#setsubuki

[almorica]

Shall we dance?

all ages, fresh precure, passion/pine, 2,377 words

there’s one person inori trusts the most to help her boost her self-confidence in something new. this time: ballroom dancing.

ao3 / ffnet

“Um, wait.”

The three of Inori’s friends stopped just inside the doorway, turning their heads back to look at her. Still kneeling in front of her table, hands gripping her knees, she set her eyes on Setsuna in return. “Could I talk to you for a minute before you go, Setsuna?”

Setsuna looked to Love, seeking input from the one she was naturally going to be walking with. Love nodded encouragingly and put both hands on her sister’s shoulders, personally turning her around. “Don’t keep her too late for dinner, Buki!” she said cheerfully. “I’ll go home first.”

With a laugh, Setsuna replied, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t miss Mom’s cooking for the world.”

“See you two later,” Miki said with a wave, breezing her way out. Love bounded after her, her own goodbye carrying through the hall as she disappeared.

In the end, Setsuna was left there with her, and Inori already felt better.

“What’s up, Buki? Is there something else about the dress?” Curious, Setsuna walked back over to her.

Inori shook her head, but her eyes fell back on the fancy yellow gown neatly folded in front of her anyway. “I thought of something else that might be a problem.” She exhaled. “There might be… ballroom dancing.”

“Ballroom dancing?” Setsuna kneeled down at the opposite side of the table. “I read about it when I was trying to understand dancing more. Are these parties where people do it?”

“I don’t know, but they might. And I’ve never done it before.” Inori deflated a little. There was too much to worry about with this cruise invitation. Why had Kento expected so much of her?

“Why don’t we practice together, like at our training camp?” Setsuna suggested. “I haven’t done anything like that either, but I’d be happy to start learning with you.”

“Really? I was going to ask you the same thing.” Inori smiled at her. “After that, I feel more comfortable with you than anyone else.”

Setsuna returned the cheery expression. “When do you want to start? I could use a little more time to research it.”

“I could use some time to get things ready myself. Are you free the afternoon before the party?”

“Yes, I am. You can have the whole night if you need it.”

A little embarrassed by her friend’s earnestness, Inori’s face warmed. “I don’t want to take up your whole night, Setsuna, but thank you.”

——————

In the days that followed, Inori diligently pursued the topic. After consulting Miyuki, she chose the waltz as the best style to focus on. While Miyuki offered a brief lesson of her own, Inori gently declined. There was the fact that she would feel self-conscious trying to replicate her instructor’s moves in front of her or with her, but she also wanted to reserve her first steps for Setsuna. Surely her friend was thinking the same.

Miyuki understood, and gave her a CD to dance to in the lesson’s place. Inori was happy to accept.

She spoke with her mother after that. Inori managed to get her alone out in the waiting room after hours; her father was just getting a few things ready for the morning. “Have you ever waltzed before?”

“Hmm… ah, I did once,” her mother answered. She folded her hands together in her lap. “I was invited to a fancy party for my father’s work, and I asked your father to go with me.”

“Was it fun? Difficult?”

“I had some practice before then to make sure my father could be proud of us, so it wasn’t hard at all. As for fun…” She affectionately looked off toward the door of the examination room. “With your father, it was. It wasn’t our first date, but it was the first time I realized I was in love.”

“Oh.” Inori meekly tucked her chin down at the blunt expression of her feelings.

Her mother turned back to her and giggled. “Not something you wanted to hear about your mother and father?”

“N-No. It’s not that,” Inori said quickly, shaking her head. “I’m happy to hear it. I don’t think the same is going to happen to me, though.”

“This is about that invitation you got, right? Try not to let the person you dance with steal your heart,” her mother added with a wink, and Inori turned her pained face away.

“It’s really not going to be like that~...”

When Inori did manage to break free of the awkward part of the conversation, she earned some actually helpful instructions on the topic from her mother. Her father finished up and joined them, and he was swept into a rusty waltz with no room to complain. Their shared missteps and laughter warmed Inori’s heart — seeing their parents still so in love would give anyone hope for the future.

With the music ready and the information from her mother fresh in her mind, Inori was ready for the day before the party to come around. Looking forward to it so much shook off some of the nerves she’d felt over going to the party at all.

——————

The first thing they did when Setsuna arrived was work together to carefully move her table and cushions to the corner of the yellow room. Setsuna placed an open book on her bed, the pages covered in diagrams of dancing people. That was her research, she said, and Inori could only smile at how Setsuna it was.

“Why don’t we start with the box step, side-by-side?” Setsuna asked her after refreshing herself on the book’s contents. When Inori nodded, Setsuna got up and took her place near the center of the room. They both stood with their backs to the sunlight streaming in through the clear windows.  

While not even remotely convinced of her expertise on this, being with Setsuna made Inori feel like she could contribute more easily. “Mom taught me some of how this goes. Would you mind if I try leading?”

“No, go ahead. I’ve only seen it in that book, after all.”

“Okay. So…” Inori took a deep breath. “Step forward with the left…” They both took a deliberate step forward. “To the side with the right… Put left foot to right, and then step back with the right…”

It was a pretty simple sequence neither of them had trouble with after all of the complicated moves they’d been learning. Once they’d repeated it twice, Setsuna offered to start counting out the beat. “One, two, three. One, two, three,” filled the room, a comforting accompaniment to their gradually relaxing steps.

“Let’s try dancing together now,” Setsuna said after she was satisfied with the progress.

Inori nodded, then looked at her quizzically. “Wait… Men and women play different parts in this dance. How can we do it?”

“Haha, it’s not like it has to be a man, right?” Setsuna gave her a slightly bashful grin. “If you do dance tomorrow, it’ll be with a boy, so I’ll be the boy tonight. Since I’m not going, I don’t have to learn it the other way around.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Only if you’ll let me have this dance.” Setsuna faced her and held up her left hand.

At the brave encouragement, Inori giggled and took that hand in her right. “Yes.”

After working out their hand positions a little more from Setsuna’s reading and Inori’s parents’ demonstration, they were ready to begin again, together. Inori had high expectations from how well they’d been doing so far, but their first step — still to Setsuna counting — was their toes smacking together over someone being too quick or someone being too slow. It didn’t hurt, but it was surprising.

“Sorry!” they both said, this time in unison, and they laughed.

“It looks like we have to work a little harder on our timing with our feet,” Setsuna remarked, “But we’ve got it just right like this.”

“My mother might have been standing a little to the left of my father when they were dancing. Why don’t we try that?”

With Setsuna’s agreement, they resumed. It wasn’t the type of performance that could win a contest, but there weren’t any big mishaps, and they gradually became at home in each other’s arms. Inori only broke away once to turn on the music, and Miyuki’s choice guided them through the movements without Setsuna’s careful counting.

“I’m feeling more confident about tomorrow now,” Inori said after Setsuna released her some time later.

“You should! You’re going to do great.” Once again, Setsuna seemed more excited for her than Inori was for herself.

“But… the dress.” She looked uneasily toward the wardrobe where she’d hung it up. “Am I really going to be able to dance this easily in something like that?”

Setsuna fell deep in thought. Then, her eyes lit up. “Why don’t you try it now? We might as well practice that too.”

Wide-eyed, Inori glanced from Setsuna, to the window, and back. “But the sun is starting to set. Haven’t you spent too much time on me already?” There was the flutter of some other kind of self-consciousness, too.

“No, but if you want to hurry, hurry and get the dress on first. I’ll wait outside. Knock when you’re ready for me to come back in.”

“O-Okay.” After watching Setsuna step out, Inori sighed. How much she enjoyed having her friend around was waging a terrible war with how concerned she was about wasting Setsuna’s time. She had to be having fun, though. She’d be gone already if she wasn’t.

For the first time, she changed into the long gown Kento sent her. It was nothing like her usual clothes, but at least it was simple to figure out how to wear it. The frills at the bottom brushed against the floor as she was, so she slipped on a pair of heels to complete the transformation. It really was lovely. Too lovely for an average girl like her.

Inori knocked on the door without thinking, but a nervousness hit her as her hand met the doorknob. Setsuna was going to be the first person to see her like this. What if she confirmed it was too beautiful for her? What if she thought Inori looked plain silly all dressed up? It was harder to handle that idea than any similar possibility from Kento. She couldn’t exactly stop now, though. It was either open the door, or stay in there forever with Setsuna’s things.

“You’re so pretty,” Setsuna said breathlessly when Inori was in full view again. Flustered, Inori put a hand to her pink face and stepped back to allow her friend back in.

“It—It’s just the dress.”

“No, it’s you. The dress just makes you look even more beautiful. Are you okay?”

Through Setsuna’s praise, Inori had gradually angled forward and covered her face with both hands. “No, but thank you very much.”

“Hehe. Are you ready to try dancing again?” Setsuna closed the bedroom door behind her and returned to the center of the room.

Inori moved her hands and walked to the CD player, more or less accepting how hot her face was going to be for a while. She returned to Setsuna’s side once the music had started playing again and beamed at her, allowing herself to ride the joy of the compliments. “Yes. Shall we dance?”

“We shall.” Setsuna took her hand, and they began moving together again. It went smoother than Inori expected, but Setsuna had a way of chasing off Inori’s unnecessary worries.

“It looks like you’re not having any trouble at all,” Setsuna observed as they danced.

“I do have to concentrate a little more. I’m not used to wearing heels in daily life like you are.”

“You could’ve fooled me. I think you’ll be able to fool Kento tomorrow just fine.” Shortly after saying so, a subtle smirk crossed her lips. “I wonder if he’d be upset by this.”

“By what?” Inori asked blankly, tilting her head.

“By me being the first one you wear this dress for. It was his gift, after all.”

“Oh, I don’t think Kento is that kind of person.”

“Maybe not. I feel a little special that I am the first person, though.”

“Do you?” In her surprise, Inori felt her cheeks flare up again. Now, she was too close and her hands were too occupied to hide it. Her heart beat faster, and she couldn’t blame it on the slow movements of the waltz. “I…”

“Sorry, I don’t know what I meant by that. Don’t worry about it.” Setsuna sounded satisfied despite her floundering. Inori was envious of how cool that expression could be at a time like this.

“It wasn’t our first date, but it was the first time I realized I was in love.”

“I’m happy to hear it. I don’t think the same is going to happen to me, though.”

Feeling herself falling back into a comfortable rhythm, Inori mumbled, “...I’m glad you’re the first person too.”

“Hm? I couldn’t hear that over the music.”

“Nothing! It was nothing. Thank you for all your help, Setsuna.”

“Anytime, Buki.”

——————

Inori, in her dirty dress, lingered with Setsuna and Chiffon on the pier after the cruise incident was over. “There wasn’t any dancing after all.”  

Setsuna’s head snapped over to her, and Chiffon mimicked her from down in her arms. “Eh?”

“I don’t know if they were planning to, but Labyrinth taking control of the ship made sure they didn’t. They might not have been at all.”

“I’m sorry, Buki,” Setsuna said, eyebrows curved sympathetically.

Inori shook her head in return. “It’s okay. I wanted to spend my time with the animals anyway.”

“Same old Buki,” Setsuna replied affectionately. “Do you feel like all that effort we put into getting ready wasn’t worth it now?”

Fixing her with a look of surprise, Inori said, “I could never. It’s a precious memory for me, and I might still use it another time.”

“Might, hm.” Setsuna squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest toward the ocean. “Why don’t we make it “definitely” and dance together again sometime? It was a lot of fun.”

Inori watched the sea breeze stir her friend’s glossy purple hair and smiled kindly. “I would love to.”

[almorica]

Kindred Spirit

all ages, fresh precure, passion/pine, 1,600 words

inori gives setsuna one last chance to say goodbye, just between the two of them.

ao3 / ffnet

She’d stood on this clover-covered hill before with the withering gaze of Eas, the empty eyes of the girl lost in-between, and now as the self she was comfortable in, Setsuna. The green was so much more vibrant to a heart that wanted to let it in. She wanted to commit it to memory as strongly as Yotsuba itself: the stillness of the clovers under the brilliantly blue sky, the view extending out over clusters of buildings people she knew called home, and the fresh air far from the bustle of Clover Town Street.

It was bittersweet. Setsuna was going to miss it, just like she was going to miss so much else.

This goodbye was intended to be a silent send-off to the town, alone and introspective. Finding a place she could start off alone wasn’t any use against being interrupted later. Recognizing the panting voice of a friend and the frantic rustle of footsteps, she turned her head from the view. Inori, their Buki, running full tilt and swinging her arms to carry her faster changed Setsuna’s surprise to relief.

Parting with the Momozonos was a lengthy, satisfying occasion. Without that much time to spare for Miki and Inori, her regret was still fresh. Setsuna was more than happy to be handed a second chance.

“You’re still here!” Inori cried, throwing her arms around Setsuna’s neck. Setsuna could only laugh and wrap her arms around her winded friend in return.

“I’m still here. Hehe, this is more affectionate than you’ve ever been with me.” It was nice, the soft body embracing her and thick ginger hair up pressed against her cheek. She never wanted to let go.

“I’m really sorry!” In a panic, Inori pulled back. “I was just so relieved I wasn’t too late…”

“It’s okay. Did you want to talk for a minute?”

“If you have the time,” Inori said bashfully. “I don’t want to inconvenience you all.”

Setsuna turned to face the crest of the hill where Westar and Soular — to onlookers, Hayato and Shun — waited for her. Stepping closer to them, she called out, “Can you wait a little longer?”

“Labyrinth isn’t going anywhere,” Soular answered. “We have time to spare.”

“As long as you come with us eventually!” chimed in Westar.

“I will! Thank you.” Setsuna gave them a grateful smile and they graciously stepped out of view. The considerate shift in their personalities was still difficult to believe, but she wouldn’t trade them back for the world.

Inori had stayed where she was, hands clasped together in front of her. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Setsuna nod on her way back. With a heavy exhale, she sank down to sit among the clovers.

Setsuna was soon to join her. “How long were you running? You look really tired.”

Inori flushed, tilting her face away. It was cute. “Um… a while. Is that embarrassing?”

“No, not at all.”

Inori’s shoulders lost some of their tension. “I wanted to ask you some things. Is that all right?”

“Yes. Ask whatever you’d like.”

“You’re going to miss us, right?” The vulnerable question slipped out as she stared hard at her simple brown shoes.

Setsuna replied without hesitation. “Mom and Dad and Love are my family, and you and Miki are my best friends. I’ll miss you more than you can imagine.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. I know it’s silly, but sometimes it’s hard to believe I mean that much to the people I care about. I’ll really miss you too.”

Setsuna shook her head. “I’ve gone back and forth so many times on if I should believe the same thing, so I guess that makes me just as silly.”

Breaking through her fatigued anxiety, Inori giggled into her hand. “I don’t know. I’ve always thought you were really cool.”

“Even when I walked out of dance practice and you had to come find me?”

“You started dancing with me even though you were self-conscious about it, didn’t you? I definitely admired that.”

Bashful herself over the praise, Setsuna closed her eyes. “I’ve always been happy that we’re so alike. Finding someone that understood me back then gave me a lot of courage, and even now we’re not ever really alone in what we feel. Pushing through the weaknesses we share makes you pretty cool to me too, you know.”

A meaningful silence took place, and then Inori brought it to an end. “Setsuna?”

Looking over at her, Setsuna nodded. “Yes?”

“I had something else I wanted to ask you. I decided I shouldn’t keep a secret anymore, because I’d regret it forever if I did and never saw you again.”

“What is it?”

“Is it okay if I like you?”

Setsuna blinked. “Eh?”

While Inori had spoken impulsively quickly a moment before, hesitation crept in now. Her hand quivered against the clovers between them. “I… like you. As more than a friend. I have for a while now, but I could never get the courage to tell you. There’s no one I’d rather support more.”

“Buki…” Setsuna’s heart and mind had already started to race. Inori liked her? Inori liked her?

“I know I’m just an average girl from Earth who lives in an average veterinary clinic. I’m not anywhere near as special as you are. So even if I don’t make you feel the same way, is it okay to admire you?”

Setsuna moved her hand to rest over Inori’s, bringing the trembling to a close. The cloud of an uncertain future hanging over her didn’t stand a chance against the light those words carried. Inori glanced down in surprise and then searched Setsuna’s face for an explanation, never pulling away.

“And I’m just an awkward girl from another world who’s still discovering who she is,” Setsuna said softly. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

“A-Ah.” Inori’s face, redder by the second, seemed to be only barely restraining a joy she worried was too early to express.

“I like you too. I didn’t always know what that feeling was, because Love and Daisuke made me think that liking someone meant wanting to fight with them…” she explained with a laugh. “But the more I thought about it just being the two of us, the more we confided in each other, and the more you smiled at me, I understood. Once I did, I was too concerned about what would happen in the future to burden you with it. I’m sorry for making you do this.”

Inori let the contentment wash over her, taking up the most normal breathing pattern she’d had the entire exchange. She shyly rearranged their hands to lace their fingers together among the clovers. “Please don’t apologize. Thank you for telling me now.”

They scooted closer together, sitting arm to arm. A few minutes passed while they talked about fond memories, and the comfort in their intertwined hands filled Setsuna’s heart to the brim with a new kind of happiness.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t bask in the feeling forever. “I shouldn’t make them wait for me much longer,” she said, and as she stood, she pulled Inori’s hand up with her. Letting go of that was what she least wanted to do, and from Inori’s move to take Setsuna’s other hand in hers, the feeling was mutual.

“Good luck. I have faith it will work out for you.” Inori smiled encouragingly, but her eyes glistened with the hint of tears. “Try to visit if you can and tell me all about it, okay? I’ll be waiting.”

Setsuna’s heart felt heavy. Could she? Yes. Should she? Not until they could get Labyrinth on track. She didn’t even want to think about how long it might take. Visiting this colorful, ever-accepting world would make it that much harder to return to her duty. Here she had the loving family she’d ached for since long before she even knew it, here she had friends, and here she had Inori.

“I’ll try. I’ll be waiting to see you too. Until then,” she added, stepping closer and leaving a delicate kiss on Inori’s cheek, “Goodbye.”

Too tempted by the closeness, Inori wrapped her arms around Setsuna one more time and rested her forehead on the other girl’s shoulder. “Goodbye.”

Setsuna gave in to the brief embrace, savoring the satisfying fluttering in her chest a little longer. When it ended, Inori left at a much more casual pace than the way she’d arrived. After following her with affectionate eyes, Setsuna set off to find the men waiting for her.

Soular and Westar were right over the hill, engaged in a conversation a lot less combative than they used to be. Even before Chiffon saved them, she’d noticed they’d gotten closer without her around. Now, she could even see a genuine smile on Soular’s face. Knowing she wasn’t the only one to have created positive relationships — something she had yet to fully mend with the two herself — gave her more confidence in their ability to turn Labyrinth around.

Soular was the first to notice her. “Were you able to say what you needed?”

“Yes. I’m ready to go,” she answered, starting to walk through the space between them.

“It’ll be fine.” Westar slapped her on the shoulder strongly enough to make her stumble a step, but she knew he meant well. “We’ll make everyone in Labyrinth just as happy as the people are here.”

“I know we will.” Part of her might have felt like crying, but Setsuna still smiled up at him with a confidence as warm as the sun.