Chapter 16: Setsuna's Return
Author's Comments
I finally managed to write another chapter, yea! I'm sorry it took so long. Hopefully I still have readers after all this wait. I would have written a chapter sooner, but I had been busy. I recently graduated from college. Excuse any mistakes I have I posted this as soon as I was done writing it so everyone could get to read it faster. Feel free to tell me if you find any and I'll be sure to correct them.
Well anyway, in this chapter Usagi is still depressed, what a shock. However, this time a surprise visitor comes to keep her company.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, duh.
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Usagi sat in her bed holding a picture in a silver frame to her heart. It was the one of Chibi-Usa that Hotaru had given her as a gift the day before. That wasn't the only thing she received, and she was currently surrounded by various presents from the others. Each one was as unique as the person that brought it; however, they all had one purpose. It was to cheer her up, but they all had failed.
Minako had bought her a video game Usagi had been dying to play. Though she didn't feel like playing it, so it remained there beside her in its packaging. Makoto had cooked her some of her favorite foods filled with love. She had eaten them the night before, but in her current state, it hadn't tasted as good as it did before. Setsuna had brought a long white and pink dress that Usagi assumed her friend had made by hand. She knew Setsuna had wanted to create her own line of clothing and thought perhaps this was the start of it.
"The dress is beautiful and it fits me well," the pig-tailed woman told herself, "but I just can't truly appreciate it when I feel like this."
Michiru had given her a music CD, which was filled with the violinist's own songs. They were soft and calming, and many of the melodies reminded Usagi of the ocean, but no matter how soothing the sounds were they couldn't pacify her turbulent soul. Haruka had bought her a bouquet of roses and a box of her favorite chocolates, which was something Mamoru would have ordinarily done if Usagi were upset. That would have normally cheered her up, but this time was unlike any other and such things, no matter how heartfelt they were, couldn't make her smile.
Rei had given her some of her favorite comics. She knew how precious they were to the priestess. There was also a photo album included with the comics. It was full of pictures of her and her friends taken during the short periods of happiness and peace they had after the defeat of each enemy. Scars of the battles could be seen in some of the photos, which struck a cord in Usagi's heart. It reminded her of how everyone else had fought beside her no matter what the odds and how much they had pain and sacrifice they went through as well. They had allowed her to let the hurt go and finally forgive them, but she still was sad and heartbroken over the thought of Chibi-Usa.
Besides Hotaru and Rei's presents, Ami's had come closest to fulfilling its purpose. Her blue-haired friend had written a letter of apology, much like the others had done in the cards that came with each gift. However, Ami had taken it a step further and had given her copies of several pages from her own personal diary. Most of them told of how bad her blue-haired friend had felt keeping such a secret from Usagi. A few others had exposed the lie she had told her at the doctor's office. They also went on to show how wrong she had felt doing it and the guilt she had experienced afterwards.
"If only she had stopped there," Usagi thought as she sighed and looked at Ami's final gift. It was self-help book that was suppose to cure her depression, but it had done the exact opposite.
Usagi knew each and every one of them had carefully picked out her presents with the hopes of cheering her up. She also knew that a lot of love went into them as well, but the pig-tailed woman was still saddened by the knowledge that she couldn't conceive.
She turned her attention to the picture clenched to her chest. She stared longingly at it and placed a hand on her daughter's precious face.
Meanwhile there was a knock at the front door.
"I wonder who that could be," Mamoru said to himself as he walked towards the door. He was about to twist the knob when it flew open and something pink ran towards him at full speed. It quickly leapt into his arms and wrapped itself around his neck.
"Mamo-chan!" a familiar voice cried.
He looked into his arms to find Chibi-Usa sitting in them. His mouth dropped open and he was speechless.
"Small lady, that was very improper," Setsuna said from the doorway.
"But Mamo-chan was taking too long and I knew he wouldn't care anyway," the pink-haired child replied.
"No matter how excited you are you don't burst into other people's houses," the green-haired woman said as she scolded her.
"It's perfectly alright," Mamoru said as he recovered from the shock and with that he gave his daughter a hug.
"See told ya," Chibi-Usa said.
Setsuna let out a sigh and said, "Don't encourage her."
Mamoru chuckled as he let her inside and closed the door behind her. "I take it this is what you had in mind when you told me you'd be back.
She simply nodded in reply.
"I've missed you," he said as he returned his attention to the girl in his arms.
"I have too," she responded and hugged him tighter.
"There is someone who is going to love to see you in the other room," Mamoru told her as he placed her on the ground. "Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her towards the bedroom.
Usagi was still engrossed in the picture and unaware of her visitors when they made it to the doorway. Suddenly they heard her whisper something. It was hard to make out, but it sounded like Chibi-Usa's name.
"What?" the pink-haired girl replied.
"It's as if I can hear her voice," Usagi said quietly as she pressed the picture to her body again.
"What's wrong with you?" Chibi-Usa asked as she climbed on the bed in front of her. Usagi's eyes grew wide with shock as she sat their frozen. "What's with you, you look as if you've seen a ghost. Are you sick or something?" the pink-haired girl said as she placed a hand on the blonde woman's forehead. With that Usagi's eyes began to swell up with tears and her lip began to tremble.
"I'm not dreaming," she cried as she wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and the tears began to flow. "I thought you were dead!"
"I take it you haven't told her anything," Mamoru whispered from the doorway as he turned to look at the woman standing beside him.
She shook her head and continued to watch the happy scene before them. "Maybe we should leave them alone for awhile," she suggested.
He nodded and replied, "I think that's best." With that he slowly pulled the door shut.