Each step was exasperating; it was as if she had an unbearable amount of weight placed upon her strong, yet slender shoulders. She could feel her lungs gasping for air as she continued at her leisurely pace. Her beaming brown eyes were staring straight ahead but they were not placed on anything specific. She was lost in her own little world, dazed beyond comparison. All of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, everything that she had been thinking about disappeared as the burden left her back. She turned her head slightly to find herself staring deeply into onyx coloured eyes.
"May I take you bag for you, Oujou-sama?"
Konoka glared at her friend, even though Setsuna had asked a mere question, she did not wait for an answer before removing the heavy backpack from the shorter girls shoulders.
"Sec-chan! I never said you could take it! Give it back! Give it back!"
Konoka whined as she pouted, and leaned towards Setsuna to retrieve her knapsack. Setsuna, on the other hand, had already placed the second bag on her free shoulder and refused to return it to the rightful owner. She wasn't teasing her beloved princess, even if it seemed like it to the people around them, but this caused Konoka to jump around her childhood friend in attempt to grab the bag. Setsuna spun around a few times which ended up leaving the swordswoman with a slightly nauseating sensation but nonetheless, she was still in control of the small duel.
"Come on Sec-chan…"
Konoka finally muttered as she stopped to catch her breath. Seeing her princess in that state brought a sly smile to Setsuna's expressionless face for a mere moment before the swordswoman erased it from her features. She didn't normally let her emotions escape from her like that. Once she realized this, she felt slightly embarrassed by her actions causing a light shade of pink to tint her cheeks. Trying to hide her discomfort, Setsuna stared at the ground but felt she was only making things worse. When she noticed that the panting of her friend had stopped, she slowly looked up at the chocolate coloured hair girl who now wore a cunning smile on her luscious lips. Slightly confused, Setsuna began to open her mouth to speak, but not before Konoka lunged towards her. The shorter girl wrapped her arms around her protector's neck as she clung to the raven haired girl. Setsuna's face could now have been considered a tomato since the shade of pink that was originally there deepened considerably from the close proximity.
"O-o-oujou-sama!"
The weight from the jump finally hit her, causing Setsuna in her confusion and panic to topple over backwards with Konoka on top of her. Setsuna landed on the backpacks which dug into her spine as the full weight of her princess hit her. She felt a slight pain in her lower back but it was nothing that she couldn't handle. She actually hardly noticed it considering the person who was straddling her hips at the moment. Konoka had landed with her face only inches away from the tomato, and with one hand on Setsuna's stomach, she pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Sorry Sec-chan…"
She murmured, sticking out her tongue slightly in an act to show that it was an accident. Setsuna, on the other hand was prepared to die from blood loss if her nose started to bleed. It took all the will power in her body to push away the perverted thoughts that plagued her mind.
"Ou-ou-Oujou-sama, c-can you please get off?"
She stammered uncontrollably as her head felt as if it was spinning in circles.
"Come on you two! We're going to leave you behind!"
Konoka, who stayed put for the moment, turned to look towards where the voice was coming from. There, quite far ahead, Konoka could see most of 3-A waiting for them. The entire class had been hiking up the huge mountain for most of the day now in an attempt to bond with each other, courtesy of Negi's idea that everyone should be friends. Asuna had been the one to yell at them since she didn't like the idea of leaving her friends behind. Also the horseplay worried her considering the path wasn't actually the safest place to play.
"Be careful Konoka! Remember, there are no rails so if you get to close to the side, you can fall off!"
Konoka nodded but didn't really think too far into the warning before she turned her head back to Setsuna. Konoka giggled when she noticed that the swordswoman had gone completely stiff long ago. The princess stared down at her and decided that on last taunt wouldn't hurt her. She leaned forward and stopped just as her lips were only inches away from Setsuna's ear. The raven haired girl could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as each breath that Konoka took tickled the sensitive skin. After a few moments of pure torture Konoka finally said,
"I guess I should get up."
The brown eyed girl got up slowly, which made Setsuna calm down, but the swordswoman knew that she was disappointed at the same time. Once she was standing, Konoka patted off the dirt on her clothes, and turned to Asuna.
"Yeah, yeah. We're com—"
Before she could continue her sentence, Konoka felt the ground beneath her begin to crumble. Her eyes widened as her voice let out a cry of fear. Setsuna, who was still sitting on the floor, grabbed Yuunagi out of a force of habit and then jumped off the edge with little care for her own well being.
"Konoka!"
She yelled as she reached out her hand instinctively until she caught Konoka's wrist and then hastily pulled her princess into her arms. Setsuna could hear the cries of their classmates but she knew that none of them could help. Magic was not known to too many people in the class, and because of that, not even Negi would be able to assist in this dilemma. As they fell, Setsuna did not let herself panic. She waited for the right moment before her wings finally appeared on her back. Because of the forest, the young swordswoman was not able to fly, but she was able to at least slow them down. Of course, the many branches on the trees began to cause problems for her as her wings got caught and savagely torn.
"Damn it!"
She exclaimed with a low growl. The two hit the ground hard, and as Konoka's guardian, Setsuna used herself to cushion the princess' fall. Her wings were battered and bleeding but before Konoka could register the injuries that Setsuna received, the swordswoman retracted her wings into her back which caused even more pain inside of her. She was now at her limit as she stared at Konoka's face that soon became consumed in a cold darkness as Setsuna fell unconscious.
--
Setsuna could feel herself shivering as her eyes began to blink open. It was dark and the young girl couldn't remember where she was. Finally it hit her.
"Oujou-sama!"
She yelled as she sat up quickly and scanned her environment around her. She noticed that she was now in a small cave that had probably been protecting her from the rain for a few hours already, but that didn't matter at the moment. Setsuna found herself staring into Konoka's teary eyes. Setsuna must have had been using the mage's lap as a pillow considering the position she was in. The young princess was knelling beside her, shivering as well, but she had a relieved smile on her gloomy face.
"S-s-Sec-chan…"
She mumbled through sobs as she collapsed on her guardian. Her cold arms were tightly wrapped around Setsuna who responded by hugging her back to soothe her. After a few minutes Konoka calmed down and released her friend from her grasped which left Setsuna feeling slightly empty. Konoka wiped away the remaining tears as her protector stood up with Yuunagi in her right hand. Setsuna then walked up to the cave's opening and peered out, but the darkness in the forest made her uneasy. She stood there for a moment before she broke the silence.
"We'll have to wait her until morning at least, by then Negi should be able to find us."
She murmured to Konoka, and then turned back to face her.
"I ummm… I-I guess you healed me before…"
Setsuna stated when she realized the pain was gone. She was blushing slightly as she stared at the side of the cave to avoid looking into Konoka's eyes.
"Thank you."
Setsuna sighed as she folded her arms loosely which is when she noticed the extra bit of clothing she had on. She was now wearing Konoka's sweater, and upon realizing this, Setsuna removed the clothing quickly. The half-demon could not believe that a lowly servant like herself would be wearing something so precious that belonged to the princess.
"Put this back on."
She stated plainly to the mage who was only wearing a short sleeved shirt at the moment because of her generosity. Konoka refused while shaking her head.
"No, you wear it; you're the one who was injured! Anyways, I'm not c-cold."
She stuttered through an involuntary shiver. Becoming frustrated from the arguing and watching Konoka suffer, Setsuna marched over to Konoka and kneeled down beside her.
"Was injured, there's the key word. I don't need this so you should wear it."
She stated bluntly in a protective tone as she forced Konoka's head to go through the neck whole of the sweater. The young mage began to thrash around to remove herself from Setsuna's grasp which ended making the guardian use more forceful measures. Setsuna caught one of Konoka's wrists in each hand and pinned her to the floor. She straddled the healer's stomach, and stared into her eyes.
"Put the sweater on."
In her mind, Setsuna was dying; she could not believe the tone she was using at the moment. She cared too much for her childhood friend so she commanded the statement as she released on hand so that Konoka could put her arm through the whole. The young mage, who had never heard this tone of voice from her childhood friend before, began to put on the sweater. Konoka was still slightly twisting her body beneath Setsuna as she tried to remove herself from the half-demon's grasp, but it was to no avail. Of course, the movements were damn right arousing for Setsuna who immediately used her free hand to stop the blood from dripping out of her nose.
"You're bleeding!"
Konoka exclaimed as she attempted to lean forward to place her free hand on the side of Setsuna's face.
"I-I-I'm fine."
The extra movements were not helping the half demon calm down so she soon released Konoka from her grasp, and sat down beside her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but she didn't particularly like this feeling, nor did she hate it. Even though Setsuna was only trying to protect Konoka from the cold, the expression the mage had on her face made the swordswoman feel as if there was a dagger in her heart. At the same time, Setsuna was finally hit with the situation they were in; alone and in the middle of a forest. Setsuna was trying very hard not to glance towards Konoka, since every time she did she felt as if her thought alone would make her nose bleed again. Setsuna, in the decision to now only think about protecting the mage, sat crossed legged with Yuunagi near her left hand. She stared into the dark abyss that was considered a forest, and waited with each hand on one knee, she was ready for anything. Or so she thought. Setsuna suddenly felt Konoka's hand on her own, which caused the swordswoman to turn her head and look at the mage.
Her lips looked so soft… No! I have to protect her!
She thought as she felt her face burning.
"Is something the m-matter, ko—Oujou-sama?
She murmured to the healer, but no response came as Konoka intertwined their fingers, causing Setsuna to become speechless. The two girls sat beside each other, both of them leaning against the wall in silence for a while. Setsuna wanted to punish herself for letting Konoka get into this mess in the first place but right now, her safety was all that mattered. The half-demon found herself deep in thought and embarrassments when she heard Konoka finally whisper a few words.
"I'm sorry; I've caused a lot of trouble for you Sec-chan."
Setsuna was shocked; she had never meant to make Konoka think that she was in any way troublesome but the words would not leave her stuttering mouth. Of course the silence was only making Konoka look even sadder, and that expression made the guardian's pride and honour finally dissolve. Setsuna's placed her hand on Konoka's arm that was farthest away from her, and dragged the sitting girl until she was in front of her. Setsuna then wrapped her arms around the mage's shoulders and pulled her close to her chest so that Konoka could lean on her.
"You could never be troublesome to me, K-k-Kono-chan."
Konoka was now blushing, she was shocked. No matter how many times she had tried to get Setsuna to call her by that old nickname by teasing or straight out pleading, the half-demon just wouldn't. The sound of that name made the healer's heart skip a beat, which she was pretty sure that Setsuna wouldn't notice since the swordswoman was already in a state of panic. The healer could hear the hitched breathing that Setsuna was producing through nervousness. With a small smile on her face, Konoka turned her head slightly so that she could be more comfortable as she leaned back fully onto her guardian's strong body. By doing so, she could feel the rapid heartbeat of her protector, and as she listened, a bigger smile played across her pink, luscious lips like a melody. She felt secure with Setsuna by her side but she could still feel a slight shiver every once in a while from her protector. Konoka's eyes drifted out to the wet scenery outside of the cave, which made her brow furrow.
"I hate the rain."
She stated bluntly as Setsuna's glanced towards Yuunagi.
"If I could cut the rain, then I'd make it disappear for you. Only for you…"
Setsuna absentmindedly whispered into the princess' ear. Konoka blushed; she would have never expected Setsuna to say something like that. She sat up, which caused Setsuna to slightly awaken from the drowsy state that she had just previously went into. The half-demon smiled at Konoka who was staring into her eyes. Setsuna did not even remember what she had said before, but soon realized it, and then began to blush uncontrollably. She averted her eyes from Konoka's but soon found herself noticing the princess' movements. Konoka was on her knees as she leaned in towards Setsuna. The mage, with one hand, took Setsuna's chin in between her thumb and index finger, and gently tilted her head upwards. She pressed her lips against the swordswoman's, which made Setsuna's eyes widened with the contact. The shock passed quickly as Setsuna began to kiss back lightly; unfortunately there was no time to think before Konoka pulled away. The healer noticed the slight trace of shock that she had left on Setsuna's expression, but little did she know that the reason it was there was because she backed away so soon. Before she could open her mouth to explain herself, Setsuna had already wrapped one hand around Konoka's waist. The half-demon pulled herself up onto one knee, and then snaked her free hand around her beloved's neck. She pulled her in for another kiss, but this time she wasn't going to let Konoka go until she was done. Konoka, in response, let one of her hands lightly grasp the front of Setsuna's shirt as the other one stayed motionless. Once Setsuna was satisfied, she released Konoka, who took her time to pull back for the second time. Panting for air, the two girls seemed to be lost in thought.
"Sec-chan?"
Upon hearing her name, Setsuna finally retrieved her stubbornness as a bodyguard and realized her actions.
"O-o-o-o-o-Oujou-sama! I'm so sorry, I didn't even—I shouldn't ha—"
Setsuna's rant of gibberish was soon silenced by Konoka who had put one pale, slender finger on her soft lips.
"Sec-chan is so cute when she stutters."
Konoka exclaimed with a smile. Setsuna began to blush fiercely as she tried to bury her face into her crossed arms. She leaned back to think but was soon followed by her princess. Konoka snaked her arms around her bodyguards neck, and whispered into her ear,
"Can you say my name? One more time?"
Setsuna averted her gaze but nodded as she draped her arms around Konoka's waist.
"K-Kono-chan."
--
"I found them Negi-dono!"
Kaede yelled to the rest of her companions in the search party. Upon hearing his name, Negi came dashing through the trees until he reached the entrance of the cave. With tears in his eyes he stared down at them.
"A-are they dead?" He asked outwardly to anyone who would answer him. Asuna came from behind him and flicked the ten-year-old in the back of the head.
"Of course not you brat! They're just sleeping. They must have had a long night."
She stated as she walked over to Setsuna and Konoka who were slowly and groggily getting up.
"Awah? Asuna? Good morning."
Konoka mumbled, still half asleep. Now the rest of the class had arrived, the worry finally disappearing from their faces.
"Are you girls okay?"
Negi finally managed to mutter in between his childlike panic attacks. Setsuna, who was now more awake than Konoka, tried to answer him but as she opened her mouth, Konoka leaned in and kissed her, with her tongue slipping into the swordswoman's unsuspecting mouth.
"G'morning Sec-chan."
Konoka murmured as she pulled back from the frozen girl as she lay back down on the cold ground to go back to sleep. Setsuna was left there alone and blushing as her entire class stared at her in silence as the waited for an explanation.
"It was a long night then."
Asuna murmured with a sly smile to her dear friends, leaving only Negi to wallow in confusion.