Sailor Moon and its characters do not belong to me.
Warnings: possibly non-canon pairings, possible OOC, minimal hints of
shoujo ai
Plots and Consequences
By Rapunzel
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor
The knock at the front door drew Setsuna out of her reverie.
"I'll get it!" Hotaru cried, running to answer the door with the enthusiasm that only the young can muster. Setsuna smiled slightly as her adoptive daughter charged past her. It reminded her of before Small Lady had returned to her proper time. She had come over to play with Hotaru as often as possible, and Hotaru had greeted her with the energy she was now displaying.
Shaking her head at her daughter, Setsuna returned to the magazine she had been reading. Whoever was at the door, it was no concern of hers. The only visitors likely to involve her were Usagi and the other girls, and Hotaru would certainly alert her if it was them. Any other callers wouldn't have anything to do with her.
Or so she thought.
"Setsuna-mama! It's for you!" Hotaru called.
"For me?" Setsuna said in mild surprise.
Her spoken reply turned out to be too soft for Hotaru to hear from her station at the door. "What, Setsuna-mama?"
"I said I'm coming!" Setsuna called back. Sighing, she abandoned her magazine and headed for the front door. Idly, she wondered what this was all about. Who in the world would be visiting her? She had few friends outside of her fellow soldiers.
Just before she reached her destination, she was brought up short by Haruka's voice. Haruka's very cold voice.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Quickening her pace, Setsuna came through the doorway to see one of the last people she had expected to see standing in her living room.
Kou Seiya.
Well, that explained Haruka's icy manner at least. Her blond housemate was glaring at their guest and standing rather pointedly between him and Michiru. Seiya, for his part, seemed to be doing his best to ignore her. Setsuna had to admire him; it couldn't be easy to act nonchalant with those eyes attempting to burn holes through his head.
"You wanted to see me?" She couldn't quite keep the note of surprise out of her voice. Why in the world would he want to see her?
"Actually, yes." Seiya gave her a winning smile of the type that had made teenage girls swoon. Setsuna was not so easily swayed.
"Why don't we sit in here?" she suggested calmly, gesturing towards the dinning room. Anywhere to get him away from Haruka. She couldn't imagine that keeping the two of them in such close quarters was a good idea. Seiya was calm enough, but Haruka looked ready to deck someone. Besides, she highly doubted that Seiya would discuss whatever he'd come to talk to her about in front of such a hostile audience.
He gave her a grateful smile and followed her.
Once the door was shut behind them, Setsuna turned on him. "What do you want with me?" she demanded.
"Now hold on just a minute." Seiya raised his hands in a defensive manner. "Don't get all hostile on me. I got enough of that from Haruka. I don't know what her problem is. The war is all over; you'd think she'd know by now that I'm not her enemy."
"That has nothing to do with her behavior," Setsuna told him. "She still hasn't forgiven you for the dressing room incident."
Seiya groaned and hid his face in his hands. "You heard about that, did you?"
"Of course," she answered. "I live with the woman; I got to hear about it in great detail."
"In my defense," Seiya said, "Michiru was the one who invited me."
"I don't care one way or the other," Setsuna said. "I'm just telling you why she doesn't like you. Now, what are you doing back here? I thought you all left for Kinmoku."
"We did," he answered. "And now I'm back, with the princess' permission, of course. I realized that what I want isn't on Kinmoku."
"Ah." Setsuna made an understanding noise. "Usagi." It was not a question.
"Usagi," Seiya repeated with a weary sigh. "And now I need your help."
"I think that you should go home," Setsuna said seriously. "There's nothing for you here. You had your best chance already."
"Now just hear me out," Seiya protested. "I realize I never actually got where I wanted to with her before, but I really think I should try again."
"What makes you think you'll do any better than you did last time?"
"Well, for one thing, Taiki and Yaten won't be here this time. They were hardly a help to me when it came to winning Usagi."
Setsuna shook her head. "Be that as it may, you're still worse off. Mamoru's here now, and if you think she's going to abandon him for you, you're mad."
"I have a plan for that too," Seiya said.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed sharply. "If your plan involves harm coming to Mamoru in any way, shape or form, you can just get out now. In fact, I'd advise you to leave the planet altogether."
To her surprise, a smile spread across Seiya's face at those words.
"I had heard," he muttered. "But I wasn't sure if it was true. Now I know."
"Know what?" Setsuna sounded irritated. He didn't seem to be taking her very seriously.
"That you love Mamoru."
That simple sentence succeeded in thoroughly shocking her. "Who told you that?" she demanded.
He waved that away. "It was just a rumor I heard."
"Who told you?" she repeated through gritted teeth.
"It's not important," he said. "The point is, I thought you and I might be in a position to help each other."
"You thought wrong," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.
"Listen to me," he insisted. "Usagi cares for me, I know she does."
"She may," Setsuna said. "She cares for a lot of people."
"I didn't mean it like that," Seiya said, frowning. "I mean I think that she loves me, but she won't act on it because that would be betraying Mamoru. But if he were to hook up with someone else, it would be alright."
"So you get me to play the evil seducer while you comfort the distraught girlfriend?" Setsuna eyed him with distaste. "I refuse."
"Actually," he answered, "I was thinking that you would comfort the distraught boyfriend."
She raised one eyebrow skeptically. "I don't see how that's going to happen."
"As I said, I think Usagi really cares for me. If I can get her to stray from Mamoru, even just a little bit, Mamoru will naturally be upset. Then you can step in to comfort him. I'm sure he'll go for you, especially if he's having troubles of the romantic sort."
"Mamoru doesn't want me!" Setsuna cried. "He's made that abundantly clear!"
"I don't see why not," Seiya said. "You're an attractive woman."
"Only to desperate fools like you," was the biting answer. "Anyway, it will never work. You do realize that you're trying to disrupt a couple joined together by destiny."
Seiya stared at her for a moment, then started laughing. "Destiny?" he said. "What nonsense."
"Why does everyone scoff when I say that?" Setsuna muttered. (1)
"Just think," Seiya said persuasively. "If we succeed, you'll have Mamoru."
Setsuna opened her mouth to object, then shut it again. Finally, she said, rather grudgingly, "And how exactly did you plan on getting Usagi to admit that she cares for you?"
"That's simple," Seiya said. "By making her jealous."
"And how will you do that?"
"By pretending to be together with you."
Setsuna choked. "What?!"
"It will give you one more thing in common with Mamoru, if nothing else," Seiya continued on, unconcerned by her reaction. "You'll both be the wronged partner."
"You're mad," Setsuna said scornfully.
"No," he answered her seriously. "I'm desperate. I didn't realize until I got back to Kinmoku just how lonely I was. You, if anyone, should know what it's like to feel lonely. Please help me."
Setsuna winced; that was hitting a little below the belt. But he was right, she did know what it was like to be lonely. And while she thought that his hair-brained scheme had very little chance of being successful, there might still be a small chance...
A chance to have what she'd always wanted. If it didn't work, then it didn't work, and there was no harm done, but if it did... Part of her objected, saying that it would be wrong to try and destroy something so beautiful, but if it worked out, then Usagi would be happy with Seiya, wouldn't she? She was grasping at straws, and she knew it, but she still couldn't pass up that chance, however slight.
Seiya must have seen her indecision in her face. "Think it over," he said. "I'll be back to get an answer from you later."
And he left her, sitting there, staring at nothing and thinking furiously.
Tbc
(1) This is a reference, however slight, to another SM fic of mine called "Golden".
Author's Note: Well, the muse finally came back, and when she bit, this was what I got. I'm pretty sure I know where it's going, but I'm not at all sure how it's going to get there. In fact, I'm not sure I want to know how it's going to get there.
Because I'm not sure whether this idea merits a story, I would greatly appreciate feedback. If you love it (or what there is of it so far) and want me to continue, please tell me so, and I'll think about it. If you hate it and think that it should never have been posted, please tell me that too, and I'll seriously consider taking it down. If I don't hear anything, I'm going to assume that everyone hated it but was too polite to say anything, and take it down anyway, and it will never appear on the face of the internet again.
Plots and Consequences
By Rapunzel
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor
The knock at the front door drew Setsuna out of her reverie.
"I'll get it!" Hotaru cried, running to answer the door with the enthusiasm that only the young can muster. Setsuna smiled slightly as her adoptive daughter charged past her. It reminded her of before Small Lady had returned to her proper time. She had come over to play with Hotaru as often as possible, and Hotaru had greeted her with the energy she was now displaying.
Shaking her head at her daughter, Setsuna returned to the magazine she had been reading. Whoever was at the door, it was no concern of hers. The only visitors likely to involve her were Usagi and the other girls, and Hotaru would certainly alert her if it was them. Any other callers wouldn't have anything to do with her.
Or so she thought.
"Setsuna-mama! It's for you!" Hotaru called.
"For me?" Setsuna said in mild surprise.
Her spoken reply turned out to be too soft for Hotaru to hear from her station at the door. "What, Setsuna-mama?"
"I said I'm coming!" Setsuna called back. Sighing, she abandoned her magazine and headed for the front door. Idly, she wondered what this was all about. Who in the world would be visiting her? She had few friends outside of her fellow soldiers.
Just before she reached her destination, she was brought up short by Haruka's voice. Haruka's very cold voice.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Quickening her pace, Setsuna came through the doorway to see one of the last people she had expected to see standing in her living room.
Kou Seiya.
Well, that explained Haruka's icy manner at least. Her blond housemate was glaring at their guest and standing rather pointedly between him and Michiru. Seiya, for his part, seemed to be doing his best to ignore her. Setsuna had to admire him; it couldn't be easy to act nonchalant with those eyes attempting to burn holes through his head.
"You wanted to see me?" She couldn't quite keep the note of surprise out of her voice. Why in the world would he want to see her?
"Actually, yes." Seiya gave her a winning smile of the type that had made teenage girls swoon. Setsuna was not so easily swayed.
"Why don't we sit in here?" she suggested calmly, gesturing towards the dinning room. Anywhere to get him away from Haruka. She couldn't imagine that keeping the two of them in such close quarters was a good idea. Seiya was calm enough, but Haruka looked ready to deck someone. Besides, she highly doubted that Seiya would discuss whatever he'd come to talk to her about in front of such a hostile audience.
He gave her a grateful smile and followed her.
Once the door was shut behind them, Setsuna turned on him. "What do you want with me?" she demanded.
"Now hold on just a minute." Seiya raised his hands in a defensive manner. "Don't get all hostile on me. I got enough of that from Haruka. I don't know what her problem is. The war is all over; you'd think she'd know by now that I'm not her enemy."
"That has nothing to do with her behavior," Setsuna told him. "She still hasn't forgiven you for the dressing room incident."
Seiya groaned and hid his face in his hands. "You heard about that, did you?"
"Of course," she answered. "I live with the woman; I got to hear about it in great detail."
"In my defense," Seiya said, "Michiru was the one who invited me."
"I don't care one way or the other," Setsuna said. "I'm just telling you why she doesn't like you. Now, what are you doing back here? I thought you all left for Kinmoku."
"We did," he answered. "And now I'm back, with the princess' permission, of course. I realized that what I want isn't on Kinmoku."
"Ah." Setsuna made an understanding noise. "Usagi." It was not a question.
"Usagi," Seiya repeated with a weary sigh. "And now I need your help."
"I think that you should go home," Setsuna said seriously. "There's nothing for you here. You had your best chance already."
"Now just hear me out," Seiya protested. "I realize I never actually got where I wanted to with her before, but I really think I should try again."
"What makes you think you'll do any better than you did last time?"
"Well, for one thing, Taiki and Yaten won't be here this time. They were hardly a help to me when it came to winning Usagi."
Setsuna shook her head. "Be that as it may, you're still worse off. Mamoru's here now, and if you think she's going to abandon him for you, you're mad."
"I have a plan for that too," Seiya said.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed sharply. "If your plan involves harm coming to Mamoru in any way, shape or form, you can just get out now. In fact, I'd advise you to leave the planet altogether."
To her surprise, a smile spread across Seiya's face at those words.
"I had heard," he muttered. "But I wasn't sure if it was true. Now I know."
"Know what?" Setsuna sounded irritated. He didn't seem to be taking her very seriously.
"That you love Mamoru."
That simple sentence succeeded in thoroughly shocking her. "Who told you that?" she demanded.
He waved that away. "It was just a rumor I heard."
"Who told you?" she repeated through gritted teeth.
"It's not important," he said. "The point is, I thought you and I might be in a position to help each other."
"You thought wrong," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.
"Listen to me," he insisted. "Usagi cares for me, I know she does."
"She may," Setsuna said. "She cares for a lot of people."
"I didn't mean it like that," Seiya said, frowning. "I mean I think that she loves me, but she won't act on it because that would be betraying Mamoru. But if he were to hook up with someone else, it would be alright."
"So you get me to play the evil seducer while you comfort the distraught girlfriend?" Setsuna eyed him with distaste. "I refuse."
"Actually," he answered, "I was thinking that you would comfort the distraught boyfriend."
She raised one eyebrow skeptically. "I don't see how that's going to happen."
"As I said, I think Usagi really cares for me. If I can get her to stray from Mamoru, even just a little bit, Mamoru will naturally be upset. Then you can step in to comfort him. I'm sure he'll go for you, especially if he's having troubles of the romantic sort."
"Mamoru doesn't want me!" Setsuna cried. "He's made that abundantly clear!"
"I don't see why not," Seiya said. "You're an attractive woman."
"Only to desperate fools like you," was the biting answer. "Anyway, it will never work. You do realize that you're trying to disrupt a couple joined together by destiny."
Seiya stared at her for a moment, then started laughing. "Destiny?" he said. "What nonsense."
"Why does everyone scoff when I say that?" Setsuna muttered. (1)
"Just think," Seiya said persuasively. "If we succeed, you'll have Mamoru."
Setsuna opened her mouth to object, then shut it again. Finally, she said, rather grudgingly, "And how exactly did you plan on getting Usagi to admit that she cares for you?"
"That's simple," Seiya said. "By making her jealous."
"And how will you do that?"
"By pretending to be together with you."
Setsuna choked. "What?!"
"It will give you one more thing in common with Mamoru, if nothing else," Seiya continued on, unconcerned by her reaction. "You'll both be the wronged partner."
"You're mad," Setsuna said scornfully.
"No," he answered her seriously. "I'm desperate. I didn't realize until I got back to Kinmoku just how lonely I was. You, if anyone, should know what it's like to feel lonely. Please help me."
Setsuna winced; that was hitting a little below the belt. But he was right, she did know what it was like to be lonely. And while she thought that his hair-brained scheme had very little chance of being successful, there might still be a small chance...
A chance to have what she'd always wanted. If it didn't work, then it didn't work, and there was no harm done, but if it did... Part of her objected, saying that it would be wrong to try and destroy something so beautiful, but if it worked out, then Usagi would be happy with Seiya, wouldn't she? She was grasping at straws, and she knew it, but she still couldn't pass up that chance, however slight.
Seiya must have seen her indecision in her face. "Think it over," he said. "I'll be back to get an answer from you later."
And he left her, sitting there, staring at nothing and thinking furiously.
Tbc
(1) This is a reference, however slight, to another SM fic of mine called "Golden".
Author's Note: Well, the muse finally came back, and when she bit, this was what I got. I'm pretty sure I know where it's going, but I'm not at all sure how it's going to get there. In fact, I'm not sure I want to know how it's going to get there.
Because I'm not sure whether this idea merits a story, I would greatly appreciate feedback. If you love it (or what there is of it so far) and want me to continue, please tell me so, and I'll think about it. If you hate it and think that it should never have been posted, please tell me that too, and I'll seriously consider taking it down. If I don't hear anything, I'm going to assume that everyone hated it but was too polite to say anything, and take it down anyway, and it will never appear on the face of the internet again.