No copyright infringement intended.

Lost and Found

Ami was standing stock still as if frozen by the intense cold that surrounded them. But it was not the arctic temperature that had seemingly turned her to ice.

Her ears were still ringing with Makoto's dying screams as she gave her life to protect them all. Dimly, Ami could hear Usagi crying and Rei admonishing her for being weak, while Minako tried to restore peace and focus.

But Ami did not really care. She could not. She could only feel a gaping hole in her heart. But then her body and mind started processing what had just happened. Her chest tightened and all the air seemed to have gone from her lungs. Her knees gave way and she sank into the snow, clutching her chest.

It could not be true! Every bit of her soul was screaming that Makoto could not be gone but her sharp mind knew that she had lost her best friend forever. And as this realization settled on her like a dead weight, she could feel hot tears cascading down her icy cheeks.
"No, no, no!" Ami sobbed desperately. "I should have told her so many things. I should have been brave enough to tell Makoto how much she meant to me. I should have told her that her strength combined with her gentle and caring nature and made me feel safer and more liked than I had ever felt before. I should have said that the moment we first met I'd felt this inexplicable but instant and undeniable connection. And I should have told her that, even though I had never believed in soul mates, she was the reason that I had started to believe they could really exist."

And while Makoto's screams echoed in her mind and mixed with the sound of her own crying, Ami saw clearly what she had to do. She would see Makoto again soon.

She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath and got back to her feet.

"You have to go on! I'll hold them up!" she said to the others.

They turned to her, apparently oblivious to Ami's pain and sorrow.

"Sailor Mercury, no, we have to stay together now", Sailor Moon protested, while Mars and Venus remained silent.

Ami knew they understood her intentions and so she appealed to Rei and Minako, "Guys, you have to get going. Protect Usagi at all costs. I will do what I can here to slow them down."

She fixed the two Senshi with a determined look and Mars and Venus nodded silently. But Usagi would not give up so easily.

"No, Mercury, you'll d… d… die like Jupiter and … and … and I can't bear it", she sobbed hysterically.

"Sailor Moon", Rei snarled, shaking Usagi by her upper arm, "Pull yourself together. Mercury is right. Her powers are best suited to slowing them down and we need to get to Queen Beryl. We need to save the world."

Sailor Moon stared at Mars, "How can you say that? We can't leave Ami to take these demons on alone!"

"Yes, we can and we will! Now come on!" Mars said loudly, tugging unsuccessfully at Sailor Moon's arm.

"Ami is a skilled and strong warrior and this is her part in this battle", Minako intervened. "Come on, we need to go."

And she also took hold of Sailor Moon's other arm and together Venus and Mars marched Sailor Moon away, giving Mercury a last look of deep gratitude.

Ami turned back towards the ice spikes that held her soul mate's lifeless body.

"Makoto, we'll see each other again soon", she whispered.

Then she heard coarse laughter behind her and spun around to face the three remaining demons. They were leering at her and threatened her but Ami did not feel any fear. She already knew what would happen and she was not scared of death anymore. She would take as many demons with her as she could to keep the others safe before joining Makoto.

The battle was brief but intense and even Ami's off-the-chart intelligence combined with her super computer did not help her to defeat the demons. But she had fulfilled her purpose of slowing them down and giving the others a decent head start.

"I'm coming, Makoto", Ami whispered as she lay broken on the ice, awaiting death's welcoming embrace. And then Ami sank into darkness.

To be continued…