A/N: Thanks for all the new followers and reviews for the story. You guys are so awesome, I'm glad you are enjoying it so far! And to FateKitty... I love you, too XD

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

THE SABERS OF IL SANTI

by : ~Nissanity~

Chapter 2 – The Healing Prayer

Nanoha POV

"Is Vivio asleep?" Shamal asked me softly.

"Yes," I replied, quietly closing the guest bedroom door shut.

"Why don't we have some tea in the kitchen and talk?" the blond-haired woman suggested, exiting the hallway. I let my hand linger on the closed door for a moment as I stared blankly at the painted wood grain, willing myself to move from the spot I was standing in. Deep down though, it felt like if I were to leave right then, it would be as I was metaphorically leaving Vivio behind.

I knew it would be most likely be a discussion about the little girl. The discussion that I had been dreading and avoiding for a week's time, ever since I brought Vivio home with me. My parents had been watching her at Midorya during my afternoon classes, and I had been attempting to take her back to my apartment when we were suddenly attacked. We were now at Shamal's home, and I was sure the attack was the final confirmation that I should remove Vivio from my life, if I wanted her to be safe from here on out.

I entered into the kitchen behind Shamal a few moments after her, trying hard to mask tears that were threatening to fall, and not entirely succeeding. I sat down at the table across from her, and Shamal noticed my pained expression as she passed me a cup across the table.

"How did you come to meet Vivio?" Shamal asked first.

"She was the reason I died," I replied. "She had somehow made it onto the rails at the train station, and I saved her before she was killed. But I couldn't get out of the way in time. She doesn't know who her parents are, and no one has filled a missing child report on her. "

"An orphan, then?"

"Perhaps so," I replied. "But tonight... Tonight just shows that she won't be safe around me. I can't be selfish and allow her to get her hurt because of my status as an angel now. They will just keep attacking until they succeed and hurt her... O-Or worse. I can't allow that."

Shamal stared at me for a moment, before beginning to smile a little. "So... you are assuming what happened tonight was because they were targeting you?"

"Well, what do you mean? They were demons. That's what they do," I replied.

"Demons attack humans and angels stop them, Nanoha. Demons don't attack angels directly. They do defend themselves when an angel attacks them, though," she reminded me.

"Well, maybe they were attacking her to punish me indirectly?" I ventured.

"If that were the case, your family would have already been attacked as well, wouldn't you think?" she continued.

"S-So, you're saying they meant to attack Vivio specifically then, and it really had nothing to do with me?"

"I think the attack was thought out carefully, making sure you were alone with her and in no position to defend her. But no, I don't think you were a factor in the reason behind it," she proposed.

"Well, what should I do then?" I asked helplessly. "I can't defend her! Not if it is like tonight, or if the attacks get worse."

"You're right, you can't," Shamal agreed. "You would need quite a few angels to succeed in protecting her, honestly."

"Wait, what are you saying exactly?"

Shamal reached across the table and held my hand. "Nanoha, there are many reasons angels exist on Earth, and one is to protect and act as guardians over humanity. It's not always about performing exorcisms, or shooting demons with crazy guns, like certain Italians prefer..." she muttered.

"Sometimes," she added, "it's merely us standing beside the smallest and weakest together, and ensuring they are safe and protected at all times."

I dropped my head at her words and allowed the tears I had been holding back to finally fall. I brought both hands to my face and sobbed for a few minutes, as all the fear and worry that I had unknowingly been carrying around for the past week felt like it was finally being lifted from my shoulders.

As I was wiping away my tears and smiling a little at Shamal again, we heard the front door of the house open. Shortly after the door shut, a girl my age with chin length brown-hair walked through the kitchen entrance in front of me.

"Oh Shamal, are you taking tips from Signum on how to break girls' hearts?" she teased, leaning over to hug her from behind. She then gave her a kiss on the cheek, before turning to smile at me.

"I'm Hayate," she added. "You must be Nanoha?"

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you for allowing me in your home," I replied gratefully.

She came to stand next to me, and suddenly she bent down and gave me a half hug as well. "Of course! You are always welcome. It's nice to know we have such a strong ally in the fight."

"Hayate," Shamal began, her voice now becoming serious, "Nanoha has a little girl that she has been caring for. And the girl was specifically targeted by the demons tonight."

Hayate looked alarmed as she glanced between us. "What happened? Where is the girl now?"

"Vivio is in the guest room," Shamal informed her. "Fate, Ginga, and Subaru helped save her tonight."

Hayate sat down in a chair at the table with a thud, her eyes wide open as she stared at Shamal after her statement. She then turned to look at me with the same expression.

"I guess that's pretty shocking, huh?" I mentioned.

"Well, a little. But not exactly," Hayate replied. "It's our jobs to protect humans, of course. So it wasn't much like they had a choice in the matter. It is still a bit out of character for them, though. I just never would have guessed it is all."

"Have you told Lindy what happened yet?" Shamal asked me.

I shook my head. "I haven't had a chance. She has warned me several times to be careful, and hinted I shouldn't get attached to Vivio. But I doubt she ever thought she would be attacked directly like that."

Hayate held up her hand. "Why don't you let me talk to Lindy, if you would? She and I have some other things to discuss anyway. I assume Vivio will be staying here for the time being?" she asked Shamal.

"I've already offered it to Nanoha, since we have enough people here to protect the girl at all times," she replied.

"I really feel like I'm imposing on you all somehow - ?" I began.

Hayate raised an eyebrow at me. "Imposing how? By asking us to protect a human child in danger, when we have all the means to do so? We would be pretty shitty guardian angels if we said no, don't you think?"

I couldn't argue with her statement, so I just smiled and looked at the table, allowing relief to completely wash over me.

"You should head home and get some rest, Nanoha," Shamal told me. "You may be a crazy super-angel already, but you still need to take care of yourself. I'm sure tending to a five year old on top of everything else has to have taken a toll on you."

I was reluctant to leave Vivio, but I also knew Shamal's words were true. I wasn't feeling as strong as I had been when I first began training a week ago, but I could also sense it wouldn't take long to full recover either.

"Okay, but I'll be back first thing tomorrow, before I have to meet with Lindy," I told them. "Vivio might be scared if she wakes up and I'm not around for too long."

Hayate and Shamal smiled, before walking me to the door to see me off for the evening. I gave them each a huge hug and thanked them sincerely for caring for Vivio, before taking my temporary reprieve for the evening.

oOOOo

I opted to stay at my parent's home that evening above Midorya in my old bedroom, since it was closer to Hayate and Shamal's home than my apartment was. It was not uncommon for me to stay there after a particularly long day at college, or if I was working the late shift for my parents at the cafe.

As I approached the entrance to the cafe, I retrieved the keys from my pocket, fumbling around with them a little bit in the dark. I dropped them once, and after picking them up and attempting to finally slide the key into the lock, I heard a frantic voice yell from behind me.

"Help! Nanoha, please! It's Fate and Ginga!" yelled Subaru, one of the girls who helped save Vivio earlier that evening. She was now running up to me from the street around the corner.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked.

She grasped her hands to her head, grabbing her hair between her fingers as she frantically paced. "They are being attacked right now. I can't stop it! Please, you have to help them!"

I immediately dropped my backpack on the porch. "Where?!" I shouted.

"The alleyway!" she replied, beginning to run back in the direction she came from. "Behind the bar! It's Jail's Crown Princes, Nanoha!"

I created a barrier as I simultaneously leapt over Subaru, quickly flying over to the alleyway in question. I arrived a few seconds later, running into the entrance of the alley as I landed.

"Where are you?!" I shouted as I jogged, quickly scanning the alley in front of me.

I was near the middle of the alleyway when I discovered Fate and Ginga sitting on the ground near a dumpster, with two creatures in human form hovering over them. Fate was sitting up against the alley wall, being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach with a large knife by one of the creatures. She seemed to be unconscious as the creature relentlessly attacked her. Ginga was leaned against the dumpster next to her, being repeatedly kicked and punched by the other one.

The creatures noticed my presence, and pulled themselves off from the two girls to approach me.

"Looking for us?!" hissed the one that had been attacking Ginga, wiping some blood of its face with the back of his arm. The creature who had been stabbing Fate brought the blade up to its mouth, licking the blood off one side of it.

"Hmmm," it began, coming closer to me. "If her blood is this fucking good... I wonder what she tastes somewhere else?" it said with a moan, smirking at me before licking the blood off its lips maniacally.

I raised my hand in front of me. "Shame you'll never find out," I replied evenly, before emitting a blast in their direction that sent them both flying against the back wall of the alley in an instant. Their two bodies exploded on impact, leaving only bloody pieces to slide down the wall and onto the ground.

Subaru had arrived in the alley just in time to see the creatures' forms being destroyed. She stopped running immediately and stared in shock at the remains as they fell to the ground, her skin going pale.

"Think about that later. You need to help her now," I said, pointing down to Ginga. I released the barrier around us, and the gory aftermath against the wall disappeared along with it.

Subaru appeared dazed for another few seconds, before seemingly snapping out of it and looking down at Ginga. Her wounds seemed less severe than Fate's did, but I knew it was going to take some time for her to heal from the injuries.

She bent down and picked Ginga up, placing her over her shoulder to carry her. "What about Fate?" she asked as she looked down at the blond, her face wracked with worry.

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I'll watch over her tonight. Let's head back to my parent's place."

I bent over to assess Fate's injuries, and I noticed that she had been stabbed in the abdomen about a dozen times, the wounds deep. I reached under her and picked her up bridal style, cradling her cold and limp body in my arms.

"Let's hurry, Subaru," I told her, as the both of us began our journey back to the cafe from the alleyway.

It took us about ten minutes to arrive at Midorya with Fate and Ginga, and Subaru was able to maneuver her arm to insert the key into the lock and let us into the building.

I made a motion that we had to be quiet as we entered, although I knew it would be an extremely difficult task, with having to carry our two injured companions inside as well. I made a motion for Subaru to follow behind me, and we quietly made our way up the stairs to the house above the cafe.

I slowly inserted the key into the lock of the entry door from the inner landing at the top of the stairs, giving us access inside. Subaru followed me down the hallway, and I pointed to the door of the guest bedroom, which used to be my older sister's bedroom. She nodded, quietly turning the doorknob and slipping herself and Ginga inside.

I opened my old bedroom door as well, maneuvering Fate and I inside undetected, and I let out a sigh of relief as I finally closed the door behind me. I then crossed the room and placed Fate on the bed, and she moaned a little as I removed my arms from around her.

I exited the room silently, heading for the bathroom to retrieve some towels and a plastic wash basin from under the sink. I filled it full of warm water, before I crossed back through the hallway and back into the bedroom, locking the door behind me.

I sat down on the edge of the bed next to Fate, deciding the best course of action to help treat her wounds. I lifted up her shirt to expose her abdomen, noting that the wounds were no longer bleeding and were slowly beginning to heal. I decided it would be best to tend to the small wounds on her face first, before attempting the larger gashes. I soaked the towel in the warm water before I moved it over her face.

"Fate-chan...? It's me, Nanoha," I said quietly as a warning, in case she was conscious at all and apprehensive about being touched at the moment. I saw her head twitch a little and her eyebrows raise up slightly in response.

I ran the towel across the wound on her forehead to clean it, and then down her cheek where it appeared she had been cut by the knife. She leaned her head into my hand and grimaced a little against the towel. I moved it over to a small cut on her corner of mouth next, just as I observed a tear escape her eye and slide down her cheek. I returned the towel to soak in the basin, mentally preparing myself for what I had to do next.

"Sorry, Fate-chan..." I said as I gently maneuvered her shirt above her chest. I then slid each arm out of the sleeves carefully, before holding her head up to remove it completely from her body. I then removed her bra, noting that she had been stabbed in the sternum and chest, so I decided to clean those injuries first.

I retrieved the damp towel again, wiping away all the excess blood around the wounds around her chest. They were no longer bleeding either, but it seemed her healing had slowed in the past few minutes. Her breathing began to accelerate, and I realized her adrenaline and shock were probably wearing off, now being replaced by the pain setting in.

"You can't die, but you can certainly suffer," I whispered to her sadly, as I rinsed the towel in the basin again. I began to wipe away all the blood I could from her abdomen, taking care to not cause any further pain for her.

Once her wounds were cleaned, I placed the wash basin and Fate's bloody shirt underneath the bed for now. There was still her jeans that were covered in blood, but I didn't observe any cuts or injuries to her legs, so I opted not to remove her jeans for now.

I returned my gaze to Fate's face and pushed her hair back from her forehead, away from the gash that her hair was now sticking to a little. "You didn't deserve this," I told her quietly, fighting back tears for her, before I ran my hand along her uninjured cheek.

"Thank you for saving Vivio," I added, leaning over and placing a kiss on the cut on her forehead, letting it linger for a few moments. When I pulled back, I observed the wound quickly begin to close. It healed itself within ten seconds completely, leaving no trace of injury behind.

My breath caught in my throat at the site of her now uninjured forehead, before I then focused on the cut on her cheek. I pressed my lips to it gently to try again, and as soon as I pulled back the cut began to heal as well. Fate's pained expression seemed to lessen after the two wounds were gone, and her breathing became less rapid. I then turned my attention to her chest and abdomen.

"Sorry again, Fate-chan..." I said, before hovering over her chest and pressing my lips against the smaller of the two stab wounds. With the size of the injury, I could begin to feel a little of my own energy exit my body as I kissed the wound. I opened my eyes, seeing it too was beginning to close and heal. I made my way to the other injury on her sternum, expelling more energy as she healed there as well.

I decided it would be best if I repositioned my body to access the wounds on her abdomen at a better angle, so I entered onto the bed fully next to her. I leaned my body against Fate's legs as my head hovered over her stomach. I took a deep breath, knowing I was probably about to lose a lot of strength in the next process. I addressed each injury slowly and carefully, allowing time for them to heal before moving on to the next.

I was beginning to feel a shortness of breath in response to the energy I was expending, and I noticed at one point that Fate's breathing was beginning to accelerate again as well. I moved my upper body to rest completely on top of legs, leaning on my elbows that were placed on either side her stomach, and closing my eyes and pressing my lips to her wounds more hurriedly in response. I moved my arms under her lower back to pull her up closer to me, willing myself to keep going as I became increasingly tired.

I wasn't aware that Fate had put her hands in my hair, and was holding my head as I moved across her stomach, until I felt her clench her fingers in my hair a little. I looked up at her from my position from below her, and noticed she was now fully conscious. Her expression was filled with confusion and shock as she looked down at me, still breathing heavily. I glanced back down at her stomach, noticing all the wounds were closed and almost completely healed. I was now unsure how long I had been kissing there, even after it had no longer been necessary.

"Nano...ha...?" she said quietly, her eyes now brimming with tears as she searched mine. I pulled myself away from her and smiled a little to myself, before I crawled up the bed to hover above her, bringing my face close to hers. I bent down and kissed her last wound at the corner of her mouth, not removing my lips until it had completely disappeared.

I then fell onto the bed next to her in exhaustion, allowing myself to lose consciousness, with Fate's concerned face the last image I saw before my vision faded to black.

oOOOo

Fate POV

I stared at Nanoha's sleeping face for few moments, still in complete shocked by what I had just experienced. I didn't remember how I came to be laying in the bed, as my consciousness was only restored when I felt pressure against my burning stomach.

When I had looked down, I had discovered Nanoha's lips pressed against one of a series of stab wounds I had received earlier. I had then watched in utter disbelief as my wound closed underneath her lips, before she moved on to the next laceration.

I now glanced down at my half exposed body, seeing that I still had my jeans on, which were soaked in blood. I noticed some of it had gotten onto the comforter and had stained it red. I glanced over at Nanoha again, realizing her clothes were covered in my blood as well.

I looked away and pulled my knees up to my chest, absently running my finger along the threading of my pants as I stared in front of me, contemplating what I should do next. I was torn with knowing that my mother was expecting me home to report our findings on the new angel, but also not wanting to leave Nanoha in her current state beside me.

After making my decision, I walked across the room and pulled open one of the dresser drawers, retrieving a t-shirt from one of the neatly folded piles within. I opened the next drawer down, finding a pair of jeans that looked like the could fit me. After dressing myself, I retrieved another t-shirt from the drawer, which I placed on top of the dresser.

I walked back across the room to stand next to the bed, and I bent over and cradled her in my arms. I carried her across the room to an armchair that was next to the dresser, placing her gently in it. She didn't make any motions of waking up despite all the movement.

"I'm going to fix the bed really quick, okay?" I said to her still sleeping face.

I stripped the comforter and top sheet off the bed, leaving only the fitted sheet on the mattress, and I was grateful to see that my blood hadn't soaked through that far. I flipped the pillow over, noting a few drops of blood had made it from my face onto the one side of it. I walked over to the closet and found an extra blanket that had been stored in it, which I retrieved and placed at the foot of the bed.

I then turned back to face Nanoha, laughing a little when I realized what I was about to do.

"I won't look," I promised her quietly. I removed her shirt and bra gently, throwing them on top of the comforter across the room. I replaced them with the t-shirt I had placed before on top of the dresser, before looking at her blood-soaked jeans and blushing a little.

"Get your shit together, Fate," I scolded myself. I unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, removing them the best I could from her legs, although it was a bit difficult to do with her in her current sitting position. Once she was down to just the t-shirt and underwear, I scooped her up again into my arms. I crossed the room and placed her gently on top of the bed, and then unfolded the extra blanket and placed it over her body.

I bent over to whisper in her ear. "I have to go now. But thank you, Nanoha." I kissed her lightly on her temple, and she hummed a little bit as she snuggled into the blanket a little.

"Fate..chan..." she muttered with a small smile.

I shook my head to gather my resolve to leave her side, standing straight up and turning my back to the bed. I opened the bedroom door to exit, and was shocked to see Subaru standing outside of it, her hand posed as if she were just about to knock on the door.

Her eyes flew open in surprise as she looked me up and down in disbelief, and was about to speak when she seemed to remember she had to be quiet. She moved a few steps away, opening the door across from where I was standing and pointed inside the room. I spotted Ginga on the bed inside, sitting up on the edge of it, holding her head in her hands.

I motioned for Subaru to come closer. "I'll go open the front door. You get Ginga," I whispered to her. She nodded, walking inside the room while I made my way to the living room. I opened the door as quietly as I could, and after a moment Subaru and Ginga were crossing through the living room towards me. One of Ginga's arms was wrapped around Subaru's shoulder in support, as she stumbled a little through the doorway.

We went down the stairs and exited the cafe's front door onto the street, heading home as quickly as we could so that we could report our findings that evening to my mother.

A/N: Until next time! =^..^= ~Nissanity~