Sailor Sun pointed her bow and arrow at the target Pluto had set up on the tree that had been used for many attacks during the past two years. Just as she let the arrow fly from the string she heard the Great Time Doors open, only one other time has she heard this booming sound, when Pluto had to visit a child from earth. She slung the quiver and bow onto her back and walked curoiusly into Pluto's room. Sailor Sun gaped at the small child about five years old standing beside Pluto being given the time key. 'That little pink haired brat! How come she gets to have the time key!' Sun stood in the doorway, feeling confused and hurt, Pluto promised for her to visit certain time eras soon, and the little brat has the one key! Then a sad thought hit the young warrior, 'Wait, maybe that's the kid Pluto went to see. Maybe the little brat needs to change something in the past to make her life better.' she frowned knowing nothing in her power could change what had happened to her, unless she ended her life whenever her reincarnated body came from.
Pluto looked up and saw Arianna standing in her doorway, "Sailor Sun!"
"Sorry Pluto, I was just wondering if you left again or something." Sun said with shame knowing she was not allowed to go into the time room without Pluto's permission.
The Sailor of Time smiled slightly, "I would have told you if I had to go."
Sun smiled wirily and started to turn back, when Pluto spoke up, "Sailor Sun, I'd like you to meet Serenity, or Small Lady as I call her."
The jelous Sailor turned her head around to stare at the pipsqueak.
"Small Lady, this is Sailor Sun, I'll expect she will be fighting alongside you someday." Pluto explained about the half turned girl.
"Hi." Serenity said, protectivly holding a strange electronic ball-thing.
"Hello." Arianna said with a bow. "I hope your trip is a safe one." she added, knowing of the perils of walking through time.
"Thank-you." the pink haired child said and turned back to Pluto.
'I wonder if that kid is the same Serenity I always hear Pluto and Sora talk about.' Sailor Sun said to herself before turning around.
Sora walked into Ari's room while she was putting her gear away, "Young miss," she said to get the girl's attention, "how was practice?"
Ari jumped, "Fourty-two bulls' eyes." she answered.
"In an hour?" Sora said in surprise.
"Yes in an hour." Arianna said sourly, straightening out her bed a bit more.
"Well it is still good." Sora added trying to make Arianna feel better.
Ari shrugged her shoulders, then flopped onto her bed.
"Is the Serenity, Pluto is talking to in the Time Room the same Serenity you both seem to talk about as a joke?" Ari said what was on her mind.
The dog looked up in surprise, "The child Serenity is from the future. The teen Serenity is from this time and well she is sometimes a joke, compared to her past-self that is."
"What was her past-self?" Ari asked sitting up to look at the dog.
"The Princess of the Moon, as you were the Princess of the Sun."
Arianna thought what Sora was saying was odd, "She's The Princess, and I am a princess. Then how come we are Sailor Scouts?"
"I do not know." Sora admitted.
"Wait a second! Are all the myths and legends you tell me related to the Sailor Senshi and the princesses in their former lives?" Ari said with uncertainty.
"They are not myths or legends, they are true stories." Sora quickly corrected.
"You got to be kidding! They-- they're true! You're telling me that those stories are true!" Ari went into total teen mode "Hang on... she doesn't know about me or the Sun Kingdom?" she calmed down and slid onto her bed again.
"No." Sora said.
Arianna sighed slightly, "So when does my training get harder, you know, like actual fighting?" she changed the subject.
"Why are you so anxious?" Sora questioned. "Do you want to leave us so soon?"
"Not leave you guys forever, I just meant like training with other warriors or stuff like that. I just feel that my powers are strong enough to battle others." Ari explained.
"So you want to go against Pluto now?" Sora chuckled.
"No, I like Pluto too much." Ari laughed. "Like... those three weirdos who kidnapped me two years ago." she said more darkly.
Sora's eyes stopped shinning with admiration.
"But like that's going to happen." Ari laughed brightly, letting Sora sigh.
Sora was laying near an exahusted Sailor Pluto.
"She wants to fight." Soras blurted.
"Fight?" Pluto asked, transforming into her regular clothes. "It's too early."
"I think she wants revenge or something." Sora explained. "She mentioned her kidnappers today."
"Well she's not going anywhere, well at least until the Black Moon Family has been defeated." Pluto said, even though she knew it wasn't the only thing she was holding her from.
"Are they that dangerous?" Sora said in shock.
"They're draining me, trying to force their way into the future."
"So they're worse than Beryl?" Sora tried.
"That's why Reeny was removed from the future, she was told to retrieve the Silver Moon Crystal from the past because the one in the future isn't strong enough." Pluto sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could help a lot more without using a Taboo."
"Why don't we send Sailor Sun to help?" Sora asked.
"She's too young." Pluto snapped.
"And what about Serenity? She's only... turning five."
"She is safe in the protection of the Scouts."
"Pluto you're not making any sense."
"Sailor Sun is too young to control her powers, and putting her in the Scouts custody would be very stressful."
Sora sighed, "So then what are we going to do with our rebelling pre-teen?"
"I don't know really," she admitted. "do you remember what the Queen did with her?" she asked gingerly.
"No, I barely remember anything about the Queen," Sora said, scrunching her face up. "but I think she would try and talk it out of her..."
"We'll try that in the morning." Pluto said, and went to get ready for bed.
"Pluto!" Arianna ran up in the morning after Pluto transformed. "Sora probably told you that I want more challenges, but I thought it over last night. Right now, my challenge is to overcome my powers, but I feel that what you give me to practice with isn't letting me reach to my maximuim ablility. So instead of finding out myself, why don't you just tell me my actual former might? Like what I was able to do in the Silver Millenium, and stuff. So I can focus on those new attacks."
Pluto stood there with shock on her face, putting her wieght on her staff. "First of all," she said once she regained her ablility to speak. "if you feel you can go further you're still missing something, like disipline. And about me telling you about your former might, I can't. I only knew of you and about your kingdom's soliders, one of the very few who knew I must add once again. So I'm sorry, but you're kind of alone on finding out about yourself." Pluto said sharply.
"I thought you were my gaurdian and as many know, gaurdians are there to help you through things that you are suppose to find out. But I feel you are hiding something from me, besides your own secerts that I will not dig into."
"Well, I am not your gaurdian, Sora was appointed to you by your mother." Pluto sighed heavily, before conituning. "This may will take awhile, so you should sit."
"I thought she was yours..." Ari said.
"No, she was appointed to you. The reasons she seems so incompetant, is a very long story if she could tell it, but she cannot remember. My version leaves out many parts, but it explains her amnesia.
"A very long time ago, I was attacked by Sora. She was in a rage, like she had been possesed. She kept rambling about her mistress and how she wanted them all gone. I had no clue who or what she was talking about until she said the name of a Sailor warrior who's even older than me, Sailor Galaxia. I remembered from long ago that she had been possesed by an evil named Chaos, when I thought about the gold collar around Sora's neck --"
"It's silver--" Ari said.
"Yes, but that is before I used one of my Taboos to change the collar. That Taboo erased most of her memory, except what horrors Galaxia and her minions brought upon many of the galaxies. Galaxia never came back to retreive Sora from her fate, and so she has been by me ever since." Pluto concluded.
"Wow." Ari breathed. "So she doesn't remember being a Sailor Scout gaurdian, or anything like that?" she asked once everything sunk in.
"That is correct." Pluto said sadly. "Sora is a wonderful gaurdian, its just that she can't help you with self-finding questions. The ones you need, right now. I'm sorry."
"It's alright." Ari smiled. "I'm glad you explained it to me."
"Good," Pluto sighed and got up. "I'm glad you understand. I must go back to work, and you must get back to your studies."
Several months later, Arianna started to intensify her studies and training with Sora. She was determined to be the best Sailor Scout, like the ones in the Silver Millenium.
Sora looked at her charge with concern, she was only turning twelve and it was obvious that there was something missing in her lifestyle. Pluto was now always busy, and she had a motherly feeling that human children, as like pups, need socializing.
"Sailor Sun, I think it's a good time to meditate, or have a time out." Sora said, watching the girl stretch after running twenty laps around Pluto's home.
Sun looked up, her light blue eyes had ovbiosly darkened over time. "How come? I'm not going to start summoning high energy attacks right now."
"Just to calm yourself, not to summon energy to use for an attack. It's just another technique that everyone has to learn." she said, sitting down on her haunches and taking deep breaths.
She sighed and followed into the meditation position, but was interrupted by the soft voice of Sailor Pluto.
"I must leave for a few weeks, Arianna." she said, looking down at the young girl.
Sailor Sun's eyes lingered on Pluto before casting them away, was there even a point to ask if she could help?
"I'm sorry, it's just not the right time." Pluto said, like she could read the child's thoughts.
"I understand." Sun said in a tone that sounded like she rehearsed the line over and over again. "But, could you tell me about it when you return?" she asked with hope.
"Of course little one." Pluto smiled, before running back to the Time Room.
Sora sighed before making Sailor Sun mediate for a bit longer.
During the first week Pluto was absent, Sora noticed a definite change in her young charge. She didn't know what she could do to help fix the change, but she was very tempted to the break rules just to fix whatever was bothering Sailor Sun.
Sitting in the Time Room the two kept each other company while they kept watch for the absent Time Keeper.
"Remember those shooting stars last week." Sailor Sun said, almost sounding like her old self.
"Yes, they were beautiful." Sora smiled glad to have a happy pre-teen to talk to. "It reminded me of the story when Queen Serenity destroyed the Ice Queen. It was one of Pluto's favourite legends." Sora fibbed, knowing it was one of Pluto's fears she'd been expecting.
Sun sighed, fed up with hearing war stories she had not been apart of. She was now silently screaming inside her head, trying to drown out Sora's speech that was suppose to make her feel better. Why did she mention those stupid streaks of light? Pluto was part of a fight she was not part of, and it tore her apart. Not to mention that beautiful transparent couple that flew through space right after the majority of the streaks of light.
Sora caught the girl's unhappiness.
"You know what?" Sora said with a bit of irritation in her voice. "If you're so keen on fighting, I might as well show you what it looks like." she trotted off into another room and came back with something electronic.
Sailor Sun looked very intreged.
"Pluto always keeps records on the battles that have happened." Sora hit it with her paw, and the thing's screen turned brightly on. "Watch the screen quietly." Sora hissed.
Sailor Sun watched and listened to the conversation between the Sailor Scouts and what looked like an older version of Small Lady. It didn't take long for Sailor Sun to flinch at the damage going on, but she didn't blink until the screen went black.
"What do you think?" Sora asked with pride.
"They were losing." Sailor Sun said flatly. "They didn't have to waste so much energy if I had helped."
Sora sighed, "That may be, but--"
"But what? I'm not experianced enough? Of course I'm not!" she growled. "Where do I get this experiance from, hmm? By fighting with others!"
"Pluto and I have let you run wild for the last two and a half years without making you disapline yourself. Now we've had it." Sora barked. "First I'm going to make you disapline your mind. Now power down and hand me your broach."
"Excuse me!" Sailor Sun looked appauled at what her gaurdian said.
"You heard me." the dog growled.
Sailor Sun slowly did as she was told, then stared daggers at her gaurdian.
"What now?" she asked sharply.
"You are going to act like a princess, and since you have no powers you don't have to worry about fighting. Until I give the say so." Sora smirked at her charge.
"What?" Ari looked confused.
"You were a princess, now you might as well learn how to be one again. As well, this exercise will make you a better person than Sailor Moon." Sora explained, trying to lure the child without a fight.
"But I'm already a better person than the Moon kid. I'm not a klutz." Ari shot back.
"That may be, but Serenity is kind to everyone and doesn't pick fights." Sora reminded her charge lightly.
"Okay... I guess, but then that's the only thing I have to work on because Serenity doesn't have self-disapline. She's a klutz and she doesn't study." Ari said, feeling very proud of herself.
"Fine." Sora smiled. "But I give you one week to act, look, and over all present yourself as a princess. That means by the time Pluto comes back, you'll be perfect."
"Alright one week." Ari shook Sora's paw sealing the challenge.
Pluto came back exhaused, but over all happy. She looked around her home for Arianna and Sora, and found during her search that her home was super clean. Apon finding the young girl she was quite surprised to see the girl in a long yellow sun-dress, having tea with Sora. She smiled before walking in.
"Hello Arianna." she said softly.
Sora cleared her throat, "It's princess Arianna." the dog corrected.
"Princess." Pluto repeated, bowing her head slightly. "Thank-you for cleaning the house, it looks wonderful." she smiled again.
"The pleasure was mine." Arianna got up and hugged her saviour. "I needed to learn how to keep house anyway." she smiled.
"Princess, would you like to hear my tales of helping the Sailor Scouts?" Pluto asked, looking at the girl with admiration.
Arianna took her time answering before saying with some excitement, "Yes, that would be nice."
"Okay, just let me get cleaned up." Pluto smiled before leaving the room.
A few months later, Arianna was her happy self once agian, and wasn't that aggitated when Small Lady came to see the Solar Sailor Scouts. Even after Pluto left to find THE Saviour and help save the world from a bunch of heart stealing meanies.
"Promise me you'll take care of yourself," Ari demanded from Pluto. "and kick some evil butt."
"Of course, Ari." Pluto hugged the child, before leaving her again.
"Pluto?" Ari asked quickly before the Sailor of Time left. "Is there anyway I could make sure you'll be okay? Not just taking your word, which of course is as good as gold."
Pluto looked around before grabbing a set of communicators. "This is just because I'll be gone for so long." she handed one of the comunicators to the girl.
Ari smiled brightly, her eyes brimming with tears as she embraced the older woman tightly, and pushed her gently to her destination.