"Fate-chan…" Nanoha coughed as she rubbed her reddened neck.

"Don't move, Nanoha." Fate instructed as she landed between her and Volvo. "I'll get you out of here once I take care of him."

"Take care of me?" Volvo laughed. "Oh that's rich. The lifelong companion comes to her dear friend's rescue… How nice. If Nanoha is the White Devil, would that make you the Black Angel, then?"

"If you surrender peacefully, then your sentence may be reduced." Fate stated coolly.

"An angel of mercy clad in black, offering salvation to a lost soul such as myself," He laughed harder. "Yeah, I guess that suits you, Fate. Those twin tails of yours are unbelievably childish, though, but whatever. Could you get lost? I was in the middle of something."

"If you are declining surrender, then I have no choice but to use force."

Volvo clucked his tongue as he frowned. "You're being a nuisance. If you want to play with me, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in defective merchandise."

"Your answer is clear, then." Fate maintained a level voice. "Bardiche."

"Haken form." The device's head snapped up and the energy blade sprang forth.

"Arg, fine." Volvo sighed. "I promised the Doc I would bring you in unharmed, but you're not giving me much of a choice here. I don't know why she's interested in a failed imitation like you, but we have a deal."

"… So you are working with that woman." Fate narrowed her eyes.

"Had a little chat with Jail, I see." Volvo's grin reappeared. "Didn't really like that guy. He reminded me a little of myself, you see, so naturally I hated him immediately. But this makes things easier. Come with me, Fate, she can't wait to see you. Don't you want to see her again too?"

"I'll deal with her after I take you in." She declared.

"… What a boring woman. Well then, let's get this over with. Once I break all your limbs, I'll finish my business with Nanoha. So without further…"

"Haken slash." A loud hiss attacked the ears of all present as Bardiche's energy blade was caught by metal gauntlets.

"Not even going to let me fin…"Fate's leg shot out and hit Volvo's chest, knocking him away several feet. "Oh come o…"

"Plasma Lancer." The device declared as several golden bolts shot forward. Volvo disappeared from their path and reappeared when the attack passed.

"Not one for idle chatter, I s… Arg!" He groaned as he was slammed from behind, unaware that the plasma lancers had changed course. The man fell forward and landed face first in the rubble. "Damn it…" He cursed as he pulled himself up, spitting some dirt from his mouth. "For a failed experiment, you sure pack a punch."

"Are you going to reconsider your surrender?" Fate asked simply.

"Hell no, this is just starting to get interesting! Maybe you are worth my time after all."

"I see." Fate said no more as she charged. Volvo put out his hands to meet her head on, but at the last moment she veered to the side. She swung her device downward, but one of Volvo's hands reached out and took Bardiche's shaft, halting its descent. Undeterred, Fate drew back her arm as electricity crackled around it. Thrusting it forward, it too was blocked by Volvo's other hand. However, the lightning that had gathered could not be deterred and it coursed through her foe's body.

"Nice one..." He managed to get past his numb lips. Falling to one knee, he could barely feel the rest of his body.

Fate easily pulled Bardiche from his grip and took to the air where a magic circle appeared at her feet and energy began to gather.

"Trident Smasher." The triple pronged beam shot down at her foe and he was enveloped by the golden light before the ground erupted with explosive force.

Fate sighed as the smoke began to clear, but remained at the ready just in case.

"Fate-chan, behind you!" She heard Nanoha yell. Fate spun around just in time to block Volvo's fist with Bardiche.

"You're a fast one, all right." He grinned before he disappeared. "But can you really keep up with me?" The voice came from the right side this time, but Fate couldn't stop his foot from connecting with her hip.

Fate halted herself from careening into the ground, but she had no time to relax as Volvo appeared at her side once again.

"Defenser." Bardiche said automatically. Volvo broke through the shield easily, but it gave Fate enough time to duck away from the blow. She swung Bardiche up in retaliation, but there was only thin air to cut.

"Need to be much faster than that!" He appeared behind her this time, but Fate didn't attempt to swerve and block him. Instead, she simply shot forward and got away from him entirely.

'How can he move so fast?' Fate pondered. 'He disappears completely from sight, when not even my Sonic Form can do that. It should be impossible for him with that heavy armour, and even then such rapid acceleration puts a big strain on the body. Doing it so many times consecutively would be suicide… So why doesn't he seem to be bothered by it?'

"I do enjoy a good chase." His voice cut through Fate's thoughts as he appeared in front of her. Without slowing, she veered to the left, and then to the right as he popped up again. "But it's no good if all you do is run away!"

'It shouldn't be possible… unless!' Fate's eyes widened in realisation. "That's it! Bardiche, scan carefully for the beginning of magical reactions and report them immediately!"

"Yes sir."

Fate came to a halt, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She held her weapon securely in her hands and awaited his report.

"Thirty centimetres, forty five degrees upward, forty five degrees to the left."

Fate swung where she was told, and her blade cut across Volvo's chest as he appeared, his dark armour fissuring where the energy had connected.

"What the?" He gasped as his body arced backwards. His breast plate clattered to the ground as he landed. "Lucky shot. Let's see you try that again!"

When he disappeared, Bardiche quickly spoke again.

"Fifty centimetres, directly behind." Fate's leg shot out behind her and caught Volvo in his now unprotected chest.

"Gah!" He coughed as he flew backwards, eventually landing on his knees. "Ok, maybe not so lucky."

"I figured out your trick." Fate stated. "I thought you were moving too fast for my eyes to catch, but that's not the case. What you're really doing is using short range teleportation. Once I knew that, I just had to look for the magic reaction that happens right before you appear."

"Aaaah, you found me out." Volvo sighed as he stood. "That's right, I've just been teleporting this whole time."

"I must admit I'm amazed you were able to do it so quickly." Fate noted. "You are able to processes location data and formulate magical equations at an impressive speed."

"Yup," Volvo tapped the side of his helmet. "Superior hardware and processing speed thanks to years on the battlefield that allows me to react much quicker. I can even do several calculations simultaneously in the blink of an eye. But I guess your reaction time is nothing to laugh at either."

"You won't be able to blindside me again." Fate warned. "Still don't want to surrender?"

"If I gave up so easily, there's no way I would have lived this long." He chuckled, undoing the latch of his mantle. With a shrug of his shoulders the cape and shoulder armour fell to the ground. "I'm just going to have to face you head on."

Fate craned her neck to the side to avoid the fist that streaked at her face and pushed the length of her device into his midsection. He jumped back to avoid it, and quickly jumped forward again. Fate did a horizontal swing, but he curled and rolled under it, taking out Fate's footing as he crashed into her legs. She fell on her back and he was above her quickly, fist poised to strike.

"Sonic Move." Her form blinked away and blinked back above him. The blade descended, but Volvo reeled his head back, causing the yellow energy to narrowly miss his face. However, when Bardiche entered his field of vision, its head snapped down.

"Plasma Lancer." The orb of energy quickly formed on the tip of the device and fired just as quickly. Volvo took the blast straight in the face, sending his body back into the dirt were he landed spreadeagle fashion.

"Did you get him?" Nanoha wondered as she stared at his prone form, a small column of smoke rising from his face.

"I don't know." Fate answered, cautiously approaching the body.

"That really hurt…" They heard him groan as he stirred. "I'm going to feel that one in the morning…" As he stood back up, the shattered remains of his helmet fell to the ground. "Damn, you broke it. How am I supposed to scare small children now? This face isn't very intimidating…" His red eye blazed through the fingers of the hand he held over his face. "You'll pay for that."

Fate just stared at him. "You…"

"It can't be…" Nanoha gasped.

"Hm? What? It looks like you two have seen a ghost." A familiar rope of blonde hair billowed in the wind as he removed his hand, revealing the green of his other eye.

"Y-Yuuno-kun?" Nanoha whispered. "But… you're…"

"Supposed to be dead?" His face lit up in a wicked grin. "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." He chuckled lightly. "I've always wanted to say that. But yes! It is I! None other than your good friend, Yuuno Scry…"

"Haken Saber." The arc of light shot at the man, who casually blocked it with a shield.

"… You really need to stop doing that." He glared. "Is this how you treat your old friend who you thought was dead? I didn't realise you hated me that much, Fate."

"Don't give me that garbage." She leered. "How dare you use his face to deceive us? I won't fall for your lies. You're not him."

"But it really is me, Yuuno!" He said with a familiar voice. "Don't you recognise me?"

"Both of Yuuno's eyes are green." She retorted. "One of yours is red. On top of that, Yuuno is one of the nicest, gentlest people I know. He would never do the kind of things you've done, especially not how you harmed Nanoha! He cares about her more than anyone!"

"Guess I can't pull the wool over your eyes." Volvo laughed. "You're partially right, anyways. I assure you, the person who stands before you is the real Yuuno Scrya… In body only, at least."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was sealed away, you see, my mind was separated from my body." He explained. "While my memories and personality were loaded into a computer, my original body was placed under a separate, far more half assed seal. Because of that, the wounds I sustained in battle beforehand were slowly infected and began to rot. I'm afraid there wasn't much of me left when our boy Yuuno found me." He shrugged exaggeratedly. "What I did next was simple. I just had to load my mind into his body."

"How is that even possible?"

"The human brain is basically the most advanced, naturally occurring biological computer." He continued. "What I did was no different from uninstalling the old OS and installing a new one. As a result, here I am! I must say I really did get lucky. As for the eyes, well, they do say they're the window to the soul. They just changed on their own when I took residence here. Physically speaking, this body is a bit on the wimpy side for my tastes, but it's nothing some strengthening magic can't make up for right now. I'll be sure to train it extensively later."

"Its most valuable asset, however, is right here." He tapped his temple again. "What an amazing brain! It's so full of knowledge that catching up with this modern world was so easy, not to mention the data I have on you two. On top of that, his prowess with defence and support magics is incredible! Coupled with my knowledge of offense, it has served me quite well."

"… Well, thanks for telling us." Fate smirked slightly. "We were all devastated when we heard Yuuno had died, but now all we have to do is drive you out of him and we'll have him back!"

"I wonder." He grinned. "You see, while I did retain most of the information in here, I made sure to erase his personality. The Yuuno you knew is now where ever it is deleted data goes."

"You never know until you try!" Fate charged with renewed determination.

"Oh, and by the way, you were wrong about one thing." He warped away from Fate's attack and reappeared before Nanoha. "You said that Yuuno cares about Nanoha more than anyone, well, that's not true."

Nanoha backed away as Volvo stuck Yuuno's face in hers.

"The truth of that matter is." He smirked, emphasizing his next words. "He hates you."

"… Eh?" Nanoha blinked in shock at those three words. "What?"

"Don't listen to him, Nanoha!" Fate called as she charged again.

"Stop interrupting me!" He growled fiercely, grabbing Bardiche when it was within reach. He pulled Fate in, leaned his head back and brought his forehead crashing into hers. The impact had Fate seeing stars as she stumbled back while Volvo didn't even flinch as blood trickled down his face.

"That's right, Nanoha. Yuuno has hated you for a long time now."

"You're lying!" She shot back. "Why would he…"

"This is precisely why!" Volvo cackled. "You're so dense that you have no idea what he's been through! But I have access to all his memories, so I know all the details. You had absolutely no idea that he was in love with you."

"What?" Nanoha reeled in shock. "Yuuno-kun was…"

"That's right. You were everything to him. Do you know why he worked so hard? It was all for your sake. How many times did he work himself to exhaustion so he could discover things to make the world just a little bit safer for you? How many times did he nearly get killed in cave ins trying to secure Lost Logia so you wouldn't have to fight it some day? You know what prompted him to investigate the area around the Cradle? He wanted to see if he could discover something that might be useful in helping you with Vivio."

"He didn't ask for much in return." Volvo went on. "All he wished for is that some day you would look at him and be able to return his feelings. But as the years went by that never happened! You wouldn't even spare a single glance at him; you never considered his feelings at all!"

"… I had no…"

"You had no idea? What kind of excuse is that? You were completely oblivious to the suffering of a close friend? It's no wonder he came to hate you! It really is amazing how love can turn into hatred so easily."

"Yuuno-kun was… suffering?"

"That's right." He leaned in closer. "And it's all your fault! You're a person who hurts all those around her. Really, you're no different than me!" He chuckled softly. "No, you're even worse than me, aren't you? Causing suffering is so natural to you, you don't even notice you're doing it!"

"No, that can't be!" Nanoha shook her head weakly, tears welling in her eyes. "I…"

"You still won't admit it!" Volvo shouted as he lifted her up by the collar. "Yuuno suffered and eventually got taken over by me because of you, and you're just going to deny it? What a disgusting woman you are!" He threw her with a deft toss into a nearby pile of debris where her head hit a block of concrete when she landed. Nanoha remained motionless afterwards.

"Damn it." He growled. "I knocked her out." He lazily looked to his side as a large beam of energy approached him. He waved his hand and blocked the blast with a barrier. "I'm sure you're aware of just how powerful these barriers are, Fate."

"You won't get away with this, Volvo!" Fate sneered. "Telling her that lie…"

"Why would I lie when the facts cause more damage?" He grinned. "Everything I said was the truth, and I know you know that."

"You…"

"This has been fun, Fate, it really has, but now that I've gone and rendered Nanoha unconscious, this looses all appeal." Volvo shrugged helplessly. "When she wakes up, be sure to give her my regards. We will resume this later. Bye-bye." This time he disappeared and didn't come back. With his departure, the surroundings reverted to their undamaged state.

"Nanoha!" Fate called as she disengaged Bardiche and ran to her fallen friend. She took out a cloth and held it against her bleeding head wound. "Hang in there!"

Nanoha remained silent even after the reinforcements arrived.

X-X-X

"The look on her face was priceless!" Volvo laughed as he flopped down on his couch. "I hope that stupid woman takes a long time to think about what's she's done."

"Just what did you do?" Carim glared as she entered with a first aid kit.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He smirked. "Come to patch me up? Thanks, darling."

"I'm not doing this for your sake. I do not wish to see harm come to professor Scrya's body." She made clear as she wiped the blood from his forehead.

"It's my body now, Carim. Get used to it."

"Once Hayate and the others know the truth, they will stop at nothing to get him back from you."

"You can bet I'm looking forward to that." He snickered. "I especially want Nanoha to suffer even more! That's what he desires as well."

Carim remained silent as she bandaged the wound. 'Underestimating those girls will be your downfall.'

X-X-X

"If you are hearing this, it means our worst fears have come true."

'What is this?'

"This passage was encrypted so only her majesty can learn its contents. I do this on the chance that she has been reborn in your time by some means."

'Does he mean the Saint Kaiser?'

"Since you exist, and are searching for this information, that could only mean that lord Volvo has been released."

'So this is about Volvo!'

"He is truly a dreadful force who Lady Olivie gave her life to seal away using the Cradle and the last of her strength. If he has been loosed on your world, I can only fear for the worst."

'There must be some way to stop him!'

"There is only one thing I can suggest you do to face him. It was the final gift my lady left behind for the world.

"V… i… o…"

"She…"

"VIVIO!"

Vivio's eyes snapped open and she found herself surrounded by the four Nakajima sisters and her mother's familiar.

"Thank goodness you've come out of it!" Arf sighed in relief. "You had us worried there."

"I was…" Vivio blinked a few times before it came back to her. "That's right! That book!"

"You fell unconscious after touching it." Dieci explained.

"You really scared us, you know that Shorty?" Wendi ruffled the girl's hair. "I swear, I thought Nove was going to blow a gasket from worrying."

"I wasn't that worried!" Nove puffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Vivio didn't have time to smile at the siblings' antics as she turned to the eldest cyborg with a serious expression.

"Cinque, I have a favour to ask."

"What is it?" Her single eye blinked.

"There's some one I need to go see."


Raise your hand if you saw that twist coming! Yeah, I tried to hide it, but imagine my disappointment when my first two reviews called it :( Well, will Nanoha and the others be able to save him, or will they have to sacrifice him in order to put a stop to Volvo? You'll have to wait and see!

The change in eye colour = possession thing is a shout out to Rido Kuran from Vampire Knight.

And if you haven't figured it out by now, Alavon, this is the fic that your Goodbye story helped inspire.