`----------------(Time of Darkness...Learning to trust.)----------------------
Setsuna glided lazily over the tops of the trees of Mahora Academy. Her large, snowy wings were fanned out behind her, gently catching the soft breeze that blew through the campus. It was a rare thing for Setsuna to fly on school grounds. Even though the campus was quite large, it was impossible to know where a stray student might be wandering, and therefore impossible for Setsuna to freely use her wings without being spotted.
However, this restriction was not something that concerned the young swordsman since she wasn't interested in recreational flying to begin with. She used her wings, yes, but only when a situation called for her to fly. To Setsuna, her wings had their occasional usefulness, but were more of a burden than anything else. They were a curse at times, a permanent sign of shame from the bird tribe that had banned her, and a nagging reminder that she was different from everyone else. Neither a full member of the bird tribe nor a member of the human race, Setsuna often considered herself to be a monster; a freak of nature.
Yet, at that moment, none of the worries that Setsuna had about her wings mattered. Her last flight had been so long ago that spreading her wings and feeling the air blow through them was a welcomed experience. This wasn't entirely a playful flight, however, and the heavy feeling of several backpacks in her hands reminded her of this. The five backpacks that Setsuna clutched close to her chest had their straps looped through her arms, just in case they slipped.
Following Evangeline's directions, Setsuna soon found herself flying toward a large clearing in the middle of the forest. Pulling her wings back and sending her body into a dive, Setsuna hurtled headfirst toward the grassy clearing. Just meters before crashing into the ground, she leaned back, drawing her body parallel with the earth, and spread her wings. The air filled her snowy feathers with a soft "FWUFF" and slowed her decent to a near standstill. Setsuna gently flapped her wings until she gracefully landed on the ground.
"It seems... peaceful," Setsuna softly commented after surveying the area. The clearing, which was at least three times the size of their classroom, was the epitome of peaceful forest clearing. Soft, green grass covered the nearly circular area, and the ankle high sea of green was only disrupted by a scarce dotting of wild flowers and a large tree stump that sprouted near the side of the clearing. The branches of the trees enclosing the grass spread their large boughs across the open area, but left enough space among the treetops to allow the sunlight in to create an almost shining aura around the small rabbits and squirrels that darted in and out of the grass.
Setting the bags down against the base of the tree stump, Setsuna gave the clearing a soft smile before taking off into the sky again. Now that she had found the clearing, she had to find the rest of the group and lead them to it.
A few days ago, just after class had ended for that day, Evangeline rounded up several of the students from 3-A and demanded that they go to a special weekend of training sanctioned by the Headmaster.
"The Headmaster knows that they all know about my magic?!" Negi had cried in surprise. Frantically, the child-teacher had gone into a panic and ran up and down the halls, flailing his arms wildly. "Ermine! I'm going to get turned into an ermine! What will onee-chan say?! I've failed as a teacher! Failed!" he had wailed.
Evangeline had quickly clamped a hand down on Negi's mouth before he completely exposed himself and explained that the Headmaster thought that the students who now knew his secrets would benefit from a bit of training. After the events of the Kyoto trip, the Headmaster felt that they should learn how to better protect themselves should the need arise.
For that reason, eleven 2-A students and one 10-year-old teacher were spending the entire weekend training in a remote corner of the campus. Starting today, which was Friday afternoon, and lasting until Sunday night, Evangeline and Chachamaru would be assisting them in both magical and physical training.
The Headmaster had also promised that extra precautions would be put in place so that none of the activity in the area could be seen or detected by the rest of the school. The protection was already in place and would last throughout the duration of their training, which was why Setsuna could fly so freely above the trees. Later, when they started using magic, their spells would remain undetected as well.
"Where are they?" Setsuna asked herself as tried to peer through the treetops. However, it was a futile effort since the dense branches and leaves grew too thickly over everything. She was about to pull out her pactio card to communicate with Negi when she heard Evangeline's stern voice somewhere below.
"STOP FALLING DOWN!"
"I can't help it, Evangeline-san," Setsuna heard Konoka protest. "There are roots and branches everywhere."
Setsuna flew toward the sound of their voices, descending as she did so. As she maneuvered her way down through the treetops, she heard Asuna laughingly say, "You're not made for the outdoors, are you, Konoka?"
"It's strange that you'd have so much trouble out here when you do so well in the Library Exploration Club," Yue mused, to which Konoka responded, "I guess that exploring the library and exploring the forest are a bit different for me." Setsuna rounded a large tree in time to see Konoka grin sheepishly while getting up from the ground with Nodoka's and Kaede's assistance.
"Are you alright, ojou-sama?" Setsuna asked with concern. She stepped forward as Konoka began to brush off her dirty skirt. "Does anything hurt?"
"Just my pride," Konoka said with a good-natured smile. "Welcome back, Secchan!"
"Setsuna-san!" Negi greeted, smiling widely. "Did you find the clearing? Are we close?"
"Yes, Negi-sensei. We're almost there." She pointed north and said, "Another eight hundred meters and we'll reach the clearing."
"Eight hundred meters?!" Haruna exclaimed. "That's not 'almost there!'"
"Quit your complaining," Evangeline said with annoyance. "You're not even carrying a backpack!" After considerably slowing down the group, the four Library Exploration Club members had more than willingly relinquished their packs to Setsuna on the undying mage's command. Setsuna had already flown them ahead to the clearing in an attempt to speed up the Library Exploration Club members. However, Evangeline had demanded that the rest of the group continue to carry their own packs all the way to the clearing as part of their training. Though Ku Fei had jokingly, and Asuna had semi-jokingly, complained that they should be allowed to give their packs to Setsuna as well, Evangeline's orders were followed.
"Eight hundred meters isn't that far. Just try not to think about it," Mana suggested. "The distance goes by more quickly that way."
"WAH!"
At the sound of Konoka's cry, Setsuna whirled around and caught the thin girl around the waist just before she hit the ground.
"Careful, ojou-sama!" Setsuna cautioned and she gently lifted her back on her feet.
"Sorry, Secchan. I guess I'm a little clumsy today."
"Try 'everyday,'" Evangeline remarked dryly. "Look at Chachamaru. She's carrying five times the weight of anyone else and she hasn't even stumbled once!"
"To be fair," Chachamaru began, "Hakase recently upgraded by stabilizers, which now allow me to carry more than I have previously been able to carr--"
"You know what I mean!" Evangeline exploded, and Chachamaru nodded and calmly replied, "Yes, master."
"Setsuna-san, why don't you take Konoka and go on ahead to the clearing? It'll save Konoka a few more scrapes and stop Eva-chan from blowing up," Asuna suggested with a grin.
"But what about the rest of this hike? This was supposed to be training too..." Konoka gave Evangeline a sideways glance.
"Just go," Evangeline sighed. "Maybe we can make better time if you get out of here."
"Heh, sorry guys," Konoka weakly laughed.
Setsuna lifted the mage into her arms and turned toward the rest of the group. "Will you guys be able to find your way if I leave? It's a pretty straight path north, but it's still possible to lose your way."
"Don't worry," Kaede reassured the swordsman. "Even if we do get lost..." she brought her hands together in a complicated series of hand gestures and three identical images of herself burst from her body, "...my shadow images should be able to help scout the way."
Smiling, Setsuna kicked off of the ground and nodded to the group. "We'll see you all in a little bit."
"Oi, Setsuna!" Evangeline tossed her pack toward the swordsman, which Konoka easily caught. "Take that for me, will you?"
"Hey! How come you get to take off your pack and we can't?" protested Ku Fei immediately. "This is so heavy!"
"I'm not the one who requires training, now am I?"
"Maybe her small body's not fit enough to carry a back pack like the rest of us," Asuna whispered loudly to Haruna, who sniggered.
"What did you say?!" exclaimed Evangeline, but Asuna had already sprinted ahead.
"Come on, Eva-chan. You wouldn't want me to beat you, would you?" she called back, which immediately caused Evangeline to pursue her.
"Wait up, Asuna-san!" Negi called as he quickly joined the chase. Ku Fei followed closely behind with a taunting, "I'm going to reach the clearing first!" while the remaining Library Exploration Club members just took off running.
"Childish," Mana muttered, shaking her head, though she followed and their hurried pace. Kaede and Chachamaru nodded politely to Setsuna and Konoka, and then left as well. With the group now on their way, Setsuna finally flew through the highest layer of foliage and broke into the sky.
"Wow!" Konoka squealed. "The view was nothing like this the last time we flew together!" This was true since the first and only time they had flown together was right after Setsuna saved her during the trip to Kyoto. On top of having her magical energy forcefully drained out of her, Konoka had also been naked during their last flight. In comparison, this was clearly the better flying experience.
"Look, ojou-sama." Setsuna nodded her head in the direction of the sun, which was still a few hours away from setting. "The clouds are so colorful."
"'Kono-chan,'" Konoka said firmly. "Don't call me 'ojou-sama.'"
"Sorry..."
"Say it," Konoka commanded. "'Kono-chan.'"
Setsuna paused and looked away, but Konoka tilted the swordsman's head down so that their eyes met. "Please say it, Secchan. Please?"
"K-kono-chan..."
Giggling, Konoka nestled herself against Setsuna chest, causing Setsuna's heart to quicken.
"Thank you, Secchan."
A gentle smile danced across Konoka's face as she breathed out a small sigh of content. Within Setsuna's embrace, with the swordsman's white wings carrying them smoothly through the air, the novice mage sidled closer to her protector, closing her eyes as she did so.
“Kono-chan,” the mage thought to herself, her gentle smile instantly growing brighter. It was a nickname that Konoka was sure she would never tire of hearing. At least, she wouldn't if Setsuna was the one who used it. To Konoka, the nickname had a special connotation when Setsuna spoke it. There was a history behind it, and behind "Secchan" as well, one that Konoka was reminded of whenever she heard either of their nicknames.
The names were undeniably childish, but Konoka could hardly image calling Setsuna anything else or tolerate Setsuna calling her by another name. Especially after spending over seven years without hearing her cherished nickname spoken, owing in no small part to Setsuna's absence in her life during that time, it was even more imperative to Konoka that Setsuna continued to call her "Kono-chan". Each time she heard the name, it felt as though she and Setsuna were making up for a lost childhood of experiences.
Of course, Konoka now understood the reasons that surrounded Setsuna's sudden disappearance in her life. After years of not understanding why Setsuna had abruptly pulled away during their childhood or why she continued to put up an icy exterior after entering Mahora Academy, Konoka at last learned that these actions led back to her near-drowning experience as a child.
The day that Konoka almost lost her life at the river when both she and Setsuna were children had had more of an impact on the young swordsman than Konoka had realized. It wasn't until she heard Setsuna's explanation that the mage finally understood how much the river incident had haunted Setsuna. For her to hold onto such an agonizing memory for so many years, one of being completely helpless to save Konoka from the deadly river waters, it was a pain that the mage could not imagine.
After hearing Setsuna's confession, Konoka guiltily admitted to herself that she had no such lasting memories of that day at the river. She hazily recalled falling into the river and being saved by her fathers and his friends, but nothing more than that. Unlike Setsuna, she harbored no long-term regrets about the events that transpired that fateful day. Konoka's only regret now was that she had not understood the repercussions of her near-drowning experience better. If only she had been able to see that the river incident was the reason why Setsuna had ultimately distanced herself, then perhaps Konoka could have prevented the downfall of their friendship as children.
In any case, the river incident was the reason why her friendship with Setsuna had been put on hold in their childhood, and it was also the indirect reason why Konoka was so fond of "Kono-chan" and "Secchan". The affection that Konoka had for her nickname was currently manifesting itself in the far-off grin that stretched across Konoka's face. Hearing Setsuna call her by her childhood name always made her smile and occasionally put her in a nostalgic reverie, like the one she was currently in.
With her eyes closed and her head up among the clouds, both literally and figuratively, Konoka almost didn't hear Setsuna's gentle voice telling her that they had at last reached the clearing. A gentle jostle drew her out of her brief daydream and she opened her eyes to find Setsuna staring back at her, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"Were you really sleeping?" Setsuna asked with an air of amusement in her voice. "We weren't flying for that long." The swordsman's normally sharp expression was now soft and affectionate as she nudged Konoka gently and motioned toward the ground with a tilt of her head. "Take a look."
A sharp intake of breath from Konoka let Setsuna know that the mage was as enchanted as she had been when she had first seen the clearing earlier while dropping off the backpacks. They were still about forty of fifty feet in the air, currently making their slow descent, but Konoka could clearly make out the wild flowers growing among the ankle high grass, each one a bright blossom of color among a muted sea of green. She leaned out further, trying to take in the sight of the entire clearing before they reached the ground.
"Careful," Setsuna warned. "Don't lean too far or you might f--"
Before the warning could be completed, Evangeline's backpack, which previously sat snugly within Konoka's grasp, suddenly slipped out of its resting place and began to drop towards the ground. Without thinking, Konoka lunged forward and reached out for the falling item, jerking herself out of the cradle of Setsuna's arms.
The mage’s squeak of surprise was drowned out by Setsuna's cry of "Ojou-sama!" Konoka's body began to slip out of Setsuna's grasp, but the swordsman reached out with the hand that had been supporting Konoka's legs and caught the falling girl around the waist. The sudden movement sent both girls plummeting towards the ground, but Setsuna's wings beat furiously to halt their descent, her wings protesting at the strain from the jolt of effort. Setsuna grunted as she slowed their fall and held on to Konoka in an awkward backward hug.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Secchan!" Konoka cried, holding on tightly to the backpack that she had managed to snag during her fall. Setsuna offered no response, her face strained in the effort that it took to maintain their descent in their awkward positions. As they reached the ground, Konoka's feet landed first and the sudden reduction of Setsuna's burden caused the young swordsman to keel over backward, pulling Konoka with her as she fell. They tumbled into a jumbled heap while Konoka apologized profusely for her thoughtless actions.
"I'm really really sorry, Secchan!" Konoka cried again as she attempted to help Setsuna to her feet. "I wasn't thinking and I just-- are you ok?" She paused in her apology and cast a worried glance as Setsuna rubbed her back. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, it's just..." Setsuna, who was still sitting on the ground, winced and rubbed her back gingerly. "I think I strained something. I probably should have stretched before we took off. It's been so long since I flew, my wings were already tight to begin with," she explained with a grim smile.
"Then I probably made it worse just now!" exclaimed a fretful Konoka as she worriedly pressed her palms against her own cheeks. "Maybe I could heal you," she offered, digging into the pocket of her thin jacket for her pactio card.
"No!" Setsuna protested, holding up the hand that wasn't occupied with rubbing her back. "I just need a second." She winced again, audibly expressing her discomfort. "Are you okay, ojou-sama?"
Konoka frowned slightly at being called “ojou-sama” but chose not to dwell on it. "I’m fine, Secchan, really. I’m more worried about you right now."
Setsuna offered Konoka a small smile in an attempt to console her. "It's okay. I wasn’t about to let you fall, so don't worry."
"But you're hurt," Konoka said with a pained expression. It made her uncomfortable to watch Setsuna sitting on the ground, obviously injured by Konoka's thoughtless actions. "Are you sure I can't help you?" she asked, holding up the pactio card she had pulled out of her pocket.
Setsuna shook her head. "I'm not hurt, honest. My back's just really sore. Besides, Negi-sensei would sense it if you used your artifact, and we probably shouldn't bother him with this."
"Well, at the very least," Konoka kneeled back down to the ground and placed her hand gently on Setsuna's back, "let massage your back for you."
"W-what?"
"Let me massage your back for you," she repeated, placing her other hand on Setsuna's back as well. "If you won't let me heal you, at least let me try to rub away the pain."
"Uh, but..." Setsuna mumbled as a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"No 'buts,'" Konoka said firmly. She strode over to the tree stump that sat a short distance away from them and picked up one of the fallen backpacks nearby. Opening it, she pulled out a folded blanket and returned to where Setsuna sat. Konoka spread out the blanket on the ground by snapping it open with her wrists pointed to it. "Sit," she ordered Setsuna. Meekly, the swordsman obeyed her command and crawled onto the blanket. "Now take your shirt off."
"What?" Setsuna asked incredulously, her eyes widening. "W-why do I have to take off my shirt?"
"Because the massage will be more effective if you take off your shirt," Konoka explained with a smile.
Setsuna had the sudden urge to ask Konoka how she knew that small bit of massage trivia, but she bit back the question. Slowly, she began to unbutton the white shirt of her school uniform, starting with the top button. She blushed as the cloth that bound her chest became visible through the opening of the shirt, aware that Konoka was watching her. Konoka, however, was unabashed by the appearance of Setsuna's wrapped chest. She folded Setsuna's discarded shirt in half, and placed it on one corner of the blanket.
"Now lie down," she ordered, smoothing out an area of the blanket. Slowly, once again, Setsuna did as she was told. "Where does it hurt?"
"Just..." Setsuna reached her right arm over her shoulder and motioned to her entire back, "all over, I guess."
Konoka smiled sympathetically and apologetically. "Let me know if this hurts."
Setsuna closed her eyes, and nodded. Konoka gently placed her fingertips at the base of Setsuna’s back, just inches above her bottom. She slowly dragged her feather-light touch along Setsuna's spine, gradually applying a light pressure with her fingers as she did so. As her fingers reached the base of Setsuna’s back neck, she decreased their pressure until Setsuna felt the faint whisper of a touch pulling itself across the top of her neck, causing her to shiver. After a few seconds, Setsuna felt Konoka place both palms on her middle back and apply a greater pressure. It was much stronger than that of her fingers just a moment ago, but not strong enough to be painful or unpleasant. Konoka rubbed her hands upward, using both her palms and her fingers to massage Setsuna's back.
Setsuna released a breath that she hadn't been aware of holding and a small moan of pleasure escaped with it. Konoka paused her hands for a moment and giggled. "Does that feel okay?" Setsuna merely nodded, her eyes still closed as she focused on the pressure that Konoka's hands applied to her back.
"This feels good..." the swordsman thought, her breathing becoming steady and deep. The minutes simply fell away as Konoka continued to run her hands across Setsuna's back. The length of time that massage went on for was something that Setsuna was uncertain of, but she was knew that it had been long enough to accommodate Konoka running her fingers over every centimeter of her aching back.
"Do you feel better now?" Konoka asked after a while, her fingertips working their way down Setsuna's back.
"Mmhmm," Setsuna murmured drowsily. She slowly started to sit up, noticing that Konoka removed her fingers as she did so. The swordsman reached her hands above her and bent forward to stretch her back.
"Is your back still sore?"
Setsuna shook her head. "That felt great. Thanks."
"What about your wings?"
"Um..." Setsuna paused as she focused on the wings that were now retracted in her back. "They're still sore," she said with a frown. “I'll just stretch them before we start training." Setsuna began to reach for her shirt, but Konoka pulled it out of her grasp.
"Wait, let me massage them for you," Konoka said, placing Setsuna's shirt on the blanket behind her.
"My wings?"
Konoka nodded. "It's the least I can do."
A spasm of panic shot through Setsuna's body. She had never shown anyone her wings up close before, not since being banished from the bird tribe over twelve years ago. No... that wasn't entirely true. Setsuna had revealed her wings to Asuna just a few weeks ago, and Asuna had been quick to step up and look at them. However, Asuna had only given them a quick inspection. What Konoka was asking for sounded like an opportunity to give her wings a thorough examination.
"I don't think it would be a good idea," Setsuna mumbled, averting her eyes. A hollow feeling pitted itself into her stomach, the same kind the swordsman felt whenever she remembered how different she was than Konoka and the others.
"Why not?" Konoka asked, puzzled by Setsuna's reluctance.
"It's just... not," Setsuna protested lamely, her response hanging pathetically in the silence that followed her objection.
Quietly, Konoka reached across the distance that separated them, and lifted Setsuna's head by placing a finger under her chin. She caught Setsuna's downcast gaze by tilting down her own head, and simply stared into the swordsman's eyes, trying to understand.
"It's okay," Konoka softly reassured the young swordsman, not fully comprehending Setsuna's reluctance, but sensing that the girl was afraid to show her wings. Their eyes remained transfixed during the exchange, which Setsuna found both comforting and encouraging. Hesitantly, she nodded her head, which drew a smile from the mage.
"Stand back, I don't want to hit you," Setsuna mumbled, almost ashamed of having to draw out her wings. As soon as Konoka moved away from her back, Setsuna focused her mind and brought out her wings with a muffled pop. Her eyes were closed, both from the concentration it took to call out her wings, and because she was nervous about Konoka's reaction. It was true that Konoka had already seen her wings on more than one occasion, but this time she would see them up close.
She heard Konoka's reaction first; a sharp intake of breath not unlike the breath Konoka had taken upon seeing the forest clearing for the first time. Next, she felt Konoka's fingers gently running themselves up and down the spine of her wings. It was an odd sensation, though not an unpleasant one, that caused Setsuna to shiver slightly.
"They're beautiful," she whispered to Setsuna, who still refused to open her eyes. "Like an angel's wings..."
Setsuna shivered again, this time due to Konoka's words rather than her touch. The words were so similar to the ones she had spoken when Konoka had first seen her wings back in Kyoto. Setsuna smiled softly at the pleasant memory, and felt Konoka's fingers began to massage her back, right where her wings met the rest of her body.
"Ahh..." Setsuna gasped, feeling Konoka hit the areas with the most tension.
"There?" Konoka asked, and Setsuna nodded fervently. The massage continued in silence again, punctuated only by the occasional and brief sigh or moan from Setsuna.
"Hey Secchan," began Konoka, breaking the peace, "how do your wings appear?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Hm, well your wings are so large and I was wondering how you can keep them hidden.. I was just... curious."
"I'm not sure either," Setsuna admitted, opening her eyes. She turned to face Konoka and gave her an apologetic wince. "I'd never really thought about it. Normal members of the bird tribe aren't able to hide their wings like I can. Maybe it has something to do with me being half--"
A sudden yell from within the forest stopped Setsuna mid-sentence. The shirtless swordsman dove toward Konoka and reached for her shirt, retracting her wings as she moved.
"That's not fair!" Asuna's voice cried out, echoing in the air as it reached their ears. Almost a minute later, Evangeline burst triumphantly into the forest clearing. Several moments after that, a panting Asuna stumbled out of the trees, followed by the others with varying gaps in between the appearance of each person. Several of them, most notably the Library Exploration Club, were panting heavily, though Evangeline and Chachamaru seemed the least fatigued.
"That's not fair!" Asuna cried again. She squatted on the ground and placed her hands on her thighs, trying hard to catch her breath.
"All's fair in love and war," Evangeline replied with a victorious smirk.
"This isn't war!" Asuna protested, to which Evangeline retorted, "Well it sure as hell isn't love!" As tired as they were, several of the group managed to muster up the energy to laugh.
"Did you guys have a good hike?" Konoka asked as she walked over to the group, most of whom were sprawled on the ground, chugging water out of the canteens that Chachamaru handed them as though the water would disappear if they weren't quick enough. Behind her, a fully clothed and slightly blushing Setsuna meekly followed.
"She cheated," Asuna pouted, glaring darkly in Evangeline's direction.
"I did nothing wrong," Evangeline said calmly, throwing up her hands in a shrugging gesture.
"She threw a snake in Asuna-dono's path," Kaede explain, taking off her backpack and placing it near the others that littered the grass around the tree stump.
"Yeah, a giant man eating snake that totally distracted me," Asuna elaborated.
"Oh please, it a just a garden snake," Evangeline countered. "Completely harmless."
"I'm still glad it wasn't me," Nodoka whispered to Yue, shivering at the thought of having a snake, no matter how harmless, thrown at her.
"Hmph!" Asuna sniffed, turning away.
"Fine," the undying mage relented. "Just for the snake thing, I'll allow you fifteen minutes to rest before we start the training."
"Only fifteen minutes?!" Haruna exclaimed. "Are you trying to kill us?"
"Hey, be grateful. I was planning to start the training as soon as we got here." The group began groaning and complaining, which Evangeline ignored. "You two," she motioned toward Konoka and Setsuna. "Go help Chachamaru make some food for these weaklings to eat. I don't want them fainting before the training even starts," she ordered.
Turning to Konoka, Setsuna gave her a small smile and inclined her head toward Chachamaru, who was currently rummaging through the enormous backpack that she had carried on the hike. "After you."
Konoka giggled and returned the smile, leading the way toward her robotic classmate as Setsuna had offered.
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"Secchan!" Konoka cried as Setsuna sprinted across the clearing with the frantic mage in her arms. "We can't just keep running! You have to put me down!" Setsuna could hear what Konoka wanted her to do, yet with the ground literally exploding at her feet as she ran, Konoka's request was impossible to fulfill. The swordsman quickly glanced behind her and saw a fresh line of bullets rip into the ground, shattering the earth and sending waves of dirt shooting into the air.
"I can't, ojou-sama!" Setsuna cried as she continued to tear across the clearing, barely keeping ahead of the onslaught of bullets. As she reached the tree stump that stood on the edge of the clearing, Setsuna leapt towards it and pushed off of the dead piece of wood with her feet, using the force to propel both her and Konoka out of the way of several more bullets that were aimed at them. The projectiles whizzed past Setsuna's shoulder, narrowly missing her as she twisted out of the way, and imbedded themselves into the dead stump. "It's not safe," Setsuna murmured, glancing wildly around the clearing for cover as she ran, though she already knew that was no place to hide.
"But we can't win if we don't face them, Secchan! We need to help the others, too!"
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Konoka's words registered in Setsuna's brain. She did realize that nothing would be accomplished if they only ran, and that Kaede, Asuna, and the others would benefit from their help. However, at that moment, Setsuna was too preoccupied to process these thoughts or to respond. Her attention was focused solely on the tasks of dodging bullets and protecting her beloved ojou-sama in this dangerous situation.
Of course, Setsuna hadn't forgotten that this "dangerous situation" was all just a training session put forth by Evangeline, and that Konoka would not be killed or even seriously injured if she was hit by a bullet. Just fifteen minutes ago, Evangeline had announced that it was time to begin some rigorous training. She broke the group of twelve down into pairs based on everyone's individual abilities (Evangeline with Chachamaru, Konoka with Setsuna, Yue with Kaede, Nodoka with Ku Fei, Negi with--much to Asuna's chagrin--Mana, and Haruna with Asuna), and vaguely explained that this particular training would focus on working with partners.
Once the partners were assigned, Evangeline pulled aside Negi, Mana, and Chachamaru for a private conversation, which was when the chaos began. After the brief meeting, Mana fired several warning shots at the four mages and their temporary partners from out of the blue, and suddenly there was an eight-on-four magical battle waiting to be fought! Whatever Evangeline had said to Negi and Mana must have been quite effective because the two of them were currently very adamant about attacking their fellow companions. Even Negi, who was usually so hesitant to harm his students, had already successfully landed several magical blows against everyone.
Through the thick rain of bullets that fell upon Setsuna and Konoka, Setsuna chanced a brief glance at Mana, the sniper who had been targeting them. Her opponent, armed with a pair of sleek, black handguns, was currently positioned in the upper branches of a tall tree that overlooked the entire grassy enclosure. Setsuna hadn't forgotten that all of this fighting was in the name of training, and that Mana's bullets were just small capsules of magical energy that provided a painful, yet non-life-threatening shock to the receiver, but Setsuna couldn't bear the thought of Konoka being struck by even a single bullet. Setsuna had already been hit with a few of Mana's magical projectiles and the pain, while not excruciating, was something that she could have done without experiencing.
"The best way to keep ojou-sama safe," Setsuna thought to herself, "is to just end this battle now, but..." She turned her attention away from Mana and onto Negi, who was currently situated at the base of the tree Mana stood in. As the young teacher sent Yue tumbling with a concentrated blast of wind magic, Setsuna took an inventory of the round targets behind Negi. Originally, at the start of this twelve person free-for-all, Evangeline conjured a dozen red, circular targets, each about the size of a dinner plate, and placed them at varying heights across three trees that stood beside each other on one edge of the clearing. The goal for this training session, as Evangeline had declared, was for Konoka, Nodoka, Yue, Haruna, to shatter all twelve targets while their partners protected them.
Of course, completing this task would be no easy feat. Setsuna's opening move had been to use the ground contractor to appear right before a target and slash it with her sword, but the target had somehow repelled her attack. Not even Ku Fei with her kenpo or Asuna with her harisen could shatter a target. And only after the fighters had repeatedly tried with no avail to break the targets using their physical attacks did Evangeline finally reveal that these targets could only be shattered with magic.
Setsuna quickly counted the remaining targets behind Negi. There were still 8 left. The first two, she recalled, had been shattered by Kaede. Despite the restriction that only magic could be used to destroy the targets, Kaede had broken the first two by using throwing stars. With assistance from Yue's magical encyclopedia, Kaede and Yue managed to infuse a pair of Kaede's stars with magical energy, which Kaede then threw at and shattered two targets.
After that, due to the fact that Evangeline erected a more powerful barrier around the targets to block anything that wasn't pure magical energy, it was entirely up to the mages to shatter the rest of the targets. Nodoka had scored the next hit by sending a wobbly magic arrow at a target after Ku Fei distracted Negi and Mana with some flashy kenpo attacks, and the fourth had been destroyed by Yue with a lucky lightning spell that had been aimed at Chachamaru, but somehow managed to strike a target.
For Konoka's sake, Setsuna wanted to end this battle quickly, but with only four targets having been shattered in fifteen minutes, it didn't look like this battle would be ending any time soon.
"Secchan!" Konoka called from within the cradle of Setsuna's arms, trying to catch her partner's attention. "You can't keep protecting me like this! You have to trust that I can fight with you too."
Setsuna opened her mouth to protest, but her words were drowned out by a loud cry of "Honya-chan!" from across the clearing. Ku Fei, who was crouched in a low stance, was looking toward her temporary partner for confirmation. After a brief nod from Nodoka, the librarian flipped open her magical diary. Mana quickly turned her guns upon Ku Fei, but Nodoka and Ku Fei both managed to react even faster.
"Bullets on your left side! Left again! Enter from Negi's right side! NOW!" Nodoka cried. The wind rippled around her as she furiously rifled through the pages of her diary and sent her skirt fluttering upward. She took no notice of this, however, and continued to focus on the task at hand. Ku Fei reacted to each command that Nodoka yelled at her with lightning precision. She dodged the first set of bullets, another set, and then used her Vital Step, a movement similar to the ground contractor, to appear right behind Negi. She subdued him by quickly wrapping a cloth around him that pinned down his arms. And at the command of "NOW!", Ku Fei immediately threw up a large sheet of cloth that completely obscured the views of Mana, Negi, Ku Fei, and the targets from everyone in the grassy enclosure. Nodoka raised her wand and cast three magic arrows, one after the other, at the white cloth Ku Fei had thrown. The fiery comets burned through the thin fabric and disappeared behind the cloth. When the white sheet finally fell to the ground, Ku Fei came sprinting back through the fallen barrier, leaving behind a single broken target in her wake.
"You hit one, Honya-chan!" she called, giving a thumbs up to her ecstatic partner. Nodoka raised a hand to return the sign, but was suddenly thrown backward by an unseen force. In her moment of excitement, she had forgotten to watch her enemy's actions. Another bullet struck her in the shoulder, and she cried out in pain from her spot on the ground.
"Honya-chan!?" Ku Fei cried as she ran toward the librarian.
"Watch yourself first, Ku Fei!" Mana called. She sent a shower of bullets at Ku Fei, several of which hit her backside and sent her crashing to the ground, twitching with pain.
"Ku Fei-san!" Nodoka cried as she struggled to her feet. She staggered toward her fallen partner who sat up slowly, hugging her arms around her body in pain.
"Stay back... Honya-chan..." Ku Fei warned, shakily holding up a hand to halt Nodoka's approach, her voice strained. Mana raised her right hand and aimed her gun toward the fallen fighter.
"Nodoka!" Konoka cried as the timid librarian threw herself forward and bravely caught three bullets in her arm to protect Ku Fei.
Nodoka shrieked as the projectiles struck her, but she held her ground against the attack. She brought her injured left arm against her stomach and turned to give a wincing smile to her stunned partner, raising the wand in her right hand as she did so. "Don't worry, Ku Fei-san, I can protect you, too."
"Wind, shield us!" The Latin words echoed around the clearing and a glittering wall of white wind placed itself between Nodoka and Ku Fei, and their gun-slinging opponent. Mana carefully squeezed off a single round at the shield of wind. The bullet harmlessly bounced off the wall of wind and Mana nodded her head, apparently impressed.
"Not bad, Miyazaki!" called Evangeline, who was currently fighting with, or rather, toying with Asuna. Both Asuna and Haruna had taken up the daunting task of keeping Evangeline and Chachamaru occupied while the rest of the group took down the targets that Mana and Negi protected. She nonchalantly ducked as Chachamaru punched out the strange looking creature that Haruna had summoned to attack her. "Keep the shield up until your partner can recover a bit," Evangeline advised as she used her small iron fan to counter another of Asuna's mighty harisen blows.
Konoka felt a twinge of jealously as she watched Nodoka strain to keep the wind shield active a bit longer for Ku Fei's sake. She had always wanted to protect Setsuna the same way that Setsuna protected her, but the swordsman always seemed reluctant to accept the help. Konoka couldn't decide whether it was because Setsuna didn't believe Konoka could provide any protection or simply because she didn't need it, but it always saddened Konoka to not be able to protect someone who was so dear to her. What Nodoka was doing, protecting her partner with her own abilities, was something that Konoka wanted to do. At the very least, she didn’t want to be a burden on Setsuna forever.
"I'm sorry, Secchan," she cried as she broke out of Setsuna's grip. The young healer tumbled to the ground, seemingly "left behind" by Setsuna, whose momentum sent her shooting past Konoka. The mage quickly got to her feet and prepared herself to fight.
"OJOU-SAMA!" Setsuna cried as the girl slipped out of her grasp. She attempted so stop her movement and sprint back to where the mage had fallen.
Konoka spread her artifact fans in her hands and used a Latin incantation to strength them, ignoring Setsuna's pleas for her to run. The mage heard, rather than saw, Mana fire at her, and quickly brought her fans up to deflect the attack. She felt the first round of fire successfully bounce off of her magically enhanced artifacts and she readied herself to deflect another series of shots.
"OJOU-SAMA!" Setsuna yelled again as she threw herself between Konoka and Mana, taking half a dozen stinging shots to her chest while several more were deflected off of her blade. The swordsman cried out in pain as the bullets struck her, the combined sum of pain from the magic projectiles sending her crashing to her knees. Konoka cried out as well, mixing together emotions of surprise and empathy. She knelt to the ground next to Setsuna and gingerly touched the fists that Setsuna clutched to her chest.
"Why, Secchan?! You don't need to do this for me!" Konoka cried. She saw Mana raise her guns again, and stepped forward with her fans raised to deflect the attack. "I can protect you, too!"
"NO!" Setsuna cried as she struggled to her feet. She turned her back on the oncoming bullets and stepped in front of Konoka again, shielding her from the sniper's view. "You can't!" She closed her eyes and waited for the sting of more bullets to strike her again. However, the high pitched ring of several bullets ricocheting off metal echoed nearby, and Setsuna whirled around to find Kaede standing behind her with her overlarge ninja star blocking them from Mana's line of sight.
"Kaede-san!" Konoka exclaimed, relieved that the ninja had deflected the bullets. Kaede nodded in Konoka's direction with a smile and then turned a more serious expression upon Setsuna.
"There's a difference," she said, "between protecting your mage and smothering her." Kaede pointed a short distance away to where Yue was dodging Negi's wind blasts and casting her own offensive lightning spells at him. Several Kaedes, undoubtedly her shadow doubles, bounced around Yue, attempting to catch the bullets that Mana shot at her. Konoka watched and gasped as a bullet finally managed to strike Yue and knock her to the ground, but then one of Kaede's doubles was right there to pick her up. Yue winced and rubbed at the injury on her shin, but did not dwell on it as she resumed her attack on Negi.
"Your mage will never grow if you don't give her space to develop," Kaede counseled as she continued to watch Yue fight. "You can't always protect your partner, which is why--" she smiled as Yue used a shield spell extended from the tip of her wand to deflect a bullet aimed at her. "Which is why you must allow them to learn to defend themselves."
"But to let ojou-sama face dangers alone--"
"Not alone," Kaede corrected. "Giving your mage the freedom to act on her own does not mean that she will be fighting alone."
"But ojou-sama..."
Setsuna looked up at Konoka who stared back at her with a serious expression on her face. "I can do this, Secchan. Just trust me," she pleaded softly. Konoka leaned down, bringing her face closer to Setsuna's, and paused when their eyes were level with each other. Setsuna could see the burning expression in Konoka's gaze and an unmistakable determination that Setsuna knew would not take 'no' for an answer.
"Okay?" Konoka asked. With no other choice, Setsuna nodded reluctantly at the mage, who smiled at the approval. "Then please distract them for me," Konoka asked Setsuna.
"Get ready," Kaede cautioned them as she tightened her grip around her ninja star. With a grunt of effort, she hoisted her metal star into the air and sprinted back to where her shadow doubles were helping Yue.
"I have to trust that she can do this," Setsuna told herself firmly as she drew her sword. She glanced at Konoka and smiled grimly. Yuunagi, her nodachi, felt warm in her hand, and Setsuna drew upon this warmth for strength. She held her sword vertically in front of her and concentrated her ki into her blade. "Ojou-sama, I must trust you," she thought to herself.
Setsuna slowly revolved Yuunagi in circular motion; first one slow revolution, then another. She jumped high into the air, still revolving the sword in her hand, and waited until she reached the peak of her jump before releasing her powerful attack.
"RAGING HUNDRED CHERRY BLOSSOM SLASH!" Setsuna cried. She reversed the direction of her swings, each new strike becoming more powerful and more elegant than the last. Her sword strokes cut through the air and inexplicably unleashed a wave of petals with each slice. A flurry of cherry blossom leaves appeared out of no where and showered the clearing and filled the air like a gentle snow. The strong wind currents created by her powerful sword strokes scattered the petals across the entire forest enclosure. Setsuna continued to execute the move, her body and her sword rotating in the air, and hoped that this was enough of a distraction for Konoka.
Below her, Konoka was in the process of executing a sweeping motion with her fans. She brought her right hand high above her head, and then swung it toward the ground in a smooth arc. Setsuna could see a shimmering wind blow forth from Konoka's artifact and fly across the clearing to where the seven unshattered targets remained.
"Rastel maskil magister!" A powerful gust of air blew through Konoka's stream of glittering wind and dispersed it. Setsuna landed on the ground beside Konoka and prepared to use a ground contraction. She planned to instantly move beside Negi in order to subdue him and give Konoka another chance to attack. However, as she sheathed her sword and got into the stance for the ground contractor, Konoka held up a fan to stop her. Without a word, the mage brought both hands above her head and brought them down again in a rapid swing of her arms and began to recite a spell under her breath.
Again, Negi was ready with another gust of wind to break up Konoka's magic. Their spells of glittering, swirling wind met dead-center in the middle of the clearing. The spells crackled violently as they came in contact, sending a flurry of sparks exploding from the center of the battling magic. Setsuna glanced at Konoka, who was still chanting under her breath with her eyes closed in concentration. She could see Konoka's stream of wind magic begin to expand, nearly engulfing Negi's spell. The wind blowing around the forest enclosure suddenly increased in force and every single mage and fighter, with the exceptions of Negi and Konoka, stopped their movements and watched the magical struggle of winds at the center of the clearing.
The wind magic coming out of Konoka's fans started to glow with a blinding white light as it combated Negi's wind magic. Setsuna felt goose bumps form on her arms as she watched her partner's struggle. Konoka, straining with effort, took a heavy step forward like she was pushing against some invisible wall. The strength of the wind in the clearing picked up again. In a blazing display of dazzling light, Konoka's wind spell at last engulfed Negi's spell. The consumption of Negi's wind magic by Konoka's sent a rippling wave of wind, very much like an explosion, flowing out of the center of the clearing, knocking everyone backward and sent them sprawling on the ground. As the wave of wind hit the remaining targets behind Negi, the seven round disks shattered simultaneously and fell to the ground to meet the remnants of the first five shattered targets.
A hush fell over the clearing as the wind died down. Eleven people were now sprawled on the ground, and they each stared in wonder and amazement at Konoka, the only person left standing after the explosive conclusion to her magical battle with Negi. After several moments of stunned silence, Asuna broke the peace with a word that expressed everyone's thoughts.
"Incredible..."
"That was amazing," Asuna repeated for the fifth time as she plopped down in front of where Konoka sat on the ground. Even though the magical battle was over, Konoka's training wasn't finished quite yet. Evangeline had ordered her to heal all of the injured battle participants for practice, though Konoka would willingly have done so even if Evangeline hadn't asked her. Asuna partially raised the hem of her skirt and showed the young healer an oozing welt on her upper thigh.
"I mean," Asuna continued, "I know you have a lot of magic in you, but I didn't realize you were so strong already!" Asuna exclaimed, referring to Konoka's display of magical strength during the training session earlier.
"That looks really bad," Konoka gasped, ignoring Asuna's comment as she looked at her friend's wound. "Did Evangeline-san do that to you during training?"
"No, it was Chachamaru-san," Asuna said with a shake of her head. "But it was sort of my own fault. Anyway, when did you learn how to use your magic like that?" Konoka gently began to fan the wound with her artifact and Asuna winced as a flash of light appeared and sealed up the shallow gash.
"Actually," Konoka said with a sheepish smile, "I didn't really know what I was doing back there. According to Evangeline-san, I sort of just went a little crazy with my magic. And she's right, though; I really didn't have control over my magic back then." Konoka gave a weak smile as Asuna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry," Asuna reassured her. "The control will come to you soon. It just takes some practice." She winked at her best friend and then pointed to a bruise that was starting to form on her lower right cheek. "Do you mind getting this too?"
Setsuna continued to watch as Konoka finished healing Asuna's wounds. Once the bruises and cuts had been magically cured, the cheerful orange-haired girl got up to join the exhausted mages and fighters that had gathered at another end of the clearing. Finally, only Setsuna needed to be healed and it was her turn to have her injuries tended to. From her kneeling position on the ground, Konoka turned to look up at the young swordsman.
"OKAY! Your turn Secchan!" Konoka exclaimed with a bubbly giggle. "Where does it hurt?"
In truth, Setsuna was hurt in more places that she could count. Mana had struck her more times in the battle than she cared to admit; several shots to her arms, some more on her back, many more on her chest, and even a small clip across her cheek. Setsuna felt like she had been a giant bull's eye for Mana during the battle, but it had all been in the name of protecting Konoka. Not that she really seemed to need protection anymore...
"You've really grown, ojou-sama," Setsuna said in a hollow voice. Her chest felt heavy as she spoke, like a hand was clutching at her heart.
"Eh? Secchan?"
"You've done well in protecting yourself," Setsuna continued to mumble softly, unable to meet Konoka's eyes. "I guess I won't have to worry about you so much anymore," she said as she stared defiantly at a patch of grass on the ground.
"Secchan," Konoka repeated a bit more firmly. She tried to place a hand on Setsuna's arm, but the swordsman twisted away before she could make contact. "What are you talking about?"
Setsuna didn't even try to respond. She continued to dejectedly stare at the billowing grass. Maybe... maybe this was why she had always been so afraid of letting Konoka try to protect herself. It wasn't that she didn't think Konoka could do it. Rather, it was because she was scared that Konoka could do it. If she didn't need someone to protect her all of the time, then what kind of place would Setsuna have in her life? Today, Konoka had proven that she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, which meant that she was perfectly capable of getting by without Setsuna by her side.
"I still need you, you know?" Konoka said, almost like she had been reading Setsuna's thoughts. She gently reached up and tugged on the bottom of the other girl's untucked shirt and pulled a reluctant Setsuna to sit down beside her. "What happened with my powers before, that was like an accident. I don't really know what I'm doing," she admitted as she gently dropped her fans and began to unbutton Setsuna's shirt.
"Ojou-sama!" Setsuna protested as she tried to pull away, but Konoka kept a firm grip on her shirt. She gave Setsuna a dangerous glare, one that Setsuna rarely ever saw, and waited until Setsuna stopped struggling before she unbuttoned her shirt the rest of the way. Konoka cringed as she revealed several blistering wounds on the areas of Setsuna's chest that hadn't been covered by the cloth that bound her chest. Undoubtedly, a few more wounds were hidden beneath the cloth as well. Konoka gingerly began to caress one of the angry-looking wounds, causing Setsuna to wince.
"There's no one in my life," Konoka began as she picked up her fans, "who would ever do so much to protect me." She used her fans to sweep a gentle wind across Setsuna's chest to heal the blistering bruises caused by the magical bullets. “No one would ever risk their life to save me like you do, Secchan.”
"You won't need my protection forever," Setsuna sighed, thinking about Konoka's display of power earlier. She shook her head slightly. "It's only a matter of time before..."
"Before what? Before I toss you to the side and leave you behind because I won't need you anymore?" Konoka asked with an incredulous glitter in her eyes and a bemused smile on her lips. She swiftly tore off Setsuna's shirt before the swordsman could stop her and turned Setsuna around to get a better view of her back. "Even if a day came where I became the strongest mage in the world and no one was a threat to me, I'd still need you, Secchan."
Konoka waved her fans and healed the bullet bruises on Setsuna's back as the swordsman contemplated her words. "Without you in my life, Secchan, there are so many things I know I wouldn't be able to do." Konoka directed her fans at the wounds on Setsuna's arms and began to heal those as well. "In the morning, I wouldn't be able to enjoy breakfast without having you sitting there, eating beside me. I wouldn't be able to smile in the afternoons if I couldn't be sure that I would spend time with you once classes were over. And at night," Konoka lifted Setsuna's head and gazed affectionately into her downcast eyes. "At night, I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing that I'd be able to see you in the morning as you walked me to school."
Still lifting Setsuna's head with a finger delicately nestled under her chin, she swept her fan across Setsuna's right cheek, healing her final wound. Konoka gently closed her fan and began to trace the invisible scar that she had just healed with her fingertips. Setsuna blushed under the attention of Konoka's caress, but was unable to look away from Konoka's mesmerizing gaze.
"I will always need you in my life, so don't doubt that. You're my most precious... friend, Secchan."
"Ojou-sama..." Setsuna whispered, touched by Konoka's kind words. They continued to stare into each other's eyes and it felt like an eternity to Setsuna in which they just sat there. The feel of Konoka's touch on her skin, the finger that was still tracing the healed wound on her cheek, was something that she never wanted to go away.
However, as if to suddenly prove that Setsuna's wish could not be granted, Konoka laughed sheepishly, almost embarrassedly, and pulled away from Setsuna with a shy smile on her face. "I heard Evangeline-san say something about a hot spring nearby," she said, completely changing the topic. "You want to go take a bath?"
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The merry sound of chatting voices and bubbly laughter filled the ears of Konoka and Setsuna as the two of them stepped out of the dense clustering of trees and into an open area containing a small hot spring. Evangeline had revealed its location to them as a kind of reward for their performances in the earlier battle. Negi had already been in and out of the hot water, and now it was the girls' turn.
Only Asuna, Haruna, and Mana were currently occupying the spring. The small pool of hot water was only big enough to accommodate a few people at a time, so the others had already bathed and returned to camp. From what Setsuna could hear, it seemed like their recent training battle was still a hot topic of discussion. Setsuna could hear Haruna question Mana about the type of projectile she used while they had been fighting earlier.
"I normally use plain bullets or ki-infused bullets in my jobs, but Evangeline supplied me with the magic bullets just before the battle started," Mana explained. "It was good that the battle ended when it did because I was running low on Evangeline's bullets. If we had continued the fight, I would have been forced to switch over to real bullets." Large sweat drops appeared on Asuna and Haruna's heads and they began to laugh apprehensively. "I'm kidding," Mana said with a sly smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and the girls continued their nervous laughter.
"Konoka! Setsuna-san," Asuna greeted with a cheerful wave. She stood up out of the hot spring and wrapped a towel around her body. "I'm just about done here, so one of you guys can get in."
"No wait, I'm done too," Haruna announced as she also stood up. "If I stay in here any longer, I'm going to turn into a prune." Mana followed suit and stepped out of the small spring as well. "Then I guess we're all done here," Haruna said, and then added slyly, "You two have fun by yourselves..."
Setsuna blushed as Konoka asked with a cheerfully confused smile, "What do you mean?" Asuna and Haruna exchanged a devious glance before looking back at Setsuna. The swordsman felt herself blush again and looked away as the girls returned to camp. When she heard a splash behind her, she turned around to find that Konoka had already stripped off her clothes and entered the hot spring.
"Hurry up, Secchan!" Konoka giggled as she settled herself comfortably against an outcropping of rock. She smiled as Setsuna shyly undressed herself and finally entered the hot pool of water. Konoka innocently sidled up to the swordsman. "You've been awfully quiet, Secchan," Konoka commented, to which Setsuna shrugged and mumbled something noncommittal. Lowering herself deeper into the water until only her nose and mouth were not submerged, Setsuna leaned forward against her knees and stared across the water, blushing. Konoka smiled with amusement, but decided not to say anything else. She quietly sat beside Setsuna and enjoyed the warmth of the water.
The minutes fell away as Konoka and Setsuna relaxed in the water. Konoka had the urge to converse with Setsuna, but she had a feeling that anything she might say would just cause Setsuna more embarrassment. Konoka normally didn't mind teasing Setsuna since she found it cute when Setsuna blushed, but she felt their current situation was a bit more delicate that usual.
"I think I'll head back to the camp now," Konoka announced after soaking for several minutes in silence with Setsuna. The swordsman finally turned to look at her and nodded to show that she had heard. Konoka lifted her body out of the water, exposing her bare chest to the darkening forest surroundings before wrapping herself in the towel that she had retrieved. She turned to ask if Setsuna had finished bathing as well, but found that the other girl was now pointedly looking in the other direction. The extremely heavy blush coloring Setsuna's face was noticeable to Konoka, even in the dying light, and the young mage suppressed a laugh as she tightened the towel around her body. That was it; Konoka could no longer hold back the desire to tease Setsuna.
Sometimes, Konoka felt that it was almost like the two of them were playing a game. It was as though Setsuna and Konoka both knew exactly how they felt about each other, but there was an unspoken agreement that neither of them would acknowledge the other's feelings. More than anything else, the reason why neither of them had admitted their feelings for one another was due to Setsuna. Whether out of embarrassment or uncertainty or whatever the reason was, Konoka knew that Setsuna just wasn't ready for them to be together.
However, even without being told, Konoka was certain that Setsuna's feelings toward her were romantic. Sometimes she just wanted to tell Setsuna that she knew the truth and that she also felt the same way, but she was also just as certain that Setsuna would be very embarrassed if she did this. She could almost foresee the swordsman becoming uncomfortable around her, which was something that she didn't want. And for that reason, she tolerated this game that they played. It didn't really bother Konoka not to be able to treat Setsuna like they were in a relationship because she knew that the days where they could be honest about their feelings weren't very far off in the future. Until then, she could find ways to amuse herself.
Konoka shook the warm river water out of her hair and reach behind her for her clothes. With her body in mid-turn, Konoka purposely tripped herself a bit and let out a small gasp. Stumbling, she closed her eyes as she fell forward and waited to either hit the warm water or-- A pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around Konoka's toweled body, and she found herself being pulled in the opposite direction of her fall. Opening her eyes and turning her head to the side, she found herself looking into Setsuna's concerned gaze. Setsuna's arms gently tighten around her body, closing the gap between them.
"Are you OK, ojou-sama?"
For now, even if this was the only way that Konoka could initiate an intimate moment between them, it was fine with her.
Konoka gasped as a slender arm caught her around the stomach, gently halting her descent and stopping her from splashing face first into the warm water at her feet. In one fluid motion, Setsuna lifted the mage upright and pulled her into a tender embrace from behind, rescuing Konoka from her fall.
"Secchan..." The inaudible whisper of her protector's name escaped the mage's lips and quickly disappeared into the silence that surrounded them as Konoka turned her head and glanced over her shoulder at the girl who held her.
"Are you okay, ojou-sama?" came the hushed reply, to which the mage responded with a shaky nod. Konoka's "accidental" fall had put her right into the arms of the shy swordsman like she had predicted, but the fall had also created unforeseen surprises; surprises such as the feel of Setsuna's damp arm across her bare stomach, which Konoka's partially opened towel no longer concealed. That thin cloth pressed between Setsuna's chest and the mage's back was the only thing that separated them, a thought that made Konoka blush furiously even though she had been the one who had put them in this position.
As she stood within Setsuna's arms, Konoka could feel the swordsman's breath against her ear and it caused her to shiver despite the warmth of its touch. The sensation of Setsuna's skin against her own, a feeling that was much more intimate now than it had even been in the past, made her tremble as well. Although Konoka knew that they were now diving headfirst into uncharted territory, the closeness of Setsuna's presence was something that she wanted to explore further. Her worries about not pressuring the swordsman before she was ready suddenly took a backseat to Konoka's own desires as the mage quickly turned on the spot and faced her protector, surprising Setsuna so that she withdrew her hands from Konoka's body.
The towel that had previously been wrapped around the mage's body now opened completely, fully exposing Konoka's back as it slid over her hips. The mage held her breath as the towel settled between them, pressed against their naked chests, acting as a thin barrier to defend their unprotected skin. Konoka's hands, which were loosely held at her sides, itched to spring forward and place themselves upon Setsuna's hips to draw their bodies even closer together. She repressed this desire, however, knowing that the balance between them at the moment was quite delicate.
"Secchan hasn't moved," Konoka suddenly noticed, realizing that even after the mage's unexpected turn, Setsuna hadn't stepped away from her in surprise. "Maybe she understands what'll happen if she moves back?" the mage wondered, remembering the towel that was precariously held between them. "Or..." Konoka thought as she focused her attention on the intense look in Setsuna's eyes, which were currently locked upon her own, "...maybe she just doesn't want to move away from me."
As if she was answering Konoka's unspoken thought, Setsuna placed her hands gently upon the mage's shoulders, slowly so that Konoka didn't perceive her movements until it was nearly too late. She jumped slightly as the subtle weight of the swordsman's hands rested upon her body and her eyes widened at the thought of what Setsuna's actions might imply. Peering into the other girl's face, which was fixed with a rather serious expression, Konoka could see a resolute spark within Setsuna's eyes. Time slowed to what seemed like a crawl as the swordsman lifted a hand from the other girl's shoulder and delicately nestled it under Konoka's chin. The mage froze, stunned by the events that were unfolding before her.
"Kono-chan," Setsuna whispered as she leaned forward, pressing their bodies more fully against each other. Konoka leaned in as well, her heart thumping madly within her chest. By no means would this be the mage's first kiss, not unless she disregarded her kiss with Negi, but it would be her first with Setsuna and it was a kiss she had waited for so long to receive. Konoka closed her eyes as Setsuna's lips neared her own and she opened her mouth slightly as she felt the swordsman's breath tickle her lower lip.
CRACK!
Konoka and Setsuna sprang apart instantly as the sharp sting of static electricity struck them, interrupting their kiss before it could even begin. Konoka pressed her fingertips to her lips and impulsively stepped backward, stunned that such bad luck could have befallen them. Across from her, the mage saw that Setsuna was reacting similarly to the static electric shock that had sparked across their lips. Silently, they gazed at each other in wide-eyed surprise, wondering how they could have come so close to a kiss, but not been able to follow through.
Splash...
The dull sound of Konoka's towel hitting the warm hot springs water caught their attention, drawing their gazes downward to where the sodden cloth now floated at their feet. Their eyes flicked upward and met again as blushes instantly began to color their cheeks. Quickly, Konoka and Setsuna turned away from each other, clutching their arms to their naked bodies.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" Setsuna stuttered, kneeling in the water while crossing her arms against her chest.
"N-no, don't be..." Konoka responded, stuttering as well. With her back turned toward the other girl, she picked up the only towel that sat beside their dry clothes and tossed it toward Setsuna. The towel landed neatly upon the swordsman's shoulders, but Setsuna immediately picked it up and tried to hand it back to the mage.
"No, you take it," Setsuna mumbled hurriedly, thrusting the towel in Konoka's general direction while keeping her back turned. "Yours is all wet now, so..."
"It's okay, you use it. I already dried off before we--" Konoka paused. "Before we what? Before we tried to kiss and electrocuted ourselves?" she thought wryly.
"O-okay," Setsuna hesitantly agreed, allowing Konoka's incomplete statement to remain unfinished. With nothing more to say, hey lapsed into an awkward silence and began to dress.
"Great," the mage sarcastically thought as she stepped out of the hot spring and began to put on her clothes. "That probably just made things a million times worse between us." Although Setsuna had been the one to initiate their almost-kiss, Konoka only had herself to blame for putting the swordsman in a situation that she wasn't ready for. If only she had been able to control her own desires better...
After putting on the last of her clothes, Konoka turned her head and stole a sidelong glance at the other girl. Surprised, she found that Setsuna had already finished dressing and was merely waiting, standing with her back to the mage. "Secchan," Konoka sadly thought to herself, reaching out a hand toward the swordsman. She wanted to place her hand on Setsuna's shoulder and hopefully initiate a meaningful conversation about what had just happened, but the mage stopped just short of touching the other girl, wondering if the action would do more damage given the current situation.
"Hey..." Setsuna mumbled softly without any warning, causing Konoka to quickly withdraw her hand in surprise. "Can we... can we pretend that none of this just happened?"
"W-what?" the mage asked, completely caught off guard by the swordsman's request. Konoka had been so prepared to apologize for what had transpired between them that she hadn't been ready for Setsuna to speak first.
With her back still turned to Konoka, the swordsman raised a hand and gestured toward the hot spring. "Everything that just happened, can we just forget about it? Pretend that it didn't happen?" she asked again. Setsuna slowly glanced over her shoulder and offered Konoka a pleading wince. "Please?"
"Y-yeah, I guess..." Konoka hesitantly agreed. However, forgetting their near-kissing experience was probably one of the last things that the mage wanted to do. If they were to talk about what had just occurred, then there was a chance that they could move past their embarrassment and possibly even take a step forward in their relationship. What Setsuna wanted was for them to go back to the way things were before the almost-kiss and continue to leave their feelings for each other unacknowledged. "But if this is what Secchan wants," Konoka thought as the swordsman nodded slightly at her response and turned away again, "then maybe it's best if we pretend that nothing happened." After all, Konoka truly didn't want to force Setsuna to do anything that she wasn't ready to do.
Nevertheless, the mage found herself frowning unhappily at the way the brief conversation had concluded. However, in order to keep her promise to pretend that nothing had happened, Konoka reached into the hot water, fished out her soaked towel, and forced a cheerful smile onto her face. "Let's head back to camp, shall we?" Konoka suggested brightly, walking past the other girl. However, as the mage headed toward the path that led back to the forest clearing, she was surprised when the swordsman unexpectedly reached out and slipped her hand into Konoka's. Stunned, the mage quickly turned toward the other girl and managed to briefly capture Setsuna's shy gaze before the blushing swordsman turned away again.
"Let's head back to camp," Setsuna repeated, tugging gently on the young mage's hand.
Konoka found herself momentarily rooted to the ground and unable to move. Holding hands with the swordsman was among the very last things she had expected to happen, especially given the levels of embarrassment they had experienced just minutes ago. However, once the initial shock of Setsuna's action had subsided, the mage found the feeling of their joined hands to be comforting, as thought their hands belonged like this. Konoka smiled warmly as she entwined her fingers with the swordsman's and happily followed where Setsuna led.
"Two steps forward, two steps back, and one step forward," Konoka thought dryly as she modified the old adage to fit the events that had occurred at the hot spring. Nevertheless, she couldn't hide the small smile that danced across her lips. This wasn't the progress that she had been expecting, but this was still a great amount of progress, especially since Setsuna had been the one who had taken the first step. The days where they could finally be open about their feelings for each other was definitely approaching, and Konoka felt that she didn't have much longer to wait.
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With a sharp crack, the swordsman watched as one the campfire logs shattered from the heat and sent a shower of sparks bursting into the sky. The glowing embers quickly died and fell towards the ground, landing back onto the campfire that the Setsuna's classmates were now sitting around. Just by looking at the laughing campers and listening to their lively conversations, it was hard to believe that the twelve of them were supposed to be on a grueling training expedition. Then again, looks could be deceiving. As the swordsman gazed at Konoka, who was cheerfully taking to Yue and Nodoka, Setsuna knew that no one would believe the outrageous amounts of embarrassment that the two of them had endured just a short while ago.
As the vivid memories resurfaced in Setsuna mind for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, the swordsman fought the urge to physically smack herself for getting carried away at the hot spring. Honestly, the swordsman had no idea what came over her at the time. Setsuna knew that she should have let go of the mage as soon as Konoka had been saved, but the swordsman had gotten distracted at the instant that their unclothed bodies had come together with just a mere towel to separate them.
A brilliant blush began to color the swordsman's cheeks as the memories replayed themselves in her head. There was one good thing that had come out of the entire embarrassing exchange, however. She had confirmed that fact that Konoka's feelings toward her were romantic. Setsuna had always suspected, or at least hoped, as much in the past, but the proof had been secured the instant that Konoka failed to pull away during their almost-kiss.
The confirmation of Konoka's feelings had delighted the swordsman, but the unfortunate downside was that Setsuna was painfully aware that she could never act upon Konoka's feelings for her. The idea that Konoka, the daughter of the Kansai Magic Association's leader, and Setsuna, a Shinmeiryuu swordsman and mere bodyguard, could ever become a couple was laughable. Nothing romantic would ever, could ever, or should ever happen between them, Setsuna realized. As painful as it was to think this way, the swordsman knew that they were better off remaining as friends.
"Okay! Everyone, get up and go to bed!" an irritated Evangeline ordered after suddenly standing up amid the happy campers. "One mage and fighter pair per tent. Now go!"
"Eh, but why?" Ku Fei protested, looking up at the vampire that had been sitting next to her just moments ago. "It's still so early, Evangeline-san. Can't we stay up a little longer?"
"No. All of your cheerfulness is bugging the hell out of me," their cranky training instructor grumbled. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the entire group settled around the campfire. "Besides, it's already past curfew and you'd all be in your beds by now if you were back on campus."
"No we wouldn't," Haruna said, waving a dismissive hand in Evangeline's direction. "It's the weekend, so we'd be partying it up inside our dorms for a few more hours."
"The go back to your tent and party," the vampire ordered, rolling her eyes at Haruna. "Just get out of my sight."
"But the only other person in my tent would be Asuna-san, and she's practically asleep," the spectacled manga artist complained, pointing a finger at her temporary partner who seemed ready to fall asleep where she sat.
Upon hearing her name mentioned, the sleepy girl in question lifted her head and glanced around the campfire in confusion. "Huh...?" Asuna wondered, looking back and forth between Haruna and Evangeline. "What happened?"
"It's not my problem if your partner has problems staying up late," Evangeline retorted with a smirk. "Training starts early tomorrow morning, so you're better off going to sleep now, anyway."
"Fine, fine," Haruna relented with a heavy sigh, too tired to continue the argument. Getting to her feet, she held out a hand and offered it to her sleepy partner who gratefully accepted the assistance. Taking this as a sign that the late night fun was officially over, the other girls began to stand up as well. However, Setsuna continued to sit on the grass, seemingly glued to her place the ground. Not a single word of the exchange between Haruna and Evangeline had sunk into her mind since the swordsman had heard the vampire order them to sleep with their partners tonight. At that moment, Setsuna had realized that she would be spending the night all alone with Konoka, something that terrified the swordsman to her very core.
"Secchan?" The swordsman jumped at the sound of her own name. She shakily lifted her gaze and found that the mage was staring down at her with a teasing smile upon her lips. "Are you planning to sleep out here, or what?" Konoka joked after seeing that Setsuna had not yet moved from her spot on the ground.
Although the suggestion had been made in jest, Setsuna thought that sleeping outside sounded like a perfectly good idea, especially when the alternative was to sleep in close proximity to Konoka. The swordsman had already come to the conclusion that she shouldn't act upon her feelings for Konoka, but what she thought she should do and what she wanted to do were completely different things, and Setsuna wasn't sure she could trust herself. However, before she could voice her opinions about the sleeping arrangements, she found herself being tugged to her feet, dragged in the direction of their tent, and then pulled inside under the mage's guidance.
"Hey, let's sleep together tonight," Konoka suggested as she pulled their sleeping bags together and flopped down upon the rearranged sleeping area. With a smirk, the mage immediately recognized Setsuna's hesitation, but decided that she would try to push things a little further anyway. The swordsman's small showing of courage at the hot spring inspired the mage to be a little more daring than usual as well. After all, it wasn't everyday that she got to sleep alone with Setsuna. Who knew when another opportunity like this would come up again? With a mischievous grin, Konoka lifted a corner of her blanket and patted the spot beside her invitingly. "Come on, we used to sleep together all the time when we were kids. What are you so afraid of?"
Off the top of her head, Setsuna's immediate fear was of being unable to restrain herself while having Konoka's body pressed against her own throughout the entire night. However, against the swordsman's better judgment, Setsuna slowly crossed the tent to where the mage lay. Ignoring Konoka's excited yet triumph squeal, Setsuna slid onto the sleeping bag and under the blanket that Konoka had lifted for her.
"We're just going to sleep, nothing more," Setsuna started to think to herself in an attempt to calm her rapidly rising pulse. However, as Konoka threw her arm over the swordsman's stomach and rested her head comfortably upon Setsuna's chest, Setsuna knew that this was going to be a long night.
"See?" the mage giggled. "Nothing to be afraid of."
"Yeah," Setsuna derisively agreed with a shaky laugh, "Nothing to be afraid of..."
Even as she sarcastically said this, the discomfort that the swordsman felt at having Konoka snuggle up against her began to reverse direction, and Setsuna quickly found their arrangement to be soothing and almost familiar, as though they routinely slept this way. Her initial reservations about being able to fall asleep disappeared as she easily began to drift off to sleep.
"Hey, Secchan..." Konoka softly mumbled into the darkness, "what are you afraid of?"
"Huh?" Setsuna, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, whispered back, not fully hearing the question.
"What are you afraid of?" the young mage repeated.
"I... I don't know," the swordsman responded, slowly coming back to her senses. She waited for Konoka to speak again, perhaps to ask another question or even to confess her own fears, but the response never came. After a several moments, Setsuna decided that the mage had probably accepted her lack of response as the answer to her question. Indeed, after a while, the tent was soon filled with the sounds of Konoka's slowed, deepened breathing. The swordsman knew that she should be sleeping as well, but the weight of Konoka's seemingly simple question was keeping her awake because Setsuna had lied when she denied knowing what her fears were.
The swordsman glanced down at the slumbering girl lying in her arms and felt a sudden touch of coldness lodge itself within her chest. The more she thought about what frightened her, the more these thoughts seemed to overwhelm and smother her. Still gazing at Konoka, Setsuna decided that she would finally voice her greatest fears to the sleeping girl in hopes that she could relieve some of the pressure she was feeling.
"E-e-even..." the swordsman began slowly, trying to whisper in her softest voice, "even though I want us to become something more, I'm scared that it would be best if we were just friends," Setsuna sadly revealed, uttering these fears for the first time in her life. "I'm scared that I'm not good enough for you, that the world wouldn't accept our feelings for each other, and that no one could believe that we were meant to be together. But what scares me most," she continued, still speaking in hushed tones, "...is me."
At last, Setsuna tore her eyes away from Konoka and gazed up at the tent's ceiling before continuing. "I'm scared that the demon blood in me will bring you nothing but pain," Setsuna mumbled, willing herself to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. "And I'm scared that the one who will hurt you the worst will be me," she finished, letting her bleak secrets hang in the darkness where they belonged. However, although a part of her wished that Konoka would never truly hear her miserable fears, another part of Setsuna prayed that her confessions would somehow make their way out of the darkness and reach the mage in her sleep, and that Konoka would subconsciously find a way to heal her pains. Perhaps it was foolish to think that her confessions could penetrate into the mage's subconscious, but the swordsman could hope.
Holding onto this feeble desire, desperately wishing that it would someday come true, Setsuna closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into a fretful sleep. However, if the swordsman had been less consumed by her own thoughts and more conscious of her surroundings, Setsuna might have been aware that the mage lying on her chest was no longer breathing deeply and feigning sleep, but was now holding her breath while biting down on her lower lip, trying to process what she had just heard.
"s-secchan..." Konoka whispered, her voice shaking as she said the name of the person who meant so much to her. "Y-you..." She stopped and tried to calm the thoughts racing through her mind. "You shouldn't have to worry about those sorts of things..." She said quietly, even knowing her protecter couldn't hear her as she slept. She leaned her face close to Setsuna's and gently kissed the girl on the mouth. "I don't care about any of that...as long as I'm with you..I...I trust you..."
She slowly lay her head against Setsuna's chest and closed her eyes, thoughts of what Setsuna had said still rushing through her mind. 'I love you..."
~~~Yeah...sorry about the sad ending, but not everything can go right, right? Or...maybe if Setsuna had been awake to hear what Konoka had said, her own fears may've been washed away, and they'd have been together. I think I might have to create a sequel to this one so I can make it happy. But that's only if you want me to, so tell me and I'll try. If you want me to, comment and tell me so and I'll try...try...
so there you are. I hope you liked what you read....
*sigh*
Goodbye for now.
