Act Four - Hotaru's Crush
A few days later, Hotaru came downstairs and found Setsuna sitting at the kitchen table, her coffee sitting untouched in front of her. She frowned. It was becoming a familiar sight around the house. She looked so sad. When was the last time she saw her beloved adopted mother smile?
Hotaru grabbed a box of cereal and a bowl and sat down at the table, right across from the depressed woman. Setsuna didn't even look up. The raven-haired teen didn't understand what was going on. There had to be something Setsuna wasn't telling them. She was sure of it.
"Good morning, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said brightly, trying to bring a little sunshine into Setsuna's day. "Isn't it a lovely day?"
Setsuna's head jerked, finally realizing that she was no longer alone in the room. She smiled faintly. "Hi, Hotaru-chan. Get yourself some cereal."
"Um…I already did," she replied, pointing to her bowl with a confused, worried look on her face. This wasn't like Setsuna at all. "Is something wrong? Are you feeling okay?"
"Oh, yeah. Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Liar! Hotaru thought. She knew there was something bothering Setsuna. Only she had no idea what it could be. Ever since the day of the announcement all Setsuna did was sit around and mope. She wished she knew what was wrong so that she could help make it better. She hated seeing anyone unhappy.
Seeking to comfort Setsuna, Hotaru reached across the table and rested her hands over those of the woman she grew to love as a mother. Setsuna looked up once again.
"Setsuna-mama, if you need me or just want someone to talk to, you know you can trust me. You're not alone anymore. We're here for you."
A tear formed in Setsuna's eye at her daughter's kind and honest words. But for how long would that be true? After the wedding, she would have to leave and once again live her lonely life of solitude. Ironically, she never felt more alone than at this moment. She knew she was hurting her family by not telling them about her curse, but she just couldn't tell them. It was best that they didn't know.
Setsuna gently pulled her hands away from Hotaru's and discreetly wiped away the tear as the last two members of their family walked into the kitchen. As usual, Michiru was already dressed and ready to greet the world, a bright smile on her face, while Haruka looked like she was still half-asleep. She hadn't even taken a shower yet, coming downstairs wearing an oversized T-shirt and a ratty old bathrobe that Michiru couldn't get her to throw away for the world.
"Good morning, girls," Michiru greeted them, kissing Hotaru on the top of her head. "Did anyone get the mail?"
Setsuna waved her hand toward a stack of envelopes on the counter. Usually it was Hotaru's job to get the mail, but since she was the first one up today, she decided to check the mailbox.Grabbing a glass of orange juice and the letters, Michiru sat down at the table across from a yawning Haruka and began sorting the mail.
"Did I get anything?" Hotaru asked hopefully.
"Lessee…bills, bills, bills, junk, bills…Sorry, Hotaru-chan. Nothing today."
Hotaru sighed as Haruka picked up an envelope that had fallen from the stack in Michiru's hands. She looked at the envelope and smiled. It was from Usagi and Mamoru.
"Here, Hotaru-chan," she said, handing the envelope to her daughter. "You can open this. It's addressed to all of us."
Taking the envelope, Hotaru carefully undid the seal and pulled out a beautifully engraved card. She quickly scanned the message inside. "It's an invitation to Usagi's and Mamoru's engagement party! The party's going to be held at Mako-chan's restaurant this Saturday."
Michiru took the card from Hotaru, a mischievous look in her lovely eyes as she read the invitation. "You know, Setsuna, this party would be the perfect opportunity for you to go out on a date with Haruka's friend."
Inwardly, Setsuna groaned. She was still going on about this? If she told Michiru once, she told her a thousand times that the last thing she needed was a boyfriend. How could she get it into Michiru's thick skull that the lack of a lover was not her problem? If she wanted to, she could get any man she wanted. She did not need to be set up on a blind date.
"Michiru, I already told you that I wasn't interested in Suguri Yasashiku."
"Nonsense! You haven't even met the guy. How can you know that won't like him when you haven't even seen him? Haruka can ask Yasashiku-kun if he's interested when she goes to the track this afternoon. Right, Haruka? Haruka? Tenoh Haruka, wake up!"
The sleepyhead tomboy quickly popped her head up as Michiru playfully swatted her on the back of the head. "Huh? Yeah, whatever. I'll mow the lawn. Just let me go back to sleep."
"Oh, no you're not!" Michiru said, pushing Haruka back up before she could rest her head back down on the table. "Haruka, you're getting as bad as Usagi-chan. Have you heard a single word I've said?"
"Not really," she admitted, letting out another huge yawn.
"Well, I was talking about the engagement party and how it would be the perfect opportunity for Setsuna and Yasashiku-kun to go out on a date. Is he going to be at the track this afternoon?"
"Yeah. He and I are going to do some practice laps together."
"Good, then you can set up the date."
Setsuna shook her head. "No, Michiru. I'm not going on a blind date. No way, no how! I'll be perfectly fine going stag. Besides, the invitation doesn't include guests."
"That's not a problem. I'm sure Usagi-chan wouldn't mind if you brought a date. She probably didn't include a guest because she didn't think you would bring a date. Face it, you don't have any more excuses, Setsuna. You ARE going to go with Yasashiku to the party and you WILL have fun. Is that final?"
Realizing that she didn't really have much choice in the matter, Setsuna slowly nodded her head. How bad could it be, anyway? If he turned out to be a total jerk, at least she would have her friends to talk to. Michiru broke out into a triumphant smile as Hotaru glanced up at the clock.
It was 7:35 already? She was going to be late.
She jumped up and gave her parents a hug before grabbing her book bag and racing out the front door. "Bye! Love ya! I'm working at the hospital tonight so I'll be getting home late," she called, dashing down the drveway.
As she reached the intersection, Hotaru slowed down upon spotting her best friend, Araki Kimi. They always walked to school together. Kimi waved, and Hotaru smiled as she ran over.
While Chibi-Usa would always be her true best friend, Kimi reminded Hotaru a lot of her pink-haired friend from the future. They were both fun-loving and full of life with an insatiable appetite. Kimi was also one of the few people Hotaru was able to truly open up to since Chibi-Usa went back to Crystal Tokyo. She had even found out about Hotaru's strange ability to heal with just a single touch when Kimi twisted her ankle running down some stairs, although she didn't know about Sailor Saturn yet. Instead of finding her friend's unique power freaky like the kids at her old school, Kimi thought it was totally cool.
"You're late, Hotaru-chan," Kimi scolded lightly, not really meaning it. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming."
"What! And miss Shibata-sensei's physics test?" she replied dryly. "Come on, Kimi-chan. We better get going. Haruna-sensei will be mad is we're late for homeroom, and we certainly don't want that to happen."
Kimi giggled as they crossed the street. "Really! Have you noticed how Haruna-sensei gets crankier with every passing year? She really needs to find herself a man. All work and no sex makes Haruna-sensei a real you know what. Maybe we should play matchmaker and set her up that new substitute teacher. He's pretty cute for a teacher. What do you say? Hotaru-chan? Hey, earth to Hotaru!"
Kimi waved her hand in front of Hotaru's glazed-over eyes, bringing her out of her thoughts. Hotaru couldn't help it. She was still worried about Setsuna. There had to be some way to bring her out of her melancholy mood.
"Is something wrong, Hotaru?" Kimi asked, giving her friend a weird look. "You're even quieter than usual."
"I'm just worried about Setsuna-mama," Hotaru answered, letting out a sigh. "She's been so depressed lately, and I have no idea what is bothering her. I wish there was some way to make her happy again."
"Setsuna-mama? Isn't she your straight mother?" she asked. Kimi didn't even think it was weird that her family consisted of a pair of lesbians and their straight, single friend.
Hotaru nodded. "I wonder what it could be that would cause her so much pain and unhappiness. I know it isn't work. She loves designing clothes and Timeless Creations is doing great. Things couldn't be going better for her, business wise."
"Maybe she just needs a boyfriend," Kimi suggested, a twinkle in her eye. "I bet a good romp in the sack would put a smile on her face."
As they entered Juuban High School, Hotaru could feel her cheeks warm. That was the major difference between Kimi and Chibi-Usa. Her new best friend was a whole lot more knowledgeable about the facts of life, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. "Kimi-chan, honestly, sex is not the answer to all the world's problems," Hotaru whispered, changing into her school shoes.
"I don't see why not. It works for me," she replied gleefully.
"As you've told me about a million times already."
It really was a miracle that those two girls were friends. They were as different as night and day. Hotaru was quiet, polite, smart and most definitely a virgin. She'd never even really been on a real date before. On the other hand, Kimi was loud, sometimes rude (although not intentionally), not exactly a model student, and very experienced when it came to boys. Hotaru wouldn't exactly call her a slut, but Kimi had been around the block a couple of time. Despite all that, Hotaru knew that inside, Kimi was a good person. That was all that mattered. Besides, she rather enjoyed Kimi's raunchy sense of humor. It reminded her of Haruka.
Kimi pulled out a tube of lipstick and began applying the deep red color to her lips, using the mirror in her compact. "Speaking of sex, I've noticed that Kubota Hiroshi has been throwing looks in your direction. I think he likes you, Hotaru-chan!"
"Really?" she asked with a touch of disinterest in her voice. Hotaru wasn't really that interested in boys. Maybe it was because she lived with two lesbians and a woman who hadn't been on a date since the beginning of time. Of course, she noticed when a cute boy passed by, but she had yet to experience her first real crush.
"Come on, Hotaru-chan! You have to admit that Kubota-kun's one of the cutest guys at Juuban High School. Practically the entire senior class is in love with him. You should be happy that out of all the girls he could choose from, he likes you."
"I barely even know the guy, Kimi-chan. The only time I even talked to him was when we were assigned that project in Tomahi-san's class. Besides, everybody knows that Kubota-kun's a major player. Once he gets what he wants from a girl, he tosses her aside like a pair of last season's shoes."
Kimi rolled her eyes. "So the guy's had a couple of girlfriends. Is that such a crime? He's cute, he's nice, and he's majorly loaded. What more could you want?"
"Love," she answered softly. Above all, that was what she wanted - to experience a love that would rival even that of Usagi and Mamoru. But who would ever love the true her, the soldier of destruction who could destroy an entire planet just by dropping her Silence Glaive? No boy would ever love her if he ever found out the truth.
Hearing the bell ring, Hotaru began walking quickly toward Ms. Haruna's classroom, Kimi struggling to keep up as they pushed against the crowded hallways. Was it just her, or did the student body seem to grow larger with every passing day? Squeezing between two girls who were stupidly standing right in the middle of the hallway, Hotaru accidentally bumped into a tall man, dropping her her bag on the ground. They both bent down to gather her things.
"I'm so sorry, sir," she apologized, grabbing her book bag and stuffing some papers back inside. "I wasn't really paying attention…"
Her words trailed off as she finally glanced up at the man and found herself staring into the most gorgeous pair of dark green eyes she ever saw. The man smiled and handed Hotaru back her book.
"That's okay, Tomoe-san. It's not everyday I get practically run over by a beautiful girl " Shingo replied, helping Hotaru back up. Kimi had finally caught up to her friend and was smiling at the sight. "Good morning, Araki-san."
Hotaru could feel the blood rushing to her face at Shingo's compliment. When did Usagi's brother become so handsome? And why was her heart beating so fast? She could feel Kimi's elbow poking her rib cage, urging her to say something, but her mouth suddenly went dry and she could barely think in coherent sentences, much less speak. Fortunately, she was saved by the warning bell.
"Well, I guess I'll see you two later," Shingo said, heading to his class as Hotaru simply stared. Kimi looked like she was going to burst with happiness.
"You like him, don't you, Hotaru-chan?" she asked once Shingo was out of earshot.
"No, of course not!" Hotaru insisted, grabbing her friend's arm and pulling her toward the classroom. "Come on! We're going to be late."
"You so totally like him!"
"I do not!"
"Do too!"
"Whatever!"
In her history class, Hotaru was having a difficult time focusing on Mr. Azuma's lecture, which was unusual because history was usually one of her favorite subjects. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not force herself to pay attention. The open notebook on her desk remained empty except for the title of the chapter "Pearl Harbor", written neatly on the top of the page and the small doodle of a heart.
Snap out of it, Tomoe Hotaru! she ordered herself, picking up her pen once again and writing down December 7, 1942, the date of the attack. This was good. At least it was something. Unfortunately, she found her attention start to wander again to the handsome boy sitting across the room.
It was still hard for Hotaru to believe that this guy was actually the same little boy who used to torture her and Chibi-Usa with his constant water balloon attacks and practical jokes. She could still vividly remember the time that he stole her first training bra and stuck it in the freezer while she was spending the night at the Tsukino residence. Hotaru had never been so embarrassed than when Tsukino Kenji opened the freezer door the next morning and pulled out her frozen bra in front of everybody, including Mamoru, who had joined them for breakfast. At the time, she'd wanted to kill that little brat, but now, it didn't seem so bad. It was actually kind of funny when you thought about it.
Her little trip down memory lane was interrupted by Kimi poking her back with the eraser of her pencil. That was their signal for passing notes. Hotaru discreetly let her pen drop on the floor, then bent down to retrieve it and a small, folded piece of paper laying beside her foot. Sitting back upright, Hotaru quickly unfolded the note and scanned the letter.
Hey babe!
U look hot today. Meet U 4 lunch, kay?
Kubota Hiroshi
Great! That's exactly how she wanted to spend her lunch, talking to that arrogant, pompous jerk who wouldn't know how to please a woman if his life depended on it. She'd been way too kind in her opinion of Kubota Hiroshi this morning when she was talking with Kimi. Although she didn't know much about him, what she did know, she didn't like. Not only did he act like he was God's gift to women, he was also lazy and known to be a great lover of sake. Honestly, she had no idea why all the other girls had such huge crushes on him. He wasn't even all that good-looking in her opinion.
Hotaru had a sudden urge to roll up the paper and throw it right in his face. Instead, she simply placed the note inside her notebook and tried to focus on Mr. Azuma's lecture. She really needed to pay more attention. There was going to be a huge test on Friday over World War II that would count for over half her grade and she needed to keep her grades up if she had any hope of getting into Tokyo University's fast-track pre-med program.
But it was no use. She once again found herself drowning in the beauty of Tsukino Shingo's gorgeous green eyes.
When the bell rang for lunch, Hotaru and Kimi headed to their usual spot underneath the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard. Kimi was practically bursting with excitement at her friend's"lunch appointment" with Hiroshi.
"This is so exciting, Hotaru-chan! Kubota Hiroshi-kun actually wants to have lunch with you. I'm so jealous! You're so lucky!"
Hotaru rolled her eyes as she pulled out the lunch Michiru made for her. "Honestly, Kimi-chan, for all I care, you can have Kubota-kun. I'm not interested."
Kimi gave her a knowing smile. "I see… You'd rather go out with the handsome Tsukino Shingo-kun."
"I do not!"
"Don't try to deny it. I saw those dreamy glances you gave him in Azuma-sensei's class when you should have been listening to the lecture. I bet you didn't take a single note the entire class period."
"You're imagining things. Besides, Shingo already has a girlfriend, in case you've forgotten. Remember? Kayama Mika-san, the prettiest, most talented girl in the entire school?"
"You mean you haven't heard the news?"
"What news?"
"Tsukino-kun and Kayama-san broke up a couple of days ago. She's now going out with Kagawa Morio-kun."
Completely taken by surprise, Hotaru almost choked on her shrimp. "No way! Tsukino-kun and Kayama-san, Juuban High School's cutest couple, broke up? That's just crazy. They've been dating since sophomore year. Everyone expected them to be the first to marry in our class. I just can't believe it!"
"Want proof? Just look over there," Kimi replied, pointing to a couple sitting on a nearby bench.
Even though the proof was right in front of her, Hotaru still could not believe her eyes as she watched Mika lovingly feed her new boyfriend some sushi. They looked very much in love. Kimi must be telling the truth, but how was this even possible? And why was she actually happy that Shingo and Mika had broken up?
She didn't have time to reflect on this new development when Kubota Hiroshi came over and took a seat beside her, giving her an arrogant smile. It was taking all her willpower not to burst into giggles at the goofy look on Kimi's face. Her best friend obviously had a huge crush on the guy.
"Hey, babe," he said in a low voice, helping himself to piece of Hotaru's shrimp. "Remember me? We worked on that project for chemistry class together."
Unfortunately.
"You mean the one that you had me do all by myself because you were too lazy to help me?" she asked sweetly, slapping him on the hand as he reached over to grab another shrimp. Hotaru thought Kimi was about to have a heart attack. "And, for your information, my name is not Babe. It's Tomoe Hotaru."
"Ouch!" he replied, a smile on his face. "Aren't you a spicy little number? I like a girl who speaks her mind."
Inside, Hotaru groaned in disgust. This wasn't working. He actually liked it when she insulted him. She glanced over at a lovesick Kimi, who was staring at Hiroshi with her large brown, puppy-dog eyes. "Kubota-kun, have you met my friend, Araki Kimi?" she asked.
Hiroshi gave Kimi a nod of acknowledgement. "Of course. Good to see you again, Araki-san."
The smile on Kimi's face could not get any bigger. She most definitely did like Hiroshi. Unfortunately, it appeared that Hiroshi did not have the same feelings toward Kimi. He reached up and began to gently trace the outline of Hotaru's jaws. "You know, babe, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met," he said.
Hotaru didn't hear him. Her only thoughts were on Tsukino Shingo who was standing less than twenty feet away from them, a look of disappointment on his face. At that moment, her heart broke into a million pieces.
Hotaru quickly changed into her candy striper's uniform at the hospital and reported to the maternity ward, where one of her best friends, Mizuno Ami, worked as a doctor. It was Ami who recommendeded her for the job, knowing her dream to one day become either a nurse or a doctor.
Though she never told Ami, Hotaru always considered the blue-haired doctor to be her unreachable idol. Ami was everything Hotaru wanted to be: smart, successful, beautiful, and married to a handsome man she loved with all her heart. Her husband, Urawa Ryo, was also a doctor at the hospital, specializing in pediatrics.
"Ami-san? I'm here," Hotaru said, entering her office.
Ami smiled as she looked up from the chart she was reading. "Great. We could use some help..."
Her words trailed off as she noticed the sad look in the teen's pretty violet eyes. They looked even darker than usual. "Is there something wrong, Hotaru-chan? Did you fail that physics test you were so worried about last week? It's really not the end of the world you know. Everybody fails sometimes. Even I had some trouble in physics."
Hotaru shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. I don't really feel like talking about it right now, if you don't mind. I think it's just best that I get to work and try to get my mind off of things."
"If that's what you want," she replied, checking something off on the chart. "I know it isn't part of your regular duties, but would you mind organizing my file cabinet? I'm afraid I've let it grown quite unorganized lately. It's just been so busy around here. I would really appreciate your help."
Hotaru nodded. "Sure, Ami-san. I'll get right on it."
After handing Hotaru a stack of new patient folders, Ami left the office to check on Mrs. Takahashi, who was in labor with twins on the way. Hotaru thought Ami was really lucky to have such a great job. It must be incredibly rewarding to be able to bring a baby into the world, although she knew it must be heartbreaking for Ami, too. She knew Ryo and Ami had been trying for months to get her pregnant.
Hotaru opened the top drawer of Ami's filing cabinet and saw that the young doctor wasn't lying when she said that it was a mess in there. Quite frankly, she was a bit surprised. Ami was notorious for her perfect organizational skills. This wasn't like her at all, although Hotaru supposed that it was perfectly reasonable considering the stress she was under.
At least organizing the files kept Hotaru's mind off what happened earlier that day for a while. However, as she started on the third drawer, her thoughts inevitably turned back to the handsome man with the gorgeous green eyes. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears as she remembered the look on Shingo's face when he spotted her and Hiroshi together underneath the cherry blossom tree. How could she have been so stupid? She should have just walked away when that pathetic excuse for a man came over to talk to her. Now Shingo thought that she and Hiroshi were together and any hope she had of ever having him was gone.
She knew it was insane, but she now knew in her heart that she loved Tsukino Shingo with all her heart and soul. That morning when she accidentally bumped into him, she had felt an immediate connection between him. It only took one look into those beautiful eyes to know that he, and only he, could love her for who she really was, the soldier of destruction and resurrection.
But the damage was done and there was nothing she could do to change it. Her only chance of love had been dashed away the moment she let Kubota Hiroshi touch her cheek. Shingo would never love her now.
A knock on the door startled Hotaru from her thoughts. She quickly wiped away her tears and closed the drawer as a teenage boy popped his head inside. "Mizuno-san?" he asked, walking into the office. "I brought you a…"
His words trailed off as his green eyes focused on the dark-haired beauty dressed in a fetching candy-striper's uniform. Hotaru averted her gaze to the floor, not wanting him to see the tears that still lingered in her eyes. After all that had happened, why did HE have to show up here?
"Mizuno-sensei is not here right know, Tsukino-san," she said softly. "Do you have a message?"
Slowly, Shingo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to Hotaru. "This is for Ami-san and Ryo-san. It's an invitation to Usagi's and Mamoru's engagement party. Usagi was supposed to send it in the mail, but you know my sister…" He let out a forced laugh, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had come over the room.
"Thank you. I'll give this to Ami-san when she comes back."
Hotaru turned her back toward Shingo and returned to her work, not even bothering to say goodbye. After staring longingly at the pretty teen for a few seconds, Shingo sighed and walked over to the door. I guess she and Hiroshi-kun really are dating, he thought sadly to himself as he turned the knob. He must have misread the signs from this morning. How stupid was he to think that a girl as beautiful and special as Tomoe Hotaru would ever like a boy like him! Of course she would rather date the incredibly rich and handsome Kubota Hiroshi.
"Tomoe-san?"
Hotaru popped her head up from her work. "Yes?"
"I hope you and Kubota-kun are very happy together," he said sadly before walking out of the office.
Hotaru couldn't take it anymore. So what if she looked like a complete idiot? She had to tell Shingo the truth. He might not believe her but it was a risk she was willing to take. Stuffing the rest of the folders at the back of the cabinet, she ran out of the room toward the elevators where Shingo had just pushed the down button and was waiting.
"Tsukino-kun!" she called out breathlessly as she finally caught up to him. The elevator doors had just opened and Shingo was about to get on when she grabbed his arm. "Wait. Don't go. I have something to tll you."
"What is it, Tomoe-san?" he asked. "I really have got to go to the library and study for that history test."
She looked up at his emerald eyes and smiled, although still quite breathless from her sprint. "I love you, Tsukino Shingo."
Much to her surprise, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the empty elevator where he gently cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up towards his, pulling her into a soft, sweet kiss that made her feel like she was floating on air.
"I love you too, my beautiful firefly."