(o)

2
A Creation of Genius

I stared at Ami. I was too surprised to think about whether I was being rude. She just responded with a sweet smile, like a little girl hoping to be given a treat.

"Well?" she said at last.

"Um..."

"Is something wrong, Naru-chan?"

"Well... Thetis told me the Pen would only work for its true owner."

"I see," Ami said slowly. "And have you tested that out?"

"Of course not!" I gave a nervous laugh. "Ami-chan... you know I can't let anyone else know about the Pen. No-one knows except me and you and Rei." And I didn't exactly choose to tell Rei, though I wasn't going to make a point of it. Probably Ami knew the whole story already. She and Rei were very close; after all, they had known each other already when Usagi and I met them.

"Let me have a try, then," said Ami. "Please."

How could I refuse? I mean, it's not as though I would trust just anyone with a magical artefact that can alter reality itself; but I knew that I could trust Ami. I had already entrusted the story to her in a way, when I let her make suggestions for how the plot should go; and her suggestions had worked. There had been a few bad moments, like when Usagi disappeared on the cursed bus; but we got her back. And now that it was over, it was just part of a memorable adventure, an episode I could look back on with satisfaction as I remembered how we had all shown our inner strength and overcome our challenges. So, as I handed the Pen over to Ami, I never worried that she might use it against me, or try to keep it. Usagi might have done that – if she had known about its power, of course. But never Ami.

Still, she took the Pen slowly and gravely, as if the full weight of my trust was holding her down in her seat. She sat still for about a minute, touching it so gingerly that it might have slipped through her fingers at any moment.

"Go on," I said. "It's okay, Ami-chan, honestly it is."

"I... I was just trying to think of what to write," she said, turning away so that I couldn't see her eyes.

"Just start with something small," I said. "That's what I did, the first time... that's how I ended up creating Luna."

Ami smiled. She was very fond of Luna, the cat who now lived with Usagi's family.

"All right," she said. "I have an idea."

"Oh?"

She writhed in her seat. "No, I can't tell you. You know, Naru-chan... the writer can't enjoy a story the same way the reader can. Their enjoyment comes from imagining the reader's reaction. And for that to work, it has to come as a surprise."

"I see. Shall I look away, then?"

Ami blushed. "Um... yes, it might help."

So I turned away. But, after I had been sitting facing the wall for a minute or two, the urge to look round was just too strong. This wouldn't do. I had to find a way to distract myself. I got out my Keats homework and exercise books, and stared at the opening lines of the poem.

"Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen..."

Skritch. Ami was writing so furiously, I could almost see drops of ink fly out like multicoloured sparks. I drummed my fingers against the desk, and stared at the poem. I understood each individual word, or I thought I did; but what were these "realms of gold"? Did it mean actual countries made of gold, and if so, what on earth were the people like who lived there? I glanced round at Ami, but she was concentrating so intently that I didn't like to disturb her.

After a while, she sighed and relaxed. She must have worn herself out through writing so hard. I took the opportunity to ask her about that line.

"Realms of gold?" Ami said with a smile. She looked like she was glad to take a breather. Finding just the right words to make the things you want happen takes a lot of exertion. I feel apprehensive about it, and I've done it many times before – though always with Thetis' help.

"It means the worlds of fantasy and adventure. Like the places we've been exploring with our story, Naru-chan."

"But we've only been using real places..."

"Yes, but within the story, those places aren't the same as in the real world. Like the Crown Arcade: in the real world it's just like any other game centre. But within the story, it's the location of a magical secret base. And if you think about it, that changes the whole nature of the building. It becomes fantastical itself, because it has such a secret hidden within it –"

"And what's that got to do with gold?"

"There was a legend about a land where gold was as plentiful as dirt... and so it comes to mean places that only exist in the realm of imagination."

I gave her a bemused frown. "But the poem says that he's travelled there..."

"Yes, through the power of storytelling. You, of all people, should hardly need me to tell you about that." Ami's laugh was warm and encouraging.

I stopped and thought about this for a while. Ami kept her eyes on me, and then turned away and carried on writing.

That was right. I didn't need to think about these things in the abstract any more. I was a storyteller – I already had a completed adventure under my belt! I could remember, as clearly as if it were yesterday, that first time I had seen Usagi transformed, the one time Sailor Moon and I had met face to face; I only had to close my eyes and I could see the whole scene again, the way Usagi's look of fear transformed to undisguised joy when she knew that she had saved me. I had created that. And so, looking now at the moment, I felt it was describing something that I knew from deep inside my soul.

My eyes moved down to the next lines.

"Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold."

I sighed. Ami was busy again, but this time I just had to interrupt.

"Ami-chan, who or what is Apollo?"

Ami looked up and pursed her lips thoughtfully. If she was annoyed by the interruption, she didn't show it. Dependable as always.

"Apollo was the Greek god of the sun, but he was also the god of music and poetry, the leader of the Muses. You could say he's our very own patron deity."

Ours? I blinked at Ami. But – after all, she was holding the Pen. Right now, she was just as much a storyteller as I was. Did it matter that this wasn't what she had dreamed about all her life, as it was for me? Not at all. We were a team. I had chosen her.

"Maybe we should set up a shrine to him," I said with a laugh.

"I suppose we could..."

"You don't sound very sure."

"I was just following a train of thought. Apollo was associated with the idea of classical beauty, the beauty of order as opposed to chaos. Another poet once said of him: A bitter god to follow, a beautiful god to behold..."

Ami leant back in her seat, her eyes glistening. It was rather frightening.

"What is it, Ami-chan?" I said at last.

"It's giving me an idea," she said. "Bitter, yet beautiful..."

And all at once her head was down and she was writing rapidly. It was a clear signal that this time, I was not to interrupt.

I tried to concentrate on the poem once more. But Ami's words kept echoing in my brain, and my eyes ran over the lines, barely taking them in.

"Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne..."

At last Ami laid down the Pen, and sank back with a deep sigh.

I caught my breath. I was almost afraid to ask the question.

"Well?" I said. "Have... have you got somewhere?"

"I think so," Ami said. Then she dropped the Pen, stood up and threw out her arm, and cried, "Dark Power, Makeup!"

A white light gleamed somewhere under the floor. Ami was silhouetted in a circle of whirling fire, while the rest of the room was cast into shadow, in the colours of a cloudy sunset. A flurry of black rose petals spiralled around her, growing so thick that I could barely see her; and she span round as if the petals were dragging her along in their dance, like the spirits in the dark forest, taking her into a world of dreams. And then the light faded, and the petals began to dissipate; and Ami stood transformed. Her costume was like her usual Sailor Mercury outfit, but its bright blues were faded to a dull indigo, and she wore a black bow and earrings.

I stood still, too astonished for words.

Ami blinked as the daylight started to return, and looked around, as if she were no longer sure of the world around her. I jumped up and put my arms round her to steady her.

"Ami-chan! Talk to me! Can you hear me?"

Her eyes glowed a deep purple, and she smiled a sharp-toothed smile.

"I'm here, Naru-chan. It's still me."

"Thank goodness! But, Ami-chan, what is all this?"

"My new transformation. You transformed into Queen Beryl to command Jadeite, didn't you?"

"Yes, but –"

"So I need a villain form as well. Call me Akumi."

"Akumi." I ran my tongue over the strange syllables, trying to get used to them. "But you still look like you..."

"We can make use of that. You'll see."

I stared at Ami. "Come on, tell me what you're planning."

She laughed. "Why don't you tell your plans to Usagi, Naru-chan? The story means so much more if she doesn't know it's a story, right? But that means that you have to know everything. There are no surprises for you. So... let me give you a surprise, just this once."

"Well, all right," I said, after an uneasy silence. "I trust you, Ami-chan."

"Good." She took a deep breath. "All right, time for the next stage. You should sit down, Naru-chan. This may take a while. And you should transform into Queen Beryl, of course."

"Of course."

So I transformed and sat down, rather uncomfortably, for my chair was not built to hold someone of Queen Beryl's stature. Ami was writing again. She never once looked up; she was lost in the realm of fantasy.

"All right," she said at last. "Watch this, Naru-chan."

Watch what? Nothing was happening. Then I realised – a mist was moving over the surface of the mirror, just like when I had created Jadeite. Unlike that time, though, Ami was not going to make him appear first and then start moving him – somehow I knew that. She was Ami, and she could count on getting things right the first time.

The mist was swirling, writhing, tearing apart to reveal a glint of light behind it. At once, I heard the words of the poem running through my head –

"Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken –"

And as the darkness turned into light, a face came forward out of the shadows. A stern face, not exactly handsome in the way that Jadeite had been, but full of determination and power. He stepped out of the mirror, his posture grand and confident. Waves of red-brown hair floated down below his shoulders. His expression was grim, his mouth turned into a contemptuous sneer. But deep within his sapphire eyes I caught a glimpse of something softer, a certain dry humour or nonchalance, an air of not caring what life came up with to throw at him.

Slowly, carefully, I rose to my feet. Queen Beryl had towered over Jadeite, but Nephrite was nearly on my level, and I had to put all the effort I could into my posture, to make sure he knew who was in charge.

"I am Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom."

Nephrite bowed with a quick and elegant movement. "Your servant."

"And this is Akumi – she will be your supervisor."

Nephrite turned towards Ami, looking over her and assessing her. Evidently he found her satisfactory, for he nodded before turning back to me. "And what is my mission?"

"We have to locate the Silver Crystal," said Ami. "With its power, the Dark Kingdom will be able to rise again –"

She gave me a wink as if to say, "You carry on from there."

"The Crystal is hidden somewhere on this hateful Earth," I said. "It must have come to light here in Tokyo. Two humans, who are using the code names of Zoisite and Kunzite, are trying to find it. We must get to the Crystal before they do."

"Mere humans? They will be no challenge at all."

"We mustn't underestimate the humans," I said quickly. "That was Jadeite's mistake. He ran into a group of human mages calling themselves the sailor warriors – curse them!"

"Are they also trying to find the Silver Crystal?"

"We don't know what their purpose is yet," said Ami.

"Their purpose doesn't matter," I said. "They are enemies. They must be stopped."

Nephrite nodded. "I shall defeat them for you immediately."

"Don't act too hastily. It would be unwise to show our hand too soon. The sailor warriors may believe that the war is over now that Jadeite is defeated. If we wait until the right time –"

"They will not be ready for me. I shall crush them."

I glanced at Ami. Are you prepared to take on Thetis' role and keep him in check? Because I'm not sure that I can handle him...

"The problem is that we don't know who the sailor warriors really are," said Ami. "If we knew that, then we could strike at them while they are unprepared."

"That will be an easy task for me," said Nephrite, clicking his heels together. "Your Majesty, I beg leave to depart and commence my mission."

"I will show you to your quarters," said Ami. "Oh, and we'll have to get you some clothes to wear in your human disguise, so that you don't stand out too much."

I shot her a look. Just how much of this had she prepared beforehand? I supposed that by "quarters" she meant Thetis' old den under the Crown Arcade; but still – had she already got Nephrite's clothes ready for him?

Still – I had to trust her. I remembered her look of apprehension when I had first given her the Pen. That was completely gone now; she had fully grown into her role as storyteller and sidekick. Now that she could see her plans start to fall into place, that look had changed to one of deep satisfaction, like a runner winning gold for the first time in her life. I couldn't take that away from her. This was her story now, just as much as it was mine and Usagi's.

"Very well," I said. "Akumi, Nephrite, you may go."