Hotaru followed the Garnet Orb down the narrow path until she came to a fork in the road. The Orb stopped and floated as if indecisive, and Hotaru looked each way. "Oh, no! What do we do now?"

To the left was more uneven ground, and a general darkness far in the distance. Hotaru shrunk back from that fork of the path. "I don't know if I want to go that way…it looks like a storm is brewing over there. The path is brighter to the right. I don't see why Setsuna would be down that dark path. I don't know why anyone would be there. It's dark and scary." She looked to the right. "There's a palace that way! Let's go there! They may know about Setsuna."

Hotaru took a step to the right, but just as she did a terrible pain stabbed her chest. Her eyes went wide and she looked to the left again. "Someone…has died." She clutched her chest with her hand. "Someone…important." She tried to control her panicked breathing.

The Garnet Orb flashed frantically and started to drift to the right. Hotaru kept her eyes focused on the darkness to the left and didn't respond to the flashing of the talisman. "Who is it?" she whispered. She started to move down the rocky path, leaving the Orb behind, a sick feeling in her stomach that she couldn't quite explain. Soon she was running with all her might, one hand still covering her heart. "I must know who has died!"

A sudden wind sprang up and swirled around her, making her stop in her tracks. The voice of a child was suddenly all around her, in her head, pulling at her arms and legs, laughing with sick glee. "Hotaaaaruuu…come play with meeee!"

Hotaru closed her eyes and threw her hands around above her head in a panic as if she were being attacked by an insect. "Go away!" she screamed. This spirit…it had killed someone. She knew it. But she had to get by. She had to find out who had died. She took to running again, her hair whipping painfully in the violent wind.

The Garnet Orb appeared in front of her suddenly and violet light and energy exploded from it with the force of a small bomb. Hotaru screamed as the energy of the Orb blasted her off her feet and onto her back on the ground. Her head snapped back and she lay there for a moment, completely stunned and trying not to cry from the shock of it.

When she did move again, the voice of the child was gone and the wind had ceased, apparently driven off by the Orb. All was still. Hotaru sat up and looked towards the darkness in the distance. "I don't think I'll go that way after all…" She stood and moved slowly back towards the right fork in the road. She was somewhat hurt that the Orb had thrown her and she was almost a bit angry at it, but it had succeeded in stopping her from taking what might have been a dangerous path. Still, she looked back once more before taking the right fork towards the palace. "Who has died? And why do I feel so empty?"

~*~

Haruka trudged along, Michiru's mirror clutched in her hand. Her Space Sword was put away – she just didn't care that much what happened to her. Despite her dedication to Hotaru, she rather wished something would just come and kill her and put her out of her misery. Every once in awhile she wiped tears from her eyes with a dirty hand. "This is all my fault," she muttered. "If I had only looked out for Setsuna more closely, she never would have died. We should never have left her at that Gate by herself. I should have known something was wrong. I should have gotten there faster. I should have at least been holding her when she died!" Haruka sucked back a dry sob. "If I had been faster, Hotaru never would have come looking for Setsuna by herself and then my Michiru –" She ground her fist against her eyes, completely unable to speak anymore. When she regained her control, she muttered, "Should have been faster…"

Haruka walked for what seemed like ages with nothing in sight but stalagmites and hot lava. The more she walked the more tired and crazy she felt. "Magic," she murmured. "There's heavy magic in the air. That's why I couldn't run to catch Michiru when she jumped. Magic to clog the senses. So tired." The air felt heavy and seemed to shimmer in front of her. She stopped and looked around frantically. She knew she had to find Hotaru and get back to the surface as fast as she could.

Haruka cupped her hand around her mouth and called out desperately. "Hotaru! Hotaru! Are you there?"

Nothing.

"Hotaru, please!"

A high pitched giggle splintered the silence. "Haruuuuka! Come play with meee!"

Haruka brandished the mirror like a weapon even though she couldn't use it. "DAMN YOU!" she screamed.

"I'm over heeere, Haruuuka. Come and find meee."

Haruka suddenly froze and looked in the direction of the voice. A tall, slender figure was perched on a rock, half hidden in shadow. The figure wore a long, white dress and swirling green-black hair curled around its legs. Haruka shook her head, wide eyed. "No…"

Setsuna beckoned with a graceful hand. "Haruuuka."

Haruka hesitated for a split second (did Setsuna always talk in that singsong voice?) before running towards her as fast as she could. Dropping the mirror for a moment, she clasped Setsuna's face between her hands and planted kisses on her cheeks and forehead. "God, Setsuna! You had us worried to death!" Haruka continued her assault of rare affection, finishing by kneeling in front of Setsuna, her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I'm so relieved to have you back!"

Setsuna have an odd little giggle. Haruka didn't notice that the teeth that flashed were a bit yellowed. "I was lost, but you found meee! But why are you so saaad?" Setsuna offered a little smile, eyes narrowed.

Haruka lifted the mirror again. "Oh, it's so awful. I don't know how to tell you. Michiru has…died." Haruka's face crumpled in agony and she rested her face against Setsuna's lap.

Setsuna laughed. "She's not dead. She's right over heeeere."

Haruka looked up at her in astonishment. "Where?" She frowned slightly. Setsuna's eyes were black.

Setsuna rose and moved fluidly through the cavern, over to a wide crevice in the floor. Once Haruka had joined her, she pointed. "Michiruuu is down there."

Haruka peered over the edge and quickly cried out. "Michiru!"

She was suspended horizontally in mid air, her aquamarine tresses blowing lightly in the breeze. There was nothing below her but a pit so deep the bottom wasn't visible. She was still wearing her clothes from before, now with a tattered hole over her chest where she had been stabbed. "Hello, Lovvve," she sang. "Come down to meee." Blood bubbled from her mouth, but Haruka couldn't see.

"Michiru…" whispered Haruka. She closed her eyes.

Behind her, Setsuna laughed gleefully and shoved Haruka over the edge.

Haruka smiled as she fell, arms stretched open wide to grasp Michiru, but she hit nothing. Haruka's body sailed downwards until she disappeared into the depths. Setsuna clapped her hands together and the sides of the crevice slammed together sharply at her command. Haruka was no more.

And miles and miles away, a little dark-haired girl started to cry for no reason.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Accompanying Illustration:

(Please copy, paste, and take out the spaces)

www.angelfire.com / anime4 / setsuna_meioh / images / haruka_setsuna_elysianfields.jpg