Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this one ;)

Salvation II

I wake up, it's a bad dream,
No one on my side,
I was fighting
But I just feel too tired
to be fighting,
guess I'm not the fighting kind.

Where will I meet my fate?

-A Bad Dream by Keane

Nanoha could not remember when she realized that she did not belong. Everyone had always seemed unreachable. She could only play roles: at home, a sweet daughter or younger sister; at school, an outgoing friend and a good student. It did not take long for her to understand that growing up would mean getting more roles, a dismally endless cycle.

Then, she met Fate.

It was during a rainy afternoon; it was pouring actually. With her umbrella, Nanoha was a middle school student, who was old enough to take trips to the park and find solace in a place where she was not obliged to be anyone in particular. Then, from a distance, she saw another girl. It was odd to see a girl sitting on a swing with her dog beside her, gazing at the sky- with her umbrella on the ground.

Perhaps, it was because of her mother, but Nanoha was compelled to scold the girl for attempting to become ill. Nanoha wondered if this was when she would starting a new aspect of her roles, becoming a motherly figure. "Well, the cycle, life, goes on."

As she stomped closer, ready to assert her principles, she was able to see the stranger clearly. Suddenly, the cycle halted; she was instantly at a loss for words.

The girl's dazzling gold tresses, fair complexion, and penetrating burgundy eyes stupefied Nanoha.

"Nyhahaha… Hi! I'm N…nanoha T…t…takamachi..." Nanoha's role-imposed convictions vanished.

While Fate was taciturn and slightly hostile during their first meeting, Nanoha eventually befriended Fate through a combination of "coincidental" meetings at the neighborhood park and other "coincidental" meetings at school (when Nanoha found out that Fate attended the same school).

The two eventually became inseparable friends. Fate seemed to enjoy Nanoha's company. Nanoha could never forget the first time she made Fate laugh during one particular lunchtime (the incident involved some boys, a stray soccer ball, Nanoha's favorite cake from the Midori Cafe, Nanoha's face, and a newly discovered "White Devil" persona [white devil because of the color of the cake cream]). Nanoha was captivated by Fate's sudden burst of joy...and she wanted to always be the cause of it.

In short, Nanoha no longer felt like an extra. She even had a goal besides fulfilling the duties of her expected roles.

Yet, Nanoha always thought it was peculiar that Fate never spoke about her family. At first, Nanoha thought that it was because she never really gave Fate a chance to talk about them since she did most of the talking during their meetings. But as time passed, Nanoha realized that Fate tended to change the subject.

During their senior year of high school, Nanoha discovered the terrible truth when Fate fainted during a volleyball game. Fate's mother, Precia Testorrossa, had been abusing her daughter during her alcoholic binges, which were becoming increasingly frequent at the time. Fate collapsed because she was in more pain than usual. As a result, Precia Testorossa, was convicted and jailed for child abuse and had to attend a rehabilitation clinic. Fate was adopted by the Harlaowns, her distant cousins.

At the end of the incident, not only was Nanoha horrified of suffering Fate experienced, but she was shocked that she did not discover and free Fate from Precia sooner. Even worse, Fate had to transfer schools since the Harlaowns did not live in Unimari City.

While Fate communicated with Nanoha through email and phone and occasionally visited, the year Nanoha spent away from Fate felt like eternity. Nanoha was an extra again, perfunctorily carrying out actions and reactions.

When Fate decided to attend a college in Unimari City, Nanoha felt alive again. Because with Fate, Nanoha was never an extra.

xXx

"Fate-chan!"

All of Nanoha's memories of Fate flashed through her mind as she ran to the taxi, caught the taxi, and anxiously sat as the driver drove to Unimari Hospital.

"That's it. I won't deny it anymore. I need her. I can't let him have her."

oOo

Everyone, hold your tomatoes (and other objects) because he will be revealed in the next chapter!

Though I have to say that I am happy with this backstory. It came out better than I expected.

What do you think?

I am surprised that no one attempted guessing who he was yet. I wanted a sort of guessing game out of it :'(

Well, reviews are welcome. Bring on the critiques, questions, and predictions!