Okay, so she wasn't Santa Claus, but she did have a good reason for breaking into the house. And it was merely a coincidence that the only accessible entry was the chimney, though the irony was not lost on her.
She hovered for a moment before touching her purple boots to the fireplace floor and cautiously stepping out into the living room, maneuvering her Silence Glaive through the low opening with awkward skill. The house was quiet, the only light in the room a warm glow that emanated from the decorated tree in the corner, lingering scents of cinnamon and clove hanging deliciously in the air. The whole effect was rather picturesque and comforting, and she hated to ruin what would have otherwise been a perfect Christmas morning for the Tsukino family. But Sailor Saturn had a mission, and the weight of it bound her mind to her task: she could not let that present fall into the wrong hands.
Hotaru crept toward the tree, testing her weight on the floorboards with each step so as not to wake any of the sleeping family upstairs. The artificial branches were adorned with shining lights and glittering ornaments, some made of fine glass with designs hand-painted by expert artisans, others crafted with popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners, the smiling faces of school children pasted to the fronts. The memories of this family were nestled snugly among the pine needles and their hopes for the future lay wrapped beneath.
She crouched low on her heels, black bangs sweeping in front of her eyes as she scanned the red and green wrappings. After a moment, she pressed out a tense sigh. None of the gifts had name tags–just as she suspected. If they had, she might not even be in this mess. She straightened, resigned to her fate. She would have to take the lot. While Hotaru was grateful she was able to easily shimmy down the chimney without a jolly round belly obstructing her descent, at the present moment, she couldn't help but wish for a sack to fill with presents and toss over her shoulder.
"Did you get it?"
"Of course I got it. I got all of them."
Hotaru motioned to the stacks of presents surrounding her where she sat cross-legged on the floor. Her brow creased in frustration as she strained in vain to see through the wrapping paper. Why couldn't x-ray vision have been one of her powers?
"Why did you take all of them?" Setsuna struggled to keep her voice level as the image before her began to make sense. "Are you telling me you don't know which one it is?"
Hotaru shook her head once, not daring to meet Setsuna's deep eyes. When she spoke, her voice was small.
"At first, I thought it would obviously be a small box," she pointed to two gifts to her right. "But then I thought, what if she was disguising it? You know, a box inside of a box?" Hotaru motioned toward the rest of the presents.
Setsuna sighed. "I guess we'll just have to open all of them." She dropped to her knees and selected one of the two smaller gifts, deciding to go for the obvious first. She turned the polka dotted package over in her hands and slipped one finger under the paper. "Leave it to Haruka to have us do her dirty work for her."
As the paper came away, Setsuna found a thin, white box in her hands, She lifted the lid and…
"Gift card." She sighed, replaced the lid, and shifted her attention to her companion.
"Wristwatch," Hotaru declared, snapping closed the lid on a black velvet box in her own hands.
The two continued unwrapping gifts for the Tsukino family, finding only disappointment after disappointment beneath the festive paper, their frustration mounting in conjunction with the pile of discarded gifts.
"Why
Haruka-Papa doing this herself?" Hotaru grumbled under her breath as she tossed aside an ivory sweater. "It really isn't like her to be this absent-minded, either."
Setsuna nudged at a box of new cookware with her toe before starting on another present. "I think this whole thing has been really stressful for Haruka. She decided at the last minute to accompany Michiru to her holiday concert in London. 'To throw her off the scent,' she told me. They won't be back until morning."
Hotaru rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw her brain. "I'm pretty sure Michiru-mama knows this is coming. She's been looking through those magazines for weeks." A new soccer ball was launched into the pile.
"But she's probably not expecting it to be wrapped and under the tree." A journal decorated with unicorns. "Believe me, if I had known that helping Haruka was going to involve unwrapping a hundred presents at two am on Christmas morning, I wouldn't have agreed."
"Yes, you would."
"Yeah, I would."
The final box sat between them. It was tall and narrow, covered with green and gold striped paper, a glittering gold bow perched on top.
"It's gotta be in this one," Hotaru affirmed, more for her own reassurance than anything else. But after she removed the paper and lifted the lid, disappointment once again soured her features. "Rolling pin."
"Are we
Haruka mixed up the gifts?" Setsuna's eyes roamed over the offensive pile of purchased happiness on the rug.
"She must have," Hotaru replied, getting to her feet and crossing her arms over her slender frame. "I checked the one upstairs. It was definitely the pink sapphire bunny pendant she got for Usagi. And it wasn't any of the ones under our tree."
Setsuna's dark eyes gleamed in the low light of their own Christmas tree, mouth falling open as the realization dawned on her. "She must have mixed up more than one."
"What do you mean?"
The guardian of time began hurriedly sorting through the pile again, painfully aware of just how
time they had before people began to wake up and wonder why Santa hadn't visited their house this year.
"Didn't she say she got Mamoru a–"
"Wristwatch," Hotaru finished, her eyes falling on the velvet box now in Setsuna's hands.
"So it must be at Mamoru's." Setsuna's eyes met Hotaru's and the young girl backed away instinctively.
"No way! If you think that I'm–"
"Please, Taru-chan," Setsuna pleaded, still on her knees and gazing up at Hotaru with the same pitiful expression the girl used to use on her whenever begging for sweets at the market. "I can't sneak into Mamoru's apartment. I just can't." A small blush crept across her cheeks and her eyes dropped to the floor.
"Need I remind you that I am a minor? There is no way you can convince me to break into a grown man's apartment."
Setsuna ceased her argument and rose from the floor, picking up and dusting off what little dignity she had left.
"Fine. Then you stay here and re-wrap all of these while I break into the apartment of the future king of Earth," she seethed.
Hotaru snorted. "Sounds like a great plan to me!"
Setsuna glared as the girl folded herself back down onto the rug a little too cheerfully. She really should fill her stocking with coal for such an attitude. To be honest, Hotaru's sass was probably Haruka's fault. The strong woman's tough exterior was no match for the sweet charms of childhood; baby Hoatru had had Haruka wrapped around her finger only a few days after moving in with the three of them. Even now, with Hotaru grown to a young teenager, "Haruka-Papa" couldn't help but continue to spoil her.
As Sailor Pluto sailed through the winter night air on her way to Mamoru's apartment, exposed skin stinging from beneath her stupidly short skirt, she wondered if she couldn't somehow blame the weather on Haruka as well. Wasn't she the guardian of wind or something? By that logic, shouldn't she be able to blow away the frigid clouds threatening to turn Tokyo into a literal snow globe? Or at least
the biting wind from blowing just quite so hard? However, Sailor Uranus would probably have to be present to accomplish either of those things. But alas, she was in London, being absolutely useless. And, furthermore, if she
here, then Setsuna wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. She wondered what else she could blame on Haruka. Surely there was more.
A whisper of snow began to powder Setsuna's emerald locks just as Mamoru's balcony came into view. As creepy as she felt sneaking into his apartment, she was grateful that she would at least have a few minutes of warmth while she burgled the place. She touched down on the balcony, the light blanket of snow muffling her landing, and was surprised to find the sliding door conveniently (and stupidly) unlocked. She silently thanked the gods for her good luck while simultaneously filing away a mental note to speak with the prince about his home safety, or lack thereof.
With graceful precision, Setsuna slid open the glass door and stepped inside, the snow on her boots melting away against the heated floor. This was her first time inside Mamoru's apartment and she would be lying if she said she hadn't wondered what it would look like. As she inspected the main room she now stood in, she found it… utterly devoid of any glimmer of personality. But honestly, she shouldn't have been so surprised. Mamoru was relatively reserved, as was Setsuna, so it made sense that his living space would reflect that. She could relate, her own room being minimally decorated as well. Both of them had only short memories of their time on earth, the blank spaces of their homes waiting to be decorated with memories yet to be made. The only acknowledgment of the holiday season in sight–a miniature Christmas tree perched on the coffee table–must have been Usagi's doing. The pink lights and sparkly bulbs were evidence enough.
Beneath the tree lay three modestly sized presents. Setsuna's eyes zeroed in on her target and she darted forward, the replacement gift burning hot in her gloved hand. Anxiety pricked her temples with sweat. She wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. Unfortunately, her luck seemed to have run out. In her haste, the end of her Garnet Rod caught on the edge of the rug and she tripped, (rather uncharacteristically, as she would be sure to point out later when recounting this event), and stumbled forward. And she would have caught herself, had the coffee table not been in the exact worst place possible. Her shin collided with the wood, sending the tree and presents crashing to the floor with a racket.
So much for grace.
"Who's there?"
A rich, stern voice and a blindingly bright light flooded her senses, and Sailor Pluto blinked furiously as her eyes adjusted to the harsh light. But she didn't need to see to recognize that voice. She had spent thousands of years conversing behind the Gates of Time with that voice.
King Endymion.
No, Mamoru.
No…Tuxedo Kamen…?
The man before her had Mamoru's thick, ebony hair, Tuxedo Kamen's sharp mask, and the overwhelming, knee-shaking presence of the King. But the outfit was all wrong.
The only word to describe it was 'nightgown.'
Mamoru was clad in a black shirt that came to his mid thigh, a faux tuxedo printed on the front, complete with vinyl rose in a fake breast pocket. His bare, hairy legs were unsightly beneath the gown and only rattled Setsuna further.
They both spoke at once.
"Mamoru?"
"Setsuna?"
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you wearing?"
Mamoru crossed his arms protectively over his chest and cleared his throat, a faint blush creeping over his cheeks.
"I'll ask the questions, if you don't mind." He removed his mask to better glare at Setsuna, the poor woman still sprawled embarrassingly over his rug. "Do you want to tell me what exactly you are doing breaking into my home in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve?"
Setsuna scrambled to her feet and fidgeted with her skirt.
"I actually have a very good reason."
"I would love to hear it."
Setsuna's cheeks burned beneath her lashes as she hurried through her story.
"Haruka gave everyone Christmas gifts, but she mixed them up and misplaced her gift for Michiru, which is… kind of rather important that we find it and get it back, and give everyone the correct gifts in the process. They're in London right now, so Hotaru and I are trying to set everything right before they get back in the morning."
Mamoru blinked.
"And you couldn't use the front door because…?"
Setsuna blinked back, his words stinging like a slap in the face. When was she going to learn how to act like a normal human being? Apparently, thousands of years of solitude were a detriment to one's social skills. But it was Haruka that had planted this insane idea in their heads of covert Christmas ops.
Setsuna thought.
"It's just… It's late, and I didn't want to bother you, so–"
"So you broke into my apartment," he finished, shaking his head. "You know, I would expect something like this from Usako, but not from you."
Setsuna had thought that her cheeks were already flushing at maximum capacity. She was wrong.
Mamoru knelt beside her in his silly pajamas and began to tidy the room, righting the tree and replacing the presents. Except for one, which he held out to Setsuna.
"This is the one Haruka gave me," he said.
"Do you mind if I open it?" she asked. "I need to find out who this one belongs to."
"Go ahead." Mamoru took a seat on the couch and motioned for Setsuna to do the same.
She complied and unwrapped the gift, careful to preserve the paper. Beneath it was another black velvet box. Lifting the lid, and noting the appearing pattern of velvet boxes, Setsuna found another disappointment in the form of a bracelet. It was beautiful, strung with red fire agates joined with diamonds in the pattern of the constellation Aries. It was beautiful. But it was not for Michiru.
Setsuna sighed again. "This must be for Rei." She snapped the lid shut and handed the gift she had brought with her to Mamoru. "And this one's for you."
He accepted the gift and placed it under the tree with the others like the good little boy that he was, waiting until Christmas morning to open his presents. Or, perhaps more likely, until Usagi came over the next day, so that she wouldn't bite his head off for opening them without her.
"Great. So can I go back to sleep now?"
Once again, color flooded Setsuna's cheeks. She leapt to her feet and deposited Rei's present into her subspace pocket.
"Yes, of course. Sorry to disturb you."
Setsuna hurried to the balcony door, still ajar, with her eyes to the floor.
"Oh, and Setsuna?"
Heart fluttering the way it always did when he spoke her name, she whirled around to face him once more.
"Yes?"
He was at the door to his bedroom, leaning casually against the doorframe with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Merry Christmas."
Then he replaced his mask and disappeared into his room.
Sailor Pluto contemplated what kind of people she was friends with as she made her way back to the house.
"This better be the last one. The sun will be rising soon."
Thinking ahead, Hotaru had already returned the Tsukinos's gifts, along with Usagi's
present, while she awaited Setsuna's return. However, Setsuna had reappeared with yet another misplaced present, and exchanging this one would be no easy feat.
The air was still and the night was slowly shifting into day, the previous blackness now an ominous grey as the two senshi slunk through the temple grounds. An eerie silence hung stiffly over the shrine and Hotaru was hyper aware of the soft crunching of their boots against the freshly fallen snow. No light shone from the windows, no Christmas trees to be found as they peered into the structures, no presents in sight.
The tightness that had formed in Hotaru's stomach clenched again. The last thing she wanted to do was trespass into the bedroom of the sleeping shrine maiden, but her feet were stubbornly pulling her in that direction anyway. Sailor Pluto trailed behind her, "keeping lookout," but Hotaru suspected that the usually stoic woman was really just afraid of what was sure to be unavoidable wrath. Most likely in the form of fire. And there was no arguing with Setsuna when it came to fire. She wouldn't even allow her to start a log fire in the fireplace for the holidays. So Hotaru pressed on, each step bringing her closer to the end of her mission, closer to morning, and, unfortunately, closer to Rei.
A rustle of leaves and a shrill caw created an unsettling cacophony in the trees above. Sailor Pluto gasped and clutched her Garnet Rod, ready for attack. But none came. It was just the familiar pair of crows that often accompanied the miko signaling the start of the new day as they enjoyed the snow, the white powder gleaming icy blue against their obsidian feathers in the dim light of early morning.
"How fitting," Setsuna murmured, almost inaudible, "Phobos and Deimos." The crows continued to echo the fear resonating inside of her as she drew closer to the room.
Unknown to the senshi, however, was that the call of the crows was also a signal of something else,
else, who now stirred behind the door just ahead of them.
The door flew open as the cry sounded: "Evil, be gone!" and two strips of paper sailed from the hands of the shrine maiden. The ofuda connected with the faces of the senshi and (quite forcibly) knocked them to the ground, rendering them helpless and breathless, their twitching arms forming ungodly angels in the snow.
"Setsuna? Hotaru?" Rei stood in the doorway, already dressed in her hibakama, her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here? It's six am!"
thought Setsuna.
The fallen senshi remained silent in the snow until Rei sprinted over to them and removed the ofuda that had stuck to their foreheads. Hotaru shook the snow from her hair while Setsuna rubbed a sore spot on her behind.
"Couldn't you sense our auras? Why did you attack us?" Setsuna's annoyance was building, almost rivaling Rei's. It had been a rather long night, after all, and this wasn't the first time she had been knocked to the ground.
"And what about you? Shouldn't you have seen what I was going to do and been prepared?" Rei countered.
Setsuna shook her head. "It doesn't work like that."
"Exactly."
"Can we just get this over with?" interjected Hotaru.
The two fuming women were ripped from their quarrel, returning their attention to the situation at hand.
"Right. What
you guys doing here?" Rei rubbed her arms for warmth, hopping from barefoot to barefoot as she made her way back up to her room, the others following.
With everyone inside, Rei shut the door to keep in the warmth offered by her wood burning stove.
"We came to take your gift from Haruka," Setsuna attempted to explain.
"You
"What Setsuna means is your present from Haruka got mixed up with someone else's. We have your real present." They couldn't afford to lose any more time to a silly squabble.
Hotaru cocked her head toward Setsuna and she handed the package to Rei. She accepted it and quickly withdrew the paper before opening the velvet box, her expression unreadable.
"Well that makes a lot more sense."
Rei snapped the box closed and tossed it on her bed. Her bare feet were quiet against the tatami floor as she crossed to her shelf and retrieved a nearly identical box, which she then forfeited to Setsuna.
"I was wondering why Haruka got me a ring. I thought I was going to have to turn her down."
"Oh thank goodness," Hotaru exhaled, peeking over Setsuna's shoulders to ascertain the contents of the box.
Nestled inside of more plush velvet was a ring so perfect for Michiru that it must have been designed just for her. Bands of white gold overlapped and wove together in a pattern reminiscent of waves, diamonds cresting over them like ocean foam. In the center was a stunning aquamarine, the pear shape expertly cut to shine brilliantly from its countless facets. The ring was altogether radiant. Though dainty and unassuming, it was also clear that Haruka had spared no expense. It was no wonder she was so worried about losing it.
"It really is perfect," Hotaru assessed.
"Yes," Setsuna agreed.
"Much more suited to Michiru than me," Rei said. "I assume she's going to pop the question?"
"That's the idea," Setsuna confirmed. "She's going to surprise her by putting it under the tree with the rest of the gifts."
As if on cue, beams of honey sunlight, slow and sweet, began to seep in through the window, illuminating the ring. Iridescent sparkles danced across the ceiling and the three girls were momentarily mesmerized. Hotaru watched the patterns twinkling in the gentle light, gazing up at them as if watching the morning sunlight filter through the water from below.
Morning.
With a jolt, Hotaru snapped back to reality.
"We have to get back. They're going to be home soon." She stood and headed toward the door.
"You're right."
Setsuna pocketed the ring and followed, pausing only to look back at Rei.
"Sorry for disturbing you," she offered.
"Don't worry about it. It's Christmas, after all."
Rei waved off her apology with one of her rare, dazzling smiles; a Christmas gift in and of itself.
"Thanks. Merry Christmas."
_
It was a very haggard Hotaru and Setsuna that crumpled into the couch cushions for Christmas morning festivities. Haruka, in blatant and infuriating contrast, was bright eyed and full of holiday spirit after a comfortable night's sleep in the first class cabin. She was also the self-appointed organizer of the morning's events, serving cinnamon rolls and passing out gifts for each person as they went around in a circle taking turns opening their presents. Hotaru and Setsuna miraculously managed to keep their grumblings to themselves, though their tired, sour stomachs were turned off by the sugary breakfast and each gift was unsurprisingly unremarkable.
The pair only perked up when all gifts had been opened except for one: Haruka's final gift for Michiru. The package was small, re-wrapped with shimmery blue paper and a silver ribbon. Haruka's hazel eyes softened as she passed it to Michiru, her fingers lingering on her partner's hand with fondness.
"Last one," she said, her voice tender. "I hope you like it."
"I like everything you pick out for me," Michiru assured her, her hair glittering like morning dew in the soft glow of the Christmas tree.
The two girls on the couch watched as Michiru unwrapped the box and Haruka began her prepared speech.
"Michiru, you've always been my anchor, keeping my head from floating around in the clouds too much. You're deep and sensitive, beautiful and bright, fun and exciting. We've worked together, played together, even fought together. And now…"
The box snapped open in Michiru's hands and she gasped, moisture gathering in her long lashes. Haruka rose to one knee from her spot on the floor and took Michiru's hand in her own.
"I want to spend the rest of eternity together. Michiru Kaiou, will you marry me?"
"What took you so long," Michiru breathed as she flung her arms around Haruka, holding her girlfriend–now fiancée–close.
Setsuna and Hotaru exchanged glances, words flowing silently between them as they agreed to leave the room and give the couple some privacy. They were only a few steps from the kitchen when a chirping noise came from behind them. They turned to find Haruka with her cell phone pressed to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Who could be calling you on Christmas morning?" Michiru wondered aloud.
"Hey, Motoki! Hang on, I'll put you on speaker."
Haruka lowered the cell phone and after the press of a button, Motoki's cheerful voice filled the room.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!" he called, his voice crackling slightly over the speaker.
"Merry Christmas, Motoki," they chorused.
"What can I do for you?"
"Listen Haruka, not that I'm ungrateful or anything…but I was just wondering, why did you give me sapphire earrings?"
Sestuna and Hotaru groaned. Michiru smirked. Haruka raked her hand through her hair before she spoke.
"Crap."
"Poor Ami."
Across town in a lavish yet prim, brightly lit apartment, a petite woman with short blue hair sat in her favorite indigo armchair. A steaming cup of cocoa stood on the oak side table and a small pile of presents rested on the neighboring couch, a thick woolen blanket draped across her lap. Gentle notes of jazzy Christmas music floated lazily around her as she reached for another present. She had been taking careful notes of who gave her what so that she would be able to give them all a proper thank you.
As the last of the paper fell away, Ami's eyes twinkled with excitement. What had Haruka given her for Christmas? She peered inside.
Ami's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink and her fingers jumped to her lips.
"Oh my…"
