Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Mae]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Double post... gah.

Anyway... follow-up to my alternate ending fic "Sunset". Picks up from where Vivio ran out of the house.

Spoiler for Broken:

“Innocence is lost,
And hopes are shattered.”

-Faith Hill

...

The plotbunny made me do it! *flees*

You... You made me come out of an almost year long lurking spree to comment on this! >.< It was so good. I loved the part where Vivio sais that Nanoha was strong enough to protect the one that she loved. So much emotion. ;^; -sniffle-

-goes back into hiding to continue lurking-

EDIT
......
-comes back- Of course I'd get a page claim. uh. uh. uh. o.e
-runs-

[Keroko]

Oh no you don't!

*begins to reel in Mae*

You will join us. >:3

[MeisterBabylon]

Looks at his Attack Ride card: [Keroko Takes You Home] that he used on Lowe in IRC.

Talk about coincidence.

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Double post... gah.

Anyway... follow-up to my alternate ending fic "Sunset". Picks up from where Vivio ran out of the house.

Spoiler for Broken:

“Innocence is lost,
And hopes are shattered.”

-Faith Hill

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“Vivio! Vivio, hold on! Vivio!”

Even as Nanoha shot up and after her daughter, she knew it was a lost cause; in the seconds it had taken the Ace of Aces to get to her feet, Vivio had already streaked through the hallway and out the door, leaving it open in the wake of her mad dash to get out of the house.

Not that Nanoha could blame her. The girl had just heard the one thing every person feared more than death; the loss of her significant other, her first love. And she’d heard about it in the worst possible way; it could only be by chance that Vivio had been coming downstairs to get a drink when Chrono had broken the news of Lutecia’s death.

Death was shattering, no matter how it happened, but the situation surrounding Lutecia’s death had been even worse, in some ways. Lutecia hadn’t been cut down in battle; she hadn’t died valiantly defending her beliefs or protecting the lives of others. Lutecia had died after successfully completing her mission, sustaining several injuries, and instead of seeking treatment, she’d chosen to bleed to death beside the grave of Zest Grangaitz after having her emotional network blown clean out from under her and suffering a work-related breakdown. Even if no one said it outright, Nanoha knew Lutecia had chosen to die.

She could just as easily guess what had driven Lutecia to her death, but right now wasn’t the time for guilt or self-pity.

Screeching to a halt, Nanoha quickly scanned the front yard, seeing no sign of her daughter. Something in her chest tightened painfully. When the hell had Vivio become so damn fast?

“Raising Heart, Area Search.”

Several seconds passed before Raising Heart gave a soft beep. “Vivio is in the backyard, my master.”

At that, Nanoha blinked. The backyard? Of all the places Nanoha had expected Vivio to run to, why had she gone to the backyard? She’d run a full circle just to do that—

Wait. The backyard. In the backyard, under the tree. That was where Lutecia and Vivio had kissed for the first time, and that was where they’d confessed…

Dammit, why didn’t I think of that sooner?

“Thanks, Raising Heart.” Abruptly Nanoha changed directions, heading for the gate. It hadn’t been opened from the outside, indicating that Vivio must have climbed the fence to get to the other side. Why she’d chosen to climb when she could just as easily open the gate was a mystery, but then, Vivio wasn’t thinking clearly at this point. Nanoha hesitated only a moment before she undid the latch and pushed the gate open, slowly stepping into the yard. “Vivio?” she called softly.

Nanoha saw her instantly; Vivio sat huddled beneath the tree, quietly staring at the ground. The grief, the anguish, had drained out of her to leave an empty blankness, as if she was in shock. Slowly, timidly, Nanoha approached her daughter and saw her hands. “Your hands are all scratched up,” she whispered.

Vivio shrugged. “I slipped. I wasn’t ready to catch myself. Whenever I climbed anything, Cia would…” Her breath caught here, and she shuddered. “Cia would grab me before I’d fall.”

Nanoha said nothing; after a moment, she swallowed hard. “Vivio—“

“How did she die?”

Vivio’s voice was soft, dull; her eyes, her face, stayed empty, blank, completely devoid of any emotion. Nanoha didn’t even hesitate. “That isn’t—“

“Mama, how did Cia die?” Vivio closed her eyes. “I didn’t hear that part. I kind of shut down after Uncle Chrono said she was dead.”

Nanoha hesitated this time, timidly took a few steps closer. When Vivio didn’t stir, she cleared her throat. While she was relieved to see Vivio hadn’t completely broken down, her emotionless expression almost seemed worse. “She bled to death,” she said at last. “She… the NSIS called her back in to complete her mission, and she sustained injury while taking down the suspect. Chrono found her by Zest’s grave.”

Vivio nodded slowly; she blew out a long breath, pulled her legs up to her chest, and rested her forehead against her knees. As she began to tremble and tears streaked down her cheeks, Nanoha felt something inside her chest shatter into a thousand pieces, and she stepped closer, reaching for the girl.

“Don’t.”

Vivio’s voice stopped Nanoha in her tracks; the older woman froze, a confused expression on her face. “Vivio?”

“Don’t touch me.” Vivio took a deep, ragged breath. “Just… go back inside or something. Please.”

For the first time, Nanoha felt as if there was a barrier separating her from Vivio; she felt that even if she tried, she’d never be able to reach her daughter. Despite herself, though, she said softly, “I just… I want to help.”

At that, Vivio laughed bitterly and lifted her head. Her face was pale and tears gleamed in her eyes, fell down her cheeks; her gaze was broken, shattered, and so anguished that Nanoha took a step back. “How can you possibly help me?” she whispered hoarsely. “You were strong enough to save the person you loved.”

The words were stronger than any magical attack, more painful than a slap to the face; even as the shock and hurt came onto Nanoha’s face, Vivio dropped her forehead to her knees again. “Just go away,” she murmured. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

Nanoha hesitated; she opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. Her hands curled tightly into fists, only to relax without the physical threat of an enemy. After a moment, she turned and began to walk away, feeling her heart break with every step she took.

Behind her, Vivio collapsed into anguished sobs.

“Cia… Cia…”

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. The lyrics at the beginning are from Faith Hill's song "There Will Come a Day". I just heard that particular part and... it felt fitting.

2. Originally had in mind a much longer, much nastier confrontation between Vivio and Nanoha in mind... but when I started writing it, it turned out like this, and somehow I think it works even better than Vivio getting angry. Nanoha wants to help her loved ones, and I think the worst possible way she could be hurt is if her help was rejected; and Vivio's rejection was cruel, too.

3. I didn't plan to touch "Sunset" again, but people were asking about Vivio and then I started thinking about it, so this was born.

...

The plotbunny made me do it! *flees*

One thing's for certain--no matter what the continuity, Nanoha takes it on the chin from you in these "Shadows" stories! If I'm her, I'm not going "away" any further than the French doors and watching the whole time, though. Vivio needs someone in case she gets it into her head to follow Lutecia. Sad stuff... *sniffle* Though in a good way!

[Nanya01]

*Shifty shifty*

I blame plot bunnies!

And RadiantBeam helps too!

It's set in the "Relationships" Series...

Spoiler for Pain:

Yuuno was down.

He was out.

He was amazed he wasn't dead.

Or at least, he didn't think he was dead. After all, if he was dead, would he still be feeling this incredible pain? Would he still hear the voices of Arf and Vita, faded as they were? Would he still be able to see the wreckage of battle around him, even if his vision was failing?

And the pain...

A burning sensation in his chest, like he'd been shot; a clenching pain, like someone had closed their fingers around his heart and was squeezing tightly, without remorse.

It hurt.

It was so simple, wasn't it? Back up the rookies, make sure that they got out alive, everyone comes out of it alive. Simple, easy, how did it turn out this way?

"I guess, maybe I should have dodged." He managed to groan out, wincing with each word.

"Shut up!" Vita yelled at him as she surveyed the battle area. "You better not say anything until we get you to a hospital!" There were tears falling down her face as she glared at him, at the area, and at the idiot who got Yuuno into this situation.

Yuuno blew out a long breath. "Don't think I'll last that long," he said weakly.

"You'll last! You'll damn well last, you idiot!" Vita whipped her head around. "Arf! Where are the medics?"

The familiar, in her full adult form, looked just as angry, just as frustrated as the small Knight. "They're coming as quickly as they can."

"Is Shamal with them?"

"She insisted on coming as soon as she heard Yuuno's name." Arf looked around. "How're the rookies?"

"They're fine." Vita gritted her teeth. "The stupid moron on the ground held his shield long enough to protect the stragglers, even with hellfire raining down on him."

"Right, Yuuno, oh gods! Yuuno!" Arf's eyes widened as she saw him start to pale. The two quickly stripped him out of his shirt, finding his chest bleeding heavily as they did what they could to stop it. "Stop bleeding, dammit! Yuuno! You promised us you would come back! You stop bleeding right now!" Arf yelled at him, tears falling down her face as hers and Vita's hands got more and more covered in blood as they did what they could to stop it.

Even with his life bleeding out of him, Yuuno chuckled.

"Sorry... I'm causing a of trouble for you two..."

"Don't talk!" Vita barked. "Save your strength, Shamal will be here any minute!"

Yuuno kept talking. "Just... can you apologize to Nanoha and Fate for me? Tell them... I really messed up this time."

It was the last thing he said before everything faded to black. The last thing he heard was Arf screaming his name.

"Yuuno! YUUUNO!" Arf screamed, shaking him. "Get up! Come on! Get up!"

"Don't you dare die! Don't you dare die on me!" Vita yelled loudly. "SHAMAL! MEDIC! WE NEED MEDICS! HURRY UP!"

Shamal arrived a few moments later to the scene as the two were trying their best to try and get Yuuno to stay with them. Shamal shook her head and ran to the group. "We're here, Vita, Arf..."

"Shamal! Yuuno! He... He's not... Hurry, please!"

Shamal only had to take one look at Yuuno before she got to work, easily sweeping Arf and Vita aside. The first trick, she knew, was to stop the blood flow; only then could she focus on saving his life.

"Shamal?" Arf was practically whimpering.

"He's still alive." Shamal's voice was quiet, focused, but relieved nonetheless. "Just barely, but he's still fighting." As she started to apply pressure to his chest and signalled for another medic, she looked at Vita. "What the hell happened?"

Vita could tell, then, just how scared Shamal was. It was the only time she ever cursed.

Clenching her fists, Vita trembled and glared at where the rookies had left. She knew that they weren't totally at blame, she knew it. It didn't make her feel better. "That IDIOT!" She yelled, tears falling down her face. "He's such an idiot! Puts up a barrier to make sure that everyone gets out safely, and the instant that it goes down, he takes an attack that he should have been able to block. But, no, he's so tired that his own personal field isn't active and it cuts into him!" Vita screamed and stomped on the ground, cracking it.

As more medics gathered around Yuuno, Shamal took a deep breath and quietly retreated, signalling for Vita and Arf to join her.

"Are you sure you should be leaving him alone?" Arf asked anxiously.

"He's fine. For the moment." Shamal bit her lip. "It's bad. He took a direct hit. By some miracle the blast missed his heart, but he's still sustained critical damage. I need to take him straight to the medical ward."

Shamal took another deep breath.

"One of you has to tell them," she whispered. "One of you has to tell Fate and Nanoha."

"I'll do it." Vita all but growled it. "I was the one who agreed to take the damn mission."

"Shamal... Do... Do you think Yuuno will..?" Arf asked, looking at her bloody hands and trembling horribly.

"We'll do everything we can, Arf. Everything we can." Shamal said to her, looking at the scene grimly.

Vita trembled, tears falling down her face. "Why?" She asked no one in particular. "Why does everyone I try to protect get so hurt?"

Shamal's eyes softened slightly; she stepped forward and hugged Vita quickly, gently, before releasing her to go back to Yuuno.

Arf looked at the small Knight worriedly. "Vita?"

Vita blew out a long, hard breath. "You go with Yuuno, Arf. I... I have to tell Nanoha and Fate what happened."

Arf nodded, trembling, before hugging Vita as well. "I'm sorry... I couldn't protect him either."

Vita nodded and hugged her back. "I... I'll go tell them. Just make sure to stay with him."

Arf nodded and went to help Shamal as Vita took trembling steps away from the scene. Along the way, she glared at the rookies, who were wondering what happened. She could feel rage, intense, blinding rage that threatened to swell up and make her take Graf Eisen and do things that would get her, Hayate and all the Wolkenritter in trouble.

That was the only reason that she settled for glaring, before she left, quickly.

Even if Vita wanted to immediately go to the house and break the news to Nanoha and Fate, to better deal with their reactions, she knew she couldn't do that. For one thing, it was almost midnight, and for another her clothes were all bloody.

She took only the minimum amount of time to stop at base to switch out of her Barrier Jacket, simply washing the blood off before changing back into her uniform.

After changing, she braced herself for the worst possible mission.

---

Nanoha yawned tiredly, turning over sleepily and nuzzling into Fate's neck. The two had finally managed to settle down to sleep a few minutes ago, contenting themselves with waking to find Yuuno slipping quietly between them when he returned. The night was quiet, and Fate's arm felt nice around her waist.

At first, she thought she was dreaming when the doorbell sounded. When it went off again, she opened her eyes and groaned. "Fate-chan..."

"Yeah, I know." Fate yawned. "Want to stay up here?"

"No, I'll come down. The bed gets cold when I'm alone."

Fate smiled and kissed her on the lips. "Come on." She yawned, wondering who would be there at this hour of the day. Getting out of bed, the two were quick to wrap robes around their bodies and head downstairs.

The doorbell went off again, causing Nanoha to twitch slightly. "Remind me to turn off the doorbell late at night."

Fate nodded, but had no intention of doing that. Opening the door, she blinked in surprise. "Vita? What brings..." Fate trailed off, seeing how stiff, nervous and terrible Vita looked, almost as if someone had done something horrible to one of the knights. "What's wrong?"

Nanoha peered curiously over Fate's shoulder. "Vita-chan? It's late..."

"Yeah. I know. Sorry. Something kind of happened." Vita took a deep breath, hoping it would relax her. It didn't work. "Is Vivio up?"

"She's at Momoko and Shiro's tonight. She wanted to sleep over."

Oh, thank you, Vita thought. She hesitated, fidgeted, and wondered if she should break her news on the doorstep or come inside.

Fate sensed her confusion, stepping back. "Why don't you come in? It's late, and kind of chilly tonight."

Vita smiled weakly. "Yeah, thanks."

When they were all inside and in the living room, Vita grimaced, she really, really did not look forward to what she had to say. "Nanoha... Fate... Arf, Yuuno and myself... We... We had a mission today..." The two of them nodded, they figured that when Yuuno had slipped out of the bed. "And... There was a surprise attack." Vita fidgeted, she could FEEL the tension levels rising dramatically.

"Yuuno-kun... Oh gods!" Nanoha's face was pale, her eyes wide as her body trembled. "Did... Is he... Vita-chan, tell me! Is he dead?"

Vita plunged on; now that she was talking, it felt like she simply couldn't stop.

"Arf and I got seperated with a small group of recruits, and Yuuno... he was stuck behind with another group. One of the attackers... he could match Yuuno's rank." Vita heard her voice break. "I couldn't get there in time. Yuuno must have held that shield for at least an hour, despite the constant attacks. He..." She closed her eyes, shuddered. "He only dropped it for a moment. He needed to catch his breath. He was weakening. The minute the barrier dropped, the bastard let off another shot."

"He got out of the way." Fate's voice trembled. "Vita, tell us he got out of the way."

Vita slowly opened her eyes.

"There were recruits behind him," she whispered.

"Y...You're lying! Right? Please, oh, PLEASE! Vita! Tell me that you're lying!" Nanoha had a scared look on her face, her mind flashing back to when she was little, seeing her father in the hospital.

Vita had her eyes closed and she shook her head. "He... There was so much blood... So much... Shamal... she got there... But..."

"He... He can't be dead!" Fate trembled, her eyes watering.

"He was so weak... So pale... Shamal said he was still alive but... I don't know!" Vita suddenly cried out. "I don't know! So much blood, I couldn't stop it! I wanted to stop it, I just couldn't!"

It still haunted her; the image of Yuuno, pale as a sheet as red blood poured from the wound on his chest, too much blood, the blood had looked so bright...

With great effort, Vita forced herself not to cry out again.

"Shamal took him straight to the medical ward," she said. "Arf went with them. He was still fighting. Just barely, she said, but he was still alive. He wanted..." She swallowed hard. "He wanted me to tell you guys he was sorry, that he really messed up this time." She cleared her throat. "I don't think he'll die, but... you deserve to hear it."

"We... We need to go, Vita..." Nanoha said stiffly and went to her room to get some clothes on, Fate following a moment later.

Vita sat in the chair, her hands shaking horribly as she stared at them. She could still see the blood on them, so much blood, so much...

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she blinked as Nanoha, dressed in light clothes, nodded at her. "Come on, Vita-chan... We're going to go see Yuuno-kun."

Nanoha nodded, she knew, she knew all too well.

The trio quickly made their way to the emergency ward, Arf was there waiting for them, trembling, her hands were still bloody, she hadn't bothered to wash them off, just sitting on the chairs, looking at her hands as she trembled. She looked up and sniffled before crying and hugging Fate, who held her, the blond's tears fell silently as the group sat, and waited, and waited.

It would be hours before they would hear any news at all.

As they sat, a flurry of movement made Fate blink and look up in confusion; her eyes widened as Lindy gently settled down next to her, Chrono and Amy not far behind. "Mom? How did you..."

"My social network is wide and fast as the speed of light." Lindy smiled gently at her daughter. "I thought you could use some company. Nanoha," she added, "Momoko called. She said she can keep Vivio as long as you need her to."

Nanoha nodded, silent, rocking back and forth silently, her face unreadable. She didn't think she could say or do anything more, she had to be strong, she needed to be strong, she would wait, she would...

Totally start crying the instant she was pulled into a hug by Lindy. "I... I can't... I can't..." She hiccuped as she broke down in a mass of sobs and tears.

"Can't what?" Lindy's voice was soft, her embrace gentle as she cradled Nanoha in her arms. As she comforted the brunette, Amy and Chrono both gathered around Fate, offering her silent support. Well, silent in Chrono's case. "Hey," Amy whispered.

Fate tried to smile, failed miserably. "Hi."

Chrono looked at Arf, who was asleep and frowned lightly at the blood on her hands, but didn't say anything. He glanced across the hall, where Vita was sitting, completely silent. She looked up and flinched slightly, before looking back down.

Amy rubbed Fate's back softly as the blond trembled. "Fate, it's okay. Don't hold back." She sighed as the blond shook her head softly. "Fate, don't hold this in, you don't want it to eat away at you." She whispered softly.

"W...why?" Fate sniffled, her face scrunching up as she tried to stop her tears.

Amy could only guess as to what Fate was asking, but she knew the blonde well enough to try. "Why didn't he get out of the way?" she offered.

"Why... Why did this happen to him?" She asked, her voice trembling. "Why did it happen to him?"

Amy was silent and shook her head. "I... I don't know." She whispered softly.

"His way of thinking was simple." Chrono finally spoke up. "He knew what he was doing. He knew that if he got out of the way, the recruits would be killed. He figured he was strong enough to survive the blast, and decided to take the risk so he wouldn't lose anyone."

Fate nodded, she knew that. Heck, she had gotten a few injuries herself by doing things similar. It didn't make it any easier to accept.

Lindy sighed as she held Nanoha, who was passed out. Rocking back and forth softly, she hoped to keep the demons of the younger woman's mind away, if even for a little while. I wish I could promise you two that he will be alright. I wish I could promise you that. She thought sadly , her shirt damp with tears from Nanoha's crying.

They lost track of time. It could have been minutes that passed as they sat there, or hours; it was hard to say. There was no clock on the wall to tell them how much time had passed. At some point Fate rested her head against Amy's shoulder and fell asleep, just as exhausted by everything as Nanoha was.

Just as Vita was beginning to wonder if she'd have to charge the doors to get any news, Shamal came out of the room.

She looked like hell; pale, her eyes tired, her body trembling slightly. Clearly, she'd been ignoring her own needs to tend to Yuuno and the other injured. As she came outside, both Nanoha and Fate stirred as Arf stood up. "Shamal?" she asked softly.

Shaking her head, Shamal dropped into a chair. "It's bad," she whispered. "We managed to stop the blood, so he isn't in danger of bleeding to death anymore, but we can't get his body to stabilize itself. He used up too much power, and he used it too fast."

"What are you saying?" Vita frowned. "I only saw him put up one huge shield."

"He threw up a smaller one before he got hit." Exhausted, Shamal rubbed her eyes. "That's what did him in, that tiny shield, and that explains why he survived the blow. We..." She swallowed hard. "We lost him once the way here, but I managed to bring him back. Right now we're trying to get his magical levels stable again, or else his body will shut down."

"I..." Shamal rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I did all I could..." She slumped tiredly, showing that she was as tired as she looked.

Vita clenched her fists together. "I... This is my fault... I should have refused the mission, or I should have stayed with him."

"Some familiar I am..." Arf muttered. She had went with him, promising Fate that she would protect him, and she had failed, horribly.

"You can't blame yourself," Shamal murmured. "No one saw this coming. The attack was unexpected. It's a miracle there were no casualities."

After a moment, she lifted her head, looking at Fate and Nanoha. "I'm sorry," she said. "I wish I had better news."

They nodded softly, and Nanoha forced a small smile onto her face. "Shamal... Thank you... For doing your best." The pain in her voice was evident, but she still tried to smile.

Shamal nodded quietly before she rose again. "I have to go back in," she said. "I can't leave him alone for too long."

She got tired nods from everyone, but Vita grabbed her arm, causing her to look at her. Take care of him.

Shamal nodded at the mental request before going back inside.

"Nanoha..." Lindy said softly as the younger woman trembled. "Shamal's working hard."

Nanoha looked at Vita. "Please, please tell me that the bastard didn't get away."

Vita smirked coldly at that.

"Like hell he got away. I didn't go after him myself, but Arf chased him down and gave him one hell of a beating in my place."

Arf was hugged tightly by Fate, who rubbed her familiar's back and thanking her. "Fate... I... I don't deserve it..." She slumped, her eyes reflecting her sadness. "I... I couldn't protect Yuuno. It's my fault."

Fate just shook her head and tightened her grip on Arf. "You got the man who hurt him," she choked out. "That's what matters."

Arf nodded and hugged Fate tighter. She still felt miserable about everything that happened.

Vita twitched gripping her knees tightly. If only I hadn't... If I hadn't taken this mission, or put it off for a bit... She hated this, hated waiting. It was just as bad as when she held Nanoha all those years ago after she had gotten injured badly.

"Lindy?"

"Nanoha?" She blinked as Nanoha looked at her in trepidation.

"What.. What will happen now?" She asked, not as the Ace of Aces, but as a young woman scared stiff for someone she loved.

Lindy hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

"It... it all depends on whether or not they can stabilize the magic in Yuuno's body. It isn't unusual for people to die during the procedure, or to come close to death, and Shamal already said he died once before, but was brought back."

She knew it wasn't the best thing to say, but it was the truth. She wished that it wasn't so true though.

Amy looked at Chrono, who nodded. "I'm sorry, I need to leave." He kissed his wife, before nodding to the others.

"I understand." Fate nodded at him, her voice trembling lightly. "Thank you, for showing up, brother."

"Chrono." Lindy's soft voice made him look at her.

Chrono smirked. "Don't worry, Mom. I won't do anything stupid."

She nodded as he left, sighing heavily. It was times like these that she wanted to curse the world for all it was worth.

It would be hours sat in silence before any news was heard.

Shamal came out only to find the small group asleep; Nanoha was still cuddled against Lindy, Fate dozing between Arf and Amy. Vita sat by herself, arms crossed over her chest and her head bowed as she slept. Moving quietly, Shamal gently stepped over to Vita and gave her a light shake.

Vita woke in an instant. "Shamal." She kept her voice low, mindful of the sleeping family. "Is he...?"

Shamal couldn't fight back the smile; despite her exhaustion, she was overjoyed. "We've managed to stabalize him," she said softly. "It's still touch and go from here, but his chances are much better."

Vita sighed and hugged her, tears falling down her face as she couldn't keep the relief from crashing out of her. "Thank you... Thank you, Shamal."

Shamal winked as Vita let go and sat down, yawning tiredly. "I'm... Rather tired..."

Vita smirked.

"You can't sleep yet, you still need to wake the others up and tell them the good news."

Shamal smiled tiredly.

"Good point..."

It didn't take much to wake the others up, and the news caused more tears, but of genuine happiness.

"Can we see him?"

Shamal shook her head. "Not yet... I'm sorry, but he needs to rest." The look on their faces made Shamal chuckle. "You can visit him tomorrow. He should be awake by then."

"Thank you, Shamal. Thank you." Nanoha got up and hugged the doctor for all she was worth, Fate joining a moment later.

Spoiler for Notes:

This is a "What If" that shows what might have happened if Yuuno had been sent out on missions.

[Mae]

Originally Posted by Keroko

Oh no you don't!

*begins to reel in Mae*

You will join us. >:3

*claws at the ground as she is dragged* ;A; Nuuuuuuuuuu!!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Mae

*claws at the ground as she is dragged* ;A; Nuuuuuuuuuu!!

Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you liked it. ^^

[MeisterBabylon]

Cross-posting for those who like the OC Keroko:

Spoiler for A trailer:

*a faint child's humming of a lullaby echoes hauntingly*

"Awaken my child, and embrace the fury that is your birthright."

~~~~~~

"Good sprockets of the Light, you've come to!" a shortish creature with red bobby pigtails scampered up as the Captain struggling to sit. "Oh, oh, oh don't get up! You're as hurt as though a herd of elekks ran over you!"

Keroko groggily-eyed the tiny squeaker and the foreign and lavishly decorated bunk she was in.

"Where's... my... ship?"

"I'm terribly sorry," said the tiny gnome of a sister. "There were no survivors..."

~~~~~~

"Know that I am the wings of death that've come to claim this world..."

~~~~~~

"You intact?"

"Barely," Karlheim replied as he fished his pocket for a cigarette, found them all burnt, and off-handedly tossed them away.

The two charred men continued to watch the gloomy nightbound land below before Elric finally asked, "Where in Kaiser's Grace are we?"

"Shall we ask them?" Karl shot back warily, as he scanned the wolf-like humanoids emerging from the shadows behind them.

~~~~~~

"And that you were created to complete me."

~~~~~~

Chrono pointed to a holo. "Two hours ago, we lost contact with all three star destroyers participating in Operation Stonefish. It seems that they were attacked by a powerful entity while in a foldstorm, where they attempted to make a blind jump to safety and disappeared from sensor track."

"Keroko and Karl were on those ships," Hayate spoke with hurry. "We need to rescue them now."

"If they are still alive."

~~~~~~

"Enemies, villains, all that your so-called friends are."

~~~~~~

"Hyperpulse comms are dead, the ship's totalled, most of our skimmers are stuck if not sunk, and Command has probably no fucking clue where we are," Skeeter said as he tapped away his fizzing holoscreen. "I guess the good news is that of the 20 odd of us alive aren't injured. The rest died very quickly."

"Anything else?"

"Just 1 more thing, Commander Farsight. But you've got to see this for yourself."

"All I see is a big hole in our bulkhead."

"This hole wasn't caused by a hit from the outside," the clone trooper replied with a lump in his throat. "It was blasted from the inside."

~~~~~~

"Your only allies are those that exalt you, and die for you."

~~~~~~

"I, on behalf of the Alliance, wholeheartedly thank you for coming at our darkest hour, celestial being."

"I believe you are mistaken," Keroko replied. "I am no god."

"But what of your wings?"

"I have wings...?" She asked innocently as she peered over her shoulder... and brushed her long disrevelled mane with a dark scaly drape coming off her shoulder.

~~~~~~

"Your first breath shall be the end of others."

~~~~~~

"What the hell is that thing?!" Faiz screamed over the intercom as he pushed his slaved battlesuit into full jetting capacity, his reptilian pursuer crashing and burning the great trunks of green in its way. The trooper dug in his heels, forcing his massive exo-skeleton to do the same and wheel 360, giving him enough to let fly some missiles from the pods on his back before jumping for it again. Several red alarms screamed as the deformed dragon breathed green flame and intercepted his attack.

"I think it's hungry," Skeeter quipped as he coasted the Warfish sideways and tried to distract the creature with his cannons unsuccessfully.

"Then it's settled," Heavy chirped somewhat leisurely as he winked through his sniping reticule and pulled a mental trigger. "Eat this!"

His Broadside battlesuit, crouching in ambush, let fly the reassuring pong-pong of its twin railguns going off.

~~~~~~

"Your first steps shall shatter this world."

~~~~~~

Karl and Elric arced and somersaulted through the air as the entire landscape seemed to have gone crazy. Cracks and fissures tore through the darkened countryside, hurling lethal missiles of molten rock and putamen through choking cinder clouds. There was little they could do; and in a matter of seconds, the town of Southshore disappeared into the boiling sea...

~~~~~~

"And so, as my siesta finally comes to an end..."

~~~~~~

As the arid land of Westfall heaved and churned to coal and lava, swallowing man, holme and livestock alike, a tanned girl in a white frock stood unfazed on her perch, humming a disembodied lullaby, her heading swinging a little side to side, and wearing a perfectly wide smile on her face.

~~~~~~

"Arise, my daughter. Arise... Keroko."

~~~~~~

"By your will, father, I live to serve..." Keroko cooed as she preened her bodily mail of obsidian scales, eyes burning with coals of dark flames. "Let all the mortals feel the wrath of the infinite Black Dragonflight."

Karl dropped his storm bolter from his shoulder at the sight.

~~~~~~

Genesis of Artherion
~The Daughter of Twilight~

~~~~~~

"By the Virgin Mother, what have they done to you?"

~~~~~~

COMING SOON

Totally not inspired by a certain coming catastrophe.

[Nanya01]

Reactions is now up on FF.Net. Cleaned up a bit and some extra additions. Nothing much. But if you want, go read and drop us a review.

[Nanya01]

Okay, double post...

I'm... Sorry?

No I'm not.

Anyway, more to the "What if" Scenario that RadiantBeam and I worked on before...

Spoiler for Pain PT II:

Beep...

That was annoying.

Beep...

Yep, still annoying.

Beep...

Okay, that sound needed to die.

Beep...

Why did it feel like his body wanted nothing more than to fall apart right then and there?

Beep...

Had he over-did it with Vita in training again?

Beep...

No, she wouldn't put him in this much pain. What happened?

Beep...

Wait... he'd been on a mission, hadn't he?

Beep...

Yes, a mission. And something had gone wrong. He'd tried to protect the recruits...

Beep...

He'd been alone, without Arf or Vita, and he'd wanted to protect the kids. If he'd moved, they would have been killed.

Beep...

At least he got to say goodbye to Vita and Arf.

Beep...

Wait, he wasn't dead, was he?

Beep...

Not if it hurt that much to move.

Beep...

Where was he?

Beep...

How long was he out?

Beep...

And why the heck did he feel some hands running up and down on his arms softly?

Beep...

Okay, seriously. That noise needed to die.

Given a solid thought to latch onto, Yuuno groaned softly and tried to open his eyes. It took him several tries, ignoring pain, and he blinked groggily as his vision swam.

"Yuuno!" He heard voices from around him yell out happily, wasn't that a sign you were insane?

As his vision came into focus, he grinned lightly. "I am dead then."

Nanoha frowned at that. "Why?"

"Because the first thing I see are some beautiful angels to greet me."

On his other side, Fate gave a strangled laugh. "Yuuno, we'd have to be dead to greet you."

Yuuno frowned slightly at that; his brain was still lagging behind his body. "Wait... I'm not dead?"

Nanoha shook her head and squeezed his hand. "No... You aren't dead. You almost did die though." She sniffled, tears falling down her face again.

"Nanoha... Fate... How long...?"

Fate squeezed his arm gently. "You were out cold for the better part of a week. Vivio's shown up every day after school, hoping to see you awake."

Yuuno blinked and frowned, confused as, for a moment, he blanked out on why he was in the hospital bed in the first place. It hit him a moment later; holding up the shield, dropping it to regain his senses, seeing the shot coming straight at him and...

He laughed weakly. "I need to apologize to Vita," he mused. "I never even planned to get out of his way when I realized where he was firing."

"We know..." Nanoha smiled at him softly. "There was someone behind you. I'm just glad you're alive."

Yuuno smiled softly and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Nanoha, Fate... I... I didn't mean to worry you two so much."

They shook their heads at him, smiling. "This sounds familiar." Fate smiled at him softly. "Almost like someone else who ended up here a long time ago."

"Fate-chan, you better not think of following our example and ending up here."

"It really doesn't feel good," Yuuno added helpfully, making Fate laugh softly. "I seriously thought I'd been killed..."

"Shamal said that she lost you once when bringing you in. She managed to bring you back. Yuuno-kun... Don't... Don't you ever worry us like that again!" Nanoha cried out, her eyes closing as tears fell down her face.

At that, Yuuno blinked.

"I worried you?"

Nanoha nodded and Fate squeezed his hand gently. "Of course you did, you silly ferret." Yuuno got a small chuckle, before groaning as his chest didn't agree with the extra movement.

"Yuuno!" His lovers called out at the same time and he shook his head, panting lightly.

"Okay, no more making me laugh." Yuuno groaned out with a weak grin on his face.

Nanoha frowned worriedly.

"Are you in pain? I can call someone..."

Even as Fate moved to stand, Yuuno shook his head weakly. "Don't bother," he murmured. "It's not something you can treat. The wound has to heal on its own."

"Yuuno..." Fate said softly and squeezed his hand. "We were just so worried, that's all."

"I'm sorry." He said, closing his eyes and taking a breath. "I just..."

The doors opened at that moment as a small girl walked in slowly. "Nanoha-mama... Fate-mama... Is Yuuno-papa still..." Vivio trailed off as Fate moved to the side, letting Yuuno wave tiredly at her. "Yuuno-papa!" She yelled excitedly and ran for the bed, stopping short of jumping on it when Fate grabbed her to stop her. "Mou... Fate-mama!"

"Now, Vivio, Yuuno's in the hospital... Don't tackle him."

"You and Nanoha-mama do all the time." She pouted, getting a small chuckle from Yuuno.

"It's okay, Fate. Come here, Vivio." He smiled at her lightly as she crawled into his bed, hugging him.

"Are you going to come home soon?" Vivio immediately curled up by his side, snuggling as close as she possibly could without hurting him. "The house is really quiet without you."

"Oh?" Yuuno smiled tiredly.

"Uh huh. And Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama are sad."

"Vivio," Nanoha murmured softly.

"I'm sorry, Vivio. I didn't mean to make them sad."

She nodded hugging him tightly. "I missed you too."

Nanoha smiled sadly, the scene reminded her way too much of herself when her father was in the hospital. What Vivio was doing was something that she had wanted to do with her own father so long ago.

She just wished that she could have stopped what happened from happening.

Yuuno saw the look in his lovers' eyes and smiled slightly, gently rubbing Vivio's back. As worried as he was about them, he knew he couldn't just dismiss Vivio, either.

Fate nodded to Nanoha, who walked out of the room. "Vivio, Nanoha-mama and I are going to go see Shamal, okay? You keep Yuuno-papa company."

"Okay!" She called out happily. "Bai bai, mama."

Fate smiled as she walked out of the room. "Nanoha..." She said softly to the other woman, who was standing at the edge of the hallway. "Nanoha, it's okay, he's alive, Vivio didn't have to deal with the same neglect you did." She took Nanoha's hand with hers and rubbed Nanoha's palms with her thumbs. "He's alive, he's alive, Nanoha, he's in there right now talking to Vivio, giving her attention, he saved those people..." Nanoha wasn't reacting, at all, and Fate frowned. "Nanoha..."

The woman rocked back and forth, her hair casting shadows on her eyes and muttering something that Fate couldn't make out. "Nanoha!" She let go of Nanoha's hand and grabbed her shoulders, getting her lover to look at her in a shocked sort of wonderment.

"Fate-chan... What... I... I zoned out, didn't I?"

Seeing the tremor come into Nanoha's hands, Fate drew her female lover into her arms without hesitation. "What's wrong?" she asked softly. "It isn't like you to be spacing out like this."

Nanoha trembled and hugged Fate back tightly. "Just... I had a flashback... I... I saw my father and Miyuki..." She closed her eyes, trembling slightly.

"Nanoha?" Fate was worried for her.

"I... My mind flashed back to when I was a girl, my father was in the hospital... Hurting... Miyuki was with him. Mom and Kyoya were working... All alone... Couldn't bother them, needed to be strong for them so that they wouldn't worry."

"Nanoha..." Fate had gone beyond getting worried and was starting to get terrified.

"I... It hurts, Fate-chan." Nanoha trembled. "It hurts so much to be here."

"Nanoha..." Fate let go of the hug and grabbed Nanoha's arm. "Come on, let's walk." She smiled reassuringly.

"Fate...chan?"

"I want to know. I want to know why my Nanoha is hurting so much."

"But what about Yuuno-kun?"

"Vivio's keeping him company. He'll be fine, Nanoha. Shamal will call us if there's a major change."

On top of that, Fate had the sneaking suspicion that she, Nanoha, and Yuuno were going to have an interesting conversation once he was well enough, but for now that was in the future. Gently taking Nanoha's hand, she led the other woman outside.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha muttered softly as Fate led her away from the hospital.

"You never told me why you hated to go to the hospital so much." She said softly.

"It... It's not something I want to bring up in casual conversation."

Fate made a show of looking around. "We seem to be alone now."

Nanoha smiled shakily and squeezed Fate's hand. "Can we sit down? It's kind of hard to explain."

Without hesitation Fate led Nanoha over to a nearby bench right across the street, draping an arm over the other woman's shoulders as they sat down and pulling her close.

"It..." Nanoha took a deep breath and leaned against Fate. "The doctors said that my dad came really close to death a few times. Mom only told me when I was in high school that dad actually had died a few times but was brought back to life." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "I... I never knew how bad it was..."

"Nanoha..." Fate said softly, rocking back and forth slowly, trying to soothe her.

"Remember... When I was in my coma, Fate-chan?"

"I could never forget." Fate said softly, closing her eyes, that was one of the worst moments in her life. At least the pictures she got of Nanoha and Hayate riding around on Zafira was always cute and funny sometimes.

"Did you know that the doctors had been discussing if I should be cut off from life support?"

At that, Fate's eyes snapped open.

"What?"

Her voice had gone low, deadly, in the blink of an eye. Her grip on Nanoha tightened slightly.

Nanoha laughed. "Nyhahaha... yeah. I guess they didn't think I could hear them. A few were really pushing for it... they thought it wasn't fair to keep me hooked up if I had no hope of recovering, but Mom and Dad fought them tooth and nail over it."

"I'm glad that they did." Fate said softly as she tried to fight back the sudden rush of anger that swelled up in her.

Nanoha nodded, that was the only thing that she could remember from that time, she had only regained enough consciousness at that point to hear that, before she relapsed. "You were there every day, I heard."

"Yes..." And the only reason that she had been allowed to do so was because Lindy had pulled enough strings to keep her away from doing anything, stating that her mental state would keep her from performing at her best.

Which was probably the truth.

"I'm glad." Nanoha smiled softly, before leaning up and kissing Fate on the lips. Smiling softly, the blond returned the kiss, pushing her tongue into Nanoha's mouth.

As nice as it felt to have Nanoha relax completely against her and return the kiss, Fate was still mindful of their surroundings, and pulled away after a few minutes.

Nanoha blinked, then pouted. "Mou, Fate-chan."

"We're in public," Fate reminded Nanoha lightly with a laugh.

"So?"

Fate laughed again; never say Nanoha didn't mind showing love when she felt like it. "Nanoha, we'd have to go home to take this further."

"Mmm... Fate-chan's soft and warm... I want some Fate-chan and if Fate-chan isn't given to me soon, I'll have to just go and get some Fate-chan on my own, and that would embarrass her."

Fate laughed and nodded. "Alright, alright, let's go home then. I'll give Lindy-mama a call to pick up Vivio tonight."

Nanoha smirked.

Fate sighed, even as she smiled.

"Late tonight," she amended.

(---)

Yuuno panted, something wasn't right. Why did he feel so tired all of a sudden?

"Papa? Papa?" Vivio's eyes widened as Yuuno got more and more pale, before slumping against the bed. "PAPA!" She screamed in fear.

At Vivio's screams, Shamal was in the room in a flash, Vita hot on her heels; one look at Yuuno had her paling. "Oh, hell," she whispered. She'd been so relieved, she'd forgotten the aftermath of the body trying to readjust its magical levels.

"Shamal?" Vita pulled Vivio into her arms. "What's going on?"

Shamal whirled around. "Get her out of here," she said tensely. "This isn't something she needs to see." Not waiting to see if Vita followed her order, she turned back to Yuuno and summoned all available medics.

"Auntie? Will papa be okay?" Vivio asked, whimpering as she was taken out of the room.

"Shamal's the best doctor here, Vivio. He'll be okay." She wasn't sure, she didn't know what was going on right now, and it was eating at her. "I think Yuuno just got worn out and Shamal's over-reacting." You better just be over-reacting, Shamal. She thought to herself.

Just as they exited the room, Amy came wandering in; maybe to visit, or to see what Fate and Nanoha were up to, Vita wasn't sure. In any case, the Knight was happy to see her.

"Aunt Amy!" With a wail, Vivio flew out her aunt.

"Whoa, hey there, kiddo." Amy easily swept the girl up into her arms. "What's going on? I thought you'd be in a good mood after seeing your papa!"

Vivio sniffled. "Something's wrong," she said softly. "Papa got really pale, and Aunt Shamal had to come in."

Amy blinked and looked at Vita, who shrugged helplessly.

"Where's Nanoha and Fate?"

"Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama said they were going to find Aunt Shamal, but they never came back." Vivio sniffled, causing Amy to look at Vita, who nodded and left to find a communication array.

"Maybe they went for a walk? You know that Nanoha doesn't like hospitals." That seemed to calm the little girl down as she nodded. "I'm sure that they'll be back soon, okay?"

"Mmn..." Vivio whimpered out softly, tears filling her eyes as she trembled.

Amy's eyes softened. Vivio wasn't her daughter, but she was a mother in every sense of the word.

"Hey, why don't you come over to my house and play with the twins? They've been asking for you. You can stay with me until Auntie Vita finds Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama."

Vivio sniffled.

"What about Papa?"

Amy met the girl's gaze gently. "I promise I'll bring you back here if something changes, okay?"

Vivio nodded. "Okay."

The pair departed; after several minutes Vita returned to the area, muttering under her breath about busy signals and calls that couldn't be made because of stupid, stubborn Devices. She was jolted out of her reverie as Shamal came out of the room.

It was like the blonde didn't even see her; completely igonoring Vita, she walked calmly to a chair, turned, and dropped into it with a groan, dropping her face into her hands. "Dammit," she whispered. "Dammit. How the hell did I miss this?"

"Shamal?" Vita scrambled to her side. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"I didn't even think of it, but now it explains why the wound healed so well even though his body wasn't stabilizing." Shamal closed her eyes, slowly. "Yuuno sustained damage to his Linker Core. His body never even stabilized itself; it's shutting down again."

"W...What?" Vita asked, her body gone stiff as her face drained of blood.

"He pushed himself too hard, Vita! I know that he doesn't push himself like Nanoha did when she was little, but he went to the edge and beyond. He tried so hard to keep going, just to return to them." Shamal groaned, her face twisted in a scowl of despair. "Right now, there are other doctors in there, who are better specialized than I am, trying to get his body to stabilize, to get his Linker Core from breaking down and shutting off."

"Wh...What did you mean by his wound healing so well even though his body never stabilized?" Vita had to know, she needed to know about these sort of things.

Shamal took a deep breath.

"Linker Cores channel the magic of any mage; that's a given. But healing magic is almost as old as time itself, and the most simple magic in existence; plenty of legends say that healing magic existed long before Linker Cores even developed." She rubbed her eyes. "For a defensive mage like Yuuno, healing his own body or others is as natural as breathing. He doesn't need a complete, functioning Linker Core to pull it off, he can do it just fine on his own."

Vita swallowed. "What does this have to do with damage to his Linker Core?"

Shamal sighed. "Linker Cores regulate the flow of magic in our bodies. If the Linker Core is damaged, the flow is thrown off and the body can't control the changing levels of magic."

"So, it's like..."

"A flamethrower without a safety valve. It's on, but there's no control at all, it just burns out uselessly."

Vita frowned, a single attack on an exhausted and weakened mage would be a way to do such a thing. "Will he be okay? Tell me the truth, Shamal."

Shamal sighed again.

"I don't know. The only one of us who ever came close to damaging her Linker Core was Nanoha-chan, and even to this day she still has some problems because of the injury she got." She closed her eyes. "All I have to say is, if Yuuno's Linker Core collapses, keeping him alive becomes much, much harder."

Vita paled.

"Bu...But you can stop this, right? Right? You and the other doctors." Vita had come to see Yuuno as a good, good friend since working with him, and he offered a lot of helpful information and tips for the rookies he worked with.

Shamal closed her eyes and shook her head. "I...I can't..." She slumped as she admitted that. "I don't have the skills or the abilities to do that." It was hard to admit that, even to one of her closest companions over the years.

"S..Shamal, but, you're so good at healing. There has to be a way?"

Shamal snapped her eyes up, getting a startled look from Vita. "Yes, I'm good at healing, battle injuries, some sicknesses, making sure people are healthy, I can do all that. Keeping someone alive because their Linker Core is screwing up? I can't do that. I couldn't help Hayate back then... I can't help Yuuno now." She finished, her voice very soft and weak.

Vita swallowed.

"So... he's going to die?"

Shamal ran a tired hand through her hair. "He's back in a coma right now. His body is pushing itself, trying to repair his Linker Core. If it works, he should wake up in a few days, probably suffer a few lasting injuries like Nanoha-chan."

"And if it doesn't?"

"..."

"Shamal!"

Shamal closed her eyes. "He won't wake up," she said softly.

"..."

"All we can do is wait... And hope..." Shamal had, long ago, given up any notion that there was a higher power out there guiding and protecting people. Closing her eyes, she let out a small breath. Just this once, please... If there is a higher power out there, please, let him make it through this. It wasn't in her nature to believe it, but, considering that she also didn't believe that she would ever get a kind master, she had to give it a shot.

Vita groaned miserably and walked over to Shamal's side, sitting next to her. "Dammit," she whispered. "Of all the times for Nanoha and Fate to disappear, too..."

Shamal chuckled softly. "Let them enjoy themselves," she murmured. "Right now, nothing's going to change."

Vita stared at the floor.

"... Shamal... you really can't do anything for him?"

"If it was a normal injury, no matter how dangerous, I could help him. Believe me when I say that, Vita." Shamal grimaced. "But his Linker Core is what's damaged, and there's nothing I can do. If anything, my tampering with it would just make the situation worse."

"Just sit and wait?"

"That's all we can do."

Vita looked at the door and frowned softly. Yuuno, you better get better. She thought sadly.

The bunnies made us do it.

[Nijiru]

Very nice, though I noticed one small spelling mistake. When Nanoha and Fate are talking about when Nanoha was in the hospital, you mention Fate's "mental stat". I'm assuming you meant "state".

[Nanya01]

Yep.

Anyway, here's part 3, with 2 possible endings coming in the near future.

Spoiler for Pain PT III:

Signum didn't have to look hard to find her fellow knight. "Hello, Vita." After all, seeing the raw destruction, the craters, the knocked over trees and the red aura of malice coming from the training grounds was a pretty big indicator of where Vita was.

"Signum."

"Still upset I see." Signum raised an eyebrow as Vita whirled on her, Graf Eisen in her hands.

In another time, Vita would have snapped at Signum; now she simply scowled and turned away. "Damn right I am," she muttered. "You might want to go away, or you'll be my next target."

Signum blinked.

"So you gave up on trying to contact Nanoha and Fate?"

"Tsk," Vita glared at an errant rock before smashing it with Graf Eisen, "their stupid devices are blocking all communication, I can't get through to them right now at all."

"I see..." Signum pulled out Laevantine and took a stance.

"Signum?"

"You still need to vent, obviously, so I'm going to help you in that regard, Vita." Signum knew, even if Vita didn't, that sometimes the best way to express oneself was through battle.

Vita stared.

"Signum, no. I could seriously hurt you right now."

Signum raised a brow.

"Your point?"

And in a blur of motion, she attacked.

"Guh!" Vita grimaced, she had forgotten how strong Signum was when she got going.

"What's the matter? You're too distracted by your anger and your emotions?" Signum pushed up, making Vita raise her arms up, only to kick the redheaded Knight away from her. "In battle, a warrior who lets their emotions cloud their judgment is as good as dead."

"I know that!" She yelled back and rushed forward, swinging Graf Eisen, now in its Rocket Hammer form, at Signum, who frowned slightly and flowed back with the attack. While she knew it was unfair, due to years of sparring with Vita, it just seemed like Vita was letting her anger make her predictable.

"Do you now?" Signum asked and lashed out with a slice, cutting off some of Vita's shirt and making her stumble backwards. "Because I just scored a hit on you that would have killed you if I was trying."

"SHUT UP!" Vita screamed and rushed forward again, ignoring the tear in her shirt, which revealed her under-shirt, as she connected blow after blow against Signum, or tried to at any rate as the pink-haired boob monster seemed to flow between attacks, blocking those she couldn't dodge and launching counter-attacks, leaving Vita a bit cut up, her shirt and pants in tatters and the smaller knight breathless.

Signum paused, raising a brow.

"Honestly, Vita, the old you would have killed me in five minutes. This is just pathetic."

"SHUT UP!!!"

In a blur of red Vita attacked; she was easy enough to block, but her anger was making her faster even if her blows weren't strong enough to do serious damage to Signum.

"YOU WEREN'T THERE!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT HAPPENED, YOU DIDN'T SEE HIM!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM! I PROMISED I'D PROTECT HIM!!"

At that, she collapsed into helpless sobs. "I promised," she choked out. "I promised Nanoha I'd protect him in battle."

Signum waited, and waited, but when it became apparent that Vita wasn't going to attack anymore, she sighed and recalled Laevantine to its necklace state. "And you failed."

"SHUT UP!" She yelled at Signum, more tears falling down her face. "I failed, as a knight, as a friend, as a guardian! I keep... I KEEP FAILING!" She pounded the ground a few times, her hands starting to get bloody as her skin broke.

Signum watched, her face set still, before she finally had enough, knelt down next to Vita and grabbed her hand before she did any more damage to herself. "Listen to me, and listen well, Vita. Yes, he's hurting, and yes, you couldn't keep your promise to Nanoha." It had taken all of her self control to not call Nanoha "that thing" this time. "But you still did your job by protecting the younger recruits, keeping them alive is one of the jobs a Knight of Belka has, after all."

"But I promised," Vita choked out. "That was the only reason Nanoha even let him go in the first place, because I said I'd protect him." She squeezed her eyes shut against tears that wouldn't stop falling. "And I didn't."

Signum nodded and helped her stand up. "Vita, I cannot say that what you did was the right thing. But if you had abandoned your post to make sure that Yuuno had been alright and left the recruits by themselves, then you would have been in the wrong.

"But, I..."

Signum held up a hand to stop any more protests. "Vita, regardless if it was smarter to go into different groups or stick together, you chose the correct course of action afterwords. It doesn't make it any easier, I know, but sometimes, commanders need to make those hard decisions and hope for the best.

Vita lowered her eyes.

"Tell that to Nanoha and Fate..."

"Vita, I guarantee you that if you had told them that you let some rookies die just to save Yuuno they would never forgive you."

"Signum..."

The pink haired knight shook her head. "Even if they would go to hell and back just to save one person's life, they would first make sure that they could save as many as possible. Remember that, Vita."

"I..."

Signum sighed and stood up. "Let's get your hands cleaned up." She said as she picked up Graf Eisen.

"Signum..."

"Vita?"

"If... If that was Hayate instead of Yuuno, would you be talking like this to me right now? Or would you be beating me for failing our master?"

"No."

Signum's simple answer had Vita looking at her, eyes wide. "What?" she squeaked.

"I said no," the pink-haired Knight replied calmly. "I'd be upset, yes, and sad, but I'd know that you tried your best to protect her." She smiled sadly. "That's all we can ever hope to do, Vita. Anything else is out of our hands."

Vita was silent as they went inside to get her hands cleaned up. "Never makes it easier."

"Nope."

"...Thank you, Signum."

Give thanks to RadiantBeam for this. She put a lot of work into it.

[Fuyu no Sora]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Yep.

Anyway, here's part 3, with 2 possible endings coming in the near future.

Spoiler for Pain PT III:

Signum didn't have to look hard to find her fellow knight. "Hello, Vita." After all, seeing the raw destruction, the craters, the knocked over trees and the red aura of malice coming from the training grounds was a pretty big indicator of where Vita was.

"Signum."

"Still upset I see." Signum raised an eyebrow as Vita whirled on her, Graf Eisen in her hands.

In another time, Vita would have snapped at Signum; now she simply scowled and turned away. "Damn right I am," she muttered. "You might want to go away, or you'll be my next target."

Signum blinked.

"So you gave up on trying to contact Nanoha and Fate?"

"Tsk," Vita glared at an errant rock before smashing it with Graf Eisen, "their stupid devices are blocking all communication, I can't get through to them right now at all."

"I see..." Signum pulled out Laevantine and took a stance.

"Signum?"

"You still need to vent, obviously, so I'm going to help you in that regard, Vita." Signum knew, even if Vita didn't, that sometimes the best way to express oneself was through battle.

Vita stared.

"Signum, no. I could seriously hurt you right now."

Signum raised a brow.

"Your point?"

And in a blur of motion, she attacked.

"Guh!" Vita grimaced, she had forgotten how strong Signum was when she got going.

"What's the matter? You're too distracted by your anger and your emotions?" Signum pushed up, making Vita raise her arms up, only to kick the redheaded Knight away from her. "In battle, a warrior who lets their emotions cloud their judgment is as good as dead."

"I know that!" She yelled back and rushed forward, swinging Graf Eisen, now in its Rocket Hammer form, at Signum, who frowned slightly and flowed back with the attack. While she knew it was unfair, due to years of sparring with Vita, it just seemed like Vita was letting her anger make her predictable.

"Do you now?" Signum asked and lashed out with a slice, cutting off some of Vita's shirt and making her stumble backwards. "Because I just scored a hit on you that would have killed you if I was trying."

"SHUT UP!" Vita screamed and rushed forward again, ignoring the tear in her shirt, which revealed her under-shirt, as she connected blow after blow against Signum, or tried to at any rate as the pink-haired boob monster seemed to flow between attacks, blocking those she couldn't dodge and launching counter-attacks, leaving Vita a bit cut up, her shirt and pants in tatters and the smaller knight breathless.

Signum paused, raising a brow.

"Honestly, Vita, the old you would have killed me in five minutes. This is just pathetic."

"SHUT UP!!!"

In a blur of red Vita attacked; she was easy enough to block, but her anger was making her faster even if her blows weren't strong enough to do serious damage to Signum.

"YOU WEREN'T THERE!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT HAPPENED, YOU DIDN'T SEE HIM!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM! I PROMISED I'D PROTECT HIM!!"

At that, she collapsed into helpless sobs. "I promised," she choked out. "I promised Nanoha I'd protect him in battle."

Signum waited, and waited, but when it became apparent that Vita wasn't going to attack anymore, she sighed and recalled Laevantine to its necklace state. "And you failed."

"SHUT UP!" She yelled at Signum, more tears falling down her face. "I failed, as a knight, as a friend, as a guardian! I keep... I KEEP FAILING!" She pounded the ground a few times, her hands starting to get bloody as her skin broke.

Signum watched, her face set still, before she finally had enough, knelt down next to Vita and grabbed her hand before she did any more damage to herself. "Listen to me, and listen well, Vita. Yes, he's hurting, and yes, you couldn't keep your promise to Nanoha." It had taken all of her self control to not call Nanoha "that thing" this time. "But you still did your job by protecting the younger recruits, keeping them alive is one of the jobs a Knight of Belka has, after all."

"But I promised," Vita choked out. "That was the only reason Nanoha even let him go in the first place, because I said I'd protect him." She squeezed her eyes shut against tears that wouldn't stop falling. "And I didn't."

Signum nodded and helped her stand up. "Vita, I cannot say that what you did was the right thing. But if you had abandoned your post to make sure that Yuuno had been alright and left the recruits by themselves, then you would have been in the wrong.

"But, I..."

Signum held up a hand to stop any more protests. "Vita, regardless if it was smarter to go into different groups or stick together, you chose the correct course of action afterwords. It doesn't make it any easier, I know, but sometimes, commanders need to make those hard decisions and hope for the best.

Vita lowered her eyes.

"Tell that to Nanoha and Fate..."

"Vita, I guarantee you that if you had told them that you let some rookies die just to save Yuuno they would never forgive you."

"Signum..."

The pink haired knight shook her head. "Even if they would go to hell and back just to save one person's life, they would first make sure that they could save as many as possible. Remember that, Vita."

"I..."

Signum sighed and stood up. "Let's get your hands cleaned up." She said as she picked up Graf Eisen.

"Signum..."

"Vita?"

"If... If that was Hayate instead of Yuuno, would you be talking like this to me right now? Or would you be beating me for failing our master?"

"No."

Signum's simple answer had Vita looking at her, eyes wide. "What?" she squeaked.

"I said no," the pink-haired Knight replied calmly. "I'd be upset, yes, and sad, but I'd know that you tried your best to protect her." She smiled sadly. "That's all we can ever hope to do, Vita. Anything else is out of our hands."

Vita was silent as they went inside to get her hands cleaned up. "Never makes it easier."

"Nope."

"...Thank you, Signum."

Give thanks to RadiantBeam for this. She put a lot of work into it.

And the situation get's more complicated... oh man...

Well, I can't say I particularly like the dark mood this side project of yours (and RadiantBeam's, of course) is giving off, but it's still very interesting. The best aspects of this chapter would be : 1) Vita's IC reaction. It's definitely Vita-like to react like she did. Very nice. 2) Signum holding herself back from calling Nanoha "that thing" again. That was a funny bit in a place that, as of now, seems only full of darkness. I sense it's going to become a permanent running gag in your (both of you) fics.

Nice chapter, all in all.

EDIT: Is it me or is this thread in the brink of death?

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

EDIT: Is it me or is this thread in the brink of death?

The thread has been oddly quiet lately...

Though that could be expected, what with school back in session and work and whatnot. Real life, you know. >>;;

[TheShinySword]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

The thread has been oddly quiet lately...

Though that could be expected, what with school back in session and work and whatnot. Real life, you know. >>;;

Yep. I'm headed back to school in a day. Just spent the last three doing my summer homework

[deathcurse]

How about a chapter?

Thanks to Itanshi1 for betaing, and RadiantBeam for bouncing ideas back at me!

ANGEL
Is second-best really good enough?

Spoiler for Angel, Chapter 2:

Chapter 2: Casting Long Shadows

It frightened Fate how much she remembered about this house.

She knew how many rooms, doors and windows there were, although it had been five years since she last walked through them. She knew where the carpet yielded to tile, and where the wall curved around for the stairs. Yet everything was different, familiar yet new, and her head was still whirling from the changes.

Six steps from the couch to the door. Turn right, five steps to the stairs. Mark landmark for Arf. Up the stairs, Arf stops at the top—sixteen steps. Landmark for Arf.

“Are you sure you’re blind?” The low, mature voice said from behind her, approaching with an up-and-down nuance in the sound from mounting the stairs. If the warm mellow tone was Carim, then this must be Signum.

“I have a pair of eyes,” Fate replied softly.

“Ah.” Signum moved up past Fate, her boots squeaking as she turned around.

“Is her room still the same?” Distantly, Fate heard herself ask.

“Yes,” came the quiet answer. “I can take you there.” Fate reached out with her right hand and felt her hand be tucked into the crook of a muscled arm. They walked down the hall, and Fate counted her steps quietly. The way seemed shorter, five years later.

“Arf, landmark.” As Arf sniffed around, ingraining the location to memory, Fate ran her fingers over the door frame, smelling the old wood scent dreamily. The indentations in the wood were still here. After Alicia became the Black Angel, she had carved crosses into the frames of their bedroom door and windows. Fate had tried to rub them out with sandpaper—she had told Alicia that crosses had nothing to do with her powers and that she should set a barrier if she really wanted protection from her enemies. Maybe Alicia had known. Maybe she only wanted to pretend that she had someone on her side when she fought, someone to watch her back (someone useful).

She did get those people, in the end.

“Alicia’s room, huh,” Fate murmured.

“You can tell two people lived here.”

“Still?” Fate scoffed, affected and incredulous. She made to walk across the room she saw in her memory, only to have Arf gently guide her away from something where there should have been open space. Biting her lip, Fate looked down.

“Is the bunk-bed still here?”

“Straight in front of you.”

“Thank you. I hope you don’t mind, if I stay here tonight.”

“She was your sister.”

Fate shook her head. “You knew her better than me. I can never match that.”

“Whatever you say, Testarossa.” Signum obviously wasn’t a debating sort.

“Signum?” Fate’s question stopped the heavy footsteps by the door. “What did you call my sister? Alicia?”

A pause. “Good night, Testarossa.”

***

“It’s Carim, right?” Hayate asked, glancing over at the blonde beside her. The house was so large that Hayate could wheel along beside Carim in the hallways without worrying about accidentally crushing her against the wall. Zafira padded along ahead them, sulking at being displaced from Hayate’s side and giving glowering looks back every few steps.

“Yes, Carim Gracia,” She replied. “You’re Fate’s friend?”

“Yup,” Hayate said happily. “We’ve been living together for three years now. Every day is lots of fun.” Something made her add, “She’s fun to tease…but too bad she’s not my type!”

A sidelong glance later, Carim gracefully chose to say instead, “Here, you can use this guest room.” But Hayate grinned as she caught the very slight blush on the older woman’s cheeks. Rolling over to the bed, Hayate suddenly turned and looked back at Carim.

“Will you stay and talk for a bit? Please?”

Carim hesitated, and so Hayate produced her most charming grin, hoping that it would work on Carim. She had gotten rusty, since Fate couldn’t see her and so charming smiles had no effect—she had become really good at putting the most pitiful tones she could in her voice though.

But it seems like—yes, score! After waiting for Carim to sit on the bed, Hayate transferred herself over, laughing as Zafira leapt up behind her as her backrest, planting his plumy tail in her lap. “You’re really strong,” Carim noted, and for some reason Hayate could feel a blush coming on.

“I had to be able to lift my own body weight, if I wanted to live on my own,” she explained quickly. “Especially if I fall. Now and then I’d fall in an awkward spot and then Zafira would have to go get Fate to help me back in. But it’s okay with Fate, because sometimes she needs my help making sure her clothes are labelled with the right colours and stuff like that.”

Carim chuckled, holding a hand to her mouth, relaxing for the first time since Hayate had met her. Her fingers were raw and red, as if something hot had seared the skin. Without thinking Hayate grabbed Carim’s wrist.

“What happened? Did it have to do with the fight where—the fight you were in before?”

The blonde paled, and that familiar flash of emotions rushed across her face—the one that told of bad memories. Hayate knew that look well. “Yes, it was,” Carim said carefully. “It’s nothing though, really. A few burns is nothing against what Alicia did for us.”

Ah ha. Slowly, Hayate started prying. She wasn’t sure whether sneaky or blunt would get the most answers, so she started fishing carefully. “Oh, did she help you guys out often?”

“She always placed us first, over herself even, although she’s the most important of us all.” Carim smiled, a fond look creeping into her vivid purple eyes. “I can’t even count all the times she’s saved my life. The only one who’s ever returned the favour was…Nanoha.”

Wow, loaded pauses, loaded expressions, loaded everything.

Blunt tactics then. “Look, I feel like I was reading a completely different book from everyone else before, let alone different pages. Could you please tell me what exactly the Black Angel does? And what that blue gem thing you had was? And just what is happening around here?”

Blindsided, Carim stammered, “Um…I don’t think that we should involve anyone who isn’t—”

“Come on,” Hayate smiled wickedly. “Either someone tells me, or I’m going to root around for the answers, and since I wouldn’t be doing it in a secure fashion someone else might catch onto what I’m doing, then that’ll cause more problems for you guys in the long run, right? And there’s no way that I’m just going to forget about all this because Fate’s my best friend, and if she’s mixed up in this then I’m going to stand—or sit—with her all the way. So you might as well tell me now, and save us all the trouble—I mean, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Watching Carim’s expression, Hayate thought smugly, Beautiful. Beautiful as in the way her plan worked, that is. As in she could see the blonde’s inhibitions falling away. Falling away as in she’s about to give in and tell Hayate about everything!

“You’re certainly…different, aren’t you?” Carim said, studying Hayate with just as much care. A cautious aura filled her words, as if she were shifting around what she was sharing to avoid sensitive issues. Hayate expected that; they weren’t just going to trust her right away, not if the stakes were so high.

“Alicia was the Black Angel, a chosen mage-fighter who’s job is to find and seal the Jewel Seeds—those blue gems—so that other people can’t use them for evil purposes.”

Hayate laughed, interrupting non-wittingly. “That sounds like a magical girl anime!”

Carim stared, then giggled. “A little bit, yes,” she admitted. “There’s a group out there who are trying to collect the Seeds for their own purpose—they call themselves the White Wardens, and most times, we fight.” A tremor went through her hands. “The last time didn’t end so well for us. But Alicia got us the Seed in the end.”

“You mentioned that she bought us some time?”

“The Seeds only show every few weeks. With Fate as the new Black Angel, we need the time to prepare her.” Grimacing, Carim said sadly, “We need her to be ready, fast. Especially since I—” She cut herself off.

“Since you?” Hayate pounced. “Is there something wrong?” She realized that she sounded more worried than she really ought to be, and tried to tone down in case Carim turned warier. Ah, well—Hayate made a stab in the dark. “Are you the one who finds the Seeds?”

“But I can’t!” Carim cried, frustrated tears building in her eyes. “I can’t after Yuuno—” Again, she stopped. Hayate took her other hand—she had never let go of Carim wrist earlier. Squeezing softly, to not hurt her further, but assuringly, Hayate asked softly, “Why can’t you anymore?” Vaguely, she felt a sense of guilt, prying answers out of Carim while she was in an emotional state. But she wanted to know, she had to know…An odd feeling pulsed inside Hayate, almost like how she felt before Nanoha had appeared and blown their living room apart.

“I’m the prophet for our team,” Carim murmured, her eyes downcast. “But I need someone to work with me, someone with enough power to use the Tome of the Night Sky. I’m the one who reads the Divine Prophecy, but I can’t do it on my own.”

The feeling was so strong, Hayate nearly gasped from the pressure. “Can I see it?” She barely managed to say. “The Tome…can I see it?”

Maybe it wasn’t just her, maybe Carim felt it too. Eyes wide, almost mindlessly, Carim got up and left. Alone, Hayate panted, pressing her fists against her chest. Zafira was nearly hysterical, barking and nudging at her, but Hayate wrapped an arm around his neck—she couldn’t let him go get Fate, not yet, not until—

Carim returned, and held out a thick, hard-covered tome encircled with chains. Hayate reached out, feeling that sizzling sensation again, that…magic…

When Hayate touched the book a blinding light exploded from its pages, the sound of snapping chains exploding through the room. In the intense white light Hayate could barely see the riffling of many yellow pages, all blank, until it reached the back cover and slammed shut, dropping down into Hayate’s lap.

Something throbbed in her chest, a warm, electric feeling. Looking up, Hayate met Carim’s eyes, which were wide open in instantaneous relief, then fear, then horror.

“Oh,” she said weakly, feeling the weight of the Tome digging into her thighs. “I don’t think that was a good thing at all.”

Then everything went black.

Spoiler for Author's Note:

For those who are interested, guide dogs are asked to make “landmarks” of areas where their handlers are likely to go often, so that they can take them directly there without the handler needing to count their steps.

And so we plod along, tortoise-paced…I hope a little more is explained in this chapter, although not everything is out in the open yet…Poor Hayate, what did she get herself into?

Just in case there’s confusion, Hayate’s disability prevents her from walking, but she still has some sensation in her legs (like from Nanoha A’s).

Previous Parts:
Prologue
Chapter 1

Next chapter: Not Work That Kills

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

The thread has been oddly quiet lately...

Though that could be expected, what with school back in session and work and whatnot. Real life, you know. >>;;

Work makes you stupid, remember that.

...

Speaking of stupid, I had a stupid idea at work today... Had to run with it!

Spoiler for Don't trust that one!:

Jail looked at the guest in front of him, sipping some tea. The man was of average height, a little shorter than Jail himself was, he had purple hair that was done in a pageboy cut, he had a cloak around his shoulders and wore old style clothing that looked similar to a traveler in the desert or something similar. He had a gnarled staff with a red gem on the top, wore brown wrap-around shoes on his feet. "So, you want to help us?" Jail asked him, making sure that he had heard the person in front of him correctly.

"Mmmhmm." He nodded, not even concerned about the fact that he was surrounded by eleven of Jail's twelve combat cyborgs. "After all, you do have to admit that your main opponent is a little out of your league."

"Shut up!" Quattro yelled at him, glaring through her glasses as her other sisters took steps forward. "The doctor is not out of his league, if anyone is, it's you!"

The man raised an eyebrow, which was impressive, since he never opened his eyes, nor did he lose that smirk on his face. "My my... It seems that you really have no clue how outclassed you really are."

"Ride Im..." Tre's words were cut off as she went flying backwards from the staff strike that hit between her breasts. "Oww..."

"For someone with such a full figure, you really are wound up too high." He raised an eyebrow at the rest of them. "While it might be in your power to do some harm to me, it would cost you a lot more than it would me." He said, still smiling, before he turned back to Jail, completely unbothered by the glares of death heading his way, in fact, he seemed more amused by them.

"What do you get out of this?" Uno asked, twitching, the look on his face reminded her too much of Quattro when she didn't think people were looking.

"Now that... Is a secret!" He grinned more as the females got more agitated.

"Before I say anything, I would like to know your name." Jail spoke up, if this man could beat Tre so easily, maybe it would be wise to listen to him.

"Xellos. Xellos Metallium, the Trickster Priest." He said with a bow.

Jail shrugged, what was the worst that could happen by trusting this guy?

[kaworu50]

This is my first Nanoha Fanfic but this story is different than all episode Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

Spoiler for Nanoha fic:

Hybrid (Chapter 0)

Nanoha : Why...?....Why...?

Nanoha look her city where she was born. Her city was.......destroy.

Nanoha : This is THIER fault! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!!

Her rage rising, fly searching her enemies.

To be continue....

[Kurush]

Originally Posted by kaworu50

This is my first Nanoha Fanfic but this story is different than all episode Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

Spoiler for Nanoha fic:

Hybrid (Chapter 0)

Nanoha : Why...?....Why...?

Nanoha look her city where she was born. Her city was.......destroy.

Nanoha : This is THIER fault! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!!

Her rage rising, fly searching her enemies.

To be continue....

Interesting, to say at least.

You leave us with the main plot of what happened, but you didn't tell us who did it, and why. This is what gets people to read your stuff. You just need to work on your English. But that's about it.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by kaworu50

This is my first Nanoha Fanfic but this story is different than all episode Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.

Spoiler for Nanoha fic:

Hybrid (Chapter 0)

Nanoha : Why...?....Why...?

Nanoha look her city where she was born. Her city was.......destroy.

Nanoha : This is THIER fault! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!!

Her rage rising, fly searching her enemies.

To be continue....

English needs some work. Did you run it through a grammar checker? Microsoft word has one, but I think there are a few online as well.

Spoiler for like so,:

Nanoha : Why...?....Why...?

Nanoha looked at her the city where she was born. Her city was.......destroyed.

Nanoha : This is THIERTHEIR fault! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!!!!

Her rage rising, fly searching her enemies she searched for her enemies from the sky.

To be continued....