And here we are, the last chapter. I had slight trouble with some parts, but overall I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out.
Oh, and I also made some changes here and there, like changing the first chapter into a prologue and making corrections to the other chapters. I had made some stupid blunders here and there, but I hope I got most them.
Enjoy.
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Chapter 3: Phoenix
"Nnnggg-aah!" Nanoha flinched and gritted her teeth as the searing pain shot through her legs which made her reflexively shift all her weight back to her arms.
She shivered for a moment, her hands shaking, trying to support her whole weight on the wooden parallel bars.
It had been a month since she had first begun her rehabilitation, but during that time there had been no significant progress. She still couldn't put any more weight on her feet than in the beginning.
The rehabilitation program doctor Galder had made for her consisted of three parts.
First, there was the real deal, the walking practice on the parallel bars.
She was supposed to support herself with her arms, while gradually putting more and more stress on her legs in order to strengthen them. But instead of her legs, so far only her arms had gained any strength.
Then there was also the leg massage, which had not only proven ineffective but also extremely painful for her. Since it hadn't seemed to have any positive effect, Galder had quickly discarded it from the training menu.
Lastly, the doctor had arranged for her physiotherapical sessions, but even those did nothing to promote to the girl's recovery.
"Okay, I think that's enough for today." Galder said while walking up to her.
She, on the other hand, could only nod while the doctor helped her down to the wheelchair. Another day...Another failure.
"Hey, don't be so down. I'm sure tomorrow will go better. We've only just started, after all." She knew he was just trying to cheer her up, but the words still rang hollow to her ears. For a month now, she had been waking up in good spirits, ready to work her way back to the sky, only to be brought down by the unbearable pain from her legs.
She could still remember how full of hope she had been on that first morning of rehabilitation.
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"Mmmm-mm." Nanoha slowly opened her eyes to find her body wasn't aching at all. She couldn't remeber such a thing having happened a single time since she first woke in this very same bed after the incident. Not even her legs were hurting which was most suprising.
First she thought that maybe she was still dreaming, but no, she most certainly was awake. This must be a good omen, she thought to herself when she remember what day it was.
Yes, today would be the first day of her rehabilitation. I'm going to do my best. That was the uppermost thought in her mind.
And so she waited in the dark room for Galder to show up, anxious to get out of the bed for the first time in what had felt like ages.
When the door then finally opened, Nanoha was almost ready to burst from all the energy flowing inside her.
"Galder-san. I'll do it! I'll do the rehabilitation!" She didn't even give the doctor a chance to go through their everyday routines, like asking her how she was doing and such.
"Ah!" His suprise soon turned to a smile. "I see you've thought it through. Glad to see such resolve. It will be a great help in the next few months. It won't be easy, you know."
"I know...But I can't give up. I still want to fly. I need to fly!"
"Is that so? Then I'll do my best to see you fly again, too." His smile warmed Nanoha's heart and eased her resurfaced worries.
"Shall we get going then? Milae, bring it." At his words, the nurse, who had become quite familiar to Nanoha during her stay in the hospital, came into the room with a wheelchair.
"I had this prepared for when you'd be ready to get up from the bed. It's easy to control, so you should be able to use it on your own, too. You can use it, if you want to go somewhere when there's no rehabilitation."
"Okay. Thank you, doctor Galder!" She flashed a bright, genuine smile, something she hadn't done since that accident
"Well then, off we go." Galder said in a cheerful voice, while helping Nanoha sit into the wheelchair.
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Everything after that point had been downhill for her. The first attempt at putting any weight on her feet had almost broken her fighting spirit altogether. Never in her life had she experienced such pain as then, and she was fairly certain she never would.
She hadn't given up, though, and had continued the rehabilitation with tears in her eyes, not willing to admit defeat. But for all the pain and suffering she had went through, there had been no improvement in her condition which hurt the young girl even more.
Instead of hope, the rehabilitation had only offered her more reason for despair.
Without the support from her friends, she would surely have given up within a week of the rehabilitation's start. But with the help of those important to her, she kept struggling, chasing after the fleeting ray of hope.
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The rehabilitation for the day had ended and Nanoha was now resting in her bed.
Today hadn't been any better for her than any other day, in fact it just might've been worse.
Still, after the pain in her feet from earlier had slowly faded away, she got up and struggled into the wheelchair. Doctor Galder shouldn't be coming until much later... With that thought in mind, she slowly guided the wheelchair out of the room.
For a week now, she had been doing her own personal training on top of the everyday rehabilitation. But even with the increased exercising, there hadn't been any progress. Nothing.
Regardless, the young girl made her way to the training hall on her wheelchair, trying to forget all the other times like this, all of which had ended up in her tears. Tears and despair.
Since the hall had been reserved solely to her use for the duration of the rehabilitation, she could use it anytime without having to worry about interruptions.
The parallel bars were in the middle of the hall as always, and the girl went straight to them. Then, using her arms she lifted her body up from the wheelchair and onto the bars.
Please let it work this time...Please! The girl prayed silently while mentally preparing herself for the pain she knew was coming. Then, squeezing the bars with her hands, she slowly lowered her body letting her feet slightly touch the ground.
Here we go... She shifted some of her weight from her arms to legs. For a moment, she felt nothing. Her eyes widened. Eh?! It doesn't...hur-!
Then it hit her. The pain shooting through her legs was so sudden and intense that she lost her grip on the bars, falling down on her legs which made her scream in pain as she very nearly lost consciousness.
Lying down in the cold floor, tears welling up in her eyes, the girl couldn't hold back her sobs. Her legs were burning with pain, but even that could not compare to what she was feeling in her heart. The fall from thinking you'd finally succeeded to that of failing more miserably than ever was indeed infinitely more painful than just failing. It was nearly unbearable.
When she could finally think straight again, she crawled up to the wheelchair. It's no use... Her thoughts were cloaked in darkness as she left the hall. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice a familiar figure leaning against the fall before it spoke.
"Nanoha. I know you want to get better as soon as you can, but aren't you overdoing it a little?" The stern tone somehow sounded very familiar.
Nanoha lifted her teary eyes to see Galder's serious face. She quickly wiped away the tears before answering.
"But there's been no progress at all! It's already been over two months, too. If...if I don't work on my own, I might never walk again!" Nanoha's sudden outburst shocked Galder enough for him to realize just how much the girl must have been suffering on her own.
"Just because there has been no visible progress does not mean there has been no progress! Moreover, if you overdo it, it might end up hindering your recovery! You should know better than anyone the dangers of overdoing it!" Galder knew he must've sounded harsh, but it was all for the girl's own best.
"You...knew?" Nanoha's expression was a mix of anxiety and guilt.
"Of course, I am your doctor after all. And I'm not telling you not to exercise on your own, but you must not overdo it. Understand?!"
Nanoha knew he wouldn't compromise over this, so she had no choice but to agree.
"Yes...I'll be more careful from now on."
"Good girl. Now, have you eaten anything yet? No? Well then, what say we get you something good to eat?" His smile couldn't erase the darkness in Nanoha's mind, but it did manage to lift her spirits a little. "Yes!"
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That night was another of the many the girl had experienced in the last two months. Her body and mind were exhausted, but the pulsating pain in her legs kept her awake.
During those kinds of nights, it is natural for the mind, forced to stay awake, to start wandering. And the thoughts that come up seldom are pleasant ones. One tends to wonder their reason for living, among other things. It was that kind of a night.
Maybe...maybe it's really impossible. Perhaps my struggling is all in vain. Futile. Tears started wetting her eyes and all of a sudden, she felt a surge of loneliness pass through her chest.
Fate-chan...Hayate-chan, Yuuno-kun, Chrono-kun, Arisa-chan and Suzuka-chan. Mother and Father... I want to see them. Sob... I want to see them all...Sob.
The girl tried to supress the tears, calm down, but once the night gets to you, there's no escape. She was already trapped in the darkness, powerlessly struggling against it.
And just like all such nights before this one, the girl succumbed to her own misery, her suffering, her anxiety and helplessness. But, like nightmares, those nights last only for as long as the victim stays within their influence.
And once the spell has been broken, only a faint memory will remain. In time, even the memory shall be forgotten, leaving nothing behind as a reminder. And another dawn will come, and with it the new strength to struggle towards your dreams.
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It was one of the few free days Nanoha had been given since the start of her rehabilitation and she was enjoying the short break by reading some shoujo manga that Fate had brought to her as a present on one of her frequent visits.
It was a romantic story about a young girl who was summoned to another world by mistake. The girl, without a way back to her own world, then ended up tangled in the kingdom's politics and fell in love with a handsome rogue named Cail, who was actually the prince of another kingdom in disguise.
Then there was the travelling bard who had fallen for the girl and a group of justice-driven mercenaries who were planning a rebellion against the king, who had recently turned corrupt due to the influence of an evil sorcerer posing as the king's advisor.
And now the girl, whose name was Elysia, had just confessed to the man she believed to be Cail, but who was in reality an assasin, disguised as Cail, sent to kill her, when someone knocked on the door effectively ruining the mood.
"Yes?" Although she tried hard to conceal it, her voice still gave away her irritation of having been interrupted.
The door opened and a familiar face came into Nanoha's view. "Chrono-kun! You came to see me?" Her voice immediately turned into a happy tone when she saw the visitor. "It's been a while since your last visit."
"Sorry...I really tried, but work just kept piling up." The boy apologetically shook his head. Then he suddenly smiled, "But...", and revealed a huge rose bouquet from behind his back. "...I brought this as an apology." He then proceeded to hand the bouquet to the brown haired girl, whose cheeks were turning slightly pinkish.
"You, you really didn't have to, you know..." She eyed the bouquet, smelled it, and felt like maybe everything just might work out after all. "Thanks, Chrono-kun."
This time it was Chrono's turn to blush bright red. He tried to hide his embarrassment by turning sideways and coughing, but this only worked to further draw the girl's attention to him.
"Chrono-kun, are you alright? You haven't caught a flu or anything, have you?" Somehow, this reminded Chrono an awful lot of his mother which wasn't exactly a good thing coming from his first crush.
"I'm fine. But more importantly, are you okay? How's the rehabilitation going?"
It was the most basic of tactics, diverting the attention from yourself by turning it to someone else.
"Ehheh...Not too well, in fact." The brown haired girl answered nervously fingering her hair. "Or more like there's been no progress so far..." Her voice wavered a little at the end of that last sentence.
"..."
Chrono had heard it wasn't going well, but he hadn't known that there'd been no progress at all. Hearing it straight from the patient herself, he had no idea what to say.
He knew staying silent wouldn't exactly help, but he thought it would be better than carelessly saying something that might further hurt the girl, as vulnerable as she currently was.
"It's okay, Chrono-kun. It's only been two and half months. If I just keep doing my best, then..." Her voice trailed off and Chrono knew he had to say something or else the situation would certainly get out of hands.
"Th-that's right, Nanoha! If you just believe in yourself and don't give up, then anything's possible!" He gave the girl his best 'I-know-it'll-be-alright' smile, hoping she'd take the bait.
"Y-yeah. You're right. I can't give up now!" A forced smile came to her lips and she looked Chrono right into the eyes, making him blush furiously.
"Thanks, Chrono-kun. I'm really glad you came to see me today." This made Chrono's face turn even redder, if possible, but it also eased his heart to see Nanoha's determination back.
Chrono stayed with Nanoha for a while longer after that and after he left, Nanoha had regained her lost fighting spirit. She knew she couldn't just give up after seeing her friends go into such lenghts to support her.
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It had been four months since the beginning of the rehabilitation, when the first signs of progress finally sprung forth and by the fifth month Nanoha could already walk from one end of the parallel bars to the other with only minimal support from her hands.
And now, after half a year of struggling, the fated day had finally arrived. The day Nanoha had been fervently waiting for. The day she would return to the sky, where she belonged.
The rehabilitation was now officially over and she could walk, and even run, almost normally. Moreover, Galder had finally permitted her to try flying.
Thr girl was brimming with excitement as they were nearing the area reserved just for this occasion. Galder had, naturally, demanded to be to there for Nanoha's first flight since the accident, but both Fate and Hayate had also insisted on partaking in it. And so the four of them were, Nanoha in lead, on their way to the designated place.
Nanoha was humming happily and her two best friends were also in a great mood. Even Galder was smiling as he watched the three young girls in such high spirits.
Truth be told, Galder had had his doubts throughout the rehabilitation, but now that it was over he was glad he had seen it through to the end. It was also clear to him that he would never forget this particular case, where a girl who should have died by all accounts not only survived but fully recovered as well.
Nanoha was already impatiently waiting for the others when they reached the small training area where Nanoha's flying session would take place. "Gee, hurry up!"
Her voice was annoyed but her eyes were shining and her smile was as bright as ever.
"Come now, Nanoha-chan, what's the rush?" Hayate reprimanded the brown haired girl, even though she knew how much she'd been waiting for this.
"True, true." Galder backed Hayate up. "You've been waiting for this moment for over six months, what's a few more minutes to that?"
"I know that...But still!" The anxiety showing on her face quickly won over the hearts of those around her.
"Okay, okay...But first," Galder said with a sigh, "Are you feeling fine?"
"I'm fine! Never been better." Nanoha impatiently replied pleading Galder with her eyes. "So...can I?"
"Haahhh...yes, go on ahead." Galder could understand the girl's enthusiasm, but it also made him feel old. Still, he was relieved to see her slowly rising into the air with no problems.
As soon as she had risen a few meters, a radiant smile formed on her lips. She turned to where her friends were standing, waving at them happily. "Look, Fate-chan, Hayte-chan, I'm flying!"
Then, with her newfound confidence, she took off higher and tried some simple maneuvers in the air. As she slowly started remembering the feeling of flying, her body started taking over and the maneuvers began getting increasingly complex.
Seeing no problems with anything, Galder decided to give the girls some time together, knowing they'd contact him if anything should happen. Not that he expected any troubles now that the rehabilitation was over.
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As Fate watched her friend happily flying, tears started to well up in her eyes. This time, though, they were the tears of joy that ran down her cheeks. Then, suddenly, she thought she saw...something alongside her flying friend. Is that a...
"Phoenix." The voice came from behind her. As she turned towards it, she found Hayate standing there beside her, also tears in her eyes, but at the same time smiling brightly. "A mythical bird of fire, from the world Nanoha-chan and I come from."
"Phoe...nix?" The blonde wiped her eyes from the tears, and turned back to where their friend was still maneuvering in the air. Her eyes widened in suprise.
There was a clear image of a blazing bird overlapping with Nanoha. It's feathers shone in the bright daylight, rapidly changing color from golden all the way to the color of blood. It was truly a magnificent sight.
"It is said," Hayate's started in a soft voice. "That when the time comes for the Phoenix to die, it burns itself to ashes, and from those very ashes a new Phoenix is born."
A silence.
"If you think about it...It's just like what Nanoha-chan went through. When the sky was lost to her, she might as well have died. But she didn't give up. She worked her way back to the sky, just like a newborn Phoenix would, through pure effort and willpower. And now look at her. It's like she's been reborn. She's shining so brightly it's as if she was born to grace the skies with her presence."
Fate couldn't have agreed more. That day, Nanoha really was radiating like never before, surrounded by a heavenly aura. "Yeah..." It was all there was to say. They both knew exactly what their friend had been through, and just how much she must have yearned for this day.
"She is..."
"...our Phoenix."
They smiled at each other and took off into air to join their dearest friend in the vast, blue skies.
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And so...it's finally over! My first fanfic is finally done. It feels kinda great. Okay, really great!
But yeah, this last chapter turned out quite different from what I had originally thought. I'd say the thing I was most suprised about was the way the Chrono scene changed from the original concept. It became totally different, and much less dark, than I had planned it. And the scene before Chrono comes in, where Nanoha's reading manga? I had so much fun writing that. I mean, I even got to make up a plot (okay not so much a plot, as an overview) for a manga book. I also loved writing the end (I actually wrote it before I was even halfway through the rest of the chapter...), which should explain the story's name quite well.
And as always, reviews are more than welcome.