13: "Caduceus"
Minako had absolutely no reason to hesitate. Sure, it had been several years since she saw Ami last—when was it, Makoto's wedding?—and still more time had passed since they decided to break up. This would be just like revisiting a dear, longtime friend—except she'd also be revisiting an ex-lover. Merely thinking about Ami again caused Minako to slow her momentum and idle in front of the hospital, a bouquet of store-bought flowers in her hand (and how silly and misleading would those be?), like some idiot who was afraid for all the wrong reasons. Afraid? What did Minako have to be afraid of? She loved Ami more than words and actions could express. They had bonded in a way that most other lovers seldom approach. Yes, they were no longer an "item", but time had healed all those wounds, right? They had gotten their lives back on track, started dating again—wasn't Ami seeing a pretty young ballerina-turned-lawyer? And hadn't Minako sighed a little with relief when she learned? So what was the holdup? Minako couldn't understand why she didn't just walk in there, ask for Ami, and give her a hug when she appeared.
But she knew. Deep down, she knew perfectly well.
"I should just do it," she said, steeling herself for the confrontation. But saying it like that made it feel like she was about to do something she hated. Reuniting with Rei and Usagi had been one of the happiest moments of her life; seeing Makoto again brought tears of joy to her eyes. Why shouldn't she feel the same, or even better, when she saw Ami? Setsuna was right; she should have done this ages ago. She should be doing it now. She shouldn't be running the same arguments and counter-arguments through her head. Minako was always thinking with her heart, seldom her head, and her heart should be leading her through that door at full speed, abandoning the stupid flowers and dashing into Ami's room completely disregarding the consequences.
But all she could muster was one step.
"All right, that does it," she grimaced, hating herself for this indecisiveness—this unforgivable, unfounded cowardice. "For real this time."
One more step. She sighed.
"Maybe I should just call her. She doesn't even know I'm back. Stupid of me, not to tell her. We used to tell each other everything. She should've been the first to know."
Oh, God, am I still in love with her? …What am I saying? We broke up! We've moved on! She's with that lawyer and I'm with Setsu and Leif! I'm just dropping in to say hello! And maybe to have lunch with her. And to hang out. And to…go home with her, see her place, make up for lost time, spend the night…
"Darn it," she hissed, throwing the flowers to the ground. "What was I thinking? Buying these…"
Why DID you leave, Setsuna had asked her. Minako never answered.
She paced around endlessly, picking the flowers back up, thinking she'd better donate them to some sick kid, rather than leave them rotting on the street, or giving Ami the wrong impression. She was about to wander inside, honest—though more out of guilt than determination—when the skies darkened, and a low buzzing sound picked up, like wind rattling through skeletal trees in the dead of winter. Weather reports predicted none of this strange behavior, and Minako's senses had not dulled so much that she could not recognize an enemy attack for what it was. The skies were not covered with clouds, as she soon found out, but an enormous swarm of living creatures, vast and immeasurable. The creatures were heralded by something so putrid, so vile, so rank and abhorrent to the natural order that Minako keeled over and nearly vomited, even though the creature was still far away. This was trouble on a scale unprecedented, at least since her Senshi days—but she couldn't become Venus; she was in a public area—and even if she did, nobody else knew about this. Minako's career as Sailor V accustomed her to fighting alone, but this was a disaster meant for larger operations. She ran for a secluded area and hid herself, activating her mobile device.
[At Juban 2nd G.H., come URGENTLY. Enemy activity afoot!] She signed her text with the planetary symbol for Venus and forwarded it to Rei and Usagi. She was tempted to contact Makoto as well, but even if she were willing to help them, Sendai was a very long way away. With Setsuna still in Rio de Janeiro, there was only one other person Minako could count on to help them, and regardless of how she felt, she needed to be contacted.
"Okay, sweetheart, prepare for the shock of your life." She made a new text message, describing what was happening outside and what she was planning on doing, but before she could send it, Minako's position was compromised. A particularly large accumulation of filth and disease puddled before her, swarmed with flies of all shapes and sizes, some nearly the size of golf balls. A figure lurched out of it, fetid and festering, emitting a nauseous miasma that broke down the last barriers of Minako's constitution. The figure took shape as she threw up; the two glared at each other as she wiped her mouth.
"You're different somehow," it hissed. Even its voice was overflowing with disease. "You smell different. All are destined to embrace the sweetness of decay, but there is a particular resilience to you. What could that be, I wonder? Who are you?!"
Minako gagged and dry-heaved, coughing and spitting out of disgust. The monster looked vaguely humanoid, or at least half of it did: its left side was fresh, whole, and actually quite pretty, but the right side was rotten, the skin sunken and torn, the eye burst and oozing, the mouth ripped open in a perpetual, toothy sneer. Chunks of flesh had fallen off the right arm; Minako even saw bones sticking out, rising and moving as the tendons yanked on pulsing muscle. Its body was desiccated, drooping, melted and sickly and green, and its right leg dragged uselessly behind, bits of skin and muscle falling off with each step. The ancient Norse might have likened this monstrosity to Hel, their goddess of the underworld, whose upper half was fresh while her lower half decayed, but Minako was too sick to appreciate any resemblance.
"I'm…" She steeled herself and held down whatever bile she could, standing with talisman in hand. Whether there was anyone around to see her transformation or not didn't seem so important now: she had to show this ugliness exactly what it was in for. The creature reeled in pain, shrieking so loud it cracked the glass in nearby cars and windows, swatting and buffeting at an invisible fire as the light of Sailor Venus washed over her. The warrior-goddess stood boldly before her foe, burning golden with righteous hatred, and pointed at her.
"I am Sailor Venus, champion of love and justice! And I'm the one who's gonna send you back to the grave you crawled out of!"
"A sailor of Venus?" the creature gasped. "You mean you're a consort of the love goddess? Inana's acolyte?"
"The what now?" The monster sneered, taking a few steps back, leaving a trail of blackened grass and flesh behind.
"Whatever you are, you'll not cease the inevitable march of decay. It is the destiny of all life to fade into death, and all matter to waste. No power in the world can stop this blessed fate. Even love rots, girl."
That last sentence hurt; Venus couldn't help but think of how her relationship with Ami had turned out. But even if it were true…
"You think that's gonna stop me? I've taken down worse than you, lady. Come on, show me what you've got!" The creature laughed, raising one whole arm and one rotted arm, summoning thousands of flies from the black heavens. The swarms congealed into larger, more solid units, creating an army of fly-men. Minako cringed; she had never liked insects.
"I'd prefer to leave this work to less…restrained hands. Doctors are among the first to experience the delicious decay, and my little friends here have informed me this place is…heheheh, infested with them. Listen to your Queen Nasu, my children! Go and spread your filth, but leave this one to me. The resilient ones are best for breaking." She laughed horribly as her army marched forth; Venus's hands flashed before she could think, blasting one of the fly-creatures apart with a ray of searing light. Nasu roared in agony, but that was only one fly out of thousands. Venus might have done some real damage with her newfound attack, but charging for the "Venus Shooting Star" (as she called it) took up a lot of time and energy, and she couldn't amass either on her own. Something speedier was in order.
"Venus Love Me Chain, encircle!" Focusing her energy into a long, supple rope, she coiled light itself into a weapon and flailed against the army, whipping and slashing bodies apart with reckless abandon. The fly-soldiers burst and dissolved at the slightest touch—apparently they were all weak against Venus's holy light—but there were simply too many for her to take on alone, and many had already made it past her defense. She screamed as the doors were breached and the monsters waded their way inside.
"NO! Come back here! Venus Crescent Beam, smash!" Rays of searing light mowed down huge swaths, but Nasu continued to laugh and reinforce her army. Venus was battling shadows; she needed to retreat and form a new plan. Nasu roared with sick glee as her prey escaped, fighting her way through the horde to a safer place. She took out her mobile device and edited the text slightly, telling Ami to gather all the patients and doctors together for an emergency evacuation. No doubt her former lover would be stunned to hear about all this.
Sure enough, a few moments after she sent Ami the text, she got an appropriately bewildered reply: [Minako, what are you talking about? Where are you?] Angrily, Venus typed [JUST DO IT!], sent it, and called up Rei and Usagi. Both the police and city hall needed to know about this. Venus was still being given the roundabout by an automated customer service operator when she heard sirens, and a smile lit her face as she saw a civilian car squeal into the parking lot. Out jumped Usagi (from the driver's seat, no less) and Rei, who was gasping for her life.
"Next time, dumpling, I'm driving!"
"Hey, I got you here on time, didn't I? Whoa, Mina wasn't kidding! Look at this place!" Venus was overjoyed to see her friends again, but she couldn't let the other police officers believe she knew them. Usagi was smart enough to play along, and showed Venus her badge.
"Citizen, I'm with the Shibuya Police Department. We're responding to a request for assistance. Can you tell us what's going on here?"
"Officer, you may not believe this," (she said as she fought to keep herself from grinning) "but there's a horrible monster in there bent on destroying the entire hospital and killing everyone inside! She called herself Nasu, a Queen of flies and decay, and she's assembled an army to help her carry this out!"
"An army? What kind of army?" Usagi didn't need to fake her surprise; even Rei seemed to lose her trademark composure.
"I dunno, they looked like giant fly monsters. I need to go back in there and help evacuate the doctors and patients! Could you tell your police friends to stay outside and make sure no one else gets in? And if anything that's not human comes out, shoot them immediately!"
"Of course!—but can you really handle them by yourself?" Rei rolled her eyes.
"Usagi, honestly."
"Oh! I mean, um…we can't let a vigilante take the law into her own hands, regardless of her good intentions—YEAOW!" Rei pulled on one of Usagi's golden tails, bringing her ear close to her mouth.
"(I meant we're going to help her, dumpling!)"
"Oww, yeah, I know that, but how-wow-woww! Rei, that hurts! Let go already!" Usagi was starting to cry, so Rei relented her grip and crossed her arms.
"You've always managed to sneak away before, right? It's going to be even easier what with all the confusion here! You go and tell the police what's happening; Mina and I will go ahead."
"Oh, right—but you didn't have to pull my hair. So what's the plan, Mina?" The three women crouched down, away from prying ears and eyes. Minako might have been a scatterbrained goofball who emulated the stereotypical blonde's mental capacity on more than one occasion, but she was the leader of the "inner" Senshi for a reason.
"Simple: we each split up and find the doctors. There's three floors to this hospital, so I figure we each take one and flush out those flies."
"By 'doctors', do you mean Ami?" Usagi said. Venus gave her a level stare.
"I mean they're the ones who know this hospital the best. They know all the emergency exits, all the halls and corridors, all the rooms…"
"And they have a list of all the patients there as well," Rei said. "I get it: we find them and they'll help clear out the hospital."
"Exactly!"
"But what about Ami?" Usagi pressed. Venus didn't change her stoic expression.
"If she's willing to help us, fine. If not…make sure she gets out safely. And don't forget to search everywhere for strays! This goes without saying, but if you can find that ugly monster, I want her scoured off the face of the planet."
"So once the hospital's cleared, then what?" Rei said. Venus smirked.
"Then we have the whole place to ourselves, of course. And we have three very powerful exterminators here."
"Pretty decent plan for a bimbo," Rei smiled. Venus chuckled softly.
"I have my moments. Okay, Senshi, let's do this thing!" Venus charged through the nearest window, flinging glass everywhere and screaming for everyone to clear out. Rei couldn't help but smile at her friend's brash behavior (Hasn't changed a bit, she thought), and nodded at Usagi, who cleared off for the police. Rei had just enough privacy to abandon herself and don the mantle of the princess of flames, sending a wave of fire as vanguard. Venus was close by, fighting two of the fly-monsters with her bare hands. She was just as nimble and graceful as Mars remembered, though not particularly powerful: one of the creatures snuck up from behind and grabbed her.
"I always gotta save you, don't I?!" Mars charged after it and gave it a flaming uppercut, freeing her friend. Venus scoffed.
"Like you were in top fighting form the first time you dusted off the old fuku! So which floor are you taking?"
"The middle, and you?"
"Well, knowing Usagi, she'll want to fight her way to the top, so I'll stay here."
"Good plan. If I see Ami, I'll tell her where you are."
"Just focus on getting everyone out of here! There'll be time to reunite later." They clasped hands in a temporary farewell and went their separate ways; Mars immediately went to check on the elevator, and found a group of fly-monsters banging on the car doors. A pool of acid was eating away at the steel; she thought she heard screams and cried for help behind it. Focusing her energies, she sent a huge fireball cascading down the hallway, sweeping the area clear of filth.
"You're clear now! Open the doors and head for the main entrance! The police are already here!" A cluster of pale-faced people spilled out of the car, issuing thanks to their savior. Mars yelled to Venus that a batch of people were heading her way, then raced for the stairs, immolating or plowing her way through the denizens of decay.
Venus shot three fly-monsters as they emerged from the receptionist's desk, but accidentally cut into one of the support pillars as well. The cut wasn't deep but she'd have to be more careful with her attacks, or else the entire hospital would collapse. She waved to the group of people Mars had saved, but shrieked for them to duck as she saw nine more flies storming their way. They spat globs of acid; Venus raced to intercept and threw up a light shield. All nine flies focused their strength on the orange bubble, so Venus couldn't keep it up long.
"Go! I'll keep them here! The police are waiting outside!" The people ran for the entrance, more than one whispering their disbelief. Being attacked by hellspawn in the shape of gigantic humanoid flies wasn't nearly as surprising as seeing the mythical Sailor Venus in person. Once the last of them were outside, Venus lowered her defenses, feeling somewhat drained from the energy expenditure, but back-flipped her way out of the line of fire, shooting rays sporadically to cover her escape. Two flies went down; doors collapsed on both sides of the hospital as waves of drones surged out. Venus smirked in defiance of their superior numbers, foregoing her beams for a large twirling golden heart.
"Gee, I've become quite the popular lady, haven't I? I just hope Rei's faring better than I am—but where the heck is Usagi?" Putting that thought in the back of her mind, Venus shouted out "Venus Love and Beauty, shock!", throwing the glittering heart-sphere into the crowd, cheering as dozens were consigned to destruction, fretting as the remaining hundred opened fire.
…
Ami didn't have much time to ponder the cryptic meaning of Minako's text message. As she was walking the halls to check on a list of patients, she heard loud banging and screams from one of the rooms. Thinking someone had gone into a seizure, she wove her way through the staff and poked her head through the door.
"Is there anything I can d—WAH!" An enormous, black, hairy, foul-smelling monstrosity had its back to her, as it bent over the body of a recently-slain patient. Ami almost retched as she watched the beast spew an acidic compound over its prey—and then it turned its attention to her. Dozens of glistening red eyes stared at her as a proboscis dribbled secretions. Ami froze in terror for a moment, then hurled her clipboard at it as hard as she could. Quickly she shut the door on the beast and locked it, but the door buckled under its immense power—and a blast of acid splashed over it, rending her efforts futile.
"Everybody run now!" she cried. "We have to get out of here as fast as—AAAAUGH!" The door burst; the fly was freed. It stomped out and surveyed its surroundings as pandemonium broke out. Ami tried instilling some order but it was a hopeless task. One of her nurses was caught by the creature; Ami grabbed a fire extinguisher and slammed it on the fly's head, sending it crashing to the floor.
"Are you hurt?"
"N…no," the nurse squealed. She was shaking, and looked as ill as the people she had been tending, but was otherwise fine. "What…uh, was that?"
"Whatever it is, it'll take more than that to kill it. Hurry! Get everyone you can down to the main level and outside! And don't take the elevator! GO!" Ami was just starting to understand the meaning behind Minako's text—and furthermore, the skepticism she had nurtured ever since Usagi's first run-ins with these "trans-dimensional creatures" (borrowing Rei's broad description) had disappeared. She felt horrible for ever doubting her friend, but there was no time for regrets. Ami ran from room to room, telling everyone to arm themselves and evacuate. For those patients who could not move themselves, she enlisted any staff member still lurking around, though one or two ran off, more concerned for their own safety. A particularly delicate case was soon discovered by the monsters; Ami took her fire extinguisher and turned it on full blast, covering the flies with a chilling foam. They flailed around helplessly on the floor as she ran inside and wheeled the patient out, bags of fluid still wobbling overhead like a mobile. She found a security guard several hallways down, asking him to help take the patient out as she searched for more.
The thought that Sailor Mercury could do some good here certainly didn't escape her.
To her horror, the children's ward was thick with the monsters, and to make matters worse, her arsenal of foam ran dry after only two more uses. She wielded the canister like a club until three of the flies surrounded and disarmed her. Their proboscises flailed and wriggled at her as they pinned her down, and droplets of acid seeped down, some hitting the tile and some searing her clothes. Ami panicked and fought with all her strength to escape, but these monsters were much stronger than she was. Unless she got help in the next few seconds, she would be dissolved and consumed by these horrible creatures.
Three shots fired out, hitting one of the flies directly; the others were scared away. A security officer had made her way to the floor and asked that Ami follow her, but she was still worried about the children in the ward. The officer offered to help her and ran from room to room, guiding any remaining children outside. Ami found an emergency fireman's axe located next to an exit, and broke it out of its container.
"This is starting to feel like a bad zombie movie," she muttered. Screams came from behind her, followed by wild shots. A cluster of children ran for her protection as the security officer was overcome by flies. Ami dove in, burying her newfound weapon into the nearest monster, hewing its head. Two more shoved her away; she got back up and fought them off, but it was too late: the guard was dead. As she stared at the mutilated body in disgust, screaming for the children to stay back, she saw shadows moving across an adjacent hallway, and knew there'd be more coming. Offering an apology and a prayer, she removed the officer's sidearm, baton, taser, and any other tool she could, and shepherded the children through a steel security door.
Her heart pounded as a loud buzzing sound echoed across the hallway. More of the flies were approaching, trapping her inside the ward. Ami took one last look around, finding three more children, all frightened out of their wits. It was slow work convincing them to come with her, even though they knew and trusted "Dr. Mizuno"; the situation had become too much for them to handle. Ami was forced to carry one on her back, but as she returned to the main hallway, she found all the exits were blocked. She spent every round of ammunition keeping them at bay as she rushed the children behind the door, then shut and bolted it.
For a few seconds, there was relative calm. The children blubbered, cried, and moaned, and Ami tensely held her ground, clutching the axe with all her strength. Oh, if only she could become Sailor Mercury! She had never regretted giving up her old life until now—fighting and struggling and worrying about herself and her friends was not her idea of a good time—she would have gone to great lengths to keep this peace. If there was any other way she could've lived out the remainder of her adult life, Ami would've gladly surrendered Mercury forever. Even if that meant giving up on Minako…
This isn't working out, is it, she had said. Minako's smile had vanished. She had begun to weep.
No. It's not. They had gazed at each other, their hearts wrenched, the situation utterly hopeless.
Then it's pointless to keep going like this, Ami had said. Minako might have nodded in agreement, but it had been Ami's words that put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
Do you…want to break up? She could still hear Minako's voice crushing with every word. Ami was hurting, too, but she didn't show it. She couldn't.
Perhaps it's for the best. The end. She let go of the best thing that ever happened to her, all so she could have this. Well, now she had it—and right now, Ami would've given anything to get it back.
Minako's coming for me, isn't she? Her thoughts were dashed as the steel door buckled under the immense weight of the flies' attack. They were trying to break the door down. Judging by how powerful their bile was, and how many of them could contribute to the effort, Ami estimated they wouldn't have long. She told the kids to go to a corner, hide, don't move, I won't let anything bad happen to you…and all the while, her knees shook, her arms trembled. Was it out of fear, though, or hopelessness? But perhaps it was regret after all. Ami shed tears, wishing with all her strength to see Minako's face, one last time. The door trembled. A few more blows and it would cave. Unlike the other Senshi, Ami never kept up her physical exercises; she didn't see the need to. Her body had grown accustomed to the softened pace of a medical profession; even fending off those few creatures had taxed her. And now a legion was thrusting itself against her only barrier. She braced herself as the door shuddered again. Again. Again. Again…
Silence. Long, tense, unyielding, merciless, torturous silence. Ami dared hope.
The door broke down with a titanic crash. She shrieked at the top of her lungs, berserk with fright, and fell backwards, the epitome of a fallen hero. The monsters closed in; she shielded herself from the attack, wishing it would just end quickly…
A bright light overcame the room, blinding her and the children, sweeping over the monsters, cleansing them from the earth. As her skyrocketing pulse hammered away and she gasped for dear precious life, Ami squinted through the light, wondering what had happened. Her vision returned to normal soon, and tears bubbled in her eyes as her deepest desires and fondest wishes were granted.
"Minako," she whispered. Sailor Venus winked.
"Hey there, gorgeous! Did ya miss me?" Ami was so overcome that she could barely move. She wept profusely as Sailor Venus helped her up, and before either of them could say anything, the distance between them was closed in a kiss full of insatiable passion, unfathomable love, and all the desperation, regret, loneliness, cold nights, empty hearts, shed tears, and lost opportunities that had built up over the incalculably long years. The two lovers had reunited at long last and the avatar of love could not get enough.
"Oh, Mina," Ami warbled as she was released. Sailor Venus laughed in spite of everything, wiping her tears away. They embraced, embodying everything they meant to each other: friends, partners, warriors, lovers, companions, sisters-in-arms, soulmates…
"I know. It's okay. Sssh, it's okay." Venus continued to assure Ami, stroking her hair, shuddering over how absolutely beautiful it was to hold her once more. Years spent as lovers had given Minako an intimate knowledge of how Ami's body was shaped, how it felt and responded, its strengths and weaknesses, its curves, valleys, firm muscles, soft tissues… Endless memories came back to fill her heart to bursting, and for a moment, all was right with the world.
"Are you all right?" Back to business. Ami sniffled, drying her eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine. A little shaken, though. I managed to get a few people out, but then I got stuck here with these kids. Are Usagi and Rei—I mean…"
And then she uttered the words that reconciled the past and the present, letting her finally come to terms with it all.
"Are…Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars…?"
"Yeah, they're here. Usagi came here with the police; they're covering the first floor. You know Usagi, too lazy to climb stairs."
Ami couldn't help but laugh, she was so inexpressibly happy. "I would've thought she'd fight her way up here and take on the entire mob herself."
"Yeah, me too!" Venus laughed as well; their hearts were lifted. "Think these kids can manage?"
"Yes, I'll take them down. Are the halls cleared?" Venus winked proudly, as only she could.
"I had a hell of a time cleaning up around here, but you know I wouldn't leave you hanging like that!"
"Yeah! Thanks, Mina. Okay, kids, follow me. This is my good friend, Sailor Venus. She's the one who helped save us." The children gratefully smiled up at their new heroine, much to Venus's delight (and slight embarrassment). Venus followed them until they reached a staircase; she called down to Sailor Mars, who was clearing the halls of monsters.
"Hey, Mars! I got some kids heading your way! Make sure they get to the first floor, okay?"
"Got it," came her reply. "The stairs are clear, Venus! Sailor Moon's getting the worst of it, though. All the flies we're missing are heading down her way!"
"Okay, I'll see what I can do! All right, kids, down the stairs. My friend Sailor Mars will clear the way for you, then it's down to Sailor Moon and the police. Nothing to worry about!" She flashed them a thumbs-up, encouraging them to make the precarious journey. Ami was about to follow them but Venus stopped her.
"Umm…listen, Ami. I don't know if…you're up for it…and if you aren't, that's totally fine. You know that I respect your decisions. But…well, I came here hoping to talk to you, and…I sort of took something of yours with me, in case you might want it back. Usagi had a copy of your apartment key, so…" Bashfully, Venus reached into her uniform, pulling out a small transformation pin with the planetary symbol of Mercury on it. Ami gasped as she saw it, and wept anew. Her hands trembled as she reclaimed her birthright; tears of joy fell onto it.
"Oh, Mina…I'm so sorry! So sorry for everything…"
"Ssh, it's okay, sweetheart. Believe me, I understand. We all do. And there's no pressure if you just want to hold onto it and escape with the others." Ami sniffled, smiling as she wiped the tears away, looking directly into a glowing face full of love. Nothing else needed to be said between the two of them—except one thing.
"You know me better than that, Minako."
And with all her strength and pride, Ami Mizuno became reconciled with herself:
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"
Sailor Venus stood in awe as the waters of life rushed into the vessel, overwhelming it with their sweetness and strength. A force as gentle as rain, as relentless as a flood, as ferocious as a storm, as nourishing as a spring, as strong as ice, swift and flowing like a river, deep and reflective as a lake, all-present and all-inspiring, the giver of life, the cleanser of wicked, the water which flows from the infinite sea down into every niche and crevice of the earth, invigorating and renewing, ever changing and ever remaining the same… This was who Sailor Mercury was—this was what Ami Mizuno became. She smiled back at her longtime companion with all the love she had nurtured, all the excitement and wonder, all the promises of a new future.
Leave it up to Sailor Venus to ruin the moment, though. She snuck around Mercury and lifted her short blue skirt, peeking at her underwear.
"Hmm, nice! The years have been very kind to you, Sailor Mercury! You've gotten even sexier!"
"Hey!" Mercury blushed and pushed her skirt down, shooing away the perverted woman. "Just what do you think you're doing? And in the middle of a crisis, no less!" Venus laughed, but that was exactly the kind of person she was. And that was exactly the reason Ami had fallen in love with her. They smiled at each other, but soon Mercury's smile became savage.
"Hmm, so you want to know if I've missed you, eh? Well…" She grabbed Venus's wrists and forcefully slammed her against the wall, pressing their mouths and bodies so close that it was a wonder Venus wasn't crushed. The Senshi of love might have greeted her friend with warmth and tenderness and playful flirting, but Ami's passions stemmed from a deeper source, an animal ferocity she kept buried all her life—restrained, really, until she deigned to unleash it upon the world. To say she was driven mad with lust, overpowering and insatiable, almost diminished who she was at heart. There was romance and then there was this, a kiss so powerful that when Mercury finally released her prey, even the avatar of love was stupefied.
"Does that answer your question?" she concluded with a purr. Venus was utterly entranced; her eyes fluttered with hearts and her face was aglow (she was even drooling a little). Mercury returned to her "normal" composed nature, smiling as she encouraged her ex-lover to get "her cute little rear in gear". Venus was still stunned as she picked herself up and followed, legs wobbly and stomach flipping.
"Wow! What a woman!"
Author's note:
A caduceus is the symbol used by many medical professions, consisting of two serpents entwining a staff. Both Hermes and Mercury (the Greek and Roman gods of speed, guidance, and medicine) use it, so it makes perfect sense that this chapter be named after it. Juban Secondary General Hospital is the one where Ami's mother Saeko works at, although in this continuity, I'll have her "upgraded" to Juban Primary (if such a place exists); it makes sense that Ami would want to follow in her mother's footsteps, even in this stage of her life. While Ami's sexuality may be up for debate (canon and non-canon), I believe that, aside from being a closet romantic (which the series confirms), she's also something of a sexual fiend, and would usually dominate in "those" situations if given the opportunity. Yes, she would also be docile and receptive, but if she were ever "given charge", I believe her lovers, be they male or female, would see an entirely new Ami Mizuno. And they would like it.
Also, apparently the Drujs, which include Nasu, are Iranian (or Persian, rather), not Babylonian. However, since Babylon and Persia were relatively close to each other, and each fell under the broad category of "Mesopotamian" (which also include the Egyptian and Hebrew lexicons), I don't see the harm in mixing the two. Most Drujs were actually female (or feminine, at least), which is why I represented Nasu as female, but the idea of making her "half whole and half rotted" is borrowed from Hel, as I mentioned. The great thing about mythology is that it's public domain, and anything I add to it can only underscore its value.