Chapter Six: Sailor V vs. Sailor Universe!

So...here I am again. Thought Amy as she lay on her side, her eyes staring bleakly at the wall straight ahead even though she didn't really SEE it, in her darkest hour.

Amy was lying in her bikini (which she hadn't changed out of even though there was a whole wardrobe of clothes at her disposal...) on the luxurious bed in the very room that she'd been placed in before, on one of the upper floors of the hotel – she was again wearing the Anti-Planet Power handcuffs. Mu hadn't ordered for this but it had apparently given Merula great pleasure to strip away the small liberty of the use of her hands so that had been that.

After the shocking revelation, Amy had spent the rest of the day lying beside the pool...brooding. Her wedding gown had faded from her body as Mu had departed to see the arrangements for the coming next day but Amy knew that she would soon be clad in it again – for the last thing that Mu had told her was that after all these centuries he would wait no longer.

Their wedding was to take place at the first light of morning...

The room was murky since she hadn't seen any reason at all to switch on the light after she'd been brought here and, once left alone, had fallen to the spot in which she now lay as her legs had suddenly ceased to function.

Amy was alone in the dark and all that she saw waiting for her in the future was the fate that she had agreed to embrace in exchange for the salvation of her friends – that moment, creeping nearer and nearer towards its arrival as the seconds, minutes dragged by, was darker than this room, darker than shadow. The room that she'd been left in to await the dawn and her 'big moment' was nothing compared to the feeling of being chained to the terrible fate that she had brought upon herself and even now was dragging her deeper into darkness.

The room of her imprisonment was practically invisible to Amy as she lay between sleep and wakefulness - straying nearer and nearer toward the border of dreams.

In her despair-filled mind she saw Emperor Mu sitting on an ornate throne, a decanter sitting on one of the shiny wooden arms as he held a glass of blood-red wine out before him, studying the shimmering liquid within as he turned it around and around in his black-gloved fingers. THEN it seemed to her that his eyes tilted up from the glass and met hers own – as his eyes glowed sickeningly Emperor Mu grinned and raised his glass, toasting his bride-to-be.

Amy shivered and he was gone, his image rippling and disappearing from her mind like a reflection in dark water...and in his place she saw FARGO. In contrast to Mu his body slouched as he sat in the chair he'd lazed in during their chat back at his apartment, everything about his body strangely droopy and defeated...as he slowly raised his head and looked directly at her, seeming to wait for her to say something, Amy thought that his eyes were the saddest things she'd ever seen.

Amy closed her eyes, sealing herself in her own quiet and empty world – a world where she did not have to face Mu's triumphant grin as he claimed her as his or Fargo's accusing gaze as she gave in to the tyrant. She refused to cry but somehow that only made her feel all the more wretched – as if she were depriving herself of her tears as well as her freedom and future by surrendering herself to the ex-ruler of Earth.

It was as she desperately tried to block out everything and everyone that Amy heard it – the sound outside her door. A faint slapping sound as if somebody was hitting the floor with a wet fish again and again unceasingly.

Amy opened her eyes and slowly pushed herself up, her eyes now alive again in the murk as she stared over at the door – slowly filling with nervousness.

Footsteps? She thought as she waited tensely for something, ANYTHING to happen. They don't sound like Merula's...but they don't sound like HIS either.

The sound that had alerted her to the presence of another had stopped but the quiet that followed in its wake was somehow even more unnerving – and then, just as Amy was beside herself with apprehension, the doorknob started to TURN. Amy sat up, sliding to the edge of the bed and staying there as she strained to LISTEN – a low sound like MUTTERING could now be heard as whoever was outside her room seemed to struggle with the knob.

A prickling sensation ran all the way up Amy's body like a current of electrical fear – she door was locked, she reminded herself, there was no way...

And just as her panic was peaking the knob, which had been quivering, suddenly stopped in place, the hand on the other side evidently freezing – and then it turned back as whoever had been holding it suddenly let go.

Amy stared at the door, her deep nervousness flipping over to bewilderment – who WAS that? Merula and Mu were the only two people in this Hotel...

...weren't they?

Amy came out of her thoughts with a jolt as she heard footsteps approaching – PROPER footsteps, a detail that filled her with a relief that shook her body.

Even Merula would be welcome company after THAT...

And even as she thought that the door opened and Merula herself walked into the room – the purple-haired girl brought in a tray with a plate of food on it and a smirk.

"Lunchtime! And how is the bride-to-be?" Merula teased, placing the tray down next to Amy.

"But it's the ungodly hours of the morning!" Amy blurted, indignation taking place of her defiance for the moment.

Merula grinned.

"If you have any complaints about the quality of service then please don't hesitate to register them with my secretary."

"Oh, is THAT who was outside a second ago?" Amy asked innocently as the purple-haired chuckled and turned to walk out of the room again.

Merula stopped and turned to stare at her.

"Huh?" she asked, her face baffled to the point of sincerity that was impossible to fake.

"Oh – you don't know?" Amy continued, moving to place her hands on her hips and then, after remembering that her situation prevented her from performing that smug gesture, choosing instead to fold her arms over her chest and smirk. "You aren't the only one in service to my future husband Merula...whoever else is here was outside this door just a little while ago. You REALLY don't know WHO?"

Merula just stared at her – and then after a while she managed to surprise Amy yet again.

"You were probably just having a bad dream." She said gently, the tone seeming odd as it came into her voice. "I'm the only one here – c'mon honey, eat up and then take a cat-nap."

Amy ignored the food completely and focused instead on Merula, narrowing her eyes – the purple-haired girl was such an enigma to her, ever since they'd first met she had been trying in vain to work her out.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly.

"Doing...? Oh, you mean all of this?" Merula replied. "Believe me Amy, it's not personal."

"You're lying," Amy cut in immediately. "You're a Sailor Scout. Why are you following the orders of someone like Mu?"

Merula shrugged.

"Emperor Mu saved my life in the Moon Kingdom. I owe my life to him and am sworn to him unto death. Besides, who else would I work for? Should I run around after that pompous moggy like you and the others?"

Amy couldn't think of anything else to say after this.

She was struggling with two problems at once.

One was fighting not to agree with Merula's evaluation of Luna. It was a real effort; after all, Amy had been given enough reason to agree after her last meeting with the black cat...

But the second was one that she just couldn't figure out.

In the vision Mu had shown her of her past Amy was certain that she had heard Artemis say that Princess Universe was dead along with Princess Charon and Estrella, the third feline advisor of Queen Serenity.

Merula's very presence here now was a contradiction to this.

How had Sailor Universe survived and what had happened to make her the way she was now?

Merula smirked suddenly as if remembering something.

"Oh, THAT'S right..." the small bottle of blue liquid reappeared from her pocket. "Time for your medicine, your Empress-Ship!"

Amy shuddered, feeling as if a million insects were creeping over her barely covered body...but the word of the man she was to marry was law as far as she was concerned and, slowly, she reached for the bottle in Merula's palm.

Merula watched carefully and, once she was sure that Amy would not be able to spit the potion out, took back the now empty bottle which disappeared back into her pocket.

Amy shivered as she felt her body tingle all over...WHAT had she just drunk?

Merula was now bored with the conversation and turned to leave the room.

"Wait," Amy snapped, forgetting her discomfort as her only means of obtaining information walked toward the door. "You haven't answered my question!"

"Question?" Merula turned to face Amy again. "What question was that?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" Amy asked simply.

Merula's face twitched and wavered for a brief moment. For the shortest of seconds Amy thought that she could finally see past the mask and to the girl beneath.

But then the weakness was gone and Merula's resolution returned.

"You're an idealistic little know-it-all!" she snapped. "That's reason enough for me!"

"That makes you hate me enough to betray the Scouts?" Amy was disbelieving.

Once more a weakness tugged at Merula's smirk. Then it was gone again and the smirk reasserted itself.

"Ah, I get it! I understand it now!" Merula laughed and sneered. "You want me to help you escape. That's the reason behind all this, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't leave here if I could. I made a promise and I have to keep it. Even to someone like Mu." Amy said quietly.

"The Scouts aren't coming for you, babes. They don't give a damn about you and you'll see that when you realise that they've turned their backs on you."

With that, Merula spun on her heel and left the room, leaving Amy on her own to get as much sleep as she possibly could after that.

...Good, Amy thought sadly as she picked up a bright green apple from the tray, sleep being the furthest thing from her mind as she gazed at her reflection in its curves before she bit into it.

Just for once she decided to take a leaf out of Serena's book and take her mind off her troubles by eating...

x x x x x

"This is the place, girls," Fargo pointed at the hotel at the bottom of the street. "That's the place."

Fargo slowly cancelled his levitation spell and dropped onto the roof with the Scouts.

The Sailor Scouts stared at the large building in the near distance – the grand name painted above the doorway was 'The Hotel Splendide'...the Sailor Scouts were impressed.

"Man, that looks like a real top-class place!" Sailor Mars, said her eyes full of awe. "It'd take a decade's worth of temple donations to get reservations there!"

"That's Amy's luck all over!" Sailor Jupiter agreed. "Trust her to get kidnapped by an enemy with money to burn!"

Fargo's eyes had gleamed as he had listened to all this.

"Well if that's what you girls like in a man...I have a few yen flying about the place, ya know!" he dug some spare change out of his pocket and threw it over the roof. "See?"

Jupiter rolled her eyes but didn't reply.

"How do we get in?" Sailor Venus interjected hurriedly.

"One of us ought to go in from the back," Fargo decided. "I'll go first and call..."

"No way!" Jupiter snapped, grabbing him by the sleeve and dragging him round to face her. "You're staying here where I can keep an eye on you, chumly!"

Fargo glared at her, so angry that he had actually been rendered speechless.

"I'll go!" Venus cut in again before an argument could break out. "I'll contact you with my communicator when the coast is clear."

"Go for it, Sailor V!" Sailor Moon approved.

The other two Scouts as well as Fargo nodded and with that Sailor Venus began to make her way toward the hotel.

x x x x x

"Merula! Come here!"

Merula stopped in the middle of the stairway as Mu appeared on the balcony and called to her – though her eyes didn't show it she inwardly seethed at being summoned like a dog.

"Yes, Emperor Mu?" Merula asked, walking back up to the balcony.

"I just used my telepathy to learn the thoughts of those interfering cats and the Sailor Scouts. They are on their way here at this very moment!" Mu told her.

Merula's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" she demanded.

Mu's eyes blazed into their golden glow as his anger flared up.

"Never question me again!" he hissed.

Merula lowered her eyes, acting like she was frightened at having aroused her master's wrath.

"Your pardon, Emperor Mu." Merula whispered. "I was only..."

"We'll discuss this later, Merula. Right now Sailor Venus is trying to enter the building through the back way. Take care of her."

Mu turned and departed.

Merula breathed hard as her heart throbbed with concentrated rage as she watched him go and her heart beat returned to normal.

"Butt-wipe..." she muttered under her breath as she watched, her eyes narrowed, as HIS back retreated from view.

Soon you won't have to put up with that any longer, she promised herself grimly, soon...

Then she spread out her arms and fingers.

"Universal Planet Power! Make Up!"

There was a crackle and the room was plunged into darkness as Merula transformed - as before her dress and shoes faded away and were replaced by a sailor shirt, black skirt, gloves and high-heels and her hair was twisted into a long braid behind her.

Sailor Universe braced herself and made her way downstairs.

x x x x x

"Yep! There she is!"

Sailor Moon, Fargo and the other two remaining Scouts were gathered around the Planet Power Detector.

One moment they had been watching Sailor Venus's progress and the next their attention was claimed by a second bleep on the small glass screen.

"That's Sailor Universe." Fargo nodded. "Sailor Mercury's reading would have been blue. That one's black."

"I sure hope Sailor Venus can handle her!" Sailor Mars breathed.

Fargo drew out a bottle of something fizzy and opening it he took a long tug.

Noticing the disgust on Sailor Jupiter's face Fargo grinned.

"Care for a drink, sweet thing?" He offered.

A minute later Fargo was leaning back heavily against the wall rubbing his bleeding nose with one hand and clawing at his soaking head as the now empty bottle lay on the roof.

"That's a no then?" he called after Jupiter, who had gone to the other side of the roof-top.

x x x x x

The air rustled through Sailor Venus's hair as she stood on the wall overlooking the pool courtyard.

The place was totally devoid of people.

Or so it seemed.

It looks safe enough, she thought.

Sailor Venus dropped from the wall and landed lightly in the courtyard.

No-one seemed to hear her so Venus stepped toward the double-doors at the far side of the courtyard, feeling pleased with her success...

"Hello, Sailor Venus. It's been too long!"

Venus spun around and saw Sailor Universe sneering at her from a few yards away.

Sailor V's mouth was agape as she stared, still hardly believing that there was a sixth Scout.

"I wish I could say that it's good to see you again but that's just because I'm an incurable liar." Universe continued.

"You might be a Scout but if you're determined to harm our friend then I have no choice!" Venus declared. "Let's rock!"

Universe grinned delighted to get the chance to fight a Scout she didn't have to hold back against.

"Venus Love Chain!" Sailor V cried, creating a chain of energy which she whirled in the air like a nunchucka.

"Galactic Star Whip!" Sailor U called creating a similar chain.

The two Sailor Scouts lunged at one another with their energy whips.

As the two energy chains connected there was a brilliant flash of light and the air crackled with energy.

Far away on the roof of the Hino Shrine Luna and Artemis screwed up their eyes to avoid being blinded by the burst of light which lit up the sky.

"The Scouts are really going for broke out there!" Artemis remarked. "But hey...to think that for all these years EMPEROR MU was alive and hiding out somewhere on Earth...even while Queen Beryl was trying to take over from the North Pole!"

The cats had both silently agreed, when confronted with the name of their unexpected enemy by Fargo (ANOTHER surprise...), that they would not tell the Scouts about Mu's true identity since they'd both felt sure that it would cause them great turmoil to know that their world had once been ruled by such evil and that the greatest source of that evil had now returned.

"I hope Amy is alright." Luna murmured.

Artemis looked over at his fellow feline, wondering if he had detected just a faint trace of guilt in her voice.

"Yeah," A serious note entered Artemis's voice. "But you know Luna, that was a very stupid thing you did to her yesterday."

"I know," Luna whispered, remembering with shame the hurt she had seen caused by her in Amy's eyes. "I only hope she can forgive me..."

x x x x x

Ducking a lash from Universe's Star Whip Sailor V made a quick cut at her leg.

Sailor Universe growled in pain as the Venus Love Chain curled around her leg and tugged it, causing her to drop the Star Whip.

"Retribution Thunder Shot!" Universe cried striking the ground with her clenched fist.

Before Venus could do anything the ground around her was electrified and she gave a scream of pain and dropped her chain.

Both breathing heavily Sailor V and Sailor Universe stood in a face off.

"We're even, Universe!" Venus declared.

Universe just smirked.

"Ah, not quite, Sailor V! Watch!"

She held out an outstretched hand which crackled with Planet Power.

"Hell Fire!"

Sailor V jumped back as the air became scorching hot and she had to make a real effort to stay on her feet.

This was the chance Universe needed.

"Inescapable Ensnare!" Universe cried.

Before she had time to move a pair of Anti-Planet Power handcuffs surrounded Sailor V's wrists!

These had been created with Sailor Mercury in mind but they worked just as well with Sailor Venus.

As her Planet Power faded Sailor V felt herself transform back into Mina.

With a devilish grin Universe gathered together all her energy at once to finish off the powerless and defenceless Mina with a Hell Fire blast...

- No, Universe! -

She stopped as she heard Mu's voice in her head.

"Emperor Mu, we agreed..." she protested.

- Do not slay Sailor Venus! That is my order! -

Scowling, Universe dropped her energy and turned to face Mina.

"You're not taking me anywhere!" the blonde girl snapped.

"C'mon! Shift your butt!" Sailor Universe growled, grabbing her by the wrist and beginning to drag her away - a strange smirk on her face that Mina didn't notice as she tried to dig her heels into the smoothly tiled ground.

Good ol' Venus...ever-spunky!