** Chapter Two ** Ikuko Tsukino sat in the relative calm of her kitchen, basking in the knowledge that she'd staved off another crisis. Getting her family fed and rested during the dinner hour was difficult, but Ikuko prided herself on doing the job well. She was especially pleased tonight, as she'd managed not only to get dinner on the table, but to take care of Serena's cat, who'd evidently been run over by a car. Ikuko got up to make herself some tea, thinking, ~Odd that such an intelligent animal would let itself get hit...~ She opened the cupboard and surveyed its contents. "Mint, I think," she murmured, taking out a teabag. A few minutes later, she was ensconced in an armchair, sharing the paper with her husband, Kenji. "Sammy upstairs?" Kenji asked. She nodded. "Mm. He's playing some of his old video games, I think." "Serena?" "She's in her room. Probably taking care of the cat." "Well, at least they're quiet," Kenji chuckled. Within seconds, however, a yell resounded throughout the house. "Quiet?" Ikuko asked, also chuckling. "Serena can't go long without wailing; I wouldn't worry." "Right," Kenji said, and went back to his paper. "I'll go check on her, anyway. Maybe this time, she's been attacked by bandits." Ikuko rose from her chair and headed toward the stairs. "Amy's been what?!" Serena yelped. "No. You're kidding me. It can't be." She brought her voice down as her mother's concerned tones echoed up the stairwell. "You're joking, Luna." Her voice dropped to a despairing whisper: "You have to be." "Serena..." Luna hesitated. "I was there. I watched it happen. Sailor Mercury has been captured." The cat's usual lecturing voice was now tired and disinterested, a sign of the stress she was under. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway outside and there was a knock on the door. "Serena, honey, are you okay?" Serena quit pacing the floor to respond, "Yeah, Mom." "You haven't been captured by bandits?" Her mother's tone now was one of amusement. Serena looked blankly at Luna, who shrugged in the manner of cats and laid her head back down. "Um, no, Mom," she replied, a little confused. "Okay, honey." The footsteps faded back down the hallway. Jolted slightly out of her former shock, Serena sat heavily on the edge of her bed and held her head in her hands. She took several deep breaths, trying not to cry. A new thought occured to her. "But who?" "Who?" Luna repeated. "Who captured Amy?" After a few more moments of comtemplative silence, Luna admitted, "I have no idea." Serena sat up sharply, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. "But there are no bad guys right now! There haven't been any youma for weeks! We killed the Doom Phantom! There's no one left!" Luna recognized the signs of hysteria in her charge and said as calmly as possible, "Unless it's a new force..." "But then why didn't they just kill her? Why did they bother to capture her? They *must* know about us," Serena mused, thinking with unusual clarity. Not wanting to lose the opportunity this rare moment of leadership afforded, Luna suggested that they inform the other Scouts of their friend's disappearance. Serena agreed, remarking absently, "I'll call Rei first. We'll do a fire reading. She'll need a few minutes to get ready." Silently blessing her foresight in asking for her own phone line on her last birthday, she picked up the receiver and dialed the familiar numbers. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings. Five. Six. Seven. ...She hung up the phone. Staring blankly past the small black cat at a point on the wall, she said, "No answer." Silence had finally settled over the Cherry Hill Temple. All the tourists, sightseers, and gawkers had moved on to areas with a more exciting nightlife; the few stragglers, lingering over the temple's display of good-luck charms, had been ushered out just minutes ago by the caretaker, an elderly lech known fondly to all as Grandpa Hino. Normally, the temple would be open long after dark to all tourists and worshippers, but tonight, the old man was going to meet a friend for dinner, and he was unwilling to leave his granddaughter in charge of the temple alone. The old man emerged finally from the temple, scanning the lengthening shadows of the temple yard for his granddaughter. "Rei?" He called. "Over here, Grandpa." The shrine maiden was at the western edge of the yard, leaning on the broom that only moments ago had been engaged in a thorough clean-up of the day's debris. The old man approached her, gazing off in the direction she'd been facing. "The sunset is very lovely tonight, isn't it?" Grandpa Hino remarked. "Yes," she replied simply. "I had to stop to enjoy its beauty." The pair stood a moment longer to admire the celestial display. Only when the last rays had disappeared did Rei turn again to her grandpa. She looked him up and down appraisingly; it was not often that he wore a western-style suit, but when he did, it was worn as flawlessly as he wore his temple robes. In a gesture of her love for the old man, Rei straightened a tie that needed no straightening, and brushed invisible lint from his lapel. "You look very nice, Grandpa," she said. Grandpa Hino's eyes twinkled, "Nice enough to impress the young ladies?" "Grandpa!" "Well! Look at the time! I should be going. Have a nice evening, Rei, and don't get too lonely!" He turned, hurrying across the temple yard. "I should be back by midnight!" "Midnight!" Rei exclaimed, but her grandfather had already disappeared down the steps. She worried about the old man; she loved him very much, but no matter how many times he tried to convince her otherwise, she was of the firm belief that midnight was much too late for someone of his age to be out. "At least he's with friends," Rei grumbled. Sighing, she glanced at the forgotten broom in her hands. It was Chad's night off--he was at a jam session with his buddies--and it left her to clean up. Rei considered the broom and the temple yard, and then considered the stack of unread manga in her room. She came to the logical conclusion that the yard (despite the earlier presence of Serena and her candy bar wrappers) was clean enough, thank you, and locked the broom in the shed. The young priestess strolled back across the temple yard. She was halfway to her living quarters when the temple ravens began to shriek racously. A moment later, she too sensed the incredible evil. She froze, trying to pinpoint it. A voice sounded behind her, making her effort futile. "Good evening, lovely one." Rei turned slowly to face the voice. Through the shadows of the nearby trees, she could make out the faint outlines and colors of a temple worker's robes. "Chad?" She asked hopefully. But in the back of her mind, Rei knew it was not Chad--not unless he had been possessed by a malevolent demon... Suddenly, the figure disappeared from the shadows. Rei gasped, turning wildly to relocate the intruder. Strong arms clasped her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides and pulling her close. The man's head bent close to hers and he whispered into her ear: "Sailor Mars." Rei found herself unable to move, unable to turn to identify the owner of the familiar voice. "H-how--?" "How do I know who you are?" The voice chuckled unkindly. "I am offended you don't recall the incident. A train to Tokyo International Airport, remember?" It was then that Rei realized the identity of her captor. "Jedite!" She uttered in stunned disbelief. "But--you're dead!" "Not dead," Jedite said harshly. "Never dead. Defeated. Drained. Imprisoned. Death would have been too much of a release. This way, I can exact revenge." Rei regained some of her composure. "Revenge! Only you would try to exact revenge on us one at a time, dishonorably. Only you would kill us when we were defenseless," she cried fiercely. "Kill you?" Jedite laughed cruelly. "Why would I kill you? I have much more interesting plans for you and Sailor Mercury--I'm not as rash as I once was, and I know direct confrontation would be folly." "Because then we would defeat you!" Rei snarled defiantly, struggling against her invisible bonds. "Perhaps, Sailor Mars," was Jedite's only answer. He began to drain her of her energy, and Rei felt the blackness close in around her. Jedite spoke again, and it sounded as if from a great distance: "Sailor Mercury put up such a more interesting resistance, lovely one." Through the fog, Rei faintly recognized his words. "You...have... Amy?" The blackness consumed her entirely, and awareness faded. Jedite turned the unconscious girl in his arms to face him. He caressed her cheek lightly. "You are a lovely one," he murmured, and in a flash of light, he disappeared with his captive. Silence settled again over the Cherry Hill Temple, and one by one, the stars winked into view. Somewhere within the building, a phone rang once. Rang again. Several more times and then silence again. The caller, reaching no one, had given up. Serena looked at Luna, trying desperately to remain calm. Fortunately, Luna had recognized this and was prepared with an answer: "Use the communicator." "Oh, right. My communicator. Of course." Serena fumbled with the device for a few moments before she managed to flip it open. Pressing the call button, she spoke. "Rei? You there? Pick up. It's Serena. Rei?...Luna, she's not picking up. Rei's not picking up. Luna! She's not--" "Serena, calm down! You're panicking," Luna said levelly. Serena sighed tearfully. "Yeah, I'm panicking. Amy's gone and Rei's not answering! Luna, what if they got Rei, too? Then Lita and Mina aren't safe. I've got to warn th--" "Don't jump to conclusions, Serena. Maybe Rei's stepped out for a moment." "Without her communicator?" "Maybe she's in the shower...But you're right: you should warn the others just to be on the safe side." "Oh gods, they don't know about Amy. And maybe they've seen Rei." Serena redirected her attention to her communicator. "Mina. Lita. It's me. There's a problem." "Yo." Lita's voice crackled through the wristband. "What's up?" Mina responded. Relieved by their quick answers, Serena calmed down considerably. She decided to question them while their thoughts were still in order, and asked, "Have either of you seen Rei?" "Yeah, this afternoon," Mina stated. "No. After that." Both answered in the negative. With that, Serena almost burst into tears. Her last faint hope had disappeared, leaving her certain that Rei, too, was in the hands of an unknown enemy. On the other end of the line, Lita had recognized the panic in her friend's voice from the start. Now, Serena's uncharacteristic silence worried her even more. "Serena, hon, what's wrong?" But both Mina and Lita were unprepared for Serena's hysteric outburst: "Amy's been captured!" There was a brief moment of complete silence, then Mina's voice sounded over the system, shocked and disbelieving: "What?" It was a dark room. Well, maybe not *dark*, but dimly lit--enough so that the room's boundaries were questionable. Centered in this twilight was a stone table, large enough to seat several, as demonstrated by the stone chairs surrounding it. In one of these chairs sat a dark, silent woman with long, thin hair of pale purple. She was clothed in a uniform of matching hues, and was slouched in her chair, a steaming mug cradled against her chest, violet eyes staring vaguely in front of her. "Iolite--" A light, airy, and cheerful voice, incongruous in this setting, echoed about the room. "How's your tea?" Angelite finished her question, materializing in the air about five feet from the table, and three feet above the floor. She swooped down on her skeletal wings to the table, dropping herself lightly into a seat. Iolite nodded, and made a noise that could be taken as assent. She sipped her tea. "Oh, good. I was afraid I might not have added enough sugar. I couldn't remember if I'd put it in or not, and I know how you get grumpy if you don't get your sugar--you know, that's not a very good habit to have. Maybe we should try to get you off of that. I had a friend once, well, she wasn't *my* friend, but a friend's friend. Or maybe a friend of a friend of a friend...But anyway, she used to--" A figure materialized several feet from the table, and Angelite redirected her attentions. "Oh, helloooo, Jedite," Angelite half-squealed. "You look happy! Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Cocoa? Soda? Juice? An espresso? Water? Ovaltine? Lemonade? I think Nephrite left a full bar..." She coaxed. "Coffee. Black." "Coming right up!" Angelite disappeared. Jedite had enough time to take the chair across Iolite before Angelite reappeared with the coffee. Then he had less than a second to remember that Angelite liked interrogation with her coffee. "Soo, Jedite!" She had reappeared this time in the seat next to Iolite, and was now leaning over her coffee toward Jedite. "You must have had a good day, because otherwise you wouldn't look so happy. Have you been wreaking havoc? I know you don't like Tokyo, but destroying buildings is just a waste of power--" "I haven't been destroying buil--" Angelite kept on the flow of words, only showing she had heard him in her change of subject. "I don't know if torturing that poor boy is a really effective use of time either. He's very nice, and harmless, you know--" "No, I haven't been 'torturing'--" "Have you stalking that girl again?" Iolite asked tonelessly. For a moment, Jedite was struck speechless. "How do you--?" He trailed off. Iolite raised her eyebrow. "Of course not," he said quickly in an attempt to cover up his slip. He gulped down his coffee and handed the mug to Angelite. "Get me something out of Nephlite's cabinet." Angelite disappeared, obviously disappointed. Iolite took another sip of her tea, saying calmly, "So that's where you've been." Amy's eyes opened. Closed. Opened. Closed again. Stayed closed. The logical analyst within her began to assess her condition. The results came back slowly, foggily. She couldn't move. Couldn't think. She felt like she should be fighting the darkness clouding her mind, but-- It was so much easier just to relax. She was so tired, so drained. She drifted toward unconsciousness again. Voices stirred her back to consciousness. No--one voice. The analyst forced her to listen, to remember it in case it ever showed up on a test. "--interminable! Damn them both!" The voice dropped from a frustrated yell to an angry mutter, drifting in and out of her hearing. "...never heard such insolent...no right.......she can't know what I'm doing!" Steps sounded closer and closer, the voice grew more audible, took on a softer tone. "They can't know what I plan for you." "Plan?" another voice murmured. A feminine voice that sounded groggy, dazed. The inner analyst had no trouble identifying the voices now. The second voice was one so familiar, it could have been her own, had she been able to remember what her own voice sounded like: Rei. And the first... ~Jedite!~ Now she struggled to open her eyes and focus, blinking to clear her sight. It made little difference, since the room she was in was not much brighter than the darkness behind her eyelids, but she could make out the faint silhouettes of two figures--Rei and Jedite--about five yards away. The former was manacled with stone cuffs that seemed to grow from the wall they held her upright on. Jedite stood close to Rei, his back to Amy. "Where...?" Rei asked weakly. "With me. Isn't that enough?" Jedite sounded sincere, slightly desperate. "You..." Rei's confusion was evident. "What did you..." "Shhh..." He stroked her hair. "It's only temporary. Soon you'll feel much stronger. Stronger than you've ever been." Amy tried to fight back the shadows that clung to her mind and help her friend...but couldn't. Damn. "The weakness is just a side effect; I wouldn't have done it this way...I know it hurts you. But the energy--our energy--I give you instead is stronger than anything else. When all this is over, we'll rule this kingdom, and the Earth. I'll be able to give you anything, Rei, anything you want." Jedite's loving tone turned cold. "We just have to get Sailor Moon out of our way..." Amy gasped. Jedite turned at the sound, his eyes narrowing. "You are just a pawn." He blasted her with dark energy, sending her back into unconsciousness. Iolite sat at the stone table, playing with a wine glass. Angelite sat leaning in her chair, her mug of chocolate Ovaltine cupped in her hands. "Jedite's got an okay plan this time," Angelite said thoughtfully. Her companion chuckled dryly. "Want to bet he doesn't know about the other ones?" Angelite's eyes widened, and she giggled almost maniacally. "You're on."