A/N: Cool! I didn't really expect anyone to really read my story. Thanks to all those who reviewed! Nyahahaha! I realized I had a lot of typos and grammar errors. I sincerely apologize for that. And if there are any more along the way, I really am sorry and I'll try to correct and edit them if life will allow me to.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Not even that cute French bulldog!
"I'm Fate and I apparently came out of that bush." She pointed at the shrub she had indeed came out of and stated it matter-of-factly like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
So her name's Fate? Fate…-chan? It… suits her. 'I'm Fate' Wait, doesn't that sound like a cheesy, lame pick-up line?
"And you are?"
I must've been so mesmerized by her that I hadn't heard her speak.
When I still didn't respond, she added: "Are you an idiot or what?"
My eyebrow actually twitched out of sheer irritation. I-Idiot? "Wha-Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Ah! She speaks!" She declared dramatically. "Oh speak again, dumb angel!" I think she was trying to quote a line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She laughed while holding her stomach.
This girl was really getting on my nerves. Was she trying to pick a fight? "What's with you? You're really rude!"
She stopped laughing then and stood upright with dignity. "I'm the rude one?" she pointed at herself and feigned innocence, "I'm not the one, who did not answer a simple question addressed to her. I gave you my name and was simply asking yours." She looked at me from head to foot. "You're not from around here, are you? Transfer student perhaps?"
This time it was me who looked at her from head to foot. She was indeed wearing a school uniform. The academy's uniform! Her long white sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and the top button was undone. Her red necktie was loosely undone also. Her dark blue blazer, with gold linings and cuff links, was tied around her waist. A dark pleated skirt revealed her long slender legs. Why am I looking at her legs? And she wore white sneakers over her black socks. Over all, her look suits her. The TSAB Academy's rebel I guess.
She rested her right hand on her hip and smirked. "Like what you see?" Her eyes caught me off guard.
I actually blushed. I don't blush! "Uh-um, no!" Good job, me! You just made a complete fool out of yourself!
She laughed again. I decided right then and there that this girl was absolutely infuriating.
When I was about to give her a piece of my mind, a shout of "There she is!" broke through in our little world.
She stopped laughing immediately and before I knew it two other figures appeared. One jumped off a tree and landed behind Fate, the other one leaped out of the neighboring bush that Fate came out of and stood behind me. We were surrounded. What is it with these girls and springing out of trees and bushes? Like Fate, they were also students but unlike her, they wore their uniforms more properly and right, despite having twigs and leaves sticking out of their hair and uniforms.
The one from the tree was a blond with short hair but the color was a lot darker than that of Fate's and had dark green eyes. She was catching her breath and tried to brush off the remaining leaves stuck in her hair. "Finally… you… stopped running… Fate."
"You can't run away forever! Come with us to the student council office now!" The other one was shorter with red hair tied in twin braids and sharp blue eyes. She's short. An elementary student? She wore such an angry face that I couldn't ask her that without getting a punch in return. So I decided to keep that comment to myself.
The two newcomers didn't seem to notice I was there. It's either I've been ignored or they're too focused to care about someone else.
I tried to acknowledge my own presence to them. "Uh-Uhm…"
Fate snorted, "As if." She ran towards me and grabbed my hand.
"W-wait!" But she didn't listen and we cut through the garden together.
The two were stunned with what happened. They groaned and were saying something like: "Not again!" And immediately ran after us.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked her. We passed by a lot of flower beds, rose bushes, hydrangeas and a lot more flowers I wished I had looked at before this happened.
"Don't know!" She answered over her shoulder. She still continued to hold my hand and led me to wherever she was headed.
I looked back and saw the other two were still in hot pursuit ordering us to stop. I could've stopped and pulled away my hand but I found myself running and holding her hand tightly with mine. We went inside one of the buildings, climbed a flight of stairs and saw some students walking out of their classrooms and idling around the hallway.
I'm guessing it was already time for the students to change classes. We ran by them. They were shocked to say the least to see us running away from two other students.
Fate opened a double door and stopped halfway through. This actually gave me the chance to catch my breath. The room was still fully occupied with students along with a teacher who seemed to be in the middle of giving a last minute reminder before they switched classes. All of them stopped and stared at us. "Ms. Harlaown?"
"Ah… sorry."
"Faaaaaaate!" The redhead and blond screamed as they were nearing us. This time a handful of other students were running with them. I guess they called some reinforcements.
"Crap!" We both ran again while Fate was still clutching my hand. We continued going down the hallway dodging other students and almost knocked down a guy carrying a stack of papers. The chasers were close behind. I'm not sure if I should be worried or not about that.
"Fate-chan!" I called to her. Three new students stood before us and blocked our way. Fate tried to quickly run back from where we came from, but then the blond and redhead along with their backups managed to catch up to us.
"Give it up, Fate," the short one spoke clearly out of breath and stomped her foot, "Don't cause any more trouble than you already have."
"What are you talking about?" Fate grinned. She doesn't seem to be tired from all the running we did. And I was freakin' exhausted! "That wasn't trouble. I was just having some fun."
"You call stealing the science club's hang glider and crash-landing inside the teachers' lounge, fun?" she shrieked. She was clearly annoyed now.
"Yep!" She answered with no hint of remorse whatsoever. She did all of that? Was she trying to commit suicide or something? "Plus, I do not steal. Stealing is such a harsh word, Vita. I'd prefer to call it: secretly-volunteering-to-make-sure-the thing-can-actually-fly! But I was wearing a helmet so I think it was okay since it didn't hurt that much."
The chasers, the curious students who happened to be near the area, and I included, just gaped and stared blankly at her. Only the sound of the spring breeze could be heard.
I didn't realize what happened next but by the time I regained my senses, Fate was already carrying me in her arms, bridal style. "Eh?"
She jumped on the window sill which has the wide open window. "Hold on tight, princess," she whispered in my ear. And I think I have a vague idea what's going to happen next.
The blond was able to recover her senses too but was a tad bit too late in stopping what Fate was about to do. "Wait—Fate, stop! We're on the second floor!"
"I know!" She gave a carefree smile at the blond and leaped off the ledge. Did I mention we were on the second floor?
Have you ever tried bungee jumping? Well, I haven't, but I think it would be cool to try it someday. I think it's a safe enough thrill ride. It has a harness, helmet and some other protective gear, and a long rope that's tied around your ankles and let you dangle in the air to keep you from plummeting to your untimely death. It's usually done along cliff edges or really tall buildings. It's something I'd love to try someday.
But have you ever tried jumping off from the second floor of a school building while being in the arms of a deranged, blonde psychopath with no harnesses, helmets and the heavenly divine rope to prevent you from plummeting to your untimely death?
I have. And it's something I'd hate to try again someday!
When she jumped off, I first saw the clear blue sky. And it was all I could see. The sun was shining. The air was still a bit chilly. For a moment there, I thought I was actually flying.
But then, a thing called gravity existed and we were falling back to the earth.
"KYAAAAAAAAA!" I couldn't help but scream and tightly hold onto Fate. My life really depended on it actually.
I was able to notice a few things. First, Fate was actually grinning! It was so carefree and she was actually enjoying it that I wanted to hit her real hard on the head. Second, she was holding me rather… securely. Gentle but firm. For someone who seemed like she wasn't thinking at all, she's pretty much making sure I won't slip out of her hold. And third, there's actually a pool below us.
When we hit the water, we really made a big splash! Literally. The students, who I'm guessing had their swimming class at that time, cleared away from the center of chaos, which was us.
I didn't know how deep the pool was but it was deep enough that we didn't hit the bottom and die. My vision was immediately enveloped by bubbles and foam. Luckily, the impact didn't hurt that much. But it still left me stunned and exhausted. I could hear some shouts muffled by the water. But I just ignored them. I felt like surrendering into the watery oblivion but then a hand grabbed my wrist and I shot up to the surface.
Fate and I burst out of the water and took a big gasp of air. Note to self, never take oxygen for granted.
I was waddling in the water. My wet hair obscured my eyes but I was able to see some surprised students standing on the pool's edge.
Fate was beside me and was laughing like a hysterical maniac. "That was totally awesome! Let's do that again!"
I think one of my veins just popped. "Are you insane? We could've died!" I shouted at her.
"I know! But we didn't! Isn't it great?" It's official she's insane! She looked at me and I noticed that our faces were closer than I thought. Our noses were almost touching. "What is it?"
"Um…" Even in the freezing pool water, I felt my face getting warmer and warmer.
"You're not getting away anymore, Fate!"
We both turned our heads to the person by the pool. It was the blonde along with the redhead, who I assumed would be Vita. I looked around some more and saw the students from before already positioned strategically from all sides of the big, rectangular pool.
"Hey Alisa!" Fate greeted and waved her hand, "wanna join me and, er… by the way," she looked back down at me. Even when she's soaking wet, Fate still looked pretty great, "I didn't catch your name, who are you again?"
My eye twitched and I was really tempted to drown her here in this pool.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Hohoho! HAHAHAHAHA!" A girl with short chocolate brown hair with yellow and red hairpins was laughing out loud that she almost had trouble breathing. "Hahaha… My stomach hurts so much! Stop me, Vita! Stop me… HAHAHAHAHA!" She repeatedly pounded her fist on the desk while she continued to laugh after Vita and Alisa gave their report.
Vita looked at the girl with half-lidded eyes and didn't know if she should be worried or annoyed with the girl's continuous laughter. "Hayate, you're laughing too much. You've been laughing for fifteen minutes already."
"But—HAHAHAHA! I can't—HAHAHA!—help it! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Alisa gritted her teeth and pointed at the girl named Hayate. "You're the student council vice president! Act like one and stop laughing already!"
"Okay, okay…" Hayate calmed down and cleared her throat. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I think I've used up all my laughter for one lifetime, eh?" she chuckled. And finally looked at Fate and I.
After what happened in the pool, Fate and I were taken to the student council office. The students who chased us around campus were actually members of the student council committee.
Amidst the trouble we (mostly, Fate) have caused, they were kind enough to give us towels to dry off and lent us tracksuits to change into.
"I gotta hand it to you, Fate." Hayate stood from her seat and walked to the front of her desk to stand before us. "This time you've really done it. You'll go down in TSAB history for sure! I admit that flying a stolen—"
"I didn't steal it."
"—hang glider through the window, crash landing and wreaking havoc in the teacher's lounge and walking away from it completely unscathed is idiotically impressive, but what happened afterwards just made my heart skip a beat!" The vice president's hand flew to her chest and looked like she was about to swoon.
"I've never met anyone who would leap out of a window on a two-storey building and plunge into the school's pool while carrying a girl in her arms in midair. Good job!" The vice president grinned widely and gave a thumbs-up. Not something I'd expect for a member of the student council to say, let alone from the vice president herself.
"Thanks," Fate grinned and shrugged, "I try."
"HAYATE!" Vita and Alisa reprimanded in unison.
She looked up at her officers and giggled. "Wow, you guys are in harmony today. Cool!" And then, she finally looked at me. I think she's the first person, besides Fate, to notice that I was there. "You must be the new transfer student the president mentioned. Nanoha, right?"
"Y-yes!" I quickly stood from my seat and introduced myself, "M-My name's Nanoha Takamachi. I-I just transferred to your academy recently. And I-I'm really sorry for the trouble I've caused today."
Hayate waved her hand dismissively. "Oh don't worry about that! We all know that it was all Fate's fault—"
"Hey!" Fate interjected.
"—so, you have nothing to apologize for. Your first day starts tomorrow, right? Oh! By the way, I'm Hayate Yagami from Class 1-A. Call me Hayate or, if you want, Hayate-sama! I'm the student council vice president and those two are members of the Disciplinary Committee. The redhead's Vita Yagami, my cousin."
"Yo!" Vita greeted.
"She's in class 1-C. The blonde is Alisa Bannings. She's the Executive Officer of the Disciplinary Committee and she's in class 1-B."
"Pleased to meet ya, Nanoha."
"It's nice to meet you too. Sorry about before." I bowed my head greeting and apologizing to them both.
"Nah, just like what Hayate said it's not your fault at all." Vita put her hands behind her head and leaned back on the wall. "It was all Fate's fault. You were just a victim here."
"Hey!" Fate stood from her seat. "I'm standing right here!"
"We know," Alisa said with a bored look and crossed her arms over her chest. "We're just saying what's true. But we surely didn't expect Fate to have some company in one of her annual game of tag."
"Hmm… Now that you've mentioned it," Hayate tapped her chin with her index finger and examined me like I was some fascinating relic, "where did you find this lovely kitten, Fate? I sure hope you didn't steal her from somebody else again."
Fate groaned and ruffled her damp hair. "For the last time, I do not steal. I just found her in the school garden and before I knew it, we were running away together holding hands. I don't even know why I did that." Fate muttered the last part under her breath and looked away crossing her arms indignantly.
"Hmm? Found her in the garden, eh?" The vice president had this sly look in her eyes, like she was imagining something lewd. "And you practically swept her off her feet!"
Fate turned back to Hayate and glared, "I did not."
"Oh! What a perfect scene it would have been!" Hayate exclaimed. "A rowdy, good-for-nothing but hot delinquent meets a lovely, pure and innocent maiden in the blossoming flowery spring garden of our youth. Destiny led them to this bizarre encounter which will render your hearts aflutter! Emotions will fly, tears will fall and steamy hot se… uh… Fate? What are you doing with that chair?"
I looked at Fate and understood why Hayate seemed ready to run away. "Fate…-chan?" While Hayate was declaring her well-formulated delusions to us, Fate slowly grabbed the chair she sat on earlier and raised it above her head. The two officers who stood silently at the back of the room seemed to be unfazed by Fate's action.
Fate, while holding the chair with both hands above her head, smiled innocently at Hayate. "Whatever do you mean, Hayate? Please continue on with your awe-inspiring story of young love which will render our hearts aflutter."
There was something quite deadly about Fate's smile. Hayate sweatdropped and could feel the ice in Fate's voice despite looking innocent. "J-just kidding, Fate-sama!" Hayate's voice cracked a little and backed away slowly. "That was pure fiction! Make-believe! I take it all back just put the chair down!"
One of the double doors of the student council room opened and came in a girl with brown hair holding a clipboard. She paused at the doorway and blinked once at the scene before her. She sighed and closed the door behind her, "Fate please put the chair down; you're scaring Nanoha-san. And, Hayate, stop teasing Fate already before you get hurt…again."
Fate did what she was told and ungracefully plopped on the chair crossing her arms.
"Yo Amy!" Hayate greeted cheerfully as if nothing happened. "Where's the president? I thought you were with him in the administrative building."
Amy went to one of the side desks in the room and took out a tablet computer from a drawer. "I was, but he told me to go ahead without him to the council room and prepare our meeting with Nanoha-san. He said he'll catch up after taking care of some errands."
"Hmm… errands, eh?" Hayate stroke her chin, "I wonder what kind of errands he's taking care of. And why would he want to do it alone?" A sinister smile formed on the girl's lips. "Maybe something like this and that…"
Vita face palmed, "Hayate… Enough already."
"Yeah," Alisa agreed while rubbing her temples, "we beg you. Please stop."
"What, why? Aren't you guys curious about what he does when he's alone?"
"HELL NO!" Vita, Alisa and even Fate shouted. Their faces were a bit flushed. I think mine was a bit warm after what Hayate said. Good thing I was sitting down.
"What? What did I say? I wasn't implying anything." Hayate raised her hands in defense. But then realized something and snickered evilly, "Ooh now I get it. I see you guys have such dirty little minds." She wiped an imaginary tear away and sighed dramatically, "I'm so proud!"
Amy clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay, okay! That's enough, the four of you. You're making Nanoha-san uncomfortable already." She smiled apologetically at me, "Don't mind them so much, Nanoha-san. You'll get used to them eventually."
"Um, it's okay. Don't worry about me, um…"
"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Amy Limietta of Class 3-B. I'm the student council secretary."
"She's also the president's personal sex-cretary and girlfriend!" Hayate added teasingly. Amy pinched Hayate's cheek. "Ow ow ow! That hurrfs, Amy-shamaaa! Pleash releash! Pleash releeeeash!"
Ignoring Hayate's cries, Amy added with a sweet smile, "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me. Okay, Nanoha-san?"
Wow, she seems to be a really nice person. I need all the help I can get after all that happened today. "I-I will. Thank you, Amy-senpai."
"By the way, senpai," Alisa spoke unfazed by Hayate's somehow pitiful state, "shouldn't you be preparing whatever it is the president wanted you to prepare for the meeting later?"
"Oh that? I already did." Amy replied still not releasing her hold on Hayate's cheek and still ignoring Hayate's whines and whimpers, "I already prevented any future crime that Fate would've done, any possible casualty befalling on Hayate and, most of all, saved Nanoha-san from having PTSD before her official first day. All in a day's work," and finished it with a small shrug.
Amy took pity on Hayate and released the vice president. The punished girl rubbed her sore cheek and exaggeratedly ranted on about cruelty and abuse to the student council secretary, who was only half-heartedly listening to her.
"Well then," Vita pushed back from the wall, "guess me and Alisa should be heading back to our usual rounds."
"Eeeh?" Hayate whined, "Why? Stay a little longer, Vita-chan, Alisa-chan!"
Alisa was halfway from opening one of the double doors. "We just stayed a bit longer since we'd feel uneasy if we leave you and Fate alone, and—as what Amy-senpai mentioned, we didn't want the new transfer student to be traumatized before her first day."
So does that mean that on my second day and the days after that, I'll definitely be traumatized by these two? What kind of school is this?
"But since Amy-senpai's already here, I'm sure she can handle the situation well enough. Then, we'll be on our way, senpai. I apologize in advance for any future trouble my cousin will cause." Vita bowed a little and left the room with Alisa. "See you later, Hayate."
Only the four of us were left and the three of us had to listen to Hayate saying how her cousin betrayed and abandoned her with the enemy. Of course, Amy-senpai silenced her with a bop on the head and reminded her about her important position as student council vice president.
Seriously, how did a person, such as Hayate, become the student council vice president? I can't think of any possible explanation for this phenomenon.
While Amy was lecturing Hayate, I noticed that Fate hadn't said a word in awhile and was looking bored. Right now, Fate seems like a reasonable person when she's just sitting there. And for as long as she doesn't get a hold of any type of furniture.
"What is it?"
She was now looking straight at me! She was talking to me!
"Eh? Um, n-nothing. It's nothing!"
Fate stared some moreand said, "You were staring at me."
"I-I was?" She caught me staring at her! How embarrassing! "It's nothing really! Nothing at all… Fate-chan."
Fate's eyebrows arched up. Was it something I said? She hummed and propped her elbow on her knee and rested her jaw on her knuckles. "So we're on the first name basis now?" she smirked, "Do we even know each other that well already?"
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I'm—"
"Takamachi, right? I heard you when you were introducing to Hayate. No need for a repeat."
"I just…wanted to do it properly!"
Fate raised a slender brow and arrogantly looked at me. "Properly? Are you implying I'm stupid enough not to catch your name even if you weren't talking to me? Know your place, transfer student."
I felt a vein pop in my temple again. This girl is simply annoying! What's with her? And I really just wanted to introduce myself properly! Isn't that something basic when it comes to manners? When it comes to making new friends?
When I was about to reply back, the door once again opened. This time it was a tall boy with midnight blue hair and eyes, and with him it was Principal Lindy and… my parents? "Mom? Dad?" I quickly stood from my seat the second I saw them at the door.
"Nanoha?" It was my mom who first spoke. My dad simply looked a little stunned. I can't really blame him since the last time they saw me, I was dry and wearing my casual wear of a blue skirt, white blouse and a denim jacket. Now my hair was still a little damp and I was wearing the TSAB Academy's tracksuit with a towel around my shoulders. "What happened to you?" My mom shuffled towards me and daddy followed behind but still remained quiet. "What happened to your clothes?"
I jumped from the second floor and took a quick dip at the school's pool? "Um…" I scratched my cheek and laughed nervously, "… a lot of stuffs kind of happened while I was…touring the school."
"What kind of stuffs?" Dad crossed his arms and asked in his no-nonsense voice.
"Um…" I looked at my feet and I wished the ground would just swallow me whole. Would he even believe me if I tell him what really happened? "I kind of… fell in the pool."
Well, it was true that I fell into the pool. I just gave him the most general idea I could think of. I wasn't about to tell him what really happened before that. Dad didn't say anything afterwards. It felt like the three of us were the only ones in the room. My parents have that kind of power over me I guess. Most especially my father.
"Nanoha," Dad spoke loud enough for only me to hear, "it's not even your first day yet and you've already caused some trouble. I'm a little disappointed."
That struck me a little. I know what I was supposed to do. It wasn't my fault at all. I wanted to tell him that I didn't mean to get involved with the whole mess. But the words just wouldn't come out. My whole body felt numb and I was only able to say a soft "I'm sorry" to him. I couldn't really look at him in the eye and just stared at my parents' shadows on the floor. I bit my lip and fought back my tears from falling. I was not planning on embarrassing myself any further.
Their feet moved away from my field of vision and I assumed that Principal Lindy called to them. "We'll wait for you in the car, Nanoha." My mom said and I heard the door closed.
I want to be anywhere but here.
I was trying to mentally block out the sounds around me but I heard some fussing from Hayate, Amy and the boy, and I just had to look up.
"Let me do it please!"
"Hayate," the boy rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that to our new student."
"Eeh? Why not?" Hayate puffed out her cheeks at him.
"Because groping someone else's breast is definitely not a sure-fire way to cheer a person up." Amy sternly said.
I instinctively covered my chest.
"Well, let's get down to business, shall we?" the boy said and sat behind the desk at the front of the room. Maybe he's…! "First, allow me to say, welcome to TSAB Academy, Nanoha Takamachi. And second, I apologize that Fate got you involved in one of her messes. And third, please ignore Hayate."
"That's mean, Chrono!" Hayate whined and sighed. She cleared her throat and somehow the air around her became serious. "Nanoha-chan, let me introduce to you our student council president."
Hayate becoming serious is getting kinda weird.
"Chrono Harlaown. Third year, Class 3-B. Nice to meet you, Nanoha Takamachi."
"It's nice to meet you, too, President." I knew it.
Chrono chuckled, "At ease, Takamachi-san. Please have a seat. It's quite rare for us to accept transfer students in the middle of the term. But you must be quite the exemption then."
"Well, she is quite cute—ow! You stepped on my foot, Amy!"
Chrono cleared his throat and gave a silent warning to Hayate who obeyed by animatedly zipping her mouth, locking it and throwing away the key. "Anyways," Chrono turned on his tablet computer and dragged his fingers across the touchscreen, "you'll start your first day tomorrow. Amy, will provide you your schedule. Lessons, materials and the rest will be given along the way. The teachers will give you special homework and projects to help you catch up." He tapped on the screen a couple of times and nodded, "Your uniforms have already been delivered to your house. Please wear the proper attire tomorrow. And," he sighed and smiled, "I know this is getting old but, I expect you to read the TSAB student manual and follow the school's rules and regulations. If you're able to abide by them, then you need not worry about meeting with the members of the Disciplinary Committee. Isn't that right, Fate?"
Fate rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
He paused for awhile and eyed the blonde girl beside me. He sighed and typed something on the screen. "I met with Vita and Alisa on the way here and they told me what happened. I already talked to the teachers who saw you. Luckily, our system and the student council still have the last word about it, but we have our limits, Fate. I hope something like this won't happen again."
The president stayed silent and waited for the girl to say something else but Fate didn't say anything back. After a moment, he sighed and turned off his tablet computer. "Well, that would be all. Once again, welcome to the academy, Takamachi-san. Fate," he called to the girl and waited for her to look at him. She looked at him albeit a little irritated. "As your punishment, escort Takamachi-san to her car. We mustn't keep her parents from waiting any longer."
Fate stood from her seat, "The hell I'd—"
"Or would you want me to tell Principal Lindy about this?"
Fate bit the corner of her lip and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "… I'd be glad to."
Fate and I were quietly walking along the empty hallway of the building. Before leaving the student council office, Amy gave me a paper bag which had my dried up clothes in it. She said the school's laundry service did it. They sure work fast. They said I could keep the tracksuit as an apology for what happened. So it was just me, Fate and a paper bag with my casual wear in it.
There wasn't anyone around so classes must be going on. The hallways had really high windows. Judging by the intensity of the light coming through, I'd say it was almost lunch time. Fate was walking a few steps ahead of me and didn't talk much. You know what, scratch that, she didn't talk to me at all! But right now, that's the least of my worries.
I still don't know how to explain to my parents about what happened. Not to mention, I'm a bit anxious about my first day tomorrow. I still need to double my effort if I was going to catch up with my class' lessons.
With all the thinking I've done, my stomach growled. Of course, I was a little hungry but for it to growl that loudly was embarrassing! I hope a certain someone didn't…
I heard a chortle and some snickering. I looked ahead and saw Fate's shoulders shaking. Then I heard full blown laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! That was—HAHAHAHAHA! That was—HAHAHAHA!"
I think my entire face turned beet red. "Stop laughing!"
"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm sorry—HAHAHAHAHA! But—HAHAHAHA!"
"I can't help it alright! With all the running I did awhile ago!" I tried rationalizing to lessen my embarrassment.
After a few moments, Fate finally calmed down and walked back to me. "You're right," she giggled, "with all that running, I'm sure anyone's stomach would've growled as loud as that."
I pouted. "Then… how come your stomach didn't growl like mine did?"
She furrowed her brows and pondered a bit. "Because I'm special!" She grinned at me and couldn't help but arch a brow at her and chuckle. "Ah, I have an idea. Come with me," she grabbed my hand and I tugged at it a little to get her attention.
"Wai—"
"Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly, "we're walking this time."
Surprisingly, I let her lead me and, even more surprisingly, I still let her hold my hand. Her hands were warm and soft as expected for a girl's hand to be. She held my hand firmly but at the same time, she was gentle about it. Like she was giving me the chance to pull my hand away. As if she was saying: 'You can pull away if you want to.'
I found myself still holding onto that hand.
She led me outside the building. And we stopped in front of two vending machines. One had a variety of sweet snacks while the other had a variety of drinks to choose from. It even serves soup? "It's my treat," Fate said with a smile, "so you can choose whichever you like."
"W-What do you recommend then?" I had a hard time choosing. They were all sweets which were my addiction!
"Hmm… alright then." She pressed a button and typed a few things.
[Please swipe your money card.]
Money card? What's that?
Fate clicked her tongue. "Crap, I left my money card back in my uniform."
"It's okay, Fate-chan. I'm really not that hungry anyway—"
"Yes, you are," she cut in, "don't say things you don't mean. It's pissing me off."
I was taken aback by her words and was about to pull away my hand but found her grip had tightened.
"I'm sorry," she looked away from me so I couldn't see her face or eyes.
"Fate-chan…"
She looked back down at me and this was the first time I realized that she was half a head taller than me. With her burgundy eyes, she continued to stare and said, "I said I'd treat you, so I will, okay?"
I found myself staring back and somehow saw my reflection in her eyes. "Okay" I heard myself say.
"Yay!" she grinned playfully and typed a few more buttons without letting go of my hand. I heard her sigh, "Can't be helped. I have to hack it."
Hack it? "What?"
"Yeah, since I left my money card, I have to dupe this thing to get the snack. So is a strawberry-filled cream puff okay with you?"
"W-wai-wait a second, Fate-chan! Isn't that like—against the school rules? I'm sure it is! And most of all, isn't that stealing?"
"I told you, I don't steal. I wouldn't call it stealing, in fact. I prefer to call it, creating-a-transaction -in-an-unorthodox-and-creative-manner. The vending machines will take the needed amount of the snack and drink from the next person who'll swipe their money card. It's like I'm borrowing without the person's knowledge or something like that."
Is this girl for real? "You said something different to Vita-chan before we jumped off the second floor."
"Oh that?" She continued to type a combination of numbers and letters. While still holding my hand. "The definition changes depending on the situation at hand. Call it my version of the Contingency Theory. So, how about drinks?"
I let Fate 'dupe' the innocent vending machines to giving her snacks and drinks. It's like allowing a playground bully to steal the other kids' snacks. I looked down and almost forgot about it, "Fate-chan?"
"Yes?" she asked without looking at me.
My cheeks were warm again. Stop going red already! "You can… let go of my hand now," it was almost a whisper and I wasn't sure if Fate heard me.
"Hmm… I could do that… but," the vending machines made a sound and the snack fell down to the retrieval slot, "I like holding your hand." She winked.
My brows shot up. And I looked away instantly that I think I heard my neck pop. I didn't know what to say after that. I swear my ears are turning red too. Why on earth am I having this kind of reaction from a girl?
"Just kidding," she said playfully and slowly let go of my hand.
I miss the warmth instantly.
She bent down and got the snack and drink. She held the snack with her right and the drink with the other.
Despite my protests, Fate got me a cream puff from the vending machine and a bottle of water. She handed the cream puff to me. We sat on a nearby bench. And I took a bite after I opened its wrapper. I'm having dessert before lunch. If Mom knew this, she'd give me an earful. "Fate-chan, aren't you going to eat?"
"Hmm? Nah, water's fine for me."
"But I'd feel bad if I'm the only one who's eating! H-here." I held the cream puff to her motioning for her to take a bite. Why am I so nervous?
She looked at the pastry and then back at me. She smirked, "... Uh… am I supposed to…?"
She wasn't going to make this easy for. I meekly nodded; my eyes not meeting hers. I saw her shrug at the corner of my eye. She grasped my hand holding the cream puff and I watched her take a bite near the part I had eaten. Tha-that was almost an…!
She chewed and swallowed. She licked her lips and giggled. "Mmm. That was really sweet. And…" she locked eyes with me again and a smile slowly formed on her lips, "we almost kissed indirectly."
My head actually exploded! Well, figuratively speaking, of course. But I think I have a full body blush right now. My heart's beating really fast. It's weird, it's like it's pounding really hard and I can almost hear it. And I can't look Fate in the eye anymore without blushing some more! Wait… it… can't be right…?
"Kidding," she stood up and laughed a little. She twisted the cap off the bottled water and took a small sip. She looked down at me. "I should escort you back to your parents."
I could see the fountain in front of the administrative building. And my parents' car was parked where we had left it this morning. My parents were still talking with Principal Lindy.
Fate stopped walking and I turned around to face her. "Fate-chan?"
"Guess this is where we part." She smiled down at me.
I giggled at her. "And your punishment's over, I guess." Somehow, my eyes searched for hers and I found myself looking at them. Again with those eyes! Her eyes the color of burgundy looked at me with an emotion I couldn't really tell. As if she was hiding something. I wanted to ask her: 'What are you hiding, Fate?' I managed to take a step back. "I think I should go." I turned on my heel and was about to head to where my parents are when…
"I'm sorry."
I stopped on my tracks and looked over my shoulder. Did she just say…? "What…?"
Fate still looked straight at me. "It wasn't… your fault; it was mine. It's my fault." She repeated.
I turned around fully looking at her now. Without batting an eyelash, she continued, "You got scolded by your dad… because of me. And you didn't deserve that. It must've hurt, right? To hear something like that from your parent?"
'I'm a little disappointed.'
Dad's words echoed in my mind. I didn't have to see his face to confirm his words. His tone of voice was enough for me. The memory that I almost cried back at the student council office made me realize how affected I was with his words. I did my best to hide my emotion from showing on my face the entire time and set the matter at the far reaches of my mind until I'd be alone to deal with it myself in my own way. But for some unknown reason, this girl before me saw right through my facade. She said I was hurt. My vision soon misted and I knew tears were about to fall. I nodded, "Yeah… it kinda did…" I felt a single tear roll down my cheek. I felt her wipe it away with a finger. But the gesture just made me want to cry even more!
Fate grabbed my hand—again. And we both marched to where our parents are.
My mom was the first to notice our arrival. "Nanoha?" the other two adults turned to where she saw me.
"Fate, what are you doing here?" Principal Lindy knew Fate?
But Fate continued to march her way to my parents. "Good day, Principal Lindy, Mr. and Mrs. Takamachi," she bowed to the principal and faced my parents next, "you may not know me but I'm Fate T. Harlaown, a student here in TSAB Academy. I was also present in the student council office awhile ago. I have come here to clear up a misunderstanding concerning your daughter."
To say my parents were surprised was an understatement. I too couldn't help but gape at what the girl who was holding my hand was about to do. "W-wait Fate-chan! You don't have to—"
"You see," Fate continued without stopping, "Takamachi-san didn't cause any trouble today as you have mentioned. It was my fault that she… fell to the pool. I know it was irresponsible of me at that time and even more so when I did not apologize to you earlier. But I hope that you would not blame Takamachi-san for causing the incident. I sincerely express my apology for having your daughter involved and take full responsibility on whatever way you see fit, I only ask that you… don't blame Takamachi-san unnecessarily." Fate then bowed down to her waist at my parents.
I was completely speechless at what she did. This is the first time someone actually came up to my parents and apologized! Not that my friends from my previous school got me to into trouble, but still… it was pretty admirable.
I nervously snuck a glance at my parents' faces. It was no surprise that my mom was shocked by Fate's action. Dad was a little subtle about it but I knew him long enough to know that he too was taken aback of what Fate did.
There was an awkward silence. Principal Lindy was observing from the side. The suspense was really killing me.
"Well…" Surprisingly, it was dad who first spoke. "If you would promise you would be more careful in the future, I'll let this incident pass, Fate-san."
My father actually let this slide?
Fate bowed again, "Thank you very much, Mr. Takamachi."
"Thank you also, Fate-san." Mom smiled at Fate. "Lindy," she called to the principal, "we'll catch-up at some other time, alright? Nanoha, we should be on our way." Mom motioned for me to follow but I found myself still unable to move.
"You should probably go," Fate said, "or your dad will get angry again." She then let go of my hand. I hesitated to leave. "Ah, here," she stretched out her hand holding the water bottle, "you should drink some water since you ate that really sweet stuff earlier. So you won't have diabetes or tonsillitis or something," she smirked.
I took the bottle and giggled at her. "Thanks, I will." I got inside the car and dad started the engine.
While my parents said a few words of thanks to the principal, I saw Fate standing at the other side of the car window. She was saying something to me but I couldn't hear it of course. But as I looked closely, I figured out what the words her lips were saying. And before I could roll down the window to say something back, dad drove out of the school.
Welcome to TSAB Academy, Nanoha.
I know I'm no expert in lip reading but I'm almost sure that's what she said. I wasn't sure about the last part though. Did she really… call out my first name?
"Who was that girl you were with, Nanoha?" mom asked, "She seems like a nice girl, and she's very cute too."
I blushed as I remembered Fate's face. "That was… Fate." Fate-chan… I smiled as I mentally said her name. She really is a pretty girl, though, with deep, beautiful but sad, burgundy eyes. Sad? Was that what I saw in her eyes at that time? I imagined Fate's beautiful deep burgundy eyes again to see if they really looked sad. I visualized that they were staring at me again. But the more I think about her eyes looking at me, the more I felt embarrassed and thus my cheeks became inconveniently warm to the touch.
I opened the bottle of water Fate gave me and took a long swig to cool down. I felt a little refreshed. I didn't realize I was that thirsty. Thanks, Fate-chan. Wait, didn't Fate take a sip from the bottle awhile ago? W-wait! That means…!
"KYAAAAAA!" I shrieked and dad swerved the car to the right but then jerked it back to the left. I think I even heard my mom curse but I wasn't sure. Luckily, dad was able to maintain control. "Nanoha? What's wrong? What happened back there?" he asked through the rearview mirror.
My face was crimson red. It was hot. My heart couldn't stop from thumping so loud I think it's going to burst out of my chest! And it had nothing to do with dad's driving. "N-N-Nothing! I-it's nothing, Daddy! I'm sorry!"
It's just that… I had my first indirect kiss with… Fate-chan!
A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcoming of course! I'll try to reply to your reviews but life is becoming annoying lately. And I think my laptop is dying. I sure hope not though. :D
