Till Our Lives Burn Out
By Phoenix2772
Chapter 005-Modi Vivendi
(Part 1)
Midterms were required for a student who had a private teacher, but there was some flexibility in how and when they could be administered. This was very helpful since Kuryakin followed the American academic calendar. The tests could be taken at a local school, district education offices, or even at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) itself. In Hotaru's case, there were two logical choices: Juuban Elementary, since Setsuna worked there, or Haruka and Michiru's private school, Funabashi Academy. The latter was chosen. He would have to pay for a proctor and Hotaru would be testing alone. Kuryakin hoped knowing Haruka and Michiru were nearby and thinking of her would help.
As the teacher of a gifted and talented student -one of the few he'd ever taken on- he would first have to have a conference with a MEXT official about what curriculum he had used with her, as they were always chary about anyone using something they had not approved. He could understand this, but he was never completely satisfied with any textbooks or curriculum guides published in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter, and was perfectly willing to say so to any official's face and spell out a litany of complaints if they had unwisely chosen to press the matter. By the third year of his tutoring practice, he had, essentially, written his own "Modular Spiral Curriculum Template" which he could then apply to nearly any subject matter. This is what he would have to show the ministry official. This time around, he was dealing with someone he had dealt with before. He knew the tests Hotaru would take would be derived from whatever MEXT had on hand that matched the modules she had been taught. In some cases, she would be taking college level tests, but he was able to wrangle a bit with the official to have the test content reprinted in standardized format so that Hotaru would not find herself jumping from one testing format to another. As long as he was willing to foot the bill, this would be allowed. The conference was taken care of, the bills paid, and the proctor arrived at Funabashi Academy at 8:30 in the morning with the standardized tests in hand.
Kuryakin had another little pep talk with Hotaru. She was a bit nervous, and he had a little trick in mind.
"Okay, close your eyes."
She did. He put his hand on her back.
"Now just relax."
He started rubbing in a circle until her upper back started to feel warm.
"Relax … relax … relax …"
He kept this up for a few minutes, until she seemed a bit mesmerized and then slowly lifted his hand, and quietly stepped away. Hotaru didn't seem to notice. He was crouching in front her now, and her eyes were still closed. He waited another minute or so.
"Hotaru-kun?"
Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at him for a moment.
"Oh, that's weird."
"Isn't it, though? Now, if at any time today you start to feel like you're going to freeze up, just think about how you felt the moment you realized I wasn't rubbing your back anymore, then remember how you thought I was, and you will feel that warmth in your back. It's all about what's in your head. Take your time, see what is being asked of you, and answer it. You will not freeze up. And you will score very well on every test. Go get 'em."
She went in and met the proctor and without further ado, they began. She started out a bit nervous, but then got a little disgusted. 'I know this stuff cold,' she thought. She sailed through the first two, and then took a break for lunch. In between classes, Haruka and Michiru came by to see how she was doing. Each time, they found Kuryakin sitting on a bench by the door of the room where she was testing, looking deathly serious.
"Tenoh-san, Miss Kaioh," he said, as he sat staring over clasped hands as though he were trying to burn a hole through the opposite wall. There was no flippancy, no "My Dear Kittens" talk today. He was all business, and Haruka definitely liked him better –or rather disliked him less- this way.
"How is she doing?" Michiru asked.
"Wonderfully, near as I can tell. She certainly hasn't frozen up. Yet. But those are some long, tough tests for some one so young."
Hotaru came out of the first day's testing smiling. She told them that it was pretty hard getting through such lengthy tests, but not once did she feel that she was going to freeze up, and she was sure that she had done very well on most of it.
Except that she was taking different tests, the next day was a carbon copy of the first. The final test of the day was Physical Education. Part of it was written and easily passed; the other part of it was practical. This was the only time on the second day she was nervous. Nevertheless, she did pretty well on some tumbling runs, managed a 200 meters dash in decent time, and ended it with the 50 meter freestyle in the pool, which she was allowed to take in lieu of an 800 meter run. Michiru-momma was there to cheer her on and she did it in a personal best.
Kuryakin had the results the next afternoon, and his relief was evident when he called Setsuna with the news. She had scored in the top percentile of the 11th grade level or better in all but one area, physical education, though even there she had scored better than she ever had before. This was secondary to the fact that she had not once come close to blacking out. Whatever he had done, how ever it worked in the labyrinths of her mind, everyone was pleased with the results. He was sure now of how to teach her, and could direct his thoughts to solving her real problem.
Author's Note: In Japan, the number four is considered inauspicious because one of the two words for "four" (yon / shi) is pronounced the same as the word for death (shi). Therefore, one should not make presents that consist of four pieces, etc. In some hotels and hospitals, the room number four is skipped.
It had been ten days since her midterms, and Hotaru sprang from her bed, as excited as a child on Christmas morning. Today was Setsuna-momma's birthday. It was a funny thing to think of the time guardian having an actual birth date, but no funnier than the Senshi of Destruction having one. Because it fell on a Saturday this year, there was a bit more planned for this day than the usual low key affair for celebrating birthdays in Japan. Most of it was going to come from Hotaru, including something special she and her tutor had cooked up just this week.
She could hear stirrings downstairs. From the sound of it, Haruka was fixing breakfast, or trying to. Then she saw Michiru in a bath robe, with her hair wrapped in a towel, hurriedly leave their bedroom and rush downstairs to help, as if she had, just a moment ago, realized Haruka was downstairs in the kitchen 'working without a net.' Hotaru smiled as she got to the edge of the stairs, and heard Michiru talking Haruka through how to make pancakes properly. She went stealthily down to take a peak and saw her standing with her arms around Haruka guiding her through the pouring. Haruka didn't seem to mind too much. Hotaru went back upstairs, just into time to see Setsuna's bedroom door open, and Setsuna coming out, already dressed for the day.
"Happy birthday, Setsuna-momma," she called, running to her.
"Thank you, Hotaru," she smiled and put a hand on Hotaru's shoulder guiding her back to her room, to get dressed. "So what plans have you for me this day?"
"It's a secret."
"Of course," she said, "Let us dress now."
Egg white omelets, buckwheat pancakes with blueberry syrup, juice and coffee were spread out on the table when Hotaru and Setsuna came down.
"Happy birthday, Setsuna," Haruka and Michiru said together, as Haruka seated her at the table and breakfast began. Later that morning, they took her for a seaside drive, and then to a Water Fountain Park and Tea Garden, where Hotaru and Haruka took a few of the low intensity rides together, while Michiru and Setsuna sampled various teas. Then they went to the Shinagawa Aquarium, after having lunch at a nearby restaurant. They returned home about three in the afternoon, so the real party could begin.
After decompressing from their outing, Hotaru had Setsuna sit on the couch in front of the TV, put a shiny, pointed, purple party hat with a pink paper fringe and top on her, and said, "now, it's time for the news." She produced a DVD disk and put it in the player. After a few moments of blue screen, some music began and a graphic came up:
Firefly Productions
presents the
Global Timeline News Network
"What is this now?" Setsuna whispered to Haruka and Michiru, who had also donned party hats and sat down to her left.
"No idea," Haruka whispered, "this is all her doing."
"Oh, how cute!" said Michiru as Hotaru appeared on the screen sitting behind an anchor's desk, wearing a women's business jacket ensemble, with a chipper smile reading some copy.
Then the music faded and the cameras switched to face front.
"Konnichi wa. Tomoe Hotaru des'," said Hotaru, in a cutely official sounding voice, "… and this is GTNN, the Global Timeline News Network. Here is our top story:
This day in 1929 marked the beginning of The Great Depression …
Haruka covered her mouth to suppress a snort of laughter.
…Known as Black Tuesday, it was the third of three "Black Days" that began the previous Thursday. Black Thursday was the first sign of the end of a great bull market of the 1920's. In the previous five years, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had quintupled in value, reaching a peak of 318 plus on September 3rd. Then began the first down turn that accelerated into the massive sell off on October 24th in which a then record of 12.9 million shares traded hands. The next day the Wall Street Bankers met to try and stop the panic …
"So, Hime-chan," whispered Haruka, "How many takes before you started hamming it up?"
"Three."
On Black Monday, the NYSE lost 12 % of its value, which set off the panic selling of the next day ….
"Why did you lead with that story?" asked Setsuna.
"It did trigger the worst economic depression in the industrialized world. Otherwise, there actually wasn't a lot that happened on this day," Hotaru replied.
"Alas, poor me," Setsuna pouted, "to be birthed on a day that is boring where it is not inauspicious,"
"Well," said Haruka, winking impishly, "Great Depression: Setsuna: they do kind of go together."
"Haruka …" Michiru said, as she elbowed her in the ribs.
"That's why you were born on this day, Setsuna-momma, to make up for it, and make it special," said Hotaru, and Setsuna reached out and stroked her cheek. Anchorwoman Tomoe then narrated several other events, including the premier of Mozart's Don Giovanni in Prague in 1787, the beginning of the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956, the 1964 theft of the Star of India sapphire from the American Museum of Natural History, and the 1998 lift-off of the Space Shuttle Discovery with 77 year old John Glenn aboard, making him the world's oldest astronaut.
Accompanying pictures popped up as she continued: "Notable people born on this day include Sir Edmond Halley, the English astronomer who was born in 1656, and successfully predicted the return of a comet which now bears his name: James Boswell, the famous biographer of Samuel Johnson, in 1740: and several famous Japanese were born on this date: in 1935, Takahata Isao, the animated film director whose collaborations with Hayao Miyazaki include the film Hotaru no Haka, widely considered to be one of the greatest animated films ever made; model Akiko Kojima in 1936, the first Miss Universe to come from Asia; music producer Tsunku in 1968, entrepreneur Takafumi Horie in 1972, and Idol Singer Makoto Ogawa in 1987. But the most important person born in Japan on this day was the beautiful, wonderful Setsuna Meioh, my Setsuna-momma. Happy birthday!"
"Awww," said Michiru.
"When did you do this, anyway?" asked Haruka.
"Last Thursday."
Then anchorwoman Tomoe got an expectant look on her face as she said, "And now stay tuned for a GTNN historical exclusive: my one-on-one interview with the Emperor Napoleon."
There was a fadeout to a graphic that said insert commercial, and a running counter that counted down 60 seconds. With 15 seconds to go, Michiru got an inkling of what was coming, and said "Oh, no, he didn't …" The screen cut to Hotaru, sitting on a couch, with her hair pulled back, and a pair of glasses that made her look like Edna Mode from The Incredibles. She looked very serious and ready to conduct a real 'hardball' interview.
"This is Hotaru Tomoe with a GTNN exclusive. Please welcome to the set, the Emperor Napoleon."
Not much in life will prepare one for the sight of a six foot seven inch Napoleon in full imperial regalia, waist coat, breeches and all, stepping out of Jacques-Louis David's famous painting and strutting on to an interview set, as the "La Marseillaise" played in the background. He had made his hairline match, with a wispy shock of hair in the front, but the sideburns, which he apparently refused to shave off under any circumstances, made it look like the French Emperor believed Elvis was very much alive. Then an onscreen graphic appeared, pointing to him, and saying "Not really Napoleon" as he began speaking Japanese in a stuffy French accent -"Konnee-chee- waaah, Mam'selle." Haruka had her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing. Michiru did laugh. Setsuna worked very hard not to, and succeeded brilliantly. Hotaru was blushing furiously at being the center of so much attention, but laughing too. She'd had no idea how funny this looked on camera.
"Good morning, Emperor," Anchorwoman Tomoe said cordially. "First let me say, you look much taller than in your pictures."
"Well, ma cher, zat is because history ees nyot only written by zee winners, eet is painted by zem tyoo."
Anchorwoman Tomoe then dove into her interview, beginning with biographical questions. It took several minutes for anyone of them to notice, but the "crawl" underneath, which was reporting the various things that had happened on this day, also contained an All Points Bulletin reporting that someone who thought he was Napoleon had escaped from a sanitarium and gave a number to call. Hotaru then asked a series of questions about imperial motives, battlefield tactics and, in general, brought up everything that might be a sore spot with the real Napoleon. Kuryakin played it well looking, in turn, frustrated, incensed and on the defensive for the whole interview. Especially cute was when she began edging toward him and accusing him of treating Josephine badly. He defended himself saying that she was the one always sleeping around, and talking about how he sent numerous love letters while out in the field, to which she never responded.
"Well, no wonder, since you weren't really there for her when she needed you," Hotaru said dramatically, after getting so close she backed him off the couch and on to the floor.
"How many takes to get that one right?" Haruka asked.
"Six."
The interview was over when he went on a rant, jumping up and down in the background yelling "Eet was Soult's fault! Eet was Ney's fault! Eet was Zhosephine's fault! Eet was zee fault of zee Rus-shans! Eet was zee fault of zee Eng-lesh!" while Hotaru calmly narrated the Battle of Waterloo, pointing out the tactical failures, primarily Ney's ill-advised cavalry charge, that led to Napoleon's defeat.
"Field Marshal Ney failed to define his mission," Hotaru said sagely. "Though his charge was premature, Ney had caught the British by surprise and overran their artillery batteries, giving him a golden opportunity to spike the cannons. If Ney had remembered what his charge was about -assuming he knew to begin with- if but one Frenchman in five thousand had remembered to bring along a few hammers and nails, a second charge would have broken Wellington's center and he would have been in full retreat by the time the Prussians arrived. Napoleon would then have easily defeated Blücher as he had three days previously. For want of a nail the kingdom was lost."
As Hotaru concluded the narrative, six men in white hospital scrubs appeared in the background. They rushed "Napoleon" and attempted to put a straightjacket on him, but given his size, this was difficult. He had two of them around the neck before the rest of them dogpiled him. Underneath a graphic appeared: "Kids! Do Not Try This at Home!" Anchorwoman Tomoe calmly watched as the "Emperor" was carried away, and then an inset image followed him out to the waiting paddywagon. After it took off, she turned to the camera and said, "Well, as they say in America, rei-say ray bon tomp rou-day! This is Hotaru Tomoe for the Global Timeline News Network. Until next time, sayonara, and happy birthday, Setsuna-momma."
Haruka wrapped her arms around Hotaru and hugged her very affectionately. "You are something else. That was great."
"Yes, it was," Hotaru giggled. "I mean, this was my first time to see it, and I hadn't seen all the graphics and stuff. That was funny."
"It was very clever and enjoyable," Setsuna smiled. "Be sure to thank your tutor for this. And never, ever do that to your hair, again."
"Yes, Setsuna-momma. It did look terrible."
"Rei-say ray bon tomp roo-day …" Michiru giggled.
"The correct French for that is 'avoir du bon temps'," smiled Setsuna.
"Yes," said Michiru, "Let the good times roll, and that means it's time for presents."
Michiru produced a fairly large, floppy package that turned out to be silvery white French silk fabric that she'd gotten at a little shop near the Paris Conservatory during her last European recital tour. She knew it was the exact material Setsuna needed to finish that beautiful white dress.
"Oh, thank you, Michiru," she said warmly, "I am nearly done with it, and this will help me finish."
"You're welcome, Setsuna. There should be enough left over for another dress."
"Or two," she said, appreciatively.
Then Haruka handed her a weighty, good-sized, wrapped bottle.
"Open it if you want, but it might be better to keep it wrapped."
"What is it?"
"Just a bottle of champagne. Hennessy Grande."
"Just? What year?"
"1976."
Setsuna drew up her legs a bit, as she wrapped herself into a tight hug around the bottle.
"Oh my," she said, looking coy, and –Haruka, if asked, would have had to admit- devastatingly alluring, "Are you hoping to find me inebriated some night so you can take advantage of me, dearest Haruka?"
"Alas, Michiru, she's onto me!" said Haruka melodramatically, then she winked at her, "But if not me, someone perhaps."
"Never!" said Setsuna, also melodramatically. "I shall drink this with Miyuki on New Year's Eve when she psychoanalyzes me. She wanted Dom Pérignon, but this shall have to do."
"Hennessy's better."
'I agree,' Setsuna nodded. "Thank you, Haruka."
Then Hotaru came shyly up to her, holding the present in proper fashion with both hands. "Setsuna-momma, I made this for you. Happy birthday."
Hotaru looked a bit anxious as Setsuna took the box, and carefully opened it. As she pulled the cup out, varying degrees of shock appeared on the faces of the three older women.
"You … made this?"
The cup was done in shiny, black enamel plated inside with gold, as was the lid, and had a well-executed cloisonné swan in water, surrounded by a wreath of flowers. She had used different grades of lattice wire and fading technique to make the blue flowers seem 'soft focus' and 'in the background', causing the garnet red flowers to stand out even more. The shading on the swan was very well done, and the hardest part of making the cup. Hotaru had practiced on three mock ups of the swan to get it right before doing the real thing. There was a large petal pattern at the bottom that made it look as if the cup were contained within a chrysanthemum, and fancy, double lined, open-jointed heart shapes in the same garnet material lining the rim.
"This is excellent work, Hotaru," said Michiru, very appreciatively.
Hotaru cleared her throat, and blushed a little as she said, "Well, Kuryakin–sensei explained all the techniques to me, machined the cup, and did the lathing, polishing and electroplating. But for the rest of it, I practiced each technique first, and did all the designing, painting and lattice work, and I even got to do the firing for the enamel. With careful guidance, of course."
"That is actual gold plating, then?" asked Setsuna, who was looking very closely now at just how fine a job Hotaru had done.
"Yes, 2.5 micron, 22 carat, heavy gold plate, and the silver lattice is platinum plated. The gold is for good luck, and the silver color of the platinum plating worked better with the black of the cup and the swan."
"Very nice, Hotaru," said Haruka. "Very, very nice."
"Oh dear, I just realized something," said Michiru seriously.
"What's that?" asked Hotaru.
"We need to give Setsuna another present. This one makes four presents."
"How do you figure?" asked Haruka.
"The cup has a lid, and that makes four parts to the presents."
"Michiru, I didn't realize you took superstitions that seriously."
"Oh, I don't, Haruka, it's just a question of good form."
"The champagne bottle has a cork, so that makes it five. Happy?"
"Surely you are being silly, Michiru," Setsuna said. "I have three wonderful presents, and I thank you all."
"It's okay, Michiru-momma," said Hotaru, "since I have another present."
"And the day is saved," said Haruka overdramatically.
Hotaru handed Setsuna another box. This one was flat and about an inch thick. As she opened it, Hotaru told her, "This one is from Kuryakin-sensei."
"Oh?" Setsuna said, as she paused for a moment, and then continued to unwrap it.
"Yes, he just made it to make my gift more complete. He didn't want you to know, but I insisted."
"I see," said Setsuna coolly, as she pulled it out of its box, "yes, what is a tea cup without a matching saucer?"
"Yes," Hotaru beamed as she set the cup in the saucer, "see, it has the same flowers I did? And the petal pattern continues at the bottom? And it's lined with the heart pattern?"
"Yes," she said, a bit of formality creeping into her voice, "he copied your 'style' very well."
'Is she angry?' An inexplicable shadow seemed to have fallen over an otherwise wonderful moment.
"Don't you like it, Setsuna-momma?"
"No, no," she said, catching herself. "I'll send a thank you note for Mister Kuryakin with you on Monday. This is an excellent gift, Hotaru. You must have worked very hard. I am very proud of you."
Then she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"We all are, my kitten," said Haruka, as Michiru nodded.
"I have had the most wonderful birthday today," said Setsuna, smiling. "All of my gifts have been well thought out and are very special to me. Thank you all, very much."
"Hotaru," Michiru called, "I got some hot water going on the stove as you asked."
Hotaru went to the kitchen to make some green tea for Setsuna's new cup.
"That was fantastic," said Haruka. "This whole thing is turning out to be very good for her."
"Yes," Michiru agreed, "That is something she can be proud of in the years to come. It wasn't a mere child's present, beloved more for the thought than the quality. That was extremely well done. That must have been tough for her to pull off especially while keeping up with her studies. We have another artist in the house, it seems."
"And a future star reporter."
"That outfit she had on was so cute."
As Michiru and Haruka talked, Setsuna stared at the cup and saucer, especially the latter, in front of her. She said nothing, but she was thinking a great deal. She picked up the saucer and examined it closely. There was a fairly wide band circling the bottom filled in with a superb filigree design, masterfully done. That it was so well done somehow upset her even more. She had thought she'd made it clear there were certain lines that were not to be crossed here. If pressed to explain how, exactly, this had crossed an explicit line, she would have had trouble. But, as it always seemed to, any unbidden, unofficial reminders of Hotaru's tutor and his apparently limitless wealth of talents set her on edge, and aroused 'suspicions.'
Hotaru came out with the tea pot and filled Setsuna's cup with mint green tea. Michiru brought plates, silverware, napkins and a small but very fancy cake sufficient for four people. She cut it up and began serving each of them. As she did, Hotaru found herself wishing that Kuryakin-sensei could have seen Setsuna's amazed look when she took the cup out of its box. Setsuna-momma was so pretty to begin with, and when she looked pleasantly surprised, it was like the sun finally bursting forth after a rainy day. The sense of completion and delayed gratification was deeply satisfying. She really couldn't claim to have done every last bit of the work, but she'd had certainly done the hardest parts. No one could doubt that this labor of love had produced something special, something very and uniquely 'Hotaru.' She did not begrudge her tutor his part in the cup, nor the saucer he contributed. Quite the contrary, she felt he deserved to be there in more than just spirit. Now, the day seemed to have an empty space in it.
"Here you are, my dear little rival," said Michiru as she handed Hotaru a piece of the cake.
She took a few small bites, and then, as if something occurred to her, she cut her piece of cake in two. When Michiru asked why, she said shyly that it was a bit sweet for her, and she wanted to save some for later. Setsuna took note of this as she drank her tea and ate her cake. This had been a very delightful day, and up until a few minutes ago, she had felt nothing but happiness in it. She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling now … worried? … offended? … but whatever it was, she would play her part to honor the gifts and thoughtfulness of her two friends and fellow 'parents,' and her adoptive daughter. Yet, as she stared at the cup and saucer –the latter, clearly, as lovingly done as the former - deep inside, she also found herself upset. For the first time, some unpleasant and angering thoughts were presenting themselves clearly before her mind. Playing Napoleon for a cute, student produced video with obvious educational value was fine, if a bit goofy. Helping Hotaru make a special birthday gift was also fine. But something about that saucer made it look and feel like a very special gift from a suitor.
