A Samurai's Pledge
A/N: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!
For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
trumm12345 - Thanks for the review. ^^ To answer your question, there will be a rival of sorts, but not in the romantic type. You'll see what I mean as the story progresses. :)
Love thus story - Thanks for the review! You're very sweet. :) I too am a sucker for fluffiness, and with this pairing, I can't resist throwing some of that in. Hehe.
Guest - Thanks for the review. ^^ The whole thing with Fate and Nanoha giving advice to Signum and Shamal thing was not intentional. Nanoha was convinced Fate got herself lost again and went to look for her, while Fate snuck off to the kitchen to get a snack. Hehe. XD Soon the ancient enemy appears. Soon. ;) So stay tuned!
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
*** ~ Chapter 3: A Child's Perspective ~ ***
"Signum... san?"
"Shamal-san."
Movement in her peripherals caught Vivio's attention. She looked up just in time to see Signum stride up to the table. The trio was currently in the Infinite Library, both of Vivio's mamas away on an important mission. Or so Hayate had told her. And so, Vivio was left in the care of Shamal, until her mamas came back.
"Ohayou, Signum-san." Vivio smiled brightly.
"Ohayou, Vivio-san," Signum replied back with a small smile of her own. "Ohayou, Shamal-san." Signum bowed to Shamal.
"Is... everything alright?"
To say Shamal was shocked by the samurai's appearance would have been putting things mildly. While Signum was by no means illiterate, surprising everyone with her advanced knowledge of history and scripting (even Yunno was impressed), Signum's aversion to the Infinite Library was no secret. It was too stuffy and crowded. Signum was more of a go-getter than the type of person to sit down quietly for hours on end.
"Everything is well," Signum replied, albeit a bit stiffly in Vivio's opinion. The young child had seen the pair together many times before now, usually the meetings ending with rather amusing results. This seemed to be the case now, but Vivio refrained from making any judgements for the time being.
"I... uh... just finished my rounds for the day."
Awkward silence.
"May I sit?"
"Oh! Of course!" Shamal said, immediately gesturing towards the available seats left at the table that both she and Vivio occupied. One end of the table was stacked with books, but there was enough room to squeeze in another person.
"Thank you," Signum said, the samurai choosing to sit next to Vivio, opposite Shamal.
Vivio raised an eyebrow at the suddenly strained atmosphere in the room. Neither of the adults noticed the amusement in her eyes, Signum staring at the table in thought while Shamal shyly looked in the samurai's direction.
Oh? Red and green eyes darted back and forth between the pair. A knowing smile formed on the small blonde's lips. She knew that look. Having spent as much time as she had with her mamas, it was very clear what was going on between the two grown ups.
Vivio was not stupid. A child she may be, but even she had ears and eyes. She had heard of the rumors (mainly coming from the Empress, that scheming woman!) of the goings on between the Head Attendant and the Captain of the Samurai. And, as it was, she could plainly see what was happening between them right now. With a smile stretching further across her face, Vivio decided to help these two poor saps out. Sometimes all one needed was a gentle push in the right direction. Or maybe a Starlight Breaker, or two.
"Ahhh mou~" Vivio sighed in exasperation, feigning frustration and annoyance. Both Shamal's and Signum's attention snapped towards her in an instant.
"What's wrong Vivio-chan?" Shamal looked at the book Vivio was reading, trying to spot what was giving the young child problems.
"I don't get it," Vivio said with another sigh. She faked a pout.
"What is it that you don't understand?" Signum leaned in closer as well, to look at Vivio's book.
"If two people like each other, why don't they say so?"
"Eh?"
Vivio grinned inwardly, having gotten the exact response she'd been looking for. Both Signum and Shamal went stiff as boards, eyes wide and cheeks flushing. The pair looked at each other, quickly averting their gazes elsewhere when their eyes met. Vivio chose this as a sign to continue her ploy.
"Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama were telling me how they met last night," Vivio said with a smile. This statement seemed to ease the adults from their shock and the anxiety. "They really, really liked each other, but were scared to say so. But if you really, really like someone, shouldn't you tell them?"
Shamal opened her mouth to say something, but it would be Signum who got the first word. "Sometimes," the samurai started. "Sometimes people are afraid to say their feelings."
Shamal looked at Signum in shock. It was like the samurai had read her mind.
"But why?" Vivio questioned, like any curious child would.
"Because they're afraid the other person wouldn't like them in the same way," Shamal said, this time surprising Signum. "They're afraid that if they say how they really feel, and that person doesn't feel the same way, they would lose the friendship they had with that person."
"But if they like them back, and nobody says anything, both of them won't know," Vivio protested. The little girl's face twisted in confusion.
"It's complicated," Signum said with a chuckle.
That very sound made Shamal's heart flutter in her chest. And Signum's expression was just so-
"We'll I'm not afraid!" Vivio declared proudly.
"You're very brave Vivio-chan," Shamal said with a smile. "Not everyone is brave like you."
Shamal's smile was the most beautiful thing Signum had ever seen. The samurai was quickly enraptured by it, Signum not even realizing Vivio had caught her staring.
Vivio smiled teethily. "You're brave too Shamal-san," Vivio said, snapping Signum out of her daze. "Hayate-san told me about how you and Signum-san helped protect people when that meanie tried to hurt everyone, including Vivio."
Jail Scaglietti. Just the thought of the man made Signum scowl. Shamal must have been thinking about him too, for even she wore a frown. Not good. That was not the desired effect Vivio was looking for.
"Is there anyone you really like Shamal-san?"
That did it.
"Eh?" Shamal blinked.
"You're really pretty," Vivio continued, causing the head attendant to blush a bit.
"Thank you, Vivio-chan."
A smile couldn't but also stretch across Signum's face. Shamal was breathtaking. The rosy colour on the attendant's cheeks was a real turn on.
"So is there?" came the question again.
"Umm..." Shamal dared a glance in Signum's direction, quickly looking away when she caught the samurai looking at her inquisitively. "Well..." Another quick glance to Signum.
Shamal felt her cheeks burn hotter the longer she hesitated, and decided to use a diversionary tactic to deflect attention away from herself. "How about you Signum-san? Is there anyone you really like?"
That one threw Signum totally off guard, the samurai captain momentarily looking like a deer frozen in the headlights of an oncoming car. It was the cutest thing ever, causing the Empress' head attendant to giggle.
"I uh..." Signum cleared her throat before looking away briefly. She did her best to restrain the flush creeping up her neck and cheeks, though she wasn't quite convinced that she managed that feat. If she was flushing, neither Vivio nor Shamal indicated so, both of them looking at her with such curiosity. Signum found it hard to articulate anything proper.
"Do you?" Vivio asked again.
Gods, this was why Signum stayed away from children. They were too damn curious for their own good. Thankfully, Vivio's impatience worked in the samurai's favor and the child cut her off before she could even speak.
"You should tell them you like them soon," Vivio said turning back to her book.
"P-pardon?" Signum sputtered.
"You too Shamal-san," Vivio continued, not looking at either of them.
"W-what?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Vivio could see both adults absolutely flabbergasted. "It would just be so sad if you didn't." Vivio chose this time to look up. "I'm sure she'll say she likes you back."
A look at Signum and then one at Shamal.
"She?" both Signum and Shamal questioned in unison. They immediately looked at each other and then quickly looked at Vivio.
"Hai!" Vivio giggled.
Those two were so clueless sometimes. But in the end, Vivio knew they'd figure things out. After all, adults were supposed to be smarter than children.
A/N: For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below.
Ohayou = Good Morning/Hello
Hai = Yes
For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: wiki/Japanese_honorifics