A/N: Don't really, even though it says final chapter, there is still the epilogue to write. All in all, I don't think I finished this story as strongly as I started it, so its a bit disheartening. Regardless, I'm sure many will enjoy it, and that's all that matters. Also, like many of my stories, you'll find this chapter rather fast paced, that's just how I roll, I guess. Please enjoy...

- Kode-Dekka

Kioku

Final Chapter: Confrontation

Nanoha felt like a fool when she met Fate outside their work building the next morning. The golden-haired beauty was visibly angry with her, even more so when she couldn't even look her in the eyes.

"Nanoha, you didn't do it, did you?"

"I'm sorry, Fate-chan..." Nanoha nearly flinched when she saw Fate narrow her eyes. "You don't understand. He's the person I married, I can't just throw this in his face all of a sudden." Fate sighed, leaning back against the wall, taking in the chilling air.

"I know, I'm sorry. I should be more considerate of his feelings, but..." Nanoha grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"You two never did like each other very much." She said with a smile. "Don't worry, I haven't changed my mind, you're the one I want to be with, Fate-chan." Fate's cheeks flushed, and she managed a smile.

"Sorry for being so stupid. I don't care how long it takes, I'll wait forever, if that's what you need." They both leaned in at the same time, and kissed, not knowing that they were being watched by a chocolate-haired woman.

"My my." They pulled apart right away and looked at the culprit, finding Hayate smirking that them. "Isn't it a little early in the morning for this?" The two of them let out sighs of relief, restarting their hearts.

"Don't scare us like that, Hayate-chan." Nanoha said, completely forgetting something very important.

"I thought it would be fun to watch such a beautiful story of adultery unfold." Nanoha's eyes went wide when she realized that Hayate was aware of her marital status. "Oh my, look at you Nanoha-chan." Hayate laughed it off, waving her hand in front of her dismissively. "Don't worry, I wont judge you on this; love isn't something that we can help, so it would be wrong of me to fault you for loving someone other than your husband. However, you should know that these kinds of stories don't usually end very happily."

Fate sighed again, shaking her head. "What exactly do you want? Are you just trying to mess with us." Hayate shook her head.

"Just giving you a warning, as your friend. I don't care what you do in your private life, but you should be mindful of the consequences of your actions, that's all."

Nanoha pointed her gaze away, feeling guilty all over again. She didn't need to be reminded of this, at least not by her boss.

"I get it, Hayate-chan. Thank you for your concern." Hayate gave her a smile, her eyes looked like they were saying 'honestly, what am I going to do with you?'.

"Well, as long as you understand. Now, how about we get to work."

Nanoha and Fate nodded, and the three of them entered the building. Eventually they had to part, but Hayate stopped them, wanting to give them one more piece of advice. "I thought I should just say this, just to be sure. Please, if you would, refrain from making passes at each other while you're working." They faces became cherry red, and Hayate chuckled. "Bye." She ran off toward her office, leaving the two red-faced women alone.

After work, they went back to Fate's apartment. This time, Nanoha left messaged Yuuno, saying she might be late coming home. But that was a lie, she probably wouldn't return until morning, maybe not at all.

When they got inside Fate's apartment, the two could barely contain themselves. They ravaged each other before even closing the door, and ended up on the floor soon after. Of course, the door was still open, so embarrassed, they finally managed to properly close it. They then moved toward the couch where things first happened. Again, they went at each other like animals.

Only when the first moan came, did Nanoha finally push Fate away. "W-Wait, Fate-chan."

"What is it Nanoha?" Nanoha's eyes latched onto Fate's.

"I don't think this is right. Um.. before we do this, I think its only right to tell Yuuno about us first after all." Fate sighed, exasperated.

"And when will that be? A week? A month?" Nanoha frowned, realizing that she was only making things worse with her suggestion.

"I'm sorry Fate-chan, I really will do it soon."

"I know, I just... I want to be with you as soon as possible."

Nanoha cupped Fate's face in her hands, smiling brightly. "I know, thank you for being so patient with someone like me, I love you." The blond's face lit up bright red. Her eyes shifted about, she had an idea.

"Nanoha, don't get mad, but I have a suggestion."

"Hm?"

"If you're having trouble by yourself, then... When you break up with Yuuno, I want to be there with you." Nanoha stared deep into her eyes. She knew then, Fate wasn't saying that because she wanted to see Yuuno in pain, but because she wanted to protect her, just in case something happened.

Nanoha's heart felt warm. Finally, she was able to find something in there that she thought she lost, her resolve. "Okay, if I have you with me, I can do it. Fate-chan, if you support me, then tomorrow, for sure..."

They embraced, savoring the feeling of their skin against each other. That night, they didn't make love, at Nanoha's request, but instead just laid there, holding each other.

Nanoha and Fate stood outside the complex where the former lived. They held hands, standing out in the cold, preparing their hearts for the sin that they were about to commit, breaking up a marriage. Nanoha took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, a cloud of white puffed out in front of her face and disappeared.

"You ready?" Fate asked, squeezing her hand.

"Yes." Was all Nanoha said. She squeezed back, and the two of them entered the building.

As they went up in the elevator, a thousand thoughts went through Nanoha's mind. What will he think? Will he be angry? Will he hate me? She was overly worried about that last thought. Even if Yuuno was angry with her, or their friendship became strained, she didn't want to be hated by him.

Fate, feeling Nanoha unease, squeezed her hand again. "Its okay, I'm with you, Nanoha." Blue eyes connected with red, and the nervous woman nodded.

"Thank you, Fate-chan."

The elevator stopped, they reached their destination. From this point on, the two broke away from each other and stopped holding hands. They didn't want to surprise Yuuno at the door, so it was for the best.

The walked down the hall, not saying anything, silently contemplating in their minds what was about to happen.

When they reached the door, both gulped and took in a breath. Nanoha took out her key, put it in the lock, turned it, and grabbed the handle. "Here we go..." She twisted it, and pushed the door open. As they entered, they noticed a silence, there was absolutely no sound in the room.

Yuuno was sitting on the couch, looking up at them. His eyes were strange, as if he'd been expecting them for a long time. He smiled and waved at them, welcoming Nanoha home.

"Long time no see, Yuuno." Fate said, doing her best to smile at him. They took off their shoes, and joined Yuuno on the couch, though Fate sat in the love seat across from them.

The silence in the room was horrible, and quite frightening to the two friends. "So this is it." Yuuno said suddenly, flickering his eyes between the two women. "I had my suspicions, but I was really hoping that this wasn't the case." They realized it, he already knew. Nanoha decided not to let this moment go to waste.

"I'm sorry Yuuno-kun, I'm in love with Fate-chan, I want to be with her." He nodded. His behavior was strange, he was just too calm about it.

"I don't like this." Fate said, addressing him. "Why are you acting like this? Why aren't you more angry? Your wife was cheating on you, and doesn't want to be with you anymore. In the first place, how did you know?" Yuuno sighed, smiling, though anyone would be able to clearly see that he was hurting.

"About a year and a half ago, I heard Nanoha mumbling in her sleep. Over and over, calling out your name, Fate." He ran his hand through his long hair. "I couldn't be sure, I thought maybe she was just having a nice dream. However, over time, lets just say that she started mumbling other things as well, stuff I'm not really comfortable repeating." Their faces flushed red.

"I'm sorry, Yuuno-kun." Nanoha said, apologizing again. "I really do love you, but..."

"I know, but it can't really be helped, now can it?"

This whole exchange wasn't going well for Fate, she was kind of angry that Yuuno wasn't putting up more of a fight. "Is this all she means to you? Why the hell are you giving up so damn easy?" She hadn't meant to say it, and she regretted it the moment she saw Yuuno's eyes.

"What the hell am I supposed to do then!" For the first time, maybe ever in his life, he yelled at someone angrily. "I've done everything I could, I even tried to get time off, so that we could spend more time together. But what do you expect me to say now, when all this time, she's only been looking at you?" By now, Yuuno had finally broken into tears. "I love her, more than I've ever loved anyone. However, I wont selfishly cage Nanoha up, if she can't be mine, then that's the way it is, I just have to accept it."

Nanoha herself was crying now. She was sobbing heavily, throwing out one 'I'm sorry' after another. Fate and Yuuno looked at each other fiercely. The blond then sighed, her eyes becoming softer. She got up from the love seat, took a step toward Yuuno, and wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him into her chest, surprising everyone, Nanoha the most.

"I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I didn't mean for this to happen, I'm sorry, Yuuno. I know that we never really liked each other, but that doesn't mean I want to see you like this, so forgive me, for being so selfish." Some more tears slipped down Yuuno's face, but he didn't make a sound, and just let Fate hold him.

This moment lasted for several minutes, before Fate finally let go, and knocked Yuuno lightly on the head. "I shouldn't be saying this, but if you're a man, then pull yourself together, okay? If you don't, then I wont have any idea what to do." Yuuno felt the top of his head, and then nodded.

"Thank you, I'm fine now."

"Yuuno-kun..." Nanoha said, still crying. "I-I..." He touched his finger to her lips, and shook his head.

"Its okay, you don't have to say anything else. I just want you to be happy, even if that happiness doesn't lie with me." Nanoha nodded, wiping away her tears.

"I love you. That's why, lets end this, Yuuno-kun." A final tear slipped down Yuuno's face as he nodded his head.

Fate smiled, even wiping at her own eyes for a moment. "I'll wait outside, you have a lot to talk about." She turned her back to them, before they could say anything else.

"Take care of her, Fate." She heard Yuuno say as she walked, but she didn't turn around, and left the home quietly, closing the door behind her. Fate sat down, holding her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them. She recalled what Yuuno said, and pulled her knees closer. I promise I'll always take care of her, so forgive me, Yuuno. She didn't think anymore, and wept for Yuuno silently, not making a single sound.

A/N: Can you say dissatisfying? I sure can, so I'm sorry! I'm rather terrible at ending sad stories on a high note, so forgive this...