1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/stories/toujour3.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,404 @@
     1.4 +	The night wasn't easy for the girls. Both of them squeezed on the tiny hospital
     1.5 +bed in the darkness of Hotaru's room; the rhythmic hissing of the respirator paired with
     1.6 +the beat of the heart monitor made for a symphony of restlessness.
     1.7 +	"UGH, that beeping is driving me crazy!" Usagi said in the darkness, "I can't
     1.8 +sleep with it! I want to SLEEEEP!" She glared at the offending device, but was
     1.9 +reprimanded by an angry Chibi.
    1.10 +	"If that thing stops beeping, you'll get a few hours of sleep…. but Hotaru will
    1.11 +never wake up…. now stop complaining and block it out." The tiny girl curled onto her
    1.12 +side and tried to do the same, but was finding it very difficult. She sighed again,
    1.13 +wondering what Hotaru is thinking, what she's seeing, what she's hearing, what she's
    1.14 +feeling. Eyes glancing to the window, to the sky that was slowly losing it's inky
    1.15 +blankness in favor of a mild purple as the sun was creeping up over the horizon, she
    1.16 +stared at the slowly brightening sky for a time, before her eyes closed she didn't reopen
    1.17 +them.
    1.18 +	Chibi's sleep was tormented, torturous, and troubled. She had visions of a
    1.19 +happy, almost mocking future of herself, around Usagi's age. Seeing herself at her sweet
    1.20 +sixteen party surrounded by the other Senshi and her friends, as she was opening the
    1.21 +presents from a large stack on a nearby table, and the others were standing around her,
    1.22 +two were sitting on the sofa next to her: Hotaru to her right, and Usagi to her left. She
    1.23 +was flanked by Haruka and Michi who stood behind the sofa, Michi against Haruka's
    1.24 +chest, cradled in her arms, both of them smiling brightly.
    1.25 +	The inners, too, were there. Ami, as always, was telling them to be sensible
    1.26 +about what they're eating, her voice was as clear as always, "Minako! You shouldn't be
    1.27 +eating so much cake!" Her lips pursed slightly as she looked at the senshi of love with a
    1.28 +huge piece of chocolate cake in her hands, half of it in her mouth.
    1.29 +	"Mmh! Mm-mm mmh!" Mina mumbled over the massive piece of cake in her
    1.30 +mouth, narrowing her eyes at Ami, but with everyone laughing at her, she soon blushed.
    1.31 +	"Why not just rub it on your thighs, Minako?" Makoto chimed from the
    1.32 +armchair where she sat with a large glass of cherry soda. "That's where it's headed
    1.33 +anyhow," the brown haired girl quipped to her friend before taking another drink from
    1.34 +her cup.
    1.35 +	Chibi glanced over a single, black velvet box sitting on the table near her.
    1.36 +Blinking gently, she reached her hand out and picked it up, studying it carefully before
    1.37 +spotting a tag on the bottom, "To my best friend. Love always, Hotaru." She grinned
    1.38 +widely before opening the box, and gasping at the contents.
    1.39 +	The other senshi all stared at her with piqued curiosity at what was in the box,
    1.40 +including the outers, save Hotaru, who looked away with a smile. Reflecting the light
    1.41 +back on Chibi's face was a small, silver locket in the shape of a heart, her name engraved
    1.42 +across the surface in calligraphy. "Oh my…" was her only reaction at first, before her
    1.43 +hand reached up and opened the locket. On one side of the locket was a picture of Hotaru,
    1.44 +and on the other was a picture of Chibi. "Hotaru it's beautiful…thank you." She stood up
    1.45 +and moved to her, "Put it on me, please?" Hotaru nodded quickly and reached her hands
    1.46 +up to take it; she could feel the other senshi's eyes on her as she placed her arms around
    1.47 +Chibi's neck. Chibi felt the warm, smooth touch of Hotaru's fingertips as she fumbled
    1.48 +gently with the clasp, but as the clasp closed the sensation changed.
    1.49 +
    1.50 +	Trying to pull back to show the locket off, she caught some resistance, not
    1.51 +physically restraining Chibi, but rather like something was hung around her neck heavier
    1.52 +than it should be, as if Hotaru's limp hands were holding onto her.
    1.53 +	"You ok, Hotaru?" Chibi asked, wondering if her friend had a fainting spell or
    1.54 +something, but Chibi received no answer. Reaching up to pull Hotaru's hands away, to
    1.55 +help her to a bed, Chibi stated aloud, "Someone help me here, I think Hotaru fainted…"
    1.56 +but, again, silence 	was her answer.
    1.57 +	Fingers curling around Hotaru's wrists, Chibi jumped at the sensation. They
    1.58 +weren't as smooth and soft as they were before… they were dry and brittle, and as she
    1.59 +pulled back, the hands cracked and slumped lifelessly to the side of the couch. The thick,
    1.60 +tangible silence was shattered with Chibi's scream her eyes fell on Hotaru…or rather,
    1.61 +what Hotaru had become laying lifelessly on the couch.
    1.62 +	What once had been a beautiful, lively young woman, remained nothing more
    1.63 +than a set of grayed, decaying bones dressed in the costume of the Saturn senshi.
    1.64 +Hollowed, dark sockets that stared blankly at Chibi's terrified form, the jaw still attached
    1.65 +to her face causing the skull to grin knowingly at the pink haired woman who stood
    1.66 +petrified in the center of the room. "What's the matter Chibi?" the former Hotaru said,
    1.67 +her voice floating eerily on the chill air, sounding pained and distant. The head turned
    1.68 +slowly, stomach-churning crack sounded before her eye sockets began glowing with a
    1.69 +faint purple light.
    1.70 +	Turning quickly to face the rest of the senshi, she was greeted only with a
    1.71 +similar horror everywhere she looked. Each of the senshi in various states of decay and
    1.72 +death, rotted flesh hung from dried bones in all directions. "What's wrong, Chibi-Usa?"
    1.73 +Michi's voice too oozed over the still air, "Our daughter isn't good enough to be your
    1.74 +friend any more? Don't you know she saved all her money to buy you that locket? And
    1.75 +this is all you can do to repay her?!" Michi's sockets flared green a moment, then picked
    1.76 +up in intensity.
    1.77 +	"N- no…" Chibi managed to choke out, her voice shaking, until it climbed in
    1.78 +urgency, "but…. what's going on here?!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, but only
    1.79 +got a cruel chuckle from the living corpses that started to close in around her. Their bony
    1.80 +fingers began to grasp for her body, causing her to writhe and struggle, but this only
    1.81 +leading her to slam into another…they had her trapped. Tears began to stream down her
    1.82 +face as she tried desperately to fight her way out of the circle, only to be thrown harshly
    1.83 +back in by inhuman strength.
    1.84 +	"Aw…look at the little ingrate cry," Usagi said as she picked up the knife that
    1.85 +was used to cut the cake, her grotesquely misshapen hands, deformed by decay, gripping
    1.86 +the handle tightly. Holding the weapon high, Usagi grinned; metal blade reflected the
    1.87 +light menacingly over the frosting covering the steel. "We'll give you a reason to cry!"
    1.88 +the hiss of the blade carving through the air sliced the silence, caused Chibi's eyes to
    1.89 +widen and cry out in vain.
    1.90 +	The sound of the point slamming into her chest woke her with a start, causing
    1.91 +her to fall off the bed and onto the cold, hard tile landing with a pronounced yelp that
    1.92 +woke Usagi. Chibi's eyes darted around for any sign of something to prove her existence
    1.93 +in this reality, where the senshi were alive and spotted Usagi yawning and staring down
    1.94 +at her, "You ok?"
    1.95 +	"Yes!" Chibi answered quickly, staring Usagi down hard. The blonde looked
    1.96 +Chibi over for injury, and caught the glare from her. Chibi stood and began to back away
    1.97 +from Usagi, all the way to the wall, "Just fine!"
    1.98 +	"Uh…what's wrong with you? You look like you seen a ghost." Usagi stretched
    1.99 +her slender arms and placed her feet onto the floor. By now the sun had fully risen, and
   1.100 +shone down into the room brilliantly. Chibi checked herself over, and then quickly placed
   1.101 +her hand to her chest, looking for the locket. Nothing. Her sigh of relief cut short as she
   1.102 +noticed Hotaru's bed was gone.
   1.103 +	"Where's Hotaru?!" Chibi immediately went to the call button and pressed it a
   1.104 +several times before again having her hand removed once again by Usagi. She waited
   1.105 +impatiently, moving to peek out the door, looking for a nurse. Just as her hand tightened
   1.106 +around the handle with the intent to step outside, the door opened of its own accord,
   1.107 +admitting a doctor… one whom Chibi recognized at a moment's glance to be different to
   1.108 +the one from the previous night.  He was dressed the same however, green S.C.R.U.B.s
   1.109 +under a white coat, roughly 35 or so.
   1.110 +	"We have some news on your friend…" the man looked directly to Usagi, as
   1.111 +she was older, before turning to Chibi. His eyes were a sea green; soft and delicate,
   1.112 +paired with slightly graying brown hair, clean cut and well shaven. He paused for a
   1.113 +moment glancing down at the chart with a sigh, "We've found an abnormality on the CT
   1.114 +scan…"
   1.115 +
   1.116 +
   1.117 +	The sweet, rich whisper of a flute woke Hotaru from a deep slumber. Her eyes
   1.118 +fluttered gently as she glanced slowly around another torch-lit room. She was on a soft
   1.119 +mattress in a wall-less, ceiling-less black room very similar to the place she had
   1.120 +previously been. Rising to a sitting position, she saw a figure sitting on a chair adjacent to
   1.121 +the bed, the man who had wielded her glaive before.
   1.122 +The music stopped.
   1.123 +	"So you're finally awake…" The man said, his voice as smooth as the flute was.
   1.124 +His mask was still on, though his clothing was different from, black still, but it wasn't
   1.125 +bloody. He was sitting close to the bed, his legs crossed, looking over her. He didn't
   1.126 +speak after this, only watched her motions carefully, not cautiously, but he seemed
   1.127 +curious about her.
   1.128 +	"Who are you…?" Her voice was weak, it shook gently with a combination of
   1.129 +fear, uncertainty, and exhaustion, "...and where am I?" The youth looked thoughtful for a
   1.130 +moment, rubbing his chin through the thin cloth mask that shrouded his identity. He
   1.131 +looked a bit like Mamoru, now that Hotaru thought about it.
   1.132 +	"No…I'm not Mamoru." His voice sounded as soon as Hotaru had the thought
   1.133 +manifested in her head, "My name is Seisen." He paused for a second regarding the latter
   1.134 +question, thinking of how to answer her, while she sat dumbstruck at the way he detected
   1.135 +her thoughts. "I suppose the best way to describe this place would be the astral plane."
   1.136 +	"Astral plane…? Isn't that the out-of-body thing?" her violet eyes looked him
   1.137 +over, not really buying this astral plane business, but…where else could she be? This
   1.138 +wasn't like anywhere she's ever been before.
   1.139 +	"Yes…something like that. However, there are some differences between the
   1.140 +out-of-body and our existence here. You didn't come here from your own will, like I did,
   1.141 +and you weren't brought here because you died in what you perceive as the 'real world.'
   1.142 +You came here because something else brought you here. It wasn't me, I'm sure you'd
   1.143 +thought that already," which, in actuality was the first thing that came to her mind as he
   1.144 +suggest it. It was starting to frighten her that he could so easily read her mind. "That
   1.145 +creature you witnessed earlier is what brought you here."
   1.146 +	"Why would it want to… do that?" her eyes glanced away, her tone
   1.147 +melancholy, and frightened. "I'm just a girl…" She glanced away, careful not to think of
   1.148 +herself being a senshi, but instead thought of a lamp she owned at home, not wanting to
   1.149 +give herself away. "Why would it want me?" She recalled in detail the base of the lamp.
   1.150 +	"Very interesting lamp." The youth chuckled lightly, "You are very clever, but
   1.151 +I already know who…or rather, what, you are; there is no use in trying to deceive me, but
   1.152 +be certain I'm not here to harm you." Her mouth dropped open, and she sputtered a
   1.153 +moment, trying to think of a way to explain that she wasn't something special. Her
   1.154 +attempts at protest were cut short when he held up his hand. "Don't… you don't have to
   1.155 +make excuses, or try to hide what you are."
   1.156 +	"How do I know you're not here to hurt me…?" she edged carefully away from
   1.157 +him, but couldn't get too far on her weak hands. He shook his head, glancing to his side
   1.158 +then back to her.
   1.159 +	"Here…" he reached down onto the floor and picked up something, then
   1.160 +thought better of it as Hotaru tensed. "It's nothing to hurt you…trust me." She didn't ease
   1.161 +any when he put his flute onto his lap and used both hands to lift the object. Her eyes
   1.162 +narrowed onto the flash of silver from her glaive.
   1.163 +	"That's-- she started, but stopped when he nodded to her.
   1.164 +	"Your glaive…very nice, actually." His eyes wandered the weapon for a
   1.165 +moment, before turning it in his hands, so the blade faced inwards toward himself
   1.166 +"Here." His left hand extended the grip of the weapon to her, carefully aiming it away
   1.167 +from her body due to the large spike at the end of it. "It's yours anyhow."
   1.168 +	"Yes…" she reached her hand tentatively out to the weapon and placed it
   1.169 +around the grip before sliding it onto the bed next to her since she couldn't lift it with her
   1.170 +fatigued muscles. "Why did you have it?"
   1.171 +	"A very good question," His eyes smiled, though his mouth couldn't be seen
   1.172 +from behind the mask, "Well, when you don't have it with you, it does go somewhere
   1.173 +you know. All the senshi's weapons reside here when not in use; this way no one can get
   1.174 +their hands on them. The first breech happened today with that creature, but it will not be
   1.175 +happening again. I have seen to that." His eyes wandered to a dark part of the room, then
   1.176 +back to Hotaru.
   1.177 +	"Are you some kind of security guard or something? And why did that creature
   1.178 +want my weapon…?" She too, let her eyes then move to the blackness that cause his own
   1.179 +attention before tearing her eyes it, to focus back on his eyes.
   1.180 +	"Yes, and no. I am not required to guard the weapons, but I don't let anything
   1.181 +near them. Not that it was a problem until today. "It wanted your weapon because that
   1.182 +was the only certain way of calling you here; it was only a matter of time, having gotten
   1.183 +its hands on the weapon, before you could be brought here…" His hands folded in his lap
   1.184 +over his flute.
   1.185 +	"Why would it want me here…?" This was starting to make some sense, but
   1.186 +still a bit hard to believe, it made her head spin. She left her hand on her glaive, its
   1.187 +presence making her feel much better than had she been alone.
   1.188 +	"It wanted to kill you," Seisen told her dryly. "If it killed you here, it would
   1.189 +have killed your spirit, thus preventing you from being reborn. When you are here, you
   1.190 +are physical, tangible, much like you would be back home." His hand moved to his chest,
   1.191 +patting it gently, "But I'm sure you saw that, anyhow."
   1.192 +	"Why did you stop it?" Her eyes moved to his chest, where he touched. He
   1.193 +should have been dead; that wound wouldn't have simply closed on it's own.
   1.194 +"And…your wound…
   1.195 +	"Would you rather I let it kill you?" he chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
   1.196 +"And my wound is healed. You're not the only one with a healing power, Firefly."
   1.197 +	"You can heal too?" He had her attention now, and she sat up straighter against
   1.198 +the mass of pillows on her bed; it made her think he had gone a bit too far to make sure
   1.199 +she was comfortable.
   1.200 +	"Yes…you saw what other power I have. Does it look familiar to you? Only
   1.201 +difference is that your power moves on the circle of life. Your revolution is meant to
   1.202 +show that everything lives, and then it will die." He paused a moment, adjusting his
   1.203 +sitting position by uncrossing his legs. "My power lies on a single side of that, either life,
   1.204 +or death, never both.
   1.205 +	"Why do you have the powers I do?" Her eyes narrowed in confusion, and she
   1.206 +fidgeted, wanting to work out the stiffness that deadened her limbs.. Seisen studied her a
   1.207 +moment, his black eyes softening as he looked over her face. She was so weak, so frail,
   1.208 +but so completely powerful…after all Hotaru was both sides of the coin, much like her
   1.209 +power.
   1.210 +	"Well…" he paused a moment, reaching his hands behind his head to untie the
   1.211 +mask's ribbon that held the dark mask to his face. He let the top of the mask fall to reveal
   1.212 +his nose and mouth, running his hand through his dark black and purple hair.. His face
   1.213 +was sharp, boasting well chiseled features, but still seemed very much innocent. "It's a
   1.214 +long story, but it would be a bit odd that you have powers when your genetic copy
   1.215 +doesn't."
   1.216 +
   1.217 +	"What do you mean you found an abnormality?" Usagi eyed the doctor warily
   1.218 +as she spoke. Chibi stood looking up between two, not exactly sure how she should react.
   1.219 +	"Well, it appears there some trauma as her head hit the ground, causing her
   1.220 +brain to swell a bit. This could be completely harmless, or it could lead to possible brain
   1.221 +damage. Amnesia, paralysis…death." He quickly looked away from them as he spoke the
   1.222 +word "death", not wanting to watch their reaction. Usagi decided immediately that she
   1.223 +didn't like this doctor.
   1.224 +	"How can something range from nothing to death? It doesn't make sense."
   1.225 +Usagi cried, narrowing her eyes at the doctor. "Just do whatever you have to do to make
   1.226 +sure she'll be fine" Usagi narrowed her eyes at the doctor, who shifted uneasily under her
   1.227 +glare.
   1.228 +	The doctor shifted uneasily under her glare, shaking his head. "We can't…until
   1.229 +the guardian decides what is best for the child, we simply cannot take any action,
   1.230 +otherw—" Usagi's jaw dropped with disbelief that they would play God to simply await
   1.231 +an order from the guardian. "If this was an emergency, or something of the sort, we
   1.232 +could…" He began to stammer, sweat forming on his brow from the steadily-increasing
   1.233 +heat of Usagi's glare.
   1.234 +	"What do you mean IF this was an emergency? She could DIE! What does she
   1.235 +have to do for you to consider it an emergency!? I don't believe this!" Her hands curled
   1.236 +into fists as she began to advance on the doctor, her mind simply refusing to take what
   1.237 +the doctor claimed to be as the only solution. Chibi, now fully understanding the gravity
   1.238 +of the situation began to move on the doctor as well, on her mother's left side to block the
   1.239 +doorway.
   1.240 +	"Well….what I mean to say is that it-it has to be a trauma b-before we can do
   1.241 +much…" the doctor's back hit the wall, and he swallowed hard as he was stared down by
   1.242 +Usagi, and flanked by a pink haired child. The blonde girl's left eye twitched, and she
   1.243 +stopped suddenly in her tracks, glancing away from the doctor to the ground, her mind
   1.244 +giving her a possible solution.
   1.245 +	"Well then," Ceasing her forward motion, Usagi grew eerily calm as she smiled
   1.246 +knowingly up at the doctor…" Chibi stopped and looked up at her; the cool, steely
   1.247 +manner of her mother made her remember her dream and caused her to shudder, but she
   1.248 +didn't speak. "I guess I'll just have to let you have your way…I'll just go make a phone
   1.249 +call." Usagi said to the doctor, who was more than a bit surprised at her sudden change in
   1.250 +demeanor.
   1.251 +	"If you're trying to call this Haruka person, the phone isn't being answered."
   1.252 +The doctor stepped from the wall and straightened his coat nervously.
   1.253 +	"Oh no…I'm not going to call Haruka." She placed her hand on Chibi's
   1.254 +shoulder, but was taken slightly aback as Chibi stepped away from her. Usagi let it pass
   1.255 +for now, but continued, "I'm going to call a lawyer. Do the phrases 'Malpractice,' and
   1.256 +'wrongful death' mean anything to you, doc?"  She was now very glad Ami had a big
   1.257 +mouth and insisted on babbling to Usagi and the others. The doctor's eyes went wide, and
   1.258 +he opened his mouth to speak, only finding himself quickly silenced… "Should
   1.259 +ANYTHING, God forbid, happen to Hotaru…you will be very, VERY sorry. And my
   1.260 +first task as the owner of Hotaru Tomoe memorial hospital will be to fire you."
   1.261 +	"Well…" the nervous man began to shake visibly, and Usagi began to wonder
   1.262 +exactly how long he had been a doctor, and if this was the first bad news he'd delivered.
   1.263 +"I suppose this can be treated as a trauma…"
   1.264 +	"Yes…and if it isn't a trauma, it can become one…not hers, of course, but I
   1.265 +think I can handle you." Usagi said with a smile and a tilt of her head, "Now run along
   1.266 +and have the nurses get a real doctor in here, 'Kay?" Usagi surprised even herself,
   1.267 +thinking that what she just did would be more suited for maybe Rei, or possibly Haruka,
   1.268 +but never herself. It made her feel good. She brushed past the doctor on her way out, and
   1.269 +Chibi looked up at the man a moment, before following her mother, leaving the
   1.270 +dumbfounded man in the white coat glancing sheepishly at his feet.
   1.271 +
   1.272 +	"M…my genetic copy? A clone? You're a man, though." Hotaru looked over
   1.273 +the face of the man who sat before her, his black eyes closed. "I don't understand…"
   1.274 +	"I didn't expect you to…I'll explain in a moment. Would you like something to
   1.275 +drink? I have some juice here if you'd like some." He said, and waited as Hotaru
   1.276 +considered his offer. But as she shook her head in rejection, Seisen turned his head away
   1.277 +from her, feeling a bit dejected. "Alright…well, I suppose I should start at the beginning,
   1.278 +hmm?
   1.279 +	"When you died in the lab explosion…you were not supposed to recover. It was
   1.280 +no accident that the place was blown up. However, your father sold his soul to have you
   1.281 +reborn, and thus placed a great evil in you, and in him. Now here's where I come in…"
   1.282 +Pausing a moment to gather his thoughts, he allowed his rich black eyes to slowly move
   1.283 +over the weakened girl in front of him. "You've heard the theory 'for every action, there
   1.284 +is an equal and opposite reaction', right? Well, that's me. I'm your reaction. You were
   1.285 +reanimated as per the agreement your father made, but you became Mistress 9."
   1.286 +	"Yes…" Hotaru didn't like discussing the time period she was Mistress 9, it
   1.287 +caused her to recall fuzzy memories that had no real place in her mind. It only tormented
   1.288 +her and caused horrid nightmares.
   1.289 +	"Fearing you were too powerful to be stopped by the senshi, I was created by
   1.290 +another force to counter balance your existence." A shadow crossed his dark features as
   1.291 +he glanced away, looking towards the sword that leaned against the chair near him. "I
   1.292 +was created to kill you."
   1.293 +	"To kill me?" Hotaru's fears returned as she increased the grip on her glaive,
   1.294 +thinking she was a fool to have trusted him…to sit and talk. Seisen, upon sensing her
   1.295 +discomfort and sudden mistrust, sighed deeply, shaking his head.
   1.296 +	"Yes… I was created using your base DNA, but XY rather than XX…to receive
   1.297 +your power plus increased physical strength due to being a man. You were raised as
   1.298 +Mistress 9, and I was told that you were my enemy, that you were the plague of
   1.299 +mankind…harsh I know, but I bought into it. I was brought up in the way of the
   1.300 +warrior…trained daily to strengthen mind, body, and spirit so that one day I would be
   1.301 +able to kill you with little difficulty. However…I did all of this knowing that you were
   1.302 +my 'sister'. Since we are of basically the same DNA, there isn't another way to phrase
   1.303 +it." Hotaru let her eyes fall away; that would explain why he was defending her, and the
   1.304 +mass of pillows that was bigger than she was, but it still didn't make enough sense. "The
   1.305 +day Usagi and the others encountered 9; I was there to make sure they succeeded. If they
   1.306 +failed I was to finish the job. When it comes down to power, you can beat me out any
   1.307 +day, since I'm just a copy. But, since I wasn't biologically produced, I don't have some
   1.308 +of your…" thinking of the best way of phrasing it, but only finding himself able to
   1.309 +express himself clinically, "your physical weaknesses."
   1.310 +	Seisen looked her directly in the eye, his dark, but enchantingly innocent
   1.311 +features growing even more distraught as she instantly turned away. "I'm not going to
   1.312 +hurt you…" His voice was small, pained. His lack of tact and instant distress proved he
   1.313 +wasn't used to dealing with people.
   1.314 +	"You just said you were supposed to kill me." Hotaru frowned as she turned to
   1.315 +her glaive once more, her fingertips gently moving over the smooth metal of the blade.
   1.316 +"Now you say you won't hurt me. I don't know what to believe."
   1.317 +	"I was created to kill Mistress 9. She doesn't exist anymore, so my existence is
   1.318 +pretty much useless." Seisen shrugged and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes with
   1.319 +his hands behind his head. Hotaru glanced from him to the glaive by her side; his
   1.320 +vulnerable position might let her wound him and flee to find some way to get back home.
   1.321 +	"You can, if you like…you'd probably be doing me a favor," his eyes slowly
   1.322 +opened to look at her, "I won't stop you if you try." With his hands still behind his head,
   1.323 +he pulled the ribbon on the mask once more around his head and tied it into place, again
   1.324 +concealing his features, his eyes again closed..
   1.325 +	"What do you want from me? I don't understand all of this… You don't let it
   1.326 +kill me, but you were supposed to kill me…you go out of your way to make me feel
   1.327 +comfortable." Hotaru let her eyes move from him to the darkness of the room, looking for
   1.328 +any possible exit, or a portal of some kind. "I just want to go home."
   1.329 +	"Then I'll take you home, but leave your glaive here. You can't take it with
   1.330 +you, but it will be safe." He stood up, flute in hand, and stretched his body. He was tall, at
   1.331 +least as tall as Mamoru, and his build was above average, which did fit his story to
   1.332 +Hotaru. Picking up his sword, he slung the sheath around his body and latched it into
   1.333 +place, where it was in reach of his right hand over his shoulder. "Come on," he said,
   1.334 +placing the flute in a slot on the sheath's strap, which crossed his chest from right to left.
   1.335 +"They should be happy to see you…"
   1.336 +	Making their way along the darkness of the astral plane, Seisen guiding the way
   1.337 +past the torches that lined each room, and crossed the paths of others like a roadway
   1.338 +system. Hotaru was weak, and only shuffling along behind Seisen by will power. More
   1.339 +than once collapsed under her own weight, only to be caught by a blinding motion of the
   1.340 +ninja-dressed youth who offered he carry her, but she adamantly refused.
   1.341 +	"We're almost there," the black-eyed man looked up at a portal that swirled in
   1.342 +the darkness, purple spinning in a clockwise fashion, drawing in the very light that
   1.343 +surrounded them. Gusts of wind began to pull at the two as they neared the portal. The
   1.344 +long ribbons of Seisen's mask began to flutter around his face, just as Hotaru's hair did
   1.345 +the same, but her weakness caused her to drop to her knees. Seisen turned to regard her
   1.346 +for a moment, and shadow crossed his face as he drew his sword and faced the girl fully.
   1.347 +The black blade of the sword shimmered with a crackle of purple electricity as Seisen flat
   1.348 +out charged Hotaru, enough power and speed to physically counter the portal's pull,
   1.349 +making the air still for a fraction of a second before his powerful sword thrust came
   1.350 +hailing down just above Hotaru's head.
   1.351 +	 She had long enough to think, "I'm dead," before the blade met flesh.
   1.352 +
   1.353 +	On the flight from Japan to the United States, Haruka and Michiru sat restlessly
   1.354 +in the plane, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. They had been in the air for what
   1.355 +seemed like forever; the hospital had called them the night before and they had caught the
   1.356 +first plane to anywhere in the US, which landed in New York in about 20 minutes.
   1.357 +	"Sir?" the flight attendant regarded Haruka, her bright green eyes and sugary-
   1.358 +sweet smile shone down on the shorthaired woman. Haruka played it off, not bothering to
   1.359 +explain she was a woman, nor caring at the moment. "Would you like something to
   1.360 +drink? A soda? A glass of wine maybe?"
   1.361 +	"No, thank you. I'm alright." Haruka answered, and the woman, undaunted,
   1.362 +inquired if Michi would like something. She likewise refused politely though she was
   1.363 +being destroyed inside. She didn't want to have to do this again; she couldn't take things
   1.364 +like this. Why Hotaru? kept going through her head.
   1.365 +	"We land in 20 minutes," Michi checked her watch, "We can catch another
   1.366 +plane to Maine, or we can just get a bullet ca- a cab, rather."
   1.367 +	Haruka just closed her eyes and sighed, "We'll take a cab. We don't need to
   1.368 +wait for another plane… I hope they can drive fast."
   1.369 +
   1.370 +	Usagi now stood impatiently at the nurse's station, her tautly-crossed arms and
   1.371 +dangerous expression warning everyone she was not to be toyed with at the current time.
   1.372 +Taking a lesson from her daughter, she began the same full on assault on the bell Chibi
   1.373 +did only a few hours beforehand. "Hello! I need a doctor! A REAL doctor who CARES!"
   1.374 +She turned to glare at Hotaru's room in time to see the man slipping out of the room like
   1.375 +a weasel, and scurry into a lounge to avoid a confrontation with Usagi.
   1.376 +	A nurse came to regard Usagi and looked to the pink haired girl. The whole
   1.377 +floor knew what room they were from; it was not very often that you find a small midget
   1.378 +girl with pink hair done in ondangos. "Yes? A doctor will be right with you, Doctor
   1.379 +White just called and said he will no longer be on the trauma case, but to have someone
   1.380 +look at her right away." Usagi nodded in triumph, feeling much better about herself, and
   1.381 +the situation, though Chibi only regarded her with a wary glance, her dream still not
   1.382 +shaken so easily.
   1.383 +	"Where's Hotaru?" Usa finally managed to ask the nurse, standing on her tip
   1.384 +toes to see over the counter.	And ensued a verbal exchange that must have broken the
   1.385 +sound barrier at some point.
   1.386 +	"Radiology,"
   1.387 +	"What's she doing there?"
   1.388 +	"Getting another cat scan."
   1.389 +	"When will she be out,"
   1.390 +	"When it's done."
   1.391 +	"Don't you talk to her like that!"
   1.392 +	"I don't know when she'll be out!"
   1.393 +	"Then find out!"
   1.394 +	"I would ma'am, but I can't just call and ask them to hurry!"
   1.395 +	"No, but you can call and ask them how long it's going to take!"
   1.396 +	"I'm busy right now,"
   1.397 +	"Doing what? All I've seen you do is eat that nasty little salad."
   1.398 +	"Maybe you should get a salad, it might improve your temper."
   1.399 +	"Salads are not food! Vegetables are what food eat!"
   1.400 +	"I have to go now, I'll have someone in her room shortly,"
   1.401 +	"We'll be waiting."
   1.402 +	"Don't hold your breath,"
   1.403 +
   1.404 +
   1.405 +
   1.406 +
   1.407 +