Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Death and Rebirth ❯ Death and Rebirth 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Death and Rebirth

Chapter eight:

Whirlpool compound:

Allen Poe, Kara and Paul waited in the lab for Hawkins to reveal his latest work.

"It took a lot of calculating and training, but we managed results right on schedule." He pushed a button and a hidden door opened. Allen gave an evil grin, Kara's eyes widened as she hid behind her lover. Paul gulped and held his pigeon tighter against himself. They couldn't believe what they saw.

"Tell me Blaze. How are you feeling?" The sound of energy crackling was the response, "And you Chris?" The cold hiss of metal against metal was heard.

"Just get us to that bastard mime, and we'll make this worthwhile," a no longer human voice replied.

*****

Hotaru walked around aimlessly among the streets of Tokyo. She wore jeans, blouse and a jacket, all black. She dressed this way more out of habit than mourning. She left home early that morning, saying that a walk would help clear her mind from what had happened yesterday. This was only half the truth; she also walked around hoping to find someone. As it turned out, someone found her.

"Hey, Hotaru-san!" it was Reiko; she caught up with her friend. "I guess you heard the news. About what happened at school yesterday."

Hotaru barely whispered her response, "Hai." She made a fist. Why do these things happen? What could possibly be gained from such tragedy?

"You're lucky you were at that play where your friend acts. I heard it was something out of a nightmare."

Hotaru briefly gave Reiko a surprised look. Then she remembered that Reiko ignored that she was also Sailor Saturn. She gave a sad smile, "It's also a good thing that you get as far away from school as you can when the bell rings."

Reiko giggled, "Hai, for once my parents were grateful that I'm not such a dedicated student."

"I guess it's true then, only the good die young."

Both girls turned around in surprise and saw that someone was following them. "Navarro-sempai," they muttered. Like Hotaru, he wore black from head to toe, boots, pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Plus the trademark sunglasses and ponytail. He approached the other two and stood right in front of Hotaru. They looked at each other silently for a while.

"Gomen/Perdón," Hotaru blushed and Carlos rubbed the back of his neck. Meanwhile, Reiko had no idea what was going on between these two; her head went from one side to the other as if she was watching a fast paced tennis match. Then it finally dawned upon her.

"I knew it!" she proclaimed with a snap of her fingers, "I knew you two would hit it off, I could tell you two were made for each other." Carlos gave Reiko a surprised look and Hotaru blushed even more.

"Ie, you've got the wrong idea!"

"Listen kid," Carlos called out calmly, "We've got some important things to discuss. And if you don't mind, we'd like to do so privately," this last part was said in a more menacing tone.

"Umm, hai, whatever you say sempai." She whispered into Hotaru's ear before leaving, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Reiko-san!" Hotaru waited for her friend to get out of sight. Once the redhead was gone, she spoke to Carlos again, "Sempai-" he raised his hand.

"Wait, let me go first, otherwise I will no longer have the nerve to talk." He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk yesterday. I really didn't want to make you so angry, and I certainly didn't mean to make you cry," he sighed, "Whatever I did or said to scare you like that, I'm sorry."

Hotaru shook her head, "You didn't scare me. The way you acted just made me angry, that's what frightened me," her eyes went down, "I apologize for calling you a-" she couldn't say it.

"Freak?" Carlos guessed, Hotaru nodded. "I don't see why you should apologize. It's not that bad an insult."

"It is to some, and it's a lot more painful when you grow up being called that." The sadness in her voice was starting to get to Carlos. He tried his best not to show any empathy.

"No offense but, you look like any other girl to me. Why would anyone try to hurt you?"

"It's simple, I'm different," they started walking, "Here in Japan, one must be a part of society, anyone who acts differently from the status quo automatically becomes an outcast."

Carlos gave out a laugh, "Guess I'll never be a part of anything then," he shrugged, "no skin off my nose really. But why did people consider you not to belong?"

Hotaru gulped, she was recalling some very painful memories. It was hard enough to remember, let alone talk about them. But she was determined to help Carlos, and this could probably be the only chance she would get.

"Momma died when I was very young, too young to even remember her. Poppa he, he became devastated. All he could do to keep from going insane was to bury himself in his work. He forgot all about the world around him," her sadness increased, "he forgot all about me." A moment of silence passed. "I don't know whether it was voluntarily or not but I, like you, locked myself out of the world. In time my body became frail and I was constantly ill. This disgusted my classmates; they kept away thinking that I might have had something contagious. I just sat by myself in my little dark corner, all alone."

Carlos nodded, "With that kind of behavior people would consider you to be shy, maybe a little weird. But why call you freak? I don't get it."

"They called me that because of what I can do. And the only reason they haven't called me that again is because I've become more discreet."

"Discreet doing what? Converting us sociopaths?" Hotaru narrowed her eyes at the Latin boy, "It's a joke. I'm trying to make you relax."

Hotaru giggled, "Well it's kind of working, kind of." She bit her lip. Should or shouldn't she show him. On one hand, it would help him understand her; on the other hand, he would probably become terrified like everyone else. Navarro-sempai scared? What am I thinking? "Give me your hand."

"Qué?"

"Your hand, I know those three cut open your palm when you fought yesterday. I need you to show me your wound."

Carlos was a bit perplexed by that request. He took a look at the wound that Shiro, or rather Uranus, had made. The scar was large and red. "It still bleeds from time to time, but nothing to worry about. You really shouldn't be concerned." Hotaru took his hand among hers.

"It's not an infection what concerns me." Carlos was about to ask what she meant by that when he saw her hand emit a violet glow. His eyes widened as his scar became smaller and disappeared completely. Hotaru took a deep breath once she was done. She glanced at Carlos, who was flexing and stretching out his fingers in disbelief. "All the people who saw that think it's gross. That's why they called me weird, freak…witch."

Carlos rubbed his palm. Yes indeed, it was completely healed. And unlike regeneration, he didn't feel any pain. He looked back at Hotaru, who nervously awaited an answer. "And you used to do this often? Even when they treated you so?"

"I couldn't stand seeing people get hurt. Whether it was something serious or just a scratch, I would rush over and heal them. Or at least try. They became afraid of me and I became rejected. But I still wanted to help," she placed herself in front of Carlos and confronted him face to face, "Tell me the truth Navarro-sempai. Do you it's gross?"

Carlos didn't hesitate to answer: "Yeah, I think it's gross," Hotaru felt her world fall apart when she heard those words, "Had I been you, I would have said: 'Bleed to death and go to hell for all I care'. I wouldn't have wasted my strength on ingrates like those." Hotaru recovered a bit, but still, what kind of an answer was that? Carlos dug his hands into his pockets and continued, "But that's only my opinion. Your guardian is right, you're the one who should be afraid of me."

Hotaru thought about that for a while, "Hai, you are frightening Navarro-sempai. Both from the things you do and the things you say," she smiled, "But I will not run and I will not hurt you. Not again."

Carlos grinned back at her, "You didn't hurt me kid." He frowned, "Nobody can hurt me more than they have," he muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. But I'm still curious. I've seen the way you act at school, not that I've been checking you out mind you," he defended as Hotaru gave him an 'oh really' look, "Even though not many people hang around you, they still treat you nice. What happened to the sad lonely girl you described a moment ago?"

"Well, it's a bit hard to explain," What's so hard about it? I destroyed an entity named Pharaoh 90 with a technique that can level a planet; I reincarnated as a baby and became adopted by three senshi. I grew up to seven in six months and all the way up to twelve in one night. It's as simple as that. "Poppa passed away about three years ago. It turned out to be a sort of mixed blessing, because when that happened I was adopted by three wonderful people: Setsuna-mama, Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa."

"Haruka? Isn't that the marimacho pain in the ass that interrupted us yesterday?"

Hotaru's eyes widened, "I'm amazed, not many people can tell that Tenoh Haruka is actually a woman," she sighed, "Hai, she is quite overprotective. It gets on my nerves from time to time," she shook her head, "Anyway, they adopted me and everything became different. I obtained a new family, new school, I even got new friends."

"In other words," Carlos pondered, "Your old self died along with your father, and you were given the chance to build your life all over again," he grinned, "You died and were reborn."

"That's a very accurate observation sempai," Very accurate indeed. She blinked as she realized something. I guess Karasu and I do have a lot in common.

Carlos was having similar thoughts as well. I was literally reborn and given a second chance. And still I'm acting like an idiot. He sighed somberly. I'm doomed.

*****

Blaze and Chris were standing on a rooftop somewhere. Chris was trying to figure out what seemed to be a combination radar/remote control. Fluttering around them was a green roach, a tracker drone.

"So you really think this little critter can sniff out the Karasu?" Blaze asked his companion.

"Well, Mr. Wizard said it was not perfected yet. We have to be near him in order it to get a scent," there was something in Chris' voice that would send chills down your spine, "Even if we do find him, we have to wait 'til nightfall. We don't want to attract much attention."

"Find a person we've met only once in this little town and be discreet about it? That's going to be a piece of cake!"

"Shut up! You've seen the news reports. Most of his patrols are done around this area. It's pretty large but we'll get to him eventually. And when we do…"

A gleam came out of Blaze's eye, "We'll give him a reason to hide his face." Maniacal laughter filled the air.

"Blaze."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up, you sound pathetic."

*****

It was high noon when the two teenagers passed in front of an okonomiyaki cart and Hotaru decided she was hungry. She wanted to treat Carlos to one, but he politely refused. Once she was done and they resumed walking, Hotaru renewed conversation.

"I believe it's your turn now."

"My turn?"

"So far we've only talked about me. I would like to know about you Navarro-sempai. What happened to you that makes you act in such manner?" She gave Carlos a determined stare. She wasn't going to let him weasel out of this one. He wasn't planning to anyway, not much.

"Mine isn't a happy story either. If you think you've had enough we can talk about this another time."

"Sempai."

"Okay, okay," he sighed in defeat, "My father was, ahem, is some sort of free-lance accountant or something. No one has ever given him a steady job because, according to them, no one can afford him. As a result, he's worked for different companies all over Mexico, the U.S. and here, Japan. Constantly moving and dragging his family along."

"Wow," Hotaru was truly amazed, "You've spent your entire life travelling all over your country and abroad? That's a way of living I could get used to." She had done a bit of travelling herself, accompanying Haruka and Michiru to their races or concerts whenever there was a chance. But two years worth of travel versus fifteen? She had reasons to feel jealous.

"I didn't travel all around, I was dragged all around," Carlos corrected harshly, "Every few months or weeks we would pack up or things and move to a new city, a new school, and meet new strangers."

"Didn't you make any friends?" Hotaru asked hopefully.

"I actually did, believe it or not. They were more like acquaintances than friends. And every time I thought I really had something. Surprise, it's moving day!" he laughed sarcastically for a while, "Somewhere along the way I just gave up. I decided: if I'm going to lose every friend I make, then I might as well have none. That's why I keep people away, why I want them to fear me." A moment of silence passed among them.

"But why act so violently? Why do you want people to be scared of you?"

"Ego," Carlos answered with a smirk, "There is very little difference between fear and respect. And I like having a feeling of superiority. Wouldn't you?" His smirk vanished when he saw the look in those amethyst eyes.

"It's all lies and you know it," she said bluntly, "The truth is: you want people to fear you so you can hide your own," she paused, "You're afraid of being hurt by a new loss." Carlos grumbled and looked away. He wasn't going to admit it, but she was right. Everything she said was true. Hotaru kept speaking, "I once gave up too Navarro-sempai. I had surrendered to despair and solitude," a joyful smile came to her lips, "That's when I met her, my first and best of all friends."

"Who was she?"

"Chibi-Usa, she's one of the kindest persons you could ever meet. She wasn't disgusted neither by my illness nor, like you, frightened by my ability. She didn't care if I was weird or what everybody said about me. She just wanted to be my friend, and by doing so she gave me new hope," she looked up to the sky, "I couldn't figure it out back then. Why would such a healthy and kawaii girl want to be my friend?" she giggled, "It's been years and I still don't understand."

"I do."

"Nani?"

"Nothing," Carlos acted nonchalant for a while, "So, will I get to meet this Chibi-Usa girl?"

"I'm afraid not," Hotaru responded, "She moved away two years ago, I haven't seen her since."

"Oh my, what a surprise," he said ironically. Hotaru elbowed him.

"Hush, you. I felt sad when Chibi-Usa left, but I got over it quickly. I realized that she left me something no one can take away."

"May I know what that is?"

Hotaru placed her hand over her heart, "A memory, that I once had a friend like her. It doesn't really matter if I never have any more friends, or if people start treating me like a leper again. I know that I once had a friend, something like that is well worth all the pain and all the loss." Carlos didn't know what to say. Cynic that he was, his most probable answer would've been: 'Nice speech. What greeting card did you get it from?' But he kept quiet. Her words were true, and she had said them with such emotion. "They say that our whole life passes before our eyes when it's about to end," Hotaru continued, "What would you like to see Navarro-sempai? One where you're alone and bitter? Or one where you can see a brief but meaningful friendship, in each corner of the world?" She held his hands among hers, "Please sempai, I know what solitude is, I know how much it hurts. No one deserves such pain," her pleading gaze went through the glasses, straight into his undead soul, "Let me help you take the right choice. Let me be your friend."

Carlos kept silent, slowly, almost imperceptibly, a smile appeared in his face. He didn't know what he was smiling for. Laughing at a joke, mocking an adversary, tormenting his enemies or just having a good time. He smiled on all those occasions and knew the reasons why, then he realized it. Without warning, he opened his arms and embraced Hotaru. She was taken by surprise by this move, and blushed when he hugged her so tightly. He whispered into her ear.

"Gracias…"

Hotaru smiled and returned the embrace. Then she heard chuckles coming from Carlos. "What is it?"

"I just realized something, I still don't know your name."

Hotaru backed up a little and bowed, "Gomen Navarro-sempai. Watashi wa Tomoe Hotaru desu."

"Please Hotaru, don't call me sempai. I'm Carlos, plain old Carlos."

"As you wish, Carlos-san." This time, she surprised him when she ran up to hug him again. He didn't mind, he didn't say a word, he just held her.

Up above, from the top of a lamppost, Kashaku watched the two. If you looked closely, really paying attention, you would see a smile bending his beak. Bravo warrior, bravo.

*****

The remote Chris was carrying started beeping.

"Blaze get over here, we've got something!" Blaze ran up to his companion. The tracker was earthbound, rubbing its antennae against the ground.

"You found the Karasu? Where is he?"

Chris tapped a few buttons on the gizmo. "He's not here exactly. King Roach here seems to have found a trail. And if I'm reading this thing correctly, it's still fresh. All we have to do is follow it and we'll find that mime."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go." The murdering pair heard voices coming from somewhere. They both turned and saw three teenagers approaching, two guys and a girl. They in turn, did not see the two criminals, until one of the guys saw the green roach.

"Ara! What the devil is that thing?"

The girl saw the tracker drone and her eyes widened, she saw something else and screamed.

A shot was fired and the girl fell dead, with a bullet-hole on her forehead. Two more shots and her friends joined her.

"I see what you mean Chris," Blaze observed, "that, was very discreet."

Chris sighed, "What a waste. She really was a babe." He snapped his fingers, "Let's get going before we attract more attention."

"Right," Blaze pointed a finger at the drone. It began to shake until it flipped over. It kicked around and finally stopped, smoke coming out of it.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Chris demanded.

"That thing was obviously going to turn some heads, I had to get rid of it. Besides, it's no big deal. That thing on your hand can also track the Karasu, right? We've got the trail, all we've got to do is follow it."

Chris shook his head, "If I believed it possible, I'd say your brain got even more damage from the doc's work. Let's go!"

*****

"Michiru Kaioh," Carlos thought the name over, "Isn't she the famous violinist?"

"Hai. Have you ever heard her play?"

"Probably not, I'm not a fan of classical music," he replied, "But if she's got a 'Blues' album I'd be the first to hear it."

Hotaru pondered upon the concept, then she shook her head. "Ie, Michiru-mama isn't one to mix music with melancholy. She prefers a more cheerful tempo." Carlos nodded in agreement.

"Caw."

Both teens looked up, "Kashaku?" Hotaru asked.

"Sí," Carlos stretched out his arm so the bird could land. He was surprised when Kashaku flew past him and towards Hotaru's arms. She was surprised as well, but she began petting him almost immediately. Carlos raised an eyebrow at Kashaku, "Well, well, apparently somebody here likes you."

Kashaku looked back at his ward, "Jealous warrior?" Carlos just rolled his eyes.

"You know, it's a good thing you've decided to have a pet," Hotaru said, "It means that you haven't given up to loneliness completely." Both warrior and guardian gave Hotaru a surprised look, "What have your parents told you about keeping him?"

Carlos hesitated to answer, this was one topic he didn't see coming. "Well I, I don't think that I'll keep Kashaku," Hotaru's gaze requested the reason, "My sister Carmela thinks he's cute, but my mother thinks that crows are too treacherous, she's worried that he'll peck our eyes out. Besides, I don't think it's right if I took him with me. After all, he's a wild animal, his home is where he decides."

"I agree," Hotaru raised Kashaku to eye level, "You want to fly unbound, not be cooped up inside an apartment, ne Kashaku?"

"Caw."

Hotaru giggled, "It's so kawaii the way he responds."

"How come once the bird gets here I lose all of your attention?" Carlos protested. Hotaru tilted her head at him.

"And I think you're sweet for letting Kashaku keep his freedom." Hotaru reached up and gave Carlos a peck on the cheek. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, the young girl was also stunned by the move she made. She quickly changed the subject, "Hey, I think the 'Crown café' is nearby. Let's go there I'm sure you're hungry."

"Uh, no, no thanks," Carlos also felt a bit embarrassed from that tiny kiss, "I don't feel hungry yet."

"Not hungry?" Hotaru looked at her watch, "It's 5:30 and you haven't eaten anything all day! You must be starving."

Carlos shook his head, "I had a big, late breakfast. I can wait until I get home." He didn't require food, but he could eat if he wanted to, and he really wanted to after a week of fasting.

"Come on, they have great desserts there."

"Really, I'd like to have lunch with you. It's just that I don't have much money."

"Then I'll treat you," Hotaru insisted.

Carlos rubbed his temple. This girl just couldn't take no for an answer. "Okay, I'll let you buy me lunch. And since we're heading that way; how about stopping at the game center? My trigger finger is getting itchy."

Hotaru crooked an eyebrow, "You don't have any money for food, but you do have for games." Carlos shrugged sheepishly, "Oh, you men."

*****

Crown game center:

Minako's head slammed onto the console when the words 'GAME OVER' appeared on the screen. Rei looked over the blonde's shoulder and shook her head.

"I still can't believe that after all these years, you and Usagi are still terrible at the 'Sailor V' game."

Minako sighed, "I guess it's just one of humanity's great mysteries." She got up, "I'm getting some more tokens. Be right back." When her line of vision came to the door, she saw one of her friends step inside, "Hey! That's Hotaru-chan, ne?" she narrowed her eyes, "And unless I'm mistaken, that's her new sempai. Ooh, the fun we're going to have, huh Rei-chan? Rei-chan?"

Rei stood still, her face depicted surprise and fear. "I feel him Mina-chan, Karasu is here."

The blonde looked around frantically, "Here? Where?" Rei held her by the chin and directed her sight.

"Look at what Hotaru has in her arms," she raven-haired priestess indicated. Minako looked and gasped, her young friend was carrying a crow.

"Coincidence, it must be a coincidence."

"I'm afraid not," Rei replied, "Hotaru's sempai is-"

"Konnichiwa Rei-san, Mina-san," Hotaru greeted, "I don't believe you've met Carlos-san." She introduced her friends, "Carlos-san, these are my friends Aino Minako and Hino Rei."

"I'm pleased to meet you both," Carlos said as he shook their hands, "Hotaru here has told me a bit about you two."

"We've heard a thing or two about you as well, Carlos-kun," Minako responded, "Is it really true that Hotaru-chan saved you from dire peril?" Rei eyed her friend, from the attitude she displayed, she couldn't tell whether Minako was acting or still behaved a bit ditzy in real life.

"She did help me, that much is true."

"Always trying to help, that's Hotaru-chan all over," she turned her sight to the bird, "and who's that you've got in you hands?"

"Oh, this is Carlos-san's pet, Kashaku." Hotaru blinked, "Are you okay Mina-san? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Minako glimpsed at Rei, she was giving her an 'I told you so' look. "You might say that. So, what brings you two here?"

"We were going to the café to have a bite to eat," Carlos responded, "I thought that I could try breaking my best record while where here."

Minako snapped her fingers, "You're 'CGN', ne?" Not waiting for a reply, Minako pulled the boy over to the closest shooting game, "Come on, I want to see the legend in action." Both Rei and Hotaru rolled their eyes, some things never change.

Hotaru looked around the place as Carlos put some tokens inside the machine, "It's odd. The first time I saw you here you had a crowd gathered. Now, no one is coming near us. How come?" Carlos threw her a glance.

"Do you really need me to give you the answer?"

Hotaru nodded, "Probably not." The boy started playing and the three girls watched. Granted, he handled that gun as if he made a living out of playing 'shoot-them-ups'. They wondered for a while how dangerous Carlos could be if he was ever to use a real weapon. Rei was amazed by the kid's ability, even though she wasn't really interested in seeing him play. She pulled Minako aside after a while, "Do you think Hotaru-chan knows who Carlos-san is?" she whispered.

"I don't think so. You know how it is, love blinds a person."

Rei huffed, "Minako, will you drop it? This is serious."

"I know it is," the blonde retorted, "Look, she's obviously fond of him, maybe that's enough so she can't see the connection."

"You're probably right. But anyway, the real question is: Does he know who we are?"

Minako gave Carlos a long, deep stare, "I haven't the foggiest, but we better keep on our toes. And not let Hotaru know of our suspicions just yet. She might not take it well." Rei nodded in agreement.

Carlos eventually finished the game with an almost perfect score. As promised, he accompanied Hotaru to the café. The two older girls joined them, Hotaru preferred it this way. If someone she knew were to see them alone as a couple, the rumors would never end. They ate and chatted; once they all had finished their meal, Rei restarted conversation.

"I'm curious Carlos-san. What were you doing the night Hotaru-chan found you?"

"Well," Carlos tried coming up with a plausible story, "Truth be told, I was simply looking for trouble. I had a disagreement with my parents and decided to go for a walk to let out some steam. Eventually I met with a street gang and they started picking on me. You can guess how I reacted," all three nodded and so did Kashaku. "To make a long story short, Hotaru found me, took me to the hospital, I left the next morning and got five to ten years without parole."

Minako whistled "You've had just gotten to Tokyo and got grounded? Ouch."

"I didn't mind. After all, I'm not the type to socialize much."

"But that is going to change," Hotaru reminded him, "Mina-san is an expert in making new friends. With her help I'm sure you'll have no reason to go looking for trouble again."

"I might not have the time," Carlos replied, "Don't want to be a pessimist, but I tend to put experience over faith. I might not stay here for more than six months, eight tops." Probably even less than that, if I hurry.

"Your dad's working at 'Dark Feather', ne?" Minako pointed out, "At a company that large, he's bound to have a lot to do for quite a while."

"Perhaps," he looked out the window, the sun had already set. "I better make my way home now, I'm still grounded and have a lot of chores to do." He rose from his seat and tapped his shoulder, "Vámonos Kashaku."

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Hotaru asked.

"Not really, why?"

"Rei-san is a priestess at the Hikawa temple, one of her hobbies is fortune telling." Rei started a bit when she heard Hotaru's proposal, "We could go there tomorrow and confirm if your luck is really going to take a turn for the better."

Carlos gulped, "Umm, no offense Señorita Hino, but I don't really believe in any sort of religion." If this lady is the real deal, she might just find out who I am.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rei replied. With his powers, he might just find out who we are during the reading. If he doesn't know already. Carlos gave each her good-byes and left, letting Hotaru know that they would run into each other again. Once he was gone, Minako turned to her violet-eyed friend.

"Hotaru-chan, tell me the truth. How do you feel about Carlos-kun?" Minako's tone was unusually serious; Hotaru didn't notice it however and just blushed.

"I don't feel anything special Mina-san. We're just friends, that's all I need to be for him."

"We know Hotaru-chan, we've heard everything he told us," Rei said as she put her hand on the girls shoulder, "But, just suppose there's something he hasn't told you, something that he wants to keep hidden, and eventually you found out about it. How would it make you feel?"

Hotaru's eye widened and she slowly moved away from Rei, "I don't believe it. Has everyone decided to behave like Haruka-papa all of a sudden?"

"Ie," Rei caught Hotaru's hands, "We trust him, I mean, I really want to. It's just that…" She gave Minako a pleading gaze.

"What Rei-chan is trying to say," The blonde assisted, "We try to keep some things hidden from others so that we don't hurt them. But sometimes, when the truth comes out, we end up hurting them even more. How much it hurts depends on the feeling between the two." Minako stared at Hotaru straight in the eye, "Carlos-kun might've been treating you so badly before because he was trying to protect you from himself." She held the young girl's hands, "How you would feel if Carlos-kun unwillingly hurts you, depends on what you feel for him know."

Hotaru thought her answer over very carefully. Of course Carlos-san had secrets to keep, she had her own as well. But the sorts of secrets that Carlos kept were surely darker ones. The attitude he displayed while they were walking today told her so. Hotaru asked herself: How would I feel if I found out?

"What I feel for Carlos-san is concern, Mina-san. He needs friends and I won't be a good one if I don't trust him."

Minako nodded, she leaned back on her seat and took a deep breath. We just don't want you to get hurt Hotaru-chan. And neither does Carlos-kun…I hope.

*****

Carlos hadn't walked five steps away from the café before he looked back.

"What troubles you warrior?"

"It's Hotaru." Carlos replied gloomily, "It won't really affect me much when its time to leave her, I'll be dead after all. It's just that, I feel kind of bad about lying to her."

Kashaku blinked in surprise, "Somebody like you feels remorse after a lie. I can't believe it."

"Don't laugh bird. I mean, sure I've lied before, it's very useful when done right," he shook his head, "I don't know why it feels different doing it to Hotaru though."

I have one or two ideas. "You could reveal your identity to her. Other warriors have had human allies, or confidants at least."

"Sí, but Karasu no shi ain't exactly a friend of the people." He tapped his foot for a while, "You go ahead for our patrol Kashaku. I'm heading back inside."

"What are you planning to do?" the guardian asked as he took off.

"Ask her out on a date."

Carlos caught up with the trio just in time, they had just left the café and where heading off in the opposite direction. "Hotaru, wait up."

The purple haired girl turned, "Hai, what is it Carlos-san?"

"I need to talk to you, it's very important," he turned to Rei and Minako, "Do you mind if we step away? It's a little private."

Rei eyed the teen warily, "Not at all, just don't take too long." Carlos nodded in response. The young pair walked away and when they stopped, Hotaru noticed that Carlos had taken them quite a distance away from the others.

"I kind of understand your desire for privacy, Carlos-san. But isn't putting half a block between us a bit too much?"

"It's necessary. I want to make sure they don't eavesdrop on us." Especially that priestess. He put his hands on Hotaru's shoulders and looked at her seriously, "I need to meet with you later Hotaru, at the Hikawa shrine."

"So you're going?" the girl's eyes lit up with expectation, "I'll let Rei know, she'll get everything ready for tomorrow."

"No, not tomorrow," Carlos voice sounded frighteningly serious, "Go there tonight. And make sure that no one follows you. Okay?"

Hotaru hesitated to answer, "Carlos-san you're scaring me. What is-"

"Hush!" Carlos raised his hand to silence Hotaru, he had felt something. It was familiar presence, yet it had changed in a way.

"WARRIOR JUMP!"

Hotaru never saw it coming, she just felt Carlos' arm wrap tightly around her. "Hey! What are you doooinng?" Without a word he gave a giant leap, taking Hotaru in tow. She heard and felt the blast coming from behind them. When they landed, she looked back and saw smoke and blue embers a few feet from where they were just standing. Not only that, Carlos had nearly cleared the whole street in one bound! Carrying her weight even. "Kuso, what was that?" Her mouth gaped open when she remembered her friends, "Minako, Rei!"

"Don't worry, they're okay," Carlos assured her. He couldn't see them, but he could feel their souls. He looked around trying to find the source of their attack. He saw an out of control car heading straight for them! Carlos jumped again, vertically this time. They landed on the hood and he managed to keep them from falling as the vehicle spun and finally came to a halt. The undead teen checked on Hotaru, she was stunned but okay; he looked inside the car, the lady inside was physically unharmed, although frozen after seeing such acrobatics.

Hotaru tugged on her friend's arm, "Carlos-san, what the hell is going on!?" she demanded.

"Good question." He scanned the area. All traffic had stopped, there were a few crashes but no one was seriously hurt. Everyone was in a panic trying to get out of their cars and to a safe place. And standing in the middle of the street was the source of all the chaos. Carlos growled, "Chris."

Hotaru looked in the same direction. She recognized the two men in leather jackets; one had spiky black hair and metal bracelets, the other had long orange hair with a blue streak in the middle, black bracelets and an insanely wicked grin.

"So what's the deal Chris? Is the Karasu here?" Blaze asked with eagerness.

"According to this thing, yes. Except it can't pinpoint him," the murderer dropped the device and pulled out two knives, "Guess we'll have to lure him out." He threw his weapons and hit the intended targets, two bystanders who were trying to escape.

Hotaru gasped in horror, Carlos growled with rage.

"Hey mime!" Chris called out, "We know you're around here somewhere. So either you come out, or we turn this place into a slaughter-fest!"

"And we really mean it!" Blaze added as he tapped his bracelets.

Carlos had to do some quick thinking. He could take care of these guys easily, but with Hotaru here… He wanted to reveal his true identity, but not like this. Most importantly he couldn't let her get hurt. Think Carlos think. He pushed Hotaru down from the car and hid her behind it. "I'll draw their attention. You get away from here as fast as you can."

"Nani? Are you crazy? I can't let you face them alone!"

"Don't worry, I'll get away from those psychos," he winked, "I'm pretty good at getting away from people, remember?" Hotaru shook her head and allowed herself a tiny laugh. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, "Run." Carlos slid off the opposite side and sprinted, "Hey pendejos, Catch me if you can!"

Chris reacted to the taunt, "A death-wisher eh? Fine," he threw a knife at the kid; he easily dodged it, "Damn! Blaze, you get him."

Blaze cackled, "With pleasure." He raised his hands, the crackling sound of electricity was heard and an azure glow came from his fingers. A blue ball of fire erupted from his palms. Carlos was barely able to see the blast coming; he stopped right in the nick of time. The force of the explosion however threw him away several feet.

"Ay güey! Where'd that come from?" He looked back at Blaze, blue flames danced around him and his eyes glowed the same color. What happened to this guy? Then he noticed someone missing, Chris. He scanned the area, he couldn't feel his presence. What the devil is going on here? Frantically, he looked back to where he had left Hotaru, to his dismay, she was still there. For heavens sake Hotaru, forget about me and run! "Gaack!"

Chris took advantage of Carlos' momentary distraction to walk up and grab him by the neck. "So you think you're very brave? I think you need a few lessons in discretion little boy."

Hoisted one foot in the air, Carlos could only think of one thing: So this is what it's like on this end.

Hotaru's common sense told her to do what Carlos had planned and get away. But her instincts as a protector told her to stay. When she saw the redhead throw that fireball, she froze. For a moment she thought it had killed Carlos, but was relieved when she saw him get up. That relief faded when the other villain picked him up by the neck. By the silence, I have to do something! Against her good judgement, she came out of hiding and yelled, "Let go of him!"

Chris turned his attention to Hotaru. Carlos deduced his intentions, "Don't even think about hurting her."

Chris chuckled, "Oh I won't even touch her. Blaze, fry the little bitch! But not too much, I might want to have fun later."

Blaze didn't need to hear that twice. He readied his third blast of the night aiming straight at the purple haired girl. Hotaru knew that she could easily block the attack using her Silence wall, but doing so would reveal her identity to Carlos and the enemy. She gritted her teeth. So be it then.

"Burning Mandala!"

Blaze turned around and saw a series of fire rings heading straight for him! He didn't have time to react, they all crashed straight into his chest. Chris found the source of the attack. Two of the inner senshi landed between them and the girl.

"My defender is the planet of war. I am the senshi of fire, Sailor Mars!"

"Accompanying her is the senshi of love and beauty, Sailor Venus!" Carlos breathed relief; for once he was glad to see the senshi. Chris just huffed and turned to his partner.

"Hey Blaze, you okay?"

Blaze was shaking and smoking, but to everyone's surprise, he was still standing. "Damn! The doc never said it would hurt this much!" He stood upright, "You know Chris? I think we attracted the wrong crowd." He turned back to the senshi, "No matter, I believe we can match you. Flame on!" his hands turned into living flame.

Chris rolled his eyes when he heard the comic book quote, he called out to the senshi, "We came here looking for Karasu no shi. So you sailor broads better butt out and mind your own business."

"Keeping jerks like you from killing innocents is our business!" Venus retorted in a rage.

Chris shrugged, "Well, we're going to be busy with the senshi it seems," he looked at Carlos, "So you will have to say good night." He took his free hand and plunged it into Carlos' chest.

"YEARGH!"

"IE!" Hotaru gasped in horror. Without effort, Chris threw Carlos several feet away behind a car-wreck. In his hand, was the still-beating heart of her friend.

Venus ground her teeth in rage. She recognized those two from the theater. Despite the fact that awful experience was taken from her mind, she still wanted to get even. And what she just saw fanned her anger even more. "Mars, get Hotaru-chan out of here. I've got a gut to pick on those two."

Mars didn't dare correct the quote, she reached for Hotaru and tried to get her far away from there, she didn't even budge. Hotaru was completely paralyzed from shock. "Hotaru-chan come on. We have to get you to safety."

Chris and Blaze approached the senshi slowly. The former was juggling Carlos' heart. "Same as always I presume. You want the blonde, right?"

"Damn right!"

"That's okay. It means I take brunette, both."

"I hate you."

Mars knew she couldn't escape now. She had to wait for a new opening. She took her combat stance next to Venus. She was worried however, she could definitely feel the evil insanity coming from the redhead, but the other one was completely empty. She didn't want to think what that meant.

"Caw!"

Everyone looked up and saw Kashaku, even Hotaru snapped back into consciousness when she heard the call. Chris gave a satisfied smile "Well, the guest of honor has finally arrived. Come on mime, where are you hiding?"

"A moment ago you had me right in your hands."

No one could believe they had heard that voice. Everyone turned to the spot where there was supposed to be a body. Hotaru's voice came out as barely a whisper "C-Carlos-san?"

Standing there with air undone, empty eyes and a hole in his chest stood Carlos. His eyes emanated a horror undefined. "Careful what you wish for Chris, it might just kill you."