A/N: SPOILERS past the end of the Mahora Budokai arc.
Another short one, KonoSetsu with a light sprinkling of EvaNagi. I'm not terribly proud of it, but hey. Here it is. Please R&R.
Now that she saw it on her, the dress didn't really suit her. But Konoka-ojō-sama had chosen it for her, and she had no intention of upsetting her charge.
Sakurazaki Setsuna tugged somewhat morosely at the strap over her right shoulder. Used to the weight of her sword as she was, the lightness of the Western-style yellow silk dress was alien to her. Konoka had insisted that she leave the long sword in her room, though Setsuna felt reasonably comfortable here in the World Tree Plaza. The magic barrier would keep most threats out of the school grounds, and if worse came to worst there was always Sica Shishikushiro.
Setsuna flushed as she recalled the enthusiasm with which Konoka had organized a birthday party for her. So much fuss. All her life she'd tried to stay out of ojō-sama's way, to protect her from the shadows, and here she was, drawing attention to herself yet again. She sighed. Perhaps it would be better to… She turned on her heel, starting back to the dormitories.
"Oho, sneaking away, are we?" Startled, Setsuna turned in time to see Evangeline clamber over a nearby fence. The shinsō girl half-fell as she overbalanced, but managed somehow to land with her usual dignity. "It's the new moon. I'm nothing more than a ten-year-old right now," she growled by way of explanation. "Chachamaru had to boost me over. But that's beside the point. Where are you getting off to?"
"That's not your business, Evangeline-san," Setsuna replied stiffly.
"Yes it is," she replied smoothly. "You defeated me. That means that I lose face if you get all wobbly."
'Doing my duty is not 'getting wobbly'. Konoka-ojō-sama's safety is the one thing that's most important to me. If I have to forgo my own happiness to ensure that, I-"
"What happened to holding a sword in one hand and your happiness in the other?" Evangeline scoffed. Setsuna turned away.
"I've had some time to think about it. If the time comes that I have to sacrifice myself, I… don't want ojō-sama to be unhappy when that time comes."
"Well, it's way too late for that," Evangeline replied, perching on the end of a nearby bench. "Konoka adores you. If you died, especially while saving her, she'd be absolutely crushed."
"But… I can't be involved with ojō-sama. Feelings like mine aren't natural," Setsuna whispered.
"You're a hanyō, and you're talking to an immortal ten-year-old girl who drinks blood to fuel her magic," Eva noted, eyes narrowing as she smiled pointedly. "More than a few people would argue that you and I are unnatural too. And yet here we are."
"That's not the same. Some things just aren't right." Setsuna sat down on the bench, dark eyes downcast.
"Let me tell you a story, Sakurazaki," Evangeline said, crossing her arms. "Once upon a time, there was a ridiculously powerful witch. She traveled all over the world, beating every single piddling little mage that came up against her into sniveling pulp. To make a long story short, she was bored. Then she began to hear stories about a ridiculously powerful mage, and she sought him out, eager to fight him. It took years, but when she finally caught up to him-"
"He cursed you and trapped you on the Mahora campus for eternity," Setsuna replied.
Evangeline flushed. "My point, Sakurazaki, is that you can't let common sense get in the way of… love," she muttered, staring at the cobblestones.
"I've already told you, Evangeline-san. I can't l- love ojō-sama. I-"
There was a sudden jerk, and Setsuna found herself at Evangeline's eye level. The vampire's hands were clamped firmly but not painfully on her shoulders. Even without instant movement, she was incredibly fast.
"Listen to me, Sakurazaki Setsuna," Evangeline said, voice low and ice-cold. "You are going to keep that dress on. You are going to leave this plaza, turn right, and walk to classroom 3-A. And then you are going to enjoy yourself with Konoe Konoka. Am I clear?"
Momentarily speechless, Setsuna nodded. Eva released her shoulders and stepped back. "Good. Go have fun."
As Setsuna disappeared around the corner, the vampire shook her head. "Kids," she muttered, smiling fondly, eyes half-closed.
"Chachamaru!" she called. There was a sound of jets, and the gynoid hovered over a nearby hedge to settle in front of her master. "Yes, Master?"
"I've got an order for you," Evangeline said, hopping back up on the bench.
"Yes, Master. What would you have me do?"
"Go home and bring me that black lace dress I bought in London. And get yours on too."
"Of course. But... why do you wish me to put on my dress as well?"
"Simple, Chachamaru. We're going to that party, too… and I'll be damned if we aren't going in style."
