Hotaru's eye widened as she looked at the room, which was now painted a rich purple color with a matching covers and curtains. Though what really stuck out was the fact that when Michiru had flipped the lights off, a mural of glowing stars and planets came to life on the ceiling.
"Since you decorated the walls with glowing stars I figured you'd like this just as much." Michiru stated, only to be nearly knocked over by a hug.
"Thank you michiru-san." she stated, earning a chuckle.
"You are very welcome." Michiru replied, hugging the child back.
Haruka awoke on the couch, hearing sniffling coming from the kitchen as well as a hushed voice speaking gently.
Getting up Haruka walked in to see Hotaru seated at the table while Setsuna was knelt beside the chair, one arm wrapped around her. In front of them was a photo album and it was obvious that they were both upset.
"Setsuna-San? Can we not look at this right now, when I see them I think about the….fire." Hotaru whispered, causing Haruka to stiffen even though she was heading back toward teh living room.
"Of course sweetheart, but if you ever want to look through these you're more than welcomed to. You don't even have to ask, okay? I'll make sure that you will always know where they're at." Setsuna replied, moving to pull the girl into a hug.
Setsuna hated the fact that Hotaru had to even deal with this kind of pain at this young of age, exspecailly not like this.
"Hotaru," she began after a while, pulling away just enough to look into the child's eyes "you have been so strong during all of this and so mature despite being so young. I wasn't going to ask you this but it keeps bugging me because it feels like I should let you have an say it it." Setsuna paused again, her mouth going dry as she asked
"Would you like to help me with the funeral? After all, you should have a say in this just like anyone else would."
Hotaru hugged her again, though this time the child wasn't crying.
"I...What will I have to do?" she asked, her voice shaking badly.
"How about you help pick out the monument that will go on the grave?" Setsuna suggested, earning a nod as Hotaru buried her face against her once more.
"You don't have to and if you change your mind then you tell me, okay? I know this is hard to do and it's entirely your choice if you help." Setsuna stated, knowing that the girl may very well change her answer from yes to no within the next few days.
"Okay Setsuna-san." Hotaru replied, her voice quivering.
"Hotaru-chan, if you feel like crying don't bottle it up inside. It hurts worse if you keep it inside." Setsuna advised gently, pressing a kiss onto the crown of the child's head.
"I miss them." the little girl admitted, earning a sigh.
"I know sweetie, so do I. But you know what? They'll always be with us, in our hearts if we never forget how much we cared about them."
Setsuna knew that her own religious beliefs were a bit muddled by various factors and would confuse a child but both Michiru and Haruka came from religious homes and wondered if the child would benefit to talking to them about their beliefs.
Hotaru sniffled at this but continued to cling to Setsuna, who patiently just held her close.
"Let's go to my room, it may be more comfortable."