It was a gloomy and dark day in the city of Philadelphia. People were currently making an attempt to make it back home from work. Some obviously needed to go to their part time shifts, or some just wanted to be out in general. Either way, everyone had something to do today.
Yet, there is one individual that stands in front of the window. She stares at the city from a loft within a tall building, as if she were taking in the sight of it. This person in particular is a woman, with long emerald hair in a bun and stops below her waist, garnet red eyes, dark red lips, and slightly tanned skin. She wears a black, silky dress with different accents of green. The material covers her arms and stops to the thighs of her physique, a black leather belt around her waist, and black high heels. All of it bringing out the beauty that belonged to her curvy figure that stood at 5'10".
Setsuna Meioh, a fashion designer, and among other titles, is here in America on her own accord. Normally, she stays within her home country of Japan, doing things within her field of interests and other obligations. The only time she did go out, was doing business within the fashion industry with other clients. However, she is here in terms of something else.
She was here attending a funeral, but not someone close to her. One of her friends, Haruka Tenoh, had gotten a call from someone that associated with a person that she knew in her early days as a racecar driver. So right now, all she can do is support her friend in this solemn moment.
"You seem to be focused on something."
At the sound of a voice that was feminine and soft, catches the attention of the silent woman. Seeing the reflection of a woman of petite size, one of beauty and grace in appearance, spoke to Setsuna. This didn't deter the tall woman's focus, but she does know when her observation on something is spotted.
"I can see your keen insight hasn't escaped you, Michiru," Setsuna says, her tone being calm, but her words give off a light hearted jest to it.
Michiru would give a polite smile out of courtesy. "No, it has not," However, it only lasts for a few seconds. The atmosphere within the room had changed. Her dark ocean blue eyes focused on her companion. Not one out of concern, but from a familiar observation from the way the other stood.
"How is Haruka feeling at the moment?" The emerald haired woman asked, changing the subject and turned to face Michiru. While Setsuna had her own thoughts, she felt concern for the other's housemate.
"At the moment, she's pretty quiet," Michiru answers, one of having known Haruka's behavior in certain matters for a long time. After all, they are very important to each other. "Though, I think she's feeling a bit better."
A stiff nod manages to show its way to Setsuna's statuesque composure. It was no mystery to having observed the other's partner's behavior as well. There were times when Haruka had kept to herself. Yet, she only opened up to those that were close to her. Now, there is news of someone from Haruka's past that crept in and it made her friend angry. So whatever bothered their housemate, it was Setsuna and Michiru's obligation to help Haruka in her time of need.
Both of their attention is turned to the sound of a door opening up, as a tall person steps out and adjusts their tie. The individual is visually handsome, with short cropped sandy hair, and teal eyes focused on the two women. "Sorry for the wait… I wanted to make sure I looked appropriate for the service."
Michiru focuses the sandy haired person in front of her. Haruka Tenoh, for all her talent in racing and running, certainly looked amazing. The black blazer, with matching dress pants, white button up shirt, black tie, and shoes, certainly left a good impression of looking dressed for the occasion.
"There's no need to apologize, my wind chaser," The aqua haired mermaid reassures her lover, walking over and reaches out to help flatten out the collar of Haruka's blazer. "The important thing is to remember you aren't alone in this endeavor."
A small smile creeps across Haruka's lips, happy that Michiru is very understanding.
"Anyway, we should get going," Setsuna speaks up, knowing full well that the streets would probably get busy at this time of hour. "We don't want to hit any traffic on the way to the service."
Now that was something that earned an annoyed grunt from Haruka. She wasn't one to wait in terms of traffic. Not to mention, she wasn't exactly very familiar with the city of Philadelphia either. Still, it was a good thing Michiru had gotten road directions from her phone in order to map out some shortcuts to where the service is held.
"Better get a move on then," the sandy blonde says, looking at Setsuna for a brief second before taking the keys out to her car. Good thing she had rented a car as well. If they were going to be in the city for a bit, the racecar driver needed a vehicle best suited to her needs.
Setsuna begins to follow Haruka and Michiru from behind, closing the door behind them. While she had come of her own free will, something within her told her other wise. The three of them had felt a sense of urgency the day Haruka had gotten a call. Still, somewhere, within the confines of her mind, told her that something was afoot in this very city the minute they landed. She didn't know what it was and would like to investigate this manner.
…
On of the outside streets in the city of 'brotherly love', something else was going on. There were cop cars at a bodega, yet the officers found something that did catch their attention. Four men were tied up to a lamp post, struggling to get out of a tight metal-fiber styled cable.
Across the opposite side of the street, a person walks out of an alley way and takes in the view. She is a young woman with shoulder blade-length brown hair, lavender eyes, and stood about 5'4". She wore a gray hooded sweatshirt, a white jacket with red and black markings over the sweater, white and red baseball cap on her head that was backwards, red and black fingerless gloves, baggy denim blue jeans, and white sneakers with silver and red trimming.
"Hmmm, looks like the city can rest a little easier today."
As soon as she said that, the brunette feels a vibration within the pocket of her jacket. Taking out her phone, she looks at the screen. This makes her eyes wide upon seeing the message of the text. Plus, she looks at the time as well.
"Oh shit, I better get a move on!"
Already she's on her feet and not wasting time as she begins to make a dash for it. The last thing she wants to be doing is running late. Although, she needed to head back home and change clothes. Chalk it up as another thing she's already done so many times.
Still, she felt that it was her sense of duty to look out for the people. The crime in Philadelphia was nothing to sneeze at. And she wondered if she could've done more in terms of reacting on time.
Upon turning the corner, she makes it into a nearby building. Once she reaches the floor and opens the door. Making a mad dash to the bedroom, she quickly opens the door and closes it. Already she begins to undress, rushing to get her clothes on quickly, and even if it meant rushing herself. Still, her mind goes back to her previous thoughts. She wanted to be better in terms of not just helping people, but life in general. Yet, her mind nags at the question of where her life will go in terms of direction for the future.
…
Watching the cars pass by, Michiru remains silent. She knew Haruka tended to stay focused when driving. Yet, when it was just the two of them, the two of them could talk for hours. Studying her lover's quiet expression, the aqua haired beauty knew that her wind chaser was thinking about something. Though, it won't stop her from being concern.
"You know Haruka, the light is green now," she pointed out with a small smile.
"Hmmm, oh, so it is," the sandy blonde says, pressing the gas pedal with her foot and starts to drive.
Michiru raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, curious about the other's behavior. It was obvious that this person was connected to Haruka's past. The wind scion had may have talked about a thing or two from her past. Nothing too personal, as Michiru was one to respect the tomboy's privacy and didn't want to press the envelope.
"The person we're going to… pay your respects to… what is their name?" the mermaid-like woman asks.
"Charlie West," Haruka says, her answer coming at the same time as she made a sharp left turn. "We go way back when I first entered the circuit… Though, he stepped away for… personal reasons."
"I see…" Michiru's voice trailed off, not knowing what to see. She had no idea who this person was, though he seem to be the type of person to treat Haruka with respect.
Haruka could feel Michiru's emotions uncertainly, so the blonde offers a kind smile. "It's alright, I know we've never talked about our personal lives when we first met, but… opening up helps make things feel better," she reassures Michiru to know that there was nothing to worry about.
This makes Michiru smile in response.
"It is interesting, though," Setsuna speaks up, suddenly joining in the conversation. "I can surmise that you know of other racers, but to be friends with a person such as him is fascinating. What makes him different from the other people as opposed to them being your competitors?"
Now this was the part where Haruka knew this could get personal. Still, hopefully any other people that were connected to Charlie from his racing days wouldn't be there. Though, she could share some insight of what she felt in terms of a kindred spirit.
"Charlie and I shared the same passion," Haruka begins to explain, taking a deep breath. She won't go into details, but knowing Michiru and Setsuna they would not pressure her. "We both wanted to see how far we could take our talent, but for Charlie…"
As Haruka's voice trails off, Setsuna soon spots the building they were supposed to be at. "That building is our destination," she announces.
As Haruka pulled into the parking lot, she looks up and pays attention to the detail of the building. The look of it is reminiscent to the cathedral that she and Michiru went to in order to track down the talismans. It brought death to the two of them and were reborn again upon their reawakening. Yet, for her friend, there was no reawakening for him.
Michiru turns her head, gaze focused on her wife once again. Sensing the deep thinking within Haruka's mind, it makes the ocean scion reach out. Touching her beloved's hand with her own, her touch is soft and reassuring. "Do not let whatever is on your mind cloud your judgment… we are together, and I am here with you no matter what," she says in a calm tone.
The sandy blonde nods her head, knowing Michiru was right. Still, the actions she had committed in protecting the world in general… she wondered if Charlie would've approve of them. Still, those thoughts are already out the window once she sees the sight of a familiar car within the parking lot.
Setsuna sees what Haruka is looking at. Garnet eyes turn to see where Haruka's eyes were focused on and seeing a license plate. It had some random numbers, yet she made out the name 'West' on it. Clearly this was a relative of Charlie's that was here.
Michiru sees the cold glare Haruka has, knowing it was one of disdain. "Haruka …"
Feeling the ever so familiar smooth and soft skin, the same that smelt like vanilla and "I know," she mutters, letting out a soft sigh. "I guess it's time to face the music."
"You'll do fine," Michiru pats Haruka's hand before getting out of the car.
Haruka nods her head, getting out the same time as her lover.
Setsuna is the final one to get out, focusing back onto the building in front of them. While seeing through Haruka's dry sarcasm is an easy feat, something told her that her presence was needed here. While she should inform the others, the ancient time keeper of Pluto wanted to have some solid evidence before leading her housemates on a hunch.
…
Within the same building where the funeral service is being held, a man is there within a room outside where the main service would be. He was very well built, one with brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail, a sculpted jaw line, and stood about 6'4". Shifting his body, he let's out a low grunt. The two piece gray suit he wore was a bit tight. Still, he did his best to look 'presentable'.
"Everything is all set, Fred."
As the brown haired man turned looked up, he sees another man before. This person has almost fading red hair and gray lines in some areas. He looked very well dressed in his tan business suit, a white dress shirt, red tie, and brown shoes. Gray eyes look at the other's face, seeing it was tired and slightly worn. Probably from having to take care of some business to prepare this service.
"… You look like you've seen better days, George," Fred commented, doing his best to be civil.
A small hum escapes from the man's lips, his eyes narrowing them at Jack but he sighs. He felt defeated in some degree, but he takes a seat. "I've been pulling strings to make sure my son's body was… presentable." He explained, having seen the way it looked.
Fred looked at George with a calm look.
"At least that's one thing you've done so far."
This makes Fred turn his attention to another person who had entered the room. It certainly caught him off guard in regard to this individual's presence. However, their voice certainly sounded familiar. Although, George is the one to immediately recognize the sandy blonde hair and teal eyes of the person as his expression change.
"Tenoh," the redhead's voice becomes gruff, resuming his narrowed eyes but onto someone else. "You're pretty bold to make such a statement about me."
Haruka didn't respond back. All she could do was stare back at the man before her. This was the father of her friend that looked down upon some people.
Michiru and Setsuna appeared into the room as well, already sensing the tension. It didn't take the two to put two and two together. The aqua haired woman was about to step in, but she saw someone beat her to the punch.
"Let's take it down a notch," Fred says and his hand on George in order to get his mind off things. As he steps in front of George, he focuses his attention onto Haruka. "George called you Tenoh. I assume you're…?"
Haruka looked at the man, regarding him with a cool, yet calm expression to her features. "Yes, but I have no idea who you are."
It takes awhile, but Fred puts two and two together, realizing that this was the same person he talked with on the phone about Charlie's death. "I'm Fred Grayson," he introduced himself and offers his hand to shake. "We spoke on the phone a week ago… about Charlie's passing."
"I see," Looking at Fred's hand, Haruka looks at him with a calm look. She is aware of the American custom of shaking hands. She did it herself on some occasions. Yet, she didn't know the man, but decides to pay her respects in a more formal manner. "I'm Tenoh Haruka, it's nice to meet you." as she introduced herself, she dipped her head.
As Fred watched her dip her head, he had a sheepish look on his face. "Thank you," he says, using the hand he offered to shake with to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry if my greeting rubbed you the wrong way."
"There's no need to apologize Grayson-san," Michiru speaks up, giving the man a polite greeting and offered to take his hand. "I'm Kaioh Michiru, Haruka's significant other."
Fred gives the elegant violinist a small grin, gently taking her hand into his own strong one. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he says with good nature in return.
A curt nod comes from Michiru, pleased by Fred's courtesy.
"And I'm Meioh Setsuna," Setsuna introduces herself, also dipping her head in a similar fashion as well.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet all three of you," Fred says, grinning a bit and started to feel like he made things more awkward. "I apologize… I'm not too familiar with the… greeting customs in Japan."
Michiru waves a hand, not wanting Fred to make a big deal out of it. "It's alright. Everyone has their own way of greeting in different cultures," she goes on to say, giving the older man reassurance.
"My daughter's very familiar with the... customs and society in Japan," Fred goes on to say, which he starts to wonder where his own daughter is. "Which reminds me, I'm wondering where she is."
Speaking of his daughter, a familiar young brunette walks in. "Hey pops," she called out.
Setsuna turns her head sideways upon hearing the new voice within the room. As she gazes upon Dallas, her garnet orbs take in the sight of the brunette. Her intuition told her to come along, and the presence of the young lady already raises flags within the statuesque woman's mind.
"Sorry I almost ran late. I was…" As Dallas began to apologize, her gaze is focused on the other people in the room and suddenly sensed the tension within the air. She instantly recognized Charlie's father, George. However, the sandy haired woman she did not recognize, along with the two other people as well. There was an awkward silence as eyes were on Dallas now. "… Oh. Um, sorry… I'll just slip back into the hallway."
"It's okay, kiddo," Fred speaks up, reassuring his daughter that she is more than welcome to stay. The last thing he wanted was for a heated session of words between George and Haruka to take place on Charlie's funeral. "We were-"
"It's okay, dad," the brunette is quick to give her father some reassurance that it wasn't a problem. Her lavender eyes fall onto George, resisting the urge to give him a dirty look. Instead, she takes a deep breath and turns around. "I'll come back when things have cooled off… I want to pay my respects to Charlie."
Fred could see her daughter was right. There would be no convincing her to stay, but he respects her wishes. Still, he could point her in the direction of where his friend's coffin is. He gives her directions of where to go. Watching his daughter leave, he runs a hand through his brown hair. Clearly this was going to be a long day.
"If you'd like, I can see if she wants to talk."
Turning his gaze up, he sees that it was Setsuna. His gray eyes study her, feeling like she was an enigma to him. "I appreciate the offer, but… something tells me that my daughter needs some time to… process this by herself," he says, knowing that was a lie.
"True," Setsuna agrees with him, though she looks back at Haruka, who seemed to be cooling off a bit and had Michiru by her side. "However, sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to."
Fred listens to the other woman's words, finding wisdom in her statement. Even though he didn't know her, the large man knows when someone calls it like it is. Still, Dallas is his daughter and didn't want to leave her alone. He hated to see her hurting on the inside. Yet, his gaze focused on George and God knows he needed help as well.
Setsuna can sense the hesitation radiating off of Fred. After all, he is a parent and this is something she can relate to. "Haruka, Michiru, and I have someone back in Japan that we cared for. We always make sure to look out for her, and support her to the best of our ability while allowing her to grow as well."
This surprises the burly man, hearing the guardian of time reveal an aspect of her self. Even though he had so much to ask, it was best to leave it at that. He knew it was a small step in knowing the three visitors. Well, at least one of them.
Setsuna offers a reassuring smile, knowing that things will work out. As she leaves, the smile disappears as she entered the hallway. It was best that she approached Dallas by herself. While the emerald haired time goddess did feel to know about the source of energy the other woman emitted, she couldn't ignore her intuition. The same instincts of knowing that those she cares about are in distress.
…
The body that lied within the casket was a man that laid there. He looked so young, yet he appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties. Still, with George's West money, the red haired man was able to keep a maintained appearance.
Dallas looked at the casket across the room, wrestling with her own emotions. All she could think about the times Charlie was there to help her. He was practically like a big brother to her. Now, he was gone and felt a sense of guilt arise with her.
Taking the deepest of breaths to calm her nerves, Dallas slowly begins to walk over to the casket. Seeing Charlie in there, it makes the brunette fight off the tears. She needed to be strong. At least, that's what she told herself within her mind.
"Hey Charlie, how's it going?"
Obviously there was no response, but it didn't stop Dallas in making an attempt to help make things easier for herself.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you. I wanted to see you… hoping your whimsical spirit can help not just me, but everyone here as well," Dallas let's out a chuckle, giving off a small smile.
Thinking back to it, he was the only one to bring a smile to her or her father whenever things were looking gloomy.
"You always did help bring out the best in people… you helped bring out the best in me as well."
Reflecting back on some events in her life, it makes her appreciate not just how fun, but also bringing out the hope in her as well. It restored a lot of things she not only missed in her youth, but her life in general as well. That moment of brief happiness was replaced of what happened to Charlie, making the brunette's smile fade.
"And to be honest, I wish you were here with us… especially me," she confesses, turning her head to the side. "You helped me… to not allow the bad stuff around the world to effect me, and help inspire me to raise above it," she begins to lament the about a lot of things. "Even though you're not here, I really could use your advice in times like this."
Feeling something else within the room, Dallas turns her head to see the mysterious woman she had encountered earlier. For some odd season, the brunette can't help but feel a mysterious vibe from her. Those pools of garnet that belonged to Setsuna… they radiated beauty. However, there were waves of… concern, but for whom?
"The man you grieve for… I can assume he is a friend of your's?" Setsuna inquired, hoping she can reach out to the brown haired youth in front of her.
The tone of words that came from Setsuna's mouth, they were soft and yet caring. Dallas had no idea who this woman was. And yet, she can't help but feel a sense of ease around her.
"He was mostly my dad's friend," Dallas confessed, rubbing the back of her head. God, she wished she could've worded that better. "Still, Charlie was more of a brother figure that I looked up to."
"I see," Setsuna said, walking up to the other and stopped next to her to study the man within the casket. Closing her eyes, she is silent and obvious sends her regards to Charlie's spirit. Garnet eyes reopen and turn to look at Dallas. "I hope you do not mind my company. Your father wished to give you privacy, but I can relate to the manner of what you're going through." Referring to the century old pain of not just her solitude, but the loss of the Silver Millennium was an issue she can use to relate to. Though, she would not relate the exact contents of her own identity to protect the others.
Dallas studies the other woman's body language. Listening to Setsuna's words, there isn't a change in the older woman's demeanor at all. They emit an honest and sincere feel from her soft spoken tone of voice, with words lingering with empathy.
"I guess death has a way of unifying people together in times like this," Dallas says out loud, wishing there was more she could say.
Setsuna gives a curt nod, agreeing with that sentiment.
As much as she wanted to continue talking, the subject of death is an uncomfortable subject. Wanting to change it, the young brunette decides to take the initiative and break the ice between her and Setsuna. "So… are you a friend of Charlie's? My dad told me that Charlie left him a list of people in terms of who to contact, and he called someone overseas," she explains to Setsuna.
"No, my friend Tenoh Haruka is the one," Setsuna answered Dallas's question in regards to the relationship. "I was told that she and Charlie used to be friends in her earlier days in the racing circuit."
This leaves Dallas to be confused about who Setsuna is referring to.
"She's the one wearing the suit, almost my height, and short blonde hair," Setsuna describes Haruka's looks to Dallas to save her the confusion.
Oh! She was the one that seemed to have that intensity towards George. Well, that would explain everything.
"You know, since we are talking, we haven't introduced ourselves," Dallas gives a sheepish smile, getting caught up in the moment in finding a sense of common ground with someone to talk to. "My name is Dallas Mercer. It's nice to meet you too."
Ah, so that was the name of the brunette. Still, something does catch Setsuna's attention to the other's last name. It is different from Fred's last name. For whatever reason, she wondered if the young girl was adopted, which was similar to Hotaru. Still, it was best to keep those type of questions on hold. For now, she focused on introducing herself to the newcomer.
"My name is Meioh Setsuna. It's nice to meet you as well."