AN: Yo~ It's been a really long time since our last talk, eh? Well, here's another update!

Oh and if you're ever wondering, in this story, Fate and Nanoha was about 20 at the time.

Hope you guys enjoy reading my story. And review pls.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Far and Away

Chapter 4

The sound of a rooster woke her up from a restless night. Fate sat up and looked out the window. The sky was the color of gray. The air was dry and cold, typically fall in Ireland. Fate stood up and reached for her clothes, which were placed neatly on the bedside table. The clothes were fresh and clean, the servants in this house sure do their jobs well, she noted.

Fate was fastening her braces when she heard a loud noise at the door. She quickly turned around, waiting for what was coming. Voices of men shouted to each other as they took down the bars were her signal. Maybe they had come to take her. It was at dawn and the dual would begin in minutes.

Now that she had considered the auburn-haired girl's words, she regretted shooing her away. Fate leaned her head against the window and glanced down, hoping to see a beautiful goddess with sapphire eyes and rich mane of chestnut hair. You should have taken that offer, Fate.

"Miss?"

Fate turned around to a tiny voice. A maid with shoulder-length black hair carried a silver tray inside the room. Aroma of hot toast and scrambled eggs filled up Fate's nostrils and her mouth watered. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and the wounds on her leg didn't make it easier. Her injured leg had gobbled most of her remain energy, leaving her dizzy and nauseous.

"Your breakfast." The maid put the tray down on the bedside table after she had put all of the furniture away. She then set a small chair before it so that Fate could sit on and have her meal.

Fate hesitated at first but then her stomach was protesting painfully and the encouraging look the maid was giving her made Fate's mind stop. The blonde quickly sat down and immediately stuffed food in her awaiting mouth. She was too hungry that she didn't think of using any of the offered forks and knifes. She reached for a toast and took a big bite into her mouth. The taste of butter and strawberry jam blended together along with the crispy bread almost made Fate want to cry. She thrust a handful of eggs into her mouth while still tried to swallow the toast, completely oblivious to a slightly disgusting look the maid was throwing at her.

After finishing her big breakfast, Fate felt as if she was alive again. The searing pain in her leg seemed to disappear somehow. She stood up, stretched her arms and felt like she could fight any man right now.

Two men came in after the maid had cleaned up the tray and left. One of them took Fate's arm and pulled her toward the door. Fate yanked her arm back and instead walked out of the room voluntarily. The men followed suit without a word. They led her downstairs, through a small gate in the back garden. They followed a path that led to the forest in silence. All the while, Fate was debating whether she should run, however, she noticed the men were armed with guns and knives, she wouldn't want to risk her life by the hands of these filthy scum. If she died in the dual, she would die standing.

The path finally led them to a clearing. Fate squinted her eyes to have a better vision as the fog had mercilessly enveloped the whole area. In a distance, there stood Yunno Scrya, the landlord Takamachi and few other men, they all dressed in suit.

"These weapons belonged to my father's father." Yunno said as Fate and the men approached him. Standing next to him was a servant in a black suit. He was carrying a black wooden box, there were two guns inside.

"His father's father was an ass." Shiro came to Fate. He said in a low voice so that no one could hear except the blonde. "I've asked to serve as your second in this barbarism." He placed a hand on Fate's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"I appreciate that, sir." Fate said.

"Choose one of those things…" The landlord pointed his thumb toward the black box.

Fate limped toward the servant with the box in hand, all the while never took her eyes off her enemy's ones. It was as if she tried to burn the blond man with her murderous stare. The red-eyed girl finally dropped her heated gaze and looked down at the finely polished guns. They were made of expensive-looking wood with silver lining for decoration. They were stunningly beautiful. She took one in her hand, admiring it silently.

"You had a good breakfast this morning, didn't you?" Shiro asked.

"It was grand, sir. Thank you."

"Good."

"Count away. Fifteen paces." One of Yunno's men called out, indicating the start.

Fate threw the man one last glare then turned around, walking away. A man began to count in the background.

"This way, child." Shiro guided Fate to the opposite side of the clearing. The fog started to thicken. "Ah, fog…My life is one long mollifying fog. The land I hold, I inherited, it manages itself with a foggy logic of its own." He began to ramble. "Child, I was up thinking about you all night long. I knew nothing of your family or their eviction. I'm sorry for their pain. I understand why you came to murder me, and I don't blame you for it at all."

"Fifteen! Turn, each man, and fire!" The servant yelled and Shiro and other men immediately got away to the side. The duel had begun.

Fate quickly turned around and was greeted with grayish white. All she could see was fog and fog, nothing more. "I can't see anything!" yelled Fate. She started to sweat bullet.

"I can." Yunno said in an amusing tone.

Fate was panicking. She involuntarily retreated. In her mind, a hundred thoughts were being processed. Right now while she was scrambling like a blind dog, the blond bastard might lurk around behind her back and could put her to her knees in any seconds. She raised her gun, aiming at nothing in hopelessness. Her hand began to shake vehemently and she cursed loudly.

Then suddenly, Fate's ears caught something, something sounded like hooves rammed down on the road and someone's yelling voice. She turned to the direction of the sounds and in the dense fog, a figure gradually made its appearance. It was an auburn-haired girl, riding a carriage.

"Girl! Girl! Come away from there!" Nanoha yelled to Fate as she wielded her horse to a slow stop.

"Nanoha, get out of the way!" Yunno shouted irritatingly.

"Assess your stupidity, girl! This is your last chance." The landlord's daughter completely ignored the blond man as she went on.

"Get away from me, woman!" Fate shouted, waving her arm angrily.

"As you wish." Nanoha hissed. She shouted and jerked the reins to put her horse into a run, leaving the foolish blonde behind.

Fate watched the girl leave while her heart was on fire. She paled as she heard Yunno cocked his gun. He was ready to shoot her and here she was, stading in the middle of the field like a wretched prey, accepting its inevitable death. Fate looked at the direction of the landlord's daughter again, biting her lip. Then she threw her gun away, running after her.

"Wait! Wait!" The blonde girl shouted as she ran after the other's girl carriage. With her long, athletic legs, she hopped up the vehicle in just one jump. She groaned slightly as her injured leg hit the hard board.

"Nanoha! Nanoha!" A Momoko Takamachi yelled desperately as she too, ran after her daughter. She ran pass her husband, who just stood there, dumbfounded. "Don't."

"Good bye, Yunno." Nanoha cried excitedly, grinning ear to ear at the confused blonde man.

"'Good-bye'?" Yunno dashed forward. He waved his arms violently at his gun men. "Don't shoot!"

"Nanoha! Come back! Nanoha!"

Momoko's voice was now only an echo to Nanoha's ears as the girl had run away for miles.

"I saved your neck. You remember that!" Nanoha said over her shoulders. She laughed merrily, completely oblivious to a slightly distress blonde. Little did she know Fate's heart was beating in her ears. The blonde wasn't sure whether she should be happy for escaping her death miraculously or be damned for following an arrogant princess who didn't even know how to tie her shoes.

The duel ended with a chain of gunfires coming from the wife of the landlord followed by her miserable cry. She'd snatched the gun from the stunned blond man and fired in the air, releasing her anguish for failing in the task of raising her daughter. It was at least what she thought.

Fate begrudgingly poured tea to a porcelain cup. She was on a ship to America with her least favorite person. Turned out the landlord's daughter whose name was Nanoha had planned her escape quite carefully. She'd already bought her own ticket, booked her room and packed all the necessary things into huge suitcases which Fate assumed were filled with frilly dresses. And now, Fate was playing the servant role of the beautiful young lady who was sitting quite comfortably in her armchair, looking at the sea, waiting for her tea.

"Thank you, girl."

"Don't call me 'girl'." Fate grumbled. "I have a name and it's Fate."

"Sugar."

Fate swallowed and tried to stay calm. As hard as she would accept the truth, Miss nose-always-in-the-air here saved her life and offered her a place to sleep and eat. She bent down, picked up a sugar cube with a pick and dropped it into the tea.

"Two."

Fate clenched her fists tightly. Maybe this girl saved her life but it didn't mean she had a right to order around like a queen. She sure was a princess to everyone back home, but not to Fate. She obeyed no one but her mother. The blonde put the stupid pick aside and instead used her bare fingers to handle the sugar cube. She picked it up and threw it carelessly into the auburn girl's cup of tea then brushed her hands soundly.

"You might display some gratitude considering I paid for your passage." Nanoha picked up her cup gracefully and started to stir the tea inside. "I paid, let me remind you." She purposefully stressed the 'I'.

Fate rolled her eyes. She would have to put up with the princess for the rest of the journey till they set foot on America soil. And to think of that, she cursed silently. How can someone as beautiful as her be such a pain I the ass, Fate thought. Before she met the girl in person and received a stab in the leg, Fate used to yearn to see the goddess. She used to want to know more about the girl, to talk and to hear her laughters coming from those cute lips. But now, she would trade everything to stop her annoyingly boring speech about manners.

"Afternoon." A gentlemen interrupted the peaceful tea time. He looked around his thirties, tall, dark-gray hair, dressed in a classy suit. He was a fine-looking man.

"Oh, good afternoon." Nanoha smiled sweetly at the man and Fate rolled her eyes again.

"Forgive me if I'm intruding, but I wonder if you'd enjoy a gentle stroll around the deck? My name's McGuire, from Boston, Massachussets."

"Oh, you're American." Nanoha exclaimed, showing interest.

"Irish born. I went back for personal reasons."

"A stroll would be delightful, Mr. McGuire." Nanoha flashed another dashing smile at the man. She held out her hand for him to get and stood up. "Parasol." The landlord's daughter called out to Fate over her shoulders as she walked along side the stranger toward the deck.

"In my imagination, America is a wonderfully modern place. Am I right?" Nanoha chatted animatedly.

"Modern as modern can be. The people, the culture, the industry."

"What about the land?" Fate interrupted from behind, hand still carried a yellow parasol.

"I beg your pardon?" The man frowned slightly at her.

"This girl's got it in her head that they're giving land away for free." Fate flipped her head in Nanoha's direction. She was so focused on the man that she didn't notice the annoying look the redhead was throwing at her.

"That's true, Oklahoma territory. The West's opening up."

"Can't be good land." Fate shook her head, amazed.

"It's the finest in the world. Seeds flourish in it. The cattle that grow upon it are fat as elephants." The man replied proudly.

"How do you get it, Mr. McGuire? Is it there when you step off the boat?"

"Oh, no. You have to travel miles or so. When you get there, you'll have to run for the land in a race. "

"A race?" Nanoha exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't lose time in Boston. As soon as you can, purchase horses, a wagon and supplies."

"…"

"Have I upset you?" He asked as Nanoha seemed troubled.

"I didn't expect it to be so complicated."

"We're very fortunate. Any difficulty can be overcome with money." The man smiled.

"Excuse me," Nanoha turn to Fate. She took the parasol from the blonde's hand and held on to it. "I'd like to speak with Mr. McGuire alone." She looked Fate deep in the eyes, leaving no place for argument.

Fate looked at her, then the man, then her again. She tried to send a telepathic message to the chestnut-haired girl through her gaze that she did not want to leave her alone with him. She didn't trust him. But Nanoha's blue orbs were piercing her and she couldn't seem to make any excuses to stay. Those sapphire gems were a deadly weapon and Fate found it very difficult not to obey. She finally gave in and turned to walk back to their seats. Nanoha would scream if anything ever happened and she would come and punch the shit out of the man. Fate smiled to herself when she recalled the first time they met. The girl got quite a mouth and had scared Fate to death when she'd run away, screaming madly.

Nanoha's eyes followed Fate's retreating figure till she disappeared around the corner. She noted that the blonde got quite a nice bottom and long back. She never did realize that Fate looked really good in men's clothes, with her broad shoulders, her tall frame and tan skin. Then come her rich mane of golden hair. Compare to all the men she had encountered in her life, Fate'd outdone all of them. There was something so gentle about her, so safe and yet so strong and aggressive. The blonde seemed to have many faces and Nanoha yearned to peel them all off.

"Ahem."

"Oh, forgive me ." Nanoha quickly turned to the man, a sweet smile on her face. "Where were we? Ah… , I do have money…but it's in the form of spoons."

"Spoons?"

"Ancient spoons made of silver. I'd planned to sell them when I arrived in Boston."

"Well, I can recommend a couple of shops that will treat you honestly."

"Oh, I'm very much obliged to you, sir."

"Pleasure's mine."

"Thank you." Nanoha faked a giggle that she knew would get any men weak. And to her, this man was no exception.

"America." Nanoha muttered. "I'm here. I've made it. I've arrived, Fate." She turned to the blonde next to her with a brilliant smile on her face as they made their way through the crowd at the Boston Harbor.

Hundreds of people, men, women, even children gathered up at the gate of the port, shouting for acquaintances. Here and there, men with Italian and French accent cried their wares of hats and countries flags. Boys, screaming to customers for hotels and services, threaded their way through streams of people gushing out from the gate. It was chaotic but it was alive with excitement and promises.

"Your great friend, Mr. McGuire, has vanished." Fate said sarcastically. She stood in front of the landlord's daughter, shielding her. She'd rather let people bump into her than have them touch Nanoha. She didn't know why but she felt like it was her duty to protect the naïve girl.

"Oh! There he is. Mr. McGuire!" Nanoha called, waving excitedly. "Over here!"

"Ah, there you are." Mr. McGuire laughed from afar.

Fate tried to catch up with the auburn-haird girl as she'd already ran to the gentleman. In her rush she bumped into a boy, unintentionally knocking him flat to the ground.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Fate immediately pulled the boy up into a standing position and brushed off his jacket.

"You're strong!" The kid exclaimed. "Hey, you're Irish? I can take you to the ward boss. Need work? Need lodging? There are people who hate the Irish. You can't get nothing without the ward boss. He's the biggest man in Boston." The boy rambled in a dizzying speed. He was yelling, holding on to Fate as if she was a lifebuoy.

"Go fleece somebody else, boy." Mr. McGuire bagged in. He grabbed the boy's neck and literally throwing him away. "I know the games of these shysters. Come on, Miss Takamachi, I'll find you a suitable hotel. Cab!" He took Nanoha's suitcase and waved for a carriage.

"Thank godness for Mr. McGuire." Nanoha exclaimed. She looked at Fate expectantly, waiting for her praise. But instead, the blonde gave her a concern look.

"Take Miss Takamachi here to a decent hotel." Mr. McGuire said to the driver as he loaded Nanoha's suitcases to the back of the carriage.

Nanoha left the man to talk to the driver. She instead, turned to look at Fate, who oddly had turned quiet. "Well, you've certainly upheld your end of the bargain." She tried to sound casual for she knew it was time to say good-bye.

"Good luck, Nanoha." Fate smiled gently. She held out her hand for a farewell-handshake and the other girl took it.

"Good luck, Fate."

Again, Nanoha watched Fate walking away. Only this time, the blonde would be gone forever. It was the least possible thing for them to meet again. They were finally in America, the land of promises. A whole new world was awaiting them. They would go and build their future in their own ways. This was good-bye, and oddly, Nanoha felt a pang in her chest. An unexplainable sadness engulfed her heart and she clutched at her chest involuntarily. She was trying to deny it, deny the truth that she did not want Fate to leave. Yes, she wanted Fate to be by her side, not as a servant, but as a friend.

The landlord's daughter held her breath as Fate suddenly turned to look back. Their eyes met, briefly, and the blonde smile at her, a broken smile. And she knew. She knew what she was going to do.

As Nanoha was about to open her mouth, a deep male voice from behind her cut in.

"Hey, McGuire." Two men with scars on their faces appeared at the back of the carriage.

"Yes?" McGuire turned to the mention of his name.

"Welcome back."

Then they pulled out their guns and fired at once, piercing McGuire's chest with too bullets, sending him backward, laying motionless on the ground. Silver spoons flew out of his jacket, plastered all over the place. Men from nearby came running at the dead body. They crouched and collected all the spoons in a haste. The crowd upon hearing the gunshots, turned up side down. People gathered around to see what the fuss was about. They only saw a dead body of a man and a young woman who was screaming.

"Oh, my God! My spoons! They're taking my spoons!" Nanoha screamed. She stood there, watching the men take away her money in helplessness. "No, please, they're mine. He stole them from me."

"Nanoha!" Fate shouted as she ran toward the crowd. She pushed and bumped at people violently to make her way to the crying girl. "Nanoha?"

"Fate, Mr. McGuire stole my spoons! That dead man stole my spoons!" Nanoha cried lustily. "My bag, they're taking everything!" She screamed and pointed at the direction of a man running away with her bag.

Fate said no more and bolted toward the thief. She jumped at the man, knocking him down the road and yanked the bag back.

Suddenly, yells and shouts from afar panicked the crowd. Cops on horses galloped from the corner of the street, blowing on their whistles loudly.

"Come away, Nanoha. We have to go." Fate took Nanoha's hand and hastily pulled her to a run. They were Irish and she knew the cops wouldn't be nice at all if they caught them involved in this mess.

"I have nothing now. I have no money." Nanoha cried repeatedly. "God is punishing me, Fate. I stole those spoons from my mother the morning I ran away." She wept.

"Hey you!" Fate stopped abruptly. She reached out her hand and grabbed at the boy who bumped into her earlier, blocking his escape. "Stand still."

"I didn't do nothing!" The boy struggled violently in her grasp.

Fate tightened her hold on the boy's arms, locking his movement in a vice-like grip. "Who's this man, the ward boss?" She shouted.

They headed to a grand-looking hotel at the end of the street, far away from the port. The boy led them through a lobby full of customers to a corridor at the far end. They threaded their way to a large saloon where a fighting match was in the middle of action. Men and women gathered into a circle as they stood and watched two men facing each other in a fighting position, fists in front of their faces, ready to strike.

"That's him there, fighting in the fancy clothes. Mike Kelly, his name is." The boy said to Fate as they were now inside the saloon.

"Nanoha, you should stand back over there." Fate gently pushed the auburn girl back but her hand was squatted away.

"Don't shield me, Fate. It's only a boxing match."

Just when Nanoha made a step forward, the man called Mike Kelly had thrown a hook punch in the other fellow's face, bending his face to the side, blood squirted out of his nose.

"Ah!" Nanoha yelped as blood from the beaten man splattered on her face.

"What?" Mike Kelly haulted his movement and asked only to be punched back in the face. He fell onto the floor with a thud.

"Sorry, Mike." The other boxer came and helped him sit up.

"Mike isn't happy when he loses." The boy whispered to Fate. He jerked his head toward a certain auburn princess and knitted his brows.

Fate threw her companion a look that said 'Really?' and received a shrug. She shook her head and returned her attention back to the man on the floor, waiting for his wrath.

Mike Kelly raised his hand to his mouth and pulled out a tooth. His eyes widened in anger. He threw the tooth away and moved to stand. "You distracted me." He pointed at Nanoha angrily.

"You weren't concentrating." Fate took a step in front of the auburn girl, shielding her.

"A scrappy Uminary kid, huh?" Mike chuckled. Other men in the saloon took side with him, laughing out loud. "Fresh off the boat. Follow me."

"Fate-"

"Not you, kid! You just cost me part of a tooth." Mike shouted to Nanoha as she was pulling at Fate's sleeve.

"If she gets to go, then I get to go, too." The landlord's daughter snapped back.

"I am Mike Kelly!" The ward boss roared, shutting everybody, even the defiant girl. "Who is this bit of a snit anyway?"

"I'm-"

"She's my sister." Fate quickly interrupted before her annoying companion could said any more of the nonsense.

"Certainly, she's not a pain in the ass, eh?" Mike snorted and walked away.

"Sister?" Nanoha grabbed Fate's arm and yanked her toward her. "Our blood's not even the same temperature." She hissed.

"Nanoha…" Fate gently removed the other girl's hand off her arm. She put a hand on her back and walked her to the far corner of the room. "These people are my kind of people. And my kind doesn't like your kind. In fact, they hate everything about you." Fate whispered into her ears.

Nanoha turned around and saw dirty-looking people staring at her. And she didn't like the way they were looking at her. Actually, she was afraid of the lustful look the men were throwing at her, some even flashed disgusting smiles with decayed teeth.

"Now," Fate continued. "For some reason or other I'm willing to lie for you. Or we could tell them you're a rich Protestant. Might be fun."

"No, Fate." Nanoha paled. She shook her head immediately. "My sister."

"Good." Fate smiled. For the first time, she finally could shut the princess up.

"What do you call yourself, girl?" Mike sat down at his office table. He opened a silver box, took out one cigar and clamped his teeth on it, chewing lightly.

"Fate Testarossa."

"Alright, Fate. I'll go straight to work. You and your sister are quite a sight. You would bring grand money to me." He laughed as he lit his cigar. "You and the girl can begin serving customers tomorrow. I'll have a word with-"

"We don't do prostitution, Mr. Kelly." Fate said sharply.

"What?" Mike halted his movement. He looked at the blonde before him quizzically. "What else do you want to do?"

"We can scrub floor, clean horse stalls, whatever you demand but not prostitution."

"Look, kid. You think you can do all that? You're only a girl. And won't it be such a waste for a pretty thing like you to scrub floor?" The man chuckled, puffing out smoke.

"If you refused to hire us-" Fate stopped as she heard a yelp. It was from the auburn-haired girl.

"Stop it!" Nanoha yelled. She was moving around in a circle, hands clutched at her dress tightly. "Leave me alone!"

One of the men was using a long stick and kept lifting the girl's dress up. He and other men laughed and sing along together, enjoying their dirty little game.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kelly."

"No, don't! I said leave me alone!"

"I'll ask you to leave this lady alone." Fate came and snatched the stick away from the man's grasp. She threw it aside as she pushed Nanoha behind her.

"Go ahead and ask." The man growled. His eyes turned red, his face was the color of purple. Surely, no man dared to bar him from his thing, let alone a little blondie like Fate. He would have to teach the girl a lesson. He cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Come on, little girl."

Fate's red eyes swept the room. Men from the corners had gathered around them in a big circle and they didn't look very friendly. She sighed. Must she always do this to settle things, Fate thought.

"I have no wish to fight you." Fate said under her breath, looking straight into her opponent's eyes.

"She has no wish to fight m-".

The man didn't get to finish his sentence for Fate had thrown a punch right at his left cheek, sending him backward a few feet.

"No, no! She's mine. She's mine." He pushed other men, who'd bagged in for his reinforcement after the stunned hit, away . "Bitch knows how to punch, lads." Rubbing his cheek, he chuckled darkly.

The man threw a left hook, Fate dodged to the right. He threw a right hook, she dodged to the left. He struck for the front, she threw her head back, forcing out a few gasps from the audience. She kept dodging and ducking and she knew she was making him angry. But she refused to strike. She would wait till he wasted all of his strength then that would be her turn.

After a good five minutes of playing around, the man roared and charged toward her. He threw a curve hook but realized his target was no where in sight. Fate had ducked under and as fast as a lightning, she fetched a blow right at his left side, making him yelp in pain. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she continued to strike consecutively at his sides, his stomach, his chest. Blow after blow came flying at his body, pushing him to the wall.

"Get him, Fate!" Nanoha shouted. She was literally jumping up and down at every punch Fate threw. "Kill that bastard!"

Fate was now aiming for the face. She didn't give the man time to recover as she kept punching at his cheek, left and right. And to finish the match, she performed an uppercut right under his chin, lifting his body up, sending him flying across the room, banging into the barrels near one of the pillars. He laid unconscious in a mess of blood and broken barrels.

"Well, you knocked the piss out of the man who knocked the piss out of me. I'm not sure how I feel about that." Mike Kelly finally said. He walked to Fate and scrutinized her. "Dermody."

"Yes, sir?" The boy who took Fate and Nanoha in came at once.

"Time to make the rounds. We'll take this scrapper and her sister and lodge them at Molly Kay's. Grab the luggage."

"Yes, sir."

"Come."

"This is it. Here we are." Mike hurriedly ran under the awning of a gray, three-story stone house as it was raining cats and dogs. "Molly!" He exclaimed and scrunched up his nose in disgust as a red-haired woman appeared at the door with a smelly dead rat in her hand, dangling from its tail.

"It's as unpleasant for me as for you." Molly threw the dead thing outside, accidentally right at the landlord's daughter's feet.

Nanoha covered her mouth in time to suppress another yelp. She held her nose with her fingers and hastily walked inside.

Turned out the place was a brothel. Molly led them through a dimly lit corridor to the so-called living room with one faded couch, a dusty piano at the corner and a small fireplace. There were big ugly yellowish stains all over the wall. Decayed bars of wood were what mainly formed the house. It was unimaginably shabby and Nanoha wondered how can one live under the roof of this kind of place.

"Got two sisters here, Molly, need a room." Mike shook off his jacket and threw it to Dermody.

Molly stopped. She narrowed her tiny green eyes at the girls, took them in from head to toes. "Old evil Mike, you've got quite the gems there."

"No, Molly. They're not like you girls." Mike laughed hysterically. "They'll be working in the factory."

"Well, whatever. You're in luck. We had a suicide just this morning." The woman snorted loudly and Nanoha and Fate both frowned.

As Molly walked them upstairs through another corridor, women from other rooms in the house came to greet them. They were wearing very revealing clothes, barely covered their breasts and private areas. The look they were throwing at them was disturbingly obscene. A woman with curly blonde locks was plastered to a man at the far corner of the corridor. Her breasts were being fondled by rough hands and she kept giggling and gasping continuously. They passed another room which was open and Nanoha had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sight of a man in between a woman's legs, he was moving his hips frantically.

"Here's the bath, but don't linger in it too long. It's the only one."

Molly opened the bathroom which had one rusty bathtub, one small table, a big tin basin for washing and clothes were hanging all over the ceiling.

"This is your room here." Molly said. She walked them in a room lit only by a small window that looked to the street.

Inside, there were a small, single bed at the corner, a small brick fireplace and a wooden wardrobe at the far end of the room, opposite the bed. Rotten-looking wooden shelves lined on the wall, filthy wine bottles scattered around the floor. Black and white pictures and photo frames, along with a few books could be seen on floor-to-ceiling bookcase near the door way. At the foot of the bed was a folding partition wall, made of wood frames and tattered fabric, used for dressing. As a whole, the room didn't look too bad itself except for a leaky roof. But to a certain auburn girl, this place was hell.

"Our? You're not suggesting that we share this room, I hope." Nanoha exclaimed.

"I don't care what you do in it, as long as you pay me a dollar a week." Molly said casually, walking away.

"There must be some mistake. We need two rooms!" Nanoha inquired. She followed the woman to the corridor.

"I've only got this one."

"That's not good enough."

"The room is fine, and we'll take it gratefully." Fate finally cut in. She smiled at the woman and at the same time, pushed Nanoha back inside the room.

"Your sister was spoiled, I'd say." Molly sneered before she walked away.

Fate returned to the room and closed the door gently. She turned around to the sound of a sniffle. The auburn-haired girl's back was facing her, her shoulders were shaking slightly. Fate chose to leave the girl alone. Being the daughter of one of the richest men in Ireland, her future would be very bright. She would have whatever she wanted and would be respected by everyone, not like this. Fate felt sorry for her. The blonde was of low-birth so she could withstand any harsh conditions easily, but Nanoha was a total difference. She was a princess and didn't used to hard-working environment. She would be soon corrupted.

Fate walked to the window and looked to the sky. At this rate, it would be raining till night.

"Nanoha, are you awake?" Fate asked as she stepped back from the window. Night had fallen and as expected, it was still pouring outside.

"No, I'm sound as sleep." The landlord's daughter sulked on the bed.

"I think I like America."

"Do you, now?"

"Yeah." Fate bent down and poked at the fire. "We've only been here a day, look at the welcome we've got. Would you like a room? Here you go. Would you like a job? Why, here you go. Then, how about some land?" Fate regarded the day's events fondly. She turned to look at her roommate, who was lying on the bed, face to the wall. "Well, get a horse and help yourself."

"So, now you believe me about the land, do you?"

"If they're throwing it away, I wouldn't mind a piece of it." Fate laughed. She put the metal stick away then opted to spread the spare blanket out on the floor. "Maybe this is my destiny. On her deathbed, my mother told me she'd be watching me from up above. I wonder now if her spirit might be near, guiding me along." The blonde lay down. She put an arm under her head in replace for the pillow and watched the ceiling longingly.

"If she bumps into Mr. McGuire up there, tell him I want my spoons back." Nanoha scoffed, pulling the cover over her shoulders.

"Imagine me, Fate Testarossa, standing on my own plot of land. What would I plant, I wonder? Oats, corn, potatoes- Oh, God, no, not potatoes." Fate shook her head. She hated potatoes when she was at a very young age, she still does now. "Maybe wheat. Wheat. Oh, Nanoha…,I'm dreaming of it now. Great fields of wheat as far as the eye can see." She stretched her arm before her, smiling dreamily.

Then a pillow out of nowhere came hitting at her face, making her yelp in surprise.

"Oklahoma land was my idea, you blathering fool!" Nanoha sat up, yelling. She continuously hit the blonde under her with the pillow. "Maybe this is my destiny." The auburn girl said mockingly. "If it wasn't for me, farm girl, you wouldn't even be here!" She shouted at the other girl's face.

"Well, if it wasn't for me, Miss High and Mighty, you would have died in the street!" Fate spat back. She snatched the pillow away from her annoying roommate and coolly placed it under her head. Caught a few hits to get the pillow to yourself, not bad, Fate.

Nanoha just stared at the blonde on the floor. She was speechless. What Fate just said was undeniably true. If it wasn't for her, she would have been left in the street with no money, no nothing. And God know what might have happened to her on the street with those men.

"Give me back my pillow." Nanoha called.

Fate opened her eyes. "Not a hundred years." She smirked.

AN: Wow! Nanoha is such a pain, right? Haha... But I still think she's cute. I'll stop here for today, tho. See you guys in next update soon. Bye-bye!