She was wide awake and ready at the first of the soft knocks. She went slowly and cautiously towards the door. Her single room apartment just as she had left it. A bed shoved into a corner across from a rarely used kitchenette with a bookshelf nestled against the wall between the two. She didn't need very much and this was how she preferred it.
"Secchan?" She froze suddenly. Her entire past was assaulting her with one word. But that voice… It could only be one person. The person she had left five years ago.
"Secchan please! I know you're there! Please let me in!"
Sakurazaki Setsuna, now twenty-three, could do no more then stare at the door, not sure whether she were nauseous or if her heart had simply jumped to her throat from the thought of seeing her love again.
Setsuna finished her trek to the door and stood with her forehead pressed against the wooden surface.
"Kono-chan?"
Secchan if I must I will order you to open this door!" Setsuna chuckled dryly.
"I am sorry Konoka, but you are no longer my charge."
"Then I'll stay here forever. At least let me see you? Please Secchan, please. I miss you. I miss you so much."
Setsuna's heart tore apart that much farther knowing what needed to be done.
"I miss you too. But I can't and you know why."
"NO I DON'T! I have no idea why you left, no idea why I haven't spoken so much as a word to you in five years! If you won't let me in at least tell me why! Why Secchan? Why did you leave me all alone?"
"Konoe-ojou-sama, you should head home. Your father will be worried."
"I no longer hold that title Secchan. I am just Konoka and have no home to speak of."
Hearing this Setsuna opened the door as quickly as she could. There stood the most beautiful sight in her eyes. A sight she had not seen in five years. Konoka stood tall and warmly dressed against the cold.
"What are you talking about Konoka? Of course you have a home, I refuse to believe your father would leave you!"
Konoka simply stepped forward and embraced her.
"He didn't. I did."
Setsuna's mind was spinning. First Kono-chan shows up on her doorstep, second she is hugged, by Kono-chan, and now Kono-chan renounces her title as heiress!
"Why Kono-chan? Why would you give up everything? Your life, your family. Why Konoka?"
Konoka backed up a few inches so she could look into Setsuna's eyes. Then with just as much sincerity in her eyes as in her tone, Konoka told her.
"Because you were gone. I looked for you Secchan. I started looking for you the minute I read the note. Two words Secchan. With two words you walked out of my life."
She took something out of her pocket and showed it to Setsuna. It was a note, and on it? Two words. The two words Setsuna had written five years ago.
'Goodbye Kono-chan'
"I promised myself that I would find you Secchan. You tried to walk out of my life so I decided to walk back into yours. I missed you Secchan!"
Tears started to roam down Konoka's face and Setsuna brought her into a comforting embrace.
"Why Secchan? Please tell me!"
"Because I love you. Because I fell in love with you. I know that you don't feel the same, but that's why."
Setsuna pulled away and turned to the closet. She took out her trench coat and put it on without so much as a glance at Konoka.
"You may stay for as long as you wish Kono-chan. My love. I will be on my way. Please find it in your heart to forgive me."
She opened the door and started out trying to blink away the tears.
"Will you come back?" Setsuna simply shook her head. As she started walking away she was stopped by a pair of arms grabbing one of her own and holding it tight.
"Then I guess I'll just have to go with you wherever that may be!" Konoka was positively beaming when Setsuna looked over at her.
"What are you doing Kono-chan?"
"I've finally found the person I've been looking for for five years and now I know that she feels the same. You don't actually think I would let you go just like that do you?"
"Y-you what?"
"I love you Secchan. And I don't plan on letting you go again." Just after she said that Konoka sneezed. Setsuna chuckled a bit and then led Konoka back inside where she took their coats and hung them up. She brought Konoka toward the bed and lifted the covers for her.
"Come on Kono-chan we can't have you getting sick can we?" Konoka climbed in and Setsuna surprised her by coming under too and wrapping her arms around Konoka's middle, bringing her closer. Konoka giggled happily and snuggled closer to Setsuna's warmth.
"Goodnight Kono-chan."
"Goodnight, my angel."