To ALL my reviewers: Sorry I was so lazy and didn't have time to write individual replies but thank you so so much for taking time to review! I really really appreciate it!
Taking a deep breath, he lurched over, pain searing throughout his body as he continued to push it to the limit. Dammit, he'd only been training for a day and he was already tired? Just how weak was he? Then again, this room had some kind of special gravity field that could be manipulated to become heavier or lighter at the whim of its user. If he continued to train under this increased gravity, his own natural talent for speed and his strength would improve greatly...no doubt. And if he only had 3 days to do it, then so be it. Still, he supposed he should take a quick break.
Hiei lowered the gravity of the room to normal, or rather, what would be considered the normal gravity field for Earth via the device on his wrist. It had been given to him by the Saturnian warrior after she'd accosted him the other night, and it was also she who'd shown him the room. Strangely, it wasn't her that had been occupying his thoughts, but the other girl, Hotaru. He'd have been lying if he said she wasn't constantly on his mind...might have been one reason he was already so tired. He was expending all of his energy thinking about her. It seemed the more and more time they spent around each other, the stranger he began to feel...almost like something was nagging at the back of his mind. It was damn annoying, and one good reason he'd tried to distance himself from her as much as possible. Even so, he was charged with looking after her while the others went to back to Reikai for reconnaissance and the senshi women went to some temple a good ways away. That left only himself and Hotaru inside the mansion.
He also found it pretty odd that she hadn't come down here to bother him yet, highly doubting the girl would heed the warrior's advice about leaving him be to train. She'd become obsessed with getting close to him and making friends with him...sure, she considered herself his friend and he guessed that's why she wanted to be close to him. Well, so what? He and Kurama were "friends" but that didn't mean they constantly wanted to be in each others presence. It just didn't make any sense, he shook his head and began to head upstairs, honestly not sure what he was expecting.
If she was still asleep, then she wouldn't have left her upstairs bedroom. Did he plan to wake her? Or would he end up doing it by entering the room? Hiei didn't really see himself conversing with her, not really...they wouldn't have much to talk about other than Kizami's defeat. It was so pointless yet he continued up the staircase before coming to a stop in front of a white-door with a purple sign that read 'Hotaru'. The door was slightly ajar so he just pushed it open, not really caring for human's and their silly rules and morals. Besides, she was supposed to be under watch, could she really afford to lock a door?
He found the inside to empty but not un-lived in. Someone had definitely been moving around in here this morning, but...where had they gone? Damn, he needed to get back to training but he supposed her safety did come first in this instance...removing his white headband, he activated his Jagan and began to search for her energy. Seemed pointless to have put it back on just to walk up here, but he done it almost automatically...like he was afraid of her seeing his Jagan for some reason.
Odd...neither she nor the Saturnian warrior's spirit energy or life energy was detectable through his range of tracking, and that range happened to cover the entire length of the city for sure. He'd never been one to panic under pressure, or panic period really, and began to calmly assess the situation at hand. Hotaru was no longer in the city, presumably, but there's no way she could have gotten out of the city in such a short time. Kizami couldn't have kidnapped her or else he would have felt the demonic energy in the air, not to mention, he imagined there would be quite a few scorch marks littering the room.
The only thing he could do was to alert that woman Setsuna and let her know about Hotaru's disappearance. Again, he'd been lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit worried about her.
In the blink of an eye, he was back downstairs and headed for the kitchen. If he remembered correctly, there was a phone here and he could surely get into contact with the Pluto-woman that way. He actually knew quite a bit about human devices, thanks to Kurama forcing him to learn their uses and the way to use them; it didn't mean he particularly enjoyed the fact. He didn't get far however, before the woman in question materialized in front of you.
"I take it you know then," he began, putting the phone back on it's receiver base. "Where is she?" he commanded harshly, almost as if to accuse the Plutonian senshi taking of her somewhere.
"I'm afraid I can't say that she's not in danger, but it has nothing to do with Kizami for now." the hazy image of Pluto explained, "Hotaru has time-jumped to go back into the past, but...I'm afraid I can't tell you why. However, I'm starting to become worried for her. I've been unable to contact her which can only mean one thing...the longer she stays where she is, I'm afraid Hotaru's disruption of the timeline will cause her to disappear."
Hiei continued to glareat the image of the woman before him, "I've never been fond of people keeping secrets from me, and lately that appears to the norm. I won't even bother making threats on your life with that incorporeal form of yours here, but if Hotaru may disappear, you will tell me what's going on." Where in the seven hells had that come from? Best to ignore it and keep pressing for information. They needed Hotaru back here to help fight Kizami, even if it was just to use the Saturnian warrior for bait. That was the only reason he wanted her back here.
"I'm not singling you out, Hiei. Believe me, none of the other senshi are privy to this information, and because of my duties are Time Guardian, I am forbidden to discuss time travel with earthlings. All we can do now is simply hope and pray that Hotaru makes it back on her own before something truly awful happens."
"And if it does?"
"..." Pluto grew silent, not really sure how to answer. Hotaru knew the risks involved, especially after Saturn and herself had explained Hotaru's death in the similar time line that resulted from her time-jumping. Pluto sighed, a tiny humming noise following it, "I suppose I can tell you this much...when the time line becomes disrupted, all sorts of things begin to change. It's called the butterfly effect; when one travels back into the past, one must be extremely careful and take caution because even something as small as the beating of a butterfly's wing can change the future for good or bad. Hotaru knew full well what she was getting herself into when she jumped. Because I am unable to contact her can only mean one thing, that Hotaru must have altered the past to where she is no longer the host for Saturn, meaning that Hotaru and I would have never met. And also, I can feel the waves of the time stream beginning to distort which means Hotaru must have arrived in a time line where she has already died. The same time line can't have the same person there twice, at least not for very long, before things begin to fall apart, or worse, the unneeded second person will disappear from existence. These are all rules that have been established by the God of Time himself, Cronos, meaning I can't do anything about it."
Now it was Hiei who'd gone silent, his body rigid save for his right hand which he clenched into a fist.
Hotaru weakly opened her eyes, just barely able to make out the blurry shadow that stood over her. She quickly focused her vision, and recognizing the black-clad boy, asked, "Hiei...where are we?" She slowly sat up, realizing that she'd been laying down on a couch with a blanket tucked carefully over her body.
"This is Yukina's human residence. It's safer to live here rather than with me on the outside." At least that was something that didn't change, Hotaru remarked mentally, the boy still had his penchant for sleeping in trees...probably something left over from his time as a child bandit in Makai.
Hotaru nodded numbly, "I see...so, I guess I must have passed out back there. Sorry." she smiled along with her apology, unable to help doing so. The light of the afternoon sun had disappeared, leaving only inky darkness to fill the sky. The residence, as he'd called it, was rather small looking and was probably an apartment. It likely only had one bedroom which belonged to Yukina, meaning Hiei probably took the couch on the few occasions he did stay here. There was a simple kitchen not too far away, and the living room in which they sat was modest; just a couch, a sitting table, and a lamp. Obviously, the two demons would have little use for a television.
"Why are you apologizing? You know I hate when you do that." he replied, almost like instinct. His eyes widened once he realized what he'd said, then turned away. Hiei had to admit it, even though he knew he didn't want to. Even though this was Hotaru, it wasn't the Hotaru he knew...not his Hotaru. But still...the two weren't entirely different...there was hardly any differences between them really, just the age. The both of them were older now.
Without warning, two arms latched onto him, wrapping around his neck in a tight hug. "I'm sorry..." she repeated, her voice beginning to crack and tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry..."
What the hell was he doing? He must have asked himself that 20 times over as he returned the girl's hug and pulled her down onto his lap where he was situated on the floor. It was odd how quickly things had happened...her sudden crying fit...the two of them hugging like this...so just where was this going? He'd be damned if he would cry, he'd done his fair share of it. So then...should he comfort her? Kiss her?
No...he couldn't.
She was Hotaru...but not his Hotaru.
Just the same, he was Hiei, but not hers.
The two awoke some time later the next morning, tangled in each others arms on the couch. Hotaru had exhausted herself with crying, and when he'd tried to put the girl on the couch to herself, she'd refused to let go of him. He wasn't quite sure why, maybe she just needed some kind of "security blanket"...after all, he could only imagine what she must be going through. It was like waking up one morning out of the blue to learn that your entire life was a lie and there was only a slim chance that things would go back to normal. So, he'd slipped himself underneath her and forced himself to go to sleep.
When morning came, he was woken up by the girl who scrambled off of him in embarrassment, keeping her back turned to him as she did so.
"I didn't realize you were...I'm sorry." she murmured, almost as if she'd forgotten last night's crying spell where she'd chanted apology after apology over and over again.
Hiei sat up then with the intention of saying something, but the sound of a door softly clicking shut caused both of them to turn their attention to it.
"Oh good," came the sweet and calm voice of Yukina, "you're both up now. Once you're both ready, we can start looking into getting you back to your own time. Hotaru, if you'd like, you can use the shower in my room, and if you leave your clothes outside the door, I'd be more than happy to wash them for you."
"Thank you." Hotaru answered politely, giving a slight bow before heading off towards the said location. Once the door had shut, Yukina walked over to the couch, standing before it until her brother vacated it and took up a spot against the wall that the couch faced.
"Hiei...what are you doing?" Yukina asked, her features turning slightly dark as she lowered her gaze. Normally, she was a very calm person, shy and quiet, but other times, the demonic side of her would take over and come out at times like this. She rarely got angry or upset, and only cried when she was sad, and right now, she had plenty of reason to be upset.
"What do you mean?" he replied offhandedly, lowering his own gaze towards the carpeted floor.
Yukina sighed, "Hiei, you know what I mean. She may be Hotaru but she's not the same. She doesn't share any of the memories you have, she doesn't remember anything that happened between you. She only knows about the Hiei from her time line. And if you ask me...well, when I saw you two this morning I thought..." the koorime turned her head and gave a little blush, too embarrassed to voice her true thoughts.
The fire demon rolled his eyes in disbelief, "Oh please...like I would do that. I know she's not the same Hotaru..." he trailed off, knowing full well he'd thought about kissing her. But that was harmless, right? "Nothing happened and nothing will happen. Just let it go." he mumbled, pushing off the wall, effectively ending their conversation. Yukina sighed again but didn't watch him walk past; they were siblings, they were supposed to get mad at each other and care about each other...not just siblings either, they were twins. They could sometimes feel each others pain and it wasn't hard at all to see the conflict her beloved brother was facing currently.
She pushed off of the couch and went to get Hotaru's clothes for the wash.
It felt weird having gone this long without talking to Saturn, and even longer since she'd been nervous about the two basically sharing a shower together. None of that really mattered right now though, she was going to get home and everything was going to be alright. She just had to keep telling herself that.
It wasn't long before her thoughts drifted back to the fire demon. She honestly couldn't have helped herself last night, everything just caught up with her and she exploded into tears. The Hiei from her time line would probably have just called her weak and pathetic and walked away without a second thought, but the Hiei in this time line...he was kinder and caring, and had even held her when she'd cried. He even bothered to curl up with her and go to sleep, something she wasn't aware of until the morning came and the thought made her blush again.
Grabbing a fresh cloth from the rack underneath the shower head, she wet it then rubbed her face gently. Maybe...staying here wouldn't be all that bad? Of course, she was going to try her hardest to set things right and get back to where she belonged but...if worse came to worst then...would it be alright for her to accept this? In this time line, the city wasn't a hub for spiritual energies and demons rarely attacked if ever. This must have meant there were either no Sailor Senshi, or, they'd been positioned somewhere else. Who knew how long it might take her to find Setsuna and the others? She could finally live her life as a normal human girl. And...unfortunately...the longer she stayed in this time line, the quicker the door between the two would close and she'd be permanently stuck here (without knowing Setsuna in this time, she may as well be stuck). Also, back in her original time line, without her there, Saturn was going to fade away which meant that the element of death would be absent from the universe which would ultimately throw things in to disarray-!
"Ah!" Hotaru winced, a pain rippling through her right hand. Her eyes clenched shut and she grabbed at her hand, the pain hot and searing as if someone had pressed a heated blade through the back of her hand. She hazarded a glance down at her hand, pulling it out from underneath the roar of the shower head...her skin was cracked. It was cracking...almost as if the skin of her hand had transformed into flesh-colored scales. What in the hell was happening? Her hand hurt to move it, feeling almost as if it was now crippled. Where small pieces of skin had flaked off, there was no blood or muscle tissue underneath, just faintly glowing light. Oh God...she knew this feeling...she was disappearing.
No, she knew this...Setsuna had told her about it. It was one of the many uncertainties that came with time-traveling. Because a Hotaru Tomoe had already existed in this time line, her existence was being nulled as a way to keep things in balance. Damn it all...they didn't have much time to fix this.
It had been easy figuring out a way to get to into Reikai; Hotaru had decided it was the next best place to head to since Koenma would surely know about Setsuna and/or her senshi form...hopefully. Either way, if there was anyone who might be able to help them, it was the junior ruler of Reikai. When the girl had asked the two demons how to get there, the two looked at her like she was crazy...of course, the two of them wouldn't have much reason to be there if Yusuke had never become Spirit Detective.
After that, a convoluted plan had been concocted with the group of three hastily scouring the city for a recently deceased. It was a macabre task, but anyone spiritually aware knew that whenever a human died, a spirit guide would always appear to take them back to Reikai. It was outside of a hospital that they managed to catch a glimpse of a woman riding a boat oar, and unfortunately, it was not Botan to Hotaru's dismay. It was the darker-clad woman, Hotaru recalled her name was Ayame. Thankfully, since all three were spiritually aware, it was easy to call out to the woman and explain their plight.
It had taken some persuading but the woman eventually called for 'back-up' so that her original task could be accomplished. Hotaru prayed it was Botan who was coming but again she was disappointed. This time, the spirit guide was another young girl with some kind of accent; she too wore dark clothing but her light purple hair and smiling face were much different than Ayame. The girl also wore a strange headband of some kind.
Before long, they were in Reikai, standing before the gates and awaiting entrance. Special clearance had to be granted for them considering they were still alive. When the giant gates finally creaked open, Hotaru held back and tried her best not to break into a sprint. She'd neglected to tell either of her demon companions about the state of her hand but couldn't stop herself from cradling it...a trait that wouldn't go unnoticed by Hiei for much longer. The walk was further than she remembered, and the pain that was slowly creeping up into her right shoulder blade told her that she'd better speed it up.
The office of Koenma was different than she remembered...there was much more space and the desk was quite large. Surely Koenma was still in charge? But why would the-...oh, that was why. She quickly bit her tongue to hold back a scream, as a giant bearded-form seemed to appear from nowhere as the giant swivel chair turned and spun to meet them.
"Why have you come?" the imposing figure from the chair boomed, his voice so loud that Hotaru swore he was producing a gust of wind just from speaking. Still, the symbols on his hat were irrefutable; they read 'King Enma'. He presumably was Koenma's father despite the fact that the two looked nothing alike.
"Please sir, I don't have much time to explain. A woman named Setsuna Meioh is my mother, she's also known as the Time Guardian and guards the Gates of Time. To make a long story short, I performed a time jump and now I'm unable to get into contact with her. I have to get back to my own time before...before things are thrown out of balance." Close one, she'd almost yelled out that she might disappear. It wouldn't do anyone any good if a panic broke out.
"Hmm, yes, I do believe I know of this Time Guardian you speak of. You say you're her daughter?" the giant man adjusted his glasses before materializing a book within his hand. It made a loud thud as he spread it out onto the desk before him, quickly opening it and thumbing through a few pages. "According to my records though, you should be dead right now, Miss Tomoe, and believe me, I don't like to have incorrect records."
"Weren't you listening? She said she's not from this time. The Hotaru Tomoe that originally belong to this dimension has already died. This Hotaru is from another time line and needs to get back home." Hiei shot back without a care, it wasn't like he was scared of this glasses-wearing behemoth. Hotaru turned back to look at him, uncertainty on her face. He quickly nodded at her to go on, and she nodded back to answer him.
"I see...I suppose your knowledge of the Time Guardian and your ability to easily find your way into Reikai should be proof enough. If you're really her daughter than that must make you a celestial too. Therefore, it would be an honor to serve you." Truthfully, it was the spirit of Saturn who was a celestial; Hotaru's body was only human when she was the one in control. "We'll get into contact with someone who knows about these things and have a portal opened up for you. Other than that, I'm afraid we can't do much else." And with that, the large man arose from his desk and headed off to who knows where.
"Congratulations Hotaru, you're one step further to getting home." Yukina spoke up with a smile. Hotaru turned towards and nodded, returning the smile although it faded quickly once she caught a glimpse of the literal smoldering glare coming from Hiei. When he realized she was looking him, he seemed to catch himself and softened his expression.
"Y-yeah..." he tried to repeat the sentiment, ultimately failing. He grunted and turned his head to the side slowly. It was getting closer and closer to something he really didn't want to see...Hotaru leaving him again.
"You two should say your good-byes now, okay? It will only be much harder to do it when the portal is ready..." Yukina had begun strong but her voice had trailed off into whisper when she felt the sadness rise in her voice too. Neither of the other two could change their somber expressions even though Hotaru did try. Without warning, she jumped forward and encased a very surprised Yukina in a hug, which, after a moment, the girl reluctantly returned with uncertainty. Her brother had already gotten attached to this Hotaru, she couldn't too... "I'll give you two some privacy." Yukina whispered again, heading a ways over in some direction, certain there had to be a waiting room of some kind around.
"So..." Hotaru began slowly, "I'm...I'm not really sure what to say."
"That's just it, there is nothing to say." he shot back a little too fiercely, "I went through losing one Hotaru already, so I'm used to it. When the portal is ready, just go. There's no need for goodbyes. I've already said them."
Hotaru stared back him, her gaze sad and clouded by tears...her cracking hand still cradled in the palm of her as of yet untouched hand. She honestly wasn't sure what she was expecting. For him to fall all over her and beg her not to leave? The Hotaru he knew had been dead for some time and he'd already come to grips with her death...this really must have been truly painful for him. But somewhere, she knew, she could feel it, what he was saying wasn't true, "You don't have to hide your real feelings from me. I understand. Even though we're basically the same person, I can't take her place and I don't expect you to treat me the same way. But still...you're my friend and you don't have to hide anything from me. If you want to...and I know it may seem a little weird, but if there was something you weren't able to tell the other Hotaru, then I'd be honored for you to tell it to me."
The room and its occupants were dead silent, fitting for a place full of spirits, as time clicked on. Hotaru began to feel uneasy as if she'd said something wrong until the boy began to move forward, almost mechanically. Without a word, he pulled her into a hug and held her there, possibly savoring the last hug he would ever be able to give 'Hotaru'. The hug was warm and familiar, just as it had been the other night...were these her memories, her feelings, or the other Hotaru's? Why did it not feel wrong? The fire demon was dangerously close to kissing her then, until Hotaru turned her head to avoid him and shook it slightly.
"I'm sorry but I...I can't do that." she explained, eyes shut tightly and head turned slightly downward. "I know I said what I did but...I just...I wanted my first kiss to be with the Hiei that I love..." She waited for him to be angry with her, growl and push her away, as a tear made its way down her cheek. But that anger never came, instead, he seemed to redirect the trajectory of the kiss and laid it upon her forehead. "Of course..." he seemed to murmur but Hotaru couldn't quite make out what he'd said. "Everything's just...happening so quickly." This time it was her turn to murmur as he bent forward slightly to rest his forehead against her.
"That's the thing with time, the more you take it for granted, the faster it slips away from you. Time isn't going to stop or move in another direction just because you want it to. Even though we may not like the way things turn out, we're ultimately slaves to the ticking of time. ...are you sure you don't want to stay?" The last part he whispered to her, bringing his mouth closer to her ear. He knew he shouldn't, knew he wasn't supposed to but...whenever you wanted something badly, you fought for it and tried your best to get it back.
Hotaru shook her head, rubbing it back and forth across his shoulder blade, her chin-length black hair brushing against his face softly. "I'm sorry...I...I can't..." she mumbled, slowly pushing away from him and backing away. She must have looked an awful mess with tears streaming in full force down her face. Had she been a stronger person, she might asked why he was doing this to her...he didn't really know the reason she wasn't able to stay. If she stayed she'd disappear...if she stayed, things her time line would become chaotic... "I-I know I'm being selfish but I can't..."
"Hotaru?"
Both the fire demon and human girl jumped in surprise, the later quickly trying to dry her reddening face from the overflowing tears that clouded it. It was Yukina, appearing demurely with hands prostrated across the front of her body.
"I'm sorry, but...the portal is ready for you."
The portal was nothing to gawk at or write home about, it was nearly non-descriptive save for the mass of purple energy that swirled in its circle. Apparently, the Reikai had a special artifact that allowed them to open portals in both time and space but it was rarely used to do to the ensuing repercussions and it was normally bolted down under lock and key. King Enma saw fit to fully warn her of those risks before wishing her a safe journey.
Hotaru reached into her pocket and pulled out her Cronos Key. The thing lay dormant and powerless in her hand, devoid of any supernatural energy, but hopefully, that would all change once she entered the vortex. This particular portal wasn't a direct line back to her own time line, just one that had been breached in the fabric of time...in other words, it would simply put her on the right track and the Cronos Key would take care of the rest.
'Good-bye.' Hotaru mouthed silently to the black-clad boy, face brooding and dark with his usual scowl. She couldn't bare the idea of running over to him or hugging him or anything of that nature, it would only cause her to break down again. It was like saying good bye to Hiei...forever. And she couldn't stand that thought. When all the circumstances were brought into perspective, this was truly painful but the best thing (and only thing) she could do...was leave.
Hiei nodded in response, then after a moment gave her a smile. A genuine smile of happiness. There was nothing fake about it, and that fact alone made her heart flutter. It was like a giant weight had been lifted her shoulders, a giant weight that had felt a lot like guilt to be honest. She knew she had re-opened old wounds and made them fresh, but that smile told her he knew how to take care of them and would be just fine without her. Perhaps...he'd even go back to the other Hotaru's grave site and tell her the story about the strange Hotaru who'd appeared from another time line.
"Thank you." Hotaru said, tears in her eyes as she smiled happily, simultaneously disappearing into the portal behind her.
Thank you, Hiei. Thank you...for showing me, that by sharing all of our feelings, we would be able to change the world and make our future a brighter place.
She awoke in a soupy black darkness, slowly and weightlessly floating through it. What had happened? She remembered going through the portal and activating the Cronos Key but after that...had she become trapped in a pocket dimension of space? Oh God...this was exactly what happened last time...she ended up here and Pluto and Saturn couldn't get her back no matter how hard they looked or tried.
"Sleeping soul who once lay under my protection, awaken." With a flash her eyes opened and she sat up, maneuvering her body into standing position even though she still technically floating in this space. She quickly looked around, searching for the voice that had called out to her but found no one. The voice was unfamiliar, masculine and booming...just who was this guy? "I am Cronos, the God of Time, guardian of the soul that has received the blessings and powers of Pluto."
'Cr-Cronos?' she mentally gaped...but...he couldn't be real. He was just a made-up God from Greek mythos. It made her slightly angry to think that idiot Kizami could have been right in any sense; the thought of the man's name quickly reminding her how important it was for her to be back home. "Please, um Lord Cronos," she began, hoping that title would please him, "please, I'm the human host for the spirit of the princess of Saturn and I desperately need to get back to the time line where I'm needed."
"I know who you are, Hotaru Tomoe, and I am not pleased with you for distorting time right under my nose." Suddenly a thought hit her...could she have been the one that was distorting the time stream, back when Pluto first informed her of it during the Dark Tournament. "However, I cannot be truly spiteful against you...the spirit and planet of Saturn were once under my protection as well." Hotaru could understand that she supposed...it only made sense considering the celebration of Saturnalia that Saturn had once told her about...so then, Cronos had originally been assigned to bless Saturn with his powers but then later gave them to Pluto? And that meant, Pluto's guardian at one point was- "Therefore, I am willing to make you a deal."
"A deal?" she asked demurely, basically waiting for the disembodied spirit of the God to strike her down for her 'wrong-doings'.
"In exchange for the Cronos Key you wear around your neck, I will allow you to reshape your time line as you see fit. You will then be barred from any and all time travel for the rest of your days, the Saturnian warrior included I'm afraid. Fret not," he added on as he quickly saw her start forward in the manner of a question, "the spirit of Saturn will be allowed to experience the 'ice age' before the 30th century and be allowed to protect her princess during the 31st century."
That was good then, Hotaru decided although she despised the fact that she'd gotten Saturn in trouble as well. On the other hand, after this, she didn't really desire to go into the future or past for any reason whatsoever; she had no reason to anymore. Time-jumping to change the future the way you wanted it was wrong. The other Hiei had been right...the more you take it for granted, the faster time will steal it away from you.
Hotaru then nodded her head, "I accept." Slowly, she removed the Cronos Key from the thin strip that she used as a makeshift necklace and held the key out to the space. The key slowly rose from her palm and once it had gone a safe distance, cracked and exploded into a shower of shiny golden lights. Suddenly, there was an explosion of energy from the particles which caused her to cover her eyes to protect them. Once the explosion died down, Hotaru hazarded a glance by pulling her arms down and saw something...rather odd. The broken pieces of her Cronos Key had formed into a multitude of screens, similar to ones you'd see on a television or maybe a computer. Just what was she supposed to do with them?
"These are called Fates. The many possibilities that exist within a single time line." Cronos explained, "Don't fret, you won't be forced to blindly pick. As I've said before, I'll allow you to shape the time line as you please, if only because of your affiliation with Saturn. Simply tell the Fates how you wish for things to be and they will do the rest, but be mindful, I cannot bring anyone back from the dead who was fated to die." So that meant she couldn't bring back her parents or Kurama's friend Kuronue. "Are you ready, my dear?"
Hotaru looked around the screens, or rather the Fates, and nodded. "I wish...I mean, well, I want the Inner Senshi, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako to all be friends and for their dreams to come true." As soon as she'd spoken that sentence, a few of the screens disappeared, and although it surprised her, she continued on, "I want Haruka and Michiru to be able to pursue their dreams without pause, and for Setsuna to find happiness despite her duties as Time Guardian." More screens disappeared this time, and for some reason, she was beginning to feel more confident, her voice going stronger with each request, "I want for Yusuke and Kayko to end up together and for Yusuke to become the Spirit Detective...where the Kuwabara siblings move to town and live there...for Kurama to come to the human world and live with his human parents-" It wasn't until then that she noticed there was only one screen remaining. Oh no...but she wasn't through yet. What if her next request caused this screen to disappear? Would she be able to start over? Or would she be unable to leave this place?
Without another thought, she walked calmly up to the screen of Fate and asked, "I want...what I really want, is for Hiei to be happy."
She waited for the screen to disappear or morph or do something else entirely but it remained there before her, unmoving and unchanging. With a smile, she happily touched the screen, falling unconscious as a bright, white light surrounded her.
A/N: Really apologize if this chapter seemed rushed but I had a LOT to fit into this one and I really didn't want this story to have a lot of chapters since the chapters themselves are ridiculously long. So yeah...as always if something wasn't explained clearly enough just let me know and I'll try to correct it. We're getting down to the wire here!
During the good bye scene, I tried to make it as un-rushed as possible by listening to a song for ideas and to help flesh it out. I ended up using 'Goodbye My Lover' by James Blunt, which is also where the name of the chapter comes from.