**Setsuna**
Setsuna grinned as she slipped her sword from its sheath before allowing the tip of it to rest in the dirt. She knew the duel wasn't far away, but she felt perfectly at ease – even if she was about to be harmed.
Evangeline had a grin to match hers, but it held more of a 'I'm going to kill you' vibe. The vampire's eyes were a bit more enlightening, for they held a joyful aura about them. "I've already told you this once, girl." The vampire sighed, sweeping one side of her hair behind her ear. "You can't beat me."
The swordsman shook her head as she propped herself up against the weapon. "Prideful as ever, I see. But, when are you ever gonna learn the truth? It's you who can't beat me, Eva."
The vampire frowned, her cheeks tinting slightly pink, and her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you talking about?" She growled, making a slight twitching motion with her hand.
Setsuna, instantly understanding what the motion meant, swiftly brought her sword up to block the oncoming robot. Almost immediately, Chachamaru's arm came down upon the sword with such a force, Setsuna nearly lost her footing. The robot expression showed a mixture of shock and admiration. Setsuna grin mischievously at the robot as she managed not to get crush by Chachamaru's strength. "I won't lose." the swordsman laughed. "Not when I have something to fight for."
**Konoka**
Konoka studied the man who was accompanying her on the walk to school.
He wore a pair of black, weather-sturdy boot that somehow looked both old and new at the same time. A pair of thick blue jeans kept his legs warm from the biting cold, and a black, leather belt kept them from falling. A gray, button-up shirt was tucked neatly into his jeans, making him have a slightly sophisticated look. He also wore an unbuttoned, black, leather coat that looked a few sizes too big for him, even if he was kinda tall. A simple, brown satchel bounced on his side as he walked, and his hands were stuffed in the jacket pockets.
He had chin-length, light blonde hair that stuck out at odd angles, leaving it slightly messy looking. But, for him, it seemed natural. His sharp, yet soft blue eyes seemed to be scanning the road ahead of them, as if to search for danger. He had a very faint beard that only complimented his features more. The corners of his mouth upturned slightly as Konoka heard a quiet huff of laughter.
"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." He asked, turning his gaze from the road and to hers. "S- sorry!" She stammered quickly, feeling her face grow warm with a blush. She averted her eyes to the ground as he chuckled. "It's quite alright." He sighed. "I mean, you have no clue who I am or anything. I can't blame you for feeling a little cautious, Miss."
Konoka gave a small laugh herself, as she felt a little more at ease from his comment. "Yeah, it's just like what they taught us in grade school –"
"Stranger danger?" he asked, interrupting her with a smile. She laughed again, surprised at his comment. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Lucky guess." he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
They were in town now, and the school was only two blocks away. She had gotten more comfortable with his presence, and he turned out to be a pretty nice guy. Interesting enough, he had a lot of knowledge about the medieval ages. At the current moment, he was telling her about a lone knight from that era.
"This knight had no use for horses, money, or even fellow knights." he began. "He was kind, wise, and selfless. People said that his heart was so big, that not even king Arthur could compare to his deeds."
"Wow, he must have been a really nice guy." Konoka interrupted. "He was, indeed, very kind." he replied, smiling. "Now, his clothes looked much like what a ranger or sorcerer would dress in. They were of his own style, of course. He wore brown, leather boots; worn, leather armor; and a cape that was said to be blacker than night. He had no helmet, but, instead . . ."
He slipped a gloved hand into the satchel before pulling out a single item. It was a black half-mask that was decorated with small, silver stars and a silver dragon that weaved its way from over the bridge of the nose, to around and above the right eye. Slipping it onto his face, his smiled broadened slightly. "He wore a half-mask that looked exactly like this one here."
"Wow!" Konoka exclaimed, astonished. "How do you know all of this?"
He shook his head and 'tsk'ed. "One never reveals his secrets. May I continue, please?"
She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Gomen." She apologized. "Don't be." He replied. "Now, this particular knight was the quickest, the strongest, and the most clever of them all. He was also the most loyal. Whenever he was given a quest, the knight would complete it quickly and thoroughly. He made sure that it was done, no matter how difficult."
The man laughed. "He was truly a man to be admired . . . but . . ."
"But?" Konoka questioned, urging him to continue. "But," He continued on with a wry smile. "His fellow knights were jealous. They were tired of always coming second, so they plotted of a way to destroy him."
She was speechless. This story obviously had a twist of its own. Why would anyone want to kill someone so selfless? "They plotted and plotted . . . and, finally, they came up with the perfect solution. Three days after they perfected the plan, Sir John Leroux walked up to the lone knight. He bared news of an important quest the knight must go upon. It was the most important of them all. Every man who had gone before him had died. It was imperative that it was completed, or so he was told at the time."
The masked man fell quiet for a moment before continuing on once again. "He never returned."
"Th- that's terrible!" Konoka exclaimed, tearful. She quickly wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her winter jacket. "H- he didn't die, did he?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Months passed, and the king grew worried. Finally, he just gave up on the knight. A sword was placed in his armory to honor the so-called fallen knight. It bared two things upon the front of the blade. His symbol –" He tapped the dragon upon his mask. "And his name. Upon the back, it bared a saying about him. It read – he was one of the night sky, a star in the evening that burns out during the day. He was the silent night breeze that slowly cools you. He was, The Black Knight."
" . . . wow . . ." Konoka breathe, shocked. "He was really loved, wasn't he?"
The man nodded in response.
"But . . . How do you know –" Cutting herself off, she gave a squeak of surprise as she tripped over something. Almost immediately, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, suddenly stopping her decent. "H- hey!" she stammered, her face growing red. She looked over her shoulder and found herself staring into his soft blue eyes. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Hey."
Making sure she was balanced, he slipped his arms from around her waist. "If you hadn't noticed yet, we're at your school." He chuckled. Konoka glanced around, baffled to see that they were at the school. And, the item she had tripped over was the first step. Boy, did she feel like an idiot.
"Well, if you need me, I'll be going now." The man sighed, turning away from her quickly. "I might be back to walk you home."
"W- wait!" Konoka called, making him glance over his shoulder. "What is your name? I'd like to know. Mines Konoka"
He smile, turning to face her again. "It is a pleasure, Miss. Konoka."
He dropped to one knee, as a knight would, before replying. "My name, Miss, is The Black Knight."
** Setsuna **
Everything was blurry and disorientated, and the only shapes she could make out were blobs. That wasn't very helpful at the time. She also could hear voices. Two, to be exact. She couldn't exactly make out what they were, due to the fact that her ears were ringing really loud.
Setsuna groaned and rubbed her pounding head. She felt like a freight train had hit her! After a few more minutes of being curled in a ball, she managed the single out the sound of Evangeline's laughter. "Hey, leech, just what the Hell happened to me?" Setsuna growled, managing to sit up. Her vision cleared, and she was rewarded with the sight of Evangeline smiling smugly at her. Scratch that – she was cursed with the sight of the vampire smiling at her.
Either something was really funny, or something really bad happened. Well, or a combination of the two.
Suddenly, something cold and wet was pressed up against the side of her cheek, making her yelp. "Water?" Chachamaru asked. "You don't have to ask twice, Chachamaru!" Setsuna replied, gratefully taking the glass. "Only, you didn't have to do that."
"Gomen, Setsuna." The robot apologized. Setsuna waved off the apology as she gulped down the water as quickly as she could. When she finished, she set the glass down with a sigh. Chachamaru immediately picked it up and left the room. Setsuna could only hope the robot was getting more.
"So, I'll ask once again. What the Hell happened?" She growled. Evangeline laughed, shaking her head at the swordsman. "You got your ass kicked by Chachamaru and me."
"W- what? Even after my beautiful speech?! Aww, come on!" She groaned loudly, combing her fingers through her now untied hair. "And," The vampire continued, drawing out the word slowly. Setsuna suddenly felt really scared. "A- and?"
"And," The vampire stated again. "I took advantage of you while sugar plums, fairies, and whatever else danced around in your head."
"W- what?!" Setsuna yelped, her face growing red. "Evangeline, if you didn't know this already, taking advantage of me in my sleep is considered ra-"
"Not like that!" Eva interrupted, turning her head away as her cheeks flared pink. "I only sucked your blood!"
"That's a relief." Setsuna sighed, feeling calmer. Of course, this sense of calm had to be shattered, thanks to Eva. Boy, did that girl did not know how to shut it.
"Don't worry," The vampire grinned. "You're still a virgin."
"E- Eva!" Setsuna whined pitifully, her face turning even redder than before. "For now, anyways." Evangeline laughed, enjoying her momentary tease of the swordsman.
"Just shut up." Setsuna muttered, pushing herself to her feet. "If you need me, I will be tending to Ms. Konoka."
"Wait, girl." the vampire growled, grabbing the swordsman wrist. "Your training isn't finished."
Setsuna slowly dragged herself through the school hallway and towards the indoor food-court. Damn, she was starving. Not only because she skipped breakfast, but, also, Eva literally just had her run ten laps around the entire school – while carrying her,Chachamaru, and littleChachamaru-zero. Setsuna thought the doll as cute when she first met her, but she turned out be both blood-thirst and annoying as Hell. The doll wouldn't shut up! She kept jabbering about 'the Romans' and how 'they had it real fun' – The entire way.
And to make things worse, Eva had sparred her right before she had the swordsman run laps. Now, when Setsuna said she had her ass kicked, that was putting it very lightly. Every time Eva pulled some stunt or trick, she fell for it;It was quite embarrassing. She was constantly tripping over her own feet, and that was even more embarrassing. The swordsman suspected it had something to do with Evangeline using her as a snack.
Anyway, bottom line – Evangeline pretty much put her through Hell, and she burned a lot of calories. End of story.
Sighing as she listened to her stomach growl, Setsuna continued to make her way through the crowd. "Oh jeez, what is it? Pizza day?" She muttered. Sighing, once again, she took a quick glance around the court. Spotting a frantically waving Asuna, she made her way over to her.
"First things first." Setsuna stated, dropping her bag right next to the violent girl. "Where is Ms. Konoka, and what are you eating?"
Asuna rolled her eyes as Setsuna took a seat across from her. "I'll tell you now, no. I'm hungry today, so I'm eating my eating my own food. Got it?"
"Fine." She replied, groaning as her stomach growled loudly. "But, what else am I suppose to eat? I forgot to pack a lunch today!"
"Well, you can't have mine, so buy your own!" Asuna growled back, bringing her sandwich closer to her body. Setsuna blinked, baffled. "I didn't think about that."
Asuna rolled her eyes once more at the swordsman before taking a bite of her turkey sandwich. "Wrell, fwhat are youf vwaitin fo?" She asked, her mouth full of food. "Asuna," Setsuna sighed. "don't talk with your mouth full!"
"Gomen." The girl apologized, after swallowing her bite. "I asked, 'Well what are you waiting for?'"
Groaning as her stomach growled once again, Setsuna let her head drop onto the table. "I can't, I left all my money in the dorm."
"Well, that's just plain stupid." Asuna muttered, taking another bite of her sandwich. "How are you gonna eat now?"
Lifting her head up off the table, the swordsman looked up at the Asuna hopefully. "I'm begging you, now. Please, Asuna. Feed Me!"
The red-head only stuck her tongue out at the pleading swordsman. Letting her head drop back onto the table, Setsuna groaned once more. "Damn you Asuna! You're a fucking bitch."
Almost instantly, Setsuna heard a startled gasp. "S- Setsuna!"
Her heart nearly stopped in its track. That wasn't Asuna's voice . . .
It was Konoka's. Setsuna quickly looked over her shoulder, hoping she had misplaced the voice. She didn't . . . meaning Konoka had heard the swordsman curse.
'Sh- shit . . .' the swordsman smiled nervously. "Ms. Konoka . . . Long time no see!"
"Setsuna." The girl stated, her voice sounding more like a question. Getting to her feet, Setsuna bowed. "Y- Yes?"
"Can you explain to me why I heard you curse a moment ago?" The girl asked, a dark aura surrounding her. "W- well, um, I . . . Asuna . . . er . . ." Setsuna stammered, unsure how to finish. "Setsuna here was just angry at me, 'cause I wouldn't feed the girl!" Asuna interrupted quickly. "R- Really? You wouldn't feed Se-chan?" Konoka asked tearfully. "Poor Se-chan, you must be starving!"
"You have no idea." Setsuna muttered, too low for the girl to hear. "Well, I guess I can let this one slide . . ." Konoka hummed thoughtfully, causing Setsuna to sigh in relief. "But only if you let me feed you all the yummy soup I made you, Setsuna!"
Feeling a sudden tug on her arm, Setsuna stumbled forward. "B- but . . ."
"No buts! Sit." Konoka ordered, pushing the swordsman into the chair. The girl pulled up a chair next to her and sat down, digging through a small bag. This gave the swordsman a clear view of her friend.
It was nothing new, just the school's usual uniform – skirt, vest, short-sleeved shirt, tie, but no jacket. Setsuna guessed it was because of how warm it was in the school. But, that wasn't what bugged her. What bothered her was the band-aid on Konoka's cheek. Had she hurt herself on the walk to school?
"Ms. Konoka?" The swordsman turned her body so she could face her friend. "Hmm?" The girl hummed, not taking her attention off the bag. Setsuna paused unsure whether to continue or not. 'You might regret asking . . . Maybe I shouldn't.'
"Ah-ha!" Konoka exclaimed, pulling out a small, silver thermos. "Found you!"
The girl bounced happily as she poured some kind of soup into the thermos lid. "Konoka?" The swordsman questioned again. This time, Konoka did turn her attention to her. "Yes, Setsuna?"
"Ms. Konoka, why do you have a band-aid on your cheek?"
The usually enthusiastic girl hesitated momentarily as a look of fear and uncertainty passed through her eyes. "Here, Se-chan! Try some of the parsley soup I made you." She replied, avoiding the swordsman question. Setsuna frowned. "Konoka, why are you avoiding my – Mmph?"
She was cut off in mid-sentence as a spoon was forced into her mouth suddenly. "Bad Setsuna! I told you to eat the soup, not talk!" Konoka frowned. "Now shush while I feed you."
Setsuna felt a blush creep across her face as Konoka pulled the spoon back to scoop up some more of the parsley soup. Swallowing the bit that was in her mouth, the swordsman barely had time to protest before Konoka forced another spoonful of the creamy soup into her mouth. Asuna, of course, laughed at this. "Way to shut her up and make her eat celery, Konoka!"
Ignoring her, Konoka got another spoonful of soup. "Say, 'Ah!' Se-chan!"
Setsuna felt her blush grow as she protested. "I can feed myself, Ms. Konoka . . . You don't have to feed me."
Konoka pouted, turning her head away from the swordsman. "Se-chan doesn't like it!"
"N- no! I love your soup! I- it's delicious!" She replied quickly, waving her hands in front of her body frantically. Asuna laughed again, causing the swordsman to glare at her coldly. Asuna quickly stopped laughing at her friend. "You really do?" Konoka asked, bringing Setsuna's attention back to her. "You really like it?"
"Of course I do, Konoka." Setsuna murmured. "You're the best cook I know."
"Really?" Konoka asked. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes." the swordsman replied truthfully. A smile quickly graced Konoka's face as she giggled and scooped up another spoonful of the soup. "Then, would you like some more?"
"Of course I would." Setsuna replied, smiling. As the swordsman leaned down to meet the spoon, she noticed the edges of a white bandage sticking from under the girl's sleeve. Fear immediately struck her heart. Ignoring the spoon that was held up for her, Setsuna gently, but firmly took a hold of the other girl's arm. "Konoka . . .?" The swordsman said in a questionable tone. There was no reply.
Setsuna gently raised the shirt sleeve so she could see the bandage better. "What happened to you?"
The swordsman felt the girl quickly pull away from her as she hastily stood up to her feet. "I- I have to go, now . . ." Konoka stated. She held the same look in her eyes from earlier, when Setsuna had asked about the band-aid. Fear and uncertainty.
With that, the girl hurried off towards the door. Instantly, Setsuna turned towards Asuna. "What happened to Ms. Konoka?"
Asuna quickly picked up her unfinished lunch. "I'll be with Ayaka if you need me."
"Asuna, wait!" The swordsman exclaimed. "Please, tell me what happened to Ms. Konoka."
The girl paused momentarily as she bit her lower lip nervously before replying. "You."
** Next Morning **
'I can't believe I hurt Ms. Konoka . . . I don't deserve to be friends with a girl as amazing as her.'
Setsuna sighed as she mentally beat herself down. She raised a hand to knock on Konoka's door, when she stopped short. What if Konoka didn't want to see her today? What if she was angry or upset? What if –
'Shut up, Setsuna! It is your duty to protect her, no matter what, okay? So stop with all of this nonsense;If she's mad, then you will just have to take the punishment she sees fit.'
Taking a deep breath, the swordsman knocked on the door. A moment later, she heard Konoka call out, "Come in!"
Setsuna released the breath, and walked into the room. She was immediately greeted with the sight of Konoka trying to pick up pine needles that were scattered around a tree. Setsuna blinked, confused. "Um . . . Ms. Konoka . . . question . . . Are you okay?"
*** Yay! Merry Christmas . . . er . . . almost! Anyway, thanks
Special Glossary-
Gomen = Sorry
Setsuna- "Konoka . . . What's with the giant tree?"
Konoka- "Silly, it's almost Christmas, remember?"
Setsuna- "Sh- shit! I forgot!"
Konoka- "Setsuna . . ."
Setsuna- " . . . I'm in trouble . . . aren't I . . .?"
Anyway, Bye! ~Angel981
