Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters nor do I claim to own them.
"I'm your opponent, Zoicite!" Sailor Mercury shouted as she slid in front of the helpless victim Zoicite had knocked unconscious. Poised to take the powerless bystander's energy, Zoicite glared at her and smirked.
"Oh, really?" He said in a low, mocking tone. Mercury's glower further hardened. Zoicite stretched out his arms to full length and aimed his palms towards her preparing to deal her a fatal blow of black power. Mercury put her arms to her chest, ready to drop water at any moment.
"Mercury! Hang in there! We're here!" She heard her friends finally arriving at the scene. But they were too late. Zoicite and Mercury had both cast their attacks at the same time. Equally strong and equally matched, their attacks met with great force and momentarily blinded everyone witnessing the battle. Both Zoicite and Mercury were knocked to the ground by each other's assault. Before any of the Sailor Scouts could react, a bright blue light burst up from the earth encasing both Mercury and Zoicite in what seemed to be a transparent blue bubble. Everyone stared on helplessly as their listless bodies floated in these bubbles before they were both swiftly transported into space. The Sailor Senshi gasped in shock and disbelief as they watched the two disappear…
Blackness. Quiet. Deathly quiet. The bright blue earth set against a pure black backdrop. Serenity.
Ami…Ami…Wake up…my love…Ami's eyes slowly blinked open to this calling. A face from long ago attached to the voice lingered in her mind--a handsome face with green eyes and long, wavy reddish blonde hair. Zoicite's face. Ami startled into consciousness. She looked around and realized she had been stripped of her Sailor Uniform and now lay, naked, suspended above Earth. Zoicite, she thought, Oh…my love…we were in love…and we almost destroyed each other…her heart began to ache and she clutched her knees to her chest. A tear slide down her cheek.
"Ami…Ami…"she felt warm, strong arms embrace her folded body. She looked up and gazed deep into those same green eyes.
"Zoicite—I had no—I didn't remember. I couldn't even calculate—"She stammered, tears in her eyes, again. Zoicite's heart began to fill with familiar warmth. This woman, whom he had loved millennia ago; he still loved her deeply, passionately. Beryl had all but erased his past. Even still, his memory was soon flooded with recollections of his previous life. However, that no longer mattered. All that he cared for was Ami.
"Ami—haha…you always were calculating." He chuckled, "you cannot calculate love. I didn't even remember. How could we? Oh Ami…I am so sorry…"His smooth, deep voice trailed off. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his long hair.
Their naked bodies entwined, they held each other for what they hoped would be an eternity. Ami, though, soon felt that time was of essence. She put her hands on Zoicite's cheeks and pulled his mouth to hers. With one hand entangled in her silky blue hair, Zoicite's fingers softly traced Ami's spine down the curve of her back. Placing his hand at the base of her spine, he firmly pulled her pelvis toward his own and their kiss grew feverish and hungry. They stayed in this intense embrace until Zoicite lightly pulled away from her.
"Ami," he whispered "I cannot go back to Earth with you…"
"What? Why?!" She gasped with alarm, "We've just found each other again. I love you! Why?!" Her eyebrows furrowed in anger and sorrow.
"Ami…our last blows to each other—the ones that brought us up here…you almost killed me" he chuckled, attempting to make light of it. He sighed, seeing she would have none of his humor, "…I have little life force left. I want you to take it and defeat Beryl." He said still holding her as she began to cry softly into his chest.
"No…" she whimpered. "Please don't do this…I'll heal you. Sailor Moon will help me heal you!" She looked into his eyes, pleading. He bit his quivering lip as he held back his own emotions.
"Ami. Be logical." He said harshly. She suddenly felt every bit of reason and rationale in her melt away.
"I can't do that! For once, I don't want to be logical!" She shouted as she drew her tiny fists up and pounded them against his chest with all her might. Still supporting her at her lower back, he reinforced his hold on her and grasped her even tighter. Grabbing both her wrists with his other hand he held them to his breast. Ami's body wilted and her head slumped forward, her hair casting a dark shadow over her face.
"Ami…I love you…with everything that I am. I promise, I will find a way back to you in this lifetime. But I cannot do that unless you and the others defeat Beryl. Please…please, take my life. Make yourself stronger. You have to be strong for Sailor Moon." He begged her in a gentle voice. She nodded in agreement and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.
"You promise me…Zoicite, you'll find a way back to me." She searched his eyes for assurance. He smiled and replied, "Ami, I promise you, I will find you again in this lifetime." With that, they embraced in a passionate kiss once more—the kiss during which Zoicite transferred his remaining life force into Ami. With a burst of hot light their bodies were ripped apart. They reached their arms out to each other and called each other's names in desperation, but Ami was already hurdling back to earth in her blue bubble.
She reached Earth fully conscious wrapped in some kind of filmy celestial azure gauze. As the bubble daintily set her down on the ground, the scouts ran to her calling out for her.
"Ami! Are you alright?!" She felt Makoto shake her shoulders.
"Where's Zoicite? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?!" The other's shouted in a round. Ami touched Makoto's hands, still on her shoulders.
"Help me up, will you, Jupiter," she said in a small voice. Ami was able to stand, but the realizations, the memories and Zoicite's power seemed too much for her body and she soon collapsed in Makoto's steady grip.
Ami awakened again in her bedroom. The scouts sprawled around the room, sleeping. It was 2:oo a.m. and she felt exhausted. She opened the sliding door of her room and walked out onto the balcony, the cool breeze calming her nerves. She felt a small hand on her waist.
"You okay, girl?" Usagi asked. Ami looked at this future queen, envious for a moment that Mamoru was still a tangible force for Usagi. But Ami quickly pushed that out of her heart. She sighed.
"Usagi…"she began, "I didn't know it at the time, but Zoicite and I were once lovers." She admitted, bracing herself against her expectation for Usagi to double over backwards with shock and laughter. However, Usagi only glanced downward for a moment and then said, "I thought so…Mamoru is beginning to remember some things, as well…Ami, you and Zoicite will be reunited. I promise," she smiled sincerely. Suddenly, Ami felt the weight of the evening come crashing down. Usagi hugged her as she sagged to the floor silently sobbing.
"I promise, Ami." Usagi whispered. Ami felt safe in Usagi's grasp and soon became at ease.
Two months pass, the battle against Queen Beryl has taken place and the Scouts have regained their memories preparing to fight a second round of enemies.
A month has passed since we defeated Beryl…and still no sign of Zoicite, Ami thought gloomily as she sat on a bench in Ueno Park. Her big, round framed glasses rested on the tip of her nose as she pretended to be reading her Organic Chemistry textbook. Suddenly, she slapped the book closed and clutched it to her chest. She gazed up into the sky as if searching for some sign of him. This hurts, she admitted to herself, This hurts and I cannot reason through it. She abruptly stood to begin the journey home. She would skip the metro today and walk back to her apartment. Ami slipped her book into her messenger bag and slung it across her back. She sighed and looked around the park once more, as if expecting him to pop out of the bushes. I've really got to concentrate, she told herself sternly, I am not Usagi or Minako—boys don't make me unfocused! With that she promptly headed home.
"Ami! Ami!" She heard Minako's and Rei's voices calling out to her. She turned to greet them.
"Hey, you two!" She said warmly. Minako and Rei caught up to Ami and immediately began tugging at her arms.
"Ami, you've got to come to the shrine right now!" Minako and Rei were both gasping for breath, "C'mon!" They pulled Ami and all three of them began running towards Rei's shrine.
"What is it?! Is Usagi in trouble?" Ami questioned frantically as they bolted up the streets.
"Just—C'mon! Hurry!" Rei shouted and began running faster. They finally reached the stairs to walk up to the grounds when Minako promptly halted Ami. She began fixing Ami's hair as Rei pulled her skirts smooth.
"Girls! What is this about?!" Ami demanded as she looked up to the torii guarding the shrine's entrance. She gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth. Running down the stairs was Zoicite, dressed in Mamoru's civilian clothes, no less. Minako and Rei stood on either side of Ami as Zoicite ran up to her and scooped her up by the waist and swung her around. She began laughing, but tears streamed down her face. He slowly set her down on the ground, but their hold on each other only strengthen. She felt his chest jerk and he pulled away from her and met her teary gaze with his own.
"I missed you" he choked. She drew his face to hers and they began kissing zealously while the girls cheered and looked on. Ami pulled her lips away from Zoicite long enough to look back at everyone and say sheepishly, "I think I won't be able to make it to study group today, girls". They all laughed and waved good-bye as Zoicite and Ami walked down the street arms tightly wrapped around each other's waists.