Midnight Angel

Note: All breaks are intentional, not a result of computer error.

ed.note-I added "....." where the breaks were 'cause they wouldn't look like breaks without them!!!

"Child of the dark, look upon me and fear, For I am the Midnight Angel."

Hotaru opened her eyes, and found she couldn't see. She was surrounded by a thick, swirling white mist. Am I dead? she wondered. She felt as though she was weightless, bouyed up by the cool fog. She turned in every direction, vainly trying to see anything through the mist. Suddenly, she felt her bare feet touch down on something cold, rough, and definitely solid. The mist cleared abruptly, as if it had never been, and Hotaru found herself standing on the edge of a rocky hill. Above her, in the black, star-sprinkled sky, the Earth hung, ghostly and luminous. Beneath her feet, the rocks she stood upon were a pale grey in the reflected light of the Earth. The Moon? she thought, is this the Moon?

In the distance, Hotaru could see a luminous silver building, with tall graceful spires, surrounded by gorgeous flower gardens. The Moon Palace, she realized. She walked down the hill, towards the palace. As she aproached, she noticed something was wrong. The gardens, hallways, and balconies, usually bustling with activity, were silent and empty. Hotaru made her way carefully. There was definitely an evil presence here. She could sense it.

Hotaru walked through what seemed to be endless, twisting corridors. Finally, she reached a pair of large, double doors. She pushed them open cautiously and stepped inside. There was a woman inside, with long, silver hair, done up in the double odango style, like Usagi's. With a start, Hotaru recognized Queen Serenity, although she looked much, much younger than when Hotaru had seen her last, just before the ending of the Silver Millenium. The queen turned away from the mirror she had been seated at to face the door where Hotaru was standing.

"You're back," she said. Hotaru stared at her in confusion.

"What?" she said.

Serenity laughed. "I know. I wasn't expecting them to take it so seriously." Hotaru got the sudden sense that the queen wasn't talking to her at all, but to someone she couldn't see. Suddenly, the air in the room seemed to shimmer. Behind the queen, Hotaru saw another woman appear. She had full, wavy red hair, and carried a staff with a crystal attached to one end. Hotaru shivered as she realized who it was. Queen Beryl, the evil ruler who had destroyed the Moon Kingdom. She, too looked at least ten years younger than when Hotaru had seen her. Hotaru tried to call out, to warn Queen Serenity, but found her voice would not work.

Queen Beryl raised her staff, and a scarlet light gathered around the crystal at the end. Hotaru struggled with all her strength to warn the queen, but she was stuck fast. Queen Serenity suddenly turned around, and saw Beryl behind her. She called up a sheild of bright white light, just in time as the red light struck out. Hotaru was blinded by the resultant flash. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in her own bed, drenched with sweat, the morning sun peeking in between the curtains.

Hotaru found herself thinking more and more about the dream as the day wore on. Was it just a dream, she wondered, or was it a distant memory from the Silver Millenium? Finally, she decided to talk to Setsuna about it. Setsuna would probably be able to tell her if anything like her dream had ever actually happened. She made an arrangement to meet with her after school at a coffee shop.

Hotaru arrived a little late, and so Setsuna was already there when she arrived, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Hotaru ordered the same, then sat down across the table from the older, dark green-haired senshi.

"I'm sorry to drag you out on such short notice," She apologized.

"It's all right," Setsuna smiled, "What was it you wanted to talk about?" Hotaru told her about her dream. By the time she was finished, Setsuna had a puzzled look on her face.

"So do you know if it was just a dream, or was it a memory from the Silver Milennium?" Hotaru finished.

Setsuna shook her head. "It sounds much to vivid to be a dream. After all, you only saw Beryl for a few moments before the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, didn't you? Yet you just described her perfectly. However," She took a sip of her now- cold chocolate. "It has to be a dream."

"Why?" Hotaru inquired.

"Because you said you saw Queen Serenity and Queen Beryl as younger versions of themselves. That would be before the attack on the Moon Kingdom. Beryl and Serenity never even met, much less fought each other before the fall of the Silver Milennium."

"Hmm. I see...Thank you."

"But don't discount it," Setsuna warned her.

"Remember Luna and Artemis had dreams as well, and that was a serious message from Queen Serenity."

Hotaru looked thoughtful. "Perhaps," she said. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Setsuna nodded. "That would probably be best."Hotaru and Setsuna finished their hot chocolate, and went their ways. Hotaru decided to go to Usagi's house to see her. They hadn't talked for a while, and Hotaru missed her friend. She knew Usagi's cheery personality would help snap her out of the feeling of impending doom she'd had hanging over her all day.

Hotaru walked somewhat slowly, enjoying the beautiful day. She stopped to admire the trees at the local park for a few moments.

"Well, well." Hotaru heard a voice behind her. She turned around to face a girl of about sixteen, with long red hair. Oniko! She thought, what's she doing here?

"Can I help you?" Hotaru asked politely.

Oniko sneered at her. "Drop the act, Sailor wimp. I know who you are." Oniko gathered a ball of energy in one hand. "And I also know your little Sailor pals aren't around to help you! Get ready!" She released the energy, blasting Hotaru backwards.

She knows who I am! Hotaru thought, but how? She picked herself up off the ground. No time to think about that now. "Saturn Planet Power.....Make up!" Hotaru was lifted off the ground and lights flashed as her own special Sailor uniform solidified around her. Her transformation done, she stood facing Oniko, Silence Glaive in hand.

Oniko sneered again. "So. You think you're going to fight me with that toy. Come on, I dare you to try it!"

Saturn glared at Oniko. "You asked for it," she said quietly. She closed her eyes a moment to focus her energy. "Silence Glaive Surprise!" She swung the glaive towards Oniko.

Oniko laughed insultingly and sidestepped both the blade and the energy blast. "Is that the best you can do? And to think, I thought you might be more of a challenge. Now try..... this!" Oniko pointed her hand at Saturn, blasting her again, but this time much harder. Saturn blacked out for a moment, and came to thirty feet away from where she had stood. She tried to get up again, but her muscles wouldn't obey her.

Oniko gave her a disgusted look. "Still not dead? How about this?" Saturn closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain. Oniko is strong, she thought, the other senshi can't beat her if she takes them by surprise.... I have to warn them.....have to warn them.... She heard the air whstling, displaced by Oniko's power.

You're not making sense. Abruptly, her vision cleared. She found herself standing near the edge of an ocean. Queen Serenity stood beside her, gazing out at the endless blue waves.

"Queen Serenity?" Hotaru asked, confused, "Am I dead, then?"

Serenity turned to face her. "No, you're not dead. You're in a part of your mind."

"But, what are you doing here?"

"So many questions! I'm here to help you." "Can you tell me how to beat Oniko?"

"You already know that. Listen to me. A dangerous time is at hand, and Oniko is not the worst of what is yet to come. In the times to come you may despair, but never, ever give up hope. Do you see those birds?" She pointed, far out to sea, where gulls were wheeling over the waves. Hotaru nodded. "Those birds had the ability to fly their entire life. When they were young, they did not know the potential was there, and weren't strong enough to use it. But, time passed, and they found the strength, and the courage, to soar into the sky."

It's the same with you, Hotaru. You have the potential inside you, if you have the courage to look for it."

Hotaru looked silently at the freewheeling white gulls. "I think I understand." She looked down, and picked up a single pure white feather from the ground. "But-"

Serenity smiled."Then it is time for you to return." The seashore faded out of focus, and Hotaru found herself back in the inky blackness.

Open your eyes, Hotaru. Open your......

Hotaru opened her eyes. She felt a strange power flowing through her. It was new, and yet it felt like it had always been there. She had just never had the courage to seek it before. Her soul seemed to rise in a joyous song. She got up off the ground, incredibly startling Oniko.

"You! I thought I killed you!"

Sailor Saturn smiled slightly. "No, you didn't." She raised her hands high above her head, and, as Oniko looked on in amazement, a change swept over her. Her tiara disappeared, replaced by a metallic white sign of Saturn. Her skirt became three layers, white, light purple and dark violet. Her gloves changed, lengthening down her arms. And, from her back, a pair of white wings spread open in the sun.

"I don't know what you did," Oniko said, once more collecting a ball of energy in each of her hands. "But it doesn't really matter anyways. You're going to die!" She put her hands together, doubling her energy.

Eternal Sailor Saturn picked her glaive up off the ground. As Oniko blasted her, she raised it into a defensive postition. The energy parted around it like water. Oniko drew back, shocked. Sailor Saturn closed her eyes and began to concentrate her energy. She gathered it in the blade before her, the Silence Glaive, embodiment of death in its purest form. She could almost see it spiralling up around the base to the very edge of the blade, the blade sharper than fear itself . She slowly pointed it away from herself , towards Oniko.

"Child of darkness," she intoned slowly, "Look upon me and fear, for I carry the emblem of death in my hand. I soar on wings of night, I am Eternal Sailor Saturn, the Midnight Angel."

Oniko started to back away slowly. Saturn marveled internally. "Where did that speech come from?" she wondered. She refocused her thoughts to the Silence Glaive.

"Eternal..." She whispered softly. The energy flowed out of her, covering the glaive in bright light. "Silence!" She pointed it towards Oniko, and let the built up power blast outwards in lilac rings of power. Everything fell completely silent. Miles away, Setsuna lifted her head from the book she was reading. A shiver ran through her. Haruka and Michiru faltered mid-note in a concert, and felt a strange chill sweep over them.. Rei, at the temple, was jerked awake out of a restless sleep. All of the Sailor Senshi, in one way or another, felt Eternal Sailor Saturn's awakening.

Oniko raised herself from the ground. She had just managed to get out of the way of Saturn's blast, but had been knocked down by the residual power. She wiped blood off her lip. This was not the whimpy Sailor she had been expecting. She wasn't powerful enough to handle this. Oniko turned tail and teleported away. She had to find some easier prey...

Usagi and Makoto dashed into the park. "Hotaru!" She cried, "We felt strange vibrations coming from here. Are you all right?" She took her friend's hand.

Hotaru nodded. She smiled wanly. "I think so..." She turned away for a moment, watching as a hawk took flight into the air. "Yes," she said, not turning around, "I'm fine..."