A/N: I come again with a new story. Hope you enjoyed that small, light goodness I showed you, because its all about to disappear now. If you cried during any of my other stories, then this one will really get the waterworks rolling, so prepare yourself. First things first, the title. Its a little weird, but I shall tell you how it came to be. If you translate the title of the song "Kanashimi no mokou e" by Kanako Itou, it translates to "The Other Side of Sadness" or something of that sort. I just like this song, and I thought it a fitting one for this story. The subtitle "A Song of Life", comes from the song, "Fallen Angel" by Aimee B. As you can see this story has a lot of musical influence. To be honest, the entire idea for this story, and the inspiration that keeps it going, is from the chorus of the song "Tsunagu Kizuna" by Team Nekokan. This song serves as a sort of sub-ED to the anime "Yosuga no Sora". If you watch it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway enough about that, let the bawwwwfest begin.

- Kode-Dekka

The Other Side of Sadness -A Song of Life-

By Kode-Dekka

Chapter 1: Prelude ~The First Act of A Dark Performance~

*Buzzzzz* *Buzzzzz*

I heard a faint noise, it sounded like the buzz of a bee, only louder, and more annoying. I ignored it for the most part. I wanted to keep my eyes closed like they were right now, and return to the blissful world of dreams, like I was just moments before.

Hitomi no oku no himitsu suikomare souna egao no ura no shinjitsu ni
yawarakana ai boku ga todoke ni yuku yo...~

I should have expected it, that damn song to start playing. It was my alarm, I was the one who set it, but now I only had regret in my heart. I grabbed my phone, the source of the unpleasant noise, and quickly put an end to any further annoyances.

I didn't want to get up yet, I never did. Still, I had school to prepare for, so I didn't have a choice in the matter. Against the wishes of my body, lifted myself out of bed, lazily wiping away at my eye, then yawning for good measure. Next I sat in front of my bedroom mirror and examined my face, it was horrendous. I looked like the walking dead, I was totally zombied out. That was to be expected, I had stayed up all night to study for a stupid test, for stupid English. I hated English, so very much.

"Nanoha, are you up yet!" My mother yelled from downstairs, a little too loudly for my tastes.

"Yes, I'm up!" I yelled right back. "Though I wish I wasn't..." I mumbled under my breath. I sighed, rifling through my dresser for my school uniform. I found it buried under a pile of underwear and socks. I had no idea how it got there, but I didn't care, I was going to be late if I didn't get it together.

As usual, I tied my hair back into a single ponytail. I adopted this new style when I got to high school. It was a step up from the twin tails, and not quite as childish. I paid a visit to the bathroom, brushed and flossed my teeth, and washed my face. I would have showered if I could, but there was no time. After that I put on my uniform, I was finally ready for a brand new and exciting day of grueling school work. At the very least, I had my friends, that always made me smile in these circumstances.

"What took you so long?" Dad asked me as soon as I got downstairs. I just kept silent and took a seat next to him. The table felt empty, its been that way since my brother and sister started their new jobs. It was lonely, but I was a big girl, so I could handle it. I still had my parents. Speaking of which, mom set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me, dad was still reading his paper.

"Nanoha you should hurry and eat, Fate-chan will be here any minute for you."

"I know, I know." I didn't need to be reminded that my best friend would be coming here soon, she did it every day, there was no way I could forget. I shoveled the eggs into my mouth, I didn't want to make her wait after all.

"Nanoha, please eat properly, you're going to choke." I really didn't need to be told this. I was 16 years old, I think I knew how to feed myself. However, I held my tongue, I had learned early not to disrespect my parents, no matter how irritating they were sometimes. Mom gave me her usual worried sigh and put a hand on her cheek. "Is everything alright Honey? You seem kind of stressed."

"Yes mom, I just have a test later."

"Okay, try don't push yourself too hard." I was sighing now. I've been getting this lecture almost daily, ever since I passed out during a test. I swear, you forget to sleep one night, and suddenly you need to be looked after all the time like a baby.

The doorbell rang, I already knew who it was. I realized that mom's advice had distracted me greatly, I didn't even finish half my breakfast.

"I'll go let Fate-chan in, so finish your breakfast." I shook my head and rose from my seat.

"Its fine, I wasn't that hungry anyway. I'll see you later." I gave her no time to respond and grabbed my backpack, which was waiting for me beside my chair. Then I dash off toward the door.

"Good morning, Nanoha." Fate said as soon as I opened the door. She smiled brightly at me, it was like looking at the sun.

"Good morning, Fate-chan. Come on, lets go." I dragged her off by the hand. My mom waved at us and Fate gave her a little wave back, then I really yanked her away.

"You seem happy this morning." She wasn't even trying to hide her sarcasm.

"Quiet you. Mom's just getting on my nerves today, all she does is lecture me."

"Well, you do tend to make people worry about you." I knew right away that she was talking about that stupid test, she was never going to let me live it down.

"That was one time, it wont happen again. We all can't be geniuses who don't need to study, oh great Fate-sama." She looked a little hurt, I gave myself a mental punch. "Sorry, I'm just a little tense today. I know you work hard, just like the rest of us." To complete the apology, I gently held her hand and gave it a little squeeze. She squeezed back, and I knew it was alright.

"Shall we hurry? Hayate is probably getting impatient."

"Yeah, though it wouldn't hurt her to go by herself once in a while." Fate giggled, saying that she was like a cat, and needed to have constant attention. I wasn't listening to her, not really. My mind trailed off, thinking about how great it would be to walk alone with Fate once in a while, without the interruption of a certain girl.

You're a moron, Nanoha. I found myself thinking this during my little fantasy. I wanted to disagree, but couldn't, I was indeed a moron.

I can't tell her, at least not yet. While holding onto Fate's hand, and listening to her talk, I was reaffirmed of a fact, one which I recently came to learn. I was in love with her, she was my precious Fate Testarossa. I couldn't tell her that though, because I wasn't sure if she felt the same way. In the first place, I had no idea how she would even react to such a confession. It would probably get weird, awkward even. I couldn't be sure how this would affect our current relationship, so I decided not to risk it just yet. I'm sure I would tell her one day, when I wasn't so cowardly about my feelings.

I responded to something she said with a smile and a nod, though I was barely paying attention now. I was being consumed by silly notions of expressing my feelings to her, I would have to quickly put an end to that. Luckily for me, I didn't have to, a certain chocolate haired girl did it for me.

"Fate-chan, Nanoha-chan!" Hayate Yagami waved her hands at us wildly, running down the road toward us. She had the stupidest grin on her face, but that was okay, it kept my mind off a certain blond. Fate looked at me and smiled, I knew what this meant: it was time to start running. The two of us bolted at top speed to meet her. I found myself laughing. Even if school was boring, I at least didn't have to worry about my friends. There was never a dull moment around with them.

"So, did you hear?" It was lunch, and Hayate was entertaining us with her usual noisiness. I had a book laid out in front of me. There was no time to listen to her, I had a test in just twenty minutes."Nanoha-chan, you listen too, this is important." Fate tried to impose, bless her heart, but Hayate was having none of it. I sighed, closing the book for now.

"What is it? What is so important, that you would want to doom my future?" She ignored my anger, giggling at me, like an idiot schoolgirl.

"You wont believe it. Apparently, Vita-chan found your two friends Arisa and Suzuka, kissing, in the library." I was holding a pencil before this moment, but I dropped it, and my jaw as well. "Hehe~, you're listening now, aren't ya?"

"You're right, I don't believe it. If they were doing that kind of thing, they would have told me, they wouldn't hide something as important as that." Fate was still recovering from her stunned state, but she managed to open her mouth.

"Nanoha's right. If they had such a relationship, they wouldn't hide it form one of their best friends."

"Not unless they thought you wouldn't approve."

I didn't want to admit it, but that did sound plausible. Arisa and Suzuka were close, really close. I should have seen it if they were involved. And maybe, just maybe, they thought I wouldn't approve of that kind of relationship. The tolerance for gays at this school wasn't exactly high, so they would have definitely been picked on if they came out with something like that. Still, I'm different...

"I would have understood." I found myself saying out loud, it was an accident, I meant to keep that all in my head. Both of them nodded and put a hand on my shoulder.

"We know that, we feel the same. They're our friends, there's no way we wouldn't accept them." That was good, I felt. I at least knew now that if I ever spilled out my feelings for Fate, she at least wouldn't be disgusted. That doesn't mean it wouldn't get weird, but she probably wouldn't hate me, that's a good thing.

"So then, its decided." Hayate clapped her hands. Neither Fate nor I had any idea what she was talking about.

"What is decided?" She grinned at my question, I didn't like it.

"We're going to find out the truth of course. Come on, we can go ask them before the bell rings." That would have been nice, expect for one thing.

"Hayate-chan, in case you forgot, I have a test in about fifteen minutes."

"It'll be fine, don't worry." She waved me off, which made me think: You aren't the one who spent the whole night studying. "Come on, lets hurry. Go go go!" She cheered and grabbed both our arms, I barely had time to grab my things before I was being dragged out of the cafeteria. Why me? It was times like this that I wish I had quieter friends. But there was nothing I could do, I was stuck with these guys. I was fine with that, because I couldn't ask for better friends.

Two things happened today before the final bell. One: Hayate's information was correct, Arisa and Suzuka were in fact dating. They wanted to be quiet about it, because they were worried, just like Hayate said. Of course we gave them nothing to worry about, and congratulated them right away, me more than anyone. I was a little jealous though, they were able to do what I was always so scared to. I didn't hold it against them, I was just a coward.

The second thing to happen: I actually managed to do well on my English test, or at least I thought so. When I got the test, everything I learned started to come back to me, and I was able to do my best. My studying paid off, I felt proud of myself. All I had to do now was wait for the results tomorrow, then I could really breathe easy.

With my problems gone, I felt it necessary to jump for joy when school ended. Seeing my excited dance made my classmates giggle, I didn't mind it, I was just glad to have this day finally over. Fate and Hayate shared my enthusiasm. The three of us linked hands as we marched through the halls, ignoring the stares from the girls, and the jeers from some of the guys, who got excited over something as small three girls holding hands. We ignored it all, and paraded down the hall, out of the door, and through the school gates.

We parted from Hayate, who left in the direction of her home. She waved at us and ran off. This left me and Fate alone finally, though its not like anything would actually come out of it. I just kept holding her hand, I was happy to do this much. Even if nothing came out of it, her hand was still warm.

And then my phone started to ring. I was reluctant, but I answered it. "Hello."

"Honey, its mom. I need you to come home, we need help at the shop." Fate couldn't hear what was being said, but she saw my frown, and knew that it meant that there would be no hang out time for us.

"Mom, I was going to hang out with Fate-chan today." I heard a sigh over the phone, it confirmed my fears.

"Honey, I understand, but we really need an extra pair of hands right now. I'm sorry, but please come home right away. You can spend time with Fate-chan another day." Seeing my grim expression, Fate squeezed my hand.

"Its okay, Nanoha. It sounds like they need you." I bit my lip angrily. It was always like this. Whenever I finally got time to spend with Fate, just me and her, something came up to ruin it, usually our family business. I wasn't having any of it this time, I was putting my foot down.

"Mom, I had a rough day, and I need time to breathe. If you need help, just ask a neighbor, I'm sure they'll be happy."

"Nanoha, please don't be stubborn."

"I'm not! Why can't I have one day to relax! You're always doing this to me!" I yelled at mom. I can't recall when I did it last, but it must have been a long time ago, because even I was surprised. I was mad at her, but she didn't deserve this, I was starting to feel bad. Fate gave me a reassuring smile.

"Alright... I understand." Mom's voice was low now, she was probably really upset, that didn't make me feel any better.

"Mom, I-"

"Its okay, you're right. You work hard at school, there's no need to push you at home as well." Now I could hear it, the sadness radiating from the phone. Mom was hardly this upset. I guess when your daughter yells at you, it can be quite a shock. "I'll let you go now, have fun with Fate-chan. Try to be home for dinner, your brother and sister will be there as well." And before I could apologize, mom said her goodbye and hung up. The dial tone felt like an arrow piercing my ear.

"You alright, Nanoha?" Fate was looking at me, clearly worried, still holding my hand.

"Yeah, its stupid. Lets just drop it and go to your house." She nodded. We walked some more, toward her home. In the wake of my fight with mom, the walk, it was just a little quieter this time.

There was no one home when we got there, so Fate unlocked the door and took us inside. It wasn't an unusual sight for the house to be empty. Fate's mom, Precia, worked late hours at an office downtown. She was hardly around. I knew that Fate could get lonely, but it couldn't be helped, since it was just her and her mom now. Her twin sister, Alicia, died ten years ago; their father also ran out on them when they were born. This family was broken, but still warm enough to keep Fate happy. Even if her family was half gone, she still had me, and Hayate too, but mostly me.

"Come on, lets watch some TV."

"Okay."

Fate and I sat around, watching various dramas, and talking about the latest gossip. It was a typical day, and the hours seemed to fly by, I even forgot about my own troubles. And soon, Precia came home. When she got in the door, we greeted her. She reeked of sweat and cigarette smoke. She still had one of the death sticks in her mouth, half finished. "Welcome home, mom." Fate looked happy nonetheless, nothing could bring her down anymore.

"Is dinner ready?" Not even a hello for her daughter or her friend. That was okay, she looked dead tired, she was practically asleep. Fate ran to the kitchen and got a plate of food for her. We had prepared it together, a simple dish of curry rice. Precia sat down and dumped her bag. She ate silently, ignoring our existences completely. Fate looked hurt, but buried it under a smile. She insisted that we leave her alone and go upstairs. To her room. Fate lead and I followed, I wanted to leave the woman alone to her devices anyway.

I hardly had time to come over here, so I was always surprised at the cuteness of Fate's room. There was pink everywhere. It was a little unlike her, since she dressed in black clothing most of the time.

We sat down on her bed, looked through some of the magazines that were lying around. We watched some TV, read some manga, and talked some more. It was the usual, but with Fate, I never tired of it.

But something was different today. While browsing through a magazine, Fate came across an article, which talked about love and relationships. In particular, what fascinated her the most, was the part where it gave advice for kissing your partner. Since I loved Fate, the thought of kissing her crossed my mind, a lot. Neither of us had a boyfriend (or a girlfriend), and we hadn't had our first kiss either. We didn't know what it was really like, to kiss someone. Hayate said it was something like kissing a pillow, since it was soft. She said that she tried it out with Vita, one her relatives who lived with her, but I never quite believed her.

Now that this article was staring Fate – and myself since I looked as well- in the face, it started to make me curious again, I'm sure Fate was too. I didn't know what to expect when we found this article, but I knew what I wanted to do at that moment. So, against my better judgment, I made a suggestion.

"Want to try it?" Fate's face flushed right away, so did mine, but she had no idea why. "I mean, just for practice." I wanted to say "because I love you", but somehow, I thought that wouldn't go down so well.

Fate's eyes shifted from side to side, she was seriously thinking it over. "W-Well, its not like it would count as our first, right?" I nodded.

"Right, it would just be practice, for the real kiss." I said what I did to calm her down, but in reality, I would count it as my first. Even if she didn't.

My words worked, she calmed down for me. Now she looked like she reached a firm decision.

"Alright, lets do it."

"Really?" I didn't want to sound eager, but I couldn't help but look happy. Fate nodded. "Okay."

We both took a deep breath, preparing ourselves, me much more than her. This is it! This is it! I couldn't stop my mind from going crazy with excitement. I was finally going to kiss Fate, even though it was just practice to her.

We found that looking at each other in this situation was a little embarrassing, so the two of us closed our eyes. I grabbed onto her arm to make sure I could gauge the distance right, she did the same. "Okay, ready?" I said, hoping that she wouldn't change her mind.

"I'm ready." And I started to move in. I could no longer see her, but I knew she was moving in as well. Our foreheads touched, good thing we weren't moving too fast. This caused us to momentarily open our eyes, just to see where we were going. Then we closed them again, and moved in for real. I could feel her breath against mine. I knew it, just a little more and the deed would be done. Just a little more...

Finally, our lips, which had been apart just moments before, grazed against each other.

"Nanoha-chan! Fate!" The two of us jumped back instantaneously, I actually almost hit my head off her dresser. Fate's face lit up like a tomato, I was just angry. Damn it, I was so close! "Nanoha-chan, Fate, please come down."

"Okay, mom!" We were both breathing in heavily, like we had run a marathon. "W-We should go, before she gets mad."

"R-Right." Neither of us had any idea what to say after that, so we just kept quiet, and went downstairs. Precia was waiting for us. She had the phone in her hand. I couldn't really tell, due to the fatigue in her eyes, but she looked kind of distressed.

"What is it, mom?" Precia looked at me, and then Fate, and then me again. Her face didn't improve, and she took a long drag of the cigarette in her mouth.

"I don't really know how to say this." She put it out in the ashtray, holding her arms against her chest. "Nanoha-chan, its the police. It appears that there's been an incident at your home." I'm sure I was shocked, because I couldn't keep myself from talking.

"What's wrong? Is everyone alright!" Precia averted her eyes, and put the phone to her ear. She listened for a while, only murmuring, saying things like 'I understand.' and things like that. Then she put down the phone and walked towards me.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha-chan." She put a hand on my shoulder. "After the cafe closed, some people broke into your home. They had guns." Before I had any idea what was going on, Precia held me against her chest. "I'm so sorry, but their all gone. You're family, is gone, Nanoha-chan." And then I realized it, what she was saying, and everything around me broke.

Fate covered her mouth with her hands. She tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she hugged me as well. Now that I had realized the situation, tears started to form in my eyes. At first I thought it was all a lie. Deep down though, I knew it was the truth.

There was a large wail that echoed through the room, it was a horrible sound. I'm pretty sure that was my voice, my cry.

And then, everything faded to black. I don't know what happened, but suddenly all the light from the world disappeared, and I was consumed by a pitch blackness...