Chapter 4: The Vision
When Hotaru woke up, she saw five worried faces around her. Michiru and Rini looked close to tears, Haruka's face was tight with worry and Serena and Mrs Tsukino were pale.
"Hotaru? Are you okay? You just.. um... blacked out."
Rini's weak smile made Hotaru feel worse. Why did she feel... weird? Not herself? She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Serena's mom pushed her back down.
"Now now, you need rest. Poor thing, it seems like you're always ill."
Hotaru remembered what she had heard before she 'blacked out'. She thought it was time to investigate.
"Um, Rini, Mrs Tsukino? Can you leave me alone with Haruka and Michiru please?"
Rini started to protest, but Mrs Tsukino wagged her finger.
"Sure Hotaru. Just call us if you need anything."
After they all trooped out, Haruka sat on the edge of the bed.
"So. What do you want to talk to us about?"
"Well, you know you said you had secrets? I think I can guess one of them."
Michiru froze, her face white and her arms rigid. Her blue, eyes which usually sparkled went dull and cold. Haruka gave her a meaningful look and carried on.
"Well, go on then. What is one of our secrets?"
Hotaru was just thinking when she heard the door crash downstairs. Everyone jumped as the yellow, blue and white streak from earlier came tearing in the door.
"Sorry guys, Ms Haruna's really mean! She DEMANDED a full explanation! Cheek!"
Now that the streak had slowed down, Hotaru could see her round blue eyes, her meatball-style hair in vivid yellow and the fact that the blue and white came from the standard Japanese school uniform she was wearing. Still feeling weak, she watched as the girl, who could only be Serena, came over to her bedside.
"So, are you okay now?"
Hotaru could only nod, not having the strength to speak. Her voice felt unstable… weird. The girl then turned to Michiru and Haruka.
"Does she remember any more?"
Hotaru felt she had to answer for them.
"I remember.. light. A yellow flash and a white beam. Oh!"
The last word came out as a stifled gasp as Hotaru heard her own voice. It sound.. mature. Grown up. But how could that be, she was five! Or... Maybe...
"Michiru. Haruka. We need to find out what went wrong. This shouldn't have happened this early. We need to find Setsuna and.."
"But Setsuna, why do we need to modify her memory? It's not like it will affect her performance as a true scout."
"Serena, we must take every precaution. This is the best thing for her. It will only wear off if she finds out the truth, and hopefully that won't happen until we tell her..."
"You lied."
All eyes in the room were on her.
"What?"
"You lied. I didn't have an accident. You hurt me, you took my memory away! Now I don't know who I am, or what my true status is! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!"
She broke down crying, ashamed of what she had just said to her only true friends in the world.
"Hotaru, we only lied to you to save you from yourself!"
"Well, are you going to tell me the truth or.."
"Well now little miss Destructo! We have a present for you."
"What do you mean? You wouldn't give a present to a traitor like myself."
"Oh, we must put the past behind us. Today is a new day. And tomorrow will be even better.. for us."
"Why for you? What are you going to do to me?"
"Something we should have done the first time round. See you on the dark side!!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A burning pain in Hotaru's head made her lose her senses. For the second time that day, she blacked out, a worried voice in her head..
"No! You've destroyed my best friend. Mommy, how could you? Every time I see those brown eyes from now on, I will think of this moment, the time after evil..."
Hotaru's subconscious started whizzing at a million miles a second. Random fragments of light and colour started to come together. A picture of a younger Rini came into her head. She smiled and turned her head to one side.
"You know, I feel like I can trust you. Can I?"
"You decide, Small Lady."
"Stop calling me that!!"
"Sorry. So, can you trust me?"
"Well.. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Thank you, Small La- Rini."
"And you, what is your true name?"
"I should not say. A true scout never tells her name or lies.."
When Hotaru woke up, she saw five worried faces around her. Michiru and Rini looked close to tears, Haruka's face was tight with worry and Serena and Mrs Tsukino were pale.
"Hotaru? Are you okay? You just.. um... blacked out."
Rini's weak smile made Hotaru feel worse. Why did she feel... weird? Not herself? She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Serena's mom pushed her back down.
"Now now, you need rest. Poor thing, it seems like you're always ill."
Hotaru remembered what she had heard before she 'blacked out'. She thought it was time to investigate.
"Um, Rini, Mrs Tsukino? Can you leave me alone with Haruka and Michiru please?"
Rini started to protest, but Mrs Tsukino wagged her finger.
"Sure Hotaru. Just call us if you need anything."
After they all trooped out, Haruka sat on the edge of the bed.
"So. What do you want to talk to us about?"
"Well, you know you said you had secrets? I think I can guess one of them."
Michiru froze, her face white and her arms rigid. Her blue, eyes which usually sparkled went dull and cold. Haruka gave her a meaningful look and carried on.
"Well, go on then. What is one of our secrets?"
Hotaru was just thinking when she heard the door crash downstairs. Everyone jumped as the yellow, blue and white streak from earlier came tearing in the door.
"Sorry guys, Ms Haruna's really mean! She DEMANDED a full explanation! Cheek!"
Now that the streak had slowed down, Hotaru could see her round blue eyes, her meatball-style hair in vivid yellow and the fact that the blue and white came from the standard Japanese school uniform she was wearing. Still feeling weak, she watched as the girl, who could only be Serena, came over to her bedside.
"So, are you okay now?"
Hotaru could only nod, not having the strength to speak. Her voice felt unstable… weird. The girl then turned to Michiru and Haruka.
"Does she remember any more?"
Hotaru felt she had to answer for them.
"I remember.. light. A yellow flash and a white beam. Oh!"
The last word came out as a stifled gasp as Hotaru heard her own voice. It sound.. mature. Grown up. But how could that be, she was five! Or... Maybe...
"Michiru. Haruka. We need to find out what went wrong. This shouldn't have happened this early. We need to find Setsuna and.."
"But Setsuna, why do we need to modify her memory? It's not like it will affect her performance as a true scout."
"Serena, we must take every precaution. This is the best thing for her. It will only wear off if she finds out the truth, and hopefully that won't happen until we tell her..."
"You lied."
All eyes in the room were on her.
"What?"
"You lied. I didn't have an accident. You hurt me, you took my memory away! Now I don't know who I am, or what my true status is! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!"
She broke down crying, ashamed of what she had just said to her only true friends in the world.
"Hotaru, we only lied to you to save you from yourself!"
"Well, are you going to tell me the truth or.."
"Well now little miss Destructo! We have a present for you."
"What do you mean? You wouldn't give a present to a traitor like myself."
"Oh, we must put the past behind us. Today is a new day. And tomorrow will be even better.. for us."
"Why for you? What are you going to do to me?"
"Something we should have done the first time round. See you on the dark side!!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A burning pain in Hotaru's head made her lose her senses. For the second time that day, she blacked out, a worried voice in her head..
"No! You've destroyed my best friend. Mommy, how could you? Every time I see those brown eyes from now on, I will think of this moment, the time after evil..."
Hotaru's subconscious started whizzing at a million miles a second. Random fragments of light and colour started to come together. A picture of a younger Rini came into her head. She smiled and turned her head to one side.
"You know, I feel like I can trust you. Can I?"
"You decide, Small Lady."
"Stop calling me that!!"
"Sorry. So, can you trust me?"
"Well.. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Thank you, Small La- Rini."
"And you, what is your true name?"
"I should not say. A true scout never tells her name or lies.."