A/N: I've managed to figure out an ending you guys. Beware.

CrescentMoon90: Thank you! I honestly felt that chapter only had blips of any quality writing. I actually didn't rush through it (or tried not to anyhow), but it still didn't come out like I wanted.

aquafina rain: Hee hee, it's time for all the feel-bad emotions now. Couldn't this end story without a little bit of grief...even though I'm nowhere near done making the characters suffer. I feel so awful. And yikes, I felt he was super OOC last chapter. But I'm glad he didn't seem that way...and of course, Hiei's not the type to gush over anything. I won't put being over-protective by him, I mean, he did go through an entire operation to get a third eye just to be able to watch over his sister and protect her. Lol, I don't expect a lot of people to immediately grasp onto the idea of this pairing, but I promise, if people are open-minded while reading my HxH fics, then it won't seem too hard. I, personally, just always thought they would click considering a girl who actually looks like Hotaru even appears in the YYH manga at one point. Takeuchi and Togashi are married and admitted to inspiring and influencing each other's work. Heck, Togashi even based one of his HunterxHunter characters off of Hotaru. I think he ended up liking her design and character. XD Also, they have similar background stories/things in common; being forbidden children, enemies-turned-friends who once tried to kill them, deceased mothers who play important roles in their character development (manga-verse for Hotaru there), Hiei's soul and Hotaru's star seed are both purple, etc. I just saw waaaay too many things like that to think it was just a coincidence when I was younger.

Taeniaea: Thanks! Haven't seen you around in awhile, glad to know you're onboard with my story! :)

Water.

The sound of water...

Not running water...pooling...bubbling...as if it were swirling around her all at once.

Was she drowning?

No...this was different. She was clearly able to breathe or her mind would have clicked to warn her of the danger.

Was she floating? She couldn't be sure. Her entire body felt numb. She was consciously aware of the limbs attached to her, the arms and legs, the fingers and toes, even the roots of her hair...but she couldn't actually feel them. No sensation. She found she couldn't move them either no matter how hard she wanted to, no matter how strongly she shouted at her brain to tell them to move.

Why...why couldn't she...?

She was then vaguely aware that her entire body was tipping backwards, a sort of reverse vertigo. Her mind sought out to grab something to cease the falling sensation, but being unable to move anything, she was merely along for the ride so to speak. However, the fall was short and not as terrifying as her mind had led her to believe.

Was she lying down now? Again, that vague feeling that told her what might be happening around her told her she was horizontal. The sound of water gushing in her ears had suddenly disappeared too, leaving nothing but a chilling sensation behind as the warmth of the water left her body; an almost humorous gurgling sound accompanying it.

Her eyes...she could open them. She was certain of it now. The power to move anything else eluded her but her eyes would surely open...although she was unsure of what she going to find on the other side of them was pleasant or otherwise.

Slowly, her eyes opened...then quickly shut, having overestimated her ability to do so. The brief glimpse of her surroundings showed a dark room...and not much else. Her eyes flickered open again, scanning the room a little easier with now squinted eyes. Just where was this? This place looked like some kind of laboratory...was she home? Had she somehow fallen asleep in her father's lab?

No...that wasn't right. Souichi Tomoe had been dead for some time now, and she was no longer a little girl.

She couldn't remember any other place like this though...

"Ah, Miss Tomoe, it's so nice to finally see you awake!"

Her neck wouldn't turn to see so her eyes did the work instead. The voice belonged to a darkly-green colored ogre who had all the necessary accessories for an oni...save for the white lab coat and goggles that completely threw the appearance off balance.

"We've had quite a few people waiting for you to wake up. Almost like being a celebrity, huh?"

She knew exactly was he doing; it was the same kind of small talk she'd been practicing herself for when she became a nurse. It was a technique that some doctors didn't even realized they were using. Apparently, saying silly things as such had the effect of calming patients down, not that she was close to flying into a frenzy or anything of the sort.

"Are you able to speak? You've been kept on an IV line as well as fed so don't worry about your throat being dehydrated or anything. Are you able to move your mouth muscles?"

The girl did as she was told and experimented. She was able to barely part her lips but didn't bother trying to make a sound...even if she could it would come out muffled.

"Very good. Now try speaking for me, please."

Again, she did as she was instructed, slightly parting her lips again and making a small sound. It wasn't cracked in tone but was rather weak.

"Can you move any other muscles, besides your eyes and mouth?"

"N...o..." she forced out.

"If you need to, you can blink once for yes or twice for no. Now, do you remember who you are Miss Tomoe?"

One blink.

"Very good. I would ask about your age but...apparently a birthday has passed you by while you were asleep so...happy birthday." the ogre replied sheepishly, a hint of sadness in his voice.

A birthday had passed her by? That would make her 15 now. Just how long had she been here?

"How about your family? Your friends?"

One blink.

"Do you know where you are currently?"

She blinked twice for the first time.

"I figured as much on that one. Right now you are in Reikai. Do you recall what happened to you before you ended up here?"

Hotaru stopped and thought about it for a minute...what had happened before she came here? Well that was easy. Kizami, a crazy undead who fancied himself king of the Netherworld, had attacked her and Saturn. All three of them ended up dying but...oh, that actually explained it. Maybe this was what happened when you died as a human soul...alone. That had to be why she was in Reikai. But Saturn was a Celestial, meaning she'd gone back to the Galaxy Cauldron until she was able to take another body as host. Strange though...Hotaru didn't feel dead...she felt very much alive. But then, where was Saturn? If she alive then she should still be the host for Saturn.

"Miss Tomoe...do you remember?"

Hotaru quickly blinked once, breaking her reverie.

"Alright, the good news is, you appear to be completed devoid of memory loss. We're going to run a few more tests on you to make sure everything is in tip-top shape. After that, we'll start on rehabilitation tests so we can get you back on your feet again. We're all highly trained for situations like this, Miss Tomoe, so please don't have any fear-"

But Hotaru had quit listening.

She felt weak...pitiful. Not just physically either. Something wasn't right here but she just didn't know what. She would find that out in good time though, the deciding factor would be her body. If she wasn't completely healed in a matter of a day or two (at the most), something was definitely wrong. She knew she desperately needed to see Setsuna and Saturn again.

It was horrible to watch her worst nightmares come true.

Her body was weak...100% human. She felt every twinge of pain when she walked as muscles that had become stationary were finally allowed to move again.

According to the doctor, once he'd deemed her ready enough to learn some truth about the matter she'd found herself in. She'd been 'asleep' for almost 4 months. 'Asleep' was putting it lightly...she'd been comatose...lifeless and motionless like a corpse. It was no wonder everyone had pretty much given up on her. Still...it just didn't make sense either way...Saturn was gone? For good? But then...what exactly did that mean? It hurt her head to think about it but mostly her heart.

It was a hard thing to accept to be sure...for a few days, she even told herself otherwise; that this was all just a bad dream she had yet to wake up from. Saturn couldn't be dead. But the warrior never came to speak with her and her influence on the girl's body was completely gone. If Saturn was gone though...what about Sailor Saturn? Who was Sailor Saturn right now if she wasn't? No one?

In the following days, as she forced her muscles to rework and train themselves, Setsuna finally arrived to explain things to her. Of course, emotions ran high first and they were hugging and crying for what seemed an eternity. 4 months away from someone you regarded as your own child or mother would do that to you.

The Time Guardian explained to her that Saturn's soul was obliterated, noticeably leaving out the how for some reason, along with Kizami's and her soul. She probably left out details to avoid causing Hotaru more shock or something...or at least, that's the conclusion the girl came to herself. At the last moment, Saturn forced Hotaru's soul out of the body and saved her which explains why she was here now...sort of. Reikai made an exception and created her a new body, albeit completely human. She no longer had her healing powers, much less the blessing of Saturn upon her.

"So what now...?" Hotaru asked unsurely, now comfortably situated in a bed in the tiny hospital wing inside of Reikai, still clad in her white shift. The room was built more for the occasional ogre who happened to injure themselves as the reapers were basically as dead as any other soul.

"Well, you have two options. You can either remain as you are now...a normal, human girl with no otherworldly responsibilities. You can finish school and strive to become a nurse like you wanted. Enemies will no longer target you as a senshi, but should one attack you, you will be as powerless against them as any other human. You'd still be welcome around us of course, we're you're family, but...you'll definitely notice the differences. You'll also age like a normal human. On the other hand..." Setsuna took a small but quick pause before slamming the end of the Time Staff against the floor. Before Hotaru's face, a small translucent orb adorned in a sparkling white light appeared; a familiar shape beginning to form inside of it. The henshin wand of Saturn formed and floated there inside of its otherworldly container. "...if you chose to pick up the stick...well, I'm sure you know. You'll become a Celestial, and get your old healing powers back as well. Now Hotaru, I really want you to think about this. As Pluto, I never had a choice about accepting or denying my powers, and that was equally true with Saturn. You are the receiving the choice she never had. If you choose to turn the wand down, there will be no harm done and I will offer it to the next qualified holder. If you pick it up, there will be no going back. You will become the new Sailor Saturn for now and all time. You will be charged with guarding the future princess, Chibi-Usa, in the 30th century. So I ask you, Hotaru Tomoe, will you-"

"Pluto...I understand it's probably required for you to tell me all of that...I'm sure the other senshi experienced something similar to it too. Haruka and Michiru even told me about the time they became sailor senshi. But if I turned down this henshin wand now...I'd be destroying everything Saturn worked for. Not only would it be unreasonable and selfish, but...I know what Saturn is expecting of me. Even though I still don't really understand her reasoning, I know what I have to do."

Slowly but surely, Hotaru brought a small, pale hand out from underneath the covers of her bed. Reaching out, she grabbed onto the handle of the wand and felt as a surge of power rushed through her; her eyes widening, her mind was suddenly filled to bursting with memories, images, spells, and everything the spirit of Saturn had experienced in her lifetime. It was amazing...there really were no words to describe it. Just as she'd done as a child, the events of the world were re-playing themselves over in her head at top-speed. Her vision grew brighter, able to notice things most humans took for granted. Her hearing, sense of touch, taste, everything seemed to amplify at that moment. Her skin toughened up, her mental capacity increased far beyond what a human could be expected to understand; the realms of both science and magic endlessly and easily intertwining. Her heart felt strange...almost as if something had caged it. It was still beating but she felt...invincible. Was this what it felt like to be immortal?

"Hotaru...are you alright?"

The small girl gasped, her entire body jolting as she came back into herself. An out of body experience to rival any other...

"I think so. Is...is that it?" she felt stupid in asking that, considering what she'd just experienced. Just because she wasn't human anymore, technically, didn't mean she didn't have any human traits or emotions anymore. She did. The only real thing that had changed about her was that now she was just like any of the other senshi.

"That's all...you are the new Sailor Saturn now." The green-haired senshi affirmed, the tinier girl flexing her fingers out in wonder, surprise, and experimentation. "With this, the world will correct itself and be righted. I'm sure you'll also find that you're body has now fully recovered thanks to Saturn's healing powers...the particular healing power you were accustomed to has also returned to you. If you're feeling up to it, then we can make our way back home."

"Before that...Setsuna, can you tell me what's happened? I mean...I've been dead for 4 months, basically...what's happened since then? The world hasn't been in turmoil the entire time has it?"

"Of course not, once you regained your pulse, the oddities in the human world began to cease as you were the next capable receiver of Saturn's power. However, things wouldn't truly be correct until Saturn's powers were bestowed. And of course, you give the senshi too little credit...we were able to keep certain things in check. Now that you have officially become the harbinger, the world we know is perfectly fine. However...I'm afraid during your time of sleep, the barrier between the human world and Makai has been lifted."

"So...demons can come and go as they please now, right? Are we going to stop it?"

"To an extent...we as Celestials technically do not belong to any domain here on Earth. Considering Reikai's position on the matter, as well as them being the ambassador for the human world, it will be up to Reikai and Makai to come to some kind of agreement. Koenma won't let demons run freely and kill humans aimlessly if that's what you're worried about. I'm afraid things have become much more complicated."

"How did the barrier break...why didn't anyone try to stop it?" Hotaru asked innocently, staring down at her empty palms.

"They did...Yusuke isn't the only person Reikai has ever employed. Another spirit detective named Sensui tried to follow in Sakyo's footsteps and succeeded in opening a small hole, a tunnel, in the barrier. After a while, the entire barrier was depleted. Yusuke and the others went after Sensui and managed to stop him while in Makai."

Yusuke and the others? Oh right, Kuwabara and Kurama, right?

"Makai now seems to be experiencing some kind of power struggle...as far as I can tell, there are 3 powerful kings who preside over different territories there: Raizen, Mukuro, and Yomi. This struggle likely arose from the matter of the barrier disappearing. The balance of power has been held between them for some time but it appears one side is now weakening to boot and demons, being the way they are, are all going to strive to become the one and only ruler. The last I heard of things, the majority appeared to have decided on a tournament much like the Dark Tournament to decide the new ruler. But...it may be some time before it's actually set up. I haven't heard much from the boys themselves but Koenma is doing his best to keep tabs on everyone as best he can. Whoever wins that tournament...it could be extremely dangerous. "

"I see..." Hotaru trailed off...she supposed this really was none of their business though. It was demon business and they'd do well to stay out of it...for now. If the fighting happened to spill over into the human world, then it would become their business. There was no guarantee though that demons would keep their promise about that tournament...what if they all decided to attack the human world en masse? She really hated the idea that someone like Kurama might become an enemy in the future. And what about the other demon allies they'd made at the Dark Tournament? Setsuna was right, depending on who won, demons could be could allies with humans...or...humans could be the next course on the menu.

"I think it would be best for us to go back home now, we can talk more easily there...and I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there." Setsuna proposed, taking a few steps away from the bed to allow the new christened Saturnian warrior room to stand up. Hotaru merely nodded in response before throwing back the covers, swinging her legs over the bed and standing up without incident. "Either way, the doctors said you were free to leave as soon as you felt up to it. You have no major injuries of any kind nor any kind of memory loss."

Hotaru giggled, "Setsuna-mama, I promise I'm fine now."

Setsuna gave a weak smile of her own in return, her eyes half-lidded. 'Don't worry, Hiei, as soon as I'm positive that she's able and willing to accept them, I'll return Hotaru's past memories to her. She currently remembers everything from this time line, but not anything from the past timeline. I can't risk her going into shock or doing anything rash. Now that's she Saturn, Hotaru's going to have gain even more control over her emotions and the like.'

An entire week had passed since Hotaru Tomoe had ascended to become a Celestial warrior and the new princess of Saturn. Even Hotaru wasn't sure though on just how long she'd been awake from her comatose state. Like a true princess in a silly fairytale, she was isolated from everyone inside of her room...Setsuna explained she didn't want people crowding the girl and causing her any unneeded stress. During the day, Michiru and Haruka would take turns in teaching her to make sure her emotions were under control; as two individuals who had control over destructive elements in a sense, there really were no better teachers. The couple had mastery control over their elements...if they hadn't, every time they grew upset or sad, they risked causing a natural disaster.

Although she understood the reasoning why, it didn't mean the girl enjoyed her isolation. Chibi-Usa may have still been in 30th century, but she had friends in the other senshi as well as Kayko and Shizuru. Yukina was strangely absent...or at least that's what her gut feeling told her...just where had the koorime disappeared to? Botan had secretly snuck in once to see her and make her laugh but the visit was too short to even be called such as Setsuna reprimanded the blue-haired reaper once the Time Guardian recognized her energy.

And such a shame too, Botan remarked as she left, she didn't even get a chance to talk about you-know-who...the blue-haired reaper giggled sticking out her thumb. Oh wait...duh! She could just go and tell Hiei! No one must have told him yet that Hotaru was awake or else he would have stormed down here in no time! She didn't really fancy the idea of flying through Makai but she has a good idea of where she might find him so at least her trip wouldn't be a long one.

'Our wonderful trapped princess, hidden away in her room by her over-protective mother, can now be rescued by the valiant prince...demon prince.' she corrected in her head, somehow managing to turn the situation into something fit for a drama. Seriously, she could write a book about this.

Damn it all...his body had reached its limits again. No matter how hard he seemed to train, he could always match Mukuro, but never beat her. What was he lacking? It certainly wasn't training, he'd done that for days with opponents that Mukuro threw at him. It couldn't be his skills or techniques...he'd perfected them as much as possible.

"Again..." Hiei growled out, his bandaged hand coming up to wipe a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. So what if he could barely stand? It didn't matter. He just needed to beat Mukuro.

The orange-haired demoness, who looked no worse for wear, merely crossed her arms and closed her left eye, "So soon? You know I haven't been going easy on you...if your body actually manages to hold up through this next fight, it will be nothing short of a miracle. But before we begin, I have something to ask you."

The remark caught him off-guard, his mind instantly flying to as many conclusions as it could. Was this a trick? Some way of her actually taking pity on him and allowing him to rest as they conversed?

"Before you fought against Shigure, you seemed to fight with purpose. Once we repaired your body, it was almost as if something...clicked within you and you just stopped trying. It's gotten me thinking...your stance on death...is it still the same as it was back then?"

He was silent for a moment, finally able to stand up straight again, his breathing no longer ragged. "Yes...I'm still convinced of what I've said. There's nothing left in this life to live for."

Mukuro opened her working eye, "Liar. I don't believe you. I saw before, the way you fought...you had a purpose. I'm not sure what it was but that purpose drove you to fight Shigure even though you knew you would more than likely lose. Haven't you figured it out? One reason you still can't match me is because you lack that purpose." Abruptly, she turned her back on him, "Why don't you try regaining that purpose before approaching me again? I find myself bored when it comes to fighting opponents who have nothing to drive them."

"I only want to defeat you...what other purpose do I need to have?" he shot back despite the disappearing figure of the orange-haired demoness. Hiei growled and clenched his fist despite the pain that flowed upward through his arm. Damn her...just what in the seven hells was she talking about? His purpose? He didn't have one other than getting stronger and beating her. It was the only thing he needed to be focused on what with the tournament having been announced. That tournament would decided who'd rule Makai, even if it was just for a short time.

"Oh dearie, I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"What do you want, reaper? I thought I'd seen the last of you." the fire demon greeted harshly, casting a look over his shoulder towards the pink-kimono-clad individual. He shoved his hands into his pockets more so to rest them than anything as the girl giggled.

"Aw, it's nice to see you again too, Hiei. Actually, I have some news you might be interested in knowing about."

"And what could you possibly know that would-" he stopped mid-sentence, turning as he did so. That idiot reaper was wiggling her pinky finger in his face.

"Oh I don't know, maybe about a certain princess you haven't seen in 4 months."

His red eyes widened but quickly diminished, "Nice try, but the last time I saw her, she was nothing more than a corpse. You honestly expect me to believe that after 4 months, she's up and moving around like it's no big deal?" he asked, sardonic.

"Yep yep! Buuut...you won't honestly know unless you go back to the human world, now will you?"

"..." The fire demon was silent, his gaze cast off downwards, slightly angling to the right.

He...supposed...it wouldn't hurt anything to go and check. He could just say he was checking up on Yukina which he also needed to do since now the blue-haired koorime had taken up residence with Genkai at her temple.

If she was alive...how long had it been? How long had she been walking around without his knowing? If it had just happened, wouldn't the reaper have flown in here at a break-neck speed, not even bothering to use her status as a Reikai emissary to avoid Mukuro's security measures? Wouldn't...Hotaru have tried to contact him or try to find him? It only made sense that she would. Well then, that clenched it.

Hotaru wasn't really back...

...the Hotaru he knew was dead.

Why does history repeat itself?

Hotaru stretched her arms over her head, feeling her sore muscles meet with resistance at her action. With little to do around the house, she'd taken to cleaning while her three parental figures were absent, all for various reasons. It was something simple and easy to do that took her mind off of things; of course, reading would do the same if she had any new books, and television might if she took any interest in watching it.

That takes care of the foyer, she remarked to herself, picking up her bucket filled nearly to the brim with water and cleaning solution. She carried it back to the kitchen to dump it out, careful not to spill a single drop. As she did the action, she sighed...was this what eternity was going to feel like from now? Not that she was having second thoughts or regrets, at least not currently, but what exactly did Setsuna do to pass the time? This was really something she could only ask Setsuna, considering only Saturn and Pluto had been alive since the dawn of time. The other senshi were technically immortal as well but...considering they had a choice of whether to accept their powers, they also had the right to pass them down when they felt ready. Should the Inner Senshi ever have children of their own, they would become the new Mercury or Mars or what-have-you.

Hotaru was sure that Setsuna knew the answer to that...and it was most likely true. If she and the Amazoness Quartet were meant to be Chibi-Usa's protectors in the future, when the time was right, then that must have meant an entirely new group of senshi would replace the Inner Senshi. It was a little sad to think about...that she and Setsuna would be the only original senshi left in the group while the others attended to their kingdoms. But still, the 30th century was a long ways from now and she really shouldn't be so focused on the future. She had to live in the now, after all-

"Hm?" Hotaru murmured, the sound of the front door's bell ringing breaking her from her thoughts. She set the bucket down inside of the sink and quickly washed her hands, aptly drying them on the nearby hand towel. She quickly put her house slippers back on and went for the door. It couldn't be one of the Outer Senshi, they had keys...and any of the Inners would have called before making the trip over. Her heart and hope actually perked when she fancied the idea that it might be Chibi-Usa...even though she knew that was impossible.

"Coming..." she whispered more to herself as whoever her visitor might be appeared extremely patient. Standing on her tip-toes, she undid the lowest latch and second-highest. With a careful jump, she loosened the door's top-latch, like she'd done many times before, and opened the door. "Wha..." It was the only noise she could muster, all she could really think of to say, as a black blur engulfed her body...in a hug? The blur didn't appear entirely sure of their action as almost instantly they backed off some, which gave her just enough to room to bring her hands up between them and push as hard as he could.

There was little resistance, its hold on her not as tight as she'd suspected, and she fell back onto her bottom. Without bothering to look up, she scrambled some feet away before climbing to her feet. "What are you-?! Who are you?" she cried, terror filling her voice as she brought her hands up to her chest.

The boy, clad in all black, who stood exactly across from her, stared back at her with harsh-looking eyes and a confused face. Thinly pursed lips turned into a snarl, and he spoke, "If this is some kind of joke...it's not funny." he growled, both hands clenching into fists as they trembled in anger.

'A joke? What is he talking about?' the small girl thought to herself, wondering if she'd just let some kind of maniac into the house. It wasn't something she couldn't deal with on her own, but...this just wasn't something she wanted to deal with today. Be careful what you wish for, she reminded herself after having bemoaned her boredom earlier in the day. "No one is joking about anything. Please, just leave. I'm sorry, you must have the wrong house or something."

The boy's face turned even fiercer and she swore she could see a hint of red appear on his cheeks...from what emotion, she couldn't entirely say but wrote it off as anger on default. However, after a few seconds, his face seem to calm and he regained his composure. "Where...is that woman? The one you call Pluto?"

Hotaru inwardly gasped...so he knew about the senshi? That screamed enemy to her more than anything. And to top it off, he might even be after Pluto?! This wasn't good...no enemy had ever targeted anyone other than the princess...just what kind of plans did these new enemies have? What was their angle? "I'm...I'm not going to tell you where she is. And why would I?"

"Hotaru...stop playing dumb with me. You're starting to get on my last nerve..."

Oh no...he seemed to know about her, too. He had to be enemy...there just wasn't any other explanation. She'd never seen him before and yet he knew about the senshi? The speed at which he'd taken a hold of her was inhuman. Everything was just adding up here a little too easily. Did that mean...now was the time when she was supposed to transform? But what about the house? If they fought here, they'd wreck it for sure and they risked their neighbors coming out to see what the ruckus was about. Damn, she was really in a tough spot here.

"I already told you I'm not playing around! You'd better leave right now...or I'll make you." she threatened pathetically...even though she was the new Saturn, she had yet to actually transform and practice using her new powers. Her fighting would still be sloppy if she remembered all of Saturn's techniques and training. The reason this enemy must have appeared is because of that whole mess with the world being unbalanced along with her becoming the new Saturn. They must have seen this as a weak point.

"Hotaru...I'm not asking you again. Get that Pluto-woman here now, or you'll regret it."

Was that...a threat? It didn't really sound like one, not the way his voice slightly lilted at the end. That didn't make much sense...

"You don't have to do anything, I'm here."

Hotaru gasped and looked behind her, the ghostly visage of Pluto having appeared there. She wasn't here in physical form but looked nearly opaque; if it wasn't for the sunlight that filtered in through a curtain, no one would have been to tell that the Time Guardian wasn't actually here. She was clothed in her senshi garb with Time Staff forever present in her hand.

"Pluto, I-!" Hotaru started, slightly running over to her but stopped when the woman raised her free hand in the manner of a halt.

"Hotaru...tell me what's wrong. Why are you behaving this way?"

"Why am I...?" the girl echoed, voice a mixture of confusion and irritation. "Pluto, this guy broke into our house and knows all about us! He could be an enemy!"

"...Hotaru, do you mean to tell me you don't recognize him?"

Hotaru paused at the questioned and looked over her shoulder...should she know him?

The tiny girl had no idea just how much her stare hurt him, purple eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.

"No, of course I-! Well, I mean...I don't...but I...should I? I don't..." Hotaru began to mumble, her eyes shifting back and forth. Why was her head pounding so harshly? Why did she-? Why didn't she-? The room felt like it was spinning but more than that, her mind was racing so harshly, like something was trapped inside of it and desperately trying to break out.

"Hotaru!"

It was all she heard before she passed out...but her body never touched carpet, instead being aptly caught by the boy in black.

Ami Mizuno had worked since she was very a young to become a good doctor worthy her title and skills. Very rarely had she ever been called upon by her friends to look after them, any person holding the title of senshi normally didn't catch colds or break bones. If they ever did, it was always a big deal. Still, she hadn't expecting a phone call from Setsuna in the middle of the day, asking if she could come and look Hotaru over.

The dark, blue-haired girl gathered some of her things from the room where she was temporarily staying at at Rei's temple and began to head over to the Outer's mansion. This was certainly an odd turn of events...hadn't Setsuna said that the Reikai doctors had marked Hotaru as perfectly fine? Just what could have happened between now and then?

The only occupants at the Outers mansion when she arrived were Setsuna (now physically present) and the boy that Hotaru liked...Ami was sure his name was Hiei. He spoke very little from what she recalled, but said absolutely nothing as she and the Time Guardian conversed about Hotaru. The girl had been taken upstairs to her room, while the three of them remained downstairs in the living room to talk. Apparently, Hotaru had passed out from some unknown reason after claiming she had no idea who Hiei was.

"You can see why we have the cause for concern, Ami. Hotaru was marked as perfectly fine and healthy when we left Reikai but now...I'm not even sure what's going on. She remembers everything perfectly fine; her life, parents, age, friends, everything. But when she saw Hiei..."

"I see..." Ami trailed off, searching her own mind for the various possibilities. "It's hard to believe this could have been caused by any injury since Hotaru's body, as you said, was basically brand new. I highly doubt that's the case. On the other hand, given what happened...since Hotaru's memories were returned to her-"

"They weren't."

The two women turned their heads over to the boy who'd been silent for some time. He didn't even bother to turn his head or open his eyes when he'd spoken.

"He's right. I haven't returned Hotaru's memories to her from the past time line."

"Well then...that might be the problem...although it doesn't explain why Hotaru doesn't remember him at all from the memories of the current time line. Shouldn't returning those memories from the past time line hypothetically spark the memories from the current time line?"

"We tried already but...Hotaru is blocking them out on purpose. Now that Hotaru has officially become the new Saturn, she is Celestial as we are. She's fully capable of blocking out memories she doesn't want to see, and there's honestly nothing we can do about it. I was fully prepared to return them, but if Hotaru doesn't want them...I don't have much choice..."

"But Setsuna, why would she be doing that? I can't really think of a reason for her to not want to remember..." Ami paused, and turned cautious blue eyes over to the fire demon. He was still motionless, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and scowl on his face. Suddenly, she gasped and brought a hand to her chin, "Unless...unless it's some sort of PTSD."

"PTSD?" Setsuna echoed, making sure she'd heard right.

Ami nodded, "Yes, post traumatic stress disorder...it's an occurrence that normally follows after an experience that left a noticeable impact on the patient. We normally see this in soldiers, but almost anyone can experience it given the event is traumatic enough. For Hotaru, she's probably experiencing something rather similar to it...if I had to guess, I'd say Saturn's death is what's causing. Even though she may appear so on the outside, on the inside, it's likely that Hotaru has yet to accept Saturn is truly dead and so, to further convince herself, she's blocked out Saturn's death...and I suppose by extension...the one who killed her." Ami explained sheepishly, her voice growing quieter with every pause. She really didn't want to risk upsetting the fire demon...she'd heard what he was capable of doing when he was angry. "All of this being done subconsciously, of course." she tacked onto the end quickly.

"So...in the end, it's still my fault?" Hiei questioned, pushing off the wall but leaving his arms crossed. "Do you know what she told me right before she died?" the fire demon asked, a sardonicly sarcastic tone in his voice to match his smirk, "She told me that she gave forgave me. She told me she didn't blame me for what happened...but this is the result, is it?"

"Hiei, don't do anything you'll regret." Setsuna warned lowly, slightly rising from her seat on the couch. Now was the not the time for the fire demon to be running away, especially when Kurama wasn't here to talk sense into him.

"I already have." he answered solemnly, before flash-stepping to the door and disappearing through it.

Ami blinked...he was incredibly fast. Quickly, she jumped up too but the boy was already gone. She turned back to Setsuna who'd remained seated, "But there is a way we can reverse this! Just like with any other form or phenomena similar to amnesia, all we have to do is jog her memory! Setsuna, we have to catch him!" the mild-mannered girl practically ordered, something very unlike her.

The Time Guardian widened her eyes in response, "Catch him?"

"If there's anyone who can make Hotaru remember Hiei, then it's got to be him! No questions asked!"

There were literally so many times when I was just ready to end the chapter to create unnecessary cliffhangers...I'm so evil. *shot* Anyhow, I had to end it where I did not only for drama's sake but the chapter was getting too long again and I've seriously done my best to keep this under 20 chapters. I honestly do have an ending in mind though I've written up notes on chapters that lead up to the end but I might end up ignoring my own notes and just get really creative or really weird with it...I'm not sure.

AND UGH SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER...AGAIN. I felt like I've jipped some people by writing the reunion through Hotaru's eyes but...I don't know, it fit better with the flow of the story. Hiei's thoughts and feelings to their reunion will make it into the omake/additional chapters for sure. Also, I use the term 'omake' incorrectly since not all of them will be humourous.