(Author's note: This episode follows parallel to the Sailor Moon R story line and occurs five months after the end of the original story entitled "For The Love Of Mercury".) Ami Mizuno couldn't believe her luck. Her mother was going away for the weekend and left Ami alone in the house. She was even generous enough to give Ami permission to have her friends sleep over, provided that another pillow fight wouldn't arise. Ami blushed at the memory, only because that was the day she met Tolaris. And the day she fell in love. Absently she fingered the sapphire pendant that was given to her by Tolaris. "A gift, something to remember me by," he had said. What he didn't tell her was it's hidden meaning and powers. Tolaris was a Negaverse agent, sent to Earth to discover the identities of the Sailor Scouts and to try to neutralize them. However, a kink in his plan arose when he bumped into Ami on a street corner. Not knowing she was Sailor Mercury, Tolaris became friends with Ami. Eventually they fell in love, but at the same time he discovered who the Sailor Scouts really were. A bitter battle took place that night between Tolaris and the two Sailor Scouts. Both Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon were drained of energy and captured, but Tolaris could not bring himself to defeat Ami. He restored the others, gave Tuxedo Mask a strange crystal rose, gave Ami the pendant, and returned to the Negaverse to face Queen Beryl's wrath. Now he lies eternally frozen in the wastelands of the Negaverse, but all is not lost for him. He knew what was coming so he fashioned Ami's sapphire pendant with part of his own life-force. Even though he was frozen in crystal, part of him still existed on Earth in the pendant and his spirit could travel between the two points. But his powers are blocked by the light of the moon and he can only travel to Earth during the one night of the lunar cycle when the moon didn't shine at all. And much to Ami's delight, the new moon was this Friday. She could spend the entire night in Tolaris's company and still have her friends over Saturday night. Usually the new moon occurred on a school night and Ami spent most of the time either studying or sleeping. Although she did remember that one time falling asleep in his arms.... Ami blushed again and went about helping her mother pack her luggage. Her mother was naturally suspicious of Ami's zealousness in helping her pack, but she was good-natured about it, and eventually chalked it up to excitement about the planned sleep-over. And only Ami knew otherwise.... ------------------------------------------------------------------ "A sleep-over? Cool!" Ami smiled at the enthusiasm in Serena's voice. "It's set for Saturday night. If you want, you can come over in the afternoon." "That's great, Ami. Umm.... who else is invited?" "Luna, of course," said Ami, referring to their feline mentor. "Leda and Mina said they'd be coming and I still have to give Rei a call." "If you can tear her away from her meditations at her temple." Ami smiled again. She knew their friend had thrown herself into her work with a zeal that matched Ami's passion for study. Her reasons for doing so weren't entirely clear, but Ami was sure it had something to do with Darian falling in love with Serena instead of Rei. But that was predestined centuries ago and Rei wasn't one to challenge destiny. "I'm sure I can do it. Oh, and Serena?" "What?" "No pillow fights this time." "Bummer. Oh, well. Thanks, Ami. See you on Saturday!" "You're welcome, Serena. Bye!" She hung up and started to look around for the piece of paper with Rei's number on it. She frowned slightly as a lock of her blue-tinted hair got in her way. She tucked it back behind her ear and vowed to get a haircut next week. I don't see how Serena can deal with having long hair, she thought to herself. Or Rei for that matter. Or Tolaris. That sent her mind wandering off on a fantasy tangent for a few minutes before she finally remembered she was looking for Rei's phone number. You would think I would have it memorized by now, she thought. She finally found it between the pages of a textbook, remembering that she was using it as a bookmark. As she dialed the number she idly cast about for something suitable to use as a bookmark in place of Rei's phone number. "Hello?" said the slightly tired voice. "Hi, Rei, it's me." "Ami! What's up?" Suddenly her voice didn't sound quite so tired. She smiled to herself. "Oh, nothing much. Listen, are you busy Saturday night? I'm having a little get-together sleep-over party...." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Friday night. School was out for the weekend, her mother was gone, and the moon was new. Ami could hardly wait for the fun to start. Unfortunately, she had to wait until the new moon appeared on the horizon for Tolaris to be able to cross over to Earth, and she didn't have a clue as to when the moon was to rise. "Of all of the things to forget on a night like this," she muttered to herself, "I didn't check out the lunar schedule. Better fix that as soon as I can." She crossed the room over to the desk, scribbled herself a note in large letters, and taped it to her school books so she wouldn't forget it. Then, not knowing what else to do, she decided to take a steaming-hot shower. Ami always liked hot showers. She couldn't quite pin down what exactly it was that she liked about them but it never occurred to her to try. The only complaint she had about showers was that it took hours for her hair to air-dry. If she used a hair-dryer, it cut the time down to thirty minutes but left her blue-tinted hair in tangles. Well, Tolaris will just have to deal with wet hair, she thought as she took off her light blue socks. As she tossed the socks in the hamper, she wondered if she should paint her toenails. She remembered what happened last time she tried that, shuddered, and promptly decided against it. She swiftly unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall to the floor where it was shortly joined by her skirt. Then both articles of clothing were flung into the hamper. Ami stretched, trying to work the kinks out of her back and shoulders. A little hot water should fix that nicely, she thought as she unclasped her bra. As she removed it, she noticed that the bra had gotten somewhat tight in the past few weeks. She blushed slightly as she realized why. Well, it is part of growing up, she thought, but it is still embarrassing. Her blush deepened as she removed her panties. But it's not as embarrassing as finding more blue hair where you least expected it.... She straightened up, naked as the day she was born save for the small sapphire pendant she still wore around her neck. As she unclasped the pendant and set it on her dresser, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stood back to admire the view. Her blue hair was slightly unruly tonight but it was nothing new. Almost automatically her mind went back to when Tolaris had described her features. Soft, silky blue hair, deep blue eyes, soft rosy lips, and a gentle smile that would forever captivate his heart. Ami smiled that same smile reflexively as she remembered his words. Her gaze wandered down, wondering what he would say if he saw her nude. Her breasts weren't large, but they were average for her size and had a soft tenderness to them. Even as she thought about it, her coral-pink nipples began to harden. It's strange how they do that, she thought. She knew they did that whenever she was around Tolaris. It made her feel strange but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Something to think about later, she thought. Her eyes wandered down further across the smoothness of her belly. Her continuous exercise and training as a Sailor Scout kept her slender form fit and trim. Definitely an advantage, she thought as she kept looking further. Her legs were sleek and well-toned, another side effect of daily workouts. Her gaze was then drawn to the small strip of blue hair covering her sheath. She sighed to herself and shrugged. Genetics, she thought, go figure. She grabbed a very fluffy blue towel and headed off to her bathroom. She made a beeline for the shower stall before stopping for a moment and changing direction towards the toilet. Business before pleasure, she thought wryly. Outside, unknown to Ami and the majority of the world, the lightless moon peeked up from the distant horizon. The sapphire stone on her dresser started to emit a soft, blue light. But since it was no longer being worn, the energy necessary for the magic to work couldn't focus itself and Tolaris was unable to make the dimensional jump between the Negaverse and Earth. And so the crystal sat there, glowing softly to itself, waiting. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ami emerged from the bathroom dripping wet and toweling her blue-tinted hair furiously. Behind her, a steam cloud wafted out and dissipated into the cooler air. She saw a flash out of the corner of her eye, turned to look, and let out a small shriek of delight. It's time, it's time! she thought as she ran over to the dresser. She was about to clasp the pendant around her neck when she realized she was still quite naked. A naughty though came to her mind but she decided against it. Don't want to give him a heart attack, she thought as she rummaged through her dresser for a nightgown. Then a second naughty thought popped into her mind, this one of a slightly different nature. She froze as she considered it, grinned, and went over to her bed. Reaching underneath the mattress, she pulled out a blue satin nightgown and hoped she calculated the effects correctly. As soon as she slid it on, she knew she was right. When she tried it on before, it was a snug fit but didn't really show or accent anything. But now that she was wet the sheer fabric clung to her form like a second skin. Ami glanced in the mirror to make sure nothing inappropriate showed through. The nightgown was slightly translucent to begin with and the water made it worse, but it was still opaque enough to leave everything to the imagination. Almost everything. Ami smiled at her image. This will most definitely dazzle Tolaris, she thought. Her mind flashed back to when she modeled it for Leda and Luna. Leda was old enough to appreciate the effect and told her about the time she wore something similar for her ex-boyfriend. Luna, on the other hand, was having an absolute fit. The poor thing had fainted when Leda confessed the reason why she had worn the outfit. The conversation took an interesting turn that night and innocent Ami learned quite a lot about biology. And now, she thought to herself, tonight is the perfect night to answer a few of those questions. She smiled to her reflection again, winked just for effect, and clasped the sapphire pendant around her neck. The air seemed to tingle for a second, then a cloud of tiny blue motes coalesced into a very familiar form. "Tolaris," she breathed warmly as she embraced the figure. "I've been waiting for you to come here tonight." "I was starting to worry why I couldn't cross over. Did you take the pendant off for a bit or should I start to worry again?" Ami just smiled. "I had to take a shower. Can't you tell?" she teased as she shook her head, sending water droplets everywhere. Tolaris's eyebrows went up to his hairline as he took a closer look at her and her smile became even wider. "Umm...." was all he was able to say, his normally fair complexion turning as gray as his blood. He watched as she stepped back from him and did a rather graceful pirouette, showing him all angles of her slender form. "You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to seeing you again. Especially tonight...." "Ami," the dark form interrupted, "Speaking of tonight, I have to warn you that you could be in grave danger." Her blue eyes became wide as she heard this. "The Negaverse again?" Tolaris sighed. "Yes and no. It's a combination of the Negaverse's three moons.... and myself. It is a rather lengthy explanation, but it boils down to this: Tonight, my darkest side will eventually reign free for a few hours." Outside, a storm began to gather, a result of Tolaris's emotions dominating his control over the natural elements of the weather. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "The Negaverse has three moons hidden in eternal darkness. The red moon of Blood lies furthest from the planet. Next is the Dark Moon of Shadows. And closest to the planet is the gold moon of Power. The three moons follow no specific orbital pattern and trying to predict where each one will be during any given time is an astrological nightmare. On occasion the moons will be together in a straight line, the one blocking out the dim light of the other two. It is called a conjunction, and depending on which moon shines various effects occur. "The most often occurrence is the PowerMoon conjunction. As long as the gold light shines alone, the amount of magical energy in the Negaverse will be increased a hundredfold. Queen Beryl had been trying to come up with a way to cause a PowerMoon on the night she was to release the NegaForce. Fortunately for the rest of the universes, she had been unsuccessful in doing so. "The second most often occurrence is the ShadowMoon conjunction. During that time the physical and mental powers of all that are evil are increased. Since ninety-five percent of those who live in the Negaverse are evil, this is viewed as a good event. Unless you happen to be part of the neutral faction, like I am. In that case, it's a good night to stay home with the doors locked and your favorite weapons ready just in case the neighbors get a tad unruly. "But the rarest and most feared occurrence is the BloodMoon conjunction. The red moon's light awakens the hidden demons in certain people and an evil far more powerful than anyone can control is released: The bloodlust of the vampire. Those who are bitten by the vampires during the few hours that the BloodMoon shines are infected with a dark evil. When the next BloodMoon comes, those unlucky few souls who survived the vampires' hunger will become vampires themselves." Outside the house, a thunderstorm rumbled softly to the world as it rode in on the thermal currents of the wind. Tolaris bowed his head and made a strange gesture. All light seemed to fade from the room as a ghostly image of three celestial spheres appeared before him. Ami could only get a quick look of their movements before they faded from view and the room returned to normal. "It is as I feared," said Tolaris softly. "The moons will be aligned very soon, perhaps within hours. Were I not still frozen in crystal I could have sensed this coming and stayed away from you, Ami. My being here now puts you in more danger than you could possibly imagine. I'm sorry, my love." Ami walked over, wrapped her arms about his waist, and rested her head on his chest, much the way she did when they fell in love. Time passed before she softly asked, "Tell me how it happened." "I was much younger then, perhaps in the late part of my third century of life. I had only been a Dragoon for about four decades and was still assigned to active field duty. My mission was to gather information on a rogue faction of monsters opposed to Queen Beryl's ascension to power. I was at the edge of their inside security perimeter when the conjunction started. "I hadn't been around long enough to know what an impending BloodMoon felt like but I knew something strange was about to happen. As it turned out, over half of the faction were vampires. I had heard of the horror stories about them but I had never seen a vampire before since I was born just a few years after the previous BloodMoon. As soon as I realized what was happening, I ran as fast as my powers would let me, ignoring the agony of the windshear as my speed approached the sound barrier. I didn't care where I was going, just as long as I got away from that dark evil. "I had the luck to run across a solitary vampire just as she was finishing off a border guard. She must still have been hungry, for all I can remember from that time period was her hypnotic gaze and the sensation of her fangs piercing my throat. I must have satisfied her hunger for I had enough blood still in me to let me live. "And I have been cursed ever since." He bowed his head and checked the positions of the three moons again. Ami caught about as much this time as she did last time but she could tell the moons were noticeably closer together. "There have been two other BloodMoons since then. During those darkest hours, I drained the blood out of five victims. Fortunately, none of them survived. In the midst of my last bloodlust I learned that I had a measure of control over the madness. I only took one life that night and it was because she had lost too much blood before I gained control over myself." Ami remained silent during Tolaris's recollections, not wanting to disturb him. Outside, a gentle rain started to fall as the thunderstorm intensified. The wind picked up, scattering leaves and small branches across the landscape. She tightened her grip around his waist as she contemplated what lay ahead. "Tolaris, do you think you still have control?" He considered his options. Because of the strange effects of the magic, he couldn't return to his crystal prison until the moon disappeared over the horizon. He couldn't travel too far away from the pendant without destroying the magical link, which would leave his mind forever traped in the wastelands of the Negaverse. And Ami being Ami, he knew that there was simply no way for him to convince her to leave him alone with the pendant and run. His arms closed around Ami's delicate form. "I don't know, Ami, and for your sake, I hope so." ------------------------------------------------------------------ General Rune was not looking forward to the next few hours. She knew that it would only be a matter of minutes for the vampires to unleash an assault on her castle, a desperate attempt to get to the blood of the denizens inside. Her only real choice was to cast the ForceWard spell, an immense energy barrier that would completely surround the castle. The only problem was that most of her energy reserves would be drained in the casting. Of course, she could save that energy for other spells but that would leave the castle defenseless to a horde of blood-sucking evil demons. Best live to fight another day, she thought as she issued the necessary orders to get all of her troops inside the castle walls. Meanwhile, a full platoon of Dragoons were at the edge of the perimeter laying down the complex network of crystals used to direct the energy waves that made up the ForceWard. If one of the crystals failed or was destroyed, the energy could be routed to another spot, thus saving that part of the Ward. About seventy percent of the crystals had to be destroyed before the barrier would collapse. Rune hoped that the spell would hold. Last time she had to use it was after those Sailor Scouts had completely obliterated Queen Beryl and her most powerful warriors. In the ensuing power struggle. she lost over half of the crystals guarding her castle before she finally gained supreme control over the rest of the denizens and what was left of the Negaverse. But Rune had other concerns right now, ones that had to do with crystals of a different nature. There were a few minions among her troops who were themselves vampiric, but they had come forward to Rune and volunteered to be restrained. She knew that Queen Beryl preferred to destroy those minions who were vampiric, but she had been persuaded by her new Dragoon commander to let them live. Rune knew that Lieutenant Commander Shar-Tei had her reasons for endorsing her rule over the Negaverse, but one of the main reasons for her doing so was the fact that General Rune was the only one capable of saving her from transforming into a vampire once more. Self-preservation is always a noble motive, thought Rune. Still, I will have to have a long talk with her about this later. It was Shar-Tei's idea to have the infected minions frozen in crystal. The idea served a double purpose: Keep the vampires confined, and keep their natural talents and abilities locked away so their vampire natures couldn't use them. It made perfect sense to Rune. The majority of the Negaverse denizens had only minor or weak powers, but there were quite a few like herself and Shar-Tei that were very powerful. If their vampiric sides managed to gain control of those powers, they would be almost unstoppable. And so Rune agreed to seal each one of her infected troops in crystal shells, both for her and their own protection. Ten minutes later the last of the ForceWard network crystals were laid down and everyone retreated into the castle. This had better work, thought the general, or we'll all wind up with sharp teeth in a few centuries. Not really wanting to know how much time she had to spare, if any, she didn't even bother checking the three moons' position before starting the incantations to the ForceWard spell. Outside, slender tendrils of energy leapt from crystal to crystal, forming a delicate web. Far above in the heavens, the three moons came together. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Tolaris looked out the window. "So it begins," was all he said. "Tolaris, what does it take for you to keep control over the bloodlust?" said Ami. Her mind was working feverishly to come up with a way she could help the love of her life deal with the situation. Good question, thought Tolaris. What exactly was it last time...? Okay, I think I see a pattern here.... "A focus. Something to keep my mind on other than this siren's call in my veins." He began to concentrate on the storm that was starting to rage outside. Controlling every single current of wind in a storm this size should keep my mind quite busy, he thought. "I think I can help...." Something about her tone set off a small profusion of warning flags in his mind. A strange feeling ran down his spine, a feeling that had nothing to do with his blood problems. He turned around and his eyebrows hit the ceiling. Ami was finishing unbuttoning her nightgown. She looked up at Tolaris and smiled warmly. "Focus on this," she said simply as she let the nightgown drop to the floor. All of Tolaris's concerns went out the nearest window as he registered surprise, then panic over the fact that his heart had quit beating. It restarted a full second later, but Tolaris would never forget the burning sensation in his chest for as long as he lived. All the Dragoon could do was stare as Ami pirouetted again, seeming even more graceful when unencumbered by her clothing. She then bent down to pick up her nightgown and started to dance a variation of the Arabian Dance of Veils. As she twirled around, all she needed was one look at his face to know she had his full attention. Just the way she wanted it. Tolaris was waging an internal war. He wondered which siren call he would succumb to first, Ami's or his blood's. His gaze never wavered from Ami's nude form as she danced across the room. Lovely enough to stop my heart and a pure delight to watch when dancing, he thought. He watched as she let the nightgown flutter to the floor and pulled the sheet off of her bed. She wrapped part of it around her neck like a cape and started in on another seductive dance. Desire welled up inside Tolaris and he knew that the bloodlust in his veins would most definitely wait. Ami was lost in her dance, oblivious to the rest of the world. Deep down inside she was a dancer. She had never told anyone about her interest in dancing, not even her mother. To Ami, dancing was a personal experience not to be shared except with a loved one. She had never danced nude before but it was an exhilarating sensation, having both her body and mind free. A distant part of her mind made a note to try it more often. Tolaris was captivated by the power of Ami's dance. It wasn't a fast or overly energetic dance, just a series of smooth and graceful movements. A sudden thought came to Tolaris. He turned his mind inward, searching for a long-hidden talent. It was a marginally undeveloped power, but it would serve. Mentally shaking the rust out of his memory, Tolaris flexed his fingers and summoned music. It started out as a simple four-beat tempo, soft enough for only him to hear. Slowly, he changed the sound and frequency waves to produce a soft but definite rhythm, one that he thought Ami could find a way to dance to. I may not have the skill Shar-Tei has with sound waves, he thought, but I can still crank out some decent music. He added a few accompaniments for effect and gently increased the volume so Ami could hear it. The music never consciously registered in Ami's mind but it still had an impact. She seemed to falter for a few brief seconds before her body started to match the beat she was hearing. The beat was soft and smooth with slightly more energy than she was used to, but she compensated easily enough. The sheet whirled around her like a living being, concealing, revealing, and tantalizing all at once. Neither of them knew how much time passed nor did they care. Eventually Tolaris realized he was starting to tire. He cursed himself when he remembered that he stopped using his musical powers because they drained too much of his energy. He changed the beat to a pattern that any dancer would recognize as the closing sequence to a performance. Ami responded, sending her body into a complex series of fast twirls. As Tolaris ended the music she froze in a graceful pose. The sheet, still in motion, settled to rest about her body in a perfectly calculated manner. Her body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat that partially reflected the light, making Ami seem to glitter as she slowly walked over to Tolaris. Tolaris was hopelessly ensnared by Ami's graceful charm and did the only thing he could do. He embraced Ami and kissed her with all of the passion he had. Ami kissed him back with all of her might, her spirit still charged with the power of her dancing. The dark demon in Tolaris's soul erupted, shattering his control over the bloodlust in his veins. The impact of losing control so suddenly threw his mind into chaos, releasing the vampire's psyche. In a sudden surge of power, the vampire-mind tore Tolaris's spirit from his body and locked it away deep within Ami's sapphire pendant. Without Tolaris's spirit in his body, the evil was free to control him. Ami felt Tolaris's lips tighten suddenly and she knew something bad was happening. She took a few steps back, sensing a great evil coming from the dark form. As she watched, his eyes became a featureless yellow and his tan skin turned a sickly shade of blue. When the sharp fangs emerged from his gums, Ami knew that Tolaris had lost the fight and that she was in very serious trouble. Outside, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating everything with a harsh white light. The vampire had his back to the window and all Ami could see of him was a vague outline and two red pupils. The bolt faded, plunging everything into darkness again. The only lights in the room were from the lamp on Ami's nightstand, her sapphire pendant, and the vampire's yellow eyes. The dark form began to move towards Ami. She tried to run but her mind was frozen, captivated by the gaze of the vampire. Tolaris said their eyes were hypnotic, but I didn't think it would be like this, she thought, the rest of her mind in a panic. I'm too young to die, this can't be happening, get me out of here, run! But despite her efforts, she stayed rooted in place. The vampire stopped in front of her and reached out. Ami felt his hand caressing her cheek before gently tilting her head up. But the creature made no move to bite her. He just stood there, gazing at her throat with an inhuman intensity. With a shock, Ami realized that he was staring not at her neck but at her pendant. Ami felt as if hours had passed before the vampire let go of her chin and released control of her. Her hand flew to her throat, making sure the skin was still intact. The dark creature chuckled softly. a low and ominous sound that sent a strange chill down Ami's spine. Then the creature spoke. "So that is how it happened," he said in a deep, inhuman voice. The dark tone both aroused and frightened Ami. "You have nothing to fear from me, Ami Mizuno, as long as you wear that crystal. I cannot take you as long as Tolaris is with you, but I am in control of Tolaris's body until his spirit returns." "What have you done to Tolaris?" she asked. Her tone was husky with fear and something else, something she wasn't sure she wanted to identify. "I was able to force his spirit to go elsewhere, something that cannot be done unless there is a place for it to safely go for a period of time. He has a special connection with that crystal you wear, something that allowed him to take refuge. Most interesting." A dim part of Ami's mind realized that the vampire's voice was having a profound effect on her. Her nipples were tightening and her legs were getting wobbly. It's like when Tolaris told me he loved me, she thought. What is it about this creature's voice? Tolaris, help me.... "Who are you?" "My name is Daigan. You seem surprised that I am talking to you instead of feasting on your blood. What exactly has Tolaris told you about this blood madness?" In a slightly quavering tone, Ami recounted Tolaris's explanation of what happens during the BloodMoon conjunction. The vampire said nothing, waiting for her to finish. When she did, the dark creature walked over to the window and looked out into the storm. "Correct in all but one respect," he said. "This feeding frenzy is caused by the conflict between the host's spirit and the darkness in the soul vying for control of the body. The mind goes mad and focuses on the only impulse that it can find: the vampire's desire to feed. Hence, the search for living blood." Daigan turned from the window to face Ami. "But the control is not there so the insane one drains as much as he can, not as much as he needs. We do not need very much blood, perhaps half a pint every few centuries. I could satisfy my hunger with you and you would not feel any ill effects. At least, not until the next BloodMoon, which shouldn't occur until your human body is long since dust." Ami's attention was split into two, one part absorbing the information the vampire was giving her. But the other half of her mind was trying to deal with her body's reaction. Her nipples were still tight and aching, but it wasn't a painful ache. Her breathing was starting to get rough and unsteady and it took a bit of effort to get it under control. But her sheath was getting damp and she had no idea why, or how she could deal with it. Daigan, however, knew precisely what kind of effect he was having on her. He had that effect on all of the females he met up with. And now that he had full control of his host's body, he could use that to his advantage. He moved closer to Ami's trembling form and laughed softly. "You seem troubled. Is your passionate desire for something or someone making it hard to think?" He reached out and caressed Ami's cheek. "I can help ease your desire, release your passions." His hand slid down to gently trace the veins in her neck. "Let me to take you to new heights of pleasure." "No...." Ami breathed. Daigan's touch was far more stimulating than his voice and it was hard for her to focus. But the thought of her giving herself over to anyone other than Tolaris repulsed her enough to gather her thoughts together. "I think you misunderstand me, Ami Mizuno. I hold no particular interest in what pleasures your body could offer me. You will find that Tolaris would willingly satisfy your needs, though he is no less a virgin than you are, even after seven hundred and twenty-four years of life. He is, however, extremely knowledgeable in the ways of giving women pleasure. He has never actually had a chance to test that knowledge but that is none of my concern. "The height of pleasure I am referring to is the act of sharing your blood with me. You would not know this, but the Vampire's Kiss is a most pleasurable experience for a female host. Granted the first seconds are painful, but once your blood starts to flow it will be as if you were a goddess. It would be an experience you shall never forget. Think of it. You could feel pleasure never before even imagined on Earth in exchange for losing a small amount of your precious blood." Ami's mind raced as fast as her desire-muddled brain would allow. After several seconds she arrived at a decision she thought was a good one. "If I submit, you must promise to release your control over Tolaris and let his soul return to his body." The vampire considered her offer. He made a gesture and the light seemed to fade from the room. The image of a red moon only appeared for an instant but it was long enough for him to make a decision. "Done," he said. Ami reached behind her neck and unclasped the sapphire pendant, setting it on her nightstand. The pendant's light flared briefly before returning to its normal soft glow. She heard the vampire come up behind her and felt his arms around her waist. She closed her eyes and prayed that she didn't miscalculate about the whole thing. His hands slid up to cup her breasts as he kissed the rim of her ear. A soft moan escaped Ami's lips as Daigan kissed his way down her ear while gently massaging her soft breasts. As his lips trailed down to her throat, his thumbs started to rub her nipples and Ami's hands covered his. He carefully tweaked her hardened nipples as he bit into her throat. Ami cried out, first in agony over the pain, then in ecstasy as the pain melded into pure pleasure. Her whole body shuddered as she orgasmed, a wave of unimaginable delight ripping through her very being. She was slightly aware of some pain as her lifeblood was drawn out but it was drowned out by the sheer pleasure of the Vampire's Kiss. Her body trembled as she orgasmed again. She felt Daigan withdraw from her neck and she started to collapse as her muscles overloaded. The vampire picked her up and carried her over to her bed. Ami's mind slid into a fog of pleasure as her body recovered from the dual orgasms. She looked into the vampire's eyes and imagined she saw a glimmer of emotion there. Then Daigan blinked and turned toward the window. Ami managed to sit up, though her muscles protested. She watched as his skin color returned to a normal light brown. When he turned around, his eyes were back to gray and he bore no trace of fangs. The vampire had done as he promised and Tolaris was back. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Tolaris's spiritual focus shifted to a well-practiced point and his legs became overcharged with energy. He ran to Ami's side at a speed no living being should have been capable of, doing his best to ignore the pain as the air sliced across his skin like a knife. He knelt down and cradled her head in his arms as he ran his fingers over the puncture marks on her neck. "Ami, my foolish love, what have you done?" he whispered softly. He split his concentration into three tasks: Soothing Ami's still-trembling body, trying to determine the damage to her neck, and carefully probing her spirit for the evil that the Vampire's Kiss was sure to awaken. But when he noticed that the skin on her neck was regenerating, he gave it his full attention. This is bad, Tolaris thought. Ami is human. She shouldn't be able to regenerate any sort of wound by herself and I'not capable of doing it, either. An icy chill ran down his spine as a possibility occurred to him. "Tolaris," Ami said, her voice barely a whisper. Her breathing had calmed and her muscles were no longer quivering but her mind was still deep within a hormone-induced fog. "Tolaris, it was wonderful.... I've never felt like this in my entire life...." "Just relax, Ami, and rest for a bit." He focused his spirit to a very fine point and gently probed Ami's spirit. What he found almost completely stopped his heart. He thought vile curses as he waited for the pain from his second heart attack to fade. This would be easier if I was telepathic, but am I? Nooooo, I have to be psi-mute and have to use spiritual methods instead. He sighed and braced for the worst. Since Ami was human, the Vampire's Kiss didn't affect her like it had with Tolaris and the other Negaverse denizens. Tolaris knew while that there was no danger of her becoming a vampire during a BloodMoon conjunction, she would still exhibit vampiric tendencies under certain conditions. Tolaris prayed as he delved deeper into the pit of evil in Ami's soul. Daigan's evil seed had taken root and the damage was rather widespread. Strangely enough, the majority of the alterations were beneficial. She could now regenerate most types of wounds, though the process would take longer in direct sunlight. Her senses were slightly sharper, especially her sense of smell and taste. All of her muscles were being altered, giving her a wider range of flexibility and enhanced strength. Tolaris cursed as he came across the downside of the alterations. Her newly improved body now required trace amounts of chemicals and enzymes, and those elements could only be found in human blood cells that differed from her own. Her dental structure and gums were being altered to accommodate a pair of extremely sharp teeth, fangs designed to protrude only when she was about to feed on blood. But what shocked Tolaris the most were the changes to her spirit. Her emotional stability was weakened, leaving her more inclined to show her darker emotions. An instinct was developed to release her vampire nature if she was moderately injured or if her supply of blood nutrients was low. Already the groundwork was being laid for her to acquire special abilities as she learned to control her new nature. The Dragoon sat back in a numb state of shock. Ami slowly stretched her body, making a faint purring sound of contentment as her mind slowly recovered from her experience with pleasure. Tolaris's mind turned inward, searching for something, anything he was even remotely capable of doing to help Ami fight off the darkness in her soul. He sighed in resignation when he could find nothing. Ami sat up and made a face. "Yeech.... Tolaris, give me a hand here. I am in dire need of a shower. I'm all sticky." Tolaris smiled and concentrated. A tiny rain cloud formed over Ami's head and started to rumble with thunder. "This should help," he offered. The look he received was a glare designed to melt tempered steel. "Not on my bed you don't. I don't need to deal with wet sheets." "I hate to break this to you, dearest Ami, but in case you hadn't noticed, you've done a rather fine job of soaking the sheets all by your juicy little self." Tolaris had to laugh at the look of horror that crossed Ami's face as the facts registered. "Ewwww!" she squealed as she made a mad dash for the bathroom. Tolaris sighed as his mind turned to the problem at hand. His thoughts were briefly interrupted by a high-pitched shriek from the shower, followed by Ami's voice yelling, "COLD!!" She must have forgotten about the water still in the pipes, he thought. A sudden inspiration clicked in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, he thought. He cast about the room, looking for the one thing Ami always had nearby. He found it on her nightstand where she usually left it before going to bed. He picked it up and gazed at it, hoping that the silvery cylinder could help him help Ami. Closing his eyes, he held aloft Ami's Mercury Wand and prayed. "Mercury, swift messenger of the heavens, hear me. My friend and love has been taken by a great evil, an evil that I am partly responsible for. I have tried to help her but I am not strong enough. Please, help me rid the evil that has taken root in Ami's spirit. Do not let her suffer from the darkness within my own soul. Please, I beg of you to help her." Inside the crystal bubble atop the cylinder, the symbol of Mercury started to spin faster than its usual pace. Tolaris was answered by a voice that came from everywhere and from nowhere. The voice was both a single voice and a huge chorus of voices mixed together, whispering and shouting at the same time. "We are aware of what has happened to our avatar, Dragoon Tolaris, but we cannot help you directly. The evil that plagues our Sailor Scout comes from another universe than ours and we are powerless to affect it. Ami Mizuno will be forever cursed with this evil of your world's. The only thing you can do is to render the darkness in her soul sterile so it will never pass on to those who will eventually become her victims." Tolaris's mind screamed silently. No! Ami, my love.... "Please, tell me what I must do." "Since Ami's soul was impregnated with the seed of your dark side, you must do the same with the seed of your normal spirit. We are aware of the fact that your present state is a physical manifestation of your spirit and that your remaining time in this world is limited. There is no power in all of Creation that can completely stop the flow of Time but we have the power to slow it down. You will have the time you need to complete your task." With a start, Tolaris realized that he indeed was almost out of time. He concentrated for a brief moment, just long enough to find the dark moon in relation to the horizon. Not much longer, he thought. Ok, we're going to have to trust this guy and ignore time. Now what exactly did he mean by.... Umm.... Hold it.... Tolaris put two and two together and came up with five. "You mean to tell me that I have to...." The voice spoke again. "We understand your concerns. In simple terms, you are to let your love for Ami take its natural course. There is no chance for her to conceive without our intervention since you are barren and your genetic structures cannot combine to produce life. Go to Ami and help her. We shall meet again, Dragoon." The symbol in the Mercury Wand slowed down to its usual lazy pace and all was quiet. Tolaris sat down abruptly as the information sank in and he experienced his third heart attack. Tonight is just full of surprises, he thought. First Ami gets naked for me, then I wind up poisoning her soul with evil, and now I have been ordered by her god to make love to her. I don't think my heart can take much more of this.... He stood up and put the Mercury Wand back on Ami's nightstand. All I need is her getting ticked at me about borrowing this. He heard the bathroom door open behind him and he turned to look. The doorway was filled with a thick steam cloud and Tolaris couldn't see past it. Then Ami emerged from the cloud, dripping wet with a soft smile on her face. Tolaris couldn't believe it was possible, but he found that Ami was even more alluring when she was nude and wet. Tolaris was about to say something when he felt the evil in his soul start to stir once again. Surprisingly, it only did the equivalent of rolling over and going back to sleep. Then all sensations stopped and his spirit was at peace again, this time for good. He sighed softly and made a familiar gesture. Once again the light faded from the room as a ghostly image appeared. Ami only got another quick glimpse but even she could see the edges of the other two moons peeking out behind the red moon. The image faded and the room returned to normal. The BloodMoon conjunction was over. ------------------------------------------------------------------ General Rune sighed with relief as she let the ForceWard barrier collapse in on itself. She wouldn't know the exact count until later but she figured that she had lost roughly sixty-five percent of the network crystals. She knew that the delicate web of energy had been broken in several spots but they were small enough to have gone undetected by the blood-hungry vampires outside. Wearily, she got up and ordered a full check on the castle and the grid of network crystals. She then motioned a squadron of guards to follow her as she made her way into her private chambers and to the denizens still frozen in crystal shells. The very first thing Rune noticed was an acrid smell. She motioned to the guards and they spread out, trying to find the cause of the unholy stench. A few seconds later one of them pointed to a crystal. Rune was suprised to see that there were deep cracks running along the length of the crystal shell. I think it's time to find out what went on in here, she thought as her powers reached out and cracked the crystal shells like eggs, freeing their occupants. While the guards tended to the others, Rune walked over to her fountain and sat down. "So, Moirah," she said to the open air, "What exactly went on in here?" The water in the fountain started to swirl together and a column formed. The water slowly took on a humanoid shape and solidified into the familiar form of one of Queen Beryl's former bodyguards. It never ceased to amaze Rune that someone could have the natural ability to become a liquid. "It was rather calm, actually," came the silky voice. "Oh, they thrashed about and tried to use their powers against the crystal, but none of it did them any good. I, on the other hand, learned new inventive words." Rune laughed at that. "I figured something like that would happen. What happened to Brigadier Varnea's crystal shell? It was rather badly cracked and I think that was what caused that awful smell." Moirah frowned slightly. "Apparently she has a hidden talent that she's not aware of. The conjunction was almost over when she started winging plasma bolts around. None of them even scratched her, but you saw what they did to the crystal. Fortunately, time ran out before too long. I think that if she had another ten minutes to keep doing that she would have broken through. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am quite sure I can't survive a direct hit with a plasma bolt." "Interesting. We shall have to keep an eye on her for awhile. How is our Dragoon commander doing?" "Still frozen in your Dark Crystal, General." "Excellent. You have done a fine job, as usual. I want you to go keep Varnea under a careful eye. If she does have other hidden talents I want to know about them." "As you wish, General Rune." Rune waited until the willowy form of Moirah was long gone before dealing with other matters of business. A sudden thought occured to her as she was preparing to release Shar-Tei from her special crystalline prison. Of course, she thought, they almost always work in pairs. She thought who would still be in the room with her. "I know it is your duty to guard me from harm, V'Kreeth, but you are going to have to do it from outside the room for a while. I have private business to attend to and I don't need anyone eavesdropping." A being that was pure shadow detached itself from a dark corner of the room and walked towards Rune. "Not wise," he said. His voice always reminded Rune of dry leaves whispering across stone. "We have suspicions that another attempt to assassinate you will be made quite soon." Loyal if nothing else, the dark general thought. "Perhaps, V'Kreeth, but I have given you your orders. I have every confidence in you to be able to fend of any such attempt from outside my chambers." "I would be failing in my duties if you aren't made aware of the possible consequences of potentially unwise actions, especially when your life could be at stake. If you recall, Queen Beryl had given such orders before she was destroyed by the Sailor Scouts." Rune smiled. "Direct as always, V'Kreeth. That is why I like you. Your point has been duly recognized. Now go." The dark form bowed and seemed to meld into the very walls. Rune knew that it was possible he just returned to a dark corner again, but she knew him better than that. He might despise his orders with a passion but he would obey them nonetheless. That was the other reason she liked him so much. The smile slid from her dark features as she concentrated on the task at hand. The Dark Crystal was a very complex prison and it would take hours for her to unwind the wards and spells surrounding it. She sighed and started the first of her incantations. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ami smiled at Tolaris and shook her head, sending droplets of water flying about the room. She grabbed her towel and started to dry her hair, knowing it was a futile attempt but doing it anyway. She felt Tolaris's arms encircle her waist and she ceased drying. "My love, you seem to become more and more beautiful with each passing hour," said Tolaris. He gave Ami a passionate kiss which she returned with equal passion. "Now, where does this seem familiar? Ah, yes. You had just finished dancing and was looking absolutely stunning. Now, where were we?" "We were kissing and afterwards you were going to make gentle, passionate love to me," she said matter-of-factly. Tolaris blushed a dark gray and braced for his heart to stop yet a fourth time. He was faintly suprised when it merely skipped a beat instead. "Uh huh. And what if that wasn't exactly my intention?" Ami's smile made Tolaris's blood shiver. "Then I'm going to rape you," she said simply. Her smile faded slightly as she saw the look of surprise and pain in Tolaris's gray-green eyes. "What?" "Umm.... ahh, there we go. Ami, dear, don't do things like that. Do you realize that this is the fourth time my heart has stopped beating because of surprises like that?" Her blue eyes grew wide. "Will you be okay?" "I should be. Unless, of course, you have any other surprises in store for this evening." He swore he could hear the gears in Ami's mind turning as she thought about something. When she smiled, he knew something was up. Oh, no, here it comes.... "I think I can help keep your heart beating for a while...." Ami said as she took hold of Tolaris's hand and drew him towards her bed. She gave him a funny look when she thought she heard him mutter, "That's it, I give up," but he just smiled in return. When they reached her bed, Ami turned around and drew Tolaris into a very passionate embrace. Her lips melded with his as her hands caressed his cheeks. She moaned softly when she felt his fingertips glide over her bare skin, gently tickling her ribs. She slid her hands down to his shirt collar but he grasped her hands and kissed them. He smiled, released her hands, then stepped back. Immediately, Tolaris was engulfed in a whirlwind of lightning. Ami had to cover her eyes against the glare and she felt a heatwave wash over the room. The light faded and Ami could see again. What she saw was more than enough to set her pulse racing and get her nipples aching. Tolaris's clothes were now a fine ash covering his body. A small storm cloud formed over his head and started to drizzle. The rain washed all of the ash off Tolaris, revealing skin and muscle. A blazing hot desert heatwave ran across the carpet, evaporating the moisture before it could soak in. Then the conjured weather disappeared, leaving Tolaris as naked as Ami. Ami's jaw made a slight cracking sound as it fell open. "That's.... one way of doing it," she said in awe. Tolaris tried to smile but it was more of a tight grimace. "I always did want to see if that would work. But I think I'll have to find another way of doing that. You have no idea how much that hurt." "Aww, don't worry. I'll make you feel better...." ------------------------------------------------------------------ The thunderstorm slowly increased in intensity during the night. The wind would pick up and drop off at random and bolts of lightning occurred with greater frequency. Oddly enough, the rain continued to fall at a slow and gentle pace despite the rest of the storm's rage. In a modest house somewhere in downtown Tokyo, Serena tossed and turned in her sleep as her subconscious acted on her fears of thunder to produce a nasty nightmare. A black cat entered her room, dripping wet from the rain outside. She had a strange smile on her face as she carefully shook the water out of her fur and settled down to sleep next to Serena.... At a temple in an old district, Rei meditated before a small fire. Her sleep had been disturbed earlier by a cat screaming in some part of the city. She had tried to go back to sleep, but now it was the thunderstorm that kept her awake. She sighed and tried to relax herself in her meditations.... In an apartment building on the edge of Tokyo, Leda showed no interest in sleeping. She stood against her bedroom window with her face and hands against the glass, watching as the lightning and thunder raged across the city skies. Storms had always stirred her passions, and tonight was no exception. She let her hand stray across her body as she wished she had someone to share the night with.... In a studio apartment in downtown Tokyo, Mina was fast asleep. The storm outside had no effect on her as she peacefully dreamed. Her white cat leapt down from the windowsill, quite sure that his friend outside was finished screaming to the rest of the world. He laughed softly as he laid down in the crook of Mina's arms. She instinctively snuggled closer and sighed in relaxed contentment.... In a condo in the center of the city, Darian was far from sleeping. His mind was on Serena, and what their future might hold together. Occasionally, a bright flash of lightning or a sharp crack of thunder would distract him but his thoughts would always return to his girlfriend and the one he was destined to love for all eternity.... The storm continued to grow in strength as the night passed. Without any warning, the rain stopped and the wind became still. All of the animals in nature fell silent as well until an eerie calm swept across the city. A great bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, travelling from one end of the city to the other in an instant. The sound of thunder echoed.... Serena cried out in fear as she lashed out, knocking Luna off the bed.... Rei's eyes snapped open as she felt a surge of unknown power.... Leda cried out as a wave of pleasure washed over her trembling body.... Mina sighed softly, tightly holding the sleeping form of Artemis.... Darian's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the future.... Then all was calm. The rumble faded as the rain started to fall again and the wind stirred lightly. It's energy spent, the storm started to weaken. A bolt of lightning would flash across the sky every now and then but it would only be a small or weak bolt. Thunder continued to rumble for the rest of the night but it was tame compared to its previous volume. The city slept the rest of the night, the gentle sound of falling rain its only company.... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Tolaris was stretched out on his side with Ami cuddled up in front of him. Occasionally she would stir in her semi-conscious state, but he would lightly caress her form and whisper in her ear and she would relax. He noted with mild interest that the sign of Mercury had been glowing softly on her forehead since they finished making love. Its amazing that she could be like this, he thought. Here I am, still hyper with energy and she curls up and drifts off like a newborn. She started to stir again but he caressed her smooth belly and kissed the tip of her ear. She made a soft purring sound and melted back into his embrace. I would give up virtually everything for this to last forever, he thought with a soft sigh. But until I am free of my crystal prison, we can only wish and enjoy the few moments we have together. He felt a surge of magical energy tug ever so gently on his spirit. With a sigh Tolaris checked the moon's position. The celestial sphere was touching the horizon and was slowly sinking down. His time was almost at an end. Tolaris gently squeezed Ami and kissed her neck. "My love, I have to go now." he whispered softly into her ear. Ami made a plaintive whimper and held onto the arm encircling her waist. Tolaris chuckled. "I know, Ami, but you know just as well that I can't help it. I'll be back on the next new moon." Ami twisted around to kiss him. He kissed back, neither of them wanting to let the moment end. On top of Ami's dresser, the sapphire pendant began to glow, illuminating the letter that had been placed next to it. A single tear slid down Ami's cheek as she held on to the one she loved, wishing he could always be with her. Tolaris let his mind focus on the storm outside, stirring up a light wind and increasing the moisture content slightly. He knew Ami liked a gentle rain every now and then and thought it would be enough to keep her company until the light of dawn rose from the horizon. Outside, the last sliver of the moon slid behind the horizon. Tolaris's form dissolved into a cloud of blue motes, floating aimlessly about the room before being drawn into the pendant. The last thing Ami heard was his voice being carried across the winds. "I love you, Ami, and will always love you for eternity." And then he was gone. Ami closed her eyes as a second tear followed the first, trailing its way down her cheek. "I love you too, Tolaris." she whispered to the empty air. She reached down and drew the blue silk sheets over her bare body, wishing for her love to come back. With Tolaris's touch and voice still in her mind, Ami rolled over and drifted off to sleep, forgetting entirely about the events that took place earlier that evening which would change her life forever. Outside, a gentle rain began to fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Leda was starting to get worried. She had been knocking on Ami's front door for several minutes. I don't like this, she thought. First I get majorly bad vibes from around here, and now she's not answering either her communicator or her door. She waited another minute but still didn't get a response. Her already limited patience at an end, she tried the doorknob and was surprised to find that it was not locked. "Ami? You in here?" she called out as she took a few careful steps into the building and heard a faint noise coming from somewhere in the house. Maybe she's in the shower, she thought. Her mind started to wander down a particular tangent but she quashed the idea almost instantly. No, I don't think it would go over too well. Leda thought she heard someone moan in pain and took off running towards the sound without thinking about it. I hope she didn't manage to hurt herself or anything, she thought as she tracked downt he sound. "Ami? That you?" she called out. She came to a stop, listened for a second, then backtracked. She finally halted before the door to Ami's bedroom and knocked. "Ami? Everything alright in there?" She heard another soft moan and recognized it as Ami's voice. Leda opened the door and started to enter but came to a dead halt at what she saw. Ami was sprawled out on her bed, still naked from the night before. Her body was twisting and turning as if she was locked inside a nightmare. Her eyes were closed but Leda could see the expression of pain on her face. Ami's lips moved but she made no sound. Her hands kept relaxing and contracting as if flexing imaginary claws. Those same hands wandered over her body, lightly stroking and caressing. Leda ran to Ami's bedside, wondering if Ami was just having a very bad nightmare or if something worse was at hand. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, a small train of thought popped up but Leda derailed that one as easily as she had the first. In another time and place, she thought, I probably would wind up doing that. She reached out to check Ami's pulse and nearly yelled out at her body temperature. Great Zeus, she's burning up. Got to get some cool air onto here. Leda moved over to the window, intent on opening it. She stopped cold when she saw a letter lying on Ami's dresser that was addressed to the Sailor Scouts. The letter had the words "Urgent - Read to help save Ami" written in red underneath the address. Leda didn't hesitate and opened the envelope. "Sailor Scouts, I don't have much time left, so I'll give you the short version. Last night, Ami was bitten by a vampire and has been infected with the vampire's evil. Her body is changing and I don't think there is anything in this world that can stop it. Since the infection is not from Earth, I don't exactly know how the vampirism will affect Ami. But I do know that she will need human blood and soon, for her body used up her supply of trace elements during her transformation. If she waits too long to get the blood, her newly developed instincts will take over and you will have a full-fledged vampire on your hands. Whatever you do, be careful. Her vampire eyes have the ability to paralyze those who meet her gaze so watch yourselves. I can not do anything more until the next new moon. Until then, please do what you can to help Ami. Be brave, Sailor Scouts, for yourselves and for Ami. - Tolaris" Leda felt her blood run cold as she re-read the message. She now knew what was causing the bad vibes but she realized that she now had a much more serious situation on her hands. Calm down, don't panic, she thought through a mental haze of panic. What would Sailor Jupiter do in a situation like this? Her subconscious immediately came back with a lightning blast. No, try again. Ok, so that would be my first thought, but this is my friend and I can't just blitz her like that. "Leda...." whispered a voice behind her. Leda froze, her body starting to tremble at the dulcet tone. Her mind flashed back to the last time she heard her name used with that same silken tone. She had been dumped by Freddy that day. Earlier that week, Leda had lost her virginity to him and to have him say out of the blue that she should no longer have anything more to do with him shattered her heart. She was a wreck after school and it had been noticed by her classmate, Jenni Thorne. Jenni had taken Leda home with her, saying she knew of several ways to make Leda forget about her troubles with boys.... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Leda blinked in surprise. "You sure that would work?" Her emerald-haired companion nodded. "Of course," she said. Her voice held a soft, velvety quality to it. "A massage does wonders for me when I'm feeling down or when I can't get something out of my mind. I don't see why it wouldn't work for you. All you need is something to relax your body and your mind will follow." "I'm not quite sure of that. My body gets very relaxed after a hot bath but my brain still runs in circles about whatever." Jenni laughed softly, sounding to Leda like a set of crystal wind chimes. "Soaking just eases the strain on your muscles. They don't completely relax until they've had all of the tension worked out of them. I'm studying to be a physical therapist and learning the skills of medical massage has been a hobby of mine. Knowing everything there is to know about what you deal with has its advantages." Jenni got up and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out a pair of soft white towels and a bottle of azure liquid. "Here," she said as she gave them to Leda. "You need to start by taking a soak in warm water. Adding this to the water will soften your skin, giving it a silky feeling and making it easier to work with." Leda wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and heard Jenni's voice behind her. "Trust me, Leda. I can make you forget everything about your ex-boyfriend. All you need to do is relax and I'll take care of the rest. You'll see. Now off to the tub with you." Leda was given a gentle but firm shove towards the bathroom and she decided to give it a try. Half an hour later, Leda emerged from the bathroom with one towel wrapped about her body and the other wrapped around her hair. She was rather surprised to find that her friend had changed into a white robe and was practicing T'ai Chi with a pair of medicine balls in her hands. Jenni stopped what she was doing when she saw Leda and set the balls back on her bookshelf. "The exercises help keep my body and mind focused. Helps keep my hands in excellent shape, too. Ready?" Leda nodded and Jenni gestured towards her bed. "Ok, just lie down and let your mind wander." Leda stretched out on the bed with her arms folded beneath her chin. She almost jumped when she felt Jenni's hands tugging at the folds of her towel, unwrapping it and exposing Leda completely. She was about to protest when she heard Jenni's voice. "Calm down, Leda. Massages work much better when I can deal directly with the skin and not folds of cotton. You have a wonderful body and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Now just relax and let me work the tension out." Her voice was soft and soothing to Leda's ears. She heard a quiet snap as a bottle was opened and closed, then felt a pair of cool hands on her shoulder blades. Leda could smell sandalwood as Jenni rubbed a liquid across her back. "This will help cool your skin and prevent friction burns," she said as she continued rubbing. Leda could already feel the tension melting from her muscles as Jenni's supple hands gently worked the oil into her skin. All thoughts of the outside world faded as Jenni started in on the real massage, her touch becoming gentle but firm as she worked with the flesh and muscle of Leda's back. After a few minutes Leda could feel her mind starting to get fuzzy. She wasn't kidding, she thought. It's not only taking my mind off my ex, it's taking my mind off-line. She tried to focus on a mathematical problem but gave up after a few seconds. Nope, body feels too good to think. She made up her mind to try to find a way she could repay Jenni for the massage. That was her last focused thought for a while as Jenni's hands smoothly moved over to Leda's arms and continued the muscle relaxation. All sense of time was forgotten as Jenni worked her way down Leda's body, adding a bit of oil as needed. It seemed that her emerald-haired companion spent quite a bit of time working on her thigh muscles but Leda wasn't about to complain. After finishing up the foot massage, Jenni asked Leda to turn over so she could continue her work. Leda was lost in the feeling of utter relaxation and readily flipped over without bothering to think about it. She felt the bed shake slightly as Jenni moved and heard a soft rustle of cotton, followed by a soft plop as something hit the floor. She felt the bed sink in and knew that Jenni had sat down next to her. She felt a gentle touch on her temples as Jenni started a facial massage. Leda was amazed at the feeling. It felt as if a butterfly was making its way across her face, slowly rubbing her skin. Jenni's hands worked their way down to her neck and the sensation increased as she resumed her normal stroking motions. Jenni's touch became very light as her hands strayed down across Leda's soft breasts. Leda sighed softly to herself as her nipples tightened under Jenni's delicate caress. Her sigh turned into a gasp as she felt Jenni's lips close around her nipple and drew it into her mouth. Her tongue skillfully teased her nipple as her hand moved down to caress the mass of auburn curls covering Leda's sheath. Leda's eyes flew open as she started to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down onto the bed. "Jenni...." she started to say, but a finger laid across her lips silenced her. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that Jenni had taken off her robe and was not wearing anything else. Her brain exploded into a panic as realization slowly sank in. "Leda, please listen to me," Jenni said, her almond-shaped eyes showing a strange emotion. She told Leda about her desires and how she preferred the company of women to men. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way, but you are very beautiful, Leda, both in body and in mind. My girlfriend was killed in a accident a few months ago, and I have been lonely ever since. I thought that I.... we...." Her voice trailed off. She was silent for several seconds, her hands resting on Leda's. "Leda...." she said, her voice taking on a soft and silky tone. "Leda, will you let me make love to you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Leda's mind stopped whirling in that instant. Several possible outcomes flashed through her mind but her mind was already made up. She reached out and drew Jenni's nude form to her. "Yes," was all she said as she hugged her. Their lips met and all thoughts of the outside world fled again. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Leda...." the dulcet voice whispered again, drawing Leda back into the present. "Leda, my friend, come to me...." There was no mistaking the voice. It was Ami's. She turned around to go to her friend's side but froze at what she saw. Ami was sitting up in the bed, looking at her. Even from across the room Leda could see the tiny fangs protruding past her lips. Ami's eyes were now a steel blue color instead of their normal shade and they had an eerie gleam to them. Ami's face split into an evil grin and Leda realized her mistake. She tried to move away but she was held in place by the power of Ami's glance. Ami got up off the bed and slowly walked towards Leda. Tiny tendrils of desire made their way into Leda's bloodstream as she watched Ami's nude form move towards her. Forget probably, she thought. In another time and place, I most definitely would wind up seducing her. But I think I'm about to have a bigger problem on my hands than hormones. Why can't I move? She felt a warm hand caress her cheek and Leda knew there was no getting out of this one. All she could do was look into those steel blue eyes and hope that Ami wouldn't kill her. She could feel the burning heat of Ami's hands as they unbuttoned her blouse down to her waist. The blouse parted and Ami's hands slid inside to caress the base of her neck. Ami's head dipped down and Leda could feel her lips brushing against the skin of her throat. Leda tried to move but was still paralyzed by some strange force. She felt Ami's hand cup her breast as she bit into her neck. Leda found that she couldn't scream, couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Her mind was starting to twist into a knot when she felt her blood being drawn out of her body and everything changed. The sharp pain melded into an odd warmth and her body relaxed. She was dimly aware of the fact that her muscles were giving out and Ami was gently lowering her to the floor, but she simply ceased to care. It was as if she just had an extremely thorough body massage and was still basking in the feeling. She could feel Ami's hand still caressing her breasts but it felt soothing rather than stimulating. A distant part of her mind made a note of the fact that Ami's body temperature was starting to drop back down to normal levels. Leda sighed softly in contentment, wishing that the warm sensation would last forever. She felt her blood slow to a trickle, then stop as Ami withdrew her fangs from her throat. Leda opened her eyes and looked at Ami in time to see her eyes fade from steel-blue to a light blue. Those same blue eyes widened in shock as she realized what she had done. "Leda! Are you alright? Speak to me, tell me you're okay...." she said, the words rushing out in a panic. Leda reached out and pulled Ami down on top of her, hugging her tightly. She kissed the rim of Ami's ear and whispered, "Relax, Ami, I'm fine." She hugged her again, sighing in contentment. "Ami, it was wonderful. You have no idea how good it made me feel inside. Question is, are YOU okay?" Ami blinked. "I... I don't know. I feel fine now. All I could think of was getting blood. I heard you come in and I couldn't control myself. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Leda just smiled. "I'm fine," she repeated. "But you are starting to have an effect on me, so you might want to get dressed before I lose control and want to make love to that beautiful body of yours." She mentally counted the seconds it took for the full impact of her statement to sink in. She had just reached two when she felt Ami's lips on hers, giving her a rather passionate kiss. "I know, Leda. I could taste your desires in your blood. I don't quite know how I could, but I did. I think I'll have to take a raincheck on your offer until I can sort out my own desires first. Right now, everything is a whirl and I just need time to think." Leda sat up, only slightly disappointed. "Hey, I understand." She made a face and sniffed. "Uh, I don't wish to offend here but you smell like you need a shower." She paused for a moment, sniffed again, then smiled. "Mmmm. Smells slightly familiar. I take it you and Tolaris were busy last night?" Ami let out a shriek of indignation. "Hey! That's none of your business, Leda." She sprang up, grabbed a towel and change of clothes, and dashed into her bathroom. Leda chuckled to herself as she buttoned up her blouse. She discovered that she was missing a button and starting to search around for it. She froze when she heard a voice at the doorway. "Looking for this, Leda?" Leda turned to look and the blood drained from her face. Mina was there, leaning against the open door and idly toying with her missing button. The silence lasted for several seconds before being interrupted by a high-pitched shriek, followed by Ami's voice yelling, "COLD!!" ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Umm, I can explain, Mina...." she started. "Don't," said Mina. "What goes on in bedrooms and bathrooms is none of my business. You just shouldn't leave the bedroom door and the front door open at the same time, especially when you're expecting company." She walked over and handed the button to Leda. Leda felt the blood slowly return to her face. "Umm, just how long were you standing there?" The blonde shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I just want to know if I should be asking about Ami's mentioning of wanting blood. I try not to put anything past anyone, especially when it comes to bedroom behavior, but I just want to make sure I understand that one." Leda stood up and got the letter off of Ami's dresser. "Mina, I think you had better sit down for this one," she said as she handed the letter over to Mina. "This is going to take some serious adjusting." Mina said nothing as she read the letter, then read it again. Finally she folded the letter and set it in her lap. "Artemis," she called out, her voice absolutely flat. "You had better get in here. I think we have a very serious problem on our hands." She looked up at Leda. "then I take it she bit you?" Leda nodded silently. "I'll be okay. I don't think she took a lot of blood from me since I'm not feeling dizzy or anything." "What's all the fuss about?" said a slightly sleepy voice. Artemis walked into the room, his white fur rumpled. The cat paused to stretch before walking over to Mina. "You sound like you ate something unpleasant." "Read this," she said simply as she unfolded the letter. Artemis jumped into her lap to read the message and nearly fell out in shock a few seconds later. He read the message again to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. "Well," he said, his usually steady voice wavering, "This explains the bad vibes I've been getting. Where is she?" "Taking a much-needed shower. She had a busy night," Leda added. Artemis shook his head. "I heard that. Hoo, that must've been rough on the poor thing. Well, Rei should be here soon but I think Serena might come a bit later. I have a feeling that Luna won't be awake enough to get her out of bed at a decent hour." Leda and Mina blinked in confusion. "And why is that?" said Leda. Artemis coughed slightly. "Well, umm, you didn't hear this from me, but I swore I heard her caterwauling last night somewhere in the city." "What makes you think it was Luna? There's hundreds of cats out there and a lot of them howl at night." The white cat seemed to blush for an instant. "Well,... let's just say that when a cat screams in your ear in a particular way, you tend to remember it and can then pick it out of a group of wailing cats." It was Leda's turn to blush as she put the pieces together. "You mean to say that at one time you two were.... umm...." Mina laughed quietly. "So she's one of those enthusiastic types, right?" "Very. But you didn't hear any of this from me. Anyway, we've got more to worry about than Luna's lack of sleep. The message said Ami might need to get blood, and soon." "That's.... been taken care of," said Leda softly. "Sit down and open your collar," Artemis ordered in a tone that would not accept any arguments. Leda complied and he spent several minutes carefully poking and prodding at the tiny marks on her neck. "Interesting. How long ago did Ami bite you?" "Couldn't have been more than half an hour." "Mmm. The wounds are healing themselves at an incredible rate. That's both good and bad. Good since I don't see any signs of bacterial infection or scarring. But that's bad since you could have been infected with the same evil that Ami was." "No, I don't think so," said Ami as she emerged from the bathroom. She was dressed in her usual blouse and bluejeans and was toweling her blue-tinted hair quite rapidly. "I think I remember hearing Tolaris say that he had done something to neutralize part of the vampire evil so it couldn't spread to those whom I bite." Mina pulled a brush out of a pocket and went over to Ami's side. "You say you aren't sure you remember hearing that?" she asked as she started to brush the kinks out of Ami's wet hair. Ami blushed. "Well, my mind wasn't exactly in proper working order at the time but I'm almost sure he said something to that effect." "We can understand why, with the shock and all," said Artemis. Mina and Leda exchanged looks and Leda could have sworn she saw Mina wink. Great Zeus, how much does she know? thought Leda. Artemis failed to notice the exchange. "Sit down for a bit, Ami. I want to take a look at your neck." Ami did as she was asked and Artemis spent several seconds looking over her throat. "So where did the vampire bite you?" he asked, puzzled. "I can't find any marks whatsoever." She blinked in surprise. "What?" Someone handed her a mirror and she looked into it, trying to find the marks. "They're gone, even the bruises!" Artemis dashed over to Leda, peering at her neck again. "This is odd. Leda's marks are gone as well but she still has a bit of bruising around the bitten area." He ran back to Ami. "But your bruises have completely healed." He sat back, eyes closed and tail lashing back and forth. Ami and Leda just sat there, watching the white cat. Mina was still busy brushing Ami's hair and showing no signs of interest in the conversation. An eternity passed before he opened his eyes again. "Ami, if you don't mind I'd like to try an experiment. May I make a scratch on your foot?" Ami blinked in surprise. "Uh.... sure...." Artemis walked over to where Ami was sitting and raised a paw. There was a quick flash of motion and Ami squeaked. As they watched, a thin line of blood welled up from the scratch on Ami's bare foot. Within seconds, the cut had stopped bleeding and was sealing itself. After a minute the cut had faded into nothing more than a slightly painful memory. "Interesting," he remarked. "Now, Leda, if you don't have any objections I'd like to try the same thing with you." "No problem here," she said as she took her socks off. The process was repeated, but after several seconds the cut showed no signs of healing on its own. "As I thought," said the white cat. "It seems that Ami's body has the power of regeneration, or can at least heal itself. If we are to believe that this is one characteristic of vampirism, then it is safe to say that Leda has not been affected." "That's comforting," said Leda. "Now will someone get me a Band-Aid?" ------------------------------------------------------------------ The last of the magical barriers collapsed and the spinning crystal shell shattered into millions of particles. General Rune watched as the purple motes of energy swirled around a vertical axis before coalescing into the lithe form of her Dragoon commander. "Lieutenant Commander Shar-Tei," Rune said formally. "I take it you have survived your experience with the BloodMoon conjunction with no ill effects?" The Dragoon bowed. "Of course, General. I think it takes slightly more than having my blood set on fire to destroy me." Her silver tresses swayed in the light breeze that wafted through the chamber. Rune smiled. "You'd be surprised by what you think you can live through but actually can't. Now then, if you don't mind I would like to know why you requested to be put in the Dark Crystal rather than in a normal stasis crystal. The difference in energy between the two is quite costly and I feel that I am justified in wanting to know why you wanted the one." Shar-Tei lowered her eyes and glanced away. "I'm afraid I haven't been totally honest with you, General. You see, I have several hidden talents and one of them could have easily destroyed not only the crystal but half of the castle as well if it wasn't properly controlled. The normal stasis crystals didn't have the strength to contain such power but the Dark Crystal did. I am fortunate that the Crystal's power wasn't needed, but it could have been." Rune digested this in silence. After a few seconds she spoke, her voice unusually calm and reserved. "And what kind of hidden talent can this one be that it could destroy my castle?" The voice was barely an audible whisper. "Reflex." Rune's eyes widened in shock. "Is it possible...?" she said, her voice cracking slightly. The Reflex power was one of the ultimate powers in the known Creation. It created a beam of pure energy that destroyed anything and everything in its path. No known force, natural or magical, could stop it and there were very few forces that could affect it. The Dark Crystal could only affect the Reflex by stopping the beam before it could form. "Why have you kept this talent hidden from me?" "The Reflex is not a practical talent to use, since the beam takes several minutes to form and requires absolute concentration. If that concentration is disrupted the energy merely drains away without effect." A single tear slid down her cheek. "Plus, I knew you would want to use me as a biological weapon. I don't want that. I'm just an intelligence officer. I deal with information, facts, ideas, not weapons and violence. That's.... just not my style." Silence descended on the room like a cloak. "I see," said Rune after a lengthy pause. "And if I were to order you to use your talents as I see fit?" "Then you have my immediate resignation." the Dragoon said without any trace of hesitation. "I sided with you since you are one of the last three of Beryl's generals and hence my legitimate commanding officer. I had hoped that I could continue to serve as I had sworn to do, but I will not voluntarily be used as a weapon of mass destruction." The dark general was silent once again. "I see," she said again. "I will of course consider your.... position carefully before making any decisions with regard to your singular talents. You are a fine officer and I would not like to lose you for any reason." "Thank you, General Rune." The silver-haired Dragoon turned to leave. "One more thing, Lieutenant Commander. A personal question, if I may." Shar-Tei paused momentarily. "I cannot guarantee any answers, but you may ask, General." "You turned down a promotion to full Commander when you were appointed as leader of the Dragoons. Why is that?" She turned to face her commanding officer. "For the simple reason that the current commander of the Dragoons still lives and I will not be so brazen as to take his place until he either resigns of his own free will or dies." Rune's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean Tolaris?" she said. "Yes. He still lives and his name still carries a bit of respect among the Dragoons. It does not matter that he is forever frozen in crystal." She paused briefly before continuing. "Perhaps such loyalty is undeserving of one who had been branded a traitor, but there are those among us who feel that his reasons were justified. You can call it.... an honorable weakness." "Do you think it will affect the performance and efficiency of the rest of the Dragoons?" "Absolutely not," came the confident reply. "Otherwise we never would have allowed ourselves to form such deep loyalties. They may be a weakness to you but they are a strength to us." She bowed to Rune and left. Rune sat down next to her fountain. She idly stirred the bubbling azure liquid as it spouted up into the air and rained back down. She sat there for hours, so lost in thought she didn't notice when Moirah quietly entered the chamber, transformed into her liquid state, and merged with the fountain's cool waters. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Rei arrived at the house around the time Artemis had expected. When told of the news of Ami's transformation, she sank down onto the floor in shock. After a minute or two, she got up and wordlessly made her way over to Ami's fireplace. She sat down, focused her thoughts inward, and proceeded to ignore the entire outside world. Leda walked back into the den. "I think she'll be fine. She just needs some time to herself to cope with the situation and to calm herself." "I know how she feels," Ami said sadly. "She did something similar when Tuxedo Mask was kidnapped by the Negaverse. I thought she would wind up being a total basket case, but she was fine after she had the time to put her mind in order and deal with it. She'll come back to us after she's got everything stitched together." "Well," said Mina, "You do know her better than the rest of us." She got up and sat down next to Ami. "Ami, I don't know how you're feeling about all of this and I know we are all going to have some serious adjusting to do, but let me tell you that I'm still your friend, no matter what." Ami felt Leda's hand squeezing her shoulder. "And me as well," she said. "Don't forget, we're here whenever you need us." "So nice to hear such sentiments from everyone," came a gentle voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to look as Serena and Luna walked into the room. "I would think, however, that there is something wrong for you two to be saying so," said Luna. Serena blinked her eyes in surprise. "Whoa, you guys look totally bummed. What's up?" Leda waved the letter in their direction. "You two had better sit down for this one." She passed the note over to Serena, who sat down before reading it. Mina watched with mild interest as Serena's blue eyes got wider and wider with each passing moment. Luna's only visible reaction was her tail curled up into a very tight knot. "Well," said the black cat after a slight pause. "This is an unexpected turn of events. How are you feeling, Ami?" "I'm not entirely sure. I feel fine, but my mind is still whirling." Mina spoke up. "Artemis checked her out already and she seems fine. The only difference now is that she can regenerate cuts and bruises." "Well, I suppose that is a good thing.... Serena, what's wrong?" Luna asked in alarm as her blonde companion turned a ghastly shade of white. Serena opened and closed her mouth several times as if trying to speak but she made no sound. Leda reached over to check her pulse and was shocked at how cold her skin had become. "I think she's in shock. Her skin is ice-cold but her pulse is racing." "I-I-I, I'm fine," Serena blurted out. "But if Ami is a vampire, how come the sunlight hasn't turned her into moon dust or something?" She started to edge away from her blue-haired friend. "And didn't the letter say something about wanting blood?" Her voice started to quiver in panic. Leda clamped her hand around Serena's arm. "Calm down, Serena. Obviously what we know about vampires doesn't apply to this situation, and you don't need to worry about blood because Ami already got some." "Serena, please, you've got to get a grip," said Luna. "Your behavior is not helping Ami deal with her situation. She needs friends now, not someone who is afraid of her." Serena blinked, and look at Ami. She was being comforted by Mina but the look on her face was one of intense sadness and loneliness. She's right, she thought to herself, Ami's going to need all the help she can get to get through this one. "Ami, I didn't mean to upset you like that. It's just that I'm worried about you and about...." she trailed off, unable to say anymore. "About what I might do." Ami finished for her. Mina put her hand on Ami's shoulder. "Ami...." she started to say. "No, Serena has a legitimate point. I don't know what I'm capable of doing now that I've become a.... monster." "If that's the case," said a voice from the doorway, "Then we know how to deal with monsters." Ami turned around. Rei was standing in the doorway, holding a thin strip of parchment with mystical symbols drawn in ash. She pointed the parchment at Ami. "This will nullify any evil powers you might have while Serena uses the Crescent Moon Wand to transform you back to normal." Mina and Leda exchanged glances and there was the sound of at least three heads being slapped. "Why didn't we think of this?" Leda asked the room in general. "Now there's a thought," Artemis muttered darkly. "Guess we couldn't see the forest for the trees. Anyway, I think it might be best for you all to transform for maximum power." There was a chorus of agreement as four silvery Power Wands were pulled out of pockets. Serena held up her hand. "Moon Prism Power!" she yelled, and the brooch on her blouse began to glow as she started to transform into Sailor Moon. One by one, the others held aloft their Power Wands and transformed into the Sailor Scouts. "Mercury Power!" Ami yelled in her crystalline voice. "Mars Power!" said Rei, her voice slightly drawing out the words. "Jupiter Power!" Leda thundered out in her strongest voice. "Venus Power!" Mina called out in an almost sing-song tone. Instantly, the five of them were wrapped in fields of light and energy. Their clothes melted and reformed into the familiar uniforms of the Sailor Scouts. Energy coalesced into earrings and tiaras as the transformation was completed and new power flowed through their bodies. The energy fields faded and the process was finished. "As much as I see it, I am still impressed by the transformation," said Luna. "You five make quite a team. No wonder the Negaverse couldn't stand up to you." "But not by much," said Jupiter. "Remember how we got killed going into the Negaverse? Granted we got resurrected, but we almost got our butts trashed again on the way back out." "Speak for yourself. I had everything under control." Sailor Moon said with an airy wave of her hand. "Oh, yeah?" laughed Mars. "Was that before or after that shock wave blew your skirt up to your chest?" Everyone starting laughing uncontrollably as Sailor Moon's face turned as red as the bow on her skirt. It certainly wasn't funny at the time but now that they had to chance to relax and look back, it was rather humorous. "Thanks for reminding me, Rei," she said tightly. "If I recall, you were busy buttoning your top afterwards." Now it was Sailor Mars' turn to blush. "Well.... I.... uh...." Venus spoke up. "You too, eh?" she chuckled. "Makes me glad all I lost was a bow." Mercury said lightly. "What about you, Jupiter?" Jupiter laughed for a few seconds, much to the annoyance of the others. "Sorry guys, but I was behind him when he blasted you. I didn't get touched." An evil grin crept over her face. "Wish I had a camera, though." Venus started to chuckle to herself and Mercury suddenly developed a fit of coughing. "Did I miss something?" said Luna as Jupiter blushed a fiery red. "Nope." said Jupiter promptly. "Anyway, now that we've all been suitably embarrassed, would anyone mind getting this show on the road?" The mood dropped a degree as the current reality sank back in. Sailor Moon concentrated and the Crescent Moon Wand materialized in her hands. She and Sailor Mars exchanged glances before looking to Sailor Mercury. "Ready in a second," said Mercury as she touched an earring. A band of blue light formed over her eyes and solidified into her Virtual Visor. She then pulled out her computer, programmed it for Tactical Analysis/Record, and tossed it to Sailor Venus. "I just want to see how this is going to work," she said with a small smile. "Here goes nothing," said Mars as she took a deep breath. "I call upon the Sacred Fire to neutralize this evil in our friend's soul! Fireballs.... CHARGE!!" The parchment grew as rigid as steel as she planted the spell on the ribbon on Mercury's chest. The reaction was immediate. Sailor Mercury screamed and her whole body started to writhe. Her fangs emerged from her gums as she lashed out, knocking Mars across the room and into the arms of Jupiter and Venus. But the spell kept her rooted in place and she couldn't move. Sailor Moon swept the Crescent Moon Wand in a broad arc over her head, sending tiny glitters of moon dust racing around the room. "Moon Healing...." she intoned as she drew a circle between her and Sailor Mercury. The Wand left a visible trail as it passed over the air. "ACTIVATION!" she yelled as the mystic circle was completed and the Imperium Silver Crystal imbedded in the Wand shot a beam of energy towards its target. The beam wrapped itself around Mercury's body as she screamed even louder than the others thought was possible. But nothing was happening and the beam was starting to waver. "We need to join our powers!" Sailor Moon said through gritted teeth. She closed her eyes and released the full power of the Imperium Silver Crystal. "Cosmic Moon Power!!" she intoned in a voice that belonged to her and someone else. A hand touched hers and a red beam of energy lashed out to merge with the first. Seconds later, an orange and a green beam joined the wave of energy as the other Sailor Scouts joined hands. But even with four beams nothing was happening. "It's not working!" someone exclaimed. Sailor Moon was too busy concentrating to identify who it was. Mercury's arm twitched and something whizzed by Sailor Moon's ear, almost breaking her concentration. Then she felt another hand on hers as a blue beam of energy merged with the other four. The beams held steady for a few seconds, then everything exploded in a blast of light. Then everything went dark. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Serena awoke with a pounding headache. "Is it time for school already?" she muttered. Then her memory came back and she sat up fast enough to make her dizzy. "What happened? Rei, you alright? Leda? Mina? Ami?" she blurted out as she looked around the room. Everyone was picking themselves off of the floor. Their transformations had reversed and they were back to normal. Leda was already on her feet and helping Mina get up. Rei was wincing as she slowly sat up and muttered a few choice words. Artemis and Luna were checking out Ami to see if their attempt was successful. Serena was about to ask when she heard a muffled groan behind her and turned around to look. "Tuxedo Mask!" she cried out as she recognized the dark form. "Darian, are you okay? Speak to me!" she said as she ran over to him. Tuxedo Mask coughed as he sat up. "See if I do that again," he said as he checked himself for bruises. "What happened?" "I don't know. We were trying to cure Ami of her vampirism but we needed more power. We tried combining our powers and something exploded." "Ah, so that's why she threw this at me," he said as he held up Ami's Mercury Wand. "I kinda figured you four were doing something like that, so I tried to pitch in. This thing started working by itself as soon as I touched your hand." Without warning there was a loud shout behind them. Serena turned around to find Leda and Rei trying to restrain a vampiric Ami. Almost casually, Ami tossed Leda halfway across the room and was about to bite Rei when Mina kicked Ami's legs out from under her. Rei scrambled away and Ami leapt up to attack her blonde friend. Mina smiled, held up an iridescent crystal, and started speaking softly. No one but Ami could hear exactly what she was saying the but effect she had was profound. Ami stopped cold in her tracks, her attention captivated by the reflective gem. Mina continued to speak softly as she slowly reached out and closed Ami's steel-blue eyes. A few seconds later, Ami opened them. Her fangs had withdrawn and her eyes were her normal shade of blue. Those same eyes gave Mina a very curious look. "What happened? What did you do?" Mina smiled again as she put her necklace back on. "Vampires aren't the only ones who can use hypnosis," she said simply as she handed the computer back to Ami. "I guess it didn't work." Leda said glumly. "Major bummer. Now what?" "Now someone is going to sit down and tell me exactly what is going on here," said Tuxedo Mask as his own transformation started to reverse itself. He waited until the process was completed before continuing. "I'm just walking down the street when I feel the energy wave from you five transforming. I walk over to check it out and I see the four of you joining your powers to try to do something with Sailor Mercury. Now there's this talk of vampires and she tries to bite Rei with very pointy teeth." There was a sudden silence as a very soft growl was heard. Glances were exchanged before Serena finally stood up with her hand over her stomach. "Uh, my fault. Anyone got anything to eat?" Good-humored laughs floated around the room as Ami walked headed off to her kitchen. "I'll be right back with snacks for everyone." Leda got up and followed her. "Need a hand?" "Speaking of which," said Darian, "I think this belongs to you, Ami." He tossed her Mercury Wand at her in a lazy arc. She caught it easily as the cylinder sailed across the room. "Thanks, Darian." She and Leda left the room as Mina started the process of filling Darian in on the events that took place earlier. "Umm, Ami?" Leda said when they were in the kitchen. "You said earlier that you could taste my desires in my blood. Uh, just what kind of other stuff did you learn?" Ami thought carefully as she put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. "Not much. Mostly what I could get was whatever strong emotions you were feeling at the time. Your desire for me, the pleasure you were feeling, your wish for it not to end.... and something else, though I'm not quite sure what it was." Leda was silent as Ami set about getting bowls for the popcorn and drinks for everyone. "Ami?" she said softly after a few minutes. "What is it, Leda?" her blue-haired friend asked, puzzled at the tone Leda was using. "I wanted to tell you that.... well, if you ever need blood in the future, just come to me, okay?" Ami looked into the soft expression in her friend's eyes and couldn't come up with anything to say. Time passed before she found the words to speak. "Leda.... thank you, Leda. I don't think you know what this means to me. I don't think I know what this means, either." She impulsively embraced Leda. "I just hope I can be as wonderful a friend as you are." Leda returned the embrace, her green eyes growing slightly misty. "You already are." The microwave beeped, signaling the end of its cycle. "Come on, Serena's probably dying of hunger out there." The two returned to Ami's living room, Ami bearing a huge bowl of popcorn and Leda holding several cups in one hand and a three-liter bottle of soda in the other. It wasn't six seconds before Serena was making a mad-dash assault on the popcorn. "Thank you, Ami," she said between mouthfuls of popcorn. "Mmm, mmm, this is so good. I can't remember the last time I had popcorn." "Thursday evening," Luna said promptly. "And I'm still trying to get that artificial butter smell out of your favorite pajamas." Everyone laughed as Luna started dodging the unpopped kernels that were thrown in her direction. Much to Mina's surprise, Artemis started following Luna and eating the raw kernels. "I didn't know you like to eat those," Mina said. She winced as the white cat crunched a kernel quite noisily. "Keeps my teeth clean and exercises my jaw. 'Sides, they taste good." "Hey! Save some of that for the rest of us, Serena!" "Calm down, Rei. There's plenty enough to go around." "Not if you keep pigging it down like that, there isn't." Six sets of looks were exchanged as the Serena and Rei started in on one of their infamous arguments. Artemis looked at Darian and grimaced. "She's your girlfriend." he said pointedly. Darian chuckled. "Don't remind me." He sighed and stood up. "Come on, meatball head, I have to go to work or I'll be late." He waved to the others. "See you guys around. And Ami? If you ever need anything, just give me a call and I'll see what I can do for you. Have fun with your sleep-over." He walked towards the door. "Oh yeah? Well if you think.... HEY! Darian, wait for me!" Serena ran after Darian faster than anyone thought was possible. Surprisingly of all, she was able to run and munch on a handful of popcorn at the same time without falling flat on her face. Rei sat there with her mouth open, not quite sure what had just happened. "Okay...." she said slowly as she reached for the bowl of popcorn. "Did I miss something?" Luna just sighed. "No, that's just Serena for you." "Five bucks says she won't be back for fifteen minutes," said Leda. "Five says she will," laughed Mina. "Clock says she's got fourteen minutes, fifty seconds," said Artemis. "I don't believe you guys," Ami said, slightly shocked. Rei laughed. "Lighten up, Ami. Just be glad they're not betting on what they're doing out there." "Hey, there's a thought," said Leda, grinning from ear to ear. "Two bucks says they'll be tongue-fencing before they're through." Mina chuckled as Ami turned a vivid shade of red. "Ami, we have got to get you out more." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Serena returned twenty-three minutes later. "So," Leda said casually. "What did Darian have for lunch?" "Lasagna, I think," Serena said absent-mindedly as she made a beeline for the bottle of soda. She made substantial progress on draining the bottle when a thought occured to her. "Uh, why do you ask?" Leda smiled. "Just curious," she said as she held her palm out towards Mina. The blonde made a face as she passed over a small wad of money. Serena exchanged looks with Ami, who merely said, "You don't want to know." "Uh huh." Serena said, shaking her head. "Anyway. So now what?" Silence descended about the room like a cloak. "Perhaps we're going about this the wrong way," Mina said softly. Luna's tail twitched slightly. "What do you mean?" Mina ran her fingers through her hair before continuing. "Well, who said anything is wrong? I mean, sure this has changed Ami, but who's to say its for the worse?" She sighed heavily. "Guess I'm not making much sense, huh?" "Wait a minute," said Rei. "I think I see where you're going. We don't know if its good or bad, so we shouldn't mess with it for now, right?" "Something like that." "Well, what do you think, Ami?" asked Artemis. Ami said nothing. "You okay?" Leda asked with concern. "Yes, I'm fine. Actually, I was just wondering if this could have been part of my destiny." Rei spoke up. "If it is, that would explain why we can't reverse it. It would be like we were trying to force the entire universe to change itself." "So what are we going to do?" Serena said. "Nothing," Mina said firmly. "I, for one, don't see any reason why any action is necessary at this point." She turned to Ami. "How do you feel now?" "Just fine, if a bit confused." "Understandable. Now, how do you feel compared to yesterday afternoon?" Ami thought for a bit. "Exactly the same, I guess." "Last week?" "I had the sniffles last week, but other than that, no difference." Mina smiled. "Well then, since you don't feel sick or show any signs of illness, then I don't think anything needs to be done. Anyone see any problems with my logic?" The room was silent for a few seconds. "Nope," said Artemis. "Don't think so," Leda said. "What about the blood?" Serena said in a small voice. "Good question. Ami?" "Umm.... I don't think I'll be needing any blood anytime soon. I don't know how long that will last, though." "Then we'll worry about that when the time comes," Mina said. "Already working on it," Leda said in a strange tone. Mina looked at her and opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. "Okay...." she said slowly. "Any other questions or comments?" No one said anything else. "Good. Now that we've got that settled, I think it's time we had a little entertainment. And it just so happens I've got a great idea in mind. 'Scuse me," she said as she left the room. Artemis chuckled. "You girls may not know this, but Mina is a master at playing the synthesizer. I've listened to her play for hours and it still has an effect on me. I don't know how she does it, but her emotions somehow leak into the music and produces that emotion in the listener." Leda brightened. "Coolness. Why didn't she ever tell us this?" Ami spoke up. "Probably because its a personal experience, like Rei's meditation or my dancing." "I didn't know you could dance, Ami," Serena said, still working on what was left of the popcorn. Ami blushed. "Like I said, it's a personal experience." "Hey! You drank all the soda!" "I was thirsty, Rei." "But that was three liters!" Serena paused. "That explains a few things. Excuse me," she said as she dashed off to the bathroom. Rei just sighed. "I have always wondered how in the world she could eat so much junk and still be as slender as she is," Luna said from the couch. "You would think that if she were to burn it off she wouldn't be quite so lazy." Ami giggled as she stood up. "Don't worry, Rei, there's still plenty more in the kitchen. I've known Serena long enough to know not to have everything out at once." "Something cherry-flavored if you got it!" Artemis called out as Ami left the room. "I didn't know cats could drink soda," commented Rei. "Only if they want to sleep outside," Mina said as she carried a sizable black case into the room. She caught Rei's questioning look and explained. "Well, that carbon dioxide has to go somewhere." "Ah," was Rei's only comment. Mina sat down and opened the case. The only thing inside that was in one piece was the actual keyboard. Everything else was neatly disassembled. She pulled out a few of the pieces and went to work putting it together. "Goodness," exclaimed Ami as she entered the room with a second bottle of soda. "Are you setting up a construction shop in here or what, Mina?" "Just my synthesizer. I've had a few extra components integrated into it, and when it's put together it's just too massive to move. So I have to take it apart and move it bit by bit. Get away from that soda, Artemis," she said without taking her eyes off of her work. The white cat backed away from the bottle and muttered something highly toxic under his breath. Ami turned a delicate shade of pink and coughed. "I don't think she's done that yet, Artemis." Mina looked up. "What did he say?" Leda chuckled. "I heard it too, and you don't want to know." A sly grin crept over her face. "Hey, Luna, I meant to tell you earlier that I was rather surprised to see you and Serena show up when you did." A small smile crossed Mina's face as she realized what Leda had in mind. Artemis realized it too and tried to sneak away as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. "What do you mean?" the black cat asked. "Well, I just thought you'd be fast asleep after keeping half of the city up last night with your caterwauling," Leda said in an innocent tone. "That was you, Luna? I thought something was dying out there!" Rei said, her eyes wide. Luna gave Artemis a glare that was pure venon. He laughed weakly as he started to backpedal. "Excuse us," Luna said in a tone cold enough to make Rei shiver and to make Ami edge behind Leda. Artemis bolted but Luna was already in motion. "Hey, Luna, I can explain.... OW!! Hey, lemme go! OUCH! Watch it! OW! OUCH! /#@*!! LEGGO MY EAR #$@#^?&!!" There was a crunching sound and Artemis let loose with a stream of profanity. Luna raked his back with three sets of claws for good measure before calmly walking away. Both Mina and Rei had shocked looks on their faces. Ami was staring at her feet and blushing furiously for some reason. Luna made a mental note to ask why. Leda, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear and scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Leda, what are you doing?" she asked. "Taking notes. Hey, Artemis, was that last phrase three words or four?" There was a muffled groan of pain from some corner of the room. "Okay, thanks." She scribbled some more before folding the paper into a tiny square and putting it in her pocket. "Did I miss something?" Rei asked. "No," chorused Luna, Mina, and Leda. "Checking...." Rei said softly in a sing-song voice. All of a sudden, Serena came running into the room. "Whoa, what happened out here? It sounded like World War Six was being waged." Her eyes went wide as she first saw an injured Artemis curled up in a ball, then watched Luna pick white hairs out of the pads of her paws. "What did you do to him?" "It's called giving him what he asks for," Luna replied. "Uh.... right...." Leda walked over to the ball of white fur lying in the corner and held out a piece of adhesive tape. "Band-Aid?" she inquired sweetly. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Okay, everything's all set up." said Mina as she finished her diagnostic of her keyboard and the speakers. "Green lights across the board." "How much power does that thing use?" Ami asked. "Only about as much as a microwave would when it's running." Rei chuckled. "If you mean Serena's microwave then that synthesizer is going to use a lot of power." "Ha, ha, very funny, Rei." Serena stuck her tongue out. "Put your tongue back in your mouth," Artemis said in a deep voice. "It's bad manners." Leda's eyebrows went up. "Hey, that sounds familiar." Ami spoke up. "It's a line from Vampire Hunter D." The room grew silent as the implications sank in. Artemis blushed as well as he could. "Umm, sorry, Ami." Ami just smiled. "Actually, it's one of my favorite movies. And don't worry about it, Artemis. I knew you didn't mean anything by it." Mina flexed her fingers and played a few simple chord progressions. She fiddled with a few buttons and tried it again. "That's better." she said. "Uh, Mina? There wasn't any different between the two," Leda said. Ami blinked. "You sure? I thought I could hear a slight difference." "I couldn't," said Rei. "Me neither," Serena admitted. "I could, but that's because cats have better hearing." said Luna. Mina shrugged. "Go figure. Well, here goes," she said and let her hands dance across the synthesizer's keyboard. What emerged from the speakers was unlike anything the others had ever heard. It was as if Mina was directing an orchestra instead of playing on a keyboard. It was a short piece consisting mostly of stringed instruments, but it left her audience dazzled. "Well?" Mina said after she finished. "I keep telling you to go professional," Artemis said. "Your wasting your talents by not practicing them to the utmost." "He's not kidding, Mina," Leda said. "You really can play that thing like a pro." "Did you write that yourself?" Rei asked, still in awe. "Well.... yes...." Mina admitted, blushing slightly. "Hey, Artemis, how's your voice holding up?" "In one piece, unlike the rest of me." That drew a round of chuckles from everyone except Serena and Luna. "What did you have in mind?" "Phantom," she said. "I think I can manage that," he said as he painfully made his way over to sit next to her. Part of his tail was bent slightly and there was a sizable strip of adhesive tape wrapped around the area. "You two are going to do 'The Phantom Of The Opera'?" Ami asked. "Only the one part," Mina replied. "I didn't know you could sing, Artemis," Luna said. "Never asked," came the quaint reply. He looked up at Mina. "You still have that voice-override wired in?" She nodded as she started setting some of the controls. She looked up to catch three different inquiring looks. "It's programmed to close down the speakers if the sound frequency gets too high. Otherwise it could wind up damaging eardrums and blowing out windows." "Ready when you are," Artemis said. Mina nodded and took a few deep breaths. Then she started playing. It started out like an organ being accompanied by an orchestra. The beat was strong and the tempo was fast-paced, but she played it easily enough. Then she started to sing. Her voice was rich and golden as the words emerged from her lips. "In sleep he sang to me.... in dreams he came.... That voice that calls to me.... and speaks my name.... And do I dream again.... for now I find.... The Phantom of the Opera is there.... inside my mind...." Her hands moved rapidly but fluidly as they went from key to key, never faltering or hesitating. Her eyes were half-closed as if she were in a trance of sorts. Then Artemis's strong voice could be heard. "Sing once again with me.... our strange duet.... My power over you.... grows stronger yet.... And though you turn from me.... to glance behind.... The Phantom of the Opera is there.... inside your mind...." Mina continued to play with a passion the others had never seen from her before. Her eyes were fully closed and she was still playing the music at a fast pace by memory alone. "Those who have seen your face.... draw back in fear.... I am the mask you wear...." "It's me they hear...." Their voices melded into one and no one could claim they had ever heard a finer sound. "My spirit and my voice.... in one combined.... The Phantom of the Opera is here.... inside my mind...." Mina continued to play with unearthly skill and beauty as they momentarily fell silent. But after a few seconds Artemis could be heard once again. "In all your fantasies.... you always knew.... That man and mystery...." "Were both in you...." Their voice blended together once again, still producing a rich sound. "And in this labyrinth.... where night is blind.... The Phantom of the Opera is here.... inside my mind...." "Sing, my angel of music...." sang Artemis softly. "He's there, the Phantom of the Opera...." Mina started to sing at the upper end of the scale, producing a highly hypnotic sound. She then shifted her voice higher up into the scale, singing as if in a deep trance. There were no words now, just the golden sound of Mina's voice as she continued to sing. Her voice went higher and Ami heard a very quiet chime. She looked at the synthesizer and saw a digital frequency gauge. It was already registering in the yellow zone and was steadily climbing higher with each second. That must be the voice-override Artemis was referring to, she thought. Mina's hands worked a steady rhythm even as her voice climbed even higher than before. Ami watched the gauge enter the red zone, and heard a second warning chime. She glanced around but no one else seemed to notice. They sat there, entranced by the sheer power of Mina's singing. Mina's voice topped out, going as high as it could go. The digital gauge flashed red before it faded to black as the speakers powered down. Mina's voice faded as well until all was silent. A few seconds later there was a faint beep as the override reset itself and the speakers were turned back on. That same beep brought Mina's mind back to reality. She opened her blue eyes and smiled at her friends. She tried to speak but she started coughing instead. Serena passed her a cup of soda and she nodded her head in thanks. "Mmm, much better. Thank you, Serena." There was a harsh sound from the cat next to her. "Yes, I know. Just don't make me regret this," she said as she gave the mostly empty cup to Artemis. "That was highly impressive, you two," Rei said. "Now there's an understatement," commented Leda. "Mina, why didn't you ever share this with us before?" The blonde blushed rather shyly. "Well, it's not that easy to tote this thing around. Besides, no one ever asked." "More soda?" Serena offered. Artemis coughed again. "I wouldn't mind some more." "Actually, I would prefer some hot tea right now. It soothes my throat and doesn't give me gas." "No problem," said Ami as she stood up. "Anyone else want some? It'd be easier if I could make a pot of tea instead of a few small cups." "Sure, I'll take some," said Leda. Rei got up to follow Ami. "Here, I'll help. Herbal tea is one of my specialties." "How long have you been practicing, Mina?" Serena asked as she wandered over next to Artemis. She very carefully checked the claw marks on his back to make sure they were healing alright. "Oh, I'd say about eight or nine years." Without warning, Artemis emitted a thunderous belch, startling everyone. Serena, who happened to be standing right in front of him, reflexively dove for cover behind Mina. "Artemis!" Mina said sternly. "That was disgusting." "You're telling me," came Serena's voice from behind Mina. The cat looked abashed. "Sorry, wasn't expecting that. Still, you have to admit it's better than the alternative." "I give it a nine, considering you're a cat," Leda commented. "Why, thank you." Rei dashed into the room. "What happened? Serena's stomach start up again or what?" "No, just proof that cats and soda shouldn't be mixed," said Luna, still trying to get her fur to stop sticking up from surprise. "Uh huh," Rei said and went back into the kitchen. A soft growl could be heard in the room. Serena moved out from behind Mina and went after the popcorn bowl again. "Aww, nuts. Someone ate the rest of it. Now I'm hungry again." There was a chorus of groans. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be another long night?" Luna muttered. "I've got this one," Leda declared as she stood up and went over to the phone. She picked it up and dialed a number. "Hello, Domino's Pizza? Yeah. Listen, we seem to have a problem on our hands...." ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mina started in on her serious playing. The music she had played before were mere warm-ups in her eyes. And now that everyone was stuffed with pizza she could get them to relax and unwind. And believe me, she thought, these guys could use it. She started off with her own modified version of the theme music to "The Legend of Zelda III". It was a rather slow and lazy piece but Mina's skilled hands played it with ease. As she played she kept glancing at her audience to see their reactions. Mina had always liked music. It had calmed her when she needed it and made her feel warm inside. One of her fondest wishes was to be able to make other people feel what she felt when she listened to music. When the chance to learn to play the piano arose, she took it without a second thought. It took her years to master the piano, and even more to master the synthesizer, but she did so with her dream in mind. And now this dream is becoming a reality, she thought as she played one of her favorite pieces. Mina preferred soundtrack music to actual songs. She felt that words tended to disrupt the purity of the sound. Of course, there were exceptions like "Phantom of the Opera" and the Guyver theme, but given a choice she would stick to soundtracks any day. Mina spent several hours playing assorted soundtrack selections. Half of them were taken from the recordings themselves and learned on her keyboard, but the other half were her own interpretations of the music. The one thing they all had in common was that they were low-energy and relaxing. Occasionally she would play something with a strong beat but she always followed it with something soothing to counter-balance the effect. As she played, Mina found herself starting to make small, subtle mistakes. To her trained ears they sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Looks like its time for a break, she thought as she glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed. Artemis was giving her a knowing look, the expression "Break Time" written across his face. Luna was also giving her a strange look, not entirely sure why she was hearing so many sour notes. No one else seemed to notice, except possibly for Ami. Her expression was neutral but her eyes seemed to be saying something. The piece ended and Mina decided it was indeed time to take a break. She set the power control to idle and stood up to stretch. Rei got up and passed her another cup of hot tea. "Thanks, Rei," she said as she sipped at the steaming liquid. "I'm telling you, girl, you're wasting your talents," Leda said. "If you don't go down to see that music producer at Suncoast Records, I'm going to physically carry you there." "And I'm going to let her," Artemis chimed in. Mina blushed and made a face. "And you wonder why I didn't tell you about this earlier," she muttered. "You know," Rei said slowly, "If you went professional after you get out of school, you could make quite a bit of money. Probably enough to pay for whatever college you want to go to." Mina looked up, surprised. "Serious?" Rei blinked. "Of course. That's how Chad is paying his way into college. Of course, with his singing, it's going to be quite a while...." Everyone laughed. They knew from experience just how bad the rock-star- hopeful's singing was. "Well, I've never looked at it like that...." Mina confessed. "Perhaps it would be worth your while to check into it," Ami said. "Thanks, Ami. I think I will." Serena suddenly yawned. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm starting to get tired." Luna's jaw cracked open. "But you slept all morning!" she protested. Serena started to say something but it came out as another yawn. Leda chuckled. "C'mon, Serena, it's not that late." "Actually, it's past ten," said Mina as she looked at her synthesizer's built-in clock. Heads whipped around at the announcement. "You're joking, right?" said Artemis. "Nope. Clock says seven past ten." "Well," Serena managed to say past a huge yawn, "In that case I'm going to go to bed." "Down the hall, second door on your left," said Ami. Mina sat back down in front of her synthesizer and turned the power back on. "Before you do, Serena, I have a few pieces I'd like you to hear. They were written to help give good dreams and you just might like them." "Cool. I could use a good dream after yesterday's nightmare." "You and me both," Luna muttered. "I still have a sore spot where you kicked me off the bed." "No sympathy," said Artemis. He yelped in surprise as someone bounced an ice cube off of his head with amazing accuracy. Mina flexed her hands and went to work. With practiced ease her fingers flew over the controls and reset the keyboard. It took all of one second to do so, then she was ready. What she played sounded vaguely like a Mexican guitar. It was one of her own compositions, but the motivation for writing it was be a secret she would never share with Serena. Mina could never quite pin what exactly it was but there was something about Tuxedo Mask that never failed to remind her of guitar music. Even as she played the music she couldn't help but imagine that Tuxedo Mask's dark form was somewhere in the room, listening. She glanced up at the others and was surprised to see a sadness in Rei's bottomless black eyes. Of course, she thought, Rei also loved Darian. Sorry, Rei, didn't mean to do this to you. Rei looked up at Mina as the piece ended. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and Rei smiled gently. Mina nodded in return, and started playing another one of her compositions. Now everyone smiled as they recognized the piece: It was a modified version of the music Serena's star locket played. But none of them were prepared to hear Mina's voice singing again, full of energy as the music tenor changed. "Fighting evil by the moonlight.... winning love by daylight.... never running from a real fight.... she is the one named Sailor Moon.... She will never turn her back on her friends.... she is always there to defend.... she is the one on whom we can depend.... she is the one named Sailor...." Her voice rose with the beat of the music. "Sailor Venus.... Sailor Mercury.... Sailor Mars.... Sailor Jupiter.... Secret powers, oh so new to her.... She is the one named Sailor Moon...." Her voice fell silent as she let the music play out, a high-energy tempo with a strong, steady beat. Several seconds later, she started singing once more. "Fighting evil by the moonlight.... winning love by daylight.... With the Sailor Scouts to help fight.... She is the one named Sailor Moon.... She is the one named Sailor Moon.... She is the one.... Sailor Moon!" Her voice faded as the music ended on a quick downbeat. She looked up in time to catch Serena finish blushing. The blonde gave Mina a shy smile and she chuckled to herself. Mina smiled as well before clearing her throat. "This final one happens to be something that came to mind as I watched Serena and Darian take a casual stroll in the park. I can't seem to be able to play it the same way twice, but I hope that I managed to catch the right emotional overtones." Her voice dropped to a soft whisper. "This is for you, Serena, and for Darian. Together." It was by far the slowest piece she had played for them. There were no words, no strong beats or tones. Just soft music and emotion. No one was ever sure how it happened, but the music seemed to speak. It told of eternal happiness and friendship. It told of a beautiful young princess and of her handsome prince. It told of their destiny to be together, now and for all time. Most of all, the music told of their overpowering love for one another, a love that lasted over a thousand years and would last for a thousand years to come. The music eventually drifted to an end and Mina looked up at her friends. All of them were crying to some degree, herself included. Serena wiped her tears away and smiled at Mina. "That was wonderful," she said softly. "I don't know if I've ever heard anything so lovely before in my life." "Sleep well, Serena, and pleasant dreams." Mina's sentiments were softly echoed by the others as Serena made her way down the hall and into bed. "I doubt she'll have any trouble sleeping tonight," Luna said. "I don't think any of us will have trouble sleeping after that," said Rei. "Mina, how in the world did you manage to play that so well?" "To be perfectly honest with you guys, I don't have a clue. Sometimes a piece of music will just come to me and I simply play it." "I think you do more than play it, Mina," said Ami. "I think you blend with it, actually become it. I've seen the way you look as you play and you look how I feel when I'm dancing." "Would you mind dancing for us?" asked Artemis. Ami let her gaze focus on the carpet. "Actually, I don't think I'm up to it right now. My mind is still trying to cope with everything that's happened lately." "Hey, we understand," said Leda. "Anything we can do to help?" Mina asked. Ami shook her head. "No, I don't think there is, but thank you anyway. All of you." Rei stood up, "Anyone want some more tea before I turn in?" Leda checked the teapot. "I won't be going to bed anytime soon, so if you wouldn't mind making another pot I'd be grateful." "No problem." "Down the hall, first door on your left," said Ami. Rei paused. "Actually, I was wondering if I could start up your fireplace and stretch out in there." "Of course. I'll have to find some matches for the fire, though." "Who needs matches when you've got this?" she said as she held up the silvery Mars Wand. "This is all I need to get a fire going." Everyone started to laugh and Rei made her way into the kitchen. Ami did some quick mental calculations. "Ok. Leda, you've got the first door on the left, and Mina gets the second door on the right." "But that's your room, Ami." "So? I can sleep out here on the couch." Mina shook her head, sending her blonde hair whipping about. "Sorry, not happening. You can sleep in your bed. I'll take the couch." Ami blinked. "Sure about that?" "Very." A pause. "Unless you've managed to air out your room after you and Tolaris made love last night." There was a shocked silence. "What?" Luna said slowly. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mina's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. She looked at Ami, the expression on her face was one of "Don't kill me, I forgot Luna was here". "Umm...." was all Mina could say. Luna just sat there, lashing her tail back and forth. No one could tell if she wanted to hurt someone or just cry. With a dark sigh, she stood up. "Ami, follow me, please," she said as she left the room. Her tone was soft but it had an edge to it that was far more dangerous than the one she had used with Artemis earlier. Wordlessly, Ami stood up and followed Luna into her bedroom where the door was shut quietly. Leda and Mina exchanged glances and Mina looked like she she wanted to crawl under a rock and die. "Ok, Mina," said Artemis from beside the synthesizer case. "For my ears alone, how did you know that happened?" The blonde couldn't meet the cat's gaze as she spoke. "I overheard Leda saying that Ami's room smelled familiar and that if she and Tolaris were busy last night. I knew that Leda was already familiar with the smell associated with lovemaking and had construed that was the same smell she detected now. That's why she asked if Ami and Tolaris were busy last night and that's how I knew that Ami had." She looked up to find Artemis giving Leda a curious glance. The brunette opened her mouth to lash out but Artemis spoke first. "No, it really isn't any of my business, Leda, so you don't have to say anything. Neither will I." He got up and made his way out of the room. "I'll be outside looking for a decent snack if anyone asks," he said as he left. Mina could feel Leda's eyes boring into her but she couldn't bring herself to meet those eyes. Rei walked back into the room with a fresh pot of herbal tea and nearly choked on the tension in the room. "Hey, what happened? Where is everybody?" she asked as she set the pot on the table. Leda yawned. "Artemis is out bug-hunting a snack and Ami is with Luna getting checked out. At least, I think that's what Luna said she was doing." "Makes sense. Would someone wish Ami good night for me? I wouldn't want her to think I was rude and went to bed without saying so." "Sure," said Leda. "Sleep well and thanks again for the tea." "No problem. Good night, you two." "Night," said Mina softly, still staring at the lights on her keyboard. It wasn't until after Rei had left the room that Mina could bring herself to look at Leda. She was quite surprised to find that her friend wasn't going to kill her, at least not yet. "Leda...." she started to say softly. "Save it for Ami, girl, not me. I knew you were listening in on our talk this morning but I didn't know for how long. Ami didn't even know that much, so you can be the one to explain it to her. And don't worry about Luna this time because she already knows I've not a virgin anymore. Excuse me." Mina watched silently as Leda got up and went into the bathroom. It looks like I've really done it this time, she thought. First I get Ami into serious trouble, then Artemis stalks off, and now I've got Leda ticked at me. Wonder if there's any other way I can screw up tonight. Tears slid down her cheeks as she starting playing her synthesizer again. She was playing Serena's love theme but this time it sounded like a totally different piece. The pace was the same but the tone was somehow different. Before, the music spoke of eternal love. Now it seemed to speak another story, this one of a lonely soul who feels she can never be forgiven for what she's done. Mina closed her eyes as she played, still crying silently and letting her emotions play the music instead of her mind. She didn't notice when Leda emerged from the bathroom and stood silently at the archway, listening to her play the music with her heart. Leda couldn't bring herself to speak or do anything that would interrupt Mina's music. All of the anger left her when she realized that Mina regretted the trouble she has caused Ami. Leda felt a breeze on her neck and turned around. The door to Ami's room had opened and Luna was making her way down the hall towards the room Serena was sleeping in. Ami came out of her room looking very tired and pale. She came over to Leda and leaned against the wall, also listening to Mina's sad lament. The music seemed to stretch on forever, lasting much longer than the piece before it. When it finally did end, the silence was profound, broken only by the soft sounds of Mina's unsteady breathing. Ami crossed the room and sat down next to her friend. "Mina, you okay?" she asked softly. It was several seconds before she received a response. "I will be if you don't kill me first. Ami, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything about that with Luna around." "Doesn't matter, really. Luna said she could smell it as she passed my room, and that she would have asked me about it if you hadn't said anything. I would have still wound up dealing with Luna, just at a later time." "Did Luna say how she could know what sex smells like?" said Leda as she crossed the room to stand next to Ami. "Actually, yes. Back in the Moon Kingdom, one of her human friends was a gynecologist and that Luna routinely helped relax her patients while they were being checked out. That's.... one of the reasons Luna wanted to see me." Both Mina and Leda made a face. "You mean she.... umm...." said Mina with a gesture of her hands. Leda looked like she was going to be sick. Ami flushed. "Kinda. It was mostly question-and-answer, but she did make a visual assessment to make sure I wasn't bleeding or anything." Leda made her way over to the couch and sat down hard. "I don't think I really wanted to know that, Ami, but I guess I asked for it," she said, still looking queasy. Mina was ready to burst into tears again. "Maybe you should kill me after all. If someone did that to me, even by accident, I would still consider that grounds for justifiable homicide." Ami smiled gently. "Perhaps I'll kill you later if I think about it." Mina looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks." An evil grin slowly crossed Ami's face. "Maybe I won't need to kill you. Ten years from now when I'm a doctor, I'll appear on your doorstep without any warning. I'll strap you down and give you an extremely thorough physical exam, and I'll make quite sure that the little probe-type thing is ice-cold before I use it on you." Mina wasn't smiling anymore. Ami heard a noise behind her and turned around to find Leda curled up in a ball with a strange expression on her face. "Great Zeus, Ami, now you're starting to make me want to run and hide, and I haven't done anything to make you mad." Ami just smiled sweetly. "Kill me, kill me now," muttered Mina. Leda chuckled. "More Vampire Hunter D?" The color drained out of Mina's face as Leda reminded her about the origin of the quote. "Please believe me, Ami, I'm your friend and I don't mean to be doing this to you...." Ami just laughed. "Relax, Mina, I'm not going to kill you or come after you with cold metal or anything. I told you, Vampire Hunter D is one of my favorite movies and it still is even if I am a vampire now." Leda sneezed. "Excuse me. Anyway, you seem to be taking this vampire business quite well, Ami. Sure you're not going to crack later about this?" Ami shrugged. "Well, we tried our best and it didn't work, so what else am I supposed to do? And if it happens to be part of my destiny like being a Sailor Scout, then I might as well get used to it now." Mina reached out and set her synthesizer power to idle. "Would you two mind if I asked a semi-personal question?" Leda and Ami exchanged looks, and Leda shrugged. "Go ahead," said Ami. "What did it feel like to be bitten by a vampire? I mean, Ami got bitten first, then she went after you, Leda, so you both should know how it feels." "Orgasmic." "Relaxing." Ami and Leda exchanged looks again while Mina blinked in surprise. "How can you call it relaxing?" asked Ami, her eyes wide in wonder. Leda shrugged. "Well, it was. It hurt like mad at first, but then it was like I just had the best full-body massage of my life. It was soothing and quite relaxing. You say it felt different?" Ami nodded her head. "Oh, very much so. It hurt as well, but then there was this feeling of intense pleasure. The only thing I can really remember was all of my muscles locking up and overloading." Leda chuckled knowingly. "Let me guess. The over-ripe lemon effect?" Ami blushed. "You could say that." Mina was confused. "Over-ripe lemon effect?" she echoed. Ami opened her mouth to say something, but Leda interrupted her before she could start. "She doesn't need a textbook answer, Ami. I'm not surprised that you don't know what we mean, Mina, since you're still rather inexperienced in these matters.... Or so we hope. What happens when you squeeze an over-ripe lemon?" "The lemon squishes and juice goes everywhere." "Now what happens to you when you think of dating Jack Silver?" Leda said, referring to a hunky soap opera superstar that Mina had been drooling over for the past three months. Mina blushed lightly. "Well.... my pulse starts to race and...." Her blush deepened to an impressive shade of crimson as she made the connections between hormonal excitement and over-ripe lemons. "I see," was all she could manage to say. Ami was blushing as well. "That's one way of putting it," she said. Leda just smiled. "Or would you prefer I got graphic?" "No," said Ami firmly. "So it's different from person to person?" inquired Mina. "I would say so," said Ami. "Keep in mind that Ami was bitten by a full Negaverse vampire and I got bitten by a human vampire. Plus, each of us was only bitten once so it might vary from vampire to vampire as well as from time to time." Mina nodded. "Okay, just wondering." She paused briefly. "Umm, would either of you mind if I asked a very personal question?" Ami and Leda exchanged looks again. "Couldn't be too worse," said Leda. Ami just shrugged. "Go ahead, Mina, though I can't guarantee any answers." "I know that asking what making love felt like is futile since all I can get out of my older friends is that there are no words for it, so I won't ask that. My question is, was it worth it for either of you to do so?" "Very much so." "Not by a long shot, Mina." Mina smiled. "You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Ami chuckled. "Sorry. For me, it was a wonderful experience, something that brought Tolaris and myself even closer than either of us had thought was possible, and Tolaris has been around for slightly over seven hundred years." "Seven hundred years?!" Leda and Mina chorused in shock. Ami shrugged. "I'm told that most of his kind have an average lifespan of two thousand years. Of course, their life expectancy is usually around four or five centuries, given their dark and violent nature. But even with such a background, Tolaris was very gentle with me." She blushed and added, "However. he was a virgin as well. so that might have added to the feeling. I realized that they call it 'making love' because it served to intensify the bond of love between us. It will be something I will never forget." "Wish I could say the same, Ami. For me, it was quite pleasurable but there wasn't the true feeling of love, just wild passion. When I got dumped a week later, it was like I had been used. No, without love it is most assuredly not worth it." "There's more to it, isn't there?" said Mina. "To your experience with making love." Leda fell silent for a few seconds. "Yes, there is," she said softly. "I found solace in the hands of another woman not too long afterwards, a classmate of mine. She introduced me to lovemaking of a different kind, and compared to my previous experience I found it to be far more comforting and pleasing. I can't honestly say there was love there as well, but there was.... something. It was far more deeper than friendship, but I never figured it out. I would say that my lovemaking experience with her was worth it." Several pieces fell into place in Ami's mind. "Leda, is that why you said you desired me after I drained you?" "I can't say for sure, but that's most likely it." "So it's not with who or even how you do it that matters, it's the feeling of love that counts, right?" said Mina. "I would say so," said Ami. "I was just curious...." Leda moved faster than Ami would have thought possible. She leapt off of the couch and landed next to Ami, grabbing Mina by the shoulders. "Don't you even think about it, Mina, because if you go out and get laid out of curiosity I'll come after you with the cold metal before I staple you shut until you're eighteen. You're too young." Mina's eyes went wide at Leda's seriousness. "And how old were you?" "Fourteen, but I was stupid and didn't know what I was doing. Ami is fifteen but mentally she's older than the two of us put together. And even if you are a genius fifteen is still too young, but in Ami's case that's now a moot point." "And if I wanted you to make love to me?" Leda became absolutely still as she felt her blood turn to ice. She heard Ami's head snap around to look at her but all she could do was look at Mina's blue eyes and see the sincerity behind them. She means it, she thought again and again, she really means it. Almost a full minute passed before Leda could find her voice. "Mina, you don't know what you are saying...." Mina's gaze dropped to her keyboard. "I sometimes wonder what it would be like to feel pleasure from someone else's attentions. I can't help but think that the touch of another would feel different from my own and I have driven myself crazy trying to imagine it. Now that I've learned that you would be an ideal partner, I find myself wanting to try it." She looked up into Leda's green eyes. "You are my friend, a good friend, and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. At least, not voluntarily. I don't think I would ever restrict myself to one without trying the other, and since you seem so adamant that I not try the one for several years, why not try the other?" Leda couldn't think coherently for several seconds. When she could manage to do so she realized that this wasn't something she could answer with a quick and simple yes or no. "Mina, I don't think I can answer that, not without a lot of time to think. What you ask is more than a get-naked-and-party type of experience and it could quite easily wind up destroying the friendship we both enjoy. I'm.... not sure my conscious would even let me try. I hope you can understand this much." Mina smiled gently. "I believe I do, Leda. I'm just rather curious about the whole thing, that's all." Leda let go of Mina's shoulders and went over to the table and poured a cup of tea. She tried to drink it but her hand was shaking so much that she managed to spill half of it before giving up. "I think I need to go to bed." "First door on your left," said Ami quietly. "Thanks, Ami, for everything. Good night." "Sleep well," said Mina as Leda went down the hall and into her room. Ami and Mina looked at each other. Ami was about to say something when they heard the sound of a window being opened and closed. Seconds later, the white form of Artemis walked into the room. "Hi, girls. Whoa, where is everybody?" "Serena and Luna are in bed, Rei is meditating in front of the fireplace, and you just missed Leda going to bed," said Ami. "I see. And what are you two up to?" "Girl talk," said Mina. "Find anything good?" Artemis laughed as he ran a paw over his dirty tail. "Well, I would have gotten that second cricket if it wasn't for that spider living beneath Ami's house." Mina chuckled. "You let a spider come between you and a snack?" "Listen, girl, this thing was big enough to be addressed as 'sir,' okay?" Ami blinked. "A big spider living beneath my house, huh?" "Relax, it only hunts at night and it rarely comes out from underneath the house since it can usually find all the chow it can eat right where it is." "Uh huh. So why did it come out tonight?" "I don't speak arachnid, but I swear it said something about the smell of over-ripe lemon juice was driving it bonkers." He blinked in surprise as both Mina and Ami burst out laughing for no reason. "Did I miss something?" "No," they chorused. "Huh," he snorted. "Why don't I quite believe you girls?" ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Want some tea?" Mina offered as she poured herself a cup. She looked up to find Artemis making a face. "No thanks. I remember what happened last time I drank some of Rei's tea. I must have spent twenty or thirty minutes getting it flushed out of my system. That stuff works like Draino." Mina smirked. "But I bet you felt better afterwards." "Only when I could stop killing the grass," he shot back. She started laughing at the image that came to mind. "I think I can see how something like that would be a problem." she managed to say. Artemis gave her a dark look. Ami quietly walked back into the room. She gave Mina a curious look as she sat down on the couch. "Do I want to know what's so funny?" she asked. "No," the cat said firmly. "Just thought I'd ask." Ami turned to look at Mina. "Well, Rei is fast asleep in front of the fire, just like she said she would be." "Hey, whatever works." Mina chuckled. She looked at Ami's expression and sensed something was not quite right. "Something bothering you, Ami?" Ami looked down at the carpet. "Well, I think Rei has set up some kind of spell ward around her. I was going to put a few more logs on the fire when I found that I couldn't get near her. It felt like I was running into a wall of sorts. I could push through it, but only so far before it became too strong." Artemis stood up. "I'll be right back," he said as he left the room. He returned a minute later with a sour expression on his face. "She's got one of her wards hanging over the fireplace. I can't translate what is says, but I think its a ward against Ami since I didn't have any problems getting close to her." Mina made a face and muttered something toxic beneath her breath. Artemis perked his ears up. "What was that about cold metal?" he asked. Ami shuddered. "Artemis, trust me, you really don't want to know." "Sorry about that," Mina apologized. "It's just that I can't believe that Rei would be so cold as to do something like that." "She's probably scared of what I might do, and did what she could to feel safe so she could sleep. I know I'm scared of what I might do," Ami admitted. "You should go easy on Rei," said Artemis. "She's trying to deal with her fears the best she can." Ami smiled. "Sorry we're not quite as fearless as you, Mina." Mina stood up. "I am far from fearless, Ami. I just try my best not to let it show and I try to deal with it when I can." She walked over behind Ami and picked up her backpack. "Umm, would you be offended if I change into my nightgown? These jeans are starting to get rather uncomfortable." "Go ahead. No one would expect you to sleep in street clothes." "Thanks. Be back in a bit," she said as she went into the bathroom. Ami watched the hallway for several seconds. "Artemis, what is it about her? I mean, everyone else, including myself, is worried sick about this new transformation of mine and she just acts casual about the whole thing." Artemis thought for several seconds. "Well, I think if you were anything other than a vampire, then she'd be just as freaked out about it as well." Ami blinked. "Why not about a vampire?" "Well, there is no definite basis to this, but her maternal grandmother's maiden name is Harker." Ami made the connection instantly. "You mean as in the Harkers from Bram Stoker's Dracula? But I thought that was mere fiction, a legend." "I thought so too. However, I've heard her grandmother and mother telling her about vampire lore. Very little of it sounds like you right now, but I can't say that I'm absolutely convinced that it's all hot air." Ami drew her knees to her chest. "Does this mean I should worry about her wanting to put a stake through my heart to kill me?" The cat chuckled. "I don't think she would. But don't forget that having something rammed through your chest would kill you anyway, vampire or no." Ami smiled. "True." Mina emerged from the bathroom wearing a full-length silk nightgown. She was brushing her hair out as she walked into the room and tossed her backpack next to her synthesizer case. "Ooo," squealed Ami, "That looks comfortable. Where did you get it?" "Victoria's Secret." Ami's eyebrows hit the ceiling as Artemis's jaw came to rest around his knees. It wasn't very far, but for a cat it was quite impressive. "And why did you get it from there instead of some other store?" he managed to ask. Mina smiled softly and stretched. The cat's eyes bugged out as the silk clung to every curve of her form. Mina took very good care of her body and it showed quite clearly. "Umm...." Artemis coughed. He would have said more, but Ami reached out and tweaked his whiskers. "It's not polite to stare. Besides, she's not your species so you can put your eyeballs back in their sockets and pick your jaw up off the floor." Mina laughed as Artemis somehow managed to blush a vivid shade of crimson. "I, uh, think I'll go keep the spider company for awhile...." he said as he backed out of the room. Ami coughed discreetly. "So why did you buy it from that store?" Mina chuckled. "Because it was inexpensive and comfortable. I usually don't wear this but all of my other comfortable stuff is in the wash." She smiled. "And I wanted to see what kind of reactions I could get." "Just don't let Leda see you in that. She would probably think you were trying to seduce someone with it." "That was the third reason." Ami's blood ran cold. I don't like this, she thought. "Umm, was that the third reason for buying it or wearing it?" Mina looked straight at her. "Both." She sat down in front of Ami and took her hand. "It's not quite how you think." Ami started to tremble. "Then what...." she said, unable to say more. "I want you to seduce me, but as a vampire would," Mina said, her voice nothing more than a whisper. She reached over and started programming her synthesizer. It beeped softly and Mina moved around to sit in front of the keyboard. "Mina...." Ami said softly. "I want to know what it feels like, Ami. I want to know if its something I should welcome or fear. I don't like not knowing. Besides, you can't always turn to Leda if you need blood. The blood loss would wind up being too much to handle, so you need another source. And if I find out that I would welcome the experience, then you have your second volunteer." Ami opened her mouth to say something, but Mina laid a finger across Ami's lips. "Say nothing and relax," she said as she adjusted the power level of her synthesizer to normal. She made a few quick adjustments, then started to play. She lost all track of time as she played the soundtrack to Ami's favorite movie, Vampire Hunter D. Mina closed her eyes as she played, concentrating on the music and letting her deepest emotions guide her fingers. She played the music to suit her mood, first playing the original score then later playing a modified version. Some time during the night, Mina recorded several of her variations, set the synthesizer to auto-playback, and locked the controls. She sat back and looked at her blue-haired friend, wondering if she truly wanted this. Ami's eyes were closed and she had a strange expression on her face, but there was no mistaking the pair of tiny fangs protruding past her lips. So she can become a vampire without needing to feed on blood, Mina thought. Then this means that Ami is a different kind of vampire than the Carpathian legends say. Ami opened her eyes and looked at Mina. The strange steel-blue shade of Ami's eyes awakened a desire in Mina, a desire to feel the power that caused such a change. She drew Ami's hand to her neckline where the clasp was shortly undone. The silk slid down Mina's body, revealing soft skin and the white lace of her bra and panties. Mina trembled slightly as Ami drew her down next to her and embraced her tightly. "Are you sure you really want this?" Ami whispered in her ear as she slowly caressed her neck. Her voice sent a shiver down Mina's spine and turned her blood into liquid fire. "Yes," was her whispered response. Mina could feel the sharp points of Ami's fangs as she kissed her ear. Ami slowly let her lips trail across the length of the nerve in Mina's jaw before sliding down to the soft flesh of her throat. A sixth sense guided her to a strong jugular vein and she bit down. Mina went rigid, the flash of pain nearly driving her to tears. Then all of the tension melted out of her muscles as Ami slowly drained her blood. Mina couldn't describe the strange warmth she was feeling. Without thinking she reached up and unhooked the front of her bra, releasing her aching nipples from the confines of the fabric. The sensation of bareness was somehow new to her. She had been topless many times before, but never with someone else and it felt exhilarating. Ami slowly teased her nipples and Mina felt like she was being electrocuted. She found herself trying to moan but the pressure on her neck kept her from making any sound. Ami was aware of a growing desire in Mina and could feel her own body's desires respond in kind. She didn't know how, but she could taste the passion in Mina's blood as it washed over her tongue and trickled down her throat. She could also tell by the beating of Mina's heart just how much blood she had left in her and how much Ami could drink without causing any ill effects. Mina's blood temperature rose fractionally and Ami could tell that Mina was losing control. Mina gently took hold of the hand that had been toying with her nipple and guided it inside her panties. Ami's eyes widened as she understood what Mina wanted. She complied slowly and carefully, trying not to scratch Mina with her nails. Within seconds, Mina's whole body was trembling and her blood pressure almost doubled. Ami's mind was starting to shut down. So this is what an impending orgasm tastes like, she thought. The fire in Mina's blood was driving her crazy and she knew she couldn't keep control much longer. Mina started to twitch rather violently and Ami winced as she felt her nail slice into the tender flesh of Mina's sheath. That same pain drove Mina's passion over the edge and for the first time in her life, she orgasmed. The sudden rush of passion and pleasure in Mina's bloodstream tasted so sweet that Ami lost control, biting down hard and taking as much blood as she could. Mina's pulse wavered ever so slightly and Ami was brought back to her senses. She had drained more blood that she had wanted to but Mina would still be fine. Mina moaned softly as Ami's fangs withdrew from her neck. The only other thing she was aware of was the feeling that her body had somehow melted into a puddle of golden warmth. She sighed in utter contentment and wished that the feeling would last for eternity. Ami slowly withdrew her hand from Mina's panties, noting with dismay that her nail left a thin line of blood across Mina's supple skin. I bet that's going to really hurt later, she thought. She licked her lips to get the last traces of blood off of them, then grunted in pain as she accidentally slashed her tongue on her fangs. Ow, that hurt! she thought as she poked at her fangs with a finger. Makes me glad I can regenerate. I wonder why my teeth are still protruding. They should have retracted by now. But even as she thought about it she could feel her fangs moving slightly as they recessed into her gums. Okay, she thought. Go figure. Mina stirred and opened her eyes. "Ami...." she said, her voice halfway between a moan and a whisper, "Ami, it was incredible.... I could feel my heart pulse as you drained me.... And then you touched me, made me feel like nothing ever felt before...." Ami smiled and slowly stroked Mina's face. "Relax, Mina, you're still trying to recover. You shouldn't try to move for a few minutes." Mina nodded her head. "I understand." She chuckled softly. "So, I take it that was the over-ripe lemon effect?" Ami laughed. "Kind of. I'm not quite sure where the effects of vampirism leave off and your orgasm starts, so you'll just have to guess and say yes." "So that's what the spider meant," said a quiet voice behind her. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ami turned around as Mina sat up quickly. Artemis was sitting on top of Mina's synthesizer, his expression completely blank. "Ami, I do believe it's time you and I had a nice little talk." Mina slowly stood up, not bothering to hide her mostly-nude body. "Ami, would you mind if I borrowed your shower for a bit?" Ami nodded and Mina scooped up her nightgown and made her way into Ami's bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Artemis seemed to wilt. He wearily leapt down from the keyboard and walked over to Ami. "I want you to explain to me exactly what you did to Mina and why." "I drained her because she was curious and wanted me to. She said that I couldn't be draining Leda all of the time since it would weaken her too much, and she wanted to know if it would be worth volunteering as a second source of blood." Artemis's tail lashed back and forth in silence. "That explains part of what I saw. Now tell me why she was bare-breasted and you were touching her." Ami turned a soft shade of red. "The sensation of being drained ignited her passions, which in turn ignited my passions. She wanted that as well and I guess I did too. I could taste her desires in her blood and responded like she wanted me to." The cat seemed to age several years as he sat there in silence. "Ami, I have watched over Mina since she was born here on Earth and I care very much for her. I have seen how she grew from a tiny baby to a cute little girl to a beautiful woman. And during that time, I have come to love her like she was my own child. "I don't doubt that if I were human, I'd have fallen in love with her in a different way. To this day, I still have the occasional problem with my desire for her, but that is not important. I have come to realize that I don't have any idea what I would do if anything were to happen to her." Ami opened her mouth to say something, but Artemis shook his head. "I knew there would come a time when she would start dating and eventually wind up making love, and I just prayed that she wouldn't be hurt by it. But I never imagined that it would be with a Sailor Scout or that she would be bitten by a vampire." He looked up into Ami's light blue eyes. "I don't know what you and Mina intend to do in the future regarding your need for blood, or what she plans to do about making love in the future, but I want you to take good care of her for me. I'm a lot older than you would think and even Luna doesn't know just how old I am. I don't expect to be around for any great length of time and I want her taken care of. Understand?" Ami nodded wordlessly and Artemis seemed to relax. "Thank you, Ami. I think I'll be able sleep a little better now. Take good care of yourself, Ami. Good night." Artemis leapt up onto the couch and curled himself into a ball. "Good night," Ami said softly. She left the cat alone to sleep and went into her room. Mina had finished dressing and was busy combing stray water droplets out of her hair. "Hi, Ami," she said. "Hope you didn't get in any trouble with Artemis or I'm going to feel really, really bad." "No, he just wanted to express his concern for you.... and that he really loves you, Mina." Mina stopped brushing her hair and let her hands fall into her lap. "I know he does, Ami. I also know he's a lot older than he lets on, and that he feels he won't be around anymore in several years." Ami gently laid her hand on Mina's shoulder. "Yes. That's why he asked me to take care of you, or at least keep an eye out for you." Mina grinned. "No surprise there. But I think the old coot is going to be around for longer than he thinks." She stood up and impulsively hugged Ami. "I want to thank you for everything tonight, Ami. I don't think any of us will be forgetting this night soon." "You're more than welcome, Mina. I'm just glad I have such good friends who can be there for me when I need them." "The feeling is mutual, Ami." Her eyes lit up as she saw the comforter strewn on Ami's bed. "Umm, would you mind if I borrowed this for tonight?" she said as she gestured to the comforter. "It looks nice and cozy." Ami giggled. "To be perfectly honest, I had plans for curling up inside it tonight. I think I might have a slightly older one in my closet." She went over and checked her linen supply. "Yes, I've still got it. Here." Mina gratefully accepted the fluffy blanket. "Thanks again, Ami. Hope you sleep well tonight." "You too, Mina. Good night." Mina left Ami's room and returned to the living room couch. She carefully laid down and tried to get comfortable, doing her best not to disturb the cat. Despite her efforts he lifted his head and glared at her. She smiled sweetly at him and Artemis just sighed. "Just once, I wish I could stay mad at you for any length of time," he muttered as walked over and laid down in Mina's arms. "It's because you love me so much," she said as she kissed the tip of his furry ear. "And because I love you. Good night, Artemis." She wrapped the soft folds of the comforter around them and settled down to sleep. Artemis wriggled in her embrace as he got comfortable and she unconsciously hugged him close to her. On the other side of the room, the synthesizer continued to play the music stored in its memory chips, just like it was programmed to do until someone told it otherwise. Mina made a mental note to get it later, then started to fall asleep. The last thing she remembered hearing was her modified version of the ending theme to Vampire Hunter D. And then Mina Aino fell asleep, dreaming of a blue-haired vampire. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Shar-Tei stood before General Rune in the grand Assembly Hall. She idly fussed with several strands of her silver hair as she waited for Rune to ask for her report on their latest assault on Earth. Shar-Tei was not looking forward to it. Rune smiled at the Dragoon, unaware of her discomfort. "Well, Lieutenant Commander, how went our latest plan?" "I must report that Brigadier Varnea was destroyed by the Sailor Scouts in a direct confrontation, General Rune." Rune just sighed. "Why am I not surprised this time? You don't need to bother with the official report, just make sure you have it on file if I need it. Dismissed." Shar-Tei steeled herself against the next few minutes. "General Rune, I think you ought to hear it. We have found some.... disquieting information on the way she was.... destroyed." That got Rune's attention. "I see," she said slowly. "What exactly do you mean by disquieting information?" "If I may show you a visual record of the events...." Rune nodded. "Please do. This sounds most intriguing." Shar-Tei made a gesture and a Dragoon tossed a holographic crystal on the chamber floor. It sparkled for an instant before projecting its images up into the air.... ------------------------------------------------------------------ The five Sailor Scouts stood at one end of the field while a red-haired female Dragoon stood at the other. They eyed each other warily as they nursed a collection of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. "My, you girls are tough," the Dragoon said as she wiped up a trickle of bright purple blood oozing out of the corner of her mouth. "But I don't think you can last forever. Surrender now and I'll go easy on you." "Here's your answer, scumbag!" shouted the Sailor Scout in red. "Mars.... Fire.... IGNITE!" she yelled, sending a fireball shooting towards the Dragoon. The Dragoon leapt high into the air and flung her arms out wide, Several dozen bolts of plasma arced through the air, hitting the Scouts and everything around them. The resulting screams of pain weren't quite enough to drown out the sound of the orange Sailor Scout. "Venus Crescent Beam.... SMASH!" she yelled, sending a white-hot beam of energy towards the Dragoon. The beam cut into her arm, sending a purple spray of blood into the air. The Dragoon dropped to her knees, holding her arm. Incredibly, the blue Sailor Scout stood up, blood dripping from a nasty shoulder wound. "Sailor Moon," she said through gritted teeth, "Could I borrow the Crescent Moon Wand for a bit? I don't need the Crystal, just the Wand." Sailor Moon blinked in surprise and handed over the Wand after detaching the Imperium Silver Crystal. "Uh, sure, Mercury.... Here...." Sailor Mercury then turned to the Sailor Scout in green. "Jupiter, when I give the word, blast her with your brightest lightning bolts. Okay?" Jupiter nodded and tensed up, trying to keep her weight off of a badly bruised ankle. Sailor Mercury seemed to crouch down for a second, then an evil smile came over her face. Her eyes darkened to a metallic shade of blue and a pair of fangs emerged from her mouth. She touched an earring and a blue visor formed over those inhuman eyes. "NOW!!" she yelled and charged forward. Sailor Jupiter wasted no time. She crossed her arms in front of her and a lightning rod extended from her tiara. "Jupiter Thunder.... CRASH!!" she yelled, sending a blindingly bright bolt of lightning past the running Mercury and at the Dragoon. The Dragoon screamed and tried to shield her eyes against the glare. Just then, Mercury reached her and swung the Crescent Moon Wand in a tight arc. No one saw the actual hit but there was suddenly a huge spray of blood flying in the air. Mercury did some sort of underhand roll-twist and the Dragoon's eyes went wide before she vomited blood. Mercury calmly yanked the Wand out of her abdomen and watched as the Dragoon collapsed into a lifeless heap. The Sailor Scout carefully wiped the blood and gore off of the Wand before returning it to Sailor Moon. She then turned her back on the whole mess and walked away. Sailor Moon fainted while Sailor Mars threw up in a bush. Sailor Venus motioned for Jupiter to follow Mercury while she made sure Sailors Moon and Mars were okay. ------------------------------------------------------------------ General Rune sat back as the crystal shut off. No one dared speak as Rune pondered what this meant. "So we now have a vampire as a Sailor Scout to deal with, and a highly vicious one at that," was all she said. Shar-Tei spoke up. "We are aware of the strong possibility that there are Earth vampires in existence, but that they cannot be touched by the sunlight or they will be destroyed. The BloodMoon Conjunction was three weeks ago but we are quite sure that no vampires from our world crossed over. We are currently at a loss to explain the appearance of this vampire in broad daylight." Rune sighed and waved her hand. "Lieutenant Commander Shar-Tei, when a creature sees a rakketh hanging on their wall, they don't care where it came from. They just want it destroyed as soon as possible." She stood and raised her voice so everyone would hear it. "I want all further Earth operations suspended until further notice. The assignment of analyzing this new threat will take full priority. Until I give a direct order, there are to be no more attempts to destroy the Sailor Scouts. I want this vampire to be observed, recorded, and analyzed before any other action is to be taken. This is a very serious situation here, and I want your full cooperation in this matter." She turned to her Dragoon commander. "Shar-Tei, I want you to organize a squad of observers to be taken to Earth and blended in with the rest of the humans. Have them report to me in eighteen hours, ready to go. Understood?" Shar-Tei saluted. "Yes, General Rune." "Good. Everyone dismissed." She turned around and walked into the hall leading to her private chambers. She stopped in the archway and turned to a nearby guard. "You, get me something for a headache. I have a feeling this particular one will be with me for a very, very long time," she said and went off to bed.
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