Dreams...
An elegant palace, cool and inviting.
A full, glowing blue orb hanging low in the sky above.
Four young women her own age, dressed in finery of silk and lace, dancing with handsome men in crisp, elegant formal uniforms.
A man in glossy black armour with a long, flowing grey cape, cupping her chin in a gloved hand.
A kiss, a rose...
Blood. Fire.
Screams. Pain.
Death...so much death...
Usagi stirred, groaning, and nearly pitched herself onto the ground. "Wha...?"
"Awake?" a deep, throaty voice asked.
The schoolgirl shifted, eyes opening, and let out a cry of fright. She had woken on a park bench, still wearing her school uniform; the large black panther she had met the night before lay stretched at the foot of the bench, watching her lazily with fiery red eyes.
Usagi blinked repeatedly, then clutched her chest; the cool weight of the brooch rested there, and she could feel, just beneath its smooth surface, the warm light that had filled her just hours ago.
For a few minutes, she said absolutely nothing.
Then...
"OHMYGODIT'SLIKEFOURINTHEMORNINGANDISLEPTALLNIGHTINTHEPARKLIKEABUMWHYDIDN'TIGOHOMEOHGODMAMA'SGONNAKILLMEORSOMETHINGTHISISTHEDUMBESTTHING
I'VEEVERDONEANDOHMYGODWASALLTHATSTUFFLASTNIGHTFORREALITWASN'TSOMEKINDOFCRAZYDREEEEOOOOOW!"
Luna calmly licked a drop of blood from one of her claws. "I see we'll need to work on that screaming thing," she rumbled.
Usagi clutched her cheek; the cut was not deep, but it stung. "Um...what happened?" she asked.
"After you killed those Necrocites, you passed out. I think you used too much of your power, too soon. Really, I was surprised you even HAD that kind of power. You're not supposed to be a Senshi...the Moon never had a Senshi."
"...I'm a Senshi? ...what's a Necrocite?"
"Necrocites are those creatures that attacked us. Corpses reanimated by extremely powerful evil magic, controlled by a crystal in which the soul of the corpse is trapped at the moment of death." She frowned. "None of the Shitennou would send such crass things, certainly. Something that filthy is beneath the Dark Kingdom..."
"Shitennou?"
"And the Princess, a Senshi..." Luna continued, ignoring Usagi. "Too many things are going on that don't make sense." She bowed her head, and the scar on her brow opened again, bleeding freely on the ground.
*Master...the Princess seems to have recovered from last night's ordeal. The creatures we fought were Necrocites. The Princess also seems to have the powers of a Senshi. Much about this situation does not make sense.*
*I appreciate your report, and your concern. Allow me to worry about the ramifications of these events. Concentrate on your mission. Protect the Princess. Find and awaken the other Senshi. I will continue the search for the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou personally.*
*I obey.* Luna stretched, looking up at Usagi, who had a concerned and slightly nauseated expression on her face. "What?"
"You're...bleeding. Are you okay? That cut on your head looks pretty nasty."
"I'm fine. The cut is a blood magick wound. It opens whenever I communicate with my Master, and then reseals itself. Don't be alarmed by it. I have had it for many thousands of years."
"Th—THOUSANDS?!" Usagi shrieked.
"Yes, thousands. My Master and I were both alive during the Silver Millennium, which predates all recorded human history."
Usagi stared at her, mouth agape.
Luna sighed. "Explaining everything will take some time. However, for now, I believe you should go home and get what rest you can before you head to school for the day."
The tea-haired girl yelped loudly. "School! Oh no..."
* * * * *
"MINAKO-CHAN! Where the hell were you all night?"
"Please accept my apologies, ma'am," the uniformed police officer behind the blond teen said. Mina's mother stared, gaping.
"Minako-chan...what..."
Mina shifted uncomfortably, smiling weakly. The police officer behind her bowed deeply. "Your daughter witnessed a theft at a museum last night. I was taking her deposition. Unfortunately, the incident was rather complicated, so it took far longer to question all the witnesses than we had hoped. Please forgive our incompetence."
"No...not at all. I'm just glad she's...thank you, officer." Mina's mother bowed, and the blond teen stepped past her into the house, also turning to bow politely to the officer. With a final tilt of his hat, he turned and walked away.
Mina yawned. "I'm sorry, Mum...it's really not my fault, honest. Can I go up to bed now? I'm really tired."
"Well..." her mother frowned. "Alright. But I want to know all about this later on, okay? And speak Japanese in the house!"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaai...."
* * * * *
A block from the house, the plain, unassuming Japanese features of the policeman blurred and shifted, becoming those of a white-haired Englishman. Timothy snorted. "That was easy. Foolish woman. Entirely too Japanese for her own good."
* * * * *
Usagi sighed wearily as she showered. Her mother had, with scepticism, accepted her slightly edited story about where she'd been all night. Usagi had not been counting on her calling Mamoru's place to check up on her, so she'd had to think fast; she told her mother that after she'd given up waiting for Mamoru to come home, she'd stopped to rest in the park on the way home, and then fell asleep on a bench. Ikuko was understandably upset about her daughter spending the entire night alone in the park ("You could've been killed, or raped, or...oh, you stupid, silly girl!"), but fortunately she seemed glad enough that Usagi was home safely, and unlikely to scold or punish her more than she already had. *Like she has any right to. It was her fault I was even out last night in the first place!*
Though she was incredibly tired, Usagi managed to make it out the door on time in a refreshed seifuku that didn't smell like park bench. Bookbag in hand, she trudged wearily toward school...and became aware of something following her.
She looked around warily, then called tentatively, "...Luna?"
"Yes, I'm here, but don't talk to me!" the low, growling voice of the panther returned. "I'll be following you to school, but I need to stay completely out of sight. It's easier if I'm not trying to talk to you."
"Oh...okay," Usagi replied nervously. Not being able to see the large creature and yet knowing she was there set her on edge; it felt like she was being hunted.
* * * * *
Mizuno Ami realised she had just read the same page five times, and suppressed an audible sigh. Removing her glasses, she scrubbed her hand through her short hair and pinched the bridge of her nose; a minor headache from strain was beginning to build.
For some reason, she just could not concentrate today. She had a feeling, in the back of her mind, that something was off—that something in her world had fallen out of its usual ordered place. Try as she might to recall what might be in disarray, she could not think of anything she had failed to do, or done incorrectly.
And yet something was distracting her. It was incredibly frustrating.
Sighing, she slipped her glasses back on and continued to study her exam prep manual.
* * * * *
Lunchtime arrived, and Usagi escaped from the classroom, retreating to the solace of the roof. Few students at Juuban bothered coming up to the roof for lunch; she knew her friends wouldn't think to look for her there, as she had never gone up before.
As she sat picking at her bento, a small black shape detached itself from the shadow of the access door. "Princess," a soft, purring voice spoke.
Usagi looked up, blinking. A small black cat was staring up at her, red eyes fixed firmly on her own. A scabbed-over cut shone dully on the cat's forehead. She frowned. "...Luna?"
"That's right," Luna replied.
"You...you shrank," Usagi noted.
"I can change my shape, to a degree," Luna explained. "I don't care for it, but this smaller form is more useful for remaining undetected in a place like this school." She paused. "I believe one of the Senshi is here."
Usagi nodded distractedly. "I've felt something strange too. Kind of a funny buzzing at the back of my head."
"We need to find her, quickly, and Awaken her."
"And how do we do that?" Usagi asked.
Luna shrugged. "We'll know that when the time comes. I'm sorry, that's as much as I can say."
Usagi nodded. "Alright. Are you hungry?"
Luna shook her head. "This school has plenty of mice. I've already eaten my fill."
The long-haired girl blanched, and suddenly her lunch didn't seem quite as appealing.
* * * * *
The afternoon was warm and muggy. The second-year girls had swimming for physical education, much to their delight...and the delight of the third-year boys' class on the field opposite the pool.
Two boys were ogling one girl in particular. "Damn, but she has nice tits. And check out that ass! I might need to ask her out," one of the boys commented.
His classmate chuckled. "Don't bother. That's Mizuno."
The first boy did a double-take. "Holy shit, THAT'S MIZUNO!?"
"Yeah. I was surprised too. You wouldn't think a girl that cold could be that hot."
"No shit. Man, that sucks. I wouldn't go out with Mizuno even if I knew I was gonna get to hit that."
"Maybe you boys should worry about the laps I'm going to make you run instead of what girls you might like to date?" the deep, gruff voice of the gym teacher, Saegusa, rumbled.
The boys snapped to attention. "Sensei!" they chorused.
Saegusa hit them on the heads with his clipboard. "A warning, this time. Next time you get to run. Now get over there and get in line."
"Hai, Sensei!"
As the two boys ran off, Saegusa observed the girl they had been shamelessly ogling. "Mizuno, hmm?"
A decidedly unprofessional leer crossed his face. "Sou ka..."
* * * * *
Swimming was, thankfully, the final class of the day; Ami reviewed the lessons she needed to study at juku in her mind as she showered and changed. She reached into her locker to withdraw her glasses...
...and frowned as her fingers closed not on their case, but on empty air.
Closing her eyes, she hissed angrily. *Dammit. Again with this juvenile nonsense.* It was not the first time someone had stolen her glasses while she was changing. Her vision was not so bad that she could not get around, but she definitely needed them if she was to read or study—and after all, they were hers, and nobody had the right to take them.
Slamming the locker with more force than was strictly necessary, Ami stalked from the locker room and made her way back to the classroom.
The room was empty; most of the class had either gone to clubs or gone home. The ones who had cleanup duty habitually shirked it to the point where the teacher gave up scolding them. She looked around and gave an irritated sigh. Not even the teacher...
The door slid closed behind her. "Mizuno-kun."
She spun around, squinting to focus on the person behind her. It was one of the teachers whose name she had never bothered to learn; he was a third-year teacher.
"Sensei?"
"You are looking for your glasses, correct?"
"Hai."
The teacher held up a familiar light blue case. "One of my students. I apologise."
"Arigatou." Ami moved to take the glasses from the teacher.
He tossed them carelessly to the floor and grabbed her wrist. Ami's eyes widened; she let out a gasp of pain.
The teacher roughly seized her by the chin, turning her face to his. Ami tried to scream, but was stifled as he roughly forced his lips to hers, his heavy, hot tongue shoving brutally into her mouth.
She struggled, but he tightened his grip on her wrist; his other hand now moved underneath her blouse, caressing the skin of her stomach, sliding up to her chest. Ami's eyes watered in pain and terror as a rough, calloused hand mashed and squeezed her breast through her bra.
Breaking the kiss, the teacher leered at her. "You are wasting this body, Mizuno-kun," he said. "Let me show you what it's used for."
"Don't...I don't want..."
"BITCH! Who cares what you want?!" The teacher produced a roll of sport tape from a pocket of his grubby sweats, and with skill borne of, Ami realised with sickening clarity, long practise, he bound her wrists behind her back while still holding tightly onto her. She thrashed against his grip, but he was much larger and more solid.
One hand clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream. The other quickly spread open her blouse. A box cutter came out of his pocket; Ami shouted angrily into the hand muffling her as the front of her bra was sliced open, the blade barely missing her skin. She closed her eyes, hot tears of shame leaking from between her lashes, as the calloused hand seized her bare breast, squeezing with bruising force, finger and thumb pinching her nipple hard enough to make her wince in pain.
A moment later, she was forced to her knees. She opened her eyes, and new horror dawned on her: the teacher had dropped his pants and underwear around his ankles, and she was staring directly at his stiff, throbbing manhood. The hand closing her mouth was removed; she drew in a breath to scream, but instead emitted a strangled squeak of dismay and fright as he forced his penis into her mouth. He grabbed her by the hair and held her head steady as he pounded his member violently into her, nearly shoving it down her throat. Ami began to cry, silent sobs wracking her slight frame. After far too long, she felt hot warmth explode against the back of her tongue; the intruding member was pulled free, and she felt viscous drops of semen trickle from between her lips, making a warm, sticky-slick trail down her chin.
She was pushed to the floor; the back of her head hit the leg of a desk with enough force to make stars explode in her vision. She wanted to scream, wanted to vomit, wanted to do anything but lie there, but the hot, thick mess that had filled her mouth seemed to have robbed her of any strength she may have had left. She could only whimper as her skirt was pushed up, baring her thighs; as a rough hand seized her panties and began tearing at them, as a finger jammed itself into the flesh of her labia...
And suddenly, there was another, different sensation. A pain, building just above the bridge of her nose, searing with the burning-cold sensation of solid ice against the skin. A wave of cold rage washed through her, rejecting the revulsion and terror she felt, replacing it with fury.
Her eyes snapped open.
"No."
The only thing she remembered seeing before she lost all sense of herself was the rapist's eyes widening in shock. She felt a wave of cold, heard a strangled scream followed by a loud, sickening cracking sound.
She ran.
* * * * *
Usagi was thumbing through a new issue of a weekly shoujo manga when a sudden, sharp lance of cold pain pierced her mind. She dropped the manga, crying out.
"Miss? Are you alright?" the shop attendant asked, stooping worriedly and clutching at her shoulder.
Usagi pressed a palm to her forehead, closing her eyes against the pain. "I'm...alright," she hissed. Forcing herself to stand straight, she pasted a sickly smile on her face. "Ice cream headache. Just took a while to hit."
The clerk eyed her sceptically, but shrugged and picked up the fallen manga. Usagi turned and left the shop, worry and confusion in her eyes. *What...WAS that?!*
* * * * *
Dimly, she was aware of having rearranged her clothing, scooping up her bookbag and glasses, and fleeing the school building. She did not know how much time passed between the assault and finding herself curled in a shivering, sobbing ball in the corner of her own bedroom in the flat she shared with her mother.
As her senses began to return to her, as she became more aware of herself and of what had happened, she shuddered as two thoughts chased themselves endlessly through her mind:
She had been attacked, violated, very nearly had her virginity stolen by force.
She had, somehow, killed her attacker. Viciously.
Standing shakily, Ami fumblingly removed her clothes, stuffing them all into a plastic garbage bag.
She would never wear that uniform again. Ever.
Shuddering as she deposited it in the corner of her bedroom, she turned and stalked to the bathroom to take a long bath.
* * * * *
Luna appeared on the railing of a bridge as Usagi was crossing a canal. "You felt it?" she asked.
Usagi nodded. "What—?"
"A Senshi Awakened."
The tea-haired girl frowned. "On her own? I thought you said they couldn't—"
"Normally, no," Luna replied. "The only reason a Senshi would Awaken on her own is if she were in terrible danger."
Usagi's eyes widened. "We've got to—!"
Luna shook her head. "The danger has passed. More importantly, we need to find out who the new Senshi is so we can explain things to her."
Usagi stared at the cat, uncertainty written across her face. "How can you be sure that—"
"Neither my Master nor I sensed any youma," Luna explained. "And we'd have known if a Necrocite were wandering around. That means whoever attacked the new Senshi was human." She smiled grimly. "No human can withstand the Awakening of a Senshi by violence. The initial release of power...well, it's designed to protect the Senshi's life. At any cost." She frowned, tilting her head in the direction of the school. "I heard sirens a while ago. I'm pretty sure it's connected."
Usagi looked stricken. "We've got to go back to the school, Luna. I need to know what happened."
Luna nodded. "Let's hurry."
* * * * *
The hot, stinging downpour of the shower pelted on Ami's bare skin, washing the sweat and bitter tears from her body and face. But no amount of heat, no amount of water, could wash away the memory of the rough hands on her body, the humiliation and shame of the violation she had suffered...
The shock and horror of the gruesome death of the man who had tried to rape her.
Drawing her knees closer to her chin, Ami bowed her head against the hot, misty spray, and fresh tears joined the water trickling toward the drain.
* * * * *
There was a sizeable crowd around the school. Luna had taken to the trees dotting the courtyard; Usagi tried to push her way through the press of bodies to the doors.
The police had cordoned off the building. Uniformed officers were struggling to keep pressing, pushing rubberneckers from crossing the barrier. There was much shouting and yelling. Officials were carrying a stretcher lined with multiple medium-sized, opaque bags out of the building, decidedly nauseated expressions on their faces.
Usagi found Naru and Umino at the front of the crowd. "What happened?" she asked.
"Oh, Usagi-chan, it's horrible!" Naru cried. Her face was sickly green, her eyes widened in horror. A handkerchief was twisting nervously between her hands.
Umino had removed his glasses and looked unusually grave. "It's best you go home and not think about this, Usagi-san," he intoned in a quavering voice.
"What happened?" Usagi repeated insistently. "I heard all the sirens and something about our school..."
"Saegusa-sensei was murdered!" Naru blurted, wrenching her handkerchief nearly in half.
"Eh?!" Usagi shouted, paling. "Wait, who's Saegusa-sensei?"
"He taught physical education to the third-years," Umino replied, idly polishing his glasses on his own handkerchief. "They found him in 2-C. Our classroom. Nobody knows what he was doing there, but..." He paused, swallowing. "It was...bad."
"How bad?" Usagi asked, white as a ghost.
Naru buried her face in her handkerchief, a strangled noise halfway between a sob and a retch muffled by the cloth. Umino sighed, bowing his head. "Nobody's sure exactly how it happened, but someone...well..." He paused, shrugging. "Someone must've used some kind of freezing chemical on him, near as they can tell. What's left of him is still frozen solid." He nodded to the men who had brought another stretcher of opaque bags from within the school.
"What's left of..." Usagi trailed off.
"He was...shattered."
"Shattered..." Usagi repeated, a note of sick dread creeping into her voice.
Naru suddenly bolted for the nearest tree, crouched beside it, and emptied her stomach.
Umino sighed. "Like I said...it's best to go home and forget about it. This is...not pleasant."
"...yeah," Usagi replied, turning green as the implications sank in. "Um...yeah, I think I'll..." She paused. "Do they have any idea who did it?"
Umino shook his head. "Nobody saw anything. They're trying to find...well, nevermind. Go home, Usagi-san."
"Hai. Arigatou, Umino-kun."
* * * * *
Halfway home, Usagi stopped and sank against a wall, chin pressed against the fabric of her skirt. "Luna?"
"Not very pleasant, is it?" the cat's soft voice asked, a note of almost-sympathy creeping into her feline tones.
"Did...did one of the Senshi...one of my Senshi really...?"
"Princess Serenity," Luna replied quietly, "one thing I know about the Senshi is that..." She paused. "I'm sure there's a reason, an explanation. Once we find Mercury, we'll have our answers."
"Mercury?"
"The Senshi that Awakened. A man frozen solid and shattered...the only Senshi with that type of power is Mercury."
"Sou ka." Usagi stood and picked up her bookbag. "Can we...can we wait until tomorrow to try to find her? I'm...not feeling very well right now."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Luna agreed. "If there's any trouble tonight, we'll know about it, and we can..." She trailed off. "Yes, let's search for Mercury tomorrow."
* * * * *
It was well past sunset by the time Ami finally emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a thick, fluffy towel. She dried herself off mechanically, then dressed in old, faded jeans and a baggy, frayed blue sweater. She walked to the front of the flat to check the door locks; once satisfied the door was bolted and chained securely, she retreated to her room, curled up in a ball on her bed, and sat, staring at nothing, trying to rid herself of the memories of the day's traumatic ordeal.
Sleep did not come for Mizuno Ami that night.
* * * * *
Though the news media had not reported on the grisly and sensational crime, the news had nevertheless spread. It was with heavy concern and unease the following morning that Tsukino Ikuko sent her daughter off to school.
"Mama, the place is going to be swarming with police, there won't be another incident."
Ikuko frowned. "It's not like you to turn down a good excuse to skip school, Usagi-chan."
"I...want to know what happened," Usagi said, shrugging. "The best way to find out is to be there."
Ikuko grimaced. "Just...take care, Usagi-chan."
There was still a heavy police presence at the school. Usagi's homeroom was still cordoned off, though the rest of the school was open. The students, however, were made to wait in the courtyard as they arrived. At length, the principal came out to address them.
"The school has been searched, and all areas except the crime scene cleared. We will resume classes as usual. Class 2-C will meet in the auditorium. If you need anything from the classroom, you must go one at a time, and the police inspector will accompany you. If any student or teacher notices anything suspicious in the building today, they are urged to immediately report it to the inspector. I urge you all to focus your attention on your studies today, and not on this tragic event. There will be time for grieving and discussion of the death of Saegusa-sensei later. For now, we must move on as a school."
As the students began filing into the building, Usagi caught a brief glimpse of Luna gliding through a window on the second floor.
* * * * *
"Ne, did you notice?" Naru asked Usagi as they settled into seats in the auditorium.
"Hmm?"
"Mizuno-san's not here today."
Usagi frowned. "Okashii na."
"Maybe she did it?" someone suggested.
"Don't be stupid. Mizuno kill a teacher? More likely she's out sick," a boy near the front snorted.
"Still, it's pretty weird, isn't it?"
"Un."
The gossip died down as the teacher began the lesson, but the absence of Mizuno Ami continued to gnaw at Usagi.
As did the very conspicuous absence of any buzzing sensation in her mind.
At lunchtime, Usagi went to the roof, where she met Luna. The black cat looked pensive. "Mercury isn't here," she announced. "I've been in and out of every room of this school including the one where the murder happened. She's not anywhere on campus."
Usagi nodded. "I suspected as much. I...think I might know who we're looking for." Luna tilted her head. Usagi continued, "A girl from my class was absent today. She's NEVER absent. I just wonder..."
Luna shrugged. "It's as good a lead as any."
"But...it doesn't make sense that it would be HER," Usagi commented. "She's...well, the school brain. Her, attack a teacher?"
"Maybe we can find some clues," Luna replied.
Usagi suddenly let out a curse. "I need to get into the classroom," she grumbled. "I'd better go while I can, there's bound to be a line since we can only go in one at a time."
As Usagi descended into the building and approached the heavily guarded door to 2-C, she heard the timid voice of a female classmate. Pausing, she strained to hear without being seen.
"A-anou...keibu-san..."
The gruff voice of the police inspector replied. "Hai?"
"I...no, it's nothing..."
"Miss...what is your name?"
"Eh? Me? It's Moeko."
"Moeko-san, if...you wanted to tell me something. Anything that might be helpful..."
A long pause. "I...it's not...I mean, I don't know anything about what happened. But I..." Another pause. "I may have an idea why it happened, if that would help. But...can we talk about it...in private?"
Usagi ducked around a corner as the police inspector and a girl with long, braided hair emerged from the room. Carefully checking that she wasn't noticed, she followed them at a distance.
They entered a disused A/V room near the stairwell. Usagi pressed herself against the wall outside the door and strained to listen.
"About...a month ago," Moeko was saying, "Saegusa-sensei..." She paused. "He...I was alone in the classroom, I had cleaning duty and I was in trouble for not turning in my homework so Sensei made me stay. Sensei left the room, and...Saegusa-sensei came in." Moeko paused again. "He...grabbed me, and he..."
She fell silent.
"He assaulted you?" the inspector asked in a low, tense voice.
Moeko remained silent.
"He...raped you." It wasn't a question, and the inspector sounded very angry.
"H—hai."
"And you never told anyone?"
"Hai," Moeko replied, and it was clear she was crying now. "I...I was ashamed, and embarrassed...I thought..." She sniffled. "I didn't want anybody to know. I felt...dirty."
The inspector sighed. "I appreciate you telling me this, Moeko-san. At the very least, it opens up several probable motives. If you need to talk to anyone about it..."
"I...I'd rather not," Moeko replied. "I..." She paused, sniffling. "He's dead. He can't hurt anyone else ever again...somehow, that makes me feel less...it helps. I know that's terrible, but..."
"Understandable," the inspector replied. "Perfectly understandable."
As the door opened again, Usagi made herself scarce. Her mind was whirling.
Five minutes later, jaw firmly set, she made her way to the auditorium.
* * * * *
It had taken virtually no effort to worm Mizuno Ami's home address out of Umino. It had taken a little prevarication to throw off any concern as to why she wanted to visit the class pariah. It had taken no effort at all to dissuade anyone from accompanying her; nobody was remotely interested in going to see the Book Queen. As soon as school ended, Usagi was on her way to an unfamiliar part of town, Luna following on the tops of walls and fences.
"You really think this Mizuno Ami is Mercury?" Luna asked.
Usagi nodded. "From what I heard...I think Saegusa-sensei must have..." She shuddered. "Must have assaulted her. And—"
"And her Senshi powers objected. Violently."
"Un."
Luna snorted. "Good for her. One less bastard rapist in the world."
Usagi shook her head. "It's not right to take a human life, even if...even if it's a monster like that," she said. "Mizuno-san...if she did have that happen to her, and then on top of that, killed him..." She broke off, tears brimming in her eyes. "She must be feeling so terrible right now."
Luna said nothing.
Ten minutes later, they had walked up to a clean, stately apartment mansion. Usagi checked the address, nodded, entered the building, and headed for the elevator.
After a few moments, she was standing before a door with the nameplate:
"Holy crap, her family must be loaded if they've got a hyosatsu in such a place..." Swallowing nervously, with Luna perched on her shoulder, Usagi pressed the buzzer.
She waited. There was no response.
Frowning, she tried again.
Still no response.
She tried a third time. "Mizuno-san?" she spoke loudly into the intercom. "It's Tsukino Usagi, from your class at school. I know you're home. Please, I'd...I'd like to speak to you."
For a long moment, there was nothing. Then...
//I am busy, Tsukino-san. Please leave.//
"Mizuno-san. I'm not leaving. I...I know. What happened."
A pause. //I don't know what you're talking about, Tsukino-san. Please leave.//
"I know what happened. Yesterday. After school."
A longer pause. //Nothing happened, Tsukino-san. Please leave.//
Usagi closed her eyes, hating herself for what she was about to do. "You can talk to me, or you can talk to the police."
A very long pause. Then, the clack of a deadbolt unlocking, and the rattle of a chain being drawn. The door opened.
Usagi winced at the sight that greeted her. Ami's face was streaked with tear tracks. Her eyes were red and puffy; her glasses were nowhere in sight. Her hair was lank, her cheeks swollen. She glared at the tea-haired girl, but stepped aside to let her in.
Usagi stepped into the flat, noting that it was very well-appointed and meticulously clean. She heard the locks being refastened behind her, and then Ami walked in front of her, arms folded across her chest, eyes hard. "Tsukino-san," she said in a scratchy voice. "I do not welcome your intrusion into my home."
Usagi bowed. "I apologise. But I needed to speak to you about what happened."
Ami stared at her for a long moment, then seemed to deflate. "I...do not know what you think happened, but..."
"Saegusa-sensei, at school, was killed. In a very strange way. The police are looking for a murder weapon that doesn't exist. Does it? Because what killed him was something they don't—couldn't—know about."
Ami paused, searching the other girl's face. Usagi returned her stare with resolution, but also with sympathy. The short-haired girl sighed, blowing on her bangs, and gestured to the living room sofa. Once Usagi had seated herself across from the smaller girl, with Luna perching on the back of a nearby easy chair, Ami began to speak again. "I...do not know what happened," she said hesitantly. "I..."
"Mizuno-san," Usagi interrupted. She paused. "Ami-san," she continued more quietly. "Saegusa-sensei...tried to do something to you, didn't he?"
Ami's eyes widened. "You know..." she breathed quietly. Suddenly alert and sharp, she demanded, "Who else knows?"
"Nobody," Usagi replied. "I figured it out on my own." At Ami's disbelieving look, she frowned. "I may not be as smart as you are, Ami-san, but I'm not an empty-headed ditz. I can think. And I had a reason to try to find out what happened."
Ami blinked. "A reason...?" She paused, then added hesitantly, "Did he...that teacher...you...?"
"No," Usagi replied, shaking her head. "I'd actually never met him at all. It's not..." She paused, seeming to carefully sort her words. "The reason I needed to find out...has nothing to do with who was killed, and everything to do with how."
Ami stared at her, face unreadable. "I...I don't know," she whispered hoarsely.
"Ami-san..."
"I don't KNOW!" Ami repeated, shouting. She stood and began pacing around the room. "It happened...I was...he was about to...I don't know what I did." She sank to the floor, crumpling in on herself, and began to sob. "I...I don't know...what..."
Usagi watched her for a moment, then moved to kneel beside her. She carefully enfolded the crying girl in her arms. "It's okay, Ami-san. It's okay."
"He...he...and it...I was so...I didn't know what..." Ami sniffled. "Never expected...so humiliated and ashamed. And then he...was going to...and something just...and I...!"
"Shh. It's okay. Let it all out."
Ami sat, sniffling, with Usagi whispering softly to her. At length, the short-haired girl took a deep breath, then pulled herself from her visitor's embrace, and stared at her for a long moment. "Tsukino-san...why are you here? Why are you...so concerned about me? I've never given you any reason to show concern for me."
Usagi smiled sadly. "I'd be concerned for anyone who had been through what you've been through, Ami-san." She paused, then looked slightly away. "But I have...another reason."
Ami waited, frowning.
"When you were...attacked. Something happened to you. Something impossible. A power inside you...woke up. Am I right?"
Ami stared at her, eyes wide in shock. "How...?"
"The power stopped him from hurting you anymore. It killed him."
The short-haired girl looked horror-struck. "You couldn't...how..."
"When your power awakened, I felt it. I felt it because we are connected." Usagi paused. "I felt it because we are the same. You and I...we are Senshi."
"...Senshi...?"
Usagi stood, slowly, and placed a hand to the brooch on her chest. "Please pay attention, Ami-san." Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
"Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!"
The confusion, shock, and dawning wonder in Ami's eyes was magnified in the dazzling silver light of the transformation.
Ami stared, stunned, at the girl who now stood before her. "What...how...?"
"Like you, Ami-san, I have a power that is not of this world. I only learned about it recently, and I'm still trying to cope with it, and a lot of things don't make sense, but I understand, sort of, what I am...and what you are. And I came here today to help you understand."
"To understand...no...I don't..."
The Senshi knelt before her, long golden hair swaying gently. "Mizuno Ami-san, you are a Senshi. You have the power of Mercury. It is this power which awoke within you yesterday, when you were attacked."
"I..." Ami shook her head. "No. No, this is...a dream. A hallucination..."
"It is no dream," the Senshi replied, smiling sadly at her. "I wish it were. I wish I could take away everything that happened to you. But it has happened. All of it. And you are Mercury. You are a Senshi."
The cat, who had remained silent and unnoticed to this point, leapt down to join them. Her eyes flared, and a ring of crimson fire burned briefly on the floor before Ami. When it faded, leaving no scorch marks, a simple, narrow bracelet of gleaming blue metal lay on the carpet. Luna fixed her burning crimson eyes on the shocked girl. "This Mercury Ring is your birthright," she said. "Place this on your wrist. It will allow you to become a Senshi."
"This is insane," Ami said, eyes wide, shaking her head. "I...this isn't happening."
The golden-haired Senshi gave her a sad, apologetic smile, and gently took her hand. She picked up the bracelet from the floor, and clasped it around Ami's wrist.
Ami stared at it as though it were venomous.
"Say the words, Ami-san. Say the words."
"No. I..."
"Please. Just trust me. It'll be alright."
"I..." Ami swallowed. "If I..."
"I won't let anything happen to you. Just...let it come."
The short-haired girl hesitated. Her mouth was dry, her eyes burned. None of this made sense. She looked up at the Senshi, then down at the talking cat. *Talking cat...I've lost my mind...* Shuddering, she took a deep breath...
"Mercury Power, Make-Up!"
The flat was flooded with cool blue radiance.
* * * * *
She stood, staring at herself in the mirror.
Only...the person in the mirror was not her.
The outfit she was now wearing was similar to that worn by the golden-haired Senshi. The boots were blue, as was the trim on the gloves; the skirt and collar were a slightly different shade of blue from the other's uniform, and the bows on her chest and back were a pale shade of cyan. Rather than a golden brooch, there was a single round blue stone in the centre of the bow on her chest, matching the blue stone on her tiara. Her choker was blue and unadorned, and her earrings were simple blue studs.
The most startling change was to her hair, which had turned a strange shade of turquoise.
"What...?"
"You are a Senshi," the black cat said. "Mercury, the Senshi of Ice. Your powers are based on cold and ice."
Mercury shook her head. "No. This isn't..."
Serenity walked up to her and took her hands gently. She smiled, her crystal blue eyes full of tenderness and concern. "I understand this is a shock. It was to me, and still is. I haven't learned everything about this yet. But together...we can get through this. As friends."
"As..." Suddenly, Mercury's eyes hardened. She stepped away from Serenity, and shimmered like ripples on a lake surface. Mizuno Ami once again stood, arms crossed, the glittering blue bracelet the only remaining trace of the Senshi. "Kotowari."
Serenity blinked. "Eh?"
"I want nothing to do with this. Or with you. I have no desire to become friends, and absolutely no desire to become...whatever. Please leave."
"But..."
"Tsukino-san, please leave." She unclasped the bracelet from her wrist. "And take this with you."
Luna spoke up. "You need to keep that. If you don't wear the Mercury Ring, your Senshi powers may act on their own again. Do you want another incident like yesterday?"
Ami scowled and replaced the bracelet on her wrist. "Fine. But I do not wish to speak to you—either of you—again. And I will not be this...Mercury. Now, please leave."
Serenity stood, gazing sadly at her, for a long moment. Then, she sighed, dispelling her own transformation. "If...that is your wish, Mizuno-san." She bowed, then turned; Luna jumped to her shoulder, casting one last withering look at the shorter girl.
They left.
Ami stood staring at the door for a very long time after.
