Firefly in a World of Magic
By: TwoChopstix

~ Chapter One ~

Tomoe Hotaru brushed the tears from her eyes, she had been crying all night and day. Now that her father, Professor Tomoe, was dead, she was moving to England to live with her Aunts. Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna were coming to pick her up. The plane had landed, in London earlier that evening, around 6:15 and Hotaru was waiting in the café, nibbling on an Auntie Ann's pretzel. Hotaru likes pretzels. She glanced down at her watch. 6:45. 'Where are they?!' The Aunt trio glided in shoulder to shoulder, through the sliding glass door. 5 minutes late. Hotaru sighed inwardly. As they reached her booth, she stood up, and welcomed her loved ones with a huge bear hug.

"Konbanwa, minna!" Hotaru laughed. It was her first laugh in days.

"You are still speaking Ni-Hon-Go child." Haruka smiled at her.

"And you haven't lost your accent yet." Michiru said, nudging Haruka. Setsuna shook her head and smiled down at Hotaru,

"How are you, little one?" Out of all her aunts, Setsuna was most likely her favorite. Setsuna was the elegant senshi of Pluto and time.

"Not well, I guess . . ." Haruka broke in,

"Of course she's not well! Professor Tomoe died just last week!" Michiru shook her head and led Hotaru to the car motioning to Haruka to lay off Tomoe for a while.

"So, Hotaru, what do you plan on doing in England? Hotaru?" But, the firefly did not hear. Hotaru was breathing irregularly, as if hyperventilating. Her pupils disappeared into eyes that flashed red.

"Pure hearts... pure hearts.... I need more pure hearts..." She rasped.

"Hotaru? Wha-" The girl collapsed in the parking lot on their way to Haruka's metallic gold sports car. Michiru dropped to her knees, gently trying to rouse the fallen one. "Come on, you can do it. Get up, you can do it, sweetie." Haruka noticed the gathering crowds around them and picked Hotaru up carefully laying her down in the car, with her head resting on Setsuna's lap. The time senshi smoothed Hotaru's black hair away from her sweating forehead. Haruka switched gears, and drove to the condo while Michiru watched Hotaru for any signs of further disturbance. During the ride, Hotaru showed no signs of any more attacks, and acted rather normal. Haruka was relived, but Setsuna and Michiru shared a look of nervousness.

"Here we are!" Haruka threw open the door to the condo, smiling. It was fairly spacious, with a set of couches and a "Lazy Boy" recliner, all in a cool aqua hue in the living room. To the left was a kitchen and dining area. Pale green marble counters and a table set that was fairly normal. What you would expect. Light, maple wooden chairs with forest green cushions surrounded the circular table with the same wood style. To the right of the living room were four hallways. Three, Hotaru suspected, lead to bedrooms and the fourth led to a bathroom. "Have a seat, Kiddo, you must be tired from your plane trip. Lie down, take a nap, watch a movie, listen to music-"

"Haruka," Hotaru began gently, "I know you mean well, but please... Calm down." Michiru tried to suppress her smile, but her lover glared at her. Setsuna covered her giggle with a cough, and led Hotaru to her room. It was simple with dark lilac carpeting and paler lilac walls. The furniture consisted of a pale violet dresser, desk, and bedside table that were dusted with royal purple paint. The bed was clean with fresh smelling sheets that had the colors purple and black swirling together. And, of course, her lamps were used as decoration for the room. All in all, it was exactly what the young girl wanted. "Thank you, Setsuna. Thank you so very much...for everything." Hotaru turned around to hug her aunt.

She smiled warmly at the figure that had just hugged her deeply. "You're welcome, little one. But, now I think that it would be best if you went to sleep." Hotaru nodded tiredly, and Setsuna closed the door after turning off the lights and walking out. Without bothering to change, Hotaru lay down on the bed, and fell asleep surprisingly fast. Dreams came quickly as the hours for sleep flew by.

~ Dream Sequence ~

Hotaru was wandering around on a barren stretch of land. With her trusty silence glaive in hand, she stumbled along. Something about the landscape was familiar, but unplaceable in her mind. Soon, a colossal crystal castle loomed into view. Now she understood why it was so familiar, it was Crystal Tokyo, her future home! There was only one thing that set it apart from the tranquil style she was used to. Screams tore the air. She hurried to the palace, with only one thing on her mind, 'Save the queen.' She raced through the halls, to find them deserted. Suddenly, a wail echoed through the corridors. It ended abruptly, too abruptly in Sailor Saturn's mind. She came to a room, and what she found inside chilled her to the very core. Mistress 9 held Neo-Queen Serenity by the neck, choking her. The King and Princess lay in a crumpled, bloody heap on the floor.

"Just in time, Firefly, now you can see how great our future will be." Sailor Saturn froze in fear, 'Is this supposed to be me? How could this be happening?' Mistress 9 dropped the queen's corpse on the black marble floor next to her dead family. "Hotaru... It's time to give in! You've lost everything, your destiny begins with me!" Sailor Saturn's eyes grew wide in realization of what was to be.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I will not let this happen!" The black marble room shimmered and faded to reveal a giant crystal castle, in omnipotent glory, looming over her. Screams came from everywhere, and she wasn't sure what to do. 'Save the queen.' "This is so familiar though..."

A malicious cackle rang in her thoughts; "There is no way you can escape me child! Our destinies shall combine!" Sailor Saturn threw her head back and hoarsely screamed,

"Mistress 9! The queen will live! I won't let you kill her!" From the depths of her sub-consciousness, came agony beyond any death, and with it came a faint and forceful whisper:

"You will submit Firefly... Believe me, you will." Hotaru's rebellious scream broke the spell and she jumped up to find herself in her bedroom gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat.

~ DINING ROOM (10 minutes before Hotaru wakes up) ~

Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru were quietly drinking coffee around the round maple table. Michiru broke the silence. "The seas are churning. I feel it, but it is somehow familiar."

"There's something wrong with Hotaru. Remember her accident in the parking lot? She said something about 'pure hearts'... I'm afraid to say it but-"

"The Heart Snatchers have most likely returned." Haruka finished Setsuna's sentence for her. "What should we do? Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90 were killed a long time ago... Our powers aren't what they used to be."

"I think we should try to bring the demon out, then take her to Crystal Tokyo and see what Neo-Queen Serenity can do for her."

Michiru was the first to shake her head at Setsuna's idea, "If we bring the demon out, Mistress 9 might kill us... we shouldn't risk it, and even then the queen might not be able to save her again. No, no, we need to get her somewhere safe. Somewhere she will be less intimidated by nearby sailor senshi."

"Are you saying it is our fault Mistress 9 has awoken? In that case you may be right." The three aunts thought in an unwanted silence.

"Michiru, Haruka, this is not all we should-" Setsuna was cut short yet again, but this time by a high pitched scream from Hotaru's hallway, "Firefly!"

The trio dashed through her hallway and into the purple room. Michiru and Setsuna ran to the bed as Haruka flipped on her lights.

"Hotaru-baby, are you all right?" Michiru calmly comforted Hotaru, as Setsuna rubbed her back to make her feel safe. Hotaru regained her breath, and broke into tears. "What was your nightmare about sweetie?" Hotaru began to tell her frightful experience as Setsuna and Michiru got more worried by every word.

Haruka was still by the light-switch, lost in thought, when she suddenly announced, "There's been other weird things happening lately. Have you guys noticed?"

"Like what?" Michiru asked bluntly.

"Hotaru got something in the mail today... an odd looking manila envelope, addressed in dark green writing. Hotaru Tomoe, Newest Resident of Condo 31,and so ... Now that I think about it, it must've been sent the day of Tomoe's death to have reached our mailbox today. Even then we didn't know Hotaru was coming here..." Haruka visibly shivered.

"Hotaru... Go wait in my room, you can sleep with me tonight, in case you have any more bad dreams. Okay?" Hotaru nodded at Setsuna's offer and walked shakily to Setsuna's bedroom. Haruka shut the door behind her.

"Well, what are we going to do? If Haruka is right, then I do believe that Michiru's idea of sending her somewhere that is safe for her is a good idea. And, our power could be drawing what's left of Mistress 9's spirit, if there is any, back to Hotaru." Setsuna sighed wearily.

"Yes, and well, what about the letter?" Haruka questioned suddenly, as Michiru muttered something about, 'one track mind'. "I want to know just what it's about, but... We can't invade Hotaru's privacy. Maybe we should just wait until tomorrow morning." The other senshi nodded.

"Come on, let's all get the well-needed sleep we deserve." Michiru offered. The others nodded, and for now, all is at rest.

The next morning, the three aunts were sitting at the breakfast table; sipping orange juice (But technically Setsuna needs to have her coffee) and eating toast with jam. They all looked up to see a bleary-eyed Hotaru stretching and yawning.

"Good m-morning. S-Sorry about waking you up last n-night." Michiru smiled at the sleepy teenager.

"It's okay, we were still up, anyway." Hotaru nodded absentmindedly. Haruka fidgeted, and then Setsuna sat up right and blinked, as if remembering something.

"Hotaru-chan," the wise senshi of time began, "you got a letter yesterday." This got the Firefly's attention immediately.

"A letter? Are you sure? Who could have known that I was coming here? Did it have a return address?"

"Why don't you see for yourself." Setsuna said, handing Hotaru the manila envelope.

"Cool." Hotaru murmured, carefully tearing the thick letter open to reveal a few papers. "Wonder what it is, don't you?"

"Er..." Haruka trailed off, unsure of what to say, the curiosity killing her.

Hotaru pulled out the letter and read it carefully at first, stopped and blinked at it for a few seconds, then read it aloud.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
~
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Tomoe,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Under your circumstances, we request that you appear at 'King's Cross' on August 1. A School representative will greet you there. We await your owl by no later than June 30.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress

Hotaru smiled slightly, and riffled through the other papers. "Where's 'King's Cross'?" Her aunts stared at her in disbelief.

"Hotaru, you can't be even considering it! It's probably just a dumb prank!" Haruka was ready to go on rampant, but Michiru touched her arm lightly.

"Haruka, there have been rumors. You know? Of witches and such here at London. Perhaps they aren't just rumors after-all?"

Setsuna was deep in thought, leaning back in her chair with a pensive expression on her face. "This is it," she said.

The three other roomies stared at her, one excited, one worried, and one thoughtful. "Of course. We need to send her away. Hogwarts hmm." Setsuna suddenly stood up with her coffee and left the room mumbling about schools and safety.

Hotaru sipped at her orange juice to break the silence. "What was this about sending me away?"

Haruka and Michiru smiled sadly. "Sweetie, you're unsafe here with us. We're afraid for you. We need to send you someplace where you're unaffected by senshi auras." Michiru trailed off.

"So. You mean.? I get to go?!" Her eyes lit up and she twirled around the kitchen rambling on. "This is so exciting! Real magic!! Oh the irony!! .But I thought you thought it was a prank! That's okay! I'm so excited!!" She stopped in mid twirl. "Oh! I need to call Chibi-Usa!" Turning to the pair at the table, she grinned. "Can I use your phone, Michiru? I promise I won't be long."The aqua-haired woman nodded, gesturing to the phone cradle on the counter. "Domo arigatou!" Haruka sighed as Hotaru talked to her best friend.

"What's wrong?" She turned, facing the other.

"I just can't help but wonder if we're doing the right thing. Why can't Firefly be safe with us? How is being halfway across the country going to make any difference?" Before Michiru could respond, the subject of their conversation came back into the room, followed by a, surprisingly, grim Setsuna. "What happened?"

"I think, that. we need to tell Hotaru exactly why she is in potential danger." The older woman made a motion for Hotaru to sit, as she took a seat her self. "Now, Firefly." The youth nodded slowly, half-fearing what she was about to be told. "It seems as though, well. Hotaru-chan, Mistress 9 has returned. And, we believe that she is trying to return to your body." The other senshi nodded. ".It seems odd that as soon as you're here with us, it began. We think its our pure heart talismans that are luring her out. Do you understand?" They looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Hm. I know. I knew." Hotaru smiled and finished off her toast, then left the table.

The aunts looked at each other quizzically. "So. That went well." They shared a nervous laugh, and began to clean up the breakfast table.

~ End Chapter One ~

Chopstix B: Wow, that was fun. took us long enough, right?

Chopstix A: HA! A whole one and a half year.s? ?

Chopstix B: Yeah. oh well. Hey, you wanna do the disclaimer or me?

Chopstix A: I have an idea!! I'll do the disclaimer for Harry Potter (even though its not in this one) and you do the disclaimer for BSSM. kay?

Chopstix B: Works for me. But it always makes me sad. disclaimers should die! You do first _

Chopstix A: . OoOoOkay.. Umm. erm. Harry Potter is not our's. He is J.K. Rowling's .*envies her* I really wish I owned Oliver Wood. *drools* .Snape is a sxy bytch!!

Chopstix B: Um. We don't own BSSM either. And I don't think I wanna own it. It belongs to Naoko Takeuchi . Yeah. We do, however, own the idea! . Of this fic. Um. So, NO COPY FOR YOU! . I'm done.

Chopstix A: _ SoOoO. ANYwho! PLEASE REVIEW!!! *huggles*

Chopstix B: Yeah. You know you want to! Hey. e-mail us. TwoChoptix@hotmail.com OH! And visit our site. Chopstix A does a damn good job on layouts. ! Yeah. Have fun. REVIEW FOOLS! Hey, can we do a dedication?

Chopstix A: No. We can't dedicate it. sorry. Who would want this fic anyway? See?! No ones even reviewed yet!!!! AHHH!!! *runs into a brick wall* .Must. Have. Revieeeeeeeeeews. . .

TwoChopstix: *fade into darkness that is void* (PSST! Chopstix A owns it!)