Setsuna was put on duty or as Mana put it "you brought her she's your responsibility so you're taking care of her". After tying Konoka's hands to the arms of a chair, ankles to the legs and rope around her waist to the back she sat down against the side of the couch wearily.

"You may as well just sleep. You'll just hurt yourself trying to get out," Setsuna told her as she squirmed.

She struggled harder. Setsuna got to her feet, going to the kitchen in the back of the room and began to look for the salve. The ropes would start causing friction if she rubbed too hard. As she rummaged around in the overhead drawers, pushing aside cereal boxes and cups and plates she tried hard to ignore the scraping noises behind her.

Finally as a really loud screech speared the air, drawn out and long that made Setsuna's skin crawl she said cringing, "Kono…Ojou-sama I'd prefer it if you didn't make that much noise. Kaede and Mana are both-"

Something thudded. Setsuna waited.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!" Konoka suddenly screamed.

Setsuna whipped around. Her eyes bulged from their sockets.

"Wha-what the…how'd you get like that?" Setsuna cried, rushing out to the balcony.

"Just help me!" Konoka had somehow made her way out to the open balcony, tipping her chair completely over the railing so it was teetering on the edge.

Skidding, Setsuna lunged forwards as it went over completely, managing to grab hold of the back legs.

"Don't let go!"

"I'm not going to!"

Setsuna moved her fingers to grip the edges of the gaps in the back of the chair, hauling her upwards with a groan. "You don't look like you weigh this much!"

"Are you calling me fat?"

"Does that really matter right now?"

The veranda sliding door from the room across them in the next apartment suddenly banged open and a kid ran out, watching them eagerly.

"Mum come look someone's gonna throw someone off a balcony like that funny looking guy with the weird nose I saw on TV the other night!"

Shit. With one gargantuan heave Setsuna hauled Konoka up and losing balance at the same time tumbled backwards and landed flat on her back the legs of the chair nearly pounding her face in as the chair landed with her right side up.

"Don't ever do that again," Setsuna said after a long minute of silence. She shuffled out from underneath the chair, crawling over to the veranda and locking it shut.

Konoka tried to get to the phone a few nights later by attempting to imitate Setsuna's voice to ask Kaede. It worked but only because Kaede had been half asleep as a result of some "bedroom exercising" with Mana so she didn't realize that "Setsuna" sounded a lot more girly than usual. Least that's what she'd said when Setsuna had asked when she'd caught her handing the phone over to Konoka after she'd emerged from the bottom cabinets with a plate to put cereal in because she was hungry. As Kaede headed back into the bedroom, Setsuna placed the phone back sighing. Yawning she walked back to her makeshift guard spot which was on the couch and plopped down on it, switching the TV on. It was 11:30pm and judging from the sounds and noises coming from Mana's room she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

"You shouldn't try to get out of Mana's knots. Trust me you won't be able to break through them no matter how hard you try," Setsuna said. She'd been trying non-stop ever since Mana had tied her up.

Glaring at her Konoka continued to struggle, the legs of the chair screeching across the floor noisily as the chair moved. Setsuna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, cringing.

"Ojou-"

Screech.

"Can-"

Another screech. Setsuna turned the volume up louder. They were showing a late night American horror movie about a guy dressed in a black hooded cloak and white mask with a knife running around killing people. As the guy cut the victim's throat with a vertical slash on the lawn Setsuna quickly changed channels casting a glance at Konoka whose face paled.

"Let's watch something else…uh oh here's nice movie," Setsuna said, relieved as she landed on a channel showing a red-haired child's doll in blue overalls and a red striped shirt being held up by a woman. "Isn't the doll cute?"

Then the woman started screaming at the doll. The doll's face twisted into an ugly monstrous sneer and it shrieked lunging for her throat, "You stupid bitch! You filthy slut! I'll teach you to fuck with me!"

Setsuna hurriedly pressed the up button on the remote. It switched to a lovely cooking show called Iron Chef that Kaede liked to listen to.

Wiping her forehead Setsuna relaxed until she heard Konoka say, "If you don't let me go I'm going to scream so loud that everyone's going to hear."

Setsuna vaulted over the couch, scrambling over to Konoka and clapped her hand over her mouth, "Don't. I'll untie you ok but just for tonight if you promise not to make any more noise or try to call anyone, deal?"

As she nodded Setsuna began to untie the knots. She winced internally as she saw the chafing marks on her wrists and ankles. Telling her to wait she crossed over to the kitchenette, taking out the cream and pouring water from the basin tap in a glass. Heading back over she set them both down on the coffee table and finished untying Konoka. Leading her over to the couch to sit her down she squirted cream from the tube in one hand. Konoka didn't say anything for a long moment as Setsuna took one of her hands and gently rubbed it over the red mark on her wrist.

When she'd finished Konoka finally broke her silence, not looking at her, "Thanks."

Setsuna paused, feeling her insides squirm uncomfortably. So she just nodded to her slightly, keeping her eyes on the task at hand.

Next night found Konoka twisting and turning on the couch. Adjacent to her Setsuna was lying on the other couch, her feet hanging off the arm-rests. Konoka didn't know if she was sleeping but her eyes were shut and she hadn't made a single noise. That was one hour ago. Konoka had drifted off to sleep after a while. She knew if she tried to run then she'd get blocked or stopped. It was weird even though Setsuna seemed asleep when Konoka had opened the door-knob a few hours ago Setsuna had moved quicker than lightning to stop her. And when she'd crept past her Setsuna's hand had snapped out and held her wrist without even opening her eyes. Now Konoka just settled for keeping her eyes shut.

"You can't sleep can you?"

Konoka let out a startled squeak, bolting upright and whipping around with wide eyes. Setsuna was standing there hair messed up with bits sticking out everywhere, watching her. She looked sleepy.

"I-I'm trying but-" Konoka took an unconscious step backwards. She was still wary of Setsuna.

"It's not easy sleeping with two dangerous people in the same place as you?" Setsuna finished for her.

"..Well yeah."

Fighting back a yawn Setsuna stretched and disappeared into a small room beside Mana's. Shortly after, she returned changed into a pair of jeans and blouse with a white shirt over it. She was carrying two black motorbike helmets, two sets of keys and a baby blue parka. Over her shoulder was her sword.

"Come on we'll go down to the beach," Setsuna said, tossing the parka at her.

"I don't know you seem sleepy maybe that's not such a good-" Konoka began doubtfully, catching it.

Setsuna reached back, taking Konoka's hand gently and said, "I've been through worse things than losing sleep. I'm awake enough."

And just like that Konoka found herself following Setsuna out down the hallway towards the fire escape door, going down the stairs out onto the street in front. Slipping the parka on, Konoka glanced over her shoulder at the window of the apartment. The curtains were drawn but the lights were on and she could see two shadows close together, one giving the other a massage.

"Secchan I was wondering how close are Mana and Kaede?" Konoka said.

Setsuna, who was inspecting the front-view mirror with furrowed eyebrows, looked at her questioningly then following her eyes, chuckled and turned back to the motorbike. She said thoughtfully, "You know I'm not sure. They knew each other long before I did so they're pretty close. Kaede's the only person Mana openly shows feelings for."

"Kaede doesn't seem like the type to be involved in this," Konoka said.

"I've never really asked. When I tried to start a conversation with Kaede about it she started to tell me some story about a person who tried to fly on wings made out of wax," Setsuna said.

"So is this your bike?"

"Nah the last time I had a bike I ended up having an accident," Setsuna said. As Konoka opened her mouth to ask she elaborated, "I got caught in a drag race between Kotarou and a couple of his friends a couple of years ago. I ended up in a coma for a month."

"Kotarou…you mean the boy with the wolf ears?" Konoka asked in disbelief.

"He pulled a few strings and got the licence," Setsuna said. Touching the back of her head self-consciously she said, "There's a metal plate in my skull because the fracture re-opened again a couple of months later."

"Uh…maybe this isn't such a good idea then," Konoka said nervously. "You sure you'll be ok riding it?"

"It'll be fine," Setsuna reassured, placing the helmet on her head, her voice muffled, "I won't get into any drag races if that's what you're worried about."

Hesitating Konoka said, "Well…alright. Whose bike is it if it's not yours?"

"It's Mana's," Setsuna explained. "She barely uses it so it's kind of mine until she decides to use it again. She's got plenty of vehicles, some I don't even know about. That Mitsubishi Lancer that Kotarou has? It was a birthday present from Mana and Kaede."

"How long have you guys known each other?" Konoka asked.

"Well Kaede's known him the longest. I think they trained together in the mountains or something like that before moving to the city permanently. We knew him through her," Setsuna said.

Throwing Konoka her helmet she hopped on.

"So who taught you how to ride then? You don't strike me as the motorcycle type," Konoka asked curiously as she caught the helmet.

"Mana and Kotarou. See…after my hands were taken I needed some space," Setsuna's eyes darkened. Shaking her head she pocketed one set of keys and rested a hand on the handlebar, one foot on the pedal. The only light was the streetlight so Setsuna was half in the shadows. Konoka could only see her eyes in the visor of the helmet but as Setsuna glanced at her brunette was sure that she was smiling, "Let's take a ride."

Konoka settled into the seat behind Setsuna, putting the helmet on her head and pushing her hair inside so it wouldn't get caught on anything.

"Don't let go," Setsuna revved up the engine and in a roar they sped off down the street.

A.N: Shoutout to Chucky.