Summary:Fate's the ace lightning mage for the Bureau. Her team has been investigating the enigmatic White Devil-a criminal that's known everywhere for her cold demeanor and raw power. While undercover at a boarding school Fate is unwittingly drawn to Nanoha who acts devilish with a complete Nanoha flare. Not everything is as it seems though. Watch as their world tumbles in around them and see if they can come out stronger, or if their own darkness will consume them.

Woah can't believe I decided to write another story especially since I can't seem to finish the other two-_- but for some reason this one has been buzzing in my brain for days, and for those of you that have read or seen my writing style...eh it's evolved a bit since the last time I wrote something-almost to the point where it looks like a different author. It's not^^ I'm just learning new tricks to the writing game.

Anyways don't let this chappie confuse you.

It's an eventual NanoFate

Read and Enjoy.


Too slow.

Fate's lips thinned into a grim line as she vaulted over the fence, landing deftly in a crouch. Everyone else was too slow. Before her feet had even hit the ground she was in motion again. Her surroundings blurred around her as she gathered her magic and directed it at the locked door in front of her. Lightning burst from her fingertips, and the door exploded inward. She couldn't afford to wait for her unit. By the time they got here the White Devil would be long gone.

Her crimson gaze swept over the room and landed on a figure clothed completely in white.

Fate stiffened.

Her heart began to beat erratically.

This had happened every time. Fate had been trailing this enigmatic thief for months. It had become a game almost. The White Devil would steal some priceless artifact of some unknown origin, Fate would attempt to stop her, the thief would then flirt incessantly with her-possibly grope her and then leave without so much as a scratch on her. The masked thief enamored completely in white was rapidly becoming an obsession for the lightning mage, she had to capture her.

As if intuitively the thief had known she was there- the White Devil's piercing blue eyes met hers from across the room. "Sparky…you're late."

She shivered, but refused to look away.

"Put it back." Her voice came out in a rasp.

"But I went through all the trouble of stealing it." The thief all but whined, her eyes shining with mirth.

"Well maybe if you put less effort into illegal activities it wouldn't be so troublesome when I came to stop you. " Fate murmured softly.

Her criminal adversary chuckled, and held the stolen jewel up in the air."But it's so shiny." It's emerald sides caught the moonlight casting a pale green glow over the room. The thief's Cheshire grin widened into something that was purely sadistic, "Besides if I stop my illegal activities then I can't see my beloved Fate-chan anymore." in the time it took to blink the White Devil had disappeared from her sight completely.

Fate's eyes narrowed.

Not again.

With no warning, arms encircled her waist from behind and she felt a warm breath on her neck. Fate's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"I'd miss you."

Fate trembled in the embrace.

This was her enemy. A criminal. She was uniformed officer, and the leader of the Riot six force. They were not compatible. Fate could not find the words to express how wrong it was to be encircled in the embrace of a criminal and future convict. At the same time though, she was hesitant to move. Her head began to swim.

She had studied the White Devil for months now. Although the thief was known to be flirtatious, sarcastic, and unreasonably difficult to fight, she was not evil. Half the time she barely seemed interested in what she was taking.

Everything that's been stolen by her has gone to someone else…probably.

So why?

Why was stealing so important? What could the White Devil possibly be hiding?

A hand gently caressed her cheek, and Fate slowly tuned back into her surroundings. She slowly turned in the embrace so she was facing her adversary head on. Intense blue eyes studied her blank expression. The White Devil tsked disapprovingly.

"Silly Fate we're in the middle of a war museum with highly reactive weapons technology. Isn't it a bit dangerous to zone out here?"

"You say that and yet we both know you're the most dangerous thing here."

The thief gave her a disbelieving 'who me?' look.

Fate sighed, and wriggled out of the embrace.

"Bardiche."

Lightning crackled in response to her words. Slowly but surely the electricity writhed and lengthened to form a long spear. She grasped her weapon, deftly twirling it in her hand, and pointed the tip at her enemy.

The White Devil grinned indulgently but did not summon her own weapon.

Of course.

Rumors had circulated about the utter power, and destruction the White Devil was capable of.

….But the thief was adamant about not fighting her.

Fate had never even seen her weapon.

Suddenly there was a shout, and the distinct clank of metal. Fate craned her neck to see the source of the noise, and was surprised when the thief dashed forward in a leaping tackle and grabbed Fate. Her grip tightened around the lightning mage's waist as she leapt into the air. Mere seconds later the ground exploded where they had been standing. They hovered in the air as the fire fanned out across the floor devouring everything in sight. Fate sighed despairingly as the thief set her down on a nearby staircase.

There was an awkward silence.

Fate turned to the thief accusingly.

"Why did you save me?"

The white cloaked thief stared at her perplexed.

"Was I supposed to let you get set on fire?" At her frustrated expression the White Devil chuckled. " Sparky, don't be mad just because you can't use your text book psychology to figure me out, or because 90% of the rumors about me are false. After all…"

Fate felt a gentle hand grip her chin forcing her to look up.

"I still like you."

Soft lips ghosted against her own.

Then like a wraith the White Devil was gone.

The lightning mage stood frozen, her eyes unfocused.

"Fateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

Even as her team swarmed around her, all she could think was:

She

Stole

My

First

Kiss

She struggled to voice her displeasure.

"…Devil…ish..neh…good…."

Even from her distorted perspective the words were garbled.

Her mouth was disobeying her brain.

MUTINY!


The next day

Fate sat drowning in paper work because of another failed mission. Around her sat the rest of her team, Signum her fellow front liner, Vita-the heavy hitter, Shamal-the team healer, Reinforce-the secret weapon, Arf-her familiar, and of course Hayate who was not only leader of Riot force but also the leader of the entire unit of mage fighers in Tokyo. She shuffled more papers her shoulders drooping tiredly.

Arf laid her head in Fate's lap staring worriedly up at the exhausted lightning mage.

"Testarossa."

Her gaze slid over to Signum. The pink haired mage glared back.

"You're overworking yourself again."

"I'm fine."

Vita, a rookie mage that was vertically challenged, yet virtually unbeatable in the training field -snorted.

"Please. You look like you got hit by a mac truck, that put it in reverse and hit you again when it realized you weren't dead."

Vita's descriptions of death were always so morbid. Fate sighed glancing at her team mates and trying to look reassuring.

"Guys really I'm fine."

Signum rolled her eyes.

"We have new information on the White Devil but since you look like your about to die, we should probably give this next mission to someone more capable."

Fate stood abruptly startling Arf. The golden furred wolf slipped off her lap with an audible thud but Fate was too busy glowering at Signum to notice. Her thoughts raced. They rarely ever got new information about this case. Adrenaline rushed through her body and urge to sleep left her. She was wide awake, and her interest was perked.

"What new information?"

From her place on the sofa, Hayate grinned evilly.

"The White Devil got careless." The team leader pawed through her jacket, and extracted a single pin. She threw the trinket at Fate who caught it deftly between her forefinger, and pointer finger. Her eyes narrowed at the seemingly insignificant piece of metal.

"What is this?"

"That dear Fate is a pin given to students at Okazu High at orientation. We cross checked it according to year, and it's this year's pin so that means…"

"She's a high school student."

Hayate clicked her tongue, and her eyes twinkled misheviously.

"It also means you have a new mission."

Fate stiffened not liking her bosses' change in demeanor or how everyone was suddenly smirking at her. The feeling of dread only increased when Hayate pulled out a folder labeled Fate Haralowan. Said folder was suddenly sent careening towards her face, and Fate quickly nabbed it out of the air. Shakily she paged through it's contents, her face becoming pale as she continued to read.

Vita fell over laughing.

"Testarossa's scared of high school! Hahhaha…oh god someone get Shamal, blondie here needs some happy pills."

Vita had seconds to move out of the way as a lightning bolt incinerated the wall behind her.


(Elsewhere)

"Nanoha! It's time for class we have to go!"

Nanoha responded by burying her face into Subaru's side.

The blunette looked down at the older girl an amused smile firmly planted on her face. "Nanoha. We really have to go."

The older girl either didn't hear her or didn't care. She snuggled closer, and Subaru sighed softly. These days Nanoha was always exhausted. She went out to steal random artifacts every night, and went to school during the days. When she wasn't stealing things or going to school she was inventing new weapons and upgrading Subaru's cybernetics.

The brunette rarely ever slept.

It was worrying.

Subaru's brow furrowed.

She had vowed to stick with Nanoha ever since the acclaimed White Devil had saved her from her own hell. As a child she had one sister and parents. Her parents died, and that left Subaru alone with no one but her sister-Ginga. However, one day a freak fire almost completely consumed them. Their bodies had to be almost completely rebuilt. Subaru and her sister were recreated to be more cyborg than human. That being said-nothing was the same after that. Ginga associated herself with the wrong people, people bent on chaos and anarchy, evil people. She tried to kill Subaru.

Nanoha saved her.

The White Devil had swooped in like a very angry, very demented angel.

Subaru had not left the brunette's side since then.

They may put on this farce of going to a human school, and having human friends but it wasn't the same. Subaru smiled dully. She did not value any of her human friends the way she valued Nanoha…except for one. Her mind wandered to what had been bothering her today. Tea was avoiding her. Ironic that the only human she really cares about at this high school is going out of her way to avoid her.

"Subaru."

Nanoha's piercing blue eyes stared up at her and the brunette let out a hefty yawn.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Making that constipated expression that only shows up when you think about Tea."

Subaru blushed, her face growing hot.

"Nanoha!"

The brunette untangled herself from Subaru's lap giggling a bit, and rolled onto her side in the grass. "I really think you should just tell her that you like her."

Subaru shuffled uncomfortably. "It's a bad idea. "

Nanoha's melodious laughter made the cyborg scowl. "Alright alright stay in denial. It can't hurt seeing as you have no competition. Anyways let's go to school now-that way you can see your beloved Tea, and I can see my beloved pie."

The brunette stood up dusting off her uniform for all stray leaves and such. She offered a hand to Subaru who gratefully took it-heaving herself off the grass with a groan. Side by side the climbed down the grassy hill to side entrance of the school. Nanoha threw open the doors acting as if they weren't incredibly late for class, and waltzed down the hall way.

She paused in front of her psychology class, and peeped in.

The teacher was droning on and on about nothing of vast importance.

Subaru blinked as Nanoha then turned back to stare blankly at her.

"What?"

"We're not missing anything. I'm going home."

Was she serious? After noting the teasing glint to her eye was missing it was safe to say Nanoha had every intention of going home.

"Nanoha…you can't just leave school."

"Subaru, I've had a long night and I have to do another job in a couple of hours. I need to sleep."

Subaru paused hearing an unfamiliar note of defeat creeping into Nanoha's voice. She studied the brunette before her. The typical White Devil persona was gone. In it's place was a fragile teenage girl who was using every ounce of will power just to stand up straight. Dark bruising bags were under her eyes-foretelling countless nights without sleep. The cyborg winced, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do this."

Nanoha chuckled darkly.

"But I do SO love my shiny toys." When Subaru's stoic expression didn't change Nanoha continued to speak, her voice solemn and her eyes dark with sadness. "Someone else started this game Subaru, I just decided to participate and now I'm going to win at any cost."

Subaru smiled grimly.

"And if the cost is your life?"

Nanoha punched Subaru companionably, a crazed grin stretching across her face.

"Then I'm going out screaming 'hell yeah! What a ride!"

Subaru could not stop the grin that spread across her face as Nanoha walked away-gliding over the tile as silently as the mist.

The White Devil indeed.


R and R