DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Andrina's special name for Ariel.

Enjoy!

A/N: Here it is! The long awaited next chapter! I hope everyone enjoys it!

"I Remember Music"

Chapter 5-The Awakening

Andrina gasped. She couldn't believe her sister didn't know who she was. This wasn't how Andrina had expected Ariel's first minutes awake to be like at all.

Just then, Arainia swam in. She smiled when she saw that Ariel was awake.

"Ariel, I'm glad to see you've woken up. How do you feel, sweetheart?"

Ariel gazed at the second new face with something of fear and apprehension on her face.

Andrina saw her sister's actions and hastened to ease her fears.

"Ariel, it's okay. This is Arainia. She's been taking care of you since Father brought you here."

Ariel nodded. She was trying to take everything in that the person with her was saying, but it was rather hard.

Arainia glanced at Andrina. The young mer-princess looked extremely worried.

"Andrina, are you okay?" Arainia asked.

Andrina shook her head. She glanced at Ariel. Her sister looked like a caged lion fish about to bolt. She had a firm grip on Andrina's right hand out of fear and wanting to be protected.

Ariel sighed inwardly. She knew this person's name now. Her name was Andrina. If only she could remember it, she would be fine. Whoever this Andrina person was, Ariel felt safe with her.

Andrina tore her gaze away from Ariel long enough to stare at Arainia. She gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong with my sister?" Andrina demanded. Her tone was one of worry and Arainia could sense protection in it as well.

At the word 'sister, Ariel jerked her head around and gazed at Andrina carefully. They both had the same blue eyes, but Andrina's hair was reddish blond, not red like hers. Still, Ariel could see the resembalance and it comforted her to know she was related to this person who made her feel so safe.

Arainia sighed as she tried her best to explain to Andrina what had happened to Ariel.

"Ariel's suffering from traumatic amnesia. I've seen this happen to a lot of patients after experiencing head trauma.:

Andrina nodded. She understood this, but what she really wanted to know was when her little sister would get better.

"Will Ariel get her memory back?" The elder mer-princess asked. Her voice was full of hope, but the young doctor could sense fear in it too.

"Yes she will. It might take a while, but Ariel will get it back in time."

"How can we help her?" Andrina wanted to know.

"Well after you take her home," Arainia started, "just go about your normal routine and that will help her a great deal."

Andrina nodded. She was about to ask Arainia another question when Aquata and Adella swam into the room. It was their turn to watch over Ariel until their father came around dinnertime.

"Hey sis." Aquata greeted Andrina. "How's…" Her voice trailed off when she noticed what was going on.

Adella grinned as well. She swam forward, all intentions of hugging her little sister, but Arainia stopped them just in time.

"Girls, I know you're happy to see Ariel is okay, but you need to give her some space. She just woke up and she's a little disoriented."

Aquata blushed as did Adella. They were just so happy to have their baby sister back, they didn't know what to do.

"Sorry." Aquata said.

"It's quite all right." Arainia assured them. "I'll leave you girls alone, but go easy okay." With that, she left.

Once she was gone, Adella swam forward once again. She was more cautious about it, but she approached Ariel nonetheless.

Seeing two more unfamiliar faces was making Ariel more than a little afraid. She squeezed Andrina's hand harder if that was possible and gave her a desperate look.

Seeing her sister's mood change, Andrina tried her best to defuse the situation before Ariel worked herself into a panic.

"Adella, remember what Arainia said. You need to go slow for now." Then to Ariel she said, "Ariel, it's okay, sweetie. That's just Adella. She's just happy that you're okay."

Ariel nodded. She then posed a question to her sister.

"Is she our sister too?"

Andrina resisted the urge to say something sarcastic and stuck with the truth.

"Yes." She replied. "And so is Aquata." She pointed to her formentioned sister who was floating next to Ariel's bed on her left.

Ariel nodded.

"They won't hurt you." Andrina assured her frightened sibling. "I promise."

Adella spoke up just then.

"Wait a minute. Hold the conk-shell here. What's wrong with her? I mean I know she hit her head, but why doesn't she remember us?"

Aquata rolled her eyes, despite the situation.

"What did Arainia say?" Aquata asked Andrina. She kept her voice soft so she wouldn't scare Ariel. IT was breaking Aquata's heart to see her baby sister so scared and hurting, but she knew she would be okay in time.

Andrina sighed. She explained to Aquata and Adella everything that Arainia told her, along with Ariel's prognosis.

"Somebody needs to tell Father." Aquata concluded once Andrina was done explaining.

"Why don't you do it?" Adella suggested. "You're the eldest."

Aquata glared at her, but left the room a few minutes later. She told Ariel she loved her before leaving and was gone seconds later.

Silence fell over the threesome after Aquata was gone.

Adella broke it with a question she wasn't sure Ariel would answer.

"Ariel, are you hungry?"

Ariel shook her head. She wasn't feeling very hungry at the moment.

"Not really." She replied, truthfully.

Andrina patted Ariel's shoulder.

"It's okay. You don't have to eat just yet."

Ariel sighed with relief.

Just then, Arainia returned. She had a cup of something in her hand. She handed it to Andrina and pointed to Ariel.

"As soon as you can get her to drink this, I'll take the seaIV out and she can go home."

Andrina nodded. She wasn't sure how cooperative Ariel was going to be at the moment, but she would give it a try.

Andrina held the cup out to her little sister. She wasn't sure if Ariel was strong enough to hold it on her own just yet.

"Come on, honey." She said, hoping the term of endearment would help Ariel feel at ease. "As soon as you drink this, we can take you home."

Adella stayed silent. She knew Andrina had to be the one to get Ariel to drink it.

Ariel gazed at the cup wearily. She wasn't very hungry, but she was actually feeling kind of thirsty.

"You don't have to drink it all." Andrina assured her.

Ariel nodded.

Taking a deep breath, the young mermaid leaned forward, letting the brim of the cup touch her lips. She took a few sips before pulling back and gazing at Andrina hopefully. Her look spoke volumes. Andrina could read her little sister like a book.

Andrina smiled approvingly at her sister.

"Good job. You don't have to drink anymore." She assured her.

Ariel sighed with relief.

Arainia popped her head in just then.

"Did you get her to drink it?" She asked.

Andrina nodded.

"Yup. She almost drank half of it."

Arainia smiled. She was happy to hear that.

"All right. Let's get that seaIV out, shall we?" She said this while facing Ariel.

Ariel nodded. She winced as the tape came off, but Andrina allowed her to squeeze her hand, which helped a little.

Adella watched the interaction with amazement, mixed with some jealousy. Was Aquata right? Was Andrina going to be the one who helped Ariel regain her memory?

Once the seaIV was removed, Arainia told the sisters they could wait for their father in the waiting room.

Andrina nodded. She took Ariel's hand and helped her off the bed. She went slowly and made sure Ariel could keep up with her. She was aware that her sister still felt weak from being asleep for so long.

Upon getting to the waiting room, Andrina allowed Ariel to rest her head against her shoulder. She smiled inwardly when Ariel chose to lay her head in her lap. That was her favorite spot whenever she was extremely tired or not feeling good. It gave Andrina hope that Ariel felt safe enough to allow her to cuddle her.

By the time Triton arrived, Ariel was asleep and Andrina didn't want to wake her. Adella was still awake, but this was no surprise. She had been reading the newest edition of Teen Fish.

King Triton smiled slightly when he saw the position Ariel was in. She was curled in Andrina's lap, her head resting on Andrina's chest. Her fin was relaxed and curled underneath of her. This was a true sign she was comfortable.

"She fell asleep." Triton observed quietly. He didn't want to wake Ariel up.

Andrina nodded.

"Uh-huh. She's had a long few days. I'll carry her." She offered. With that, she picked Ariel up and began swimming back to the palace…