Posted: 06/01/2008
1st Revision: 14/09/2008
-o-
Ignis Fatuus
Part I
-o-
The second time Nanoha woke up, she was considerably calmer.
The blonde doctor -- not Alicia, not Alicia -- was also there, by her side...as was the lanky male with light hair and green eyes.
That, however, was fifteen minutes ago. Just a little while after Nanoha had woken up, a red blinking panel that beeped so loudly had appeared next to Fate, startling both Nanoha and Yuuno in the process.
"Doctor, Yagami-san's condition - !"
"I will be right there." Fate's voice was tense instantly. "Collect information on her blood pressure and focus on stabilizing her heart beat."
"Yes, ma'am."
Yagami?
One of Fate's patients, she supposed...
Burgundy eyes turned to the man sitting on the chair.
"Yuuno..."
"Go quickly." He paused, then added, "And good luck."
He was rewarded with a weary smile. "Thanks. I will be back as soon as I can."
There was also something...suspicious? ...in the way her red eyes had narrowed at him meaningfully (and he had nodded), but Nanoha didn't ask, because Fate had turned that intense gaze to her.
Wry humor laced the blonde's voice.
"And you, Nanoha..." A hint of teasing and amusement entered that low voice, as if trying to soften the bite of her already gentle words. "Don't over think yourself."
Fate shot out of the room before she could even process those words.
And when the words sunk in, she was suddenly, and incredibly, indignant...and no, not humored. Not even a bit. Or so she told herself, huffing.
But that was a little while ago. Currently, she was face to face with a certain young man with bright green eyes.
And there was a long, awkward pause.
He was fidgeting, and she didn't know why he seemed so...jerky.
It made her wary, opting for silence, even though she didn't know what to say either (because he seemed to just stare at her for some unknown reason).
Later, some half an hour or so, a nurse and Alicia -- no, Fate -- were the ones who broke the silence when they came in, if only by the murmurings between the two. The blonde proceeded to poke and prod at Nanoha gently, but Nanoha didn't miss the exasperated glance Fate darted at Yuuno (who cringed, then looked as if he wanted to protest).
The doctor sighed with what appeared to be resignation. Her aide excused herself then, and the room was silent once more.
Very silent.
Fate coughed into her fist.
"Nanoha..."
The brunette looked up to meet calm red eyes.
"Can you tell me the last thing you remembered?"
Alicia telling her to live. The blood. That block of metal.
She would have said that, and almost did, but an unfamiliar scene flashed past her mind.
Clouds.
Dark and grey clouds.
The sky had growled with a promise of storm and heavy rain, and the wind was strong. And she was there, standing by a junction -- no, a...a bus stop?
There was the sound of a skidding vehicle.
Her gaze had turned to the source of screeching tires, and a split second was all she had to see a huge lorry heading right for her...
"Nanoha?"
She snapped out of her daze to blink at concerned burgundy.
"Do you remember?" asked the blonde gently.
"I..." Nanoha paused. There was something nagging at her. Something that did not feel right at all. And her head hurt. "I...was at the bus stop."
"Why?"
(Why was I at the bus stop?)
"...I was...waiting."
(Waiting...?)
"For?"
"For..."
(...Who?)
Her lips spoke a name she couldn't recognize.
"...Yuuno...kun."
It was unfamiliar.
Strange.
And yet, as if that name was a trigger for her memories, scenes after scenes flooded into her mind.
The blond man tensed.
Fate pressed a calming hand on his shoulder, and he relaxed slightly.
"And..." the doctor continued slowly, "do you know who Yuuno is?"
"Yuuno..." Nanoha's hesitant gaze fell on the blond man.
Every single thing she remembered was confirming who he was.
But there was something so out of place, so...odd.
"...You. That's...you. Yuuno...Scrya."
(No.)
"Do you know what he is to you?"
"He's..."
(No, no, no.)
"...My..."
(No. Wrong. It's wrong. Wrong.)
"..Boyfriend..."
The green-eyed man moved then, so quickly that Fate could not stop him, and hugged Nanoha tightly.
"You remember..." he said hoarsely. "You remembered..."
The hold was suffocating and unfamiliar, and she felt herself go stiff, eyes wide with shock.
"Yu - "
Another scene flashed past her mind, and it made her stop short from speaking his name. Whether it was of surprise or comfort or discomfort - no, she didn't know what this so entirely out-of-place feeling was - she couldn't stomach this one memory that felt so strange.
It was one of them, locked in a tight embrace, in a soul-consuming kiss...
She shoved him away reflexively.
"N - Nanoha?" Startled and hurt.
"I - I..."
Wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
All wrong.
Her memories told her she had loved him so much it had hurt.
"...I...this..." It was suddenly harder to breathe. The throbbing in her head intensified. More scenes -- memories -- flashed past her mind. So much that she was convinced. "This..."
So why did it feel so wrong?
-o-
She was hesitant.
"Fate...san?"
The blonde doctor sighed, and seemed almost hurt.
Her soft tone, however, was wry and amused.
"Whatever happened to 'Fate-chan'?"
Nanoha didn't know, of course.
Which was why she didn't reply.
Instead, she changed the topic.
"Yuuno-kun is...?"
Fate studied her for a moment before replying.
"I told him to go back and rest." She hesitated. "You do remember him, don't you?"
"...Yes." No.
"...Are you certain?"
Nanoha wanted to say no. Wanted to deny those memories that seemed so real.
"Yes...yes, I am."
The blonde sighed then, seemingly relieved and weary all the same.
Fate did not press on that subject after that. Her gaze had flickered with unreadable emotions, and she spoke, tone low and quiet, yet so intense, and so...guarded.
"Do you remember me, Nanoha?"
Nanoha didn't answer.
Couldn't answer.
"...You don't?" the blonde asked after a moment.
Burgundy eyes were calm, cool, and yet it made her throat constrict, as if a lump had formed in it.
Fate closed her eyes then, sighing in defeat.
Defeat?
"I suppose you don't." The blonde's tone remained soft and gentle, but there was so much...sadness and...and regret?...weighing in her voice. "No matter, Nanoha - "
"I do."
Fate paused, and glanced back at her with a questioning look.
"...I do." repeated Nanoha. She didn't know what possessed her to speak, but she did, and she didn't regret it, because she saw hope flicker in that gaze, however small it was.
The next question that came out of the doctor's mouth, however, made her freeze.
"...As who?"
Fate's burgundy eyes were unfathomable.
Alicia or Fate, Nanoha?
"I..." The brunette felt her tongue go dry.
Memories of Fate, so different from what she thought they would be like, flooded into her mind.
Her head was pounding.
And now, she found herself comparing the two.
Alicia was more playful, more expressive.
Fate was calmer, and more controlled.
But they had the same dark maple eyes.
The same face.
"I...I don't..." She remembered blood, the metal that pierced into the blonde, and she tore her gaze away from those piercing eyes. "...know..."
Silence reigned in the room.
The blonde ran a hand through her hair, and sighed again.
"Let's...go about this differently, Nanoha." Careful words. "...Can you tell me a little more about Alicia?"
"She's - " Nanoha stopped, closed and opened her mouth, before shutting it again.
Her mind was strangely blank and devoid of any memories but one; her words, the blood, that metal...
There was nothing else.
And yet, it was the only thing that seemed so right...
"She's...?" probed Fate.
Confusion barraged into the brunette like never before.
"I...I..."
Nanoha tried to remember.
To recall anything. Anything.
How could she have known Alicia was playful if she had no memories of her?
"...I can't..." She tried again. Tried and tried again.
And she failed.
"I can't remember..."
-o-
Nanoha stared at her.
"Concussion?"
"Concussion," repeated Fate. "I imagine that's what causing you the confusion of me and...Alicia."
Silence.
"...Oh," the brunette said after a moment, forcing the word out from her dry throat.
Fate smiled slightly. It looked almost fake. Trained. Flawless.
A doctor's smile.
"Give it time," the blonde cocked her head slightly. "If it's you, I'm sure you'll be able to make a distinction. And considering that you do remember Yuuno and I, you're already on the road to recovery."
Nanoha could only nod, however uncertain she had felt.
And there was something else she did want to know, too.
"Fate-san?"
"Hmm?"
"How did I...get a concussion?"
The blonde paused at that. "...You do remember being at the bus stop, correct?"
Nanoha hesitated. "Well, yes, but..." She paused, then sighed. "I just...want to be sure."
"...It was...four months ago." The volume of that soft, velvety voice dropped even lower. Fate's gaze turned distant, staring into empty space. "You had an accident at the bus stop."
The brunette remembered the sound of screeching tires.
"A vehicle lost control, and rammed head on into the bus stop. The driver died and you..." Fate sighed. "You were really lucky to get out of it with just a concussion, Nanoha."
Blue eyes blinked.
Those words couldn't quite sink in, and Fate apparently knew that, because she waved a hand in the air, and a screen blinked into existence.
"Computer, search for photo. Keyword: Bus stop accident. Date: 10 June 2344."
Words formed on the blue monitor.
SEARCHING...
ONE RESULT(S) FOUND. DISPLAY? Y/N.
"Yes."
The screen enlarged, and an image took over the blue hologram.
Silence.
She stared at the picture.
The poles, the sign board, the glass panel...everything that defined a simple bus stop were on the ground and charred into deep charcoal color, dented or broken or crushed, as if something huge just...ran over it, followed by a flamethrower spray.
"...This is a bus stop." Disbelief filled her voice.
"To be exact, the remains of a bus stop and a lorry after an explosion from the leaking petrol tank."
"..."
The blonde raised a delicate eyebrow. "Believe me now?"
Nanoha laughed nervously.
Red eyes glared at her, and it made her felt like a child who got caught red-handed trying to steal a cookie.
"Okay," she said meekly. "So...give me a run down on the injuries I have?"
Nanoha paused.
That wasn't right. She didn't have any injuries - there were no bandages wrapped anywhere on her, nor had any places felt painful. She was definitely sore (because she had been asleep for four months), but she didn't feel the least bit hurt.
"...Or had."
Fate wrinkled her nose at Nanoha.
"Some scrapes and bruises. Four months were more than enough to heal them," the blonde gave her a pointed look, "and a certain sleeping beauty was sleeping for those four months."
Nanoha flushed at that nickname.
"Fate-chan!"
Said woman chuckled, but the laughter barely reached her eyes.
The blonde cocked her head to the right slightly, a little smile curling on her lips.
"...You called my name correctly this time."
Nanoha blinked at her.
"It..." She paused, then shrugged. "It just sort of came out on its own."
Unreadable emotion flickered past Fate's eyes.
Silence.
It was Fate who broke it, another smile on her face.
"...That's a good thing."
But the smile did not reach her eyes.
"Fate...?"
"Nanoha..." the blonde's soft voice turned serious again, and her face schooled into a neutral mask. "I want you to stay calm, and listen to me. Okay?"
Nanoha hesitated, suddenly wary.
"...Yes?"
Fate watched her carefully, and spoke.
"This Alicia that you speak of..."
"...What about her?"
"She doesn't exist, Nanoha."
The brunette felt herself stop cold.
"I have known you since high school," Fate said softly, "but I have never heard of her before. Not even once."
"But - "
"Nanoha. Listen to me, please. You know as well as I do that I have no siblings, let alone a twin sister."
That was true. Fate was the only child of the Testarossa family.
But there was something so wrong about this...
She felt her head throb.
"No, wait - "
Fate gave her hand a light squeeze, and continued gently.
"Don't you think that if there was someone who looked so much like me, you would have told me of the news ages ago?"
Nanoha stopped short at that, and stared into calm burgundy.
...That was true.
Much too true.
She would have told Fate first hand if she had ever met someone who looked exactly like her.
"...It's a dream, Nanoha." The blonde said reasonably. "You don't even remember anything about her, do you? Don't forget you had a concussion, too."
A dream?
Those words telling her to live, the blood, and that metal...were all just a dream?
But it had felt so real...
"...Don't think too much about it, okay?" Concern flickered in burgundy eyes. "Sleep, rest, and get back your energy. A couple more days of observation and you will be out of here."
Just...a dream?
"...Okay."
-o-
A/N: Hmm...well, though I did say I planned to post a certain one-shot first, but there were several setbacks, one being my beta is currently busy, and the other being me having some unexpected things popping up. But since IF 1 has been finished for a while now, I thought I'd go ahead and post it. Call it a token of apology of sorts, if you will.
And as for whatever questions my dear, dear readers may have...I'm going to have to...regretfully...keep most of the answers to myself. :D But there are three things I will say now, though. There is only one world, a.k.a one reality. There is no magic, but the indicated year from one of Fate's statement should say something about its technology. And yes, this is set on earth. Just that it's far in the future.
You're all welcome to speculate, and I certainly wouldn't mind hearing what thoughts are churning in your heads. Kudos to you if you concluded right (but I won't tell you), and go ahead and ask whatever questions you may have -- although, whether I will actually answer them, is another question.
...Also, as a certain someone has found out, extracting information from me needs a very, very big bribe. This certain someone had some very interesting gestures when it came to nagging me for answers. And yes, I still snicker everytime I remember that, Certain Someone.
I will also be honest with you guys. While I have identified logical causes/actions and the consequences/results, I do not have a plot line to follow. Meaning I have answers, but how and when I will reach that certain point of giving answers is rather questionable. I'm never much of a plotter, anyway. So heads up. The fic will be completed...eventually...but how long it will take, I have no idea.
As far as pairings are concerned, well...I will admit I'm experimenting with Yuunoha a little, if only to build on Yuuno's character a little more. Nonetheless, it's still not a favourite pairing of mine, and I still have yet to see any fics that may sway me to that path...and while I'm pretty sure some NF fans are questioning my sanity on this, believe me, the plot will flow better this way. Eventually, this will turn into a triangle of sorts. Maybe a four-way, hmm? There will be plenty of NF scenes in coming chapters. Well...not in a romantic way yet but...eventually. Eventually.
Of course, as far as Yuuno goes, I could have picked a random, ooc guy, but I never liked using original characters. Mostly because they are a pain in the ass when it comes to building a character. And I'm hardly a creator, if at all.
All in all, though, hope this was interesting and enjoyable. Reviews are also the most inspiring things I could ever have. :P
Till next time,
Eagle.
