Updated. In about a month and a half. woo! success! Anybody else try to write the next chapter in their story, and end up playing like 20 games of solitaire between each sentence while trying to figure out what to write next? No? Just me? Ok then XD

Hanyo Experiment Chapter 6

Eyes snapping open, Setsuna sat up abruptly. She quickly looked around for signs of a threat, assuming danger was the reason for her sudden awakening. Falling back to the bed as quickly as she had gotten up, Setsuna gripped her head, palms over her eyes, to ward off the sudden dizzy spell and splitting headache that came with sitting up. She ignored the slight sting she felt where her fingers met her hairline.

"Ugghhh…"

Feeling slightly better, Setsuna removed her hands from her head and slowly reopened her eyes. The hanyo girl lay motionless and simply stared up at the bottom side of a bed. From her brief glance around the room earlier she took note that she was in a dorm room. The familiar objects that she had spotted laying about assured her that she wasn't in a stranger's dorm room, but in Konoka's shared dorm room. She was lying in Konoka's bed, covered in Konoka's covers and resting her head on Konoka's pillow.

The hanyo relished in Konoka's distinct scent. She noted how somehow Konoka's scent seemed stronger than ever. She had before hand laid on Konoka's bed when her Ojousama had insisted she rest after a difficult training session or on the rare occasion on which she was badly injured. She had taken note of Konoka's scent then as well, but this time…

"What am I talking about?" Setsuna murmured to herself, blinking her eyes slowly.

She continued to stare at the bottom side of the bed above her, idly wondering how she had not managed to smack her head against it earlier. She didn't really want to look around the room again. Something seemed very strange about it when she had glanced around. Nothing really looked wrong per say, just… strange.

"Where is Konoka anyways?"

With a grunt Setsuna sat up. When no pain or sense of vertigo came, she looked around the room again.

Setsuna was confused.

"I'm alone, that's fine. But why does everything looks so… clear?"

She wasn't sure that was the best word to use but it was the first to come to mind. Setsuna could see clear across the dorm room, every single item in the room looking as clear as if it were merely inches from her. Every groove and scratch, every tiny amount of color on every painted surface. Focusing more closely Setsuna could see the reflection of the room coming from a shined tea pot on the kitchen counter across the room, a tiny reflection of her staring back at herself.

"Strange."

A sudden noise caused her to lose her focus and her vision snapped back to its normal, yet unusually clear self. Turning her head towards the direction of the noise, Setsuna found herself staring out the window. On a distant tree outside was a squirrel scurrying about, occasionally stopping to look into the nooks and crannies of the tree. The nails on its tiny feet made scratching noises as they ran along the trees bark.

Scritch Scritch

The noise Setsuna had heard.

"How can I hear it from all the way over there…?"

Her staring was again interrupted, this time by liquid falling into her eye. Setsuna blinked and raised her arm up to wipe whatever it was away. Stopping her hand right before it touched her face, Setsuna could only stare blankly at her appendage. Turning her hand side to side the hanyo studied her now sharpened nails.

Another drop of liquid fell into her eye, and Setsuna carefully let her hand reach her face. She wiped away the liquid with the back of her hand and brought it down to look at.

"Blood? Was this the stinging I felt on my head when I fell back on my bed earlier? I managed to cut myself with my … claws."

Sighing, Setsuna removed the covers from her body and stood up, half expecting another dizzy spell to hit her. When nothing happened Setsuna walked to the restroom and headed straight for the sink. She washed her hands of the blood and then looked up at the sink mirror to see how bad her wounds were.

Setsuna stared at her reflection

"Hmm"

Her clawed hand reached toward her reflection in the mirror. She traced the outline of her eye, noting the change to them more than the change in the rest of her.

Mouth open she could see that her two canine teeth had sharpened considerably, they could be considered fangs. Her loose hair, once turned black due to the seal placed on her years ago, was now the same color as her wings, as white as untouched snow. Her eyes… she hadn't seen those eyes in years. Sharp crimson eyes stared back at her.

Hands leaving the mirror, Setsuna contemplated her new yet old look. She grinned.

"I'm still me. I'm still Setsuna."

Setsuna wasn't sure why she accepted her dramatic change so easily but something in the back of her mind reassured her. She may appear different, but on the inside she was still the same.

The swordsmen turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cool water, washing away the trails of blood that marred her head. When the blood was gone she turned the faucet off and then looked for her wounds, but could find none. Seeing nothing wrong with this she then dried her face with a nearby towel. As she was putting the towel back in place she heard several footsteps and then the front door opening.

"There are four people." Setsuna thought to herself.

"Secchan!?"

"She's gone!"

"Crap! What the heck happened now!? We should-"

"Calm down you over energetic monkey! What we need to do-"

"Who you calling a monkey you pedo-"

"Now is not the time! Secchan-"

Laughing slightly to herself at how quick her friends were to argue with each other, Setsuna smirked and exited the restroom to confront them.

"Calm down, I'm still here." Setsuna stated calmly, an amused note in her voice.

Four pair of eyes turned to stare at her in surprise.

Setsuna in turn, stared back. She noted that the class representative, Ayaka, had joined the dorm room occupants today. She, along with Asuna and Konoka had on their school uniforms while Negi carried his bag full of teacher assignments and whatnot.

"They must have just gotten out of school then." Setsuna thought as she walked toward the group. She nodded briefly to Asuna, Ayaka, and Negi and went straight to Konoka. Losing her smirk Setsuna smiled lovingly at Konoka before wrapping her in a warm embrace.

"Welcome back Konochan. How was school?" Setsuna asked as she buried her nose in Konoka's hair, reuniting herself with the familiar scent.

Konoka, shocked at an awake and suddenly affectionate Setsuna, looked toward the other occupants of the room to see if they could confirm what was happening. What she saw was a widely smiling Asuna looking ready to explode from happiness.

"You're alive!" Asuna yelled excitedly as she practically threw herself on the hanyo's back and embraced both Setsuna and Konoka. Setsuna hardly budged from the impact. Smiling, she let go of Konoka and turned in Asuna's embrace. Eye to eye, the white haired girl wrapped her arms around Asuna's waste, remembering to mind her nails, and effortlessly lifted her into the air to the point where her head rested on the multicolored eyed girl's stomach.

"Yeah! I'm alive! Woo!" Setsuna yelled back happily as she spun Asuna around, carrying her as easily as if she weighed no more than a feather.

"Whoa! Calm down Setsuna! Weren't you just bedridden!? Setsuna!" yelled Asuna, wondering if smacking the sudden hyper girl repeatedly on the head for the sake of being set down would be bad to the Hanyo's health.

Konoka looked on wide eyed. "Secchan w-"

"Setsunasan," Ayaka interrupted "though I am happy you have recovered-"

"aww, I didn't know you cared so much Iinchou!" Setsuna said, winking at Ayaka as she turned her head in her direction. Ayaka blushed but continued.

"-I do believe you should not strain yourself so. I'm sure Asuna is quite heavy-"

"HEY!"

"-and perhaps you should set her down."

Setsuna laughed. "Aww come on Iinchou, you'll get your Asuna back, there's no need to be jealous!" The hanyo turned to face Ayaka directly. She shifted Asuna to be draped over her right shoulder and held her there with only one arm "I'm just having some fun!" She then proceeded to deliver a loud smack with her free hand onto Asuna's bottom.

Asuna let out a dignified squawk of outrage at the contact and struggled harder to be released from Setsuna's grasp.

Ayaka, face flushed, could only gape.

"Secchan, you-" Konoka was once again interrupted.

"N-now girls! I do not believe this is appropriate behavior! Setsunasan please put Asunasan down!" a blushing Negi stuttered out.

"Yeah! Put me down ya bird brain!"

"Ok ok, geez. Everyone's so uptight today."

The white haired girl walked over closer toward Ayaka and casually tossed the multicolored eyed girl at her. Ayaka and Asuna grunted at the impact, both ending up sprawled over each other on the floor. Negi quickly went to try to help and was quickly met to a smack on the head from Asuna; he had somehow managed to tangle himself up as well.

As they fought amongst themselves Setsuna laughed loudly.

"I love these guys, there's never a dull moment with them around. Speaking of love."

Setsuna turned to watch a frowning Konoka staring at her. The Hanyo smiled back.

"Konochan."

"What?" Konoka responded, looking away.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say your name." Setsuna said as she walked over to her Ojousama and tried to embrace her.

Konoka stepped back, a blush on her face but a frown still accompanying it.

"Don't try to sweet talk me!" Konoka growled out with frustration as she looked Setsuna in the eyes, glaring. "Do you know how worried I was about you? You were out for 4 days! You were in so much pain! That first s-scream you let out, I swear it will haunt my nightmare for years to come. You were in so much pain and I could do nothing! I tried healing you, but more pain just replaced the old. I couldn't sleep or eat or- or leave your side. When you stopped withering in pain after the second day Asuna and Negi made me move and go to school. They said I would worry you if you w-woke up and saw me in the state I was. A-and now y-you-"

Konoka was crying but trying not to. She raised her arms and covered her face, trying to push the tears back but still they came. Asuna, now untangled, took a step toward her in order to comfort her friend. Setsuna stopped Asuna with a raised arm and shook her head. She looked at Asuna pleadingly and then nodded towards the door. Asuna thought for a moment and then nodded, staring straight into Setsuna's crimson eyes. She trusted her.

The pigtailed haired girl grabbed Ayaka and Negi by the arm and pulled them towards the door, Negi's complaints on leaving falling silent as the door closed behind them.

Setsuna winced as Konoka let out a sob.

"Konochan, I-"

"A-and now you're awake and happy and flirting around and acting as if nothing ever happened to you…"

"Konochan…"

"I was just so worried and s-scared. I thought… I t-thought you were going to d-die again. You just keep almost dying and I- I can't, Secchan do you know how much I-"

The heiress lowered her arms and faced Setsuna, smiling sadly.

"Damn it Secchan…"

Setsuna let out a humorless breath of laughter and then smiled kindly at Konoka. She slowly wrapped her arms around Konoka; one arm around her shoulder and the other letting a hand rest behind Konoka's head. Konoka hugged her back tightly, never wanting to let go.

"Konoka I- I'm sorry. All I ever do is make you worry about me huh? Even though you are my ward. Even though I am your guardian. Even though I'm supposed to be protecting you."

Setsuna rubbed Konoka's back gently as she started shaking.

"Secchan you're more than that to me. Don't-"

Setsuna laughed and continued

"Even though I am your friend and you are mine. I seem to be the one who causes you the most harm. Even though you mean everything to me."

Setsuna leaned back slightly and placed a small kiss on Konoka's cheek. Konoka blushed and was about to speak but Setsuna wasn't finished.

"I know the Serum I was injected with has caused a lot of problems thus far. It's made you worry and has me behaving oddly. I don't how I'm sure of it but I am fine now, though it has made me change and I can't always control how I act or what my brain suddenly decides it wants to do. But there's one thing that has not changed in me since the day I met you, and never will change. Something I've been wanting to tell you since the day I first figured out what this feeling in my chest was."

"Secchan…"

Setsuna slowly leaned in, he gaze shifting from Konoka's eyes to her lips. Konoka sighed and closed her eyes, leaning forward. Finally giving in Setsuna closed her eyes as well.

There were no fireworks or explosions, no epiphanies or even lust when they kissed. There was simply love and relief at knowing that what was meant to be finally happened.

Pulling back they both panted breathlessly, Setsuna leaning her forehead on Konoka's. Crimson eyes gazed at chocolate orbs.

After a few seconds Setsuna grinned.

"I Love You."


And done! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed or at least managed to read it til the end hahaha. Review if you wish, for some reason reviews make writers happy. Tis a mystery!