"So it's a kook, right?" Makoto asked Ami in pretend innocence as they all looked up at the castle like building. "Rook," Ami chuckled softly, gently taking her lover's arm. It had been a few days since Hotaru and Chibi-Usa's arrival, and they had made a conscious decision to try to carry on as normal. Not that there weren't a few hiccups. Usagi had been rather unnerved by Chibi-Usa's ability to hypnotize her parents into believing that the girl was some long lost cousin of Usagi's. The morality of it had also bothered her a bit, but finally she just had to accept it. The girl in question walked along beside Usagi like she didn't have a care in the world. "So who built this?" Chibi-Usa asked, looking around her curiously. They were here to visit an old friend of Ami's as well as take a look around the newly opened building. "A real chess fan," Ami said admiringly. "He's also holding a tournament soon, to determine the best chess player in Tokyo," she added. "You should enter!" Usagi said enthusiastically, "you'd win easily." Rei noticed the blush appear on Ami's cheeks, and quietly said to Usagi, "Don't pressure her." With a gentle smile she added, "If she wants to enter, we'll cheer her on, of course." Hotaru followed, watching the group interactions. They were so much like the women she'd come to know, but they were a bit different, too. Younger, less mature, they played together so easily. As years turned to decades the games would come less easily, but the bond forged here between them would always be there. "Why not join the fun?" a cheerful voice came from right behind her. Hotaru turned to see Minako smiling at her, "You're certainly welcome." Hotaru blushed, "Sorry." Minako hooked her arm in hers, dragging her forward. "Nothing to be sorry for," Minako chuckled, waving to get Chibi-Usa's attention. The pink haired girl saw them coming and grinned while shaking her head. "Hanging back again?" Chibi-Usa smiled, grabbing Hotaru's arm. "I'd almost think you were a voyeur," she sighed dramatically. Hotaru went beet red at that. Makoto held the door open gentlemanly for Ami. Ami took a step, only to have a girl with a long blue braid barge by her inside without even a excuse me. "Oof!" Ami staggered, only to have Makoto catch her. "My hero," Ami smiled up at her, and Makoto felt week in the knees. Makoto looked up to glare at the girl, "That was rude!" She moved to go after her, but Ami gently put her hand on Makoto's arm. "Let it be," Ami said thoughtfully. "I've never seen her here before, so maybe she's just new," she explained. "Sometimes I think you're just too nice," Rei teased her gently. Hotaru watched the girl walk off, an odd look on her face. Softly, to Chibi-Usa she asked, "Did she look familiar to you?" "Now that you mention it," Chibi-Usa frowned slightly, "she did, sort of." Hotaru thought about it for a moment, and then activated her wrist communicator. Setsuna's calm face appeared on the little screen, "There might" Hotaru said, putting the emphasis on the second word, "be an enemy at the chess center." "I know," Setsuna answered, "we're already planning to be there. Haruka, Michiru and I will be cheering Ami on from the stands." "But she hasn't entered," Hotaru started to say, only to have Setsuna smile at her knowingly. "Never mind," she sighed. At the front desk, there was a rather odd discussion going on between a older man and Ami. "But I really didn't plan," she said rather desperately. "I would really appreciate if you'd compete, Ami," he said to her entreatingly. Ami met his eyes, then gave a soft sigh. "All right," she agreed reluctantly. She signed up quickly, noting the odd name of the girl before her, Birdy. "So are these your friends?" he asked, looking with a smile at the young woman around Ami. Ami performed the introductions, then agreed to play him a game while the others took a look around. "You used to come play all the time," he remarked, "but the chess club doesn't see you around as much anymore." Ami blushed. "Well, you see," she started to try and explain, only to have him stop her with a gentle smile. "I'm glad to see you have friends, now," he said softly. He chuckled, "Chess may be fun, but friends are far more valuable." They exchanged a smile, then bent down to concentrate on the game. Not long after, Ami announced, "Checkmate." He looked down at the board, then up to her worried face, before starting to laugh. "Chess?" Emerald asked Birdy dubiously in one of the many empty rooms. "Sailor Mercury, a.k.a. Ami Mizuno, is quite the fan," Birdy smiled. "Once I distract her in a game, defeating her in battle will be easy." "And with one Senshi gone," Emerald said thoughtfully, "the others will be all the easier to defeat." She laughed her grating, high pitched laugh, "It's a marvelous plan! I'm glad I thought of it!" Birdy sweatdropped, and decided not to argue that. "The match is tomorrow," she said, "so I'll prepare the place for our fight." Coolly, "I want all the advantages." With that, Emerald left, laughing softly. "I have such a headache," Birdy sighed, and headed off to get to work. Luna gently lay the two kittens down, watching them both sleeping peacefully. She took a few steps away, before sitting down on a open piece of the carpet. She remained perfectly still, only the faint breeze stirring her fur, as she focused all her concentration on the task. A faint glow appeared all around her, then suddenly there was a puff of rapidly displaced air. "Well, well," the black haired young woman now sitting there said with a little smile, "I guess it wasn't just a one shot thing after all." Luna stretched out in her newly human form before taking a moment to admire her nude body. Her black hair was long, reaching the very base of her back, and her body was slim and elegant. The only odd thing that Luna noticed was that she still retained a cat's tail that was proportionate to her human form. "I suppose nobody's perfect," Luna chuckled softly. The kittens roused and circle her legs, recognizing her by scent, if not by sight. She picked them up, cradling them both gently in her arms while they purred madly. Luna carefully opened Usagi's closet, browsing one handedly through the clothes until she reached what she wanted. The black dress hadn't suited Usagi at all, and had been consigned to the back of the closet ever since. Luna didn't think Usagi would miss it, so... "Mrew," Diana remarked, perched on the top of Luna's head as she walked towards the Chess building. The little black dress looked as good on Luna as she though it would, and a pair of plain boots finished off the outfit nicely. "Yes, it is big," Luna answered her with a smile. Serena was perched on her shoulder, looking around wide eyed. Luna navigated the crowds carefully, making her way to the main hall. It was almost completely quiet, except for a small but very enthusiastic cheering section. "Go, Ami!" Usagi cheered. Beside her Minako waved two fans around, "Go, Ami! Go! Go!" On Usagi's other side, "You can do it, Ami!" Chibi-Usa cheered. Hotaru was blushing furiously, crouched down low in her seat. "I really don't think you're supposed to cheer at these things," she said with a sigh. Natsuna's face was almost as red as Hotaru's. "I wonder if we can just pretend we don't know them?" she asked Makoto, Rei and Hotaru quietly. The standings were displayed up on the computer screen, and it quickly became apparent there were only two to beat. Ami seemed to breeze through her matches, while the young woman with the braid did equally well in hers. Finally, it came down to those two. Ami smiled at her as she walked over to where they would be playing. "May the best player win," Ami offered, extending her hand. A smile quirked at Birdy's lips, "Oh, I think we already know who the better player is." Quite arrogantly, "Let's get on with you losing, shall we?" But if Ami was at all bothered by Birdy's bad behavior, she didn't let it show. The pieces were set up, then they began. Birdy looked up to meet Ami's calm gaze, and experienced the first shiver of doubt. This game took some time. The cheering section fell silent, watching as both women carefully moved the pieces across the board, maintain formidable defenses while also maneuvering to the attack. And all along, Ami smiled down at the board in honest enjoyment. Birdy scowled at the board. This should have been so easy, but it wasn't. All of her carefully planned strategies failed her one after another. Each and every gambit was calmly dealt with as Ami rolled onward, step by step demolishing Birdy's plans. Then Ami moved her queen, and Birdy felt her stomach drop as she saw what she had done. "Checkmate," Ami said softly, looking up to meet Birdy's eyes. "It's not possible," Birdy said, looking at the board in shock, then angrily "you must have cheated!" She grabbed the table and heaved the chess board into the air, sending the pieces flying. "Fine!" she barked, "Let's play a new game!" Birdy made a throwing gesture, tossing what looked like a ball of ice at the video camera. Out in the main hall, the screen suddenly went black! Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were instantly on their feet and out the door, the others following. "Excuse us!" Usagi called over her shoulder as they ran by an oddly familiar looking dark hared woman. Luna watched them sprint down the hallway, and on the other side she saw Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna leaving much more quietly. Luna felt what was almost a stab of pain at seeing the sandy hared woman, but she made herself put it aside. Ami was in trouble! The temperature in the room dropped like a rock even as Birdy changed, her regular dress replaced with a skin tight blue mini. "We'll be playing by my rules now, little Sailor Mercury," Birdy said with a sneer. The cold seemed to reach into her very bones, but Ami forced herself to focus. "You're one of them, the ones chasing Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, aren't you?" she asked. "Very nice," Birdy nodded. "Once I slay you, all the other Senshi will be weakened. Then mistress Emerald will be able to defeat them with ease," she said with a casual wave. "But I'm a sporting sort," she smiled evily, "so we're going to play another game." Sailor Moon slammed the door open, Sailor V at her side. The other Senshi charged in right after them, moving into a 'v' formation for battle. "Don't disgrace an honorable game with your bitter vengeance!" Sailor Moon declared, "In the name of love and justice, I'll punish you!" "And here are all the pieces now," a smirking Birdy said, activating the trap that she had set up there earlier. A sphere of ice suddenly encircled all the Senshi, lifting them right off the floor and then up into the air. "You just had to make a speech," Sailor V complained to Sailor Moon quietly. Natsuna pulled out her pistol to fire it when Sailor V quickly spoke up, "No! What if it ricochets?" Sailor Jupiter hammered at the ice with her fists, her gloves beginning to tear under the force. "If I summon my Glave," Saturn volunteered, "I can probably cut us out." "This is a really small place," Chibi-Moon worried, "what if you cut one of us? Lets just hold that in reserve, OK?" "Here are the rules," Birdy smiled. She shook out a bag, spilling chess pieces in black and silver on the table. "We'll play again, and this time I'll win. If you don't play, you're friends pay the price," she said, gesturing to the sphere. Ami could almost see the temperature drop inside of it, her friends beginning to freeze in there. "I'll play," Ami said, calmly setting up her pieces. 'I don't see Rei in there,' she thought, 'and the Outers are still free.' "Oh, there's too many pieces on your side," Birdy smirked, and everything but Ami's pawns and King disappeared. Ami played on calmly, focusing her concentration, She advanced her pieces, and then Birdy took one of her pawns. Suddenly, her feet were encased in ice! "Oh, did I forget to say?' Birdy chuckled. "When you loose a piece on the board, you loose a piece of your body." "Ami, stop playing!" Makoto yelled, hoping that Ami could hear her. Ami looked up to meet her eyes, then she looked at Birdy levely, advancing another piece. The ice had reached her waist by the time Birdy had taken her king. "Well," Birdy sounded amused, "it seems there's still some of you left. We can play again, or I can just finish you and your friends off now." "Set up the pieces," Ami said flatly. "You can't win, you know," Birdy said mockingly, looking up at the Senshi, "when all you have is pawns to play with." "They're not pawns," Ami barked back, "they're my friends!" Suddenly, a rose struck the table, sending Birdy's pieces flying. "Value your pawns," Tuxedo Kamen said with a smile, "for on them can turn the course of the game." She threw another rose at the sphere, which promptly shattered, along with the ice that held Ami. "No!" Birdy growled, going towards the Senshi only to have Ami bar her way. The slim girl grabbed at Birdy's arms, holding her fast. A calm voice said, "I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." Emerald blasted the surprised Senshi backwards, throwing bolt after bolt of energy at them. It got colder and colder, ice swirling all around Ami and Birdy. But she refused to let her go, to let Birdy try to hurt her friends again. Chips of ice, sharp like blades, swirled around them, tearing at her clothes and raising blood, even as the Senshi battled against Emerald in the background. "We should be in there helping them!" Michiru protested as they watched what was happening, safely hidden nearby. "We can save them," Haruka said intensely. "No," Setsuna shook her head, "we have to let this play out." "I hope you're right," Michiru said softly, "I happen to like Ami, and I really don't want to see her die today." Luna stopped at the open door, the cold hitting her body like a physical blow. Her eyes widened as she saw Ami and Birdy locked together in combat, and the symbol that blazed on Ami's forehead. "She's awakened, at last," Luna whispered. The wand appeared in her had, then she tossed it, yelling, "Ami, catch!" Ami saw it from the corner of her eye and tearing free from Birdy she grabbed it from midair. The words she spoke came to her automatically, "Mercury Star Power, Make-UP!" "Oh, no," Birdy whispered, realizing that the only advantage she had, Ami's powerlessness, was now gone. Sailor Mercury felt the cold now almost as a living thing. She called to it, and it obediently came, swirling and concentrating in front of her until she turned to the badly shaken Emerald. "Shine aqua illusion!" Ami roared, throwing all the cold straight at her. Emerald didn't even have the chance to cry out, so quickly was she sealed in a brick of solid ice. Before anyone could do anything, a fearsome weapon appeared in Saturn's hands. She ran at the frozen villain, blood in her eye, then she swung her Glave down. It was all over. Birdy and Catsy looked at each other disbelievingly, then rushed together to hug each other fiercely. "All's well that ends well," Minako said with a smile. "Was that Luna we saw in there?" Makoto asked the others curiously. "The woman certainly looked like she did when the crystal hit her," Ami agreed. Her clothes were a wreck, but there was a glow about her. She looked like someone who had found something long lost. "Is everyone all right?" she asked the others quietly. "I hope so," Natsuna said, looking back to where Usagi was talking to Hotaru. "You didn't have to kill her," Usagi said intensely. "They were trying to kill us," Hotaru answered, frowning. "And you did the same thing to Rubius, so I don't quite see the problem." "He wasn't defenseless," Usagi answered grimly, "like Emerald was." Chibi-Usa took Hotaru's arm, "She was a killer, Usagi. All Hotaru did was make sure she didn't hurt anyone else again." Usagi just shook her head sadly and didn't reply. The images faded in the orb on top of the staff, and all was quiet in the room. Finally, "She awakened her power, instead of slaying her. It seems the Senshi are not to be underestimated." The light caught a gleam on gold on her brow as she leaned forward to gaze at her two remaining lieutenants. "Let me face them," Sapphire volunteered, "I'm certain I can defeat them in battle." He clenched his hands, power swirling around him. "Take both Prisma and Avery," she commanded, "and find the Hotaru Tomoe of this time. Slay her, and once of our greatest foes is gone." With that, she turned and walked away, her long black hair reaching the hem of her sailor fuku. "But she's just a defenseless child," Sapphire said softly as she walked away. "Don't defy her," Diamond hissed, "you know what she can do!" Sapphire sighed softly, nodding his agreement. He collected Prisma and Avery, and in a moment was gone.
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