Love Trouble!
Chapter 4: Renewed Friendship
"Listen up! As punishment for skipping PE class even after given a warning, go and give me 20 laps around the oval!"
Seven boys grunted in displeasure soon after they heard about their punishment. Standing in the middle of the delinquent looking boys, Vita wasn't bothered when she heard the boys curse saying they would rather be suspended than run around in this blazing heat.
Feeling more irritated that the boys were still chatting and weren't running, Vita angrily swings the baseball bat she is holding in front of them. "I told you idiots to start running, didn't I?" Vita shouts and gives everyone of them a death glare. Seconds later, a brave soul speaks up.
"Y-You're just a student like us. D-don't boss us around!" The boy shrugs his fears away when the others start agreeing with him. He steps forward and grabs Vita's shirt.
"Who do you think you are? A kid like you should just behave like a good girl." The boy shouts in Vita's face, and then smirks in his little victory when Vita didn't say anything for a while.
The boy laughed but stopped when a hand covered his. Vita grips the hand hard and moves her body as she swiftly throws the guy on the ground with a loud thud. The boy staggers to get up after his fall but stopped when Vita points her baseball bat at his face.
"If you still don't know, I'm part of the student council disciplinary committee and I have every right to kick your butt if that is what it takes for you to follow the rules!"
The boy shivered at Vita's menacing voice.
Vita smirked when the boy didn't say anything. "… hmm, what? Don't tell me you would rather me hitting you with this bat than running around the field?"
The boy rapidly moves his head from left to right and swiftly moves back to where the others stood.
Vita wasn't satisfied with what she did to that boy, she couldn't possibly forgive him for calling her a kid. Smirking as she thought of a great idea, Vita faced the delinquent boys again. "Since you guys think running around the oval is sooo boring…how about we add a little twist then?"
The boys gulped simultaneously and slowly looked at each other; fear evident in their eyes. Vita grins when the boys visibly shivered.
"Five minutes after you start running, I will run too…and if I catch anyone of you…" Vita smirked evilly and the boys started to run.
xXx*xXx
"Fate-sama!" A large group of girls surrounds the two girls as soon as they got near the open field near the track field.
"Hello girls."
Fate flashes her charming smile to the girls that moved closer to her making them squeal in glee. Flicking her eyes to her right side, she saw Hayate moving out of the crowd leaving her behind. Fate scanned the place and saw two boys trying to move closer to her, but the group of girls blocked their way and glared at them making them walk away. Fate chuckled to herself. Sometimes she was thankful for the girls for keeping the boys away from her. Although, they always kept her from moving to somewhere she wants to go. Fate finds the boys rather annoying, especially if they keep insisting on giving them a chance even when she would tell them she only have eyes for girls.
"Fate, you haven't paid much attention to any one of us lately…"
Fate snapped out from her train of thought when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and hug her lightly. She looks down and gazes at a pair of blue eyes. Even though she was caught by surprise, she smiled and didn't look bothered by the girl's action.
"Really? I'm sorry about that. There are just times that I prefer to be alone." She lifted her right hand and caresses the girl's cheek. "Then where did you want to go?"
"Can I visit your house?-"
"No." Was the immediate answer, but the charming smile never left her face. She coughs slightly before reaching out her hand and plays with the girl's dark brown hair.
"Can we go somewhere else?"
The girl didn't bother to hide her displeasure and pouted at Fate.
"Why are you so against me visiting your house?"
Fate chuckled. She opened her lips to answer the girl but a black haired girl interjected.
"Who cares anyway? I would be happy to go anywhere as long as it's with Fate!" The girl slightly moves closer pushing the girl who's holding Fate away. At that moment the girls start talking simultaneously asking for Fate's attention.
Fate tried her best to control the crowd around her, but it suddenly turned bad when the said girls started bickering at each other. Fate sighed. She knew it was her fault since she suddenly avoided all the girls and it made them more active in getting her attention.
"Please move aside."
Fate ears perked up when she heard a familiar voice. She turned around to see an orange haired girl trying to push through the crowd.
"Teana?" Fate said in a surprised low voice.
As if the whole place was silent, the girls instantly stopped what they were doing and looked at the new girl now standing in front of Fate.
"So you're the cause of this commotion again." Teana sighed exaggeratedly. "Fate-san, would it hurt you even once if you tried to tell them to stop bothering you?" Teana glared at Fate. She crosses her arms as she waits for an explanation.
"Teana, it's not really a bother-"
"Geez! You're too soft that's why they keep blocking your way just to get your attention and do whatever they want… but then again, you were enjoying all the attention yourself right?"
Teana narrowed her eyes at Fate but the girl just laughed and rubbed the back of her neck looking like a child caught doing something she should not do. Teana released a breath and turned to the group of girls.
"Everyone, you can't just randomly gang up on Fate-san. You're causing trouble to other students. Fate-san should be the one to approach you. If you want something from her, do it as one to three persons only. Also, please avoid flirting inside the school grounds." When Teana finished, the girls started mumbling to themselves.
Wow! It's like separating everyone from a famous person, Fate mused then chuckled softly.
Everyone then turned to Fate as if waiting for her input.
"I'm sorry everyone. I hope you understand and please follow Teana's orders." Fate flashed her sad smile.
She knew none of her fans could resist that sad smile of hers and with that, the girls immediately moved away and watched Fate from afar.
"Thank you Teana. You always look out for me." Fate called out to the smaller girl.
"It's my job Fate-san. After all, the student council members are supposed to take care of the P.E. classes today and I know your class will be the most chaotic one with you being part of it." Teana and Fate laugh.
"You make it sound like I'm always the reason for every commotion you see." Fate smirks.
"Well as far as I know you are and it's sad but I gave up a long time ago on telling you to stop flirting with every girl you find interesting. I'll just let the divine retribution punish you."
"Hey! You're cursing me?" Fate gasps exaggeratedly and puts on a fake hurt face.
"Hmm, maybe?" Teana smiles. She looked at the time and lightly patted the pouting girl's shoulder. "Well I'm just passing by so I need to go now. Stay out of trouble!" Teana playfully glared at Fate while pointing her finger at her face.
"Yes Ma'am!" Fate salutes playfully then sticks out her tongue.
After watching Teana leave, Fate walks towards the brown haired girl leaning on a tree. "Teana is such a caring and understanding girl…unlike someone I know." Fate narrowed her eyes sideways at the surprisingly silent girl.
"What are you talking about Fate-chan?" Hayate slowly opened her eyes, lips turning up into a smile when she looks at Fate's frowning face.
"You left me there just to stand here and watch. If I didn't say anything to those girls, they most probably wouldn't listen to Teana." Fate spotted the girls from earlier and instantly waved her hand while smiling at them.
Hayate couldn't help but laugh. Fate actually sounded serious. "What happened to the great Fate Harlaown? I thought you can handle everything."
Fate grunted and slapped Hayate's arm, who in return just laughed more much to Fate's annoyance. "Oh shut up. You laugh too much. All I'm saying is that you're pushing your work on the members of the council."
Hayate wagged her fingers, making Fate feel more irritated than she already is. "Tsk tsk Fate. You don't know anything. Teana is part of the few members I assigned to patrol the school for any problems that might happen and it's her job to control any commotion that she might see. It's not like I can see what you're doing everyday and Lindy-san asked me to report anything that you do in school."
Fate's head snapped back. "You what? So that's why mom seems to know everything."
Glaring down at the unaffected brown haired girl, Hayate just shrugged it off and pats Fate's shoulder; a smirk instantly formed on her lips.
"Fate-chan, Lindy-san just wants to know more about your love life. She just wants you to introduce a REAL girlfriend rather than one of your flings."
Fate let out an exaggerated sigh. "Anyway, I noticed just now that Teana seems more active with watching me and my fans. Did you order her to specifically watch me?"
Hayate raised a brow at the obvious change of topic. She laughed loudly, making Fate narrow her eyes again.
"Aww, did I open a sensitive topic? You obviously changed the topic Fate." Hayate raised her hand and pinched Fate's right cheek while mumbling 'so cute' over and over again. She knows the action and the playful way she called her name makes the blonde girl in front of her angry.
"Geez stop that! Just answer me." Fate swiftly swats the hand away from her face.
"You're no fun Fate-chan. Anyway to answer your question, yes I did. After the time Lindy-san had enough with you bringing random girls at home and you started avoiding girls, you're fans have been more active and moody than you thought. You might not be aware of it, but every person that you talk to, you're fans would always send daggers at them. There are rumors circling around school about your fans confronting the people that suddenly become closer or acting overly familiar with you. I decided to strengthen the security and ask some members to watch your fans. I heard this from a good source, but it looks like your fans know about the incident in the Midori-ya café." Hayate looked worried as she gazed at Fate's crimson eyes.
"I'm not surprised. Even you know about it." Fate chuckled and ignored Hayate's worried face.
"I'm serious Fate." Hayate instantly glared at her.
Fate sighed. She knew when Hayate was being serious and it doesn't help that her seriousness shows in her face. It made Fate feel uncomfortable. She preferred seeing her usual goofy face.
"Hayate, it's not like it's the first time my fans heard about me having a fight with a girl and I'm not surprised since Midori-ya café is a public place. Besides, that incident is lighter compared to when the girl I dated before lied to her father because she found out she was…"
"Girl number 4 in your life?" Hayate filled in looking quite amused.
"Yeah, I can't believe she told her dad that she was pregnant and I was the father. Her dad seriously hunted me down thinking I was a cross dressing guy and cheated on his pregnant daughter. I thought I would never clear up that misunderstanding." Fate rubbed her forehead tiredly.
Hayate laughed out loud, making Fate glare at her but eventually she gave in and laughed with her friend.
When the laughter died down, Fate patted Hayate's head. "So don't worry so much. My fans know I don't stick with one girl for too long so a public scene is nothing new to them."
"Right, but aren't you worried when the time comes you finally find the one for you?" Hayate raised a brow and crosses her arms.
Fate chuckled when she looked at Hayate's eyes. They silently told her to answer seriously. "If that time comes, I will surely protect my girl from harm." Fate smiled confidently as she stared at Hayate's shocked face.
"What? You thought I couldn't say things like that? Haha." Fate repeatedly poked Hayate's cheek and she instantly swatted it away while giving her a weird look.
"Fate-chan, don't say words that even you can't understand. It freaks me out." Her lips formed a cat like grin.
"Hey, that's so mean." Fate playfully glares and crosses her arms when Hayate started laughing again.
After sometime their small talk stops when they heard voices coming from the track and field.
Looking over at the track and field ground, Hayate sighed as she watched Vita threaten the students again.
"What an idiot. If I were them, I would never piss off Vita like that." Fate laughed as she watched the boys' scared faces when Vita started running too.
"Even though I told her not to threaten the students like that…well as long as she doesn't actually kill a student, I guess it's fine." Hayate blinked when Fate stared blankly at her. "What?"
"I can't believe you could say the word kill with a smile on your face as if it's a natural thing to say."
"Hmm, class 2-D is not here yet." Hayate tapped her chin as she scanned the open field.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!"
Hayate's face lit up when she spotted people walking not far from where they stood. She began to drag Fate with her when she saw a familiar face. "Suzuka-chan!"
Suzuka was taken aback. Before she could get a good look at the person who called her name, Hayate was already hugging her.
"Hayate-chan? Ah, so you're part of class 2-A. Why didn't you tell us?"
Hayate laughed as she releases the girl. "Hehe. It's a surprise!" Hearing someone clearing their throat, Hayate remembered that Fate was with her.
"Ah I almost forgot. Suzuka-chan, this is my childhood friend Fate Harlaown."
Fate immediately flashed her charming smile. "Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet a beautiful girl like you." Hayate elbowed her side making Fate wince and glare at her.
Suzuka giggled at their antics. "Looks like the rumors are true. Harlaown-san really is a smooth talker just like what I heard about her," Suzuka said causing Fate to scratch her head with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Ahem! Fate-chan, this is my new friend Suzuka Tsukimura of class 2-D."
"Ah, I see. So you must be the new friend Hayate was talking about. It's nice to finally meet you Tsukimura-san-"
"Is it okay to call you Fate-chan?"
Fate blinks by the sudden question, but after a few seconds, she nods absentmindedly.
"Great! Then call me Suzuka since we're friends now okay Fate-chan?"
"Ah umm, okay I guess." Fate immediately snaps from her confusion. She clears her throat and asks Suzuka something she rarely uses on the girl she just met. "Hey, I would like to get to know you better, so how about dinner with me after school? My treat."
She didn't know why she suddenly got the urge to say those words as it rarely happened since it's always the other way around. Girls would always be the one to ask her out. She actually couldn't remember the last time she asked someone to go out with her. Now that she thinks about it, those words felt so foreign she was surprised she said it.
After all, it's not Fate's style to go and invite girls that she just met; especially introducing herself to them since they're the ones that are always trying to get her attention and Fate was so used to it. Never invite a girl you just met without knowing who she really is. It was a strict rule she made for herself…well after she found out that one of the girls Hayate pushed on her was an obsessed fan of hers. She could remember the girl stalking her everywhere she went for a whole week after she asked her to have a date with her once. Fate visibly shivered at the thought but quickly shrugged it off and smiled. Even though some part of her regrets what she just said, a Harlaown never backs down from her words. So she made a move to step forward but a blurred figure blocks her way and instead it made her step backwards.
"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't hit on my friend Harlaown-san."
Nanoha stepped in between Suzuka and Fate. Surprised crimson eyes met glaring slate blue eyes in an unspoken staring contest.
Hayate looked back and forth between her two friends and thought she has to do something to break the awkward situation. Besides, people are starting to notice the weird aura surrounding them.
"Ah, Nanoha-chan. I didn't see you coming ahaha. F-Fate-chan, this is the friend I always talk to you about. Her name is Nanoha Takamachi." Geez! Their relationship is worst than I thought Hayate thought as she pushed Fate to give the two some more space between them.
"She's your friend?" the two ask simultaneously and at the same time pointed at each other.
Suzuka couldn't help but giggle at their same actions and words.
"It's not nice to meet you," Nanoha said without thinking as to cover up her embarrassment.
"Oh? So now you're revealing your real feelings for me from the first time we met huh?"
Nanoha felt someone nudge her in the rib making her wince lightly. She looked back to see Suzuka glaring at her as she mouthed, "I thought you were going to apologize to her?" to Nanoha. Nanoha immediately feel guilty and mentally kicked herself. Great. Now I'm picking a fight with her. What am I doing?
Fate raised a brow when the girl didn't respond. She sighed when she saw hesitation and guilt in her eyes.
"So the mysterious girl you've been talking about is this girl?" Fate points her thumb at Nanoha. She smiled when the said girl raised her head looking confused as she mouthed, "mysterious girl?" Cute… if only she would stop glaring at me. Fate sighed.
"Yep, I actually bumped into her. I was walking through the hallway carrying the student council's important stacks of paper and when I turned the corner, someone bumped me and made me scatter all the papers…"
"Hm, I don't see anything interesting in your story."
Hayate was really fond of this girl and Fate thought a simple accident such as colliding with someone is not something that will catch her attention. Hayate may not look like it because she has many friends, but she chooses her close friends carefully. She seems happy about talking how they met so Fate can tell Hayate likes her a lot and consider her as her close friend.
"I'm not done yet! The interesting part is that when I recovered and looked at the person who bumped into me, Nanoha here was busy-"
"Hayate-chan! I thought you said you wouldn't tell anyone!" Nanoha chose this time to speak up. A deep blush spread on her cheeks.
Fate stares at the girl and chuckled lightly when she saw how red her face was and a pout forming on her lips. So she is also capable of giving that kind of expression huh…
"-Apologizing to the wall near us." Hayate finished and Fate instantly laughed.
Nanoha glared at the laughing girl. Anger and embarrassment were swirling in her slate blue eyes. "I was confused okay? I was in a hurry and thought it was my fault so I immediately apologized without looking where I was facing!"
"And you're explaining this to me because?" Fate grinned at Nanoha, looking amuse. She moved her ear closer when Nanoha mumbled something. "What did you say?"
Nanoha blushed again. She couldn't think of anything to say. "It's not funny!" Nanoha shouted making Fate smile and laugh again.
"HARLAOWN! Stop your flirting and get in line like everyone else."
The four girls winced after hearing a yell coming from their right. Fate instantly recognizes the voice and turns her head to look at the girl.
Not too far from Fate's group was Signum standing in the middle of a large group of students. Unlike earlier that day, the emotions she feels is showing on her face. She looked irritated for some reason as she glared at Fate while tapping a wooden sword on her shoulder.
"Huh?"
Fate face palmed and looked at the girl next to Signum. "Shamal why did you give her that sword?"
Shamal blinked and tilted her head to the side "Eh? She was looking for her Levantine this morning."
"Don't tell me you let her drink coffee again?" Fate already knew the answer from just looking at the grumpy Signum, but she just had to ask.
Shamal paused and looks like she was in a deep thought. "Coffee… ah right! This morning I experimented on what tea with a little coffee would taste like. Now that I think about it, I guess I mixed up the cups and made Signum drink it. Silly me." Shamal cutely hit her head while sticking out her tongue.
Fate's brows instinctively twitched as she tiredly rubs her forehead. "You what? You know her personality changes whenever she drinks that!" Fate complained, but stopped when Signum pointed the end of her blade under her chin. Instead of being surprise, Fate stared at Signum's eyes head on.
"Ha! Are you scared of me Harlaown? You look like you're upset that I got my blade back."
Gasps and whispering could be heard from the students near them and they moved away from the two.
Signum was known for being "Emotional" when she drinks coffee and for some reason when she was intoxicated, she would always hold her sword and sometimes point it at Fate. Everyone doesn't know why but rumor has it that Fate is the first and only person who beat her in sword fighting.
Fate sighs and used her right hand to remove the blade. "I was upset because you always bother me whenever you drink coffee."
Signum smirked at Fate's words as she put her sword back on her shoulder. "Are you saying you're ready to fight me again?" Signum said as if she didn't hear what Fate said. A hopeful glint was so obvious in her eyes and it made Fate twitch a little bit.
"No." Fate deadpanned.
As soon as she said this, Signum's expression changed and she shook Fate with tears building up in her eyes.
"Whyyyy? Come on! You always say that! You never play with me anymore!"
Signum hit Fate's shoulder as she mumbles stupid several times. Signum's emotions when she drinks coffee are always random and to see a grumpy to crying Signum is what Fate hated the most.
Everyone fell silent and stared at the crying girl. Fate furrowed her brow and looked at Hayate, who was smiling on her left.
"That's why I said this is a bother! Why is she always like this? Being all cocky then acting like a little kid?"
Hayate laughed and she put on her serious face as she looks back at Fate.
"She's an idiot that's why." Hayate stuck out her tongue and gave an angry Fate thumbs up and a cat like grin.
"Now, now Signum. You're bothering everyone. We need to finish our job first as the substitute instructor for the day. After that, you can play with Fate-chan here okay?" Shamal smiled as she pats Signum's head. Signum smiled and happily stood where she was before.
"Hey! Am I not allowed to say anything about this?" Fate exclaimed then sighed when they ignored her.
Signum coughed and faced all the students. Her face reverted back to her stoic face, but with her brows slightly furrowed, it just showed that she is still not back to her original self.
"Everyone, the student council representative will instruct you on your first joined PE class since as you all know our PE teacher was bedridden again!" Signum paused for a bit. "In her last message, she wished everyone would do their best." Signum finished with a solemn expression on her face.
Fate blinked and looked weirdly at Signum. You make it sound like it was her dying wish.
"Okay, I will now discuss the game objectives and how it works-"
"Wait! Why didn't you put this one in charge?" Fate pulled Hayate's collar up.
"Ah, that one is part of your class so she is not allowed to take charge." Signum deadpanned.
"Hey can't I get any respect around here? I'm the council's president you know!" Hayate shouted as she removed Fate's hand from her collar.
"But you're the mascot most of the time." Vita intervened.
Hayate jumped back when she saw Vita standing next to her "…and when did you get here?" Hayate said. Her voice was filled with annoyance and surprise.
Vita grins as she looked up at her. "I just finished giving out punishments to those delinquent brats."
"That was fast. We saw you running with them, but you don't look like you ran at all." Fate grinned as she scanned the small girl for any sign of exhaustion but she seems like she didn't even break a sweat.
"It's nothing. It's like jogging for me."
Hayate butt in the conversation and rested her arm on Fate's shoulder. "Heh, so even small people can run."
Fate sighed and gave Hayate a bored look as the said girl struggled to stop herself from laughing by covering her mouth and holding her stomach.
"At least I'm not a pathetic runner like you!" Vita said with gritted teeth to lower her voice as she accidentally stepped on Hayate's foot.
Hayate clamped her lips together as she stood still to absorb the pain. When the pain subsided, Hayate glared at the small girl smiling next to her. "Why you little-"
"Okay, break it off you two. Don't start a fight here." Fate intervened as she stepped between the two, raising both her arms to make space between them.
"Um, Fate-chan," Hayate mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"I appreciate that you're doing this to stop us from fighting but…" Hayate's right brow visibly twitches in annoyance, "is there a need to use your hand to push my face away?" Hayate angrily swats Fate's hand away from her left cheek.
Fate blinked a few times looking innocent. "I can't help it if I have long hands."
"Then why is it that you only push my face away while you pat Vita's head?"
Fate grins. "Aww you want me to pat you too?"
"Are you picking a fight with me Fate-chan?" Hayate said as she slowly raised her fist.
Fate laughed and immediately moved a few steps away from the angry girl. She looked at her left side when she heard someone giggling and spotted the two new girls she met earlier. Fate forgot all about them when Signum suddenly appeared. She couldn't help but focus on how the brunette laughs. So that's what she looks like when she laughs, Fate thought.
Sensing that someone was looking at her, Nanoha turned her head and gazed back at Fate, but immediately looked away when she realized it was Fate that was looking at her.
Still mad huh? Fate shrugged it off and listened to Signum when she started complaining.
"Hey you guys! Stop chatting and listen!" Signum glared in Hayate's direction making them fall silent.
When she stopped hearing murmurs, Signum cleared her throat. "Okay listen everyone, to help strengthen the bond from both sections and let everyone get to know each other, for today's last P.E. class we will have a race!"
Everyone instantly showed their disapproval by murmuring and complaining at Signum. Signum was about to say something when Shamal cleared her throat. "I know everyone is disagreeing about this, but this is what the council decided." Shamal explained.
Fate didn't miss how Shamal glanced at Hayate and she saw the said girl flash her Cheshire like grin. Something bad will surely happen, Fate thought as she rubs her forehead to ease the throbbing pain she suddenly felt.
"Since it's a race, the winner will get a wonderful prize." Shamal smiled when it seemed to catch everyone's attention.
"The race is not an ordinary race. We will have a group race. Each group will consist of four members and the members will have a combination of 2-A and 2-D students. Everyone should think of a way to finish the race in group. If you're one member short even if you finish the race, it won't be counted so I hope everyone will work together as a team." Shamal paused for a second, "We will only accept one winner. The winning group will have a 3 months free meal in the cafeteria."
The boys shouted and cheered, but the girls were not really that happy with the prize. Shamal smirked at their reaction, she was expecting that.
"And the second prize is…the winning group will get a chance to DATE the popular girl in our school Fate Harlaown for a day!"
Squeals and shouts immediately spread and everyone looked ready to run and win. Signum grinned and swing her sword from left to right. "That's the spirit hahahaha." Shamal nodded happily. She knew those words would surely motivate the student to do their best.
Nanoha was surprised when the students near her suddenly burst out into squeals and cheered. Looking around, she was amazed at how saying those things could instantly motivate a huge crowd to participate actively and do their best to win.
"I didn't know she was this popular…" Nanoha whispered to herself and chuckled.
"Amazing right? Fate-chan has always been popular at school."
Nanoha instantly looked at Suzuka. She didn't think anyone would reply to her. A glint of amusement swirled in Suzuka's eyes as she looked at Nanoha's confused and curious face.
"Nanoha-chan, you're always focused on studying and club activities that you didn't bother to know other things about our school." Suzuka laughed when Nanoha immediately pouted.
"You know I'm already busy as it is and those boys won't let things any easier for me. Not to mention those hate letters from some girls saying I'm the reason why their boyfriends break up with them." Nanoha sighed. She suddenly felt tired.
Suzuka furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. She felt mad that those girls are blaming Nanoha even though she doesn't have anything to do with it. Suzuka sighed. It's because of those letters that Nanoha rarely accepts a date from her suitors and always reject anyone that would confess to her. Suzuka rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. Nanoha always says she just doesn't want to have a relationship with someone in the same school, but Suzuka thinks those letters are part of the reason too.
Suzuka shook her head. She figured out this is not the time to think about these things. "Yeah, it's a good thing those hate letters lessened since you started ignoring those boys that always follow you around."
Nanoha laughed and rubbed the back of her head nervously. Suzuka smiled and went back to their original topic.
"Anyway, just so you know, Fate-chan is really popular for both girls and boys because of her beautiful face and very sweet and kind personality. As you already know, she is known for not staying long in one relationship and that's one of the reason why she is popular but it doesn't stop them from trying to capture her heart."
Nanoha hummed in understanding and her eyes slowly looked at Fate's slender back.
Fate's mouth hangs open as she absorbs everything that Shamal said. Hayate whistled as she rested her left arm on Fate's shoulder.
"Wow Fate-chan. Just hearing that they could date you if they win motivated them all. Amazing!" Hayate smirked and gave her a thumbs up.
Fate slowly looked at Hayate and smiled. "I sooo want to kill you now, you know that?"
Hayate put a good amount of space between them before she spoke. "Let's not get violent okay?" Hayate laughed nervously as she hides behind Vita. The small girl grins and murmurs 'Coward' and Hayate instantly glares at her.
Fate sighed and shook her head as she ran her hands through her blonde hair. "It doesn't matter. I can choose if I will go with the date or not. I just hope that the winner will be a group of girls." Fate smirked and winked at a group of girls near her. Some of the girls swooned, while others sighed dreamily making Fate laugh.
"Everyone seems ready to run, so now, I will show you all who will be in the same group. The students that we picked to be in the same group were carefully chosen by the council to balance out their abilities so that everyone will have better chance to win this race!" As Signum finished her speech, a huge board was instantly push behind her and some council members immediately posted a huge paper that contained the students' names.
Students immediately moved forward, pushing some students away to check their name. Suzuka and Nanoha watched wearily when all the students seemed to be fighting their way through the crowd while some council members tried to control them.
"Let's just check it later." Suzuka suggested smiling slightly.
Nanoha nodded. A waving girl caught her attention as the person seemed to be trying to get out from the crowd that was squishing her and pushing her back into the sea of students. After a few seconds, the girl was able to get out and it turns out it was Hayate.
"Yo! Do you guys know which group you're in?" Hayate greeted as she slowly approached the two girls.
Nanoha and Suzuka giggled when they finally got a good look at Hayate. Her hair was a mess. She looked like she just got off a roller coaster. Her uniform was in the same condition as her hair. It was slightly dirty as if she was caught in a fist fight.
"Hayate-chan, you shouldn't charge in there with a crowd like that." Nanoha recovered first and hand combed Hayate's hair. Realizing her hair was a mess, Hayate started fixing herself and Suzuka helped fix her uniform.
"There, that's better. Anyway we didn't see yet. We don't want to go through there." Nanoha pointed at the students that are now looking like they would kill anyone that would stand in their way.
Hayate smirked. "I knew it. That's why I check your names too. You, Suzuka and I are in the same group." Hayate finished with a thumbs up and a huge grin on her face.
"Wow! It's amazing that we'll be in one group," Suzuka said as she clasps her hands together looking very excited.
"Yeah, but who is the other member?" Nanoha asked.
"Me." A husky voice instantly spoke behind her.
A shiver ran down Nanoha's spine as the voice is really close behind her. She slowly turned to look behind her and she was instantly drawn to the person's crimson eyes. The two gazed at each other's eyes for a few seconds until Fate breaks the silence.
"You look like you just saw a ghost."
Fate smirked knowing all too well the look that the brunette was giving her. Girls always stared at her eyes, so she was used to it. Looking at the girl's surprised slate blue eyes with something else swirling in it, was only a plus but she sure enjoyed staring back at it.
Nanoha huffed and instantly looked anywhere except at the blonde beauty.
"You surprised me." Nanoha whispered.
It was only meant for herself to calm her strangely thumping heart, but was surprised when Fate whispered back. "Sorry, but your expression was cute though."
Nanoha instantly looked up to see a smiling blonde girl. Nanoha glared at her for a few seconds before looking away again making Fate chuckle. The other two girls didn't miss the exchange between Fate and Nanoha.
Smiling, Suzuka cleared her throat and talked to Fate.
"Fate-chan, you're in our group too? What a coincidence!" Suzuka chimed in.
More like this was planned out.
Fate and Nanoha sighed at the same time.
Suzuka giggles. "You two are so in sync ne?"
Nanoha immediately blushed while Fate cleared her throat, looking away.
"Heh, isn't that cute?" Hayate chuckled but instantly stop when Fate glared at her.
"Everyone, if you're done checking your names, please proceed to the starting line with your group."
Hayate looked back and nodded at the council member announcing the next thing they would do.
"Come on guys, we should go to the starting line." Everyone nodded and Hayate led the way.
xXx*xXx
"The finish line will be near the back gate of the school. We posted signs along the way so everyone won't get lost. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time we held this event, so please if you still don't know how to get out of the forests surrounding the school, just follow the path we made. But of course we are not stopping you from choosing your own path. Just make sure you reach the finish line before dark," Shamal said.
Everyone yell as if getting ready to fight in a war.
"That's right! Cut everyone that stands in your way to the goal! Ahahahaha" Signum laughed while swinging her sword.
Nanoha put her hand under her chin in a thinking pose. "Someone got lost?" She furrowed her brows cutely and seemed to not be affected by all the shouting she heard near her.
Hayate pats Nanoha's shoulder getting her attention. "That's right! It was really a problem you know. Student council members are responsible for checking the number of students that safely make it to the finish line and it turns out some students didn't make it. So we searched the area and it turns out some of them are wondering inside one of the forests." Sighing, Hayate shook her head.
Suzuka giggled. "But you were able to find them all right? You did a good job Hayate-chan."
Nanoha nodded and laughed when Hayate instantly blushed looking embarrassed. "Haha. Well I'm the student council president after all and of course, that's the reason why we made it a group race this time. At least they would look out for each other."
"Yeah right. You're praising yourself too much Hayate when all you did was wait for the members of the council to report that they finally found the missing students while you sat in your office drinking some tea." Fate smirked while nudging the girl's shoulder.
Everyone laughed while Hayate scratched the back of her head awkwardly. After some time, Shamal announced the start of the race and everyone started jogging.
"Anyway, is this school that big that someone got lost?" Nanoha chimed in. Nanoha felt embarrassed that she didn't know the extent of her school even though she's been a student there for almost half a year now. So she was glad that Hayate didn't look like she was making fun of her small knowledge about the school.
"Well the school buildings are only a small part of this school. The biggest half is mostly forest. No one exactly knows how far the forests stretch. This school is like a vast land of a Final ***-tasy Game." Hayate laughed.
"Anyway, there is a forest everyone tries to avoid. So make sure you won't enter it alright Nanoha-chan?"
Nanoha blinked looking interested. "Huh? Why not?"
"Well it is said that, that forest was cursed and rumor has it that they saw a ghost lurking in that place," Suzuka said. She giggled when she looked at Nanoha's pale face.
"Ahaha. That's right. So don't enter that place okay? You will know when you're near it when there's only a small amount of sunlight that's able to enter it." Hayate explained.
Hayate looked forward and saw Fate leaving them behind.
"Oh! Fate-chan is already leaving us behind. Come on!"
xX~*~Xx
"I-I can't do this anymore!" Hayate huffed and rested both of her hands on her knees as she rapidly breathed in and out.
"Are you alright Hayate-chan?"
Suzuka stopped and immediately rushed to Hayate's side and began rubbing her back. Nanoha followed behind Suzuka looking worried as well.
"I'm…al…alright… just… let me… rest for a…while." Hayate huffed and weakly waved her hand to reassure her friends.
"Hmm okay. Let's take a break for a while," Nanoha said.
"No… it's okay…go on…without me!" Hayate dramatically collapsed in Suzuka's arms.
"Hayate-chan, don't say that! You can still make it." Suzuka's voice trembled with tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I'm sorry… Suzuka-chan…but I'm done for…this is it for me…go quickly…before they catch us." Hayate forcefully coughed and tightly gripped Suzuka's shoulder.
Some students stopped and watched the scene playing in front of them. Nanoha smiled awkwardly at the students that passed by and looked at them weirdly. As if asking her what's happening, they somehow always looked at her when they stopped to look. Please don't look at me. I'm as clueless as you guys are. Nanoha sighed tiredly.
"No! Please get up!" Suzuka slightly raised her voice. She roughly shook the brown haired girl as tears started to fall from her eyes.
Everyone gasped and watch intently.
Hayate smiled weakly and slowly touched Suzuka's tear filled face.
"Run Suzuka-chan…save our daughter."
Hayate moved her gaze to a surprised Nanoha.
"Nanoha-chan…take care of your mother…" Hayate breathed deeply before clutching at her chest. She stopped moving after a few second and collapsed more in Suzuka's arms.
"Hayate-chan!" Suzuka exclaimed, hugging the brown haired girl tightly.
Some students slowly started clapping their hands while some wiped away the tears that formed in their eyes. After some time, those students started jogging again leaving the three friends.
"Umm, so can we go now?" Nanoha sighed as she approached the two girls.
"Sorry Nanoha-chan, but I want to rest some more. I promise to catch up so could you go on ahead and catch up to Fate-chan?" Hayate asked.
Nanoha hesitated for a while and looked at Suzuka.
"Sorry Nanoha-chan. I'm a little tired too, so go on ahead okay?" Suzuka smiled apologetically.
Nanoha sighed. "Fine! But be sure to catch up as soon as you can okay?"
"Okay, see yah later!" Hayate happily waved at Nanoha's form until she couldn't see her anymore.
Hayate looked at Suzuka.
"So let's take our precious time." Hayate grinned evilly.
xXx*xXx
Nanoha huffed and stopped running after she reaches a certain point. She positioned her hand over her heart in an attempt to calm it since it was beating rapidly and at the same time, she tried to rest her body so she could breathe normally again. After some time of running, Nanoha didn't see the blonde yet. She runs too fast, Nanoha thought as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Looking back, Nanoha realized for the first time that there were no students following her and she didn't see any students in front of her either. She stopped to think. Don't tell me I'm lost- Nanoha stopped her train of thought when two students jogged pass her. She sighed in relief. At least she was not lost.
When Nanoha tried to get ready to run again, she saw long blonde hair in the corner of her eyes. She squints her eyes and she could have sworn that it was Fate Harlaown entering the forest, away from the path the student council posted for the students to follow. Nanoha raised a brow. Where is she going? Nanoha thought, but her feet were already walking to follow the said girl without her noticing it.
A few minutes after she enters the forest, the blonde girl suddenly disappeared from her sight. Nanoha walked deeper inside in hope she would eventually find the girl, but she didn't see her anywhere. Nanoha stopped and looked at her surroundings. It was really quiet and creepy since it was slightly dark inside the forest. The tall trees near her are the only thing that made sound as its branches swayed when a gentle breeze passed by. Only a small amount of sunlight entered the forest as it passed through the thick leaves of the trees. Nanoha raised her right arm and small rays of sun hit her palm making a pattern of small yellowish dots. Nanoha snapped her head to her left when she heard a rustling sound, but she didn't see anything. When she realized she was alone in the forest, she starts imagining things, especially… ghosts.
…there is a forest everyone tries to avoid. So make sure you don't enter it alright, Nanoha-chan?
Well it is said that, that forest was cursed and rumor has it that they saw a ghost lurking in that place…
…so don't enter that place okay? You will know when you're near it when there's only a small amount of sunlight that's able to enter it.
"D-Don't tell me this is the forest they were talking about?" Nanoha whispered to herself, her voice was slightly trembling.
As if the forest heard her, the branches started swaying violently with the wind, making a loud noise. Nanoha's eyes widened as she slowly moved backwards.
Nanoha felt something heavy on her right shoulder and trembled when she realized it was a hand. Feeling scared as she was, her body moved before she could think and instantly grabbed the hand on her shoulder, quickly moving her elbow to hit whatever it was behind her in their stomach. She ignored the grunt she heard and swiftly threw them to the ground.
Nanoha immediately released her hold on the arm and turned around as she covers her face. She actually wanted to run away, but she was shaking so bad that all she could manage was looking away and hope the ghost would disappear. She was surprised when she felt something wet on her face; she didn't know she started crying.
"Hey," a pained voice said and lightly taps Nanoha's shoulder as the figure urged her to look at them.
Nanoha screamed and slapped the figure across the face.
"Nanoha!"
Hearing that familiar gentle voice suddenly sounding angry, Nanoha slowly opened her eyes and saw Fate in front of her. Her right cheek was red and she was glaring at her as she tried her best to hold Nanoha's trembling left hand that slapped her.
"F-Fate-chan…" Nanoha whispered with wide eyes.
Fate slowly releases Nanoha's hand and stares at her.
Realizing her mistake Nanoha corrected herself. "I-I mean Harlaown-"
"Fate is fine."
"Huh?"
"I said calling me Fate is fine. It feels weird when people call me by my surname," Fate said as she slowly rubbed her stomach and secretly tried to stop her throbbing heart when Nanoha suddenly called her by her name.
Nanoha nodded but didn't miss the way Fate winced as she rubbed her hand on her stomach. "I-I'm sorry Fate-chan. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay?" Nanoha slowly moved closer to Fate and lightly touched the cheek she had slapped.
Fate was taken aback by how gentle and worried Nanoha looked at her. A smile slowly formed on her lips as she enjoyed the sight in front of her. And for a moment, she forgot about her aching body as she reach out to wipe away the tears that formed in Nanoha's eyes.
As if the touch stung, Nanoha immediately moved away and wiped her tears herself. Awkward silence filled the place and Fate was the one to break it.
"Don't worry. It didn't hurt that much, but I didn't expect that you're stronger than you look." Fate smirked.
"I j-just unconsciously… sorry." Nanoha looked at the ground, finding it much more interesting than the person in front of her.
"It's fine. It was an accident." Nanoha still looked unconvinced by what she said. Fate sighed and turns around to start walking again.
"Where are you going?" Nanoha said as she slowly followed the girl in front of her.
Fate stopped and looked back but didn't say anything. She smirked when the girl glared at her when she didn't give any reply.
"Why did you follow me here?" Fate asked. She looked amused when she saw Nanoha blush.
"I saw you enter the forest so I just…sort of…followed you…and Hayate told me to catch up to you…" Nanoha trailed off and avoided those crimson eyes that stared intently at her.
"I see. So you're Hayate's errand girl now?" Fate teased.
"I'm not!"
Fate chuckled and starts walking forward again. After a while, Nanoha finds it weird that she can still see forest no matter where she looked and it looks like the further they walk, the more Nanoha thinks that Fate is actually leading her away from the path that would lead them back to where everyone is.
"Are we almost out of the forest?" Nanoha said.
"What made you think I was planning to walk out of the forest?" Fate raised her brow as she gazes at the slightly smaller girl.
Nanoha gasped. Her suspicion was true. "What do you mean-"
Nanoha stopped when a ray of sun blinds her eyes for a while. She squints her eyes and realizes they are now looking out in a small meadow. Different flowers bloomed in the place, sunlight and the moving clouds in the sky gave a nice effect on the field making the flowers and the scene in front of them look more beautiful.
"You like it?" Fate smirked as she led Nanoha in the middle of the meadow. Fate sits on the ground and couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her companion slowly sit beside her, while being careful not to sit on any flowers as she looked everywhere in awe.
"This place looks so beautiful. I can't believe this is a cursed forest," Nanoha said absentmindedly.
"So you heard that rumor huh?"
Nanoha looked back and caught the girl next to her yawning. She raised her brow and waited for the blonde to close her mouth before she talked again.
"Yeah Hayate-chan and Suzuka-chan told me about it earlier. It's about a ghost lurking in this place."
Nanoha couldn't help but shiver when she mentions the word ghost. Fate saw the girl shiver and thought of something just to annoy the brunette girl, but she pushed it all away when she remembered the incident that happened earlier. The girl acted violently when she tried to surprise the scared girl. She would never want to experience that pain again.
"Well just like any other rumors, that one is a lie." Fate deadpanned.
"A lie?"
"Yep." Fate laughs when she saw confusion and doubt in Nanoha's slate blue eyes. "You don't believe me?"
Nanoha eyed the blonde girl suspiciously. "How can I? Even Hayate-chan believes in it!"
"Let's just say that, the one responsible for that rumor is Hayate herself."
Nanoha frowned. "Why would Hayate-chan do that?"
"Simple. It's because of the incident when some students went missing. She spread a rumor that would keep the students from wandering deeper in the forest."
"But this place is so beautiful. It's a shame." Nanoha mumbled to herself as she touched the yellow flower in front of her.
"Yeah, but the forest surrounding the school is not really safe since no one knows how far it stretches and because it's a forest, there would surely be some parts that is dangerous to go to."
Nanoha nodded as she replayed what Fate said, but something sounded wrong about it. "But why stop the students from entering only this part of the forest?" She tilts her head slightly to the right while she furrowed her brows cutely as she waited for the blonde to answer.
Fate found herself staring at Nanoha's confused look. She found it quite cute but instantly cleared her throat when the said girl looked at her weirdly.
"A lot of students would come here since it's a perfect spot for couples that want some alone time. So I guess it's one of the reasons why she wanted to ban this place. Besides, the leaves of the trees here are much thicker than the rest making it dark inside. It will be a lot more dangerous to enter here especially at night." Fate finished. The whole time she was explaining it to the brunette girl, she was trying her best to avoid staring back at the slate blue eyes that seemed to be intently observing her as if she was trying to see if she was lying or not. For some reason, the way she looked at her made her uncomfortable.
"…you sure know everything." Nanoha didn't mean it, but the way she said those words, sounded like she was mocking her. When those words reached Fate ears, she slightly flinched at the double meaning of those words.
Fate moved her gaze to stare back at Nanoha's accusing look. "Hey don't look at me like that. I was the one that spread the rumor so of course I know."
Nanoha looked surprised for a second before sighing. "Oh right. I forgot you have a great influence on the students here. No wonder everyone seems to believe it."
Fate looked embarrassed as she laughed awkwardly while she rubbed the back of her head. Hearing some shuffling beside her, Fate looks up when the girl swiftly stands up and looks down at her.
"We should go now. We can't stay here. They're waiting for us," Nanoha said as if their talk earlier didn't happen.
Fate huffed and lay back on the ground, sounds of flowers being crush filled her ears. She closes her eyes and inhaled deeply before she slowly opened them. The first thing she saw was Nanoha's annoyed face.
"Hey don't sleep now. We still have a race to finish," Nanoha said, seeing as that the girl yawned and her eyes looked sleepy.
Fate chuckled. "We don't need to hurry so we could win this race. It's not like I'll get anything when I win since I'm part of the price for the winners."
"What? So are you telling me you're not going to finish the race? You can't do that. This race is a group race." Nanoha didn't bother to hide the feeling of annoyance in her voice.
Nanoha felt like dragging the girl out of the forest but since they don't know each other that much, she tried her best to control herself. Besides, she couldn't get out of the forest without this girl since she seems to know the way that would lead her out of here.
"I'm just trying to take a quick nap okay? It's no big deal." Feeling mad herself, Fate slightly raises her voice. She can't believe this is the same girl she was talking to earlier.
When Fate didn't hear any reply from the girl, she huffed and instantly closed her eyes.
"You're like a child."
"What?" Fate immediately sits up and meets Nanoha's gaze head on.
"I said you're like a child acting so selfish…it makes me wonder why there's a lot of girls that like you." Nanoha gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe what she just said, but with the angry look that Fate was currently giving her, she couldn't take back those words anymore.
"Well sorry if I'm not perfect miss violent girl!" Fate snaps back. For some reason, she couldn't seem to control her emotions with this girl in front of her.
"Violent girl?" Nanoha repeated as her brow twitched when she could feel her anger rising.
Fate stands up and moved close to Nanoha. "Take what happened earlier as an example and when we first met. It was all an accident you know! I think your action was a little too exaggerated." Fate mocked and didn't seem bothered when the girl gave her a death glare. She looks down and smirks when she saw the girl's clenched fist shaking.
"Exaggerated? That was my first kiss!" Nanoha cried out, her eyes darkening from anger.
They fell silent for a second. Neither one dared to break the awkward silence until Fate decided to say something.
"You…t-that was your first kiss?" Fate blinks suddenly forgetting her anger.
Nanoha slowly processed what Fate said and a blush instantly appeared on her cheeks. Nanoha covered her mouth and immediately looked away as she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"D-don't tell me you've never been in a relationship before?"
Nanoha looked back to glare at the surprised blonde because what she said sounded like she was mocking her, but her glare failed miserably because of her flushed face.
"For your information, I had boyfriends before." Nanoha crossed her arms and looked away feeling very uncomfortable with their current topic.
"…Girlfriends?" Fate teases but immediately clamped her mouth shut when Nanoha instantly gave her a death glare.
Fate raised her hands in defense, "I'm Kidding, I'm kidding. You're no fun. But then if you had boyfriends before, why was that your first kiss?" It was a curious question coming from Fate, but it just made Nanoha more irritated.
"It's none of your business." Nanoha deadpanned and turned away from the girl.
"Don't tell me you're like those people who waits for the right time for their first kiss?" Fate only said it as a joke. She even chuckled a little but when the brunette visibly flinched, her amused state instantly wiped off her face.
Fate slowly approaches the silent girl but before she could get near her, the girl walks away leaving her behind.
"H-hey, where are you going?"
"I'm going back to where everyone is." Nanoha murmured. It was so soft that Fate processed the words first before she finally understood what she said. Nanoha felt offended by what Fate said so in her angered state, all she wanted to do was get away from the girl.
Fate gritted her teeth and picked up her pace as she followed her. "Going back? You don't even know how to get out of here!" Fate raises her voice so that Nanoha, who is walking faster than before, could hear her. Fate cursed when the girl started running.
"Hey! Stop randomly running anywhere! I won't be able to find you if you get lost!" Fate huffed when she couldn't see the girl anymore. She thought that Nanoha might be trying to get as far away as she could, but she couldn't leave the girl alone. Good thing she has good hearing and swiftly followed where the rustling was coming hoping she would soon see the girl.
Nanoha heard what Fate said and it reminded her of the past.
…The forest is big and you might get lost!
But if you did end up getting lost, don't wander around. Just stay in one place okay?...
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was not the time to think about the past, but since she was distracted while running, she didn't see a huge root sticking out from the ground in front of her. Her right leg was caught up by the root and she fell flat on the ground.
Hearing Nanoha yelp from pain, Fate sprinted to where the girl was. She saw the girl slowly getting up from the ground, but stays seated on the ground after she visibly winced. Fate approached her and checked her injuries. She sighed when she saw all the girl had was a few bruises on her legs and arms, but a slightly reddish part on her right leg caught her attention. She frowns and reaches out to touch it but Nanoha stopped her.
"D-Don't touch it." Nanoha protest weakly.
"Does it hurt?" Fate ignores Nanoha's hand and touched the swelling leg. Nanoha winced at the contact but immediately relaxed when Fate rubbed it gently.
"It doesn't look that bad, but I think we should let the Doctor check it out. How did you end up falling?" Fate raises a brow.
"I'm not a klutz okay?" Nanoha frowned as she looks away from Fate.
"I didn't mean it like that." Fate sighed. She was getting tired of fighting with her and because of the girls actions now, she can't help but think about her earlier accusation. I think the one acting like a child between us is you, Fate thought.
Fate bends down and turns around as she held out her hands towards her back.
"What are you doing?" Fate couldn't see the girl's face but she heard the irritation in the girl's voice.
Fate unconsciously rolled her eyes. When she realizes this, she was glad the girl didn't see her reaction. "You can't possibly walk by yourself now and we need to get someone to check your leg as soon as possible. So hop on. I'll carry you."
"I can walk by myself," Nanoha said stubbornly.
Fate looked over her shoulder but didn't stop her when the girl stands up slowly. Since the girl was really stubborn, she let her experience the pain.
Nanoha yelped from pain after she puts a little pressure on her right foot. She stumbles forward, but Fate swiftly caught her in her arms.
"Geez, you're a klutz and a stubborn girl." Fate teased and laughed when the girl moved slightly away only to show her frowning face.
"So, what now? Are you going to let me carry you or should I force you?" Fate said as she whispered in her right ear.
"F-Fine." Nanoha blushed but still kept the frown on her face.
"You know, you would look more beautiful if you just stopped frowning like that." Fate raised her hand and touched Nanoha's forehead in an attempt to smooth out the skin between her brows. "Aren't you sorry for your forehead?"
Nanoha huffed and removed Fate's hand. "Save your words for girls that would be glad to hear it."
Fate was surprised from the playful comeback, but instantly recovers and stares at the girl. Nanoha finds it weird that Fate is still not turning around even though she offers to carry her, so she gives her a curious face thinking it will get her attention.
"Umm, I thought you were going to carry me. So why are you staring at me?"
Fate smiled. "I was thinking, do you want me to give you a piggy back ride or do you want me to carry you like a princess?" Fate teased as she wiggles her brows.
"I told you, you won't get anything from me even if you hit on me. So save it for other girls and turn around!" Nanoha said in a stern voice that made Fate turn around.
Nanoha's face was actually flushed from what Fate said, so Fate didn't mind that Nanoha had just bossed her around.
Fate laughed. "I'm ready when you are."
Nanoha nodded and positioned herself on Fate's back. Fate wraps her hands on Nanoha's legs when she felt her hands wrap on her neck. Before Fate moved, she gives Nanoha a little boost so she could hold her more firmly.
Fate gulped when she felt the hands on her neck tightens a little. "Don't even think of letting your hands wonder or I'll strangle you."
Fate grins as she looked back at the girl behind her. She remembers her reaction earlier so she tried to push her luck and tease the girl. "What? I have nice legs too you know? But I guess I would prefer it if you would strangle me in a different way."
Nanoha instantly blushed at Fate's suggestive words, making Fate burst out laughing. "S-Shut up you pervert and start walking." Nanoha slap Fate's shoulder and hid her blushing face.
"Alright, alright. So bossy" Fate chuckled as she starts walking.
xXx*xXx
After 15-20 minutes of walking, Fate and Nanoha finally reached the end of the forest. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, her jaw dropped from what she saw. They were currently standing a few feet away from the finish line. Some students were already sitting on one of the benches inside the tents and relaxing as they waited for others to finish.
Fate looked at Nanoha's surprise face and answered her unspoken question. "That forest is a shortcut to the back of the school. That's why I said we don't really need to hurry and look, here they come."
Nanoha squinted and saw Hayate and Suzuka running in the distance.
Fate put Nanoha down and let her sit on one of the vacant seats and waited for the two to arrive.
After a while, the two finally reached the finish line. The student council told them that they were the 4th group that was able to finish the race.
Hayate sighed. "All that effort was for naught."
Suzuka giggled. "Well at least we did our best."
The two approached Fate and Nanoha when they saw Fate waving her hand to get their attention. Suzuka looked very worried when she saw Nanoha's swelling foot.
"What happened?" Suzuka glared at Fate.
"Suzuka-chan, it's not Fate-chan's fault. It's because I was distracted and didn't see a root sticking out from the ground." Nanoha filled in.
"A root sticking out from the ground?" Hayate repeated and looked at Fate.
"W-well I went inside it cuz I wanted to have a quick nap." Fate rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
Hayate sighed and let the incident slide. "It's fine, but we need to get Nanoha's foot checked. We asked the school doctor to stand by in case there is an emergency. We just need to get you to their tent."
Hayate looked around to find someone that would carry Nanoha, but Fate interjected.
"Don't worry, I will carry her. It's my fault why she ended up hurt anyway," Fate said before she approached Nanoha. Fate reached her hand out to Nanoha, but the girl shook her head and gently pushed Fate's hand away.
"I already made you carry me out of the forest. I don't want to burden you anymore." She looked away from Fate's eyes and looked at Suzuka. "Suzuka-chan, could you help me walk to where the doctor is? I just need someone to lean on."
Suzuka was surprised, but nodded anyway. She helped Nanoha get up and Nanoha put her right hand on Suzuka's shoulder and made sure she put less pressure on her leg.
Suzuka slowly led her to the infirmary until Nanoha motioned her to stop, looking back at Fate. "Um, Fate-chan… thank you for carrying me until we made it here," Nanoha said shyly.
Fate smiled. "You're welcome. You're light as a feather."
Nanoha blushed. "…and I want to tell you I'm sorry for everything that I said…especially about what I said to you when we met at Midori-ya café."
Fate thought about what Nanoha was talking about. When she finally remembered it, she shook her head then smiled. "It's alright. I'm sorry too Takamachi for what I said earlier." Fate smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of her neck nervously.
Nanoha felt relief that Fate easily forgive her so she unconsciously smiled sweetly at Fate making her blush slightly. Hayate, who was standing right beside her, smirked when she saw the blush on her face.
"Nanoha is fine." Nanoha giggled a little at Fate's surprised look. "I call you by your name, so if you call me Nanoha I will forgive you."
Fate laughed at Nanoha's way of telling her to start calling her by her name. "Alright, Nanoha."
"Good." Nanoha smiled.
When Suzuka thought that their conversation finally ended, she interjected but didn't tease the two girls who seemed to be forgetting that Hayate and her were near them. "Nanoha-chan, we should go now and let the doctor see your foot."
"Ah right," Nanoha replied awkwardly.
"So what do you think about our new P.E. class?" Hayate asked. She followed her gaze and smiled. Fate was looking at Nanoha's back as the two slowly walked towards a small tent.
"Well I didn't like it." Fate whispered. She unconsciously smiled as she remembered their conversation earlier.
"What are you laughing about?" Nanoha asked curiously when Fate suddenly laughed a few minutes after she began carrying her.
"Carrying someone on my back made me remember of my childhood," Fate answered. She smiled as she reminisced the past.
Nanoha looked at Fate's face curiously and thought that this might be her chance to know if Fate actually remembers her as her childhood friend. "Fate-chan, do you remember your playmate when you were still little?"
"Huh? Why do you want to know?" Fate looks at her curiously.
"Just answer it." Nanoha deadpanned.
Fate sighed. "Well yeah. My playmate was a klutz and would always end up tripping for some reason…oh, I remember one time when she was injured, I carried her too because she was crying. She was really a crybaby you know."
Nanoha glared at Fate's amused face. "I feel sorry for your playmate for having you as her friend."
"Huh? Why are you mad? You sound like you know my playmate when I was little." Fate teased.
"Hmpf! Its nothing I'm just saying." Fate chuckled at her stern voice as if saying that's the end of their conversation.
"…but I had fun."
Childhood friends, huh? It's kind of weird that a simple conversation like that could make me remember that she was not just a girl that I randomly met in the train station. Hmm…maybe it was fate.
Fate chuckled at her silly thought.
A/N: hi everyone! its the first day of June and i finally updated Love Trouble! new chapter it was really long lol i can't believe it would turn out this long so i hope everyone forgive me for updating the story only now. anyway i'm going to start writing for Reaching You now but with school starting again this June i don't think i could update it this month but i would try my best to update it as fast as i can.
Characters here are OOC as you all knew i hope it was okay *laugh* and those character that i just mention but not really part of the original character of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha are OC character i just thought of but don't worry they would only play a minor role in the story.
Thanks Sammie-chan89 for editing this long chapter lol.
Sorry there is no omake this time i wasn't able to think of a good one since i'm focus of finishing this chapter but i promise an omake next chapter. I hope everyone enjoy this long chapter as much as when i write it XD. once again thank you for reading this chapter and please review. *bow*