Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Hayate Cross Blade, they all belong to Shizuru Hayashiya. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. This has spoilers for the first volume of the manga, so go read it before reading this fiction.
Hayate Cross Blade: Rebirth
Ayana Mudou offered her hand to Suzuki Sonoe, the taller black haired girl's expression oddly gentle. "Mudou-san?" Suzuki looked up at her questioningly from where she had collapsed in the dirt after her defeat, "What? I don't want your pity. I bet you're feeling pretty good right now, handing me not one but two humiliating defeats."
"No, not really," Ayana said to her mildly, "The status quo has been maintained, that's all." Maintaining a straight face she continued, "It's just that your utter uselessness is so painful to watch that I can't just stand by."
Suzuki felt her stomach clench into little ball as she looked up into that cool, calm expression, wishing she could wipe it right off her face. Preferably with her sword. But she knew she couldn't so she waited for what she knew was coming.
"So cheer up, queen of suck," Ayana added cheerfully as she added a final dig, "you did half decent for trash."
"Aaaargh!" Suzuki wailed as the other girl walked away. She jumped to her feet as she roared, "One day, Mudou! One day I swear I'll kill you!"
"Suzuki-san!" her partner Aida yelped, bodily holding her back, knowing that another illegal attack would get her expelled.
"Wow," Hayate murmured as she and Ayana walked away, "you're even more merciless than usual today, Ayana."
Ayana whistled to herself cheerfully as she told her, "I think that about pays her back for what she did at lunch the other day." She smirked, "That feels better...."
That was one week ago....
The ringing of the bell at Tenchi Girl's Academy signaled the start of the Hoshitori, the fifteen minutes where sword wielding students fought each other for stars and glory. The bells would ring every three minutes, five times in all, then they would return to classes once more. Or be hauled off to the infirmary depending on whom they faced.
Suzuki was out of her seat like a shot as the first bell rang out, her steps filled with a different sort of purpose than before. Students who knew her stopped and stared, wondering what had fired up the young woman. She hurried to meet her partner, the two coming together out in a hall away from class but not in the dueling areas.
"Suzuki," Aida ran beside her, her lighter brown hair flowing to her shoulders as she greeted her partner. She looked at Suzuki in concern as they hurried outside. Since their defeat by the pair of Mudou/Kurogane she had disappeared after classes, not telling her where she was going. All she had told Aida was to train.... Nervously she asked, "Do we hide or...?"
Sometimes, star bearers did have to hide. Partner-less they were vulnerable to being attacked for their stars, while some pairs simply lost hope, fighting among the D-ranks unable to rise. Suzuki smiled slightly at her partner, "Come on, let's see what we can do."
The D-ranks were good, at least in comparison to any traditional Kendo standard. What separated them from the higher ranks, Suzuki thought, was drive as much as anything. Most of the girls who were still in D-rank after a year had come to the school looking to make money, not to better themselves or strive for some greater goal. And without that drive, they couldn't win against the really determined fighters.
As the second bell rang Suzuki recognized a pair of blond girls, almost stereotypical in that they were casual and here just for the cash. "Those two?" Aida murmured as she watched covertly. The girls liked to ambush people if they could, ganging up on partner-less sword bearers to take stars from girls who could not fight back under the rules.
"Them," Suzuki agreed as they emerged from cover in the girl's path, her in the lead while Aida hung back a little.
The first blond tensed a moment, then as she recognized them, she laughed suddenly. "It's you two!" she chuckled.
"Like, wow!" the other blond exclaimed, "Didn't Mudou give you enough of a thrashing to scare you off for good?"
Suzuki kept her cool as she took up a guard position, Earth sword for Aida's Heaven sword. "Bring it on," she invited them, forcefully quelling the fear that a string of defeats had left in her heart. She noted with some amusement that both wore their stars on their shoulders, the earth sword not protecting her's on her belt as she should.
The first blond swept forward boldly, her blade whizzing through the air but Suzuki parried it with surprising ease. They fought back and forth as she let muscle memory and days of hard practice take over, driving the other girl backwards in a flurry of sword strokes.
'Wow,' Aida thought, her eyes widening. She was suddenly reminded of when she first saw Suzuki, back when they were trying out for Tenchi Academy, and how powerful she had seemed then.
"Like, so uncool!" the blond girl yelped, her eyes wide with astonishment as she added, "You're not supposed to be this strong!"
Silently Suzuki swept in to strike, slapping the shoulder mounted star with her sword as the third bell rang. "All right Aida," she smiled at her partner, her headband wet with sweat as she panted softly, "let's finish this."
With her guardian defeated the last blond fell to them easily, though she was slippery enough to last till another bell rang. The volunteer judge blew his whistle and signaled their victory as the other two girls staggered away, somewhat in shock.
"Suzuki, we won!" Aida was jubilant, understandably so considering their long string of losses. She nearly jumped on Suzuki., hugging her hard as she laughed happily.
"Calm down," Suzuki smiled as they walked together, the last bell ending the combat, "you're making a scene."
Aida smiled at her as other students, winners and losers, filed in either to class or skipping, as they sometimes did after a fight. Aida looked like she was searching for words as the other girl asked, "How did you... I mean, we were...."
"Near the bottom of the D-ranks?" Suzuki offered with a wry smile.
"Well, yes," Aida blushed as they went looking for a out of the way spot to sit, going up to the roof where the delinquents hung out. They gave way for the sword bearers, of course, letting the girls take a comfortable spot by the fence.
Suzuki looked out at the school, gazing through the wire thoughtfully. "Do you remember what the president said to me?" she asked quietly.
Aida nodded as she said a bit reluctantly, "She said you were trash for trying to attack Mudou from behind."
"She was right too," Suzuki agreed with her calmly. Her hand clenched on the wire as she added flatly, "Even setting aside my breaking of the school's rules, attacking someone from behind is the lowest of the low."
"But...," Aida started, unsure how to continue. She cared too much for Suzuki to accept such a thing, no matter who said it.
"After our second fight with Mudou, when we couldn't even beat her with cheating," Suzuki shook her head wryly, "I took a good look at myself."
Aida reached out to touch her partner's hand as she asked, "And what did you find out?"
Suzuki smiled back at her, "Mudou was right about one thing, I had been using my first loss to her to justify not trying. I let myself be 'traumatized' and didn't have to put myself in danger any more." Her expression became serious, "But that's over now."
"Oh?" Aida had to ask.
A excitement began to show in Suzuki's eyes, a look that she hadn't had in a long time. "From here on in I intend to do my best, to push myself as hard as I can," she told her partner. She stood up suddenly, clenching a fist as she declared, "I don't know how high we'll be able to climb but I intend to go as far as I can."
Aida rose beside her, taking her hand as she declared, "As far as WE can!"
"Yes," Suzuki took her hands in hers, smiling.
"Whoo-hoo!" several random cheered, making both aware they were having a special moment in front of a audience.
"Ugh," Suzuki blushed while Aida laughed merrily.
"Let's get to class before something else happens," Aida laughed as they hurried off, she still holding on to Suzuki's hand.
"This isn't going to be easy," Suzuki cautioned as they walked down the stairs together, "I'm going to push myself hard, and you're going to have to keep up with me." She made a face, "When we reach C-rank it's going to get crazy, not to mention the monsters up in A and B-ranks."
"Where ever you go, I go," Aida said, smiling with a slightly impish look.
Suzuki gave Aida a look, "I get the feeling you don't mean that quite the way I do."
Aida just smirked in reply.
As they reached the hallways they realized they were abuzz with conversation, young women chattering away excitedly. "What's going on?" Aida asked one of her friends.
"You didn't hear?" the girl looked surprised. "Mudou and Kurogane defeated nine pairs in a Chaos Match! They've jumped all the way up to C! It's a new campus record!"
Aida whipped around to look at Suzuki, worried the news would start another Mudou rant, but her partner was surprisingly calm. "Are you all right?" she had to ask.
"It's fine," Suzuki smiled honestly as she said, "I didn't think we'd be fighting them again soon anyway." Ambition began to shine in her eyes as she murmured, "And we'll be even stronger when we meet again."
"So will they," Aida said dryly.
Suzuki actually laughed, "Don't remind me."
End.
Notes: the conversation in the beginning of this story is quoted right from Hayate Cross Blade Volume one. Suzuki and Aida are incredibly minor characters in the series, they don't even rate getting character biography pages like others in the books. I found myself wondering what happened to Suzuki after she was beaten, what she would do after losing so badly twice. So I decided to write it.... And yes, I'm hinting at yuri with Aida and Suzuki. I figure there must be some reason Aida stuck with her even if she was a loser.
Now, I've only read up to volume five of the manga, so if Suzuki DOES come back, don't tell me. I wanna be surprised.