A/N: Hmm… yeah. Italicized parts are the timeline and location btw.
Missing You, You, You, You, You.
~Risa Arakawa~
Midori-ya Café is a café owned by the Takamachi family for years.
"How long as it been?" A mouth opened and sighed.
"Today, it's been exactly three years." A neck moved side ward, eyes darting to the door with four glass panes on it, as the sun glares down on the panels making four square-like light shines on the ground.
"Honestly, how could you have lasted that long, doing nothing but waiting?" the mouth opened again, a chin leaning on a hand.
"I honestly don't know myself… all I know is that I miss her." A hand locked with a teaspoon on a cup, twirling it around to stir.
"How 'bout your feelings?" the mouth talked again as a straw was put in it sipping on what seemed to be mango juice.
"I've faltered since I've heard of her death." The hand was softly laid on the table. "But she promised me three years and she will return. It won't hurt, expecting something now right?"
"May it be a living being or…"
"A corpse. Yes."
Thirty-six months ago, Fate Testarossa-Harlaown was dispatched to look for a life threatening lost logia circulating an uninformative non-administered planet. She was given this mission being the only active Enforcer Agent in the headquarters as a Rank S+ mage.
"Fate-chan…" concerned blue eyes looked shyly towards burgundy, as she held the right hand of the said blonde with both of her eyes. "I… I… don't want you to go to this mission alone…"
"Nanoha," the flaxen haired female leaned down so she's peering closely at both of the brunette's eyes. "I was dispatched on this mission because they're confident I can finish it, correct?" She leaned in for a chaste kiss and winked. "I'll be back in three years. At Midori-ya, wait for me."
"But… that's… very…" A blush on her face having just being kissed, she tried to reason out. Nanoha was not known to be someone who was a worry wart but, she indeed was concerned for her beloved girlfriend.
"I know that's long. I'll contact you occasionally, alright?" The blonde said and ruffled Nanoha's hair. "I'll see you soon, sexy." She winked at her and descended that platform that led her to the airship she would be riding.
"Fate-chan… please… take care of yourself."
Thirty-two months ago Fate Testarossa-Harlaown, was pronounced dead. In the report, it was also written that Arf, the familiar is also missing.
"Chrono-kun…" Nanoha took two steps forward towards the dark blue haired man, as she held the floating monitor in-front of her. Her hands shaking, her mouth quivering, "You're… you're kidding… right?"
Lindy Harlaown standing beside him bit her lower lip, and shook her head slowly, left and right. "Nanoha-chan…"
"B-but, there are no remains! How could they be so sure! Th-there's no proof that it was her there! They… have… no proof…" Nanoha threw the floating monitor down the floor as it crashed and disappeared automatically. "Tell me, Chrono-kun… you're kidding right? This isn't a funny joke!"
"Nanoha…" he looked at her and told her with his deep voice. "They lost her linker core signals."
"Who are they? TELL ME! WHO ARE 'THEY'?" She grabbed his shoulders and shook them. She looked at him, tears welling up from her sapphire orbs, her hands shaking as she held his shoulders.
"The Wolkenritter, Nanoha. Shamal. Signum. Vita. Zafira. Rein. Hayate." He pronounced their names one by one. "They… lost her linker core signal, Nanoha."
Suddenly a loud echoing noise surrounded the place. Everyone in the hall was shocked. Chrono's head turned down as redness in his cheek appeared with the mark of a hand.
"I told you not to send her in that mission, Chrono-kun!" She told him as tears streamed down her face. She pronounced each word as if they were an absolute order disobeyed. "I told you, she would value others than her own life…" She told him as sapphire eyes close and opened. Nanoha looked down on the ground while droplets of water flowed down to the ground from her face. "I'm sorry for being unreasonable." She bowed down to him and to Lindy, and then walked away.
"Admiral Chrono, are you alright?" a person presuming to be his right hand man asked.
"I'll be fine. I probably deserved that." He caressed his check as his mother gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I should've listened to her. I shouldn't have sent Fate in that mission."
"Chrono-kun." Lindy said and patted his head. "Nanoha-chan was hurt as much as we were. Give her some time."
"Yeah…"
Twenty-nine months ago, Takamachi Nanoha resigned.
"Are you really sure about this, Nanoha-chan? I mean…" A blue eyed short haired brunette said as she scratched her cheek.
"It would be for the best, Hayate-chan." She said and gave her a wry smile. "If I can't even… protect a person I love. I don't think I'll have the right to protect more."
"That wasn't your fault, Nanoha-chan. It was m—"
"No. The simple fact that I couldn't convince her to turn it down…" She bit her lower lip and looked away. "Meant that I couldn't protect her from it." She raised her head and looked at Hayate as a few tear drops escaped her eyes. "Do your best to please find her remains, if ever, alright? I'll do what I can… from that side too."
"Nanoha-chan…" Hayate said her name and wiped some tears from her eyes. "Understood! Former Flight Ace and Captain Takamachi Nanoha!" She stood firm and saluted.
"Thank you for everything, Lieutenant Yagami Hayate." She stood firm and saluted back. "Get some day offs so we can hang out. Until then." The brunette walked towards the portal to the non-administered planet #97 or Earth. "See you… soon."
"I'm sorry, Hayate-chan… I can't risk having you talk to the higher ups… but I figured that I should investigate this myself."
Presently… the Midori-ya Café was still always very popular to the people of Earth. Yagami Hayate then managed to take a day off.
"Well… how are you feeling now?" Hayate asked as she sipped on her mango juice. She looked around at the normal day, with not too much people, just a normal day...
"Lost." Nanoha sipped on her tea and sighed. She leaned onto one of her fist as her elbow rested on the table. She turned her head to look at the door and sighed. "I don't think it'd take Mid-Childa more than three years to find Fate-chan's remains."
"Are you still hoping of her return?" Hayate asked a taboo question. But she had to. She was returned with silence. She looked around and scratched her head, "Well scratch that—"
"Yes." Sapphire eyes looked at the brown colour of tea, as a tear dropped on it. "I might sound crazy. But, my heart's still waiting for the day that I see her smile at me." Another tear dropped on the tea again. She lifted her face to look at Hayate and frowned. "Every time the thought of her crosses my mind… I can't help but tear up… day… by… day."
"Nanoha-chan…" Hayate tried to comfort her but no words came out of her mouth. Instead, she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to her, who gratefully took it. Miyuki Takamachi then walked towards Hayate and whispered to her. "Really?" She received a nod, and then looked at Nanoha who's still sobbing on her handkerchief. "Did you… save them?" She received a thumbs up and sighed in relief.
Hayate looked at her figure, and looked back to the days that Fate Testarossa-Harlaown was still there. They would always flirt with each other, teasing, hugging, and giving each other gifts. The two of them shared a unique bond that made them very inseparable. Like they're glued together, like they were meant to be with each other, like they were born to be together.
But the thought of Fate dying in a mission, leaving Nanoha behind was very gruesome. It's like… taking a child's candy before their eyes and never turning back to return. It's like… removing the sun from the Solar System. Everything becomes dysfunctional.
"Nanoha-chan… burned everything that reminded her of Fate… saying that it would probably be for the best." Hayate couldn't believe that Nanoha was capable of doing that. Goodness that they saved them from getting thoroughly burnt.
The door to Midori-ya opened as the bell chimed in signalling that a customer has arrived. The sun shone brightly inside the room of the café, as a figure of a person emerged inside.
"You're-!" Hayate said as she stood up from her chair, accidentally leaning on the chair making it fall down on the ground.
The person who just turned placed a half-straight palm in-front of her mouth in apology and winked. Hayate looked wryly at her and sighed in relief. She smiled and scratched her head, lowering her shoulders.
"You… amaze me." She said and lifted up the chair she just tackled down and sat on it. "Have a seat."
"Nah. Someone else should get that seat." A familiar voice rang around Nanoha's ears that made her look suddenly to the direction of the voice, from the handkerchief. Her eyes half-wet from the crying, and red from all the tears it spout out. "Hiya."
"A…" Nanoha said a word, as her eyes widened in surprise standing up, making her chair tumble to the ground with a loud thud, taking two steps forward, to the person who just came inside. "Arf-san…"
The familiar in its full adult human form looked at her and patted her head. "Hey, I'm real." She said and ruffled the brunette's hair. "Of course…"
"Nanoha." A very familiar voice rang from behind the orange haired female. "Sorry." The voice said two words, and went inside.
Arf stepped sideward, so Nanoha could get a real view of the person who just entered and closed the door. Tears fell from her eyes, as she stretched both of her arms towards the voice. Her fingers were shaking, her hands were quivering, and her tears were pouring down non-stop.
"You're… real… right?"
"Yes."
"You're… really… real…right...?"
"Yes."
"You're…" she walked closer, and closer. Until her hands made contact to the skin. Cupping to her hands the jaw of the bearer of the voice. Her hands shaking. Another hand was lifted to make contact to hers. Although noticeable scars were all over them, the hand took the hand on the jaw and kissed them.
"You can touch me, can't you?"
"I… might be dreaming."
"I'm sorry to have worried you, Nanoha." Burgundy eyes looked in apology and pulled the short brunette into a hug.
"Fate…chan…" She submitted herself into the warm hug, and wrapped her arms around the back of the blonde, as she hugged her long hair sobbing onto the female's chest.
"We received news 3 years ago that you were… dead." Hayate told her and walked inside after putting back Nanoha's chair in its place.
"I… know. I couldn't bear it. Seeing Nanoha get hurt. But I couldn't go back." Fate explained as she tightened her hug to the female in her arms. Her sobbing decreased to small hiccups and a semi normal breathing. "I fell into a trap. It was a maze place where all magic was locked. It locked up my linker core so it couldn't send signals. But being familiar and master to Arf, I could send her messages and we met up and tried to get out of the maze. And here we are."
"You didn't even contact me right away…" Nanoha said as she playfully punched Fate's shoulder.
"Ow, ow, ow. Sorry, sexy." Fate said and pulled Nanoha way from her body and leaned downward. "I'll make up for it, alright?" She leaned down and planted a kiss.
Before she could pull away, a certain mischievous sapphire eyed mahogany haired female, wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and pulled her for another, hungry one.
Everyone in the café were shocked at the suddenly display of attention, but nonetheless clapped at the sweet reunion of a three year survival, without each other.
"I missed you, Nanoha." Fate said and broke the kiss, pressing her forehead to the aforementioned brunette in-front of her.
"I missed you, you, you, you, you, and you too." She told her and smiled at her.
A smile, more radiant than the sun.
END?
A/N: I was trying to cook up a new story plotline and I ended up with a half-angst happy ending story! What? I'm posting this as it is, because I really carried strong feelings as I was writing it. I apologize for all the wrong grammar and confusing sentence because this did not go past any sort of proof reading or re-reading of some sort. This would be the first time that I'll be posting a fiction story that came right out of my mind, right out of the bat.
I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you!