Nanoha StrikerS: Pursuit of Perfection 16

Nanoha sat in her uncomfortable seat in the cargo section of the helicopter. The young teen gripped Raising Heart tightly as she hung her head. At periodic intervals the metal rod clinked as she squeezed it tighter, issuing a small whimper as well.

Fate and Hayate were sitting across from her in full battle armor as well. They stared at her, worry all over their faces. She had been in shock when they picked her up in her mission area. Her condition had degraded to this while they were en route to the next target point. 'Hayate, say something desu!' Reinforce Zwei whispered inside her head. 'She won't even be able to defend herself like this desu!'

"Unh." Hayate looked down, trying to muster her courage. "Nano…."

"Nanoha-chan, I'm really glad you're safe!" Fate burst quickly, not even realizing she interrupted. "When Hayate-chan told me you were up against a Singularity Cannon, I was so very worried!"

"That's right, Nanoha-chan! We were ready to defect just to help you!"

"Maybe I should have died there." She whispered, looking away at the devastated buildings below. "I've done something I can't forgive myself for."

Hayate bit her lip. "Nanoha-chan, I don't know what happened down there, and I want to hear it all from you, I really do. But we're going to be going into battle again soon, and if you can't think straight I'm going to have to get the commander to pull you off the flightline!"

"Please, just this once, use our strength to bring you back to us!" Fate pressed her hand against her chest.

"But I…." A tear ran down the brunette's cheek.

The pilot called over the intercom. "Drop point is in 2 minutes. Prepare for combat."

"You'll be doing no such thing!" A voice called over the radio.

"What the?! Aaaagghh!" The chopper banked hard, sending Fate and Hayate tumbling into Nanoha.

Fate looked out the window, seeing a tall man with blue hair and black armor with spikes on his shoulders. "Chrono-nii-chan?!"

"Chrono-kun?" The others looked to the window as well.

"I'm hereby scrubbing this mission. I suspect that you were given false information in briefing."

"What are you saying? If we don't take out the scientific research installations, then singularity weaponry will survive!"

"For God's sake, look around you! Does this look like a scientific research academy to you?!" He swung Durandal around at the small different colored rooftops. "The areas your team was sent to were residential!"

"Ah!" Hayate gasped.

"But we were ordered to eli-!" Fate stepped back.

Nanoha just stood there, wide eyed, trembling. Chrono snarled. "Therefore, stand down! You've been killing civilians!"

Nanoha's staff crashed to the floor. Tears began to run from her cheeks in a flow that could not be stopped. "I… I murdered… IIIIIYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Ah!" Nanoha sat up in bed, panting heavily, sweating. She winced as she remembered the dream, two tears not shed by her younger self rolling out of her eyes. She gripped her covers tightly in one fist. 'Why? Why did that suddenly return to me?' Out of concern for Vivio and Fate, she turned to see if she had woken them, only to find the bedsheets empty. "Fate-chan? Vivio?" She whispered. There was no answer. However she observed a light underneath the door, and a muffled voice from downstairs. "If she's giving Vivio another late night snack…." She slipped on the buttondown shirt she had on her bedpost and quietly padded downstairs.

"Mama, Fate-mama. Why? Please stop. Please?" Vivio's voice was concerned.

"Ahuh! Aahuh ahuh! Aaaahhhh!" It was Fate's cry, but it was dampened.

Nanoha doubled her speed in heading down, not caring if she was heard or not anymore. She found them at the coat closet near the foyer, Fate leaning with her head against the doorframe, holding a long pink scarf to her nose and mouth. Vivio was nudging her with her little hands, trying to get her attention. When she saw the woman, she turned. "Nanoha-mama, Fate-mama is…."

"I can see that, Vivio." She knelt down to her and rubbed her head. "You've been a very good girl in trying to make her happy again. Let Mama take over now, so a certain beautiful little girl can get her beauty sleep."

"Unh." She went to the staircase reluctantly, looking back. "Good night, Nanoha-mama. Fate-mama." She padded off to her room slowly, still wishing she could help more.

Nanoha placed a hand on Fate's back and drew her into her chest. "It's all right, Fate-chan. You can bring that with you, but let's try and sit down for a while, okay?" Fate nodded quickly, and she was guided into the living room, where Nanoha eased her into the sofa before sitting down herself. She finally got a look at the item she was holding. It was Caro's winter scarf. Fate had given it to her the year before as a gift, and when the winter season was over, the young girl had asked if they could store it for her along with her winter clothes.

"Caro… Caro!" Fate sobbed again, taking deep nasal breaths of the scarf.

"It must smell like her." Fate nodded in response, and Nanoha lifted the other end. "May I?" She nodded again, and Nanoha took a whiff. " 'Trap'. You bought her that perfume, didn't you?"

Fate shook her head, taking a deep breath of normal air as she lifted her head. "It was a matching set, the first thing that she bought with her salary. She gave one to me, and kept one for herself. It was a thank you for not giving up on her when everyone else did."

"And that's when you gave her the scarf."

She nodded again. "But now… now…. I can't bear it." She curled up again, sobbing into the scarf. "I… I don't think we'll ever see her again!"

"You don't mean that, Fate-chan."

"Yes I do!" Her head snapped up, her teeth grit, tears streaming down her face. "Look at what she had to do! She summoned Voltaire and all but invalidated her contract just to try and defeat whoever it was that took her from me, and she failed! Who knows what's being done to her?!"

"Fate-chan…."

"And Voltaire lost, and Soran did too. Whoever took her is beyond powerful! Even at level three, she and Kercleyon are only S Rank. Voltaire at full power is quad S. And Soran went down too…. Nanoha-chan, a monster took Caro, and I don't think we're strong enough to get her back!" She collapsed again.

Nanoha sighed, rubbing her lover's back gently. "The perfume, that was her thanking you for not giving up on her, right? Do you still have it?"

"Unh. It's on my dresser in the crystal bottle."

"All right then." Nanoha stood up and whipped around. "Then I don't think you'll mind if I drain it and smash it for you!"

"Eh?!" Fate's head snapped up. "Why would you want to do that?!"

"You just said it yourself! That was a gift for you never giving up on her! Yet look how you're acting! Thinking you'll never see her again! Saying that her captor is too strong for us! You broke your commitment to her just now, the thing that bottle upstairs signifies! Egh!" She dashed upstairs quickly.

"Nanoha-chan, don't!" Before Fate could stand, Nanoha was back downstairs, a small carved crystal bottle in her hand. "I'm begging you, don't!"

"Then take it back. Take back what you said!"

"But I'm telling the truth! I'm not strong enough to save her!"

"KRGH!" Nanoha's fist closed around the bottle and crushed it, blood and perfume dripping to the carpet below.

"NO! Nanoha-chan, why?!" She leapt up and took her by the collar. "Why did you just do that?!"

"Because you don't seem to get it!" Nanoha snarled, pushing her back to the sofa. "It doesn't matter how strong the enemy, or how hopeless the situation seems! We will overcome it, surpass it with our own strength and desire! It's just like you had told Erio-kun! We're committed to each other, and we aren't allowed to give in, because if we do, we are sure to lose!" She shook her scented fist at the blonde. "Now look me in the eye and say that you haven't betrayed your commitment to Caro by saying such worthless things as that!"

"I… I…. What have I done…?" Her body went limp. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Nanoha-chan. I really did betray her, didn't I? I have to keep fighting until the day I can hold her again, don't I? And that's the day I'll apologize to her for my broken promise. Thank you, Nanoha-chan."

"You're welcome." She opened her other hand and dangled the crystal bottle in front of her before putting it in her hand.

"What? But… but how?"

She unclenched her other hand above a trash can, and the shards of crystal fell into it as she wiped off the excess stuck to her. "I had a bottle too. I needed a big production to get you to finally realize. Although this means I'll have to get another bottle later on, but… I think it was worth it."

"Nanoha-chan… you…!" Fate lunged for her, planting a heavy kiss on her lips.

A pair of purple eyes slowly opened, their vision still hazy, as the brain they were attached to perceived the beeping of a vital monitor. Concentrating on that brought him fully to consciousness. His eyes went wide. "Caro!" He sat up quickly, and the vital scanner turned off. "Damn it, what the hell am I doing here?! Why am I hooked up to this stuff?!" He saw an IV needle in his right arm and tried to pull it out, but his left arm never appeared in front of his vision. "Uh?" He looked to his left, his arm just hanging there, unresponsive. "Come on, connect! Damn it, I'll have to reset it." He reached his opposite arm over and gripped it hard, digging his fingernails into it, wincing from the needle shifting in his vein. "GARGH!" The sting of the needle was soon forgotten as all the nerve endings in his left arm were forcibly severed and reconnected.

"Soran? Soran-kun!" Subaru rushed into the room. "What's wrong?!"

"Just… shut up for a second!" He sweated as he raised his left arm, flexing it. "Final connection… lock!" He slumped down, panting, before ripping out the shunt in his good arm. "Come on, Subaru, we have to hurry! I saw the direction he took her in. We should still be able to catch up if we use our ACS!" He stood up on shaky legs.

"Soran, stop." She pulled in front of him and gave him a tight hug. "It's been a whole 36 hours already."

"Eh?!" Soran gasped. "Then…" He plopped back down on the bed. "Kuso…." His fists shook. "I failed Caro, KUSO!"

A pair of blue eyes slowly opened, their vision still hazy, as the brain they were attached to perceived the B Flat of an electronic hum. Her head turned to one side as her eyes started to clear. "Where…?" She was lying on a flat board with a thin cushion on it, and in front of her were thick metal bars with a glowing security field cast through them.

On the other end, a worker droid slid up to the metal lattice. "Subject Caro Ru Lushe confirmed conscious. You will not be harmed in this facility unless you attempt to use any magical abilities, which will be punished. The food polymers delivered to you twice a day are formulated for the proper nutrition for your biological functions. Eat them. You will be released when the master gives his permission."

"Master? Who is this Master?" She blinked as she sat up, wincing from the bruises and wounds she was still recovering from.

"Instruction Tutorial complete, resuming normal functions." The robot skated off.

"Not interactive." She sighed, gripping her forehead as she began to reminisce on the battle. "Soran-san…." She fell back to the makeshift bed and curled up.

Soran brought some fresh meat and vegetables on a large metal plate and placed it in front of Friedrich. He knelt down and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Fried. I failed your master. I couldn't do any-" Suddenly Fried's clawed foot slammed into him, sending him flying into the wall. "Fried… I'm sorry…" The dragon snarled and charged, headbutting the teen and sending him through the wall to the asphalt outside. "So this is my punishment then?" He sighed as Fried flapped his wings and tore outside with his beak wide open, charging up a fireball.

"Fried stop this!" Fate dashed in front of him and spread her arms. "Stop attacking, it's not Soran's fault, and you know it!"

"GOOOAAAHHH!" His head swiped her out of the way.

"Fate-san!" Soran gasped.

"Daahh!" Erio came down from above. "Shiden Issen!" The voltage sparked into the dragon's back.

"KAAARRR!" He cried before he went down.

Erio grabbed his reins tightly before he could come to again. "He's too dangerous for you to confront right now. If he's enraged I can't keep him at bay for very long, so hurry and get out of here."

"Unh." Soran lowered his head and walked away, biting his lower lip hard, his fist trembling at his side.

Erio shoved a carrot into Fried's mouth, taking the dragon's mind off things. "Erio-kun…" Fate walked up to him, rubbing her arm slightly. "You know how he's feeling right now. You shouldn't be harsh with him."

"Tch!" He looked towards the figure heading back to base, intercepted by Hayate and Rein. "I have my own feelings about the situation, Fate-san. I'm entitled to them as everyone else is."

"Soran-kun, are you feeling up to having a debriefing now?" Hayate smiled at him as best she could.

Soran looked away from her. "Even Fried is suffering… because I couldn't protect her… couldn't stop him…. I was useless and…."

Hayate wrapped her arms around the boy, silencing him with surprise. "Just because you're the older male forward on the team doesn't mean you always have to act tough, Soran-kun." She stared into his eyes. "It's okay to let it out."

Soran returned the stare as he gritted his teeth, squinting. The two tears rolling down his cheeks was enough to make his composure break. "I'm sorry Commander! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! If I could have managed to be there…. I'm sorry!"

"We were separated…." Soran said as he gripped his knees. All of the commanders and subcommanders had their eyes on him, an unwanted part of the debriefing process. "Some kind of unbreakable clear substance slid down between us, effectively cutting us off from each other. I tried my hardest to break through it, but nothing worked, not even my blades' Stone Biter. She was trying to tell me something, and then ran off down the hall."

"So you elected to follow your path as well, in hopes that yours would cross with hers." Hayate commented quickly. She had sensed his frustration early on, and wanted to expedite the processes as best she could.

"Right." Soran nodded. "What I wound up coming across was an endless hall filled with traps and turrets. They just kept coming, no matter how many I disabled. I have no idea how long I had run, shooting and slashing them down one by one. In retrospect, I don't think it was a real hall anyway. It was probably some kind of moving hallway, kind of like walking up a down escalator."

"Why's that?"

"Some of the hallway panels were already destroyed. Things that I had taken care of before, but didn't notice at the time."

"So how did you escape from the trap?" Zaphila looked up from his curled up position on the bench.

"Simply put, I didn't. Eventually a high powered magical weapon tore through the hall right in front of my face, and I was caught up in the shockwave, and swept into the side of a building with the rest of the debris."

"Voltaire's Mana Cannon." Fate bit her lip.

"The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground face up with a few rocks around me, staring at what I'm guessing was Voltaire, firing beam weapons into the sky. I saw Caro sitting on the ground at the edge of a crater, and then she struggled to stand." He turned to Fate. "I'm sorry to be so graphic, but her leg was drenched in blood, and some was dripping down her arm too." Nanoha was immediately rubbing her back, trying to give her some comfort. "I tried to call to her, but she was too far away, and I was too weak to use my telepathy. She jumped higher than I had ever seen her before, but soon she was sent to the rocks again. It was only after that I managed to look into the sky, and the person that blew her away."

"You mean you saw him?!"

"Not very well, I'm afraid." Soran shook his head. "I was too far away to get any details, but the attacker was male, and dressed all in black armor. I don't know much else other than that. Then he aimed his weapon at Voltaire and fired some kind of shot I've never seen before." The three commanders started whispering to each other. "It expanded into a field around us that turned everything into a zero-g environment. Voltaire, Caro, and I were all floating around, unable to control our movements in the field." Soran balled his fist. "Then that bastard dove in and stabbed Voltaire in the chest! He couldn't defend himself or anything, and he was just…."

"Merciless…." Signum shook her head.

"Ah." The boy snarled. "The attack sent the dragon falling to the ground, but Caro was right in the path! I knew I had to do something or else she would've been crushed, so with everything I had left I pulled out Kiryu and Garyu for balance and activated my ACS. But instead of sending me in towards her, it slammed me to the side of the building rubble! Voltaire hit Caro, Caro hit the ground, and the field's effect wore off, sending me down, probably where you guys found me. Voltaire had disappeared and that guy picked her up and flew off with her. That's all I remember."

"So you never actually fought this enemy?" Hayate asked quickly.

"No ma'am. I wish I had, after seeing what the fight did to the Little Princess…. Commander, please promise me that if we find him, I get first dibs!" His words were soaked in rage. "I got her involved and I let her down. I won't be able to forgive myself if someone else takes him!"

"Soran…." Hayate sighed. "Rein, please get that thing we found."

"Hai desu." Rein left quickly.

"I'd like to remind you all that this investigation is strictly confidential. This also applies to the other Forwards. They are strictly on a need-to-know basis, and right now, they don't need to know."

Rein returned with a small sanitary bag with a golden casing in it. "Here it is desu. Straight out of decontam."

Soran's eyes went wide, and he snatched the bag from her hands, twirling the shell around. "Type 3…. Where in the world did you find a type 3?"

"We found it in the middle of the battlefield." Nanoha answered. "Soran-kun, if you didn't fight this enemy, then you didn't use any Casters, right?"

"N-no… masaka! You mean that… KGH!" Soran grit his teeth. "So that's what that was… he used a Caster on Voltaire! SHIT!"

"Soran, did you have a number 3 with you at all?"

"No, all I kept on me are a 0 and a 2. I hadn't even seen an unused 3, not even during my time in Slipstream! But that explains the zero gravity."

"So you know what they do?"

"Well, yeah. You can't be a Caster user without at least knowing the base functions, even if it is a trump card. A number 3's ability is Lagrange Point."

"The point of gravitational equilibrium between moons and planets where there is no gravitational pull either way?" Fate looked up, a bit curious.

"Well that's the standard definition anyway. The Caster forcibly creates a temporary Lagrange Point, where gravity and propulsion constants don't apply. It's what made my ACS go crazy and dealt me the finishing blow. He must have used it just to do get Voltaire off balance. Wasting a number 3 on something like that…."

"Wasting? What do you mean, brat?" Vita took the shell from him and inspected it.

"Numbers 0, 1, and 3 are extremely rare pieces with practical applications. Rein and I escaped Slipstream with number 1 to drill and number 0 to warp. Number 3 can be used during building collapses or rockslides and things of that nature to move extremely heavy rubble that's burying or trapping people. The rubble can be moved to the side easily while the trapped people float out and can be picked up. But to apply such a lifesaving shell as a weapon is disgusting!"

"It also means that this person is extremely dangerous. We need to be careful. From now on, we're going to high alert status." Hayate stood and made a fist. "Whatever reason this person has, he didn't kill Caro, he took her. That means he wants something from us. We'll hear from him again."

"So, what happened in there?" Tea said as she leaned against the window in the lounge, with Subaru and Erio looking up from their card game.

"Most of it is classified stuff, so I can't say." Soran shook his head.

"Tch… classified…." Tea huffed.

"But we're going to be on high alert status. No one leaves the base without permission, and anyone that leaves goes in pairs at the very least."

"What about finding Caro?" Erio spoke quickly, looking at his watch.

"We're not taking any action."

"EH?!" The other girls in the room gasped, as Erio started tapping his foot.

"Yagami-daicho believes that the kidnapper will try to come into contact with us with their demands. It's best to stay put until then."

"Kuso." The pre-teen whispered as he looked at his watch again.

Soran side glanced the boy before turning to Subaru. "All immediate family members are being warned of the threat. Fate-san and Nanoha-san are bringing Vivio here. Su, your father was informed of the situation, but I'm not so sure about Gin. You might want to give her a call."

"Yeah, good idea. At the very least, she shouldn't leave the Rehab compound if she can't make it here." Subaru went off to use the phone.

Teana pushed herself off of the wall. "I have something to talk to the subcommanders about. I'll be back for dinner."

A short black-clad figure rushed out onto the large concrete floor, hugging metal and darkness as he quickly made his way to his target. Seeing the gate, he quickly swiped his card. It gave a negative beep. He did it again, and once again, nothing. "Come on!" He hissed.

"You're usually not one to break regulations." A voice made him whirl around as spotlights came on around the Star. A lone figure sat on top of one of the motorcycles in the garage. "Are you Erio-kun?"

"Tch." The boy removed his ski mask and snarled. "This isn't your problem, Soran. Go back to bed." He swiped his card again.

"If I go back, it's to report you, Erio!" Soran hopped off the bike and walked forward. The young boy ignored him as he swiped his pass again. Soran jingled his keys. "I've already taken over that lock with Barrage, and the outside gate with Rainbow. Your pass is useless unless I say otherwise."

"You bastard!" Erio glared at him. "Just what do you want?"

"Either we both go back and forget this ever happened, or you tell me what it said. You've already been contacted by Caro's kidnapper, haven't you?"

"Kuso!" He slammed his fist into the door. "Was I really that obvious?"

"You were looking at your watch every 15 seconds. It was pretty obvious to me. The others were distracted with other things, so I don't think they took too much note of it. So?"

The boy clenched his fist. " 'If you want to save her, have a duel with me. You win, she goes free. You lose, you join her. 2 AM, Melchior Stadium.' No sender, no time stamp."

Soran turned around as his jacket materialized. "I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are!"

"Regulations, Erio. No one leaves the base without a partner, and I'm yours."

"My partner is Caro."

"In case you haven't noticed, Caro isn't here! She's over there. Now the only other person that was around when she was kidnapped was me. I know more about what we're about to get into than you could, and I'm telling you right now that you are going to be walking into a trap!" Soran wheeled his blue bike up to him.

"No shit, Sherlock! See? I can be an annoying punk too!"

Soran grabbed him by his cuff and raised him to eye level. "Maybe you aren't getting it yet! The only way you're getting out of here is in my sidecar! I want to give that bastard a licking just as much as you do!" He dropped him. "We have the same goal here, Erio: Get Caro back. Now, are you in or out?!"

Erio's shoulders shook in anger. "RrrrrrRRRRRRRH!" He went silent after his buildup and sat down in the bike's passenger seat.

Soran smiled, letting out a nasally sigh. He mounted the bike and cranked the starter. "Barrage, remote activation."

"Understood." The door shimmered before disappearing.

"Rainbow, open gate when in broadcast proximity." Soran twisted the throttle and gunned it. The security gate slid open right as the two boys burst out, taking to the streets. The sleepy military base didn't even raise an alarm.

Erio looked at Strada's terminal. "If it's Melchior Stadium, he'll probably be using high energy attacks, but that will still work to my advantage in the realm of speed and dashing."

"That's assuming that we make it there." Soran grunted. "Caro and I ran into a ton of traps before she met him. It was planned out in every detail. It's like he knew exactly what we were going to do. Make sure you check your surroundings in there."

"You don't have to tell me that. Just worry about yourself, and I'll worry about me."

"Ah. That might be the best after all. He was depending on our teamwork that time. But this time, I'll make sure he doesn't get the best of me! I'll rescue Caro for sure!"

"KGH!" Erio stood and gave Soran a strong left hook. The bike tilted on its side and skidded to a stop as they were thrown from it.

"Gah." Soran grunted as he struggled to get up. "What the hell is your problem?! You almost got us both killed there!"

Erio rushed him and completed another hit. "Get this straight right now! I'm going to be the one to rescue Caro! I'm the one who cares the most about her, and I won't lose her to the likes of you!"

"I never wanted her in the first place!" Soran got up and wiped the blood off his lip.

"It's not a matter of you wanting her, it's what she wants that matters! Ever since you came around, she's been infatuated by you! I'm going to be the one to save her, and I'll get her back in the process! You're not needed here!" Erio turned towards the stadium and started walking.

"Stop." Soran said quickly. He didn't. "Kgh! STRUGGLE BIND!" Energy ropes lashed out from his palm and wrapped around the boy.

"You really are a bastard." Erio grunted as he fought against the containment field as Soran put himself between the stadium and the boy.

"I'm not in competition with you here, Erio. If you want to take credit for her rescue, go ahead. I don't care. But I'm supposed to be looking out for you in there, and you're not thinking straight!"

"Shut up! How would you know?! You're not the one who loves her, I am!"

"It's because you love her that your judgment is being clouded, Erio! Don't you get it? If you just jump in there and be reckless in a flashy manner, you're going to lose in there! Our enemy is smart, very smart, and if we don't do this right, we're going to lose!"

"You just think that I'm going to drag you down!" Erio's hair slowly stood on end as he gathered up his magical electricity. "Well that's not going to happen! I'm strong enough to beat him with or without you!"

"KGH!" Soran snarled. "Dark Trinity weapons, full limiter release! Maximum power!"

"Gillium Form!"

He thrust the golden barrel under Erio's chin. "Then prove it, Erio! Prove to me that you're strong enough! If you want to beat him so badly, then go through me! Break that spell and take my weapon! Just know that when you do, you'll have in your hands the exact same power he does!"

"Uh?!"

"The bastard that kidnapped Caro uses Casters."