Bride Runner

- Lucid Dreams -

… … …

by Sha Yurigami

… … …

I awoke. Sunlight lightly tickling my eyelids and the sweet smell of nature was nurturing my nose. A calm wind dancing among the trees and green leaves falling atop the ceiling with soft taps. The sound of wildlife avoiding the hard unknow carcass which was our vehicle and the songs of birds faintly whispering into my ears.

How strange it was to be aware of so much, yet not even knowing if it was either a lucid dream or the real world outside the window, not knowing if the stranger beside me was a fabrication of my mind or an actual human being. Or if the soft feeling of heaviness came from my dress or the feeling rising within my chest.

I stayed like this, eyes closed, relaxed and simply bathing in the feeling of warmth spreading from within me.

When I allowed my eyes to open, I was then sure that this was indeed no dream, or maybe it was because I should have been married by now, because before me was a forest clearing with fireflies still in the air. With flowers decorating the ground. With trees that I thought of as menacing and scary the night before, becoming beautiful and full of life, as if the magic of the day cast away the torment of night.

I sat still for a while. Not moving, just slowly breathing silently. Appreciating the wonder that unfolded before my eyes and not wanting to wake the woman beside me in any way. Taking the chance I also looked through the insides of the car.

I wasn't able to get a good glimpse of it the night before with all that was happening. Everything escaped my mind, but I didn't think much of it. Inside the car, dark green carpets were laid out which covered the ground. They had a strange aroma if you went near them but it was to weak to differ it with the faint flower fragrance from outside.

The seats we sat on were covered in glistening leather and some ornaments were attached onto the fabric on the sides. It also had a cushion embed into the bottom part, but it still didn't fell any comfortable. Same for the backseats from what I could see, except the black box we had found the night before. Thankfully it had all the necessities for traveling in them. Going from instant food to bottles with clear water, a cutter, may or may not a tent and blankets.

Inside the limousine was a cocktail bar without cocktails but with a large quantity of ice and something else I wasn't entirely sure off packed into a little fridge beneath said bar. The 'Bar' was covered by golden metal plates running together at the fridge with was completely covered or made of said material. A few LED lights hung from the car ceiling, three on either side of the roof. I still didn't know what was behind my seat but that didn't matter.

Once my eyes were satisfied with welcoming the part of my new environment I settled back to the sight in front of me. Or rather the sight of all the life and beauty around us.

A clear blue sky with few but pure white clouds crossing through it, matched with the evergreen but constant changing forest. For a moment it put my mind at ease. But only for a moment.

Because my eyes were drawn back to the stranger who bridenapped me the day before. The woman who thought she needed to safe me from my own wedding, as if I needed to be saved from something that was supposed to make me happy. The idiot girl who escaped her own wedding and ended up crushing mine: Fate Testarossa.

I knew she meant well and I couldn't help but wonder how she was able to sleep so soundly on the steering wheel. Her arms folded over it while her left cheek rested on them and her whole body bend over like that. Well okay, I also slept while staying completely still so it wasn't so strange.

Then again she looked annoyingly peaceful, though I couldn't help but giggle. Her nose was sniffing around and her brows seemed to move in a wave like motion. and her move was opening and closing like a fishs letting out faint sounds that even my ears could not understand.

Then I was reminded that she had said that she couldn't handle laughter well.

Realizing that I sat still again, feeling around the wedding dress that I still wore out of boredom. I watched her sleep from the corner of my eyes. Noticing how her blond hair seemed to form a wail over her face, the fairness of her skin and how the tux she wore looked exceedingly expensive. I didn't spare it any thought just who she really was nor what she might do for a living.

But I did notice that her mouth moved from time to time, and I listened closer until I heard a faint whisper.

"Ma…...-ma"

My eyes widened slightly but reverted back quickly, maybe I just misheard. After a while though the blond started to move … or should I say, she started to groggily move her head from one side to another without even opening her eyes. I wanted to say something funny but didn't since she asked me not to laugh at her, that's why I softly giggled and simply watched "Fate's" waking up.

When she finally stopped looking around and faced forward all she did was yawn, which was strangely enough pretty contagious so I yawned silently as well.

"Good morning" she said in a clear voice without looking at me, slowly starting to rub the sleepiness from her eyes. "Sorry about that , whenever I wake up I need to double check if it's real or if it's just a lucid dream." I can relate, "But before I forget anything: How are you? I hope you've slept well and didn't have any nightmares."

"Good morning to you too and thank you, I've slept fine" no lie, it was strange not to have a nightmare and to be in a good mood at the same time. I returned then meeting her eyes briefly. And that familiar feeling resumed once again. I dare not try to name it therefore I left it where it was and instead started a conversation with my bride-napper.

"How long were you awake?" she cringed a little at my question "Busted, huh?" and let her head hanging while I laughed lightly. I couldn't tell she was awake but I could tell that the blond wasn'T truly asleep either.

"Did you sleep well, or were you blaming yourself again and lost consciousness during the night?" I inquired, I don't care if she thought I sounded rude, it was early in the morning anyway.

I woke up around half an hour ago, around the same time you woke up" Huh~ so she could tell that was awake "but that was more like me trying to get a few more minutes to relax...I always need a little time until I'm fully awake."

We didn't say anything then, simply appreciating the view granted to us. The songs of nature playing in the background...until our stomachs growled simultaneously. After a short lived stillness the both of us started to laugh.

When was the last time I had allowed myself to laugh so much. Such a tranquil sound echoing through living stillness around us until we stopped to take deep breaths. A hand touched my knuckles, asking me to look at them and to give my attention to the person they belonged to "What would you like to eat?" Fate asked m, eyes neither dull nor filled with apologies.

Did she forget or did she rather choose to ignore it for now? "I would like to know what we have first, after all it isn't healthy if all we have is instant food."

She looked strangely at me "Didn't think about that, I actually thought about searching for something edible in the woods."

It was my turn now to look bewildered, I didn't think of that possibility at all but I also wanted to know if she was sure what she was suggesting "Do you know what's edible?"

"Sure when I was younger all I did was read all kinds of books, some were about botanic wildlife too" That wasn't reassuring at all "And … well there are apples." she just said motioning to a nearby tree from my side of the window, I looked at the tree and you could see apples hanging between the leaves.

"Okay"

It didn't take Fate long to get out of the car and get a few apples though from what I could see through the window, something else piqued my interest. She was trembling. But only her right hand, the one which picked the apples from the branches. The bride-napper easily reached the fruits with her long limbs but always hesitated to pull them.

But I didn't care and remained where I sat, lamenting about what and could be. Closing my tired eyes for a bit and allowing myself to embrace welcoming comfort within my mind. The door beside me opened but the one outside didn't say anything to me, she just placed a few apples on my lap gently.

Out of kindness or sincere regret, maybe both, but surely she left me alone while closing the door after her.

I heard a few branches outside the car crack which meant that my unwanted companion was circling the car. Feeling the short vibration of the car with the sound of her opening and closing the (Kofferraum) meant that she came up with some sort of idea. The sound of gas ignited made it easy to guess that she was using the camping roaster.

She came back to my side of the car, opened the door once again and picked up an apple. I blinked open one eye and watched her carefully cutting the round object into medium thin slices. Once finished she laid the pieces on the roaster. I watched her how she used the powder of a few bottles, which I recognize as cinnamon and a whiff of salt which she blew onto the apple slices.

When she was finished with roasting the slices she got up and grabbed the next bunch of apples and repeated the process. I watched for a few more minutes, but didn't care otherwise. I saw now reason to roast apples even though you could just eat them.

"Warm meals make the belly fuller" she said then as if she heard my thoughts. Or she knew that I was watching her. But I dismissed that remark as her just mumbling to herself.

I was still stumbled about how to get back to where we came from. How could I possibly accept that I was literally ripped from my own wedding unwillingly! I would have demanded and explanation but something was holding me back.

I then looked into the back mirror, and just faintly my eyes saw a path a little to the side of where the blond sat. I turned around in my seat to look through the car. Good. The satelite telephone was still were I had left it.

But what now?

I have no idea why I should care for something so fictio- ah-I nearly slipped back there, good that I caught myself. But the more pressing question was what my family was doing right now. I was worried abut them and worried for myself when they'd find me. My siblings may care for me and mother would always stay by my side but father would get out of control.

Silently vowing that I wouldn't worry them to much, I tried to get up and get the phone- but Fate beat me to to it "Please be careful or your dress might get wrinkles" she said just like last night, handing me a plate full of roasted apple slices and a fork. I took it and waited for her to do whatever she had to do. Which was apparently taking the phone and letting it charge up in the sun at a nearby tree. She vanquished the flame from the camping cooker and took her own plate back to the car.

Once we sat in silence and growing discord, she began to chew down onto the fruity threat, mumbling to herself that the apples were far more healthier than those "god forsaken" instant food packs that my soon-to-be husband stored in the box far behind us under the passenger seats.

"Would-" she started then but stopped herself. The blond didn't look at me and I only stared at the slices on my lap. I picked one up with the chopsticks Fate made last night, discarding the frk she gave me - I'm a Japanese girl so I should eat with the utensils of one, right? -. They tasted sweet and immediately a warm feeling spread through my belly.

It was familiar. That taste was really really familiar. I swear these apples taste the same as my mother's cinnamon buns with apple filling!

Without understanding my current mindset, as usual, I looked at her and watcher the blond make strange faces once again. Maybe her issues with laughing were that she couldn't take it when she wasn't prepared for it, otherwise I couldn't explain why she reacted the way she did yesterday...But it doesn't matter, I just found it interesting that someone I didn't know could eat so leisurely without a care for the world when I was looking at her. Hayate and her family often commented that it was a bad habit of mine and that it always scares the people when I stare too much.

It's strange. Why wasn't she as disturbed at the others? Was it because we were strangers?Or because we were both …

Irritated I began to devour the apple pieces. Not stopping even to take a breath, instead solely focused to eradicate these offensive fruits with their meaningless religious back-story and the meaningless personal. Once my plate was emptied, my focus returned to the blond beside me. Surely she was going to comment...

Fate was just staring outside. Her eyes fixed on something my own eyes couldn't see, or wouldn't see unless I knew who she was. Neither knowing why I was here nor why it bothered me that she was ignoring me or that I still felt indifferent about the way she looked into the distance.

"What are you doing for a living anyway?" words left my mouth before I could stop myself. Words which were both infused with misgivings and scorn. Yet she didn't look away from my eyes, so the only choice left was looking to the side. We sat in silence, me wondering what she was about to say and her just sitting there and not doing anything. She then lifted up her fork and looked into the reflection. Unbeknownst to me I actually looked at her again, also unaware that she wasn't really looking at the fork itself but her reflection within it.

"I, am just an activist." she whispered barely above a whisper, yet I heard clear as day through the countless noises surrounding us. Laying the silverware next to her empty plate she started to take in deep breaths.

"What do you mean, you're an activist?" again, words left me without me knowing it, resuming a conversation that was so abstract that neither me nor her were really aware what it was that we wanted to communicate with. What we really wanted to say.

"Well, maybe activist isn't the right word. More like I'm just working part-time here and there...though my family is fairly well endowed. Mother, -my mother...she, she told me I had to earn for myself if I wanted to change anything. What I mean is-" she started to stutter as soon as she opened her mouth, glancing from one unseen ghost to the other but never looking at me "I am trying the lawyer exams, or more like I'd like to become a judge, so that the victims shall never endure the pain of letting the guilty go ever again."

The way she said those words at the end, the tone she just barely suppressed: Anger. It wasn't an emotion unknown to me, yet I never heard it in such a clear and un-adultered way before. For a second she had transformed from a seemingly stuttering mess to an angel of vengeance. And I didn't like it. However why I felt this, even I didn't know.

We sat in silence again. Neither did we look at each other nor had we exchanged words of pleasantries. Which wasn't a bad thing, I even appreciated the silence. It gave us more time to think, after all we still had to make contact with our respective mothers concerning the matter of Fate's bride-napping of me. But now that I think of it, the reason for her actions was still a strange one.

"Why did you kidnap me? Answer me for real, please. What good would it have you done if you were right about me and my feelings?"

She didn't say anything at first. Maybe I had shocked her or my words succeeded in making her feel guilty. I didn't know. I didn't want to know. I just wanted to acknowledge her real reason and be done with all the inconveniences. It didn't do us good to be all mopey and it was important that we got to know each other before we set out to drive back. If my eyes were right then they had found a path back but I couldn't be sure and I wouldn't tell Fate about it until she was open to me and made me trust her.

"Maybe I just thought I found a kindred spirit."

My eyes widened and my mouth fell slightly. I wasn't prepared for that kind of answer.

"Well, to be honest, my mother wanted to wed me off to a friendly family with many children and the need for a safe financial income to help them feed these kids...but I couldn't bear look into their eyes when I met them. It scared me because I knew they wouldn't accept me nor the many I had saved up. More like they saw in me the same I saw in them -

"And then I ran and ran and ran until I saw the reflection of a nearby churches window...the one I jumped into out of pure idiocy and noble wish thinking and it lead me to you...and I kinda felt like I found a fellow runaway wannabe. Now that I slept and thought about it, that was just plain stupid.

"I hope that cleared everything up for you.." she finished with that familiar sad smile, her eyes were closed, probably so that she wouldn't need to look at me or because the guilt was to much...guilt I wouldn't understand. It was something that had to do with her job, personality and possibly past, but it wasn't a place for me to intrude. I didn't have the right to judge her nor did I feel the need to.

"I can live with that." it was the truth "And I think I found a way out of the forest...It's probably a path that wasn't used for many years and it began to disappear. It's just over there and I think ahead is one too." I continued with my short documentary with her listening to me.

"You're pretty smart." she said with a smile, this time reaching her eyes.

"What made you think I wasn't?" I countered with humor in my voice, I didn't know my voice was still capable of that.

"Not just that, you could keep your cool even though we're in this weird situation and you even listen to me...normally people don't listen to me..." there it was again. That look in her eyes that was so familiar to me. And now I understand why.

"You are also pretty clever, and reckless. Why would you have done if you had hurt yourself while you threw yourself through the window yesterday-" Wait, has she even checked herself for any wounds? What if she had hurt herself for real? Maybe I should check her back while she leans onto the steering wheel. Subtle so she wouldn't notice my stares...good I haven't seen anything on her back yet but I couldn't be sure that the injuries wouldn't be under her cloth-in-g -/- –"and you even took the moment of surprise to kidnap me in front of my whole family who are all trained martial artists."

She looked surprised "For real?!" Fate half screamed in horror "Wha-What if they are still angry at me- what do I mean with still it was just yesterday and they haven't seen you and are worried, scared and have the notion to kill me if anything happens to you!" she panicked, blushing and paling the same way a chameleon changes its colors. It was so hilarious to watch her reactions with that earnest expression that I could stop myself from laughing. I laughed so hurt and so freely like I

Why did I stop laughing?

Was it the look on Fate's face? After all she did tell me that she had bad memories about being laughed at. But why was she blushing and showing me that shy smile? Did she understand my joke? Or was she obvious as to why I laughed? Why did I laugh? Why was she laughing with me now?

Why did I allow myself to be infected by her laughter?

Normally all my friends would look at me strangely when I laughed. They found it strange, and strange wasn't good, but with this stranger laughing strangely...felt really good.

It wasn't until the peeping of the fully charged telephone broke through our laughs that we realized that it was time to stop. But when I looked at her again and she wore that silly face again I couldn't help but laugh more. Strange, how strange.

We stopped shortly after, mainly because the peeping was getting annoying and more importantly because we were running out of oxygen.

"By the way, is your dress still presentable?" the blond asked fidgeting the hem of her shirt and ignoring the peeping. She bore a slightly embarrassed face, red tint and averting eyes included, before she decided to pick up the cups we drank from last night. She reached backwards from the drivers seat and grabbed a flask I hadn't seen before from under the passenger seat.

"Where did that come from?" I asked her and found interesting as she poured the liquid within it into one cup and handed it to me. I took it gratefully and sipped at it. It was black tea with ginger. An odd combination, but one that went well well with a number fair number of our confectioneries, it was quiet the seller at our cafe and Yunno said that he really liked it too. I look at her, wondering if she too liked it.

"When I looked at the backseat earlier, I'd noticed that there was a flask under your seat, so I thought that it would be nice to have a cup of whatever it is that is inside – which is surprisingly good- before we head... back-..." She became silent, aware that she couldn't hide the guilt on her face from me nor the nature that gave us this rather peaceful and radiant morning.

"Maybe- we should call them...I mean your family..." the blond beside me said before getting up and grabbed the phone not far from us. I was a little starlet, I totally forgot the phone, my mother, my worries. How very strange. But it wasn't something unusual.

When I watched Fate get the phone, I also noticed that she began to dial someone, maybe her own mother. So I did the most humane and focused my ears to listen as closely as possible to each word she said...

"Figured that you were with Miss Nanoha's parents"

Say what?

"And no I haven't met her before and no I didn't think about my actions carefully. I'm well aware that I'm not the most rational and that I do more than a few stupid thinks. Yes, I remember that time I helped a bear escape from the circus that mistreated her"

Okay, what?

"and yes I'm eternally grateful to you for shooing it away with you Sith Lord moves-"

No comment.

"Yes mother, I apologize but please let Miss Nanoha's parents know that their daughter is alright, I haven't done anything to her and she is fully awake to speak with them herself...yes, I'm aware..." she looked like last night again. That look of guilt and sadness that matches mine...whatever her mother had said must have done that to her, though I stopped my thoughts then because I heard her address my mother.

"Aah, yes, Hello Miss Takamachi. My name is Fate Testarossa, though it was through my own dumb actions but,...yes I understand, please forgive me and- …Uhm, thank you..." Her words were muffled and her eyes looked watery, my mother must have said something saintly again otherwise I wouldn't know why else she would look so relieved. She walked back to the limousine let her hand touch the surface like a pat and followed an invisible line to the door that separated her from me, before opening it.

She looked at me, eyes meeting by pure chance and I didn't need to hear her say it, I grabbed the phone and held it and while I looked at the device unsure my fingers moved it towards my ears and accepted the call "Mom?"

* Hey Nanoha, are you alright? You aren't hurt anywhere right? Sweety please come back we are terribly worried * my mother started all frantically as usual, so I couldn't help but giggle in embarrassment.

"I'm okay mom, nothing happened to me. It was…just a misunderstanding." my words carried an hint of uncertainty and maybe my mother heard it "By the way, I'm seeing the most wonderful clearing in the nearby forest, I wish I could show you. And-"

*Oh sweety, I'm so happy that you are so well. * she paused, that never meant anything good, something must have happened *I'm so sorry. I know it must be hard with the wedding and how fast we had to arrange everything. And your father keeps telling me I should have prepared a church without any neighbors - well he's right – * No he wasn't what did he do *but please try to get back as soon as you can, Yuuno is also getting worried for your well being and already goes through the worst case scenarios* I couldn't care less when something more important was going on here.

I could hear it.

My ears were well trained when it came to my mother so there was no way I couldn't hear it. She was my hero, always cheerful, always caring and knowing when I had gone through something. Always giving me hope and strength so that I may embrace another morning, enduring all the pain and kept on smiling so that I would never worry her or anyone.

But I heard it, as clear as day, the pain she must feel in her cheeks right now Please don't say it I silently begged, feeling the tears stinging at the edges, not wanting to hear that phrase ever again "Mom..."

*Nanoha, everything is going to be fine, Mama will take care of it!*

My mind blanked But you… I couldn't keep the moistness from spilling anymore, couldn't keep the pain in my chest from overflowing. Couldn't bear hear my mother saying that phrase even though I knew what it was that she truly felt deep down.

"I won't return!" Couldn't bear it, I couldn't bear it and let it out the worst way. I wanted to scream more protest more but kept silent afterward and stopped the call. But this wasn't real anyway, this couldn't be. I then threw the phone backwards through the limousine, not caring if it didn't work anymore.

I just didn't want to be here anymore.

"M-Miss Nanoha?" her words awoke my sleeping mind, soft, unsure, maybe it was just my imagination, maybe it was all but a damn nightmare. But her presence was still here beside me.

"Get me away from here" I said with as much human emotions as I could mutter though did't intent to sound so harsh. But my feelings and my mind weren't interacting properly so all I could do was let my tears fall freely.

What surprised me more was that she didn't say anything except "Where to?" with a voice so clear and certain that it took me a moment to answer her. Those burgundy orbs focusing on the barely visible path ahead of us, probably knowing that I didn't care anyway, or just discovering it herself.

"It doesn't matter, just as drive as far away as possible." my head hurt and it was becoming harder to breath with each second that I remembered the tone in my mothers voice. I never wanted to hear it again, I made sure to never hear it again, but it was still there where I thought I laid forgotten.

"Hold on tight." the blond beside me whispered not turning to me again, nor leaving me words of comfort as she rounded the car got onto the drivers seat and drove ahead not looking nor saying anything to me.

For that I was more than thankful.

… … …

A/N I am dearly sorry for my large absence in this fandom, but don't fret I am back with more to come at least every two weeks, on good days maybe every week!

I'm sure many of you have noticed that this is in first person view of Nanoha, I decided for it to be that way because I thought of letting you all in into her mind. Later chapters may be from Fate's PoV, but first I have to say that I had to rewrite this chapter four times to make it come out like this!

If it confuses you don't blame the author, I was just getting into character XD

On another note: Some of you may have noticed, if not than that is also good, but I have started to update my pixiv account with pictures of an upcoming big project. Please stay tuned for more information later!

Thank you all for reading and See you next time!

Yours dear

Sha Yurigami

Special advertising: They might or might not have noticed it but the little ducklings on the pond were swimming in a strange formation that was neither linked with the others nor seemed in any way coordinated … and all I could think of was to finally take a bath.