|
rlm@2
|
1 Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Infinity Alternate
|
|
rlm@2
|
2 'Eye of the Beholder' - Chapter Two
|
|
rlm@2
|
3 by AmazonessDuo
|
|
rlm@2
|
4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
|
|
rlm@2
|
5
|
|
rlm@2
|
6 ~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
7
|
|
rlm@2
|
8 “Witch!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
9 A group of three girls gathered near Hotaru, taunting her yet again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
10 She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to ignore the viscous
|
|
rlm@2
|
11 things they said.
|
|
rlm@2
|
12 “So what are you up to this time, Tomoe?” One of the girls asked,
|
|
rlm@2
|
13 her voice full of venom.
|
|
rlm@2
|
14 “Nothing…” Hotaru said meekly, clutching the book she had been
|
|
rlm@2
|
15 reading to her chest. She was having trouble breathing as her heart
|
|
rlm@2
|
16 beat faster. Why wouldn’t they ever just leave her alone? Why
|
|
rlm@2
|
17 wouldn’t they let her fade into the background? All she asked for was
|
|
rlm@2
|
18 to not be noticed. Had she ever done anything to hurt them? No. So
|
|
rlm@2
|
19 why couldn’t they ignore her?
|
|
rlm@2
|
20 “What’s this, Tomoe?” The girl on the right asked, ripping the book
|
|
rlm@2
|
21 from Hotaru’s grasp. She flipped through the dog-eared pages before
|
|
rlm@2
|
22 shutting the book. “You studying some more witchcraft?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
23 “What else could she be doing reading all the time like that?” The
|
|
rlm@2
|
24 girl on the left replied.
|
|
rlm@2
|
25 Hotaru released a shuddering breath. She had no more tears to cry
|
|
rlm@2
|
26 over this. It happened often enough. The constant teases and taunts
|
|
rlm@2
|
27 were by now a way of life from her classmates.
|
|
rlm@2
|
28 “If you don’t want to be here, Tomoe, get on your broomstick and
|
|
rlm@2
|
29 leave.” The three girls snickered at the dark haired girl, one of
|
|
rlm@2
|
30 them tossing her book to the ground.
|
|
rlm@2
|
31 “Why don’t you all leave her alone?!” a sweet voice yelled angrily.
|
|
rlm@2
|
32 The girls turned to see a pink haired girl about their age run up to
|
|
rlm@2
|
33 stand beside Hotaru. Her crimson eyes burned with an unseen fire from
|
|
rlm@2
|
34 the anger she felt, her small hands balled up in fists. “What has she
|
|
rlm@2
|
35 ever done to you?!” ChibiUsa demanded.
|
|
rlm@2
|
36 The middle girl glared at Hotaru. “She was born.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
37 Hotaru normally would have shrank back from the other girl’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
38 statement, but she was still in shock. ChibiUsa was here? Defending
|
|
rlm@2
|
39 her? The thought made her head spin.
|
|
rlm@2
|
40 “If that’s her only crime against you, you oughtta think of
|
|
rlm@2
|
41 something better because I can think of plenty more you’ve done to
|
|
rlm@2
|
42 her just from what I saw,” ChibiUsa said, stepping forward a little
|
|
rlm@2
|
43 ahead and to the side of Hotaru.
|
|
rlm@2
|
44 “How would you know? She’s a witch,” one of the girl’s said,
|
|
rlm@2
|
45 pointing at Hotaru.
|
|
rlm@2
|
46 “If she is a witch, I’d rather spend an eternity with her than a
|
|
rlm@2
|
47 second with you cold hearted bitches.” ChibiUsa stared at each of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
48 three girls.
|
|
rlm@2
|
49 The girls glared back at this strange pink haired girl.
|
|
rlm@2
|
50 “She is a witch! We’ve all seen her. When people get hurt, they pop
|
|
rlm@2
|
51 up without a trace of it after she touches them,” The girl on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
52 right began.
|
|
rlm@2
|
53 “And what’s wrong with that? She did the same to me, and I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
54 grateful,” ChibiUsa said absentmindedly rubbing her arm where her
|
|
rlm@2
|
55 injury had been.
|
|
rlm@2
|
56 “She’s always off on her own. Usually she’s reading something. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
57 always wears black. And she has those strange seizures,” The girl in
|
|
rlm@2
|
58 the middle finished.
|
|
rlm@2
|
59 “How can you all stand here and say that? You’re all so blinded by
|
|
rlm@2
|
60 hatred for what you don’t understand that you can’t see what she
|
|
rlm@2
|
61 really is,” the pink haired girl argued.
|
|
rlm@2
|
62 “And what’s that?” The middle girl asked with a smirk.
|
|
rlm@2
|
63 “The sweetest, kindest, most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. If she
|
|
rlm@2
|
64 is a witch, then she’s a great one. And everything you all see wrong
|
|
rlm@2
|
65 with her, I wouldn’t want to change. She’s smart and gentle and has a
|
|
rlm@2
|
66 wonderful shining heart. And if none of you can see that, then I pity
|
|
rlm@2
|
67 you. I was wondering why she was so shy and reserved, but now I know.
|
|
rlm@2
|
68 Because of people like you.” ChibiUsa took Hotaru’s hand in her own
|
|
rlm@2
|
69 without taking her eyes from the three girls in front of her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
70 All three stared back at the pink haired girl that had interrupted
|
|
rlm@2
|
71 what would have otherwise been a normal day for them. “What are you?
|
|
rlm@2
|
72 Her girlfriend?” one of the three asked.
|
|
rlm@2
|
73 “What if I am?” ChibiUsa asked back, tightening her grip on
|
|
rlm@2
|
74 Hotaru’s hand, feeling the slight tremble in her lover’s hand.
|
|
rlm@2
|
75 “Oh my god…” The middle girl turned her gaze to Hotaru. “Tomoe’s a
|
|
rlm@2
|
76 lesbian.” The other two gasped as well, looking back and forth from
|
|
rlm@2
|
77 to the pink and raven haired girls. After whispering with each other
|
|
rlm@2
|
78 for a moment, the three girls finally turned to leave.
|
|
rlm@2
|
79 ChibiUsa looked in shock after the three girls. They were
|
|
rlm@2
|
80 retreating as if they had some kind of disease. “And what’s wrong
|
|
rlm@2
|
81 with that?!” the pink haired girl yelled after them, half expecting a
|
|
rlm@2
|
82 response, but not being surprised when none came. Her free hand going
|
|
rlm@2
|
83 to her forehead, she sighed deeply. A tug on her wrist caught her
|
|
rlm@2
|
84 attention. Turning her attention back to the dark haired girl, she
|
|
rlm@2
|
85 saw Hotaru kneeling to pick up her book that they’d so carelessly
|
|
rlm@2
|
86 thrown to the ground. “Oh, Hotaru-chan, I’m so sorry. I was just so
|
|
rlm@2
|
87 angry when I saw them treating you like that. I had no idea… I’ve
|
|
rlm@2
|
88 probably just made things worse for you now, haven’t I?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
89 Hotaru shook her head softly. “There have been plenty of rumors
|
|
rlm@2
|
90 about me before. Everyone already thinks of me as a witch. This won’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
91 change things.” Glancing down at her book, Hotaru wiped some of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
92 dirt from the cover.
|
|
rlm@2
|
93 “Then why’d they leave like that?” ChibiUsa asked, confused.
|
|
rlm@2
|
94 Hotaru allowed herself a slight smile. “They were probably afraid
|
|
rlm@2
|
95 of my girlfriend.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
96 ChibiUsa laughed and drew the dark haired girl into a warm embrace.
|
|
rlm@2
|
97 Hotaru’s pale cheeks turned a bright red as she felt the other girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
98 holding her lovingly. ChibiUsa’s expression suddenly turning serious,
|
|
rlm@2
|
99 she said, “I’m sorry those girls were acting like that.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
100 Looking away, Hotaru wouldn’t return her gaze. “Its not just them.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
101 “Hotaru-chan… I’m sorry,” ChibiUsa said sadly, at a loss for words.
|
|
rlm@2
|
102 Hotaru smiled softly. “Don’t be. You’re the best thing that’s ever
|
|
rlm@2
|
103 happened to me, ChibiUsa-chan. Its not your fault if they all act
|
|
rlm@2
|
104 like that. You more than make up for it with the warmth and kindness
|
|
rlm@2
|
105 you show me.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
106 ChibiUsa looked intently into Hotaru’s violet eyes. “Don’t worry
|
|
rlm@2
|
107 about them. Just remember that I love you no matter what. It doesn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
108 matter what they think. I’ll always love you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
109 Hotaru’s blush worsened as she lost herself in the crimson pools of
|
|
rlm@2
|
110 the pink haired girl’s eyes. “And I you, ChibiUsa-chan.” Before she
|
|
rlm@2
|
111 knew what was going on, she was sharing a kiss with her lover right
|
|
rlm@2
|
112 where they stood. Hotaru remembered all the cruel comments and
|
|
rlm@2
|
113 torture she endured from her classmates. ‘What’s it matter what they
|
|
rlm@2
|
114 think?’ she thought to herself. ‘This moment of bliss is worth more
|
|
rlm@2
|
115 than every single thing they’ve ever done combined.’
|
|
rlm@2
|
116
|
|
rlm@2
|
117 ~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
118
|
|
rlm@2
|
119 Hunched over a computer, Mamoru rubbed his palms against his eyes,
|
|
rlm@2
|
120 trying to focus. He had been looking up information on Professor
|
|
rlm@2
|
121 Tomoe and the events surrounding him for the past several hours and
|
|
rlm@2
|
122 everything was rapidly becoming a blur. Between the studying for
|
|
rlm@2
|
123 college classes he needed to catch up on, running around in a top hat
|
|
rlm@2
|
124 and tuxedo, and doing research for running around in said tuxedo, he
|
|
rlm@2
|
125 had to wonder when he had time for anything at all relaxing these
|
|
rlm@2
|
126 days. Even going to see the talented violinist, Michiru Kaioh, with
|
|
rlm@2
|
127 ChibiUsa, Usagi and her friends had turned out disastrously. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
128 ChibiUsa had seemed awfully distracted about something. The tedious
|
|
rlm@2
|
129 work over the past few hours had finally yielded some results,
|
|
rlm@2
|
130 thankfully, so maybe he’d have a chance to relax after all.
|
|
rlm@2
|
131 Stretching in the chair, he turned back to tell ChibiUsa the good
|
|
rlm@2
|
132 news.
|
|
rlm@2
|
133 The pink haired girl was nodding off in a chair near him, her head
|
|
rlm@2
|
134 tilted to the side as she sat leaning back. After a moment or so, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
135 future princess stirred and blinked. Noticing that Mamoru had had
|
|
rlm@2
|
136 seen that she had nearly fallen asleep, she grinned sheepishly and
|
|
rlm@2
|
137 pointed toward the computer. “Did you find anything, Mamo-chan?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
138 Turning back towards the computer, the older man sighed. “No matter
|
|
rlm@2
|
139 where I looked, I couldn’t find anything of interest on Professor
|
|
rlm@2
|
140 Souichi Tomoe. Just a few minutes ago, I finally accessed something
|
|
rlm@2
|
141 on him. His life’s work has been on genetic research. It’s been an
|
|
rlm@2
|
142 obsession for him his entire career, even to the point where he was
|
|
rlm@2
|
143 considered an outcast by the scientific community for his bizarre
|
|
rlm@2
|
144 experiments on animals. He put up his knowledge on the subject out
|
|
rlm@2
|
145 for sale to continue funding his research and was bought up by the
|
|
rlm@2
|
146 Infinity district. Apparently they didn’t mind whether or not his
|
|
rlm@2
|
147 work was inhumane and hired him anyway.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
148 “So that’s why Hotaru-chan lives there,” ChibiUsa said thoughtfully.
|
|
rlm@2
|
149 A few more pieces of the puzzle started to fit into place, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
150 didn’t say anything. She had promised Hotaru that she wouldn’t tell
|
|
rlm@2
|
151 that her father had done that sort of thing. But it seemed that
|
|
rlm@2
|
152 Mamoru had found out on his own.
|
|
rlm@2
|
153 Mamoru nodded, his tone growing more grave. “During the construction
|
|
rlm@2
|
154 of some of the buildings, a fire broke out under some unknown
|
|
rlm@2
|
155 circumstances while he and his family were there.” Scooting to the
|
|
rlm@2
|
156 side, he let ChibiUsa get a good look at the screen.
|
|
rlm@2
|
157 There was a picture of a smiling woman there with the words: Wife,
|
|
rlm@2
|
158 Keiko, Age 32, Deceased. ChibiUsa gasped. That was how Hotaru’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
159 mother had died when she was younger. But what was even more
|
|
rlm@2
|
160 surprising were the picture of a young dark haired girl and the words
|
|
rlm@2
|
161 that followed: Daughter, Hotaru, Age 8, Critical Condition. Not only
|
|
rlm@2
|
162 had Hotaru lost her mother in the fire, but she herself had been
|
|
rlm@2
|
163 caught in it, too. But what had happened to her? How had she survived
|
|
rlm@2
|
164 the fire?
|
|
rlm@2
|
165 “They say that after that incident, all life left the Professor’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
166 face,” Mamoru said, breaking the uneasy silence that had spread
|
|
rlm@2
|
167 through the room. “The loss of his wife and the near loss of his
|
|
rlm@2
|
168 daughter must have changed him.” ‘I can understand why he’d grow cold
|
|
rlm@2
|
169 after that. I don’t know that I wouldn’t do the same if I lose Usako
|
|
rlm@2
|
170 and ChibiUsa. And we haven’t even had ChibiUsa yet,’ he thought to
|
|
rlm@2
|
171 himself.
|
|
rlm@2
|
172 “ChibiUsa-chan, you should keep a careful watch on Hotaru-chan. It’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
173 your duty as a Sailor Senshi to find the enemy and eliminate them. If
|
|
rlm@2
|
174 we don’t stop them soon, it may be too late to stop their invasion.
|
|
rlm@2
|
175 All could be lost. Professor Tomoe seems even more suspicious now,
|
|
rlm@2
|
176 and if he’s Hotaru-chan’s father, you should keep an eye out for
|
|
rlm@2
|
177 anything.” Luna looked up at ChibiUsa seriously.
|
|
rlm@2
|
178 The pink haired girl nodded eagerly. Any excuse to stick close to
|
|
rlm@2
|
179 the firefly was good enough for her. She wouldn’t believe that Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
180 had anything to do with this but she felt very uneasy about the raven
|
|
rlm@2
|
181 haired girl’s father. “Hai, I understand, Luna. I’ll do my best. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
182 won’t let Hotaru-chan out of my sight.” She had a hard time trying to
|
|
rlm@2
|
183 conceal a large smile.
|
|
rlm@2
|
184 Luna sweatdropped. For some reason she didn’t think they meant the
|
|
rlm@2
|
185 same thing.
|
|
rlm@2
|
186
|
|
rlm@2
|
187
|
|
rlm@2
|
188 ~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
189
|
|
rlm@2
|
190
|
|
rlm@2
|
191 Where is she? We were supposed to meet here to go to the movies.
|
|
rlm@2
|
192 We’d been planning it all week so we’d be able to have some fun this
|
|
rlm@2
|
193 weekend. Hotaru couldn’t have forgotten, could she? I hope that’s all
|
|
rlm@2
|
194 it is. I can wait a while longer before I go looking for her. What if
|
|
rlm@2
|
195 she shows up and I’m off looking for her? No, its safer to stay here
|
|
rlm@2
|
196 for now.
|
|
rlm@2
|
197 Brushing back some pink strands of hair from my eyes, I glance
|
|
rlm@2
|
198 around the park, searching for any sign of midnight black hair or
|
|
rlm@2
|
199 ivory skin. Hoisting my book bag over my shoulder, I stand up on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
200 bench I had been sitting on to get a better view. I can’t suppress my
|
|
rlm@2
|
201 anxiety. Maybe something really has happened to her. I could never
|
|
rlm@2
|
202 forgive myself if Hotaru got hurt coming here to see me.
|
|
rlm@2
|
203 You’re making too big a deal out of this, I scold myself. Just
|
|
rlm@2
|
204 relax. She’ll get here sooner or later. Its all a matter of time,
|
|
rlm@2
|
205 just like Puu had said so long ago. I grin a bit at that. I wonder if
|
|
rlm@2
|
206 she had any idea about this back when she first let me go back in
|
|
rlm@2
|
207 time. The grin fades as I remember that glimpse of dark green hair in
|
|
rlm@2
|
208 a crowd after I’d left Hotaru’s house with Usagi a while back. Could
|
|
rlm@2
|
209 Pluto still be alive? But why wouldn’t she come tell me? There are
|
|
rlm@2
|
210 too many unanswered questions. My head hurts just from trying to
|
|
rlm@2
|
211 think of all the questions, let alone the answers. Hotaru’s the focus
|
|
rlm@2
|
212 of most of them. She’s so mysterious. There’s a lot that I don’t know
|
|
rlm@2
|
213 about her or her family. But I don’t want to pry into things that are
|
|
rlm@2
|
214 better left alone. She seems so fragile that I worry about what
|
|
rlm@2
|
215 digging too much could do to her. And besides, I’m content just
|
|
rlm@2
|
216 knowing she’s there. I smile a bit. She’s so…. intoxicating? The more
|
|
rlm@2
|
217 I’m with her, the more I want to be with her. Forever.
|
|
rlm@2
|
218 Fifteen minutes go by and still no sign of her. I’m really starting
|
|
rlm@2
|
219 to get worried. It’s been over an hour now and she’s still missing.
|
|
rlm@2
|
220 My heart starts to beat quicker as panic begins to set in. Hotaru’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
221 okay, I assure myself. To prove that to my yearning heart, I decide
|
|
rlm@2
|
222 to go look for her. Her house isn’t too far from here so I decide to
|
|
rlm@2
|
223 check there first.
|
|
rlm@2
|
224
|
|
rlm@2
|
225 A surge of excitement runs through me as I walk towards where I
|
|
rlm@2
|
226 remember Hotaru-chan’s room to be from the outside. I know I’m not
|
|
rlm@2
|
227 supposed to be here, but what if she’s hurt? She could’ve fallen down
|
|
rlm@2
|
228 after having another one of those fits and no one could know. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
229 father barely pays any attention to her as it is and Hotaru obviously
|
|
rlm@2
|
230 doesn’t like that weird lady that works as his assistant. I barely
|
|
rlm@2
|
231 notice myself picking up speed as I nearly break into a run,
|
|
rlm@2
|
232 desperate to make sure the firefly’s okay. If anything’s happened to
|
|
rlm@2
|
233 her... Pushing the thought out of my mind, I stop worrying about
|
|
rlm@2
|
234 whether or not anyone saw me sneak into the house and bolt towards
|
|
rlm@2
|
235 Hotaru’s room. Be okay, be okay, be okay, please just be alright and
|
|
rlm@2
|
236 I promise I’ll make everything better... You’ll never have to cry
|
|
rlm@2
|
237 again, just please be alright... Out of breath and exhausted from
|
|
rlm@2
|
238 making it here in a much shorter time than it’s ever taken me before,
|
|
rlm@2
|
239 I slump to my knees a few meters from Hotaru’s window. Ignoring the
|
|
rlm@2
|
240 burning inside as I gasp for breath, I half walk and half stumble
|
|
rlm@2
|
241 over to the windowsill.
|
|
rlm@2
|
242 “How do those new parts feel?” I hear Hotaru’s father ask from
|
|
rlm@2
|
243 inside as I make my way to the window. Well, if he was spending time
|
|
rlm@2
|
244 with her then it was worth her being late. He’s all she has for her
|
|
rlm@2
|
245 family so it’s good he’s not buried in his work right now. He seems
|
|
rlm@2
|
246 to care a lot about her when he does show it and my firefly misses
|
|
rlm@2
|
247 him.
|
|
rlm@2
|
248 “They feel fine, dad. I think I’m getting used to them already,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
249 Hotaru lied. I don’t know what she’s lying about, but whatever it is,
|
|
rlm@2
|
250 it sounds like she’s faking it. For her father’s sake? Or because
|
|
rlm@2
|
251 she’s late? Whatever it is, her father doesn’t seem to notice. I try
|
|
rlm@2
|
252 to catch her attention from the window, but she’s looking over at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
253 clock in her room. I smile a bit. At least she’s okay. And now I get
|
|
rlm@2
|
254 to surprise her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
255 “The parts incorporate a new development in masons and neurons that
|
|
rlm@2
|
256 I came across. They were used as part of a rather interesting
|
|
rlm@2
|
257 experiment. I’m still waiting to hear more of the results.” Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
258 father shakes his head, extremely pale purple hair moving from side
|
|
rlm@2
|
259 to side as he does. “But that’s besides the point. All the technology
|
|
rlm@2
|
260 is state-of-the-art and made from the best materials available.” He
|
|
rlm@2
|
261 places a hand on her cheek. I wonder what they were busy with. Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
262 shivers slightly at his touch. A while back, she had told me that his
|
|
rlm@2
|
263 hands felt very cold. I guess it has something to do with his
|
|
rlm@2
|
264 research. “Very soon you won’t have anymore fits, Hotaru-chan.” I
|
|
rlm@2
|
265 smile at that. It has to be some new kind of medication then. This
|
|
rlm@2
|
266 means Hotaru-chan will get better! My smile fades after I see the
|
|
rlm@2
|
267 look on Hotaru’s face. I don’t think she believes him that she’ll get
|
|
rlm@2
|
268 better. My poor firefly. It’ll get better, I promise. He finally
|
|
rlm@2
|
269 picks up a few things that I can’t quite pick out as medical
|
|
rlm@2
|
270 instruments or tools and leaves the room.
|
|
rlm@2
|
271 “I have to hurry,” Hotaru-chan says worriedly, brushing back dark
|
|
rlm@2
|
272 hair from her eyes. The poor girl almost seems frantic. Awww...
|
|
rlm@2
|
273 That’s so cute that she wants to see me so much. Hmm... How should I
|
|
rlm@2
|
274 surprise her? “ChibiUsa-chan might have already gone home by now. I’m
|
|
rlm@2
|
275 really late. That took longer this time.” She sighs sadly. What took
|
|
rlm@2
|
276 longer? I want to ask her. Bending up her arm, her skin begins to
|
|
rlm@2
|
277 glow brightly. Underneath, I can see wires holding her muscles
|
|
rlm@2
|
278 together and other strange parts in the part of her arm I can see.
|
|
rlm@2
|
279 She picks now to turn around and spot me. I am Jack’s nervous
|
|
rlm@2
|
280 breakdown. Her oddly hypnotic silver eyes catch mine before I can
|
|
rlm@2
|
281 dare to look away. Caught like my namesake in headlights, I can only
|
|
rlm@2
|
282 stare back for a long moment. I don’t know what to think. If only I’d
|
|
rlm@2
|
283 waited this never would have happened. Fear and shock quickly fill
|
|
rlm@2
|
284 those infinitely deep silver eyes, mirroring my own as I take a step
|
|
rlm@2
|
285 back. What.. What was that? What happened? “ChibiUsa-chan?!” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
286 calls out, her soft voice wavering.
|
|
rlm@2
|
287 I’m caught. I don’t know what to do. What can I say to her? There’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
288 no way I can fix this right now. I should’ve waited at the theater
|
|
rlm@2
|
289 and then... “I’m sorry, Hotaru-chan... I... I shouldn’t have barged
|
|
rlm@2
|
290 in here...” I turn around and start to run away, unable to sort out
|
|
rlm@2
|
291 everything that’s going through my head. “I’m sorry,” I repeat as I
|
|
rlm@2
|
292 run as far as I can, away from it all. She probably hates me now for
|
|
rlm@2
|
293 seeing that. My poor firefly...
|
|
rlm@2
|
294 “ChibiUsa-chan!” I can barely hear her call again.
|
|
rlm@2
|
295
|
|
rlm@2
|
296
|
|
rlm@2
|
297
|
|
rlm@2
|
298 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
299
|
|
rlm@2
|
300
|
|
rlm@2
|
301 I fall to my knees where I’m standing, unable to even make it the
|
|
rlm@2
|
302 rest of the way to my bed. Hot tears stream down my cheeks as her
|
|
rlm@2
|
303 fleeing image remains seared in my mind. Why? Why did this have to
|
|
rlm@2
|
304 happen? Why did I finally find a friend only to have her taken away
|
|
rlm@2
|
305 from me? My body is wracked with pain even as my heart and soul are
|
|
rlm@2
|
306 wracked with guilt and fear. I’ve lasted this long on my own but now
|
|
rlm@2
|
307 that I’ve had a taste of what it was like to have her care about me I
|
|
rlm@2
|
308 don’t think I can go back to the way things were. I don’t want to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
309 alone anymore. It hurts too much.
|
|
rlm@2
|
310 The pain inside my battered shell of a body grows more intense as
|
|
rlm@2
|
311 my thoughts get darker. It’s as if the physical pain is mirroring the
|
|
rlm@2
|
312 pain in my heart. I collapse forward onto the floor, clutching at my
|
|
rlm@2
|
313 chest. My sobs are starting to hurt more and more as ice cold shoots
|
|
rlm@2
|
314 through my veins, followed seconds later by the searing hot pain.
|
|
rlm@2
|
315 Maybe… Maybe I’m dying. Maybe whoever’s out there decided to take
|
|
rlm@2
|
316 pity on me, to finally end my suffering. Maybe the cruel trick that
|
|
rlm@2
|
317 was played on me, letting me finally find a friend and someone to
|
|
rlm@2
|
318 love, will be the last. My head against the floor, my tears stream
|
|
rlm@2
|
319 down my cheeks. A shaky hand reaches out to my amulet in the hopes
|
|
rlm@2
|
320 that it can heal me, but the image of ChibiUsa’s horrified face when
|
|
rlm@2
|
321 she saw me for what I am seizes up my body. My hand falls back down
|
|
rlm@2
|
322 to the floor, even the will to live completely drained from my body.
|
|
rlm@2
|
323 I deserve to die. My life has served no purpose. I’ve only been a
|
|
rlm@2
|
324 burden to my father. He’s usually too busy to worry about me anyway.
|
|
rlm@2
|
325 He has to have Kaolinite keep an eye on me. Everyone else I’ve known
|
|
rlm@2
|
326 has made it painfully clear that they don’t want me here. They’re all
|
|
rlm@2
|
327 afraid of me. Even.. Even she’s afraid of me.
|
|
rlm@2
|
328 Harsh, painful sobs wrack my body as my pain begins anew. “ChibiUsa-
|
|
rlm@2
|
329 chan…” I whisper hoarsely. I curse my horrible, dead body. I curse
|
|
rlm@2
|
330 myself for still being here for this to have happened. If I’d died a
|
|
rlm@2
|
331 few months ago, this never would have happened. She’d never have been
|
|
rlm@2
|
332 afraid of me and I never would have... I never would have met her.. A
|
|
rlm@2
|
333 lump forms in my throat as I try to look through my blurry, tearful
|
|
rlm@2
|
334 vision to the Holy Grail she gave me. It sits in a very special spot
|
|
rlm@2
|
335 near my bed, right near several of my favorite lamps. She somehow saw
|
|
rlm@2
|
336 past what everyone else hated about me, she wasn’t afraid of me when
|
|
rlm@2
|
337 she found out I could heal with a touch, but now that she’s seen what
|
|
rlm@2
|
338 I am, she’s frightened of me. And I don’t think I can live with
|
|
rlm@2
|
339 myself for that. I should have known that it was too good to be true,
|
|
rlm@2
|
340 that she could really accept me. Who could? I’ve been half dead for
|
|
rlm@2
|
341 so long.. My eyes fall closed as the pain starts preying on my
|
|
rlm@2
|
342 consciousness. I can only hope it won’t last much longer, that I’ll
|
|
rlm@2
|
343 finally be able to be free. Free of this prison of a body. Free of
|
|
rlm@2
|
344 all the loneliness and the hate.
|
|
rlm@2
|
345 I don’t want to live anymore. This painful life has taken everything
|
|
rlm@2
|
346 from me. First my mother, then my body, and now the only person who’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
347 ever cared about me. Not too mention all of the other countless
|
|
rlm@2
|
348 things that have been ripped away from me. How could this have
|
|
rlm@2
|
349 happened? I had thought that if she just didn’t know about it that
|
|
rlm@2
|
350 maybe… just maybe things would work out. How could I have fooled
|
|
rlm@2
|
351 myself into such childish dreams? I had thought I was past that, past
|
|
rlm@2
|
352 deluding myself with any form of hope. But looking into her shining
|
|
rlm@2
|
353 eyes made me forget about that, it made me grasp onto those thin
|
|
rlm@2
|
354 shreds of hope and cherish them with all of my being.
|
|
rlm@2
|
355 She made me feel alive again. After so many years of being dead, of
|
|
rlm@2
|
356 being a breathing dead girl, it felt so wonderful to feel alive
|
|
rlm@2
|
357 again. Dad keeps my body alive… barely… but she had brought my soul
|
|
rlm@2
|
358 back to life. And now it was all gone. All taken from me within a few
|
|
rlm@2
|
359 brief seconds. Such an inconsequential amount of time that brought my
|
|
rlm@2
|
360 life to a deafening crescendo of pain and tears. Really, nothing has
|
|
rlm@2
|
361 happened. Things will go back to the way they were before I met her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
362 Everyone will still hate me and I’ll be all alone again. I shake my
|
|
rlm@2
|
363 head in torment. I can’t live like that! I can’t be alone again!
|
|
rlm@2
|
364 Tendrils of fear grip my ice cold heart as the thought of having to
|
|
rlm@2
|
365 endure through it all with the painful memories of her sends more
|
|
rlm@2
|
366 tears rolling down my cheeks. I’ve lasted through everything else
|
|
rlm@2
|
367 because I’ve never had a choice. What else could I do but move on?
|
|
rlm@2
|
368 Even when everything hurt, I was too apathetic to do anything but cry
|
|
rlm@2
|
369 to myself and hide in the shadows. But I can’t stand it any longer.
|
|
rlm@2
|
370 The thought of moving on knowing that I lost the only person that
|
|
rlm@2
|
371 ever meant anything to me is just too much to bear.
|
|
rlm@2
|
372 “Agghh…..” I wince painfully as I stagger to my feet, leaning
|
|
rlm@2
|
373 heavily against a dresser. The pain inside and out seems to contort
|
|
rlm@2
|
374 my body in some sick rhythm. A symphony of silence. Making a few half
|
|
rlm@2
|
375 steps forward, barely able to make out anything through my blurred
|
|
rlm@2
|
376 vision, I grasp onto one of my favorite lamps. It’s a beautiful lamp.
|
|
rlm@2
|
377 Small silver designs encircle the midnight black lamp in a
|
|
rlm@2
|
378 neverending dance. But right now I can barely even see the object in
|
|
rlm@2
|
379 my hand as I concentrate on it. Fire shoots through my arm as the
|
|
rlm@2
|
380 muscle seems to threaten to just rip apart on it’s own. I cry out but
|
|
rlm@2
|
381 keep going. This is nothing compared to the pain I’ve felt. My
|
|
rlm@2
|
382 favorite lamp cracks and shatters as that small burst of cyborg
|
|
rlm@2
|
383 strength finally wins out over my dead body. Collapsing to the floor
|
|
rlm@2
|
384 again, I weakly watch the shattered pieces of the lamp, so much like
|
|
rlm@2
|
385 the shattered pieces of my life. Things had seemed so perfect before
|
|
rlm@2
|
386 mother died and everything started slipping away from me. Now even
|
|
rlm@2
|
387 the last shred of hope I had held onto has been taken away into the
|
|
rlm@2
|
388 darkness of the night.
|
|
rlm@2
|
389 My pale hands search the floor for the right piece. I barely flinch
|
|
rlm@2
|
390 at the cuts I get as I grasp at them, blinded by my grief and self-
|
|
rlm@2
|
391 pity. A long jagged piece of porcelain finally catches my attention
|
|
rlm@2
|
392 to my right. Clutching it tightly, I can feel it bite into my skin,
|
|
rlm@2
|
393 the blood dripping much the same way my tears are. I shake my head as
|
|
rlm@2
|
394 I bring it towards my wrist, almost hoping someone will stop me,
|
|
rlm@2
|
395 praying that no one will. “Oh, ChibiUsa-chan… I’m so sorry…. I’ll
|
|
rlm@2
|
396 never hurt you again…. Because I don’t want to hurt again either...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
397 I get out between sobs as I push into my wrist. This is the only way
|
|
rlm@2
|
398 to escape. This is the only way I’ll ever stop the pain. It hurts too
|
|
rlm@2
|
399 much to go on. I only hope that ChibiUsa will forgive me. But by now
|
|
rlm@2
|
400 she’s probably already forgotten me... Shaking all over, I slide in
|
|
rlm@2
|
401 across my wrist, a grimace spreading across my face as the pain
|
|
rlm@2
|
402 becomes even more intense. As I wait to die and be rid myself of this
|
|
rlm@2
|
403 worthless body and life, I look down to my wrist. Torn flesh and
|
|
rlm@2
|
404 pouring blood greet my eyes, but also something more sinister. Metal
|
|
rlm@2
|
405 cords going to my hand jut out from the injury, a painful reminder of
|
|
rlm@2
|
406 how little of me is still human after the fire. Shivering on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
407 floor, whimpering, the darkness finally claims me and all is silence.
|
|
rlm@2
|
408
|
|
rlm@2
|
409 Silver eyes blinked slowly and painfully into consciousness. Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
410 immediately regretted opening her eyes as a harsh white light burned
|
|
rlm@2
|
411 into her vision. “Dad?” she asked weakly, his dim outline barely
|
|
rlm@2
|
412 visible through the haze of pain settling throughout her body. Yet
|
|
rlm@2
|
413 even then, it didn’t hurt at all in comparison to the pain in her
|
|
rlm@2
|
414 heart. Blinking back bitter tears, she rolled to her side, towards
|
|
rlm@2
|
415 her father. It was gone. It was all gone. There was a terrible
|
|
rlm@2
|
416 emptiness inside of her that could never be filled. It wasn’t just
|
|
rlm@2
|
417 that something was missing, that things could go back to the way they
|
|
rlm@2
|
418 were before, but that it had been ripped forcibly from her, the torn
|
|
rlm@2
|
419 edges of her soul impossible to mend. Shaking lightly as the tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
420 came more freely, she wondered where her father had gone. This man in
|
|
rlm@2
|
421 his place only cared that she lived, that her body was all right. He
|
|
rlm@2
|
422 didn’t offer any comfort to the pitiful girl lying on her bed.
|
|
rlm@2
|
423 Instead, he kept checking a sheet of paper in his hands.
|
|
rlm@2
|
424 Hotaru cursed herself as his cold hands checked to make sure the
|
|
rlm@2
|
425 wires in her arms were undamaged. She couldn’t even do that right.
|
|
rlm@2
|
426 Her only escape had been ruined. She couldn’t even kill an already
|
|
rlm@2
|
427 dead body.
|
|
rlm@2
|
428 “Good morning, Hotaru-chan. You’re awake,” he stated as he moved
|
|
rlm@2
|
429 around to get a better look of the repairs he’d done to his cyborg
|
|
rlm@2
|
430 daughter. The cords and pieces in her wrist had been easy enough to
|
|
rlm@2
|
431 fix, although that most certainly wasn’t one of the things he’d been
|
|
rlm@2
|
432 worried about before then. He thought if anything endangered that
|
|
rlm@2
|
433 which was within his daughter’s body, it was that the girl was weak
|
|
rlm@2
|
434 and dying. He should have seen this coming. Of course, it didn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
435 change anything. The time was near, making this only a very minor
|
|
rlm@2
|
436 setback. “How are you feeling?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
437 The sound of it was that of a doctor asking a patient, Hotaru could
|
|
rlm@2
|
438 tell. He was wondering how she was feeling physically, not how torn
|
|
rlm@2
|
439 apart she felt inside. “Papa...” the dark haired girl whispered
|
|
rlm@2
|
440 sadly. She was truly all alone now. Her father had gone somewhere far
|
|
rlm@2
|
441 away, leaving only this.. this person in his place. And now the only
|
|
rlm@2
|
442 person who had ever cared about her had run away in fear of her. Why
|
|
rlm@2
|
443 had she survived and her mother died? Why couldn’t she have taken her
|
|
rlm@2
|
444 mother’s place? She could barely remember her anymore, but she knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
445 that she’d been a wonderful mother. She didn’t deserve to die in a
|
|
rlm@2
|
446 horrible fire. Her life would have been much more worthwhile than
|
|
rlm@2
|
447 Hotaru’s own. Like she often did, but never with as much regret that
|
|
rlm@2
|
448 she couldn’t make it a reality, the dark haired girl wished that she
|
|
rlm@2
|
449 could have taken her mother’s place. They’d both nearly been burned
|
|
rlm@2
|
450 to death but she had somehow survived. Now more than ever she
|
|
rlm@2
|
451 wondered why.
|
|
rlm@2
|
452 Dimly hearing her father repeat the question, she simply nodded. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
453 could feel a burning inside of her as the wires and cords and parts
|
|
rlm@2
|
454 all worked at a more desperate pace to keep her body alive. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
455 wanted to rip it all out. She was a mockery of life. Not truly alive,
|
|
rlm@2
|
456 but not allowed to die. It didn’t matter anymore. She was already
|
|
rlm@2
|
457 dead. There was no way this was any sort of life. She only had to
|
|
rlm@2
|
458 wait for when her body would finally give out on her. And she knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
459 that wouldn’t be a long wait. Her father finally left the room. “Why
|
|
rlm@2
|
460 did she have to find out? Everyone hates me for being able to heal
|
|
rlm@2
|
461 others. They think I’m some kind of witch. It was hard enough with
|
|
rlm@2
|
462 them knowing that. I didn’t want anyone to know about this dead body
|
|
rlm@2
|
463 of mine. I’ve been all alone for so long now. All by myself even when
|
|
rlm@2
|
464 drowning in a sea of humanity. Dad doesn’t care anymore. His research
|
|
rlm@2
|
465 is the only important thing to him. I don’t even know why he tries to
|
|
rlm@2
|
466 keep me alive. Doesn’t he see I’d be better off that way? I knew I
|
|
rlm@2
|
467 was going to die alone. It was a sad fact of life. But then... I
|
|
rlm@2
|
468 finally met her. She wasn’t afraid of me. She didn’t hate me. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
469 wanted to be my friend. She wanted.. to love me...” She sobbed
|
|
rlm@2
|
470 painfully, tears starting to fall anew down her still damp cheeks. “I
|
|
rlm@2
|
471 should have known. How could anyone love a monster like me? She’s an
|
|
rlm@2
|
472 angel and I’m a demon. I could only drag her into darkness. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
473 without her, why should I go on? I have nothing now. Why should I
|
|
rlm@2
|
474 live anymore? Is there any point to my life? Mama... why couldn’t I
|
|
rlm@2
|
475 come with you?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
476 An intense pain in her head makes her double over, clutching at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
477 searing fire within. “It... it hurts...” Her labored breathing
|
|
rlm@2
|
478 faltered for a moment, her physical and mental pain becoming an
|
|
rlm@2
|
479 uncontrolled beast within. “My forehead.. it’s… it’s like it’s on
|
|
rlm@2
|
480 fire...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
481 Through the knife’s blade that felt lodged in her forehead, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
482 deathly pale girl could make out three figures watching her. “Who are
|
|
rlm@2
|
483 you?! Are you... are you Death? Please... why are you torturing me?
|
|
rlm@2
|
484 Please just let it all go away... Please let me die..” The figures
|
|
rlm@2
|
485 just watched as if taunting her. Hurling her amulet out past them,
|
|
rlm@2
|
486 the figures vanished, leaving her all alone once more. Her face
|
|
rlm@2
|
487 against her pillow, she wept as it seemed to get even worse. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
488 darkness inside her was growing as her sense of loss intensified,
|
|
rlm@2
|
489 images of the pink haired girl from the past few weeks filling her
|
|
rlm@2
|
490 thoughts.
|
|
rlm@2
|
491 Suddenly, she didn’t feel so alone anymore. And that frightened her
|
|
rlm@2
|
492 as she tried to look around the room. “It hurts so much...
|
|
rlm@2
|
493 Everything.. everything hurts.. Like someone’s trying to burst out of
|
|
rlm@2
|
494 me...” She looked up as thoughts that weren’t her own began to invade
|
|
rlm@2
|
495 her fading mind. “Someone’s taking over my body...” She tried
|
|
rlm@2
|
496 desperately to cling onto her last vestige of consciousness as icy
|
|
rlm@2
|
497 cold fear shot through her veins, her will crumbling quickly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
498 “ChibiUsa-chan...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
499
|
|
rlm@2
|
500 The pink haired girl in question was leaning against a brick wall a
|
|
rlm@2
|
501 few blocks away, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath.
|
|
rlm@2
|
502 Brushing back sweat dampened hair, she looked back the way she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
503 come. She felt sick from all of that running and the torrent of
|
|
rlm@2
|
504 thoughts swirling like a storm cloud in her head. Her insides felt
|
|
rlm@2
|
505 tied in knots. She pulled her legs to her chest, her short, crystal
|
|
rlm@2
|
506 blue dress in disarray. The harsh bricks scraped her back even
|
|
rlm@2
|
507 through the thin fabric.
|
|
rlm@2
|
508 Shaking her head, the pink haired girl sighed miserably. What she
|
|
rlm@2
|
509 had seen of the raven haired girl entered her mind every time she
|
|
rlm@2
|
510 closed her eyes. Wires and cords holding her beautiful frame
|
|
rlm@2
|
511 together, keeping her alive. The girl she loved was barely alive.
|
|
rlm@2
|
512 “What should I do? Oh, Hota-chan, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have seen
|
|
rlm@2
|
513 that. I should have waited for you.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
514 “I had an accident a long time ago. I have many wounds from it,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
515 Hotaru had said to her what felt like years before but could only
|
|
rlm@2
|
516 have been less than a month before. ‘So that’s what she meant,’
|
|
rlm@2
|
517 ChibiUsa thought to herself, pulling her legs closer. “That surprised
|
|
rlm@2
|
518 me. But what should I do now? When I ran away from Hota-chan, did I
|
|
rlm@2
|
519 hurt her? What have I done?” She stood up, finally managing to breath
|
|
rlm@2
|
520 more normally. “We all have our secrets, Hotaru-chan. I’m over nine
|
|
rlm@2
|
521 hundred years old and I never told you. I can see why you wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
522 want to tell me about that. But I want to make it up to you. I love
|
|
rlm@2
|
523 you no matter what. This doesn’t change anything.” With renewed
|
|
rlm@2
|
524 determination, the pink haired girl gathered herself up and began to
|
|
rlm@2
|
525 turn back the other way. A sharp pain on the side of her head
|
|
rlm@2
|
526 elicited a yelp from the young looking pink haired girl.
|
|
rlm@2
|
527 Taking a half step backward, she felt a biting cold feeling where
|
|
rlm@2
|
528 the pain had been. Curiously, she brushed her hand over the spot. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
529 now felt wet and the cold began to be replaced by a burning feeling
|
|
rlm@2
|
530 at her touch, making ChibiUsa wince. Bringing her hand back, she saw
|
|
rlm@2
|
531 some blood on her fingers. “What?” A gasp escaped her lips as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
532 felt as if she’d been bitten above her calf. Looking up at the dark
|
|
rlm@2
|
533 sky gave her a better understanding of what was going on. A few fat
|
|
rlm@2
|
534 droplets of rain hit the future princess. “What’s going on? It
|
|
rlm@2
|
535 shouldn’t be hailing in this season. This is just...” She stumbled
|
|
rlm@2
|
536 forward, having a hard time concentrating as that cold feeling that
|
|
rlm@2
|
537 had been on the side of her head started to spread through her body.
|
|
rlm@2
|
538 “This isn’t normal hail. I’ve gotta get out of it while I still can.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
539 She hugged herself tightly as she tried to keep warm, heading off
|
|
rlm@2
|
540 through the rain and hail. “I have to get back to Hotaru-chan. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
541 needs me.” Her weary mind still guilty from before, ran over the
|
|
rlm@2
|
542 possibilities as she raced back the way she’d come, hoping that she
|
|
rlm@2
|
543 could make things all right.
|
|
rlm@2
|
544
|
|
rlm@2
|
545 Was this what dying was like? That had to be it. She was dying. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
546 was worse than any of the fits she had ever suffered before. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
547 whole body was aching horribly, like ice cold knives had been raked
|
|
rlm@2
|
548 across her body. Making out anything through her blurry vision was a
|
|
rlm@2
|
549 chore that she couldn’t waste the time on, her nausea just making it
|
|
rlm@2
|
550 even worse. Every bit of her pain wracked body screamed out in agony
|
|
rlm@2
|
551 as she tried to get up. Had her father’s attempts at keeping her
|
|
rlm@2
|
552 corpse-like body alive finally failed? Was she finally going to do?
|
|
rlm@2
|
553 Fresh tears started to sting her already bloodshot eyes. It was over.
|
|
rlm@2
|
554 Finally, this sick joke was over.
|
|
rlm@2
|
555 “No...” she whispered, her raw throat aflame. There was something
|
|
rlm@2
|
556 else there. Something with her. Something... evil. That presence she
|
|
rlm@2
|
557 felt earlier, it was gaining in strength even as she was starting to
|
|
rlm@2
|
558 slip further and further away. She didn’t want to be here anymore, no
|
|
rlm@2
|
559 longer up for playing the part of the hated, wretched witch. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
560 still, the fear of dying was deep within her. And she knew that even
|
|
rlm@2
|
561 if she died, this thing would be released. And it would hurt... “No!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
562 she managed to get out louder. It was preying on her thoughts. It had
|
|
rlm@2
|
563 already picked its first target. Because of her. “You can’t have her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
564 No...” Pale hands gripped her burning forehead as she tried to force
|
|
rlm@2
|
565 it out, tried to change its mind, anything. If she’d been allowed to
|
|
rlm@2
|
566 kill herself, she would have been able to get rid of it along with
|
|
rlm@2
|
567 herself. Instead, it would hurt the only person that meant anything
|
|
rlm@2
|
568 to her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
569 Silver eyes sparkled as Hotaru’s gaze was drawn to the window. A
|
|
rlm@2
|
570 large pillar of light flared in the growing storm, energy sweeping
|
|
rlm@2
|
571 through it. It was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
|
|
rlm@2
|
572 Like part of her could remember something much like it from long ago.
|
|
rlm@2
|
573 No, it wasn’t her. Someone else remembered it. Someone deep inside of
|
|
rlm@2
|
574 her. “The power..! It should be more than enough to replace the
|
|
rlm@2
|
575 Taioron Crystal. Master Pharaoh 90 will be pleased. That must be the
|
|
rlm@2
|
576 true power of Sailormoon. The Ginzuishou.” It wasn’t her own voice,
|
|
rlm@2
|
577 but someone using her to speak. The thought sent shivers through her
|
|
rlm@2
|
578 weak body. Tears plunged to the sheets beneath her as Hotaru’s whole
|
|
rlm@2
|
579 body began to shake. She was afraid of what would happen now.
|
|
rlm@2
|
580 Her hand lifted of its own volition, picking up the amulet her
|
|
rlm@2
|
581 father had given her. The crystal twirled back and forth as it hung
|
|
rlm@2
|
582 from its string. Something began to coalesce in the crystal, some
|
|
rlm@2
|
583 sort of image. She recognized the person immediately, her stomach
|
|
rlm@2
|
584 turning in on itself as it became clearer. Kaolinite, her father’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
585 assistant. The person who never failed to make things worse. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
586 wanted to drop the amulet, to get away from her, but she couldn’t let
|
|
rlm@2
|
587 go.
|
|
rlm@2
|
588 “Soon, I will become the master’s partner. I won’t fail him. Unlike
|
|
rlm@2
|
589 the Witches 5, I won’t let the Sailor Senshi get in the way,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
590 Kaolinite said through the crystal. Despite being startled, Hotaru
|
|
rlm@2
|
591 clung unto the string, the crystal swinging back and forth.
|
|
rlm@2
|
592 Again, the dark haired girl’s mouth opened without her permission.
|
|
rlm@2
|
593 “Yes, Magus, the time has come. You will take your place as the
|
|
rlm@2
|
594 master’s partner. Just remember your duty.” Magus? What was she
|
|
rlm@2
|
595 talking about? Who was their master? Why was all of this happening to
|
|
rlm@2
|
596 her? As the image vanished, she dropped the amulet to the floor, it
|
|
rlm@2
|
597 making little sound as it rolled across the carpet. Her hands went to
|
|
rlm@2
|
598 her head, light sobs escaping her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
599
|
|
rlm@2
|
600 “Get in the car,” a voice said sternly as a car pulled up beside
|
|
rlm@2
|
601 ChibiUsa. The pink haired girl was shivering badly now as the storm
|
|
rlm@2
|
602 was only getting worse. Her eyes caught site of Haruka, Michiru, and
|
|
rlm@2
|
603 “Puu! It is you!” She wasted no time climbing into the back with her
|
|
rlm@2
|
604 old friend. Hundreds of questions raced through her mind, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
605 couldn’t force any out. Instead, she just watched her old friend for
|
|
rlm@2
|
606 a long moment. The car sped up quickly, throwing her against the seat
|
|
rlm@2
|
607 as Haruka chose to ignore the traffic laws. “What happened?” she
|
|
rlm@2
|
608 asked finally.
|
|
rlm@2
|
609 “We screwed up,” Haruka offered in reply.
|
|
rlm@2
|
610 Michiru frowned and turned back to face the future princess.
|
|
rlm@2
|
611 “Sailormoon has powered up with the power of all of the Senshi. It’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
612 all focussing on her with the help of the Holy Grail. The Enemy has
|
|
rlm@2
|
613 undoubtedly noticed this.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
614 Looking out the window, it took a moment for ChibiUsa to think
|
|
rlm@2
|
615 clearly again. “So that’s what that feeling was. Usagi’s more
|
|
rlm@2
|
616 powerful now. But isn’t that a good thing? Shouldn’t that help if the
|
|
rlm@2
|
617 Enemy’s close?” Her crimson eyes burned with curiosity as she looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
618 at the aqua haired woman. Her mind couldn’t drop what she’d intended
|
|
rlm@2
|
619 to do in the first place, still worrying about the raven haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
620 even with this crisis so close.
|
|
rlm@2
|
621 “It’s not that simple. The Princess can’t handle this mission, even
|
|
rlm@2
|
622 if she has powered up,” Setsuna explained, trying to find the best
|
|
rlm@2
|
623 way to explain to her young friend from the future. She had only
|
|
rlm@2
|
624 recently regained her memories so it was awkward seeing the pink
|
|
rlm@2
|
625 haired girl in this life. “The Soldier of Ruin has been awakened. Our
|
|
rlm@2
|
626 coming together has awakened her because of our talismans. They have
|
|
rlm@2
|
627 called her from the deep slumber she had been in up until now. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
628 final soldier from the forbidden planet, Saturn. She is the Soldier
|
|
rlm@2
|
629 of Silence, the one who must not be allowed to awaken. We know that
|
|
rlm@2
|
630 the end is nigh. This world will come to an end unless we can stop
|
|
rlm@2
|
631 it. When we Senshi, stronger than the Sailor Team, cannot handle a
|
|
rlm@2
|
632 problem, then it is up to Sailorsaturn to end everything. We watched
|
|
rlm@2
|
633 as she brought down her glaive, ending the Silver Millenium. If we
|
|
rlm@2
|
634 don’t act quickly, she’ll do the same to this world.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
635 ChibiUsa gasped. To think that such a soldier existed was horrific.
|
|
rlm@2
|
636 Why would there be a need for such a last ditch effort? Something
|
|
rlm@2
|
637 that ended all. Could she really be a Sailor Senshi? She had never
|
|
rlm@2
|
638 heard of her in the future. But then, she had never heard of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
639 Outer Senshi either.
|
|
rlm@2
|
640 “We were so stupid. Without all of our memories, we didn’t realize
|
|
rlm@2
|
641 what chaos we’d be causing. We had intended to stop the Enemy, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
642 instead we’ve brought about an even greater danger to this world.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
643 Haruka’s driving became more erratic as her frustration grew. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
644 calmed only slightly at Michiru’s reassuring hand on her thigh.
|
|
rlm@2
|
645 “We didn’t know. Someone had been calling for the talismans to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
646 gathered in out dreams. We hadn’t yet remembered what the outcome
|
|
rlm@2
|
647 would be,” Michiru said comfortingly, thought she didn’t know if it
|
|
rlm@2
|
648 was more for Haruka’s benefit or her own. She once again turned to
|
|
rlm@2
|
649 the young princess. “Sailorsaturn appears when all is lost. At the
|
|
rlm@2
|
650 end of the battle, she is the one who brings all to nothing. It is
|
|
rlm@2
|
651 her duty to bring an end to everything.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
652 “Kind of like a cosmic reset button. If we screw up in our job to
|
|
rlm@2
|
653 protect this solar system, she takes over and wipes it all out so it
|
|
rlm@2
|
654 can begin all over again,” Haruka explained, narrowly missing a
|
|
rlm@2
|
655 pedestrian.
|
|
rlm@2
|
656 ChibiUsa really wasn’t liking the sound of this. How would that
|
|
rlm@2
|
657 solve anything? Well, it would solve the battle rather quickly, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
658 so many lives would be lost. That wasn’t what Sailormoon was about at
|
|
rlm@2
|
659 all. She was supposed to protect lives. The smaller princess had
|
|
rlm@2
|
660 thought that was what all the Senshi were supposed to do, even if the
|
|
rlm@2
|
661 Outer Senshi resorted to some rather cutthroat tactics at times.
|
|
rlm@2
|
662 Setsuna cut in, grabbing the pink haired girl’s attention. “Saturn
|
|
rlm@2
|
663 is the guide to death. She brings all to the afterlife with her. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
664 she is normally asleep because her power is too deadly to be allowed
|
|
rlm@2
|
665 to work in conjunction with the other Senshi. She is awakened when
|
|
rlm@2
|
666 our three talismans come together, shattering her sleep and calling
|
|
rlm@2
|
667 her to her sacred duty. We are the guardians of the talismans, only
|
|
rlm@2
|
668 to awaken her in the most dire of circumstances. When Saturn awakens,
|
|
rlm@2
|
669 the planet will die.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
670 ChibiUsa let all this sink in, the wet air from the storm, playing
|
|
rlm@2
|
671 with her oddly styled hair. “Then why did you bring them together?
|
|
rlm@2
|
672 How did it happen?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
673 “We’re supposed to defend this solar system from outside attack.
|
|
rlm@2
|
674 The others are supposed to protect from inside threats along with the
|
|
rlm@2
|
675 princess. We didn’t often meet back during the Silver Millenium, and
|
|
rlm@2
|
676 never when all three of our talismans would be together. When they
|
|
rlm@2
|
677 were all brought together during the battle against the Dark Kingdom,
|
|
rlm@2
|
678 Saturn ended the Silver Millenium and all of the planets that had
|
|
rlm@2
|
679 been a part of it. On this world, we were reincarnated with out
|
|
rlm@2
|
680 mission still intact. We met up so that we could find the Enemy that
|
|
rlm@2
|
681 had invaded from outside while we had slept and put a stop to them.
|
|
rlm@2
|
682 Little did we know that we’d bring about a larger problem.” Michiru
|
|
rlm@2
|
683 sighed as she leaned back in her seat. “We weren’t supposed to meet
|
|
rlm@2
|
684 here. Saturn has been reborn.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
685 ChibiUsa sat forward, trying to make out the swirling image in
|
|
rlm@2
|
686 Michiru’s mirror as it showed the face of the final soldier. “Oh my
|
|
rlm@2
|
687 God...” Her eyes went wide and her heart skipped a beat. She knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
688 that face. She knew it all too well. “That’s... is that Hotaru-chan?
|
|
rlm@2
|
689 Is she Sailorsaturn?” Her mind raced with the implications of that,
|
|
rlm@2
|
690 fitting it in with everything the Outer Senshi had told her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
691 “Saturn is awakening. That girl’s body is already going through the
|
|
rlm@2
|
692 stages of her reawakening. Soon Saturn will be upon us,” Haruka added.
|
|
rlm@2
|
693 “Saturn’s soul was the voice calling out for the talismans in our
|
|
rlm@2
|
694 dreams. We had no idea it would come to this. She must realize the
|
|
rlm@2
|
695 severity of the situation and used us to bring her back so she could
|
|
rlm@2
|
696 put a stop to this.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
697 “But we can’t allow that. Small Lady, you have a future. This is
|
|
rlm@2
|
698 all wrong. None of it is what is supposed to happen. Saturn can’t end
|
|
rlm@2
|
699 things now. Somewhere, time has gone awry. If it continues along this
|
|
rlm@2
|
700 path, your future will cease to be. Small Lady, you may cease to be,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
701 Setsuna explained softly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
702 What had caused time to slip so much from its original path? Was it
|
|
rlm@2
|
703 her fault? Chibimoon hadn’t been there the first time around. Was it
|
|
rlm@2
|
704 Setsuna? She had been guarding the Time Gate rather than being
|
|
rlm@2
|
705 reincarnated like she had been this time. Was it something else
|
|
rlm@2
|
706 altogether? “Why is this happening?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
707 Haruka shook her head. “Whatever the case, we mustn’t give Saturn
|
|
rlm@2
|
708 the chance to bring everything to ruin. We can’t let her wake up.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
709 Her stomach taking a dive, ChibiUsa finally managed to ask the
|
|
rlm@2
|
710 determined Senshi what was on her mind. “How are you going to stop
|
|
rlm@2
|
711 her?”
|
|
rlm@2
|
712 “We have to kill her.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
713 “What?!” ChibiUsa’s crimson eyes went as wide as saucers at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
714 statement. Haruka had been dead serious. “You’re kidding, right? You
|
|
rlm@2
|
715 don’t really mean you’d kill Hotaru-chan. She’s an innocent.” She had
|
|
rlm@2
|
716 to ask, even though there had been no doubt in her mind that Haruka
|
|
rlm@2
|
717 had meant every word of it.
|
|
rlm@2
|
718 Michiru sighed and gave Haruka’s thigh a none to gentle squeeze,
|
|
rlm@2
|
719 eliciting a yelp from the blonde. “I thought we weren’t going to tell
|
|
rlm@2
|
720 her that. You can explain it all to your ‘Odango’, but she’s just a
|
|
rlm@2
|
721 little girl. And that other girl’s friend no less.” Giving Haruka a
|
|
rlm@2
|
722 disapproving frown, it melted away as she turned back in her seat to
|
|
rlm@2
|
723 face ChibiUsa again. “We have to kill her so that Saturn can’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
724 awaken. Then we can seal her away permanently.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
725 “But.. But she’s one of you! She’s another Sailor Senshi! Why would
|
|
rlm@2
|
726 you kill another Sailor Senshi?!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
727 “She’s not another Sailor Senshi yet,” Haruka explained. “Besides,
|
|
rlm@2
|
728 just because she’s one of us doesn’t mean we can sit by and let her
|
|
rlm@2
|
729 destroy our world. We have to stop her. Then we’ll go after the
|
|
rlm@2
|
730 enemy. She may be an innocent, but a lot less innocents die without
|
|
rlm@2
|
731 her.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
732 “The talismans have already called Supersailormoon. They’re full of
|
|
rlm@2
|
733 power, vibrantly giving it off. Just like when she.. They acted the
|
|
rlm@2
|
734 same way when they called Saturn to end the Silver Millenium. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
735 time is near when they will fully awaken her.” Michiru shuddered at
|
|
rlm@2
|
736 the memories. “This world shouldn’t have to go through that horror.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
737 “That’s still no reason to kill her! There has to be another way
|
|
rlm@2
|
738 without sacrificing Hotaru-chan. You can’t throw people’s lives
|
|
rlm@2
|
739 around! Who are you to decide who lives and who dies? Isn’t that her
|
|
rlm@2
|
740 job?” ChibiUsa wiped at her eyes, her heart aching at their words.
|
|
rlm@2
|
741 She looked to Setsuna for support but got nothing more than an
|
|
rlm@2
|
742 apologetic look.
|
|
rlm@2
|
743 “It’s not like this is our first plan of action. But there’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
744 nothing else we can do. If we don’t kill her, this world will come to
|
|
rlm@2
|
745 ruin. And then everyone will die. One life isn’t worth the lives of
|
|
rlm@2
|
746 billions. She would die as well. So this way, only she will die. We
|
|
rlm@2
|
747 don’t have long before Saturn returns. You’ve seen her body, haven’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
748 you, Small Lady? She should have died years ago from an accident that
|
|
rlm@2
|
749 took her mother’s life and rightfully should have taken hers. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
750 Professor Tomoe rebuilt her body, keeping her alive through a mixture
|
|
rlm@2
|
751 of machinery and his genetic research. She only came out of her coma
|
|
rlm@2
|
752 because he sold his soul to Pharaoh 90. Her small, weak body, it
|
|
rlm@2
|
753 can’t last much longer. She has been dying for a long time, Small
|
|
rlm@2
|
754 Lady. If we weren’t to kill her and Saturn didn’t, then she would
|
|
rlm@2
|
755 still die. Soon,” Setsuna tried
|
|
rlm@2
|
756 to explain. She wished there was an easier way, especially with the
|
|
rlm@2
|
757 pain she saw in her young friend’s eyes, but knew this was how things
|
|
rlm@2
|
758 had to be.
|
|
rlm@2
|
759 “There has to be a way to save Hotaru-chan. She can’t be a lost
|
|
rlm@2
|
760 cause. I won’t believe that,” ChibiUsa said stubbornly.
|
|
rlm@2
|
761 Haruka frowned, turning a corner. “The only way to save her body
|
|
rlm@2
|
762 would be to let her fully awaken as a Sailor Senshi. That would be
|
|
rlm@2
|
763 strong enough to bring her body back to life. But letting that happen
|
|
rlm@2
|
764 would be foolhardy. She’d be dead moments later when Saturn wiped
|
|
rlm@2
|
765 everything out.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
766 The future princess was starting to feel sick. The girl she’d seen
|
|
rlm@2
|
767 not more than an hour ago was going to destroy the world. And more
|
|
rlm@2
|
768 importantly, these people were going to kill her. She couldn’t let
|
|
rlm@2
|
769 that happen. “I won’t let you kill Hotaru-chan! Even if it’s to seal
|
|
rlm@2
|
770 off Saturn, I won’t let you do it! There has to be another way.
|
|
rlm@2
|
771 You’re Sailor Senshi! You’re supposed to protect lives, not end them!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
772 “If we can save this world by killing that child, we will. After we
|
|
rlm@2
|
773 kill her, we’ll stop the Enemy. If we let her live, she’ll kill us
|
|
rlm@2
|
774 all. Do you think we’d just sit by and let that happen? Just because
|
|
rlm@2
|
775 she’s an innocent?” Haruka closed her eyes, still keeping the car
|
|
rlm@2
|
776 from plowing into anything miraculously. “This isn’t what I wanted
|
|
rlm@2
|
777 when I joined up. But it has to be done. We can’t let this world end.
|
|
rlm@2
|
778 It’s our mission to stop her. She is a threat and we have to kill her.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
779 “ChibiUsa-chan, her life has been tough and full of hardship. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
780 poor girl never had any friends. She’s always been alone. She’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
781 always been in pain. It is time for her to rest. She’ll be much
|
|
rlm@2
|
782 happier in the afterlife,” Michiru said soothingly, switching tactics.
|
|
rlm@2
|
783 “I’m her friend now! I’ll make sure her life gets better. I won’t
|
|
rlm@2
|
784 let her be alone again. I’ll make sure that this life gets better for
|
|
rlm@2
|
785 her,” ChibiUsa protested. She had to cling onto the hope that she
|
|
rlm@2
|
786 could fix things. She had to believe.
|
|
rlm@2
|
787 Haruka chuckled, opening her eyes as she passed another stop sign.
|
|
rlm@2
|
788 “Those are strong words for one so young, princess. Are you really
|
|
rlm@2
|
789 willing to devote your life to fixing her problems? That’s a lot of
|
|
rlm@2
|
790 commitment.” Setsuna’s sweatdrop went unnoticed. The Senshi of Time
|
|
rlm@2
|
791 was the only one out of the three of them that knew that ChibiUsa was
|
|
rlm@2
|
792 over nine hundred years old.
|
|
rlm@2
|
793 “Yes! I don’t care. Hotaru-chan’s very important to me. I’d do
|
|
rlm@2
|
794 anything to make sure she’s all right.” There was so much more the
|
|
rlm@2
|
795 pink haired girl wanted to say, but it was all so confusing. She just
|
|
rlm@2
|
796 sighed.
|
|
rlm@2
|
797 “It doesn’t matter. So your future can exist, so this world can
|
|
rlm@2
|
798 have a future, we have to kill her. She’s even more of a threat than
|
|
rlm@2
|
799 the Enemy at this point. We might not even have time to stop her. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
800 we have to try.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
801 “No!! I won’t let you kill her! We can save her, I know it! We just
|
|
rlm@2
|
802 need to try! I know my future exists, so she won’t destroy it. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
803 world will be fine. Just trust in Sailormoon and let me deal with
|
|
rlm@2
|
804 Hotaru-chan. I promise that everything will be okay.” ChibiUsa’s
|
|
rlm@2
|
805 pleading voice broke, more tears building up in her crimson eyes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
806 Michiru shook her head firmly. “We can’t fight with Sailormoon. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
807 feels the same way about sacrificing innocent lives. So we have to do
|
|
rlm@2
|
808 this on our own. The Sailor Team is too weak. We have to be the ones
|
|
rlm@2
|
809 to save this world. And we will.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
810 The car came to an abrupt halt and before the smaller senshi knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
811 it, she was standing there on the curb while the car drove off. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
812 took her a moment to catch her balance as her weary body begged for a
|
|
rlm@2
|
813 rest. The cold droplets were starting to pelt her with more force
|
|
rlm@2
|
814 now, the occasional hail stinging her soft skin badly. “Hotaru-chan
|
|
rlm@2
|
815 is Sailorsaturn. Sailorsaturn will end the world,” she whispered to
|
|
rlm@2
|
816 herself, her thoughts muddled. “Hotaru-chan... You always look so
|
|
rlm@2
|
817 sad. Your eyes seem to know everything. Even when you’d laugh, you
|
|
rlm@2
|
818 still looked so depressed and alone. I won’t leave you alone. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
819 promise.” Clutching her broach, the pink haired girl took off towards
|
|
rlm@2
|
820 the large house where Hotaru lived, praying that she’d get there
|
|
rlm@2
|
821 before the Outers.
|
