Rei and Darien checked out Zoicite's apartment. After checking things out
to make sure the place was empty, Darien and Rei jumped up to the sixth
floor balcony. No one ever locked their balcony doors on the sixth floor.
Which is silly, Darien thought, because you never know when a couple of super heroes are going to break into your apartment.
They snooped around for several minutes, neither one really knowing what they were looking for. In truth, Darien admitted to himself, short of finding a detailed book outlining Zoicite's plans, he wasn't quite sure that he would be able to recognize a clue when he saw it.
Actually, that gave him an idea.
"Hey Rei! Any chance this guy keeps a journal?" Darien shouted to where Rei was looking around in the living room area.
"I don't know. If I see one I'll give a shout." Rei said as she continued to go through the mail sitting on a coffee table.
* * * * *
Rei shuffled through the magazines and letters that were on the table in Zoicite's living room. There wasn't much there. A couple bills, some advertisements for local resturants and a campus news letter. Nothing that would help her understand what was going on.
She looked over at the trash can and rolled her eyes.
There were times when she knew that Serena sent her on missions like this on purpose.
At the first sign of something soft and squishy though and it was going to be Darien looking in the trash cans.
* * * * *
After nearly a half an hour of playing detective Rei and Darien admitted defeat. They couldn't find anything to prove one way or another that Zoicite remembered who he was. The journal idea had been a good one but, if he kept one, they couldn't find it.
Outside they heard Artemis meowing. That was the sign that someone was coming. Quickly shoving everything back into roughly the same place they had found it, Rei and Darien ran out onto the balcony. As they jumped over the side Darien heard a key siding into the apartment door's lock.
* * * * *
Serena smiled at her blue haired friend as they walked around campus. She had changed a lot over the years, gaining a confidence that had not been there before. Ami had always been the smart one but she had always been quiet and shy, unsure of herself around people she didn't know very well.
But now she was different. Serena wasn't sure quite how to put it. Her friend was still quiet but she had lost the shyness. The quietness was now stemming from some sort of inner strength. The strength had always been there but it was like she had finally accepted it, and herself.
Serena couldn't help but wonder if this new confidence and strength was in part because of Zoicite. The man had had a similar effect of the princess of Mercury once before. And if that were the truth, what kind of effect would it have on her to remember that old betrayal. What kind of affect would it have on her to face that betrayal possibly happening again?
* * * * *
Ami, Mina and Serena all were headed back to Ami's house. Once they got there, Serena and Mina shared a quick glance at one another before Serena turned to Ami.
"Could I use your bathroom, please?" she asked.
"Sure. It's upstairs on the right. Just ignore the mess." Ami replied, smiling.
"I'm going too!" Mina announced, running up the stairs after Serena.
* * * * *
Ami watched as the two girls headed upstairs towards the bathroom and decided to check the messages on the answering machine. In this house, there were always messages for someone. Study groups, friends, parents and boyfriends of six girls ensured that.
Ami looked around for a pen to write down the messages on the answering machine. Of course there wasn't a pen anywhere near the answering machine. That would be too easy. And in this house, anything that was bolted down, and even some things that were, had a tendency to disappear. Something as small and innocent as a pen next to the answering machine never stood a chance.
After looking around Ami noticed, sticking out of the pocket of Serena's bag, was a blue pen. Ami didn't think that Serena would mind so she grabbed the pen, and pulled off the cap.
And her world exploded around her.
Images of ice and battles burst into her head. She saw Serena, the girl she had just met, and Mina as they once were. She saw the other Scouts and watched battles that overlapped in her head, battles that occured both on the Moon, Mercury and Earth. She saw beautiful balls and the ice covered plains of her home planet, gleaming a thousand colors in the morning sun.
She felt the pain of her own death. The cold feel of the blade between her ribs nothing compared to the ice in her heart that encased it at the sight of the man at the other end of the sword.
Zoicite.
Ami gave a muffled whimper as memories of pain and betrayal mixed with old and new memories of love and joy. Each set warring with the other, tearing apart her fragile reality.
It was too much. Too much to handle. Too much to understand. So her mind, to protect her, focused on one thing.
She had to get out of the house. Now.
Numb fingers let the blue pen slip from her hands as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door.
Away. She had to get away.
* * * * *
"So. What are we going to do?" Mina asked as soon as they were in the bathroom.
"I don't know. We have to wait until the others come back. Maybe they found out something we can use." Serena said with a sigh, leaning against the door.
Luna looked up at the pair from her place on the floor, "She has to know. You can not leave her without her memories in the arms of that man."
"But what if he's not evil, Luna?" Serena asked.
"What if he is? Are you willing to leave your friend unprepared for a possible betrayal?" Luna asked.
Serena looked down at the small black cat at her feet. She knew that Luna and Artemis, as their guardians, had taken the generals betrayal just as hard as the scouts. They had seemed to blame themselves for not being able to protect their charges from the pain that their one time lovers had inflicted upon them.
Serena sighed, "Lets wait till we talk to the others before making any decisions."
"Agreed." Mina said, nodding.
"Okay then. Now. Everybody out of the bathroom. Because I really do have to go here." Serena said, pushing the pair out and locking the door.
* * * * *
Serena, Mina and Luna all came down the stairs and looked around for their blue haired friend.
"Ami?" Mina called, getting no response.
"Oh my god! Serena! Look." Luna said, jumping towards something laying on the ground.
"Oh no." Serena said softly as she saw what Luna was pointing at.
"What? What is...Shit." Mina said, looking down at the floor.
There, laying innocently on the carpet was a small blue pen with the emblem of Mercury on it, opened and in two pieces.
"We've got to find her." Serena said.
"I'll call the others and tell them to look too. We'll cover more ground that way." Mina said, pulling out her cell phone.
* * * * *
Ami ran without even really thinking about where she was going. All her mind was focusing on right now was getting away. Eventually though, the pain in her side finally began to register and she slowed down to a walk. She glanced around as was amazed to find how far she had run. She had left campus and in a small residential neighborhood. Up ahead was a playground where several children were running around, enjoying the freedom from their parents and teachers.
Ami sat down on a bench and watched as a couple of the kids played tag. Now that her body had finally stopped moving, her mind began to slowly start shifting through the new memories.
She was a princess of the planet Mercury, one of the sworn protectors of the Moon Princess.
That got her to smile. What little girl didn't dream of growing up and finding out that you were really a princess. Ami gave a choked laugh. Hell, she even had a prince. Or rather, a general.
Oh god. Zoicite.
He was alive.
Well no duh, Sherlock, she told herself sarcastically, you've only been dating him for how long now?
But he had been killed, right? Malachite, when they had been fighting, had said that Beryl had killed him, right? Why was he alive now? Were the other generals alive as well? Was Beryl still alive? Was he still under Beryl's control or was he finally free from the spell that she had put on him so long ago?
She shook her head. This was getting her no where. Those were questions that she couldn't answer so there was no point asking them right now. She had to find someone else who could answer them for her. Like Serena.
The Moon Princess. Her Princess.
Serena had come and found her. With Mina and Luna. They had found her after all these years. Were the others with them or were they the only ones?
No! She practically screamed. No more questions right now. Focus on what you know. Serena and Mina were alive and had come looking for her. That meant that they needed her, they needed Sailor Mercury. She had to go back then. If they needed her, then she couldn't run away from them. They were her friends. And they were the only ones who could answer all the questions that were running through her head.
And Zoicite?
Ami stood up and began walking back towards campus.
She didn't know what to do about Zoicite. If he was still under Beryl's command, she wasn't sure that she could fight him again, not after having been with him again on Earth. The last time they had fought, her memory had still been blocked by Queen Serenity and she had never known who she was fighting.
But back on the Moon she had known. And she remembered once again here on Earth.
And if he wasn't under Beryl's control? If he didn't remember anything of their past either? Could she still be with him? Could she walk away from him?
Ami continued to walk, her feet dragging her slowly closer to her campus, her past and her future.
* * * * *
Yay! Woo hoo! I wrote another chapter! Go me! hee hee. Sorry, it's 3am. I just have been feeling bad about not getting this out to you guys sooner so I decided to finish it.
Adrial - Yea, I am a horrible author. I make my readers, the coolest people ever, wait for new chapters. But hey, I try to get them out eventually.
Lil-PrincessK - hee hee. Thanks! I'm not sure I'll thank my English prof for going to the hospital but maybe I can find more things that she is allergic to. j/k!
happygolucky111 - I'm working on it. Jupiter is coming. She is going to being kicking ass soon. I swear.
Kaji - hey! I know all about the evaporating reviews. *sigh* Stupid ff.net. Ah well. And thank you! I'm really glad you still like this.
Sailor C - Thanks for the review and I hope you like this part too!
Silver Dragonfly - lol! Yeppers. Right now I am planning on the generals being good. But
PrincessSerenaDrEaMsFoReVeR - hi! I think I'm going to play with the villians I have for right now. If I decide I hate them later then I'll do some rewriting but I want to play with that pair first and see what happens.
Venus Smurf - I am not mock the shoes! I swear. You wanna see my shoe collection? There is no mocking here. hee hee. And don't feel bad about wanting my professor to get sick. You don't seem to be alone there. Anyway, hope you like this. I was trying to think of a new way for Ami to regain her memory and move the story a little faster.
Codie - *hangs head* I swear to you Jupiter is coming. Really. As for Rubeus, well, yea, he thinks...sorta.
MoonWonderer - Well, Zoicite is not going to get a chance to ask before she remembers. Um...but we'll just have to see what happens when those two see each other. I expect yelling and tears. But what do I know?
Which is silly, Darien thought, because you never know when a couple of super heroes are going to break into your apartment.
They snooped around for several minutes, neither one really knowing what they were looking for. In truth, Darien admitted to himself, short of finding a detailed book outlining Zoicite's plans, he wasn't quite sure that he would be able to recognize a clue when he saw it.
Actually, that gave him an idea.
"Hey Rei! Any chance this guy keeps a journal?" Darien shouted to where Rei was looking around in the living room area.
"I don't know. If I see one I'll give a shout." Rei said as she continued to go through the mail sitting on a coffee table.
* * * * *
Rei shuffled through the magazines and letters that were on the table in Zoicite's living room. There wasn't much there. A couple bills, some advertisements for local resturants and a campus news letter. Nothing that would help her understand what was going on.
She looked over at the trash can and rolled her eyes.
There were times when she knew that Serena sent her on missions like this on purpose.
At the first sign of something soft and squishy though and it was going to be Darien looking in the trash cans.
* * * * *
After nearly a half an hour of playing detective Rei and Darien admitted defeat. They couldn't find anything to prove one way or another that Zoicite remembered who he was. The journal idea had been a good one but, if he kept one, they couldn't find it.
Outside they heard Artemis meowing. That was the sign that someone was coming. Quickly shoving everything back into roughly the same place they had found it, Rei and Darien ran out onto the balcony. As they jumped over the side Darien heard a key siding into the apartment door's lock.
* * * * *
Serena smiled at her blue haired friend as they walked around campus. She had changed a lot over the years, gaining a confidence that had not been there before. Ami had always been the smart one but she had always been quiet and shy, unsure of herself around people she didn't know very well.
But now she was different. Serena wasn't sure quite how to put it. Her friend was still quiet but she had lost the shyness. The quietness was now stemming from some sort of inner strength. The strength had always been there but it was like she had finally accepted it, and herself.
Serena couldn't help but wonder if this new confidence and strength was in part because of Zoicite. The man had had a similar effect of the princess of Mercury once before. And if that were the truth, what kind of effect would it have on her to remember that old betrayal. What kind of affect would it have on her to face that betrayal possibly happening again?
* * * * *
Ami, Mina and Serena all were headed back to Ami's house. Once they got there, Serena and Mina shared a quick glance at one another before Serena turned to Ami.
"Could I use your bathroom, please?" she asked.
"Sure. It's upstairs on the right. Just ignore the mess." Ami replied, smiling.
"I'm going too!" Mina announced, running up the stairs after Serena.
* * * * *
Ami watched as the two girls headed upstairs towards the bathroom and decided to check the messages on the answering machine. In this house, there were always messages for someone. Study groups, friends, parents and boyfriends of six girls ensured that.
Ami looked around for a pen to write down the messages on the answering machine. Of course there wasn't a pen anywhere near the answering machine. That would be too easy. And in this house, anything that was bolted down, and even some things that were, had a tendency to disappear. Something as small and innocent as a pen next to the answering machine never stood a chance.
After looking around Ami noticed, sticking out of the pocket of Serena's bag, was a blue pen. Ami didn't think that Serena would mind so she grabbed the pen, and pulled off the cap.
And her world exploded around her.
Images of ice and battles burst into her head. She saw Serena, the girl she had just met, and Mina as they once were. She saw the other Scouts and watched battles that overlapped in her head, battles that occured both on the Moon, Mercury and Earth. She saw beautiful balls and the ice covered plains of her home planet, gleaming a thousand colors in the morning sun.
She felt the pain of her own death. The cold feel of the blade between her ribs nothing compared to the ice in her heart that encased it at the sight of the man at the other end of the sword.
Zoicite.
Ami gave a muffled whimper as memories of pain and betrayal mixed with old and new memories of love and joy. Each set warring with the other, tearing apart her fragile reality.
It was too much. Too much to handle. Too much to understand. So her mind, to protect her, focused on one thing.
She had to get out of the house. Now.
Numb fingers let the blue pen slip from her hands as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door.
Away. She had to get away.
* * * * *
"So. What are we going to do?" Mina asked as soon as they were in the bathroom.
"I don't know. We have to wait until the others come back. Maybe they found out something we can use." Serena said with a sigh, leaning against the door.
Luna looked up at the pair from her place on the floor, "She has to know. You can not leave her without her memories in the arms of that man."
"But what if he's not evil, Luna?" Serena asked.
"What if he is? Are you willing to leave your friend unprepared for a possible betrayal?" Luna asked.
Serena looked down at the small black cat at her feet. She knew that Luna and Artemis, as their guardians, had taken the generals betrayal just as hard as the scouts. They had seemed to blame themselves for not being able to protect their charges from the pain that their one time lovers had inflicted upon them.
Serena sighed, "Lets wait till we talk to the others before making any decisions."
"Agreed." Mina said, nodding.
"Okay then. Now. Everybody out of the bathroom. Because I really do have to go here." Serena said, pushing the pair out and locking the door.
* * * * *
Serena, Mina and Luna all came down the stairs and looked around for their blue haired friend.
"Ami?" Mina called, getting no response.
"Oh my god! Serena! Look." Luna said, jumping towards something laying on the ground.
"Oh no." Serena said softly as she saw what Luna was pointing at.
"What? What is...Shit." Mina said, looking down at the floor.
There, laying innocently on the carpet was a small blue pen with the emblem of Mercury on it, opened and in two pieces.
"We've got to find her." Serena said.
"I'll call the others and tell them to look too. We'll cover more ground that way." Mina said, pulling out her cell phone.
* * * * *
Ami ran without even really thinking about where she was going. All her mind was focusing on right now was getting away. Eventually though, the pain in her side finally began to register and she slowed down to a walk. She glanced around as was amazed to find how far she had run. She had left campus and in a small residential neighborhood. Up ahead was a playground where several children were running around, enjoying the freedom from their parents and teachers.
Ami sat down on a bench and watched as a couple of the kids played tag. Now that her body had finally stopped moving, her mind began to slowly start shifting through the new memories.
She was a princess of the planet Mercury, one of the sworn protectors of the Moon Princess.
That got her to smile. What little girl didn't dream of growing up and finding out that you were really a princess. Ami gave a choked laugh. Hell, she even had a prince. Or rather, a general.
Oh god. Zoicite.
He was alive.
Well no duh, Sherlock, she told herself sarcastically, you've only been dating him for how long now?
But he had been killed, right? Malachite, when they had been fighting, had said that Beryl had killed him, right? Why was he alive now? Were the other generals alive as well? Was Beryl still alive? Was he still under Beryl's control or was he finally free from the spell that she had put on him so long ago?
She shook her head. This was getting her no where. Those were questions that she couldn't answer so there was no point asking them right now. She had to find someone else who could answer them for her. Like Serena.
The Moon Princess. Her Princess.
Serena had come and found her. With Mina and Luna. They had found her after all these years. Were the others with them or were they the only ones?
No! She practically screamed. No more questions right now. Focus on what you know. Serena and Mina were alive and had come looking for her. That meant that they needed her, they needed Sailor Mercury. She had to go back then. If they needed her, then she couldn't run away from them. They were her friends. And they were the only ones who could answer all the questions that were running through her head.
And Zoicite?
Ami stood up and began walking back towards campus.
She didn't know what to do about Zoicite. If he was still under Beryl's command, she wasn't sure that she could fight him again, not after having been with him again on Earth. The last time they had fought, her memory had still been blocked by Queen Serenity and she had never known who she was fighting.
But back on the Moon she had known. And she remembered once again here on Earth.
And if he wasn't under Beryl's control? If he didn't remember anything of their past either? Could she still be with him? Could she walk away from him?
Ami continued to walk, her feet dragging her slowly closer to her campus, her past and her future.
* * * * *
Yay! Woo hoo! I wrote another chapter! Go me! hee hee. Sorry, it's 3am. I just have been feeling bad about not getting this out to you guys sooner so I decided to finish it.
Adrial - Yea, I am a horrible author. I make my readers, the coolest people ever, wait for new chapters. But hey, I try to get them out eventually.
Lil-PrincessK - hee hee. Thanks! I'm not sure I'll thank my English prof for going to the hospital but maybe I can find more things that she is allergic to. j/k!
happygolucky111 - I'm working on it. Jupiter is coming. She is going to being kicking ass soon. I swear.
Kaji - hey! I know all about the evaporating reviews. *sigh* Stupid ff.net. Ah well. And thank you! I'm really glad you still like this.
Sailor C - Thanks for the review and I hope you like this part too!
Silver Dragonfly - lol! Yeppers. Right now I am planning on the generals being good. But
PrincessSerenaDrEaMsFoReVeR - hi! I think I'm going to play with the villians I have for right now. If I decide I hate them later then I'll do some rewriting but I want to play with that pair first and see what happens.
Venus Smurf - I am not mock the shoes! I swear. You wanna see my shoe collection? There is no mocking here. hee hee. And don't feel bad about wanting my professor to get sick. You don't seem to be alone there. Anyway, hope you like this. I was trying to think of a new way for Ami to regain her memory and move the story a little faster.
Codie - *hangs head* I swear to you Jupiter is coming. Really. As for Rubeus, well, yea, he thinks...sorta.
MoonWonderer - Well, Zoicite is not going to get a chance to ask before she remembers. Um...but we'll just have to see what happens when those two see each other. I expect yelling and tears. But what do I know?