Chapter Thirty-six: Searching
Hotaru had to tell Chibi-Usa that she had nothing to be ashamed of. Hotaru loved the princess like the sister she'd never had. Chibi-Usa easily brought others together, perhaps because, like Hotaru, Chibi-Usa had been lonely, ostracized because of her appearance. According to Chibi-Usa, the friend of a friend was also a friend. When she was around, no one was a stranger.
Thanks to Chibi-Usa, Hotaru had grown closer to Setsuna, who she flew beside in the tunnel leading to the security tunnel. Her motherly presence reassured and calmed Hotaru. Alongside Haruka and Michiru, Setsuna had helped raise Hotaru. The younger Guardian could come to Setsuna for anything, like a friendship. After spending centuries guarding the Space-Time Door, Setsuna must be appreciative of having friends by her side.
Michiru was also like a mother but not as strict, cooking scrumptious meals, like Hotaru's favorite food, soba; filled the cottage she, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru had lived in with violin concertos; took care of Hotaru's cuts and scratches from playing with Haruka.
Haruka was fatherly, giving sage advice, encouraging Hotaru to do her best, no matter others' opinions. Oftentimes, Haruka was mistaken for a man instead of the beautiful, yet handsome, woman she was, but she remained focused, not letting others' thoughts influence her. She was tender when she and Hotaru roughhoused. Hotaru may be small and a little frail, but she wasn't that gentle. Many times, she'd chewed on the irony of the Guardian of Destruction being a fragile tween, but she didn't let her youth or frailty hold her back.
During that brief time in the cottage before the Dead Moon Circus had shattered their tranquility, Hotaru learned much from the older Guardians. Now she would test what she learned.
Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto emerged into a wide-open area brightened by several neon lights about. Moving, floating platforms hovered near the ceiling.
A tunnel led deeper into the Mermalair. Perhaps that tunnel, alongside the porcupine-like, electricity-pulsing machines were the reasons why this area was called the security tunnel. Didn't seem like much of a security system, but the devices couldn't be underestimated. The other Guardians talked about how dangerous the most innocent-looking objects in Bikini Bottom turned out to be, like boxes that could transport objects. If those boxes went haywire, one could wind up trapped in the middle of two dimensions.
Hotaru could handle Bikini Bottom. Many thought she was a waif who needed to be protected, but she wielded much power. Her enemies underestimating her, not believing that so much power could burst from a little girl, worked to her advantage. She'd never lost or feared losing a battle.
Setsuna and Hotaru flew through the tunnel, over the disco floors. They dodged and defeated robots, foraging through every nook and cranny—behind rocks, in corners and crevices—for the pink pigtails, Chibi-Usa's voice. Chibi-Usa could fit almost anywhere. When playing hide-and-seek once, she'd hidden between two bookshelves.
Chibi-Usa would cry silently to hide her tears. Although she was afraid of her enemies, she was more afraid that her friends would find her vulnerable, not wanting anyone's sympathy, which she interpreted as pity.
Neither Setsuna nor Hotaru called Chibi-Usa's name, fearful that she would run if they did. Regardless, defeating the robots caused a racket. Even though Hotaru's attack name had the word "silence" within, there was nothing silent about a blast of energy, including the screams that filled the air once the enemies were hit or saw the power that Hotaru commanded.
Near the end of the tunnel, Setsuna and Hotaru landed.
"She has to be around here somewhere," Hotaru said. "She wouldn't go that far. Would she?"
Setsuna tapped her chin. "She could be disguising herself or shrouding herself in an illusion with Luna-P."
"Do you think she carried Luna-P all the way down here?"
"Small Lady has very…cunning ways, Hotaru."
Hotaru hadn't known Chibi-Usa as long as Setsuna. Combine the length of time that Chibi-Usa and Setsuna had known each other with Setsuna's observance meant that Setsuna knew Chibi-Usa inside and out.
"I didn't see anything that looked out of the ordinary," Hotaru said.
"That doesn't mean that nothing was there."
"True." If only Rei or Michiru were here. They'd be able to sense Chibi-Usa's energy, unless Chibi-Usa de-transformed into her civilian form but, with the Dead Moon Circus lurking, she couldn't risk de-transforming. "Maybe we can come back. I think we should move forward for now." It seemed as though the tunnels led to the next part of the Mermalair, where Chibi-Usa might have gone.
Setsuna nodded. "Standing here isn't helping us."
The two Guardians flew out the end of the tunnel, where they emerged at the top of the area. No sign of Chibi-Usa. Nor had there been any traces of CereCere and Fisheye. Maybe the Dead Moon Circus members were attacking Chibi-Usa. In her emotional state, Chibi-Usa wouldn't fight as well, especially if Fisheye was manipulating her dreams.
Hotaru and Setsuna flew through another tunnel, signs reading in wobbly print, "This way to the Rolling Ball Room." They emerged in an area with different devices hanging from the ceiling, tilting wooden platforms with holes, slides, things that Hotaru couldn't name.
In front of a glass dome holding a Golden Spatula, Mr. Krabs salivated. His pupils were dilated, and he chanted, "Gold under that there glass. Such shiny glass for such shiny gold…"
"Excuse me," Setsuna said. Mr. Krabs kept salivating. "Excuse me," she said more loudly. The crab salivated more.
Hotaru walked to him and tapped his shoulder. He didn't move.
She raised her glaive. "The only way I can think of to get his attention with, is with this. And I don't want to hurt him." Another common misconception about the Guardian of Destruction—that she loved violence when she wanted to stay far away from it. She'd seen enough destruction and violence in her own life, among her father and the Death Busters, that she didn't want to create more.
Hotaru poked the top of the crab's back with the blunt part of her glaive. No response. Waved her glaive in front of his long, narrow eyes. No response. Reached toward the glass with her glaive.
Mr. Krabs' hands lashed out, grabbing the glaive. He glared at Hotaru. "I was here first." He shook the glaive, shaking Hotaru by extension. "This gold is mine, y'see? Mine, mine, mine."
Setsuna sighed. "Finally, we've gotten your attention." She placed a hand over her heart. "Mr. Krabs, my name is Setsuna, and this is Hotaru. We're friends with Usagi, Ami, and the other humans."
Mr. Krabs' eyes twitched toward the Golden Spatula, sweat cascading down his forehead, his knuckles whitening against Hotaru's glaive. The Mermalair was dank and cool. Money and greed made him sweat. Quite a reaction.
"We're not here for the Golden Spatula, sir." Hotaru tugged her glaive, but the crab didn't loosen his grip. "Please let go of my weapon." She almost mentioned that it was sharp and could pierce one of his sweaty eyes, but Setsuna often reminded her that talk about gouging out eyes and ripping hearts out scared people.
Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes further. "Oh, no, you're not. You're like that pink-haired girl, thinking you're cute but conniving and greedy instead."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow, her calm way of asking whether Mr. Krabs was that stupid.
"Speaking of Chibi-Usa," Hotaru said, "have you seen her? We're here to find her, not for the Golden Spatula. So I'd appreciate if you let go of my weapon."
Mr. Krabs' eyes sparkled. "I've seen nothing but this shiny Golden Spatula." Wow. Blinded by greed, Mr. Krabs had missed Chibi-Usa.
Finally letting go of her glaive, Mr. Krabs pressed his pincers and his face on the glass, his breath steaming. His tongue lolled out. Gold was like meat to him.
"Or have I?" Mr. Krabs grinned at Setsuna and Hotaru. "I may have seen the adorable girl with the pink hair. I don't know. And you won't know, either, unless you use your weapons to break this glass for me and get the Golden Spatula."
Smarter than he seemed. Hotaru shrugged. "Well, we don't have anything to lose. Unless I'm missing something." Mr. Krabs could be lying, but they still didn't have anything to lose but a bit of time, most of which they'd used rummaging around for Chibi-Usa.
Setsuna's frown deepened. "Right."
No need to overthink anything. "Please step aside, sir. I'll need to swing this pretty hard." Hotaru didn't have much upper body strength, but she could try.
Mr. Krabs scrambled backward, tremoring, sweating more vigorously. Eager to listen to her now that gold was in his future.
Hotaru drew back her glaive and then swung with all her power. Her glaive shattered the glass, pieces exploding, some slicing Mr. Krabs' shell. As soon as the glass broke, Mr. Krabs snatched and cradled the Golden Spatula.
"Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you," Mr. Krabs gazed at the Spatula, his reflection within, like it was a baby. Had he been addressing the Guardians or the Spatula?
"What are you going to do with it?" Hotaru couldn't help but ask.
Mr. Krabs hugged the Spatula to his chest. "Keep it in my safe, o' course. What else would you do with perfectly shiny gold?"
"Spend it?"
"Gold is too precious to spend, like all money and Shiny Objects. You keep all o' it, that's what you do."
Money was to be used, useless if stored. Made no sense why Mr. Krabs would keep money instead of spend or invest it.
Red lights flashed. This time, Hotaru had breached the security system.
Above, the ceiling opened like a sliding door, and a ball quadruple the size of a beach ball fell from the hole. On top of the ball lay, sprawled, Chibi-Usa. In her civilian form.
Hotaru's mouth parted. Had Chibi-Usa de-transformed out of her own will or involuntarily because of distress, like what had happened to Minako?
Not even Hotaru would've believed that Chibi-Usa would crawl inside a ceiling. A potentially smart move that turned out to be her downfall.
Hotaru flew toward Chibi-Usa. The pink-haired Guardian's red-rimmed eyes shot to Hotaru. Chibi-Usa shut her eyes, ashamed to be seen crying.
"It's okay, Chibi-Usa-chan." Hotaru didn't have time to word it, but Chibi-Usa showing her emotions was okay, especially in front of her friends.
The ball and Chibi-Usa spun as they fell, Chibi-Usa tightening her grip on the ball, suppressing a scream and moaning instead. The ball fell onto a red slide, slid down.
The robots descended.
They'd taken over the security system; it followed that they'd be drawn to breaches, avoiding the Orbs of Confusion for obvious reasons.
"I'll take care of the robots," came Setsuna's voice from somewhere behind Hotaru. "You focus on saving Small Lady."
"All right." Hotaru quickened but, the farther the ball slid, the quicker it moved. A Chuck threw a water missile at a stone lever in the middle of the slide, a break where the lever hung. At the top of the lever hung a rolling ball-sized holder. Upon the missile's impact, the lever tilted downward, placing the holder at the end of the break. The ball rolled into the holder, and the lever tilted upward, dropping the ball onto a higher part of the slide. The Chuck laughed, Chibi-Usa letting her moan turn into a scream. She had to be dizzy.
Chibi-Usa and the ball rolled down the second half of the slide, toward another break. A missile whistled past Hotaru, into a button on the floor. A wooden gear-like object hung in the break, where a holder awaited the ball. The gear tilted so that the holder pointed toward Chibi-Usa.
Did the robots realize that they were saving Chibi-Usa, or were they missing her? Their aim was too particular for them to keep missing. Or they were torturing Chibi-Usa.
Hotaru grit her teeth, flying toward her friend. Wouldn't stop until she saved her friend who had saved her from herself.
The ball dropped into the holder, and the gear tilted upward, dumping the ball onto another part of the slide, a third split in the middle.
A third missile shrieked toward Hotaru. She whipped toward it but not before red-hot pain engulfed her. She shot backward. Everything burned, and she couldn't open her eyes. The robots' laughs, Chibi-Usa's scream permeating and then fading, filled her ears. Either Hotaru was flying away or Chibi-Usa was falling.
Assuming the reason was the latter, Hotaru burst energy around herself, brightening her black aura, flying through the smoke. She whisked her glaive, trying to clear the smoke so that she could see her friend. She broke through the smoke. Her eyes zeroed in on the falling Chibi-Usa and ball. Chibi-Usa hadn't transformed into Sailor Chibi-Moon. Either she couldn't muster up the concentration, grab her brooch, or she'd lost the ability.
Two Chucks and a Monsoon swerved in Hotaru's way. Hotaru was not having it today.
Raising her glaive, she shouted, "Silence Glaive Surprise!" Usually, she called her attacks in a normal voice or whisper. She was more distressed than she thought, especially since she'd launched one of her strongest attacks.
The black energy blasted from her glaive. The robots scurried, one Chuck hollering like a girl, a noise Hotaru never would've thought could come from a robot, before the beam shattered it. The other Chuck idiotically threw a missile, both the missile and the second, idiotic Chuck dissolving within the energy. The Monsoon had the sense to fly upward, dodging the blast.
The Monsoon jabbed a finger onto its remote control's button, and several clouds beat down. Tearing away her brain from figuring out how clouds in a cave made sense, Hotaru aimed her glaive at the Monsoon, and the robot scrambled every which way, partly out of fear, partly so she couldn't hit it. Its lightning-swollen, crackling clouds surrounded Hotaru, the lightning threatening to whip out like a snake and strike her. Paralyze her. Keep her from saving Chibi-Usa.
Hotaru roared, "Silence Glaive Surprise!" The black beam swept out from her glaive, and she swung, striking through and dissipating the clouds, slicing the Monsoon more ways than necessary. Living up to her name.
While its pieces rained, Hotaru flew toward the falling Chibi-Usa and the ball, both her friend and the ball almost out of sight. If the robots' distractions caused Chibi-Usa's death, then Hotaru would morph into the epitome of destruction.
Yet another Chuck swept below her and pelted a missile at the ball.
Hotaru hadn't seen the Chuck coming.
The missile exploded on the ball, its water fanning. Couldn't see whether Chibi-Usa had been hurt; it didn't seem like the water had directly hit her but covered the ball instead. The ball changed trajectory, sailing in the opposite direction. Hotaru should've saved Chibi-Usa, but her anger bested her. She released another Silence Glaive Surprise, destroying the Chuck, but not before it threw a missile, which struck the water ball, sending it sideways.
Chibi-Usa hollered.
Hotaru flew upward, toward the ball, as her heart dropped. Suddenly, Sailor Pluto flew beside her, Hotaru faintly hearing her apology for not defeating the robots.
The ball broke through the wall, revealing Ami and SpongeBob standing, gawking.
Hotaru barely paid attention to them. Her vision had tunneled so that she saw solely Chibi-Usa and the ball.
She would never again let her friends down.