Arc 1, Chapter 21: Eyes, Eyes, Eyes

Hearing her name being shouted out one last time gave Jotou the final push to enter the room. The darkness covered behind her, giving Fumeko and Asobi one last view of the gold that stepped in…

"Spark!" her hands glowed, keeping away the velatos. She reached her sword and crouched down to pick it up. The shadows pierced through her head, doing no harm.

"Hotaru!" Jotou tried to fend them off. The shadows grabbed around Jotou's waist, finally getting a hold of her by holding her nightgown around her, squishing her form.

"Get, out, of my way!" Jotou screamed, slashing frantically at her waist being pulled up to the ceiling before the shadows staggered, dropping her.

Jotou fell to the floor. "THUMP!" Only hurting her chest and knees, "Ow! Ugh…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" that dulcet voice—Jotou recognized it.

Jotou stabbed the wood and propped herself back up. She swung her sword, grunting, "Hold on Aru! I'm coming!" she staggered forward, beating up the limbs in her path before- "WOOSH!"

…

Jotou entered the shadows, clouding around her like smoke; they no longer tried to attack…

Ruby red eyes came into view; one, then two, then three… varying sizes, from the ceiling, from the walls, into the forms of people who were made of the same black clouds.

Hotaru was crouched down in the middle, but she seemed much… smaller. The people around her looked about the same size; Jotou could hear a mild ringing of a school bell.

Jotou tried to approach, but the bottom of her dress was held back by shadow…

"Stop it!" Hotaru's voice sounded childlike as her ears covered her head and tail hid in between her legs—tears formed in her eyes.

"Freak!" "Weirdo!" "Grab her tail, we can cut it off!" the kids around threw trash and pebbles at Hotaru who covered her head in the middle, squealing and crying.

"Hotaru!" Jotou began fighting it off as more and more limbs began grabbing her dress; the eyes appeared behind Jotou, almost whispering something as it restrained her.

The cloud and smoke covered Hotaru and the kids disappeared. Another mirage of Hotaru, now crying around the corner of a building, bruised and dirty.

Tears rolled down her cheeks before they started glowing—her own tears healed the small cut on her cheek. Hotaru could feel it and as she opened her eyes to check…

The shadow and smoke removed the image, as if taking away a glimmer of hope and happiness, leaving now an adult Hotaru in the middle of other adults made of smoke on a street; the same position she was in before.

The ruby red eyes of the people glared, "Abomination!" one of the people around her shouted as another approached her in the middle of the crowd where Hotaru stood.

Jotou struggled, grunting against the shadow that grasped her thigh using her dress.

The person held a sword made of smoke, "You don't deserve to live, 'part-human'; your bloodline needs to disappear," it spoke as Jotou was forced to watch, the blade slashing across Hotaru's neck as Hotaru gasped, falling to the ground.

"HOTARU!!!" Jotou screamed out, smacking and wrestling with the shadows, her blade striking in a frenzy at every inch of every tentacle grabbing her.

Hotaru lied on the floor… struggling to breathe… blood pooled and squirted out; her eyes were fading…

"Hotaru!!!"

Her hands inched towards her neck, falling onto the slash, "Heal…" she rasped, water coalesced and healed her slit throat.

The shadows changed again, to a child version of her, only this time a kid had the sword. Her wound healed as she cried on her knees—blood trickling down her teeth.

Hotaru once again was in her body when she was younger. She looked up to the kid… "SWISH!"

Jotou gritted her teeth; her clothes were tattered as she yelled louder and louder, tears streaming down her eyes, "GET OFF OF ME!" her adrenaline pumped under her skin.

"SLAM! SLASH! BUFF!!" Each blade struck with lighting trails. Every blade strike hit true on the shadows grabbing her as she wrenched free of their grasp, "HOTARU!"

Jotou dashed and stumbled forward; Hotaru began healing her throat again, barely living; she could see her life fading as white light began shining in her eyes…

"Hotaru!" white turned yellowish-blonde… The colour around returning as Jotou's fingers nestled into the back of her head..

"No, please, stop… I didn't ask to be born like this, please," Hotaru cried as a child, pleading for her life.

The shadows didn't react; more eyes surrounded the two as if to spectate. Having her fair share of bullying in school for being quiet and weird; knowing even his mother, was in a way, like the people that stoned and hurt Hotaru…

"Hey," Jotou held her head; her voice trembled, trying to hold it together, "You're perfect the way you are. You understand? You didn't ask to be like this, but this is your life. For every person that hates you there's only more that like you."

"I'm an abomination… a part-human… a bloodline existing out of failed experiments…" she murmured closing her eyes, her ears shivered.

"Once you find those people, they won't care what you look like, how awkward you are, even how depressing you are. They'll stick by your side, protecting you from the assholes who take your lunch money. I'm here Hotaru," Jotou tried to 'wake' her.

"Everybody hates me; everyone leaves me."

"I'm by your side. I'd never judge you for being so kind, so calm and beautiful when all this world gave you was hatred and ignorance.

Even in your ugliest moments, I'll be here, getting you through it; we gotta stick together, remember? Now come on, wake up from this nightmare, open your eyes.

Our friends are waiting for our next adventure. Don't you want to see your enchanted adventuring gear?" she smiled—her eyes watered.

Hotaru's kid-self fluttered her eyelashes, "Jotou…?" her voice whimpered, "You're here!" Hotaru burst into tears, embracing Jotou who was on her knees.

The child's height met the blonde's head as she hugged standing up; her shorter tail wagged. Jotou hugged back, closing her eyes, "You're okay," Jotou said once more.

Opening her eyes, Hotaru was on her knees, hugging back Jotou in her normal adult form.

Jotou glanced back, with a little giggle as they sat in all the chaos of smoke around them; the ruby red eyes peered down. "Jotou…? Jotou!" Hotaru woke up fully, her eyes blinked faster, "What's happening!?" Was that even a dream…? 

"Too much to explain, let's get out first," Jotou got up; she gave Hotaru a hand and grabbed her sword with the other.

The smoky dreams of clouded shadow dissipated; the pitch-black room returned… revealing the entrance to the room, "Time to go!" Jotou pulled her along. Hotaru stepped out of the room in a hurry.

The shadows going away slithered forward in a swoop. "SWISH!" They grabbed Jotou by the waist as she tried to exit.

"Jotou!" Hotaru yelled, but before the redhead could do anything, Jotou was pulled back too fast. Jotou let out a final gasp as her widened eyes was dragged into the room. "SLAM!"