Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from "CardCaptor Sakura". They are all owned by the ladies of CLAMP who are much more talented than I. (smile) I also do not own anyone from "Sailor Moon". They are all owned by Takeuchi Naoko whose vision will live eternally. (smile) (Much to Elflina's dismay...) All other characters are my own. Feel free to steal them.
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A big hello to Taeniaea and aserene! (smile) Yes, not only are they loyal, they are stubborn. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Time to break out the tissues and to get the barest glimpse of some of Mercury's past... - Raya
Moonlit Sakura
Chapter 20 - The Pain of Separation
In a tall eastern spire of the Crystal Palace, a quiet figure huddled on a bed in a dark room. The early morning sun tried to send its rays into the room, but was blocked by a dark blue curtain.
Ami sat with her back to the wall at the head of her bed, not noticing the brightening light. She buried her head in the pillow in her lap, wrapped her arms under her thighs, and squeezed herself into a small ball of misery. A few moments later, though, her body's instinctive need to breathe forced her to relax her arms and turn her aching head to the side.
'I'm all alone,' she thought for what felt like the hundredth time. She felt a distant, dull surprise when this time the thought didn't bring a wave of sobs and tears. 'I'm all alone. Again. I never, ever wanted to be alone again. Why?'
She closed her swollen, bloodshot eyes as she remembered the scene from the previous morning. The sound of the enemy's voice chanting her doom. The inability to move. Super Sailor Venus jumping in front of her at the last second to take the brunt of the spell.
"Why!" Super Sailor Mercury wailed unexpectedly, tears rushing down her face. "Why, Minako-chan!"
Super Sailor Venus turned her face up towards her crying friend. "Because… you're the best chance we have,… Ami..." she whispered as she disappeared from view.
She tightened her arms and opened her eyes again as the pain shot through her once more. "Minako-chan… Rei-chan… Mako-chan…," she whispered in a congested, aching voice. Then, her longing joined the pain as she whispered even more softly. "Usagi…"
'I can't do it,' she thought desperately. 'I can't. Not by myself. I'm not strong enough. Guys… Guys, help! Come back! Please don't leave me alone again…'
Luna slowly became aware of a gentle hand rubbing her fur from her head to the base of her tail. As she smelled Serenity's perfume around her, she felt a strange sense of relief. Too groggy to make sense out of it, she snuggled down into the soft lap and began to purr.
A few moments later, she realized that something was not quite right. Her whiskers twitched as she tried to figure out what it was without opening her strangely sore eyes. After a few breaths, she realized that Pallas, Bessa, Phobos, and Deimos were in the room as well.
Her curiosity overcame her pain and exhaustion. As she slowly opened her eyes, she realized that the lap and the hand didn't belong to Serenity.
"Luna," she heard Bessa say softly. Disturbed and afraid of something that she couldn't remember, Luna lifted her head and peered around the room.
Pallas sat in the guest chair by the window, giving her a look of sympathy. She looked pale and exhausted. In her lap, cradled on a cushion, Phobos and Deimos lay unconscious. As Luna continued to look around, she realized that Bessa was the one holding and stroking her.
"Serenity?" she called in a wavering voice. "Usagi-chan? Where are you?"
At this plaintive cry, Bessa's hand paused mid-stroke. "Luna…" she said again, her voice full of sadness and sympathy.
Trying desperately to ignore her, Luna stood up in her lap and looked around the room again. "Usagi-chan? Usagi! Arte…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered the horrible truth. Both Usagi and Artemis were gone. She shook her head slowly, struggling to breathe.
Gently, Bessa gathered her up to her chest, and held her close. "Noooooo…," the little black cat wailed once again.
At the Doors of Time, Super Sailor Pluto shifted uneasily. Suddenly, she stiffened. "Uranus… Neptune…" she whispered in shock as her hand clenched on the Time Staff. Tears slowly filled her garnet colored eyes as she felt her comrades' presence fade away.
Gently cradling Diana in her arms, Princess Lady slowly walked down the hall flanked by Sailor Ceres and Sailor Juno. She paused outside of her mother's door, and debated going in. Slowly, she shook her head.
"Lady-chan?" Sailor Ceres asked questioningly.
"I was thinking Diana might like to stay here, but… I can't just leave her." Gently, she reached up and stroked the sleeping grey cat's small head. "She needs me right now." She paused, and then continued tentatively. "I could use Luna's advice, too… This morning is the first formal meeting with the South African delegation."
She raised her hand from Diana's head and rubbed a tired, dark pink eye. As she lowered her hand again, she looked at her friends solemnly. "I've never handled a delegation all by myself before. Mama and Papa always did it, and since they… left… Minako-chan was always there."
Sailor Ceres nodded her head in understanding. "Minako-san… was filling in for Luna, wasn't she?" she asked with a slight break in her voice.
Princess Lady nodded. "Luna has been Mama's chief adviser for more than a millennium. She's probably forgotten more about protocol and such than we will ever know. But after yesterday…"
Sailor Ceres and Sailor Juno nodded looking a little pensive. Suddenly, Sailor Juno raised her head. "You're right. After all that's happened, she needs some time. Don't worry, Lady-chan. You can do it. You handled the Central American delegation just fine. This can't be much different." She smiled. "And if you make a few mistakes, well… Ami-san is always saying that's how you learn."
Princess Lady smiled at her friend. "Yeah, but I hate making mistakes. Oh well. You're right. I can do it." The three friends nodded simultaneously then continued to walk down the hall with renewed determination.
Slowly, Ami's eyes drifted shut. She fell into an exhausted slumber with a soft sigh.
In her dreams, she walked once again through the cold, misty woods of Transylvania. With a frown, she looked at her computer, which was giving her a funny readout. As she tapped a few keys, she felt her heart tighten in fear at what would come next.
"What have we here?" a silky male voice asked with restrained eagerness.
"A lovely little treat," another male voice responded happily. "Mmm... She looks delicious..."
Super Sailor Mercury paused and peered around bravely. "Who's out there?" she called.
The voices just laughed. "Oh, we won't make it that easy," the first voice said tauntingly. "If you find us, you can ask us another question."
With a determined look, she tapped away at her computer. As the minutes passed, their snickers got louder.
She jumped and spun around as she felt an icy finger trace up the back of her neck. "Is that all you have?" a new voice asked from the emptiness. "What a pity... You'll never find us that way..."
"Never... Never..." the other voices echoed.
"Where... Where is ChibiUsa-chan?" she demanded, typing once again on the computer.
The voices paused, and then laughed again. "Ah-ah... No questions until you find us," the first voice admonished. She felt something cold and vine-like shove into her back, pushing her to her knees. "But we tire of playing... You'd better hurry."
For several more minutes, she typed at her computer frantically trying to find any trace of her adversaries or the kidnapped toddler. The invisible enemy continued to caress and shove her around, trying to distract her. Desperately, she longed to call for help, but she knew that her friends were too far away searching other likely places for the little hostage.
She fought off the panic and fear of what was to come, and finally closed the computer. Trembling, she looked around once more.
"Oh, so she's giving up..." the second voice said eagerly. "So delicious..."
"No," Super Sailor Mercury replied, forcing herself to close her eyes. "I'm not giving up. I'll never give up. I'll find you. And her." She winced as she felt the first cut along her arm. Ignoring the pain and the seeping chill, she concentrated on calming herself and finding the enemy.
Another voice, one she feared and despised, joined the taunters. "And now you're mine," Phantom said triumphantly.
She felt her soul spiral into the past. Before she could relive the lonely, cold, distorted memories he had once shown her, however, a bright sparkle appeared before her.
'Ami-chan!' She opened her eyes wide in shock as she heard Usagi's voice call her. 'Ami-chan!' Usagi's voice called again encouragingly.
In the center of the bright light floated a silver necklace with a little charm on it. Slowly, she reached out to touch it. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered uncertainly.
'Remember, Ami-chan? It's a promise.'
Around Ami, the cold, misty forest was replaced by another memory. Once again, she stood in the courtyard at Hikawa Shine with all of her friends. Each of them looked at the charm that Usagi had handed them.
"Sixteenth notes?" Ami asked in confusion staring at the little silver run of notes. "Musical notes remind you of me?" She looked at her thin, pale, exhausted friend who smiled back at her. "Oh, because of Aqua Rhapsody..."
Usagi shook her head negatively at Ami's guess. "They're called grace notes," she said. "They make pretty songs prettier. They seem fragile, because they don't really stand alone, but..." The gathered senshi looked at her expectantly. "But, they are notes, right? So they can make a melody all of their own. Just like you, Ami-chan. You seem fragile. And after that… encounter… with Phantom in Transylvania, you believe it yourself. But you're not. You can stand alone, like those grace notes. You are strong."
Ami studied the little charm once more as Usagi explained the other charms she had given out to her friends. Desperately, she tried to believe her friend was right. Even more desperately, she struggled with the knowledge that she would have to fight this upcoming battle alone. Finally, Usagi's voice got quiet. Slowly, Ami looked up at her friend.
"It's time, isn't it?" Makoto asked quietly. Rei and Usagi nodded reluctantly. Makoto nodded back then clenched her hand around the little silver swan that Usagi had given her. "I swear, this planet will never fall. I'll protect it, no matter what. And we will get ChibiUsa-chan back. No, we will get our Small Lady back, safe and sound, and we will protect her, too." she vowed fiercely.
Her friends looked at her in surprise, and then clenched their own charms. "It's a promise," Ami said, strengthening her resolve and holding her fist out to Usagi. "An oath." All of the senshi copied her gesture, and spoke as one. "We will protect this planet, our Queen, King Endymion-sama, and Small Lady, no matter what."
"Guys..." Usagi whispered, deeply moved by their determination. Then, she nodded. "Yes. Even if we are alone, we are together, bound by this promise. Phantom will not win, now or in the future."
'Even if we are alone, we are together…' Ami echoed with quiet peace deep in her soul.
Abruptly, she opened her eyes and jerked her sore head up from her pillow. With a trembling hand, she reached for the silver necklace around her neck. "Even alone, we are together..." she whispered as she looked down at the shiny sixteenth notes.
Her face tightened as her resolve returned. She closed her fist over the little charm and held it to her chest. "Guys, hold on. I'll find you."
She put the pillow aside, tucked the charm back into its hiding place,and stood up from the bed. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was already after noon. Hurriedly, she took a shower and changed clothes.
As she stepped out into the hall to walk to the kitchen, she called Celeste on her communicator and verified that she was not needed for guard duty any time soon. Then, she tried to call Haruka and Michiru.
A worried frown covered her face when she realized that she could not reach either of them. She stopped in the middle of the hallway as she felt her stomach plummet, and then keyed her communicator again.
"Pluto? Where are Neptune and Uranus?"