I Don't Have A Title Yet

Five

1

Life brought with it many things, some things which were good like getting high marks in your cell bio class or getting that extra burst of speed when you’re on that final leg of 100 meters race. Then there were the bad things. Things like missing your favorite old movie on television or having one of your best friends being captured by the Dark Moon family only to have them come back for you.

Ami dropped her fork on the dinner plate then dropped her head in her hands. At the opposite end of the table, Marie Mizuno concerned eyes were fixed on her daughter’s sad face.

“Anne Marie?” She called out softly.

The two softly spoken words caught Ami’s attention immediately. It was rare that her mother ever called Ami by her real name. A slight grimace appeared on the gentle girl’s face as she reminded herself that it was not her true name either. She was Sophia, an extraterrestrial queen who somehow replaced the Mizuno’s baby while it was still in the womb. She and the others were in the classical sense changelings, a being begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child. They were not demonic, they were not sent here to hurt the ones who reared them, for Queen Serenity would have never been so cruel. But they were hurting their families. They would one day abandon them because the Terrans will look at them and see that they were different. They would see that they were not aging, that they defied the natural order of things and then—

“Honey,” Marie’s voice broke through the hysteria that threatened to consume her and Ami grabbed hold to it like a life line.

She lifted her face from her cold hands showing the tears that streaming openly down her face. Each tear that splatter on the lace table top froze on contact. She felt weak and helpless which warred with the valiant warrior and ruler that resided in her soul. The internal battles, the guilt she was feeling over Rei’s capture and her own rescue was playing havoc in her heart.

In times like these, Ami would wish that she never became a Senshi in this life only feel ashamed when she though of her friends and how they had also fought and managed to handle the constant changes in their lives. Mina used to do this alone for years and…and…Ami did not care. At that moment she was not a queen nor was she a Senshi. She was a girl barely sixteen-years-old who until six months ago lived in a sheltered little world. She was scared to death for herself and her friends and she needed her mother at that moment.

Marie was at her side in a heartbeat. Her arms wrapped protectively about her frail daughter and she held her tightly as she could.

Ami was cold, frightfully so. Had she been anyone else, Marie would have rushed her to hospital in fear for that person’s life. She knew the girl in her arms was an illusion. A few weeks before Marie had seen her daughter’s true face, the one hidden by her mask of humanity.

Ami was ice; a living, breathing being of ice and mist and frigid waters. Her chilly flesh was blue-grey, not a pale translucent white that is associated with the ice blasted artic, Ami was the frozen waters that surrounded the polar caps. Her features were very sharp and exotic, completely at odds with the soft, delicate features that Marie knew almost as well as she knew her own face.

The face Marie had seen that one time was not of a girl who was shy and uncertain of herself, but of a self assured, confident woman who had witnessed more than her share battles and tragedies. Her eyes were hazel, an exotic blend of blues and grays that moved as water did in a pool and her hair—Marie finally knew why her daughter had dark blue hair. Ami’s true hair color was the cold early morning fog rolling off a lake touched pale blue undertones which all in all gave Ami an iridescent effect. Ami had explained that people of Mercurians lacked the pigments for such a strong colour. Not even the venerated Queen Serenity’s magic had been powerful enough to override Mercurian natural physiology.

Ami felt her mother trembled beside her. She knew that she was the cause. Once again guilt tore at her as she gently removed herself from her mother’s embrace.

“I’m sorry, Mama.” She whispered as she dried her eyes wet eyes. Ami just happened to glance down when she noticed the ice sickles forming on the front of her mother’s blouse. Anguish sank its mighty jaws into her as the divide between her once human self gave more ground to the alien that she was.

“Ami,” Marie whispered sadly as she reached up to touch her daughter’s face but the girl drew back.

Marie let her hand dropped back to her side with a soft sigh. Ami wasn’t rejecting her; Ami knew her skin was too cold to touch.

Her poor little girl, Marie though as she rose to her feet, how she wished she could take away her pain. How sad and alone she looked. Marie sensed that Ami was apologizing for more than ice sickles and the frozen tears. She apologizing for the changes that she was experiencing and the person she was now. She was not Dr. Marie Mizuno’s daughter anymore, but that was fine by Marie. In her heart, Sophia, Sailor Mercury, the Queen of Mercury, and whoever else she was would always be her sweet, little Ami. She hoped that her touch conveyed what words failed to do.

She gave Ami acceptance. From Ami’s remembered past, this was what her people never had from the ancient people of Earth.

“I’m here for you, Ami.” Marie promised her. “I’m here for you always.”

2

Lita and Alex had left their sorority sisters at the last club now the two were ready to go home. Life was becoming kind of rough for all the girls. Each was in school trying to continue with the lives and responsibilities they had before becoming Sailor Warriors and monarchs of alien worlds.

Since Rei had been captured and the attempted kidnapping of Ami, Mina had been them all working double shifts in:

1. Guarding Usagi

2. Research with the Generals

3. Training

4. Working as liaisons between the High Council and Mina herself.

The later was actually a top priority since Mina was on the verge of going to Silver Millennium and it wasn’t for a pleasure trip either. Luna (to Lita dumbfound and heart attack inspiring surprise) headed off Mina’s plots for murder and destruction of the Imperial High Council by suggesting that Mina worked directly with her (the brave woman) and if Mina needed to speak with the a Minister or Council member that she assign one of the Senshi serve as her proxy.

That job fell mostly on Ami and Hotaru’s shoulders since Ami was Mina’s Intelligence Office and Advisor to both Mina and Usagi and Hotaru was one of Mina’s second-in-command; Unfortunately there were those few occasions when either Lita or Alex was had to it because Ami was in class or Hotaru was in one of her Mina phases or Trista just would not be bothered. It was always something and frankly the two girls were feeling over extended and their contributions were not being appreciated by Mina and the others. (Lita had missed two assignments and Alex had to talk to her mother twice since she had been too distracted to avoid her.)

After spending the day complaining about it and that they wanted to attend their sorority’s mixer, Mina grudgingly worked out schedule with Dave and the guys which gave the Senshi the night off from guarding, research, training, and whatever else. Lita felt guilty taking the night off to relax while Mina and the Terrans took up her slack, but not so guilty that she wanted to rush home and start reading those transcripts from the Imperial Forces. Besides her meeting with Mina wasn’t until later the next day and she could read them in her history class or had them over to Ami and bow out of the meeting all together. She would need to come up with a plausible excuse to get out of though, Mina didn’t care if you were on your deathbed taking your final breath, if she wanted something from you, you best deliver or there would be hell to pay.She and Alex turned off on Greek row and started walking towards their cars. Beside her the tall, willowy Russian woman yawned broadly as stretched her back with a great deal of bone creaking and joint popping.

Lita tried not to cringe, but by the fifth pop of Alex’s vertebrate, she was ready to crack herself. It was ironic that she had not problem snapping another’s spine or ripping their head from their shoulders after sending 1000 watts of electricity through their body. Still when Alex pooped the tendons in her neck for the second time, Lita was ready to scream bloody murder.

When Alex went for her third, Lita caught her mischievous grin and she turned to yell at her to stop when the area around them exploded.

With trembling fingers, Usagi cautiously snagged a fry from the ignorant David’s basket and dipped it to Mina’s spicy buffalo sauce.

“I think it would best for everyone if we were all in one location.” David slid the basket in front of Usa. He didn’t miss her thievery. But after twenty minutes of arguing with the stubborn blonde goddess seated across from him had destroyed Dave’s appetite and left a rather sour feeling in his gut which felt suspiciously like an ulcer. “You and your team would be able to protect Usa and we can defend you all of you.”

Mina’s right eye was twitching, spasming rather uncontrollably as she fought a desperate battle to retain her composure. Usa tried to make herself as small as possible and remain silent in the face of the Venusian’s growing wraith. Darien had been smart and left the table as soon as the conversation had turned to their enemy. He knew his sister better than anyone and at the time Usa hadn’t thought follow. Curse her voracious appetite and Andrew’s tofu burger! Now she was going to die because David was a either a masochist or he was just too freaking stupid to see that he was pissing Mina off. Mina was going to kill him and she was going to be crushed when his corpse fell on her.

Mina had heard enough. David had done nothing but try to undermine her authority and her position since the day he came into his power. He wanted to take control of her Senshi, be charge of protecting Usa, and he was trying to steal her genocide away from her! Goddamn it! Mina had had it up to her hairline with the overbearing terran male! How dare he imply that she did not know her job! The insufferable bastard, he was had to die.

Mina let out wild shriek as she lunged at David, holding her hands like claws as she aimed for his eyes. A wild scream of terror tore from Usagi’s lips since she was in the crossfire. At that moment everything seemed to slow down around them.

Almost over the table, Mina felt her pulse quicken as a surge of power rush through her head two of her warriors transformed. In her mind’s eyes she could see Jupiter and Uranus going into battle. Their opponent was a tall woman in a mini skirt with some kind of mangy dead animal draped over her shoulders. She was no serious threat to them as Uranus proved as she easily her dispatched by loping off her head before turning to join Jupiter against the real danger.

Mina was falling onto the table. David let out a strangled cry as he reached up to grab her, but just as his hands closed about her waist, Mina disappeared in a flash of sparkling golden lights.

David stared at the empty space in shock. The girl in front of him had simply vanished but not like a poof of smoke or with a wave of her hand…Dave had been looking right in Mina’s face, their eyes had met and in that brief moment he had seen Mina’s true face. He had seen Love in the flesh and it frightened him. Love walked hand and hand with death. Beauty was just an illusion and it was eros’ greatest weapon. David was so caught up in the mysterious of Mina that he did not hear the small gasp that came from Usagi. He heard Darien called out the same instance he felt a warmth at his side where Usa sat. He turned to the small lunar girl but she was long gone.

Darien altered his course mid-step and turned to the door. He felt the negative energy that called and challenged Usa. Dave quickly fell into step beside him and he was aware of Andrew chasing after them.

If it wasn’t Sam then it was Drew. After Darien’s party and at the start of this mess, the two guys followed their friends to a battle at the risk of their own lives in order to help their friends. Dave picked up on the Senshi’s energy signatures and called back over his shoulder to Drew that they were going to KO campus and to call Frankie and Jiro.

Darien felt Josh with the girls. Josh was tutoring that night and he must have still been on the campus when Jupiter and Uranus were ambushed.

Damn it! They had to get there in time…

3

“Jupiter!” Sailor Moon’s anguished screams echoed through the debris littered street on the K O campus as she gave chase after the fading light that had taken her cousin and two of her friends. “Jupiter!”

“Sailor Moon,” Venus cried running after the small girl to prevent her from being hurt or worst, captured.

Left behind to pick up the pieces and restore so semblance of order, Saturn, Pluto, and Zoisite closed and sealed ruptured water mains and repaired electrical lines. It was all they could do not give into their anger and wreak move havoc on the all ready damaged campus. Still Zoisite allowed some of his frustrations to vent by putting his fist through windshield of an unoffending car.

Neither Saturn nor Pluto scolded him, he was hurting just as they were, so they understood.

“I still can’t believe they took them? How could that—that thing be stronger than three Goddesses?” Saturn murmured quietly to Pluto as they moved down the alley. Her guardians had been busy that night collecting the souls of the dead. Pain crossed her normally impassive features as she recognized two of the people that had been killed by their enemy during the attack.

Pluto had caught the look. She reached out and touched her commander’s tense shoulder offering her compassion as the Guardian of Death and Destruction sent two of her childhood friends to their final resting place.

“They will find peace in Thanatos’ embrace.” Pluto told her.

The smaller woman nodded sadly. “It was their time.” She turned her face away so Pluto would not see her tears. “But this was—this was unnecessary.”

“Kore,” Pluto said uncertainly. “If you want—“

She reached up and removed Pluto hand from her shoulder. “I will be aright,” she assured her. Her voice was thick with unshed tears, so she had to clear her throat. “I just don’t know what I am going to say to their families?”

Zoisite was abruptly pulled away from the car he was demolishing. He swung around ready to lay into who had interrupted him only to meet Jadeite’s understanding eyes. Zoisite dropped his fist, the rage that had fueled him suddenly drained away leaving him with only guilt and despair.

“They took her, man.” He told him. His voice hitched as he fought down a sob. “They took Ami.”

“Ami?” Jadeite choked his eyes wide with disbelief. “¿Cómo…?”

“She teleported in just when I got here,” Zoisite said, “Lita and Alex were being sucked into that wormhole and she tried to rescue them—But she wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t help her and when the rest of the girls showed up it…”

“It just absorbed them.” A grim face Venus told Tuxedo Kamen and Kunzite. Her arms were closed protectively about the pitiful sobbing figure of her Queen. There were no tears in embittered warrior’s hard golden eyes just a frighteningly cold resolution. She looked away, grief and shame making sharp marks on her beautiful face as she ground out. “They hadn’t a hope in hell of standing against that thing.”

Kamen was shaken; he had never seen his sister so distant or Usagi so broken. It hurt him to his heart that he could not do anything to take away hers or Usagi’s pain. He could not allow this Dark Moon gang to continue uncheck. For their sake, he would stop them, somehow.

Every one of Kunzite’s instincts was telling him to get himself and his Prince as far away from Sailor Venus as fast as he could. Her calm voice, the flat look in her eyes made her all the more dangerous than whatever the hell had been stupid enough to stir her rage.

But Kunzite was a grown man, not some trembling little boy. He was the leader of the Royal Terran Forces, Prince Endymion’s second in command and the fearsome warrior who name in the past was equivalent to terror. He was not about to be intimidated by a six foot Amazon in high heels!

“Did you see what it was?” Despite all that he told himself, his voice still shook slightly when those ominous gold eyes turned on him.

At that point Sailor Moon tore away from her guardian and unerringly threw herself into Kamen’s arms. “They took my cousin and my best friend…” She sobbed through her tears. “They took Lita…”

Kamen said nothing. Over Moon’s head, Kamen watched Venus’ hands clench into fists as she stared resolutely ahead.

“I failed to protect them,” she ground out. “I should have been here with them—I should been taken…”

“No!” Sailor Moon violent cry of denial caused everyone’s attention to focus squarely on them. After witnessing the horror of losing her friends—No, she would not allow another to be taken.

Venus stared at the Queen helplessly. Moon could see the pain and rage coupled with guilt on her face and it strengthened Usa’s resolve as she reached out to her.

“Tuxedo Kamen let me go, please.” She said quietly.

He did the opposite. “Bun, we need to get out of here.” He said in terse whisper. “Whatever you have to say to Min will have to wait until we get you home.”

Moon look like she was going to protest, but the fight died in her eyes and slumped against him, “Take me home.” She whispered. “I have to tell my parents what happened to Lita and…”

“No, your Majesty.” Venus straightened to her full height, “As the Commander of the Imperial Forces of Silver Millennium and the Silver Alliance, the duty is mine.”

Silently the last of her soldiers had gravitated to their leader’s side. Sailor Moon looked at the three warriors and her resolve returned, giving her the strength to do what she knew was right. There would never be another moment like this for them. Her warriors had been beaten, four of their number had been taken, and they did not know where their enemy had come from or was hiding out, yet in spite of every set back her warriors refused to give up.

They were proud, Sailor Moon smiled at them. They were fearless, noble, and brave; They were not broken or defeated. They were strong.

“I believe in you,” she told them as she met each of their eyes. “I believe in your strength to defend my kingdom and your unwavering loyalty to protect us all. I trust you.” Her eyes fell on Venus’ and she held her gaze. “Silver Millennium looks upon each of you as her guardians who have never failed her. My Senshi, I look to you when I need strength because I know you will lay down your lives for me without a second though and even then you will still fight for me.” She stepped forward and held her hands out to them. “I trust you. Each of you and I know that you will win.”

Behind them Tuxedo Kamen and Kunzite exchanged a weird look. Neither knew what had just happened between the four girls, but what ever it was it huge. Power was rolling off Sailor Moon in waves and the three warriors before her were sending it right back to her. A pale nimbus surrounded Sailor Moon and the Senshi as the group transferred their power. From the corner of his eye, Tux noticed the small crowd that was forming around them. He saw the expressions on their faces, the fear and horror was being replaced by awe and reverence. He turned back to his girlfriend and he understood.

This fight was far from being over.

The very heart of the universe was depending on all of them, Tux nodded to himself as he threw his own hat into the ring. His power reached out and wrapped about his lady. Sailor Moon glanced back at him over her shoulder. The smile on her face was a new dawn in the wake of this all turmoil.

They were not out of this yet.