Disclaimer: The author of the fanfiction (babbler) does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.

Kenta's Pub

Subaru

10:30 PM

Subaru and Ginga

"You should slow down. You have school tomorrow." Ginga patted Subaru's unmoving head..

"Nanoha and Teana'sss teaching my classssses tomorrow." Subaru took another long drink.

"Subaru…Subaru? Look at me." She pulled her sisters chin up to look her in the eyes. "You're boss isn't going to like you completely hungover…or probably even still drunk, tomorrow."

"Teana's my bosssss."

"Wow…so your situation is a little complicated…but isn't she just the vice-principal?"

"Yeah, but ssshe's the one that makesss the times run on train."

Ginga leaned back in the stall. Subaru 's a happy person and an even happier drunk! For her to be this far down, Teana must have broken her heart completely. The bartender kept looking over at them in between watching the baseball game on the tiny television beside the bar. She didn't know if Subaru was a regular patron or not but he looked concerned. The only other person in the place was a young woman playing pool that didn't even look old enough to have her driver's license.

Liquid splashed against Ginga's arm as a wave of amber liquid spread across the table. Subaru, head flat against the table, poured the remainder of the drink into her mouth.

"Subaru!" Gina hastily reached for the roll of paper towels on the adjacent table.

"It went up my nose." She didn't move.

"Come on! Stand up!" Ginga pulled her from the booth. "Subaru you're soaked. Go get cleaned up while I dry off the table…and your coat…and your purse…Arg!"

Subaru felt better standing up. The sickly warm feeling she had while sitting was gone, maybe it was the beer running down her shirt, but she was energized.

She walked back to the bathroom, staggering as she went, and then stopped abruptly…well, she staggered forward a half step, and almost fell over sideways, but the jest of it is that she stopped because something had caught her attention.

There was a blonde headed girl playing pool with another that looked familiar but she couldn't put her finger on. She staggered over closer knowing that the last time she was here Fate had been there too even though it was late on a school night.

The girl was leaned over the table about to take a shot…

"Fate!"

The blonde haired girl jumped and cue slipped out of her hand and went sailing across the room.

"What do yoou think you're doing ere in this bar?"

Fate smiled a little as the smell of alcohol wafted pass her nose. "Does Teana know you're here? I can't believe your drunk off your ass on a school night." She walked over to pick up her cue again.

"I'm not drunk! I just wasteded a beer on myself." Subaru tried to stand as straight as she could.

"Go piss up a tree. You bother me enough at school." She leaned over to take her shot once again, resting the cue on the base of her thumb. "Crap, Kana we gotta start over. I messed up the balls." She took out the triangle and plopped the balls inside it.

"Nakajima sensei? Fate-chan isn't in a good mood. You should go before she hits you," Kana whispered as she passed Subaru.

"Why ain't ya home studyin'." Subaru dismissed Kana with a wave of her hand.

Fate twitched then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Something about Subaru just made her angry. She definitely be banned and they'd call the cops if she smashed the pool stick over Subaru ugly face. Not to mention, there'd be even bigger price to pay since it was her teacher even if she was an intern. Kana would be caught up in the mess as well and she didn't have a criminal record…yet. She opened her eyes again.

She pulled the cue back and sent the ball rocketing toward the triangle of balls. Fate sucked at the break shot and this held true as most of the center balls stayed where they were. "Your shot Kana."

"Ssso you're just going to ignore me?"

Fate took a taste of her drink. She had to drive Kana home and she wouldn't go with her if she drank anything. Besides, she remembered all too well waking up one morning with her head plastered to her pillow with blood and picking the gravel out of her face, that alcohol and driving didn't go together. That lesson involved a cartwheel(s) (she couldn't quite remember due to alcohol or head trauma if it involved more than one) at 30 km/hr and Fate was smart enough to extrapolate that even if it was on a petal bike…attached to a rope being pulled behind a car, that drinking and driving didn't go together.

"It'sss late Fate. You ssshould go home. I bet Teana's waiting to F^ck your brains out. Why would you keep her waitin'?" Subaru clenched her teeth.

Kana gasped. "Sensei!" She took a couple of steps to her right to put herself between the two women.

Fate took another sip of her drink. Subaru's mouth was moving but no words were coming out, "just like when you teach me," she mused quietly to herself. Subaru had come to the wrong conclusion somehow and she was too drunk to be told otherwise. She passed the cue off once again to Kana.

Kana hesitated. Nakajima-sensei looked extremely angry but was behaving herself. Fate, on the other hand looked sort of amused for some reason, and seeing this she lined up her shot smiling to herself. Fate, for once, wasn't letting someone get to her.

Kana pushed the cue forward causing the white ball to jump slightly and completely missing the 5 ball she was aiming for. She'd have to ask Fate for lessons. Fate smelt so good tonight maybe she'd….she quickly handed the cue off to Fate and turned her face from the girl.

Subaru was so close to Fate that they were nearly touching. She couldn't hear what the older woman was saying, Fate's knuckles were turning white and her face was filling with colour.

"SUBARU! What the hell are you doing?" A flash of red streaked across the bar and Subaru moved four feet in an instant.

"Twana-chan?" Subaru said, drunkenly trying to make sense of the redhead suddenly in front of her…cringing at her cheeks being pulled in opposite directions.

"Were you trying to pick a fight with her?"

"No…OW!"

"You're loaded aren't you." Teana stared into the other girl's eyes.

"Aw lwittle bwit (a little bit)."

"I can't believe you got drunk on a school night and tried to pick a fight with a child! A child Subaru! Argg! You're so….frigging dense!" Teana looked around the nearly vacant bar before letting her eyes settle on the two underage girls besides her. "Kana…Fate…I'll get to you in a minute." Both girls shuddered and took two cautious steps back.

"Subaru…Lanster-san…is she in trouble." Ginga appeared holding Subaru's purse and coat.

"Yes, she is."

"I see. Well it's late so the spanking will have to wait until tomorrow." She gently pulled Subaru away from Teana. She put the coat over Subaru's shoulders. "Sorry for the trouble Lanster-san."

Subaru was quiet as Ginga put her arm around her and led her out of the bar. She was staggering heavily. The booze had finally caught up to her and her brain wasn't working anymore.

Ginga watched Teana out of the corner of her eye. Her sister could really pick them. "Dumbass." She punched her sister lightly in the arm.

"Wow, itsss like the alcyhol finally hit me."

"Just a hunch but….I'd say it hit you quite a while ago. If you feel like you're going to be sick try and spew away from me."

"No promisssses."

Ginga lightly punched Subaru in the stomach while glancing over her shoulder.

Maybe I should put Subaru in a cab and stay for a few more minutes. Lanster-san looked really angry and Subaru had her hand in it…but they don't know me at all…maybe if I just go back and apologize for Subaru's behaviour it'll diffuse the situation…somehow…

Kenta's Pub

11:05 PM

Teana POV

"It's late Fate. Lets go home." I gently put my hand out her shoulder.

Fate ducked away from me and picked up her cue. She bent down and began to line up another shot.

"Fate?"

"I'm not a f^cking child!" She slammed her hands down on the pool table.

"What?" Where did that outburst come from? She tipped a glass to her mouth and glared at me. "What do you think you're doing!" I held out my hand and stared her down. She'd had better put that glass in my hand or so help me I'm gonna…

"No." She placed it to her lips again. "I do this all the time. Why are you mad now?"

"Fate…don't be a brat. You know how hard it is to get you out of bed in the morning? You need your sleep. You're still growing…"

"F^ck you."

"We're going back if I have to drag you by the hair of your head…NOW…COME…ON!"

She jumped over a small table and was suddenly halfway across the bar. My mind couldn't keep up but my body obviously did as I found myself in hot pursuit barely a few feet back from her.

She lunged for the door and threw it open and turned for a brief second, probably to see if she had time to slam it in my face but my hand brushed against her shoulder in the process and she made a hard right around the corner of the building.

I don't know how a smoker who never exercises can run so fast but my tubby butt was falling behind. There was a chain link fence up ahead blocking the alleyway but Fate was still running at it full speed.

Fate jumped at the fence, clambering up over it and down the other side without so much as a break in pace. Who would've known she could climb like a monkey? You can tell a lot about a person on how they clamber over a chain link fence. What kind of life they've led, how in shape they are. Like for examples; the chances of me getting my fat ass over that fence was like the chances of a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

It was chilly and damp and I shuttered in the darkness as I listened to Fate's now far off footsteps.

"Landster-san." Ginga walked up besides me. "I'm very sorry for my sister's behaviour tonight but you broke her heart pretty badly."

"..." I broke her heart? What? Is that why she was acting like she was. I could feel face burning already.

"It's really not like her to drink on a weeknight and especially when she has work in the morning." Ginga looked up at the night sky. "I know she's a handful...but try to be nice to her even if you don't feel the same way about her and she does about you." She bowed slightly and then with a little wave, she was gone again.

This was going to be a long night...a very long night.

I bopped my head against the steering wheel. I couldn't find Fate anywhere. She wasn't with the ruffians at the park. She wasn't hiding out in the parking garage below our building. She wasn't hiding at the school….or at least I couldn't find her there.

I would give anything to go back up to my room and snuggle back into the war embrace of my bed. Two hours of sleep was not enough to function on…more things adding to my troubles.

Not to mention the lovely conversation with Kana's mother or was it her older sister when I brought her home. If a teacher brought your daughter home…slightly drunk and flush looking….in the middle of the night wouldn't you be happy someone had the sense to take care of her and bring her home.

"Gah!" I bopped my head against the steering wheel again. "I hope that scenario sounds better than it did in my head. Kana? Why must you hug me at such inappropriate times?"

I better go before any of my students see me out here trying to bash my brains out on the steering wheel. I trudged my way into the building threw open the office door and dove into my chair. Administrative duties be damned. I'm having a two hours nap until my class starts.

"Don't get too comfortable." Shamal poked her head into my office. "Chrono wants to see you and he doesn't look very happy."

"Oh?" I got out of my chair slowly…I wasn't expecting to talk to our darling principal so early in the morning and he was such an asshole the last time I talked to him.

"Just go and get it over with." Shamal pushed me out the door. "It's not like he's going to fire you."

I grudgingly knocked on his door and it slid open.

"Teana, please sit down I've been waiting for you for some time. You realize Teachers should be in the building by 8:00am?" He had his head propped up on his arms with a file with my name on it next to him.

"With all due respect, I am usually the first one here every morning. Today I am late by perhaps ten minutes." I took a seat in the uncomfortable chair in front of his desk.

"If you say so…"

"Teana is here at least an hour before you everyday." Shamal said, dropping off a folder on Chrono's desk and then quickly leaving.

"….yes….well…I'd like to do a performance review with you today. As a fairly new teacher I think I will be useful for your development." He flicked open my folder. No doubt the only way he would know anything at all about what I do on a daily basis.

"What do you do during your administrative periods?"

"I do quite a lot. I deal with parents and any students who get sent to the office. I take care teacher's leave and I book substitutes. I meet with the special education teachers and guidance councillors and listen to their concerns…or any other teachers that want to talk to me. I also patrol the school grounds and hallways to make sure….

"You do all of that?" Maybe it was just me but he sounded incredulous.

"I'm not finished."

"There have been some concerns about what you are doing in your office when the curtains are drawn and the door is locked." His voice sounded a little shaky like he was getting worked up.

"If the door is locked it means that I'm not in there. I leave the door slightly ajar when I'm in there speaking to someone whether it is a student, parent, or staff member. All of my curtains are never closed."

"You're acting as if…maybe…you are paranoid about something." He grinned at me.

"And you are trying to incriminate me about something…."

Your professionalism has come under scrutiny to say the least…not to mention that you are living with a student!" The sudden yell made me almost jump out of my chair.

"Would you like to hear the story or are you just going to yell at me?"

"I don't want to hear any stories you have to tell. What you are doing is wrong and needs to be dealt with." He closed my folder. "I am suspending you, with pay, until you fix the situation you are in to my satisfaction." His glare could melt glass. I'm sure Shamal could feel it burning into her through the door.

"What does to your satisfaction mean? What am I going to do throw the poor girl out?"

"That is exactly what it means! Break up with your girlfriend and pretend it never happened and I will welcome you back with open arms. If I ever even hear tell of your little "dates" with students I will make sure you're never hired anywhere in this country as a teacher ever again."

"This is…."

"Get out of my office."

"So who's substituting for me?"

"I'll handle it. Get out!"

My body felt heavy as I pushed myself out of the chair. I tried not to slam Chrono's door as I left but all the windows in our two offices shook with the force.

"Teana…what's wrong." Shamal jumped out of her seat. "Do you need me to hit him? It wouldn't be the first time I've had to."

"I'm on a little paid vacation. I'll be back in a couple of days."

"What? What happened?" Shamal's eyes were wide with concern.

"Apparently I'm dating a student and have to break up with her so I can get my job back." I sighed. I hope she doesn't see the tears in my eyes.

"Whaaaa what? Teana-chan. You can talk to me you know. I'll help you in anyway I can." She latched on to me with a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you." I hugged her back. "I'll talk to you later okay?"

Before I knew it I was back to my apartment staring at the still absent Fate's things. I can't believe I've gotten a reputation as a ….as a….when it's Nanoha that sleeping with Fate! Is it worth keeping a job that I have that kind of reputation in? If I quit, Fate can stay here without any hassle. Chrono will probably report me to the police if I do though and that will not be pretty even if I am completely innocent. They'll probably talk to the neighbours….they think Fate's my sister….this is not going to end well!

Argggg!

"I've been putting this off for a while…I have to talk to Fate's mother."

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