The realization that Hotaru had chosen to walk a dark path of no return dawned on the senshi at the moment. The army of hooded beings crowded around her, circling her like vultures and watching her like hawks. Invido stood at her side, his blue orbs fixed on her with a serious expression on his face. He slowly raised his hand calling for control of the situation.
The people stopped, all looking at Invido and Hotaru out of the corners of their eyes.
"Por favor, não apavora-se. O forasteiro é a reencarnação The Goddess Uratoh," Invido explained.
Gasps of shock filled the room as every eye locked onto Hotaru. They all exchanged glances and whispers, the name Uratoh thrown in the middle of every sentience. They dropped to their knees and bowed before Hotaru.
Invido raised his hand, calling for silence and control again, which seemed more difficult to maintain than before. "Los cuatro caballistas nos atacaron y Señor herido Mesno durante nuestro escape."
Looks of disbelief and shock were on the faces of all in the crowd as the three bulky men from earlier hoisted the unconscious Mesno onto his feet and carried him out of the room. "Demos gracias la diosa y el regreso a sus hogares y propagamos la noticia, Uratoh es ahora entre nosotros.." He said gloriously. Everyone stood still, rooted to the ground and their eyes fixed on Hotaru.
Hotaru did not take her eyes off the people for a second; there was no telling what they would do to her or what Invido had said. Cautiously an old man approached her. Hotaru winced, her scream caught in her throat.
"Do not be frightened," Invido assured her as the man stepped closer.
"Lady Uratoh," The old man smiled as tears of joy streamed from his eyes. He quickly fell to his knees, kissing her boots.
"…Uhh, no," Hotaru gasped, "…That's not necessary." But it was no use; he couldn't understand her and continued to kiss her boots before rising to his feet and kissing her hand.
"He orado y he esperado mi vida entera encontrarle. Gracias, mucho gracias" The old man hiccupped, wiping his eyes.
Hotaru turned to Invido who translated, "He says he's been waiting his entire life to meet you. Thank you so much"
"…Uhhh, you're welcome." Hotaru said awkwardly.
Invido quickly dismissed the old man, who waved to Hotaru with a broad smile on his face as he returned to the crowd.
"Ah mi dios. Es realmente usted." A small girl panted in disbelief. She curtsied respectfully and dropped to her knees, also kissing Hotaru's boots and hand before continuing, "Usted ha venido a traernos salvación de los ca-caballistas."
"Oh my god it's really you," Invido translated. "You've come to bring us salvation from the horsemen?"
"…Uhhh, I guess." Hotaru nodded.
Invido quickly translated and dismissed the girl as more and more people came, each kissing Hotaru's boots and hand while bearing gifts of rubies, diamonds, dolls and even lamps, one of Hotaru's favorite things. The introductions seemed to last forever when a deafening silence filled the hall and the only sound that could be heard were the giant oak doors opening.
"Regocíjese todos," Mesno smiled as he entered the hall, "Para luego esta noche la cosecha sucederá y levantaremos nuestras gafas a la caída de los caballistas y la salvación de la Tierra." Mesno shouted triumphantly. Immediately the hall burst into cheers and applause.
Mesno advanced on Hotaru his golden eyes digging into her purple. The applause stopped as the audience felt the tension between the two of them and watched expectantly. He then smiled at her sinking onto his knees and also kissing her boots and rising to kiss her hand and finally her cheek in a symbol of friendship.
"¿Puede ser temprano, pero qué mejor tiempo que ahora para cosecha anual?" Mesno said looking at his people. "Vaya ahora y prepare. la cosecha hace empezó a medianoche esta noche. Espero ver todo usted allí honorar Uratoh."
Applause filled the air for a moment, "Ahora sálganos," and slowly the hall emptied, but the whispers of the name Uratoh could still be heard among the people.
"Who's side are you on?" Hotaru asked quickly.
"Our own," Invido answered, "But we need you, you are the angel of our nightmare…the light in a morgue, the ray of hope within us all."
"You have a funny way of showing me that?"
Invido nodded, "It is true, while you do look like out goddess…I couldn't directly approach you and ask you."
"So you possess me."
"No," Invido grunted quickly as Mesno glared at him, "I w-was merely…," He stammered as Mesno continued to glare at him, "Guiding you to us."
"BY HAVING ME MURDER MY OWN MOTHER," Hotaru shouted, "By having me betray my friends and manipulating me into turning my papa against me!"
Invido fell silent and turned to Mesno, looking at him with puppy dog eyes, knowing he was in trouble.
Quicker than a hiccup, Mesno backhanded Invido.
Invido stood perfectly still, taking the blow as his face reddened.
"I'll deal with you later," Mesno said in a low lethal tone, now leave us."
Without a word, Invido bowed to Hotaru before hurrying out of the room.
Before Hotaru could ask another question, Mesno slammed his lips into hers, "…Nothing," He hissed, "not even death…will keep me from you." He pulled closer to him.
"Wait," Hotaru said, turning away from him.
Mesno glared at her, he sighed trying to control his temper, "What's wrong?"
"What's going on?" She asked, staring at him. She had wanted to ask this the moment the old man kissed her foot and crossed her arms waiting on his answer.
"These people…they worship you. You are a goddess to them," Mesno explained. "As the old man said earlier, some have searched their entire lives and never found you. Others have only hoped and prayed that one day you would return to them and like the true hero you are, save us from the oncoming threat."
Hotaru downcast her eyes, if anyone knew about oncoming threats it was her since she normally turned out to be the disaster that would destroy everything.
"They…worship…me," She said slowly, trying to understand it better. "How can-I can see Serenity, but me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Serenity's gift is life and happiness and mine…well, mine is…death," She said in a frantic tone, "and destruction." She said, wiping a single tear from her eye as her purpose for existence returned to her; her futile existence of universal genocide.
"Yes," He said, "Your power does not frighten us…it draws us to you. Before these thousands of people heard the name of Uratoh they were nothing…shells with no hope."
"Why…why did you manipulate them?" She asked.
"…I needed them…and it's easy to control those without hope. They now have a purpose in life and that purpose is to support me…and you as we bring salvation to their lives."
"And how are we supposed to do that?"
Mesno stared into her eyes, "…Just leave it to me."
Suddenly a knock filled the room, "MARCELLUS HAS RETURNED!" Everyone cheered as the giant doors opened and inside the room stepped the massive creature, with Michiru and Usagi in its tentacles. It gently lowered them onto the floor before Mesno and turned to Hotaru and fell to its knees. It opened it's giant mouth and with a long purple tongue licked her boots, leaving a nasty green substance on them, it then rose to its feet and licked the back of her hand.
Hotaru looked at Mesno, a look of awkward disgust on her face. Its long tongue rolled back into its toothless mouth before it turned to Mesno.
"Trabajo excelente Marcellus." Mesno smiled.
Marcellus replied in a deep grunt, "Geeugh."
"Si," Mesno nodded, "Pronto. ..soon. Ahora descanso arriba. ..I tiene otro trabajo para usted mañana."
Marcellus nodded and grunted once more, before marching to…and opening the doors like a civilized human being.
"What is that?" Hotaru asked.
"Marcellus…is, well, was shall I say…a human. He is the result of a failed experiment at the draopo farm."
"How did this happen," Hotaru asked.
"Draopo are a combination of various nerves, organ and tissue from the human body that have been crystallized inside Lemming blood, which gives the draopo a long life span."
"You did that to a human being?" Hotaru asked, sounding outraged.
Mesno advanced on her, "That's no ordinary human being…Marcellus is my son."
Hotaru gazed at Mesno in disgust and pity. He reminded her so much of her father that she had loved regardless of the various experiments and pain he had caused her and at the moment she felt her and Marcellus were two of a kind. "How could you do that, to him…to your son," Hotaru asked.
"I have my reasons…," Mesno said down casting his eyes before glaring at her in a final tone, but Hotaru would not submit.
Hotaru gazed at him, "What kind of person are you?"
"Look," Mesno snarled, "Nothing else matter's but her." He screamed at the top of his lungs, "And if you're not with us…you're against us…just one of the horsemen." He snarled pointing to a portrait.
The portrait depicted all of the inner senshi. Each rode a different horse and carried a different weapon. Mars a bow and arrow, Mercury a harp…Venus a sword and Jupiter gauntlets, but above them all was the face of Serenity.
"They are what will destroy us all, the gatekeepers of our lives…the oppressors who stand against what we stand for. They are the ones who seek to destroy our life and the ones we love…the are the four horsemen of our apocalypse." Mesno seethed. "Now make your decision, do you choose to attack me and take the bodies of your mother and the lamb of the horsemen or will you stand with me and work with us to build a better and brighter future than Crystal Tokyo?"
Hotaru stared at her mother, then at Usagi, then the portrait…she stared at the thousands of shrunken head, remembered Marcellus stared into Mesno's golden eyes and said…