Chapter 126
While the group of scouts all recovered from their various battles inside Tokyo, Setsuna Meio and Hotaru Tomoe sat in a modest house several miles away.
"You really should eat more Hotaru," Setsuna said. Hotaru said nothing and didn't touch the food.
"Well..you'll get weak and sick if you don't," Setsuna said.
"Is is wrong not to want to eat?" Hotaru asked.
"Normally yes," Setsuna said.
"It's how I feel normally."
"That's because you're depressed. You've been through a lot. I can't say I expect this to be easy for you."
"Where is my father?"
"He's struggling to get a job."
"Why isn't he given one?"
"Well..the effects of all this have well affected him."
"He's no longer normal is he?"
"He just needs to adjust."
"I was once normal wasn't I?"
"Yes, Hotaru, you still are."
"They did not care that I wanted to be normal. They became the normal for me."
"Yes I know. But we've been over this."
"Why do I fight now?" Hotaru asked.
"Hmm?" Setsuna asked.
"Yesterday, we were in the city. You didn't want to go, but felt you had to."
"Yes, it was an emergency yesterday, there were people in danger, we saved two of them."
"I remember saving only one."
"From attack yes, but the other person, Mercury, needed to be saved too."
"Just like I was saved?" Hotaru asked.
"Yes."
"Why did we do it?"
"Well because we're Sailor Scouts."
"Why am I this Sailor Scout? I did not earn it."
"It has to do with the past Hotaru."
"The past? I remember the past, I would remember why."
"It's the distant past," Setsuna said. "Listen Hotaru, you shouldn't worry about being Sailor Saturn, you should worry about being yourself."
"But I am Sailor Saturn as much as I am Hotaru Tomoe."
"That's true, one thing at a time though. I didn't want to have you use your powers yesterday, but cicrumstances forced me too. Being a Sailor Scout is relatively unimportant right now."
"I see..very well...so then it is Hotaru Tomoe that must recover. How is that to happen. A part of my life was taken from me."
"Yes that's right it was, but what's important is what happened before and what happens after," Setsuna said.
"What happened before...that's also unimportant," Hotaru said.
"Why?"
"Because it's already happened. I remember it, and that exists. But my life does not depend on it."
"Do you remember what you used to like to do?"
"Yes, but I don't care about such things."
"I think you do deep down."
"This talk annoys me,"Hotaru said.
"Okay..so what is that you want to do?" Setsuna said.
"Tell me why I have visions."
"Visions?" Setsuna asked. "What kind of visions."
"Visions that tell me what will happen."
"I didn't know you had visions. Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because you didn't seem interested."
"Well I am, what do the visions say?" Setsuna asked.
"I am the bearer of death. I can see deaths. Not only death, but I can sense it. I can feel it, every time a life ends," Hotaru said.
"Hotaru, you can't, we cured you of the curse," Setsuna said.
"The curse? You can only get to part of it. The rest of it is still here. But it is not alone. No...there is another force. Not the one you destroyed. But a different one, telling me the truths of the future. I cannot ask it any questions, it only gives me some answers. It choses to tell me all of one thing, and little to nothing about another," Hotaru said.
This is odd. She shouldn't have these kind of feelings. Depression maybe, but prophetic visions? I wonder about this. Wait though...Greg had the same for a time. He was from Saturn too. There must be some sort of connection. Still I have to get her not to focus on it.
"Hotaru.listen..there may be reasons why you have this prophetic power, but I'm more concerned with you. Why don't you tell me how you feel?"
"Not here," Hotaru said.
"Why not here?" Setsuna asked.
"Because I do not like it."
"Where do you want to go?"
"Out there.." Hotaru said pointing at a field.
"Then go ahead," Setsuna said.
She worries me. Setsuna thought.
Meanwhile back in Tokyo.
"You have this thing about destroying houses," Greg said.
"Must be some sort of repressed animal instinct," Amy said.
The two stood looking at Greg's caved in house.
"I'm sorry Greg," Amy said.
"Yeah..well..we've got good insurance," Greg said. "My father's arguing with them over it though right now. After all..there isn't much precedent for Sailor Scout destruction."
"Actually there is, but no one thinks about it much," Amy said. "We've blown up a lot of infastructre. I um..have plenty of room in my house if you and your father need a place to stay."
"Thanks, but I don't know what my father has planned," Greg said.
"I didn't mean to.."
"I know Amy, whatever that evil force is, it's dangerous. Have you talked to the others yet?"
"Only for a minute or so. The scouts are all getting toghether later."
"I'll try and be there, assuming that I can," Greg said.
"I'm sure no one will mind if you're not there, considering the circumstances."
"Yeah.." Greg said and sighed.
Setsuna and Hotaru stood in the field.
"Is it all right now?" Setsuna said.
"It is better," Hotaru said.
"Then why don't you tell me how you're feeling?"
"I feel emptiness."
"That's understandable."
"Do you know that emptyness is an interesting concept?" Hotaru began. "Because it's empty when you look inside it, but it takes up space, in the heart, and in the mind."
"I know," Setsuna said.
"Picture this emptyness expanding, and that everything it touches it destroys."
"I can see that."
"You can see it. But you can live it?"
"I don't know," Setsuna said.
"No one could, but I did, somehow...it controlled me..it tried to destroy everthing that was Hotaru Tomoe, I wouldn't let it. No...I couldn't...and somehow..with all that power, it never fully won. It had my body, it had my mind, yet it didn't have my soul."
"I know Hotaru," Setsuna said.
"No, no one does. A soul without a mind or a body, is just a shell...and yet that was how Hotaru Tome lived for years, as a soul, and now..poof..I have everything again...but it's like living in the house of someone who has died. This was my mind and body first, but the Dark One...owned it, the Dark One died, and now I live in the mind and body of the Dark One."
"That's not true. You can change that," Setsuna said.
"The damage has been done. The memories, they're still there, not always there, but echoes bouncing through my mind. Thousands dying on other worlds...desturuction and death. And the spirit of death. Yes it's still an echo too. We're nieve to think that just because we have this great healing power and eternal optomism that we can destroy all evil. You destroyed the dark one, you destroyed the curse, you didn't destroy all the memories, because those memories were my memories, not theirs."
Setsuna just stood waiting.
"Setsuna, I may have everything that Hotaru had. But I'm not what Hotaru was, I am different. I bear her name, I have her soul, but I'm not her."
"Yes you are Hotaru. We can beat it," Setsuna said. "It's just another battle that needs to be waged."
"I do not have any weapons to wage this battle with," Hotaru said.
"Yes you do. You have you're spirit. The same spirit, we all have."
"It is not strong."
"Not yet. But we can make it strong again."
"Do not waste the time," Hotaru said.
"It's no waste," Setsuna said.
"Why do you even care about me. I was the enemy. I am lost."
"Hotaru, it's not in my nature to count you out just like that. In fact, it's not in the nature of any of the scouts to do that."
"That's a lie."
"Why do you think that?" Setsuna asked.
"In the battle, there were those who wanted to kill me, who didn't want to risk the world's fate for me," Hotaru said.
"Well...they all reconsidered afterwards."
"I doubt they all did. I don't blame them. I agreed with them. I was a threat. It was safer to kill me. So Setsuna, there may be those that do care, but the entire world doesn't. And some of the scouts don't. Please don't lie to me."
"They're still a sign of what's good about this world."
"Maybe. But that doesn't matter. I am doomed to a life of darkness."
"Only if you think about things that way."
"And how else should I think about them?"
"Listen Hotaru. We've been at this for a few days. All I'm asking is that you listen to me, and I'll listen you. Maybe eventually we'll figure something out."
"I've figured things out. My path is clear. I will be Sailor Saturn, because it suits me. There is no better place for me to be then fighting battles. I can kill if necessary."
"Hotaru..no one's asking you to be a killer. Just a fighter for the side of good."
"Then I will do that. Because I might as well..there is nothing else I am suited for."
"I hope to change that," Setsuna said.
"You're hope is respected, but I'm afraid you shall fail," Hotaru said.
"Hotaru, you forget, the Sailor Scouts don't give up."
"That is meaningless propaganda."
"No, Hotaru, it's the truth."
"We will see won't we?"
"I guess we will," Setsuna said.
The scouts in whole were meeting at Raye's temple with the exception of the four outers and Greg.
"That was a pretty annoying day," Lita said.
"You said it," Mina said. "Though I did get to beat up Mike's sister, so it wasn't all bad."
"Glad you had fun," Mike muttered. "My aching back."
"Want me to give you a back rub?" Mina asked.
"Not in here," Raye snapped.
"Of course..we got to beat up Principal Oksua, which was a once in a lifetime opporunity," Rick said.
"You'd think so, but the way our live's go he could mutate into a vicious monster several times in the future," Serena muttered.
"Did any of you see any way this could have been caused?" Amy asked.
"We didn't," Steve said. "Oksua just started trashing the place, we were up in detention at the time."
"Yeah, when did Miss H. figure out we were scouts anyway?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, and how? She's not supposed to figure that stuff out," Serena said.
"That's not important," Raye said. "Chad transformed near me, I would have noticed if there was a monster around."
"Same thing with Andrew," Lita said.
"And Lizzie," Serena added.
"The first time I saw Lara Leslie was when she showed up in my room," Mina said.
"I didn't see Amy until she was about to blow my house apart," Greg said.
"Oh..what's with that anyway Amy?" Mina asked.
"That's two for you now," Mike said.
"I think it's just a plot to get cute guys into her house," Lita said. "After all..she trashes Patterson's house and he moves into her apartment. Then she trashes Gregs house and he moves into her house."
"How'd you know about that?" Amy said.
Everyone looked at her.
"I meant Greg moving in," Amy stammered blushing.
"Hmm...it's all beginning to make sense now," Mina said.
"Yeah...all this time," Lita said. "Amy's been weaving a romantic web of intrique."
"I am not!" Amy stammered.
"Hmm..it's working pretty well isn' t it?" Serena said.
"Of course..you have to chose one of them sooner or later," Mina said.
"You should talk," the other girls said.
"Uh..why should she talk?" Mike asked meekly.
"Nothing, nothing," the five girls said.
Steve and Rick gave Mike some suspicious glances.
"Of course this brings up an entirely new issue," Mina said. "If this is a plot to attract cute guys, how can Patterson be involved in any way?"
"Well..actually Mina.." Lita said.
"Aside from the insanity..and the spying.." Raye said.
"I guess..some might say that he's kinda..." Serena said.
"Cute," the three finished.
Amy sighed. I don't need this. She thought.
"Hey...as the only one to have ever dated him, I can say wholeheartedly that he is not cute," Mina said.
The three guys started laughing.
"What?" Mina snapped.
"It's just funny," Mike said and the three continued to laugh.
"Wanna step outside?" Mina said. "All three of you I mean."
"I'm game," Steve said.
"Never mind Steve," Rick said.
"Uh..we're kinda off topic," Amy said meekly.
"You're right..." Raye said. "So what's the verdict..cute or uncute?"
"Uh.."
"Will you girls quit it?" Luna asked jumping in front of them.
"Have things gotten this bad since we've been gone?" Artemas asked landing beside her.
"Do you have any answers?" Luna asked.
"No, do you?" Serena asked. "Cause we could use some."
"I know that," Luna said. "Amy...you were one of these creatures..do you know anything abou it?"
"I'm sorry Luna, there's not much to tell. All of the sudden I felt strange and then the transformation began, and it was completely out of my control," Amy said.
"So you didn't get hit with an energy blast somewhere?" Artemas asked.
"I have no explanation for how it happened," Amy said.
"This could be bad then," Artemas said.
"Not entirely Artemas, you forget I got to beat up Mike's sister," Mina said.
"So you've told me," Artemas said.
"I didn't find it very good at all.." Greg said. "Amy was stronger then I was, and I had no way to call for backup."
"Heck..none was available," Mike said.
"That's something..Pluto and Saturn knew Greg was in trouble," Lita said.
"You're right," Artemas said.
"And Neptune and Uranus showed up too when I was there," Mina said.
"So they might know what's behind this," Rick said.
"No we don't," came a voice. There stood Haruka and Michiru.
"How'd you know where to go?" Steve said.
"We can sense these things," Haruka said.
"Yes, it's natural," Michiru said.
"Well..Darrien can usually sense when I'm in trouble, and he didn't show up," Serena said.
"He was in Yokohama remember Serena?" Luna muttered.
"Oh..yeah..well he's been dropping the ball too often you know that," Serena said.
"You won anyway," Raye said.
"Luna..by the way..can my tiara turn into a large rock monster if I want it to?"
"No Serena. Why would you ask such a thing?" Luna said.
"Uh.."
"Ahem.." Haruka said.
"Oh..yeah..so you don't know who's behind it, but you could sense the trouble?" Raye said.
"Yes, we were able to hone in on it sense alone, unfortunately we had no way of contacting you when we found it," Michiru said.
"Even if you wanted to," Mike said.
"I see..you still continue to hold certain actions against us," Haruka said.
"I'm open minded, but hard headed," Mike said.
"See.." Steve said and bonked him on the head.
"I didn't mean that part of the head," Mike snapped rubbing it.
"Do Pluto and Saturn have the same powers?" Mercury asked.
"Yes," Haruka said.
"Well at least Pluto does. Saturn should, but after all that's happened," Michiru said.
"You know I just realized something.." Serena said.
Everyone looked at her.
"What is it Serena?" Luna asked.
"There's a lot of scouts," Serena said.
Everyone sighed.
"Well duh.." Artemas said.
"These attacks seemed random, yet connected. All on the same day, at the same time, but at different places," Amy said.
"Yet they all had something to do with us," Raye said. "Lizzie, Andrew, Amy, all friends."
"Oksua's just our principal," Mike said.
"Lara..well..she's an enemy, but we know her," Mina said.
"All these people you know, and there aren't any other attacks in the city," Michiru said.
"All of us were involved in the fighting, but we didn't have to be," Haruka said. "There were only five actual enemies."
"So it's not as if whoever's behind this was targetting us individually.." Rick said.
"And if they have the ability to attack me, why not the other scouts, if that's their goal," Amy said.
"Their goal's seem very unclear," Artemas said.
"I agree," Luna said. We have to look into this further."
"Good idea, you do that," Serena said. "I'm hungry."
Everyone sighed.
"How are you their leader anyway?" Haruka asked.
"Uh...it just worked out that way," Serena said.
"I see..." Haruka said.
Night fell, Hotaru slept in her bed. She was dreaming.
Slowly she walked through the darkness.
"Isn't there a light anywhere?" She asked.
"Light is merely the abscence of darkness," came a voice. She looked to see Sailor Saturn standing in front of her surrounded by a blue glow that she could barely make out.
"Darkness is merely the abscence of light. It goes both ways," Saturn continued.
"So...why is darkness around me?" Hotaru asked.
"Because you have lived in darkness," Saturn said. "It's natural."
"I hate things being natural," Hotaru said. "People tell me it's only natural for me to be this or that. I'm sick of it."
"What do you want Hotaru?"
"I want a future, I want to smile. I want to see light."
"Yet you don't think that is possible?"
"No, they keep it from me," Hotaru said.
"The Dark One, the Wraith?" Saturn asked.
"Yes," Hotaru said. "They will never die."
"Sadly you're right," Saturn said. "But you can defeat them..you can trap them where they can't hurt you anymore."
"How?"
"Listen to Setsuna."
"I do. She says the right things, but I don't think it will work."
"You may change your mind," Saturn said. "Just like they did."
Three figures appeared around her. Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Maverick.
"They were willing to sacrifice you for the planet," Saturn said. "But all three of them don't believe they should have anymore. They each reconsidered."
"How do you know?"
"That is unimportant."
"You're lying to me now!"
"What?"
"You're just me..trying to convince myself that they changed! I don't care if they did or not! I don't fault them!"
"You don't know that yet," came another voice from behind her. She turned, there stood Sailor Saturn. She looked. Two Sailor Saturn's now stood around her.
"Wait, how is this possible?" Hotaru asked.
"It's your mind," the second Sailor Saturn said. "We represent different hopes. Over there is your hope that everything will be all right."
"And what are you?"
"I am more neutral on matters such as these. Hotaru, you don't know whether they've reconsidered or not. You need to leave that option open," the Second Saturn said. "But also respect that you might be right. You are much to subjective right now Hotaru. Much too cynical, we have to convince you otherwise."
"And who speaks for my cynical side?" Hotaru asked.
"You do," Saturn said.
Then Hotaru woke up.
"I don't understand..I just don't understand," she said.
"Hotaru, is everything all right?" Setsuna asked.
"No, it never is," Hotaru said.
CHAPTER 119 CHAPTER 120 CHAPTER 121 CHAPTER 122 CHAPTER 123
CHAPTER 124 CHAPTER 125 CHAPTER 126 CHAPTER 127 CHAPTER 128
CHAPTER 129 CHAPTER 130 CHAPTER 131 CHAPTER 132 CHAPTER 133