A.N.

This just was in my head.

Takes place post-Stars.

Sets and Mamo have a conversation. That's really all that happens. Yeah, idk either.

Of Truancy and Time

Chiba Mamoru was not looking forward to this.

Don't get him wrong; he was glad to be alive, especially after coming so close to the alternative. Again.

And he was glad to be back in Tokyo. The first week back - coming to terms with how long he'd been away, everything he missed- was overwhelming to say the least. But there was also so much hope in that yet again everyone had survived, yet again everyone was whole, yet again everything would be okay.

Until the phone call from his university, pointing out they hadn't yet received his transcript from Harvard.

Of course, that was because there was the small matter of his not, actually, attending university in America. And he was unsure of how to explain that he'd been otherwise detained. It wasn't his fault - he was dead at the time you see.

He was terrified they'd take a year's unexplained absence as dropping out. Would he lose his scholarship? Have to reapply to school completely? He had no idea.

So, no, Mamoru was not looking forward to dealing with the school.

"I received a phone call about my grades from Harvard not making it over," he was explaining to the woman at Administration (to whom he was sent from Records, after being sent there from Admissions, after being sent there from Student Life. It had been a long day). "I really need to explain this."

Mamoru had been thinking all night and most of the day and had yet to come up with a plausible story for his truancy. In spite of himself, his brain had started to shut down and go off on other tangents, like picturing Usagi in a bikini, wondering how to avoid purple hair in the future, or pondering if you really had to wait until five o'clock to get really drunk or if four-thirty was okay if you started with something classy like red wine.

Of course, you can imagine his surprise when the prune faced woman behind the computer blinked blandly at the screen and nodded. "Oh yes, here they are."

"I'm sorry," he snapped out of his musings regarding if they had hair dye in the 30th Century, and stared in shock at the print-out the woman was handing him, "What did you say?"

"Your grades from Harvard, looks like they've been here the whole time," she said, shrugging, as if the university misplaced students' transcripts all the time (as a point of fact, they often did) and then found them right away again (this latter part was less common).

"Sir?" She said, "Everything is set for beginning your last year at university this spring. I'm very busy, so please move along. If you have any questions, I suggest you go talk to Student Life."

Obediently, he stumbled toward the door. "But how-"

It was then he saw Setsuna Meiou, standing by the door jam, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Care for some coffee?" She asked. "Your treat."

"Make his decaf," Setsuna told the barista at the student coffee shop, and she went ahead and helped herself to two biscotti as well.

"Thank you again," Mamoru said, gesturing to the print-out of his 'Harvard Transcript', "I assume this was you."

No tables were free, so they stood, facing each other, near a corner counter. She smiled, "You are welcome."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "But I thought you weren't supposed to break the rules of time and space-"

"Please," Setsuna rolled her eyes, "this was a simple computer hack."

"Oh. Not to seem ungrateful, but it does seem a bit... dishonest."

"You are a smart man with good grades and enough extra credits to make up for this slight - bending of the truth, shall we say," Setsuna argued.

"Besides, we can't have the future King of Earth failing out of college," she continued, sipping her cappuccino delicately, "and I didn't want to take the risk of you leaving Japan again. After we just got you back." She frowned, her brow furrowed. "You being gone. Being - dead. It altered the timeline greatly. Things were terrible."

"It wasn't fun for me either."

Setsuna shook her head, "It wasn't anything for you. You were dead."

"Point."

"You don't understand. My best, dearest friend in the world almost wasn't born. You were MIA- as far as I could tell completely disappeared from the universe- Usagi was gallivanting around Tokyo with a rock star-"

"How stressful for you," Mamoru deadpanned. Setsuna either didn't hear him or ignored him completely.

"Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out who this new enemy was, because I don't remember it -"

"Wait, wait!" Mamoru raised his voice enough to be heard this time, and then immediately lowered it so other patrons wouldn't overhear, "you mean this whole thing Galaxia wasn't supposed to happen?"

Setsuna gave him a strange look, "If it happened, it was supposed to happen, Mamoru-san."

"What I mean is-"

"It is different from the past of the future you saw, yes, but that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme. Especially since everything worked out in the end. I just want to make sure Small Lady is born, and there isn't much I can do - really do - to ensure that. Without breaking tons of rules, that is. I just have to observe and watch and do minor things here and there -"

"Like hack into my school's computer."

"Exactly. Trying to keep you alive long enough to procreate shouldn't be this damn hard." She blew her bangs away from her face in frustration.

"I promise to look both ways before crossing the street," Mamoru said.

"It's not just keeping you alive, you know." Setsuna said, shaking her head and taking another sip from her cup. "God, I don't even what to know what being formless and without a starseed does to one's body."

"My-"

"And all those years of battle and transformations and space travel. Do you know all the radiation you are exposed to out there?"

Mamoru was suddenly eying his decaf coffee and the woman in front of him with new suspicion. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."

"Look. All I'm saying is, maybe you just be a little mindful going forward. Take the car instead of the motorcycle more often. Decaf coffee now and then. Maybe avoid exposure in your science lab," she gestured with her coffee cup, "I assume you are boxers over briefs, but just in case I recommend-"

"Okay, so, this conversation is officially over."

"She's my best friend," Setsuna said by means of explanation. "Just try to understand."

Mamoru liked Setsuna a lot. He really did. But she was really trying his patience at the moment. "You know, I rather like her too. I'm not actively trying to erase my future daughter from existence. I didn't die on purpose just to make your life hard."

"Oh, dear, of course not!" Setsuna sighed, and regarded him, her head resting on her hand. "I'm truly sorry. We were honestly, sincerely, worried about you. I am glad to have you back. And not just as Small Lady's future father."

Mamoru smiled tightly. Annoyed or not, he knew better than to piss off Setsuna. "I know. Thank you again for everything." He finally reached for his coffee and took a long drink. Decaf or not, it was good. After such a long day.

"And I do apologize for prying," she said. "Spending most of one's life in solitude does not lend itself to natural social grace in situations like this."

"Well, you know what they say, desperate times et cetera." As much as he wanted to drop the subject, he had to admit he was curious, "Will Usako be getting this same lecture?" Please no, he didn't think he could handle the conversation following that.

"Serenity is destined to have one child - a daughter - to whom the powers of the Silver Crystal will pass and the fate of the world will rest. This is rather carved in stone. Even if she dies, she will be reborn to do so. So, no I am much less worried about her to which the universe bends its very self."

"Oh," Mamoru said, weakly. He raised the cup to his lips again.

"In order to make sure said daughter is my darling Small Lady, however, Mamoru-san," Setsuna seemed exasperated at the task, "I do have to make sure she is yours."

She lifted her cup in farewell and left Mamoru still choking violently on his last sip of coffee.