Chapter 2: Encounter
Tick Tick Tick
Nanoha stared at the clock urging it to hurry up. The teacher was being ignored, her voice a drone in the background. All day in her classes, she couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen. She didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing. Before she could continue her train of thought, the lunch bell rang.
The boys in the class leapt out of their seats and ran out the door screaming that this time they'll get the famous pastry of the day. Every day at lunch, there was a fight to get the pastry of the day. No one knows who made them but they did know that there was only a limited amount of them. Each bite of the pastry had people fainting left and right.
Arisa and Suzuka walked up to Nanoha as they watched the dust clouds that were left behind by the boys settle back down.
"I don't get why your pastries are in such a rage these days. Though I do find it ironic that they don't know that the maker of those pastries is in their class. Maybe I should tell them." Arisa stated while shaking her head.
"Nyahaha please don't. I would get mobbed by them every day. I don't get it either. They're just some cookies that I baked last night. But anyways let's go up onto the roof to eat today" Nanoha replied.
They walked up to the roof. Suzuka eagerly whipped out a stack of tarot cards.
"Nanoha! Nanoha! Can you do that thing again? Please? This time I made sure the blank card is really mixed in. This time for sure, I'll be able to read your fortune!" Suzuka pleaded, waving the stack in Nanoha's face.
"Fine! Just let me eat first! I'll do the fortune-telling after we finish eating!" Nanoha replied with a sigh. They continued to eat while talking about the latest TV show series. As soon as they finished, Suzuka started bouncing on her feet, hurrying Nanoha to start the fortune-telling.
'Will it be different this time? Will I be able to discover my future? Every time I cut the deck, shuffle the cards, it always ends with the same result' thought Nanoha.
One by one, she flipped the cards. With each card flipped, Suzuka got more and more excited. As the last card was flipped, a sigh was let out. It was blank. Nanoha's future was unknown. Every day at lunch, they had done this and every day it was the same thing. The last card was always blank. At first, Nanoha laughed it off saying it was a coincidence. After several repeated results that ended the same way, she grew desperate, frantic. She wanted to know what was so special about her future that not even fortune-telling could predict it. Years later, Nanoha learned to just accept it, knowing that she'll never learn about her past or her future.
"Sugoi! You did it again! You got the same results!" Suzuka squealed, jumping up and down. Arisa just sat there, shaking her head knowing how much it hers Nanoha to not know her future or past.
Ding Dong
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Students streamed out off to their extracurricular activities. Three people were left behind, packing up.
"Come on Nanoha! Everyone already left!" moaned Arisa while Suzuka tried to calm her down.
"Hai, hai. I'm done already let's go." Grumbled Nanoha.
The three left school and continued down the road to where they had to separate. Arisa and Suzuka had to go to cram school while Nanoha had to go home and help out at a small but quite popular café, Midori-ya.
"I don't get how you're so smart at this. You ignore the teacher yet when the teacher calls on you, you know the right answer! How the heck do you do that?" Arisa complained.
"Nyahaha. I don't really know. I guess I'm just naturally smart?" Nanoha replied scratching her cheek.
Soon they reached where they would part ways. They said their goodbyes and left. Nanoha continued onward to the café. Suddenly, a chilly wind blew causing Nanoha to shudder and walk faster to the café, not realizing that a tall dark-haired woman stood nearby watching her.
"I finally found you. Now my dreams can be reached." The dark-haired woman whispered. Suddenly she was surrounded by Hayate and her people.
"Stop right there, Precia! We can't let you harm that girl!" Hayate shouted as she materialized her cross/staff. (1) "Go Signum and Vita! Stop her at all costs!"
The pink-haired knight and the Lolita dressed chibi leapt forward with their weapons drawn ready to take down Precia when a black scythe with a yellow blade parried both their attacks.
"That can't be possible! I saw you die! Alicia, you were killed!" Hayate gasped out when she saw the person wielding the weapon. "Were you that desperate? To create a doll out of your own daughter? Nothing will change! Your daughter won't come back!"
Precia ignored Hayate as she casted a spell that blinded Hayate and the others. She and the blonde-haired girl escaped during the distraction, heading in the direction of Nanoha's house/café.
Meanwhile at Nanoha's house/café
"Okaa-san, otou-san, Kyouya-niisan, Miyuki-oneechan tadaima! I'm going to change first before I help out at the front." Shouted Nanoha as she ran upstairs. She changed into a pink tank top and a pair of skinny jeans. She ran back down, put on her apron and stood by the cash register waiting for customers.
'Hmm for tomorrow I think I can make cream puffs and macarons. I'll ask my mom if we have all the ingredients.' Wondered Nanoha. She was about to go into the kitchen when the store bell rang.
"Welcome to Midori-ya! May I help you?" Nanoha stated, bowing down. When there was no reply, she looked up into wine-colored eyes.
Time froze. Nanoha continued to stare up into those eyes. Her breathe was caught in her chest. The other person's eyes were so blank, so empty. Was this the person she dreamt of? But in her dreams, the other person's eyes were so expressive. Now it seemed as if she was robot.
"W-who are you?" whispers Nanoha. A flicker of emotion passed through the blonde's eyes. She was about to answer when she was interrupted.
"Fate, hurry up and get the girl! We need to hurry before they get over here." A black-haired woman came into Nanoha's view. The girl's face fell and went back into its expressionless mode.
'Who are you? Who says that you can order her around? That girl's name…what was it? Tate? No? Fate? Yes. Her name is Fate…-chan.' Wondered Nanoha.
Fate reached for Nanoha but before she touched her. Hayate and the others came barging in.
"Haa Haa. Thank goodness we made it." Panted Hayate. "Nanoha, don't follow them! We need you! Our world is in trouble!"
"What's going on here, Nanoha? Who are all these people? Oh my gosh is that a scythe?" Momoko shouted. " Get away you… you… people…from-" Momoko slumped to the floor.
"Okaa-san! What have you done to her?" Nanoha shouted.
"It's alright. No harm was done to her or your family. I just casted a spell over the people in the vicinity of your house. They won't woke up for about another two hours." Hayate replied. "Now Precia, back away from Nanoha and Nanoha come over here."
"No! Y-you people are dangerous." Nanoha shouted as she turned and ran out the back door.
"Fate, go and get her. We'll meet up later. Keep her safe. I need her alive for my precious daughter." Precia ordered.
Fate nodded and leapt after her. She was blocked by Signum and Vita but a purple bind appeared and caught the two. Fate continued on with a blue wolf chasing her.
"Zafira, don't let Nanoha get hurt!" Hayate shouted after the wolf.
Nanoha ran. She didn't know where. She had to lead them away. Away from her family. So they don't get hurt. Somewhere far. Far enough that they can't hurt anyone else. A park is a good place.
Before she was able to get there, a yellow circle binded her arms to her side. She fell to her knees, the yellow bind not allowing her to move an inch further. The red-eyed girl walked up to her, scythe in one arm, the other arm reaching for her. There was a roar and the girl leapt away as icicles exploded from the ground.
"Mistress Hayate ordered me to keep you safe. For now I'll transfer you to a different location." Zafira growled. A white triangle grew under his feet. "Dimension Trans-"
Fate got back up and leapt for Nanoha. She reached her before Zafira finished and a flash of light exploded into the area.
"Damn. Mistress will be angry and because of that fool jumping into the transfer and causing a miscalculation, I have no idea where they went. Darnit can this day get any worse?" Zafira huffed out.
Everyone knows that saying is a taboo, a phrase-that-shall-not-be-uttered, for it always does get it worse as soon as that saying is said.
(1) Yeah I don't know what Hayate's weapon is called. If anyone knows, can they pm me with the correct term?