A/N: Okay, warning, this chapter is horrible. I hate it and no matter how many times I tried to re-write, it still sounded bad. Next chapter is much better, I promise.
reven228: Thanks, but it definitely wasn't my best and I honestly don't think this chapter is any good either. And yes, as a matter of fact, I decided to introduce them in this chapter. I originally was going to leave them out but it's hard for me to that because I love all the senshi girls and I think when they actually make their appearances to the YYH group, it will flow quite nicely.
aquafina_rain: Oh wow lol, your review really made me smile a lot. XD Yes Kizami is our main villain for the better half of this story; I like to imagine him as a cross between Lelouch from Code Geass (appearance-wise only though), and Gin Ichimaru and Nnoitra from Bleach. After I went back and re-read I totally forgot to give a proper description so that was bad on my part. Also, thanks again for your remarks on characterization since I honestly feel I'm not doing them justice. I normally don't mind KuramaxHotaru stuff, I do enjoy it on occasion, it's just personally very difficult for me to write since I started shipping HieixHotaru when I was like...12? I can't remember lol. And Kurama is one of those characters I couldn't write in-character to save my life. XD And I do try to include every character I put in my stories as equally as possible...I figure if you can't at least give them an interesting role then don't put them in there at all. And oh my dear, hopefully you'll get tired of Kizami or grow not to like him as he is supposed to be the villain and will start to do 'villiany' things in this chapter. Thanks again!
Mew: OMG, you'd make the perfect Fionna! And thanks, always nice to know I can still create tension between couples instead shoving them at each other like I really want to sometimes. XD
Hotaru panted, mentally hearing Saturn congratulate her for her endeavors. Since her first spar with Hiei (he didn't count it as a real fight), Saturn had agreed to train her to use the glaive better; the only price had been her missing the boys' matches at the Tournament but she could have done without those. They were very close to the finals now...in fact, the semi-finals were supposed to take place today, she recalled. She was glad that they had made it this far, but it had been a long and hard journey on all of them.
She'd been eager to learn how to wield the massive weapon on her own but she couldn't help wondering if Saturn may have had an ulterior motive to all this...she wanted Hotaru to be strong and to stand on her own but when would a time like that ever come? She hated leaving all the fighting (especially in dangerous situations) to Saturn but the warrior was more suited to combat...all of this just made her head hurt, and the thought of not having Saturn by her side in battle made her heart hurt.
Saturn materialized beside her, "That was very good, but let's try it one more time. And this time, attack as you would if you were intending to actually kill your opponent." Hotaru nodded, of course she couldn't hide anything from Saturn. Throughout the warrior's lessons, all she had learned were ways to annihilate and devastate the enemy but the more she completed the actions for each individual attack, the more she realized how each attack could be turned around and used only to injure the opponent instead; injuries though they be, they wouldn't be the type to be easily recovered from and would hopefully leave any opponent regretting their decision to face her on the battlefield.
But still, she couldn't let Saturn down...
Usagi stretched, wiping an arm across her forehead after the fore-mentioned action. She'd been cleaning the apartment all day, or at least it felt that way. If the meal she'd tried to cook hadn't decided to explode on her, then maybe she wouldn't have had such a tough job. It was kind of a silly thought and so she laughed a little before plopping down onto a sofa cushion, untying the bandana that had held loose strands of her hair back and out of her face.
It hadn't been too long since she'd moved in with Mamoru into what was now their apartment. She'd finished up high school 2 years ago and had since played the part of loving house wife while working a part-time job on the side, just to help out if money ever happened to get tight. 2 years now...thinking about it, it felt much longer...2 years since the senshi had all been together again. It was hard to believe after how inseparable they seemed, but that was life, as her mother explained.
Ami was off on school business now, an exclusive learning program that took her all the way over to Germany. Usagi had tried to laugh it off, saying she didn't even know where that place was on a map...but on the inside it was hard to think about Ami leaving the group. She was the first to leave them, and it had been a tearful goodbye. She promised to write letters to each and every one of them as soon as she got the chance, but Usagi finally decided to give up hope on seeing her portion of those letters. She even checked with the postman to see if all of their mail was being delivered properly...it was.
Minako followed next when she received a call-back to an audition; it wasn't long after that the director informed his producer that they were working with the actual Sailor V. She'd been promised a movie deal for Sailor V, and then an on-going t.v. series, and then finally a manga series...Mina was going to become famous again, just like she'd always wanted. Minako hadn't left Japan for this, thankfully, and so promised to visit on the weekends or whenever she wasn't busy. She never did.
Makoto got her turn next when the building she'd had her eye on finally went up for sale; she quickly grabbed all the money she'd been saving up in urns and tins and quickly bought the place up, rapidly turning it into the bakery and flower shop she'd always wanted. The building had been perfect, split into two large rooms with a 2nd floor room that could be used for anything. It was a little out of the way of their apartment, but it got good business and Makoto urged them to come down anytime they liked. Usagi thought about calling before going, just so Mako wouldn't be flustered by their arrival if she happened to be busy. The times Usagi called, she only received a busy signal, and the few times she'd talked Mamoru into driving her out there, the store was always closed due to timing, personal business, or deliveries and catering...Mako was way too busy to entertain guests.
And then, Rei...her father had appeared out of the blue one day when she and Rei were laying around the temple like the good old days. Usagi felt she shouldn't get between them as they talked, but knew she had to stay and support her friend. Ultimately, Hino needed another worker as soon as possible and although he knew Rei hated him, he was desperate and came to beg. Really, he desperately wanted to apologized and beg for Rei's forgiveness. Of course, Rei agreed on her own terms; more holidays and easier shifts so that workers could be with their families in time of need (that's why they all left you, Rei chided once). Usagi had even seen her off to her first day of work, looking like a real career woman in her suit and heels. Grandpa and Yuuichirou had stayed back at the temple, keeping pretty much to themselves, Usagi noted. Rei made it a point to come and visit because if she hadn't found herself able, then she claimed she would quit her job. However, Usagi never got that visit from the Martian senshi...apparently, Rei and her father were currently busy trying to patch things up and making amends for all the lost time between. Usagi couldn't hold that against her.
...In fact, she couldn't hold anything against of them. All 4 of them had worked hard to make their dreams come true and they deserved to live them out to the fullest, even if that meant she wasn't included in those dreams for a little while longer. When Crystal Tokyo came, they could all be together again and go back to those days. That reminded her...what of Chibi-Usa? The pink-haired girl's visits had almost ceased completely...well, the serious visits at least. The most recent had been about 6 months ago when the girl appeared, claiming that she had left something important in this time.
Usagi had tried to get her to stay a little longer, saying, "So, um, Chibi-Usa how have things been going lately? Mamo-chan will be home soon, and then we can all sit down and talk."
"Sorry Usagi, I'm a big rush!" Chibi-Usa explained, the eleven-year-old tearing across the room to find whatever it was in question. "Bye-bye Usagi! See you soon!" she cheered with a bright, wide smile as she held the Chronos Key within her hand; the special item Pluto had granted her some time ago to allow her to travel back and forth freely between the past and the future.
"Wait Chibi-Usa!" But the girl was a gone in a flash of pink light that illuminated the blond's outstretched hand, "Yeah...see you soon..." she repeated sadly.
Usagi turned to look out the window...and what of the Outer Senshi? From what she'd seen on t.v., Haruka and Michiru had gone on tour in America and would be gone for quite awhile. That left Setsuna and Hotaru alone at the Outer's Mansion. But the two of them were so quiet anyways, even if they had kept in contact she wouldn't have readily known what they were up to. If she had her hunch right then Setsuna was still conducting experiments of some kind and Hotaru was simply going to school like any other normal girl, still in training to become a nurse.
"I should call everyone." Usagi stated firmly, climbing to her feet. She calmly walked from the living room, past the black wall phone, and headed straight to her and Mamoru's bedroom. She wouldn't use a telephone this time, something much more meaningful. She looked around under the bed, and from within she pulled out a clear container. It was a box she had been using to keep some of her old senshi stuff in...she hated having to put them away like this, not when they meant so much and had helped her out so much but...there were no more enemies to fight. All they would do is clog up space in their apartment. Inside it, she saw her pink Disguise Pen, something she hadn't had much use for it after they'd put the Dark Kingdom under; admittedly, after that, their enemies (as far as the daimons and lemures) hadn't even tried to disguising themselves like humans anymore.
Picking it out from the box, she held her communicator. Hers, like the the other Inner Senshi, was a special model, an over-sized watch contraption that held a resemblance to her compact. The Outer Senshi in contrast had smaller ones that more closely resembled wrist-watches.
It hadn't been used in awhile, and it made her even sadder to find that none of the other Senshi had even tried to contact her with it. If they had, one of the 8 tiny lights surrounding the edge would have been glowing and/or blinking. As it was Lunarian technology, it didn't run on batteries or anything like that, simply pure energy as given off by her. But who should she call first? Usagi only wished she knew how to make a group call with this thing. Either way, maybe she should wait until Mamoru got home to help her sort her thoughts out. That way, maybe they could plan a party or just some kind of get-together too! It was the perfect plan.
Kizami fingered the Taioron Crystal, rolling it in-between pale, gangly fingers despite its awkward shape and size. Despite his sour mood, he wore a bright grin on his face, eyes closed to complete the effect of his creepy vibe. Again, his lovely bride had thrown away his wedding present to her, this time throwing it into a toilet and flushing it. What on Earth could he do to make her accept it? Call him old-fashioned, but he preferred to court his women with gifts, especially the Lady Saturn; anything less would be disrespectful...and disgraceful to the royal family. He laughed at this, when you put that in perspective...considering what had happened...
Why was he in such a good mood? There was still so much to be done but the time to put his plan into action was drawing ever closer. Just a few more days and then everything should be in place. He honestly could do without the human girl's soul that shared the body with his Lady Saturn but he could deal with her rather easily...it was just getting her to wear his little gift, that was the only problem. If he could do that, then sealing that human away once and for awhile would be no problem. Hell, he might even break the crystal just for fun once her soul was inside it. Even better, he could use the little girl's soul for leverage just in case his bride had second thoughts about their wedding. Perfect plan. Oh, and taking over Earth and the realm of humans didn't seem too bad either.
…Damn that human wretch, it had to be the human girl who was throwing away his gift. Now it all made sense! With this he sat up, slamming his fists into the arms of the chair, the Taioron Crystal locked within one. On second though, he'd smash the crystal...he'd smash it into a thousand pieces, no, a million! That way, her soul could never be put back together.
This was it...the day of the finals of the Dark Tournament. She'd pretended to be asleep despite Botan's persistent protests that she wake up lest they be late. Finally, the girls decided to leave her and go on, deciding that she must have been tired from her own training exertions.
It was unreal how much the stakes had changed in that short of amount of time. As everyone came to discover, the Masked Fighter had really been Genkai, disguising herself by using her energy to look younger. Hotaru learned that the woman was a very powerful psychic master who had helped Yusuke train and master his spirit techniques. Toguro, the man that had forced their hands in this tournament, had been the one to kill her. Although she was an outsider to this story, she felt awful at the transpiring of the events. Also, she felt ill whenever she thought about it...why did people have to die like that? It wasn't fair.
Ironic, a woman who embodied death and yet questioned its existence.
And that wasn't the only thing that had changed. Koenma had shown up to watch the fight up close rather than slacking off back in Reikai. And then, another new-comer appeared; her name was Yukina. They were about the same height, Yukina maybe just a little taller than her with light blue hair and familiar red eyes. After meeting her, Hotaru learned that she was on a journey to find her missing brother whom she hadn't seen for a very long time. Their meeting couldn't have just been coincidence...it had to be fate. Yukina explained that she would know him in an instant as long as he still carried his hiruseki stone. After that, she and Yukina talked for hours back in the hotel room about various things, especially concerning the stones, her dreams, and the young boy in question. Yukina even seemed hopeful that the boy in Hotaru's dreams may have been her brother, but obviously there was no proof.
Of course, it wasn't until after she'd stared at the color of Yukina's eyes for a good long while did she make the connection. She'd seen that hue of red somewhere before, and not unlike her own strange pigment of purple, that hue of red wasn't too common...it was like...a ruby-red color, reminiscent of fire. And that's when it hit her...but should she tell her? All the others seemed not to notice, but...did they know? Were they keeping it a secret from some reason? But why? Why did Hiei feel the need to keep Yukina at a distance? Still, she didn't want to ask him for fear of upsetting him. And now that she thought about it more, she could pick out similar features as far as facial features...were they twins maybe? But that didn't make sense, really...Hiei was a fire demon and Yukina said she was a koorime. True, it wasn't completely out of the question but...Yukina said the koorime were only women and lived excluded from men...did that mean...? What did that mean?
Hotaru sighed and rolled over. Today, the odds would be evened as boys went on to fight against Toguro and his team mates. She'd only briefly caught a glimpse of one of them, but definitely never caught a name; he was tall, dark-haired, and wore a strange mask. What were his powers? Who would fight him? She turned again so that she lay on her stomach, putting her head under the pillow as she drew the covers closer. Just how long had she been laying here anyways? The sun was-
She jumped up...where was the sun? It was still morning! Something wasn't right! The entire room was as dark as night! Dashing to the window, she pulled the curtains away and flung the glass open...a storm? No, that wasn't right. This was much mightier than any thunderstorm she'd ever seen. The sky was dark, the earth was rumbling, the sea was roaring...no...Hiei was summoning the dragon...It had to be him! The feeling she got after looking at that scene, it couldn't be anything else. She didn't know when she'd started running, she just had, flying down set of stairs after the next. She ran and ran, right towards the stadium.
Hotaru was so close...she knew she couldn't stop, but she had to be there. Why? She wasn't sure...her presence literally made no difference and she couldn't even make sure he was okay since he'd just refuse help but...but what if...what if something went wrong? What if the dragon turned on him? She'd learned a bit more about this technique from him during the few times he agreed to train with her. He wasn't much for actual conversation but the little he did speak was very precious to her. At one point even, Kurama seemed like he had wanted to tell her something but stopped himself, explaining that it wouldn't be fair to Hiei if he did.
Her foot hit the concrete floor on the outskirts of the stadium...then it exploded. She fell backward from the force, hitting her head as she did. Her vision blurry, her ears ringing, she couldn't get her body to move, even as she could just barely make out a giant piece of the stadium toppling downward towards her. 'Move...move...!' she commanded her limbs, but not a single muscle responded. Why was this happening? What exactly had happened? Was she really to be killed by the destruction caused by Hiei's dragon? She was so stupid...she should have just gone with Botan and the other girls this morning, then at least she would have been safe inside with them.
Nothing ever hit her though, someone was holding her in their arms bridal style. Hotaru was still drowsy, but felt relived when she realized that she was no longer in harm's way. But who was holding her? Her eyes were still out of focus from that bump to her head but...it was someone with dark hair. It couldn't be Hiei, he would still be inside fighting his match...unless she was dreaming.
"That was very close, my lovely otome."
Oh no, it was him...that man that gave her those awful feelings. Hotaru struggled, unsuccessfully trying to wriggle her way out of his arms. 'Please Saturn, help me!' Hotaru pleaded, allowing her own conscienceness to be pushed down and be replaced by the warrior who immediately clocked Kizami in the chin, causing him to release her. She bounced free from his long-armed grip and set a good distance between the two of them.
"Touch me again and you will lose those hands." Saturn warned, her cold tone and eyes showing no nonsense as she glared and turned to run towards the entrance to the stadium.
Kizami reeled back from the unexpected blow, holding his forearm to his chin as if to ease the pain. He growled, showing a glare of his own as he watched the girl run away...blood trickled down the corners of his mouth as it began to twist into a smile. Feisty, wasn't she? He'd bit his own tongue from that, almost clean through...ugh, he'd have to tend to this before he could approach her and the human bitch again.
Hotaru stared at the sleeping boy before her. It was amazing how fast things had happened. After launching the dragon, he'd actually absorbed it then used it's power to fight his opponent, Bui. After using so much energy, Hotaru was amazed that he lasted as long as he did, growing even more concerned when the boy passed out after his fight. The arena had been demolished by this point and so the remainder of the fight had been postponed, and now, here she sat with Hiei's head in her lap, Kurama opposite to her.
"Is he...is he going to be okay? I feel like we're just sitting here..." Hotaru asked, voice small and unsure. She wanted to heal him badly, just a little to give him enough energy to wake back up but even while unconscious she didn't want to upset him.
"You have a big heart." Kurama joked with a small smile, looking a little worse for wear himself, "Believe me though, you don't give him enough credit. After pulling off that attack, it's only natural he'd require rest and we both know how stubborn he can be." Hotaru nodded sadly, frowning in contrast to Kurama's light smile.
"At the very least, allow me to heal you, at least...at least enough to give you some strength back. I can't help but feel so useless like this..." Hotaru explained, her eyes rolling back down towards to the fire demon who continued to 'hibernate' as he'd called it.
"I appreciate the offer but I have healing powers of my own. You would do well to worry about yourself sometimes, too." the red-haired kitsune assured her, showing as the wounds he'd sustained during his battle with Karasu now seeming minor from what they had been. Hotaru nodded, feeling a smile stretch across her face and laughed even though she didn't know why.
"Sorry, you're probably right about that but...a good friend once told me that we should always care about our friends and those around us, and that, even though it's not always evident on the surface, you can always find goodness and kindness in a person's heart."
"The words of your queen, Serenity, I presume?"
Hotaru nodded, "If it weren't for her, Saturn and I might not be here right now. Protecting our queen is our noble mission, and because of what's she done for me, I'll never be able to do enough to return the favor except to take her advice and light the way for others to follow too. To Serenity, everyone matters and no one is treated like an outcast."
"...Your comrades tried to kill you once, yes? I imagine Saturn would have liked to take revenge for that...if she reacts anything like Hiei would."
"You mean his code, right? Saturn and I haven't talked about that day much since it happened, we just acknowledge the fact that it happened and that it's now over...thinking about how your family wants you dead is not something anyone should ever have to think about..."
Kurama sighed, closing his eyes and looking away, "Perhaps there are some things I should tell you...know that I can't tell you everything but enough. Since you are here now and likely to stay then you should know...it's strange, I'm having the oddest sense of deja vu here." Hotaru's mouth gaped in a surprise, her lips forming into a tiny circle of shock...deja vu...strange, this scenario did seem rather familiar...Kurama telling her something really important about Hiei. Of course, it all depended on what Kurama was actually going to say that would ultimately determine it, "You've spoken with Yukina, yes? Then you know that they are..."
"Twins, right?" Hotaru interrupted, her voice low. Even if Hiei was conscience enough to hear them, he couldn't actually do anything, still she felt the need to keep her voice down. Kurama nodded in response.
"Yes, they are twins even though it seems unlikely with Yukina being a koorime and Hiei being a fire demon. Despite this, Yukina has no idea and she cannot know. You must keep it a secret, no matter what. You've seen Hiei's Jagan Eye, he had it implanted to first find her and then watch over her safely from a distance but the price he paid for that was his silence. Hiei told me about your dreams with the hiruseki stones so please understand any reaction he may have had towards you then."
Hotaru nodded again, her mouth dry. Now it made sense...Kurama told her all this to keep her from treading onto shaky ground and losing Hiei's trust. She couldn't thank Kurama enough, considering it was something she'd been pondering this morning herself. That's when a realization hit her...Kizami, where had he gone? Her eyes shot open as she tried to alert herself to any nearby presence...she felt nothing though, almost as if the tall stranger had disappeared into thin air.
"Kurama, please, you have to tell me the minute you sense a strange energy. These past few days I've run into a man who calls himself Kizami. His aura is anything but pleasant and just from that I can tell he's very powerful. I don't know who he is or what he wants but...I'm worried he might try and attack soon." Hotaru pleaded, a hand coming to her chest as if she were trying to keep her heart from exploding from her rib-cage.
Kurama narrowed his gaze, "Was this the enemy the one you mentioned before? The ones associated with that crystal?"
"Possibly..." Hotaru said breathlessly, she hadn't actually considered that option yet. What if he was a leftover from the Deathbusters? What if he was the second generation come to seek revenge on the senshi? Great, now she'd be dragging all of the guys into her problems when they had their own battles to focus on. Kurama stood up shakily, forcing her full attention to shift over to him,
"Alright then, let's move inside to the infirmary. There will be more of a crowd, making it less likely for him to attack. Did he seem to be looking for a fight?" the kitsune asked, helping her move Hiei onto his shoulders. Hotaru nodded again, feeling that was all she could do lest she start letting jumbled sentences flow from her mouth. She didn't know want this Kizami wanted, but at the very least he seemed to have business with her.
It wasn't that long of a walk, and unfortunately, there wasn't as big a crowd as the two conscience people would have liked. Still, it was technically a public place so anything that seemed out of the ordinary would be sure to get someone's attention. It was a small room lined almost completely with beds, the majority of them looking as if they'd never been used; this was a kill or be killed tournament obviously. Surprisingly, there was only one chair in the room which Hotaru insisted that Kurama take since he was still injured to a degree.
"I know you're concerned, but you can head back to the hotel if you want. The fights won't continue until the stadium is cleaned up some more." Kurama suggested to her, taking obvious note of her worried facial expression. Hotaru shook her head fiercely though, "I'm fine, I promise I'm not going to do anything rash. Besides, I've rested enough...I know it would probably be best to say this while everyone is present but since Genkai is...I'd like to take her place as the alternate fighter on the team. I know it's dangerous out there but I can hold my own against them." Why was she saying this? In anger over what had happened? It was Hiei who had done this to himself, not someone on the other team.
"I'm afraid that's a decision that will be left up to that committee."
"They'll never agree to it..." Hotaru whispered, having heard how unfair this supposed 'committee' was. It was funny how adamant she had been about not fighting and now here she was trying to force her way into the tournament...what a strange turn of events. She turned her gaze back over to the sleeping fire demon...how much longer would it be before he awoke? He needed to be awake for the final fight, and more importantly so that she would know he was alright.
"It's interesting to see you be so concerned about someone you barely know. You really do have a big heart...or maybe it's something else?" Kurama joked, trying to make light of their situation the only way he could think of. Hotaru blushed, tempted to accuse him of acting too much like Botan but...could she really try and prove him wrong?
Suddenly, the ground began to violently shake, Hotaru losing her balance only to caught by Kurama.
"An earthquake?" Kurama questioned, as the overhead lamps began to rattle violently and loudly, a bulb on the far end blowing in succession. She held onto his arm only for support, looking around as if the source of the quake might be in the room with them. "More of the stadium collapsing, you think?" she asked, the quake began to slow down...it couldn't have been an earthquake if it was over so soon.
"Something isn't right," he began as the two of them were able to stand upright, "stay with Hiei and I'll go take a look."
"Wait a minute, Kurama, let me go!" Hotaru protested as he started to walk away, "You're still injured, and if something is going on out there, I don't think-"
"It wouldn't do well for two injured people to stay by themselves either. If I'm not back soon, find a way to alert Yusuke and the others and let them know that something has happened."
"But Kurama! What if it's...them? You shouldn't have to fight my battles! I don't want anyone else getting hurt."
"I understand that, Hotaru, but you need to think logically as well. You are our comrade now so we will fight for you as well."
'Well, he's quite the catch, isn't he?' Saturn quipped as the red-haired teen disappeared from their sights, running out to make sure everything was okay. Hotaru plopped back down into the now vacant chair, Saturn materializing beside her as she did so. "What's the matter Saturn, have you gotten a crush, too?" Hotaru joked weakly, secretly sticking out her thumb so that the warrior could see.
"Very funny, Hotaru," Saturn returned, turning her gaze over the fire demon now too. "That earthquake just now...did you feel it too?"
Hotaru nodded numbly, "There was a familiar power flowing through quake...it's just like the Deathbusters, Saturn. I can't...I can't believe they're back...not now..." She wouldn't cry, she couldn't cry anymore, but she could still slump down in her chair, a feeling of utter defeat washing over her as she did. Not only did they have Toguro to worry about, but now the Deathbusters may have been here too...she couldn't the call senshi. Her communicator was back in the hotel room, not to mention, what would she even say? Sorry to pull you from your lives but surprise, we have a new enemy that we thought we destroyed.
"Out of all of us, you'd be the last person I'd peg as the one to lose hope. We know nothing right now, Hotaru, don't jump to conclusions. And what to make of that Kizami fellow?" Saturn pondered aloud, arms crossed over her chest.
"Saturn, do you know him? Is someone from your past, maybe?"
"He seems familiar but I don't recall ever acquainting myself with someone so...creepy." Saturn had paused, trying to think of just the right word before deciding on something she'd heard Hotaru say quite a few times. Hotaru smiled lightly at Saturn's word choice...it was odd to say but she loved to hear the warrior say modern day words, losing her princess-style voice for just a moment.
Then, again, another rumbling quake hit, much fiercer than the last. It happened upon them quickly leaving practically no reaction time to the situation. Hotaru fell forward out of the chair, halfway landing onto Hiei's torso as she did so; she wasn't surprised when this failed to wake him up. "Something is going on out there!" Hotaru exclaimed, that surging energy in the air too obvious to ignore now, "Kurama must be in trouble! Come on, wake up!" Hiei probably would have killed her had he known she was violently shaking him but she couldn't think of any other method and they needed to get moving now. On her own, Hiei was definitely too heavy for her to carry and still be able to defend them both, she'd have to think of another way to do this.
'Slap him.' Saturn suggested flatly from within, her materialized form having disappeared from the room, 'What are you waiting for Hotaru?"
'Ugh...' she groaned, 'he's going to be so angry...' she grimaced and drew back her hand, preparing to swing it downward with as much force as she could muster. Hotaru didn't get far, a hand quickly catching her wrist in a bone-crunching grip. It loosened as red eyes shot open and gazed back up at her, "Try that again and you will lose your hand."
"Hiei!" she exclaimed, glad to see that he was still his same old self, and even better that he was able to sit up despite the slight quaking of the ground that was still going on. "Are you able to walk? Something bad is going to happen...I can feel it...Kurama left a few minutes ago to check things out but he hasn't come back yet. We should-" But she found herself stopping short as he extended a hand toward her...was he...wanting her to help him up?
"What are you waiting for, woman? Heal me so we can go."
"Oh! R-Right..." Hotaru laughed, a blush rushing across her face as she went to grab his hand with her own. She dropped down to her knees beside the bed, completely clearing her mind as she summoned from within a warm power...her life energy. The two became enveloped in a light purple aura, the feeling of it warm and safe, as any injuries that he may have had became completely healed with no sign of any scarring. Hiei could even feel his strength returning, something that normally didn't happen when someone offered to heal him; normally, it was only his wounds that were healed. However, he'd have time to worry about that interesting note later.
The power in the air was practically suffocating...it was unknown to him, but it definitely posed a threat. It couldn't have been from any of Toguro's teammates, no, they definitely weren't strong enough to produce this kind of energy. And if it were someone on the island, he'd have noticed long before now...it was an outsider attacking then. A timid tugging at his uninjured left arm told him it was time to go. "Do you even know where we're going?"
Hotaru shook her head, "Kurama said if he wasn't back that we should go find Yusuke and the others."
"No need to," Both dark-haired teens snapped their heads over to the door, it was Kuwabara and Yusuke with Kurama draped over his shoulder, "It ain't like we can't feel that too." Kuwabara explained as the group filed into the room.
"Yeah, we found Kurama outside the stadium. Guess he overdid it, huh?" Yusuke questioned, putting the red-haired boy onto one of the beds.
"Or maybe...he was attacked. I think I know who's causing those earthquakes." Hotaru bit her lip as she turned her gaze away, a slight blush appearing when she realized that all eyes were now on here." The last few days I've run into a scary, tall man who called himself Kizami...he gives off a major creepy vibe and just being in his presence made me sick. I don't know who he is but he seems to have business with me...he might even be related to those enemies I told you about the other day, the ones who used the Crystal as their power source."
"Big deal, we'll knock this Kizami guy flat on his ass, take out Toguro, use our wish to bring Genkai back, then head home and party like there's tomorrow." Yusuke quipped at the younger girl with a confident smile. Hotaru wasn't sure she fully understood why they were willing to help her fight this guy (if it even was Kizami), but she was extremely happy and thanked them all.
"We're not getting anything done just standing around, come on already!" Kuwabara practically ordered, his white coat trailing out behind him as he turned to run. He'd made sure that Yukina and the others had stayed behind at the hotel out of harm's way, so he'd definitely make sure it stayed that way. With Yukina watching him, he could do anything! Including beating that other Toguro brother!
"Yeah, come on love-birds, you've got time to develop your characters later." Yusuke joked, unable to resist making the joke, turning and leaving before anything could be said. As she turned away with a blush, she could still hear Hiei growl under his breath...even though it was embarrassing, it still was kind of funny.
"Heal Kurama and let's go." he ordered, stuck with keeping his hands in his pant's pockets rather than his cloak as he'd lost during the fight.
"Y-Yes!" Hotaru stuttered out, nearly tripping over herself to do so. She didn't mind if he was basically ordering her around, she was just happy to be of help...and the fact that he needed her to do something. She called her healing power back from within, a purple glow now encasing her and the red-haired teen strewn out across the infirmary bed. It really wasn't safe to be using her healing power again so soon, not without ample time to recharge...this was gonna put a heavy toll on her own energy. As she could feel his strength return, she turned off the power as if it were as simple as turning off a light switch.
As she tried to stand up, she shuddered, a wave of weakness washing over her body.
"What's wrong now?" Hiei asked, turning his gaze over his shoulder; it was impossible to miss those panting and wincing sounds from her.
"It's just...I'm a little tired...my healing power...comes from my life energy so...I can't use it too much or I'll...I'll pass out." Hotaru leaned back and sat down on a bed, her arms wrapped around her as she shuddered and gasped for air again. Thankfully, it wasn't violent gasps, it just made her sounds as if she were hyperventilating. "I just need to rest for just a second." she admitted, feeling her own body recharge a little on its own. That was plus to having these powers, she remarked, extremely fast self-healing.
Although his stare appeared blank as usual, inside his mind was a different story. Inside, his thoughts were buzzing trying to connect all the pieces here...just when he thought he'd figured her out, something new would pop up and throw him off. Damn her, did she act secretive like that just to piss him off? Then again, maybe he should damn his own self for even bothering to take interest in her.
As the three of them ran, the corridor began to feel endless...maybe time had just decided to slow down. Still, it was an interesting sight to see as the two stronger demons inadvertently set their paces slower to match hers, making her feel embarrassed but happy at the same time. No, she had to focus on what was to come. They were able to trace energy as having come from the arena. No one had been there when they'd left earlier, but someone must have gotten in somehow...but what did they even want?
Hotaru could feel her eyes squinting as the trio happened upon the light blaring from the exit to the corridor, finally having made it to the end. The sunlight was bright as the arena had yet to be repaired from Hiei's attack, but once her eyes adjusted, Hotaru could feel her heart sink into her stomach.
"That him?"
"Mm-hm..." the pale girl now even paler in color murmured. It was him...it was Kizami. He was levitating over the remains of the arena deck, a smug look plastered across his face as he bobbed up and down. A few feet in front of them were Yusuke and Kuwabara, apparently having been able to stand against him to a degree, however, they were looking quite battered and Kizami failed to have a single scratch on his person.
"Yeah, now would probably be a good time to give us the cliff-notes on this guy." Yusuke grunted, pulling himself back onto his feet.
"Damn, we can't even get close to this guy...it's like he's got this barrier up or something." Kuwabara mentioned, mimicking Yusuke's action.
Hotaru could feel her mouth drop, eyes raising in surprise, horror, disgust, and plenty of other emotions, "...I don't know how to beat him..." she whispered. She was such a coward. She would...no, she had to call on Saturn to help her, there was just no way she could touch this guy.
"Ah, my otome! There you are, finally showing your pretty face to me! ...hm, just a moment...YOU. Filthy human wretch!" She honestly couldn't describe how quickly the man had gone through such a range of emotions...wait, was he talking about her? Dammit, he was...she shuddered once she realized that horrible piercing stare was aimed in her direction. She felt frozen, she couldn't move...no, somehow she'd managed to grab a hold of her henshin wand. Hotaru knew that familiar weight in her hand, no mistake about it.
"Ah, is that where the Lady Saturn is hiding?" Kizami grinned, holding out a gangly arm in her direction, palm stretched outward. Without warning, the stick flew from her hand and into his. "No please!" she cried, having sworn she'd held onto it as tight as she could have. She needed her henshin wand to allow Saturn full control, even if the warrior could take over, she'd still only have access to Hotaru's body and healing powers not her own powers and certainly not the Glaive.
She heard a grunt beside her, a black blur disappearing and re-appearing faster than lightning before her eyes. It flashed by Kizami, a spurt of blood resounding as the blur disappeared from view again.
"Damn you!" Kizami cried, holding his now bleeding hand...damn them, they were fast. He didn't even have any time to react! Still, he couldn't feel his Saturn inside that silly stick, so be it then, they could have it back.
"Hold onto this, woman, you're going to need it." Hiei demanded, hand out stretched in her direction...he'd gotten it back for her...she just had to make sure she didn't lose it again. 'Thank you...' she mouthed with a nod, slowly accepting it from his hand.
"I thought I smelled a rat...so what now, are demons and human actually working together these days? That's a first." Kizami laughed, finally regaining his composure as his bleeding hand continued to twitch. "I've no time for games with you lesser life forms. Bring the Lady Saturn to me now or things will get ugly for you." With a distancing finger, Kizami clearly pointed her out from the crowd of boys.
She swallowed harshly, a dry spot now stuck in her throat, the hair on her arms standing all the way up. She took a few steps forward, henshin stick grasped tightly within her hands,
"As you wish. If you truly desire to stare death in the face, then so be it..."
...annnnd cliffhanger. Simply because this chapter was getting to be too long! Next chapter, we have our first battle with Kizami, a few old friends show up to the party, and Kizami might even have to use his ace in the hole to destroy our beloved Hotaru.