Sailor Moon: Old Stories (Setsuna, Hotaru)
Title: Old Stories
Author: lexie_b
Feedback: If you feel so moved.
Characters: Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto
Word Count: 1 398
Rating: G
Genre: Drama
Summary: "I want to hear about the Silver Millennium, Setsuna-mama."
Notes: An idea from a fic I have plans to write in the future, but probably never will. Just playing around with different ideas :)
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns the characters and scenarios of Sailor Moon. I am a humble fan and thus make no profit from this venture.
“Setsuna-mama,” Hotaru lay cuddled up in her purple quilt, with her plush cat tucked in beside her, and her bedside lamp throwing light into the shadows, interesting shapes taking form on the lavender and white walls. “Can you tell me a story?”
“What sort of story?” Setsuna looked over the shelf of Hotaru’s books - between her and Michiru’s combined passion for shopping - where it was clothes and shoes, cosmetics, or the most complete collection of toys, books and clothes for their foster daughter. Maybe Haruka would have commented, if she hadn’t been exactly the same way about her beloved fleet of motor vehicles that she kept in the garage.
“We never finished that one about the child with the flying chair,” Setsuna pulled a book off the shelf..
“Uh-uh, I want to hear about the Silver Millennium, Setsuna-mama,” Hotaru said. “Ami-chan and Usagi-chan were talking about it with Luna, and I want to hear more about it.”
Setsuna frowned as she put the book on the shelf. “I’m not sure what I could tell you, Hotaru. I really only remember the politics.”
“Come on Setsuna-mama, tell me a Silver Millennium story,” Hotaru wheedled.
Setsuna smiled. “Okay, wriggle over.” Hotaru beamed, making room for Setsuna to sit next to her on the bed.
“Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle on top of a hill. She didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and got very lonely. When she was very young, it was discovered she had a very special gift.”
“What sort of gift?” Hotaru rested her head on Setsuna’s shoulder.
“Hmm. What sort of gift do you think it should be?” Setsuna stroked her foster daughter’s hair.
“Setsuna-mama!” Hotaru huffed. “You’re telling me the story!”
“She had the powers of life and death,” Setsuna chuckled. “She could make seeds turn into flowers in seconds, or age a sapling a thousand years in a moment. It worked the opposite way too - a dying forest could be restored, a sickly old lady could look as young as a girl again, all with the powers of this princess.
“But she was only a little girl, and did not know how to control her powers, which were very strong. She had no mama to guide her, and her father was a very busy king, even though he loved her very much. And then, one day, the girl had an accident. She was grabbed by an older man, who wanted to rob her. The little girl panicked, the man was hurting her, and her powers were fully awakened.”
“What happened?” Hotaru gasped.
“The poor man collapsed down dead, crumbling to dust. All the plants around the girl shrivelled up and died. Even one in the castle heard the blast of power. The girl could no longer control her gift, though, so everyone who tried to help her was made younger and older., flowers bloomed and died where she walked. No one knew how to help the princess.”
“What did she do?” Hotaru’s eyes were wide.
“She was taken to a place deep in the forest, where she could stay without hurting anyone. And it didn’t matter how many times her powers killed the plants and trees, because her magic would also bring new ones to life.
So, she stayed alone for a long time, deep in the woods, in an old summer house, trying to learn how to control her gift. But with no teacher, she gave up, convinced that she would live out her life alone, in the forest.”
During the story, two figures had walked past, on their way to bed before hearing a snippet of the story, both wondering who the little princess of the story was meant to be; only one planetary princess had ever had the powers over death, but Setsuna would never tell a story that would upset Hotaru…
“Finally, a far-away queen heard of the princess hidden away for fear she would hurt more people. So the queen made the long journey to find the princess in the forest, to see if she could help the girl,” Setsuna continued.
“Queen Selenity?” Hotaru yawned.
Setsuna gave Hotaru a mock-offended look. “I’m trying to be subtle!”
Hotaru giggled. “Sorry.”
“So, the queen found the princess hiding in the summer house and offered to help the princess learn about her powers. The queen was very powerful, and this power protected her against the princess’s power of death.”
“So, she learnt how to control her gift?” Hotaru asked, hopefully.
“Well, the queen used her magic to discover that the princess’s gift was draining her energy - that it would kill her very soon if it wasn’t bound so she could grow into her gift. But it would take a lot of magic to bind the powers of life and death; it would most likely put the queen in a coma for the rest of her life. The queen’s daughter was very young - a little older than the princess - but the queen knew that she had to save the little princess.
“So she channelled all her magic into binding the princess’s gift, to keep the child safe until she was ready to wield such power. The binding turned into two gold bangles on the princess’s wrists that were made of pure energy.”
“What happened next?” Hotaru gaped sleepily.
“Well, the queen was in a magical coma, from which she never woke from, and her young daughter became queen. Not as compassionate and lovely as her mother, but she was a good queen. The princess returned to her castle, with only as much magic as she could control. And one day, a long time in the future, she repaid her debt to the queen by saving her daughter from a wasting illness,” Setsuna finished.
“Wow,” Hotaru murmured, snuggling into Setsuna’s side. “So, the princess used her powers to stop people from dying?”
“No. People have to die, Hotaru. It is part of life - it wouldn’t be as precious if people could be saved from it. She helped people who were suffering and dying young; children, mothers… People who didn’t deserve to die young.”
“Does anyone deserve to die young?” Hotaru yawned, her eyes closing.
“That’s a very good question. No, I don’t think anyone should die young. But I do think all evil should be destroyed before it has the chance to grow,” Setsuna got off the bed, tucking her in.
“That’s a good answer, Setsuna-mama.” Hotaru’s voice was slurred with sleep.
“Sweet dreams, Hotaru.”
Setsuna closed the door to Hotaru’s room and faced her two room-mates.
“Wasn’t that story a bit dark for Hotaru?” Haruka asked incredulously.
“She wanted a story from the Silver Millennium,” Setsuna said, crossing her arms over her chest. “The fairy tales we tell children in this age started as dark, ugly stories. At least my story wasn’t like that.”
“But to hear that Saturn a man when she couldn’t control the power of Saturn, Setsuna?” Michiru protested, her maternal streak rearing its head.
“It wasn’t about Saturn, Michiru,” Setsuna said, “the queen in that story died and left her young daughter. And the Saturn power never manifests in that way - well, it never has. Maybe it will in the future.”
“So… who was the princess?” Haruka looked confused.
Setsuna smiled. “She asked for a Silver Millennium story - not a story about us in the Silver Millennium ; it was an old story that used to be told to remind children to do what is right. Not a very good one, either, I’m afraid, but the only one I could remember.”
“That was sly,” Haruka grinned and then yawned. “I’m going to bed.”
“Feeling your old age, Haruka?” Michiru grinned, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s waist. “Good night, Setsuna.” As the couple walked down the hallway, Michiru shot Setsuna a knowing look over her shoulder.
Setsuna smiled and flicked off the hallway light, retreating to her bedroom. Not bothering to turn the lamp on. Rather, she stood in front of the mirror, holding out her hands. And a very faint gold energy crackled around both of Setsuna’s wrists - almost unbound.
All fairy tales have to come from somewhere, Setsuna mused as she touched the band of energy around one wrist and the energy twisted around her fingers before dropping back around one wrist. And they didn’t always have proper endings.
Author: lexie_b
Feedback: If you feel so moved.
Characters: Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto
Word Count: 1 398
Rating: G
Genre: Drama
Summary: "I want to hear about the Silver Millennium, Setsuna-mama."
Notes: An idea from a fic I have plans to write in the future, but probably never will. Just playing around with different ideas :)
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns the characters and scenarios of Sailor Moon. I am a humble fan and thus make no profit from this venture.
“Setsuna-mama,” Hotaru lay cuddled up in her purple quilt, with her plush cat tucked in beside her, and her bedside lamp throwing light into the shadows, interesting shapes taking form on the lavender and white walls. “Can you tell me a story?”
“What sort of story?” Setsuna looked over the shelf of Hotaru’s books - between her and Michiru’s combined passion for shopping - where it was clothes and shoes, cosmetics, or the most complete collection of toys, books and clothes for their foster daughter. Maybe Haruka would have commented, if she hadn’t been exactly the same way about her beloved fleet of motor vehicles that she kept in the garage.
“We never finished that one about the child with the flying chair,” Setsuna pulled a book off the shelf..
“Uh-uh, I want to hear about the Silver Millennium, Setsuna-mama,” Hotaru said. “Ami-chan and Usagi-chan were talking about it with Luna, and I want to hear more about it.”
Setsuna frowned as she put the book on the shelf. “I’m not sure what I could tell you, Hotaru. I really only remember the politics.”
“Come on Setsuna-mama, tell me a Silver Millennium story,” Hotaru wheedled.
Setsuna smiled. “Okay, wriggle over.” Hotaru beamed, making room for Setsuna to sit next to her on the bed.
“Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle on top of a hill. She didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and got very lonely. When she was very young, it was discovered she had a very special gift.”
“What sort of gift?” Hotaru rested her head on Setsuna’s shoulder.
“Hmm. What sort of gift do you think it should be?” Setsuna stroked her foster daughter’s hair.
“Setsuna-mama!” Hotaru huffed. “You’re telling me the story!”
“She had the powers of life and death,” Setsuna chuckled. “She could make seeds turn into flowers in seconds, or age a sapling a thousand years in a moment. It worked the opposite way too - a dying forest could be restored, a sickly old lady could look as young as a girl again, all with the powers of this princess.
“But she was only a little girl, and did not know how to control her powers, which were very strong. She had no mama to guide her, and her father was a very busy king, even though he loved her very much. And then, one day, the girl had an accident. She was grabbed by an older man, who wanted to rob her. The little girl panicked, the man was hurting her, and her powers were fully awakened.”
“What happened?” Hotaru gasped.
“The poor man collapsed down dead, crumbling to dust. All the plants around the girl shrivelled up and died. Even one in the castle heard the blast of power. The girl could no longer control her gift, though, so everyone who tried to help her was made younger and older., flowers bloomed and died where she walked. No one knew how to help the princess.”
“What did she do?” Hotaru’s eyes were wide.
“She was taken to a place deep in the forest, where she could stay without hurting anyone. And it didn’t matter how many times her powers killed the plants and trees, because her magic would also bring new ones to life.
So, she stayed alone for a long time, deep in the woods, in an old summer house, trying to learn how to control her gift. But with no teacher, she gave up, convinced that she would live out her life alone, in the forest.”
During the story, two figures had walked past, on their way to bed before hearing a snippet of the story, both wondering who the little princess of the story was meant to be; only one planetary princess had ever had the powers over death, but Setsuna would never tell a story that would upset Hotaru…
“Finally, a far-away queen heard of the princess hidden away for fear she would hurt more people. So the queen made the long journey to find the princess in the forest, to see if she could help the girl,” Setsuna continued.
“Queen Selenity?” Hotaru yawned.
Setsuna gave Hotaru a mock-offended look. “I’m trying to be subtle!”
Hotaru giggled. “Sorry.”
“So, the queen found the princess hiding in the summer house and offered to help the princess learn about her powers. The queen was very powerful, and this power protected her against the princess’s power of death.”
“So, she learnt how to control her gift?” Hotaru asked, hopefully.
“Well, the queen used her magic to discover that the princess’s gift was draining her energy - that it would kill her very soon if it wasn’t bound so she could grow into her gift. But it would take a lot of magic to bind the powers of life and death; it would most likely put the queen in a coma for the rest of her life. The queen’s daughter was very young - a little older than the princess - but the queen knew that she had to save the little princess.
“So she channelled all her magic into binding the princess’s gift, to keep the child safe until she was ready to wield such power. The binding turned into two gold bangles on the princess’s wrists that were made of pure energy.”
“What happened next?” Hotaru gaped sleepily.
“Well, the queen was in a magical coma, from which she never woke from, and her young daughter became queen. Not as compassionate and lovely as her mother, but she was a good queen. The princess returned to her castle, with only as much magic as she could control. And one day, a long time in the future, she repaid her debt to the queen by saving her daughter from a wasting illness,” Setsuna finished.
“Wow,” Hotaru murmured, snuggling into Setsuna’s side. “So, the princess used her powers to stop people from dying?”
“No. People have to die, Hotaru. It is part of life - it wouldn’t be as precious if people could be saved from it. She helped people who were suffering and dying young; children, mothers… People who didn’t deserve to die young.”
“Does anyone deserve to die young?” Hotaru yawned, her eyes closing.
“That’s a very good question. No, I don’t think anyone should die young. But I do think all evil should be destroyed before it has the chance to grow,” Setsuna got off the bed, tucking her in.
“That’s a good answer, Setsuna-mama.” Hotaru’s voice was slurred with sleep.
“Sweet dreams, Hotaru.”
Setsuna closed the door to Hotaru’s room and faced her two room-mates.
“Wasn’t that story a bit dark for Hotaru?” Haruka asked incredulously.
“She wanted a story from the Silver Millennium,” Setsuna said, crossing her arms over her chest. “The fairy tales we tell children in this age started as dark, ugly stories. At least my story wasn’t like that.”
“But to hear that Saturn a man when she couldn’t control the power of Saturn, Setsuna?” Michiru protested, her maternal streak rearing its head.
“It wasn’t about Saturn, Michiru,” Setsuna said, “the queen in that story died and left her young daughter. And the Saturn power never manifests in that way - well, it never has. Maybe it will in the future.”
“So… who was the princess?” Haruka looked confused.
Setsuna smiled. “She asked for a Silver Millennium story - not a story about us in the Silver Millennium ; it was an old story that used to be told to remind children to do what is right. Not a very good one, either, I’m afraid, but the only one I could remember.”
“That was sly,” Haruka grinned and then yawned. “I’m going to bed.”
“Feeling your old age, Haruka?” Michiru grinned, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s waist. “Good night, Setsuna.” As the couple walked down the hallway, Michiru shot Setsuna a knowing look over her shoulder.
Setsuna smiled and flicked off the hallway light, retreating to her bedroom. Not bothering to turn the lamp on. Rather, she stood in front of the mirror, holding out her hands. And a very faint gold energy crackled around both of Setsuna’s wrists - almost unbound.
All fairy tales have to come from somewhere, Setsuna mused as she touched the band of energy around one wrist and the energy twisted around her fingers before dropping back around one wrist. And they didn’t always have proper endings.