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The next thing Bismuthite knew, he was in a place that seemed much like Destiny City. In fact it was. And it would seem like he was walking home after school. Wait, walking home? After school? Yes. Yest that was right. According to his mind in this dream he was still sixteen, still attending Meadowview, and still coming home every day to what he hated most. A family that was worse than sub par in a home that was falling apart.

It was far from everything the boy tried to be - well groomed, mannered, haughty high-society... It was his greatest fear that someone would find out that he was from what would have been trailer park trash if not for his grandmother who had willed his father the house... The one story + attic home that looked bad enough on the outside - poorly manicured lawn, over grown flower beds, over flowing trash cans - but was absolutely horrendous on the inside.

Billy tried to keep the place clean, but it seemed like his mother - drug whore 'party girl' (even at 30) - was determined to keep the place a mess. Half cooked food was left on the stove caking the pots and pans. Plates were in the sink and probably growing things. There was trash that had somehow accumulated and overflowed the trash can in only a day,...
His mother's little rat-dog had long since made a mess out of the carpet and furniture - random tears and stains littered both. And his father? When he came home he would simply whole himself up in his office which doubled as his bedroom. His mother and father hadn't slept together in many years now. Not since the second relapse. That was when his father had simply given up. Yet he couldn't bring himself to divorce his wife who had taken to hosting nightly parties at the filthy house, leaving Billy to clean up the mess when he finally couldn't take it any more.

Billy was walking, still walking. There was dread and fear churning in the pit of his stomach. One of his teachers wanted to come talk to his parents. Not just that, but to come to his house and talk. The the human rat-hole. Billy wanted to die then and there when the teacher had told him.

His entire facade would be ruined. Someone of authority would know the truth, and tell the other teachers who would let it slip to his peers... Billy would be knocked off his pedestal and placed on their level. No, below. He'd be below many of them. Those who had a better home life than he had...


It seemed this younger dream billy kept on walking, eyes glossed staring in to a dark abyss of fear. Soon all that was around him was that abyss, and he could hear the whispers, hear the sneers and the jokes and the gossip. It got louder and louder until it was nothing but white noise.

That was when he thought he woke up.

Where was he? What happened? He remembered water. He remembered desperately searching for a key. Where were the others? What had happened. He looked around, but saw nothing, and all he could feel was fear. But what was it that he was afraid of? Him of all people!? What could possibly cause him fear?


He jumped back as a vision of someone, probably a past peer, materialized in front of him. Mocking him. Belittling him. And what was worse? It was all truth. Then another form materialized, and another. All spouting the wicked truth. Billy wasn't who he tried to be. He lived a lie. But how did they know!? How? WHY!? The more they spouted the more panicked Billy became - pink eyes wide, and body trembling. He wanted to hide. He wanted to deny. Deny, deny, deny. They were wrong. They knew nothing! The couldn't know! He'd kill them all and resume his lie!

"Stop it, stop it, lieeesss~" Billy didn't realize he was saying anything until his voice rose into a cracked shout, "STOP IT, you know NOTHING!"

That was when the voices of the people started laughing. Laughing a mocking laugh. And had they gotten bigger? Were they looking down a little ol' Billy?


Suddenly he wasn't Billy anymore. Suddenly he was Bismuthite. And suddenly the voices weren't laughing anymore. Because Bismuthite didn't live in a rat-hole of a house, didn't have a drug-whore mother or a p***y-a** father. Bismuthite didn't have any of that to try and live above. He had an ego fed by his own desire to be better than everyone, not to hide an awful truth. And even that ego was being tested and torn down. Especially after these two weeks.
If this was Bismuthite, then was Billy Roadinger really that much different?

"Why? Why do I let the truth strike such fear in me? What do I have to be ashamed of? I lived through such vile condition. I didn't give in to it. I over came it. That alone should be something to find pride in. Shouldn't it? I should be proud to have built something so strong from a foundation so horrid and unbecoming." Bismuthite smirked and looked in the eyes of the nearest apparition. "A real underdog, Cinderella story."

"I'm not gonna deny anymore. I'll say 'yeah, this is what I came from. What I had to over come, and look, I did it, so what about it?' So what if I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth like I tried to make so many believe. I fought to overcome. And I did. Shame? I'll turn that shame in to pride, and when others learn of my origins, I won't be afraid of their opinions. 'Cause look where I am now."

Bismuthite - Billy - had power, love, talent, achievements, all manner of things to be proud of. And the dark cloud that had followed him for so long, all the hate and fear of his origins... in just the matter of time he'd been unconscious, his mind had worked to rationalize and disperse it. And he was left feeling revitalized. Strong. And free.

Ashley Desmond woke up alone.

Where was she ? What had happened ? She couldn't remember how she had ended up here... It was dark, very dark. Somehow darker than true black should be. There was... something heavy in the air, some sense of foreboding she couldn't quite pin down the source of.

The young girl groaned, worked herself to her knees, then shakingly onto her feet. The darkness didn't let out, and no matter how much she squinted, she saw nothing at all.

“Hello ?” She called out, then started to walk. Where, she didn't know, but there had to be something somewhere, right ? Her voice echoed oddly, and it made her shiver.

Where was everyone ?

“Mom ? Dad ?” Her voice echoed again, but there was no answer. She continued to walk. “Matty ? Aunt Betty ?” Again, there was no answer.

Where were they ? Where was her family ?

There was a sound, the sound of her feet stepping into something wet. It wasn't water, but blood.

And, in the distance, three body bags.

No.

No no no no no no NO !!!!

“MOM ! DAD ! MATTY ! BETTY !” It was impossible, it couldn't... !!!! She rushed, but try as she might, the more she ran, the further the bags that contained her family. She couldn't reach them, couldn't hold them, they were gone.

Destiny City had finally claimed her family. She had always feared losing her family – her family was everything to her – but the recent going ons in their town had only made it worse. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before the strange monsters of the town would claim them, one by one.

And now, only Ashley Desmond remained.

She stumbled, felt on her knees, and screamed. Screamed like a mad banshee, tears spilling freely out of her eyes, her body shaking with loud sobs. Why did this need to happen ? Couldn't she have at least died for them ? Or have been taken in place of any of them, allowed one of them to keep on living ?

She cried, screamed and sobbed for what felt like forever, and then there was silence. The silence was deafening.

“Demy ? Jada ? Skye ?”

Nothing. No answer. Were they all dead ? All gone ? Was she truly all around in the world ? Would living in this kind of world be worth it ?

Just when the darkness and the fear was about to swallow her whole, her clothes vanished and Ashley became something more. There was the feel of armwraps on her arms, of blooming fabric, the floor hard under her feet where her shoes had vanished.

Ashley was gone, and in her place stood Fluorite. That was right... This would never happen. Not now, and not ever. The senshi would not claim her family, her friends – Fluorite would save them, protect them, hunt down and kill every one of these aliens, one by one, until her family, her friends, the rest of the Negaverse and the Earth would be safe once more. Until then, the ends had to justify the means.

Fluorite would rise, walk the steps one by one, grow in power until there was nothing left that could stop her from this goal. And nothing would stop her.

Nothing.

There was a light in the distance, and a determined Fluorite walked toward it. It was time to leave this place.

Awareness returned slowly. Hiro's eye opened, to be greeted by darkness. He peered around. This wasn't what he'd thought death would be like. He still felt very much alive - a muscle spasming in his back from diving away from the gate between rooms, part of his paw still numb from the darts. The small pains warred with the memory of sinking beneath the rising water. One suggested he was alive, the other that he should be dead. They both couldn't be true. For now, Hiro decided he would be optimistic and believe that he was still somehow alive.

"Is anyone there?" he called out into the gloom. "Hello?"

If he was alive, then the others should be in the same place as Hiro was. He couldn't see anyone. He couldn't hear - no, wait! Soft and distant came the click-clacking of heels. They moved at a steady, unrushed pace, gradually increasing in volume though not speed.

"Fluorite?" Hiro tried again. She was the only one of the Lieutenants on his side of the gate that he actually knew.

There was no response. The footsteps grew louder. Hiro began walking towards them, eager to regroup and get back to the infiltration.

"Where are the others?" he asked as a shadowy figure finally came into view. "I've been looking for y-"

His voice dropped away as light finally touched the approaching figure. It was a young woman. A short skirt fluttered around her thighs. Indecency was prevented by the stripey tights underneath. The weak light glinted off pale dreadlocks.

"Alkaid!" Hiro cried and broke into a bounding run towards his senshi. Here she was, alive and well after all of his worry. "I was wor-"

A boot to his ribs cut off the cat's greeting. His small body flew to one side. Hiro landed with no signs of feline grace - certainly not on his feet, but with his other side slamming to the ground and skidding across it. Hiro needed a moment to remember how to breathe. Struggling to his feet, he stared up at his senshi.

"Alkaid! Why...!?"

The senshi stepped closer. The light struck her fuku, reflecting off it, illuminating the white leotard.

"No," Hiro gasped. His head shook back and forth. Ears slowly lowered flat onto his skull. It wasn't possible. He wouldn't, he couldn't, believe it. Before him stood an uncorrupted Super Sailor Alkaid. Who could have done this? How?

There was no time for shock. Alkaid hadn't paused, one foot slamming down from above.

Hiro barely leapt to the side in time. "Alkaid... is my enemy?" It didn't compute. They hadn't know each other long, but Hiro had known from that first night that somehow Alkaid was meant to be his senshi. It had seemed like fate or destiny or some other mystical bullshit he didn't really believe in - it had just felt right. Like he'd found something he hadn't known he'd been missing. And to lose her so soon! To the senshi, no less.

"Fight," Alkaid demanded. "Or die."

He was no coward, but Hiro felt a frission of fear run down his spine. She sounded serious, and unconcerned as though they had never met.

"Alkaid, don't you remember me?" he asked. "It's Hiro! Your cat!"

The eyes staring down at him were cold. "You were the Guardian Cat of Corrupt Sailor Alkaid. I have been purified. What do I need with a corrupted cat?"

Her fists came swinging at a frozen Hiro. It must have been awkward for Alkaid to aim strikes so low, but it didn't stop her. Her punches struck again and again, heavy and relentless. It seemed Alkaid would wipe out every trace of her corruption, starting with the guardian cat.

"No," Hiro protested. Battered and bruised, he forced himself up on wobbly legs. One gave out, but he just barely managed to catch himself in time.

" 'No'?" Alkaid repeated, a cold sneer in place. "You can't stop me, little cat. How very useless you really are. Talking big, but you're nothing against a human, are you?"

The words stung. They reached deep inside Hiro to rip and tear at secret places. He wasn't useless! He wasn't! So what if he was stuck as a cat. If he wasn't as big or strong as a human, if he couldn't fight with fists and kicks. He had fangs and claws. He was fast, agile! And no human would ever be as good of a sneak as the feline Hiro.

Even without that... even then... A rush of warmth flooded Hiro as his mind recalled:
"Thank you for ... attempting to make me feel better."
"It's nice to know I have you to rely on now."

That was right. His Alkaid needed him. If for nothing else than to stop her nightmares when they struck, or to listen to her problems, to say 'good job!', and to always, always be by her side no matter what.

No matter what.

Hiro limped forward. His one teal eye closed in acceptance of whatever may come. "Alkaid is my senshi," he said firmly. "No matter what."

The expected blow never came. When Hiro snuck a peak from one squinting eye, the pure Alkaid was gone. There was a moment's pang of loneliness before the cat spied a new light off in the distance. He obediently trotted off in it's direction, the wounds he'd suffered from 'Alkaid' disappearing as he moved.