Title: Just a Child
Author: Kamel
Word Count: 1,400
Pairing: n/a
Genre: General
Rating: PG
Notes:
Summary: Hotaru seeks protection from a night full of storms.
Weather was always a tricky little thing – you are told one thing and more than likely, something else happened. The household had settled into bed with a clear view of the evening sky minus a few whiskey clouds. They were expected to wake up to just as clear skies in the morning, but the weather man was not one to take too seriously. The wind began to pick up, slow at first, but it picked up speed, dragging in huge massive of dark gray clouds, hiding the brightly glowing stars.
A storm was on the horizon, as small as it may be. It would cause fear and suffering for a few hours that would have to be endured by three caregivers to a single small child.
Howling, the force of the wind caused the bare branches of an old tree to starch up against the bedroom window it was rooted in front of. Had one of the caregivers cut down the branches instead of working on her car's engine, this would not have been a problem. Now issue would ensue due to the caregiver's sheer laziness.
Within the slightly dark bedroom (one corner was illuminated by a night light), a young little girl laid in her bed, curled up into a tight ball with the blankets up to her chin. Her lavender eyes were closed tightly as her body shivered and shook. The shadows casted off by the familiar objects scattered about her room and frightened her, paralyzing her in place. Every muscle in her small body grew tensed, she dared not open her eyes; she was afraid, something was outside her window and something was watching her within her very room. She was petrified to say the least.
The screeching wind picked up a little bit more, now the dried up dead branches were not simply starching up against the window, but they were dreadfully tapping on the glass as if they were begging to be allowed inside. Hotaru tried to block out the unwanted noise from her mind but the more she tried, the more it seemed to echo heavily. A small whimper parted from her already pouting lips. She desperately wanted all this to end before it could get any worse and she already knew it could get much worse than this. She did not want to be alone anymore – this room when draped in darkness was enough to scare even the senshi of ruin and rebirth.
Exhaling a shaky breath, Hotaru drew the blankets closer to her chest as she felt around the empty mattress space around her. Nothing. She must have knocked over her Pikachu plush toy in her sleep; Pikachu had a knack for making her feel better. Haruka-papa promised it would protect her during the night in her place, but now Hotaru had no idea where the yellow rodent went. This was not good, not at all. There was no one to protect her. Yes, even the senshi of ruin and rebirth was subject to fear. After all, she was just a child.
But this was something she had to do.
A small whimper was drowned out by the moaning wind. Hotaru could not believe she was considering what she was about to do. Summoning up her courage, the child barely cracked open her lavender eyes and witnessed the dark shadows of skeletal hands reaching down to her from the ceiling. Hotaru yelped before throwing herself out of bed, making a mad dash to her bedroom door. Heart beating rapidly against her chest, she fumbled the doorknob as she pulled the door open.
Hotaru stumbled into the pitch black hallway, keeping her eyes closed tightly. If she could not see it, it could not harm her. Ah, the logic of a child. It did not matter if it made no sense, as long as it made the child feel safe, everything was alright. She nearly collided with the door across the hallway – her big toe did manage to bang against the hard wood, causing her eyes to instantly water from the now throbbing pain.
The loud bang caused the sleeper in the room to jerk awake. The resident time guardian was not much of a heavy sleeper, the storm she had managed to fall asleep before hand, but the bang was enough to wake anyone in the shared household. The summer storms were beginning, oh such a lovely season. It took a few moments for her maroon colored eyes to adjust to the level of darkness in her plain bedroom. Her door had swung open, she could barely make out the small figure that had tumbled in already sobbing and heaving.
Hime-chan.
Pulling back the blankets, Setsuna exposed her long slender legs that she swung over the edge of the mattress. She would not be caught dead in a pair of short shorts in front of her housemates, especially since they considered her to be the most reserve in the house, but everything was called off at night – why should she not be comfortable in bed? Knealing down slightly, her arms wrapped around Hotaru protectively. In return, Hotaru wrapped her arms around her guardian's neck before burying her face against the woman's bare shoulder; Setsuna had also worn a tank top in order to keep cool.
"Shh… it's okay, hime-chan," Setsuna cooed in an attempt to get the child to calm down. She held her firefly close, stroking her short raven hair. "I'm here now."
"Setsuna-mama," Hotaru nearly choked on a sob. "I'm scared and I hurt my foot," the child whined.
"I'll make it feel better, hime-chan," the woman promised, scooping up her adopted daughter into her arms as she placed a small kiss on her forehead. She hated seeing the girl in any amount of distress; it came with the territory of being a parent, of course. Balancing herself with the added weight, the time guardian returned back to her bed. "Which foot, hime-chan?" she asked.
Sniffling, Hotaru gestured to her right foot before wiping away at her eyes once more. Setsuna held her close to her chest, messaging her right foot as she kissed the top of her head once again.
A low rumbling echoed throughout the house, causing the young child to squirm in the time guardian's arms, attempting to draw herself closer as she whimpered, closing her eyes tightly. She knew the thunder would only grow older as the night progressed and she strongly hated it; Hotaru was not a fan of loud noises.
And she had reason not to be.
Before she had been reborn into this current life with the other outer senshi, Hotaru had experienced one no young child should have. The explosion resulting in the death of her biological mother – and almost her own, the many surgeries that followed to repair her body. She had been such a sickly child and had been constantly surrounded by strange, noisy lab experiments.
Every thunder storm played out the same way in the outer senshi household, especially in the middle of the night. Their hime-chan always came running into the time guardian's bedroom because it was the closest from her own; Michiru's and Haruka's was at the end of the dark hall – a dark hall Hotaru did not want to deal with if she did not have to. Every nightly storm, the girl could not sleep through, Setsuna would be awaken by crying and whimpering by the child; Setsuna did not mind what came next, she actually loved it, any amount of time she got to spend with Hotaru she loved whole heartedly.
Setsuna lay back in bed, propping herself up with the headboard as Hotaru curled up at her side. She wrapped her slender arms around the girl's small figure after pulling the blankets up around her for an extra sense of security.
"I'm going to be right here, hime-chan, I promise."
"Thank you, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru muffled voice spoke back.
This is all she asked for, she wanted to be held and told everything would be okay. A small smile tugged on Setsuna's thin lips, they had quickly come to realize the fearful senshi of ruin and rebirth was just a child – their child to protect.
End