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     1.4 +"She never really had a chance on that fateful moonlight night.
     1.5 +Sacrificed without a fight, a victim of a circumstance.
     1.6 +Now that I've become aware and I've exposed this tragedy,
     1.7 +A sadness grows inside of me, it all seems so unfair,
     1.8 +I'm learning all about my life by looking through her eyes.
     1.9 +Just beyond the church yard gates, where the grass is overgrown,
    1.10 +I saw the writing on her stone. I felt like I would suffocate.
    1.11 +'In loving memory of our child, so innocent, eyes open wide.'
    1.12 +I felt so empty as I cried, like part of me had died…"
    1.13 +Dream Theater. "Through her eyes."
    1.14 +
    1.15 +"Ms. Tsukino?" A well-dressed, dark haired woman called as she entered the room
    1.16 +where Usagi and Chibi Usa were awaiting Hotaru's return. "I'm Dr. Lisa Terrene, and I've just
    1.17 +been assigned to Ms. Tomoe. She's on her way back from the CT scan now." The doctor looked
    1.18 +Usagi directly in the eye; her own brown eyes were made larger from the small metal-framed
    1.19 +glasses.
    1.20 +	"Yes? Is everything alright?" Usagi stood up as the woman entered, very much glad for
    1.21 +her professionalism, and seeming concern with Hotaru. The blonde immediately noted she wasn't
    1.22 +very much shorter than the doctor, and their build was almost the same, though Lisa was more
    1.23 +full in the bust and hips. Dr. Terrene regarded Usagi's question a moment, before stepping beside
    1.24 +her and opening the chart, showing her the films that were recently printed out.
    1.25 +	"See this black part here?" the doctor ran her finger along the slick surface, pointing at
    1.26 +the area that was considerably darker than the rest of the normal brain tissue, "This is a normal
    1.27 +result of acute head trauma. Though normally harmless, her previous medical conditions make
    1.28 +her more predisposed toward injury." Usagi nodded slowly, feeling a bit numb right now, having
    1.29 +looked at the CT pictures made it all the more real. Chibi pulled at Usagi's sleeve to try to see the
    1.30 +images as well, but the older girl didn't respond to the touch.
    1.31 +	"What does this mean, doctor? What should we expect? The other doctor said that she
    1.32 +could be well or die. That's too much of a range for me." Lisa closed the folder and crossed her
    1.33 +arms around it, leaning her back against the wall and looking down at Usa who was on her way to
    1.34 +the door to see if Hotaru was on her way back yet.
    1.35 +	"Well, the pressure in her head is stable right now, and we're going to keep her monitored
    1.36 +24 hours a day until it drops, or we have to take further measures." The doctor waited for Usagi to
    1.37 +nod before continuing. "Right now it'll be fine on it's own, but if she develops brain edema, it could
    1.38 +be fatal. We have to prep her for surgery just in case, we hope there won't be any trouble, but if
    1.39 +there is, we will have to physically release the pressure from her head, by opening the skull at key
    1.40 +points and removing the excess fluid." She hesitated a moment, glancing to Chibi, then back to
    1.41 +Usagi, "Since we don't know exactly where those points will be, I'm afraid we're going to have to
    1.42 +shave her entire head."
    1.43 +	"Shave her head?" Chibi's soft red eyes looked at Lisa and began to water slightly. She
    1.44 +couldn't imagine Hotaru without hair, but most definitely doesn't want her to die. "Why do you
    1.45 +need to do that?"
    1.46 +	"Because we don't want hair to get into the incisions, the holes we might have to make,
    1.47 +because hair isn't supposed to be there and could get her brain infected…" Dr. Terrene paused
    1.48 +and glanced apologetically at both girls, " I'm very sorry, but this is the only way to provide the
    1.49 +fastest possible treatment if something should go wrong, God forbid it." The doctor placed her
    1.50 +hand on Chibi's shoulder, "I know she means a lot to both of you, and I'm praying that she'll be
    1.51 +alright." Just as she finished her sentence, Hotaru was wheeled back into the room, still
    1.52 +unconscious. Chibi ran to see her, placing her hand on Hotaru's even before the bed stopped
    1.53 +moving. The tech looked at the girl, but didn't say anything as he locked the bed into place and
    1.54 +headed out of the room, nodding to the women before he left.
    1.55 +	"Did you hear that Hotaru? They want to shave your head…I know you wouldn't want
    1.56 +them to huh? But we'll get you some hats, and you can wear those." Chibi's eyes spilled tears,
    1.57 +the drops ran down her face and splashed onto Hotaru's cheek. "You said before you wanted a
    1.58 +hair cut like Haruka-papa, didn't you? Well, now you'll get to see what it looks like!" Chibi's hand
    1.59 +reached to Hotaru's hair and running her fingers through it, now beginning to sob. The lack of
    1.60 +sleep, and the horrid events of the last day had made her a nervous wreck. Usagi too felt like
    1.61 +crying, Hotaru's hair was so beautiful, it was a shame to cut it all off, but whatever would save her
    1.62 +life.
    1.63 +	"We'll need to shave her head now, hun…" Lisa said to Chibi, once more placing her
    1.64 +practiced hand on the small child's shoulder. A female nurse came into the room with a bag, a
    1.65 +pair of scissors and an electric razor. "I'm sorry…" Terrene said before stepping out of the room,
    1.66 +not wanting to observe the process.
    1.67 +	"Can I see the scissors?" Chibi asked the woman who looked at her dumbly a moment
    1.68 +before nodding and handing them, handle first, to the girl. "Thank you," she said politely and
    1.69 +wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Reaching out, she grabbed a lock of Hotaru's hair and
    1.70 +snipped it off, holding it tightly in her hand. The nurse, having gotten the idea handed Chibi a pair
    1.71 +of rubber bands to bind the hair together, which she did with only slight difficulty. "There…now I'll
    1.72 +always have a piece of you with me Hotaru!" Chibi said with her best brand of false cheer as she
    1.73 +handed the scissors back to the nurse. "Can we go get something for lunch, please?" The pink
    1.74 +haired child asked her mother, not wanting to stay either. She couldn't bear to watch it.
    1.75 +	"Sure, let's go get a donut or something sweet. I've been dying for something all
    1.76 +morning." Which was a half-truth, sure she had been hungry. She was always hungry. But
    1.77 +suddenly she didn't feel too much like eating. Placing her arm around Chibi, Usagi pulled her from
    1.78 +the bed, directing her to the door; though she cast one last look over her shoulder to see the
    1.79 +nurse began to cut the raven colored tresses from Hotaru's head…Usagi felt sick.
    1.80 +
    1.81 +	Seisen's blade sunk deep into the skull, and a quick turn of his body sent brain matter
    1.82 +flying, and blood running down Hotaru's clothes. The sound of the sword tearing free of the flesh
    1.83 +was that of someone slicing a cantaloupe open with a dull knife. Hotaru felt her body hit the floor,
    1.84 +and look up at the darkness and at the black dressed youth above her.
    1.85 +	"Next time, Firefly…duck?" Seisen returned his sword to its scabbard and wiped the
    1.86 +blood from his hands onto his pants. He turned to view the portal again, leaving Hotaru on the
    1.87 +floor, wondering what just happened. She wasn't dead? Her hands moved to her head and
    1.88 +touched it gently, though it was slick with blood and fluid, it was intact. It wasn't her head that he
    1.89 +cut…then whose was it? Hotaru turned behind her, finding a body lying within a foot of hers; what
    1.90 +appeared to be a mix between a human and a jackal. It's head was that of the latter, it's large
    1.91 +canines coated with it's own blood, as a large part of it's skull was torn clean off. The body was
    1.92 +human, though covered in mangled, dirty fur.
    1.93 +	"I'm… alive?" Hotaru's hands moved along her body now, making sure she was still
    1.94 +whole. "Thank you, Seisen…" she was polite about it, and placed her hands on the floor. She
    1.95 +began to push herself up, but the blood was too thick and her grip quickly slid, sending her
    1.96 +sprawling onto her chest. "ow…"
    1.97 +	"Need a hand?" The youth asked over his shoulder, before turning his head to gaze at
    1.98 +the girl. Hotaru nodded, finally admitting defeat; Seisen was immediately by her side, a hand on
    1.99 +her elbow, and another around her waist to lift her as if she weighed nothing at all. His hands did
   1.100 +not release her body; "Come on…this is going to be quite a ride, hold on tight, or you might get
   1.101 +lost…whatever you do, don't let go of me." He waited until Hotaru again signaled yes before
   1.102 +stepping onto the platform before the portal and then added a quick, "Here we go…" before
   1.103 +drawing his sword, a crackle of electricity surrounded them a moment, then sucked them into the
   1.104 +depths.
   1.105 +	The hungry, swirling vortex pulled them in, the colors were blinding and dizzying in their
   1.106 +intensity. Purple light flowed over them; tendrils of color began to tug at their bodies, pulling them
   1.107 +from every which way, but the sword's electric-like properties of the blade shocked them away.
   1.108 +Hotaru whimpered and pulled tighter onto Seisen, who wrapped both arms around her, as the
   1.109 +blade guided their way through the vast stream of time and space.
   1.110 +	Something caught Hotaru's eye. She was facing Seisen's chest, with a good view over
   1.111 +his shoulder, and glimpsed a black outline creeping slowly towards them. "Seisen…something is
   1.112 +coming, I can't make it out but it's moving really fast."  The youth turned his head to the right, to
   1.113 +look over his shoulder and swore quickly at what he saw.
   1.114 +Quickly approaching the pair, emerging from the darkness of the void was an
   1.115 +indescribable creature. Decayed human bodies were stacked in a shapeless pile, with large, bony
   1.116 +appendages that raked the air, flexing and extending as it neared the two. Soon, it's left tendril
   1.117 +like arm craned back and shot for them quickly. "Brace yourself!" Seisen shouted.
   1.118 +	A rough force rammed the pair forward, as the creature struck them, sending both the
   1.119 +youth and Hotaru spinning head over heels in the infinity. Seisen quickly flared his legs out, to
   1.120 +counter the spin, though he was slightly nauseas, and keep them facing in the same direction.
   1.121 +With a short grunt, he ignored the pain having no choice but to ride it out; he knew better than to
   1.122 +turn around and face what was attacking them. It would leave Hotaru vulnerable. Another forceful
   1.123 +slam collided with Seisen's back; this time a low snap was heard as one of the man's ribs was
   1.124 +cracked clean in two.
   1.125 +	"Ugh…" Seisen gurgled; it was obvious his lung was punctured. "Dammit…almost there,"
   1.126 +he whispered to Hotaru. "Turn your back to me…" he began to move his hands, grimacing in pain
   1.127 +as turned Hotaru in the opposite direction. She did as she was told, and held onto him tightly.
   1.128 +Once she was completely turned, he placed his around her shoulders, to give her more coverage,
   1.129 +just as another blow landed Seisen's back. He grunted loudly, cursing a blue streak as he
   1.130 +shuddered a moment, then went limp. His eyes closed.
   1.131 +	Hotaru glanced over her shoulder to see what was going on, only to be greeted with the
   1.132 +sight of Seisen's blood stained face, rivulets of the crimson liquid were pulled from his body,
   1.133 +twirling into ribbons as it spilled into the distance. Blood was pouring from his mouth; that much
   1.134 +was evident even with his mask on. The creature had pierced his rib cage. "Seisen!" Hotaru
   1.135 +yelled out, causing the man to open his dark, innocent eyes to regard Hotaru. He looked
   1.136 +exhausted, and was coughing thickly.
   1.137 +	"Take the sword…" his hands moved to hers, placing the blade into her palm then closing
   1.138 +her hand around it, the fierce wind still whipping around their bodies as the colors around them
   1.139 +began to decrease. "It's…pushing through me…it's trying to get to you…" just as he said that, the
   1.140 +tendril managed its way through Seisen's chest, spraying Hotaru's back with blood. Seisen's grip
   1.141 +increased on Hotaru and he began to push her away, but a moment too late; the bony extension
   1.142 +pierced her back, just at her heart. She screamed loudly, and Seisen's face contorted as he
   1.143 +gathered the last of his strength, "Hold on…don't let go of the sword, it will guide you back…"
   1.144 +	Shoving Hotaru away, and off the tendril, Seisen wiggled quickly, causing the hole in his
   1.145 +chest to enlarge, but it would decrease the dexterity of the tendril as he moved. "Brace
   1.146 +yourself…" The man pulled his legs back and placed them just at Hotaru's back, and with a quick
   1.147 +move and a loud yell, he shot both legs out, sending Hotaru flying down the portal at a dizzying
   1.148 +speed. She managed to get one last look behind her, to see her blood spilling through the vortex,
   1.149 +and Seisen floating limply through the air, before vanishing from sight. "Thank you…" she
   1.150 +whispered to him as she neared the end of the portal, her body shaking lightly from both fright
   1.151 +and blood loss.
   1.152 +
   1.153 +	Chibi turned the soup in her small, Styrofoam tray over and over with her spoon. Her face
   1.154 +was stained with tears, and she had no real appetite. She glanced over at Usagi, who sat staring
   1.155 +at her donut, looking for some kind of answer in the chocolate surface. "Good soup?" the blonde
   1.156 +girl asked without even looking up. Chibi only gave her a slight grunt, before putting the spoon
   1.157 +down and glancing at the clock. It was now 3:00PM; they had been in the cafeteria for almost half
   1.158 +an hour, neither of them having said a thing to the other until Usagi had broken the silence.
   1.159 +	"You think they're done yet…?" Chibi inquired, pushing the bowl away from her in
   1.160 +disgust. "I want to see her again" Usagi shrugged and was about to say something, but the loud
   1.161 +speaker sudden blared over their heads.
   1.162 +	"Code blue, room 415, code blue room 415!" Both girls immediately looked at each other,
   1.163 +stood quickly enough to knock their chairs over, and darted towards the elevator.
   1.164 +
   1.165 +	In the operating room, Hotaru's head was already opened up, and they were attempting
   1.166 +to drain the fluid from her skull but to little avail. Her blood pressure was dangerously low, and her
   1.167 +pulse was down to almost an almost unreadable level. She was hooked to a bypass machine at
   1.168 +this point, both blood and IV drips were in place, as the doctors tried desperately to save her
   1.169 +young life. Hotaru's spirit however, was quickly streaking back into reality, thanks to Seisen's
   1.170 +shove. The sword that was wrapped so tightly in her hand suddenly faded from existence as she
   1.171 +was rocked violently into a stop, just above her real self, though her vision was horribly blurred.
   1.172 +Her spiritual body bled, and her life was fading quickly, both in the real world, and in the astral.
   1.173 +Soon, as her vision began to focus, Hotaru saw her own body; hooked to tubes, blood pouring out
   1.174 +of her head while the medical team worked as quickly as possible to try to keep her alive. Her
   1.175 +spirit's eyes began to shut, both her bodies were shutting down.
   1.176 +	"What happened to me…?" Hotaru thought as an invisible force began to pull back into
   1.177 +her body. "The last thing I remember about being here is the snow, and the sky…" Soon, she was
   1.178 +being bound back into herself, and as she returned to her physical form, she was immediately
   1.179 +overwhelmed by pain.
   1.180 +	She regained consciousness on the table, a bolt of pain caused her to sit up quickly,
   1.181 +pulling both the IV drips from her arm in the violent motion. "Chibi…" Hotaru mumbled lightly,
   1.182 +glancing to one of the nurses, her violet eyes locking onto her for a moment before they rolled
   1.183 +back into her head and she fell back onto the table limply, causing a few instruments to go flying
   1.184 +off their trays, and a nurse to scream loudly.
   1.185 +	"Get her stabilized," the head surgeon directed the staff, "we need more anesthesia,
   1.186 +more blood, 0, get as much of it as you can carry! Move it!" the team began to scramble, a couple
   1.187 +slipping on the blood that coated the floor, dripping from the IV tubes. Before they could even
   1.188 +reach the door to head to the blood bank, the heart monitor let out a steady beep, signaling a loss
   1.189 +of the pulse. Hotaru Tomoe was dead.
   1.190 +
   1.191 +	"'Ruka…" Michi placed her left hand on her head, while her right quickly grabbed
   1.192 +Haruka's knee, squeezing it tightly in the cab that was racing to their destination. "I…I don't feel
   1.193 +good." She held her chest and clenched her eyes tightly shut, "God…it feels like my heart is
   1.194 +crumbling in my chest..." Haruka placed her hand on Michi's, not exactly sure how to comfort her,
   1.195 +but she didn't have a chance to even open her mouth before Michi began to sob. Haruka knew.
   1.196 +
   1.197 +	As Usagi and her daughter reached Hotaru's room, she was already gone and in surgery,
   1.198 +though there was a nurse in the room. Chibi went immediately to her and began pumping her for
   1.199 +information. "Where's Hotaru!?" she demanded, looking up at the woman who simply glanced
   1.200 +away, not allowing the young child to acquire eye contact.
   1.201 +	"The doctor will be in shortly to talk to you," she answered evasively and began to walk
   1.202 +out of the room but was blocked by Usagi who stood in front of the door, her hands on her hips
   1.203 +and a dangerous glare returning to her eyes.
   1.204 +	"Where. Is. She!?" Usagi demanded, her eyes starting to narrow as the nurse looked
   1.205 +away from her as well.
   1.206 +	"She's in the O.R." That was technically not a lie, since she was still physically in the
   1.207 +operating room, "the doctor will be in shortly to speak to you." The nurse then sidestepped Usagi
   1.208 +and left the room closing the door behind her.
   1.209 +	"I don't like this feeling," Chibi said to Usagi, looking at her fearfully, "I…I don't feel good, I
   1.210 +feel sick, and empty… Why do I feel like this? It's not right." Usagi was about to try to reassure
   1.211 +her, but the doctor entered the room with a solemn look on her face, Usagi felt her heart begin to
   1.212 +pound.
   1.213 +	"Ms. Tsukino… please sit down, you too as well, child." Usagi slid into the chair numbly,
   1.214 +and Chibi sat quickly into her lap, both their eyes glued to the doctor, "There is no easy way to
   1.215 +say this…Ms. Tomoe regained consciousness in surgery." She paused a moment, Chibi's eyes lit
   1.216 +up and a broad smile formed on her face, she began to dismiss her ache. "She whispered the
   1.217 +word 'Chibi'," Lisa spoke quietly, "Then she went into cardiac arrest…"
   1.218 +The doctor sat on the bed, placing a hand on either side of her head, "I'm sorry, both of
   1.219 +you, but your friend passed away…" Chibi's grin stayed on her face a moment, it felt stiff, unreal,
   1.220 +it slowly began to fade. Suddenly it felt very cold, and Chibi began to struggle for breath, tears
   1.221 +began to stream down both of the girl's faces, and Usagi placed her hand on her daughters back
   1.222 +to try to comfort her.
   1.223 +The silence of the room was suddenly shattered by Chibi's soul shredding scream.
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   1.227 +