Static Warmth

By: Kasumi H. (Generation-A)

--

There were only a few members in Riot Force Six who escaped the attack on Headquarters with only a few scratches. Most were required to stay on a hospital bed for at least a few days. But even for those fortunate ones who received light injuries, a heavy atmosphere hung above their heads. No hearts went unwounded in this incident.

But like the two Communications officer who came in contact with a light that saved them, there were two other members on the force that were touched in the same way.

It was because of that light were their hearts able to begin recovery sooner than the rest.

--

Erio Mondial – Forward (Guard Wing) – Lightning Member

From the moment Erio Mondial regained consciousness, nothing had felt right. His arm throbbed with a dull pain, his entire body sore, and there was a cold chill swirling in his heart. But unlike most in his situation, he didn't need to wonder why; not when he already knew the answer.

A moment of rage, a clash of weapons, and then a straight vertical crash into the awaiting sea below.

How many times have the battle been replayed in his mind? He didn't know. All he knew was that each time he thought of that moment, he could see with painful clarity where he had gone wrong. Each time, his mind was filled with more what ifs.

But what pained Erio most was not so much the way he was defeated in battle. Instead, it was watching the unconscious Vivio being taken away right before his eyes.

He could guess what awaited Vivio when she woke up. A place where she would be treated as nothing but a subject; no warmth, no smiles. Just the cold void of a room, reaching out to those who could not answer to her call for help.

Much like the time when he was taken away from his parents.

It was a locked away past that still came to haunt him.

Erio clenched his eyes shut, trying desperately to stop the sudden images of his past from surfacing. His heart pounded heavily, almost painfully, at the memories. The hand that was not in a sling automatically clutched at his chest. As if to worsen his condition, a chill was slowly seeping into his body, making him shiver involuntarily.

"Erio?" A sudden familiar voice pierced through the darkness of his mind.

His voice responded before his mind caught up to him. "Fate…san…?"

"Erio, are you okay?" In an instant, a blonde woman moved from the doorway to directly in front of the young Lightning member.

When it finally registered with Erio that Fate-san was in the room with him, he snapped out of whatever state he was previously in. "Fate-san? What are you doing here?"

Fate did not respond, only looked at him with eyes full of worry. Erio panicked. He hated when people worried about him, especially if it was his guardian. "N-no, I'm fine. I just… I mean… I was just…" at that moment, for some unknown reason, the young Private found it extremely difficult to formulate a proper sentence.

Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I was thinking of something in the past."

He hadn't wanted to worry Fate, but lying to her was out of the question.

Fate nodded at him before moving to sit at the edge of his hospital bed, "Caro told me what happened."

Erio remained silent, gaze moving down to his bandaged arm. If Caro had already reported to their captain everything that took place, then it was likely that she knew of how he had activated Strada's Jet Form and rushed head first into the battle. He had lost his cool, blinded by a rage that erupted due to his past. He had been foolish. If he had stayed calm, the events may have ended differently. Vivio might have been rescued.

"Were you thinking of what happened to you when you saw Vivio being taken away?"

He shouldn't be shocked to be read like an open book in these types of situation, especially when Fate was involved, but he felt as though he was struck by lightning anyway.

"Fate-san…I…" Erio started, "I'm…sorry…"

"And why are you apologizing?" the enforcer's voice was soft, integrated with the amount of kindness that made Erio's heart ache slightly.

For a lot of things, the boy thought in his mind, For worrying you; for not reaching the base in time; for being shot down; for not being able to do more…And for not being to save Vivio when she was right there in front of me.

He did not voice any of those thoughts out loud, but it would seem that Fate was able to pick up on all of it. Slowly, the blonde woman moved to pull Erio into a hug, while being careful not to further injure his arm. The younger Lightning member jerked in surprise at the motion, but found himself leaning into the hug afterwards.

"Erio already did his best," Fate murmured and then pulled away in favour of ruffling the boy's hair, "…I'm just glad you're okay."

With a blush tinting his cheeks, Erio nodded.

Somewhere along the way, the dark memories were chased out of his mind and were replaced with a soothing, comfortable warmth.

"Thank you, Fate-san."

--

Caro Ru Lushe – Forward (Fullback) – Lightning member

Caro Ru Lushe was one of the few who received hardly any injuries from the destructive battle. Having summoned Voltaire to protect what was left of the base belonging to Riot Force Six and the Ground Forces, it could be said that the young dragon summoner saved the day. For had Voltaire not been present, the awaiting Drones would've surely attacked, crushing what remained of the buildings and the people within them.

Except Caro didn't see herself as a heroine. Precious things were stolen and despite summoning the black dragon to protect her home, it had been destroyed anyway.

No matter which angle one tried to look at it, Riot Force Six had been completely crushed.

Being one of the few members whose health was in green condition, she had been ordered to run back and forth to help assess the damage and clean up the remains at the scene. It wasn't until her vice-captain, Signum, came up and relieved her of her duties was she able to take a small break.

Using the little free time she had to her advantage, she had rushed to the hospital to check on Erio and Subaru. To her relief, both seemed to be on the path to recovery; a small positive in her current environment of negatives.

When the doctor entered the room to do his routine check-ups, Caro left and wandered to the front lobby of the hospital, where the map was located. There were others who she wanted to visit while she had the chance.

As she was searching for a particular room number, a figure approached her from behind and placed a palm at the top of her head.

The dragon summoner quickly spun around, only to meet the gentle, smiling face of the one person who changed her life.

"Fate-san!"

"Off duty already?" Fate asked, keeping her hand on Caro.

Unknowingly, a smile tugged at Caro's lips. Fate's smiles had always been contagious. Her mere presence exerted a sense of comfort that most were incapable of. "Yes, Vice-Captain Signum took over for me."

"I see," Fate nodded, "You're here to see Erio and Subaru?"

Caro shook her head, "I already did. I wanted to visit Shari-san and the others while I'm here."

Fate paused, seemingly pondering something, before she spoke again, "I'm heading that way too." She took two steps away from the young girl and held out her hand, "Want to go together?"

Caro stared at the offered hand for a brief moment before slowly putting her own hand in Fate's.

It wasn't until their hands came into contact did the dragon summoner realize that she was cold. Her captain's hand was overflowing with warmth in comparison to hers. As if something sparked in her mind, she suddenly realized that she had been pushing herself all this time. Smiling at people, running around from place to place, following orders as she was commanded… She had been suppressing her emotions ever since she summoned Voltaire.

Rather than commenting on the difference in temperature, Fate gripped Caro's hand tightly and, ever so slightly, tugged her in the direction they were headed.

They only covered the distance of a few steps before tears blurred Caro's vision. A sob made its way past her lips before she could stop it.

Fate froze at the sound, looking down at the younger girl with a concerned expression. When the captain had confirmed that Caro was, indeed, crying, she instantly knelt down and encircled the girl with her arms.

The moment Fate's arm closed around Caro, more tears came, and the dragon summoner found it increasingly difficult to stop them. She ended up crying into Fate's chest.

When she was finally able to calm down, she tried to apologize, but Fate silenced her with a shake of her head.

She already understood.

Caro hadn't cried then and there because she suddenly became aware of her emotional state. She had cried because Fate-san was there with her; the first person who made her feel safe, made her feel needed; the only person whose presence calmed her to the point where she could momentarily forget everything and just be home.

"Fate-san…I'm glad you're here."

--

Although a tragic time in the lives of many, there are memories that took place during the incident that certain members will never forget. To two members who belonged on the Lightning Squad, these things included the warmth of the hugs they received, the words and gestures that reminded them of all that is important, and the smiles that never failed to give them hope.

These two members are now Strikers who fought to protect, but both would never forget all the moments they shared with the enforcer who saved them time and time again.

Fate T. Harlaown was their guardian. And they took pride in that.

--END--

Author's Notes: Another fic based off of the attack on Riot Force 6. I guess you can consider this a semi-sequel to Recovery, though they're not very connected. They just take place in the same timeline. Again (if you've read Recovery), this was written a while back but I finally gave into Enraptured's demands and uploaded this too. That's everything MSLN I have written so far (though I several in the works).

By the way, if you're reading this and, has for some reason, not yet read Enraptured's fics, go do so (at least, if you're a NanoFate fan). You'll be doing yourself a favour! You won't regret it!

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