The water beat down on her tired body, as the sun had earlier in the day. Setsuna could hear the laughter of Konoka, Negi, and Asuna as they commented on the crappy TV show to which she could recognize some of the characters' voices. She had arrived back at their dorm before they themselves had, and so had decided to get a shower before they returned. She really did hate Konoka seeing her straight after duty, as she was usually rather sweaty, especially after such a hot day like today. Although she knew Konoka wouldn't mind-the girl just enjoyed seeing her oldest friend. Letting the water twist and wind itself about her small yet muscular body, Setsuna ran her fingers through her hair, washing away the last bit of shampoo and grime, which swirled around the plughole like a miniature, manmade whirlpool. She sighed, switched off the shower, and wrapped the towel she had brought around herself. This towel was scratchy, old, and much resembled an old dishrag rather than what it actually was. She remembered when she had forgotten the, for lack of a better word "towel", and Konoka had happily allowed her to use one of hers. It had been soft and warm on her skin; much gentler than her own, and it smelled slightly of the lemony washing powder Konoka used. She wondered if all of her clothes smelt like that: Her shirts, her jeans, her underwear...
Setsuna shook herself violently and scolded inwardly for thinking such perverted things. She blamed everything on Chamo, naturally.
Once decent, the half-demon unlocked the door and allowed the steam to poor out into the adjoining room before stepping out into the half-light. Looking around, the room appeared as empty and quiet as it was when she had arrived. The only difference was the TV light flickering, casting dark shadows across the pale walls. There was a slight murmur coming from the appliance, and the heavy breathing from the direction of the sofa told her that her friends had fallen asleep (Come to think of it, she hadn't heard the laughter for a while). The girl smiled (something she had done a fair bit of lately, now that she had friends) and tiptoed as quietly as she could over to the TV, switching it off so as not to waste electricity. Something stirred behind her, making her back stiffen and causing her to stand stock-still. If she could get to Yunagi, she would be alright...
"Set-chan??" A small, sleepy voice made Setsuna's rigid body relax considerably; she really shouldn't let her imagination run wild like that, jumping to conclusions. Turning around slowly, she was met by a pair of chocolate coloured eyes, blinking blearily. "I'm sorry for waking you, Ojou-sama."
"Oh that's alright." Konoka smiled brightly, and you'd never know she'd just woken up-with the alertness reflected in those eyes. Those eyes that made Setsuna melt, go weak at the knees. Those eyes that just took her breath away every time she looked into them...Setsuna said nothing, just standing open mouthed in front of her biggest secret. A look of concern spread across Konoka's face, and she pouted slightly "What's wrong, Set-chan?? Are you ok?? Is there something wrong with my face??" At this last question, Setsuna had the overbearing urge to sweep the smaller girl up into her arms, and assure her that nothing was ever wrong when she was around, and as for her face...Well, it was perfect. She wanted to kiss the pout from her lips and hold her until the Japanese summer sun rose for the final time. But this was something that she knew she could never do. She had forbid herself from giving in to the temptation of the girl she protected. But if only she could at least tell Konoka what she was feeling...
Eventually, after spending some time looking like she was impersonating a fish she shook her head meekly; still damp hair clinging to her face. Konoka smiled at how much like her child-self Setsuna looked right now. The same melancholic look that she'd had a lot when she was little clouded her face, and Konoka was puzzled as to why. "Set-chan, will you please come for a walk with me??" She asked, brushing the other girl's hair out of her face. Setsuna nodded-there was no way she was letting her Kono-chan go out alone.
The Japanese nights were comfortably warm this time of year, so there was no need for either girl to take a coat or jacket. They had left Asuna and Negi sleeping on the couch, laying a blanket over them before leaving, and placing a note on the bed so they wouldn't be worried of they woke to find them gone. The silence, although not entirely uncomfortable, made Setsuna feel unusually nervous and Konoka seemed to notice this too. She couldn't understand why Setsuna wouldn't look her in the eye, or why she was distancing herself more than she usually would. Konoka had thought that they were past this...Setsuna glanced at Konoka out of the corner of her eye and wondered whether she should say something. If only she could tell Konoka that she loved her, that she wanted more than anything to be with her, but she didn't want to jeopardize the friendship that had been rekindled.
The girls reached a hill about half a mile away from the dorms. From here, one could see the entire night sky, and it was a place Setsuna loved to come to think and clear her mind. They settled themselves on a lone bench, which clearly needed to be replaced, never mind a new paintjob. A slight breeze could be felt up here, and Konoka edged slightly towards Setsuna, who noticed the movement but couldn't physically move away. Still Konoka moved closer, until the stronger of the two girls could feel the warmth of her body against her side. The Konoe girl looked up at the sky and decided it had been too quiet for too long. "It's beautiful, isn't it??" She asked, linking arms with her friend, who seemed to be blushing, which puzzled her. Although she was feeling awkward and slightly embarrassed by what the close contact was doing to her, Setsuna managed to choke out a response "I come up here often. It helps to...to clear my head." She shivered and Konoka cuddled up closer to her, unaware of the others increasingly red face. "Me too..." The silence returned, but at least it wasn't as awkward. Konoka's head rested gently on Setsuna's shoulder and her breathing became steadier and intakes of breaths were deeper. Ten minutes passed and Setsuna knew that if she didn't tell her now, Konoka may never know her true feelings. "Ojou-sama??" She asked, but the girl didn't stir. Setsuna sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of losing her opportunity. For now, the exiled demon was happy to be so close to her Ojou-sama. Smiling to herself, she buried her face into Konoka's hair and whispered three barely audible words, and unbeknown to her, Konoka's eyes fluttered shut, happy to hear the words she never thought would pass her secret loves lips.
