#rosara

Tiara's expression is frozen in spite of the flames, and as the winds die down, she begins to fall backward. It's such a surprise that Rosetta doesn't even have the time to remember how to reach out to grab her.

"Tiara? What's the matter? Tiara?! Tiara-!"

The poor girl hits the floor with a thud, and the shock on her face finally melts away as her eyelids fall shut and her head lolls to the side. Rosetta's heart jumps in panic as she drops to her knees beside her, and the old nickname comes without thinking.

"Tia-!"

The commotion draws the attention of the professor and the other girls who had been engaged in the exercise. They all peer around the pillars separating the firing range from the observation area in a fluster.

"Eh? What happened?"

"Who's that girl?"

"Oh no! Is she okay-?"

"Sh-Should we call the nurse-?"

Panicked, Rosetta reaches out to her friend and touches her cheek. Tiara feels a little warm, but it isn't feverish - likely just from the hot winds a few seconds ago. And her expression seems rather peaceful, so other than the fact that she's passed out, she seems all right. At the very least, Rosetta is glad she seems to have only fainted from shock, and nothing worse.

Rosetta breathes a sigh of relief. She lifts her head now to call out and answer the other girls' question.

"No, that's all right. I'm going to take her to the lounge."

Rosetta carefully slips her arms beneath Tiara's knees and shoulders, bringing her into her lap and close up against her chest. She strains out to also hook the handle of her suitcase on her fingertips. She braces herself to stand, and gets to her feet slowly. Somehow the weight of the suitcase is much more of a struggle to handle than Tiara's weight is.

Rosetta gets her bearings, checking to make sure her friend is secure in her arms before dipping her head to the other students, and then turning to start back the way they'd come.

As she walks with Tiara in her arms, Rosetta gets several concerned stares cast her way, but she smiles and reassures them all. She's glad that Tiara doesn't feel too hot across the rest of her body, so it's unlikely it's a fever. She has to keep reminding herself it was just the result of the blast, and nothing more.

By the time Rosetta reaches the main building, her fingers are beginning to ache under the weight of the suitcase, and yet holding Tiara still doesn't bother her at all. The stones sense her presence and allow the doors to open, and she hurries inside as quickly as she can manage.

She's a little grateful no one else is here at the moment, or else she'd have some explaining to do as to why their newest student was passed out in her arms.

She hurries to the couch and crouches to her knees, letting the suitcase slip off her fingers and onto the floor at last. With a sigh, she now focuses on laying Tiara down as slowly and gently as possible, doing her absolute best not to jostle her.

When she's finally succeeded in laying her down, Rosetta heaves a long sigh. But the worry continues wiggling in her chest like a fish out of water. She can't help but reach out again to touch her cheek.

"Tia…"

She's worried. How could she not be? After all, Rosetta had seen her fall ill many times in their younger years due to her weak constitution. She'd thought Tiara had grown healthier with age, but she can't help being concerned at seeing her faint like that after they've only just been reunited.

Rosetta shifts her hand, turning it over to rest the back of it against Tiara's forehead. She doesn't feel warm anymore. The fear that it could be another bad sickness like in the past begins to fade from Rosetta's mind.

But just to be absolutely certain, she moves a bit closer to her from her spot kneeling on the floor and picks up Tiara's hand from where it's been draped across her stomach. Rosetta holds her hand for a second, relishing the familiar softness of her touch before she remembers the bigger issue here.

She turns Tiara's hand over and finds her pulse, holding two fingers against her wrist. She locates the clock on the far wall and tracks a minute, counting the beats of her heart until time is up; she's relieved to measure a healthy resting heart rate of about sixty.

"Thank goodness…"

She sits back with a sigh, wiping her forehead where she'd started to sweat a bit from worry, though she still keeps hold of Tiara's hand as well.

Rosetta is quiet for a moment, gently lacing their fingers together and giving her a soft squeeze before letting go. She lays Tiara's hand back over her stomach, then lifts herself up onto her knees.

"Tia…"

She makes a move to touch her cheek again, but just before she can make contact, Tiara mutters a soft little moan. Rosetta gasps.

"Tiara? Tiara-?" She withdraws her hand to clutch them together at her chest now.

Tiara slowly opens her eyes, and Rosetta whimpers in relief.

"Tiara-sama! Thank goodness you're all right."

It takes some restraint not to embrace her. Instead, she sits back respectfully as Tiara slowly pushes herself up, looking around.

"Where are we?"

"This is the academy's lounge," Rosetta explains. "Are you in any pain?" She can't help but still worry for her a little. After all, she had fallen flat on her back and hit her head.

But thankfully, Tiara presents her with a smile.

"I'm all right now, Rosetta-senpai." Tiara takes a friendly stab at her with the formalities, and Rosetta relents.

"Ah… Sorry, Tiara."

"As long as you take the hint." Tiara gets to her feet with ease now, and Rosetta is glad she doesn't seem hindered in any way.

Rosetta stands as well.

"Why don't we head to our dorms for the day?"

"Sure!" she beams, giving a salute. "Lead the way, captain!"

"But before that, we'll need to get a certain something."

"And what's that?"

Rosetta steps up to her and pokes a finger at the thin red ribbon on her chest.

"Your uniform," she explains. "I'll go ahead and get it for you, so you can explore upstairs."

"Okay! Thanks, Rose!"

Tiara smiles again, and Rosetta feels a flutter in her heart when she uses the old nickname. She feels she should be used to it by now, since Tiara's addressed her by it all day, but it still makes her happy.

So the two of them part for the moment, Tiara heading upstairs as Rosetta retreats to the main office to collect her uniform. It only takes about five minutes, and once she has the bag in-hand she finds herself scurrying up the stairs rather excitedly.

She still can't believe this is real, that Tiara had not only managed to make her way here all the way from Bristol, but she'd managed to walk through the Chairman's doors right as Rosetta had. She wonders if it had been anyone else if Tiara would have been assigned to their group instead.

Just thinking about it makes her want to frown, so she shakes it off and hurries to the roof.

And even before she reaches the top of the stairs, she can hear the voice of an angel drifting down through the cool night air.

Rosetta slows her pace now as she reaches the top, and finally comes to a stop beneath the archway. She finds herself gazing at Tiara's back, and that sweet, beautiful voice of hers carries out on the twilight breeze.

"Oh guiding light, please shine upon us. Please shine upon us…"

Though she only hears the end of her song, it still brings tears to Rosetta's eyes almost instantly. She wipes them away, smiling as she offers a soft applause and starts walking to join her.

"You sound as lovely as ever."

Tiara turns around in surprise, then pouts a tiny bit.

"You should've said you were standing there. How embarrassing…"

"That takes me back," Rosetta says. "Wasn't that…?"

Tiara perks up and gives her a small smile in return.

"Yeah. It's my sister's song." She moves aside where she'd been standing at the railing of the balcony, making room for Rosetta to join her. Rosetta gladly takes her rightful place by her side.

Tiara turns around to lean her back on the railing, facing away from this new town of her future, and instead looking back, just for the moment.

"I was always so sickly, so she'd always make me feel better with her songs."

As she recounts the old memories, Rosetta is once again reminded of the troubling times of their shared past, when Tiara would often be bedridden with terrible fevers.

All Rosetta could ever manage was to stand and whimper, never feeling like she could do anything to help.

But Eliza would be there at Tiara's bedside to sing for her every time without fail.

Rosetta always wished she could provide similar comforts for her somehow...

"Eliza-sama loves you very much and was always worried about you."

"Yeah…" Tiara mumbles. "Back then, things were still…"

"Hm?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing!" Tiara gives her a reassuring smile, then leans back against the rail once more. "The reason I'm so much better now is because of my sister's songs. I'm sure of it."

Rosetta feels a wave of affection and adoration flood her heart, gazing at her strong and pure-hearted profile as a small breeze passes over them. She smiles too.

"Yes. I'm sure it is."

The wind strengthens just a little, stirring up their hair and caressing their skirts.

Rosetta looks out over the twinkling lights of the city and closes her eyes, breathing it all in. It's the first time in two years, three months, and fourteen days she's gotten to breathe in the night air with Tiara by her side. If she could be a little selfish, she'd wish to always be able to share her future days and nights with Tiara, too.

"What a nice breeze."

She reopens her eyes and turns to her friend, only to find Tiara's eyes closed once again. She's hunched over slightly, leaning in a comfortable stance against the rail, as if she'd simply fallen asleep on her feet.

And with the wind flowing gently through her hair, the city sparkling far below, and the calm night blanketing all around them, Rosetta believes she's never looked more beautiful.

She reaches for her, gingerly brushing the backs of her fingers across Tiara's cheek. She twirls a lock of her sunset-red hair, letting the strands slip through one by one, each like its own string of fate. If even one of them can connect back to her, Rosetta will be more than fine with that.

She lingers here with her, admiring Tiara's quiet beauty, and by some miracle resists the urge to kiss her.

Moments pass them by, until Rosetta is aware it's nearly time for the Lapis group to have supper. She wraps her arm gently across the small of Tiara's back, carefully coaxing the sleeping girl away from the edge.

"Tiara?"

Tiara moans softly, unconsciously turning toward her to rest her head on Rosetta's shoulder.

"Rose…"

Rosetta wants nothing more than to stay like this with her forever. But she can't let her own selfish desires get in Tiara's way of doing whatever it is she came here to do.

"It's time for supper," she murmurs, gently brushing her head against hers. Tiara yawns a little, but eventually steps away from the balcony with her.

"Okay."

She doesn't open her eyes right away, and seems perfectly content to walk with them closed for a moment, entrusting herself to her childhood friend. Rosetta keeps an arm around her and guides her as far as the staircase.

"All right, you've got to open your eyes now."

"Right." Tiara does as much, and when she looks up at her, it's like gazing into two endless summer skies. "Thanks, Rose."

Rosetta dips her head to conceal her blush.

"It's fine. Shall we?"

"Yes, we shall."

And so they head down the stairs together, and Rosetta savors the last few moments she'll have alone with her before they inevitably join the others.

And they'll still have to figure out a rooming situation, and there's also the fact that she has yet to tell Tiara about the ranks and risks of being a fellow Lapis like herself.

But Rosetta is certain that no matter what happens from here on out at the Academy - even if she gets herself expelled - she'd rather have done so with Tiara by her side.

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A/N: Gosh I have no excuse. They're just so good together. And if you really think Rosetta only thinks of her as a friend, I'm not going to say you're mistaken but like... oh man.

Not much for my first fic, but I wanted to keep it all mostly tame and in relation to canon, since at this point we have so little information to go off.

I wanted to mention not only Tiara's red ribbon but her hair also being red. String of fate and all that. I don't know, I think it'd be nice if she and Rosetta could be bound together somehow.