(no subject)
Title: The Special Gift
Author: Raya
Theme: Setsuna / Image: Threads by ~OfCourseNot11
Genre: General
Version: Manga
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1,590
Disclaimer: Setsuna was created by Takeuchi Naoko who still owns her heart, body, and soul. I have merely created a slightly smudged copy to play with for a little while.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
For more information on Setsuna's family, see my story "Starting Over".
The Special Gift
Setsuna finished sewing the little pearl colored button back onto her white dress shirt and sat back with a stretch and a sigh. She gathered the white shirt, slipped it back on its hanger, and then turned to put away the needle and thread.
Her hands caressed the old oak box, tracing its intricate design as she slowly closed the lid. She would never forget the day it had been given to her, nor the young woman who had done the gifting.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Setsuna inspected herself carefully in the hall mirror. Her garnet colored eyes were unusually serious for a five year old, but she did not know that. Spying a few wisps of dark green hair which had worked their way free of the head band that her older sister Natsumi had given her, she reached up and tucked them gently away.
Finally, she nodded to herself and turned to walk towards the front room. Her long, brightly colored kimono swished gently around her as she padded softly towards the door on white socked feet. She knelt down beside the sliding door and had just raised her hand to scratch and request entry when she heard a loud, bubbly laugh from inside.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Mother," Saori chided gently. "I know you don't like it, but it's a new world out there. Clothing styles have relaxed a lot in the past few years."
"That doesn't mean that you have to dress so ridiculously," her mother sniffed as Setsuna cautiously opened the door behind her. "It is October, Saori-san. You will catch a cold wearing something as... skimpy as that."
Saori shook her head with another laugh. "I wore a jacket," she reminded her mother. "A nice, warm, long one. I won't catch my death of cold." Her brown eyes drifted to the doorway, and then a bright smile lit up her face. "Setsuna-chan!"
Setsuna smiled at her older sister, and then looked at the "skimpy" outfit once more. It did show quite a bit of skin, she had to admit, but it looked great on the twenty three year old. The bangle covered, bright red tube top gave her face a warm tone, while the black leather mini-skirt and fishnet stockings showed off her shapely hips and legs.
"Good afternoon, onee-san," Setsuna said quietly with a small bow. Saori snorted, stood up, and walked across the room.
"No need to be so formal," she teased as she helped her younger sister up from the floor. "I'm family, remember? Oh!" Her eyes became even brighter as she turned back towards the table. "I brought you a gift!"
"A gift?" Setsuna asked. Suddenly, she looked like a normal, eager five year old. "What kind of gift, Saori-onee-san?"
Her mother opened her mouth to correct her manners, and then shut it again with a resigned shake of her grey head. Saori watched her mother out of the corner of her eye as she settled back into her spot, and decided that she had pushed far enough. It was time to let the elderly lady catch her breath.
"You'll have to open it and see," Saori told her younger sister with a wink. Carefully, she pushed a large package across the table. Setsuna glanced at their mother, as if to ask for permission, and then quickly began to remove the wrapping paper. She gasped in delight when saw the beautiful wooden box. She ran her hands over its smooth sides, and then traced the intricate design on the top of it. Her mother, Kaori, leaned forward to get a better look as well.
"I saw it in an antique store when I was shopping in Aoyama," Saori said eagerly as she leaned forward also. "It is imported, but the shop owner didn't know where from." She smiled down at her younger sister. "For some reason, the design reminded me of you, so I knew that I just had to buy it."
"How much?" Kaori asked as she turned towards her older daughter with narrowed eyes. Aoyama was an expensive shopping area especially if you were buying imports.
Saori refused to look at her mother as she settled back on her feet. "Open it, open it," she urged her sister.
Setsuna gave her a curious look, and then gently lifted the lid. Her garnet eyes widened as she saw a jumble of thread spools. Most of the thread was darkly colored although there were a few brighter jewel tones.
As she stared at the thread, her mind made one of those curious sidesteps it did from time to time. She barely heard her mother scolding her sister for giving her an expensive gift that she was too young to use as the vision filled her mind. A vast space filled with mist. Intangible threads and ribbons of all colors running back and forth, connecting people and places. This place... This scene... She had seen it before. It was... It was...
"Setsuna-chan," Saori said again more loudly. The young girl jumped as the vision vanished. Her garnet eyes flew to meet her sister's brown ones. "Do you like it?" the young woman asked uncertainly. "I know you can't sew yet, but..."
Setsuna smiled at her as she closed the lid. "I love it, onee-san," she replied as her fingers began to caress the intricate design once more. She turned her eager eyes to her mother, opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Her face became a polite mask, and she used her hands to turn herself around until she faced her mother. She folded her hands primly in her lap, and looked down at them modestly. Saori watched her, and began to smile and shake her head. Setsuna ignored her. "Mother," she said softly.
"Yes, Setsuna-san?" Kaori replied as she assumed a similar position. A faint smile graced her old lips. Of the six girls that she had adopted, Setsuna was the one who seemed to appreciate the old ways and manners the most. Her smile grew fractionally larger as she watched Saori out of the corner of her eye. That daughter had appreciated them the least, though she had not resisted learning them.
"I would be most obliged if you would consent to teach me the art of sewing," the five year old said using the most formal Japanese she knew. Saori's eyes widened, and she stared at her younger sister in disbelief.
"You have patience," her mother replied slowly as she studied the dark green head bowed before her, "but not the attention span for such a complicated process." Setsuna raised her head, a protest ready on her lips. She quickly lowered it again, however, her face flushing slightly with shame. "You will have it soon enough," her mother said gently, suppressing a chuckle. "You are only five." Kaori nodded her head slightly. "I will teach you some basic stitches. When you are able to master them, I will teach you more." Her smile grew. "By the time you have the attention span, you will have the basics and can move straight to the more complicated work."
Setsuna lifted her head and smiled at her. "Thank you very much for your patience," she said as she bowed formally. Then, she turned eagerly back to her gift. She blinked as she saw her older sister's expression. "What?" she asked as she raised a hand to her face.
Saori shook her head, closed her eyes, and chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me, Setsuna-chan," she said as she re-opened her eyes. "Where did you learn such formal speech patterns?"
Setsuna stared at her, and then began to frown thoughtfully. "I'm not sure... Wasn't it right?"
"It was perfect, Setsuna-san," her mother said as she sent a quelling look at Saori. "You used just the right words." '...to ask for teaching from a great master,' she thought to herself. 'And I am not that good, but I will accept the compliment.' She, too, sometimes wondered where her youngest child picked up some of her knowledge.
"Oh, it was perfect," Saori agreed as she waved her hands in the air towards Setsuna. "It just seemed so odd coming from a five year old." She smiled brightly. "I can't believe my favorite shopping partner likes to do things like that," she whispered conspiratorially as she leaned over the table. A look out of the corner of her eye showed that her mother had heard her, just as she had intended, and was smiling slightly and shaking her head in exasperation, which she had also intended. "Speaking of shopping, are you free? Would you like to go?" she asked in a more normal voice as she sat back again.
Setsuna turned eager eyes towards their mother, who suppressed a sigh and nodded her permission. The child scrambled to her feet and hurried towards the door. "Oh," she said as she came to a stop. She returned to the table and picked up her present. "Please excuse me," she said with a bow to the two older women, and then hurried out of the room once more.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Setsuna drew herself away from her memories once more. Giving the sewing box one last caress, she put it away carefully. It was one of her more precious treasures. She just hoped it would be safe until she could take it to the Doors for safe keeping. As long as her former self still stood guard, however, she would have to wait.
There. Done now. How was that? ^-^
Author: Raya
Theme: Setsuna / Image: Threads by ~OfCourseNot11
Genre: General
Version: Manga
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1,590
Disclaimer: Setsuna was created by Takeuchi Naoko who still owns her heart, body, and soul. I have merely created a slightly smudged copy to play with for a little while.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
For more information on Setsuna's family, see my story "Starting Over".
The Special Gift
Setsuna finished sewing the little pearl colored button back onto her white dress shirt and sat back with a stretch and a sigh. She gathered the white shirt, slipped it back on its hanger, and then turned to put away the needle and thread.
Her hands caressed the old oak box, tracing its intricate design as she slowly closed the lid. She would never forget the day it had been given to her, nor the young woman who had done the gifting.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Setsuna inspected herself carefully in the hall mirror. Her garnet colored eyes were unusually serious for a five year old, but she did not know that. Spying a few wisps of dark green hair which had worked their way free of the head band that her older sister Natsumi had given her, she reached up and tucked them gently away.
Finally, she nodded to herself and turned to walk towards the front room. Her long, brightly colored kimono swished gently around her as she padded softly towards the door on white socked feet. She knelt down beside the sliding door and had just raised her hand to scratch and request entry when she heard a loud, bubbly laugh from inside.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Mother," Saori chided gently. "I know you don't like it, but it's a new world out there. Clothing styles have relaxed a lot in the past few years."
"That doesn't mean that you have to dress so ridiculously," her mother sniffed as Setsuna cautiously opened the door behind her. "It is October, Saori-san. You will catch a cold wearing something as... skimpy as that."
Saori shook her head with another laugh. "I wore a jacket," she reminded her mother. "A nice, warm, long one. I won't catch my death of cold." Her brown eyes drifted to the doorway, and then a bright smile lit up her face. "Setsuna-chan!"
Setsuna smiled at her older sister, and then looked at the "skimpy" outfit once more. It did show quite a bit of skin, she had to admit, but it looked great on the twenty three year old. The bangle covered, bright red tube top gave her face a warm tone, while the black leather mini-skirt and fishnet stockings showed off her shapely hips and legs.
"Good afternoon, onee-san," Setsuna said quietly with a small bow. Saori snorted, stood up, and walked across the room.
"No need to be so formal," she teased as she helped her younger sister up from the floor. "I'm family, remember? Oh!" Her eyes became even brighter as she turned back towards the table. "I brought you a gift!"
"A gift?" Setsuna asked. Suddenly, she looked like a normal, eager five year old. "What kind of gift, Saori-onee-san?"
Her mother opened her mouth to correct her manners, and then shut it again with a resigned shake of her grey head. Saori watched her mother out of the corner of her eye as she settled back into her spot, and decided that she had pushed far enough. It was time to let the elderly lady catch her breath.
"You'll have to open it and see," Saori told her younger sister with a wink. Carefully, she pushed a large package across the table. Setsuna glanced at their mother, as if to ask for permission, and then quickly began to remove the wrapping paper. She gasped in delight when saw the beautiful wooden box. She ran her hands over its smooth sides, and then traced the intricate design on the top of it. Her mother, Kaori, leaned forward to get a better look as well.
"I saw it in an antique store when I was shopping in Aoyama," Saori said eagerly as she leaned forward also. "It is imported, but the shop owner didn't know where from." She smiled down at her younger sister. "For some reason, the design reminded me of you, so I knew that I just had to buy it."
"How much?" Kaori asked as she turned towards her older daughter with narrowed eyes. Aoyama was an expensive shopping area especially if you were buying imports.
Saori refused to look at her mother as she settled back on her feet. "Open it, open it," she urged her sister.
Setsuna gave her a curious look, and then gently lifted the lid. Her garnet eyes widened as she saw a jumble of thread spools. Most of the thread was darkly colored although there were a few brighter jewel tones.
As she stared at the thread, her mind made one of those curious sidesteps it did from time to time. She barely heard her mother scolding her sister for giving her an expensive gift that she was too young to use as the vision filled her mind. A vast space filled with mist. Intangible threads and ribbons of all colors running back and forth, connecting people and places. This place... This scene... She had seen it before. It was... It was...
"Setsuna-chan," Saori said again more loudly. The young girl jumped as the vision vanished. Her garnet eyes flew to meet her sister's brown ones. "Do you like it?" the young woman asked uncertainly. "I know you can't sew yet, but..."
Setsuna smiled at her as she closed the lid. "I love it, onee-san," she replied as her fingers began to caress the intricate design once more. She turned her eager eyes to her mother, opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Her face became a polite mask, and she used her hands to turn herself around until she faced her mother. She folded her hands primly in her lap, and looked down at them modestly. Saori watched her, and began to smile and shake her head. Setsuna ignored her. "Mother," she said softly.
"Yes, Setsuna-san?" Kaori replied as she assumed a similar position. A faint smile graced her old lips. Of the six girls that she had adopted, Setsuna was the one who seemed to appreciate the old ways and manners the most. Her smile grew fractionally larger as she watched Saori out of the corner of her eye. That daughter had appreciated them the least, though she had not resisted learning them.
"I would be most obliged if you would consent to teach me the art of sewing," the five year old said using the most formal Japanese she knew. Saori's eyes widened, and she stared at her younger sister in disbelief.
"You have patience," her mother replied slowly as she studied the dark green head bowed before her, "but not the attention span for such a complicated process." Setsuna raised her head, a protest ready on her lips. She quickly lowered it again, however, her face flushing slightly with shame. "You will have it soon enough," her mother said gently, suppressing a chuckle. "You are only five." Kaori nodded her head slightly. "I will teach you some basic stitches. When you are able to master them, I will teach you more." Her smile grew. "By the time you have the attention span, you will have the basics and can move straight to the more complicated work."
Setsuna lifted her head and smiled at her. "Thank you very much for your patience," she said as she bowed formally. Then, she turned eagerly back to her gift. She blinked as she saw her older sister's expression. "What?" she asked as she raised a hand to her face.
Saori shook her head, closed her eyes, and chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me, Setsuna-chan," she said as she re-opened her eyes. "Where did you learn such formal speech patterns?"
Setsuna stared at her, and then began to frown thoughtfully. "I'm not sure... Wasn't it right?"
"It was perfect, Setsuna-san," her mother said as she sent a quelling look at Saori. "You used just the right words." '...to ask for teaching from a great master,' she thought to herself. 'And I am not that good, but I will accept the compliment.' She, too, sometimes wondered where her youngest child picked up some of her knowledge.
"Oh, it was perfect," Saori agreed as she waved her hands in the air towards Setsuna. "It just seemed so odd coming from a five year old." She smiled brightly. "I can't believe my favorite shopping partner likes to do things like that," she whispered conspiratorially as she leaned over the table. A look out of the corner of her eye showed that her mother had heard her, just as she had intended, and was smiling slightly and shaking her head in exasperation, which she had also intended. "Speaking of shopping, are you free? Would you like to go?" she asked in a more normal voice as she sat back again.
Setsuna turned eager eyes towards their mother, who suppressed a sigh and nodded her permission. The child scrambled to her feet and hurried towards the door. "Oh," she said as she came to a stop. She returned to the table and picked up her present. "Please excuse me," she said with a bow to the two older women, and then hurried out of the room once more.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Setsuna drew herself away from her memories once more. Giving the sewing box one last caress, she put it away carefully. It was one of her more precious treasures. She just hoped it would be safe until she could take it to the Doors for safe keeping. As long as her former self still stood guard, however, she would have to wait.
There. Done now. How was that? ^-^