A/N: Hotaru and Saturn are separate beings unlike the other senshi; they are basically two entities sharing the same body while the other senshi just transform to use their powers. Hopes that clears up any confusion.
Hotaru awoke to an empty room, the rays from the un-curtained window beating down on her face. Ugh, she felt really drained...that power from yesterday must have really wiped her out. She slowly sat up in bed, the covers slowly trailing down her backside as she did; she hazarded a glance around. She could already tell she was alone before then, but...what should she do first? She'd already woken up kind of late so she was probably late to the first tournament fight.
She felt a rumbling in the pit of her stomach...oh right, she hadn't eaten breakfast. She wasn't one for eating big meals, most of the time just letting herself get by on various snacks like protein bars, one of which she pulled from the contents of her bag and began to munch on. It was then that Hotaru noticed the folded piece of paper on the nightstand by her bed. It was from Botan telling her to come to the boy's room when she got the chance as they would all head over to the arena together. Hotaru carefully replaced the note, no amount of rushing would help since she was certain they'd already left.
After her small breakfast, she headed to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and began to prepare for a quick shower. It was strange how melancholy she felt about all of this all of a sudden. As the water from the shower head began to grow progressively warmer, she leaned her tiny back onto the opposite wall of the shower and slid down it.
"...Saturn, can we talk now?" she asked, feeling now was the most appropriate time since it would be hard for any passerby to hear her through the sound of the running water, demons excluded of course, but she didn't have much to worry about that since the boys weren't opposite them anymore.
Soundlessly, and without effort, an ethereal form of Saturn appeared some ways from her. The warrior shared her looks down to the roots of her hair. If both could have been physically present at the same time then surely they would be mistaken for twins. She appeared just as she always did, looking however Hotaru did at that exact time. It didn't matter, they were technically one; the absence of clothes was definitely no big deal to either of them.
"What is it?" the warrior responded, a cold, steely tone to her voice, much different than Hotaru's timid but kind voice.
"Why are we here...? What's the purpose in all this?" Hotaru asked, her eyes cast downward, staring at the water that swirled down the drain.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you at this time. But...in time, you will come to understand."
"Saturn, I expect Pluto to be the cryptic one...not you." Hotaru was almost pouting, this scene not unlike an older and younger sister picking on each other. "Is it something to do with a new enemy? I thought the Sailor Wars were over...I thought...I thought for once we might actually have a chance at living a normal life, at least for a little while. I know in the 30th century, things will take a turn for the worse at one point but that's so far away from now-"
"Hotaru," Saturn cut her short, her arms still crossed over her chest just like when she appeared, "you mustn't worry about that, there are greater problems at hand here. I've felt a strong presence around you for awhile now. It is familiar but I'm not certain it is altogether friendly."
"Is it one of the them? Hiei, maybe?" she'd spent more time around him than anyone else here.
"I'm afraid I can't tell at this point, it is very faint. Whoever it is is very skilled at hiding their real power level and energy. We must be on our guard no matter what."
"So it is a new enemy..." Hotaru sighed.
"I didn't say that." Saturn reprimanded, then sighed herself, "As your guardian, I will protect you...you have my strength to aid you. I do not see where your cause for concern is. I understand that you hate confrontation, I know that more than anyone, but it is a necessary evil. Currently, we are surrounded by demons, all of which would love to cut your throat open and not think twice about it. Do you understand?" Saturn was trying to pep-talk her back up and all of what she was saying was true.
If there was someone around with an aura or energy that concerned Saturn, then all they could do was wait and be ready until it revealed itself. She heard Saturn give a grim chuckle, "After two years of being inactive, you'd think we'd have more to talk about than just argue." Hotaru sighed and looked back down at the drain,
"Sorry Saturn..." she whispered, truly apologetic; Saturn was a part of her and although she put on a pretty good poker face, Hotaru knew better than anyone that Saturn despised being alone. She felt horrible then as the realization hit her and washed over just as the shower water did.
True, she and Saturn had talked plenty of times over those two years of peace but Hotaru had no reason to call on her directly meaning that Saturn hadn't been in full control of their body until that night of the demon attack at the park; the 2nd time she'd come into contact with Hiei where he possibly learned her secret as being Sailor Saturn.
Saturn reached down and extended a hand towards the girl, "Come on Hotaru, let's go. We're already late as is." Hotaru gave a small smile, sensing that Saturn had forgiven her if she was even truly upset to begin with, and grabbed the warrior's hand who then pulled her to her feet. Once on her feet, Hotaru blinked quickly and Saturn was gone, returned to her conscience...but something wasn't right...she felt dizzy...had she turned the water too hot? Maybe the steam was just getting to her, it was time to get out.
Hotaru reached for the knob to turn off the water but she stumbled and slowly slid down to her knees, passing out against the wall as the water continued to pelt her small figure.
Hotaru awoke...or at least thought she was awake but she was no longer in her hotel room, much less the shower where she'd lost consciousness earlier. Of course, this had to be another dream coming to haunt her...who knew what it would hold this time? Another tragic moment from her past, or another vision about the spiky-haired boy? Once she had learned about the hiruseki stones, she'd almost completely pushed the boy from her mind...now what exactly did he look like again?
It was cold, freezing...below freezing really as her body quickly realized. It was snowing and here she was in nothing but that familiar white shift she'd worn the first time the dreams had begun to appear to her. She had no shoes, no gloves, and obviously no sleeves...it would be a miracle if she walked away from this without frostbite. Oh right, she had to remember these were just dreams but...they felt so real...
Suddenly, her eyes caught the sight of a dark silhouette in the distance. The white snow flurried around quickly, making it almost impossible to see where one was going and yet...the figure stuck out. Hotaru trudged her way over to the figure as quickly as possible, petite arms still wrapped around her body for warmth unsuccessfully. The closer she got, the more she could see...the figure was a woman. She was of average height, meaning she was taller than Hotaru, and seemed to carry something within her arms. She could just make out the outline...it was a baby.
The snowstorm seemed to increase at that moment, causing her to bring a hand up over her eyes to shield them. The woman appeared to be talking to herself, mumbling something as tears streamed down her face...wait a minute, Hotaru noted, were her tears...sparkling? Hiruseki stones!, she gasped, watching as the tears that fell from the woman's cheeks disappeared into the snowstorm then glinted once crystallized as they fell to the ground.
"Heeey!" Hotaru tried to call out, perhaps not the most polite way to get someone's attention but it was difficult to speak and hear, the girl being almost blown away after speaking. Hotaru uncovered her eyes that moment to see a rather gruesome sight, the woman walked closer to the edge of the mountain (Hotaru had assumed it was a mountain due to the snow and the strange way it seemed to cut off on one side). Extending her hands over the edge, she let the bundle fall from her arms to the world below.
"Nooo! Please don't!" Hotaru felt as though she were screaming bloody-murder, but the snowstorm became so loud she thought she might go deaf. Finally, it swirled around her and blocked her vision and again she feel unconscious.
Hotaru jolted awake still on the floor in the shower where she had originally been only now the shower head was sputtering cold water all over her. Quickly, she jumped out and grabbed a towel, not wanting to be in there in case something happened again. Another dream, another scenario that she didn't understand...it had nothing to do with her or Saturn...so was it the spiky-haired boy then? Had he been the baby...maybe? She hadn't been able to see the baby's face though...she shivered, she was so cold.
Once dressed, she stood in the middle of the room and called out to Saturn, "Alright Saturn...what's with these dreams? I know you know why..." But the warrior was silent. Maybe she really didn't know. Hotaru sighed and reached for her communicator from the inside of her bag, dialing Setsuna's near identical one.
"Setsuna-mama, I-"
"I already know," the Plutonian senshi interrupted, "I understand, but don't think I'm happy about your decision. Koenma sent Ayame to inform me of what's going on and I don't like it, that tournament isn't something you should get mixed up with. There are too many things going on behind the scenes..."
"I'm sorry," Hotaru apologized, casting her eyes away...now she was practically using Saturn as an excuse. She chose not to say it figuring that Setsuna already knew anyways. Setsuna's gaze softened and her mouth formed into a smile, she would have had the girl trapped in a hug had she been there in physical form,
"It's alright, just please be safe. Saturn has her own agenda to follow...I may not understand but I'll try to back you both up as best as I can from here. It's the strangest thing..." Setsuna trailed off, looking over her shoulder, "The timeline is going haywire in some places but almost immediately seems to fix itself."
"But isn't that normal sometimes, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru questioned, still not having dropped her childish nickname for the older woman.
"On occasion this can happen but I've always been aware of it, just as when Small Lady became Black Lady and the timeline became skewed. Same scenario when Nehelenia kidnapped Mamoru and Chibi-Usa began to disappear. This time...I'm completely baffled. It's like someone is right here under my nose trying to rearrange time as they please. Anyhow, I can't leave any time soon...you and Saturn are on your own with the tournament."
"Okay...oh wait, Setsuna-mama...I was talking to Saturn earlier and she mentioned a familiar aura nearby but didn't know who it was...I think that's one of the reasons we ended up coming along since that person or thing might be here. Do you think it could be related to the timeline problems?" Setsuna was a calm person, and it was amazing to see her this calm in a situation that seemed so dire; if the timeline continued to reorder and move around on its own, the Time Gates would become unstable and shut down and then who knew what could happen? Seemed like their task of finding that person might become a little more urgent than they first thought.
"Quite possibly...did she say anything else?"
"Just that the energy she'd been feeling was faint but familiar, and that whoever it is they're very skilled at hiding their real power. I thought it might be Hiei at first since he's the only one here I've been around really, but I don't think its him...Saturn's been active since the Silver Millennium so it really could be anyone, right Setsuna? She's come into contact with so many people..." Hotaru wasn't saying that Saturn was casting the blame on Hiei, she just didn't want the blame to be on him period. It just couldn't be him...she didn't know why but she could just feel it.
"I see...inform me immediately if you have any updates, and please keep in touch so that I know you're alright." From a serious tone to a motherly one, you had to hand it to Setsuna, Hotaru smiled. The two said their goodbyes and clicked their communicators closed. Hotaru finished dressing by putting on a pair of ankle-high boots with a small heel; they seemed more practical for the situation and they went well with her non-descript black outfit, similar to the one she had met first Chibi-Usa in.
As she headed for the door to leave, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eyes...bags. Had Botan come back last night and dropped some stuff off? Seemed like too much stuff for once person, especially someone who was free to come and go as she pleased. Hotaru recalled the conversation from last night...maybe Kayko and that Shizuru person were staying in here with her? She was sure to find out later as she headed for the boy's room across the hall...she might as well check and see.
She knocked lightly, not expecting an answer. When she didn't receive one, she let herself inside to find the room pretty much how it had been when they arrived...save for the mess on the coffee table. The table was stained with what looked to be coffee, especially obvious after seeing the shattered coffee cup next to it. So...that was the shattering noise she heard last night. Could it have been the two strangers leaving the room that had done it? The boys wouldn't have much reason to do it.
Since the room was void of any occupants she decided that she may as well head for the tournament grounds, but something attached the back of the door caught her eye. It was an envelope with her name on it. Inside was another letter from Botan who explained that Kayko and someone named Shizuru were now here and they would all be sharing a room with one another. It also told her directions to the tournament grounds just in case, at the bottom of the note was an attached ticket, courtesy of Koenma apparently. Good thing Botan had given her this...she wouldn't have known what to do when the ticket-taker demanded one.
And so, off she went.
Earlier that morning, the Urameshi team had headed out earlier than needed, dragging a still sleeping Yusuke in tow as they went. Before the match began, the group had been granted a small waiting room of sorts to pass the time in or basically do whatever they saw fit as they waited for the match to actually begin.
Hiei hadn't put much stock into his dream from the night before, merely brushed it off as a hallucination of some kind. Maybe this tournament was even starting to get to him...he cast his red eyes over to Kurama, a clear expression of unrest was on his face.
"Kurama, you may actually want to focus on the upcoming match," he shot out, watching as the red-haired kitsune blinked in surprise and looked over at him, having obviously been lost in thought about something. Hiei shot a silent question to him as to the nature of where his focus had been, Kurama's face growing serious all over again,
"It's actually about Hotaru-"
"Why her?" Hiei interrupted quickly...he was actually growing quite tired of talking about her. Last night, she'd only been brought up in conversation briefly but it was enough to irritate him...the orange-haired buffoon had questioned the nature of their relationship of all things and Kurama, although normally tolerant, had irritated him too when he addressed the girl as his friend. He had his beliefs, his code, and wasn't about to change that because of some random human girl...'friends' were a crutch for the weak.
"That weapon she wielded, it has me intrigued."
"I highly doubt she would give you a demonstration of it, Kurama. I've tried to coax her into facing me a few times and each time she backs down."
"It's not that, Hiei," Kurama answered knowingly, knowing full well that the fire demon would love nothing more than to face an opponent with such an unusual weapon, "It's actually about the nature of the weapon. I'm sure Koenma would know more about it, but that weapon she wielded...I've only ever seen one like it before. It's a glaive-type of polearm, but it has two blades rather than the normal one."
"Where are you going with this, Kurama?"
"Back in my time as Youko, I heard of a legend about warriors who came from beyond the Solar System, or rather simply, warriors from other planets. There was one particular ruler that was feared even by others like her...I believe they were called celestials. She wielded a glaive as well, called the Silent Glaive by some. It was said she had the power to destroy an entire planet simply by lowering the glaive and releasing its power. I always thought the story was just a fable but now..."
"Please don't tell me you're actually suggesting that that girl is some planet-destroying warrior from the stars are you?" He could only briefly remember the stories about those warriors...it was some silly child's bedtime story told about female warriors who represented the planets of the Solar System and ruled over them. They were also said to hold mystical powers but he'd never heard anything like destroying planets...now that surely was real power. Too bad it was just silly conjecture.
"Who knows...if Reikai keeps secrets for her and about her than who's to say she's not more than what she seems?"
Hiei's scowl darkened...he didn't like that thought. That night in the park, the night of the demon attack, he had seen her appear in some silly costume that had no practical use in combat. Some silly aura had been around her almost like it was trying to hide her identity, but his Jagan Eye easily overcame it and he could easily tell it was her. It only confirmed things further when the girl somehow transformed back to her original clothing like it was nothing. Did that silly costume she wore really mean anything...could she really be one of those warriors from the stars he'd hear about back in Makai? He could actually remember hearing some demons clamoring on about how they planned to catch celestials and harness their power but...nevermind, he had more important things to focus on.
Or so he tried to tell himself, unable to get the dark-haired girl or her strange weapon out of his thoughts. If she really had such power then he would have been able to feel it...or, if she was one of those warriors, then she would have lived a long time and learned how to conceal it. It bothered him, he hated to admit it, but not knowing was actually getting under his skin. He would have to coax her into a fight somehow, get her to unleash just a little bit of that power...then he would know for sure. If she wasn't then it didn't matter, she was just another human. But if she did...
"Will Team Urameshi please come to the arena! The first match is about begin!"
Hotaru found herself facing little opposition as she passed by the ticket-taker...she obviously didn't look like a demon but she supposed anyone with a ticket shouldn't be hassled. Glancing down at her ticket stub, she looked to find the area where she was designated to sit. It was an arena-like setting, like one might see for sporting events on t.v. only this was a tournament for demons...which meant she'd more than likely end up sitting next to some. She grimaced, much rather preferring to be down near the arena with the boys...at least she might feel safer there.
Once on the outside, she could hear the yelling of the demon spectators and the sound of an announcer yelling into the loudspeakers. This surely wasn't going to be pretty. Hotaru looked down at her ticket stub again and followed the seating, surprisingly again being un-hassled as she went...she just hoped they were all too focused on the fight.
"Hey Hotaru, over here!"
Her purple eyes scanned upward and to her left at the call of her name, "Kayko! How are you?" she asked, running up the steps to met her.
"Not too bad, I just really wish Yusuke would wake up and actually do something...they're locked in a tie right now!" Kayko explained quickly that Kuwabara had lost his match while Kurama won his.
"Calm down there, girl, we're not even half-way through these fights." Hotaru looked over, a young woman with long brown hair laid a hand on Kayko's shoulder to relax her. The woman looked tough, a burning cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth as she spoke. "By the way, nice to meet you. The name's Shizuru Kuwabara, and before you ask, yes, I am related to him. He's my baby brother."
Hotaru giggled at her bluntness, she was like Haruka and Makoto rolled up into one. The two girls scooted over and made room for her as they turned their attention back to the arena. "Oh hey, I see Botan..." Hotaru laughed, wondering if and when the blue-haired girl would show back up. Well, she had mentioned that she was the team manager's...but she'd also said that Hotaru was the alternate fighter...the thought still made her uneasy. "Who's fighting next?" she questioned as neither teams made a move.
"Just keep watching and listening and you'll find out," Shizuru hinted, all three girls' eyes locked onto the cat-like announcer standing the middle of the arena. Beside her stood a tall blond-haired demon...Hotaru didn't really consider him too out of the ordinary looking, at least not compared to some of the demons that sat around them.
"Team Urameshi, any day now!" the announcer ordered again, extending a hand in their direction, she was obviously ready for another blood-bath to begin. Hotaru couldn't help but wonder what was taking so long for them to decide on a fighter...was something wrong? Eventually, she watched as Hiei stepped forward and jumped into the ring. So...she could finally see what he was capable of...
Shizuru chuckled, "You can stop clenching your fists so tight, I'm pretty sure he can hold his own out there." Hotaru blushed, looking down at her hands...had she really been doing that? She folded her hands back down into her lap, unable to keep her palms from gripping her knees, and turned her attention back to the fight about to take place. The two fighters in the arena stayed almost perfectly still, a conversation going on between them most like; the conversation wasn't audible was still able to be detected through the announcer's microphone.
Hiei's opponent, dubbed Zeru by the name on the score board-like contraption, began first. He conjured up flames and began to throw them in Hiei's direction, but this did little to phase the fire demon as he easily dodged each one that came his way. Hotaru smiled, she wasn't quite sure why but she couldn't quit her grin...she almost wanted to stand up and cheer a little but held herself back; getting jumped by demons didn't seem to be the best option right now. This went on for awhile until Zeru conjured up even more flames and wrapped them around his body until he was as red as a burning cinder; the announcer girl wasn't kidding when she said he looked like a fire poker.
Hotaru had almost stopped paying attention despite Zeru's transformation, certain that Hiei would have no problem winning this but then...her mind went blank, still trying to register in her mind what she had just seen. Had he been...run through? She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't believe it! But...she'd just seen with her own eyes Zeru puncturing Hiei's chest and set him ablaze.
She found herself standing on reflex, her voice coming out more powerful than she thought possible, "Stop it!"
Time felt as if Pluto had slowed it down, everything seeming to move in slow motion but her. That's right, she was running, she was moving, heading down the steps towards the wall that separated the seating from the actual arena itself despite Shizuru and Kayko's attempts to stop her. She found herself jumping over the wall, landing pretty firmly on her feet just as Haruka had taught her to do so long ago during combat practices. She honestly had no clear idea of what she doing, no clear objective in mind, and it wasn't until someone grabbed a hold of one of her wrists and pulled her back did she wake back up to reality. Luckily, she avoided feeling embarrassment as everyone seemed too focus on the burning body that used to belong to Hiei.
It was Botan holding her back, wordless herself. Seems like her grabbing Hotaru had been pure reflex as well. "Botan, is he...?" Hotaru choked out, unable to find her voice. It just...it wasn't right. He was strong, fully capable of beating this other guy and yet this happened? She would have reacted this way to any of the boys getting hurt...right? Then why did she-
No, it was over, the match was about to be called in Zeru's favor. Hotaru wanted to scream out again, trying to tell herself it wasn't real but that's when a burning figure got back onto his feet with ease. Thank goodness, she could feel her lips forming the words but no sound came out...it was still quite terrifying to see him emerged in flames like that. She knew Hiei was a demon, so...he was specifically a fire apparition then.
Now that she was closer to the arena, she could actually make out the conversation between the fighters. He was...mocking Zeru, a swirling cloud of dark energy slowly beginning to collect around his right arm in a wispy spiral. The other man seemed genuinely terrified; Hotaru never having heard of such a technique in her life. A dragon made of pure darkness that lived in the Makai...that was terrifying enough to think about. A cold chill ran up and down her spine, the hair on her pale arms standing straight up despite her long black sleeves. Something truly demonic was coming, something that was evil in pure essence...she could only watch on as the very world around them seemed to crumble. Strange...this feeling was familiar...it was almost like when Saturn destroyed the Silver Millennium. The ocean that surrounded the island on all sides seemed to spring to life and pool up into giant springs that reached toward the heavens. The skies darkened and crackled with energy. The more energy he seemed the draw on, the less he seemed to be able to control as a stray wave crackled, got loose, and headed for them.
Hotaru avoided the wave as Botan pulled her out of harm's way which had only, thankfully, happened because of Kurama pushing them.
"He really intends to unleash it!" Hotaru could just barely hear the red-haired boy proclaim, and from what she knew of the normally calm and calculating Kurama, this had to be bad if it put him on edge.
"You should have never insulted the Jagan Eye. Because you see, in a way it has it's own mind and loathes disrespect. Resisting it is not something I would do. I have the power to pull you into oblivion. I assume just my right arm will do."
Hotaru cast a look up at the giant monitor that was broadcasting the fight for those seated in the upper rows. There, in the middle of his forehead...that must have been the Jagan Eye he was talking about. She never would have suspected that that was his reason for wearing that headband...wait a minute, his right arm? Was he really planning on sacrificing his right arm to summon that dragon thing?! She wanted to open her mouth and yell out for him to stop, but again her voice was nowhere to be found, swallowed up in the abyss that was being created by the dragon's dark energy.
"Dragon...of...the Darkness...FLAME!"
From the fire demon's arm came the dragon, practically exploding with power as it flew towards Zeru. There was no escaping this creature, no thought of it ever crossed his opponent's mind...there was no escape. The explosion that followed, dark energy hitting flesh and bone, caused everyone to shield their eyes, only able to wait until it dissipated to see the outcome.
"Wow, amazing!" exclaimed the announcer girl once the dust has cleared, now resuming her position back in the arena. "I've...I've never seen anything like it before! But where has Zeru gone?" Hotaru scanned her eyes back and forth...where had he gone? She was just as blind as everyone else until Hiei acutely pointed out the black, ash-stained wall of the arena.
"Believe me, he won't be coming back."
Hotaru gulped...amazing power. How could she not have felt this power within him even though she'd been standing right next to him on multiple occasions? Hotaru's face blanched, growing a little paler than its normal shade...someone who was good at concealing their true powers...no, it couldn't be him. Hiei couldn't be the one Saturn mentioned...and by default that meant he wasn't the one messing with the timeline either, right? True, she had no proof that the two incidents were related but she had her hunches. He wouldn't do anything like that...he may have once been a thief but he wouldn't...he wouldn't even have access to that information...
She noticed that Botan had released her by now...the damage done to his arm hadn't gone unnoticed by Hotaru either. But should she approach him? She had to admit...she was scared of him now, scared of what he would do should she get on his bad side which she feared she was already on.
"U-um, Hi-"
"Hey Urameshi team, what's with the party going on down here? Only fighters should be allowed down here, you know?" Hotaru turned to see the announcer girl practically staring them down...she definitely was a stickler for her job, that was for sure. Hotaru didn't say anything, just looked away...she knew she wasn't supposed to be down here.
"Hey, hey, now! This is our alternate fighter you're talking to, Koto, and just because she can't fight right now doesn't mean she can't be down here!" Hotaru was really going to owe Botan one...how many times had the blue-haired girl stood up for her now?
"Alternate fighter?!" a few rounds of that question went up, some from the team themselves.
Koto grimaced...well, it was their funeral if they chose to use a wimpy girl like her. Oh well, she had a fight to announce so time to get back to it.
Hotaru turned her gaze over to Botan, she quickly thanked her but couldn't help asking, "What's with all this alternate fighter nonsense, Botan? I wasn't originally part of the team so how can I-"
"Oh don't worry dear," Botan smiled, laughingly placing her hands on the tinier girl's shoulders, "You won't ever have to actually fight, believe me. See, the rules are that each team is allowed to use only one alternate fighter and that's only when one of the original 5 has been killed." Hotaru nodded her head numbly. She was relieved to hear that but the other half of her told her to be wary, after all, she was certain that that match had been the end of Hiei. The girl turned her purple-gaze over to the injured apparition. He had lost his cloak and shirt, now hiding his injured arm within the confines of his pants pocket. She may as well approach him, she couldn't stand to see anyone in pain and not offer to help.
"U-Um Hiei," she started again, this time not being interrupted as Koto (or what Botan had called her) was too preoccupied with looking for a fighter from the other team. "if you're hurt, I can heal you. It's a power that I was born with so-"
"No one wants your charity, woman, I'll heal on my own." he shot back, never letting on just how much pain his now paralyzed right arm was in. He couldn't afford to show weakness, especially not here. Besides, if he took the easy way out and allowed his arm to be healed without overcoming the pain of calling on and using the dragon, then he could never truly master it.
Hotaru gasped, not so much surprised by his reaction just the force of his interruption. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-" She did a quick bow, apologetic, and began to power-walk towards the entry way that the boys must have used earlier to access the arena area. She didn't care where it led, she would find her way out, she just wanted to be far away from everything right now. She knew better than to try to...and yet she still did...Hiei wasn't her friend, she knew that, none of the boys really were. Yusuke had been kind only after Kayko had reprimanded him. Botan and the girls were friendly enough at least but she was still an outsider to them. She practically knew nothing about them...but she wanted to. She wanted to be included. It was strange really, but she had felt this same way toward the Senshi especially after learning that Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto had originally tried to kill her.
She, like Saturn, hated to be alone. She hated to be excluded from things. Sometimes, she and Saturn were a little too alike, Hotaru remarked grimly with a sad smile.
The hallway led out to a small waiting room area. It had only one door so she followed it, it taking her to another hallway with an elevator situated at the end. She found it would take her back up topside to the outskirts of the dome, and rode it to that level. As she exited, she noticed a blur run by her...was that Shizuru? Hotaru left the elevator and watched the figure run off into the darkness...should she follow or not?
What could it hurt? That had definitely been Shizuru but who on Earth could she have been chasing? She immediately ruled out the option of someone coming to look for her as they would have had to have taken the same route as she. Unfortunately she eventually lost sight of the girl after turning many corners. Strange...she had been right there a minute ago...maybe her eyes were really just playing tricks on her...maybe she just needed sleep. Then again, with her dreams, maybe not.
After following a crowd of demons to the entryway, Hotaru decided to make her way back to the hotel. She didn't want to watch anymore fighting, anymore killing or bloodshed...it had been hard enough to watch just one match. She hated being so tender-hearted...it times like this that she really wished she were more like Saturn.
Wow, thanks a whole bunch for the reviews everyone! They really mean a lot to me! :) Makes me glad I decided to continue this story.