I was still fuming after I left the dining room with Sapphire. That
selfish, egotistical bastard! How could he talk to me like that?! Oh, but
it felt SO good to confront him! But one thing still lingered in my mind.
"Thank you for taking Diamond's blow. But why did you do it?" He replied, "Diamond has a horrible temper, and I didn't want you to get hit. Besides, he hits like a girl."
"Hey!" I cried, in a joking way. He chuckled and said, "Let me rephrase that. He hits like a pathetic man. Better?" I giggled and replied, "Yes. So now what do we do?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we try out the new pool? Or we could tour the gardens, or…" his voice trailed off in thought. "Or we could see what the senshi are doing right now."
I looked at him in disbelief. "You—" He put his gloved finger against my lips to silence me. "Come on," he whispered. We ran down a few narrow corridors, and ended up in front of another set of doors. "This is my room," he said, and opened the door.
We walked inside, and I was amazed. For a guy's room, it's pretty neat! It was similar to mine, except everything was a darker shade of blue, and more masculine. I'm not sure what I had expected to see. Skeletons, rotting corpses, a crystal ball, maybe a big organ? But then again, Sapphire didn't strike me as the kind of man who would have those evil things just lying about. Now Diamond—that was a whole other circumstance.
"This is a nice room, Sapphire," I commented. He closed and locked the door, and walked over to the bookshelf. Pulling out an ordinary book, he chanted some words, and the pages illuminated and a picture came in. Almost like a television, the page in the book was receiving a 'station.'
I marveled at it, and Sapphire motioned for me to sit in a chair. He sat next to me. Since the chair was meant for one, it was a little bit of a squeeze. The picture cleared up, and the senshi appeared on the screen.
In Rei's temple, gathered around our usual meeting spot were Rei, Mamoru, Minako, Makoto, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Luna, Artemis, Chibiusa and even Greg! When I saw him, my heart didn't skip a beat, like it used to be whenever I saw him. Suddenly, the sound came in.
"This is serious. The only clues we have are these," said Minako, and spread out the charred paper, Mercury computer (the DANGER screen was surprisingly still there), and communicator. "We have nothing of Usagi's. All of these things were found in Ami's apartment. The question is, who came for them, and was it the same person?"
Michiru said, "That inverted crescent definitely denotes the Black Moon Clan. In the case of Usagi, there's no question. It couldn't have been anyone but Prince Diamond; the man was infatuated with her, and no doubt came back to abduct her. As for Ami, there's much to be considered. I have no idea who would kidnap her!"
Greg said, "I had a vision, then called her about it. I saw a man; an old enemy come for her. But the man was good in heart, and still affiliated with the Black Moon. Who else did you senshi face as part of the Clan?"
Mamoru said, "There was Rubeus, Diamond, and the Wise Man."
Makoto cut in and said, "Wait! That wasn't all! What about Sapphire?"
Everyone thought about the possibility for a moment. Greg finally said, "I don't know what he would want with Ami. She's just a meek, nerdy high- school scholar. Besides being Sailor Mercury, what other possible motive would have inspired this Sapphire to kidnap her? I mean, she's not exactly the most attractive girl out there…"
Meek? Greg's harsh words cut into me, like shards of glass. I can't believe he said that! No, he couldn't have! I love him, he can't possibly mean this! I thought a moment. Love? IS it love? Maybe it was a silly crush…
Rei shouted, "Hey! Ami is fun, kind, bright, AND our best friend! Don't you dare dishonor her name!"
He stepped back, and Makoto began to crack her knuckles menacingly. He timidly said, "Um, I didn't mean it like THAT! I—"
Minako cut in and said, "You will leave."
He shrugged, and walked down the temple stairs toward the bus stop.
Haruka shook her head and said, "I think Ami-chan is better off without him."
The scouts and guardians agreed, then set back down to business. The picture began to get fuzzy, then blacked out.
Sapphire closed the book, silently stood and put the book back to its resting place. I sat in shock. Gone…?
Sapphire walked back to me, and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, and he wore a sympathetic expression. "I—I thought I was in love…with him…" I said. He sat next to me, and a tear formed at the corner of my eye. "How could he say that?" Sapphire wrapped me into a solid embrace and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shown you."
I shook my head and replied, "No. I know that the Senshi are there for me. Now I know that Greg didn't deserve my affections. I'm glad you showed me." He broke the hug and looked me in the eyes. His azure orbs captivated me. Without a word, he closed his eyes and began to move his face closer to mine. We moved toward each other closer, closer, and closer. It felt so right; I couldn't fight it. Our lips were a razor blade's width apart, and I could feel his breath on my lips. I closed my eyes, and succumbed to rapture.
Unexpectedly, a bellowing voice shattered the moment, and I almost fell off the chair. "USAGI!" Diamond's voice roared through the castle. Sapphire and I rose and ran to the door. He unlocked and opened the door.
Diamond was running through the halls, and was in front of the door when Sapphire opened it. His wild eyes scanned the area, and his face was pink. "Where is she?"
I stepped forward and cried, "What did you do to Usagi?!"
Diamond looked at me and said, "None of your damned business! Stay out of it!" He started to leave, but he stopped, and turned to look at me. "You're coming with me. You're best friends with the girl; you'll know where she's most likely to know!" He roughly grabbed my arm, and pulled me with him. "No! Let me go!" I shrieked. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held tight.
Sapphire butted in and yelled, "Let her go!" Diamond screamed, "No way!" Sapphire took a quick breath in, and raised he fist. He lunged, and his fist contacted the side of Diamond's face. He howled in pain and stumbled back. "Sapphire! How could you?!"
Sapphire glared at him and said, "You're out of control. You were going to hurt Ami again, and I can't allow it! Now let's be civilized, and continue to look for Usagi. Ami will come with me, and you will stay in your room. She's probably upset about something, and seeing you may make it worse. Now go." Diamond said nothing, and teleported into a portal that appeared behind him.
"Thanks so much," I said to Sapphire, rubbing my arm. He gently took hold of my arm and said, "It may be bruised. I think you should stay away from Diamond; I couldn't bear to see anything happen to you." I looked at him, and he was blushing. I flushed, and quietly replied, "Thank you—for stepping in." He smiled at me, and the pink on his face deepened to red. I giggled and said, "You look cute when you blush like that."
He looked away, cleared his throat and said, "Well, we should go find Usagi." I nodded, and we began to run through the corridors.
~*~
We came to a bedroom door, and heard quiet sobs coming from within. I rapped on the door and said, "Usagi, is that you? This is Ami!" The doorknob turned slowly, and I came face to face with Usagi's tearstained face. "Come in. You too, Sapphire," she said in a wavering voice.
We entered, and she motioned for us to sit at the chairs in one end of the room. She locked the door, and sat with us. "What happened, Usagi?" I asked, concerned.
She said, "Earlier, Diamond summoned me to come to his room. When I entered, he was sitting on his bed, and told me to come to him. I refused, because I already knew what he was going to do. He got angry and used his powers to make me levitate, and come to him. He pinned me against the bed and used the Third Eye to hypnotize me. While I was under duress, he began to—unzip the back of my dress." Her tears began to flow again. "I broke the trance, and kicked him… hard—where it hurts. I ran out of the room, and he followed me. When he caught up to me, he hit me with a blast of Dark Energy. It paralyzed my right side, and I limped as fast as I could to get away. I turned a corner, and bumped into Rubeus. I asked him to teleport me to my room, and by the time Diamond turned the corner, I was gone. That's when he went on his little 'hunt' for me. I can't take this. I want the senshi to come already!" Then she broke down in sobs. I pulled her into a hug and said, "It's all right. Sapphire showed me what the scouts were doing earlier! They know Diamond has us, and I'm SURE they're gonna come for us!" All except that backstabber Greg.
She looked at me. "Really?" she asked. I replied, "Really. Just take a deep breath, and try to go through with this. I know it won't last much longer. You'll be out of here in no time!"
Sapphire said, "I'll go talk to Diamond now. We'll see if we can't talk a little sense into him." With that, he teleported out of the room.
Usagi looked to me and said, "So how are you two getting along?"
I smiled and replied, "Just fine. Don't say anything to anyone, but…"
She widened her eyes and leaned forward. "But what?"
I blushed and replied, "Well, after he showed me what the scouts are planning, I was upset because Greg was there and he ridiculed me. In the worst way imaginable." Usagi gave a sympathetic look and said, "Oh, Ami. I'm so sorry, I know you had major feelings for him."
I continued. "Here's the thing. After Sapphire saw I was upset, he hugged me, then we—leaned in to kiss each other. Just before anything happened, we heard Diamond's voice screaming through the halls. Then we came to find you."
She squealed and said, "Oh, Ami! You didn't even have to do anything, and Sapphire just FELL for you! He's so cute too!"
I whispered, "Not so loud!" She raised an eyebrow. I said, "We have a budding friendship. For now, I want to try and overlook the fact that he's—um, very attractive." I blushed at the words.
Usagi nodded and said, "Oooh, I see. Keep it on the down low for now. I can do that. But you better keep me updated!"
I giggled and replied, "It IS nice to have an admirer—I think. I mean, he stood up for me against Diamond. He socked him in the face for me! But I still don't know if he really likes me, or is just playing up to me. I mean, after Greg…" I shook my head.
Usagi touched my shoulder. "Ami, you need to listen to your heart on this. It still may be too soon for you."
Smiling, I said, "Thank you, Usagi. You're a great friend, and I'm glad to have you." Sapphire can wait for now; Usagi is still at risk with Diamond. I hope Sapphire is talking some sense into him. I stood and said, "I'd better be going. I want to walk around the castle. Want to come?" She stood and said, "Sure, I'd love to. It beats sitting around here, vulnerable. Let's go!" We laughed and walked out of her room.
"Thank you for taking Diamond's blow. But why did you do it?" He replied, "Diamond has a horrible temper, and I didn't want you to get hit. Besides, he hits like a girl."
"Hey!" I cried, in a joking way. He chuckled and said, "Let me rephrase that. He hits like a pathetic man. Better?" I giggled and replied, "Yes. So now what do we do?"
He thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we try out the new pool? Or we could tour the gardens, or…" his voice trailed off in thought. "Or we could see what the senshi are doing right now."
I looked at him in disbelief. "You—" He put his gloved finger against my lips to silence me. "Come on," he whispered. We ran down a few narrow corridors, and ended up in front of another set of doors. "This is my room," he said, and opened the door.
We walked inside, and I was amazed. For a guy's room, it's pretty neat! It was similar to mine, except everything was a darker shade of blue, and more masculine. I'm not sure what I had expected to see. Skeletons, rotting corpses, a crystal ball, maybe a big organ? But then again, Sapphire didn't strike me as the kind of man who would have those evil things just lying about. Now Diamond—that was a whole other circumstance.
"This is a nice room, Sapphire," I commented. He closed and locked the door, and walked over to the bookshelf. Pulling out an ordinary book, he chanted some words, and the pages illuminated and a picture came in. Almost like a television, the page in the book was receiving a 'station.'
I marveled at it, and Sapphire motioned for me to sit in a chair. He sat next to me. Since the chair was meant for one, it was a little bit of a squeeze. The picture cleared up, and the senshi appeared on the screen.
In Rei's temple, gathered around our usual meeting spot were Rei, Mamoru, Minako, Makoto, Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Luna, Artemis, Chibiusa and even Greg! When I saw him, my heart didn't skip a beat, like it used to be whenever I saw him. Suddenly, the sound came in.
"This is serious. The only clues we have are these," said Minako, and spread out the charred paper, Mercury computer (the DANGER screen was surprisingly still there), and communicator. "We have nothing of Usagi's. All of these things were found in Ami's apartment. The question is, who came for them, and was it the same person?"
Michiru said, "That inverted crescent definitely denotes the Black Moon Clan. In the case of Usagi, there's no question. It couldn't have been anyone but Prince Diamond; the man was infatuated with her, and no doubt came back to abduct her. As for Ami, there's much to be considered. I have no idea who would kidnap her!"
Greg said, "I had a vision, then called her about it. I saw a man; an old enemy come for her. But the man was good in heart, and still affiliated with the Black Moon. Who else did you senshi face as part of the Clan?"
Mamoru said, "There was Rubeus, Diamond, and the Wise Man."
Makoto cut in and said, "Wait! That wasn't all! What about Sapphire?"
Everyone thought about the possibility for a moment. Greg finally said, "I don't know what he would want with Ami. She's just a meek, nerdy high- school scholar. Besides being Sailor Mercury, what other possible motive would have inspired this Sapphire to kidnap her? I mean, she's not exactly the most attractive girl out there…"
Meek? Greg's harsh words cut into me, like shards of glass. I can't believe he said that! No, he couldn't have! I love him, he can't possibly mean this! I thought a moment. Love? IS it love? Maybe it was a silly crush…
Rei shouted, "Hey! Ami is fun, kind, bright, AND our best friend! Don't you dare dishonor her name!"
He stepped back, and Makoto began to crack her knuckles menacingly. He timidly said, "Um, I didn't mean it like THAT! I—"
Minako cut in and said, "You will leave."
He shrugged, and walked down the temple stairs toward the bus stop.
Haruka shook her head and said, "I think Ami-chan is better off without him."
The scouts and guardians agreed, then set back down to business. The picture began to get fuzzy, then blacked out.
Sapphire closed the book, silently stood and put the book back to its resting place. I sat in shock. Gone…?
Sapphire walked back to me, and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, and he wore a sympathetic expression. "I—I thought I was in love…with him…" I said. He sat next to me, and a tear formed at the corner of my eye. "How could he say that?" Sapphire wrapped me into a solid embrace and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shown you."
I shook my head and replied, "No. I know that the Senshi are there for me. Now I know that Greg didn't deserve my affections. I'm glad you showed me." He broke the hug and looked me in the eyes. His azure orbs captivated me. Without a word, he closed his eyes and began to move his face closer to mine. We moved toward each other closer, closer, and closer. It felt so right; I couldn't fight it. Our lips were a razor blade's width apart, and I could feel his breath on my lips. I closed my eyes, and succumbed to rapture.
Unexpectedly, a bellowing voice shattered the moment, and I almost fell off the chair. "USAGI!" Diamond's voice roared through the castle. Sapphire and I rose and ran to the door. He unlocked and opened the door.
Diamond was running through the halls, and was in front of the door when Sapphire opened it. His wild eyes scanned the area, and his face was pink. "Where is she?"
I stepped forward and cried, "What did you do to Usagi?!"
Diamond looked at me and said, "None of your damned business! Stay out of it!" He started to leave, but he stopped, and turned to look at me. "You're coming with me. You're best friends with the girl; you'll know where she's most likely to know!" He roughly grabbed my arm, and pulled me with him. "No! Let me go!" I shrieked. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held tight.
Sapphire butted in and yelled, "Let her go!" Diamond screamed, "No way!" Sapphire took a quick breath in, and raised he fist. He lunged, and his fist contacted the side of Diamond's face. He howled in pain and stumbled back. "Sapphire! How could you?!"
Sapphire glared at him and said, "You're out of control. You were going to hurt Ami again, and I can't allow it! Now let's be civilized, and continue to look for Usagi. Ami will come with me, and you will stay in your room. She's probably upset about something, and seeing you may make it worse. Now go." Diamond said nothing, and teleported into a portal that appeared behind him.
"Thanks so much," I said to Sapphire, rubbing my arm. He gently took hold of my arm and said, "It may be bruised. I think you should stay away from Diamond; I couldn't bear to see anything happen to you." I looked at him, and he was blushing. I flushed, and quietly replied, "Thank you—for stepping in." He smiled at me, and the pink on his face deepened to red. I giggled and said, "You look cute when you blush like that."
He looked away, cleared his throat and said, "Well, we should go find Usagi." I nodded, and we began to run through the corridors.
~*~
We came to a bedroom door, and heard quiet sobs coming from within. I rapped on the door and said, "Usagi, is that you? This is Ami!" The doorknob turned slowly, and I came face to face with Usagi's tearstained face. "Come in. You too, Sapphire," she said in a wavering voice.
We entered, and she motioned for us to sit at the chairs in one end of the room. She locked the door, and sat with us. "What happened, Usagi?" I asked, concerned.
She said, "Earlier, Diamond summoned me to come to his room. When I entered, he was sitting on his bed, and told me to come to him. I refused, because I already knew what he was going to do. He got angry and used his powers to make me levitate, and come to him. He pinned me against the bed and used the Third Eye to hypnotize me. While I was under duress, he began to—unzip the back of my dress." Her tears began to flow again. "I broke the trance, and kicked him… hard—where it hurts. I ran out of the room, and he followed me. When he caught up to me, he hit me with a blast of Dark Energy. It paralyzed my right side, and I limped as fast as I could to get away. I turned a corner, and bumped into Rubeus. I asked him to teleport me to my room, and by the time Diamond turned the corner, I was gone. That's when he went on his little 'hunt' for me. I can't take this. I want the senshi to come already!" Then she broke down in sobs. I pulled her into a hug and said, "It's all right. Sapphire showed me what the scouts were doing earlier! They know Diamond has us, and I'm SURE they're gonna come for us!" All except that backstabber Greg.
She looked at me. "Really?" she asked. I replied, "Really. Just take a deep breath, and try to go through with this. I know it won't last much longer. You'll be out of here in no time!"
Sapphire said, "I'll go talk to Diamond now. We'll see if we can't talk a little sense into him." With that, he teleported out of the room.
Usagi looked to me and said, "So how are you two getting along?"
I smiled and replied, "Just fine. Don't say anything to anyone, but…"
She widened her eyes and leaned forward. "But what?"
I blushed and replied, "Well, after he showed me what the scouts are planning, I was upset because Greg was there and he ridiculed me. In the worst way imaginable." Usagi gave a sympathetic look and said, "Oh, Ami. I'm so sorry, I know you had major feelings for him."
I continued. "Here's the thing. After Sapphire saw I was upset, he hugged me, then we—leaned in to kiss each other. Just before anything happened, we heard Diamond's voice screaming through the halls. Then we came to find you."
She squealed and said, "Oh, Ami! You didn't even have to do anything, and Sapphire just FELL for you! He's so cute too!"
I whispered, "Not so loud!" She raised an eyebrow. I said, "We have a budding friendship. For now, I want to try and overlook the fact that he's—um, very attractive." I blushed at the words.
Usagi nodded and said, "Oooh, I see. Keep it on the down low for now. I can do that. But you better keep me updated!"
I giggled and replied, "It IS nice to have an admirer—I think. I mean, he stood up for me against Diamond. He socked him in the face for me! But I still don't know if he really likes me, or is just playing up to me. I mean, after Greg…" I shook my head.
Usagi touched my shoulder. "Ami, you need to listen to your heart on this. It still may be too soon for you."
Smiling, I said, "Thank you, Usagi. You're a great friend, and I'm glad to have you." Sapphire can wait for now; Usagi is still at risk with Diamond. I hope Sapphire is talking some sense into him. I stood and said, "I'd better be going. I want to walk around the castle. Want to come?" She stood and said, "Sure, I'd love to. It beats sitting around here, vulnerable. Let's go!" We laughed and walked out of her room.
