The day after Setsuna's visit to the museum, Ami and her mother were watching the news on TV, watching a report on the death of Shou Miyashita. As the two watched on in sadness, Ami's mother told her daughter, "It's sad, isn't it? We saw him yesterday, and now he's already gone."

"It's unfortunate," Ami agreed. "The news report mentioned a curse, like the curse of the Pharaoh's that follow those who open up an Egyptian tomb. Do you think other cultures are the same?"

"Well," her mother replied. "I imagine many cultures don't want the tombs of important people or certain sites opened up, so they'll say that the site or tomb is cursed to keep people away. I'm not sure if curses are real, but... Either way, it's sad. I can only imagine how Professor Kusunoki is taking this."

"Maybe we should visit him to see how he's doing," Ami suggested. "He could use the support." She also thought to herself, "That, and it feels like a voice inside my head is telling me he's in danger. Maybe that woman from yesterday will see him."

"That sounds like a good idea," her mother replied. "We could go now, if you want."

...

Having met up with Makoto, Usagi, Rei, and Naru again, with Usagi holding Luna on her shoulder this time as well, the gang all traveled to Taku's office in the museum. As they all walked together, Makoto asked Ami, "Did you hear about that curse crap they talked about on the news?"

Usagi asked out of worry, "Do you think it's real? I don't want to be affected by it."

"I doubt it's real," Naru replied in disbelief of people in the group actually believing in curses. "Come on, a curse? Really?"

Usagi, scared, told the others, "Well, uh, maybe I shouldn't go to thi-"

"No, you're coming," Naru told her. "Don't tell me you actually think this curse shit is real, Usagi..."

"Ugh, fine," Usagi said as she admitted defeat.

Luna thought in her head, not able to speak due to civilians around, "Ugh, Usagi-chan, why..."

Rei then asked Ami with a quiet whisper to make sure Makoto and Naru could not hear them, "Ami-chan, do you think this is the work of the enemy?"

"Our enemy?" Ami also reduced her voice to a whisper. "Well... I'm not sure. Be prepared, just in case."

...

Inside his office, Taku was distraught after the death of Shou, whom he had worked with for years and had considered a close friend. He was looking forward to Ami's visit to help get his mind off of Shou's mysterious death. "Damn it," he said to himself as he looked at a framed picture of him and Shou together in the Arctic. "Why did it have to be him? Why did this have to happen?" Then, he heard footsteps behind him and turned around in his chair, only to find nothing in the room. "Wait... Am I..."

As Taku turned back around, he heard the footsteps again, and when he turned back around to see what it was, he was confronted by Setsuna. "Don't move."

"Who the Hell are you?!"

"I get that a lot," Setsuna replied to him as he held up the Pluto Key and placed it on his forehead, startling him as she closed her eyes. "I must use this man as a puppet for the next step of my plan!" When she awoke inside his soul room, she looked around and found a room filled to the brim with ancient artifacts from around the world as well as bookshelves filled with texts about archaeology. "Well," Setsuna said to herself. "He sure loves archaeology... Time to rearrange his room!"

With her inspection of his soul room complete, she exited his mind. He had now been transformed into a mindless puppet that would do her bidding. "Raaagh... Aaah..."

"Wait here for my targets," Setsuna told him. "Make sure you strike when I give the signal."

...

When the gang arrived at Taku's office, Saeko introduced them all, telling him, "Hello, Professor Kusunoki! It's us again!"

"We wanted to support you after what happened," Usagi explained to him. "We're really sorry for you."

Taku eerily turned around in his chair to face them, a blank expression on his face as he replied, "I see, I see, welcome..."

Makoto, feeling that something was off, asked him, "Hey, um, are you okay? I mean, I know you're grievin' and all, but aside from that, is somethin' else goin' on?"

"Hmm, hmm," Taku replied as he awkwardly stood up and walked towards them. "Ah yes, I've been thinking... Thinking a lot... Miyashita-san..."

Rei whispered to Ami, "I sense a very dark presence around him."

"I do too," Ami whispered back.

"Miyashita-san was murdered by someone," Taku dropped on them, shocking everyone else in the room. "Oh, yes he was... Murdered indeed... Murdered indeed..."

Naru, in disbelief, exclaimed, "Murdered?! What the Hell?!"

Suddenly, Taku ran up to Naru and grabbed her by the neck, choking her. "Indeed, he was!"

As the others ran over and tried to pry Naru off, Makoto shouted, "Get the Hell off of her! What's gotten into you, man?!"

Ami, shocked at Taku's behavior, called out, "Professor, stop it!"

Then, Ami felt a presence behind her as Setsuna appeared in the room from thin air. "Now do you see what I intend to do?!"

Everyone in the room turned to Setsuna just as Usagi took a globe and smacked Taku across the head with it, causing him to lose his grip on Naru's neck. As Naru caught her breath, Saeko asked, "Who are you?! What did you do to the Professor?!"

"I am Meioh Setsuna," she replied. "I came here to determine if Mizuno Ami is the rightful owner of the Mercury Puzzle."

"Get outta here," Naru told her as she tried to punch her, only to have her punch caught and deflected by Setsuna before she kicked her back. "What was that for?!"

"Now," Setsuna told them as she suddenly appeared behind Usagi. "I must make another puppet!" Within seconds, she placed the Pluto Key on the back of Usagi's head and turned her into a mindless puppet, devoid of any free will. "If you want to save her, Mizuno Ami, you must play a game with me."

"Why me?!" Hopelessly confused due to the lack of awareness of her other self, she approached Setsuna. "I don't know what you're talking about! I solved the puzzle by myself! Why are you asking me of all people to play a game with you?!"

Suddenly, Setsuna and a mindless Usagi disappeared from view. Rei asked loudly, "Where did he take her?!"

Saeko then saw Taku rise from the ground. "Uh, guys?!"

As Taku tried to chase Naru around, she and Makoto dashed into the hallway. Makoto told the others, "We'll keep the professor busy! You three try to find Usagi-chan and that woman!"

Saeko, Rei, and Ami nodded. "We'll split up," Rei told the other two as they all ran into the hallway and went down the other way away from Taku, Naru, and Makoto.

Ami begged of her Mercury Puzzle in her head, "Please, guide me to my best friend!"

...

After about ten minutes of searching, Ami reached the roof of the museum, and when she did, she found Setsuna finishing the final touches on the game she had described. When she looked at it, she gasped in horror. "Usagi-chan!"

Usagi was standing on the ledge of the roof, precariously close to falling off. Setsuna told Ami, "If you do not accept my challenge or give way to the Other Ami inside of you, she will jump."

"Jump?! Why you..." Ami, now incredibly angry, began to transform into Dark Ami, much to Setsuna's delight.

Dark Ami told her angrily, "Meioh Setsuna, I will win this game!"

"If you do," Setsuna told her. "You will be proven as the rightful owner of the Mercury Puzzle, and I will leave you alone. Truth be told, I have no idea why you were the one who solved the puzzle after so many millennia of it remaining unsolved. You might think of it as a coincidence, but it was far from it!" As Dark Ami pondered to herself, Setsuna continued. "The Mercury Puzzle chose you, Mizuno Ami!"

"Well," Dark Ami added as she pulled out her transformation pen. "I do have this."

Setsuna then gasped. "Wait, a transformation pen?!"

"I'm also Sailor Mercury," Dark Ami replied. "Perhaps that explains why."

"The Sailor Guardians... I myself am one," she told her as she revealed her own transformation device called a Lip Rod. "This device, the Lip Rod, allows me to transform if necessary. Us Sailor Guardians are the protectors of our planets, moons, and so on within the universe. I also have the added responsibility of guarding the Space-Time Door as well as keeping track of the Solar Items, two of which I posses, the Pluto Key and the Pluto Scales."

"Just tell me the rules and what the game is all about," Dark Ami said in frustration, not in the mood for more talk. "Get on with it already!"

"Very well," Setsuna replied. "If you lose any of the three rounds of this game, your friend will jump off this roof."

"Does it matter if I tell you that Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon?"

Setsuna remained unmoved. "That doesn't matter right now. If you truly are a Sailor Guardian and the rightful owner of the Mercury Puzzle, you will be able to save your comrade."

"I see."

"Anyway," Setsuna continued. "If you win all three, I will free her with the Pluto Key. The first round shall now begin."

With the snap of her fingers, two zombified arms suddenly reached up from the floor of the roof and grabbed Dark Ami's legs, followed by two more grabbing Dark Ami's arms and holding them in place. "Agh, what the Hell?!"

"If you guess this wrong," Setsuna told her. "Your soul will be dragged down into Hell. Here's a riddle for you: You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?"

Dark Ami thought to herself as the zombified arms kept a tight grip on her, "I serve you by expiring... The wind is my enemy... Quick when thin and slow when fat..."

"Answer the riddle in ten seconds or you lose," Setsuna then told her.

"I got it!" Dark Ami smiled and told her, "A candle!"

"Correct," Setsuna replied as one of the hands retreated back into the ground. "The second riddle is as follows: My thunder comes before the lightning. My lightning comes before the clouds. My rain dries all the land it touches. What am I? Again, you have ten seconds before your friend jumps from the roof."

...

Meanwhile, as Dark Ami continued to play Setsuna's game, Makoto and Naru had managed to keep Taku on their tail. As they rounded a corner, Naru yelled out, "I'll hold him off!" She then punched Taku in the face, knocking out several of his teeth and forcing him to stop for about half of a minute. "How's about that?!"

As Taku staggered back, he told the duo, "Raaagh... I'll get you two! I'll get you two!"

"Enough of this," Makoto then declared as she ran up and knocked him down with a hard kick to his abdomen, finally knocking him out cold. As he landed on the floor, Makoto took a deep breath and told Taku, "Sorry it came to this, man."

"Thank God that's over," Naru said as she wiped her forehead of sweat. "Let's go find the others!"

Meanwhile, as the two ran back the way the came to find the others, Tuxedo Mask was standing in an empty room, just out of eyesight. Once the two girls were gone, he ran out into the hallway and dashed around to try to find Usagi. "Sailor Moon is in grave danger," he thought to himself. "I need to find her before it's too late!"