DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon.
This was just a bit of a random thought I had the other day. And for those of you who are reading Moon, Phoenix and Snake, I have the next chapter written-just in longhand. (I got bored at school. ^^;) so I'll have to type that up before too long.
I don't like the heat.
It makes me feel even dizzier and more disoriented than usual. I actually think my seizures are worse when it's hot outside, but Papa says the weather doesn't affect those kinds of things. Oh, well; I feel all right now, I guess.
As I pause outside a bookstore, something inside catches my eye. There are three people browsing a shelf near the window. One is a tall man, extremely handsome, with sandy-blonde hair. The woman to his left is even taller; she has tan skin and greenish-black hair that reaches to her ankles. Her face is very kind. The last person is the shortest, although she's still a good deal taller than I am. She has shining aqua hair that falls in waves around her shoulders.
The man and the blue-haired woman are wearing uniforms from my school, but I don't recognize them. I've never seen the tallest before either, although she does look vaguely familiar. I can't think of where I know her from. There's something about the trio that seems….not familiar, exactly, but like I've known them for a while. They make a very pretty picture.
As I'm staring, the man looks up and gives me a smile. I blush; usually boys don't notice me and when they do, they're quickly driven off by all the strange things I do. I have no idea what to say now.
His classmate glares at him, but when she notices me she smiles too. That must be his girlfriend. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I wave and then continue down the street. I can't wait to get home; today is one of the hottest we've had this summer. I'm sweating bullets.
It happens as I cross the street. My head begins to pound, my chest squeezes and I suddenly can't breathe, pain stabbing my throat. As I start shaking, someone yells from the sidewalk: "Look out!" I glance up to see a truck hurtling toward the intersection, going far too fast to stop in time. Panic ices my veins, but I can't move. I collapse to the pavement. I'm sorry, Papa—Chibiusa-chan….
Someone grabs me in their arms and leaps out of the way. The last thing I remember before blacking out is hearing the wind roaring in my ears.
"Hey. Hey, kid, wake up."
A man's voice, coming from far away. I want to reply, but my body refuses to respond. My head feels so heavy.
"Haruka, here." A second, feminine voice, gentle and soft. Something deliciously cool presses against my face.
"She must have collapsed from the heat." The third voice is also female.
I groan and open my eyes. I don't know where I am, but I can tell it's indoors because it's cool in here. I'm lying on my back on a couch. My shoes are off and so is my shirt so I'm just in my undershirt and bra. I start to sit up but almost faint again.
"Hey, take it easy." It's the man from the bookstore! He gently eases me back down. "You passed out pretty hard."
"I'm sorry about your shirt." The blue-haired woman crouches next to him, concern etched in her eyes. "But you were suffering from heat exhaustion; we had to get you as cool as possible."
"Here." The tallest one hands me a glass of ice water and slowly lifts me up, one arm around my shoulders. The man puts a pillow behind me. "Drink this, but slowly. Too fast and you'll get sick."
I gratefully take the glass and sip at the water. It feels like heaven on my throat. "I—I'm sorry, you shouldn't have—"
"Don't be ridiculous. It's a crime not to help a pretty girl in danger." The man winks at me.
"Haruka…" growls his classmate. Their companion shakes her head. "What's your name?"
"Tomoe Hotaru."
"I'm Kaioh Michiru and this is Tenoh Haruka and Meioh Setsuna."
Is this how it will always be? Me, weak and sick, relying on others for help, being a burden? I close my eyes, fighting tears. This is so embarrassing!
"It's all right, Hotaru-chan." Setsuna's voice is quiet and reassuring, like a mother's.
"We were pretty bored before you came along," Haruka says with a yawn. "You spiced up today nicely."
"Don't worry about it." Michiru smiles. Her smile makes me feel happy; it's so sweet. "It wasn't a bother at all."
"Thank you. Do you go to Mugen Gaken?"
"Yes, Haruka and I do. Setsuna is a university student."
"My father—" I wince and drop the glass, bending over and pressing my hands to my chest. It's hard to breathe and my chest hurts. Not again…!
Haruka and Michiru both grab my arms as Setsuna puts her hands on my shoulders. I feel a rush of power, and suddenly the seizure ends. I collapse against them, shivering. "I—I'm sorry…"
"Are you okay?" Haruka asks quietly. There's something in his voice that frightens me, although I don't know why or what it is.
"Fine. I've been like this for….years." I can't even recall how old I was when the accident happened…eight? Seven?
"Do you need a doctor?" Michiru sounds the same as Haruka.
"No." Gathering all my strength, I rise. "Thank you for everything, but I'm fine, really. I should go now, my father will be worried."
"I'll drive you home." Setsuna smiles at me. "Here." She hands me my shirt, and I tug it over my head.
"Thank you."
"She doesn't seem dangerous."
"She is. Very."
"She's so frail…it almost seems as though soon…."
"She must be very unhappy."
Haruka met Michiru's eyes, and both knew they were thinking of the same thing: On Hotaru's wrists they had seen scars.