Chapter 25. The final chapter.

Her steps slowed to a stop on the path in the forest. Through the rain and the trees she could see Konoka, kneeling there on the forest floor. Setsuna froze. She heard the girl's voice, frail and thin.

"Even if this is our last moment… What you have given me is enough. It always was. Rest now, anata, and let my love bring you peace."

Footsteps were drowned out by the pouring rain, but those words were not. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but those words were not lost in its wake. Even though there was no possible way Setsuna could have heard those words, they reached her. Somehow, those words transcended the elements attempting to conquer them, and carried their message on to Setsuna's heart. It was a message of peace; a message of love. A message of forgiveness. Those feelings penetrated Setsuna's heart as she watched Konoka kneel there in the forest. More words carried through the noise.

"Secchan…" Setsuna was stricken by the sound of her own name. Her eyes widened and shook with emotion. "Secchan, I'm sorry…"

Setsuna called out to her, hoping her words would carry the distance against the elements.

"Konoka!"

The girl didn't respond. She didn't move, didn't speak. Motionless, she knelt there in the dirt. Dirt that was quickly turning to mud. Setsuna's breath caught. She realized Konoka couldn't hear her.

Setsuna's legs fell into motion as she rushed to the girl kneeling there on the forest floor. She felt herself glide along the path, running with all her might. With the rain falling on her face she couldn't tell if she was crying, but she didn't care if she was. Her only thought was to get to Konoka as quickly as possible.

At that moment, as if exhausted of all her energy, Konoka began to sway on her knees. Before Setsuna had closed the distance between them, Konoka began falling to the ground. Setsuna's breath caught. She wasn't sure she was going to make it in time. With a cry into the forest she let her white, feathery wings erupt from her back. One forceful sweep sent the air spinning around her. Her body accelerated, quickly closing the distance between them. At the last second, she slid to her knees with arms outstretched. She caught the girl in her arms only a split second before she hit the ground.

"Konoka! Konoka, I'm here!"

No response.

"Konoka, wake up! It's me!" Tears blurred Setsuna's vision as she held the girl in her arms. Her face looked peaceful, but her body held little warmth. She wasn't even warm enough to shiver. Hypothermia—as Negi had explained to them in their first briefing for their mission to the magical world as Ala Alba—is a serious, life-threatening condition. For a person in a condition like Konoka, drenched from head to toe, exposed to the driving winds of a thunderstorm, losing consciousness was putting one foot in the grave. As it was, Setsuna had no way to tell how close Konoka's core temperature was to being dangerously low. Setsuna embraced her friend tightly, cradling her against her breast, hoping against hope that her body heat was enough to stabilize Konoka's temperature. Her own shoulders shook in uncontrollable sobs. "I'm here for you Konoka. I… I'm sorry. Please. Please wake up!"

There was nothing but the sound of steady rain falling on the forest floor. Large drops rolled off the treetops, filling the forest with incessant pattering. Some landed on her head. A few dripped down her exposed neck, sending shivers of cold down her spine. Traces of thunder came infrequently, now distant and thin. Konoka still didn't move.

Setsuna cried. She cried harder than she ever had before. As her chest wracked from the sobs, she doubled over in emotion, holding Konoka tighter. Unconsciously, her wings moved to enclose them from the pouring rain. Her thoughts were incoherent, but one truth resonated through the chaos: she had gotten to Konoka a moment too late. Nothing could deaden the pain that truth caused. She screwed her eyes shut, subconsciously trying to reject the reality thrust before her. Soon, everything she was became drowned out by her cries.

The moment she thought all was lost, she felt a hand reach up and caress her cheek. She snapped her eyes open to see Konoka's beautiful, soft brown eyes sparkling above a weak smile. She was holding on. Konoka spoke softly, but Setsuna could hear her light, radiant voice clearly over the pattering of the rain on her wings.

"Your words reached me, Secchan. I'm so happy." As she spoke, Setsuna could sense magical energy emanating from Konoka's spirit. It gathered and coalesced around Konoka's body, enfolding her in a strong, healing aura. The magic became so dense it started fluorescing, brightening into a warm glow that surrounded her head like a halo. Setsuna's throat choked at the beauty of the scene before her.

"Secchan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier today. Only, I don't think it was truly me yelling at you. Evangeline helped me understand. It was part of me that got distilled. The part that was so mad that he had killed you. So angry that he was taking you away from me. So sad that I wasn't able to hold you and comfort you as you were dying. It made me so incredibly sad." Konoka moved her hand from Setsuna's cheek to brush Setsuna's black bangs out of her face. When she spoke, emotion choked her pitch. "Secchan, I don't want to be that sad ever again."

The chaos of a spinning, swirling, tumbling world was stilled by Konoka's words. For a moment in time, only the two of them existed on a plane of existence far beyond the waking world. No one but she, and the girl softly touching her face. Unbeknownst to her, one other thing existed in that world: a truth that floated just beyond Setsuna's consciousness. It was a truth she didn't know she knew, and yet, one that would set her free. A truth that would give her the strength to break the barriers standing against their love. That truth, however, remained just beyond her reach as her mind flitted between a million different things.

Warmth began to diffuse out from the magical aura surrounding the chocolate-haired girl. It overcame the cold of the air, and returned color to Konoka's cheeks. Setsuna realized only then that the magical aura she was seeing was stemming from Konoka's healing magic. She must be extremely emotional right now—her magic only ever comes out when she is close to breaking into tears. Setsuna reached up and took Konoka's hand in her own and held it tight.

"No, Kono-chan, even though you say that, it's still my fault. I should have considered your feelings more. I have been too secure, taking you for granted. I never imagined there would be a time when you wouldn't want me with you. Even then, after class this morning, I wasn't even thinking that I might have done something to make you angry. And then… Then I didn't come to you until it was almost too late." Setsuna screwed her eyes shut, furrowing her brow in shame.

Konoka moved to place her empty hand on top of Setsuna's. Holding Setsuna's hands with both of her own, she gave them a small squeeze. "That doesn't matter. The only thing that does matter is that you did come." Her gaze shifted away from Setsuna's eyes and she looked far into the distance. "Right before Evangeline came, I was feeling alone. Abandoned. I thought that you had left me. I… Something made me doubt that you would come back to me." Konoka's eyes moved back to Setsuna's. The charcoal-haired girl could see them sparkle with memories.

"Do you remember when we were kids and I fell in the river that ran by my house? You left because you couldn't pull me safely out of that river. You were gone for years. For so long I was by myself in that big house. I didn't have anyone to talk to, or anyone to play with." She spoke slowly, with long buried emotion breaking its way into her voice. "I always wished you would come back, but you never did. I felt alone. Just as alone as I felt today. And it was all because of that river."

Setsuna's emotions were being shorn into pieces as Konoka led her back through her biggest failing in her life. It was a failing that she forced herself to remember every single day. Forced herself to remember the pain of that moment. The overwhelming fear she felt on that riverbank, and the crushing shame that weighed her shoulders down so much that, for the longest time, she couldn't look at Konoka directly. It was a memory she wished she could forget, but also a memory she dared not forget. Because if she did, she would forget why she needed, beyond anything else, to protect Konoka. But it was also a memory that she did not possess alone. As Konoka reminded her of that, she felt on the verge of crying again. At least, until she said the last sentence. Then Setsuna almost blurted out to correct her. "But Kono—"

Konoka put a finger to her lips quickly. "Shh. Listen. It was all because of the river that I lost you. Its current swept me away and kept you from saving me. And after you left, it continued to flow on past my house like nothing had ever happened. Through my window each night, I could hear the rushing of its water. It was taunting me. Reminding me every night of what I had lost. I had every reason to hate that river…" Bitter spite corrupted her words, but immediately they softened. "But I didn't hate it. I loved that river, because it's where you and I spent so many days together. It's where you and I became friends. That river brought us together. And I knew; somewhere in my heart I knew that even though it separated us, that river could never keep us apart. I knew that one day you would come back and save me from my loneliness."

The truth that had been just beyond Setsuna's reach now flooded into her being. It resonated through her bones. All those times she forced herself to remember, she wondered why she had never seen it so clearly before. When she left, she had caused a damage worse than any threat Konoka needed protecting from ever could. Those threats could only harm her body. Her own actions had harmed Konoka's soul. Those years that I was away from her… She spent all that time needing a friend and not having one… Any normal person would have been crushed by the solitude. Konoka is so strong. Her thoughts instantly turned introspective. And me? I was so weak. To think that I'd be that selfish: to lift my shame above Konoka's happiness… I'm despicable.

As the neurons in Setsuna's brain fired in a frenzy of thunder, a single neuron that had gone unused for a long time finally sent an impulse. At a speed one third that of sound, sodium ions flooded in through channels in the neuron's signal sending axon. Almost instantaneously, the depolarization reached the end of the axon, and was sensed by receptors on several, more frequently used neurons, setting off a chain reaction that reached every neuron in her brain before a single second had passed. She received the message of that solitary neuron, echoed by the force of over 100 billion of its sisters. She was struck by the simplicity of the message, but its importance could not be underestimated. As soon as that truth was revealed, she knew nothing in her world would ever be the same.

Setsuna spoke. She spoke without worrying over how it might sound. Without worrying over who might hear them. Without worrying about deviating from her personal code. She didn't care if what she was going to say broke the Shinmeiryuu code. She didn't care if the boundaries she might cross interfered with her so called 'duty.' Because she had found something new to honor and protect.

"Konoka, I have found something that only I can do. To be honest, it's something I thought I was doing this whole time. But I was wrong. It's actually something I've never been able to do. I feel that, now, it's the one thing I can accomplish without any fear of failing." Setsuna closed her eyes, preparing herself mentally for the most difficult speech she had ever had to make.

"I might not always be able to keep you from harm. I might not be able to stop everyone who intends to hurt you. As your protector, I promise you that I will do my very best, and go to any lengths to keep you safe, but there may be a time where that isn't enough. That truth had been weighing heavily on me. It has, ever since that day I couldn't pull you from that river. I didn't want to accept that I might not be able to protect you. That's why I was constantly pushing you away: so I could continue believing the lie that I could handle anything that came after you, as long as I didn't get close to you. It was something my mind decided, but something my heart never wanted."

She was interrupted by Konoka softly squeezing her hands. "Oh, Secchan—."

Setsuna gently opened her eyes and put a finger to Konoka's lips to silence her. She copied the chocolate-haired girl's earlier directive. "Shh. Listen. I'm not finished." This time, she didn't need to close her eyes. Instead, she locked eyes with the girl resting against her body and spoke through that connection, right to her soul.

"I realized something. I realized that right now, I need to listen to what my heart wants." The pattering of the rain on Setsuna's wings had ceased, and she unconsciously retracted her feathery appendages, folding them neatly behind her back. "And the thing that my heart wants is to be able to protect you from sadness. I want to be able to see your happy, smiling face every single day for the rest of my life. When I left you all those years ago, I broke your heart. I never want to break your heart ever again. That's why, on top of the promise to fight for your safety, I also promise to fight every single day for your happiness. Because that is something only I can do."

At that moment, a brilliant light shone from the aura around Konoka. It was bright enough to be blinding, but it didn't hurt Setsuna's eyes. Rather, a warmth came with it that washed away all hints of chill from her bones. Each and every shadow of cold and darkness was banished by the white magic. Filled with warmth and light, little did Setsuna expect that an event even more beautiful was about to transpire.

While Konoka did carry the magic bloodline of the Konoe family, she was not adept at drawing on that magic herself. Her magical abilities either had to be drawn out by the use of her pactio artifact, or she had to be in such a state of emotion that the barriers of mental inexperience were broken, allowing the magic to pour out of her. This time, her emotions reached such a fever pitch that an amazing amount of magic poured through her soul. It was as if the dam holding back a vast ocean of magic had suddenly burst open. However, since Konoka was not pulling the magic out of her body on her own, it did not come out cleanly. Instead, it fought its way out of her body, shattering in the process.

As the magic splintered, the white of the light began to split and refract into its different components, each individual ray becoming a spectrum of vibrant color. Silently, Setsuna marveled at the beauty of the scene before her, and at its center, Konoka wrapped in a rainbow of color. Somehow, Setsuna could feel the individual colors of light penetrating her body, each one healing a part of her being. Red invigorated her blood, giving her strength. Orange took over providing much needed heat to her body, and with the added benefit of supplying emotional warmth to her soul. Yellow refreshed her muscles and jumpstarted her brain. Green sang a beautiful harmony to her soul, bringing stability to her emotions. Blue calmed her nerves, sending a breath of fresh, tranquil air through her lungs. While the first five colors brought balance to her body and soul, the last of the colors moved her on a much more subtle note. Millions of rays of pure violet circled around her body, then stretched towards the sky, creating a wall of light. Its beauty was unimaginable, and its strength, impenetrable. Somehow, Setsuna knew that the wall of violet light stood around them as a barrier, protecting her new promise. One thing was certain, it was a barrier that could never be broken.

"It's so pretty Secchan."

Setsuna broke her eyes away from the violet wall and met Konoka's eyes with tears. They weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy. "Yes Konoka, the light is very pretty." Setsuna lifted her gaze to the wall of violet again, admiring its otherworldly beauty, knowing that it was a direct cause of the existence of the girl she was holding in her arms.

"Not the light Secchan." Looking to her face again in surprise, Setsuna saw a sparkle light up Konoka's eyes. "Your words. What you just said to me… It's something that makes me very happy." Konoka reached her hand up to gently stroke Setsuna's cheek. "To know that you want to be with me every day is something that fills me with happiness. To be honest Secchan, there is nothing more that I have ever wanted than that."

The calming, warm touch of Konoka's fingers on her cheek made Setsuna blush slightly, but she listened to the girl with rapt attention. The impact of Konoka's words was not immediate, but upon hearing them, Setsuna realized after so long what she had failed to see. Protected within a wall of brilliant violet she was brought face to face with the reality she had never before understood: that what Konoka wanted was, at its core, something different than what Setsuna wanted for her. Different entirely. Setsuna searched over the features of Konoka's face while thinking over the revelation.

What Konoka wants… What she wants is for me to be by her side each and every day. Not as a servant that is waiting with bated breath. Not as a silent guardian who watches from the shadows. Not even as a protector who is friendly but distant. No. What Konoka wants is for me to be close to her. Close enough for our friendship to bring her happiness. What a fool I was to not see that. Then, a thought entered Setsuna's mind that she didn't expect and her heart jumped into her throat. Wait, will she be satisfied with just being close friends? Does she want more than that? I…want more than that, right?

The power of Cosmo Entelecheia's distilling of Setsuna's mind broke through her natural reservation, bringing with it the memories of those last moments in Evangeline's resort. This girl, right here. She is the one I love. The thought of not being close to her is unbearable.

Anxious excitement came over Setsuna and she began to shift nervously on her knees. Konoka was simply gazing up at her, smiling a deep smile, which made Setsuna all the more nervous. She knew she had to be the one to say it. Konoka may feel the same way, but something deep within Setsuna's soul told her that she had to be the one to confess.

"Konoka, I do want to be with you, each and every day. But I don't want to be close to you as your friend. I couldn't do that. To spend every day with you without being together…" Her words choked in her throat. "My heart couldn't get through it."

Konoka had a somewhat confused look in her eye, as if she wasn't exactly sure what Setsuna was saying. I can't stop now though, Setsuna thought while trying to reign in her heartbeat, I have to tell her exactly how I feel.

"I've felt something towards you recently. Something I don't really understand, but something that makes me happy. And these feelings have been getting stronger ever since we went to the resort together. I was struggling to understand what it was that I really wanted, but I finally realized that I want to be with you, not as a friend, but as a lover."

Setsuna felt Konoka's breath catch, and she felt the girl tremble slightly in her arms. Small tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, making her soft brown irises glisten as she blinked them away. Captured by her beauty, Setsuna could do nothing but look into those soft brown eyes and let her feelings flow freely out of her heart.

"I love you, Konoka. From the deepest places of my heart, I love you. That's why… Would…" She felt her heart beating uncontrollably. Am I really going to say it? At the last second, Setsuna screwed her eyes shut and let the words fly from her mouth. "Will you please go out with me?!"

A moment passed. Then several. Fear and anxiety instantly plagued her thoughts. Why isn't she saying anything? Does she really not feel that way about me? But I was so sure! What will happen to us if she rejects me? Could we even still be friends after that? Damn it! I should have thought this through more before just saying it! Well I guess there's nothing but this to do…

She was almost about to apologize when she heard a squeal of joy and felt Konoka's arms wrap around her neck. She opened her eyes to see Konoka's face right in front of her with the biggest smile she had seen in a long time. Setsuna watched Konoka's eyes shake slightly, moved with emotion. Instead of speaking though, she only nodded softly before gently pulling Setsuna's face closer to hers. Knowing what was coming did nothing to slow Setsuna's heart, nor quiet her thoughts. She let her eyelids close on their own. When their faces were almost touching, Setsuna could feel Konoka's warm breath on her face. She could smell Konoka's scent, which she longed to breathe in. A little closer, and then…

Their lips touched in a soft kiss. It was a light kiss, filled with innocence and inexperience. Setsuna was the first to let go of her hesitation. She moved her hand to rest on the back of Konoka's head, lacing her fingers through the girl's soft, chocolate hair. Konoka responded by humming lightly and pressing deeper into the kiss. Setsuna was lost in the feeling, savoring the taste of Konoka's lips on her own, and feeling the passion and love streaming through them. It was only reluctantly that Setsuna pulled her head away from Konoka's, regretting losing the warm feeling of the girl's lips.

Setsuna slowly opened her eyes and rested her forehead against Konoka's. She gazed lovingly into Konoka's brown eyes. When she spoke, her voice was unusually soft and breathy.

"I hope to never get used to that. It's too good the way it is."

Konoka giggled softly before moving to kiss Setsuna a second time.

Protected and veiled from the outside world by a wall of violet, the two girls kissed again. Soon, kissing comfortably gave way to cuddling, with Konoka snuggled up against Setsuna's chest, held in a warm embrace. With a slight blush, Setsuna indulged herself by stroking Konoka's hair. Each stroke was lush and soft in Setsuna's hands. Why am I blushing at that, Setsuna asked herself. I just kissed her. And after all, she is my girlfriend now. Right? I guess some habits die hard. She was broken out of her thoughts when she felt Konoka's hand grab hers and lace their fingers together.

As their emotions settled to a contented happiness, Setsuna could feel the magic energy that had continued to stream out of Konoka's body lessen, down from a torrent to a trickle, then cease completely. Just as the release of magic waned, so too did the wall of violet fade, slowly revealing the damp forest scene around them. As if acting out the finale of a grand performance, the last ray of violet shot into the air, bursting above the canopy of the trees in a brilliant display of color. The two girls watched the scene with full hearts.

The storm had finally passed, leaving behind a blue sky and the wet smell of new life. Setsuna was content to stay silent and enjoy the natural beauty of the scenery, but Konoka spoke up.

"Secchan, we should probably get back to the dorm. We'll both catch colds if we don't change out of these wet clothes."

Reluctantly, Setsuna agreed and helped the slight girl stand. Setsuna then stood herself and stretched her arms and wings, returning life and limberness to their distal parts. After the much needed stretch, she unconsciously began to fold her wings back into her body, but Konoka stopped her with a waving motion.

"Um, Secchan… Would you mind leaving your wings out? At least until we get closer to the edge of the forest?" Konoka dropped her gaze, blushing almost as hard as Setsuna usually did. "I… like looking at them."

Seeing Konoka's blushing face and hearing the words she spoke made Setsuna's heart skip a beat. She wondered to herself if it was always going to be this nice having a girlfriend who loved her. Taking Konoka's hand, she cooed a soft, "of course, Kono-chan," before leading her down the path that led back to the dorms. Setsuna could only think about one thing: that they were setting out on their first walk together as lovers.

Once they left the forest, Setsuna was forced to stow her wings, at which point Konoka donned an exaggerated pout. Setsuna laughed and assured Konoka that she was more than willing to see her wings any time they were alone.

"Can… can I touch them too?" Konoka was pushing her index fingers together nervously, waiting for an answer. Setsuna blushed at the idea—her wings were really sensitive, and the thought of having Konoka touch them was almost…too good to imagine. But if Konoka really wanted to, she was certainly not going to say no.

"That would be…nice, Kono-chan."

The two continued their slow walk to the dorm, hands laced together tightly, sharing light conversation. Once they had gotten a little further, a question popped into Setsuna's mind. It was one that she thought she could ask, now that Konoka was officially her girlfriend. She looked over to the chocolate-haired girl, saying, "Hey Kono-chan? So what was it that was bothering you so much this morning?"

Konoka stopped in her tracks and put a finger to her mouth in thought. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember exactly what it was. Then she bounced once on her toes in remembrance before continuing on ahead of her. She spoke matter-of-factly in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, I was just a little sad that you didn't kiss me goodnight last night. That's all."

This time, it was Setsuna who stopped in her tracks. She stopped so abruptly that Konoka nearly lost her balance from being tugged by the arm. Konoka looked to Setsuna with a confused face.

"What's wrong Secchan?"

After the initial shock wore off, Setsuna burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. She brought her hand up to wipe them away as the last bits of laughter shook through her body. When she finally calmed down she gave Konoka a bright smile.

"I did give you a goodnight kiss last night Kono-chan, but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"What?!" Konoka exclaimed. Setsuna watched as the girl processed the news. Her face blended from confused, to pensive, to shocked. Finally, she too broke out in a small giggle as she shook her head. "You mean, everything about today happened because I was sleeping when you kissed me goodnight? How silly of me!"

Something about how she was laughing reminded Setsuna of a little child, playful and innocent. Before Konoka could recover and regain her composure, Setsuna captured her arm and pulled the girl close to her body. With a light tug from Setsuna, they once again started on their way back to the dorm.

"I don't think it's silly at all Kono-chan," she said with a smile, and a small blush. Setsuna couldn't help remembering what Chisame had said to her on the beach. "I would have wanted to be woken up myself if I was in that situation. And it worked out pretty well in the end, right?" She glimpsed at Konoka from the corner of her eye.

The chocolate-haired girl smiled and rested her head on Setsuna's shoulder. In that moment, Setsuna didn't care if it took one minute or ten thousand years to reach the dorm. As long as she could hold Konoka close to her heart, that would be enough. The air seemed alive with newness and a gentle breeze streamed through her hair. Konoka offered a single, simple phrase to complement the beauty of the moment.

"I love you, Secchan."

Without a hint of a blush, Setsuna leaned her head down to kiss the top of Konoka's head.

"I love you too, Kono-chan."

Fin.

Author's note: Six months and twenty five chapters later, and the first installment of Barriers is complete! I cannot thank you all enough for supporting me through this work. I sincerely appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read Barriers, and especially those of you who took the time to get in touch with me! I always appreciate hearing from my readers, whether it be praise or criticism. As of now, the sequel to Barriers is published right here on FanFiction! The story will be under a different name (Shadows), so if it's easier for you, you can simply follow me to get an email every time I post a new chapter. Thanks again for traveling with me, Setsuna, Konoka, and all the characters of Barriers. It's been a blast. For today I give my last words to my friend Glyph, who always encourages you to, "Have a pleasant day."

-Grimbt