Ami Mizuno shot up in bed, breathing heavily and her forehead covered in sweat. Breath shallow, rushed and frightened, she looked about the room with wide, alert blue eyes. Seeing nothing but the calm of her room gently lit by the early morning light, she took in a shaking breath and put her hand to her brow, closing her eyes and slowing her rapid heart rate. It was just a dream.
It had been nearly a year since Sailor Moon had defeated Chaos. Nearly a year of the happy, peaceful life of normal girls, and not one of them could be happier with their lot. They were out of the face of danger, and time and energy that typically would have been dedicated to sailor business could be refocused, aimed instead at at cultivating their talents. They had been fighting for so long – nearly four years – that they had nearly forgotten what it was to lead normal lives, but with some time and adjustment, they gradually settled back into their lives. It was a wonderful contrast to their previous existence.
Until the nightmares started.
It had all started nearly three weeks ago when Raye had begun to feel the dark pulsing, a sinister undercurrent of electrical energy when she sat before the sacred fire. It had started weak, just a slight pull at the edge of her senses, but over time grew stronger, more oppressive, until dark energies pervaded her consciousness. So strong was this force that at one time, the holy fortress that was the Hikawa Shrine was penetrated, and the sacred fire, supposedly resistant to evil, was doused, put out by an overwhelming darkness.
Usagi began the feel it the week after Raye, and it immediately seared into her mind and vision, causing her terrible headaches as the Silver Crystal would flare up and hum with high frequency energy to protect its guardian. It did not take long before she would wake up I the morning as Sailor Moon, the Silver Crystal having transformed her on its own to prepare her to respond to an unseen threat, and she began to fear that she may spontaneously transform in front of others, which would be catastrophic.
It was only the last week that Ami had felt the effects, causing her intense nightmares that Raye believed to be premonitions, and occasionally felt a strong pulsating in her chest, as if her heart suddenly stops, strongly contracts, and stops once again before continuing on beating like nothing had happened. It was only recently that the visions were becoming detailed and vivid, and despite no logical basis for it, Ami was becoming worried for the blond boy on the alter.
The girls who once called themselves the sailor senshi began realizing that they were going to have to say goodbye to their normal lives and once again take up the mantle against this enemy they could not see but keenly felt.
It was to this day that Ami awoke. She slowly breathed, calming her heart beat and quickly repeating the dream over and over in her mind so she could be sure to remember. After a few minutes, she looked over at the clock, groaned, and got out of bed to get ready for the meeting at the Hikawa Shrine.