A Moment in Time
By Hotaru-chan ~ saturn_princess_2000@yahoo.com
July, 2000
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, even though I wish I did ^_^ All chacters
are copywrited by their peoples. This stroy was written by me though, so don't post it
anyway without asking my permision first. Thanks and enjoy the ficie!
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A Moment In Time
By Hotaru-chan



Her hair was a beautiful shade of aqua; blue green, not quite turquoise. Her eyes matched her hair perfectly, but,
unlike her hair, her eye-color was natural.

She left the concert hall, violin case in hand, her slender high heels clicking on the marble stairs. Once outside she
met a woman with short blond-brown hair and greeted her fondly.

"You were wonderful," said the tall blonde.

"You always say that," replied the one with aqua hair, smiling.

They walked together to the little coffee house where they always went after performances. They sat at the same
table as always, by the window in the corner. Moments later they were joined by a third woman, who sat across
from them. Her long dark green hair was half pulled back into a bun. Although she always denied coloring her hair
dark green, people thought it was quite obvious that she did.

"Setsuna," said the green-haired violinist.

The woman across the table touched the garnet ring to her lips as she had a habit of doing when in thought and
brushed the long dark green bangs from her eyes. She remained silent, her attention focused on the cup of tea
which sat on the table in front of her.

~*~*~*~

A young girl, dark green hair, a bright smile.

"It's time to go," she hears. "It's time."

She doesn't move, wills herself to block out the words. "It's time." She holds back tears and solemnly follows the
tall woman in the flowing dress, giving in to her habit of obeying. She opens the gate and steps through to her
destiny.

~*~*~*~

Standing in a shop. Checks her watch. What is the time? Is there time for time? No, of course not. Not anymore.
Time has no place here. She laughed inwardly at that thought. How true, how true. But her face showed no
emotion. As usual. As the almost-always. When had she last smiled? No, she never had. Any previous smile
existed now only in time, and therefore was nothing to her. She blinked. The others may think what they like, she
thought, but the truth will never be known to them. Truth does not exist anymore. Truth, like a moment in time, has
long since passed and is gone forever.

~*~*~*~

A baby is born with dark green hair. Throughout its first year she utters no cry, no wail, no sound at all. Perhaps
she's deaf, they thought. But she wasn't deaf at all. She saw and heard all, and was capable of putting both senses
together to form an understanding of the world around her. Too much information for a one-year-old. She stayed
silent.

~*~*~*~

She sits silent in the cold office, unaware of her surroundings. She contemplates her existence. She would never
grow old, never change. Time doesn't move at the Gates. She stands at the center of time; access is permitted only
for her, all others who attempt to enter must be destroyed. By her, preferably.

"Setsuna." She doesn't hear her name being called. Nor does she see the speaker. "I am time," she says, yet no
words escape her lips. "Let me be. Me and the Gates." She rips off her watch, which stopped over a year ago,
and throws it as hard as she can. It smashes into a wall.

~*~*~*~

"Setsuna," the kindergarten teacher says, "can you tell me what the time on this clock says?" The teacher frowns
when she sees the small girl's head duck beneath her desk. "Setsuna?"

~*~*~*~

A girl of eleven walks with her grandmother down a street of shops. They pass a clock store, large grandfather
clocks looming in the window. The next store is ice-cream.

"Would you like to stop here for a cone?" asks the grandmother. She looks down. The girl is missing. She turns
around to face an empty sidewalk. "Setsuna?"

~*~*~*~

A tall girl with dark green hair sits in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her second year high school
uniform is crinkled and stained with dry tears that never fell. Neither her classmates nor her teacher bother to
notice; they're used to the empty girl who sits alone.

~*~*~*~

Everything in the room is smashed. Broken. Damaged somehow. Everything, that is, except for a solitary clock
which bears only streaks of blood across its face. It is her birthday. Nineteen years. Time. The green-haired girl
sits huddled in the attic.

~*~*~*~

She finds herself in a restaurant. She contemplates the menu, trying to make sense of it.

"Are you ready to order?" asks a waitress. The tall green-haired woman puts down her menu and walks out.

~*~*~*~

Whispers. Voices are heard, but the meaning of their conversation is not fully understood. The green-haired
seven-year-old knows this much though, they're talking about her. She shuts her eyes tight and waits for the voices
to stop.

~*~*~*~

She rides the subway to her district, gets off at the wrong stop, and then wanders until she reaches her apartment.
She throws out all her mail, bills, notices, letters from family. She can't be bothered with such. She enters her
bedroom and falls asleep on the floor.

~*~*~*~

"Setsunai...Setsuna...Setsunai...Setsuna..." the green-haired one chants softly. But then the fourth grade class
room quiets down. Her voice is heard. Her classmates stare. Her teacher is frightened.

"What are you saying?" the teacher asks, "What does that mean?"

The small chanting girl doesn't even blink. "Setsunai...Setsuna...Setsunai...Setsuna..."

~*~*~*~

"Why am I here?" she asks the Gates.

"You are time," says the Gates.

"I am time?"

"No one can touch you."

"...touch me?"

She looks up. The Gates have vanished. She is picked up by her mother and taken off to her first day of
preschool.

~*~*~*~

A green-haired woman walks down the street. It is one o'clock at night, New Years Day. The street is dark and
cold. Another year has slipped by and all that came with it has passed out of existence, she thinks. She leaves a
trail of footprints behind her in the light layer of snow as she walks. Yes, another year has passed, but what year is
it now? She doesn't know, it doesn't matter.

~*~*~*~

"What do you want?" she shrieks inside her head at the past, present, future, time. But her question is left
unanswered; she knows the answer already. She is time. She controls the essence of life, that keeps things moving.
She accepts and moves on--through time.




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I hope you liked it! I consider this to be my best fanfic -- so please review and let
me know what you think, k? Thanks!!

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Hotaru-chan
saturn_princess_2000@yahoo.com
www.envy.nu/zaree/
*Princess of §aturn*
"Omae o korosu"
Duo-chan rules!!! ^^;;
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