Sailor Moon
A Secret No More – By BenRG
Legal Disclaimer
Sailor Moon, and all the characters and events therein were created by Naoko Takeuchi. The property is owned by several companies, none of whom have any connection to me. I don't own anything much. This is a non-profit work for free distribution through the worldwide web. Any attempt to sue me will merely lead to a clear definition of the word 'penniless.'
Author's Notes
OK – This is going to get Kaz mad at me, but I know what I want.
I have read a lot of Sailor Moon fanfics and suddenly this idea jumped into my head. Work with me here, as I don't know much about the story's continuity or the various characters, I'm playing it by ear based on other authors' works. I'll also be adding some of my own concepts that will violate what I know is established continuity. Don't worry, I know the details are wrong, but I need to add my own 'feel' to the story.
I am using the names 'Alex' for Haruka and 'Heather' for Hotaru because I like them better. Mark Berger originally used these names for these characters in his stories 'The Wedding' and 'Married Life.'
I'm using the dub names because I'm not sure of the 'real' names, and I don't know enough Japanese names to name all the secondary characters. Nonetheless, with the exception of Glen, Richard and Mina, all the main characters are ethnic Japanese living in Tokyo.
Censor: PG-13 for safety's sake
Ages, The Senshi: Serena, Amy, Mina and Lita are all 16; Raye is 19; Heather is 16; Alex and Michelle are 22; Trista is at least 25,000 years old, but doesn't look a day over 25
Ages, The Planetary Knights: Darien is 21; Glen is 18; Greg is 16; Ken is 16; Richard is 18; Chad is 20
Text in Italics are thoughts;
Text in Triangular Brackets is psychic communication;
Chapter 2 – Amy Anderson – Sailor Mercury
It was Sunday night. At the other side of the Juubian district from the Thompson household, a short 16-year-old girl was sitting at her PC in her bedroom. Amy Anderson looked like she was studying hard, as usual, but she was actually talking to her four closest friends in the world using the MS Messenger 'chat' system. A quick look at the screen would tell you that 'Princess_S' (Serena), 'Luv_Grrl' (Mina), 'Flame-R' (Raye) and 'lh_da_cook' (Lita) were all on-line and 'chatting' with 'Brainz' (Amy herself).
BRAINZ: So, your parents are cool about this?
PRINCESS_S: Well, maybe. I don't think that they've got over the shock yet :-D
FLAME-R: You know, Serena, you took a hell of a risk there. What if they couldn't handle it?
LUV_GRRL: Oh, close your mouth, Raye. How would *you* deal with something like this?
FLAME-R: Well, I would… Uh… :-/ Gods, Mina, I don't know. I'm just glad that I *didn't* have to
LUV_GRRL: That's what I love about you, Raye Hino. Quick to criticise whether or not you've got a better idea ;-)
lh_da_cook: Don't rub it in, Mina. Raye is just saying that Serena took a risk. But you already know that, don't you Sere-chan?
PRINCESS_S: Tell me about it, I think I lost about ten pounds sweating over it |-P
FLAME-R: You can afford to. You eat too much as it is. XD
PRINCESS_S: Nice :-(
lh_da_cook: Hey! People who like lots of rich food are fine by me :-)
FLAME-R: lol
PRINCESS_S: I'm still not laughing :-(
FLAME-R: Sorry, Ondango Atama. It's a low blow, I know. Truthfully I would love to know how you keep your figure with all that chocolate you eat ;-)
LUV_GRRL: Jealous ;-)
BRAINZ: Back to the topic, guys! Realistically, I don't think Serena had any other alternative. It isn't as if she revealed all of our identities. And her parents and brother have sworn themselves to secrecy.
FLAME-R: Well, I wish I had your confidence in people, Amy. Look, guys, my Grandpa is calling. I'll talk to you tomorrow evening, unless the Negaverse attacks, of course.
BRAINZ: C-ya, Raye-chan
[FLAME-R has logged off MSM]
BRAINZ: So, who wants to talk about the Physics homework that's due on Tuesday?
PRINCESS_S: Uh, no thanks, Amy-chan. I'm trying to avoid it
LUV_GRRL: Me too! Quantum this and quantum that! And what is this I read about putting cats in boxes with poison gas? Sounds like something the Negaverse would do for fun 8O Artemis and Luna will be steamed if they find out that those sort of experiments go on in school :-(
BRAINZ: Uh… ¬_¬; Mina-chan, that is an illustration about how things are uncertain at the quantum level. No one would *really* do that experiment; besides you couldn't make it work for real.
PRINCESS_S: %P
LUV_GRRL: %P
BRAINZ: [Bangs head on table]
[ROSEMAN_01 has logged on MSM]
ROSEMAN_01: Hi, girls. Hello, to Usako especially XXXX
PRINCESS_S: [Blushes bright red] Hello Dari-chan [Hearts in eyes]
LUV_GRRL: Yuck, I'm out of here |-P
lh_da_cook: Me too! Guys, you don't have to find a room, because you now have one to yourselves ;-)
[LUV_GRRL has logged off MSM]
[lh_da_cook has logged off MSM]
Amy laughed to herself as she made her own excuses and logged off Messenger, leaving Darien and Serena to flirt in private. She had her love for Greg, something that kept her warm on the loneliest of nights, but there was something about the relationship between Darien and Serena that seemed to radiate a warmth that made even the astoundingly mushy Mina Love uncomfortable. Still, she added to herself, they've loved each other for every lifetime they've shared over maybe twenty-five millennia. That isn't bad for any relationship.
Leaving her computer to go over to power-save mode, Amy climbed onto her bed and picked up the book on high school-level physics that she had been studying (for the aforementioned homework due on Tuesday). However, tonight her usual legendary focus just wouldn't kick in. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get past what had happened last night and today. Not only had the Negaverse blown Serena's cover, but she had to tell her parents about her secret identity.
Amy tried to imagine telling her mother, the redoubtable Dr. Helen Anderson, of her secret and she felt sick to her stomach at even the thought of it. Her mother had a comforting illusion about Amy being the perfect daughter, who studied hard and was nothing like her four wild friends. If she knew that Amy had lost her innocence at fourteen she would probably go ballistic. If she found out that her little girl was also Sailor Mercury, the Champion of Truth and the Priestess of Hermes, she would probably end up landing in the ruins of Raye's old home on Mars!
Amy was also worrying about Raye's concerns, more than she had revealed to the others. Serena had told them that her mother had figured out her secret identity long before and had not said anything because she respected her daughter's right to her secret. That raised two major worries in Amy's mind. Firstly, did that mean she knew about them too? Serena had told them that her mother had figured out that Darien was Tuxedo Mask, although Serena had confirmed none of her suspicions on that matter. Secondly, if one parent had figured this out, would others have done so too? Amy's own mother was smart, and her medical training had taught her to be aware of small details and make connections…
I'm going paranoid, Amy decided at last. I'm fretting myself into insomnia about something that may not even be a problem. Amy sighed. I am just thinking about this too hard. I've just got to relax and go with the flow. If this does become a problem, I'll deal with it then. Unbidden, thinking of 'going with the flow' reminded her of Greg's words on that most memorable night: 'Amy-chan, you think too much sometimes, do you know that? Sometimes you have just got to stop thinking and act on what you know is right inside. Act on instinct.' She had taken that advice and recalling that fact made her face burn with a bright blush.
That's it, I'm going to make myself some hot chocolate and put myself to bed, she decided. Firstly, though, she would wash her face in some cold water, so that her mother wouldn't wonder about what she was so flushed about…
"Hello, Amy," her mother said, looking up from a medical textbook (like mother, like daughter, after all) as she saw her daughter coming down the stairs. "Have you finished your homework?"
"All the homework due tomorrow, Mom," Amy replied. "I can't focus on the rest tonight, so I'm going to just go to bed and return with a fresh mind tomorrow."
Helen Anderson frowned when she heard that. Her daughter rarely had a problem focussing on academic matters. "Everything is all right, isn't it Amy? You aren't sick are you?" Helen stood up and gracefully walked over to her daughter. She touched the back of her hand to her daughter's cheek. "You are a bit hot."
Amy blushed brightly again. "I'm okay, Mom," she said. She quickly assembled a plausible lie. "I've been talking to Serena over Messenger," she explained. "She's still a bit shaken up about what happened yesterday and we've all been trying to reassure her. It got a bit upsetting sometimes."
Her mother sighed. "Yes, it is terrible, everything that has happened recently," she admitted. "Those monsters that plague us are just so horrifying! I feel so sorry for that little girl having to go through that. Still, at least those wonderful Senshi girls were able to save them!" Helen smiled thoughtfully. "I wonder what it is like, having a daughter who is a superhero?" She was very surprised when her daughter, who was walking towards the kitchen at that moment, suddenly tripped over her own feet. "Amy! Are you okay?"
"Fine, just a bit tired," Amy said, getting to her feet as fast as she could.
"Well… maybe you have been working a bit too hard," her mother allowed in a slightly unhappy tone of voice. "Perhaps you need an early night. Early for you, that is." She leaned against the doorway in between living room and kitchen and watched for a moment as Amy began to prepare herself a cup of hot chocolate. Once Amy was finished she stepped back and let her daughter past, noting how much she had grown in the last two years. She was still the shortest of the gang of five teenage girls who met at the Hino Shrine, but she was unmistakably now a young woman rather than a child. "Amy," Helen called gently as her daughter walked towards the stairs.
"Yes, Mom?" Amy replied, her expression guileless.
"Before you go to bed, I would like to talk to you," she said. She sat down on the couch and patted it, encouraging her daughter to sit beside her. "As you know, the University Hospital is having its' annual ball next Wednesday." Amy nodded. "Now, every member of the faculty and every student at the hospital is invited, and we're allowed to bring one guest with us. I've been thinking about who I'm going to be taking to the ball."
"I thought that you would be bringing James," Amy said, her expression mirroring her concern. Dr. James Unwin was a cardiologist and someone to whom her divorced mother was getting closer and closer. Could something be amiss in their relationship?
"Amy, James is a member of the faculty, so I don't have to bring him with me, he'll be there anyway!" Amy blushed slightly, feeling silly for having forgotten that. "So I would like to bring you with me to the ball."
Amy gasped in joy. The ball was the biggest major society event in the Juubian district and she was being invited! Then her face fell. "Mom," she said quietly, "I've got a lot to do Wednesday night…"
"Amy…" Amy's mother broke off and sighed. "How to say this…? You are a young woman now, and it isn't healthy for you to spend so much of your spare time at home." Amy opened her mouth to protest, but her mother raised a hand to stop her. "I know you have your four friends that you meet at the Shrine, Amy, and I know that you have Greg too, but you should really think about widening out your circle of friends. You… well…" Helen laughed and stroked her daughter's short hair. "You aren't my little baby anymore, Amy, and you should be thinking about finding someone with whom you will want to spend the rest of your life."
Amy's mouth had dropped open as she considered her mother's words. What her mother didn't know, of course, was that Amy had already found that person; that two years ago she and Greg had sworn to remain together forever (which could be a very long time, based on what Rini let slip during her last visit). Two years later, that impulsive early-teen oath had not come close to being broken. Now, the question was should Amy tell her that?
"Mom, I understand what you're saying," Amy said at last. "You shouldn't worry, though. Greg and I are pretty close." Whew, not so bad, she added mentally in self-congratulation.
Her mother laughed. "I know you and he are very close friends, Amy, but you shouldn't restrict yourself. Who knows whom you might meet? Or whom he might meet, that will change everything?"
That caught Amy's attention. The thought of Greg finding another girl horrified her. However, just as the cold, icy hand of doubt was closing around her heart, she saw something in the back of her mind, something like a memory but not a memory… She saw herself and Greg, older somehow, wearing formal costume, dancing in a ballroom somewhere. She looked up and saw the Earth shining through the dome of the ballroom. Amy blinked and snapped back to here-and-now. Queen Serenity's palace in the Silver Millennium! Amy thought excitedly, remembering the location from Serena's description of her own dreams of that lost golden age. Could Greg and I have met… before? Amy decided that she needed to talk to Trista about this. The Champion of Time had known all of the Senshi and their significant others during the end of the Silver Millennium and would be able to tell her the answer, if, of course, she felt it would not 'disrupt the flow of destiny.'
"Amy, darling, are you okay?"
Amy looked at her mother and realised how it must have looked, her suddenly spacing-out like that. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. I guess I am a little more tired than I thought." Amy thought for a moment. Suddenly, a sneaky idea came into her mind. "Mom, is James bringing anyone with him?" she asked innocently. Her mother shook her head. "Well… uh… could you ask him to invite Greg?" Her mother opened her mouth, but Amy carried on. "After all, how am I going to check out my options if I can't do a real-time comparison?"
Helen started laughing and impulsively hugged her surprised daughter. "Spoken like a true Mitsuma," she said, referring to her maiden name. "Okay, darling, I'll ask James to sponsor Greg to the ball for you."
***
"You are going to the University Hospital ball?" Lita asked, nearly going green with envy. "And your Mom is going to arrange it so Greg can go too? Oh, Amy-chan! That is sooo cool it is unbelievable!"
Amy shrugged modestly as the friends (minus Serena, who was pushing for that high score on Raptor again) sat at their table in the Crown Café. "What can I say, guys?" she said smugly. "There has to be some compensation for having a doctor for a mother." The other three giggled at hearing this, even Raye, who would have once refused to be so… girlish. Chad is so good for her, Amy thought, noticing this change in the novice priestess's demeanour. "Anyway, I'll need to find a decent dress and hairdo. You know me, I'm just clueless when it comes to that stuff…" Amy suddenly stopped when she realised what she had done. Mina, Lita and Raye all looked at each other in a determined way. With a sinking sense of disaster, Amy realised the she would be spending most of this evening touring dress shops with her friends.
Suddenly there was a loud whoop of joy. "I did it!" Serena shouted. "I beat the high score and… Gods! Not again!" Amy turned around just in time to see the explosions on the video game's monitor as Serena's virtual fighter was blown out of the sky. A flashing red message appeared: 'RECORD BREAKER!!!' A laughing Darien virtually lifted Serena from her seat and swung her around him. The two of them kissed in a way that made Lita and Mina's mouths drop open.
"Wow, is it hot in here, or is it me?" Mina asked herself in a hoarse tone of voice as Raye and Amy both thought relaxed, happy thoughts about certain special guys.
***
"Next time, Serena, attack first and make the speeches later," Sailor Mars snapped as the five Inner Senshi were flying back towards the Hino Shrine where they would transform back into their cover identities. Raye would also take the opportunity to treat her sprained left arm, which a Youma had tried to yank off during a particularly un-noteworthy battle in a shopping mall.
"It's not my fault," Serena whined pitifully. "I get nervous, okay? I say something to give myself time to get my brain on the right page!" Sailor Moon sighed in resignation. "It doesn't help that Princess Serenity was trained in oratory and she just loved making speeches. I think that part of her just takes over sometimes!"
"You really need to increase the strength of your will, Serena" Raye said darkly. "I'll teach you some meditation exercises that will help. You never see Princess Rai influencing my actions after all."
"Really?" Serena asked, smiling slightly. That made Amy wonder idly if Raye's former life influenced her friend's behaviour more than she realised. Serena's memories of the Silver Millennium were more coherent and extensive than those recalled thus far by any of the other Inner Senshi. She was often making observations about these similarities.
"Yeah! Really!" Raye snapped.
"Are you sure?" Serena asked in a cooing, sugar-sweet tone of voice. Raye went as bright red as her battle armour and launched a string of insults at the girl she loved like a younger sister. Serena endured the tongue-lashing and stored away the more inventive insults for her own personal use.
In truth, Amy was only paying a little attention to the now-traditional post-battle Serena-verses-Raye sniping. She was thinking of the wonderful dress that Mina had found in a dress shop and of the sketches of a proposed hairdo that Lita had shown her. She was going to give Greg the best surprise of his life, and then she would show her mother exactly the nature of the feelings that the two of them had for each other. Then… then she hoped to sneak back to Greg's apartment with her boyfriend. His businessman father was out of the country right now, and his mother was with him, so Amy hoped to enjoy more than a dance Wednesday night…
Yo! Sailor Moon to Sailor Mercury! Are you still on the right planet, Amy-chan? Amy nearly crashed into a skyscraper when Serena's telepathic voice suddenly intruded into her consciousness. Amy turned to see the other four Inner Senshi hovering in the middle distance. She had been so phased out with thinking about the dance and her plans for afterwards that she had missed a turn. What made that humiliation worse was the little hovering knots that were Mina and Serena, both of whom were bent double with laughter.
A chagrined Sailor Mercury rejoined the formation and the five friends set off again. Looking forwards to the dance? Serena asked. The cool blue-white reassuring presence of Amy's leader and future queen had not retreated from her mind yet. Amy nodded gently, not sure whether she was glad or upset that Serena could interpret her moods so easily. I am too, Serena continued. So, I guess I'll see you there?
Amy's mouth opened wide and she closed it again before she ingested too many insects. She forgot that Darien was now in his first year at medical school and that, as such, he could attend the ball too. Well, having Serena there was a good thing or a bad thing depending on your view of the blonde-haired young woman. "I think I will enjoy a good party," she said aloud, something that seemed to cover everything she wanted to say right now.
***
Amy used the latchkey that Greg's folks had given her to gain entrance to the uptown apartment where her boyfriend lived most of the time (when not at his grandparents' house in Kobe). The house was disturbingly quiet. "Greg?" she called. "Greg-chan? Are you here?" The alarm wasn't set, so he had to be here.
"Amy… I'm… I'm upstairs…" that congested statement was followed by the loudest sneeze that Amy had ever heard.
Amy went up to Greg's bedroom (familiar enough turf for one reason or another) and saw her lover lying on a very messy bed, surrounded by used tissues. "Stay back," he groaned. "I… might be…" yet another loud sneeze. "I might be contagious." Poor Greg looked like hell. He had black rings around his eyes and his skin was flushed. Worse, his nose was bright red from repeated blowing and wipes from a tissue.
"Oh, my poor Greg-chan," Amy sighed. She shook her head and slipped over to 'professional' mode, the healer that was part of her nature as Sailor Mercury coming to the fore. She quickly arranged the bedspread to cover a peevish Greg, opened the windows to improve the oxygen levels in the room and gave him one of her diagnostic touches. He was hot, but far from feverish. "My poor baby," she chuckled. "Struck down in your prime."
"Amy…" Greg tried to repeat his warning.
"Don't worry, Greg, the common cold is only contagious before the main symptoms emerge," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"
"Didn't want to bother you," he moaned. "I feel bad enough as it is. I've dodged Youma and helped fight Negaverse Generals. I've had a bit of the Silver Imperium Crystal implanted in me, and found the girl of my dreams. After all that I've… I've… AH-CHOO! I've been laid low by a stupid Rhinovirus! I feel like an idiot!"
Amy shook her head trying not to laugh. "Poor Greg-chan," she sighed. "When did the symptoms start?"
"First thing this morning," Greg groaned.
"Oh no, Greg!" Amy cried when she realised what that meant.
"Yeah… Three days to clear! I'll miss the Ball," he sighed. "Amy, I'm so very sorry."
"Poor thing," Amy said, shaking her head. "It isn't your fault." For a brief moment, she considered transforming and using the Caduceus Wand to heal her boyfriend immediately. However, this was one of the 'abuses' that Luna and Artemis were always rattling on about. Besides, she knew that some things just had to be endured. When he recovered, Greg would be permanently immune to this disease for the rest of his life. Of course, by next year it would have mutated into a completely different strain and he would have to go through it all over again. Sometimes she wished that she could spread around that the total immunity to disease that came with her powers.
Amy spent a lot of that evening with Greg, dosing him with various cold remedies, trying to cheer him up a little and monitoring his condition and progress as best as she could. She even made him a soup that her maternal grandmother swore could cure the heaviest of colds. With his breathing far easier, thanks to a vapour rub Amy bought from the local pharmacy, he slipped into a deep sleep as his body continued to fight the pernicious respiratory virus.
On a whim, she kissed him on the cheek before leaving him to his rest. She was pleased to note that the contact made him smile gently in his sleep.
She was a little depressed as she took the bus back to her home. She had been so looking forwards to spending Wednesday night with Greg. However, she was still stuck with joining her mother at the Ball. She decided that she would make the best she could of the situation. Hey, if worse came to worse, she could always try and listen in to the consultants talking and see if she could pick up some information about the frontiers of medicine and surgery!
***
"Guys, I can get dressed without help you know," Amy complained peevishly. "I mastered that when I was… oh, about three years old."
To Amy's frustration, the only result that her protest earned was a girlish giggle from Mina, while Lita tightened her grip on Amy's shoulder. "Hold still, Amy-chan," Lita hissed. "You don't want the artist to spoil her work, do you?"
Amy rolled her eyes and tried to sit still. She had second thoughts about her friends' assistance when Lita started cutting away some of her hair, and when Mina switched from dressing her to doing makeup, she felt even worse. Suddenly, Mina stood back. "There, it's done," she whispered reverently.
"Same here," Lita said. "Are you ready for the great unveiling?"
Amy didn't know the answer to that, but she stood in front of the covered mirror and fretted while Mina and Lita took their sweet time removing the dustsheet. "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages," Mina said. "I have the greatest of pleasure in introducing to you: Amy Anderson, mark two!" She swept the dustsheet off and Amy gaped at the stranger in the mirror. The dress was more-or-less as expected, but looking at it in the dress shop had failed to reveal how it hugged her body's slim lines, transforming her from 'short' to 'petite.' Then there was the hairdo. Lita had cut Amy's hair very close up the back to the top and had swept the rest of her hair forwards over Amy's head in a wave that ended with a spiky fringe. There were also bangs curling down in front of her ears. The makeup job had added about three years to Amy's normally girlish face. "So, what do you think?" Mina asked eagerly.
"I… feel…" Amy ran out of words for a moment. "I feel pretty. Thanks, you two!"
At that moment, Amy's mother, in a slightly more formal ball gown, walked into Amy's bedroom. "Amy, are you ready…? Oh my!" Amy smiled and winked at Mina who covered her grin. That was exactly the response that they had hoped to get from Amy's mother. Helen waved her right hand for a bit before remembering what she wanted to say. "James is here to drive us to the Ballroom," she said at last. "Thank you for your help, Mina and Lita."
"Have fun!" Mina called as the two friends walked away from the Anderson house.
***
"Doctor Helen Anderson and Miss Amy Anderson," the herald announced as Amy and her mother entered the elegant ballroom attached to the Juubian University campus. Almost immediately, James Unwin walked over to them.
"Helen, it's good to see you," he said. Then, with an air of great daring, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, making her colour slightly. Then he turned to look at Amy. "It's good to see you too, Amy. I'm sorry that your friend isn't feeling too well."
"Yeah, well it's just one of those things," Amy sighed. She looked around the ballroom, noting the tables of royal-level food. The lighting was concentrated on the sides, with the centre of the room clear of all obstructions and at a reduced light level for dancing. Hey, I'm sixteen! she suddenly thought. Maybe I'll get my first taste of champagne! Given her mother's views on alcohol, this was unlikely, but a girl can dream, can't she?
"Never mind, Amy," James was saying. "There a lots of young students here who would be glad to dance with a pretty young lady like you." Amy tried to smile, but that thought didn't really appeal to her.
"Mr. Darien Shields and Ms. Serena Thompson!" the herald announced. Amy turned and looked as Darien and Serena entered and felt her mouth open in surprise.
Darien was in a fine tuxedo, with creases so sharp that Amy suspected that they could be used as weapons. Serena had let her hair out of her usual style and it cascaded down her back like a golden river. She was wearing the most sumptuous silver-white dress that Amy had ever seen, one that seemed to flow around her as if it were made of mercury. Where did she get that dress? Amy asked herself. Did she create that with her Disguise Pen? Serena's make up was perfect (and Amy could detect Mina's hand in the look). The girl seemed to glow with a peace and majesty that caught everyone's attention. Darien was not outshone by his date, and every pair of feminine eyes in the room were locked onto his dark, handsome face. In place of a flower, some kind of badge was pinned to his buttonhole, like a starburst of some kind.
"Oh my, is that Ken and Liz Thompson's little girl?" Helen gasped, awe-struck at Serena' appearance.
Amy wasn't sure that it was. Then she saw something that confirmed this. Serena's Moon Brooch was pinned to the top of the bodice of her dress. Gods! Amy thought in a combination of disgust and admiration. Only those two would dare come to a public function as Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity!
"Hello, Amy," Serena said, gliding over to her friend. "I'm glad to see you made it, even though I understand Greg isn't feeling well."
"Well, since when do I ever miss a party?" Amy asked.
Serena blinked. "I think that is usually Mina's line," she said thoughtfully.
Amy laughed. "Hey, we all have to let go sometimes."
"Okay, who are you and where is the real Amy?" Serena asked. The two friends burst into laughter. Yes, it was good to relax for once, Amy decided as she walked over towards the dance floor. She was even willing to ignore the absence of Greg for a night's fun. Of course… she would have to find a partner for the dances that were just beginning. Suddenly, she heard Serena talking behind her. "Darien, I have the strangest feeling…"
"Me too," Darien replied in a grim tone of voice.
Now Amy thought about it, her psychic danger sense was jangling. She had put it down to nerves, but Darien never got nervous in social gatherings… "Hey, Amy! Look at him! And he's on his own!" Amy did a double take, coming out of her trance to look at her mother, who was pointing at someone. Across the other side of the dance floor was a young man standing on his own. He was fairly thin, but was clearly not scrawny. He had nearly pure-blond hair, a single sapphire stud in his right ear and a smile that sent shivers down her spine. There was just something… wrong about him. Whatever it was, her usually perceptive mother hadn't noticed it. "Don't just stand there, dear!" Helen said, putting her hands on Amy's shoulders and pushing her daughter towards the strange man. "Seek and kill! He's perfect for the night!"
No way! Amy's instincts screamed. Amy surprised her mother by digging in her heels and then backing up a few steps. Amy had never seen that man before, but she knew he was trouble.
Amy! Amy was so tense that she nearly jumped out of her skin when Serena's voice suddenly echoed in her mind. Amy turned to look at Serena and she could see that her friend was looking angrily at the strange man out of the corner of her eye. Amy, that's General Wolfspite! I've faced him a few times before; he's the new top agent of the Negaverse. He's a real nasty customer, so watch yourself. I'm calling all the others.
Amy swallowed as she immediately realised what had been so wrong about the man's smile. She had seen a similar smile on General Jadeite's face… "Amy what is wrong with you?" Helen asked in some annoyance. "A fine looking single man and you act like he's toxic or something!" The woman sighed. "Look, I think you need a date, if only for tonight. Okay, he isn't Greg, but you should at least try! I'll ask him over if you feel nervous about doing it yourself." Helen turned to walk over to Wolfspite and was shocked when her daughter grabbed her arm and yanked her back to her side with nearly inhuman strength. "Amy!" Helen said, too appalled by Amy's ill manners to register the strength that her daughter had just used.
"Mom!" Amy hissed, her face pale and her eyes filled with fear and anger. "Please don't go near him! He's evil!"
"Amy, you are being silly," Helen said firmly. "I thought that you were growing up and ready to associate with other adults, but right now you are behaving like… a hysterical child!"
"Please trust me," Amy said, looking into her mother's eyes and trying to communicate urgency and sincerity. "Mom, he is a very bad person. I just know it!"
"What… what are you talking about?" Helen's voice had got very quiet. She had never seen such… certainty in her daughter's eyes. Amy was only 16 while her mother was in her late 30s, yet, suddenly, it was Amy who seemed the older and wiser, perhaps by decades. "Amy…?" she asked uncertainly. "Do you know that man? Has he… hurt you?"
"Not yet," Amy said wryly, "but he would if he could. Mom, please trust me and start moving the guests out of the ballroom. But stay away from him!"
Helen stepped back, uncertain what to do. Suddenly, there was a pestilential wind blowing from somewhere. Crap! We're off! Serena hissed telepathically.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Wolfspite, who was suddenly in his full uniform as a general in the army of the Negaverse, suddenly called out. "If I can have your attention please? I want everyone to stay still and not resist. It will hurt a lot less that way!" Everyone span around to stare at Wolfspite, who was grinning in an evil way. Suddenly about three dozen Youma were in the room. Most were the standard bipedal clawed beasts ('Slashes') that were the Negaverse's foot soldiers. The others were Wraiths; gaseous creatures like ghosts, which were hovering over their commander.
There was instant panic, which served the Negaverse force's interests well. Youma began darting forwards, grabbing screaming guests, who were all too terrified to offer much resistance. Just when the pandemonium couldn't seem to get much worse, three of the second-storey windows of the ballroom suddenly exploded inwards as Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter burst through them. "Sorry, NegaCreep!" Sailor Mars shouted. "You weren't invited to the party, so it's time for you to go! Fire Soul… Ignition!" A fireball appeared in the black-haired woman's hand and she pitched it right at Wolfspite. The dark wizard barely materialised a shield in time to deflect the attack.
"You'll regret interfering, Senshi scum!" he roared. "Wraiths attack!"
"Jupiter Lightning Wall!" Sailor Jupiter countered, creating a massive electrical barrier that drove the Youma back.
"Venus Crescent Beam!" shouted Sailor Venus, taking one of the monsters out of the game with a powerful orange energy beam.
"Nice!" the creature moaned before it imploded into orange light and vanished.
The air over the partygoers was suddenly filled by a crossfire of elemental energy and dark magic blasts. Amy, Serena and Darien used the opportunity to run for a side room and transform. One Slash got in Darien's way and had a rose in between the eyes for its' trouble. The monster tried to stagger to its' feet, but Serena was already delivering a follow-up attack. She closed her eyes and pressed her forefingers together in front of her face, as if in prayer. The Silver Imperium Crystal appeared on her brooch, shining brightly, and the Youma was suddenly entombed in a crystalline sphere. As the three young people ducked through a side door, Amy had already pulled her Disguise Pen out of a small pouch that Mina had sown into the bodice of her dress.
Within twenty seconds, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask exploded through three intact windows and added their power to the Senshi's counter-assault.
Sailor Mercury was in the middle of the fight from the start, slashing out with the Mercury Soul Blade whenever a Youma got close enough and using ranged elemental attacks at all other times. Suddenly, she saw something that froze her heart. A Wraith grabbed her mother and lifted her off the ground, cackling in glee. "No! Mom!" Sailor Mercury screamed. She darted towards the Wraith raising her left hand. "Ice Eruption!" she shouted. A bit of the ballroom floor exploded open and a column of ice shot upwards, striking the Wraith and knocking it tumbling away. The impact loosened its' grip on Helen and Sailor Mercury was able to grab her and lower her to the ground.
"Th… Thank you, Sailor Mercury," Amy's mother whispered, too stunned by terror and too drained by the Youma's touch to think clearly as the small Senshi lowered her to the ground beside the quickly-crumbling ice attack. "My little girl… please find my little girl…"
Screaming like a banshee, the Wraith swung around and charged at Sailor Mercury, determined to reclaim its' prize. Amy jumped in front of her mother and prepared to attack. "Mercury Ice Bolt!" Sailor Mercury declared, her left arm outstretched. A beam of blue-white ice elemental energy spat from the warrior's outstretched hand and impaled the gaseous creature through the chest. The creature froze solid in an instant and fell to the ground, shattering into ten thousand slivers of ice when it did so.
Mercury grinned in a feral way, too wrapped up in battle-fever to be aware of anything but finding another target. She launched herself forwards into the battle again. Helen, however, couldn't stop staring at her saviour. She seemed frozen in place.
Wolfspite had backed off to allow his Youma to fight, but he could see that the battle wasn't going well. As he watched, Sailor Moon dispatched a Slash with a Love Spiral attack as Sailor Mars toasted several others with her Martian Firestorm attack. He decided that he would have to call in heavier troops. He turned and looked at the table of food near him, noting the silver dinnerware with an evil smile. "Well, it is only appropriate, as this is a hospital social function," he murmured to himself. He reached out with his left hand and tendrils of black power stretched from his fingers to encase a selection of razor-sharp steak knives…
"Oh you've got to be kidding," Sailor Mars muttered as a ten-foot-tall monster made entirely of razor-sharp metal edges rose to its' feet, growling dangerously.
"A metal monster?" Sailor Jupiter laughed. "This is going to be too easy! Jupiter Thunderbolt Power!" Two massive lightning bolts jumped from the Champion of Power's gauntlets and slammed into the massive knife-Youma. The blue-white discharge crackled around the creature for a few seconds. Much to the heroes' surprise, the attack had no visible effect. Then the Youma pointed one of its' horrible blade-covered arms at Sailor Jupiter.
"Slice 'Em!" it bellowed and discharged the electrical attack back at its' source. Sailor Jupiter went flying and crashed into the back wall… hard.
The massive Youma lumbered forwards, lashing out with its' razor-sharp appendages. "Okay, my turn!" Sailor Venus yelled. "Venus Crescent Beam!" The life-energy beam slapped into the creature's centre of volume and reflected off of its' metallic structure. Sailor Venus barely dodged the ricochet, which hit the back wall and blew out a substantial crater.
Wolfspite started laughing. "As you can see, my dears," he mocked, "Slice 'Em is more than able to deflect any of your attacks. This time, the battle is hopeless." With another roar, the monster suddenly unleashed a hail of knives that shot out in every direction. Several struck the Senshi. Direct hits bounced off of their mystical shields, but glancing blows seemed to penetrate and slashed open nasty cuts in both armour and flesh. Wolfspite laughed even harder as he watched the confusion in the ranks of the young heroes.
Sailor Mars, however, wasn't daunted. "Fire Sword Execution!" she roared, launching herself towards the Slice 'Em Youma at her maximum flying acceleration. Her Soul Blade seemed to catch fire as she over-charged it with elemental fire energy. She slammed the sword into the creature's side and the massive heat discharge warped a few of the metal trays that made up the creature's body.
"Slice 'Em!" the Youma growled angrily and lashed out. An expert swordswoman, Sailor Mars easily parried one of the sweeps from the creature's razor-sharp arms, but several other arms came in from other directions and one connected.
"Mars!" Sailor Moon shouted in horror. The red-armoured Senshi went tumbling to the ground with a cry of agony. Sailor Moon dropped to her side and barely held in her nausea at the sight of the deep wound stretching from the older woman's breastbone to her left shoulder.
"Finish that Senshi brat," Wolfspite shouted in a triumphant tone. The creature unleashed another hail of knives.
Sailor Moon pulled out her Moon Sceptre. "Moon Sceptre Barrier," she cried and a circular energy shield blossomed out from the sceptre. This was five times stronger than her normal shield, enough to easily repel the attack. Responding to this attack on his beloved, Tuxedo Mask threw a single rose, which struck the Youma and sent it staggering backwards a few paces. In the sudden respite, Sailor Moon held the Crescent Moon Wand over Raye's bleeding shoulder and concentrated for a moment. The wound healed up almost instantly, but the Champion of Justice knew from experience that her friend's shoulder would ache for a while.
The Slice 'Em Youma was advancing again. While concentrated attacks from the Senshi could hold it back, it left the other lesser monsters to attack bystanders unopposed. Sailor Moon thought for a moment before realising what the creature's main weakness was. "Wolfspite!" she shouted and threw herself forwards, past the Youma and directly at its' master, the Moon Soul Blade humming with power. Wolfspite raised his hands and erected his most powerful shield just in time to intercept a downward cut that would otherwise have severed his right arm at the shoulder. Even so, Sailor Moon's attack had so much kinetic force that it drove him to his knees.
Amy was thinking fast. The Slice 'Em's metallic body could reflect energy bolts, redistribute heat or electricity and resist kinetic impacts. There seemed to be no way to stop the thing as it lurched around the ball room, lashing out at the flying Senshi with its' razor-sharp arms. Then she remembered a little something from a physics textbook she once read. Specifically, how metals react to sudden changes in temperature. "Sailor Mars!" she shouted. "Hit that thing with everything you've got!"
The Champion of Honour gave her young friend an odd look, but she didn't ask any questions. The Youma was briefly surrounded by a Firestorm attack. There was no immediate effect. "Nothing!" she shouted in frustration.
"Mercury Ice Crystal Storm!" Sailor Mercury cried out as she stretched out her arms in front of her, palms raised. A sub-zero storm of ice crystals shrieked from her hands and swept over the Youma's body, the kinetic force of the attack sending it back a pace. "Now attack again, Mars!"
"What the hell is this supposed to achieve?" Sailor Mars hissed as she launched another Martian Firestorm attack.
"Just trust me and do it!" Sailor Mercury replied in a testy tone of voice. As Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus continued to attack the Wraiths and Slashes, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars launched attack after attack, alternately freezing then super-heating the Slice 'Em Youma. Sailor Mars' eyebrows shot up as she saw the creature's metal body beginning to distort and buckle from the massive repeated thermal expansion and contraction. Its' movements were slowing down and it was making a loud, metallic groaning sound as each successive attack boiled around it.
Wolfspite realised what was happening. "Slice 'Em! Use your Blade Throw to keep Mercury and Mars from attack… aargh!" Sailor Moon's Moon tiara bounced off the man's temple, the sudden release of life energy disrupting his power before the weapon returned to its' mistress's hand. "Sailor bitch, I'll kill you for that!" Wolfspite spat. He reached out with the full dark energy at his disposal, tendrils of black life-stealing force reaching out from the tips of his fingers and curling towards Sailor Moon.
Once, Serena would have panicked, or chosen a defensive counter-move against the attack, but she had learnt her hard lessons over the past few years. The best form of defence against such an assault is always to counter-attack. Her Soul Blade made pearly white arcs in the air as she sliced through every tendril, the impact making them shrink back briefly. Wolfspite broke out in a sweat and concentrated, driving more of his dark energy into the tendrils, forcing them to grow again. However, this weakened his own defences, leaving Sailor Moon with an opening that she intended to use. "Moon heart spiral!" The whirling tornado of life energy slammed through the middle of Wolfspite's dark tendrils, making them wither and dissipate, before striking the man in the gut and sending him crashing into a table of food behind him. A large gateau overbalanced and landed on his head.
To one side, the Slice 'Em Youma had ground to a halt, its' component parts buckled into uselessness by thermal effects from the repeated ice and fire attacks. "All together now," Sailor Mars called. "Mars planet power!"
"Mercury planet power!"
"Venus planet power!"
"Jupiter planet power!" Red, ice blue, orange and electric yellow energy bolts spat from the outstretched arms of the four Senshi and struck the immobilised Youma. The elemental energy released by the Senshi flared through its' body, making its' parts loose cohesion. The monster screamed metallically before suddenly disintegrating. Cutlery and various trays and plates fell to the ground, making an impossibly loud clattering noise.
Wolfspite, who still had chocolate and cream streaming down his face, staggered to his feet, drawing his pulse pistol. "You will pay for this… humiliation!" he growled at Sailor Moon. He fired two quick shots from his gun and, much to his horror, Sailor Moon somehow caught and deflected the blood red energy bolts with her Soul Blade.
"Ever seen Star Wars, NegaCreep?" Sailor Moon asked cheerfully. Wolfspite yelled incoherently and fired again. This time, Sailor Moon's parry sent the energy bolt right back to its' source and the pulse pistol exploded. Wolfspite screamed in agony and fell to his knees, clutching his maimed hand to his chest.
The last Youma vanished, courtesy of Sailor Venus, and silence fell, broken only by the whimpers of wounded bystanders. Sailor Moon, her face expressionless, walked over to the Negaverse general who was whimpering in pain himself as he cradled his horrifically burnt right hand to his chest. "It's over, traitor," she said, suddenly sounding very much the princess. "Your forces are beaten and you can fight no more. Surrender now and you have our word that we will spare your life."
Wolfspite looked up at Serena with hatred boiling in his blue eyes. "I will never surrender to the likes of you, weakling," he hissed. Suddenly he reached out with his left arm and black power jumped from his fingers to the Slash Youma that Serena had trapped earlier.
The crystal trap exploded and the Youma, mutated by Wolfspite's power into one of the twice-as-big Gore Youma, charged towards the Senshi. "Gore!" it roared.
The creature was struck by a rose almost immediately and fell backwards. "Venus Love-me Chain!" Sailor Venus cried, ensnaring the creature's legs with an energy tendril.
As it fell to its' horny knees, Sailor Jupiter swooped in. "Thunder Spear Execution!" she shouted, launching a nearly solid spear of electrical energy from her right hand. The thunderbolt slammed through the creature's chest and it exploded into yellow light, which imploded upon itself with a puff of ash.
Using the distraction, Wolfspite used the last of his power to create a wormhole and duck through. "No!" Sailor Moon shouted angrily. A Moonlight Beam struck the spot where Wolfspite had been kneeling a second before and blew a substantial crater in the flooring. Sailor Moon hissed angrily and sagged running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Damn it, I thought we had him at last."
Tuxedo Mask dropped to the ground next to his true love and hugged her reassuringly. "We'll get him, love, don't worry about that. His luck can't last forever."
"I hope so," Sailor Moon replied, unconsciously biting her nails in her anxiety. "He is the most dangerous of the current lot and he makes me nervous with the stuff he thinks of sometimes. He is too… cunning to leave him running loose."
As Sailor Mercury looked around, she could see some order was returning to the ballroom. Doctors, nurses and medical students were running over to those injured, either by Youma energy draining attacks or by attacks aimed at the Senshi which had missed their target. She walked over to her mother, who was helping a battered and dazed student to his feet. "The touch of a Youma drains a person's bio-electric energy," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral as she considered her mother's dirty face, untidy hair and torn dress. "A… A shot of glucose and a half-litre of intravenous saline solution should help, but all they will need is a good night's rest."
"You are a doctor?" James asked as he ran up to assist Amy's mother.
"No," Sailor Mercury said, and managed a fey smile. "But I am the priestess of Hermes, the ancient god of healing. These things come natural to me!"
Sailor Moon walked up and touched her short friend on the shoulder. "Come on, we'd better be going," she said. Sailor Mercury jumped slightly, looked at her princess in a confused way and then nodded her assent.
Cheers began to echo around the ballroom as the five Inner Senshi, accompanied by Tuxedo Mask, rose into the air and flew through the broken windows and into the night. Okay, Sailor Moon 'said' as soon as they were outside the building. Darien, Amy and I will land nearby and transform back. No one will question where we've been, as half the other guests ran as soon as the Youma appeared. Talk to the rest of you later, but until then, you all did a great job. I'm proud of you all.
Thanks, I think, Sailor Mars replied stretching her wounded and healed shoulder experimentally.
Get Chad to kiss it better, Sailor Moon suggested with a telepathic giggle, making Sailor Mars blush brightly.
Amy dropped down onto a small grassy knoll underneath some trees. As soon as she was on the ground, she pulled her Disguise Pen out of a convenient subspace pocket and prepared to transform back. Suddenly a familiar voice called out. Her mother. "Sailor Mercury!" she called out.
The Champion of Truth hastily tucked her Disguise Pen out of sight and turned to face her mother as she ran over. "Yes, M… Doctor Anderson? Is there a problem?"
"I…" Helen stopped short and looked at the Sailor Senshi standing before her. She walked right up and, with an air of great daring, stroked the girl's hair, especially the hyper-short back and the spiky wave over the top. "I…" Helen shook her head before continuing. "Amy?" Amy's mouth dropped open, and she couldn't think of one thing to say. "Amy, it is you, isn't it? I… I can't see your face clearly, but I know it's you!"
With an act of concentration, Amy deliberately willed away the magical shielding that stopped people from recognising her face. Afterwards, she wasn't able to offer any reason for doing this, other than that something told her that it was right. "It is me, Mom," she said in a shaky tone of voice.
Helen suddenly felt like she couldn't trust her legs anymore. Her knees seemed to turn to liquid, and it was only her daughter's supernatural strength that kept her upright. "When you stopped that monster that grabbed me and then caught me as I fell," she said. "I felt it was you, somehow. I just… knew." She looked up and brushed Amy's hair again, her hand lingering on her daughter's cheek. She began to shiver and felt the abyss of hysteria opening up beneath her.
"Mom… Mom, calm down," Amy said nervously. She pushed her mother down to a sitting position and hugged her tightly, trying to use some of her healing power to stabilise her mother's brainwave patterns. She felt her mother's hands stroking her armour, lingering over the cuts caused by the Slice 'Em Youma's assaults.
"We… we need to get you to the ER," Helen said in a shaky, barely coherent tone of voice. "We have to check those cuts for poisons or venom… and then dress them… and you'll need a Tetanus antibiotic series… and… I…" Helen suddenly burst into tears. "Oh gods, Amy! You could have been killed! Every day for years and years you have been risking death!"
Amy hugged her mother hard. "Shh… It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay Mom, don't worry." When she felt that her mother had regained some measure of control, she released her from her hug and stood up. "Watch this," she said with a mischievous grin. Suddenly, Amy glowed with blue-white light and her injuries disappeared. She enjoyed seeing her mother's gape-mouthed reaction. "I'm the priestess of the god of healing, remember?" she asked with a wink.
"Amy… how did this happen?" Helen asked helplessly. "How… when did this happen to you? Who did this to you?"
"Well, that's a long story," Amy said. "Both in the amount of time it will take to tell, and the time in which it covers. You see, in very many ways, Sailor Mercury is the 'real' me and Amy is the disguise." Helen looked shocked at hearing this. "Come on," Amy said, gesturing to the path that wound through the less well-travelled part of the University campus. "I'll explain as best as I can."
***
The two women walked for seemingly hours that night, as Amy explained about the Silver Millennium, of Beryl's terrible treason and Queen Serenity's brilliant but dangerous plan to restore freedom and order to the Solar System. She explained how, two years ago, Serena contacted her and told her that she knew about her special powers that she had been so carefully hiding. She explained how Luna (who she didn't describe in too much detail) told her about her previous life and trained her to use her powers as one of the Sailor Senshi, one of the Royal Guard of the Silver Millennium. Finally, she described the battles that she had fought and a little about the powers that Hermes had given to her.
"So you've… died?" Helen asked in disbelief as Amy finished her story.
"Died twice and been brainwashed and enslaved once," Amy replied with commendable calm. "Fortunately, Sailor Moon won the war all three times and was able to reverse the damage. She was even able to erase the rest of the world's memories of what happened. But now you know who I am in my spare time… Well, I think you deserve to know the whole truth."
Helen fought hard and managed to hold down the urge to laugh hysterically and never stop. "I suppose that there is no point my forbidding you to do this any more," she said in a numb tone.
"None," Amy said sympathetically. "Mom, you saw those monsters in there tonight. There are billions more where they came from, all waiting to run amok over the face of the Earth. I'm one of just ten people on the planet with the strength and power to stop it from happening." There was a long pause before Amy continued, in a slightly introspective tone. "It is like being a doctor, in many ways," she said. "You have a responsibility to help people and ensure that their lives are as good as they can be."
"You are always careful?" Helen asked hopefully.
"As much as I can be," Amy said. "Sometimes you have to take a risk if the stakes are high."
Helen nodded and closed her eyes. Amy saw a single tear run down her mother's cheek and she reached out to catch it with one of her gauntletted hands. "Don't cry, Mom," she said quietly. "I know how you feel, but this is something that I want to do. It is something that I have to do."
"I know, and I'm proud of you being so brave," Helen said. Mother and daughter hugged again hard. "Just one favour," Helen said quietly. "Try not to die again. Next time, your friends might not be able to save you."
"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon," Amy responded with a nervous laugh. "I love you, Mom."
Helen released her little girl from her hug and held her at arm's length before kissing her gently on the cheek. "I love you too, baby," she replied in a shaky tone of voice. After a moment, she felt she could trust her voice again. "We'd better get back to the ballroom before James gets worried," she said. She watched, enthralled, as Amy raised her Disguise Pen and returned to her ball-gown, plain Amy Anderson once more. No, not 'plain' anything, Helen corrected herself. There is nothing plain about my daughter, nothing at all.
As they walked down the path back to the ballroom, Amy took her mother's hand and held on tight. "Well, this has been a night for revealing secrets," Helen said. "First I get to see the Sailor Senshi in action, then I learn that my own daughter is one of them!"
"Yeah, well there are plenty of other secrets to be revealed," Amy replied quietly.
"You mean you and Greg being lovers?" Helen asked in a matter-of-fact tone. "Oh, I've known that for years."
Amy almost fell over. "H… How…?" she gasped. Her mother always handled Amy's medical care herself, might she have seen some physical signs?
"Amy, I'm your doctor, but I'm also your mother," Helen said gently. "There are signs, unmistakable signs, that any good parent would notice. You have changed so much in the last two years. You have become so much more lively and personable. When you are near Greg, you positively glow. I would be stupid not to have noticed. Just… just be careful, okay? There is no such thing as a 'foolproof precaution.'"
"I know, Mom," Amy said quietly. "I'm glad that you understand."
"I have to," Helen replied. "I love you too much not to understand." And she wasn't just talking about Amy and Greg either.
End of Chapter 2
Coming soon, Chapter 3 – Mina Love – Sailor Venus