"Please, Setsuna-kun. Make yourself at home."

"M-my deepest apologies, Chief…" The swordswoman bowed deeply, hands trembling and fidgeting. "I-I-I shouldn't be here…it's just, it's just, the papers, it just slipped my mind to get them sent in, and—"

"Stand up, Setsuna-kun. You're welcome here," Eishun said with a smile, setting down Konoka's luggage. "There's no need to be so flustered!"

"I know…" Setsuna stood up, removing her bag and sword from her shoulders and carefully setting them on the floor, and hung up her coat. "It's just…I'm not so good at this. It is the first time I've been away from the schools for the holidays…" She blinked and straightened herself. "I'm sorry, sir! You shouldn't worry about me."

"Setsuna-kun, it's fine." Perhaps he shouldn't have sent her off to the Shinmeiryu –Yes, they were excellent swordfighters, but they were terrible at teaching their students how to cope with social situations. Perhaps it was yet another mistake…

She didn't say anything; instead she averted her gaze to the floor, a solemn frown etched on her face. He took this opportunity to really look at her, trying to find some sort of resemblance between them.

"Secchan!" The chipper girl's voice rang through the halls, interrupting his reverie. Konka slid into the room, stealing her guardian's attention.

"…Eh?"

"Come on, Secchan!" Konoka grabbed her by the elbow, tugging her along lightly. "I found a room for you, but it's a little empty. We have to go fix it up!"

"Th-thank you, Ojou-sama, but I haven't brought much…" The younger girl stared up at her, very much not amused. Setsuna quickly realized her mistake. "…Konochan."

Konoka had a small smile on her face, and Eishun recognized it as the one she used was she was plotting something. Or maybe she had already planned it all.

"Mm…It's fine, Setchan!" In a flash, her expression switched back to innocence. "Come on!"

"Wait, Konochan, our luggage…!" Setsuna yelped as Konoka pulled her along, barely giving her time to scoop up her bag.

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the two of them. Despite her confusion, he felt that Setsuna was happy here.

At least, he hoped she was.

-

During the late hours, when he was working on his paperwork, his thoughts drifted back to her.

(She was the only woman he ever really loved. He liked to think that the feeling was mutual.

She was beautiful. She was a demon, yes, but when it came to her, one wouldn't be able to tell the difference – well, save for the wings, but they only seemed to accentuate her beauty.

…He missed her so much, even after all those years.

Cruel, twisted fate. Making it so that she would die giving birth to a half-demon daughter, never getting the opportunity to hold her, or even see her. Or discover the so-called monstrosity she had birthed.

He wasn't there, he didn't see it, only received a confidential message from one of her old friends. He knew it was his child, but he couldn't claim her – he was…he was married, his wife was very much with child and the alliance was so fragile, and if anyone, anyone had found out…)

Eishun sighed, staring at the papers with glazed-over eyes.

…Maybe a drink or two would help.

-

Small wisps of steam rose from the mug of rice wine. Silently, he tested it with a finger, found it just cool enough for drinking. Even then, he didn't drink it – instead, he just looked into the mug, watching his finger swirling around the wine, trying to think of happier things.

He looked up when he heard the quiet shuffling of feet sliding into the room. Of course, it was Setsuna – she was too quiet to be Konoka or any of the servants…

"Konochan wanted me to get us some drinks…" Setsuna bowed her head to him, hair hanging around her shoulders.

"She likes juice. Get her some of that." Eishun smiled warmly, or at least he tried. Either way, Setsuna didn't seem to notice, and nodded once again and went to the refrigerator.

"Where are the glasses?"

"Right over there."

She pulled out two identical glasses, pouring equal amounts of the juice into each glass. He looked at her again, trying to find the subtle things they shared. Thankfully (and at the same time, sadly), there wasn't much – maybe minor things, like the hair, but even in that case…

No, she was more like her mother. It was much better that way, he half-joked to himself.

She idly looked out the window, at the stars. Briefly, his mind entertained the idea of telling her the truth, but he knew it would only lead to disaster. This fabricated life they all had would tear apart, revealing the ugly (although it his eyes, it's not so ugly) lie underneath.

Still, he felt the need to say something.

"Setsuna-kun?"

"Hm?" She looked at him, slightly startled.

"I…" he began, looking down. "Are you happy here?"

"Of course I am, Chief!"

"Honestly?"

"Yes, sir. It's…" She shrugged with one shoulder. "It's…I think it's as close to a home as I can get."

A twinge of regret. Despite that, he smiled. "Good. That's very good. I'm…I'm glad to hear that." He gave her a firm nod. "Sleep well, Setsuna-kun."

She looked at him, a questioning look on her face, but she didn't ask anything. "Thank you, sir. You too." With that, she was trekking back to her room.

At least she was happy. That was good. Setsuna was happy, Konoka was happy, and he was content. He fears that the lie won't last forever, but for now...

He took a sip of the wine.

...For now, we're all happy. And that's all that matters.

A/N: The following is a product of a really, really adorable picture I saw on a Japanese fanart site, a quote from a conversation with my super-best friend; "Eishun is a player!", and my ADD imagination brewing them together.

Now we have a crackfic, written in one sitting with a half-assed ending. Joy.

And I'm a moron when it comes to honorifics, so feel free to slap me on the wrist if I screwed up.

Now that I look at this, I realize that I could have done away with the "Eishun = Set-ster's father" element and made this into a cutesy family story, but stuff like that adds a whole new level of drama to it all. So, I hope you enjoyed this bizarre little story?