Betrayal of the heart
Chapter thirty-one: Hotaru...is an enemy?
Usagi sighed heavily as she sat at her desk, looking at the news reports. Darkness was growing rapidly nearer, and the scouts still had not suceeded in bringing the dead moon circus down. Two more villains had appeared, Fish Eye and Hawks Eye and together with Tigers Eye, things were heating up. There was an attack a day, and it was hard enough to maintain the company, while fighting lemures everyday.
"Usagi, can I talk to you for a moment?" Safir poked his head into the office. Usagi set the paperwork aside.
"Sure Safir, please come in" Safir entered the office fully and sat in one of the arm chairs. "What can I do for you?" Safir shifted in his seat.
"There have been a few more attacks down town today" He said.
"Has it been taken care of?" Usagi asked. Safir sighed.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about" He said. "Hotaru appeared" Usagi blinked.
"Hotaru?" She inquired. "She'd be about ten now, right?" Safir nodded.
"She's being used by the enemy. I don't think she has any memory of who she is. She calls her self, Miss Dream." Usagi sighed.
"What else" She asked, sensing that there was more to the tale.
"The kids, Usagi. The kids were targeted and have been brainwashed. They work for the circus" Safir told her regretfully. Usagi stood up abruptly, papers flying off her desk.
"Our kids!" She exclaimed.
"I'm afraid so" Safir said. "Serenity, Kenji, Soiya and Aya"
"We have to find them" Usagi said. "bring them back. Serenity is the only one who can communicate with Pegasus. Does Demando know?"
"No" Safir said. "I haven't told him yet"
"Tell Demando what's happened. I'm going to find those kids and bring them back to normal" She grabbed her coat and left the office. As she was driving downtown she spotted the kids picking on...Hotaru. She stopped the car and got out.
"What is going on here?" She demanded. Serenity just glared at her.
"Nothing that concerns you" She snapped.
"As your mother, everything you do concerns me" Usagi said. "What has gotten into you?"
"Shut up! I've had it! I stopped being a good kid!" Serenity snapped.
"Serenity, what about love and justice, and everything I taught you?" Usagi asked.
"We grew up being deceived by Love and Justice!" Soiya snapped. Usagi sighed and closed her eyes. An aura surrounded her, and the silver crystal appeared. Usagi transformed into Princess Serenity and the crystal shone brightly. The kids tried to shield their eyes, but they were bathed in the light of the crystal. When the light was gone, Usagi reverted to her natural self.
"Mother?" Serenity asked softly. "What have I been doing?" She clutched her head.
"It's alright my darling" Usagi said.
"No!" Serenity said, pointing to Hotaru. "It was her. She did this to us!" She lunged for Hotaru, but Usagi held her back.
"No! She is being used" Usagi said. "She was a friend of yours at one time" Serenity blinked.
"In the future" Usagi told her. "We need to help her"
"But how?" Kenji asked. Suddenly a great old hag appeared.
"You can not help her, She belongs to me" The hag cackled. The amazon trio also appeared.
"Take their energy!" the hag commanded Hotaru. Hotaru blasted them all with electricity.
"Pegasus!" Rini cried. "Please help us" Pegasus appeared and pointed his horn at Hotaru. The young girl screamed as a beam hit her and she collapsed.
"She is no longer controlled by the circus" He told them. "Listen, to stop the circus, you must travel to their base, it is the only way" He vanished from sight.
"He's right" The old hag cackled. the hag swooped down and grabbed Serenity. "So long" The villains vanished, with Serenity in their grasp.
"Serenity!" Usagi cried, just as Safir and Demando showed up. "They took her, They took my daughter!" Demando held Usagi close.
"Safir, escort Hotaru home. She probably won't remember any of this" Demando said. Safir nodded and picked the limp girl up and left.
"Usagi, go to Hikawa Shrine and tell Rei and Jadiete what has happened, I'll round up the others and meet you there" Usagi nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. When she got to the shrine, She told Jadiete and Rei what had transpired.
"They could kill both Serenity and Pegasus!" Rei exclaimed. Usagi nodded, tears in her eyes. She hoped her daughter was safe.