New Dimensions: Episode 2~ The Invitation
~Firefly
Hotaru sat in class with her head down. She was so sleepy. She couldn't sleep at all last night thinking about what Minako had said:
~*~Flashback~*~
Hotaru plopped down on her bed and then three other girls came in.
"Hotaru you must swear that you can't tell a single soul about what Minako, Ami, and I did. Especially Usagi or Luna or Artemis!"
"Yeah alright. Where did you go?"
"We went to the future." Ami began. "Hundreds of years from now. Not many things have changed. We went to a 'Nibblers' and there, some boys---"
"Hotties!"
"Eh--- right. They invited us to sit with them."
"But you know what was weird, was that many of them were like us in a way." Setsuna said with a smile on. "They were... I have to admit, adorable little boys."
"They were not little." Minako stated.
"In my point of view they were. But the one that went by Heero... Yuy I think it was, he was much like you Hotaru."
"And he wasn't at all bad looking. Actually, when you think about it, you two do make a cute couple." Minako said.
This caught Hotaru's attention. She had never had feelings for person on the opposite gender and she didn't know anyone who acted like her, cold and emotionless. "C-couple? You have got to be kidding."
"Oh wouldn't they?" Ami asked.
Setsuna tilted her head letting her hair fall on her face and she giggled. Minako, who was lying on her stomach with her arms supporting her chin, closed her eyes and smiled and began waving her feet in the air like an innocent angel. Ami, who was sitting on Hotaru's desk with a book open but wasn't reading it, began to smile.
"You know what girls? You are right." Setsuna stated. "They would. If maybe... and I'm saying maybe if we do ever go back, we'll take Hotaru with us so that she can meet Heero."
"Yes!" Minako squealed with joy. "Hey wouldn't Rei and that Chang dude make a cute couple? They are both repugnant and mean! They would be adorable neh?"
Hotaru did not hear this last comment. She was too bust thinking.
~*~End Flashback~*~
Hotaru, with her head still down, felt something sharp and painful stab at her back and when she turned around, she saw that it was just one of her classmates stabbing her with a fine-point pen. Sure it stung and, if he continued, she would be bleeding, but she didn't mind. She has had more pain than that. And besides, she can always heal herself.
Hotaru just rolled her eyes and turned back around. This time, she didn't put her head down. Then her pupils became smaller and her eyes narrowed just a little when she felt an even sharper pain. She turned back around and saw that he had just finished sticking a thumbtack in her back. Her eyes showed anger and the boy grew tense. Then her eyes turned red and everything was a blur. When she was finally able to see, she saw the boy in front of her on the floor, blood all around him. He stood up, grabbing his shoulder where the gash was.
"What's wrong? Let me help you." Hotaru said holding out her hand, ready to heal the boy.
"G-go away! Don't touch me!" the boy screamed as he ran out and left the room.
"Stupid." "Witch." "Look at her trying to act all innocent." "Doesn't she remember what she did to him?" "Witch." "Witch." "Witch." Was all that Hotaru would hear as all of the people around her with evil and piercing glares would whisper to each other.
"N-no! I didn't mean to! I didn't!"
"That's why she doesn't have any friends. She keeps on trying to kill kids and healing them." She heard one kid whisper to another.
"It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"
"Witch."
"Witch."
"Witch."
"Witch."
"STOP!" Hotaru covered her ears and closed her eyes, wishing that everything were over. She could still hear the people. She was getting ready to cry when she ran out of the classroom and bumped into Haruka and Michiru. They were just passing by.
"Firefly! What's wrong?" Haruka asked.
"It-it happened again. I want to go home!"
"C'mon." Haruka said putting an arm around Hotaru and quickly jogging out of the school with Michiru close behind.
As Hotaru opened the door to her house, she looked around to make sure that her dad wasn't around. She didn't want him to question her why she was out of school so early. Then, the three of them sneaked into her room.
"Tell us what happened." Michiru said grabbing Hotaru's hands.
"Th-this boy, he was bothering me. He was poking me with a pencil." She began. Her eyes showed no emotion and her voice didn't either. "And I ignored it. Then he poked a thumbtack into my back."
Haruka quickly turned her around to see her back and saw that it was still there. "This might sting." Haruka muttered and, putting her nail under the sharp needle, she quickly took it out and then grabbed the blanket from her bed onto the cut trying to stop the blood.
"That's Okay." Hotaru said. "It'll heal."
"Continue." Michiru insisted.
"And--- and I was mad. Then, the next thing that I remember was-was him on the floor and everyone was calling me a witch."
"Oh Hota-chan... I'm so sorry." Michiru had some concerned eyes looking at Haruka and then back at Hotaru. They both stood up and walked to the other side of the room where Michiru told Haruka in a low voice, "It happened again. What are we going to do if she keeps this up?"
"I don't know. But I do know that she can't go back to school like this. We'll have to wait for a while until she would be able to come. Call Setsuna."
Michiru flipped on her communicator and tried to call Setsuna. (AN: I was watching Sailor Moon and I realized that Setsuna did go to the same school that Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru attended. My apologies.)
Setsuna had just opened her book when the comment of another student startled her. He was just coming from the nurses office bringing tissue when he said, "Hey did ya'll hear? That witch Hotaru did something again. It was to this kid. He said he was minding his our business when she attacked him!"
The teacher was ticked off with the rude behavior from the young man.
Setsuna jumped when she heard her communicator ring. No one really looked at her communicator. Everyone just thought that it was her watch alarm going off. Then Setsuna raised her hand and asked for permission to use the rest room.
When she was in one of the stalls, she flipped it open and saw Michiru's face filled with concern.
"What is it?"
"It's Hotaru. It happened again."
"I've heard." Setsuna mumbled.
"What are we going to do? She can't go back to school like this. It's going to happen again."
Setsuna heard some girl giggles coming closer and closer and she said quickly and quietly, "Look I have to go now, I'll try to call you back k?" and with that, she shut her communicator off and the girls stepped in.
Setsuna flushed the toilet that she wasn't using and stepped out to wash her hands.
"Hey Setsuna!" It was Kanako, one of her classmates. "Did you hear about that Hotaru chick? She like, almost killed a boy! That witch, and she was all trying to heal him!"
"Yeah! I heard that she did it because she thought that the boy poked her with something." Keiko, another classmate, said.
Setsuna didn't reply. She only washed her hands and left the bathroom.
After school, she ran to Hotaru's house and into her room. Hotaru was fast asleep and Haruka was calling the other scouts to come.
"Haruka, you shouldn't make a big deal about this."
"These sudden changes that Hotaru is having are happening more frequently. Pretty soon, she is going to be attacking us." Haruka said as she tried to reach Ami.
"But still, you shouldn't try to worry them. It'll only make thing worse. She'll get tense and probably attack us. Just leave everything like how it is."
"Too late." Michiru said.
They were in Hotaru's room for about twenty more minutes when the doorbell rang and outside stood the worried scouts. They all ran into Hotaru's room and saw her fast asleep still.
"What's the problem?" Makoto asked.
"Hotaru. She attacked another kid at school again."
"Again?!" they all asked at the same time.
"Yes. Again."
"What are we going to do if she keeps this up?" Ami asked.
"You can send her to a different dimension... What do you think Setsuna?"
"No... no we can't do that because, she might have one of those attacks again. And it would be even worse if she has one there because, we have no way of knowing."
"Setsuna..." it was Luna, "Why don't you bring some one that she might like over. That may distract her and stop her from making those attacks again."
"Like who? All of us go to school."
"Not all of us." Minako said with a sly smile.
Setsuna, realizing what she was talking about, glared at her and shook her head 'no'. You can't skip school Minako.
"Not that!" she went up to Setsuna and whispered in her ear, "Bring the guys over."
"No! Think about it Minakol. Five guys alone in a house with one girl!"
"What are you talking about? What five guys?" Luna and Makoto asked.
"It's nothing. Just some guys. Anyway, we can't."
Hotaru stirred and her eyes fluttered open. She heard voices and saw all of her "friends" on the other side of her room. "Wha-what? What happened? Why are you all here?"
"You invited us. Remember? Then you went to sleep." Artemis said.
"I-I did?"
"Mm-hmm." Luna agreed, nodding her head. "And we were just on our way out. So bye."
"Bye Hotaru!" "Bye." "Ja." "Sayonara" "See-ya!" "Later." "Ciao." Everyone left except for Ami, Setsuna, and Minako.
Hotaru was getting out of bed and she looked at the three with a bewildered expression on her face. "What are you still doing here?"
"What do you mean what are we still doing here?"
"I mean, what are you doing here?"
"We're your friends. Best friends, and we are going to stay and take care of you."
"Uhm... alright."
~*~
Makoto was extremely bored and so she dialed Minako's number. As it rang, she sat there, lightly tapping the telephone. It rang and it rang and no one picked up. Then she heard Minako's telephone answering machine:
Roses are red
Cactus are green
This is my telephone answering machine.
If you leave a message, that's ok
I'm not here, I ran away.
Leave a message after the tone
And I'll call you back when they drag me home.
**Beep**
Makoto hung up and called Minako's cell phone.
"Hi!"
"Oh-uh, Minako. Hi."
"What is it?"
"Oh. Just called to see if you wanted to sleep over my house tonight. I'm going to call everyone else."
"Oh! Great! Well, actually, I'm here with Setsuna and Ami and Hotaru if you want to tell them."
"Pass me to Ami and Setsuna."
"Hello?" it was Ami.
"Ami-chan! Just wondering if you wanted to sleep over tonight."
"Sure."
"Hai?" it was Setsuna.
"Setsuna, just wondering if you wanted to sleep over my house tonight. Whaddya think?"
"Yeah. Sure."
"Alright. Don't you want me to pass you to Hotaru?" Minako asked.
"Uhm... no actually, don't. I don't want her to end up attacking us in the middle of the night."
"I understand. Ok well then bye! Oh! And we'll be bringing company alright?"
"Company?"
"Five adorable guys."
"Oh GUYS? They are more than welcome!" Makoto squealed.
"Minako!" Setsuna whispered loudly.
"Ja!"
"Talk to ya later."
Makoto hung up and called Rei and Usagi.
Minako looked around the room and jumped up and down. "Let's get em' Let's get em'!!!!"
Ami and Setsuna sweat-dropped and walked out of the room.
Hotaru noticed that Minako had left her purse on the floor of her room.
Hotaru forced a smile and walked to her glass doors that led to her balcony. (AN: I know that she doesn't have a balcony but in this story she does! ^_^')
She opened them and took a deep breath. Then she stepped out and sat on her chair. A few birds flew past her in unison and they all turned at the same duration. She sighed again. So calm and peaceful. If only life were like that. Birds. If only Hotaru were a bird. 'I could go wherever.' Hotaru thought happily. Then her face hardened as she remembered what just happened. Makoto calling inviting everybody but her to a sleep over. 'How could she?' Hotaru thought.
~*~
Pluto, Venus, and Mercury were standing in front of the time gate.
"I can't believe I am doing this..." Pluto muttered, "Again." She turned and saw a jumping Venus and Pluto put on a small smile. They all held hands and stepped through. This time, they were not in the middle of an alley because they weren't inside Hotaru's library this time. They appeared to be in this large room. It looked like an empty ballroom. They had teleported from the largest fitting room in the department store not far from Hotaru's house.
"Wow! This is beautiful!" Minako whispered with stars in her eyes as the banquet room glowed.
The three of them transformed back to their normal garments and walked around looking for an exit.
"Well well well. What do we have here?"
Minako turned to see Duo Maxwell leaning on a wall facing them.
"Duo!" Minako giggled.
"How did you girls come inside? And how did you know we lived here?"
"You live here?"
"This is one of Quatre's mansions." Duo said slapping the wall nearest him.
"Wow." Minako said as she looked at the ceiling and saw the biggest chandelier in her life. All glass and diamonds and Minako closed her eyes and began spinning around letting her arms fly. Then she stopped and her hair fell to her face. Minako looked at Duo.
Duo was blushing but it quickly faded when he saw that the rest of the former pilots coming towards him.
"We have company!" Quatre said excitedly. Ami blushed.
"How did they find this place?" Trowa whispered to Heero. Heero only shrugged.
"Well, we only came to invite you to a sleep-over." Minako cheerfully said.
"Sleep-over?" Duo asked interested.
Ami nodded. "A friend of ours is having a sleep-over and we wanted to know if you would like to come. What do you think?"
Duo turned around and little whispers were heard.
"Please?"
"No!" Trowa insisted. "How did they find this place? I bet you they are spies or something."
Setsuna turned Minako around and said, "You do know that they are going to see us turn into out Scout form. That is not good."
"Oh, they won't tell." Minako said calmly. Ami was bothered about it.
Duo turned around and said, "Yeah! Let's go!"
The three of them looked at each other nervously and Minako finally said, "Alright. But what we are about to do, you can't tell anybody."
All the guys looked at each other, clearly perplexed and all had the same thing on their minds, "What are they going to do?"
The three of them took out their transforming pens and all of the gundam pilots were in a defensive position all thinking, "That is a gun or some strange laser thingy."
Ami went first and screamed, "Mercury Cosmic Power!" (AN: That's right... right? Or is there like a 'makeup' in there somewhere? If there is, please leave it in the reviews and I'll change it.)
Minako went next, "Venus Cosmic Power!"
Setsuna sighed and said in a bored tone, "Yeah yeah, Pluto Cosmic Power."
The boys stared in 'aw' as they saw the girls glow and in an instant, they were wearing strange apparel. Pluto opened a warp to the gate and told the guys to come. They did so, but slowly.
"Oh c'mon." Minako said excitedly as she grabbed Duo's hand and pulled him closer. All five of them walked through and instantly, were teleported to the time gate. Then, the eight of them each held hands.
"Alrighty. If this is right, we will end up in the largest fitting room of a department store... close to Hotaru's house." Ami said.
"Who is Hotaru?" Quatre asked.
"Hotaru is this really... really weird girl who keeps on having these weird spells where she can't control herself and will attack people." Minako said pretending to have claws and standing on her tip-toes with bent knees, she began growling. Duo laughed softly. Ami rolled her eyes and said, "They are not spells. It only happens because she was in this explosion in a lab with her father and other scientists. Her father and Hotaru were the only survivors."
"Wow." Quatre was amazed.
"And I feel so sorry for her. Ever since the explosion, she always has these seizures. She'd faint all of a sudden and she is very weak." Setsuna explained. Wufei scoffed. "But I guess there is an up-side to it all, she has the power to heal."
"That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible." Setsuna mumbled and they all stepped through the time gate. After a blinding light, they were in the middle of a really large fitting room.
The three girls and five guys stepped out of the fitting rooms and out of the store. They passed by Hotaru's house and saw her on her balcony.
"Hey Hotaru!" Minako screamed.
"That's Hotaru?" Quatre asked.
"Hey check it out Quatre. Her house is bigger than yours!" Duo said.
Hotaru leaned on the rail of her balcony and looked at the three girls with the five guys. She showed no emotion.
Minako began waving hysterically. Hotaru slightly waved and stared. Ami waved at Hotaru and Duo asked, "So that's the girl that is weak and has seizures and attacks people without knowing?" it in a loud voice and Hotaru heard. The three girls gasped and everyone turned their gaze on Hotaru.
'No. No more staring please.' Hotaru thought. She felt pain because her friends had told these secrets to complete strangers. Strangers who could be her next victims. No, no more of those attacks. It's going to be over soon. Her dad is going to find her cure for this 'disease' that she has. She wants to get rid of it all. Hand over the guilt, pain, and misery to someone else. She didn't want to suffer anymore. She wanted to be normal, like the other kids. She didn't want to be stared at.
All the pain that she was feeling at that very moment, she didn't show it. She tried not to show it. Heero knew that she was hiding her pain. He could tell because he did the same thing also. 'The poor girl.' Heero thought as he saw the frail figure that was leaning on the rail turn around and sit on a chair. 'She's suffering. But she shouldn't hide it like that.' He thought.
"Duo!" Minako whispered. "Why did you say that? And so loud too?!"
"Geez! I'm sorry alright? She didn't seem to mind anyway."
"That's what you think. I bet you she's crying right now."
"No." Trowa said briefly. "She's hurting, but not crying."
"Come to think of it," Setsuna began, "I have never seen her cry before. Have you Ami? Minako?"
"No."
"No. I think she is emotionless. The poor chick should cry once in a while. Let it all out ya know?" Minako stated.
"Yeah. You're right."
Hotaru heard the voices of "friends" and strangers go farther and farther away, and then she thought about her "daddy".
'He is the closest person to me.' Hotaru thought. 'And yet, he is so far away.' Hotaru bearly talks to her father. He was always locked up in his lab unless Hotaru knocked on the door. It had to be an emergency if she knocked because he didn't like being disturbed in the middle of his important experiments. And now, Hotaru knew that she couldn't knock on his door and tell him about her problems, lay her burdens on his shoulders, because he claimed that he was looking for a cure for her strange condition. Hotaru didn't want to disturb her father. She wanted to be normal.
Hotaru's eyes flashed with hatred when she remembered all of those dark days when she turned into Mistress 9 and harmed all of those people, taking away all the cleanness and pureness from the innocent. Those dark days when she was forced to swallow those pure heart crystals. Those dark days, those dark days, those dark days were over.
'It could happen again.' Hotaru reminded herself. 'It could happen again and it might happen again, but I'm not going to let it.'
Enjoy life Hotaru! Don't let yourself become depressed because of the past. The past is the past. Forget it because it is slowly eating away your happiness.
She sighed and forgot it all in an instant. Then picking up Minako's purse, was on her way to Minako's house.
When she got there, Minako was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered how Minako was talking to Makoto and so she decided to go to her house instead.
~*~
Minako cheerfully rang the doorbell to Makoto's apartment and Makoto cheerfully opened the door.
"Hello girls... and guys." She said as she saw the five gentlemen come in after the three girls.
After they all took off their shoes and were all comfortable in the living room, Minako squealed: "Aren't they adorable?" referring to the guys.
"Well, yes they are." Makoto said in a dull tone, "But they are all shorter than me."
"Don't worry lady." Duo said elbowing Quatre. "Love doesn't have a height."
Makoto's eyes watered, "A poet!" she said as stars filled her eyes.
"Not really." Wufei said quietly.
"Where's Rei?" Ami asked turning her head to look around the room.
"She's in the bathroom."
"We think that Wufei here, is a good boyfriend for Rei." Minako said pointing to Wufei.
"Wufei and Rei. That's adorable! There names rhyme."
"Yeah and they are both obnoxious." Minako commented.
"I heard my name." A voice that matched Rei's down the hallway.
"I hope you are wearing something mouth-watering Rei! Because we found the perfect boyfriend for you." Minako screamed down the hall.
"What? Why? I hate men!"
"We know but both of your attitudes are hateful and loathsome and revolting when you compare them." Minako said crossing her arms and leaning back on her chair.
"What? I'm not hateful and loathsome and revolting! Not even my attitude! And why are you hooking me up with a weak onna damn it!?"
"Excuse me?" Rei said coming out of the darkness followed by Usagi. Everyone stared (including Wufei). She was wearing a red tank top that had straps going down her side. Her shirt barely reached her navel. And her shorts were mid-thigh and rather, revealing. Usagi was just wearing her baggy pink pajamas that had moons on them and plus, she was already taken.
Duo was drooling a river. Quatre blushed and turned around. Trowa smiled slightly and Heero looked away, not really caring.
"I'm not a weak girl for your information."
Wufei scoffed. "Sorry to break it to you, but all girls are weak."
Rei was just about to protest when Minako screamed, "Damn it!"
"What is it?" Duo asked.
"I left my purse at Hotaru's house! Oh why didn't I get it while we were passing by? God almighty. I had my lip gloss in there!"
Everyone sweat-dropped and then sighed. Everyone except for Heero and Trowa, and at that very second, the doorbell rang. Makoto went to answer it and was surprised to find Hotaru there.
"Hotaru!? Eh... what are you doing here?"
Hotaru held up Minako's orange purse and Makoto opened the door slightly so that she can get it but Hotaru walked in and was surprised to find everyone there. When she saw this, she dropped the purse.
Makoto came in putting on an innocent smile and sweat-dropped. Duo jumped from the comfortable couch that he was sitting in to the other side of the room. He was still holding one of the pillows from the couch and he held it in front of himself acting as if it is a shield of some kind and he said in a voice imitating a scared person, "D-don't get one of those schizophrenic attacks and kill me!"
Hotaru's eyes widened when she heard this coming out of this stranger. Minako shot around and whispered loudly and in a sharp tone, "DUO!"
"What?" he said putting the pillow down.
Then Minako did the unexpected and ran behind him whimpering, "Why did you leave without me? She's going to kill me!"
"Yeah!" Makoto said running towards there direction.
Ami and Quatre both looked at each other and shrugged, thinking that this was a game, they went running towards where everyone was gathering on the wall. Usagi went running after Rei.
Trowa silently got up and went to the wall and Setsuna hesitantly followed.
Hotaru was stunned at what her so-called 'friends' were doing. She knew that at that very instant, she couldn't trust any of them. They were using her to laugh at and make fun of. Schizophrenic! He had the nerve to call her that! She took one more step closer to the couch and they all bent their knees and were in a fit of giggles and screaming, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
For the first time in her life, Hotaru felt like crying in front of her friends. Hotaru looked down at the floor and found out that she was stepping on a sleeping bag. And there was another sleeping bag next to that, and another, and another and another. A sleepover! They were having a sleepover and no one invited her! The nerve.
Hotaru glared at Heero, expecting him to join the other group of haters, but he still sat there glaring back at her with an eyebrow raised. He looked as if he didn't care about anything.
Hotaru lowered her head once more for she could feel hot tears burning her eyes and blurring her vision.
"C'mon guys, let's go get something to eat." Makoto said and they all followed her into the kitchen. Heero stayed.
Hotaru looked up and for the first time, she let those tears of sadness, misery, pain, embarrassment and woe fall. Those crystal tears that Heero, this complete stranger to her, witnessed with his own eyes. This stranger that knew everything about how she felt at that moment, even though he knows nothing about her. This stranger that understood.
Hotaru briskly turned around, leaving away what she thought was her only source of happiness. Her "friends".