A/N: Thanks (as always) to anyone who reviewed. Also, I went back and made some changes to Chapter Six so please give it a read if you have the time.

aquafina_rain: First off, many thanks for the reviews! And I was hoping someone would have noticed my little quirks in the story (one of the loneliest senshi feels ostracized from another group other than the senshi). Also, I've always DESPISED stories where the YYH boys are all up in the grill of whatever scout or scouts as it may be in the story...they're just not the type. Yusuke even says in one episode that Hiei and Kurama are too untrusting so yeah, that's kind of evidence right there. Super glad you think Hiei is in character, he's so hard for me to write and I feel like I'm doing him injustice. XD And don't worry, you'll meet this mysterious power soon enough; I like to think he fits in very well with the plot. And you're welcome, this story practically writes itself! Hope you stick with me for awhile! :)

Mew: I was hoping you'd still check this place every now and then. And I never got to say it but your Princess Bubblegum cosplay was adorable! I hope you had fun at your con! :)

Taeniaea: Thank you!

"Hey sad-sacks, you could at least smile. They won the first round fights so what's not to cheer about?"

Hotaru and Kayko, looking very much alike, raised their heads simultaneously at Shizuru's comment. Hotaru hadn't been aware of it at the time, as she had gone back early, but Kayko had followed in her footsteps practically when Yusuke fought his match. She didn't find that strange at all, she could tell from the moment she met the two of them that they had a special relationship. But her on the other hand...she had no excuse...she couldn't help but wonder if Hiei had payed any attention to her actions during his match?

"S-sorry.." Hotaru murmured, not even trying to muster a smile, turning her gaze away from the group of unfamiliar girls.

"Yeah, you're right Shizuru!" Kayko replied, almost instantly getting her pep back. She couldn't stay sad and upset when there were so many that just made her angry. "Besides, I could tell, during that fight Yusuke was smiling...it was the happiest I've seen him in a really long time. It's almost like...he belongs here."

"Oh Kayko, no sense in dwelling on that!" Botan piped up, forever cheerful, "You too, Hotaru...and don't think we didn't see all that, missy!" Botan chuckled, holding out her thumb as she did so. Hotaru blanched then blushed, nearly rising from the spot on the floor where she had sunken back against the wall.

"No, it's not like that!" she protested, "I was just worried...that's all. I don't really know how to explain it..." Hotaru trailed off, her voice a mere whisper by now. How could she try to explain something she didn't even understand herself? What was this feeling that tugged at her heart...and why?

"Oh that's simple, really, it's just crush that's all. Very normal." Botan rattled on in a knowing voice, a sing-song manner to it. Hotaru shook her head to signify that that wasn't the case but whether Botan saw it or not, Hotaru was unable to tell because the girl said nothing further about it. By this time, Shizuru had lit up another cigarette, puffing out a cloud of smoke as she turned her attention to Hotaru,

"That reminds me...so Hotaru, seems we don't know a lot about you. Botan said you weren't from that Reikai place so what brought you here?"

"Um, well..." Hotaru began, looking up with a half-smile...maybe if she explained a little bit it might help her situation with the group. Maybe they would be more accepting of her...maybe they would push her away for good.

"Oh, before you start," Botan exclaimed, jumping up and running over to their cooler as she did so, "I know a couple of boys who'd definitely be interested in hearing this story. Let's grab some snacks and drinks and celebrate the win! What do you think?"

"I'm up for that," Shizuru agreed, taking a can of beer from Botan's hands while Kayko and Hotaru politely declined. Technically, since Saturn had been alive since the Silver Millennium, she was definitely old enough to drink but that didn't mean she could stomach the taste of alcohol. Saturn on the other hand didn't really mind it so much but that was only when the warrior was in control. "Hotaru, would you be a dear and grab some things for me?" Botan questioned, her arms already full of food, drinks, and a pack of cards, and she was slowly forcing Kayko to carry things too.

"You two go ahead and take that, we'll be there in just a sec." Shizuru informed, Hotaru raising her eyebrows in confusion at the older girl. As Botan and Kayko disappeared to the room across the hall, Shizuru turned her attention to the purple-eyed girl, "Look, it's okay that you were worried, but you don't have to walk around like its the end of the world just because he was being an ass. Am I right about that?" Hotaru felt her eyes waver, possibly because they slightly wanted to fill up with tears...she hated being so sensitive but...it wasn't fair that she got treated like this no matter where she went. Still, Shizuru was right.

"I may not know much about you yet, but I could tell by the way you acted earlier that you care about him, may not be as a friend but that's your business and not mine. Still, if we're rooming together than you need to put a smile on that pretty face of yours and walk out there like nothing happened, you got that?" She did smile...just like earlier she couldn't stop it. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In that instant Hotaru was unbelievably thankful that Shizuru was here...it was like having Haruka back by her side. "Trust me, it's no fun hanging around with someone who feels sorry for themselves all the time."

Hotaru nodded, "You're right, Shizuru...I'm really sorry. I was just...I wanted to help because Hiei was hurt and I have healing abilities so..." Shizuru waved her hand, showing that she didn't need to explain.

"Save it for the other room, kid, now help me grab this cooler. We're gonna need more stuff than I thought." Shizuru laughed, the two girls able to hear the ruckus already coming from the room across the hall.

"And now everyone, the moment you've all been waiting for...Hotaru's background story!" Botan cheered, slightly tipsy as she put the girl on display causing her to blush. "Botan..." Hotaru mumbled, staring down at the drink she held in her hands, slightly wishing she could disappear into her soda can...that place seemed dark and unreachable.

"Geez Botan, you're making her sound like some kind of criminal." Kayko pointed out, to which the majority of the room agreed.

"It's okay...if you really want me to I can. I guess you all really don't know much about me...my name is Hotaru Tomoe. Both my mother and father died when I was very young so I was adopted by my new family, Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaiou. You might have heard of them-"

"Michiru Kaiou, the violinist prodigy?! She's your adopted mother?" Kayko proclaimed, the girl having been an avid listener of her music. "But she seems much too young..."

"Well, that's kind of complicated to get into, but...I do have another woman who takes care of me and is more like a mother-figure. Her name is Setsuna Meiou. Botan, you've met her." Botan nodded, but didn't say much else...she was still sworn to secrecy by Koenma and Setsuna about the whole celestial princesses thing...unless Hotaru spilled the beans first which she was kind of hoping that she would. The blue-haired girl took the chance to sneak a glance at Hiei out of the corner of her eye; he was still sitting in the window sill, trying to look bored and uninterested...so far he seemed to be successful in his task but Botan knew that wouldn't last long.

"Let's see, I go to school on the opposite end of town from all of you guys and I live in that really big white mansion on-"

"Please forgive me for interrupting but I'm afraid we're all more interested in that weapon and how you came to possess it. Your powers, too." Kurama spoke up. Hotaru was unnerved at how deeply he distrusted her but she supposed it was only necessary...he and Hiei were demons after all and couldn't afford to be too trusting of just anyone. She had to give the red-haired boy credit though...he was very apt to learn about her fighting skills and weapon, that way he would know how to formulate a strategy to beat her should she ever turn out to be an enemy. Strange, a memory of Ami flashed across her memory...

"I see..." Hotaru mumbled, looking down before looking back up, "My weapon, the one you saw on the ship, is a polearm called a glaive. Not many people use one like mine nowadays due to its heavy weight, long length, and being double-bladed instead of the single one."

"So yeah, riddle me this Batman, how did someone your size come to fight with that behemoth?" Yusuke asked, not really intending to get involved in this conversation but then again, he figured, what would it hurt? Besides, that was a question on everyone's mind. Hotaru, on the other hand, was at a loss for words...6 pairs of eyes were staring her down, all of them basically excluding Hiei who was unknowingly listening with bated breath; this was the information he'd been seeking the past few days...he just wasn't the type to take a direct approach when it came to it. Hotaru didn't know what to do, other than apologize to Setsuna immensely later and hope that the woman knew how to erase memories or something.

"Well...I guess I could tell you but...I'm not really supposed too." Hotaru whispered again, her voice growing weak in the midst of being stared down. Kurama nodded his head, opposite of her, "Is there a reason you have been sworn to all this secrecy? Something to do with Reikai perhaps?"

"Nothing like that, Reikai isn't involved. For starters, I guess, I was born with the ability to heal wounds. Before I got control of it, the power used to wipe me out a lot because it draws from my life-energy. And right now, I am Hotaru, but I also have another spirit that lives within my soul. Her name is Saturn...she's the guardian senshi of the planet Saturn who lived during the time of the Silver Millennium. Before it was destroyed, she was a celestial princess who was feared by the other rulers and was eventually sentenced to an eternal slumber. When our kingdoms were attacked by the forces of Earth, Saturn awoke from that eternal slumber and brought ruin upon everything. Many years later, Saturn was reborn on Earth as the rest of the senshi were only...Saturn wasn't herself. Saturn's spirit became trapped, more or less, within my body therefore only one of us can exist at a time in the physical body."

"Whoa whoa kiddo, you've got to slow down. Silver Millennium? Senshi? You wouldn't happen to have a cheat sheet or a handout for all that information, would you?" Shizuru said jokingly, stubbing out her current cigarette into the only ashtray available in the room.

And so, Hotaru went on to explain about the Silver Millennium, a glorious time that existed eons before they were born that took place in the solar system. The Moon Kingdom was thriving under Serenity's rule, but her daughter had come to fall in love with a male Earthling and due to the plotting of a jealous Earthling queen, the Moon Kingdom and all the other planet kingdoms came under attack as well. Saturn and Titan Castle were not excluded but thanks to the siege, Saturn was able to awaken and throw the remnants of the Silver Millennium into oblivion. Saturn's powers were still double-edged, as they always had been and will be, which caused her to die and be reborn on Earth with Princess Serenity and the guardian senshi who protected her as best they could during the fight. Pluto wasn't present as she was guarding the Time Gates as it was her duty. Once the senshi were reborn on Earth, they slowly gathered together to fight enemy after enemy and had just recently had been released from their fighting in the Sailor Wars, as they had come to call them.

"Huh...wow, that's a lot to take in. But you know that still doesn't explain why you're actually here." said Kuwabara, pointing out something Hotaru was still questioning herself. She supposed the dream story was as a good as any. On the other hand, she was a little shocked to see them taking this so well...maybe they were just used to weird things like this.

"Well, you see, sometimes I'm able to have short glimpses into the future, normally of the next enemy we were supposed to face. Just recently though, I started having dreams about a young boy and something called a hiruseki stone."

"A hiruseki stone?! Does that mean you know Yukina?" Kuwabara jumped up, surprising the smaller girl who numbly shook her head...she had no idea who that could have been.

"Also, Saturn told me recently that there was a power nearby that had her concerned. We're to try and find out just who this person is because Pluto and I believe that this person is messing with the timeline and if the timeline becomes skewed...literally anything could happen. Reality as we know it could fall apart." Suddenly, lightning crashed and thunder boomed from outside, causing the lights to dim and black-out for a moment. One of the girls gave a scream of surprise as the darkness enveloped them but was quickly re-lit, although very sparingly, by the moonlight streaming in from the window.

"Calm down people, it's just the stupid faulty wiring in this hotel." Yusuke ordered, having a sneaking suspicion that the one who screamed had been Kayko.

Botan stole a glance over at the window, curious as to why there was no shadow being cast from Hiei who had been sitting in the sill...well, that made sense since there was no one there. Hiei must have slipped out but knows how long ago...how much did he actually hear?

With a light crackling sound, the lights popped back on and everyone retook their seats. Hotaru gave a small cough to signify that there was more to her story and began to start but Kuwabara spoke first,

"So...I'm still confused about this whole two-person deal going on. Are you possessed by some evil spirit? Which are you now anyways? And who's the original one?"

"I'm Hotaru...trust me, you'll know Saturn immediately. She's only able to take over the physical body when I transform into Sailor Saturn. Saturn was alive before me, but this is my body..." Hotaru trailed off, she'd fought hard to keep the last one safe from Mistress 9 but things just happened to not work out. She'd be damned though if another evil spirit tried to possess and take over her body again. "And it's not really confusing, it's not like we're able to keep switching out back and forth whenever we want too. I'm in control the majority of the time, whenever I transform with my henshin-stick...(here Hotaru reached into her bag produced the said object) she takes over. See? I hope that clears up any confusion, and I hope that doesn't mean you'll treat me any differently." Hotaru gave a small laugh as she began to replace the stick, but stopped for another question.

"But you didn't do so on the ship and still conjured the weapon." Kurama pointed out, still very much interested in her story. So, she was a technically a celestial...he had many things he wanted to ask her and yet those would have to wait. At least Hiei must have been glad to hear the truth, now maybe he could get that sparring match he wanted.

"True, but that time was...a fluke, I guess. I was trying to transform but Saturn didn't respond. Instead she just morphed the henshin-stick into the Silence Glaive."

"So it is the Silence Glaive...correct me if I'm wrong but with that weapon you have the power to destroy worlds by merely bringing it down, correct?"

"Hey, what are you saying?" Yusuke asked, mirroring everyone's face of concern, surprise, and immense worry.

"I'm afraid you're right," Hotaru answered before Kurama could explain his reason for asking why, "my weapon is the Silence Glaive, the weapon that the Messiah is said to have wielded that brought death and destruction whenever the weapon was brought down. It's a very dangerous power, I understand that Kurama," she responded, finally seeing where he was going with all of this, "but I've had years of practice to keep it under control."

"Un-...unbelievable...the little girl who's even shorter than Hiei has the power to destroy the world whenever she feels like it." Kuwabara said in a tone that was hard to tell if he was joking or just too shocked to show any other emotion. Everyone save for Kurama felt themselves gulping in shock.

"It's alright, my powers are 100% in check, I promise, and I can't be persuaded to use that power so easily. There is a very hefty price to pay for using my power."

"Your life." Kurama supplied, eyes closed as he nodded his head downward. Hotaru nodded back in response, death never a fun subject to talk about.

"Welp...we know never to piss you off." Shizuru kidded, Kayko muttering a 'Wow...' under her breath. All this attention was making her blush...she wasn't even sure this was a good kind of attention.

"I hate to ask but...are we...okay now? Do you trust me? I know that our objectives are different but-"

"Oh please Hotaru, you don't even have to ask! Of course we trust you, we're friends. And after all, I think our teams needs, nay deserves, to have a princess capable of destroying the world in its midst. Whadda ya say?" Botan laughed with Hotaru returning her smile; she knew the girls would be more accepting of her but...she stole a glance over at Kurama who gave a smile of his own and nodded, showing that she had his trust. Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't seem to have any objects so that just left...oh, he was gone.

"Oh Hotaru, one more thing, I was just curious but does the crystal strapped to your bag have any special meaning?" Kayko asked as a round of conversations went up around them. Hotaru blinked, bringing herself back to the here and now from where she had been spacing out wondering about where and when Hiei had slipped out from around them. He must have been good about it if the boys hadn't even noticed or maybe they just chose not to say anything. Wait a minute...crystal? Hotaru rapidly turned her purple eyes to the leather bag with the single strap she'd grown accustom to wearing...sure enough there was something wrapped around it. It was...the Taioron Crystal...but how? She'd left it locked up in her room and...and...

"This can't be!" she jumped up, snatching the crystal so harshly that the strap on which it hung snapped. Hotaru jumped over Botan's legs from the girl's position on the floor and ran to the window, rapidly throwing it open and tossing the crystal out into the darkness of the night and storm. She stood panting for a moment, her horror-stricken face slowly disappearing as she felt eyes on her... "Oh, um...sorry about that..." she apologized, making a quick bow at the waist as she shut the window back and latched it closed.

"Anything else you wanna tell us?" Yusuke asked, eyebrow cocked, normally people didn't throw expensive looking jewels out 5th floor building windows without good reason, that much he knew.

"I honestly never thought that thing would come back to haunt me...that thing is something called the Taioron Crystal. A long time ago, it was the power source for a group of invaders from outside the Solar System called the Death Busters. It was thanks to one of their members, Mistress 9, that I ended up losing my body. We were able to defeat them and I was reborn and allowed to start life over again...it happens every time I die." Hotaru explained, retaking her seat on the couch. "I honestly have no idea how it got here. Those strange dreams I told you about...after having one like it one night, I found that thing in my bed with me and tried to dispose of it by locking it in my closet. That thing...must have a mind of its own..." Hotaru shivered, casting her eyes away from the group and towards the window as if the crystal might magically appear, floating. It didn't.

"Hotaru, don't worry about it...if an old enemy has come back to take revenge then we've got you covered. Our boys can handle anything you throw at them so they'd be glad to help." Three nods when up around the room then, Botan leaned forward and said in a hushed voice while sticking out her thumb, "Yes, even Hiei too."

"Botan, it's not like that!" she whispered with ferocity; had it not been so soft then she definitely would have yelled that.

"Oh dear..." said a very smooth voice. It was attached to a very handsome young man who looked to be no more than in his twenties; short black hair, purple eyes, pale skin. "It seems my lovely bride doesn't like my wedding present and to think...this is the 2nd time she's rejected it. Seems we're going to have to change her mindset, eh boys?" the man asked, his amethyst eyes slowly deepening to a burning red. In the shadows around him, numerous pairs of eyes sprung up, all of their eyes the same blood red color as his.

"Yes master! Yes master!" the chorused together, before the entire group broke out into a round of laughter.

Hiei couldn't believe it...that little girl, that little brat really was a celestial? Those people actually existed...they really weren't just a part of a silly fairy-tale. So... she was the one who was able to destroy the planet in a single blow? If that immense pain hadn't been tearing at his right arm so badly he would have found it to be trembling...but in what? Fear? Excitement? He had to know. He was even more interested in her, that weapon, and if she was a celestial then did she have that power alone or did others share it? It made him angry, gritting his teeth, as he threw a well-aimed punch with his uninjured arm at a tree, knocking it clean in half.

He'd slipped out of sight a while ago, staying close by but hidden so as to be able to hear her story. He really hadn't wanted to seem interested and forced himself away before any questions could have fallen out of his mouth. No more of this slinking around though, he decided. The first time he'd tried to get information out of her, it was a bust...she was only interested in talking nonsense and trying to get close to him, form some kind of friendly bond. And of course then Kurama showed up as well which really dampened his true plans. She didn't want hiruseki stones...and yet she was looking for a strange power? It seemed pretty suspicious to him.

Thunder boomed overhead, another flash of lightning, and the rain was upon him. Strange...could he have been the one she was searching for...but why? It made sense once you thought about it. She claimed to have been having strange dreams about a boy and hiruseki stones...after the incident with the stones he had little doubt that the boy in question was him. Then, she mentions her companion, the other one inside of her soul, sensed a very familiar power nearby but couldn't put her finger on who. Then again...was he even anywhere close or was this all meaningless conjecture? It was something else he'd had to confront her about soon.

Morning...when had she fallen asleep? Hotaru could feel a yawn coming on, rolling over from her sleeping spot on the couch. She saw Botan on the floor, Shizuru on the couch opposite of her, and Kayko a little further away on one of the beds...had they really fallen asleep in the boys room? It had to be early, the ferocity of the sun's rays was being blocked out by the drawn curtains and the boys were nowhere in sight. If she had to guess, they must have left even earlier, possibly before the sun was up to go and do training.

She sat up quietly, looking around for her shoes. If the boys had gone out for training this morning, then it gave her an idea. Maybe if she could find Hiei, she could persuade him to let her heal him. If there was no one around for him to show pride in front of then maybe he would let down his guard just a little bit.

Hotaru decided against showering since she hadn't done much yesterday but make a fool of herself, just a quick change of clothes would suffice for now. She quietly crept from the boys' room full of sleeping girls and headed back to their room. She didn't have much option as to her next change of clothes despite Botan telling her that she could borrow some of hers; the girl only forced to wear to the pink kimono when she was on official Reikai business. Hotaru had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't fit well if anything because Botan was a lot taller than she was.

However, she spied a suitcase on her bed and decided to inspect it. There were only two double beds in the room, with her and Botan sharing one, and so she figured it must have belonged to the blue-haired girl...strange though, she didn't remember seeing it last night. On top of the case sat a lone note, and unfolding it, it read: Dear Hotaru, thought you would like to have some more clothes, love Setsuna. She smiled, Setsuna could be sneaky when she wanted to.

Dressing in something meant a little more for summer, a short-sleeved shirt this time and another skirt, she made her way out of the hotel. She honestly had no idea where she was running, obviously, but the island couldn't have been that big. If her hunch was right, the boys were probably scattered out somewhere in the forest a little ways from the hotel. Their next match wasn't until late in the day so she supposed she had the time to aimlessly wonder. It gave her plenty of time to wonder how Haruka and Michiru were doing over in America...the next time she found a telephone, she'd have to call their hotel room number. She'd memorized it, rolling the paper back and forth between her fingers on occasion right after they'd left. And the other senshi...what were they doing? Ami was away on school while Mina, Mako, and Rei were all busy with their careers. Usagi had moved out of her parents house and into Mamoru's apartment where she played the role of housewife while working a part-time job on the side. Crystal Tokyo was coming a lot sooner than they realized...huh?

"Excuse me, miss?"

Hotaru turned, the voice unfamiliar. In an instant she knew she shouldn't have, the air felt cold and yet she could feel sweat break out on her forehead. Whoever this was, he felt strange...he must be a demon too.

"Um...yes?" she answered back, hoping the man had legitimate business with her and not the typical 'I'm going to kill you, human' type of business.

"You wouldn't happen to be Hotaru Tomoe by any chance would you?" his smile was friendly but unnerving...had his eyes been open when he smiled, it would have sent a chill down her spine. "I've been searching for you for quite a long time, miss..."

"Who...who wants to know?"

"You may call me...Kizami." It was impossible to have missed the aversion of his eyes, almost like he had been searching for a name.

'Hotaru, run! This man is dangerous!' It was Saturn...she had to admit that she wasn't fond of his aura either but if Saturn was warning her then it was definitely time to go.

"Um, excuse me, I have to be somewhere." Hotaru announced, turning on her heel and running even further into the depths of the forest, praying that he wouldn't give chase to her.

"And now my lovely bride runs from me...shame, shame." he chanted, a horrific smile plastered to his face, eyes wide and slightly bloodshot. He supposed he could follow her a short while, and better yet...with a snap of his fingers, the crystal disappeared from his hand, appearing back in her room at the hotel. What another nice surprise for her, eh?

Hotaru panted, holding onto a nearby tree for support. Looking behind her, she stared into the maze of trees, watching to see if anyone emerged from their depths. Thankfully no one did but she also didn't feel like waiting around to found out. After her running exertion, she'd found herself very close to the sea shore, mind you, it was a cliff side view of the sea. She'd probably done it absentmindedly, the sound of the sea a comfort to her like none other. It reminded her of the time, back when she was younger, when she became lost. She'd run to the beach because it was the place that reminded her of Michiru the most.

Putting her hand to her ear, she listened for the calming sound of the waves hitting the cliff side, something she didn't get to hear often since it was different when it hit flat sand. Strange, she thought, she could hear someone...someone in pain...she hazarded a step closer and a look off the side down towards the water.

She gasped and jumped back...it was Hiei. Had he seen her? He probably sensed her, but whether he would say something had yet to be seen. What was he doing down there? He looked like he was doubled over in pain...the pain in his right arm finally overtaking his prideful nature. In the midst of no one, perhaps he felt it better to unleash the anguish he felt but Hotaru wasn't sure...maybe, he was trying his best to overcome it rather. In light of that, she almost felt selfish at the thought of offering to heal him. He was trying to overcome it so healing it in an instant wouldn't help anyone. She wanted to stay but what could she accomplish by doing so? Nothing.

Hotaru, though on her guard, headed back towards the hotel after one last look at him. There it was again...that strange pull at her heart. It made her stop in her tracks...on second thought, maybe she should stay.

"What the hell do you want?" Hotaru frowned... he was right behind her. How she thought she could get away without a confrontation was beyond her. "I already told you I don't need your help."

"I'm sorry...I didn't meant to offend you. I didn't realize that you were...I'm sorry, I'll be leaving now." she bowed to show no hard feelings, and turned to leave but it surprised her when he spoke up.

"Last night, was that story of yours true?"

Hotaru blushed...was he actually interested in learning more about her? No, no, she wouldn't push her luck on that one. Responding, she said, "Yeah...I know it may seem a little out there, but every word of its true, unfortunately."

"That power-"

"I can't use it. I'm not sure how much you heard but I can't use that power..."

"Don't interrupt me, woman. Is that power yours alone or are there others like you?"

"...I'm the only person left of my people and the only one who possesses that power."

He was quiet then, staring her down...what was he thinking about though? It unnerved her, the same way it had when Kurama glared at her with distrusting eyes. Hiei seemed to believe her. Finally, he laughed...well, it was more of a scoff really.

"You know, it actually took me a while to figure it out. You're not the one who possesses that power, but the other spirit within your soul. That stick you possess isn't even a weapon, it's some sort of channeling method to call on that spirit's power. That power is not your own, and I have no time to deal with weaklings who rely on others to save them." With that, he began to walk past her, Hotaru left standing there with a dumb-founded look on her face. Finally, she seemed to snap out of it and turned to confront him,

"That may be but Saturn is my friend! We're practically one and we always fight together!" He seemed deaf to her proclamation, continuing to walk away from her, right arm hidden away in his pants pocket again. Hotaru's eyes wavered with tears...why...why was he...? Suddenly, she felt sleepy, like her conscienceness was falling away...was Saturn coming out? Was she able to do that without being transformed?

'Saturn, no, just let it go!' Hotaru pleaded, clutching at her head as she sank to her knees, groaning as she became unable to support her own weight. The last thing she saw through her physical eyes was Hiei turning around to see her.

"Very well then, perhaps you will have the nerve to deal with me." Saturn ordered as she became the dominant spirit, Hotaru's body still in her regular clothes rather than her senshi wear. The Saturnian warrior climbed to her feet, crossing her arms as she adopted a more confidant and powerful stance. "You would do well not to insult Hotaru. She and I are one and if I so choose, I can hand that power over to her in an instant, any time I please."

"Then why don't you? Let her fight me with her own power then maybe I'll consider her a real threat." The fire demon responded, knowing full well that he couldn't use his full power with his right arm being out of commission but he'd be more than enough to deal with a weak, little human girl.

"You must already consider her a threat or you wouldn't want to fight her so badly. Could it be you are wary of her because of our powers of destruction, that maybe if you can beat her then you won't have to worry about her over-powering you one day?" It was Saturn's turn to give a scoffing laugh.

"Don't twist my words, you miserable specter."

"As you wish, now draw your sword...if you're able. You would do well not to mock Saturnian royalty, Earthling." Saturn shot back with snark before disappearing back inside of Hotaru's conscience, leaving the girl's body surrounded with overflowing power. Saturn had left Hotaru with henshin stick in hand which then transformed in the Silence Glaive.

"Wait a minute, why don't I get a say in this? I don't want to fight!" Hotaru shouted, throwing the glaive to the ground with an audible clack, Hiei relaxing the grip he'd had on his sword.

'Hotaru, don't stand there and be insulted, fight back!' Saturn commanded, very rarely was Hotaru subject to this particular harshness in the warrior's voice, 'Show him the error of his arrogant ways!' Hotaru shivered and hummed in disdain as she bent to pick up the weapon.

"Fine...let's do this then..." Hotaru swung the Glaive around a few times to get used to it, a look of sad reluctance clouding her face. It was heavy thanks to Saturn's absent power, but now that she had more of a feel on it...it was very similar to the spear she had practiced with once during one of Haruka's fencing lessons. She hadn't been a part of the class of course, left to her own devices with the dojo and gym's array of weaponry to use.

She barely had time to block before his sword made contact with the polearm. He was fast...very fast, she wasn't sure she could keep up with his movements. And he didn't even seem handicapped with the use of his left arm...Hiei probably thought so, but no opponent would have been able to tell the difference. Again, he was gone in a flash, nothing but a black blur moving swiftly through the air, his blade shining in the light the only indication to his position. Each time she was just barely able to block him, each hit of his weapon against hers setting her more and more off-balance. There was no way this could be deemed a real fight unless she fought back.

Hotaru closed her eyes and swung out with the Glaive, the long weapon surprisingly taking little time to cut through the air...unfortunately that was all it cut. As it was, polearms were better suited for piercing strikes but it was the only way for her to make any breathing room. Horizontal slashes were effective as well due to its length, but again her weapon failed to hit any part of the fire demon. It felt like he was toying with her...it almost made her angry...if she thought of this as more of a training session with Haruka then...

"Ha!" she exalted, finally finding her fire as she became to unleash twirl after twirl of the Glaive over her shoulder, effectively creating the shape of a ribbon or the infinity symbol. She threw piercing strike after the next, and even jumped back once, grabbing onto the very bottom of the Glaive and swinging it around for a distanced swipe.

"Your form is sloppy and tires you out." he chided, Hotaru knowing that full well. This was the first time she'd actually been able to use the Glaive herself, surprising that she had even lasted this long with it. Still, it was old and heavy and she hadn't been trained for this particular weapon. It was foreign although her hands had technically held it many times. Even though he was armed with only the use of his left hand, his sword was familiar, something he'd used for quite a long time and that gave Hiei all the advantage he needed. She could feel her breath growing shorter, her arms growing weaker as the muscles in her arms begged for this new action to cease as soon as possible but she had an idea.

"And to not mention," he began again, landing a few feet away from her, "you would do well not to scream your battle strategy so loudly." His back was to her, now would be a good chance to try and strike a hit but she stopped...she hadn't been screaming...she hadn't even mentioned anything about...wait a minute. She watched as he turned back towards her, a red glow just barely visible from beneath his white headband. That third eye of his...it must have been able to read thoughts. Great, telepathic opponents were always fun foes to face...

She'd have to rely on bare luck in this fight, slightly hoping he would slip up.

Finally, she thought she had her chance. She caught onto his position quickly, the swing of his sword seemingly slower than it had been before. She wanted to scream gotcha, but thought better of it as she aimed the dual-bladed Glaive right for his sword. In an instant she had captured it and with all her might, twisted the weapon sideways in hopes to break his sword in half. May not have been the best idea as he would have needed it for the tournament fights but she refused to go down so easily, especially not with Saturn putting her trust in her like that. But she heard no cracking, no splintering of metal just another swoosh of him jumping into the air...she'd hit an afterimage, and he hit her square in the back of the head.

Hotaru fell forward, skidding a few feet from where she had been. Dammit all, she'd lost...and she was pretty much face down in the dirt too so that ruled out any chance of a dignified loss. She wasn't hurt by any means, well physically she wasn't, but she felt awful for losing in front of Saturn...and maybe even worse for seeming very weak in front of Hiei.

"You need more training, then we can have a real fight."

So he wasn't disappointed...right? At least he saw that she had potential to get better...that was a start and one she would definitely take. She didn't know why but she was blushing, a hopeful blush maybe...?

She heard a laugh, a chuckle of sorts, after Hiei had disappeared from her sight. Realizing she was still sitting in the dirt, climbed to her feet as Kurama emerged from the shadows. She quickly brushed the dirt from her outfit off and went to rub her cheek as well, just in case. "Please, don't hold anything against him. He has good intentions but just doesn't know the best method of getting them across sometimes."

Hotaru shook her head with a smile, "It's okay, I understand. I'm actually glad..." she trailed off, forcefully stopping herself before she could say more. She just hoped the reason her heart felt like it was about to fly out of her chest was because she was tired.

"That's good, I didn't want you thinking otherwise...especially after what Botan told me." Hotaru blinked, her mouth a thin line as her face echoed confusion...was Kurama looking mischievous?

"What exactly did she tell you?!" Hotaru demanded, her face flushing red...there was no telling what could have come out the River Styx Guide's mouth.

"Oh, well just that..." Kurama paused and averted his green eyes away from her, aptly sticking out his thumb as he did so.

"It...it's not like that! We're just-!" Hotaru cut off, she had planned to say friends but she could tell Hiei didn't like that word. "It's not like that..." Hotaru murmured, turning her eyes to the ocean off the cliff side. Why on Earth was Botan trying to play match-maker when Hiei didn't even consider her to be on par with him...she had to refrain from saying friends but any other way just sounded much worse. And after all that, Saturn definitely didn't have a good opinion of him. But yes, 'friends' was a good place.

She sighed, there were still plenty more tournament fights to get through.

That was a long one...anyhow, a few things I'd like to address: I know Koto is a fox demon and not a cat but it's hard to tell at first glance hence the way Hotaru addresses her. "Kizami" is an original character (though his name is fake), and depending on what way it's written, it can either mean 'time' or 'cut'...pretty fitting I think. And for anyone wondering about the 'thumb joke', whenever you stick your thumb out, it means you're talking about that person's boyfriend or male love interest; adversely, sticking out your pinky signifies your girlfriend or female love interest.

Next chapter, we'll be fast forwarding ahead so be prepared for that! This story has become my pet project for now so I definitely want to think my reviewers!