Empire of the Dark Ami

by amiwakawaiidesu

-------

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next morning--before the formal beginning of the talks between her court and the Earth Senshi--Kuroiami entered the throne room of the Moon Palace in her low-cut black gown, looking forward to a quick game of chess with her son. However, Hoshi was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is my son?" Kuroiami asked the female servant youma standing next to the chess table.

"I believe the young master is still in bed," the youma replied.

"That doesn't sound like Hoshi."

The youma said nothing--not wanting to give Kuroiami any excuse to kill her.

"Have you checked on Hoshi-sama recently?" Kuroiami asked the youma.

"Yes, Majesty, just a few minutes ago."

"Did he appear ill?"

"No. However..."

"Yes?"

"There was a young lady staying with him. Tomoe Hotaru, I believe."

Kuroiami raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed."

"Shall I rouse him, Your Majesty?"

"No, that's all right. Just be sure that he's ready in time for the start of the talks with the rebel faction."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the youma said, leaving when Kuroiami gave a dismissive wave of her hand. Kuroiami herself, meanwhile, moved to the chess table and took a seat opposite the chair normally occupied by Hoshi. 32 chess pieces were already set up in preparation for play, with the black pieces on Kuroiami's side of the board.

"Precocious, aren't we?" Kuroiami said to herself, picking up the black king and smiling as she rolled it about in her fingers.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, in the guest quarters of the palace, alarm was spreading as the Earth Senshi realized that Hotaru was missing; the Senshi were hoping to have an early breakfast with Sailormercury before Sailormercury met Hoshi for the start of their diplomatic talks, but the absence of Hotaru pushed all other concerns aside for the time being. Moving from room to room, the Outer Senshi, Sailormoon and Sailormercury began a thorough search for their missing comrade.

"Why don't you just use your minicomputer?" Sailormoon asked Sailormercury, after conventional searching proved fruitless.

"Oh, that's a good idea..." Sailormercury said, pulling out her computer.

"Is something the matter, Ami?" Sailormoon asked. "You seem distracted."

"Oh, I was just thinking about Hoshi," Sailormercury said, turning on her computer. "I'm worried what will happen if the negotiations don't go well."

"I'm sure everything will work out fine," Sailormoon said cheerfully. "Now why don't we see if we can find Hotaru?"

Just then, though, Sailorsaturn came walking into view--apparently surprised by all the commotion.

"Sailorsaturn," Sailoruranus said, "where have you been?"

"I was with Hoshi," Sailorsaturn replied.

"Just now?" Sailorneptune asked. "Or all night?"

"All night, if you must know. He seemed troubled, so I stayed with him in his room."

*"Oh my!"* gasped Ami.

"You spent the night with the ENEMY?!" Sailoruranus thundered.

"He's just a boy," Sailorsaturn replied.

"But he's Kuroiami's *son*, for God's sake! What were you thinking?"

Sailorsaturn didn't bother to reply to Sailoruranus; she simply looked at Sailoruranus dispassionately for a long moment, then turned to Sailormercury.

"Hoshi wanted me to tell you that he's looking forward to the negotiations," Sailorsaturn said, before turning to the other Senshi.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I am a bit tired and I'd like to get some rest."

The other Senshi then looked on with astonishment as Sailorsaturn retired to her quarters.

"What does she need *rest* for...?" Sailoruranus asked.

"Oh, I think *I* can guess..." Sailormoon said coyly.

"I think we all can guess," Sailormercury said, frowning deeply.

I just hope this doesn't complicate things any more than they already are...

* * * * *

About an hour later, the negotiations between the Earth Senshi and Kuroiami's forces finally began in the banquet hall--a seldom-used chamber of the palace that was more-or-less centrally located between the guest quarters and the quarters of Kuroiami and her generals. Queen Galaxia was there for the opening session--as well as SailorChi, SailorPhi, Sailorpluto, Kuroiami and Hoshi--but SailorChi, SailorPhi, Sailorpluto and Kuroiami excused themselves after the opening remarks, leaving the hard business of negotiation to Hoshi and Sailormercury, with Galaxia as mediator.

Unfortunately for Sailormercury, the talks soon became a tormenting experience; although she didn't want to think about it, she couldn't help but wonder just exactly what her son (Hoshi) and Sailorsaturn had been doing all night that left Hotaru so exhausted. She liked to think their contact had been innocent, but Hoshi was clearly full of energy this morning--much as she imagined a cocky young man might be after claiming a conquest. It sickened her, and the feeling only grew as the day wore on--exacerbated by Hoshi's quibbling over almost every minor point of contention.

"Hoshi-san, our bottom line is that Kuroiami must accept exile as a condition of peace."

"But how can you justify such exile, Mercury-san? Kuroiami is the rightful queen of the Earth."

"Rightful? How so?"

"I'm afraid it is your burden to disprove my contention."

"Kuroiami came by her power by unjust means! Surely any reasonable person would agree with that!"

"Define 'unjust'."

"Kuroiami used treachery and deceit to deprive the rightful princess of her right!"

"So you say. But what is your proof? Were you there to see these events? And even if it were so, what would it matter? The laws of the Confraternity of Worlds establish no mandate that a 'rightful queen' must abide by any particular moral code."

"But she must abide by the reasonable laws and standards of her world; such is the law of the Confraternity of Worlds. Is treachery your reasonable standard, Hoshi?"

"Again we come back to the matter of proof. No accommodation of your request is possible before we can establish the legitimacy of your right..."

And so it went, a grinding process of point and counterpoint that left Sailormercury feeling quite spent--and more than a little irate--by the end of the day. Sailormercury never spoke ill of Hoshi out loud--for that would be frightfully rude--but she had stifled a great deal of anger by the time Galaxia suggested suspending the talks after 12 grueling hours had passed.

That Hoshi! Ami thought, after heading straight to her room, de-transforming and flopping face-first onto her bed. If he weren't my son, I should be very cross with him!

* * * * *

Hoshi, meanwhile, wasn't nearly as tired as Ami; that morning--when Hotaru had left his bedchamber--Hotaru had asked him to meet her again this evening.

Unfortunately for Hoshi, his memories of the previous evening were very vague, but they were definitely pleasant--like the pleasant memory of a dream that lingers even after the dream is forgotten. He remembered inviting Hotaru to his quarters, and he remembered waking up in her arms the next morning, but little that happened in between. All he definitely remembered were Hotaru's last words to him:

"Meet me tonight in the rose garden," Hotaru had said, "after the talks are done for the day."

That alone would have been enough to lighten Hoshi's mood, but he had a feeling Hotaru had given him more than that. All day he had felt a strange energy welling up inside him--as if some congenial spirit were bearing him up on her wings--and it was more and more obvious where that energy came from as the day went along. Hoshi had dreaded the beginning of the talks because of his orders from Kuroiami to drag out the talks as long as possible--frustrating Sailormercury's genuine efforts at diplomacy. But Hoshi's spirits never flagged, despite his inward disgust with his own treatment of Sailormercury.

Hotaru must have given me this gift, Hoshi thought, sitting on a bench in the rose garden behind the palace; like an angel, she has healed me...

Then Hoshi heard footsteps, and lifted his head to see Hotaru approaching.

"Tomoe-san," Hoshi said, standing and bowing. "Konbanwa."

"Konbanwa, Hoshi-sama," Hotaru replied, bowing as well. "How was your day?"

"Quite dreadful," Hoshi admitted. "Sailormercury wanted to make progress in the talks, but Kuroiami ordered me to frustrate her at every turn. If it weren't for you, I don't know how I could have endured it."

"Me?" Hotaru asked.

"You did something to me, didn't you?"

Hotaru smiled slightly, drawing closer to Hoshi.

"Don't you remember?" she asked.

"Not really. I remember asking you to my room, and I remember waking up with you there beside me. But the rest, I just don't remember...

"Tell me, I didn't do anything...inappropriate...did I?"

Hotaru giggled.

"No, Hoshi-sama. But you did tell me that you love me."

"I did?"

"Oh yes," Hotaru said. "And I told you that I love you too."

Hoshi looked at Hotaru with astonishment--even as his memories began to return.

"I remember now: I asked you to my room to show you the seeing crystal--and to admit that I'd been spying on you. I wanted you to know I hadn't told Kuroiami your secret--about the monster inside you. But why was it so hard for me to remember what happened after that...?"

"I used my power to help you rest," Hotaru said. "It may have clouded your memories."

"So you did use your power on me," Hoshi said. "But what power is this? I didn't see you use it while I was spying on you..."

"I don't use it often, or speak of it openly..."

Hotaru paused, looking down at a nearby rose, then turned back to Hoshi.

"I would have asked you first," she said, "but you were in so much pain, and you reminded me so much of myself. You are divided inside, much as I am...

"Hoshi-sama, you understand me, as no one else could."

A long moment passed as Hoshi simply looked at Hotaru with disbelief; her eyes were deepest violet--almost as dark as the sky above--and Hoshi was drowning in those eyes.

*"It was as I thought,"* Hoshi said softly, smiling at Hotaru even as a single tear ran down his cheek. *"I was sundered, but you have made me whole."*

Hotaru looked back at Hoshi, her lips parting slightly, and a timeless moment passed in the silence of the lunar garden; then they kissed, as lovers kiss whose love defies all obstacles.

"I love you, Hoshi," Hotaru said, surrendering to Hoshi's embrace and laying her head upon his shoulder. "I came here to claim the Holy Grail, but you have captured me instead."

"No," Hoshi said, nuzzling Hotaru's hair, "I have no chains for you. You have freed me, and I shall love you always."

Hotaru looked up at Hoshi.

"I would give anything for you," she said.

"And I for you. You are my only country now; you are my queen."

Again they kissed.

"My lord," Hotaru said, "command me."

* * * * *

In their ardor, Hotaru and Hoshi were both of a mind to teleport to Earth at once--since there was precious little privacy in the Moon Palace--but complications stood in the way. Hoshi could teleport to Earth on his own, but he had never tried carrying a passenger; Hotaru, conversely, believed she had the power to teleport as Sailorsaturn, but had yet to use that power and knew neither the limitations of its range nor how much it would tax her energy reserves.

"I could use this teleport bracelet," Hotaru said, showing Hoshi the bracelet Luna had given her; "but it would teleport all the Senshi back to Earth along with me..."

"That's more attention than we need," Hoshi replied.

"Doesn't Kuroiami have a long-range teleportation device?" Hotaru asked. "She must have used such a device to bring Usagi and Ami into this dimension."

"She did," Hoshi confirmed, "but unfortunately, the only copy of that device was destroyed when Mugen Palace was destroyed.

"However..."

Hoshi looked back at the palace.

"...there might be a way to boost my teleport energy, and let me carry you with me when I go. We could use the ginzuishou."

"Do you mean the original ginzuishou, or the one that Eternal Sailormoon brought from her dimension?"

"The original ginzuishou--which is the key to my mother's power; she uses it to amplify the power of her own Mercury crystal. But I have learned how to tap into its power as well; a small boost should be enough to get us both to Earth safely."

Hotaru smiled--thanking providence for this stroke of luck--and together she and Hoshi returned to the interior of the palace. Cautiously, Hoshi led Hotaru past the places where youma were likely to be posted, or where the four generals were likely to congregate, thence to a secret stairway leading down to the basement of the palace. At the bottom of the stairway, Hoshi stopped at an armored door with a security keypad at its side.

*"The princess and the ginzuishou lie beyond this door,"* Hoshi whispered, *"so the chamber is constantly monitored. Once the door is unlocked, we shall only have seconds to reach the princess before youma detect our unauthorized entry."*

Hoshi then opened the door--producing a small *whiff* as pressure equalized inside and outside the chamber--then quickly entered with Hotaru. Inside, he expected to find Usagi hovering in a state of perpetual slumber, living in a dream world created by Kuroiami...

...but Usagi was missing.

"What in the world?" Hoshi asked, looking around the circular chamber. "Where did she go?"

"Could she have been moved?" Hotaru offered.

"No, I would have known about it."

"Perhaps she escaped."

"No," Hoshi said; "we'd have heard alarms if that happened."

Suddenly--as if on cue--alarms began to sound.

"Like that alarm?" Hotaru asked.

"No," Hoshi said, grabbing Hotaru's hand, "that's the 'breaking-in' alarm. We've been detected--we've got to get out of here!"

* * * * *

Back in her room, Ami was dreaming of pushing a box of law books up a mountain when she heard the alarm sounding. At first she thought it was merely part of her dream, but then Sailormoon burst into her room and shook her awake.

"Ami, wake up!" Sailormoon said. "Something is happening!"

"What is it?" Ami said, yawning.

"We're not sure, but Hotaru is gone again! You'd better transform."

"Right," Ami agreed, pushing herself out of bed and re-transforming herself into Sailormercury. She then left her room with Sailormoon and headed toward the front of the palace, first running into the Outer Senshi, then into Queen Galaxia, SailorChi and SailorPhi--also leaving their quarters to investigate the disturbance.

"Do you know what's happening?" SailorChi asked Sailormoon.

"No," Sailormoon said. "I didn't even know the palace had an alarm system..."

The Earth and Galactic Senshi soon came to see what the fuss was about, though, as they spilled out onto the front steps of the palace. Hotaru and Hoshi were both in front of the palace--apparently cornered in the act of fleeing by many youma, all four generals and Kuroiami herself. Always keen to make a dramatic impression, Kuroiami stood on the giant holographic chessboard in front of the palace, sharing the square occupied by the black queen (although Kuroiami was still shorter than the queen, even with her high heels).

"What is the meaning of this?" Sailoruranus exclaimed.

"I should think the meaning is plain enough," Kuroiami replied, looking quite smug. "These young people were poking about where they did not belong."

"Hoshi!" Hotaru said, grabbing Hoshi's arm, "escape while you can!"

"I'm not going anywhere," Hoshi replied defiantly, looking up at Kuroiami.

Galaxia herself then stepped forward to address Kuroiami.

"What exactly did these young people do?" Galaxia asked.

Kuroiami looked at Galaxia curiously--as if she were studying a minor chess problem.

"This is none of your concern," Kuroiami said.

Just then, though, a servant youma came up to Kuroiami and whispered a report in her ear.

*"Your Majesty, the princess is missing."*

*"What do you mean, 'the princess is missing'?"*

*"She is not in her chamber, Your Majesty, nor anywhere else in the palace. We can't detect the resonance frequency of the ginzuishou anywhere."*

*"Is this your idea of a joke?"* Kuroiami hissed. *"Don't you think I'd sense it if the ginzuishou disappeared...?"*

But then a sudden inspiration came to Kuroiami, and she turned slowly to face the galactic Senshi.

"So," Kuroiami said, "your true purpose here is revealed at last."

"True purpose?" Galaxia replied. "I thought it was clear that we came here to assist your negotiations."

"But that was merely pretext! The Moon Princess--whose person I have guarded zealously, protecting her from all potential enemies--has been abducted from this very palace!"

Sailormoon was confused for a moment, but then she remembered that Kuroiami was referring to the Moon Princess of this dimension, rather than herself.

"I would suspect these miscreants," Kuroiami continued, glancing at the Outer Senshi, "but this is beyond their means. Only you are capable of this treachery."

SailorChi and SailorPhi both reacted to this charge with outrage, moving forward to challenge Kuroiami with their staves at the ready.

"You would do well..." SailorChi said.

"...to mind your tongue!" SailorPhi added.

"Queen Galaxia has come here in good faith..."

"...to help you, not to attack you!"

"I will not suffer these insults in my own home," Kuroiami replied. "Generals, seize them!"

Seeming to have forgotten Hotaru and Hoshi altogether, the generals moved to obey at once--Generals Zoisite and Jadeite cornering SailorChi, while Generals Nephrite and Kunzite cornered SailorPhi. The generals then held up their hands and projected force fields that immobilized Galaxia's escorts.

Only then did Queen Galaxia shows signs of losing her patience.

"Kuroiami," Galaxia said, "this is nonsense. What possible reason could I have for interfering with this kingdom?"

Kuroiami laughed.

"Such courtesy! But I have a discerning ear; rather than 'my kingdom' you say 'this kingdom'--for you have already foreordained my exile! But I shall not be pushed aside so easily. Bring forth the princess or I shall kill your servants!"

"Mark well whom you mock," Galaxia replied. "I do not wish to destroy you."

"As if you could. I am the master here."

A long silent moment passed, as youma, generals and Senshi alike held their breath. Even Hotaru--who once again considered urging Hoshi to flight--stood transfixed by the confrontation.

"So be it," Galaxia said, raising her hands. "Galactica Super String...!"