Turn away kiddies; it gets a little hot for a girl in prison with a man. Doesn't reach the dirty level, though. I've already suggested much more gruesome and much more horrific things. Thanks for the reviews.

-M. Wing

Last time in Chapter 4: Abducting the Princess, Amy was stolen on one of her outing trips, while Raye waited anxiously to realize that her friend was not to return. Who were involved in Amy's abduction and who could she possibly trust? She already doubts her own capabilities, yet she should still be steadfast loyal to Princess Serenity and defend her when people start talking. Being a little hotheaded landed Amy in trouble for the first time in her life…

Chapter 8: An Encounter with the Past

Two children, who were just through with a decade of their lives, played chase on their clumsy feet around the edge of the pond within the palace grounds. Amy, the blue-haired child barely touched the blonde, elusive, child Moon Princess when the pursued suddenly disappeared into thin air.

Amy huffed in the middle of their play, "Serenity! If you keep using that magic charm Luna gave you I'm not playing anymore!"

"Aw Amy! It's more fun like this!"

"Come out right now!" Amy shouted.

"Come on, Amy! I'm just over here—Eek!"

Amy looked up at the highest branch of the willow she stood under. Serenity sat on the highest branch that cracked and shook under her weight. The young princess still giggled carelessly.

"That's a high fall, Serena! Maybe you should come down before anything happens and we both get in trouble!"

"Pish-posh! I can swim pretty well, you know. You'll have to climb up here to get me down."

Amy shook her head. "This isn't fun anymore, Serenity. The height of the fall may leave you unconscious once you hit the water. The likelihood of drowning is 50/50."

"Don't be smart now—when…" Serenity's eyes popped open as the branch snapped and she fell.

Amy covered her face and heard only a splash. Water sprayed at her, leaving her soaked to the bone.

"Serenity!" Amy whined. "Mother is going to kill me for this!"

When no response came Amy gazed out at the still water.

"Serenity?"

Still no answer.

"Serena!" Her trembling voice carried out into the air.

oOoRedRosesoOo

Amy bounced up from her sleep and awoke with a start. The mattress under her sprung and she felt a burning sensation on her wrists. She tried to pull her arms down, but something held them back. Amy looked up from her sleeping position and saw that her wrists were chained to the bars of the bed.

She groaned in dismay before looking down the length of her body and noticing the change in her attire. She was no longer in her outing clothes, but she was in a gold chemise that just reached her knees. The material was a button-down and it slipped from her shoulders.

Amy flushed, feeling violated and vulnerable.

Slowly, she brought one leg up and hooked it on the chains that tied her down. She hacked at it with her heel and said with a dismal grunt, "titanium."

"Impressive as always," the man in the corner of the room said, clapping his hands playfully.

She shrieked and brought her foot down barely shielding herself from those unknown eyes. Saying nothing she looked over at him, red in the face from embarrassment. She was mortified, but there was no way she was going to let her captor see her.

"You shouldn't try to put on a brave face. It doesn't suit you."

"Show yourself." She demanded.

He stepped from the shadows and Amy cried out in shock. "You!"

"You?!" He repeated hysterically. "I have a name, you know. A name that you should remember and it's not Jedite. After so many years since we've been exiled from our home planet, you still can't remember my name," He groused, his face twisted into ugly lines.

She turned redder if possible.

The man walked up to her in a fitful rage. Amy's wide eyes followed the loose tendrils of hair that fell out of his braid and framed his face. He was glaring at her with such resentment; she did not believe anything had changed between them since they last saw each other. The animosity between childhood playmates, rivals, and classmates still ignited between them. That feeling always left Amy exhausted and despondent when it sizzled to dying embers behind the closed doors to her rooms on Mercury's palace.

"Amy!" He was on the edge of her bed and she only wanted to shrink into a corner, but her predicament did not allow for it. Zoicite shouting at her every now and then broke her train of thought.

"I have always known your name—Zoicite…" Amy whispered voice still hoarse from sleep.

"It's hard to tell after so many years. When you say it aloud like that, then I believe you."

Amy lowered her gaze and shook her head in dismay. "What do you want?"

"You should know."

She grimaced. "I only know what I can see and comprehend. And every minute I have to think it hurts." She remembered being knocked out just a few hours ago. If she was not so scared and so drugged she would be angry, like she would have been years ago if he had her tied down like this. She would not be so intimidated by him if it were not for the accomplices he was with earlier. Worse, one of them could use magic.

Zoicite loomed over her. "I know exactly what you're thinking."

Amy felt dirty as Zoicite settled between her knees and eased closer to her. The sultriness in his voice spoke enough that the power of words was not needed in this situation. She kept her eyes to the ceiling.

Zoicite pulled her up by the shoulders and pulled her chin back, so the only thing she could see was his face. He was closing space between them, but Amy was hard on staying focused the whole time.

This was a man that had once been a wild child, mean teenager, and now a philandering man that she had known he would become. She saw it when she was a gooey eyed teenager watching him from afar. The jerk knew how to seduce women, but he never tried any of his moves on her when they were younger. Perhaps it was because of where he stood in the hierarchy, way, way below her. Even then, though, she had heard stories of servants wooing princesses and Mercurian royalty committing adultery and getting away with it. It was all agreeable in the arrangements of loveless marriages. Lucky, for Amy, her parents learned to love each other. But what was she hoping for as a gooey eyed teenager? Was she hoping to elope with a scoundrel like Zoicite? The years of war did not make him change at all. Now, Amy just felt denser than she did before for even believing, in the moments of despair, that he was the answer to all her problems.

Zoicite touched the tattoo a few inches down her collar, but the girl did not flinch.

"You seem like you're used to being fondled. I heard that palace ladies got their pick of toys."

She looked him sternly in the eye, yet said nothing.

"You're prettier, now. Less plain. You really are the real thing." His thumb caressed the symbol of their planet under her collar.

Zoicite slowly inched his hand to the back of her neck as he drew his head down to kiss her. Amy flinched when he forced her mouth open with his seductive tongue, but she was still as stone. She did not even try kicking him off of her, which would have been easy if she even put the slightest effort in trying to protect herself. His hand had undone some of her buttons as he wrestled with his mind to stay calm over her. She still did not budge. He looked at her face finally and saw the silent tears falling.

"I'm not hurting you, so stop crying! This isn't our first kiss!" He yelled, partially to rid some of his own guilt.

It was true. This wasn't the first time he kissed her. He had done it before many years ago when she was only fourteen. When she asked him why he did it, he answered her, 'it was on a whim. It meant nothing.' She would never forget those words. They destroyed her vision of true love. It was the moment that changed her into the practical person that she had always been.

Zoicite stroked her thigh as he hugged her body to him.

After a span of time, she finally spoke. "You just think you can take advantage of me when you have me chained to your bed like this. Let me be the bearer of bad news, sir; I am not moved by you"

Zoicite growled as he threw himself back. He started pacing in front of her. "I definitely don't miss that smart mouth of yours. I only brought you here for..."

"I don't have anything you want. I have nothing. I'm not even a princess anymore, so holding me for ransom is absurd!" Amy was finally losing her composure in front of him.

"Who needs Mercurian royalty? What I need is—what we need is Sailor Mercury to help us win this war against Beryl."

She closed her eyes. "That is a very noble thing for you to wish for, but your lack of humility will make the noblest of your family roll in their graves." Amy rubbed the tear streaks with the backs of her elbows. "I'm sorry, but Sailor Mercury died a long time ago."

A crazed look lighted his eyes. "Is that your excuse for giving up on this universe?"

"I rather help Beryl than help you at the moment. Maybe if you find someone who can ask more nicely and who isn't a raving lunatic, I might be able to provide a bit of assistance."

"I hate it when you act all high and mighty." He turned away from her and lowered his head.

It was, then, that he heard the click of the lock. He was already too slow when Amy unchained herself and bolted for the door. He was hot on her heels as he felt at his side for the keys. They were missing because she had somehow gotten to them when just her presence distracted him from his job.

Amy dashed down the corridor too scared to look back and see Zoicite over her shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere, Princess!" He hoisted her in the air and threw her over his shoulder.

"Unhand me, you maniac!" She writhed. "You're mad! Insane! I can't stand you!"

Zoicite's patience was completely depleted. He dumped the girl back in her room and locked her door. "I'll let you out of this room when you're finally going to cooperate!" He stormed away angrier than he had been in a very long time. As he stormed down the corridor, a smile spread across his face. It was a great feeling to have her home and under his care again. He could finally stop worrying.

Meanwhile, Amy crawled back into bed and cried herself to sleep.

She murmured in her sleep.

oOoRedRosesoOo

"Serena, where are you?"

Without another moment's hesitation, Amy stripped to her undergarments and threw her gown to the muddy floor. She dove in after the princess ignoring the chill of the water. Under water she peered around frantically. She only felt what her eyes couldn't see. One of Serena's braids twisted around her wrist. Amy blindly reached around the young princess's waist and heaved her up the surface.

Once they reached the shore Amy hysterically tried to revive Serena. The frightened girl, pinched the other, tickled her side, and even told her she was going to eat all the cake if she didn't wake up. When Serenity still didn't regain consciousness, Amy lightly patted her cheek.

"Come on, Serena! Wake up! Please, don't go!"

Serenity opened her eyes and smiled wickedly. "I got you!" She cried.

Amy just threw herself at the other girl as she wept. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm okay, Ames! See? 50/50 remember?"

"I'm so happy you're alright."

Serenity hugged her back. "You know what, Amy? I like you best like this. Raye would nag if I tricked her. Mina would scream at me if I tricked her. Lita would give me the cold shoulder if I tricked her, but you—you're just someone I can trust to have fun with once in a while." Serenity laughed hard, but still Amy cried. That would be the last time Serenity would scare Amy again. As fun as it might have been in the beginning, she did not want to see one of her best friends cry over her for absolutely no reason.

"Aw Amy, let's get you cleaned up or my mother's going to kill me!"

"I'm so glad you're alright. I'm just glad," Amy repeated.

oOoRedRosesoOo

Now, Amy continued to mumble this in her sleep. It was a memory and now a dream that anchored her loyalty to one person. The one person that would always need her to be strong in any kind of situation. Serenity.

Amy woke to the streaming light from the tall window of her prison. Serenity? Where was she now? What was she doing? Was she safe? These were questions she wanted answers to.

I'm going to need a quick reminder or two to update this ongoing story, so review (definitely if another year goes by without an update). Also, I will be happy to hear a preference as to which character you want to see in the upcoming installment. (Maybe, it'll help me switch it up some, so I don't bore you wonderful people). I'll always keep your opinions in mind as I write.

M. Wing