Introductory A/N: This small one-shot was originally written as a response to prove to DKN117 over at the AnimeSuki forums that it was possible to expand an idea into a ficlet on the fly. It's pretty much based on one of the ideas that he kept throwing at the Nanoha Fanfiction Thread regulars, which involved various members of the MGLN cast being in a band.

Anyway, this ficlet contains some Signum/Shamal fluff, and you may notice that Signum is somewhat out of character in it. The lyrics are from "Like The Angel" by the band Rise Against.

"Testarossa, I just cannot do this." Signum was standing in the middle of a small make-shift rehearsal room with a microphone in her hand. Both Fate and Nanoha were standing nearby with their guitars, while Zafira, with his Fender Precision Bass, was watching alongside Vita, who was grumbling about how hard it was to find a drum kit for someone her size.

"Don't give up now, Signum," Fate attempted to calm the pink-haired knight, "it's pretty hard to shrug off the fear of the magnitude of what you are about to do, but remember, you wanted this."

"Besides," Nanoha added, "the Riot Force Six talent show is the best opportunity to express your feelings, so why give up now? After all, you have faced much worse things in your previous existences."

Signum sighed. "Very well, Takamachi. Zafira, Vita, let's do this from the top."

The talent show had turned out to be a pretty huge success. As the stage crew were moving the amplifiers and the drum kit onto the stage, people were busy discussing the acts they felt worthy of winning the show. While there was no doubt that everyone had enjoyed a rousing performance of "YMCA" from Chrono, Yuuno, Vice, Griffith, and Verossa, the comedy act that Teana and Subaru put on had proved itself as a dark horse. It was noted that the crowd was evenly split as to whether Subaru was deliberately being stupid or not, though.

The lights dimmed as Signum, Fate, Nanoha, Zafira, and Vita walked onto the stage.

"I don't know about this, Hayate," Shamal stammered as the Mistress of the Tome of the Night Sky dragged her towards the hall where the talent show was being held. "I mean, what if someone needs medical attention?"

"Oh, don't worry, Shamal," the brunette replied cheerfully, "you should know that I gave everyone a day off just for today. Just get in there, sit back, and have some fun!"

As the two entered the hall, Hayate could barely suppress a grin. Oh yeah, Operation Shagnum's a go-go!

As soon as she saw Shamal walk in, Signum raised her microphone and nodded at the band. At once, the Guardian Beast started playing a bass melody that ascended on two strings before descending, and left the last chord to hang for a few seconds. A few hits of the hi-hat later, the guitars crashed in.

They turn the lights down low,
In shadows hiding from the world,
Only coming out when it gets cold.

The seas part when they hit the floor,
The voices carry on and out the door,
And everything you touch turns into gold.

Like the angel you are, you laugh, creating
A lightness in my chest,
Your eyes - they penetrate me,
(Your answer's always "maybe")
That's when I got up and left.

To say that Shamal was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. While it was true that the Knight of The Lake had seen and felt many things she would never want to recall, she also had her fair share of pleasant memories, but what was transpiring in front of her very own eyes would forever be her most treasured memory. In addition to looking surprisingly ravishing in a simple black t-shirt and torn jeans combination, Signum was singing beautifully, pouring out her emotions in every single word. Turning around to ask Hayate if she had a hand in organizing this, Shamal was greeted with a combination of a smile and a smirk on the brunette's face, and a hand-motion to look at the stage.

As Fate started playing the first half of the guitar solo, Signum got off the stage and made a dash to where Shamal was standing. Without giving Shamal any time to react at all, the Blaze Commander pressed her lips over the blonde's, claiming them with a strong hunger. When the Knight of The Lake started kissing back, Signum reluctantly broke off the kiss as Nanoha's half of the guitar solo drew to an end.

And each and every day will lead into tomorrow,
Tomorrow brings one less day without you.
But don't wait up, just leave the light on,
'coz all the roads that I might take
Will all one day lead back to you.

And like the angel you are, you laugh, creating
A lightness in my chest,
Your eyes - they penetrate me
(You never cease to amaze me)
That's when I got up and left.

It was Shamal who started the kiss as soon as the song ended. As the two broke apart for air, ignoring the looks on the faces of the audience, the blonde could not help but giggle. "So, that's why you've been ignoring me recently."

"Being a knight, I was not sure on how to act on my feelings when they first started to develop. Could you forgive me for the suddenness of all this?"

"Don't be silly, Signum. As far as I can remember, you claimed this angel's heart a long time ago." The two kissed again, ignoring all the "D'awwwwwwwwwww"s that were coming from the audience and the grins on Hayate and the band's faces.

More A/N: Yep, just another piece of silly yet heart-touching fluff from yours truly.

It's really irritating to keep formatting and re-uploading a particular chapter here on ... Not as bad as LiveJournal, though.