Hotarus' eyes widened in fear and shock at the mere mention of the name Aiko. "D-did you just say A-Aiko....?" She repeated the name in her mind, she then saw the vision of Aiko's bleeding body at the school and looked down.

"I'm not talking to anyone....." She said finally, she was hurt by Haruka trying to force it out of her, but she still wouldn't budge, she wouldn't share. She was too scared to think of what would happen.

Haruka took note of Hotaru's negative statement. It made her stop and think for a second; did she overstep a boundary? She did practically drag information out of Chibiusa, and had Chibiusa come over even though Hotaru insisted she didn't.

These thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when she heard the doorbell-twice. "Coming!" She opened the door, and saw a smile on Chibiusa's face.

"Chibiusa-chan! Glad you could make it! The weather wasn't too bad, was it? It was quite the storm earlier."

Hotaru merely sat on the couch quiet, her small figure could be seen from the doorway and she did not look happy that chibiusa was here.

"Go home Chibiusa, I don't feel like talking." was all Hotaru said in a tone and glare at both Chibiusa and Haruka out of anger.

Hotaru took a small deep breath and waited for the many questions to come, she was angry enough that Haruka didn't listen....as always, it sometimes makes her wonder if she events wants friends from how Haruka acts at times.

Hotaru shoved her hands in her pockets just in case someone said something to set herself off and make her lose control, after all she was very mad.

 
Haruka turned to Hotaru, and noticed her composure; and was more then shocked to hear her reaction upon chibiusa's entrance. Her blood began to boil as she saw Chibiusa bite her lip.

"Hotaru!" Haruka scolded. "Is that any way to treat a guest? She came all this way to see you!"

How dare she treat her best friend this way!

"I already had told you I didn't want her over!" Hotaru yelled back anger fully in her tone.

Hotaru then stormed upstairs, her hands glowing slightly from the anger making her hide them in her pockets

She was so close to losing control, she had to get away from both of them.

Haruka stood there in shock. Hotaru had never acted this way before, not even when she was back in the Tomoe household. Without skipping a beat, she raced up the stairs to follow her.

"Hotaru, wait!"

"Leave me the heck alone!" 

Hotaru yelled turning towards haruka. Anger swirled in her eyes towards her best friend, she bit back something knowing it would hurt haruka and hid her hands.

Haruka skipped the landing and now stood in the upstairs hallway, Hotaru in her sights. Upon seeing her, she screamed, then seemed to need to stop herself from saying anything else.

It was unusual to see such anger in those lavender eyes of hers, and it left her slightly unsettled.

The last time she saw such anger was when Mistress 9 was present.

Hotarus' angry lavender eyes met Harukas' she could deal with this and wanted to say what she's been feeling about haruka but held back.

"Shouldn't you be downstairs with the so called guest?" Hotaru retorted rudely at her.

"So called?" Haruka repeated dumbly rather then stern. Why would she talk about chibiusa like that? The more she had time to process Hotaru's attitude, the angrier she felt.

"So called? Hotaru, she IS a guest. And not just any guest." Haruka began to approach her, arms stiff at her sides. "It's chibiusa. Your best friend."

Whatever this attitude was, it had to stop.

"Well she's your guest, I didn't invite her over."


Hotaru retorted still meeting harukas' stern eyes with angry

"While I may have been the one to invite her over..." Haruka leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest.

"...I did it for your benefit. Chibiusa is your best friend. And I don't appreciate you talking about your friend like that."

 When was the last time Hotaru gave anyone attitude? She was normally so calm and intelligence-especially when it came to her duties as a senshi.

Haruka was in a state of disbelief that she was even arguing with her. Out of any of the senshi Haruka would have  expected to argue with, Hotaru was last on that list. Today's entire interaction with her seemed like something out of the twilight zone.

And she would get to the bottom of it.

"My benefit?" She repeated, those words finally setting her off.

"You don't know anything Haruka! You think you do but you don't! You do things thinking it'll help me when it makes it worse! It makes me wonder why I even bother being your friend at all!"

 Hotaru yelled admitingly towards haruka not caring the reaction.

The anger that was balled up made Hotarus' hand glow brighter and her symbol appear and disappear.

"That's because you never tell me anything!" Haruka hollered back. "What am I supposed to do, just pretend I don't see the bruises and scratches? Just ignore the fact that the child under MY protection comes home from school nearly every day looking like she's going to cry?"

Haruka felt a lump in her throat. She hesitated to try to regain her composure, and it was then that she noticed Hotaru's hands. Her stomach lurched as she saw the sign of Saturn appear on her hand, and it was getting brighter.

"Yes you ignore it! I talk about things when I get calmed down enough!" Hotaru hollering back in the same angry tone.

"You keep prying and asking and I can't take it! What's the point of having friends when there's you!?" Hotaru yelled angry tears burning her eyes.

Hotaru was becoming angrier, shouting insult after insult; stating again and again that Haruka should have been ignoring her, and waited for her to come to her to talk about her problems instead of prying.

In an odd twist of irony, Haruka was ignoring what she was saying; her eyes still transfixed on Hotaru's hand, and the symbol of power that was flashing in and out of existence.

"Hotaru..?"

"I'm not going to lose control." Hotaru stated after a few moments after noticing haruka wasn't even listening.

Hotaru then turned and went to her room just in case she did lose control, she didn't want Haruka hurt or anyone. She wondered if one day Haruka could understand that...

Haruka could only stare as Hotaru addressed the situation calmly-almost too calmly. As soon as the door was shut Haruka was on the other side, her head buzzing with questions.

Had Hotaru noticed the second she began shouting? What was causing her power to be unstable? Was this the first time it's happened since her awakening?

Is this what Hotaru was hiding?

Haruka felt her heart prickle with anxiety. What if a bully didn't do this to her. What if it was her powers that caused the injuries?


Haruka gulped at the thought and lightly rapped on the door with her knuckle.

"Hotaru?" She called gently.

"What?" Hotaru asked on the other side, she tried to calm down not even she knew what was wrong with herself and it scared her.

Hotaru sighed recognizing the tone anxiety and worry in one.

"You can come in..." She stated.

Haruka opened the door slowly, a nervous and awkward smile cracking across her face as she closed the door behind her.

"Thanks." She stood there for a moment, unsure as to how to approch the subject-that and they did just have one hell of a fight that probably would have continued with Haruka's hard-headedness; had the symbol of Saturn not made it's appearance. Realizing how awkward the air had become, Haruka pointed to Hotaru's desk chair.

"You wouldn't mind if I..?"

Hotaru frowned at the nervousness in Harukas' voice and smile. Her own best friend feared her now too.

"Don't care." She answered shrugging and turned to the window, it hurt her to see how bad Haruka truly feared her.

Haruka sighed as she pulled up the chair. Hotaru sounded so bitter; so annoyed. Perhaps it was a mistake to call Chibiusa over after all-who knows how she'd react to Hotaru's behavior if she were to lash out at her the way she did to Haruka. Haruka sat on the chair backwards, with her chin resting on top of the wooden backing, her left leg bouncing with nervous energy. 

The silence continued, as Haruka mulled over what to say.

"What do you want? To yell and scold me?" Hotaru asked accusingly.

Hotaru was very hurt by Harukas' nervousness by hid by being mean still but also looking it at her too.

"Hotaru..." Haruka started, then paused. She considered her options and how her methods have worked thus far. Trying to drag the information out of her didn't help, going against her wishes didn't help. Heck, even inviting chibiusa didn't help. As for yelling? Look where that got them.

At least the yelling seemed to reviel a problem; weather Hotaru wanted it to be known or not.

"How long have your powers been doing that?"

Haruka steeled herself for what may happen next. This was prying again; and she was well aware of how stern she sounded.

But what else was she supposed to do?

"No clue...." She answered lying, her powers was one thing she hated talking about.

Hotaru had been losing control a lot and a small broken lamp proved it. The lamp was old but not old enough to shatter the way it did either. The lamp pieces were also badly hidden in her small trash can next to her nightstand.

Haruka exhaled a deep sigh, and rocked the chair back and forth. Was she lying this time as well?
With the way Hotaru was behaving today, there was no way to tell. Haruka brushed some hair behind her ear as she spoke in an attempt to lower the tension that still hung heavy in the room.

"When was the last time it acted up? Before this time, I mean."

She prayed that Hotaru would give her a clear answer.

"Three days ago..." Hotaru answered honestly in a raspy whiaper. It had emotion and sadness but also a mix of something like longing.

Hotaru looked down clinching the bed sheets tightly with her small fists and her hair fell covering her petite face.