Marine ground her teeth together violently, her knuckles white as she gripped the arms of the chair. Spirit was mercifully absent; the loss of two of the four Elementals upset him deeply, so he was straining his powers to the limits, desperately trying to regain his full strength.

A low growl escaped from Marine's lips. She lurched to her feet, stalking over to the dimly lit corner of the throne room. Mold grew in the crevices of the once flawless marble, and a pair of tiny unidentifiable reptiles skittered away at Marine's approach.

The Water Elemental halted beside one of the murky puddles that scattered the throne room floor. She waved her hand, and a girl's face appeared in the water.

"Amy Mizuno," Marine muttered to herself. "The ever-alert Sailor Mercury. Didn't think I would figure it out, child?" She snorted and glared at the image in the water. "Blaze and Terra were fools. They should have felt the strong ties these girls have with the Elements. I could sense this little one's link to me instantly -- all I had to do was follow it..." Marine casually dipped her fingers into the puddle, causing the image to ripple and distort. "Sailor Mercury, with her strong affinity to Water... you never could hide from me, girl. And now I have the advantage."

With a triumphant laugh, Marine disappeared.

She really hasn't changed much in a thousand years, Cassie thought, amused. Still the first to catch on and the last to give up. She shook her head with an indulgent smile.

Out of breath, Cassiopeia ducked into a side hall to avoid the footsteps she heard approaching. She mopped her brow and concentrated on slowing her rapid heartbeat.

I've gotta find an easier way to do this, Cassiopeia thought desperately as she darted from shadow to shadow. I'll never get any real training by myself. I'll only improve if I have someone to practice with.

The petite girl finally reached her own chambers; she breathed a sigh of relief as she tugge the door open and slipped inside.

"Oh, good, you're back!"

Cassiopeia whirled around in panic, her eyes wild as she spotted Ami emerging from the small sitting room.

"I'm terribly sorry to intrude, the maidservant said you weren't back yet, and suggested I wait in the--" Princess Ami trailed off, her blue eyes widening as she focused on Cassiopeia. The Empress-Heir, for her part, was desperately trying to sink through the thickly carpeted floor.

"Cassiopeia!" Ami gasped. "What are you wearing!?"

"Um... a practice fuku..." Cassiopeia replied meekly, tugging nervously at the blue front bow.

"Obviously." Ami arched a sardonic eyebrow. "And in very distinctive shades of blue, too. Would you mind telling me where exactly you managed to get one of my practice fukus?"

"The discard bin," Cassiopeia answered her cheeks burning. "There was a nasty tear in the sleeve that took some time to patch, but I managed..."

Ami stared at Cassiopeia in disbelief. "You went through the trash?? Just to get a ratty old practice uniform?" The blue-haired princess began to laugh, and she sank into a nearby armchair. "Oh my... Cassie, why did you need a fuku? Why didn't you just ask?"

"Because Rei would've had a fit if I had asked to join the senshi training," Cassiopeia sighed. "She's always telling me that Serenity and I won't ever have to fight, that we should just leave the defense of the Moon Kingdom to you senshi... but I'm not a citizen of the Moon Kingdom! We don't have any senshi in the Andromeda Galaxy, or in the entire Star Empire, for that matter. I wanted to learn how to fight like a senshi, even if I'm the bloody Empress-Heir!"

"Watch your language, Cassiopeia," Amy chided absently. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Just because you're the heir to the Star Empire doesn't mean you can't train as a senshi. You just can't take part in any altercations we might have."

"Why not?" asked Cassiopeia. "You guys are all princesses, too. What makes Serenity and me so important?"

"Rank," Ami answered simply. "You and Princess Serenity are the sole heirs to two extremely powerful kingdoms. You're the only ones with the inborn abilities to control the Silver Crystal and the Star Sapphire. If the planetary senshi ever fail in their duties, it will fall to you and Serenity to protect the Silver Millenium. So we don't dare risk the two of you in battle." Ami was silent for a long moment before chuckling. "Besides, you two are only children. The rest of us have gads of younger siblings and relatives, just waiting for us to get killed off and ignite a succession war back on our home planets."

Cassiopeia shook her head, hiding a smile. "You have such a morbid sense of humor at times, Ami-chan. I don't know what we'd do without the senshi, but a war for succession would probably be the least of our worries."

"Indubitably," Ami agreed, dimpling. She just loved arguing politics with Cassiopeia. "Nevertheless, there is the matter of that pilfered practice fuku."

Cassiopeia looked up guiltily.

"It's too tight in the chest, and the skirt's a little short on you," Ami continued blithely, her eyes sparkling. "Why don't I get the senshi seamstress to give you the pattern? Then you can get your own fuku made. In your own colors," she added warningly. "We color code them for a reason, you know. Avoids mix-ups in the midst of battle."

Cassiopeia was speechless for a moment. She stared at the small Mercurian princess in delight. With a happy cry, Cassiopeia threw her arms around Ami's neck and hugged her.

Laughing, Ami disentangled herself and pushed Cassiopeia gently toward the washroom. "Go on now, get yourself cleaned up. The new ambassador from Earth is arriving today, and we're to be present to receive him. Alexander, I think his name is." She waved a hand dismissively and shooed Cassiopeia out of the room. "I'll talk to Jupiter about setting up a proper training schedule for you. I've heard this new ambassador is an old friend of hers, but I'm sure Mako-chan will be glad to find time to help you out."

"Thank you, Ami-chan!" Cassiopeia called.

"Just don't do anything foolish, Cassie. That's all the thanks I need."

Smiling softly, Amy slipped out of Cassiopeia's chambers.

Amy juggled an armfull of books as she grabbed her school bag. Her physiology class had run long, so she would have to hurry to meet Cassie at the technology fair downtown.

As she rushed out of the cram school building, Amy instinctively slid one hand into her pocket. Her fingers closed convulsively around her transformation stick as she ran.

The two attacks looped around each other, multiplying, and engulfed Marine. The Water Elemental was still too shocked to scream as the energy collapsed in on her, and she vanished.

Later that evening, Amy and Cassie leisurely made their way back to Amy's house, chatting as they walked.

"I wonder why the others never showed up," Amy mused.

Cassie turned pink and ducked her head. "I, uh, forgot to call them. I saw Marine pop out of nowhere and call you Mercury, and I sorta panicked."

Amy giggled. "We're going to have to tell them eventually, you know."

"I know," Cassie answered with a smile. "They'll be glad to hear Marine's gone, even if Lita complains about missing the fun."

"Fun, indeed," Amy retorted, rubbing her head tenderly. "My scalp will be sore for weeks."

Laughing, the two girls tripped up the stairs to Amy's house, and prepared to wheedle cookies from Amy's mom.