"What if it happens again, Fate?"

Hayate's words seemed to echo deeply with the blonde enforcer. She let out a soft gulp, lifting the smaller girl up and holding her tightly for a moment. Her attention instantly shifted to Nanoha, who had switched to an expression of both worry and confusion.

"Fate?" Nanoha asked, staring at her with a questioning look. But, instead of an explanation, instead of giving her the answer she wanted, Fate replied with a quick shake of her head. A tiny, but obviously forced smile had formed on her lips. She was clearly trying to break the worry away from Nanoha... and failing, horribly.

"It's fine. I didn't think Hayate would be this bad around alcohol." Fate said, her hand moving upwards to her commander's lips and silencing her by patting her fingers against them. "She's just worrying about an old argument we had. I thought she had forgotten about it." A forced laugh followed, doing nothing to break the worries away from Nanoha's heart.

"...Fate." Nanoha's tone had switched to be more serious. She didn't have to say any more, Fate knew that Nanoha was on to her. With how long they've known one-another, with how tight their bond was, a lie like that wouldn't do anything to disrupt Nanoha's senses. All it did was sting a little. Why would her closest friend, for so many years, hide something that was obviously such a big deal from her?

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you later. I'm going to go bring Hayate to her quarters, so she can rest for a bit. I'll explain when I'm back!"

A pained smile formed on Nanoha's face as she looked at Fate, who had started to trail off with Hayate in her arms. Fate probably wasn't going to tell her, was she...? Nanoha didn't think this because of a lack of trust. On the contrary, if it was something Fate had held secret for so many years... it had to be something truly important to Hayate. While she would like to know anything that bothered a friend of hers this much, she knew that some things are better off left alone.

"Hayate?" Fate whispered softly, laying her down on the couch in her quarters. A slight tint of red had set onto her cheeks. Hayate replied with a meek giggle, trying to force herself to sit up.

"Fate dragging me into my quarters all of a sudden... What's going to happen, I wonder~?"

Fate's reaction was a lot less pleasant than Hayate expected. Her hands moved forward to her commander's shoulders, giving her a weak shove to make her sit down once more. "Hayate. I told you to share these things with me... Chrono told you to share them with him too! Everyone, Hayate!" Fate's tone was completely serious. Even while Hayate was drunk, she was desperately trying to push people away from her. The onset of the alcohol barely made it possible for her heart to reach out, but now, once more, she was trying to escape burdening her friends.

"Fate~ I think I'm a little bit drunk, you can't honestly take me seriously, right? I'm bad with alcohol and say stupid things~!" A warm smile formed on Hayate's face as she softly wriggled around, curling herself up like a little kitten. Her expression was obviously intended to be comforting, but she still had a drunken look plastered across her face.

"Hayate." Fate's tone wasn't just worried, it was disapproving, too. It was obvious that Hayate had mostly regained her senses, and the first thing she did was try to stow away her problems from her friends. Her purity was... problematic. "You don't have to protect us. We're here for you. What happened back then wasn't your fau-"

"It was!" Hayate suddenly cried out. It was enough to make anyone's ears ring, but Fate didn't hesistate for a moment. "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't Nanoha's fault! It wasn't Chrono's fault it wasn't Vita's fault it wasn't Signum's fault it wasn't it wasn't..." Hayate's loud, high pitched cry slowly deteriorated into weak sobbing.

"It wasn't. If you weren't as strong as you are, it could've been a lot worse."

"But I should've been stronger! It should've never happened in the first place!

Fate gulped, moving her finger to Hayate's lips once again to silence her. "Please. I'll talk to you more about this when you're in a better state of mind, okay? You're too stressed out. Just... rest for a bit, and let's go back down and have fun with everyone again, okay...?

Hayate sobbed again, before nodding at Fate. "T-thank you." while it couldn't completely nullify her worries, Fate's gentle way of speaking was enough to calm her down for the time being. Fate wouldn't blame her, no matter what happened... and she would always be kind and encouraging. Right now, Fate was the strong pillar of support that Hayate needed. "Please don't tell Nanoha..."

Fate shook her head and gave Hayate a comforting pat on the head. "I won't. I promised you, didn't I? I won't tell a soul. Not even Nanoha."

* Seven Years Ago *

It had been two years since the three young mages had enlisted in the TSAB. The Wolkenritter were still under heavy surveillance; as they had to pay for their previous deeds. Even though they got off relatively light and were even granted entry into the TSAB, their status meant that Hayate couldn't spend too much time with them. While they had grown a lot more lax since their first year, they still lacked complete freedom and couldn't refuse any mission offered to them.

If it weren't for Nanoha and Fate, it would've been an extremely lonely time for Hayate. Any time she couldn't spend with the Wolkenritter was time spent with those two. Even though the situation sounded so desperate, her two newest friends helped carry her through it. Of course, it wasn't just them! Arisa and Suzuka helped, too. But, because of the experiences the three shared, their bond was a bit different. Not only were they her precious friends, she owed her life to them.

Of course, it wasn't just those two, Reinforce Zwei was with Hayate, too. She had been born only a year ago, but she retained the beautiful personality Reinforce Eins had before she joined the stars. She was the second coming of the protective wind, and while not as destructively powerful, she was just as loyal to her beloved master. With her, Hayate's family was complete once again. It felt like it was the start of a beautiful story...

But, that day, a day that ominously mimicked the Christmas morning when Reinforce departed, cast Hayate's hopes into ruin. She was walking down the street, enjoying a free day with Reinforce Zwei, enjoying the sensation of the cold winter breeze tickling her cheeks. This weather was special to her... while it symbolized the day Reinforce was taken away, it was also the day where Hayate was reborn, free of worries. The same weather struck the day Reinforce Zwei was born. And now, this time...

Hayate's phone rang. She had been waiting for Vita to call her when her mission was over so they could have a little chat, but it seemed like she was going to be late. It tended to happen, so Hayate wasn't worried. With a single, fluid movement, Hayate grabbed onto her phone and answered it, pushing it towards her ear and letting out a happy "Hello~"

"Um, Inspector Yagami?" There was a man on the other side of the telephone. It wasn't a voice she recognized, but, more importantly, the voice sounded distressed. Was it someone from the TSAB? Why would they suddenly contact her, let alone with a tone that made it sound like tragedy had struck? Hayate gulped in fear, the tone for the rest of the day had already been set, without even needing to hear the situation.

The worst case scenario had already set into her mind, causing Hayate to take a moment of silence, need it to recollect herself. "Y-yes? This is Yagami speaking..." after a few short moments, she finally regained enough clarity of the mind to respond. It couldn't be Vita, right? Maybe she got hurt on a mission, maybe even hospitalized. There's no way she would die, but what if... what if-

"It's about instructor Takamachi." the voice directly responded. "She's been hospitalized after a mission. Her situation is critical. Instructor Vita of the Wolkenritter asked me to call you."

Those words wouldn't even reach Hayate's ears. When she heard that Nanoha's condition was critical, the phone slipped from her fingers and down onto the snow beneath her. Her beautiful, sky-blue eyes lost their focus, and her pupils widened with fear. "Nanoha..." her voice was broken, terrified. The young Reinforce Zwei didn't need anything else to understand what was going on. "We need to... the hospital. Now."

Hayate's magic started to rampantly gather around her body as she chaotically lifted herself into flight. Reinforce Zwei quickly jumped up and fused her body into Hayate's, regulating her magical power. If it went rampant right here, Hayate could potentially wipe out a chunk of the city, maybe even more. But, while she could ease her magic, Reinforce couldn't do much to tend to her heart. All she could do, was whisper soothing words into Hayate's ear, reminding her that Nanoha would be alright.

After all, Nanoha is too strong, right? She can't actually die, right!? Just because she's in a critical condition now, doesn't mean she's in any real danger. the TSAB has the best medics around. Nanoha will be fine, happy, and on her feet again within a week!

Hayate couldn't share Rein's positivity. All she could feel was an extreme, genuine fear.

Hayate's worries amplified as she got closer and closer to the hospital. Nanoha's status was stated to be 'critical'... Her mind couldn't help but wander to the worst case scenarios. C-critical meant that she could simply... die at any moment, didn't it!? Just considering those things made Hayate feel sick to her stomach. Even with the small Reinforce doing her best to keep Hayate's emotions under control, her mood couldn't stop spiraling downwards and simply getting worse and worse...

"Where... Where's Instructor Takamachi!?" Hayate had finally arrived at the hospital, wasting no time in rushing towards the receptionist. Her distress was quite clear, her skin had gone as pale as the white of her hair, heaving weakly and shaking in her boots as she waited. Being this close to Nanoha only made Hayate fear more. What if she really saw what she was so afraid of!? What would she do...? The adrenaline that brought her here had slowly started to slip, and instead of checking up on Nanoha, all Hayate could think of was running away.

Hayate couldn't bare with the thought of actually seeing Nanoha in a horrible condition. She was the girl that dragged her out of that horrible, endless nightmare!

"Hayate... I promise. It'll be fine." Reinforce whispered once more into her young master's ear. It had a modicum of effect, snapping Hayate right back to reality. While she couldn't believe Reinforce's words that easily, it made her realise something else. If she wasn't capable of recovering here, running away would be even more horrible. It'd be the cruelest thing she could do to the friend that didn't run away no matter what happened! A tad of Hayate's willpower returned as she impatiently grabbed onto the desk of the receptionist, calming herself slightly by squeezing it as rough as she could.

"She just got transferred away from the emergency room. She's now in room 563, the fifth floor." Hayate was getting progressively more impatient now. The young special investigations officer really didn't want to hear anything unnecessary. But, the instant she got her room number, Hayate stormed off, recovering and recollecting her thoughts as she moved. She really had to calm down, as fuzzing wouldn't make this any better! Her legs were sore and ever since Reinforce became one with her, a strange ripping sensation had been sliding down her veins, but with the condition her friend was in, she simply couldn't worry about those things!

But, when she finally reached the hospital room... Hayate saw something more horrific than she could ever imagine. Yes, she expected Nanoha to be in a grave condition, but she didn't expect the broken, lifeless body that was laying down in the hospital bed.

The first thing Hayate saw... was herself, laying down on that very bed. She was weak, unmoving and. hooked to all sorts of machinery that were constantly monitoring her condition. They were there to ensure her survival, making sure she wouldn't slip away no matter how bad it got.

But then, that vision shattered and what Hayate saw was reality itself. It wasn't her. It wasn't even comparable to her! This wasn't someone that was peacefully resting and withering away. She was completely broken! Nanoha was wrapped up in bandages, only a bit of her face remaining uncovered. Whatever had attacked her clearly wasn't magical. It seemed like something went in with the intention to rip her apart!

Besides the fallen instructor were Hayate's youngest knight and Nanoha's best friend. Vita was crying her eyes out, clinging to Nanoha's right hand, holding it to her face and almost screaming out. Her entire face was red from tears, showing that she had been crying for more than a little while. Considering that they had gone on this mission together, Vita had probably been venting on their entire journey back to base.

Fate's state was the total opposite. Her expression had gone grim and pale. Her normally shining red eyes seemed empty and soulless. It was a state Hayate never thought she would see Fate in. She normally seemed so strong, but now it seemed she couldn't even gather the strength to cry. All she could do was weakly cling to Nanoha's arm, gently whispering her name. Upon seeing that the one most important to her had fallen, Fate's heart broke.

Even though her friends were in such crippled states, Nanoha was the only thing Hayate could worry for now. Seeing her bedridden like this washed away the pain of seeing Fate and Vita as torn as they were. All she could care about, for now, was the broken girl laying in front of her. "What happened?" Hayate asked as she walked closer, but neither Vita nor Fate had the will to respond.

"Nanoha... had an accident."

Shamal had entered from the doorway behind them, her doctor's gown on. "Vita and Nanoha were ambushed on their mission. Nanoha overexerted her body and couldn't fight back. Vita brought her back to base just in time. I managed to keep her alive, but..." even Shamal seemed to be uncomfortable talking about it, despite being a doctor. She gulped audibly and took a deep breath before continuing. "...I don't know if she'll ever be able to get out of bed again... let alone spread her wings and fly. She needs to fight just to survive."

With those words, the entire room fell silent. Vita's sobbing stopped as she looked at her fallen friend. Fate had stopped moving, not even muttering Nanoha's name anymore, and Shamal's gaze was simply weakly moving through the room, as if trying to avoid both Vita and Fate's eyes. It took a few moments for someone to break the silence.

"Ahaha, what's this negativity about?"

Hayate was the one to finally break the silence. Her words caused everyone's eyes to fall upon her. They were all uncomfortable by what she had said, but Fate seemed almost angry by how casually she spoke up. "This is Nanoha we're talking about! She's the reason we're all here!" Hayate forced a smile onto her face, sitting down on the end of the bed, drawing both Vita and Fate towards her, quickly yanking them closer and into a tight hug.

"Fate, Vita? I promise. She'll be okay. She's the strongest person I know! Something like that... to Nanoha, it's a minor setback! Vita, when she wakes up tomorrow, she'll grab you by the nose, telling you you know how strong she is! Fate, she'll pat you on the head, telling you she didn't mean to scare you! That's how Nanoha is! Something like this won't stop her!" Hayate quickly pecked both of their foreheads, hoping to calm them down a little as she continued to speak.

"I promise, okay? She won't die. She'll wake up and scold us for doubting her! She'll push through, like she always does."

Hayate's confident words seemed to calm both Vita and Fate a slight bit. Life started to return to Fate's face, showing she had returned to sanity at the very least. At the same time, Vita had recovered enough to wrap her arms tightly around Hayate's body, weakly sobbing into her side.

"Meister..." But, the young Reinforce in Hayate's heart could see that Hayate wasn't nearly that confident. She could feel her emotions, how she was barely holding herself together for her friends. Everything she said- she wasn't just trying to convince them that Nanoha was safe. She was trying to convince herself, too. "...Please, Meister, you don't have to hold your heart back. You don't have to stay strong after something like this..."

Even though Reinforce begged her, Hayate didn't budge. Right now, what they needed was someone to stay strong for them. Fate and Vita both needed someone to remind them everything would turn out okay. Shamal had the responsibility, as a doctor, to not sugar coat reality and be honest about Nanoha's condition, all three of them knew that. But, just maybe, Hayate's words could take the pain away a bit, or at least numb it slightly.

"Meister, if you want to cry, please don't keep it inside. You're just hurting yourself..." Despite her best efforts, Hayate simply shut out her unison device's comforting words, showing the both of her friends a warm smile to snap them out of their current fears. Or, at least, ease them a bit.

"It'll be just like me, okay? It's a bit scary now, but she'll pull herself back together. It is Nanoha, after all! Really. If I could do it..." Hayate kept on talking, trying to keep her own fears at bay. She had to be strong for her friends, there is no way she could succumb here as well! If she could grit her teeth a little while, Vita and Fate would be so much happier.

Were it not for how broken both Vita and Fate were, they would definitely notice Hayate's own condition. Her eyes, normally a pure blue in her unison form, had turned dark and empty. They seemed a bit purplish as her eyes just shook with shock. Tears had started to form in her eyes, enough to fog up her vision but never enough to spill out. Her skin had gone from its usual colour to a deathly pale.

"Meister. Please, please listen to me! We all know you're hurt! Seeing you keep it in like this, it isn't helping anyone! Meister, Meister Hayate...!"

But, Rein's voice couldn't even reach her Meister anymore.

From that moment onwards, there was a long, unbroken silence. All that could be heard was Vita's quiet sobbing as the three held on tightly to each other, trying to burn away their own fear and cling to Hayate's resolute vision instead. However, none of them could truly say they believed what Hayate said. All they could do was hope that Hayate's words were right.

"I'll speak to you three if there's any new developments. Please take care of yourselves." Shamal said, her eyes fixing on Hayate for a moment. It was clear that she had caught onto her master's little selfless act, and she didn't approve. But, she couldn't disturb this peaceful moment they were having. After leaving them with those words, Shamal silently walked off, closing the door besides herself, leaving them alone to recover from this horrifying event.

For three hours, none of them dared to talk. It was an awkward, painful silence. Hayate had completely lost her will to talk, Reinforce had strangely gone silent, Fate still couldn't collect the heart to talk, and the exhausted Vita had passed out, falling into a pained sleep against the back of Nanoha's bed. If this silence continued for any longer, Fate and Hayate would've probably fallen into a deep sleep as well.

"Hayate, Fate."

But, their time together was interrupted as Chrono walked through the door, an extremely stern expression plastered over his face, clearly under some emotional turmoil as well. It was an expression even Fate hadn't seen since the Book of Darkness incident had been resolved. While he was a lot better at hiding his pain than Hayate was, he did carry an aura of tranquil fury about him.

"We've managed to trace the origin of the drones Nanoha and Vita fought to a single individual. We've even secured his location."

As Chrono said those words, Fate almost leapt up, rushing to Chrono and tightly latching her hands onto him. While unhappiness was still written all over her face, the fact that they had caught the criminal that did this to Nanoha at least comforted her a bit! "Did you-"

But Fate's excitement was quickly killed as Chrono spoke again. "General Regius Gaiz took the mission out of our hands. The criminal, Jail Scagletti, also caused the death of one of his best mages and closest friends. However, he's unwilling to mobilize his troops at this time. He said he's afraid of a repeat of what happened to his friend. He's carefully investigating everything before he moves in." Chrono moved his hand to the side of his adopted sister, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"...Chrono... They aren't going to..." Fate couldn't help but imagine the most desperate situation. They might not make it in time! If they take so long to move, the enemy would have enough time to flee! Even if it was a trap, who cares!? If he had the means to do this to someone like Nanoha, he needed to be taken out at all costs! If he went loose for any longer, history could repeat itself once more! He already did it to one of Gaiz' strongest troops, he just caused Nanoha's fall...

"So... you're just going to let him get away!? The person that did this to Nanoha... He needs to be caught, Chrono! If there's a monster so dangerous he can make this happen, twice... he won't stop at this! You know that, right, Chrono!? How insane it is to back off just because General Gaiz told you!?" Fate wasn't the only person that came to that conclusion... Hayate did, too. But, unlike her, Hayate was completely willing to show her fears.

"Not attacking because he's afraid of a trap!? What kind of reason is that. He can mobilize me and the Wolkenritter! I'm sure the Navy would let you two come, too! We can't risk him escaping, we can't risk such a horrible criminal running free just because one General is unwilling to move!" Hayate wouldn't stop, moving closer to Chrono and Fate.

Something had clearly snapped inside of her. The pent up frustrations she wouldn't show until now all came flooding out. Her hands moved up to Chrono's collar, weakly grabbing at him. "You! You're Admiral Lindy's son! You... you can use your connections to make sure something happens, Chrono! What if he won't move what if they're working together what if he's too afraid what if he simply won't go! What if he-"

Hayate's loud shouts were interrupted by a sudden shock of pain blasting through her core. She loudly gasped out for pain, letting go and falling forward against Chrono's chest... All he could do in response was raise his arm to gently embrace Hayate, rubbing at the back of her head slightly. Chrono, too, was at the edge of moving on his own. However, this wasn't a situation where recklessness would solve anything. Attacking the enemy's base head on, after what they did to Nanoha... all it would lead to is death.

Even though it was painful to admit... The general's course of action was right. While even he wanted revenge and see the criminal be put to justice, he also knew that doing anything at this point was suicidal. While capturing him was important, they couldn't throw their lives away.

"Hayate..." Chrono whispered, making sure to keep a soothing tone. He knew that was what Hayate needed right now, and while his brain was telling him to scold her for everything she said, he couldn't get himself to say those nasty words. Not right now. Hayate was so brimful of anger that she was in physical pain, she couldn't even stand on her legs anymore. "...Shamal's in her usual quarters. Get yourself checked out." he said, letting her go and pushing her off himself.

"Fate, go with her. Nanoha wouldn't want you two to end up hospitalized as well because you're worrying too much. I'm sure she has something that can help the both of you out." Not only was Chrono legitimately worried for their conditions, he knew that having them stay here would only make it worse. They needed to take a walk and get some fresh air.

And more importantly, they both needed to keep an eye on each other. Chrono knew that both Fate and Hayate were prone to making irrational decisions in their current states, but he also knew that they wouldn't let the other throw their lives away. While they both wanted to get revenge on the terrible person that did this to Nanoha, they also didn't want the other to be hurt. Simply because Chrono knew how protective the both of them were of their friends, he trusted that neither of them would make the mistake of taking destiny into their own hands.

Yes, neither Hayate nor Fate would willingly endanger the other...

But, breathing the air outside of that accursed hospital room did nothing to calm the two down. They were both still completely unwilling to talk, after what Hayate told Chrono, they both realised they shared the same will and thoughts... and they both realised that the other was definitely willing to risk everything for revenge. And, as Chrono had predicted, both of them were unable to let the other out of their sights, even for a second. They didn't want to lose another friend!

"Oh, hello, Fate, Hayate!" Shamal cheerfully said as the pair entered the room, giving them a quick smile and standing up. She had been sorting through a multitude of paperwork, probably related to Nanoha's incident. The papers seemed mildly wet around the edges. Wet with sweat, Shamal had been working hard since the incident happened to keep Nanoha alive, and now she was sorting through pile after pile of paperwork to make sure Nanoha would receive the proper treatment she needed. With what happened to her body, and with how important she was to the TSAB, it was far from routine. "Is there anything you two need?"

"Chrono sent us in for a checkup... He was worried the stress might be a bit too much for us." Hayate quickly answered. She didn't really think she needed a medical examination now, but... Considering Fate's state, it definitely wouldn't hurt. She wasn't worried about herself, really. She knew she was fine, but Fate's condition was far from it. It seemed like she barely had the strength to stand and she looked like she could collapse at any moment.

"Hmm..." Shamal hummed out softly, pulling the rings of Klarwind off her hands and putting on some doctor's gloves, deciding to start her examination with Hayate. "There's definitely something strange with you now." she said, rather direct as she stared into Hayate's eyes. "You haven't left unison since you arrived... but, that's probably for the best." it was probably extremely tiring for Reinforce, but she worked as a sort of buffer between Hayate and her magic, a little control rod to make sure it would go out of control. Her hands moved over to Hayate's mouth, gently prying it open to look at her throat. The start of her examination was all very routine and simple, but it never hurt to give a full examination, right?

"...It's hard to give you a full examination while you're still unisoned, though." Shamal said with a soft sigh, but she definitely understood it was the better idea to keep Rein and Hayate together for now. While she trusted her master wouldn't willingly do anything crazy, she still had little-to-no control over her magic. She simply had too much power, and even an extremely well-trained mage would be unable to channel... let alone the eleven-year-old Hayate who was still stuck in the basics of magic! "...Your eyes are very weird, though. But that's probably just a result of how long you've been unisoned." Shamal said, taking note of her purple eyes.

"I-It's fine, Shamal, Fate is in a much worse condition, anyway. " Hayate said, showing her doctor a warm smile. Fate's turned herself to Hayate and gave her a concerned look, she looked like she had something to say, but just couldn't get it off her lips. "I'm just a bit exhausted, ahaha~" Hayate's awkward little lie wasn't enough to throw Shamal off, but she decided to play to her master's whims for now.

"Okay. If you're really fine, I'll look over Fate first. But, when I'm done. I'll take both you and Rein in for examination..." Shamal said, taking quite a commanding tone towards her master. If she was lying this awkwardly, she was definitely more pained than she let on. She'd just have to find a limiter to deal with Hayate's power while examining her! "Okay, Fate. Sit down right here..."

Shamal gently pushed Fate down into a chair, starting to examine her body. Of course, she started with those broken eyes of hers. Just the chaotic ways her pupils were moving told her enough, the shock was wrecking havoc on the poor girl's mind. Even hours after the news settled in, she hadn't even slightly recovered. "Hmm, I have some medicine to calm you down in the storage room. Do you want to get some of that before I examine you further?"

"N-no..." Fate silently responded, shaking her head. She wasn't too thrilled with the thought of taking medicine to get her mind off Nanoha. Even if she was suffering now, she actually want anything to take her mind off it! Nanoha was her best friend, if not more than just a that! In her eyes, it'd be very wrong not to suffer if she was in a state like this!

"Hmm. Okay. I understand." Shamal responded, grabbing Fate's hand and giving it a soft tug. "But, you are going to need something to help you sleep. It's pretty clear that you're exhausted. Nanoha wouldn't want you to pass out during the Enforcer's exam now, would she?" Shamal gave a warm smile as she just dragged poor Fate along to the back of her office, opening a door and dragging her with. Her office was right next to the supply room for medicine, so she had very convenient access to all of it. Because of this, she also served as a bit of a guard for the storage, making sure that no one would take what they wouldn't need. "Hayate, wait here for a moment. I'll be right back with Fate. I'll get some for you, too, alright?"

Hayate replied with a nod, wandering around the office, sitting down on Shamal's chair behind her desk and absent-mindedly looking at the documents on the table. She didn't really intend to give them a full read, or anything! She was just curious if there was anything about Nanoha's condition written down!

But, something else entirely caught her eye. One of the documents wasn't a medical report at all, it was a report of the mission Nanoha had gone on, along with some associated documents by Chrono. He probably left it here to help make sure Nanoha would get the attention she needed.

Hayate knew she had no business reading these things, but her curiosity got the best of her. Within moments, she found herself reading through Chrono's reports. "No way..."

Chrono had come to the same conclusion that Hayate did. This was clearly within the jurisdiction of the Enforcers and the Navy. General Gaiz wouldn't be able to take over command of the operation without a very good reason, one much better than simply the fact that he lost one of his men to him. They were even intending on taking the investigation further!

But, if Chrono knew, why wasn't he doing something!? If he came to the same conclusion as Hayate, with a lot more evidence supporting him, why wasn't he making a move!? Was it impossible. Was something tying his hands...? As an Enforcer with so many ties, shouldn't he be able to mobilize a large unit without any problems!? Why wasn't he doing anything! "No..."

He wasn't going to be caught. He was going to get away with how he treated Nanoha. It wasn't an insane conspiracy theory anymore, she had all the evidence right in front of her! "He can't just get away with this." Hayate muttered to herself, raising off her chair and grabbing onto a single document: One that detailed the coordinates of the planet that Jail Scagletti had apparently set up base on. "After how he harmed Nanoha..."

The sudden shock of anger she felt was enough to temporarily override Reinforce Zwei's subconscious control over her magic. Her energy aggressively jolted around and towards her left arm, blowing out of her hand. It caused a painful sensation, as if someone hit her hand with a hammer. It hurt so much that Hayate couldn't help crying out in pain, covering her mouth just barely too late to swallow her cries.

But with the anger and pain, came the realisation that she had to do something. She was the true master of the Tome of the Night Sky, and Scagletti managed to not only harm one of her best friends, but definitely intended to do the same to one of her knights, too! Yet, because of some incompetence in the TSAB, he was going to go scott free!?

A powerful need for revenge, one that Reinforce had been suppressing since Hayate saw Nanoha laying in that bed, had taken over her mind. Any positive influence and self-control that Reinforce had given her had now completely faded, and what woke up was a primal lust for revenge, very much like a mother would have if someone attacked her children.

"Hayate? What's wrong, Hayate?" A shout suddenly came from the supply room, but by the time Fate and Shamal returned, Hayate had already made her way out of the room and towards the roof of the hospital. She had taken Shamal's Klarwind with her, too, to hinder any pursuit. "...Oh no..."

But, while Shamal was still processing what happened, Fate instantly ran off, right after Hayate. She knew the need for revenge that Hayate was feeling right now, but she couldn't let her go. While she desperately wanted to choke every last bit of life out of the person that did this to Nanoha...

She knew, that if either of them were to go, they wouldn't come back alive. If a mere ambush could do this much damage to Nanoha, attacking him head-on would end with them dead. And while she was perfectly okay with rushing in head first, if it meant she could take out the person that did this all to Nanoha, she wasn't willing to let Hayate throw away her life!

With a few uses of Flash Move, she quickly caught up to Hayate, who was already on the roof, preparing for a dimension transfer spell. Something was... changing within her. Her normally white, pure aura of magic had changed to an eerie purple, and the normally white locks she had during unison ended in the brown of her normal hair.

"Hayate..."