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Title: Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship - Part IV
Author: Raya
Theme: Hotaru (Optional: Name)
Genre: Drama
Version: PGSM S (Spoiler Level = Pallas, i.e., NONE)
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1057
Disclaimer: Tomoe Hotaru and her new friends belong to Takeuchi Naoko (and a tiny bit to Bandai). I have only captured their images as holograms and manipulated them to illustrate my story.
Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship - Part IV
A/N: Continued from Part I, Part II, and Part III
As her left arm began to go numb with exhaustion, Hotaru tried to find another patch of shade to drag herself towards. All she could see, however, were pools of bright sunlight on green grass and the stems of some nearby flowers. She was just about to move her arm to investigate the mysterious scrap of paper more closely to see if it might be big enough to cover her whole head when a pair of bright pink hightops suddenly filled her view.
"Are you all right?" a young girl asked curiously from somewhere over her head. Hotaru ignored her for a moment, and closed her eyes in relief as the girl's shadow fell across her face and gave her even more protection from the ultraviolet rays.
"Hey!" the girl called again. "Are you all right. Ah! My hat! You caught my hat!" Hotaru's eyes sprang open as she felt the paper slip off of her nose. "I thought I had lost it for sure this time," the girl chattered happily. Hotaru turned her head to look up again, and saw an elementary school aged girl slipping a straw hat with a pink ribbon onto her black head. It perched precariously between her high, dark pigtails, but the young girl did not appear to be concerned.
"Oh! I remember you!" the child suddenly exclaimed as she looked down at Hotaru once more. A pleased smile lit up her face. "You're the pretty girl from the plaza!" She suddenly blinked her chocolate brown eyes. "Ah! Is this yours?" she asked as she turned away.
Hotaru winced away from the sudden light, and then looked up again when the girl's shadow returned. "My... My umbrella...," she croaked as she saw the object in the child's hands.
The younger girl smiled triumphantly. "I thought so. We found it blowing around over there." She waved vaguely behind herself, and then cocked her head curiously. The smile faded from her face.
"You need help," she stated suddenly. She looked around, still frowning. "Where is your chair? Did someone take it?" Not waiting for a reply, she looked over her shoulder. "Zoi-san, can you pick her up? She can't stay in the sun. See how red her skin is already?"
"Little Mistress," a light tenor voice responded from a short distance away. Hotaru stiffened, but before she could protest the girl stepped aside and a slim young man knelt on one knee beside her and began to pick her up. He paused as if surprised by her weight, and then lifted her smoothly. The young girl quickly opened the umbrella and used it to shelter Hotaru's face. "Perhaps that swing over there?" the young man asked, sounding a little breathless as he rose to his feet.
"Mm!" the young girl nodded as she looked over her shoulder. Hotaru said nothing as they moved her to a rose covered gazebo a short distance away. She would never have been able to reach it on her own even if she had been able to see it, but she was still embarrassed and unhappy about needing their help.
"There!" the girl exclaimed as the young man set Hotaru down on the swing inside the gazebo. "Now, to find your chair..."
"Don't," Hotaru said abruptly. Her rescuers looked at her in surprise. "I... Someone else has gone to get it," she lied as she raised her chin. She stifled a wince as the burnt skin on the back of her neck protested the motion. "Thank you for your help," she added reluctantly prompted by her good manners.
"Oh! I'm Usagi," the young girl exclaimed as she bowed, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Tsukino Usagi. And this is my friend, Zoi-san." The wiry, dark haired young man bowed politely to her, but said nothing. His guarded expression irritated the exhausted and embarrassed teenager even more.
"I am Hotaru," she replied as her manners pushed at her again. She did not even consider returning their bows. She knew they would think she was rude, most people did, but she still could not move anything below her shoulder on her right side, and she was not about to add to her embarrassment by falling off of the swing. Usagi did not seem to notice her impoliteness, however, as the young girl furled the umbrella once more. "This is private property," Hotaru continued coldly. "Unless you are students of Mugen Gakuen?" She nodded as Usagi shook her head rapidly. "Then you'd better go before you get caught trespassing," she warned.
Usagi looked worried. "But what about you, Hotaru-chan? We can't just leave you here." When the raven haired teenager gave her a look of surprise at her informality and concern, the young girl nodded firmly and continued. "You're hurt. You need some water for your face and whatever else... And your chair. We aren't going until you're all right." She lifted her chin stubbornly.
Hotaru looked at the determined girl and felt herself relax. "I will be fine now, really," she said reassuringly, caught off-guard by Usagi's acceptance and protectiveness. "But they will be very mad at you for trespassing if they catch you. You should go."
Usagi bit her lip uncertainly, and then looked at Zoi. The young man nodded his agreement with Hotaru. She looked back at Hotaru, who nodded at her as well. "If you're sure..." she said reluctantly. Hotaru nodded firmly again and fought against a sway as her head began to spin.
"Well, all right then," the young girl sighed unhappily. "It was nice to meet you," she said with another polite bow.
"Mmm...," Hotaru murmured hoping the girl would hurry up and leave. It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open as the world spun around her. Zoi followed as Usagi began to reluctantly walk away. As they stepped down onto the garden path, Hotaru closed her eyes with a soft sigh, and then snapped them open again when she heard footsteps hurrying towards her.
"Thanks again for catching my hat!" Usagi called cheerfully from the steps of the gazebo. "See you later, Hotaru-chan! Bye-bye!"
"Bye...," Hotaru called softly as Usagi turned to dash away once more. "Goodbye, Usagi...-chan," she whispered. Oddly sad, she wondered if she would ever see the friendly young girl again.
Continued in Part V
Author: Raya
Theme: Hotaru (Optional: Name)
Genre: Drama
Version: PGSM S (Spoiler Level = Pallas, i.e., NONE)
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1057
Disclaimer: Tomoe Hotaru and her new friends belong to Takeuchi Naoko (and a tiny bit to Bandai). I have only captured their images as holograms and manipulated them to illustrate my story.
Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship - Part IV
A/N: Continued from Part I, Part II, and Part III
As her left arm began to go numb with exhaustion, Hotaru tried to find another patch of shade to drag herself towards. All she could see, however, were pools of bright sunlight on green grass and the stems of some nearby flowers. She was just about to move her arm to investigate the mysterious scrap of paper more closely to see if it might be big enough to cover her whole head when a pair of bright pink hightops suddenly filled her view.
"Are you all right?" a young girl asked curiously from somewhere over her head. Hotaru ignored her for a moment, and closed her eyes in relief as the girl's shadow fell across her face and gave her even more protection from the ultraviolet rays.
"Hey!" the girl called again. "Are you all right. Ah! My hat! You caught my hat!" Hotaru's eyes sprang open as she felt the paper slip off of her nose. "I thought I had lost it for sure this time," the girl chattered happily. Hotaru turned her head to look up again, and saw an elementary school aged girl slipping a straw hat with a pink ribbon onto her black head. It perched precariously between her high, dark pigtails, but the young girl did not appear to be concerned.
"Oh! I remember you!" the child suddenly exclaimed as she looked down at Hotaru once more. A pleased smile lit up her face. "You're the pretty girl from the plaza!" She suddenly blinked her chocolate brown eyes. "Ah! Is this yours?" she asked as she turned away.
Hotaru winced away from the sudden light, and then looked up again when the girl's shadow returned. "My... My umbrella...," she croaked as she saw the object in the child's hands.
The younger girl smiled triumphantly. "I thought so. We found it blowing around over there." She waved vaguely behind herself, and then cocked her head curiously. The smile faded from her face.
"You need help," she stated suddenly. She looked around, still frowning. "Where is your chair? Did someone take it?" Not waiting for a reply, she looked over her shoulder. "Zoi-san, can you pick her up? She can't stay in the sun. See how red her skin is already?"
"Little Mistress," a light tenor voice responded from a short distance away. Hotaru stiffened, but before she could protest the girl stepped aside and a slim young man knelt on one knee beside her and began to pick her up. He paused as if surprised by her weight, and then lifted her smoothly. The young girl quickly opened the umbrella and used it to shelter Hotaru's face. "Perhaps that swing over there?" the young man asked, sounding a little breathless as he rose to his feet.
"Mm!" the young girl nodded as she looked over her shoulder. Hotaru said nothing as they moved her to a rose covered gazebo a short distance away. She would never have been able to reach it on her own even if she had been able to see it, but she was still embarrassed and unhappy about needing their help.
"There!" the girl exclaimed as the young man set Hotaru down on the swing inside the gazebo. "Now, to find your chair..."
"Don't," Hotaru said abruptly. Her rescuers looked at her in surprise. "I... Someone else has gone to get it," she lied as she raised her chin. She stifled a wince as the burnt skin on the back of her neck protested the motion. "Thank you for your help," she added reluctantly prompted by her good manners.
"Oh! I'm Usagi," the young girl exclaimed as she bowed, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Tsukino Usagi. And this is my friend, Zoi-san." The wiry, dark haired young man bowed politely to her, but said nothing. His guarded expression irritated the exhausted and embarrassed teenager even more.
"I am Hotaru," she replied as her manners pushed at her again. She did not even consider returning their bows. She knew they would think she was rude, most people did, but she still could not move anything below her shoulder on her right side, and she was not about to add to her embarrassment by falling off of the swing. Usagi did not seem to notice her impoliteness, however, as the young girl furled the umbrella once more. "This is private property," Hotaru continued coldly. "Unless you are students of Mugen Gakuen?" She nodded as Usagi shook her head rapidly. "Then you'd better go before you get caught trespassing," she warned.
Usagi looked worried. "But what about you, Hotaru-chan? We can't just leave you here." When the raven haired teenager gave her a look of surprise at her informality and concern, the young girl nodded firmly and continued. "You're hurt. You need some water for your face and whatever else... And your chair. We aren't going until you're all right." She lifted her chin stubbornly.
Hotaru looked at the determined girl and felt herself relax. "I will be fine now, really," she said reassuringly, caught off-guard by Usagi's acceptance and protectiveness. "But they will be very mad at you for trespassing if they catch you. You should go."
Usagi bit her lip uncertainly, and then looked at Zoi. The young man nodded his agreement with Hotaru. She looked back at Hotaru, who nodded at her as well. "If you're sure..." she said reluctantly. Hotaru nodded firmly again and fought against a sway as her head began to spin.
"Well, all right then," the young girl sighed unhappily. "It was nice to meet you," she said with another polite bow.
"Mmm...," Hotaru murmured hoping the girl would hurry up and leave. It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open as the world spun around her. Zoi followed as Usagi began to reluctantly walk away. As they stepped down onto the garden path, Hotaru closed her eyes with a soft sigh, and then snapped them open again when she heard footsteps hurrying towards her.
"Thanks again for catching my hat!" Usagi called cheerfully from the steps of the gazebo. "See you later, Hotaru-chan! Bye-bye!"
"Bye...," Hotaru called softly as Usagi turned to dash away once more. "Goodbye, Usagi...-chan," she whispered. Oddly sad, she wondered if she would ever see the friendly young girl again.
Continued in Part V