Empire of the Dark Ami
by amiwakawaiidesu
(Based on characters and situations from "Sailor Moon",
neither created nor owned by myself.)
-------
CHAPTER TWO
"Queen to Rook 5."
"Bishop to Rook 3."
"Queen takes Bishop. I'm afraid that's checkmate,
Hoshi."
Mizuno Hoshi sighed, looking up at his blue-haired
mother. An intimidating figure in her black fuku,
criss-crossed with band-like cords, Kuroiami-sama--the
Black Ami--was feared in every corner of the world, yet
there was no mistaking the motherly affection in her
eyes at the moment.
"I suppose my play was clumsy," Hoshi admitted.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that," his mother replied;
"you played well to a point. You might even have won,
if you hadn't trapped your own king."
Kuroiami then paused, noting the opening of the
double-doors in the far end of the Game Room, and the
entry of three black-suited Senshi.
"Still," she continued, "this was a useful lesson.
Even if you start strong, it's meaningless unless you
finish off your opponent."
"Yes, Mother."
"And speaking of finishing off an opponent, General
Venus," Kuroiami said to the leader of the approaching
women, "I see you still haven't killed the Outer
Senshi."
"There were complications, Master..."
"Spare your excuses. Hoshi's plans are more thorough
than yours, and he's a quarter of your age."
Sailorvenus fumed.
"Happily, though, there is a way for you to redeem
yourself. A dimensional portal will be opening in
Minato-ku shortly, and a blue-haired girl will be
entering from the world Hoshi and I just left. You are
to seize the girl, and kill the Outer Senshi."
"The Outer Senshi will be there...?" asked Sailormars.
"How do you know that?" added Sailorjupiter.
"Because I play a complete game, General Jupiter,"
Kuroiami replied, "unlike General Venus. Now go,
before you try my patience."
"Yoshi!" the three Senshi said together, bowing and
then departing.
"I hope you'll pardon my curiosity," Hoshi said to his
mother, "but why DID we take that girl from the other
world? I gather you wanted her ginzuishou, but why
didn't you just take the crystal and leave the girl
behind? And why did you need a second ginzuishou in
the first place? You already have a perfectly good
one."
Kuroiami just smiled for a moment, admiring her son's
precocious intellect.
"Well, I'd like to tell you, Hoshi, but I can't make it
that simple. You'll have to win a game first, before
I'll tell."
"Like that's going to happen."
"Consider it motivation."
"Very well," Hoshi said, turning the chessboard around
on its turntable. Hoshi and Kuroiami then set the
pieces up for a second game, with Hoshi black and his
mother white.
"Pawn to King 4," Kuroiami said.
"Pawn to King 4."
"Knight to King's Bishop 3."
Hoshi lifted an eyebrow.
"Ruy Lopez," he noted.
"Yes," Kuroiami said. "I do so love the classics..."
* * * * *
"World Shaking!"
"Chikushou!" Sailormercury cried, barely dodging the
golden missile before it would have plowed right into
her. Even as she dodged the attack, though,
Sailorneptune was launching her own attack...
"Deep Submerge!"
...and this one didn't miss; the watery blast caught
Sailormercury squarely and knocked her off her feet.
For Sailormercury, this had been one long day.
It had all begun innocently enough. Ami had invited
Usagi over to study at her place, and--after going out
for a bite to eat--Ami was looking forward to a quiet
evening with her best friend. But then a blue-haired
woman and her blue-haired son--both of whom bore a
striking resemblance to Ami--forced their way into
Ami's apartment and abducted Usagi, fleeing through a
hyperdimensional portal.
But the portal didn't close fast enough to keep
Sailormercury from following after them. Pausing only
long enough to tie a safety rope around her waist--and
leave her minicomputer behind for Luna, with data on
the portal--Sailormercury leapt from the ledge of her
12th floor balcony...and was promptly attacked by
Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune.
In the moment before the attack, Sailormercury had
caught a glimpse of her new surroundings--crumbling
buildings, crumpled cars and twisted Japanese street
signs, all standing stark and lifeless in the mid-
afternoon sunlight; since it was dark when Ami entered
the portal, though, the sunlight dazzled her for a
moment, and thus she was caught off-guard when the
Outer Senshi assailed her.
"You bitch!" Sailoruranus said, grabbing Sailormercury
by the throat and smacking her head against the
concrete; "I'll kill you--!"
"Nani ga--?" Sailormercury gasped, in a rasping squeak.
"How dare you speak to me, Kuroiami!"
Sailoruranus then pulled Sailormercury back to her feet
and punched her in the jaw, sending her flying backward
into the grill of an old police car. Hitting the
grill--now stunned and bleeding from her lip--
Sailormercury crumpled like a sack full of wet rice.
"Now you die," Sailoruranus said; "World--!"
"Wait a minute," Sailorneptune said, coming up next to
Sailoruranus; "I'm not sure that's actually Kuroiami."
"What do you mean?" Sailoruranus asked, holding her
attack.
"Well, if she WERE Kuroiami, you'd be dead already.
This is just a girl who looks like Kuroiami."
"How can you be certain?"
Sailorneptune gave her partner a patient look.
"Because I trust my intuition," Sailorneptune said,
walking past Sailoruranus and kneeling down next to
Sailormercury. "For God's sake, Uranus, she's only a
child!"
"But...this could be a trick!" Sailoruranus said,
clearly still hopped-up with anger and looking to kill
somebody.
"Please..." Sailormercury gasped, "...I'm looking for
Usagi..."
"Usagi?" Sailoruranus asked. "What do you know of the
princess?"
Before Sailormercury could answer, though, she felt her
consciousness slipping away, and a strange world she
barely knew was slipping out of sight...
* * * * *
When she came back to consciousness, some time later,
Sailormercury had a sense she was being carried on
someone's shoulder. Vaguely, though, she also had a
sense of a battle going on nearby; black-suited Sailor
Senshi were dashing about--one with blonde hair, and
two others with black and brown hair--trying to corner
Sailoruranus. But then she heard a familiar voice...
"Dead Scream!"
...and a mighty blast, followed by silence.
"Wha's happening...?" Sailormercury asked, groggily.
"Hush now," Sailorneptune said; "I have to get you out
of here."
"Oh...all right," Sailormercury replied, falling back
to the comforting numbness of sleep...
* * * * *
So brief was the interlude, Ami wasn't sure if she'd
just been dreaming when she awoke the next morning.
Sailorpluto seemed real enough, though, sitting at the
foot of her bed with the Staff of Time across her legs.
"So you're awake," Sailorpluto said.
To Ami's surprise, Sailorpluto sounded distinctly
gruff, and that just compounded the pain she was
already feeling in her head. Pushing herself upright,
Ami felt an immediate wave of nausea and fought an urge
to throw up, but Sailorpluto simply looked on
dispassionately. Following on the heels of her
treatment by Sailoruranus, Ami immediately understood
the situation: she was a prisoner, and Sailorpluto was
her guard.
But what a prison! Paint was peeling from the walls,
pieces of broken furniture were piled in the corners of
the room, and the only window was shattered and heavy
with cobwebs. Indeed, the battered look of the room
mirrored the feeling of Ami's head, although she did
have a sense that her injuries weren't catastrophic.
Feeling her jaw with her hand, she could tell it
probably wasn't broken, and she was likewise gratified
to note that the back of her skull--where Sailoruranus
had smacked it on the pavement--felt intact, not soft
or crunchy.
Must be that Senshi constitution, Ami thought, with
a wry grimace.
"Listen," Ami said, "I don't mean to be a bother, but
is there a bathroom nearby?"
Sailorpluto grunted, rising from her chair. That was
the extent of her helpfulness, though, for she neither
helped Ami to her feet, nor warned Ami of the bits of
broken glass and other debris on the floor. Thus, Ami
found her feet being jabbed through her socks as she
followed Sailorpluto out of the bedroom and into the
adjacent hallway.
"This way," Sailorpluto said, moving around behind Ami,
then prodding her forward with her staff. It was a
strange experience indeed--being treated so roughly by
a Senshi she had the utmost respect for--but Ami tried
to remember that the Senshi here probably had no idea
who she really was or where she'd come from; indeed--
considering the way Sailoruranus seemed hell-bent on
killing her when they first met--Sailorpluto was
showing considerable restraint by comparison.
Nonetheless, Ami was a bit embarrassed when Sailorpluto
forced her to keep the bathroom door open once they got
there. Not surprisingly--given the glimpses of
wreckage Ami saw through the windows of the house as
they walked along--none of the plumbing in the bathroom
actually worked, but someone had nevertheless
improvised a crude sanitary station with military
survival gear and a 10-liter jug of purified water.
Upon seeing the latter, Ami suddenly realized she was
desperately thirsty, but Sailorpluto allotted her only
a few drops to drink, and a little more to wash her
face with.
I must not be resentful, Ami reminded herself--
although she was horrified when she finally got a look
at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her face was
bruised and laced with cuts, her blue hair was tangled
and clumpy, and her sweatshirt and pants--what she'd
been wearing back at her apartment--were crumpled and
dirty. Recalling how happy she'd been when she first
got dressed on Sunday morning--looking forward to a
whole day together with Usagi--it made her heart sink
with sadness.
Now, of course, she not only had no idea where Usagi
was, but she had no possessions beyond the clothes on
her back; her transformation stick and communicator
were both gone, and even her coin purse wasn't in her
pocket where she'd last left it, neatly clipped to a
belt hoop to keep anyone from stealing it. Clearly,
the Outer Senshi didn't trust her at all.
"That's long enough in there," Sailorpluto said,
pulling Ami out of the restroom. "Let's go."
Again, Ami let herself be pushed forward, but instead
of returning to the bedroom, Sailorpluto steered her
toward a kitchen where they found Sailorneptune.
Seeing her, Ami's hopes soared; Sailorneptune, after
all, had at least been willing to entertain the notion
that Ami wasn't their enemy.
"Oh my God, you look terrible...!" Sailorneptune said,
starting to move toward Ami with a medical kit.
Sailorpluto, however, blocked her with her staff.
"Don't touch her," Sailorpluto said, pushing Ami into a
chair in a corner of the kitchen.
"She could be badly hurt," Sailorneptune said.
"She'll live."
"well, at least let me look at those lacerations..."
"I think you're forgetting our agreement," Sailorpluto
said. "It's bad enough we let you talk us into not
restraining her."
"You're just as bad as Uranus," Sailorneptune said.
"That girl is no more Kuroiami than you are."
"We'll see. Now how's that tea coming?"
"The water's ready," Sailorneptune said bitterly,
lifting a kettle from a small camp stove. She and
Sailorpluto then sat down at a small round table--
several meters away from Ami--where Sailorneptune
poured water into a pair of teacups.
Well, at least Neptune believes in me, Ami thought.
Ami, for her part, was not given any of the green tea
the Outer Senshi were sharing, but she could distinctly
smell its aroma. Since Ami was already swaying dizzily
in her chair, though, that wasn't necessarily a good
thing; Sailorpluto and Sailorneptune were clearly
waiting for something--most likely the return of
Sailoruranus--and Ami didn't want to pass out
before she got there.
Maybe I should try to escape... Ami thought. But
where would I go? I don't know anything about this
world, and I probably wouldn't get ten meters before
they caught me anyway.
But I don't know if I can take another beating...
Several silent minutes passed, with the Outer Senshi
quietly sipping their tea and Ami trying to stay
upright in her chair. Finally, she risked saying
something--both to keep her mind focused, and to gauge
the reaction of her fellow Senshi.
"So I see you have fuel for a camp stove..." Ami said;
"that must be difficult to come by."
"Well, a wood fire would be better," Sailorneptune
said, "but the heishi would see the smoke."
"Neptune!" Sailorpluto said.
"What?"
"She doesn't have to know about our supplies."
"Honestly, Pluto--it's hardly a secret that gasoline is
hard to come by."
While they argued, Ami reflected on Michiru's use of
the word "heishi"; the word "heishi" meant a
professional soldier--such as a member of the SDF--and
carried a different connotation than the word "senshi",
or "warrior". Was it possible that the Outer Senshi
were fighting the Self-Defense Force as well as another
group of Senshi?
If so, it was a frightening prospect. Luna had told
Ami once that the Sailor fuku were bulletproof--hence
the preference for magic among their many foes;
however, even the magical Sailor fuku couldn't shield a
Senshi from the bruising force of bullet impacts, or
bullets that hit exposed flesh.
My God, Ami thought; what kind of crazy world is
this...?
* * * * *
Eventually, Sailorpluto and Sailorneptune fell silent
again, returning to the sipping of their tea. Ami's
sense of being the condemned awaiting execution grew
with every passing second, though, and it finally came
to a climax when she heard the front door of the house
open. Suddenly, Sailoruranus was there in the doorway
of the kitchen, and Ami cringed despite herself.
So this is it, Ami thought; I'm going to die.
To Ami's surprise, though, Sailoruranus actually
flashed her a quick smile as she walked across the
kitchen to stand by her comrades.
"So what did you learn?" Sailorpluto asked
Sailoruranus.
"I don't think she's Kuroiami," Sailoruranus said,
dropping Ami's transformation pen, communicator and
coin purse on the kitchen table. "Luna says this
equipment came from another world, where Kuroiami
doesn't exist."
Relieved, Ami slumped in her chair.
"Honestly," Sailorneptune said, grabbing her medical
kit again and rushing to Ami's side, "it took you long
enough to find out."
"Well, excuse me," Sailoruranus replied, "but I
couldn't exactly move around freely with the heishi
patrolling the city."
"Well, at least we know," Sailorneptune said, applying
antiseptic to Ami's wounds. Although the antiseptic
stung, Ami's sheer relief barely let her feel it.
"Indeed," Sailoruranus said to Ami, dropping into
a bow. "Mizuno-san, I owe you an apology. I behaved
with a lack of proper restraint."
"That's okay..." Ami said, wincing as Sailorneptune
treated her injuries; "I'm sure you wouldn't have
pummeled me without a good reason."
"I knew this was a good kid!" Sailoruranus said,
standing back upright and rubbing Ami's tousled hair.
"I'm sure you did, Dear," Sailorneptune said. "Now why
don't you get Mizuno-san some water."
"Right," Sailoruranus said, turning away for a moment.
"If you don't mind me asking," Ami asked Sailorneptune,
"how do you know my name is 'Mizuno'?"
"Well, that's who we thought you were," Sailorneptune
replied; "'Mizuno Ami'" is Kuroiami's real name too.
Plus your name is on your student ID."
"Sorry about looking through your things," Sailoruranus
said, returning to Ami with a cupful of water. "But we
had to make certain who you really were."
Concentrating on the water, Ami didn't respond until
after she'd drank it all--careful though she was not to
gulp it down all at once.
"Arigatou," Ami said with a gasp, returning the cup.
"So I guess this Kuroiami person must be a pretty bad,
for you to hate her so much."
Sailoruranus exchanged a meaningful glance with
Sailorneptune.
"It's a long story," Sailorneptune said. "But we'll
tell you what we know once you've had a chance to rest
some more."
"Arigatou..." Ami replied; "arigatou gozaimasu."
Suddenly, though, a brilliant radiance shone from
Sailorpluto's staff, and all eyes turned to see the
garnet orb blazing red.
"What is it?" Ami asked the Outer Senshi.
"I think that rest is going to have to wait,"
Sailorpluto said, leaping to her feet; "we've got
company."
* * * * *
On a nearby hill, meanwhile, a black-suited Senshi with
long golden hair was smiling with satisfaction.
Through her binoculars, Sailorvenus could see that her
SDF troops were already in position surrounding a
small, battered-looking house in the outskirts of
Minato-ku.
"The men are in position, General Venus," an SDF
colonel said to Sailorvenus.
"Very good, Colonel. Return to your men and await my
orders."
"Hai!" the colonel said, saluting and departing.
Sailormars and Sailorjupiter then stepped forward, both
wearing exasperated expressions.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Sailorjupiter
asked. "These Outer Senshi have slipped away before."
"Indeed," Sailormars said. "Just yesterday afternoon,
as I recall."
Sailorvenus shook her head at Sailormars' pathetic jab
at her leadership.
"As I recall, General Mars, it was YOU who let them get
away, letting Pluto attack us on the flank you were
supposed to be guarding."
"Whatever," Sailormars sighed.
"Just remember," Sailorvenus said, "our Master wants
the blue-haired girl alive."
"So after we have the blue-haired girl...?"
Sailorjupiter asked.
"Then we can kill the others. Now take your
positions."
"Yoshi!" Sailormars and Sailorjupiter both said,
nodding together and leaping away. Sailorvenus stayed
behind a moment longer, however, to look once more at
the house through her binoculars.
"Yes, Uranus," Sailorvenus said to herself, "I have you
now. Today you die."
by amiwakawaiidesu
(Based on characters and situations from "Sailor Moon",
neither created nor owned by myself.)
-------
CHAPTER TWO
"Queen to Rook 5."
"Bishop to Rook 3."
"Queen takes Bishop. I'm afraid that's checkmate,
Hoshi."
Mizuno Hoshi sighed, looking up at his blue-haired
mother. An intimidating figure in her black fuku,
criss-crossed with band-like cords, Kuroiami-sama--the
Black Ami--was feared in every corner of the world, yet
there was no mistaking the motherly affection in her
eyes at the moment.
"I suppose my play was clumsy," Hoshi admitted.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that," his mother replied;
"you played well to a point. You might even have won,
if you hadn't trapped your own king."
Kuroiami then paused, noting the opening of the
double-doors in the far end of the Game Room, and the
entry of three black-suited Senshi.
"Still," she continued, "this was a useful lesson.
Even if you start strong, it's meaningless unless you
finish off your opponent."
"Yes, Mother."
"And speaking of finishing off an opponent, General
Venus," Kuroiami said to the leader of the approaching
women, "I see you still haven't killed the Outer
Senshi."
"There were complications, Master..."
"Spare your excuses. Hoshi's plans are more thorough
than yours, and he's a quarter of your age."
Sailorvenus fumed.
"Happily, though, there is a way for you to redeem
yourself. A dimensional portal will be opening in
Minato-ku shortly, and a blue-haired girl will be
entering from the world Hoshi and I just left. You are
to seize the girl, and kill the Outer Senshi."
"The Outer Senshi will be there...?" asked Sailormars.
"How do you know that?" added Sailorjupiter.
"Because I play a complete game, General Jupiter,"
Kuroiami replied, "unlike General Venus. Now go,
before you try my patience."
"Yoshi!" the three Senshi said together, bowing and
then departing.
"I hope you'll pardon my curiosity," Hoshi said to his
mother, "but why DID we take that girl from the other
world? I gather you wanted her ginzuishou, but why
didn't you just take the crystal and leave the girl
behind? And why did you need a second ginzuishou in
the first place? You already have a perfectly good
one."
Kuroiami just smiled for a moment, admiring her son's
precocious intellect.
"Well, I'd like to tell you, Hoshi, but I can't make it
that simple. You'll have to win a game first, before
I'll tell."
"Like that's going to happen."
"Consider it motivation."
"Very well," Hoshi said, turning the chessboard around
on its turntable. Hoshi and Kuroiami then set the
pieces up for a second game, with Hoshi black and his
mother white.
"Pawn to King 4," Kuroiami said.
"Pawn to King 4."
"Knight to King's Bishop 3."
Hoshi lifted an eyebrow.
"Ruy Lopez," he noted.
"Yes," Kuroiami said. "I do so love the classics..."
* * * * *
"World Shaking!"
"Chikushou!" Sailormercury cried, barely dodging the
golden missile before it would have plowed right into
her. Even as she dodged the attack, though,
Sailorneptune was launching her own attack...
"Deep Submerge!"
...and this one didn't miss; the watery blast caught
Sailormercury squarely and knocked her off her feet.
For Sailormercury, this had been one long day.
It had all begun innocently enough. Ami had invited
Usagi over to study at her place, and--after going out
for a bite to eat--Ami was looking forward to a quiet
evening with her best friend. But then a blue-haired
woman and her blue-haired son--both of whom bore a
striking resemblance to Ami--forced their way into
Ami's apartment and abducted Usagi, fleeing through a
hyperdimensional portal.
But the portal didn't close fast enough to keep
Sailormercury from following after them. Pausing only
long enough to tie a safety rope around her waist--and
leave her minicomputer behind for Luna, with data on
the portal--Sailormercury leapt from the ledge of her
12th floor balcony...and was promptly attacked by
Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune.
In the moment before the attack, Sailormercury had
caught a glimpse of her new surroundings--crumbling
buildings, crumpled cars and twisted Japanese street
signs, all standing stark and lifeless in the mid-
afternoon sunlight; since it was dark when Ami entered
the portal, though, the sunlight dazzled her for a
moment, and thus she was caught off-guard when the
Outer Senshi assailed her.
"You bitch!" Sailoruranus said, grabbing Sailormercury
by the throat and smacking her head against the
concrete; "I'll kill you--!"
"Nani ga--?" Sailormercury gasped, in a rasping squeak.
"How dare you speak to me, Kuroiami!"
Sailoruranus then pulled Sailormercury back to her feet
and punched her in the jaw, sending her flying backward
into the grill of an old police car. Hitting the
grill--now stunned and bleeding from her lip--
Sailormercury crumpled like a sack full of wet rice.
"Now you die," Sailoruranus said; "World--!"
"Wait a minute," Sailorneptune said, coming up next to
Sailoruranus; "I'm not sure that's actually Kuroiami."
"What do you mean?" Sailoruranus asked, holding her
attack.
"Well, if she WERE Kuroiami, you'd be dead already.
This is just a girl who looks like Kuroiami."
"How can you be certain?"
Sailorneptune gave her partner a patient look.
"Because I trust my intuition," Sailorneptune said,
walking past Sailoruranus and kneeling down next to
Sailormercury. "For God's sake, Uranus, she's only a
child!"
"But...this could be a trick!" Sailoruranus said,
clearly still hopped-up with anger and looking to kill
somebody.
"Please..." Sailormercury gasped, "...I'm looking for
Usagi..."
"Usagi?" Sailoruranus asked. "What do you know of the
princess?"
Before Sailormercury could answer, though, she felt her
consciousness slipping away, and a strange world she
barely knew was slipping out of sight...
* * * * *
When she came back to consciousness, some time later,
Sailormercury had a sense she was being carried on
someone's shoulder. Vaguely, though, she also had a
sense of a battle going on nearby; black-suited Sailor
Senshi were dashing about--one with blonde hair, and
two others with black and brown hair--trying to corner
Sailoruranus. But then she heard a familiar voice...
"Dead Scream!"
...and a mighty blast, followed by silence.
"Wha's happening...?" Sailormercury asked, groggily.
"Hush now," Sailorneptune said; "I have to get you out
of here."
"Oh...all right," Sailormercury replied, falling back
to the comforting numbness of sleep...
* * * * *
So brief was the interlude, Ami wasn't sure if she'd
just been dreaming when she awoke the next morning.
Sailorpluto seemed real enough, though, sitting at the
foot of her bed with the Staff of Time across her legs.
"So you're awake," Sailorpluto said.
To Ami's surprise, Sailorpluto sounded distinctly
gruff, and that just compounded the pain she was
already feeling in her head. Pushing herself upright,
Ami felt an immediate wave of nausea and fought an urge
to throw up, but Sailorpluto simply looked on
dispassionately. Following on the heels of her
treatment by Sailoruranus, Ami immediately understood
the situation: she was a prisoner, and Sailorpluto was
her guard.
But what a prison! Paint was peeling from the walls,
pieces of broken furniture were piled in the corners of
the room, and the only window was shattered and heavy
with cobwebs. Indeed, the battered look of the room
mirrored the feeling of Ami's head, although she did
have a sense that her injuries weren't catastrophic.
Feeling her jaw with her hand, she could tell it
probably wasn't broken, and she was likewise gratified
to note that the back of her skull--where Sailoruranus
had smacked it on the pavement--felt intact, not soft
or crunchy.
Must be that Senshi constitution, Ami thought, with
a wry grimace.
"Listen," Ami said, "I don't mean to be a bother, but
is there a bathroom nearby?"
Sailorpluto grunted, rising from her chair. That was
the extent of her helpfulness, though, for she neither
helped Ami to her feet, nor warned Ami of the bits of
broken glass and other debris on the floor. Thus, Ami
found her feet being jabbed through her socks as she
followed Sailorpluto out of the bedroom and into the
adjacent hallway.
"This way," Sailorpluto said, moving around behind Ami,
then prodding her forward with her staff. It was a
strange experience indeed--being treated so roughly by
a Senshi she had the utmost respect for--but Ami tried
to remember that the Senshi here probably had no idea
who she really was or where she'd come from; indeed--
considering the way Sailoruranus seemed hell-bent on
killing her when they first met--Sailorpluto was
showing considerable restraint by comparison.
Nonetheless, Ami was a bit embarrassed when Sailorpluto
forced her to keep the bathroom door open once they got
there. Not surprisingly--given the glimpses of
wreckage Ami saw through the windows of the house as
they walked along--none of the plumbing in the bathroom
actually worked, but someone had nevertheless
improvised a crude sanitary station with military
survival gear and a 10-liter jug of purified water.
Upon seeing the latter, Ami suddenly realized she was
desperately thirsty, but Sailorpluto allotted her only
a few drops to drink, and a little more to wash her
face with.
I must not be resentful, Ami reminded herself--
although she was horrified when she finally got a look
at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her face was
bruised and laced with cuts, her blue hair was tangled
and clumpy, and her sweatshirt and pants--what she'd
been wearing back at her apartment--were crumpled and
dirty. Recalling how happy she'd been when she first
got dressed on Sunday morning--looking forward to a
whole day together with Usagi--it made her heart sink
with sadness.
Now, of course, she not only had no idea where Usagi
was, but she had no possessions beyond the clothes on
her back; her transformation stick and communicator
were both gone, and even her coin purse wasn't in her
pocket where she'd last left it, neatly clipped to a
belt hoop to keep anyone from stealing it. Clearly,
the Outer Senshi didn't trust her at all.
"That's long enough in there," Sailorpluto said,
pulling Ami out of the restroom. "Let's go."
Again, Ami let herself be pushed forward, but instead
of returning to the bedroom, Sailorpluto steered her
toward a kitchen where they found Sailorneptune.
Seeing her, Ami's hopes soared; Sailorneptune, after
all, had at least been willing to entertain the notion
that Ami wasn't their enemy.
"Oh my God, you look terrible...!" Sailorneptune said,
starting to move toward Ami with a medical kit.
Sailorpluto, however, blocked her with her staff.
"Don't touch her," Sailorpluto said, pushing Ami into a
chair in a corner of the kitchen.
"She could be badly hurt," Sailorneptune said.
"She'll live."
"well, at least let me look at those lacerations..."
"I think you're forgetting our agreement," Sailorpluto
said. "It's bad enough we let you talk us into not
restraining her."
"You're just as bad as Uranus," Sailorneptune said.
"That girl is no more Kuroiami than you are."
"We'll see. Now how's that tea coming?"
"The water's ready," Sailorneptune said bitterly,
lifting a kettle from a small camp stove. She and
Sailorpluto then sat down at a small round table--
several meters away from Ami--where Sailorneptune
poured water into a pair of teacups.
Well, at least Neptune believes in me, Ami thought.
Ami, for her part, was not given any of the green tea
the Outer Senshi were sharing, but she could distinctly
smell its aroma. Since Ami was already swaying dizzily
in her chair, though, that wasn't necessarily a good
thing; Sailorpluto and Sailorneptune were clearly
waiting for something--most likely the return of
Sailoruranus--and Ami didn't want to pass out
before she got there.
Maybe I should try to escape... Ami thought. But
where would I go? I don't know anything about this
world, and I probably wouldn't get ten meters before
they caught me anyway.
But I don't know if I can take another beating...
Several silent minutes passed, with the Outer Senshi
quietly sipping their tea and Ami trying to stay
upright in her chair. Finally, she risked saying
something--both to keep her mind focused, and to gauge
the reaction of her fellow Senshi.
"So I see you have fuel for a camp stove..." Ami said;
"that must be difficult to come by."
"Well, a wood fire would be better," Sailorneptune
said, "but the heishi would see the smoke."
"Neptune!" Sailorpluto said.
"What?"
"She doesn't have to know about our supplies."
"Honestly, Pluto--it's hardly a secret that gasoline is
hard to come by."
While they argued, Ami reflected on Michiru's use of
the word "heishi"; the word "heishi" meant a
professional soldier--such as a member of the SDF--and
carried a different connotation than the word "senshi",
or "warrior". Was it possible that the Outer Senshi
were fighting the Self-Defense Force as well as another
group of Senshi?
If so, it was a frightening prospect. Luna had told
Ami once that the Sailor fuku were bulletproof--hence
the preference for magic among their many foes;
however, even the magical Sailor fuku couldn't shield a
Senshi from the bruising force of bullet impacts, or
bullets that hit exposed flesh.
My God, Ami thought; what kind of crazy world is
this...?
* * * * *
Eventually, Sailorpluto and Sailorneptune fell silent
again, returning to the sipping of their tea. Ami's
sense of being the condemned awaiting execution grew
with every passing second, though, and it finally came
to a climax when she heard the front door of the house
open. Suddenly, Sailoruranus was there in the doorway
of the kitchen, and Ami cringed despite herself.
So this is it, Ami thought; I'm going to die.
To Ami's surprise, though, Sailoruranus actually
flashed her a quick smile as she walked across the
kitchen to stand by her comrades.
"So what did you learn?" Sailorpluto asked
Sailoruranus.
"I don't think she's Kuroiami," Sailoruranus said,
dropping Ami's transformation pen, communicator and
coin purse on the kitchen table. "Luna says this
equipment came from another world, where Kuroiami
doesn't exist."
Relieved, Ami slumped in her chair.
"Honestly," Sailorneptune said, grabbing her medical
kit again and rushing to Ami's side, "it took you long
enough to find out."
"Well, excuse me," Sailoruranus replied, "but I
couldn't exactly move around freely with the heishi
patrolling the city."
"Well, at least we know," Sailorneptune said, applying
antiseptic to Ami's wounds. Although the antiseptic
stung, Ami's sheer relief barely let her feel it.
"Indeed," Sailoruranus said to Ami, dropping into
a bow. "Mizuno-san, I owe you an apology. I behaved
with a lack of proper restraint."
"That's okay..." Ami said, wincing as Sailorneptune
treated her injuries; "I'm sure you wouldn't have
pummeled me without a good reason."
"I knew this was a good kid!" Sailoruranus said,
standing back upright and rubbing Ami's tousled hair.
"I'm sure you did, Dear," Sailorneptune said. "Now why
don't you get Mizuno-san some water."
"Right," Sailoruranus said, turning away for a moment.
"If you don't mind me asking," Ami asked Sailorneptune,
"how do you know my name is 'Mizuno'?"
"Well, that's who we thought you were," Sailorneptune
replied; "'Mizuno Ami'" is Kuroiami's real name too.
Plus your name is on your student ID."
"Sorry about looking through your things," Sailoruranus
said, returning to Ami with a cupful of water. "But we
had to make certain who you really were."
Concentrating on the water, Ami didn't respond until
after she'd drank it all--careful though she was not to
gulp it down all at once.
"Arigatou," Ami said with a gasp, returning the cup.
"So I guess this Kuroiami person must be a pretty bad,
for you to hate her so much."
Sailoruranus exchanged a meaningful glance with
Sailorneptune.
"It's a long story," Sailorneptune said. "But we'll
tell you what we know once you've had a chance to rest
some more."
"Arigatou..." Ami replied; "arigatou gozaimasu."
Suddenly, though, a brilliant radiance shone from
Sailorpluto's staff, and all eyes turned to see the
garnet orb blazing red.
"What is it?" Ami asked the Outer Senshi.
"I think that rest is going to have to wait,"
Sailorpluto said, leaping to her feet; "we've got
company."
* * * * *
On a nearby hill, meanwhile, a black-suited Senshi with
long golden hair was smiling with satisfaction.
Through her binoculars, Sailorvenus could see that her
SDF troops were already in position surrounding a
small, battered-looking house in the outskirts of
Minato-ku.
"The men are in position, General Venus," an SDF
colonel said to Sailorvenus.
"Very good, Colonel. Return to your men and await my
orders."
"Hai!" the colonel said, saluting and departing.
Sailormars and Sailorjupiter then stepped forward, both
wearing exasperated expressions.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?" Sailorjupiter
asked. "These Outer Senshi have slipped away before."
"Indeed," Sailormars said. "Just yesterday afternoon,
as I recall."
Sailorvenus shook her head at Sailormars' pathetic jab
at her leadership.
"As I recall, General Mars, it was YOU who let them get
away, letting Pluto attack us on the flank you were
supposed to be guarding."
"Whatever," Sailormars sighed.
"Just remember," Sailorvenus said, "our Master wants
the blue-haired girl alive."
"So after we have the blue-haired girl...?"
Sailorjupiter asked.
"Then we can kill the others. Now take your
positions."
"Yoshi!" Sailormars and Sailorjupiter both said,
nodding together and leaping away. Sailorvenus stayed
behind a moment longer, however, to look once more at
the house through her binoculars.
"Yes, Uranus," Sailorvenus said to herself, "I have you
now. Today you die."
