A/N: Definition of FanFic: FICTION (a non realistic story) made by a FAN (an ardent follower and admirer) of another person's work, using that person's ideas to make an original story. As such, the only thing that the FAN owns is their respective original story and original characters; NOT the object(s) of their FANdom.

"BLITZ ACTION."

Unparalleled speed. The ability to move faster than the human eye can track. At this point, it was the only thing keeping her from the death she was certain she'd face. Without pause, Fate narrowly avoided stream after stream of light that was whipping after her, as if trying to tie her up. However, while her movement couldn't bee seen by humans, cat-like eyes were honed in on her...

"Ahn, I'm sooo tired! This is why I hate having check-ups!" Yawning, the brown haired girl complained as her wheelchair moved along the sidewalk. Behind her, a long haired woman sighed.

"It cannot be helped, Hayate-sama. It is important for the doctors to do a thorough examination of your body every time just to be safe."

"But still," Next to her, a childish red-head in lolita threads complained, "It takes forever! We were there all day again! I'm sooo hungry!"

Laughing, Hayate agreed, "Me too, Vita. I couldn't eat anything before the exam."

"Don't worry you two, Shamal said that she would have dinner ready for our return." At Signum's words, the two girls' attitudes brightened considerably. Smiling to herself, Signum suddenly stopped, her expression turning serious. 'The winds have changed. Something's going to happen...soon.'

"What's wrong, Signum?" Turning back to her older companion, Vita looked at her with an annoyed face, "The food's going to get cold!"

"Sorry; let's go."

"Ugh! The slightest of cries came from Fate's lips as she crashed into a wall, however, before she hit the ground pink rings of light spun around her arms and legs, suspending her in the air, completely immobile. Before she could blink, several more rings surrounded her, her scythe Bardiche falling to the ground below her. Struggling with all of her strength she tried desperately to free herself, however the rings only tightened further, cutting into her skin.

"Please stop resisting! We don't want to hurt you anymore!" As the two cat-like women held their containment spells, the brunette moved closer to where Fate was bound. "There's no reason for us to fight anymore!"

"Nanoha-san, be careful," Chrono warned, his staff still trained on Fate, "We still don't know what she might try!"

"I won't! I can tell that she's not a bad person! She was just fighting for the sake of her family! If we just talk to each other, we can understand each other!"

"We can't afford to waste time! If we hurry now, we can still use the area Precia teleported from to try and trace her!"

And at that moment, for Fate, the idea of survival became irrelevant.

"PURGE!"

The explosion caught everyone off guard, Fate's Barrier Jacket detonating with incredible force, smoke kicking up everywhere. Quickly descending to the ground, Nanoha waved away the smoke around her staff as everyone else put up shields to avoid the blast damage. As a result, she was the only one to see what was to occur in the next few seconds.

"We're home!" As Hayate, Signum, and Vita entered the home, they were met by a flurry of movement.

"I'm glad you all are back! I'm sorry, but I need to hurry!" Rushing in and out of the room, the pretty young woman with short hair stopped just long enough to hug Hayate in greetings.

"Hayate, what's gotten you in such a hurry?" Signum asked, slowing Shamal by grabbing her hand.

"I'm sorry Signum, but I've run out of ingredients for dinner. I need to go and get them quickly so I can continue cooking!"

"Would you like us to get them?" Hayate asked, smiling the smile that warmed everyone's hearts.

"It would be a great help, "Shamal conceded, "But are you sure? You just returned, after all..."

"It's not a problem, "Hayate smiled, "Besides, I like looking at the evening sky. Vita, would you accompany me? I think Shamal might need Signum's help finishing up dinner."

"Of course! We wouldn't let you go by yourself! Let's go!"

"Fate-chan, please..." Fate was weaving a spell, one far more powerful than any of the ones that Nanoha had seen her cast during their battle. Nanoha could see the sorrow in the girl's eyes, however that sorrow was coupled with sheer determination and strength, even while her body physically lacked it.

Slowly, Fate shook her head, "I'm sorry, Nanoha-san, but I will protect my family no matter what. THUNDER FALL!"

The garden began to rumble, lightning ripping through the ceiling, tearing apart everything in its wake, wind blowing away the smoke that had filled the room.

"Nanoha, you have to move away from there," Chrono cried, his barrier deflecting the lightning that was close to him, "The entire garden is crumbling!"

"Fate-chan! Please stop! This isn't the only way!" Rushing forward, Nanoha pulled Fate into an embrace, tears in her eyes, "I can tell! You don't want to hurt anyone! This isn't what you want!"

"Chrono," Admiral Lindy shouted above the thunder, "Can you teleport us all back to the Ship?"

"There's no way! With the lightning combined with the interference from the garden itself, I can't get teleport us! It's all we can do to hold off the lightning!"

"FATE-CHAN!" Fate looked at the girl who was clinging to her. A small, sad smile appeared on her face.

"Nanoha-san, you are a kind person. I wish that we could have met earlier. But is too late, now. This is the path that I've chosen..." Behind her the wall exploded, revealing the void of imaginary space that existed outside the garden, a void that guaranteed death to any mage that would be caught in it. Fate quickly pushed Nanoha away, the brunette tumbling into Chrono.

"Yes, this is my path. I have no regrets..." Despite herself, she couldn't help but spare a glance at the fallen soldiers and the seven who still remained.

"SIR. WE STILL HAVE ENOUGH POWER. YOU ARE STILL CAPABLE OF TELEPORTATION. YOUR ORDERS SIR?"

Fate smiled, "Thank you, Bardiche, for having stayed by my side, and for always helping me along the way. This is going to take everything we've got. Farewell, my friend."

"MID-CHILDA COORDINATES LOCKED IN. IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR, SIR!''

And for the final time, she raised her staff.

"Is that everything?" Looking through the basket, Vita checked off the items on the list she held, "Yup, looks like it. Now let's hurry back so we can eat!"

"Really, Vita, food is all you think about!" Chided Hayate, however, that chide was quickly dismissed by her rumbling stomach. "On second thought, let's hurry home, shall we?"

Nodding, Vita took hold of the wheelchair and began pushing it forward. Despite her statements about hurrying home, the small girl propelled the chair at a moderately slow speed, always mindful of Hayate.

In a surge of energy, an enormous spell circle appeared underneath everyone save Fate. Chrono looked at her in shock, "What are you doing, Fate Testarossa!" He tried to rush her, but came to a stop as the spell's barrier pushed him back.

Admiral Lindy looked at her in shock, "This...a teleportation spell? STOP! You shouldn't have the energy left for this big a spell! The damage to your body will be too much! You won't have the power to get yourself away-! No, You can't!"

Ignoring her, Fate carried on, sweat matting her face. "Ngh!" The spell circle grew brighter and brighter, weaving together, obeying the will of its caster.

"FATE!" That was the last thing she heard as the spell completed, Bardiche shattering as every member of the TSAB in the room was teleported to Mid-Childa.

"Falling to her knees, her eyes began to dim as she panted. Mentally and physically drained, she fell on her back. Her eyes barely registered the imaginary space that was all around her by now. The Garden of Time was almost completely gone, and a vortex had formed, drawing everything in at a very quick pace.

"Ah...I forgot...Mother's gift..." Mustering the last of her strength, she reached into her clothes, and pulled out the item Precia had given her. "Thank the gods...it didn't break..." She couldn't see, but just holding it close to her chest she could feel that it was okay.

'Don't worry. I won't let you die. I'll protect you, no matter what!'

As her consciousness slowly faded, a warm, caring sensation engulfed her, a feeling that comforted her even though she knew the endless void of imaginary space was about to engulf her. It was a light feeling, as if something was taking away all of the pain. And for the briefest of moments, she thought she heard a voice calling out to her, assuring that everything would be okay as a blue aura began to engulf her body.

"What...is..." Before she could even think about what was happening, everything slipped into darkness...

It happened in an instant. Vita and Hayate were almost home when they both felt the force of a high-level magic spell activating. In that same instant, Vita had spun around towards the direction of the power, a long mallet-like object appearing in her hands.

"Gefängnis der Magie."

With that phrase, the area around them was enveloped in a force-field, a powerful one that kept everyone inside from escaping, and prevented outside interference. However, what happened next shocked both Vita and Hayate.

The Force-field shattered, as if it were cheap glass.

As soon as it did, a small golden-yellow light descended from the skies with alarming speed and force, falling with a small explosion into a nearby alley. As the smoke and dust kicked up, alarms began to fill the air. Once again, Vita put up a force-field.

"Hayate, stay here! I'm going to-"

"No! I'm coming, too!"

"No way! It whatever that was, it's really strong! You could- HEY!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Hayate had wheeled past her, entering the alley. "Dammit!" Rushing after her, Vita jumped in front of her as Hayate suddenly came to a stop. "What do you think you're doing, Hayate! It's too dangerous!"

"That doesn't matter! That girl, she's hurt!"

"Eh?"

Turning to where Hayate was looking, Vita found a shocking sight, one that made her chest hurt. "What the..." In the very center of the crash area lay a young girl. Her clothes were bloody and tattered, her blond hair a mess. Vita could tell immediately that the young girl had been engaged in battle very recently. She could feel a magic aura around the girl. Although very weak, almost non-existent, the aura was sporadically flowing around the girl, attempting to heal her many injuries.

Her injuries...

The sight of them made Hayate feel sick. The child was bleeding heavily in many areas, bruised and burned in many others. The largest wound was just below her chest. Vita could tell that she had been hit by a very powerful projectile spell and had continued to do battle. It was evident from how the wound had opened up. Hayate looked at Vita, "We have to get her help right away! Vita, can you rush her to the hospital?"

"I don't think taking her to the hospital is the best course of action." The two girls spun around as from the entrance of the alley Signum appeared, a large, dangerous sword in hand. "We felt Vita's force-field just after the surge of magic energy, so I came to check on you two."

Hayate looked at Signum with confused and worried eyes, "Why not! She needs help fast!"

Signum shook her head, "On my way here, I spotted several Time-Space Administration Bureau soldiers scouting out the area, searching for someone. Undoubtedly, they are looking for this girl, possibly aware of her injured state. If we were to take her to the hospital, this child would likely be found and captured by them immediately afterwards."

Hayate nodded, understanding what Signum was saying. "Then we will take her in."

"Are you sure, Hayate-sama? If we were to take this girl in, we would be putting ourselves at risk. Not only would we be putting ourselves at risk of being red-flagged by the TSAB, but there is the high possibility that this girl is dangerous. There's no doubt that she is a mage, and if so, she may attack us. As your guardian, I can't advise this course of action."

"Signum! How could you say that!" Hayate was shocked and appalled by her words, but Vita understood what she meant.

"Signum's not being mean," Vita said after a moment, "she just wants you to make a decision after knowing all of the risks involved. We're your loyal knights; our duty is to protect you from any kind of harm, whether it be past, present, or future. And Signum is the most valiant of the three of us; she would never willingly abandon an injured person in front of her, even if she thinks it would be dangerous."

Hayate nodded, an apologetic look gracing her face, "Then let's hurry and take her home. I know that I don't have the battle experience that you two have, but I can't feel that this girl a danger to us." Then, she smiled at the two of them, "Besides, you are the Wolkenritter. I know that you are capable of handling anything that might happen. Now, quickly, Vita, please pick her up."

Nodding, Vita slowly, gently picked the girl up, careful not to aggravate her wounds any more than necessary. 'She's cold. Her body's completely cold...' Subconsciously, she held the girl closer to her, as if trying to warm her. As she did so, the girl's hair fell away from her face, revealing a small, very pretty golden circlet. Paying it no mind, Vita stood up straight, "Alright, I got her."

Giving Vita and Hayate a nod, Signum raised her sword and with a gust of wind, the four disappeared, never noticing the pair of eyes that were trained on them the entire time.

"..." With a graceful landing, the girl jumped down from her spot on one of the roofs above the alley. "They seem like kind people, especially that 'Hayate' girl. If they had tried to harm Fate-sama in any way, or if they had tried to take her somewhere she would be found by the TSAB, I would have killed them on the spot and left with Fate-sama again..."

A dark look came to the girl's yellow eyes, "...Still, I don't like this. If only I had time to access the Silver Cross before I teleported us, I would have more than enough magic left to protect Fate-sama without hiding in the shadows, preparing for stealth attacks. *sigh* But never mind. I need to return to Fate-sama's side. Fate-sama..."

Now, a sorrowful look crossed the girl's face. "I'm so sorry, Fate-sama. Because of me, you-!" Spinning, she turned to the alley entrance just as the force-field around the area shattered once again, quickly replaced by a new, weaker one. Seconds later, a dozen TSAB soldiers rushed in, weapons at the ready. One of them stepped forward.

"Are you the one that initiated a teleportation spell, as well as put up that force-field? We're with the Time-Space Administration Bureau. I'm afraid that we're going to have to bring you in for questioning. We're currently investigating the massive dimensional transfer that occurred a few moments ago. I'm afraid that we need you to come with us to answer some questions..."

The girl looked at them with impassive eyes. "TSAB... so you don't know about Fate-sama..." The soldiers were shocked by the sudden, blunt statement, "Fate? Fate Testarossa! She's still alive!" But that surprise turned to horror as she continued, "That is beneficial for us. Now to get rid of loose ends."

Raising her hand, a staff appeared in it, igniting into a scythe that very much resembled Bardiche.

"Fire!" Immediately, dozens of spells were shot off at the girl, all with the intent to inflict severe damage. However, at that same moment, a book had appeared at the girl's side, a book that had sealed the soldier's fate as the girl pointed the scythe at the multitude of them.

"-ZERO." That was the last thing the soldier in front heard as a bright light blinded them, and then they were gone, along with their spells, evaporated by the sheer power of the burst of energy.

"Gah!" The few that weren't in the direct line of the blast were knocked off their feet, desperately clutching their chests before becoming motionless. Around them, the sound of something short-circuiting filled the air as lights and signs shut off.

"...Foolish mages." Sighing, she brushed her silvery white hair out of her face, her hand brushing against a golden circlet on her forehead, one identical to the one on fate's forehead. "I need to hurry back to Fate-sama. It's not good to be apart for too long." Slashing her scythe, the barrier disappeared, and the girl disappeared into the darkening sky, the book disappearing just like it first appeared.

Fate awoke with a start. Her body was surging with pain. Pushing past it, she tried to sit up.

"Ah, don't push yourself! You might open your wounds back up!" The moment she heard the voice, a sharp pain shot through her chest. "!" Clutching the sheets beneath her, she cried out, but no sound came to her lips.

"Ah, don't try to move too quickly! The wound on your chest opened again, here, let me bandage it again..." Wincing, she kept her eyes closed as she felt hands gently move across her body.

"...alright, that should do it. How does it feel?"

Opening her eyes, Fate took in the area around her. She was in a warmly painted room, amass with stuffed animals and crayon pictures. The room gave off a warm, secure feeling, a feeling that Fate was unaccustomed to. Wincing, she tried to sit up again.

"Ah, let me help." Slowly, with the help of the same gentle hands, Fate managed to sit up, leaning against the wall. She turned to the person who had been helping her.

"...!" Once again, she tried to say something, yet nothing came out. Surprised, her hand came to her throat. Fate gave the woman a questioning look.

"Are you unable to speak? It might be because of the ordeal you went through. It's okay, I'm sure that there's a lot of things that you have questions about. However, let's start with a small check-up to make sure that there was no damage to your mind, okay?"

Fate nodded. She didn't know where she was, but it was safe to assume that she had been captured by the TSAB. For some reason, she could sense the magical energy that the woman in front of her possessed. She thought it strange that they would be so kind as to place her in such a nice room, but it was probably a tactic to make her comply with their wishes. Still, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"Alright, then. My name is Shamal. Shamal Yagami. Can you remember your name?"

*Nod*

"That's a good start. Can you remember where you are from? Your family?"

Fate's expression was impassive, the girl trying very hard not to recall her mother's words from not too long ago. She was on her own, for however long she might live. She had no family.

Shamal noticed Fate tense up slightly, "I see. Then, do you remember what happened? How you got here?"

Fate looked at her questioningly once again. She remembered what happened fine, but she of course had no idea how she arrived in this room after she lost consciousness. To be honest, she was fully prepared to have died at the Garden.

Shamal seemed to take her confusion as a 'no.' "That's not good. Perhaps your memory was affected after all. Hold on, allow me to use my magic to-!"

Shamal immediately jumped back as a scythe sliced through the air exactly where her hand had been outstretched a split-second ago. In that same instant, Signum and Vita burst through the door, weapons at the ready. Fate, unable to move, could only look in surprise at the silverish haired girl whom was holding her firmly, albeit gently with one arm while brandishing her scythe at Shamal with the other.

"I won't allow you to harm Fate-sama!"

A/N: And with this, the second chapter is finished. I have a lot of ideas for this, and I'm trying not to rush things. Let me know how you feel so far, as well as anything you might want to say, or ideas you may have.

Happy New Years!