Setsuna On The Case!
Case 1: Making Magic
The room was lit by only a solitary lamp on a desk. There was a bed covered in velvet sheets. On the desk was a picture of a green-haired woman with her arms around a younger blonde. A business card was lying on a manila folder declaring: “Setsuna Meioh; “Helping impossible love happen”.”
The owner of the room entered slowly. The Senshi of Time had just returned from a loving reunion 400 years in the making. She sat down at her desk and opened up a notebook.
She began to write. ‘Today, I picked up a distraught demon hunter named Sango from the Sengoku period and brought her to current day. I then reunited the grateful young woman with the girl she loved at Higurashi Temple. It was funny to see her try to confess as Kagome kissed her. Unknown to Sango, Kagome had hired me to bring them back together after her time traveling well had broken. A joyful reunion - case closed.’ She closed the notebook and smiled.
She turned to an answering machine, noticing a couple of messages, and pressed play. A soft voice spoke in accented-Japanese: “Hello. My name is Mireille Bouquet. I was wondering if you could help my business partner and roommate realize I’m in love with her. She’s Japanese and really cute. Her name’s Kirika. I have no idea what to do! I have some trust issues and it turns out she killed my family. But I really don’t blame her or anything…. She’s too darn cute for that. You ought to hear her pronounce my name…” The woman rambled on slipping into lovesick French. Setsuna sighed and switched to the next message.
‘Note to self: Get to back to Mireille if she hasn’t confessed by the end of the week.’ She scribbled down their names on a notepad.
Another voice spoke in clear Japanese: “My name is Chloe. I’m in love with this girl. The problem is she’s stuck in France living with this blonde bimbo named Mireille. I would eliminate the French interloper, but my Kirika seems to be fond of her…”
A chill went through Setsuna as she pressed ‘stop.’ She made another note. ‘Do thorough investigation on the 3 young women when next in the time gate.’
She sat back and began to ponder the situation. ‘I wonder what Minako would do? Probably tell them to get a hotel room and a case of massage oil…’ She laughed softly. ‘Nah. She’d probably set up some sort of competition and make the poor girl choose.’
There was a soft knock at the door. “Come in.” She called out.
In walked her dark-haired daughter Hotaru, clutching a pink-haired doll. She was wiping a few tears from eyes. Concern instantly sprang up in Setsuna. She gathered the middle-school girl in her arms and gave her a loving hug. “What’s wrong, Firefly?”
“I had a bad dream.” She answered simply.
Setsuna waited. “Can you tell me what it’s about?”
Hotaru nodded, with a swish of her dark hair. “There’s a girl I know who’s in the class next to mine. She has this huge crush on her best friend.”
“Are you sure it’s not you?” Setsuna said raising an eyebrow.
Hotaru blushed cutely, squeezing the pink-haired doll in her arms. “No, her name is Tomoyo. She’s in love with a girl named Sakura. But instead of telling her, she’s been pushing Sakura towards a boy named Li. Tonight, I dreamed she tried to kill herself.” She began to sob again.
The green-haired woman started rubbing her adoptive daughter’s back in a soothing motion. “It’s all right. I’m sure she hasn’t hurt herself.”
“But I’m still worried. She’s a really nice girl! She deserves a chance to win Sakura’s love! That Li guy sulks around like angry gorilla. They’re like complete opposites!”
“Hmm… but aren’t Minako and I opposites?” The adoptive mother asked.
Hotaru pondered for a second. “Nope! You’re both pretty and you both love shopping. Not to mention kissing…” Setsuna blushed at her daughter’s frank honesty. “You also love fashion and helping people succeed in winning their love.”
Setsuna laughed. “Okay, you’ve got a point. But why should I get involved? Shouldn’t you be asking Minako for help?”
Hotaru’s eyes shined. “I am. That’s why I’m talking to you; what you know, Minako will soon find out. Either way, one of you will be able to help her.”
‘She knows me too well. I’m so proud!’ She squeezed her daughter gently. “You’re too smart for me.” She said in a teasing tone, tapping her daughter on the nose. “I guess I could do some investigation into it…”
“Yay! Thanks so much, Setsuna-mama!” The girl hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She melted. There were two weaknesses in her life; and this sweet girl was one of them.
“Okay. So is there anything else you can tell me about the situation?”
“Sakura has magical powers. I can sense it’s from this key-shaped necklace she’s always wearing. Also, Tomoyo and her have been friends since elementary school. Tomoyo’s hasn’t tried to be completely obvious, but has been dropping hints for years.” She scratched her head. “Of course, subtle doesn’t work for Sakura. She’s cute, but oblivious.”
Setsuna nodded. “I’ll do some research tonight after dinner. Right now, I’d like to take a bath. I smell like medieval Japan.”
Hotaru hugged her and went to go read. Setsuna took a few notes and went to clean up.
----
After a refreshing shower, the Time Senshi put on a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt. ‘Not like the Gates of Time has a dress code.’ She manifested the Time Staff to create portal.
With a familiar swish, she disappeared from the room, reappearing in the alternate dimension that housed the powerful artifact. She rarely had reason to come here except for research and the occasional check up. Ami had helped her to develop a device to warn Setsuna when something was seriously wrong with the time stream.
The green-haired woman walked over to a mirror-shaped device that was suspended in mid-air. It was a useful tool that pretty much showed her the past, present and future without using the Time Gates directly. She began to type out the information into the access panel. ‘Tomoyo Daidouji, daughter of Sonomi. Hmmm… Her mother had a tragic love for her cousin Nadesico, Sakura’s mother…’ Her heart went out to the Daidouji women. ‘I can’t let Tomoyo go without a chance…’ Then, her logic came back to play. ‘But I should see if Sakura will be truly happy with this “angry gorilla.”’
She began a search into the future of Sakura and her possible husband. Then, she fast forwarded to about 2 years. ‘This is when marriages start to get past the newlywed stage…’ She was glad she was in love with an incurable romantic. She smiled, before focusing on the screen.
A brunette, Sakura was sitting on the couch watching her husband – the gorilla – leave. “Are you sure I can’t help you? The cards would be very useful!”
There was a storm cloud over the man. “No, you’re my wife now. There won’t be any more dangerous adventures for you.”
“Okay...” Sakura conceded, but was deeply hurt. She had truly loved working with her cards to stop evil magic. The door shut and her tears began to flow. She buried her face in her hands. ‘Is there nothing more to life than being a housewife? I don’t think Clow ever meant for it to be like this.’
Even worse, she had not been able to get a hold of Tomoyo since she had announced her engagement to Li. Her friend still managed to send a gorgeous wedding dress for her. Mei Lin had simply disappeared on the wedding day, completely heartbroken.
‘Is the dream really over?’ Sakura cried, alone.
----
A few tears slid down Setsuna’s face as she scanned further into Sakura’s future. She shook herself. ‘I suppose I could check into what it would be like if she ended up with Tomoyo…’ She smiled, hoping that it would be something wonderful. She typed in the new criteria and scanned into the future.
She looked. Then, blushed madly as she skipped further into the future. ‘They’re still… happy after two years.’ Then, she blushed again at the next scene. ‘Even during the day? Wow.’
She managed to find a non-private moment. It was a normal fall day about 7 years into the marriage, when they were in their mid-20s. They were having a picnic behind a large mansion. Setsuna smiled as she noticed a child of about five or six sitting between them. Surprisingly, the girl shared traits of both women. ‘It must have involved magic.’
She watched eagerly.
----
“Would you like another piece of strawberry cake, Sakuya?” Sakura said, preparing to slice the cake.
“Yes, Saku-mama!” The dark-haired child yelled, holding her fork in the air.
Tomoyo giggled next to her wife and their daughter. “Sakuya is almost as energetic as her mother was in elementary school. Sakura makes such a cute mother!” She said as she shifted her camera for the best possible angle.
“Honey…” Sakura said, blushing.
Tomoyo squealed. “I love it when Sakura calls me such sweet names!”
Sakuya was getting impatient. “Tomoyo-mama, please wait to flirt with Saku-mama until after I get more cake.” She added her ‘cute’ pout for effect.
“Okay, Sakuya.” Tomoyo promised. The second that her daughter had her treat, she pounced on Sakura and snuggled into her neck. Her wife just blushed and smiled as she wrapped her arms around her love.
----
Setsuna was just giddy with all the cuteness she had witnessed. “Wow.”
She temporarily wondered if Hotaru would like to have a picnic with her and Minako. Then, an image of Mrs. Aino flirting with the women in the park appeared in her head. ‘We’ll just have to leave Mrs. Aino in the dark about that idea.’
She shook herself. ‘Focus on the case. You can make someone’s wish come true tomorrow and make both girls incredibly happy.’
She began to search for an opportunity in tomorrow’s future to talk to Tomoyo. ‘Hmmm… Sakura has track practice after school and Tomoyo will be watching from the bleachers. It should leave plenty of time to talk to her.’
Before she left, she suddenly remembered the situation with the women on the phone messages and decided to get a little information about the three women as well.
----
Tomoyo was sitting on the bleachers watching Sakura stretching for practice. ‘It’s so wonderful that she joined the track team. She’s so full of energy. I can’t wait to cheer her on!’ She placed a hand, the one not holding up the camera, on her cheek.
An unexpected dark thought entered her mind. ‘How long will I be able to be by her side? How long before Li finally gets up the courage and asks her out?’ Fortunately, her Sakura wasn’t close enough to see the frown on her face. However, it was seen by another.
The toy heiress noticed a woman approaching her. She was wearing a red spaghetti strap dress and had long green hair. In total, she was an incredibly beautiful woman, but she still wasn’t her Sakura. She sat down next to Tomoyo without a care.
“You really love her, don’t you?” She said in a soft tone.
Tomoyo wasn’t prepared for that at all. “W-what do you mean?”
“That girl down there, your best friend; you love her more than anything in the world.” She didn’t even bother to make it sound like a question.
“Who are you?” Surprisingly, she didn’t feel scared; the woman had a comforting presence.
“Perhaps you could say I’m a guardian angel. It would be better to say that I’m someone who was walking down the road you’re on right now.” The garnet eyes spoke with honesty.
“What do you mean?” Tomoyo was curious now. Was this woman in love with someone she couldn’t be with?
“I was in love with a cheerful, energetic girl just like you. I watched her from afar, hoping she would find happiness with someone who was better for her than me.” Setsuna looked down at the girl who was running laps.
“I’m sorry. What happened?”
“We’re together now. Less than a month until the wedding…” Setsuna smiled.
“Congratulations!” Tomoyo said. ‘I wish that I could marry Sakura someday.’ Curiosity seemed to be in her blood today. “How did you get together?”
“A kiss.” Was the short reply.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Setsuna let out a laugh. “She was sitting right next to me at an ice cream shop with all of our friends. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Then, I leaned in and kissed her.” There was a faint blush on the woman’s cheeks.
“What did she do?” Tomoyo blushed at the image of her kissing Sakura out of the blue.
“She cuddled up to me and asked: “What took you so long?”” Both shared a laugh.
Tomoyo sighed. “I wish it could happen that way with me, but Sakura’s so naïve. I don’t think she could see me that way.”
“You’d be surprised what could be if you try…” Setsuna said in her mysterious voice.
Tomoyo gave her a look and sighed. “I just don’t want to lose her. She’s going to fall in love with Li and have a happy life. I don’t want to keep her from that.”
Setsuna flinched at the possible future she had viewed. "She won’t be happy if she marries him. They’re not as compatible as you think and that’s really important for a happy marriage. Besides, he is meant for someone else. You are meant for Sakura. You will make her the happiest woman on Earth. In fact, you will even have a child with her."
"That's impossible!"
"It would seem not. I expect Sakura's magic would be able to help." A flood of warmth filled the pale girl.
‘Me having Sakura’s child? That would be wonderful!’ Then, she felt confused. "How do you know about Sakura's magic?"
"I know a great deal. Observation is something I have been gifted with; helping relationships are a new mission for me." Setsuna crossed her legs. “How I know about the magic is not as important as what you do next.”
Tomoyo gave her a smile. “I would love to tell her… But I’m still so scared!” The dark-haired girl looked into the other woman’s eyes.
“You know Sakura probably better than anyone else. Would she ever hurt you?”
Tomoyo pondered and thought of the kind-hearted, gentle girl. “No.”
Setsuna put a hand on her shoulder. “Take a chance and I think you’ll be surprised at what can happen if you believe in your love for her.” The woman stood up and began to walk away.
“Wait! Who are you really?”
“I’m a friend. You can call me Setsuna.” She said with a nod of her head.
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you for showing me your pure heart.”
Tomoyo blushed in surprise. ‘She’s almost as mysterious as Miss Kaho.’ Then, she turned her attention to Sakura, who was finishing with practice. ‘Should I really take that leap?’ But the seeds of hope were planted.
----
Tomoyo waited patiently for Sakura. The girl swished towards her in her track suit, carrying her backpack. “Thanks for waiting. Do you still want to spend the night?”
“Yes, Sakura!”
“Let’s hurry. I’m ready for a shower.”
“You could have taken one here, you know.”
“But I had already made you wait through practice. It’ll be nicer to take a shower at home.” She reached out a hand to Tomoyo, who took it with a smile.
----
“Kero?” Sakura called into the quiet house. When they got to Sakura’s room, they noticed a chocolate covered note: ‘Need more thin mints. Following Girl Scouts. Be back later.’ It was signed with a paw print.
“Ah, Kero has gone on a personal quest! He must love those cookies!” Tomoyo said with a laugh. Sakura sweat dropped at the thought of her guardian stalking a group of scouts.
“Do you mind waiting for me in my room while I take a shower?” Sakura looked at her friend, slightly worried. Tomoyo had been acting a little more strangely than usual. She looked deep in thought.
“No, Sakura. I’m going to try and finish some homework.” Tomoyo began to pull out her workbook as Sakura went into the bathroom.
----
Tomoyo sighed as she realized that her concentration was not on her homework. ‘I just can’t stop thinking about that mysterious woman’s words. I know she meant well, but how could I tell her?’ Then, she remembered how Setsuna had talked about the woman she loved.
As she was daydreaming, Sakura came in with a pair of sandwiches and drinks. She sat their snack down and began studying her friend. “Is something wrong, Tomoyo?”
Tomoyo quickly snapped out of her revelry, blushing. She had been focusing on her best friend’s lips. “Um, nothing.”
Sakura was still uncertain. ‘Is she sick?’ She put her hand on Tomoyo’s forehead. ‘She feels awfully warm…’ She put her forehead against Tomoyo’s. “I think you have a temperature… Perhaps, you need to see a doctor.”
Tomoyo did not hear her friend’s suggestion. She was completely off-guard at how close Sakura’s lips were to her own. Her heart began to pound. She knew it was foolish, but her body began to move of its own accord. One hand came to rest on the card captor’s shoulder, the other on her cheek. “Forgive me, Sakura,” came out in a whisper.
“For wha…” The question was interrupted by Tomoyo’s lips intercepting her own.
As Tomoyo pulled away, her eyes quickly scanned her friend’s reaction. It was shock. Her heart fell. “Sakura?” When the brunette averted her eyes, Tomoyo’s fears were confirmed. She rose to her feet and ran out the door.
“Tomoyo!” Sakura rose up, as if to chase her, but stopped. Her heart was pounding and she wasn’t sure why.
----
“Hey babe, what did I miss?” Minako said as she sat next to her fiancé in the car and gave her a peck on the cheek. Setsuna had informed her that she was working on a new case today.
“Tomoyo, the girl Hotaru was worried about, should be trying to confess to her best friend right now.” She said with a smile. They drove to Sakura’s house and got out of the car.
Minako tried to sense if anything bad had happened, reaching out to feel the hearts of the two girls. Her eyes widened. Then, the door burst open and the dark-haired girl ran out into the street. Tears flowed from her eyes. Setsuna’s smile faltered. “Oh no…”
Minako squeezed her gently. “Don’t assume the worst. It isn’t over yet. Let’s talk to them individually. Which girl are you going to follow?”
“I’ll go after Tomoyo. We seem to have a lot in common…” She gave Mina a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off after the toy heiress. ‘I’m sorry.’
Venus scratched her chin. ‘How to get a stranger to open up to me?’ An idea occurred to her. ‘Maybe she’s a fan.’
----
Sakura sat in shock, pondering why her best friend just kissed her. “Why did she kiss me? What was I supposed to say?”
“What you should be asking is ‘How do I feel about her?’” A voice said from the window.
The cardcaptor turned to see Sailor Venus entering her window. “Sailor V? What are you doing here?” She asked her magical idol.
“I’m the Senshi of Love! It’s my duty to help in matters of the heart!” She gave her patented “V” sign.
“So you know what happened…” Sakura’s eyes looked towards the door.
“Nope! But I can sense strong feelings when love is at risk.” She put an arm around the saddened girl. “So do you want to fill me in?”
Sakura sniffled into her shoulder. “My best friend seemed to be acting a little weird. I thought she was feeling sick and trying to hide it from me. When I checked if she had a fever, she kissed me!”
“I bet that must have been a shock.” Sakura nodded. Minako inwardly grinned remembering her first kiss with Setsuna. “How does that make you feel?”
“Confused and warm... Does this mean she loves me?”
Venus laughed. “Um, yeah! Why else would she kiss you?”
Sakura couldn’t come up with a reason. “She loves me?”
“Yes. How do you feel about her?” Mina knew she had to keep pressing for the truth.
“She’s my best friend, but do I love her?”
“Well, you’ve mostly got to think about it. There can be a fine line between friendship love and romantic love. First of all, do you think you could live without her?”
A terrible feeling shot through Sakura. “No! That would be awful!”
“Okay. How would you feel if she were in love with someone else?”
Sakura felt a wave of loss, which surprised her. She blushed. “I’d feel like I had lost something precious.”
“Now, could you imagine spending the rest of your life with her?” Mina said, feeling she knew the answer.
Sakura thought of them living together, cuddling together on the bed. Her heart began to race. She thought of the kiss they shared. “Life with her would be wonderful. She’s a wonderful friend and she loves me.”
Sailor Venus gave her a nudge. “Good. Now you need to go inform her that you’ve accepted her feelings. She might have gotten the wrong idea from earlier.”
Sakura’s eyes widened. “Oh no! She probably thought the worst after she kissed me. I was struck speechless and she ran off. I have to find her!” She pulled out her key staff and then looked at Sailor Venus sheepishly.
“Go ahead, I already know.”
Sakura smiled. “Fly card! Release!” Wings sprouted from her back. She turned to her company. “What about you?”
“I’m Sailor V! I’ll keep up.” They made their way into the night.
----
Tomoyo ran until she couldn’t run any farther. Of course, she wasn’t as much of an athlete as her former best friend. She had to stop in a small park to catch her breath. Tears were still coming down her face.
“Why did I do that? I was just supposed to tell her that I loved her, not kiss her!” She placed face in her hands and sobbed. She heard the clicking of heels approaching her and felt someone sit next to her. She knew it was the green-haired woman from earlier. She wanted to blame her, but she knew it wasn’t her fault.
Setsuna felt horrible. She didn’t know what had happened, but it hurt to see the pale girl upset. She opened her arms and Tomoyo fled into them. Setsuna was nervous about asking the important question but had to know. “What happened?”
“She was worried about me because I was nervous while trying to tell her about my feelings. She leaned over to check my temperature and… I kissed her!”
“What did she say?” Setsuna was curious. ‘Didn’t Sakura say anything?’
Coyly, Tomoyo admitted: “I didn’t stick around long enough to let her speak…”
Setsuna was somewhat relieved. “So you shouldn’t assume the worst. She’s probably just sorting through her feelings. If you give her a little time…”
She was interrupted by a voice yelling: “Tomoyo!” Then, with a rush of wind and flapping of wings, the card captor landed in front of them. A few seconds later, Sailor Venus landed beside her fiancé who wrapped an arm around her.
Tomoyo never got tired of seeing Sakura with wings. ‘My angel…’ Her thoughts were stopped by a warm hug from her friend.
“You scared me when you ran away, Tomoyo! Please don’t do that again.” The brunette said, pulling back to arms length.
“I’m sorry Sakura… I was just so scared after I…” The blue-eyed girl looked down. A finger on her chin caused her to look back a soft emerald gaze.
“You should never be scared of me. Yes, I was shocked and slightly confused. But a friend helped me.” She smiled towards Sailor Venus. “I realized that I can’t imagine a future without you by my side. There’s no one else I love more than you. I love you. I really do.” Sakura said blushing brightly, staring into Tomoyo’s eyes.
“I’ve loved you since I first met you, Sakura!” Tomoyo declared. Their faces inched closer together and their lips met once again.
When they finally broke apart, they noticed Sailor Venus giggling quite merrily. Sakura noticed that the green-haired woman was trying to allow them some privacy, but the blond wouldn’t have it. Now it had broken into a chase.
Finally, the Senshi of Love noticed the girls’ attention and stopped, blushing sheepishly at being caught. Setsuna took this opportunity to sweep her fiancé off her feet, literally, and carried her toward the young couple. “So I trust you two can make it home safely?” Setsuna motioned towards Sakura’s wings.
The card captor blushed at the thought of carrying her new girlfriend home in her arms.
Tomoyo instantly replied. “Oh yes! I love to fly in my Sakura-angel’s arms! She’s like my perfect guardian angel!”
Sakura turned to the other two women, after picking up the other girl. “Thank you for everything. If not for your help, I would have never realized this wonderful love. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Tomoyo interrupted. “Sakura’s so cute when she’s being grateful!” The girl mentioned blushed even brighter
Setsuna nodded and handed her a couple of business cards. "You could keep an eye out for women who need our help."
"Sure." Sakura said as Tomoyo took them, before they flew off. The heiress waved goodbye. In the air, she suddenly had a thought. “Setsuna is going to be married to Sailor V?”
Sakura looked at her in surprise. “Sailor V is getting married? Who’s Setsuna?”
Tomoyo laughed. “The lovely woman we just left behind, silly!” At Sakura’s slow realization, she cuddled a little closer into her arms. “Perhaps we should try to get them a wedding gift?” The pale girl smiled as she looked at the business card.
----
“Case closed?” Minako asked as she walked hand-in-hand with her fiance to her car.
“Case closed.” Setsuna replied. She grinned at her fiance. “You know this could be a lot of fun working together and be quite rewarding at the same time.”
Minako laughed . Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound coming from Setsuna’s pocket. ‘Is it the time stream?’ She was inwardly worried.
She pulled the P.D.A.-like object from her pocket. She sighed. It wasn’t a dangerous, time altering event. A pair of her potential clients were shown on the screen playing tug of war with a brunette who had to be Kirika. She looked at Minako as she summoned the Time Staff. “Up for a trip to Paris?”
Minako grinned. “Sure.”
End Case 1
Notes: In case anyone failed to recognize the cameos, Kagome and Sango are from Inuyasha. The phone message and tug-of-war is Mireille and Chloe fighting over Kirika, all three are from Noir.
So what did you think? I kind of felt like having an open-ended series to play around with. This way I can have some fun little cross-overs whenever I want. So this is prepared to be a series.
For those of you who were expecting a wedding, I’m sorry. This wasn’t a delay tactic. It was more of a way to give them something to do after they’re married (besides fight youma and be sweetly affectionate). Of course, I could still write in Minako’s Secret… (Burst Angel: Alive and Kickin’ – the store Sei’s afraid to walk by).
(Author imagines Haruka being pushed onto the runway by Minako, showing off evening wear. Laughs manically.)
I don’t know if I’ll take requests, because that might get out of hand… Okay, maybe. But be ready in case I’m not quite knowledgeable enough about the pairing or series…
Thanks for reading thus far! Review if you want!