Moonlight War

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Chapter 10

Quidditch

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"Hey, Hotaru, we're having our first match tomorrow." Angelina said, walking alongside me - she and I were heading for Charms.

"Against whom?" I asked; this was new, and made me nervous. Why didn't we have a match for so long? And then I answered my own question - youma attacks and dreams. I'd been in the hospital wing for so long that Gryffindor was never eligible for a match.

"Slytherin. And tell Harry to be careful; there are several new players on that team, and they're all unknowns."

I knew about that, of course - Dumbledore kept me informed of all the goings-on at Hogwarts. It was my job as a Senshi to know of any threats to the mission. And I was nervous about Slytherin's new Beater, Hutchinson. He was a transfer student, and had a very powerful aura around him - almost demonic in nature, as though he was hiding something.

"I will. But I'd tell Matt," - the other Beater - "to watch out for Hutchinson. Don't ask me why; I won't tell you anyway, at least not until everyone's asleep." I said.

"Okay, I will. Anyway, did you do the homework for Flitwick?"

"Yeah. I think I messed up, though; I'm sure I put down the wrong incantation and missed a flick in there somewhere…"

"Well, I'm having a last-minute practice at break; I want everyone there."

"Don't worry, Angelina; I'll be there. But I'll be a few minutes late getting to the cloak room. I have to tell Professor Dumbledore something, and it cannot wait."

"Sure. Just be outside by touch-off. I want you in the air for at least the whole game tomorrow, and I can tell you're not the strongest…"

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Several hours later, it was lunchtime. I rapidly wolfed down my food. The food at Hogwarts was good, but there was too much milk in it. I hated milk, though I never could find out why. It wasn't that I was lactose-intolerant.

"Hotaru, slow down! You're eating like the…" Harry exclaimed, but I moved my hand to cut him off. He was probably going to say "Silence was coming", and I couldn't allow that.

"I need to talk to Dumbledore." I said.

"About what?" Ron asked, but I glared at him. "Okay… Okay… I get the point…"

Soon as lunch was over, I did a quick wand movement at Dumbledore, creating a string of sparks visible only to him. It was a spell he had taught me so that I could signal him without risking identification. He walked off to the side of the Great Hall, and I snuck after him.

"What's the matter, Saturn?" Dumbledore asked, when we had both arrived in an alcove. This one had a barrier created by the Silence, allowing only those I allowed in to enter or to hear any sound issuing from it.

"It's about the Slytherin Beater, Hutchinson. I've felt some odd aura around him, and it's similar to the youma's aura." I replied.

"You don't think he's the culprit behind the attacks, do you, Saturn?"

"I doubt it; the vision I had while I was in the hospital wing after I was poisoned - Wait, Rei did tell you about that, right?"

"Yes, she did. She's not Usagi; she knows what her responsibility is. Tell me, did Rei feel anything around Hutchinson?"

"I don't know. However, I wouldn't be surprised if not. Hogwarts is engulfed in the powers of Silence, and also darkness. The amount of darkness would make even the aura of Chaos itself insignificant. The enemy's evolving… Perhaps it merged with Chaos in the Galaxy Cauldron."

"I doubt this. A merger would have produced great energy, enough to stand out from even a heavy veil of darkness."

"Either way, I'd put up extra security at the Quidditch match tomorrow. I'll have the other Senshi guard it - under the Princess's orders of course. After all, even the Outer Senshi cannot do anything in opposing to the Princess's plans… Unless it's under the Queen's orders. I'm sure you know that, Okairi."

"Yes, I do, Saturn."

"You know, we really don't need to use our former names in here; it's a bubble of Silence."

"That's true. Now, didn't Miss Johnson schedule a practice? You'd better get going."

"Thank you, Professor." At this, I bowed, lowered the barrier, and walked away.

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I arrived on the pitch just at takeoff. Quickly, I changed into my robes, grabbed my broom - a Shadow, which was some unknown model; I thought it might even be custom - and bat, and kicked off.

"I'm launching the Bludgers!" Angelina yelled, and the heavy balls were launched into the sky.

I darted around the field, blocking everyone from the Bludger… It came flying at me, too fast to hit, and I looped over it. Harry dove and caught the Snitch, and then released it. The Chasers flew forward in an Arrowhead formation, and I quickly took a phalanx position, letting Matt protect Harry. It might not have been the fairest option, but it was the smartest.

But that's when a Bludger flew at me… And, even though I called on the Silence, I couldn't hit or dodge in time. It hit me in the gut, and I felt ready to puke blood… Or at least, there was a coppery taste in my mouth.

"Matt, get the Bludgers back in! Hotaru, land!" Harry yelled, taking over; he was always one to take charge in such situations… But I felt weak. And then I blacked out.

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I woke up in my dormitory several hours later. That must mean I wasn't badly injured, just hurt. Michiru-mama was standing over me, Haruka-papa next to me. But they looked grim… Did something happen to Setsuna-mama, or Chibi-Usa-chan, or someone else? I began to panic, almost hyperventilating from fear.

"What's wrong?" I asked, and they looked shocked, even though they were staring down at me. Had they been thinking too hard?

"Pluto and Chibi-Moon have returned, but Chibi-Moon is hurt badly. The enemy attacked them while they were moving through the time stream. She's not dead, but Pluto says it was the same youma that poisoned you." Michiru-mama said.

"Will Chibi-Usa-chan be okay?" I asked, concernedly.

"Yes; Setsuna-san gave her the antidote. But the war is affecting the future; she said that Crystal Tokyo was destroyed, reduced to rubble. Something's going to happen that'll make Usagi-chan too weak to continue. We have to identify the enemy before it's too late, or the future will change." Haruka-papa replied.

"What day is it?" I asked, for I realized that I might have missed the match.

"It's midnight. Tomorrow's the match, and Dumbledore had us come watch you." Haruka-papa replied, smiling.

"Wait a minute, you're letting her play? After she got put in the hospital?" Michiru-mama asked, disbelief in her voice.

"I don't see why not; Hotaru's seems strong enough." Haruka-papa said. In response, Michiru-mama smacked the shorter-haired woman.

"Strong enough? No, I think not. Hotaru, is there a sub for you?"

"No, Michiru-mama, there is none. I am strong enough to play. I'll just be more careful. But I think something's wrong. I tried using the Silence to sense the Bludgers, but it felt like it wasn't working. Perhaps the enemy's aura is getting stronger." I said.

"The Silence wasn't working? That's bad… Something tells me we're going to have a big problem on our hands…"

"Don't worry; I'd like to see any villain try to defeat all nine of the Sailor Senshi." Haruka-papa said.

"But Setsuna-san told us: the enemy defeated our future selves. I doubt our powers lessened in three hundred years. This means we stand no chance right now…"

That was when I fell asleep.

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I woke up in time for breakfast. Quickly, I dressed in my robes and ran to the Great Hall. Knowing Angelina, she'd have us get ready early, and I didn't feel like playing Quidditch on an empty stomach. That would certainly not be good for me… Or my stomach, come to think of it.

"Hey, 'Taru, are you ready for your first game?" Harry asked when I sat down. Apparently, I was slightly later than I thought, since there was a lot of the roast chicken missing. I looked at what there was to eat, and saw that Dumbledore had had the kitchen staff cook some Nihon Soba, which happens to be my favorite food. Most seemed to ignore it, understandably - they didn't care to try any of the non-English foods Hogwarts offered - but I ate whole platefuls, not even caring about the confused looks everyone gave me.

"What is that?" Ron asked, in a rather snobbish tone.

"Buckwheat noodles. It was my favorite food, back in Tokyo." I replied.

This caused everyone to turn away, back at their plates. That was when Angelina rose and signaled the Gryffindor team to come to the pitch.

Harry and I muttered our goodbyes and followed Angelina. "Nervous, Hotaru?" Harry asked, walking cautiously toward the dorms to retrieve his broom. When we reached the Common Room, we split up and retrieved our respective brooms, and then headed out toward the Quidditch Pitch.

"Okay, team," Angelina said, when it was came time. "We're going to have to move fast this game, because there may be some foul play involved. Hotaru fell off her broom, and she's one of our best fliers. This is a difficult situation."

That was when Madam Hooch gave the signal to come out. Instantly, I was filled with dread. I was going to fly, on a broom, in front of the entire school of six thousand students? What was I thinking? I hated being out in public like this… Well, except amongst friends. And not all of the people in the stands were friendly. In fact, I could see Crabbe and Goyle jeering at us.

We advanced to the center of the pitch, the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team. But Slytherin's team advanced, as well, and I could see Malfoy's face among the crowd. Angelina went forward to shake hands with the Slytherin captain, a burly seventh-year named Boore.

Boore looked short, muscular, and had a square chin. His hair was blond, and formed a fuzz-like covering on his head.

"Okay, I want a nice, clean game - from all of you. That means nothing that would be a penalty in the nationals." Madam Hooch said, and blew her whistle. Instantly, the entire field kicked off, and we were up in the air.

The Quaffle was thrown up, and I quickly reviewed the plan. I was assigned to cover two Chasers - Katie and Ginny, Ron's sister. The second Beater was to defend Angelina, as well as me. Likewise, I was supposed to cover him. Harry was circling above the game to watch for the Golden Snitch, as he always did. Ron, who was playing Keeper despite his reportedly-terrible previous season where he barely managed to scrape a Cup win, was patrolling the goals.

I was snapped out of my reverie as a Bludger flew by me, and straight at Katie. I quickly sped forward, using my broom's acceleration to whack the offending ball at a Slytherin Chaser, who dodged it. Quickly, I got into formation with Katie and Ginny, and Angelina and the other Beater entered our formation.

We shifted into a different formation, a V-like formation. Angelina, who had possession of the Quaffle at the time, was the point. I was one tip, and the second Beater was the other tip. Angelina threw -

And she scored, giving us a ten-point lead in the game, just as I knocked a Bludger in an attempt to stop a Slytherin Chaser, who had grabbed the Quaffle and sped forward. The ball emitted a nice, satisfying thunk as it drove into his back, sending him to the ground. He rose weakly, and took back off, but he no longer had the Quaffle - Katie had stolen it as it fell to the ground.

The Keeper had flown down to help the Chaser, and was unprepared as Katie scored, making the score 20-0 Gryffindor. I could hear the crowd beginning to roar, a strange mixture of dissent (from the Slytherins) and approval (from the Gryffindors). The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were silent, but I could tell they were approving. Their auras showed that much.

That was when Hutchinson began to act strangely, and I could see a dark aura surrounding him. "Darkness…" I thought, as I began to use my own powers to counter it. Michiru-mama immediately began looking intently at Hutchinson, as did Haruka-papa. Rei-chan and Usagi-chan responded after that. Quickly, I took out my communicator…

Just as a Bludger slammed into my leg, causing extreme pain. I could tell that it was badly damaged, but there was no time, and I used the Silence to clear away the brunt of the damage, and dialed Usagi-chan. It wouldn't really have mattered either way, as they were all together, but it was better to contact her, since I needed to transform, and that would mean risking revealing my identity unless I created a bubble of Silence.

"Hotaru-chan, are you okay?" Usagi-chan's voice mingled with both Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa's voice.

"I'm fine. I used the Silence to heal it… But I think Hutchinson's the servant, and he's going to transform. I need a distraction so that I can transform without giving away my identity. Can you do something, or ask Hermione or Ron to do something? I need to get out of sight, but I can't without revealing myself." I replied, quickly batting a Bludger at Hutchinson, who fired…

At Harry. I quickly nodded to Angelina, and raced towards Harry to deflect the Bludger…

It was a wasted effort, as Harry quickly dodged out of the way, and I blocked the Bludger, sending it at Malfoy, but the other Slytherin Beater, Crabbe, knocked it at Angelina…

The match turned into a game of three-way Ping-Pong, as the Bludger was batted back and forth. Suddenly, from the ground…

"Mars Flame Sniper!" I heard Rei yell, as an arrow of fire flew at Hutchinson, who flared his dark energy, jumped off his broom, and landed, fully transformed. He was now wearing a black, flowing robe.

"Shadow Buster." I heard him whisper; it seemed to echo in the arena, despite the low tone. Instantly, a black orb flew at Sailor Mars, who dodged out of the way…

A section of the Quidditch pitch exploded.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay, was stuck on how to handle the match. I think it worked out well. This chapter set a record for me, 7 pages in Word. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter, which will end the match and then the entire Christmas feast, up by Christmas.