Title: Puu
Author: Wind Water Time & Death
E-mail: OuterGoddesses@yahoo.com
Rated: PG
Summary: Setsuna reflects on her lives of
loneliness and finally finds romance.
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine.
Puu
Setsuna opened her eyes as her alarm clock rang
close to her ear. She reached over and turned it
off and continued to stare up at the ceiling. The
sound of Haruka and Michiru's playful laughter
outside of her door made her sigh.
She slowly got out of bed and went to her closet.
'Another day at the lab,' she thought as she
selected a pair of black dress slacks, white poets
blouse, and a black vest. She reached over to the
little shelves Haruka had built in and removed a
pair of knee highs.
Throwing the clothes she would wear to work on the
bed, she grabbed up her dark green robe and headed
for the wash room. "Are any of you about to go in
here?" she asked.
Haruka and Michiru stopped at their door and
looked at Setsuna. "No," the two lovers chorused
and ran in their room.
'They're off to an early start,' Setsuna thought
with an edge of jealousy. With a heavy sigh she
locked herself in the washroom and turned on the
shower. She stared at her reflection for a long
moment before getting out of her PJ's and into the
shower. Why didn't she have anyone...why did
everyone else seem to have somebody?
She let the cool water run over her body as she
began to think of her years as a Sailor Soldier.
For many centries she guarded the time gate alone
on her home planet of Pluto, with no one there to
talk to or to love her...she should be used to
lonliness by now.
When she got out of the shower, she went to her
room and slowly got dressed for another day in
the lab. She grabbed her notebook and started for
the door. Michiru's playful giggle could be heard
out in the hallway. Luckily, Hotaru had stayed
over with Chibi-usa.
Setsuna sighed wistfully and went out the door.
Her steps were heavy as she made her way to the
lab. Once she arrived, she slipped on her lab coat
and went to her experiment.
"Bright an early as always Meioh-san," a man's
voice said.
Setsuna blushed and gave the professor a sweet
smile as she nodded. "Yes, Professor Tomoe."
She could hardly believe that he had once been one
of the senshi's enemies. But, it hadn't really
been him...he had been possessed by a power hungry
monster, she reminded herself.
The Professor walked over, he had a small limp and
was using a walking stick. "And what are you
working on today?" he asked.
"The usual," she replied, giving him a small
smile. She tried to keep her attention on the
plants she was working with instead of the man
standing next to her. The plants were infected
with a new disease and she was working on a
solution to help them fight it off. She filled a
dropper with the solution she had mixed the night
before and dripped a few drops on one of the
leaves.
"Your sempai must be jealous of all the time you
spend here," he smiled.
"I do not have one...work and Hotaru take up all
my time," Setsuna replied. "Not that I mind...
Hotaru is a blessing to myself and my housemates."
"How is Hotaru?" Professor Tomoe asked softly.
"She's thriving," Setsuna said with a hint of
pride. "But she misses you."
"I feel confidant that you and your friends are
taking good care of her in ways I never will be
able to..." the professor said slowly. "I can
barely take care of myself with this injury..." He
nodded toward his permanently injured leg. He put
a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you...Maybe I
should find someone like you to help me..." He
sighed heavily. "But no woman would want me in
this condition."
He started to walk off.
"Professor..." Setsuna called softly. She smiled
when he turned. "I think you may be wrong about
that assumption. You are kind man...any woman
would be lucky to call you her husband. But there
would be the problem of finding a woman that
Hotaru gets along with...So that she would adjust
easily..."
"The only one I have in mind gets along perfectly
with my daughter," Professor Tomoe smiled, then
walked out of the lab. "Oh, and Happy Birthday
Meioh-san."
There was something about the glimmer in his eyes
that made Setsuna's heart jump into her throat.
Had he been talking about her? She thought about
asking him, but she was on the clock until 4 p.m.
She would ask him then...if he was still there
that is...
~@~@~@~@~@~
On her way home, Setsuna's lonliness began to eat
at her mind again. She had missed being able to
see the professor before leaving. Odds were, none
of her friends had remembered her birthday either.
Not that she minded, she sort of dreaded the idea
of a big party from the other senshi...
She slid her key into the lock and turned it.
"Hello?" she called as she went into the house.
"Anyone home?"
"In here!" Hotaru's voice called form the kitchen.
She walked to the kitchen and beamed a smile at
her fellow Outer Senshi. The three of them were
gathered around a cake with chocolate frosting
that said 'Happy Birthday Puu!!!' in dark green
icing. Five candles in the shape of a 4, 1, 7, 2,
and 0 were in the middle, burning in the middle of
the cake.
"Come on Setsuna-mama, blow out the candles and
make a wish!" Hotaru beamed.
Setsuna held her hair back as she bent down to
blow out the candles. The doorbell rang. "I'll get
it," Hotaru smiled and ran into the living room.
Haruka quickly removed all the candles except for
the 2 and 0 and smoothed out the frosting with her
finger.
A few minutes later, Hotaru returned holding her
biological father's hand. The child had been
careful to take slow steps so that he could keep
up with her. "Look who's here Setsuna-mama,"
Hotaru said with pride.
Professor Tomoe bowed politely to the others in
the room. He took a red rose from his lapel and
gave it to Setsuna when he greeted her. Both of
the adults blushed slightly at the transaction.
"What brings you here Professor?" Haruka asked
with a grin.
"I've come to see if I could take my daughter out
for dinner," he replied.
The older senshi looked at each other. Haruka and
Michiru smiled and nodded. Setsuna became all to
aware that the others were looking at her.
"What was the question?" she asked.
"May I take Hotaru out for dinner tonight?" the
professor asked.
"Of course," Setsuna said with a bright smile.
Hotaru looked up at her father. "Can Setsuna-mama
come too Papa?"
"I couldn't possibly..." Setsuna started.
"Yes," Tomoe smiled. "It would be nice for her to
join us...that is...if she would like to."
Setsuna blushed again when the professor gave her
a grin.
"Let's go get ready Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said,
pulling Setsuna from the kitchen. Before Hotaru
headed to her room she added, "Wear something
pretty. Papa always takes me to a nice resturant
when he takes me to dinner."
"What would you suggest?" Setsuna asked in a tone
similar to Hotaru's soft whisper.
"The pretty black dress," Hotaru smiled and ran
down the hall to her own room. "The one with all
the laces." Setsuna slowly went into her room and
began to plunder through her closet to find the
dress her adopted daughter was talking about. She
finally found it at the back of the closet, hidden
away. She pulled it out of the wardobe bag and
held it against her frame as she looked into her
mirror.
"I hope this still fits," she muttered and pulled
some black under-garments from her shelves along
with a pair of black hose. "I hope I can remember
how to lace this thing up." She eyed the laces
that went up the sides and front of the dress
wearily before starting to get ready. When she had
almost compeleted getting ready, she looked in her
mirror again. "I look more like a sadistic
vixen... but oh well," she sighed, lacing up the
front of the dress.
A tiny knock sounded at the door as she tied off
the lace. Hotaru peeped her head in and smiled.
"You look pretty Setsuna-mama."
"Thank you," Setsuna replied, not wanting to tell
Hotaru what she thought of the person she was
seeing in the mirror.
Hotaru walked to Setsuna's jewelry box and opened
it slowly. "I think you should wear these," she
said, pulling out a pair of dangling dark-green
emerald earrings. She pulled out a silver necklace
with a green emerald pendant on it. "This too.
They compliment your garnet colored eyes."
Setsuna hesitantly took the peices of jewelry. She
never knew she had those earrings and that
necklace... maybe they were some older jewelry
she'd forgotten she owned... Once she was done she
looked in the mirror again. Something about the
jewels had transformed her image as a vixen into
an image of a distinguished, but an exteremly
mysterious, Mona Lisa type.
Hotaru gave her the rose and she put it in her
hair.
"Are you ready?" Setsuna asked.
Hotaru nodded and took her hand. The two decended
the stairs. Dr. Tomoe was waiting patiently at the
bottom of the stairs. When he looked up, his jaw
dropped. Setsuna cast a glance at her fellow
senshi, Haruka's mouth was hanging open as well.
When Michiru noticed Haruka's expression, she
nudged her lifemate's arm. Haruka sweatdropped and
closed her mouth, while giving Michiru a sweet,
apologetic smile.
"Doesn't she look pretty Papa?" Hotaru asked.
The only thing the professor could do was give an
open-mouthed nod. "You look pretty too Hotaru."
Hotaru grasped the skirt of dark purple silk dress
and gave her Papa a curtsey. "Arigatou Papa."
"Be sure to have them home before midnight,"
Haruka teased as the three started out the door.
~@~@~@~@~
"Hotaru!!! Puu!!!"
Setsuna and Hotaru both turned at the sound of
Chibi-usa's voice. The pink haired girl waved from
the table she was sharing with her future parents.
Usagi and Mamoru were too busy staring into each
other's eyes to notice Chibiusa's behavior.
Only when Chibi-usa bounded out of her chair and
ran over, did the future King and Queen look away
from each other.
"Setsuna, Hotaru, Professor," Usagi smiled. Her
voice turned into a low growl, "Chibi-usa."
Chibiusa hugged Hotaru then smiled, "She sounds
mad so I had better go back over there."
"That would be a good choice Small Lady," Setsuna
said with a pleasant smile.
The waiter showed them to a table next to Usagi
and Mamoru's. Setsuna opened the menu and glupped
when she looked at the prices. She quickly hunted
down the least expensive item on the menu and
frowned when it turned out that it was something
that had eggplant in it.
"It's all so expensive..." she commented.
The professor put his hand on hers. "Do not worry
about the price Meioh-san," he smiled. "I'm paying
for it."
"Please call me Setsuna, Professor," Setsuna said
softly.
"Only if you call me Souichi," he replied.
Hotaru whispered a suggestion for what to order.
"It's really good and doesn't cost a lot."
"What is it?"
"Escargo...it's a delicacy in France," Hotaru
explained. "They're snails, still in the shell.
Papa got me addicted to them the first time he
brought me here."
"Arigatou," Setsuna whispered and set down her
menu.
The table was quiet until Hotaru decided to make
conversation. "Isn't Setsuna-mama pretty Papa?"
"Yes, she is," Souichi replied.
"I knew you would say that," Hotaru beamed.
"You've been staring at her for five minutes
straight."
Before Tomoe could explain, the waiter arrived to
take their orders.
"Would you like for me to bring the wine out now
sir or wait until your meal is served?"
"Now please," Souichi smiled.
Setsuna was aware of several people looking toward
their table then whispering to each other.
"Souichi-san...Do the other people always stare in
your direction?"
"I do not think it's me they're looking at,"
Souichi said with a small glimmer in his eyes.
"What about you Hotaru?"
"I think they're looking at Setsuna-mama," Hotaru
beamed.
The violinist approached their table. "May we play
a song for Monsiour Tomoe, his lovely wife, and
beautiful daughter?" the musician asked, waving
his hand toward the quartet close to the dance
floor.
Setsuna blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm
not...his wife," she managed to say.
Souichi smiled and nodded. He lend close and
whispered to Setsuna, "Do not worry about the
mistake. They often think anyone I bring along is
a friend or something...Though this is the first
time they have thought my guest was my wife."
When the waiter returned with the wine, the two
suddenly realized that Hotaru was missing from the
table. They spotted her close by on the dance
floor, teaching Chibiusa to waltz. Usagi and
Mamoru were close by, holding each other close as
they softly swayed to the gentle sound of the
violins and cello.
"I didn't know Hotaru could waltz," Souichi
commented.
"Her Haruka-papa taught her," Setsuna replied
softly. "I never really caught on..."
"She is very close to your housemates as well?"
"Hai," Setsuna replied with a soft nod. "I'm not
sure what we would do without her..."
"Let's not worry about that day," Souichi said
gently. "It may yet be a long time before I have a
wife to help with her...by then, she will probably
be an adult herself."
Setsuna looked into Souichi's blue eyes. "I'm sure
there is someone who would be more than happy to
be your wife."
He smiled and his eyes softened. "Such as?"
'Oh, oh, oh!!! Me, me, me!!!' Setsuna's inner
voice exclaimed. She opened her mouth to reply but
the waiter arrived with their meal and Hotaru
returned to the table. 'Baka, baka, baka!' she
scolded herself. 'You should have said something!'
Setsuna busied herself tasting the wine so that
maybe Souichi wouldn't try to continue their
conversation. Maybe she should have said something
to him...What if this was her one chance to end
her lifetimes of loneliness?... What if she had
just completely blew that one chance?
Hotaru did her best to keep the conversation going
during dinner. She talked about her perfect marks
in all her classes...except her physical education
class that is.
"Maybe I should see about getting you a doctor's
note so that you do not have to take that class,"
Souichi suggested. "Perhaps they could put you in
an art or music class..."
"Really Papa?" Hotaru said hopefully.
"Of course," Souichi replied, putting his hand on
top of Hotaru's head.
After they finished their meal, Souichi offered
his free hand to help Setsuna out of her chair and
then did the same for his daughter. Usagi and
Mamoru were once again gazing into each other's
eyes.
"Puu...can I come home with you and Hotaru?"
Chibiusa asked with a bored sigh.
"I'm staying at my Papa's house tonight," Hotaru
said, looking up at her Papa.
"Your friend may stay," Souichi smiled.
"Usagi," Chibiusa called. Usagi... Mamo-chan?...
Hello?!" She sighed. "Do you have a pen and a
piece of paper?"
Souichi supplied a pen and small piece of paper,
Chibiusa scribbled a note and left it where her
future parents could find it. The pink haired girl
hopped out of her seat and took Hotaru's hand.
"That should do it," Chibiusa smiled.
~@~@~@~@~
Setsuna sighed as she looked up at Souichi. He was
dropping her off at her home before taking Hotaru
and Chibiusa to his own home for the night. The
moonlight gave his white hair a soft, silvery
glow.
"Thank you Souichi-san," Setsuna said softly once
they reached the door. "I enjoyed spending time
with you and Hotaru this evening."
"You are welcome Setsuna-san," he replied. "We
should do it again some other time..."
Both of them glanced back at his mercedes. Two
small faces were pressed against the window,
looking on with interest. Hotaru quickly hid a
sign that instructed "Kiss her Papa!!!!" when she
noticed they had looked at the car.
Souichi took Setsuna's hand and softly kissed it.
"Will you be at the lab in the morning?"
"Bright and early," Setsuna replied.
"As always..." Souichi added with a gentle smile.
"See you then," Setsuna assured.
"Hai..."
"Hai."
They gazed into each other's eyes for a long
moment, then lightly laughed. It was becoming very
obvious that they were either both shy or there
was no feelings beyond friendship for the two.
'I guess I took his words wrong...' Setsuna
thought then began to hunt for her key in her
purse. 'I guess I shouldn't have expected much
anyway...it's always been my destiny to be
alone...'
Souichi lifted her chin and lowered his lips to
her own. They both ignored the "Yay!" that came
from the car as the kiss deepened. They slowly
pulled away from each other when the front door
opened.
"See you tomorrow Setsuna-chan," Souichi
whispered, then kissed her cheek.
Setsuna smiled brightly and nodded. She was too
excited to say anything. She leaned against the
door frame and watched as Souichi walked back to
his car. He gave her one last smile before getting
in his car and slowly driving off.
She slowly turned to see Haruka and Michiru
standing in the doorway. "Have fun?" Michiru
asked. Setsuna gave a smile and nod then slowly
walked up tp her room. She fell onto her bed
without changing for bed. Eventually sleep found
her and carried her away to a place made of
dreams, wishes, and Professor Tomoe...and she
couldn't wait for the morning to come.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
So, whadda think? An enquiring writer wants to
know!
It took A LOT of research to find it, but the name
Prof. Tomoe gave Setsuna IS the name Naoko-sama
gave him.
Author: Wind Water Time & Death
E-mail: OuterGoddesses@yahoo.com
Rated: PG
Summary: Setsuna reflects on her lives of
loneliness and finally finds romance.
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine.
Puu
Setsuna opened her eyes as her alarm clock rang
close to her ear. She reached over and turned it
off and continued to stare up at the ceiling. The
sound of Haruka and Michiru's playful laughter
outside of her door made her sigh.
She slowly got out of bed and went to her closet.
'Another day at the lab,' she thought as she
selected a pair of black dress slacks, white poets
blouse, and a black vest. She reached over to the
little shelves Haruka had built in and removed a
pair of knee highs.
Throwing the clothes she would wear to work on the
bed, she grabbed up her dark green robe and headed
for the wash room. "Are any of you about to go in
here?" she asked.
Haruka and Michiru stopped at their door and
looked at Setsuna. "No," the two lovers chorused
and ran in their room.
'They're off to an early start,' Setsuna thought
with an edge of jealousy. With a heavy sigh she
locked herself in the washroom and turned on the
shower. She stared at her reflection for a long
moment before getting out of her PJ's and into the
shower. Why didn't she have anyone...why did
everyone else seem to have somebody?
She let the cool water run over her body as she
began to think of her years as a Sailor Soldier.
For many centries she guarded the time gate alone
on her home planet of Pluto, with no one there to
talk to or to love her...she should be used to
lonliness by now.
When she got out of the shower, she went to her
room and slowly got dressed for another day in
the lab. She grabbed her notebook and started for
the door. Michiru's playful giggle could be heard
out in the hallway. Luckily, Hotaru had stayed
over with Chibi-usa.
Setsuna sighed wistfully and went out the door.
Her steps were heavy as she made her way to the
lab. Once she arrived, she slipped on her lab coat
and went to her experiment.
"Bright an early as always Meioh-san," a man's
voice said.
Setsuna blushed and gave the professor a sweet
smile as she nodded. "Yes, Professor Tomoe."
She could hardly believe that he had once been one
of the senshi's enemies. But, it hadn't really
been him...he had been possessed by a power hungry
monster, she reminded herself.
The Professor walked over, he had a small limp and
was using a walking stick. "And what are you
working on today?" he asked.
"The usual," she replied, giving him a small
smile. She tried to keep her attention on the
plants she was working with instead of the man
standing next to her. The plants were infected
with a new disease and she was working on a
solution to help them fight it off. She filled a
dropper with the solution she had mixed the night
before and dripped a few drops on one of the
leaves.
"Your sempai must be jealous of all the time you
spend here," he smiled.
"I do not have one...work and Hotaru take up all
my time," Setsuna replied. "Not that I mind...
Hotaru is a blessing to myself and my housemates."
"How is Hotaru?" Professor Tomoe asked softly.
"She's thriving," Setsuna said with a hint of
pride. "But she misses you."
"I feel confidant that you and your friends are
taking good care of her in ways I never will be
able to..." the professor said slowly. "I can
barely take care of myself with this injury..." He
nodded toward his permanently injured leg. He put
a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you...Maybe I
should find someone like you to help me..." He
sighed heavily. "But no woman would want me in
this condition."
He started to walk off.
"Professor..." Setsuna called softly. She smiled
when he turned. "I think you may be wrong about
that assumption. You are kind man...any woman
would be lucky to call you her husband. But there
would be the problem of finding a woman that
Hotaru gets along with...So that she would adjust
easily..."
"The only one I have in mind gets along perfectly
with my daughter," Professor Tomoe smiled, then
walked out of the lab. "Oh, and Happy Birthday
Meioh-san."
There was something about the glimmer in his eyes
that made Setsuna's heart jump into her throat.
Had he been talking about her? She thought about
asking him, but she was on the clock until 4 p.m.
She would ask him then...if he was still there
that is...
~@~@~@~@~@~
On her way home, Setsuna's lonliness began to eat
at her mind again. She had missed being able to
see the professor before leaving. Odds were, none
of her friends had remembered her birthday either.
Not that she minded, she sort of dreaded the idea
of a big party from the other senshi...
She slid her key into the lock and turned it.
"Hello?" she called as she went into the house.
"Anyone home?"
"In here!" Hotaru's voice called form the kitchen.
She walked to the kitchen and beamed a smile at
her fellow Outer Senshi. The three of them were
gathered around a cake with chocolate frosting
that said 'Happy Birthday Puu!!!' in dark green
icing. Five candles in the shape of a 4, 1, 7, 2,
and 0 were in the middle, burning in the middle of
the cake.
"Come on Setsuna-mama, blow out the candles and
make a wish!" Hotaru beamed.
Setsuna held her hair back as she bent down to
blow out the candles. The doorbell rang. "I'll get
it," Hotaru smiled and ran into the living room.
Haruka quickly removed all the candles except for
the 2 and 0 and smoothed out the frosting with her
finger.
A few minutes later, Hotaru returned holding her
biological father's hand. The child had been
careful to take slow steps so that he could keep
up with her. "Look who's here Setsuna-mama,"
Hotaru said with pride.
Professor Tomoe bowed politely to the others in
the room. He took a red rose from his lapel and
gave it to Setsuna when he greeted her. Both of
the adults blushed slightly at the transaction.
"What brings you here Professor?" Haruka asked
with a grin.
"I've come to see if I could take my daughter out
for dinner," he replied.
The older senshi looked at each other. Haruka and
Michiru smiled and nodded. Setsuna became all to
aware that the others were looking at her.
"What was the question?" she asked.
"May I take Hotaru out for dinner tonight?" the
professor asked.
"Of course," Setsuna said with a bright smile.
Hotaru looked up at her father. "Can Setsuna-mama
come too Papa?"
"I couldn't possibly..." Setsuna started.
"Yes," Tomoe smiled. "It would be nice for her to
join us...that is...if she would like to."
Setsuna blushed again when the professor gave her
a grin.
"Let's go get ready Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said,
pulling Setsuna from the kitchen. Before Hotaru
headed to her room she added, "Wear something
pretty. Papa always takes me to a nice resturant
when he takes me to dinner."
"What would you suggest?" Setsuna asked in a tone
similar to Hotaru's soft whisper.
"The pretty black dress," Hotaru smiled and ran
down the hall to her own room. "The one with all
the laces." Setsuna slowly went into her room and
began to plunder through her closet to find the
dress her adopted daughter was talking about. She
finally found it at the back of the closet, hidden
away. She pulled it out of the wardobe bag and
held it against her frame as she looked into her
mirror.
"I hope this still fits," she muttered and pulled
some black under-garments from her shelves along
with a pair of black hose. "I hope I can remember
how to lace this thing up." She eyed the laces
that went up the sides and front of the dress
wearily before starting to get ready. When she had
almost compeleted getting ready, she looked in her
mirror again. "I look more like a sadistic
vixen... but oh well," she sighed, lacing up the
front of the dress.
A tiny knock sounded at the door as she tied off
the lace. Hotaru peeped her head in and smiled.
"You look pretty Setsuna-mama."
"Thank you," Setsuna replied, not wanting to tell
Hotaru what she thought of the person she was
seeing in the mirror.
Hotaru walked to Setsuna's jewelry box and opened
it slowly. "I think you should wear these," she
said, pulling out a pair of dangling dark-green
emerald earrings. She pulled out a silver necklace
with a green emerald pendant on it. "This too.
They compliment your garnet colored eyes."
Setsuna hesitantly took the peices of jewelry. She
never knew she had those earrings and that
necklace... maybe they were some older jewelry
she'd forgotten she owned... Once she was done she
looked in the mirror again. Something about the
jewels had transformed her image as a vixen into
an image of a distinguished, but an exteremly
mysterious, Mona Lisa type.
Hotaru gave her the rose and she put it in her
hair.
"Are you ready?" Setsuna asked.
Hotaru nodded and took her hand. The two decended
the stairs. Dr. Tomoe was waiting patiently at the
bottom of the stairs. When he looked up, his jaw
dropped. Setsuna cast a glance at her fellow
senshi, Haruka's mouth was hanging open as well.
When Michiru noticed Haruka's expression, she
nudged her lifemate's arm. Haruka sweatdropped and
closed her mouth, while giving Michiru a sweet,
apologetic smile.
"Doesn't she look pretty Papa?" Hotaru asked.
The only thing the professor could do was give an
open-mouthed nod. "You look pretty too Hotaru."
Hotaru grasped the skirt of dark purple silk dress
and gave her Papa a curtsey. "Arigatou Papa."
"Be sure to have them home before midnight,"
Haruka teased as the three started out the door.
~@~@~@~@~
"Hotaru!!! Puu!!!"
Setsuna and Hotaru both turned at the sound of
Chibi-usa's voice. The pink haired girl waved from
the table she was sharing with her future parents.
Usagi and Mamoru were too busy staring into each
other's eyes to notice Chibiusa's behavior.
Only when Chibi-usa bounded out of her chair and
ran over, did the future King and Queen look away
from each other.
"Setsuna, Hotaru, Professor," Usagi smiled. Her
voice turned into a low growl, "Chibi-usa."
Chibiusa hugged Hotaru then smiled, "She sounds
mad so I had better go back over there."
"That would be a good choice Small Lady," Setsuna
said with a pleasant smile.
The waiter showed them to a table next to Usagi
and Mamoru's. Setsuna opened the menu and glupped
when she looked at the prices. She quickly hunted
down the least expensive item on the menu and
frowned when it turned out that it was something
that had eggplant in it.
"It's all so expensive..." she commented.
The professor put his hand on hers. "Do not worry
about the price Meioh-san," he smiled. "I'm paying
for it."
"Please call me Setsuna, Professor," Setsuna said
softly.
"Only if you call me Souichi," he replied.
Hotaru whispered a suggestion for what to order.
"It's really good and doesn't cost a lot."
"What is it?"
"Escargo...it's a delicacy in France," Hotaru
explained. "They're snails, still in the shell.
Papa got me addicted to them the first time he
brought me here."
"Arigatou," Setsuna whispered and set down her
menu.
The table was quiet until Hotaru decided to make
conversation. "Isn't Setsuna-mama pretty Papa?"
"Yes, she is," Souichi replied.
"I knew you would say that," Hotaru beamed.
"You've been staring at her for five minutes
straight."
Before Tomoe could explain, the waiter arrived to
take their orders.
"Would you like for me to bring the wine out now
sir or wait until your meal is served?"
"Now please," Souichi smiled.
Setsuna was aware of several people looking toward
their table then whispering to each other.
"Souichi-san...Do the other people always stare in
your direction?"
"I do not think it's me they're looking at,"
Souichi said with a small glimmer in his eyes.
"What about you Hotaru?"
"I think they're looking at Setsuna-mama," Hotaru
beamed.
The violinist approached their table. "May we play
a song for Monsiour Tomoe, his lovely wife, and
beautiful daughter?" the musician asked, waving
his hand toward the quartet close to the dance
floor.
Setsuna blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm
not...his wife," she managed to say.
Souichi smiled and nodded. He lend close and
whispered to Setsuna, "Do not worry about the
mistake. They often think anyone I bring along is
a friend or something...Though this is the first
time they have thought my guest was my wife."
When the waiter returned with the wine, the two
suddenly realized that Hotaru was missing from the
table. They spotted her close by on the dance
floor, teaching Chibiusa to waltz. Usagi and
Mamoru were close by, holding each other close as
they softly swayed to the gentle sound of the
violins and cello.
"I didn't know Hotaru could waltz," Souichi
commented.
"Her Haruka-papa taught her," Setsuna replied
softly. "I never really caught on..."
"She is very close to your housemates as well?"
"Hai," Setsuna replied with a soft nod. "I'm not
sure what we would do without her..."
"Let's not worry about that day," Souichi said
gently. "It may yet be a long time before I have a
wife to help with her...by then, she will probably
be an adult herself."
Setsuna looked into Souichi's blue eyes. "I'm sure
there is someone who would be more than happy to
be your wife."
He smiled and his eyes softened. "Such as?"
'Oh, oh, oh!!! Me, me, me!!!' Setsuna's inner
voice exclaimed. She opened her mouth to reply but
the waiter arrived with their meal and Hotaru
returned to the table. 'Baka, baka, baka!' she
scolded herself. 'You should have said something!'
Setsuna busied herself tasting the wine so that
maybe Souichi wouldn't try to continue their
conversation. Maybe she should have said something
to him...What if this was her one chance to end
her lifetimes of loneliness?... What if she had
just completely blew that one chance?
Hotaru did her best to keep the conversation going
during dinner. She talked about her perfect marks
in all her classes...except her physical education
class that is.
"Maybe I should see about getting you a doctor's
note so that you do not have to take that class,"
Souichi suggested. "Perhaps they could put you in
an art or music class..."
"Really Papa?" Hotaru said hopefully.
"Of course," Souichi replied, putting his hand on
top of Hotaru's head.
After they finished their meal, Souichi offered
his free hand to help Setsuna out of her chair and
then did the same for his daughter. Usagi and
Mamoru were once again gazing into each other's
eyes.
"Puu...can I come home with you and Hotaru?"
Chibiusa asked with a bored sigh.
"I'm staying at my Papa's house tonight," Hotaru
said, looking up at her Papa.
"Your friend may stay," Souichi smiled.
"Usagi," Chibiusa called. Usagi... Mamo-chan?...
Hello?!" She sighed. "Do you have a pen and a
piece of paper?"
Souichi supplied a pen and small piece of paper,
Chibiusa scribbled a note and left it where her
future parents could find it. The pink haired girl
hopped out of her seat and took Hotaru's hand.
"That should do it," Chibiusa smiled.
~@~@~@~@~
Setsuna sighed as she looked up at Souichi. He was
dropping her off at her home before taking Hotaru
and Chibiusa to his own home for the night. The
moonlight gave his white hair a soft, silvery
glow.
"Thank you Souichi-san," Setsuna said softly once
they reached the door. "I enjoyed spending time
with you and Hotaru this evening."
"You are welcome Setsuna-san," he replied. "We
should do it again some other time..."
Both of them glanced back at his mercedes. Two
small faces were pressed against the window,
looking on with interest. Hotaru quickly hid a
sign that instructed "Kiss her Papa!!!!" when she
noticed they had looked at the car.
Souichi took Setsuna's hand and softly kissed it.
"Will you be at the lab in the morning?"
"Bright and early," Setsuna replied.
"As always..." Souichi added with a gentle smile.
"See you then," Setsuna assured.
"Hai..."
"Hai."
They gazed into each other's eyes for a long
moment, then lightly laughed. It was becoming very
obvious that they were either both shy or there
was no feelings beyond friendship for the two.
'I guess I took his words wrong...' Setsuna
thought then began to hunt for her key in her
purse. 'I guess I shouldn't have expected much
anyway...it's always been my destiny to be
alone...'
Souichi lifted her chin and lowered his lips to
her own. They both ignored the "Yay!" that came
from the car as the kiss deepened. They slowly
pulled away from each other when the front door
opened.
"See you tomorrow Setsuna-chan," Souichi
whispered, then kissed her cheek.
Setsuna smiled brightly and nodded. She was too
excited to say anything. She leaned against the
door frame and watched as Souichi walked back to
his car. He gave her one last smile before getting
in his car and slowly driving off.
She slowly turned to see Haruka and Michiru
standing in the doorway. "Have fun?" Michiru
asked. Setsuna gave a smile and nod then slowly
walked up tp her room. She fell onto her bed
without changing for bed. Eventually sleep found
her and carried her away to a place made of
dreams, wishes, and Professor Tomoe...and she
couldn't wait for the morning to come.
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
So, whadda think? An enquiring writer wants to
know!
It took A LOT of research to find it, but the name
Prof. Tomoe gave Setsuna IS the name Naoko-sama
gave him.