Boredom

Ami opened her eyes. Someone was whispering her name. She glanced toward the shadows in the corner of her room and discovered Kori. She opened her mouth, drawing breath for a scream. More swiftly than she would have given him credit for, he was at her side, clamping his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet." he whispered. I need you to pass something along to Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Callisto pulled it out of some unfortunate after a battle. It was colliolling her, giving her dark powers and driving her mad with pain. I put it in this box for safekeeping." He produced a silver box about the size and shape of a mouse's coffin. "I've placed a lock on it that only Darien's thumbprint can open. I want you to promise me you will give it to him." Ami nodded. "Thank you." he said, placing the box on the bed.

"Are you controlling the others?" Ami asked. "Forcing them to serve you?"

"I'm not forcing anyone to do anything." Kori replied. "I'm going to be honest with you, Ami. I've done some things I'm not proud of, like the time I was forced to kill a pair of soldiers in self-defense. But under normal circumstances I would never knowingly harm someone. What I have done for your friends is drop some troublesome emotional barriers which prevent them from living life to the ful. A. All things considered, your friends are happier than they've ever been in their lives."

"Our psychological barriers keep us from doing bad things." Ami replied. "They are what separate us from the animals."

"You're confusing emotional inhibitions with conscience." Kori replied. "I would never alter someone's conscience, or their core self."

"Then why did Minako use her powers on Sailor Jupiter to make her fall in love with her?" Ami asked.

"Minako didn't know how strongly her power would affect her." Kori replied. "She is accepting responsibility for her actions, and taking good care of Sailor Jupiter, until we find a way to undo this particular mind job without hurting her."

"She really feels bad about it?" Ami asked. Kori nodded. "I guess you really didn't change her...that much."

"You still don't trust me." Kori said, sounding somewhat hurt.

"I don't know all the facts yet." Ami replied. "You...don't seem like the super villain type, but..."

"But Sailor Future Moon makes very strong arguments." Kori sighed. "That girl is in seriousd ofd of an enema." He turned back to the shadows. "Keep an open mind, Ami, and draw your own conclusions. I have to go take care of the others." Ami sat in the bed, thinking about what Kori had said. She wondered what she would say to Tuxedo Mask when she handed the silver box over to him. She wondered what she would say to Kori if she saw him again. She began to play scenarios through her mind. Her mind wandered, seeing his face and the outline of his body under the cloak, deciding he was indeed quite attractive. Before she knew it, her fingers had found her rather moist labia. They quested inward, finding her clitoris. Spurred by unfamiliar feelings, Ami began to masturbate. She moaned as powerful sensations wafted through her body. Her free hand rose, taking her left breast in hand. Her fingers brushed the fabric over senssensitive nipples. She squeezed, drawing a gasp from herself. She fantasized about running her hands over Kori's chest, down his sides over his hips. She wondered what it would be like to have him inside her. Would it hurt? She switched hands, plunging her left hand into her flooded slit while tweaking rig right nipple with her right hand. She pinched it. If her breasts had been maybe a size bigger, she could probably have bitten it. She imagined what it would feel like to have Kori nibbling at those sensitive buds. The thought made her shiver, and she rubbed at herself with greater urgency. She could definitely feel something happening. Her body bucked and shook. She screamed out Kori's name. Lights exploded behind her eyes. As she flopped back on her pillow, she sighed. Never before had she felt such pleasure. Why had that never happened before? her her senses returned to normal, she realized she was covered with sweat. Her hands were sticky, and there was a strange smell about her. She went to the bathroom and climbed into the shower. She felt an odd satisfaction as she cleaned herself off, rubbing scented oils into her skin. She found herself doing it again when her mind once again wandered to Kori.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask dropped the crystal like a red-hot brand, allowing it to fall to the floor. Involuntarily, he took two steps back, as Ami and Serena did the same.

"What is that?" Serena asked, taking another couple of steps back.

"Evil." Darien replied. "Pure, crystalline evil. It's Darkstone, a rare element found only in the Negaverse. It absorbs and focuses all darkness around it. This piece has been infused with Queen Beryl's thought patterns. If she's found a concentration of it, we're all in great danger--not just us and the Future Scouts, but every man, woman and child on Earth. The fact that Kori and the others were able to beat someone who was implanted with Darkstone indicates that he is indeed very powerful."

"Shouldn't we combine forces?" Ami asked. "You know, join together against the common enemy and all that?"

"It seems the wisest option." Darien agreed. "But can we get the Future Scouts to agree?"

"If anybody can convince them, it's you." Serena said, a look of total faith in her eyes.

"Sadly, there is something else I must do." Darien said. "I am sorry, Sailor Moon, but you must convince your future counterpart to go along with our plan."

"Um, couldn't we, like, convince the others first?" Serena asked, a very large sweat drop making its way down her face. "Future Moon scares me."

"That's one thing we have in common." Tuxedo Mask admitted. "But it must be done. She may see going to her subordinates first as an attempt to subvert the group, and that would prejudice her against us."

"And get us killed." Ami muttered.

"I doubt she would go that far." Tuxedo Mask said. "She does seem to value the time stream and causality. My guess is she's used to dealing with unilateral travel. But nevertheless, be careful. She may lose control. She strikes me as the excitable type."

"That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard." Ami muttered.

* * *

"Do you have any massagers?" Ami asked the shopkeeper. "The vibrating kind?"

"We have all sorts of vibrating massagers." the shopkeeper replied. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Something to relieve stress, like after an exam or something." Ami said. "That's when I really start to feel tense. And sometimes I get these spasms, like if I forget to drink water before I go to bed, and I need shinghing to rub that away too."

"ve jve just the thing." the clerk replied, escorting her to the vibrator aisle. He reached up and grabbed a box down from the top shelf. "This one's a general-purpose massager with five adjustable speeds and twelve detachable heads. It'll take care of everything from tense muscles to Charlie horses and even phlegm problems."

"Thanks." Ami replied. "Could you wrap that in a parcel for me? I don't want anyone to think I'm dirty or anything."

"No problem." the man said. "I use this model myself, but when I brought it home, oo, the dirty looks!" He wrapped it up inconspicuously and handed the package to her. She paid for it and walked out.

"Hey, Ami!" Serena called. "Whatcha got?"

"It's nothing, Serena." Ami replied, blushing slightly.

"I hope it's a massager, because you're looking really tense."

"Just please be quiet, Serena, OK? Do you have any idea what people think if a girl buys one of these?"

"I'm sorry, you're right. It's your own private business and I shouldn't be butting in." Serenad. d. Ami sighed gratefully, continuing on her wayMindMind if I come over later and use it? This Darkstone thing makes my neck get all knotted."

"I thought you had one at home." Ami replied, glancing back at her fellow Scout.

"It's the little kind that takes batteries, and everybody's always so tense back home that by the time I get a chance to use it, the batteries are dead."

* * *

Chaio Shen awoke perhaps twice over the course of the next three days, but only briefly. Mai Li's healing powers finally managed to bring the pain to an end after the third day. Finally feeling recovered enough to move, Shen went to the kitchen in search of food, but found only leftover takeout.

"We don't have anyone here who can cook." Mai Li explained.

"I can cook. It's the least I can do after what you've done for me." Mai Li gave a little cheer and hugged Shen happily, then went to tell the others.

* * *

Ami moaned as the massager sang inside her. Were her mind not so muddled with pleasure, she would have worried that her family would come home and overhear her. Her eyes rolled back and she came again. The shaft of the vibrator was hot to the touch. She had no idea how long she'd been running it, but was pretty sure it would have burned out by now if it were a battery-operated massager. With a major effort of will, she managed to turn it off. It was sticky with her juices, and her bed had a major wet spot where she had been laying. She unplugged her massager and cleaned if wif with a moist towelette. She put her panties and skirt back on and went downstairs for something to drink.

"Who were you thinking of, Ami?" Minako asked, startling her.

"Minako, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm concerned about you, that's all." Minako replied. "We are Sailor Scouts, after all. And friends."

"Tuxedo Mask wants us to join forces to take on these Darkstone victims."

"Mai Li holds the key to helping them." Minako said. "She's the only one with a strong enough healing gift to extract the Stone. Anyone else would just get hurt." She her her hand on Ami's shoulder, her eyes full of friendly concern. "No, I'm not going to try to recruit you, Ami. Not if you don't want me to."

"Thank you." Ami replied. "How are the others?"

"Jupiter recovered from my Gaze of Love, and Kori made her as powerful as her future counterpart. Rei...is a little irritable."

"That sounds almost normal." Ami remarked.

"We're not mind-controlled zombies, Ami." Minako said, sounding a little offended. "He didn't change our personalities, just opened us up to new things. And we're having fun, except when Rei complains about the heat in the room. The air conditioner went out, and the place is like a solar oven in summer."

"I thought Rei's power was fire."

"It is, but that doesn't mean she can't sweat." Minako said. "Kori can do a lot of things, but we all have limits."

"I'm sorry, Mina, you came here to visit a friend and I'm treating you like a stranger." Ami said, hugging Minako. "And I was supposed to be the smart one. Come on, let's get a couple of sodas out of the fridge and we'll go up to my room and play some music and just talk and have fun and ignore this whole who's-on-whose-team game."

"Best idea I've heard all day." Minako laughed, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder as they went to the kitchen. Ami pulled two sodas out of the fridge, handing one to her blonde friend, and they ascended the steps together. Ami started some music, and Minako beto dto dance, pausing only occasionally to sip from her drink. Ami quickly joined her.

"Wow, you sure can move!" Ami remarked.

"Thanks, I've been practicing." Minako replied. She smiled almost wickedly as the CD transitioned to a bump-and-grind number. "No, don't change it. Go with it!" Minako's hands guided Ami's body until the shorter teen relaxed enough to move on her own. She let herself go, then, fulfilling her promise of temporary amnesia in favor of a little fun. They were still friends. Friends could have fun together. She imagined she was dancing with a boy, letting herself truly get into the music. The faceless male grew a face, however, and Ami startled herself with its familiarity.

Her eyes snapped open and she had to fight to push the image from her mind. Just relax. she told herself. Try losing yourself in the music again. This time the image only returned stronger. When her eyes opened, she cast longing glances at the massager.

"Feeling okay, Ami?" Minako asked, her hands gently brushing against Ami's thighs. The young woman gasped, but Minako shushed her softly. "Why don't you tell your friend Mina what's wrong
"I
"I...I...can't." Ami replied.

"Just between us?" Mina asked. "Come on, it's not good to keep things like this bottled up inside. I promise I won't tell."

"Okay." Ami relented. "I...I was imagining I was dancing with a boy. But the boy turned into Kori."

"And it's got you all hot and bothered?" Minako asked. Ami blushed. "Mind if I try to help?"

"How?" Ami asked. Minako shoved her backwards, onto the bed. "What..."

"Take it easy, Ami." Minako said. "Kick off your shoes."

"My...my shoes?"

"You don't want to get them on the bed, do you?"

"Um, I guess not." Ami respo. M. Minako smiled as Ami took off her shoes in an adorably timid manner.

"Now, close your eyes and relax." Minako said.

"What are you going to do?" Ami asked. Minako kicked off her shoes and joined Ami on the bed. She began to massage the short-haired girl's shoulders, until she felt the muscles in the girl's neck begin to unknot.

"That's it, just relax." Minako said, lowering her hands so she was massaging Ami's chest. "Relax, Ami, just keep your eyes closed and imagine." Ami was beginning to moan under the pleasure of Minako's boob-massage.

"Mmmm...Kori." she whispered. Minakuld uld see that she was getting turned on. Using one hand, she gently slid Ami's panties down her thighs, caressing the outer labia with her fingertips. Ami hissed in pleasure at the stimulation, her little fantasy holding strong. Minako brought her lips down toward the blooming flower before her and flicked out her tongue into the moist petals. Encouraged by her friend's responses, she gradually began to increase her pace, until Ami wrapped her legs around Minako's head to keep her there. Suddenly the girl cried out as she had an orgasm unlike anything the vibrator had been able to do for her. Minako didn't stop, but instead used one hand to finger herself, because the exercise was getting her wet as well.

She felt a familiar presence behind her, and moaned as Kori pulled down her panties. She would have cried out in pleasure as he entered her, but her face was still buried in Ami's lotus with her thighs wrapped around her head. Minako increased the pace and enthusiasm of her licking as Kori thrusted from behind. She and Ami climaxed at the same time, and Ami's thighs loosened enough for Minako to escape. Ami opened her eyes as Kori began to take his turn at her snatch.

Minako watched the scene hungrily as she recovered from her climax. Kori, still hard and wet from being inside her, was now going down on Ami, who was crying out his name now in a passionate frenzy. She watched as Ami, now no longer caring whether it was fantasy or reality, pulled Kori up so his pelvis was even with hers. The elemental took due note of the hunger in Ami's eyes, and fulfilled her unspoken request.

Ami was in heaven. She suddenly felt like a woman, and the momentary pain as her hymen was broken did nothing to dim the pleasure of fulfillment. She wrapped her legs around his hips, never wanting him to leave her. She cried out as another orgasm hit her like a ton of bricks, followed by another, and another, and another, and she couldn't tell when one orgasm ended and the next began. She was awash in ecstasy, and nothing mattered except being with Kori.

She opened her eyes and realized she'd fallen asleep. Her body felt different. She knew it hadn't been a dream. Kori had been here, and made love to her.

"I'm still here." he said. "And so is Minako."

"Oh, my gosh, I..."

"Shh." Kori said, placing a gentle finger over her lips. "There's no need to apologize, for anything." he said. "The others are keeping watch for us. They will let us know if anyone approaches. For now, however, you and I are in need of a shower." He lifted Ami tenderly in his arms and carried her to her bathroom, where he gently, tenderly, began to undress her, then himself. She allowed him to carry her into the shower. She shivered as the cold water hit her body, but Kori turned up the hot water until it was warm enough. She felt a warm surge of tenderness and affection as he lathered her up under the water jets, his hands gently caressing her body. She began to lather him as well, her fingers exploring every curve of his body. He was nowhere near the wimpy, nerdy type she usually found herself associating with due to her studiousness, but was also far from "Ah-nulroporoportions. He was, quite simply, balanced between the two extremes; strong enough to defend himself, but not bulky enough to be a muscle head. As her fingers ran over his body, tracing scar-lines here and there from lhealhealed wounds, she wondered about the stories behind each injury. He held her against him for a time while the cascading water rinsed them off. She allowed herself to savor his closeness while he turned off the water. A towel floated into his hand, and he began to daub her dry. She enjoyed the tenderness of his touches as he dried her off. Minako appeared with an outfit for her to wear, and she dressed happily. "How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Hmmm, wonderful." Ami sighed. "Thank you so much."

"I'm glad." Kori said. "Ami, dear, there's something very important I need you to do for me, okay?"

"I'm listening." Ami replied, gazing up at him with an adoring expression.

----------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 3

Ami could feel the eyes of the Future Scouts on her as she approached the agreed-upon meeting place. They appeared seemingly from nowhere, their heads held high, knowing their power was freatreater than their counterparts born here in the present. They walked like some of the American Marines she'd seen one time on leave. That self-confident, military swagger.

"What's wrong, little Mercury?" asked Chibi Io.

"It's just that sometimes you remind me of Marines on leave, that's all." Ami replied.

"We're not military." Future Moon replied, her eyes glaring.

"Police then?"

"We're not sanctioned by any Earth government, nor do we need to be." Future Moon scoffed. "We do what we have to to protect the universe, the people understand that and leave us alone."

"It was just a thought." Ami replied defensively.

"Hey, don't give Mercury the third degree!" Serena said.

"That was never my intention." Future Moon stated.

"Have you ever tried taking other people's feelings into consideration?"

"Serena, it's okay." Ami said. "Really."

"See? No harm done." Future Moon stated, a slight smile curling her lips.

"Ami just said that because she's scared of you." Serena continued. "To be honest, I am too, a little, but I can't stand here and just let you intimidate Sailor Mercury as if you were some kind of drill sergeant!"

"You don't understand." Future Moon said. "As time has progressed, Earths enemies have continued to grow in power, and its defenders have had to do likewise just to survive, to say nothing of scratching victory from the ashes of their friends." She turned her back on the assembled group, and for the first time since their arrival, the leader of the Future Scouts sounded as if she were expressing emotion. "Most of the time when we die there's not enough left to have a funeral with. We get vaporized, blown apart, eaten by space monsters, or erased from history, so that only Sailor Scouts who possess ChronoShards even remember them. And what happens to our enemies? They escape with their lives, if only barely, or they get brought back to life by their servants, or cloned, or rebuilt as a robot or a golem. And there's never enough time to mourn our dead, because as soon as we've finished with one mission, another one springs up. Our roster database is disgustingly out of date because our enemies keep coming and coming."

"Is that the root of your madness?" Sailor Venus asked. Sailor Moon and Mercury whirled in delight at hearing their friend's voice again. The Future Scouts instantly assumed battle postures.

"Stand easy, Scouts." Sailor Andromeda said, appearing beside Sailor Venus. "Nobody wants a fight. Now, Sailor Moon, I believe you have something that needs to be shown to our friends here."

"Oh, yeah!" Serena said, pulling the silver box from her purse. "Here. Sailor Callisto pulled it out of a woman yesterday and had it sent to us."

"It controlled the woman, filled her with evil power, drove her insane with agony and bent her will to that of Queen Beryl." Andromeda said. "It's a rare element called Darkstone."

"Ye gods!" Future Moon exclaimed as the box came open. It tumbled from her hands and hit the ground. The stone spilled out onto the sidewalk. All the Scouts took several steps back. "Pure, crystalline evil! You say Sailor Callisto pulled it out of someone?"

"Right here." Callisto said, materializing from the shadows with Kori and Chaio Shen. Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter appeared on a roof above the group.

"We're surrounded." Future Moon muttered.

"Not so, Sailor Moon of the future." Kori said. "We're all on the same team here." Future Moon scowled. Kori approached, and she backed away defensively. "I have no desire to harm you." he said. "Any of you. Look at you, especially, Future Moon, you have been concentrating on fighting the darkness for so long you never give yourself a chance to look at the light. You've denied yourself for so long you don't even know who you are anymore. Let me help you. I can heal you, make you stronger, and there won't be a dark force in the universe that can stand in your way."

"Stay back!" Future Moon commanded, but Kori continued his advance. He touched Future Moon's shoulder, then her mind. She struggled mightily, harder than any Sailor Scout of any timeframe had before, but Kori's unflappable patience allowed him to find the flaw in her defense. He touched with his mind the reservoir of emotions she kept bottled up inside.

"You're close." he said. "The pressure's very close to breaking you from within. Let go, Future Moon. Let me help you. My mother was a high priestess of the Catalytic Plane. My father was a knight of Ares' Nebula, a sworn defender of all life. I'm not your enemy. Lean on me, let me help you." The emotional dam burst, and Future Moon collapsed in Kori's arms, crying as she'd never cried before. Kori loosened her blonde braids, then ran his fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. The other Future Scouts looked on in wonder.

"His mother was a Catalyst?" Chibi Io asked.

"That's what he said." Sailor Callisto replied.

"No wonder he can increase people's powers." Chibi Io muttered.

*Callisto, Andromeda, I want you to take Chibi Io and the Centauri Twins and find that other Darkstone victim. Just get Callisto close enough to extract the Stone. I want you all back in one piece.* Kori said telepathically. Sailors Callisto and Andromeda nodded, and gestured for their assigned partners to follow them.

* * *

Ayumi struggled to regain control of herself. Fire burned within her every time she tried to take a breath, and the pain clouded her mind, allowing the other persona to take over. She struggled against it, and the terrible power it poured through her, lashing out at innocent civilians with a rage unrivaled by even her anger at her ex-husband.

Something struck her with enough force to knock her back. A young woman in a schoolgirl's uniform somersaulted in the air, landing with a foot on each side.

"Kill me." she pleaded, using all her focus to fight the will of the crystal inside her.

"Actually, I've got a better idea." the redhead said. She lifted Ayumi by the front of her gi, then grabbed her wrists and held her with her hands behind her back. The crystal burned within her, filling her with rage and power enough to break the woman's hold. Ayumi held back however.

"Please! Kill me!" she pleaded. A second woman appeared beside the one holding Ayumi. To the instructor's surprise, she reached inside Ayumi's chest and withdrew the crystal, dropping it as if it were hot, but it was caught by two others, who deposited it in a silver box. Ayumi let herself go limp, crying tears of joyous relief. She was delivered into the Chinese girl's arms, and felt a warm, relaxing sensation wash over her.

"You've struggled long enough." the Chinese girl said. "Sleep." Ayumi did not argue. It felt good not to have to fight for her own soul anymore.

* * *

"Ah, Niko, I see you're awake." Kori said. Sailor Future Moon sat up, causing the light blanket to fall from her bare chest.

"How did you know my name?" she asked.

"It was easy enough to find out." Kori said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got done using the bathroom after a six-hour trip." she replied.

"I'm glad." Kori replied, lifting the covers.

"Do you seduce every woman you help?" Niko asked, favoring the half-Catalyst with an amused smile.

"Only recently." Kori remarked, smiling. "Plan on stopping me?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to." Niko remarked as Kori began to caress her body.

* * *

"Evening, Miss." a voice said from the darkness of an alley. Queen Beryl whirled in anger, glaring at the vos ows owner. "You lost?" the young man continued.

"Begone! You're not what I'm looking for!"

"But I'm what's looking for you." the youth said, leaping into the air and landing before the Queen as she attempted to get away. "Name's Kori. It seems you've got some nasty crystals in your possession that have been hurting some innocent young ladies recently."

"You're Kori?" Queen Beryl asked. "Strange. From my spies' descriptions of you, I'd expected you to be taller."

"It's the black suit." Kori explained. "Deceives the eyes. Now, Your Majesty, I think you'd better drop any of those crystals you might have left."

"Who's going to make me?" the Queen challenged. Suddenly over a dozen Sailor Scouts appeared on the roofs of the buildings around her. "But...I thought you were taking down the Sailor Scouts..."

"No, quite the opposite, in fact." Kori replied. "The Chibi Scouts are young enough that my innate eroticism doesn't affect them, but the others have benefited a great deal from my...attentions."

"You're a sick little womanizer."

"And you're a stinking mass of evil under that disguise, Beryl." Kori replied. "Now, then, ladies, why don't you show Her Majesty your new, enhanced powers?" Queen Beryl's face assumed an expression of terror as the assembled Sailor Scouts combined their powers in a single, concerted burst. The result was an early, and very messy, end for Queen Beryl and her Darkstone. Rei made sure to burn away all the remains which ended up splattered on the walls. Kori cleansed himself in a fire of his own creation.

"What happens now?" Meiko asked once the cleanup was complete.

"We live our lives." Kori replied. "In this new timeline, the future is not set, and it has the potential to be much better, and far less repressed, than the one we came from."

"For a while, at least, we will get to have personal lives, away from our work, before the elemental balance of good and evil restores itself."

"It will be quite some time before any force will dare challenge us, when they know that the Sailor Scouts have a Catalyst with them."

"So what are you going to do with those cards?"

"Ah, my imitation Cardians." Kori said, drawing the deck from his belt. "I'd almost forgotten about them. I suppose they'll come in handy later."

* * *

Across the galaxy, within the core of a white dwarf star, an ancient evil awakens. Rising from its stellar nest, it flies at almost the speed of light, rushing toward a little backwater planet it had ignored aeons ago. Now it senses worthy foes, new souls to take as its own.

Kombat is coming.

End part I.