CCS+MGLN: The Shard Card

CCS+MGLN: The Shard Card

The Story So Far: Tomoyo and Sakura have successfully integrated themselves into the TSAB system with the help of the MSLN cast. Two years after a Lost Logia benignly merged with Tomoyo's linker core, she has become an "A" class support mage with a protective ostrich familiar named Freya. One and a half years have passed since Sakura has divorced Shaoran to follow Tomoyo to Mid-childa, and she has recently succeeded in making a name for herself after a year-long mission in a war-ridden non-magical planet. At long last, the stage is set for the two mages to fight side by side, both during peace treaties and on the battlefield.

Although a potential rift was narrowly avoided on the eve of Sakura's return, Hayate and Sakura understand that neither should be out for the other's throat nor should either do anything to warrant hostile behavior. But how things will turn out when an accident on a recent mission renders Tomoyo unable to remember her time with either of the two up until that point remains to be seen. Hayate provides no hints that she and Tomoyo ever had anything together and Tomoyo expresses her doubts as to whether she really loves this stranger who insists that they are indeed lovers (Sakura). Will SakuTomo when out in the end?

Meanwhile, Nanoha and Fate find that raising a child while furthering their own relationship in a military setting is even harder than it sounds. When Fate sets out to correct their out-of-wedlock child rearing, however, a new problem arises. Similar to Tomoyo's plight, Fate wonders if she really knows Nanoha as well as she once believed she did. Can she still go through with the proposal with this lack of faith?

Last Time on Shard Card: Tomoyo confides in Hayate and Fate... but are the answers she receives enough to combat her rising doubt in the veracity of her relationship with Sakura?

Disclaimer: MGLN, CCS, and the related creations are not mine, nor is the original plotline even. But where the story goes, how they are characterized, in essence, the story itself, that, I hope, I can claim.

Pairings consciously made: Sakura/Tomoyo, Nanoha/Fate, Tomoyo/Hayate

Pairings that can also be found: Signum/Shamal, Hayate/Harem

Mentionings of: VivioVita, Yuuno/Arf, possible KeroZafira, ReinAgito...

Please, please review. It makes me happy that each chapter averages 100 hits (which I hope means 100 people are reading it) but knowing what you think when you review individual chapters makes me reallllly happy. :3 So please?

Chapter 28

"Well someone looks happy today."

Nanoha paused mid-whistle and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Ah... Good morning, Hayate. Am I too obvious?"

"Too obvious about what? That you just got paid?" Hayate smiled to show that she didn't mind Nanoha being obvious.

Nanoha grinned. "Paid and laid. Fate laid me down like a Lay's potato chip on a parched tongue." She sighed happily, remembering.

"You went all the way? What am I saying- you always go all the way." Hayate laughed in apology.

"Mm... actually no." Nanoha laughed at Hayate's shocked look. "We just cuddled. A lot. We had a bit of a fight- not much of anything in the end, and I got some things off my chest. And replaced it with some really good things I wanted on my chest."

"So... in short... you're still the bunny Nanoha we all know and love. Now with an even lower marker for what it takes to get you whistling."

"Mm..." Nanoha pretended to consider it for a moment before giggling. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And if you're like this I bet Fate is incapacitated by now."

Nanoha giggled again, murmuring half to herself. "I love it when Fate's on top... it's like having an extra lumpy blanket."

"Weirdo," Hayate claimed affectionately. "So why aren't you at morning practice? You couldn't have come all this way just to boast about your love life."

Nanoha nodded, reining her mood in to fairly serious mode. "I was just wondering if I could get a status check on the thing we were talking about a few months back?"

"Ah, that." Hayate sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Well, to tell you the truth, it hasn't gone much of anywhere. It'll be a while yet before we see any real results I'm afraid."

Nanoha sighed as well, shrugging with a hopeless air. "Well, what can you do? It's a selfish request on my part anyway."
"Perhaps, but it has real merit. It might put more pressure on instructors like you, but we could put forth some real star members that could be trained for our three most expansive divisions. It won't just be once-in-a-blue-moon partnerships like the duo you and Fate make." Hayate laughed. "Compared to you two, I feel like I'm the odd one out. It should just be the two Aces."

"Don't be silly." Nanoha grinned as she leaned forward. "We rose in the ranks together, and we're the three Aces together. We've all come such a long way... it would be a shame to throw it away now."

"I'm not talking about throwing away anything, Nanoha." Hayate laughed again, as if it were her most viable method of relieving stress. "Forgive me, I'm just being silly. Too much to think about these days."

Nanoha looked at Hayate with open curiosity. "I'm all ears if you want to talk about anything."

"No, it's all right. There's nothing that can be done for it at the moment..." Hayate hesitated before sighing again. "It's just that Tomoyo might need some careful monitoring in the months to come."

"Tomoyo?" Nanoha thought back. "Ah, she visited us last night... It sounded like she was forming a basis for why her memory loss was so specific?"

Hayate nodded. "So I've heard. But that's not what bothers me. She was talking with me yesterday about the doubts she's been having about her relationship with Sakura... that came as no surprise to me considering just how much she's lost."

Nanoha nodded encouragingly.

"But it got me to start thinking... We've never known Tomoyo without her profuse love for Sakura. Yes, we've known her when Sakura wasn't at her side, but during all that time, Tomoyo has always loved Sakura. During our talk over lunch, I started to realize that... that... well, what if Tomoyo isn't who we think she is, without her love for Sakura anchoring her?"

Nanoha frowned, sitting up as she quickly tried to piece together what Hayate had. "What do you mean? If it's about how she speaks, she's always had a bit of a formal air with everybody besides Sakura. That's nothing new."

Hayate shook her head. "It may not be much now, because we're letting her take it easy while she sorts everything out for herself, but... what if... the reason she's kind to everyone is linked to the overflow of her love for Sakura? What if she honestly believes that she joined the military solely for the benefit of making herself stronger? What if... What if without her love for that single special person in her life... her single-minded devotion gets lost, along with her dedication to long projects? God, Nanoha, I feel like I'm watching a chain of dominoes shaking on a table, just one breeze away from each of them falling down."

"I understand what you mean," Nanoha was still frowning, but she tried to smile. "But aren't you being a little too pessimistic? No matter how close they are, their personalities can't depend that much on each other. Like with Fate-chan... Even if she never met me, she'd still be a kind girl, not willing to create any casualties that she doesn't have to. She was in a bad situation, yes, but if you take her out of that environment and just leave out who brought her out... She'll still be the same person."

Hayate didn't say anything for a moment, and then tried a different approach. "Let's think of this another way. Nanoha, what's your daily schedule like right now? What do you do from morning 'til night on a typical day?"

"A typical day without a mission?" Nanoha thought about it a moment before starting, "I wake up... if I wake Fate up when getting out of bed, I kiss her and tell her to go back to sleep... After I make breakfast for Fate-chan and lunch for Vivio, I leave for morning training. My mind tends to wander when I watch the trainees practice, especially when they're just doing drills... I make plans for what to do with Fate and sometimes Vivio for that evening... I do paperwork at the office until it's time for lunch... sometimes I manage to find some friends who are taking the same lunch break, but when I eat alone, I wonder how my family is doing... if Vivio got into trouble again... And then..."

"That's enough." Hayate smiled sadly. "Now, can you imagine what your daily life would become if you lost your memories of Fate and Vivio and all associated memories of them? That means not caring enough to kiss Fate in the morning, not bothering to make them breakfast or lunch, not bothering to think of people who now mean nothing to you during the course of your day... and of course, the real killer for certain healthy relationships... No sex. Indefinitely."

Nanoha's expression as Hayate delivered the final blow rivaled that of a child being told that they were bought and sold at the local flea market as a side bonus to a carton of oranges which were all beaten by her new 'parents'. "That sounds like hell on Earth."

"For you and those who have to deal with you in your new state," Hayate agreed. "Now do you think Fate could handle it if you weren't the little bunny that you are, or if Vivio suddenly had a mother that didn't know her at all? Don't you think you would be even a slightly different person if one day, you woke up believing that the people that were closest to you were perfect strangers? Perfect strangers who wanted to continue the lives they well remember, but you don't?"

Nanoha bowed her head. "Yeah... Life would be very different. I don't know if I could say I'd be the same person without the conviction that they would support me in anything I thought was for the best. I probably wouldn't Starlight Breaker anyone for some time, too. I'd be too afraid that my enemies were actually people I used to care about but had just forgotten."

Hayate nodded. "That's why, Nanoha, I'd like you to do a favor for me. Two, actually."

Nanoha looked up. "What is it? What do you have in mind?"

"First, whenever you can, keep an eye on what Tomoyo does. Observe her carefully, and see if she isn't starting to become someone that we know she's not. If she is, try to steer her back without letting her know that it's not how we want her to act, it's how she would act if her memories were all in order."

Nanoha nodded. "Understood. I would do that anyway. And the other favor?"

"Be my back up when I tell Sakura that I'll have to suspend her partnership license with Tomoyo until further notice."

"But she'll underst-" Nanoha stopped and looked at Hayate. "You think she'll try to take it personally? But you haven't done anything lately, right?"

"It's not just that. Sakura might also fly off the handle, since she's already so worried and stressed over Tomoyo's condition. Keep in mind their emotions as if they were you and Fate. The red string binding their pinkies is almost just as strong as the one binding you two. Anything could happen."

Nanoha smiled and saluted. "Yes, ma'am. Understood. I would be happy to support you in your endeavor; just tell me when and where."

"Here in my office, tomorrow at noon. Can you make it?"

Nanoha nodded as she let her hand drift back down to her side. "Of course."

"Thank you, Nanoha." Hayate paused and added, "And just so you know... if something like that ever happens to me... if I forget you... know that I did love you, okay?"

Nanoha laughed into her smile. "Same here, Hayate. Although our most special people are different, I do think enough of you that I might run the risk of forgetting you. Though it's not the same as my love for Fate, I love you, too, Hayate."

Hayate grinned. "All right. You're dismissed, Takamachi. Get back to work so you can pay the bills for that sweet little family of yours."

Nanoha saluted again just for emphasis, "Yes, Ma'am!"

--

"The city?"

Sakura nodded. "I got permission from Hayate since I worked more hours yesterday to set aside time for today. So will you come with me into the city?"

Tomoyo frowned, still a little confused as to why. "You mean... like a date?"

Sakura tilted her head from side to side before deciding on, "Something like that, I suppose. There's also that I haven't had the chance to really explore it yet, despite everybody and their cousin recommending this place and that place to me. So I thought now might be the perfect time to try things out. It's equal playing ground, since neither of us really know the area, right?"

Tomoyo murmured, "I've been into the city plenty of times. I had to, in order to pick up materials for... for..." Stopping, Tomoyo realized that she wasn't sure who they had been for. "For myself... I think?"

Sakura smiled patiently. "Probably for Hayate, too, right? Well, even if you don't remember why you went, you'd probably be able to find your way around pretty easily, right? Maybe then, I'll be the guide for your memories, and you can be my guide for the visuals. How about it?"

Tomoyo took a moment to simply look at the friendly, unassuming smile Sakura gave her and let herself smile back. "All right." She looked around the large room before slipping out of bed. "Then I'll go get ready, I suppose. When do you want to leave?"

"It doesn't matter." Sakura grinned, happy that first objective had been cleared. "Take your time getting ready. Do you want to shower first?"

Tomoyo paused again to think about this before shaking her head. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a morning bath, so perhaps it would be better if you went first."

Sakura nodded and headed for the bathroom. "Then I'll draw the water for you when I finish."

"Eh?" Tomoyo swiveled around from neatening her side of the bed as she protested, "You don't have to do that! I know how to do it!"

Sakura laughed and smiled. "It's fine, it's fine. I want you to tell me afterwards if I got the temperature to where you like it without you telling me."

Tomoyo paused and wondered if she had ever told Sakura about that. Deciding she wouldn't remember even if she did, Tomoyo let it go. "Well, thank you in advance then."

"No problem. I'll be out in a little bit, all right?" Without waiting for an answer, Sakura closed the bathroom door behind her.

It was only then that it occurred to Tomoyo that Sakura hadn't brought a change of clothes in with her. She sincerely hoped this wasn't going to come out like she thought it would.

Deciding that Sakura could make sound judgments without her meddling, Tomoyo looked around the room, wondering if there was anything she could do to get ready before her bath. She went through the closet and picked out a nice yet casual outfit and set it at the foot of the bed. Tomoyo went around the room, absently neatening things up here and there. She was just beginning to contemplate putting some breakfast together when she sensed a presence watching her. Tomoyo looked up towards the bathroom and found Sakura leaning against the wall, watching her with a smile.

Tomoyo frowned slightly, not sure how to take Sakura's behavior, although she did notice the fluffy robe that she had on. "What?"

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing. I was going to call you to tell you I was finished, but when I saw you, I guess I got lost in thought."

As Tomoyo walked closer, she found that her curiosity had been piqued. "What were you thinking about?"

"You," Sakura replied with obvious honesty.

Tomoyo felt her breath catch as she stopped mere inches in front of Sakura. What was it about this stranger that seemed to defy all reason? "What about me?"

Sakura leaned down, as if to kiss her, but caught herself and drew back. Smiling again, she answered, "I'll tell you when you're older. Come on, the water should be ready right about now."

Unable to make sense of Sakura's answer, seeing as how they were both more than of age, Tomoyo meekly followed, too confused to do much else. The bathroom was pleasantly warm, and the foggy mirrors told her that Sakura liked to take her showers nice and hot. But she wondered. Would she really know...? Tomoyo leaned down by the edge of the tub and place a few fingers into the water. It was perfect.

"How is it?"

She rewarded Sakura with a smile that made the other girl beam. "It's just right, Sakura. Did you really try for this temperature?"

Sakura laughed. "Sort of, not really. You once told me that you liked to make the water the hottest it could possibly go, let the bath fill up, and then let it sit for about twenty minutes. Just a few degrees below 'warm', right?"

Tomoyo continued to smile as she shook her head. "You continue to astound me, Sakura. Yes, thank you."

Sakura nodded. "Enjoy your bath. There's an extra robe in the closet over there."

Just as Tomoyo looked to see the open closet Sakura was referring to, Sakura closed the bathroom door. Tomoyo watched the door, half expecting Sakura to pop back in at any moment. She soon realized that Sakura was much too mindful to do something like that, Tomoyo smiled and began getting undressed.

About half an hour later, when she opened the bathroom door, Tomoyo immediately caught the whiff of bacon. As she wandered into the kitchen, she tried to pick out what else was in there, but alas, she arrived before she could decide. Sakura looked up from setting some plates on the counter in front of a pair of bar stools as Tomoyo asked the rather obvious question, "You made breakfast?"

"Yeah. It's too early for anything really fancy, but I thought we could start the day with some pancakes and bacon. And there's some fruit here too, if you're up to it."

Tomoyo smiled as she neared her plate enough to get a good strong whiff of it. "It smells fantastic. Do you mind if I get dressed before we eat?"

"Hm? Oh, no, no, go right ahead. I still haven't finished getting everything together actually. What would you like to drink today? Tea? Water? Juice?"

"It doesn't matter; anything you choose should be fine." Tomoyo walked over to the bed, her clothes right where she left them. "Say... Sakura..."

"Hmm?" Sakura still had her head stuck in the refrigerator.

"Was I ever..." Tomoyo blushed, not believing that she was even asking this. She let the robe tie come undone. "... an exhibitionist?"

"No, not re-" Sakura nearly dropped the glasses she was taking out of the cupboard as she turned to see the robe falling to the floor. Quickly shutting her eyes, Sakura stammered, "W-what are you doing? I thought you were going to change in the b-bathroom!"

Tomoyo giggled, somehow pleased with Sakura's reaction. Nonchalantly putting on her undergarments and then her outer clothes, she answered, "Why are you so shy? I thought you were my lover."

"I was- am! I just didn't think you would... I mean... Tomoyo!" Sakura whined softly. She was not about to admit that she felt teased, but she felt it nonetheless.

"It's okay; you can look now."

Sakura peeked open one eye to find that Tomoyo had put everything on put her shirt. She set down the glasses and called Tomoyo's name again in a soft whine. She wasn't unhappy to hear Tomoyo's gentle laughter, but she could feel her ears turning pink with embarrassment.

And then suddenly, she was startled backward when Tomoyo whispered, inches from her face, "You're really cute, you know that, Sakura-chan?"

"Mou!" Sakura glanced at Tomoyo before returning to pouring the drinks. "Go sit down; I'm just about done here."

A few minutes later, Tomoyo took the first spoonful of pancakes and a wide smile emerged.

"Is it good?"

"Excellent." Tomoyo took another bite. "Who taught you how to make this? Or is it an original recipe?"

"We... we made it up together." At Tomoyo's curious look, Sakura explained even as she started to eat, "I wasn't at all sure of myself, the first time I made pancakes. My father's a really good cook and my brother is pretty good too. My brother was teasing me, saying that I couldn't cook anything edible, and I was too embarrassed after my first attempt was a failure. You were the one I ended up asking to help me learn... you let me do most of it myself and just told me how to do it... Even when I'd messed it up trying to flavor it, you added a few more things and it came out like this. So really, I should say it's your recipe."

Tomoyo contemplated on this for a moment, taking another bite of the pancake that now had a memory with it. She closed her eyes as she chewed, picking out the delicate texture of it all. "No."

"No?"

"No, this isn't my recipe." Tomoyo looked over at Sakura with a smile. "I have no recollection of this recipe, but I know for certain that if I had made it when you weren't there, I would have remembered it. Therefore... this must be something that I only ever made with you. It's our recipe."

"Tomoyo...!" Sakura said nothing more than that, the gratitude clear in her tone alone. Eventually, she returned to eating.

"So did you have any plans as to where we would be going today?"

Sakura shook her head. "I thought it might be fun if we... 'winged it' a bit. Do you mind?'

Tomoyo shook her head in return. "No, it's fine. Well then, can I suggest a starting place?"

"Where?"

"There's a fabric store on the top floor of a 37-story shopping center. Hayate asked me if I could go there and get some gray faux fur for her next design and I agreed. Maybe we could... make a shopping trip out of it?"

"Mm... but shopping means you have to carry things around." Sakura smiled. "Let's make a deal. I'll handle carrying any and all bags we have, only if we go there last. Deal?"

Tomoyo frowned, Sakura's overly nice policy starting to grate on her now. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Sakura paused, considering the question. "I'm in a good mood, maybe?"

"Do you always do things like this? Drawing my bath, making breakfast..."

Sakura laughed. "Whoever wakes up first usually does it and I did wake up first today, but I waited until you woke up to get out of bed."

Tomoyo had no way of knowing if that was valid, and so simply sighed and again let it go. "Still... you don't have to try so hard. Really."

"But I want to." Sakura leaned her elbow on the counter as she smiled at Tomoyo.

"Why?" Sakura was just so confusing.

"Because Tomoyo is my princess."

Tomoyo's cheeks flared red. "S-Sakura... you're... you're doing it again..."

"Doing what?"

"Embarrassing remarks..." Tomoyo pierced the last bit of her pancakes with her spork. "...Are prohibited. Okay?"

Sakura looked at her with open surprise for a full three seconds before calming and smiling again. "Okay. The exhibitionism is also prohibited then."

Tomoyo giggled. "Okay." After taking a long swig of her orange juice, Tomoyo thought of something to ask. "Sakura?"

"Hmm?" Sakura was still working on eating.

"Does it bother you? I mean, does it bother you a lot that I don't... that... that I don't love you like you do me?"

Sakura slowed her eating and seemed to put serious consideration into it. "No."

"No?"

A sad look came over Sakura's expression, and Tomoyo regretted asking. But Sakura continued, "No, because I think it must be some sort of karma."

"Karma?" Tomoyo felt like she was just parroting Sakura, and so added, "That I lost my memory?"

"No, that now I'm the one that loves you more than anything. It's what I get for being so dense and stupid while we were growing up. Now, just when I've realized my feelings for you, you don't love me anymore. It's karma in that, it feels like it's my punishment." Sakura looked up with a smile. "But that's a really self-centered way of looking at it. That's why I want to make sure you're taken care of- because your well being is more important to me."

"More important..." Tomoyo shot her a withering look of worry. "You aren't still refusing to sleep, are you? Saku-"

Sakura laughed. "No, no, I sleep just fine, don't worry. I only meant that if there's anything you need done that I can help you with, just say the word and I'll be there."

Tomoyo flushed and clumsily got to her feet. "I'll... I'll wash the dishes... you go get ready."

"Why not put it on automatic? We did just buy a machine, remember?"

Tomoyo mumbled to herself as she found said machine and rinsed her dishes before putting it in. "It still feels... unclean."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I suppose it would. I'm used to washing my dishes by hand, too. Here, I'm done. You go finish getting ready too, hm?"

Tomoyo only nodded, shaking her head when Sakura loaded her own dishes and pressed the appropriate buttons. Technology made people so very lazy.

Half an hour later, they were finally set to go. Sakura paused, however, with one hand hovering over the unlock switch.

"What is it?" Tomoyo frowned. "Did you forget something?"

"Kind of." Sakura turned to face Tomoyo. "Tomoyo, I want to start over."

Tomoyo blinked, not understanding. "What?"

"Us dating. Even if you do find your memories again, you'll still remember this time that we spend together, right?"

Tomoyo nodded slowly. "I don't see why not... my short term memory is perfectly fine... as is most of my long term memory..."

Sakura nodded. "Then, as my apology for everything you currently don't remember me doing, I want to make up for it. I want to give you as perfect a functional relationship as I can make with you. I want to make picture perfect memories with you, too. So... will you agree? When we walk out this door, we'll just be two friends who don't really know each other well, but because I like you and you're not sure how you feel yet, we agreed to try spending a day together. You can tell me the result of it whenever you like, but I swear, from this moment on, I won't bring up any other memories I have of the past." Sakura slowly stretched her hand out to Tomoyo. "Let's go... together."

Tomoyo looked at the hand and up at the owner of said hand. How had she known? How had she looked into her heart and seen that she had been having doubts? Was it a mere coincidence that Sakura was willing to start over from when Tomoyo would be able to remember? Did she really care about and understand her that well? Unless Hayate had... no. Not even Hayate would have known enough to convince Sakura to propose this. It had to be from Sakura alone. "Embarrassing remarks are prohibited."

Sakura pouted, although she didn't try to deny it.

Tomoyo smiled and took her hand. "Just so you know... I don't kiss on the first date."

This brought a smile to Sakura's lips. "Good. I like reservation in a girl."

A/N: Oddly enough, the chapter I released in my other fic (recently started up) came out to be longer than this chapter, even tho songfics are supposed to be short. :\ (for me anyway). Ah well. another everyday chapter...Hopefully this is the beginning of a truly intriguing arc... and yet I doubt it. Ah well. Authors can dream, can't they? -bows- I hope you continue to enjoy.