Kantai Collection: A New Force For Good

A Life All Her Own

A/N: By my numbers and recent trends, I'm like almost a year ahead of schedule.

Wow.

Please enjoy.

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"Bloody hell."

She ignored the comment as she continued on her way, beating her way down the pathway alongside others in her class. Breathing even and strain non-existent, she pressed on, passing the next group to her right as she bounded down the track.

"Where's the fire, Yaxley!?" One of them called good-naturedly from behind her. But still she ignored as she looked for her target, blood pounding in her ears as she all but ran them down. Another group passed on her left, she paid them not a single breath either as she outpaced her slower classmates all too easily, their fate to be left the dust as she continued on, driven to beat those that deserved it more than anything. Pressing herself further into the ground, she picked her brisk pace up as she watched for any sign of her target.

And as she came around the very next bend, she spied him, her eyes locking onto him like a predator who had finally caught wind of her prey. Steeling herself a moment, she let out a single breath before putting her all into it and starting her final move.

She'd been tailing them this entire time, throughout the entire test phase. She'd even offered them a 30 second head start just so that they could ensured their dominance. But as she began to close the distance between she and them, classmates of theirs who already knew how it was began to laugh and cheer her on as she rapidly closed in on her prey.

The back of their group turned his head just as her first stride began to take her past them.

By the time the message had made it to their so called leader, they were a few strides behind her.

Just the way she wanted it.

Their shouting and hollering and increased paces slowly lost their sound as she droned them out, her new goal as it had always been dead ahead.

And another ten seconds later, she finalized her place yet again.

"Must you always do that?" Came the question. Samantha looked to her left to find Coach Hanges there, watching with arms crossed. Samantha somewhat shrugged in response to the question as their footsteps rapidly approached from behind.

"I did give them a thirty second head-start." Samantha offered as footsteps rapidly approached her in particular.

"That was shite and you know it!" The boy called.

"Language, Mr. Tipton." The coach warned. "I watched her from start to finish. She out paced you, nothing more to it than that." She told him. "And I will not have you calling her out because you happen to feel slighted about it." Coach Hanges told him.

"That was shite and you know it! She has to be on something!" He demanded. Coach Hanges sighed a moment before looking to the boy.

"Given that I am in a position to correct that, I will. You know just as well as she does that being at practice means that you've submitted a clean drug test. Just the same as you. Accusing her otherwise will do nothing more than show what a poor sport you are." She told him, more than willing to stand in defense of Sam in this instance. "She's done nothing wrong and I will not have you accuse her of such. If you've nothing productive to add, go for another lap. Perhaps some more practice will bring you some peace of mind." She offered before gesturing to the track before them. Shaun refused to meet the Coach's gaze before shooting Sam a dirty look before passing the both of them without incident as he went to do just that. His group of friends only chuckled somewhat as they turned away, intending a small break. Sam in turn looked back to Coach Hanges.