Chapter 10

Usagi, Minako, Rei, and Makoto ran blindly through the streets of Tokyo, having long since broken their transformations. No one spoke, but they all knew what their destination was:

Their safe haven, Crown Karaoke.

They finally slowed their pace as they descended the stairs and stepped through the automatic doors. Minako adjusted the baseball cap on her head, not wishing to have her fans recognize her at this inopportune moment. Motoki came out from behind the counter and smiled tentatively, studying the girl's stony expressions. "Hi, girls. Is...everything okay?"

Before any of them could answer, Makoto came bursting through the entrance, ramming forcibly into Motoki. Startled, Motoki asked, "Mako-chan, are you all right?" He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Mako buried her face in his chest, too hysterical to speak. Motoki's eyes widened as he realized by the sudden dampness on his shirt that Mako was crying. He patted her softly on the back, and bowed his face closer to hers. "Mako-chan, would you like some tea? I often find that when I'm upset it helps calm me down."

Mako lifted her head slightly and nodded, rubbing the tears from her line of vision. Minako raised her eyebrows, feeling a tiny smile play upon her lips. She motioned to the other girls to follow her into the secret karaoke room, feeling they should leave the couple in peace.

"Um, Mako-chan, we'll be inside if you need us," Usagi mumbled before following Rei and Minako.

Motoki smiled encouragingly as he put an arm around Mako and gently guided her into the back room. Once she was seated, he quickly bustled about gathering the tea and cups. He set a piping mug in front of Mako before sitting down.

Glancing at the solemn girl who sat across from him, Motoki said quietly, "Mako-chan?"

Mako kept her tear-filled gaze to her folded hands in her lap. "I...I don't usually cry like this, you know. I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's no bother," Motoki said firmly. "You're upset. You need to let it out." He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Mako-chan, if you need someone to talk to, I'm a pretty good listener. I promise to keep it a secret."

Makoto took a shaky breath, moving her hands from her lap to warm them on the mug. "Well...you already know that I transform into Sailor Jupiter, right? Um...I'm not the only one. My friends fight with me as soldiers of justice."

Motoki nodded. "Usagi-chan and the others, right?" Seeing Mako's look of surprise, he quickly added, "I had guessed. I mean, you guys are always together, and sometimes your discussions look pretty serious."

Makoto bit her lip. "Well, you guessed right. The five of us–we have another comrade, the girl you saw earlier–have been battling evil for quite awhile. But not too long ago, our battles grew more difficult than we could ever imagine. The enemy has managed to get their hold over one of us–Ami-chan. They kidnaped her and turned her evil." She wiped a fresh tear from her eye, and Motoki reached out and squeezed her hand.

"We were able to reach her and turn her back to normal for several months," Makoto continued, "But recently, the Dark Kingdom's powers have grown stronger, and so has their hold on Ami. No matter what we've tried, we can't seem to reach her. We're scared about what may happen next!" She hiccuped, and another few tears trickled down her face.

"So that explains it," Motoki breathed, hardly able to believe what he had just heard, "That's why Ami-chan has been acting so strangely. Mako-chan, I'm so sorry. I really wish there was something I could do..."

Mako shook her head. "There isn't anything anyone can do..."

Motoki tightened his grip on her hand. "I may not be able to help you fight the dark forces, Mako-chan. And I may not be able to bring Ami-chan back to you and your friends. But I can do one thing–be there for you."

Mako lifted her eyes and stared at him. Finally, she gave a tiny smile. "Thank you, Motoki-kun," she whispered, clasping his hand and stroking it with her thumb. "It hepls to have someone else there for me, to have people around me. But then...I feel sad...who's going to be there for Ami-chan? She refuses to let us help her, but she must be suffering, on the inside..."

Motoki furrowed his eyebrow. Doesn't she know about Naito? He wondered. Then he shook his head, and continued to console the Soldier of Jupiter.

Usagi buried her face in her hands, muffling the sobs that escaped her throat. Rei and Minako sat on either side of her, Rei burying her face into the Princess' shoulder, trying to hide her own crying. Minako had her arm wrapped tightly around Usagi's shoulders, shedding no tears herself, but still deeply disturbed.

Luna was also crying, and Artemis tentatively approached her. "Luna?" When the plushie didn't answer, he simply put his head towards hers and gave her a hug to comfort her.

The group sat like that for almost an hour, barely anyone speaking except to offer words of comfort to one another. Finally, Rei lifted her head. "I just don't understand how our plan failed. I-I..." she trailed off.

Minako turned her head towards Rei. "I think it's because her powers are much stronger this time. She's out of control. She's far worse than she was when Kunzite possessed her with the darkness."

Usagi sniffled and sat up. "As much as we're hurting, upset over losing Ami-chan to evil, I think that Ami-chan's pain is far worse."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

Usagi wiped her eyes. "Last time, when the spell was almost broken, and we were fighting each other, Ami was struggling the entire time. It was like she was crying. And after she was back to normal, she despised herself for the evil deeds she had committed. She's suffering, just like how I suffer when I try to resist the will of Serenity."

Minako patted Usagi on the shoulder. "You may be right about that..." she murmured absently.

How long?

How long had she stood there, gazing at the lake's glassy surface, her eyes hollowly studying every ripple and shimmer? It seemed almost an eternity, and Ami began to feel as if she had always done this, just been mesmerized by the glowing water. But in reality, it had only been a few short hours. After the strenuous battle against Kunzite and the Sailor Soldiers, and then the strange, disturbing visions, Ami sought refuge at this lake, to calm herself and collect her thoughts.

What was that? She thought desperately. Those-those visions...was that all they really were? They felt familiar, somehow...almost as if it all had happened before. Could they have been...my memories? Ami vigorously shook her head. No, they couldn't have been...she clenched her gloved fists.

"Ami."

Ami turned, startled, to find Nephrite standing behind her. "Nephrite?"

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Nephrite asked, gesturing to the big, empty pond.

Dark Mercury just shrugged. Nephrite wrapped his arms around her, frowning when he realized she was icy to the touch. "Aren't you cold?"

Ami shrugged again, not meeting his gaze, instead staring at the dirt-packed ground. "How did you find me?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "I'm sure no one else knows where I am."

It wasn't easy." Nephrite let go of her, and slid his coat off of his back, draping it across her shoulders. "I've been all over town. Motoki's probably beside himself, wondering where I ran off to. What have you been doing?"

Ami brushed a blue strand of hair from her eyes. "Thinking. A lot has happened to me today..."

Nephrite nodded. "To me, too. That's why I've been looking for you." He cleared his throat, nervously adjusting the muffler around his neck as he chose his words carefully. "I had...I had a strange...vision, I guess you could call it."

Ami finally lifted her head, suddenly interested.

"In it, I was a Shittennou again. But that's not all. You-you were in it, too." He took a deep breath. "We were walking through some kind of...courtyard, a place I can't quite remember, but at the same time, do. The whole thing felt so real, like it had actually happened." He paused, waiting for her reaction.

"I had a similar vision."

Nephrite looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I had the exact same vision you just described. It-it felt real to me, too. I don't understand it."

Nephrite shrugged. "Neither do I. But at least I know I haven't lost my sanity." He paused for a moment, then asked, "When did you have the vision?"

"Earlier today. While I was fighting...them." Dark Mercury snarled, slamming her fist into her palm, caught once again in the fury of her loss. "I was winning, too. My plan worked like a charm, Well...almost." She scowled. "If Venus hadn't interfered, the Princess' power would have been mine!" Gritting her teeth, she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else, "I suppose she will have to be my next target."

Nephrite's eyes widened. Gripping Ami by the shoulders, he looked her straight in the eye. "Ami! Please...stop this!" He firmly shook her shoulders, trying to snap her out of her rampage. "This isn't the real you!"

Dark Mercury quirked an eyebrow, not understanding his meaning. "What do you mean? Of course this is the real me. This is who I am, Nephrite."

"This isn't what you want!" Nephrite shouted.

"Yes, it is!"

"No!" He shook his head sadly. He lowered his voice, speaking more gently, "No, it isn't."

Ami inhaled sharply, the cold night air seeping into her lungs like an icy waterfall. "...What are you trying to say?" When Nephrite didn't answer, Ami roughly pulled away from his reach. "What are you not telling me, Nephrite?!"

Nephrite stood for a moment in silence, carefully choosing his words. "You can't do this to yourself Ami. You can't keep living this lie. You love them. You love all of them. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, even Sailor Venus! They're your friends, your family! You couldn't hurt them. If you did, you'd only be killing yourself in the process."

Ami began to smile, as if realizing this was all Nephrite's little joke. "Stop teasing me, Nephrite. You know I don't care about the Sailor Soldiers. All they mean to me s a source of power. And something fun to kill--"

"Ami, stop!" Nephrite cried desperately, taking her hands in his own, "This is what I mean! This cut-throat killer is not who you are! The real Ami loves life. She's kind, and warm, and gentle, and can't stand to see others suffer! Remember the day we found Fluffy? You spotted that little kitten, and when you realized she had been abandoned, you encouraged me to care for and look after her! You taught me how to care, Ami. You taught me how to love!"

"A weak moment, I assure you," Darkury spat coldly.

Nephrite shook his head. "No, not weak, Ami, strong! That's why I can't stand to see you like this!"

Dark Mercury's heavily lined eyes widened. "It's true," she whispered, staring at Nephrite with an unreadable expression. It seemed to be made of fear, loneliness, sadness, shock, anger...and hatred.

"It's true, isn't it?" She repeated, her voice now shaking. "You're just like all the others. You don't care about me. You won't be there for me. You just want me to be the sweet and perfect little Ami-chan who never says a bad word or does anything wrong. You're just like all the others! You say you care, and yet you abandon me the instant I do anything to displease you." She narrowed her eyes. "Just like the Soldiers."

"That's not true!" Nephrite cried out in exasperation, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "I'm doing this because I care about you! Ami, I love y--"

"Don't say it!!" Ami screamed, slapping his hand away and taking a step backwards. "Don't you dare--" she sputtered, fury taking over her entire body, "how could–I-I never want to see you again!!"

Her last sentence stunned Nephrite like a slap in the face. Disbelieving, unable to accept that she had spoken those words, he tried to step closer to her. "Ami..." he whispered softly.

"Go away!!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, clutching her chest with a gloved hand. Closing her eyes for a moment, she said in a much softer voice, "Just...go away."

Realizing that he could say no more, that he could do no more, Nephrite numbly turned and walked away.

For the next few minutes, the Soldier of Mercury stood on the riverbank silently, once again memorizing every ripple and shadow upon the lakes surface. She was jolted out of her reverie when she felt something wet sting her cheek. Lifting a shaky hand to her face, her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she realized tears were streaming down her face. Nephrite's gone...I drove him away...

Making no move to wipe the tears that flowed freely from her clouded eyes, Ami fell to her knees, stunned and cold at what she had done. Wrapping Nephrite's jacket more tightly around herself, Dark Mercury sobbed in distress into the silent night air.

Author's Note: I am so, so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! I got so busy with schoolwork and homelife that this fanfic became bottom priority. I hope you like this chapter, and I apologize for the long wait!!