I looked around my room, remembering that I was there, sitting in my bed. I stared up at the others that were all around me. As I was about to say something, the memories of the nightmare rushed back to me, and I could feel my heart skip a beat and tears well up in my mind. What if something like that happens again? What if that… that…monster hurts me… or the others?
I pulled my legs up to my chest as I took a couple deep, yet shaky breaths. They didn't calm me down, and before I knew it, I started hyperventilating, my lungs gasping for air that I couldn't give them. I hid my face in my hands, feeling ashamed that I was crying over something as trivial as a dream, but I couldn't shake that feeling of helplessness that I felt in the nightmare.
"Hotaru… are you ok?" Rei asked, as she tried to get me to breathe properly.
The room was starting to spin, but I still was too anxious and scared to calm down and breathe. I looked at my arms and legs, and all the cuts there were, and I felt my arm, the left one, at the wrist, it throbbed angrily. It must be broken…Oh god, what was happening?
*****
Setsuna sat down at the side of the bed and pried
Hotaru's hands from her face. She looked into her eyes, eyes that held
inconceivable amounts of anguish, pain, and angst. Tears streamed down her
cheeks, and her face looked as white as a ghost.
"Hotaru… what's wrong? What did you see?" Haruka asked
with unusual compassion and warmth. But Hotaru broke down into the most
mournful, heartbreaking sobs any of them could ever remember hearing.
"What is it, Hotaru? What?" Setsuna pleaded, kneeling before her, her
hands folded around Hotaru. "We can't help you if you don't tell us what
it is!"
"I saw it!" whispered Hotaru, wrenching the words from her bosom.
"That darkness!" She began keening on the bed and Rei and Setsuna held on
tighter. "It had no spirit… nothing… just EVIL! SO COLD AND DARK AND…
INHUMAN…" She wailed before she started crying again, hiding her face in her
hands.
"Aw, it's OK, Hotaru," moaned Setsuna, on the verge of tears for the
small girl. "He's gone now. You don't have to worry about him any
longer."
"NO!" cried Hotaru. "You don't understand! I-I can still feel
it! The horrible, suffocating evil! It's still inside my head, playing games
with my mind, making it so I can't even think! How do you know it can
die? It's not Pharaoh 90, but... his brother… if . . . if something like
that can be possible . . ."
"Hotaru, calm down, please," begged Michiru. "You're becoming
hysterical! You're going to hurt yourself if you keep up like this!" She
closed her eyes for a second. 'I couldn't even begin to comprehend what
Hotaru's going through. I'm still having trouble pushing the last encounter
with that evil force from my head.' Michiru thought sombrely to herself.
"We're not safe! None of us are safe… and it's all my fault…I'm putting
you in jeopardy…"
Suddenly Rei's hand was pressed to Hotaru's forehead. She pulled it away
slowly, leaving one of her mystic wards pressed onto the girl. Hotaru froze,
her psyche a momentary void. Then she let out a wavering breath and went limp.
Rei held her by the shoulders and softly eased her to the bed.
"What did you do?" Haruka asked, amazed.
"It's a ward to drive off evil thoughts," whispered Rei. "I wish
it could last forever, but at least it'll let her sleep peacefully for a few
hours."
Once Hotaru was safely in bed, Rei got up and walked around the room, her arms
over her chest and her hands folded over one another under her chin.
"Well now we know what's bugging her," said Michiru, her brow knit.
She glanced up at Setsuna. "Are you going to be all right?" Haruka
asked, looking to Setsuna, who seemed very quiet and distressed.
"She didn't want to worry us," Setsuna said, standing by the window
of the room, her back to the others and her head bowed. "She's been
holding in something this traumatic for lord knows how long now because SHE
didn't want to worry us."
"You know how she is," Michiru shrugged. She checked once more on
Hotaru, who was off in a dreamless sleep.
"When I had my premonition about the Silence," Rei whispered,
"My mind just brushed up against it and I was messed up for weeks. She
looked at something even more powerful than it right in the eye! Who knows what
she's been going through!"
"If only I had my powers! I could at least see what's going to happen!" Setsuna yelled out as she stood up and walked to the door.
"What? You don't know what's going to happen??!!??" Rei shrieked.
"No! I can't see what's going to happen because I can't see my own future! Because I'm somehow involved in this, I can't see any details!" She said, frustration evident in her voice.
"Then we really are screwed, aren't we?" Haruka said
acrimoniously, resulting in numerous objects being thrown at her.
*****
Haruka walked down the stairs and walked to the kitchen as she stretched and rubbed her eyes. It was 4:45 am, and she had to get up early because she had a track meet that morning. She didn't necessarily want to go, especially considering all the events that had happened recently, but the directors would suspect something if she pulled out of the race this late in the game. She turned the corner and jumped when she saw Hotaru sitting at the table nursing a cup of green tea.
"Good morning." Hotaru said miserably, not looking up from her tea.
"What are you doing up so early? You should still be in bed." Haruka said as she recovered her wits and went to the cupboard to find something for breakfast. She heard Hotaru chuckle lightly at the remark.
"Do you actually expect me to get any sleep after what happened last night?" she said half-heartedly.
"Okay, point made." She said as she got the milk from the refrigerator and sat down. It was then she got a good look at Hotaru. She was wearing a purple tank top and black shorts, but that wasn't what Haruka noticed. Hotaru was covered in numerous gashes and scrapes, including a deep one on her forehead. She had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and she still held her wrist at a slight angle. Even her aura seemed different, darker. Has this last encounter scarred her for life?
"Hotaru… is your arm broken?" Haruka asked, afraid of the answer. She just nodded as she hid her hand under the table.
"Why? Why don't you heal it?" She asked, stunned, as she got up from the table and went over to Hotaru.
"I can't." Hotaru said as she warily held out her wrist. Her wrist was covered in bruises, as well as a deep gash along the wrist. It was by some miracle that the gash missed the main artery, else she would have bled to death.
"You can't heal it?" Haruka said doubtfully as she
inspected the wrist and the bones that were out of place.
"I don't know… I can't. Maybe I'm too afraid, or maybe I'm too weak, or maybe I just lost that ability, but either way, I've tried, and I can't."
"Well… it should be looked at… Do you want to go to the Hospital… no, never mind, they ask too many questions. We'll go see Usagi, she'll be able to do it." Haruka looked at her watch. Crap, I've got to go to the track, wanna come? We can stop on the way at Usagi's." Haruka said as she grabbed her jacked, track bag and keys.
"Sure, but you know she won't be up." Hotaru pointed out.
"True… oh, well, tough noogies. She's gonna get up early today."