chapter | part eleven: evil revealed
[Everyone stared in shock as the mist, that was once believed to have been focused on taking over Soujiro's body, take over a fellow senshi's body. Hotaru, who was on the ground from falling over herself, grabs hold of her head and shrieks in pain.]
Hotaru: Ahhhhhh! So much evil.... so much hate.... more so then Mistress 9...... It hurts!!!
[Hotaru stopped twitching and wrestling in pain. She slowly gets up from her position and looks blankly at the others. A voice seem to come from Hotaru, but it wasn't her. It was what had possessed her using her body to speak out. Although it was Hotaru's voice, it was different then before.]
Voice: Ahh.... Finally a body worth taking over.......... Heh... Not some weakling.
[She paused and closed her eyes. Kenshin, Aoshi, Saitoh, Sanosuke, and even Misao prepared for a battle. Saitoh, perhaps, preparing more for an offensive attack rather then defensive. The wind blew around the surrounding people there.]
Sailor Moon: Hotaru-chan!!! NOooooo! You cannot be.... the..... one.... Impossible! Fight it!
[Hotaru opened her eyes and faced directly at Sailor Moon. Her eyes seemed vacant and a smirk crossed her face.]
Voice: She can hear you, but she won't respond. She did put up a good fight for a while there. I almost thought I would have to abandon this deliciously powerful body, but for some reason or other, she gave up. She allowed me to take over.
Tuxedo Kamen: That's impossible. Hotaru-chan would never allow herself to be taken over like that.
Voice: Believe what you want....... It's the truth. [Her smirk grows wider into a crooked grin.] Now that I have taken over her body and in doing so have captured her entire mind. Her memories, her knowledge, her most preciouis moments, the information you all so helplessly gathered, yes even the future......... I know everything for they belong to me. I want to know if it is true then.......... Let's see, how does it go?
[Kenshin's eyes widened slightly and wind swept his face at this question. Saitoh quickly takes his stance. The gleam of his sword lit up in the moonlight. Sanosuke clenches his fist. Sailor Moon races in front of them.]
Sailor Moon: Please, I beg of you.... trust me!.... I can save her..... I will save her! ..... Hotaru-chan's still inside.
Voice: How sweet to be protected. Now for those words...... [she closes her eyes only for a short while and opens her eyes with a gleam of realization.].... I see....... Saturn Planet Power....., Make-Up!
[Saitoh, at the sound of these words, rushed forward with his Gotatsu. Hotaru just stood there with her outstretched hand awaiting for something to happen, but it didn't. Haruka tried her best to reach out for Hotaru's life, but in doing so had gotten in the way to where the inner senshi could make a move. Haruka was slowed down a bit by the kimono that she also had to wear, and when Hotaru saw Saitoh coming right at her, she leapt out of the way of his Gotatsu just in the nick of time. Soujiro went into his Sukuchi to hurry to her side. Swords clashed once again as the two men began fighting. Saitoh went into his zero stance at Hotaru who was close by. Soujiro, whose speed was faster then Kenshin's own, had blocked his attack with his own sword.]
Saitoh: How foolish.
Soujiro: You're the one whose foolish, Saitoh-san.
Sanosuke: Idiot!! You're the one who doesn't understand those words. If she transforms, then like the other girls, she'll become even more stronger then before. Maybe even more then we could probably handle. You haven't seen them in action like the rest of us have.
[Kenshin looks over to where the sailor senshi were, then to the fight between Saitoh and Soujiro, and finally over to Hotaru who once again was looking at her hand. Then Aoshi, who was right next to Kenshin, spoke under his breathe to him.]
Aoshi: If she were to transform, it would have been done by now.
Kenshin: I agree. Also, sessha wonders why does Hotaru-dono have that look of confusion on her face, de gozaru?
[The rest of the senshi who were nearby overheard Kenshin and looked over towards Hotaru. Hotaru who was still standing there staring at her hand, slowly puts her hand down, and took a glance to the rest of the people that were there. As Saitoh and Soujiro were fighting against each other, Sanosuke sending in his words into the fight, and the rest just looking on, she turned and made a run for it in the midst of it all. Even with all the attention that she had drawn from the others, she managed to slip out of their sight without being noticed. The battle between Saitoh and Soujiro continued on at a dead heat. Finally Venus makes her move.]
Sailor Venus: Venus..... Love Me Chain!
[Venus's attack had captured the swords of Saitoh and Soujiro. This didn't quite immediately put a halt to the two fighting as was planned. Saitoh once again unleashes his belt around his waist and whips it over to Soujiro. With his Sukuchi, however, he was able to dodge the choke hold that had once ensared Kenshin. The other members of the senshi team by this time have joined in on the conversation between Kenshin and Aoshi.]
Haruka: Hotaru is still in control over her own body. The evil within has not captured her entire mind yet.
Tuxedo Kamen: What I don't understand is why doesn't she fight it. If the evil hasn't taken total control of her body.
Michiru: Perhaps, just maybe, she thinks she can take this task of dealing with the evil herself and allowed herself to be taken.
Sailor Moon: Oh no, but why? This was supposed to be a task for us, not for her to take on.
Setsuna: It's still our mission to protect. With or without our powers, we still acknowledge what our purpose in life is.
Sailor Mercury: This is really bad guys. As I was saying earlier, about this evil, what it is.....
Tuxedo Kamen: Spit it out Mercury.
Sailor Mercury: Well if I'm correct, and Hotaru is the one whom Chaos has taken over. Then this could be bad news.
Sailor Moon: Chaos?!?!
[A brief silence fell over the entire senshi team at the words of who their foe was in this time.]
Sailor Mercury: Well, not quite. It's more of a weaker version of it. Like it has just spawned here.
Setsuna: So it took a little over a hundred years for it to find it's way back, and during it's journey has become stronger.
Haruka: Damn it!.. This so called simple mission just got more complicated. We really shouldn't have been here.
Kaoru: Could someone please explain to the rest of us who or what this Chaos person or thing is?
[Haruka rolled her hands in to fists, and cuts off Kaoru with her brief answer.]
Haruka: There is no need to explain it to outsiders who have no place in this battle.
Michiru: Sorry, but you'll just get in the way.
[Haruka and Michiru had turned their backs on everyone and started their way back towards the inn where they were staying at. Kenshin looks onward at Sailor Moon, and she looked back at him with sad eyes. He gave her that same look he gave her earlier when he said that he trusts her and gave a slight nod to her. He then puts his arm around Kaoru, who was steaming mad and ready to burst at Haruka and Michiru, and started to lead her back home.]
Saitoh: Feh....
[Saitoh follows suit with his wife and started to head back for their home.]
Aoshi: Misao-dono, it's time we head back with Kenshin as well.
Misao: What?! We're just going to let them go at this alone without our help?! You know we could help out more then they think we can.
Sanosuke: I happen to agree with the weasel girl.
Misao: What did you call me?!
Aoshi: They know where to find us if they do need our help, and I'm sure the door is always open to welcome them with better hospitality then we've been shown.
[Kenshin, who gotten a head start with Kaoru, pauses and takes one more last look at Sailor Moon.]
Sailor Moon: Wait.... I apologize about Haruka and Michiru.... They are only trying to protect me.... May we go with you?
Tuxedo Kamen: Sailor Moon...
Sailor Moon: You would know more about this time then any of us here........ Perhaps you would have an idea as to who or where did Chaos spawn from.
[Saitoh stops shortly when he heard this, and Kenshin also stopped. Haruka and Michiru, however, were already on their way without stopping.]
Saitoh: There's much to be understood about this new enemy, and we would need to know more about this new enemy of ours.
Setsuna: Ours? If it weren't for Soujiro putting a stop to you, you would have attacked and killed Hotaru.
Saitoh: I will always live the life of a Mibu Wolf. If there is evil, it will be dealt with swiftly. Never forget that.
[With that Saitoh had turned briskly and started on his way back to where they all had started the evening, expecting the others to follow suit behind him. The others looking on at him with Soujiro having a look of uncertainty upon his face.]
Tokio: Sorry about that. I'd love to join you but after all this excitement I would prefer it if I got back home.
Kaoru: Of course. Sanosuke can walk you back home if you would like.
Sanosuke: Huh?
Tokio: Thank you, but no thanks. Our place is not to far from here, and dawn is upon us so the streets are safe.
[With that Tokio takes her leave off in the other direction, away from where Saitoh was heading.]
Footnotes:
Hopefully this chapter was being anticipated on.
Also hope it is making you think or anticipate on what's going to happen next.