A/N: Apologies for the long absence! I offer you this long-ass chapter as a gift.

Firstly, thanks again for all your continued support; without it I would've given up a long time ago haha. I'm also glad you all enjoy Setsuna as the crush-ee and Konoka as the crush-er; I think in this situation it makes more sense.

Second, this chapter is also rated M, although not for masturbation this time. Nothing horribly graphic, however.

Lastly, your hint for this chapter is the author's note at the end of chapter 7.

See you at the bottom!

XXX

Even the Best Laid Plans (Or Plans to Get Laid?)...

XXX

Setsuna isn't sure where to turn for help at this point.

Mana and Evangeline are completely out of the question, and she certainly doesn't know Ayaka well enough to have such a personal conversation. There's Asuna, but she'd rather save that option as a last resort, so she goes first to magazines and articles on the internet and reads through them thoroughly.

Even for Setsuna, it doesn't take long after her third Cosmo issue to realize that there's no real, practical advice for getting yourself to be unattracted to someone (and even if there were, it certainly wouldn't be in Cosmo). The internet hadn't been much help either, and more often than not she'd only found sympathetic responses emphasizing the impossibility of the idea.

The only commonality between them all was the idea of creating distance.

But how? She wonders one morning, closing Yahoo! Answers on her browser and shutting her laptop. For the past three days she'd been acting like she'd always acted around Konoka – or as close to that as Setsuna could get when being closer than three feet away from the girl makes her slightly nauseous. And who knew there was a good way to be nauseous?

She stares at her closed laptop a moment more before the sound of the key card in the door snaps her head up. Konoka walks in carrying two overstuffed take out bags and plops them on their nest of blankets on the floor before grabbing the remote.

"TV or movie?" She asks, flopping down next to Setsuna.

"I'm kind of tired of reading subtitles."

"Netflix it is," Konoka responds cheerily, grabbing the PS3 controller and changing the input. They discuss potentially interesting options, Setsuna mostly contributing distracted half-answers.

Why does it matter if I'm attracted to her if we're the same way we were before? She wonders, shaking her head with a quick "seen it" at The Walking Dead. Just because her feelings have changed doesn't mean their relationship needs to; after all, everything seems normal so far. And sure, there are the weird feelings in her stomach and the nervous sweating, but she can deal with that, right?

Konoka shifts beside her, knocking their knees together accidentally, and Setsuna swallows her queasiness down. Maybe not.

"Oh jeez, I forgot about this movie."

Setsuna glances up at the screen. "Is it a horror?"

"Supposedly," Konoka clicks on the icon for the movie summary. "I haven't seen it, but it's got Megan Fox in it."

"Who?"

"The actress in Transformers."

"Ohh, right. I liked that movie."

"Should we watch this one then?" Konoka asks, thumb hovering over the accept button. At Setsuna's shrug she presses play, eager to start watching something.

…Well, okay, not something. In actuality Konoka has seen this movie before, and while certainly entertaining, she hadn't thought it anything special – except, maybe, for the long, drawn out, lesbian make-out scene about two-thirds of the way through.

Her strategy may be a bit underhanded, that's true, but Konoka's not doing it maliciously. I just want to see how she'll react, she reminds herself, patiently waiting for the scene of interest. She wishes she could just ask, but nobody seems to know Setsuna's (apparently mysterious) sexuality. Setsuna herself had even said during their conversation on the plane to Japan that she doesn't even look at anyone in a sexual context. Not to mention the complicating factor of her virginity.

Maybe she just said that because she doesn't have any experience. How could she know for sure who she's into if she's never been with anyone? Konoka ignores the fact that her argument doesn't make sense when she applies it to herself, who has never been with another girl but is undeniably attracted to one. Instead she stares at the screen, scoots closer to Setsuna, and crosses her fingers hopefully.

This is it, Konoka thinks, eyes darting back and forth between the TV and Setsuna, who is innocently eating her Kung Poa Chicken. The two women on the screen lean forward in a tentative kiss, and she watches Setsuna in her peripheral vision. And Setsuna is…

Still eating.

The scene quickly heats up, tongue action included, and then both actresses are on the bed. Setsuna continues to watch passively, seemingly oblivious to both the eroticism and Konoka's palpable anxiety.

There is a confused shout from one of the characters, alarmingly loud after the silence, and just like that the scene is over. With absolutely zero reaction from Setsuna.

Ugh! Konoka visibly slumps down against the pillows, her disappointment obvious enough that Setsuna turns and raises an eyebrow at her.

"You alright?"

"Fine," Konoka grumbles, but obviously isn't as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Are you bored of the movie?"

The brunette, sensing an opportunity, slowly shifts her gaze to the girl seated beside her.

"No. I mean," she forces a laugh here, "That scene was pretty interesting, don't you think?"

Setsuna pauses and taps her chopsticks against her lips, considering. "Yeah," she says finally, and Konoka's hope skyrockets. "There wasn't any music playing."

Hope? What hope?

"It didn't affect you at all?!"

Setsuna puts her food down, a little startled by the ferocity behind the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, you know…" Konoka trails off, staring intently at the blankets and regarding her outburst with unmatched regret. Too late now. "It didn't… you didn't like it, particularly?"

Could I be more obvious? Konoka refrains from slapping herself, but just barely. Although, to be fair, it is Setsuna. The girl who wouldn't notice if the sky suddenly turned orange, or if cats suddenly started barking, or if Konoka suddenly turned into a lesbian. Apparently, anyway.

And, true to that pattern, Setsuna hardly seems fazed by the odd question.

"It was pretty good cinematography, as for as movie kisses go, if that's what you mean." Konoka's about to throw her hands up and call it quits, but the swordsman continues, "Or… did you mean because they're both women?"

Bingo! Finally.

"Well, yeah," the brunette says casually, waving it off like she hadn't been waiting the past hour to see that particular scene.

"Do people normally react strangely to that?"

"I guess that depends on what you mean," Konoka shrugs, maintaining her nonchalance. "Most women might be bothered by it, or intrigued or something. And the last time I saw this movie it was on a date, and the guy I was with wouldn't stop raving about it," she rolls her eyes at the memory, which promptly disappears as she realizes she'd just shoved her foot in her mouth.

"I thought you said you hadn't seen this one."

"I – I meant I haven't seen in it in a while."

"Oh." Setsuna takes that answer at face value, thankfully, and Konoka pats herself on the back for the quick recovery.

The swordsman covers her Chinese food, pauses the movie, and leans back, folding her arms behind her head and staring at the ceiling. Bothered or intrigued, huh? She doesn't know if she'd felt either. Really, to her, it had seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. She'd certainly witnessed more than her fair share of big-screen romance while on Earth, and although they'd both been women this time, it hadn't made much of a difference to her. Setsuna tries to draw the comparison between herself and Konoka versus the two characters on screen, and in that light, a tingly cold feeling erupts in her chest, a mix of whatever she'd felt in the closet the other day and a hefty dose of nervousness.

But the movie characters by themselves, much like the girl on the desk she'd seen on her laptop, hadn't done much of anything for her, and that is what Konoka had been asking. As far as she knows, anyway.

"I didn't think much of it, to be honest," she says finally, then turns slightly on her side to face the other girl. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

Konoka hesitates, tapping her fingernails against the wooden bed frame beside her and trying to find the right words. "Do you remember what you said on the plane?" She asks finally.

"Which part?"

"About not looking at anybody, you know, romantically?"

Setsuna tries to feel out where this conversation is going, but to no avail. "Yes…"

"I was just wondering if you'd come to any conclusions."

"About…?"

"About what kind of people you like."

"Oh." Setsuna hums in thought. There are the feelings towards Konoka, but I haven't thought about it in a general sense, and I think that's what she's asking me. "Nope."

"Well find out already!" Konoka throws her hands up exasperatedly. Getting real answers out of Setsuna is like pulling teeth. From a shark. On its period.

"Is it important for me to know that?" Setsuna asks, now starting to look worried by her friend's strange behavior and uncharacteristic persistence about the topic.

Konoka takes a deep breath. "Yes," she says, sensing another opportunity.

She's never been very good at dropping hints, but her usual forward approach is out of the question at this point. Although she doubts Setsuna would stop being friends with her, considering the girl is immune to awkwardness and all that, Konoka herself would have a hard time being around her after rejection. Not worth the risk, she knows, deciding that subtlety is best here. Now if only she wasn't quite so… Konoka spends a good thirty seconds trying to think of a synonym for "socially inept," but gives up and leaves the sentence hanging.

"Why?" Setsuna asks after the pause.

"Because having romantic relationships is important for your wellbeing." Or that's what every piece of media ever seems to claim, anyway.

"How do I find out what I like then? Should I do that now?"

Konoka tries not to feel guilty about the fact that Setsuna looks legitimately worried about this.

"Yes, yes you should," the brunette nods sagely. "And I was thinking that maybe you should try and find someone to help you experiment so you could find out who you like. Possibly."

Setsuna stares at her friend, noting all the exaggerated annunciations and thinking hard about what it could possibly mean.

…Is she trying to tell me something?

That process leads absolutely no where for her, unfortunately. I'm over analyzing things, she thinks, and decides to take Konoka's words at face value once again.

"So you're saying I should find somebody who I find attractive, and who similarly finds me attractive, and then go on a date with them?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."

"And you're saying that this is something I should attempt to take care of immediately, for the sake of my personal health?"

"Yes, yes," Konoka nods, getting a bit anxious about this lengthy preamble, "That's what I said."

"And anyone will do?"

Konoka's eyes narrow surreptitiously. Why do I have a bad feeling about this? "In theory, yes…"

"Well," Setsuna nods, seeming to have come to a conclusion. "Alright then."

Setsuna pulls the blanket off herself and stands. She grabs her wallet and phone and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" Konoka asks, alarmed by the turn of events.

"I'm taking your advice."

Konoka can't seem to form a reply, and Setsuna smiles obliviously and walks out the door.

XXX

She makes it half a mile down the street before pausing to look around.

This certainly hadn't been how Setsuna was expecting to spend her afternoon. Up until the closet incident, she'd had zero interest in pursuing any relationships that weren't required by her mission. I don't see how this affects my personal health, Setsuna thinks, trying to find an answer and coming up short. But, well, Konoka had seemed pretty confident about what she'd been saying, and of the two of them, she certainly knows more about human life and emotional health than Setsuna.

She takes a seat at the nearest coffee shop, glad for the shade underneath one of many umbrellas.

Maybe this is what those people meant when they were talking about distance. If I'm dating someone else, then I certainly wouldn't have to worry about my feelings for Konoka as much, she thinks, opening up a menu someone had left there and reading it over distractedly. Is that why she suggested I do this all of a sudden, because she picked up on my attraction? It does seem to be widely known that unrequited feelings can ruin friendships.

The idea that Konoka might have done it because of interest in her flashes through Setsuna's mind, and she promptly squashes the ludicrous idea. She was probably just watching out for me.

Still, there are a number of issues with this plan. The most obvious one is that Setsuna has absolutely no clue about flirting, or dating at all for that matter. She has no idea where to meet people or how to approach them, and if TV sitcoms have taught her anything, it's that relationships are complex. Certainly enough so to be beyond her scope of understanding.

The other issue is that she really has no interest in finding anyone anyway. She'd just have to lie to them about herself, and besides that, no one on Earth could possibly understand even her fictional life. Everybody on this planet is spoiled in comparison to her, she knows, and even if she manages to overlook it with Konoka most of the time, it still bothers her on occasion. She's not sure she can be around another person with such a carefree existence, and as far as she knows, relationships are supposed to be forged on mutual understanding.

So, basically, this is impossible.

A waiter comes by and she points to the chocolate bubble tea on the menu, and when he leaves to fill the order she sighs to herself. It would've been nice to have all that nervous energy directed at someone other than her current employer. Even if she'd have to put in more time to maintain the extra relationship only to be sent back to Hell and likely never see the person again, if she could sever just enough of her ties with Konoka by forging new ones with someone else, it seems like it'd spare her quite a bit of discomfort.

It would, of course, be just as difficult to betray anyone she was romantically involved with, even if it wasn't Konoka. The idea that the romantic feelings cause the pain regardless of who the person is, however, doesn't occur to Setsuna. Similarly, the idea that one can't make oneself become romantically interested in somebody else by sheer willpower also doesn't appear as a confounding factor.

All she knows is that she doesn't want these feelings because they make her mission complicated, and that the only feasible way to get rid of them is to project them on someone else.

Except that I don't want to, and am incapable of, forging bonds with people I'm not forced to spend time with. She sighs again at the hopeless thought.

She accepts her bubble tea with a mumbled "arigatou," one of the few words she'd picked up during her stay in Japan, and resists the urge to bang her head against the table.

A moment later she's glad she didn't. The sound of a chair scraping against the ground pulls her attention away from her self-defeating thoughts, and she glances up and wonders how she didn't notice somebody approaching.

A woman, who appears to be in her mid-twenties, looks at her curiously and points to the chair.

"Mind if I sit with you?" She asks, tucking shoulder length, bleached blond hair behind her ear.

"No, go ahead."

"Thank you," she says gratefully, taking a seat and leaning back with an appreciative sigh.

The woman picks up the menu and stares at it, leaving Setsuna to ponder the situation in silence. In her experience, it's odd for someone to be so forward. There are other tables around with plenty of unoccupied seats, and just as many with people, if she'd simply wanted company. There doesn't seem to be a reason to sit down with Setsuna in particular.

"Something wrong?" The girl asks, glancing up from her menu with a smile.

"Ah, no, not really." Should I ask what she's doing? Is that rude?

As if hearing her thoughts, the woman puts the menu down and reaches her arms up in a stretch.

"I hope I'm not bothering you," she says. (Even if she were, she hardly looks like she's about to get up and leave.)

"Not at all. I just, ah… Was there something you wanted?" Setsuna tries in a gentle tone, attempting not to sound impolite.

"Actually, yes." The woman looks around briefly and, spying a waiter, flags him over. She points at Setsuna's drink and says something in Japanese. He smiles at her and walks away, presumably to fill her order. "There we go," she says simply.

Setsuna stares at her in confusion until she realizes she's staring and remembers that's rude. She averts her eyes and takes a sip of her chocolately drink. The silence goes on long enough that Setsuna finally looks up, if only to see if her companion is still there.

And she is. And staring right back at Setsuna.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me my name yet," she says with a teasing smile, but mercifully continues before Setsuna can be embarrassed about it. "I'm Rokuko."

She reaches out a hand and Setsuna shakes it.

"Setsuna," she says simply, and figuring that most people would be expecting some kind of conversation, struggles to find something to say. "So… do you come here often?"

It's an incredibly awkward conversation starter, but if Rokuko notices, she doesn't mention it.

"Yes, actually. I work at the hospital a block away," she says, gesturing at her dark blue scrubs. Setsuna hadn't even noticed them, to be honest, but she doesn't feel the need to point that out now.

She claws through her brain for something to say, but thankfully a waitress comes to deliver Rokuko's drink. She accepts with a nod of her head and has a quick conversation with the woman, the two seemingly familiar with each other.

"You speak Japanese really well," Setsuna notes once the waitress has walked away.

"I grew up here, actually. My parents moved to Japan for work when I was three." Setsuna doesn't respond, and Rokuko giggles at her awkwardness. "What about you? No offense, but you seem like a tourist."

"I'm here on business, actually."

"Oh? And who do you work for?"

"It's a service-based communications company," Setsuna says vaguely, mostly because even she isn't really sure. "I work under the vice president, Konoka Konoe –"

"Konoe?" Rokuko stares at her in surprise for a moment. "That's a multi-billion dollar company. You must really enjoy your work if you're so high up on the corporate ladder."

Setsuna thinks about that for all of half a second. "Not at all; the work is incredibly boring. In fact, to be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm doing here."

Rokuko's giggling escalates to full blown laughter as Setsuna finishes her sentence. When her amusement dies down somewhat she brushes another stray bang behind her ear.

"Well, Setsuna, you're just about the most honest business person I've ever met," she says good-naturedly.

"Oh. Thank you."

Rokuko leans forward to sip her drink and takes a moment to look over Setsuna, smiling slightly. There's clear playfulness sparkling in her eyes, and one eyebrow is quirked in thoughtful consideration as she takes her time examining the other girl's apathetic expression. Just when Setsuna's beginning to grow uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Rokuko speaks.

"Since I come here so often, I've made talking to strangers a bit of a habit," she starts, finally averting her eyes to search for the wallet in her purse. "So I've met a lot of people, and not very many of them interest me anymore. But I like you. I can tell you're different."

Setsuna blushes at the compliment, still unused to praise, and Rokuko's smile grows at that. She reaches into her wallet and lays a business card on the table.

"My number's on the card, and since you're buying my bubble tea," she says teasingly, leaving just a long enough pause for Setsuna to protest. She doesn't, and Rokuko continues, still smiling, "I'll buy you dinner tonight. How's seven o'clock sound?"

"That – sounds great," Setsuna says, obviously surprised by the offer.

"Fantastic! I'll let you pick the place, just text me the address." Rokuko straightens her shirt and walks away, throwing a wink over her shoulder.

When she's out of sight Setsuna stares at the card on the table. How did that just happen? She picks up the piece of paper and pockets it, anxiety welling in her chest. And was I propositioned for a date? I mean, she did wink at me… but it could've been a playful, friendly gesture…

She sighs. Even if that had been the most convenient timing ever, actually getting through the date is a daunting thought.

But despite her sudden nervousness, she foots the bill with a smile on her face.

XXX

Konoka had stared at the door, open-mouthed in shock and wondering what the hell had just gone down for a full five minutes after Setsuna left.

Eventually her jaw clicked shut, and she stood up from her spot on the floor to look at herself in the mirror. She pointed a finger at her reflection accusingly.

"You, miss, are an idiot."

The outcome of that conversation hadn't been what she'd intended in the slightest, but she gave up glaring at herself after a few more seconds, sighing in defeat.

She's not sure what she'd been expecting, exactly, or even what she'd been hoping for. It's not like Konoka would have been ready even if Setsuna had miraculously taken the very obvious hint and jumped into her arms. If anything, she probably would've panicked at that.

Even so, that certainly would've been better than what actually happened. Despite not knowing what she wants, Konoka hadn't intended to just send her object of affection into the arms of someone else. Potentially, at least. Whether Setsuna is capable of talking someone into a date with her is… questionable.

Konoka smiles at the near excruciatingly awkward image of Setsuna trying to flirt. Sure, she got invited to some guy's hotel after that night in the club, but that had been an entirely separate arena. People expect random hook-ups at 12AM on Saturdays, and Konoka really doubts that Setsuna would subject herself to that kind of treatment again anyway.

Still, when Setsuna walks in the door an hour and a half later with a smile on her face, Konoka can't help but be a little worried.

"What are you so happy about?" She grumbles, still a bit grumpy from the way things had turned out.

"It worked."

"What worked?"

"I took your advice, and, well, I don't really know if it's a date, but someone invited me to dinner."

You have to be kidding me.

Konoka watches as Setsuna flops onto the bed, smile still intact.

Why is it that it took me three days to get her to smile, and yet some random person did it in an hour?

She grits her teeth and forces herself to be cheerful despite her thoughts. At some level Konoka knows she brought this on herself, and if Setsuna's happy about it, then she should be happy about it, right?

Except for the blindingly obvious fact that she isn't, of course.

"That's… surprising," she says, trying not to let her voice betray her bitterness. "How did that happen?"

"I'm not really sure myself. I went to get bubble tea and some girl sat down with me –"

"A girl asked you out?" Konoka asks, some small semblance of hope reigniting in her. "And you said yes?"

"I did say yes, but I still don't know if it was a date or a friend thing. How do you tell?"

Ah, the cluelessness again. Count on Setsuna to be consistent at least. Maybe she'll screw it up with this girl and then –

Konoka promptly shoves that cruel thought out of her mind.

"By behavior, usually. How did she ask you?"

Setsuna thinks on that, trying to remember Rokuko's exact wording. "She said that I seemed interesting, and that since I was buying her bubble tea, she'd buy me dinner tonight."

"Hmm…"

"And she winked at me."

"Yep," Konoka nods, "That's a date."

"Oh…" Setsuna trails off, her apparent happiness slowly morphing back into the usual expressionlessness.

"Something wrong?" Konoka asks, outwardly worried and inwardly hoping there is.

But is there? Setsuna had initially been happy about the success of her plan. Now, with some luck, she'd have somebody else to direct her attraction towards, which means that Evangeline and Mana won't be pissed, her relationship with Konoka will stay untarnished, and her mission won't be compromised.

And all that seems like awfully frail reasoning in the face of the fact that she'd much rather be going on this date with Konoka.

Which is confusing enough in itself, really, because the kind of attraction that's related to dating someone isn't the same kind of attraction she feels for Konoka, as far as Setsuna can tell. Dating is like when you want to romance someone, and spoil them, and spend time with them so you can assess their suitability as a life partner.

What Setsuna keeps offhandedly fantasizing about in her free time is, then, definitely not dating.

I really just want to sleep with her.

So maybe, in that case, this whole dating thing won't even work. You don't get over sexual attraction towards one person by dating another, do you? Although, by her understanding, there's a general order to these things, and dating is usually a prelude to sex…

And nevermind the fact that she doesn't even know how, exactly, to go about having sex.

Maybe if I get one of those vibrate-y things…

"Setsuna? You in there?"

"Huh?" Setsuna blinks a few times to clear her vision and snap herself out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm…"

She trails off again, obviously lost in thought once more. After a minute of non-responsiveness, Konoka approaches her on the bed and pokes her gently in the shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asks, genuinely concerned this time.

Setsuna heaves a sigh, but nods anyway. "I'm fine. I'm just worried."

"About?"

"About everything," she says, rolling onto her side and glaring at the wall. "I don't understand what's expected of me."

"It's just a first date silly," Konoka soothes. "They're fun at best and awkward at worst. Nothing horrible is going to happen if it doesn't go well; you'll both just be mature adults about it and agree that it didn't work out. Trust me," she mumbles, "I've been on, like, forty."

That seems to strike a chord in Setsuna, who flips back over to face her.

"Will you help me then?"

Uh oh.

"Help you how?"

"Give me advice, maybe? Or you could come with me." Although even Setsuna is aware that you don't bring a third person on a date, she can hope, right?

"As much as I'd like to, I don't think she would appreciate that," Konoka laughs, shaking her head at the prospect. "What time is your date, anyway?"

"I think she said seven."

"And I guess you totally forgot we were supposed to have dinner with Ayaka and Asuna tonight, right? They're coming to pick us up at five."

Setsuna stares at her blankly for a second. "You guessed correctly. I'm sorry," she adds after a pause. Konoka had situated herself on the bed by this point, and Setsuna throws an arm over her waist as an extension of her apology.

"It's okay. I was the one that told you to go out and do this in the first place." Unfortunately. "We'll just have to do it again; I think you would've liked the restaurant."

Setsuna perks her head up. "What restaurant?"

"It's a fusion place close to Ayaka's apartment complex, so it's probably super fancy, but they're pretty famous for their desserts."

She had originally suggested the idea because of Setsuna's fondness for sweets, and judging by the curiosity on her face, Konoka figures she'd picked well.

"What kind of desserts?"

"Apparently they serve Taiwanese shaved ice there, and you can cover it in condensed milk, and lychees, and that star-shaped mango jelly you really like –" Konoka pauses, noting the simultaneously hopeful and disappointed look on Setsuna's face. It's one part sad and nine parts adorable, and Konoka can hardly help but continue, lest the expression disappear. "They also serve dessert sushi. They use sticky rice, and then they cut strawberries and mangos and stuff to look like the fish."

Setsuna's staring up at her with wide, bright eyes, and Konoka's having a hard time not smiling at this point. "Then there's the bubble tea bar, where you can pick a flavor of tea or juice, and then get as many different jellies and bubbles as you like. And thenthere's also the fried banana split with the option of twenty-four different house-made ice-cream flavors."

The expression shifts to five parts sad and four thousand parts adorable. Konoka has to avert her eyes elsewhere in order to keep torturing the girl now. "Oh, and I heard that they'll actually make you a whole, custom ice-cream cake with whatever flavors you want, and then they wrap the entire thing in dough so it's like one giant ice-cream mochi – are you crying?" Konoka asks in alarm after working up the courage to face the ridiculous cuteness again, only to find Setsuna looking genuinely devastated.

She pulls her head down under the comforter. "No, I just forgot to blink. That's all."

I can't believe she didn't even flinch when somebody was running at her with a machete, and I made her tear up by talking about ice-cream. Konoka's not sure whether to laugh or feel bad, but pulling the covers off Setsuna's face and eyeing the kicked-puppy expression once again, she opts for the latter.

"I have an idea," she says gently, "Why don't you bring her to the restaurant with you?"

"I couldn't do that," Setsuna frowns. "She said she was going to pay, and it'd be rude to bring her somewhere so fancy under those terms, right?"

"Just tell her you have a running tab at the place, and I'll add your dinners to my bill instead."

"You would do that for me? Are you sure?"

They're both valid questions. Konoka is about to buy dinner for the stranger going on a date with the girl she likes. But, bitter and jealous though she may be, selfish she certainly isn't. And besides, when it comes down to it, she just wants Setsuna to be happy, even if it means footing the bill for...

"What's this girl's name, anyway? You didn't tell me anything about her," Konoka quickly changes the subject so she doesn't have time to think twice about her offer.

"Her name's Rokuko, and she works at the hospital."

"And…?"

Setsuna stares blankly at her, not sure what to say.

"What does she look like?" Konoka clarifies.

"Oh. She's… uh… she's white, and has blond hair that comes down to here," Setsuna gestures at her shoulders, "And blue eyes."

Great. She's dating a Barbie doll.

"Sounds like she's very pretty, then?"

Setsuna shrugs. "Yeah, I think most people would say so."

"Do you say so?"

"Sure, I guess."

"So you find her attractive?"

"As far as I can tell."

"Can you answer a yes or no question with a yes or no?"

"I think so."

"Will you do it?"

"Possibly in the future."

Konoka narrows her eyes. "Are you being serious right now?"

"That depends. Do you think I am?"

"Yes." A pause. "Are you?"

"Maybe."

They stare at each other. The silence builds until Konoka finally gives in, her serious expression dissolving into a fit of giggles. Setsuna watches, her smile growing as Konoka's laughing fit continues, and before she knows what's happening her own shoulders start to shake with laughter. She promptly clamps a hand over her mouth in surprise, and Konoka finally calms down and stares at her still snickering friend. She's going to ask what's wrong, but the realization hits her too.

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you laugh."

Setsuna doesn't say that may have actually been the first time she's ever really laughed. Although it might be wrong to use the past tense there, considering she's still having trouble maintaining her composure.

"In fact," Konoka continues, "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you make a joke."

"And the first time I've made you laugh, I think." After a moment of consideration, Setsuna adds, "On purpose, anyway."

For a moment Konoka says nothing, thinking about that statement, but then finds herself nearly choking on a sudden surge of laughter.

"Oh God," she manages to say through the outburst. "That reminds me. You should've heard what people at that conference were saying after you walked out of there naked."

Ah, the supposed air-conditioner debacle. Setsuna had almost forgotten about that, but the memory suddenly seems far more absurd than the actual event had at the time.

"I actually did that, didn't I?" She wonders, remembering her half-naked walk down the street.

"Oh yeah you did," Konoka agrees before giving into her giggling fit again, Setsuna following shortly after.

The memory is pretty hilarious now, but Setsuna's not sure it warrants the uncontrollable laughter she's experiencing. She can't remember the last time she'd been genuinely amused by something in a non-cynical way. Even the hours upon hours of sit-coms hadn't done much for her funny bone, but lying in this bed with Konoka, the two of them laughing so hard it's becoming difficult to breathe, her whole experience on Earth suddenly seems hilarious.

"I don't – I don't know why – this is so funny," Konoka stutters, trying and failing to regain control of her diaphragm.

For some reason that just makes Setsuna laugh harder, and she rolls over without thinking and finds herself on the floor, hitting the carpet with a loud thunk. Konoka peaks over the edge of the bed in concern.

"Are you alright?" She asks, worried but unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"I think – I think I'm going to throw up."

"Pfft –" Konoka tries to stifle her amusement at that and fails miserably, and the two lie there helplessly laughing until a knock at the door forces Konoka to regain some composure. She gets up from the bed, wiping tears from her eye, and lets Asuna and Ayaka in.

"Are you alright?" Is the first thing out of Ayaka's mouth, having noticed Konoka's watery eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We were just laughing at something."

Asuna raises an eyebrow at that. "We?" She asks, and stops short in the bedroom, spying the still snickering Setsuna on the floor.

It takes a second for the redhead to comprehend the image. "Holy shit," she mutters. "You actually got her to laugh?"

"I actually can't get her to stop laughing."

Asuna stares worriedly at Setsuna. In all her time with the girl, she'd managed to provoke a smile a few times at the most.

"Is she sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine," Setsuna takes a deep breath to help herself calm down. "I don't know what happened."

"What were you guys talking about?" Ayaka asks, not finding the sight quite as astounding, but surprised nonetheless.

Konoka reclaims her seat on the mattress, gesturing to the other bed for her guests to sit on. She offers a hand to Setsuna, who shakes her head no, seemingly content on the floor. Or unable to move.

"I don't really remember. I think the conversation started with – oh." Konoka had almost forgotten about Setsuna's date in the midst of their laughing fest. "Setsuna has dinner with someone tonight."

"A friend?" Ayaka asks carefully.

Setsuna finally sits up, having reclaimed control of her muscles, and hauls herself back onto the bed. "Nope. I have a date."

There's a somewhat tense silence, and Ayaka and Asuna share a worried glance.

"It's kind of a long story," Konoka says, quick to dismiss the tension. "She met this girl –" another glance, less worried and more intrigued, " – And they're going to have dinner at the same restaurant we're going to."

Asuna skeptically raises an eyebrow at that. "Whose idea was that?"

She hadn't figured Konoka for the type to want to spy on somebody's date, but she'd been friends with Ayaka long enough to know that even the most composed, professional people have their weaknesses.

Konoka, having sensed the slight accusation in the question, averts her eyes. "Both of ours."

When she lifts her gaze again she makes eye contact with the redhead, who gives her a knowing smile.

"Well that's exciting," Ayaka cuts in, diplomatic as always. "What are you planning on wearing?"

Setsuna sits up a little straighter, nervousness returning. "I don't know. Should I wear something special?"

"Of course!" The blonde scoffs, offended by the very notion that she wouldn't. "It's a first date! You want to impress her, right?"

"I guess…"

The next hour-and-a-half is spent giving Setsuna a crash course in date etiquette, mostly delivered by Ayaka and Konoka. By the end of it Setsuna is grudgingly dressed in some of Konoka's most formal clothing, has had make-up applied and removed at least four separate times before the idea was finally given up on, and is now under the notion that if she'd thought dating was complicated before, she may as well be attempting to uncover the mystery behind Mona Lisa's smile.

With a few more reassurances and words of encouragement, Ayaka and Asuna get into the blonde's personal limo, having decided that it'd be better for Setsuna to show up separately.

"You're going to be fine," Konoka lags behind the other two, placing a hand on Setsuna's shoulder and smoothing her shirt.

"I don't know," Setsuna frowns, muttering that statement for the millionth time that day. "What if she doesn't like me?"

Konoka stares at her, taking in the girl's distressed and worried expression. After a moment's hesitation she reaches up, brushing Setsuna's cheek with her hand and tucking a side-bang behind her ear. The gesture feels intimate, but if Setsuna notices, she doesn't comment.

"She's going to love you," Konoka says finally, voice just above a whisper. She turns to get into the car, but Setsuna grabs her wrist.

The brunette turns around, a question in her eyes, and Setsuna falters for a second. "Konoka?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," she says finally, "I feel better having you there."

Konoka smiles at her and turns away quickly, shutting the limo door behind her. The car moves forward and she stares at out the window, frowning in thought and listening to Ayaka and Asuna bickering next to her.

"I feel better having you there."

She sighs quietly.

Then I should be there with you.

XXX

Konoka wouldn't consider herself a jealous person by any means.

That mostly has to do with the fact that she doesn't want much. Sure, she'd grown up in wealth, but material things never really interested her. She'd just as well do without the first-class tickets and the fancy dresses if her father wasn't so insistent about spoiling her. Until Setsuna had shown up, she'd wanted friends, but she'd never looked around and been jealous of other people's relationships. Longing maybe, but envy? Not so much. The feeling had always been a mystery to her.

Now, however, watching Setsuna and Rokuko dining at a candlelit table together on the other side of the room, she understands.

"If you stare any harder you'll set her on fire," Ayaka laughs, forcing Konoka's gaze back to her current company.

Why does that sound so appealing? She pokes her appetizer with her fork listlessly.

"Sorry guys. I'm just…"

Asuna grins. "Jealous?"

"You don't have to look so happy about it," Konkoa mumbles, deciding to have mercy and stop stabbing her tempura. "And to my defense, Rokuko does look like a super model."

Ayaka rolls her eyes at the two of them. "I think that's Asuna's way of telling you she finds it cute."

"That makes it sound so lame," the redhead protests, poking Ayaka in the ribs. Asuna cuts her off before she can retaliate. "So I'm guessing our little experiment didn't ease your girl crush, huh?"

"If anything it just made it worse." Konoka blushes at the memory of her vivid fantasies. "I guess I really do just like her. And not just for that reason," she adds hastily.

Asuna hums in thought. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Why? I mean, no offense, but she's…"

All three glance over at the girl in question, who apparently ordered nothing but desserts, judging by the ice-cream and sweets laden table. They watch as Setsuna makes a tower of mochi and fried banana in an attempt to take a bite of everything at once, only to knock the whole thing over and onto the napkin in her lap.

Thankfully for her, Rokuko seems highly amused by this, but Asuna's point is more than made.

"Well, she is… like that," Konoka admits, trying to ignore the reflex to cringe in second-hand embarrassment. "But she's also sweet –"

"Pun intended?" Asuna snickers at her own joke, which the other two women dutifully ignore.

" – And considerate, and honest, and she's done so much for me over the past two weeks. She fought off a guy with a machete and punched him through a wall for me, for God's sake."

"All very good points," Ayaka concedes. "But you don't think that's why you like her? Because she saved your life?"

Konoka shakes her head. "I mean, that was the catalyst, but there's so many other reasons…" she sighs and leans back in her chair, now completely given up on her meal. "I just don't know what to do about it. I haven't actually been romantically interested in someone since, like, seventh grade."

"And how did that turn out?"

"Considering I was home schooled and he lived pretty far away, we actually did really well. Until my dad found out and chased him with a sword, anyway."

Ayaka and Asuna share an uneasy glance.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Konoka reassures, "It's not like my dad actually caught him."

That doesn't seem to ease their discomfort, however, and Ayaka clears her throat to break the silence.

"If you're sure you legitimately like her, why not be straightforward about it? I don't know Setsuna very well, but she doesn't seem like the type to end the friendship if she doesn't reciprocate, and honesty is usually the quickest way to deal with these things."

"Says the girl who once stalked a guy for three weeks – mmf –" Asuna suddenly finds herself with a mouthful of chicken, courtesy of Ayaka. The blonde puts her fork down, satisfied with her companion's silence.

Konoka has more or less gotten used to such displays by now and ignores it entirely. "I know you're right, but it still doesn't seem worth the risk. And besides," she gestures at the table of interest across the room, "I do want her to be happy, and they seem like they like each other. What if I accidentally ruin their relationship before it even starts?"

"Or, what if she winds up being a complete bitch and you end up saving Setsuna the heartbreak?" Asuna cuts in, having finally swallowed the massive bite of food.

Konoka returns to staring at Setsuna and her dinner companion and sighs. "She seems nice enough to me…"

Or certainly forgiving, at least, and with quite a sense of humor. Sometime during their conversation Setsuna had managed to set her napkin on fire, and while that would've embarrassed the vast majority of diners, Rokuko nearly tipped her chair over laughing.

"You alright there?" Rokuko asks, wiping a tear from her eye after the other girl managed to douse the flame.

"Sorry," Setsuna bows her head slightly, knowing enough to be embarrassed. "I don't know how that happened."

Rokuko waves off her apology. "Don't worry about it; things like that don't bother me."

"You really don't mind?"

"Not at all. Like I was telling you earlier, there are only two things I can't stand in a date: people who are boring, and people who are fake. And you're quite the opposite of both those things."

Setsuna smiles at her. "So you're having a good time then?"

"Definitely." Despite the enthusiasm of her answer, she quickly shifts gears. "But there is something bothering me."

"What's wrong?"

Her gaze shifts to the side, and Setsuna follows her line of sight to Konoka, who quickly averts her eyes.

"Is there a reason that woman's been glaring at me all night?"

Glaring? Setsuna considers that, but comes up short of an answer. "If there is, I don't know what it could be."

"So you two don't know each other?"

"I – wouldn't say that." Rokuko doesn't reply, and Setsuna realizes her dinner partner is probably waiting for an explanation. "That's my boss, Konoka. I was supposed to come here with her and some friends tonight, but I forgot and accepted your offer instead."

Rokuko glances back and forth between the two. "So she's mad at you for ditching?"

"I don't know why she would be. It wasn't an important dinner or anything, and we only decided to go out yesterday."

"Hmm." Rokuko puts her fork down and leans back in her chair with a mischievous smile, one hand on her chin in an exaggerated expression of thought. "I think she's jealous."

Setsuna looks down at the table as if expecting to find something worth coveting. There is, of course, nothing but the food Konoka herself is paying for. "Jealous of what?" She finally asks.

"Of me. Or, well, us." Setsuna stares at her blankly. "I think your boss likes you," Rokuko clarifies.

"Well, we are friends."

"Not like that," Rokuko giggles at the naivety. "As in, she likes you. Romantically."

"Oh. Ohhh," Setsuna's eyes widen as she considers that, but she quickly finds herself shrugging it off. "I doubt it. She has no reason to like me that way."

"Now I don't know about that." Their chairs aren't directly across the table, and Rokuko leans closer, her smile changing from platonic to sly in an instant. "You're very… charming. In an accidental sort of way."

Setsuna immediately feels uneasy, being unsure about what to expect from their new proximity. "Thank you," she offers in return, and Rokuko leans a little closer at that.

"I know how we can tell for sure. If your boss likes you, I mean."

"How- how do we, uh, do that?" They're suddenly very close, and Setsuna resists the urge to back away. It's not that Rokuko isn't pretty – she's beautiful, in fact, by any standards. From this distance it's hard not to notice how blue her eyes are, or the shine of her lips, or the subtle dimples on her cheeks –

"Just go with it," she murmurs, and even if Setsuna had wanted to protest, she doesn't have the time.

And she suddenly finds that the idea of distracting herself from Konoka with Rokuko isn't so ridiculous, because even if her feelings aren't as evolved as they are for the brunette, the kiss is still soft and slow and tastes like fruity lip gloss –

Distantly Setsuna feels like there's something she's supposed to remember, like maybe the fact that her friends, Konoka included, are sitting a few yards away, but it's momentarily difficult to keep her head straight. As Rokuko's tongue slides along her bottom lip, Setsuna feels like maybe she should check to see if her body had spontaneously combusted into a miniature sun, because that's what it feels like –

A crash from across the room startles her out of her dazed state, and she looks over to see what the ruckus is. She just barely manages to catch sight of Konoka disappearing around the corner, and her gaze flicks back to the broken glass on the floor and Asuna slapping a hand to her forehead.

She moves to get up, worried for her friend, but Rokuko's hand on her arm stops her.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

Rokuko gets up to follow Konoka into the bathroom, snagging her glass of wine to take with her. At Setsuna's curious looks, Rokuko shrugs.

"Have you been in the bathrooms here? They have their own living rooms."

With that she walks off, and Setsuna is left sitting at the table, flustered and confused (not that those emotions are particularly out of the ordinary for her nowadays).

When Rokuko is out of sight, she turns back to her friends' table and gives a helpless shrug, to which Asuna rolls her eyes. Ayaka is busy apologizing to the wait staff, although they hardly care considering who they're serving, and the redhead takes the opportunity to switch tables.

She plops down in Rokuko's chair with a whumph and represses the desire to throw her hands up in frustration. "What are you doing?"

"I have no idea."

Asuna actually does throw her arms up this time. "Of course you don't! Maybe you should –" she hesitates, not wanting to spill the beans without Konoka's permission. "Maybe you should… not do that," she finishes lamely, and with much lower volume than when she'd started.

Setsuna is, predictably, still confused. "Do what?"

"Make-out in the middle of the restaurant."

"I hadn't exactly planned on it. It just happened. And what's wrong with Konoka?"

Even Asuna can't help but be astounded by her friend's utter inability to put cause and effect together.

"Listen," she starts, somehow feeling like she's about to give the "birds and bees" talk to a child, "Friendships are fragile things, and they can be upset by actions that you might not think twice about. Konoka saw what happened, and for one reason or another, it upset her. So, uh, maybe you should not do that. For her sake. And for, you know," she adds, glancing skyward.

Setsuna frowns at the non-explanation. "I know it sounds silly," she says after some consideration, "But Rokuko thinks it's because Konoka may have developed feelings towards me. Do you think that's possible?"

Asuna pauses, trying to stifle her panicked expression, and then laughs a little too loudly. "No way! That couldn't possibly be the reason."

"Oh," Setsuna's frown deepens, and Asuna tries to gauge the meaning behind that. "Should I go after her then?"

"Now that I'm not sure about."

While they discuss the logistics behind the two approaches to dealing with upset women (the "give her time" hypothesis, or the "she secretly wants you to follow her" theory), Konoka is busy with her own thoughts. She's leaning against the countertop of the make-up room, both palms pressed against the surface, and tries not to be distracted by the fact that the sinks are constructed like two tier waterfalls.

She narrows her eyes at herself, and for the second time today, criticizes her reflection. "What the hell was that?" She mumbles, glaring accusatorily at her image. Her reflection glares back, of course, which only pisses her off more.

"Way to be dramatic," she says to her mirror-self. "Setsuna is on a date. It's not that out of the ordinary for two people to kiss on a date."

Unless the last one happened to be in college. Four years ago. If you don't count the ones set up by your dad, anyway…

"That – is besides the point," Konoka tells herself. "Just because I have issues being intimate with near-strangers doesn't mean everyone else has to."

But it's not everyone else. It's Setsuna.

"Would you shut up already?"

"Woah, I haven't even said anything yet."

Konoka turns sharply at the sound of another person's voice and curses herself for not realizing somebody else had come in. Although, to be fair, the make-up room is situated a ways from the door, falling between the actual bathroom and the fully-furnished lounge.

"Was I interrupting something?" Rokuko asks, glancing meaningfully at the mirror.

"No, I was just, uh…" Konoka has to wonder if there's any graceful way to get out of this situation.

(The answer is no.)

"Don't worry about it," Rokuko laughs it off. "Who isn't guilty of talking to themselves sometimes?"

"Yeah…" Konoka trails off. It's hard to dislike this girl when she's so damn nice. "So why are you here?"

"That's an interesting question to ask someone in the bathroom," the girl grins at Konoka's clear embarrassment. "But in this case, I guess it's warranted. I saw you run off and came to talk to you."

The question of "why" hangs in the air.

"You were glaring at me all night," Rokuko explains, which sends Konoka further into her spiral of self-loathing. "I asked Setsuna about it. She told me you're her friend, and I made the obvious deduction."

"Which would be…?"

"You want her."

While true, that is not how Konoka would have put it, and the courier in her brain runs with the word "want" straight into the mental brick wall labeled "sex."

Considering her Ivy league education and that her work demands formal speech, Konoka comes up with the most mature response possible. "Do not!"

"Do to," Rokuko replies easily. "And that's totally fine. I understand."

"I –" Konoka promptly switches gears when the other girl's words reach her ears a second later. "You do?"

"Well, yeah. You guys are close friends, right? And Setsuna's one-of-a-kind. She's straight-forward, she's beautiful, she's considerate and painfully, adorably awkward. Like a prince-charming type," Rokuko narrows her eyes and bites her lip thoughtfully. "That was raised by wolves."

"Huh. That is scarily precise."

The two women make eye-contact, and mutual understanding passes between them. Rokuko takes a sip of wine and places the glass on the counter.

"Look," the blonde smiles sympathetically, "I get it. It's hard to watch someone you like be with somebody else, and I understand that it's impossible for me to not be the bad guy in this situation. Even if some part of you acknowledges that it's irrational, you're probably thinking that I'm ruining your chances with her, and that she's going to forget about you, and that I'm going to take her away and you'll never see her again."

This girl is on a roll with the accurate descriptions, Konoka knows. Even if she hadn't let herself think it in so many words, those were her exact fears. Hearing Rokuko say them out-loud, however, they seem awfully dramatic. Konoka would like to think that most relationships are pretty healthy and well-balanced. People don't usually demand one-hundred percent of their partner's time, or dictate who they are and aren't allowed to see, and most people don't get completely and utterly absorbed to the point where they would let that happen anyway. And hadn't she been the one to say her main desire was to see Setsuna happy? And if Setsuna is happy with Rokuko, then who is she to object?

Faced with these thoughts, Konoka opens her mouth to admit to her own ridiculous worries. Talking to Rokuko now, it's hard to believe she'd actually been concerned about such things. Rokuko is obviously a warm-hearted, good-humored, sympathetic –

"And you're completely right."

– psychotic bitch.

Konoka's mouth snaps shut and she flounders at the statement. "Excuse me?"

"I said you're right," Rokuko shrugs.

"About which part, exactly?"

"Right to be worried." Rokuko leans her hip against the countertop and folds her arms across her chest, almost like a dare. "I am going to take her away from you."

"What? I – that's – what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how she's coming home with me tonight. I wouldn't expect to see her again, if I were you." She says it nonchalantly, like she's talking about her plans to go home and watch TV.

"What are you going to do? Keep her locked up in your basement or something?" Konoka shouts incredulously. After her own misadventure being caged in somebody's attic, the idea doesn't sound quite as ludicrous as it might have before. At the same time, Setsuna had proven herself more than capable of getting out of such situations.

And besides, that couldn't possibly be what this girl means anyway. More likely she's planning on manipulating Setsuna into doing her bidding and not seeing Konoka anymore. Which is ridiculous as well, because Setsuna had also more than proven her loyalty as a friend, and there's no way she could be so easily coerced into something like that through sweet words, and kind gestures, and physical affection…

Shit.

"Good luck," Konoka says sarcastically, with far more confidence than she feels. "Setsuna's not a puppy. You can't just train her to never see me again. And what the hell do you think you're doing, anyway?"

Rokuko lifts both hands defensively, although the smile doesn't leave her face. "Woah, calm down there. I'm just trying to be a friend and give you a warning in advance. Besides, I wouldn't have so much confidence in her self-control, if I were you. Did you see her face after I kissed her?"

Konoka had, but that doesn't mean she'd admit to Setsuna's vulnerable and hazy expression, and especially not to this psycho, a personality type Konoka feels she's been running into far too often lately.

"She's my friend. She's not going to fall for it."

"Ah, well, you're probably right," Rokuko feigns disappointment, but only for a moment. "But that's where force comes in."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Setsuna could pile-drive you into the ground if she wanted to –"

"I was actually thinking the bed, but there's something so animalistic about doing it on the floor."

Konoka dutifully ignores that statement. "And if you cared about her, you wouldn't even consider doing something like that."

"I'm hurt," the blonde lifts a hand to her chest in mock pain. "I do care about her. I care about where she is, and what she's doing, and who she's doing it with. But I guess that's not what you mean," she grins, "You mean care about her as a person. Then, yeah, I guess you're right."

What the ever-living hell is wrong with this girl? Konoka stares at her, astounded by how quickly Rokuko had reached ten out of ten on the crazy scale.

And personally, she's not going to stand for it. Setsuna has had to go through enough horror in her life without this added nonsense, and despite that, she's still one of the most selfless people Konoka knows. To take advantage of that selflessness, of her naivety, of her kindness, of her trust – the idea makes Konoka's blood boil.

"I'm not going to let you do this."

"Oh, really?" Rokuko gives her an up-and-down look, making a silent statement about the girl's lack of physical strength. "And what are you going to do about it?"

It's an obvious and cliché invitation. Verbal reasoning is apparently out of the question at this point, and Konoka might not have any fighting experience, or any self-defense training of any kind, but she's seen enough chick-flicks and outraged women in college bars to know there are a few tricks that will work regardless. Sure, it's not exactly displaying adult-level, dignified reasoning, but Rokuko hadn't exactly been showing a high degree of maturity either.

So, in one smooth motion, Konoka picks up Rokuko's glass of wine off the counter, and throws it in the girl's face.

…Which somehow doesn't turn out as she'd planned. All she knows is that one moment Rokuko's eyes had widened in alarm, both her hands shooting out as if to protect herself, and the next Konoka is covered in wine.

The wine she'd just thrown in a linear path away from herself.

Rokuko puts her hand to her mouth, biting a knuckle to keep herself from laughing, but she gives up quickly and doubles over against the counter, obviously enjoying herself.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Rokuko manages to get out between fits of giggles. "That was such an impressive display of coordination."

"I don't even – you did that!" Konoka points a finger at her accusingly, ignoring the fact that red wine is dripping off the end of it.

"And how do you suppose I could've possibly made that happen?"

Konoka can say nothing to that, knowing perfectly well that Rokuko probably hadn't bent the laws of physics to her will.

Rokuko takes her silence as an admission of defeat. She grabs some paper towels and tosses them to Konoka, who catches them reflexively.

"Look," the blonde says, her tone light but her words serious. "If you really care about someone, you should probably be better equipped to protect them."

Konoka stares at her, obviously confused by the sudden change.

"It's just a word of advice," Rokuko explains, and then her smile grows as she adds, "Better get home and change, hm?"

Before Konoka can retaliate, Rokuko is already on her way out, leaving Konoka with only the echo of her laughter and a sopping wet shirt.

A shirt which is officially ruined. Konoka looks at her reflection and hasn't regretted wearing white this much since she'd unknowingly walked into a wet t-shirt contest her freshman year. She looks disdainfully at the napkins Rokuko had thrown at her, but uses them anyway, trying to at least get the wine off her face and neck.

"That escalated quickly," she mutters, still wondering how she managed to throw a drink on herself.

Eventually, when she deems her appearance as good as it's going to get, she exits the bathroom and walks back to her table, ignoring the strange looks along the way.

"What the hell happened to you?" Asuna asks, understandably confused and concerned.

"I'm still trying to figure that out."

Ayaka and Asuna both wait for her to explain, and Konoka sighs, but indulges them anyway.

"I may have gotten into a fight with Rokuko in the bathroom, and I may have thrown her drink at – well, myself, apparently."

Ayaka goes for the most obvious question first. "How did you –"

"I don't know," Konoka cuts her off, glaring at a point in space.

"Okay," the blonde shifts gears quickly. "Then what were you fighting about? Rokuko looked pretty composed when she walked out of there."

"Of course she did! She's freaking crazy." Konoka figures she probably smells like a drunk anyway, so she may as well complete the picture. She grabs Asuna's margarita and downs it in one gulp.

"What kind of crazy?"

"Crazy like 'crazy girlfriend' crazy, like that woman from Beyonce's movie crazy, crazy like –"

"Okay, okay," Asuna holds up both hands in alarm. "What did she say, exactly?"

"That she's going to take Setsuna home, and that I shouldn't expect to see her again."

Ayaka raises an eyebrow. "Talk about morbid."

"I know! She made it sound like she's planning on killing her, for God's sake, and it's not like that plan will actually work."

"Well…" Asuna leans forward, contemplatively resting her chin on her palm. "They did leave already."

Konoka whips around, and sure enough, their table is empty. "We have to go after them."

Ayaka puts a hand over the brunette's soothingly. It might've been patronizing if she didn't look genuinely concerned. "Konoka, maybe that's not the best idea right now. You're worked up. And covered in wine. I don't think you'd be able to make a convincing argument to Setsuna at the moment."

"But – but we can't just let her go," Konoka splutters, appalled at the idea.

"I'll go."

The two women look at Asuna, who shrugs. "What? I'm more-or-less a third party here, and Setsuna and I have known each other for a long time. Trust me," she grins confidently at Konoka. "I'll bring her back."

Konoka shakes her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that for me."

"It's no big deal. She's my friend too, and if Rokuko is actually crazy – and I believe you when you say she is," Asuna adds hastily at Konoka's defensive look, "Then I don't want her there either."

"Two good ideas in one year. Maybe I will give you a raise."

Asuna rolls her eyes at Ayaka's remark, then turns to Konoka for approval.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" The brunette asks, still unsure.

The redhead flashes another confident smile. "Yep! I got this."

XXX

Setsuna hadn't planned to leave before the others, but with a few minutes of Rokuko reassuring her that everything was fine, she'd finally agreed to it.

It's getting late now, but with the sun down and a cool breeze blowing, it's a great night to be out. Rokuko had come up with the idea to walk back to her house about two miles away. She'd asked several times if Setsuna was alright with the trek, but considering that two miles isn't very far for someone who finds herself regularly running miles at a time and engaging in extended combat, Setsuna had readily agreed.

"You sure you're not tired or anything?" Rokuko asks worriedly about twenty minutes in. "Last chance to get a cab. The roads from here on out are pretty rural."

Setsuna shrugs, jostling the other girl's arm which is hooked around her elbow. "I actually prefer walking."

"A girl after my own heart," she laughs, and they lapse back into comfortable silence.

Comfortable being the key word. Setsuna hasn't had much experience with people who don't get awkward without conversation. She even feels pressure to make small talk with Konoka sometimes, but Rokuko seems genuinely pleased to simply walk and admire the increasingly tree-filled scenery.

Setsuna finds she really enjoys that. She'd been understandably nervous when Rokuko had invited her back to her house. From what Ayaka and Konoka had been telling her earlier, that was usually foreshadowing for something intimate. But then, they'd also said that would be unusual for a first date…

She shakes her head, deciding she's overthinking it. Rokuko shifts so they're holding hands, and they both duck under a few branches – since when are there woods here? Setsuna wonders, but then, she hasn't exactly done too much exploring in this area. They're nearing the house now – Rokuko points out the plot of land, and in the distance she can see a couple of forgotten lights glowing brightly against the dark background.

"I didn't know places like this existed so close to the city," Setsuna comments lightly.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Mhmm," she agrees. "It's like your own world or something."

Rokuko smiles, but stays quiet, and Setsuna is more than happy to enjoy the silence once more.

All three seconds of it.

Hey!

She jumps at the voice and looks around quickly.

"Something wrong?" Rokuko asks, pulling Setsuna closer as they approach the door.

"Ah, no, not really. You didn't say something, did you?"

"Just now? No."

Setsuna! You alive?

It takes her a moment to realize the voice is actually coming from inside her head, and she shifts away from Rokuko.

"I'll meet you inside," she says with a smile, trying to be nonchalant.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just… want some air. But go ahead."

Thankfully Rokuko takes her hesitation as nervousness, and the girl squeezes her hand. "Okay. I'll be in the living room; just take a left as soon as you get through the door."

Setsuna nods, watching the girl enter the house and close the door softly behind her. Glancing around to make sure there aren't any open windows, she pulls the pactio card out of her pocket.

Hey. Is that you?

Duh! Asuna's voice rings loud and clear in her head. Where are you?

Setsuna looks around, searching for some kind of address or road sign.

I have no idea, she admits.

That's helpful. Setsuna can practically feel the eye-roll. Are you still with that girl?

Yes, but why? Is something wrong?

There's a moment of silence, and then, Uh, no, not really. We were worried about you, is all.

Oh. I'm fine. Rokuko invited me to her house.

In the city?

No, actually, we had to pass through some woods.

So you're pretty far away then, Asuna's voice is quieter, and she sounds almost disappointed.

Not really, we're only two miles from the restaurant.

A pause. But you said you went through some woods.

We did.

Two miles from the city?

Setsuna looks back at the tree line behind her. Yeah. Is something wrong?

For a moment the voice in her head is clouded by static, and she has to pull the card away from herself at the volume of it. She stares at it in confusion, but it looks like it always had, with her portrait staring back at her. She lifts it to her head again.

What was that?

Nothing, sorry, I got distracted and my thoughts were jumbled. Hey, listen, Asuna dismisses the subject quickly. Just keep in touch, okay? I gotta go.

Okay, I will, but –

See you soon.

Setsuna pulls the card away, the communication effectively ended, and puts it in her pocket. What was that about? She wonders, but having been out here already for more time than her excuse warranted, she opens the door and steps inside.

The house, while it'd looked fairly quaint and unassuming from the outside, is beautiful and spacious on the inside. She leaves her shoes next to the doormat and steps onto the wooden floor with socked feet, staring at the décor as she makes the left Rokuko had instructed her too. The hallway walls are lined with paintings, some abstract, some classic, and Setsuna stops to admire one that, by all rights, looks authentically from the Middle Ages.

"You like my collection?" Rokuko calls out to her from the end of the hallway.

"Yes, it's very diverse. Where did you –" Setsuna stops abruptly.

Sometime while she'd been outside, Rokuko had apparently found time to change her clothes. Instead of the formal evening wear she'd sported earlier, she'd dawned a thin, violet colored, silken-looking nightgown. There's a glass of red wine in her hand, and she tilts it up as an invitation.

"Want some?"

From the tone of her voice, Setsuna has trouble deciphering whether she means the wine or something else. "Yes…?"

"Jeez," Rokuko laughs, "Don't sound so excited." She stalks off around the corner into what's presumably the living room, and Setsuna follows after her.

There are more paintings in this room, along with a few statues and ancient looking heirlooms lined along the mantle of the lit fireplace, although Setsuna doesn't take quite as much time to admire them this time. She accepts the glass of wine and takes a sip, finding it pleasantly sweet. Rokuko pats a spot on the couch, and Setsuna sits down next to her.

"You live here by yourself?" Setsuna asks conversationally, and while that hadn't been the topic Rokuko had been angling towards, she indulges the small talk anyway.

"For the most part. My brothers like to drop in unannounced sometimes, but I told them I was busy tonight. They shouldn't bother us."

"That's… good." Setsuna fiddles with her wine glass before finally opting to put it on the table. "So, uh, you and your family get along then?"

Rokuko hums in agreement and puts her glass down next to Setsuna's. She sidles closer until their thighs are touching and Setsuna's pressed against the arm of the couch. She turns sideways to accommodate them in the lack of space, but that only serves to leave her fully facing Rokuko.

"Mostly," the blonde agrees. She leans forward until she's basically lying against the other girl. "We fight, of course, but siblings do. What about you, Setsuna?" She trails her hand down the aforementioned girl's side until it reaches the hem of her shirt. "Do you have any family?"

"No, not – not really." With surprisingly deft movements, Rokuko undoes the bottom two buttons of Setsuna's shirt.

"Mmm, that's too bad. You must get lonely."

Setsuna is finding it hard to concentrate with the hand on her bare stomach. It's not like she hasn't had anybody touch her there before. In fact, Konoka had done it once, although that had been to check on an injury. This kind of gentle touch is different, somehow, and the intentions behind it are unmistakable even to Setsuna.

Somehow she manages to swallow her nervousness. "Sometimes," she admits after some hesitation.

Rokuko, whose gaze had been fixed on her hands underneath the shirt, lifts her eyes to Setsuna's. She smiles gently, but there's something distinctly predatory behind it that makes Setsuna's stomach flip.

"I can help with that, you know."

The blonde leans even further until she's lying on top of the other girl, and when had the rest of Setsuna's buttons come undone? She's not sure, but the warm hand right beneath the edge of her bra isn't helping her memory any. On the somewhat narrow couch, it's a precarious position for Rokuko to be in, so she wraps her arms around the other girl to keep her from falling.

"How?"

And why am I whispering?

Even though there's no reason to be, it somehow seems appropriate to keep her voice down. With a sharp movement from underneath her shirt, her bra somehow comes undone, and Rokuko's hand trails up her torso to fill in for the lack of support.

Which somehow translates into the air being made of mud, because Setsuna finds it immediately difficult to catch her breath. She can feel her fingers twitching at Rokuko's waist at the feeling of the hand on her chest, and if she'd been worried about overthinking things before, that fear seems far and distant now. Thoughts? What thoughts?

"Well, there are a few options," Rokuko's words are slow and drawn out. "If you want, we could talk about it." Setsuna makes a noise that can only be assumed to mean no thank you. "Or," she continues, making use of her left hand to unbutton Setsuna's jeans. "We could do something else, if you prefer."

Something else sounds nice, Setsuna's hazy thought sneaks its way to her consciousness, but it still takes her a moment to recognize the rustle of fabric in the background is her shirt hitting the floor.

She wants to respond to Rokuko's question, but her mouth is suddenly occupied. She'd been able to resist it in the restaurant out of sheer surprise; this time, however, she can't help the half-growl, half-groan that manifests as a low rumble from her throat.

She can feel Rokuko smile, and the blonde pulls away, much to Setsuna's short-lived disappointment. Rokuko pushes stray strands of dark hair out of the way and licks the shell of Setsuna's ear, making the girl squirm against her. Travelling downward, she gently bites the skin just above the collarbone, but quickly abandons it for greater ambitions. When she reaches the area between Setsuna's breasts, the girl is actual shaking underneath her, and somehow the obvious inexperience is only a turn-on.

Rokuko tugs at the waistband of Setsuna's jeans, and they both shift so she can tug them off. With both hands splayed on either side of Setsuna's hips, she kisses the girl's stomach down to the waistband of her panties, then skips over them to nip gently at the soft skin of her upper thigh.

"Distracted enough?" Rokuko asks teasingly, her breath hot against Setsuna's skin.

"Ngghh, I dun…" Is the intelligent response. All Setsuna knows is that even though having Rokuko slide her tongue along the inside of her thigh feels awesome, and even if it doesn't make too much sense to her at the moment, she'd much rather have that particular motion performed elsewhere.

"Thought so," Rokuko laughs, and almost as if hearing the other girl's thoughts, she presses her tongue over the narrow strip of Setsuna's panties and drags it up, torturously slowly.

Setsuna had nearly given herself a concussion during her little escapade in the closet, but the pleasure from that simple motion dwarfs anything in comparison. The heat, the pressure of another person's body – or body parts, as it might be – and just having somebody there, and willing, and touching her simply because they want to, makes all the difference.

Rokuko pulls away, but only to give her another kiss, and in compensation she shifts so her leg is pressed between Setsuna's, who is shuddering beneath her and quickly turning into even more of an incoherent pile of jelly.

"Feels good?" She asks, and Setsuna regains just enough mental faculties to nod. "I'm glad. We could do this all the time, you know," Rokuko adds, increasing the pressure of her leg and bending down to bite at the other girl's neck.

"Nnnhh?"

"You could stay with me," she clarifies between kisses. "I'll be here. There's no reason to leave."

The words take a second to go through Setsuna's ears, then through the first layers of her addled brain, then finally to the small part that's still functioning. When they get there, though, Setsuna's mind perks up a little.

There is a reason. Images of the people counting on her play like a short slideshow: Mana, Evangeline, even Asuna to some extent, and then Konoka. She shifts a little on the couch, distracted by the thought that she shouldn't have left without checking on the girl first. And besides the guilt, it's part of her mission to spend time with Konoka, she knows.

But wasn't this the point? To distract herself from her feelings? And it's working, too. Or, at least, it had been. As long as she periodically returned to see Konoka, their friendship could still remain intact, and that's the main focus of her being here on Earth in the first place. The friendship, not whatever else there is between them. Killing her would be a lot easier if she's able to forget about her feelings for Konoka altogether, and that prospect sounds more than plausible if she stays here long enough.

Her gut twists unpleasantly at the thought.

Konoka had been the first person on Earth to be kind to her, and the first person ever to really befriend her. She'd gone out of her way to make Setsuna happy time and again, and never once, even through their misunderstandings, had she ever felt underappreciated by the brunette.

Being with Rokuko might make her feel good for a short period of time, for however long this lasts, but Rokuko isn't Konoka. She's not the same girl that fought her way through the awkwardness to be around her, and she's not the same compassionate person that went out of her way to try and get to know her, and she's not the one who brought Setsuna to Japan purely to spend time with her, and even if they learn mostly through their own mistakes, she is the one who takes time out of her life to teach Setsuna about the world, and about humans, and about friendship.

Rokuko isn't the girl she wants to be doing this with, or to be with at all, and for all her good-humor and fun-loving attitude, she could never be that girl.

That person is the one who is probably upset and worried and alone in a hotel room.

"Wait," Setsuna sits up abruptly, forcing Rokuko back onto her haunches. "I don't think I should do this."

"You're kind of already doing it." Rokuko looks pointedly at her mostly naked figure.

"Right, well, I should stop," Setsuna clarifies, reaching for her discarded clothing.

"Is something wrong?"

Setsuna looks up from buttoning her shirt. Rokuko's tone is a mix of concern and annoyance – two things that don't particularly mix.

"I'm just worried," Setsuna says carefully. "I'm enjoying myself, I promise, but I shouldn't have left Konoka alone –"

"She was fine." Rokuko puts her palm flat against Setsuna's chest, pushing her back into the couch with surprising force. "There's no reason to be worried."

"But I am." Setsuna's words are cautious and gentle. For some reason this situation feels a lot more delicate than it should. "And I think I should go."

"You –" Whatever she'd been about to respond with is cut off by a knock on the door, and Rokuko's expression shifts from annoyed to angry in a second. "I told those idiots not to bother me," she mumbles, getting off Setsuna and adjusting her nightgown. "Wait here."

It sounds more like an order than a request, but Setsuna complies anyway, taking the reprieve to finish buttoning her shirt. She gets up to search for her jeans and spies them thrown to a corner of the room.

There's the sound of the door being yanked open, followed by Rokuko's angry shout, "I thought I said not to –"

Setsuna nearly jumps out of her skin at the loud crash that follows, and giving up on her jeans, she runs down the hallway towards the front door, coming to a skidding stop in her socked feet.

Glancing to her left, Rokuko is lying on her back in a pile of her own paintings, one of which has fallen directly on her head and obscures her face. To her right –

"Asuna?"

"Setsuna," the redhead breathes a sigh of relief. "Are you alright?"

"I'm – I'm fine, but what the hell is going on?"

Asuna is standing in the doorway, feet spread apart in a fighting stance, and in her right hand is their pactio card.

"I followed you."

"Why?" Setsuna asks incredulously. There's a grunt as Rokuko shoves the mess off herself, and Asuna watches the girl carefully.

"At first because Konoka was worried, but after you told me about your little hike, I tracked you using our pactio."

"Okay," Setsuna pauses, taking in that information. "But again, why?"

"Because there are no woods two miles from the city."

Setsuna gives her a skeptical stare. "I walked through them."

"No," Asuna shakes her head and points an accusing finger at Rokuko, who is glaring at the two women with her arms crossed over her chest. "You walked through a spell. This place isn't real."

Rokuko rolls her eyes and unfolds her arms to give a few sarcastic claps. "Well done, Baka Red. I wouldn't have expected an idiot like you to figure that out."

"Hey!" Asuna seethes, raising a fist at the girl. "That was a long time ago! And you're the idiot who got caught by an idiot, so that makes you even more of an idiot!"

"Is she always this stupid?" Rokuko asks, jabbing a thumb in Asuna's direction.

Setsuna glances back and forth between the two, wisely deciding not to answer that question. "Hold on a minute; I'm confused."

The blonde smiles patronizingly at Setsuna. "Of course you are, darling, that's why I like you so much."

Asuna's seething turns to fuming. "Don't talk to her like that! Setsuna is a perfectly respectable – where the hell are your pants?"

Oh. Right. Setsuna had totally abandoned the quest for her jeans after the ruckus. "Uh, not… here."

"Oh God," Rokuko puts a hand on her forehead exasperatedly. "I can't believe this plan got foiled by you two."

"What plan?!" Setsuna shouts, tired of the bickering. "Just – let me get this straight. So you, Rokuko," she points a finger at said girl, "Cast a spell to lure me into an alternate world, and if you're casting spells, that means you're…?"

"An angel," she affirms.

"Right. Okay. So Rokuko is… an angel." Setsuna frowns at that development, still thoroughly confused. "And so is Asuna."

"Yep." The redhead gives her a wide grin that's completely inappropriate for the situation.

"Right, right, okay. So, then, why are we fighting…?"

Asuna and Rokuko glance at each other, and the blonde holds up her hands, relinquishing responsibility. "You take this one."

"We may come from the same place, but we're on different sides," Asuna explains, relaxing her stance a little bit. "And we're working for different people."

"Two sides. Different people. Okay," Setsuna takes a mental step back. "So which side is the right side?"

"Now that," Rokuko cuts in, "Is a question with a lot of history behind it. Any sane person with even the slightest sense of self-preservation would say my side is clearly the right one. Ask those flower-throwing hippies," she gestures at Asuna, "And you'll get a different answer."

Setsuna tries to understand, but to no avail. "Um. What?"

Asuna rolls her eyes and turns fully to face Setsuna. "Look, I can explain all this later, but you're going to want to side with me on this one, okay?"

"I…" Setsuna trails off. The truth is she's not siding with anyone but Evangeline, whose position is literally from a whole different world. The internal politics of Heaven hardly seem like something she should be considering.

"You care about Konoka, don't you?" Asuna loudly interrupts her thought process.

"Of course."

"They want to use her for something evil. Is that what you want?"

Well, no, that's not what she wants, but that is what she's supposed to be aiming for…

"Ugh," Setsuna shakes her head to dispel the internal arguments. Regardless of the end goal, Konoka's well-being is, at least for now, part of her mission, and Asuna's been a good friend to her. Letting Asuna down and giving up Konoka to a different side would be counterintuitive. "You're right," she says finally, and Asuna smiles gratefully at her.

Rokuko sighs at the exchange. "That's too bad."

"Then why don't you join us?" Setsuna asks eagerly. "We don't have to fight."

The blonde shakes her head, and her voice is laced with obvious regret. "Your naivety really is one of a kind. It's such a shame the universe can't be as simple as you are. But, things being what they are…"

There's a moment's pause after her last word, and then the world itself seems to shimmer and ripple, leaving Setsuna blinking rapidly to clear the spots from her vision.

When she opens her eyes again she's standing on the edge of a massive lake, and Rokuko floats easily above the water a several yards away. The girl reaches into the front of her nightgown and draws a card from her bra before placing it against her forehead.

"This could have ended a lot more pleasurably for the both of us, but now that your friend's crashed our party, I'm going to invite a guest of my own. After all," she says, her smile growing. "Two against one isn't fair, and I'm not into the whole threesome thing."

The spot beside her begins to glow, the light emanating from a central point and rippling outward. There's a bright flash that leaves Setsuna seeing stars again, and when she looks up, she sees a very familiar face.

Until it disappears underneath the water's surface with a good deal of splashing.

"God damnit, Sextum!" Karma shouts, flailing in the water. "I hate it when you summon me like this!"

Rokuko spares him an annoyed glance. "Quit complaining. I thought you'd want to get revenge."

Karma calms down and treads in the water, having spied Setsuna on the shore. His eyes shift over to Asuna, who's standing with her fists raised and ready to pummel someone into the ground.

"She takes cheap shots," He growls, glaring at Setsuna. "I'll take the other one."

Asuna peers at Setsuna in her peripheral vision and nods her head towards Rokuko. "Can you handle her?"

Setsuna shrugs, nonchalant as always. "I have no idea."

"Konoka was right. You really can't answer a yes or no question."

"I'll work on it," Setsuna jokes, much to the redheads surprise.

Asuna smiles back at her, but her expression quickly turns serious. She mumbles a quick "adeat" under her breath, and the card in her right hand shimmers and disappears, replaced by a familiar, massive and intimidating sword.

I still don't get how she wields that thing. Setsuna shakes her head, still smiling. But it suits her.

"You ready?" The redhead calls out. Karma has reached the shore now, and he's taking his time approaching Asuna.

Setsuna hesitates. If she uses her pactio card her wings will undoubtedly appear, and unlike Asuna's, which had flashed into existence for only a brief second before disappearing, hers will be attached to her back. Which is more than an admission of her heritage.

She eyes Rokuko and wishes she'd simply brought a sword with her to avoid this situation. Weaponless and not having a choice, however, she pulls her card out.

Her wings pop out of back and her sword appears in her right hand, and Asuna smirks in amusement.

"Nice wings," she offers casually.

"I… can explain that."

Asuna shrugs and returns her focus to Karma. "Later."

She lunges forward, her huge sword swinging, and she's unbelievably fast considering it must weigh half as much as she does. Even Karma seems taken aback, and he almost doesn't have time to blast her swing back with a gust of wind.

Setsuna's viewing experience is interrupted a second later by a wall of water to the face, and she splutters and wipes the liquid out of her eyes.

"Better focus," Rokuko calls out, "Or this won't last very long."

Setsuna ruffles her feathers to shake the water out of them before taking flight. Karma's arbitrary decision to fight Asuna has worked out in their favor; there's no way the redhead could've gotten to Rokuko without having to swim – and presumably drown in the magic-controlled waters.

Setsuna, however, can reach her with minimal effort. She gets a running start and spreads her wings, taking to the air and just narrowly avoiding another spray. Even twenty feet overhead, however, there's enough water in the lake for Rokuko to shoot geysers of it upwards, and she does a barrel roll to avoid getting her wings soaked again. For the amount of magic she must be using, Rokuko doesn't appear strained at all. Probably because we're still in her world, Setsuna recognizes, dodging another attack.

"I guess you're not part duck, huh?" The blonde laughs, her voice sounding distant against the rush of water.

That would be convenient, Setsuna admits, but it's unfortunately not the case. If she gets her wings soaked she'll end up plummeting into the lake, making it difficult to approach and attack with her sword; on the other hand, going any higher would leave Rokuko open to attack Asuna without interference.

There's a momentary reprieve as the blonde seems to be reconsidering her tactics as well, and Setsuna spares a few seconds to check on Asuna.

The redhead is pinned to the ground, and Setsuna's eyes widen in momentary panic. If I dive now I think I can make it –

Her fears are quickly abated as Asuna swings a leg up and smashes her shin into Karma's privates.

"What the fuck!" He howls, grasping himself and shedding a couple of manly tears. "This one takes cheap shots too!"

Asuna jumps to her feet, hauling her sword with her and taking a swing at him. "Then maybe you shouldn't leave yourself open!"

He tries to dodge, but his legs are understandably impaired and the sword clips him.

Unfortunately for Karma, however, a "clip" from Asuna's sword is equivalent to letting a guillotine drop on you from a two story building. Setsuna cringes as memories of being on the receiving end of those blows surface, and sure enough, Karma is gripping the stump where his left hand should've been. The body part is lying on the floor, fingers still twitching.

Rokuko observes the scene and her face twists in annoyance. "Get it together, you idiot!"

Sensing the opportunity, Setsuna takes a chance and dives at full speed with her sword drawn back.

"Hey sis, watch it!"

"What – shit –" Rokuko curses, lifting both hands at the last second to create a defensive wall of water. It's just thick enough to slow down Setsuna's swing, and her sword gets caught in the wave, dragging her down with it.

And straight into the water.

She comes up spluttering beside Rokuko's feet, wings flapping desperately. The blonde stares down at her, expression changing back and forth between thoughtful and piteous.

After a moment she sits down on the water's surface, offering a hand to Setsuna, who, unable to swim well with the weight of her wings dragging her down, grasps onto it.

"I really do like you, you know," Rokuko says conversationally.

Setsuna takes a moment to catch her breath before responding. "I like you too," she replies honestly. Despite how this date turned out, she really did have a good time up until this point. And even if Rokuko isn't Konoka, she's still more than likeable by her own merits. When she isn't being crazy, anyway.

"Then why don't you join us?" Rokuko asks. "It's really not as cut and dry as your friend makes it sound. We have our reasons, just like you do. They're not bad ones."

The swordsman takes a moment to think about that. "I believe you. I just can't do that to Asuna."

"And to Konoka," Rokuko finishes the thought for the other girl, shaking her head at the irony of it all. Completely ignoring the inherent seriousness of their situation, she grasps Setsuna's hand and plays with her fingers, gently curling and uncurling them in a thoughtless, almost tender way. "You're going to wind up doing the same thing, you know. Konoka's going to die one way or another, and her next life isn't going to be very pleasant no matter where she winds up."

Setsuna takes in Rokuko's genuinely open expression before averting her gaze to the water, which is beginning to look more and more like a very comfortable grave to forget all her troubles in. "I know that," she whispers.

"Then why not have some good to show for it? If my side wins, Konoka's soul will end up saving millions of lives. Doesn't that sound worth it?"

"Yes," Setsuna admits wearily, "It does."

"Then it makes sense for you to join us, doesn't it?"

Setsuna nods again. "Yes, but…"

"…But you're not going to," Rokuko finishes. Setsuna doesn't respond, and she drops the girl's hand back into her lap. "Wanting to spend as much time with a person before they die, even if that just makes it hurt more in the end... It's awfully romantic."

Setsuna shakes her head. "It's illogical."

"Things like that usually are," Rokuko rolls her eyes, although her smile is sympathetic. "But even if I understand it, if that's the way things are, one of us is going to have to die here."

"But I don't want you to die!" Setsuna shouts, anger and frustration rising quick and unbidden in her veins. "I don't want anyone to die; I just want everyone to be happy, God damnit, and I'm sick of death, and I'm sick of pain, and I'm sick of life," she finishes defiantly and stares at Rokuko as if expecting her to challenge that statement.

"Sick of life, huh?" The blonde laughs at that. "How very human of you."

Setsuna's expression changes into what could only be described as a pout. "Aren't you sick of it too? Is it strange that I disagree with you, but I also don't want you to die?"

"Not at all. I don't want you to die either."

"Then why does one of us have to?"

Rokuko takes a deep breath and tilts her head back to stare at the sky, and she suddenly looks just as tired as Setsuna feels. "There's a lot you don't know yet, and without that knowledge, you can't understand why things like this have to happen. I know it's frustrating, but you have to take action regardless."

There's a loud and decidedly unmanly shriek, and both women turn just in time to see Asuna cleave a tree in two. Karma hits the deck to avoid being cut in half, but now crippled and on the ground, the fight is basically over.

They look away, neither particularly wanting to watch the final blow.

Setsuna speaks first. "We have to kill each other."

"Yes."

"…Do we have to hate each other?"

Rokuko laughs softly at that. "No, we don't."

Setsuna nods. "Then I think we'll be okay."

"I certainly hope so." The blonde levitates back up and stretches, leaving Setsuna to tread water once again. "Are you ready?"

"No, but I guess I have to be."

Rokuko tilts her head to the side thoughtfully. "Well said," she admits, but when she turns to Setsuna again, all traces of mirth are gone. "Setsuna?"

"Yes?"

"Don't hesitate."

Setsuna doesn't have time to consider that statement, let alone ask what it means. A shadow appears over the lake and she looks up at the giant wave about to crash on top of her. Panicking, she reaches out and grabs the first thing her fingers find purchase on – Rokuko's ankle.

They both gasp in a lungful of air and go under with Rokuko kicking her leg in an attempt to free herself of Setsuna, whose grips only tightens. After another violent but unsuccessful attempt, the blonde finally gives up, turning to face Setsuna and pushing a palm away from her. The magic-enhanced shove sends Setsuna flying backwards through the liquid, almost to the bottom of the lake, but she still doesn't let go.

"Really?" Rokuko mouths at her, looking rightfully annoyed.

Setsuna shrugs and attempts to through a punch with her free hand, which does absolutely nothing with the water slowing her down. They spend a minute in a slow-motion wrestling match, and although Setsuna is clearly the stronger of the two, with the water in Rokuko's control, it's becoming increasingly clear that the fight is becoming one-sided.

They both seem to recognize their lack of oxygen at the same time and make a break for breathable air. Reaching the top, Setsuna gasps and looks around, realizing she'd lost her grip just as she'd broken through the surface.

She spots Rokuko floating a few feet away, her hands moving quickly in a series of spell-casting gestures. The water ripples and splashes as it begins to swirl around her, and Setsuna realizes belatedly that she's sitting in the center of a giant whirlpool.

Struggling is futile, and she takes another deep breath before she's dragged under. Her back hits the lake's floor and sticks there, the water pressure keeping her pinned. Setsuna shifts a little, trying to move any of her limbs, but finds the effort in vain. She opens her eyes and stares at the watery tornado swirling above her.

It's rather pretty, really. Although they'd entered the house in the evening, this new world is lit up by sunlight, and it makes the water shine a beautiful bluish color. There's debris caught up in the whirlpool, and the sun's light reflects off the surface of her sword a few feet above her. She watches it spin around, but unable to move, can't do anything about it.

I guess this is it, she thinks passively. The pressure in her ears at twenty feet under the surface is painful, and she breathes out a little bit to equalize it. She watches her oxygen float up in little bubbles.

Maybe it's good that I'm going to lose. Rokuko had said that her side plans to use Konoka's soul to save millions of lives. That had been Evangeline's goal as well, but as long as it's for the same purpose, does it really matter which lives are saved? It's not like Setsuna has any love for her kind.

Except for Evangeline. She's going to be pissed. She can imagine the little vampire fuming and sputtering and throwing her hands around in wild gestures, annoyed at Setsuna's failure. She's never been sure why Evangeline seems to care so much about what happens to anyone but herself, but the fact that she does care is obvious even to her, no matter how much Evangeline tries to hide it behind snarky comments and sarcastic eye rolls.

Then there's Konoka, of course. It's still hard for Setsuna to imagine that someone would care enough about her to cry over her death, but it's easy to picture Konoka receiving the news – whatever fabricated story Asuna can come up with – and bursting into tears. She'd said more than once that Setsuna is her first and best friend, and losing that will likely be the most painful thing she'll experience in this lifetime.

But, at the very least, now she'll have Ayaka and Asuna to support her.

Setsuna frowns at the thought of Asuna, probably pacing at the shoreline, powerless to help. Entering the water now would be a death wish, especially with that giant sword dragging her down.

Her lungs begin to burn and she closes her eyes.

During her fight with Shiro, she'd done everything in her power to prevent the kind of pain he'd suffered. Watching someone you care about suffer and die must be excruciating, and even though death hardly has any permanence to people like Setsuna and Asuna, Setsuna will probably be stuck in Hell until the planet disintegrates. In all likelihood, they won't ever see each other again.

Setsuna's head is swimming from lack of oxygen, and she knows it'll be less than a minute before she's forced to take a breath. She opens her eyes, blinking in an attempt to clear away the spots. There's something in her peripheral vision, and she realizes she must be hallucinating now.

She sees streaks of red, the blue of Asuna's eyes, Asuna's boot by the side of her face, the hand on her wrist –

Wait.

Setsuna's eyes widen and she blinks rapidly once more, trying to get the hallucination to disappear. It doesn't, and the tugging on her arm feels very, very real.

She stares up at Asuna, eyes wide with panic. The redhead is somehow on her feet, though with obvious effort, and she's straining to pull Setsuna off the floor.

Setsuna summons the little strength she has left to shake her head furiously. Go back! She wants to yell. There's no reason for both of us to die here.

As if hearing her thoughts, Asuna pauses in her efforts to give Setsuna a sheepish, almost embarrassed grin.

"You're my friend," she mouths slowly so that Setsuna will understand.

But Setsuna doesn't understand. It's completely nonsensical for both of them to die here; Asuna should live, kill Rokuko, and go home to continue her own life with Ayaka. She remembers her conversation with Rokuko not ten minutes before, how the girl had warned her that things like this usually don't make logical sense.

And indeed, there's no way Asuna is going to be able to pull them both up and make it back to shore in time. They're both going to die here, and the redhead should know it – does know it, judging by the look on her face.

It's impossible, it's illogical, it's downright stupid to try and rescue her from this, and no sane, practical person would consider attempting it.

But Asuna is.

Setsuna stares at her friend, who's gritting her teeth, who knows the odds and faced them anyway, who plans to die just to prove the strength of their bond, and realizes quite suddenly that I would do the same damn thing.

She wants to laugh at that. I guess we're all nuts.

She clenches her jaw and strains to sit up, ignoring the way her muscles protest.

Setsuna is sick of death, but she'd die for her friends, and she's even more sick of life, but when their futures depend on it, she'll live for them, too.

For Evangeline, for Konoka, for Ayaka and Asuna, she gets on her hands and knees, and then to her feet. It does matter which lives are saved, she realizes, and she'll fight for the ones she cares about, no matter which side she has to take.

Asuna lets go of her wrist and the two stare at each other. The redhead's expression is resigned, and she shrugs. They're both out of oxygen and there's no way they'll make it back to shore, but thoughts rush through Setsuna's mind: Evangeline's ambitions, images of her friends, and finally the memories of her own painful, torturously long existence. She clenches her jaw determinedly. I refuse to let these people suffer like I have.

Her wings start to move, their speed quickening, and she struggles against the water, against the odds, against the downright impossibility of it all. I refuse I refuse I refuse – her mind recycles that thought over and over again, and even with the whirlpool pressing down against her, she pushes harder and harder.

The water swirls back and forth against the force, and despite what common sense might dictate, it begins to part around them. She flaps her wings furiously, disrupting Rokuko's whirlpool until the water is cleared away from them, leaving them both sitting in an underwater air bubble.

Setsuna takes a gasping breath, Asuna following suit, and even though the beating of her wings slows down, their pocket of space doesn't crumble inwards.

There's a force holding the water back, its radius centered around Setsuna, and Asuna looks around with wide eyes. It's not light, or color, and it has no definable shape; it's not visible at all, but rather a feeling, and the redhead shakes her head disbelievingly.

"Holy shit. Your aura is incredible."

"You'll have to tell me what that means later," Setsuna responds, still straining with effort. She turns to Asuna. "Go back to shore."

"You think I came all the way out here to go back without you? Are you nuts?"

Setsuna remembers her earlier thought and laughs at that. "Seems like it," she says simply. "Now go back. I can handle her."

Asuna stares at her friend, then at the wall of water and the shore beyond it. She wouldn't be much help half-drowned and unable to even get a good punch in, but she's worried regardless.

"You're sure?" She asks.

"Positive."

Asuna takes in Setsuna's determined expression and shakes her head slowly, laughing under her breath and with something like pride shining in her eyes, then turns away.

"See you on dry land!" She calls over her shoulder. She takes a breath and walks out into the water towards the shore.

When she's a good distance away Setsuna takes a second to center herself. What Asuna had referred to as an aura is palpable around her, but she's not sure how it appeared or how to control it. She reaches out a hand to see if it moves, much like how Rokuko's spells work, but its diameter stays consistent.

Setsuna stares at Rokuko fifteen feet above her, and is somehow okay with the fact that she has no idea what she's doing; all she knows is that, whatever it is she's planning, she'd better get it done. I have to, she reminds herself, and she clenches her fist and feels whatever power that's inside her course through her muscles.

So she inhales, squats down, and with every ounce of strength she can muster, shoves off the floor of the lake.

The force of her push is far stronger than what she'd intended, being unused to her apparent strength, and she shoots out of the lake and past Rokuko, who stares up at her in open-mouthed surprise.

Setsuna doesn't give her time to retaliate. She swoops down at an angle, her wings miraculously dry and her fist drawn back, and punches Rokuko straight in the chest.

There's a strangled choking noise, and Setsuna can feel the other girl's sternum break with the force of her hit. The blonde goes flying back, shooting over the water like a skimmed stone, her body coming to a skidding stop on the shore.

Setsuna glides over and lands, glad to feel solid, dry ground underneath her feet.

But whatever energy she'd had before quickly fades at the sight of Rokuko's limp body on the ground. Her arm is clearly broken at the elbow from her rough landing, and her head is tilted to the side, blood and spit coming in thick rivulets out of her mouth. Her eyes roll over to Setsuna now standing at her side.

Rokuko goes to say something, but her face contorts with pain and she coughs violently, spewing more blood into the dirt. Setsuna watches, wishing she could be impassive. She's seen more than her fair share of blood and gore, but staring down at the girl she'd been having a pleasant dinner with a few hours earlier, the sight makes her weary right down to her bones.

We could have been friends, Setsuna thinks, and the tiredness seeps even further into her, dropping her to her knees.

And by all rights they should have been friends. Even if Rokuko had spent the last half hour trying to kill her, she's still the same girl that Setsuna had laughed with over burning napkins and spilled ice cream and awkward pre-sex conversation, and the same one that really, genuinely likes her, for and in spite of her flaws.

Setsuna hadn't known it at the time, but what she'd been thinking earlier this morning about relationships being built on mutual understanding is fitting now; Rokuko really does understand where she comes from and who she is. In a different world, at a different time, their relationship –friendship or otherwise – may really have worked out beautifully.

She wants to say something, but finds herself having to clear her throat several times to get it out, and by the time she's able to speak, she can't remember what she'd wanted to say in the first place.

Rokuko seems to understand this and smiles as best she can, although it appears as something like a grimace. "Kill me," she manages, the words coming out raspy and slow. "I told you… not to… hesitate."

Setsuna averts her eyes, struggling for words. "I'm sorry," she finally says. "I wish this wasn't happening. I wish – I wish things could be different –"

There's a hand on her arm, and Setsuna finally looks up, meeting Rokuko's gaze. "Then make them different," the blonde says, and her arm drops to the ground again. "Now hurry up… and kill me already."

Setsuna can't help but laugh despite how inappropriate it seems. With nothing left to do but take the suggestion, and ignoring the tiredness in her body, she places a hand on Rokuko's chin and the other on the side of her face.

"See you again," she says firmly, and breaks the girl's neck in one smooth motion.

XXX

The landscape change is abrupt, and Setsuna looks up to find herself in the middle of a deserted park; it's night time again, and they're too far from the streetlights to be worried about exposure. The crickets seem deafeningly loud after the fight, and though she can feel Asuna's presence a couple of feet away, she doesn't look up from Rokuko's lifeless body.

Asuna shifts her weight nervously. Comfort has never been her forte. "Are you alright?" She finally asks.

"Nothing is alright."

The redhead nods, understanding what she means.

Minutes pass and then Setsuna stands up, looking around for her sword. She spies it a few yards away and walks over to it. "Abeat," she whispers, and the blade and her wings disappear. She's left holding her pactio card, and she feels too tired to even turn around.

Asuna walks over, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "We should go home," she says gently. "They'll be wondering where we are."

They. That's right. If she's not asleep by now, Konoka is probably up in bed alone, fretting about Setsuna's absence like a worried mother. She smiles at the silly thought, glad to have something – someone – to look forward to.

They start towards home together, walking side-by-side, but Asuna slows down only a few steps into their journey.

Her gaze is focused somewhere straight ahead in the distance, and she doesn't turn to face her companion. "Hey, Setsuna?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still not wearing any pants."

"Hm," the swordsman agrees, looking down at her bare legs. "You're right."

With that off her chest, the redhead starts once more towards home, Setsuna by her side.

XXX

A/N: So… not all full of KonoSetsu as you might have expected. This chapter is important though, I promise! This is a big turning point for the story, as you all will see when I finish the next chapter.

Also, Sextum/Rokuko is not my character, but as I said in chapter 7, I did take the liberty of giving her a personality of my choosing, since she doesn't really have one in the Negima manga. Her alias is a combination of "Roku," Japanese for "six," as in "Sextum," and "Ko," which is something like "daughter" or "child," according to interwebs. (Obviously I don't speak Japanese :P).

Thanks for reading everyone! Please leave a review on your way out