*** Setsuna ***
Kneeling to the ground quickly, Setsuna bowed her head respectively. "Eishun-sama."
Silence.
Suddenly, a deep, hearty laugh sounded, and a giggle followed not long after it. The swordsman reddened slightly, keeping her gaze upon the ground. "W- wow, Setsuna . . ." Eishun laughed, patting the girl on the head gently. "You are way too formal."
"It would be wrong of me not to." Setsuna replied, standing up slowly. "After all, you give me the pleasure of watching over your daughter."
Eishun raised an eyebrow questionably, glancing from a grinning Konoka to Setsuna. "So it's like that, huh? After my daughter, eh? I didn't know you swung that way, Setsuna."
"W- what?!" Setsuna shook her head quickly. "I didn't mean it that way! I could never do such a thing!"
Konoka pouted, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. "Se-chan doesn't like me anymore! I thought you loved me!"
"B- but I do love you!" Setsuna stammered. "Ha! You just admitted it!" Eishun exclaimed, smiling mischievously. "You are after my daughter, aren't you, Setsuna?"
Setsuna felt her face flush even redder. "I didn't say–"
"But you said that you loved me!" Konoka interrupted, having her own little, mischievous smile.
Growling in frustration, Setsuna turned her gaze back to the ground. Why did they both have to tease her like this?!
Laughing, Eishun shook his head. "Come on, Konoka. If we continue any further, all the blood in her body will have gone to her face."
"I suppose your right, daddy." Konoka sighed, sticking her tongue at him playfully. Shrugging, rubbed the back of his neck, smiling embarrassed. "By the way, I wasn't exactly informed you two were coming . . . so we've only got one room ready for you two. Do you mind? You'll both have to share a bed."
Blushing slightly, Setsuna pulled a folded envelope out of her back pocket. "Er . . . I forgot to mail you this . . ."
Konoka frowned. "Se-chan . . . are you telling me we're skipping school at the moment . . .?"
The swordsman shook her head. "No, I talked to your grandfather. Just – not your dad."
Rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, Setsuna lowered her gaze to the ground. "Gomen."
"That's okay." Eishun sighed. "I'll have it taken care of, okay? Now, follow me please – I'll show you to your room. Yumi's asleep right now, so you'll have to visit her tomorrow, Konoka."
*** ...Later? ***
Setsuna glanced around the small, simple room. It was a little dimly lit, creating a cozy, home-like scenery. She liked it.
Feeling a soft grip take hold of her forearm, Setsuna looked down, surprised.
Konoka stared back up at her innocently, her arms wrapped around the swordsman's forearm affectionately. The girl smiled softly, her chocolate brown eyes shining with happiness.
Feeling her heart speed up slightly, a small blush spread over Setsuna's face. The swordsman felt the corners of her mouth draw upward in her own small, gentle smile. 'Ms. Konoka really is adorable . . .'
The thought made her heart squeeze slightly. 'Maybe I could . . . No, I can't do that."
Shaking her head, the swordsman jumped, feeling a small pinch on her arm. "Se-chan, your not listening." Konoka muttered. Blushing slightly, Setsuna stammered, "G- gomen Ms. Konoka . . . I was lost in my own thoughts."
Konoka's eyes shined with mischief as she stood on her tip-toes, bringing her face closer to the swordsman – who's blush darkened. "It's almost like home isn't it, Se-chan?"
"Ohhhh, now I see. So Konoka is actually after you, isn't she, Setsuna?"
Both girls immediately jumped in surprise, turning their attention to the room's doorway. Eishun stood there, a small blush spread over his face as he grinned mischievously. "By the way, Setsuna. Have you grown? I noticed Konoka had to stand on her toes to try and kiss you. Or, is she just really short.?"
A wild blush spread over Konoka's and Setsuna's face. "D- daddy!" Konoka exclaimed, keeping her gaze on the floor. "It's not my fault she grew like five inches last summer . . . And I didn't try to kiss her . . ."
"Did too." Eishun argued. "Anyway, as long as I'm not a grandfather before I'm fifty, I won't kill you, okay, Setsuna?"
Konoka smiled nervously. "Dad . . . I don't think two girls can have children . . ."
Setsuna blushed even more so. "P- plus . . . it's not like that . . ."
"Uh-huh. So, I just came back to tell you, you can make whatever you want. There's food and drinks in the fridge over there in the kitchen. So, see you in the morning – or not." Eishun waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen, before turning around and leaving them.
Turning her gaze back to Konoka, Setsuna noticed the girl frowning. She was about to ask what was wrong, but, before she could, the girl shook her head and smiled.
"So, what do you want for dinner?"
*** Konoka ***
About around an hour later
Konoka slowly sliced a carrot with a small knife she found in one of the drawers. There were lots of different fruits and vegetables, so she decided to cut some of them up and fry them in a pan. So far, it looked like a mess.
Sighing, Konoka slid the carrots off the chopping board and into the pan. At least it add some color.
Grimacing, Konoka stirred the simmering vegetables before setting the spoon on the counter. Hopefully, this recipe will turn out to be well.
Shaking her head, she peeked from behind the kitchen wall, spotting Setsuna sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed quietly.
The swordsman was wearing a pair of purple, button-up pajamas, and her hair was damp from a recent shower. She hadn't bothered to pull it back up into it's usual side-ponytail, due to the fact she would be going to bed pretty soon.
She was wearing a pair of red glasses, and she was reading a thick book. Konoka blinked.
Since when did Setsuna read?
No, scratch that – since when did Setsuna wear glasses?
biting her bottom lip, Konoka called. "Hey, Se-chan?"
"Hmm?" The swordsman hummed quietly in response. "Since when do you – ah, no . . ." Konoka paused to think. "What are you reading?"
"No thanks, I'm fine Kono-chan . . ." Setsuna responded, not looking up from the book she was reading. Konoka frowned. "That's . . . that's not what I asked . . ."
"No, the purple dinosaur isn't going to eat you. He probably just wants a hug."
"Wh- what . . .?"
"Do we have any cookies?"
"I- I don't think we do . . . only fruits and vegetables."
"That's sad."
"But . . . I- what . . . I thought you hated sweets!"
"I do."
"But-"
"I messing with you – smile, it's good for you."
"Oh . . ."
The swordsman smiled herself, looking up from her book and at Konoka. "Now, to answer your question from earlier – it's all about dragons. Well, almost."
Konoka shook her head. "Okay, one more question. So, what's with the . . .?"
"Glasses?" Setsuna suggested, tilting her head to the side, closing the thick book. Nodding, Konoka smiled sheepishly. "Yeah . . . sorry, it's just, I've never seen you wear them before."
Setsuna's eyes shined with confusion. "You haven't?"
Konoka shook her head. "No, not once."
"Well, that's weird." Setsuna muttered. The swordsman shook her head. "Well, they're reading glasses. I don't wear them in class, but I do when reading at home."
Konoka blinked. "Well, I never knew you even read. But, dinners almost done. You hungry?"
** Selena **
"Evangeline did WHAT?!" Asuna exclaimed, nearly choking on her ramen.
Sighing, Selena quickly signed –
Evangeline bit my finger, and she said I –
Asuna cut her off immediately. "I don't care what she said! She . . . she bit you?!"
Selena backed up a step. Aunty Asuna's expression was scary . . . even more so than Evangeline was.
"Th- that Bitch! I'm going to kill her!" the red-head exclaimed, dropping her bowl on the floor, where it shattered. She paid no attention to it and dashed out of the kitchen. "EVANGELINE, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"
"W- wait! Asuna, what about . . ." Negi trailed off. ". . . Selena . . ."
Negi turned his attention to her, but Selena was staring at the shattered remains of the bowl.
The reflected a broken reflection back at her, making her lower lip tremble. It looked so much like . . . 'No, I can't remember that. Not now. Not ever.'
Why were so many things reminding her of that day?
Shaking her head, she turned her head away from the glass. Both Negi and Chamo were staring at her worriedly.
The ermine poke the young boys cheek. "Bro, do you think that she's okay? She looks pretty tearful . . ."
"I- I'm not sure . . ." Negi replied, and Selena forced a smile on her face and signed –
Negi-kun, can I have some water please?
Negi looked at Chamo, confused. "Do . . . do you know what she said?"
Chamo shook his head. "Sorry bro, no."
Err . . . Negi-kun . . . can you understand what I'm signing?
Negi didn't respond, for he seemed to be having some conversation with Chamo. Signing, Negi rubbed the back of his head. "But, I'm not so sure I should use a spell, Chamo . . . remember what happened when I tried magic with the others?"
The ermine blew out a puff of smoke, making Selena wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Yeah, but she's special, right? She has magical and demonic power as well. Maybe you can make it where she can talk or something. Come on bro, have I ever led you wrong before?"
Selena back up a step as Negi hesitated for a moment. "Well, I guess I could try . . ."
** Setsuna **
"I said, 'No', Ms. Konoka." Setsuna muttered sternly, turning away from the pleading girl. "I'll be fine, okay? You sleep on the bed."
"But Se-chaaaaan!" Konoka whined. "You'll get cold, plus you won't get any sleep if you stand up all night!"
"Who said I was standing up all night?" Setsuna muttered. Even though she said this, the swordsman knew that she would.
"Se-chan." Konoka said sternly, sounding very serious.
"I said no. There's only one bed, and two of us." She replied. 'But that's not the problem . . . I can't sleep in the same bed as Konoka, or else I . . . I might fall for her even more than I have.'
"Se-chan."
"No."
"Setsuna."
" . . ."
"Come lay down, or I'll drag you over here. You're not about to stay up all night."
Setsuna shook her head, not really taking the girl seriously. "Konoka . . . please, just leave me be. I'm sorry, but –"
She stopped in mid-sentence, blinking in surprise as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist suddenly. "Se-chan . . ." Konoka trailed off. "I know you. You're probably going to walk around all night and fall asleep on a bench somewhere, and I know I more than likely won't be able to stop you. But, before you leave, will you answer me this?"
The swordsman lowered her head. " . . . yeah."
Konoka did know her well.
"That night . . . on Christmas . . . why did you run away? Why were you crying?" Konoka asked, releasing Setsuna from her grip.
Setsuna froze, unsure how to answer Konoka. Why did she cry? Why did she running away?
She knew the answer, but she didn't want to.
"Because." Setsuna stated plainly. "I'm a coward, and I was afraid of how you might of reacted. I was afraid of being rejected, like I have my entire life – up until the point where I met you."
Silence.
Setsuna blinked, waiting for the girl to answer . . . but she got no reply. Shaking her head, she started towards the door, only to be halted by Konoka's words. "You should never have to worry about that. I'll never reject you – no matter what."
** The Next Day **
"Hey guys, what's up? Been awhile, right?" A scruffy-haired child asked, her voice sounding tiresome.
Yumi looked up at Setsuna and Konoka, smiling happily. Her bi-colored eyes shined with joy, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "About a year, I believe." Setsuna answered. "And look how tall you've grown! Almost . . . one-fourth of an inch."
The girl frowned, looking as if she were about to argue. "Yumi, are you feeling any better? We would've come to see you sooner, but we had to let the healers take care of you a bit more."
"That's okay sis! I don't mind. At least I get to see you and Bird-brain over there." She grinned, sticking her tongue out at Setsuna.
"I told you to stop calling me that." Setsuna grumbled. "Shorty."
"I told you to stop calling me that."
"You first."
"No, you!"
"You stop first!"
"You!"
They both turned to look over at Konoka. "Konoka!"
The girl nervously looked at them both. "Ah . . . how about you . . . both stop . . .?"
"But, that's no fun!" Yumi pouted. "You've gotta choose one of us!"
Setsuna sweat dropped. "How about I just say, 'sorry'?"
Yumi shook her head. "No! Big sis has to choose!"
Konoka glanced between the two of them. "Ah . . . not me . . .?" Setsuna suggested, unsure. Yumi argued happily. "No, her!"
"But why do I have to pick . . .?" Konoka asked. Yumi grinned evilly. "Because it's funner that way."
"I'm agreeing with Konoka here. Why does she have to pick?" Setsuna asked. "Because!" Yumi argued. "I want her too."
"Well, then . . . Setsuna? Be politer to Yumi, please." Konoka said, after thinking for a couple minutes.
"Yay!" Yumi shouted, fist-pumping happily. "I win!"
** Later **
"I can't believe we have to leave so soon . . ." Konoka trailed off. Setsuna gave the girl a worried look. "Don't worry. We can probably visit in the Easter or something . . . Okay?"
She nodded. "Alright."
Setsuna hesitated momentarily, before blushing slightly. "Do you mind if I hold your hand . . .?"
Konoka grinned, taking a hold of the swordsman's hand happily. "Not if you mind me holding yours."
"By the way." Setsuna stated.
"Yes?"
"Why do you and your sister look so alike, yet different?"
"She's adopted."
Setsuna blinked. "What?"
*** End! You may or may not see Yumi later on. And sorry, got lazy towards the end... ne~ bye guys! ~~~Angel981 ***
