Sailor V leapt gracefully, the white and red sailor fuku hugging her body as she bounded from rooftop to rooftop across the city of Tokyo at night. Her blonde hair glittered, skin pale but healthy as she landed, looking about curiously from beneath her mask. Silently the other figure landed right beside her, her own short black hair mussed slightly. Her skin was almost deathly pale and her purple eyes glittered dangerously, her lips rising in a slight smile. "So, what are we looking for?" Hotaru Tomoe asked softly. "I was waiting for you," Sailor V admitted. A curious look crossed Hotaru's face as she studied Sailor V, "Why?" Sailor V gave her a gaze filled with gentle concern, "You haven't fed yet, have you?" Hotaru tensed slightly, looking away from Sailor V as she clenched her black gloved hands. "I'm fine," she said harshly. "Setsuna still hasn't cured you," Sailor V said firmly, meeting Hotaru's eyes, "you need to drain energy from someone to survive." "I ate a few nights ago," Hotaru reminded her firmly, "I don't need to take more." "Don't joke, please," Sailor V pulled her white glove off, reaching out and offering her bare hand to Hotaru. All it took was the touch of bare skin to hers and Hotaru would begin to pull the lifeforce from a person's body, sucking the very energies of survival from them. Even the presence of Sailor V so near tempted her, made her heart beat faster, but she made herself turn away. "I don't want to hurt you," she said roughly. "Hotaru?" Sailor V asked softly. Reluctantly Hotaru turned back to look at Minako only to feel soft lips press to her own, her life-saving curse kicking in immediately. Gently Sailor V kissed her, short moments stretching out between them as vitality poured out of Sailor V into the other woman, then she finally pulled back, staggering slightly with tiredness. Swiftly Hotaru grabbed her arm, steadying her. "Why did you...?" she blurted out, looking much younger than her normally confident manner implied. Sailor V pulled off her white mask and Minako smiled, "You weren't listening and I don't think you would have taken from me willingly." She shook off the momentary weakness and put her mask back on as she said firmly, "Ready to go?" "Yes I am," Hotaru said, guiltily aware of how good she had felt even after the momentary contact between them. 'And why is my heart beating so fast?' she wondered as she and the lovely blonde took off into the night. They had been going out on these patrols for several weeks now, hunting down the Youma that still haunted the night. These creatures had preyed on humanity for many centuries, allied with their dark lords the Oni and recently they had very nearly opened the way for the Oni queen's return. Only an unlikely alliance of heroes had stopped it, and their victory had been a very near thing. In the aftermath Sailor V had been determined to reduce their numbers to prevent such an attack again and Hotaru had joined her in that quest eagerly. They hit a rooftop running as Sailor V said, "There's been a recent rash of killings in this area, it has the stink of the Oni about it." "How so?" Hotaru asked seriously, easily keeping pace. "I got in to see the bodies as Minako Aino," Sailor V grinned wickedly as she explained, "I lied and told them I was working on a new crime T.V. show. They literally shone with the remains of dark spells." She scowled, "I just wish I had Artemis there, he could have told us more about what they were doing." "I think he and Luna are a little busy right now," Hotaru noted with some amusement. The guardian cats paired with Usagi and Minako had once been lovers until duty put them on opposing sides, and only recently had they rediscovered their love. "I'd like to be busy that way," Sailor V joked as she finally stopped in what might be considered the bad part of town. 'Me, too,' Hotaru silently admitted as she landed by her side in a moment. Aloud she asked, "So do you have a plan?" "Not exactly," Sailor V conceded, "but assuming the Oni or Youma are here, I think that our presence here should get some attention." A faint smile as Hotaru asked, "So we're bait?" "That's about it," Sailor V agreed. They stood there a moment, the breeze gently stirring their clothes then she softly said, "Do you see them?" Hotaru didn't show anything was wrong, "No, but I hear them." She flexed her hands as she muttered, "I wish I still had my polearm..." Out of the darkness they burst forth, the creatures that human's called Youma! They seemed human, on first look, but their misshapen limbs and scarred faces put a lie to that illusion. With nearly inhuman strength they piled on, the numbers overwhelming the two warriors, until the eight of them held the two of them captive. "So good to see you again, sweet Hotaru," the familiar voice purred as the light brown haired figure emerged from the shadows. "Zoisite," Hotaru growled faintly, silently cursing the gauntlets that her captors wore, preventing her from stealing their lives. Zoisite ignored Sailor V, his complete attention focused on Hotaru. "You traitor," he hissed at her, "you have twisted the precious gift that had been granted to you by our Queen, turning it against your brothers and sisters." "It's not a gift it's a curse," Hotaru glared at him with eyes as cold as winter, "come a bit closer so that I can show you!" "I'm not that foolish," Zoisite kept his distance from Hotaru, the fear in his stance contradicting his casual tone. "You're afraid of Hotaru and that's wise," Sailor V murmured as she deliberately drew his eyes to her, "but you should have been watching me." Sudden the dark blood of a Youma splattered them all as she used a hidden knife to strike, then smoothly slipped her golden length of chain into her hand. She struck, the weighted end lashing out to wrap around the throat of a Youma, a twist of her wrist slaying the one restraining Hotaru. "Yes!" Hotaru bit another one, clamping down with her teeth as it howled, it's life force pouring into her body like a foul wave. Zoisite threw a bolt of dark force as he growled, "Damn you!" Sailor V cried out in pain as the power threw her backward and Hotaru saw red. With a murderous fury she broke free of the remaining Youma, her power scything out like the weapon of Death herself to kill them. With a dangerous calm she advanced on Zoisite, her gaze deadly. "Hotaru," Sailor V murmured in shock and more than a little awe. "Stay back," Zoisite's voice broke with fear as he struck out with his power again, but Hotaru just ignored it. "You hurt her," Hotaru's voice was as cold as her eyes, "the one who is precious to me." Sailor V shook of her daze, listening with a bit of surprise. 'Precious to her?' she thought, feeling a surprising burst of warmth within her. Blinded by his own fear Zoisite tried to punch her, not realizing he had made a fatal mistake. Zoisite grabbed his arm and in a second the connection was made, life force pouring out of Zoisite in a wave into the smaller woman. His knees buckled and he slumped. voice whisper soft as he pitifully begged, "Please, no...." "Never," Hotaru said bleakly and in seconds he fell to the ground, life snuffed like a candle. As Sailor V walked up behind her she felt a chill as the battle lust faded and what Hotaru had done fully registered on her. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm not," Sailor V said quietly. Hotaru turned to her in surprise and she smiled, removing her mask. "I'm no hypocrite," Minako met her violet eyes with her own blue ones, "it's no less than he deserved, especially after what he did to Usagi's family." "I'm glad," Hotaru answered softly. "Me, too," Minako answered. Part of her wanted to ask about what Hotaru had meant when she had said she was precious to her, but she decided it could wait. She smiled slightly, knowing that they had time. "What?" Hotaru asked, seeing that smile. "Just thinking that I'm going to enjoy being your partner," she said, slipping her Sailor V mask back on. She grinned as she raced to the side of the roof, "Let's go give Usagi the good news." "Yes," Hotaru grinned back, following her happily. End. Notes: This is set a few weeks after the end of Senshi. After publishing the final chapter I remembered I had not dealt with Zoisite, the villain who had killed Usagi's adopted parents in the story, so I intended to write a ficcy where he was.. dealt with.
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