Three days ago? Haruka's blood ran cold. It was that recent? Haruka scooted the chair closer to the bed, taking note of her change in mood. She reached a hand out and lightly patted Hotaru on the back as she continued her questioning.

"What happened three days ago?"

"I blasted three boys out the library window..." Hotaru answered honestly clinching the sheet tighter making her knuckles white.

Hotaru hands glowed dimly as her mind flashed back to that moment, her saturn symbol also appeared dimly for a brief second before vanishing.

Haruka's head spun, and her stomach was in knots. Mouth dry, she repeated in disbelief:

"Blasted three boys out the library window?"

Haruka jolted upright out of the chair, and it slammed to the floor. She leaned over the matress, and clenched Hotaru's hands, staring her straight in the eyes.

"Did anyone else see this? Are they okay?"

The last thing any of the senshi needed was an investigation tailing them.

"N-no..." Hotaru answered stuttering honestly looking fearfully at the older senshi.

Hotarus' hand began aching and her powers lost control slightly sending a small but strong electric shock-like through Harukas' wrists and arms.

"Nng..!"

Haruka let go of Hotaru's arms as quickly as she could, and stumbled backwards. She immediately rolled up both her sleeves, flinching as the cloth made extra contact. Slowly and carefully, Haruka began examining her arms, a dull ace throbbing through them as she moved them.

She stopped short when she caught sight of her wrists. Two second degree burns were perfectly mirrored on each side. It looked as though they were bracelets, wrapping around the entirety of her wrists, only to end before they reached the top of her hands. Haruka couldn't stifle a gasp as she stood there for only a moment to examine the injuries before rushing out of the room to the bathroom for cold water.

Hotaru watched in horror at what she did. It just had to be a nightmare. She held her breath when she too saw the second degree burns.

Before she could even apologize or anything she watched with wide eyes Haruk rush out of her room. Hotaru wasn't surprised, she had hurt the one person she cared about even a bit more thand Chibiusa.

'I can't believe it...I hurt Haruka-San. Watch now she'll hate me now too. I truly am a monster.' 

Hotaru thought putting her knees her chest and wrapping her arms around them she hid her small face in them.

Haruka flinched as the cool water ran over her hands. Her skin had already begun to blister quite a bit, and she noticed a small fog of red in the small trickle of runoff as she gingerly brushed over her wrists with a wet washcloth.

She swore under her breath as she turned the water off and went for the antiseptic-it stung like mad. Haruka waited for the stinging to subside a bit before she began to bandage them up, though bandaging up her right hand proved to be a bit of a difficult task. Having to use your non-dominant hand was one thing, having to use it when it's also injured is another. After a couple of moments where she felt as though she was in a juggling act with the roll of bandages in place of the balls, her wounds were treated; and Haruka turned out of the bathroom to return to Hotaru's room.

Hotaru had her knees up to her chest and her face hidden in them, she had began silently crying while it sunk in the fact that she hurt Haruka, her best friend.

She immediately felt horrible for yelling and being mean to her too and it made her grip her knees even tighter. 


'Haruka-San, please forgive me...' She thought bitterly, it was easier thought than said. She knew if she cried during an apology she'd make Haruka forgive her since it's always happened. 

So, Hotaru decided to just ignore and close her out. No, she couldn't deal with hurting her best friend again especially like that.

 
"Hotaru?" Haruka called out the girls name as she entered, only to see her in a forlorn state. Haruka's face fell as she approached the bed once more, placing a hand on her shoulder.

For the first time in a very long time, Hotaru seemed very small.

"Hotaru, it's okay." Haruka spoke gently. "I'm okay. Look-" Haruka held her arms out in front of her. "Not even showing through the bandages."

"I don't care...I still hurt you just leave me alone." Hotaru stated not moving only pulling away from the hand on her shoulder.

She was a little glad that Haruka was going to be ok but what brought her down the most was the fact it was her that burned Haruka.

Haruka's hand was left grasping empty air. Her arm stayed there for a moment, before she slowly brought it to her side.

"Hotaru..." she was not about to leave Hotaru alone, and looked at her own bandages. When was the last time her power hurt a fellow senshi when it was out of control..?

The following thought would knock the air out of her. The image of a woman with a black dress, a long strand of endless pearls around her, and long black hair as dark as an oil slick came into Haruka's mind.

Mistress 9.


"Hotaru, has anything else been going on?" Haruka felt anxiety prickle at her heart once more.

"It's nothing, leave me alone." Hotaru stated once more but didn't pull away. She too thought of how she hurt people and her former self flashed through her mind.

'I thought Mistress 9 was dead...I can't still be a monster can I?' She asked herself squeezing against herself tightly at the thought of it being true.

"Hotaru, please." Haruka looked into the girls eyes again.

"Please, if there's anything-and I mean anything-else going on, you have to tell me. It's my responsibility as a sailor senshi to ensure all dangers are eliminated or resolved, for the sake of the princess." Haruka chose these words carefully; in order to make it perfectly clear that she was not thinking of harming Hotaru in any way. It certainly didn't help matters that she and the other outer senshi had heavily considered this option in the past.

"Dangers like me?" Hotaru asked with a thick voice, which finally showed she was crying and still was.

She knew she was dangerous but was she really that dangerous to have be destroyed and again? Her heart sunk at the thought of her three parents trying to kill her once more.

Haruka's heart seized when she heard her response. Had Hotaru been crying all this time? How had she managed to hide it? More importantly, how had Haruka not noticed the distress her current line of questioning was making her? It was one of her many follies; she'd become so focused at reaching the ends of a problem, she would often overlook how her methods of obtaining the information would effect those around her.

Sometimes, this was deliberate-back when the senshi were fighting the witches 5 and Mugen Academy, for example. Other times, however, she would act without thinking simply on instinct, leading to her accidentally harming others due to the careless crossing of barriers, both emotional and physical.

And it seems that her interactions with Hotaru this day were full of nothing but this. Haruka's mouth floundered open and closed for a few moments, before she spoke again:

"If need be, yes. However, you have proven yourself time and again that you are not a monster, regardless of how the senshi perceived you. That takes incredible courage, Hotaru." Haruka sat on the bed and lifted her chin up so she was looking at her.

"While it may be my duty as a senshi to eliminate all dangers, it is also my duty as your guardian. Not only is the princess in danger, but you as well. And I will do whatever it takes to protect you both."

Hotaru gasped a little at the beginning of the answer and the fact her chin was lifted to show red cheeks and teared filled lavender eyes.

"I still am a danger, aren't I?" She asked bitterly pulling away from the hand on her chin.

 
"I don't know, Hotaru." Haruka admitted.

"What I do know is that I will be able to figure out what to do if you stop keeping these secrets from me. No-"

Haruka stopped, shaking her head, and corrected herself.

"-We. We will figure out what to do and how to stop this. Together." She slowly reached for Hotaru's hand, and grasped it tightly.

"Both as senshi; And as a family."

Hotaru then hugged her tightly and had started crying a little again.

"I'm sorry..." Hotaru began thinking of a way to sum it up but wasn't able to. "I'm so sorry for hurting you Haruka-san, I didn't mean it." She admitted.

She didn't dare to call her "Papa". Did she even have the right to? After what she did?

Haruka was surprised by the hug, but returned it regardless. She placed a hand on her back and began to rub it, ignoring how the motion made her injuries hurt.

"Shhhh." She consoled her, hugging her a bit tighter upon noticing her sobs. "It's okay, Hotaru. I know you didn't mean it."

She was the Senshi of Silence, after all. If Hotaru ever wanted to seriously harm her, she had more then the capabilities of doing it. But Haruka was not about to bring that up now, now while this senshi of silence was sobbing in her arms, begging forgiveness.

"Please don't hate me Papa..." Hotaru begged forcing herself to say Papa, she still didn't feel she had the right to call her so.

She still sobbed begging for forgiveness and for Haruka to not hate her but it calmed down some from the rubbing her back.

 
Haruka continued to soothe her, now resorting to rock gently back and forth. She could feel tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. She steeled herself and fought them, while placing her chin gently on Hotaru's head.

"I could never hate you, Hotaru. We'll figure this out."

"But I burned you. I still am a monster..." Hotaru objected adverting her eyes to Harukas' burned wrists that had the bandages on them. Seeing them up close made tears stream down her cheeks again.

Never in both her lives had the young senshi of silence cry like this.

She still begged a bit for forgiveness but had calmed a lot. At least she had stopped sobbing and shaking.

As Haruka comforted Hotaru, she took note of how quiet downstairs had become. She wondered if Chibiusa had left-it wouldn't surprise her. They did leave her alone down there,after all. Hotaru's attitude wouldn't have helped either. She'd have to call her later to apologize. She continued to stroke Hotaru's hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"You're not a monster, You're just a senshi-and a powerful one. That's all."

That's all. Haruka's response bounced around in her head.

She hoped that's really all this was with all her heart.

"Am i...going to turn evil again...?" Hotaru asked after few moments of silence as she sunk it in.

Maybe I'm too powerful... Hotaru thought, she could easily destroy the planet but of course she never would nor even take a life on purpose.

Haruka tightened her hug. The thought of Hotaru going out of control was becoming more frightening to her by the second. This wasn't like when the senshi first met her. She wasn't some random civillian that could be easily destroyed for the sake of the princess and sake of the world.

She was her daughter. And the thought of her striking her down shook Haruka down to her very core.

"I-I don't know." Haruka admitted, releasing the hug. "That depends on what you tell me from here on out. Will you tell me everything that's happened now, Hotaru?"

"A bit..." Hotaru answered honestly looking down. She had been mean and so cruel she doubted Haruka would care.

She seemed to have her doubts about Haruka because of what had happened and glancing over at Harukas' bandaged wrists made her doubt and made hotaru down even more.

 
"Just a bit, huh?" Haruka sighed and slid off the bed, returning to the chair and picking it back up.

So she was still reluctant. They would have to start this slower then Haruka was comfortable with. Haruka sat back down in the chair, making sure she was facing Hotaru as she did so. 

"Like what?"

"Nightmares...." Hotaru answered honestly looking down. She had planned on telling HAruka when she got home but things..happened.

It happened years ago, Haruka will just tell me that, ugh why am I telling her..? She asked herself deep in thought.

"Nightmares?" Haruka frowned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What would nightmares have to do with the present situation and danger of Hotaru's powers going out of control?

Then again, with such little information to go on as to why, Haruka would take anything she could get.

"What kind of Nightmares?"