The tail-ends of her long red hair whipped at Subaru's cheek as Tiana swung her face around sharply. The short-haired mage yelped in pain and winced.
"Tia, you just hit me with your hair!" she protested. It stung, too. "Don't do that!"
Tiana tossed her head off to one side irritably. "Don't tell me that actually hurt," she said. "And I didn't mean to hit you. You're just taking so long."
Subaru paused with a portion of takoyaki halfway to her lips. "Me?" Her eyes widened innocently. "But I'm still eating - "
The redhead slammed the palm of her hand onto the table angrily. "Yes! Eating! You've taken half an hour already and we're going to be late for training!" She cast her gaze fiercely around the rest of the cafeteria. "The bell went ten minutes ago. I have finished missions in the time you've taken! Besides, didn't you want to go to see Takamachi-san?"
Subaru choked on her takoyaki and spat it halfway across the table. Tiana quickly ducked underneath the whizzing projectile as it vanished out of sight.
"I forgot all about that!" the blue-haired girl said, wolfing down the rest of her food in one go. She ate it too fast and stared to choke again. With a resigned look on her face, Tiana patted her on the back a few times until she could breathe again. "Thanks," Subaru gasped several seconds later, staggering to her feet. "Okay. Let's go!"
She paused in the middle of striking a pose and then looked at her friend uncertainly.
"What is it?" Tiana sighed.
Subaru looked a bit sheepish. "Which way do we go again?"
Tiana made a sound of disgust. "Do I have to do everything for you?" she said, and tugged forcefully at her arm. "Just follow me."
The corridors they followed gradually merged with one another and went up to the next floor. Subaru followed the short-tempered redhead meekly as they walked on for several more minutes. The hallways were empty and deserted, with all the other recruits busy at training. Nervously, Subaru opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it.
"What?" Tiana hissed impatiently, catching onto her body language. "Did you want to say something, Subaru?"
"No," the short-haired girl said quickly. "Not really."
"Not really?" Her friend stopped in the middle of the corridor and glared at her. "You think I'm lost? You want to say that we're now late for training?"
Subaru backed up against the wall, cornered. "It's just, um - " She cast her eyes down to her feet shyly. "We've been looking for Takamachi-san for a while now, and, um - "
"That's because she wasn't in the main office." Tiana walked closer to her, their shoulders touching. "And I know we're late, I'm just trying to make the best of the situation before - "
"Aaah!"
The sudden cry came from somewhere around them. The two girls froze, startled, their dispute momentarily forgotten.
"What," Tiana said slowly, "was that?"
"It wasn't me," Subaru whispered.
"I know it wasn't you. It wasn't me either." The red-haired mage glanced to both sides of the corridor cautiously. "It sounded like...like..."
Another sharper moan sounded down the corridor, not too far away. The two of them jumped and grabbed at each other instinctively, then let go very quickly.
"I think we should go," said Tiana, looking frightened.
Subaru took a few steps down the corridor cautiously. "It...it sounds like it came from here..." Her hand rested on the door handle for a second. "Tia...I'm scared...what if it's a ghost?"
"Keep away," the redhead said frantically, eyes wide with fear. "Let's just - "
A third moan echoed from beyond the door.
"Nnnghh! Hayate, aagh..."
The two girls' expressions rapidly changed to deeper horror and a greater sense of realisation. This was no ghost. Desperately Tiana motioned for Subaru to get back down the corridor before somebody found them. The blue-haired girl seemed frozen to the spot.
Subaru turned and looked questioningly at Tiana. "Tia, why is there a ghost moaning about Yagami-san - "
"It's not a ghost, you idiot! It's much worse than a ghost!" The mage felt herself flushing at the thought. Dare she ask...? "Who...who else is in there with..."
Another higher pitched cry shattered the silence.
"Oh, Nanoha! Mmm...Fate..."
Tiana thought her heart was going to explode. She had to turn her face away to the wall. If anyone knew...but...how could Yagami-san and Takamachi-san be...
"I think I get it now," Subaru said, brightening up. "Yagami-san's pretending to be a ghost?"
Holding her head in her hands, Tiana slowly crawled over to Subaru's side and whispered three words into her friend's ear.
Subaru frowned upon hearing them. "A what?"
The red-haired mage repeated the last word with the last of what patience remained to her.
Subaru still didn't understand. "I...I don't understand. A threesome? What's that?"
Tiana bit down on her lip, turned bright red, and whispered in very hushed tones for several more seconds.
"Really?" Subaru said, eyes wide. "But what's this got to do with ghosts?"
Tiana gave up. She grabbed hold of her friend's arm and dragged the two of them back down the stairs, her heart pounding. They were out of here. And training had almost finished.
(Okay, so this is my first Lyrical Nanoha fic. Originally intended it to be a Tiana/Subaru lemon since there's like only one of those on here, but meh it's like this.
also, I have literally watched only THREE episodes of StrikerS so if there's stuff I got wrong about them, like maybe Subaru actually doesn't eat a lot, or she's allergic to takoyaki idk then that's why but I just wanted to write something about the two of them :p)