That Special Magic
-by: the Yarnspinner-
the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com
http://strands-of-moonlight.my3gb.com
-or-  http://strands-of-moonlight.6te.net

A Sekkushiaru Roman
featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon"

> Chapter 36 - Putting Together the Pieces <

        Rei sat there on the edge of her bed, holding the phone limply in her hand, staring at it blankly. She felt like she had just been kicked in the stomach. She had called Atana to see if she could offer him any help with Kara that afternoon. He had not only declined, but said he thought they really shouldn't be together much anymore, adding something about not wanting to create confusion and pain for Kara.
        She took another breath, finally putting the phone down. She could understand his concern about Kara, and had felt a very similar concern when Kara had found them in bed together, even if it had been perfectly innocent. But even so, she didn't understand his reasoning for virtually cutting off their relationship altogether.
        She leaned back as tears began to form. From her dreams and memories of her past life, she was now certain he was her soul mate, and in the wake of his rejection, felt like her heart had been torn out. How could he do this to her? He must feel at least some of what she felt.
        Just then, her communicator beeped. She reached for it, seeing the signal was from Minako.
        "Morning, Rei-chan," Minako said brightly, before noticing the look on Rei's face. "What's wrong? This doesn't look like our usual fiery temple maiden."
        Rei briefly considered trying to brush it off, but had to admit Minako would see through it. She just shook her head.
        "Is there a problem with Atana?" Minako asked.
        Rei groaned inwardly, wondering if Minako too had some sort of psychic talent. "Yes," she finally said.
        "What happened?"
        "I... I'm not sure," Rei said, taking a breath and wiping her eyes. "I called him just a few minutes ago to offer to help with Kara this afternoon, but he basically said he and I... shouldn't see each other any more."
        "Oh, wow," Minako exclaimed softly. "Did you two have a fight of some sort?"
        "No," Rei said. "In fact... I thought we were really getting a lot closer... I just don't understand it."
        Minako thought for a moment. "Has he expressed any concerns about the age difference between you?"
        "Yes, he has... But I'd thought he was beginning to get past that..."
        "Apparently not," Minako said with a nod. "Geoff has similar reservations... Say, are you experiencing memories of the Silver Millennium? Particularly involving him?"
        "Yes," Rei admitted, flushing slightly at the memories.
        "I assume you two were very... passionately involved back then."
        Rei nodded.
        "Does Atana know about your past life together?" Minako asked.
        "I... I don't really know," Rei said. "I don't think I've ever mentioned it... so maybe not."
        "That's what I thought," Minako said. "If he is beginning to remember, he probably thinks he's having fantasies about you... Is there any chance you can tell him about your past life?"
        "I don't think so... at least not any time soon," Rei said. "He doesn't seem to want to have much to do with me right now."
        "There might be another way," Minako said thoughtfully, a grin beginning to form on her face. "Just leave it all to the senshi of love... But first, I need to know some information about him..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

        Mamoru walked into the special exhibit hall at the museum, a VIP pass hanging around his neck. A guard met him at the door.
        "May I help you, sir?" the guard asked.
        "Yes, thank you. I'm looking for the curator," Mamoru said.
        "Yes, sir. Takeshita-san is there at the center display. The gentleman with the beard."
        "Thank you," Mamoru said with a bow.
        He walked toward the center display, stopping at a polite distance, seeing Takeshita was talking with two other men. After a moment, the other two bowed and Takeshita turned toward him. Mamoru bowed.
        "Takeshita-san. I am Chiba Mamoru."
        "Ah, Chiba-san. It is an honor to meet you," Takeshita said with a bow. "I had been expecting Kobayashi-san. I trust he is well."
        "Yes. Very well," Mamoru said. "He merely had a scheduling conflict and asked me to come in his place."
        Takeshita nodded. "We are certainly honored to have you here. And on behalf of the museum, I want to thank you for the support the Chiba Foundation is making toward this exhibit."
        "It is a pleasure and a privilege, Takeshita-san," Mamoru said. "My late grandfather was very keen to promote education and cultural understanding."
        "Yes. I understand he was a generous supporter of our museum."
        "He was," Mamoru said. "And I'm sure he would have been pleased to see this exhibit."
        "Thank you," Takeshita said. "May I show you around, Chiba-san?"
        "I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you, Takeshita-san," Mamoru said. "If you don't mind, I'll just have a look around before I leave."
        "I have no objections," Takeshita said. "Will you be attending the opening gala this weekend?"
        "Yes. My fiancee and I plan to be there," Mamoru said.
        "We're honored, Chiba-san," Takeshita said. "Please, feel free to show yourself around."
        "Thank you, Takeshita-san." Mamoru bowed, then turned to begin looking around.
        He walked through the main room, then past a temporary wall, where another part of the exhibit was being set up, featuring primarily Polynesian artifacts. In one corner of the room, he spotted Atana, who was clearly observing as several items were being placed in their displays. Mamoru stood there for a moment, considering. Minako had called Usagi to relay her conversation with Rei. Mamoru felt rather uncomfortable with all this, but Usagi and Minako had both agreed it was the only way.
        "Hello, Magi-san," Mamoru said, stepping up next to Atana.
        "Hmm? Oh, Chiba-san. Hello," Atana said. "What brings you here?" Just then he noticed Mamoru's pass. "Wait a minute. Are you the same family as the Chiba Foundation?"
        Mamoru nodded. "That's me," he said.
        "Well, thank you. Your foundation helped bring these here," Atana said, indicating several masks and intricate wood carvings.
        "You're with a museum in Hawaii?" Mamoru asked.
        "I guess you'd call me a contributor," Atana said. "I happen to own several of these pieces. A number of museums in Hawaii and on the mainland... mainland United States, that is... have been after me to display them, but given the circumstances of my... my recent past, I wanted to make absolutely certain I could document my ownership before I did that."
        "Are these Hawaiian?" Mamoru asked. "To my eye at least they look different."
        Atana nodded. "If the current estimates are correct, these are too old to be Polynesian... and stylistically they are different."
        "But I thought the aboriginal Hawaiians were Polynesian," Mamoru said.
        "That is the accepted wisdom," Atana agreed. "And certainly everyone who is now considered native Hawaiian is from Polynesian stock... but these do raise some interesting questions."
        "The museum here must have been overjoyed that you allowed them to display these," Mamoru said.
        "Yes," Atana said. "I'd been planning a possibly extended stay in Tokyo, and a friend of mine, an archaeologist in Honolulu, suggested I consider this exhibit."
        "Well, thank you for doing so," Mamoru said. "And I'm pleased the Foundation was able to assist."
        Atana nodded again in acknowledgment.
        "But now, I was wondering... may I offer you lunch, Magi-san?" Mamoru asked.
        Atana looked at him for a moment, considering. "Thank you, Chiba-san. I would be honored... but please, you may call me Atana."
        Mamoru nodded. "And you may call me Mamoru."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

        Mamoru and Atana sat together in a private dining room at the Tokyo Business Club, just finishing lunch.
        "I must say, I wasn't expecting anything this fancy," Atana said. "This was very good, but I do hope it wasn't too much trouble, Mamoru-san."
        "Not at all," Mamoru said, shaking his head. "This is a nice place for a private meal."
        "Do you place a premium on your privacy?" Atana asked.
        "Most people do, when you think about it."
        Atana nodded. "Perhaps."
        They sat silently as the waiter cleared their plates, then poured more tea for each. The waiter then presented the check to Mamoru.
        "Thank you," Mamoru said with a nod. He signed the check and returned it to the waiter.
        "Thank you, sir," the waiter said.
        As they sat there, Atana studied Mamoru closely.
        "This wouldn't have anything to do with Hino Rei, would it?" Atana asked, after the waiter had left.
        "Perhaps," Mamoru said.
        Atana looked at him, saying nothing.
        "Did she ever tell you anything about the history of the Sailor Senshi?" Mamoru asked.
        "No. Why?"
        Mamoru nodded, sitting there in thought. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
        "Reincarnation?... I... haven't really given it much thought," Atana said. "Why?"
        Mamoru paused, taking a sip of his tea. "A thousand years ago, the world was considerably different from what history tells us. Most of Earth's cultures were based around the use of magic, and there were civilizations on most of the other planets."
        "Life on the other planets?"
        Mamoru nodded. "The planets were joined in a sort of grand alliance. Of these, the Kingdom of the Moon was preeminent, and the Moon's queen the most powerful."
        "And the Sailor Senshi?"
        "Each was a princess of her respective planet," Mamoru said. "Together, they formed the court and the personal guard of the Moon queen's daughter."
        Atana looked at him closely, nodding.
        "The princess of the Moon, for her part, was engaged to a prince of Earth," Mamoru added.
        "Somehow, I figured that," Atana said softly.
        "Each of the Senshi had found a young man she was deeply in love with," Mamoru said. "And each would have married her young man."
        "Would have...?"
        Mamoru nodded. "The Dark Kingdom appeared, breaking into our universe. They overran the Earth, and then launched a devastating attack against the Moon. The Moon Kingdom was overwhelmed, and as a last resort, the queen of the Moon used her power to seal the Dark Kingdom away and to send all her people to begin new lives in the future on Earth. She hoped they would live in peace, but made plans for the possibility that the Dark Kingdom would break through once more. She also made sure that each of the Senshi would be able to find her soul mate again."
        "How do you all remember this?" Atana asked.
        "Over time, various memories have begun to surface. Some of us are more attuned than others and remember more... But the bulk of these memories return in the form of very intense dreams."
        Atana's eyes went wide and he leaned back in his chair. "Oh, God," he groaned.
        "You've had such dreams, haven't you?"
        Atana nodded. He clenched his eyes shut and rubbed his hand over them. "I'm standing in a ring of fire, holding my daughter, who is only an infant," he said, his voice little more than a whisper. "The fire is clearly magical in nature. It's night. There's a strong wind blowing, and the fire is reacting to powerful magic around it. There are strange, haunting cries all around, and the air is filled with a palpable menace..."
        Mamoru looked at him in surprise. This was not what he had expected.
        "There is a full moon in the sky," Atana continued. "Suddenly, it goes completely into eclipse and the darkness is overpowering, even with the fire burning around me. Kara is crying... and I feel like a part of me has just been ripped out... The fire flares higher, completely covering us and moving ever closer. Then, a powerful wind sweeps up around us and the ground seems to disappear. I hold Kara close to me, and we are swept away, tumbling helplessly." He took a long, slow breath and sat there quietly, staring off into the distance.
        Mamoru took another sip of his tea, trying to think through what Atana had just said. "How often have you had that dream?" he finally asked.
        "At least once a week," Atana said softly. "Sometimes more frequently."
        Mamoru nodded. "I used to have very intense dreams before I found Usagi... For a while I thought I was going crazy."
        "Last night, I think Kara had the same dream," Atana said. "I had hoped she would be spared that horror."
        "Yes... She shouldn't have to go through that," Mamoru agreed. "But tell me... without going into any details, of course... uhm, have you had any dreams concerning Rei?"
        Atana looked at him, then nodded. "Yes... sort of."
        "Sort of?... I don't think I understand," Mamoru said.
        "Well... the dream I've had is pretty... ahm, what I mean... well, I'm convinced the dreams are based on memories of Kara's mother... but since that part of my life seems to be completely blotted out... my subconscious must be substituting Rei," Atana said.
        "Why do you say that?"
        "Uhm, well... the type of relationship I've seen in my dreams... ah, I mean... Rei is too young for that." He looked over at Mamoru, suddenly remembering. "Excuse me. I meant that, uhm, by my standards, she's too young... I... I didn't mean to cast any... judgement on your relationship."
        "I understand, Atana-san. No offense taken." Mamoru thought for a moment. "Your other dream... What you describe makes it sound like you were on Earth when the Moon was attacked... I don't know for certain, but I think the Senshi took the lead in defending the Moon, and were among the first killed."
        Atana sat there, considering. "I guess that's possible," he said, falling quiet again. "But there's a problem in your reincarnation theory... at least as it relates to me."
        "What's that?" Mamoru asked.
        "Kara. In this life, it is quite easy to see that I had a relationship with Kara's mother before the accident that cost me my memory... But in that past life, Kara was only an infant... For Kara to be the same in both lifetimes, her mother would have had to be reincarnated with me," he said. "And I just don't see how I could have had relationships with both Rei and someone else at pretty much the same time."
        Mamoru rubbed his chin in thought, having to admit that Atana's daughter did create a serious problem for an explanation that was so clearly true for the others. "There must be something we're missing," he said quietly.
        Just then, there was a soft beeping sound. Atana reached into his jacket pocket, retrieving a cell phone. "This is Magi-san," he said into the phone. "Yes... What's wrong?... Is it serious?... No, I can be there in about twenty minutes or so... Yes... Thank you for calling."
        "Is there a problem?" Mamoru asked.
        "Kara's having a bad day at school, I'm afraid," Atana said. "I need to go now."
        "Of course," Mamoru said, rising to his feet. "I hope it's nothing serious."
        "Thank you," Atana said. "And thank you for lunch.
        "You're welcome," Mamoru said with a bow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

        After Atana had hurried away, Mamoru walked out into the lobby. A tall woman with long dark hair stood at the base of the stairs, wearing a conservatively cut Western-style business suit. As Mamoru turned toward the door, a vague memory stirred within him, insisting there was something familiar about this woman. He stopped and looked back, but found she was no longer there. He looked around in surprise, then hurried back to the stairs, but could find no trace of her. Shaking his head, he turned back toward the door, then saw the clerk at the reception desk, walking over to him.
        "Hello, Chiba-san. How may I help you?" the clerk asked.
        "Well... this may seem a little odd... but there was a young woman standing over there at the base of the stairs just a minute or two ago..."
        The clerk glanced over in that direction. "I'm very sorry, Chiba-san. I'm afraid I didn't notice her. Is there a problem?"
        Mamoru shook his head. "No... I just thought she seemed vaguely familiar. I was hoping that perhaps you knew who she was."
        "I'm very sorry, Chiba-san," the clerk said again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

        Mamoru returned to the university. In the Student Union, he found several students he knew in a small lounge, watching the television.
        "Hello, Hideki-san," Mamoru said.
        "Mamoru-san. Where have you been? It's not like you to be cutting classes," Hideki said.
        "I had a bit a business to take care of," Mamoru said. "I left a message with Professor Omori's office... Did I miss much?"
        Hideki shook his head. "Not really. Do you need a copy of the notes?"
        "I'd appreciate that," Mamoru said, sitting down as Hideki handed him his notebook. He glanced over at the television. "What are you watching?"
        "It's a new anime," Hideki said.
        "Let me guess. The hero is the virtuous samurai type," Mamoru said.
        Hideki shook his head. "Actually, no... I haven't watched it all that closely, but he seems to be quite a rogue. He insulted the honor of some girl... but she turned out to be a goddess, testing human virtue."
        "Ouch. That's not good," Mamoru said.
        "Definitely not," Hideki agreed. "Now he has to redeem himself for all of his misdeeds... The goddess is sending him through time to clean up a variety of problems. Until he proves he has cleaned up his act, the goddess won't send him home."
        Just then, on the screen, the lead character of the anime was suddenly enveloped in a globe of light, then swept away by a powerful wind down a tunnel of pulsing lights. Finally, he burst back out of the tunnel, finding himself several meters up in the air. He crashed to the ground, landing in a heap of garbage.
        "He always seems to get dumped someplace like that," Hidecki said with a chuckle.
        Mamoru nodded, just gazing at the screen. 'Swept through time,' he thought to himself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

        Atana held Kara's hand as they walked through the park.
        "Feeling better, honey?" he asked.
        She looked up at him and nodded.
        "Think you can handle going back to school tomorrow?"
        "I don't know," she said softly.
        He stopped and crouched down next to her. "What's wrong? Don't you like your school?"
        "It's OK," she said.
        "So why don't you want to go?" he asked.
        She looked at him, then threw her arms around him. "I'm scared, Daddy," she cried. "I'm scared I'll lose you too."
        He held her close and gently kissed her cheek. "It's OK, honey. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for you."
        "But those bad monsters are still after us," she said, her voice trembling. "Are they the ones that made Mommy die?"
        Atana felt his breath catch at her question. "I... I don't know for sure," he said. "What brought this up? Are you remembering your mother?"
        She pressed herself against him. "I don't know... Sometimes I... have dreams... and there's someone with you."
        He kissed her cheek again. "I know what you mean," he said softly. "I've had a few dreams like that. But it's perfectly OK for you to miss her."
        "Why did it have to happen?" Kara asked, still crying.
        He ran his hand over her back. "Well... sometimes there really isn't a reason, honey," he said. "Some things just happen... But you know I'm here with you, and I'm going to keep you safe."
        She nodded. "I love you, Daddy."
        "I love you," he said softly.
        He stood up again, holding Kara's hand. Just then, he spotted a tall, dark-haired woman nearby. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness swept over him and he experienced a vision of the past. He was standing there with Rei.
        "Daddy," Kara called, concern evident in her voice.
        He blinked, the vision having disappeared as suddenly as it had come, but leaving him with a powerful sense of loss. With a sigh, he shook his head, again certain his memories were playing tricks on him.
        "Daddy. Are you alright?" Kara asked.
        He looked down at her, managing a smile. "I'm OK, honey," he said.
        He glanced around, finding the mysterious woman was gone. Before he could consider this, screams were heard nearby. With hardly a thought, he rushed Kara into the cover of the trees.
        "What's happening?" she asked.
        "Shhh," he said softly. "Let's keep quiet."
        A large figure, vaguely resembling a blood red gorilla, raced through the park. Kara gasped in fright. Atana prepared to fight, but then noticed the creature did not seem to be after anyone in particular. He crouched down beside Kara as the creature raced past, sighing with relief that this time he wasn't the target.
        The creature crashed into a tree, pausing for a moment, then letting out a low growl. It lunged toward a young man, throwing him aside as if he was weightless. As the creature roared and moved after several other people, Atana glanced around, realizing he was the only one there with any chance of stopping this thing. He started to move, but Kara clung to him, trembling with fear.
        "Daddy," she cried.
        "It's OK, honey," he said. "I have to try to help... before someone gets hurt."
        She still clung to him tightly.
        The creature jumped toward a young woman who had tripped. Just then, a red rose struck the creature's back, glowing brightly as it hit. The creature tumbled hard to the ground and roared in pain.
        Atana looked up to see Tuxedo Kamen leaping out of a tree. As the creature regained its feet, Tuxedo Kamen hurled two more roses, bringing another cry of pain from it. This time, however, the creature hurled itself forward. Tuxedo Kamen parried with his cane, then jumped back.
        Atana hurriedly glanced around, making certain he couldn't be seen, then hurled a powerful energy blast at the creature, knocking it off its feet.
        Tuxedo Kamen stood still and energy glowed around him. In an instant, his formal attire was replaced by the form of Prince Endymion. He drew a large ebony sword. The creature jumped forward again. Endymion swung his sword with blinding speed, striking the creature across the chest. It screamed, then fell to the ground, where it collapsed into dust. Endymion stood there for a moment, then jumped away.
        Atana remained still, holding Kara close, and listening for any sounds that the creature might not have been alone. Satisfied that the threat was over, he stood up.
        "Is it gone, Daddy?" Kara asked, fear still showing in her voice.
        "Yes," he said, bending down again to kiss her cheek.
        He walked along the path with her. Other people were beginning to gather where the creature had been destroyed. There was now hardly any trace of it remaining. Having no desire to join the crowd, Atana turned away. As they walked, he saw Mamoru standing ahead of them.
        "Hello, Atana-san," Mamoru called, in Japanese. "I trust you weren't hurt in this... disturbance."
        "We're both fine, thank you," Atana said. "But what brings you here, Mamoru-san? I thought you didn't work solo."
        Mamoru smiled. "Ordinarily I don't," he said, joining them as they continued to walk.
        "You got rid of that monster, didn't you?" Kara asked Mamoru, in English.
        Mamoru nodded. "Yes, I did," he answered.
        "So, what did bring you out here?" Atana asked again, in Japanese.
        "Actually, I was looking for you, and just happened to see that youma arrive," Mamoru said.
        "Looking for me? Why?"
        "I had a thought about that dream you described," Mamoru said. He could see Kara looking up at both of them, clearly a bit frustrated at not being able to follow the conversation. "I think it could mean you decided to take your daughter to safety... after the Earth was overrun by the Dark Kingdom."
        Atana looked at him. "I... I don't follow you... If I took her someplace, where did we go? Besides, I thought you said what I saw was right about the time of the final attack on the Moon, and that everyone was sent to new lives at that point... How does the reincarnation theory fit with that?"
        "If I'm correct, you are the exception to that," Mamoru said.
        "Exception?"
        "I don't think you were reincarnated," Mamoru explained. "Nor was your daughter."
        "Then how did we get here?" Atana asked.
        "I think that's what your dream is trying to tell you... That ring of fire you describe... I think that came from your own magic... and you were probably standing there to see what would happen when the Dark Kingdom attacked the Moon," Mamoru said.
        "But why?" he asked. "Why just stand there? And what about being swept away? Are you saying that was my doing too?"
        "Actually, yes," Mamoru said. "You probably had had to chose between helping in the fight, or protecting Kara."
        Atana hesitated, then nodded. "Not much of a choice there," he admitted.
        "I didn't think so," Mamoru agreed. "And being swept away like that also seems to have been your doing."
        "How? And why?" Atana asked. "If the Earth had been overrun and the Moon Kingdom effectively destroyed, where could we have possibly gone?"
        "I would imagine you had the same idea as Queen Serenity of the Moon," Mamoru said. "Your intent was to go to a place... and a time... where you both could live peaceful lives."
        "You mean... modern-day Hawaii?... But I clearly have a past there that goes back before Kara was born," Atana said. Kara looked up again at the mention of her name.
        "I wouldn't be surprised if your spell caused a lot of that," Mamoru said. "And the location makes sense given your rather obvious ethnic background."
        "So why don't I have any memory of the past?" Atana asked. "If I just came forward in time, why can't I remember any of that?"
        "I don't know," Mamoru said. "I'm not an expert on wizardry or time-travel... Perhaps your spell caused that as an unanticipated side-effect... Or it could have been that Queen Serenity's power had a partial effect on you... We do know she arranged it to have each of the Sailor Senshi meet up with their loves from the past."
        Atana nodded, still working to think through all this.
        "And this situation probably eliminates the problem of two relationships you mentioned earlier," Mamoru added, glancing over to see Atana's reaction.
        Atana stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wide and losing focus as he experienced another vision.
        "Daddy?" Kara called, concerned. She tugged at his hand. "Daddy? Are you OK?"
        "Oh, God!" Atana exclaimed softly. "I can't believe it."

< To be continued >

* * * * * * * * * * * *
NOTE: More to come.

Hopeless Romantic and I now have a message group to notify our readers when we post new stories/chapters. Those who are interested can sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/strands_of_moonlight/ .

Always remember, good gentles, that a yarnspinner works from and within existing legends and stories. The characters of "Sailor Moon" belong to others. In spinning my yarns, I do not seek to infringe on their rights of ownership, but merely to join with other fans to spread the legend still further. "The moonlight carries a message of love." Enjoy.

-03.23.2002
 

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