By Hotaru Hope Maxwell
Ok…Ok…Chapter 1 here we come! Oh yeah…Don't own SM or Wk bye now! P.S. Do own Ayame from my story too! ByE!
Chapter 1: Lost petals in Summer Wind
Hotaru rushed over to Makoto's shop as quickly as she possibly could. For some strange reason, the normally weak girl was alive with energy. In fact over the last few days, that energy seemed to double. Mercury and Setsuna had come with the theory that the scouts were returning to full power as Usagi neared her 21st birthday, the year before her crowning. As such, it seemed their weakest areas were becoming less noticeable. Makoto was not as ditzy as before and actually enjoyed her math classes. Minako was more graceful and didn't trip every 3 steps. Raye was more cool-headed and didn't yell at Usagi as much. Ami less involved in her books and more in her friends. To Hotaru, the entire world seemed to be coming into a perfect dream. But as her life had shown her earlier, the twists in life could be happy and blissful one minute but dangerous and terrible the next. Hotaru smirked as she noticed a large crowd of boys standing outside Makoto's restaurant. It was sort of the same as with the floral shop she had just been at, just no males. Sighing while shaking her head, Hotaru entered the back door of the large area. She found Makoto diligently working on yet another dinner meal. It seemed to be chicken again. 'Well sometimes some things just don't change.' She shrugged, setting down her books on the equipment for employee's area. "Hello Hotaru-chan." Makoto said, not even turning her back to acknowledge the other girl's presence. "Konichiwa Mako-chan." Hotaru smirked, putting the flowers down next to her bag. "What a pretty surprise Hota-chan!" A squealing voice over her shoulder sent Hotaru into the air a good 2 or 3 feet. "Ayame-dono!" She squeaked out, her eyes wide as she stared at the woman before her. Ayame Nekoni was the young woman who had recently become Makoto's secondary chief. Makoto, who had been working overtime, had needed the dark haired beauties help.
Ayame was a lovely elder woman who stood almost 2 heads over Hotaru. She was tall for her slim age of 22 even taller than Makoto. Hotaru guessed that Ayame was Setsuna's height to say the least. She had long light blue hair like Ami's that radiated the wondrous color of the sky when in regular light, but in the dark of night was ocean colored. Ayame had startling ocean blue eyes that stared out at everyone with intense gazes, masking all with happiness and a comforting confident glow. Hotaru absolutely adored the woman who still acted as much as a teen as she. Ayame always had this childish innocence that Hotaru found appealing and shared many secrets with. Grinning at the taller woman, Hotaru sighed softly. "I got them for Makoto…if you haven't forgotten today's…" "The anniversary of when the great 'Heart of Juno' opened…. Yeah…Mako won't quit the talk about it…or the workload…" Ayame interrupted Hotaru giggling slightly.
"And just what are you talking about Ayame-chan?" Makoto hissed from behind the two. Instantly the presents vanished behind the girls' backs as they stared innocent eyed at the older brunette. "Nothing Mako-chan." Makoto rolled her eyes as Hotaru made a pouty puppy face she had developed from her little time with Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Sighing, the emerald-eyed warrior glared down at her. "I got you a present…Mako…" Hotaru gulped and stuck out the bouquet with a large pink bow on it. Hotaru giggled when Makoto's eyes went wide. "Oh…" The woman squeaked. "Yo! Mako! Hurry up! I need some help here!" Minako's shrill cry was heard. Ayame rushed out from behind Hotaru, her ocean eyes happy.
***A few hours later***
"Boy! Do we know how to party or what?!" Ayame grinned as Makoto finally locked the doors to her restaurant. "Is or what an answer…" Hotaru flopped down into the chair, her energy spent. "Man…can you believe that crowd…" Minako fluttered from her seat, her serving outfit ruined by her sitting on it. "I'm glad that it's only Tuesday or else I'd have to work tonight." She cried out. "Yeah. But you're pulling double duty tomorrow remember." Makoto pointed a finger at the blonde. Minako glanced at her. "Don't remind me." The longhaired girl sighed with a tired moan. "And we still have to walk home Minako…" Hotaru reminded her. Ayame giggled as the girl fell out of her booth she was using as a bed and cried out from beneath the table. The other three females broke out laughing, Makoto almost falling out of her chair from the pains that came from it.
Suddenly a large sound startled the four young women. A crash through the window took them all by surprise. "What the?!" Makoto rose quickly as a figure rose to roar at them. 'What the hell is that thing!' Hotaru felt her mind scream. The creature looked to be some sort of black pitch demon (A/n: that red eyed creepy things Aya and the others fight in the intro song of WK). "What the heck! A MONSTER!" She heard Ayame scream. "Hurry!" Minako grabbed hold of Ayame's startled arms and the four women ran through the front door out of the tiny area. "God! What is that thing!" Ayame cried, clinging tightly to the smaller women. "I don't know…" Suddenly another shadow appeared, right in front of them. "What the heck are they!" Minako squealed, ducking from a punch coming from them. "Who cares! Get out of here Taru-chan! Ayame!" Makoto threw her fist at the monster as Minako kicked it from below. Hotaru hesitated, fearful for her companions, but nodded and ran away, her hand clasped around her normal human ally.
When Hotaru felt that she and Ayame could run no further they turned to see a smoke rising in the dark night sky. Tears swelled into Hotaru's eyes as she clutched to Ayame's steady arms. "What's going on?" Ayame cried, tears swelling the cheeks of the innocent teen like woman's face. "Don't worry Ayame. I'll go and see if the others are okay…" Hotaru rose to find her friends. "NO! Wait! I'll come with you!" Ayame tugged on Hotaru's loose sleeve. Hotaru bit her lip, fighting back the no that was upon her tongue. She knew that the monsters must have been after the Senshi and that she couldn't endanger Ayame, but for another reason she bit the lower pink lip. Ayame would be in danger either way. She couldn't just leave the frightened friend lying there. Helping the taller woman up, both startled and nervous girls went to find the location of the other women.
"I hope they are alright." Ayame whispered, her voice still shaking with an unconditional amount of fear. "I do to, Ayame…. I do too…" Hotaru heard herself reply, her voice calm and collected as she sensed about the area for any sign of enemy. "Hotaru-chan…" Ayame held her breath as she watched the mature teenager step across the path of glass before her. "Why would those things attack us?" Hotaru muttered out loud. She could no longer sense anything. Her eyes took on a strange look of glazing as she glanced nervously about her. No Makoto trail, no Minako and worst of all, No Ayame… "Ayame…I think we should turn back now…" Hotaru turned to look at the dark haired ocean eyed woman. The woman stood there, not even looking at her, eyes wide with fear and realization. "Ayame? Ayame!" Hotaru cried, fear consuming her mind. A low laughter was heard all around her, as time seemed to slow down. Ayame fell to the glass ridden concrete with a dull slow thud. Hotaru felt her head shake as she saw an expensive golden and silver dagger sword producing from her back before a black gloved hand reached out to grab it away roughly, disappearing into the shadows. "No…no…" Hotaru trembled slightly, fear consuming her mind. "Hotaru…" Ayame's gentile voice seemed to cry to her. Hotaru bent down, not caring if some of the glass stuck into her legs. She turned her friend over, giving the bleeding woman her lap to lay upon. "Ayame?" She whispered, fear of her voice destroying the woman before her. Hotaru's thoughts were in jumbles, she didn't have the strength or power to heal her, all energy gone in the runs of the earlier evening. "Ayame?" She pried again.
Soft ocean colored eyes peered through the lasses as blood trailed down poor Ayame's face. "Hotaru-chan…" The woman lifted a hand to have Hotaru's clutch. The teen complied eagerly. "Ayame…stay alive…don't go…" The teen had tears of sad pain running down her cheeks. Ayame's own fearfilled tears ran down with hers except her left eye's seemed to be made of pure blood. The stain of red covered the street, Hotaru's legs and Ayame's ever changing sky hair. "I was…so…" Ayame coughed lightly as Hotaru clutched to her hand even tighter. "I was so happy…for the first time since T…Taka…Takatori I was happy...." Hotaru's eyes widened as she heard Ayame speak that name. A title that caused so much pain was now being used as a farewell and a secret giver. "Please tell Persia that I'm sorry we couldn't…meet…for our date…" Ayame finished, closing her eyes softly for the last time. "Ayame! AYAME!" Hotaru screamed loudly, shaking the fist and body beneath her. It was to no avail…Ayame, friend of Makoto Kino, Minako Aino and Hotaru Tomoe was gone forever. Her soul scattered in the winds. A never forgotten blossom of life in the three woman's existences, a lost petal…a lost friend…
Hotaru held onto Ayame, crying her eyes out as she felt the pains of anger, hate and loathing seep into her chest. She didn't listen to the distant laughter coming from away, or the distant rumble of sirens. She just cried with all the bundling emotions inside of her. Cried and mourned and waited until the nightmare would end, but inside knowing that she could not stop a sister of death, destiny… "Ayame…."
TBC….