The resolution is that Vice is planning to stay with Teana, Subaru is going to give her up and stay in deep space, and so far Teana herself has no real closure in the situation at all at this point.
Which is why I say DC should write a "ten years later" bit. *shot*
Ok, that's kinda what I thought was going down. On Teana's end I would certainly hope that she'd stay resolute in sticking with her initial decision to be with Vice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathcurse
*wince* Was I too cryptic and vague for my own good?
Well, I think my mindset isn't too great either. Feelin' pretty weird today...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaijo
But... but... what about Alto? What someone PLEASE think of Alto!?
On Teana's end I would certainly hope that she'd stay resolute in sticking with her initial decision to be with Vice.
Which is why we need a "ten years later" bit so we can see that Teana has some closure with herself, regardless of whether she's single and doesn't want either Vice or Subaru, or still married to Vice and making the best out of it.
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Okay, while I was busing home today I was thinking about how to possibly tackle Teana's closure, and I came up with something (It doesn't mean that I will write it! Just that I was thinking, that's all ):
Spoiler for post-Fortune Knocks But Once:
About eight or nine years later, Teana nearly dies on one of her Enforcer cases, and that incident prompted her to decide that she shouldn't live her life always wondering "what could have been". And so what happens between her and Vice and her and Subaru continues from there...
Just a rough idea I was mulling over ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
Well, I had bit of an idea for a follow up if that's ok with deathcure...
Well, Nanya wanted me to write some Chrono/Amy and I managed to throw a little something together.
Spoiler for Finally:
-snip-
It's not much, but... *shrug*
Spoiler for Alternatively...:
Amy: Hey Chrono-kun! Chrono-kun!
Chrono: What?
Amy: Kiss me!
Chrono: ... Get back to work.
Amy: Nyoron~
Awwww! Cute Chrono/Amy is cute! I'm always happy to see this couple get some 'air' time. I'm sure their romance was something out of a romcom with extra space shenanigans!
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathcurse
Finally, I'm finished!
This is the third (and LAST!!! How did I let myself get talked into these things? ) part of the Teana x Subaru x Vice love triangle.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous two, and to Dezo and RB for giving me lots of help and feedback with this last installment !
Spoiler for Fortune Knocks But Once:
--snip--
I really like Vice. He's a good man and I also agree with him, Subaru leaving things like that and unresolved wasn't smart. But my heart also aches for Subaru, that she had to go so far, I understand she needed to cut the chord feeling unfortunately it left no room for closure for both of them.
*cough* So, I might be siding with RB and hoping for one last part from Teana's POV. For closure *cough*
Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 8: Fight or Flight:
Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 8: Fight or Flight
Lightning flashed outside the window again, with thunder following it nearly instantly, as Arla advanced on him and Yuuno took a hesitant step back in response. Once again he was wondering whether this was such a good idea; if they put that on him, there was no telling if they'd ever take it off, or keep their word.
"Feeling like backing out of the deal already?" Arla told him, amused. "At the very least, we'll find out whether you are telling the truth about the Procreat, and whether we can re-obtain it."
Powerful hands grabbed his arms and shoulders, preventing from moving as Arla moved closer. He swallowed and steadied himself, reminding him that this was for Nanoha, and he just had to hope that he'd have an opportunity to enact his newly formed plan to help her; he had come this far, and he wasn't going to fail now.
Lightning flashed again, lighting up all the windows with it's intensity, and there was a crash outside, followed by urgent shouts and screams. All the women in the room froze, looking at each other in confusion, but then all their gazes were drawn to the door when it flew open.
"There's been a lightning strike in the village," the woman in the doorway told them urgently. "It destroyed Jaina's house, and started a fire! We're trying to contain it now."
"Baysh, Friel, Lorna, go assist," Arla commanded. "We'll put this on hold for now."
Three of the women left, leaving two in the room other than Arla, but another bright flare from outside signaled another strike, causing them all to glance upward as thunder rolled and died down. After the third one, Yuuno realized something was going on; this didn't feel like a normal thunderstorm, and by the looks on the other women's faces, they seemed to be coming to the same conclusion as well.
And then the wall exploded.
Fate finished her spell, forming the thunderclouds to begin the storm. She needed a good distraction, and this spell would do it; or at least she hoped so. If she didn't move fast enough, or if the women inside were stronger than she realized, then it would be all for naught; but she wasn't going to come all this way just to fail now.
She waited until the third bolt struck. Since the spell was largely automatic, lightning would continue to rain down for awhile, and she could focus on her next task. Changing Bardiche to Zanbar form, she held up her hand and gathered lightning energy into it, releasing a smaller Plasma Smasher to blow a hole in the log wall; she quickly flew in through the dust and debris immediately after, slamming into a surprised and unprepared Arla with the flat of the blade and knocking her against the wall.
Yuuno was wide-eyed as he started at her, and she felt a sense of grim satisfaction; he obviously didn't expect Fate could find him, but he was wrong. Still, he took the hint in her eyes, diving out of the way as she attacked the two women behind him who had begun spells of their own. One charged in with twin swords, while the other formed a large ice lance in her hand and tossed it at Fate.
The Bureau Agent swatted the first away and blocked the spike with a Round Shield, then quickly laid the caster out. As she turned to look for Yuuno, she saw him struggling on top of Arla, only to be knocked away as the angry woman rose up and locked eyes on Fate.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, a dark purple belkan triangle flaring underneath her feet. "You dare attack those you would call sisters? You are not fit to live among us!"
"I've actually come here for that man," Fate told her, gesturing towards Yuuno, who was using a wall for support to pick himself up. "Allow me to take him, and there won't be anymore trouble."
"I can't allow that," Arla replied evenly, her hands glowing with purple energy. "No one leaves here with knowledge of the village. And especially not by attacking and defying the leader of the tribe."
Fate bared her teeth, realizing that Arla was stalling until her two guards returned to their feet, which they were slowly doing. She couldn't grab Yuuno while Arla was up, and she couldn't allow the woman to delay anymore, so she charged in with a shout; but despite Arla's primitive nature, she was fairly skilled. Her glowing hands deflected Bardiche while twisting her body around in closer to strike. Only Fate's speed got her out of range as she rebounded and came in again.
This time, Fate formed several photon lancer shots behind her opponent, and after separating from their second clash, fired them. The leader of the female tribe took several shots her back, while Fate wound up and fired several more from the other direction; when the dust settled, Arla fell to the floor.
Panting mildly, she turned to get Yuuno. "Now let's get you out of... Yuuno?"
She cursed, as he was nowhere to be found; the bastard had run again! She contemplated all the things she would do to him once she finally got her hands on him, as she flew out the hole in the wall to the lightning-filled night. Several homes were ablaze now, and various women intermixed with a few male slaves ran around trying to extinguish them, but they lit up the night enough for her to find her target when she floated up. He seemed to be running towards the prisoner cave, but why?
Fate dove through the air, arriving at the cave mouth entrance a few moments after Yuuno entered it. [All I've gone through to find this guy, and yet he still manages to make things more difficult!] She felt her ire rise a few degrees as she came out of the short tunnel to a small ledge, where Yuuno had begun to manipulate some levers.
She grabbed his shoulder. "Alright, enough, it's time to get out of here!"
To her surprise, he turned to her and seemed to agree. "I will, but just a moment. I made a promise to free the other prisoners here. Please help me get them out, too!"
She looked up as the three hanging cages descended along the line, debating within herself about how much time she had until people discovered what had happened in Arla's home, then sighed. "Alright, but make it fast."
Yuuno nodded and returned to the cages as they all reached the bottom, but only one had a person in it. "Mallory, we're gonna get you out of there. Where's the other guy?"
The man in the hanging cage shook his head. "Yuuno! I don't know how you managed to do it, but I'm grateful! They took Treg not too long ago, but I wouldn't bother going to look for him. He's dead."
Yuuno sighed. "Damn, I was too late. Fate, could you get the lock?"
She wondered why he didn't, but declined to push the point, smashing it easily to free the man. "My distraction won't last too much longer, so let's get out of here."
"I agree," Yuuno added as the three turned.
But a new obstacle in their path stopped them, in the form of a young woman with a flaming sword in her hands and tears in her eyes, her voice quivering as she spoke. "Somehow... I just knew it would be you! But why!? Why would you do this? We would have been sisters!"
"Frey!" Fate gasped in surprise, then thought she understood the young woman's predicament. "I'm sorry, but I have an important mission to complete. I'll knock you out so they can't blame you for this."
"It's too late for that!" she nearly shouted, despair evident in her voice. "You should have killed me that first time; I should have made you! But you took that choice from me. And then I brought you into the tribe! I must bear the punishment for that. It will mean my death in the morning, so at least give me an honorable one now. I want to die as I have lived; as a warrior! You owe me that much!"
"What are we waiting for?" Mallory questioned with a frown, his tone suggesting he didn't see the problem. "She's one of them; let's just kill her and go!"
"Mallory!" Yuuno barked, hushing the confused man.
Fate's hands shook at the two decisions before her: either kill the girl now by her own hands, an act that she was loathe to do, or just knock her out. In that latter case, she'd be as good as damning the girl to death herself, and if she tried to take her with them... she glanced at Yuuno out of the corner of her eye and thought quickly.
Coming a rapid decision, she turned to him. "Promise me you won't run anymore. I have important things to tell you."
His eyes widened a bit, and she realized he was putting two and two together; then he sighed and nodded. "I promise."
Fate decided to take that and turned back to the young warrior teenager; Yuuno had never broken his word before. "Frey, there's a third option: come with us. There is a whole world out there, and you can find a better life for yourself. You don't have to die here!"
"You want me to leave!?" she remarked in disbelief. "I... I've never gone too far from my home before... and this IS my home! I couldn't leave my sisters!"
Fate lowered Bardiche, canceling Zanbar form and returning it to the back of her hand. "Please, Frey, these same sisters are going to kill you tomorrow. But you can live, with us. I am part of an organization and they are always on the lookout for skilled warriors like yourself. I know you'd fit in well there!" She held out her hands and took a step forward. "Please."
Frey took a step backward, her flaming sword wavering, but then it came back up. "N-no, I can't... I won't dishonor them... I couldn't, as a warrior... I must die to prove myself!"
"We don't have time for this!" Mallory growled, speaking up again. "Just knock her out and be done with it! Take her if you must!"
Fate saw the guy step forward a bit from the corner of her eyes, disliking his attitude but knowing he was also right; she didn't know why Yuuno had come back for this annoying man, but she added that to the mental list of reasons to smack the wayward archeologist around for later. Then she turned back to Frey, twin streaks of water flowing down her cheeks; the young woman was clearly conflicted and afraid of the choices before her.
[She's too young for this,] Fate realized sadly, sending a mental command to Bardiche, which activated Sonic Move.
Frey's eyes widened in surprise as Fate seemingly disappeared in a yellow flash, then appeared behind her and struck her on the back of the head with a magic-charged fist. Fate caught the girl as Frey collapsed and the magic sword winked out of existence, then the agent looked up and nodded to the other two as they started down the tunnel.
"Yuuno, you'll have to carry Mallory, and I'll carry Frey," Fate told him. "We'll escape by air, as there is no way we can outrun them on the ground. I'm betting there's not many of them, if any, who can fly."
"Um, about that," Yuuno told her, causing her to slow with him, as he pointed at his neck. "This collar is preventing me from using magic. Can you get it off?"
She sighed and set Frey down, bringing out Bardiche and activating Haken form. "Alright, hold still. I have to adjust the magic strike to only affect inorganic objects."
He did as instructed while she swung, the collar splitting evenly and falling to the ground, then Fate picked the unconscious Frey up again. "Can we go now?"
"Hold onto me, Mallory, it could get rough," Yuuno told he other man, who obliged.
Fate took off with Frey first, heading up into the sky as soon as she cleared the tunnel exit, but she glanced back to make sure to check that Yuuno was following her; he wasn't as fast as she was in the air. But she also noted that they had been seen, as several magical shots were fired, but between Yuuno's shields and Fate's speed, those weren't much of a concern.
Apparently, either the village really did have one who could fly, or they couldn't spare anyone to go after them, as there was no sign of aerial pursuit. Just to be safe, though, they stayed in the air for almost an hour to gain some distance, changing directions a few times. Despite however well the villagers knew these woods, Fate felt confident they couldn't be tracked through the air.
"We should be safe enough up here for the night," Yuuno told them, directing her to a ledge he had used before.
There was a small cave in the cliff face, mostly inaccessible unless one could fly or repelled down from above, which made it perfect for a safe camp site; Yuuno had initially used it to gain a respite from any jungle creatures on the trek in, so they set up a small camp with Fate's few supplies.
Frey regained consciousness while Yuuno started a small fire, but despite an initial outburst when she realized where she was, she seemed to sulk in silence; it was as if the life had gone out of her. Fate decided to leave it for now; she could better deal with Frey once she got her and Yuuno back to Mid-Childa. With that aside, she wanted to talk to him, but considering the personal nature of it, she decided to wait until later. He probably realized that as well, which dampened his mood and turned him mostly silent, too.
That left the only real talkative one as Mallory. Fate didn't know quite what to make of him, but he seemed decent, if a bit hostile to Frey, openly declaring that they couldn't trust her. Yuuno talked him down before Fate could, and from there he agreed to let the issue go, cheering up about being free and being anxious and very eager to see his sister again.
Conversation drifted off and then they turned in for the night, but Fate was awakened during the night by Bardiche. She had set him to wake her if either Frey or Mallory got up and moved around; she didn't want to risk one or the other doing something. It turned out to be Frey, who walked out of the cave to the cliff ledge, looking at the jungle below.
[She couldn't possibly be...] Fate's thoughts began, then she stood up and walked up behind her, making just enough noise so the girl knew she was there, stopping several feet away to not threaten her.
"Don't try to stop me," Frey told her sternly. "You robbed me of the chance twice; don't do it again!"
"So you're just going to leap to your death, then?" Fate inquired, wondering how to talk the girl out of it; she couldn't keep subduing her over and over, could she?
"I didn't want this!" Frey cried at her a bit louder, voice cracking slightly. "You violated my life, twice, against my will! You should have just killed me after what you did; not leave me alive like this!"
"What good will your death serve?" Fate asked, troubled by how much pain she had caused the girl in her single-minded pursuit to get Yuuno back. [She's in such pain... Was I wrong to do what I did?] "Yes, I'm sorry for what I did to you, but I can't believe your death is the only possible outcome here, not when you can find a new life for yourself. I once thought I couldn't live, either; I wanted to die, but a friend was there for me and showed me I could find a new life."
"Don't speak to me of yourself!" Frey seethed, finally turning around to face her, but keeping her feet on the edge. "I've doomed my entire village! Now everyone will know about them, and they won't stay hidden for much longer. One of those men will tell people, and it will be all over. Can you imagine what it's like to be responsible for destroying your own friends, family, and home? You can't! All I wanted, all we wanted, was just to live and be left alone to our way of life. You destroyed that!"
"Your village won't be destroyed," Yuuno said softly, surprising Fate as she didn't realize he was awake and listening. "The Time-Space Administration Bureau might intervene to stop the kidnappings, but I promise they'll find a way for your village to continue it's way of life. They aren't interested in seeing civilizations destroyed."
Frey spat. "How can I trust the word of a mere male? You have every reason to detest us! And what about him? Unless you plan to kill him right now, he would tell the villages around here, who would mass against us long before you could do anything!"
Fate glanced farther back in the cave along with Yuuno, seeing Mallory sitting up, watching them. Frey did bring up a good point; if Mallory spread the words as his attitude suggested he might, there might very well be a civil war. She wasn't sure she could get Bureau help in time, and this was an unadministered world; technically the Bureau had no standing to intervene.
Mallory rose to his feet and walked over to stand next to Fate, who barely read he expression on his scraggly-bearded face. "I won't tell anyone."
Frey spat again. "Another word from a male. And one who has openly stated their hate for my people."
A big of anger appeared on his face. "Yes, I may be a mere male to you, and hate what your people did to me, and feel anger and resentment because of it. But really, I just want to go home to my sister; she's the only family I have left. And you're stupid if you think your death is gonna solve anything! You're in a position now to save your village, and you want to take the easy way out? Give up and surrender?" He stepped out in front of Fate and out his hand. "Come on, you know you don't want to do this."
"I..." Frey started to say, then stopped, trembling, staring at the hand. "I can't..."
And then, whether deliberately or just subconsciously, she took a step back.
The other three sprinted forward as they watched the distraught girl begin to fall backwards, horror on her face. Mallory, being ahead of the other two, surprised Fate with his quickness as he reached her first, diving to the ground and grabbing her right ankle as he slid of the rocky shelf. His other hand grabbed the edge, temporarily suspending both of their falls and causing him to cry out in pain.
Then Fate and Yuuno were floating there, grabbing each person and bringing them back up, Frey quivering in Fate's arms, seemingly troubled more by the scare of falling than anything else. Tears were still running down her face, but she dried her eyes as she slowly recovered from her shock and looked up at Mallory with a strange expression.
"W-why?" was all she managed to say.
"I just think that killin' yourself is the wrong way to go about things," he told her as Yuuno worked on healing his cut hand. "You can't do anything when you're dead. But if you're alive, you can help people. Many times I thought of killing myself back there, but stayed alive because my sister would never forgive me if I took the coward's way out.
He paused and shrugged. "And I'd just like the abductions to stop; if Yuuno here says his Bureau can help work things out between our peoples, I'm willing to go for it. I'd rather us not be enemies. You being alive can help ensure that both our villages are protected."
Frey's gaze dropped momentarily, then she stood up and Fate thought she could see some of the pride return. "I... will do as you say, then, but for my sisters. I suppose it is how I can best serve them."
Mallory nodded, a hint of a smile on his bearded lips, as Frey returned to her blanket in the cave. Fate's eyes met Yuuno's, and he smiled slightly at her as well, then nodded. The disaster had been averted, but there was still much work to do
The group returned to the starport after a couple of days, collecting an ecstatic Quinn on the way, who apologized to Yuuno for her actions and thanked him for reuniting him with her brother. Fate arranged for all of them to take a civilian transport ship to the closest administered world, where Quinn, Mallory, and Frey would be dropped off in Bureau custody; there was a lot of work to be done, but the three felt confident they were up to it.
Fate would have liked to stay and continue to help, but she had a more important and personal task to complete...
"What the-!?" Yuuno exclaimed, surprised as he found himself in a powerful lightning bind after following Fate into an empty office room to hear something important she had to tell him. "Fate? Why-"
His words were cut off as Fate removed the glove on her hand and slapped him hard, leaving his left cheek stinging. His gaze came back to her angry face, hands on her hips, and he suddenly felt like breaking the bind wouldn't be a very good thing to do right now.
"That's for running," she informed him pointedly, rearing up her hand to backhand his left cheek, leaving it equally red. "That's for making it so difficult to find you! Do you have any idea what Nanoha's been through!?"
Yuuno's gaze lowered; the words stung somehow, more than he thought they would. "I'm sorry. I know I hurt Nanoha by what I did, and I figured it would hurt her more to have me around. I'd just be a living reminder of what she was forced to go through."
Another slap to his right cheek make it burn, as Fate's angry eyes continued to bore into him. "Don't you think that was her choice to make? Did you really think it was okay to unilaterally decide something like this on your own?"
And there it was, the sinking feeling in his gut responding to the buried fears coming to the surface. Part of him knew he was a coward for what he did, but he had tried to bury it under layers of rationalization, telling himself it was to find some way to make her better, or atone for what happened. But the facts were laid bare; Yuuno was a man of science above all, and couldn't hide from the truth when it was presented to his face.
"I know, I screwed up," he admitted softly, his head hanging and eyes leaking as he felt the full force of guilt weigh down upon him. "In more ways than one. And there's probably nothing I can do to make amends for it. I just want her to be alright!"
He almost wouldn't have noticed the binds dissolving, except that he dropped to his knees when they no longer supported him. But what surprised him a bit more, was the pair of hands on his shoulders, as he looked up into Fate's face, now looking considerably more gentle.
"Just talk to her, and we'll work out something," Fate told him earnestly. "She's not angry or upset at you, but more than that, is not my place to tell. That will be between the two of you."
Yuuno nodded, taking her hand to be helped up. His other hand absently brushed the object in his left pocket and he debated bringing it up, but then decided against it. It would be between him and Nanoha, as Fate had said..
"Now let's go catch the next teleport," she told him, pulling him to the door. "We should get there later tonight."
Nanoha sighed as she looked out her window from her bedroom at the starry sky. She had managed to get administrative leave canceled so she could return to some semblance of work, but she was still upset at the restrictions; Vita made sure she stuck to them as well. No active combat except against lower ranks, and observe training exercises while seated; she felt like she was being treated like a baby.
That thought made her hand go to her stomach for the thousandth time. It had been several weeks since then, and sometimes she felt things inside, but logically she knew she shouldn't; the baby was nowhere near that far along yet. The thought of the whole pregnancy and birth process gave her some measure of fear, but there was an odd comfort in that, too, though she didn't know why. Still, at least this way, Vivio would have a younger sister or brother to play with, so maybe it things would work out for the best, anyway.
Now if she could only get these anxieties and uneasiness out of her head....
There came a gentle knocking at her door, and Nanoha told her to come in, thinking it was Vivio being awoken for some reason, but she was surprised to find it was Fate's voice that responded. Opening the door revealed another surprise, as she glimpsed a downtrodden looking Yuuno behind her.
All at once, those pent up aversions and fears came rushing back to the fore as she felt her body tremble, her shaky hand on the doorknob. [Why!? I thought I dealt with all of this? It's just Yuuno! Why do I fear for my control?]
"Nanoha, are you okay?" Fate asked with concern in her voice, then sent a telepathic message. "[I can tell him to wait downstairs if you need some time...]"
Nanoha took a deep breath. "[No, I shouldn't delay this any longer. And thanks, Fate-chan.]"
Fate nodded as Nanoha stepped back, and Fate almost pushed him in. "You two talk. I'll bring up some tea in a bit, alright?"
They both thanked her as Fate smiled and closed the door, and for awhile, awkward silence dampened the room; all the things Nanoha wanted to say were suddenly gone from her mind, and she wasn't even sure where to begin in the first place. From Yuuno's downcast look, she realized he must have felt the same, as he could barely meet her gaze.
"Welcome back, Yuuno," she stated at last, infusing it with as much warmth as she could, deciding that was as good a place as any to start. "And... I'm sorry."
"No no, I should be the one apologizing!" he insisted, then his head dropped slightly again. "It was because of me, that you had to go through... that. I should have had taken more precautions with those devices and... I also left you like that. Fate told me that you weren't angry or upset, but I must admit it's kinda hard to believe that. You must dislike me at least a little."
She could feel the guilt dripping form his words, and somehow it moved her to hug him. "No, it's okay. While I was scared and anxious at first, I've already forgiven you for what happened. I just want to know how you feel."
Hesitantly, his arms came up to hug her back. "I'm sorry. I tried to think of you first, wanting you to be happy, but I know now that I wasn't thinking of you as much as I should have. My actions have hurt you a lot."
She felt him pull back a bit, as one arm dropped. "No, it's okay, really. Although sometimes I wish things could be undone, I can... what's that?"
Yuuno had pulled a small, black rectangular box-like object out of his pocket, his gaze turning serious gaze, while his face became full of concern. "There is a way..."
Fate climbed back up the stairs, having prepared the tea set properly; it was one of the many things she had learned with her time in Japan. She felt she had given the two some time to break the ice, but if not, well, tea always helped Nanoha the two relax before. The three of them had shared it a number of times over the years, with various others, including Arisa, Suzuka, Hayate, and Hayate's family.
And now that Yuuno was back, things could finally start to resume some sense of normalcy. There would be changes, but she felt that all those could be dealt with easily enough. Probably more counseling for Nanoha, and perhaps Yuuno, too, as they figured out what kind of relationship to go with.
She turned the corner to the hallway, slowly approaching Nanoha's bedroom when a bright flash of white light flared briefly from under the closed door. Concerned, she quickly crossed the remaining distance and threw it open, catching Yuuno lowering a black object from Nanoha's forehead
"Yuuno?" Fate questioned. "What is that? What did you do?"
"I..." He glanced at Nanoha, then his face hardened. "I've made sure Nanoha can live normally now."
Fate put the tea set down on the desk as she crossed the floor, separating the two looking at Nanoha's non-responsive blank eyes, then turned to grab Yuuno. "What did you do!?"
"She's okay!" Yuuno insisted, gesturing.
Fate turned back, releasing Yuuno as she noticed Nanoha's eyes return to normal. "Nanoha, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine," Nanoha replied a bit confused, earning a sigh from Fate, then looked back and forth between the two other people. "But what is going on? And who are you?"
Author's notes:
The chapter title was was to address numerous people's responses to things they choose to confront or run from, which are the two choices we face with any conflict, internal or external. We don't always make the best choices, and sometimes we screw up badly. Anyway, tune in for the next chapter... which I'm not quite sure what to call... or know when I'll get it out... :x
The faster this finishes, the faster I can get to Part II, where...
Spoiler:
Riot Force 6 inserts Cinque, Erio and Caro as a genin team after receiving reports of alleged Lost Logia activity. They meet their jonin-sensei, and ALL FREAKING HELL STARTS BREAKING LOOSE.
__________________
slowly but surely \ the moon \ quietly goes to the stars
Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 8: Fight or Flight:
--snip--
I really liked this chapter and the addition of Frey into the mix it really made things more tense and put an interesting moral dilemma for Fate. Fate was awesome in this BTW, she didn't like what she's forcing Frey to do but she stayed true to her mission regardless and brought Yuuno to hi senses.
Spoiler for moar spoilery reaction:
Unfortunately, that didn't stick and he had to frelling mind wipe Nanoha which was OH HELL NO. I know why he did it and why he thinks its okay but that's still a huge NO. That's almost as bad as the rape. It's mind rape and up 'til that point I was with Yuuno. Someone really needs to slap some sense into the boy ASAP.
Ok, so I wrote a follow up to deathcurse's fic. I'm not confident it'll all match up to what she intended everything to be like, or if it's even any good, but here goes nothing:
Spoiler for Tough Love:
“I’m back…” Vice sighed as he gently shut the door to the apartment behind him. The round trip to the far off planet had taken a lot out of him and he was looking forward to collapsing onto his bed.
He didn’t get very far before he saw an orange bolt collide with his chest and wrap her arms around him.
“Where have you been?!” Teana looked up at him and to his horror he saw she was crying. “You just left without saying anything!”
“I… uh… Sorry…” Vice was admittedly extremely weak to her tears. That such a strong woman could appear to be so fragile like that left him at a loss.
“I was so worried…” Teana buried her face into his chest again. “I thought you wouldn’t come back… Subaru left and if you left me too, I…”
“I’d never do that…” Vice wanted to kill himself for being the one to reduce her to this. Was he in such a hurry that he couldn’t have left her a note? “I’m really sorry. I went to take care of some important business.”
“What could…?”
“I saw Subaru.”
Teana backed away from him and stared in shock. “Why would you…?”
“We had a few things to discuss.” Vice said. “I had intended to drag her back here if needed, but…”
“You didn’t have to do that…”
“Of course I did!” He said with a bit of force. “I had to do something! I can’t stand idly by and watch you be torn up over this!”
Teana hung her head and silence permeated the entrance way.
“… How was she doing?” Teana asked eventually.
“Well enough, considering.” He answered. “Seems to have adapted to the job quite well.”
“I see…” Teana made another lengthy pause before continuing. “… I… I did a lot of thinking while you were away…”
“About what?”
“Everything. Subaru, you… me… This whole thing was just too sudden and it left my head spinning. It’s kind of funny considering I can come up with dozens of strategies in a moment’s notice on the battlefield, but in my personal life… I accused Subaru of not knowing how I felt, but I didn’t have any idea how I felt either.”
“Well, did you figure it out?” Vice asked cautiously.
“When I found out Subaru had been serious about me, the desolate look on her face really got to me. I couldn’t stand seeing her like that, so I thought that if I could make myself love her back, it would stop her suffering.”
“If that’s what you want to do, I wouldn’t stop you.” Vice added solemnly.
“Huh?”
“I’d have to resist the urge to tie you up and keep you all to myself, but if you wanted to be happy with Subaru, I wouldn’t stop you. I’d only ask you leave as soon as possible so you didn’t see me cry like a child…”
“Wait!” Teana reached out and grabbed his hand. “Let me finish. I thought if I loved her then she wouldn’t go away and that she would be happy, but I couldn’t do it. I thought back to all the times she said she loved me, those times I thought she was joking around, and I realised that I hadn’t been affected. I might have been embarrassed she said it so openly, but I didn’t think ‘I wish she wasn’t joking’ or anything like that.”
Teana took a breath before going on. “When I think of that what if now, I know the answer. What if I had taken Subaru’s confessions seriously? I would have been honest and told her I didn’t feel the same way. She is an important person to me, but she’s my best friend. I don’t love her that way.”
“I see.” Vice whispered, trying hard not to seem too relieved.
“I’m sorry for doubting us.” Teana sighed before leaning against him again. “Subaru was right. When you asked me out, I said yes. When you asked me to be your girlfriend, I said yes. When you asked me to marry you, I said yes. I thought long and hard before I made those important decisions and I said yes because I was certain that I love you and want to be with you.”
“I love you too.” Vice wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I won’t deny that I’m overjoyed to hear your decision, but what are you going to do about Subaru?”
“… I’m going to go see her.” Teana decided. “I need to set things straight once and for all.”
---
Subaru frowned when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from behind.
“I thought we had reached an understanding, Vice-san.” The cyborg said bluntly.
“You haven’t reached one with me.”
“Tea!” Subaru gasped as she whirled around. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.” Teana shot back.
“You know the reason.”
“Trying to get over me, right? Did you really need to come out to this god forsaken place to do that?”
“That was my choice to make.” Subaru muttered. “There’s no reason for you to be here.”
“I came here to tell you something.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Subaru turned her back. “It’s not like I don’t know what you’re going to say anyways. Go home and start planning your wedding already!”
It was than that Subaru felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. This was followed by Teana’s fist connecting with her head. Subaru slumped to the ground and looked up in shock.
“T-Tea?”
“Vice told me, you know. You said you could either angst over me and keep hoping or move on right? You said that three star-systems and ten years would help you move on? Don’t give me that crap!” Teana reached down and pulled the other girl up by the collar. “Once I regained my wits, it was clear what you’re doing. By coming out here you’re just running away!”
“That’s not…”
“It is true! Instead of staying behind on Mid and facing the fact that I’m together with Vice, you ran off to this place so you wouldn’t have to deal with it. I’m not going to let you run away anymore. I…”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Subaru shot back. “I said it already, didn’t I? I know you love Vice-san, not me, so you don’t have to say it!”
“Yes, I have to!” Teana barked. “If I don’t you won’t stop hoping.”
“I’m not…”
“You are! You keep saying you know my feelings, but deep down you recognise the possibility that you’re wrong and that gives you hope. You don’t want to give up that hope, do you? That’s why you ran out here so I couldn’t squash it!”
Subaru opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. Deep down she knew Teana was right. She wanted to live in ignorance on this little planet and not completely recognise the reality of her friend’s feelings.
“Subaru, you are a very important person in my life. You’re my oldest and dearest friend and we’ve been through so much together. You’re some one I trust with my life who can never be replaced by anyone. I do love you, but it’s as my best friend, as the sister I never had. I’m sorry, but I can’t love you the way you want me to. The one I love that way has always been Vice.”
Having it all laid out for her like that certainly hurt just as much as Subaru knew it would. Even though the cyborg had told herself that so many times, hearing it directly from the horse’s mouth made it completely real.
“I… I told you I knew that!” Subaru began sobbing. “I always knew that…”
“I really hate having to hurt you like this,” Teana said with a soft expression. “But it’s for the best. I know you, Subaru. I know how strong you are and I know you’ll be able to pick yourself back up. I just wanted to make my feelings clear so neither of us will dwell on any what ifs.”
Subaru continued to cry, but she still felt a feeling of relief that everything was finally out in the open. Even though she was rejected, the feeling of closure was enough for her to view the end of this chapter in her life positively. It felt that much easier to move on.
“Thank you, Tea.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry I was such an idiot…”
“You’re still the idiot I want to be my maid of honour,” Teana said. “When you feel you’re ok with it, of course.”
“I don’t want to hold things up…”
“It’s ok.” Teana smiled. “We’ve decided to just sign the papers for now. I refuse to have the actual ceremony without you there.”
“But it will still take ten years for my contract to be up…”
“That’s the funny thing with electronic contracts.” Teana grinned. “People tend to over look things. I had Shari-san take a look at it, and she ‘found’ a clause that states you can opt out of the contract at any time you wish.”
“You…” Subaru sighed in defeat and smiled slightly. “That’s my Tea, always so stubborn in getting what she wants.”
“You know it.” Teana smiled back.
The pain was still fresh, but Subaru was certain it would fade with time. One day she would be there to see her friend walk down the aisle and from the bottom of her heart she would be able to say
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous two, and to Dezo and RB for giving me lots of help and feedback with this last installment !
Spoiler for Fortune Knocks But Once:
Fortune Knocks But Once
I'm going to go against the flow here and say that I'm perfectly happy with this ending.
I can't help but think that a situation like this can't possibly end up neatly and with closure for all. Its messy, its painful, and its unfair, but I think its true to life.
Well done for making it work so well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sniperk
Gark. I need to catch up with the chapters. I have stopped to read almost everything that goes posted here.
The backlog is going to be insane.
No joke. It shouldn't take me an hour just to catch up on this one thread! And I'm here just about every day.
Quit writing good stuff everyone!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
Ok, so I wrote a follow up to deathcurse's fic. I'm not confident it'll all match up to what she intended everything to be like, or if it's even any good, but here goes nothing:
Spoiler for Tough Love:
“I’m back…” Vice sighed as he gently shut the door to the apartment behind him. The round trip to the far off planet had taken a lot out of him and he was looking forward to collapsing onto his bed.
He didn’t get very far before he saw an orange bolt collide with his chest and wrap her arms around him.
“Where have you been?!” Teana looked up at him and to his horror he saw she was crying. “You just left without saying anything!”
“I… uh… Sorry…” Vice was admittedly extremely weak to her tears. That such a strong woman could appear to be so fragile like that left him at a loss.
“I was so worried…” Teana buried her face into his chest again. “I thought you wouldn’t come back… Subaru left and if you left me too, I…”
“I’d never do that…” Vice wanted to kill himself for being the one to reduce her to this. Was he in such a hurry that he couldn’t have left her a note? “I’m really sorry. I went to take care of some important business.”
“What could…?”
“I saw Subaru.”
Teana backed away from him and stared in shock. “Why would you…?”
“We had a few things to discuss.” Vice said. “I had intended to drag her back here if needed, but…”
“You didn’t have to do that…”
“Of course I did!” He said with a bit of force. “I had to do something! I can’t stand idly by and watch you be torn up over this!”
Teana hung her head and silence permeated the entrance way.
“… How was she doing?” Teana asked eventually.
“Well enough, considering.” He answered. “Seems to have adapted to the job quite well.”
“I see…” Teana made another lengthy pause before continuing. “… I… I did a lot of thinking while you were away…”
“About what?”
“Everything. Subaru, you… me… This whole thing was just too sudden and it left my head spinning. It’s kind of funny considering I can come up with dozens of strategies in a moment’s notice on the battlefield, but in my personal life… I accused Subaru of not knowing how I felt, but I didn’t have any idea how I felt either.”
“Well, did you figure it out?” Vice asked cautiously.
“When I found out Subaru had been serious about me, the desolate look on her face really got to me. I couldn’t stand seeing her like that, so I thought that if I could make myself love her back, it would stop her suffering.”
“If that’s what you want to do, I wouldn’t stop you.” Vice added solemnly.
“Huh?”
“I’d have to resist the urge to tie you up and keep you all to myself, but if you wanted to be happy with Subaru, I wouldn’t stop you. I’d only ask you leave as soon as possible so you didn’t see me cry like a child…”
“Wait!” Teana reached out and grabbed his hand. “Let me finish. I thought if I loved her then she wouldn’t go away and that she would be happy, but I couldn’t do it. I thought back to all the times she said she loved me, those times I thought she was joking around, and I realised that I hadn’t been affected. I might have been embarrassed she said it so openly, but I didn’t think ‘I wish she wasn’t joking’ or anything like that.”
Teana took a breath before going on. “When I think of that what if now, I know the answer. What if I had taken Subaru’s confessions seriously? I would have been honest and told her I didn’t feel the same way. She is an important person to me, but she’s my best friend. I don’t love her that way.”
“I see.” Vice whispered, trying hard not to seem too relieved.
“I’m sorry for doubting us.” Teana sighed before leaning against him again. “Subaru was right. When you asked me out, I said yes. When you asked me to be your girlfriend, I said yes. When you asked me to marry you, I said yes. I thought long and hard before I made those important decisions and I said yes because I was certain that I love you and want to be with you.”
“I love you too.” Vice wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I won’t deny that I’m overjoyed to hear your decision, but what are you going to do about Subaru?”
“… I’m going to go see her.” Teana decided. “I need to set things straight once and for all.”
---
Subaru frowned when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from behind.
“I thought we had reached an understanding, Vice-san.” The cyborg said bluntly.
“You haven’t reached one with me.”
“Tea!” Subaru gasped as she whirled around. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.” Teana shot back.
“You know the reason.”
“Trying to get over me, right? Did you really need to come out to this god forsaken place to do that?”
“That was my choice to make.” Subaru muttered. “There’s no reason for you to be here.”
“I came here to tell you something.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Subaru turned her back. “It’s not like I don’t know what you’re going to say anyways. Go home and start planning your wedding already!”
It was than that Subaru felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. This was followed by Teana’s fist connecting with her head. Subaru slumped to the ground and looked up in shock.
“T-Tea?”
“Vice told me, you know. You said you could either angst over me and keep hoping or move on right? You said that three star-systems and ten years would help you move on? Don’t give me that crap!” Teana reached down and pulled the other girl up by the collar. “Once I regained my wits, it was clear what you’re doing. By coming out here you’re just running away!”
“That’s not…”
“It is true! Instead of staying behind on Mid and facing the fact that I’m together with Vice, you ran off to this place so you wouldn’t have to deal with it. I’m not going to let you run away anymore. I…”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Subaru shot back. “I said it already, didn’t I? I know you love Vice-san, not me, so you don’t have to say it!”
“Yes, I have to!” Teana barked. “If I don’t you won’t stop hoping.”
“I’m not…”
“You are! You keep saying you know my feelings, but deep down you recognise the possibility that you’re wrong and that gives you hope. You don’t want to give up that hope, do you? That’s why you ran out here so I couldn’t squash it!”
Subaru opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. Deep down she knew Teana was right. She wanted to live in ignorance on this little planet and not completely recognise the reality of her friend’s feelings.
“Subaru, you are a very important person in my life. You’re my oldest and dearest friend and we’ve been through so much together. You’re some one I trust with my life who can never be replaced by anyone. I do love you, but it’s as my best friend, as the sister I never had. I’m sorry, but I can’t love you the way you want me to. The one I love that way has always been Vice.”
Having it all laid out for her like that certainly hurt just as much as Subaru knew it would. Even though the cyborg had told herself that so many times, hearing it directly from the horse’s mouth made it completely real.
“I… I told you I knew that!” Subaru began sobbing. “I always knew that…”
“I really hate having to hurt you like this,” Teana said with a soft expression. “But it’s for the best. I know you, Subaru. I know how strong you are and I know you’ll be able to pick yourself back up. I just wanted to make my feelings clear so neither of us will dwell on any what ifs.”
Subaru continued to cry, but she still felt a feeling of relief that everything was finally out in the open. Even though she was rejected, the feeling of closure was enough for her to view the end of this chapter in her life positively. It felt that much easier to move on.
“Thank you, Tea.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry I was such an idiot…”
“You’re still the idiot I want to be my maid of honour,” Teana said. “When you feel you’re ok with it, of course.”
“I don’t want to hold things up…”
“It’s ok.” Teana smiled. “We’ve decided to just sign the papers for now. I refuse to have the actual ceremony without you there.”
“But it will still take ten years for my contract to be up…”
“That’s the funny thing with electronic contracts.” Teana grinned. “People tend to over look things. I had Shari-san take a look at it, and she ‘found’ a clause that states you can opt out of the contract at any time you wish.”
“You…” Subaru sighed in defeat and smiled slightly. “That’s my Tea, always so stubborn in getting what she wants.”
“You know it.” Teana smiled back.
The pain was still fresh, but Subaru was certain it would fade with time. One day she would be there to see her friend walk down the aisle and from the bottom of her heart she would be able to say
“Congratulations!”
On the other hand, this works too.
Last edited by Tabasco; 2010-03-06 at 00:45.
Reason: Post overcome by events
Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 8: Fight or Flight:
Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 8: Fight or Flight
Lightning flashed outside the window again, with thunder following it nearly instantly, as Arla advanced on him and Yuuno took a hesitant step back in response. Once again he was wondering whether this was such a good idea; if they put that on him, there was no telling if they'd ever take it off, or keep their word.
"Feeling like backing out of the deal already?" Arla told him, amused. "At the very least, we'll find out whether you are telling the truth about the Procreat, and whether we can re-obtain it."
Powerful hands grabbed his arms and shoulders, preventing from moving as Arla moved closer. He swallowed and steadied himself, reminding him that this was for Nanoha, and he just had to hope that he'd have an opportunity to enact his newly formed plan to help her; he had come this far, and he wasn't going to fail now.
Lightning flashed again, lighting up all the windows with it's intensity, and there was a crash outside, followed by urgent shouts and screams. All the women in the room froze, looking at each other in confusion, but then all their gazes were drawn to the door when it flew open.
"There's been a lightning strike in the village," the woman in the doorway told them urgently. "It destroyed Jaina's house, and started a fire! We're trying to contain it now."
"Baysh, Friel, Lorna, go assist," Arla commanded. "We'll put this on hold for now."
Three of the women left, leaving two in the room other than Arla, but another bright flare from outside signaled another strike, causing them all to glance upward as thunder rolled and died down. After the third one, Yuuno realized something was going on; this didn't feel like a normal thunderstorm, and by the looks on the other women's faces, they seemed to be coming to the same conclusion as well.
And then the wall exploded.
Fate finished her spell, forming the thunderclouds to begin the storm. She needed a good distraction, and this spell would do it; or at least she hoped so. If she didn't move fast enough, or if the women inside were stronger than she realized, then it would be all for naught; but she wasn't going to come all this way just to fail now.
She waited until the third bolt struck. Since the spell was largely automatic, lightning would continue to rain down for awhile, and she could focus on her next task. Changing Bardiche to Zanbar form, she held up her hand and gathered lightning energy into it, releasing a smaller Plasma Smasher to blow a hole in the log wall; she quickly flew in through the dust and debris immediately after, slamming into a surprised and unprepared Arla with the flat of the blade and knocking her against the wall.
Yuuno was wide-eyed as he started at her, and she felt a sense of grim satisfaction; he obviously didn't expect Fate could find him, but he was wrong. Still, he took the hint in her eyes, diving out of the way as she attacked the two women behind him who had begun spells of their own. One charged in with twin swords, while the other formed a large ice lance in her hand and tossed it at Fate.
The Bureau Agent swatted the first away and blocked the spike with a Round Shield, then quickly laid the caster out. As she turned to look for Yuuno, she saw him struggling on top of Arla, only to be knocked away as the angry woman rose up and locked eyes on Fate.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, a dark purple belkan triangle flaring underneath her feet. "You dare attack those you would call sisters? You are not fit to live among us!"
"I've actually come here for that man," Fate told her, gesturing towards Yuuno, who was using a wall for support to pick himself up. "Allow me to take him, and there won't be anymore trouble."
"I can't allow that," Arla replied evenly, her hands glowing with purple energy. "No one leaves here with knowledge of the village. And especially not by attacking and defying the leader of the tribe."
Fate bared her teeth, realizing that Arla was stalling until her two guards returned to their feet, which they were slowly doing. She couldn't grab Yuuno while Arla was up, and she couldn't allow the woman to delay anymore, so she charged in with a shout; but despite Arla's primitive nature, she was fairly skilled. Her glowing hands deflected Bardiche while twisting her body around in closer to strike. Only Fate's speed got her out of range as she rebounded and came in again.
This time, Fate formed several photon lancer shots behind her opponent, and after separating from their second clash, fired them. The leader of the female tribe took several shots her back, while Fate wound up and fired several more from the other direction; when the dust settled, Arla fell to the floor.
Panting mildly, she turned to get Yuuno. "Now let's get you out of... Yuuno?"
She cursed, as he was nowhere to be found; the bastard had run again! She contemplated all the things she would do to him once she finally got her hands on him, as she flew out the hole in the wall to the lightning-filled night. Several homes were ablaze now, and various women intermixed with a few male slaves ran around trying to extinguish them, but they lit up the night enough for her to find her target when she floated up. He seemed to be running towards the prisoner cave, but why?
Fate dove through the air, arriving at the cave mouth entrance a few moments after Yuuno entered it. [All I've gone through to find this guy, and yet he still manages to make things more difficult!] She felt her ire rise a few degrees as she came out of the short tunnel to a small ledge, where Yuuno had begun to manipulate some levers.
She grabbed his shoulder. "Alright, enough, it's time to get out of here!"
To her surprise, he turned to her and seemed to agree. "I will, but just a moment. I made a promise to free the other prisoners here. Please help me get them out, too!"
She looked up as the three hanging cages descended along the line, debating within herself about how much time she had until people discovered what had happened in Arla's home, then sighed. "Alright, but make it fast."
Yuuno nodded and returned to the cages as they all reached the bottom, but only one had a person in it. "Mallory, we're gonna get you out of there. Where's the other guy?"
The man in the hanging cage shook his head. "Yuuno! I don't know how you managed to do it, but I'm grateful! They took Treg not too long ago, but I wouldn't bother going to look for him. He's dead."
Yuuno sighed. "Damn, I was too late. Fate, could you get the lock?"
She wondered why he didn't, but declined to push the point, smashing it easily to free the man. "My distraction won't last too much longer, so let's get out of here."
"I agree," Yuuno added as the three turned.
But a new obstacle in their path stopped them, in the form of a young woman with a flaming sword in her hands and tears in her eyes, her voice quivering as she spoke. "Somehow... I just knew it would be you! But why!? Why would you do this? We would have been sisters!"
"Frey!" Fate gasped in surprise, then thought she understood the young woman's predicament. "I'm sorry, but I have an important mission to complete. I'll knock you out so they can't blame you for this."
"It's too late for that!" she nearly shouted, despair evident in her voice. "You should have killed me that first time; I should have made you! But you took that choice from me. And then I brought you into the tribe! I must bear the punishment for that. It will mean my death in the morning, so at least give me an honorable one now. I want to die as I have lived; as a warrior! You owe me that much!"
"What are we waiting for?" Mallory questioned with a frown, his tone suggesting he didn't see the problem. "She's one of them; let's just kill her and go!"
"Mallory!" Yuuno barked, hushing the confused man.
Fate's hands shook at the two decisions before her: either kill the girl now by her own hands, an act that she was loathe to do, or just knock her out. In that latter case, she'd be as good as damning the girl to death herself, and if she tried to take her with them... she glanced at Yuuno out of the corner of her eye and thought quickly.
Coming a rapid decision, she turned to him. "Promise me you won't run anymore. I have important things to tell you."
His eyes widened a bit, and she realized he was putting two and two together; then he sighed and nodded. "I promise."
Fate decided to take that and turned back to the young warrior teenager; Yuuno had never broken his word before. "Frey, there's a third option: come with us. There is a whole world out there, and you can find a better life for yourself. You don't have to die here!"
"You want me to leave!?" she remarked in disbelief. "I... I've never gone too far from my home before... and this IS my home! I couldn't leave my sisters!"
Fate lowered Bardiche, canceling Zanbar form and returning it to the back of her hand. "Please, Frey, these same sisters are going to kill you tomorrow. But you can live, with us. I am part of an organization and they are always on the lookout for skilled warriors like yourself. I know you'd fit in well there!" She held out her hands and took a step forward. "Please."
Frey took a step backward, her flaming sword wavering, but then it came back up. "N-no, I can't... I won't dishonor them... I couldn't, as a warrior... I must die to prove myself!"
"We don't have time for this!" Mallory growled, speaking up again. "Just knock her out and be done with it! Take her if you must!"
Fate saw the guy step forward a bit from the corner of her eyes, disliking his attitude but knowing he was also right; she didn't know why Yuuno had come back for this annoying man, but she added that to the mental list of reasons to smack the wayward archeologist around for later. Then she turned back to Frey, twin streaks of water flowing down her cheeks; the young woman was clearly conflicted and afraid of the choices before her.
[She's too young for this,] Fate realized sadly, sending a mental command to Bardiche, which activated Sonic Move.
Frey's eyes widened in surprise as Fate seemingly disappeared in a yellow flash, then appeared behind her and struck her on the back of the head with a magic-charged fist. Fate caught the girl as Frey collapsed and the magic sword winked out of existence, then the agent looked up and nodded to the other two as they started down the tunnel.
"Yuuno, you'll have to carry Mallory, and I'll carry Frey," Fate told him. "We'll escape by air, as there is no way we can outrun them on the ground. I'm betting there's not many of them, if any, who can fly."
"Um, about that," Yuuno told her, causing her to slow with him, as he pointed at his neck. "This collar is preventing me from using magic. Can you get it off?"
She sighed and set Frey down, bringing out Bardiche and activating Haken form. "Alright, hold still. I have to adjust the magic strike to only affect inorganic objects."
He did as instructed while she swung, the collar splitting evenly and falling to the ground, then Fate picked the unconscious Frey up again. "Can we go now?"
"Hold onto me, Mallory, it could get rough," Yuuno told he other man, who obliged.
Fate took off with Frey first, heading up into the sky as soon as she cleared the tunnel exit, but she glanced back to make sure to check that Yuuno was following her; he wasn't as fast as she was in the air. But she also noted that they had been seen, as several magical shots were fired, but between Yuuno's shields and Fate's speed, those weren't much of a concern.
Apparently, either the village really did have one who could fly, or they couldn't spare anyone to go after them, as there was no sign of aerial pursuit. Just to be safe, though, they stayed in the air for almost an hour to gain some distance, changing directions a few times. Despite however well the villagers knew these woods, Fate felt confident they couldn't be tracked through the air.
"We should be safe enough up here for the night," Yuuno told them, directing her to a ledge he had used before.
There was a small cave in the cliff face, mostly inaccessible unless one could fly or repelled down from above, which made it perfect for a safe camp site; Yuuno had initially used it to gain a respite from any jungle creatures on the trek in, so they set up a small camp with Fate's few supplies.
Frey regained consciousness while Yuuno started a small fire, but despite an initial outburst when she realized where she was, she seemed to sulk in silence; it was as if the life had gone out of her. Fate decided to leave it for now; she could better deal with Frey once she got her and Yuuno back to Mid-Childa. With that aside, she wanted to talk to him, but considering the personal nature of it, she decided to wait until later. He probably realized that as well, which dampened his mood and turned him mostly silent, too.
That left the only real talkative one as Mallory. Fate didn't know quite what to make of him, but he seemed decent, if a bit hostile to Frey, openly declaring that they couldn't trust her. Yuuno talked him down before Fate could, and from there he agreed to let the issue go, cheering up about being free and being anxious and very eager to see his sister again.
Conversation drifted off and then they turned in for the night, but Fate was awakened during the night by Bardiche. She had set him to wake her if either Frey or Mallory got up and moved around; she didn't want to risk one or the other doing something. It turned out to be Frey, who walked out of the cave to the cliff ledge, looking at the jungle below.
[She couldn't possibly be...] Fate's thoughts began, then she stood up and walked up behind her, making just enough noise so the girl knew she was there, stopping several feet away to not threaten her.
"Don't try to stop me," Frey told her sternly. "You robbed me of the chance twice; don't do it again!"
"So you're just going to leap to your death, then?" Fate inquired, wondering how to talk the girl out of it; she couldn't keep subduing her over and over, could she?
"I didn't want this!" Frey cried at her a bit louder, voice cracking slightly. "You violated my life, twice, against my will! You should have just killed me after what you did; not leave me alive like this!"
"What good will your death serve?" Fate asked, troubled by how much pain she had caused the girl in her single-minded pursuit to get Yuuno back. [She's in such pain... Was I wrong to do what I did?] "Yes, I'm sorry for what I did to you, but I can't believe your death is the only possible outcome here, not when you can find a new life for yourself. I once thought I couldn't live, either; I wanted to die, but a friend was there for me and showed me I could find a new life."
"Don't speak to me of yourself!" Frey seethed, finally turning around to face her, but keeping her feet on the edge. "I've doomed my entire village! Now everyone will know about them, and they won't stay hidden for much longer. One of those men will tell people, and it will be all over. Can you imagine what it's like to be responsible for destroying your own friends, family, and home? You can't! All I wanted, all we wanted, was just to live and be left alone to our way of life. You destroyed that!"
"Your village won't be destroyed," Yuuno said softly, surprising Fate as she didn't realize he was awake and listening. "The Time-Space Administration Bureau might intervene to stop the kidnappings, but I promise they'll find a way for your village to continue it's way of life. They aren't interested in seeing civilizations destroyed."
Frey spat. "How can I trust the word of a mere male? You have every reason to detest us! And what about him? Unless you plan to kill him right now, he would tell the villages around here, who would mass against us long before you could do anything!"
Fate glanced farther back in the cave along with Yuuno, seeing Mallory sitting up, watching them. Frey did bring up a good point; if Mallory spread the words as his attitude suggested he might, there might very well be a civil war. She wasn't sure she could get Bureau help in time, and this was an unadministered world; technically the Bureau had no standing to intervene.
Mallory rose to his feet and walked over to stand next to Fate, who barely read he expression on his scraggly-bearded face. "I won't tell anyone."
Frey spat again. "Another word from a male. And one who has openly stated their hate for my people."
A big of anger appeared on his face. "Yes, I may be a mere male to you, and hate what your people did to me, and feel anger and resentment because of it. But really, I just want to go home to my sister; she's the only family I have left. And you're stupid if you think your death is gonna solve anything! You're in a position now to save your village, and you want to take the easy way out? Give up and surrender?" He stepped out in front of Fate and out his hand. "Come on, you know you don't want to do this."
"I..." Frey started to say, then stopped, trembling, staring at the hand. "I can't..."
And then, whether deliberately or just subconsciously, she took a step back.
The other three sprinted forward as they watched the distraught girl begin to fall backwards, horror on her face. Mallory, being ahead of the other two, surprised Fate with his quickness as he reached her first, diving to the ground and grabbing her right ankle as he slid of the rocky shelf. His other hand grabbed the edge, temporarily suspending both of their falls and causing him to cry out in pain.
Then Fate and Yuuno were floating there, grabbing each person and bringing them back up, Frey quivering in Fate's arms, seemingly troubled more by the scare of falling than anything else. Tears were still running down her face, but she dried her eyes as she slowly recovered from her shock and looked up at Mallory with a strange expression.
"W-why?" was all she managed to say.
"I just think that killin' yourself is the wrong way to go about things," he told her as Yuuno worked on healing his cut hand. "You can't do anything when you're dead. But if you're alive, you can help people. Many times I thought of killing myself back there, but stayed alive because my sister would never forgive me if I took the coward's way out.
He paused and shrugged. "And I'd just like the abductions to stop; if Yuuno here says his Bureau can help work things out between our peoples, I'm willing to go for it. I'd rather us not be enemies. You being alive can help ensure that both our villages are protected."
Frey's gaze dropped momentarily, then she stood up and Fate thought she could see some of the pride return. "I... will do as you say, then, but for my sisters. I suppose it is how I can best serve them."
Mallory nodded, a hint of a smile on his bearded lips, as Frey returned to her blanket in the cave. Fate's eyes met Yuuno's, and he smiled slightly at her as well, then nodded. The disaster had been averted, but there was still much work to do
The group returned to the starport after a couple of days, collecting an ecstatic Quinn on the way, who apologized to Yuuno for her actions and thanked him for reuniting him with her brother. Fate arranged for all of them to take a civilian transport ship to the closest administered world, where Quinn, Mallory, and Frey would be dropped off in Bureau custody; there was a lot of work to be done, but the three felt confident they were up to it.
Fate would have liked to stay and continue to help, but she had a more important and personal task to complete...
"What the-!?" Yuuno exclaimed, surprised as he found himself in a powerful lightning bind after following Fate into an empty office room to hear something important she had to tell him. "Fate? Why-"
His words were cut off as Fate removed the glove on her hand and slapped him hard, leaving his left cheek stinging. His gaze came back to her angry face, hands on her hips, and he suddenly felt like breaking the bind wouldn't be a very good thing to do right now.
"That's for running," she informed him pointedly, rearing up her hand to backhand his left cheek, leaving it equally red. "That's for making it so difficult to find you! Do you have any idea what Nanoha's been through!?"
Yuuno's gaze lowered; the words stung somehow, more than he thought they would. "I'm sorry. I know I hurt Nanoha by what I did, and I figured it would hurt her more to have me around. I'd just be a living reminder of what she was forced to go through."
Another slap to his right cheek make it burn, as Fate's angry eyes continued to bore into him. "Don't you think that was her choice to make? Did you really think it was okay to unilaterally decide something like this on your own?"
And there it was, the sinking feeling in his gut responding to the buried fears coming to the surface. Part of him knew he was a coward for what he did, but he had tried to bury it under layers of rationalization, telling himself it was to find some way to make her better, or atone for what happened. But the facts were laid bare; Yuuno was a man of science above all, and couldn't hide from the truth when it was presented to his face.
"I know, I screwed up," he admitted softly, his head hanging and eyes leaking as he felt the full force of guilt weigh down upon him. "In more ways than one. And there's probably nothing I can do to make amends for it. I just want her to be alright!"
He almost wouldn't have noticed the binds dissolving, except that he dropped to his knees when they no longer supported him. But what surprised him a bit more, was the pair of hands on his shoulders, as he looked up into Fate's face, now looking considerably more gentle.
"Just talk to her, and we'll work out something," Fate told him earnestly. "She's not angry or upset at you, but more than that, is not my place to tell. That will be between the two of you."
Yuuno nodded, taking her hand to be helped up. His other hand absently brushed the object in his left pocket and he debated bringing it up, but then decided against it. It would be between him and Nanoha, as Fate had said..
"Now let's go catch the next teleport," she told him, pulling him to the door. "We should get there later tonight."
Nanoha sighed as she looked out her window from her bedroom at the starry sky. She had managed to get administrative leave canceled so she could return to some semblance of work, but she was still upset at the restrictions; Vita made sure she stuck to them as well. No active combat except against lower ranks, and observe training exercises while seated; she felt like she was being treated like a baby.
That thought made her hand go to her stomach for the thousandth time. It had been several weeks since then, and sometimes she felt things inside, but logically she knew she shouldn't; the baby was nowhere near that far along yet. The thought of the whole pregnancy and birth process gave her some measure of fear, but there was an odd comfort in that, too, though she didn't know why. Still, at least this way, Vivio would have a younger sister or brother to play with, so maybe it things would work out for the best, anyway.
Now if she could only get these anxieties and uneasiness out of her head....
There came a gentle knocking at her door, and Nanoha told her to come in, thinking it was Vivio being awoken for some reason, but she was surprised to find it was Fate's voice that responded. Opening the door revealed another surprise, as she glimpsed a downtrodden looking Yuuno behind her.
All at once, those pent up aversions and fears came rushing back to the fore as she felt her body tremble, her shaky hand on the doorknob. [Why!? I thought I dealt with all of this? It's just Yuuno! Why do I fear for my control?]
"Nanoha, are you okay?" Fate asked with concern in her voice, then sent a telepathic message. "[I can tell him to wait downstairs if you need some time...]"
Nanoha took a deep breath. "[No, I shouldn't delay this any longer. And thanks, Fate-chan.]"
Fate nodded as Nanoha stepped back, and Fate almost pushed him in. "You two talk. I'll bring up some tea in a bit, alright?"
They both thanked her as Fate smiled and closed the door, and for awhile, awkward silence dampened the room; all the things Nanoha wanted to say were suddenly gone from her mind, and she wasn't even sure where to begin in the first place. From Yuuno's downcast look, she realized he must have felt the same, as he could barely meet her gaze.
"Welcome back, Yuuno," she stated at last, infusing it with as much warmth as she could, deciding that was as good a place as any to start. "And... I'm sorry."
"No no, I should be the one apologizing!" he insisted, then his head dropped slightly again. "It was because of me, that you had to go through... that. I should have had taken more precautions with those devices and... I also left you like that. Fate told me that you weren't angry or upset, but I must admit it's kinda hard to believe that. You must dislike me at least a little."
She could feel the guilt dripping form his words, and somehow it moved her to hug him. "No, it's okay. While I was scared and anxious at first, I've already forgiven you for what happened. I just want to know how you feel."
Hesitantly, his arms came up to hug her back. "I'm sorry. I tried to think of you first, wanting you to be happy, but I know now that I wasn't thinking of you as much as I should have. My actions have hurt you a lot."
She felt him pull back a bit, as one arm dropped. "No, it's okay, really. Although sometimes I wish things could be undone, I can... what's that?"
Yuuno had pulled a small, black rectangular box-like object out of his pocket, his gaze turning serious gaze, while his face became full of concern. "There is a way..."
Fate climbed back up the stairs, having prepared the tea set properly; it was one of the many things she had learned with her time in Japan. She felt she had given the two some time to break the ice, but if not, well, tea always helped Nanoha the two relax before. The three of them had shared it a number of times over the years, with various others, including Arisa, Suzuka, Hayate, and Hayate's family.
And now that Yuuno was back, things could finally start to resume some sense of normalcy. There would be changes, but she felt that all those could be dealt with easily enough. Probably more counseling for Nanoha, and perhaps Yuuno, too, as they figured out what kind of relationship to go with.
She turned the corner to the hallway, slowly approaching Nanoha's bedroom when a bright flash of white light flared briefly from under the closed door. Concerned, she quickly crossed the remaining distance and threw it open, catching Yuuno lowering a black object from Nanoha's forehead
"Yuuno?" Fate questioned. "What is that? What did you do?"
"I..." He glanced at Nanoha, then his face hardened. "I've made sure Nanoha can live normally now."
Fate put the tea set down on the desk as she crossed the floor, separating the two looking at Nanoha's non-responsive blank eyes, then turned to grab Yuuno. "What did you do!?"
"She's okay!" Yuuno insisted, gesturing.
Fate turned back, releasing Yuuno as she noticed Nanoha's eyes return to normal. "Nanoha, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine," Nanoha replied a bit confused, earning a sigh from Fate, then looked back and forth between the two other people. "But what is going on? And who are you?"
Author's notes:
The chapter title was was to address numerous people's responses to things they choose to confront or run from, which are the two choices we face with any conflict, internal or external. We don't always make the best choices, and sometimes we screw up badly. Anyway, tune in for the next chapter... which I'm not quite sure what to call... or know when I'll get it out... :x
Two major mistakes to point out:
"Apparently, either the village really did have one who could fly" should be "didn't have one"
and "tea always helped Nanoha the two relax before." that Nanoha should probably be deleted.
On the whole, a good chapter. The way it ended certainly didn't surprise me all that much. If I were to say something was off, it's that Fate seems a bit too agressive when it comes to Yuuno. Sure, she should be displeased with him, but this is super gentle worrywart Fate we're talking about here. I don't think she would go that far.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous two, and to Dezo and RB for giving me lots of help and feedback with this last installment !
Spoiler for Fortune Knocks But Once:
*snip*
Way too tired to actually review and comment properly, but I must note in passing that you win points for using that awful word "blunette" for a character (Subaru) whose hair is actually blue instead of a character whose hair is black and is depicted dark blue for visual effect (Natsuki, Chikane).