"Um...so...Michiru?"
"Yes, Haruka?"
"So that means that, well, she's not...Pluto?"
"Well..." Michiru considered this muzzily. "Well, no - she is a Pluto, obviously. Just - not the one we thought she was. Well. Not the one we fought the Death Busters with, anyhow..."
"Well, yeah. Except that she got some kind of copies of that one's memories. Somehow."
"They don't seem to be very complete copies, though..." Michiru blinked, then. "Oh, my. Haruka - that Setsuna is a...a, Newbie."
"Hey, that's right - I mean, it's probably less then an year since she 'went active', right? ...Though I don't know how much memories she actually had, or has, or... Hmmm."
"Oh, come on, Haruka-Papa, Michiru-Mama" Hotaru pouted. "I'm a 'newbie' too, if you're going to think like that. The first time the first Hotaru-me 'went Saturn' was less then a year ago, and then I was a baby for a couple of months in the middle, remember?"
"Well, to be sure, Hotaru, but you're Saturn..."
"Well yes, yes I am, but...say, Haruka-Papa, Michiru-Mama?"
"Yes, Hotaru?" Haruka and Michiru answered at the same time, and then blinked and smiled, looking at each other.
"Do you think I could go see m'Papa now? I mean, there aren't anymore really major Enemies around now, right? Well, at least not right this instant..."
Hmmm. Haruka thought about this. Well, it was understandable that Hotaru was getting worried about Prof Tomoe, after all the destruction that the Chaos-infested Galaxia had wrought, but...
"But Hotaru dear, you're - you're so big now! The last time your Papa saw you, you were just a little baby, right?" Michiru asked.
"I know, I know, but...it's not like I was a little baby to begin with, you know. I'm just looking the age I'm supposed to be, now."
Well, that was only the truth.
"Say Hotaru - let's just wait till Setsuna comes back from her shower, and then talk about this, right? We could probably arrange something, like - say, what about this? It turned out that the little baby Hotaru's parents - who were related to your Papa, of course - were alive after all, and came to get her." Haruka mused, thinking aloud.
"And Prof Tomoe's daughter Hotaru, who'd everybody had thought was dead in the accident at the Mugen School Complex, actually was alive - she'd lost her memories, though, and had gotten shuffled off someplace. So, cute little baby Hotaru 'goes home with her parents', and Prof Tomoe's cute little daughter comes back." Michiru finished. "Yes, I think that would work..."
"Actually..." Setsuna coughed. The other three jumped. Setsuna sighed as she came into the room, wiping her head with a towel.
"Arrgh, don't do that..."
"Actually...I think that 'baby Hotaru's parents are dead, but her aunt comes and gets her' is better, frankly. It would explain why she ended up with Prof Tomoe for so long, after all."
"True, that." Haruka nodded. " - Say. What about 'the bigger Hotaru got sent to baby Hotaru's aunt in a mix-up' scenario?" If they were all related to begin with..."
"Hmmm. That might work, I suppose." Setsuna considered. "Especially if she was hurt, and...the aunt lives overseas, maybe? She's rich, and she sent somebody to take care of things, but everything got mixed up."
"That'll work, I think." Hotaru mused. "So - Setsuna-Mama is somebody baby-me's 'Rich Aunt' sent over to take care of things?"
"Well, sort of - I'm the one Ms Rich Auntie sent over when the first one flubbed things up, actually."
"Setsuna the clean-up woman. Haha, it fits." Haruka smiled.
"Ah, Hotaru - I've just checked up on your father, and he seems to be alright now, anyhow." Setsuna leaned down towards Hotaru. "So - would it be alright if you could go see him - tommorow, maybe?"
"Okaay..." Hotaru rubbed her eyes, yawning. "I'm...really tired now, anyway..."
"Good then, dear - you go to sleep, now. See you in the morning!"
"G'night, Setsuna-Mama, Haruka-Papa, Michiru-Mama..."
Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru watched Hotaru go off to her room, with semi-identical faint smiles on their lips. Hotaru was still a child, even if she wasn't a baby anymore...
Though she wouldn't be staying one for long, Haruka was quite sure. Kids grew up so quickly these days...
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(Posted Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:31)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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