A/N:I don't know whether it was laziness or me running out of random ideas to make the chapter longer. But the next few chapters are just short.

Disclaimer: I do not own MSLN/ZnT

Chapter 11 : Flames of the Past, Flames of Determination.

A few days since Nanoha was cured. It was summer break, Louise and Saito went to Louise's home, leaving Nanoha behind in the academy. At first, Nanoha was just embarrassed and avoided Louise and Saito for a bit. After a few days, she managed to calm down but when message came to the academy that another battle with Albion will come soon and that a full-scale war will happen, Nanoha became depressed. She didn't quite liked the idea of students going to war. This also happened because Germania wouldn't help. Nanoha blamed herself for saving Wales. While it is a good thing the marriage didn't happen partly because of it. Now the students had to fight. She was having conflicted thoughts. If she was part of the TSAB, joining the war would be bad but at the same time, she didn't want the students to fight. For the next few days, she couldn't find the answer that she needed but another incident will come. An incident that will help her decide her actions.

Saito and Louise are about to leave on the Zero Fighter. Nanoha sent them off.

"Are you sure you are not coming?" Louise asked. She has been worried about Nanoha ever since she noticed a change.

"No. Take care of yourself." Nanoha forced a smile as she saw the couple fly away.

"You know, sometimes I kind of worry about her. It is like she is thinking about something." Louise told Saito.

"Thinking about what?"

"It is like she is thinking about standing in the middle of a battlefield and force both sides to stop."

"Sounds like something she might do." Saito agreed.

"For now we must attack the defense line at the City of South Gotha." He added.

Louise and Saito had already joined the war. The Queen Henrietta, gave Louise that mission. Even Wales agreed that the Albion army must be stopped. Louise asked her parents for permission to join the war. They didn't agree but she decided to join anyway. Nanoha felt slightly betrayed. How can someone send their best friend to war?

Nanoha attended classes in Louise's place. She didn't have anything better to do. The only difference is that half the school has already gone to the front lines for war. The only teacher that is teaching is the one that hates war, Colbert. Well she attended, but she didn't pay a single attention. Nanoha was too busy thinking about why the students were sent to war. If she had to she would blast the royal palace apart and question Henrietta but that would be siding with Albion. Or she could train the students so hard that, like her, 'No matter what enemy, No matter what ally, They will be able to mow down everything with maximum power'. She wrote off that idea. That is joining Tristain's army and it would also encourage the students to go to war. She was starting to get annoyed and decided to 'rest' a bit. That was when she noticed someone pointing a sword at Colbert.

"Hey who are you and what are you doing?" Nanoha shouted.

"Hmm? You don't know ? I am Musketeer Commander Agnes. I will be training the students for the war starting today." Agnes introduced herself.

"But the students" Colbert start to protest.

"Silence. Do not make me repeat myself." Agnes shouted back at him and walked away. Nanoha didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything to defend Colbert. Preparing themselves for war is the best thing right now but sending them out for war wasn't right.

Nanoha had a short talk with Professor Colbert. She didn't quite know what to do anymore so she decided to get some advice. From experience, she knows that Colbert is experienced with this kind of situation as he is a fire mage, that hates to use his powers for destruction.

"Teacher, I came for some advice."

"Hmm? Nanoha? It is rare for a person like to you ask me a question all of a sudden. How can I help you?"

"I am not supposed to interfere with the war in any way at all… but my friends are being sent to war. The students here will end up fighting as well. What should I do?"

"I see, you are worried about Miss Valliere, Saito, and the rest of us. There is nothing much you can do but trust yourself."

"Trust myself?"

"I have a story for you. It is quite long so I will simplify it." Colbert told Nanoha. She nodded and listened to him.

"There was a village called D'Angleterre. It was a poor village with nothing at all but there were orders to eliminate everyone there because of a plague. If the plague were to spread, the entire country will be ruined."

Nanoha understood what Colbert had said. They had no choice but to kill everyone because they did not had the technology to 'confine' the infected people.

"A group of fire mage was sent to burn all of them. Only to find that the plague was a lie." Colbert continued. Nanoha's eyes opened wide.

"Why?"

"A New Religion Hunt. They were hunting members of the New Religion. That village was hiding one of them and there were a lot of members of the New Religion around that area. The plague was an excuse."

"And I suppose you are one of them?"

"I still feel haunted by my sins to this very day. This is why I said fire is not meant for destruction."

"I… see…" Nanoha felt his pain. An entire village burnt down for a crappy reason. He only found out his mistake after killing everyone.

"When the time comes, let your heart guide you. Sometimes, following your instincts is the best choice."

"My instincts? I will think about what you have said. Thank you for your guidance." Nanoha thanked Colbert and left. She didn't really get the instinct or 'follow your heart' part. She still has a lot to think about.

One night, Nanoha lie down on Louise's bed alone. She was still thinking even though her eyes were closed.

Follow my heart. Let it guide me.

"Raising Heart. Do you understand what he meant?"

"I am afraid not my master but whatever decision you make, I will follow you till the end."

"Thank you."

"No problem. My master."

Nanoha soon fell asleep. After some time she woke up. It was about 3 in the morning. She could hear sounds downstairs and was wondering what was going on.

Training this early in the morning? Even I don't do that. Nanoha thought to herself as she got off the bed and head towards the direction of the commotion.

Nanoha saw Colbert, Agnes, Kirche and Tabitha fighting several people in the dining hall. They all looked really skilled. The other students and the headmaster was tied up. One of the opponents was familiar. It was Wardes. Nanoha took a step forward.

I must help them. Nanoha thought. Her legs wouldn't move right. It wasn't her war. The people shouldn't fight at all. She hesitated a bit. In that short amount of time Wardes shot a piercing wind spell at Agnes. The spell was blocked by Colbert. Everyone stopped. It would seem that something went on between those two and even the enemy gave them time to be together.

"… are you all right?" Colbert asked Agnes. She nodded, but she took out a sword and point it at him. What was she doing at a time like this?

"I thank you for shielding me but you are also my enemy." Agnes said coldly. "You who destroyed my village."

Nanoha knew then that Agnes was one of the survivors. Montmorency was beside Colbert casting healing spell. She couldn't keep up and soon fainted. Wardes and the others were at the side laughing. Their last hope, Colbert would soon die. Nobody saw her yet though.

"I am sorry Agnes… They said it was an epidemic… I am the one who burned them all… the memory still haunts me… I am sorry." Colbert kept apologizing to Agnes as he closed his eyes and died.

"That's the end for him! Stupid Gandalfr almost killed me last time. Luckily I survived. Hahaha. Oh I wonder what his face will look like when he sees his friends dead. Isn't this great Menvil?" Wardes laughed as he asked the fire mage that Colbert was fighting. Kirche, Tabitha and Agnes stood up again. They prepared to fight Wardes, Menvil and two other mercenaries. That was when Nanoha walked into the hall, tears can be seen rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh! It is you! Nanoha! How I have longed to see you again to repay you for that day!" Wardes used Wind and Water to create ice lances and shot it at her. Nanoha calmly stepped to the right, and the entire lance missed her by a head. She continued to walk forward, towards her opponent.

Kirche and Tabitha can only look at Nanoha as she took another step forward. She stopped and wipe off her tears.

"Why… why is everyone killing each other?"

"Standby Ready."

"I understand now teacher. I understand what I want to do now."

"Set up."

Nanoha was in her Barrier Jacket again, earning surprises from all the people that has never seen it.

"I will protect everything. I will end this repeating sadness and this bad dream. Raising Heart. Excelion Mode. Drive."

"Ignition"

Raising Heart shape shifted again. Now it was a staff that also looks a bit like a spear.

"Stand back. Kirche, Tabitha, Agnes. I will handle everything." Nanoha told them.

"Don't get cocky you can't handle them all by..!" Kirche told her but then she and the other two were suddenly binded.

"Ubiquitous Dell Wind." Wardes said again as he made 10 copies of himself. "Don't let up. She isn't weak. Overwhelm her with your number and strength." Wardes commanded.

The two mercenary and five Wardes charged her. The other 5 and Menvil casted spells.

"Protection" the mercenaries and 5 copies clashed with the barrier and were thrown away.

"Flier Fin" Nanoha dodged the incoming spells by flying.

Nanoha then lifted all the chairs in the vicinity and dropped them on her opponents.

"Stardust Fall" The copies were struggling against her and so were the other 3 mercenaries. Nanoha was pissed. Before anyone could stand after being knocked down by chairs, she continued shooting them with a rain of Divine Shooter. The mercenaries were spending most of their times dodging that they ended up regrouping.

"Photon Smasher" Nanoha shot a large beam which caused a huge explosion, destroying the tables and chairs nearby. The Dining Hall of Alviss was slowly being destroyed. Her opponents were being blown away every few seconds. They knew that they couldn't win. Nanoha just kept shooting them calmly while the students could only watch in horror. The copies all vanished by now. It was initially a 4 against 4 match where they were struggling until Colbert was killed. It was all hopeless for a moment and now it was a one sided 1 against 4 match. Nanoha looks as if she was toying with them.

"R-Retreat. We can't beat this demon." Wardes called out and they started to run.

"Restrict Lock" Wardes and the other 3 were suddenly binded.

"W-wait. Spare us… We won't do it again." Menvil chickened out. He was usually daring and cruel. He lost his sense of sight from a fight long time ago and used his sense of smell to detect the enemies instead. What he managed to smell from Nanoha was something along the lines of 'Instant Death'.

"Spare you? That is not for me to decide. But did you spare anyone? They were just students. You even killed a good teacher." Nanoha told them. The more she speaked, the more angry she became. Some student's already pissed in their pants. "I won't even give you the chance to drop your wands. If you are willing to hurt the students you must always be prepared for the consequences. Divine… Buster."

Nanoha shot a pink beam of light which pierced through the walls of the academy. The Dining Hall of Alviss was officially destroyed, and so were the other parts of the school, whichever that got in the way of the beam. All 4 of the intruders were unconscious. Agnes arrested the 4 intruders. Agnes then help bury Colbert and mumbled to herself "I hated you but this is the least I can do. You may not like it but know that it is my way of saying thanks." Nanoha flew off with Axel Fin after asking Tabitha where was South Gotha. She took the last magazine of cartridges with her as well. Recalling what Professor Colbert said, she knew what she wanted to do. She will protect her friends. The friends that took care of her and the friends that she care about. She will make sure that they will all be able to come back and celebrate a reunion. She will protect all of them. Siesta, Guiche, Kirche, Tabitha, Montmorency, Saito and finally Louise. They will come back alive no matter what.

A/N: Eh, this chapter is kinda short and too serious. Maybe Nanoha is also a bit out of character. Then again this is Nanoha getting thrown into a human war, not a war with stupid lifeless machines like in StrikerS. Something that never happened in her series. She can't exactly laugh it off now. The only 'death' she faced so far was Precia falling into somewhere I forgot, and Reinforce vanishing.

Just a reminder, somewhere in the first few chapters, Nanoha came to ZnT with her device and a magazine of cartridges. It is about time she used them.