The quiet scratching of pen on paper was the only sound that could be heard in the room. Wet black ink glistened momentarily, before seeping into white paper as messy scrawls. Nanoha's right hand flew over her script. Biting her nails nervously, she looked up at the clock, realizing with a pang that she had mere minutes left. Her frantic pen paused as her eyes went to the next question.
Given further that the rate of change of height of the container is 1.2cm/s, how long will it take for Fate-chan to finally smile like she means it?
Nanoha blinked.
What?
Slate blue eyes went back to the beginning of the sentence and Nanoha groaned when she realized her mistake. She stifled a curse, berating herself for losing focus.
Not like it's entirely my fault, Nanoha complained silently. The blonde possessed the uncanny knack of making Nanoha's concentration slip.
That captivating burgundy is the perfect shade of red …
Stop it! Nanoha's inner voice commanded. Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, the brunette looked back at the question. She reread it.
Three times.
And each time no more successful than the last.
Sighing in frustration, Nanoha flipped the paper to move on to the next question before she lost too many marks. It was no use, she found it hard enough to concentrate under the stressful test conditions, add in obsessing over the mysterious blonde and her concentration levels were near zero.
"Time's up! Pens down, please."
Great.
Leaning back in defeat, Nanoha turned back to the cover page to write her name. Across her, Hayate turned and shot her a 'how-was-it?' look.
Nanoha scowled and shrugged.
It wasn't that bad, at least she could possibly scrape a pass.
Right. And Arithmetic was supposed to be her strongest subject.
Sighing again, Nanoha looked down and gave a start when she read what she had written.
Name: Takamachi NanoFate Testarossa.
What the hell?!
Hurriedly crossing out the words in horror, Nanoha groaned.
It was going to be a long day.
xxx
Like A Book Elegantly Bound, But…
(In A Language You Can't Read)
- Enraptured
.
& This Wasted Heart Will Love You (IV)
xxx
"Lunch?" Nanoha asked eagerly, approaching Hayate's table. She pushed away all depressing thoughts of possibly failing the test, determined not to let one small thing ruin her day.
The shorter girl obviously had about as much luck as Nanoha with the test, her table was strewn with crumpled balls of wrong solutions. Hayate cleared them sheepishly, sweeping them off her tabletop.
"Ahh, I'm afraid I can't, Nanoha-chan, I have a student council meeting," Hayate said, looking incredibly apologetic.
"Oh that's okay!" Nanoha tried to conceal her disappointment. She just realized that she pretty much had no one else to go for lunch with. "I didn't know you were on the council!"
"It's a crummy job, but someone's got to do it," Hayate joked. "You sure you're going to be okay on your own?"
Of course!" Nanoha assured her, a bright smile in place.
It was only after Hayate left the classroom when Nanoha allowed her false grin to slip off her face. Truth was, she didn't like being alone much.
Blowing out a breath of air, the brunette grabbed her purse and wandered aimlessly along the corridor. She thought of all the noisy, smiling faces in the cafeteria and suddenly didn't really feel like eating any longer.
Sucks to be new.
If she had to be alone, she'd go somewhere where no one could see her, Nanoha decided. She walked a little longer, before spotting a sign that read 'Rooftop Access'.
Smiling slightly at the privacy that would provide, she started climbing the stairs.
xxx
The first thing Nanoha noticed was that she was not the only one on the roof.
The second thing Nanoha noticed was that there was a beautiful, beautiful blonde standing at the edge of the building, back to the door.
The third thing Nanoha noticed was that she was alone with Fate Testarossa, again.
The fourth thing Nanoha noticed was that her blonde protector was perilously close to the edge.
She was… about to jump any moment.
Panic like she'd known filled her, suffocated her.
That was the last coherent thought Nanoha had before she dropped her purse and started running like she had never ran before.
xxx
"Fate-chan!!"
"?!"
Fate grunted in surprise when a Nanoha-shaped body slammed into her. Arms entwined themselves around her waist from behind, with Nanoha tugging at Fate desperately.
Startled red eyes blinked in confusion at the brunette, while the white earphones in which Fate had been using came dislodged from the impact, blaring music that went ignored by both students.
The earphones hit the floor and bounced off the building, hanging like double pendulums suspended by white wire.
The music stopped, and there was silence for a minute.
"If my iPod had dropped, Takamachi, I swear I'd have sent you down after it," the annoyed blonde promised threateningly.
Nanoha ignored her, pulling with all her might at the warm, frustratingly stock-still body.
"…What are you doing now?" There was irritation in Fate's tone, but Nanoha could have sworn that her burgundy eyes were glinting with slight amusement as they gazed at Nanoha's futile efforts.
The other girl was still tugging at Fate with all her strength, trying her best to draw her off the ledge.
Fate didn't as much as budge.
Nanoha finally stopped, pausing a moment to regain her breath.
"I'm saving you!" she proclaimed resolutely, arms still around the taller girl.
"From what?"
"Death by suicide jumping!" Nanoha resumed her efforts, pulling at the exasperatingly immobile blonde.
"… …"
Neither said anything for a moment, until Fate finally broke the silence.
"Takamachi?"
"Yes?"
More pulling and tugging.
"I wasn't going to jump."
"…Really?"
"Really." The blonde's voice was a mixture of tiredness, exasperation, and… amusement?
"…Oh."
Nanoha let her arms fall limply to her sides. She could hear the pounding of her rapid heartbeat and the roar of blood in her ears as the heat rushed to her cheeks.
I did not just do that.
She took a tentative step back, feeling as though her legs could not support her weight.
I did not just fling my arms around an almost-total stranger for five minutes attempting to save her from jumping when she wasn't going to jump.
Fate was still looking at her with that unreadable eyes and annoying half smile-smirk.
I did!
Nanoha groaned, wanting very much to just throw herself off the edge and die. Death was better than this humiliation.
"Oh! Um. I-I'll just… leave now, then. S-Sorry for intruding."
Her nervous stammering was really not helping things.
She was about to turn and leave, before she remembered something.
"Oh, is your hand better?" she asked carefully, not knowing how Fate would react.
"I'm fine."
Nanoha rolled her eyes at the predictable and oh-so-original reply.
"Have you changed the bandages?"
Wine red eyes blinked once, twice.
"Am I… supposed to?"
Nanoha stared in disbelief.
"Um, I mean, yes. That is I… Of course I did." A sleeve-covered arm went behind her back, effectively hiding from Nanoha's searching gaze. A light blush colored pale cheeks.
"Right," Nanoha said wryly. She reached one hand out, but the blonde was faster, and a second later Nanoha found her wrist in a vice-like grip.
"I'm fine," Fate emphasized.
"I can stop by later if you want, to change the bandages," Nanoha offered uncertainly, trying and failing to pull out of the tight grasp.
"Don't bother," Fate muttered, dropping Nanoha's hand and turning away.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Nanoha asked, suddenly curious, her earlier embarrassment having faded somewhat.
"I wanted to be alone," Fate said pointedly.
"Oh, I wanted to be alone too!" Nanoha didn't quite get Fate's hint.
"Well, two alones make one company," Fate said dryly. "One of us should leave."
Nanoha's shoulders slumped.
"Um, I'll go then," she said quietly, suddenly crushed.
Fate made no move to stop her.
xxx
A rather subdued Nanoha made her way pass laughing students, not really looking at where she was going.
Who cares what she thinks, anyway.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. She kicked at an empty can carelessly, totally missing it in her rage.
What is her problem? I was just trying to help!
She turned the corridor, approaching her classroom without even intending to.
Why must she be so difficult?
That's it, Nanoha decided firmly. She's not worth the trouble.
The next time I see her, I'm ignoring her, the brunette swore.
"Takamachi-san!"
Nanoha turned at the sound of her name, and the moment blue eyes met red, her earlier resolve crumbled.
Wow, that promise lasted a whole two seconds.
"Here, you forgot this," Fate said, holding out Nanoha's purse. Nanoha noticed that she was breathing slightly heavily, and that her blonde hair was windswept from running.
She flushed at the thought of the blonde chasing after her.
"T-Thank you," Nanoha stuttered. Fingers brushed, and the brunette jumped as if electrocuted.
"This reminds me," Fate reached into her pocket, pulling out a long red ribbon.
"You left this at my place the other day."
Nanoha looked down at her collar. She didn't remember taking out her ribbon at Fate's house, but she remembered not being able to find it when she reached home.
When had she removed it?
"I untied it while you were unconscious," Fate clarified, as if reading Nanoha's thoughts. "I didn't want you to have difficulty breathing, or something."
How sweet. Nanoha blushed, biting her lower lip uncomfortably. She was suddenly aware of the group of students that had stopped their idle chatter to stare at the exchange between them.
"Thank you," Nanoha repeated softly.
Fate hesitated.
"I didn't mean it, you know," she mumbled quietly, burgundy eyes not looking at Nanoha. "I didn't mean it when I said that one of us should leave."
Nanoha's heart soared, and she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
She is so confusing.
Her blush darkened, and Nanoha couldn't stop the smile that touched her lips.
"Do you need help putting that on?" Fate asked suddenly, inclining her head towards the red ribbon in Nanoha's hands.
She wants to what!?
Breathing suddenly ragged, Nanoha held up the string mutely, suddenly losing the ability to speak again.
Cool fingers brushed against Nanoha's warm ones and the next moment, they were flittering about her collar, dancing across each other as Fate swiftly and deftly wound the string into a perfect ribbon.
Nanoha felt faint.
Her heart felt as though it was stuck in her throat, and she found it incredibly hard to breathe. A shaky hand went out to grab Fate's shoulder instinctively, seeking support as her knees shook. The intimacy of the act alone left Nanoha unable to think, never mind Fate's close proximity to her.
The blonde was soon done, straightening back up from having to bend down to Nanoha's level.
It was her way of silently apologizing for her harsh words earlier, and they both knew it.
"T-T-Thank…" Nanoha managed to croak out. As far as the brunette was concerned, Fate was forgiven. "T-Thank you, Fate-chan."
"Did you hear that!" a loud whisper reached Nanoha's ears. Absently realizing that she could hear again now that her heart was not pounding in her ears, Nanoha found that she was in the centre of a rather large crowd that had gathered around them. Fate too, seemed to just realize the same thing and was looking around warily.
"She called Testarossa-san 'Fate-chan'!"
"Of all the nerve!"
"Who does she think she is?!"
Nanoha blinked uneasily, suddenly realizing that she was in the middle of a very unhappy, very jealous group of Fate-Forever fans.
"Nyahaha," Nanoha laughed nervously, taking a step back. She threw a terrified glance at her blonde friend, whose face was back to its impassive mask.
A redhead with an obnoxiously short skirt had broken out of the crowd. She stalked purposely towards Fate.
"Testarossa-san! Could you help me with my ribbon?" she whined in a high, falsely sweet voice. She held up a similar red ribbon that Nanoha was sure she had just yanked off from her own neck seconds ago.
Nanoha growled.
The girl was fluttering her eyelashes at Fate, who looked… highly disconcerted.
Flutter, flutter.
I hope her eyes drop out, Nanoha snarled vehemently to herself. Her fingernails bit into her palms as she clenched her fists, hard.
She blinked, shocked at her sudden sadism.
Fate was still not moving, and the girl decided to take things one step further. Stepping closer, she held Fate's hand and pressed her ribbon into it.
She didn't let go of the hand.
Nanoha exploded.
"Get away from her," she snapped, moving to stand in between the other two girls. She didn't care that she had to shove a bit to get the redhead a decent distance away from her Fate-chan.
Wait, her Fate-chan?
Snatching the ribbon from Fate's unmoving fingers, Nanoha approached the other girl.
"If you need help with this, I'd gladly be able to help," she said, voice dangerously sweet.
The idea of strangling had never before seemed so inviting.
"And who are you?" the redhead sneered.
Before Nanoha could reply, there was a cool grip on her arm, and Fate was steering her into her classroom with superhuman speed.
"Stay here," the blonde hissed into her ear.
The next instant, she was out of the classroom. The door swung shut, and there was a sudden burst of noise from outside.
"Testarossa-san!"
"Who was she? You deserve better!"
"Someone like me!"
"Someone like me, more like!"
Closing her eyes, Nanoha slumped into her seat, and thanked god that at least Fate-chan could run fast.
xxx
The ruby bead glittered under the strong light, and Nanoha sighed.
This isn't it.
Replacing it, she withdrew another one, this time scarlet.
This isn't it either.
"What are you doing?" came Hayate's impatient voice. She was watching Nanoha pick up bead after bead, shaking her head at each one.
Nanoha rolled a crimson bead between her fingers.
Close, but not quite.
"Choosing beads for a bracelet," Nanoha murmured distractedly.
"Thanks for stating the obvious. I meant, why are you so picky over the colors? Red is red." Hayate complained, shifting her books from one arm to the other.
Nanoha had insisted that they stop and enter a crystal store, while walking Hayate to her café. And to Hayate's annoyance, she had spent the last half an hour looking through different beads of red, red, and red.
"The color matters!" Nanoha protested.
Who would have known that it was so hard to find the exact shade of burgundy...
"Who is it for, anyway?" Hayate asked, moving to peer over Nanoha's shoulder at the array of red.
"A friend," the brunette replied, trying to sound casual.
A friend, Nanoha repeated to herself.
Fate-chan is just a friend.
xxx
Nanoha punched the button, watching as red lights indicated that the lift was descending. With a quiet 'ding', the metal doors slid open smoothly.
She froze when she saw that the lift was occupied. Or specifically, froze when she saw who was in it.
Fate looked up, surprise evident on her face at a sheepish Nanoha waiting to get into the lift leading to her penthouse. She was in a white top and black jeans, with a long black trenchcoat that reached her knees.
Nanoha couldn't help but think that she looked all set to play the part of the mysterious, cool, sexy protector again.
Wait, where did 'sexy' come from!?
"Good evening, Takamachi-san," Fate greeted. She raised an eyebrow at Nanoha questioningly. "Were you looking for me?"
"Fate-chan," Nanoha nodded. "I was free, so I decided to pop by to check on you and change your bandages, since you obviously didn't do it on your own."
"I thought I told you that I'm fine?" Fate frowned.
"And I thought you knew by now that I'm pretty stubborn," Nanoha smiled.
Fate stepped out of the lift, and the doors clanged shut,
"I appreciate the thought, Takamachi-san, but not tonight," Fate murmured, already walking away from Nanoha. "I'm busy."
Nanoha was left standing there watching Fate disappear into the night, before something struck her and she was running after the blonde.
"Fate-chan!"
Fate didn't stop, but she did slow down. Nanoha caught up with her.
"I got you something," she said breathlessly, reaching into her bag and pulling out the red and black bracelet she had made earlier. "As thanks for helping me so many times."
Fate looked at the bracelet wordlessly, not moving to take it.
"I tried to get the exact shade of your eyes, but I guess there's no emulating the original…" Nanoha trailed off when Fate didn't say anything.
"I don't wear bracelets," Fate turned away quietly.
What!?
Nanoha's heart stopped.
"… but this is an exception." Fate looked at Nanoha and smiled. Something seemed to light up in her burgundy eyes as she accepted the gift, holding it up to examine it under the moonlight.
"…It's beautiful."
A warm feeling filled Nanoha, and she grinned at the blonde's praise. Fate-chan liked her present! It took her an incredibly large amount of effort to not break out into some ridiculous dance.
"Thank you, Nanoha."
Nanoha froze. Fate took a cautious step back when Nanoha whipped around suddenly.
"What?" She asked suspiciously, not liking the gleam in the shorter girl's slate blue eyes.
"You said my name!"
"Oh." Fate turned her head to look up at the moon. There was no mistaking the shy blush that crept up porcelain cheeks.
"You're blushing!" Nanoha said incredulously.
"Shut up, Takamachi." The red tinge on fair skin darkened, and Fate looked determinedly away from Nanoha.
"Don't call me that," Nanoha whined.
"What, 'Takamachi'?"
"Uh huh," Nanoha nodded, staring with amazement at the reddening of the other girl's skin.
"Stop looking at me," Fate snapped. Nanoha's staring only served to make her blush harder. "What am I supposed to call you?"
"You're nice to look at," Nanoha shrugged.
Did she just say that?
"And you can call me my other name," Nanoha quickly added before what she had said earlier had time to sink in.
"You have two names now?" Fate deadpanned.
"My real name!" Nanoha scowled.
"So I've been calling you a fake name all along?" Fate feigned horror, smirk evident even in her voice.
"You're impossible," Nanoha complained. She walked beside Fate, not knowing where she was going and not really caring.
"Where do you stay?" Fate asked suddenly, stopping abruptly. "I'll walk you home."
"It's okay," Nanoha declined the offer. She didn't want to cause the blonde any more trouble, after all.
"I said, I'll walk you home," Fate insisted. There was a stubborn set to her jaw that told Nanoha it was useless to argue. "Lead the way, Takamachi."
Nanoha couldn't contain her smile.
Maybe she should take the long route home.
End Part Four
A/N: Not too rushed, I hope :P I'm pretty busy with school these few days, so updates may be less frequent ):
I will be introducing other characters as the plot (what plot?!) progresses though. And I've yet to mention their clubs and all, I already have them in mind, though :D
Thanks so, so much for the reviews! :D See, they made me write Part Four. And thanks for those who contributed plot ideas! :D
Asakura89: You are so on. I loved the Fate picture you drew! :D (Though maybe two chapters? -hopeful)
Reviews would, as usual, be awesome :D