Sailor Moon and its characters do not belong to me.
Warnings: possibly non-canon pairings, possible OOC, minimal hints of
shoujo ai
Author's Note: I have reached the conclusion that this entire thing was
probably spawned by me reading too much Marmalade Boy.
Plots and Consequences
By Rapunzel
Chapter 4: A Night Out
Whatever Hotaru's plan was, Setsuna saw very little evidence of it over the next few days. Life seemed to go on as normal, until Seiya came to her and she dragged him off to a place where they had a little privacy for what she was beginning to think of as a "Council of War".
Seiya was excited when he came to her, his eyes were sparkling, and he looked immensely pleased with himself. "I think it's working," he said as soon as they were alone.
"Oh, really?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow at his statement. "What makes you say that?"
"Well," he answered with a satisfied smile, "Usagi came up to me yesterday and told me that she doesn't think that I should be dating you."
/She's probably right,/ Setsuna thought. Aloud, she said, "She actually said that?"
Seiya's smile faded slightly. "Well, not in so many words. She supposedly made the suggestion out of concern for you."
"Really?"
"Yes. She said that she was worried that I was ignoring you too much, and that if that was my attitude, it would be better if I just broke things off altogether." His smile had returned. "It was something along those lines."
Setsuna sighed. Perhaps she was simply old, but she thought Seiya was being a little childish. "How do you know that concern for me wasn't her only motive?"
Seiya gave her a dark look. "I know," he insisted.
Setsuna rolled her eyes slightly, but didn't comment. /Definitely like a child, seeing only what he wants to see.../ Personally, she wasn't at all sure that Usagi's comment had meant what Seiya obviously thought it had meant, that she was jealous. After all, Usagi had seemed awfully concerned for her earlier.
"Anyway," Seiya continued, "that wasn't the only encouragement I got. Mamoru glared at me on the way out."
That should have been an encouraging sign that their plan was working on at least one person, but Setsuna only felt guilty upon hearing the news.
"What do you think of that?" Seiya asked her.
"I think he has every right to glare at you," she answered. "It's obvious that you're hitting on his girlfriend."
"You're not still mad about that are you? About me not acting convincing enough? Because I intend to start fixing that."
That took her by surprise. "Oh, really?"
Seiya nodded. "I'm taking you out to dinner tonight, if you're not doing anything else."
Setsuna blinked. "Well, that's a little sudden."
"According to you, everything I do is sudden," Seiya pointed out with a wry smile. "So, are you on?"
She considered. "Well, I'm not doing anything else tonight..."
"Great. Be ready at seven."
~*~*~
At ten minutes to seven, chaos seemed to have the upper hand, and Setsuna was gritting her teeth and wondering how she had survived in such close quarters with Michiru before now. "Are you almost done?" she asked rather irritably.
"Almost," Michiru said for the fifth time in the past half hour. "Hold still!"
Setsuna tried, but she was growing impatient. She had come out of her room at six-thirty, dressed (she thought) appropriately for the occasion. Michiru, however, had had other ideas.
"You can't go out on a date like that!" she had protested once Setsuna had disclosed the reason for her attire. "You're dressed like you're ready for a funeral!"
Setsuna had looked down at her simple black dress in confusion. "What's wrong with black?"
"Yeah," Haruka had put in from behind her. "What's wrong with it? Isn't black supposed to have a slimming effect?"
Both Setsuna and Michiru had sent her baleful looks at that.
"It's a date. You're supposed to look vibrant and attractive, not like someone just died!"
The look on Michiru's face had told Setsuna that she wasn't getting out of this one. "What did you have in mind? If you put me in pink, I swear I'll kill you in the next battle and make it look like an accident."
"Pink's not your color. Come on, We'll find something else more suitable." Michiru seemed knowledgeable on such subjects.
So, Setsuna had relented and changed in to a slightly fancier red dress that Michiru deemed "more suitable." And, she reflected, it would not have been so bad if Michiru had been content to stop there. But no. Next had come the makeup.
Setsuna was not terribly concerned with cosmetics. Her skin was clear and her complexion was good enough that she felt no desire to alter it. For most occasions, a little lipstick was all she required, and she had very little knowledge of the subject beyond that. For Michiru, however, the art of makeup was just that, an art. She had agonized over what colors would match her complexion or bring out her eyes. Setsuna had sat back and let her work, hoping that once she got it out of her system, that would be the end of it. But no. After that had been the hair.
"You can't go out with it like that!" Michiru had protested. "That's how you always wear it!"
"I like it this way," Setsuna had defended her simple bun. "It keeps most of it down, but enough up that it doesn't get in my way as much."
"But this is a special occasion!"
So, there she was, with ten minutes until Seiya arrived, assuming he wasn't early, and Michiru still fussing over her hair.
"How in the world do you ever manage to get ready for parties?" Setsuna demanded as Michiru took down yet another style, declaring it to be "too boring."
"Wouldn't you like to know," Haruka answered with a smirk. "You're getting off lightly. I've seen her take a half an hour for the makeup alone."
"Michiru," Setsuna demanded as Michiru reached for the hairbrush again. "Would you please make up your mind? He'll be here soon."
"Maybe he'll be late," Haruka suggested.
"He'd better not be too late," Michiru muttered ominously. "Not after all the work we've put in."
Setsuna didn't bother to mention that there was no "we"; Michiru was the one making and doing all the work.
Hotaru came hurtling into the room, crying in a singsong voice, "It's five minutes to seven!" She stopped. "Wow, Setsuna-mama, you look great."
"Thank you," Setsuna said. "Now could you kindly convince Michiru of that?"
The doorbell rang.
"Oh dear," Michiru murmured distractedly. "That's probably him now. I guess this will have to do." She finished putting Setsuna's hair up in a twist and let her go.
"This is better than the bun how?" Setsuna asked acidly. Almost half an hour of being poked and prodded at had made her extremely irritable, and the sound of the doorbell ringing again in the background didn't help.
"Never mind that," Michiru said. She gave Setsuna a little shove, herding her towards the door. "Go knock him dead."
"I can't believe you're encouraging me," Setsuna muttered.
"Well, it's easier than trying to stop you," Haruka pointed out.
As the doorbell rang a third time, they retreated, leaving her alone to deal with her supposed "boyfriend." Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
"Hi," Seiya said. "I was beginning to think your roommates had taken you hostage or something."
Setsuna let out a very un-ladylike snort. "Pretty close," she said. "Michiru got a little carried away." She gestured at her clothes and hair.
Seiya laughed, which made her feel oddly better about the whole thing. "Ah well," he said. "You're out of her clutches now. Here." He handed her a bouquet of red roses.
"What's this?" Setsuna asked, taking the flowers curiously. "A touch of verisimilitude?"
He nodded, answering, "To make it more convincing. Flowers are a traditional gift, and someone told me that red was your favorite color, so..." He trailed off, shrugging.
"Well, thank you," she said, not quite sure how to accept the gesture. Of course, it had to be red roses, Mamoru's trademark. She wondered for a moment if he'd done it deliberately to remind her of what the stakes were. Then she shook off that thought. Taking the roses, she went inside long enough to leave them on the table, figuring that they would simply wilt if she took them with her. Returning, she said, "I'm ready."
"Great."
~*~*~
"So, how am I doing?"
Setsuna looked sideways at Seiya, who wasn't looking at her, but at the road as he drove her home. "Not badly," she admitted. "Of course, it's hard to go wrong with dinner, but..." She trailed off.
"Good. I haven't taken very many girls out before, and I'm sure I need the practice."
"For when you get Usagi, you mean?" she asked.
"Something like that," he replied with a laugh.
/Of course,/ she thought. /It always comes back to Usagi somehow./
"Maybe we should try this again some time," Seiya surprised her by saying.
After a moment, she quietly replied, "Maybe."
As Seiya pulled up in front of the house she shared with the other outers, she found herself reluctant to get out of the car. She decided that it was because she didn't want to go in and face Haruka and Michiru, who were sure to ask her lots of questions.
"Thank you for a lovely evening," she said.
"You'd better thank your daughter," Seiya said.
Setsuna's brows knitted in confusion. "Hotaru?"
"She's the one who gave me the idea," he said. "She said it was strange that I was dating you and yet we never actually went on dates."
"She said that?" Setsuna couldn't quite believe that. Keeping her secret was one thing, but would Hotaru actually help her with her plan? Surely not. /What in the world is that girl up to?/ she wondered.
"...soon," Seiya was saying, and Setsuna realized that she had zoned out and hadn't been listening.
"What?" she asked.
"I said I'll be seeing you soon," Seiya repeated, looking at her oddly.
"Oh. Right." She got out of the car. "Good night," she said, closing the door. As she walked up to the house, she heard him pulling out into the night.
"You're back early," Michiru said as Setsuna opened the door.
"It was just dinner out," she answered. "It doesn't take that long to eat." She walked past the other woman, heading towards her room without a backward glance.
"I put your flowers in a vase," Michiru called after her.
"Thanks," she said tiredly.
Reaching her room, she flopped backwards onto her bed, abandoning her composure. She was confused, and being a woman accustomed to knowing things, she found that she didn't like that feeling. There were too many plots going on. She was having enough trouble keeping her charade with Seiya straight to devote any energy trying to figure out what Hotaru was up to. Still, she couldn't help but wonder...
Sighing heavily, she decided not to worry about it. After all, Hotaru was a clever girl. Whatever she was planning, it was sure to turn out for the best.
Tbc
Plots and Consequences
By Rapunzel
Chapter 4: A Night Out
Whatever Hotaru's plan was, Setsuna saw very little evidence of it over the next few days. Life seemed to go on as normal, until Seiya came to her and she dragged him off to a place where they had a little privacy for what she was beginning to think of as a "Council of War".
Seiya was excited when he came to her, his eyes were sparkling, and he looked immensely pleased with himself. "I think it's working," he said as soon as they were alone.
"Oh, really?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow at his statement. "What makes you say that?"
"Well," he answered with a satisfied smile, "Usagi came up to me yesterday and told me that she doesn't think that I should be dating you."
/She's probably right,/ Setsuna thought. Aloud, she said, "She actually said that?"
Seiya's smile faded slightly. "Well, not in so many words. She supposedly made the suggestion out of concern for you."
"Really?"
"Yes. She said that she was worried that I was ignoring you too much, and that if that was my attitude, it would be better if I just broke things off altogether." His smile had returned. "It was something along those lines."
Setsuna sighed. Perhaps she was simply old, but she thought Seiya was being a little childish. "How do you know that concern for me wasn't her only motive?"
Seiya gave her a dark look. "I know," he insisted.
Setsuna rolled her eyes slightly, but didn't comment. /Definitely like a child, seeing only what he wants to see.../ Personally, she wasn't at all sure that Usagi's comment had meant what Seiya obviously thought it had meant, that she was jealous. After all, Usagi had seemed awfully concerned for her earlier.
"Anyway," Seiya continued, "that wasn't the only encouragement I got. Mamoru glared at me on the way out."
That should have been an encouraging sign that their plan was working on at least one person, but Setsuna only felt guilty upon hearing the news.
"What do you think of that?" Seiya asked her.
"I think he has every right to glare at you," she answered. "It's obvious that you're hitting on his girlfriend."
"You're not still mad about that are you? About me not acting convincing enough? Because I intend to start fixing that."
That took her by surprise. "Oh, really?"
Seiya nodded. "I'm taking you out to dinner tonight, if you're not doing anything else."
Setsuna blinked. "Well, that's a little sudden."
"According to you, everything I do is sudden," Seiya pointed out with a wry smile. "So, are you on?"
She considered. "Well, I'm not doing anything else tonight..."
"Great. Be ready at seven."
~*~*~
At ten minutes to seven, chaos seemed to have the upper hand, and Setsuna was gritting her teeth and wondering how she had survived in such close quarters with Michiru before now. "Are you almost done?" she asked rather irritably.
"Almost," Michiru said for the fifth time in the past half hour. "Hold still!"
Setsuna tried, but she was growing impatient. She had come out of her room at six-thirty, dressed (she thought) appropriately for the occasion. Michiru, however, had had other ideas.
"You can't go out on a date like that!" she had protested once Setsuna had disclosed the reason for her attire. "You're dressed like you're ready for a funeral!"
Setsuna had looked down at her simple black dress in confusion. "What's wrong with black?"
"Yeah," Haruka had put in from behind her. "What's wrong with it? Isn't black supposed to have a slimming effect?"
Both Setsuna and Michiru had sent her baleful looks at that.
"It's a date. You're supposed to look vibrant and attractive, not like someone just died!"
The look on Michiru's face had told Setsuna that she wasn't getting out of this one. "What did you have in mind? If you put me in pink, I swear I'll kill you in the next battle and make it look like an accident."
"Pink's not your color. Come on, We'll find something else more suitable." Michiru seemed knowledgeable on such subjects.
So, Setsuna had relented and changed in to a slightly fancier red dress that Michiru deemed "more suitable." And, she reflected, it would not have been so bad if Michiru had been content to stop there. But no. Next had come the makeup.
Setsuna was not terribly concerned with cosmetics. Her skin was clear and her complexion was good enough that she felt no desire to alter it. For most occasions, a little lipstick was all she required, and she had very little knowledge of the subject beyond that. For Michiru, however, the art of makeup was just that, an art. She had agonized over what colors would match her complexion or bring out her eyes. Setsuna had sat back and let her work, hoping that once she got it out of her system, that would be the end of it. But no. After that had been the hair.
"You can't go out with it like that!" Michiru had protested. "That's how you always wear it!"
"I like it this way," Setsuna had defended her simple bun. "It keeps most of it down, but enough up that it doesn't get in my way as much."
"But this is a special occasion!"
So, there she was, with ten minutes until Seiya arrived, assuming he wasn't early, and Michiru still fussing over her hair.
"How in the world do you ever manage to get ready for parties?" Setsuna demanded as Michiru took down yet another style, declaring it to be "too boring."
"Wouldn't you like to know," Haruka answered with a smirk. "You're getting off lightly. I've seen her take a half an hour for the makeup alone."
"Michiru," Setsuna demanded as Michiru reached for the hairbrush again. "Would you please make up your mind? He'll be here soon."
"Maybe he'll be late," Haruka suggested.
"He'd better not be too late," Michiru muttered ominously. "Not after all the work we've put in."
Setsuna didn't bother to mention that there was no "we"; Michiru was the one making and doing all the work.
Hotaru came hurtling into the room, crying in a singsong voice, "It's five minutes to seven!" She stopped. "Wow, Setsuna-mama, you look great."
"Thank you," Setsuna said. "Now could you kindly convince Michiru of that?"
The doorbell rang.
"Oh dear," Michiru murmured distractedly. "That's probably him now. I guess this will have to do." She finished putting Setsuna's hair up in a twist and let her go.
"This is better than the bun how?" Setsuna asked acidly. Almost half an hour of being poked and prodded at had made her extremely irritable, and the sound of the doorbell ringing again in the background didn't help.
"Never mind that," Michiru said. She gave Setsuna a little shove, herding her towards the door. "Go knock him dead."
"I can't believe you're encouraging me," Setsuna muttered.
"Well, it's easier than trying to stop you," Haruka pointed out.
As the doorbell rang a third time, they retreated, leaving her alone to deal with her supposed "boyfriend." Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
"Hi," Seiya said. "I was beginning to think your roommates had taken you hostage or something."
Setsuna let out a very un-ladylike snort. "Pretty close," she said. "Michiru got a little carried away." She gestured at her clothes and hair.
Seiya laughed, which made her feel oddly better about the whole thing. "Ah well," he said. "You're out of her clutches now. Here." He handed her a bouquet of red roses.
"What's this?" Setsuna asked, taking the flowers curiously. "A touch of verisimilitude?"
He nodded, answering, "To make it more convincing. Flowers are a traditional gift, and someone told me that red was your favorite color, so..." He trailed off, shrugging.
"Well, thank you," she said, not quite sure how to accept the gesture. Of course, it had to be red roses, Mamoru's trademark. She wondered for a moment if he'd done it deliberately to remind her of what the stakes were. Then she shook off that thought. Taking the roses, she went inside long enough to leave them on the table, figuring that they would simply wilt if she took them with her. Returning, she said, "I'm ready."
"Great."
~*~*~
"So, how am I doing?"
Setsuna looked sideways at Seiya, who wasn't looking at her, but at the road as he drove her home. "Not badly," she admitted. "Of course, it's hard to go wrong with dinner, but..." She trailed off.
"Good. I haven't taken very many girls out before, and I'm sure I need the practice."
"For when you get Usagi, you mean?" she asked.
"Something like that," he replied with a laugh.
/Of course,/ she thought. /It always comes back to Usagi somehow./
"Maybe we should try this again some time," Seiya surprised her by saying.
After a moment, she quietly replied, "Maybe."
As Seiya pulled up in front of the house she shared with the other outers, she found herself reluctant to get out of the car. She decided that it was because she didn't want to go in and face Haruka and Michiru, who were sure to ask her lots of questions.
"Thank you for a lovely evening," she said.
"You'd better thank your daughter," Seiya said.
Setsuna's brows knitted in confusion. "Hotaru?"
"She's the one who gave me the idea," he said. "She said it was strange that I was dating you and yet we never actually went on dates."
"She said that?" Setsuna couldn't quite believe that. Keeping her secret was one thing, but would Hotaru actually help her with her plan? Surely not. /What in the world is that girl up to?/ she wondered.
"...soon," Seiya was saying, and Setsuna realized that she had zoned out and hadn't been listening.
"What?" she asked.
"I said I'll be seeing you soon," Seiya repeated, looking at her oddly.
"Oh. Right." She got out of the car. "Good night," she said, closing the door. As she walked up to the house, she heard him pulling out into the night.
"You're back early," Michiru said as Setsuna opened the door.
"It was just dinner out," she answered. "It doesn't take that long to eat." She walked past the other woman, heading towards her room without a backward glance.
"I put your flowers in a vase," Michiru called after her.
"Thanks," she said tiredly.
Reaching her room, she flopped backwards onto her bed, abandoning her composure. She was confused, and being a woman accustomed to knowing things, she found that she didn't like that feeling. There were too many plots going on. She was having enough trouble keeping her charade with Seiya straight to devote any energy trying to figure out what Hotaru was up to. Still, she couldn't help but wonder...
Sighing heavily, she decided not to worry about it. After all, Hotaru was a clever girl. Whatever she was planning, it was sure to turn out for the best.
Tbc
