Posted: 20/06/2007
1st Revision: 27/06/2007 (Beta-ed.)
Because Wolkenreitter (Belka Knight's) devices speak German and not English originally, just that the fan subs decided to use English phrases - I will use the German phrases as well, to follow canon. Translations for those used in this chapter listed as follow (ganked from Wikipedia):
Nachladen - Reloading cartridge for Laevatein.
Panzer Geist - Creates a defensive aura, which surrounds Signum.
Same thing applies here. If you would like the song below, drop me a pm or contact me by other methods mentioned before.
-o-
Feathers
Part II
"Namae wo Yonde"
- Donna Burke & Kevin J. England, MGLN OST.
Call my name.
-o-
"...Lack of concentration, misspells, wrong judgments, and hesitations at key points of the mission." Papers were slammed on to the table. "It was a total disaster."
"Yes."
"An enforcer cannot rule her head with her heart. An enforcer needs to be calm at all times, and to look at a situation objectively. Both which you, Lieutenant Fate Testarossa-Harlaown, fail at. Miserably."
"Yes."
Leti Loulan - the only one who had yet to say anything - studied the blonde in front of her for a moment, hands clasped together, elbows resting on the table. She glanced at the two men beside her, and they only shook their heads.
Then her eyebrows creased, and she let out a small sigh, before returning her gaze to the blonde.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant." Her voice was quiet; her eyes - so similar to Lindy's, despite the different color – were calm and cool. "You have failed."
"...Yes." Mindless obedience.
-o-
Hayate studied the serene profile on the bed, brushing away stray locks of brown hair that lingered over Nanoha's closed eye.
"Ne, Nanoha-chan?" The dark chocolate-haired girl said, softly, as if the sleeping girl could hear her. "Today...Ishida-sensei said I no longer have to return to the hospital for further treatment." There was no happiness in her sober voice. "I can walk and run like a normal person now. Hundred percent cured." Strained cheeriness. "Look!"
The once-crippled girl paused, her eyes lingering over the still form. She waited, hoping for a smile or congratulation from the sleeping girl that would never come.
For a few seconds, even minutes, only the repetitive beeps of the machine answered her.
The girl chuckled, an almost forced sound. "...You are not being fair, Nanoha-chan. You said we would celebrate my leave from the hospital together."
There was another long pause before Hayate spoke again, a sad smile on her face.
"But I will forgive you if you wake up." It was a request that was nearly impossible, Hayate knew. But she hoped against hope. "Wake up...please?"
The blue eyes did not open, and the lips did not move to move to form a smile that Hayate would recognize so easily.
Absolute stillness.
Hayate reached for Nanoha's inanimate and cold hand, grasping it gently.
"Did you know Fate-chan failed the enforcer's test?" she asked the sleeping girl, an almost wearily amused tone adorning her soft voice. "Knowing her, she probably wouldn't tell you. She..." A falter. "She's not doing very well now, Nanoha-chan. Not since you fell into a comatose state..."
Her hold on Nanoha's hand tightened a little. "She needs you, Nanoha-chan. We all need you."
Only the steady, repetitive beeps from the machine opposite of the bed responded.
"...Won't you wake up?"
-o-
"The good news is she survived the night," Shamal looked at the papers in front of her, voice quiet and exhausted.
"...And the bad?" Chrono asked the question no one was willing to ask.
There was a minute of silence before the blonde knight replied. "Despite Vita-chan's handiwork on that machinery which nearly destroyed every clue that could be found...a few things were revealed. The wards on the machine - they weren't as strong as we thought it to be." A pause. "In fact, it should not have affected Nanoha-chan's shield so quickly. You said her shield dissolved upon impact, Vita-chan?"
"...Yeah," Vita muttered, fists clenched. "I couldn't believe it. It happened so quickly." Her blue eyes glared at the floor. "It was like it got shattered the moment those wards touched it."
Shamal nodded. "And her magic attacks did not have much of an effect, either. Despite the wards, she is not such a weak mage that her shield would so easily break..." Her eyes scanned the papers on the table briefly, before closing. Her voice grew sad. "We should have noticed."
Chrono's gaze was regretful. "So it's really..."
"Yes. She had used too much magic. The stress of using magic has only grown on her small frame for the past two years..."
Arf shook her head, her voice raised and frustrated. "Are you serious?"
"What happened at the site was proof enough," Shamal said quietly, before changing the topic. "Her injuries are already healing; I have cast healing spells over her between intervals of time." That explained the exhaustion in her voice. "However...for the ones that have already dealt their damage, I can do nothing." Her pained eyes looked at a momentarily surprised Hayate with those words.
"It...it was the same for you, Hayate-chan. Because the Book of Darkness had already taken away your ability to walk, I..."
Signum squeezed her shoulder gently, and Shamal took in a deep breath.
"The problem is the concussion she received, and the loss of blood." Shamal said, leaning against the black chair, shoulders slumped slightly. "She had lost too much blood, and for a time there was no blood circulation in her brain." A pause, and Shamal looked away. "...Too long a time."
Her voice trembled.
"...We...we don't know if she will ever wake up."
Stunned silence met her despairing tone.
Deep purple eyes glanced at Nanoha from the window that separated the two rooms, watching her still form.
Shamal took in another breath. "And even if she does...we do not know if she will be able to walk again." A pause. "There was a crack in her spine." Her voice became a whisper. "And her nerve was nearly severed in the process. It...I...the crack has been mended, but the damage was...already dealt."
The blonde doctor didn't know what else she could say.
In the end, to the silence that greeted her, she said this.
"...I'm sorry."
-o-
There were two swift raps on the door.
"...Hayate."
Said brunette turned around. "Ah! ...Hey, Vita-chan, Signum."
Sky blue eyes glanced at the bed. "Anything?"
Hayate's gaze was sad, and she shook her head.
"...I see." Vita's eyes turned to the floor, and Signum ruffled the younger knight's hair lightly.
Silence filled the air, before soft footsteps alerted them to another presence.
A long pause.
"...Hey."
Fate gave them a half-hearted smile.
She walked past the two Belka Knights, adjusted the position of the empty chair by the bed, and sat on it.
A place she had occupied almost every second of the day, when she was free. Her hands were clasped together, resting on her lap.
For a few long moments, no one disturbed the silence, until Hayate broke it, glancing out of the window.
"It's been almost two weeks...right?"
The evening sky was bright and clear, hints of yellow and orange seeping into the clouds.
"Yes."
It would have been a beautiful sight.
"Two weeks since that incident..."
"...Yes."
Hayate's gaze turned back to the sleeping girl. "I wonder if Nanoha-chan will ever wake up?"
Fate's grasp tightened.
"...She has to." Her reply was soft, so soft; but all of them heard it, heard the desperation, the pain, the sadness.
Signum glanced at her, and took only a moment to decide.
"Testarossa," she called, crossing her hands. "A moment?"
-o-
Her collar was tugged sharply, and she crashed into the wall of the roof.
The blonde winced.
The crisp sound of a sword cutting into the air made Fate snap her head up, and it was only her instincts that saved her.
Before she knew it, she was a half a meter away from where she had been, Bardiche forming in her hand, and Laevatein making a five inch indentation in the wall that ran jagged all the way to the floor.
"Knight Armor."
An aura that burned pink surrounded Signum, and her armor materialized.
Likewise, Bardiche responded. "Lightning Form."
Light cackled around Fate's body, and black protective armor replaced her clothes.
"Signum! What are you - "
Blue eyes were suddenly piercing into hers, bare centimeters between them. "You are dropping your guard."
"Defenser."
Sword and scythe clashed, lavender and yellow shields flashing as they jarred together.
A stand-off.
Signum's eyes narrowed.
"Laevatein."
"Nachladen."
Laevatein hissed as its cartridge compartment snapped open and shut, and Signum drew her sword back swiftly, dealing another blow.
Fate's shield shattered without warning, and the impact sent her slamming into the railings of the roof, before slumping to the ground.
"...How disappointing, Testarossa."
Signum didn't move from where she was, blue eyes cold.
The blonde gritted her teeth, willing the pin and needles on her back to be gone.
"Only one blow and you are down?" There was no trace of mockery in that tone, but Fate still felt it.
"What are you - "
"That girl was weak," Signum cut her off.
There were not many things that would make a certain blonde's blood boil, but Signum seemed to know one of them.
"She's comatose now because she overtaxed herself, Testarossa. She did not know her limits."
"Signum," Fate said almost dangerously, fury rising deep in her. "Do not speak of her that way."
The pink haired woman had the nerve to smirk. "Or what?" There was condescension in her cold voice. "What will a disappointment like you do, Testarossa?"
"Signum." Her tone bordered on murderous, daring the other to continue.
A dare that the older woman willingly took.
"One must always know her limits, Testarossa. Takamachi didn't know that." A pause, before Signum continued thoughtfully. "Then again, she might have known it. Vita did say that Takamachi apologized for overdoing it. And she paid the price for it. For two weeks she did not wake up, and she is crippled. We don't even know if she will ever wake up."
Burgundy eyes darkened.
Signum wasn't done. "And do you know what that makes her, Testarossa, for overdoing it?"
"I am not - " Fate started, furiously trying to ebb the anger boiling deep in her, but the other cut her off.
"A fool, Testarossa."
Fate gripped her weapon tightly.
"Haken Saber."
Bright yellow sparks formed on the edge of Bardiche, before it zipped, extending front and back, flashing yellow.
She stood, her motions wavering as if she was about to fall, before she swung her weapon, and charged.
"Haken Slash."
"Panzer Geist."
Weapons clashed again.
"How dare you..." Fate snarled.
"No," countered Signum. "How dare you."
"Wh - "
Before she knew it, Signum's form blurred and appeared behind her.
"Defenser."
Transparent yellow barrier flared; but Signum, with one swift, slashing motion, broke through it.
"Nghh..!"
Pain flared through Fate's body as she skid down the ground.
"What's this?" Signum asked, a hint of irony in her voice. "I was faster than you? Speed should be your forte, Testarossa."
The pink haired woman raised her sword, and brought it down with a crisp, clear sound of cutting air - and Laevatein stopped short just before cutting into Fate, hovering just by the blonde's neck.
"Twice. You have allowed me to break through your shield twice." Scorn filled her voice. "Bardiche is powered by your spirit, Testarossa. So what does that say about you now?"
The blonde glared in reply.
"Glaring will do nothing," Signum informed her, unaffected. "Is this how you intend to honor her?"
At that question, Fate blinked.
"Takamachi saved your life, helped you regain yourself, and is this how you repay her?" Cold blue eyes pierced into startled red. "I have heard of a few interesting events that happened between you and that girl, Testarossa."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Are you that dense?" The mockery came back in full force. "For the past two weeks, all you have done is mope around like a spoiled brat. You failed your exams, twice, just because she's comatose. I did not expect that from you, Testarossa. I don't think Takamachi would have expected it either."
A hint of realization seeped into those burgundy eyes.
"This is how you will act, Testarossa?" Signum asked, almost curiously. "This is how you will honor her, your supposedly best friend?"
No words would come to Fate, stunned as she was.
"...I fear what she what she would think if she saw you like this, Testarossa."
The blonde gritted her teeth, eyes flashing.
Laevatein was suddenly shaking.
Blood dripped to the floor.
Signum's gaze softened just a little.
"...Now that's a good look in your eyes, Testarossa."
Burgundy eyes, defiant and determined, stared up at her.
Fate's gloved fist was wrapped tightly around the edge of the sword, and blood trickled down her hand.
The blonde girl stood slowly, and Signum backed a step as Laevatein was released.
The sharp, throbbing pain on her palm was reassuring, somehow.
"My apologies, Signum." Her other hand held Bardiche in a firm grip, pointing it at Signum.
The blood that continued to spill on the floor was ignored.
She fell back into an ever so familiar stance, the scythe in place.
"...Let us continue."
Signum almost smiled.
Sword and scythe clashed again; a different, vibrating sound echoing on the roof.
Two little balls of light; one yellow, one lavender; danced in the air as they joined and parted with sharp flashes.
Swift, precise, elegant and graceful.
A beautiful dance of lights.
-o-
Nanoha.
Seeing you there, motionless, hurts.
It really hurts.
I want to look into that pair of blue eyes.
I want to see your smile.
I want to feel your warmth.
I want to hear you say my name again.
"Please. Let me take the exams again!"
At that request, Leti Loulan raised an eyebrow and studied the blonde in front of her. The bandage around Fate's palm was tactfully ignored.
There was a new light in those burgundy eyes, one that Leti hadn't seen before.
Leti almost smiled, but instead said, "When you failed it the first time, Admiral Harlaown requested that you be allowed to retake it. But you failed again." Her gaze narrowed. "You are aware that the exam only happens every six months?"
"...Yes, I'm aware."
"Then?"
"I'm..." The young mage stopped, and took in a deep breath. "I apologize for the trouble I caused before. I was...behaving foolishly. I won't act that way ever again. Definitely."
Despite herself, the purple haired woman smiled. "You have failed both times, and you wish to take it again so quickly?" A pause, before she added. "Don't you think you should train a little more?"
Fate looked up at Leti.
Her gaze was firm.
"I'm ready."
"...If you fail this time, I will not allow you to take it again. There are only so many times one can be allowed to retake the exam, and you," she said pointedly, "are asking for a third try. A third time in such a brief period of two weeks is unheard of, Fate." Leti's tone was dead serious. "Saying yes, here and now, would mean you understand the consequences of your action." She paused, allowing the information to sink in. "...Are you absolutely sure?"
The reply came two seconds later.
"Yes." Absolute certainty.
-o-
...Ne, Nanoha?
You were my first friend.
You are my most precious person.
So I will wait.
I will wait until you wake up, and call my name again.
I believe you will wake up.
So wake up soon.
Please.
-o-
Unbeknownst to anyone, in a dark hospital room that held only one occupant, a finger twitched.
It only twitched, before stilling; and only the sound of faint, even breathing and repetitive beeps of the machine filled the room.
But it was a sign.
-o-
A/N:
...Looks like there will be a third, probably shorter, chapter after all.
First thing's first. My thanks to ikka (Icarisain) for informing me about the error about 'head concussion' to 'concussion'. It is now fixed. I remember making that mistake before sometime long, long ago, but it completely slipped my mind. Heh. -sweatdrops-
And secondly, I just knew I would regret saying the few things about me trying to follow as canon as possible. It completely ruined the drama and suspense for you guys. Since Nanoha (almost) didn't die. D:
Meh. I suppose it's too late now.
Where Fate's characterization is concerned, I hope it made sense. I am aware she's not the type who would get angry so easily...but this situation is rather different, yes? She's also not exactly in the right mindset, and Signum preyed on that. Not to mention she's still eleven. Can't expect her to be able to stay perfectly sane or logical if someone close to her is on the deathbed.
Cheers.
-eagle