Fate was playing his usual game of 'wait for them to come to me.' He was slowly getting more and more irritated with waiting. Oh how he had loved the look on Setsuna's face when he had stolen Konoka. He smiled to himself as he got up from where he was sitting to check on Konoka. "How are we doing princess? You should be glad I stole you from that Shinmei girl. She would never have brought you true happiness. You would have only become less and less happy as they days wore on. Sure you are happy now but it would not last. So I stole you away from that, to save you from that displeasure. I also did it for other reasons, but why would I tell you my entire plan for everything? She isn't strong enough to save you. She will fail again if she tries to free you now. Such a stupid girl she is to think that love would make her stronger."

Konoka stared at him her eyes burning frustration and hatred. Tied up as she was, there was nothing she could really do. Rope was not the only thing keeping her there. The magic spell Fate had cast on her prevented her from going out of his sight. Konoka had never felt more alone in her entire life. She kept thinking back to the time this had happened in Kyoto. She remembered how it felt to be captured and it brought back a few nightmares for her. Konoka cried slightly as she hoped Setsuna would come to save her. She knew her hopes might be just that though, a wish that couldn't be granted. Fate was simply too powerful. Konoka thought back to the moment she had been taken and the events since then.

It was the sound of Setsuna getting up that had warned her something was wrong. The swarm of confusion that quickly consumed everything was lost in a chaotic sea of emotions. Konoka remembered how Fate had gotten past Setsuna so easily. It had seemed to Konoka that it was effortless for Fate to do such a thing. The sensation of moving that fast was something Konoka remembered well. Fate had grabbed her and returned to where he had been the same way. Seeing everything from that perspective made everything look like it was running impossibly slow. From that perspective it was not hard to see why Setsuna wasn't able to see the motion. Konoka was scared and it was even worse when Fate used a gate spell to move. He had gated them outside and had told her, "I'm going to see just how much she cares to have you back. Tsukuyomi was told to not hold back against Setsuna. I will hold back and be more than fine against one as weak as her. Oh look, here she comes." Konoka had yelled at Setsuna, warning her about Fate but the outcome was the worst possible. Setsuna had been knocked out and then Fate had brought her here.

Konoka had cried so much in the past few hours. She would cry and wonder how Setsuna must be feeling at that exact moment. Konoka hated Fate for doing this. It wasn't like this was one of Evangeline's tests. The only way to stop it was to beat Fate. It seemed like a childhood wish for something silly. Konoka simply felt hopeless and despaired of ever being returned to Setsuna. Night was falling and she simply wished that it was all just a bad dream that she would wake up from when the morning came. She realized how foolish that sounded as she finally let herself drift off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with the happier moments she had spent with Setsuna. Her dreams took her back to the first night they had spent together. She smiled as she dreamed of that great night on Library Island.

The dream sank in and she remembered how nervous they had both been but how great that night had been. It had been the simplest, purest sex they had ever had. That night was the first time she had felt Setsuna's touch inside of her. She had cried out loud enough that they were getting concerned about getting caught but back then the thought had been pushed to the back of their minds. The morning afterward had been a bit awkward but they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves that night. The hardest part had been telling everyone that they were in love with each other. Lost in her dream Konoka smiled and felt a little better. Fate was sitting across the room watching her sleep, wondering what it was that was making her smile. Tsukuyomi finally arrived at the place Fate had said was to be their hideout. "Fate-sama, she looks so cute while she's sleeping, almost as cute as Setsuna-sempai. I can see what they see in each other. I should warn you that Setsuna-sempai's will to have Konoka-chan back is stronger than you think. I wonder if we did the right thing Fate-sama. It could cost you more than you think if you fail to realize..."

Fate got up and used a shundo to get right next to Tsukuyomi. He whispered into her ear with a vicious tone. "Don't you ever think I am incapable of realizing the consequences of my actions. You make that mistake again and I assure you that death will not come fast enough for your liking." His tone leveled as he continued. "Now then, we should get some rest. I have a feeling Setsuna will be here sooner than we realize. It would be a good idea to rest. Remember what I have warned you of Tsukuyomi." He walked over to one of the beds in the small room and sat down on it. "Yes fate-sama, I won't forget." Tsukuyomi said with a trace of fear in her voice. She hated it when Fate did things like that. Sleep soon overcame all but Fate. He was awake well into the night hours thinking about his grand plan. A little more work and it would truly be worth the effort he had put into it.

Setsuna, Kotaro, Chizuru and Kaede were all staying the night at a small inn. Kotaro and Chizuru were already asleep, snuggling with each other as they slept. Setsuna and Kaede were still awake. "You know something Kaede," Setsuna spoke as they sat out on the small porch their room had, "Your words gave me enough strength to move forward today. Losing Konoka has me thinking about everything, I remember looking up at the stars on the first night she and I spent alone together. They were so pretty but, when I looked at Konoka I knew that there was something much prettier right there in front of me. Then, when Evangeline forced me to train before the wedding, I came to realize just how much Konoka meant to me. Now, with this all happening I know I can't fail or I'll lose the one person I love more than anything. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm laying everything on you."

Kaede smiled a bit and then said, "I don't mind listening to people when they have things that need to be worked out. Your heart is simply telling you that Konoka is what makes you feel whole as a person. Without her right there it starts to feel as though there's a hole. Love is one of those weird and complex feelings that no one completely understands. You have to trust what your heart is telling you and right now I bet it is telling you to fight until you can't anymore to get her back. I would expect no less of someone in love with another. I have yet to make up my mind as to who it is I'll share my love with but I know that it is a connection unlike any other. I hope you regain what is most precious to you. You of all people deserve to be loved for who you are. Setsuna, I hope you don't get disappointed if Fate manages to beat you at your next meeting. That boy is a monster in terms of strength. He can easily take Negi-bozu in a fight and not even show a sign of effort on his part. Be prepared to have to retreat and try again once we've figured something out. I know that finding Konoka and getting her back is what's important but you have your own safety to worry about as well. We are here for you. If you ever need to talk again, just ask. Sessha is here for you as is Kotaro and Chizuru."

Setsuna smiled and thanked Kaede. She stayed out on the porch as Kaede went to get some sleep. The stars reminded her of that night out on Library Island. She wished that everything were as simple as it had been back then. The half moon hung in the sky and the stars surrounding it looking just as pretty as they did that night. Setsuna smiled to herself and went to go catch some sleep. Kaede had fallen asleep on the floor and Chizuru and Kotaro were sharing one of the two beds in the room. Setsuna smiled to how happy they looked together. It reminded her of how she and Konoka were together. As she settled into bed and started to fall asleep she began to dream of Konoka. It was a dream to be shared between only her and Konoka. Sleep felt so good right then as she fell deeper into it.

The next morning Setsuna woke up to find Kaede in her bed. "What the hell are you doing Kaede-chan?!" Setsuna yelled as she jumped out of bed and landed on the floor. She was only half way awake and had woken up everyone else in the room. Kaede rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Sorry Setsuna-dono, I didn't mean to scare you. I must have sleep walked into your bed. I'm actually a little surprised myself." She smiled as she spoke. Kotaro yawned and stretched before saying, "Well, now that Setsuna has woken us all up, anybody up for breakfast? After that we can continue our search for Konoka."

Everyone agreed that breakfast was a good idea and they went to a local Soba shop. The various soups they all ordered were eaten in relative silence, each of them thinking about the activities that would occur later that day. They were prepared to find Fate and, if the need arose, to fight him. Everyone knew what had to be done. Kotaro smiled and patted his stomach after finishing, "Ahh, there's nothing like a good old fashioned miso soup first thing in the morning. I could run on that stuff all day. I have to say your miso soup is better, Chizune-chan. Everyone else satisfied for now?"

Setsuna nodded after finishing her meal. Chizuru was smiling at Kotaro's comment and she said, "Yes Kota-kun I think everyone's done. Thank you for saying my food is better. I put a little extra effort into it just for you." Kotaro had smile on his face and his tone was one of mock annoyance, "Ne-chan you know I don't like being called 'Kota-kun'. Class Rep will never let me live that down if she catches wind of it." He changed his tone to a slightly more serious one as he directed his attention to everyone else. "Alright, now with breakfast out of the way we can return to searching for Konoka. I have a few ideas that may give us a lead as to where she is. We'll stop by a few places they may have gone past and ask if anyone has seen them. If that doesn't work I have a backup plan. Kaede, you can track people by their chi right?" Kaede nodded yes and he continued, "Well then, if we don't turn anything up we'll track Tsukuyomi's chi, chances are she'll lead us to where Fate is. Everyone ready? Let's get going."

'Don't worry Konoka. We're coming for you, just hold on until then.' Setsuna thought to herself as they walked into town.

(Author's note: This chapter was annoyingly hard to start. I had trouble figuring out what I wanted Fate to do. He's so devious and evil though, that once you get going he writes himself. Flashbacks in here reference another one of my fanfics. As always, read and enjoy. The next chapter to this should be coming soon.)

Shinobi of the Onyx Sands