Let Them be Free
Disclaimer: I don't own Prétear… Unfortunately…
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"Sweet home let them go Now sweet home give me be
And let them free
To many here right now
It'll never be a happy home
With its people crying out
Gotta listen to the tales
We gotta shake off this denial
Unbury the past, turn the clocks back a while
Turn the clocks back a while
Turn the clocks back now…"
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"Mama! Mama!"
Himeno's mother turned towards her daughter and smiled warmly. She wiped a dirty gardening glove on her smock and pushed some loose hair behind her ear.
"Yes, sweetie?" She asked, crouching beside her daughter.
She smiled and giggled in delight. The spring breeze played with the matching flowery pink dress both mother and daughter wore.
"Whatcha doing?"
"I'm tending my flowers."
"What are those?" Himeno asked, pointing with both hands. They were clasped together, a slight cup in each, obviously trapping something.
Her mother's gaze followed her hands to the green stalks sprouting from the ground. Their thick leaves were like blades. Closed buds held promise of beautiful colors.
"Those are the tulips we planted last fall, remember?" Her mother replied, smiling. "We'll get to see them bloom real soon."
"Are they pretty?"
"Yes. They're pretty and need love and care, just like my little tulip." Her mother replied, putting her finger on her daughter's nose, which wriggled as she tried to shake it off.
"I want some in my room."
"Okay, wait until they bloom, though. But what do we have here?" She asked, cupping her hands over Himeno's small chubby ones.
Himeno pulled it away and held it up proudly towards her mother's face. "It's a butterfly. I caught it."
Her mother began to peel back her fingers and Himeno snatched her hand away. "No!" She cried. "It'll escape."
Her mother smiled. "Himeno, you can't keep it trapped. It's alive. Just like you, me, the tulips, trees, the plants, they have life. They need to be free and grow, like you."
"But Mama, I want to keep it. I can keep it in a jar. You can see it through the jar, it's see-through." Himeno insisted, clutching her hands closer to her chest.
Her mother smiled. "Himeno, it can't be free in a jar. It needs to be able to see the world, explore. How would you like it if I kept you in a jar so I could have you all to myself? That'd be selfish."
Himeno pouted. Her mother pulled her hands closer to her and slowly began to open them. This time Himeno let her. A small white butterfly emerged; a trail of fine powder followed it as it flew away, through the cherry blossoms and high into the sky, free once more.
"There," Her mother said softly, holding her daughter's hand. "Let's go inside."
Himeno remained silent, staring after the butterfly until it was gone from view.
"All right, Mama."
"So, do you want to put the tulips next to your bed?"
"No."
"You want them in the window?"
"No, I won't want to cut them. I want them to be free, like the butterfly. I don't want to be selfish."
Her hand is so warm…
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Author Note: I hope you guys liked it. I thought it might be cute to write some little thing about Himeno and her mom. Just a one-shot though. I did think about making it all sad, but didn't want to. I just left it at cute. The song at the beginning is by Killing Heidi, from "Sweeet." I've never actually heard the song, I just found the lyrics on the Internet and thought they'd work, seeing how this is the past and stuff.