A Saga of Tanya the Evil/The Irregular at Magic High School crossover.
I do not in any way, shape, or form lay claim to either of these works.
This is just a work of admiration from one fan, to those others that share the same interest.
The only characters or places I lay claim to are those solely of my own creation.
Chapter 24, The Seven Schools Competition: Respite
Sunday, August 1st 2094 8:00 AM
As Tanya sat next to Visha, her mind wandered throughout their time together, in this world and the one before. For once, she felt the niggling presence of something rather foreign to her. Regret. Yes, she had regretted missed chances before in business or school, but never over personal reasons. Even the brief flashes of something resembling regret before were quickly wiped away, because what logic lay in second guessing your previous choices?
It wasn't like she was some mythical being or supposed God that could traverse back and forth through time. Yes, she had technically traveled through time, but it was like the Time Machines journey, it was one way only.
She once again pondered her sleeping companion. Visha was trustworthy, loyal, intelligent and infinitely flexible. She pondered, not for the first time, what her first life might have been like with Visha at her side, in her bed.
She blushed slightly and shook her head as she chased those thoughts out of her mind. This was not some time to go off on another hormonally fueled day dream that could be hijacked. Again.
Tanya sighed as she settled back, content to watch Visha sleep for now, and find what comfort and peace she could in that.
It was surprisingly comforting, is the conclusion she had reached an hour later, barely two hours into the six hour trip. It somehow felt familiar, to have Visha asleep so close to her. She wondered why, but decided right now was probably not the best time to ponder things like that. Instead, she kept replaying her encounter with Being X in her head, over and over. She did her best to figure out what new hell he was planning on inflicting on her, and some part of her worried how he might drag Visha into his little obsessive game.
The fact that he seemed to be fixated on Visha in some way now was worrisome. It almost made her reconsider her plans, but she had honestly come too far. She had done too much to set all of this up, and the thought of another life spent alone, with what she wanted just out of reach? Well, perhaps a final death would be better. She had come to a realization, that a life without Visha, well it wouldn't really be living. She had been a big part of the reason that the hell that was the war was tolerable, she had been the constant support in the background, the check on some of her worst urges and tendencies. She had been the grounding factor that had kept her from truly becoming a monster. Without Visha, would she have had the 203rd? Would it have been what it became? Would Tanya have given in to the machination of Being X, buried in a hopeless war, alone and without anyone else to temper her, to show her some measure of peace and hope?
From her coffee, to her love of food and companions. Her naive honesty and eager energy. Her can-do attitude tempered with knowing what failure felt like, could Tanya have done this all without her? Visha was the reason that they were HERE, after all. If not for her desire to save her, would she have ever been able to tap into this power, and drag them both here.
There was a thought at the edge of her mind, some sort of revelation about...Something… But it slipped away as Visha stirred a bit, and their eyes met as Tanya's sleepy companion cracked open her eyes. A tender smile set Tanya's heart a flutter and brought back the ghost of the dream she had had. Brought back those thoughts of what it would be like to wake up beside her every day, to go to sleep with her next to her, perhaps cuddled up with the taller girl in a pleasant tangle. No! Stop those thoughts, Tanya, lest you get distracted again, she chastised herself as she returned the smile at Visha.
"I hope I didn't wake you, Visha?" Tanya asked before Visha shook her head and smiled warmly.
"No, You are fine. Did you just wake up too?" Visha asked with her brows furrowed a bit.
Tanya laughed awkwardly and shook her head. "I have been having problems sleeping, to be honest."
Visha looked at her long and hard "You? Having problems sleeping before a deployment. That is odd for you. Is there anything I can do to help?" Visha asked as he brushed a strand of her hair back behind an ear and shifted on the bench seat they shared.
Tanya laughed and shook her head. "Not unless you snuck a good pillow onto the bus that I didn't see you pack, Visha. I'm sure I will be okay."
Visha got a thoughtful look on her face as she looked over the bench, and at the sleeping or distracted students around them before she scooted over into the corner, drawing a puzzled look from Tanya before a blushing Visha patted her lap. "I just so happen to have one right here. I.. Saw it in one of the movies…" She said with a shy smile on her face.
For a long moment Tanya just stared at Visha as suffered a fatal error. She wasn't sure she had heard her correct. Obviously, she had somehow misunderstood what her companion had suggested. There was no way that Visha had just offered her shapely, softly muscled thighs as a lap pillow, right?
At Tanya's look, Visha looked away embarrassed. "S..Sorry, I shouldn't have suggested something so out of line…" Visha said with a nervous little chuckle.
Tanya shook her head, realizing that at this moment, she had a choice. Let things edge back, and possibly make her companion feel even more self conscious about their proximity and growing closeness. Alternatively, she could take her up on her offer, and set Visha's mind at ease. Obviously, as a good superior she should do what she could to make sure that Visha felt good about taking initiative. Yes, she was doing it for Visha's sake.
"No, it is a generous offer. I.. If you are okay with it, I..will take you up on your generous offer. Maybe it's just what I need so I can rest. After all, I need to be at my best for tomorrow, right?" Tanya reasoned as she watched Visha closely.
Visha blushed and relaxed, and bit her lip before she patted her lap once again.
Tanya swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as she eased into position, and let her head rest lightly in Visha's lap. The soft smell of her companion settled into her nose, as the soft warmth of her lap seemed to cradle her and relax her. As nice as that initial moment was, when Visha slowly reached down and rested her hand on her head, smoothing the hair and gently, unconsciously slid her fingers through Tanya's hair? This was bliss.
They laid there, Tanya's eyes closed as she relaxed and basked in this new sensation, while Visha watched her usually prickly companion with a fond gaze. At some point, the two of them did slip back into sleep, Tanya curled up with her head resting in Visha's lap, and Visha with her head resting against the window, her fingers nestled lightly in Tanya's hair.
It was a sweet and touching view, made all the more unreal by the fact that the one sleeping in her companion's lap was the infamous Beast of Berlin, as she was already being called in the back rooms and hallways, well away from the ears of the selfsame magical terror.
They were awoken as the bus came to a stop at the hotel that they would be staying at for the duration of the competition. It was just after 1 PM as the students were herded by their advisors rooms and then down to the cafeteria for a late lunch.
Tanya and Visha sat with the other two girls on the Mirage Bat team as they ate and discussed strategy for the event. Visha had to herself that she was content, seeing her Argent engaged and working diligently to achieve her goals. It felt like the early days of the war, when things were still filled with hope and potential.
It was a surprisingly poignant feeling for the well grounded former soldier. The fondness she had started to feel towards her former superior was new, she had thought at first. But now, she wasn't quite so sure anymore. When did her feelings get this complicated? When, exactly, did the lines start to get this blurred? Was it alright to harbor these kinds of feelings towards her Argent? And when, exactly, did she start to feel so… possessive. Was it right? Was it okay for her to feel this way?
Her thoughts are derailed as she meets the inquisitive gaze of the subject of her ruminations, all coherent thought thrown out the window.
Maybe it was okay to feel like this, in her secret heart of hearts, at least until Tanya found a man worthy of her.
Yes, just until then, it was okay to feel like this.
Visha sighed as she poked at her food.
Love sucked.
Tanya, for her part, had found the conversation with the others engaging, but it hardly served to distract her from the real problem that weighed on her mind. How to confess her feelings towards Visha, and ways to counter that sanctimonious Being X if it decided to intervene again.
Surely there had to be something, it felt like the answer was just out of reach, almost right there…. Then she met the gaze of Visha and her hormonally addled brain short circuited for a moment again, and she lost it.
She tried to fix her attention on what the other girls were talking about. After all, it was the duty of a superior officer to appear interested and informed about the concerns of those under you. That held true regardless of it you were talking about the military, a corporation, or even a country.
The appearance of good interpersonal skills was far more important than actually possessing them. That had been demonstrated time and time again by individuals that would be described as psychopaths or sociopaths, in some cases if you were being generous. It was amazing what you could get away with as long as people believed you had the best of intentions, or even more if they believed you actually cared about what happened to them in a way that didn't appear to be completely self serving, even if it was.
Tanya, of course, didn't consider herself to fit into either of those two categories. She just had a very practical and detached world view, and had in both of her lives. THere was no point in giving into emotion, or letting people try to prey on your better intentions. Such things were illogical and only really worked on people that let their emotions control them.
In the end, perhaps those people really did deserve what happened to them.
Tanya is drawn from that train of thought as Visha poked at her food in a disinterested sort of way, and her hard eyes softened, a worried look creeping onto her face. Well, maybe not all of them, is the thought that passed through her mind as she looked at Visha and cleared her throat. At the surprised, questioning look her former adjutant, and current best friend gave her Tanya rose and offered her hand. "Shall we check out the venue for tomorrow, Visha? It would probably be best to see if the pillar arrangement differs from the ones we have seen, hrm?"
Visha immediately brightened as she blushed slightly when she took Tanya's hand. "Ma'am!" She chirped, much to the amusement of the other girls at the table.
Tanya herself relaxed on seeing the smile on Visha's face. It was one of the few things that truly gave her comfort and joy.
That only made her more certain in her decision to thwart whatever Being X might have planned regarding Visha.
With a nod from Tanya, and a wave from Visha, the pair were off, each lost in their own thoughts, but at least they were lost together.