The Library Garden
Ami stumbled as she pulled away from the memory and Zoicite caught her. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.
She nodded. "I'm fine. Just- I remember now. We were friends long ago. And Queen Beryl destroyed that friendship."
"Not destroyed. We can start again." He smiled. "You look even lovelier than I remember in that gown."
The blue-haired girl blushed slightly. "Thank you, general."
"It's just Zoicite. I think that…" He trailed off, looking around the garden as his smile faded into a worried frown. "Can you sense that?"
Ami touched the earring that activated her Mercury Super Computer. A sheer blue visor flashed into view across her eyes. "There is something there, but I can't tell what. I'm getting a location. It's coming this way- Zoicite, look out!"
The blonde boy jumped aside just in time. A creature had emerged from the garden. It was tall and covered with bright green vines. "A youma?" Zoicite guessed, rising to his feet and facing the creature.
"Don't let the vines touch you," cautioned Ami. The youma sent out a thick vine that smashed the concrete at the girl's feet. She jumped, landing in a crouch on the edge of the fountain. One hand went to her pocket and brought out her blue henshin pen. "Zoicite, get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving you!" he called back.
The Temple
"I'm sorry I'm late!" cried Usagi, hurrying up the Temple path toward her friends. "I just lost track of time."
Rei, Minako and Makoto, seated on the steps shared a sigh. Then, Rei looked worried. "Wait a minute," she said. "If Usagi is here, where is Ami? She's always here early."
"You mean Ami isn't here yet?" asked Usagi, beginning to worry. "I left her at the library hours ago. She can't still be there, can she?"
"It's possible," said Makoto. "She could have gotten lost in a book or something. You know our Ami-chan."
"Do you think we should look for her?" Minako asked. "She could be in trouble."
Usagi nodded, then her blue eyes grew wide. "A youma!" she gasped.
"Are you sure?" asked Luna, the scouts' black guardian cat. "But Queen Beryl has been defeated."
"I'm sure," said Usagi firmly. "It couldn't be anything else." She raised a hand into the air. "Moon Prism Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Venus Power!"
Mamoru's apartment
Mamoru stuck his head into the small kitchen to find it completely empty. "Whose turn is it to make dinner?" he asked.
"Zoicite's," said Kunzite absently.
"Where is he?" asked Jadeite. "I didn't see him come back."
"Me, neither," Nephrite added.
"You mean he hasn't come back from the library?" asked Kunzite. "That's strange. Zoicite's usually very good about time management."
"Never mind," said Mamoru. "I'll cook tonight." He frowned. "Did anyone feel that?"
"What?" said Jadeite, puzzled. "I didn't- yes! But…"
"It's a youma," said Kunzite. "But what can we do?"
"Stop it," answered Mamoru. "Come on, you three. Let's go."
The Library Garden
Another vine crushed the bench beside him, but the general reached Ami's side unhurt. "This way." He seized her hand and started toward the edge of the garden, the youma crashing through the bushes behind them.
"There's nowhere to go," Ami said, when they had reached the garden fence. She raised her henshin pen. "Mercury Power!"
Blue light flashed around them in a complicated pattern. When it faded, Ami wore the blue and white uniform of a sailor Senshi, while Zoicite wore the gray uniform of an Earth general. "What?" he asked, looking down at his clothes.
"No time for that now," said Sailor Mercury. She rose and moved onto the path. "Mercury Bubbles Blast!"
The youma shrieked and retracted its vines, then resumed its attack. "Try again!" said Zoicite. As a vine snapped toward them, he drew his sword and deflected it neatly.
A rose flew out of nowhere and landed at the youma's feet. It paused. "Moon Tiara Magic!" A disk of golden light struck the youma and it exploded in a thousand pieces.
Sailor Mercury let out a sigh and leaned against Zoicite's shoulder. "Thank goodness."
"Sailor Mercury!" Sailor Moon came running through the garden, closely followed by Mars, Jupiter and Venus. She stopped short when she saw Zoicite. "You!"
"Zoicite!" cried another voice. Tuxedo Mask, with his remaining three generals in tow, came from the other path. They came to an abrupt halt facing the Senshi.
Sailor Mars brandished a ward sticker and glared at Jadeite, the general immediately across from her, who had drawn his sword. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn them into a pile of ashes."
