Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Different Story ❯ Chapter 02...In Search Of The Stones : Sailormercury ( Chapter 2 )

      Hours later, Mercury stood, shivering, in ankle-deep snow, the harsh winds whipping her hair and skirt. "What a beautiful view!" she said, impressed despite herself. After all, when one lived within driving distance of Fuji-san, other mountains simply didn't add up. But, she supposed, the mountains were famous for a reason; a breathtaking view was a part of it.
      She had chosen Zoisite's stone, carefully lifting it with her own hands out of its snug niche inside of the case. It had done nothing except sit in her palm and sparkle until she transformed; then, it had become a sensation of colour and motion, transporting her to this tall peak. Alex had identified it as the blue-haired genius had fallen on her knees, puking her guts up from motion sickness.
      Then they'd proceeded to wander around, being trapped at what looked to be the very peak of the mountain, for any sign of Zoisite's stone - what they had decided to call "Hi" stones, to differentiate from the "Kage" stones they all carried. After several hours, all Mercury had done was worn a visible path into the snow, which, even this high up, had a slightly greyish cast. So she finally just threw up her hands and stopped, and took her first really good look from the peak.
      "I hope this isn't Zoisite's idea of a joke," the tall red-head said behind her. Mercury assumed, from listening carefully, that Alex was still moving around as if she had her normal legs, instead of floating around like a free-form ghost. But she couldn't verify it, as splitting her conscious up into four more pieces had also taken away her ability to remain semi-visible. It was annoying; like talking to herself instead of someone else.
      "I don't believe so. Perhaps we've missed something important."
      "Let's hope not. After all, bleach boy said we could only get within a couple kilometres of the stones; the damned thing could be all the way down at the foot of the mountain." Alex sounded annoyed, which Mercury could definitely agree with.
      "But it really is a beautiful view."

       ….Chapter 2  - In Search Of The Stones : Sailormercury

      As they stood - or at least, Mercury stood, and Alex sort of hovered - they both heard the oddest sound off in the distance. "Nani…?" Mercury muttered, looking around. "That peculiar noise…."
      It sounded like a herd of buffalo trampling the snow, coming closer. But it was a herd of buffalo that spoke in tongues, because the ground shaking beneath her boots couldn't be making that unusual noise. "I don't know of any elephant stampedes at this altitude," Alex said slowly, "which means this could be trouble."
      "But what? How could anything follow us….here?" Mercury trailed off, staring in growing horror at the teeming mass of youma headed their way, the same brand of creature in trailing robes and inhuman faces. "Masaka! youma, here? In Switzerland!?" She slid back, her body tensed instinctively as she thought frantically. "I can't possibly fight so many!"
      "You have to, Mercury! How else can you get away from them?"
      "It isn't possible for me! Not by myself!" Mercury took another step back, her mind continuing to race. The tall red-head had told her during their search that she had none of her physical powers available to her in her current form; only her psionics. She could possibly throw something large at the youma, but there was nothing up on the peak but sugary snow. And Mercury doubted that freezing them or creating fog would work.
      The youma were close now, almost close enough for her to feel the heat of their unnatural bodies. She stepped back again, trying to put as much space between her and them as possible, and choked back a gasp as her boot slipped off the edge. Terror seized her heart; she'd gone back too far, and she was falling. "Kyaaa! Tasukete!"
      "Quoi-Mercury!" The youma grew smaller as Mercury fell faster down the side of the mountain, tumbling head over heels as she accelerated. She fought to twist herself upright as she dropped through a chasm she hadn't even noticed earlier, panic seizing her; she could be trapped forever. Her body jerked as she felt Alex trying to slow her down, too late; it was only luck that landed her in a mound of fallen snow instead of flat across the ice. Still, the impact was enough to daze her, and she was already weary enough from the cold and Sin's illusions that she just blacked out.
      Alex cursed fluently in what sounded like an alien language before she rolled Mercury out of the snow and onto the ice. Neither spot did her any good, but at least the ice wouldn't suffocate her before she woke back up. And it didn't look like she'd be sitting up anytime soon; she was pale from the cold, even with her uniform and magic working to keep her warm, and her body had to be putting in overtime already after the school debacle. "And this is why one looks before she decides to retreat," she sighed, debating what to do.
      The sound of footsteps on the ice had her whirling around, body tensing to attack, when she realized that the intruder couldn't see her anyway. But she was surprised to see that the person who appeared around the corner looked more startled to see Mercury than angry. "A girl…!? How could she have fallen so clumsily down here?" He ran to her side with ease, despite the ice, and managed, after poking her neck, to find her pulse.
      As he fretted over the blue-haired genius, Alex looked up to check where they'd fallen; down into a cleverly concealed crevasse that split one of the glaciers. The gods knew what the man would be doing down here, as he didn't appear to be packing for an expedition. Nor did he look to be capable of doing any serious climbing. "I'll have to get her back to the village, for some medical attention," he was muttering out loud to himself. Wiping his hands across his pant legs, he seemed to hover around Mercury like an anxious butterfly, unsure of what to do.
      Alex was just about to suggest he pick her up and carry her when he managed, barely, to swing her up into his arms. He nearly toppled backwards with the effort - the soldiers seemed to gain muscle mass and ergo weight once they transformed - and started to stagger, bowlegged, back the way he came. "What an auspicious start to the mission," she sighed, looking around one last time before following behind. "Zoisite's damned stone better be close to wherever St. Bernard is taking us."

      "Mou…my head is throbbing so painfully," Mercury groaned, squeezing her eyes tight and rolling over. "My head…." Groping for the pillow, she cuddled it close to her face, breathing in the familiar smells of….aftershave and peach?
      She sat up too quickly for her pounding skull, regretting it; the world squeezed tightly around her, and she slumped back down again. But she opened her eyes again once she was settled, slowly roaming over the rough wooden beams of the ceiling, the similar planks of the walls. She remembered falling from the cliff, into a crevasse that split the glacier beneath them; how did she get from there to a house?
      "Mercury, you're finally awake," she heard Alex say close by, sounding relieved. "How are you feeling?"
      "Terrible. How did I arrive here? This house is…"
      "In a village, beneath the mountains and glacier. A young man found you and brought you here, so the doctor could take a look at you." The tall red-head sounded faintly amused, but an undercurrent of concern tickled her voice.
      So Mercury made a second attempt to sit up and allay her concern, moving slowly this time. When the pain didn't knock her over, she smiled hesitantly into space, head tilted towards her friend's voice. "Daijoubu, Alex-chan. I'm the soldier of ice; I believe I'm only bruised from the fall."
      "Bruised, possibly suffering from mild hypothermia, strain, stress, and exhaustion. Did I miss anything?" Now she sounded aggrieved; the blue-haired genius could picture her pacing back and forth, which, by the movement of her voice, was probably happening. "We went on this mission far too quickly. You all should have rested before even deciding to do this."
      "Mamoru-san's life hangs in the balance," Mercury said quietly.
      "Damn it, Mercury, I know that!" she heard Alex snap from somewhere at the end of the bed. "But how useful to him can you be if you collapse in the snow?"
      All she could do was bow her head in agreement, clutching the blankets beneath her fingers. She was tired; so tired. Lying back and sleeping away the day sounded excellent, but it wasn't a luxury she could afford. Not when they had to find Zoisite's Hi stone, wherever it could be. She smiled ruefully at the realization that she was driving herself harder than even their guardian and teacher found acceptable.
      "Are you awake?"
      She lifted her head, startled, to see a blond man standing next to the bed. He was maybe a decade older than her, with wide, alert blue eyes, in the prime of health despite living beneath a glacier. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, staring at her with obvious concern.
      All she could do was gape at him.
      "Are you ill? I've summoned the doctor, but he won't arrive for another minute. May I fetch you some water?"
      "N-na-a-ni?" was all she managed. Her mind was obstinately refusing to believe what was happening; it knew she had only moderate English skills, and absolutely no German at all, which was, if she remembered correctly, what a majority of Swiss spoke. The probability of the man knowing Japanese fluently was impossible.
      And yet she understood him perfectly.
      He was still giving her that doe-eyed look of worry, so she said, hesitantly, "I'm feeling much better; arigatou gozaimasu."
      "Oh, that's wonderful! Many people who fall below hurt themselves badly. I'm glad you weren't so badly injured." He seemed entirely oblivious to the fact she had just spoken in Japanese, understanding her as perfectly as she had him. As if something was translating for them.
      Unconsciously, she touched her brooch as she realized that the magic of her transformation had to be doing it. And it made sense; in their previous lives, they would have to travel light years to fight battles, or offer diplomacy. It was ludicrous to assume that everyone spoke the same language. There had to be some built-in translator that came with the uniform that worked both ways simultaneously.
      Too bad Sailor Mercury couldn't sit in on her English exam.
      She stifled a faintly hysterical laugh before she realized he was staring at her again. "My name is Hans," he said, offering her his hand. "What's your name?"
      Never comfortable with shaking hands, she nonetheless took it awkwardly, letting him pump their arms up and down. "My name is Mizu-Mercury. Sailor Mercury." She released his hand, adding, "And where am I? Beneath the glacier?"
      "Yes, in my village. Kainess Village. We've lived here for untold years." He smiled cheerfully at her, unaware of her shock. "It's a comfortable life."
      "Ano…beneath the glacier? How can you exist? How do you grow food, or even eat?"
      "We have plenty of caverns where we grow our food, and tether our livestock." He seemed puzzled as she mulled this over, clearly confused. "How else would we eat? My mother said you grow crops and eat meat above ground just like us." He scratched his head, frowning. "Well, we don't have many visitors anyway, so maybe my village seems so odd."
      "Very….unusual, perhaps," she admitted, still wondering. "Still…I've taken up too much of your hospitality. I really must go."
      "Are you sure? The doctor really is coming shortly, and you did take a big fall. And where would you go?"
      "To look around your village, if that's alright. If no one minds a visitor." She had a suspicious feeling that Hans's village had to have clues concerning Zoisite's stone. And she could hardly search with him following her around.
      He shrugged carelessly, hands spread in acceptance. "If that's your wish, Mercury. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself, though our village is hardly exciting." And as if she had dismissed him, he left the room without even a farewell; rather rude, in her opinion, but she had no idea of what the Swiss considered polite. So she pushed back the covers and slid from the bed, pleased that the world no longer spun or dipped.
      "Alex-san, can you…sense anything?" she queried the air, reaching up to activate her goggles.
      She could hear the tall American sigh behind her as she scanned the room at a low-level spectrum band. "Besides everyone's ridiculously banal thoughts? Nothing really out of the ordinary."
      Low-level spectrum gave her nothing but the usual heat signatures and base body recognition - everyone was human and reasonably healthy for twenty feet surrounding them - so she switched it to mid-range. The colours swam against her vision, graphs spinning up to show her an analysis of their current environment, the sight of which had her frowning; not only did magic exist below the ice, but it was a level constant in the background. "Do you think this village is here for a reason?" she asked quietly. "Such a concentration of magic…"
      "It must be. The kid implied that they're pretty much isolated; I'll bet any 'visitor' that shows up probably falls in by accident, just like you did." Mercury's embarrassed blush went unnoticed, or at least, uncommented. "And growing food, raising animals? It can't be possible in this kind of environment, not without help."
      "Perhaps, this village has been here longer than we can imagine." Removing her goggles, the blue-haired genius looking towards the sound of her mentor's voice instinctively as she added, "Perhaps, this was Zoisite's home."
      "It's possible," Alex agreed mildly. "That could explain why his stone would come back. Kunzite did mention them returning to their origin; so did Nephrite. Not that it gets us any closer, unless these people know anything about Zoisite in particular."
      On that note, the blue-haired genius exited through the doorway, noting again the roughness of the construction, and found herself in what looked to be the main room. Like a shotgun house, every room opened into one another; there were no hallways. "What a lovely rug," she murmured, seeing the large patchwork square on the floor. "It must be handmade."
      "My mother made it, actually," Hans said, and she squeaked, taken by surprise. He was standing off to her left, next to a bed that looked completely out of place in the room; it was shoved up against a shelf of assorted mugs and books, wood stained honey amber instead of dark brown. She could hear, now that she was aware of it, a soft, strained breathing coming from beneath the blankets piled almost ridiculously high. Someone sick with a bronchial infection, perhaps; his aforementioned mother?
      Coming just a bit closer, Mercury tilted her head to see the face atop the pillow. Yes, a woman, fairly young still; the resemblance to Hans was obvious despite her sickly pallor and sunken, closed eyes. "Is this your mother, Hans-san?"
      He nodded, smoothing out a wrinkle in the blanket with a sweep of his hand that spoke of his nervousness. "Yes, my mother. She fell ill several weeks ago. The doctor is still unsure how to heal her." Tucking the blankets beneath her chin, he added quietly, "He says people from above very easily fall sick beneath the glacier. Many die."
      "Your mother is from…above? Switzerland?" the blue-haired genius queried, looking down at the women quizzically. To be trapped below the ice for so long…though she was the soldier of water, even her soul shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by so much of the frozen element. "Why did she never go back?"
      Hans turned to stare at her, quite plainly surprised at her question. "No one has ever gone back, Mercury. No one can find the way. Quickly they become happy with their new lives, and the villages rejoice with each new person. Our families grow."
      She couldn't find a suitable response for that; only a growing horror at what seemed to be his complacency at her new role in his world. Trapped forever beneath the ice simply because no one had found the way out again? No; she would not be so easy to keep. She would find a way out, for the love of the kami, and she would make it home with the stones in her hands. She was a sailor soldier with a mission.
      Focusing instead of something easier - a sick patient in need of care - she came closer to the bed, removing her right glove. But before she could set her hand on the woman's forehead, Hans said quickly, "No, Mercury! Being from above ground, you could fall sick as well!" and caught her wrist. "Please, don't be so hasty. Go and explore as you said. The doctor will arrive soon."
      The blue-haired genius extracted her hand, pulling her glove back on without saying a word. She shouldn't have felt hurt, but it still lingered in her heart; knowing she could most likely help and being unable to do so was a terrible fear. The boy lying in the street as he convulsed, unable to survive separated from the daimon - she still woke up screaming sometimes during the night, seeing his eyes roll up into his head. Magic mixing with medicine was not a combination she was entirely comfortable with, even after nearly a year as a sailor soldier; too many variables entered into the equation, as it had with the boy. So much knowledge, and it wasn't enough.
      When would it become too hard? What would she do?
      Sighing, she put on a happy face instead. "I will. I'm sure your village is fascinating. I'll make sure to return shortly." Seeing the door across the room, she bowed politely before making her way to it, and outside - into a world of ice.

      Sitting on the front step, Mercury stared out through her goggles at a bright, shiny world. She had to; the ambient light that seemed to come out of the very walls of the cavern reflected far too brightly for her eyes to readily adjust to. All that surrounded them was ice: walls, ceiling, even the ground. It rose high above their heads, icicles forming where the radiant heat from someone's chimney had melted the ceiling. Both it and the walls looked naturally made, but it could just as easily have been rudely chopped out of the ice by hand - or magic. The ground had long rubbed smooth by thousands of tramping feet over the generations, but not slippery thanks to a layer of dirt and small pebbles. "I wonder where the dirt comes from?" she mused out loud, turning her head to survey the far cluster of houses.
      "They have to farm somewhere. My guess is they've got some kind of arable land hidden in a secondary cave filled with the stuff." Alex sounded as if she were floating next to her left ear, so she tilted her head in recognition.
      "Perhaps. After all, this village exists without any true contact with the outside world, unless some poor person falls down here. They could hardly be trading for food." Behind them, she could hear a strained coughing fit; it sounded like phlegm was taking up residence in the woman's lungs. "Poor Hans-san. She truly sounds sick."
      "I would be too, if I were stuck down here forever. Coming from a world of sunshine and summer must make it hard to adjust." The tall red-head sounded vaguely disgusted, which she clarified as she added, "Cold and ice….blegh. My world'll end in fire if I have a say about it, thank you very much. Me and ice have a mutual long-standing disagreement."
      Mercury smiled, removing her goggles to test out her eyes. "I've always enjoyed the water, and the prettiness of ice on the glass during winter. But I don't think I'd enjoy it down here either."
      She could hear Hans's mother cough again, this time wetly; beneath it was a quiet babble, most likely the man himself trying to soothe her. "It sounds like a very serious condition," she sighed as she pulled out Zoisite's Kage stone. "I wonder how we'll know that we're getting close to Zoisite's Hi stone? Will this one flash?"
      The stone merely rested in the cup of her palm, a pretty chunk of mineral, but otherwise lifeless. Holding it up to look, she could see the ghostly shadows inside of it reflecting from the ice and deposits, but nothing else. Not a single flicker or clue. "Start walking, Mercury; maybe as we go around the village, something will happen."
      "Hai, hai." Casting one last look towards Hans's door, the blue-haired genius stepped away from the house, holding the rock tightly in her fist.
      It was not a large village by any means; counting houses, they estimated it to be a close-knit community of perhaps five families. One building looked to be a doctor's office, but, peeking in through the windows, it appeared to be either abandoned or closed. They met only a few others during their walk, mostly women carrying bundles, who stared frankly at Mercury and her unusual clothes. One even stopped to whisper fiercely, "What are you doing, dressed in such a manner!? You'll be frozen for sure!"
      Mercury just shook her head, acting as if she couldn't understand, and backed away.
      In the farthest corner they found a cleverly hidden tunnel hewn through the ice, leading to a second cavern. Just as Alex had predicted, it was a green paradise beneath the glacier, with rows of vegetables and fruit trees, and several cows and sheep tethered in a corral. "It's saturated with magic," Mercury whispered, after turning on her goggles. Dropping to her knees, she plucked a strand of grass from the edge of the corral, holding it up for inspection. "A perfectly natural environment, sustained by magical means!"
      "That would explain how they can live without any means to reach the surface for food," the tall red-head agreed. "There's no telling how long they've been down here; this spell could be entirely self-sufficient for ages. And look; these vegetables are native European. I'll bet those damned carrots are purple, they've been so long isolated."
      "But why would they remain this way? What is the purpose of maintaining a culture beneath the ice?" Mercury walked along the rows of vegetable plants, stopping to pull up a carrot to check the theory; it was indeed purple. She nibbled at it, and it still tasted like a regular carrot, but she ended up giving it to a nearby grazing sheep.
      "Maybe this isn't the only village. Maybe there was a community under the ice; a self-sufficient kingdom. And why would those communities cease to exist, simply because the Earth evolved without them? The Amazon still hides hundreds of tribes of natives who have no idea that electricity and airplanes exist. Why not a glacier in Switzerland?" A peach tree rustled as Alex plucked a fruit from the branches, holding it out for Mercury to take. "I'll bet anything this is where Zoisite lived. Peaches aren't native European fruits, but it would be very easy to believe he may have gotten a tree from Jadeite. And this lemon tree, too."
      "And these olives, perhaps, from Kunzite? And the asparagus and garlic?"
      "Oui. Which means Nephrite gave them the green beans."
      Mercury bit into the peach, licking the juice from her lips thoughtfully. Tasted just like a ripe peach from the store, if a bit juicier and far cheaper. "But we can't assume anyone here knows about Zoisite. Maybe we should ask Hans-san if he knows of any caves nearby or any legends of a stone." She finished off the fruit rather hungrily; she couldn't recall when she had last eaten. She had been in such a hurry to leave on her errand for her mother that she had barely eaten breakfast; just a slice of toast and some coffee.
      Taking another peach for the walk back, they left the cavern, wandering back towards Hans's house. This time, they were alone; the village was entirely quiet, save for the fading sounds of the sheep as they bleated in the corral. "I wonder how they keep track of time down here, with no sun or moon," Alex muttered somewhere off to Mercury's left. "Every hour must look the same."
      "Hai. It must be very peaceful and quiet, living here. Also very boring; what could they possibly have to read?" Mercury mused as she ate her fruit, trying to be as careful as possible not to drip on her gloves. She held the pit between thumb and forefinger when she was finished, unable to toss it away, and stepped up to knock on the door.
      After a minute, Hans opened the door with a desperate smile, saying, "Doctor Schwartz! I'm so glad-oh, Mercury." He stepped back, holding the door open for her. "I didn't know it was you; I thought the doctor had arrived."
      "Gomen nasai." She flushed, bowing quickly in appeasement. "I simply came back to ask-well, it doesn't matter. May I take a look at your mother? I've had basic medical training; my dream is to one day be a doctor." With the door open, the woman's coughing was that much louder; great hacking coughs that had to be shaking her from head to toe.
      He didn't stop her as she crossed the front room, setting the peach pit on a nearby table and removing both gloves. She could hear him closing the door as she touched her hand to his mother's forehead, grimacing at the radiant heat. "What a fever she has…she's burning up! She must be dehydrated; her eyes are sunken deeply, and her lips are dry. Hans-san, she needs some water."
      "But I was told-"
      "Hans-san, your mother is mildly dehydrated. Her eyes are sunken into her head; her lips are cracking." Lightly pinching her arm, she nodded briskly. "Her skin is less resilient. She needs liquids."
      "What she needs is the doctor," he replied mutely, though when she looked around to chastise him, he was pouring a glass of water from a nearby jug. "Doctor Schwartz is the only one who can treat her, and he hasn't come. Something could be wrong. He's never been this late before."
      He held out the glass, and she frowned at seeing his pale face, looking far more worn than he had allowed her to see when she'd first woken up. The stress of his mother's sickness was taking its toil on him as well. "Is that his office in the village that's all closed up?" she queried as she turned away, lifting his mother's head to coax some water past her lips.
      "Yes, that's his office when he visits. Normally, he lives in Andeng Village, several kilometers away. But I've been hearing suspicious rumours…"
      "Rumours? Of what?"
      Hans came closer to take his mother's hand, and Mercury became uncomfortably aware of how near he was standing; focus, she had to focus. Why did he remind her of Kane-san, anyway? They didn't look similar at all…. "Rumours of what, Hans-san?" she repeated.
      "Of monsters."
      Monsters. The only kind of monsters she knew were the ones who had chased her to her eventual fall. The ones who continued to torment her city and planet, no matter how many times she and her allies defeated them. She set the cup down on the floor empty, looking up at his earnest face. "And Doctor Schwartz is the only one who can cure your mother?"
      Without looking at her, he nodded; his eyes were intent on his mother's slack face. "He's our only doctor. And only he can prepare the special medicine."
      "Then tell me where Andeng Village is, please. How do I get there?"
      "It's east …you take the left path and follow it, until you come to a right path." He responded numbly, not even considering her question until she stepped back. Then he lifted his head, suddenly intent on her face. "You're not going to-!"
      "Hai. My life is in your debt, Hans-san. I'll make the trip to Andeng Village to find the doctor, to save your mother." She smiled brightly, bowing. "Daijoubu. No monsters will find me easy to defeat."
      "Let's hope not," she could hear Alex mutter next to her ear, making her twitch. She'd almost forgotten the tall red-head was there.
      Hans was staring at her still, his expression obviously torn between concern and dismay. Mercury could only imagine how life under the glacier would have treated her; no doubt women were expected to be the mothers and the cooks and cleaners, not soldiers. It would explain the reaction she'd seen during their walk through the village, with her short skirt. He was probably trying to cope with the very idea of a girl being able to fight, and coming up short.
      But to his credit, he finally nodded. "Then be careful, please, Mercury. For my mother's sake, hurry back. Be safe."
      "I will. I promise, Hans-san."

      Not as far away as one would expect, there wasn't a soul to witness Nabu's fit. Mostly, it was from sheer boredom; she had been dumped into this endless world of ice to wait for the blue-haired genius to finally make her way into her hands, and that was some time off. She knew the little bitch wouldn't be able to just get up and walk away, oh no, she had to throw in a good deed or seven first. And being a flagrant abuser of time, she knew already how long she'd need to wait for the chit to get her head out of her high-and-mighty ass.
      She couldn't even pinpoint what it was exactly that annoyed her so grievously about the soldier of ice. Maybe it was the intelligence, what she had always seen as a "holier-than-thou" attitude as she administered to the health of the people in the future. So damned smart, and she wasted her time protecting a blonde goddess who allowed her people to die. And in that way, she was as stupid as a rock.
      Nabu blasted off a chunk of ice from the wall of the cavern, shaping it into a sharply angular figure of a girl poised to strike. "Mercury, my opponent," she muttered, staring at it as her fists tightened. "When you finally arrive, I'll take pleasure in defeating you. You'll be as broken as this figure of ice!" she howled, shattering the sculpture with several blows of her power. The sound of ice hitting the ground was like tinkling glass, and she had to admit that it made her feel just a tiny bit better.
      When Sin had told them to head off the soldiers, she hadn't bothered to mention how long they'd need to wait. After all, they had to arrive first, to call up the creatures to bedevil the soldiers during their quest, otherwise they'd be free to roam and to find the stones. Then it was a waiting game, a mind-numbingly boring waste of time, as the soldiers made their way towards them. Sin wouldn't allow them to simply attack and kill them, or even subvert them, which seemed completely unreasonable in Nabu's opinion.
      So she blasted a few more chunks of ice, and thought again about her dreams.

      "Mercury Aqua Mirage!" she shouted, sending her power towards the two youma. They howled in pain, disappearing into dust, and she slumped in relief. "Kami-sama, why are there so many? They seem limitless!"
      "Sin must know we're here," Alex said grimly, helping the blue-haired genius up. "We have to hurry and get to Andeng before they wear you out. You're already too tired for this."
      "Hai, Alex-san." Taking a moment to stretch her arms and back - she was growing tense from standing in attack position too many times - she began jogging again, concentrating on breathing steadily as she went. Walking was too slow, and far too cold; even with her uniform and magic, she was beginning to feel chilled. Jogging was keeping her temperature up. Thinking clinically was also keeping her from losing her mind; so much ice and cold was beginning to remind her of the Arctic. Of that last day, facing Metallia's shadow.
      She quickened her pace, hearing the familiar thrum of a youma appearing behind her. At the last minute she dropped, hearing it swipe at empty air above her head, and spun around to release her fog. A telltale rumble told her that Alex had managed to loosen a chunk of ice; the subsequent wet thud and howl was the youma's painful death. "I think we're close; I can finally sense people."
      "I hope so; my legs are beginning to hurt. I'm not used to this kind of exercise," Mercury laughed, trying to keep her spirits up. She crawled onto her feet and kept on going.
      When they finally walked into the village, both of them were surprised to see a thriving community in contrast to the sober, quiet village that Kainess had been. More houses dotted the cavern, their children running across the rough ice shouting. Many stopped to stare at the odd girl standing in the entrance, but many more also waved. "How…happy it seems here. I wonder why Kainess is so sad in comparison."
      "Maybe because Andeng is bigger?" Alex suggested. "Everyone was at least content in Kainess, but this place is more Disney than Euro." They watched a pair of girls run by, kicking what looked to be a home-stitched approximation of a soccer ball. Just as curious as the rest, they both slid to a stop on the dirty ice, cocking their heads like quizzical puppies. At Mercury's hesitant partial bow of acknowledgement, they smiled.
      "Are you from above?" they asked in uneven unison.
      "Hai, we are-ano, I mean, I am, from above," Mercury hastily answered, mentally chiding herself for forgetting Alex's current state. She bowed quickly. "My name is Sailor Mercury. Do you live here, in Andeng Village?"
      Both girls began to giggle, though it was obvious that they were too innocent to be intentionally cruel. The blonde, her hair tied back in a tight braid, said, "Of course we do! How odd a question. But mama always said people from above ask very odd questions."
      The other, a brunette with hair cut as short as Mercury's own, said, "And you're from above, of course. So you can ask odd questions. Are you coming to us from Kainess?"
      How could they know? Mercury frowned, considering the possibilities, then mentally chastised herself again. How else would she know the name of their village, unless she'd been in Kainess to hear about it? Simple logic won again. "I am. It's very important I find Dr. Schwartz. Can you tell me where he lives?"
      Both of them pointed towards a nondescript house, almost identical to the one in Kainess, and looking just as abandoned. "That's where Dr. Schwartz lives," the brunette sing-songed, exchanging a sly glance with her friend.
      "But he isn't there right now because of his unusual character," the blonde sang back.
      "His unusual character? What do you mean?" the blue-haired genius queried curiously, watching the two girls continue their exchange. It reminded her of a guilty secret being kept that wasn't really a secret; that all-important staple of life: gossip.
      "Gretel! Miriam! Why are you bothering that sweet lady?" Both girls winced at the bellow, and Mercury saw a portly straw-haired woman emerge from the closest house, holding a broom. "You two are silly little chatter cows! Come back inside, then, and do your chores if you've so much time to talk."
      Mercury's mouth twitched at the expression - chatter cows? - but she felt bad as both girls visibly drooped. Turning on her best smile, she said to the woman, "It's all my fault, surely. I asked them my own questions. About Dr. Schwartz, in particular."
      The woman jerked her broom in an obvious sign of irritation across the ice, nodding her head. "Oh, so you're from Kainess! Your unusual clothes-well, anyway, Dr. Schwartz isn't here. He's gone north into the caverns. Honestly, we hardly see him at all."
      "North into the caverns?"
      "Oh, yes, there are many lengths of caverns beneath the glacier. Once, perhaps, they led to above, but they've long frozen shut at their ends. So now we've many empty spaces to explore." She swished her broom again, perhaps too well-bred to openly show her annoyance. It obviously wasn't to clean the ice, which was past all hope after how many countless years of trampling feet. "Dr. Schwartz prefers his cave to our company. But he's a brilliant doctor, and so perhaps that's what he needs."
      The blue-haired genius closed her eyes for a moment, feeling weariness creep up her limbs. She'd barely made it to Andeng without collapsing, and now she was being told that he wasn't even in residence, that she'd need to travel further - fight more youma - just to seek him out. And that didn't even account for the trip back to Kainess. It seemed as if her stubborn need to save the sick was indeed going to kill her.
      She just sighed, straightening her back. What else could she do? She was a sailor soldier, and an aspiring doctor. If she had to travel north into the caverns, she'd damn well travel north. "Arigatou. I suppose I'll be going, then." She bowed properly, feeling her knees wobble, and took a minute longer than was necessary to stand up again.
      Only to find all three of them staring at her. "Going? North?" the woman practically squeaked. "With so many monsters? That you've made it here….! You can't go!"
      "They appeared so suddenly, recently. Now it isn't safe for us to travel out of the village. We could die." The brunette sounded rather matter-of-fact about the problem, but perhaps she never had any aspirations to leave her home anyway. She shrugged her shoulders. "They're vicious creatures. Dr. Schwartz may never return."
      Mercury felt an urge to start laughing at the sheer craziness of how she had to look to them, in her short skirt and bodice, proclaiming her intention to venture north into danger. She was most likely wearing less right now than they ever did out of doors in their entire lives; they probably expected her to drop dead of hypothermia once she left. All she could finally manage was a weak, "Well, I'll have to change that, ne?"
      "No, no! You can't! Not with so many monsters!" The woman was adamant. She stomped her foot twice, grabbing Mercury's arm in a gentle but firm grip. "Not without some food in that skinny belly. You people from above aren't fed properly! Eat, and then reconsider this. The doctor can return on his own." So saying, she spun the blue-suited soldier around, marching her into the house despite her weak protests.
      Alex snickered, following a much more leisurely pace. After all, it wasn't her skinny belly the woman was intent on stuffing.

      A long hour later, Mercury burped. "Ara, gomen nasai! My stomach is very full."
      "I'd think so, considering how much dead cow she tried forcing down your throat. I'm surprised you had the strength to stop at the fourth helping." The blue-haired genius laughed, remembering the portly woman's surprise when she had refused yet another plate full of what could pleasantly be described as 'bland' stewed meat. Apparently no one had left them with the proper herbs to add flavour to their food, or they preferred it so tasteless it could be mistaken for shoe leather. Even with her hunger, she had been forced to choke it down.
      It had helped, however. She felt considerably more energized, her head cleared of the haze she'd felt creeping in with fatigue. A short nap on the blonde girl's bed while dinner was being finished had also done wonders. Now, her biggest concern was the possibility of a side cramp.
      She began kneading her ribs unconsciously as she turned the corner into a slightly larger tunnel of endless ice, a pair of large, dirty prints showing her where the doctor had gone. For someone who was so unusual, he certainly did walk in an almost obsessively straight line. He also had quite large feet. "I wonder if he'll be happy to see someone?" she mused out loud as she walked, unaware of the youma until she almost slammed into it.
      It was the clear crystal of the ice surrounding it, its eyes two dark splashes that stood out like holes. That was her tip-off; they were too approximately spaced, too perfectly matched, to be natural. She tensed, fists clenching, as she stopped, calling power to her hands. "Youma!"
      The creature moved, visible still only by its eyes. She felt a trickle of apprehension at this; an enemy was difficult enough without it being nearly invisible as well. So cleanly camouflaged, she didn't even see it raise its hands and release a barrage of icicles until they were shooting towards her, tips sharp as darts. She leapt aside, summoning her fog to even up the odds; if the damn youma could be invisible, so could she. "Alex-san, can you sense it?"
      "Blank slate." It was shorthand for what the tall red-head described as "A perfectly empty mind, no one's home, lights aren't even on." So she turned on her goggles, scanning the immediate area, to find…
      ….nothing.
      The blow from behind threw her nearly ten metres across the air, tumbling through a hazy fog that hadn't even begun to dissipate, in a wall she couldn't see. She cried out as her shoulder lit up with a jagged stab of pain, and slid down the ice onto the cold ground. "Alex-san, I can't sense it at all!" she gasped as she rolled onto her other side, using her good arm to lever herself up.
      She could hear Alex swearing, then a rush of air; then the youma was grabbing her, claws digging into her breast as it lifted her by her brooch and bow, legs kicking uselessly. Screaming once, she looked down to see its eyes; fathomless black, and entirely empty. Her goggles didn't even see them, anymore than they saw the paint on a brick wall.
      It lifted her higher, and she let go of its hand to press her palms out towards those eyes, gasping, "Mercury Aqua Mirage!"
      The reaction had her thrown up into the ceiling, imbedding her a few centimetres deep as the youma exploded rather spectacularly. As the shockwaves passed, she felt her body heat melt her free, and she dropped like a rag doll the few metres to the floor, managing to land on her feet at the last minute. She took off her goggles and sighed, wincing as her shoulder flared again with pain. "And I was feeling better."
      "You know, this ghostly sidekick gig isn't working out as well as I hoped. I never expected to be this useless," Alex groused, her voice growing louder as she floated closer. Two small balls of snow and ice were hovering at around the tall red-head's eye level, presumably so Mercury could see her. They even had two tiny depressions for pupils; she giggled.
      "You haven't been useless, Alex-san! Besides, this is good training for a lone soldier. I have to be stronger. I can't always depend on Usagi-tachi to be there with me." Working her shoulder, the blue-haired genius giggled harder as the two ice balls rolled upward.
      "Now you sound like me. I did the stubborn lone ranger routine, too, and got my ass kicked many a time." The ice balls looked off to the left slyly, then back to Mercury. "I saw this on an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pretty nifty, isn't it? Though I had to improvise."
      All Mercury could do was laugh as Alex trotted off ahead, ice balls bouncing minutely up and down to mimic her footsteps. "Alex-san, you're very weird," she said as she followed, satisfied her shoulder wasn't dislocated.
      Turning yet another corner, they found themselves looking at a small entrance in the opposite wall, while the path continued on past it and around one more curve. The footsteps went into the entrance without hesitation, so they did the same. More of the same ambient light continued to light their way, bright enough to see, but not to blind; whomever had enspelled the glacier had done a proper job of it. Of course, the blue-haired genius was sure she'd still have a difficult time adjusting to the sunlight once they left the accursed underground world.
      "This place is a maze. You have to wonder if maybe those two villages covered more ground down here. There's no other reason for all these empty caves and trails." The two ice balls rolled back to look at Mercury in sympathetic agreement, which had the blue-suited soldier giggling. "What?"
      "You could be right, Alex-san. This is certainly extensive. But why would anyone live beneath a glacier in the first place?" Mercury mused, rubbing her arms briskly. "Certainly this country can be just as cold above ground, but why below? Why did they choose such an existence?"
      They came to a slow stop as the tunnel arced into a ninety-degree turn, out of sight. The curve itself had been hollowed out, set up with a few wooden tables and equipment that looked like modern scientific laboratory tools: beakers, racks, weights and measures. Most of it also looked disused, as if it were a storage space, which also explained the jumble of boxes and chests shoved into the furthest corner. "How strange!"
      Mercury reached into the mess, plucking a beaker from the table and holding it up to eye level. It was clean of even fingerprints, not a hint of what it had once held. "How could they have such instruments? Surely they can't leave the glacier to buy these tools."
      "The time of the Silver Millennium was hardly medieval, Mercury. Most of what's been 'invented' now by scientists was long discovered and used back then. Stop thinking like a 21st Century know-it-all." The ice balls bounced past her as she blinked, cheeks warming as she realized her error. "I never could figure out why you geniuses always assumed that everyone was dumb as a rock before the discovery of electricity."
      "Well, electricity was a major discovery," Mercury said curtly, setting the beaker down. "And we've discovered far more purpose in science than our ancestors. We've cured so many diseases that once ravaged nations -"
      "And created more by being so bold as to change the course of nature," Alex cut in. "Mercury, science isn't the end all be all of everything. And you're talking to a scientist's daughter, so I can say with righteous indignation that's almost more trouble than it's worth, sometimes." The ice balls lowered as she examined the piles of chests in the corner. "Science does not mean civilization. Once upon a time, all they needed was magic." Both of them now rolled back up to stare at Mercury. "Once upon a time, Mercury understood that."
      The blue-haired genius folded her arms, frowning. "Are you saying I'm too ignorant to understand that world? I was born in this world, Alex-san, not that world of magic and mystery. I'm trying to understand, but it's difficult; the rational mind is simply not tolerant of such…" She waved her hand flippantly, feeling her temper rise. "…tricks."
      She heard Alex snort. "I'm wounded. Now I'm apparently no longer considered a rational being. And then, she said, to change the subject, come look at these bulging chests."
      "'Bulging' chests….?" Mercury grunted as a chest came flying into her arms, which she caught, barely. The wood was so ancient it was soft as fabric; she could feel it disintegrating in her hands. She flipped the latch - which wasn't locked - and opened the lid.
      Inside lay a sparkle of sapphires, as beautiful and perfect as the day they'd been made. The silk they had rested on had long rotted away, however; it fell apart as she lifted the pendant, feeling its weight in her palm. "Alex-san, these are…!"
      "Amazing, innit? All of these chests have jewels and weapons in them. If we're right about Zoisite, this might have been his personal stuff. Is the stone making any noise?"
      Mercury fondled the pendant lovingly, hypnotized by its sparkle. It was a flat oval piece of the gem, backed by silver, into which had been carved a flowing symbol which she assumed was Zoisite's sigil. The chain was a solid piece of silver that curiously curled around the neck to hold it securely; she tried it on, delighted to find it fitted. The ring was merely a silver band, studded with the gems, so she slipped it on her opposite finger, removing her glove.
      A mirror floated up for her to see herself, and she stared at what she saw; a pale Mercury, cheeks red from the cold, the sapphire resting just in the curve of her breasts, her finger sparkling with miniature rainbows. She also saw a faint greenish halo surrounding her, so pale it was like a mirage at the edges of her vision. "A-Alex-san!"
      "You see it?" The mirror lowered onto the table as Mercury shivered, reaching abruptly to take the jewelry off. She was stopped by an invisible set of hands. "Don't. I don't think it's meant to hurt you; it looks like magic. A shield of protection. Maybe Zoisite intended this for someone he loved."
      If it was possible, Mercury looked even more embarrassed. "His lover!? Iie! I can't wear this! It would be cruel! I mean, I can't wear something like that!"
      "Mercury, I don't think he'll be upset. After all, the man's technically dead now." Alex sounded casually amused as she watched the blue-haired genius wring her hands. The poor girl had enough problems with love letters; dealing with a dead man's magical jewels intended for his possible lover could tip her over into apoplexia. "Think of it this way; the youma may recognize his power, and leave you alone, or at least give your less trouble. Keep them on."
      The ice balls were picked up off the table, staring at Mercury impassively. Recognizing that she'd lost, she sighed, dropping her hands. "Hai, hai."

      Further down the tunnel, they found him.
      They hadn't walked any further than a kilometre from the storage cavern when a youma tried to attack. Though the jewels didn't scare it off - they both hypothesized afterwards that 'good' Zoisite's power might have differed from 'bad' Zoisite - they did offer her an extra layer of protection she sorely needed. Many of the creature's attacks were deflected away without even hitting her, giving her the opportunity to launch her own magic to destroy it.
      After that, she felt just fine wearing them.
      Of course, it didn't hurt that she also loved sapphires. If she ever married, she wanted her husband to give her a sapphire ring, which, if she was allowed to keep these jewels, would then match. It was a nice fantasy, and it kept her smiling until they walked into the cavern at the end of the tunnel, and nearly into the portly old doctor they'd been searching for. Then she wished desperately she was anywhere but in that particular spot.
      He didn't see them at first; he was too busy wandering around a cluster of tables and one clumsily made chair, shaking a beaker of this, examining a tube of that. Mercury could see now what Alex had meant by magic and science, as she watched the Bunsen burners heat up their plates with what looked to be a roiling, miniature ball of purple flame. He said, "Off!" to one of them, and it vanished, allowing him to pick up the beaker with bare hands.
      "Ano…" Mercury flinched at the sight; from long experience, she knew the glass had to be hot. And yet, he didn't even blink.
      "Behold, the power of the Schwartz," Alex muttered; it sounded like she was snickering.
      Setting it down, he crossed to another table, muttering to himself - it sounded like equations, but none she'd ever learned in school - and picked up a well-worn book, flipping roughly through it. In the process, he turned off two more burners, transferred their contents into one large flask, flipped through a few more pages, and stirred the liquid mix. "Sumimasen ga," Mercury said, a little louder. "Dr. Schwartz?"
      He set the book down, carrying the flask to a different table, where he then proceeded to dole out equal measures into a sea of empty tubes. Now he was humming, or at least it sounded melodious enough to be a random hum, bouncing his head back and forth. Mercury palmed her face, inwardly groaning; he'd walked right past her almost three times already, and while she had no illusions about being anything other than plain, she knew she stood out in this world with her clothes and face. And in this cold oblivion, the man had to be completely alone; any kind of visitor would stand out.
      She cleared her throat, saying a little louder still - and still as politely as possible - "Sumimasen ga, Dr. Schwartz!"
      Humming.
      Now quite frustrated, and completely ignoring the irony (after all, she was just as oblivious when her nose was buried in a book), she shouted, "Dr. Schwartz!"
      "Oh!" The portly old man turned around, almost dropping the empty flask. He coughed, straightening his coat. "I am Dr. Schwartz, and who are you?" Adjusting his large glasses, he stared at the blue-suited soldier, who stared back, rather abashed. Then, with a speed belying his old age, he skipped over to her side to stare even closer at her. "Oh, oh. A pretty young girl has come to visit me!"
      That was definitely not what she had expected. "N-Nani?"
      He sidled up closer, and she took a hasty step back. "A pretty young girl! Tell me, how old are you?"
      "I'm fifteen years old," she answered politely, though she was eyeing him with something akin to terror as he took a step closer, and she one back.
      "Fifteen? Why, that's marvelous; still young, but reaching a prime stage of youth!" He tugged at his coat again, preening for her benefit, ignoring the obvious food stains and chemical burns that marred the cloth. "And when is your birthday? I'll be sixty this next cycle myself!"
      "September 10th-" She made a desperate chirping noise as her back hit the ice wall. "But I don't understand why-"
      "Oh, you're from above! Let me think-you're a Virgo, are you not? The sign of the virgin!" He positively beamed, unaware that his coat collar was being pulled from behind, stopping him from getting any closer to her. "Do you have a boyfriend? Not anymore, I'd say, but one can't be too sure in these matters of love!"
      His shoes were actually sliding backwards across the ice by this point as she stammered, "I-Iie, but I can't have one right now! I have so many important things to accomplish! My heart can wait until after exams, and then, perhaps…"
      Then she frowned, relaxing as his proximity lessened. "Wait a minute, why am I telling you this? I came here on a mission of importance!"
      "Importance? Ah, I see; you've fought so many monsters to come to me, because someone is sick. Oh well; a pretty girl like you must have many boys." He motioned to her hand, and she started; she had forgotten to put her glove back on, and the ring sparkled merrily for everyone to see.
      "That's not it at all! I mean, it was intended for someone else, but I-never mind." She flushed, resolving to pick up her glove on the way back. It had to be lying in the ice back at the cavern, where she'd dropped it. "You have to come with me to Kainess Village, Dr. Schwartz. Hans's mother is very sick."
      The portly man adjusted his glasses and sighed. "Ah, his mother. Yes, I should have known. I have several bottles of medicine here that will make her well." He turned to pick up a black bag, holding it up for emphasis. Then, looking apprehensive, he put it back down. "But the monsters…how could you have defeated them? They're dangerous! However, they won't come in this cavern, so we'll be safe."
      "How interesting that they avoid all other people but me," Mercury muttered, glancing back the way she came. Either Sin and her friends had prepared in such a manner, or Zoisite's protection was still strong enough to repel the creatures from such places. She had a feeling they wouldn't hesitate to endanger innocent people, if only to capture her again.
      She gestured as if to brush away the thought, and said briskly, "Let's go, Schwartz-san. I can take care of the monsters. His mother is far too sick for us to wait any longer!"
      The man practically giggled. He picked up his bag, coming up beside her with a wide smile. "Of course, young lady! I wouldn't miss a date with such a pretty girl."
      "It isn't a date!" she exclaimed, exasperated, and started back into the tunnel.

      "Nabu, are you restless?" Sin's voice echoed throughout the icy prison she had willingly trapped herself within, as the ponytailed blonde stood at its entrance. The question appeared to be genuine, but she wouldn't be fooled; allies they might have been, but not necessarily friends. Weakness was no option for the victors.
      "Restless? Hardly. Merely planning the quickest way to defeat the soldier of ice in her element. If anything, she's the one to worry, walking these long, lonely corridors." Nabu sneered, continuing to pace as she envisioned Mercury's hollow eyes staring at her, body thrown to the floor and bleeding her life into the ice. She also imagined that same girl accepting her new fate, kissing her hand in gratefulness; and who wouldn't be so deliriously happy to have that burden taken off her shoulders? Either way, the soldier of ice would fall. It was up to her if it would be merciful or violent.
      Sin was smiling at her now, obviously aware of her lie. No doubt she had visited the others in much the same fashion, testing their strength, their loyalty to the mission - she could only imagine how devoted Ishtar was to anything - and finding her own flaws. Being as close to Apsu-sama as she was, she could be a conniving bitch and get away with it. "So everything is going as we've planned, ne, Nabu-chan?" she purred, breaking an icicle from a nearby shelf and idly sucking at it. It would've been a blatant introduction to oral if Nabu were male.
      Instead, she snorted, turning away to glare viciously at the wall. "Why would you doubt me, Sin? I have, we all have, followed you faithfully since Apsu-sama brought us together. Instead, why not ask that little otouto-chan of yours if he still has the courage to fight?" she taunted back, smiling wickedly as she heard the crack of ice.
      The ponytailed blonde opened her fist, dropping the shards to the ground. Without another word she teleported away, and Nabu finally turned to glare daggers of her own to where the girl had once stood. "Bitch. Hurry, Mercury, and come to me; I'm growing impatient! Sin has no right to do this to me; not to Nabu!"

      "Mercury! Dr. Schwartz!" Hans looked openly relieved to see them both as he opened the door at her gentle - if a tad insistent - knock. He ushered them inside, giving the blue-haired genius a wide smile as he said, "Thank you very much, Mercury. My mother will be fine now, because of your kindness." To the doctor, he said, "She's this way, Dr. Schwartz," and led the portly man away from Mercury, who was left to stand awkwardly in the doorway.
      Though she was certainly relieved herself to be rid of the old lecher. She sighed; the man was a kind individual, selflessly dedicated to taking care of everyone who lived within the villages, and once he'd discovered her passion for medicine, they'd had an excellent discussion. But he was also a dirty old man, the kind which resided by the hundreds, if not possible thousands, in Tokyo's urban jungle, and while he didn't touch her as inappropriately as those on the train would, he certainly gave her the vibes of wanting to. He was also keenly interested in her as a sailor soldier - she'd had to fight four youma on the way back to Kainess - and told her that he had heard about her a long time ago; from Zoisite's trunks. The long-haired blond general had apparently kept more in them than just weapons.
      She didn't know how to deal with the idea of a dead man apparently pining for her from afar. Though she supposed it wasn't really 'pining'; Zoisite had pronounced her previous self as being too "cold" during their one-time meeting, and though they had discoursed pleasantly on the topics of a planetary treaty, he seemed to have been more in love with her face and mind than personality. Had she really been such a distant person in that life?
      Now, she could finally ask, without the good doctor nipping at her heels. Though it had also been an embarrassing comfort not to ask such questions; she wanted to know, but she wasn't sure if she truly wanted to know. The details of that life were vague enough, and she could now finally cope with the idea of being reincarnated, but to be shown again, in such a blatant manner…did she really want those pictures?
      "Alex-san," she said softly, taking a seat at the nearby table she assumed was for dining. "Alex-san, are you still here?"
      "I'm contemplating denying everything." The tall red-head sounded somber, from somewhere off to Mercury's right. "Pleading the Fifth."
      "You can't." Mercury stared away, interested in the framed pictures on the wall; apparently, their technology allowed for some sort of camera. "I want to know, Alex-san. What have you really told us of our past lives, after all?"
      "Why do you want to re-live them? Mizuno Ami is not Sailor Mercury of the Silver Millennium. You're two different people, who lived two different lives. What she did then, and what you do now, doesn't matter."
      The blue-haired genius touched the wooden frame, tracing its rough edge. "Trapped inside a framework, just like Mercury," she murmured, tapping the glass. "Just a picture…all I have are pictures. Nothing else, to say who I was. Just a museum painting."
      Alex made an aggrieved sound. "What? You want to hear that Sailor Mercury was a heartless woman? That all she cared about was science and discovery, and barely of her mission as a soldier? Sure, she loved the princess, but in the way one loves a simple-minded puppy. So many nights we spent arguing over stupid things. She thought she knew everything as logic dictated, she knew nothing of her heart."
      Mercury tilted her head. She remembered their own quibble, back in the cave; that she was as thoughtless as her century in believing that they were the only truly scientifically efficient generation. "Does science and discovery bother you so much, Alex-san? Is that why you two argued?"
      "Of course it doesn't. I'm a merry Darwinian, I appreciate science instead of theology. But I also know that scientists have a tendency to be egotistical, heartless idiots. Mercury was one of them; if it wasn't set in mathematical equation, she couldn't care. My mother had been standing on the precipice. You might never be, because you're not entirely science, but medicine. And medicine, for you, takes heart. It takes kindness." A lock of blue hair was tucked behind her ear by invisible fingers. "You're Mizuno Ami, and you're a kind soul."
      She smiled, touching her ear. It senseless bothered her to know who she had been - though that same logic told her she hadn't truly been that girl - but it made her feel better to know that the same woman who dealt with both knew her to be the better person. No half-baked memories could tell her that. She was not the distant artist like her father, or the scattered doctor like her mother; she was the product of both, and so she was neither. Nothing like Mercury, whom Zoisite had viewed from afar.
      "I should check on Hans-san," she said carelessly, standing up, only to feel her knees twinge, her hips flash with pain. She was used to walking, but this had been a marathon day; she truly needed more rest. She rubbed her hip as she crossed the room, frowning at the sight of the doctor rummaging deep into his bag; as if he didn't have what he needed. "Dr. Schwartz? Hans-san?"
      Both men turned to look at her, both looking troubled. "I am afraid I am not as prepared as I expected," the doctor explained apologetically, closing his bag. "I know what she is sick of, but her illness is far more advanced than I had expected! Only medicine prepared from Halyomoss will stop this sickness now."
      "Halyomoss?" Mercury queried, twisting her mouth clumsily around the word. She had never heard of such a thing. It may have been an ancient word for a common plant, or something entirely alien that only produced down below the ice. "Why is she so terribly ill? Is it uncommon?"
      Dr. Schwartz looked at her curiously, for once completely clean of his lecher's twinkle. "Unusual, yes. But contact with another recently from above…it has strengthened the sickness."
      She felt her stomach plummet like a stone, and she took a step back. "I….you mean…I made her worse?" she whispered faintly.
      "You could not have known, Mercury," the doctor replied gravely. "You know little of our world, below the ice. Your world was always far away, out of our reach."
      "But I'm responsible!" she cried, touching her mouth with a shaking hand.
      "It's not so bad as that. Of course, it is very serious, but with the medicine in time, she will be just fine. All I need is some Halyomoss, and I can prepare it at her bedside."
      Hans nodded, looking relieved. "Of course, doctor. I'll run to your office now; you have some, surely, in your stock?" His face fell when the portly old man shook his head in the negative.
      "I'm afraid not, young man. The plant is very fragile. It must be picked immediately prior to its use, or it will wither! Usually, I simply take it from the cave behind my laboratory."
      Mercury felt her shoulders sag. She could, of course, say to hell with it and abandon them both, continuing on with her own mission to save the past, present, and future. They weren't even that important in the scheme of things; if his mother died, she could still win the war. But Hans had been kind to her; and this was her fault. Of course she had to fix it.
      She straightened up, determinedly fixing her eyes on both men. "I'll be back shortly, Hans-san, Dr. Schwartz. The Halyomoss is in a cave behind your own, doctor, ne?" When he didn't answer, instead staring at her in confusion, she repeated the question, and he finally muttered an affirmative. "Well, I'm sure I can find it. I don't know of many plants that thrive in cold environments."
      "I'm sorry, Mercury, but I've already planned to go." Hans sounded determined as he stared back at her stunned face, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous out there, and for a girl such as yourself…! No, I won't let you put yourself into danger again. That you did so once already…"
      "Hans-san, it's far too dangerous for you! The monsters are nothing I haven't faced before, as a sailor soldier." At his stubborn expression, she frowned, recognizing the bullheadedness of many a male she had encountered at home. The type of male who thought women were too weak to take care of themselves. "Hans-san, this is my duty. Let me go."
      "You'll be hurt."
      "And you won't? Hans-san, those monsters are just as dangerous as everyone fears! I can fight them. I was given that strength." So saying she lifted her hand, calling power to it. In front of their eyes, she created a miniature water spout above her palm, a delicate arch of aqueous magic that spun and twisted into thin air. Lightly she breathed on it, and it turned to ice, shattering like glass. "This is my power. I am Sailor Mercury."
      He was gaping at her, slack-jawed. Dr. Schwartz, having seen her power under duress already, merely looked impressed. She was pretty sure Alex had muttered "Show off" into her ear, but it was so quiet she could have been mistaken.
      "Fine," he finally managed, shaking his head. "Fine. We'll both go. She's my mother. I won't let her down. Even if there may be monsters." Without bothering to confirm her assent, he nodded towards the doctor. "We'll be back with the Halyomoss soon, of course."
      "I'll be watching your mother carefully, Hans."
      "Of course, doctor. Are you ready, Mercury?" he asked, turning to face her.
      She was tongue-tied, staring at him in confusion; and she didn't truly understand why. The show of bravery was perhaps expected, simply because he seemed to be a kind man outside of his masculine bigotry, but her treacherous mind didn't see him at all; she saw Kane-san as she had years ago, smiling at her. She remembered his mother dying at the time, sick of cancer, and all he could do was hold her hand and be with her; she was too far gone for any therapy or surgery.
      It was silly, comparing the two men; why, they didn't even look alike!
      But she couldn't help it. Maybe it was because of Kane-san's re-entrance into her life; maybe it was the knowledge of Mercury, seen through Zoisite's eyes; him rescuing her from a cold, lonely death; it could have been anything. She looked at Hans, and saw Kane-san, sitting at the side of his mother's bed, determined to be with her until the very end.
      Swallowing, she nodded. "Hai, Hans-san. Together."

      Again: "Mercury Aqua Mirage!" Gasping, as the attack slapped the youma aside, but didn't stop it, only wounded it. The same attack that had destroyed a similar creature with one blow only an hour ago. Kami-sama, she was tired.
      She leapt away as the youma darted towards her, moving just as quickly despite the attack, much quicker than she was. Its clawed fingers scraped past her bodice, tearing threads, and she took the opportunity to grab its wrist and arm, using their momentum to swing the creature around and away from her awkwardly. She landed on her side on the ice, sliding.
      "Mercury!" she heard Hans shout, and she rolled in time to miss impalement. Rocking back onto her shoulders, she kicked up into the youma's chest with all her strength. One foot connected; the other hit it in the chin, snapping its head back.
      A large icicle appeared through its ribcage, or in the area of where it should have been. It didn't bleed proper red, but a viscous purple; all of which turned to dust within seconds of death, staining the ice grey. "Arigatou," Mercury coughed, resting back on her elbows. "Alex-san."
      Hans, too far away to hear her, probably thought she was thanking him, which explained his nod. Alex, however, answered, though she couldn't pinpoint the tall red-head after she had dropped the icicle. "De rien, p'tite. Next time, however, try a different attack, n'eh? You're draining yourself far too much using the Mirage. Don't need a hammer to kill a flea."
      Mercury just wrinkled her nose at the imagery and crawled to her feet, wobbling like a broken-stemmed flower before regaining her balance. This was the fifth youma since they had left Kainess, which had them considering the possibility that Zoisite's Hi stone was close to the location of the Halyomoss; there was no other reason for them to be attacking with such alarming frequency. The first cave was only a few metres ahead, and she was shuddering to think what would happen if a sixth creature appeared to block her way; she would be on her hands and knees, crawling the last steps.
      Then, Hans was there, looping her arm over his shoulders without comment, holding her upright. "Mercury, you shouldn't have come," he remarked mournfully, seeing her pale face.
      "And how would you have fought those youma on your own?" she replied, though she had a feeling they would have left him entirely alone had she gone her own way. Guilt was a wonderful motivator; she started walking before he could reply back.
      They collapsed in uneven unison against a table at the first opportunity, both of them catching their breath. Hans released her and stepped away, staring around with undisguised awe at the jumble of seemingly junk contained within the alcove. "Surely this isn't Dr. Schwartz's laboratory! These things seem forgotten."
      "Not entirely, Hans-san. Dr. Schwartz says these two caves were used as storage by someone else, a long time ago," Mercury sighed, propping herself up against the table. The doctor had told her his theory during the trip back, which had led to their discussion about Zoisite; and her previous life. He also mentioned that there had been a lot of interesting 'stuff' contained within the boxes and trunks, which, despite her innate curiousity, she was in no mood to examine further.
      Hans didn't seem as stoic as her towards them; he was readily opening a trunk, looking inside. At her stare of displeasure, he only shrugged. "In this world, any discovery can be useful. There's plenty of hidden treasures in caverns I've never explored, left behind by those who founded our villages."
      She supposed it did make sense. The entire world she had seen thus far beneath the glacier seemed to exist solely on the good graces of magic. If it had been connected to above during the Silver Millennium, the flow of goods and information would have ceased after the battle on the Moon, at least from the spotty details she knew. Finding these hidden troves could be the same to them as Tut's tomb was to Carter.
      So she continued to relax as best she could, knowing she'd be thrown out to the wolves again shortly, and watched him root around like a piglet after the elusive truffles. He opened trunks, pulled out more than a few weapons she was loathe to name, books of all sizes, what looked to be an assortment of hair adornments and cosmetics - the man had been truly vain. Mercury had to laugh, despite herself, at the brief memory of Zoisite at the auction, trying to reconcile that monster with a haughty blond man applying kohl to his eyes. She simply couldn't do it.
      "This looks like food! But after so long? What do you think, Mercury?" Hans set a bag open down on the table in front of her, motioning to the contents.
      Inside was a jumble of what did look like edibles; like the rock candy her mother had brought home one time, from a medical conference in America. Or, perhaps more accurately, like slivers of ice still frozen, clear through, but all of them of a uniform size and shape. She removed one gently, sniffing at it to discern spoilage, but smelt a fresh scent that reminded her of mint. "It smells fresh, like mint. I wonder what they are?" she murmured, not catching his mutter of confusion over the word 'mint.' "What purpose could they serve?"
      Hans pulled one out as well, staring at it in bewilderment. "Like ice, but…not! It doesn't even feel cold!" Without hesitation, he put it in his mouth before Mercury could warn him not to - it was ancient, and also possibly germ infested - where it instantly dissolved. She gaped at him, stupefied that he would even do such a thing. "It tastes like nothing I've ever had before…."
      "H-Hans-san, how could you….it's an ancient substance! How could you know its effects? Spit it out immediately, before you take ill!" she snapped at last, in what her friends had long ago learned to regard as her "Listen or Die" voice.
      "Why? Mercury, I feel wonderful! It's amazing!" he exclaimed in return, entirely oblivious to her tone, and pumped his arms vigorously. If she hadn't been warring between shock and anger, she would've laughed at how comical he looked. "You have to try it!"
      "Hans-san, I am not putting a foreign object into my system! I have no idea what it could do to me, and it was highly dangerous of you to even ingest such a substance."
      He laughed, patting his chest. "But I feel better than ever! As if I was never tired at all. This must be a miracle cure of some type; perhaps, it could save my mother, instead of the Halyomoss."
      Without hesitation, she turned on her goggles to scan him, worried at his flippant tone. What she saw shocked her; he was indeed healthy, which wasn't a surprise, but he was showings the signs of an average man long relaxed and at ease, not an average young man who had been predictably stressed and tired from their trip. On more than one occasion he had thrown ice to distract the youma as she had gradually tired, and she could tell that he was plainly not used to walking such a long distance. His body should have been tickled with stress and fatigue toxins, at the very least, a higher heart rate: something to show for it.
      But there was nothing. He could have just rolled out of bed for all of his neural and biological activity. Of course now, his heart was beginning to elevate due to his ridiculous flapping, but as for the rest…
      She looked down at the pouch, mystified to see the glow of magic and a complete chemical break-down; her goggles, presumably working off their centuries of accumulated information, told her they were colloquially referred to as ice shards, used by the people of the Silver Millennium to refresh their bodies. They had no period of expiration, and were as potent as the day they had been made.
      "Alex-san," she murmured beneath her breath, "do you know these 'ice shards'?"
      I do now, though I never used them myself. They were given to soldiers for the most part, to keep them going during long campaigns. Kind of like caffeine pills, except they actually do your body good. Mercury nearly jumped at the sound of her voice inside of her head, though it was scratched and muted, as if from a distance. Of course, she couldn't talk with Hans so close. Take them with you. Hell, have one; you could use some freshening up.
      Are they…are they safe? The blue-haired genius wasn't sure if she was responding correctly; she remembered Alex telling them that she could hear their thoughts, if they did them loudly enough.
      Safe as air. They're made from magic and nature; not man-made chemicals like pills nowadays. Another one of those ancient benefits of science.
      Hesitant, she lifted the shard, staring at it with a worried expression. She still had her doubts, even if the tall red-head claimed they were perfectly safe. It was obviously silly; she had most likely taken them by the handful in her past life. Grimacing, she put it in her mouth, where it dissolved and left behind a pleasantly minty taste.
      The effect was immediate and amazing. Her head cleared, the tension at her temples gone; her muscles no longer ached with fatigue. Astonished, she stretched slowly, feeling her muscles pleasantly bunch and coil, loose but not overworked. "Uso-o," she whispered, rubbing her bicep. "What a miracle!"
      Hans was smiling at her, clearly pleased with her reaction. "I told you. Do you think we could take this back to heal my mother?"
      She rested back on her toes, slowly shaking her head. "Iie, Hans-san. This is magic for the soldier in the field, not the sick. Perhaps, it would make her feel better - for a little while. But it wouldn't cure her illness. We have to continue on."
      They collected everything they wanted - she the ice shards, and he some lovely but lethal daggers and the box of hair adornments - and continued on their way. Now, Mercury was almost hoping for a youma to show up, just so she could use her newfound energy to destroy it; maybe even show off a little, for Hans. She smiled ruefully; how silly of her to want that.
      Of course, owing to luck, none did show up, and they entered the doctor's cave with no incident. "Wow, Dr. Schwartz really works miracles up here!" Hans exclaimed, eyeing the tables set with their instruments with a gleam in his eye. Mercury smiled.
      "Do you enjoy science, Hans-san?" she queried as she looked for the second entrance. He nodded behind her back, toying with an empty beaker.
      "Yes, Dr. Schwartz has always fascinated me. He does so many wonderful things…what he can create is amazing. Out of our villages, he's the only one who can."
      "You mean, only one person is allowed to work with science?" The blue-haired genius frowned as she shoved aside a pile of boxes, uncovering what she was looking for; a rough hole in the ice that looked natural, just big enough to allow them both without scraping their heads. It looked fairly underused as well, judging by the layer of ice on the boxes. The illness must have been rare indeed for him not to need Halyomoss very often.
      Hans came up behind her, his shoes solidly crunching atop the ice, and she turned to see him. "With science, do you mean the medicines? Yes, he is, until he accepts the offer of a student. But he hasn't done so, and he's waited very long - the villages are afraid it may be too late, soon."
      "Then perhaps you should offer to be his student, Hans-san. Medicine is a fascinating subject; the healing of the sick and the injured is always something to smile about." Mercury smiled wistfully in turn, clasping her hands at her breast. "It's my dream as well, to be a doctor. Just like my okaa-san, I want to be a healer of the sick and of the injured. I want to see the smiles of children when they've been cured. It's perhaps selfish of me to want such devotion, especially when…." She trailed off as she thought of a smiling face close to her heart; crystal blue eyes wide and innocent. The odango-haired blonde was entirely unselfish when it came to matters of the heart and soul; could she say the same of herself? Could she refuse her destiny to satisfy herself?
      She gave herself a little shake, realizing Hans was staring at her. "Gomen nasai. I just thought I should give you that advice. Between friends, ne?"
      "Between friends…of course."
      It had to be her imagination that his smile seemed sad.
      "Well! We've found the second entrance. I'll go first, in case the youma attack again. Stay behind me, no matter what!" she said briskly, shaking off her own melancholy as she stepped through the rough-hewn door and into a world of dangerous ice.
      Everything was natural in this tunnel; tips of razor-sharp icicles brushed their hair as they walked, unconsciously hunching down. The walls were so clean and clear that they seemed nearly invisible, though they reflected both of them back in shady chalk strokes. Their footsteps crunched, but didn't echo, nearly uniform in step. Mercury had to wonder if the Dark Kingdom had looked like this, and she shivered in memory.
      The tunnel ended in a large cavern that could have fit the good doctor's laboratory twice over, its ceiling flying high above them. Even before they fully entered it, they could see, nearly above their reach, the rough tufts of green moss that had to be what they were searching for, so slow growing that their harvests had not yet been recovered. The tendrils of roots snaked down along the ice walls, tiny buds pricking their lengths, within easy reach; but Mercury waved Hans away from them, saying, "Mature plants are what we need, Hans-san."
      "Then I'll get some! For my mother's sake, I'll have to reach far."
      Hans circled the cavern slowly, frowning in concentration. It seemed silly to watch him, but Mercury just stood back and did so; it was, after all, his mother who was sick. If he wanted to pick the absolutely best looking moss, he could damn well pick it. He was also taller than her, and more able to reach the desired plants, which also gave him the right to choose.
      Finally, he did make his decision, and she watched in partial horror and amusement as he began to awkwardly climb the wall across from her. He was no good hand at it; he kept grabbing for obviously weak grips and nearly fell on his back twice. But he kept doggedly at it, scraping his knee as he hauled himself up, obviously intent on grabbing what was, to her eyes, an excellent leafy Halyomoss specimen. "Almost there," she heard him mutter, "nearly, I'll have it!"
      Just as he reached to grab it, the ledge he'd chosen to lean on began to crumble.
      She screamed as an entire section fell away, dropping him and the moss onto the ground, though he managed to land on his hands and knees instead of his head. "Hans-san! Daijoubu? Let me see if you're hurt!" she cried, running to his side.
      As she knelt beside him, she felt something warm against her breast. Crying out, she pressed her fingers to the flash of warmth, realizing it was Zoisite's Kage stone. It was reacting; the Hi stone had to be close by. "Mercury? Mercury, I'm alright, only….where's the Halyomoss?"
      "It fell safely on the ice, Hans-san. Are you sure you're alright?" As the stone flashed again, she calmed down, seeing that he was relatively uninjured. Maybe shaken from the fall, but not bleeding; most likely he'd be bruising in a few minutes.
      "As long as I got it, I'll be just fine." He smiled reassuringly, crawling to grab the moss.
      She nodded, but she wasn't focused on that particular mission anymore; touching the Kage stone, she stood up, turning to face the crumbled wall. In its place was a cleanly cut arched door, once cleverly concealed by the ice. Hans and his impatience had dislodged it, and she knew that the Hi stone had to be inside. Without bothering to ask, she walked through.
      The warmth grew in strength as she faced the golden altar that sat a few metres inside, carved with scrollwork and sigils she couldn't recognize. Atop was a pillow of what looked to be silk, still amazingly whole and clean after so many centuries, holding a glittering piece of crystal. Its glow filled the cavern with sweetness; the scent of cleanliness and green fields tickled her nose with tantalizing memories of summer. "Zoisite's Hi stone," she whispered.
      She stepped closer.
      Instantly, the cavern began to shake.
      "N-Nani?! What's happening? Why is it doing this?!" Mercury staggered back, then fell onto her knees as the entire place rocked beneath her feet as if besieged by earthquake. Before she could regain her balance, the altar upended, dropping the Hi stone onto the floor; and then, through a fissure that opened like magic beneath it. "Iie!" she cried, desperation colouring her voice. "Not when I've come so close!"
      Everything slowed down, came to a halt. Shaken - literally and figuratively - she raised her head, staring with a sense of defeat at the fissure yawning wide. Could she fit down there? Quite possibly, considering her slim size. She could crawl down, find the stone, then come back up-
      No, she couldn't. She couldn't abandon Hans.
      She turned her head to see him staring at her, his face white, drained of colour. He looked fearful; not just for himself, but for her. Perhaps it was because he expected her to stay below, possibly marry him, but for now, his regard for her safety was sweet. She couldn't abandon him so cruelly just to find the stone. Not when she had promised. "Hans-san, let's go. It's getting late," she said instead, crawling to her feet.
      "Are you sure, Mercury?" he asked, looking at her, then towards the fissure.
      All she did was brush off her knees, making sure neither bled. Then she smiled at him. "Of course, Hans-san. The stone isn't as important as my friends. Or my promises. Let's go!"
      He kissed her cheek, so gently she thought it had been imagined. "Thank you, Mercury."

      Nabu held out her hands, smiling feral as the Hi stone fell into her palms. Now the bitch was near; now, the game would finally be coming to an abrupt end. "Such a little rock, to cause so much trouble."

      Mercury was elated when they came to the entrance of Kainess, considerably better off then when she left. The ice shards had done wonders for her health, and the two youma they had encountered had been simple to discard. She had also spent the trip discussing the merits of serious study under the portly doctor with Hans, though she felt guilty at effectively cutting Alex out of the entire conversation. True, the tall red-head couldn't talk with Hans around - he would probably think himself barking mad - but she still didn't deserve to be entirely ignored. Though the moment she felt a serious pang of guilt, she also felt a light slap to her arm, which she figured must have been Alex effectively telling her to forget it.
      Hans all but ran to his front door, hastening their entrance inside. He then shouted, "Dr. Schwartz! We've come back!" next to her ear, taking her hand - her hand! - to lead her over to the portly doctor's side. "We have the Halyomoss!"
      "Do you? That's excellent news, young man! I was concerned." Adjusting his glasses, Dr. Schwartz looked keenly at Mercury, before nodding his head. "If you had been any later, it may have been too late; the illness has progressed rapidly." He gestured somewhat expansively towards the woman in the bed for their awareness. "Everything is set up for me to make the medicine."
      "Then here you go, doctor." Hans held out the moss, a tad crumpled from the trip, but still whole. The portly doctor took it and strode off, muttering those equations under his breath again before disappearing around a corner.
      The blue-haired genius felt a weight lift from her shoulders; his mother would be fine. Her mission to help them was finished. As Hans turned back to the bed, she stepped back, silent on the carpet. When his attention was entirely away from her, she headed for the door.
      She passed Dr. Schwartz on the way, and though he cocked an eyebrow at her - a steaming mug in his hand - he didn't attempt to stop her, nor even say anything. He knew; he had to understand. He had read Zoisite's books, knew so many details about the soldier Mercury, that he had to realize that she couldn't stay. Instead, he nodded in what seemed to be approval, casting one last lecher's eye over her body, and continued towards Hans.
      But she waited, out of sight, curiously tense, to hear the doctor say, "Here it is! Now, drink it down, all of it." His mother made a choking noise, presumably troubled by her sickness too much to swallow properly; she could still hear the rasping in her throat. "There now. In a minute, we'll see."
      "You want to make sure she'll make it, don't you?" Alex murmured into her ear.
      "Hai. After all, this was my fault. She deserves to be well, to be with her son." Straining to hear, Mercury clasped her hands at her waist, trying not to fidget. She did need to know if she would be well; her conscience wouldn't allow her to run away quite yet. Once she was sure, however, she intended to run like the wind before Hans realized she was gone.
      "Dr. Schwartz, her face….! She's looking better!" she heard Hans exclaim. "Mercury, my mother will be fine! Mercury?"
      "Of course your mother will be fine! Don't worry so much; see, now she's sleeping peacefully. You made it just in time." The doctor slapped a hand against the other's back, judging by the thumping noise. "Now, you should rest as well, worrying so much as you have."
      She relaxed. "She'll be fine," she whispered, smiling happily. "My heart feels happy; Hans…will be fine, too."
      "Mercury!" The blue-haired genius froze, caught like a deer in headlights as Hans appeared in front of her, staring at her in concern. "Mercury? Why are you here? My mother will be fine."
      "Because I….I have to leave, Hans-san. I have another mission to complete. And then, I have to return home." She gestured with a hand upwards, indicating where she meant. "For me, the battle never ends. I am a sailor soldier, always fighting; always protecting the people of this planet."
      Hans had a look of complete confusion on his face. "What do you mean? You can't return to the above world. No one knows the way. No one returns. And I thought…"
      Dr. Schwartz spoke from the bedside, startling them both, as he said clearly, "She's the Sailor Soldier Mercury, Hans. That's what she is. A guardian soldier. In those caves exist books describing her - the past life - and the people who made this world beneath the ice. She can escape this world, because she has a duty to defend us all. She has to go home."
      "I don't understand at all." Hans shook his head, lifting his hands in defeat. "But I can't stop you. I just wish you could stay a little longer."
      "I would stay, because of your mother…if she relapsed, of course," she said, a little too hastily; she was sure her cheeks had flared red. "But I can't! I have a mission to complete. I have to leave; another person is depending on me."
      "Could you come back, after your mission is done? Just to visit m-us?" He looked at her with hope in his eyes, and she felt her cheeks burn hotter. Kami-sama, he had a crush on her; and she couldn't truthfully say it wasn't returned, though her logical mind had been defending it as Florence Nightingale syndrome instead of…
      …why did he remind her of Kane-san so very much?
      She retreated a step, shaking her head desperately. "Gomen nasai, Hans-san, but I…I can't! I have to walk a different path than you. This life won't allow me that kind of sweetness. I have to go!" Her vision was going slightly off-kilter and blurry, which was obviously some kind of dust allergy, and she fled out the door as she hastily wiped at her eyes. "I can't do what my dreams wish," she murmured, as she escaped the village and everything possibility it held within its icy walls.

      "You honestly need a no-strings attached fling, Mizuno," Alex was chiding her an hour later as they crossed up the second path past the doctor's tunnel entrance. "Not even sexual, though you're mature enough for that. Get a boyfriend for gods' sakes."
      "I do not need to do anything of the sort! I have exams! For the love of the kami, I'm still in junior high!"
      "So what? Junior high means no giggling kisses behind the bushes? Emotional fulfillment, at least for a couple of months? You girls are like bloody nuns! At least Makoto is getting some nooky from her sensei; I'm going to have to buy a convent for the rest of you soon, at the rate you're going. You act like a date is a sin!"
      "As a sailor soldier-"
      "-he'll think your uniform is sexy, and probably ask you to model it for him."
      "Alex-SAN! This is a childish discussion! I am not prepared in the least for a boyfriend, not with so many demands on my time. You and the others may not take exams seriously, but they dictate the course of my life!" The blue-haired genius stopped in her tracks as she realized what she was saying, and her face shifted into the twisted scowl very few had seen her wear. It was partially mocking, but mostly derisive; she practically spat, "But I suppose they don't dictate my life anymore, ne, Guardian-sama? Merely what I chose to make of it before an elaborate kingdom is built on the ashes of our world."
      The tall red-head swung her eye - she had made a larger ball of ice this time, instead of two smaller - towards her, spinning it in a roll. "And I suppose if any normal person saw their future, and realized that the dream they'd been harboring about becoming an architect only lasted a few years before they were killed in a fire, they'd be screaming and howling about not having a choice as well." Focusing the eye back on Mercury, she sighed. "I've heard about, and now seen, so many possible futures that it makes me ill. I've been accusing of aiding crimes that hadn't even occurred at the time of the accusation - no one even knew when it was supposed to happen. I've met people from different futures who remember different pasts that never happened. Worrying over so many tangled strings is fruitless and paranoid."
      Mercury glared at her, clenching her fists. "You say these things, and yet, how could they happen? What did you do before you came into our lives to witness these possibilities?"
      "Doing exactly what you're doing now; working to protect the common people from events beyond their control. Only then, I thought I was a good guy, one of the white hats." The ice ball turned away as if in shame or contemplation. "I left because I realized I was, at best, a gray. More problems could have been averted if we hadn't--well, if the person in charge had thought his plans through more carefully in the beginning."
      "Your father?" the blue-haired genius queried quietly, feeling her anger drain away. It was hard to stay angry at someone who was telling her that she had already been there, like blaming the victim for being hurt.
      "Non. Though I guess he could have benefited from thinking first as well, considering some of his problems. It doesn't matter." The ice ball tipped, rolling back to see her. "Life goes on, ne?"
      "Hai." Mercury smiled wanly, following as her mentor began to walk again.
      The trip to find the Hi stone was taking much longer than the Halyomoss expedition; much longer. Reasoning that the shaking and the fissure back at the cavern had been a safety feature - obviously, the two stones recognized one another, but a stone of light would hardly be glad to recognize a stone of darkness; or, it had been set to trigger if anyone other than Zoisite entered - they opted not to go through the crack. It had to fall somewhere, and logically, there had to be a way to get there. Since they had not investigated the second path, they had decided to follow it.
      When at the end they found a door, and the Kage stone began to glow, they knew they were on the right path. Through the door had been merely a small cave and steps carved down into the ice, still as clean and clear as the day they had been hewn. No one had been into this cave for centuries. "The door may have opened once the stone fell," Alex speculated as they stepped down into the stairwell, the first bit of darkness since falling below the ice.
      "Perhaps. After all, no one has come this way in many years. Presumably, it could have been a sacred place."
      They emerged into the same ambient light as before, an immense cavern that could have held both villages with room to spare. It looked just as natural as the Halyomoss cave, though the ceiling towered so high over their heads that a cyclops would be just scraping its head. No footsteps marked the ice floor; in fact, the floor was so clean that Mercury's lone set of steps were the only thing marring the surface.
      It was a long set of lonely steps a half hour later as Mercury turned yet another corner and found yet another long path of clear ice. "My feet are beginning to hurt horribly," she commented with a grimace as she stopped and stared. "Where could it have fallen?"
      "Mercury." Alex's voice was sharp next to her ear, and she spun on impulse to see what was wrong; only to see nothing. Not even the floating ice ball that had been both trailing and leading her for the past kilometre. "Someone's waiting ahead. I can sense them; they're waiting, and they're angry."
      "So it's one of them," Mercury commented in return, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of facing one of Sin's people alone. "She must have the stone. It's a trap."
      "Of course it is. And we'll be walking right into it."
      "Whatever it takes. Mamoru-san is depending on me. Usagi-chan is waiting for us to return." The blue-haired genius breathed deeply, trying to settle her nerves. She had begun to tense up in preparation to fight; now she relaxed, knowing she couldn't even attempt to fight whomever waited ahead by sheer strength alone. It would be her wits and her brain that would outlast them.
      She stepped forward, feeling the path rise beneath her feet into a small hill; as she crested it, she saw a silvery-haired head turn around to face her, eyes of slate boring into her skull. The girl smiled when she saw her, baring her teeth. "Sailor Mercury. You've finally arrived. Keeping your opponent waiting is very bad form," she chastised in a playful manner, wagging her finger.
      The sudden flare of warmth against her breast was staggering, and she flinched, resisting the urge to touch it. Instead, she said, "And who are you? You've taken Zoisite's Hi stone, which I've come searching for. Are you one of Sin's soldiers?"
      "Ara ara, you're very naughty! It's bad form to ask your enemy their name. Why, in the merest possibility of me losing, you could go and tell all of your friends!" She laughed, though her eyes remained as pitiless as the stone they resembled. "You'll be dead quite soon, if you resist."
      Without warning, the girl lifted her hand, sending a blast of ice and freezing cold at the blue-suited soldier, who nimbly leaped aside, barely escaping injury. Calling power to her hand, she sprang off the ice herself, throwing her fog into the air. The space between them dulled and grew smoky as the girl cursed, throwing another attack randomly towards Mercury's last location.
      "Mercury Aqua Mirage!" she shouted, seeing, with her goggles, exactly where the girl stood; though she too had moved, her heat signature was as plain as day. The image staggered as the attack hit, and the girl screamed, more angry than hurt, "You bitch!"
      The fog was beginning to clear, so Mercury stepped back, calling power to both hands in readiness; but the expected attack didn't come. Sprawled back on the ice, the silver-haired girl merely glared at her, holding a hand to her side. "You're stronger than I anticipated. A mark in your favour, I suppose, but Apsu-sama was supposed to make me stronger than you!"
      "Apsu-sama?" Poised to strike, but waiting for the other to make her move, Mercury tilted her head. "Is Apsu-sama your leader, then?"
      "That's none of your business! The details of our mission are secret!" The girl managed to roll onto her feet, fists clenching tight at her sides, her injury forgotten. "How could you even understand? You can't! You weren't there!"
      But she had been; before she had taken the name of Nabu, she had been there. She had seen the Black Moon arriving from the playground where she frequently watched her cousins play. She had felt the agonizing pain of being struck; of dying; of resurrection. The righteous anger of one wronged by her fellow man. Why, when the queen had such power at her hands, had she allowed them to die? "And that is why someone else should take that miraculous power! The power of the Ginzuishou should be in another's hands!" she had been shouting that day, barely aware of her friend trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Considerably less aware because the girl wasn't even a friend, but a pathetic hanger-on; she was essentially talking to herself.
      "No one can understand it, not even the vaunted scientist. So why should she have it? Why should it be her power alone?" She'd chewed at her nail, lost in thought as she walked, oblivious to her shadow's queries. "Such power to protect the world…how could it possibly be? That much power…"
      "Is that what you desire?" a voice had purred within her head. An entirely strange voice, it stopped her in her tracks. "You troubled soul; I can see the turmoil within your mind."
      "N-nani?"
      "You have questions. Questions about the holy stone that protects your city; iie, that protects the world."
      "Ano…the Ginzuishou? Of course…I have to question it. It failed to protect us."
      "Of course it did; no such miracle could last forever. Such power is not infinite. When will it finally end? No one knows." The voice lilted as she had spun around, attempting to follow the source, when there was no source at all, merely imagination. "Would you like to find out that limit? To have such power, instead of her? You're not the only one questioning…"
      "Sou yo!" she had shouted, coming to a halt, her shadow staring agape at her back. "It's the truth! No such power could last forever. In the wrong hands, it could be deadly. Can you truly show us what it means?"
      A coruscating beam of light had appeared in front of her, reaching up into infinity. With the barest hesitation, she entered it. Her shadow had, after a minute, followed her, too stupid to run away, too stupid to even understand the consequences. Within an hour they had renounced their previous lives and their obeisance to Neo Queen Serenity and her false kingdom, and had taken new names to signify their rebirth as soldiers; opposite to the guardians who flanked her silver skirt. Nabu was the Sumerian god of knowledge. Mercury was his Roman equivalent.
      "Sou yo," Nabu snarled again, striding forward, quickly now, "my mission remains the same! I'll take the Ginzuishou from her hands, no matter what! I am the Opposite Soldier Nabu, and you, Mercury, are my opponent and my rival!"
      The attack blew the blue-haired genius off her feet and into the wall, pieces of ice as sharp as glass slicing her bare skin. Even though she was prepared, she was still pounded as the miniature hailstorm assailed her, raising bruises as well as cuts on her flesh. She released her own attack to counter Nabu's, and slid gratefully to the floor as the hailstorm dissipated. Then she was on her feet again as another blast flashed towards her, and she spun aside; the wall was torn apart as if soft butter instead of centuries-thick ice. She didn't dare imagine how she would have suffered in its place.
      Quickly, she shouted, "Shine Aqua Illusion!"
      Nabu's eyes widened as the attack slapped her in the chest, throwing her back onto her ass. Then the fog whipped up around them again, clouding her vision entirely; she cursed loudly, shouting, "You cowardly bitch! Fight me!"
      "I will not." Without warning, a dark shape flew through the mist, and before Nabu could scramble up, Mercury landed atop her chest, pinning her arms with her legs. In her hand was a deadly looking icicle, which she held at Nabu's throat. "You rely on brute strength, Nabu, instead of wits. I won't fight such a person."
      The silver-haired girl sputtered, twisting beneath Mercury. "Iie, this is impossible! I was supposed to be stronger!"
      "Stronger does not mean smarter," the blue-haired genius replied calmly, though inside, she was shaking like a leaf. She had a feeling that if she had allowed Nabu to get another shot, she would have resembled hamburger meat. The girl was stronger in offense, most assuredly; everyone seemed to be. But Mercury was no slouch when it came to defense. "I'm surprised at you, Nabu; the god of knowledge should be relying on those wits." She was also sure that, unlike a youma, Nabu would be easier to talk into submission, or at the very least, a draw.     
      At that, Nabu's eyes froze.
      Slowly, she fell limp on the ice, her lips curling into a sneer. "Interesting how the god of cunning speaks of wits. I suppose then, after all, this battle goes to you. But it won't get you very far at all."
      Mercury heard the clink of the Hi stone falling onto the ice, but she didn't even bother to look. Instead, she remarked, "It doesn't matter. We'll still fight to preserve our planet. No matter what you do to subvert destiny, we'll be there to stop you."
      "We'll see; this battle isn't finished. These places hinder me, but come a time and place, we'll fight again, and see who walks away." Baring her teeth again in that smile, Nabu vanished from between her thighs, and she dropped onto the ice with a squawk.
      "Nabu! She's gone…" Her fingers slid over the ice to find what she had been searching for; Zoisite's Hi stone. From her breast, she pulled the Kage stone, its warmth almost a painful loss. They came together like magnets, polar opposites, and combined into a slightly larger stone, a perfect pear cut gem.
      "You did pretty damn good, Mercury." Alex sounded proud, and she smiled. "Nabu could have seriously hurt you."
      "Hai; but after all, I am the god of cunning, ne?" Mercury laughed, tucking the stone in against her breast once more. "Now we can go home." She was all smiles, but in the corner of her mind, something sadder lurked; it had a face, and a smile.

      Alex boosted her up through the crevice, and with a scrabble of boots, Mercury pulled herself out and into fresh - questionably so - air and a sunny day. "Finally!" she sighed, turning her face to the sun and squinting rather painfully. "It's so warm in the sunlight."
      "It'll be just a bit warmer in Japan once we get back, so consider yourself toasty. I'll just be glad to get away from all of this depressing whiteness." The tall red-head sounded annoyed, as if the snow had personally made it a mission to irritate her, and Mercury smiled.
      "Yare yare, Alex-san. After all, soon, it will be snowing in Tokyo! Winter is approaching fast. So is Christmas, which means okaa-san will be decorating the tree at the hospital."
      She looked back towards the crevice, a frown fleetingly crossing her face. On the way back, she had almost given in to temptation and gone back into Kainess, if only to tell him goodbye once more; but at the last minute, she had quailed. There was no reason to disturb him again; she'd never see him after today. He would be happier forgetting about their friendship. And actually, he was only some man who had rescued her, not even a true friend, so this way was better. Both of them had lives to lead, in different directions.
      The climb up to the glacier's top seemed immense, the wind sweeping in bringing with it a numbing chill despite the sunlight. It matched the heaviness of her heart as she whispered, "Sayonara, Hans-san," and turned to begin climbing towards civilization.