Chapter 3


Ky awoke earlier then her room mate. She couldn't have been more pleased with the roommate who had been chosen for her. She seemed to have met her intellectual match in Ami. As a bonus, Ami was quiet and did not ask too many questions. She simply seemed to accept Ky as she was, as she appeared to be. This suited Ky nicely.

She tied her hair with the little green ribbon that her mother had given her before she had died. It was the only tie she had to her home. She felt lost and alone. She knew it would only get worse.

"Hey, sleepy head," Ky called. Ami moaned and pulled her pillow over her head. "Jet lag," decided Ky. She smiled, thinking of what she already knew about this girl.

"Ami, we have to be at the tournament in half an hour." This had the desired effect. Ami sprung from her bed as if it were on fire.

"Why'd you let me sleep so late?" she demanded, slamming the bathroom door behind her. Ky grinned, and fought to control the bubble of laughter that had come into her.

The shower came on. Ky could hear Ami frantically getting ready. Ky rearranged her chess pieces on the board, listening to Ami murmur angrily.

"Check, Ami," Ky whispered, "your move."

Ami burst out of the bathroom, looking frazzled but otherwise very neatly dressed. Her hair was in disarray, and Ami was trying to tame her wayward locks. Ky grinned. Ami turned a murderous glare at her.

"You're evil!" she exclaimed playfully, realizing her error. "The tournament starts this afternoon!"

"Of course I'm evil," replied Ky, trying to look innocent. She laughed. Ami began to laugh too. "Come on. Let's get some breakfast."


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Ami tried not to let her jaw drop open again. The cafeteria had been full, but the number of kids had to have doubled. There were more then two thousand names displayed on the huge scoreboard.

"There's got to be at least two thousand teens here," whispered Ami.

"No doubt more," replied Ky, who was scanning the board to find her name. "I'm in group A1," she added, pointing up near the top of the giant list. "I'm playing a Russian girl. How 'bout you?"

"Group B12," replied Ami. She followed the lines of the championship board. "There's no way I'll face you until the finals, if either of us get that far. Out lines never merge until then."

"Well then, whomever is out first gets to be black in our first real game. We won't play again until one of us is out or we're both in the finals. Deal?"

"Deal, Ky." Ami grinned. "Good luck."

"Hum. I don't put faith in luck. You shouldn't either." Ky bounced away into the sea of students. Ami laughed, and went to find her opponent.

Ami was disappointed. The match had lasted less then an hour. The boy from France gave her a weak smile. She congratulated him in his native tongue

"Bien jouez," Ami said, shaking his hand. . The boy, maybe fifteen, gave her a much bigger smile.

"Merci, Ami," he replied. "Bonne chance." Ami smiled.

She returned to the score board in time to see her name go up. Her next match would be the next morning, when she'd fight the winner of the Italian boy versus the American named "Jordan". She couldn't decide if Jordan was a girl or boy, but it didn't really matter. Ami found Ky's match slot. Her game was not yet finished. Ami decided to take a walk around the campus to get acquainted with where she needed to go.

Ami had no clue where she was. She was lost in an out of the way ally. A scream cut through the still air. Ami pulled out her transformation pen.

"Mercury Crystal Power!" she cried. She transformed into Sailor Mercury, and ran toward the scream. A wave of memories flooded her mind. Everything that had happened the day before came crashing back to her. That new senshi had played with her mind. Not just her mind, but the minds of everyone on campus! This senshi meant serious business.

A second scream jolted Ami back to the present. She continued her run toward the sound. She came into sight of the main building. In dark shadows lurked a man and two dog-shaped beings. There were two girls lying unconscious out in the light. They were very pale.

"Night Terrors, capture that senshi!" ordered the man. The two dog-creatures sprang into the dying light of day.

The dog-creatures were not really dogs at all, but shaped that way. They seemed to be made of living shadow. Ami felt her blood drain from her face, and she wanted nothing more then to run away. She stood her ground. Her bubbles would do no good against these fowl creatures.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she yelled. The two hounds were frozen. They shattered into a thousand pieces.

"You'll not get away so very easily, senshi," said the man. He held out his hand. Ami felt as if a giant fist were pulling her in. She could not breath very well.

"Where is the Princess?" demanded the man.

"So that's it," thought Ami. "He's after Serena. I can't let him!" She refused to answer him.

The invisible hand tightened it's grip. Her lungs burned from lack of air. Ami thought she would lose consciousness.

"I repeat, Lesser Senshi, where is your princess?" Ami drew her lips together tighter. Black spots were beginning to appear in her vision.

"I am here, Guardian," said a voice. "Let Sailor Mercury go."

"Gladly. She is of no use to us." Ami was thrown against a tree. Her head bounced off the truck, and soon she knew no more.