A/N: I couldn't finish Caged Bird this month; final year project has been taking up most of my time recently.
In the meantime, I hope this one-shot can tide you over the wait. This is one of the first fanfics I wrote.
Comments and criticism highly welcomed. I hope you enjoy.
Only For Tonight
"Signum, what about your bath?" Shamal asked, carrying Hayate in her arms.
"I'll be fine, I'm taking one in the morning." Signum answered, folding up the newspaper in her hand.
"Eh? That's rare, considering you're a bath-lover and all." Vita exclaimed, "Well, suit yourself." With that, Vita headed towards the bathroom.
Shamal glanced at the Belkan knight a little longer, before following Vita in the bathroom, Hayate in her arms.
Zafira glanced and the retreating figures, making sure they entered the washroom, before rising from his spot.
"It's because of today's battle, wasn't it?" It was a statement, not a question.
"You're sharp."
Signum lifted up her shirt, a deep wound visible across her midriff.
"You're quiet today, Shamal."
Shamal glanced at the girl who had spoken. Both Vita and Hayate had stopped playing in the water and were staring at her intently.
"I'm sorry, Hayate, I was thinking about what to get for dinner." Shamal lied, forcing a smile.
Hayate shook her head and looked at Shamal straight in the eye, a small frown visible on her face.
"No, Shamal, you were thinking about Signum." She said, bluntly. Vita chuckled at the implications. Shamal kept quiet, a blush on her cheecks, unsure of how to respond.
"You're worried about Signum. She seemed to be distracted just now, wasn't she?" Hayate continued, looking about Shamal for some clarifications. Shamal gave a slow nod of her head.
"Hayate, don't worry, "Vita interrupted, "Signum has always been like that, she'll tell us soon enough." Hayate shook her head at the assurance.
"It's not good for her to keep everything to herself, so," Hayate turned to Shamal, "take care of her tonight, ne?" Hayate said with a smile.
"Yes, Meister Hayate."
Zafira glanced at the clock before turning back to Signum. "I'll go look for Linker Cores to fill up the pages. Meanwhile, take a rest from the battle."
Signum nodded in understanding. She watched Zafira exit the house through the sliding window – not the door, as they did not want to alert Meister Hayate. Signum then crossed her arms and closed her eyes, preparing for another long night on the couch.
Her rest was interrupted when she heard soft footfalls entering the living room. The footfalls approached her slowly until stopping before her. She felt the perpetrator hesitate unsure of whether to call her or not.
"Yes, Shamal?" Signum answered the unspoken call, opening her eyes to regard the Lady of the Lake.
"Signum, are you alright?" Shamal asked, taking a seat next to the Wolkenritter Leader. She tugged at the other girl's sleeve when she did not receive a response.
"I am alright, Shamal," Signum answered with a sigh, "you need not worry about–" She stopped when Shamal put a finger on her lips.
"Signum, how long have we been together?"
Signum raised an eyebrow at the question, wondering whether the double-meaning in the question had been intentional. She watched in silent amusement as the healer's face darken a few shades of red immediately after uttering the words. Apparently not.
"What I meant to say is," Shamal corrected herself, "How long have we known each other?
Signum went silent in contemplation. Truly, how long have they been together? She recalled their previous summons, from their first master – eons ago – to their most recent and trusted Meister, Hayate. Shamal had been there all the time. Though she may not have played a very active role in their duties, she had always been there, giving them support after every day, every battle. To Signum, Shamal had been with them since the beginning of their time… it was no different from an eternity. But…
"Centuries," Signum finally settled on an answer. It was not the most accurate one, but definitely the safest.
"Hm…" Shamal made a sound of consideration, "and after knowing me from centuries, do you still not trust me?"
"I do!" Signum's response was immediate. After all, how could she not trust her.
"And I believe that this means you trust me as a healer as well?"
"Ah…" Signum agreed, albeit reluctant. She did not like how the conversation was going, but as a knight, she could not lie to her comrades, especially not to the Lady of the Lake.
"Then," Shamal started, "let me uphold my duty." She placed her hand on Signum's shoulder and pushed the pink-haired knight gently until she was lying down on the couch.
"Ah, Shamal," Signum interrupted, clearly uncomfortable, "I'm fine you really don't have to –Ugh!" Signum winced, shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her hands into fists, when Shamal brushed a gentle hand across her midriff.
"Sorry, Signum," Shamal apologized, her eyes bearing pain, "but please bear with me a little longer.
"Un." Signum responded, the pain had inhibited her ability of speech.
Shamal carefully brushed her hand along the scar, assessing its length and depth. Once she had gathered sufficient information, she concentrated her energy into the palm of her hand, emitting a bright green light, and pushed her hand against the wound. Signum grunted in pain when she felt the searing heat against her wound, hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly.
"Just a little longer," Shamal soothed the injured knight. She did not lie, a few seconds later, the wound had closed properly and the bright green light turned into a gentle one, soothing the tender skin.
Signum lied silently, feeling Shamal's soothing energy flow through her tired body, relaxing her muscles from its usual battle-ready tense state. Signum could never admit it, but the presence of the blonde-haired woman has always been able to calm her.
Shamal sighed in relief when the gentle green light in her hand dissipated; Signum has fully recovered. The pink-haired knight seemed to have noticed as well as she began to use her arms to push herself up. Shamal reacted quickly.
"Wait!" Signum paused immediately.
Shamal gently applied pressure on Signum's abdomen, feeling the Belkan knight tense beneath her fingers, and pushed her back to rest on the sofa before lying down on top of her, her head resting above Signum's heart.
"You should not move so quickly," Shamal scolded. Signum opened her mouth to retort that she was completely healed. "For a while at least," Shamal added as an afterthought, "Please?"
Signum closed her mouth and became silent. Shamal sighed in relief; it was an agreement, of a sort. So, it came as a surprise to her when Signum began to run her fingers through the short blonde hair in a soothing manner. Shamal let out a silent sighed of contentment.
"I remember," she began softly, afraid of breaking the comfortable silence, "that you use to this more often when we were… younger." She felt, rather than heard, Signum chuckle, through the vibrations from her position atop the pink-haired knight. Shamal herself chuckled as well, finally understanding the humour. They have not aged for centuries.
"You would do this," she continued after her laughter had died down, "a long time ago… when all this had begun." She paused, taking a deep breath, "When I was still new to killing," she felt the fingers in her hair pause momentarily, but she continued, "I remember I would cry afterwards, after the battles, but while Vita-chan would reproach me for my weakness, Signum… you would be there… to run your fingers through my hair. Do you… remember…?"
Shamal paused, trying to gauge Signum's reaction, and feared the worst when Signum stopped threading her fingers through blonde hair. She made the knight uncomfortable.
"It is late," she changed the topic quickly, all the while silently reprimanding herself, "I should go to bed." She made motion to remove herself from her position atop the knight, but stopped when she felt fingers tighten around her head, holding her towards her chest. Shamal tilted her head upwards, eyes regarding the knight's neutral face, eyes staring blindly at the ceiling above.
"I remember." The answer was so soft, almost a silent whisper, which Shamal would not have heard if not for the vibrations coming from the knight's chest. Shamal wondered whether it was an assent for her to continue her little reminiscence. Nevertheless, she continued.
"And the dreams that came afterwards?" Shamal asked softly, cautiously; she did not want to make her uncomfortable again. "The nightmares from the fear of one of us getting injured?" She swallowed, "Those nights where you laid beside me."
"Hm." The answer was neutral, much like the expression of the owner's countenance. Shamal considered it a positive one though, as fingers had not hesitated in continuing their routes. It gave her the confidence to sum up her courage to ask her final question.
"If I told you that… I fear… would you still do it?"
There was not a single movement after Shamal had uttered the question. Even the fingers in her hair had stilled, coming to a rest on top of her head. Shamal waited silently for a response, she waited so long that she herself may have been tiltering on the edge of dreams. Her patience was rewarded as she felt muscles tense as an early sign of movement.
Signum shifted under her and gently pushed Shamal on the couch, getting up from said couch in the process.
Of course, Shamal thought, bitterly, I should not been so hopeful.
However, her thoughts were interrupted when arms slip under her back and calves and scooped her up. She yelped, her arms immediately wrapping themselves around the pink-haired knight's neck.
"Signum! What are you doing?" Shamal blushed hotly, noticing the faint tint of red on the other knight's cheek. Silence was her only answer as she was carried up the stairs into her bedroom.
Signum entered the shared room, with the embarrassed healer in her arms, and deposited the blonde-haired woman in her bed before slipping under the covers herself. Shamal turned to face the pink-hair knight with even though the question had died on the tip of her tongue. Signum had given her an answer, though not verbally.
"Only for tonight," Signum clarified, wrapping an arm around the healer's waist. Shamal hummed in agreement before shifting closer to the pink-haired knight, burrowing into the crook of the latter's neck.
They had a dreamless sleep that night.