Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 16: Déjà vu

Ami stared in consternation at the marble chess board in front of her. Only moments ago, she and Usagi were being attacked by a strange creature. Some kind of demon. How had she gotten here? Looking up, Ami gasped. It was Usagi...no. It was the face from her dreams. The person who looked like Usagi. 

Princess Serenity.

The name came easily to mind. How could she have forgotten? The princess chewed her lip as her brows drew together in concentration. Giving an exasperated sigh, the princess reached for a pawn and placed it in the most disadvantageous spot on the board. Ami smothered a sympathetic smile. Queen Serenity had recently chastised her daughter for not practicing enough battle strategy, so the princess had begged her to teach her the game. 

Taking no mercy on her opponent, Ami finished the princess off in one move. "Checkmate."

Princess Serenity heaved a weary sigh and leaned back in her chair. "I'm never going to get the hang of this."

Ami chuckled. "It takes time to get good at something. Don't be so hard on yourself."

The princess' gaze drifted to the window at the blue planet rising above the horizon. "I get the feeling that I won't have much time to get good at anything." 

Fear clawed at Ami's belly. The war on Earth. The Queen suspected it would reach their peaceful lands soon. Everyone had been on edge since their visit to Earth, especially the princess. Her engagement to Prince Endymion had only momentarily lifted her melancholy spirits. However, the unrest on Earth did not bode well for their kingdom. 

"Don't think like that. There's always hope." Even as she repeated the words from the past, Ami knew that hope did not factor into what happened later. They were all doomed to die before their time. The beautiful palace and grounds would be reduced to a crumbling graveyard. The subjects of the Moon Kingdom would be a forgotten piece of history, relegated to mere myth. 

"I guess you're right. I should probably focus on wedding planning." The princess smiled, her fears vanishing. Seeing her smile, drove a spear of pain through Ami's heart. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as the princess flitted off to the gardens. The ache in her chest was unbearable. She could barely breathe against it. 

Gasping, Ami sat up wide-eyed, her face still wet from her tears. She pressed her hands against her chest, struggling to breathe. The grief from her past life threatening to drown her. A maelstrom of emotions swirled within her. Fear. Anger. Sorrow.

"Ami! Are you okay?!" 

Feeling hands on her shoulders, Ami looked up. Usagi. There was fear and worry in her princess' eyes. Over a thousand years had passed since their doomed lives played out, yet it felt like only yesterday that she'd tried to teach the princess how to play chess. A choked sob burst from her lips as she threw her arms around Usagi and pulled her tight. This time will be different. She promised herself. This time, I'll keep you safe.

"Um...Ami?" Usagi tapped Ami's back. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh! Sorry." She released Usagi from her hug. It had only just occurred to her that technically, they'd barely just met in this life. Did Usagi even remember her from the past?

Usagi watched Ami's face as she wiped her tears. She remembered. Usagi sighed. Another guardian had remembered her past life...and yet she could barely remember hers. All she had were snatches of the past in her dreams. If they weren't about her masked prince, they were filled with a defeated princess and terrifying death scenes.

"Hey! Looks like you're finally awake!" Minako grinned, waving as she walked over with Artemis trailing after her.

Ami's eyes widened. Venus! "It's you!" She blurted.