Disclaimers suck...so fill in the disclaimer of your choice, because I refuse to do so for religious reasons...kinda...
In the Name of Love
Setsuna rushed into the kitchen, hastily trying to tie her long green hair up as she did so. Her uncle was waiting for her when she got there and he was in a VERY testy mood.
"Where were you? You're ten minutes late!" Setsuna looked at the floor in a desperate attempt to avoid her uncle's wrathful gaze. "Look at me when I talk to you!" he bellowed. She quickly looked up.
"Gomen nasai, Uncle. I didn't to be so late, but..." He cut her off.
"No excuses! I don't care. Toshitada told me that he would be gone for the rest of the week. You're going to have to serve your customers after you fix their food." Setsuna was about to protest at the unfairness of this, but remembered to hold her tongue just in time. The last time she had argued with her uncle, she'd ended up with a split lip and a bruise the size of a lemon on her arm. Her uncle was a violent, impatient man. So she merely nodded acquiescence.
"Hai, Uncle. Is there anything else that you wanted to tell me?" He shook his head. As she turned to leave, he called her back.
"When is that good-for-nothing baka you call a brother going to get a real job?" He'd pushed the right button. Setsuna whirled around to face him angrily.
"Dokusui is a wonderful poet! He doesn't have time for a job with all of his studies!" Her uncle laughed harshly.
"Just remember that when you two get evicted from your apartment. How do you afford to pay for food and the rent after you buy him all those expensive inks, parchments and brushes? I know exactly how much you make every month. Now, get to work!" He turned and exited the kitchen, leaving Setsuna staring after him, fuming silently.
***
Usagi, Minako and Ami walked into the small restaurant and sat in a sunny booth.
"I've never eaten in here before, but I've heard that they have really excellent food!" Minako said. Usagi went dreamy-eyed at the thought of food. A handsome young man came over to their table. The three girls ordered and, surprise, surprise, Usagi's order was almost twice as large as Ami's or Minako's. The man thanked them and took the orders back into the kitchen.
"Hey! Ice-for-brains! You got customers. Corner booth!" He handed Setsuna the slip of paper that the orders were written on. She took it and stood wearily. She'd been working since 6:40 that morning and it was now close to 3 in the afternoon. The guy left, muttering something under his breath which sounded suspiciously like "She needs to come back from Pluto or wherever the hell she is...stupid slut..." Sighing, Setsuna began to prepare the orders.
***
Setsuna carefully balanced the heavy tray. 'One of these people must be a pig,' she thought. She pushed the door open and looked for her customers. "Let's see...he said they were in the corner booth. Oh, there they..." She trailed off, horrified. It was the odango no atama and two of her friends. Setsuna froze as she almost dropped the tray of food. She couldn't let them see her waiting tables. It would be too, too embarrassing.
Then she saw her uncle watching her, a vicious look on his face. She gulped. She and Dokusui needed the money she got from this job. She had given up everything she'd dreamed of to take this job to pay for food and rent and Dokusui's poetry supplies. Swallowing her pride, she slowly and reluctantly made her way to the table.
Usagi looked up as Setsuna came over. "The food's here!" she exclaimed happily. Ami looked as well. She blinked in surprise.
"Setsuna?" Setsuna ducked her head in embarrassment.
"Go ahead. Make fun of me. I have to work so my brother and I will have food and a home." The girls exchanged looks and Ami actually set her book down. (Gasp!)
"Why would we make fun of you?" Usagi asked.
"You...you don't think it's funny?" They all shook their heads. "My uncle, the man who owns this restaurant, thinks it's hilarious. He would. I have to work for him."
"Why?" Minako asked. Setsuna looked over her shoulder at her uncle. He was upset at her apparent lack of progress.
"I can't talk now. I have to get back to work. If you really want to know, come talk to me at 6:30 when I get off of work." She took the tray back to the kitchen.
***
Usagi, Minako and Ami were back at 6: 30, now accompanied by Rei and Makoto. Setsuna came out of the restaurant, her hair still tied up and her satchel slung over her shoulder. She locked the door and turned to see the girls waiting for her.
"Konnichi wa, Setsuna! Will you tell us now?" Usagi asked. Setsuna sighed but began her story.
"It started three years ago when my mother and father died. I was a junior in high school. My brother Dokusui was beginning to study poetry. They left us some money, but our uncle took it. He said that they owed it to him.
"I had been accepted into a few different universities, but I couldn't go because I didn't even have enough money to take the SATs, much less pay for college. So, to pay for food, rent and Dokusui's poetry supplies, I have to work here in my uncle's restaurant." Ami frowned thoughtfully.
"Couldn't Dokusui help you pay for everything?"
"He's too busy with his poetry. He doesn't have time to work." Usagi scratched her head.
"Doesn't it upset you that you have to do all the work?" she asked. Setsuna shook her head.
"Iie. I'm proud of Dokusui. He's going to be a great poet someday." Makoto smiled.
"You really love your brother, don't you?"
"Hai." Setsuna answered. "More than you can imagine."
***
Setsuna unlocked the door and walked into the apartment.
"Doku-kun? I'm home. Have you eaten today?" A tall young man with blue-green hair and dark green eyes stuck his head out of the bedroom door.
"Nani? Oh, not yet." Setsuna sighed as she set her satchel on the table.
"What *am* I going to do with you, Doku? You need to eat." Dokusui blanked adorably.
"Why?"
"Because you, my masochistic scholar, are not immortal. Now, come eat something." Setsuna sat down and rubbed her temples.
"Did Uncle give you a hard time today, Setsu-chan?" Dokusui asked as he came out of the bedroom. Setsuna laughed bitterly.
"Doesn't he always? He was saying insulting things about you today. Again. Asked me when you were going to get a real job." Dokusui untied her hair band to let her long green hair fall free. He gently nuzzled his face in the thick jade tresses.
"Gomen, Setsu-chan. I wish he wouldn't throw me in your face. I know how much it upsets you. Maybe I *should* get a job." Setsuna looked up sharply.
"IIE! Doku-kun, you have to keep working on your poetry! You can't stop now!" Dokusui laughed.
"I don't have any talent. I should be helping you pay our bills, not wasting my time on...Wait! That's it! I have it!"
"Have what, Doku-kun?" He kissed the top of her head and rushed into the bedroom. "What on earth are you doing, Doku-kun?" No answer.
***
Half an hour later...
Dokusui came out of the room carrying a piece of parchment. Setsuna looked up from her salad and green tea.
"Now you come out. What were you so excited about?" Dokusui smiled and sat down beside her.
"You are my heroine. Have I ever told you that?" Setsuna laughed.
"What ARE you talking about, Doku-kun?" He handed her the sheet of parchment. She read it. It was a beautiful love poem.
"Doku! It's wonderful! But I thought you couldn't write..."
"You inspired me, Setsu-chan. I can finally write the kind of poems that I've always wanted to. And it's all thanks to you."
"But you're the one with the talent, Doku." Dokusui smiled and took her hand in his larger one.
"Talent is nothing without inspiration. You're my muse, Setsu-chan. I can do anything as long as I have you." He leaned forward and kissed her gently.
In the Name of Love
Setsuna rushed into the kitchen, hastily trying to tie her long green hair up as she did so. Her uncle was waiting for her when she got there and he was in a VERY testy mood.
"Where were you? You're ten minutes late!" Setsuna looked at the floor in a desperate attempt to avoid her uncle's wrathful gaze. "Look at me when I talk to you!" he bellowed. She quickly looked up.
"Gomen nasai, Uncle. I didn't to be so late, but..." He cut her off.
"No excuses! I don't care. Toshitada told me that he would be gone for the rest of the week. You're going to have to serve your customers after you fix their food." Setsuna was about to protest at the unfairness of this, but remembered to hold her tongue just in time. The last time she had argued with her uncle, she'd ended up with a split lip and a bruise the size of a lemon on her arm. Her uncle was a violent, impatient man. So she merely nodded acquiescence.
"Hai, Uncle. Is there anything else that you wanted to tell me?" He shook his head. As she turned to leave, he called her back.
"When is that good-for-nothing baka you call a brother going to get a real job?" He'd pushed the right button. Setsuna whirled around to face him angrily.
"Dokusui is a wonderful poet! He doesn't have time for a job with all of his studies!" Her uncle laughed harshly.
"Just remember that when you two get evicted from your apartment. How do you afford to pay for food and the rent after you buy him all those expensive inks, parchments and brushes? I know exactly how much you make every month. Now, get to work!" He turned and exited the kitchen, leaving Setsuna staring after him, fuming silently.
***
Usagi, Minako and Ami walked into the small restaurant and sat in a sunny booth.
"I've never eaten in here before, but I've heard that they have really excellent food!" Minako said. Usagi went dreamy-eyed at the thought of food. A handsome young man came over to their table. The three girls ordered and, surprise, surprise, Usagi's order was almost twice as large as Ami's or Minako's. The man thanked them and took the orders back into the kitchen.
"Hey! Ice-for-brains! You got customers. Corner booth!" He handed Setsuna the slip of paper that the orders were written on. She took it and stood wearily. She'd been working since 6:40 that morning and it was now close to 3 in the afternoon. The guy left, muttering something under his breath which sounded suspiciously like "She needs to come back from Pluto or wherever the hell she is...stupid slut..." Sighing, Setsuna began to prepare the orders.
***
Setsuna carefully balanced the heavy tray. 'One of these people must be a pig,' she thought. She pushed the door open and looked for her customers. "Let's see...he said they were in the corner booth. Oh, there they..." She trailed off, horrified. It was the odango no atama and two of her friends. Setsuna froze as she almost dropped the tray of food. She couldn't let them see her waiting tables. It would be too, too embarrassing.
Then she saw her uncle watching her, a vicious look on his face. She gulped. She and Dokusui needed the money she got from this job. She had given up everything she'd dreamed of to take this job to pay for food and rent and Dokusui's poetry supplies. Swallowing her pride, she slowly and reluctantly made her way to the table.
Usagi looked up as Setsuna came over. "The food's here!" she exclaimed happily. Ami looked as well. She blinked in surprise.
"Setsuna?" Setsuna ducked her head in embarrassment.
"Go ahead. Make fun of me. I have to work so my brother and I will have food and a home." The girls exchanged looks and Ami actually set her book down. (Gasp!)
"Why would we make fun of you?" Usagi asked.
"You...you don't think it's funny?" They all shook their heads. "My uncle, the man who owns this restaurant, thinks it's hilarious. He would. I have to work for him."
"Why?" Minako asked. Setsuna looked over her shoulder at her uncle. He was upset at her apparent lack of progress.
"I can't talk now. I have to get back to work. If you really want to know, come talk to me at 6:30 when I get off of work." She took the tray back to the kitchen.
***
Usagi, Minako and Ami were back at 6: 30, now accompanied by Rei and Makoto. Setsuna came out of the restaurant, her hair still tied up and her satchel slung over her shoulder. She locked the door and turned to see the girls waiting for her.
"Konnichi wa, Setsuna! Will you tell us now?" Usagi asked. Setsuna sighed but began her story.
"It started three years ago when my mother and father died. I was a junior in high school. My brother Dokusui was beginning to study poetry. They left us some money, but our uncle took it. He said that they owed it to him.
"I had been accepted into a few different universities, but I couldn't go because I didn't even have enough money to take the SATs, much less pay for college. So, to pay for food, rent and Dokusui's poetry supplies, I have to work here in my uncle's restaurant." Ami frowned thoughtfully.
"Couldn't Dokusui help you pay for everything?"
"He's too busy with his poetry. He doesn't have time to work." Usagi scratched her head.
"Doesn't it upset you that you have to do all the work?" she asked. Setsuna shook her head.
"Iie. I'm proud of Dokusui. He's going to be a great poet someday." Makoto smiled.
"You really love your brother, don't you?"
"Hai." Setsuna answered. "More than you can imagine."
***
Setsuna unlocked the door and walked into the apartment.
"Doku-kun? I'm home. Have you eaten today?" A tall young man with blue-green hair and dark green eyes stuck his head out of the bedroom door.
"Nani? Oh, not yet." Setsuna sighed as she set her satchel on the table.
"What *am* I going to do with you, Doku? You need to eat." Dokusui blanked adorably.
"Why?"
"Because you, my masochistic scholar, are not immortal. Now, come eat something." Setsuna sat down and rubbed her temples.
"Did Uncle give you a hard time today, Setsu-chan?" Dokusui asked as he came out of the bedroom. Setsuna laughed bitterly.
"Doesn't he always? He was saying insulting things about you today. Again. Asked me when you were going to get a real job." Dokusui untied her hair band to let her long green hair fall free. He gently nuzzled his face in the thick jade tresses.
"Gomen, Setsu-chan. I wish he wouldn't throw me in your face. I know how much it upsets you. Maybe I *should* get a job." Setsuna looked up sharply.
"IIE! Doku-kun, you have to keep working on your poetry! You can't stop now!" Dokusui laughed.
"I don't have any talent. I should be helping you pay our bills, not wasting my time on...Wait! That's it! I have it!"
"Have what, Doku-kun?" He kissed the top of her head and rushed into the bedroom. "What on earth are you doing, Doku-kun?" No answer.
***
Half an hour later...
Dokusui came out of the room carrying a piece of parchment. Setsuna looked up from her salad and green tea.
"Now you come out. What were you so excited about?" Dokusui smiled and sat down beside her.
"You are my heroine. Have I ever told you that?" Setsuna laughed.
"What ARE you talking about, Doku-kun?" He handed her the sheet of parchment. She read it. It was a beautiful love poem.
"Doku! It's wonderful! But I thought you couldn't write..."
"You inspired me, Setsu-chan. I can finally write the kind of poems that I've always wanted to. And it's all thanks to you."
"But you're the one with the talent, Doku." Dokusui smiled and took her hand in his larger one.
"Talent is nothing without inspiration. You're my muse, Setsu-chan. I can do anything as long as I have you." He leaned forward and kissed her gently.