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.
Calling all artists! I'm looking to take advantage of the somewhat new image/cover system FFnet has implemented and get covers done for all of my stories. If you're interested in drawing something, send me a PM (preferably). Artists will be fully credited for their work. I have specific ideas of how I would want the covers to look, so keep that in mind.
For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
trumm12345 - Thanks for the review. ^^ Please don't die. There's lots more story to come. XD I appreciate your patience for this story. :)
Love thus story - Thanks for the review. :) I do what I can to let people know I appreciate them reading my stories, including replying back to anon reviews. ^^ And yes, Vivio can be quite sneaky when she wants to be. Lol. It's probably Hayate's influence... :P
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 4: So Close ~ ***
Signum tilted her head to the side, stretching out her stiff neck and shoulder muscles. It had been another productive, yet tiring day for the samurai, this particular day involving Signum running all over town, apprehending petty bandits. Ever since the JS incident, crime in the capital city had almost ceased to be. Though, on occasions like today, the local bandits got a bit too rowdy and sought to test their luck.
A groan.
Signum grimaced slightly at the soreness emanating from her shoulders. Her back was tense. While she was by no means out of shape, having to fend off five bandits simultaneously was a bit trying at times, especially when one of them had a Spirit Seed. On occasion those things popped up, but it was never something Signum couldn't handle. Nor were they an immediate threat. The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper made frequent sweeps of the city searching for Spirit Seeds, the duo being quite efficient in tracking down those magical leftovers and sealing them.
"Ompf!"
Signum stumbled backwards in surprise when something hit her in the gut.
"Itai..." said a small voice in front of her.
"Rein-san?"
Signum blinked at the slightly dazed sprite in curiosity. Both of them currently occupied the main hallway leading to the Imperial basement archives and cellar. It was rather unsual for the little one to visit the lower regions of the Imperial Palace, Signum herself only down here presently as she had to drop off today's patrol report to the archives' scribe. She was actually on the way up to her room when Rein appeared.
"Signum... san?" Rein looked up Signum holding her aching nose.
In her haste, Rein failed to notice the person in front of her as she rounded the corner. It took the silver haired sprite a split second to realize who she ran into. When it finally clicked she that was currently facing the Captain of the Samurai, tiny blue eyes widened in surprise before a mischievous grin stretched across Rein's face. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone.
"Signum-san!" Rein exclaimed, flying up to the samurai's face feigning panic. "Help!"
Signum was immediately on alert by Rein's outburst. Very rarely did the smallest of the Empress' guardians lose her cool like this, and when she did, something was usually very terribly wrong.
"IwashelpingShamal-saninthecellarwhenshescreame dand-"
The Captain of the Samurai bolted for the Imperial Cellar even before Rein could finish her sentence, somehow managing to understand the sprite despite her rushed breath.
"-only then did I realize the wooden stool she was standing on broke," Rein said, finishing her explanation at a normal pace, once the pinkette was out of sight.
A tiny grin.
Shamal sighed for the third time in the span of minutes. She was currently in the Imperial Cellar, standing in the last row of shelves (all of which held a variety of medicinal herbs), staring at one particular basket of herbs just out of reach. While it was called as such, this particular room wasn't so much of a cellar as it was an indoor storage room of sorts. Rows upon rows of wooden shelving filled the room, baskets and ceramic urns of all shapes and sizes among its contents. Most contained herbs for healing, though some of the shelves also held some of Nanoha's cooking spices.
Not much time had passed since she fell off the wooden step stool when reaching for something on a higher shelf. The Empress' head attendant and healer had run out of the commonly used Aloe herb upstairs, and had simply paid a visit down here to restock the Imperial Hospital many floors above. Unknown to Shamal, the stepping stool often used to reach the higher items on the top shelves, had finally succumbed to age (to be fair, this particular stool was found in the cellar long before Shamal came to the Imperial Palace), being thoroughly rotted through. The moment Shamal stepped on it to reach the Aloe herb bin up top, the rotted wood gave way and Shamal tumbled to the floor on her behind.
After that minor incident, Rein (the tiny sprite keeping Shamal company at the time), proclaimed she would find one of the taller attendants to help Shamal in this task. As easily as she could just fly up to the bin herself, the container was much too heavy for the little guardian to pull off the shelf. So, she would get help. Shamal started to protest, saying she would be able to manage by herself, but Rein had flown away before Shamal could finish.
Another sigh.
That was five minutes ago. And Shamal had made no headway in reaching her desired basket. Feeling rather impatient at the moment, the blonde half considered just climbing the storage shelves herself (the shelves should be able to handle her weight, maybe), that is, until the last person she expected to see burst into the cellar, shouting her name.
"Shamal!"
Shamal jumped in surprised at Signum's sudden entrance, the samurai rushing in like a raging storm until she caught sight of the Empress' Head Attendant. Levantine hummed in the pinkette's grasp, Signum's gaze darting all over the room, looking for a non-existent attacker.
"Where is it?!"
The blonde blinked in surprise, taking in Signum's appearance. The samurai's hair was wild, some of Signum's pink strands having escaped her hairband. A shimmer of sweat coated the swordswoman's face, Signum's cheeks slightly flushed from her dash over here. A slightly sweet musk-like scent, something which Shamal identified as Signum's own unique smell, hung around the samurai, a very welcomed smell in comparison to the damp and stagnant air down in the cellar. All in all, Signum was magnificent.
"Signum... san?" Those were the only words Shamal could muster, completely enraptured by that which was Signum. When Rein said she'd go find someone taller to help her, Shamal didn't expect it would be Signum.
"Are you hurt? Who attacked you?"
Signum was at Shamal's side in an instant. While physically the healer looked unharmed, Shamal seemed to be out of sorts, her normally clear violet eyes looking a bit hazy. Signum had yet to sense who or what Shamal's attacker was, but when she did, there would be hell to pay.
"Attacked me...? What?" Shamal blinked quickly, trying to make sense of what Signum was saying. "What are you talking about?"
The grip on Levantine tightened greatly. Did the attacker know magic, having confused Shamal so?
"Rein-san ran into me a few minutes ago," Signum hastily explained. Her gaze still searched the room, the samurai staying close to the Empress' Head Attendant. "She said you screamed and..." Signum's voice trailed off.
Shamal stared at Signum in silence for a few awkward seconds. Then a smile widened across the blonde's face as she raised an eyebrow. "And...?" she said expectantly. Shamal quickly glanced at the remains of the rotted stool she had swept off to the side.
"And..." Signum said something unintelligible.
Shamal's smile grew even wider. "I'm sorry Signum-san, I didn't hear that. What did you say?"
Signum met Shamal's gaze before looking way, her cheeks a bit more flushed than before. "And..." The pinkette swallowed noticeably. "And I don't know the rest, for I had rushed off to your aid before Rein-san could finish her explanation."
Shamal wanted to squeal. It was in times like this that Signum made her fall in love with the pinkette even more.
A giggle.
"Is that so?" Shamal said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The Empress' Head Attendant truly cherished moments like these. "Fear not my valiant knight," Shamal said patting Signum on the shoulder. "I have already dispatched the attacker."
Signum's eyes snapped to Shamal's in an instant.
"It's over there," the blonde said, directing the samurai's attention to the broken stool off to the side.
Signum blinked. "I don't understand," she said looking at Shamal in confusion.
"I was trying to reach that-" Shamal said pointing to the Aloe herb basket on the top shelf of the nearest rack, "-when the stool gave way beneath me. Rein-chan said she was going to find me some taller help."
Another giggle.
"Though I never expected it to be you."
"Oh." Signum lowered her sword in embarrassment. "My apologies Shamal," the samurai immediately began. This was rather humiliating. "I-"
Shamal pressed a finger to Signum's lips, effectively shushing her. "It makes me very happy to know you'd come to my aid so quickly were I in trouble," she said. Shamal smiled more as Signum darkened in colour.
"But seeing as there's no attacker now, and I'm not in dire straits, perhaps you can help me reach that top basket?"
"I'm telling you Agito-chan!" Rein exclaimed. "There's something going on between Signum-san and Shamal-san. Can't you see it?!"
Agito sighed in exasperation, flying down one of may corridors of the Imperial Palace, the other sprite in tow. It was only by coincidence that she ran into Rein (or rather flew into her). Agito liked Rein a lot, the silver haired guardian something akin to a big sister to her. But during times like this, Agito often wondered just who was the older one between them two.
"Rein-san," Agito said flatly. "Whether or not there's something going on between my master and Shamal-san is none of my business."
Agito was currently looking for Signum, having been told by one of the other samurais that she had come back from patrol. Agito was going to ask if the pinkette wanted something to eat, as was their routine whenever Signum came back from walking through the capital city. It wasn't much, in Agito's opinion, but she tried to help her master as best she could, whenever she could.
"Oh Agito-chan! You're hopeless! Hopeless!" Rein whined. "How can you not want to help those two realize their undying love for each other!?"
Agito sighed again.
The fire sprite knew very well of Signum's affections for Shamal. Yet, for whatever reason, the samurai remained silent on the matter. It seemed quite evident to Agito that Shamal loved Signum back too, but the blonde also hadn't said anything about it either. Maybe she was just reading into things that weren't actually there. She wasn't human after all. And she was still new to all this stuff.
"Rein-"
"Fear not Agito-chan!" Rein said, patting Agito on the back. "I have taken measures to ensure they realize their love for each other."
Agito's head snapped towards Rein in an instant.
"What did you do?"
Rein cackled, horrifyingly similar to how the Empress cackled when doing something mischievous. "Let's just say I may have locked them in the Imperial Cellar for a while..."
Signum was stuck.
"Signum, stop squirming and hold still!"
If asked, Signum would have said it was akin to being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well, maybe that wasn't quite right. Signum was stuck in the Imperial Cellar, all alone, with Shamal.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Rein had stealthily trailed behind the Captain of the Samurai after she rushed off to find Shamal. During the duo's initial conversation, the tiny sprite closed the door to the Imperial Cellar, locking it with the crossbar. When Signum and Shamal realized their predicament, that being they were stuck in the cellar, Signum offered to break down the door with Levantine. Before she could, Shamal quickly reminded her of what happened the last time she did something like that, Signum immediately abandoning that idea. The Captain of the Samurai didn't fancy being the Empress' personal slave for another month. And so she was stuck.
With Shamal.
With Shamal who was trying to undress her.
"Shamal-san," Signum said, backing up a few steps trying to escape Shamal's prying hands. "This really is not necessary. I-"
"I'm going to give you a massage, Signum," Shamal said in finality, her fingers pulling at the belts which held together Signum's armor. She had already managed to undo the belts holding down Signum's left shoulder plate. "You're acting like I'm trying to ravage you or something."
That's right, a massage. That's what Shamal was trying to do. Not actually... well... something else, as much as Signum fantasized and would have let it happen.
After helping the blonde get her necessary items from the top shelf, during their wait for someone to notice them gone and let them out, Shamal realized just how tired and aching Signum was. Perhaps it was the way Signum rubbed her neck, or the way she grimaced every time she stretched a sore muscle. Whatever the case, Shamal had taken it upon herself to ease Signum of her pain (the blonde was just too good for her own good) and started grabbing at Signum's armor.
This shouldn't have been a surprise to the samurai. Shamal had helped her out of her armor many times before to heal her injuries. But after Shamal's comment, the one about ravaging, Signum's thoughts quickly took a turn for the worst, instantly becoming thoughts unbecoming of a knight. The pinkette reeled back from the Shamal's touch. Signum didn't trust herself with the other woman at this moment.
By the gods! She should have never read that tome Hayate gave her. If she'd only known...
"Shamal-" Signum started to protest again, stumbling back a few more steps. Shamal's grip was unrelenting!
"Signum!" Shamal grunted, still holding firm to Signum's armor. She was determined to get the blasted thing off.
"Shama-ahhhhhl!"
THUMP!
Both Signum and Shamal tumbled to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
In their struggle, the pair had unknowingly wandered towards the broken bits of stool, Signum promptly tripping over it in her haste to avoid Shamal's clutches. Shamal, refusing to let go of Signum's armor until she relented, was naturally pulled down with the samurai and landed top of her.
A thick swallow.
"Are you... alright?"
Signum felt her breath leave her, and it was not because of Shamal falling on top of her. Well, actually, it was because of that, but not in the regular sense.
"H-hai..." Shamal said quietly, looking into Signum's deep blue eyes. She was lying on top of the pinkette, her arms propped up against Signum's armored chest to keep their faces from smashing together. Signum had her arms wrapped around Shamal's waist, a firm yet comfortable grip. Their faces were only inches apart.
"A-are you... alright?"
Signum swallowed. "I am... unharmed," was the samurai's response, her gaze never breaking from Shamal's. They stared at each other in silence.
"Why do you always run away from me?" Shamal asked in a whisper. She was slowly lowering herself down on Signum, licking her lips.
"I don't run from anything," Signum replied in an equally quiet voice. She had yet to move from her current position. The Captain of the Samurai was quite capable of halting the Empress' Head Attendant's movements, but she didn't.
"Good," Shamal said, leaning in closer. Her eyes started to close. She could feel Signum's breath upon her lips. "Because I would hate to think it was me you were running fr-"
KATHUNK! CREEEEEAK!
The door to the Imperial Cellar swung open.
"Master!" Agito exclaimed, flying in and navigating through the various shelves of medicinal herbs. "Are you-"
The fire sprite stopped at the last row of shelves. There she found Signum and Shamal standing next to each other, both women visibly flustered and in various sorts of disarray.
"-down... here...?"
Agito grimaced. Somehow she felt like she had intruded on something very important.
Signum cleared her throat. "Thank you, Agito-san, for opening the door for us." The samurai would not meet Shamal's gaze.
Agito frowned.
"We're very lucky you found us, Agito-chan," Shamal said, though the blonde didn't sound very happy. In fact, she looked rather disappointed. "Who knows how long we would have been stuck in here."
Agito looked back and forth between the samurai and healer. "Uh... I'm glad you're both okay?" she said rather pathetically. "I hope I wasn't... interrupting anything."
"Ile," Signum said curtly. "Nothing at all."
"Hai," Shamal said, dejection in her voice. "It was nothing."
Agito cursed inwardly
Stupid Rein! This was all her fault!
A/N: For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below.
Itai = Ouch
Hai = Yes
Ile = No
For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: wiki/Japanese_honorifics