Disclaimer: You recognize it, it’s probably not mine. Characters are the brainchild of Takeuchi Naoko, but the plot is mine.

Chapter 5

The moon was in the middle of the sky by the time Setsuna and Rei left the park to go to Setsuna’s apartment. The atmosphere was humid and damp; the rain had halted for a little while, but the clouds overhead promised more rain to come. The pair walked silently, for neither had reason nor desire to talk. Setsuna lived about three-quarters of a mile from the park, but the Senshi covered the distance quickly, walking side-by-side.

They arrived at Setsuna’s building. After the return of the four guardians of the outer solar system, Setsuna had moved to a quiet area of town, closer to Waseda University, in order to research and study. Haruka and Michiru had wanted her to live with them, in order to participate in raising Hotaru, but Setsuna argued that she would rather not disrupt Hotaru’s already-complicated family understanding. Instead, she had wanted to be Hotaru’s teacher and favorite aunt, and the situation had worked out well for all involved parties. Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru lived in a small house about a mile away from Setsuna’s apartment building, so Hotaru could visit whenever she wanted, and Setsuna was always welcome at the house.

Setsuna’s building had a 24-hour security system, so she signed Rei into the building, and they boarded the elevator. Setsuna lived on the twelfth floor; it was easier for her to observe the sky and the panorama of the city in this setting. The elevators in her building had recently been renovated, and now promised a smooth ride from bottom floor to top. Even so, Rei still shuddered slightly as the elevator passed the fifth floor.

“What’s wrong?” asked Setsuna.

Rei shrugged. “It’s just left-over fear from a fight a few years ago.” Setsuna raised her eyebrows, and Rei continued. “Usagi got trapped in an elevator with Mamoru-san, and the man they fought was throwing fireballs at them and nearly killed them. Minako, Mako, Ami, and I had to take the other elevator to get to them at the top of the building. One of this man’s youma almost destroyed the elevator we were in, and we’re lucky none of us died.” She rubbed her elbows, a nervous gesture. “Which is why, to this day, I still cringe when I get in an elevator.”

Setsuna said nothing, but nodded in comprehension. The Mugen School’s elevator to Hell, when she had fought the Death Busters and Hotaru’s father alongside Sailor Moon, Haruka, and Michiru, sporadically served as the basis for a nightmare. The elevator arrived at Setsuna’s floor, and the pair left the elevator. They walked silently to Setsuna’s apartment, 1209, so as not to wake the other residents. Once they had stepped inside and Setsuna had turned on a lamp, both of the women let out a held breath, and then giggled.

Once they had stopped laughing, Setsuna went into her bedroom to pack, and Rei walked into the small kitchen.

“Setsuna-san, do you want any tea or food before we leave?” Rei called quietly.

“Tea would be nice, thanks. There’s jasmine in the cupboard above the stove, and the kettle is in the sink,” replied Setsuna, as she pulled an overnight bag out of her closet. Into the bag went a pair of slacks, two skirts, and a few shirts, as well as her pajamas, toiletries, and work shoes. Her garnet rod could be summoned at any time, so there was no need to pack it, and her keys and transformation pen were always on her person. Setsuna took her briefcase with her; she would need some work to do in order to ease her mind. The last thing Setsuna took was the doll Hotaru had made for her birthday last winter. It was small, decorated haphazardly with beads and buttons, and stuffed with cotton, but Setsuna treasured the doll nevertheless.

Setsuna brought her belongings into the living room area and set them on the couch where, not six hours before, she had been watching the news and spilling wine on the floor. She stood for a minute in front of the phone, where the wine had been cleaned off of the floor, until Rei brought the two cups of tea into the living room area. The two sat on the love seat and sipped the tea.

Rei cleared her throat. “I realized that you and I live on opposite sides of town, so I called my friend Yuuichiro; he owes me a favor, so he’ll be here in twenty minutes or so.” She winced. “He’s not the most gentle driver, but he lives at the shrine with us and can get us there in one piece.” She sipped her tea. “There’s a guest room next to mine. It’s a little bare, because we rarely have guests, but it should be fine.”

Setsuna’s hand shook on the handle of her empty teacup. She was so tired and tried, and Rei, seeing this, stood, took the cups, and went into the kitchen to wash dishes, leaving Setsuna to curl into the fetal position and catnap until Yuuichiro arrived twenty minutes later, as promised, in his old blue Toyota. He was a nice-looking boy who obviously was at least half-in love with Rei, though Setsuna wondered how he could see to drive through his shaggy hair. He greeted Setsuna with a respectful bow, and Setsuna wondered exactly what Rei had told him in explanation for dragging him out of bed at so ungodly an hour.

The ride to the shrine was quiet. Rei and Yuuichiro sat in the front, speaking softly about the arrangements for Setsuna, and the object of their discussion sat in the back, looking out the windows of the car and watching the city lights blur into one long stream of colored light. The rain had begun to fall again, just as heavily as before.

The hum of the car and Rei and Yuuichiro’s soft discussion, coupled with the patterns of the splashing lights, dulled Setsuna’s comprehension, and it was not until Rei opened Setsuna’s door that she realized that the car had stopped. Rei helped Setsuna gather her belongings, then stuck her head back through the passenger side window to say something to Yuuichiro. Then, she turned and began to briskly walk, sans umbrella, up the long stairs to the shrine and living quarters. Setsuna followed her, head bowed against the rain.

After a time, they reached the living quarters, and Rei and Setsuna removed their soaked shoes before entering. They walked quietly on the polished wood, past a room that Rei, whispering, identified as her grandfather’s room, and then past another room, which Rei identified as Yuuichiro’s. They passed two more rooms, and then stopped in front of an undecorated rice-paper door. Rei slid the door open to reveal a small whitewashed room, outfitted with bed, desk, lamp, and window. The room was clean, and the bed sheets and floor rug were both maroon, which was a small comfort to Setsuna.

Rei and Setsuna stepped into the room, and Setsuna closed the door without a sound. Rei placed Setsuna’s weekend bag on the floor next to the desk, and opened the window a small amount to let in the clean scent of the rain. Setsuna set her briefcase on the desk, and sat on the bed.

“Thank you, Rei-chan,” Setsuna said. “For all of this. I don’t like asking favors, or being looked after by anyone.” She smiled slightly. “I suppose that’s true about both of us. But I appreciate the hospitality of you, Yuuichiro, and your grandfather.”

Rei leaned against the wall next to the window, and rubbed her elbows again. “To be honest, Setsuna-san, it’s a nice change from spending my entire summer with Usagi,” she admitted. “I know you and Haruka-san and Michiru-san are pretty independent, but I’m glad we didn’t have to fight about you staying here. I’m sure you have work to do, but if you ever want to learn the basics of being a miko, let me know.” She went to the door, and slid it open. Standing in the doorway, she continued, “It’s late, and we both need sleep, but I should be in the outer area of the shrine selling fortunes in the morning. There’s food in the general dining area, which is across the way.” She bowed slightly. “Good night, Setsuna-san. Sweet dreams.”

Setsuna stood and bowed in return. “Thank you, Rei-chan. Good night.” Rei turned and left, closing the door behind her. After she heard Rei’s footsteps quiet and disappear, Setsuna sat on the bed, and curled once more into the fetal position. She fell asleep that way, still in her damp street clothes.

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After that night, the days all seemed to slip into a quiet rhythm, as summer days do. Setsuna had slept restfully the first night, but every consequent night had been filled with nightmares and images Setsuna couldn’t recall upon awaking. She took her meals with Rei, and cleaned her living space, and bathed in the bathing room, as she would normally.

Setsuna worked during the days, assisting in minor tasks around the shrine, and, once in a great while, selling fortunes in Rei’s place. She also read through the books and papers she had brought with her, attempting to sift through scientific journals and textbooks to figure out the IAU’s classification of Pluto, and trying to find evidence of the revelation of the mysterious Dr. Karasuma Akane, whom Setsuna could not identify in any paper, article, or book.

With the exception of Mamoru-san, who was working overtime in the teaching hospital’s laboratory, all of the Senshi visited the Hikawa Jinja at least once during the first week of Setsuna’s stay there. Hotaru and Small Lady visited every day after lunch for a little while, and the others, save Haruka and Michiru, dropped by almost as often. Those two came by but once, for a short time, to speak with Setsuna about new developments. They, too, had been searching for the elusive Dr. Karasuma, but had met with nothing. Though Haruka and Michiru had promised to keep looking, Setsuna knew they wouldn’t find anything.

Her days should have been relatively peaceful, given the general lack of work and responsibility, and the near-constant stream of work and visitors. Yet Setsuna was unnerved each time one of the Senshi would visit. Makoto’s brownies were as delicious as ever, and Minako as absentminded as usual, but Ami was shyer and more flustered around Setsuna than usual, and Usagi’s giggling could not hide the anxiety and worry she felt. Setsuna knew that Small Lady and Hotaru were sincere in their youthful enthusiasm, but understood Setsuna’s situation. All of these factors grouped together gave Setsuna the impression that the Senshi were treating her as some sort of invalid.

And, though she never would have said anything to her hostess, Setsuna was growing tired of it. She had some privacy; bathing and sleeping were done alone. Even so, her room was next to Rei’s, and Rei had asked on the first day that Setsuna be under watch when not sleeping or bathing. It had made Rei uncomfortable to ask, because she was not used to baby-sitting a woman who could easily defend herself, but Setsuna agreed, knowing that the Senshi collective was looking out for her. Setsuna was also not allowed to leave the shrine property, and couldn’t even walk around without Rei being fifty feet away, keeping an eye on her. Still, Setsuna told herself, it’s better than being defenseless and alone for all eternity.

It had been Friday night when Setsuna came to the shrine; it was now two Saturdays past, and all of the inner-planetary guardians, along with Small Lady and Hotaru, had just left after a somewhat lengthy visit. Setsuna was about to lose her composure. Normally she loved spending time with her niece, but she needed some privacy, and didn’t care if she was surprised by an attacker, because, at the very least, such an event would break the endless monotony. Setsuna put aside her books, rose, and opened the door. She would go on a walk, Setsuna decided, while Rei was occupied with cleaning out the sacred fire chamber.

Stepping out onto the porch of the shrine’s living quarters, Setsuna felt the sun on her face, and pondered where she should go on her short dance with freedom. Somewhere busy, preferably, because a youma probably wouldn’t dare attack with civilians present. There was always a risk of such a thing occurring, but it was slight. As she came to the entrance to the shrine and slipped on her shoes, Setsuna felt a slight ache in her side, indicating her slight guilt at sneaking out of the shrine. She was being ungrateful, she knew, but she craved the change.

Setsuna walked toward the gate and steps to the shrine, grateful that she had not been spotted, when she heard a voice calling behind her.

“Setsuna-san!” called the voice, which was distinctly male, and thus not belonging to Rei. It was her grandfather, who had been nothing short of cheerful to Setsuna each time she encountered him. He had asked her to call him ‘Grandpa’, just as did Usagi and company.

Heart pounding rapidly, she turned and called back to him. “Yes, Grandpa-san?”

The old man called, “Aren’t you supposed to be staying here, under house arrest?”

Setsuna smiled; he understood how she felt. “Yes, but I’m going for a short walk. I’ll be back soon, but I wanted to enjoy the day.” Not a lie in there at all.

Grandpa smiled. “Well, I guess as long as you don’t go too far. I’ll tell Rei that you’ve gone.”

“It’s all right, Grandpa-san. She’s busy, and I don’t want to disturb her. I’ll return in a little while; you won’t notice I’ve been gone!” Setsuna said, hoping he would listen.

He did. “All right, but come back soon. Have fun!” With that, Grandpa shuffled away, merrily whistling a folk song.

Setsuna rounded a corner, and walked down the busy street. There was no sign of the other Senshi, so she wouldn’t have to lie about why Rei wasn’t with her, or why she wasn’t sequestered in the shrine. Setsuna hadn’t realized how relieved and free she felt to be away from the shrine until she came to a small park, with a fountain at its center and children running about playing and rejoicing in the pleasant summer weather. She sat at a bench, and watched the children and the fountain, and relaxed the tiniest bit.

What Setsuna didn’t see, however, was the red-clad figure, watching her from a nearby tree. The woman in the tree smiled, realizing that in short order, she could lure the Senshi of Time-Space away, and break her.

A/N: Woooo! LONG CHAPTER. Please review; it makes me a sad panda when you don’t. Also, if you espy any discrepancies or problems, or have questions, shoot me a PM and we’ll talk.