Confessions

          Ami waited patiently as her computer finished logging onto the internet, and thought about the Senshi meeting that had just broken up less than an hour ago. Usagi and Rei had been at each other's throats - as usual - and she, Makoto, Minako, Luna and Artemis had done their best to come up with a way to prepare for the next Dark Moon attack. Of course, not much had been accomplished before Rei had ordered Usagi and everyone else out of the Hikawa Shrine. Ami sighed and hoped that someday Usagi and Rei would learn how to express their fierce devotion to each other in a more civilized way. Only a few new messages waited in Ami's e-mail, and one of them was from Fischer Erika - er, Erika Fischer. She smiled as she opened up the message and quickly read it...

          "Developments?" Ami thought out loud as she finished the letter. "What could possibly be going on in Hamburg?" She glanced at the clock next to her futon and realized that it was still quite early in the evening. A small pang nagged her as she remembered that she was only four chapters ahead in Physics, and she still had next week's Kanji to memorize... but that could wait a little while.
          She opened the bookmark to the Sailormoon chat room and scanned the list of names for anyone familiar. It was 7:00 Sunday evening in Tokyo, which meant that it was... 10:00 in the morning in Germany - late enough for Erika to be up, she would think. Ami finished reading through the list of names, and was slightly disappointed to see that her friend wasn't there. Well, maybe she'd reply to her e-mail.

          Erika pulled her comforter over her head in protest to Cynthia's playful attack. The sun was shining through the eyelet lace curtains on the window, and Cynthia was crouched on Erika's bed, ready to spring at the loose hairs on her pillow.
          "Why did it have to be a cat? What's wrong with a guardian goldfish?" Erika moaned sleepily.
          "They taste too good," Cynthia purred as she pounced on Erika's half-buried head.
          "Oh, Cynthia, go away - I need sleep!" Erika growled.
          "And I need food. It's ten in the morning Erika, you've slept half the day away already." Cynthia readied herself for another pounce.
          "That's because I spent half the night fighting your battle, remember?"
          Cynthia ignored Erika's comment and leapt at her hair again, this time landing square on her covered face.
          "Oh, that's it!!" Erika cried, tossing the cat off the bed. "I've had it with you! Go eat your lousy breakfast!" She stumbled out of bed and opened her door in time to see her mother with a rather surprised look on her face.
          "I see you're up," her mother remarked, as Cynthia raced between Erika's legs and out the door. Erika blinked.
          "The dumb cat wouldn't let me sleep anymore," she grumbled.
          "Oh. Well, it's probably time for you to be up anyway. How's your arm?"
          Erika looked down at the her bandage-wrapped-and-slung arm, and touched it gingerly. "Fine I guess. It doesn't hurt right now."
          "Good," her mother grinned. She had no idea about the shallow but nasty cut that had needed to be cleaned and sterilized before Erika could change back to her street clothes the night before. "There's some food on the table still, so help yourself." Her mother gave her a quick hug before walking into the small study at the end of the hall. Erika caught a glimpse of the computer just before turning to go downstairs.
          "I wonder if Ami's written back yet," Erika mumbled to herself.

          Carefully balancing the warm cup of coffee in her lap, Erika signed on to the internet and opened her e-mail program. A new message appeared on the screen with the (European) time of 10:07 am - it was from Ami. Erika opened the letter.

          Erika felt her stomach flip and her pulse quicken with excitement. "No way," she whispered to herself. She glanced at the clock on the wall - 10:15. "Oh Ami, please still be online." She closed her e-mail program and signed on to the chat room server. Erika didn't have to look for more than a few seconds before a private chat request appeared. Erika immediately accepted it and enlarged the window.

SlrMrcFan: Erika! Did you get my message? :)
SlrErika: Yes! Good thing too - who's with you?

Erika looked at her screen name and stifled a laugh. That had been the name she'd used the last time she'd chatted with Ami - and at that time, things had still been normal in her life. If she'd only known...

SlrMrcFan: Well, you were wondering if I could get in touch with one of the Senshi because some things have happened in Hamburg.
SlrErika: Yep! Did you? :)
SlrMrcFan: Yes - Sailormercury is here with me right now.

Erika almost jumped out of her chair, but she remembered her coffee just in time.

SlrErika: Really?
SlrMrcFan: Hi Erika - this is Sailormercury. What's going on in Hamburg?

Ami smiled to herself as she minimized the color pallet for the font. She hoped she could keep up the appearance of two people without too much of a problem.

Erika scowled at the computer screen. Suddenly she'd been struck with doubt about whether Ami had really been able to get in touch with Sailormercury.

SlrErika: Wait a minute. How am I supposed to know that you're really Sailormercury?

Ami sat back in her chair, rather perplexed. There really wasn't any way she could prove to Erika that she was who she said she was without compromising her secret.

SlrMrcFan: This is Ami - I guess there's really no way for you to know for sure that she's really here, but I hope you trust me enough. I wouldn't trick you about something like this, especially when things are happening where you are.

Erika considered this comment for a moment. Did she trust Ami? Well, she had been very knowledgeable about the Senshi, and seemed genuine in her letters and during chat.
          "Good lord!" Erika smacked her forehead in disgust. "This is a Japanese honor student I'm talking to, here!" She leaned forward toward the computer again.

SlrErika: My apologies Ami. Yes, I trust you.
SlrMrcFan: That's alright. It's easy to see why you'd hesitate.
SlrMrcFan: So, what's going on there that has you worried, Erika?

Erika proceeded to type out as brief an explanation as she could about the events of the last week - first the be-jeweled monster that had attacked her, then the giant cat thing, and finally the events of the night before with the two men trying to take over the dance club.

SlrErika: It's weird because nobody cared about the first two attacks, but the press is all over last night's incident. I'm not sure what to think of all of this.

Ami leaned back in her chair and thought for a minute. Three new senshi appearing in Hamburg, Germany just as another faction from the Dark Moon begins to attack. The first two incidents go unnoticed and unreported, but the third catches the press' attention... How does Erika know about the first two?

SlrMrcFan: Erika, can I ask you a personal question?
SlrErika: Sure.
SlrMrcFan: How do you know about the first two incidents if the press didn't know about them?

The empty coffee cup bounced on the hardwood floor as Erika stared at the screen in shock. How could she possibly answer this without giving herself away? Adrenaline surged through her, and she began to shake as mild panic briefly took over. Should she tell her? She knew that Sailormercury would believe her, but what about Ami?
          "Cynthia!" Erika called, her voice harsh. "Here kitty kitty!"

SlrMrcFan: Erika, are you there?
SlrErika: Yes. Just a minute.

Cynthia strolled into the study, tail held high. She was just about to sit down and start bathing when she noticed Erika's face.
          "Erika, what's wrong?" she whispered.
          "Read this."
          Cynthia jumped up into Erika's lap, and read through the typed conversation. "Sailormercury is there?" she asked.
          "Yes. What do I do about that last question? Should I tell her?"
          Cynthia's turned her head and looked hard at Erika. "That's up to you."
          "But Ami is there too. She knows Sailormercury, and -"
          "That's a risk you have to decide you want to take," Cynthia interrupted. "If she knows Sailormercury, then she's probably a very trustworthy person, but you know how I feel about you telling anyone."
          "Even Sailormercury?"
          "Erika, it's up to you." Cynthia jumped down from Erika's lap, but seated herself next to the chair.
          Erika stared at the computer screen, not knowing what to do. Finally she felt herself begin to type, and she watched the words appear on the chat screen with the tap of the "Enter" button.

SlrErika: Sailormercury and Ami, can I confide in you?
SlrMrcFan: Of course.

Erika took a deep breath.

SlrErika: I know about those other incidents because I'm Sailorquasar.

Ami felt her mouth drop open. The words sitting on the screen should have alerted her that this was a fan with a problem, and should seek help immediately. But what if the incidents had really happened? What if she was telling the truth? Ami activated her communicator, and waited for Usagi to answer.
          "Hi Ami-chan, what's going on?" Usagi answered cheerfully.
          "Usagi-chan, is Luna with you?"
          "Yes, she's right here."
          "I need to talk to her."

No response. Erika felt herself break into a cold sweat and wondered if they were mad at her now. Maybe they didn't believe her. Unconsciously, she played with the ring on her right middle finger and waited anxiously for a reply to appear. Cynthia's tail twitched.

SlrMrcFan: Just a minute Erika. We'll be right with you.

Erika started biting her fingernails.

          "She says she's a new senshi in Germany?" Luna asked.
          "Yes, do you know anything about this?"
          "No. I haven't heard anything about new senshi in Europe. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. Have you checked the newswire on the internet?"
          "No, I hadn't even thought about it," Ami answered. "Hold on, I'll go look." Ami put the communicator down and minimized the chatroom window. She pulled up her browser and typed in the address for her favorite search engine. Nothing was listed in the news headlines of the search engine's homepage, so she began to search through the European headlines. After only a few attempts, she found a local Hamburg headline:
          „Drei Mädchen retten Ballsaal" (Three Girls save Dance Hall)
          Ami picked up her communicator. "I think I found something."

Trina scanned the phone book for "Fischer." She had just gotten off the phone with Marion and had asked for Erika's last name. When Marion had asked why, she'd told her friend that she had a question for Erika. Of course, it hadn't occurred to her to ask for Erika's number.
          "Come on, her number has to be here somewhere. I have to tell her what happened last night."
          "Tell who that what happened last night?" Trina looked up to see her younger sister standing in the doorway.
          "Oh. Uh, I have to tell one of the girls I went dancing with about... this dream I had last night."
          Her sister looked at her like she was crazy. "You're weird, Trina," she said as she left.
          "You have no idea," Trina mumbled to herself.

SlrErika: And then I end up in a pose with my fist in the air and my left hand on my hip.

Ami had finally found proof that Erika was telling the truth about senshi in Hamburg, so now she was trying to get all of the details that she could. She still hadn't told Erika her own secret, but the timing wasn't right just yet.

SlrMrcFan: Describe your fuku to me.
SlrErika: My what?
SlrMrcFan: Your fuku - your senshi uniform.
SlrErika: Oh. The body and gloves are yellow, and the skirt, collar, bows and boots are purple. The tiara has a dark purple jewel in it.
SlrMrcFan: What do the boots look like?
SlrErika: They lace up.

Erika was slightly confused. Why did Sailormercury need to know all of this?

SlrMrcFan: Do you have any attacks?
SlrErika: You mean tricks? Yes.
SlrMrcFan: No. I mean attacks. They seem like tricks, but they cause destruction.
SlrErika: Okay. Yes...

Erika and Ami/Sailormercury went on like this for about an hour or so, until Ami was finally satisfied that Erika was telling the truth. By that time, Usagi and Luna had arrived and were watching the conversation intently. Luna, of course, was suspicious, but Usagi was excited.

Trina slammed the phone down in disgust. The line was still busy. She'd finally called Marion back when she couldn't find Erika's number in the phonebook, and had been trying to call for the last hour. Whoever was on the phone sure was taking their own sweet time about things. She needed to talk to Erika! She'd call that other girl instead, but she couldn't remember her name, and she was too embarrassed to call Marion again. Back to waiting...

SlrErika: Ami, I have a question for you.
SlrMrcFan: Yes?

Erika hesitated for a moment, wondering if the question she was about to ask was too personal. She hoped it wasn't, and curiosity was practically eating her alive. Now that Sailormercury and Ami knew everything about herself as Sailor Quasar, she wanted to do a little knowledge digging for herself. After all, the Senshi should all know each other, shouldn't they?

SlrErika: How do you and Sailormercury know each other?

Ami felt her mouth drop open as she read Erika's question on the screen. Automatically, she found herself looking to Luna for advice on how to handle this question. She heard Usagi gasp as she finally caught up with the conversation on the screen, and turned around to face the leader of the Senshi.
          "Are you going to tell her, Ami-chan?" Usagi half-whispered.
          "I don't know. What do you think, Luna?"
          Luna looked to the computer screen, and then back at Ami. "Well, her henshin experience sounds genuine, and the details in her descriptions are very accurate. But there's no way to know if she's really a Senshi or if she's just done her homework well."
          "Would there be anything else I could ask her that would prove it?" Ami asked, but before Luna could answer, the computer beeped as a new message line appeared.

SlrErika: Sailormercury, Cynthia (my cat who caused all this trouble) says hi.

Ami whipped back around to face the computer, and typed furiously. Behind her, Usagi started to laugh.
          "Well, Luna, it looks like you and Artemis aren't the only cats who talk!"

SlrMrcFan: Your *cat* says hi?
SlrErika: Yes. Don't you have a talking cat too? Cynthia said you do.
SlrMrcFan: It's name is Cynthia?
SlrErika: Yes...

          "What's wrong with the name Cynthia?" Usagi asked, as her laughter faded.
          "Nothing, Usagi-chan. It's what the name means," Ami answered, watching Luna.
          "So, what does it mean?" Usagi looked from Ami to Luna in confusion, and Luna looked like she'd just seen a ghost.
          "Goddess of the moon," Luna whispered.

Erika watched the screen impatiently. What could possibly be taking so long?

          Ami broke the stunned silence, "Luna, we have to tell her."
          Luna shook her head, trying to get rid of the wave of memories that had rushed to her. Cynthia had been a guardian-cat-in-training when the Moon Kingdom had been attacked. She had almost been finished, and was just about to take on the duties of mentoring two of the courts honored and permanent guests - young princesses who had been orphaned and found their way to Queen Serenity's sanctuary. A third girl had also been visiting at the time, one who had been training as a senshi at home, and Cynthia had befriended her as well. But Cynthia had never had the chance... "Of course we have to tell her. I'm going to need to speak with Cynthia if we are going to defend this planet successfully."
          "Alright," Ami agreed.

SlrMrcFan: Erika, you trust me, right?

Erika looked at the screen in confusion. Now what were they doing?

SlrErika: Yes. Are you ever going to answer my question about you and Sailormercury?
SlrMrcFan: Yes, right now. The reason I know Sailormercury is because

Ami broke off her comment and hit the enter key. Her hands were shaking and her stomach felt like a lead knot.

SlrMrcFan: I am Sailormercury.

Erika felt her jaw drop open, and then her lips twist into a grin.
          "YES!!" She shouted, jumping out of her chair. "I knew something like that was going on!"

Trina threw herself onto her bed and pounded her pillow in frustration.
          "Whoever is on the phone at Erika's house, GET OFF!!!" she shouted into the comforter. Her tenth call in the last hour had, yet again, been another busy signal. "Cynthia! Sailor Quasar! I need to talk to you, PLEASE!"

          "Erika!"
          Erika jumped at the sound of her name, stopped dancing, and sat back down in the chair. She minimized the chat window and tried to stare intently at the conversation going on in the main chat room. Her mother walked in just before she could actually absorb any of the conversation.
          "Erika, it's time to get off the computer. Your father needs to make a phone call, and you need to get dressed," her mother playfully rubbed her head, causing little loose strands of hair to stick out in every direction from the already loose braid.
          "Okay mom, I'll be off in just a second," Erika smiled. Her mother turned and walked out of the room, and as soon as she felt safe, Erika opened the private chat window again.

SlrMrcFan: Erika, are you alright?
SlrErika: Yes, I'm fine. My mother walked into the room and I had to minimize this window. Sorry.
SlrMrcFan: That's okay.
SlrErika: But I have to go now. My father needs to make some phone calls.

Ami read through Erika's replies, slightly confused that Erika had accepted her secret so easily. Did she not believe her, or was she just nervous now?

SlrMrcFan: Erika, do you believe me?
SlrErika: Yes. Why shouldn't I?
SlrMrcFan: Well, you didn't really say anything after I told you.
SlrErika: You weren't here to see what I DID do. :)
SlrMrcFan: Oh.
SlrErika: So, does this mean I can ask you all kinds of strange questions now?
SlrMrcFan: What do you mean by "strange?"
SlrErika: Questions about being a senshi, fighting these weird people, and stuff like that.
SlrMrcFan: Sure! Just e-mail me.

          "Erika!"
          "Okay, mom, I'm getting off right now!" Erika called.

SlrErika: I really do have to go now.
SlrMrcFan: Okay, then I'll talk to you later.
SlrErika: Tschüß!! (pronounced "chooss" - a common German way to say "bye!")
SlrMrcFan: Ja ne! :)

Twenty minutes later, Trina hauled herself off of her bed. She knew if she stayed there any longer, she'd fall asleep - especially after last night's adventure. She needed to get hold of Erika, but this would be the last time she tried. This whole thing was getting ridiculous.

Ami finished closing all of the chat windows and disconnected her internet connection. Behind her, she heard Luna sigh and Usagi squeal.
          "Oooo, we have three more Senshi, Ami-chan! Aren't you excited?"
          Ami turned to Usagi. "Yes, but I'm worried too. With what Luna said about Cynthia not being fully trained, and Erika-chan and the other two just starting out, there's a lot that could go wrong. And we're on the other side of the world."
          "She's right, Usagi-chan," Luna agreed. "We have no way to help them if they get into a situation they can't get out of."
          Usagi set her jaw and looked at the other two in dismay. "I can't believe you two. You have so little faith in these three girls, but we started out the same way, remember?" Luna quietly looked at Ami and then back at Usagi. "It was just you, me, Ami-chan and Rei-chan that defeated both Jadeite and Nephrite. What makes you think these three new Senshi aren't just as capable?"
          "Usagi-chan, they're battling the Dark Moon just like we are. We have experience, and it's hard for us. I can't imagine going up against this kind of evil power without knowing what to do," Ami explained.
          "And I worry about Cynthia," Luna added. "I don't know if she's ready to be a guardian."
          Usagi took a deep breath. She knew they were right, but she felt a certain calm about the whole thing. "Well, we have to let them try. Obviously, we can't be there every time a problem comes up, because of their location. But if worse comes to worst, we can always use the Sailor Teleport to help them."
          "Yes, but how will we know when they need us?" Luna asked.
          Ami chuckled. "I'm sure Erika-chan will be writing to me very regularly from now on," she smiled.
          Usagi smiled in return. "See Luna? Everything's going to work out fine."
          "I hope so," Luna sighed. "We need all of the help we can get right now."