Looking Glass

Notes: I know that I haven't updated this fic in quite awhile…actually I haven't really updated much of anything in quite awhile 'sweat drop' but now that the holidays are over and I am making a New Year's Resolution to be more constant with my fan fic updates hopefully this will turn out better.

Chapter Two:

Pieces

Days passed by but for some reason it only seemed as if minutes ticked by. Since my translator was only fifteen years old I was often dragged off on his little 'adventures' with his friends. This fact at first irritated me to no end because the with each passing hour I felt so paranoid that I would draw the dark creatures to this peaceful island…but after two days of having nothing else to do but follow Riku and his friends around I slowly began to relax somewhat.

Actually more than relax. This last week has been like reliving the years that I missed from a combination of studying and saving the world from different demonic forces. The days were filled with excitement and were always filled with new and interesting things…my weary years as a warrior were slowly melting away, reverting back into what it could have been.

"So exactly why are you guys building this raft?" I asked through gritted teeth as I helped Sora and Riku by tying lengths of rope to hold the raft together.

Riku turned to the others and translated what I just said

Kari giggled slightly, "We want to explore the world."

"Oh really?" I asked, I just couldn't help but be skeptical, "Do you think this raft can take you all around the world?" I replied being more than a little sarcastic.

Riku just glanced up at me and outright refused to relay that message to the others, which was probably for the best.

After fastening the last board to the raft we decided to call it a day. Sora and Kari wandered off somewhere and Riku went home so that left me to freely wander the beach.

The sky was turning a dark maroon with hints of pink just above the horizon. The cry of the seagulls has dulled down to distant echoes as the water calmly lapped up towards shore for high tide. It looked so beautiful…so picterquic and peaceful.

A stroke of recklessness over took me causing me to slip off my shoes…actually sandals that Kari let me borrow, and wade into the water. With each step out into the ocean I could finally hear the familiar call of my element. When I use it's powers to defeat our enemies I can hear it roaring in my ears like a tidal wave coming to claim and then to destroy. But for now it was calm and smooth like lullaby almost. Oh what I wouldn't give to just fall back and sink into its embrace. Not to die but to just gently float on the surface feeling the sources of my power completely surround me and drown everything else out.

Cupping my right hand moved through the water, causing ripples to mingle with motion of the waves.

A shiver runs down my spine.

What the hell am I doing here?

My princess is in danger and what am I doing instead of getting help or at least trying to find a way to rescue her?

Building castles in the sand. Wasting my time by constructing a raft. And now wading into an ocean when my world as I know it is dying.

What kind of monster am I?

I am worse than those black creatures.

They are mindless and don't have a clue what they are doing but here I am locking out everything that is bad, shielding myself from everything that is wrong.

How could I just forget everything so easily?

How could I forget that there was a reason that I was sent here and it wasn't to have 'fun'.

I should have left days ago.

Before that train of thought derailed I reached for my chain belt.

I had my hand clasped tightly around the broken key that I had used to arrive here.

Once I break off another key I can never come back…

These people have been so kind to me and it pains me to leave such a beautiful place…but I do have a mission to complete even though I have yet to take the first step in the right direction.

My fingers slowly uncurled, pulling away from the broken key and then slide to the one next to it.

Suddenly I felt the hairs on my arms and neck stand up.

Someone was close by.

Whipping my head to the side I gasped as I saw in the dimming sunlight two large bright yellow eyes staring back at me from a black and almost formless body. Its little antenna like appendages wiggling in mid-air. Behind it more of them were forming from the shadows of the rock.

My blood chilled. They had found me. They found me and the keys. They wanted the keys and they would kill me to get to them.

With a cry I turn around and ran towards the beach.

I could hear them squealing and chirping as they waded towards shore with me.

I could hear screaming only to have it echo back in my ears as my own.

My feet allowed me to stumble onto the beach, scrapping my knees against the abrasive sand.

I had to escape from these creatures.

If they got a hold of these keys it just won't be my world that would be in danger.

But it would be worse than that…with these keys all of the worlds could be at their fingertips just as they are to mine now.

Blindly I ran up the beach until I ran into something.

I tried to turn and pull away so that I could escape the dark monsters but hands reached out and tightly grasped my wrists.

Thinking it was one of the creatures I cried out and roughly tried to jerk away while also trying to kick whoever had grabbed me.

"What's wrong? Ami stop! I am just trying to help you."

With a soft gasp I open my eyes at last and glance up to see Riku.

Looking behind me I saw that the 'monsters' weren't chasing me…in fact they weren't even there.

"But they were there…' I whispered, "I saw them…they were there!" I stated, now starting to panic.

"Who was there?" Riku asked.

"The dark ones. The…monsters." I admitted suddenly feeling very ashamed.

Silence surrounded us.

He must think that I am such an idiot for blindly running away from the ocean when there obviously wasn't anything there.

"So…you can see them too."

"…what did you say?" I croaked.

Riku glanced away from the shore and back to me, "You can see the dark creatures too."

'Well…not now." I said once again looking back at the shore, "but just a few minutes ago I saw them and they started chasing me but now I can't see them."

"Don't worry about them then." Riku stated as he loosened his grip on my arm, "They are completely harmless…I've seen them around this island for years…but only in small numbers."

He glanced back at me, "That is until you came here. Since then they seem to be everywhere."

"So you mean that…they must have followed me." I whispered hoarsely.

"Maybe" Riku said calmly, "But like I said they are harmless…"

"No they're not 'harmless'." I cut in.

Already I could hear the screams of Minako, Rei, and Makoto as our princess was surrounded by those creatures. Her powers were useless against them and the only resort that she had left was the use the Silver Crystal but before she could even open her locket they all pounced on her and dragged her out of our sight. We were helpless to do anything about it though because a literal sea of those creatures prevented any of us from getting anywhere near her.

"It's because of those 'harmless' creatures that I am here." I said softly, my right hand clenching tightly around my chain belt, the various keys clattering in response.

"It's because of them that I am on this mission to rescue the one person who means more to me than life." I finished as tears slowly cascaded down my face.

Setsuna gave me the key belt later that very evening. I don't know what got in her head to send me on this mission. I am not brave like Rei; I am not strong like Makoto or even resourceful like Minako. She made a mistake in picking me….she must have…because if it was any of the other girls they would have solved this quickly and wouldn't have been too scared not to face the enemy head on.

"Ami…look at me." Riku demanded, apparently my gaze had wandered back to the shore line as if I was looking for any sign of those creatures.

Turning back to face him I was momentarily stunned.

Against the darkening sky his dark blue-green eyes seemed capture the last remains of the light, his small self-assured smirk was alluring but something was lurking behind those eyes that smile…something that chilled me worse than those creatures did.

"I promise Ami, the 'monsters' won't touch you. If you'll only join me you don't have to be afraid of the dark…or it's creatures ever again."

He offered his hand up and for a moment I could see the creatures, they were gathered behind him like a miniature army. They surrounded me as well so close that I could just barely feel their antenna's brush against my legs and my arm.

My skin pimpled with gooseflesh as I began to reach for his hand.

I don't want to be afraid anymore.

I want to be strong.

I want to be brave.

I want to…for once in my life…defeat my own demons that lurk in the darkness.

All those years of loneliness.

All the times I was treated less than human just because I was shy.

All the times that I just wanted to hide because of the taunts and jeers.

These darkest moments could just easily be forgotten.

To accept his invitation would be like slipping into the embrace of water.

It was so tempting…to just forget it all and slip away again.

Until I felt his hand grasps the key belt.

"Hmm interesting. These could be useful to us."

Instantly I jerked out of his reach only to gasp as I saw his tight grip on my chain belt yank off several keys causing them to fall into the sand the heartless creatures leaped onto the keys and claimed them as their own.

I didn't have time to worry about those keys though I had to get out of here.

Riku refused to let go of my hand though. He grasped my right wrist so tightly that it hurt.

"Riku let me go!" I screamed.

"I won't! I knew from the moment that you came to this island that you are just like me. You're trying to escape too."

"No! I am not escaping anything! I was sent here to save my princess. Please let me go! I have to save her."

"You mean Princess Serenity I presume. You don't have to worry about her Ami…she's just fine. She's safe and sound with us. She belongs to the darkness." he said calmly, his right hand tenderly stroked my cheek as he leaned to whisper in my ear, "And soon you'll join us too."

My entire being froze allowing him to slowly pull me in closer.

Held within the vice grip of his arms I couldn't move, barely even breath.

The earth began to shake and over Riku's shoulder I could see a literal monster rise out of the shadows.

No.

This must be some mistake.

Setsuna may have chosen the wrong senshi but I can't fail them. I can't fail my princess.

"You forgot Riku." I whispered before glancing up at him with a weak smirk curling on my lips as my hand grasped tightly onto a random key on my belt.

"You forgot that I have the power…to disappear." I said just as I snapped a key in two.

Riku's expression of shock was priceless as I literally dissolved out of his embrace and to god only knows where.

Notes: Short and a cliffhanger I know…I hope that you guys liked it though. Sorry if Ami was OOC or that I made her seem too weak or anything. Thanks for reading. Peace out