Oooh, more! How exciting! Anyhow, here's another chapter, so enjoy! ~DestinyBabe

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The Mystic Warriors, Part 3

***The Arctic Comes Blowing In***

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It had been two weeks since the Sailor Scouts had found out about Serena's Moonlight armor

and they were still in awe of the power she now possessed. To them, it explained why she

was more mature. But now that they had found out, all they could do was wait for their own

armor to appear and continue to question. The most popular question was who were the other

four armor bearers. That would mean that there would have to be four other scouts that they

didn't know about yet. But they would wait and find out. They had no other choice.

***

Ami looked at the clock by her bed. 6:25. Serena should be here any moment Ami

thought ruefully. Serena was coming over to study for their math test. When Serena asked

Ami if she could come over and study for the math test, Ami thought that she needed help.

She didn't know that she was going to be wrong.

At precisely 6:30, the doorbell rang, startling Ami. If there was one thing about this new

power of hers, and the maturity that went with it, she was more punctual now then she had

been before. Standing up, she ran to the door to welcome the first person to treat her as a

friend. She opened the door to find Serena standing there holding her bookbag in one hand

and her math book in the other. "Hiya Ami! Can I come in?"

"Oh, sure," Ami said, smiling at her. Ami moved to the side as Serena stepped over the

threshold into the house and slipped off her shoes. "You're on time, Serena."

"Yeah, I guess I am. Why?"

"Nothing, I'm just having a hard time accepting your newfound maturity. It's blowing

everyone away."

"I know. My parents think I've been possessed. Especially when I brought that English test

home." Ami laughed at the recollection of Serena's story about how her parents reacted when

she got a 99% on her English test. They fainted. "Yes, I suppose I would be shocked if my

daughter had brought home an almost perfect test after a string of D's."

"Shut up Ami, stop patronizing me."

"Ok, ok." They sat down in Ami's room and Serena set her books on the table next to Ami's.

"So Serena, what questions do you have?" Serena looked at Ami confused. "Questions?"

"Yeah, that's why you came over to study, isn't it?"

"No, I don't have any questions. I just wanted to study in a quiet environment and I was

hoping that we could quiz each other, you know, so we can be prepared for the test." The

shock on Ami's face was apparent and Serena noticed.

"You thought that I had questions and that I wanted to have you help me? No, no, I just

wanted to get away from my brother so he wouldn't bother me while I was trying to study."

"Serena, I think that your parents have a right to be shocked," Ami said, the shock ringing

in her voice.

"Why?"

"Because you're taking everything so much more seriously. You've changed, but you haven't

changed. Do you understand?"

"Not really."

"You're taking everything, school and Sailor Scouts, seriously. But, you haven't lost the

part of your personality that makes everyone like you and happy, so it's like you haven't

changed at all. Plus, you're still a klutz when you're not in your armor. Now do you

understand?"

"Yeah, I guess I do," Serena said. She knew that in some ways, she was different, but in

other areas, she was exactly the same.

"Now, do you want to start studying?"

"Sure. Ok, so y = mx + b is . . . "

***

Serena and Ami were walking home after school two days later, talking excitedly about their

math tests.

"I can't believe I got a 100%!" Serena exclaimed happily.

"Yes, I'm very proud of you. I got the same thing."

"Yeah, but Ames, that's expected of you. My parents are going to faint again."

"I think that they'll handle it better this time. They're probably getting used to it."

Serena and Ami started to laugh, but their laughter was cut short when they heard a scream

coming from around the corner. They looked at each other and wordlessly ran to the source

of the screams.

There were two youmas who looked like a cross between a human and a bear and they were

torturing two small girls. Enraged, Ami called out "MERCURY POWER!" and moments later, she

appeared as Sailor Mercury. "Power of the Moonlight!" Serena cried, equally as enraged and

stood there in her sub-armor. "Mercury, I'll lure one away so they'll be easier to defeat.

Sound like a plan?"

"Absolute Serena." She looked at Serena and she nodded. Serena drew in a big breath and

called out, "Hey pig-breath. Come and fight me! Yeah, you, you coward!" One of the youmas

heard her and took after her around the corner, leaving one there still torturing the two

little girls. "Hey fuzz brain. Turn around and fight me," Sailor Mercury said. The youma

turned around and said, "What's it to you, you weakling?"

"I am not weak, now stop torturing those two girls and pick on someone your own size," Ami

said, trying to ignore the youma's insults. He was only trying to catch her off guard.

"Oh you mean like you?" He tsked at her, shaking his head, and picked up one of the girls

by the throat. "No, I'd rather torture this one right here." Mercury looked at the girl

whose throat was being strangled. Mercury gasped as she recognized the little girl as her

neighbor's daughter, the girl she would always baby-sit. Baby-sat will be more like it if

I don't do something quick. "MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!" A fog infiltrated the air around

them and the youma only laughed. "Ha, you think that works against me? Your little fog

doesn't do anything to me." The fog cleared and the youma was smiling at Mercury, holding

the girl by the shirt. Her eyes were closed and she didn't seem to be breathing. He tossed

the girl at Mercury and she rushed towards the little girl.

With tears filling her eyes, she checked for a pulse and found nothing. Sailor Mercury's

anger and pain for what had just happened struck something inside her. She closed her eyes

and allowed for a moment of remorse for the little girl lying dead at her feet. "I promise,

I will avenge your death," Mercury whispered. She stood up and glared at the youma.

Hissing, she said, "I'll get you for this."

"Oh really? Are you going to blind me with your fog?" Ignoring his taunts, she cried out,

"Power of the Artic!" A flash of bright light engulfed her and she appeared in sub-armor

that looked exactly like Serena's. It was mostly white like Serena's except the silver on

Serena's sub-armor was blue on Ami's and Ami had a silver wave on her chest that looked like

a wave of ice. Unlike Serena, she had a blue headband going across her forehead. Her eyes

were glowing with an intensity and fury that weakened the arrogance of the youma in front of

her. He even took a few steps back.

Taking a deep, she called out, "I call upon the armor of the Arctic! Armor of the Arctic, TO ARMS!" Her hands crossed over her chest as swirls of ice and snow swirled around her

legs, arms, and chest, turning into blue armor. The ice and snow gathered in front of her

head and turned into a helmet, which she picked up and put on. The wind created by the ice

and snow died down and left Ami there in armor exactly like Serena's except where the silver

was on Serena's armor, Ami's was blue. On her chest was a silver wave of ice and her helmet

looked like the helmets of medieval knights, except hers was blue and came to a shallow

point a couple of inches above the bridge of her nose, which looked like a widow's peak. On

the forehead of her helmet was the same symbol that was on her chest.

The youma, now backed up against the wall behind him, had let the other little girl go. The

little girl had run off, leaving the youma and Ami alone. "Now, for revenge," Ami hissed.

Spreading her arms out wide, swirls of ice and snow surrounded her, forming a column of ice.

"RAGING ICE STORM," she said while crossing her arms in front of her chest as the column of

ice solidified more. She then shoved her arms down to her sides and shouted, "FREEZE!" as

the column of ice broke and sent shards of ice and energy towards the youma, effectively

immobilizing it. Breathing heavy, she heard Serena behind her say, "Wow Ames, that was

incredible. Want me to finish him off?"

"Sure thing Serena." Serena nodded and cried out, "MOONLIGHT VANQUISH!" as a bolt of light

in the shape of a crescent moon came out of the sweeping movements of Serena's staff,

killing the weakened youma quickly. Sighing, Serena leaned against her staff for support,

looking Ami and her new armor up and down. "Nice armor, Ami. Almost exactly like mine

except for the color, the symbol and the helmet. Your helmet doesn't have horns like mine

does and your symbol is a silver wave. Very nice. What's your armor name?"

"The armor of the Arctic. Fitting for my previous powers, huh?"

"Absolutely." They heard gasps come from behind them. They looked around and saw the other

scouts looking at them. "Wow Ami," Lita said, "Nice armor. I think I'm almost jealous."

Ami smiled, but then remembered the little girl lying on the ground. Tears filling her

eyes, she moved over to the little girl and picked her up off the ground. Ami swallowed the

lump in her throat said, "I couldn't save her. I don't think I'm worthy of the armor that I

wear now." Lightly, Ami kissed the forehead of the little girl in her arms in remembrance.

Serena, whose eyes were getting misty like everyone else's, detransformed into her

sub-armor and drew the crystal out from inside her. "No Ami, you are worthy of the armor.

More than you'll ever know," Serena said. Serena cried out, "MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!" and

light surrounded the girl in Ami's arms. Suddenly, the little girl started breathing again.

Ami looked at Serena in amazement as the little girl woke up. Looking up at the person who

was holding her, she said, "Who are you? And what happened to those monsters?"

"We took care of them. You're safe now," Ami said, "You can go home now."

"Thank you," the little girl said as Ami let her down. The little girl started to walk

away, but quickly turned around and gave Ami a kiss on the cheek as thanks for saving her

life. Then she turned around and ran home. Ami smiled at the retreating form and

detransformed into her sub-armor.

Sighing, she went over to Serena, who had withdrawn the crystal back into her body, and

hugged her. "Thank you for saving her." Serena smiled at Ami as she pulled away. "Hey

Ami, I like your headband. It fits you," Serena said as she flicked one of the locks of

Ami's hair that rested over her headband.

"Thank you, Serena. I'm glad you think so."

Spotting a flash of white out of the corner of her eye, she walked over and picked up her

and Serena's test. "At least these survived the fight. Now you can go home and show your

parents." As Serena, Ami and the scouts detransformed, Raye grabbed the test out of

Serena's hand and looked at it with her mouth wide open. "You got a 100%?" she shouted.

Mina grabbed it out of Raye's hand and said, "Let me see that." Her mouth dropped wide open

as she spotted the grade at the top of the paper and she said, "Wow Serena, I'm proud of

you. You obviously deserve this."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Sighing lightly, she said, "So, how was everyone's day?" All at

once, everyone started talking and Serena smiled, glad to listen to her friends' chattering

as they started out to their respective houses.