It was just an ordinary Tuesday morning for Hotaru Tomoe. She was running around the house collecting all the books and things she would need for the day. "Setsuna-mama, have you seen my school bag?" Hotaru shouted.

"No, where did you leave it last?" A voice replied.

"Uuuummm...I think the kitchen?"

"I put all of the stuff from the kitchen in your room." Setsuna responded.

Hotaru sighed and ran down the hall. But she halted at the entrance to Setsuna's bedroom. There was a strange light in the closet. "Mama, what's that blue light in your room?" Hotaru yelled.

"What are you talking about?"

Curious Hotaru moved closer, suddenly an ugly, malformed beast materialized from the light. "YOUMA!" Hotaru screamed, falling back. She didn't have time to transform before the youma jumped at her, trying to attack. Pluto's garnet rod, which was sitting in the corner, seemed to sense Hotaru's distress and acted immediately to protect her. It flew between her and the youma, it intercepted the monster's attack but the force behind it caused the garnet orb to shatter. A blinding light enveloped both Hotaru and the monster.

"GET DOWN!" Someone shouted. Hotaru didn't even have time to register what was going on. She just obeyed the voice and tumbled out of the way. She felt her knee hit a sharp rock and cut open, which was the first thing that told her she was no longer in her house. She looked up just in time to see a scythe tear through the youma.

It dissolved into dust after the scythe hit it. Hotaru stared in shock, trying to gather where she was. She was outside, though not any outside she knew. She seemed to be in a big open field surrounded by woods. The sky was way too clear to be anywhere in Toyko.

"Are you okay?" Hotaru looked over, a boy was running over to her. He must have been the same one who shouted and threw the scythe. He was about her age, with brown hair tied up in a top knot, and a face full of freckles. He had big, kind brown eyes. He was wearing a black, skin-tight suit with muted green shoulder and elbow pads tied on with teal pieces of cloth. Hotaru was too dumbstruck to speak at first. The boy reached her and knelt in front of her. "You're bleeding." He stated.

"What? Oh...It's fine." Hotaru replied, looking down at her scratched knee, which had now produced enough blood that it ran all the way down her shin and onto her shoe.

"Here." The boy said. He untied the teal cloth from around his waist and used it to wrap up the injury.

"Thank you." Hotaru said, though she could have easily healed herself.

The boy smiled, "My name's Kohaku." he said, offering her his hand.

"I'm Hotaru." She replied taking it. She felt something off about the boy, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. He seemed kind enough, but something wasn't quite right about him.

"You're pretty far away from the nearest village, Hotaru. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm lost." Hotaru said. "I'm not entirely sure how I got here, to be honest."

"Where are you from? Maybe I can help you get home."

"Tokyo."

Kohaku seemed to be thinking. "I don't think I've ever heard of that village. Is it by the coast or inland?"

"Never mind." Hotaru sighed, "I don't think I'll be able to get back anyways." Worry quelled up in her stomach. Where was she? She felt like she was still on earth and Kohaku was speaking Japanese, but if she was still in Japan, how could he not know where Tokyo was?

Kohaku gave her a sympathetic look. "What about your family?"

Hotaru shrugged sadly.

"I'm sorry..." Kohaku said, "I lost my family, too. But you can't stay out here on your own. It's too dangerous. There are a lot more demons where that one came from."

"I can hold my own against youma." Hotaru replied. "That one just caught me off guard."

"Even so, you shouldn't be alone. Why don't you come with me?"

Hotaru blinked in surprise. "Are you sure."

Kohaku nodded, "I know how terrible it is to be alone." He told her, "I'm sure Lady Kikyo won't mind."

He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it. "Thank you..." She said. He smiled. His smile put her at ease somehow. It made her feel like everything was going to be okay. He pulled her onto her feet. And guided her through the forest.

"Kohaku, is that you?" A voice asked. They came into view of a very beautiful woman sitting in a tree, she had long black hair and was wearing a traditional miko outfit, similar to the one Rei wore when she worked at the shrine. Hotaru stopped in her tracks, something was definitely off about her. Hotaru was Sailor Saturn, the Guardian of Death and Rebirth. She could tell when people were dying or about to die, she could also tell when someone was dead. This woman was dead. And she had been for a long time.

"Lady Kikyo," Kohaku said, "This is Hotaru, she's lost. I was wondering if it was okay if she traveled with us for a while."

Kikyo gracefully got down from the tree and walked over the the two kids. "Hello, Hotaru." She said.

Hotaru just stared, rather rudely. Kohaku nudged her. "H-hello, ma'am." She stuttered.

"Kohaku and I are traveling down a very dangerous path." Kikyo commented, "It would be safer for you to find a new village and make your home there."

"I'm used to danger." said Hotaru, recovering from her shock. "I can handle myself."

Kikyo nodded, "I sense a great deal of power from you. I have no time to babysit, but if you're confident that you can keep up and take care of yourself then it would be good for Kohaku to have a companion his own age."

"Thank you, Lady Kikyo!" Kohaku said with a big smile.

"Thank you, ma'am." Hotaru said, bowing respectfully.

"We must be moving on, now." Kikyo stated. "I feel Naraku on the move again."

"Alright." Kohaku said. Kikyo swiftly turned and started walking away, Kohaku followed. Surprised at the suddenness of their leaving, Hotaru had to hurry a bit to keep up with Kohaku.

"Don't you have any bags to pack or anything?" Hotaru asked.

Kohaku shook his head. "Neither of us have any possessions." He said, "If we did it would be to difficult to travel."

"I suppose that makes sense." Hotaru replied.

"By the way, you have a strange kimono." He said, "It's almost like someone else I know. Where did you find it?"

"Huh?" Hotaru looked down at her outfit, "This isn't a kimono. It's my school uniform."

"School uniform?" Repeated Kohaku confused.

"Haven't you ever gone to school?"

"I've never even heard that word before."

Hotaru blinked, where the Hell was she that he had never heard of school?! "Never mind." She said, "Where did you learn to kill youmas like that?"

"I'm a demon slayer." He said, a hint of pride in his voice. "My family came from a village of demon slayers. I've been training since I was a kid."

"Why didn't you stay in your village than?" Hotaru asked curiously.

Kohaku looked down, "My entire village was destroyed..." He admitted.

"Oh..." Hotaru said sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's why I'm traveling with Kikyo. So I can find the man who destroyed it and avenge them."

Hotaru didn't reply. Personally, she didn't believe in vengeance, violence only breeds more violence. But that didn't mean she didn't understand it. If someone was to kill her family, she would probably want revenge too. She wasn't sure what she would do in Kohaku's situation. She just took his hand. He gave her a tiny smile. They walked in silence for a little while.

After about ten minutes passed, Hotaru started singing under her breath.

"Just as a place of shining light must fall into shadow,
Every thing that lives must someday die,
But do not be sad,
We will be born whole once again,
Our love will be reborn anew.

To a brand new world we will go,

To a brand new world..."

She noticed Kohaku was staring at her, even Kikyo had turned to listen. She realized she must have been singing louder than she thought she was. Her face turned bright red and she looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry..." She said.

"No." Kohaku said, "Don't apologize, you have a pretty voice. You should keep going."

She smiled, blushing even harder, if that was possible.

"Where did you learn that song?" Kikyo asked.

Hotaru shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I've just always known it. I think someone used to sing it to me when I was a baby."

"Your mother, maybe?" Suggested Kohaku.

Hotaru shook her head, none of her parents sang much. Michiru would sometimes play the violin for her, and Haruka would occasionally join in on the piano. But none of her parents liked singing. "No, someone else." She wondered maybe if it was a memory left over from when she was Princess Saturn.

"You should keep singing." Kohaku said again. "I haven't heard anyone sing in a long time."

"Alright." Hotaru replied, she started singing again. After she went through about five songs, her throat started to get sore so she had to stop. She and Kohaku talked on and off for a majority of the next few hours. She really liked talking to him, he was interesting, even though she felt like he was trying to hide something from her. Kikyo didn't join in their conversation, even when she was invited.

"Don't be offended," Kohaku told Hotaru. "She don't like to talk a lot."

"If I have something to say, I will say it." Kikyo stated, "But I feel no need to fill every moment with ideal chatter."

Maybe it's a miko thing. Hotaru thought to herself, Rei wasn't a fan of small talk either.

The sun had started to dip below the tree line before Kikyo decided to stop. "Why don't you two find yourselves some food." She suggested. "We'll stay here for the night."

"Alright." Kohaku said. "You can stay here with Kikyo if you want, I'll hunt for both of us."

"I can help." Hotaru said. She didn't particularly want to be alone with Kikyo. "I know a lot about edible plants and what not." Her and Chibiusa had taken a few scout classes together.

"Alright." Kohaku replied, "If you're sure."

The two went into the forest, Hotaru started scrounging for sansai. She found hasukappu berries and filled up her pockets with them, sucking the sour juice from her fingertips whenever she accidentally squeezed one too hard. She was sure that Setsuna-mama would be angry at the two purple stains that were blooming on either side of her skirt, but she couldn't worry about things like that right now. She also found a bunch of kogomi and gathered as much as she could fit in her arms. Kohaku had disappeared further into the woods, so she headed back to Kikyo. The miko had started a fire but wasn't sitting by it. She was leaning up against a tree about fifteen meters away. A couple of strange glowing creatures had appeared by her. They looked almost like long thin dragons, only they were pure white and let off a soft light. They were stunning and Hotaru couldn't take her eyes off of them.

"They're soul collectors." Kikyo said, noticing Hotaru.

"Huh?"

"These creatures. They're soul collectors." Kikyo explained. "From the way you stared at me when we met, I gather that you sensed that I no longer belong in this world."

Hotaru kicked at the ground with the toe of her shoe. "I suspected..." She admitted, not wanting to be rude.

"It's true, I died many years ago. This body you see now was created out of clay by a witch in attempt to use me against her enemy. But I can not keep this form forever. For now I borrow the souls of the deceased to keep myself 'alive'. Though eventually that will stop working and I'll die for good. I just hope I can complete my mission before then."

Hotaru wasn't sure how to respond, what she blurted out probably sounded incredibly childish. "Does it hurt? Walking in the world of the living?"

Kikyo cracked a very small smile. "That's what you are concerned about? Whether or not I'm in pain?" Hotaru nodded, that was the only thing she could really do anything about. "It's uncomfortable, but manageable."

"Here." Hotaru said, she deposited the kogomi she gathered on the ground and went over to the miko. She knelt down and put her hand on Kikyo's chest, then closed her eyes. Her hands grew warm as she focused on drawing the woman's pain away from her. Kikyo sigh told Hotaru that it had worked at least a little.

"Thank you." Kikyo said. She didn't ask how Hotaru had healing powers, but then again, a living dead priestess probably couldn't judge whether or not something was weird.

Hotaru went back to the fire and started separating her food into two piles. She wondered if there was a lake or river anywhere around here so she could get something to drink. Kohaku came back carrying a dead rabbit. He sat down by Hotaru and started cutting the meat into pieces, skewing them with sticks, and roasting them over the fire. Every few minutes he would pull the stick back and test the meat with his fingers to check if it was down. When he was satisfied they were done, he gave one of the sticks to Hotaru.

"Thanks." She said, she pushed his pile of berries towards him. "Here."

"Thank you." Kohaku replied with a smile.

Hotaru took a bite of the meat, "I've never eaten rabbit meat before. It's gamier than I thought."

"Do you like it though?" Kohaku asked.

"Mmmhmm." Hotaru nodded. It wasn't bad at all, the texture would take some time to get used to, but still decent. After they finished eating, Hotaru stretched and yawned widely. She found a soft patch of grass near the fire and curled into a ball. "Goodnight, Kohaku." She said, "Goodnight, Lady Kikyo."

"Goodnight, Hotaru." Kohaku replied.

Hotaru closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading. Sorry if there are some mistakes, I haven't gotten a Beta yet.

Extra credit to anyone who knows where the song Hotaru sings is from. Double extra credit if you get it without the help of google. Please review