Hi again... Here is the fourth chapter! I am not going to be able to update very often because of school and all but I will do my best to update as often as I can!
Enjoy!
All I Ever Wanted
Chapter 4: The Dwarf named Ginlim
It wasn't any noise that made her wake up from her nightmares, but the silence. It comforted her and she relaxed. She still had a hard time to relax when she slept, because she still hadn't got used to sleeping in beds. The stiffness slowly disappeared and with a sigh Hotaru got up from the bed.
She walked up to the mirror and stared at herself. Her hair stood out everywhere and she looked like a complete mess but she could care less. Over and over again, she had dreamt about how she was trapped in the darkness, hearing mistress nines laughter over and over again.
Why, why did she have those dreams! She was dead! Hotaru summoned her glaive without thinking and she griped it hard. No, she wouldn't get distracted. No feelings would haunt her this day; there was something more important than her self right now. She starred at herself and twirled around when there was a knock on the door.
"What?"
She snapped angrily, and almost expected to hear Haruka ban her for her disrespectful tone. Instead, a servant told her that breakfast was going to be served down the hall. She blinked and snapped out of it. Oh yes, Bromelius. She could hear the servant step away, and without thinking she screamed out to him.
"Wait!"
She run out of the door and found herself looking at what she thought was a dwarf. He had a short dark red beard and was very broad over the shoulders. She found to her surprise that he did carry an axe. He was wearing brown leather clothes. His deep blue eyes twinkled in curiosity but he did not in the least look like he was an innocent soul.
"Are you really a servant?"
Her eyes darkened a bit and the dwarf suddenly grinned.
"No, I am not. I take it that you want me to lead you to Bromelius?"
She nodded, and was very careful in not showing a single emotion. So, Bromelius expected her did he? He turned his back against her.
"My name is Ginlim, Follow me."
They began to walk down the corridor, and Hotaru found herself bit curios about Ginlim.
"Where are you from? I take it that you don't come from Asteram?"
He laughed at her.
"No, I do not. No one comes from Asteram. It is a sacred star, and when the gods created this planet, they gave it life. But just trees and plants. That's all I know. I am from Tentrul and I assume you haven't heard of it."
Hotaru thought for a moment.
"Why are you here then?"
He mumbled something before he chose to answer the question.
"I am the best in my league. If you get lucky I might tell you later."
He looked back at her and grinned.
"That is, if you are skilled enough to find me."
He suddenly stopped and knocked on a door with a golden frame. He turned to her with a stern gaze.
"Wait here."
He quickly disappeared into the room and skilfully closed the door without making a sound. Despite that Ginlim was a bit stern, she found him quite amusing actually. When Ginlim came back out she could swear that he was doing his best not to smile.
"He's busy. May I escort you to the breakfast?"
Her eyes thinned dangerously but the dwarf seemed to care less. She knew that it was pointless unless he didn't want to talk to her, so she just followed Ginlim. When they had reached the room, he grinned at her again.
"If we meet again, I hope you will wear something short."
Before she could answer he hurried away. She muttered for herself and took seat next to Michiru.
"Was that miniman troubling you?"
Haruka glared at the spot were the dwarf had been and Hotaru couldn't help but laugh.
"No, not really. He just showed me the way."
Michiru glanced at Haruka.
"You have a spot on your shirt."
With a short glare at Michiru who just smiled back, Haruka tried to dry it off. The rest off the meal was actually quite pleasant despite that Serenity also shared the table. Hotaru noticed that she was more gloomy than usual, and she was sure that it wasn't her fault. To her surprise, it was Merald that arrived at the end of the meal and announced that he was going to show them the way.
He made eye contact with Usagi and blinked at her.
"I especially asked to take you there, you are such charming ladies."
She giggled and Hotaru rolled her eyes at him. He just smiled back and lead them out of the corridor.
"We are going to the stadium, where the tournament will be held. We have expected it to take at least two days, but we are counting with three. Not only senshi will be there, many comes from all over the universe for this special event. It is,afterall, very important."
Serenity winced and looked worringly towards her beloved daughter. Usagi didn't notice it and nudged Hotaru.
"I don't know what it is, but I just like him."
They passed many senshis on their way out of the palace, and when they reached the city, the streets were full of people. All were going in the same direction. Usagi slowly began to turn white.
"I… I think I can feel him…"
Hotaru nodded. She could sense his presence, even if it were weak. Her face hardened. Some senshi glanced at her and quickly turned away. Usagi starred after them.
"I wonder if they do this…to get him…"
She closed her eyes to gather up her thoughts.
"He wouldn't want me to be mad…"
Serenity glanced back at her daughter, her eyes awfully hollow. Hotaru glared at her and turned away. Despite that there were so many people, the stream went smoothly forward. They left El'Asteram behind them and a monstrous building came into view. Hotaru had never seen anything like it.
The closest thing she had ever seen was the coliseum that was in Rom. This building however, looked like it was newly built, the white stone shining in the sun. Strange creatures were carved into the building, making it seem almost alive. Merald gesticulated enthusiastically at it.
"The stadium my ladies! It is very old, I tell you. More than then thousand years!"
He began to describe some of its history but Hotaru didn't pay attention. It was as if she suddenly had realised that she soon would have to face another senshi in battle, and she fell awfully numb. Merald stopped before them and bowed.
"I am sorry my ladies but I must direct the senshi to the right entrance so you will have to make it without me inside, but just follow me now. You, who will not be in the tournament, go to the main entrance."
He made his way to a rather small entrance that seemed to be some kind of side door. He pulled out a big silvery key from his white robes and opened upp the gate. He made a sign for them to move forward. Hotaru glanced back and caught a glimpse of Bromelius before they entered a gigantic hall. Makoto took the lead and walked over to a stone bench. They all took place on the bench and Usagi began to talk.
As always when she was nervous, she either talked or became very silent. A stream of words just seemed to flood right out of her until she stopped. Hotaru put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Just relax."
She did so, and closed her eyes. Very soon the hall was filled with senshis, and Hotaru guessed that they were about 200, to her surprise. She looked at Michiru.
"If this is all the senshi, then the arena must be… Oh my…"
Michiru nodded.
"I didn't expect it to be this many, but you must remember that Bromelius apparently only have chosen the strongest senshi he could find. You should be honoured to have been chosen. Promise me that you will never take your powers for granted Hotaru, for that day you do that, it will be the first day of your own destruction."
Silence followed Michirus words. Hotaru smiled weakly at her, and felt herself lighten up at her mamas words. Haruka seemed to beam awhile, almost taking credit for Michirus wisdom herself. Meralds voice suddenly echoed thru the hall and silence fell over them all. Every senshi turned towards him, but he seemed untouched by the total attention he was given.
"The senshi which I here fore will call shall immediately go down the hall to the right and continue thru the blue door. There, you will wait for further instructions."
He pulled out a parchment and began to read the names on the list.
"…Merloch….Jupiter….Uranus…."
Haruka and Makoto rose and followed a senshi that looked like a cross between Peter Pan and a Wizard. When Merald had finished, he took out another parchment and let the other mysteriously disappear. Usagi rolled her eyes.
"Oh please…"
"The senshi that I now will call, shall go down the corridor to the left and go inside the green door. There you will wait for further instructions."
He continued to read upp names, and this time Michiru and Usagi was called. Hotaru starred after them as they left. Merald did so one more time, and finally he called her name. She rose and walked down to the left and entered a red door. Her mind clouded over with thoughts, as the presence of Helios suddenly grew stronger. She was only vaguely aware of the senshi around her.
Was he alright? Carefully, she reached out.
#Can you hear me Helios?#
Something pulled and pushed, like it was trying to stop her. She used more power, tried to concentrate it to a steady flow.
#Hotaru?#
She smiled as some sweat ran down her face. A feeling of victory suddenly filled her.
#Yes, its me Helios. Don't worry we will save you.#
A feeling came flooding back over the power flow. Fear?
#No… You shouldn't have come. Leave.#
Hotarus face hardened.
#No, we can't. We signed the contract. And even if we hadn't, we wouldn't leave you.#
#Hotaru… Please. You all must leave, or you will perhaps never be happy again. The prize is not worth it.#
Hotaru shaked her head in anger. How could he say this?
#But you are the prize! And I will not leave you here, do you hear me?#
Suddenly, the flow disappeared. Hotaru almost fell over but took hold against the wall. When she looked up Bromelius stood in the doorway. Hotaru blinked and grinned. He had cut her off! And the worst thing was that she had been unprepared. She cursed herself as he gesticulated warmly at the senshi.
"I am pleased that so many has accepted my invitations! No, the tournament will finally begin."
He glanced at her before he continued.
"Now, I will explain the rules. Killing is not allowed, and don't even think about it even if we have some 'security' spells on the arena. I truly hope we will not get a chance to witness that kind of behaviour from such honourable senshi such as yourselves. Hand to hand combat is allowed, of course. But I assume most off you will use your powers properly. Injuries are nothing to worry about for I have gathered up the best healers there is, well, except for a few. And, lastly, you stop when your opponent are down and won't get up. Have you all understood this?"
They all nodded towards him and he nodded back.
"Very well then. No one from this group will start I am afraid, so follow me."
He lead them out of the room and suddenly, they were standing what looked like some kind of balcony. Benches with pillows filled it up and Bromelius gestured for them to take a seat. The all sat down.
"This is a place with a very good view of the arena. I am sure you will enjoy this. You will be called when it is your turn and I will send someone to get you. Please, enjoy."
Hotaru snorted as he left. The same senshi that she and Usagi had seen in the garden was sitting beside her. She smiled at her.
"Hi, I am Sailor Enikkin."
She patted Hotaru on the left shoulder.
"That's how we greet on Enikkin."
Hotaru felt a little better when this friendly senshi tried to befriend her.
"I am Sailor Saturn."
She reached out her hand and Enikkin gently took it as Hotaru shook it.
"That's how we greet."
Enikkin giggled.
"How strange."
They continued to talk and Hotaru felt herself relax. To her surprise, Enikkin was very fond of weapons. She told Hotaru that she even had a collection! Hotaru smiled at her.
"That's not exactly what you expect when you love flowers… It doesn't really fit."
Enikkin laughed.
"Well, you're not the first to say that. I guess I am that kind of person who doesn't seem to be very violent."
Suddenly, Bromelius powerful voice echoed out over the arena. Hotaru quickly turned her head to locate him, but it all was in vain. To many powerful people in one place made it hard to find one.
"Welcome, very welcome to this special event. Let the tournament of senshis begin! First out is Sailor Merloch, whose powers are based on magic. She will meet Sailor Anukk, whose powers are based on water!"
Two senshi appeard on the arena and the crowd cheered. Hotaru recognised the one called sailor Merloch. She had been called just before Jupiter. A white stone glimmered on her forehead as her brown hair moved slightly in the wind. The other senshi looked like she was wearing a plain lilac dress.
Hotaru couldn't se properly, but she thought she saw blue diamond on Anukks chest. Her blonde hair was made in something that she guessed were many braids. Bromelius voice was heard again.
"Begin."
They both raised their left hands high and so, the match was one. Anukk made a backflip and screamed.
"Tidal Wave Anukk!"
Merloch stood her ground as a big wave of water came rushing towards her. She raised her right hand a wand appeared. It had a white stone in both ends.
"Shield of light!"
The wave hit the shield, but Merloch didn't move. The water sank away and Merloch began to run. Anukk screamed again.
"Blue water freeze!"
Merloch jumped and the beam of water hit the wall. Merloch pointed her wand at Anukk in the air.
"Stone spell!"
Anukk freezed when she got hit by the spell and Merloch landed before her.
"Flame of Power! Hit!"
The fire hit Anukk who unfroze and screamed. Silence fell over the stadium and Merloch looked at Anukk with lifeless eyes. And then, Sailor Anukk fell to the ground. Cheers broke out and Merloch raised her wand in victory.
"The winner is Sailor Merloch! She will move on to the next round. Next we have Sailor Jupiter, whose powers are based on lightening and wood! She will meet Sailor Enchin, whose powers are based on Earth!"
Hotaru tensed up as Jupiter appeared on the arena. Enikkin blinked and looked at Hotaru.
"You know her?"
"Yes I do. We come from the solarsystem."
Enikkin blinked again, this time in surprise.
"The same system? I am the only senshi in my system."
"Begin!"
Jupiter and Enchin raised their hands. Enchin looked like she was wearing a brown skirt and a blue bikini with a short cloak. The brown sandals went up to her knees. Jupiter lashed out with a high kick which surprised the senshi of Enchin. She fell to the ground but quickly got up. She pointed her hand at Jupiter.
"Broken flower, catch!"
Jupiter jumped out of the way and appeared behind her. She kicked her again and jumped out of the way as Enchin lashed out with the same attack. The flowery vines missed and Jupiter jumped again. Enikkin nodded.
"She is good. She hasn't even used one of her attacks yet. Her tactic is quite good. Maybe I should try that too."
Hotaru smiled at her.
"Then I almost hope we will meet."
Jupiter landed after a few more kicks and jumps but fell. Enchin quickly took the opportunity and screamed out her attack.
"Broken flower, catch!"
The attack caught Jupiter and catched her. It began to suck up her energy and Hotaru swore.
"Damn!"
Then, Jupiter looked up into Enchins eyes and smiled.
"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"
Enchin suddenly screamed as she was filled with electricity and she fell to the ground, blacking out. The vines fell of Jupiter and she weakly raised her hand in victory.
The kitchen was as loud as it used to be, and in some ways it had always soothed her. Mim looked around in the blue as her staff made El'Asterams best and finest meals. Oh, yes, weren't she proud over it. A filthy glass caught her eye. No one seemed available at the moment, so she decided to clean it herself.
She wasn't surprised, as the restaurants were filled up at the moment. Lunch usually went by rather smoothly, but this weren't the usual days. The tournament seemed to be anywhere, on everyone's lips and tongues. She sighed as she came to a spot that seemed to be impossible to remove and doubled her efforts.
She wouldn't complain, as she made excellent affairs. But, she didn't really care for that anymore. Lately, she seemed to be having thoughts of actually going back home. She shaked her head and grinned. Why would she want to return?
"As I thought, I would find you in the kitchen."
She turned around.
"Well, it would be hard to take care of a restaurant if you were somewhere else, don't you think Bromelius?"
She smiled at the old man and put the glass back.
"Is there something you want to discuss, or was this just a friendly visit? I wouldn't mind the second you now. You haven't been here especially often since you began planning this tournament of yours."
His eyes glittered as he laughed and took her hand. She stiffened and looked at him with suspicion.
"And for that, I am awfully sorry. You now that I love your food Mim. But, I a have been busy. And, unfortunally I must ask a favour of you since I am unable to do it myself."
He let go off her hand and she felt her checks burn a little. She looked down at the floor, hoping that he missed it. But her voice was as steady as it always was.
"Perhaps I will help you. But nothing comes for free."
Hotaru slowly made her way out on the arena. She could se the other senshi very clear now; every detail seemed to etch itself in her mind as the critical moment when they would fight drew nearer. Her skin seemed to glow a faint red, and she wore what looked like a yellow bikini. It was covered by a simple orange se through dress. Her hair was braided and gold stripes could be seen in the black hair.
She could barely hear the commentator's voice, and the crowds cheers sounded like they were drowned. The arena had indeed been charmed. Her grip on the glaive tightened and she let her face become emotionless, preparing herself for the battle.
"…Sailor Indra, whose powers are based on magma and fire! She will meet Sailor Saturn, whose powers are based on destruction and rebirth, or in other words silence!"
Hotaru let her glaive shine and she could swear that she had heard someone shout firefly.
"Begin!"
They both raised their hands… And did nothing. They stood still, and just starred at each other. Then, suddenly, Indra held an orb in her hand.
"Magma flow!"
A stream of magma came rushing towards her. She held up her glaive.
"Silence wall!"
The magma hit the wall, and disappeared. Indra seemed to be taken back by it, but she quickly jumped aside. Hotaru begun to sprint towards her. This seemed to surprise the senshi but she quickly recovered.
"Burning fire surround!"
Suddenly, Hotaru was surrounded by fire. She swung her glaive in a circle, and the fire died away. She pointed her glaive at the senshi.
"Dead silence wave!"
Nothing happened, so Indra just blinked in confusion. The suddenly, she was hit by the invisible wave. She flew into the wall and fell to the ground. Hotaru carefully began to walk over towards the senshi.
She had to make sure that she had blackened out, or she would be disqualified. The thought of it made her think about Helios.
"Magma flow!"
The scream brought her back into reality, but before she could react, she was hit by the attack. She wasn't aware if she screamed or not, but the heat was unbearable. The magma began to cool, so she was stuck on the place. She couldn't move her feat.
She swung her glaive, and it cracked. In the last second, she jumped out of the way as another attack came towards her.
"Dead silence wave!"
The wave hit Indra and this time, she blackened out. Hotaru weakly put her hand up in victory. That had been to close. She banned herself for the error she had done, and helped herself out of the arena with the help of her glaive. All her energy seemed to just disappear, and she was thankful that she had learned to harvest every bit of strength in a crisis.
She sank down on the bench, beside another senshi. She was vaguely aware of that someone had healed her, but no one could reach her. Her mind was a turmoil with feelings and questions. So she just sat there, and waited for her next duel. It came to fast. She rose, only half-heartedly wondering who she was going to meet.
But, in the end it wouldn't matter. She would defeat them all. For Helios.
End of Chapter 4
Once again, thank you very much for the reviews! It really makes me glad that you seem to like my story, and thanks for the comments. By the way, I am thinking of a sequel...