A/N: My first attempt at a songfic. The terrain is somewhat fictional as I tried to make it somewhat accurate as well, but my imagination has a way of running away with itself. Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Dance of Death lyrics are owned by Iron Maiden. Please read and review!
Dancing with the Dead
By Sailor Onyx Pluto
Let me tell you a story to chill the bones
About a thing that I saw
One night wandering in the Everglades
I'd one drink, but no more
Tomoe Hotaru, now 21 years old, had moved on with her life and was now living in Marco, Florida, maybe a few hours south of Naples. Since the healing of Sailor Galaxia by Eternal Sailor Moon eight years ago, all the Senshi had been able to live normal lives and had gone their own ways. Hotaru, wanting a change of pace from Tokyo, decided on a whim to move to the United States and was able to find a lucrative job as a part-time registered nurse and as a book editor/critic, which sometimes had her driving to the Everglades.
On this particular night, however, she decided to have a drink at a small pub after editing half of an extremely long novel (think Lord of the Rings long) that was located just outside the marshes of the Everglades. The young Senshi finished off a Long Island Iced Tea within 5 seconds and since she had walked to the pub from the hotel that she always stayed at while editing, she decided to walk back, but not before she walked the liquor off.
I was rambling, enjoying the bright moonlight
Gazing up at the stars
Not aware of a presence so near to me
Watching my every move
She was walking along the edge of the swamps while humming one of Michiru's violin pieces and looking up at the velvet blue sky. The stars were so much more visible here and the moon was particularly bright tonight as the Senshi of Silence moved along without a care in the world. Humming the last notes of the song, Hotaru suddenly had the feeling that someone or something was watching her.
Feeling scared and I fell to my knees
As something rushed me from the trees
Took me to an unholy place
And that is where I fell from grace
Her uneasiness quickly turned into fear as she found herself being lifted off her feet by something with an unnatural strength and while it raced through the marshes with its prize, she mentally cursed herself for leaving her henshin wand in her luggage. The Senshi may have been retired, but that didn't mean that they still didn't have the means to protect themselves from alien/supernatural threats. Looking over her shoulder as best she could and despite the bouncing of the creature's steps, Hotaru could see a huge bonfire and shadows dancing around it. Before she could blink, she was amongst the shadows and every one of them were almost completely nude and wearing a mask. The one that had brought her there was over six feet tall, wearing short black pants and a full head mask, bearing a striking resemblance to the ram, Aries.
Then they summoned me over to join in with them
To the dance of the dead
In to the circle of fire I followed them
In to the middle I was led
As she surveyed the unusual gathering before her, her feet moved as if under their own control towards the middle of the ring of fire. The creatures, or whatever they were, seemed to have a curious fascination with her movements, almost as if they could sense the silence and death that was part of Hotaru's soul. It made her feel apprehensive yet calm all at once.
As if time had stopped still I was numb with fear
But still I wanted to go
And the blaze of the fire did no hurt upon me
As I walked on to the coals
Without even realizing it, she had kicked off her heels she'd been wearing that day and walked even closer to the fire until the flames were mere inches away from her face. She could feel the blazing hot coals under her bare feet, but felt no pain or fear of getting burned. In fact, she almost felt empty as if the silence within had filled her entire being.
Then I felt I was in a trance
And my spirit was lifted from me
And if only someone had the chance
To witness what happened to me
Within a few seconds, the feeling of silence and emptiness seemed to reach its peak as tentacles of deep purple radiance leeched out of Hotaru and coalesced into the familiar shape of Eternal Sailor Saturn. She was almost transparent with a deep purple shimmer and Hotaru watched as the spirit of her Senshi self floated high into the night sky then seemed to hover above the strange group.
And I danced and I prance and I sang with them
All had death in their eyes
Lifeless figures they were undead all of them
They had ascended from Hell
Before she even knew what was happening, the black-haired young woman began moving and swaying to an unheard rhythm; at least, unheard by the living as she was almost certain that she was dead. She moved without missing a beat to the music in her head as she circled around the fire innumerable times, all while those raised from Hell watched.
As I danced with the dead my free spirit
Was laughing and howling down at me
Below my undead body just danced
The circle of death
As she continued her endless dance on the hot coals, she could hear the sound of laughter that resembled her own voice. It was then she realized that it was the apparition of her Senshi soul and it was not only laughing: it was screeching and howling.
Until the time came to reunite us both
My spirit came back down to me
I didn't know if I was alive or dead
As the others all joined in with me
She then felt a sudden shock and he body dropped to the hot ground as her separated spirit joined with her abruptly. As quickly as it occurred, the sensation vanished and she was able to stand once more. Upon finding her footing, Hotaru noticed that the masked demons had moved in around her and started to dance around the roaring flames. The male with the Aries mask took her hand and led her around the fire with the others to a song only they could hear.
By luck then a skirmish started
And took the attention away from me
When they took their gaze from me
Was the moment that I fled
Just as she thought the dance would go on for the rest of eternity, another male demon with a half-white mask, dressed in red shorts, smashed into the Aries-demon, causing a violent fight to break out. The massive gathering halted their festivities to watch and that was when Hotaru came back to her senses. She saw her chance and took it: she picked up her shoes and ran as fast as she could.
I ran like Hell faster than the wind
But behind I did not glance
One thing that I did not dare
Was to look just straight ahead
As she ran faster towards the familiar city lights, she almost thought she could hear the unearthly screams of rage and surprise at her sudden escape. She actually expected the demonic horde to come after her, but nothing happened as she reached her hotel, ran inside and darted up to her room. She locked the door and pulled her henshin wand out of her bag then caught her breath as she waited. If they wanted her badly enough, she was ready for a fight this time.
When you know that your time has come around
You know you'll be prepared for it
Say your last goodbyes to everyone
Drink and say a prayer for it
As the young Senshi sat on her bed waiting for the demons to find her, she offered up a prayer to her guardian planet to protect her. Time passed and her violet eyes grew heavy to where she couldn't stay awake any longer and she ended up falling asleep just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon.
When you're lying in your sleep
When you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams
To go dancing with the dead
When you're lying in your sleep
When you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams
To go dancing with the dead
The next thing Hotaru heard was the phone ringing. She knew it was the wake-up call she'd ordered when she checked in, and after answering it, she forced herself to wake up despite what happened during the night. She wasn't even sure it had happened, but her soul knew better: she had danced with the dead. Shaking off the uneasiness she suddenly felt, she finished packing, checked out, and started her drive home. However, she knew nothing would ever quite be the same again.
To this day I guess I'll never know
Just why they let me go
But I'll never go dancing no more
'Till I dance with the dead…