"A... school?" Signum could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Yet, everything in front of her was merely more evidence to prove it. The books. The shelves. The room. The design of the building. All of it was reminiscent of the school buildings Hayate had walked the halls of. Granted, this one had its own obvious differences, but the basic concept appeared to be the same.
Yuuno nodded and stood from his kneeling position before the fallen texts. "I don't know what level, but this was definitely one. This is..." A wide grin spread across his lips as he glanced to Signum, his voice filled with wonder and joy. "This is better than any temple." With careful footsteps, he entered the classroom and walked the aisles between dust covered desks. "Do you understand the significance of this discovery, Signum?"
She was silent for a time as she pondered the possibilities, her expression contemplative. Truthfully, the significance was escaping her, though the fiery gleam in Yuuno's eyes bade her to look deeper within herself for an answer. She could not simply say no and leave it there, expecting to be told the correct response.
After a few moments of silence, it seemed as though a light came on, a light which illuminated a comparable set of experiences. "This is the closest you will get to... a firsthand account." Her eyes widened as the truth began to sink in. "There is no other source of information about Ancient Belka as pure as this." There was the brief thought of what herself and the other Wolkenritter could have contributed to Yuuno's archaeological passions had they been in possession of their memories, but it was dismissed quickly. There was no use dwelling on such things.
"Right in one." Yuuno smiled and spread his arms as though he were putting on a show. He looked as if he were doing everything in his power to not burst out laughing. "No matter how accurate our hypotheses and interpretations are, they're always going to be distorted to some degree. The more information collected, the closer we get to obtaining an accurate account of the past. This site... there's never been anything like it. Sure, we’ve recovered plenty of historical artifacts, but a school? A school with intact learning materials no less? I'd be more likely to convince Nanoha to give up flying and show some restraint than find another site like this."
Signum merely stood by the fallen bookcase and soaked in Yuuno's words. She'd underestimated him. Again. It was no mere academic interest or hobby which drove him in his pursuits of the past. It was a passion the likes of which she knew all too well. An overpowering and greedy desire to know and experience all there was about a subject until there was nothing left.
It was so very much like her lust for combat; an addiction which would never be satiated and demanded everything it could from her.
And yet, the fire she saw in his eyes as he spoke was one she'd seen and felt so very recently. It was the same searing flame which she'd ignited in battle and had desired to see ever more of, a flame which had come to burn her in ways which brought no pain. Truly, she had finally come to realize Yuuno Scrya was a passionate man. One who pursued what he held such a personal interest in with all the fervor of a greedy dragon.
However her companion's mention of Takamachi gave her pause. It reminded her of the talk she'd had with the brunette after her excursions with Yuuno had been discovered. Signum would hesitate to call it a discussion, for it was more a series of reprimands and a warning which had eventually led her to a number of grim realizations.
Yet as she followed the blonde man's instructions for examining the insides of the numerous shelved cabinets, she could not help but wonder about Takamchi's relationship with Yuuno. Just how well did the Ace of Aces know the man she claimed to care for so deeply? It had taken Takamachi a great deal of time to finally learn of Yuuno's awakened battle-lust. What's more, Yuuno did not seem to show or admit any knowledge of such a meeting or intervention.
It was becoming... troubling.
She must have gotten lost in her thoughts as it took a moment for her to realize Yuuno had called her name while she removed the contents of a cabinet. He was in the process of sealing up a small mountain of books for safe transport back to the surface. "Pardon, I was distracted." An uncharacteristic notion, to be certain, but the weight on her mind had grown rapidly in short order. "What did you need?"
Yuuno shook his head as he manipulated the spellwork. "You looked like you zoned out there for a bit. Are you feeling alright?" Signum certainly looked to be fine. Covered in dust and sweat from working, but otherwise fine.
"I am. There has been... much on my mind as of late." She walked over to where he was working and carefully set down the metal boxes she'd found.
His eyes gleamed at the sight of the boxes, but he turned his gaze back to Signum. "Would you like to talk about it? I might not be able to offer much advice, but it might help to get it off your chest at least." Yuuno briefly looked away to begin sealing up another batch of the ancient artifacts.
Signum paused as she looked long and hard at Yuuno. They were... hardly strangers, friends at the very minimum, but were they more than friends? Friends did not do battle as they did, did not enjoy it as they did, and her concerns did involve him. They involved him quite a bit, as a matter of fact. Still, she hesitated. "...I do not wish to take away from your discovery, though if you are willing to listen then I will tell you."
Yuuno simply nodded and slowed his work a bit.
She drew in a breath. "Some time before I came to you to request permission to join you, I had a ...conversation with Takamchi. It was not long after our battle at the upper ranked training grounds."
He had to fight back a blush at the memory of the battle in question. It had been one of their most heated exchanges. The mention of Nanoha made it a bit easier to control himself. "With... Nanoha?" Yuuno looked rather confused, and more than a little concerned. The timing put it rather close to the unfortunate ...lesson Signum had given Fate. "Did it have to do with Fate?"
"Yes and no. While she was quite irate, and understandably so, Fate was not the main topic at hand." Her strong gaze met his. "It primarily involved you and me, more specifically our... training." She could not call it such without pause, for it had come to resemble training less and less with each subsequent session.
The mention of such a topic led Yuuno to narrow his eyes slightly. What did Nanoha have to discuss with Signum involving their arrangement, enough to supersede mention of Fate? "I can honestly say I'm surprised. I thought it would be about, well, what happened with Fate. What did she say?"
Yuuno may not have liked what happened to his blonde friend, but he had come to terms with it and Signum knew this as well.
Signum sat down on the floor across from Yuuno, moving aside a pile of sealed artifacts so he could begin working on another. "She claimed I was using you to sate my own hunger for combat, distorting you into someone else in the process. Someone other than the kind man she knows you do be." There was far more involved in the claim, but she was not about to divulge those bits of information. They were of a more... personal nature to her.
"She... what?" Nanoha had made such a claim? It sounded... preposterous, really, but Signum was not the sort of woman to make such fabrications. Why would Nanoha say something so outrageous? "I'm going to assume she caught wind of what we've been doing, then?"
"It seems Takamachi came upon one of our sessions and recorded it. She was quite displeased with the situation." 'Displeased' was something of an understatement. Signum took a deep breath. "She demanded I find a way to remedy the situation before you were harmed by it."
"’Remedy the situation’?" A look of mild irritation and befuddlement crossed his features. He treasured Nanoha, he really did. She was his first friend and they had been through a great deal together. She was always looking out for everyone, sometimes to excess in some peoples' eyes. It would appear his sessions with Signum were of great enough concern to Nanoha as to warrant her idea of an intervention. "Does she think we can't handle ourselves?"
The sealing had ceased as Yuuno held Signum's gaze.
"No, I believe she thinks I will be unable to handle myself at the pace we had set. Takamachi seems to fear losing you a great deal." The 'as do I' remained unsaid. It would remain as such until she could truly discern what such a statement meant to her. "I wish to hear your thoughts about this."
Yuuno closed his eyes and let out a breath. Nanoha's protective streak was tall as a mountain and long as an ocean was wide. Even if she acted for the wellbeing of others, there were a few times when she could go a bit too far. It just went to show how much she loved those around her. He would have to speak with his friend when they returned to Mid-Childa in order clear up any misunderstandings and give Nanoha his side of the story. He looked up to Signum's questioning gaze. "I don't think there's a need for anything drastic. We both realized things were getting a little… heated, before we came here."
The recollection of the sight of a panting Signum, clad in sweat and blood while lacking about as much decency in apparel as he after brutal exchanges, brought heat to his cheeks. Heat he was forced to allow the presence of.
"I'll talk with Nanoha when we get back. We haven't done anything wrong, but I guess we haven't been fair with everyone either. I've found something here, something I don't want to give up. I need to let her know that."
He did not say what it was he had found, nor would he. Not yet.
The swelling in her heart was ignored for a stern but... warm expression. "As you wish, Yuuno." Silence reigned for a short time before she spoke again. "Perhaps we had best finish here and return to camp for the day?"
"Sounds good." Yuuno granted her a kind smile as they set back to work.
---Scene Break---
When the pair had returned to their base camp, a quick dinner had been consumed courtesy of Signum's attempts at cooking. While she wasn't the best cook, certainly not on the level of Hayate, Yuuno was certainly in no state to be handling something like food. She'd rather not suffer food poisoning. At home would be bad enough. Here, it would be a nightmare.
The reason for Yuuno's current state of half-present euphoria lay in the veritable pile of treasures they had managed to bring back with them from their first foray into the ruins of the Ancient Belkan school. Said treasures lay stacked carefully in one corner of the domicile. Each one of the artifacts emanated a soft green glow, sealed up to prevent accidental damage to them.
Now they stood before the trinkets, treasures, and artifacts. Signum gazed at them curiously, and Yuuno was doing the same with a calculating eye. He seemed to be contemplating something of great importance.
Signum was about to pose a query as to their next course of action when Yuuno finally spoke. "I think I've got it figured out." She tilted her head in a questioning expression as they turned to face one another. "Signum, I'd like you to handle translating these books." He gestured to the stack of textbooks to his side.
"Only translation?" she questioned. It seemed a rather... mundane task to her. Perhaps something better left to a translation program. However, she was also the novice here.
Yuuno nodded and gave her a reassuring look. "It might seem boring, and it probably will be at first, but it’s a good first step. Plus, your fluency in Ancient Belkan puts mine to shame, honestly." He'd start her out small and let her work on some of the more delicate artifacts when he was certain she could handle them. Signum really was far more adept at the language than he was, anyway.
The pinkette nodded in understanding before crossing her arms and placing one hand upon her chin. "You would not happen to have a spell which would help prevent further damage to the tomes?" She'd rather not touch the books with her bare hands and risk further damaging them. Something told her the loss of such irreplaceable information would not be good for Yuuno's health.
"I do, actually. I was planning on showing it to you before dinner, but... I was a little distracted." He scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment. It seemed to be a habit of his.
"Indeed you were." Signum gave a small grin. "I could have served you moss and mud and you probably wouldn't have noticed."
Yuuno laughed somewhat lamely. "Ah... hahaha... Sorry about that. Dinner was really good though. Thank you for cooking." It really was a good dinner, and he felt a little ashamed at having not thanked Signum for her efforts before now.
She shook her head. "Simply try to keep your head about you next time. Or I really will feed you that. Now... about this spell?"
He chuckled. "I'll do my best." He raised his hands and a wide spell array erupted from his palms. It was not really a complex equation, but it would look rather unusual to any not familiar to spells used in archaeological work. "This will let you interact with the books without directly touching them or interfering with the seal."
"That seems rather convenient." Surprisingly so. She wasn't expecting such a simple answer. Nor a relatively simple spell to match it. As she set about memorizing it, she posed a question. "Does it have any other uses outside of archaeology?
"It's really only useful with the sealing spell. There’s plenty of other, better, spells to gain a similar effect in other fields, but for dealing with such delicate things like ancient artifacts, this is one of the best." He'd been using and updating it since he was a young boy. There was a mild apprehension at the thought of finally replacing it, but he'd yet to find a suitable substitute.
"I see." With the spell memorized, Signum set about casting it to ensure all had gone well. Having never done so before, her actions were cautious and aimed away from the pile of artifacts. When her hands began glowing a brilliant pink, she raised an eyebrow. This did not seem quite right. "Yuuno, I believe I have made an error..." Her voice seemed a little put off at the notion.
With a mildly amused smile on his face, Yuuno took Signum's hands into his own and gazed at them. He nodded not a few moments later. "You put too much power into this part of the equation. It’s causing a stack overflow with the spell."
It took only a few moments for Signum to make the corrections and a mild pinkish aura now encased her hands. Though the fact Yuuno was still holding them brought a shade of pink to her cheeks as well. She glanced upwards and saw a similar color on his as well.
"You're a fast learner, Signum." Yuuno released her hands and grinned, fighting off the color on his face. "Let’s get to work."
Signum's own grin met his. "I am Wolkenritter." She gave a nod of thanks as Yuuno handed her a stack of tomes and further instruction on how he'd like her to translate the books.
Verbatim would not do. She needed to be accurate in terms of context. Something a program couldn't accurately do as well as a human mind was capable of, hence why most active translation spells interfaced with the brain when functioning. In addition, speech was far easier to translate on the fly compared to the written word.
Regardless, she had a task to accomplish, and she would do so.
Perhaps two or three hours later, Signum was beginning to feel the onset of weariness. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she glanced over to the other side of the room where Yuuno worked stoically. He truly did love such work.
She'd learned far more about Ancient Belka in the past few hours than she'd ever have thought possible, and she'd only touched on a few of the subjects covered in the textbooks in front of her.
While it was common knowledge the Belkan Empire's history was a long one, what she'd found was beyond such a descriptor. The Empire's history stretched back even further than she had thought, seemingly covering a span of several millenium. Some of the events detailed in the textbooks told of a time when the long gone empire was not even large enough to hold a continent-sized landmass on its originating planet, much less entire systems and dimensions. Such a time extended some millennia and a half before they were even able to reach the stars.
Signum found it rather difficult to marry the image of a relatively small, medieval kingdom being the predecessor to one of the mightiest empires in the knowing universe. Yet, everything had a beginning. Perhaps even the mythical Al Hazard, upon which Belka had made its leap into the universe, had such a beginning?
And there was so much more. The Empire described to her was devoted to the notion of a strong empire, one which held dominance over all others. A strong empire built upon strong people. Such devotion came to influence every aspect of their military, government, and daily lives. Even friendships, marriages, and simple civil liberties were based upon this law. And those who were not strong were made strong.
The small kingdom had spread its borders rapidly, with little pausing, until it had conquered the entire world. But it was not until Belka took to the stars and came upon the ruins of Al Hazard, a civilization stronger than their own, that they truly become the mighty Empire which would leave its mark on the universe.
They took what was strong of other cultures and added it to their own might. They grew and adapted. If an enemy's sword was stronger than their own, they took it and learned from it. Studied it and added its might to their own armies. Each victory added the strength of the defeated to their own massive, constantly growing, power. Technology. Ideas. People. Nothing was ignored merely because it was not of Belkan origin.
The Cradle was even written about in the texts. The massive and immensely powerful ship was one of many, a single vessel in an armada of ships-of-the-line. It was one of the Empire's most costly and powerful warships, but was regaled by impassioned description as a worthy cost the people were most willing to pay. At the time of this book's printing, not a single Cradle-class craft had fallen in battle.
It painted the Scaglietti Incident in a whole other light. They had nearly lost everything to a single ship. An entire fleet was almost unreal. Had she not read it for herself, Signum would have considered such a thought to be madness.
And the weapons wielded. They were terrifying. She knew Belka permitted and encouraged the use of mass-based weaponry alongside the magical power of its knights. Some of the arms mentioned here gave even her pause. Rifles capable of striking down men from miles away. Cannons and explosives which could eradicate cities, countries, continents.
Even the horrific failures and losses chronicled in their history were used as stepping stones and learning blocks from which to grow ever more powerful. The catastrophic War of Heimdal. The bloody battles of Sturm Palast and Brennenden Himmel. She read of the hundreds of thousands and millions who perished in these events. She read how the Empire overcame these failures and became mightier than ever as they stormed across the cosmos like unrestrained lightning.
As she found herself further immersing her intellectual self into the past, she was unaware of the brief smile sent her way by the room's sole other occupant.
---Scene Break---
Over the course of the expedition, the swordswoman and the archaeologist fell into an odd sort of pattern. Such was bound to happen when people lived together after all. In addition, it made for a rather interesting round of discoveries for both individuals.
It would seem Yuuno was not the sort of person to prefer pajamas when he slept. The sight of him clad in nothing more than boxers and a tank-top had caused Signum's cheeks to color slightly, though she cited the warmth of their domicile as the cause. He was also not much of a coherent morning person. Certainly, he woke not long after she did, however he behaved much like the living dead in terms of his mental facilities. It reminded her of Hayate.
At the very least, he didn't need to drown himself in coffee to get started in the morning. A nice hot shower or a splash of cold water on the face seemed to do the trick more often than not.
On the topic of showers, Yuuno had quickly come to discover Signum much preferred the large bath back home to the relatively small shower their domicile provided. It wasn't much, but he could sense a slight feeling of irritation from the pink-haired woman whenever she stepped out of the bathroom after taking a shower. He supposed the Yagami family bath would spoil anyone in short order.
Granted, such thoughts were furthest from his mind whenever she appeared from the room with a cloud of steam behind her. Combined with the high humidity of the planet and the often sweltering heat, maintaining eye contact with Signum had become an exercise in willpower as he fought to avoid taking in the sight of her radiant form.
Each moment they spent together on the expedition began to reveal little nuances about one another's preferences and personalities they'd not yet seen in the other or, at least, had only caught a glimpse of prior. Signum's enjoyment of reading whenever given the chance. How she preferred to wear long socks and seemed to only have the one yellow hair ribbon. Yuuno was also granted the sight of a Signum with far too much energy. Translating Ancient Belkan did not burn the usual masses of energy combat did.
He'd granted her request when she'd asked to take a break and go through a few sword forms. Apparently a few forms took a few hours to complete and resulted in a very sweaty, red-faced Signum with a satisfied look on her face. This too, had been a great ordeal in keeping his head about himself.
Signum had found living with Yuuno to be quite an eye opening experience as well. The man often left notes lying about in a chaotic manner she could not begin to describe. Not without threatening her sanity at the very least. His sense of time seemed to be rather warped as well, as she'd caught him still awake at abominable hours twice thus far. The second time had even required her to bodily throw him into his sleeping bag after he'd snuck out to do more work.
Much to her surprise, this apparent lack of sleep did not seem to bother him in the least. How Yuuno had managed to maintain such energy had baffled her. Though she did reason her body was simply not as used to this type of work as his was. Warfare was a different sort of beast, after all.
However this habit of his was also something which had begun to grate on her nerves. It was hardly the only part about living with him which was affecting her, but it was certainly one of the more prominent at the moment. Particularly considering the hour.
It was the sixth day of the expedition when Signum began to truly understand the depths of Yuuno's devotion to his work. Rather, the effect such depths were having on him.
The first few days had been about as she had expected given her first foray in the realm of archaeology. More of the same bouts of discovery followed by analysis. Yuuno still had her working on the less delicate task of translation while he worked on the artifacts requiring a far more experienced touch. The exploration had begun to occur with less frequency once the site had been completely mapped out and much of their time had been spent in further research.
It was this research which had been occupying more and more of Yuuno's mind as time went on. She had already warned him about needing to get more sleep else he would collapse or otherwise leave himself in a state of poor health. The human body needed rest and she had been rather tolerant of his habits thus far. However at the moment, he was reaching the end of her good graces.
Not helping Signum's mood was the fact the environmental systems seemed to have decided to take a break from functioning at peak performance earlier in the day. Said malfunction had kept both her and Yuuno from properly bathing owing to a lack of water. She was hot, sweaty, and she could hear the sounds of her companion still working through the closed door. Wide awake and frustrated, there was only one outlet for her to make use of.
She was ready to storm out and instigate a repeat of the sleeping bag incident when the sounds stopped. Was he going to finally get some sleep? The sound of the bedroom door slowly opening dashed her hopes. The faint glow of Yuuno's small reading light was the only illumination in the room. It seemed he was trying to not wake her as he sought something.
When he came within arms-reach, the swordswoman sat up and settled a flat look on the blonde. "Yuuno." Signum was rather glad she could see him jump in surprise and drop the light, deactivating it. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness some time ago. "Kindly explain why you are still awake."
Yuuno swallowed nervously. The muggy air did not help him regain his senses from the shock. "Well... I, ah..." His eyes slowly began to focus as the darkness regressed at a crawl. Signum's gaze did not leave him as he fumbled. "I was really close to finishing off my analysis of—" He was cut off as a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.
"And if I remember correctly, that is what you said last time." She was in no mood for games as she pulled him closer. "Now, will you go to sleep?"
The blonde began trying to move away, forcing her to grab his other arm with her other hand in response. "I'll get some sleep in a bit, so please, Signum." He could keep going. Just a bit longer was all he wanted. He could rest on the trip home. Just like always.
"No." Signum's tone was non-negotiable as her eyes narrowed. She would make sure he got his rest one way or another. The struggle was brief, if it could even be called as such. Even in such an odd position, she was more than capable of pulling the man into bed and holding him there. "You are going to get some sleep even if I have to hold you here all night. I will not have you finally give out at the worst possible moment."
For Yuuno, held firm against Signum's body, it was a special kind of torture. He could feel her. The heat had forced her into a tank top and shorts, revealing far more of her body to him than he was able to handle at the moment. His own lack of a shirt allowed him to feel every inch of her pressed against him. Toned muscle defining a curvaceous frame. His mind could not help but burn every detail of her into his memory.
Her soft, smooth skin, hot and sweaty.
Ample bust, barely constrained by the thin, white fabric and heaving against him with each breath she took.
Long legs, one of which was tightly locked around his own to further prevent his escape.
His emerald gaze met her crystal blue. She was flushed, breathing deeply from the exertion to pull him into bed. Sweat dripped from her face as her unbound hair remained pasted to her flesh. Her gaze was steely, but fiery. Primal in appearance.
And her lips... Those barely parted pink lips from which heated breath issued past.
Such soft lips...
Yuuno Scrya could not help himself. He wanted her. More than anything in the world, he wanted Signum Yagami.
His lips captured hers, and months, if not years, of restrained up desire flowed forth. She tasted like metal, salt, and cinnamon. It was a taste he wanted to savor and make his. Only his to luxuriate in.
Signum's eyes widened in shock at the sudden advance; she had not been expecting such a movement, and thus were her lips taken. Dominated. Her steely gaze melted and fire consumed her, spreading from her core to every part of her body. He had done it. He had conquered a part of her. And yet, she found herself fighting to regain control.
Her own suppressed wants flowed forth as she began trying to retake what had been wrested from her. Even greater the fire grew as she assailed his own lips. She grasped his cheeks and pulled him against her yet harder. She wanted this. She wanted him. Just as much as he wanted her.
Here was a man who had risen to every challenge she had put before him and had sought to stand against her upon her most treasured field. Yuuno wanted her. He wanted to dominate her. Her, the General of Blazing Fire. But she would not let him take her so easily. She would fight to take him as much as he to take her. The raging inferno which pulsed within her heart demanded no less. Neither did the furnace of her loins.
Yuuno's hands responded to the advancement against his own lips as they sought out other territory to conquer. They moved with all the clumsiness and desperation of the exhausted and impassioned. One hand found itself pulling Signum tightly against him, further pressing their heated bodies against one another as it slid further and further down. Inching ever closer to the seductive curves which lay beyond the small of her back.
Such curves which had drawn his attention so often as of late. He wanted to feel every possible inch of them, memorize them. Make them belong to him and only him. His hand slowly crept past the waistband of Signum's shorts and found perchance on her shapely rear, eliciting a shiver from the woman in his arms. It was soft, firm, and he knew he could have spent forever massaging such supple flesh. Not because it was such a wondrous feeling. But because it was Signum.
His other hand moved beneath the nearly indecent shirt Signum wore, pressing against her back and forcing their bodies ever closer. As their lips and tongues danced and tasted one another, their already minimal clothing began feeling restricting and tight. Yuuno's dextrous fingers began making their way around to the heavy bust which was all but exposed by their fevered actions. A squeeze of the soft mound led Signum to moan deeply into Yuuno's mouth.
A moan which as not the last. A moan which further spurred him on. He would pleasure her as he dominated her. He would make her scream his name in surrender. He would love her as no other was capable of loving. All because she was Signum.
Each motion of Yuuno's hands further stoked the already rampaging fires burning away within Signum. She wanted so much more of him. To feel every nick and scar upon his body. Each sign of battle and badge of combat he had been granted. Both in their passionate exchanges on the field and in his own work. Marks which emboldened her actions and further drove her desires. One hand left Yuuno's cheek and began tracing over each and every wound which had left its mark upon his body. An action which was met with an approving groan from her bedmate.
Even more so when her other hand joined in the exploration of Yuuno's body. Feeling him and memorizing him. His was not the sculpted frame of ancient gods enshrined as statues, but it need not be to her wanting touch.
She would never have anyone. Not unless they were this man. This man who so drove her mad with impassioned thoughts. Thoughts of sin and warfare. She wanted no one else to stoke these fires and meet her in battle in such a sensuous way. She would only ever conquer and be conquered by Yuuno Scrya. This Yuuno Scrya she had come to love.
Her leg, still wrapped around Yuuno's own as a means of further restraining him, tightened and pulled him closer, moving up towards his waist as it did so. It was an action which ground their hips together and further fueled her fires and led her to bemoan the separation between their bodies. Yet she was unable to distract her mind long enough to remove them.
They trailed bites and searing kisses along one another's necks not a moment after breaking the lengthy kiss. Hands danced and grasped oh so willing flesh as their daring wants grew. Both Knight and librarian seeking to conquer the other without mercy. Both wanting to take everything the other had to offer and yet more.
---Scene Break---
It was late in the afternoon at the mostly empty Takamachi-Harlaown household. Caro and Vivio had gone out earlier in the day and wouldn't be back until after dinner. They were planning on having some fun as sisters with their friends. Something the two had been planning to do for some time now.
Erio had commandeered Arf as a subject for a sparring partner. Ever since having seen the vicious battle between Yuuno and Signum, he'd been pouring over tomes about strategy and magical theory. It was often the unfortunate familiar who wound up as the one to test his experiments and new tactics, however when it was Erio who came home as a charred mess more often than not, Fate questioned whether or not Arf was really the unfortunate one in the arrangement.
This left the house occupied only by Fate and Nanoha. While most would consider it a prime opportunity to simply relax and have a nice, quiet evening, most were not privy to the sight of Nanoha Takamachi looking less than content while seated across from her best friend and co-parent. The brunette rarely donned such a conflicted and concerned expression, and Fate had never been on the other side of the table whenever Nanoha did wear it.
Fate had more than a few theories about what the source of Nanoha's worries was. It was her job to speculate and draw conclusions from situations presented to her, after all. However there were too many strings she was missing to get an accurate picture of what was going on. All she had were bits and pieces, some more useful than others.
Quite a few of those bits and pieces pointed to two particular individuals as sources; Yuuno Scrya and Signum Yagami.
Signum's recent bouts of violent and downright strange behavior had caused quite a stir. Setting aside the vicious and nonsensical beating she'd received at the hands of the pink-haired woman some time ago, there were at least three other factors which contributed to Signum's place in her theories.
One was the sudden favor called in to have Hayate shipped off to boot camp. Not only had it come out of nowhere, but it had seemed so out of character for the stern and loyal Knight. Many of Signum's actions as of late had seemed as such. The supposedly heated argument Nanoha had with Signum was another. Neither had said anything about what had been discussed, but it was high on her list of possible reasons. Next was the inordinate amount of time Signum seemed to be spending with Yuuno.
Being fully aware of Nanoha and Yuuno's history, it seemed to be perhaps an even greater source of worry than even her own treatment at Signum's hands.
Fate folded her hands on the table and offered Nanoha a comforting smile. It seemed to relax the woman opposite her a little. Sitting in a tense silence for the past few minutes hadn't seemed to do Nanoha much good. If Nanoha wasn't going to start, then she'd have to get the ball rolling. "You said you had something important to tell me?" Her voice was gentle and soothing.
Nanoha remained silent for a bit longer before nodding. "I do." She was nervous. Not because she was worried about how Fate would react, but rather because she wasn't sure how to begin.
"Does this have to do with what you and Signum talked about?" Fate's voice never wavered in the slightest.
The brunette nodded and steeled herself. "It does. We talked about her recent behavior and how she treated you in your fight. And what she's been doing to Yuuno."
Nanoha's choice of words gave Fate pause. Had her best friend said 'with' rather than 'to', she wouldn't have felt a surge of concern well up within her. 'With' implied Nanoha saw whatever Signum and Yuuno were doing to be of benefit or otherwise approved of it. From the sound of it, however, Signum's actions were definitely neither in Nanoha's eyes. "What has she been doing to Yuuno?"
"She's been manipulating him. Turning him into something to satisfy her own desires. The… the fight. I saw the fight they had right after she hurt you." Nanoha shook her head. "It was wrong. I've never seen those eyes on him before…"
Fate's eyes narrowed. She was getting closer to what was happening. The true nature of things. "What sort of eyes, Nanoha? How was he different?" She was indeed concerned about Yuuno's welfare, but so far there had been no indication of him needing any sort of help.
The brunette gazed into Fate's ruby eyes. "He was wearing the same expression Signum does when she cuts loose. Those eyes… It was like he had become a different person. One perfectly suited to giving Signum what she wants in a fight." Her voice sounded smaller now. "Signum… She said Yuuno was a man who didn't belong stuck behind a desk for the rest of his life. She said he was someone who 'would step up the the greatest of foes and do everything in his power to make them submit to him'. Those were her exact words…"
"Signum said that about Yuuno? But…" Fate trailed off as more bits of the puzzle began sliding into place.
Nanoha wasn't done. "If they were being careful, I wouldn't mind! I'd be happy they'd found a common interest and were enjoying each other's company. But this is… It’s just reckless." She looks down as she continues, a slight tremble appearing in her voice. "I don't want him to get hurt like that… He's too important to me. To you. To everyone."
Fate blinked as the picture finally finished gathering in her mind. Now everything made sense. Why Signum had lost herself and gone wild in their match, why Nanoha was so distressed, and why Yuuno was spending so much time with the General. Now she knew the answers.
The blonde beauty cleared her throat and reached out to hold Nanoha's hands. "Nanoha." Her kind, soothing voice paused so her friend could look up into her eyes. "Have you considered the possibility that he wants this? That he wants to throw caution to the wind?"
"I… I have. Signum suggested it as well. It’s up to Yuuno whether or not he wants to continue this, but I'm worried he's going to go too far before he can stop and think and we're all going to lose him." Nanoha looked down at where Fate's hands were overlapping her own. "One way or another…"
"We're not going to lose him. We both know he can take care of himself. Yuuno is still the kind and gentle man we know. But…" Fate paused for a moment as she chose her words carefully. "But he's not the boy you fell in love with anymore. He's also not the young man you broke up with either."
Fate recalled all too well the few years Nanoha and Yuuno had spent as a couple. They had done well together. Quite well, actually. It had even reached the point where she was certain if Vivio had been present in their lives, the girl would have been calling Yuuno her father.
Yet, even with all their closeness, the spark had still gone out. They had reached some barrier, some line, they were unable to cross. It had been an amicable separation, and both were still close friends. They had moved on, grown up, and learned from it.
"I know, Fate. I know… I just… Never expected something like this to happen." Yuuno was a central figure in her life. He had brought her into the world of magic. Had been her friend, her lover, and nearly more. This sudden and violent immersion of his into Signum's world had come as a shock, and one she felt she could not leave alone. She cared about her friends far too deeply to do otherwise.
Fate gave a soft smile as she spoke. "I don't think anyone did, really, and if it hadn't been for Signum tossing me about I doubt we'd have seen it for quite a while longer." She recalled the harsh treatment she'd received at the hands of the Blazing General as she spoke. It had been a wakeup call of considerable magnitude.
Not only had the very real possibility of her having become complacent been thrown in her face, but she had also been forced to take a long and hard look inside of herself to see where she stood as an Enforcer. It hadn't taken her long to be cleared for combat again, and she'd opted to see just how true Signum's words were. She had not been pleased at the results. While not nearly so bad as the pinkette had claimed, Fate had still found herself to be lacking and was now taking action to pull herself from the mire Signum saw her to be stuck in.
"I'm still mad at her for doing that to you." Nanoha's attention was temporarily diverted at the mention of what had led to her discovering what Signum and Yuuno had been up to in their free time. It would be a little while longer before she was ready to fully forgive Signum for what she had done to Fate.
Nanoha's reaction was met with a look of acceptance. "I'm still not happy with her about it either, but at least I know now rather than later. And it could have been a lot worse." It really could have. The fact it had not was a great relief to her. Bruises upon her body and ego were a small price to pay for what could have been crippling or lethal injuries.
The brunette gave the blonde a dry look. Fate was too kind at times. Still, it was one of the things she loved about the other woman. "It could have been a lot worse? You were one big bruise when they called me. I thought you were a giant purple potato!"
Fate giggled at the description. Nanoha's tendency to exaggerate rarely failed to bring a smile to her face. "I don't think I was quite that bad. And I'd like to think I didn't look like a potato of all things." It was an amusing image, but not one she'd like to replicate.
Nanoha shook her head with a concerned expression, the brief moment of mirth fading back into the more serious conversation they had become sidetracked from. "If they were only training, I could see why he'd go an extra mile. But this… I just have a hard time understanding it." She really did. Part of her still associated the blonde man with the kind librarian rather than the beast she'd seen squaring off against Signum. It seemed too drastic. It was a side of Yuuno she'd never seen before.
"Have you considered the possibility he loves her?" Fate's suggestion made Nanoha blink in confusion at the sudden suggestion. "And he's continuing to do this because he loves her and wants to understand her more? His violent side may be something he's awakened to in fighting her, and it’s something he's alright with, something she finds attractive in him as well?" This combat-driven side of Yuuno explained much of Signum's actions and Nanoha's displeasure.
"There's also the possibility that Signum isn't sure what to do with this attraction. And perhaps it’s why she's been acting so odd. She wanted something from me when we fought, something I wasn't able to give her. My own complacency aside, I couldn't give it to her because I wasn't Yuuno." She paused to let her words sink in. From the looks of it, Nanoha seemed to at least be taking her words seriously.
"They… love each other?" She knew Yuuno would one day find love again in the arms of another, and she was certain he knew the same about her. Signum, however, was not someone she imagined would fill his heart. Shamal or Hayate, perhaps. But not the Blazing General. "...I can't say I saw that one coming."
Fate smiled comfortingly. "You know firsthand how love can make people act and just how strange it is." She released her hold on Nanoha's hands and walked around the table to stand behind the brunette. " Look at Subaru and Teana." A giggle escapes her lips. "They're still trying to figure out how Subaru modified her Wing Road like that."
The exuberant Nakajima had somehow modified the spell into a banner proclaiming her love for Teana. Nanoha laughed at the memory of the event before sobering with a smile. "I'm just worried about him, but I guess I might be going a bit too far this time." She leaned back against Fate and smiled. "I owe him an apology. But he also owes me an explanation."
"An explanation?" Fate was rather curious as to what sort of explanation Nanoha would want out of Yuuno. She had an idea of what would be demanded, but the brunette she was embracing had a tendency for nonstandard.
Craning her neck to look into Fate's ruby gaze, a feat made rather difficult owing to their positions and the blonde's assets, Nanoha grins. "Aside from telling me why he kept it a secret, I want to know exactly what he finds attractive about Signum."
The blonde blinked in confusion. "…Pardon?"
"How else am I going to tease him about it? Nyahahaha~!"