Sailormoon Neo: #19 - Mirai no Yoken, Chinmoku no Tenshi wa Nemuru - Visions of the Future, the Silent Angel Sleeps On - By: Janelle Jimenez (miaka@bishounen.org) Official Webpage: http://www.sailormoon-millennia.net/ [http://bishounen.org/smmillennia/] Note: This episode is FILLED with IMMENSELY confusing scenes, but they are meant to confuse. If this were an anime, it'd be one of those episodes that make little or no sense. Just remember that Sailormoon Neo is apart of a trilogy, and you have yet to read the story of the Silver Millennium. If you keep that in mind, you can disregard confusing facts more easily. Yes, I know you want action, but this half of Neo doesn't have as much--Yet. "Princess Tranquility-sama?" a gentle voice called, the Princess turned around slowly. "Yes?" she asked, squinting her eyes slightly in response to the sun. "Breakfast is about to be served, Neo-Queen Serenity requested that you be called in." the maid said timidly. The Princess cocked her head to the side and stared at the woman, who was almost cowering in nervousness. "I don't feel like eating, Misao. Tell them to begin without me." she murmured, turning her back and pretending to continue picking flowers. The maid must have nodded, for she made no other sound--she merely walked away. Tranquility moved towards the small pond and sat in the shade of a weeping willow tree, she spread the skirt of her dress around her and gently caressed the silken folds with her pale finger tips. She gazed into the reflection in the pond, "Who am I?" she asked the reflection. An insect flew into the water, breaking up the image of the girl with the long dark hair and shining violet eyes. She knew who she was, but in name only. She had awoken from a coma four months ago, finding that she was afflicted with a horrendous case of amnesia. She didn't know who she was, or where she was. It was horrifying, not knowing whether or not the people around her could be trusted. To make matters worse, every night she was haunted by terrifying nightmares of monsters and demons, of herself as murderer with a long staff as a weapon. She looked for answers, but she was met with dead ends. She was not allowed to leave the Palace grounds, her aunt told her it was so she didn't get lost. Ridiculous. No one ever gave her a straight answer. But she was smarter than that, she wore a facade of belief and happiness, but she knew none of this was real. She had made it a mission to find the truth, nothing could or would stop her. She knew she had to have a real duty in life, than to be nonproductive royalty. She could feel it in her blood, and no force would stop her from doing whatever it is she was born to do. Suddenly, Princess Tranquility threw the bouquet of lilies she had picked into the pond. She gazed over the water again, noting the beauty of the floating flowers over the glassy lake, "Who are you, Princess?" she asked her reflection. She knew that much, at least. She was the daughter of King Endymion's sister, the niece to the Ruler of the World. The Princess reached out a hand to touch the water, breaking up her reflection in the process, "Princess, you are Tranquility Shino Seishi..." * * * * "Queen Kasei-sama, the Shinka." said a voice from behind her, Queen Kasei turned around and saw her maid holding the pillow which the Shinka sat on. Queen Kasei picked up the bracelet and slipped it on to her wrist, "Please call in Kinsei and Mokusei." Kasei ordered, the maid nodded and bowed, and left the room. Moments later two woman entered the room, a blonde dressed in an orange gown and a taller brunette dressed in green, "What is it, Kasei?" Mokusei, the brunette, asked as she walked towards the black haired Queen. Kasei made a gesture for the women to be quiet, she traced a circle in the air with her braceleted wrist, red light appeared outlining the circle and an image appeared in it. It was of three symbols: a star, a moon, and a sun. The image then changed to the symbols moving closer together, then finally once more to all three symbols overlapping one another to form a curious symbol. "That looks like the symbol of the Golden Millennium." Kinsei, the blonde, commented. Mokusei nodded in agreement. "That it is. The future is in danger, our children are in danger. I don't know how exactly, but it all has to do with the Golden Millennium." Kasei answered, "We must send them our talismen." "Kasei, that is impossible. Just days ago you told us the a prophecy that the Silver Millennium would be destroyed. We cannot give up the only weapons we have that will help win this war-to-be." Kinsei said firmly. Kasei shook her head sadly and looked at the image created by the Shinka once more, "If the Silver Millennium is destroyed, the future will continue. Our bloodlines will live on. But, this new vision shows me the end of our line. The line must never end, it must always continue. There must be someone to protect our solar system. If we do nothing, then the line will cease to exist. After 4000 millennia, the three treasures of the Golden Millennium will come together, and Time will end." * * * * The dress flew through the air, it's path halted by the wall. The dress slid down to the floor in a crumpled heap. "Princess Usako-sama! Please, you must get dressed for the dinner tonight!" the maid exclaimed, bending over to pick up the beautiful white satin dress. Usako stamped her foot, "I DON'T WEAR WHITE!" she shrieked, she was an odd sight to behold. A young girl with half an odango up, and the other half hanging loose, dressed in nothing but a camisole and jewerly. "Your Majesty, this is the traditional dress of the Tsukino family, it's been worn for millenia." the maid cried in frustration, "I don't want to wear an outdated, ugly old dress. I only wear yellow, and that is that!" she declared, crossing her arms. Just then, Usa-chan entered the room, already dressed in her own version of the traditional white dress. Immediately, Usako jumped up and tore the dress from the maid's hands, slipping it over her head, "What seems to be wrong, ne, Usako-chan?" Usa asked in a somewhat motherly voice. Usako glared her blue eyes up at Usa, and she seemed to force a smile. "Nothing....mother. The maid just wouldn't give me my dress. They can be so incompetant sometimes!" she exclaimed throwing the maid a hateful glare. The maid hurried out of the room, Usa seemed to ignore the situation, or maybe she was oblivious to it. She walked over to Usako and tied the other side of her hair into odango, when she was done, she knelt down to eye level with the child. "Are you ready?" she asked. Usako nodded and together they walked out of her rooms and descended down the staircase, moving towards the dining room. She released her hold on Usako's hand and floated towards Ryuu and Kasumi, who had already arrived, and were deep in conversation. "Hello!" Usa-chan exclaimed, bursting in. Kasumi turned her head towards Usa and smiled gently, "Good evening Princess," she greeted, "Nice dress." she added with dryness. Usa-chan rolled her eyes, she thought Kasumi was nicer lately, but she'd always be sarcastic--it's just some people's nature. "Yea, yea, you've seen it before a billion times, but it's tradition. If I could pick, I'd be wearing something else." Usa-chan remarked waving her hand as if it were all irrelevant. Ryuu lowered the wine glass from his lips, he still hadn't greeted Usa-chan. He set down his glass and bowed deeply with a ridiculous smile on his face, "Komban wa, Princess Serenity-sama." Usa-chan giggled childishly at his actions, which made Ryuu smile even more. Kasumi looked at Usa-chan curiously, but not enviously. "Is Sei-chan going to be here?" he asked seriously. Kasumi looked slightly uncomfortable, "Yes, she is...but you know the rules--" Usa began, "I know, I can't let her know who I am or she might get her memory back." he interjected, "Speak of the devil." Kasumi murmured as she quickly downed the rest of her wine. A silence fell upon the room as a dark haired figure entered the room. This was one of the most formal occasions that had been held recently, yet this girl had a strange aura of casualness around her. Perhaps it was the fact that unlike every other female in the room, she had her hair down. She was dressed in a beautifully simple purple gown that perfectly matched her own violet eyes. "Seishi-san." Kasumi whispered in awe, Ryuu was totally speechless. After a few moments, the noise level returned to it's usual level as the guests returned to their conversations. The orchestra began to play and people began to dance once more. Three females stepped through the corridor of the ballroom and immediately walked towards Usa-chan and Kasumi. "HI!" exclaimed the ever cheerful Yoake as she grinned brightly. "Yoake, Himeko, Karei! I'm so happy you could attend." Usa cried giving each of them a hug. Kasumi eyed Karei suspiciously, "Why didn't you come with Megami?" she asked. Karei looked down and didn't answer, "Oh, look how gorgeous he looks..." Himeko sighed suddenly, all eyes turned to were she was looking to--except Kasumi's. "He can't be any cuter than my Ryuu is." she murmured as she drank the very last drops of her wine, "Kasumi, it IS Ryuu...and Seishi" Karei answered slowly. Kasumi looked up quickly to see Ryuu and Seishi waltzing, like two angels, like they were born only to dance this one dance with one another, their eyes fixed only on each other. A cold pain stabbed Kasumi's heart as Seishi's face broke into a smile--how terribly lovely she was when she smiled. Ryuu's face held a look of enchanted bliss. Kasumi's mind wandered to earlier that day, when she and Ryuu talked about steady dating again...but now she knew that no matter how close she and Ryuu were, he'd never get over Seishi. Kasumi disappeared when Seishi was around. A cold tear fell on her cheek as she turned away and ran from the ballroom to the veranda. There, in the silence of the outdoors, away from that horribly romantic music--she was free to cry. "Everything that matters to me..." she whispered between sobs, "I've never gotten any happiness my whole life...why am I being punished.." Kasumi buried her face in her hands and cried harder, but she couldn't escape the images--Ryuu holding Seishi so delicately as they danced, his look of enrapture, her look of happiness, their perfectly synchronized movements--And suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing his throat, she looked up and saw a handsome blonde haired man watching her. "Who..Who--" she stammered, but before she could finish he had swept her into his arms. She looked up at him in surprise, his hands stroked her hair gently to calm her, "It's alright, Kasumi." he whispered, "How do you--" "Shh, I feel your pain. Don't talk, just cry." he said, but she couldn't cry..not in the prescence of a stranger. After a few moments, he spoke again, "You want her dead, don't you?" Kasumi pulled away quickly and stared at the man, "What?" she gasped in shock, "You want her out of your life. Don't you? You want Shino Seishi dead." "No, I'd never want--" she stammered, the man pressed his fingers gently to her mouth, "Kasumi, I can make it happen." * * * * Seishi slipped off her dress and carefully left it out to be hung by the maid. The ball was surprisingly entertaining. She smiled gently to herself as she glanced down to a pale hand, where the young man's lips touched it in a loving kiss. Seishi felt her body warm slightly as she thought back to his handsome face. Morino Ryuu. But there was something very strange about him, the familiarity he seemed to have with her. Seishi could tell by the look in his eyes how deeply he felt for her, but how could he? He had only met her at the ball, right? Seishi knew it wasn't true. He was part of a clique, surrounded by beautiful females, and when she entered the room he walked to her and asked her to dance, as if he'd been waiting a lifetime to ask her. Moments later, a cute blue haired female ran from the room, her eyes full of tears. Seishi knew that that girl loved him. There was something about Morino Ryuu that was unsettling to Seishi, she knew she knew him, but just couldn't remember. However, if that was the truth...then she was being protected from something, maybe she was never meant to regain her memory. As Seishi sat down to brush her hair, she pondered the idea that her memory had been erased. That thought angered her greatly, but the more she thought about it, the more likely that this was the truth. There was a key to her memories, and it's name was Morino Ryuu. Seishi stared into her mirror, her pale hand reaching up to touch the glass. She would make that boy tell her the truth, any way that she could. A strange thought crossed her mind as she looked at her reflection, a cold smile widened across her face. Seishi was surprised at how sinister she could look, words formed in her mind, thoughtlessly she whispered them in the silence, "I can do anything, I'm the Dark Enchantress."