Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Batman and all related characters are the property of Bob Kane and DC Comics. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.

To Live And Die In Tokyo
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Four: A Prelude To Obsession
Rating: PG-13

In the spotlessly clean kitchen of the expansive executive suite that comprised the entire top floor of the WayneCorp Tokyo building, Alfred was pouring green tea into a cup when the barely audible rustle of cloth made him turn. The butler nodded as Batman strode in via a secret rooftop enterance.

"Welcome back, Master Bruce. Was your foray successful?" Alfred asked.

"It had it's moments, Alfred, most of them unpleasant," growled Batman, accepting the cup from Alfred. He took a sip and the tea relaxed him, but not much. He wouldn't allow that. Glowering, he thought back to the battle on the side street, the creature's death and the anguish of Sailor Mercury. "This mission's just become more complicated than I envisioned. I tangled with a pusher who injected himself with some sort of chemical, changing him into a lizard like creature that made Killer Croc look tame by comparison."

Alfred, long used to his employer's bizarre exploits was unfazed. "Indeed. I must say, sir, you certainly do meet the most fascinating miscreants."

"It gets better," said the Dark Knight as he and Alfred left the kitchen and entered the suite's spacious living room, it's windows shuttered. "Fifteen minutes later, I fought a second such creature, but not alone. I got an unexpected, and unwelcome assist from the Sailor Scouts."

The butler arched an eyebrow. "Those teenaged metahumans you told me about during our flight here? How did they become involved?"

"The second creature, an addict, was a friend to one of the Scouts. She died during the fight." Thinking about that left a bad taste in Batman's mouth. He removed the remnants of a hypo from a compartment on his belt and showed it to Alfred. "This is the residue of that chemical the pusher used. After I've washed up, we'll do some research on it in the private lab."

"Do you suspect some sort of connection between those creatures and the situation regarding Falcone and the Yakuza?"

"I don't know. But I mean to find out. Something ugly is about to go down here, Alfred. Whatever it is, I've got to put a stop to it, and fast."

"And what of the Scouts?"

Batman scowled. The idea of the Scouts getting in his way again didn't sit well with him. "I'll deal with them later. But for now, we've got work to do."

The loud ringing of the alarm clock shocked Amy out of a restless sleep that had been plagued by nightmares of blood and death. Slowly sitting up, Amy, still in the clothes she wore yesterday was surprised to find herself in her bedroom.

Running a hand through her hair, Amy recalled the horrors of last night. Sarah's mutation into a monster, the battle with the Scouts and Batman, and her death. That brought tears to her eyes and a deep pain to her already aching heart. Softly whimpering, Amy remembered being pulled away from Sarah by Sailor Moon and the others. Crying pitifully from the pain of her loss, Amy didn't want to leave Sarah, naked and alone in the street.

Amy remembered fighting with all her strength to free herself from the others and hold Sarah, as if by some miracle, mere body contact could bring her back to life. Amy screamed, wailed, pleaded, even cursed at her friends to let her go, to let her be with Sarah, but they wouldn't oblige her. At that one moment, frozen in time, Amy hated them for that. She then felt a sudden and painful pressure at the base of her neck and everything went black.

Throwing back the bedsheets, The sound of soft snoring gave Amy her second surprise. Curled up in the chair by her desk was Serena, sound asleep.

A glance at the clock told Amy it was seven a.m. School would begin in an hour. Routine took over as Amy got out of bed, trudged over to where Serena sat and nudged her on the shoulder. Nothing. Remembering how difficult it was to wake Serena, Amy nudged harder and she woke up.

Serena's eyes fluttered open and she stared up at Amy quizzically. "Ames? Oh, wow. I musta dozed off. What time is it?"

"Seven a.m. What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"Keeping you company, silly." Serena yawned and stretched. She then looked at Amy in open concern. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes. Just a little tired. Mentally, that's a different story. The last thing I remember was being in the alley. What happened to me after that?"

"You were hysterical from grief over Sarah. You wanted to stay with her, but we couldn't let you because the police had shown up," Serena explained. "You got so mad, you tried to use your powers on us, but Talia knocked you out with her nerve pinch, and I used the Imperium Silver Crystal to change you back before we brought you home."

Amy, feeling guilty, sat down on her bed and sighed. "My mom must've been furious. I was so preoccupied with Sarah after I saw her downtown, I never stopped to call home....or you."

Serena got up from the chair, sat next to Amy and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. Your mom was more relieved than angry because you weren't hurt. Amy, I'm so sorry about Sarah."

Amy nodded, trying to keep her tears in check. She then saw that Serena looked uncomfortable. "What is it, Serena? What's wrong?"

"We had to spill the beans to your mom. She demanded to know what happened after we showed up with you out cold in Darien's arms."

"No! Serena! How could you?" cried a horrified Amy. "I didn't want my mother to find out about my being Sailor Mercury! Not like that!"

"Relax. We told her Sarah had been killed in an accident and you took the news hard. That's all. Give us a little credit for being smarter than that."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Then she scowled. "Figures. My oldest friend in the world died last night and all I cared about was whether my secret identity had been compromised. I swear, being a superhero really sucks."

Serena fought hard not to giggle. She never heard the always proper and straitlaced Amy sound so graphic before. "What can I say? It's a living."

Amy nodded. "Such as it is. Did my mother let you in before she left for work? Not to sound critical, but it's rare for you to be up so early."

Serena figited. "I, er, never left. I stayed here. All night."

"What? Why?"

"Are you kidding? No way was I gonna leave you alone. Not after what happened with Sarah. Believe me, I know what you're going through."

Amy suddenly became furious and pulled away from Serena, her eyes shooting sparks. "Don't you dare patronize me! How would you know what it's like to watch a friend die before your eyes and be helpless to save her?"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Serena said in a low, painfully sad voice, "Easy. I watched it happen at the North Pole. Four times."

Amy's eyes widened and she gasped. Grim and hideous memories of the nightmarish battle at the top of the world over a year ago where the Scouts were brutally killed by the Doom and Gloom Girls flooded Amy's mind. Worst of all was how Serena, who lived for her friends and loved them with all her heart was helpless to prevent their valiant yet tragic deaths. Amy's anger melted away when she saw tears welling in Serena's now haunted eyes.

"Oh, Lord. Serena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge that up. You must hate me for being so thoughtless."

Serena squeezed Amy's hand and shook her head. "Nope. I can never hate you, Amy. Not ever. I know I can't take away your pain over losing Sarah, but I want to try. You're important to me and I don't want to see you suffer."

Amy, her heart filling with warmth and affection leaned forward and kissed Serena on her cheek. "Thanks. That means a lot. Meeting you, and becoming your friend was the best thing that's ever happened to me. While I've always been awkward at expressing what I feel in my heart, I just want to say that I love you, Serena. I love you so very much." Amy then threw her arms around Serena and hugged her with all her strength.

"I love you too, Ames. Always have, always will," said Serena, returning Amy's hug. After breaking the embrace, she asked, "Do you feel up to school, or do you want me to call in sick for you?"

"No. Staying home and dwelling on Sarah all day will do me no good. Being at school will help take my mind off her." Amy then gave Serena, her clothes rumpled from sleeping in them a concerned look. "But, what about you? Will you have time to go home and get ready?"

"Doubt it. But if you'll let me use your shower and loan me a uniform, I might just be able to make it there on time."

Amy gave Serena a skeptical expression. "You? On time for school?"

Serena mulled it over, then giggled. "Okay, okay! A little late! I never said I was a miracle worker."

Hiroyuki Tomba's mood, once pleasant as he enjoyed breakfast with Carlo Falcone in his condominium dining room turned sour after taking a phone call. When Tomba hung up, his face was locked in a deep scowl.

"You look like you've just ate some bad sushi. What's wrong, Hiro?" a puzzled Falcone asked.

"That was my contact down at Police headquarters. One of my street level distributors and three of his men were arrested last night," Tomba replied. "By all accounts, they had a one-sided run-in with the Batman."

Falcone's eyes widened, and his face flushed red from anger. "Damnation! I knew it! I knew it! That gruesome, pointy eared son of a bitch did follow me here! Shit! If he blows the whistle on us to the cops, we're fucked!"

"Relax, Carlo. I don't think that will happen."

Falcone looked skeptical. "How do you figure that?"

"The Police barely tolerate the Scouts, and that's only because they're horribly ill-equipped to deal with the sort of menaces Sailor Moon and her companions battle against," Tomba explained. "The authorities won't stand for a costumed maniac like Batman dispensing his violent brand of justice on Tokyo's streets. They'll hunt after him like any common criminal. I'm sure the Dark Knight knows that, so he won't be sharing any secrets with them. However, we'll now need to accelerate our timetable."

"What do you mean?"

"With Batman in town, we can't afford to wait for your represenatives from New York to arrive in three days for the meeting. We'll have to set up a conference call to New York to finalize the merger."

"How soon?"

"Tomorrow."

Now it was Falcone who scowled. "The Dons won't go for it, Hiro. They still believe in face to face sitdowns and handshake arrangements. They won't believe we're being pressured by Batman and are paranoid enough to think you're rushing this deal in order to screw them over. Trust me, pal, I know how those old farts think. It's a bad idea."

"We have no choice! We can't afford to wait three days just to convenience those dinosaurs!" Tomba shot back angrily, his dark eyes flashing. "I suggest you call the Council and tell them of these developments! Tell them that if they want to return to the top of the food chain in the U.S. narcotics market, they'll have to agree or the deal's off!"

Falcone was taken aback at the fury on Tomba's face. For a moment, it was like the Sicilian was face to face with a demon, and he unnerved him.

"Okay! Ease off, Hiro! No need to get hot under the collar. I'll call New York and clue in the Dons. I think I can make 'em see reason," Falcone said.

Tomba nodded and gave Falcone one of his oily, malevolent smiles. "Very good. I know you can get the job done. Just think, my friend, soon, very soon, we'll be in a position to rule America, and then, the world."

Again, Falcone was taken aback. He found a smiling Tomba to be even more unsettling than an angry one. The Sicilian wasted no time leaving the suite. After Falcone left, a side door opened and Genryu entered.

"You look troubled, Master." said the older man.

Tomba nodded. "With good reason. Goku Tanaka was arrested last night. He was found handcuffed and naked in an alley, meaning he used a mutagen injector. He fought the Batman, and lost."

Genryu's eyes widened and he gasped from shock. "Lost? But how could a mutate be defeated by a mere mortal?"

"It would appear that Batman is far more than just mortal. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. A short time later, according to eyewitness accounts, the Dark Knight and the Sailor Scouts fought a second mutate."

"A second creature? How could that have happened, master?"

"Tanaka must have stolen a small amount of the powdered mutagen from the warehouse along with an injector and sold the former to one of those filthy addicts he supplies, despite our warnings not to go near the merchandise."

"Does that barbarian, Falcone know about this?"

"About the mutagen? No. But he's close to coming unglued because of that damned vigilante," Tomba replied. "I've told him to set up a conference call with his overlords to finalize the merger. With Batman already causing trouble and the Scouts certain to follow suit, we have to move quickly."

Genryu came to attention. "What are your orders?"

"One: beef up security at the warehouse. I want no more unauthorized leakages. Two: arrange for the merchandise to be taken to the airfield for delivery to the States tomorrow night. We'll use the boat for the rendezvous. Three: find Tanaka and kill him. The last thing we need is for that idiot to spill his guts to Batman or the Scouts. We're too close to realizing our objective to have our hand tipped too soon because of that thieving worm. Is that clear?"

The older man nodded. "Perfectly. It will be done, master."

Once Genryu left, Tomba turned and gazed out the window at the skyline of downtown Tokyo. He smiled, thinking how he was about to succeed where his long dead masters had failed before. The thought of that made his heart swell with pride.

Bruce Wayne scowled as he looked at the slide on the microscope for what seemed like the thousandth time since last night.

As a rule, Wayne hated mysteries of any kind, thus his singleminded passion to become a detective and solve them. But, what he saw on the slide in front of him, the strange chemical compound he spent the last seven hours unsuccessfully trying to categorize left him hopelessly baffled. And that was a feeling he hated more than anything.

"Any luck trying to discern the identity of that chemical, sir?" asked Alfred, bringing a pot of steaming black coffee on a tray over to the table where Wayne worked in a private laboratory in the research department of WayneCorp Tokyo.

"None whatsoever." Wayne leaned back on the stool he sat on and stretched. The rich, strong aroma of the coffee was enticing to him. The butler poured Wayne a cup and handed it to his employer. Wayne took a long sip and found the beverage refreshing. "Thanks. I've checked all available chemical databases from every developed nation on Earth. Nothing on this planet even comes remotely close to matching this substance."

"Perhaps the chemical did not originate on Earth, sir."

"I already considered that possibility. I accessed the Justice League's computerized library on the hunch it might be extraterrestrial in origin. Again, nothing." Wayne paused to sip more of his coffee. "As near as I can tell, this chemical is some sort of highly evolved mutagen, bonded by an uncatalogued brand of radiation that warps and reconfigures human DNA into a reptilian matrix, producing the creatures I faced last night. Tanaka, the pusher injected the chemical directly into his bloodstream. The girl I fought later transformed after ingesting cocaine she bought from Tanaka."

"Cocaine supplied by the Yakuza. Do you think they could have created such a horror?" Alfred inquired.

"I seriously doubt it, Alfred. The Yakuza may be the most sophisticated criminal organization in the world, but this sort of genetic tampering is decades beyond anything even the most brilliant scientific minds can conceive, never mind an army of hoods, legbreakers and assassins."

"Then exactly who, or what are we dealing with, Master Bruce?"

Wayne shook his head. "Right now, old friend, your guess is as good as mine. One thing's for certain, this new development makes finding Falcone and his friends more important than ever. If this genetic poison is being mass produced, the implications would be nothing short of terrifying. In the meantime, we have other work to do here."

"Such as?"

"The Scouts. It's a given I'm going to cross paths with them again, something I definitely don't want. When I do, I want a means of stopping them dead in their tracks."

Despite her best efforts, Amy couldn't help but spend the entire day at school thinking about Sarah.

Amy's thoughts were fixed on her old friend, her mysterious mutation and her sudden death, something Amy blamed herself for. From the day she became a Sailor Scout, Amy fought as hard as she could to preserve life, yet was unable to save one so close to her. Then she thought about the vermin responsible for Sarah's mutation and she grew angry, angry enough to think about revenge.

By the end of the day, Amy, mentally exhausted and heartsick could only think about going home. Serena and the girls, understanding Amy's grief respected her need to be alone. With Talia offering to run the daily study session, Amy trudged home, collapsed on her bed and, overwhelmed by anguish, cried herself to sleep, but it was plagued by nightmares of Sarah's death. Every time Amy closed her eyes, that was all she saw.

When Amy woke up, it was dark. Looking at her clock, she saw it was nine o'clock. Hearing faint activity in the kitchen told Amy her mother was home. Feeling her stomach growl, Amy got up and headed for the door when a graveyard cold voice softly called out to her.

"Miss Anderson?"

Amy whirled around at the sound of that voice and gasped at seeing the silhouetted form of Batman standiing on her balcony. To her credit, Amy recovered quickly and glared at the Dark Knight.

"Don't you know it's impolite to call on a lady in her bedroom after dark?" she said in a soft but angry hiss.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but we need to talk," Batman replied as he entered the room, silent as a ghost.

"About what?" Amy asked, desperately trying not to sound nervous in the Dark Knight's intimidating presence and barely succeeding.

"Sarah Womack. And your alter ego, Sailor Mercury."

Before she could stop herself, Amy's eyes widened from shock. She then hastily composed herself. "I....I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's too late for deception. I know who you are."

Amy felt sick to her stomach from fear. "I don't understand. How did you find out about me?"

"Last night, you pleaded with me not to hurt Sarah after she transformed into a monster. Then, as Sailor Mercury, you begged your fellow Scouts to do the same," Batman explained. "I followed you and the others here after Sailor Moon changed you back with her scepter. Once I learned your civilian identity, I did some research and made the connection to Sarah."

"It's no secret, Batman. Sarah was my friend," said Amy. It hurt her deeply to refer to Sarah in the past tense and made her want to cry.

"Yes. A friend who nearly killed a boy at the private school the two of you attended after he tried to molest you. A plea bargain kept Sarah from doing any jail time because it had been an accident, but the incident got her thrown out of Brighton. A few months later, you were abruptly expelled. Why?"

"None of your business!" Amy snapped. "Look, if you have a reason for being here, get to it, or get out."

"Very well. I'm here in Tokyo to smash a pending narcotics merger between the Yakuza and the Mafia that could drown America in drugs," said Batman. "I believe last night's incidents are connected. With that much at stake, I don't want amatuers like the Sailor Scouts getting in my way."

Amy scowled. "What about Sarah's and Tanaka's mutations? Drugs might have had something to do with that. You can't fight creatures like those alone."

"You're wrong, Miss Anderson. I can, and I will. For your own good, stay out of this."

"And if we don't?"

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll stop you. All of you. I won't allow any interference with my mission."

"Amy? Are you talking to someone?" Amy's mother called to her.

Amy went quickly to the door and cracked it open slightly. "Er, no, mother. I was just watching TV."

Dr. Anderson looked concerned. "Why don't you come to dinner."

"All right. I'll be there in a minute."

After closing the door, Amy turned back around, only to find herself alone. Amy suddenly felt a chill. But not neccessarily from the night air.

"Wow! I still can't believe Batman came to your place last night!" cried an awestruck Serena to Amy. The girls and the familiars gathered at the temple following school the next day to discuss Amy's meeting with the Dark Knight.

"You must've been scared stiff!" said Mina.

Amy, her face stoic, nodded. "At first."

"I must say I find it highly disturbing that Batman was able to uncover your secret identity, Amy," said a grim faced Luna.

"Disturbing, yes, but not unexpected," said Talia. "First and foremost, Batman is a detective of near legendary renown. The mistakes Amy commited made it easy for him to discern that she is Sailor Mercury."

Amy remained stoic, but Raye gave Talia a harsh, withering stare. "That's cold, Tal. Amy was under a lot of stress that night."

"I am not insensitive to that, Raye. I merely state facts," Talia countered. "In any event, being at cross purposes with Batman will only complicate our pending investigation into Sarah's mutation."

"What do you mean by that?" Artemis asked.

"The Dark Knight's reputation for resourcefulness is unparalleled. If anyone can find a way to defeat us, as he vowed to do should we investigate, I believe Batman probably can."

Raye snorted. "Him? Get real, Kirk! We're the Sailor Scouts! We eat aliens and monsters for breakfast! Batman's a whack job in a cape who stomps on hoods and psychos! No contest!"

"You said it, Raye! If that clown screws with us again, I'll ram that utility belt of his so far down his throat, he'll shit batarangs for a week!" snarled Lita.

"If only it were that easy. I suspect that will not be the case. I strongly advise against overconfidence. That can only lead to trouble."

Serena was concerned. "But, we are gonna find out what changed Sarah into a monster, aren't we?"

Talia nodded. "We are, Serena. But how far we investigate this matter depends solely on Amy."

Amy's eyes narrowed and she glared at Talia. "What are you getting at?"

"If our investigation uncovers that humans were somehow responsible for these mutations instead of our adversaries from the Negaverse, will our objective be justice, or revenge for Sarah's death?"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as everyone focused on Amy. The look she gave Talia bordered on hateful. "Are you insinuating that I'd put personal interests ahead of combatting this new threat?"

Talia returned Amy's stare and nodded. "Yes. I am."

"Now wait one bloody damn minute! I don't like what I'm hearing!" an angry Mina snapped. "What's your malfunction, Talia? Why are you giving Amy such a hard time?"

"I am seeking to prevent a....malfunction from happening. To keep Amy from going down the same disastrous road I once travelled," Talia explained. "When I rejoined you six months ago, I was all too eager to kill to protect Serena. Revenge is the strongest motive of all for murder."

"And you think I'm going to become bloodthirtsy like you once was?" Amy asked. "That I'll go on some 'eye for an eye' kick to avenge Sarah?"

"Can you truthfully tell us that has not occured to you?"

Again, silence prevailed. Amy scowled, more from frustration than anger because Talia had come uncomfortably close to a grim and ugly truth: that she had been contemplating that very thing since yesterday.

Luna haltingly spoke up. "Girls, you're not going to like this, but I'm afraid I have to agree with Talia. This situation needs to be addressed, one way or another before we go any further."

Serena, worried for Amy, put a hand on her friend's arm. It tore Serena apart to see Amy in such turmoil. "Amy, talk to us. Please. We need to know."

All eyes fell on Amy. No one dared to speak for what seemed like hours as they waited for a response from her.

"I'm sorry, Serena, but I haven't any answers. I honestly don't know how I'd react if I confront the madmen responsible for what happened to Sarah," Amy said sadly. "I could be rational and let the law deal with those fiends, or I could tear them apart with my bare hands. I just don't know."

"Well, I don't give a damn what Kirk thinks! I trust your judgement, Amy!" Lita said strongly.

"That makes two of us!" Mina added.

"Same here! You always do the right thing!" said Raye.

Amy shook her head. "Don't be too sure about that, Raye. I'm only human, and right now, my judgement is suspect. I think you'll all be better off if I sit this one out."

The girls and the familiars were stunned. Talia, as usual was impassive.

"No! You can't! You're the brains of the team! We need you!" cried Serena, almost in tears.

"Not this time, Sere. Talia's right. I'm too emotionally involved to be of any use to you. I'd be more of a liability than an asset." Amy then clasped Serena's shoulders. "Besides, Tal is just as brilliant as I am. If anyone can piece together this puzzle, it's her. Me? I'd just smash it to pieces."

Before anyone could speak, Amy got up and left the temple.

Seething from rage, Lita got right into Talia's face. "Happy now, Kirk? You bitch! That was a damn lousy thing you did! You chased Amy away!"

"I will thank you to keep a respectable distance," said Talia in a low, frost filled voice, her amber eyes smouldering. Lita backed down, albeit reluctantly. "I took no joy in the things I said to Amy. Had I not called her judgement into question, the subject would never have been breached. And we would have gone into combat with a teammate not in her right frame of mind."

"Do you really think Amy would've lost control because of Sarah?" Serena wanted to know.

"I do not know. I am telepathic, Serena, not clairvoyant. I can only make logical assumptions based on past experiences. Namely, my own," said Talia. "If you will recall, I took a life, and did so with a disturbing amount of relish. Even....delight. To this day, I have been....haunted by my actions."

"What does that have to do with Amy?" Raye wanted to know.

"If I, as a Vulcan could be driven to kill, and my race prides itself on total pacifism, what chance would Amy have of resisting that terrible urge?" Talia explained. "I could be grossly mistaken, but I felt this situation needed to be addressed. I would rather Amy hate me for revealing my suspicions about her disposition than say nothing and let her repeat the tragic mistake I made."

Serena took Talia's hands in hers. Through the telepathic link the two girls shared, she instantly felt the crushing force of Talia's guilt over having ruthlessly murdered one of the elementals, and it took all of Serena's strength to keep from crying. "I'm sure Amy doesn't hate you, Tal. And neither do we. It took a heck of a lot of courage for you to say what you did, even if it was painful for her. And for you."

"Serena's right. You did Amy a huge favor by bringing that out into the open," said a somber Raye. "I understand why you did it now."

"Same here," said Mina. "We should've known you only had Amy's best interests at heart."

"Me too. I'm sorry for biting your head off, Tal," said Lita. She then crushed Talia in an embrace. "Can you forgive me?"

Talia responded by returning Lita's hug. She secretly enjoyed how good it felt. "There is nothing to forgive. You are my friend, Lita, and I love you unconditionally. To quote a popular saying, let us bury the hatchet."

"Besides, it's not like Amy's bailed on us for good," said Mina, looking on the bright side. "I'm sure she'll come back once she gets her head on straight. She's not the type to leave us in the lunch."

Serena and Lita giggled while Raye rolled her eyes. "That's lurch, you bubblehead!" the Shinto Priestess growled.

"In the meantime, we need to get cracking on this mission. Any ideas on how to handle this, people?" Artemis asked.

"I recommend a proactive approach. Instead of waiting for another creature like Sarah to appear, we find out who was behind the man who sold Sarah the narcotics that triggered her mutation," Talia suggested.

"But how'? Sarah's pusher is either in a hospital room or a jail cell right now," Luna pointed out. "Finding him might well be impossible."

"As I stated the other night, Luna, I do not believe in anything being impossible," said Talia. "Fortunately, I am quite proficient at unauthorized information gathering. Hacking, in other words. If Tanaka's name has been entered into any computer database, I can find him."

"And what happens after that?" Serena asked.

Talia's eyes turned glacial cold. "I will....pick his brain. Literally."

Amy felt like a lost soul as she trudged home. Her mind was locked in turmoil while her heart was nothing more than a jagged lump in her chest that throbbed from unceasing pain.

Her pretty face locked in a scowl, Amy desperately wanted to hate Talia for doubting her judgement, openly accusing her of being driven to vengeance against the men responsible for Sarah's mutation and eventual death. However, she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. That was what she really hated.

Talia was right to question me, thought Amy. She knew the others would not have said anything because of their deep feelings for her. It took someone like Talia, a resident from an alien culture who could divorce herself from emotion and rely on cold, soulless logic to resolve a problem.

In this instance, the Vulcan girl said that Amy was the problem.

Even worse, Talia all but said she didn't trust me. God, that hurt, coming from someone I love, thought Amy, sadness replacing her anger. She doesn't understand. I can't tum my feelings on and off like she does. Every time I close my eyes, I'm back on that street, watching Sarah die. How can Tal, or anyone expect me to act rationally after that?

As Amy walked, not caring where she went, her feet moving of their own volition, tears sprang to her eyes as memories of Sarah increased the terrible pain she felt. Pedestrians tumed their heads in puzzlement as a quietly sobbing Amy passed them by. She ignored them. She ignored the world. All the while, one thought ran roughshod through her tortured mind:

Sarah died in my arms.

After an hour spent wandering the streets of Tokyo, Amy stopped at the mouth of a small side street. Her wet eyes widened from surprise and she gasped as she recognized it as the street she followed Sarah into two nights ago. She looked around her, genuinely shocked to have found herself here, perhaps the last place on Earth she wanted to be.

Feeling the pull of forces beyond her control, Amy, her legs shaking, entered the street, dimly lighted, even at midday. Her heart pounding, her breath coming in short rasps, Amy slowly walked down the street, her mind ruthlessly pulled back to the horror she endured here.

Sarah died in my arms.

Her footsteps echoing dully off the walls of the buildings on both sides of her, Amy continued walking. Finally, she stopped halfway down the street. Ramrod still, Amy took in her surroundings with a morbid fascination as they had become as familiar to her as her own bedroom. Familiar like the pain from the loss of her friend.

Sarah died right here. Died in my arms.

Amy dropped to her knees, her head down as fresh tears poured from her eyes. As Amy wept, memories pulled her back to that grim night when she cradled Sarah, her body shattered and burned from the dual attack by Sailor Vulcan and Sailor Mars. She felt her friend's life literally oozing away, her hands and uniform stained red from Sarah's blood, helpless to prevent the inevitable end. Worst of all, Amy recalled Sarah's last words, filled with pain and gallows humor as she apologized to her for having failed a final time to be responsible. Amy's grief tumed to frustration, then to guilt, finally, to anger.

Sarah died in my arms!

Standing up, Amy felt a deadly, inhuman coldness wash over her body, tuming her soul to ice as her emotions shut down, all save for one. Rage.

"To hell with what Talia and the others think! This is personal now!" Amy snarled, her face twisting into a mask of fury. "The vermin who did this to Sarah must be found and punished! No one, not even the Scouts will stop me from getting my revenge!"

Strengthened by a terrible resolve, Amy tumed and strode away. With each step she took, Amy could feel the comforting chill of her rage envelop her like a blanket, numbing the pain of her sadness, protecting her from the weakness of her humanity. Going home was out of the question now. She had a mission to undertake, a vendetta to carry out. No matter what the cost, she would find the men behind Sarah's mutation and kill every last one of them, even if she died in the attempt.

Amy was determined to make Sarah's killers feel the icy hand of her wrath. That thought made Amy smile, but it was cold as her now frozen heart.

Next: A Gathering of Dangers

GO TO CHAPTER FIVE