Disclaimer: Shinmeiryuu and organic computers that can shoot laser beams from their eyes? We're not that stupid. They can have Negima and Onegai Teacher ((shudder)).
ChibiSecchan: As you can see from the disclaimer, we're adding a brand new series just to torture our favorite couple more!
OkashiraShinomori: ((Grins and nods happily.)) This is just the first of many tortu-...series we'll be adding.
ChibiSecchan: ((Shakes head)) Now you're reminding me about all those Aerial Aces I've endured...
OkashiraShinomori: There've been a lot of them, hasn't there? ((Sighs.)) Sadly they won't see the fruits of THAT pain for a few more chapters.
ChibiSecchan: But still, we're adding a very interesting extra element in this chapter. I reckon Negima fans who're also GBA-gamers will enjoy it.
OkashiraShinomori: ((Laughs.)) I'd totally forgotten about that part. Yes, I think they'll recognize it, and I hope they'll appreciate it.
Gradual Changes Book 1 - Newer Bits of Life
Chapter 03 First Impressions
By OkashiraShinomori and ChibiSecchan
Beta Reading by Spiritmage and Shinmeiryuu
"Noh. Nonoh noh." – The Phantom Prech Thief
"Oh, cheer up already, Konoka." Kagurazaka Asuna shook her head in an exasperated manner. For the past three days, Konoka's mood had been at two exclusive extremes; overjoyed and bubbly or depressed and sluggish. Today, the day her and Setsuna's boat for Syran Island launched, was the latter.
Her dark haired friend responded with a weak attempt at a grin and a nod, immediately looking back at her feet and dropping the pretense of a smile. She sighed in a world weary manner, although the light touch of her girlfriend's hand to her shoulder helped a little bit. This is it...the last time I'll see Asuna, Negi-kun, Eva-chan, and everyone else for a long time... She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, hoping to get rid of the tears, once more, before they actually started.
Seeing Konoka's continued distress, Asuna shrugged with a sigh and shook her head as if to say "I give up." The group of four continued to walk slowly down the sparsely crowded street, surrounded in something of a foreboding silence. Despite her strong front, Asuna too was significantly feeling the imminent loss of one of her closest friends.
It wasn't until the night previous that Konoka had actually explained, with the randomly interjected help of Sakurazaki Setsuna, why her mood had been so unusual as of late. Asuna and Negi's initial reactions had been rather similar, mostly feelings of great surprise. Konoka's father had been strongly against her learning magic and yet he had given his permission, and indeed his blessing, for that very thing.
Negi, after recovering from the shock, had immediately pressed the questions, as he knew quite a bit about the magic schools. Due to the Asian Academy of the Arcane's close connection to Meldiana School of Magic, the school he'd attended not long before, he actually knew more about it, they came to find, than either of the school's new students.
Although she'd had the tack not to mention it, Asuna had privately felt a little miffed that neither of her two friends had confided in her their plans before then. They'd known for quite a while, yet they'd left her in the dark. She was a little surprised that Setsuna hadn't mentioned it. Especially lately, their friendship seemed to be evolving into a good one, but apparently not good enough to warrant her being kept in the loop. Not being told by the Konoe heir had indeed hurt somewhat. She had been there when even Setsuna hadn't been, and had become one of her closest friends. To not be told such a thing was a little painful.
She couldn't bring herself to bring the subject up though, and instead held her silence while they walked. Negi beside her seemed to be in much less of a dour mood. It could be due to his age, although his maturity would have made up for that. She smiled and shook her head as he nearly tripped over a bit of upturned sidewalk, almost throwing his ermine friend from his position atop his head onto the pavement. What an idiot...
Grinning in embarrassment, Negi Springfield tugged the edges of his suit jacket back down into some semblance of order and realigned his staff across his back. "Are you happy to finally be on your way, Konoka-san?" His smile was intended to be infectious, but it wasn't as effective as he'd hoped.
The chocolate haired girl shifted the rather thick duffel bag she'd slung over her shoulder into a more comfortable position and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I guess I'm really excited." She paused. "I know I'm gonna love it, but I'm gonna miss you guys too..."
Asuna again shook her head and slapped Konoka jovially on the back, nearly knocking her over, getting her a soft glare from the swordswoman beside her. She shrugged it off and looked back at Konoka. "We'll miss you too, but don't get stuck on that, Konoka! Think about it! You're gonna be learning all kinds of magic! Stuff not even the brat here knows."
Negi pouted a little when she gestured at him, but didn't bother to say anything, sensing the slight softness in her voice. The red-headed girl nudged Konoka with her elbow and smiled. "Just think, you might even learn some teleport spells or something so you can visit whenever you want." At this, the quieter than normal girl seemed to perk up a little bit. It was logical to think that such spells existed, although she'd never really considered it before.
Setsuna nodded beside her and spoke up for the first time since they'd left the dorm nearly a half hour before. "Asuna-san has a point, Kono-chan." She adjusted her own, slightly smaller, duffel bag and moved Yuunagi to her other shoulder to allow herself to hesitantly wrap an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders, her face coloring over slightly at the public display. "And we always have our cell phones."
She held her own up as proof. The swordswoman had been waving it around somewhat the entire day, having just gotten it the night before. She wasn't the best with technology, and really hadn't had much use for a cell phone. The one she'd previously owned had been extremely simple; its screen was only able to display numbers and such in green and black, so old was it. The other three members of the Library Exploration Club had all but forced her to one of the local electronics shops and coerced her into buying a proper cell phone. Had she not been struck dumb by their generally companionable intentions, she might not have purchased it. She was not, however, unhappy that she had.
She had already taken the liberty of snapping a picture of her Kono-chan and placing it, with a little technical support, as her background. Before she'd had a chance to do much with it, it had been passed around the group consisting of the library trio, Asuna, Negi, and a few select others so they could input their numbers into the Contacts list.
Setsuna had little intention of using it for anything aside from contacting Konoka, but it was reassuring to have everyone else's numbers as well. She decided if Konoka contacted their friends, she'd speak with them, but she wouldn't go out of her way to do so. Konoka was all she needed.
The brown-haired girl eyed the phone her love was holding and nodded, seeming to brighten a little bit. "Yeah, that's true..." She looked back over at Asuna and Negi. "I'll call everyday, I promise!" She smiled at the two, who returned the gesture in kind, and straightened a little bit, looking ahead rather than at her feet. At the very least, I can still hear their voices and know what's going on with them. And as long as I have Secchan with me, I'll be okay. Although it was still present, the worry that she would be forgotten, and even that she would forget her friends was a little weaker. She took advantage of its momentary weakness to shove it to the side of her thoughts.
"So, Negi-kun, are you going to use my bunk now, or are you still gonna sleep with Asuna?" She giggled to herself when the both of them turned a light shade of pink and neither answered until Asuna elbowed the smaller boy sharply in the ribs.
"I, er, yeah, I think I'm gonna start using your bunk, Konoka-san. It'll be empty and all, so it'd be weird not to use it..." He didn't meet any of the three girls' gazes and had a strong urge to smack the chortling ermine from his shoulder. Despite there being nothing between them, the subject still made the both of them a little embarrassed.
"Of course you're using the other bunk, brat!" Asuna raised her hand as if to hit him, but dropped it and made a frustrated kind of growl. "I can finally stop sharing my bed with a little midget who undresses me in his sleep," she exclaimed, although in an odd kind of hushed voice, if such were possible.
While Negi cowered from both Asuna's overbearing glare and Chamo's nearly raucous laughter, Konoka giggled quietly and looped an arm through Setsuna's. "I'm gonna miss them, Secchan..." she stated quietly as she laid her head on Setsuna's shoulder.
Her girlfriend blushed and slipped her cell phone back into her pocket before patting Konoka's hand reassuringly. "I will too, Kono-chan." She looked up at the cloudy sky and, surprising herself, sighed wistfully. "It's gonna be quite a while before I see Tatsumiya again."
With a sly grin, Konoka looked up at Setsuna. "Have you ever paid off your tab to Tatsumiya-san?" She giggled again as the swordswoman's dark eyes widened to nearly one and a half times their normal size and her mouth twitched a little before forming a small grin. She turned her head to look at the young healer.
"Oops?" She and Konoka both laughed at the simple statement, imaging the gunner's face when she realized a rather substantial sum of money was preparing to board a boat to a location she was forbidden from following to. The other three dropped their façades of violence and cowering to cast an inquiring gaze at the couple.
"Did we miss something," Negi asked Asuna in a hushed voice, not wanting to interrupt them.
"Looks like it, Aniki," the snow white ermine replied in as hushed a voice he could manage. There were far too many people around for his rather piercing voice to be at normal volume. He scampered from the small English boy's shoulder to the taller red-head's, and finally landed on Konoka's duffel bag.
"Setsuna-neesan." The hanyou quieted her laughter and turned to look with some surprise at the small animal.
"Yes, Chamo-san?"
"Don't forget that you can still contact Aniki with the Pactio card's telepathy ability." He raised a paw towards her own royal blue bag, feeling the very faint aura of the Contract within it.
The two magi and the swordswoman both blushed a little, and Setsuna cast an unreadable look at the bag. "I'd forgotten about that..." The other three gathered around her quizzically as she sat her bag on the ground and unzipped it.
Chamo's gaze immediately fell on the assortment of undergarments at one end of the bag, but Setsuna's rifling quickly covered them with other clothes, much to his disappointment. "Aha." She stood back up and held a card before her. "Yes, here it is."
Negi cocked his head thoughtfully, gazing at the card. "Chamo-kun, wouldn't it be best if we cancelled the Contracts?" He looked down at the ermine expectantly, and one could nearly see the gears turning in his head.
The little animal blinked in disbelief. "Why would you want to do that, Aniki?" His voice grew higher in pitch at the thought of the Contract's loss.
"What if Setsuna-san and Konoka-san were to get in trouble at their new school for having established Contracts already? That may be something they wish to govern. I know they were pretty strict about it at Meldiana..." His voice was still questioning, though he was fairly certain he was right.
Although somewhat reluctantly, Setsuna nodded her agreement. "Negi-sensei may have a point, Chamo-san. I don't remember anything specific, but there was a page in the packet we received that mentioned Contracts." She looked at her girlfriend with a gaze that asked if she had anything to add, but the chocolate-haired girl shrugged and shook her head. "I think it would be best if they were canceled, just in case."
The ermine was silent for a scant few seconds, then grinned in what would be a lecherous look if he were human. "So do you and Konoka-neesan plan to form a Contract then?" He nudged Konoka's sock with his small furry elbow and smiled suggestively.
With a strangled cry, the ermine flew through the air and into a container of burnable trash. Still a fiery shade of crimson, Setsuna placed her hand back on the strap of her duffel bag. Her aim with throwing was improving. "No, Kono-chan and I have not formed a Contract." As Chamo hauled himself from the large metal container, a bit of paper stuck to his left forepaw, Setsuna stalked over to him, holding the card before her. "Now, how do I cancel the Contract?"
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you." He picked at the piece of paper with his other paw absently as he walked back over to Negi's side. Grumbling to himself, he scampered up Negi's pant's leg and disappeared into his pocket for second, then popped back up with a bit of chalk in his paws. "Although now that I think about it, you have a point, Setsuna-neesan. It'd be really hard for Aniki to keep the connection between you sustained at that distance and not get anything in return." He looked at Konoka. "Same thing with your Contract, Konoka-neesan." He sighed at having said it. "Let's find an alley or something to do this in though."
Setsuna tucked the card into the waistband of her skirt with a nod and re-zipped her duffel bag, slinging it over her shoulder. The group of four followed the ermine into what seemed like an empty alley, Asuna at the rear to provide warning if a curious passersby would want to follow them. "Aniki, Setsuna-neesan, Konoka-neesan, please come here."
With a look between themselves, the couple stepped up beside Negi and Setsuna once more held the card out to the ermine while Konoka searched around in her bag for hers. "Aniki, I need your copy of the cards too. It's no good unless the Master Contract is canceled too."
"It's a good thing I keep them with me..." After a second's worth of rummaging, Negi pulled a card identical to the one in the swordswoman's hand out of his inner coat pocket and knelt, handing it to his self-proclaimed brother, keeping a second, different card, to himself.
After retrieving Setsuna's card as well, Chamo sat them aside and began carefully drawing a ten inch by inch circle on the pavement. Within it he drew a myriad of symbols and shapes that only Negi could fathom, and even his understanding was purely recognition. Within the symbols was a rectangle precisely the size of the cards. This was where Chamo arranged them, checking to be sure the edges were precisely arranged.
He stood back for a moment and wiped his forehead with a free paw before stepping between the lines he'd drawn back to the cards. With exact precision he drew an identical circle upon the center of the top card, replacing the very small rectangle with another symbol. The ermine dashed back outside the circle and shooed the group back from the chalk drawing, tossing his chalk to the young teacher as he did so. He muttered something that not even Negi could catch, and both of the cards in the pile flashed.
"Alright, Setsuna-neesan, Aniki, I need both of you over here." The two walked into the circle where Chamo now stood, and he handed Negi the stack of cards. "You stand here, Aniki." He motioned his "older brother" towards a particular symbol on the circle. "Setsuna-neesan, over here." Setsuna found her own symbol to look somewhat like an inverted version of Negi's.
"Now, both of you need to hold a different end of the cards with both hands." He sighed and shook his head as they held the wrong side of the cards. Sometimes it really was easier just to do things yourself. "No, the ends of the cards." They fumbled with the stack, each muttering apologies, and when Chamo was certain they were holding them correctly, standing on the right symbols, and held the cards over the blank rectangle in the middle he scampered out to stand by Konoka.
Chamo cleared his small throat and held his paws up to the air reverently. "Terminatio Pactum!" The small group of gathered friends closed their eyes as a beam of light emanated from the two stacked cards, dissolving a small hole in the clouds over them. The beam dissipated and a wave of light washed over them and out both ends of the alley before it grew dark again. As the chalk circle dissolved into wisps of smoke, the snow white ermine scurried up Negi's pant's leg to examine the cards, finding as he had hoped for their sake that they had dissolved the Contract successfully. Their backs were the same mottled brown with an image of the Pactio spell's required circle, but their faces were a pure white, much like the blank pages with Konoka's spell books.
"There you go, Aniki, Setsuna-neesan. Two blank cards and one dissolved Contract." He shook his head as the two took their respective cards, mourning the loss of the power available to his "brother" if they should encounter more trouble in the future. Their search for the Thousand Master was not over, after all. The job was only half done though.
Setsuna nodded in satisfaction and tucked the card back into her bag and stepped to the side to allow Konoka to pass her. Holding her own card tightly in one hand, the healer waited while Chamo redrew the circle, then handed it to him so he could repeate the process onto the cards. It was more impressive, Setsuna found, to watch the actual termination of the Contract from the outside as another beam of light shot into the air at Chamo's cry of "Terminatio Pactum!" She smiled unconsciously as the images were stricken from the cards, realizing that Konoka was truly not bound to anyone anymore.
The chocolate haired girl stepped out of the disappearing circle and slipped the card into one of her spell books, probably intending to use it as a bookmark. She smiled and stepped back up to Setsuna's side, slinging her bag back over her shoulder. The group strode out of the alley just as people began to investigate from the other end, searching for the source of the odd light show. Chamo quickly scurried back to the top of Asuna's head, the best vantage point, and hissed, "Let's get out of here. Too many people for me to keep talking, and especially not about you two going off to 3A."
All four nodded, again nearly sending the ermine to the pavement, and got back on track for the larger train station necessary for them to get to Hiroshima, the city their boat would launch from.
As they neared their destination, the mood became more and more oppressive as thoughts of their upcoming parting became more and more pronounced. Although it had been little more than a year since Negi had joined their little group, and not long after that Setsuna had rejoined Konoka, they had gotten closer together than most could with much more time at their disposal. Negi and Asuna made light of it for the sake of Konoka, but it did weigh heavily on them. Half of their little team would be gone. The highest station's array of radio towers came into view over the edge of a department store, and as if on cue, the entire group sighed, Setsuna included.
Through the entire process of buying their tickets, everyone was silent but for Chamo's muffled yelp as Negi caught him by his tail after he'd leapt after a group of schoolgirls heading in the opposite direction. This roused a small laugh, but little more. Konoka chewed at her lower lip as they walked down the two flights of stairs leading to the area the trains pulled up to. Luckily not many were bound for Hiroshima, and the long flat pier-like structure was relatively empty. Glancing between their tickets and the screens suspended from the ceiling, Konoka and Setsuna paved the way to their car's arrival point.
According to the nearest screen's readout, the train wasn't due for another seven minutes. Setsuna sighed. Seven minutes more of uncomfortable silence. Great. She looked from Negi to Asuna, then back to Asuna, and bowed. "Thank you, Negi-sensei and Asuna-san."
The young teacher and the generally violent red-head exchanged looks with each other, then bowed politely in return. "Um...what for, Setsuna-san?" Asuna questioned once they had righted themselves.
"For taking care of Kono-chan while I was...doing my duty from afar. And for being my friends in the time afterwards." She smiled genuinely at the two. "Aside from Kono-chan, you two were the first to bother to do so, and I thank you." She bowed low again, Yuunagi nearly slipping from her shoulder in the process.
Negi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "It was our pleasure, really, Setsuna-san. No reason to thank us." He smiled at her. "We could thank you for the same thing."
Asuna stepped closer, her face masked by a rough glare that looked oddly natural on her. "You know what'll happen if you don't take good care of Konoka, right?" She raised a fist not far before Setsuna's normally stony features threateningly.
From most, Setsuna's response would have been to draw her sword, perhaps even use it, but from Asuna it merely evoked a smile. "I don't think you have to worry about anything like that, Asuna-san. There is no-one Kono-chan would be safer with."
Behind her, Konoka smiled to herself and once again readjusted her duffel bag. I'm so lucky... She stepped up closer to Setsuna and without regard to their very public location kissed the side of her neck. It wasn't long by any means, nor was it extremely obvious to anyone merely walking by, but it still turned the swordswoman's skin a shade of red to rival that of numbers glowing on the suspended screens.
"K-Kono-chan, in such a place..." Setsuna trailed off as she nervously moved her sword to her other shoulder, her eyes flicking around the area in a defensive manner.
Asuna and Negi chuckled quietly. Chamo whispered, loud enough for the others to hear, in Negi's ear, "Just imagine what'll happen without us there to stop them, Aniki."
Even Konoka turned pink, and before Chamo could comprehend his position, he was hanging by his tail from Setsuna's right hand. She held him up to her face and narrowed her eyes at his little furry face. The crimson on her cheeks seemed to dull the normally murderous look, and Albert Chamomile merely laughed at her. "So, Setsuna-neesan, it's exactly as I thought, ne?"
She stiffened at the insinuation, filed it away for further consideration in a more private location, and flung the tiny animal off the edge of the platform. "C-Chamo-kun!" Negi dashed off to the edge of the structure and knelt outside the yellow safety line.
While her teacher fished around for his unconscious familiar, Setsuna gently steered her girlfriend towards the set of lines that marked where the rear door for their car would stop. As she spied the headlight of the Shinkansen at the far end of the tracks, Setsuna waved quickly at Asuna, blinking in surprise when Konoka dropped her duffel bag and dashed past her to wrap the taller girl in a hug. "Asuna..."
As the breaks on the pristine white train hissed, Setsuna gently laid her hands on Konoka's shoulders and pulled her away from the red-head, cooing softly in her ear. The young heir rubbed the tears from her eyes and looked up at Asuna, then Negi as he returned, short of breath, with an unconscious ermine. "G-goodbye, Negi-kun, Asuna." She drew in a deep breath to steady herself, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, and waved. "I'll miss you..."
"We'll miss you too, Konoka-san!" Negi called out, standing as tall as he could and waving as she bent to pick her duffel bag back up. Asuna, still feeling the effects of the hug by way of the massive damage to her self-control didn't trust her voice and merely waved back, nodding in agreement with Negi's statement.
Setsuna stood at the edge of the door and helped Konoka, though she didn't need it, into the train car, then turned and bowed curtly again, waved, and stepped up into the interior of the Shinkansen herself.
Konoka reluctantly stepped out of the large area where passengers got on and off and into the aisle between seats in their car, her gaze on the window and her friends beyond. Setsuna guided her with a gentle hand to their seats, numbers 22A and 22B. She took her love's bag and sat it in the over-head compartment along with her own, then sat in her seat, softly pulling Konoka down into hers. Yuunagi she placed standing at her side, somewhat annoyed at how much it stood out, standing as tall as it did.
Setsuna remained silent as a man examined their tickets, merely watching Konoka watch their three friends. She laid a comforting hand on her shoulder when a voice over the loudspeaker announced their departure. She felt her girlfriend tense as the vehicle started with a small jerk, and heard her sniffle as Negi, Asuna, and Chamo began to slowly fall behind as the train picked up speed. Even several minutes after the platform was no longer in sight and the land-bound plane had reached its normal cruising speed, she kept her gaze out the window. Setsuna surmised it was to hide the tears that had doubtlessly appeared as their leaving became a reality.
"It'll be okay, Kono-chan," she ventured after several more moments of silence. "You aren't leaving them forever." She squeezed her shoulder. "We have vacations, after all."
Konoka turned to face the swordswoman, her eyes a little red and tear trails evident on her cheeks. Despite that, she smiled brightly at her and stated in a stronger voice than Setsuna had expected, "You're right, Secchan. We can come back in the summer and winter. And we can call anytime. I'm just being over-emotional."
Setsuna laughed and drew the slightly younger girl into a light hug, regardless of their surroundings. "You're not being over-emotional at all, Kono-chan. It's not everyday you have to leave three friends and your home behind for a long time." She pulled back and smiled at the girl.
"Thanks, Secchan." Konoka returned the smile, then sighed and sat back in her pleasantly padded seat. "How long is our train ride supposed to take?"
I'm surprised I haven't already checked... Shaking her head at her own lack of forethought, Setsuna dug around in her shirt pocket for her ticket. With a relieved sigh, she pulled the valuable piece of paper out and scanned it for their departure and arrival times. "It says we should get to Hiroshima by 1317."
Konoka raised a finger to her lips thoughtfully, taking a glance at the digital readout at the front of the train that displayed the next destination and current time. "We've got three hours and seventeen minutes then, Secchan." The raven-haired girl nodded, not bothering to point out the lack of logic in stating something so obvious. It was merely another sign that Konoka was feeling a little off.
The healer hunkered down in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest with a yawn. Almost apologetically, she smiled over at Setsuna. "Is it okay with you if I nap for a little bit, Secchan? It's only about ten and I'm already tired..."
Setsuna nodded with a soft smile settled back into her own seat. "That's fine, Kono-chan. I think I'll do the same, actually." She crossed her legs and gripped the wooden sheath of her sword lightly to make sure it didn't fall over. Part of her skills as a highly trained swordswoman were a great deal of control over herself, physically and emotionally, and she was thankful for that as she forced herself into a surprisingly deep sleep.
Mocha colored eyes fluttered open as a voice over the speaker announced that the next stop would be Hiroshima. She blinked away the sleep that she had allowed to overtake her, and shook the uneasy dreams that had plagued her sleep away. Instinctively she tightened her grip on Yuunagi and straightened in her seat, looking immediately at Konoka to her left.
To her surprise, the girl was already awake and smiling broadly at her. "Good afternoon, Secchan." Her nap seemed to have restored her good mood in full, all traces of her reluctance to leave Mahora gone from any level of obvious observation.
"Good afternoon." She sat up straighter in her chair and arched her back, working out the kinks that had settled in it during the trip. She groaned and opened her eyes again, tightening her grip on Yuunagi's upper sheath. Around them, people were already getting out of their seats and gathering their belongings, and so Setsuna stood as well, Much to Konoka's dismay, she slung both of their duffel bags over her shoulder and held Yuunagi at her hip.
The train ground gently to a halt as the two made their way easily to the junction between cars. It took only seconds for the seven or eight people in front of them the get off, and Setsuna stepped over the small gap between the platform and the train, immediately extending a hand to Konoka, only to find her standing beside her, smiling brightly.
The swordswoman chuckled softly to herself and immediately started on the way to the clearly indicated escalators in the middle of the platform, Konoka in tow. Despite how bulky carrying two bags and a sword was, people either avoided the stern looking girl or she was exceptionally skilled at making her way untouched through a crowd.
She stepped onto the first step of the escalators, trying to keep herself pressed to the left side, and jumped slightly when she felt a tug on the end of her sword's hilt. She looked behind her and chuckled again. Konoka had managed to grab hold of the smooth wooden sheath before a rather bulky man dressed in the most ridiculous of robes, Arabian she assumed, waddled up between them. He didn't seem to notice the rather intrusive piece of wood pressing against his side and merely looked about in confusion, mopping at his brow with a rough bit of cloth.
Still smiling to herself, Setsuna stepped to the left as she cleared the top of Hiroshima's main train terminal. The rather obese Arabian man scampered past her, making a beeline for the apparent exit, his eyes darting about frantically as if searching for something. Probably can't read Japanese...
Konoka quickly rounded the edge of the stairwell and latched onto Setsuna's arm, surprising her with her directness. Setsuna forced down the blush that welled up within her and shifted so the two of them were more comfortable, leaning against a pillar. "Something wrong, Kono-chan?"
She looked up at Setsuna, and with a completely serious expression, nodded. "That man, the foreign one, smelled really bad."
The usually stoic swordswoman stared at the girl for a moment, long enough for her to knit her brows in confusion, before a short laugh burst from her, rather louder than usual. "I can't believe you actually SAID that, Kono-chan!" She shook her head, still chuckling, and pushed herself off the pillar, pulling Konoka with her. "C'mon you, before you cause you an international incident..."
The healer-to-be pouted and cast an exaggerated glare at her un-noticing knight but allowed herself to be pulled along through the bustling terminal. "Secchan, how much time do we have before the boat launches?" Her innocent voice held a suspicious note that made Setsuna stop and turn, eying her curiously.
"Hungry, I take it?"
Konoka grinned up at her and nodded, still with an aura of innocence about her. "I wasn't really hungry this morning, but that long boring train ride kinda built up an appetite." She stepped closer to the raven-haired girl, looking up at her with a pleading expression and placing one hand on her shoulder lightly. "Please, Secchan?"
She drew back slowly, blushing steadily darker at the pleading, utterly cute look on Konoka's face, and nodded hurriedly. "O-of course, Kono-chan." She scanned the area for the ever present boxed lunches available at nearly all JR stations.
She raised her left hand and pointed through the crowds of milling people towards a well lit stand-alone island-like structure several yards away. "I think we can get some food there, Kono-chan." The other girl squeezed her hand and grinned happily, immediately taking the lead and drawing Setsuna long behind her, easily reversing the previous chain of command. I wonder where all of her maturity goes sometimes... Setsuna thought ruefully as she was led through the crowds, not regretting the change of attitude at all. Truth be told, she found the cute and innocent act entirely irresistible.
Konoka released her hand as she fished around in her purse to find out how much money she'd thought to bring with her in cash. She looked back up at the lit-up display of the choices, then back down at her purse and frowned, biting her lower lip in a frustrated manner. Setsuna managed to fasten Yuunagi to a belt look with one hand, although the end of its sheath now stuck rather far out behind her, and stood beside Konoka, looking into her purse curiously. "Not enough money?"
The shorter girl hurriedly closed her purse and looked up at Setsuna in surprise. "Uh, no, no I've got plenty. I'm not really THAT hungry." She grinned reassuringly at Setsuna, who merely raised an eyebrow skeptically at her.
Taking quick stock of the store's selection, Setsuna motioned to one of the workers, an old man whose eyes were hidden by bushy gray eyebrows. "Excuse me, I'd like two of the extra large bentou, please." He nodded with surprising vigor and opened the display case to pull two of the rather large boxes from under the plastic display version.
"That'll be 2200 Yen, miss." With a curt nod, Setsuna fished two bills and two coins from her own stash of money and handed them across the counter to his waiting hand. Moments after she held a total of two duffel bags, one sword, a bag of two large boxed lunches, and the hand of a quietly protesting young woman. She easily tuned out Konoka's assurances of "You didn't have to do that, Secchan," and "I really don't need all this food..."
Shaking her head and smiling to herself, Setsuna stacked their bags against a railing on the wheelchair ramp and handed Konoka one of the boxes from the plastic bag. The other she took for herself, somewhat surprised at how hungry she was after seeing the food inside. Konoka reluctantly took the proffered food opened it. I shouldn't've been so obvious. I probably sounded whiny. She sighed. She didn't need to spend that much on me for lunch.
She eyed her chopsticks with a frown. The cheap, wooden utensils were not, as they were supposed to be, identical. When she'd pulled them apart, the majority of the top of one remained stuck to the other, creating a very lopsided image. She sighed. Even my chopsticks are turning out bad... She shrugged and started in on her food, finding that ebi tempura was surprisingly good at cheering her up.
They both kept kind of to themselves as they ate, although Setsuna maneuvered around their bags to stand closer to Konoka, sensing her mood was being dampened by something else, and sensing that she was somehow the cause of it. The chocolate-haired girl's thoughts drifted to the upcoming boat ride once she had finished with the deliciously battered shrimp, and she found herself wondering if the boat itself had to be enchanted to get to Syran Island.
With an odd little satisfied sound, Setsuna put the shiny black lid back on the box and slipped it back into the plastic bag, saving almost half of it for the boat ride. It wasn't listed, but she assumed the trip would last several hours at the least. Konoka eyed her with understandable surprise until it dawned on her that she hadn't eaten the entire thing. "Ooh, good idea, Secchan."
I certainly don't want Secchan to end up buying more food just for the boat trip... She arranged her chopsticks atop her remaining food, then carefully replaced the lid upon the box. "That was good, Secchan." The swordswoman nodded, finding the assessment correct. For being merely station food, it was exceptionally good. She took Konoka's box from her and sat it atop her own, then began to gather their things up, heaving the combined duffel bags onto her shoulder again.
She reattached Yuunagi to her belt loop and, on a whim, unknotted the cord that held the bag around it so that it fell from its hilt, putting it in easy reach, though she was unsure why. Before she could grab it, Konoka managed to take hold of the food and grinned at the swordswoman victoriously. In a gesture that likely few other people can see, Setsuna stuck her tongue out at the girl and turned, holding her free hand out with a light blush.
Aww, Secchan... With a happy smile, her mood lifting considerably, Konoka jumped up to the taller girl's side, taking fast hold of her hand, giggling to herself at the other girl's blush. Setsuna smiled to herself despite the annoying feeling of low-key panic that pervaded her at displaying her feelings in public. She had yet to figure out its origin, but she had decided to do her best to ignore it.
"The boat docks are...that way, Kono-chan." Setsuna raised their clasped hands and pointed at the northern exit where one of the suspended signs showed a picture of a ship, along with the designation that it too was, oddly enough, a JR form of transportation. Japanese RAIL boats? Sometimes Setsuna had to merely wonder at the logic of companies. The very concept was paradoxical.
As the two headed for the exit, she opened her mouth to call Konoka's attention to the illogical nature of the idea of a boat being part of JR but closed her mouth abruptly upon hearing a different voice. "Konoka!"
The chocolate-haired girl stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, immediately breaking into a smile. "Kumiko!" She released Setsuna's hand on turned on her heel to trot back to meet her rather similar looking friend.
Setsuna looked down at her now empty hand and flexed her fingers, almost as if confirming that Konoka had let go. She sighed and tried to pass it off as just excitement with seeing a friendly face, but she still felt a pang of unease at being so easily released as she had been. She watched the two hug briefly, stiffening defensively, then stopped while they walked slowly towards the swordswoman. She'd better not be on the same boat...
From the crowd behind the approaching duo, the taller woman who Setsuna recognized with an immediate surge of dislike as Kuroshima Kumiko's mother emerged, clutching a ticket in her hand and looking about for her daughter. Setsuna raised an eyebrow when she saw the woman's alarmed reaction at seeing her daughter and Konoka talking so cordially together, laughing over something.
Glaring at the woman who'd yet to notice her, Setsuna began backtracking for Konoka, not willing to let her within the presence of the mother and daughter combination that both seemed to have an unnatural tendency to despise the hanyou with a passion. She slipped her arm through Konoka's possessively and pulled her a little closer, surprising both of the other girls out of their conversation.
"What's wrong, Secchan?" Konoka frowned and looked from her girlfriend to her friend, sensing the powerful and immediate change of mood upon Kumiko recognizing the presence of the raven-haired girl. She glared over Konoka's shoulder at her, although Setsuna refused to meet her gaze, deciding to smile uncertainly at Konoka.
"Nothing. I just thought I'd chase you back down." She turned a cute shade of pink, by Konoka's standards, and clasped Konoka's free hand again. "You escaped."
Even the healer blushed and squeezed her love's hand, surprised at the unusually affectionate and overt gestures and words. A small part of her mind noted that it wasn't until Kumiko showed up that she began to act as such, but she didn't consciously recognize it, despite the other girl's silent anger at having her conversation interrupted.
Setsuna felt both a surge of anger and a surge of victory when Kumiko cleared her throat, trying to draw Konoka's attention back to herself. "As I was saying, Konoka," with an apologetic smile, the young healer turned back to Kumiko, "I hope we can get dorm rooms that're near each other. Then I can come over and visit no problem!" Setsuna winced visibly. "It'll be like old times again."
"That'd be great, wouldn't it, Secchan?" An unintelligible murmur from her side was enough to satisfy her, and she continued. "We can all study and maybe have sleepovers, and-"
Setsuna couldn't help but sigh. Not much more than a week ago, she'd had such high hopes of spending time alone with Konoka, studying together, eating together, just...being together. She glared silently at the intruder who was steadily breaking down those plans. Maybe if I can get Konoka to believe that she's out for something... She immediately shook the idea from her head. Not only wasn't it honest, it was too easy to prove incorrect. Dammit, I know life's not fair but this is stupid.
"Kumiko." The couple stopped as Kumiko did, turning to meet her mother. "Here's your ticket," she held it out to the girl who took it eagerly, "and this is goodbye. You know which boat it is, yes?" Her daughter nodded, and she did the same in return. "And you know what I told you to do, yes?" Her eyes narrowed threateningly at her, and Konoka shook her head slightly at seeing the sad state of their relationship.
"Yes mother." The memory of what her mother had told her to do was painfully clear, and she couldn't help but wince, knowing that Konoe Konoka was so near to her right now. She couldn't imagine carrying her mother's plan through... "I remember, and I'll get it done."
"Good. You know the consequences if you don't." Setsuna briefly took advantage of the nearly malicious tone in her voice to entertain thoughts of what horrible things might befall the girl if her task were to be left undone, but passed off the thought of impeding her from doing whatever. It was probably something stupid anyway.
Without any sign of affection, Kuroshima Yumi turned from her daughter and strode with a pompous step back into the thick of the crowds. Likewise, her daughter didn't spare her a second glance and returned to the duo a few feet away. "Sorry about the interruption, Konoka."
Setsuna stiffened slightly. Again, she was completely ignored. "That's okay, Kumiko." She squeezed Setsuna's hand happily. "I guess you're takin' one of the more normal lines, huh? Me and Secchan have a boat chartered by Father just for us."
At that, Setsuna allowed herself to smile. She'd forgotten that Konoe Eishun had called in a favor of one of his friends in the coast guard and gotten them a private ride to the secretive island. She squeezed back and grinned. "That's right. Just for the two of us." Konoka turned and smiled back up at her, once more happy with the overtness of her affection today, although her cute blush was lacking.
Kumiko started to retort, but Setsuna broke in and pointed to their left. They now stood in the open, a strong breeze blowing through the area. The sea was easily visible at something of a short distance, and numerous boats rocked on it. "I believe your ship is that way, if it's part of the public lines."
For the first time that day Kumiko looked directly at her without pretense of doing it secretly and glared, knowing she was correct. For a moment she said nothing, trying to think of an excuse to stay a little longer. Spending time with the Konoe heir was very important to her mother's ambitions, and the punishment would be fierce if she didn't. With an inward wince she decided there was no reasonable way to do so and nodded in defeat, turning away from the hanyou back to Konoka.
"Yeah, I've got to go this way." She glanced at her ticket. "My boat leaves pretty soon anyway," she said by way of excuse, perhaps to herself as much to the couple. "I'll see you at the school, Konoka!" Her voice rose happily at knowing they'd meet again within a few hours, and with another light friendly hug, she was on her way down the sloping road in the opposite direction that Setsuna was more than ready to walk.
With a contented sigh, Konoka turned away from the retreating girl and latched onto Setsuna's arm, pulling the limb tight against and smiling into her shoulder. "It's so great to know that we still have a friend, even though we're going to a completely new school, isn't it Secchan?"
Again she was answered with a non-conclusive murmur and she looked up worriedly at the slightly taller girl. I wonder what's wrong with Secchan...nothing bad happened today between them... She continued to look at her finely sculpted face for several moments, but Setsuna either didn't notice or ignored the look, instead keeping her eyes set ahead on what appeared to be their boat.
With a weak sigh, the healer buried her face into Setsuna shoulder once more, breathing in the scent of her girlfriend happily, not very fond of the salty sea air. Reflexively squeezing her hand in return, Setsuna led the two of them down the somewhat steep road towards the docks and the waiting officer's yacht.
"Thank you, Captain Kanada." Konoka bowed dutifully, her hands clasped before her and her hair swinging down cutely beside her face. Behind her in the cabin, Setsuna gratefully sat their duffel bags in the corner nearest the starboard bulkhead, laying Yuunagi across the lower bunk. With a sigh, she sat down beside the hilt of her sword and wrapped her arms lightly around her stomach.
Not even on the boat for ten minutes and I already feel woozy... She shook her head, despising her inherent and persistent weakness to water in all of its forms, and stood back up, winding her way between the table and the wall back to Konoka who was working on locking the cabin door. It was a heavy lock, and Setsuna shook her head with a playful smile and easily slid the bolt through the accompanying piece.
Smiling widely, happy with their newfound solitude, Konoka wrapped both of her arms around the other girl and sighed happily, burying her face against her chest. "Isn't this nice, Secchan? It's my first time on a boat for this long, and we have our own cabin!" She looked up at the girl when she once again received that same neutral noise she'd been hearing off and on that day.
"What's wrong, Secchan?" She frowned in confusion, pouting. "You've been acting funny since we got off the train."
Actually, probably only since about when we met up with Kumiko. She decided not to mention this, and instead shrugged, bringing her hands up to Konoka's shoulders. "I guess I'm just getting nervous about things." It wasn't a lie, per se, but it still nagged at her rather considerable conscience. "Once we get to school, I'm sure I'll be back to normal." She smiled down at Konoka. "Once we get off the boat, I'm sure I'll be better, no matter where it is," she laughed.
"Aww, Secchan, you didn't say you didn't like boats." She buried her face against the girl again and began maneuvering back to the bunks with intentions of making her lay down. "You should sleep while we're underway then. That way you won't feel as bad."
The swordswoman chuckled to herself and easily brought Konoka to a stop by planting her feet against the decking and squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. "It's okay, Kono-chan. I'm not sick or anything, I just don't like it. It's...funny." She smiled again, yet more reassuringly, into Konoka's worried face and leaned in, placing a very light kiss on her forehead, blushing profusely. "I'm fine, really."
Konoka blushed a little bit and smiled, hugging her again. "If you're sure, Secchan." She felt the other girl nod, and sighed happily as her arms encircled her, surrounding her in a shield of protection that made her feel safer than any construction ever would.
She stayed like that for a moment, merely holding Konoka to her both because she loved having her close, and because she was unsure of her footing. When the deck finally seemed to even out somewhat, she squeezed Konoka's shoulders and released her. "How about we find something to do to pass the time, huh?"
The other girl raised a finger to her lips, thinking, then nodded. "I've got just the thing, Secchan!" Ignoring the curious look of the taller girl, she skipped across the tilting deck with ease to their bags, rifling through hers. Setsuna looked away with a blush, immediately noticing the length of her girlfriend's skirt. She studied the wood grain of the ceiling intently until she felt a tug on the edge of her shirt. Still pink, she looked down at her to see her holding two decks of cards. On their back was an intricate pattern strangely appearing to be a series of magic circles.
"Ah, I see what you've got in mind." Konoka held one deck out to her and kept the other firm in her hand. Setsuna accepted the deck with a nod.
"It looked like you'd forgotten 'em in your room," she said brightly, although her voice held a puzzled note. When they'd purchased the cards, Setsuna had seemed mildly excited about them, though not as much as her. She privately expected the reason to be because it was something else the two of them could to together. To the swordswoman, the simple spell used to set the deck to the player, or Mage, was nothing out of the ordinary, but Konoka had been utterly amazed at it. The accompanying flash of light and rush of energy was thrilling, and the excitement she felt at seeing several of the blank cards take on her countenance was great.
After flipping through the deck and assuring herself it was the correct one, Setsuna nodded in satisfaction and walked unsteadily to the unoccupied chair at the table, absently shuffling the deck in her hands.
Konoka kicked out with one foot and knocked the other girl's chair out from beneath the table with a grin. Rolling her eyes at the flamboyant manner she'd pulled her chair out, Setsuna sat heavily in it, glad to be off her feet, and sat her deck firmly on the tabletop, every edge lined up to perfection. "Let's play."
The following several hours of the ride consisted of much energetic calling out of attacks and blocks, threats and taunts as the couple became more and more engrossed in the magical combat based card game. Setsuna seemed to have a particular love for it, perhaps because it was most unlikely that should be a Magistra Magi and have access to the sorts of spells a true Magi would have, though the cards the in the game hardly exemplified those spells. Without their knowledge nor permission, the ship drew close to the shore of Syran Island.
"Hmm...how about..." she shifted the cards in her hand indecisively, then pulled one out, "this one!" A blue card landed in the middle of the table, and Setsuna cocked an eyebrow at its effect. She didn't use long ranged cards that much anyway, and it seemed pointless for Konoka to disable them. "And I'll attack with this."
A rather plain red card followed the blue one, landing on Konoka's active card space with expert ease. She removed it after a few moments in which Setsuna declined to defend against it and took note of her loss of HP on a notepad beside them.
"Please, Kono-chan, don't make me do this." Setsuna tugged on one of her cards with a grin, knowing Konoka would have no way of knowing if it was a bluff or not.
She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at the swordswoman and shook her head. "No can do, Secchan. Not until you surrender."
Shaking her head, Setsuna became somber. "Then I'm afraid you've left me with little choice, Kono-chan. I'm sorry it's had to come to this." She flipped a blue effect card onto the table, one which significantly boosted the next card's AP, then sat back, gathering herself as she did before an assault on an enemy.
"Hyakuretsu Ouka Zan!" Her voice boomed through the cabin as she all but slammed a card with her own face upon its surface onto the table, startling Konoka nearly enough to drop her cards. Considering the boosted AP and its base attack, the healer frowned and surveyed her hand, desperately hoping she had some sort of defense. With a sigh, she shook her head and picked up the pen again. Such a card was only available to the girl who had just so thoroughly beaten her, as it was a type created by each player to resemble themselves. Of Setsuna's many skills, it had drawn one of her best as its chosen attack, and personified her perfectly, even, to Konoka's opinion, the cute picture of her on the front.
"Goodbye, HP. I knew you well..." She couldn't help but giggle as she marked out her hit points, then turned back to a Setsuna whose face was marred by a Cheshire smile. "I bet you stacked your deck, Secchan." She stuck her tongue out again at her.
"I would never!" Her voice was tight with mock indignation and she stood, feigning anger and tossed her hand to the table, the cards scattering slightly. "I can't believe you'd say that kind of thing! You're the one with a track record for cheating!" Despite what would normally have been grave and serious words in an argument, she grinned.
"Remember on our first date, the race car game? Then again on Chamo-san's laptop." She pointed an accusing finger at her and stalked towards the smaller girl. Konoka squealed and quickly left her chair dodging around another chair and towards the safety of the bunks.
"I didn't cheat, Secchan!" She cowered, laughing, on the first bunk, enjoying their game immensely. It was so rare that Setsuna would totally allow her guard down, and she intended to make full use of it. "You just weren't paying enough attention! Admit it, you cheated!"
"No," she shot back, stepping ever closer, raising her hands in a mock of a hunting bear's claws, slinking closer like a cat.
The healer squealed again and covered her face. "Yes!"
"Noh!" Setsuna froze and blinked, immediately drawn from the playful mood.
"Noh?" The couple said in unison, looking at each other, neither saying it quite the same way they'd heard in the previous seconds.
"Nohnonoh!" Setsuna spun on her heel, her well trained ears discerning an approximate location for whatever was making the noise easily.
In a single fluid motion, she pulled Yuunagi, sword bag and all, from the lower bunk, holding it before her and advanced on the corner of the cabin where their luggage was arranged so carelessly. As she moved closer a rustling sound became noticeable and she felt her muscles tense a bit more as she approached. She crept to within five feet of the stack of bags with nothing to go on but sounds, although they were certainly easy enough to use.
Without warning she saw something shift within Konoka's duffel bag and the end of Yuunagi, still in its sword bag, instantly struck out for the spot she'd seen move. "Nooooh!" She leapt back in surprise, her eyes wide and stared at the bag.
"What the..." She jumped when she felt Konoka's hands on her shoulders as she peered over her toward their luggage curiously, slightly alarmed at the oddly pained little noise.
"What do you think it is, Secchan?" The swordswoman shrugged, completely without a clue, and began to once more advance on the luggage, Konoka still holding onto her shoulders. The both of them jumped nigh on a foot when the zipper on Konoka's luggage shivered, then began to move down the track. Setsuna's eyes narrowed and focused on the zipper, knowing whatever was moving it would appear next to it, and readied her currently harmless sword for another thrust.
"Noh. Nonoh noh." Almost in what could be called an annoyed manner, the little voice chattered on in its repetitive though undeniably cute way. After a second of silence, a perfectly round, yellow head popped up out of the bag. It appeared to be wearing some kind of hood as a floppy "tail-like" extension hung down from the top of its head. Its eyes were small and pristine white but for a thin black iris at the very edges. The small opening that must have been its mouth was also small, but as they observed it was large enough to accommodate a stick of the popular Prech snack food.
The youthful healer blinked in surprise at seeing the small undefineable thing, then in recognition that it had taken some of her food. "Hey, that's my Prech I got for snacks!"
The small thing turned to her upon either hearing her voice or the name of its preferred prey and frowned. From within the bag it drew one of the green rectangular boxes of Prech clutched it to itself defiantly. "Nonoh!" It glared fiercely at them, getting only a confused expression from the shorter of the two and an annoyed twitch from the taller one that held a stick-thing.
"Nonoh," it repeated, shaking its head and hugging the box, finally finishing the piece of Prech it had been snacking on since they'd "met."
"Um..." Setsuna stepped up closer to it so that Yuunagi's end was in range of its small yellow body. "Yes?" Again, Yuunagi moved forward, this time not having the luggage between it and its target.
With a cry, the cute little being was knocked over backwards, taking the box of Prech with it, spilling the open plastic package across the decking. It was silent for a moment, and Setsuna stepped closer and peered over the edge of the bags, chuckling when she saw its eyes rotating about its head, obviously bewildered.
For the third time in the last several minutes Setsuna jumped, this time because of a surprise from behind. She turned around and Konoka lightly thumped her on the shoulder again. "You didn't have to hit the poor little thing." She made a face at the taller girl. "It's too cute to go around poking it."
Setsuna opened her mouth to defend herself, but closed it with a pout, so foreign an expression on her that if Konoka had been looking she'd have done a double-take. But Konoka was not looking; rather she brushed past her knight and knelt at the side of the luggage, observing the little thing slowly regain consciousness. "Aww...look at it."
Setsuna peered suspiciously over Konoka's shoulder and made a noncommittal grunt before walking slightly unsteadily back to her chair at the table. She started compiling her cards into a deck again as Konoka giggled at the being's obvious love of Prech. As soon as it was floating again, apparently by way of the inner-tube around its waist, it had fluttered about, filling its arms with the simple snack, muttering a calculating "Noh" with each stick.
He floated back up to the top of the luggage, ignoring Konoka's near presence and carefully slid them back into the plastic sleeve, then the box. With a satisfied nod, he closed the box and picked it back up. "Hey, Secchan, look at it now."
Setsuna sighed and turned around to look. The small being looked at one first, then the other, finally glaring at Setsuna and muttering more "noh"s under its breath. The thing turned back to Konoka after apparently finishing its tirade and cocked its head in a cute fashion before waving one small hand at her. "Nononooh." A hum filled the cabin and light cascaded around it before it simply disappeared, green box of Prech and all.
The both of them blinked a few times before words were exchanged, then Konoka walked closer to where the being had been and tentatively waved her hand through the air it had been standing in. "Wow, it's really gone, Secchan..." She turned to look at the hanyou with wide eyes. "What do you think it was?"
Setsuna settled back into her chair and crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Besides a thief, you mean? Well, I'm not sure. It doesn't look like any magical creature or demon I've seen before, and the Ki I felt from it was definitely not anything powerful, but it wasn't really...it's complicated. It's like it's alive and it's not." She grinned weakly at Konoka in apology of her inability to articulate and shrugged. "It wasn't a paper double either because they don't teleport like that."
The other girl laughed as she zipped her bag back up. "That still doesn't tell me what it was, Secchan." Setsuna laughed and stretched over the back of the chair, finally feeling the effects of being cooped up in a ship's cabin for several hours. She was about to make a sarcastic response when the door opened, the first time since it had been closed, and the Captain descended the steps into the cabin, tipping his hat at the two occupants.
"We've made land at Syran Island's North West dock, ladies." He motioned at their luggage. "If you like one of the crew can carry that up for you."
Setsuna stood, grasping the back of her chair still and shook her head. "No thank you, I can manage it." The man nodded his acquiescence and traced his steps back up the steps and onto deck, leaving the door only slightly ajar.
The swordswoman looked over at Konoka, feeling butterflies in her stomach and grinned. "Well, Kono-chan, we're finally here."
Konoe Eishun's daughter squealed and spun around on the toes of one foot, astounding Setsuna at her balance even on the gently rocking boat. "I can't believe we're here! We're really at a school for magic, Secchan, and we're students!"
Setsuna chuckled to herself, relieved to see her love's mood so improved from it's low that morning. This was the Konoka that she loved to see more than any other part of her personality. Keeping her balance as best she could, Setsuna carefully swung the bags over her shoulder and grabbed Yuunagi from where'd sat it to rest against the bulkhead beneath the window. She affixed it to her belt and waited for Konoka to gather her small miscellaneous things before offering her free arm to her, a slight blush faintly covering her cheeks.
The other girl giggled and took the proffered arm gladly, mocking a curtsy to her much like a princess would to the knight who had asked her to dance. Setsuna led Konoka to the step and motioned her up first, keeping her gaze on her to be sure she didn't fall with the unsteady rocking. Once Konoka was on deck she hurried up after her, actually thankful for the bulky luggage she carried as it helped steady her in the cramped stairway.
The sun was setting behind her, casting long shadows across the massive campus. Trees cloaked large parts of the grounds. Nearly completely hidden in the landscaping, Setsuna could just make out the structure of large buildings set back in the trees. The distance and foliage was enough that she couldn't before now, but can now
Konoka waved her to hurry up, and she did so without a second thought, eager to disembark from the floating transport. With a wave at the captain, the two of them hopped down from the deck onto the wooden planking of the docks, finding much to Setsuna's relief that they were completely stable where they stood.
The two started down the network of docks that made up the North West dock network, picking their way towards shore, when a low voice, carried by the breeze, brought them to an unhappy halt.
"Wow, she's built pretty well for bein' her height," stated the voice of a male in extremely hushed tones, obviously not intending for either of them to hear. "Personally, I think the one 'eside her's pretty good lookin' too. Tall and thin, the way I like 'em."
It wasn't until Konoka whimpered and threaded her arm through Setsuna's that the swordswoman knew that she wasn't the only one who could hear it, and snapped out of her indecision and patted Konoka's hand before looking down at the healer with an annoyed expression. "Are those aimed at us, Kono-chan?"
With a weak grin, Konoka nodded up at her. "Yeah, they are. Unless they're talking about the ship's crew..." She watched as Setsuna once again pulled her deranged chameleon act and turned an angry shade of red. With a thunk, the duffel bags hit the deck and the hushed conversation stopped entirely.
As she tightened the not in the the cord around Yuunagi, she began to stalk back towards the middle of the docks, heading for the two instigators. She tightened her grip on the smooth wood, taking morbid pleasure in the smooth feel of the familiar object in her hands
She sent a silent request for forgiveness to the blade forged especially for her upon her induction into the Shinmeiryuu for intending to use it as a club as she neared the two figures sitting on the edge of the dock.
Looking between each other, one boy sat his fishing rod at his side and stood, cracking his fists in preparation as the other took several calculated steps back, his lips moving slightly, speaking even quieter than he had earlier.
"Stop that right this instant you three!"
Setsuna blinked and turned on her heel, Yuunagi only half out of its sheath. At the edge of the docks, not fifty feet from Konoka was a tall red-headed woman. The expression on her pretty face was not a happy one, and it was with a sinking feeling that Setsuna realized that she was in trouble before actually setting foot onto the island itself.
Footnotes:
Terminatio Pactum – "Terminate Contract"
Shinkansen – Japanese bullet train.
Bentou – A lunch box available at many locations, containing a wide variety of food.
ebi tempura – Battered and fried shrimp
Hyakuretsu Ouka Zan – A technique of Shinmeiryuu
Prech – Delicious pretzel sticks that the creature is particularly fond of.