The young girl ran up the stairs, throwing the door open with a wide swing. She bounded into the house, shutting the door behind her, and sat down, removing her shoes and putting on her lilac slippers.

Hotaru entered the kitchen, noticing Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna sitting around the table. The fourth chair, her chair had been moved out of the way. She stared at them, as they hadn't realized she had arrived. Her book bag fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Michiru glanced up, a grave expression on her face. "Hotaru…will you go up to your room please?"

Hotaru stared at her foster mother. "What's going on?"

Michiru tried to smile. "We'd just like you to go please."

Hotaru retreated to her bedroom and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. They were…hiding….something…She could tell.

She stood, pushing a lock of black hair behind her ear and headed towards Setsuna's room.

Setsuna's henshin scepter rested on the bedside table, a key to the fourth dimension by it. Hotaru felt a tinge of guilt as she closed her pale hand around the key. She held it up into the air, at first staring at its unique designs. "Guardian of Time…" She whispered. "Let the door of Time split the heavens and open to me…I call you by your true name. The all-knowing God of Time, the father of the guardian…Chronos! Lead me! Protect me! Send me the path of light!"

"Hotaru, No!" Setsuna cried as she saw the young girl disappearing into the path of light.

Haruka crossed her arms, angry. "You're sure?" She questioned Setsuna.

Setsuna nodded gravely, her eyes lowered. "She stole my time key and traveled to the fourth dimension. It's dangerous in there, we need to go after her."

"She's right." Michiru agreed. "We need to go after Hotaru. Neptune Crystal Power, Make UP!"

"Uranus Crystal Power, Make UP!"

"Pluto Eternal, Make UP!"

Sailor Pluto held the time staff. Her dark hair blew around her as a vast, swirling path of light came down to meet it

The three senshi, without delay, ran into it. Entering the void of time.

Saturn shivered conclusively as she continued to trudge along in the void of darkness. What was it that Michiru-okaa, Setsuna-okaa and Haruka-otau were keeping from her, and why? The small time key was clutched in her hand, but unnoticing it slipped out of her grip; falling to the ground and soon being covered by the darkness, hidden from view.

Sailor Neptune held the deep aqua mirror delicately in her hands, looking into its clear surface. Show me where Hotaru is…. the glass of the mirror began to fade, preparing to show her. When instead, it darkened, as if being covered by some sort of dark cloud.

She glanced up, stunned. They had split up for the best chances of finding Hota. Pluto had given them each a time key, from her now close source of the chain of keys she had reclaimed as Eternal Sailor Pluto.

"Hotaru!" Neptune called into the darkness, there was no answer.

Uranus began cursing under her breath, as her gray colored eyes scanned the area before her. She stood in the void, but yet there was no sign of Saturn. "HOTARU!" She called, angry though it came out softer as she was worried about the younger girl.

Pluto braced herself as she stepped into the vast depths of the fourth dimension. Hotaru knew almost as well as she did how dangerous the passage of time was. So why did she run here other than some other place? Why did she decide to run here? Period "Hotaru?"

She glanced around; the dark mist surrounded her. Nothing but darkness. Had she gone too far? Were the others looking for her? Or had they noticed she was gone, at all? Instantly making a decision she lifted her hand to take the time key, however, it wasn't there.

Saturn began to panic. Without the key she couldn't return to the real world. Without the key she would be trapped here. Forever, unless someone found her but that really wasn't very likely. Taking into consideration how far she had gone. Alone.

"You've lost your way?" A bitter, but seemingly considerate at the same time, voice asked.

Saturn turned her head, to see a figure darker than the darkness of the other dimension itself. She seemed to be embedded in the spot, watching the figure near her.

Sailor DarkStar soon stood by the soldier of destruction and raised an eyebrow. "Remarkable that I would run into you here." She said, not sounding like she really cared at all.

Saturn stared at her with wide lavender eyes.

DarkStar watched her silently, with interest for a short moment. With a quick jerk of her head she motioned to a black portal. "I can help you get home. Saturn."

Still, Saturn didn't answer. Could DarkStar be trusted?

DarkStar sighed, and quickly gave Saturn an explanation. "They don't want you in the sailor team anymore. You should realize that, you remember when they wanted to kill you. Stop you from bringing destruction from the world. Now comes the time when it will happen again, if they don't do something."

Saturn stifled a gasp; there were no falters in DarkStar's voice. She sounded so sure of herself. She had to be telling the truth. Finally, she spoke. "What should I do?"

DarkStar handed Saturn a crystal, a black crystal. "Make use of this."

Saturn took it delicately, glancing at it, then back at her. "How…?"

"Just rely on your emotions. It will help you when you need it." DarkStar began stepping through a different portal.

"But…"

DarkStar was gone, and Saturn quickly stepped through the other portal.

Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru met in the main room of their house.

"No sign." Michiru said quickly, ready to get it over with.

Haruka wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders. "I couldn't find her either, how about you Setsuna?"

The other woman shook her head. "No indication that she was there at all."

The three women were silent for a moment. How could Hotaru do this to them?

Michiru pulled away from Haruka. "I'm going upstairs, to Hota's room."

The other two followed her, knowing they wouldn't find anything.

Slowly Michiru opened the door. Expecting to find it empty, she gasped as she saw the curve of Hotaru's figure under the blankets.

"How did she get back?" Setsuna questioned to herself.

"Or…." Haruka added. "Did she ever leave at all?"

Hotaru was silent the next day.

However, when she got home Haruka took her hand, leading her towards the kitchen.

She blinked. "Haruka…" She found herself not using 'otau'. They want to get rid of me, she reminded herself.

"We need to talk." Haruka stated, sitting Hotaru down at the table where Setsuna and Michiru were waiting.

Hotaru looked around at them. "About what?"

Setsuna turned, her dark, cast-over crimson eyes meeting Hotaru's 'innocent' violet eyes. "Yesterday."

"Huh?" Hotaru asked, in a sugarcoated voice.

"Where were you yesterday?" Michiru asked in a quiet tone.

"I was taking a walk." She answered innocently.

Haruka looked at her unbelievingly. "In the fourth dimension by any chance?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Iie, in Crystal Tokyo."

"But yet you still entered the fourth dimension."

"Duh." She said bluntly. "I'm supposed to get there what other way?"

Setsuna stood. "You stole my time key, and you should've asked one of us to come with you. You realize how dangerous it can be."

"I'm responsible. And I didn't have a time key, and couldn't ask you because you were busy."

Setsuna shook her head. "That's a lie. My time key's missing, the only way you could've gotten into that dimension was with one."

Hotaru looked confused. "Like you said, I took it."

Michiru glanced at her. "Why did you leave without telling us?"

"I said, you were busy!" she answered, frustrated. "You guys are repeating the same questions!"

Haruka pounded her fist on the table. "Next time talk to us, no matter what!"

Hotaru stared. After a long pause she said, "Is there…something I don't know?"

The room went silent for a moment as all three of them stared at her. "Why would there be?" Michiru asked.

Hotaru shrugged innocently. "You guys were all silent and leaving me out yesterday, and when I get back you're furious. This isn't how you'd act if everything was normal."

"You'll find out in time." Setsuna said quickly.

Hotaru stood. "I knew it! You are! So because of this, you get all upset at me!" she turned and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Hotaru!" Michiru called.

Hotaru sat on her bed, holding the crystal DarkStar had given her in her hands and watching it glow a steady black color. They're trying to get rid of me. She told herself again.

Michiru knocked on Hotaru's door. "Hota-chan, can we talk?"

There was no answer.

"Hotaru?" She asked again, turning the knob to the door. It swung open easily.

The room was empty again.

"Hotaru!" Michiru fell onto her knees, clasping her hands. Her light aqua hair flipping in front of her shoulders with the movement.

Many hours later, Hotaru clambered back into her room from the window. She had a few smudges of dirt on her face and a small scratch on her elbow. But otherwise, she was fine.

No, she wouldn't tell her 'parents' where she had been. They'd just yell at her even more. And besides, it's not like they would care. They wanted her dead…. well maybe not dead, but they wanted to get rid of her.

She strode over to her bed and was about to lie down when she realized something laying on it; it was a dress made of a violet silk.

Gasping in surprise, she took it up in her hands and stared at it. Knowing immediately Setsuna-okaa hade made it she decided she might as well try it on.

A moment later she stood in front of her mirror, the dress -she had to admit- was beautiful. It had a low cut that went down the back, and a slit up the right that went to the middle of the thigh. For her own excitement Hotaru had also placed a violet ribbon in her hair.

A few giggles began to escape her lips as she ran down the stairs and leapt into Setsuna's arms once she spotted her. "Arigatou gazimasou, Setsuna-okaa!"

Setsuna let the tiniest of smiles grace her lips as the young girl jumped into her arms. "Hota…" She murmured in a slightly muffled voice. "Where were you?"

Hotaru stopped, her violet eyes flashing with worry that they were going to find out for a split second. "At the park." She said, climbing down, out of Setsuna's arms. "With Chibi-Usa." She added in a rush, forgetting a very important fact.

Haruka crossed her arms. "The small princess is back in the future."

Hotaru looked down. "Okay, maybe I wasn't with Chibi-Usa. But I was in the park."

Michiru looked at her distrustfully. "At this time?"

Hotaru looked at Michiru, pushing out her lower lip in a pouting way. "I should be able to go where I want when I want."

Michiru sighed. "You're young, we're worried for your safety. Just contact us next time."

' They don't want you in the Sailor Team anymore,' the words played through her mind once again, it was the truth. They didn't want her around. "Alright, gomen ne." She lied.

Michiru smiled. "Arigatou, Hotaru-chan." She pushed her slightly and gently towards the door. "Now, it's time for you to go to bed."

Hotaru put on a fake, innocent smile. "Hai, Michi-okaa." She said and stumbled up the stairs.

When she reached her room she shut the door quietly behind her, she turned and sighed leaning against the door and facing the darkness. The darkness. The darkness just seemed so warm and comforting. Before she would be afraid of it, try to escape it. But now she embraced it when it came near.

' They don't want you in the Sailor Team anymore,'

"Hotaru."

Hotaru stopped short. There was no mistaking the anger in Haruka-otaus voice. "Hai?" She asked turning around slowly.

Haruka stood there, a few sandy colored bangs hanging into her gray-blue eyes. But even though her eyes were partially covered it was still obvious enough how angry she was. She took Hotaru by the shoulders and shoved her forcefully to the kitchen door.

Hotaru's eyes scanned over Setsuna and Michiru as she entered the kitchen. They had similar expressions to Haruka, but still different.

Michiru stood in the middle of the room, her arms folded across her chest as she stared at Hotaru with her sea-blue eyes that held worry and the question of 'why'?

Setsuna leaned against the wall, most of her dark emerald hair cascaded over her shoulder. Her dark crimson eyes rested on Hotaru, awaiting her answer.

"We'd like to know what really happened in the fourth dimension." Haruka stated immediately, not waiting for the others to say anything.

Hotaru clenched her hands into fists. "I…I don't have to tell you anything!" She yelled angrily.

"Hotaru." Michiru said softly.

"IIE!" Hotaru yelled yet again. She bit her lip. They didn't want her. They didn't care. She squeezed something she held in her hand tight. Abruptly, there was a black flash of light. Hotaru stood. "Dark Saturn Eternal, Make UP!"

Black lights spiraled all around her. Her body was bathed in a violet light as black ribbons swirled around her forming a sailor fuku. In another flash of light, her, knee high, laced up boots formed on her legs. This time the laces were black. Soon after, her gloves formed, reaching her elbows. Ribbons wrapped around her waist, her skirt appeared. It was black, with a thin, nearly transparent top skirt of violet covering it. At the top, small, thin, black wings seemed to sprout upwards. A violet pair was hidden behind them partially. In one more brilliant flash of light, a choker, which held a black star. Her violet collar, a black frontal bow and a super-style back, violet, bow emitted from the back of her skirt. On her arm was a black armlet with an elaborate design.

Finishing the henshin-sequence, she reached up, her glaive soon appeared. Thin silver ribbons holding small silver beads hung from her black hair, giving a goddess- like appearance. For her brooch, instead of a violet brooch there was a black pointed star, which if you got a close look at it, was obvious that it was a crystal.

The same crystal as DarkStar's.

{Authors Note: Puu: * stares wide-eyed as if it was actually occurring* WOW! Kakyuu: Hehehe… I'm so brilliant! Puu: You are? I didn't realize… Kakyuu: AH, shadup. What do you care? Puu: * sighs * on to the next chapter! Kakyuu: …*.*… 'And do you think I'm wasting my time… doing things I wanna do… but it hurts when you disapprove all along… Puu: Oh, no. Here she goes again. Kakyuu: 'I try not to think…about the pain I feel inside…did you know you used to be…my hero'…I love this song! (And really bad eggs!) Puu: Oh man! Now she's mixing Simple Plan up with Pirates of the Caribbean! Run and hide!}