A/N: Hello, everyone~ It's been a while. Real life is killing me, but what else is new, eh?

Anyways, here's a short one shot, designed in a choppy manner to imitate the feeling of looking at various snapshots of a trip or vacation one has been on. Enjoy~

Special thanks to Nishizono for the PRing and the delightful comments. You rock~

Today was just another peaceful day at Mahora Academy. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and all was at peace.

In Setsuna's case, though, things were not quite as relaxing as the atmosphere outside.

Sitting inside the grand office of the head of Mahora Academy, Setsuna wondered what her boss had called her in for. She normally didn't report in until the end of the day, when everyone was asleep and off in dreamland.

"Now then, Setsuna, your assignment today is to escort Konoka to the beach," the old headmaster of Mahora instructed, sipping at his hot cup of green tea.

Setsuna blinked rapidly and then stared at her boss. "Excuse me?" she asked, voice level and calm.

"You heard me, Setsuna-kun," the elder Konoe winked.

The swordswoman grimaced. "You know, just because Ojou-sama and I are graduating soon does not mean that you can totally take advantage of your last days as my boss and having her under your supervision."

He chortled. "Whatever makes you think I am doing that?" he grinned mischievously. The headmaster set his teacup down as Setsuna shook her head and sighed.

"Alright, alright. May I ask you why you are making me do this?" she conceded, knowing that it would be useless to argue. The years had mellowed her out a bit, allowing her to think more calmly than before and to slip slightly back into the cool persona she had donned before her Ojou-sama had entered her life again.

"The results for her entrance exams will be arriving within the week, and my granddaughter has been quite stressed. Just the other day, she accidentally smashed my favorite teapot. The thing was quite dear to me," the headmaster explained. Setsuna rolled her eyes.

"So you're just trying to make sure she doesn't smash another one, is that it?" she joked. Obviously, Konoe-san cared a great deal about his granddaughter, but his over exaggeration about the teapot was in good humor.

"Of course! Setsuna-kun, you know me too well," he chuckled.

In another time, Setsuna would have never joked with the headmaster nor have heard such comments if she had stayed in her shell.

Over the years since the Magic World incident, life had returned to relative peace. Much of Setsuna's change and growth were due to the aftereffects of their journey, including (but not limited to) her pactio with Konoka and the bonds that were formed between the members of Class 3-A (now 6-A, since they were in high school) during that dangerous time.

Things would have been a lot different if that incident hadn't happened. Setsuna was sure their classmates wouldn't have bonded so closely without that push, and Negi wouldn't have acquired more fame than he could deal with (the teen constantly had to run away from the press and crazy fans).

For Setsuna herself, it was the realization that she needed to believe in her own abilities and never doubt her own existence.

This led to the massive growth of self-confidence and social skills that now created who the swordswoman was: a strong, confident warrior who knew she wasn't alone in the world and didn't need to carry every burden by herself.

"I'd like to think so, sir," she responded. "When should we leave?"

The headmaster reached into his desk and pulled out an envelope. "Here you are: train tickets to the beach, reservations for an inn, and some spending money. The train leaves at twelve, so you have approximately three hours to inform Konoka and also pack."

"You planned this from the beginning, didn't you? Especially since tomorrow is Sunday and we have the afternoon class off today," she accused of him.

His eyes glinted eerily in the morning sunlight. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Now, go have some fun."

Setsuna sighed and then smiled. "Alright. Thank you very much, headmaster."

She bowed and made her way out. Right as she opened the door though, Konoeman had one last thing to say.

"Oh, and Setsuna? Try to contain yourself from peeking on Konoka today~"

She blushed and growled, "What makes you think I would?"

Some things never changed.

Upon informing Konoka of the trip, she was glomped and tackled to the ground, letting out a strangled noise as she kept her Ojou-sama from hitting the ground. Arms catching the happy girl, Setsuna breathed a sigh of relief once she made sure Konoka was unhurt.

"Thank you, Secchan!" Konoka squealed, hugging the swordswoman tightly.

"You're… welcome…" Setsuna choked out. Seeing that the taller girl (Setsuna had finally grown taller than her Ojou-sama) could not breathe, Konoka loosened her grip but did not let go. "You should really be thanking your grandfather, though."

Konoka giggled. "I'll be sure to do so! For now, I'm going to go pack! I'll see you at the school entrance, okay?"

Setsuna nodded and smiled slightly at the sight of her excited Ojou-sama. "Be sure to be there by eleven though, or else we'll miss the train," she called after Konoka's retreating back. She received a wave in response.

"What am I going to do with you, Konochan?" she wryly smiled.

One walk to the train station and a train ride later (in which Konoka clung to her arm while they walked and then fell asleep on her shoulder during the train ride), they found themselves at the shore of a glorious beach, the ocean sparkling in the evening sun.

"Wow…" Konoka gasped. The girl turned to Setsuna and gave her a brilliant smile. "It's beautiful!"

Setsuna stared at her Ojou-sama's smiling face. "Not as beautiful as you are though."

Eyes widening, she slapped a hand over her own mouth, turning slightly red, and refused to look in Konoka's direction.

Konoka blinked in surprise before softly giggling. "Thank you, Secchan."

The swordswoman gave a noncommittal grunt in response, hurriedly grabbing their luggage and carrying it towards the beachside inn.

"What am I going to do with you, Secchan?" Konoka wryly laughed.

"Oh my god…" Setsuna facepalmed. It seemed that the headmaster had only reserved one room for the two of them. That sneaky little-

"Secchan! Come here!" Konoka shouted from the bedroom. Obeying the order, she went to see what the commotion was about.

"What-"

The view from their window showcased the setting sun, a haze of orange, purple, yellow, and red in the sky. The half circle of yellow was set against the dark blue waves of the ocean, looking almost surreal as the waves rolled gently in the surf. It was like something out of a movie or a magazine.

"Woah," she breathed out.

Silently, Setsuna moved behind Konoka and hugged her from behind, resting her head on top of her Ojou-sama's. Together, they watched as the sun slipped away, sinking into the ocean as its flames were swallowed by the sea.

"Hello! Dinner services!" someone called out, killing the mood. They heard the door opening as the waitress came in and set the table for dinner.

Setsuna pulled away, laughing at Konoka's noise of disapproval. "Come on, let's go eat."

Yawning, Setsuna woke up to white light of the sun shining in her face. She winced.

"We forgot to shut the curtains last night. Ah…"

Much to her (not) surprise, Konoka had rolled off her futon last night and wedged herself into Setsuna's, snuggling tightly with the half-demon and pressing herself against her.

Let it be known that Konoka had matured (physically) a lot since the Magic World incident, though Setsuna had already gotten used to the clinging a long time ago.

She tried to pry the sleeping girl's arms off, but seeing that the iron grip was not going to let go anytime soon, she sighed and resigned herself to holding Konoka closer.

Taking this time to think, she recalled last year's incident that caused this intimacy with her Ojou-sama, whom she had avoided touching to the best of her abilities before then. Due to their friends meddling, Setsuna had swallowed a massive amount of alcohol, gotten drunk, and confessed her love to Konoka as her Ojou-sama tried to take the poor drunk back to their dorm room.

Much embarrassment and harassing ensued later, but they worked things out and told everyone the news: they were together. Everyone had taken it well, even the headmaster, but even so, no one had given Father Konoe the memo. That would be for some time in the future, when Setsuna was strong enough to not get slaughtered in one hit by the mage.

However, despite all this, things had progressed extremely slowly. No matter how much Setsuna matured or aged, she'd always had trouble being intimate. This was the reason why the two had never shared a kiss yet even though they had been together for a little less than a year.

"Mmmm, g'morning, Secchan," the sleepy Konoka mumbled, eyes half open and startling the other girl out of her thoughts. Setsuna chuckled as the drowsy girl buried her head in Setsuna's neck and groaned.

"Good morning, Konochan," Setsuna grinned. She ran a hand through Konoka's long hair and let out a soft laugh as her Ojou-sama nuzzled her cheeks. "Come on, sleepyhead. Rise and shine."

"No, I don't wanna," Konoka pouted. The half-demon poked the pouting girl's cheek.

"Now, Ojou-sama, we have a day of activities ahead of us. It's time to wake up, okay?"

Konoka pouted even more. "Mouuu, you called me 'Ojou-sama'!"

Setsuna laughed, eyes sparkling in mischief. Before long, Konoka joined in and the two began their morning with cheerful laughter.

Setsuna gaped incoherently at the scene in front of her. Dressed in a navy polo and khaki shorts, she paled in comparison to the two-piece that Konoka was showing off on the beach.

"K-K-Konochan!" she stuttered, waving her arms frantically around as she looked for a towel to throw on her girlfriend to protect her from the many straying eyeballs turned their way.

"Relax, Secchan. Ignore everyone else because I am only yours," Konoka winked, taking a sexy pose in a jesting manner.

Setsuna immediately fainted.

"I think I have Konoka-itus," Setsuna groaned as she laid her head on Konoka's lap in the shade of a beach umbrella.

Konoka giggled as she played with Setsuna's hair. "Oh? What's that?"

"It's an illness where my heart stops and I can't breathe when Konoe Konoka-san is around and dressed in almost no clothing," the swordswoman joked, eyes closed in contentment as she reveled in the feel of Konoka's fingers running through her hair.

"Really? How are we going to cure you, then?" Konoka asked.

"Hmmm, I think this is working just fine…"

Her Ojou-sama smiled gently and merely continued her ministrations as a response.

Calloused hands shook as they descended on the bare, pale back of Konoe Konoka. Sunscreen already in her palms, Setsuna cautiously started rubbing the white substance across her girlfriend's back.

Konoka groaned in bliss as the swordswoman also massaged her back while applying the sunscreen.

"See, Secchan? There's nothing to be afrai- ahhh~"

Setsuna turned beet red, and it had nothing to do with the head of the sun.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did that hurt?" she questioned, panicked and slightly… turned on.

"No~ That was very, very nice," Konoka smirked, head turned so that the half-demon couldn't see her expression. "Keep going, please~"

Teasing her girlfriend was just too fun.

"Say ahhhh~"

Setsuna reluctantly opened her mouth. "Ahhh…"

People stared at the two girls in the corner of the restaurant. The longhaired one was feeding sushi to the flushing mess (a.k.a. Setsuna) as they ate lunch at a casual diner along the beach.

"Do we really have to do this?" Setsuna asked after she had finished chewing a piece of tuna sushi.

"Yes, yes we do."

And that was that. The word of the Ojou-sama was final.

"Here you go, young ladies. Thank you for your purchase," the store attendant bowed.

Setsuna took the bag off the counter and nodded. Shyly taking Konoka's hand, she walked out of the store and back into the simmering heat of evening. She struggled to bring her face back down to her normal pale color as she tried not to think about what she had just purchased.

"Secchan, come on! Open the bag!" Konoka pleaded.

Stopping on the sand of the beach, she reached into the plastic bag and pulled out two silver necklaces. Her Ojou-sama enthusiastically took the one with the letter K on it and slipped around Setsuna's neck, giggling (she had been doing that a lot lately) as Setsuna's face returned to a full out blush.

"Now put mine on," she smiled.

Ever so slowly, Setsuna put the necklace on Konoka and clicked the back into place, watching as the S dangled in the front.

Pulling the taller girl's head down and dragging her by the neck, Konoka pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.

"Say cheese!"

Needless to say, Konoka's new wallpaper was of two very happy lovebirds, necklaces showing proudly, while one of them looked like she had suffered from a very bad heat stroke.

After a relaxing shower, Setsuna stood out on the balcony and watched the sunset as Konoka went into the bathroom.

She had insisted on going last to clean off, but Konoka told her to go ahead since she wanted to lay down for a bit. It had been a long day after all.

Fingering the silver K on her new necklace, she leaned on the railing and watched the sun slowly dip into the ocean as the sky turned purple and dark blue.

Today… had been a really fun day. In all the dates she had ever gone with Konoka before, they never spent so much time together in one go than they had during this trip. Even though they needed to wake up early tomorrow morning to catch the train home before school started, and Setsuna had been embarrassed more times than she could count, this trip was worth it.

She really owed the headmaster one.

Exhausted, she felt her eyes slowly droop with the descent of the yellow orb in the horizon.

"Setsuna." Someone was shaking her. "Setsuna, you can't fall asleep out here."

Turning around, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked. Hair damp and face framed by the orange glow of the setting sun, Konoka looked stunning.

Was she dreaming?

Caught up in her own awe, she hadn't even noticed her hand move to cup her Ojou-sama's face.

"Konoka," she whispered, face tilting slowly down towards the girl.

"Setsuna…" Konoka's reply was just as soft. Eyes connected, breaths mingling, the rest of the world disappeared and time stopped.

They kissed.

"So are you completely relaxed now, Konochan?" Setsuna asked. They were in the train now, moving rapidly against the still-dark landscape of the early morning.

Konoka nodded sleepily against Setsuna's shoulder. "I had a great time. I totally forgot all about my entrance exam results."

Setsuna turned to look down at her girlfriend when she felt the weight on her shoulder disappear. Konoka was staring straight at her.

"Even if I did or didn't get in, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that I have you, Setsuna."

They both blushed.

"All I've ever needed is you, Konoka."

Knowing that they were the only ones on such an early train, they leaned in for a loving kiss. And as their lips touched, the same thought ran through their heads, one that did not need to be said nor were they ready to say it.

One day soon, however, they would, and when that time came, it would be a moment to be framed alongside this journey, one that would forever be remembered as a momentous day for the rest of their lives.

A/N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. I found a website online for prompts, and I found that the words "annoying boss, a bikini, and a fake illness" stood out to me, so I wrote with those words in mind. Needless to say, this work was painted from the various images in my head that were stimulated by those three words.

Anyways, here's a (mandatory) special something for you all:

Omake

"Welcome home, guys!" the class of 6-A cheered. Setsuna and Konoka blinked in surprise. Had the headmaster informed everyone about their trip?

"Soooo," Haruna leaned in, "did you guys do it?"

"Yes, we did," Konoka innocently smiled.

Setsuna and the entire class gaped. "EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?"

"K-K-K-K-K-Konochan!" Setsuna stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"Ne, Secchan, we did a lot of things though, didn't we?"

"You… I swear you do this on purpose, just to take a few years off my life everyday…"

"Of course not! Why would I ever want to do that to you, Secchan?"

The class sweatdropped.

"Well, at least they haven't changed much, eh?" Haruna chuckled.

"I dunno about that one, Haruna. Something's changed." Asuna smiled at her best friend. "Definitely, something's changed."