Ok I know I should be starting back on my old fanfics that are on hold, but my muse is stubbornly clinging on to this series now, and won't let go for other projects. . I'll get over it...eventually. For now, shoujo ai goodness ahead. Don't like? Don't read. :P

Oh yeah, this should be set approximately 2 years after As. Please put up with any slight inconsistencies! Have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha...even if I wish I could have Fate-chan...-sigh-

Scars

"Fate-chan! Come join us at the hotsprings!" Came the bright and cheery voice behind her. Fate turned her head, red eyes meeting sparkling lavender, and promptly flushed a little. Regaining her composure within seconds (having had much practice doing so), Fate T. Hallaoun said the first thing that popped to mind.

"Hotsprings? What hotsprings?"

Her best friend (and secret crush) giggled, and Fate's heart involuntarily leapt in her chest. The blond girl was immensely thankful that Nanoha was too dense to realise anything was wrong with her, and even more grateful that Arf wasn't around to make snarky mental comments to worsen her situation.

Seriously, Fate wondered how she had even been able to survive being in close contact with Nanoha at all for so long.

Nanoha was saying something, and Fate quickly tried to tune back in.

"...where you first told me your name." Fate blinked, and immediately rewound her memories to the point in question. She paused for a moment, remembering.

"Oh. That place. Arf kept telling me how wonderful it was to be inside afterwards."

Nanoha beamed. "Exactly! You should try to relax a little sometimes Fate-chan!"

The black mage smiled a little wanly at that. Relax? Around Nanoha? Not a chance in hell. But Fate could never refuse anything Nanoha demanded of her, and she was always a sucker for those eyes...and damn, Nanoha was using them on her again. Fate felt the last of her resolve crumble away and before she knew it, she was agreeing to go along, with Nanoha excitedly informing her of the various arrangements and her dumbly nodding while being fixated on the way those warm violet eyes shone in the sun.

And so it was she had her things packed, standing in front of the entrance to the hotsprings with her adopted brother Chrono Hallaoun, who had somehow managed to squirrel some leave off from active duty to join them. For that she was somehow grateful; she got along well with Chrono and looked forward to some sibling interaction (if only to take her mind off Nanoha once in awhile) outside of their magical combat training.

It was a large group going along, with Arisa, Suzuka and her sister and retainers, Hayate and her knights, and of course, the Takamachi family. Fate noted with slightly less enthusiasm the presence of one Yuuno Scrya, who was currently in human form and standing next to her brother. Ferret boy (as the Hallaoun siblings referred to him, although Fate never actually used it publicly) wanted to come in his animal form at first, but Chrono had swiftly put an end to that notion, immediately noticing that ferret-Yuuno would most likely end up in the girls' bath and thus deciding that Yuuno should do no such thing, particularly when his sister was involved as well.

Fate was never more grateful to her brother than at that point. She wasn't particularly worried about her own modesty, but she did worry about Nanoha's. She definitely didn't want that perverted ferret anywhere within 10 feet of a...mostly...undressed...Nanoha...

Puppy Arf, immediately aware of her master's impending nosebleed, quickly butted the flushed Fate with her head and growled warningly. Fate quickly snapped out of her semi-comatose state and was suddenly aware of Chrono's amused gaze on her. The dark haired boy arched an eyebrow, and Fate suddenly became very interested in her shoes. A startled yelp made her look up, and even she had to laugh when she saw Arf biting Chrono on the arm.

A few scuffles and many general time wasting activities later, Fate found herself with the other girls in the changing room of the girls' bath. Caught by a sudden wave of uncertainty, she wondered if this was really a good idea after all. She was used to showering with Arf around, but other than that? Growing up with no one but Arf and Bardiche for actual company made her a little nervous about human company at times, and even though hanging out with Nanoha and her friends had helped her to get over the worst of it, there were still times where she retreated to a tiny shell where only Arf or Nanoha could reach her.

"What's wrong Fate-chan? Are you alright?" Nanoha was by her side almost instantly, concern radiating warmly from her eyes. Fate felt a little better at that, and tried to smile back brightly.

"I'm fine, just feeling a little...awkward." She confessed, looking down at their linked hands, conveniently failing to mention that Nanoha's presence so close to her was partially contributing to that effect. She didn't personally object to having Nanoha close to her, but it did make her a little fidgety at times. Not far away, Arf barked out a laugh as she sat on her haunches, Zafira at her side, also in puppy form.

Hayate limped over to them, with Signum gently aiding her, a soft smile on her face. "It's all right, everything will be ok as long as we're all together." The formerly crippled girl smiled at her guardians next to and behind her.

"Well shall we go in then?" Suzuka spoke softly from the other side of the room, already undressed with a towel wrapped around her body. Arisa and Shinobu were by her side, in a similar state. In fact, the only people who were still in their regular clothes were Fate and Nanoha.

"We'll be ready in a second!" Nanoha grinned broadly and guided Fate to the lockers. "You don't have to be shy Fate-chan! Everything will be fine!"

Fate smiled wanly and quickly turned away to avoid seeing Nanoha undress, even as she numbly removed her own clothing. Arf was projecting her chuckles mentally to her, which wasn't helping at all. Then the chuckles broke off, and Fate cast a glance over to her tiny familiar, only to see the little red puppy growling at the calm blue puppy next to her, and her eyebrow went up went Arf tackled a confused Zafira and forcing him to look the other way. Fate couldn't help but shake her head fondly at her familiar's antics. Arf was always so overprotective of her, it was rather sweet actually.

After securing the towel around herself, Fate was jerked back to reality with Nanoha's firm grasp on her wrist. The brunette beamed widely with all innocence, and Fate felt her insides melt in response. Still, she maintained her normal demeanour as best as she could, with only the faintest trace of a blush on pale cheeks as she was dragged into the baths along with the others.

Still caught in her own reality, Fate wasn't really paying attention as the girls offered to wash each other's backs. When Nanoha turned to her and asked who she'd like to wash her back, Fate almost replied "Arf", but stopped at the last moment when she remembered that her familiar wasn't exactly in the right shape to help her do so. Smiling shyly at her best friend, she replied, "Anyone would be fine."

Nanoha looked at her, then glanced around, before turning her gaze back to those captivating red eyes. "I'll wash it for you then," she smiled, then looked apologetically over at her older sister. "Sorry Onee-chan, I can't help you this time." Her older sister smiled affectionately at her younger sibling and nodded.

Fate was focusing. Focusing very hard. She mentally recalled the meditation techniques Chrono had instructed her in and began to regulate her breathing. It was sort of necessary, since she was inordinately unnerved by the fact that Nanoha would be in close contact with her, with practically no clothing to get in the way. She had to focus and stop thinking wayward thoughts. Focus, focus.

Fate? Chrono's mental voice reached her, making her tense up slightly. Calming herself quickly to avoid any questions from Nanoha, she projected her voice back. Yes Chrono?

Her erstwhile brother sounded amused in his reply. You must be distressed enough to accidentally project your voice to me just now. Fate blinked at the revelation, then cursed herself mentally for that lapse. Worry laced her next reply. It's just you right? No other mages heard?

His reply was much more reassuring this time. No, ferret boy beside me didn't pick up a thing. I think you must have been using that concentration technique I taught you, so I'm more sensitive to it. His mental voice became concerned. Are you alright though? You rarely make such mistakes.

I rarely am mostly naked around the love of my life. Fate thought to herself mentally, making sure that her nosy brother didn't pick up on THAT line. He'd tease her forever if that happened. Her confidence picking up, she replied.

Just feeling a little off today. I'm not quite used to being around this many people in such a setting. It wasn't totally a lie, so Fate knew that Chrono would at least be able to accept such an excuse. At least, she hoped he did. Her adopted brother could be more astute than she liked, and she fervently hoped that he would let her off the hook this once.

Fortunately, he did. Well try to enjoy the baths. And when are you ever going to call me 'onii-chan'? That last line was tinged with a teasing sort of exasperation, the issue being a running one between them. Fate suppressed a smile, though the corners of her lips tweaked upwards just a little.

Wait a few hundred years Chrono. She couldn't quite keep the smirk out of her mental voice, but then again, she didn't really try. Her brother might appear to be completely humorless and stoic most of the time, but recently he had begun to develop a sense of humor---which was sometimes rather perverse to tell the truth, and it rubbed off to some degree on her. But then again, despite the fact that they were not biologically related, Fate found that her and Chrono were alike as peas in a pod, personality-wise. That made it easier for them to read each other, and easier to connect as well. It was almost far too easy for her to assume him as her real sibling, and she didn't try to fight that sense. Family was dear to her, even this adopted one----no, especially this adopted one, which was far warmer than the one she was raised in.

She was startled out of the encroaching dark thoughts with Nanoha's soft gasp behind her. Surprised, she realised that while she and Chrono had been engaging in mental conversation, Nanoha had already begun to wash her back. Tilting her head around, Fate tried to see what had shocked Nanoha, and was startled to see the beginnings of tears in those lavender eyes she loved. Finding her voice quickly, the blond mage asked quietly.

"Nanoha? What's wrong?"

Fate repressed a shudder when Nanoha ran a soft hand down the skin of her back. Confused, she tried to turn around fully to face Nanoha, but was held in place by two small hands on her shoulders. Concerned now, Fate questioned again.

"Nanoha?"

"You never told me." Nanoha whispered. Fate was puzzled. What did I not tell her? ...Other than my unrequited feelings for her, of course. Wait, she couldn't have...

Another shiver ran down her spine as Nanoha traced something on her back with her finger. Fate swallowed uncertainly, her nervousness back in full fury. What was Nanoha going to say?

"You were hurt before..." The famed White Devil of the TSAB, voice quavering as she continued to trace the faded lines across Fate's back. A light went off in the black mage's head, followed by the familiar chill the memory brought. Her mother...

"The scars...so many of them...I'm so sorry Fate-chan..." Fate could hear the tears gathering in that wavering voice, and felt that instinctive, overwhelming urge to protect Nanoha, even from herself.

Turning fully around this time, Fate reached out for Nanoha's hands and held them close, knowing only that she had to reassure the girl she loved.

"It's not your fault Nanoha," she said firmly. Pausing for an instant as she gathered her thoughts, she continued.

"You saved me," she whispered quietly. "You taught me that I wasn't alone, that I could rely on my friends." When Nanoha tried to speak, Fate shushed her with a single look from intense red eyes.

"You taught me the meaning of having friends, and you brought me out of the darkness. I'm not lonely anymore, because you opened the world for me." Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Fate gestured at another of the faded scars on her young body.

"This isn't your fault. It was my misfortune, and you are not to blame for it. In fact, I should be grateful that you reached out to help someone like me." The black mage smiled wanly, her eyes watering slightly. "Thank you so much Nanoha, for everything."

Nanoha's eyes were brimmed with unshed tears at the heartfelt speech from Fate, and she cried out a soft "Fate-chan!" before enfolding the startled blonde with a deep embrace. Nervously and uncertainly, Fate tentatively returned the embrace, simply happy that Nanoha no longer blamed herself for the predicament.

Red eyes flicked up to take in the rest of the baths, noting that no one appeared to pay any attention to the little interlude between her and Nanoha. How odd... Fate mused to herself, and then caught the eye of Hayate, who winked at her. Fate blinked back. Now what did they do? Her experienced eye caught the vague magical shimmer in the air, and red orbs narrowed in suspicion as they shot over to the most likely suspect---Shamal pretended to look away with a barely concealed grin on her face, but Fate had already noticed the telltale magical glow that still lingered around her fingers.

The lightning user wondered if she should be annoyed by their interference, but then decided against it. She would not quite acknowledge it, but she was grateful to Hayate and her knights for giving her some cover for a private moment. Now, if only she would wipe those knowing smiles off their faces... Signum had a slightly uncharacteristic smirk on her face, and Fate decided that she should set up their next "practice" match soon. The pink haired knight met her stoic gaze unflinchingly and nodded, apparently catching on to the meaning without the need for telepathic communication.

Satisfied, she turned her attention back to Nanoha, who had recovered sufficiently to gently push out of their embrace. Fate felt just the merest hint of regret at the loss of contact, but didn't let it show on her face. Nanoha smiled gently at her. "I think it's your turn to wash my back," the girl said cheerfully.

Those words struck like a clap of thunder in Fate's consciousness, and she very nearly bit down on her own lip in the process. Mustering up a shaky smile, she quietly affirmed the request and switched places with Nanoha.

This was going to be torture. Fate whimpered mentally. The telepathically tossed "Ganbatte ne!" from Hayate, along with Arf's laughter, was not helping at all.

"Fate-chan, what are you waiting for?" Came Nanoha's innocent question. Fate suppressed a sigh as she got down to work. Arf snickered louder in her master's mind.

Yes, no help at all.

Yes, I'm evil. Poor Fate. But then again, this was mostly fluff with a touch of angst, much more upbeat than my usual fare. Lol. Fluff is fun. I should do it more often. Maybe I'll write up something on Hayate and company eventually...I like them. Haha.

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