AN: I'm back! I felt bad leaving you guys with that cliffhanger so here's another chapter. First thought, some reviewer responses.

Anonymous- I'm glad the chapter didn't feel like an info dump. I was worried I'd be throwing too many things at you. Here's your semi fast update for you.

Curry- Actually, the title did come from the Hunger Games theme song. It just happened to be what I was listening to when I was writing the first chapter and I thought it fit the story. Now that I think about it, most of my stories get their titles like that. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this?

Yukiyuuki- Yeah, Momoko is awesome like that. Best mom ever?

Closetotaku711- I really don't have anything planned out for this story. I'm just making it up as I go along. Haha, glad to know that it seems like I know what I'm doing, but I don't.

Kaito kenshin- I think I answered one of your questions in this chapter.

Tsuchiyasa- I can tell you for sure that there will be no love triangles. Everything else is still up in the air.

I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter everyone!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Safe and Sound

"Fate…chan?"

It was an odd feeling. Staring at the unknown girls cobalt eyes, Fate felt like she'd known her all her life. The warmth she felt from this girls touch…she'd never felt anything like it before. At that precise moment, the blonde's fight or flight instincts kicked in. Here was this girl who knew her name, a girl she'd never even met before. The only thing she wanted to do was get away from her. To get away from this unknown situation, regroup, and come up with a plan to deal with it later. Nanoha barely had time to say anything else before Fate shoved her off.

"Eep!"

"Nanoha!" Miyuki ran to her sister's side. She'd been following her since she left the auditorium, trying to catch up. Then she saw her run into someone and both of them fall to the ground. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Nanoha then switched her attention back to the blonde girl. Another girl that looked exactly like her was helping her up.

"Are you okay Fate?"

Fate only nodded before getting to her feet. Although she had the urge to get away as soon as possible, she also couldn't ignore the fact that she'd been the one to slam into the auburn haired girl because she wasn't paying attention. Lindy would undoubtedly be disappointed in her for not even apologizing. Steeling herself, she turned back to the girl sitting on the ground. Fate kept her face blank of emotions, something she still did when she was thrust into a situation she was unsure of. She walked towards Nanoha and held out her hand.

"I apologize for running into you." Fate said emotionlessly. Inside though, she was anything but calm. Something about this girl had her wanting to do something she wasn't familiar with. An emotion she could not put into words. She was confused and…

"Scared?"

Fate had never felt this emotion before. All her life, she'd been conditioned to rid herself of such a useless feeling. Anything that could possibly cause any interference in her work was useless.

"I-It's okay. I wasn't paying attention to where I going."

Their hands touched.

A spark of electricity traveled through their joined hands.

Fate let go of Nanoha's hand so fast that Nanoha fell back down. Miyuki was quick to catch her sister before she landed on the floor again. She couldn't help but glare at the blonde before her. Was she trying to help or make things worse?

"Why'd you do that for?" Miyuki asked angrily.

Instead of answering Fate quickly walked past them.

"I apologize for my sister's behavior. She must be more nervous than I thought about her first day." Alicia gave a quick bow before chasing after Fate. The older blonde thanked her fantastic acting skills. Alicia was very rarely worried, but Fate's odd behavior had her wondering what had happened. There was no way Fate was hurt from that little accident. As bad as it sounded, she'd seen Fate in worse conditions. A lot worse. She finally managed to catch up with her twin.

"Fate?"

"I'm okay." Fate answered a little too quickly.

Alicia frowned. Fate was just standing there, looking at her hand like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Not knowing exactly what to do, considering dealing with emotions was not their strongest point, Alicia grabbed her twin's hand and pulled her along to the auditorium. They still had things to do and the best way to get Fate out of her odd behavior was to get her mind focused on a goal.

"Let's get our schedules and head to class. Lindy-san would not be happy if we ditched any classes on our first day."

"Right, we can't mess up here."

Alicia was still not convinced everything was completely okay with her sister but chose to let it go for now. Just what had that girl done to Fate? Whatever happened between them must've been big. Fate wasn't one to just act so…dazed. Alicia knew she couldn't let this happen to her sister again. They couldn't afford to lose it while in this place. They already had too many eyes on them, waiting for them to make one wrong move before throwing them back in a holding cell for the rest of their lives.

"I better make sure she stays away from that girl."

-SafeandSound-

"Are you sure you're okay?" Miyuki asked again as she and Nanoha walked into one of the school buildings.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just surprised I guess."

"That was awfully rude of her to let you fall a second time."

"It was an accident. I shocked her when our hands touched."

"Oh like a static shock? Still she shouldn't have let you fall."

"That wasn't like a static shock…at all."

Nanoha couldn't believe it. Fate was real. Not only that but she was attending the same school as her! She had to meet her again. She had to talk to her. Placing her hand over her heart, she could still feel it beating erratically against her chest.

"I have to confirm these feelings…"

Nanoha once again reassured her sister that she was fine before they separated to go to their respective classes. She wondered if Fate had gotten her class schedule yet. Would they be in the same class? If they were it would be amazing. She'd have many more chances to get to know the mysterious blonde. There was something very different about the girl she'd dream about and the girl she met. The one thing she could say for sure was that there was a certain amount of sadness in those burgundy eyes. A sadness she saw often when she'd dream of them as children. With a sigh, she sat down in the closets available seat. Class would be beginning shortly.

"Hey there!"

"Eh?"

Nanoha was surprised at the girl who suddenly slammed her hands on her desk in greeting.

"I said hi! My name is Hayate Yagami!"

"H-Hayate? It's really her! I'm finally meeting her!"

Realizing she was starting to stare, Nanoha snapped herself out of her stupor. "Oh! I'm Nanoha Takamachi. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Hayate grinned. "I've heard about you. Is it true this is the first time your attending school?

"Umm, yes it is. My father was quite paranoid about letting us attend school since we were little. He still is."

"Quite understandable. He's made a few enemies after all."

"How do you know that?"

Hayate grinned. "You really have no idea how famous you are do you?"

"Nyahaha, I can't see how I'm the famous one. You're probably a lot more famous than I am. You're the Prime Minister's granddaughter!"

"Perhaps, but being famous does have it's advantages at this school." Hayate took a seat next to Nanoha and pointed towards one of the girls in her class. "See her? That's Arisa Bannings. She's the only daughter of the multimillionaire Augustus Bannings, head of the Bannings Auto Company."

"A-Arisa Bannings? Another one? Oh my god! Is this really possible?"

Nanoha had never really paid attention to the news or anything that was in the entertainment industry. The odd time she did watch anything it was usually some drama show. Now she wished she had paid more attention to the world around her. Perhaps if she had, she'd know about the girls she'd dreamt about. Hayate was the only exception but that's because it had been widely publicized when the Prime Minister adopted the girl before her. She never thought she'd be meeting her like this though.

"And that girl over there." Hayate continued, unaware of her new friends state of shock, "That's Subaru Nakajima, the daughter of Genya and Quint Nakajima. Her parents aren't as famous in the world but that's only because the ignorant masses don't realize that the everyday medicine's they use are thanks to the Nakajima's. This kind of fame though does little for her at this school, where most value how important someone is based on how many people know about them."

"Don't I fall into that category?"

"Yes, but I think it's better that you're not a public figure. I find that the people who are at "the top" tend to be a bunch of jerks."

"You're one to talk Yagami." A pink haired girl walked up to the two. Her amethysts eyes narrowed at the brunette. "You've only gained recognition because Graham-san took pity on you. These nobodies don't belong with the rest of us as it is." She sighed dramatically. " If only the chairman of the school would listen to my families proposal and only allow those of true status to attend. This school just isn't what it use to be."

Nanoha felt her anger begin to bubble. Who did this girl think she was? She could take being insulted, but no one talked bad about her family. No one had the right to belittle all the hard work her father put into his company. Nanoha was about to do something that would more than likely get her suspended, when Hayate placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her.

"My, what a great idea Florian-san. If true status were properly defined then perhaps your application would've been rejected. It would've been quite fortunate for the rest of us so we may not attend with someone like you."

The pink haired girl seemed to at a loss as to what to say, so instead she huffed and walked away from the brunette. Hayate chuckled at the girl's reaction.

"Well that got rid of her. Much better than what you were about to do."

"You knew?"

Hayate laughed. "I seriously thought you were going to punch her out without letting her finish her sentence."

"I was very tempted to."

"I'm glad you didn't. It would be a shame to have my new friend suspended on her first day."

"I doubt my parents would've been happy with the outcome either. Thank you Yagami-san."

"No." Hayate said seriously.

"Eh?"

"You can't call me Yagami-san. It's far too formal. It gets tiring hearing everyone address me like that. You have to call me Hayate-chan or I won't respond to you."

Nanoha giggled. Hayate Yagami was quite the character. If she had to compare her to the dream Hayate, they were almost identical.

"I wonder is everyone else is the same?"

The chatter in the room halted as a woman with pink hair strode into the room. If Nanoha had to describe her, she looked rather serious.

"Everyone take your seats. Class will begin in a few minutes."

The people chatting around the classroom milled around looking for the perfect seats before settling down. The bell rang too soon. Nanoha looked around for a certain blonde girl, but she did not spot her. Maybe they weren't going to be in the same class? The intercom over the school suddenly came to life.

"Alicia and Fate Harlaown. Please report to the Chairman's office. Alicia and Fate Harlaown, report to the Chairman's office please. Thank you."

"Well that explains where those two are." Their pink haired teacher said. Nanoha felt happier than she'd ever been. "Alright settle down class. My name is Yagami Signum. I'll be your homeroom teacher. So, let's begin with role call."

Whispers went around the class. Yagami? Were she and Hayate related some how? No one was brave enough to disturb their stern looking teacher during her roll call. Instead they chose to keep the question to themselves and ask later when a chance presented itself.

-SafeandSound-

Alicia and Fate had just received their schedules when the announcement was made over the intercom. The girls looked at each other confused. What could they have possibly done? They hadn't even been on campus long enough to get into any serious trouble. Whatever it was, they wouldn't know until they went there. The girls nodded to each other and headed into the direction of the office.

Upon reaching the office, they waited outside until the secretary allowed them to enter.

"The Chairman is ready for you." The red headed woman motioned for them to proceed into the room.

When they entered, they were surprised to see that Lindy was in the room. On the other side were a man and a woman they'd never seen before.

"Please take a seat girls." A brown haired man behind a giant desk said. On the desk a nameplate read "Zest Grangeitz".

The girls obeyed and sat down. They were unsure what this was all about. What had they done?

Zest stood up and walked towards the giant window behind his desk. The silence was beginning to get to the twins.

"Do you know what it means to protect someone?"

Sensing that the question was directed at them, the girls answered.

"No." Alicia said truthfully.

"But you know what it means to take a life correct?"

"Yes." Fate answered this time.

Suddenly Zest turned and flung a knife at Lindy. In the blink of an eye, Fate intercepted the knife and Alicia attacked the man that dared try to harm her adopted mother, but before she could reach the man, she was pinned to the ground by the other unknown man that was in the room. Assuring that her mother was all right, Fate went after the man that was restraining her twin. She still had no idea how or why this was happening but she knew she couldn't let her family get hurt. Not while she was still able to fight. The principal blocked her path but that didn't stop Fate. She delivered a roundhouse kick to the man but the bigger man easily deflected her attack. That didn't discourage the blonde girl. She instead went to the man's shins causing him to fall onto his back.

"That's enough!" Zest screamed from the ground.

Everyone froze in their spots. Fate had whipped out two knifes and was about to throw them at the man restraining her sister, while Alicia had finally maneuvered herself so that she was able to get to her own knife she'd hidden on her person. The Chairman stood up and calmly dusted himself off.

"I think these girls have proven themselves don't you think, Takamachi-san?"

"Takamachi?" both girls thought. They'd heard of him from Lindy since he was the premier bodyguard trainer. Fate put away her knifes while Shiro Takamachi released Alicia. The older blonde backed away towards her sister.

"What's this about?" she finally asked.

"Takamachi-san was under the impression that I made a mistake allowing you to attend this school. Lindy-san of course argued your case but Takamachi-san was unconvinced. Thus I set up this little test."

"How was attacking Lindy-san a test!" Fate frowned. "It's one thing if you came after us personally but why get her involved?"

Zest went back to his chair and sat down. "Takamachi wanted to prove that you were only capable of killing and unable to protect anyone other than yourselves. Thus I set up this test in order to test his theory. Yet you did something unexpected. You protected your adopted mother and went after the person who tried to harm her."

Lindy took this chance to hug her two girls. Her hard work was starting to bear fruit.

"I'm so proud of you girls."

The two blushed slightly. They were more or less use to this type of affection in private, but it was another thing for her to do it in front of strangers. Zest turned to the dark haired man in his office.

"Don't you think you owe them a chance?"

Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. The woman that stood next to him smiled slightly.

"Shiro, I think they deserve it don't you?"

The dark haired man huffed. "I suppose, but that doesn't mean I trust them." He turned to Lindy and the two girls. "I'll be keeping a close watch on you two. One wrong move and you'll be out of here faster than you can blink. I will not allow my children to be placed in danger by you two."

With that, he walked out of the office. The woman smiled apologetically at Lindy and the girls.

"I'm sorry about his behavior. He's just worried. I must admit I was also skeptical about letting them come to this school, but after what I saw today, I have been given some peace of mind. Don't let Lindy-san down girls."

Lindy smiled. "I think my girls will surprise you Momoko-san."

"I hope so." Momoko returned the smile. She nodded to the occupants in the room and followed her husband out. She was extremely relieved to see that Fate and Alicia were not the killing machines the reports made them out to be. Then again, it had been a few years since Lindy took them out of their environment and began undoing the damage their years of assassination training had done to them.

"Perhaps Nanoha will be in good hands after all."

-SafeandSound-

Their lesson was interrupted when two blonde girls entered the classroom. Signum turned to the two girls who handed her a note explaining their tardiness. Nodding, the pink haired teacher turned to her class.

"Everyone, this is Alicia and Fate Harlaown." She turned to the girls. "Take any available seat. That will be your seat for the remainder of the year."

Nodding, the two girls surveyed the classroom for any empty desks. They spotted two seats, but Fate felt herself become sweaty and nervous. The empty desk was in front of the auburn haired girl she ran into that morning.

"You can sit here Alicia-chan! Fate-chan!" Hayate waved at the blondes.

The two girls flinched slightly at the girl's overly friendly and loud voice. Who gave her permission to call them by their first names? Still, they had no choice. All the other seats were already taken. Steeling themselves, Fate and Alicia took a seat in front of Nanoha and Hayate respectively.

"All right class, let's continue where we left off."

Nanoha did not pay attention to the rest of the lesson. All she could do was stare at the blonde girls back. How incredibly lucky was it that they were in the same class and sitting an arms length away from each other?

"Fate-chan…"

Fate on the other hand felt anything but lucky. Why did she have to be in the same class as the girl who made her feel uneasy? She had enough things to worry about without having to wonder why this girl had this effect on her. Maybe she could get her class switched? That would be hard though and she didn't want to be apart from her sister. They were each other's support and she couldn't imagine being away from her. Sighing, she did her best to concentrate on the lessons of the day.

Before they knew it, lunchtime had arrived. Everyone filed out. Fate got out of the classroom as fast as she could so that Nanoha would not have the chance to talk to her. The auburn haired girl though was not discouraged. She'd get her to talk to her no matter what. Hayate was about to walk out of the classroom when Signum stopped her.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"We'll have to find out won't we?"

"I don't like you being so close to them."

Hayate grinned. "Relax. They don't seem to be dangerous. Plus, Fate-chan looked like she was terrified of being around Nanoha. Not something a big bad assassin would do right?"

Signum shook her head. "Looks can be deceiving Hayate-chan. Please be careful."

"If it makes you feel any better, Vita-chan will be with us while we're at lunch."

"It eases my mind. We'll all keep an eye on you."

Hayate smiled. "I know you will. I'm not worried about that."

With that, the brunette ran to catch up with her new friend. She was well aware of the danger the twins could pose, but she could tell that Nanoha saw something in Fate. Why else would the girl be running after someone that clearly wanted nothing to do with her? If only for her sake, Hayate would help keep Nanoha safe. Who knows? Maybe Fate and Alicia would surprise them?

Hayate knew well that the girls faced a lot of adversity the minute everyone found out they were ex-assassins. No one would take it easy on them. No one ever treated ex-assassins as anything but murderers, the lowest of the low. It's why suicide rates were so high for them. The difference was though; those girls had someone helping them along the way. Lindy would not give up on them easily and if the girls allowed it, she was sure that Nanoha would not hesitate to become a pillar of support.

"This should be an interesting school year."

Hayate skipped off towards the auburn haired girl who was, for a lack of a better word, stalking a certain blonde girl.

"Yup, this should be a very interesting year."

AN: And there's chapter three. I hope you all enjoyed. I hope I can get better at writing action scenes too. I haven't ever tried to do that before so hopefully I won't be too horrible at it. Well, don't forget to review and until next time guys!