The new world.

Hotaru was walking along the road... The remainings of the road, I mean. Only a little part of the city remained unharmed during the last battle.

It was a real nightmare. Demons attacked all of a sudden, destroying all on their way.

"It looked like... I don't know... They were interested only in destruction, not taking something away from people..." Suddenly she heard a creak. She snapped out of her thoughts, and looked around. It was a swing.

"Amazing. I wonder how it survived the distruction..." She decided to swing a bit. "It reminds me of my childhood..."

Flashback

"Hotaru!" - she turned around, and saw a boy running to her. "Hello, Yoshi!"

"Wanna play?"

They played all day long, then Yoshi made her a present: a hair-pin with a blue rose. "Wow, Yoshi, it's beautiful! Thanks!" - she kissed him in his cheek. "I bought it from an old priest, he told me it brings luck. Oh well, I gotta go, bye!"

The next day she looked at the hair-pin. The rose turned black. "Huh?" Then she understood.

Something happened to Yoshi.

End Flashback

She looked at the hair-pin again. Now it was crimson-red. Suddenly she saw that the swing next to her was swinging also. She thought she saw someone on it with the corner of her eye, but when she turned around, the swing was empty. "Strange" - Hotaru got off the swing, and went to the Hikawa shrine to meet the other Sailor Senshi.

When she got there, everyone else was waiting for her. "Hotaru, finally." - said Haruka. - "Ami, found something?"

"Nothing. I just don't get it. I can't find anything! I'm completely clueless!" - said Ami, typing furiously on the keyboard of her mini-computer. It was strange to see her in such a bad mood.

"You mean, we don't know who they are, and what they want?"

"No! If I knew, don't you think I wouldhave told you!"

"Ami, calm down." - said Michiru, looking in her mirror. She tried to find the answer, but all she saw was fog.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN, IF I KNOW NOTHING! HALF OF THE CITY IS IN RUINS, AND YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?"

"Mako-chan, do something!"

After a while, Ami finally calmed down, and fell asleep. Everyone was quiet for a while.

"Setsuna, I know it's against the rules, but do you know something?"

Setsuna shook her head. "All the paths lead to our end."

"Then we need a new path."

Everybody looked at Hotaru. She was leaning against the wall. But, her eyes were... Blue?

"Hotaru-chan?"

"Huh?" - She blinked, eyes returning to their normal deep-purple color.

"You were in a trance or something... You said something about 'a new path'... "

"Hm.. I don't know..."

Rei thought a bit. 'A new path'... That sounded so familliar... "I know!"

"What?"

"There is an ancient book called 'New path'. I think my grandfarther knows where it is... It may take a while to find it though."

"Well," - Haruka looked out of the window, - "It's getting late. Let's meet here tomorrow. Rei, try to find the book, okay?"

Everyone went home with a new hope. Hotaru shook her head. Something was wrong.

The rose was teal.