Keep Me Alive
By Major Mike Powel III
The beeping sounds of the heartbeat monitor echoed in the silent, sterile-white hospital room.
On the bed lay a woman with long, flowing, hot-pink hair, lose and spread on the pillow and bed beneath her. Her eyes closed; an oxygen mask on her scarred and bandaged yet beautiful face, she looked stoic as she slept.
Beep…beep…beep, beep…
The woman shifted. Her hand, which lay above the bed sheets twitched.
Beep…The sound of steel clashing with steel as she was swarmed by her foes…beep…faceless, cowards hiding behind an strange face mask…beep…the sounds of bullets tearing through the air, bouncing off her shields and even off her blade as she deflected the shots…beep…the sound of a sword ripping through armor, clothing and flesh...beep, beep…her face being splashed with blood as she cut down her foes…beep, beep, beep…the strange, bipedal, mechanical beast that landed on the battlefield with a massive stomp…beep, beep, beep, beep…the ear-shattering, animalistic call coming from the metal beast…beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…the pain. And then...a lightning strike. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…!
"It's time for Jack…TO LET'ER RIP!"
BEEP!
The injured pink-haired woman's deep-blue eyes snapped open and she jolted in her bed with a loud gasp.
Signum of the Wolkenritter took heaving gasps as her panicked eyes scanned the room around her, and then her own hands as she brought them up to her face.
"Wha…what…what happened…?!" She muttered, bringing her hands to her eyes, rubbing them.
"Oh God…damn…Ok…" She said to no-one, soon getting herself under control, laying her throbbing head back on the soft pillow. Suddenly, the door to the room hissed open and a blur of yellow, green and white rushed in and wrapped its arms around Signum's injured torso, making the often-strong woman groan in pain.
"Oh my God, Signum! You're awake! Oh God, I was so, SO worried!" Shamal cried, burying her face in Signum's shoulder, hot tears slipping off her tightly closed eyes and onto part of the bandage around the pink-haired Belkan's shoulder.
"Ugghhh…Shamal…please, it kind of hurts…" Signum grunted, yet managed to get her other hand out to gently stroke the good doctor's golden locks.
"O-Oh! I'm sorry, sorry! Um…" The violet-eyed woman pulled back in embarrassment, wiping her tears. She soon brought up a chair to sit at Signum's bedside.
The pinkette couldn't help but smile, but it soon faded away as she took a closer look at her partner.
"Shamal…what happened? You look terrible! Have you been sleeping and eating properly?" She asked with concern evident in her usually-stoic voice.
Shamal looked away.
"Err…well…" She sighed. "No, Signum. Not really. I've been too worried for that. Signum…you've been in a coma for two weeks." She said, gently clasping her partner's hand with both of her own.
The only response she got from her was a look of shock in those deep-blue eyes as they widened, before Signum closed them.
"I see…I see." She replied. Shamal managed to smile.
"Hey, don't worry. Signum, you managed to give everybody time to evac and get back to the ship. You held the line almost by yourself. That was admirable…though casualties were still very high. Those guys…" Shamal's smile vanished.
"Those terrorists were using forbidden technology…I don't know how they managed to get their hands on that sort of hardware…and…what the Hell was that…that monster that took me out…?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "And…who was that…that man, too…?"
Shamal looked at a loss.
"I honestly don't know. The higher-ups haven't let into the loop yet. I've been too busy here at the hospital. From what I saw in the recordings of the battle…that was no ordinary swordsman. I think he may have been a cyborg…but still, he was the one who destroyed that…that thing…and brought you back to the ship so you could escape." The blonde sighed deeply and looked at Signum with pleading eyes.
"Signum…please…don't ever scare me like this again. Please…when they brought you in, you were an absolute mess! I thought…even though I did my best…I thought you'd…" Signum was treated to the heart-breaking sight of Shamal in tears, as the violet-eyed woman hugged Signum tightly yet without hurting her injured body, burying her face in the sheets covering the pinkette's chest.
The stoic swordswoman gently draped an arm over her beloved's shoulders and gently ran her fingers through Shamal's silky blonde hair.
"Signum…my love, we are no longer immortal. If we die this time, there's no next life…so, please. Don't cut our time short, Ok? You know I won't. Just…promise me you won't get this seriously hurt again…please…" The doctor looked up from Signum's chest and leaned in close to her face.
The pinkette could only nod and mutter a quiet "I promise" before gently cupping Shamal's soft, tear-stained cheek and pulling her in for a soft, long, lingering kiss. Shamal was the physical type of woman, who needed her beloved's touch when it came to comfort, and Signum never complained. She loved this part of Shamal, even if this time around she was the cause.
And so, the two lovers for several life times kissed. The incident and its ramifications could be dealt with later. Now, all that mattered was the two of them, sharing each other's comfort and the promise that love would keep them alive.
~FIN~
Author's Note: BOO! Heya, everybody! (Glomps Everybody)
Howya doin', my friends and fellow Nanoha lovers? It's been a while, hasn't it?
Man, it sure feels like forever since I last stepped foot in this section posting a new story, but…well, I dunno. I was simply watching the latest episode of Achievement Hunter's "VS" show on Youtube, listened to "Rules of Nature" and BAM! This idea hit me…
And speaking of this idea, this was born from a little role-play I did a while back with my good, wacky friend Glexen, where he sent me a picture that pretty much captured this scene and inspired me.
So…wooooo! I did it, Glex-kun! :D I hope you like this li'l piece, my friend! This one's for you. :3
So, a Milky Way bar to those who catch the pretty obvious reference at the beginning of this one-shot. LOL Mmm…Milky Way…(Drools)
So, stay safe, keep loving Nanoha, and read & review, plz! :3
Till next time~!
Semper-Fi! Carry on!