Introductory A/N: This one is for Hignum, who requested a ficlet that ships Signum with a male character. While Signum doesn't end up in a relationship at the end of it, I have left it open so that if I ever do pick up on this again, she is in a good position to find herself in one. As for Honulicious' request, I regret to say that due to the (over-) abundance of NanoFate stories on FF(dot)net, writing NanoFate is not exactly on the top of my things to do. That said, I do have a couple of ideas for such a pairing, and I'll definitely put pen to paper (more like, fingers to keyboard) as soon as I've cleared out my non-NanoFate ideas.
Yes, I admit it, I've pinched the opening segment from my "It Is A Truth Universally Acknowledged" story. This story takes place about eight years after StrikerS (approximately a year or two after "Force").
Disclaimer: I do not own MGLN - 7Arcs does. The OC Nathan is based on one of my real life friends, who happens to play guitar in a band that I'm putting together.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Likewise, in today's modern world, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good fortune must also be in want of a husband, a wife in a case or two, or a wife AND a husband in a really rare case.
Of course, most people, regardless of their financial status, do eventually feel the need to look for a spouse, and Signum was not an exception to this rule. In the case of the pink-haired leader of the Wolkenritter, though, it took a while for the rule to kick in.
Signum stood in the middle of the training grounds with a proud look on her face. The Blaze Commander had just finished putting her current batch of recruits from the TSAB Ground Forces through a rigorous training session which ended with a many-versus-one mock battle. While the recruits ultimately fell short of besting her due to fatigue that had snuck up upon them as the battle dragged on, Signum was impressed with the progress they had made, considering that they had only enlisted three weeks ago.
Of course, ever since the fiasco that was known as the Jail Scaglietti Incident, the Ground Forces were eager to redeem themselves and restore their prestige, something that was not lost on the new recruits.
"That's all for today," Signum announced, "I am impressed by your efforts against me in the mock battle that we just had – I have never had Laevatein, in its Snake Form, used against me in the creative way that you showed." Seeing the tired yet genuinely-happy grins on the recruits' faces, the knight could not help but smile along with them. "Now, I am aware that today happens to be Valentine's Day, so I am going to give you the rest of the day off so that you can spend some quality time with your significant others."
"What about you, ma'am," one of the recruits called out, "do you have anyone to spend today with?"
"If I had someone to spend the day with, Oz," Signum chuckled, "the rest of you would have known by now. I'll be spending the rest of the morning working on reports on today's training session and doing paperwork to officially excuse all of you for the rest of the day. Now, be sure to run a few laps to cool down before hitting the showers, alright?"
Watching the recruits jog off into the distance, Signum deactivated her Knight Armor as Laevatein reverted back into its standby pendant mode before heading off to her office. As the knight enjoyed the cool breeze in the air during her short trip, a communication screen suddenly flashed into existence.
"Hey there, Signum!" There was no mistaking the enthusiasm in Hayate Yagami's voice. "How's everything going at your new posting? Hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Ah, Mistress," Signum replied warmly, "what a pleasant surprise to hear from you. Everything is fine here and, no, I have just finished a training session with the latest batch of recruits. How have you been, my Mistress?"
"Mou, Signum, you know that you don't need to call me by that term anymore, right?" Hayate sighed in mock exasperation. "Anyway, you'll never guess what happened last night!"
"Oh?"
"Remember the guy that I met just after I officially left the Administration Bureau?" Seeing Signum nod after a few seconds, the Japanese brunette went on. "Well, last night, Raiser treated me to a posh dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, and…" Hayate was gasping for air in excitement at this point.
"Relax, Hayate. Take a deep breath, calm down, and collect your thoughts."
"HEPROPOSEDTOME!" Hayate was gushing at this point. "After the wonderful dinner, the lights dimmed, several violinists started playing something romantic, and Raiser simply got down onto his knee, presenting me with the most beautiful diamond engagement ring I've ever seen!"
"I see. You said 'yes', I presume? From what you have told me, Raiser is a good person and, to be blunt, he is worth keeping."
"Worth keeping for the wild monkey sex? Oh, definitely!" Hayate was chuckling at Signum's reaction. "That said, though, yeah, I do love him a lot. I was lost when I decided to quit the Bureau after burning myself out, and Raiser stepped in to give me another sense of direction. From there, something just sparked between us, and we've never looked back ever since then."
"Well then, I'm happy for you, Hayate. I suppose this is probably the best Valentine's Day gift you could ever receive." The knight was genuinely happy for the brunette, despite lacking her own personal love life. "When will the wedding be?"
"We have not decided yet, but there is one thing I would like to request for."
"Oh?"
"Signum, you have always been there for me, ever since when I accidentally activated the Book of Darkness. You've done so much to protect me, even risking your own life just to do so. I… I was wondering if you could be my maid-of-honor."
"It would be a pleasure to be your maid-of-honor, Hayate," the Blaze Commander replied without hesitation. "Thank you for asking me."
The conversation continued for a few more minutes until Signum had reached her office, by which time Hayate had signed off to have, in her own words, "a lot of wild monkey sex" with her fiancé. As she started working on her reports, the knight started reflecting.
It has been over eight years since Riot Force Six officially disbanded. Mistress… No, Hayate Yagami has finally grown into a beautiful young woman, and has managed to fall in love with a good man who, without doubt, will give a new meaning to her life. Both Testarossa and That Thing… I was not surprised when they finally married each other. Enforcer Lanster and Subaru Nakajima are both together as well. Zafira has been spending a lot of time with Arf, and as for Shamal… Even Hayate was surprised to see her go steady with Yuuno Scrya and That Thing's older sister.
Realizing that she had finished her paperwork as though she was in an autopilot state, Signum decided to head off for an early lunch. Vita aside for obvious reasons, I'm the only one in our core group to not be in a relationship. As much as I should feel happy for everyone, there's something in me that yearns for what they have. At the same time… I also feel jealous of Shamal and Zafira for being able to throw off the memories of what we had to go through in the past. If only I could set myself free from the chains of those memories.
"… And that was the latest single from the up-and-coming band, Fon Filia!" The radio was on as Signum was busy at her apartment working on a new training regime for her recruits. "They will be launching their debut album, 'Welcome to Alavon', at The Shiny Sword, one of the hippest clubs in Cranagan City tonight. The club will also be hosting a singles party, so if you are currently single, dress up and come on down to see if you can find that special someone on the Day of Love!"
Signum chuckled as she heard the last portion of the DJ's announcement. Hayate had dragged the knight down to a couple of singles parties during their last trip to Earth, and the Blaze Commander was amused by all the obviously-single men (read: ugly) attempting to hit on her. Closing her eyes upon finishing her paperwork, Signum smiled at the memory of being hit on by a self-proclaimed 'Major' Mike Powell, who claimed that the only thing more beautiful than her would be the sight of dead ferrets – the so-called 'Major' never fully recovered from the bashing he received in return.
Well, the knight thought to herself as she changed into a pair of jeans that placed plenty of emphasis on her legs, a pink halter top, and a white jacket, I might as well as check out what the scene is like in Cranagan. Satisfied with her appearance, Signum put on a pair of heeled boots to complete her outfit before leaving her apartment. Besides, even if I can't find anyone who suits my fancy, at least I can still get myself a copy of Fon Filia's debut album. They do have several catchy songs, after all…
Dancing to the beat of the in-house music at The Shiny Sword several hours later, Signum was able to conclude that Mid-Childan men were much better-looking than their earthen counterparts. It's a pity that their behavior is still mostly the same, though, the pink-haired knight thought to herself as she found herself dancing with both a man and a woman, both of whom were in a dance-off for her affections. Blushing slightly with embarrassment as her stomach growled softly with hunger, she excused herself from the duo and made her way to the exit, giving the bouncer, Satashi, a tip on her way out. Well, at least I was able to work up a bit of an appetite, Signum thought to herself as she walked down the street, but it is a pity that the band already ran out of copies of their album.
"Excuse me, miss!" The Blaze Commander turned around to see a man running towards her. "You dropped your coin purse back at the entrance of the club."
"Ah, thank you," Signum replied calmly as she received her purse, "I suppose I was too caught up wondering what I was have for dinner to notice that something was amiss." Looking at the man, the Wolkenritter leader jumped back in surprise. "Say, aren't you the lead guitarist for Fon Filia?"
"Yeah, that would be me." The man took a few seconds to catch his breath before holding out his hand. "I'm Nathan, and it's a pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances, miss?"
"It's Signum, and it's nice to meet you, Nathan. I really enjoyed your music but, unfortunately, I was unable to get a copy of your band's debut album."
"I do have several spare copies in my car. Would you like to follow me there?"
"Well, well, well, Nathan," Signum giggled in response as she followed the guitarist, "are you flirting with me?"
"It's not like there's any harm in it, right?" Nathan shrugged as the two walked towards his car. "Besides, the rest of the band all have dates for tonight and, since I'm not into the whole clubbing scene, there really isn't much for me to do anyway with my free time."
The short walk was relatively uneventful, save for the occasional conversation about random topics. As they strolled down the main street of the shopping district they were at, Signum could not help but notice that Nathan, despite looking fairly unassuming in a handsome way, had an air of quiet confidence around him, giving the impression that he was in peace with the world around him. The silence between the two was soon broken, unfortunately, when the knight's stomach started growling again.
"Don't worry too much about that," Nathan started chuckling, "I haven't had dinner myself." When the two reached the car, the guitarist moved to open the passenger's door for the pink-haired knight. "I hope that you are not thinking any negative things about me, but I do know a good restaurant that is about ten minutes from here, and I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner."
My goodness, Signum thought to herself, so he's pretty good-looking, he's seems to be the thoughtful kind, and he's polite as well. I am unable to detect any ill will coming from him, and he did go through the trouble of walking with me towards his car just so that I can get a copy of his band's debut album. Looking up into Nathan's eyes, the knight blushed slightly as she smiled at the guitarist before getting into the car.
"That would be lovely."
More A/N: Plenty of shout-outs to the Nanoha FFT in here. 00-Raiser/F91, if you're reading this, I hope you enjoyed me putting you into a relationship with Hayate. As for who's in a relationship with who, here's a list: Nanoha/Fate (married), Subaru/Teana, Hayate/Raiser (OC) (engaged), Zafira/Arf, Yuuno/Shamal/Miyuki. As for Signum, like I said earlier, I have left the ending open so that I can continue on with it another time when my muse for this one returns to me in the future.
Looking back at my story stats, I'm pretty surprised that BPHaru has actually added "NanoFate Plus Yuuno Equals What?" to his/her 'favorite stories' list. Given that I did pretty much bash all the NanoFate purists in that ficlet, well... Actually, I'd rather not know why.
