Disclaimer: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and all respective license holders. The Persona Series belongs to ATLUS. I only own this fic and nothing else. I also own all the mistakes too.
Chapter 16: Velvet Before Dusk
Ren groaned as he shifted about. The bed fed felt hard for some reasonand he just couldn't find a way to get comfortable on it. He tossed and turned a couple more times until he realized that he could toss and turn at all. Forcing his eyes open, he was of course met with what he had suspected: Nanoha and Fate weren't there. At the same time however, he hadn't expected to have woken up in the velvet room. He tore himself from the bed, rubbing his drowsiness out of his eyes as he walked up to the cell door and… it wouldn't open.
Any exhaustion on his part left him as he tried again to open it, only to be met with the same result. That's when he finally noticed the cuffs on his arms, and that he was wearing the prison uniform again. Before he could contemplate on the matter any further, he could hear voices speaking, that had been speaking the whole time. All of the voices he felt were familiar.
"Is that all then? All we need to do is defeat you?"
"Just simply stand before me and prove your worth."
"But why do we have to fight? Isn't there something else we can do?"
It took him a moment, but he was finally able to discern the three figures standing in the dimly lit center of the room. His eyes widened as he realized just how was in here besides himself. He banged against the door once more, trying to get out.
"Hmm? Ah, our audience has awoken. Good evening, Trickster," Lavenza was first to notice him.
"Ren!" He heard Fate shout once she realized he was there.
"Ren…" Nanoha let out as she and Fate ran up to his cell, their eyes filling with worry as they looked him up and down. "Are you okay?" It was easy for Nanoha to see that Ren had been struggling to get out of his cell. Not only that, but he was wearing a cartoonish depiction of a prison uniform.
"I'm fine, but what are you two doing?" He asked as his mind raced for an answer to his own question. That's when he remembered the tail end of the conversation he managed to catch. Without waiting for answer from the two of them, he turned to Lavenza. "You can't be serious. You'll kill them."
"What?" Was all Nanoha could say as she turned to the girl in velvet. Fate did the same but narrowed her eyes as she scanned her would be opponent.
"I can sense power from her, and while I am not keenly apt for determining such things yet, her power doesn't seem unmanageable," Fate said as she looked for any opening she could exploit later.
"Then you need more practice," Ren rebuked as he turned back towards Lavenza, who still stood at the center of the room. "Lavenza, stop. I can barely beat you myself, and it basically takes everything I have to do so. These two can't match up yet."
It was the first time Nanoha had ever heard Ren genuinely worried, as well as that sure that her abilities weren't enough. All the times before Ren believed in her power to solve the crisis at hand, but now he was saying without even the slightest hesitation that she wasn't powerful enough. She trusted Ren's Judgement, but that left her curious and afraid. Just how powerful was this girl?
Fate on the other hand still held some skepticism. While Ren's word held merit, she still couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to prove herself against his words. Looking down, she found that she was wearing her day clothes from yesterday. Feeling around, she was able to find Bardiche where she thought it would be. Noticing this, Nanoha also did the same, also wearing yesterday's attire, and found Raising Heart wrapped around her neck.
"You both don't have to do this. Trust me, this isn't a fight either of you can win, even if you pool your strengths together," Ren tried to dissuade them.
"Do not fret Trickster. I am aware that perhaps going at it with my full power would perhaps overwhelm them, as it nearly does you. To that end I have a solution that should even the odds to at least a manageable degree." Before Ren could ask what she meant, she threw the grimoire in her hand up into the air and her body lit up. A moment later, Lavenza's body had split into two and butterflies shining a soft blue light flew from them.
"Caroline, Justine…" Ren called them in a dazed stupor while Fate and Nanoha tried to process what was happening.
In the place of the elegantly dressed Lavenza now stood a pair of identical twin girls wearing a sort of prison guard uniform fashioned for children. However, a few details stood out to the magical girls. For one they held different items. In the hand of one was a baton, while the other grasped a clip board. Their hats also sported different lettering at their base. The baton wielder's hat had the letters 'X M R N' spaced with dots in between while the other girl's hat read 'O Y O O' in the same fashion. Lastly, the two differed in the hair styles and eye patch placement. The baton wielder's hair was done in a short bun with her eyepatch placed over her right eye. The other's hair was a single long ponytail with her eyepatch worn over her left.
"How are you, inmate?"
"It would appear that your rehabilitation has not quite yet completed." The baton wielder spoke harshly, while the one holding the clipboard spoke coldly. Despite that, Fate and Nanoha could still sense a peck of affection in their voices. "However today is your lucky day."
"Yeah, inmate. You get to watch other people's suffering today. You should be thanking us that your punishment's been delayed."
"Now now, Caroline. It isn't punishment but testing. All the same however, it would be wise for the both of you to prepare for pain."
"Tch, come on. It isn't any fun if you keep being a wet blanket like that, Justine." Nanoha and Fate were finally able to place the names that Ren had spoken just earlier. Still though, the two acted far differently from the first girl. One was being abrasive to a fault, while the other was dismissive. Any kindness or politeness from Lavenza wasn't apparent in the slightest.
"It is like this that we shall administer your trial. This form of ours should allow for a much fairer result," Justine told them, as she inspected the pages on her clipboard.
"Yup! Like the inmate said. You would have been completely annihilated if we fought you in our true form. Still, I wouldn't get your hopes up. We who rule over power are still leagues above your own," Caroline explained, the words 'rule over power' sending confusion into Nanoha and Fate's minds.
"Still, a challenge is meant to test you. Are you sure you can afford to stay in those forms? We will begin soon. Inmate, it will be your duty to watch the proceedings," Justine told Ren who realized the futility in trying to open the cell door.
"Did you not hear my sister? Transform already, or you two can just go ahead and lay down and cry!" Caroline yelled at the two of them. However, they neither cowered or sobbed. With resolution in their hearts, they reached for the devices with nary a word until needed.
"Raising Heart!"
"Bardiche!"
At their command, the two donned their barrier jackets, raising their weapons and aiming at the two girls in velvet. Bemused expressions painted themselves upon the twins.
"We just need to beat the two of you, right?" Nanoha asked them on more time to be sure.
"Simply prove to us your worth," Justine answered. "No more, no less."
"Then we already know what we must do," Fate said as Bardiche lit up.
"You may have the first move. Please don't hold back, however you may find that you will not have time to even consider that option," Justine said as she looked at her clipboard with lethargy and boredom.
"Go ahead, hit us with your best shot! We won't even move a muscle," Caroline was clearly goading them, but nonetheless Nanoha and Fate decided to take them up on their offer. Pink light surrounded Nanoha, as did yellow around Fate. Ren, watching from inside his cell, immediately recognized the spells, but even so a grimace overcame his expression.
"Dammit… that still won't be enough," he said, but the two girls couldn't hear him.
"Divine Buster!"
"Thunder Rage!"
At their call, a massive stream of pink magic flew, and a huge bolt of lightning fell from above, striking where the twins stood. An explosion rocked the center as a strong concussive force blew threw the room, almost blowing out their ears as it passed over them. Ren held strong on the bars of the door to not get thrown to the back of his cell as the chains rattled wildly. Eventually, it had passed and the room quieted down, leaving a dust cloud in the center of the room where the twins were.
"Did we get them?" Nanoha asked, remaining vigilant despite having just used the most powerful attacks they could use at the moment.
"I don't know, but it can't be over that quickly. Ren wouldn't be so worried otherwise." Fate trusted Ren's judgement. That couldn't have been the end of it. They waited for just a moment more, their eyes shifting between what remained of the dust cloud, as well as anywhere else in case of an attack from another angle.
"Is that truly all you have?" Fate and Nanoha's expressions hardened as they heard a stern voice coming from the cloud of dust.
"How weak. If that's all you've got, then this trial is as good over," a harsh voice told them. A sudden blast of force emanated from where the voices came from, and blew the dust away, revealing the two twins in the center. Not a scratch, bruise, or drop of blood was present on the twins. Both of the magical girls looked in shock to see their attacks having done apparently nothing to them.
"Now if your two are done, then it's our turn" Caroline, said as a familiar azure aura surrounded her. "Vajra Blast!" An ugly creature that looked to be made of slime appeared next to the girl before it rushed over. With some kind of undulating motion, an instantaneous explosive blast directly hit Nanoha and Fate.
"Guh!"
"Urgh!" The two let out as the were blown a bit back from the damage. Before they could recuperate from the impact-
"Triple Down!" Nanoha and Fate watched as a twisted teddy bear, bloody and bleeding bugs from its stomach, lunged at the two of them. As it did so, three blasts of light exploded in front of them before they had a chance to react, juggling them a bit before knocking them against the wall.
"Fate! Nanoha!" Ren called, wincing as he heard them crash into the wall.
"We're… We're fine…" Nanoha forced through the pain. "Just a bit hurt is all."
"Compared to the pain I've been through before. This is nothing…" Fate struggled to rise. Despite their attempts to assuage his worries, he knew better. That was only the opening volley for the twins. It was going to get worse from there on.
"The two of you are still able to stand? I must admit that I am somewhat impressed," Justine said without any adjustment to her tone of voice.
"Wow! Guess the two of you aren't as soft as I thought," Caroline noted as she tapped her hand with her baton. "Still though, if that's all it takes to knock the wind out of you, this isn't going to last much longer."
"Physical Heal!" Fate cast on both Nanoha and herself. As their wounds began to heal, they left the ground and split up.
"Divine Shooter!" Orbs of light Surrounded Nanoha as she circled the twins. Right as she was reaching their flank, the orbs shot off, flying towards their targets.
"That's even smaller than the last one!" Caroline complained as she bat one of the shots away with her baton, and danced around the others.
"What do you hope to accomplish with that attack? Annoyance? In any case, I would only put it on the level of an ant," Justine said as also blocked a few shots with her clipboard, twisting out of the way of another.
"Photon Lancer!" The twins heard from their side, as a blasts of lightning magic flew their way.
"A pincer attack? An admirable, if futile strategy, as it requires the attacks in your pincer attack to actually be worthwhile," Justine commented. "Hmm?"
"Scythe Slash!" The head of Bardiche morphed, and a blade of mana burst forth as Fate rushed in alongside her projectile attacks. Justine dodged the projectiles one after the other, jumping to dodge the last, only to find Fate's speed suddenly increase as she burst forth to catch Justine as she was off the ground from dodging the previous assault. "Hragh!"
"Not bad. An improvement over your last attack to be sure, at the very least in creativity and imagination." Fate's eyes widened as she found herself unable to move Bardiche, because Justine held it in her hand by the searing mana blade. She could hear the sizzle of the blade on Justine's glove, but the girl gave no indication that it bothered her in the slightest. Fate struggled to free her device from the warden's grasp, but each attempt fell short as Caroline held on with a vice grip.
"Still, you were too slow to capitalize on your opportunity. Blame your weakness for this failure." Justine threw Fate away by the blade at a force Fate couldn't believe as she and Bardiche were flung around like a cheap toy. Only by putting everything she had into her flight magic was she barely able to prevent herself from slamming into the wall a second time. Taking that moment to orient herself, she took stock of the battlefield. Justine did nothing to follow up on her attack, and simply waited for Fate's next move. The blonde magical girl quickly glanced around to see Nanoha in the distance.
"Divine Shooter!" Nanoha called as she continued to attempt to bombard Justine from a distance. The twin continued to do as before, knocking away what she could, and dodging what she couldn't. Unlike Fate, Nanoha had minimal melee experience and so opted to stay at a distance and stick to her strengths.
"Again, that's not enough!" Caroline told her as she summoned that Persona again. This time however, Nanoha was prepared.
"Barrier!" She held her hand in front of her just in time to block the second explosion of force. "Divine Shooter!" She continued again, trying to keep Caroline busy. "Fate, I'll keep her busy! You find a way to defeat Justine!" So that was her plan, Fate thought. Nanoha was going to stall one of the twins while Fate was to take care of and defeat the other. "Use as much magic as you can!" Fate huffed as she realized that Nanoha was also planning on using that.
"A way to defeat me?" Justine mused from hearing the brunette say. "An absurdity, but I suppose that to dream of victory even in this situation is worthy of some measure of respect." Justine parried the oncoming strike from Fate with her clipboard, and again, and again, and again. "Enough!" Fate flew back and put a barrier to block the three orbs of energy that exploded in front of her.
"Perhaps I should show you what true lightning sounds like," Justine flipped the pages of clipboard as Fate felt something shift in the girl's power, a similar manner to like how Ren's power changes. "Ziodyne!" A strange creature in a blue jar appeared next to the girl like the wretched teddy bear from earlier. This time, rather than lunging at her, it cried towards the skies. Instinctually, Fate dove to the side. Behind her, she could hear the crackle of lighting fall over where she just was, as she partially covered her eyes with her cloak to prevent from being blinded by the attack.
Meanwhile on the other end of the fight…
"What's wrong? Is defending all you can do?" Caroline taunted as she kept up her assault. The slime she summoned continued to pelt Nanoha with explosive strikes one after the other, not giving Nanoha and breathing room to fight back. "Then maybe a change of pace will make you show me something else!" The slime creature was dismissed, causing Nanoha to breathe a sigh of relief, only to be on guard when a strange jack o' lantern in a cloak, hat, and carrying a lamp appeared. Nanoha let out frustrated groan as the creature giggled upon its appearance.
"Hee Ho!" She heard it say as she noticed a heat began to manifest below her. She directed her barrier beneath her without a second to spare as a pillar of flame shot forth from the ground and pushed against Nanoha, almost forcing her into the ceiling above.
She grit her teeth as she saw cracks begin to from in her defense. She wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Using all her strength she pulled herself with all her might out of the way of the spell, twisting her body to boost her momentum to shoot out of the fire. As she spun out, she began to fall towards the ground due to having haphazardly put all her force into her flight in any direction just to escape.
"Not bad, but how about this!" The jack o' lantern disappeared at Caroline's call, and yet another creature appeared, this time a white small version of a Persona Nanoha had seen Ren summon during his bout with Chrono.
"Hee Ho!" It also shouted just like the jack o' lantern. Nanoha corrected her flight just in time before hitting the ground, only for cold to spring forth from around her feet.
"Kya!" She screamed as she was assaulted by the sudden formation of ice around her, encasing her its cold grip.
"Nanoha!" Fate yelled as she caught her friend being frozen over.
"I'd worry more for yourself at the moment," Justine said as she jumped in front of Fate to block her path. "Garudyne!" A small circular spirit like creature appeared, and a blast of wind was flung in Fate's way. The spell flew Fate away from Nanoha, despite putting her all into attempting to correct course.
"Vajra Blast!" Caroline resummoned her slime, and force exploded around Nanoha, with her unable to defend herself due to the ice. As the blast hit her, the ice broke around her, compounding the damage as she fell to the ground, the impact of which almost knocked her unconscious. Nanoha struggled to get up but couldn't recover from her downed state at any reasonable rate.
"NANOHA!" Fate cried her name again as she flew into a frenzy to protect her friend. However instead of targeting the downed girl, Caroline instead turned to her.
"Maragidyne!" Fate managed to catch herself intime, only to see multiple pillars of flame threaten to incinerate her all at once. She put up a barrier to defend herself as the fire shot forth, setting her blood to boil as it roasted her from all sides. Unlike the attack that assailed Nanoha, this was multiple flames of incredible intensity. Her barrier already began to crack from the strain, but there was no escape possible this time.
"Kya!" She screamed as her barrier finally broke, and she felt herself lit ablaze. She fell to the ground, as her entire body burned. Rolling on the ground in pain to try and put the flames out, she bit back the desire to scream again.
"You're wide open!" She couldn't tell which twin said that, but she was soon hit by another blast of wind that intensified her burns. The combination of attacks caused Fate's body to fall numb to the point she couldn't even keep writhing on the ground. When the pain finally began to subside into a dull ache, she opened her eyes to see Nanoha struggling right next to her. Apparently, the attacks she just endured had knocked her next to the other magical girl.
"F… Fate-chan…" It wasn't a pathetic whimper, but Nanoha's strength was not able to put more than only small amount of energy more into her voice.
"Na…Nanoha-chan?"
"Can you distract them, for just a little bit more?" Nanoha asked as she used Raising Heart to hold her off the ground.
"I… I'll do what I can…" Fate said, as she used Bardiche in much the same manner. "Physical Heal!" She called, healing the both of them at once. However, their mana was seriously depleted. Both from what few attacks they were able to land, as well as defending the worst of the onslaught the twins had subjected them to.
"Thank you. I'm sorry I have to leave the hard part to you…" Nanoha apologized as she flew up close to the ceiling.
"Oh? Still have some fight in you? Let's see where you're going with this," Caroline said, not the least bit winded from the battle.
"I suppose we can entertain a few final desperate squirms," Justine said, only to jump out of the way along with Caroline as Fate flew in with Bardiche at the ready. Instead of attempting to continue the assault, Fate flew away from them afterwards, only to fly back for another go; a hit and run.
"Is this your strategy? To fly around like an annoying, buzzing fly? I must say I'm a bit disappointed."
"I welcome it! I'll swat you out of the sky!" Justine and Caroline commented, non-plussed by Fate's desperate gamble. Fate continued her assault unabated by their commentary. She would fly by and swing at them, if she felt even the slightest bit of danger, she altered her path to try and avoid it. She focused on safety, rather than trying to deal any real damage. She just had to buy time.
"Photon Lancer Multiple!" Fate cast as she flew about, aiding her attack as the projectiles lent a bit of safety as she flew in and out and weaved about the twins, preventing them from being able to freely fight back. She was running out of Magic, but in this case that was the point. She only needed to hold out for just a bit longer.
"Your power is almost gone. It would appear this is your limit," Justine noticed.
"Oh? That's it? I thought we'd be able to have a little bit more fun with you. Oh well," Caroline said as she finally just grabbed Fate by the cape.
"Hurk!" Her throat let out against her will as she was then slammed against the ground, only to then be thrown against the wall near Ren's Cell. She tried to move, but that was it. She didn't have anything more to give. Her body refused to budge, and she could feel her magic had run dry.
"Fate!" Ren, called as he knelt down to try and get as close to possible as he could to Fate despite the cell door blocking his path. "I'm sorry I can't help you." He tried, but summoning his Persona was proving difficult for some reason. Like always he could feel them, but for some reason couldn't pull on them right now.
"It's okay? Were you watching Ren?" Fate said, trying to smile even though everything in her body hurt.
"Yeah, I was watching…" Ren said, trying to match her smile, but unable to really keep it up from seeing Fate in so much pain.
"Then keep watching. Nanoha still has one last card to play…" Fate pointed with what little strength she had left to the ceiling, a faint pink glow beginning to shine above them.
"Thank you Fate-chan…" Nanoha muttered as she maintained focus on her spell.
"Oh? Now that's interesting," Caroline said as she saw ambient magical energy float up towards the brunette.
"Indeed, gathering excess power from the battlefield in order to power an attack? Such a tactic deserves at least a passing grade, however let us see if it truly pays off," Justine said, her expression still cold even as power gathered in an orb in front of Nanoha.
"This is our everything!" Nanoha declared, as she gathered the last of the ambient mana she and Fate had scattered over the battle. "I'll beat you with this! STARLIGHT BREAKER!" A single beam of energy escaped from the orb in front of Nanoha, barreling towards the twins who stood, as confident as ever as their world, and the room, were bathed in the sakura pink light.
Ren covered his eyes, as the blast invaded his cell. He couldn't hear anything except Nanoha's spell rip through the room as stone and metal crashed around him. It seemed to just go on without end as Nanoha's attack continued to set the world alight without pause and without weakening. He couldn't see where the twins had gone, and Fate had already fallen unconscious. Eventually though, the spell finally came to an end, flickering out of existence once all the magic it had accumulated had been exhausted.
Despite the attack that had assaulted the room just before, the Velvet Room remained untouched. Slowly, he saw Nanoha descend from above, the flying spell at her feet, flickering dimly trying to keep its caster from falling completely victim to gravity's embrace. Once her feet fell to the ground, the spell finally was snuffed out, no longer able to hold. Nanoha then crumpled to the ground, all of her energy gone.
"Di… did that do it?" Nanoha asked, her voice weak and small. She tried to shift her head to the center of the room, only to fall into frustration as she saw the twins still standing there as if nothing had even happened.
"Don't be so cocky," Caroline admonished the girl.
"If it took only that much to defeat us, then we would not be able to call ourselves those who rule over power." Justine just flipped through the pages of her clipboard, bored and disinterested. "Now, are you ready to surrender? You appear to be in a state quite similar to your friend over there," she pointed at Fate who's steady breathing was all that indicated that she was still with them. Nanoha was relieved that Fate was still alive. In the midst of battle, she had forgotten that the promised to send them back safely. However, that didn't damper the feelings in her heart.
"No…" She was able to croak from her dry throat.
"Hmm?" Nanoha couldn't tell just who it was that made that sound, but even so she didn't back down.
"I said no! Fate gave it her all, and I still have something left in me. I can't back down when I can… still… Fight!" She declared as she forced herself up one more time.
"Even when it is clear that you cannot win such a rigged game? Even when everything is stacked against you, you still wish to fight?"
"Even when you are alone and at your weakest? Even when you no longer have strength to stand upright?" The two asked their questions one after the other as one.
"I'll stand back up no matter what. I know Fate would do the same if she were in my shoes. She's already proven she'll go as far as she needs to, and so will I. So, come at me!" Nanoha forced the last bit of magic she had into the tip of Raising Heart's staff, creating a small blade of pink energy. Before she could break into a run however-
"Is that good enough, Caroline?"
"I believe that's enough, Justine." The two twins spoke to one another, causing Nanoha to lose her momentum, and sending her into a bought of confusion. In the very next moment, the two began to glow with a pale blue light as their forms became amorphous and slammed together. A small explosion of butterflies followed suit as Lavenza re-emerged and raised an arm to the sky. As if on cue, the grimoire she threw up to the sky fell right back into her hand before she brought it in front of her clutched it just like before.
"The trial has concluded," Lavenza declared as she walked over to the two girls. "Salvation," she said as another Persona emerged, this time a metal robotic angel in a white robe appeared, raising its arms, and causing a deluge of relief to wash over Nanoha. The same spell also coaxed Fate into consciousness, as she mumbled and tossed about now that strength was returning to her. It was not a moment later that her eyes fluttered open.
"Di… did we win?" Was the first thing Fate asked upon seeing Nanoha. The brunette helped the blonde girl up as she began to try and explain what had happened.
"Um… sort of… I don't know. It doesn't feel like we won…" Nanoha admitted.
"That's because you did not win. You passed the trial I set forth, but you did not win," Lavenza explained to them.
"Passed the trial? But wasn't defeating you the trial," Fate asked, confused by Lavenza's explanation.
"I never said defeating me was the trial. Your trial was to show me that you are worthy at standing at the Trickster's side. Defeating me was never the point of the battle."
"You just wanted to test their character. The battle was just a way to force them to show you their true selves," Ren added, finally catching on to what was going on, and internally admonishing himself for not catching it sooner.
"Correct as always, Trickster. And through this trial they have proven they are worthy."
"How so?" Nanoha said, still not sure just what it was they did to pass.
"It's because neither of you gave up. Not matter the odds against you, you both were willing to stand up until you could no longer. You wanted to stand up for yourselves to the very end, until you had given everything you could. That was the quality I wished to find, because it is the same quality that makes the Trickster so special. Well… one quality," Lavenza added with a little girlish giggle. "You both still lack in much of the Trickster's prowess. However, in character you both certainly are a match."
"I still can't believe that Ren's beaten you…" Nanoha said, now that she remembered Ren's claim.
"I as well. It was quite an eye-opening experience, the day Ren proved himself to be stronger than myself," Lavenza admitted, though it was tinged with a heavy dose of pride that was not directed for herself but was instead for Ren.
"We still have a long way to go then…" Fate said with a sigh, as she tried to contemplate just how powerful Ren apparently was.
"Lavenza, why am I locked in here again? I thought I was free?" Ren asked, holding up his cuffs for her to see. He wanted to comfort the Nanoha and Fate, but it appeared like they wanted to be left alone for just a little bit.
"I was not the one who put you in there. This room is a reflection of its guest. If you are in that cell, then it is you who put yourself in there. I am also sad to see you trapped once more. However, I cannot free you, as much as I want to. Only you can leave that cell on your own."
"Trapped…" He was trapped again. How? He couldn't figure it out. He wasn't in the best disposition to figure it out at the moment either, what with just having watched Nanoha and Fate get beaten so badly.
"Ren… I'm getting sleepy…" Nanoha said, as her eyes began to close despite trying her best to stay awake.
"I as well…" Fate was much the same, began to wobble in place. Right after them, he felt darkness begin to take his own vision.
"It is time for you to return. I have kept you all here long enough," Lavenza told them as sleep took Nanoha and Fate. "Trickster, you can spend time ruminating on the meaning of your imprisonment at some other time. In the interim I will continue to support you, until the time comes where you can truly be free from what shackles you, and even beyond. Just please visit me from time to time okay. I miss you."
That was the last he heard as his consciousness went before he could respond. He felt the world shift around, leaving, going, returning.
-0-0-16-0-0-
"Ren… Ren…"
"Ren… Wake up…" He pried his eyes open upon hearing his name. Immediately in his field of vision were Nanoha and Fate shaking him awake.
"I'm up, I'm up…" he told them, as he got sat up and reached for his phone. 8:07 am, it read. The sun was up and already shining on down. With a sudden jolt he turned back to the two girls. "Are you both okay?" He asked them, looking over the both of them to see if they were hurt in any way. Lavenza wasn't one to do a half-assed job, but he still couldn't help but worry.
"We're fine. It's like we didn't even fighting at all," Nanoha was first to answer.
"It really was like a dream," Fate replied after, looking over herself and unable to find any marks or wounds on her body. She didn't even feel the slightest bit of physical fatigue, though she certainly felt mentally exhausted. A sudden growl escaped from the pit of Fate's stomach, followed closely by a matching sound coming from Nanoha's. The two of them covered their bellies in embarrassment.
"Huh?" Morgana woke with a start. "What was that? A dog? I heard a growl." Morgana started to scan the room, only to be met with Ren's laughter a second later. The little one could only tilt his head in confusion as Ren became full of mirth while Nanoha and Fate began to pummel him with a flurry of weak punches. Once he finally stopped laughing, Ren wiped the tears out of his eyes.
"It's nothing, Morgana. I'll make something for breakfast. I'll go on ahead down into the kitchen. I'll let you know when its ready." Like that, Ren got up and walked downstairs, leaving the two girls alone with Morgana.
"You two look a bit down. What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Morgana asked them with all sincerity, as he stretched out for the morning.
"Sort of… Though it was somewhat useful. It was a reminder of just how far we still need to go."
"Yes… it was an eye-opening experience," Nanoha and Fate answered. The vagueness of such caused Morgana's expression to dampen.
"An eye-opening experience while you're asleep… Is it alright if I ask just what it was in your nightmare that made you feel so weak?" The cat attempted to press. It wouldn't do for him to abandon ladies in need.
"There were people who we were fighting," Nanoha began to explain.
"They beat us soundly. Our best was simply not enough. Not even close," Fate admitted for the both of them.
"I see… Ren's dreams tend to be pretty weird, so I'm not too surprised that you both apparently had the same dream." When he said it out loud, the two girls realized that it was quite strange that they had shared the same dream. Before they could think on it further however, Morgana continued to speak. "But You know, even Ren was weak once. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that he was much weaker than either of you starting out," Morgana told them.
"That's… difficult to imagine," Fate said, unable to believe that Ren would have ever been weak. For the short time they two fought, she was overpowered while he barely broke into a sweat. That didn't even include that incredible monster that appeared from within him when he first touched the Jewel Seed.
"I've been with Ren since the very beginning, and you can trust me when I say he was very weak when he first became a Phantom Thief. He was so green he didn't even know how to aim a gun or use a knife in the slightest. It was only after a long arduous journey of hard work and determination that he was able to become as strong as he was. Actually, I think even now he's still getting stronger."
"So…" Nanoha intoned, unsure of where the conversation was going.
"If you have time to lament your weakness, you have time to get stronger. It might not be soon, and in fact it might be very far away. In time however, you can grow stronger, just like Ren did."
"Thank you, Morgana. That makes me feel a little better…"
"Yes, thank you…" Nanoha and Fate said as they took turns petting him. Morgana preened a bit, though he was a bit more annoyed than happy to be handled in such a manner like a common household pet, but he let it slide. A gentleman was after all supposed to acquiesce to the wishes of the fairer sex. If this is what it took to lift their spirits, the so be it.
"Hey, breakfast is ready! Come down before they get cold!" They heard Ren yell from below.
"We'll be right there!" Nanoha replied as she and Fate moved downstairs, Morgana following suit at his own pace. As they filed down, the smell of something freshly made wafted by Nanoha. It wasn't curry like she had expected. It was a sweeter kind of smell, warm rather than hot. It didn't take long for her to figure out what it was, given that it sat there on the table, stacked one by one and drenched in syrup.
"Pancakes!" Nanoha cried in delight as she rushed over to a seat that had a plate set down.
"Pancakes?" Fate followed after, sitting down next to Nanoha with her expectations rising at yet another new dish for her to try. "They smell delicious…" She said while looking at the golden brown disks that sat upon her plate, covered in a sweet smelling brown sauce with what looked like butter lopped on top of it in a thin slice.
"And they're filling too. Eat up," Ren said as he handed them forks and knives so they could dig in.
"Hey! What about me!" Morgana complained as he jumped onto the counter.
"I made some for you too." Ren set another plate down before the cat could lodge any other complaints. "Just tell me when," said as he held a bottle of syrup for the cat.
"It's so good, and fluffy," Nanoha squealed in delight, holding her cheek with her free hand as if trying to contain the taste.
"It's sweet. It's very sweet," Fate said as she enjoyed another bite of her breakfast. It almost instantly broke apart in her mouth every time she put another piece in, only holding just long enough for her to chew through it. The sweet syrup was mellowed by the rich butter that gave it a small twinge of salt to round out the flavor. She almost didn't want to swallow, but her stomach demanded she give it a taste of this delightful treat. "Thank you, Ren," she said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"It's no problem," Ren said as he put the bottle down, and let Morgana enjoy himself. "Just relax and enjoy yourselves. Afterall, you two deserve a bit of down time after what happened."
"Then… can I have more?" Fate said as she presented an empty, syrupy plate to him.
"Oh, me too!" Nanoha did the same, hers in the very same state as Fate's.
"Yeah, I made plenty so don't hold back." Ren placed another stack of pancakes on their plates, drizzling them in more syrup and then lopping of a small slice of butter on top. It was the picturesque look of a pancake breakfast.
"Yay!"
"Thank you," the two girls said nearly at the same time, as they dug in again. Though as they ate, Nanoha slowed down just a bit now that her stomach wasn't nearly as distracting.
"Ren," Nanoha started. "You said you beat Lavenza before, right?"
"Yeah… it was the most difficult challenge I'd ever undergone."
"Yet you still managed to defeat those two," Fate bumped into the conversation.
"Barely. It took many tries, but I did eventually manage to beat them by myself," Ren explained.
"So even you've lost to them?" Nanoha asked, unable to imagine him losing.
"Yeah, I lost a lot. But I didn't give up. I kept trying over and over, refining my Personas, and gaining strength as much as I could until one day, I was able to finally make her admit defeat." Ren recalled the arduous days of fighting them. When she first offered the challenge, he didn't know what to expect. The twins separately were already in a league of their own. Lavenza was even beyond that. It was only after relentless effort that he was able to turn the results around.
"So, will we be able to beat them someday? If we keep trying and getting stronger, will we be able to beat them too?" Nanoha asked, wanting his opinion on the matter, given that he was apparently in a similar position as their own at one point.
"I can't promise anything, but I can say it isn't impossible. Besides," He said, rubbing their heads. "You two are plenty strong already, and you're not even teenagers yet. You managed to get that far against them on your first try. When I fought Caroline and Justine separately for the first time, I couldn't even force them to use magic. The both of you are pretty amazing for getting farther than I did back then."
"Uh… thanks…" was all Nanoha was able to say through her embarrassment.
"Mmmm…" Fate said, simply enjoying the moment. After a bit of time, he left to finish a cup of coffee he had lying around as he left the two of them alone for them to finish Breakfast.
"Once you're done, be sure to clean up okay? We've got a big day today, remember?"
"Right!" Nanoha said as she grabbed Fate's hand now that they were done with Breakfast. "Let's go get changed. No peaking, okay Ren?"
"I wouldn't mind though…" Ren ignored Fate's whisper.
"I don't have time for that, I've got to clean up and make sure this place is ready before Sojiro-san gets here," He shot back as the two girls ran back up the stairs, Nanoha giving him a raspberry as she disappeared. A wry smile formed on his lips.
Remembering their fight last night, they did admirably. He wasn't exaggerating when he told them they did better than he did their first time. He felt like he could be left behind at this rate. He shook his head. It would be a good thing if they became more powerful than he was. Besides, he still had the app, though it could only be used in specific ways. He shook those thoughts out of his head and decided to think of other things as he washed the dishes.
Plans of what they were going to do later that day with everyone at the Amusement Park floated about in his head. Preparations, clothing, insect spray… he thought about various things, then his mind wandered to other things. It wandered on various topics such as if he should go fishing at some point, maybe go to the batting cages, or perhaps buy fertilizer for the plant upstairs, nothing of importance.
However, a dark premonition then entered his mind however as he was reminded of Chihaya's fortune yesterday. Another trial of some sort, he remembered… Perhaps… Perhaps they didn't have as much time as he thought. He knocked the idea out of his head. He didn't have his Personas to directly aid them anymore, however if these two were together, they should be able to overcome anything. At the very least that was what he hoped.
-0-0-16-0-0-
"Well, that's it for today. Do you have any questions?" A navy haired doctor asked her patient.
"No, thank you as always, Ishida-sensei." The one who answered back was a small girl in a wheelchair. Her brown hair only barely reached her shoulders.
"Great! Now be sure to remember what I told you regarding changes to your lifestyle. Make sure you tell your family exactly what I told you okay?"
"I'll be sure to," the girl agreed, knowing that doing otherwise would have resulted in a stern lecture. The doctor was usually very kind but could be incredibly strict in regards to proper health care. However, in a way that could be seen as an extension of the doctor's kindness, which was the little girl liked about the doctor.
"Alright then, I'll let your family know that it's alright for them to see you. If you need anything, just let us know." The doctor closed the door, leaving the girl alone. Once she was sure the doctor was gone, the girl looked down onto the book in her lap.
"My family…" She smiled as she looked over the book once more as she waited for them to arrive. She moved her hand over the book, caressing it almost as if thankful to it for some reason.
"Hayate-chan!" She heard as the door re-opened. All thoughts of the book faded as Hayate turned towards her family.
"You're here!" And she hoped it would always be that way.
Author's Notes:
Well I did say Sunday after all. Anyways don't expect another chapter for awhile as I'm going to take some time to focus on FiEW as well as properly plan out what I'm going to do with A's. I'm kind of spent right now, since I literally started writing this the moment I finished the last chapter so this is all I'm going to write in the AN.
As always, comments, criticisms, and the like are welcome in a review. I do read them. I don't always respond but I do read them. Anyways, if this is all you read from me, I'll see you at the start of A's. Thank you for coming by, I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you next time!
