Quick Note: I warn you, this is a very long chapter. So make sure you have adequate time (or adequate speed-reading skills!) before you engage!
Prerogative of the Brave
"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave."
—Mahatma Gandhi
Day 6
"Ow!" Hayate dropped the hot spoon, rolling her chair backwards towards the sink. She knocked the faucet on and stuck her palm under the cold water. "Um…I think the soup is done!"
"Did you hurt yourself, Hayate?" A soft, concerned voice approached, reaching over Hayate's shoulder and inspecting Hayate's burnt hand.
"No, no," Hayate laughed sheepishly. "I was just being a wimp." She leaned back to smile upside-down at the person behind her. "I'm really fine, Reinforce."
"Good," Reinforce sighed, putting a hand on Hayate's head. "I suppose now you'll remember not to leave metal ladles in boiling soup?"
"I learned that there's a reason people use wooden spoons for these things," Hayate joked, laughing. She pushed her chair to the stove, but Reinforce beat her to it, picking up pot handlers and carefully lifting the heavy clay pot off the burner.
"I got this—why don't you go get the others?"
"Thanks," nodded Hayate. She glided towards the foyer, sticking her neck out of the doorway. "Signum! Vita! Shamal! Za—Oh," Hayate broke off, smiling as she saw the pile of blue fur by the heater uncoil and pad towards her. "Dinner is ready!" She stroked Zafira's snout affectionately before she wheeled back into the dining room.
This was how Hayate loved to spend her evenings—hiding her smiles as Vita packed away twice as much food as someone her size should, seeing Shamal sampling from a twitching, self-conscious Signum's plate, feeling the soft brush of Zafira's wagging tail against her shins, and playfully competing with Reinforce to see who would be the first to notice that something needed doing. It warmed her inside, and Hayate was grateful every day for her family.
"It's alright, I don't mind clearing the table," Hayate told Reinforce at the end of dinner as she stacked all their used plates. She inclined her head at the living room. "Why don't you join Vita and others?"
"It's alright Hayate," Reinforce said softly, her red eyes serious even as she smiled. "I like doing these small, everyday things. It's all I ever wanted."
Hayate's breath caught.
Reinforce picked up the plate pile. "You don't really need that chair anymore, do you?"
Hayate swallowed, her knuckles turning white on the armrests of her wheelchair. She breathed in raggedly, then gritted her teeth, sliding one foot off the rest to touch the floor. "Reinforce…" Hayate panted heavily, shaking as she pushed herself forward, slowly and strenuously until she was upright on her own two feet. "I…"
"Hayate," interrupted the silver-haired girl, her deep eyes as remote and sad as they were when Hayate had first met her. All around them, the details of Hayate's old house were bleeding away, fading into blackness. The arch of Reinforce's delicate brow showed a hint of disappointment as her friend shook her head, turning her back to Hayate.
"You aren't nine years old anymore, Hayate. It's time to grow up."
"Reinforce!" cried Hayate, reaching out desperately.
**O**
"Hayate!"
"R—" Hayate jerked, biting off her exclamation as she tried to get her bearings in the darkness. Someone was shaking her, and it took Hayate a few moments to orient herself after being woken so roughly.
"…Arisa-chan?" sighed Hayate, rubbing her eyes. She reached around Arisa, who was nearly sitting on her lap while glaring at the occupant of the bed, and picked up the alarm clock. "It's…nearly one in the morning. Just what warranted jumping on my bed and waking me up so early while I'm on vacation?"
"Hm, I don't know," Arisa said, crossing her arms, an impatient edge of sarcasm on every word. "How about because after getting out of rehearsal at midnight, a concerned friend of yours received a text message from Vivio-chan asking for a change in her concert ticket seating?"
"Huh?"
"Arisa!" Suzuka's voice joined the ruckus—she was on the other side of the bed, both of her hands reaching over Hayate and wrapped around Arisa's arm. She implored, "It's late at night…can't we talk about this—sorry, Hayate-chan—in the morning?"
"What?" Hayate asked blearily, jolting as the mattress bounced under the many weights.
"Hayate!" Although the darkness made it hard to see any distinct features, Hayate could tell that Arisa was glaring intently at her. "Spill. Why did Vivio suddenly call Suzuka to get two tickets with seating far away from Nanoha and Fate's?"
"Wait, she asked for that?" Hayate was immediately more awake, sitting straighter. "Really?"
"Yes," admitted Suzuka, having given up on dislodging Arisa, and was now sitting on the bed too. "It's probably just—"
"Details."
Hayate cringed slightly before she frowned, piqued. She didn't have to justify herself to anyone—it's not like Hayate had done anything wrong! Of course Hayate appreciated and respected how her friends couldn't help but remain involved in her developing…thing…with Vivio, but still, Arisa was jumping to conclusions a bit too quickly. "It's…well…okay, you two have to promise me not to freak out or anything. Promise?"
"Of course," Suzuka said immediately. Arisa moved off of Hayate, sitting cross-legged beside her. When Suzuka gave her a quick glower, Arisa grudgingly answered, "Alright, I promise. What's going on, Hayate?"
"A couple of days ago, Vivio and I…had a talk."
"Finally!" Arisa rolled her eyes, although her tone had become lighter. Suzuka was a bit more composed, but she had a very it's-about-time expression on her face as she looked at Hayate with interest. Hayate was sure that Nanoha or Fate probably would have included a bit more relief and satisfaction in their responses to a line like that. And she had to admit, considering how obviously all her friends had wanted Hayate to speak with Vivio since the first day of their vacation, Hayate considered herself quite devious for having escaped their meddling for four entire days, and even more so for successfully keeping it private until now.
More sympathetically, Suzuka prompted, "And?"
"It…didn't go how I had intended," Hayate confessed, sighing. "I mean, I tried to tell Vivio that nothing can happen, but then somehow, I dunno how, it all kind of went…out of my control. And I ended up hugging her. And she said that she wasn't going to give up asking me."
"…Wow, Hayate, becoming a commander really improved your articulation."
"And then," Hayate continued, trying to sound less flustered,"I…I kind of accepted that."
"Wait…you mean that you, well…" Arisa gestured, at a loss for words. "You basically told Vivio-chan that you're interested?"
Hayate cringed, thankful and yet cursing the sharp wits of her friends; it saved her from having to put her own words to things, but it also meant that they would ask questions towards thoughts that Hayate might not want to go into. "…Yes?"
Arisa was silent.
Suzuka was silent.
Hayate sweated.
By now, her night-vision was sinking in, so Hayate could see Arisa's features pinched in a pondering frown, while Suzuka looked a bit more troubled. She had the feeling that her friends were thinking hard about how to phrase their responses properly in a way that didn't involve too many exclamations.
Surprisingly, Arisa said with considerable gentleness, "Okay…but Hayate, you're kind of at a different place in life than Vivio-chan. It's not fair for you to, well…I'm not saying that you're leading her on, but still, she might be having different expectations than—"
Oh boy. Hayate swallowed, trying to clear her dry mouth enough to speak. Maybe it was the late hour, or the whirlwind of emotions that she kept oscillating between over the last 48 hours, or even the deeply worried emotion in Arisa's voice, but Hayate was compelled to be honest to her old friends.
"…I think I love her."
"…"
"…"
"I—"
"Are you drunk, Hayate?"
"No! Well, I might have been when I first realized that…"
"OH MY GOD!"
"Shh!" Hayate hissed desperately. "You'll wake Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan!" Why was Arisa so shocked? Hadn't she and the others been grilling Hayate about loving Vivio a few nights ago? Maybe her friends really hadn't thought through what real-life consequences their questions might have, after the romantic fantasy faded as sobriety arrived.
"OH MY GOD! Do you want to sleep with her?"
"…How many pedophile points will I get if I answer that question?"
"HAYATE!"
"What kind of—I wouldn't actually sleep with Vivio!"…yet…"It's just a date!"
More stunned silence from Arisa—then, "So the tickets…and yesterday, with the flowers…Vivio asked you out on a date? And you said yes?"
"Kind of…I mean, yes." Hayate scratched her cheek, feeling herself blushing and thankful for the masking darkness of her room. "Yeah."
She seemed to be getting a lot of silent moments from her friends tonight. Arisa seemed to have fallen into stunned silence, a rare occurrence from the outspoken woman. Suzuka put a hand on Arisa's forearm to stop the blonde's next statement, exchanging some kind of unspoken message between their gazes. Hayate braced herself for a kindly firm speech from her oldest friend, but what Suzuka ended up saying caught Hayate entirely off guard.
"Hayate-chan…what are you expecting out of this?"
"…I'm sorry?" Hayate asked in surprise.
Suzuka sighed, putting a hand on top of the blanket covering Hayate's knee. "I mean, Hayate-chan, that you're kind of treading into unknown ground for Vivio-chan here. She's never been in a relationship before, right? So even if you weren't the older one, you're the one with experience. Where are you going to go with this?" Suzuka had a look to her as if she wanted to take Hayate's hand, so Hayate tucked her hands under the comforter. Inside, Hayate was more confused than she'd like to admit, and opening herself up too much in front of anyone threatened to derail what little sense Hayate had managed to convince herself about over the events of the last few days. After a pause, Suzuka said, "Do you want a relationship?"
"I don't know," Hayate said, a touch angrier than she had intended. "Geez, Suzuka-chan, going on a date isn't like I'm marrying the girl. I know that there's other stuff involved, okay? This is…it's like having a summer love. You take the chance and acknowledge how you're feeling, because you're on vacation, and it's okay to give things a shot. Yesterday, Vivio asked me out on a date, and I said yes because I wanted to take that leap of faith. Being away from daily life means that we can try things out without real life becoming…weird…if it goes south. See what could happen, you know—that's all I'm expecting out of this date. So," Hayate tugged on her blankets, lying back down and closing her eyes. "Thanks for doing what you can about our concert tickets for Vivio. I appreciate it. And now I'm going to go back to sleep, because I'm on vacation and because I have a date for tomorrow."
"But—"
"Good night, Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan."
A strangled sound came from Arisa, but Suzuka must have done something because Arisa's weight rose off the mattress without further complaint, her footsteps striding disgruntedly towards the door. "…Good night, Hayate-chan," Suzuka said quietly, and Hayate felt the bed creak as her friend rose. The sound of her steps moved away, and then even softer, Hayate could hear Suzuka's final comment.
"Good luck…I hope you're sure about what you're doing."
Hayate closed her eyes.
…I'm really not. And I'm okay with that…really.
In the dark of her vision, Hayate couldn't avert her gaze from the memory of steady, piercing red eyes, and she had nowhere to run from the cutting disappointment.
"It's time to grow up."
**O**
Morning felt like it came far too quickly, Hayate grumped, as she held up another outfit over herself in the mirror. Strangely, Hayate knew that she worked daily on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night and could still turn decisions about entire military operations on a dime…yet for some reason, she couldn't decide whether she wanted to wear blue or white today.
"I should have brought Rein along," Hayate lamented, tossing another dress onto the bed with the rejected pile. She had brought one dress since she had been expecting to see Suzuka's concert, but then this date thing had come up. She was borrowing from Suzuka's gowns, and while Falin had offered to stay and help after bringing the dresses to Hayate's room, Hayate preferred a bit of quiet and peace instead. Rein was different though—the amount of time they spent together allowed them to just get each other's thoughts without talking, which was just about the extent of conversation that Hayate could handle this morning.
The white dress was a bit too classy…but it wasn't like Hayate didn't consider a date with Vivio unclassy! Should she put the white dress back into consideration? They were just going out to a restaurant, but then again, they were heading straight to Suzuka's concert afterward. But the white dress just didn't seem to fit well, even though the sizing was right, and for a first date Hayate really wanted to feel…perfect.
"Oh geez." Hayate dropped her forehead into her hand. Okay, she needed a moment to chill. She wasn't a teenager going on her first date, so she really needed to pull herself together. Honestly, it was half a lifetime ago when Hayate had last been so flustered picking out an outfit, and considering she was twice that age now, there was no excuse anymore to lose her mind over a simple date.
"Blue!" Hayate snatched up her blue silk dress, the only one she had brought for herself. It was a nice dress, formal enough for a concert but not too much so for a restaurant. And most of all, it was hers, and the comfort and confidence that Hayate got from wearing her own favourite dress was probably the way to go for her date.
Decision made—no second-thoughts allowed. Hayate rapidly hung all the borrowed dresses back on their hangers and shut the closet door on them. Out of sight, out of mind…she hesitated on the thought of make-up. Appropriate, or not? Too much effort, or would it be shameless not to put the time in?
"…Just a little couldn't hurt…"
Next thing…"Necklace?" Hayate opened the jewelry box that Yuuno had made for her as a birthday present, the box deceptively innoculous in appearance but folded outwards into compartments that looked impossible to contain within the outer case. It was a great travelling case for Hayate to use, since her job often came with public appearances or functions where she had to look her best no matter what clothing she was wearing or borrowing. Hayate ran her finger along the compartments, then stopped.
A nice sapphire piece, set in silver—it was one of Hayate's favourite necklaces, just because it looked so good on her. However…Morgan Link had given to Hayate as a gift, and perhaps being reminded of her ex-girlfriend wasn't the wisest thing to do on a first date with someone she…wanted to take a chance with.
But she looked really pretty with it…and Hayate wanted to look pretty.
Soft knocking on the door interrupted Hayate's thoughts.
"…One minute!" called Hayate, hurriedly clasping the sapphire necklace around her neck. She ran her fingers through her hair, tossed her purse onto the bed and opened the door.
"Hi," Vivio said shyly, although her smile wasn't hesitant in the slightest. Her dress was green through her unbuttoned jacket, matching with her right eye, but her earrings and choker were red to match her left eye. Someone, probably Fate, had helped Vivio with her hair so that the simple yet elegant high ponytail made the girl look…older. Kind of like Signum's look, actually, and that made Hayate blush. Vivio swallowed and held out a small wooden box to Hayate. "This is for you."
"Thank you..." Hayate took the box and gave it a playful shake. "Can I open it?"
"Of course."
The lid was a simple hinge-lid, and so Hayate lifted the top slowly, only to laugh in surprised delight as a shower of coloured sparks burst from the box. A handful of rainbow butterflies fluttered out, their wings shimmering translucent with magic, and flickered about the air before dissipating into warm specks. It was a beautifully crafted piece of illusion magic, and from Hayate's experienced eyes, worked very neatly into the wood of the box so that it could repeat itself at least a few hundred times.
"Wow, Vivio, that's beautiful!" The air tingled with the scent of magic, one Hayate recognized to be uniquely Vivio's. She felt a comforting warmth sink into her chest as she breathed in deeply.
"I'm glad you like it," Vivio smiled, relaxing at Hayate's obvious joy. "I had realized this morning that I hadn't gotten you flowers, and it was too late to...um, I really shouldn't have told you that, huh..."
Hayate burst out laughing and immediately tried to rein her mirth in, not wanting Vivio to get the wrong idea. "That's alright, Vivio—it's so very you, and that's just great," she chuckled, then set the box down on the dresser. "It's easier to keep for a long time than flowers anyway."
Vivio smiled nervously and shifted in the doorway. She glanced around the room, not making eye contact with Hayate who was putting her own coat on. Hayate sensed rather than saw Vivio stiffen.
"What's wrong?"
Following Vivio's line of sight, Hayate paused, trying hard to suppress her blush and impulsive stammer of explanation. Calmly, Hayate inquired again, "Something wrong?"
"You…kept it," mumbled Vivio, her ears turning adorably red.
"I love roses," Hayate managed to say evenly, smiling at the pressed red rose encased in a glass frame on the bedstand. She risked a glance at Vivio's face, and immediately regretted it. The blonde didn't hide the soft kind of hope that lay so transparently in her expression, and just seeing it made Hayate shake.
Hayate didn't want to think about that right now.
"So, where are we going?" she asked brightly, the forced segueway breaking the moment.
"I thought, that since we're on Earth, we should have something local?" Vivio said, leading them towards the front door. "Nanoha-mama told me about an authentic sushi place a few blocks away from here. I hope you like it."
"It's good company that makes good food," Hayate laughed, slipping on her boots. It was too cold outside for heels, and besides, Hayate had never been entirely comfortable in them. Even twenty years later, walking was something Hayate treasured, and limping around on sore feet at the end of a long night for a few centimetres of height just didn't seem worth it. Hayate was amused to see Vivio lace up a similar pair of boots, although hers were a fair bit more scuffed up around the soles.
Some things, assuringly, never changed.
**O**
The sushi restaurant had been Nanoha's favourite, and since Vivio had little knowledge of Earth restaurants she took her mother's word for it. She was going for both a nostalgia factor for Hayate as well as a neatness of eating style, since the worst thing to do on a first date would be to order food that needed to be eaten in a sloppy fashion. Luckily, it was within walking distance as well, and there was something cozy and intimate about taking a stroll together on a date, even if you weren't exactly in a private setting.
"The Honour Roll?" Hayate smiled as she saw the restaurant that they were heading towards. "They have really good sashimi here, I remember."
"I'll have to bow to your recommendations then," Vivio said goodnaturedly. Hayate had reached the door first and held it open for Vivio.
"Great, I can introduce you to real Japanese food then!" Hayate smiled, stepping in behind Vivio. A waiter immediately approached them, holding a pile of menus in her arms.
"Welcome! Ah, a seat for you and your daughter?"
"No," Hayate laughed nervously. "She's my…" Hayate bit her lip, giving Vivio a quick, anxious glance. "…friend."
"Of course, this way!" The waiter continued without missing a beat, pivoting around with the expectation that they would follow.
"After you," Vivio gestured with a hand, falling in step behind Hayate so that she could have a chance to compose herself. She blinked hard against the well of tears, biting the inside of her lip to control her emotions. A few deep breaths allowed Vivio to smooth her expression over again, and just in time too as the waiter seated them at a table by the windows. She could feel Hayate's quick, darting glances at her, but Vivio kept her gaze lowered even as they sat down. By the time she looked up again she had a convincingly casual smile for Hayate's strained and anxious scrutiny.
The waiter placed a menu before Hayate. "I'll be back with some tea for you two—or do you want anything now?"
"Tea is fine," Hayate assured, and Vivio nodded her agreement as she accepted a menu.
"What are you in the mood for?" Hayate asked cheerfully as she opened the menu, peering over the open pamphlet as she shook out her napkin to lay over her lap. Vivio sheepishly followed suit, both for etiquette's sake as well as the practical aspect of protecting the more formal attire than she was normally accustomed to wearing.
"Whatever you recommend; you have more experience with this type of food than I do," Vivio said. "I've only ever had it at home when Nanoha-mama felt like being nostalgic."
"I should make sure that I drop by on those nights," Hayate giggled as she scanned down the choices of sushi rolls.
"I'll have Kris message you," teased Vivio, winking.
"Perfect!"
The waiter returned, expertly managing to hold a full teapot with two cups balanced on top the lid and a set of chopsticks in her other hand. Quickly serving them, the waiter noticed after a look that they weren't ready to order and wisely retreated. Vivio fiddled with the paper left over from her wooden chopsticks, smoothing out the creases marring the restaurant name. She folded it over and tucked edges in, until she finally put the completed dog figure in front of Hayate, who didn't notice it right away as she was placing their order.
"Cute," Hayate smiled when she noticed the origami piece, prodding it with the end of her chopstick with a laugh. "Is it supposed to be Zafira?"
"Not yet…" Vivio took the dog back and picked up the table pencil and added a wild ruff and a stoic expression on the paper dog. "There, that's Zaffy."
"Here," Hayate handed Vivio her paper too. "If that's Zafira, then you have to make an Arf too."
Vivio obediently started folding, feeling a little flushed at the close attention Hayate was paying to the movement of her hands. "I always make them at restaurants," she stuttered, a bit embarrassed at the strange scrutiny.
"I know." Her soundless chuckling made Hayate's throat and chest flash blue and silver, and Vivio blushed as she realized how she was struggling to pull her eyes from Hayate's breastline back up to Hayate's face. Maybe Hayate didn't notice…aw, she was blushing, a little—so much for not seeming pervy, Vivio lamented to herself. Hayate coughed, glancing down at her lap. "We always left a little zoo behind after we finished eating out."
"How's Zaffy doing lately?" Vivio asked instead, drawing a wicked grin on her Arf-piece and setting it nose to nose with the Zafira one. Reminding Hayate of how Vivio used to act as an eight-year-old out on "family" dinners wasn't exactly the mental image that Vivio wanted to build up while on a date.
"He's gotten a lot more students this year," Hayate's tone was fond as she patted the paper-Zafira on the head with a finger. "A lot of mages are preparing for their mage-rank exams soon, so he has a full training schedule. I think he even turned away some people, but he didn't tell me anything about it." She sighed. "I think he doesn't want me to feel bad that he's taking the time to shadow me and help out around the house."
"Zafira knows what he wants his priorities to be," said Vivio. She smiled wryly, holding Hayate's gaze. "I can't say I don't understand where he's coming from."
Hayate coloured a little, but then seemed to regain her footing with a laugh. "At the very least, I'm glad that he's doing what he wants, even if I don't agree." Her eyes lit up suddenly at a thought. "Actually, you know, I think I like that better."
Vivio raised her teacup in a silent salute to that comment. Over the years, it was obvious that the Wolkenritter's devotion to their mistress only continued to grow instead of lessen. Vivio had overheard Hayate's private, despondent confessions to Nanoha or Fate at times about how she worried that her knights weren't getting the kind of lives they deserved to have if they were always putting Hayate first. With the Wolkenritter's lives being tied to the Tome of the Night Sky, and the Tome itself being tied to Hayate's life, all the Yagamis only had one lifetime to live now. After centuries of imprisionment, all Hayate wanted for her family was for them to live freely.
Sometimes the difference between willing devotion and compelled servitude blurred. So any time Signum, Shamal, Vita or Zafira openly acknowledged Hayate's preference and yet acted counter to it made Hayate happy in a round-about way.
"And it's not just Zafira, you know," Hayate complained good-naturedly. "I swear, Signum took that post in the GFDC Strike Team just to watch over me, instead of joining Fate-chan jaunting all over the universe."
"I dunno, maybe everyone's just getting homesick?" Vivio suggested, leaning on a palm before jerking upright again, not wanting to have a bad posture. "Maybe Signum just likes staying at home. Fate-mama isn't taking so many long tours anymore, you know."
"Yeah, I might have heard of that in-between all of Nanoha-chan's happy ranting." Hayate winked as she poured more tea for both of them. "It is nice having Signum at home for a while."
Chuckling at that, Vivio grinned as their food was delivered right then. "I think Shamal is happy about that too."
"Are you kidding? Shamal is always peeking at my scheduling charts to find out when Signum is off-shift, and contrives to arrange her hospital shifts so that she gets off in time to share lunch." Hayate winced, adding, "And she even makes lunch baskets sometimes. I'm not sure if she's getting better at cooking, or if Signum is just getting an iron stomach after such long exposure."
"You know, I've never asked," Vivio remarked, tilting her head. "How come Shamal works at the Main Office instead of on the military base? She's part of the Military Medical Corps, but she isn't actually working on the base." God, these rolls were delicious. Vivio tried to keep in mind which selections they were; if she was lucky, maybe Nanoha-mama would make them for her.
"It's not the commute—she can get a ride with Vita-chan if she wanted," Hayate answered. "I think she likes being a consultant for Cranagan General Hospital in her free afternoons. I hope that's it." Hayate made a face. "I'd hope that she's not also keeping an eye on me, working in the next building over."
"Okay, now you're sounding paranoid," Vivio teased.
Hayate tossed a paper napkin at her in response, which Vivio caught easily, winking as she used it to wipe her mouth. She stuffed a salmon sushi roll into her mouth, feeling her eyes water a little from the spice. Vivio made an approving noise, leading Hayate to grin and nod in agreement.
"Good, huh?"
"The best," Vivio declared.
"Better than your mother's?"
"I can't ever admit to that, not if I want to keep eating at home!"
"Oh don't worry, only Fate-chan has to be careful of that. You're the daughter—Nanoha-chan is legally bound to feed you."
"That's good to know," Vivio said playfully. "Well, I suppose even if Nanoha-mama kicks me out at dinnertime, I could go over to your house."
"You're always welcome."
Vivio shifted in her seat, inching her free hand forward a little across the table, hoping it was smooth. "Well…maybe I ought to admit that this is the best sushi I've ever had, then?" She said in a joking-tone, her voice wavering a little.
This was the great thing about loving a smart woman—Vivio could see in Hayate's eyes that the older woman understood the many-times removed joke, and also that she was empathic enough to pick up on the underlying emotion Vivio unabashedly showed.
Hayate's expression froze for a micro-second, then a hint of glass slid up in her blue eyes. "You could do that," she said, her tone light and casual. "But I think that Nanoha-chan wouldn't be too happy if you were always out for dinner. Mothers like it when their children eat at home."
Vivio kept smiling, narrowing her eyes a little. That stung a little—in a way, despite the fact that Hayate knew Vivio's parents well and Vivio knew the Wolkenritter well, and both have often had dinner over at the other's place, even something like that is changing meaning now. Maybe it was because Nanoha and Fate were already involved in this that they were, strangely enough, the safe "family meets love interest" option. Undaunted, she said, "Ah, you're probably right."
Hayate raised an eyebrow, giving her a dubious and suspicious stare. Vivio just grinned back, pushing the wooden platter over. "More sushi for you?"
Hey, Vivio had learned her combat lessons from good teachers. Knowing when to withdraw could help her come back with a stronger offensive from another direction at a later time. Both of Vivio's best combat teachers weren't ones who ever settled for failure.
If your first assault didn't work, then come back with a bigger one. And keep going until you break through, no matter what it takes.
Vivio liked to think that she worked for love the same way.
**O**
"Ready to go?" Vivio asked, watching Hayate finish off their sashimi dish. She looked up and raised her hand for the bill, checking her watch at the same time. They weren't exactly pressed for time yet, but they should be off soon to get to the concert hall for when the doors opened.
Hayate let out a happy hum as she chewed on the last tuna piece, turning her attention to the bill the waiter placed on the table beside her.
"I got it—" Vivio stole the bill out from under Hayate's hand, smiling as she carefully counted out enough yen to cover their meal plus tip. She took a second to double-check her bill denominations, then closed the bill and handed it back to the waiter. "I couldn't possibly ask you to pay."
Hayate held up two hands in surrender. "I'm flattered, but…"
"I insist," Vivio said in her best Takamachi-stubborn voice, grinning as she happily took Hayate's hand and placed it in the crook of her near arm as they walked out. "Besides, it's thanks to you that I even have a job to be able to pay." Even though as a student intern, Vivio only made two-thirds the salary of any other GFDC officer, it was still more of an income than she could use as a teenager who still lived at home and was fed by her mothers.
"Not really." Hayate stumbled a bit on the sidewalk, and Vivio consciously slowed her pace, remembering their height difference. It was hard, learning how to walk in close proximity with someone else. Military marching drills weren't quite applicable in date situations. The brunette glanced up at Vivio, her blue eyes sparkling with open mirth. God, Vivio's stomach just back-flipped right there. "I wasn't on the selection panel."
"What?"
Hayate nodded, laughing. "I wasn't. I had no say at all in who the Ground Forces chose to fill the single internship spot for the Strike Team."
"You…really?" Vivio gaped.
"Is it that hard for you to believe? Your school record speaks for itself, Vivio."
She blushed, feeling a strange giddiness in her stomach. Oh, Vivio knew that her grades were good, but…wow. She had written the hell out of that application, and Nanoha had very patiently looked it over for her after every nervous correction or rephrased sentence. There had been 200 applications from various schools, and Vivio had been given the only placement by a panel of people who didn't know her at all.
Hayate chuckled, patting Vivio on the arm as they stopped by the curb to hail a cab. "I told you then, didn't I? You did a fantastic job, and you deserve the position, 'Wolf-1'," Hayate winked.
Hearing Hayate's voice say her call-sign always made Vivio twitch while in the field, but this time she shivered, going red when she realized that Hayate would have felt that through their joined arms. Could she be any more embarrassingly obvious? "Um," she stuttered, "A cab? I mean, sorry, how do we—"
"Right," Hayate said, shivering a little as the wind picked up. She dropped her grip on Vivio's arm to button up her jacket, and Vivio felt the cold keenly. She covertly stood behind Hayate, letting her taller frame act as a wind-block—that is, if Hayate was actually cold and hadn't just used it as an excuse to let go of Vivio. Calmly, Hayate lifted a hand, facing the on-coming traffic and leaning into the road. It looked like madness, and Vivio restrained the urge to grab Hayate's collar to keep her from falling onto the street.
Like magic, a black taxicab appeared and halted aggressively in front of them. Hayate opened the door, took one look at Vivio's borrowed, straitjacket-like hundred-thousand yen dress, and decided to get in first, sliding across the leather seat for Vivio to clamber in after.
"Crystela Concert Hall," Hayate told the cab driver, and they were on their way.
"It's strange how—" Vivio shut her mouth, flushing as she realized that she had nearly blurted out how the cab system was different on Mid-Childa compared to Earth. That would have been an incredibly stupid breach of TSAB security on an Un-Administered planet! "—how drivers can so easily memorize maps of whole cities."
"It's a little weird," Hayate conceded. "I haven't ridden many cabs before, but I'm always surprised by that too." She explained further, "I either didn't go out much, or Nanoha-chan's family or Suzuka-chan's family would drive us around. Or we bused, you know, like normal teenagers."
"I can't wait to get my licence," Vivio said passionately, daydreaming about one day being able to drive Fate-mama's sleek car. She and Nanoha both admired Fate's car, even if they weren't as obsessed with it as Fate was. Immediately, Vivio wanted to kick herself. Hayate had blinked and bit her lip, and Vivio could practically read the unease as the older woman suddenly remembered just how old Vivio was—since Vivio had stupidly reminded her of it.
"Um," stammered Vivio, "I think we're almost there?" The streets were getting busier and busier as this district tended towards more personal vehicles and richer clientele, meaning that the curbside was loaded with limousines and luxury cars. Somehow, the cab squeezed up between two shiny cars, and Vivio held her breath as the car came to a halt without causing an insurance nightmare.
"Here," Hayate said before Vivio could act, handing the cab driver a bill through the partition.
"Fine," Vivio sighed playfully. "Thanks." She hopped out, stumbling a bit as she landed on the road instead of the curb. Although if the cab had turned in any closer, its front wheels would be on top of a very expensive-looking car, so Vivio forgave the driver for that. Vivio stepped back, then held out a hand to help Hayate out.
Smiling gratefully, Hayate put her fingers into Vivio's palm, jumping out considerably more gracefully than Vivio did, clutching onto Vivio's hand to help her balance after the awkward jump. Vivio pulled Hayate forward onto the curb as the cab engine growled as it drove off.
She didn't think about it; she couldn't help herself. Vivio's thumb slid downward, stroking the delicate bones of Hayate's hand.
Her skin was so soft.
Vivio felt Hayate's hand jerk an inch away, and she let go, letting their hands fall limply apart.
Hayate's breath quickened; she seemed about to say something, and her hand twitched. The crowd by the concert hall entrance were facing the other way, but other latecomers were approaching from both sides of the street. Vivio waited.
Then she said, "Here, your ticket."
"Thank you," Hayate said quietly. She took the ticket and reached forward, but Vivio had already walked over to the door, holding it open for Hayate and the other patrons. They were mostly silent as they walked into the glass and white stone concert hall, collecting programmes from the door attendant and passing their tickets over. All of Suzuka's complementary tickets were in the front section of the theatre, but Vivio had specifically requested for tickets that were to the side and behind her parents' seats. She adored her mamas, but sitting beside them while on a date was just a bit too uncomfortable of a thought.
Vivio swallowed, then touched Hayate's arm gently, guiding them down the stairs. "This way, Hayate-san."
The hall was nearly full; the concert would begin in just a few minutes. Most of the patrons looked to be about Hayate's age or older—understandable, since most youngsters like Vivio either weren't interested in classical music or couldn't afford the high price of tickets to a Kaioh Michiru concert. As a result, Vivio was getting a lot of curious looks from the people they passed by, making her a little uneasy. Would they make assumptions about how Vivio was holding onto Hayate's arm?
Or worse…would they think nothing of it, thinking that it wasn't anything unusual between a teenager and an older guardian?
She scanned the row and smiled when she saw the backs of Nanoha and Fate's heads—with that unnerving mother's instinct, Nanoha turned around just as Vivio and Hayate reached their seats. The Ace of Aces beamed and gave them a small, friendly wave. Hayate grinned and lifted a hand in greeting back, while Vivio bit her lip and tried to subtly drop her grip on Hayate's arm without seeming too rude or too obvious, blushing.
Fate smiled warmly, and Vivio felt her ears burn as her red-eyed mama gave her a little wink, barely visible in the dimming auditorium. Damn, she could never hide anything from her Fate-mama. Vivio tensed, looking down at her shoes as Hayate stepped into their row and sat down next to a tall blonde woman in a white tuxedo. Would it be too childish to wave back? She definitely wouldn't shout a happy hello across the row, like she would if attending a pop concert with her friends.
Too late—the lights swiftly dimmed and refocused on the stage. Vivio hastily dropped into her seat as the curtains drew back, clapping along with the audience as the two violinists walked onto the stage, both of them in similar elegant gowns and bowing to their appreciative audience.
Michiru and Suzuka began playing, and the twin violins sounded different to Vivio's ears although the music blended to form something nice. The entire concert hall was as silent as a midnight stake-out, and Vivio could practically feel the sound waves filling the air with energy like magic. At the end of the first song the audience was frozen as the last note faded, before clapping a thunderstorm of appreciation.
Hayate leaned over, half-yelling into Vivio's ear to be heard over the din. "What did you think?" She looked just as excited as if she were about to close an important negociation.
"It was…nice!" Vivio shouted back, unable to think of a more descriptive word. She fumbled for something more intelligible to say. "Um…they sounded good…"
Of all the times for Vivio to feel like a six-year old child, awkward and ignorant and anxious, it had to be now?
"Did you hear that counterpoint?" The tall blonde on Hayate's other side remarked, still clapping along with the crowd. "I haven't heard something like that since the Bach concert in Kyoto."
"It's an original piece!" Hayate replied enthusiastically.
Vivio opened her mouth, but right then Michiru started playing again, and so she shut up as the audience stilled again to listen, now with an excited tension. Vivio swallowed, straining to try and pick up anything special in the music.
It sounded good, but Vivio didn't listen to enough classical music to know much about what Suzuka and Michiru were doing to make their pieces spectacular.
When the second piece finished, Vivio said quickly, "I liked the middle part. It sounded kind of different."
"You mean when the meter changed?"
"…Yeah?" answered Vivio, slumping a little lower in her seat.
"I liked that part too," Hayate said, although there was a hesitance in her voice. It was hard to tell if that oddity was from a polite lie or from some other reason. Vivio had a hard time reading Hayate's face then, under the dimmed lights of the auditorium.
"Both Kaioh-san and Suzuka-chan did a great job alternating rhythms."
"Yeah, they did."
Hayate didn't answer. The violinists started playing again.
"…That one was quite different—is it more modern, or something?"
"I think it was more Romantic."
"…Oh."
"Um, Romantic, as in, the Romantic Era. There are more…well, more expressive parts compared to Classical pieces."
"Oh, I see. You can tell?"
"The first two were more traditional, but I think Suzuka-chan told me that most of their songs are Romantic ones."
"Ah, okay. Yeah, I liked this one better."
"You did?"
"The earlier ones were nice too, but this one just felt more emotional."
"You like the more emotional ones?"
"Um, yeah, I guess I do. I think that might be why, um, I usually like songs with lyrics better. The good ones, I mean. I empathize with them more."
"I see."
"…um, do you like classical music?"
…
"Sorry, what did you ask before?"
"What? I can't remember…oh, wait. I asked you if you liked classical music."
"I—"
"I mean, if you like classical music—sorry, I, uh, interrupted you there."
"It's okay. Yes, I do. I used to listen to it when I stayed at home a lot. It was relaxing, and I never got tired of it."
"Oh?"
"That was when I was alone, before I met my knights and your mothers."
"Ah, okay."
…
"Suzuka-chan did a great job on that last one."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She…well, that solo part is really difficult, and she performed it flawlessly. That's…pretty great."
"I thought that she nailed it, yeah. I liked it."
…
"Michiru-san is really good."
"She is. That was amazing."
"Yeah, it really was."
"Her style is…well, it's different. Than what most people do."
"I see…in what way?"
"She's quite famous for…well, her technique. Um, how she plays."
"Oh?"
"Yes…"
"…okay."
"Okay."
…
"Wow, that was…Suzuka-chan and Kaioh-san really played something amazing! I wonder which of them wrote that piece?"
"…"
"…Vivio?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I, uh…um, could you repeat that?"
"I…it's nothing."
"…"
"…I just thought they did a good job on that last piece."
"Really? That's…that's great."
"Hm."
"Yeah! They must have played really well, if you think so. I mean, since you know a lot about it and all, so you have a proper critic's judgment."
"I guess so."
"…yeah."
…
"…"
"…"
"…So, how many more songs until the intermission?"
"What? Oh, I wasn't looking at the program for…I'm not…um…after the next one."
"I see."
"I was, uh…did you know that this would be Michiru-san's seventh album?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Um, do you like her songs?"
"Um…yes. I bought all her other albums before."
"Oh…how? I mean, here…"
"Suzuka-chan would ship them to me."
"Oh."
"…Yeah."
"Um, that's great. Good."
"…"
…
Intermission.
The curtain pulled shut. People started getting up. The aisle filled as guests moved towards the exits.
"…um, Hayate-san…do you want to go out and get drinks? Everyone else is…"
"No thanks. Um, drinks here are alcoholic, and I think I'll pass for today."
Vivio blushed, realizing her stupid mistake. Even worse, Hayate knew it too, and had deftly provided an out for Vivio to save her pride. If she weren't wearing a fancy dress, Vivio would have hunched down in her seat in dejection.
"Good choice—I never understood the need for people to be drunk when listening to great music," their neighbour remarked.
Hayate turned to her left, politely curious. "Do you attend concerts often, miss…?"
"Tenoh Haruka," introduced the stranger, smiling charmingly as she held out a white-gloved hand to Hayate. She was handsome, but still looked undeniably feminine to Vivio's eyes. Her wavy blonde hair seemed constantly wind-swept, and the hand that she was extending was fine-boned like an artist's but strong like a fighter's.
She unnerved Vivio in a strange way.
Vivio wasn't sure she liked that.
Hayate put her hand into Haruka's, but instead of shaking Haruka bent and kissed Hayate's knuckles in a utterly proper knightly fashion. Vivio breathed in and out, watching the white-suited woman's lips pressed briefly against Hayate's fingers.
"I'm Yagami Hayate; nice to meet you." Hayate pulled her hand free from the tall blonde, her cheeks lightly pink, and half-turned to include Vivio in the conversation. "This is my—"
"I'm Takamachi Vivio," Vivio said quietly instead. She'd rather not have another moment like the restaurant. She held out a hand, her wrist angled, and Haruka shook it firmly.
"Pleasure, little kitten," she said charmingly, winking. Vivio nodded back, unimpressed. Haruka raised an eyebrow, then her expression turned thoughtful. "Takamachi…are you related to Nanoha-san?"
Vivio smiled a little. "My mother."
"She's Suzuka-san's friend," Haruka nodded, smiling as she was able to place them. "Michiru is quite impressed with your friend's talent."
"Oh?" Hayate perked up, her eyes assessing. "It sounds like you and Kaioh-san are close, Tenoh-san."
"Haruka," came the husky correction, complete with a smile that made Vivio's heart jump involuntarily even as she bit her lip, tense.
"I can't possibly call you that, Tenoh-san," Hayate laughed, tilting her head with equal charm. "How could I talk with such a famous pianist so familiarly?"
"Ouch," Haruka winced playfully, "You recognized me."
"Any fan of Kaioh-san knows of you too, Tenoh Haruka-san."
"I suppose there are worse ways to be recognized," Haruka laughed again, but the mirth couldn't disguise her undercurrent affection. "And I suppose there are worse ways for a pretty woman to address me than 'Tenoh-san'?"
"It could depend on how Vivio addresses you, Tenoh-san," replied Hayate, reclaiming Vivio's attention when she heard her name.
Vivio shrugged a little. She hoped they didn't think she was being rude. "'Tenoh-san,' of course. I would hate to embarrass my parents by being discourteous." She went silent again.
There was a moment of awkward silence from Vivio's heavy comment dropped into the levity. Then Haruka said, "Well said—the new generation still has some polite young people, yes, Hayate-san?"
"Our generation isn't that much older, Haruka-san," Hayate returned easily. "An artist is always young, aren't they?"
"If Michiru asks, my answer to that is always yes," Haruka faux-whispered, and they laughed.
Vivio glanced at the stage. The curtain was fluttering. They may be ready to resume. But while the lights stayed on, Haruka and Hayate kept talking, a teasing conversation mixed with learned commentary. They were relaxed and intrigued by each other. The casual wit hid cunning minds.
This was the kind of conversation Hayate excelled at.
Vivio stayed silent.
Hayate's Lieutenant-General and Commander nature really shone through. Especially when Hayate was dressed so beautifully. Shining with expensive jewelry and revealing her quiet sophistication.
It wasn't a mask.
All part of the amazing Yagami Hayate.
Vivio laid her hands in a fold of her borrowed dress.
**O**
"Vivio-san," Haruka said, halting the younger blonde's movement with a single hand on her wrist. Vivio waited, watching Hayate move away through the crowd as they stood in the emptying aisle. Even the last of the most enthusiastic applauders had stopped and were finally exiting alongside excited murmurs.
"Look," the tall woman said quietly, "I didn't meant to tread in on your girl—"
"It's alright."
Haruka raised her brows, her handsome features clearly dubious.
Vivio sighed. "I'm not jealous, Tenoh-san. It's really alright. I'm glad that Hayate-san could talk with someone who's interested in the same things and can speak at the same level." She dropped her gaze. "Is that all?"
Slowly withdrawing her hand, Haruka stayed in front of Vivio for a moment. "...Okay. I just wanted to apologize for my inconsideration."
Vivio shrugged it off, smiling politely.
Haruka's teal-blue gaze didn't waver. "Have a little faith in yourself, little kitten."
"What?"
Haruka chuckled, her carefree teasing tone back in place, but the hand that she laid on Vivio's shoulder was affectionate like an elder sister's. "She likes you. It doesn't matter that this isn't something you're interested in." She gave Vivio a final smiling nod before heading towards the stage, disappearing behind the curtain looking for her partner.
Hayate liked her? Vivio bit her lip, feeling her heart rate jump as she hurried up the steps towards the lobby. Even after seeing clearly how far apart they really were? Of course Hayate liked her—Vivio knew that Hayate loved her. But it seems like that gap in ages and standing couldn't be jumped, not truly, and especially not in Hayate's eyes, for Hayate to love her in the way Vivio wanted.
This wonderful day would become just another tick in Hayate's list of awful first dates, Vivio knew, her head hanging as she glanced around for Hayate and her parents. She found them standing together by the entrance, chatting as they waited for her.
Nanoha-mama's hands were wrapped around Fate-mama's arm, the two of them blissfully oblivious to the odd looks from the other theatre patrons. They looked so comfortable with each other, and even with Hayate, who was turned towards them with a long-standing ease that spoke to their old friendship. What Vivio wouldn't give to one day be able to stand next to Hayate like that.
But it wasn't just up to her.
And there was no point in dreaming when they all had to go back home, to the real world. At least Vivio had tried. That was something, right?
Right then though, Vivio wished that she could go back to a week before, when she at least had the hope of what might be. Anything but the cold facts that she now had to admit to.
Time to grow up, Vivio.
**O**
The limo was unnaturally silent. Even though Suzuka had to stay longer at the concert hall for interviews (and Arisa had stayed behind to wait for her), their friend had generously asked Falin to pick them up in the Tsukimura limo, saving them all a trip back to the mansion. Vivio scuffed her shoe sole silently against the floor mat, engrossed with the motion. Maybe her parents and Hayate had picked up the atmosphere, since they were also oddly quiet—or simply communicating telepathically. No doubt her parents were talking that way; they had been remarkably sensitive and restrained so far, the only indication of their curiosity in their alternating gazes between Hayate and Vivio, which Vivio avoided deftly.
Seated next to Vivio, Hayate was staring out the window, also pointedly avoiding eye contact with Nanoha and Fate. Vivio just had to look over and see the gorgeous fall of Hayate's hair over the curve of her neck to be cowed into looking away again.
She felt bad for bringing the mood down. The adults probably wanted to talk about the concert or gossip about their friends, but Vivio was keeping them from feeling comfortable.
The limo seats were wide, but Hayate was sitting a little closer to Vivio's side than to the limo panel, so through the thin material of her dress Vivio could feel the agonizing warmth of Hayate's thigh radiating to her skin, making her muscles quiver as she tried to ignore the sensation. Unsuccessfully ignore the sensation.
The vehicle slowed, then rolled to a gentle stop. Falin opened the door, cheerfully announcing, "We are back at the mansion. If it is alright, we'll have a late dinner today so that Miss Suzuka and Miss Arisa can join us before the evening performance."
"That sounds fine," Nanoha answered for all of them, climbing out and gallantly giving Fate a hand out. Vivio sighed, dejectedly envious. She started to rise but was stopped a second time that day by the weight of a hand on her wrist.
"Vivio," Hayate said quickly, as if she had to blurt out words she had been rehearsing over and over in her head. "If you don't have anything you want to do while we wait, um, there's somewhere I'd like to take you to. If you like."
"Oh?" Vivio tilted her head curiously, a smile tugging at her lips. "Where?"
Hayate smiled at Vivio's intrigued excitement, a playful glint shining through her composed expression. "You'll see. Let's get changed to some comfortable civvies, and meet in front in, say, ten minutes?"
"Sure." Vivio tried to keep her expression calm. What was Hayate up to? She practically skipped up to her room, dropping her dress on her bed and yanking open her closet to grab a pair of jeans and a Strike Team polo shirt. Where were they going? Hayate had said civvies, but should Vivio still wear something nice? But Hayate had said comfortable…
"I guess I'm going with comfortable then," Vivio decided, pulling on her jeans. She grabbed a sweater, then winced at seeing the wrinkles in the sleeves. Replacing that one with one that Falin-san had ironed, Vivio yanked it on and quickly ran a brush through her hair, checking her appearance in the mirror.
She looked like she was about to go run ten laps around the training field. Or about to lounge around at home on the couch. Then again, Hayate had seen her in worse before, right?
…Maybe she should change?
No time. Vivio bounded down the stairs, taking the last few ones in a jump as she slid towards the foyer. She turned the corner and nearly ran into Hayate.
"Oof!" Hayate didn't even have a chance to stumble before Vivio had caught her, nearly lifting the lighter woman up in her arms.
"Sorry!" Vivio reluctantly let go after she set Hayate back on her feet. It was a little weird how she was bolder with her hands when wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Or maybe it was just the situation that had her doing less "thinking" and more "doing," which seemed to work best for Vivio.
But that wasn't how adults had relationships.
Vivio dropped her hands, stuffing them into her sweater pockets to keep them out of trouble.
"Let's go," Hayate said, seemingly unfazed by the previous situation. She was a little underdressed for the weather, only wearing a long-sleeved shirt over top of a blouse and dark pants. But then again, Hayate handled the cold differently than most people—she would either be quite affected as slight people were, or utterly oblivious to temperatures that would cause other people to shiver. It never ceased to remind Vivio that her crush was the master of an ancient ice-based magic that held enough raw power to blow up spaceships and chunks of planets, and that she controlled that power effortlessly every day.
"Where are we going?" Vivio asked.
A wide, honest grin was her only answer, and Vivio swallowed a few times to wet her dry mouth as she followed Hayate out the door. They walked down the street, and Vivio noticed the number of pedestrians thinning as they walked on, heading towards a quieter district along the main roads.
"There," Hayate tugged on Vivio's sleeve to stop her, keeping hold of a fold of Vivio's sweater as she happily pulled them over to the glass doors of an open air, quaint little teahouse. The warm-coloured wood and wide, comfortable space immediately made Vivio's tension ease, as the tranquility of the place seeped into her muscles.
"Welcome to the Amber Teahouse!" The young server greeted from behind the counter. "Please, sit anywhere you like, I'll be right with you."
Vivio let Hayate guide them to a seat by the open wall, her eyes still transfixed on the careful attention the teahouse girl was spending measuring out tea leaves. She had never thought of tea as such a precise art, from the focus that the other girl was spending on the dried leaves! No wonder Nanoha always winced whenever Vivio and Fate made their tea instant or from store-bought teabags.
"Did you use to do that?" Vivio asked in an undertone, finally turning from the sight to sit down across from Hayate at a small round table. The table was shielded from drafts by a wall, but still situated nicely to be warmed by the sunlight slanting in from the open store-front.
"Not like that," Hayate replied, amused at Vivio's fascination. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, watching Vivio with a gentle scrutiny. "I couldn't drink much tea when I was younger—Dr. Ishida wanted to avoid any adverse effects from the herbal components and my medication, so I never learned about tea-making."
"That sounded like a lonely time."
The empathic statement made Hayate tilt her head thougtfully. "I suppose it was, even though I hadn't noticed how much so until after my knights came to me. But it's not just me—you had some lonely times too."
"It's weird," Vivio frowned thoughtfully. "I can barely remember. I'm not even sure how much of that was real, then." She gave a weak smile. "Fate-mama understands, but we don't talk about it much."
"I'm sorry," Hayate said, contrite. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
Embarrassed, Vivio coughed. "It's okay—I kind of started it, didn't I?" Still, she thought that they were both relieved when the long-haired teenaged server stopped by their table with two menus, placing it before them perfunctorily.
"Good afternoon—I'm Sarasa, your server for today. Do you have any questions about anything?" The server asked, smiling warmly. This was a girl who really liked her job, Vivio thought. She couldn't imagine working such a sedate job and enjoying it, but then again, the older teenage girl probably hadn't grown up in a military life like Vivio had.
"Vivio?"
"Um, I'm alright," Vivio said. "I don't really know about this stuff—I'll have whatever you recommend."
"My recommendation? Hm," Sarasa looked between Hayate and Vivio carefully. "I think…a nice silk dragon jasmine blend for you, miss." She pointed to the picture in the menu in front of Vivio. "It's a mixture of traditional green tea and jasmine flowers—light but flavourful. And for you, ma'am, I would suggest the golden pu'erh. It has a nice earthy taste from being aged for 5 years in China's mountain caves, and has a taste that is unlike anything here in Japan."
"Done," Hayate said, handing the menus back to Sarasa. "Thank you."
"Would either of you like to order from the desserts menu?"
"No thanks," Vivio laughed. "My mama's family owns a bakery in the neighbourhood, so I have to work off all those sweets first."
"A bakery?" Sarasa furrowed her brows, thinking. "Ah, St. Germaine's or Midori-ya?"
"Midori-ya," said Vivio, taken aback at the other girl's reply.
"Ah, you're a Takamachi! They make amazing cakes—we're lucky that they are on the other side of the neighbourhood," Sarasa grinned, "or else Seriho-san and I would be out of business. Anyway, I'll be back with your orders, please relax and enjoy yourselves."
"Wow," Vivio remarked to Hayate, pushing up her sleeves and leaning back in her chair to balance with the front two chair legs slightly off the floor. "I didn't realize that Nanoha-mama's family is so well known around here! That's twice today I've been recognized, and I've never even visited Earth before."
"A skewed sample," Hayate chuckled, resting a cheek on her fist. "Besides, shouldn't you be used to it? Both your mamas are quite famous back home."
Home. Yes, Vivio remembered. They were on vacation right now.
She stifled a sad sigh, instead letting her chair legs drop back to the floor. When Hayate's expression shifted into curious concern, Vivio gave her a smile, not quite successfully screening the wistfulness from it.
"It's nothing. I'm just…thinking about how we'll have to go home soon." Vivio shrugged, looking away before forcing herself to meet Hayate's gaze again. "Did…did you have fun on our date today?"
An un-encouraging blend of emotions swirled on Hayate's face, and this time it was Vivio's turn to observe her quietly, noting all the little changes in the older woman's countenance. In a different place and time, Vivio probably wouldn't have been able to see past Hayate's polite politician's mask, but here they were both in casual home clothes and on a planet far away from anyone who matters in their daily lives. So Vivio saw a lot more than Hayate probably realized she was showing. Hesitance, confusion, reluctance, guilt…and underneath it all, a hint of fear.
Well.
That fear was a hopeful sign, in a twisted way. After all, if Hayate didn't care, then she wouldn't be afraid, would she?
But Vivio couldn't see the one emotion she was hoping to see.
So that was that, she supposed.
"Never mind," Vivio said quietly, exhaling slowly to still her quivering chest. "Don't worry about it. I think…maybe we should be going back now." She pushed her chair back, reaching into her sweater pocket for her wallet. "Besides, it's almost tim—"
Hayate caught onto Vivio's hand, her fingers curling tightly around Vivio's.
Vivio stopped.
Hayate closed her eyes for a second, then opened them, looking directly into Vivio's red-green eyes with her deep, unfathomable gaze. Vivio was bespelled—even if the world exploded around them, Vivio would not have been able to look away from those blue, blue eyes.
"Sit," Hayate murmured, somehow making the word an order without a semblance of command. "Sit with me for a while."
Vivio breathed in, then out. Slowly, she sunk back into her seat, still unable to look away. "Okay."
They sat there silently, even after Sarasa came back with their tea. The tall teenager took one look at them and quietly placed their teapots and cups down and swiftly left again, leaving Hayate and Vivio to sit in the yellow-orange light from the skyward sunset.
Hayate was the first to break their eye contact, although by then something had changed so that it wasn't so intense, so breathless, as before. Yet Vivio didn't miss the sensation, because whatever had happened didn't disappear, it just changed into something she couldn't quite name.
It was a nice day, Vivio decided, watching the play of golden light burning across the pale bark of the bordering trees. From where they sat they could see the sunset through the empty arms of the tall pines, and where the sun met the horizon starbursts of red, pinks and purples ribboned out across the blue sky. It was glorious yet cold, and distant yet warm. Her forearms, bare below the scrunched up fabric above her elbows, prickled with goosebumps from the chill wind, but that didn't bother Vivio.
From the corner of her vision Vivio could see Sarasa and another woman step out from behind the counter to rearrange the porch furniture for the evening customers, both of them working with the silence of familiarity. Vivio watched them, seeing their relaxed postures and unguarded smiles when they brushed up to each other in their work. The older woman was surely the master of the teahouse, but she and Sarasa were evidently more than just coworkers. Even when working, they weren't really working, but enjoying their time spent with each other.
Surprising, how easily Vivio could forget that. Forget that enjoying time didn't always have to be the same as doing things.
She had done a lot of things during this week of vacation. She had actually enjoyed doing most of it, even if her emotions had been sent up and down like a flight test.
They were all going home tomorrow, and then things will go back to the way they always had been, because that's what people did when they returned to work and routine life. Right now, Vivio didn't even worry about that—she was content. The worry was something in her mind, not in her heart, and since she knew that it couldn't last Vivio was going to bask in the sensation while it was present.
Like a good dream, Vivio didn't have to forget this past week once they all woke up from the lassitude of vacation time. And she wouldn't forget.
She couldn't.
Unfortunately for her.
Maybe one day, it'll all make sense, and she would have been glad over the risks she had taken, and the bravery she had tried for.
Vivio looked at Hayate, and saw the brunette commander staring far, far away, her expression blank with the same dreamy mood that had settled in over them both. So Vivio turned her gaze away too, breathing in the crisp evening air and watching the tree shadows dance across the pavement.
They had to go back to the mansion for dinner soon.
And right then, Vivio realized that Hayate was still holding onto her hand.
Author's Note: OMG, this chapter was insanely hard to write. I literally came up with 6 to 7 variants of a chapter outline, only to throw out the last version entirely and just went with it to finish this chapter on sheer gut instinct ^^;;.
Morgan Link is an OC, and Hayate's ex, from an earlier Hayate x Vivio Files story of mine called "Gut Feeling."
"The Honour Roll" is the name of an actual sushi place, and "St. Germaine's" is an actual bakery. Names were taken just for fun, no real life connections to the story!
Cameos! Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenoh are, of course, from Sailor Moon. And Sarasa and Seriho are from Fujieda Miyabi's Chatting at the Amber Teahouse, a delightful manga about a teahouse that seems to attract a lot of lesbians XD. And there was a partially sneaky name-drop cameo, for the sharp-eyed readers! ^_-
Many thanks to DezoPenguin, Shigan, and Extrinsical for helping me out with this chapter! Also, a huge thanks to all the wonderful readers who reviewed with such nice things—I went back and re-read them all while I was struggling to write this chapter and despairing that it would never be done. Nothing inspires like knowing people really want to see what happens next XD. Really, this is for all of you ^_^.
One more chapter to go!