Chapter Five: To Reason with the Devil
Hotaru threw back the cape to reveal herself to be a
Sailor Senshi. Her hair had grown longer during her
transformation and now reached her feet. The children looked up
to see the girl. Nao's eye grew wider. Hotaru's purple eyes were
opened, staring at Nao. She jumped from the top of the cross
and landed in front of Nao.
"Shijosei," Nao whispered.
"The senshi above protected me. What are you going to do
now?" Hotaru asked.
"Attack!" Nao ordered. Everyone began to run at Hotaru,
trying to fight her. Masahito was the first to reach her. He had
a long saber in his hand and as he approached Hotaru, he jabbed
the sword toward her. The Silence Glaive easily sliced through
the thick metal of the sword and then through his arm, giving
him a nasty flesh wound.
Kenji and Kazuo attacked next, not fairing half as well
as Masahito. There were several others who tried to maul Hotaru
but were unable to break through her Silent Wall attack.
As they began to regroup, Hotaru lifted the glaive up.
"Silence Glaive! Surprise!" She brought it down on to the ground.
Before her full attack could be initiated, Ryo threw himself in
front of Nao. Hotaru pulled out of the attack, angered at Ryo
for keeping her from using her final power.
Nao pulled from her neck a pendant shaped like a foil.
It morphed into a beautiful sword with jewels on the hilt. It
was not as long as Hotaru's sword, but it was most likely more
deadly.
"My aunt has one too." The memory surfaced in Hotaru's
mind. Then everything added up. Hotaru understood. She pulled
the pendant from her own neck. The Silence Glaive disappearing,
Hotaru commanded the sword to grow. When it was it's normal
length, the girls began to sword fight.
Nao knew Hotaru had sword and had easily made the
connection between the two different people. As they fought,
Hotaru added everything together and sliced the patch from
Nao's eye. Underneath it was a red eye and a yellow iris,
surrounding a white pupil.
"So, you ARE a Sailor senshi. I never doubted it for a
moment," Nao said.
"And you are a birther and Ryo's aunt." The fighting
stopped as everyone looked at Nao in a gasp. Nao closed her eye.
"I should have guessed it from the moment I saw you."
"You are very wise, girl," Nao spoke.
"Your twin sister caused your eye to be like that long
ago when you were barely starting out. She used this sword to
do that," Hotaru said, holding the sword at Nao, "when she tried
to force you to see her light."
"Yes."
"She felt bad that she had done it, and when you were
going to be sacrificed at Crescent Tide, she came and took your
place. You knew she and her children were of a Zettaishi but you
believed that you could change their minds and points of view.
You succeeded in brainwashing Yuriko, but because Ryo had the
sword, his mind couldn't be altered."
"Very good perception, senshi," Nao said. "But have you
figured out who our mother was?"
"Your mother was the senshi of this planet," Hotaru
proclaimed.
Nao smiled. "I knew you would figure it out, but almost
too late. We will sacrifice someone tonight to ensure our youth.
It won't be you or Ryo, but someone else who will give their life
for the good of the others." No one came forward.
"Face it, Nao-chan, you've lost. Your friends, the one
who kept the secrets about your being a birther, are all dead.
Kyoko was the last one to die. Now you must face the fact that
without the adults your planet is dying. Without anyone to help
this world survive your planet will die. That's what your sister
and your nephew tried to tell you," Hotaru said.
"This world will die if you don't allow yourselves to
grow," Ryo told everyone. "I tried to grow beyond this but it
is impossible. The Zettaishi understand what my mother and I
said. They wanted to destroy Nao's authority and help you all see
what you need to know."
"But only children can be happy. The Furuihito hurt us,"
a voice came from the crowd. The Zettaishi came into the
celebration round. Dressed in armour, they prepared to attack,
but Ryo told them to stand down.
"That's right! They were evil toward us," another voice
continued.
"But the next generation can always keep from repeating
the mistakes of the previous generation," Hotaru said.
"She's right," one of the Zettaishi said. "We can always
be better than our parents were."
"You and your planet can't live any longer if there is
no progression in the quality of life. The senshi can help if
you allow her to awaken."
Even Nao turned and looked at Hotaru as she spoke. She
finally realised what her sister had been telling her before
she died. Nao looked at Hotaru, then back at all the people.
"If you all would like to continue as children, I'll
understand, but if you want to grow up, we need to awaken the
senshi as soon as possible. Does anyone want that to happen?"
Everyone looked around at each other. They were all
afraid of what would become of them if they allowed themselves
to grow and change. Nao was the first to speak up.
"I'll join you," Nao said.
Masahito followed, wrapping his arm around Nao's waist,
"I will too."
Hanako walked up next to them. "Me too!"
Everyone began to raise their hand or nod at Hotaru.
Nao glanced at Hotaru. "I'll come with you to free her. I
know where she is resting."
"I'll come too," Hanako said.
"So I guess it's decided. We'll leave tomorrow morning,"
Nao said. Hotaru and Hanako nodded.
* * *
Hotaru's eyes opened the next morning before the sun
had opened it's own eyes. She transformed and walked to where
Hanako and Nao were waiting for her. They grasped hands and
began to speak the words of the teleportation spell which would
take them to the moon of Shijosei.
Hotaru threw back the cape to reveal herself to be a
Sailor Senshi. Her hair had grown longer during her
transformation and now reached her feet. The children looked up
to see the girl. Nao's eye grew wider. Hotaru's purple eyes were
opened, staring at Nao. She jumped from the top of the cross
and landed in front of Nao.
"Shijosei," Nao whispered.
"The senshi above protected me. What are you going to do
now?" Hotaru asked.
"Attack!" Nao ordered. Everyone began to run at Hotaru,
trying to fight her. Masahito was the first to reach her. He had
a long saber in his hand and as he approached Hotaru, he jabbed
the sword toward her. The Silence Glaive easily sliced through
the thick metal of the sword and then through his arm, giving
him a nasty flesh wound.
Kenji and Kazuo attacked next, not fairing half as well
as Masahito. There were several others who tried to maul Hotaru
but were unable to break through her Silent Wall attack.
As they began to regroup, Hotaru lifted the glaive up.
"Silence Glaive! Surprise!" She brought it down on to the ground.
Before her full attack could be initiated, Ryo threw himself in
front of Nao. Hotaru pulled out of the attack, angered at Ryo
for keeping her from using her final power.
Nao pulled from her neck a pendant shaped like a foil.
It morphed into a beautiful sword with jewels on the hilt. It
was not as long as Hotaru's sword, but it was most likely more
deadly.
"My aunt has one too." The memory surfaced in Hotaru's
mind. Then everything added up. Hotaru understood. She pulled
the pendant from her own neck. The Silence Glaive disappearing,
Hotaru commanded the sword to grow. When it was it's normal
length, the girls began to sword fight.
Nao knew Hotaru had sword and had easily made the
connection between the two different people. As they fought,
Hotaru added everything together and sliced the patch from
Nao's eye. Underneath it was a red eye and a yellow iris,
surrounding a white pupil.
"So, you ARE a Sailor senshi. I never doubted it for a
moment," Nao said.
"And you are a birther and Ryo's aunt." The fighting
stopped as everyone looked at Nao in a gasp. Nao closed her eye.
"I should have guessed it from the moment I saw you."
"You are very wise, girl," Nao spoke.
"Your twin sister caused your eye to be like that long
ago when you were barely starting out. She used this sword to
do that," Hotaru said, holding the sword at Nao, "when she tried
to force you to see her light."
"Yes."
"She felt bad that she had done it, and when you were
going to be sacrificed at Crescent Tide, she came and took your
place. You knew she and her children were of a Zettaishi but you
believed that you could change their minds and points of view.
You succeeded in brainwashing Yuriko, but because Ryo had the
sword, his mind couldn't be altered."
"Very good perception, senshi," Nao said. "But have you
figured out who our mother was?"
"Your mother was the senshi of this planet," Hotaru
proclaimed.
Nao smiled. "I knew you would figure it out, but almost
too late. We will sacrifice someone tonight to ensure our youth.
It won't be you or Ryo, but someone else who will give their life
for the good of the others." No one came forward.
"Face it, Nao-chan, you've lost. Your friends, the one
who kept the secrets about your being a birther, are all dead.
Kyoko was the last one to die. Now you must face the fact that
without the adults your planet is dying. Without anyone to help
this world survive your planet will die. That's what your sister
and your nephew tried to tell you," Hotaru said.
"This world will die if you don't allow yourselves to
grow," Ryo told everyone. "I tried to grow beyond this but it
is impossible. The Zettaishi understand what my mother and I
said. They wanted to destroy Nao's authority and help you all see
what you need to know."
"But only children can be happy. The Furuihito hurt us,"
a voice came from the crowd. The Zettaishi came into the
celebration round. Dressed in armour, they prepared to attack,
but Ryo told them to stand down.
"That's right! They were evil toward us," another voice
continued.
"But the next generation can always keep from repeating
the mistakes of the previous generation," Hotaru said.
"She's right," one of the Zettaishi said. "We can always
be better than our parents were."
"You and your planet can't live any longer if there is
no progression in the quality of life. The senshi can help if
you allow her to awaken."
Even Nao turned and looked at Hotaru as she spoke. She
finally realised what her sister had been telling her before
she died. Nao looked at Hotaru, then back at all the people.
"If you all would like to continue as children, I'll
understand, but if you want to grow up, we need to awaken the
senshi as soon as possible. Does anyone want that to happen?"
Everyone looked around at each other. They were all
afraid of what would become of them if they allowed themselves
to grow and change. Nao was the first to speak up.
"I'll join you," Nao said.
Masahito followed, wrapping his arm around Nao's waist,
"I will too."
Hanako walked up next to them. "Me too!"
Everyone began to raise their hand or nod at Hotaru.
Nao glanced at Hotaru. "I'll come with you to free her. I
know where she is resting."
"I'll come too," Hanako said.
"So I guess it's decided. We'll leave tomorrow morning,"
Nao said. Hotaru and Hanako nodded.
* * *
Hotaru's eyes opened the next morning before the sun
had opened it's own eyes. She transformed and walked to where
Hanako and Nao were waiting for her. They grasped hands and
began to speak the words of the teleportation spell which would
take them to the moon of Shijosei.