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