THE FADING FIREFLY

Setsuna knocked on the closed door of the medical office. She waited a few moments, but no one answered. She slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. "Excuse me? Is anyone in here?"

The medical office was, in fact, deserted. There was even a small layer of dust over the bed, the chair, and the first aid supplies.

This won't do at all.

Setsuna grabbed the closest thing she could find to a dustcloth, which was a large strip of gauze, and began dusting the medical office. It took her over an hour to clean the office to her liking. She wondered if she was the only employee in this department.

She stood up on a chair to try to dust above the cabinets. The chair, unfortunately, had wheels, and it did not stay still. Setsuna then crashed to the floor. Her pride was more deeply wounded than her body was, but there was still a large purpling bruise on her left knee. She sighed and wished she was wearing a longer skirt. She looked up at the undusted cabinets.

I guess I'll leave those till later.

She hoisted herself up onto the chair, cursing the pain in her knee. Then she heard a soft knock on the door.

She turned on her chair to see who the visitor was. "Come in!"

The person at the door was a tiny, pale girl with short black hair and violet eyes. Setsuna's heart had a sudden ache when she saw her, for the girl had the saddest eyes she'd ever seen.

The girl hesitated at the door, her shyness making her regret her decision to visit the school nurse.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'll leave now."

"No, wait! If there's something you need to talk about, that's what I'm here for." Setsuna put on her most encouraging smile.

The girl nodded, and walked into the office. She looked around, and then sat on the small bed in the corner of the room. "I'm glad you cleaned this place. It looked so empty with all that dust."

Setsuna laughed and sat on her rolling chair. "I hate messy places. I'm surprised that no one came to clean in here before I did."

The girl's face fell. "People were scared to come in here."

Setsuna's back stiffened. "Why was that?"

The girl shook her head and shivered. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. This girl was very peculiar, but it was clear that something was wrong in this place. "Anyway, how can I help you? What's your name?"

Still shivering, the girl answered. "Hotaru Tomoe. I'm...sick. I was thinking that maybe the new nurse could help me, but that's silly. If doctors can't help me, no one can."

Good grief.

"Even if I can't cure whatever's wrong, sometimes it helps just to talk to someone about it. Stress can make people sicker. Go on, I'm listening." She smiled at Hotaru, her heart full of pity.

Overwhelmed by hearing the first friendly voice in years, Hotaru's worries spilled out. "Well...for the past year or so...no, longer than that. I've...been blacking out. Things will happen while I'm not aware, and they scare me. And I always feel sick, I can't run or play without feeling like I'm going to faint. I think I've been hurting people while I'm blacked out. Everyone hates me. And my father ignores me now. The only one who talks to me is Kaori, and I hate her! And...the doctors can't help me. I'm not sure what I'm afraid of more, of hurting someone I love...or that I'll die."

So much pain for such a small girl.

Setsuna didn't even know where to begin; Hotaru's life had more problems than she'd ever heard of.

"What did you mean when you said that everybody hates you? It can't possibly be everybody."

"...yes it can. I have no friends here. Even before I started hurting people, they said I was a freak. So they all stay away from me. And they're right. I am a freak."

"Nonsense. You seem perfectly normal to me." Setsuna reasoned that Hotaru was probably exaggerating her condition.

Hotaru stood up, her eyes not meeting Setsuna's. "I am a freak. Let me show you why."

She laid her hand on the bruise on Setsuna's knee. A faint purple glow emanated from Hotaru's hands, and both the discolouration and the pain disappeared.

Setsuna gasped. "How did you do that?"

"I've always been able to do that. It was useful when I was a kid because I could always mend my cuts and bruises. But no one wants to be touched by a freak. Not even you, I bet."

"That's where you're wrong," Setsuna said, now able to kneel to meet Hotaru's eyes directly. "I think your ability to heal is wonderful. You could save lives with this."

Hotaru's eyes shone. No one had ever said this to her before. For the first time in her life, she felt useful.

"Now, regarding your father, I'm sure he doesn't mean to ignore you. He's probably very busy. You could try talking to him and asking him to spend more time with you."

"I...guess I could try that. But Kaori won't let me talk to him. She's always telling me he's too busy to see me."

Setsuna felt a rush of loathing towards this Kaori, whoever she was. "Who's Kaori?"

"My father's assistant. I hate her. She thinks she's going to be my father's next wife. She always says nasty things to me. I'd tell him to fire her, but she always gets in the way."

Setsuna sighed. She had this urge to directly intervene in whatever was going wrong in Hotaru's personal life, but she was bound by her vow to Queen Serenity that she would not intervene in situations unless she absolutely had to.

"I'm so sorry, Hotaru-chan. If it helps, you can always come talk to me whenever you like. And if you feel yourself start to faint, come here right away and you can use this bed here."

"You...don't mind?"

"Not at all. We've just met, but I like you very much."

It had been so long since anyone had shown Hotaru any affection, it was overwhelming for her. She burst into hysterical tears.

Oh goodness!

Hotaru tried to speak through her shuddering tears. "I'm sorry. It's just...you're so kind and I don't even know your name..."

Setsuna smiled. "Well, that we can solve right away. My name is Setsuna Meiou. You can call me Setsuna."

Hotaru stopped crying, though she still had some shuddering sniffles. "Oh no, I couldn't. I have to call you Meiou-san, or at least Setsuna-san."

Setsuna laughed. "Fair enough. Setsuna-san, then. May I call you Hotaru-chan?"

Hotaru nodded and smiled. The girl was so thin and pale, but colour and health seemed to bloom inside her when she was happy.

Hotaru then got a funny look on her face. Setsuna was trying to figure out what Hotaru was thinking.

Hotaru impulsively threw her arms around Setsuna, and began sobbing again.

Instinctively, Setsuna hugged Hotaru tightly, trying to convey all the love she already felt for the young girl.

They stayed like that for a little while, as Hotaru cried out all her sorrow, and both felt the warmth of companionship. Setsuna could not shake the sense that this child was someone important to her, and that their first meeting was significant. Two lonely souls connecting for the first time.

Who are you, little one?

When Hotaru had finally stopped crying, she stood up and dried off her tears. "Thank you, Setsuna-san. I feel much better. I'd better go home now. I'll come see you again soon, okay?"

Setsuna beamed. "Anytime you like."

But as Hotaru exited Setsuna's office, Setsuna's eyes suddenly clouded with the apocalyptic vision. The vision of the Messiah, both woman and child and yet neither at the same time, blended with the present-day sight of watching the girl walk away.

Hotaru Tomoe...Who are you?