Legacy

Chapter 5: The Knowledge of the Unicorn

by Lessa of Ruatha

AN: like the last chapter was ami's, this one's for hotaru. sorry about the wait, but i had a lot of trouble getting onto ff.net recently. most of the names in this chapter are cornish or welsh (i don't know the difference) so if they have special meaning i didn't know that. remember this chapter is happening at the same time as the last one. read and review.

disclaimer: i do not, nor will i ever, own sailor moon or harry potter. *sigh*

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"This is because i can spell konfusion with a k and i like it

It's to dying in another's arms and why I had to try it

It's to jimmy eat world and those nights in my car

When the first star you see may not be a star

I'm not your star

Isn't that what you said

What you thought this song meant"

---- Something Corporate's "Konstantine"

~~~~~~~~~~

Hotaru sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. She gathered her books together and bid Madam Pince good night. She wondered what had kept Ami, then shrugged. She didn't really need to study, she more or less knew the information, she was just looking forward to questioning the older girl about something.

Hotaru continued walking down the hallway when a flash of white caught her eye, She spun, and her jaw hit the ground when she saw a transparent white unicorn standing at the end of the hallway.

::Come, little one.::

Hotaru gasped, spinning in a circle, trying to figure out who was talking to her. Finally her eyes landed on the unicorn that looked ... amused? "D-Did you say that?" she asked it, feeling foolish despite Hagrid's insistence at her Care of Magical Creatures class that unicorns were extremely intelligent.

::Aye, I did:: the eyes, a bright blue that seemed to pierce Hotaru's thoughts, looked even more amused than before. ::Now, if you wish to be back before your classes, we need to hurry.::

"Hurry?" asked Hotaru in confusion, forgetting that she was talking to a unicorn. "Where? Why?"

The apparition had turned to go down through the halls. It turned back and looked at her plaintively. ::You are the Child of the Light:: it said simply. ::We are the embodiment of the Light and the Lunarian.::

"Light? Lunarian? Surely you must want Seren" she protested. "She was Serenity. Princess of the Lunarians."

The unicorn gazed at her sadly. ::You do not remember:: it sighed.:This girl is no longer Serenity. And she was not the only Lunarian among you senshi. Besides, as she is not Lunarian, she is bound to other:: It fixed her with a single blue eye. ::Your father, King Astraeus of Saturn, was the older brother of Queen Selenity of the White Moon.::

"I'm Lunarian?!" squeaked Hotaru. "And Sere was my cousin?!"

::In your last life, you were half:: the unicorn no longer looked amused, it seemed rather antsy. ::In this one ... well, you'll know by morning. Tonight is the anniversary of your birth in that Millennium. In the morn, we will know if you will ascend to your true form or not.::

Mind spinning with these concepts, Hotaru followed the unicorn as it sprinted soundlessly through the halls. Soon enough, though, she fell behind, unable to keep up with its infinite speed.

Seeing her stopping, the unicorn stopped and trotted back. ::Rise:: it told her. Its form flickered, before it became solid. Hotaru stared at it for a moment before gripping its mane tightly and swinging up on its broad back. Without warning, it began running, still silently. Hotaru was surprised, but shrugged anyway.

She had no way to gauge their speed because it was so dark, but she gasped in surprise as it became ever darker, for they had just entered the Forest. She hadn't even realized they were out of the school! A few moments later, the unicorn came to a halt and Hotaru dismounted. She placed one hand on its back so as not to loose her way as they slowly went further into the Forest.

"What's your name, by the way?" asked Hotaru shyly, realizing she didn't know.

::I am called Trewyn:: the unicorn said to her. Soon enough, they reached a large clearing.

Hotaru blinked, eyes adjusting to the darkness a little more. She still couldn't see much, but she could make out dozens of unicorns, whose pure white coats seemed to glow in the darkness. As soon as she, and Trewyn, stepped forward, a few unicorns moved behind them to complete a circle. Just then, a huge column of fire sprung up.

Hotaru stepped back a few steps, eyes swinging toward where she figured Hogwarts to be.

::They do not see it:: Trewyn assured her. ::This is your test, though. To prove that you are worthy of your title and to gain your true powers. Simply walk into the fire and we will see.::

Hotaru, having consulted Seren about her senshi powers (or lack thereof), simply nodded her acquiesce. She took a deep breath, and before her nerves could get the best of her, she strode into the fire [1].

She gasped, stifling a cry as the fire washed over her. She could feel her clothes burning off, but, strangely enough, her hair didn't. Her eyes were blurred with tears, and she fell heavily to her knees, biting her lip to keep from screaming. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she could hear someone chanting. All she could make out were the words fire,' burn,' and purity' before her attention returned to the flames. Her hands clenched at the soil and she tasted something metallic in her mouth- blood. She had bitten through her lip.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fire was gone. Hotaru huddled on the ground, forgetting her nakedness, as she wrapped her arms around herself. She tried to stand up, but her feet crumpled out from beneath her.

"Hold, child, the fire has weakened you" a human voice said.

Hotaru looked up, forcing herself to move.

The other girl tsked, clearly disapproving of Hotaru's encounter with the fire. Her own black hair had been pulled into a half-bun, the ends curling around her shoulders. Her violet eyes, identical to Hotaru's own, were sparkling. "I've been waiting for you for over two thousand years" the girl informed her. "You could have shown up sooner."

"Who are you?" Hotaru croaked out.

"Crown Princess Amaiyity of Saturn" the girl chirped.

"But I was the Crown Princess of- Amaiyity?!" exclaimed Hotaru. "My name was Maia!"

Amaiyity tsked again, a small scowl darkening her face, but then it lightened. "No" she replied. "Your- our" she corrected herself "-mother's name was Maia of Saturn, our father Astraeus of the Moon. Because of two different traditions, they came up with Amaiyity. Maia, because of mother, and the ending because all Lunar females have it. Because mother didn't like Maiyity' she added the first letter of father's name. Amaiyity" she nodded decisively.

"How come I don't remember this?" Hotaru fair shouted.

"Selenity must have screwed up when she sent us- you to the future" shrugged Amaiyity. "I knew I never liked her."

"But she's our aunt!" protested Hotaru, finding the energy to push herself enough to stand up. She noticed she was no longer naked, but she wore simply a white linen shift, nothing special in any way.

"So?" Amaiyity shrugged. "She and Serenity were always fighting. Mostly because of the warrior bit and the idiot Earth Prince-"

Hotaru's mind spun. "But Serenity and Endymion were in love" she remembered.

Amaiyity snorted and looked at Hotaru with wide eyes. "You're serious!" she gasped in amazement. "No! Selenity wanted them to marry for an alliance with Earth, but Serenity refused. She was quite involved with ... oh, goodness, I don't remember his name!" She snapped her fingers, face deep in thought. Then she shrugged. "I don't remember. But he was the prince of something-or-other."

Hotaru, unable to deal with all these shocks, fell back to the ground. Deciding to stay there, she made herself more comfortable. Looking around her, her mouth dropped in amazement. They were floating in the middle of space, just above where the Moon Palace used to be!

Amaiyity seemed not to notice their surroundings or Hotaru's lack of attention as she ranted about Serenity hating Endymion and various other things that escaped Hotaru's notice.

About twenty minutes later, Amaiyity did notice, however, that Hotaru was staring at the moon with a face described nicely as green. "Are you all right?" she cut her tirade short.

"Just very, very confused" said Hotaru weakly.

"It would take a long time to explain everything to you, so ... " Amaiyity glanced up, purposely not looking at Hotaru. "If you'll agree, I'll just transfer my memories to you so we'll kill two hawks with one rock."

"Kill two birds with one stone" Hotaru corrected automatically, for it was often she that had to right Minako's wrangled quotes. Remembering Minako, she frowned. "How so?"

"The only reason I'm here" Amaiyity explained, "-is because I hadn't met with you yet. I thought you'd be reborn immediately, like Serenity, but you took your time" she huffed.

"You know about her other lives?" interrupted Hotaru curiously.

"Mmhm" nodded Amaiyity. "I was her Guardian Angel' if you will, for most of them."

"Could you tell me about them?" Hotaru was now beyond curious.

"Just ask her about them" shrugged Amaiyity. "Last I remember, she loved to talk about them."

Hotaru thought for a bit about the proposition before nodding. "It is rather easier, isn't it?" she asked, before blinking.

"You'll notice differences in your speech" explained Amaiyity. "You'll become ... for lack of a better term, more royal. Your appearance will also change, but you can either go with it or place a illusion charm on yourself." She looked back at Hotaru. "Now. Ready? This shouldn't hurt a bit."

Hotaru nodded, not allowing her fear to come forth. Amaiyity hovered directly in front of her. With one last smile, the apparition disappeared into a shower of sparkles that entered Hotaru's body.

She gasped as she felt the changes ensue. A few moments later, after she was quite sure they were all done, she stood up. Her hands reached up to her hair, first. She noticed it was both softer and thicker than before. And now it fell to her feet, much like a coat would. She pulled it over her shoulder, and couldn't find the energy to be surprised when she saw thick white streaks mixing with and overpowering the violet/black. The plain shift she had been wearing was replaced by a plain light purple shift, ending just above her knees, sleeveless, and a high neckline. The only thing that was different from the first was the color and that it was a silken material, compared to the earlier rough, linen one. On her feet were low white boots. But the most incredible thing was the white cloak that wrapped around her figure completely. It felt like the unicorn's fur, but she decided she didn't want to know. A dark purple stone set in silver clasped it together at her throat.

Just then, she let out a squeak as she was dissolved into fire again. When this fire cleared, she was back in the clearing with the unicorns, though the sun was beginning to rise.

::Child!:: she faintly heard Trewyn call her, but all her attention was on the other unicorn that approached.

::I am called Erlain. Child, what is your name?:: it asked. Erlain's voice seemed older than Trewyn's, so Hotaru figured she was.

Hotaru opened her mouth, and licked her parched lips, trying to remember. For a few moments the answer eluded her. Finally, she answered, "I am Ninnoc." Frowning, she opened her mouth to correct herself. Either to say Hotaru or Amaiyity. However, Erlain leaned down and touched her horn to Hotaru's forehead.

::No child, your name is Ninnoc:: Erlain told her firmly. ::That was our secret name for you during the Millennium, and your name in this time. Now, you have regained your memories, and I, Erlain the White, bequeath you with your title and gift.:: A bright light traveled from her horn through Hotaru's body.

Hotaru gasped. It felt like ... eating sunshine, drinking rainbows, like she was being filled with pure, raw, power and energy. It was incredible. When the light receded, she saw what Erlain had called a gift. Around her waist, secured to the bit of cloth that worked as a belt, were at least two dozen silver shurkiens [2]. She pulled one off and studied it.

Because of the new, TRUE, memories, she remembered that this was one of the few weapons her father allowed her to be trained with. She also realized she had no more need for her Glaive, or henshin pen/wand.

::Also, to not arouse suspicions, we gift you with this:: Erlain tossed her head and a wand appeared in front of Hotaru.

Hotaru studied it for a moment before she smiled. It was her real wand, the one she had used in the Silver Millennium. "I thank you for these gifts" she said, looking Erlain in the eye.

::It is an honour to have you among us once more, Ninnoc:: Erlain said, similar sentiments echoed by other unicorns.

Hotaru's smile dropped. "But- I must return to Hogwarts" she said slowly. "Even if she is not Serenity, I have sworn an oath to protect Seren. I cannot abandon that."

::Nor will we expect you to:: explained Erlain. ::We knew of the vow the moment it was made. All magical creatures did. It was a magical vow, anyways. We have discussed it and settled upon an acceptable idea.:: She fixed Hotaru with one stern blue eye. ::You are perhaps curious why Trewyn is an apparition. She has accepted this as her duty. Her life energy will be transported into the lifestone around your neck.::

Hotaru's hand instantly flew to the violet stone that clasped her cloak.

::You do not need to wear the cloak, but the gem must be with you at all times:: ordered Erlain as Trewyn dissolved into the same sparkles that Amaiyity had and entered the stone. ::Now:: Erlain visibly straightened. ::Perhaps you'd best rest, Ninnoc. You will find yourself very low on energy soon.:: That said, she nudged Hotaru in the direction of Hogwarts.

Sure enough, Hotaru could feel the backlash of energy from all the magic she had, apparently, worked. She more than half stumbled to the school, down the halls, and to her room. Later, she would be curious as to how no teacher seemed to spot her. She would soon learn that one of the benefits of having Trewyn's lifeforce in the lifestone made her as quiet as a unicorn.

That accomplished, she fell face-first onto her bed, determined not to wake up for at least twelve hours.

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1 - it was like a circular column of fire, maybe three feet in diameter so they can't see her. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

2 - i couldn't remember if it was shurkiens or shurikens or something else entirely. you know, like chinese (???) throwing stars?

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! also i think i'm gonna put a intermission-like chapter between the other three transformations because i'm drawing a blank (remember, no setsuna chap). since not many people bothered to vote, this will be a mako/draco and ami/weasley twin story.

the full lyrics:

"Konstantine" by Something Corporate

"I can't imagine all the people that you know

and the places that you go

when the lights are turned down low

and I don't understand all the things you've seen

but i'm slipping inbetween

you and your big dreams

it's always you

in my big dreams

and you tell me that it's over

wake up lying in a patch of four leaf clovers

and your restless, and i'm naked

you've gotta get out

you can't stand to see me shaking

no

could you let me go?

I didn't think so

and you don't wanna be here in the future

so you say the present's just a pleasent interruption to the past

and you don't wanna look much closer

cuz your afraid to find out all this hope

you had sent into the sky by now had crashed

and it did

because of me

and then you bring me home

afraid to find out that you're alone

and i'm sleeping in your living room

but we don't have much room to live

I had these dreams that i learned to play guitar

maybe cross the country

become a rock star

and there was hope in me that i could take you there

but dammit you're so young

well i don't think i care

and if i hurt you

then i'm sorry

please don't think that this was easy

then you bring me home

cuz we both know what it's like to be alone

and i'm dreaming in your living room

but we don't have much room to live

and konstantine is walking down the stairs

doesn't she look good

standing in her underwear

and i was thinking

what i was thinking

we've been drinking and it doesn't get me anywhere

my Konstantine came walking down the stairs

and all that i could do is touch her long blonde hair

and i've been thinking

it hurts me thinking that these nights

when we were drinking no they never got us anywhere

no

this is because i can spell konfusion with a k

and i like it

it's to dying in another's arms and why I had to try it

it's to jimmy eat world and those nights in my car

when the first star you see may not be a star

I'm not your star

isn't that what you said

what you thought this song meant

and if this is what it takes

just to lie in my mistakes

and live with what i did to you

and all the hell I put you through

I always catch the clock

it's 11:11

and now you want to talk

it's not hard to dream

you'll always be my konstantine

konstantine, they'll never hurt you like i do

no they'll never hurt you like i do

no, no, no no no no no no

this is to a girl who got into my head

with all the pretty things she did

hey

you know

you keep me up in bed

this is to a girl who got into my head

with all the fucked up things i did

hey

maybe

baby

you could keep me up in bed

my Konstantine

spin around me like a dream we played out on this movie screen

and i said

did you know i missed you? [x7]

oh god i miss you

and then you bring me home

and we'll go to sleep, but this time, not alone, no no

and you'll kiss me in your living room

i know

you'll miss me in your living room

cuz these nights i think maybe that i'll miss you in my living room

we don't have much room

i said does anybody need that room?

because we all need a little more room

to live

my Konstantine"