A/N: Well here we go with the next chapter. Short chapter I know. Dark from here on out until the new arc. Let this be your warning...

"Thoughts."
"Speaking."

I do not own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 35: Murderer

Days wore on slowly as the small child had to endure the sights and sounds around her. The voice of her spirit called her more and more, and slowly she lost most of her ideals on morality and mortality. With the Moon facing some of the darkest days she had ever seen, she could feel a deep well of sadness pool at the souls around her. Voices of the dead and those wishing to die found her ears granting darker truth. Those looking for answers and redemption cried out as some of the best of warriors left without a trace.

Families were hurting, children were crying, loved ones hopeless, and Hotaru grew darker with each passing day. The world was corrupting her, slowly and surely her into hateful malice. Logical thought left her for more primal needs, and baser instincts. Kill or be killed. Hunt or be hunted. Protect or lose. These things were engraved into her mind. She acted as fierce as a mother bear would a cub at signs of danger. As cuddly as a kitten at signs of comfort, and like that of a hunter after it's pray, she acted as quietly as she could. She was a monster, through and through, ready to awaken.

Setsuna could only watch as the small child continually chased at the ball of energy she so detested. At signs of sadness, Hotaru tried to cheer the person up, yet with no avail. The more animalistic the child grew, so did her lack of comprehension for the reasons why people feared her, only further casting her from the world she knew. This was the dark child, and soon she would grow into a danger no one would care to deal with. It fell on the course of fate, and those who served such a keeper to deal with her.

"And you'd willingly kill her off?" Setsuna couldn't believe hearing the words from her mother. "You claim she was a savior to us, the mages who cannot die, and yet you will take her life so she can't do what she must!" Setsuna didn't know how to act. Surely to cry or to be angry would have come to mind, however she was most stunned than anything. "Why do I get the feeling you're just a damn pawn playing to the wishes of fate."

"That's because I am." Trista sighed. Why did her child need to be so stubborn about everything? "I'll go so that you don't have too; I'll take Hotaru with me. I swear it, you'll never hear another word from me and you'll not need to witness what must be done. In return for this, you will guard the gates and do your job as was ordered and preordained upon your birth. It is the best I can offer you Setsuna."

"The best you can offer?" She spat out in total disgust. "That's nothing more than a lie. You've lived for so long, and now, after telling me all that you have, you put a lie into my face expecting me to accept it as the truth. Fate can't hold you that hard, it can't chain you so much that you become unable to move! There's no way it owns you so severely. I refuse to believe that." She bit her lip looking to the floor. "You could spare her…you could…you just don't want too."

"Yes. Indeed I could spare the child her life, but for how long?" Trista wanted nothing more than to do just that. "I could leave her alone; however isn't that even more depraved? Will you wait until she awakens? When we have to cut her down in battle to the death? Do you really want her to suffer so badly? It would be so easy you know." Trista spoke the facts coldly, she had to be blunt. "The other Senshi wouldn't have a problem cutting her life away as if she was nothing more than another enemy on another battle front. However, do you want her to endure such hardship?"

Setsuna looked too the floor. This was why, often, many felt the girl needed to be killed as an infant. If dark times struck, it was more humane to off her before she awakened, before too many people suffered her wrath. Still, Looking at the small Hotaru now, the scene was hard to accept. "She can't wake Minako up…its upsetting her so much that she can't wake her up." Minako had left go the reality that was the living realm, falling into the dream like coma common from emotional distress.

"She can nuzzle into her all she wants." Trista answered softly. "Hotaru can't wake her up with the palace is in such turmoil. She doesn't understand anymore. It would be wrong to force her powers into awakening like this. Even if I wanted death, I can't accept my own salivation when she'll become such a pained deranged being." Trista rarely cried, years of life had hardened her ability to feel any remorse for natural order, yet still, sadness could be seen in her eyes. "In the long run, I just couldn't rest in peace if I would allow her to further fall victim to such malice."

"Just give me a moment then." Setsuna's voice quivered. Never did she think that she would have allowed this to happen. She walked into Rei's quarters; the blond was on the sofa, asleep within her own emotional confides, Rei hardly better off as she stayed by Minako's side, unwavering in her tasks to care for her. Hotaru? The little one hadn't left, constantly hovering around the sleeping blond. Rei hadn't liked it at first, beating the small girl away a few times; now Rei had given up, allowing the child to get near. "Hotaru." The monotone voice beckoned the girl and she came willingly, she could sense the unease in her protector.

Rei watched for a moment before walking out of the room. She didn't know why, but Setsuna was shedding tears, and that was one thing Rei never wanted to see. Trista was outside of the door, and it took all Rei had not to deck the woman in the face. "Want to tell me just what the hell you plan to do?"

"Anger suits you well, but I'd advise you not be so crass with your actions." Trista warned solemnly.
"That's crap." Rei growled. "Setsuna may be an annoyance, but she doesn't cry." She grabbed Trista's shirt collar. "What in the hell did you do?"
"My job and nothing more." The response was spoken calmly as she removed Rei's hands. "Setsuna allowed attachment, now she suffers. I can't help that."
"Sounds like you take a sick pleasure in watching her in such pain." Rei was already on the offensive with Minako asleep. Trista made a good target.
"Do I now?" Trista wasn't in the mood for this. "It seems to me that I've chose the lesser of two evils. I'm doing what's best."
"That's a boldfaced lie!" Rei stepped forward throwing a punch. "Why are you keeping it all a secret? What's happening! I know you know!"

"She knows as much as I know." Setsuna walked through the door, Hotaru in tow. "I can't say I agree either Rei, but there's nothing we can do. We can shed all the blood we want, it will do no good. What must be done is what is going to happen; all I can say is that for what it's worth, we will not always endure such pain." She let go of Hotaru, kneeling to her level. "You know that I'm sorry right?" Hot tears slipped down her face and again she starting sobbing. "You know that…right?"

Hotaru just shook her head. Patting the mage lightly on the forehead she cocked her head to the side before trying to push Setsuna's lips into a smile. "No cry…job…no cry…" She walked over to Rei, pointing at the mage, and then Rei's broach upon her shirt. The Moonga glimmered in the pale light and Rei nodded. "Protect…job…protect…" Without another signal she walked over to Trista, stopping her from making a move. "Don't want job…" She could feel that answer within her heart and she sighed. She turned to Rei, a deep purple invading her eyes as an almost demonic voice called. "Martian…do job…protect." And with that, Hotaru awakened her powers, cutting Trista's life away with a blast of energy as she rapidly grew four years in age.

Rei panicked as she pulled out her sword. The energy was so intense; she could feel it flowing off of the girl in waves. She braced herself as Hotaru flung another ball of energy head on, this time at Rei. "Protect!" Hotaru shouted again, her power was consuming her as she fought both it, and Rei. "Do job!" She coughed up blood as she fought her own powers. Rei was unsure what to do; dogging the spastic energy was hard enough. She couldn't get close.

"I Can't!" She shouted to the being. "Hotaru, I can't protect you!" Rei wasn't sure why, but it sounded like a plea, a cry for help. Something sounded like it was in side of her, Hotaru sounded scared even if the voice wasn't a normal sound.

"Not her." Setsuna was the first to comprehend what was going on. "Rei…she wants you to kill her." She put her hand to her face. Hotaru had known all too well what her fate was going to be. She was asking to be stopped and that thought alone made Setsuna freeze in horror. Hotaru knew and yet she was going to awaken herself anyway. "Do it before she fully awakens her power!"

"Easy for you to say!" Rei shouted as she jumped into the energy field again only to be blasted into the wall. Hotaru flung two more energy blasts into the air at seemingly unattainable speeds, Rei was getting easily beaten.

Setsuna was a mage. It was the job of a mage to deal with fate, and serve only the whim of destiny. She nodded, knowing what she had to do, and knowing the price she would pay in return. She pulled the staff into her hands, the cool metal was something she knew well of. It was her job now; it was her task and her responsibility. "I too am now the condemned, I'm sorry Hotaru…I promise I won't fail you again…I'll never fail you again after this…"

"TIME STOP!"

TBC~~

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