"Here, those are your quarters," Meowth explained after he lead the two Senshi upstairs. "Everything you need is in here, but if you need anything else, just ring the bell and I'll come."
As Usagi couldn't let go of Luna, Rei nodded. "Thanks, we'll be fine!"
"Good to hear!" The two-legged cat looked at the black-furred feline sitting on Usagi's lap. "You coming, Luna?"
"Um, I want to talk to them for a while," Luna explained. "I'll join you in a minute."
"Hum... okay, but don't take your time. The other guests will arrive shortly."
He then threw Rei and Usagi a suspicious glare. "You two don't have long noses, do you?"
Taken aback, Usagi looked at Rei. "Long noses?"
"Just askin'..." Meowth grumbled. "But I see, they're fine. Well, just barely." And he turned around and left the room.
Usagi reached for her face and grabbed her nose. A long nose? Well, compared with that cat with its non-existent nose...
Luna giggled. "Don't take him too seriously," she said. "Meowth is a nice guy, but he sometimes says strange stuff."
"Sooo... you seem to know him pretty well, huh?" Rei smirked. "I bet the two of you get along just fine..."
"Huh? WHAT? No, no, it's not like that, Rei..."
"Suuure it isn't," Usagi giggled "But be sure to get his phone number after the first date."
"Usagi!"
"What?"
Luna looked down at the ground. "You don't understand... he's my brother."
The two girls looked at Luna as if she had grown horns.
"SAY WHAT?"
"It's true," she sighed. "To be honest, I never knew much about my family." Her ears drooped down. "Back in the silver millennium, I only knew my mother... a resident from the planet Mau, in the queen's service. But, she never told me about my father... she just said that he left us when I was a very young kitten."
"But how can Meowth be your brother?" Rei wondered. "I mean, he's not a normal cat OR a Mau, you know that?"
"That's true," Luna admitted. "But... neither was my father." She took a deep breath. "You see... my father was a resident of this world."
"Oh, you can't be serious," Rei moaned. Usagi stared at her friend. "But how did that happen?"
"Well, from what I heard, this is a parallel dimension to the dimension where our planet Earth - as well as the moon - are situated. But, as it appears, the gateways between the worlds had existed even back then. And... the Moon Kingdom had diplomatic relations with the kingdoms of this world."
"And we never heard of this before... why?" Rei asked.
"W-well, you never asked... and besides, you know Artemis and I don't remember everything from before you awakened."
"So, your father was a resident of this world, huh? But how did he get to know your mother?"
"He was an ambassador in the service of one of the kings of Kanto."
"Kanto...?"
"Yes, the name of this world! And he met Mom when she was at the castle of Queen Serenity. And when the queen decided to stay in contact with this king, Daddy was a regular visitor in the Moon Kingdom. And, well... you can guess what happens next."
"They fell in love with each other," Usagi sighed. "Such a romantic story..."
"Heh, not too romantic, I'm afraid... you know, because of his status, Daddy wasn't allowed to have a lover... and so he got demoted. Meaning he could never see Mom again."
"Awww, that's not fair," Usagi whined. "And that's why you never met him?"
"Yes," Luna nodded. "But... Mom and Dad had another child. He was born at the same time as me... more or less. Which makes us twins."
"So Meowth is your..."
"Yes, my twin brother! Only that I turned out to be a Mau, just like Mom. And he... well, he became a Pokémon, like Daddy! A Meowth."
Rei raised an eyebrow. "Pokémon."
"The name of the non-human, but intelligent inhabitants of this world," Luna explained. "They come in all shapes and types, but they're all called Pokémon."
Usagi shook her head. "Man... what a confusing and complicated story."
"But how did you get here?" Rei wondered. "We've been worried sick! Artemis is literally going up the walls with worry! Ami and the others are still searching back home. So what happened?"
"Well... if I knew what was going to happen, I would have informed you," Luna sheepishly said. "You know... Kanto and our world are seperated from each other by a dimensional barrier. And it was only recently that this barrier opened at various parts throughout Kanto. And Meowth... he was one of those Pokémon who slipped through, appearing back in our home world, in the middle of Juuban."
Usagi gasped. "So he was the one who kidnapped you?"
"Not kidnapped," Luna insisted. "You know, that evening was pretty hectical... for all of us. Including Meowth. He had just discovered the entrance to a world that was completely unknown to him. He... he didn't see the Youma, you know? He was climbing on top of some trashcans, searching for food, when Artemis and I came running, searching for cover from the Youma's attacks. And then I got clumsy and ran into those cans. Meowth was so surprised that he fell down. The trashcan lids as well. The lids fell down on Artemis, Meowth on me. Both of us were unconscious. He didn't see Artemis, as he was covered by the trashcan lids. He only saw me and felt guilty that he knocked me out. So he took me with him, to take care of me, never knowing about Artemis or you guys. And when I awoke... I was here, in this world."
"But wait... that doesn't make any sense," Usagi spoke up. "If he didn't know who you are, why did he take you with him?"
"He... recognized my real identity after some time, when I was still unconscious. You know, Daddy gave him a picture of Mom as a birthday present... and Mom looked very much like me when she was young. So he..."
"He figured you would be his mother." Usagi understood.
"Yes. But he was still glad when we realized that I had to be his sister. And I... I was happy as well." Luna sighed. "You can't imagine what it's like... living for an eternity and knowing that no one of your family is still alive... and then realizing that your brother and father are still alive after all."
"But how could they still be alive after all that time?" Rei wondered. "Did someone put them into stasis capsules as well?"
"No, it's just... time flows differently in this dimension. They do have a time guardian, just like we have Pluto, but... his feeling of time is different from hers, so that means one year in our world doesn't necessarily equal one year in Kanto. It can vary, you know?"
Usagi scratched her head. She didn't really understand what Luna was trying to tell her, but she decided not to think about it anymore. This was already giving her headaches.
"That's why you didn't return, right?" Rei asked softly. "When did you come here? For how long did you stay in Kanto?"
"Only two days," Luna said. "I wanted to return yesterday, so you wouldn't be worried. But then... Meowth asked me to stay for at least one day, and I couldn't bring myself to say no." She looked sad. "He's my brother, you know? Who knows if I would see him again, would I return now."
"I see your dilemma," Rei nodded. "You wanted to see us again, but at the same time, were afraid to lose your brother again."
"And while you were only two days on this island, much more time has passed in Juuban," Usagi realized. "At least three weeks."
"I'm sorry!" Luna looked down at the ground. "I would have contacted you, but..."
"I know, Luna, it's all right! We understand!" And Usagi hugged her friend.
Rei smiled as she looked at her two friends. While they still didn't solve the mystery of Ash and his companions, and what his plans were, they had at least found Luna again.
Now the question was, what would they do next? Go back home - if that was possible? Go and track down Ash in this world? Stay here for a while? Go and leave Luna behind?
It was a tricky situation indeed...
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sun, 11 Feb 2007 23:55)
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