Ami crouched in the woods outside of the stronghold in which Mamoru was staying. This was the same building that Hotaru had visited a few months before. Ami had seen the blueprints and satellite images of the house and grounds. She had reports as to when guards changed and where people were and when. The only thing she didn't know was where Mamoru was but, frankly, she didn't care. She would rip every Leaguer apart until she found him.

She had arrived exactly twenty-four hours before the task force, led by Hotaru, was due. She wanted Mamoru for herself, she wanted his blood, and she didn't want to share.

Carefully, she removed her clothes and packed them away in the small, lightweight backpack she had brought specifically for that purpose and placed it by a large oak. She Changed, trying to control the wolf within so that it wouldn't give away her position until she was ready. It took nearly all of her concentration to keep the animal quiet and move silently around to the main gate.

She peered through the brush to the guardhouse, occupied by two armed sentries. A very luxurious car rolled up to the gate and, after a quick identification check, was waved through. She moved quickly, relying on speed and the element of surprise to make it through without raising an alarm. With any luck, all the sentries would see would be a gray-silver streak dart past.

Luck, however, was not with her and she was spotted while she was still twelve yards from her goal. One of the sentries opened fire while the other began to shout for reinforcements. She couldn't decide who was the greater threat, the guy shooting at her or the guy raising the alarm. But, then again, this was a non-issue. She had two paws full of claws and a mouthful of sharp teeth, she could just kill them both.

And that's what she did.

There's a certain heady feeling one gets when one has the power to take or spare a life. Ami tore through them both and continued on. An alarm had been raised and both Leaguers and Rogues would be searching for her. She had to move quickly before Mamoru had more guards than she could handle.

She tore at full speed across the grounds, dodging those she didn't have time to kill. Crashing through the front door of the house, she figured now was an excellent time to announce herself. She let loose a howl that rattled the walls and echoed throughout the house.

Immediately, nearly three dozen Leaguers were upon her. She didn't give them a moment to draw their weapons. She cut a swath of death and gore that would have made Genghis Khan pale and, after only a few moments, she was surrounded by a sea of blood and corpses. She charged up the steps, slipping slightly on the blood-slicked stone.

On the second floor, more Leaguers awaited, with, much to her pleasant surprise, Mamoru, who held a massive rifle. None of the others drew their weapons but stepped back to give the two of them more room.

Mamoru raised his rifle and fired. There was a sharp prick in her neck and, at that moment, Ami knew she had been hit with some sort of powerful tranquilizer. She knew she had only moments to complete her objective before the drug took full effect. She charged and almost immediately stumbled to the ground. She dragged herself to her feet and tried again. Everything seemed to slow and tilt and, before she knew it, she had crashed to the floor again.

Then, something very frightening occurred. The drug began to calm her and she felt the Change reverse against her will. There was a theory that certain drugs with calming effects could force a reversal but that theory had never been tested.

"Move quickly. I had to guess at her body wait and never anticipated this. She could die of an overdose before I have a chance to speak with her."

"Why would you want to speak with her, sir?"

Mamoru stared at her with those piercing eyes, "Because, I know her."

l-l-l-l

Ami sat in a tiny cell. Some joker had designed it to look like a massive dog crate. Somebody had dressed her in a bright orange jumpsuit while she was unconscious and, judging by the pain between her thighs, had done a few other things as well.

Down here, in the stone rooms beneath the stronghold, there were screams, cries, and howls from those who were being "questioned" by League agents. A particularly terrible scream caused her to shiver and the mental image of her children, strapped to one of those tables and at the mercy of those psychopaths. If it hadn't been for the powerful sedative that they kept injecting her with against her will, she'd have broken out of here and tried again.

Six agents stepped up to her cell. One had a pair of large and heavy shackles. "Time to go, poppet. The boss wants to have words."

Immediately, all six were on her. She tried to Change and get free but, because of the drugs, she couldn't. She simply lacked the ability. The cuffs were locked around her wrists, she was hauled to her feet, and dragged through the dungeons. All around her, barely recognizable people, emaciated, dehydrated, and sick watched her pass by with dull eyes, curled up on the floor, some moaning and retching.

They marched her up to the main house and up again to the second floor all of the way to Mamoru's office. He was sitting behind a heavy desk, reading and signing reports. They sat her down in a chair in front of him then all six stood behind her, ready to intervene if she somehow regained the ability to Change and attack.

"You've killed quite a few of my people." He commented without looking at her.

Ami shrugged, "What can I say, I've always been an overachiever."

He chuckled, "Luckily, the number of casualties was negligible. Your husband did better."

She bristled at that comment. Her fangs began to lengthen until she felt a sharp pinch in the back of her neck. The drug, a smaller dose this time, took hold quickly and she felt herself calm down.

"Now, Ami, what are we going to do about this?"

"I don't know. Kill me?"

He nodded, "I could. I could. But I have an idea that would work better. Tell me, how old are your children now?"

Her heart nearly stopped.

"They'd be in their late teens by now, am I right?"

"Bastard!" She hissed.

He smiled, "Your little girl, Saeko, is it? Named after your mother, correct? She's a good looking girl, if I do say so myself."

"You son of a whore!"

"Sticks and stones, Ami-chan. Have we really reduced ourselves to childish name-calling?" He nodded to the men behind her. Immediately, they stepped forward and unlocked the shackles. She rubbed her wrists and stood.

"You want me?" He goaded, "Come and get me." He turned to a wall and drew a sword.

Ami summoned up all of the rage and hate she felt within. She saw the faces of the pitiful souls trapped in the stone hell below. She saw her children, who were now in the greatest of danger. She saw her husband, her mother, her family.

Despite the drugs, Ami felt the Change. She felt her body grow as bones stretched and muscle layered upon muscle. Silver fur covered her body as her fangs lengthened and her tail sprouted. She rose to her full height and glared at Mamoru.

"Very impressive."

She charged and he dodged. Ami saw red as she spun at the last moment and stopped just short of crashing into the wall. She leaped at him again and just barely missed as he feinted and swung, slicing open her arm. She turned again and he charged her, running the blade completely through her abdomen.

She took an involuntary gasp as hot agony flooded her entire body. Mamoru bared his teeth as he twisted the sword, tearing Ami's intestines to shreds.

She knew immediately that the wound was fatal. Her knees buckled and she collapsed as he removed his blade, using her weight to help him. Her shallow breath rasped as she lay on the floor in a pool of her own blood and filth.

"Don't worry, Ami. Your children's death will be much faster." He assured her as he drove his blade through her heart.

l-l-l-l

Hotaru had tried to contact Ami and let her know that the operation was about to begin. She had forbidden her friend from joining the operation but she still wanted Ami in the loop. Hotaru understood Ami's feelings, she'd had the same concerning Usagi, but she couldn't jeopardize the mission and all of those lives, because Ami wanted revenge.

But when Saeko had told her that Ami had left some time the day before and hadn't said when she would return, Hotaru began to worry. It was possible, since Ami had begun to display a devious and deceitful nature, that she had milked her for all of the information she could before launching her own, unauthorized, operation.

Here she was, moving through the dungeons of the stronghold and opening cells, releasing the prisoners within. Those who couldn't move under their own power were helped out by an operative. Several others loitered outside to cover their retreat to the woods and the waiting truck. Hotaru had a specific objective, either find Ami or find Mamoru.

She stepped over the corpse of a Leaguer and proceeded up the stairs to the main floor with two other operatives. The carpet of the main floor was dark and crusty with blood. Hotaru skirted the area and continued up the steps. She and her team had been lucky enough to go unnoticed but that wouldn't go for much longer. She needed to move quickly. Her only hope was that they would be able to move all of the prisoners before they were forced to abort.

Hotaru had a good idea where Mamoru might be and she headed straight for the office she had visited. She opened the door, fully expecting him to be behind the desk. She was greeted by a terrible sight. Ami's head sat in the center of the desk, staring at the door with milky eyes. Hotaru nearly vomited at the scene. She stumbled forward, shutting the door behind her. Wiping her eyes, which had begun to blur with unshed tears, she picked up the dismembered head.

"Damn you, Ami. How dare you break your word to me. How dare you? Did you even consider the consequences of this? Did you even think about the lives you would ruin? You've destroyed your own family. Not Mamoru, you! Your anger and hate and selfishness did this." She pulled out her radio, "All units, all units, this is Black Lead. Abort objectives and fall back to the dust-off point." She replaced her radio and grabbed her cell phone, dialing a friend, "Makoto. It's me. It's time.