A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Spirit of the Dead: Awesome! It's definitely what I was going for; for once, I didn't want Hotaru to be sympathized with on any level since it technically is her fault for not wanting to remember even though her fear from what she saw was understandable. A lot of the omake scenes I'll write will be from Hiei's POV since I didn't really want to rewrite the same scene over and over again in the main story.
"Well that certainly was quick...hardly a day's worth trip and back." remarked Mukuro, arms crossed squarely in front of her chest as a black blur passed her by. "Did I hit a nerve?" There was no quip, no joking tone to her voice now, but the fire demon merely passed her by as if she were invisible. Turning her good eye towards him, she watched him go, expression still stony with the slightest hint of sadness.
Something must have happened between him and that girl...still, she wasn't going to press. Normally, she did enjoy teasing him, as many others did, if only because it was easy to do so and his reactions were rather entertaining at times, but these emotional matters...Mukuro didn't care to be apart of them. She had simply meant for him to resolve this situation so that his mind would be clear for the upcoming tournament. It was true that she cared about him...to an extent. They were similar in many ways, shared a familiar past with one another, and yet...there was still a barrier. Something around the fire demon, and quite obviously herself as well, that kept them from being truly trustworthy of each other. It was all in how they had lived their lives of course. It was hard to instantly trust someone, and even after a good bit of time had past, was it really safe to trust so easily?
Time meant nothing. No matter how much time passed, it meant nothing. The pain of wounds would fade away with the passing of time, but not the scars. Pulling her bandaged right arm up, Mukuro looked down at her mechanical palm...yes, the scars. They remained. They reminded. They forced you to re-live a personal hell you'd sought to escape everyday of your life. She had told him this once, the fire demon. He'd been silent only for a moment before telling her that everyone had scars. That there was no man who did not carry scars on his heart, and that if there truly was, then he would be a shallow man indeed. Honestly, it did little to appease her, but she had been able to learn more about him and his way of thinking and that was enough, she supposed.
Whatever had transpired between them in the human world, did not end well. But it was over now and there were more important matters to attend to, she decided. Perhaps now his mind would be able to focus on-...
Mukuro paused mid-turned, body rigid with her arms still crossed. What was that immense power? Her left eye opened wide in reactionary shock, and looked around her. Were they close? Far away? Right on top of her? The power was so immense in measurement it appeared to be everywhere at once, similar to how Hiei was able to manipulate his own energy, but on a much more massive scale.
...Someone was in her territory
...Someone uninvited.
Whoever they were, Mukuro wanted them gone. Anyone who shamelessly flaunted that kind of power deserved to be targeted and taken down. The nerve...in her own territory too. She was unable to readily identify them; it certainly wasn't Yomi or Raizen, it was much stronger than them...both of them put together. More powerful than all 3 of them combined...it felt...it felt like the very world itself would kneel and crumble beneath this power. The feeling caused her to shudder slightly, something she was glad no one else was around to see.
Quickly, she raised her own aura and broke from the fear-instilled trance the power had induced in her. Mukuro quickly called on all her available teams to seek out that power, get surveillance and information on it, and then ultimately take it down. She warned them to be quick, remarking that if she had to go down there...there would be trouble indeed.
Hotaru aimlessly walked through brush and bramble, the mud that had caked onto her feet from the earlier rainstorm was now being swept away by the underbrush she trod through. The thorns scratched her, the harsh leaves and branches of unknown flora scraped against her pale skin and made many abrasions and scratches but the girl barely flinched. She had yet to crack a smile or use any emotion in her spectrum...she was barely even here as was...her consciousness fading in and out.
She knew that Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna would be displeased with her for not keeping her thoughts and emotions in check like they'd practiced but...this pain was over-powering. The sorrow swallowed her whole and devoured her body, effectively emitting it like a clear signal off of a radio tower. She couldn't control it though, not even if she wanted too. Her emotions were unstable, her mind was a fog, and her body a well-tuned machine without a master to guide it...she had to find him. It was all that mattered. She had to apologize, she had to set things right.
Was she in Makai now? It certainly felt and looked like it, she remarked as her mind briefly drifted back to her control and she was able to see around her. The place was dark, unruly and unkempt. She could see why demons would favor the place so much. The area she found herself in currently was thick with forest and a pale cloud of noxious, purple gas...miasma. If she were still a human, this gas would have killed her instantly. Now that she was a Celestial, she'd have a bit more resistance to it, but if she stayed in this...much longer...she was going to die.
Her eyes glossy and glassed over, she kept them straightforward as she walked out from behind a large tree and into a clearing. Her white nightgown was filthy, torn, and disgraceful-looking for a princess, with one shoulder strap hanging haphazardly off of her shoulder. She was still covered in mud in certain places, and the brush had done her no favors. She must have certainly looked a sight to anyone that might have seen her...it was just too bad that those people turned out to be demons. She felt her mind shift again, and she faded out of consciousness, her mind going on auto-pilot as her body continued to move forward.
"Well well, look what we have here..."
"It's a human! A human has wondered into our territory!"
"Should we tell Master Mukuro?"
"And why the hell should we do that?" questioned the largest oni out of the group of about 10 head of demons, pushing himself through the mini-crowd towards the much smaller human girl. He towered over her then, reaching down with a discolored, muscled arm that jerked her high into the air. "What's the matter, human? Too scared to even scream?" he laughed heartily, until a surge of power spiked through the air and drew his attention to the small girl...whatever was in his hand was not a human. Quickly, as if she were no more than a twig, he discarded her to side.
But the girl never hit the ground, somehow catching herself in mid air. Raising her head, she revealed burning, purple eyes that had been hidden beneath her short, black locks. Another surge of power flowed the air, causing the demons to fully realize just what they were dealing with here. The largest oni, although panicked, took a quick look about his group, "Weak! All of you! Don't be frightened by some little kid! Attack her!"
With a lunge, the entire group jumped into action and headed straight for the girl who made no motion to move, merely standing stock-still as they charged. Widening her eyes, the girl erected a barrier which caused all the demons to fly back at an alarming pace. Finally lowering herself to the ground, the girl positioned her hands in front of her, drawing energy to her palms, all the way speaking in an alien tongue as she chanted her powers.
"Hotaru."
All of a sudden, the girl stopped and looked around, energy dissipating from her hands. The voice must have been familiar as it appeared to strike a cord within her.
"Uh, Master Hiei, we were just-"
"Leave, before I dispose of you as well."
With a panicked scramble, the group of oni disappeared in the direction of the forest behind the girl.
For a moment, there was silence, the only movement the passing breeze that sprung up around them, playing with their hair and attire.
"Why are you here?"
"..."
Hotaru gave no response, simply continued looking straight at him...almost through him, as if he wasn't even there.
"Hotaru, I know you're in there. You have may have let that power overwhelm for now, but I know you're conscious in there. So allow me to say this...warn you. You have no business being here. If Mukuro wanted, you'd be dead. I doubt, even with all that power, you could truly win in a battle." he chuckled, knowing full well the truth of his words. He'd lost plenty of times to Mukuro to know her strength, and although Hotaru was much more powerful now, there was little chance of her beating Mukuro sans blowing up the entire planet. "If you want to live, then leave." With that, he spun on his heel and began to live.
They had nothing more to discuss.
Hearing a thud behind him, he hesitated but eventually turned around. Hotaru lay unconscious on the ground...he couldn't really guess as to why. Maybe the power had finally taken its toll on her? The miasma? He supposed...he couldn't exactly leave her there...there was a chance someone or something else might come along and-
No, why did he care whether she got hurt? She obviously didn't care about him in the same sense. Leaving her here to die...it didn't sit right with him though. Besides, a dead human in Mukuro's territory would prove just as much trouble as a live one. He'd take her back to the human world then leave. That was all. Hopefully avoid her family, leave her, and come back. No one would notice his absence, surely. He was still free to travel between realms at the moment. Perhaps even mention to Koenma that Hotaru should be barred from the Makai if there was such a way to do so.
Hotaru awoke with a start, lurching forward as she did so. Where was she? Her room, a quick glance around told her this was true. But how? She'd gone to find Hiei, to apologize and tell him the truth and...then...nothing. She couldn't remember what happened after that.
...had the other senshi come to get her? Did they bring her back here? But why...they should have known? Makoto and Rei must have told Haruka and Michiru who came after her! That's what must have happened.
Jumping out of bed the Saturnian warrior quickly dressed herself, grab a pair of less than comfortable shoes (as most of them were still wet or caked in mud at this point), and headed off downstairs. She cursed herself instantly for not having descended quietly, but she'd wasted too much time already...she had to get back to Makai and back to Hiei! She just had to, there was just no other way!
"Hotaru,"
Dammit, the smaller girl cursed, slowing her pace to a complete stop as she stole a look over her shoulder. Of all the senshi she could have run into, it was Haruka. This was a conversation that wasn't going to end well at all.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
"Haruka, I know you're mad at me but I...I have to go and find him." Hotaru noticeably dropped the affectionate name of papa to show her seriousness, hoping it wouldn't hurt the woman's feelings at all. She didn't like being at odds with friends or family, it honestly made her feel a bit sick.
"You know something, I've been quiet in all this for awhile. I got pulled off my tour to come back here and fight an evil demon...that's understandable. I put up with that smart mouth on the demon brat and that's understandable too even though I still don't like him. But what's not acceptable is having to watch my kid die twice in two different time lines...it's not exactly something I enjoy seeing on repeat. Nor did I enjoy have to watch you lay there like a dead body for 4 months, only to spring back up and immediately rush off to that brat. Frankly, I don't see what's so special about him...and it seems like every time you jump into action where it concerns him, something bad always happen. You've been nothing but trouble for Setsuna, too. You're not leaving."
"But Haruka-!"
"I'll damned if I let you run off to him again. You disappear in the middle of the night, are gone for most of the day, only to reappear with cuts and bruises all over and no explanation whatsoever. I know you went to Makai, the lingering energy on you was apparent. I don't care whether you found him or not because you shouldn't have another word to say to him. Wake up, Hotaru. This little game is over...he doesn't care about you like you think he does. If he did, I'm sure he'd be here right now."
"Haruka, you don't understand! How can you-"
"If I have to hold you here by force, I will."
"Haruka, I-" Hotaru as she barely avoided a swipe by Haruka's arm. It wasn't long before Haruka made another pass, one Hotaru had no chance of avoiding since she was off balance. "Haruka, let me go! Please, you have to let me go and see him again! I have to set things right and apologize and tell him how I-ah!"
Haruka twisted her arm, forcing Hotaru to her knees, "Look, I'm tired of things repeating themselves, I am. I'm not the bad guy in all this, I'm doing it to protect you, Hotaru. None of us have had easy lives, and things are only going to get more difficult from now on, especially for you. You're a Celestial now...you need to calm down and keep your head straight."
Hotaru sniffled, choking back tears, half from the pain in her arm and the other half being from Haruka's words, "So...this is it? This is what forever is going to feel like? Being alone...never being happy ever again?" Haruka opened her mouth to speak, but Hotaru didn't give her the chance, "The Time God Cronus allowed me to reshape this time line how I saw fit as he was once my guardian...I only wished for the happiness of those around me, that the original time line might return to the exact way it was. But there was one person I forgot to include and that was Saturn...but I know she doesn't hate me for it. Because of her, I understand what I have to do and what's expected of me...even if that means you don't understand it."
Haruka jerked her up roughly, smacked her straight across the face.
Hotaru gritted her teeth, as the tears that had been in the corner of her eyes were now streaming down her face, running over the swollen redness of her cheek flesh.
"Whether I like it or not? That's not the problem. The more erratic you're emotions and movements are, the more likely something bad might happen is. You're not a human, you're a Celestial. You have powers, Hotaru, dangerous ones that could spell disaster. You can't afford to let something like a silly high school crush mess with your head. So I'm gonna warn you one more time, stay away from him." Haruka demanded harshly, tone cold and harsh as she dropped Hotaru's wrist and left.
Two weeks later, Hotaru found herself outside the Outers Mansion.
Two long weeks had passed with her barely doing a thing. They hadn't had any visitors, and Haruka was ever keen to keep her from running off back to Makai. After the first couple days, Hotaru tried to resign herself to the fate she believed was true...but deep down, she knew. This wasn't how things were meant to be. She enjoyed being able to live with her family again, even if that meant the Inner Senshi had returned to their normal lives as of now and the Spirit Detective group had practically forgotten about her existence...that, she might have been able to live with. Knowing that the person she cared about the most hated her...wasn't so easy.
Sitting on the decorative bench by the tree in the back yard, Hotaru sighed, placing her hands in her lap. She and Hiei had conversed at this spot once, and in the original time line, he'd even helped her up into the tree so that they could sit together. Now, she sat alone in the quiet, her only company the blowing wind and swirling leaves that blew by every so often.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Although there was plenty of sitting room left on the bench, Hotaru felt obligated to scoot over to the furthest end to allow Setsuna room.
"Well...it's certainly turning out to be a beautiful summer, eh? With all that rain, it's no wonder so many flowers bloomed." Setsuna smiled, turning to look over at the girl. Said smile disappeared when she saw the girl was completely unresponsive, eyes trained at the ground in silence and disinterest. Setsuna sighed, and leaned back further against the bench, turning her head forward to look in the distance. "Hotaru...you're still thinking about him, aren't you? Although Haruka's method might have been a bit harsh, I believe she has the right idea. At first, I really thought bringing you two back together might be a good thing, that's why I tried to help him as well when your body was being rebuilt. Now, with things being the way they are, I just don't know anymore. This time line is similar to the one before, but there are changes so I can't be certain what the right course of action is. I really do hate not knowing...when you're someone like me, someone who's able to see into the future, the times when that future is nothing but a black cloud is extremely frightening."
Hotaru remained silent, not showing whether she was listening or not.
"I'm sorry for rambling...but it has been a while since the two of us spoke like this, without demons or threats to humanity or other things..."
There was a silence between them that seemed to last for a long time before Setsuna spoke up again, "Hotaru...I've been thinking, but maybe it is better that you cut ties with him. You're a Celestial now, you're immortal. When the time of the next Ice Age comes about, you'll survive it of course. Hiei may be a demon...but he's not immortal. He will not be allowed to survive the Ice Age that heralds the coming of Crystal Tokyo...if he even lives long enough to experience the Ice Age. I'm not saying it to upset you Hotaru, I just want you to be happy. Will being with him really make you happy? Your time together would have be immensely short if you had remained a human; he would have outlived you by more than 5 life times. Now, the opposite of that is true though of course you cannot die of old age."
Turning her head, Setsuna could see tears falling, running down the younger girl's face. Finally, she lifted her head and found her voice, "I know...I can't go back on my word as an immortal. But still...I really care about him...he's still very special to me."
"Hotaru, what exactly did you wish for Hiei?"
"Just for him to be happy..."
"I see...perhaps then, this is what the wish meant?"
"What?" Hotaru questioned, bringing her hand up to wipe away a tear that had been pestering her cheek.
"Well, perhaps somehow, you tricked yourself Hotaru...forced yourself to believe that Hiei's happiness solely hinged on you? When you think about it, considering what's happened and all the memories of the original time line, Hiei was bound to this city for a crime he committed. Eventually he was released and allowed to return to his home in Makai...because demons like Hiei and Kurama are able to take on human forms, sometimes it's easy to forget what they truly are. You see, I'm not an expert, but from what I do know, Makai is just simply where they feel at peace. And right now, Hiei is there training for a tournament that will decide the new ruler of Makai."
That's right, Hotaru remembered hearing about that. Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei went to the Makai world for their own reasons; Yusuke discovered a demon heritage and ancestor, while the other two allied themselves with two other powerful demons...it was Yusuke who proposed the idea of the tournament, something very similar to the now defunct Dark Tournament they'd all attended close to a year ago. The deciding factor of this tournament would be the new ruler of Makai. Koenma had no objections, not that it was really his right to do so in the first place.
"I suppose I hadn't thought about that...the belonging part. I've thought many times about Hiei's happiness not hinging on mine or just me alone. It's really hard to accept the truth sometimes. When I went to Makai...I kind of blacked out so I don't really remember much. The more I tried to remember though, I was able to remember his voice. He found me there and called out to me...he could have left me to die there, but he didn't. Haruka and Michiru didn't come to Makai to get me and there's no way I could have made it back on my own. He carried me to safety even though he's supposed to be angry with me. I just don't know what to do anymore Setsuna..." Hotaru's voice cracked, trailing off as she bent back over with her head in her hands.
Setsuna gazed over at her in sorrow, slowly lifting a hand to her back in sympathy.
"Please Setsuna...I really want...I really want to see him again. I promise that if you let me just speak to him, I'll apologize...and let him go. I just want to say 'I'm sorry' and that'll be the end of it. I promise..."
Setsuna sharply inhaled through her nose, then sighed and released the pent-up air. Reluctant as she was, the time guardian felt obligated to agree...if only to put everything to an end.
Short chapter was majorly short, and I apologize for the absence. I really wanted to finish this story before disappearing like that but a lot of things have changed in my life since my last update; I bought my first dog (one that's actually mine and not my parents), switched jobs (so I went from afternoon shift to graveyard shift), and managed to graduate college (which was rather difficult for me due to my social anxiety and my parents not wanting me to take online classes). I won't bore you with too many details, but starting in August I am going to be taking online classes and working my ass off to get enough money to move out of my parent's house in about a year or a little more. Only time will tell if I decide to go on my own, with my best friend, or take a blind leap and move in with my boyfriend of 2 years.
As for the chapter, obviously, its short because I wrote like 2 paragraphs originally then came back to it over the course of a week filled with work and an anime convention (next week really). Wasn't much to this chapter, it's just the bridge to the ending basically. I originally wanted Hotaru to fight Mukuro but decided against it because it was time-consuming and difficult for me to write well. I've added it to the idea list for the extra chapters but it was literally just that, a fight.
Anyhow, last chapter is next! Let's put this to an end.