Kailor: Thanks again for all my wonderful reviewers! Keep them coming, eh?
Rikku: Kai...somebody's at the door...and she's waving a banana around.
Kailor, Naruto, and Nuriko: Su.
Kailor: My buddy! You're back!
Su: I brought ramen!
Everyone: YAY!
To her complete surprise, she was suddenly as awkward and tongue-tied around Konoka as she really had been at age sixteen. Her face heated up and she searched for something to say. This was the first time in thirty-two years that she'd seen the healer. Say something...say something...
"How'd you sleep?" she heard herself say. WHAT! How'd you sleep! More than three decades without seeing her and all she could manage was HOW'D YOU SLEEP!
"Great!" Konoka bubbled, apparently not noticing the aura of self-loathing Setsuna was giving off. "Negi snuck in with Asuna again, so needless to say this morning was as eventful as always."
She peeked over at Negi. He was laughing at something Ayaka had said. Asuna was fixing the collar of his shirt that had bent up in back. She hadn't seen them talk for nearly a century...
They'd had their falling out when Setsuna was seventeen and after graduation, Negi left. During their last years of high school Negi lived with Kotaro in the boy's dormitories and rarely called on Asuna in class. Despite everyone in the class and associated with it trying to fix the relationship between them, Asuna refused to forgive whatever Negi had done and Negi wouldn't say anything about it. Their falling out had been the largest reason for the class growing apart near the end of high school. Without Negi moving from each group to the other, the students didn't associate as much as before. It went back to how it had been before Negi had come to Japan: everyone doing their own thing. Negi was very hard to find outside of class and Asuna spent most of her time up at Ayaka's house. Until they stopped talking too and-
Wait...
Seventeen? That meant next year was the beginning of Asuna and Negi's falling out. Whatever broke the bond between them was going to happen within this year or the next! She made a mental note to keep very close tabs on the two of them.
"You alive in there, swordsman?" Evangeline swept around the front desks to stand at Setsuna's side.
Setsuna fought the urge to hug the little vampire.
Eva had been freed from her entrapment at Mahora their last year of junior high, but she'd agreed to stay on until their class graduated. She said it was so she could keep an eye on Negi, who stayed their homeroom teacher to the end. Setsuna knew it was more because 3-A had grown on her, despite her fervent denials. After high school Eva roamed the world, occasionally showing up to help out or just to visit. When Haruna had died Eva moved in with Setsuna for a few years before the swordsman talked her into letting her go to the home. Eva went off to America and Setsuna never saw her again, but those few years they'd lived together had made them fast friends. Though Setsuna had expected it, the vampiress never complained about taking care of her aging classmate and for that Setsuna would always owe her. Even if it hadn't happened yet this time around.
"More alive than ever," Setsuna said. Her chest felt tight with all the giddy pressure building up. She shook her arms and tapped her toes, attempting to keep from jumping every person around her. Instead she turned and wrapped Konoka in a quick, tight hug.
"Oh my, Setsuna! Hi!" Konoka giggled and blushed prettily.
"Thank you," Setsuna said, meaning for the birthday party. A part of her knew she was really thanking a certain Chinese girl waiting in the future.
Konoka blinked, obviously taken aback by the giant smile on Setsuna's face. "You're welcome. Hey, Asuna, we've gotta do this every year! Look at this grin!"
Asuna hopped over, winking. "I knew you'd like it. We know you're not much of a partier, but-"
"It's great, Asuna. Thank you." She moved in and hugged the redhead too.
Asuna "oofed" as the embrace pushed her breath out for a moment. "Touchy-feely today, ain't you? Hey, everybody! Sakurazaki wants a dog pile!"
"No, Asuna, wai-agh!"
With Konoka and Asuna in the lead, the class moved in to group hug the blushing swordsman. Setsuna complained loudly, feebly trying to escape, but she loved every second of it. The entire party was amazing for her. Every time someone touched her shoulder and wished her a happy birthday, or offered to refill her drink, or yelled across the room to her, she wanted to cry.
They were all so young, so full of life and so innocent. None of them had married or had children yet. None of them had bills to keep up with. Nobody in that room had to push buttons on a chair to get around. There wasn't a single beeping box at anyone's hip. There were no bent backs or defeated faces that came with age.
They were teenagers again. They were class 3-A- no, 4-A now.
"Setsuna?" Konoka leaned into her arm, gazing up at the half-demon's face. "Are you sure you're okay? You're crying again."
Setsuna blotted the rogue tears that had escaped her eyes and were fleeing towards her chin. "No, I'm fine. I really, really am. I'm just...so happy to be here with all of you."
Konoka's face melted into a that's-so-cute expression and she nuzzled closer, clasping her arms around Setsuna's.
Far too soon, the bell rang and the class moved towards their next destination.
No, not yet. Wait.
"Wait!" The class halted as Setsuna sought words to thank them all. She fidgeted under their collective gazes, but finally she managed to say, "H-how about karaoke tonight? Everyone, I mean."
She laughed at the incredulous looks that passed around the class. Then Sakurako, to nobody's surprise, said, "Hell yeah, let's do it! Can everyone do seven?" Affirmative murmurs rolled through the crowd and the expected grumbles from Chisame soon turned to resignated sighs. "Good idea, Sakurazaki!" Sakurako flashed her a thumbs up.
Setsuna took a steadying breath as everyone filed out. She had thought that actually being nearly a century older than everyone else would make speaking before them easier, but her body had reacted just like it always had at sixteen. She ran her hands down her skirt, wiping away the light sheen of sweat that had covered her palms when all those eyes had turned to her.
"Hey, Setsuna, you coming?" Konoka waved from the doorway. "We've got class."
Setsuna grabbed her sword and hurried after the healer.
Classes passed quickly. Takahata, Shizuna, and a few other instructors, including the headmaster himself, made it a point to tell her happy birthday. When school let out Setsuna joined Negi, Asuna, Konoka, and Ayaka for the train ride back to the dorms. Kotaro found their compartment about halfway there and he wished her happy birthday before giving her a small packet of chocolate.
"It's all I could afford," he said, shrugging like it meant nothing to him, but he blushed when she hugged him.
Setsuna walked to Konoka, Asuna, and Negi's room with them and Konoka made a light meal for them as Asuna and Negi argued about after-school lessons and Setsuna roamed through the room, reacquainting herself with the place.
Konoka's laptop was open on the desk and when Setsuna passed her hand bumped the mouse. The screen lit up and Setsuna found herself staring at a picture of herself and Konoka. She was dressed up in a fine samurai outift and Konoka made a ravishing kimono clad princess. Oh, from their trip to Kyoto! She smiled, remembering how embarrassed she'd been to pose with her charge like that and how she'd asked the girls to email her the picture afterwards.
Thank any deities listening for that field trip.
Speaking of pictures...she already had a plan to ensure Asakura would bring her loads of pictures. "Hey, Asuna."
The redhead looked up from the drawer she was digging through.
"Are there any openings at your job delivering papers?"
Asuna's eyebrows drew together and she squinted at the wall for a moment. "Yeah, that kid Oyama was always calling in sick so they finally fired him. I've been doing his routes. I can ask the Maichos about setting you up to take over his jobs." Asuna turned her squinted gaze on Setsuna. "I thought you had a job though. Don't you do monster hunting with Mana?"
"Yeah, but that job's not really steady. It's well-paying, but the jobs were kinda few and far between in high school."
Asuna's gaze grew narrower. "Were? High school just barely started."
Crap. Setsuna scrambled to correct her slip up. "I mean so far! And uh, I don't want to rely on a job that isn't steady. You really think you could get me a job at Maicho News?"
Asuna's expression cleared and Setsuna sighed with relief. "Sure, I'll ask them tomorrow morning. I'm sure it'll be no problem."
"What do you need a steady job for, Setsuna?" Negi's voice called down from his little loft. "Saving up for something?"
"Sort of." Setsuna left them with that vague answer and drifted into the kitchen to help Konoka bring out their meal.
They ate, Setsuna insisted on helping Konoka with the dishes, then she departed for her own room to get dressed for the night ahead. Mana was already there, changing out of her shrine maiden's outfit.
"Put in a few hours before karaoke, Mana?" Setsuna asked as she pulled on some jeans and a plain gold t-shirt.
"Yeah, there was an exorcism today so I had to." Mana said, shrugging on a light jacket. "I found the towel rack."
Setsuna flushed, having completely forgotten about it. "I forgot about that. Sorry. I kinda fell."
"It's okay," Mana laughed. "I never really used it anyways, but I know you do so I fixed it for you."
Setsuna paused, halfway out the door and stuck her head back in to grin at her roommate. "Well, thank you for that. Just put it on my tab." Since this was usually Mana's line, the hunter's face fell into the closest thing she'd ever seen to a pout. Setsuna laughed, closing the door behind her.
The karaoke bar was packed when the class arrived. She sat beside Konoka and Negi at a little table near the center of the room.
"Happy birthday, kiddo." Chamo popped his head up out of the hood on Negi's jacket.
"Hey, Chamo. I was wondering where you were."
"I was uh, detained this morning. Ahem."
"Meaning he was in my panties again so I gave him a concussion," Asuna said, taking the seat across from them.
"I swear, I thought it was your shirt drawer!"
"That doesn't make it any better, perverted ermine!"
Setsuna caught sight of Asakura sitting with Ku and Kaede up near the stage. Excusing herself, she wormed through the cluster of tables and people. "Asakura!"
"Oh, hey, birthday girl! Say cheese!" Asakura snapped a picture of her before she could protest.
Blinking until her vision returned, Setsuna leaned down to speak with Asakura. "I want to hire you."
Asakura cocked an eyebrow suggestively and pretended to blush. "Oh, Setsuna, you don't have to pay me for that."
Ku choked on her drink and Kaede tossed her head back, laughing. Setsuna couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "I want to hire you as a photographer."
"I'm not a photographer!" Asakura sniffed, playing at being affronted. "I'm a reporter! A journalist! A writer who uses both words and images to tell a story to the masses!"
"Okay, but I just want to hire you as a photographer."
Asakura poked out her bottom lip, looking a little let down. "Well, fine. Belittle my trade, why don't ya? What am I taking pictures of?"
"Everyone." Setsuna swept her arm around the bar, indicating their classmates grouped about. "All of class 4-A. I want pictures of the whole class together and all seperately and any other pictures you can get. As many as you can possibly take."
The joking pout slid off Asakura's face. "That's it? Would you like the pictures I have from over the years already?"
"Most definitely."
"Alright, I can do that. What's the pay gonna be like?"
"We'll discuss that when I get my first shipment of pictures."
Asakura tapped her camera to her lip. "How long will I be doing this for?"
Setsuna pondered that, watching Nodoka and Yue as they listened to Haruna's newest ramblings. "You know what...you keep the pictures coming until I tell you I have enough."
Asakura extended a hand. "You've got a deal, boss."
Setsuna shook the proffered hand and made her way back through the mob of people. So she had pictures coming for Chao. Now for the other most pressing problem on her mind. When had that chance to tell Konoka how she felt come? She remembered clearly running through the rain and the hurt look on the healer's face, but when exactly had that happened?
They were in high school...she'd been leaving to go train at Eva's one night...It had been storming something fierce...Konoka had followed her out the dorms and bid her a goodnight... Her words had left something hanging in the air between them and she had immediately recognized it as the moment to confess. It was then or she'd never be able to get it out. And she'd bowed, uttered a goodnight, and ran off into the rain. After that night she and Konoka's "just friends" relationship had been set in stone. There never came another moment when Setsuna felt the overwhelming drive to say those three words. Konoka never left her another opening for it. She'd been right to think that moment was the moment, and she'd screwed it up.
She wouldn't this time around. She just had to remember when exactly it had happened so she could mentally prepare herself. This time was probably going to be twice as hard because she knew the consequences of running away. She would HAVE to confess. There was no choice. She was going to have to practice in the mirror a few times and nail it. She couldn't miss that moment again.
"Setsuna!"
She started as Eva's voice cut through her reverie. Guiltily, she realized the vampire had been calling her name for quite a few awkward moments now. "Oh, uh, yes? What?"
"I said, you don't have your sword with you," the vampire growled, annoyed.
"Oh, no. I left it at the dorm tonight."
"What about your pactio card?"
Crap again. She'd left that too. "Ah, that too. I wasn't really all there when I was preparing to come out."
"I should think not, since you seem to have forgotten our training session tonight."
"Our what?"
"Training session? We train every other night, remember?"
Setsuna did once she said it. "Oh right. I'm sorry. I'll run home and grab them once we're done here then fly over to your place."
Eva nodded, satisfied. "Alright, but don't forget the next time we have training."
Outside a large rumble rolled through the air, growing louder. The sound made Setsuna jump again.
"You okay, Setsuna? You're kinda jumpy tonight. I hope you're not scared of training with me."
Thunder sounded again before Setsuna could reply. The soft pitter-patter on the roof signalled the beginning of the rain.
Rain...
Training...
Wait...