Unforeseen Eventuality

By: Kasumi H.

--

When It All Ends

(Who Will Be There?)

--

A blinding flash of light engulfed the battlefield of which two best friends fought to the point of despair. It was a light that originally meant to save; meant to give hope. But by twist of destiny, it became the cause of irreversible destruction.

It was a large-scale magical discharge. It was known as Starlight Breaker.

With the intent to destroy anything in its path at the initial point of fire, it had been aimed at the severely injured enforcer. Despite the ten second countdown which gave the blonde officer plenty of time to save herself and put an end to the tragedy, she had chosen to remain in the direct line of fire.

Because to every person, there was something that was more important than life itself; something that he or she would do absolutely anything to protect.

But when that no longer becomes possible, what is the choice to be made?

Even if she understood; even if she knew what was the best course of action, was it possible to end the life of a loved one? Was it possible to betray your own heart?

Fate found it impossible.

So she made her choice. A choice for her own end rather than an end for Nanoha.

As the beam closed in on her, Fate prepared herself. With only two people on the battlefield, there was going to be no miracle for an unexpected rescue.

But in actuality, there did stand one more; one who was determined in protecting Fate against all odds.

"Defenser."

His name was Bardiche Assault.

--

She was sinking in the darkness. Falling in a bottomless pit. But she didn't care. She was too tired to care. In her mind, all she could think of was how she failed. How she couldn't protect the one person that meant the most to her.

So she allowed herself to keep falling and began to close her eyes.

Suddenly, without warning, a bright flash of golden light appeared before her. In the centre of the light was a triangular shaped object.

Her eyes snapped wide open.

This is…!

The warmth of the glow emitted by the object slowly wrapped around her and she felt energy returning to her fatigued body. She didn't realize it then, but she had stopped falling. Her mind reeled to understand the situation and arrived at one conclusion.

"Bardiche…!"

At the sound of the name, the glow mounted.

"Live on, Sir."

And it disappeared.

--

"Bardiche!" She sat up abruptly, eyes not focusing, hand reaching out for the triangular object.

But there was nothing in front of her. When her eyes did focus, she realized she was looking at a bland white wall.

"Fate!"

A familiar voice said her name, causing her to turn her head in that direction.

"…Arf…?"

As if finally registering that she was back in reality, pain assaulted her entire body. Her head pounded, her right arm throbbed, her chest and stomach area felt sore and bruised, and back numb. A burning sensation shot through her throat causing her to cough violently. Her mind vaguely registered the scraping of a chair against the floor and the sound of Arf scrambling.

The next thing Fate knew was that Arf was pouring water down her throat. When her coughs died down, the Familiar moved to get Shamal, only to be stopped by Fate's arm.

"Arf…Bardiche…and Nanoha… What happened?" the blonde was clearly having problems choking out words due to the pain.

Fate felt Arf tense at the question. Then Arf turned around to look Fate in the eyes, "Nanoha is fine. She's returned back to normal…She's also hospitalized but her health is in good condition."

Relief flooded Fate's senses. She could tell Arf wasn't lying. Nanoha was fine. Nanoha was fine. Leaning back, the blonde collapsed back onto the hospital bed. With an "I'll be back with Shamal," hurried footsteps left the room.

But something didn't feel right. Arf wasn't lying about Nanoha, but her reaction was questionable. Why did she tense? And then Fate remembered. She quickly turned her head to the bedside table, hoping to see a familiar object there.

There was nothing.

Fate wanted to cry when she realized what Arf did not say.

Arf did not mention anything about Bardiche.

--

When Arf returned with Shamal, both fussed over her, telling her how glad everyone would be to know that she finally awoke from her two week slumber and how she mustn't push herself because it'll be a while before her wounds fully heal.

With Shamal's help, the pain she felt started to lessen, replaced by a soothing numbness. Yet her heart still pulsed loudly in her ear.

She couldn't keep it in. She had to ask.

"Shamal… How did I survive?"

The room fell deathly silent at the question.

When no reply came, tears began to form in her eyes. "Ne, Arf, where is Bardiche?"

"…Fate…"

Neither Shamal nor Arf answered her questions. They didn't need to. Fate already knew, even if she didn't want to believe it.

Her partner in battle, Bardiche Assault, was gone.

--

She knew she wasn't supposed to be out of her room. In fact, she wasn't supposed to be out of her bed. Period. But there was something she had to do. Something she needed to do. So she slipped out as soon as Arf fell asleep. As she reached her destination, she felt somewhat relieved. Apparently, due to her injuries, it was taking a large amount of her energy just to walk around the hospital.

She was panting, drenched in cold sweat, by the time her hand reached the doorknob to the room she wanted to enter. Shakily, she brought up a hand to knock.

No reply.

Fate looked up at the name plate beside the door. No doubt about it.

Takamachi.

She knocked again, but still, she was greeted with no reply.

Hardening her resolve, Fate turned the knob and opened the door. It was dark, lights were turned off and the curtains were drawn. The blonde briefly wondered if the girl she wanted to see was asleep when she caught sight of the figure lying on the bed, back facing the door. To anyone else, it would seem like the patient was sleeping. But Fate knew better.

Using the little amount of light that peeked through the curtains, she could tell that the girl's body was tense. Much too tense for someone who should be asleep. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was all an act to avoid visitors. And Fate supposed she could understand.

Nanoha was never good at pretending.

She took a few steps towards the bed, approaching the brunette. The girl obviously had no idea who her visitor was.

"…Nanoha."

Fate watched as the girl she addressed visibly jerk at the sound of her voice.

"Nanoha," Fate said again.

"…Leave."

The blonde was not surprised at the other's choice of words. A part of her had been expecting it.

"…Leave," Nanoha repeated, "I don't want to see you."

I don't want to hurt you.

Fate heard the unsaid words clearly. Just as clearly as she can see Nanoha's shoulders begin to shake. It was an indication that the brunette was crying.

"If that's what Nanoha truly wants, if that's what you choose for both our futures… I'll respect it," Fate paused momentarily, "But I don't want to run away."

Silence. The enforcer briefly wondered if Nanoha understood the point she was trying to make.

"…Nanoha… I know--"

"I know."

Surprise. The blonde didn't think she'd be interrupted. What surprised her even more was Nanoha slowly sitting up, turning to face her.

"…You have every right to hate me, Enforcer Testarossa Harlaown…"

Enforcer Testarossa Harlaown. Why did it hurt to hear it coming from her?

"If you're here to yell at me, hit me, do anything to vent out your hatred against me… Please do not hold back."

Nanoha's voice was cold, emotionless. She refused to make eye contact, but Fate knew of the storming emotions the other was holding back. The enforcer took step forward, hoping to get a closer look at her best friend that she knew would turn into cold acquaintance if left alone. But the strength in her legs chose to give out at that moment, causing her to fall…

"Fate-chan!"

And she would've hit the ground if not for a pair of arms that caught her. She looked up, meeting a gaze filled with worry and fear. A small smile formed on Fate's lips. It was far different from the gaze of the girl she fought with two weeks ago. But she was also smiling for a different reason.

"…You said my name."

"Eh?"

Fate brought up a hand and gripped Nanoha's hospital gown tightly. Tears suddenly spilling forth.

"I was afraid you'd never say it again."

She felt Nanoha freeze. Emotions clouded the clear blue eyes. She could see the raging battle within Nanoha; whether to push her away or hold on tighter.

Then she felt more tears roll down her cheeks. But they weren't her tears. They were Nanoha's.

"I'm sorry."

Those were the last words exchanged before the both of them broke down crying.

--

Nanoha knew she didn't have the right to be holding Fate in her arms as they cried, but she couldn't pull away. In her mind, she feared that this would be the last time they'd be in close contact. She had absentmindedly brought the both of them onto her bed amidst their tears, putting them in a position where she was sitting at the edge and Fate crying into her chest.

Even after they both calmed down, Nanoha did not let go. She felt horrible about it. Her hands caused the injuries on the blonde's body. Her ability had led to so much blood being shed. But Fate had requested that she didn't let go. To feel that the both of them were still alive.

"…Why are you forgiving me, Fate-chan? After all that I did…"

Silence.

"If our positions were switched, would Nanoha forgive me?"

Nanoha blinked. She didn't even have to think about the answer. Of course she would, after all, it wouldn't have been Fate's fault. It wasn't something that could've been predicted, she hadn't done it out of her own will…and…

Ah.

Realization dawned on Nanoha. So this was what Hayate and Chrono had been trying to get through to her but failed.

Despite coming to an understanding though, it did not change the fact that Nanoha was at fault. She did injure members of the Administration Bureau; she did cause a large scale destruction. Although Hayate, Chrono, and Shamal all worked together to retain Nanoha's innocence in the eyes of the Bureau, Nanoha herself was not about to let it all pass by as nothing. She caused it, and that was a fact.

Fate didn't wait for an answer, and instead chose to continue speaking.

"To tell you the truth, I had been afraid coming here. I didn't know how to face you. But I knew I didn't blame you. I couldn't blame you. Because it was my fault too. I was too weak to save you. I was too weak and ended up being protected…

And that was when I thought of Bardiche.

He wouldn't want me to run away. In fact, he didn't want me to run, which was why he protected me. So that I'm able to come here and talk to you. So that I can keep protecting the things that are important to me. So that I'm able to…keep smiling and embrace tomorrow."

Nanoha swallowed hard, trying her best to keep herself from breaking down into tears again.

"…Then I suppose I can't run either."

Fate nodded at Nanoha's reply.

"And I'll be there with you, Nanoha."

Nanoha's arms tightened around Fate.

"Thank you."

--

The episode itself has come to a close, but Nanoha knew her road will be tough. She will probably have to dedicate her entire life in atoning for the pain, trouble, and damage she caused, but she will face them. Because she is not alone. She still had her intelligent device. She had her friends. She had her family. And most of all, she had Fate. She knew without a doubt that all of them will be there with her every step of the way.

This incident was unforeseen in every way and perhaps, to those who witnessed the battle, were all expecting it all to lead up to one eventuality. But nothing is definite in this world. Every second of every day, anything can happen. As long as one has the courage to face forward, that spark of hope can still be saved.

No one is truly without comrades when on a battlefield.

-Unforeseen Eventuality END-


Story Notes: Ok, I realize the amount of things I did not address in this last chapter. I will answer the majority of it one by one, so get set for a long note!

1. What happened to Nanoha on that fateful mission?

Pushed herself over the limit in an attempt to save the lives of six people. I'm afraid I cannot reveal any more than that. I originally wrote out a scene where Chrono visits Nanoha, and their conversation hinted at what might have happened before I decided to take it out. It didn't fit with the overall feel of this fic. But the main reason I'm unwilling to reveal more is because I'm not a very creative person and I'd like to keep that plot device for another time. Don't worry though, I doubt I'll be writing another Nanoha-goes-out-of-control-fic.

2. Starlight Breaker's additional effect is Barrier Break, how did Bardiche manage to save Fate?

I personally believe Intelligent Devices have compressed magical energies within them that helps them function, and that it is a force to be reckoned with if ever released. But the cost of releasing every last bit of such energy is the destruction of the device itself. What I imagined to happen was that Bardiche released all its magical energy and allocated some of it to enforce the barrier and transferring most of it in keeping Fate alive.

3. Mentions of Hayate and Chrono that seemingly did not connect.

This happened because, as stated above, I originally wrote a conversation scene between Nanoha and Chrono. Similarly, I had one between Hayate and Nanoha. The reason I kept their names was because I wanted to hint at what the conversations might've been about. Many things did happen during the two weeks Fate was unconscious.

4. When does this take place?

I'm going to take the easy way out and say semi-AU. Nanoha and Fate are in their twenties, but Vivio does not exist.

5. Shouldn't Nanoha be considered a criminal after all that has happened?

Yes and no. As I hinted, Hayate and Chrono, along with Shamal's examination results on the Combat Instructor, defended Nanoha's innocence in a Trial. Nanoha was not in control of her body when the destruction took place. Of course, it is not something that is easily forgivable, so she will be under surveillance for a while to come. Think of it this way, in more ways than one, what Fate, Hayate, and the WolkenReitter did were considered crimes too (I am referring to the anime series). But obviously, not everyone saw them as criminals. Although an intelligent device was destroyed in this incident, the higher-ups in the Bureau only focused on whether there were any lives lost, in which case, there were none.

…Is there more? I think I covered the main ones?


Author's Note: Anyway, this ends my first chaptered fic. I apologize for the seeming disconnectedness between this chapter and the previous ones, as well as between each scene. I do not know what happened. I couldn't quite get myself to get back into the style I used previously and this was the best I can do.

But that aside, how many of you were thinking that I'd kill both our beloved characters off? Come on, out with it. XD From your reviews, I can tell that, despite most of you wishing that it'd turn out to be a happy ending, none of you were really expecting one. Well, truth be told, I never planned to kill them off since the beginning. It always had been Bardiche to the rescue.

I thank everyone who has stuck with me until now! I'd greatly appreciate your reviews! So review? Please? I'd love to know your thoughts!

-Kasumi