Sorry for the long delay. I was stranded at the beach without a computer for a month. I advise people to got back and reread over Yuuno's fight because I included the 'side effect' of Axel's magic into his battle with the devices as well as Hayate's confused reaction to it in the following chapter.

I rewrote alot and added bits here and there so it might be better if you just reread from the start but if you're too lazy at least read the fight otherwise you would be a little lost when Yuuno and Axel talk about it.

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Enjoy! The fic is nearly done!

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Bring me to Life

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Shamal slumped against the wall, exhausted. Several other doctors had joined in her difficult task of bringing the Librarian back to life but the time taken to just ensure he would last long enough for the cybernetics crew to get at him was immense. They had spent nearly six hours in there! The knight sighed, sinking gratefully into a corridor chair. As the last to leave the room, she had to activate all of the sensors around Yuuno's prone form to alert medical personnel if he went into further shock.

Next to the disheveled doctor, Hayate had fallen asleep in her waiting chair, drooling slightly. Through her haze of exhaustion Shamal smiled fondly at her Mistress.

Out of the blue, Klarwind beeped.

"Mistress, you have a call."

"Tell them I'm busy." She sighed in annoyance.

"Its Axel."

Shamal straightened, her eyes widening.

"What?"

"The Master of Hades is requesting to talk to you." Klarwind repeated.

The knight of the Lake nervously flattened down her hair and attempted to look respectable.

"Let him through."

A screen with a familiar face appeared before her.

"Yo!" The charismatic man grinned.

"Hello Axel," She groaned. "What do you want? In case you couldn't tell I just came from, like, six hours of meatball surgery."

His face grew serious. "About that…I need some help to get in to see one of your patients."

"Who?" she yawned.

He was in a very business mode now. "Yuuno Scrya."

Shamal froze mid yawn. "Why…do you need to see him?"

"Alexa and I lent him a page." He stated bluntly. "This morning it returned with a record of its usage."

"I just came from six hours of meatball surgery on Yuuno."

"He's alive?"

The doctor grimaced. "Barely. Getting shot in the face AND the chest is nothing to laugh about. The cybernetic crew will probably be up in half an hour to start hooking him up to his new eye and he's most likely going to have to replace his shoulder and half his chest."

Axel whistled. "That's pretty bad."

"Yeah. I still can't get over the fact that…you lent Yuuno a page?"

Her disbelief was defiantly warranted. The two siblings spent all their time hunting down these pages. Fighting. Suffering. Just to get their hands on those spellbook pages. For them to relinquish one was unbelievable.

"The point is, Yuuno's in critical condition from an assassination attempt, right?"

"Yeah…" The knight admitted slowly, wandering where he was going with the conversation. Asking him how he always knew these things was begging for a headache.

"I need to see him. I can repair the damage." He stated bluntly.

Shamal gaped at the screen. "You…you can't be serious. He lost a whole eye, and got shot though the chest. How can you fix that with magic?!"

"Am I laughing? Do you forget what magic I wield?" He darkly replied.

She gulped. "O-okay. I'll meet you at the lobby."

"Already there." He grinned smugly.

"Honestly," She smiled shaking her head. "One day you'll be the death of me."

"Lets hope not!" he said cheerfully and severed the connection.

Shamal stared into space and sighed fondly. Hayate shifted behind her.

"Sh…mal? Who you talkin' to?"

She patted her mistress's head. "Nobody important, Hayate, you should go back to sleep."

Muttering drowsily, she closed her eyes again and entered the realm of dreams.

Rising to her feet, The Wolkenritter Knight of the Lake began to head down the corridor. The Master of shadows was waiting.

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Axel pov…

I sat down on one of the chairs, inclining to a more comfortable position. Despite Alexa's arguing I had refused to relinquish my hair and eye colour for the sake of my disguise. I was vain goddamit! No one could touch my hair!

I pulled my hat further down, to hide my face some more. I had thrown one of my favourite brown greatcoats over my barrier jacket to not arouse suspicion.

…

Okay, well It still looked very strange but hey.

Alexa and I had spent at least half an hour casting nearly sixteen different concealment spells around my poor jacket to dull my magical signal. Having a rouge S+ rank mage running around in their base would defiantly piss off the TSAB even more. Considering they already hate my guts for using a Device that they called 'a class S lost logia, extremely dangerous', I don't exactly think they could get worse.

I allowed myself a smirk.

Besides I think they just hated me because the Hades wouldn't work for them.

Axel: 1 TSAB: 0

Eying the pretty blond knight entering the lobby I rose smoothly and walked over. She glanced around, apparently searching for me. I tapped her shoulder. She turned around as if to tell the person to bugger off, then she saw me.

She giggled.

"What?" I said defensively.

"What are you wearing?!" She snorted.

Feeling hurt, I huddled down in my coat. "This just so happens to me my favourite coat!"

Her eyebrow rose. "It's a classy coat, I'll give you that, but regular people do NOT wear two greatcoats over each other."

"I didn't want to disengage my Barrier jacket, it still has the disruptor."

"Fair enough." she allowed. "But those two colours clash horribly!"

My Barrier Jacket had an added ability of rendering me invisible to any sensors, magic or otherwise. In an operation like this, stealth was vital. My 'disruptors' were a necessity.

I pouted. "I think they look fine!"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you would think that. Now come on before we lose more time."

"Actually," I admitted. "It would be best if you didn't come. I can't risk you being discovered helping me."

She opened her mouth to argue but I stopped her with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Shamal, I am not dragging The Wolkenritter and your Mistress into this. I refuse to do so. What room is he in?"

"Axel…"

"What room?" I added, softer.

"105." She muttered, looking at the floor.

"Cheer up." I smiled. "And get some distance from here."

I brushed past her with a dramatic flair of my greatcoat. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I set off down the hallway being met with no opposition.

"Alexa, deal with the cameras."

Already done Nii-san.

"Good job." I acknowledged.

From here on out It would only be my shadow disruptor hiding me from sight.

The trip was surprisingly uneventful; No one stopped the dark stranger walking their halls. I knew the door as soon as I saw it. It didn't help that The Mistress of the book of the Night Sky was sleeping outside the room.

I slipped past her with ease and pushed open the door quietly.

To put it lightly, He was a wreck. Half his face was encased in bandages and his chest had been padded with enough gauze to wrap an army. Various bags of liquids were attached to his arm, one of them the dark scarlet of blood. His magic signal was weak and fading, that wasn't good.

The person lying on the bed before me was a far cry from the energetic youth who had quizzed me endlessly on my origins when we had first met. It hurt to see someone so courageous laid low like this. He had fought hard against insurmountable odds, without device, without barrier jacket, without backup.

Alone.

Searching for a place to die.

On a hill of blood, sweat and tears.

I glanced at the door. Sitting out there was a girl with a broken heart, waiting for him to wake up. She was emotionally and mentally strained, praying to whatever god that was listening that Yuuno would return to the land of the living.

I grinned smugly. I wouldn't want to disappoint her, now would I?

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Yuuno...

Death seemed remarkably…quiet. I just seemed to be floating, weightlessly, in an eternity of blank nothingness. I could not describe it because it was too…, well,…how exactly do you describe nothing?

It was like a blank page, wiped spotlessly clean. All the blemishes eliminated to leave a soft flowing white. It seemed to be snowing.

I felt better than I had ever felt in a long time. My numerous injuries had faded to nothing. All the darkness and worries of my mind had been erased. I was at peace.

I could lie there forever in the blissful warmth.

Raising up my arm, I could feel ethereal snowflakes melting on my skin. It was an odd feeling. Snow. Snow brought up bad memories for me but this snow was just too soothing for the horrors to plague me anymore.

Reinforce had died in snow. She sacrificed herself with a pleased and happy smile. Suddenly, I remembered my promise to Hayate. I sighed, regret colouring my tone.

"Sorry Hayate…I guess…I just couldn't hang on long enough."

That was, perhaps, my only regret. Making Hayate sad. I did not regret anything else. Even my Death I was proud of. Knights always wished to fall in battle, yet a mere Librarian had been granted that same honour. It was probably strange, but If I could talk to the assassin right now, I would probably shake his hand.

Something brushed past my face and on reflex I caught it.

Huh?

It was a feather. A soft, white feather. In confusion I looked up. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes.

What seemed to be an angel was floating down through the white.

The tall lean man landed besides me, white gray wings widespread. The person was clad in a strange black and gray uniform with a familiar emblazoned rune on his collar. A single triangle shaped scar that looked like it came from a close call from a blade had been slashed on his cheek.

He looked more like a knight than a supposed angel with his armoured boots and gloves that more resembled a barrier jacket.

Pity in his smoky gray eyes the stranger let out a surprisingly human sigh. Shaking his white locks from his face, he howled upwards, shattering the peace.

"I found him!"

Feeling totally lost, I watched on in puzzlement as a second, darker figure, descended. Then comprehension dawned.

"Hey, Yuuno, Its been awhile."

"Axel? What are you doing here?"

Sure enough, floating before me was the enigmatic Master of the Hades Tome in all his dark glory. With a shark grin, he answered.

"Why, I'm here to save your life!"

I sighed at his outrageous statement. "I'm already dead."

He frowned, face becoming serious. "No, you're not."

"W-what?" I stuttered in surprise. Not dead? But that means…

The white haired man sent Axel a glare. "What he means is that you aren't dead YET."

"I'm dying though?"

They both nodded.

"Who are you?" I asked the white stranger, my brain finally catching up.

"Oh." He muttered, embarrassed. "You don't recognize me, do you?"

"Er, I'm sorry, have we met before?" I answered, thoroughly lost.

"Not in this form we haven't," He chuckled "I'm Hades."

Silence.

"Wait…what? You're the Tome?"

"Yep." He grinned smugly, amused by my reaction.

"As in," I tried to clarify, not sure if I should believe what this man was saying. "The dark book about yea high?" I gestured.

"What, did you think I was always stuck in that book?" He gave me a weird look like If I was the crazy one.

"But…how?"

Axel sighed. "Just think of him like Reinforce, an admin."

I nodded, that made sense. After all, If the Book of the Night sky was based loosely off the Hades it would make sense for the Hades to have an Admin as well.

"By the way, Axel..." I asked curiously. "I used the page. Is that really what your magic feels like?"

The dark mage grimaced. "Pretty much, yes. The first time always hurts the worst. But after that there's no need for chants for the binds and small shots. For the higher up spells it never goes away."

I stared at the man in something akin to awe. "You...withstand all that? How many times has it happened?"

He shrugged. "I lost track somewhere around fifty."

I gaped at the casual admittance. "What the hell kind of magic is this?"

"El Hazardian magic." Hades input quietly.

"...magic...from the lost and ancient El Hazard?" The Archeologist part of me began squealing.

"Yep."

"Wow! That's amaz-wait hold on a minute...why is it always trying to kill its caster?"

Axel grinned and spread his arms wide. "Welcome to the problem! We have no freaking idea!"

Hades clapped his hands together. "Moving on!"

"Oh, right. You're dying. We need to fix you."

"I'm not sure I want to go back." I admitted, freezing the pair in their tracks.

"Wh-what?" Axel squawked.

"Why?" Hades asked, face curiously blank.

I gulped. Then took a deep breath. "I have nothing left for me back there. Simply put, I was a tool to those around me. I was used to provide information to save lives. But as a tool, I have reached the end of my usefulness. Hence why someone wanted me dead. I have been disposed. My space in the world has already been filled with another. Plus…"

I held out my hand, willing my memorized calculations to life. Nothing happened.

"…My magic's gone." I finished quietly.

Silence prevailed in the quiet space. I kept my gaze on the floor. A stunning pain connected with my face. I reeled backwards, my hand going up to my aching jaw automatically.

"Wha-"

Axel was standing over me, his face contorted in rage. His fist was still raised from the punch he connected to my jaw.

"How…How could you speak like that!" He growled. "You still have something back there! Your friends, your family!"

An eerie calmness had settled on my bones. "I have no friends." I replied coldly. "Or family. I was adopted."

Another blow connected with the other side of my face.

"That's a lie, and you know it!" He snarled. "What about that girl? The Mistress of the book of the Night Sky? Doesn't she mean anything to you?"

I was floored. I couldn't say anything in my defense anymore. Axel knew my weakness and was pushing it hard.

"A-ah…yes…"

"Are you going to just leave her there?!" He roared. "You might've saved her this time but what of the next time? Or the time after that?"

I jerked. "She has…the Wolkenritter…" I feebly tried. "And Nanoha…and Fate…"

Axel puffed up even more. "DO YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS RIGHT NOW?!"

I shook my head mutely, unwilling to trust myself to speak.

Axel pointed dramatically. "She's been outside YOUR door for the past whoever knows how long! She's sitting there, WAITING FOR YOU TO GET UP!"

Hades rested a hand on the infuriated mage's shoulder. "I think that's enough." He murmured calmly. "Alexa's getting worried."

At the mention of his sibling's name he deflated and looked away. Hades raised his calm gaze to mine. I knew he could easily see the turmoil in my eyes but he chose not to comment on it.

"Its your choice." He simply stated.

I sighed, taking one last glance at the place I had come to call a heaven in my short time there. When faced with such a dilemma what could I do but respond? It seemed that the world still had need of me.

"I guess my eternal rest can be postponed a little longer." I smiled crookedly.

Hades nodded once, respect shinning in his eyes. He knew what this was costing me. He knew the pain I was facing of going back when I had finally been freed.

"Just remember," He smiled. "Always remember who you're fighting for."

Hayate…

"If you live on for them, the pain doesn't matter anymore."

Thank you...

The white was becoming blinding. I could feel the mental pain of my return lessening already.

…I'm coming…

I braced myself for it but what I received was ten times worse.

Agony exploded throughout my body and ravaged my limbs. Any coherent thought vanished in the maelstrom of pain.

With a gasp, I opened my eyes. Through my bleary vision I could make out Axel wobbling by my bedside.

"It…It is done…" He croaked.

The door slammed open, I could hear commotion but all my senses was focused toward the staggering figure before me. He wasn't supposed to be here! If I was in the hospital, It was squarely in the middle of Mid Childa! In his state, they'd catch him, and it'd all be my fault! I tried to reach out to him, horror beginning to seep in.

"Ax…el…" I wheezed, my chest tight.

"Alexa, get him out of here!" Hades roared, back in his book.

Scarlet light flickered to life and within seconds, the failing body of the only Mage capable of the miracles of EL Hazardian magic, disappeared.

Arms wrapped tightly around me, surprising me with their desperate force.

"Yuuno!"

Tears stained the face of the Commander's face. At that moment, she was just a girl, not a commander, not a powerful mage, Just a girl.

I smiled crookedly with what was left of my face. " Hay…ate…"

She tried to stifle her sobs but failed. "Don't you ever do that again!" She bawled, thumping my shoulder repeatedly in the process.

Axel is fine. Hades voice, echoed suddenly in my head. Worry not.

I relaxed and closed my eye. I felt light. Something began to beep frantically nearby. Hayate let out a strangled yelp.

"Shamal!"

I smiled.

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The end?

Nah. I still have an epilogue. Other than that... Does anybody know what that beeping noise was?

I suppose it counts as a cliffhanger in its own right. No attempting to murder the author. I might just post the epilogue in a few days to just finish the story. I don't think I can rewrite it anymore.

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If you see any grammar or other errors please tell me because I have no Beta.

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R&R!