Disclaimer: The following is a fanwork based on the Sailor Moon manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. I have no affiliation with the franchise or its creator.

A/N: This fic is going to be based on a long-held idea I had about the Sailor Senshi disbursing across the world to do their own thing and continuing their Senshi world independently while trying to achieve their personal goals. The one I have developed the most is Ami's story, so here it is.

Synopsis: Ami has earned a place at one of the top medical colleges in London. Her suspicions run high though when she encounters a familiar face: Zoisite. Except he's not. He is Hugo Zehren, a fellow student with a life of his own and a troubling past to boot. Together with the appearance of the foreboding "Phantom", Ami is left to uncover whether Hugo is as innocent as he appears.

Chapter updated: 27/Oct/2018.

Chapter 1: ヒューゴー - Hugo

Ami had taken a huge leap of faith to travel abroad to study in Europe. It had led her to one of the leading medical schools in the world and right in the heart of London to boot, though it had meant leaving her friends behind. Just as with Mamoru had left to study medicine in the United States, she was here in Merry Ol' England about to embark on the course that would either make or break her. She was set to committing the next four - maybe five or even six - years of her life to this odd new country and culture, to throw her weight into a dedicated study and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

After spending her formative teenage years fighting to defend the Earth, the Solar System and all time and space from Chaos, she told herself she was ready for anything and everything university life threw at her. Studying would only get her halfway, though, she realised. The other half would rest on her ability to connect to, interact with and ultimately help actual living people. She would have to tailor herself to patients. When she first set her heart upon the goal to become a doctor this was the one area where she knew she fell short. Now, thanks to Usagi and the others bringing her out of her cocoon, she hoped it would be possible to knuckle down and know her patients well enough to win their confidence.

Yes, as she sat in the large auditorium for her introductory ethics lecture she knew - just knew - she had it all in her. Gone were the days where she leant only on Usagi, Mina-P, Michiru, and everyone else, looking to her friends to lead the way and here were the times she would stand on her own two feet.

Then she saw him.

Casting her eyes about the hall she had spotted the young man sitting several rows below Ami. An eerie sense of déjà vu washed over her and her brain tried to place the face. Then, when it did, her earlier determination and confidence began to falter. She tried to make excuses to herself for why he couldn't be him. He was dead after all; perhaps from where she was sitting the supposed similar physical similarities between this man and him were blurred and undefined? Though she was trying not to let the face of a former enemy distract her, she found her eyes drifting to him again and again.

Naturally, he had no eyes for her. He shifted in his chair as if he knew a pair of eyes were staring him down but etiquette forbade him from turning around to look back. He had no reason to look away from the lecturer or the notebook in front of him. It was interesting to Ami that he was indeed using a notebook rather than the hefty laptops so many of the other students were using, including herself. He stared forward most of the time, swiftly writing down without looking at the paper. Ami watched him for a full ten seconds before she finally looked back to the lecturer, terrified she would lose her place.

Dr Imogen Roser had actually been the one to interview Ami for her place at the school. She had been impressed by her academic record but had worried about whether she had the interpersonal skills to deal with patients. Thankfully, the middle-aged woman had taken a shine to her and expressed a desire to accept her then and there, and Ami received the confirmation of an offer a few weeks later. Thinking of that, she felt fairly guilty about staring at that boy when she should be focusing on the speech of this remarkable doctor.

Still, Ami kept glancing over. At one point she caught him flicking a strand of his long blond hair out of his eyes before he took a rare moment to actually look at what he was writing. He didn't seem confused or concerned about the state of his notes, as messy and harried as they were, and immediately went back to staring at Dr Roser while he blindly continued with his chicken scratch writing.

Ami pensively chewed her lip. This man certainly looked as handsome as the young Shitennou had been - but was it actually Zoisite? Was he there as part of some great coup? Could that even be possible? After all, the battle with Chaos should have eradicated all the enemies for good, shouldn't it?

The lecture ended.

Ami slowly packed her bag up while glancing sideways at the mysterious boy and training her hearing to pick up anything he said or was said to him.

Another student who didn't look like anyone Ami recognised came up behind "Zoisite" and slapped him on the back lightly. 'Hey, Hugh, coming to the library after this?'

This "Hugh" nodded and said sighing, 'Might as well. Got that first essay due, haven't we?' His accent was an exotic mixture of the local well-to-do Londoner that she heard many of her peers speak in and the lilt of a different tongue that Ami did not know. Either way, his voice was soft and lovely, just as Zoisite's had been as he coldly threatened to kill them all unless they handed over the Legendary Silver Crystal.

That voice is what prompted her to keep an eye on him. As well adjusted to the environment he seemed - better than she or any of the other students seemed to be - he could just be a very fine actor. In fact, she suspected that Zoisite could have blended into any crowd and look like he belonged. Only his unearthly good looks and distinctive hair made him stand out from the duller looks and tones around him.

He nodded swiftly to Dr Roser as he left but did not stop to say hello. The doctor sighed, 'Morning, Hugo.' Her eyes watched him go as they drifted to Ami, who was still hovering behind him, keeping an eye on the man who she now knew was called "Hugo". It felt odd though - she had expected a name beginning with Z or perhaps S.

'Ms. Mizuno,' Dr Roser said, smiling at the young woman. 'How are you? Doing alright?'

Ami blushed, very aware that she had been staring at a random boy while her "mentor" had been watching. 'Yes, very well, doctor.'

'I believe you will be receiving your seminars in Biomedical Science from myself, so I am hoping to see a lot more of you,' Dr Roser went on. 'I hope you aren't finding the structure too much different from home in Tokyo.'

'Not at all,' Ami said quickly, glancing to see if Hugo was still in sight; he was lingering with some other students in the atrium. 'I am enjoying it so far.'

'Well, you are welcome to come and see me during my office hours,' Dr Roser added, before glancing in the direction Ami kept looking. She smiled faintly but said nothing. 'Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll see you soon.'

Ami nodded then made a hasty retreat. Upon turning she could no longer see the Zoisite doppelgänger. Her heart pounded as she rushed towards the door and into the reception area, scanning the tops of people's heads for either him or that guy he had been speaking to. Not a trace. He moved quickly, it seemed.

Her chest settling down, she immediately thought to find a quiet spot and scan the area for any abnormal energy or activity. Even if she found some she would have to deal with it alone. The girls were back in Japan. If something was about to go down here in London, she was the first and only frontier.

Ami knew she had half an hour before her next class. In the meantime, she would do the scan. After all, if this man really was a threat then everyone in this hospital could be in serious danger.

'The human body is nothing to be frightened of,' a stout doctor named Dr Finley began, staring out across the laboratory as groups of students lined up behind their very own cadavers. 'Whether you go into consultancy, surgery or general practice, you will all benefit from this - the most traditional of teaching methods for future doctors...'

The look on the surprisingly young doctor's face did not blend with the task at hand - the biological study of the body through pathologically analysing those left to medical science. It had always been something Ami had thought she could do herself. That was... until she realised that her own death would not be like other humans. Being a living demigoddess meant her body would be very unlikely to grace a future medical student's table.

Ami looked over to the left to see Hugo less than one person away from her and in her gross anatomy group – like it was meant to be. Like some divine force knew Ami wanted to keep an eye on him and so placed him in the perfect position for her to analyse him closely. Her eyes remained focused on him as she tried to compare physical characteristics that he had with what she remembered Zoisite having – all while trying to listen to Dr Finley's introduction.

Hugo was listening intently as he had done during the lecture before. His impractical hair had been swept right back under the surgical hood but was so wild that tiny strands still peeked out from underneath. From this view, she could see the bright lights reflecting off his eyes. They seemed a less marble green and more an olive green. That was at least one difference. She had scanned the area and detected nothing so... perhaps the resemblance was a coincidence?

'...incidentally,' Dr Finley went on, dragging Ami back on topic, 'these subjects before you are yours. They are all unique, you will discover differences. Never be afraid to compare or ask the advice of your peers.'

Everyone instinctively nodded, including Ami. She glanced at Hugo again; his eyes seemed to be smiling. It seemed so genuine that she couldn't help but smile too.

'Last but not least,' the doctor finished. 'This is going to take up five hours, three mornings a week, so you better get used to each other. I highly recommend you form study groups if you have not already to keep your minds focused and motivated. Take a chance to get to know your fellow lab partners.'

There was a collective murmur. Ami found herself feeling tense inside, not too keen to work with other people still while knowing it would be necessary for her degree.

A thought then occurred to her, though she was certain it wouldn't work... would it?

Fortunately, she had less time to think before an outstretched hand if the guy who stood between her and "Zoisite" snapped out of her calculations. 'Hi!' he began with a bright smile. His hair was paler than even Hugo's was, almost white. She wondered if it was natural or bleached, as the nicely manicured hand indicated this guy was well presented. 'I'm Dan—'

At the point, Hugo dragged his hand back and shook his head. 'I think the good doctor meant after he'd finished introducing the class, you twat.'

His olive green eyes flashed as he finally came eye to eye with Ami. She gasped as they stared for a few seconds. She wasn't sure if it was a look of recognition or just curiosity at actually looking at her for the first time. He nodded to her nonetheless, respectfully acknowledging her.

'Hugo,' Dr Finley said informally to the young student, incurring an eye roll from Hugo. 'And you, Mr Bright, try not to scare Ms Mizuno too much. Now, time to get started. First, direct your attention to the mannequin. There are several areas I want you to you palpate on your cadavers - or indeed, on yourselves.'

'Or each other,' Dan whispered under his breath, glancing at Ami again.

She was certain her neck was starting to itch.

'Enough, Mr Bright,' Dr Finley scolded, a little sterner now. 'Pay attention or get out of the lab.'

'Pardon me, doctor,' Dan nodded respectfully, now fully focused as his teacher began to run his pointer over the bare skinless mannequin to point out where he wanted their focus to be.

'Good, now these bony landmarks are the clavicles, the sternum...'

The last member of their lab group, a pretty dark-haired girl, giggled lightly. Ami had not even noticed her hovering beside Hugo until now. Her fingertips glided over the bones Dr Finley pointed out, taking it all in slowly. She had very beautiful blue-grey eyes that sparkled above her surgical mask. Ami made a note to speak with her later – perhaps she already knew Hugo and could be coaxed to reveal information?

Their first session was dedicated to initial impressions of and the actual opening of the skin, analysing the skin and nerves. First the chest, then the abdomen. For his earlier snark, Dr Finley had suggested that Dan perform the first institution.

'I hear you know your way around a scalpel already,' he joked.

Dan scowled but his moment was stolen by Hugo, who put down the marker pen he had used to make the guidelines and took up the scalpel himself. 'Why send a boy to do a boy's job?' he mumbled.

Dr Finley smirked, 'You are your mother's son, alright.'

The good doctor then turned to check on another group of med students.

Hugo took a deep breath and set about the first slice. Ami kept her eyes on his face, taking in all the seriousness and concentration spread over it. It was foolish, considering that she should have been making notes or at least paying attention to what his hand was doing. He seemed just as determined as the rest of them to bypass the human aspect and see the deceased before him as just what he was - a subject.

Would Zoisite be this dedicated to his act?

Once he was done, he cast his eye over the group and seemed to smile. Ami guessed that her eyes had to have the same disbelief in them as the others at how easy Hugo made the first insition look. 'Just think of this as a piece of machinery,' he told them. 'What made this guy a person has long since passed on to something better; this is just the vassal that carried him.'

The dark-haired beauty chuckled at his eloquent speech. Ami felt a little dazzled too. 'Beautifully put, sir. Only you could make gross anatomy sound like computer mechanics as told by T.S. Elliot.'

Hugo scoffed, 'Whatever. We're going anti-clockwise around the table so you're up next, Kris.'

He was referring to the young woman. On closer inspection, Ami noticed the girl seemed slightly older than Hugo or herself. She couldn't get a good enough read off Daniel yet to figure out where he ranked in the age pole.

Kris - which Ami found out seconds later from Hugo's instruction was short for "Christabel" - took up her scalpel to continue the initial exploration of the corpse. Ami watched, silently making notes if initial observations. Kris glanced up and seemed to smirk, 'Ooh, I see you're a habitual note-taker too,' she said coquettishly, then glanced at Hugo. 'Two on one lab team will make it easier for Dan and me.'

Ami looked to Hugo as he blindly made notes as he had earlier in their ethics lecture. It took him a moment to even register what Kris was saying, and he blankly looks up with a hum. 'Oh,' he said slowly. 'Yeah, well, if you think you'll be getting free worksheets, you can bugger off!'

Kris fluttered her huge violet eyes at him, 'Charming. Okay, I think I can see the outline of the rib cage now...'

Hugo then looked over to Ami, speaking to her directly for the first time. 'Ms. Mizuno, may I call you Ami?'

It was the custom of the West for peers to refer to each other by their first names. Seeing as she would presumably be calling him "Hugo", it seemed only fair she conceded. 'If you wish,' she replied in a formal English tone.

Hugo nodded, 'Ami… be careful of these two. They are good at the technical stuff but rubbish study partners. Don't let them take advantage of you,' he informed her. He clicked his pen to start writing again, 'That is an open invitation to join our study group, by the way. We could use another person and it makes sense since we're all in gross anatomy together.'

This had moved faster than Ami anticipated. She had thought she would have to work to get into Hugo's good graces, which would have been a challenge for her as she often liked to avoid social interactions, but fate seemed to have popped them in the same place long enough for him to absentmindedly offer to get closer to him.

It was easy for her to overthink this situation too. On the one hand, the fact that he had casually asked her to join their study group suggested that he had no reason to fear her. Zoisite - the one she had known who served the Dark Kingdom - would likely not have been so direct or forward with his approach. He would have been sneaky. Then again, perhaps this was his way of drawing her in, getting her off guard and then when she least expected it he would slice her open with a crystal shard without hesitation.

As she thought it through her silence became palpable and she realised that Hugo, Kris and Dan were all staring at her after she had stood there for ten seconds in silence.

Hugo looked back to his notebook, as if to avoid eye contact with her, 'No pressure. We meet every day at six, or we'll probably meet up after this, seeing as we've just had lab...?'

He said this questioningly, looking up to the others. Kris shrugged to a lazy affirmative and Dan shook his head, 'Late lunch first, then more study.'

'How could you be hungry after doing this?' Kris mumbled.

'Because it's a five-hour long session?' Dan replied sarcastically.

'Either way,' Hugo said, looking back to Ami, 'I'll give you my email for when you decide.' Then he turned back to the task at hand, 'Right. Let's peel back old Bernard's skin flaps and get a look at the superficial fascia. Dan, do the honours, will you?'

Dan raised an eyebrow, 'Oh you really do hate me, don't you?'

'I love to hate you, though",' Hugo said cheerfully. 'Besides, I did the hard part.'

'Bernard?' Ami questioned, picking up on the last statement.

'Yes,' Hugo said jokily. 'I thought it'd be nice if we gave him a nickname. We'll be spending a few weeks with him and it seems rude to refer to him as "the cadaver", right?'

'He's a corpse, Hugh, not a puppy,' Kris scolded him. 'What happened to "treating him like a machine"?'

'I named my laptop too, I'll have you know,' Hugo protested, watching as Dan began to "clear the way" so they could get a close look at the chest. It made Ami shiver a bit and she couldn't help but remember that the hypodermis - the layer of fat between the skin and the fascia - was just as much in her body as it was in "Bernard's". Hugo seemed to notice this and so caught her attention with a smile. 'I called him "Harvey".' Then he winked.

For the first time in a while, Ami blushed.

Once class ended, they all met up in the waiting area outside the laboratory and Ami got a good look at everyone for the first time. Without their masks, Dan and Christabel revealed themselves to be even more attractive than she had initially given them credit for. Kris had a well-defined heart-shaped face, full lips and naturally long eyelashes. Her hair was a wave of darkness that flowed over her shoulders and to her waist, once she pulled the pins out to release it. It even made Ami feel a bit tomboyish in comparison.

Dan on the other had had a very small, delicate face even compared with the beauty of Hugo's. It was distinctly masculine... but only by a bit. He was tow-haired, like young child's shade of blond. It went well with his deep grey-green eyes and his just-off pallid complexion. His smile, however, was small and cheeky, as if there was always a secret hidden behind it.

They were both truly curious individuals.

She dared to take a look at Hugo, this being the closest she had been to him without a surgical mask on or his hair swept away.

Despite always having seemed dainty and effeminate when Ami had first seen Zoisite, seeing Hugo right next to her made her realise the differences. For one, Hugo looked older although that was to be expected. It had been five years since the Dark Kingdom's reign, if it ever existed at all now the universe had been remade without Chaos, and Zoisite had been noticeably the youngest of the Shitennou. Sixteen, maybe? Whatever his age, he had still had the fleshy face of a boy - not a man. That was probably why he had seemed so girlish compared to the others, even Jadeite. It wasn't even the long blond hair, which Hugo's matched to the exact length, as both Nephrite and Kunzite had worn theirs long too. But Nephrite had been a bruiser to the end, a man's man. As for Kunzite, he had been a giant. Even compared to the towering image of Queen Beryl, he had been well over two-hundred metres tall. Even now the memory of those glaring yellow eyes made Ami shiver. All of their eyes had reflected an emptiness as if they were not fully people...

Hugo gave off none of that. His blond hair was indeed long, wavy and untameable as she remembered that boy Zoisite's to have been, but there was warmth to it. It was very pale, no yellow lustre to speak of. If it had any lustre, it was more... copper; a cold copper, that showed itself only at the roots. The rest was just icy blond curls. His eyes, as she had already observed, were green like leaves in late August; a more wholesome colour.

Dan tilted his head as he took in Ami's face for the first time too. 'Ha, you look even cuter with your mask off. Your mouth especially.'

Those words caught her off guard as she felt her cheeks turn red and her neck start to itch. Even after all these years she still had an aversion to random compliments.

To her surprise though she had a saviour:

'Leave it out, Dan,' Hugo sighed, sounding slightly annoyed. He was finishing around in his pocket for something as his eyes met Ami's again. Already her neck was starting to settle down a little bit, as his he had a magical healing property. He smiled at her, 'Don't be too flustered, Ami. Dan's just a natural born flirt.'

'Indeed,' Kris nodded, folding her arms and leaning to one side with a cocky smile. 'He even came on to Hughie when they first met. Danny's an equal opportunist flirt.'

Daniel's tiny little smile grew a millimetre wider. 'What can I say? You are all such beautiful people.' He then looked to Ami and bowed his head naturally, making her guess he was fairly familiar with Japanese culture, 'My sincerest apologies, Ms Mizuno.'

She shook her head, 'Not at all.'

Looking back at Hugo she was shocked to see him pull out a packet of loose tobacco, filters and roll-up paper. 'You smoke?!' she gasped without thinking.

Hugo looked up and smirked, 'God, you sound like my sister.'

'She is right, though, Hughie,' Kris said. 'It doesn't look good for a med student to be rolling his own cancer sticks.'

'I've been doing it since I was eighteen and I'm not gonna quit now,' he said firmly, but humorously.

Ami looked his everyday clothes up and down; he seemed very much a member of the hipster generation, the fashionable rouges of the western world. It suited him. What made it clear that he was a hipster were his boots – carefully polished and well-maintained. Everything about him screamed "Posh boy, non-confirmer".

He suddenly became aware that all three of them were watching him, and he felt judged.

'Jesus, you lot! I don't smoke that much.'

Dan tilted his head cutely, 'We just don't want to see you die, Hugh.'

A tiny smile crossed Hugo's lips and he quietly whispered. 'Oh, I have no fear of that…' and his eyes fell on Ami at that moment, making her feel momentarily cold to the bone. Did he mean something by that? Was that smile indicating something? But then he cocked his head to one side and spoke directly at her, 'They're nothing special. German made but nothing more…'

Confused, she realised he was talking about his boots. Blushing deep red again, Ami realised that she had been staring at his feet for an abnormal amount of time.

'T-they're nice,' Ami quivered back.

'Hmm,' Hugo hummed, then placed the completed roll-up in his mouth as he shrugged his jacket on.

'Well, shall we head over to the library, gang?'

'Seems like a plan,' Kris said, shuffling forward with her arms still folded.

'If you're having a cig then I'm getting coffee,' Dan said brightly.

Hugo hummed enthusiastically, 'Hmm! Get one for me too. Black as a witch's heart.'

'Latte for me,' Kris said sexily. 'I could slaughter one right now.'

'You two are taking advantage of my good nature!' Dan boyishly pouted, but it only lasted a moment. 'I guess we need coffee for our study session though so… alright.'

Ami had silently watched the exchange between the three unfold as it occurred to her for the first time that these three had known each other for a while. They were so familiar with each other's mannerisms and quirks that it made her feel, once and for all, that even if this was Zoisite or some form of Zoisite, he had connections to this place, these people.

Hell, hadn't he just mentioned he had a sister?

As if knowing he was all that filled her mind, Hugo turned back to Ami, remembering he had promised her his email. He pulled out a tiny notebook from his inner pocket – she wondered how many he had hidden about his body – and scribbled the address down. 'Here, I said I'd give you this, right?' he said quickly. He ripped out the page and gave it to her, 'Like I said no pressure.'

He seemed back and smirked. 'I hope my smoking and Dan's perviness hasn't put you off – we're okay, really!'

They stayed silent for a while as if he was expecting her to say something other than 'Thank you' or 'It's fine'. When all he got was a smile, Hugo sighed and nodded. 'I check it every day so… email anytime.'

Ami bit her lip. She wasn't sure how she mustered the courage to do it but –

'Actually, I'd love to join your study group!' she blurted out so quickly she almost said: "kenkyū" instead of "study" in the sentence. 'L-like you said before, it makes sense we should all form one.'

Hugo blinked, surprised at her sudden passion.

It was Kris who broke the awkwardness by sauntering forward and grabbing Ami's arm. 'Well, well, it's about time we have another girl in the group. These two tend to just frighten them away.'

'Piss off, Krissy,' Dan chuckled.

Hugo just shrugged, pulled out his lighter and pointed towards the door. 'Come on, let's go. I really need a smoke.'

'And I really need coffee,' Kris groaned comically.

'Scratch that,' Hugo said quickly. 'I need a fag and a coffee.'

'Four coffees then,' Dan smirked. 'Let's head over to the SU and grab some. Oh, and stand downwind of us, Hew. I don't want to catch passive cancer.'

A gentle eye-roll later, Hugh opened the door for them all. 'You piss off, Dan.'