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 5: Conversations
While Setsuna's supposed "date" with Seiya had certainly not been anything spectacular, it did have the desired effect. Haruka and Michiru were more or less convinced that Seiya actually meant to pursue her, and they shared this opinion with the others. The next thing Setsuna knew, she had a house full of inners, all admiring the roses Seiya had given her.
"They're lovely," Makoto said with a sigh. "I hope you remembered to clip the bottoms off underwater; they'll last longer that way."
"Yes, otherwise there will be air bubbles in the vascular tissue," Ami put in.
No one paid much attention to this statement, as they were used to hearing such things from Ami.
"I wish my boyfriends would give me stuff like that," Minako said wistfully.
Setsuna allowed herself a small smirk as she thought about the irony of that.
"They're very nice, Setsuna-san," Usagi said, giving her a brilliant smile.
/So much for jealousy,/ Setsuna thought. Somehow, the knowledge that their scheme was failing didn't disappoint her at all.
After the inners were done gushing over her flowers and Michiru had escorted them to the door and seen them off, the bomb shell was dropped.
"You usually ask them to stay to dinner if they're over this late," Haruka observed. "Why not tonight?"
"Because Seiya's coming over for dinner, and I didn't think that it would be a good idea to have Usagi over at the same time," Michiru answered calmly.
Setsuna froze, wondering when in the world this had been decided.
Fortunately, Haruka beat her to the punch. "What do you mean, he's coming over for dinner? You mean he's coming _here_?!"
"That's usually what coming over implies," Michiru said dryly.
"When did you find this out?" Haruka sounded none too pleased at the idea.
"This morning. I told him that we would love to have him."
Haruka rounded on Setsuna. "Did you know about this?"
Setsuna couldn't think of a thing to say.
"Of course he would clear it with her first," Michiru said.
"Of course," Setsuna repeated weakly.
Haruka sat down at the table abruptly with a rather disgusted sigh. "Why am I always the last person to find out about these things?"
"Because nobody wants to tell you, since they know you'll react badly," Michiru said.
"That's no excuse," Haruka muttered sullenly.
Setsuna excused herself quietly, not really wanting to listen to Haruka rant. She headed off to her bedroom, her place of sanctuary. However, on her way there, she ran into Hotaru. Eyeing the girl suspiciously, Setsuna decided that now was as good a time as any to test her theories as to what the child was up to.
"I supposed Haruka will be going out tonight," she said casually.
"Will she, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked innocently. "Is she going to take Michiru-mama with her?"
Setsuna studied the child closely. If she had any knowledge that something out of the ordinary was going to happen tonight, she didn't betray it.
Aloud, she answered, "I don't think so. Michiru will want to be here to receive our guest."
"But if we have a guest, then why would Haruka-papa go out?" Hotaru asked reasonably.
"Because Seiya is our guest, and Haruka doesn't like him very much." Once again, Setsuna watched the child closely for reaction. Reading Hotaru was a task that gave mixed results. At times, nothing could be easier. Other times, such as now, Setsuna wasn't sure she would ever know what the girl was thinking.
"I'm sure Haruka-papa will get over it," Hotaru said. "Anyway, Michiru- mama won't le her leave if we're having a guest."
"You're probably right," Setsuna admitted. Moving past the girl, she went into her room and closed the door.
/Now what?/ she thought. She was no nearer finding out Hotaru's plan than she had been. If the girl was trying to help her, she might easily have arranged for Seiya to be at dinner tonight. Yet Hotaru didn't seem to know anything about it. What in the world was the child playing at?
Sighing, Setsuna flopped back onto her bed. It was going to be another long night.
~*~*~
As the hour of Seiya's arrival approached, Setsuna found herself becoming more and more nervous. She idly wondered how one dressed to receive one's supposed boyfriend, and finally decided on the black dress Michiru had discarded on her "date." The memory of the half an hour proceeding that event came back to her, and on an impulse, she locked the door. There was no way she was letting herself fall into Michiru's clutches again.
Thus, when Michiru came up to fetch her, she found the door barred against her.
"Setsuna, you're being ridiculous," Michiru protested.
"No," Setsuna answered calmly through the door. "I'm being safe."
"He'll be here any minute!"
"I'll come out when he gets here, and not a moment sooner."
There was a murmured question from the hallway, and then Michiru's voice, asking, "Haruka, will you please help me get her out of there? Seiya will be here any minute, and she may not even be presentable yet."
"Why should I help you?" Haruka asked. "I'm on her side."
In the background, Setsuna heard something that sounded like Hotaru giggling.
"Fat lot of help you are," Michiru said sullenly, and Setsuna heard her stomping away from the door.
"Setsuna?" It was Haruka this time. "It's safe to come out now."
Setsuna, who was applying lipstick of a shade she favored but that Michiru would probably have discarded, answered, "Is he here yet?"
"No."
"Then I'll stay where I am, thank you."
There was a sigh, and then more footsteps as Haruka too left her in peace. Setsuna made a contented noise and studied herself in the mirror. She touched her hair, which was done up in its usual fashion. Really, she didn't understand Michiru's problem; _she_ thought that she looked just fine.
"Setsuna-mama," Hotaru's voice came through the closed door. "He's here."
Quickly, Setsuna unlocked the door and went out, heading towards the living room. She reached it just as the front doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she called, seeing that the only other person close to the door was Haruka. Better not to make her answer it.
Upon opening the door and greeting Seiya, she was relieved to see that he was dressed rather casually as well. That would at least keep Michiru off her back a little longer. Also, he had no flowers with him this time. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed about that.
"Please come in," she said politely.
He smiled at her and entered. Then he looked over her shoulder and said, "Thank you for having me over."
Setsuna turned around, surprised to see Michiru standing beside her shoulder. "You're right on time," she said. "Dinner is ready."
Dinner was a surprisingly peaceful affair. Setsuna had expected a verbal battle to ensue as soon as Seiya and Haruka sat down. However, nothing of the sort happened. Conversation stayed mostly on safe and neutral topics, and no outbursts occurred. Afterwards, Setsuna realized that Michiru had arranged it that way, seating Seiya and Haruka as far apart as possible and steering the conversation herself so as to avoid any sensitive topics. Setsuna was grateful for her interference; at the same time, she was a little disappointed. With Michiru guiding the conversation, she had felt a little left out.
Michiru, it seemed, had a plan to remedy that.
"Why don't you and Seiya go for a walk while I get dessert ready?" she suggested.
Setsuna stared at her. "A walk?"
"Yes. A nice romantic moonlit stroll or something."
Seiya, who had been listening to this exchange, remarked, "The moon's not going to rise for another couple of hours."
"Well, I'm sure you two could still use some time alone," Michiru said, unperturbed. "Now get going," she added. "I don't want to see either of you back here for the next half an hour at least."
So, with Michiru shooing them out the door, they left. Setsuna was at a loss. She wasn't exactly sure what one was supposed to do on a stroll aside from walk. To make matters worse, Seiya seemed to have no clue either. He was following her lead, which wasn't terribly helpful, since she had no particular destination in mind.
For a while they walked along in a rather uncomfortable silence, neither one knowing what they were supposed to say. This continued until they reached the small park where Setsuna remembered taking Hotaru when she was younger. Seeing a bench, she sat down, and Seiya joined her. After a few more minutes of silence, he spoke.
"Was she really serious about the whole half an hour thing?"
Sighing, she answered, "I'm afraid so. That's Michiru for you."
He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Well then," he said. "I guess we've got some time to kill."
Setsuna, who had never been that fond of the expression "killing time", merely shrugged.
"So," Seiya went on, "tell me about yourself."
That caught her off guard. "Myself?" she repeated uncertainly. After a moment, she said, "What's to tell?"
"Your life story," Seiya said, rolling his eyes at her.
No one had ever really asked her such a question, and so she had no idea what to answer. Thinking a bit, she said, "I'm the time guardian. That's my life in a nutshell."
Seiya laughed. "Come on, you can do better than that!"
By this time, she was getting flustered. What did he want from her? Her life story? She thought of the endless eons she had spent at the gates, where days ceased to matter and the world around her had forgotten she ever existed. She shuddered. There was no way she could put that into words, no way she could tell him about that. And yet was else was there to tell?
"Hey," Seiya's voice cut into her thoughts. "Are you all right?" He was looking at her with concern.
"I can't do better than that," she said quietly. "That's the sad part." She shivered again. Thinking of the gates always filled her with a strange sensation. It wasn't so much cold as it was numbness.
Seiya was studying her carefully. "I'm sorry I asked," he said at last in a quiet voice.
She had no reply to that.
"I can tell you my life story, if you want," Seiya offered.
He had meant it as an apology, but she couldn't bear the thought of hearing it, hearing just how miserable her life had been in comparison. "Not right now," she said.
He looked confused, obviously not understanding her reasoning, but accepted it, and they sat in silence again.
A breeze move through the park, and Setsuna shivered again. Almost unthinkingly, she shifted a little closer to the only available source of warmth, the person sitting at her side. If Seiya minded, he gave no sign of it.
"What about your recent life?" he asked finally. "You must have lots of stories about Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru."
She thought on that for a moment, and realized that she did. After a moment, she launched into a tale about Hotaru's early childhood and the various messes she had gotten herself into. Seiya listened and laughed in all the right places, and she gradually warmed to her subject. It felt good to have someone listen to her. Until then, she'd had no one to really tell those stories to. Haruka and Michiru had both been there, and thus remembered the events as well as she did, and Hotaru had no interest in hearing embarrassing stories from her early youth.
When she had finished, he looked at his watch and said, "Well, I guess our half an hour's up. Think if we go back now, Michiru will kill us?"
"She shouldn't," Setsuna answered. "Besides, she'll be upset if we miss dessert. Let's head back."
He nodded, and they both stood. Slowly, in no hurry to be anywhere, they walked back towards the house, side by side.
Tbc
Author's notes: Alright, most of you have probably figured out where I'm going with this. And before all the Seiya/Usagi fans lynch me, I would just like to state, for the record, that I never actually said I was going to get them together.
Plots and Consequences
By Rapunzel
Chapter 5: Conversations
While Setsuna's supposed "date" with Seiya had certainly not been anything spectacular, it did have the desired effect. Haruka and Michiru were more or less convinced that Seiya actually meant to pursue her, and they shared this opinion with the others. The next thing Setsuna knew, she had a house full of inners, all admiring the roses Seiya had given her.
"They're lovely," Makoto said with a sigh. "I hope you remembered to clip the bottoms off underwater; they'll last longer that way."
"Yes, otherwise there will be air bubbles in the vascular tissue," Ami put in.
No one paid much attention to this statement, as they were used to hearing such things from Ami.
"I wish my boyfriends would give me stuff like that," Minako said wistfully.
Setsuna allowed herself a small smirk as she thought about the irony of that.
"They're very nice, Setsuna-san," Usagi said, giving her a brilliant smile.
/So much for jealousy,/ Setsuna thought. Somehow, the knowledge that their scheme was failing didn't disappoint her at all.
After the inners were done gushing over her flowers and Michiru had escorted them to the door and seen them off, the bomb shell was dropped.
"You usually ask them to stay to dinner if they're over this late," Haruka observed. "Why not tonight?"
"Because Seiya's coming over for dinner, and I didn't think that it would be a good idea to have Usagi over at the same time," Michiru answered calmly.
Setsuna froze, wondering when in the world this had been decided.
Fortunately, Haruka beat her to the punch. "What do you mean, he's coming over for dinner? You mean he's coming _here_?!"
"That's usually what coming over implies," Michiru said dryly.
"When did you find this out?" Haruka sounded none too pleased at the idea.
"This morning. I told him that we would love to have him."
Haruka rounded on Setsuna. "Did you know about this?"
Setsuna couldn't think of a thing to say.
"Of course he would clear it with her first," Michiru said.
"Of course," Setsuna repeated weakly.
Haruka sat down at the table abruptly with a rather disgusted sigh. "Why am I always the last person to find out about these things?"
"Because nobody wants to tell you, since they know you'll react badly," Michiru said.
"That's no excuse," Haruka muttered sullenly.
Setsuna excused herself quietly, not really wanting to listen to Haruka rant. She headed off to her bedroom, her place of sanctuary. However, on her way there, she ran into Hotaru. Eyeing the girl suspiciously, Setsuna decided that now was as good a time as any to test her theories as to what the child was up to.
"I supposed Haruka will be going out tonight," she said casually.
"Will she, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked innocently. "Is she going to take Michiru-mama with her?"
Setsuna studied the child closely. If she had any knowledge that something out of the ordinary was going to happen tonight, she didn't betray it.
Aloud, she answered, "I don't think so. Michiru will want to be here to receive our guest."
"But if we have a guest, then why would Haruka-papa go out?" Hotaru asked reasonably.
"Because Seiya is our guest, and Haruka doesn't like him very much." Once again, Setsuna watched the child closely for reaction. Reading Hotaru was a task that gave mixed results. At times, nothing could be easier. Other times, such as now, Setsuna wasn't sure she would ever know what the girl was thinking.
"I'm sure Haruka-papa will get over it," Hotaru said. "Anyway, Michiru- mama won't le her leave if we're having a guest."
"You're probably right," Setsuna admitted. Moving past the girl, she went into her room and closed the door.
/Now what?/ she thought. She was no nearer finding out Hotaru's plan than she had been. If the girl was trying to help her, she might easily have arranged for Seiya to be at dinner tonight. Yet Hotaru didn't seem to know anything about it. What in the world was the child playing at?
Sighing, Setsuna flopped back onto her bed. It was going to be another long night.
~*~*~
As the hour of Seiya's arrival approached, Setsuna found herself becoming more and more nervous. She idly wondered how one dressed to receive one's supposed boyfriend, and finally decided on the black dress Michiru had discarded on her "date." The memory of the half an hour proceeding that event came back to her, and on an impulse, she locked the door. There was no way she was letting herself fall into Michiru's clutches again.
Thus, when Michiru came up to fetch her, she found the door barred against her.
"Setsuna, you're being ridiculous," Michiru protested.
"No," Setsuna answered calmly through the door. "I'm being safe."
"He'll be here any minute!"
"I'll come out when he gets here, and not a moment sooner."
There was a murmured question from the hallway, and then Michiru's voice, asking, "Haruka, will you please help me get her out of there? Seiya will be here any minute, and she may not even be presentable yet."
"Why should I help you?" Haruka asked. "I'm on her side."
In the background, Setsuna heard something that sounded like Hotaru giggling.
"Fat lot of help you are," Michiru said sullenly, and Setsuna heard her stomping away from the door.
"Setsuna?" It was Haruka this time. "It's safe to come out now."
Setsuna, who was applying lipstick of a shade she favored but that Michiru would probably have discarded, answered, "Is he here yet?"
"No."
"Then I'll stay where I am, thank you."
There was a sigh, and then more footsteps as Haruka too left her in peace. Setsuna made a contented noise and studied herself in the mirror. She touched her hair, which was done up in its usual fashion. Really, she didn't understand Michiru's problem; _she_ thought that she looked just fine.
"Setsuna-mama," Hotaru's voice came through the closed door. "He's here."
Quickly, Setsuna unlocked the door and went out, heading towards the living room. She reached it just as the front doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she called, seeing that the only other person close to the door was Haruka. Better not to make her answer it.
Upon opening the door and greeting Seiya, she was relieved to see that he was dressed rather casually as well. That would at least keep Michiru off her back a little longer. Also, he had no flowers with him this time. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed about that.
"Please come in," she said politely.
He smiled at her and entered. Then he looked over her shoulder and said, "Thank you for having me over."
Setsuna turned around, surprised to see Michiru standing beside her shoulder. "You're right on time," she said. "Dinner is ready."
Dinner was a surprisingly peaceful affair. Setsuna had expected a verbal battle to ensue as soon as Seiya and Haruka sat down. However, nothing of the sort happened. Conversation stayed mostly on safe and neutral topics, and no outbursts occurred. Afterwards, Setsuna realized that Michiru had arranged it that way, seating Seiya and Haruka as far apart as possible and steering the conversation herself so as to avoid any sensitive topics. Setsuna was grateful for her interference; at the same time, she was a little disappointed. With Michiru guiding the conversation, she had felt a little left out.
Michiru, it seemed, had a plan to remedy that.
"Why don't you and Seiya go for a walk while I get dessert ready?" she suggested.
Setsuna stared at her. "A walk?"
"Yes. A nice romantic moonlit stroll or something."
Seiya, who had been listening to this exchange, remarked, "The moon's not going to rise for another couple of hours."
"Well, I'm sure you two could still use some time alone," Michiru said, unperturbed. "Now get going," she added. "I don't want to see either of you back here for the next half an hour at least."
So, with Michiru shooing them out the door, they left. Setsuna was at a loss. She wasn't exactly sure what one was supposed to do on a stroll aside from walk. To make matters worse, Seiya seemed to have no clue either. He was following her lead, which wasn't terribly helpful, since she had no particular destination in mind.
For a while they walked along in a rather uncomfortable silence, neither one knowing what they were supposed to say. This continued until they reached the small park where Setsuna remembered taking Hotaru when she was younger. Seeing a bench, she sat down, and Seiya joined her. After a few more minutes of silence, he spoke.
"Was she really serious about the whole half an hour thing?"
Sighing, she answered, "I'm afraid so. That's Michiru for you."
He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Well then," he said. "I guess we've got some time to kill."
Setsuna, who had never been that fond of the expression "killing time", merely shrugged.
"So," Seiya went on, "tell me about yourself."
That caught her off guard. "Myself?" she repeated uncertainly. After a moment, she said, "What's to tell?"
"Your life story," Seiya said, rolling his eyes at her.
No one had ever really asked her such a question, and so she had no idea what to answer. Thinking a bit, she said, "I'm the time guardian. That's my life in a nutshell."
Seiya laughed. "Come on, you can do better than that!"
By this time, she was getting flustered. What did he want from her? Her life story? She thought of the endless eons she had spent at the gates, where days ceased to matter and the world around her had forgotten she ever existed. She shuddered. There was no way she could put that into words, no way she could tell him about that. And yet was else was there to tell?
"Hey," Seiya's voice cut into her thoughts. "Are you all right?" He was looking at her with concern.
"I can't do better than that," she said quietly. "That's the sad part." She shivered again. Thinking of the gates always filled her with a strange sensation. It wasn't so much cold as it was numbness.
Seiya was studying her carefully. "I'm sorry I asked," he said at last in a quiet voice.
She had no reply to that.
"I can tell you my life story, if you want," Seiya offered.
He had meant it as an apology, but she couldn't bear the thought of hearing it, hearing just how miserable her life had been in comparison. "Not right now," she said.
He looked confused, obviously not understanding her reasoning, but accepted it, and they sat in silence again.
A breeze move through the park, and Setsuna shivered again. Almost unthinkingly, she shifted a little closer to the only available source of warmth, the person sitting at her side. If Seiya minded, he gave no sign of it.
"What about your recent life?" he asked finally. "You must have lots of stories about Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru."
She thought on that for a moment, and realized that she did. After a moment, she launched into a tale about Hotaru's early childhood and the various messes she had gotten herself into. Seiya listened and laughed in all the right places, and she gradually warmed to her subject. It felt good to have someone listen to her. Until then, she'd had no one to really tell those stories to. Haruka and Michiru had both been there, and thus remembered the events as well as she did, and Hotaru had no interest in hearing embarrassing stories from her early youth.
When she had finished, he looked at his watch and said, "Well, I guess our half an hour's up. Think if we go back now, Michiru will kill us?"
"She shouldn't," Setsuna answered. "Besides, she'll be upset if we miss dessert. Let's head back."
He nodded, and they both stood. Slowly, in no hurry to be anywhere, they walked back towards the house, side by side.
Tbc
Author's notes: Alright, most of you have probably figured out where I'm going with this. And before all the Seiya/Usagi fans lynch me, I would just like to state, for the record, that I never actually said I was going to get them together.
