For Just One Birthday

[Shirogane Setsuna]

This isn’t a story describing my main character’s perfect birthday, or a childhood birthday, but rather one birthday in which her closest companions try to give her meaningful gifts to brighten up the otherwise normal, perhaps even dreadful day. Do enjoy! NOTE: the guess on Setsuna’s age in a round about number, if it is adversely wrong, I will change it.

For Just One Birthday----PART 1

AS A CHILD, Setsuna had never known her actual birthday. She remembered her adoptive parents celebrating the day they got her as her birth. Some of her fonder birthday memories were of a small party in their home in which everyone gave her a small special thing—like a wooden carved bow or a necklace with shells from the majestic Nile River—or the birthday where she hung out with her best buds all day. That day was the greatest, in part, because she did not have to perform any chores; for her mother was pregnant and instead of chasing after the young girl with demanding tasks, she rested at home tired and round. That was her immaculate six ‘birth’, the same year she fell from the Great Tree and did not get hurt (not even a scratch as all others did), and the year her extraordinary abilities made themselves known.

SETSUNA, now the fully grown and powerful Queen of the Fourth Layer of Heaven, sighed evenly. She had just finished a shower in which she spent a great deal of time washing her silvery locks. She looked in the mirror over the bathroom sink. Her porcelain face bore no sign of her true age, there were no wrinkles, no blemishes, which was amazing since she was nearly two thousand years and a half millennia. Her eyes were still just as golden as the day she first realized they were different—one did not see little girls with silver hair, golden eyes, and unusually light skin in Egypt. She sighed again, reaching for a comb from the sink drawer. She worked with her hair until it was straight, then headed for her closet to dress for the day.

AT SOME POINT Setsuna’s fiancé, Xanthus Battus, entered into her living chambers. He was quite a tall angel, with very dark locks, and dark eyes that always seemed to take in the atmosphere. As she looked over from the closet, she could tell he had something behind his back.

“Hey babe.” he said, coming close and kissing her on the forehead. He grinned like a kid in a candy shop awaiting to be discovered with a stolen bag full of tooth-decaying sweets behind his back.

“Hi.” she replied, nearly smiling at his unusual demeanor. “What—“

“Well,” he started, before Setsuna could expel the question from her lips, “isn’t today the Queen’s birthday.”

Setsuna wrinkled up her nose at Xanthus. He only called her queen for two reasons: out of respect when in the presence of unfamiliars or when he was trying to be funny. She hoped to the Shinjin he wasn’t trying to be funny. She hated to admit it, but her dear one was not humorous, his jokes almost always fell flat. “Maybe.” she said.

“Yes,” he said, “Therefore, it is my duty to treat you to a fun filled, unstressful day.”

“Xanthus, you do not really have to. I have much work to do and things to check on. Let’s just treat the day like any other.” she said.

“Why no dear, I cannot do that. Today is your birthday, and I shall make it fun.” he declared, quite proud with the plan flowing in his head.

“Close your eyes.” he demanded ignoring all of her comments. She would NOT get out of yet another birthday celebration. Setsuna looked as though she was about to reject any sort of present. “Aw, come on Setsu.” Setsuna complied wordlessly. Xanthus pulled something from behind his back and presented it before her. “Now open.”

Setsuna opened her eyes and saw a deep green colored, rectangle box in her fiancé’s outstretched hands. She raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Yes, for you.” he said.

She took the box from his possession. She looked back up at his face, trying to read his eyes. He betrayed nothing. Her focus returned to the deep green velvet case. She opened it and her breath was literally taken away. Down in the case sat the most beautiful emerald—diamond cut—on a silver chain. She could not believe it. “Xan…Xanthus…” she struggled to find the right words. ‘What the hell!!’ she had to think clearly. “Xanthus…it’s beautiful…you shouldn’t have…I just cannot…” Setsuna stared dumbfoundly.

“I got what I wanted, just to see your eyes light up again.” he said taking her into his arms, kissing her forehead. It had been so long since she seemed to feel anything about anything. He kissed her one last time, “Where it tonight when we go out. I’ll see you later.”

Setsuna watched him go and wonder what exactly he had planned for this day of all days. It wasn’t even her real date of birth. Why such a fuss over the first of May…

[Shirogane Setsuna]

For Just One Birthday----PART 2


LATER THAT DAY, Setsuna had managed to escape from the watchful eyes of Ami and Fuka, personal assistants to the Queen specifically hired that day to keep Setsuna from working in any form. She sat in her office behind a cherry oak desk. She had just escaped from a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure. No one could keep her from her precious, highly important work—NO ONE!!

THERE WAS a few brief but soft knocks at the door. Setsuna’s eyes shot up from her work from behind her spectacles towards the dark wooden door. “Yes.” she finally decided to answer.

“It’s us.” came two voices in perfect unison. The twins, Bahlak and Bahlar Zager, Setsuna’s most trusted advisors and friends, entered her office and sat in the chairs before the desk. Both twins had dark hair and dark eyes. Bahlak, the oldest, had shorter mid-face length hair, the younger, Bahlar, had longer hair, to his shoulders, in which he kept in a neat ponytail.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

They smiled the special mischievous smile of theirs. “We have something for you.” Bahlar said. Bahlak lit a cigarette, “Aren’t you supposed to be relaxing?”

Setsuna sighed for the millionth time that day. “If you considered being harmed with an array of beauty products relaxing, then yes I am to be relaxing…Hey! Don’t smoke in here!!” He stamped out the cigarette in an ashtray.

“Here.” Bahlar said handing her a small rectangular package.
Setsuna eyed the package suspiciously. “Look, guys, you know me and I know you. You know I don’t like birthday gifts.”

“Just open it, Setsu,” Bahlak replied, “And stop being so damned depressing.”

Setsuna rolled her eyes. “I don’t really need anything guys, I don’t want to take your money.” This comment earned two very hard stares from the twins. “Fine…” she said. Inside the package lay a glass bottle wrapped in orange tissue paper. Inside the oddly shaped glass bottle were multi-colored stones. Her eyes widened with shock. “Wh…where did you get this?”

Bahlar smiled. “Do you remember it?” he asked.

She nodded, “Yes, I do…but I left it.” Setsuna was referring to the time she slipped away from Egypt so long ago. She kept the odd shaped bottle her father had given her, and added multi-colored stones to it over the years.

“We got it from your house and kept it for you.” Bahlar said. Setsuna was speechless, she hadn’t kept anything beside the clothes she was wearing that day she escaped from Egypt.

“Well, in any case, we hope you like it.” Bahlak concluded. They left quickly leaving Setsuna to reminisce about the too distant past. It was but a shadow upon her mind now…

[Shirogane Setsuna]

For Just One Birthday-----PART 3



BEFORE SETSUNA could escape the castle entirely, she headed to the library to grab a few books. Browsing through the shelves she found titles she desired, sitting them on a nearby desk. She sat down writing notes of importance in a lined notebook.

SHE LOOKED UP as the chair across from her was pulled out, down sat her still young daughter, Kirara K. Shirogane. Kirara had magnificent blue hair and the most intoxicating deep purple eyes. She girl would be about 14 in Human Years.

“Mother,” the girl begun, “I have a present for you.”

“Kirara, dear, it isn’t necessary.”

“But it is your day of birth, how can I not give you something.” the girl replied.

“When you become as old as I am, dear, birthdays are only a painful reminder of youth’s young existence. I am no longer young. I have had too many birthdays.” Setsuna said in honesty trying to get her daughter to leave her be for the moment.

Kirara shrugged, not quite ready to give up. “It doesn’t matter, Mother, you barely look over the age of 25. I’d say that pretty good for two thousand and a half years. Increasing in age isn’t so bad.” Setsuna made a face at her daughter. Kirara promptly ignored it. “The older you get, the wiser you become, that’s what everyone says.” The girl said in truth.

“Yes,” Setsuna smiled that sweet smile that always told Kirara she just didn’t quite know, “but the closer to death.”

“Well,” the girl said, directing the conversation to its original course, “here is your gift from me. I hope you like it.”

Setsuna stared at the silver and gold wrapping paper. The package took the form of a book of medium thickness. She opened it, and found herself looking down upon a music book.

“Because I know you love the piano so much, I bought this book at an old bookstore, when I went visiting the human realm some time ago.” Kirara explained.

“Thank you Ki. It is truly wonderful.” Setsuna replied skimming the pages. Kirara left her mother to study in peace…

[Shirogane Setsuna]

For Just One Birthday----PART 4




SETSUNA TOOK a walk down to the Judging Chambers out near the lake. She needed to retrieve a few files from the most recent beings judged. The Judging Chambers resembled a Greek Temple structure used for the judging of souls into the afterlife, the cycle of rebirth, and the level of punishment needed for certain misbehaving souls. While Setsuna did not give out the punishment directly, she did indeed have influence in that area. She also had no control over what souls would be reborn as, but rather the time frame in which they would be reborn. Some souls were never reborn, and thus visited the afterlife permanently or strolled about the Spirit Realm for a purpose.

THE CHAMBER was beautiful in an unusual white granite, which coated the outside surface. Inside was set up like an ancient day court room; complete with her throne, a jury stand for the Council, and a spectators balcony. Here she or her Council of Elohim would judge souls. Setsuna went into the back office thumbing through the recent files. She sat down behind the desk concentrating upon the task at hand.

“There you are.” came a monotone voice that could belong to none other that her older brother, the Elder Yamashiro Shirogane.

Setsuna looked up, “What are you doing here?”

“For a visit, due to the fact that I have been quite busy lately.” he paused. Setsuna raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say she did not believe him. Yamashiro took a seat in front of the desk; he ran a hand through his dark hair staring at his kid sister. “As I remember correctly,” he went on, once she decided not to say anything, “today is the day that your birthday is normally celebrated.”

“Yeah.” she said not even trying to protest this passage.

“If it would please you, would you like a gift?” he said.

Setsuna looked at her brother, then looked away. “No…not really. I do not really care for the day any longer. No one can give me what I really want anyway.”

Yamashiro stared at his sister, once again. He could see that she was trying for a look of hurt or deep sorrowfulness. “I can attempt to retrieve whatever it is that you desire.”

“Well,” Setsuna though things through, “One things is…” she begun, reserved about asking, but still making up her mind. Her brother waited until Setsuna figured out what is was she wanted him to do. “Yama…can you tell me the real date of my birth? Not this made up one…the real date!” Setsuna sounded a little hopeful.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I desire to know.” She said courtly.

“Sister, you have a tendency to desire to know many things you should otherwise leave alone.” Setsuna knew exactly what he was talking about. But there was really no need to go back to that.

“Will you tell me or not?”

“You are hoping that I actually know the date of your birth, here on this layer of Heaven.” He answered.

“Do you know?”

“Yes.”

“Then why will you not tell me?” Clearly, she didn’t understand.

“The date of anyone’s birth holds no significance over that being’s life. It is a day only marking his or her entrance into this world. Nothing more. You will not discover some grand secret about your past by knowing this date.”

“Am I not old enough to make that decision of knowing what I please? Or how significant this information is to my life.” Setsuna was almost upset, if one were to apply that word to this situation.

“I myself,” Yamashiro went on, obviously ignoring her plea, “have forgotten my own date of birth. It is not significant.”

Setsuna thought silently to herself. She never questioned it before, let alone gave the subject any thought, but she did not know her brother’s birthday. “Surely you have not forgotten, you do not wish to share it and so you do not. If you can remember my date of birth, then you can remember your own.” she said, in a matter-of-fact manner.

“But knowing still serves no purpose. You have created a birth date for yourself, the first of May—is that not enough? Why go and change what you have made for yourself?” he replied.

“Because,” she said, “it is not the truth.”

Yamashiro came very close to sighing, “Very well then. The date of your birth is—“

At that exact moment, just as Setsuna found herself on some great revelation of her birth, her fiancé threw open the Judging Chamber’s office door. He stood quite upset just inside the door.

“What are you doing?!” he said damn near angry. “You’re supposed to be resting and relaxing!”

Setsuna looked from her brother to her fiancé. “I have work to do.” she said, not offering any more explanation. She knew he was trying to do something nice for her, but she did not need anyone telling her what to do.

Xanthus glared at her. He momentarily turned his attention to Yamashiro. “Hello Elder Shirogane. I trust that you are doing well?”

“Quite.” Yamashiro replied.

“Dear,” Setsuna said, “I was speaking with my brother, give us a moment.”

“No stay, Mr. Battus. Make her rest, she works too much.” Yamashiro said; he stood up to leave.

“My thoughts exactly.” Xanthus replied.

“No, but really…Yama, where are you going??” she asked.

“A Queen’s work is never done.” Yamashiro said to Xanthus. He turned towards Setsuna, “Have a wonderful celebration of your birth, sister.” And just like that he was gone.

Setsuna could have cursed out in fury. She really did want to know her birth date and now she would never be able to get her brother to confess what he knew. She picked up three files from the desk and headed for the door.

“No work!” Xanthus exclaimed, attempting to take the files from his significant other. She glared at him with such defiantness; he shrank back from grabbing the files. She continued pass him and out of the door. “What!?” he said, closing the door behind himself. “What did I do?”

Walking back to the Imperial Castle with Xanthus following close behind, Setsuna put two fingers to her right temple in a circular, massaging motion. She was not happy…

[Shirogane Setsuna]

For Just One Birthday---Part 5



THAT EVENING, Setsuna sat on the couch in her room flipping through some files. She pushed her spectacles further upon her face as she scanned the documents. The late evening sun was filtering through the windows and blinds. Setsuna strolled over to the balcony door and opened it, allowing a light, but unusually warm spring breeze enter. She leaned on the railing.

“Do you want to go out?” came a deep, but soft voice from behind. Xanthus put an arm around her waist.

“I did not hear you come in.” she replied.

“Do you still want to?” he asked again.

“What?”

“Go out for your birthday?”

“I don’t care.” she said rather absently.

“What’s wrong now? First, you protested too much in my plans for your birthday. Then you run away half the day and had myself, and Ms. Ami and Ms. Fuka looking for you. You give me that narrowed-eyed look of yours back in the Judging Chambers when I interrupted your talk with Elder Shirogane. Now you don’t want to go out.” he paused. “My dear, I do believe you are depressed.”

Setsuna stared off the balcony and onto the castle grounds and into the fading sun. “I am not depressed. It is impossible for an Elohim to feel emotion, although many overcome this technicality. Therefore, I cannot possibly be depressed—as you have put it.”

Xanthus responded by wrapping both arms around her waist. “Get dressed in a nice ball gown. And wear the necklace I gave you.”

“Where are we going?” she asked, eyes narrowed, possibly suspicious.

“Just get dressed and be out in front of the castle at 20:30. Alright?” he asked.

“Alright.” she replied. He kissed her lightly and left.

SETSUNA DRESSED in a deep green gown with silvery accessories and the emerald necklace, descended the stairs slowly and deliberately. Just a little before, Setsuna made sure Kirara had finished her school assignments and practiced the violin. Kirara was given the rules while her parents were to be out. At the bottom of the main staircase, stood a throng of guards. They always guarded the castle at large, but now, especially since their Queen was departing they had to make sure there was proper protection.

“Queen Shirogane.” The guards stood at attention. Setsuna gave all of the guards a stout nod. They relaxed. Two servants opened the doors as she approached.

“You look wonderful Lady Setsuna.” one servant said.

“Thank you.” Setsuna replied.

[Shirogane Setsuna]

For Just One Birthday-----PART 6




OUTSIDE XANTHUS stood with his hand extended. “Shall we, my lady.” Setsuna smiled and nodded. They continued through out of the estate grounds, through the forest, and pass the sand filled dunes. They left the layer entirely passing the gates and coming to the edge of the layer.

“Xanthus, where are we going?” she asked.

“Just follow.” he whispered. They descended the grand staircase ending on the first layer, eventually going through the hall of doors, to the one door-portal to the Mortal Realm.

Out on the other side, they stepped into the night of Paris. Humans bustled around to their nightly tasks. They ended up dining in a nice petite restaurant in le Tour d’Eiffiel. Xanthus rented out the whole restaurant with the currency of euros.

As the magical dinner was coming to a close, some two hours after they arrived, Xanthus looked into his fiancés eyes, “Did you have a half decent time?”

“Yes, I did Mr. Battus.” Setsuna replied, “But you better get me home early or else my mom will be worried.”

Xanthus chuckled. “So dear, where do you want to go now?”

“I’ve always wanted to ride in an Gondala. That should be fun.”

“Alright, to Italy.”

IN ITALY, they leisurely rode in a Gondala through the water ways of Venice. “It’s wonderful here.” Setsuna said. “I’ve only been here once before, many, many, moons ago.”

“Yes, it is nice.” Xanthus said, wrapping an arm around his fiancé.

A few quiet moments passed. “You know,” Setsuna began, “Venice is built entirely on water.”

“Yes, I know. Quite an astonishing feat for Humans, like the Eiffel Tower.” he said.

Setsuna almost laughed. “Venice wasn’t entirely constructed by the Humans. No, the Eleven and Fairies inspired the whole idea, as well as, served in it’s miraculous building.”

“Really?” Xanthus asked, quite astonished.

“Yeah.” Setsuna said incredulously. “And le Tour d’Eiffel, wasn’t the Humans original idea either.”

“No?!”

“No, it was from the inspiration of the Shinjin, the four sides representing a god each, and the top point representing the fifth.”

“But when it was created, the Shinjin were no longer actively present. They had been sealed away.”

“It is speculated that the engineers of the Tower were visited in strange dreams and given revelations about a grand structure to honor the deities of old. Some even say members of the engineering staff displayed qualities of being possessed by a higher ordered beings; some even say t’was the Shinjin, but the possession bit is highly unlikely because—as you say—the Shinjin were sealed away. So for all purposed noted, Celestial historians believe the tower was the inspiration of the Shinjin.”

“Ummmhummm.”

“But whether or not the speculations are true, they are very grand structures, indeed. I guess the Tower is a symbol of Human intent to become closer to the gods, almost reaching them. Ah,” Setsuna said upon some great revelation, “The Eiffel Tower could be like a modern day Tower of Babel. I guess the Jews were trying to reach their deity as well."

“I suppose.” he said; Xanthus wasn’t a religious angel.

“Monsieur, Madame, the ride is finished.” the rower said, “Have a wonderful evening.”

“Thank you.” Xanthus replied. “Well, Ms. Setsuna Amaya Shirogane, let’s go home.”


*****************FIN****************





*The myths about the Eiffel Tower and Venice are purely fictional and in no way devalues the intelligence and capability of human beings.

**Also, the piece about the shinjin, I'll have to check for complete correctness.

Thanks for reading, I hope it wasn't too long.

Lastly, this really isn't my best work, but I felt that I need to write in order to get my drive and spark back.

----Setsu la reine