A Certain Scientific Vampire Killer
Chapter 22: Stand on the Horizon
My eyes were both blinking slowly as I heard the loud noise coming from my alarm clock on the table near my bed while I tried to process where I was right now. I looked around the bedroom I was using in an effort to figure out where I was. I then towards the familiar ceiling above my head and I remembered everything that happened to me on that Night of Nights in an instant. I gasped as my eyes started to become wet with tears as they flowed down my cheeks. I proceeded to take a couple of deep breaths in order to calm myself down as I stood up from my bed.
"I'm alive. The reason why I'm still alive was because Aisa saved me." I muttered to myself in a voice that was so quiet the only one who was able to actually hear it was none other than me, Nanoha Nakamura. I proceeded to grab my alarm clock and clicked the button on top of it so that the obnoxious noise it was making wouldn't harm my ears any longer. I then proceeded to put my alarm clock back where it belongs on the table near my bed while I grabbed my glasses and hair ties so that I could not only see properly but, tie my brunette hair into my signature pigtails.
"Haah. That's better. I can't dwell on the past anymore because it's almost time for school." I said with a depressed expression on my face that then became an expression with a smile on it after I slapped my cheeks in an effort to perk myself up again, something that I always do in the morning. I proceeded to walk towards my closet as I grabbed my school uniform out of it. I then proceeded to change out of my blue pajamas while putting on my school that consisted of a white shirt, a red ribbon, and a blue skirt, which was the quintessential Japanese school uniform for young high school girls such as myself.
"And there! I'm all ready for school! Now, I can finally eat some breakfast. Wow, I'm starving! Haah. I'm also very tired too. Ugh. Jeez! This is what I get for staying up so late last night reading an entire Manga series on a school night like an idiot. Haha. That's something that Aisa would have done too, right? I guess that makes the both of us idiots." I muttered to myself with a weak smile on my face while grabbing my school bag as I opened the door of my bedroom in order for me to get to the living room where Ms. Komoe has made breakfast for the both of us.
"Good morning, Nanoha-chan! Are you excited to eat some of your favorite teacher's breakfast today? Are you?" Ms. Komoe said towards me with a cheerful smile on her face while doing a little spin as she motioned both of her hands to hype up how good her breakfast was to eat. The breakfast that Ms. Komoe usually makes for me consists of scrambled eggs with a slice of buttered toast which was the fairly typical breakfast for anyone not just in Japan to eat, but, the rest of the world as well. However, the breakfast that Ms. Komoe made for me today was different this one consisted of fluffy-looking blueberry pancakes as well as French toast.
"Of course! I'm very excited to always eat your homemade breakfasts! But, this one is special! This is by far my favorite breakfast that you make for me! Not just in comparison to the breakfasts that you make, but, compared to all the breakfasts in the entire world, this one is easily my favorite! Thanks again, Ms. Komoe!" I said with a cheerful smile on my face that matched my teacher's smile while I hurried towards the dining table where we both always eat food. I was genuinely excited because it was my favorite breakfast to eat in general, but Ms. Komoe only made it for me once a week since the materials to make it were quite expensive. But, that just made it an extra special treat that always managed to make my day a good one.
"H-Hau! Thank you so much for the praise, Nanoha-chan! I greatly appreciate it! Ah, hau! I'm wanna take you home!" Ms. Komoe said with an expression that was brimming with happiness while there were mini hearts in her eyes, as she jumped in joy which resembled a child receiving exactly what they desired on their birthday. Jeez. Don't you realize that we are both already in your home, teacher? Well, I guess it is a little bit cute. Ms. Komoe at least looks the part with her body that made her always look like an elementary school student as well as a little sister. However, her childlike looks just made it even more jarring to see her drink can after can of beer.
Me and Ms. Komoe proceeded to eat the delicious breakfast that she made for the both of us to share as we talked to each other about trivial things since we had a full thirty minutes before school starts. It was full of enough time to have a conversation with the teacher and make it to a certain high school with plenty of time to spare. But, even though the conversation topic we were discussing with each other was completely harmless, I found myself losing my focus and thinking about other things as Ms. Komoe talked to me. It wasn't that the topic was boring, nor was it because I was sleepy, though I being extremely tired could have played a part, that wasn't the root cause either.
The truth was that I couldn't stop thinking about Aisa again. Having thoughts and memories of Aisa constantly popping up in my head made it hard to pay attention to what Ms. Komoe was trying to say to me. Ms. Komoe noticed this, and she brushed it off while telling me that it was fine for me to focus on eating the breakfast that she made for me instead. However, I disagreed. I disagreed because I knew that I shouldn't be thinking about Aisa so much when she isn't in this world anymore. I should be focusing on myself and the people as well as the things that interest me such as Anime, Manga, and video games. I knew that. I knew that already. Even still, I found it hard to not think about Aisa at least a few times on a daily basis. Nanoha, you are an idiot.
After both I and Ms. Komoe finished eating the delicious breakfast that she made for the both of us to share and enjoy together, we grabbed our school bags, as we proceeded to leave the apartment that I live inside of with her. We both then proceeded to go into Ms. Komoe's car in order for the both of us to make it to a certain high school with enough time to spare. Ms. Komoe twisted the key and turned on her car as we then left the apartment behind and left to go to school. But then, as Ms. Komoe was driving the both of us to school, I found myself thinking of Aisa again and again. I couldn't stop thinking about Aisa today because of what is going to happen later. I knew that. I knew that already. I decided to reflect on what happened in the past after that Night of Nights ended so that I could attempt to move on and enjoy the rest of my day.
Eight months earlier
The first thing that I remember after the Night of Nights ended was that I awakened in a hospital room. As I woke again I didn't remember much of what happened during the Night of Nights. No, if I said my memory was just a little bit hazy from the events that took place during those multiple time loops that would have been an understatement. I couldn't remember much at all, what I liked to eat, my favorite Anime shows, not even my friend's names. In fact, at the time I couldn't even remember my own name as I was suffering from a very severe case of retrograde amnesia. A certain frog-faced doctor hypothesized that I lost my memories after undergoing an extremely traumatic event.
He was right. The frog-faced doctor was completely right about what I was suffering from. However, the frog-faced doctor also said that all of my memories would return with time, so the retrograde amnesia I was experiencing was not a permanent injury. Even still, I found myself feeling very lonely while not knowing who the hell I was in the slightest. Ms. Komoe and one of my friends, Fukiyose Seiri tried to help me remember who I was, but it didn't work at all. Everything that Ms. Komoe and Seiri told me felt like a lie, I didn't feel like the person that they were describing was actually me.
The person that Ms. Komoe and Fukiyose Seiri tried to convince me I was, Nanoha Nakamura, acted so differently from what I thought I would do, and I didn't believe them. No, I chose not to believe them because I rejected the girl named Nanoha Nakamura and everything about her. Nanoha Nakamura's beliefs, the things that she would do, the way that she would treat others, I rejected them all. I rejected the girl named Nanoha Nakamura so much that I tried to change something about myself so that there would be a clear difference between me and her. I hated being referred to as Nanoha Nakamura so much that I chose to try and blind myself so that other people would refer to me as someone who wasn't Nanoha Nakamura.
The reason why I chose to do something so extreme was that I wanted to have an identity that wasn't Nanoha Nakamura, but, my own unique identity. In hindsight, the reason why I made that decision was very stupid. No, it was wrong of me to ever consider blinding myself so that I would look like a different person in the first place. Luckily, I was saved just in the nick of time before I would have completely ruined my eyes. However, by using a knife, I still managed to cut a part of my eyes ever so slightly that I would be forced to wear glasses so that I could see properly for the rest of my life.
But, I was fine with that. I was fine with that because it was absolutely my fault that I made such a stupid decision. Plus, having to wear glasses for the rest of my life is way better than ending up blind, that's for damn sure. So, I accepted my own mistake as a punishment that I and I alone only deserved for making such a careless decision because of my stupid idea that I tried to do to myself in an effort to make myself unique and different from the girl named Nanoha Nakamura. But, what I wasn't able to accept was that the other people around me kept telling me that I was indeed Nanoha Nakamura.
I continued to reject that my name and my whole identity were the same as the girl named Nanoha Nakamura, even after the fact that I tried to stupidly blind myself for an even for a stupider reason. I was a stubborn girl. No, that would have been a complete understatement, the lengths that I would go to try to prove to others that I wasn't Nanoha Nakamura was utterly absurd. I tried to dye my brunette hair the color of blue. I tried to eat the foods that Nanoha Nakamura hated. I even tried to watch different shows that Nanoha Nakamura wouldn't even consider watching. I did all of those things and more in order to make others believe that I was someone that wasn't Nanoha Nakamura in the slightest.
However, that wasn't exactly right. I wasn't not doing those kinds of things that the girl named Nanoha Nakamura would never do in an effort to convince others that I wasn't her. But, the person that I was trying to convince more so than anyone else was actually myself. As I attempted to eat the same foods and watch the same shows that Nanoha Nakamura liked, at the bequest of Ms. Komoe and Seiri, I found myself enjoying all of it so much. I honestly began to believe internally that maybe, just maybe, I and Nanoha Nakamura weren't all that different. And that was when I started to remember an event that only Nanoha Nakamura would have seen.
On a certain winter night, which was so freezing cold, that I decided to request an extra blanket so that I wouldn't have to shiver and feel like I was in the frozen tundra. After receiving the extra layer of protection that would defend me from chilly weather and keep me warm, I experienced a certain dream that I assumed was complete fiction. In the dream, I saw a lone girl with long, straight, black hair walking towards a grotesque piece of flesh while I was screaming towards her in an effort to prevent her from leaving me and going to another world. I never saw that girl in my entire life up to this point, or so I thought, but while the dream was so vivid in detail, the only thing that I remembered about the girl was her name and nothing else from that dream.
By experiencing that 'dream' on that cold winter night, I was able to remember the name of the most important person in my life, my best friend in this entire world, Aisa. However, at the time since I was still suffering from retrograde amnesia, I did not know who this 'Aisa person' was in the slightest, in fact, it all made me more confused than relieved, to be honest. I decided to ask both Ms. Komoe and Seiri about who this 'Aisa person' was to me in order for me to figure out if I'm actually Nanoha Nakamura or someone completely different from her. But, both of their responses were not what I expected from them, because when they heard me mention that 'Aisa person' both Ms. Komoe and Seiri started to cry their eyes out while hugging each other in an effort to comfort each other about their loss.
After Ms. Komoe and Seiri finished crying and regained their composure that was when they finally explained to me who this 'Aisa person' was to me and why they cried so much when I mentioned her to them. Through the explanation by Ms. Komoe and Seiri, I learned many things about that 'Aisa person' first of all, she was actually very close to Nanoha Nakamura, and that they were both best friends. They also went on by saying that 'Aisa person's full name was in fact, Aisa Himegami and she was pretty much inseparable from Nanoha Nakamura as well as Fukiyose Seiri. Along with that information, they both explained to me that Aisa Himegami, Nanoha Nakamura, and Fukiyose Seiri were all part of a clique in A certain high school that was named Alpha Squad, which was apparently a trio of girls that were really popular in the school.
Both Ms. Komoe and Seiri explained in detail who Aisa Himegami was as a person. They both told me about her favorite foods, her hobbies, what type of guys she liked, among many other things about her. Unlike what I thought of the girl named Nanoha Nakamura who I could honestly care less about, Aisa Himegami on the other hand interested me quite a bit. No, that would have been an understatement I could have easily found myself wanting to be around Aisa Himegami if I was given a chance to meet her. Who knows, we might have been able to become best friends even if I wasn't Nanoha Nakamura, that's how much I liked the girl named Aisa Himegami that Ms. Komoe and Seiri described to me.
However, even though I desperately wanted to meet the girl named Aisa Himegami that chance would never come to fruition because she disappeared. After Ms. Komoe and Seiri explained to me what type of person that Aisa Himegami was with plenty of details, they both told me that Aisa has been missing ever since the end of a vampire invasion that happened in Academy City which was called the Night of Nights. But, Aisa Himegami wasn't the only person that went missing on that Night of Nights another girl who was also friends with Aisa named Frenda Seivelun also disappeared along with Aisa without a trace of them left to be found even after searching for every single day for multiple weeks.
What took place on the Night of Nights was a horrific battle between the humans that lived in Academy City and the bloodsucking creatures of the night, known as vampires. While the humans did beat the vampire army in the end, it wasn't something you were able to call a battle that ended with a complete victory for Academy City and humanity as a whole, not in the slightest. In fact, most of the citizens of Academy City considered it to be the exact opposite, on the Night of Nights many people died as well as their homes being absolutely obliterated off of the Earth.
There were so many people that were left homeless because of the tragedy known as the Night of Nights, tons of people who were loved by the general populace be it men, women, and even children were slaughtered and they were never able to come back to see their families again. No matter how much the citizens of Academy City prayed that their loved ones would return to them like everything was just a bad dream, that wouldn't happen. The cold hard truth was that people died when they were killed and there was no bringing back the dead, that was all there was to it. Even still, the citizens of Academy City held out hope that someday even if it was far into the future, they believed that their loved ones would come back to them.
Among the citizens of Academy City that hoped that their loved ones would come back one day was Ms. Komoe and Seiri, they both earnestly believed that Aisa Himegami would return to them. However, I couldn't believe that, maybe it was because I had inaccessible memories in the back of my mind that told me to give up on Aisa Himegami ever coming back to this world. No, I think it was far simpler than that, one of the only things that I found similar between me and Nanoha Nakamura was that we both had believed that this world runs on logic. There was just no way for me to believe in something that resembled an ending of a children's fairy tale where the hero defeats the villain and was able to return to her loved ones just because she won.
No matter how much I tried to believe like Ms. Komoe and Seiri that this wonderful Aisa Himegami person would come back and I was able to properly meet her even if the memories of Nanoha Nakamura were not mine, I couldn't believe it. No, I chose not to believe it because it just wasn't logical, it didn't make any sense to me at all. That was the case until, one night just before the New Year began, all of my memories suddenly returned to me out of nowhere. It was so sudden that I wasn't even able to fully process them they just flowed into the accessible parts of my mind one after another. It was so overwhelming, to say the least, but as soon as all of my memories of Aisa Himegami started to become recallable, I cried.
No, that's wrong to say that I just cried would have been a complete understatement, because on that night just before the New Year was about to begin, I cried my eyes out throughout that entire night. I cried again and again to the point that my eyes became really red and that I couldn't eat food or even drink any water. I cried for that entire night even as the ball dropped signaling a New Year with people cheering on the TV and even in the hospital I was staying at, I was the only one who couldn't stop crying. I don't even remember getting any sleep on that night I was so depressed over Aisa being gone and the fact that I couldn't anything to save my very best friend.
By the time that night ended and the sun had risen into the bright blue sky which truly started the New Year for everyone, I had finally realized the truth of myself. It was now irrefutably proven that I was indeed the girl named Nanoha Nakamura since I remembered everything that happened to her and that she was me. However, even though I regained all of my memories after almost two whole months of suffering from retrograde amnesia, I wasn't happy. No, I hated myself I hated the fact that I couldn't do anything to protect Aisa, my best friend on this entire planet. But, even more than that, the reason why I truly hated myself more so than any other reason was that I lost faith in Aisa Himegami.
There was no better way to say why I hated myself more than that reason alone. The lack of belief that Nanoha Nakamura had for her best friend, Aisa Himegami's return was the perfect way to explain why I utterly hated myself. I didn't believe in Aisa ever returning to this world alive and well. No, that's not right I chose to believe that Aisa would never come back to me because it was illogical and that it didn't make any sense whatsoever. Even still, me completely failing to hold out hope for Aisa ever being able to come back home which was unlike Ms. Komoe and Seiri who actually managed to believe in Aisa even if the odds were so very low for her return was my mistake alone.
Yes, I couldn't blame anyone but myself for choosing not to believe in her best friend, Aisa Himegami. I guess that I was lucky that the New Year had only just begun because I made my New Year's resolution be to believe in the idea that Aisa would come back to not just me, but all of the people that loved her with all of their hearts. No matter how long Aisa's return would take, I would patiently wait and I would hold out hope that I would be given the chance to see my very best friend again even if it was for only one last time.
After I fully realized my own New Year's resolution, I chose the perfect place to wait for my best friend, Aisa Himegami, grand return to occur, the beach. Approximately two weeks before the Night of Nights happened and Aisa Himegami along with Frenda Seivelun disappeared without a trace as well as the deaths of many innocent people that lived in Academy City, I made a promise to Aisa. That promise was that I, Aisa, and Seiri would go out to the beach, eat ice cream, and watch the new Ultraman movie together. So, if there was only one place where Aisa could return to, I was sure that it would be the beach that we all wanted to go to on that day. And even if it was just a hunch, I chose to believe that Aisa would return to me here on this beach.
However, even though I chose to fully believe Aisa Himegami would come home again, it still wasn't easy to believe that my wish would actually come to fruition. First, it was just a few days, that weren't so bad and my hope for Aisa's return only grew higher and higher as the days passed. Then, days became weeks that made it a little hard to believe that Aisa would return, even still my hope for Aisa did not diminish at all. But then, weeks became months, and my hope that I would be able to see Aisa again, even if it was just for one last time, grew lower and lower. Finally, after waiting six whole months and all the way to this present day, my hope for my best friend, Aisa, ever coming home to all of us again was now at an unprecedented all-time low.
"Hey, Nanoha-chan! We're here! Do you that we are at the school that we both love so much? Do you?" Ms. Komoe said towards me with a cheerful smile on her face while poking me lightly in my right arm, as I stopped reminiscing on events that happened in the past. I then proceeded to snap back into reality as I noticed Ms. Komoe looking at me with a bright smile on her face.
"I see. Yes! So, let's go, Ms. Komoe!" I said with a fake smile on my face while giving Ms. Komoe a thumbs up as we both left her car and entered the school building of A certain high school. That was a lie. I lied to Ms. Komoe about being excited to go to school again because I did not want her to figure out that I was very depressed right now with everything I had as I forced out a cheerful smile on my face and acted happy that I was here. It wasn't that I hated going to school or anything that would have been the exact opposite, I loved going to school. In fact, I remember in the past that I loved going to school so that I could showcase to everyone around me how much more intelligent I was when compared to them.
However, that wasn't the case anymore because I was devastated about the sins that I committed in the past towards a certain high school. A little while before the Night of Nights tragedy took place in Academy City, I burnt down this school in an effort to fake my death, and make everyone believe that the girl named Nanoha Nakamura was dead. But, I didn't commit the criminal act of arson against my school just to fake my death and disappear, it was so that my best friend, Aisa would be able to forget about me and move on. I was made a choice to help out the Vampire Emperor Franz Ferdinand defeat the fake Vampire Emperor Linkin Park and his Vampire Kings so that they wouldn't be able to kill Aisa.
The choice that Nanoha Nakamura made was what caused the domino effect that would lead to the tragedy that is known as the Night of Nights which took so many innocent people's lives and forced Aisa Himegami to disappear from this world. For that reason, I wasn't able to properly enjoy school that much anymore, and every day along with this day felt tedious and dull. However, this school day, in particular, was able to pass by in the blink of an eye due to the fact that I was constantly not paying attention to what Ms. Komoe was lecturing all of us about as I couldn't stop thinking about Aisa at all.
The truth was that I couldn't stop thinking about Aisa today of all days because today was the day that I and Ms. Komoe along with many of Aisa's closest friends would go to the beach to hang out and have a barbeque. But, it wasn't just another one of the few beaches that were a part of Academy City no it was the same beach that Aisa and I promised to go to eight months ago. Yes, I was going to go to the same exact beach that I made a New Year's resolution to go to every single day to wait for Aisa's return today even though I was extremely depressed and I didn't want to go there of all places. Even still, I chose to accept the invitation so that I wouldn't break my promise to hold out hope and wait for Aisa no matter how long it takes.
After the bell rang which signaled the end of the school day for today, it was time for me, Ms. Komoe, and everyone else to start heading to the beach so that we could start the barbeque party while the sun was still in the bright blue sky. The group of people heading to the beach consisted of me, Ms. Komoe, Fukiyose Seiri, Toma Kamijo who was a classmate that went to a certain high school and had classes with both me and Aisa. But, to be honest, I couldn't stand Toma in the slightest because his laidback attitude irritated me for some inexplicable reason. Also, there was one other person who was joining us, a certain girl named Index that Toma insisted we bring with us in order so that she doesn't get left out and she ends up causing some sort of accident.
We all proceeded to head out of the school and then met up with Index who wasn't a student at a certain high school or any school in general, perhaps because she was a nun and that was her job? Anyway, after getting the whole group together we went into Ms. Komoe's car since she was the only one who had a driver's license out of all of us, in order to get to the beach without having to take the bus or the train to get there. However, while I agreed that this was the more efficient and logical decision, I somehow ended up in the back seat between Toma and Index which made it a tight squeeze, and I did not want to be so close to someone I just met and more importantly Toma of all people.
What made my current situation even worse was that Toma and Index wouldn't be quiet for even a single second while we were in the car and heading to the beach. Toma and Index's conversations basically turned out as Index saying 'Look! Look! Do you see that Toma?!' And Toma responding with a 'Yes. Yes. I can see it quite clearly Index.' Index acted like such a little kid and Toma, well he acted exactly like Toma and it annoyed the hell out of me. I mean, it's not like I hated them, it's just that I wanted some peace and quiet because I was still very depressed about Aisa still being missing. But, I couldn't even get that, and since it was a very tight squeeze, Toma got dangerously close to my chest and if he did pass those boundaries, even if it was an accident, I would have surely killed him, or at the very least beat the crap out of him for sure.
"Everybody look! We're here! It's finally time for this barbeque to get started!" Ms. Komoe said with a very childlike voice that fit her extremely well and actually managed to be cute unlike Index's personality was for me. Finally would have been an understatement, it took approximately fifteen minutes for all of us to get from a certain high school and all the way to the beach so it wasn't that long of a car ride.
While that was the case, in terms of time that is, I was still getting very close to snapping on both Toma and Index in that car ride multiple times. But, since it wasn't their fault that I'm in a very bad mood, I decided to give them to not act on my impulses. No, that wasn't right maybe I did like them because they reminded me of Aisa in certain ways, but being reminded of her only made me feel worse about everything and myself.
However, my feelings for both Toma and Index didn't change the fact that I'm at the beach with them now along with Ms. Komoe and Seiri, so it can't be helped. Since I couldn't change the past I decided that I should affect the future by trying to have some fun today and for both Aisa and me. Yes, I should make the most of my teenage years while they last because eventually, they would end which meant that I would have got a job and be forced into adulthood whether I liked it or not. Plus, most of my childhood ended up being extremely tedious and dull until I met Aisa for the very first time. So I knew that I had to make up for all of that wasted time and make the most of the rest of my days and act like a kid while still, I had them.
It would have been an awful choice of mine to waste this fun summer day at the beach just because I was depressed that Aisa disappeared and may never come back home. I knew that. I knew that already. Even still, I felt extremely isolated and lonely even though there were four other people having a ton of fun around me, and having a blast with each other. Even that girl named Index getting back at Toma for squirting water all over her swimsuit which revealed her womanly attributes by biting him all over his body didn't make me laugh. It should have made me laugh seeing that laid-backed Toma guy getting his just deserts but it didn't.
I couldn't laugh at all on this lively summer day at the beach with this fun albeit slightly annoying people, by that I meant Toma and Index of course. Since this was a barbeque at the beach there was also plenty of delicious food like hamburgers and hot dogs, which on a normal day I would have eaten quite a few of them with Aisa who would have certainly devoured at least seventy percent of all of the food here. But, Aisa wasn't here, and I barely touched my plate while only taking slight nibbles on one of the hamburgers and hot dogs that were made by Ms. Komoe. I chose to remain in the dark shade under an umbrella while everyone else had tons of fun under the sun while playing games and talking about trivial things.
I felt more depressed than I was earlier by remaining under the darkness of the umbrella and away from everyone else who was having fun nearby and without me. Even though this was my decision, I couldn't help but feel more and more depressed while my mind kept going back to thinking about Aisa again and again even as I tried to avoid thinking about her more than anything else. The feeling of isolation continued to wrap my entire body in an oppressive shadow and grab my throat in a chokehold as my brain felt like it was malfunctioning. That feeling of isolation didn't stop, no, that feeling only continued to persist until I reached my breaking point as the sun started to set in the orange-colored sky.
"I can't. I can't take this anymore! Why?! Why did you choose to save me Aisa over yourself?! Why did you have to disappear and leave all of us?! No, why was I the one that survived at the very end?! If it was between me and you, I should have been the one that was left behind! That's right, why am I still here being given a chance to be happy when you deserved it far more than I ever did!" I screamed towards the ocean while there wasn't anyone there while the sun was still setting in the orange-colored sky as everyone else stopped talking and took notice of my voice that was brimming with despair and rage.
"Nanoha-chan, it wasn't your fault that Aisa disappeared! It's not your fault at all so please calm down! Even if Aisa is actually-" Ms. Komoe yelled towards me with a worried expression on her face while she tried to talk to me with a mature but sweet voice in an effort to calm me down, but what she was about to say next made me instantly cut her off.
"Shut up! Don't you dare say such a cruel thing ever again! I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have Aisa, no I refuse to live in such a horrible world! If Aisa never returns, I will have no reason to live, and I will kill myself! Aisa was my very first friend! Aisa was the very first person who actually made me happy in my life that was nothing but the same day again and again and again and again! Without Aisa, I, Nanoha Nakamura have no reason in the slightest to continue to live in such a messed up and the awful world! So, yeah, I should have been the one who died! If I died then all of you guys would be able to have so much more fun if Aisa was here instead of me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs with a face that was brimming with despair while several tears poured out of my eyes and ran down my cheeks.
"T-That's not true! That's not true at all! Nanoha, I'm your friend! I would have been sad to live in a world with Aisa if it didn't have you too! Me, you, and Aisa are the Alpha Squad for a reason! If one of the members wasn't with the rest of us then we would all be sad no matter what! So Nanoha, please stop saying such awful and horrible things that aren't the truth at all!" Seiri said with an expression that was full of sadness now while she wept tears along with me as Ms. Komoe, Toma, and Index couldn't say anything else as they looked towards the sand-covered floor with pained expressions on all of their faces.
"Lies! Everything you just said was all lies, Seiri! If I wasn't here, if I was dead instead of Aisa then I know that she would have been able to have fun without me! I have waited for Aisa to come back home to this beach every single day for six months! Six whole months and the chances of Aisa ever returning alive just keeps getting slimmer and slimmer! It would be a miracle if we could actually find her body at this rate! But, I can't do this anymore! I can't keep waiting for Aisa and feeling horrible for every single day of my life!" I said with an expression that was brimming with an overwhelming amount of despair while tears kept pouring out of my eyes and onto the sand-covered ground as I then proceeded to grab a certain item from my school bag. As soon as everyone else noticed the item I had in my hands, it was too late because I already had it, a silver knife pointed very close towards my own throat.
"Don't come any closer! If any of you move a muscle, I will stab my throat with this knife and kill myself! If you guys think that I'm bluffing, I'm not! I'm being dead serious! Ah, you can all see it right? A few drops of my blood that are running down my throat, you see it right? It's just a little bit of blood, nothing more than a paper-cut level injury, but I will stab this knife deep into my throat unless Aisa comes back home on the count of three! I'm only waiting three more seconds for you to return Aisa, and if you don't return after three more seconds, I'm ending this right here and right now!" I screamed at the top of my lungs with a voice that was brimming with despair and sadness while a few drops of my blood ran down my throat and landed on the sand-covered ground as I still held the sharp, silver knife very close to my throat.
"One! Two! Three! Ha! Haha! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I knew it! I wanted to desperately believe that Aisa would return once she heard me say that I was going to kill myself! But, that didn't happen! I'm now convinced that Aisa will never come back home to all of us! Aisa's dead. I know that now. So there really is no reason for me to continue living in this world, is there? That is the truth that I have been trying to avoid for every single day of these long and painful six months. But, I'm not waiting any longer. I'm joining Aisa in the next world. Goodbye, everyone. I'm sorry that it was me who survived and not Aisa." I screamed at the top of my lungs while my voice became quieter and quieter as I became engulfed in despair as the cicadas cried around me. This is true despair.
Everyone started to rush towards me as fast as they could in an effort to stop me from committing suicide, but it was useless. No matter how fast everyone ran towards me they would all be too late in the end. Aisa was never coming back home. I was sure of that cold hard truth now. I don't want to live in a world without Aisa, my first friend, the most important person in my life. I'm a bad person. I knew that. I knew that I was a bad person for a very long time. I wanted to try and atone for my mistakes in the past with Aisa, but I won't even be able to do that. I would never have been able to see Aisa again because the girl named Nanoha Nakamura has been dead for a very long time. In fact, she should have died on that Night of Nights instead of Aisa. I thought all of that to myself as I was about to end my pathetic and short existence. But then, at the very last second, a miracle happened.
"Nanoha, drop that knife right now." A certain voice said while being somewhere on this beach. That voice was familiar. No, it couldn't have been! There is no way that voice is actually from-
"No way!" Toma and Index shouted as they noticed where the voice was coming from on the beach.
"Is that really you?" Ms. Komoe and Seiri said at the same time as they saw a certain figure standing on the waves that were coming from the ocean and onto this beach.
"You are?!" I said with tears dripping from my eyes and running down my face as I saw a certain girl with long, straight, black hair who was drenched with the water from the ocean.
Eight months earlier on the Night of Nights
I noticed that Aisa had gone into the grotesque piece of flesh in order to end this Night of Nights. I also knew what that suicidal bastard had planned and I was going to stop her no matter what happens next. While the girl named Nanoha Nakamura was crying her eyes out as Aisa ventured into another world, only a single minute later, I too went into that other world. I was then met with a world that was completely shrouded in light and had no one and nothing inside of it. No, that was wrong because there was one lone figure inside of it. That figure was utterly white and had no facial features to speak of.
"Hello there! Welcome to the root of all of existence! My name is, um, well, I have been called by many names! I have been known as The Presence, The One Above All, the Truth of this world, but, there is one name I preferred over all of those. Eternity. Hey, wait a minute! Haven't I said this whole speech like a minute earlier? Well, a single minute feels like an eternity to me so I must have forgotten! Ha! Puns are the best, aren't they? Anyway, what is your wish, young Frenda Seivelun?" The lone white figure named Eternity spoke to me with a childish voice, while it sat in a meditation pose, and it asked me what my wish was.
"Where is Aisa? What have you done with my best friend?! Answer me!" I said with an expression that was brimming with rage and hostility while I clenched both of my fists in pure anger and as I demanded that the being known as Eternity answers my question.
"Are you sure that is your wish? I will give you just a single chance to change it. Because it is a waste to throw away a wish on something as simple as that. You know what? Since I'm in a generous mood after meeting two cute little girls after an eternity of nothingness in this void I'll give you the answer for free, young Frenda Seivelun! Ha! I love making puns! The truth is that the girl named Aisa Himegami chose to sacrifice her own life in order to end the existence of all vampires in your world. By making that wish, Aisa Himegami broke the curse that was placed on the Himegami family for centuries, and for that reason, she ceased to exist." Eternity said while explaining the truth of what happened to Aisa as a red bandana came out of nowhere and landed onto my only remaining right hand.
"So, that means that Aisa has passed away. I don't understand most of what you are saying in the slightest. But, that is the gist of it, right?" I said with a depressed look on my face while I held the only remaining possession of Aisa's in my only remaining right hand as I clenched it tightly around my fingers and I then looked towards the white floor in despair.
"That's right. You are completely right by saying that Aisa Himegami has passed away from your world and has entered a certain state of death. The girl named Aisa Himegami was completely erased from all of existence, or at least that was supposed to happen. The truth is I liked Aisa Himegami so much that I kept a single piece possession of hers that can be used as a catalyst to revive her. However, I can't do such a thing as bringing back the dead myself, because I need someone to command me to do such a thing. Unless, you are ok with waiting for millennia for me to bring back Aisa Himegami the hard way, but that would take an eternity, you know that right? Ha! Puns are so easy to make!" Eternity said and he would have had a cheerful smile on his face if he had any facial features to speak of.
"I understand. Well, actually maybe I don't understand. All of that talk about 'existence' and 'bringing back the dead' is something that is beyond me to ever fully grasp. But, what you are saying is that Aisa will be able to be alive again if someone can wish for that to happen towards you, is that right?" I said with an expression that was brimming with despair but has now turned into an expression that was full of determination while I clenched the red bandana around my fingers and looked towards the being called Eternity.
"That's right! You are completely right once again! However, if someone, such as you, decides to wish for the girl named Aisa Himegami to be resurrected from the dead and be able to return to your world, there is a cost. Bringing back the dead is actually a lot more difficult for me to do when compared to erasing an entire race from existence. I'll put it in simple terms so that you could understand it easily. If you decide to make your wish be that Aisa Himegami comes back to life, the cost of that would be your life. It's the law of equivalent exchange that even me, a being who has lived for an eternity has to follow no matter what. Ha! Another pun!" Eternity said while he revealed to me the depressing truth of what will happen to me if I wish for Aisa to come back alive and be able to return home.
"So, if I wish for Aisa to be alive again, that wish will cause my own death. That's right, isn't it, Eternity?" I said with a pained expression on my face while gripping the red bandana in my right hand as tightly as possible as I then knew what would be the cost of the wish that would bring Aisa, my best friend, back to life.
"That's right! You have been on a roll for getting things right! Anyway, there is only a certain amount of time allotted for humans to be able to exist in this world. There are approximately only fifty-eight seconds left for you to make a wish towards me. Now, what is your wish, young Frenda Seivelun?" Eternity said towards me while revealing that I have to choose what my wish will be as soon as possible before my chance goes away forever. However, I already knew what I was going to wish for from the very start.
"I only have one wish. Just a single wish. Bring Aisa back to life." I said with an expression that was brimming with resolve while my eyes stared towards the being called Eternity with sparks of determination in them as I gripped the red bandana around my fingers for one last time.
"I understand. Your wish has now been granted. The girl named Aisa Himegami has now been brought back to life. Farewell, young Frenda Seivelun." Eternity said towards me, while it snapped its fingers, as the red bandana was turning into dust. I then proceeded to let the red bandana go as it vanished from all of existence forever, along with my own body since I was now paying the ultimate price for making that wish. I was turning into dust. My entire body was turning into dust. I was dying. But, I'm ok with that. I'm ok with dying if it is for Aisa's sake because she is my very best friend in the entire world. Aisa saved me once a while back when I was at my lowest point ever. Aisa saved me while I was in that huge pinch. So, it is only natural that I return the favor to Aisa. I may not have gotten to know Aisa for long, but, I loved her.
Over the course of fewer than two weeks, I met a wonderful person who was very stubborn and always picked on me for acting like a kid. But, that wonderful person made me want to live again when I was told that I only had a single month to live. That wonderful person, Aisa Himegami, inspired me to live again alongside her. But, that wasn't going to happen any longer. I can live a peaceful life or Aisa can live a peaceful life. There was no way for us to coexist anymore, sadly that was the truth. I guess it can't be helped. Aisa saved me once, so I will return the favor. I made that decision as soon as I stepped into this unknown world. So if my death is the price I will pay then I'm fine with that. After all, friends protect each other right? I thought all of that as I then proceeded to vanish completely from this world and enter another unknown world.
I was in a certain coffee shop passing the time while waiting for my next shift at work to start. I was alone and I did not know anyone there. I then proceeded to notice a certain girl with long, straight, black hair and I thought that she looked like a kind person. So, I decided to talk to the black-haired girl and we discussed many things that didn't matter and were completely trivial. It was so much fun for me to get to know a wonderful person like she and I wished that I was given the chance to talk to her more. Alas, all good things come to an end and my next shift at work was about to start. And I then proceeded to give my goodbyes to the black-haired girl and said that 'we would meet again one day' or something like that as we each waved our hands towards each other which signaled a 'see you later' as we both then walked to different worlds. That was the last memory of the girl named Frenda Seivelun before she was completely erased from all of existence forever.
Back to the current time at the beach
"You are Aisa? No. No. No. NO! I won't be fooled that easily! There is no way that Aisa would be able to come back home! I wished desperately for a miracle to happen every single day for these past six months! There is no way that such a miracle could happen now! I don't believe it! I refuse to believe in such a convenient thing as wishing hard enough! It's illogical! And it doesn't make any sense! So, who are you really! Answer me! Answer me right now! There is no way in hell you are actually Aisa Himegami!" I screamed at the top of my lungs once again with a pissed-off expression on my face while still holding the sharp silver knife dangerously close to my own throat as some more of my blood dropped onto the sand-covered ground that was beneath my feet.
"You are lying, Nanoha. I know that you are lying because it is so easy to tell that you are lying because you always get really mad when you lie. I knew that. I knew that already. But, I know that you are still not convinced. So, I will give you more proof, Nanoha. You don't need to scream anymore. You don't need to cry anymore. You don't ever need to be sad anymore. Do you remember those words? I told them to you just before the Night of Nights ended. No one else other than Aisa Himegami would have known such a thing. But, I will give you one last piece of proof. When I said the words 'see you later' I meant them. Because I was going to see you again no matter what would have happened to me! So, drop that knife and smile Nanoha! You can smile again because your best friend, Aisa Himegami has returned to you!" Aisa said with an extremely bright smile on her face while she stared at her purple eyes that were full of love and compassion towards me as I instantly dropped the knife after she was finished talking to me.
I didn't say anything else to Aisa. There was nothing left for me to say. All I had to do was run towards her. So, I ran. I ran so hard that I must have used everything in my body as I ran towards her. But, even though I put the most effort I have into running at this very moment in time, it still felt pretty slow. Time felt like it had slowed down to an absolute crawl as I ran towards the girl with long, straight, black hair standing on the waves that were coming from the ocean as she was drenched with water. And then, after about five seconds of running at full speed, that felt like an absolute eternity to me who has been waiting for so long for her to come back home, I finally was able to touch Aisa again as I hugged her while tackling her onto the water and sand-covered ground.
I and Aisa both decided to remain motionless on the sand-covered ground while we held each other tightly in our arms as the waves coming from the ocean soaked us in saltwater. However, I didn't care that I was drenched with water and I'm sure Aisa felt the same way too. We were just so happy that a miracle was able to come to fruition that allowed the both of us to see each other again. And then, after about a minute of hugging each other tightly, Aisa was the first one to speak.
"I'm back home, Nanoha!" Aisa said with the kind and gentle voice that I loved so much.
"Welcome home, Aisa!" I said with the happiest and loving voice that I have ever used in my life up to this point. To be honest, I sounded like an idiot. But, I didn't care. I was just so glad to see Aisa again and I didn't know what I was feeling inside of me. Was this happiness? No, that's wrong this is true happiness. I knew this now because true happiness was what I have always felt when I was beside Aisa, I just didn't realize that until now. But, I loved Aisa, so I didn't have to think about that any longer. We both just kept hugging each other like time didn't matter to the both of us. We were both then met with a dogpile from everyone else as they all proceeded to squish us under their bodies, but I didn't care. Because, all that mattered to me, Nanoha Nakamura was that her best friend Aisa Himegami came back home alive and we were both now able to be given a chance to share the rest of our lives with each other. Because, being with the most important person that you love more than anyone else, is what true happiness is.
Hello everyone! Ren Here! First things first, this chapter marks the end of the main storyline of this story but there are still two additional chapters that will serve as the conclusion to this story! Anyway, for this chapter, I wanted to showcase how Nanoha felt in a world without Aisa and the depression and anger that came with it. I also wanted to conclude Frenda's arc by having her sacrifice her life to bring Aisa back to life. That whole what could have been scenario with Frenda and Aisa was inspired by one of the final scenes of the fifth Kara no Kyoukai movie with Shiki and Tomoe and I thought that was a bittersweet way to end Frenda, although it still made me sad to kill off one of my favorite characters in the A Certain Series. Finally, I wanted to bring Aisa back because I wanted this story to have a happy ending for now, and also since I've grown attached to Aisa Himegami and I couldn't just have her die forever like that. And now all there is left is the two-part epilogue and that's it, folks! Get excited! Ren Out!