Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha in any manner. I'm making no profit out of this.

Akira: Hmmm, it's my first Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha fic ever. I'm trying to get my writer's block cured, so I guess I'm kind of branching into a couple of different anime categories here… I've always wanted to do one on Nanoha and Fate, so I guess there's no harm trying lol. I think this is also the first time I'm writing angst, I hope it's not going to turn out horrible or anything…Well then, wish me luck because I think I really need it XD. This is kind of one of the rare times I actually write in first person's view, because I have tenses problems when I write in this view lol. So feel free to point out my tenses and grammar mistakes, I'd be glad to change them. So… look forward to it?

Summary: A girl whose life is filled with emptiness and a girl whose life is filled with love and happiness… What will come out of their encounter? As the saying goes 'Opposites attract'. They do, don't they?

Nanoha's POV

Resting my chin of my palm, I sighed as I gazed out the window into the clear blue skies above. The contents of the boring History lesson were escaping my mind as soon as they entered. I could feel my thoughts drifting off, my ears unconsciously blocking out everything except for the peaceful sounds of the light breeze rustling the leaves of the trees outside the window beside me. At that point in time, I could only think of one person.

Fate Testarossa.

A mysterious individual.

The school's silent beauty.

Always perfect in everything she does; academically and physically wise. Complete opposite of what I am.

It was spring, I remember.

The very first time I met her. She was sitting under the Sakura tree behind the school's old, unused gym, reading alone.

And so it began.

The flowers were blooming that day.

In the shower of pale pink petals, what first caught my eyes, were her unusual blonde hair and her brilliant, yet dull burgundy colored eyes. A person as perfect as she is, had the eyes of a cold, lifeless corpse. I held my breath and took a cautious step towards her, stopping in my tracks abruptly as she looked up, her striking burgundy orbs meeting my gaze. I flushed hotly under her intense gaze which felt as if she could see through the whole of my being.

She stood up from her spot and walked towards me as I fidgeted nervously and played with the hem of my skirt, awkwardly staring into those alluring eyes as my lips parted slightly in attempt to speak, only to fail miserably as the only sound that came out was a squeak of surprise when she stopped directly in front of me, her face inches from my own. I was rooted to the ground, unmoving as I shut my eyes tightly in anticipation, waiting for her to make any movement. Instead of moving away from me, I felt a gentle touch upon the top of my head which caused me to open my eyes suddenly as her slender fingers tenderly removed the Sakura petals which managed to find their way into my hair.

After what seemed like hours, she finally took a step back away from me, her right hand closed in a fist. Her left hand reached for my right and held it in her own, raising it to my stomach level as she placed the petals from her right fist onto my left palm.

And then, she smiled.

It was a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

When I came back to my senses, she was already gone with the wind. It felt as if… She had never been there in the first place.

A sharp pain on my forehead quickly brought my attention back to reality. My hands flew to my forehead instinctively from the pain as I stood up and replied randomly and loudly, "Onigiri!"

"It is not time for lunch yet, Takamachi. Now that we have your undivided attention, let us resume the lesson, shall we?" said the teacher as he turned to face the blackboard again.

Wiping away the chalk mark on my forehead, I nodded and blushed furiously as the class burst into laughter at my blunder while I apologized to the teacher for not paying attention in his lesson.

Out of boredom, I tapped my pencil lightly against the table, creating a rhythm as I waited patiently for the lesson to end. The long awaited bell finally rang and students poured out of the classroom quickly, bringing their bento with them enthusiastically. I sighed for the second time of the day and took my own bento out from my desk and headed out. Soon, I found myself wandering in the school grounds aimlessly with the unopened bento still in my hands.

I stared at the old gym enquiringly, wondering to myself if she'll be there too today. After all, it had been three weeks since then and I've never talked to her ever since. Picking up my pace, I decided to have a look for myself. As I walked towards the old gym, I just can't help but question my desire to seek out that cold beauty. Questions after questions popped into my head as I searched for the answers to my own questions.

Why do I seek her presence?

Why do I seek her company?

Why is it that I want to know more about her, but am afraid to do so?

What am I looking forward to anyway?

What am I going to say even if I see her?

Will she even be willing to talk to someone as ordinary as I am?

Unconsciously, I reached into my pocket and fingered a pouch that contained the Sakura petals from that day as I pondered, setting foot onto the back of the gym where I first met her. There she is. She's reading a different book this time. Her eyes are no different from the other time I saw them. They're still filled with the same coldness, same solitude, and yet, the same… kindness and gentleness at the same time. Then, she clapped her book close, focusing her attention on me instead. This time, I tried again. Albeit a little awkwardly.

"Um… is this your spot?" I asked; my voice soft but firm at the same time.

Giving me a smile again, she replied quietly, "No."

"Oh… so… can I join you then?"

"Maybe."

She smiled again. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and asked another question, "So is that a yes or a no?"

It's that look again, the one that says 'I can see right through you'. Without really answering my question, she shifted a little and patted on the spot next to her, gesturing for me to sit there. I obliged to her invitation and sat myself down upon the soft moss beside her. Watching the Sakura petals fall slowly in the cooling breeze, I, without thinking, blurted the questions from my mind like water gushing out from a broken dam before I could stop myself, "Do you always read? Are you always so calm and collected? Are you always this impassive? Why are you always so sad? Why do you always look so lonely? Why are you always on your own?"

I covered my mouth in surprise with both my hands and stammered an apology quickly, "I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." I turned to look at her. I could tell that she was rather surprised by my outburst with her jaw hanging a little and eyes widening. Without warning, I burst into a fit of giggles and not long after, she joined me in my giggle fit as we slowly broke out into maniacal laughter somehow. As I settled down to catch my breath, I realized that being here, laughing with her felt almost natural.

"I didn't know you were capable of that sort of expression, Testarossa-san."

Regaining her composure, she replied quietly, "I don't know what has gotten into me but, I guess I am human after all."

Ah, that's the longest sentence she ever said to me, probably to anyone else too. I don't know why but I'm feeling a little proud of myself now. When I turned to look at her again, her cold façade had faded away, but the solitude and coldness in her eyes remained. The look in her eyes was intriguing; it felt as if they were telling me a tale of her own. It was then I perceived; that she was not the person whom everyone saw her as. Her true self was struggling to surface, desperately screaming to be free. It might be weird for me to be saying it but, at that moment, I felt like I was chosen to free her from her emotional chains.

"As for the answers to your questions… Yes, I always read. It's a hobby of mine. I'm not always calm and collected; I have times when I panic too. It's just that… it doesn't happen very often. I'm not impassive all the time; I just don't… show my emotions very much. I…" she paused considerably, probably wondering why she's saying so much to a stranger like me.

"You?" I urged.

"I grew up in this manner. Emotions are a form of weakness, my mother tells me that. She always said, "You'll be taken advantage of if you show your weakness in front of anybody." I believe her words. But sometimes, I don't even know who I really am. Even so, I'd like to have friends. I'd like to be a normal high school girl like you too. But I guess it's too late for me to start being normal and start making friends, I don't know how to communicate with people very well anyway," she said, her beautiful burgundy eyes stared hard at the ground, contemplating her words.

I looked up at the falling petals and said absentmindedly, "That's not true, Testarossa-san. Emotions may be a form of weakness, but isn't that what makes us human? You are who you are. Be who you want to be, don't think of yourself as abnormal. Everybody has a different personality; you wouldn't be unique if you're the same as everyone else." As I finished my speech, I fixed my gaze upon the petal shower and smiled.

"Why are you being so nice to me? This is only the second time we've met," she asked.

Even after that question, I made no move to avert my gaze from the tree. I could feel her eyes on me on that very moment as a faint blush crept its way to my cheeks.

"It's because of your eyes," I answered truthfully.

"My eyes?"

"Yes, your eyes," I turned to face her this time and continued, "When I first saw them, I could see gentleness and kindness in them. Did you know? You have very beautiful eyes."

It was her turn to flush.

"Thank you, um…" she frowned a little.

"Nanoha, Takamachi Nanoha," I stood at fully on my feet and did a little curtsy.

Giving a soft and refined laugh, she stood up and returned the gesture too.

"So…" I started, "Would you grant me the honor of being your first friend, Testarossa-san?"

"Um… I'm sorry I'm not very good at this, but… how do you be friends with someone?" she shifted uncomfortably, looking unsure.

I looked at her and beamed, "It's really simple. All you have to do is call the person's name. Look straight into her eyes, and say her name clearly."

"Na…no…ha?"

I smiled even wider as I called out her name from the bottom of my heart, "That's right, that's how you do it, Fate-chan."

"Nanoha…"

"Yes, Fate-chan?"

"Thank you."

I smiled at her and replied, "Not a problem, anything for a friend."

It was at that time that the school bell started rang, snapping us out of the moment.

"Argh, I forgot all about class! Let's run!" I grabbed her hand and laughed as we raced through the fields.

"Thank you for everything, Nanoha." She turned to look at me as she smiled.

This time, it was a genuine smile of happiness and kindness which came from the bottom of her heart.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, I thought to myself…

The ending of her loneliness and the beginning of our friendship, what more can I ask for?

End

Akira: … Didn't quite turn out the way I want it to be again… Oh well, I guess I'll have to try harder next time. I couldn't help but include that last scene of the first season; it was too touching and beautiful. Guess this didn't turn out to be as sad as I want it to be -.- It's pretty short but that's about all I'm doing now. This is meant as a one-shot so I don't really think there'll be a sequel. I might consider doing this in Fate's POV though. If I feel like it or have the inspirations, that is.