First, let me apologize for the incredibly long period between updates. I lost my inspiration for a while, and I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it or not. However, I finally got my inspiration back, and so here I am with another chapter. Hopefully the next one won't be quite so long in coming...
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.
By Rapunzel
Chapter 6: Dubious Progress
"Setsuna-san, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Startled, Setsuna turned around to behold Mamoru studying her very seriously. "Why, of course," she answered, rather surprised that he should ask her.
She half expected him to simply launch into conversation right there, but he didn't. Instead his eyes flicked briefly around them, taking in the park and the group in it. The park was the chosen site of their latest get-together, and it was currently bustling with activity. Minako had managed to round up most of the others for a game of volleyball, and she was now arguing good naturedly with Haruka about whether or not the ball was in bounds. Michiru watched from the sidelines, having gotten out of the game by virtue of her shoes, which were not at all suited to such activities. Usagi had also escaped and was standing chatting with Seiya. Mamoru's eyes lingered on the pair, and Setsuna suddenly thought she knew what the impending conversation was going to be about.
"I doubt that any of them can hear us from here," she said quietly, hoping to prod him into speaking.
Mamoru sighed heavily. "Doesn't it bother you?" he asked her suddenly.
He didn't need to say what "it" was; he could only be referring to the interaction between Seiya and Usagi. "I suppose it does," she said quietly.
"You suppose it does?" Mamoru looked at her incredulously. "There's no 'suppose' about it! How can you be taking this so calmly? Your boyfriend is practically cheating on you!"
"And what would you have me do about that?" she asked, not without sympathy. "I doubt that getting upset and making a scene is going to help."
"I think you should break it off," he told her earnestly.
"You haven't," she pointed out.
Mamoru sighed heavily. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, she noted. "That's different. I'm not mad at Usagi. I have no reason to be, really. I mean, it's not like she treats him differently from anyone else. I just wish sometimes that she didn't have to be so damn nice to everyone." He sent another glare in Seiya's direction, making it plain that "everyone" really meant "Seiya."
Setsuna also paused to observe the pair, not without foreboding. She never had managed to convince Seiya that he should pay more attention to her than Usagi at group get-togethers, and it irritated her more than she would have expected. At that moment, however, his attention was not focused on Usagi, but on Hotaru, who had run over and interrupted their conversation with vigorous energy. She tugged at Seiya's arm, pulling him towards the volleyball game, evidently trying to entice him to join in. Setsuna frowned; that was rather odd behavior on Hotaru's part.
"Have you talked to Usagi about this?" she asked finally.
"No," he said wearily. "Not really. What am I going to do, ask her to be mean to him? Like I said, it's not her, it's just... Well, you understand." He sent her a rather hopeful look as though asking her to confirm the last part of his statement.
"Yes," she said simply, "I understand."
He turned to look at her then and gave her a tired smile, and Setsuna half expected to catch her breath. He was actually looking at her, smiling at her. It was unheard of. Blue eyes, crinkling slightly at the corners, were focused on her. Blue eyes and dark hair, they would always represent the epitome of beauty in her mind. And yet... And yet there was something wrong. She couldn't have said just what, but something was off. She didn't find herself catching her breath as she thought she would have to. That almost painful feeling in her chest that she got when he looked at her was still there, but it was lessened, dampened somehow. She didn't understand, but she returned his smile, still happy for the attention.
Goodness knew she received little enough of it.
Setsuna wondered what, if anything, she ought to say to Seiya about her conversation. He would doubtless have interpreted it as progress on their part, but she wasn't so sure. Despite the fact that Mamoru's reaction seemed to fit in with Seiya's overall plan, Setsuna did not really feel as though she'd made progress. The entire encounter just left her feeling thoroughly confused, both about Mamoru and about herself. Why had it felt so wrong earlier to have him smile at her like that? It must be her conscience, she decided, kicking in to tell her that this plan of hers would end up hurting both Mamoru and Usagi.
That evening, as she and Seiya walked back to her house from the park by themselves, she puzzled over it. Haruka and Michiru had gone ahead, taking Hotaru with them and leaving her and Seiya to themselves, but the two of them weren't really talking, as she was still too focused on the episode earlier in the day. She was still debating whether or not to mention it to Seiya when he took the decision out of her hands.
"I noticed you talking to Mamoru earlier," he said without preamble, and there was a faint note of dislike in his voice when he said Mamoru's name.
"Yes," she answered, surprised that he had noticed. She didn't elaborate, however, not entirely sure of what she wanted to say.
"Well," he prompted after a moment of silence, "what did he say to you?"
He sounded faintly irritated, and Setsuna wasn't sure why. Irritated with her, perhaps, for not filling him in immediately. But he shouldn't be. She didn't want him to be. "Not much," she evaded with a shrug.
Seiya gave her a look that told her he wasn't buying that one.
"He told me that I should break things off with you," she told him.
Seiya gave a weird little half smile. "Everyone seems to think so, apparently. What else did he say?"
"Well, he's definitely jealous," Setsuna said, "but he seems to be more irritated with you than with Usagi."
"That's natural," Seiya said with a shrug.
"That's not how it's supposed to work," she reminded him sternly.
"Yeah, well you're not exactly following the plan either, are you?" he shot back.
"Am I not?" she asked, surprised.
"How friendly have you managed to get with Mamoru so far?" he asked.
She stiffened at that, her earlier confusion coming back to haunt her. She wasn't sure how friendly she had been with Mamoru, and suddenly, she wasn't sure just how friendly she wanted to be with him. /What is the matter with you?/ she asked herself. /This is what you've always wanted; if you hesitate now, you'll screw the whole thing up./ Aloud, in response to his inquiry, she simply said, "A common bond has been established."
If anything, Seiya's frown deepened at that comment, and Setsuna found herself getting mildly exasperated. What did he want from her anyway? He said he wanted her to follow the plan, but then seemed displeased when she implied that she was doing so. Maybe he had sensed her doubts. Or maybe...
"Hey." Seiya's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We're here."
Looking up, she saw with mild surprise that they had indeed reached her house. Despite, or possibly because of her turmoil, the walk had seemed shorter than usual. With that thought in mind, she turned to Seiya and asked, "Are you coming in?"
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea. After the way I acted today, I'll bet Michiru and Haruka have a few things to say to me, most of them not nice."
His answer disappointed her, and she didn't know why. It wasn't like she particularly wanted him to get into an argument with her roommates, but she was reluctant to see him go. Still, she nodded understandingly. After all, he was probably right.
"Well," Seiya said, turning to head back down the street. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Setsuna frowned. Tomorrow, what was tomorrow? Was there something going on then that she didn't know about, some event or get-together that she had forgotten? Then she shrugged. It didn't really matter. She'd see him tomorrow.
Setsuna was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling lost in thought when the knock came at her door. "Come in!" she called, sitting up.
She was half expecting to see Haruka or Michiru, but when the door swung inward, it revealed Hotaru instead. The girl slipped quickly inside and shut the door behind her before padding over to the bed and sitting down next to her surrogate mother. She didn't say anything, but simply sat there, swinging her legs and toying with the edge of the bedspread, her large, violet eyes fixed on the wall.
"Was there something you wanted, Hime-chan?" Setsuna asked, perplexed by this behavior.
"Not really," Hotaru answered. "I just wanted to see if there was anything you wanted to say. You looked a little confused when you came in earlier."
Setsuna studied the girl sitting before her. Hotaru looked so young and small and childlike that it was easy to forget sometimes just how intelligent and observant she was. "I suppose I was," she admitted.
Hotaru's gaze moved from the wall and fixed on her, seeking further details, but Setsuna didn't really feel like providing any. Instead, she changed the subject. "I noticed you talking to Seiya earlier."
Hotaru smiled, seeming quite pleased with herself. "I got him to come play with us."
"I should have thought that you'd leave him alone, since he was so focused on Usagi-chan."
"But Setsuna-mama," Hotaru protested. "He shouldn't be focused on Usagi-chan, he should be focused on you."
"You think so, do you?" Setsuna said musingly. "Did you tell him that?"
Hotaru shook her head. "I asked him if he wanted to get you to come play with us too, but he said you were talking with Mamoru and we should leave you alone. He didn't sound very happy," she added, looking, if anything, even more pleased.
Setsuna frowned. Just what in the world was going on in that child's head? "Hotaru-chan, what exactly are you playing at?" she asked sternly.
Hotaru turned wide, guileless eyes on her. "But Setsuna-mama, I'm not 'playing' at anything."
Setsuna gave her a slightly disbelieving look.
"But I'm not!" Hotaru protested. "I'm very serious about what I'm doing."
"And what would that be?" Setsuna asked.
Hotaru made a face. "I can't tell you," she said firmly.
"And why not?"
"Because it's a secret."
Setsuna sighed heavily. For all Hotaru's intelligence, there were times when she simply fell back on childish stubbornness. It seemed that this was one of those times. "Not even a clue?" she persisted.
Hotaru shook her head with conviction.
"That doesn't seem very fair," Setsuna said.
Hotaru was saved from having to answer by another knock at the door. Haruka's voice, muffled by the wood, said, "Michiru sent me up to tell you dinner's ready."
"We'll be right there," Setsuna answered. Casting one last searching look at Hotaru, she rose and went to go wash up. She would find out what it was the girl was planning, but she was going to have to figure it out on her own.
Tbc...
Author's Notes: Argh! I hate writing Mamoru; I'm never sure if I have him in character or not.
