DISCLAIMERS:
All canon characters are (C) 1992 - whatever year it is Naoko Takeuchi and all other related parties. The Shadow senshi are (C) Wild Nature 2006 - 2007. This is a fanfic based upon the anime version and all written work that this consists of is (C) 2006 - 2007 Wild Nature.

Chapter Three: Trials of the Ice and Wind

Wind picked up, startling Sailor Mercury to open her eyes. She was surrounded by Nigori and Sora, both shivering. Sailor Mercury absently rubbed her arms, almost instantly calculating the area.

“It’s a winter scene,” Nigori chattered. “Phew!”

“Let’s start a fire,” Sailor Mercury suggested and it took nearly a half hour to finally get a blaze going. The three hugged closely together as Sora blinked.

“Hee, didn’t think I’d be this close to anyone,” she joked half-heartedly. “I mean, this is... not like me. I’m usually just by myself or with Toki.” She blabbed, trying to hide her discomfort.

“Tell me, Sailor Mercury,” Nigori interrupted suddenly. “Why does a genius like you need to be a senshi?” She blurted out the question that first entered her head as she studied the girl. “I mean, you plan everything, right?”

“No, I’m not psychic,” Sailor Mercury surprised them by chuckling. “Oh, what a path it has been. Not always has it been wanted as human beings, we are plagued by doubts.”

She shifted, readjusting her arms around herself. “But there are things out there worth so much to protect. Earth needs all of us and if even in the smallest amount of good that I can do, I won’t let my doubt fill me. I want to be the best in what I do, even in the line of being a senshi. I have my friends to be with and that’s all I could ever want.”

“Friendship is a key tone in the solitary business of senshi,” Sora agreed.

“Then why’d you partner up with your cousin?” Nigori asked quizzically.

“I.. didn’t want to be somebody unless I had someone with me. I don’t like the lime light.”

“Being a senshi doesn’t get you a limelight!” Nigori snorted. “Nor does being anyone else!”

“Then why did you decide to accept destiny as a Shadow?” Sailor Mercury asked her.

“I don’t know. I was bored..” Nigori looked away, embarrassed. “It was something to do..”

“You just decided to transform for the hell of it?” Sora demanded.

“No! It was like.. I was.. well.. I don’t have problems with being on my own.”

“Then why huddle with us?” Sora asked, rolling her eyes.

“It’s cold!”

“I thought you liked the cold!”

“If I were wearing the right clothing!”

“Oh dear, let’s not start an argument. The reason behind all of this is to find out how to transform again!” Sailor Mercury said quietly.

There was a moment of silence.

“I want to transform,” Nigori said finally. “Can’t that be enough?”

“But what’s your reason!?”

“What was yours!”

“I’m not telling if you’re not saying!”

“I wouldn’t tell you in a million, million...”

“I can tell you why -I- transformed!” Sailor Mercury said very loudly.

“We are all driven to survive here. I never knew I was different in this way but I knew I was different. I was smarter and for that, lost in my own loneliness. Who wants to make friends with someone who just studies all the time? I could survive, though. I thought I could handle it all.”

“But we cannot just depend on ourselves. We must help each other. I may not be the best senshi, not the most powerful or the most dependable but I keep my head and give my strength to the one the needs it when she cries out for us.”

“So many times have I fallen in the line of duty and I would do it again. My faith in my friends is stronger than any weakness and I will fight for those who need me.” Sailor Mercury smiled. “My friends are the light in my life, they get me through the day, help me keep my dreams. That is why I’m a senshi because they gave so much, I want to be like them and give as well. What comes around goes around, don’t you know?”

Nigori was quiet. “I used to not take chances. The only thing that could egg me on was winter sports. I felt free and I could fly! I could be as strong as I wanted.”

“I never had any siblings, my parents worked all the time. I know they loved me but I was always lonely. Outside, I could feel as if I were a part of this world, connected to the brilliance of nature and winter.”

“Then I found out who I was, as Shadow Mercury. I thought it was another way to connect and how right I was. I made new friends and I wasn’t lonely anymore. I didn’t feel trapped or sad or depressed. I could depend on others..”

Her fingers gripped her stone, as she stared at it. “I, too, want to give to others. Ways to thank them, to show them how much.. just how much they made me love life the more I...”

Her tears splattered upon the gem as it began to shine brilliantly. “It’s so.. warm..” Nigori said thickly, a wide, shaking smile growing. “Look! Look!”

She offered it to the others who smiled back.

“You found your reason!” Sailor Mercury said warmly. “We’re a lot alike, aren’t we!”

Sora was quiet. “What about me! I have the same ideas too!”

She pulled away, her eyes wide. “But what can I do? I always have to have my cousin help me. I can’t do anything on my own.”

“But we don’t want to do things alone!” Nigori pointed out. “We’re a team!”

“But.. what if I were alone, the last one standing and I wasn’t good enough,” Sora twisted her fingers. “I’m not all dependable or good. I have to follow orders!”

“We all start out like that,” Nigori reached out only to feel the ground shake. “What the..?”

A huge polar bear, with jutting, jagged fangs and red beady eyes, lunged over the plains, heading straight for them.

“Run!” Sailor Mercury shouted. The fire forgotten, the trio fled, the beast at their heels.

“Nepheline Holy Ice, Make Up!”

She felt the energy swirl deep within her. Her fuku formed, distinctly different. Her tiara, and shoes were the same but her choker was double black threads, a round blue orb in its center, the sign of Mercury attached at the bottom. Her collar was blue outlined in yellow on its back edge. Her bodice was the same but her brooch was a round blue orb, a set of four arrow pointed crystals on each side, a set of four small points jutting out from in between each larger point. The top edge of the bodice was lined in a yellow metal bar that curled in at the meeting between the point of where the black piece would tie together.

She had a thin yellow metal band wrapped around the tops of her gloves, much like an outlined armband. Her gloves were light blue and meshed fabric, a blue orb still on the backs of her hands. Her shirt was double layered, the top being blue and the bottom transparent light blue mesh. Her waistband was the same save that the yellow strap was metal and the midsection connected with four looped beads. The slender tails trailed down to the backs of her knees.

“We can’t just run!” Shadow Mercury called out. “Sooner or later, it’ll catch up!”

Sure enough, it was nearly to them. “Blizzard Icestorm!” She felt the ice swirl over her arms to her hands as she spun shortly, weaving her hands in the air. She aimed and the ice turned to jagged shards, jutting out to lash at the beast. It screamed, the slashes turning to ice as it reared over her.

“Nigori!” Sailor Mercury screamed.

It was going to crash on her, her body rooted. Her mind screamed as her mouth opened.

“WATCH OUT!” She felt a body hit her, Sora falling into the ground as the beast began its landing.

“SORA!” The scream echoed in the air as light billowed and the winds turned crazy. The polar bear was thrown back as Sora stood up, her eyes bright.

“I want to be a senshi! Not because I want to do things alone but because.. because I want to be with you all!” She cried.

Her crystal lit up in her pocket, her fingers pulling it out. “Nepheline Holy Sky, Make Up!”

She felt the energy awaken within her. Her fuku formed, distinctly different. Her tiara, and shoes were the same but her choker was double black threads, a round sky blue orb in its center, the sign of Uranus attached at the bottom. Her collar was sky blue outlined in yellow on its back edge. Her bodice was the same but her brooch was a round light blue orb, a set of four arrow pointed crystals on each side, a set of four small points jutting out from in between each larger point. The top edge of the bodice was lined in a yellow metal bar that curled in at the meeting between the point of where the black piece would tie together.

She had a thin yellow metal band wrapped around the tops of her gloves, much like an outlined armband. Her gloves were cerulean blue meshed fabric, a sky blue orb still on the backs of her hands. Her shirt was double layered, the top being sky blue and the bottom transparent cerulean blue mesh. Her waistband was the same save that the yellow strap was metal and the midsection connected with four looped beads. The slender tails trailed down to the backs of her knees.

“Winding Starfire!” Shadow Uranus jumped high in the air, her body swirling and shooting out stars in blinding speed. It slashed the beast, capturing to the floor.

“Come on!” Sailor Mercury called out hurriedly. She had seen a strange door as the three ran toward it.

“It’s a pillar!” Sailor Mercury murmured.

“It’s beautiful!” Shadow Uranus whispered.

“Let’s go!”

They stopped at a pedestal. “There’s for three hands..” Shadow Mercury said quietly. “One for each, huh?”

“Let’s go!” Shadow Uranus slapped her hand upon it.

The two followed instantly as the air around them picked up. Sailor Mercury’s eyes widened as a crystal, diamond shaped and tinted blue, swirled in the air. There was an explosion of air and ice, both fighting each other before ice swallowed up the crystal. It formed into a necklace, her eyes closing briefly.

“Mercury Elemental Merge, Make Up!” She held up the item as if in prayer, the crystal sending out a blizzard of ice to capture her and then explode around her to reveal her in her fuku.

She bore her symbol upon her brow and additional hair pieces, one on each side of a round orb with jutting rounded wings from each just above her ears. She had white orb earrings, her choker was a black strand with a yellow swirled gem in its center, the sign of Mercury dangling from it by a round white orb, smaller than the yellow one.

She had a blue collar, the back edged in light blue and fringed like jutting feathers. The bodice was cut around the upper chest and white until to under her breasts. Her brooch was a yellow swirled orb, each side connected a three feathered bow by a round white orb. Her sleeves began at the sides of her arms, attached to the bodice that cut all the way around her by a yellow metal bar and then blue, loose fabric billowed out.

Underneath her breasts was a line of yellow beads, then light blue fabric covered her mid-frame. The waist was a yellow metal band, that bent inward at the center view. Her skirt was single layered and blue. The back bow was a small set of rounded wings, with two frilled tails. The boots were blue that went to the knees, the top fringed and had a loose loop of yellow beads attached just below the top edge. She had a sky blue band around her ankle that jutted up in the center view and on each side was a small wing. The tops of the feet was a set of three sky blue bands.

“Here it comes!” Shadow Uranus shouted. “Winding Starfire!”

“Blizzard Icestorm!”

“Elemental Icicle Command!” Sailor Mercury threw several punches, the attack combining with the other two to form a very freezing attack.

It surged forth to capture the beast who was thrown backwards into the wall, shattering into millions and millions of pieces.

“We did it..” Shadow Mercury beamed. “Oh this so..”

The air swirled as they found themselves at the pedestal they had started at. “Oh.. my head..” Shadow Uranus muttered.

“At least we’re not cold anymore,” Shadow Mercury pointed out.

“Got a point there!” The three grinned at each and turned to see Shadows Mars and Neptune as well as Elemental Sailor Mars wave to them.