EMOTIONAL RESCUE A Sailor Moon Lemon NOTE: This story is a sequel to my previous ones, especially "Mercury Rising." It is necessary for you to read "Mercury Rising" before proceeding with this one. by Sailor Mac Siegmite entered the chambers of the supreme Negaverse general, Wotite, bowing his head with the proper respect. After all, this was the man who was now the leader of all the Negaforces following the death of Queen Beryl-the man who would restore the Dark Kingdom. "You summoned me, my lord?" he said. "Yes, Siegmite. It is time that we made our first major move. I want you to go to Earth and bring back the two beings who are standing in our way-namely, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask." Siegmite made a noise of disapproval at the mention of the names. If it wasn't for them, and their bratty Sailor Scout friends, the Negaverse would have taken over the universe-and Siegmite himself would have had a nice, cushy position at the top. . . "We have found out their everyday identities, so you should be able to capture them when their guard is down." He held up a crystal ball, which showed pictures of a blonde teenager and a handsome young man. "We have heard that they are planning to attend a party together tonight. . . * * * "Champagne? I'd love it," Serena said, grabbing a flute off the passing tray. "Oh, no you don't," Darien replied, putting it back. "Do you want it getting back to your parents that I'm getting you drunk?" "But you never need to get me drunk," she giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. "Hmmm, I know. . ." He brought his mouth to hers, and they shared a tender kiss. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by an "ahem." Turning, they saw Amy, whose mother was hosting the party. "We're going to be ready to eat in a couple of minutes," she said. "Food? Oh, cool-I'm starved! I want pasta and roast beef and turkey and mashed potatoes and. . ." The waiter watched them go into the dining room and smirked. Yes, it's them, all right, Siegmite thought. Let them enjoy their dinner. . .it will be their last. . . * * * After eating (and, yes, Serena feasted heartily), the couples drifted out into the living room, where soft swing music was playing. Darien and Serena swayed together, both of them looking like they were lost in another world. "Are you remembering what I'm remembering?" she said. "Yes. Our last night together before the end of the Moon Kingdom. . ." "Sometimes, I wish I could remember more of that time," she sighed. "It must have been wonderful." "Well, I remember one very big thing from then." "What?" "How much I was in love with you. And I still am." She looked out the window. "Look-there's a full moon out tonight. Let's go outside and look at it, and we can dream about how it was back then. . ." "I'd rather dream about our future together." They left the party, their arms around each other, blissfully oblivious that they were being followed. . . * * * Siegmite was confused. As long as he could remember, he'd been a true citizen of the Negaverse. He'd devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of power-as had everyone around him. Other people were for stepping on and using so he could get his own way. Sex was for physical gratification only-he used women, then pushed them away. Often, he had helped Queen Beryl use sex to torture and punish people. Like, for instance, Prince Darien. Oh, he remembered that young man. Beryl had broken him to her will and made him her slave. He'd been the most powerful general the Negaverse had ever seen. So what made him abandon the Negacause, and take up his old identity as Tuxedo Mask? And why was he handling that girl with such tenderness, such gentleness, as if she were a china doll? No one in the Negaverse acted like that. . . Serena sat down on the banks of the little creek. "This is so beautiful," she sighed. "I think the Moon Kingdom looked something like this." "It did," Darien replied, sitting beside her. "Every now and then, I get these vivid flashes where I see it. There were palaces and huge gardens and waterfalls everywhere. Andthen, there was the most beautiful thing of all. . ." "Me?" "No, the view from the top terrace of your mother's palace. I could always see for miles and miles from there. . ." "Oh, YOU!!!" She began to tickle him. He tickled back, and they ended up in a laughing heap in each other's arms on the ground. Then, he pressed his lips to her temple, and suddenly, the mood began to change. . .He kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, then lips met lips and that cool forest glade began to feel very warm. . . Her hands moved over his chest, stroking, massaging. She paused over his heart, feeling how strong and hard it was beating. Almost as hard as mine, she thought. . . He broke the kiss to bring his lips to her ear. She shuddered as he teased it with his tongue. "You realize," he whispered, "that this pretty dress is going to have to come off." "I can definitely live without it," she replied. He pulled her zipper down, easing the dress down her shoulders. She stood up and rid herself of it, as well as the slip she wore underneath. She lay back down on the ground, wearing nothing but her matching pink bra and panties. "Now it's your turn," she whispered. He stood up, and soon his clothes were in a heap beside hers. "Hmm. . .this feels much better," he said, lying back down and taking her in his arms. Their mouths came together again, and his hands wandered to the front of her bra. "Oh, Gods, your nipples are so hard already. . ." "That's how much I want you," she whispered. "Well, I can't let such delectable morsels just sit here without tasting them. . ." He unhooked her bra and yanked it off. She felt her breasts exposed to the cool night air. . .but they weren't cool for long, because his mouth quickly fastened on one nipple, while his fingers stroked the other. He took as much of the breast into his mouth as he could, fluttering his tongue over the tip. Oh, yes, honey, you're so sweet, so succulent, you feel so good in my mouth. . . When she moaned her pleasure, there was only one thought in his mind-making her moan louder. He switched his mouth to the other breast, yanked off her panties, then slid his hand up her thigh, toward her womanhood. She opened her legs wide to welcome his fingers, and as he stroked and sucked her, she threw her head back and cried her ecstasy to the moon. He lifted his head. "What do you want, honey? Tell me. Whatever you want, I'll do it." "Oh, Darien. . .I want you to. . .to put your head down there and. . ." He kissed her lips. . .he didn't need to hear any more. He paused only to rid himself of his underwear-his erection was straining painfully against the cloth. But he wasn't going to sate his own needs yet-not until he made his baby feel as good as he possibly could. . . Meanwhile, Siegmite stood watching, dumbfounded and confused. This was unlike any sex he had ever seen, ever known. This was no brutal satisfaction of needs-the former Prince Darien was doing nothing to sate himself and everything to please this girl. And then, a flash of a thought rose up in the back of the general's mind, something resembling a memory, of him holding a beautiful girl in his arms, kissing and caressing her like this man was doing to this young woman. . .Siegmite felt more baffled than ever. As the general continued to watch, Darien kissed his way down his lover's stomach, burying his face in the soft thatch of blonde hair at the junction of her thighs and inhaling her feminine scent. His lips kissed and kissed all over her soft folds before he buried his tongue in her. He felt her hands tangle in his hair as he nipped gently at her, then quickly rubbed his tongue back and forth over her delicate nub. "Darien, that feels so, so good!" she cried. Her shout only increased his ardor, and he sucked and licked faster, tasting the sweet honey that flowed over his tongue. Let me drown in you, my darling, he thought. . . She was trembling on the verge of orgasm, but she didn't want to go over the edge until he went over with her. "Put it in me, Darien! Put it in me now!" He reached into the pocket of his discarded pants, finding the package of rubbers in mercifully swift time. His hands shaking with lust and need, he prepared himself, then fell on her, burying himself inside her. "Oh, my darling!" he gasped as he began to pump her. "Darien. . .I love you so much. . .keep going, keep doing it to me, don't stop, oh, don't stop. . ." The pleasure built and built in both of them until they were almost screaming. Her legs gripped his hips, his face was buried in the junction of her neck and shoulder. Oh, just a little further, Serena, just a little further, we're going to make it together, come with me, come with me. . . Then, she let out a loud shriek as the bliss exploded within her, and he answered it with a shout of his own. "I love you, I love you," the both cried as the spasms faded. He collapsed atop her, then rolled them over until they were side by side, holding her against his heart as they began the slow descent back to earth. The one who watched them remained baffled, confused-then, he came to his senses. What the hell is wrong with me? he thought. They are my enemies! They are the greatest enemies of the Negaverse! I am sworn to destroy them! Darien felt himself starting to drift off to sleep, dimly aware of the cold night air against his hot, sweaty skin. Then, the very edges of his pleasantly fuzzy mind began to pick something up. A vibration, a particularly nasty one. . . He grabbed her dress and handed it to her. "Take your clasp," he whispered, "and transform as quietly as possible." "Huh-what?" "Transform. Become Sailor Moon. Something's out there. . ." Siegmite watched as the two assumed their "super" identities, silently cursing himself. He'd failed to grab them when they were unarmed and vulnerable. But that didn't mean he couldn't try it now. . . He stepped out of the brush. "You two are coming with me!" "That's what you think, Negacreep," Darien said. "If you want her, you're going to have to kill me first!" The general laughed. "What, you'd give your life for this whiny pipsqueak? What is she to you?" "She is my life." "We'll see about that." The general aimed and fired a bolt of power, and Darien pushed Serena out of the way, flinging her to the ground and covering her with his body. The bolt glanced off him, and he grimaced in pain. . . "DARIEN!" Serena leapt to her feet, pulling off her tiara. "I won't let him hurt you! MOON. . .TIARA. . .MAGIC!" She flung the glowing disc at Siegmite, who barely jumped out of the way. He crashed into a tree, and before he could get up, an enchanted rose was flung in his path, paralyzing him. He looked up and saw Tuxedo Mask shielding Sailor Moon with his body, holding her close. "Are you all right?" "Are you?" "I'll live." They kissed. "I'd want to die if something happened to you, though." "Oh, baby. . .and I'd *really* want to die if I lost you." Something was happening within the mind and heart of the Negaverse general who sat there stunned, in every sense of the word, witnessing this tender scene. They would die for each other. . .and look at the joy in their eyes. . .they take more pleasure in each other than any of us ever did in power. . . "Let me go," Siegmite said to his captors. "Never," Darien replied. "Let me go! I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm. . .going to let you live." "Ha! As if!" said Serena. "Looking at the two of you. . .it's like nothing I've ever seen in my life. . .it's. . .it's. . ." But the general said no more, because suddenly, he was enveloped in a white glow, and he disappeared back to where he came from. * * * Wotite was waiting-and he wasn't happy. "WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING THEM BACK!" he shouted. "You had them at their most vulnerable! And you not only let them transform, YOU LET THEM GET THE BEST OF YOU!" "But, my lord. . .something came over me. . .some kind of strange power they have. . .I wasn't prepared for it." "Strange power? What strange power?" "The. . .the vibrations they generate. . .the feelings passing between them. . .How can I defeat them if they're perfectly willing to die for each other?" "That's called LOVE, you idiot! And it's the biggest enemy of the Negaverse! It was the undoing of Neflyte, and of Zoecite and Malachite! I can't believe you're as big a fool as they were!" "My lord, I am willing to take my punishment. . ." "SILENCE! So you are in love with love? Fine, then your punishment will fit your crime. You are stripped of your generalhood and banned from the Negaverse. You will be sent to the universe, where you will be put in a deep sleep and left on a mountaintop surrounded by fire. And any woman who can cross those flames will have you for her slave!" "Sir. . .I would rather die than be enslaved. Kill me if you must, but don't do this to me!" "Killing you would be too merciful! You will undergo this punishment!" And Wotite raised his arms, and the Negaverse faded away. Suddenly, they were at the summit of a mountain not too far away from the homes of the Sailor Scouts. . . "Farewell, my once trusted colleague," Wotite said. "You could have been somebody. But now, because of what you've done, you've become nobody. . .and nobody you shall remain. Siegmite are you no longer." He grasped his fellow general by the temples, and he fell over, in a deep, deep sleep. Next, Wotite traced a circle around the top of the mountain in the air with his finger, and flames leapt up around them, roaring higher and higher. He vanished back to the Negaverse, leaving Siegmite sleeping in the middle of the ring of fire, sleeping until his bride came to awaken him. And that night, Amy dreamed of a man on a mountaintop for the first time. * * * Amy stumbled down the road, feeling like she was going to fall asleep on her feet. She didn't think she'd slept through the night once since she'd begun to have those dreams. She'd see herself climbing a mountain, higher and higher, and at the top of the mountain was a ring of fire. And within the ring was a man, an unbelievably handsome young man, and he was calling out to her. . ."Help me, Amy. Save me. You are my destiny. . ." Then she'd wake up, feeling shaky and panicky. He's out there, she'd think. He's out there. . .I have to go to him. . . But who is he? Where did he come from? And why is he calling out to *me*? She'd try to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. She'd end up tossing and turning all night. . . She knew that she'd been having trouble concentrating at school. And her grades were starting to suffer as a result. She had to buckle down twice as hard. . .Which is why she was headed for the library this Saturday morning. But she thought that she'd pass out before she got there. . . Just then, a very familiar car pulled up beside her, and the driver leaned over to talk to her. "Hey, Amy! Where are you going? Can I give you a lift?" "Oh, hi, Darien." She got in the car. "I'm just going to the library, thanks." "No problem." She smiled when she heard the tape he had playing in the stereo. "Smashing Pumpkins? Serena hates Smashing Pumpkins." "I know. This is one of the rare occasions I have that I can actually listen to this tape." They both laughed. They chatted about the party until he pulled up in front of the library. As she started to get out of the car, Amy felt a bit woozy. She righted herself. "Thanks a lot, Darien," she said. "Anytime. See you around?" "Sure." And then, she took two steps and fell. Darien leapt out of the car and grabbed her. "Amy! What's wrong!" "I'm okay, really I am." "You don't look okay. Come over here and sit on the steps. . ." Once they were settled, she said, "Really, I'm okay. I'm just. . .tired." "That looked like more than 'tired.' Have you been sleeping well?" She shook her head no. "Want to talk about it?" She paused, considering whether to tell him. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "I keep having these. . .these dreams." Oh, Gods, Darien thought. "Plagued by dreams" was a concept he knew all too well. "What kind of dreams?" "There's this man. . .a man lying asleep in the middle of a ring of fire on a mountaintop. . .and he's silently calling out to me,telling me that I'm his destiny and I have to help him. . ." This sounded so much like the dreams he used to have about his princess before he found out that she was Serena. . .it had to be more than a mere dream. We'd better get to the bottom of this, he thought. . . "Come on," he said. "I think we'd better go see Raye." * * * ". . .and it started right after the party my mother gave. Every single night, it's been the same thing. And I wake up thinking that I have to go to him, but I don't know who he is. . ." Amy looked up from where she was sitting on the temple floor at Darien and Raye. She looked thoughtful, he looked concerned. "Do you think you could try divining what's causing this in the flames?" Darien asked. Raye shook her head. "I think it's the kind of thing that Amy has to find out herself. Dreams are such a personal thing. . .Darien, can you excuse us for a minute? I want to talk to Amy alone." "Sure. I'll be out in the gardens if you need me." Raye sat down next to Amy. "Amy. . .do you remember a few months ago, when Lois from Take a Byte was shot and you came to me for help?" "Yes." "Did. . .someone come to you then?" Amy's deep blush was Raye's answer. She put an arm around her friend and hugged her. "I hope it was a beautiful experience." "It was. Oh, yes, it was." "If Darien and I put you in a trance, could you find him again? Could you ask him what's going on?" The thought of seeing the god Mercury again made Amy's heart beat a little faster-although she knew now that the god was not her one and only soul mate. The mysterious man in the flames was. . . "I'll do it," she said. Raye gave her another hug, then went out into the garden. "Okay," she said, "we're going to put her under, like you did with me when we were trying to figure out what was after Serena." "Isn't that dangerous? When we did that with you, you knew for sure that Mars was waiting for you on the other side. . ." "Don't worry. Someone will be waiting for her." * * * At first, the ritual made Amy a bit uncomfortable. She was told to lie down in the middle of a circle of salt, surrounded by candles. But when Darien and Raye started talking to her, gently, softly, she relaxed and succumbed to the hypnotism. And suddenly, she wasn't lying on the floor of Raye's temple anymore. She was walking through a field, and then she came to the banks of a great, rushing river, where a familiar figure was standing. "Mercury!" she cried, running into the god's arms. They embraced for a long, long moment. She felt so good, so whole, being held in his arms. . . He stroked her hair. "Oh, Amy, my Amy. I am so glad to see you again. . ." "Raye sent me to you. She says I have to talk to you about my dreams." He held her at arm's length. "Oh, yes, those dreams. . .Amy, there's something I have to tell you. I took you for my lover when first we met. . .but you do not truly belong to me, except as my champion and priestess. It was selfish of me, I know. . .but at the time, I thought he was beyond redemption. . ." "Who is he?" "Your one true love. The man you have been seeing in your dreams. The one you were bonded to back in the Silver Millennium. . ." Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had a soul mate? She had someone who had been her one and only since the dawn of time? "But it's not a pretty story. Maybe we'd better sit down. . ." After they settled on the grass, she looked at him quizzically, determined to hear the rest of what he had to say. He took a deep breath and began his tale- "When you were living on the planet Mercury as its princess, you and a brilliant young lord of the realm fell very deeply in love with each other. His name was Lord Adam, and everyone on your planet loved him. They all thought he'd be a perfect king-consort for you. "Unfortunately, the Negaverse recognized how brilliant he was also, and they wanted him for their army. So they captured him, tortured him, and totally broke his spirit. Then, they erased his mind, so he'd have no memory of you or his life on Mercury at all. He became a brutal, ruthless Negaforce general named Siegmite, one of Queen Beryl's favorites. "But then, the night of the party, something happened. He was sent to kill your friends Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, and he ended up witnessing their love for each other. And it began to awaken memories in him. . .He couldn't kill them, so he was punished by the top general, Wotite. He's been sunk in a deep sleep, and the only thing that can awaken him is the kiss of a woman." By the time he reached the end of his tale, she was in tears. "What can I do to help him?" "Go to the mountain. I will show you where it is. Freeze the fire with your ice bubbles. When you approach him, your Mercury wand will be transformed into the caduceus. Use it to heal him of the Negaverse's spells. He will gain a new set of memories, which he will be able to use to lead a normal life in the universe." "That's all I have to do?" "Unfortunately, it may not be that easy. Wotite is going to prevent you from awakening him. He may have told Siegmite he was sending him into slavery, but he really wants him to stay in that deep sleep forever. What you have to do is bring your friends so they can help you do battle with him." "I'm not afraid. I will do whatever it takes to save him." "Then go, Amy. Go claim your love." Girl and god embraced, and she found herself walking through the field again. . .then, suddenly, she was back in her body, lying on the floor. . . Darien and Raye were leaning over her. "Amy?" said Raye. "What did you find out?" Slowly, Amy sat up, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. Then, she remembered the situation. "Get the communicator," she said. "We have to call a Scout meeting right now." * * * "How high is this damn mountain, anyway?" Serena grumbled, rubbing her sore calves. It felt to her like they'd been climbing for decades. "Oh, stop complaining. We haven't got much further to go," Raye said. "Look up there, you can see the fire. . ." Amy saw the fire, all right. She'd been seeing it in her mind's eye and in her heart since the moment they arrived at the mountain. Now that she was seeing it with her own two eyes, she felt her heart pounding like it never had before-both with fear, and anticipation. "Do you sense anything, Raye?" Mina said. "Nothing yet. But the Negaverse has been known to show up quickly and without warning before. . ." As if something evil had heard her and was acting on cue, there was a huge flash of light in front of them. When it cleared, Wotite was standing there. "So!" he said. "What do we have here? A team of sailor brats who think they can rescue my fallen general?" "Out of our way, Negacreep," Lita said. "You're not going to be able to stop us, and you'll be real sorry if you try." "We'll see about that!" Wotite made a gesture with his arms, and suddenly, a huge number of tiny, demonlike creatures materialized out of thin air. "Too easy," said Raye. "MARS FIRE. . .IGNITE!!!" "JUPITER THUNDER. . .CRASH!!!" "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM. . .SMASH!" But for every group of demons that the girls destroyed, Wotite created a group twice as big. And the demons were shooting out tiny little lazerlike beams, which stung the girls like bees. Raye flung fire in all directions, trying to deal with swarms and swarms of them that were descending on her from all sides like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. "Where the HELL is Tuxedo Mask?" she said. Maybe, thought Amy, in all this chaos, I'll be able to make my break. . .She started to run toward the flames, but a huge hoard of the demons leapt on her, sticking to her skin. She screamed as she felt herself become a mass of stinging flesh. . . Then, suddenly, the demons vanished. . .as if something were blocking Wotite's powers for a second. She turned, and saw the enchanted rose that had landed at the general's feet. . . "Now, Sailor Moon! Get him!" a male voice yelled. "MOON TIARA. . .MAGIC!" But before the glowing disc could "moondust" the general, he vanished in a flash of light, back to where he came from. That was Amy's cue. She scrambled the rest of the way up the mountain, facing the flames completely without fear. When she reached them, she took a deep breath and concentrated as hard as she could. "Help me, Mercury," she whispered. Then, summoning the biggest blast that she could, she flung so many ice bubbles into the fire that it looked like a blizzard. The flames vanished, and she stepped into the magic circle. Now she drew out her Mercury wand, which had been tucked between her breasts. Concentrating her power again, she watched as it grew and changed, becoming the caduceus, the supreme wand of healing. Then, her eyes beheld the man before her, and she fell to her knees, overwhelmed with love and desire. He was even more beautiful than he'd looked in her dreams. She could sense the tortured evil he'd been forced to adopt as his personality, but also, the infinite goodness and sweetness buried beneath-which only she could unleash with her love. Oh, Adam, my long-lost darling, what have they done to you? This Negaforce jacket has got to go, she thought. She undid the catches, gently raising his slumbering body so she could slip it off. He wore a plain white shirt beneath. She flung the offending garment away as if it were poisoned. He would never wear a symbol of evil again. Pointing the caduceus at his head, she whispered, "Supreme healing!" A blue glow spread from the wand and enveloped him. For a few seconds, he disappeared in the light, then it faded. She knelt next to him, stroking his face, mentally preparing herself for the big moment ahead. . . Then, she touched her lips to his, and suddenly, the whole mountain seemed ablaze with light. His eyelids fluttered and opened. Slowly, he raised himself into a sitting position, stretching his arms up to the sun. "The light of day. . ." he murmured. "It's never looked so beautiful. . ." Then, he saw the woman next to him, and he felt confused. There were memories rising up inside him, memories he couldn't quite get a grasp on. . . "Who are you? Did you awaken me?" "Yes. Do you remember me, Adam?" Adam. . .Adam. . .why did the sound of that name stir up such funny feelings? What was happening to him? He leaned over, his head in his hands. "My mind is whirling. . .I feel so confused. . .so lost. . ." She put her arms around him. "You don't have to feel lost, Adam. I'm here with you. You'll never be alone again." That sweet voice. . .he'd heard it before. . .another time, another place, another planet. . ."We. . .we were together once, weren't we?" "Yes! Oh, please, please remember, Adam! The palace where we lived on Mercury. . .I was the princess, and you were my one and only love. . ." Now he was seeing in his mind a planet where everything seemed to be glowing blue. . .and this wonderful woman was in his arms. . .he was kissing her neck, and she was telling him that there had never been anyone else for her and never would be. . . And then, the name arose in his mind. "Princess Amy?" "Oh, Adam!" She threw her arms around him, and suddenly, all the dams within him broke. The Adam memories were rising up like a tidal wave, drowning out the Siegmite memories. He began to feel pure, clean, and whole for the first time in centuries. Let me lose the long lifespan of a Negaforce general, he thought. Let me become a mere mortal again. I will gladly go down into death tomorrow if it means being with Amy, if it means being reborn with her again and again. . . "Amy. . .my darling princess. . ." His mouth claimed hers, and the world stood still. With the hunger born of centuries of separation, they kissed and kissed and kissed, trying to fuse their souls through their mouths. His hands began to roam her body, feeling her warmth, her soft curves. Oh, my darling, let me purify myself within you. Let me taste your sweetness, and drive away the sourness of all those lost years forever. . . She moaned as he explored her through her clothes, feeling like she was going to explode with desire. As her mouth fed on his again and again, she began to unbutton his shirt, sliding it down his arms and shoulders. She pulled away from him with a gasp, shuddering with lust at the site of his exposed flesh. "Oh, Adam. . .you're exquisite. . ." She fell on him, her arms around his waist, her lips kissing up and down his muscular chest and flat stomach. Her tongue circled his nipples, her teeth gently nipped at him. "Off with this dress, my sweetheart," he said. "I want to behold you in all your glory." All she had to do was concentrate her power to make her uniform vanish. He fell to his knees, worshiping her like a goddess. Gently, his hands passed over her breasts before he grasped them in fierce need. He drew a nipple into his mouth, sucking it like he could drink all the goodness in the world from her breasts. He only let go of it to sample the delights of its twin. She panted and groaned, her head tipped back, her eyes closed. Oh, it felt so good! It even felt better than when she'd done it with the god. . .She felt a pang of regret over that experience, because her one true love would not be the one to break her virginity and make her a woman. Then, he was tipping her backwards, so she lay flat on her back on the ground, and all regrets were swept away when his fingers found her sweet softness. She groaned his name as he explored her, discovering and caressing her most precious, sensitive spot. "Please, Adam. . .let me see the rest of you. . ." He removed his pants and underwear, flinging them almost halfway down the mountain, and she gasped at the sight of what was revealed. It was so exquisitely formed, she thought it was a sculpture. Reverently, her hands touched it, followed by her lips. "Amy. . .I want to feel myself inside you. . ." "Yes, my love. I'm ready for you. . ." She opened to him, and he lay atop her, claiming her mouth again and again as he started to enter. . . Then, something unexpected happened. He encountered a barrier. A delicious thrill went through Amy as she realized what had happened-Mercury had restored her virginity so that Adam could be the one to take it. He felt the resistance. "Amy. . ." She reached up and stroked his hair. "I told you centuries ago-there has never been anyone else for me but you, and never will be." "Oh, my love." He surged forward. She felt the pain-and it was delicious. Adam moved, slowly at first, then faster and faster, harder and harder. . .Amy's hips met his every thrust. She moaned his name over and over like a litany of love. Oh, Gods, she felt so whole, so complete. . .Luscious feelings were shooting all over her like lighting bolts. She wanted fulfillment so much, but she wanted this to go on and on too. . . As his own orgasm built, however, what was happening to him was more than mere ecstasy. A third set of memories was rising in his mind, a brand-new set put there by the gods so that he could live a normal life. . . She shrieked as the wave broke within her, and as her velvet sheath tugged and throbbed, it pulled him over the edge as well, and his mind was whirling, whirling, as the new memories overwhelmed the old. . . Shuddering, he fell down next to her. They clung to each other as if they never wanted to let go. When they came to their senses again, she knew she had changed from Sailor Mercury back into Amy Anderson. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her everyday clothes lying on the grass, as if they had been pulled off in the throes of passion. And there was a set of everyday men's clothes lying next to them. . . She looked at Adam. His face was the same, but his red-brown hair had gone from Negaverse long to college student short. And his expression was different, too. . .He'd become a new person. But, deep down inside, she knew he was still her love. "Hey," he said. "Hi," she replied. "Gods, you're gorgeous." "So are you, girl genius." He kissed her neck. "Hmm. . .what time is it?" "I don't have my watch. . .but looking at the sun, I think about 4 o'clock. . ." "Four o'clock!" He sprung to his feet. "Oh, Gods, I'm sorry, honey, I have to go back to the dorm. I've got so much I still have to do before I start classes on Monday. . ." He began scrambling for his clothes. She looked on in confusion for a moment, before a voice whispered in the back of her head, "This is Adam as he is now, Amy-Adam Chambers, an orphan and a student at Darien's college. His memories of his time on Mercury are in the back of his mind now, but from time to time he will recall them. And the two of you will be together, in this life and in lives to come." "Wait a minute. He's going to go to Darien's school and they'll know who he is, even though he just dropped out of the sky?" "Don't worry, Amy. I took care of all that. I'm a god, remember?" Adam had finished dressing, and Amy quickly threw on her own clothes as well, tucking her restored-to-its-normal-shape wand back in her bra. He held out his hand to her. "Shall we go, my love?" And they walked away together, and he left that mountaintop and everything it stood for behind him forever. * * * EPILOGUE Adam caught a ride with Darien down to the arcade. The two had become fast friends ever since Adam had enrolled in the college. They had a lot in common-their interest in science, their lack of a family. . .and, the fact that the girls they were in love with just happened to be the best of friends. "How's the new apartment working out?" Darien said. "Fantastic. It's so much better than living in that stuffy old dorm." "I know. I think I lasted a week in that place." "And it's a nice, quiet place for Amy and I to study together." Darien chuckled to himself. He knew that their times together involved a hell of a lot more than studying-it was very, very obvious how nuts Adam and Amy were about each other. Amy was waiting when Adam arrived. He caught her in his arms and gave her a huge kiss. "How was your day?" she said. "Up until now, same-old-same-old. But now, it's magnificent." "I got two more A's today." "Why does that not surprise me, girl genius? At this rate, you'll be ruling the world by the time you're 20." "I'll only want to rule the world if I can rule it with you." As he hugged her, a curious thought popped into his head. . .something like a fragment of memory of them together in a strange landscape where all the plants were blue instead of green, and her saying to him, "We will be king and queen together someday, my love. . ." Now, that's weird, he thought. Where did that come from? He stopped up those thoughts by leaning over to taste her mouth. "Wanna go back to my place and. . .*study*?" She laughed. "I've never loved *studying* so much in my life." "Neither have I, my love. Neither have I." AUTHOR NOTES: As I did with my previous fic, "Victory of Love," I have based my plot (loosely) on a pair of operas: "Die Walkure" and "Siegfried" from Richard Wagner's Ring cycle. Here's the plot thread I borrowed in a nutshell: the Valkyrie Brynnhilde learns about love for the first time in her life by observing the illicit lovers Siegmund and Sieglinde (she has been sent by her father, the god Wotan, to kill Siegmund). For her defiance of the god, she is put to sleep on a mountaintop surrounded by a ring of fire, until she is awakened by the love of the hero Siegfried. She loses her godly wisdom and becomes a human being. Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply: these characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing them for a little while. This fic is dedicated to everyone who has written to me so far to tell me how much they enjoyed my previous fics, including sfe_otaku, Connie and Lady Jupiter. Thanks a million for your feedback, guys-your letters really made my day!