Lyrical Academy

Chapter Eleven
~Graduation Trip Part 2~

Her bladder was desperately calling for her attention and Nanoha had no choice but to wake up from her peaceful slumber. Attempting to drive the sleep away, and failing miserably, she rubbed her eyes as she drowsily made her way across the room. Still half asleep, she swung the door open, slipped into the bathroom, closed the door behind her and awoke completely when darkness engulfed her.

'Strange… Even without the lights, it was never this dark the last time I used it…'

She hitched a breath when something light and fleeting caressed her right cheek. Panicking, she swatted at the unknown object, only to have it grabbed tightly in her hand as she screamed when something else touched her from the left. Light suddenly invaded her vision and another ear splitting scream escaped her lips as she crouched on the floor with her hands over her eyes.

"Nanoha?"

Amethyst orbs popped open at the call of her name.

"What are you doing inside the wardrobe?"

Nanoha stared at Fate and then at the area around her, utterly bemused. Sets of clothes hung from the hangers that were neatly placed at either ends of the wardrobe, creating an empty space in between for differentiating ownership purposes and currently, the brunette was occupying said space.

Feeling self-conscious for mistaking the wardrobe for the bathroom, Nanoha laughed and bobbed herself on the head in an effort to lessen the discomfiture. "Nyahaha. What a way to start the day huh."

Fate blushed. "Oh… I never knew you were interested in this kind of stuff… but to begin the day doing that is a little…" The red faced girl trailed and looked to the side while rubbing the side of her arm shyly, unable to maintain eye contact or to continue her line of speech.

Nanoha quirked an eyebrow at her odd behavior but was quickly distracted when she noticed that the blonde was dressed in nothing but a white bathrobe, how the belt was tied loosely around her petite waist and the way the piece of cotton wear did naught to cover her ample chest; the brunette would be given one blood rushing of an eye candy if it was to slip open any further. Judging from the damp locks of golden hair and disordered attire, Fate must have been taking a shower when she heard her scream and came rushing to her aid.

A tiny droplet of water rolled down her slender neck, glistening as it lingered on her collarbone teasingly before descending toward her cleavage and disappearing beneath the bathrobe, all the while with a pair of sharp amethyst orbs trailing after it. Nanoha swallowed. Half of her mind wished that it was her finger tracing the smooth, ivory skin instead. The other half berated herself for the immoral thoughts.

She snapped out of her mind war when the blonde spoke.

"I really hate to… um…" Fate tucked a lock of damp hair behind her ear as she contemplated on her words, the blush on her face never fading. "I'm sorry to break your… morning ritual… or habit… but can I have it back?"

Nanoha blinked.

"But if you don't want to it's okay! I'll just pick another one!" The blonde added nervously when no response came.

Nanoha blinked again before the words registered. She reached out her hand –

"What are you saying, Fate-chan?"

– and her eyes widened, now aware of the object that she had taken hold of when she was inside the wardrobe. Then everything clicked.

"It's not what you think it is!" Nanoha explained with a wave of her hands, causing the black and purple lacey bra that was gripped tightly in one of her hands to swing from side to side. The last thing she ever wanted, which she never did want, was for her girlfriend to think that she was a closet pervert. She took a step toward the blonde. "I honestly had no idea–"

"It's okay, Nanoha. I know how hard it is for you now that someone knows about your fetish but you can trust me with it. I won't tell anyone," Fate said reassuringly albeit feeling a little afraid as she backed away from the advancing brunette; the girl seemed just a tad intimidating to the blonde right now. "Your secret's safe with me. I promise."

"I told you it's not what it looks like!" Nanoha exclaimed with her face hot from embarrassment and grabbed Fate by the shoulders. In the midst of Nanoha's explanation and Fate's withdrawal, they tripped and fell, both girls shrieking in surprise.

"Wakey-wakey! Rise and shine!" The twin voices of Hayate and Alicia bounced off the walls as they bounded into the couple's room uninvited. Needless to say, the chocolate haired girl's blonde counterpart had done it again – sabotaging the keycard reader. However, not a beep came from the invading girls when they took in the scene in front of them.

And both their brains went into overdrive:

Takamachi Nanoha – winded and on all fours as she hovered over Fate with a bra clutched in one of her hands.

Fate Testarossa – shocked and flushed while being pinned on the bed and in between the arms and legs of Nanoha.

Hayate stopped gawking and reached for her camera.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"It really hurts."

Nanoha huffed. "Serves you right for what you did."

"But I never even had the chance to press the shutter before your forehead came slamming into mine," Hayate retorted with a pout as she massaged the sore spot above her eyebrows. "That was one hell of a head butt."

"Really? I didn't feel anything."

"You're a devil…"

"Simmer down," Fate said, trying to ease their bickering. "We're supposed to create fun memories of this trip."

Nanoha relented. "If you say so…" When her eyes met the blonde's, she quickly glanced elsewhere, unable to hold her gaze at those beautiful burgundy eyes as she remembered the morning's event. Apparently Fate was thinking somewhere along the lines as she averted her gaze to her shoes. The brunette wondered what other thoughts went through the blonde's mind during their little misunderstanding.

"Alright class," Lindy said, breaking the brunette's train of thoughts. They had arrived at the day's visiting spot and were having a briefing about the usual safety rules and regulations. "That's all for the dos and don'ts. We will meet up here in four hours. Is that clear, Takamachi and company?" Unlike the rest of their classmates who surrounded their teacher upfront, Nanoha and her friends chose to stand further away by the tour bus.

The three girls responded with a 'yes' and they were dismissed. After making sure that Lindy and their classmates were out of sight and the bus driver nowhere near them, they made their way hurriedly to the luggage compartment located at the lower side of the vehicle. A body fell out the moment they opened the hatch.

"Hot… suffocating… need oxygen…" Alicia murmured. Her cheeks were flushed and she was sweating profusely after being cooped in the compartment for nearly an hour.

"I told you to stay in the hotel," Fate reprimanded as she helped her sister up. "You should know better as we're already two days into the trip since we've arrived at Mid-childa."

Alicia whined. "I want to have fun too."

"I would too if I were her. It gets kind of lonely when you're the only one to stay behind while others get to enjoy themselves," Hayate piped in before the younger twin came up with yet another reproaching response, taking pity on her blonde roommate since she never had the chance to experience school life, being homeschooled and all. "W-what?" she asked when Alicia gave her the infamous yet deadly puppy eye look.

The girl lunged toward her and enveloped her in a bear hug. "I didn't know you cared so much."

"Y-you're under m-my guardianship for this trip so… " The chocolate haired girl stuttered, feeling mildly embarrassed. The emotion was soon replaced with annoyance when she felt the mocking and scrutinizing gazes of her friends. "Well, since I'm in charge of looking out for Alicia, you lovebirds can go and have some fun time together."

Nanoha and Fate blushed at the deliberate emphasis on the word while Hayate grinned in victory. Nothing worked better than a switch in subject to change the tides.

Fate gave her girlfriend a shy look and extended her hand. "Shall we?"

"Yeah," Nanoha replied sheepishly as she held the blonde's hand and they began to scale up the nearby stone steps leading to the old shrine where they would be spending the day at. After paying their respects to the statue of the guardian of the shrine, they went to pick prediction lots.

"I got good luck," Nanoha said cheerily. "What did you get Fate-chan?"

"Moderate luck," Fate replied with a lopsided grin.

They spent the rest of their time marveling at the scenery and patronizing the stalls that sold different types of charms and souvenirs. While Nanoha busied herself with bargaining the prices, Fate overheard a group of girls talking about something that highly interested her.

"I give up. Let's go Fate-chan," Nanoha sighed after an unsuccessful bargain, taking hold of the blonde's hand and exiting the souvenir shop. She stopped and gave Fate an inquisitive look when the girl paused. "Fate-chan?"

The girl in question fidgeted. "There's one place I'd like to visit."

"Sure. Let's go together," Nanoha answered the unvoiced question. She blushed when the blonde beamed, finding her smile and the way her eyes lit up to be wholly adorable. "Whoa!" she exclaimed when she found herself being dragged by the girl and running down the cobblestone path where they had initially came from.

Fate apologized for her action. "Sorry. I'm just…" and she left it at that.

Nanoha shook her head and grinned. 'Fate-chan can be such a child sometimes…'

The blonde led her up an uneven flight of stone steps behind the shrine, down a winding dirt trail, through a forested path and into a clearing. Nanoha wheezed, hunching over with her hands on her knees as she took in mouthfuls of air into her lungs. Once she recovered, she stood upright and gazed in wonderment at the colossal polished fountain sitting in the middle of the clearing surrounded by hedges with blooming white and pink roses. The cascading water shimmered under the afternoon sun as it flowed down the fountainhead.

The brunette breathed. "This place is beautiful. Like a picture out of a fairytale."

"There is a fairytale about this place. Well, more of a myth," Fate said as she scratched her nose, a pink hue sporting her cheeks. "I overheard from some girls that couples would be blessed with eternal love if they were to complete a certain task."

"Is that why they are running around the fountain barefooted?" Nanoha inquired with amusement as she watched different couples, some of which were their schoolmates, circling the water feature without any footwear while holding hands and giggling. She turned and met the blonde's bashful stare. Nanoha felt a warm fuzziness in the pit of her stomach as she gazed knowingly at the blushing girl in front of her. Her face mirrored Fate's as she reached for her hand. Their blushes deepened and they relished the comforting warmth where their hands were connected.

"Don't tell me you are thinking of doing that childish act as well," said a voice from behind. Nanoha instinctively growled as the source and his companion stepped in front of them. "Seriously Fate, you're such a child."

"That's harsh Chrono," Yuuno said and cringed when the dark haired boy shot him a glare. He greeted the girls meekly. "Nanoha, Testarossa. Hi."

"Yuuno-kun," Nanoha returned the gesture while Fate simply nodded in acknowledgement. "I never knew you two are friends," the brunette commented.

"We sort of bumped into each other in the hotel and then one thing leads to another so-"

"You don't have to tell her that much," Chrono interrupted Yuuno with a scowl and returned his attention to Fate. "Well then," he began with a crooked smile, "I'm really curious about the person you're planning to do that silly act with. If I remember correctly, you confessed that you had someone else in mind the last time we met. Could it be that you're going to do it with that someone?"

It might had been just a casual glance but when Chrono shifted his gaze from her face to where her hand was intertwined with Nanoha's, Fate felt an unknown need to release their hands. She stared at her feet when the girl beside her gave her a questioning look. Chrono's brows creased with what seemed like irritation as he witnessed the action but it was gone as soon as it came. Appearing to be aloof, he ducked his hands into his pockets.

"Not up for a little chat I see. I'll be going now then. See you around Fate," he said as he strode passed the silent blonde. Yuuno bid them farewell and followed suit. "What's with a modern architecture behind an old shrine anyway?" Chrono remarked, his voice distant as he left the clearing and down the forested path.

"Jerk," Nanoha muttered under her breath. Worry filled her when the blonde remained silent. "Fate-chan," she called as she touched the girl's arm. "Are you alright?" She immediately retracted her hand when Fate jolted at her touch.

"S-sorry," the blonde apologized with a stutter. "Guess I'm feeling a little out of it."

"You don't have to apologize," Nanoha said with a gentle smile and held the blonde's hand. She felt relieved when the girl didn't reject her hand. "Why don't we head back to the shrine grounds?"

Fate hesitated. "But what about…"

"It's okay," the brunette said, knowing fully what was on the blonde's mind. "We don't need to fulfill any kind of task just to gain eternal love. As long as we truly care for each other, it's all that matters."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was nine o'clock at night. Everyone had returned to their respective rooms except for a group of girls who had invited themselves to the indoor hot springs located at the hotel's topmost level.

Hayate sighed as she sank deeper into the warm waters. "This is so relaxing."

"Are you sure it's alright for us to be here at this time of night?" Nanoha asked. "Or did you forget about the teachers' random room checks?"

"There's nothing to fret," Alicia said lazily. "They won't be doing any tonight as they're busy getting drunk with all the liquor they had bought today."

Nanoha questioned, "What makes you so sure?"

"I overheard them talking about a drinking party while in hiding," the blonde replied with a yawn.

"Right. I just remembered that you're quite the dangerous girl," Nanoha said. "Speaking of which, how did you manage to not get yourself caught during room checks?"

"I hid myself in Hayate's suitcase."

"What?"

"I may not look like it but I'm highly flexible."

"Yeah," the chocolate haired girl quipped. "You should've have seen it. It's amazing yet creepy at the same time."

The door to the hot springs opened to reveal a blonde wrapped in a towel.

"Took you long enough," Hayate said when Fate stopped at the edge of the pool. "Why aren't you coming in?" she asked when the girl made no further movements.

Fate shifted from foot to foot as she stole a glance at a certain brunette. "I'm not really used to showing my skin in front of others…"

Hayate smirked when she saw Nanoha blush out of the corner of her eye. "Well… as they say…" she drawled as she stealthily pinched the bottom corner of the blonde's towel, both Fate and Nanoha too caught up in their own thoughts to notice. Alicia pursed her lips together to refrain herself from making any sounds as the chocolate haired girl gave her a mischievous wink.

"There's always a first time for everything!" Hayate cried out as she pulled the towel off the blonde's body.

Nanoha snapped out of her reverie and gaped at the sight while Fate screamed and wrapped her arms around her body as she crouched on the floor in hopes of covering herself as much as possible. Hayate showed no sign of stopping her laughter until Alicia distracted her with worry in her voice.

"I think your joke went a little too far and Nanoha-chan wasn't able to take it…"

The girl was right though the statement had came a little too late. The brunette was already submerged in the water with a trail of blood leaking from her nose, creating swirls of red as it mixed with the hot spring.

Author's note: sorry for taking so long. let's just say life has been rather ergh for me. updates may still take long but not to worry as i plan to finish up Lyrical Academy :)

and to Fate TruelyGood (now Feito Tenjou): i'm alive! :D :D :D