Chapter 7: Capture
Mamoru walked around center Tokyo breathing in the scent of the ocean air. He sighed as he was reminded of water, linking directly back to Ami.
Stop beating yourself up like this, he ordered himself, but he couldn't. No matter what he saw it linked back to Ami. An advertisement for the Sailor V game made him think of the senshi which made him think of Mercury. A computer store, a library, even the grocery store made him think of her. He resulted in looking down, causing him to run into Helios.
With his golden horn Helios looked suspicious. As everyone began to stop and stare, Helios saw Blackpearl walk up the street, "You're not dressed for the costume party yet?" Helios demanded grabbing Mamoru's arm and leading him into another street.
"What?" Mamoru questioned following him reluctantly. As Blackpearl walked up one street Nightdragon walked down another.
"Dammit, trapped," Mamoru whispered harshly.
Blackpearl and Nightdragon met in the middle of the street.
"Any sign?" Blackpearl asked her.
Nightdragon shook her head, "No, you?"
Blackpearl shrugged, and they turned and walked back out.
Pegasus flew above the clouds flying toward Mamoru's apartment.
"That was close," Mamoru commented.
"Too close. What were you thinking leaving like that?" Pegasus demanded.
"I…well…I…um," Mamoru stuttered.
"Prince tell me, and tell the truth," Pegasus ordered.
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Sailor Venus shifted uncomfortably waiting for Serenity to begin again; she didn't like where this was headed.
Serenity sighed, and a tear fell down her cheek, staining her perfect complexion, "I didn't know what to do, I couldn't let him leave me. I thought the only way to get him to stay was to get pregnant, but I…I…couldn't, and so I, well I," Serenity stuttered.
Venus closed her eyes ready for the blow.
"I went to a bar and, I met this guy and I," Serenity couldn't finish.
Sailor Venus opened her eyes and sighed. She didn't ever think, never in a thousand years could she have believed anything like this would happen.
Serenity looked at the leader of the Inner Senshi pleading for advice.
Venus sighed and looked her right in the eyes, her own eyes tearing up, "You have to tell him Serenity. You can't let him go on living without telling him."
Serenity shook her head, "How can I do that? How can I tell Endymion that Chibi-usa isn't his daughter?"
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The Inner Senshi walked away from the room shakily, "Did…did…you just hear what I did?" Jupiter questioned, stuttering hard.
Mars shook her head weakly, but it had hit Mercury the hardest. Why did it feel as if this was going to change her life forever?
"How?" Jupiter continued, "Why didn't she tell us?"
"More importantly why didn't she tell Endymion?!" Mars flamed.
"How or why doesn't matter now. We know, and Venus knows and Serenity knows, and soon enough Endymion will know. Because if she doesn't tell him I will," Mercury told them weakly.
They stared at her amazed, normally she would never do anything like that.
"He needs to know, this isn't some school girl secret, this is what he thinks to be his daughter," Mercury told them, and they nodded in agreement.
"You're right, but we won't let you tell him alone, as soon as he gets back we'll tell him, together," Jupiter put a hand on her shoulder.
"That might be too late, I have to go back to the past. He wouldn't tell us what he's doing there, but I think it may be serious. I have a feeling that this needs to come out, now," Mercury told them.
"What's wrong with you Mercury?" Mars asked worried.
"I just have this feeling," Mercury responded.
Jupiter nodded, "Should we tell Venus?"
"I need you guys to stay here; I need someone to make an excuse for my absence, please. This is something I have to do alone," Mercury begged.
Jupiter and Mars looked at her concerned but said nothing, and nodded their heads in agreement.
"Thank you," Mercury ran through the palace on her way back to the past.
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"Where are they?" Chibi-usa paced.
"Chibi-usa calm down it's only been half an hour," Rei laughed.
"Half an hour that he's not here," Chibi-usa muttered, and Hotaru giggled.
"She's got it bad," Makoto whispered to Minako who nodded in agreement.
Endymion turned to Makoto, "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"Nothing, nothing," Makoto grinned.
"Don't worry about it, she's in very good hands," Minako smirked.
Ami laughed, "You two!" she scolded.
Chibi-usa turned to scowl at Makoto and Minako, "One word and I swear," she began.
"Calm down," Helios told her walking in.
She smiled warmly and sighed.
Endymion's eyes swung from her to Helios and back again, suspicious.
"Mamoru!" Usagi flew into his arms, and he embraced her hesitantly, seeing Ami's eyes.
Ami saw his stare and turned away.
Usagi looked up to kiss him, and he turned his head.
"Mamoru?" Usagi asked quietly.
"Hmm?" he asked looking down, not paying attention.
"What's wrong?" she questioned, "What aren't you telling me?"
Helios along with the other senshi, and Endymion watched and waited for the answer.
"Nothing," Mamoru responded all too calmly. His morals were getting lower by the minute; he was getting good at lying. He had lied to Helios only a little while before and now he was lying to Usagi.
"Are you sure?" Usagi inquired.
"Of course, I'm fine, just a little worried about all of you that's all," he told her some of the truth.
She smiled, "Don't be, we'll win."
"I hope so," Mamoru told her.
After a long moment of short silent prayers and cries for help Michiru announced to them, "Ami, Setsuna, Hotaru, Mamoru, Helios, may I speak to you?"
They all nodded and followed her into Mamoru's room.
The other senshi went back to discussing common topics and laughing at Chibi-usa's obvious love bug.
Endymion stared suspiciously at the Inner Senshi's jokes and teasing while Chibi-usa glared. He didn't understand anything they were saying, or was in denial of it.
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"We need to plan, and we need to plan smart. I know that you're the best at planning. The other's will want to jump into this battle and fight to the death, but we can't do it that way. Sometimes it works, most of the time, but this time we need a serious plan, with a dangerous enemy," Michiru told them, and they nodded.
"Ami, can you get any information on your computer about the enemy?" Setsuna asked her.
"Maybe, let me see, Mamoru, get someone to go find Luna. She could help us; she remembers them from the Silver Millenium," Ami instructed.
Mamoru nodded, and in a few minutes walked back in, "Makoto's on her way."
"While we're waiting for her we should examine all the Inner Senshi's powers, and find a good attack combination for them," Hotaru told them.
They nodded, and turned to Ami, who brought up all the Inner Senshi's attacks on her computer, and began telling them about which each one did.
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Minako walked to Usagi's house and knocked on the door.
Mrs. Tsukino answered it, "Minako!" she shouted. Her face was drained and pale from worry, and the sides of her hair shimmered with fresh tears.
"Mrs. Tsukino? Is something wrong?" Minako questioned.
"Don't you know? Usagi's missing," she sobbed, "We've looked for her everywhere; we're worried sick."
"Yes and it seems Chibi-usa disappeared without a trace too. Usagi I can see, but not Chibi-usa, not her," even Shingo, Usagi's younger brother, seemed worried to death about his missing sister, and "cousin".
"But your parents said when we called that you were supposed to be staying with us, and Rei with Ami. We thought that something happened to you," Mr. Tsukino looked suspicious, but in a way relieved.
"Oh my God! Mr. Tsukino, Mrs. Tsukino, Shingo. I'm so sorry," Minako bowed laughing, "Usagi must have forgot to call you! We're staying with a friend for a few days, there's something going on with her family, and she and her mom had to move into a hotel, and we were asked to come and stay with her. None of us told our parents, I told my mom that I was staying with you. We weren't going to tell anyone because we didn't want anyone to know what she was going through. We thought that our plan was full-proof. Please forgive us for worrying you," Minako bowed making up the first story that came to mind.
"You mean, Usagi's with you?! And Chibi-usa?!" Mrs. Tsukino's eyes filled with joy, and she began to cry, "She's okay?"
Minako nodded bowing, "Please forgive me; we didn't think we'd worry you."
"Forgive you? Minako you just made us the happiest people in the world; we more than forgive you," Mrs. Tsukino told her.
The family sighed and Mrs. Tsukino calmed down slightly, "Now tell me how is your friend?"
"She's doing okay. They're holding up pretty good, but we might need a few more days. That's why I'm here actually, but Mrs. Tsukino please don't tell anyone, we don't anyone else to know. You can tell the other's parents but tell them not to tell either okay?" Minako questioned.
Mr. Tsukino nodded, "Of course we won't tell Minako."
"Thank you," Minako bowed.
"Now, about why you're here?" Mr. Tsukino asked.
"Because we're going to be staying there for a little while longer, Chibi-usa wanted me to check up on Diana. Artemis and Luna are with us or at least they were; they went out awhile ago. I was wondering if they were here," Minako told them.
"Yes they are actually. It was the strangest thing, I could have sworn I heard Diana saying something about Usagi not being missing. I don't know I must have been hearing things, I was so worried I could have made anything up, I mean a cat talking?" Mrs. Tsukino laughed, "They're up on Usagi's bed."
Minako smiled, walked in and thanked them again. She ran up to Usagi's room, and saw Artemis and Luna curled up on the bed snoring with Diana laying between them.
"Luna! Artemis!" Minako shouted waking them with a start.
"Mina-chan lower the decibels," Artemis complained.
"You were coming right over grabbing Diana and leaving," Minako informed them.
"Yes, but then we saw this comfortable warm bed, and we decided to take a cat nap," Artemis told her.
"Well your cat nap is over because you're needed. Why cats?" Minako muttered under her breath, angry with her guardian, "And you," Minako pointed at Diana, "Need to learn that civilians are not to hear talking cats."
Luna gave a look towards Diana, "What did you say to them?" she asked.
"Well Usagi's mom looked so worried about her, and she was crying, so I tried to explain that she was in good hands and not to worry," Diana told them.
"Diana!" Luna scolded her daughter, "They don't except talking cats! You can't let them know about you."
"It won't happen again," Diana muttered.
"That's what you said last time," Artemis informed her.
"But I really mean it this time!" Diana protested.
Minako rolled her eyes and picked Diana up as Luna and Artemis jumped off the bed.
"Minako?" Mrs. Tsukino walked in.
Minako smiled warmly.
"Please take these to your friend and the rest of the girls; they're fresh out of the oven," Mrs. Tsukino held a small bag of cookies out to Minako.
"I will, thank you," Minako smiled taking the bag and running out saying a quick goodbye to the Shingo and Mr. Tsukino on her way out. Luna and Artemis trailing her.
"Boy am I going to tell her off for that one, stupid Usagi forgot to call her parents. They were worried sick!" Minako flamed to the family of cats.
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Fifteen hours later Ami got a room in a hotel, she was tired of searching, she needed some rest. She had been everywhere, to all the senshi's homes, all their old hangouts, or at least what she could remember of them. She couldn't find them anywhere. Where are you Endymion? she asked herself quietly.
"Hello," Seaharmony laughed as Ami walked to her room.
"Hi," Ami smiled, "Um do I know you?"
"Don't play dumb Mercury, just because you changed your outfit doesn't mean I don't know who you are," Seaharmony snarled viciously.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied. How did she know who she was? And more importantly what did she want from her?
"You're a horrible liar Mercury," Seaharmony laughed.
"I don't have any valuables with me, please, don't hurt me," Ami begged getting annoyed.
"I don't want anything from you, just your life, oh and maybe the Ocean's Rose," Seaharmony grabbed her from behind and searched her pockets, taking her Mercury Crystal, "No!" Ami shouted fighting for the crystal.
"Stop squirming!" Seaharmony shouted hitting her across her face, causing a red welt to slowly form; it was slowly replaced by a dark purple bruise.
Ami kicked her in her shins and whipped around grabbing for her crystal.
Sunlash appeared and threw her whip around her arms restraining her.
"What do we do with her?" Nightdragon asked.
"Keep her, we'll use her as bait," Blackpearl laughed.
"Good idea," Seaharmony commented as they disappeared taking Ami with them.
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"Finally," Rei sighed as she saw the clock hit her 24th hour, "Mars Crystal Power Make Up!" she shouted transforming in water, soaking her sailor outfit, "That was stupid, oh well I'll dry it later. "Spirits Fire Touch!" she shouted as the stone in her tiara began to glow and let out flames that engulfed and healed her. When she came out she was standing in the bathroom completely dry, "Good, less work," she smiled walking out to the living room.
It was late and only Setsuna and Ami were still awake, Ami beamed as Rei walked out, "Rei!"
Rei smiled, "Twenty-four hours is a long time," she admitted.
Setsuna laughed, and Rei came down and sat with them, "What's going on?"
"We're analyzing the information Luna and Helios gave to me on the Dark Senshi," Ami told her.
"Why?" Rei asked.
"So we'll know their weak points," Setsuna replied, "And their strong ones."
"Hit them hard enough and there will be no points left," Rei responded hatefully.
"Rei, you're a passionate fighter, but that's not enough this time," Setsuna told her softly.
Rei nodded and replied, "I trust Ami with my life, and if she trusts you with hers, I must also trust you, but that is not one of my strong points, so I'll leave it to you," she went and got another few blankets and lay down, "Plus I'm very tired."
"We're all tired. We'll go over the rest of this, and recap with the others tomorrow," Ami suggested putting her computer away and settling down.
Setsuna nodded in agreement, "Then we don't have to explain twice," and settled down as well.
All three quickly fell asleep.