An: Hello to all my loyal readers! You're probably all glad I'm updating things again. Slowly but surely everything is getting a new chapter so I thank you for all the patience you guys have shown. I'm going to keep this author's note short and let you get back into the world of Safe and Sound. First though, a quick shout out to all the people that reviewed:
KARI, Linrei, Kris-tim-chan, Yo-kun, Parme-san, zahc, yukiyuuki, Mayvarik, Jay, Aka Chibi-chan, Hyuuga-Sword, karibel, alexwill22, Lance58, ZonaRose, Tsuchiyasa, bardiche, SappoSensei, devilhamster, priest1drago, Nightraze, trumm12345, darkvalk, Spikesagitta, eries326, and Honulicious
You guys continue to be awesome. Now on with the chapter!
Safe and Sound
"Jail Scaglietti?"
Precia's smile widened.
"That's right."
"I can't say that I have."
"Ah, I see." She went quiet again and just stared at Lindy in a thoughtful manner. Her stares always served to unnerve Lindy but she'd started to grow use to these looks.
"Should I have known who he was?"
Precia leaned back slightly in her chair.
"I think it's a good thing you don't."
Lindy committed the name to memory. Why would Precia bring up someone just to see if she knew them? What was the reason? Precia did and said things for a reason even if they didn't make sense right away. Like these meetings they'd been having, there was no real purpose to them other than for Precia to tell Lindy a few vague things here and there. Still, Lindy had been suspecting that the meetings were not as random as she though. After her first meeting, something nagged at her but she hadn't been able to see why it bugged her so much. Then a few days after later, she got a call from her superiors. They let her know that they were canceling their plan to put Precia under torture. Lindy hadn't even been aware there had been plans to do so until that day. This event led her to begin thinking about their odd meetings. It was just far too coincidental that Precia suddenly started to talk about things when she was in danger, but how did she know that she was? The more she talked with this woman, the more she seemed to know about events happening on the outside. She recalled that Precia once said she had eyes and ears everywhere. Lindy was beginning to think this wasn't just a passing comment. She was sure that there was a lot more to the women sitting in front of her than she'd originally thought. She just had to put together all the pieces of the puzzle and figure out what Precia was trying to tell her.
"Did you know the Guild wasn't always their own organization?"
Lindy's eyes almost widened. Almost. This was the first time Precia ever mentioned anything about the Assassin's Guild.
"Should you really be telling me anything about The Guild?"
"Isn't that why you're keeping me here?"
"I was under the impression that Guild business was never to be revealed under the threat of death."
Precia leaned in as close as she could and smiled.
"Is that worry I hear in your voice?"
"You're imagining things."
"Ah, but it would mean so much to me if you were."
Lindy gave in and rubbed her forehead. Her headache was getting worse. Precia never made things easy for her, especially once she started her flirting.
"Are you not feeling well Lindy?"
"Since when are you allowed to call me by my first name?"
"Since you walked in the door or did you not notice my secret agent?"
The cyan haired woman tried not to groan. She was really out of it if she didn't even notice the change at the beginning of their conversation. This wasn't good at all. She needed to get some rest, but more importantly, she needed to get her act together in front of this woman; this infuriating riddle known as Precia Testarossa. Lindy straightened back up and faced her prisoner.
"You are not allowed to call me by my first name."
"Why not? If you'd like, you can call me by my first name as well."
"We are anything but friends Testarossa."
"Oh, I don't know Lindy. I think we can be something much more than friends."
"Testarossa…." Lindy warned.
"Very well my secret agent. I'll refrain from calling you anything but Harlaown-san."
"Good."
"But in exchange you have to call me by my name."
"No."
"Then I guess this is where our conversations end."
"You can't be serious."
"Oh but I am. From this point on, I will no longer be seeking you out for our little talks. Unless, of course, you do as I ask. Otherwise, have fun figuring out what you can with what I've given you."
"I will not call you by your name."
Precia didn't say anything and just stared blankly at the agent.
"Testarossa…." Lindy tried to warn her again but the assassin didn't budge. She'd had a tiring enough day as it was, she was not in the mood to play Precia's little games. She would not give into whatever it was that the woman wanted. Calling Precia by her first name was out of the question. It would suggest familiarity between them; a bond of sorts. She wasn't about to have something like that with the woman that did so much damage to her two girls. "Do as you like, but I will not give in to your demands."
Lindy signaled to the guards to take away the prisoner. Once Precia was removed from the room, Lindy stood from her seat and made her way back to her office. There was still paper work that needed to be finished before she could return home for some much needed rest. She could sleep easier now knowing that Alicia and Fate would be home.
-SafeandSound-
"Will you marry me?"
Fate was puzzled. What exactly was she doing? It was odd because part of her knew she was doing the logical thing and proposing to her longtime girlfriend, but another part was telling her that this wasn't her at least not exactly. She was still much younger than the person she was now. What was going on?
"Yes! Fate-chan, I'll marry you!"
Suddenly, all the odd thought's she'd been having disappeared and the only thing she could think of was how happy she was that Nanoha said yes. The auburn haired girl jumped in her arms and all Fate wanted to do was hold her like that for eternity. The distinct sound of sobbing was heard, but Fate knew she was crying out of happiness. They'd wanted to marry for so long now, but with her job constantly keeping her away it seemed like the right time was never going to come. Fate though, wasn't going to let her job keep her from the person she loved. She'd been working extra hard these last couple months so that she could get enough time off to not only help plan for the wedding but to also be around for the first few months of their newlywed lives.
"Don't cry." She whispered into her fiancée's ear.
"I-I can't help it. You've made me so happy."
Fate pulled back slightly and tentatively kissed away the tears from Nanoha's face.
"Fate-chan…."
"I don't like seeing Nanoha cry even if it's because she's happy. I like a smiling Nanoha best."
The tears were still there, but Nanoha gave Fate the most brilliant smile she could. In Fate's opinion, nothing was more beautiful than Nanoha's smiling face. Fate nervously slipped on the ring that Signum had helped her pick out. She remembered she'd been so nervous the first time she walked into a jewelry store that she couldn't decide what to get much less tell the employee what kind of ring she was looking for. Her second visit proved more productive thanks to Signum keeping her from becoming a stuttering mess when the jewelry store employee asked what kind of ring she was looking for.
"I love you." Fate said. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Nanoha held Fate's hands in her own.
"Forever Fate-chan, I'll spend forever with you."
Fate smiled. Nanoha felt her breathe hitch. Fate always told her how there was nothing more beautiful than when she smiled, but the auburn haired girl had to disagree. If anything, nothing could compare to a smile on the blonde Enforcer's lips. Nanoha leaned up and captured those lips with her own.
Fate's eyes groggily opened.
"Hey she's waking up."
That was definitely Hayate's voice. Where was she?
"I can't believe she passed out from a kiss."
That was unmistakably Arisa sounding as grumpy as ever.
"Was this her first kiss?"
It sounded like Suzuka was shuffling around her. Fate groaned and sat up.
"Fate?" Alicia asked her twin.
The older blonde was kneeling by her sister making sure she was okay to stand on her own.
"I'm fine."
"You're not that fine if you fainted." Arisa grumbled. "Come on let's get you to the nurses office."
"I'm fine. Really."
"Doesn't matter, you need a place to lie down." Arisa pointed to the door. Fate could not find it in her to argue with her classmate.
"Let me help you up Fate-chan." Nanoha, who Fate hadn't noticed until that point, held out her hand.
Fate looked at that hand and blushed. She could not understand why she was reacting in that way. It was like it was an instinct.
"Are you okay Fate-chan? You look rather flushed." Hayate smirked off to the side. She knew very well why it was that Fate was reacting in such a manner, but it was no fun if she revealed the fact to the blonde assassin. She had to figure it out on her own although she would try to help her out and point her in the right direction. She had a feeling that both twins would need a push in the right direction.
"I'm taking her to the nurse." Alicia announced. "You can all go to lunch. I'll take care of her."
"Are you sure?" Suzuka asked. "We don't mind going with you."
"We'll be fine."
"Then let's get going. Let us know if you guys need anything." Carim slowly ushered out their friends so that the twins could have their privacy. Nanoha though, couldn't bring herself to leave. She'd been so scared that something bad had happened to Fate when they'd kissed. It was a relief that she only passed out but she wanted to go with her to make sure everything was okay and hopefully find out why it was that she'd fainted like that. She was sure that kissing someone shouldn't result in that person fainting.
Alicia noticed that Nanoha was hesitating to leave and as much as she wanted the auburn haired girl to stay away from her sister, she couldn't make her do that. Even if she could, she had a feeling that Nanoha would not heed her warning. She wouldn't be surprised. The girl wasn't scared of her or Fate. She'd taken an interest in her sister since the moment they met and even when she found out who they were she still wouldn't distance herself from them. Alicia would say this interest was unhealthy but then her own sudden interest in Hayate wasn't something she could explain either. For the moment though, Alicia knew it would be best to keep Nanoha at a distance from Fate. At least until she got the full story on what happened. Alicia stood up and faced the other girl.
"Go with them." She left no room for argument in her voice.
"But…."
"I'll let you know when you can see her."
"Alicia." Fate stood up. She wavered slightly but managed to stand on her own. "It's okay."
Alicia didn't look convinced.
Fate turned to Nanoha. "Go have lunch. I'll be back in time for class." She hoped that she'd listen to her. Fate knew Alicia meant well, but she didn't want Nanoha to be threatened by anyone, not even her own sister.
Nanoha nodded hesitantly, but left without further argument.
"Since when do you call her by her first name?" Alicia looked at her twin oddly.
"I'm not sure, but it feels natural."
"Feels?"
"Odd isn't it?"
"Very, but I can't say it's too odd."
"Why is that?"
"I've been having odd feelings around Yagami-san."
"You too?"
"I believe we're going soft."
Fate motioned for Alicia to follow her. The twins walked out of their classroom and towards the nurse's office.
"Lindy-san wouldn't call it a weakness." Fate commented. It was true. If anything, the older woman would be ecstatic to know that they were becoming more attached to the people around them.
"I know which is why I feel conflicted about these changes."
"I don't blame you. I've been having the same issues with all this."
"It's a good thing right?"
"Lindy-san would say so." Fate reiterated.
"Feelings make things more difficult."
"I couldn't agree more."
The two reached the nurses office. Shamal was at her desk having her lunch while looking over some paperwork.
"Already need medical attention? You haven't been back for a whole day." She said playfully.
"I just need to lie down." Fate answered.
"Hmm? What seems to be the problem?" Shamal motioned towards one of the beds. Fate picked one and went to lie down.
"I fainted."
"Is there any particular reason why you did?"
Fate suddenly didn't feel like answering that question. Was she feeling embarrassed? That was another first for her.
"Takamachi-san kissed her."
Shamal's eyes widened slightly.
"Really now. My, my, the baby of the family has found her special someone." Shamal chuckled. "I hope you know what you're in for."
"What do you mean?" Fate turned to her side to look at the blonde nurse.
"Well, seeing as she's Shiro's baby girl, I think he'd have a bit of an issue if you were romancing her."
"I'm not the one doing the romancing." Fate grumbled. If anyone was doing the romancing it was Nanoha. Fate wasn't even sure it had been going on until a few minutes ago. It's not like she had any experience with romance, but it was nice to know that she'd better watch out for Shiro Takamachi. She just hoped she'd get some time to prepare herself before the man came after her thinking something outrageous had happened between her and Nanoha because nothing had. She hadn't done a thing.
"I haven't done a thing."
"And I believe you but I doubt he will." Shamal turned to Alicia. "Will you be staying here as well?"
"You should go to lunch." Fate cut in before Alicia could answer. "I'll stay here."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine Alicia. There is no sense in both of us missing lunch. If something does happen I promise someone will get you."
"Very well, I'll come pick you up before lunch ends though."
"Alright."
Alicia nodded to Shamal before leaving for the lunch room. Fate turned back to the older blonde woman. This whole thing with Nanoha was confusing and as much as she was uncomfortable with it, she needed someone to talk to. Shamal was a good candidate at least until she could talk with Lindy.
"Shamal-sensei?"
"Yes?"
"You are married correct?"
"That's right."
"Do you love the person you're married to?"
"Very much so, it's why I married her." Shamal added with a smile.
"How did you know this person was the right one?"
"Hmm, well, every time I look at this person I feel my heart quicken. My chest flutters with warmth whenever I see her. All I want to do is spend the rest of my life with her. It's hard to explain."
Fate thought back to her strange dream. Of how an older version of her was proposing to an older Nanoha and how she felt when the auburn haired girl agreed to marry her. Were those feelings real? Or was it just the dream making her react like that? She wished she could say for sure.
"How do I know I love someone?"
Shamal looked at the girl before. To hear her ask about this sort of thing was quite possibly one of the oddest things she'd ever heard. This girl, who'd never, felt anything before, was falling in love. At least, Shamal though she was. From what she'd seen, Nanoha was one of the only people who'd broken through Fate's barriers. She was one of the only people that the blonde acknowledged. There were a few people now in the blonde's life that she treated differently, she might even call them her friends, but the auburn haired girl got special treatment that Fate probably didn't even realize she was giving. She could say the same thing about Alicia with Hayate. The first time she'd witnessed the pair bantering as they walked through the hallway, she had to pinch herself to make sure she hadn't imagined the whole thing. Maybe it wasn't love that the two girls were feeling for their respective friends, but she was sure that they at least held some form of affection for them. That, in and of itself, was a great leap forward.
"Well, I wouldn't jump straight to love right away. I'd say that's something that comes later, but love at first sight isn't completely unheard of."
"Then what would be the first step?"
"I'd say liking someone is the typical first step."
"….how do I know I like someone?"
"Hmm, well I suppose every time you see this person you feel like your heart is about to burst from your chest. You feel shyer around them."
"Isn't that similar to being in love?"
"I suppose it is, which is why it's so easy to mistake the feeling of liking someone for love."
"Then how do I know which is which?"
"Unfortunately, there is no real way to know. Sometimes it can be trial and error and you may get hurt, but it's all part of life. When you do find the person you're meant to be with though, you'll know."
"This is not very logical."
Shamal couldn't help but giggle. Fate and Alicia were truly still innocent in many ways.
"Feelings are hardly ever logical, but it's not all bad."
Fate wasn't entirely convinced but she would take the older woman's word for it. Maybe Lindy would have a better insight into this whole liking someone thing.
-SafeandSound-
Alicia arrived at the table that the rest of her possible friends sat at. She was unsure of what to refer to them since calling them classmates didn't seem right. They weren't just classmates. She ignored most people she'd consider her classmates. The people sitting at the lunch table she most certainly did not ignore. Perhaps she did so to Hayate but that was only when the brunette got on her nerves. She acknowledged them almost to the same extent she'd acknowledge the people she'd come to see as family. The only logical thing she could refer to them was friends even if she still refused to give them a title out loud.
"Alicia!" Hayate waved. "So is Fate alright?"
Alicia nodded. "She said she'd be back for class but I'm going to pick her up just to make sure."
"You're such a good big sister." Hayate poked her cheek.
"What have I told you about touching me?"
"Not to?"
"Then why are you?"
"But I like touching you!"
Arisa turned to Nanoha, who looked a bit forlornly at her lunch. Something about the way Nanoha was acting bugged the brash blonde and she was determined to not let Nanoha wallow in her misery.
"Are they always like this?" Arisa hoped that snapped her outta the funk she was so enthralled in.
"Oh, umm, yes. Hayate-chan seems to enjoy teasing her, but Alicia-chan isn't a push over."
"Oi! Hayate!" a short red head slammed her lunch tray on the table. "Stop provoking her!"
"Mistress never listens." Reinforce joined them at their table.
The two girls typically joined them for lunch in order to keep an eye on Hayate since the girl liked to cause trouble for herself. Their services though had so far gone unused. The only person Hayate enjoyed picking on was Alicia and the blonde assassin had never done anything that would warrant the brunette girl's bodyguards to jump into action. They were still wary of her though.
"Alicia-chan loves me too much to hurt me." Hayate grinned.
"Those are some bold words there Yagami."
The table's attention was brought to two approaching girls and their bodyguard. Hayate's grin immediately disappeared. These two were quite possibly, her least favorite people at this school. Amitie and Kyrie Florian had done nothing but make life more frustrating in the brunette's opinion. They for sure, were one of the more outspoken students who bad mouthed Alicia and Fate. They were probably there again to try to instigate problems with them hoping to get the twins expelled. Alicia and Fate though never rose to their bait and instead ignore the two sisters. Hayate's gaze turned to their silent bodyguard. Yuri Eberwein was Amitie's bodyguard more than Kyrie's. Because of this, she and Reinforce seemed to have some sort of rivalry going on because Amitie always tried to compete against Hayate in whatever she could. It seemed she couldn't just be the best at school without her bodyguard being the best as well, which was frustrating for Amitie when Hayate held the top scores in the school.
"I only speak the truth." Hayate answered a bit tensely.
"I don't think Alicia-chan agrees with you." Amitie said with a smirk. "Do you Alicia-chan?"
Hayate felt her hands clench under the lunch table. She didn't like the fact that the red haired girl had said Alicia's name like that. It was one thing to have Nanoha call Alicia by her name, but when anyone else did so, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Carim, for example, seemed to have formed some sort of bond with Alicia, but Hayate wasn't overly happy with the new friendship only because Alicia seemed to be letting the other blonde past her defenses a lot easier than she was allowing Hayate. Was it because they had something to bond over? Or maybe it was because Hayate had broken down her defenses enough that she was naturally allowing people in? Hayate liked to think it was the latter. It still bugged her though. Now someone else thought they could be familiar with the blonde assassin when she'd worked so hard to get her to acknowledge her? Not exactly her favorite thing to hear, especially if that other person was Amitie.
Alicia noticed Hayate had become tenser with the arrival of the two girls. The blonde looked over them quickly and assessed that they were no real threat. Her eyes settled momentarily on the bodyguard. She knew the girl was the older Florian's bodyguard and she wasn't impressed with what she'd heard. Carim and Suzuka were more impressive and well-rounded fighters than this girl was. In her opinion, if Yuri Eberwein wanted to be a better bodyguard, then she needed to stop her pointless "rivalry" with Reinforce because the silver haired girl was already far better than she was. Alicia would have to guess that Reinforce was just doing it to humor her for the sake of Hayate. Her eyes drifted back to Amitie who had a smug smile on her face. Alicia guessed that she took her silence to mean she'd been right with her previous statement. The blonde didn't easily get riled up but the fact that this girl was making Hayate feel bad did not sit well with her. She could handle being "bullied" because nothing really affected her emotionally. Almost nothing that is. Things involving Hayate though, was another story. The brunette could be annoying sometimes but she never meant anyone any harm and Alicia had to admit that she did enjoy the girls company.
"I can't say I agree with your statement, Florian-san." Alicia took a bite of her sandwich and ignored the astonished stares everyone threw at her.
"I knew you loved me!" Hayate hugged Alicia who, for once, didn't push the other girl away. Instead, she continued to eat her sandwich like it was the normal thing to do.
Amitie seemed to recover slightly and decided to make a hasty exit.
"L-Let's go Kyrie."
"Hold on! I still haven't talked to Fate-chan."
You could practically her Nanoha's head snap in the younger Florian's direction. Arisa was sure she saw fire burning in those eyes and it was rather frightening. She thought back to the time that Nanoha snapped at her and she hoped to never get the girl mad at her again. The blonde had a feeling that that slap was nothing compared to her punches. Nanoha wasn't the weak girl she appeared to be. Arisa knew that no child raised by Shiro Takamachi would be pushovers.
"What do you want with Fate-chan?" There was an edge to her voice one that neither of the Florian sisters seemed to detect. Alicia took note though that at least Yuri seemed to notice and had positioned herself so that she could jump in should she need to. Perhaps the girl wasn't totally hopeless.
"I was going to offer her the glorious chance to be my bodyguard." She ended with a flip of her hair.
Alicia thought she imagined it, but she could've sworn that the temperature dropped near the vicinity of Nanoha. She watched the auburn haired girl with interest. Was she really already that possessive over her sister?
"Fate-chan won't agree. You're wasting your time."
"And who are you to speak for her?" Kyrie asked haughtily.
"I'm…." Nanoha hesitated. What was she to Fate? They were friends. Maybe. It was hard to say she was when Fate didn't refer to her as such. Girlfriends? Not even an option. They'd kissed once and Fate had fainted because of it. What could she say?
"That's what I thought. You're nobody to her."
Nanoha slammed her hands on the table and stood up to face the pink haired girl. Everyone thought for sure that Nanoha was going to deck the pink haired girl.
"Fate-chan is my bodyguard! You can't take her from me!"
You could hear a pin drop in the cafeteria.
-SafeandSound-
"I'll be heading to class."
"Off with you. I don't want to see you in here again for a while."
"I'll try not to be back." Fate opened the door and was about to walk out but stopped and turned back to the blonde nurse. "Thank you for your advice."
Shamal blinked twice, not believing her ears, but she recovered quickly and smiled at the girl.
"You're welcome."
Satisfied that she was polite with her interaction with Shamal, Fate walked out of the room and to her class. She wondered why Alicia hadn't stopped by like she said she was going to, but Fate assumed that something must've kept her. It probably had something to do with Hayate. No one else could distract Alicia more than the brunette.
"Fate!"
The blonde assassin stopped her stroll. She looked behind her to see Alicia running towards her.
"Alicia, I thought you'd been distracted by Hayate."
"Yagami-san is always… did you just call her by her first name?"
Fate blinked twice not believing her ears either.
"I did?"
"Yes. What is going on?" Alicia hadn't meant it but she snapped at her sister.
"I don't know. It just felt normal." Fate tried to explain; unsure of what was happening with Alicia or herself as well.
Alicia shook her head. She couldn't believe she'd snapped at Fate. She shouldn't be feeling possessive of Hayate from her own sister. Fate had been going through some odd changes and so was she. Snapping at her over something like this would help no one. She needed to control herself when it came to things regarding Hayate.
"Let's just not worry about that right now. If anything, we should worry about the commotion Takamachi-san has caused."
"What did she do?"
The two girls began to walk again.
"She claimed you were her bodyguard to everyone during lunch."
Fate stopped walking.
"What?"
Alicia stopped just in front of her.
"Yeah, it's caused quite the uproar within the student body."
"Is that a good thing?"
"I'm not sure yet. What I do know is we best prepare for an angry call from Shiro Takamachi."
"That doesn't sound very pleasant."
"It probably won't be."
Alicia began to walk again with Fate falling into step beside her.
"Lindy-san should be warned. She will be the one who has to deal with this after all." Fate suggested.
"I've already sent her a message letting her know the situation."
"Good. She'll be able to prepare herself with what little time she has before this reaches Shiro-san."
The remainder of the way, Alicia filled in Fate on what she had missed while she was in the nurse's office. The two girls walked into their classroom, the whispers of their classmates followed but this time their whispers didn't contain any malice towards them.
"Fate-chan," Nanoha walked towards the blonde timidly. A frown adorned her face. "I'm so sorry. I caused you more problems."
Something inside her told her to reassure Nanoha, to make that frown disappear. Fate didn't hesitate to gently lift Nanoha's head.
"Don't blame yourself. We'll figure something out."
The small smile that graced Nanoha's features was enough for Fate to decide that she made the right choice. Facing Shiro Takamachi though, was going to be quite the battle. Could she do it just to see Nanoha happy?
"Thank you Fate-chan."
A warm flutter filled her chest. Fate was sure she could. She didn't know what was happening to her, but for that smile, for this girl, she felt she could do anything. Is this what liking someone felt like? Or was this more than that?
"Everyone to your seats!"
Their teacher arrived and the chatter ceased. Everyone took their seats and absorbed themselves in their lessons.
-SafeandSound-
Lindy arrived home just in time for her phone to ring. The number that flashed was not the person she wanted to talk to at the moment but this needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
"Hello Shiro."
"Since when is your daughter my daughter's bodyguard?"
"Shiro, I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know what is going on. I have a vague idea but that's it. If you really want your question answered then I suggest you wait and ask your daughter since I hear she was the one who stated that Fate was her bodyguard."
"…."
"I know you have reservations about my girls and I don't blame you, but they are different. If you give them a chance, they won't let you down."
"I'll speak to Nanoha when she gets home. I'll expect you and your daughter over for dinner sometime this week."
"Very well, call me with a time and date."
The phone call ended with a click. Lindy was just glad that the call wasn't as bad as it could have been. She'd fully expected Shiro to chew her out but he was reasonable. His wife must've been in the same room as him. Only Momoko could keep him under control. With a tired sigh, she went inside her home in order to change into her civilian clothing. She'd be picking up the girls in a couple hours but before then, she wanted to get a nap in. She'd earned at least that much after her long week.
-SafeandSound-
"Man class dragged for that last hour!" Hayate stretched her tired muscles. "Good thing our weekend is here."
"For once I agree with you." Arisa said as she packed her things.
"So what's everyone doing for the weekend?" Nanoha asked.
"No plans really." Hayate answered. "Oh! If no one else has anything to do, I suggest we all have a sleepover!"
"That's a great idea!" Nanoha exclaimed. "Would my house be okay? Otherwise Dad might not let me go out."
"Your dad is way too overprotective." Arisa commented.
"I know but he means well."
"So are you coming Arisa?" Hayate asked.
"I guess….."
"Don't be so shy Arisa." Suzuka appeared out of nowhere.
"Ah! Don't do that!" Arisa held her hand against her chest in fright. "And for the last time I'm not shy!"
"Oh my poor frightened Arisa-chan. Don't worry, I'll protect you." Suzuka cooed as she hugged the scowling blonde.
"You're the one who surprised me in the first place." Arisa grumbled.
"Who would've thought you two were such good friends." Carim walked into their classroom with Vita and Reinforce in tow. She'd met up with the two girls who would be escorting Hayate home on this particular day. Usually, Shamal, Signum and Zafira would be with them but the older bodyguards had a teacher's meeting to attend to so it was up to the younger girls to ensure Hayate's safety.
"We are childhood friends although Arisa-chan here can be a little bit snooty."
"I'm not snooty!"
"I only said you were a little bit."
"Just stop talking."
The girls had a good laugh at Arisa's expense but it was all in good fun.
"Will you be going too Alicia-chan?" Hayate asked.
Alicia and Fate stared blankly at their friends.
"What is a sleepover?" they asked simultaneously.
Their friends blinked in disbelief. Then they thought about it for a second and it made sense that they didn't know what a sleepover was. All their lives, they'd been trained to be used as assassins. There was no room for them to be normal kids or experience anything that could be considered normal.
"That's even more of a reason for you guys to come!" Carim exclaimed. "You need to do more teenager like things."
"Agreed!" Hayate stood up from her desk. "As Class President, I require you two to attend Nanoha's First Ever Extravagant Sleepover!"
"Class President doesn't have that kind of authority." Alicia stated simply.
"That's beside the point!" Hayate pointed at the twins. "You two need to go. We'll show you what it's like to be more like teenagers."
The blonde's looked at each other.
"I suppose we could as Lindy-san for permission." Fate said.
"Alright! Then we'll be meeting tonight at Nanoha's at 6pm sharp! Do I make myself clear troops!"
"Aye, aye captain!" Carim saluted the girl.
"Carim! I promote you to private first class!"
"Thank you ma'am! My dreams have come true!"
The girls (minus Fate and Alicia) had another good laugh at the ridiculous antics of Hayate and Carim. Fate and Alicia were convinced they'd associated themselves with some odd people but they weren't too bad to be around. The girls finished gathering their things and walked out to the pickup zone. Alicia and Fate spotted Lindy and were about to say good bye to their friends when they suddenly found the girls had left them behind and ran towards Lindy's car.
"Lindy-san! Can Alicia-chan and Fate-chan attend a sleepover?" Hayate reached the car first and asked.
"A sleepover? Where will this sleepover be held at?"
"Nanoha's!" The rest of the girls caught up and answered.
Lindy thought twice about saying yes only because Shiro was not in a good mood when it came to the subject of the twins. Still, this could be the perfect chance for him to see first-hand what kind of people they were. She knew Shiro had access to some files with the girl's basic information, but there was only so much you could learn by reading. This was the chance for them to prove themselves to the man.
"Please Lindy-san." Nanoha asked this time. "I….we'd really like for them to come."
Lindy smiled. It was rather endearing to see just how much Nanoha cared and from what she'd seen of Hayate's interactions with Alicia, she'd have to say that both her daughters had found special people.
"Well I don't have a problem with it, but it's up to them if they want to go."
Fate and Alicia made it to their adoptive mother's car just in time to hear her say that. Their friends immediately rounded on them.
"What do you say guys?" Suzuka asked. "Are you going to join us?"
Fate and Alicia looked to each other once more. The group of friends never said this before but sometimes it freaked them out how it seemed like the twins were communicating telepathically. They were just so in sync that they finished each other's sentences and practically though along the same lines.
"We have no issues with it." Fate concluded.
"We'll meet you at Takamachi-san's house at 6." Alicia finished.
"Alright! Let's be off and prepare!" Hayate exclaimed as she ran to her waiting vehicle with Vita and Reinforce running behind her.
The group dispersed leaving the twins with Lindy. The older woman chuckled.
"You've made some good friends."
The blondes hopped into the car, thinking about what Lindy had said.
"I suppose we have." Alicia said after a few silent moments.
"Well then, since you'll be spending the night at Shiro-san's I think it's only fair that I warn you about his grumpy mood."
"The news reached him already?" Fate was honestly surprised he found out so soon. She figured he'd find out when Nanoha got home.
"It didn't take very long, but that being said, you will need to be on your guard while in his home. I doubt he'll try to do anything too drastic, but I wouldn't put him past trying to intimidate you. Use this chance to show him that there is no reason for him to feel threatened by you or that you mean any harm to his family. If you can prove this to him, I think he'll be a lot more pleasant to deal with in the future."
"We'll try our best." The twins answered.
"I know you will. Now let's get you home so I can give you a run down on what to expect at a slumber party."
-SafeandSound-
Linith stood under a tree watching as the people around her carried on with their lives not knowing she was even there. It amazed her how unaware everyone could be of their surroundings.
"How is it working in an office?" she seemingly asked no one.
"Not a very exciting endeavor." Answered a clearly male voice.
"I can imagine you miss being out in the field."
"To some extent. Playing the good guy though has its challenges."
"Challenges can be fun."
"Which is why I took the job."
"What's the status?"
"Everything is moving according to plan."
"Any issues?"
"Just the usual one."
"Someone is going to need a talking to."
"As long as it doesn't interfere with the grand scheme of things, I think it's something we can let slide for now."
Linith sighed. "I suppose we can. Let me know if it becomes a bigger issue though."
"Of course, I'll keep in touch Panther."
"I look forward to it Sniper."
AN: Ending it there. I wasn't sure where to end it at first, but this is a good spot. Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter and if you did then review and let me know! I appreciate all the things you guys write to me. Until next time!
