"Hm?"

My eyelids were so heavy; I didn't want to open them. It was so soft, so warm. Where am I? Unwillingly, I moved my shoulders and attempted to get up. Slowly as molasses, I struggled to sit up. It was as if I had been given a big dose of a sedative.

I brought my hand up to my face and realized that I was resting on my back. Opening my eyelids a fraction of an inch, I saw nothing but blurry shapes. I opened my eyes, and blinked several times; it was as if I was awakening from a ten-year nap. I struggled to sit up, and finally rested myself on an oversize, fluffy pillow. What? I realized that I was in a king-sized bed, with blue satin sheets. I looked around the bedroom.

I was awed at the grandeur that surrounded me. There was fluffy white carpeting covering the entire floor, and the bed was flanked with beautiful hand-carved oak end tables. The lamps resting on them were reminiscent of Tiffany, with colored bits of glass forming an ocean scene on the lampshades. I looked up toward the ceiling, and was amazed to see several skylights, and a white canopy around the bed. Stairs led down from the bed to the rest of the room, which was just as enchanting. A fireplace sat in a corner, with two big reading chairs in front of it. Beautiful bookshelves went up to the ceiling, and covered one full wall; they were stocked with books of all types. On the other side was a door, slightly ajar, which I assumed led to a master bathroom. Wow…

Then I looked down and saw, in shock, that I was no longer wearing my Sailor fuku. Instead, I wore a magnificent pale blue satin dress. The hem was scalloped, and the neckline was modest, with blue sapphires encrusting the rim. It was just like Cinderella's gown, from the fairytale.

The creaking of a door jarred me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see Sapphire at the door. I blinked twice, and bit my lip. Unexpectedly, I blurted, "This dress is divine. Thank you so much." I immediately blushed crimson and bowed my head down. What was that? The man kidnaps you, and you THANK HIM?!

I heard his footsteps against the floor as he climbed the stairs to the bed and sat at the far edge, opposite me. I looked up at him, and saw that he was just as uncomfortable as I was. "You're welcome," he replied. "And I'm sorry for scaring you out of your wits. Please forgive me." He put the palms of his hands together and bowed his head toward me.

"W-Well, thank you for the apology." He seems really nice. Maybe a little TOO nice. I wonder if he has an angle? "This is an amazing room," I commented, looking around. I looked around just to make an excuse for not looking directly at him.

"I decorated it especially for you. I know you love to read, and since your senshi color is blue…" his voice trailed off, and he looked directly at me. I suddenly felt like a thousand butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. Those amazing cerulean orbs, focused on ME. I felt special, like the only girl he'd ever laid eyes on. Did Greg ever make me feel this way? For a moment, I began to question my feelings for Greg. But then my brain pulled me out of the thought. No, Ami! Remember your huge crush on Greg? You're in love with HIM, not Sapphire! I shook my head of the thoughts, and politely returned his gaze, smiling slightly.

The silence between us was growing, and Sapphire began to smooth the sheets with his hand, just to occupy himself. I could feel the tension growing, and I didn't like it, so I decided to be nice. After all, I was stuck there, on Nemesis, for Goodness-knows-how-long. Might as well make the best of the situation!

"How long have I been asleep? And I'm assuming we're on Nemesis right now. And by the way, how were you reborn? Was your entire family reborn, or just a few of you?" I suddenly realized how many questions I had asked, and I blushed again. "Oh—sorry for all the questions!"

He chuckled and replied, "I know that you're naturally inquisitive, and want to know more about everything. To answer your questions, you've been asleep three Nemesis days, equal to twelve Earth hours. And I'm not sure if you want to hear the whole story. Yes, all of us were reborn, including Emerald, Diamond, and Rubeus."

I nodded, and let the information sink in. "Yes, I'd like to know how you were reborn. That is, if you wouldn't mind telling me."

Sapphire took a deep breath in and smiled. "Well, our souls were wandering around the galaxies, shunned from every facet of the galaxy. But finally, we found a potent energy source, in the form of a mutated star, which resurrected us. As you know, a normal star emits light. This star was in a foreign galaxy, and radiated energy unfamiliar to us. But it gave us our original powers, and enough strength to rebuild Nemesis. Sounds kinda phony, doesn't it?"

I shook my head. "No; I'm not familiar with foreign energy matter, but it is quite possible."

He stood beside the bed and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Thinking for a moment, I sat up and said, "Well, I'm rather hungry. Would it be too much trouble for me to get a cheeseburger?"

He laughed and extended a hand to me. His laugh was so sincere, and thrilled my sense of hearing.

I took his hand in mine, and allowed him to help me off the bed. Soft, his hands are… I eased myself out of the sheets, and realized too late that my legs had fallen asleep. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out, and I found myself falling face first off the stairs. I gasped, and prepared to slam into the ground. But I felt myself land on something soft and warm. I opened my eyes, and found that Sapphire held me in his arms. "Legs fall asleep, huh?" he asked. I blushed, and regained my footing. Straightening the folds on my dress, I said, "Yes. Thank you."

He opened the door and let me pass. "After you." Then he led me down the corridor. I marveled at the marble columns along the walls, and the red carpet spanning the length. Looking around, I saw that the halls went on and on. "It's very easy to get lost here, so stay close to me," Sapphire said. I nodded, and hurried my pace, so I could walk next to him.

Soon, we reached a set of beautifully carved doors, and Sapphire pushed them open to reveal the dining room. No surprise, it was just as elegant as the rest of the castle. One long oak table spanned the length of the room, and centerpieces of white lilies decorated the table. I looked around, and realized that we weren't the only ones there.

I saw a man with shoulder length white hair sitting at the table. "Diamond, Miss Mizuno and I have arrived to dine. May we join you two?" Sapphire inquired.

Diamond turned around and nodded to the both of us. Two of them? Who else is there?

I walked to the table, and saw Usagi sitting across from Diamond. She wore a gown similar to mine, except hers was white, and rimmed with diamonds. Sapphire pulled out a chair next to Usagi, and he sat on the other side, next to Diamond, and across from me.

I looked at Usagi, and she gave me a sidelong glance. She looked so sad; her blue eyes didn't have the same sparkle—zest-- that they used to. "Would you two like some time alone?" asked Diamond. I looked straight at him and replied, "Yes. I'd like that very much."

Diamond and Sapphire nodded, got up, and walked through the two-door exit.

As soon as the door clicked, Usagi burst out into tears. In a hiccupped voice, she said, "D-Diamond, he kidnapped me on m-my way home from M-M-Mamo- chan's! I w-was so scared, but n-now you're h-here! I-I'm so glad to see y- you!" And she began to sob uncontrollably. I pulled her into a hug, and closed my eyes. "I'm here, Usagi. We've got each other, and we'll figure out a way to get back. And the scouts, they'll know something's up. They'll come for us. Don't worry."

Usagi's snuffles subsided, and she looked at me with tear-stained eyes. "You're right." Wiping her face, she took a deep breath to calm down. "So what's the deal with Sapphire?"

I paused, and said, "He kidnapped me at my apartment. Before he took me, he said he wanted me to become his 'queen.' Then I woke up wearing my gown, in a fancy bedroom. What about you?"

She inhaled a deep lungful of air and said, "He just teleported in front of me and grabbed me. He said that I was going to belong to him, and then I blacked out. Guess we're captives of the Black Moon Brothers."

I said, "Sapphire's been really hospitable to me so far. How has Diamond treated you?"

She shook her head and replied, "It was like when he kidnapped me the first time, in Crystal Tokyo. As soon as I woke up, he used his Third Eye and forced me to kiss him. Then he TOLD me that I was hungry, and it was time to eat. You know, don't tell anyone, but I definitely think you're better off with Sapphire, and not selfish, depraved Diamond."

I asked, "Usagi, what else did he do to you?" She replied, "Nothing…yet." I gasped and replied, "It's my duty to protect you, and I swear I would, if I could. But I don't have my transformation pen. I'm so sorry, Usagi. I failed you, my Princess."

She smiled and said, "You're so faithful, Mercury. But your powers wouldn't work here. I'll do my best to defend myself. Thank you anyway."

She hugged me, and as if on cue, Diamond walked through the door. "That's enough for now. Time to leave now, Usagi. Come with me." He looked at me and said, "Nice to see you, Miss Mizuno."

Usagi gave me a meaningful look, then rose to meet her captor. They walked out of the room, and Sapphire came in. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice concerned. Even though they're brothers, Sapphire and Diamond are so different

"I'm worried about Usagi. There's nothing I can do to protect her."

He gave me a sympathetic look and changed the subject. "Are you still hungry?"

I nodded and said, "Yes." A huge platter of appetizing food appeared in front of me. This is too much for me to eat. I looked to Sapphire, who had turned to leave. "Would you like to join me?"

He looked at me, with a bit of surprise, then turned and walked over to the table. He sat and said, "Thanks for sharing with me."

I smiled and replied, "No problem. And you can call me Ami." I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye. Then we began to indulge in the tasty morsels, but Usagi's troubles continued to linger in my mind.