Chapter 12: Surprises
I ran upstairs and slammed the door to my room, getting
some satisfaction from hearing the loud crash it made. I leaned against the
door, and slowly slid down to the ground. So my dreams are more than they seem…
I felt bad about not telling anyone, but I knew that if I did, they'd try to
stop events. They'd try to come up with some hairball scheme in that "nobody
had to die." I got up from the door
and walked over to my window. It was a beautiful starry night. Even though I
couldn't see it, I knew exactly where Saturn was. I thought about what Haruka
said… about her not wanting me to get hurt… part of me wanted to believe her,
but the other half kept up it's shields. I didn't care if I died… In fact, I
welcome it. The worst thing I worried about concerning my death was not having
any real meaning to it. I admired all the storybook and movie characters who
gave their lives for others. There's real courage and love. As I looked out to the starry sky, I saw a
shooting star. Hmmm… why not? Even though it was sappy, I still made a wish. I
wished my death would leave a lasting impact on the universe, that I could die
so that the world would be a better place. Maybe that's why I still want to be
a nurse, to be able to help people in need. I also wished to have real friends
that I would give up my life for... I was a little worried about dying, but
then again, what have I got to lose? No family, no real friends… no real reason
to live, either. Damn, there's that irony… soldier of death has nothing to
lose… Who was the freaking idiot that came up with the concept of irony? I'd
really love to introduce him to my good friend, my glaive. Whoa… do people
always think such stupid thoughts in situations like these? I laughed, but soon
the laughter died as my thoughts shifted back to my dilemma. 'I bet normal 16 year
olds don't have to deal with this crap' I thought as a single tear fell down my
face.
*****
Michiru quietly opened the door and peered inside
Hotaru's room. It was complete darkness inside, but Michiru still barely made
out Hotaru's still frame sitting by the window. She saw the outline of her face
as she looked out at the stars. Michiru was slightly alarmed as she saw a tear
slide down her face. Hotaru quickly
wiped it away. 'That's Hotaru,' Michiru thought. 'Never wanting anyone to know
she's hurting.' She slowly slipped into
the room and closed the door. She crept
up to Hotaru, who was lost in her own thoughts, and stopped when she saw Hotaru
stiffen suddenly. Before she could say anything, Hotaru sprang up and tackled
Michiru to the floor. Before she could protest, a large explosion shook the
building, coming through Hotaru's window.
*****
Haruka and Setsuna felt the blast and saw smoke falling
down the stairs. They ran upstairs, and saw the smoke creeping out from
underneath Hotaru's door. Setsuna ran up to the door and tried to open it. They
both heard struggling inside. They both transformed and Haruka tried to slammed
the door open. The second time, the door burst down, and through the doorway,
they saw Hotaru backed up against a far wall. In front of her, a dark figure stood, laughing menacingly. Michiru
was kneeling on the ground, the dark figures hair wrapped around her neck,
suffocating her.
"Well well… looks like we have company…" the dark woman
sneered as she turned around to face them.
"Mistress 9!" Sailor Uranus shouted, as she took a step
back.
"Let them go!"
Sailor Pluto warned, as she raised her staff.
"And why would I do that? I have just what the Master
wants right here…" she replied. In a split second her hair snuck around the
Sailors and grabbed their necks. She
turned back to Hotaru. "Now, where were we? Ah yes… making you pay for
defeating us once! She said as she raised her hand. A ball of energy grew from
it and shot towards Hotaru. She jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the
blast, and turned to her desk, as she picked up a letter opener. She turned to the others and whipped it at
the Sailor Senshi, so it cut through
the hair wrapped around their necks, and they dropped to the floor, gasping for
air.
After Mistress 9 realized what had happened, she grabbed
Hotaru and produced a knife that she held to her neck. "I wouldn't do anything too rash, now… we
all know how that could quickly turn into a bad thing." She threatened. She dug
the knife deeper into Hotaru's neck, and small drops of blood dripped down her
neck. Haruka saw the look in Hotaru's
eyes… she wasn't afraid? She looked perfectly calm, and looked straight at
Haruka.
'Don't do anything rash.' Haruka heard in her head. She
wondered who had said it, but one more look at Hotaru said it all. 'I can
handle myself.' She heard again. Was it really Hotaru that said that? Is Saturn
telepathic? Mistress 9 leered at them. Haruka had to make up her mind quick. A
second later, she put up a hand to Sailor Pluto and Neptune, warning them to
stay back.
"Well, it's nice to see that the Sailor Scouts have some
sense left in them. If you'll excuse us, we have an appointment to make." And
with that, she backed towards the hole in the wall that the explosion made.
Hotaru had her eyes closed, and looked like a rag doll, just letting mistress 9
carry her away. The sigil of Saturn started to glow, and Hotaru started
whispering words in a strange language.
"Ma's e cluasag d'hut mise tha fo eislean shiu choinnlean
mhablain …" A light halo formed around
Hotaru's body, and beside her nightstand, which had toppled over in the
explosion, the purple and black crystal that her mother gave her started to
glow. Hotaru continued to chant in the
strange language, and the crystal's light continued to glow, until it filled
the whole room. Mistress 9 screamed in agony as the light played across her
skin.
"You little brat!" she spat out in contempt. She let go
of Hotaru, throwing her to the ground. Hotaru got back up, and turned towards Mistress
9.
"Yeah, that's right. Now you go back to your Master and
tell him that the little brat you were sent to capture got away. And tell him
to send someone stronger next time, you obviously can't handle the job." She
said in a cold voice, lacking emotion.
"Oh, and one more thing…" She said, as she pushed Mistress 9 out the
hole in the wall. She heard a hard splat on the pavement outside. Hotaru
couldn't help but let a giggle escape. She peered out the hole to look down at
the fallen witch, who limped towards an open vortex. After it closed, she
dusted off her hands and turned away from the hole. She was startled when she
realised that Michiru, Haruka and Setsuna were still in the room.
"Umm… " She looked around the room, which now lay in
complete disarray. "Sorry for the mess." The older women just stared at the
girl with open mouths.
