The Sailor Scouts landed with a plop at the bottom of a hill. Ami sat up and noticed that Minako and Rei were still lying down while Makoto was dusting herself off.
They were each in different outfits. Ami now wore a light blue long tunic. Her cloak was over her shoulders and her silver sandals were on her feet. Makoto wore a light green tunic was shorter than Ami's; it came up to a little above the knee. Makoto also wore brown sandals that reached almost to her knee. Rei wore a plain white tunic much like Ami's but in more of a priestess fashion, with most of it slung over one shoulder. She wore matching white sandals and a red cloak. Minako wore a more aristocratic long beige silk tunic with brown sandals.
"Makoto," said Ami. "We have to think of a story to tell people about where we are from. "
"Where are we from is something we can start with, but we can't just have our usual names, can we?" Makoto and Ami pondered this last comment as Rei and Minako sat up.
Ami nodded. "You're right, Makoto. Minako," she said turning to her. "You are now Mina and you are from Thebes which is in Greece. Judging by your outfit you are a tax collector's wife. Rei, you are from Corinth in Greece and you work in the temple of Zeus, your name can still be Rei, but if we ever have to spell it, it will be R-A-Y-E. Makoto, you are from Sparta which is also in Greece your name will be Litta."
For the first time Ami studied her own outfit. "I guess I'm a scholar from Athens, Greece. I'll also spell my name differently, A-M-Y instead of the usual A-M-I. If they ask how we met say that we were traveling to Rome, found that we were all from the Greek sector of the empire and began to become friends."
"Where are we?" asked Minako.
"I believe that we are at the base of the hill that is Rome," said Ami. "If I remember correctly, Rome was built on top of a hill for defensive purposes."
"So we go up?" asked Rei, finally getting into the spirit of the mission.
"Let's go," said Ami.
The hill was large and steep but the girls found a path and struggled up the hill with Makoto in the lead because of her supernatural strength. As they reached the top, Ami judged that it was midday, she didn't forget Jupiter's words about the 12th hour of the 3rd day. They had three days to finish their mission. Ami just hoped it would be enough.
Three soldiers stood guard at the top of the hill, guarding the entrance to Rome. Ami dug into her pocket for papers of some kind but found none. She only found some currency. "Check your pockets for papers of identification of some sort."
All the girls could find was money and Rei found her ribbon so she tied it around her wrist.
Minako held her necklace, "I'll take this one," she said. She walked right up to the soldiers and in her sweetest voice said, "we'd like to enter the city."
"Do you have any papers?" he asked gruffly.
"No," said Minako sweetly. "but you can still let us enter. You see, we're from Greece, and we traveled a long way to get here, and it wouldn't be nice if you didn't let us in. "
Immediately, the man opened the gate, and as Ami walked past one of the soldiers he tugged his ear and disappeared.
"I didn't know the language he spoke and he still understood me." She looked down at the coral necklace warm on her chest. "I suppose it's one of the effects of this necklace."
Rei's eyes flashed, "I sense a crowd," she whispered.
"So?" said Makoto.
"Crowds mean a celebration or a trial," said Rei, her eyes darkening. "Let's go see."
They walked through the city following Rei's 6th sense. Her eyes closed, Rei walked on the stone pavement without faltering, as if a hand guided her to an unknown destiny.
The crowd had gathered at a large house "Ademerplius," they chanted. Roman soldiers dragged a man, who looked about 30, out of the house. He kicked and screamed at the relentless treatment but the guards refused to let him be.
"I'm innocent," he cried, "this is a great injustice. Take them," he pointed at two men and a woman snickering in a corner. "They are the ones." Finally, a Roman soldier slapped him to silence him. The angry mob simply followed the soldier yelling curses and spitting at Ademerplius.
Ami ran ahead grabbing Makoto's hand, who in turn grabbed Minako's hand, who grabbed Rei's hand. Ami ran until she found a townsperson who looked half-sober. "What is this man charged with?"
"Treason," answered the townsperson. "I don't believe he did it. though."
"Why?" asked Ami. "The rest of the crowd is ready to condemn him to death."
"The crowd is always willing to watch someone to die so that they may be entertained, guilty or innocent, besides something just tells me... " he trailed off and then followed the crowd, leaving Ami to her thoughts.
There was nothing to do but follow the crowd and see where it went. The crowd stopped at a large building, huge in fact. Out stepped a powerful looking official. He silenced the crowd by raising his hands. "People of Rome," he began. "What is the charge against Ademerplius, the philosopher?"
"Treason! Treason! Against our fair empire, treason!"
"He will be held in jail until the trial at this time tomorrow."
"Traitor, traitor!" The official simply walked back into his palace and left the crowd to their own thoughts.
"Who was that?" asked Minako
"That was the emperor, Constantine." Answered Ami, she didn't know how she knew but something gave it away, a small detail about the crowd. Apparently my I.Q has grown, thought Ami.
It was about three o'clock and the sun's rays were starting to dwindle. Rei's stomach growled. She smiled. "Don't think I'm like Usagi, it's just that I didn't have breakfast."
Ami smiled as the rest of the girls laughed. "It just reminded me of the fact that we have to set up camp until tomorrow. It has to be after the trial that he sells his soul."
A woman walked up to the Sailor Scouts and asked them to follow her. She tugged on her ears and motioned them to enter a building. Once they entered she introduced herself.
"I am Viviana, and this is my home. You all look very tired. Why don't you bathe, we have a wonderful system of aqueducts here in Rome. Who would like to go first?"
Ami knew that Minako's and Rei's powers wouldn't work on this woman, but pondering things more deeply she thought that perhaps this was the traitor god so she didn't dare step forward. Ami held Minako back thinking that she would be the least likely to think this deeply. Rei stepped forward and smiled saying, "I need a bath."
The woman led Rei away to a separate room then the scouts heard a scream.
"Rei," the girls yelled in unison.
They ran into the room only to find Rei on the floor and the woman laughing. Makoto fought Viviana with zeal but the woman simply laughed at each punch that hit her. It was as if she was unstoppable.
I need to do something, Rei is dying. Ami tried to heal her but it wouldn't work.
Ami wished for her arrows and they appeared in her hands. She pulled on out. The gold shined in the light and the ivory felt cold in Ami's shaking hands. She picked up the bow while the woman was still busy with Makoto.
"Move away Makoto!" Ami cried.
Her bow in position, she shot. Her aim was straight and true. It hit Viviana square in the head. Her feet buckled and she fell to the stone floor. Viviana changed forms. She was no longer a beautiful woman, but an extremely ugly man.
"It's Vulcan," said Ami. "The god of fire."
Vulcan disappeared in a flash of red light. The girls ran to Rei who was still in critical condition. "Don't trust anyone," she whispered. "Finish the mission."
She, in turn, disappeared; the only thing she left behind was her ribbon which automatically slipped onto Ami's wrist.
THE 12TH HOUR || THE LIBRARY || LOI || EMAIL CHIBA MIOUNO || GEOCITIES