Hey there everyone!  I hope that you are reading this story 
because you like it and not because you're bored, but either way 
I'm
happy that you're reading it!!  Well, this chapter is pretty sad, 
okay, really sad.  (Well, it's not really sad, but it's... um... 
well, it's
not sad sad.  If you understood any of that give yourself a pat on 
the back!)  So now that I've warned you, on with chapter 5!! 
Ya-ta!  (As always, I don't own Sailor Moon, so please don't sue 
me!) 

New Snow by Chichiri 
Chapter 5- Courage Under Fire 

On Monday, Ami and Usagi were alone in Mamoru's apartment.  Mamoru 
had gone to his afternoon classes when Ami had come
back from her morning classes.  Suddenly, Usagi had a bad feeling.  
Something was wrong, she could feel it.  Sure enough, Ami
got a call on her communicator. 
     "What's wrong, Ami?"  Usagi asked. 
     "There's trouble, I need to go help the other Senshi," Ami 
said urgently.  "You're not well enough to fight, Serena.  Please
promise me that you'll stay here and let me and the other Senshi 
take care of this, okay?" 
     "I'm sorry, Ami, but I can't promise you that," Usagi said 
firmly.  "As the Moon Princess and leader of the Sailor Senshi, it 
is
my duty to protect the world from harm.  I will stay here, unless 
I feel that you are in extreme danger.  But I cannot promise to
stay here while the enemy kills you.  I won't let that happen." 
     "All right," Ami consented, sensing the seriousness in 
Usagi's voice.  "I'll try to be careful.  Take care of yourself, 
Usagi." 
With that, Ami left. 
     ËStrange,' Usagi thought.  ËI just got the feeling that 
that's the last time I'll see Ami-chan.  That can't be!  Stop 
thinking like
that Usagi!  You're worrying too much.  But am I?...  Please be 
safe Ami-chan!  And don't let the others get hurt either.' 
     But a few minutes later, Usagi still couldn't shake the awful 
feeling that she had.  She made up her mind to go after them. 
"Moon Crystal Power!" Usagi shouted.  Once she had transformed 
into Sailor Moon, she began to follow her instinct to where the
Senshi were. 

"It's not working!  Let's try a combination attack!"  Makoto 
suggested when their individual attacks didn't work against the
powerful youma. 
     "Right!" the other Senshi agreed. 
     "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" 
     "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" 
     "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" 
     "Mars Fire Ignite!" 
     The youma disappeared, but in it's place stood Zoisite.  
"Welcome to your doom, Sailor Brats.  Zoy!"  The Sailor Senshi
dodged Zoisite's blast.  Zoisite quickly prepared to deliver 
another blast. 

"I hope they're all right!"  Usagi panted as she ran in the 
direction of the fight.  Usagi stopped all of a sudden as pain 
shot through
her body.  "Someone's hurt!  I have to hurry!"  Usagi began 
running again as she felt the presence of one of the Senshi begin 
to
fade within her.  ËHold on!  I'm coming!' Usagi thought. 
     "No!"  Usagi heard the Senshi scream as she ran up. 
     "I call upon the power of Venus!  Give me the strength to 
defeat this Nega-trash!"  Minako shouted.  Tears glittered in her
eyes.  "Venus Meteor Shower!" 
     Zoisite screamed as Sailor Venus's powered-up attack hit his 
face.  "You'll pay for this!" he screamed before vanishing. 
     "Sailor Mercury!" Usagi screamed.  Tears leapt to her eyes 
when she saw Ami lying on the ground.  Usagi ran to her side. 
"Ami-chan!  You'll be fine!  She's going to be all right, isn't 
she?" Usagi looked up pleadingly at the other Senshi.  They all 
had
tears streaming down their faces.  "Isn't she?"  Usagi looked back 
down at Ami.  All of a sudden, a blue light glowed around
Ami's still body and she disappeared.  "Sailor Mercury!" Usagi 
screamed throwing herself to the ground where Ami had been just
seconds before.  "Ami-chan." 

The remaining four Senshi had walked to Rei's temple after 
transforming back into their Earth identities.  There had been a 
long
silence while they gained control of their emotions again.  Now 
Usagi asked quietly, "What happened?" 
     "We used a combination attack against a youma and then all of 
a sudden Zoisite was standing there," Minako remembered
sadly.  "We dodged his first blast, and then it all blurred 
together.  Sailor Mercury saw Zoisite's next blast coming and she 
shoved
me out of the way and then she was on the ground with her eyes 
closed.  She died because of me..."  Minako wiped tears from
her eyes. 
     "No, it was my fault," Usagi protested.  "I felt that 
something was wrong.  I should have come sooner." 
     Rei took a deep breath and stood up.  "That's right," she 
said coldly.  "It's your fault, Serena!  You're always late and 
this time
it cost Sailor Mercury her life!" 
     "Rei, what are you saying?"  Makoto demanded.  She, Minako, 
and Usagi were shocked at Rei's harsh words. 
     "I'm saying that I am leaving the Sailor Senshi!" Rei said.  
The other three stared at her.  "I never thought that Serena was a
good leader.  I always knew that she would screw up really bad one 
day, and she did today!  She let Sailor Mercury die!  I won't
ever forgive you for that!" 
     "Rei, you can't leave the Sailor Senshi," Minako pleaded.  
"It's your destiny." 
     "Yeah," Makoto agreed.  "You can't do this." 
     Usagi was silent.  She fought to keep back the tears that 
stung her eyes. 
     "Watch me," Rei said menacingly.  She stormed angrily out of 
the room. 
     "Rei, wait!" Usagi cried getting up and running after her.  
Makoto and Minako followed. 
     "Don't follow me, Serena!" Rei threatened. 
     "Rei, don't do this!" Usagi pleaded.  "Don't leave the 
Senshi!  It's what the Four Generals want; they want to split us 
up so
that we'll be easier to eliminate." 
     "I can take care of myself!" Rei shouted. 
     "Rei!  Please!  Tell me why.  What did I do?"  Usagi asked. 
     "You really want to know?"  Rei asked. 
     "Yes."  Usagi wiped a stray tear from her cheek. 
     "Well then I'll tell you.  You're an awful leader and I don't 
think you should be the Princess."  Rei saw the pain in Usagi's
eyes and thought, ËI'm sorry, Serena, but I have to do this.  I 
don't mean any of it.'  Rei continued icily, "You're always late 
and
you can't defend yourself.  The other Senshi always have to come 
save you.  You're nothing but a klutzy, stupid, crybaby!  You
shouldn't be the Moon Princess!  Princesses are supposed to be 
elegant, graceful, and smart, everything you're not!" 
     Usagi stared at Rei with a shocked, pained expression in her 
eyes.  "Why..." Usagi whispered, then she turned and ran out of
the temple.  Minako ran after her, but Makoto stood in front of 
Rei.  An angry storm flashed in Makoto's deep green eyes.  "How
dare you talk to Serena like that?!" Makoto demanded. 
     "Mako-chan, please don't do this to me," Rei said quietly. 
     "Why not?!  You just did this to Serena!" Makoto pointed out 
angrily.  "And don't you dare call me ËMako-chan' again!  I'm
ashamed that I once called you a friend!  If you ever come near 
Serena again, I won't hesitate to hurt you!"  With that, Makoto
ran out of the temple to look for Usagi and Minako.  Rei followed 
a few steps, then collapsed on the temple steps crying. 

So... what did ya think??  Chichiri really wants to know!!  I love 
getting comments on my story!!  If you now hate Rei, wait until
Chapter 8- Rei's Story.  Then you get to find out why Rei is so 
mean.  But for now you can hate Rei and be really mad at her for
being so mean to our dear Usagi-chan.  I would like to thank my 
best friend and twin sister Miaka for all of her encouragement! 
She's so cool!!  You have to read her story!!  I would also like 
to thank Sailor Venus, Sailor Saturn, and Sailor Moon for their
encouragement as well.  Read their stories too!  They are all 
really great authors!!  Without all these people to encourage me I
wouldn't be trying so hard to type up my story and finish it!  But 
sometimes we actually DO stuff in my history class which is
where I write most of the time!  And sometimes my computer or 
crosswinds decide to hate me!  So please bear with me and if
you really want more story you have to be really nice to me 
because I have the power to withhold the story from you. 
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!  Just kidding, I would never be that cruel to 
you!  Well, anyways, thank you SO much for reading my story and I
would like to say to my other really cool friend Yui-chan that 
everything will be all right in the end, you'll see.  With that, 
I'll let you
go.  (I wrote a lot of comments, didn't I?)  Ja ne! 
~Chichiri