Like most girls her age, Vivio was in love. Being a very pretty young woman, one might think there'd be no problem. If she confessed to the person in question, they would gladly accept. Unfortunately, life isn't that easy.

The man she was in love with just so happened to be her mother's husband.

How'd she end up in such a predicament? Long before she had assumed his last name, Vivio had met a man named Yuuno Scrya. He was one of her mother's oldest and closest friends, an archaeologist, the chief librarian at the universe's largest library, and a man Vivio had always admired. The way he'd kindly smile at her and gently pat her head always had a radiant warmth to it. He had taken her in as his pupil and guided her down the path of knowledge. Soon she was working side by side with him at the Infinity Library, swimming through a sea of books, always eager to discover what strange new fish of information they'd catch next.

She didn't think much about it at first. She enjoyed spending time with this man, and that's all her young mind cared about. Vivio wasn't sure when it was she first rethought her usual big hug greeting. Once she had pondered it, she realised that touching him like that was… embarrassing. Not long after, his smiles and pats didn't invoke that same warm feeling they had before, but instead a burning sensation in her cheeks and in her chest.

She thought there must have been something weird with her body. It wasn't like that before, so why now? On top of it all, she was getting taller, her chest was expanding, and she had been experiencing painful cramps. When she first expelled what clearly wasn't urine, she panicked. What was happening to her? Was she going to be ok? What would she do if Yuuno thought she was a disgusting freak?

She felt so relieved when her mamas explained that what was happening to her was normal and assured her that it was all a part of the process of growing up. This prompted the girl to read the occasional biology book along with her usual historic texts and Vivio's fear quickly became excitement. She was finally becoming an adult! Soon she would be able to stay up late, drive a car, watch R-rated movies, and go on dates.

When she got to that last one, she imagined going window shopping on a sunny day, followed by a movie and a candlelit dinner. She froze when she realised the only person she imagined doing such things with was her friend and mentor, Yuuno Scrya.

Since dates were something people who were in love go on, and if she wanted to go on a date with Yuuno, then… Well, that certainly explained why her heart would always race whenever she was near him.

Realising her first love made Vivio oddly happy. She wanted to tell everyone, the man included, but upon further consideration, she held her tongue. Her mamas had known Yuuno since they were kids, so who knew how they would react upon learning her feelings. Having such a young girl loving him would only bring trouble and misunderstandings directed at Yuuno, too. Vivio decided to wait until she was finished growing up. Once she was an adult, her feelings would be taken seriously.

Vivio did confide in her friends, though. They were happy for her, even if Rio made the occasional crack about her having an old man complex.

However, waiting proved to be the wrong choice.

It took Vivio a few moments to process what she had heard. Her Nanoha-mama had told her that she was getting married, and the person she was marrying was none other then Yuuno.

Wait, when did that happen? Vivio voiced her confusion. She had no idea her mom and the man she loved were in such a relationship. Vivio knew they were old friends, but there were no signs of something more. Or perhaps the signs were there, but Vivio didn't want to see them.

Nanoha had laughed nervously, admitting how dense she was and how she had been so slow to realise her feelings for the boy. They never had a formal dating period, but their bond had lasted over fifteen years. It had forged a love so powerful that marriage seemed like the next logical step.

Like a rock through a window, Vivio could feel the jagged edges of what was left of her heart sink into the surrounding organs. The man she loved had been taken away by the one person she adored more than any other. It took all her strength to smile and congratulate the new couple.

Rio and Corona were considerably worried about her when they heard the news, but Vivio attempted to laugh it off and lied that her feelings had just been a childlike crush that had disappeared. They pretended to buy it, but still tried their best to comfort their heartbroken friend.

The wedding was truly wonderful. Nanoha was gorgeous in her dress, and Yuuno looked dashing in his tux. From her place with the bride's maids, Vivio cried sweet tears of joy for her mother finding happiness, but mixed in was the bitterness of grief because she wasn't the one he walked down the aisle with.

It was hard for Vivio to adjust to living in the same house as him, but she knew something had to change. Vivio loved and respected her mother very much and knew it wasn't right to harbour such feelings for the man she married. Vivio tried to put her feelings behind her and attempted to distance herself from Yuuno as much as possible. She wouldn't allow herself to be alone in the same room as him, and she usually brushed off his offers of assistance with a curt gesture. It hurt more than she thought it would to see the look of disappointment on his face.

Vivio once overheard Yuuno talking to Nanoha. He was down because he thought he had done something to make Vivio hate him. Vivio wanted so badly to jump out and tell him he was wrong, to tell him that the problem was she loved him too much, but she couldn't say that. When Nanoha asked her about her attitude, Vivo could only reply with a "you wouldn't understand." There was no way Vivio could tell her mother about it. It was the ultimate betrayal.

Vivio kept trying to purge those feelings. She went out with every person who confessed to her, hoping that one of them could snatch her heart, but it was futile. Every time she was on a date, she could only think about how much she wished Yuuno was the one with her instead.

She just couldn't bring herself to think of Yuuno as her father. Even after she became a Scrya, Vivio still referred to him as 'Yuuno-san,' as paternal love just couldn't replace the romantic love that had rooted itself in her heart. However, there were some days she was too weak to control herself and ended up using their positions to her advantage. She would half-heartedly offer to wash his back when he went to the bath, and though he made some flustered protests about it, she said it was ok "because I'm your daughter!" Even if he said that fathers didn't bathe with their teenage daughters, part of her liked to think he reacted to her the way he would a woman. Another part hated herself for being so expedient.

She was disgusted and ashamed at herself, her feelings, her desires, and her inability to move on.

Vivio sat on a park bench. She found herself spending an increasing amount of time away from her house as she felt like she would burst sometime in the near future if she remained there. She wondered idly if she could stay at Corona, Rio, or even the Nakajimas' place for a bit. Maybe if she was apart from him for an extended period of time, she would eventually forget.

"Ah! Vivio! I knew that was you!"

Vivio shot up when she heard the familiar voice and wheeled around to the source. "Fate-mama!" Vivio didn't get to see the other woman she considered her mother very often because Fate was usually out on duty, solving crimes in the far reaches of the universe. Though they always spoke via long range communication, seeing each other in the flesh became increasingly rare.

Vivio ran over and gave her mama a big hug. "When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago." Fate said, returning the hug. "You've grown so much, Vivio. I look away for a bit, and you're already so tall! If you keep this up soon you'll be even bigger than I am."

"I wasn't going to be a little girl forever, you know." Vivio smiled the biggest smile in what felt like ages.

"I was just heading over to see Nanoha and Yuuno." Fate said. "Let's go back together."

Vivio's smile disappeared and she backed out of the hug. "No, you go ahead Fate-mama." She said. "I… I don't want to go home right now…"

"… Is something wrong, Vivio?"

"No, it's…" When she met Fate's worried filled eyes, Vivio could hold it back no longer. If she was going to spill her soul out to some one, there was no better person. "I… I can't take it anymore!" She latched onto her mother again, sobbing. "Please, help me Fate-mama!"

Fate led her daughter back to the bench and gave her a few moments to let all the tears out. She gently rubbed the girl's back until Vivio worked her way down to slight sniffles.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Fate asked. Vivio nodded and explained everything. After hearing it all, Fate remained silent as she processed it. "I see."

"I'm such a bad girl." Vivio lamented. "Why can't I stop loving him? He's Nanoha-mama's, not mine. I keep trying to tell myself that, but my feelings still won't go away… What kind of daughter am I?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Vivio." Fate began. "You're not a bad girl. You've been denying yourself for so long because you don't want to interfere with Nanoha's happiness. This proves that you're a wonderful daughter."

"But…"

"Love has a mind of its own." Fate continued. "We can't control who we love, it's something that just happens. There's no method to its madness and you can't stop loving Yuuno just as much as I can't stop loving you. Your feelings aren't something to feel guilty about."

"Then what should I do? I don't think I can continue on like this…"

"I think you should talk to Nanoha and Yuuno about it, get it off your chest and out into the open. Then you can go from there."

"I… I don't know if I can do it… I'm scared! What if… What if Nanoha-mama gets mad at me and starts hating me? If that happened, I…"

"It won't happen, Vivio." Fate said softly. "It would take a lot more than that to make Nanoha stop loving you."

Vivio thought it over and decided things couldn't remain the way they were. Something had to give and it was time to stop running away.

"Ok, I'll do it… but… can you be there with me, Fate-mama?"

"Of course."

X-X-X

"I'm home." Vivio announced when they arrived at the house.

"Welcome back, Vivio." Nanoha rounded the corner. "Oh! Fate-chan!" She ran up and hugged her friend. "It's been so long! I didn't know you were back! You should have called!"

"I wanted to surprise you." Fate smiled and hugged back. "Is Yuuno home?"

"He sure is. Yuuno-kun! Fate-chan is here!"

"Fate! It's great to see you again." Yuuno also greeted his friend with a hug. "You look well."

"You do too." Fate returned the gesture.

Now that the greetings were over, Vivio cleared her throat. "Nanoha-mama, Yuuno-san… There's something we need to talk about."

Curiosity and concern played over the parents' faces as they nodded and everyone filed into the living room. Vivio and Fate sat together, with the other two taking seats on the adjacent couch.

"So I'm sure you've both noticed the way I've been acting for the past while…" Vivio began, eyes focused on her lap. "And I guess it's about time I told you why… You see…" She gulped audibly, trying to think of the best words to say it in. The option of changing her mind and switching the subject crossed her mind, but Fate placed a hand on hers and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"It's… It's about Yuuno-san." The girl admitted. "For a long time I've… I've been in love with him!" When she finally got it out, she clenched her eyes shut and her body tensed to the point of shaking. She couldn't bring herself to look at whatever reaction might be on the others' faces, but the silence that followed made her fear the worst.

"I'm so sorry!" Vivio felt she needed to blurt out. "I'm so sorry, mama! He's your husband and I know how much you love him and I really tried to get over my feelings but I couldn't and I'm a failure as your daughter I'm so sor…" She stopped abruptly when she felt arms wrap around her.

"So that's what's been bothering you all this time…" Nanoha whispered as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"I'm sorry mama…" Vivio sobbed.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." Nanoha said sadly. "I didn't realise you were hurting so much… I failed as your mother…"

"That's not true!" Vivio insisted. "It's my fault! I didn't want to get in the way of your happiness, so…"

"There's no way I could be happy if you were suffering, Vivio. I wish we could have had this talk sooner so we could have figured something out…"

"I'm sorry mama…"

"Well, holding in your troubles like that…" Nanoha gave a small, self-depreciative chuckle. "Like mother, like daughter. We even went and fell in love with the same guy."

"You're not mad at me?" Vivio looked up at her.

"Of course not, silly." Nanoha smiled softly. "I can't say I blame you. Yuuno-kun is a wonderful man, after all." She looked over at her husband. "What do you think of all this, Yuuno-kun?"

The only male in the room slowly shifted out of his contemplative expression and met his step-daughter's eyes. "I'm honestly surprised," He said. "I didn't think you felt that strongly for me in that way. I am flattered, but I'm sorry, I can't return your feelings. I do love you a lot, but it's as my daughter."

It stung to hear that, just like Vivio knew it would, but at the same time she felt the vice on her heart loosen. She had always dreaded the day when she would be outright rejected, but now that it finally had come to pass, she was incredibly relieved.

"Thank you, Yuuno-san." She whispered. "I think I really needed to hear that."

"Aren't you glad you got that off your shoulders?" Fate smiled.

"Yes, I am." Vivio managed to smile back. "Thanks for being here, Fate-mama. Now that it's all out in the opening, I think I can eventually move on with no regrets."

X-X-X

Some time later, the Scrya family made a trip to the amusement park. When they arrived, Vivio took Yuuno by the arm.

"Let's go on that ride first!" She decided immediately, heading in the direction of the attraction.

"Calm down Vivio," Yuuno laughed. "We have all day, so there's no need to rush!"

"Geeze, Vivio!" Nanoha pouted lightly, latching onto the man's other arm. "Don't hog Yuuno-kun all to yourself!"

"I wasn't!" Vivio laughed. "Now let's go, Nanoha-mama, Yuuno-papa!"