Title: Doesn't fit the bill
Author: Ree
Theme: Ami - travel
Genre: General
Version: Anime/ Manga - Post series, Crystal Tokyo
Rating: G

Most of these characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko. The ones that don't are my creations

Doesn't fit the bill

Mercury adjusted the knobs on the computer console and then looked over at Neptune. "All done. I don't think it will require another update for awhile."

Neptune flashed a smile at her. "Then I guess you have to go back to Crystal Tokyo. Say hi to everybody for me."

Nodding her head, Mercury looked around at the palace as she headed for the door. A look of longing crossed over her face, and leaked into her voice. "It must be nice to have a retreat. A quiet place that is all your own, and where nobody can just barge in."

Neptune gave her a sympathetic look. "It is nice. Is it really that tough staying there?"

Mercury shook her head from side to side. "No, not all the time, but there are occasions that I wished I had somewhere else to call home. Somewhere where everyone didn't know who I was. Somewhere I could just bury my nose in my books and enjoy myself. Somewhere I could just be Ami Mizuno."

Neptune laid an understanding hand on her shoulder. "But it can get lonely. There is always a price for freedom."

Mercury looked into the sea-green eyes that shone with sympathy. "I wouldn't stay there. I guess what I want is a retreat."

Neptune grinned. "Ask Serenity where you could go hide for awhile. I'm sure she would understand, and then guard your secret from everybody but the other senshi."

With a thoughtful nod, Mercury headed home.

Ami watched Serentiy's face with a touch of trepidation. 'I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea about this.'

Serenity contemplated her friend over her desk for a moment more before speaking. Her amusement leaked in as she asked more and more questions. "So, you want a place where you can be yourself? Where you don't have to do any work? A vacation spot?"

Ami felt a touch of relief. 'She isn't upset.' Keeping her face serious, she acknowledged that her queen was correct. "But I don't know anywhere around here where I could just forget about work. Even if no one recognized me, I would recognize them and be reminded."

Serenity's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You just came back from Triton castle. Hum-m-m--mmmmmm. Maybe you should see if Mariner castle on Mercury is still there, and if so what condition it is in? I know the outer ones survived because they were protected by the Silver Crystal. Queen Selenity supposedly gave the castles to the outer senshi, but I don't know if she did the same for the inners or not." Tilting her head, she pinned her blue haired friend with a teasing look. "So, why don't you go see if you can bury yourself there? And I won't come drag you back for a while."

The memory of a long ago trip to the seashore flashed through both of their minds. It was the time that Usagi dragged Ami out of her studies so she could take time to play.

Ami smiled, completely relieved. "I'll check it out."

After a little bit of research, Ami discovered the supposed location of Mariner Castle. With her supply kit ready, stocked full of water, food and some oxygen bottles, she headed out. 'The scans of the area says that the protective barrier is still there, so I shouldn't burn up. But...' She made sure that the oxygen bottles were close to the top. '..I don't know if they breathed oxygen. Most likely they did, as they came to the Moon and it had an Earth-like atmosphere. At least it did according to all the records.' She paused for a moment as she considered taking the heavy, bulky bottles out of her pack. At the last moment she decided against leaving them. 'There might be pin-holes in the barrier. It would still keep most of the heat out, but the air would have definitely escaped.' Zipping the pack up, she headed off to Mercury.

Mercury's foot touched the powdery soil. The light reflected off the dry landscape. All about her were silent houses. They were the same color as the ground. Gazing at the window of one of the houses, Mercury felt that someone would open it in a moment. 'Won't happen though. This place feels empty. I don't even need the sensor to tell me that there is no life here. But I didn't expect any.'

Her eyes trailed over the little houses, lined neatly as if there was a street under the dust that covered everything. Eventually, Mercury spotted the mountain and the carved plateau at the end of the street. She walked down the road in that direction. A faint hissing noise reached her ears the closer she came to the end of the street. 'A river...in the distance?' The noise increased as she continued forward. 'It must be a large one to make that much noise, or there might be a waterfall.'

In her mind she pictured a large flowing river like the Yellow River or the Yangtze River, but with a waterfall similar the Niagara Falls. She could image the oasis of trees and plants that the water was supporting. She anticipated seeing it as much as a desert dweller anticipated seeing a real oasis in a desert. The rushing sound drew her further up the mountain side. Each step increased her desire.

As she crested the lip of the plateau, she found herself staring into a dry channel. The other side of it was a smudge on the horizon. The wind funneled down through the channel, making the roaring sound that she had been following. She traced the path of the dried river bed with her eyes. It ended into what she, from her new vantage point, could now tell was a large dried lake. The river had left the lake at three points to continue on its way across the world. 'Gone... All the water is gone. And with it the chance of any form of life. No plants, nothing.' Disappointment sat in her stomach like a rock.

'The palace. I need to find it.' Turning her back on the empty river bed, she closed her eyes to blot out the scene that confronted her. It showed itself on the back of her eyelids. The castle was in shambles. Completely smashed and crumbled, with one exception: a large solitary tower.

'Usagi used her power to resurrect the Moon Castle. Maybe... maybe I can do the same to mine. I know there is power here, I have called upon it before.' Opening her eyes, she took in the scene once again. Then, with a single large jump, she stood on top of the remaining tower. It provided a more complete view of the dry barren waste land, and the destruction that marked her planet.

Reaching deep into herself, deep into the power of her planet, Mercury prayed for her castle to be restored. The tower under her feet trembled. That was the only answer to her prayer she received. Not one other stone moved, no new castle raised out of the dusty land. She tried again and again, until exhaustion made her lose her precarious perch. As she plummeted to the ground, she dragged her reserve strength out to land correctly.

Staring that building that defeated her, she knew it was time to leave. 'This place isn't exactly right, it doesn't quite fit the bill. It is time to go home.' Pulling herself together and drawing on the planet's energy, Mercury teleported back to Crystal Tokyo.

Stepping into the hallway, Ami saw Serenity walking by. 'She was able to rebuild her castle. Why can't I rebuild mine!? Why?' Fighting depression tooth and nail, she lost as she dragged herself into her room and flopped across her bed.