small black cat with its curious gold crescent hopped nimbly into a teenage girl's window.
"Excuse me," Luna spoke softly, startling the girl out of her daydream.
"Oh what a cute kitty!" She cooed. "Now how did you get in here?" She shook her head, trickling laughter, short red hair bobbing energetically.
"Naru-san!" Luna barked sternly, willing her courage and duty to last long enough to get this girl to listen before her own doubts of whether or not Naru was 'the one' began to show. Naru stared at the cat a moment, astonished, before bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Oh, wow, I must be dreaming. Cats don't talk."
"Not most felines, no. But, Naru-san, this is not the point. You are the one I have been looking for; you will help us on our Great Quest. You are the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon!" ^Please, listen! Oh, Selene, let me be right!^
"Eh, heh, heh, ha. This is a dream. A dream. Talking cat, gotta be a dream. You're sooo kawaii! I think Mama would let me keep you."
"Here, Naru-san, I've got a present for you." Luna pushed the brooch forward enticingly.
"For me?! Oh it's so pretty! I wanna wear it everyday to school!" Naru squealed, picking up the bauble. She untied the bow on her school uniform, letting the red ribbons flutter freely. As she tried to thread the brooch onto one of the strips of fabric, she asked offhand: "So, what's your name, kitty? Since you can talk and all."
"Excuse my rudeness; I am Luna." The cat paused, then continued, "Will you humor me with something?"
"Humor you? I'm already talking to you and acting like I'm actually going to keep this pretty jewelry, why not?"
"Take that brooch I gave you and call out 'Moon Prism Power.' I guarantee you'll be shocked."
"Well, Luna, here goes." Naru held the brooch above her head, calling 'Moon Prism Power!'
The transformation power burst from the locket just as, a few blocks away, a certain dynamic duo collided again. And, as the Warrior of the Moon transformed, memories of thousands of years past flooded Usagi and Mamoru as they clung to each other in shock, acid words evaporating in their throats, a montage of images separate but connected obscuring reality.
A new objective revealed itself to the advisor.
The Senshi of Selene marveled at herself, her too-keen senses telling her that she was not dreaming. She believed herself, and the cat.
The Princess and Prince stumbled to an alley, reeling from reliving snatches of an old old old life.
