Till Our Lives Burn Out
A Sailor Moon Fan Story
Chapter 003-First Things
(Part 4)
'About time,' thought Hotaru.
It was Tuesday of the fourth week and, late in the afternoon, something for which she'd been secretly hoping finally happened. Michiru-momma called Kuryakin-sensei to tell him that Haruka-poppa's car had broken down, and with profuse apologies, she wondered if he could take Hotaru home. He agreed and sounded pleased at the prospect. He even offered to come and pick up "The Kittens" if they needed a lift. Michiru thanked him, but said that would not be necessary. Hotaru was glad to hear this. It sounded like an excellent opportunity for that "more amenable venue" where she could possibly find out a few things about him and if The Kittens – she chuckled inwardly- were along that would have ruined it. During the trip to the dolphinarium, she had been too excited and a little too shy to probe. On the way back, she had slept, and that would have been too soon anyway. Now, she was more comfortable around him, and with all that she'd noticed lately, she thought that it wouldn't offend discretion too much to put a few polite questions to him.
"Which way would you like to go home, Hotaru-kun? The shortest way, or the scenic route?"
"Which would be less trouble for you?" she asked.
"Don't even worry about that."
"We usually cross the bay to bring me here. But isn't the toll very expensive?"
"I have a free pass."
"Haruka-poppa has one of those, too."
"Really? Always interesting, her and Miss Kaioh. I've got to find a way to get to know those two. Myself, I'd like to take the scenic route. Unless you're in a hurry?"
"Not at all, Kuryakin-sensei," she said sincerely, for this leisurely trip would give her even more time to put the questions carefully. They headed out from the studio early and began the long trek around Tokyo Bay, heading for the Chiba prefecture on the Boso Peninsula.
"May I ask some questions, Kuryakin sensei?" she said tentatively after what she deemed an appropriate amount of time.
"Relating to lessons, or of some other nature?" he asked.
"The second kind."
"You may always ask, Hotaru-kun. I may not always answer," he said looking slyly at her, "but you may always ask."
Kuryakin was more pleased than he let on about this opportunity to take Hotaru home. Professionalism aside, he enjoyed the time spent with her. He saw at once that she was 'a sweetheart,' though a troubled one, which only made him want to help her more. He liked her 'tiny' presence – so he thought of it- unobtrusive, yet substantial in some way he'd not yet fully grasped. There was wonderful tonal quality to Hotaru's voice that was nigh musical. As the weeks passed, he found it more and more delightful and often would draw her out just to hear her talk. She was also deeply intelligent. Kuryakin took more delight than he could possibly have imagined in tutoring young people, but it was rare that he had a student who could actually spark him intellectually. Ami Mizuno might have been able to, but was bit a too young when he'd taught her, and far too shy. One or two others had, but in general teaching was very much a one-way street. The pleasure he took from it was not that kind of pleasure. Hotaru was also unfailingly proper, but if he pressed her a little, he discovered she was surprisingly and wonderfully opinionated. If she thought this might a chance to find out more about him, he would try not to disappoint her. There wouldn't be much he could reveal, but he was touched that she would even want to know. The things he could reveal would, most likely, be boring to a young girl. Where his life was 'interesting,' it was very interesting indeed, but it was also something he would never talk about.
She waited a few moments, unsure how to proceed.
"Ask away, Hotaru-kun."
"The last few lessons you seem kind of tired."
"Oh. Yeah, I haven't been getting good sleep lately."
"Why not?"
He smiled. "I like how observant and curious you are. Thanks for noticing. I have a few things on my mind."
"Like what?"
Now he chuckled.
"Next question, Hotaru-kun."
"Do you have friends here?"
"A few. Mostly though, I have professional acquaintances, and former students like Miss Mizuno. Many of those students are abroad now, working or going to college. Every now and then, I'll run into someone, or a one of them will remember me, and drop me line. Not so much lately, though. I wish they would. I really do hope all is well with them."
"I was wondering about that. I remember what you said when we first met about how few of them ever call you."
"It's not that unexpected. People are like tree branches. They grow farther and farther apart from each other and sometimes nothing short of a good wind can knock them together again."
A few more kilometers passed.
"Are you single?" she quietly but determinedly blurted out, and then blushed.
He laughed at that one, mainly at the amount of energy it seemed require for her to ask.
"Gomen nasai (I'm sorry)," she said, "it's just that, well …"
"Yes?"
"You seem … isolated."
"Really?" he said. "What makes you think so?"
"You're a foreign teacher in a strange land, …"
"Every land is strange to me …" he quipped.
"… you live alone in a depressing part of the city …"
"… rent is cheaper, and it's quiet there …"
"… you always seem so glad to see me …"
"… I can't imagine anybody who wouldn't be happy to spend time with you," he smiled. "Hotaru-kun, when I'm not working on your lesson plans, believe me, I keep busy doing things I really enjoy. Don't fret yourself."
After another minute passed in silence, he ventured, "What about you, Hotaru-kun? Do you have any friends?"
She looked off into the distance and then said, "Not really. There are the other violin students Michiru-momma teaches, but I don't really get to meet them in an informal setting. Once I was invited to a sleep over by one of them, but I wasn't able to go. I do have one very good friend, though. I just don't get to see her much anymore."
"Hmmm. Are you able to … keep in touch with this friend, at least?"
"Now and then. Someday I hope I can be in the same … place as her."
He took note that she seemed to be choosing words very carefully here.
"She is your … anam cara."
"What's that, Kuryakin-sensei?"
"Your soul friend. The one person you can say anything to, hear anything from, do anything with. The one person who will always listen. She – I assume it's a she," he said, causing Hotaru to blush again, "doesn't judge, but she's not afraid to confront you either. She's the one person who, more than anyone else, can help you find out who you really are."
"Yes, that is her," Hotaru affirmed. "Just being with her is all that matters."
"Exactly. I really regret now that I don't have any other students. You might have been able to make a friend or two that way."
"Do you have a soul friend?"
"I've never had one," he said, indifferently.
"So … you don't know who you are?" she asked, slyly smiling.
He smiled back.
"How does a soul friend help you find out who you are?" she asked.
"Well, they draw you out of yourself, make you realize what is and isn't really important to you. I get the feeling The Kittens are that way."
"Why don't you have one?" she asked, very interested.
"A soul friend has to have at least some shared experience in order to empathize. The harder the shared experience, the deeper the empathy. My … situation has always been … singular."
Now he was choosing his words carefully, and she realized it.
"Have you ever had a … I'm sorry. Never mind."
"A … girl friend?" he whispered conspiratorially.
She smiled and blushed again.
"Not here, if that's what you mean."
"Oh."
A few more miles passed, then she asked worriedly and suddenly, "Do you not like the girls in this country?"
A minute passed before he was done laughing at that.
"Oh, no, I like them very much. They're very nice and very … friendly, for the most part. Sometimes a little too friendly. This one student I had last year asked if she could call me Taiki-sensei, after some character in a TV show. Or it may have been some guy in a singing group; I didn't get that part exactly."
"Why?"
"Because I'm tall, I think it was. My other girl students thought it was really funny though, and I don't think I want to know why. Y'know, my cram school groups were mostly made up of girls. The first two, completely so. It was cute. Everyone paid very close attention to me. Some of them found out about the 'apple for the teacher' thing - which no one in America really does anymore, but somehow they found out about it. So, I was swimming in apples for a while. I turned them all into apple butter, and apple jelly, and sent it back home with them, along with some good black bread. Customer relations and all that.
I found out why I had so many girls later. I met a few gaijin (foreigners) who came here to teach English for the school system. Almost without fail, if it's a guy, he'll have mostly girls assigned to his class, and if it's a girl, she'll get all boys. One might get the idea their employers do that on purpose. It must be a selling point to the opposite sex. So, my classes naturally attracted more girls than guys. Then a few guys realized there were lots of pretty girls in my classes and that's when things began to even out. Anyway, let me put it this way: Japanese or otherwise, no, I do not have, and have not had, a girl friend since coming here."
Then, as though he felt the need to offer some hope for whatever reason she was asking this, he added slyly, "Yet. Why do you want to know?"
"You've been here for seven years, right? It seems like a long time to go without having someone to be close to."
"Maybe," he said seriously, "but for some people, Hotaru-kun, seven years is nothing."
'True enough,' thought Hotaru, thinking of Setsuna-momma's alter ego. He became distant looking, and bit morose, but he had opened up to her just a bit, and the precedent might mean he would do so again in the future. She had made a good start; it seemed like a good time to let things lie.
Even in this situation, the education did not stop. A few minutes later, as they came to a stoplight, he noticed a semi-truck driver inching slowly to the stop light hoping it would change to green so he would not have to stop completely. He quickly brought this to Hotaru's attention and asked her to explain why the truck driver was doing this. By this time, she was used to his way of teaching and knew that he brought it up because somehow it was a practical application of something they had studied. She needed only a few seconds to realize that the truck driver was hoping to avoid a complete stop because "a body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends to remain in motion." And in fact, the driver was quite expert. He had successfully timed his deceleration to prevent a full stop. "Now sometime in your next lesson," he said, "we're going to see if we can figure out how much gas the driver saved by avoiding a complete stop. It may not be much, but if he's able to do that most of the time, I'll bet it adds up. So tonight, I want you to spend a little time thinking about what we need to know to figure that out. You can even ask your guardians for help if you want."
They were well down into the Chiba prefecture. The city of Kisarazu was on their right as they headed up into the mountainous spine of the Boso peninsula. The road leading to Hotaru's house was easy to follow since it was also a well-marked bus route. It was, Kuryakin figured, the very one Setsuna Meioh's bus would follow to bring her home. He wondered if she was already there.
"Wow, this is nice," he said, as they rounded a corner very close to where Hotaru lived. Kuryakin had noticed the sign that said Scenic View Ahead. Now he saw what it referred to. At this point, they had a pretty good view of both the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the view of Tokyo Bay, the City of Kisarazu, and the Aqua-line bridge tunnel that connected it with Kawasaki on the other side. But it was the view to the southwest that had really caught his attention. He would have to make a point to stop here and take a better look on his way home. Even better was the secluded little area at the end of a long, narrow driveway, where a beautiful house came into view as one passed a slight curve.
Hotaru and her guardians lived in medium-sized, three story, Victorian style home, with blue brick siding, and a covered porch that lined the whole house. On the south side, the porch expanded into a larger, covered patio. Even from the outside, Kuryakin could see hints of a two -it might even be three- story central rotunda, capped by a third floor whose roof was covered in blue-gray flecked shingles. The roof sported three chimneys of dark gray brick suggesting this would be one very cozy place to be in the deep of winter, and in the center a stylish observatory, giving it a fourth floor. It was nestled among pine trees, with beds of wild roses in front. As he pulled into the circle driveway in front of the house, Kuryakin could see a covered walkway leading to a garage that, so Hotaru told him, housed Tomboy Kitten's small fleet of sports and luxury cars.
"What a nice place!" Kuryakin said. "I'm not charging you people enough. Hotaru-kun, you are very fortunate. Your guardians really have done well by you, bless 'em."
They pulled into the driveway. She got out, unlocked the front door and went inside the house, but no one was there yet.
"Okay then, Hotaru-kun, I'll stick around till Miss Meioh gets here."
"It's all right, Kuryakin-sensei, I can be alone for …"
"Hotaru-kun?" he interrupted. "I'll stick around."
She smiled.
"In the meantime, come here and take a look at this," he said. He had pulled a tree branch down, taken a little plastic Fresnel lens from his pocket, and had her look at the structure of a leaf. After explaining several leaf shapes, edge types and vein structures, his voice trailed off. Hotaru looked up at him. He was staring at something. Far away, walking through the alternating pools of sunlight and shadow made by the trees that lined the road to their house was Setsuna. She was wearing a maroon skirt with a lavender blouse and still had her lab coat on. Hotaru called to her, and after taking a quick glance at her tutor and smiling, ran to greet her. He followed along, covering the ground between them quickly without appearing to. As they met, he offered to take Setsuna's book bag. Hotaru was mildly surprised when Setsuna allowed this.
As they walked back to the house, Hotaru remembered something about how Setsuna had acted during their first meeting, and now, she realized, she had a chance to confirm the observation. Both of them were talking amiably. He explained why he had to bring Hotaru home. She said she knew about it, since Michiru had left her a message. Then they talked about how Hotaru was doing, and he complimented her yet again on the fine job they were doing raising her. At times, they almost seemed to forget Hotaru was right there with them. She did not mind this in the least, for a wonderful and wholly unexpected feeling stole over her. 'This is … nice.' Him and her together, she between them, walking down a wooded driveway with the shafts of sunlight knifing though the trees: she almost felt like she was a part of a 'real' family. He was so wonderfully tall and Setsuna was … Setsuna, her lovely mother figure, so beautiful as the light and shadow danced around her, and played off her face, her hair, her white coat. Enchanting as this was, she was careful to watch them both, and by the time they'd gotten to the door, Hotaru had confirmed that earlier observation. Now stopped at the van and watched both as he walked Setsuna up to the porch, and set her book bag down. After a few more minutes of talking – about her, she thought, they parted company. Setsuna did not go into the house right away, but watched him all the way to his van.
"Oh, Kuryakin-sensei?" Hotaru said, as they passed each other.
"Yes, Hotaru-kun?"
"You said music was the second best thing you do. What's the first?"
He smiled indulgently at her, but then said, "Oh, that's … *ahem* something I can't talk about. See you Thursday. 10:00 a.m. sharp."
Then he looked at Setsuna still standing on the porch.
"Good day, Miss Meioh," he called to her.
And with a bow from him, and a nod from her, he got into his van, and left.
Kuryakin was pensive as he drove home. He'd had almost forgotten that scenic view they'd seen coming home, but caught himself in time, and pulled over to take a more thorough look. It was amazing just how much it looked like … that place. He watched for several minutes, thinking.
He should have counted himself fortunate that Miss Meioh had not been home, simply dropped Hotaru off, and left. But, he had not seen her again since the day they first met, so the chance to see that glorious woman again proved irresistible. She was as stunning as he remembered, with her caryatid-like posture, her elegant, purposeful gait, and stylish dress. She was very cordial with him, and he was ethically obligated to be the same with her, but lately, thoughts of her were intruding at unexpected times into his otherwise well-ordered ruminations.
In fact, so he found himself admitting, there might be more to it than that. He had not felt anything like this in a far longer time than he could ever tell anyone. It was the kind of feeling that forced one to 'do something' about it, as it had in his past. It crossed his mind that, as in his past, what he was thinking amounted to a hopeless proposition, and that she would be far too good for him. That thought was quickly opposed by the determination that it hadn't stopped him then. He began thinking about the time ahead. Hotaru's problem was, he thought, being solved and there would be no need for him to tutor her another term. He would gladly do so, in spite of any future plans and this time with no pretense of requiring payment, but it didn't look like that would be necessary. So then, to 'do something' about the sweet moment in her presence he'd just enjoyed, he got out his cell phone. It was really just a fancy, but … there was reservation he ought to make, just in case.
As Setsuna listened intently to Hotaru's daily lesson 'recital,' she was also thinking furiously about something. She was very busy with coursework now, but running into Mister Kuryakin today, while not unpleasant –it was very and unexpectedly pleasant actually- had also caused her to wonder anew at why the man seemed so strange to her. She had not seen him since that first day, nor had she spoken to him on the phone in over a week. Her ongoing puzzlement had diminished as her coursework put ever greater demands on her time. She suspected she would meet him again once Michiru had called her, and from that moment on her desire to puzzle him out was reinvigorated. Hotaru mentioned he might have been waiting around just to see her. If so, surely it was out of professionalism, safely and certainly seeing Hotaru back to her. But was it only that? He also clearly enjoyed the encounter.
'What is so strange about him? Why can I not let this rest? I shall have to speak with Dr. Mizuno this weekend, even if it means going to her hospital to do it.'
"I think I know what I want to make Kuryakin-sensei," said Hotaru, as she settled in to her desk the following Thursday.
"For your art project?" asked her teacher, as he was going over her review sheets.
She nodded.
"What?"
"A tea cup. A really nice one. Traditional Japanese, no handle, but with a lid."
"What a great idea! Let's go to the workshop for a minute," he said, as got up and ushered her out of The Blue Room. "Do you want to do this tea cup in ceramic?"
"You know about cloisonné?"
"Sure. I'm set up for that. Here's a piece I did a while back."
He showed her a vase of his own design and she thought it was incredibly nice. She loved the way he'd mixed the colors and the shading was very well done.
"This is what I want to try."
He looked surprised, but impressed.
"You seriously wish to try this?
"Yes, Kuryakin-sensei."
"A cloisonné teacup? I mean, look here," he said as he held the vase very close to her. "These shading and color gradients? They're very hard to do right. You'll have to practice it. The lattice framing is very tedious work. Even something as simple as a tea cup can be very involved …"
He discussed the whole process with her, and it did sound pretty complicated.
"If you start this, you must finish it. I won't let you quit. It can't be sloppy, either. If it's from one of my students, it has to be near perfect. Are you serious about this?"
She nodded, not because she had yet grasped how hard this would be, but because it was for Setsuna, and she had made up her mind to do something challenging. He was thinking deeply for a minute about whether he could tutor her in a complicated art form on top of everything else he needed to teach her.
"All right, then," he said quietly "What kind of design do you want to put on it?"
"A swan," she said.
"Ah, yes," he smiled, remembering their first lunch together.
Hotaru slowly reached into her pocket, got out a piece of paper, unfolded it and shyly handed it to him. It was the design she wanted on the cup drawn in colored pencil. It was very well done, but simple enough that she just might be able to bring it off.
"That's very nice, Hotaru-kun," he said. He could see this must be pretty important to her. "Okay then, we'll try this. Now we can't fall behind in your studies, but … I like people who set high goals for themselves. Let me see what I have lying around here."
He opened up some cabinets and got out a few boxes. As he rummaged through them, he said, "Okay, how about this? I'll have to handle machining the underlying metal cup, and later on, the electroplating. We'll start with a copper cup. I can do that this week end. We'll use the laser engraver" – he indicated a big machine in the corner – "to put the pattern on it. The rest is going to be all you. I can burn the pattern in deep so it'll be easier to keep the framework sharp and clean. The cup enamel will be black, but we'll add flowers, put a little border around the swan maybe? And use gradients and transparencies. Of course, we'll electroplate the exposed frame with gold … no, wait, I've got a little platinum, that'll look better, and then we'll plate the inside of the cup with gold. Yeah."
Hotaru was frowning now. He was talking about gold and platinum – what was he doing with stuff like that anyway? - and she had not thought anything about cost.
"Kuryakin-sensei, those are precious metals. I can't … afford … much." 'Or anything, since I don't have much in the way of pocket money.'
"Oh, please, Hotaru-kun, don't even worry about that. First of all, it doesn't take much to plate something, and I have a sufficient amount of scrap lying around. I do work like this all the time, for fun. I'm involved in a very challenging automobile restoration project right now, in fact. Second, if it's a gift for someone, but especially your Setsuna-momma," he said looking sly, "it has to be the very best you can do, right?"
She nodded.
"Then consider it my contribution to a most worthy idea. Only don't tell her, because this has to be from you."
He began putting the boxes away, and Hotaru, seizing the moment, decided to ask something directly.
"What do you think of her?" she asked, watching him closely.
"Of Miss Meioh?" he said, nonchalantly as he locked the cabinet doors. He paused for a minute, and she wasn't quite sure why, but she wondered if he was summoning rigid control of himself.
"I think she's a very fine woman. I wonder if you know how very, very lucky you are to have her as your guardian. I know of people, orphans like you, who weren't nearly so fortunate. It's very fitting that you want to do something difficult to show your love for her."
"Can I make the flowers garnet red?"
"Like her eyes, huh? Absolutely, but let's add some blue ones, like the ones I did on the vase."
"Oh yes, that'll be so nice."
"As I said, you'll have to practice a few things first," he said, trying to think of a way to incorporate this into her lessons. "We'll work on it a little bit every day you're here, and we should be able to get it done in time."
"It's okay if you have to cancel a field trip. I really want to make this right."
"I won't do that," Kuryakin said very firmly, as he led her down o the Blue Room. "The field trips are integral to the way I work." As they walked, she realized something. The few moments that he and Setsuna shared the other day notwithstanding, he would never explicitly reveal anything of how really felt about her, out of professionalism. Anything he did feel about Setsuna would have to be kept in check until he was no longer obligated. And in fact, Setsuna for other reasons would be under similar duress. Hotaru increasingly wondered if maybe, just maybe, Setsuna's demand for discretion concerning 'personal matters' was about more than just protecting their identities as Sailor Senshi.
'I wonder what he really thinks of her?' she thought as she got back to work. For herself, she was beginning to fancy the idea of them getting together very much.
'There is always something you can do.'
Thus went the education of Hotaru Tomoe. Every day of lessons saw her mind getting sharper, her talents developing, her confidence building, and her art project nearing completion. She was asking more questions than ever, and Kuryakin somehow managed to satisfy her curiosity enough while still keeping her on the unofficial timetable. Most important of all, there had been no more seizures. Every day she'd come home and explain all she'd learned to Setsuna, who was not only willing but highly interested to know what she'd been taught, and always with a quick inquiry into how her teacher was doing and a self-reminder that, even though she was busier than ever, she really needed to talk to Dr. Mizuno, and perhaps Ami, too. Then Haruka and Michiru would arrive for dinner, and a quiet evening at home –or not, depending on what they had going on. Hotaru would do her homework. If the next day was not a lesson day, she would have numerous review and preparatory sheets that she was specifically ordered not to start until the next day, but she would start them anyway. The Wednesday in between her Tuesday and Thursday lesson was 'the blah day.' Either she would either tag along with Setsuna, or sometimes go with Haruka and Michiru, and bring her work with her. The Friday after the Thursday lesson was filled with anticipation for the weekend, but it too was 'a blah day' until early afternoon when Setsuna's classes were finished.
If the next day was a lesson day, Hotaru would try to get to sleep early. At first, the area of town where Juku-PK was depressed her; lately, it was beginning to grow on her. There was a park nearby, though it was not one of the nicer city parks, it was made pleasant by the company of her teacher. Some of the neighborhood characters now recognized her. The tall and intimidating man she was walking with meant there was no fear of anything bad happening even though the neighborhood was semi-rough. And besides, she was Sailor Saturn. 'Nuff said.
Of all the things she was accomplishing, Kuryakin was most amazed by, and proudest of, her work on the tea cup. She patiently practiced painting color gradients and transparencies on small pieces of unbaked enamel, until she understood the way the paint would soak into the glass frit. Most difficult of all was learning how to lay down the wire lattice on the gum paste that held it in place. Flat surfaces were hard enough, but the cup was a curved surface. He would not allow her to begin work on the cup proper until he saw she knew what she was doing. She learned quickly, and one day he let her begin on the lid. Convinced by that she was going to be able to handle the rest, he let her proceed with making the cup. The framing pattern was intricate for this first piece. The physical tedium of the work was difficult for her, often making her stiff and tired. Yet, his first obligation to her education notwithstanding, Kuryakin let her do the day's work on it first thing, so she could put her best energies of the day into it. Apparently, she thought, acts of charity and gift-giving rated higher than learning to him. In this, she came to feel he was right. Day by day, she whiled away at it, but kept up with her lessons just the same. She learned fast, as only someone who loved deeply could, and Kuryakin found himself increasingly charmed by this quirky girl's "shine."
The day of the final firing for the cup, he had a surprise for her. He had been so impressed by her efforts he'd made a matching saucer to go with it. The center depression for holding the cup was plated in gold, and the depressions around it had a wreath of flowers duplicated from Hotaru's work. When he showed it to her, he had been worried that she might see this as stealing her thunder, but Hotaru was genuinely, even unusually, happy about it. The cup looked as good as she had imagined, but the saucer made it 'complete.' She insisted that his part in this be given as a separate gift from himself to Setsuna. When he seemed to balk at this, she got a sly look on her face. After a bit more wrangling, he finally agreed, though he now seemed nervous about it.
This marked the moment when a vague, on-again-off-again sense that Kuryakin-sensei might have feelings for her Setsuna-momma became a very careful, even analytical, tallying under an explicit category: Evidence He Likes Her. This saucer was definitely worth one checked box, and possibly two. His reaction was worth another. Hotaru spent lunch that day thinking about Setsuna-momma's behavior over the last few months, and by the time she was done eating and went to feed the fish, quite a few boxes under the heading "Evidence She Likes Him" had been ticked off as well. Another thought crossed her mind at this point. She had become convinced by Kuryakin's almost doting manner that, push come to shove, there was nothing she couldn't talk him into doing – if she handled it carefully. She was immediately embarrassed by this thought, and vowed just as quickly that, if this were true, she would never, ever abuse this power in any way.
'Or would I? Maybe there were times where it wouldn't be wrong, exactly? … Hmmm.'
After lunch, it was time to fire the enamel. Kuryakin showed her how to do it, then had her put on some safety equipment, and guided her through the process. She was very happy he let her do this because it meant one more thing she could say she had done herself. After the cup had cooled, Kuryakin turned it down to a nicely tapered width on a lathe using diamond sandpaper pads. Then he began the polishing process. Hotaru watched, and underneath her dust mask, her smile got bigger and bigger as the cup became smoother and shinier. She had done a really clean, even professional, job. She had finished well ahead of schedule, even before midterms. Most important of all, she, the Senshi of Destruction, had created something instead. Setsuna's birthday was over two weeks away, on a Saturday. She beamed as she imagined presenting the gift to her.
Kuryakin then said it was time to begin the electroplating of the exposed metal in the frame. This was done in a small, enclosed chamber within the workshop. She had never really noticed it before, and now she saw it had a door that could be sealed. Hotaru had not thought of it until this moment, but she recalled that plating with precious metals involved the use of some very dangerous chemicals. One of them was a cyanide solution, and even if one was protected from contact with it, there was still a danger. In the event it accidentally became acidified, it would produce cyanide gas, which made a mask necessary.
"Now as you're probably aware …" he began.
"This is really a dangerous process," she finished.
He nodded, smiling.
"And that chamber over there with the sealed door …"
"Is where I do that," he said, finishing her sentence this time. "If you'd like to see it happen, we can, I think, risk it this one time."
Kuryakin put on protective gear, and then beckoned Hotaru over and began doing the same for her. The gas mask fit well enough. And it seemed to be quite new. He had bought it just for her, she surmised. The rest was, frankly, just a bit big for her, but Kuryakin adjusted things well enough that she was quite safe, but also free to move and get near enough to watch very closely. As he worked away at adjusting her gear, she wondered if an industrial process like this wasn't a more dangerous thing than any individual should allowed to do at home. But this was also a "school" of sorts, and when they went in to the chamber – there was barely enough room- she saw Kuryakin had taken the additional precaution of mounting the electroplating equipment within a container that could, like the chamber itself, be sealed.
After he closed the container up, he turned on an internal lighting array of some special kind that made the small bits of plating accreting on the framework glow. "Like a bunch of little fireflies," he said, as she peered through the window in the container. Beneath the mask, she smiled, and then he lectured her on the details and types of electrochemical plating processes. This particular version was known as inertial, parallel-plate, fine particle deposition plating. It was the same process used to make circuit boards and semi-conductors, which, so Kuryakin said, he preferred for its accurate, consistent and uniform results. Hotaru began taking mental notes, knowing this would be on a test at some point. The electroplating would proceed automatically, and so, satisfied everything was working fine, he ushered her out of the chamber. Hotaru wondered if this was wise, and Kuryakin explained that in addition to the double barrier, he had, within and without, installed special, wide-spectrum alarms that would alert him at once if anything went amiss. At that point, Hotaru was pretty sure Kuryakin-sensei had either gotten special permission from some government office to do this sort of thing, or was pushing the letter and the spirit of some law that restricted this to the breaking point. Surely, the former was the case – especially considering that he was responsible for her safety, but every now and then, she got the feeling that he was a risk-taker, possibly to the point of recklessness.
After he closed the door on the chamber, they began taking off their protective gear. When Hotaru got her mask off, she said, "For Christmas, I want to make a vase that my Setsuna-momma, Haruka-poppa, and Michiru-momma can all enjoy."
"Okay, but a vase is going to be about seven times more work."
"I want to do one just like the one you did."
"You may not finish in time," he said, with a hint of both caution and challenge in his voice.
"I will," she said without hesitation.
He looked down at her, smirked and finally said, "You're really something, Hotaru-kun," as they began walking toward the Blue Room. She loved that look - that 'clever girl' look- he was giving her right now. As they got to the Blue Room and she sat down to begin systematizing the notes she'd taken, Hotaru wondered if she'd ever been happier in all her life.
~ 17 ~
