Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Nya~n]

Originally Posted by TheShinySword

Nanoha: The ability to sense whenever my adorable little girl is even in the slightest danger from perverts who think she's cute. That is a mother's 6th sense. The power to know when my little girl likes someone is also an essential factor. After all *glint* I need to know who my prime targets are.

inb4 Daisuke's Imouto Sensor from Ayu Mayu

[kaname08]

Originally Posted by TheShinySword

Nanoha: The ability to sense whenever my adorable little girl is even in the slightest danger from perverts who think she's cute. That is a mother's 6th sense. The power to know when my little girl likes someone is also an essential factor. After all *glint* I need to know who my prime targets are.

*tries to stifle a chuckle*.

This is the reason why I find the VivioxLutecia pairings cute and amusing.

I know in one of my posts I mentioned of possibly writing a lemon and I suddenly remembered an idea that came to me from checking out a pretty good yuri h-doujin featuring Nanoha and Fate titled "Spoonful 2". It was near the end that actually got me going with regards to the "uselessness" of the pill that Shamal gave to Fate.

After looking over that part, I couldn't help but think of adding that particular idea into my fanfic. I happen to like poking fun at my own OC's. My main OC I happen to poke fun at A LOT. So...while I was writing my third chapter for my re-attempt at my Nanoha fanfic, as soon as I inserted that "pill" idea, already ideas were exploding from my mind in terms of how I plan on using the idea for the lemon.

I managed to come up with the title and synopsis for the lemon, although I'm only giving hints about the oncoming lemon in one of my later chapters. Already, I gave a tiny bit of it in my third chapter of my re-make on my Nanoha fanfic.

Anyway...the title of the lemon is called "When Fate is Away, the White Devil Comes to Play". Here's the synopsis:

When Fate is called out for a mission that extends to a week, a somewhat bored Nanoha then overhears from Shamal's office about a capsule that is given to one of the Lightning Team members and its "effects". However, what gets her attention is the "side-effect". So...what does the bored Ace of Ace decide to do to kill time while waiting for a certain blonde Enforcer to return?

Answer: Test the "effectiveness" of the capsule on one of her students and experiment.

Here's the reason why: In chapter two of my re-make on my Nanoha fanfic, my main OC, Shiro answers a personal question from his partner Mizuki in regards to having secret "fantasies". It doesn't take him long to figure out the actual meaning and he "let's the cat out of the bag" which he slowly begins to regret. Unfortunately, word spreads a bit quick and reaches the Ace of Ace's ears as well as the Lieutenant. Later, Mizuki spots the container and asks Shamal about it, while in turn as Nanoha passes by the doctor's office, she overhears the effects and side-effects of the capsules and learns that Shiro is acting as a "guinea pig". She then decides to "literally" help her out with her experiment while Fate is away on a extensive mission.

As for the effect of the drug...it's a relaxant and is supposed to try and help Shiro with his unexplained migraines. However, the side-effect of it is...it also gets him to be a bit...well...submissive. (In short...Nanoha takes advantage of that status and pounces). Since Shiro told Hayate that he likes girls being dominant on him, by the time he realizes what is going on, it's already too late for him (grins like a Cheshire cat).

[SulliMike23]

Originally Posted by Alavon

I'm really sick right now but I had just enough strength to finish this one-shot. The idea came to me when I woke up this morning from a dream which was strange since I don't normally remember my dreams. When I do remember it's when I'm getting sick or when I'm already sick.

Again, I'm not feeling well so there WILL be mistakes. I will hopefully come back when I get better so until then, enjoy this one-shot from me.

Oh! Before I forget. This one-shot is dedicated to Satashi for updating a lot of AlternativeS for us. Keep up the good work! :3

Enjoy!

Spoiler for Dreaming Awake (Slight NSFW):

Dreaming Awake

There were moments when looking at Fate would create sudden, inexplicable urges to jump the blond...sexually of course. It didn't matter whether it was during the early mornings or late at night; 'anywhere and anytime' was Nanoha's motto, much to Fate's excitement...and occasional dismay.

But tonight...it was different.

Fate made the first move and that was all that mattered to the TSAB's 'White Devil'.

Buttons flew everywhere like bullets as the shirts were ripped apart in their haste and Fate's skirt was quickly tossed aside without much complaint. Sharp gasps were let out as warm, gentle hands explores the long sought after flesh, touching just the right places. As Fate began to kiss the brunettes neck, Nanoha gasped out,”F-Fate...ah! W-wait, I'm not-ahh...p-please...”

After Fate left her mark, she replied huskily to Nanoha's ear,”What's the matter? I thought you wanted...” She suddenly sucked on Nanoha's earlobe making Nanoha let out a loud moan. “...this?”

Nanoha had to stop the blond from going there and managed to gasp out,”I-I do but-” She let out a moan as Fate's hand finally got away from Nanoha's grip. “...but we're...ah! W-were. In. The. Kitchen...”

Fate smiled suggestively and whispered at Nanoha's neck,”So? I'm leaving for three months for the first time and...” She pressed Nanoha's weak spot which made the girl crumpled on to Fate's body who lifted her up on the counter. “...I. Want. You. Now...”

Fate then pressed her moist lips on Nanoha's and all logical thoughts were thrown out the window after that initial contact. Nanoha wrapped her legs around the blonds slender waist and brought her closer, deepening the kiss.

It was perfect.

It was romantic.

It was a disaster.

Red and green eyes blinked sleepily as the two women froze on the spot. Vivio had apparently just woken up to get a bottle of milk and instead saw her parents...on the counter.

Almost completely naked.

In the kitchen.

At night.

Fate and Nanoha quickly looked at each other but a soft yawn broke the awkward silence that had engulfed the kitchen. Vivio walked to the refrigerator, took out her bottle of milk, drank it all in less than a minute and after carefully watching her bottle in the sink, left the kitchen as quickly as she had came.

Both Fate and Nanoha just stared at the dark living room that Vivio had disappeared to.

“Uh...I guess...we should continue?” laughed Nanoha, sheepishly.

BONK!

“Ow...that hurt, Fate....”

---

The next morning had came too quickly for both Fate and Nanoha. They had spend much of the night contemplating what to say to the hyperactive, heterochromatic girl that would surely bounce down to the kitchen. In the end, both mother's decided to just explain to their daughter what had happen, after all, honesty was the most important rule in raising a family...or at least that was what the book said.

As if on cue, Vivio entered the kitchen, a huge smile plastered on her young face.

“So what's for breakfast?” she asked, eying her parents who both looked as though they would faint from all the blood that was rushing up their poor heads.

Nanoha decided to speak first and said nervously,”Vivio...it's okay. You don't have to pretend.”

Vivio raised an eyebrow and after tilting her head slightly said,”What are you talking about, Nanoha-mama?”

It was Fate's turn to talk. Sighing, she said,”Vivio, we both know that you saw us last night...here.”

Vivio appeared to be even more confused because she stared at both her parents with a bewilder expression.

“Huh?”

“Sweetie, you saw us in the middle of...” Fate couldn't finish her sentence and thankfully Nanoha stepped in. “Vivio, you saw us almost having sex.”

For a brief moment, Fate and Nanoha both feared that Vivio had stopped breathing. Vivio's face suddenly became blank and Nanoha finally couldn't hold it anymore.

“Honey, it's okay to say what's in your mind-” But she stopped as soon as she saw color draining from Vivio's face.

“Vivio?” asked Fate, taking a step towards the frozen girl. “Are you all right?”

Then, almost instantaneous, Vivio's eyes went round and she fell on her butt; she looked like she was about to throw up.

“Vivio! What's wrong!?”

Vivio looked up her mother's concerned faces and, while breathing profoundly, shrieked,”Are you telling me that it wasn't a DREAM!?”

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

I didn't realize that it was long. I hope you enjoyed it! X3 Now, I'm going to rest so until then, bye.

ROFL!!! Oh that was GOLD!!!

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by Satashi

which part? @_@ I've written so many I forgot what you're referring too? @_@

[EDIT] oh wait I remember now :3...how on earth did you remember that!?

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

I dunno about Dezo, but I remembered because I have an excellent memory for things I enjoyed. Spinel Heart was one thing I enjoyed.

Yes. That and the Bag Brothers was laugh-out-loud funny in a story that I remember anyway. That bit I had to say, "Hey, sweetie, you have to hear this!" and read it out loud to my wife.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

And now another Lutecia-short! With Vivio! .... Those have been surprisingly rare from me, lately...

Anyhoo!

Spoiler for Winter Wind:

*snippies*

FLUFFY!

That was just plain sweet and cute!

...

Who are you, and how did you get a hold of RadiantBeam's account?

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. Inspired by something Shiny said about how she'd like to see some more ViCia fluff, and behold, ViCia fluff was written. Maybe she should make more requests, eh?

2. Yes, this is pre-Never Confessed based off Lutecia and Vivio's ages. Oh, the innocence, the feelings, the confusion, the UST... the massive, massive amounts of UST.

3. Ah, Lutecia, I love how you say one thing and then when I stop to think about it, I realize it can mean something else entirely. If any of you read this and catch the line I'm referring to, you get free Internet cookies.

4. Even back then, Lutecia wasn't afraid of Nanoha. She probably regrets that now, three years later. Probably.

5. Vivio is shorter than Lutecia! This one made me laugh. Not by much, granted, but she was shorter than Lutecia for awhile in my series; didn't hit a growth spurt until she was seventeen in "Shadow" and "Sunrise", ironically enough. Wonder if on some subconcious level on my part, her growth spurt and becoming taller than Lutecia was supposed to show her becoming more supportive of her girlfriend or something symbolic like that.

Go, Shiny Ideas! There's UST? Well, on Vivio's part, I suppose... I spotted the line. I'm surprised that Lutecia wasn't afraid of Nanoha even back then...maybe it's because Vivio's family is more or less part of her coping strategy and acknowledging that Bad Things Could Happen would kind of spoil the point? Personally, I never saw Vivio's height as symbolic; it was just that Sankt Kaiser!Vivio was the series' tallest female...

She called her Cia!

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Loved the last exchange, but a bit of a question: if this is prior to their confessions, why would Nanoha be upset? Friends can do that kind of thing for each other (minus the UST though ).

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Nanoha has UST radar when it comes to her little girl. Plus, she more or less knows that Vivio views Lutecia as more than a friend at this point.

The funny thing here is that I asked the exact same question...Only now do I remember that (a) in "Never Been Kissed," Vivio decided to experiment a la francais and (b) I wrote the omake for RadiantBeam where Nanoha watches her do it! *bonk self for not paying attention*

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Vivio: ....I'm going to die a virgin

(@RadiantBeam: ............)

Well, she will if RadiantBeam doesn't write the story. *chortle*

@kaname08: Obviously, I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but in my opinion OCxCanon lemons are a complete failure, regardless of the set-up, the fetishes catered to, or the quality of the writing.

[Nijiru]

@RadiantBeam: Cute, nice thing to read the moment I get home.
@Alavon: I think Nanoha and Fate broke Vivio's mind. I think she might need therapy later for it.

[deathcurse]

This comes unbetaed because I was later in finishing it than I had anticipated .

For those who are following the story, I've got an announcement: I won't be updating any chapters for a month, as I'll be doing the NaNo Writing Contest (1700 words a day!) in November and so won't have time left over to write fanfics for a while. I wanted to get one last chapter out before November, so here it is!

Finally it's Angels vs. Wardens over a Jewel Seed! And we get to meet Alicia's murderer for the first time...

ANGEL
Is second-best really good enough?

Spoiler for Angel, Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Pan Flash

Fate landed lightly, following Arf’s lead and pivoting around, bringing Bardiche down in a diagonal slash. A jolt went through her arm as she connected with Signum’s blade, far more painful than when she tried the same move on Nanoha! Luckily for her, Signum’s retaliating blow came slower than Nanoha’s ninja-fast parries, allowing Fate enough time to relax and let Arf take her sideways, dodging the strike. Even so, Fate could feel the displaced air and the soft whump as Signum’s sword cleaved by.

Arf barked and spun them around again. Fate heard metal clash against metal as Nanoha engaged Signum, covering Fate long enough for her to get back into attack position.

“Now!” Fate commanded, and while she couldn’t hear Nanoha moving she had to trust that the other girl had. She brought Bardiche back and felt the magic tingle increase to a flare.

“Scythe Slash.”

Fate swung Bardiche forward, mentally releasing the charged arc. A sizzling noise filled the air with ozone when it struck Signum’s auto-shield, then Signum grunted and gasped, causing Fate to dissipate the scythe immediately.

“It went through,” Nanoha told her, her voice high with excitement. Of course she would be excited; it took them two weeks to get Fate up to doing that without missing embarrassingly.

Fate grinned happily and collapsed Bardiche into his storage form, mussing Arf’s ears affectionately. “I didn’t hurt you Signum, did I?”

“No,” Signum replied, her voice a little rougher than usual. Not all of it seemed to be from exertion so Fate tilted her head, listening for nuances. “You did fine, Testarossa.”

“Yay, Fate-chan!” Hayate cheered from the sidelines, clapping her hands.

“Good job,” Carim commented, “but there’s no way an attack of that level can likely hurt Shamal, if it even makes it through her shields. I’ve only ever seen one other person with stronger shields than her…and the Jewel Seeds aren’t easy targets either.”

“It’s, uh, not the power that cuts barriers,” Fate rubbed her head sheepishly. “Just the touch of the scythe’s magic breaks through them.” Oh lord, tense silence. Fate sighed internally—seems Alicia never told them that either. She had probably let them continue to assume that it took power to do so…was she trying to fool everyone so that even the Wardens would believe it?

“Hey Fate, could you spot me on the weights?” Sweet Hayate, always shifting the awkward moment to the side and powering forward. Her voice came closer, her chair’s wheels squeaking slightly on the hard floor. Those familiar creaks meant that Hayate had transferred herself to one of the workout benches, and Fate prompted Arf forward. Hayate continued, “Oh, I made some sandwiches for everyone, they’re on the kitchen table.”

After the others’ murmurs faded along with their footsteps, Fate unbuckled Arf from her harness then put her hands on the barbell, raising an eyebrow. “Alright Hayate, what did you want to talk about?”

“Why do you always assume I want something?” Hayate protested, but her tone was too teasing for Fate to take her seriously.

“Because you’re a devious mastermind hiding behind that innocent face,” Fate said drily. “Plus you’re twice as strong as I am, so my spotting for you isn’t really that helpful.” She let Hayate do a few reps in silence, then asked, “So?”

Hayate grunted. “You know how Carim and I have been reading the Prophecy everyday, right?”

“Yes, after you started speaking to her again, you mean?”

“Yeah…we’re seeing lots of a desert, so finding the exact location is hard since all we keep seeing is sand, you know? Um…every time we try, I keep feeling this build-up, like a tension rising—” Hayate broke off, then exclaimed, “Fate! That’s not what I meant! Sheesh, your whole face is red!” The barbell clanked back onto its supports as Hayate started giggling.

Fate felt her face grow hotter as she defended herself feebly, “H-hey, I can’t help it…it’s all your fault in the first place!”

“So I succeeded in dragging your mind to the gutter like mine?” Hayate teased. Then her voice fell. “I think…we’re going to find one soon. One of the Jewel Seeds.”

Angling her head, Fate deciphered the various tones in her friend’s voice. “You sound almost scared.”

She felt Hayate sit up and slip a hand into one of hers. “I…I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” Fate chuckled in astonishment and gave Hayate her usual half-smile.

“See, you’re doing it again.” Hayate’s grip tightened.

Silent for a moment, Fate patted Hayate’s arm. “So do you,” she said quietly. “You’re not telling me something. Is it about the Tome? As far as I know, you’re the only non-magical person I know who’s ever been its reader. Is there something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the Tome,” Hayate said, but Fate could hear the faint strains of a half-lie marring Hayate’s smooth voice. “Come on, two more sets then I have to find Carim. She’s convinced that we can find the Seed before the Wardens, and today could be it.”

***

Leaning back on the headboard, Hayate opened the Tome, golden light drowning out Carim’s face across from her on the bed. Vaguely, some part of her was aware of/could see scenes of a desert, flashes of dunes and the crash of waves on rocks, and clouds of steam gusting across the sandy plains, hinting at the Jewel Seed’s location. But she had seen all this before.

“I know that you’ve had previous Readers/Masters before,” Hayate leaned on her right armrest, putting her head closer to the Tome’s symbol hovering beside her. “Did they all only speak with you to find the Jewel Seeds?”

A flutter, like leaves blown in the wind, darted across Hayate’s skin, soft yet cutting. A couple of weeks before, Hayate had to heavily guess what answers she was getting from the Tome. Now, it took her practically no effort at all.

“I’m sorry that no one was kind to you before.”

Suddenly, a blast of hot air roared by Hayate, making her yelp. Then sharp images slammed into Hayate’s field of view—

—A black cloak cracked and bit at the air, then was swept aside by the arc of a glowing yellow scythe—

—A face, terrifying in its perfect, angelic beauty, filled with agony as swirls of sapphire hair haloed her flushed cheeks—

—The Tome, cradled in a black-gloved arm, every crevasse in the cover lighting up with the reflected glow of battle-magic—

—A scream, bleeding from the sound of a heart breaking—

A sapphire explosion sent blue shards in all directions, blue and full of power, reflected in the field of blank amethyst eyes—

“HAYATE!”

The snap back to the real world made Hayate slam her head backwards into the wall, causing her vision to go starry. Soft hands immediately brushed through her hair, and Carim crouched over her, worried yet shaking with barely concealed excitement.

“Are you okay? You have to do whatever you did in that last moment again next time, since I’ve never gotten a clearer picture before!” Carim raved. “We found it—the next Jewel Seed!”

***

“Why,” Nanoha lamented, “is it cold in a desert?”

Fate shivered, bending to one knee to hug Arf’s warm body. The warmth that had appeared in the teleportation had faded once they had all materialized, making Fate wish that she could waste the energy to summon a circle back up. She almost did it too. The Black Angel’s outfit was not the warmest of clothes. “It’s the Atacama Desert,” she explained. “The driest place on Earth. There’s a marine fog that blows by…how’s visibility?”

“Poor,” Signum replied, “because of that fog.” A shiver of metal rang as she drew her broadsword, making Arf whine and put back her ears. “Let’s move quickly, the Wardens will be here soon.”

Fate nodded, calling out Bardiche, keeping the scythe blade low at her side. Inside her chest she felt a tingling, like a crystal pulse that vibrated through space into her heart. “Forward,” she urged Arf, and the two of them trotted off, spraying sand in their wake as Fate followed that tantalizing call. It felt familiar, almost as if she had encountered them before…but she had never seen one, not even when she had been at Mother’s house five years ago.

Almost like a long lost part of her. From the snippets Fate had overheard here and there when she was younger, she could deduce that she probably wasn’t far off from the truth.

“Sorry that we couldn’t get a closer location,” Carim said apologetically. She had been apologizing ever since they had mobilized to retrieve the Jewel, no matter how many times Fate had told her it was alright. Yet at the same time she kept challenging Fate’s coordinates, fretting about minute adjustments.

Alicia probably never—Fate sighed, took a deep breath, and shook her head. No resenting, she had promised herself.

“We’re really close,” Fate told them. “A few more kilometres, and I can probably activate it—”

“We know,” Nanoha interrupted. “That’s how Alicia did it.”

Fate reminded herself to take another breath. She heard Signum’s sharp intake as well.

“They’re coming!” Signum growled urgently. A second and third metallic hiss sounded as Nanoha drew her blades, and a crackle of magic came from Fate’s left where Carim was. An instant later, Fate felt the incoming rush of teleporation magic—but how did Signum know before her?

“Fate, go for the Jewel!” Nanoha yelled. “I’ll cover you—Carim, bombard them the moment they appear, then keep Shamal off balance. Signum!”

“Stop the cyborg, then Teana,” Signum’s low voice answered. Fate didn’t hear the rest—they were here.

The roar of Carim’s attack overpowered all other sounds, turning Fate doubly-blind as she ran alongside Arf, trying not to stumble in the loose sand. She had no idea where anyone else was, but Nanoha had her back—

“Arf, stop.” Fate gritted her teeth and concentrated, reaching deeper into herself than she ever had before. The Seeds were chaos, they were power, so only wild and loose magic could wake them. Bardiche’s eye crackled with magic, sizzling into a sparking bolt that joined with her heart—

Wishes, a soft, strange voice whispered in Fate’s mind, unobtrusive as a long-forgotten memory.

Wishes? Fate thought frantically, then felt the Jewel Seed blaze awake.

“Seal it!” She heard Nanoha cry.

“Sealing.”

Briefly, Fate felt the Jewel Seed resist, fighting furiously against her sealing magic, then suddenly it yielded, sending a warm, kind sensation rushing through both of them—

“AT YOUR RIGHT!” Nanoha screamed.

Fate whirled, almost tripping over Arf who was trying to turn a different way. A huge force bowled her over from behind, smashing into Fate so hard she had no perception of falling, only the impact as she slammed face-first into the ground.

“ALICIA!” She heard Nanoha shriek—from her other side? Did she get turned around—

Hot pain flared down her back—Fate screamed, tasting blood, and she half-crawled away, whimpering and half-dragged by a snarling Arf before giant claws caught her around the chest and batted her into the air, tearing Arf’s harness from her hand.

Nanoha’s voice, coming in jagged pieces through the pounding in Fate’s head, “Don’t move!”

Then Nanoha’s voice again, “NO! I won’t let you this time—Alicia! Run!”

Fate barely got her knees under her before she sensed her attacker coming at her again and she was flung across the plains again, entirely disorientated. She thrust out a hand and got a handful of sand, a futile attempt to anchor herself to steady earth before the world spun away from under her once more.

Desperately, Fate turned her fall into a blind flight—she hadn’t bothered learning how to fly, since what use would it be when she couldn’t see?—zooming sideways and dodging a blow purely by luck. Displaced air told her just how close the attack had come before she crashed into something furry, hearing Arf yelp before turning it into a howl, leaping from Fate’s arms while snarling like a hell-beast.

“Arf, no!” Fate cried, and screamed when she heard Arf yowl, and their attacker start laughing. Then a voice spoke, chillingly whimsical and cheerful…

“You must be Fate. I wonder…will you scream like Alicia did when I put three feet of steel through her chest? Or maybe I’ll stick your puppy-dog first, and hear you scream like Nanoha did when all she could do was watch me helplessly.”

Fate lunged, scrambling over the ground towards where she could hear Arf whimpering and moaning. She imagined the owner of that cruel voice readying another series of attacks, and threw herself over Arf, feeling warm liquid smearing on her skin as a teleportation circle erupted beneath them.

“Fate!” yelled Nanoha.

Frantic, Fate cast the teleport, hearing the last echoes of her sister’s murderer laughing as they vanished. Her arms were wrapped around the limp, bloody Arf, holding her close, the most precious lifeline Fate had.

Don’t die, don’t die, it’s all my fault, Arf, please…

They rematerialized, Fate clutching Arf to her chest, feeling fearfully for signs of breathing. Although most of what she smelled was blood, her blood and Arf’s, Fate stiffened when she couldn’t recognize the scents filling the room they had appeared in. This wasn’t Mother’s house.

“Arf…” Fate groaned, stroking Arf’s wet fur. She heard footsteps approaching, but she didn’t care anymore.

“You’re lost,” a voice said, its tones low and soothing. Gently, a hand touched Fate’s shoulder, then slid down to apply pressure to the bleeding wound on her back. “You’re hurt…”

“I killed her,” Fate sobbed.

“She’s still alive,” the kind voice told her. “She won’t leave you without a fight. But you have to take her home, alright? Take her home and take care of her hurts, and your own.” The woman—from her voice and the quality of her touch, Fate knew it was a woman—smoothed Fate’s sweat-soaked bangs away, the action calming the blonde down as much as the gentle reassurances. The stranger must have done something to Arf, because Fate felt her dog shudder then twitch underneath her hands, weakly whining.

The woman let Fate hug Arf tearfully for a few moments, then said, “Now you have to go back. Do you remember the coordinates? Take your time doing them, there’s no need to rush…”

Scrubbing her tears away from her stinging eyes, Fate nodded, cradling Arf carefully to her body. She felt Arf lick her cheek and whine deep in her throat. Taking a breath, Fate called up the teleportation circle, the warm glow of the glyphs flowing around them.

“That’s it, you’re alright, see?” Footsteps retreated until the woman was out of range of Fate’s circle. “Everything will be alright, you’re doing fine.”

“…Thank you,” Fate whispered.

A smile in her voice, the woman replied, “You’re welcome, dear. Now go, before your friends worry.”

Fate closed her eyes and activated the teleport, focusing on Mother’s house. As they disappeared, she also noted and memorized the coordinates of their location, carrying that knowledge with the warm delight in her heart as Arf licked her face, reassuring both of them that they were loved.

***

“They got the Jewel,” Nanoha said flatly.

Fate paled further, her hands trembling around her teacup. Signum supposed that it was just as well that the blonde was blind—at least she didn’t have to see the expressions directed her way. Although Signum was surprised to see Precia out of her workroom and attending the debriefing with them, since the woman had been inconsolable for weeks. Precia sat at the head of the table opposite of Fate, recording everything in her sharp handwriting on a worn journal and her expression was practically mild compared to everyone else. Even Hayate appeared riled up, although so far she was holding her tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Fate swallowed, looking anxious and resigned, her shoulders hunched as if she expected to get struck. She looked like she knew very well how that felt. “I…Arf was hurt, and—”

“Don’t make excuses,” Signum said. “You panicked.”

Instead of cringing, conversely her statement seemed to make Fate relax a smidgeon. “I did,” she agreed, taking a quick gulp from her cup. “I was scared that she was going to kill Arf, and Nanoha’s directions seemed to contradict each other—”

“Reinforce,” Nanoha interrupted, her words clipped, “is a shape-shifter.”

“I didn’t know that,” Fate said. “Sorry. And when she spoke about killing—”

“You should have grabbed the Jewel Seed the moment you sealed it.” Nanoha’s expression was closed off, although her tone clearly showed her disappointment. “Not only did you leave it for Reinforce to take, but you ran off instead of helping us out.”

Fate flinched. “I’m sorry…it’s just that I thought she was going to kill Arf—”

“Stop,” Precia spoke up, her voice both mocking and disdainful, matching her deliberate movements as she stopped writing in the journal that she used to record their missions, “speaking of that mutt as if she’s more important than any of us here.”

The blonde lowered her head, becoming so subdued it took effort for Signum to see that she was still breathing. But eventually Fate took a breath and said, her words braver than her faltering tone, “Arf’s my friend and partner. I don’t think that she’s more important than…any of this. It was my fault that I panicked, I’m sorry.”

“We’re the ones who are sorry,” Precia said silkily. “Because of your blundering, the White Wardens are almost capable of destroying everything so many of us died protecting.”

“There are still two Jewel Seeds left,” Nanoha offered dully. “If we can prevent them from getting either of them, then we’re safe.”

Sniffing derisively, Precia set down her fountain pen. “If Fate had claimed this one, then the likelihood of their obtaining fourteen would have been low.”

“And just how is this farce of a meeting supposed to help with that?” Hayate demanded, her blue eyes fierce as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. “Aren’t you supposed to help Fate fix her mistakes instead of stoning her with insults?”

“The truth is, we’re always outnumbered,” Carim said, gently chiding. “We’ve been lucky, and Nanoha and Signum are really good, so we had scraped by before.” Not looking at Fate, she added softly, “Alicia always bailed us out, even if she was fighting her own opponents. We’ve become complacent, expecting things to stay that way.”

“You’re not being fair!” Hayate protested, ignoring Fate shaking her head. “Drawing conclusions from just one fight!”

“What’s not fair,” Precia retorted, her eyes glittering, “are the people who will die when the Wardens obtain fourteen Jewel Seeds. Let me explain this to you simply, since you clearly didn’t understand. The Wardens get fourteen Seeds, the world is destroyed. Because once they have fourteen, they can open Al Hazard and wish for anything they want.” She paused: savouring the moment, the idea, the flash of guilty desire from everyone present. “To create a new world, where their deepest wishes are reality…but a new world means the end of the old one. Our world, and these versions of ourselves. Do you understand now?”

Signum saw Hayate tense and quickly reached under the table to put a warning hand on the brunette’s arm, but Fate quietly said “Leave it, Hayate,” stopping her friend before she could speak.

Precia closed her book, keeping her glinting eyes on Hayate, who glared back defiantly. “If that’s all? Then excuse me, I have research to do, since I was interrupted earlier today.” She swept out, but Fate’s posture remained hunched like a beaten dog’s even after the door closed behind Precia. Signum felt a jolt of detached sympathy for her.

Nanoha stood, her chair scraping back. “I’m going for a run,” she mumbled.

Fate’s head rose, and right when Nanoha opened the door she whispered urgently, “Nanoha?” Nanoha stopped. Licking her lips, Fate faced the brunette beseechingly, gripping her cane tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nanoha replied tiredly, but her tone gave her away. “We’ll just work a little harder and maybe change up our strategy. It’ll be fine the next time.” The door slid shut.

Hayate wheeled herself back and spun, about to go over to Fate when the blonde said quietly, “Thanks Hayate, but…could you give me a bit of time to think about things?”

Hayate hesitated, but sighed eventually. “Okay, Fate-chan. But don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Signum rose, opening the door for Hayate. She let it slide closed. “She’ll be alright. Underneath everything, Testarossa’s tough.”

“It’s hard to be tough when you can’t ever catch a break,” Hayate retorted, wheeling herself with short, angry pushes. With her long strides, Signum kept up easily, the bottom of her longcoat swishing by her calves to match the thuds of Hayate’s hands on her wheels.

“Testarossa’s not the only one who has troubles,” Signum said simply. “Everyone has their issues.”

“That’s true,” admitted Hayate, but she continued, “but everyone’s not constantly being reminded that they’re only second-best in other people’s eyes.”

“That’s…” Signum searched for the right words. “It’s hard,” she confessed, surprised at her candid response to that searingly honest and kind face looking up at hers. “Watching her walking around this house, speaking with that same voice, and that identical face…sometimes I lose the days and forget. Then my heart breaks all over again when I realize that she’s dead, that this isn’t her but someone else.”

“I’m sorry for you guys,” Hayate said, letting go of her wheel rim to squeeze Signum’s hand briefly. “I really am. I think that you all loved Alicia a lot, and that she did so much for all of you. But I’m sorry, I can’t forgive her for abandoning Fate, not when I spent so many nights watching Fate cry herself to sleep because of it. They’re not similar at all to me.”

“I wish it were the same for me.” Wistfully, Signum put a hand on the closer handle of Hayate’s wheelchair, keeping them together as they moved down the hallway.

“Maybe you could start,” Hayate suggested gently, “by calling her by something different.”

“I look at her,” Signum said, “and only one name comes to me when I see her face.”

Smiling sadly, Hayate shook her head. “And you wonder why none of you can let Alicia go.”

“That,” Signum whispered, trembling with a deep sorrow that put a waver in her voice, “and none of us can forget how she died.”

......And the plot thickens . I hope the small time jump wasn't too jarring.


Previous Parts:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Next chapter: Albatross Necklaces: Fate learns how Alicia was killed, Nanoha reveals what happened to her during the Jewel Seed fight and the origin of the first Black Angel is told...

[itanshi1]

awesome chapter, you have typos and voice issues early on, but the rest was great

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by itanshi1

awesome chapter, you have typos and voice issues early on, but the rest was great

Thanks! And that's why I need you so badly! I just didn't want to load a twice-as-long chapter on you to beta in a day

[itanshi1]

nah its cool, send whatever you have ^^

btw the problem line is..

Spoiler for line:

“Hey Fate, could you spot me on the weights?” Sweet Hayate, always shifting the awkward moment to the side and powering forward. Her voice came closer, her chair’s wheels squeaking slightly on the hard floor. Those familiar creaks meant that Hayate had transferred herself to one of the workout benches, and Fate prompted Arf forward. Hayate continued, “Oh, I made some sandwiches for everyone, they’re on the kitchen table.”

Read the story aloud a bit, you can see how the author's voice comes in at this point but is not in anywhere else.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by kaname08

lemon idea

Don't like the idea of Nanoha drugging someone and taking advantage of them. specially since you kept referring to "while Fate is away" which I'm assuming means that Nanoha and Fate are together? So Nanoha drugs someone to sex them while cheating on Fate at same time? O.< squick for me.

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Yes. That and the Bag Brothers was laugh-out-loud funny in a story that I remember anyway. That bit I had to say, "Hey, sweetie, you have to hear this!" and read it out loud to my wife.

I'd try and do something else but I'm worried I could never live up to the first one

@Alavon: Will read after school today <3

[Nanya01]

I just posted up Proposal to FF.Net

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

This comes unbetaed because I was later in finishing it than I had anticipated .

For those who are following the story, I've got an announcement: I won't be updating any chapters for a month, as I'll be doing the NaNo Writing Contest (1700 words a day!) in November and so won't have time left over to write fanfics for a while. I wanted to get one last chapter out before November, so here it is!

Finally it's Angels vs. Wardens over a Jewel Seed! And we get to meet Alicia's murderer for the first time...

ANGEL
Is second-best really good enough?

Spoiler for Angel, Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Pan Flash

Fate landed lightly, following Arf’s lead and pivoting around, bringing Bardiche down in a diagonal slash. A jolt went through her arm as she connected with Signum’s blade, far more painful than when she tried the same move on Nanoha! Luckily for her, Signum’s retaliating blow came slower than Nanoha’s ninja-fast parries, allowing Fate enough time to relax and let Arf take her sideways, dodging the strike. Even so, Fate could feel the displaced air and the soft whump as Signum’s sword cleaved by.

Arf barked and spun them around again. Fate heard metal clash against metal as Nanoha engaged Signum, covering Fate long enough for her to get back into attack position.

“Now!” Fate commanded, and while she couldn’t hear Nanoha moving she had to trust that the other girl had. She brought Bardiche back and felt the magic tingle increase to a flare.

“Scythe Slash.”

Fate swung Bardiche forward, mentally releasing the charged arc. A sizzling noise filled the air with ozone when it struck Signum’s auto-shield, then Signum grunted and gasped, causing Fate to dissipate the scythe immediately.

“It went through,” Nanoha told her, her voice high with excitement. Of course she would be excited; it took them two weeks to get Fate up to doing that without missing embarrassingly.

Fate grinned happily and collapsed Bardiche into his storage form, mussing Arf’s ears affectionately. “I didn’t hurt you Signum, did I?”

“No,” Signum replied, her voice a little rougher than usual. Not all of it seemed to be from exertion so Fate tilted her head, listening for nuances. “You did fine, Testarossa.”

“Yay, Fate-chan!” Hayate cheered from the sidelines, clapping her hands.

“Good job,” Carim commented, “but there’s no way an attack of that level can likely hurt Shamal, if it even makes it through her shields. I’ve only ever seen one other person with stronger shields than her…and the Jewel Seeds aren’t easy targets either.”

“It’s, uh, not the power that cuts barriers,” Fate rubbed her head sheepishly. “Just the touch of the scythe’s magic breaks through them.” Oh lord, tense silence. Fate sighed internally—seems Alicia never told them that either. She had probably let them continue to assume that it took power to do so…was she trying to fool everyone so that even the Wardens would believe it?

“Hey Fate, could you spot me on the weights?” Sweet Hayate, always shifting the awkward moment to the side and powering forward. Her voice came closer, her chair’s wheels squeaking slightly on the hard floor. Those familiar creaks meant that Hayate had transferred herself to one of the workout benches, and Fate prompted Arf forward. Hayate continued, “Oh, I made some sandwiches for everyone, they’re on the kitchen table.”

After the others’ murmurs faded along with their footsteps, Fate unbuckled Arf from her harness then put her hands on the barbell, raising an eyebrow. “Alright Hayate, what did you want to talk about?”

“Why do you always assume I want something?” Hayate protested, but her tone was too teasing for Fate to take her seriously.

“Because you’re a devious mastermind hiding behind that innocent face,” Fate said drily. “Plus you’re twice as strong as I am, so my spotting for you isn’t really that helpful.” She let Hayate do a few reps in silence, then asked, “So?”

Hayate grunted. “You know how Carim and I have been reading the Prophecy everyday, right?”

“Yes, after you started speaking to her again, you mean?”

“Yeah…we’re seeing lots of a desert, so finding the exact location is hard since all we keep seeing is sand, you know? Um…every time we try, I keep feeling this build-up, like a tension rising—” Hayate broke off, then exclaimed, “Fate! That’s not what I meant! Sheesh, your whole face is red!” The barbell clanked back onto its supports as Hayate started giggling.

Fate felt her face grow hotter as she defended herself feebly, “H-hey, I can’t help it…it’s all your fault in the first place!”

“So I succeeded in dragging your mind to the gutter like mine?” Hayate teased. Then her voice fell. “I think…we’re going to find one soon. One of the Jewel Seeds.”

Angling her head, Fate deciphered the various tones in her friend’s voice. “You sound almost scared.”

She felt Hayate sit up and slip a hand into one of hers. “I…I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” Fate chuckled in astonishment and gave Hayate her usual half-smile.

“See, you’re doing it again.” Hayate’s grip tightened.

Silent for a moment, Fate patted Hayate’s arm. “So do you,” she said quietly. “You’re not telling me something. Is it about the Tome? As far as I know, you’re the only non-magical person I know who’s ever been its reader. Is there something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the Tome,” Hayate said, but Fate could hear the faint strains of a half-lie marring Hayate’s smooth voice. “Come on, two more sets then I have to find Carim. She’s convinced that we can find the Seed before the Wardens, and today could be it.”

***

Leaning back on the headboard, Hayate opened the Tome, golden light drowning out Carim’s face across from her on the bed. Vaguely, some part of her was aware of/could see scenes of a desert, flashes of dunes and the crash of waves on rocks, and clouds of steam gusting across the sandy plains, hinting at the Jewel Seed’s location. But she had seen all this before.

“I know that you’ve had previous Readers/Masters before,” Hayate leaned on her right armrest, putting her head closer to the Tome’s symbol hovering beside her. “Did they all only speak with you to find the Jewel Seeds?”

A flutter, like leaves blown in the wind, darted across Hayate’s skin, soft yet cutting. A couple of weeks before, Hayate had to heavily guess what answers she was getting from the Tome. Now, it took her practically no effort at all.

“I’m sorry that no one was kind to you before.”

Suddenly, a blast of hot air roared by Hayate, making her yelp. Then sharp images slammed into Hayate’s field of view—

—A black cloak cracked and bit at the air, then was swept aside by the arc of a glowing yellow scythe—

—A face, terrifying in its perfect, angelic beauty, filled with agony as swirls of sapphire hair haloed her flushed cheeks—

—The Tome, cradled in a black-gloved arm, every crevasse in the cover lighting up with the reflected glow of battle-magic—

—A scream, bleeding from the sound of a heart breaking—

A sapphire explosion sent blue shards in all directions, blue and full of power, reflected in the field of blank amethyst eyes—

“HAYATE!”

The snap back to the real world made Hayate slam her head backwards into the wall, causing her vision to go starry. Soft hands immediately brushed through her hair, and Carim crouched over her, worried yet shaking with barely concealed excitement.

“Are you okay? You have to do whatever you did in that last moment again next time, since I’ve never gotten a clearer picture before!” Carim raved. “We found it—the next Jewel Seed!”

***

“Why,” Nanoha lamented, “is it cold in a desert?”

Fate shivered, bending to one knee to hug Arf’s warm body. The warmth that had appeared in the teleportation had faded once they had all materialized, making Fate wish that she could waste the energy to summon a circle back up. She almost did it too. The Black Angel’s outfit was not the warmest of clothes. “It’s the Atacama Desert,” she explained. “The driest place on Earth. There’s a marine fog that blows by…how’s visibility?”

“Poor,” Signum replied, “because of that fog.” A shiver of metal rang as she drew her broadsword, making Arf whine and put back her ears. “Let’s move quickly, the Wardens will be here soon.”

Fate nodded, calling out Bardiche, keeping the scythe blade low at her side. Inside her chest she felt a tingling, like a crystal pulse that vibrated through space into her heart. “Forward,” she urged Arf, and the two of them trotted off, spraying sand in their wake as Fate followed that tantalizing call. It felt familiar, almost as if she had encountered them before…but she had never seen one, not even when she had been at Mother’s house five years ago.

Almost like a long lost part of her. From the snippets Fate had overheard here and there when she was younger, she could deduce that she probably wasn’t far off from the truth.

“Sorry that we couldn’t get a closer location,” Carim said apologetically. She had been apologizing ever since they had mobilized to retrieve the Jewel, no matter how many times Fate had told her it was alright. Yet at the same time she kept challenging Fate’s coordinates, fretting about minute adjustments.

Alicia probably never—Fate sighed, took a deep breath, and shook her head. No resenting, she had promised herself.

“We’re really close,” Fate told them. “A few more kilometres, and I can probably activate it—”

“We know,” Nanoha interrupted. “That’s how Alicia did it.”

Fate reminded herself to take another breath. She heard Signum’s sharp intake as well.

“They’re coming!” Signum growled urgently. A second and third metallic hiss sounded as Nanoha drew her blades, and a crackle of magic came from Fate’s left where Carim was. An instant later, Fate felt the incoming rush of teleporation magic—but how did Signum know before her?

“Fate, go for the Jewel!” Nanoha yelled. “I’ll cover you—Carim, bombard them the moment they appear, then keep Shamal off balance. Signum!”

“Stop the cyborg, then Teana,” Signum’s low voice answered. Fate didn’t hear the rest—they were here.

The roar of Carim’s attack overpowered all other sounds, turning Fate doubly-blind as she ran alongside Arf, trying not to stumble in the loose sand. She had no idea where anyone else was, but Nanoha had her back—

“Arf, stop.” Fate gritted her teeth and concentrated, reaching deeper into herself than she ever had before. The Seeds were chaos, they were power, so only wild and loose magic could wake them. Bardiche’s eye crackled with magic, sizzling into a sparking bolt that joined with her heart—

Wishes, a soft, strange voice whispered in Fate’s mind, unobtrusive as a long-forgotten memory.

Wishes? Fate thought frantically, then felt the Jewel Seed blaze awake.

“Seal it!” She heard Nanoha cry.

“Sealing.”

Briefly, Fate felt the Jewel Seed resist, fighting furiously against her sealing magic, then suddenly it yielded, sending a warm, kind sensation rushing through both of them—

“AT YOUR RIGHT!” Nanoha screamed.

Fate whirled, almost tripping over Arf who was trying to turn a different way. A huge force bowled her over from behind, smashing into Fate so hard she had no perception of falling, only the impact as she slammed face-first into the ground.

“ALICIA!” She heard Nanoha shriek—from her other side? Did she get turned around—

Hot pain flared down her back—Fate screamed, tasting blood, and she half-crawled away, whimpering and half-dragged by a snarling Arf before giant claws caught her around the chest and batted her into the air, tearing Arf’s harness from her hand.

Nanoha’s voice, coming in jagged pieces through the pounding in Fate’s head, “Don’t move!”

Then Nanoha’s voice again, “NO! I won’t let you this time—Alicia! Run!”

Fate barely got her knees under her before she sensed her attacker coming at her again and she was flung across the plains again, entirely disorientated. She thrust out a hand and got a handful of sand, a futile attempt to anchor herself to steady earth before the world spun away from under her once more.

Desperately, Fate turned her fall into a blind flight—she hadn’t bothered learning how to fly, since what use would it be when she couldn’t see?—zooming sideways and dodging a blow purely by luck. Displaced air told her just how close the attack had come before she crashed into something furry, hearing Arf yelp before turning it into a howl, leaping from Fate’s arms while snarling like a hell-beast.

“Arf, no!” Fate cried, and screamed when she heard Arf yowl, and their attacker start laughing. Then a voice spoke, chillingly whimsical and cheerful…

“You must be Fate. I wonder…will you scream like Alicia did when I put three feet of steel through her chest? Or maybe I’ll stick your puppy-dog first, and hear you scream like Nanoha did when all she could do was watch me helplessly.”

Fate lunged, scrambling over the ground towards where she could hear Arf whimpering and moaning. She imagined the owner of that cruel voice readying another series of attacks, and threw herself over Arf, feeling warm liquid smearing on her skin as a teleportation circle erupted beneath them.

“Fate!” yelled Nanoha.

Frantic, Fate cast the teleport, hearing the last echoes of her sister’s murderer laughing as they vanished. Her arms were wrapped around the limp, bloody Arf, holding her close, the most precious lifeline Fate had.

Don’t die, don’t die, it’s all my fault, Arf, please…

They rematerialized, Fate clutching Arf to her chest, feeling fearfully for signs of breathing. Although most of what she smelled was blood, her blood and Arf’s, Fate stiffened when she couldn’t recognize the scents filling the room they had appeared in. This wasn’t Mother’s house.

“Arf…” Fate groaned, stroking Arf’s wet fur. She heard footsteps approaching, but she didn’t care anymore.

“You’re lost,” a voice said, its tones low and soothing. Gently, a hand touched Fate’s shoulder, then slid down to apply pressure to the bleeding wound on her back. “You’re hurt…”

“I killed her,” Fate sobbed.

“She’s still alive,” the kind voice told her. “She won’t leave you without a fight. But you have to take her home, alright? Take her home and take care of her hurts, and your own.” The woman—from her voice and the quality of her touch, Fate knew it was a woman—smoothed Fate’s sweat-soaked bangs away, the action calming the blonde down as much as the gentle reassurances. The stranger must have done something to Arf, because Fate felt her dog shudder then twitch underneath her hands, weakly whining.

The woman let Fate hug Arf tearfully for a few moments, then said, “Now you have to go back. Do you remember the coordinates? Take your time doing them, there’s no need to rush…”

Scrubbing her tears away from her stinging eyes, Fate nodded, cradling Arf carefully to her body. She felt Arf lick her cheek and whine deep in her throat. Taking a breath, Fate called up the teleportation circle, the warm glow of the glyphs flowing around them.

“That’s it, you’re alright, see?” Footsteps retreated until the woman was out of range of Fate’s circle. “Everything will be alright, you’re doing fine.”

“…Thank you,” Fate whispered.

A smile in her voice, the woman replied, “You’re welcome, dear. Now go, before your friends worry.”

Fate closed her eyes and activated the teleport, focusing on Mother’s house. As they disappeared, she also noted and memorized the coordinates of their location, carrying that knowledge with the warm delight in her heart as Arf licked her face, reassuring both of them that they were loved.

***

“They got the Jewel,” Nanoha said flatly.

Fate paled further, her hands trembling around her teacup. Signum supposed that it was just as well that the blonde was blind—at least she didn’t have to see the expressions directed her way. Although Signum was surprised to see Precia out of her workroom and attending the debriefing with them, since the woman had been inconsolable for weeks. Precia sat at the head of the table opposite of Fate, recording everything in her sharp handwriting on a worn journal and her expression was practically mild compared to everyone else. Even Hayate appeared riled up, although so far she was holding her tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Fate swallowed, looking anxious and resigned, her shoulders hunched as if she expected to get struck. She looked like she knew very well how that felt. “I…Arf was hurt, and—”

“Don’t make excuses,” Signum said. “You panicked.”

Instead of cringing, conversely her statement seemed to make Fate relax a smidgeon. “I did,” she agreed, taking a quick gulp from her cup. “I was scared that she was going to kill Arf, and Nanoha’s directions seemed to contradict each other—”

“Reinforce,” Nanoha interrupted, her words clipped, “is a shape-shifter.”

“I didn’t know that,” Fate said. “Sorry. And when she spoke about killing—”

“You should have grabbed the Jewel Seed the moment you sealed it.” Nanoha’s expression was closed off, although her tone clearly showed her disappointment. “Not only did you leave it for Reinforce to take, but you ran off instead of helping us out.”

Fate flinched. “I’m sorry…it’s just that I thought she was going to kill Arf—”

“Stop,” Precia spoke up, her voice both mocking and disdainful, matching her deliberate movements as she stopped writing in the journal that she used to record their missions, “speaking of that mutt as if she’s more important than any of us here.”

The blonde lowered her head, becoming so subdued it took effort for Signum to see that she was still breathing. But eventually Fate took a breath and said, her words braver than her faltering tone, “Arf’s my friend and partner. I don’t think that she’s more important than…any of this. It was my fault that I panicked, I’m sorry.”

“We’re the ones who are sorry,” Precia said silkily. “Because of your blundering, the White Wardens are almost capable of destroying everything so many of us died protecting.”

“There are still two Jewel Seeds left,” Nanoha offered dully. “If we can prevent them from getting either of them, then we’re safe.”

Sniffing derisively, Precia set down her fountain pen. “If Fate had claimed this one, then the likelihood of their obtaining fourteen would have been low.”

“And just how is this farce of a meeting supposed to help with that?” Hayate demanded, her blue eyes fierce as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. “Aren’t you supposed to help Fate fix her mistakes instead of stoning her with insults?”

“The truth is, we’re always outnumbered,” Carim said, gently chiding. “We’ve been lucky, and Nanoha and Signum are really good, so we had scraped by before.” Not looking at Fate, she added softly, “Alicia always bailed us out, even if she was fighting her own opponents. We’ve become complacent, expecting things to stay that way.”

“You’re not being fair!” Hayate protested, ignoring Fate shaking her head. “Drawing conclusions from just one fight!”

“What’s not fair,” Precia retorted, her eyes glittering, “are the people who will die when the Wardens obtain fourteen Jewel Seeds. Let me explain this to you simply, since you clearly didn’t understand. The Wardens get fourteen Seeds, the world is destroyed. Because once they have fourteen, they can open Al Hazard and wish for anything they want.” She paused: savouring the moment, the idea, the flash of guilty desire from everyone present. “To create a new world, where their deepest wishes are reality…but a new world means the end of the old one. Our world, and these versions of ourselves. Do you understand now?”

Signum saw Hayate tense and quickly reached under the table to put a warning hand on the brunette’s arm, but Fate quietly said “Leave it, Hayate,” stopping her friend before she could speak.

Precia closed her book, keeping her glinting eyes on Hayate, who glared back defiantly. “If that’s all? Then excuse me, I have research to do, since I was interrupted earlier today.” She swept out, but Fate’s posture remained hunched like a beaten dog’s even after the door closed behind Precia. Signum felt a jolt of detached sympathy for her.

Nanoha stood, her chair scraping back. “I’m going for a run,” she mumbled.

Fate’s head rose, and right when Nanoha opened the door she whispered urgently, “Nanoha?” Nanoha stopped. Licking her lips, Fate faced the brunette beseechingly, gripping her cane tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nanoha replied tiredly, but her tone gave her away. “We’ll just work a little harder and maybe change up our strategy. It’ll be fine the next time.” The door slid shut.

Hayate wheeled herself back and spun, about to go over to Fate when the blonde said quietly, “Thanks Hayate, but…could you give me a bit of time to think about things?”

Hayate hesitated, but sighed eventually. “Okay, Fate-chan. But don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Signum rose, opening the door for Hayate. She let it slide closed. “She’ll be alright. Underneath everything, Testarossa’s tough.”

“It’s hard to be tough when you can’t ever catch a break,” Hayate retorted, wheeling herself with short, angry pushes. With her long strides, Signum kept up easily, the bottom of her longcoat swishing by her calves to match the thuds of Hayate’s hands on her wheels.

“Testarossa’s not the only one who has troubles,” Signum said simply. “Everyone has their issues.”

“That’s true,” admitted Hayate, but she continued, “but everyone’s not constantly being reminded that they’re only second-best in other people’s eyes.”

“That’s…” Signum searched for the right words. “It’s hard,” she confessed, surprised at her candid response to that searingly honest and kind face looking up at hers. “Watching her walking around this house, speaking with that same voice, and that identical face…sometimes I lose the days and forget. Then my heart breaks all over again when I realize that she’s dead, that this isn’t her but someone else.”

“I’m sorry for you guys,” Hayate said, letting go of her wheel rim to squeeze Signum’s hand briefly. “I really am. I think that you all loved Alicia a lot, and that she did so much for all of you. But I’m sorry, I can’t forgive her for abandoning Fate, not when I spent so many nights watching Fate cry herself to sleep because of it. They’re not similar at all to me.”

“I wish it were the same for me.” Wistfully, Signum put a hand on the closer handle of Hayate’s wheelchair, keeping them together as they moved down the hallway.

“Maybe you could start,” Hayate suggested gently, “by calling her by something different.”

“I look at her,” Signum said, “and only one name comes to me when I see her face.”

Smiling sadly, Hayate shook her head. “And you wonder why none of you can let Alicia go.”

“That,” Signum whispered, trembling with a deep sorrow that put a waver in her voice, “and none of us can forget how she died.”

......And the plot thickens . I hope the small time jump wasn't too jarring.


Previous Parts:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Next chapter: Albatross Necklaces: Fate learns how Alicia was killed, Nanoha reveals what happened to her during the Jewel Seed fight and the origin of the first Black Angel is told...

That was good. Very good.

Tension runs thick here. Nothing can be done about that.

*Eagerly awaits the next chapter.*

[Tabasco]

I remembered liking this chapter, glad to see my memory wasn't playing tricks on me.

Showing the different ways that each handled the process according to their temperament was a nice touch.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

This comes unbetaed because I was later in finishing it than I had anticipated .

For those who are following the story, I've got an announcement: I won't be updating any chapters for a month, as I'll be doing the NaNo Writing Contest (1700 words a day!) in November and so won't have time left over to write fanfics for a while. I wanted to get one last chapter out before November, so here it is!

Finally it's Angels vs. Wardens over a Jewel Seed! And we get to meet Alicia's murderer for the first time...

ANGEL
Is second-best really good enough?

Spoiler for Angel, Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Pan Flash

Fate landed lightly, following Arf’s lead and pivoting around, bringing Bardiche down in a diagonal slash. A jolt went through her arm as she connected with Signum’s blade, far more painful than when she tried the same move on Nanoha! Luckily for her, Signum’s retaliating blow came slower than Nanoha’s ninja-fast parries, allowing Fate enough time to relax and let Arf take her sideways, dodging the strike. Even so, Fate could feel the displaced air and the soft whump as Signum’s sword cleaved by.

Arf barked and spun them around again. Fate heard metal clash against metal as Nanoha engaged Signum, covering Fate long enough for her to get back into attack position.

“Now!” Fate commanded, and while she couldn’t hear Nanoha moving she had to trust that the other girl had. She brought Bardiche back and felt the magic tingle increase to a flare.

“Scythe Slash.”

Fate swung Bardiche forward, mentally releasing the charged arc. A sizzling noise filled the air with ozone when it struck Signum’s auto-shield, then Signum grunted and gasped, causing Fate to dissipate the scythe immediately.

“It went through,” Nanoha told her, her voice high with excitement. Of course she would be excited; it took them two weeks to get Fate up to doing that without missing embarrassingly.

Fate grinned happily and collapsed Bardiche into his storage form, mussing Arf’s ears affectionately. “I didn’t hurt you Signum, did I?”

“No,” Signum replied, her voice a little rougher than usual. Not all of it seemed to be from exertion so Fate tilted her head, listening for nuances. “You did fine, Testarossa.”

“Yay, Fate-chan!” Hayate cheered from the sidelines, clapping her hands.

“Good job,” Carim commented, “but there’s no way an attack of that level can likely hurt Shamal, if it even makes it through her shields. I’ve only ever seen one other person with stronger shields than her…and the Jewel Seeds aren’t easy targets either.”

“It’s, uh, not the power that cuts barriers,” Fate rubbed her head sheepishly. “Just the touch of the scythe’s magic breaks through them.” Oh lord, tense silence. Fate sighed internally—seems Alicia never told them that either. She had probably let them continue to assume that it took power to do so…was she trying to fool everyone so that even the Wardens would believe it?

“Hey Fate, could you spot me on the weights?” Sweet Hayate, always shifting the awkward moment to the side and powering forward. Her voice came closer, her chair’s wheels squeaking slightly on the hard floor. Those familiar creaks meant that Hayate had transferred herself to one of the workout benches, and Fate prompted Arf forward. Hayate continued, “Oh, I made some sandwiches for everyone, they’re on the kitchen table.”

After the others’ murmurs faded along with their footsteps, Fate unbuckled Arf from her harness then put her hands on the barbell, raising an eyebrow. “Alright Hayate, what did you want to talk about?”

“Why do you always assume I want something?” Hayate protested, but her tone was too teasing for Fate to take her seriously.

“Because you’re a devious mastermind hiding behind that innocent face,” Fate said drily. “Plus you’re twice as strong as I am, so my spotting for you isn’t really that helpful.” She let Hayate do a few reps in silence, then asked, “So?”

Hayate grunted. “You know how Carim and I have been reading the Prophecy everyday, right?”

“Yes, after you started speaking to her again, you mean?”

“Yeah…we’re seeing lots of a desert, so finding the exact location is hard since all we keep seeing is sand, you know? Um…every time we try, I keep feeling this build-up, like a tension rising—” Hayate broke off, then exclaimed, “Fate! That’s not what I meant! Sheesh, your whole face is red!” The barbell clanked back onto its supports as Hayate started giggling.

Fate felt her face grow hotter as she defended herself feebly, “H-hey, I can’t help it…it’s all your fault in the first place!”

“So I succeeded in dragging your mind to the gutter like mine?” Hayate teased. Then her voice fell. “I think…we’re going to find one soon. One of the Jewel Seeds.”

Angling her head, Fate deciphered the various tones in her friend’s voice. “You sound almost scared.”

She felt Hayate sit up and slip a hand into one of hers. “I…I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” Fate chuckled in astonishment and gave Hayate her usual half-smile.

“See, you’re doing it again.” Hayate’s grip tightened.

Silent for a moment, Fate patted Hayate’s arm. “So do you,” she said quietly. “You’re not telling me something. Is it about the Tome? As far as I know, you’re the only non-magical person I know who’s ever been its reader. Is there something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the Tome,” Hayate said, but Fate could hear the faint strains of a half-lie marring Hayate’s smooth voice. “Come on, two more sets then I have to find Carim. She’s convinced that we can find the Seed before the Wardens, and today could be it.”

***

Leaning back on the headboard, Hayate opened the Tome, golden light drowning out Carim’s face across from her on the bed. Vaguely, some part of her was aware of/could see scenes of a desert, flashes of dunes and the crash of waves on rocks, and clouds of steam gusting across the sandy plains, hinting at the Jewel Seed’s location. But she had seen all this before.

“I know that you’ve had previous Readers/Masters before,” Hayate leaned on her right armrest, putting her head closer to the Tome’s symbol hovering beside her. “Did they all only speak with you to find the Jewel Seeds?”

A flutter, like leaves blown in the wind, darted across Hayate’s skin, soft yet cutting. A couple of weeks before, Hayate had to heavily guess what answers she was getting from the Tome. Now, it took her practically no effort at all.

“I’m sorry that no one was kind to you before.”

Suddenly, a blast of hot air roared by Hayate, making her yelp. Then sharp images slammed into Hayate’s field of view—

—A black cloak cracked and bit at the air, then was swept aside by the arc of a glowing yellow scythe—

—A face, terrifying in its perfect, angelic beauty, filled with agony as swirls of sapphire hair haloed her flushed cheeks—

—The Tome, cradled in a black-gloved arm, every crevasse in the cover lighting up with the reflected glow of battle-magic—

—A scream, bleeding from the sound of a heart breaking—

A sapphire explosion sent blue shards in all directions, blue and full of power, reflected in the field of blank amethyst eyes—

“HAYATE!”

The snap back to the real world made Hayate slam her head backwards into the wall, causing her vision to go starry. Soft hands immediately brushed through her hair, and Carim crouched over her, worried yet shaking with barely concealed excitement.

“Are you okay? You have to do whatever you did in that last moment again next time, since I’ve never gotten a clearer picture before!” Carim raved. “We found it—the next Jewel Seed!”

***

“Why,” Nanoha lamented, “is it cold in a desert?”

Fate shivered, bending to one knee to hug Arf’s warm body. The warmth that had appeared in the teleportation had faded once they had all materialized, making Fate wish that she could waste the energy to summon a circle back up. She almost did it too. The Black Angel’s outfit was not the warmest of clothes. “It’s the Atacama Desert,” she explained. “The driest place on Earth. There’s a marine fog that blows by…how’s visibility?”

“Poor,” Signum replied, “because of that fog.” A shiver of metal rang as she drew her broadsword, making Arf whine and put back her ears. “Let’s move quickly, the Wardens will be here soon.”

Fate nodded, calling out Bardiche, keeping the scythe blade low at her side. Inside her chest she felt a tingling, like a crystal pulse that vibrated through space into her heart. “Forward,” she urged Arf, and the two of them trotted off, spraying sand in their wake as Fate followed that tantalizing call. It felt familiar, almost as if she had encountered them before…but she had never seen one, not even when she had been at Mother’s house five years ago.

Almost like a long lost part of her. From the snippets Fate had overheard here and there when she was younger, she could deduce that she probably wasn’t far off from the truth.

“Sorry that we couldn’t get a closer location,” Carim said apologetically. She had been apologizing ever since they had mobilized to retrieve the Jewel, no matter how many times Fate had told her it was alright. Yet at the same time she kept challenging Fate’s coordinates, fretting about minute adjustments.

Alicia probably never—Fate sighed, took a deep breath, and shook her head. No resenting, she had promised herself.

“We’re really close,” Fate told them. “A few more kilometres, and I can probably activate it—”

“We know,” Nanoha interrupted. “That’s how Alicia did it.”

Fate reminded herself to take another breath. She heard Signum’s sharp intake as well.

“They’re coming!” Signum growled urgently. A second and third metallic hiss sounded as Nanoha drew her blades, and a crackle of magic came from Fate’s left where Carim was. An instant later, Fate felt the incoming rush of teleporation magic—but how did Signum know before her?

“Fate, go for the Jewel!” Nanoha yelled. “I’ll cover you—Carim, bombard them the moment they appear, then keep Shamal off balance. Signum!”

“Stop the cyborg, then Teana,” Signum’s low voice answered. Fate didn’t hear the rest—they were here.

The roar of Carim’s attack overpowered all other sounds, turning Fate doubly-blind as she ran alongside Arf, trying not to stumble in the loose sand. She had no idea where anyone else was, but Nanoha had her back—

“Arf, stop.” Fate gritted her teeth and concentrated, reaching deeper into herself than she ever had before. The Seeds were chaos, they were power, so only wild and loose magic could wake them. Bardiche’s eye crackled with magic, sizzling into a sparking bolt that joined with her heart—

Wishes, a soft, strange voice whispered in Fate’s mind, unobtrusive as a long-forgotten memory.

Wishes? Fate thought frantically, then felt the Jewel Seed blaze awake.

“Seal it!” She heard Nanoha cry.

“Sealing.”

Briefly, Fate felt the Jewel Seed resist, fighting furiously against her sealing magic, then suddenly it yielded, sending a warm, kind sensation rushing through both of them—

“AT YOUR RIGHT!” Nanoha screamed.

Fate whirled, almost tripping over Arf who was trying to turn a different way. A huge force bowled her over from behind, smashing into Fate so hard she had no perception of falling, only the impact as she slammed face-first into the ground.

“ALICIA!” She heard Nanoha shriek—from her other side? Did she get turned around—

Hot pain flared down her back—Fate screamed, tasting blood, and she half-crawled away, whimpering and half-dragged by a snarling Arf before giant claws caught her around the chest and batted her into the air, tearing Arf’s harness from her hand.

Nanoha’s voice, coming in jagged pieces through the pounding in Fate’s head, “Don’t move!”

Then Nanoha’s voice again, “NO! I won’t let you this time—Alicia! Run!”

Fate barely got her knees under her before she sensed her attacker coming at her again and she was flung across the plains again, entirely disorientated. She thrust out a hand and got a handful of sand, a futile attempt to anchor herself to steady earth before the world spun away from under her once more.

Desperately, Fate turned her fall into a blind flight—she hadn’t bothered learning how to fly, since what use would it be when she couldn’t see?—zooming sideways and dodging a blow purely by luck. Displaced air told her just how close the attack had come before she crashed into something furry, hearing Arf yelp before turning it into a howl, leaping from Fate’s arms while snarling like a hell-beast.

“Arf, no!” Fate cried, and screamed when she heard Arf yowl, and their attacker start laughing. Then a voice spoke, chillingly whimsical and cheerful…

“You must be Fate. I wonder…will you scream like Alicia did when I put three feet of steel through her chest? Or maybe I’ll stick your puppy-dog first, and hear you scream like Nanoha did when all she could do was watch me helplessly.”

Fate lunged, scrambling over the ground towards where she could hear Arf whimpering and moaning. She imagined the owner of that cruel voice readying another series of attacks, and threw herself over Arf, feeling warm liquid smearing on her skin as a teleportation circle erupted beneath them.

“Fate!” yelled Nanoha.

Frantic, Fate cast the teleport, hearing the last echoes of her sister’s murderer laughing as they vanished. Her arms were wrapped around the limp, bloody Arf, holding her close, the most precious lifeline Fate had.

Don’t die, don’t die, it’s all my fault, Arf, please…

They rematerialized, Fate clutching Arf to her chest, feeling fearfully for signs of breathing. Although most of what she smelled was blood, her blood and Arf’s, Fate stiffened when she couldn’t recognize the scents filling the room they had appeared in. This wasn’t Mother’s house.

“Arf…” Fate groaned, stroking Arf’s wet fur. She heard footsteps approaching, but she didn’t care anymore.

“You’re lost,” a voice said, its tones low and soothing. Gently, a hand touched Fate’s shoulder, then slid down to apply pressure to the bleeding wound on her back. “You’re hurt…”

“I killed her,” Fate sobbed.

“She’s still alive,” the kind voice told her. “She won’t leave you without a fight. But you have to take her home, alright? Take her home and take care of her hurts, and your own.” The woman—from her voice and the quality of her touch, Fate knew it was a woman—smoothed Fate’s sweat-soaked bangs away, the action calming the blonde down as much as the gentle reassurances. The stranger must have done something to Arf, because Fate felt her dog shudder then twitch underneath her hands, weakly whining.

The woman let Fate hug Arf tearfully for a few moments, then said, “Now you have to go back. Do you remember the coordinates? Take your time doing them, there’s no need to rush…”

Scrubbing her tears away from her stinging eyes, Fate nodded, cradling Arf carefully to her body. She felt Arf lick her cheek and whine deep in her throat. Taking a breath, Fate called up the teleportation circle, the warm glow of the glyphs flowing around them.

“That’s it, you’re alright, see?” Footsteps retreated until the woman was out of range of Fate’s circle. “Everything will be alright, you’re doing fine.”

“…Thank you,” Fate whispered.

A smile in her voice, the woman replied, “You’re welcome, dear. Now go, before your friends worry.”

Fate closed her eyes and activated the teleport, focusing on Mother’s house. As they disappeared, she also noted and memorized the coordinates of their location, carrying that knowledge with the warm delight in her heart as Arf licked her face, reassuring both of them that they were loved.

***

“They got the Jewel,” Nanoha said flatly.

Fate paled further, her hands trembling around her teacup. Signum supposed that it was just as well that the blonde was blind—at least she didn’t have to see the expressions directed her way. Although Signum was surprised to see Precia out of her workroom and attending the debriefing with them, since the woman had been inconsolable for weeks. Precia sat at the head of the table opposite of Fate, recording everything in her sharp handwriting on a worn journal and her expression was practically mild compared to everyone else. Even Hayate appeared riled up, although so far she was holding her tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Fate swallowed, looking anxious and resigned, her shoulders hunched as if she expected to get struck. She looked like she knew very well how that felt. “I…Arf was hurt, and—”

“Don’t make excuses,” Signum said. “You panicked.”

Instead of cringing, conversely her statement seemed to make Fate relax a smidgeon. “I did,” she agreed, taking a quick gulp from her cup. “I was scared that she was going to kill Arf, and Nanoha’s directions seemed to contradict each other—”

“Reinforce,” Nanoha interrupted, her words clipped, “is a shape-shifter.”

“I didn’t know that,” Fate said. “Sorry. And when she spoke about killing—”

“You should have grabbed the Jewel Seed the moment you sealed it.” Nanoha’s expression was closed off, although her tone clearly showed her disappointment. “Not only did you leave it for Reinforce to take, but you ran off instead of helping us out.”

Fate flinched. “I’m sorry…it’s just that I thought she was going to kill Arf—”

“Stop,” Precia spoke up, her voice both mocking and disdainful, matching her deliberate movements as she stopped writing in the journal that she used to record their missions, “speaking of that mutt as if she’s more important than any of us here.”

The blonde lowered her head, becoming so subdued it took effort for Signum to see that she was still breathing. But eventually Fate took a breath and said, her words braver than her faltering tone, “Arf’s my friend and partner. I don’t think that she’s more important than…any of this. It was my fault that I panicked, I’m sorry.”

“We’re the ones who are sorry,” Precia said silkily. “Because of your blundering, the White Wardens are almost capable of destroying everything so many of us died protecting.”

“There are still two Jewel Seeds left,” Nanoha offered dully. “If we can prevent them from getting either of them, then we’re safe.”

Sniffing derisively, Precia set down her fountain pen. “If Fate had claimed this one, then the likelihood of their obtaining fourteen would have been low.”

“And just how is this farce of a meeting supposed to help with that?” Hayate demanded, her blue eyes fierce as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. “Aren’t you supposed to help Fate fix her mistakes instead of stoning her with insults?”

“The truth is, we’re always outnumbered,” Carim said, gently chiding. “We’ve been lucky, and Nanoha and Signum are really good, so we had scraped by before.” Not looking at Fate, she added softly, “Alicia always bailed us out, even if she was fighting her own opponents. We’ve become complacent, expecting things to stay that way.”

“You’re not being fair!” Hayate protested, ignoring Fate shaking her head. “Drawing conclusions from just one fight!”

“What’s not fair,” Precia retorted, her eyes glittering, “are the people who will die when the Wardens obtain fourteen Jewel Seeds. Let me explain this to you simply, since you clearly didn’t understand. The Wardens get fourteen Seeds, the world is destroyed. Because once they have fourteen, they can open Al Hazard and wish for anything they want.” She paused: savouring the moment, the idea, the flash of guilty desire from everyone present. “To create a new world, where their deepest wishes are reality…but a new world means the end of the old one. Our world, and these versions of ourselves. Do you understand now?”

Signum saw Hayate tense and quickly reached under the table to put a warning hand on the brunette’s arm, but Fate quietly said “Leave it, Hayate,” stopping her friend before she could speak.

Precia closed her book, keeping her glinting eyes on Hayate, who glared back defiantly. “If that’s all? Then excuse me, I have research to do, since I was interrupted earlier today.” She swept out, but Fate’s posture remained hunched like a beaten dog’s even after the door closed behind Precia. Signum felt a jolt of detached sympathy for her.

Nanoha stood, her chair scraping back. “I’m going for a run,” she mumbled.

Fate’s head rose, and right when Nanoha opened the door she whispered urgently, “Nanoha?” Nanoha stopped. Licking her lips, Fate faced the brunette beseechingly, gripping her cane tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nanoha replied tiredly, but her tone gave her away. “We’ll just work a little harder and maybe change up our strategy. It’ll be fine the next time.” The door slid shut.

Hayate wheeled herself back and spun, about to go over to Fate when the blonde said quietly, “Thanks Hayate, but…could you give me a bit of time to think about things?”

Hayate hesitated, but sighed eventually. “Okay, Fate-chan. But don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Signum rose, opening the door for Hayate. She let it slide closed. “She’ll be alright. Underneath everything, Testarossa’s tough.”

“It’s hard to be tough when you can’t ever catch a break,” Hayate retorted, wheeling herself with short, angry pushes. With her long strides, Signum kept up easily, the bottom of her longcoat swishing by her calves to match the thuds of Hayate’s hands on her wheels.

“Testarossa’s not the only one who has troubles,” Signum said simply. “Everyone has their issues.”

“That’s true,” admitted Hayate, but she continued, “but everyone’s not constantly being reminded that they’re only second-best in other people’s eyes.”

“That’s…” Signum searched for the right words. “It’s hard,” she confessed, surprised at her candid response to that searingly honest and kind face looking up at hers. “Watching her walking around this house, speaking with that same voice, and that identical face…sometimes I lose the days and forget. Then my heart breaks all over again when I realize that she’s dead, that this isn’t her but someone else.”

“I’m sorry for you guys,” Hayate said, letting go of her wheel rim to squeeze Signum’s hand briefly. “I really am. I think that you all loved Alicia a lot, and that she did so much for all of you. But I’m sorry, I can’t forgive her for abandoning Fate, not when I spent so many nights watching Fate cry herself to sleep because of it. They’re not similar at all to me.”

“I wish it were the same for me.” Wistfully, Signum put a hand on the closer handle of Hayate’s wheelchair, keeping them together as they moved down the hallway.

“Maybe you could start,” Hayate suggested gently, “by calling her by something different.”

“I look at her,” Signum said, “and only one name comes to me when I see her face.”

Smiling sadly, Hayate shook her head. “And you wonder why none of you can let Alicia go.”

“That,” Signum whispered, trembling with a deep sorrow that put a waver in her voice, “and none of us can forget how she died.”

......And the plot thickens . I hope the small time jump wasn't too jarring.


Previous Parts:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Next chapter: Albatross Necklaces: Fate learns how Alicia was killed, Nanoha reveals what happened to her during the Jewel Seed fight and the origin of the first Black Angel is told...

Wow. I just caught up with this story and... wow. I love the 'verse and the worldbuilding. Its fascinating to see our beloved characters pushed to new situations and how they're similar and differ. I love the tension going on and while I do sympathize with Nanoha and co., I'm on Fate and Hayate's side.

I'm very glad Hayate is on Fate's side.

[kaname08]

Originally Posted by Satashi

Don't like the idea of Nanoha drugging someone and taking advantage of them. specially since you kept referring to "while Fate is away" which I'm assuming means that Nanoha and Fate are together? So Nanoha drugs someone to sex them while cheating on Fate at same time? O.< squick for me.



I'd try and do something else but I'm worried I could never live up to the first one

@Alavon: Will read after school today <3

Hehe...ugh...I realized that I made a slight mistake when coming up with the idea.

THIS...is what I actually had planned (I messed up on the title as well the first time):

When the Lieutenant is Away, the White Devil Goes to Play

Synopsis: When Hayate is called out for a meeting that extends to a week, a somewhat bored Nanoha then overhears from Shamal's office about a capsule that is given to one of the Lightning Team members and its "effects". However, what gets her attention is the "side-effect". So...what does the bored Ace of Ace decide to do to kill time?

Answer: Assist with the experiment by using it on a certain blonde Enforcer.

Reason: Nanoha asks Shiro's partner Mizuki about the pills and who it was given to and asks if she could "borrow" them. Once Shiro realizes it's missing...he seems relieved at first...but when he puts two and two together...he doesn't realize that the White Devil has other plans when he realizes what he told the Lieutenant makes itself known to Mizuki's older sister via the Ace of Aces and goes to pay a visit to help her sister's partner. [In short...Mizuki's older sister Rika is into both guys and girls (excluding her younger sister).]

However, before that happens, Nanoha decides to try it out on Fate first to see if it lives up to what it said. As a result...Shiro is going to learn another reason as to why the Ace of Aces is sometimes called the "White Devil".

My apologies for the confusion.

[kaname08]

I almost forgot to mention one other thing...I might probably write a sequel to that lemon because...in my previous attempt at writing my Nanoha fanfic, I tried to add a bit of humor in which Hayate plays a little joke on Fate, which turns out to help Nanoha more and eventually backfires on her. Yet...it later backfires even further on Hayate when one of the Forwards gives a little suggestion to help Fate craft her revenge.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by kaname08

However, before that happens, Nanoha decides to try it out on Fate first to see if it lives up to what it said. As a result...Shiro is going to learn another reason as to why the Ace of Aces is sometimes called the "White Devil".

My apologies for the confusion.

So its NanoFate? What's Shiro got to do with anything?

I can definitely see the Spoonful influence here.

Originally Posted by Alavon

Spoiler for Dreaming Awake (Slight NSFW):

Dreaming Awake

There were moments when looking at Fate would create sudden, inexplicable urges to jump the blond...sexually of course. It didn't matter whether it was during the early mornings or late at night; 'anywhere and anytime' was Nanoha's motto, much to Fate's excitement...and occasional dismay.

But tonight...it was different.

Fate made the first move and that was all that mattered to the TSAB's 'White Devil'.

Buttons flew everywhere like bullets as the shirts were ripped apart in their haste and Fate's skirt was quickly tossed aside without much complaint. Sharp gasps were let out as warm, gentle hands explores the long sought after flesh, touching just the right places. As Fate began to kiss the brunettes neck, Nanoha gasped out,”F-Fate...ah! W-wait, I'm not-ahh...p-please...”

After Fate left her mark, she replied huskily to Nanoha's ear,”What's the matter? I thought you wanted...” She suddenly sucked on Nanoha's earlobe making Nanoha let out a loud moan. “...this?”

Nanoha had to stop the blond from going there and managed to gasp out,”I-I do but-” She let out a moan as Fate's hand finally got away from Nanoha's grip. “...but we're...ah! W-were. In. The. Kitchen...”

Fate smiled suggestively and whispered at Nanoha's neck,”So? I'm leaving for three months for the first time and...” She pressed Nanoha's weak spot which made the girl crumpled on to Fate's body who lifted her up on the counter. “...I. Want. You. Now...”

Fate then pressed her moist lips on Nanoha's and all logical thoughts were thrown out the window after that initial contact. Nanoha wrapped her legs around the blonds slender waist and brought her closer, deepening the kiss.

It was perfect.

It was romantic.

It was a disaster.

Red and green eyes blinked sleepily as the two women froze on the spot. Vivio had apparently just woken up to get a bottle of milk and instead saw her parents...on the counter.

Almost completely naked.

In the kitchen.

At night.

Fate and Nanoha quickly looked at each other but a soft yawn broke the awkward silence that had engulfed the kitchen. Vivio walked to the refrigerator, took out her bottle of milk, drank it all in less than a minute and after carefully watching her bottle in the sink, left the kitchen as quickly as she had came.

Both Fate and Nanoha just stared at the dark living room that Vivio had disappeared to.

“Uh...I guess...we should continue?” laughed Nanoha, sheepishly.

BONK!

“Ow...that hurt, Fate....”

---

The next morning had came too quickly for both Fate and Nanoha. They had spend much of the night contemplating what to say to the hyperactive, heterochromatic girl that would surely bounce down to the kitchen. In the end, both mother's decided to just explain to their daughter what had happen, after all, honesty was the most important rule in raising a family...or at least that was what the book said.

As if on cue, Vivio entered the kitchen, a huge smile plastered on her young face.

“So what's for breakfast?” she asked, eying her parents who both looked as though they would faint from all the blood that was rushing up their poor heads.

Nanoha decided to speak first and said nervously,”Vivio...it's okay. You don't have to pretend.”

Vivio raised an eyebrow and after tilting her head slightly said,”What are you talking about, Nanoha-mama?”

It was Fate's turn to talk. Sighing, she said,”Vivio, we both know that you saw us last night...here.”

Vivio appeared to be even more confused because she stared at both her parents with a bewilder expression.

“Huh?”

“Sweetie, you saw us in the middle of...” Fate couldn't finish her sentence and thankfully Nanoha stepped in. “Vivio, you saw us almost having sex.”

For a brief moment, Fate and Nanoha both feared that Vivio had stopped breathing. Vivio's face suddenly became blank and Nanoha finally couldn't hold it anymore.

“Honey, it's okay to say what's in your mind-” But she stopped as soon as she saw color draining from Vivio's face.

“Vivio?” asked Fate, taking a step towards the frozen girl. “Are you all right?”

Then, almost instantaneous, Vivio's eyes went round and she fell on her butt; she looked like she was about to throw up.

“Vivio! What's wrong!?”

Vivio looked up her mother's concerned faces and, while breathing profoundly, shrieked,”Are you telling me that it wasn't a DREAM!?”

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

I didn't realize that it was long. I hope you enjoyed it! X3 Now, I'm going to rest so until then, bye.

Spoiler for omake?:

Nanoha leaned forward, hands slamming on the table. "Why are you dreaming about us having sex!?

Fate pulled Nanoha back. "shhh, just be glad she didn't try to join in like that other time...

I loved it :3 really cute and funny!

[BPHaru]

Originally Posted by Alavon

I'm really sick right now but I had just enough strength to finish this one-shot. The idea came to me when I woke up this morning from a dream which was strange since I don't normally remember my dreams. When I do remember it's when I'm getting sick or when I'm already sick.

Again, I'm not feeling well so there WILL be mistakes. I will hopefully come back when I get better so until then, enjoy this one-shot from me.

Oh! Before I forget. This one-shot is dedicated to Satashi for updating a lot of AlternativeS for us. Keep up the good work! :3

Enjoy!

Spoiler for Dreaming Awake (Slight NSFW):

Dreaming Awake

There were moments when looking at Fate would create sudden, inexplicable urges to jump the blond...sexually of course. It didn't matter whether it was during the early mornings or late at night; 'anywhere and anytime' was Nanoha's motto, much to Fate's excitement...and occasional dismay.

But tonight...it was different.

Fate made the first move and that was all that mattered to the TSAB's 'White Devil'.

Buttons flew everywhere like bullets as the shirts were ripped apart in their haste and Fate's skirt was quickly tossed aside without much complaint. Sharp gasps were let out as warm, gentle hands explores the long sought after flesh, touching just the right places. As Fate began to kiss the brunettes neck, Nanoha gasped out,”F-Fate...ah! W-wait, I'm not-ahh...p-please...”

After Fate left her mark, she replied huskily to Nanoha's ear,”What's the matter? I thought you wanted...” She suddenly sucked on Nanoha's earlobe making Nanoha let out a loud moan. “...this?”

Nanoha had to stop the blond from going there and managed to gasp out,”I-I do but-” She let out a moan as Fate's hand finally got away from Nanoha's grip. “...but we're...ah! W-were. In. The. Kitchen...”

Fate smiled suggestively and whispered at Nanoha's neck,”So? I'm leaving for three months for the first time and...” She pressed Nanoha's weak spot which made the girl crumpled on to Fate's body who lifted her up on the counter. “...I. Want. You. Now...”

Fate then pressed her moist lips on Nanoha's and all logical thoughts were thrown out the window after that initial contact. Nanoha wrapped her legs around the blonds slender waist and brought her closer, deepening the kiss.

It was perfect.

It was romantic.

It was a disaster.

Red and green eyes blinked sleepily as the two women froze on the spot. Vivio had apparently just woken up to get a bottle of milk and instead saw her parents...on the counter.

Almost completely naked.

In the kitchen.

At night.

Fate and Nanoha quickly looked at each other but a soft yawn broke the awkward silence that had engulfed the kitchen. Vivio walked to the refrigerator, took out her bottle of milk, drank it all in less than a minute and after carefully watching her bottle in the sink, left the kitchen as quickly as she had came.

Both Fate and Nanoha just stared at the dark living room that Vivio had disappeared to.

“Uh...I guess...we should continue?” laughed Nanoha, sheepishly.

BONK!

“Ow...that hurt, Fate....”

---

The next morning had came too quickly for both Fate and Nanoha. They had spend much of the night contemplating what to say to the hyperactive, heterochromatic girl that would surely bounce down to the kitchen. In the end, both mother's decided to just explain to their daughter what had happen, after all, honesty was the most important rule in raising a family...or at least that was what the book said.

As if on cue, Vivio entered the kitchen, a huge smile plastered on her young face.

“So what's for breakfast?” she asked, eying her parents who both looked as though they would faint from all the blood that was rushing up their poor heads.

Nanoha decided to speak first and said nervously,”Vivio...it's okay. You don't have to pretend.”

Vivio raised an eyebrow and after tilting her head slightly said,”What are you talking about, Nanoha-mama?”

It was Fate's turn to talk. Sighing, she said,”Vivio, we both know that you saw us last night...here.”

Vivio appeared to be even more confused because she stared at both her parents with a bewilder expression.

“Huh?”

“Sweetie, you saw us in the middle of...” Fate couldn't finish her sentence and thankfully Nanoha stepped in. “Vivio, you saw us almost having sex.”

For a brief moment, Fate and Nanoha both feared that Vivio had stopped breathing. Vivio's face suddenly became blank and Nanoha finally couldn't hold it anymore.

“Honey, it's okay to say what's in your mind-” But she stopped as soon as she saw color draining from Vivio's face.

“Vivio?” asked Fate, taking a step towards the frozen girl. “Are you all right?”

Then, almost instantaneous, Vivio's eyes went round and she fell on her butt; she looked like she was about to throw up.

“Vivio! What's wrong!?”

Vivio looked up her mother's concerned faces and, while breathing profoundly, shrieked,”Are you telling me that it wasn't a DREAM!?”

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

I didn't realize that it was long. I hope you enjoyed it! X3 Now, I'm going to rest so until then, bye.

That was a fun reading, thanks Alavon, as always you did a good job.
Satashi's omake was good too.

Saludos

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

This comes unbetaed because I was later in finishing it than I had anticipated .

For those who are following the story, I've got an announcement: I won't be updating any chapters for a month, as I'll be doing the NaNo Writing Contest (1700 words a day!) in November and so won't have time left over to write fanfics for a while. I wanted to get one last chapter out before November, so here it is!

Finally it's Angels vs. Wardens over a Jewel Seed! And we get to meet Alicia's murderer for the first time...

ANGEL
Is second-best really good enough?

Spoiler for Angel, Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Pan Flash

Fate landed lightly, following Arf’s lead and pivoting around, bringing Bardiche down in a diagonal slash. A jolt went through her arm as she connected with Signum’s blade, far more painful than when she tried the same move on Nanoha! Luckily for her, Signum’s retaliating blow came slower than Nanoha’s ninja-fast parries, allowing Fate enough time to relax and let Arf take her sideways, dodging the strike. Even so, Fate could feel the displaced air and the soft whump as Signum’s sword cleaved by.

Arf barked and spun them around again. Fate heard metal clash against metal as Nanoha engaged Signum, covering Fate long enough for her to get back into attack position.

“Now!” Fate commanded, and while she couldn’t hear Nanoha moving she had to trust that the other girl had. She brought Bardiche back and felt the magic tingle increase to a flare.

“Scythe Slash.”

Fate swung Bardiche forward, mentally releasing the charged arc. A sizzling noise filled the air with ozone when it struck Signum’s auto-shield, then Signum grunted and gasped, causing Fate to dissipate the scythe immediately.

“It went through,” Nanoha told her, her voice high with excitement. Of course she would be excited; it took them two weeks to get Fate up to doing that without missing embarrassingly.

Fate grinned happily and collapsed Bardiche into his storage form, mussing Arf’s ears affectionately. “I didn’t hurt you Signum, did I?”

“No,” Signum replied, her voice a little rougher than usual. Not all of it seemed to be from exertion so Fate tilted her head, listening for nuances. “You did fine, Testarossa.”

“Yay, Fate-chan!” Hayate cheered from the sidelines, clapping her hands.

“Good job,” Carim commented, “but there’s no way an attack of that level can likely hurt Shamal, if it even makes it through her shields. I’ve only ever seen one other person with stronger shields than her…and the Jewel Seeds aren’t easy targets either.”

“It’s, uh, not the power that cuts barriers,” Fate rubbed her head sheepishly. “Just the touch of the scythe’s magic breaks through them.” Oh lord, tense silence. Fate sighed internally—seems Alicia never told them that either. She had probably let them continue to assume that it took power to do so…was she trying to fool everyone so that even the Wardens would believe it?

“Hey Fate, could you spot me on the weights?” Sweet Hayate, always shifting the awkward moment to the side and powering forward. Her voice came closer, her chair’s wheels squeaking slightly on the hard floor. Those familiar creaks meant that Hayate had transferred herself to one of the workout benches, and Fate prompted Arf forward. Hayate continued, “Oh, I made some sandwiches for everyone, they’re on the kitchen table.”

After the others’ murmurs faded along with their footsteps, Fate unbuckled Arf from her harness then put her hands on the barbell, raising an eyebrow. “Alright Hayate, what did you want to talk about?”

“Why do you always assume I want something?” Hayate protested, but her tone was too teasing for Fate to take her seriously.

“Because you’re a devious mastermind hiding behind that innocent face,” Fate said drily. “Plus you’re twice as strong as I am, so my spotting for you isn’t really that helpful.” She let Hayate do a few reps in silence, then asked, “So?”

Hayate grunted. “You know how Carim and I have been reading the Prophecy everyday, right?”

“Yes, after you started speaking to her again, you mean?”

“Yeah…we’re seeing lots of a desert, so finding the exact location is hard since all we keep seeing is sand, you know? Um…every time we try, I keep feeling this build-up, like a tension rising—” Hayate broke off, then exclaimed, “Fate! That’s not what I meant! Sheesh, your whole face is red!” The barbell clanked back onto its supports as Hayate started giggling.

Fate felt her face grow hotter as she defended herself feebly, “H-hey, I can’t help it…it’s all your fault in the first place!”

“So I succeeded in dragging your mind to the gutter like mine?” Hayate teased. Then her voice fell. “I think…we’re going to find one soon. One of the Jewel Seeds.”

Angling her head, Fate deciphered the various tones in her friend’s voice. “You sound almost scared.”

She felt Hayate sit up and slip a hand into one of hers. “I…I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” Fate chuckled in astonishment and gave Hayate her usual half-smile.

“See, you’re doing it again.” Hayate’s grip tightened.

Silent for a moment, Fate patted Hayate’s arm. “So do you,” she said quietly. “You’re not telling me something. Is it about the Tome? As far as I know, you’re the only non-magical person I know who’s ever been its reader. Is there something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the Tome,” Hayate said, but Fate could hear the faint strains of a half-lie marring Hayate’s smooth voice. “Come on, two more sets then I have to find Carim. She’s convinced that we can find the Seed before the Wardens, and today could be it.”

***

Leaning back on the headboard, Hayate opened the Tome, golden light drowning out Carim’s face across from her on the bed. Vaguely, some part of her was aware of/could see scenes of a desert, flashes of dunes and the crash of waves on rocks, and clouds of steam gusting across the sandy plains, hinting at the Jewel Seed’s location. But she had seen all this before.

“I know that you’ve had previous Readers/Masters before,” Hayate leaned on her right armrest, putting her head closer to the Tome’s symbol hovering beside her. “Did they all only speak with you to find the Jewel Seeds?”

A flutter, like leaves blown in the wind, darted across Hayate’s skin, soft yet cutting. A couple of weeks before, Hayate had to heavily guess what answers she was getting from the Tome. Now, it took her practically no effort at all.

“I’m sorry that no one was kind to you before.”

Suddenly, a blast of hot air roared by Hayate, making her yelp. Then sharp images slammed into Hayate’s field of view—

—A black cloak cracked and bit at the air, then was swept aside by the arc of a glowing yellow scythe—

—A face, terrifying in its perfect, angelic beauty, filled with agony as swirls of sapphire hair haloed her flushed cheeks—

—The Tome, cradled in a black-gloved arm, every crevasse in the cover lighting up with the reflected glow of battle-magic—

—A scream, bleeding from the sound of a heart breaking—

A sapphire explosion sent blue shards in all directions, blue and full of power, reflected in the field of blank amethyst eyes—

“HAYATE!”

The snap back to the real world made Hayate slam her head backwards into the wall, causing her vision to go starry. Soft hands immediately brushed through her hair, and Carim crouched over her, worried yet shaking with barely concealed excitement.

“Are you okay? You have to do whatever you did in that last moment again next time, since I’ve never gotten a clearer picture before!” Carim raved. “We found it—the next Jewel Seed!”

***

“Why,” Nanoha lamented, “is it cold in a desert?”

Fate shivered, bending to one knee to hug Arf’s warm body. The warmth that had appeared in the teleportation had faded once they had all materialized, making Fate wish that she could waste the energy to summon a circle back up. She almost did it too. The Black Angel’s outfit was not the warmest of clothes. “It’s the Atacama Desert,” she explained. “The driest place on Earth. There’s a marine fog that blows by…how’s visibility?”

“Poor,” Signum replied, “because of that fog.” A shiver of metal rang as she drew her broadsword, making Arf whine and put back her ears. “Let’s move quickly, the Wardens will be here soon.”

Fate nodded, calling out Bardiche, keeping the scythe blade low at her side. Inside her chest she felt a tingling, like a crystal pulse that vibrated through space into her heart. “Forward,” she urged Arf, and the two of them trotted off, spraying sand in their wake as Fate followed that tantalizing call. It felt familiar, almost as if she had encountered them before…but she had never seen one, not even when she had been at Mother’s house five years ago.

Almost like a long lost part of her. From the snippets Fate had overheard here and there when she was younger, she could deduce that she probably wasn’t far off from the truth.

“Sorry that we couldn’t get a closer location,” Carim said apologetically. She had been apologizing ever since they had mobilized to retrieve the Jewel, no matter how many times Fate had told her it was alright. Yet at the same time she kept challenging Fate’s coordinates, fretting about minute adjustments.

Alicia probably never—Fate sighed, took a deep breath, and shook her head. No resenting, she had promised herself.

“We’re really close,” Fate told them. “A few more kilometres, and I can probably activate it—”

“We know,” Nanoha interrupted. “That’s how Alicia did it.”

Fate reminded herself to take another breath. She heard Signum’s sharp intake as well.

“They’re coming!” Signum growled urgently. A second and third metallic hiss sounded as Nanoha drew her blades, and a crackle of magic came from Fate’s left where Carim was. An instant later, Fate felt the incoming rush of teleporation magic—but how did Signum know before her?

“Fate, go for the Jewel!” Nanoha yelled. “I’ll cover you—Carim, bombard them the moment they appear, then keep Shamal off balance. Signum!”

“Stop the cyborg, then Teana,” Signum’s low voice answered. Fate didn’t hear the rest—they were here.

The roar of Carim’s attack overpowered all other sounds, turning Fate doubly-blind as she ran alongside Arf, trying not to stumble in the loose sand. She had no idea where anyone else was, but Nanoha had her back—

“Arf, stop.” Fate gritted her teeth and concentrated, reaching deeper into herself than she ever had before. The Seeds were chaos, they were power, so only wild and loose magic could wake them. Bardiche’s eye crackled with magic, sizzling into a sparking bolt that joined with her heart—

Wishes, a soft, strange voice whispered in Fate’s mind, unobtrusive as a long-forgotten memory.

Wishes? Fate thought frantically, then felt the Jewel Seed blaze awake.

“Seal it!” She heard Nanoha cry.

“Sealing.”

Briefly, Fate felt the Jewel Seed resist, fighting furiously against her sealing magic, then suddenly it yielded, sending a warm, kind sensation rushing through both of them—

“AT YOUR RIGHT!” Nanoha screamed.

Fate whirled, almost tripping over Arf who was trying to turn a different way. A huge force bowled her over from behind, smashing into Fate so hard she had no perception of falling, only the impact as she slammed face-first into the ground.

“ALICIA!” She heard Nanoha shriek—from her other side? Did she get turned around—

Hot pain flared down her back—Fate screamed, tasting blood, and she half-crawled away, whimpering and half-dragged by a snarling Arf before giant claws caught her around the chest and batted her into the air, tearing Arf’s harness from her hand.

Nanoha’s voice, coming in jagged pieces through the pounding in Fate’s head, “Don’t move!”

Then Nanoha’s voice again, “NO! I won’t let you this time—Alicia! Run!”

Fate barely got her knees under her before she sensed her attacker coming at her again and she was flung across the plains again, entirely disorientated. She thrust out a hand and got a handful of sand, a futile attempt to anchor herself to steady earth before the world spun away from under her once more.

Desperately, Fate turned her fall into a blind flight—she hadn’t bothered learning how to fly, since what use would it be when she couldn’t see?—zooming sideways and dodging a blow purely by luck. Displaced air told her just how close the attack had come before she crashed into something furry, hearing Arf yelp before turning it into a howl, leaping from Fate’s arms while snarling like a hell-beast.

“Arf, no!” Fate cried, and screamed when she heard Arf yowl, and their attacker start laughing. Then a voice spoke, chillingly whimsical and cheerful…

“You must be Fate. I wonder…will you scream like Alicia did when I put three feet of steel through her chest? Or maybe I’ll stick your puppy-dog first, and hear you scream like Nanoha did when all she could do was watch me helplessly.”

Fate lunged, scrambling over the ground towards where she could hear Arf whimpering and moaning. She imagined the owner of that cruel voice readying another series of attacks, and threw herself over Arf, feeling warm liquid smearing on her skin as a teleportation circle erupted beneath them.

“Fate!” yelled Nanoha.

Frantic, Fate cast the teleport, hearing the last echoes of her sister’s murderer laughing as they vanished. Her arms were wrapped around the limp, bloody Arf, holding her close, the most precious lifeline Fate had.

Don’t die, don’t die, it’s all my fault, Arf, please…

They rematerialized, Fate clutching Arf to her chest, feeling fearfully for signs of breathing. Although most of what she smelled was blood, her blood and Arf’s, Fate stiffened when she couldn’t recognize the scents filling the room they had appeared in. This wasn’t Mother’s house.

“Arf…” Fate groaned, stroking Arf’s wet fur. She heard footsteps approaching, but she didn’t care anymore.

“You’re lost,” a voice said, its tones low and soothing. Gently, a hand touched Fate’s shoulder, then slid down to apply pressure to the bleeding wound on her back. “You’re hurt…”

“I killed her,” Fate sobbed.

“She’s still alive,” the kind voice told her. “She won’t leave you without a fight. But you have to take her home, alright? Take her home and take care of her hurts, and your own.” The woman—from her voice and the quality of her touch, Fate knew it was a woman—smoothed Fate’s sweat-soaked bangs away, the action calming the blonde down as much as the gentle reassurances. The stranger must have done something to Arf, because Fate felt her dog shudder then twitch underneath her hands, weakly whining.

The woman let Fate hug Arf tearfully for a few moments, then said, “Now you have to go back. Do you remember the coordinates? Take your time doing them, there’s no need to rush…”

Scrubbing her tears away from her stinging eyes, Fate nodded, cradling Arf carefully to her body. She felt Arf lick her cheek and whine deep in her throat. Taking a breath, Fate called up the teleportation circle, the warm glow of the glyphs flowing around them.

“That’s it, you’re alright, see?” Footsteps retreated until the woman was out of range of Fate’s circle. “Everything will be alright, you’re doing fine.”

“…Thank you,” Fate whispered.

A smile in her voice, the woman replied, “You’re welcome, dear. Now go, before your friends worry.”

Fate closed her eyes and activated the teleport, focusing on Mother’s house. As they disappeared, she also noted and memorized the coordinates of their location, carrying that knowledge with the warm delight in her heart as Arf licked her face, reassuring both of them that they were loved.

***

“They got the Jewel,” Nanoha said flatly.

Fate paled further, her hands trembling around her teacup. Signum supposed that it was just as well that the blonde was blind—at least she didn’t have to see the expressions directed her way. Although Signum was surprised to see Precia out of her workroom and attending the debriefing with them, since the woman had been inconsolable for weeks. Precia sat at the head of the table opposite of Fate, recording everything in her sharp handwriting on a worn journal and her expression was practically mild compared to everyone else. Even Hayate appeared riled up, although so far she was holding her tongue.

“I’m sorry.” Fate swallowed, looking anxious and resigned, her shoulders hunched as if she expected to get struck. She looked like she knew very well how that felt. “I…Arf was hurt, and—”

“Don’t make excuses,” Signum said. “You panicked.”

Instead of cringing, conversely her statement seemed to make Fate relax a smidgeon. “I did,” she agreed, taking a quick gulp from her cup. “I was scared that she was going to kill Arf, and Nanoha’s directions seemed to contradict each other—”

“Reinforce,” Nanoha interrupted, her words clipped, “is a shape-shifter.”

“I didn’t know that,” Fate said. “Sorry. And when she spoke about killing—”

“You should have grabbed the Jewel Seed the moment you sealed it.” Nanoha’s expression was closed off, although her tone clearly showed her disappointment. “Not only did you leave it for Reinforce to take, but you ran off instead of helping us out.”

Fate flinched. “I’m sorry…it’s just that I thought she was going to kill Arf—”

“Stop,” Precia spoke up, her voice both mocking and disdainful, matching her deliberate movements as she stopped writing in the journal that she used to record their missions, “speaking of that mutt as if she’s more important than any of us here.”

The blonde lowered her head, becoming so subdued it took effort for Signum to see that she was still breathing. But eventually Fate took a breath and said, her words braver than her faltering tone, “Arf’s my friend and partner. I don’t think that she’s more important than…any of this. It was my fault that I panicked, I’m sorry.”

“We’re the ones who are sorry,” Precia said silkily. “Because of your blundering, the White Wardens are almost capable of destroying everything so many of us died protecting.”

“There are still two Jewel Seeds left,” Nanoha offered dully. “If we can prevent them from getting either of them, then we’re safe.”

Sniffing derisively, Precia set down her fountain pen. “If Fate had claimed this one, then the likelihood of their obtaining fourteen would have been low.”

“And just how is this farce of a meeting supposed to help with that?” Hayate demanded, her blue eyes fierce as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. “Aren’t you supposed to help Fate fix her mistakes instead of stoning her with insults?”

“The truth is, we’re always outnumbered,” Carim said, gently chiding. “We’ve been lucky, and Nanoha and Signum are really good, so we had scraped by before.” Not looking at Fate, she added softly, “Alicia always bailed us out, even if she was fighting her own opponents. We’ve become complacent, expecting things to stay that way.”

“You’re not being fair!” Hayate protested, ignoring Fate shaking her head. “Drawing conclusions from just one fight!”

“What’s not fair,” Precia retorted, her eyes glittering, “are the people who will die when the Wardens obtain fourteen Jewel Seeds. Let me explain this to you simply, since you clearly didn’t understand. The Wardens get fourteen Seeds, the world is destroyed. Because once they have fourteen, they can open Al Hazard and wish for anything they want.” She paused: savouring the moment, the idea, the flash of guilty desire from everyone present. “To create a new world, where their deepest wishes are reality…but a new world means the end of the old one. Our world, and these versions of ourselves. Do you understand now?”

Signum saw Hayate tense and quickly reached under the table to put a warning hand on the brunette’s arm, but Fate quietly said “Leave it, Hayate,” stopping her friend before she could speak.

Precia closed her book, keeping her glinting eyes on Hayate, who glared back defiantly. “If that’s all? Then excuse me, I have research to do, since I was interrupted earlier today.” She swept out, but Fate’s posture remained hunched like a beaten dog’s even after the door closed behind Precia. Signum felt a jolt of detached sympathy for her.

Nanoha stood, her chair scraping back. “I’m going for a run,” she mumbled.

Fate’s head rose, and right when Nanoha opened the door she whispered urgently, “Nanoha?” Nanoha stopped. Licking her lips, Fate faced the brunette beseechingly, gripping her cane tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nanoha replied tiredly, but her tone gave her away. “We’ll just work a little harder and maybe change up our strategy. It’ll be fine the next time.” The door slid shut.

Hayate wheeled herself back and spun, about to go over to Fate when the blonde said quietly, “Thanks Hayate, but…could you give me a bit of time to think about things?”

Hayate hesitated, but sighed eventually. “Okay, Fate-chan. But don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Signum rose, opening the door for Hayate. She let it slide closed. “She’ll be alright. Underneath everything, Testarossa’s tough.”

“It’s hard to be tough when you can’t ever catch a break,” Hayate retorted, wheeling herself with short, angry pushes. With her long strides, Signum kept up easily, the bottom of her longcoat swishing by her calves to match the thuds of Hayate’s hands on her wheels.

“Testarossa’s not the only one who has troubles,” Signum said simply. “Everyone has their issues.”

“That’s true,” admitted Hayate, but she continued, “but everyone’s not constantly being reminded that they’re only second-best in other people’s eyes.”

“That’s…” Signum searched for the right words. “It’s hard,” she confessed, surprised at her candid response to that searingly honest and kind face looking up at hers. “Watching her walking around this house, speaking with that same voice, and that identical face…sometimes I lose the days and forget. Then my heart breaks all over again when I realize that she’s dead, that this isn’t her but someone else.”

“I’m sorry for you guys,” Hayate said, letting go of her wheel rim to squeeze Signum’s hand briefly. “I really am. I think that you all loved Alicia a lot, and that she did so much for all of you. But I’m sorry, I can’t forgive her for abandoning Fate, not when I spent so many nights watching Fate cry herself to sleep because of it. They’re not similar at all to me.”

“I wish it were the same for me.” Wistfully, Signum put a hand on the closer handle of Hayate’s wheelchair, keeping them together as they moved down the hallway.

“Maybe you could start,” Hayate suggested gently, “by calling her by something different.”

“I look at her,” Signum said, “and only one name comes to me when I see her face.”

Smiling sadly, Hayate shook her head. “And you wonder why none of you can let Alicia go.”

“That,” Signum whispered, trembling with a deep sorrow that put a waver in her voice, “and none of us can forget how she died.”

......And the plot thickens . I hope the small time jump wasn't too jarring.


Previous Parts:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Next chapter: Albatross Necklaces: Fate learns how Alicia was killed, Nanoha reveals what happened to her during the Jewel Seed fight and the origin of the first Black Angel is told...

....

Ouch. Major ouch. You really know how to cut loose on the angst, huh?

The Hayate/Signum moment at the end of the chapter was sweet, but I foresee many problems ahead for the Angels if they can't let Alicia go and see Fate as her own person. They're just hurting themselves even more and setting up for failure every time they try to depend on Fate and see Alicia in her place.

Nice changes to the discussion, especially with Carim and Nanoha. As I said before, you want Fate and Hayate to eventually fall for these people; and that gets hard to do when they're constantly being put down by them! Honestly, though, the only one who comes across as a real bitch is Precia, but I never really liked her to begin with.

Awesome job. A wonderful thing to keep me entertained while I'm at work. ^__^

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

That was good. Very good.

Tension runs thick here. Nothing can be done about that.

*Eagerly awaits the next chapter.*

Thanks! ^^. I was worried a bit about "mood whiplash", but it can't be helped...The set up is finally done and now the story's going to blast off on rocket fuel

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

Wow. I just caught up with this story and... wow. I love the 'verse and the worldbuilding. Its fascinating to see our beloved characters pushed to new situations and how they're similar and differ. I love the tension going on and while I do sympathize with Nanoha and co., I'm on Fate and Hayate's side.

I'm very glad Hayate is on Fate's side.

I'm glad you like it! . It's always a challenge, since I don't want the characters to be miles away from their canon characterization, but the situations and backstories are different. @_@......argh....I want so much to respond that, but I can't without giving stuff away!

Fate needs someone in her corner

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

....

Ouch. Major ouch. You really know how to cut loose on the angst, huh?

The Hayate/Signum moment at the end of the chapter was sweet, but I foresee many problems ahead for the Angels if they can't let Alicia go and see Fate as her own person. They're just hurting themselves even more and setting up for failure every time they try to depend on Fate and see Alicia in her place.

Nice changes to the discussion, especially with Carim and Nanoha. As I said before, you want Fate and Hayate to eventually fall for these people; and that gets hard to do when they're constantly being put down by them! Honestly, though, the only one who comes across as a real bitch is Precia, but I never really liked her to begin with.

Awesome job. A wonderful thing to keep me entertained while I'm at work. ^__^

The angst isn't even loose yet!

On the other hand too, Fate hasn't let go of Alicia either. She can't help comparing herself with her sister, she just doesn't verbalize it much. That's what's so fun (and challenging) about writing their interactions, since nobody's being entirely honest!

Thanks for the feedback that led to the change ^^. And Precia is.....Precia. *shivers*

Anything for our harem-mistress!