I Feel You in the Midst of Revenge
part III
The casino was an underground casino; its location only known to those in the underworld. A place where rival gangs and low lives met to have some fun, conduct business over almost friendly gambling games, and sometimes even duke it out in the arena beneath the casino. It was King's pride and joy. His way to control and keep watch over a bunch of cutthroats and thieves, and it somehow worked. Ever since he came into power civilian causalities from gang wars had decreased considerably. It was why Fate had omitted the location of the Casino and King during her investigation. Long ago, she had come to learn crime would always exist where people suffered. Some people had simply given up on the rules of society, having been spurned, or abused by it. Many of the members she had met were unfortunate victims that found a life and home among others like them, and King led them to as peaceful an existence as could be in the underworld. In Fate's book, keeping him in power was the better choice at least for the time being.
She followed behind King, observing him shake hands and smile like a politician to a crowd of admirers as he passed through aisles of noisy slot machines with men either: yelling in anger, hitting the machines, or whooping for joy. Of course, not everyone admired him; she had spotted a few ambitious thugs as well as a few who feared him. Seemed little had changed since her last visit.
He led her to the back, where the racket of the slot machines dimmed. There, they stopped before a row of doorways framed in ebony wood trim and covered by red curtains. King went to the doorway in the middle. Separated the curtain with his hand and motioned her forward. She walked through, not thinking much of his gentlemanly gesture.
The room was cramped, dominated by a large round table, holding playing cards and chips, with four men sitting around it. She knew three of them. She had seen their names pop up in a few cases, not that anyone was able to pin anything on them. In police circles, with King, they were known as The Big Four because they were the most influential hard to catch leaders in the longest running gangs since the old Belkan Empire collapsed.
"Boys! I'd like you to meet Raven!" King introduced with his usual fanfare. "My date and bodyguard for the night." He winked at her before he took the empty seat beside old man Katashi Weise, head of White Dragon, and Bellator Krieger, alpha of Wolf Gang, two of his trusted friends.
Katashi stood up, extended his hand from his white flowing robes, gently grasped hers and brought it to his lips, two long strands of his white bearded goatee tickling the back of her hand. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Raven. Our dear King, has spoken quite fondly of you" He took a second to really look at her. "I can see why. You are a sight to behold my dear."
"Oh! You go! You old dog! Making the girl blush like that!" That was Narin Gryzun, leader of Mongoose, a one eyed man, his left eye forever shut by a deep slash that went from his eyebrow to under his eye.
Fate gave Katashi, who reminded her of the old wise monks back in Japan, a curtsy as best she could in her body hugging black evening dress that sparkled like diamonds in the light. "Pleasure is all mine."
"Ah Miss Raven, it's been ages since your last visit. Its like you dropped off the face of the Earth." Bellator Krieger said. It was funny seeing a man that could be mistaken for a Viking warrior, his icy blue eyes piercing, his wavy black locks messy and unkempt, speak so primly. It didn't faze her now, but in their first meeting Fate had been taken by surprise.
"It's a habit of hers. I've grown used to her sudden appearances and disappearances. My girl has a free spirit and a mean right hook." King laughed. "Now let's stop admiring my beautiful date, and play some poker. Tonight, I feel lucky!"
She moved to the corner and silently observed their game. Her presence ignored by all except one, the man cloaked in black, holding an aura that darkened his corner of the room. She occasionally felt his gaze on her. It gave her an uncomfortable shiver, although she never quivered. Instead, she sent him her own piercing stare. He didn't back down, but neither did she. In this world, signs of submission proved detrimental.
She kept one eye and ear on him and the others at the table. Her attention split between them and the going ons in the casino. She had sent three search probes that wandered around the casino cloaked by magic that kept them hidden. They acted as her eyes and ears, letting her quickly search every gangster and conversation taking place in the casino from her unobtrusive corner in the secluded room. So, far she hadn't found anything on Nanoha, but the night was young. Whoever took her would show up sooner or later.
"Damn." King threw his cards on the table, having lost yet again. It was the fifth time in a row.
"Maybe you should let your girl play. She has more of a poker face than you, King." Narin joked as he collected his winnings.
King's cigar slid from one side of his mouth to another. He turned to Fate looking bored in the corner. "What you think Raven. Want to give it a go?"
"King, I was just joking."
"I'm not." It was well known King didn't like losing. He lost interest quickly when he did.
"Then, perhaps, the arena will be more to your liking, King." The shadow man spoke for the first time, turning heads toward him.
King removed the cigar from his lips and rolled it between his fingers, thinking. "I do enjoy a good fight."
"Then you'll love a duel." Shadow said off handedly as he lifted his head. A black void beneath his large black hood concealed his faced. King rolled his cigar in his hand, his handsome face neither intimidated nor afraid as he gazed at him, bored.
The cigar stopped rolling. King's blue eyes hardened. "Is that a challenge?"
Shadow bowed his head. "A friendly match. I wanted to see your technique, the silent needle."
King popped the cigar in his mouth, easily sucking on the tobacco. "If you saw it you'd be dead."
"Perhaps."
"Confident aren't we."
"You don't know me. King."
"Mmm." King sucked on his cigar, held it in for a moment, and puffed smoke at Shadow's hooded head. "Bartholomew Rogen, current leader of the Bear Claw Gang. Has the nerve to conduct business in my territory, and recently took a woman-"
Fate, casually leaning against the wall, turned her attention toward King.
"-prisoner." King tapped his cigar over the ash tray. Then, returned it to his mouth, grasping it between his teeth, cocky as ever. "Tell me, Rogen." He spoke around his cigar. "What will you do when the TSAB find out you have one of their Aces?"
Silence reigned for seconds that seemed more like minutes. It was difficult, but Fate remained in the corner, casual as ever with her arms crossed, her face a mask of indifference when all she wanted to do was bind Shadow Man and force him to tell her where her wife was.
Shadow started chuckling, a deep rasping sound. The other gang heads stared at him, their guards up, except King who smiled with amusement.
"Let them. They'll be greeted with open arms." He gestured, sarcasm in his voice.
"You are either very stupid or an ambitious man."
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm just returning a favor."
King raised a questioning eyebrow. "Must be some favor. Law bringers are oh so prickly when provoked."
Shadow chuckled, a deep sound that made Fate uneasy. "They are the wild dogs let loose from their cages. Barking orders, biting us, while running down streets, doing as they please. Their law, weak and capricious. They need a master gripping their leashes, don't you think?"
Fate scrutinized Shadow, wondering what had happened between him and the law to create such a reaction.
King's cigar drooped, almost falling from his lips, his teeth caught the nub at the last second pushed it upright as he began laughing uproariously with the other gang leaders. He removed his cigar, held between his index and middle finger. "First time I heard something like that." He said between laughter, it soon ending with a satisfied sigh, his cigar retaking its place between his lips. "Don't say it in front of them though or you'll find yourself behind bars."
"I understand. You are a soft hearted King. Patrick O'Reilly."
It was a name only a select few knew. Those close to him like his very good friends who would sometimes utter it in private and his dearly departed mother. Everyone else simply called him King- a nickname given to him by Black Mamba's former leader, which after he came into power and earned the underworld's respect, became his title. He sucked on his cigar, calming his displeasure and seemingly nonchalant over Shadow's wanton disrespect. His blue eyes leveled the hooded man with a piercing gaze as if he could see through the shadows hiding his face.
"I challenge you King." Shadow declared.
Fate began to understand. It wasn't just her Shadow was after. Shadow had a vendetta with the TSAB; to fulfill that he needed an army. What better way than to gain control of the underworld.
"Denied. You're not part of my family. But, if your heart's set on being King of all families, prove your worth in a fight against Raven."
"You're mocking me, King." Shadow growled.
"Is that a no?" King sat back with a belittling grin. "And here, I thought you had some spunk. Guess a girl's too much for you. Eh Rogen." King chortled, his friends smirking along with him.
Shadow growled and stormed out, but not before accepting King's terms.
King watched him go, the other leaders following behind Shadow at a slower pace, already betting on who would win.
"King, what is the meaning of this?" Fate said, garnering his attention, as she left her corner to stand in front of him, an angry glint in her amethyst eyes. She had been quiet the whole time, even when Shadow had accepted the conditions of the fight. Now, alone in the game room with King, she wanted to know what he was up to.
"I can't fight everyone who challenges me. I'd have a mass of dead bodies. And imagine what will happen if the other families don't accept him as their new ruler. There will be chaos." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Besides, I know you won't let me down."
"Aren't you thinking to highly of me? Remember, I don't fight like you." Fate protested.
"I know. You're the only honest fighter around here. But, that's never stopped you before." He smiled one of his charismatic smiles that made others trust in him and believe what he said.
"I don't want to fight."
"Really?" King plucked the cigar from his mouth, eyeing her carefully. "Because I saw you fist your hands earlier." He grinned knowingly.
Fate inwardly frowned. She didn't realize he caught that. It shouldn't have surprised her, King was very observant and alert to everyone in his vicinity. It was a trait he had acquired when he came into power. After all, not everyone loved him; many of the darker more ambitious felons wouldn't hesitate to cut him down at a moment's notice. It was why he was always tense even though he seemed at ease.
He pulled out some clothes and placed them in her hands. "Change. I'll see you in the arena. Remember to give a good show." He smiled, giving her a wink before he turned his back and walked away, an easy strut to his steps.
She looked down at the black garments. How he got them and where he carried them she didn't know. It almost looked planned. She wouldn't put it passed him either. He probably knew the Shadow Man would challenge him and that's why he brought her along in a dainty dress where she didn't pose a threat, let alone looked like she knew how to fight. "Clever." She muttered as she slipped off her dress and put on the simple black shorts and sports bra-like top baring her flat abdomen.
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The arena was a large boxed ring in the center of an underground stadium holding thousands of people. It looked like everyone in the casino had come to witness the match between her and Shadow Man. There was no referee and the rules were simple: anything goes, win by knock out, yield, or death. Shadow didn't seem like the type to yield, and she wasn't keen on killing anyone. He though clearly didn't mind, Mr. Richardson was proof of that. Her best game plan, one that suited her anyway, was a speedy knock out, but not before she found out where Nanoha was.
The bell rang and the occupants on each corner of the ring moved to the center and began to circle each other. Fate struck first, seeming to phase out and appear before Shadow with a jab to the head. He ducked, much to her surprise, and retaliated with a punch to her stomach that lifted her off her feet and sent her crashing down to her knees, spit flying from her mouth.
The crowd cheered in the background.
Her hand had blocked most of the attack, but she had trouble catching her breath. Despite that, she rolled away from his follow up kick and ended up on her feet still gasping for breath. She remained on the defensive, dodging in and out of his attacks, letting herself recover some before she moved to the offensive. She got in a few magically powered punches and kicks, but even with the magically enhanced strength of her attacks. Shadow wasn't phased, acquiring little damage, while she collected cuts and bruises that would have cost her an arm or leg if she wasn't so fast. His sickle blade energy attack was brutal and seemed to be his favorite attack.
She faced five or so blades that had the added feature of homing in on her. They whizzed around her, moving in and out around where she stood, sometimes two at once sometimes three converged from different directions, she did her best to avoid them, but it was difficult. They grazed her more than a few times, shredding clothes that barely protected her anyway, cutting her face at least twice on the same cheek, and they still kept coming. They wouldn't stop until the energy that was used to create them would fade or she neutralized it, which she tired doing more than a few times. Each time she had a little time to gather her magic they'd attack disrupting the process.
Eventually, after minutes of playing cat and mouse, Shadow grew tired of watching the ebony haired girl weave through his blades like a slimy fish. Every time he thought he had her she slipped through his fingers. He had enough. He jumped high above the crowd, at least as high as the second balcony, preformed a 360 spin kick, he called the unrelenting tornado, because that's what it looked like as he came crashing down into the ring. His boot smashed into the magically reinforced fabric, creating a rolling wave that knocked Fate off her feet and into a spell that arched her back as it bound her hands behind her back and anchored them to her feet.
She grimaced at the strain in her joints of her shoulders, hips, and back. It wasn't the usual binding spell where a small amount of magic flowing through her limbs gave her the strength to break the chains. This was a hunter's bind the more she'd struggle the tighter the chains would get and the more stress she placed on her joints. It was a spell forbidden to use on people precisely because it caused undo pain and debilitating injuries, like the possibility of permanent loss of function in the arms and legs.
Shadow approached her still, unresisting form.
Fate let her magic flow in large amounts. Streams of golden electricity arched from her body into the ring, keeping Shadow away or at least slowing down his approach as he avoided the randomly roaming lightening rods. Fate closed her eyes and concentrated, taking hold of her magic and directing its flow into the chains in a surge that broke it to bits and blinded the crowd as the excess flashed a bright white light.
A moment later, disoriented and seeing spots, Shadow found himself in a tight bind, his opponent sitting on top of him.
Fate leaned into him, a finger of electricity pointed into the black void hiding his face. "The woman. Where is she?" She demanded, sweat and blood dripping down her face.
"Why? You know her?" He seemed to think she did.
"No." Fate easily lied. "I'm just protecting us from your stupidity."
"Well, aren't you the loyal follower. Don't worry. The TSAB won't go after you or the Black Momba."
"You're an idiot. The TSAB will come after all of us until they get their Ace back. There will be no escape, and this is all your fault!" she spat, her hand fisting his cloak under his neck. "Now! TELL ME!... WHERE IS SHE?!"
"Let me lead you, bring all of us together. United, we can fight against the TSAB, tear down their fickle laws, and bring true justice into the world." He spoke passionately.
Her brows creased together as she studied him. She wouldn't be able to crack him, she knew that, and she was running out of time, the crowd was crying a mantra in the background, "Finish him! Finish him!" and King was watching intently. She couldn't blow her cover. She zapped him and he fell unconscious. She stood up. The crowd cheered. King, sitting up in the balcony, smiled down at her as their eyes met. Afterwhich, he stood up and walked away.
Fate made for him, stepping out of the cage, and squeezing through the crowd congratulating her, slapping her on the back, and crying out their joy over her fight. She squeezed by the last row of men, pushed through the steel double doors where only the contestants were permitted and walked the quiet hall, finding King leaning against the door of the waiting room sucking on his cigar.
"You worried me." He put out his cigar and pulled out a white hanky from his suit, gently dabbing it on her cheek the moment she got within reach.
"You were the one that said I could handle him."
He smiled briefly before it fell. "I never doubted that. I thought you were buying into his words."
"How do you know he said anything?" the ring was far from the private balcony where King and the other gang leaders sat and then there was the noise of the crowd.
He continued dabbing her face, tenderly wiping off her sweat as he spoke. "Lately he's been rallying the younger members and new recruits. They're always so full of mischief and resentment, you know."
"I'm not like them."
"I know." His thumb glided over the two thin slices along her cheek. She ignored the sting, her violet eyes trained on him. "But, you are always so purposeful in whatever you do." He removed his hand from her face.
Fate leaned into him, stood on her toes, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. In his ear, she whispered, "My business with him, was never in conflict with my loyalty to you and Black Momba." She stepped back.
King gave her a small smile. "I know. I saw you." He reached for her wrist and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her waist as his lips moved to her ear. "But, I'm not stupid Raven. And I don't like to be toyed with." His grip tightened painfully, but she didn't move or say anything as she listened to him say, "Your 'loyalty' is only as good as I am to you." He let her go, watching her stand a bit more tensely. "So tell me, Raven." He pulled out another cigar lighting it as he returned to his easy going speech. "What have you truly come here for?" He placed it in his mouth, inhaling with a look of pleasure.
After some tense silence Fate finally said, "The woman."
"The Ace?"
Fate nodded. "I'm here for her."
"Mmm." He sucked on his cigar, closing his eyes as he did so, then slowly blew out smoke. "Now that's interesting. A felon and a lawman, excuse me lawwoman, as friends."
"We're not." Fate forcefully declared.
"No? Then why go through all the trouble? and" His face grew hard. "Don't lie to me, Raven." Then smiled, "You're horrible at it."
"I'm not. And even if I am, who I'm friends with is none of your business."
"On the contrary, everything you do is my business, or have you forgotten you are part of my family, Raven."
She hadn't. She knew gang mentality. Once accepted a member was a member for life. "I'm sorry. I was out of line." Fate bowed graciously. "But, I am only after the woman to protect our family."
King scrunched his brows. "What do you mean?"
"You know the TSAB. They are relentless, and Shadow- I mean Rogen." King chuckled at her nickname for him. She frowned. He gave her an apologetic look and a nod, informing her he was still listening. "-took an Ace hostage. The TSAB will stop at nothing to get her back. Right now there leaving us alone, but imagine what would happen if they got involved. Every one of us will be in jail or worse."
"I see. It's not something I haven't thought about. But, I don't want to start a war between our families."
"I know. That's why I was trying to convince Rogen to give her up."
King nodded, gazing meaningfully into her lavender eyes. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Raven."
Fate shook her head. "It's understandable, I haven't been around lately."
"Yes. You do love to disappear on me." He grinned around his cigar.
Fate gave him an apologetic smile.
King shook his head, and placed his arm around her shoulders in a one armed hug. "You're something else Raven. It's exactly that mysteriousness that got you in trouble in the trials. Although, that's what I find enticing about you." He said good naturedly as he led her away from the waiting room to the backdoor where a black SUV was standing. Letting her go, he opened the car door for her. She threw him a small smile as she passed him and stepped into the car. He followed shortly, telling her where she could find Nanoha as the driver drove them back to Black Momba's hideout just like she had planned.
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"You sure this is the place?" Rizzoli asked Rondo from the shadows of some building, her head peaking over the side to see an old abandoned factory surrounded by a metal gate with barb wire at the top.
"Yep."
Rizzoli placed her hand behind her back, grasped the handle of her revolve comfortably resting on her waist band, and pulled it out. She inspected the cylinder. It was loaded with six anti-mage bullets. A flick of the wrist snapped it back into place. The gun pointed down was held firmly between her two hands as she leaned over the side of the building checking the area for danger and places she could hide behind while she crossed the mostly open street to the factory. "Maura, stay here and call for back up, I'm going in."
"Wait Jane." Maura grasped the detective's arm before she could run out.
"What?" Jane faced her, annoyance clearly written all over her face.
"Before you barrel your way in, I found another route."
The detective raised an eyebrow, not doubting her, but curious. "And that would be?"
"Follow me." The doctor released her and began walking away, expecting the detective to follow.
Jane shrugged and walked after her friend's retreating back. Rondo leaving them to their own devices after the detective threw him a hint that his services were over.
Maura stopped in the middle of an empty street far from the factory, the shops closed for the night, and no one around to notice what they were doing. She knelt down and grasped the lid of a man hole.
"You got to be kidding." Jane grumbled as she saw the doctor grunt with effort to lift the round lid. The detective bent down and held the other side, helping the doctor slide the cover to the side. Her nose wrinkled as she got a whiff of the stench, a mixture of rotten eggs and festering manure. It didn't seem to faze her friend who already had her legs down the stinky hole and was climbing down the ladder like it was a walk in the park.
"I'm going to smell for weeks." Jane complained, taking one last breath of good fresh air before following her friend down the manhole.
Minutes later, after a few near misses into running sewage that had the detective cursing extensively; they came out in front of the factory, right at the back. Jane and Maura engaged in some whispered arguing before the detective conceded to the doctor following along. It was better than leaving her alone without protection or backup, which would show up sometime much later. They slipped into the factory through a space between planks of wood crossing a window frame. They had barely made it around the corner when they literally bumped into someone.
The detective felt a moment of vertigo as the room spun really fast before it came to a crashing halt. She found herself transported behind some crates, her gun slipped from her hands, her arms held behind her back, and her mouth covered by someone's hand.
"Let her go or I'll shoot." Maura aimed the detective's gun at the mage's head.
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Fate scuttled through the factory without trouble, slipping behind shadows whenever she heard someone coming and avoiding the main gathering areas. She followed a strange force that began pulling her in certain directions within the factory the moment she had infiltrated the place. Later, she'd question the origin of this new sensation in her linker core. For now she was more concerned on reaching her wife and trusted this force to lead her to Nanoha.
Turning a corner, she crashed into someone. It took her less than a second to get back on her feet. Hearing voices coming from down the hall, she sonic moved, taking the person she crashed into along with her so they wouldn't be able to sound the alarm. She intended to knock them out the moment she found a safe place. It was behind some crates, a short distance from the hallway, she realized she didn't hold a gangster but a detective in her hands. That's when she felt a gun at her head.
"Let her go or I'll shoot."
Fate released the detective, putting her hands up. The detective slipped passed her, and Fate turned around to see a doctor with a gun. "Look I'm on your side. I can prove it. My-" Fate began to explain when a piercing scream echoed through the halls, drowning her words.
In less than a second, magic energy filled Fate's limbs, growing in quantity till her body vibrated; ready to bolt with near sonic speed when power faded like a flickering light. Her magic energy dropped quickly, being sucked away in waves as it traveled elsewhere to some place she didn't know. Weakness grabbed hold of her, blurring her vision.
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After the scream, Maura saw the mage's purple eyes dilate and her face suddenly grow pale before she began to hyperventilate. She lowered the gun and stepped toward the mage, now doubled over and breathing heavily. Jane walked in front of Maura, stopping her.
"Don't get close. It's a trick." Jane gently said as she took the gun from her friend.
Maura looked between the detective and the mage. "I don't think she's faking." She pulled out of the detective's grasp and walked over.
"Maura." Jane called between clenched teeth, concerned for the doctor. Grumbling, at Maura's stubbornness, Jane followed, making sure her gun was leveled at the mage should her suspicions prove right.
Fate felt someone reach for her. She would have said she was fine, except she was too busy trying to hold back her stomach.
"Let me take a look at you." Maura said.
Fate shook her head, taking rasping breaths. She couldn't seem to take in air fast enough. "Will….pass." She breathed. Sweat dripped down her forehead as the doctor tilted her head up and flashed a light into her eyes.
A few seconds later, right when Fate thought she'd hurl strength seeped back into her limbs as fast as it had gone. She relaxed, her breathing quickly returning to normal. Maura looked on in confusion as all the symptoms just vanished. She let go of Fate and stepped back as Fate slowly stood up. The detective urged the doctor behind her and took a protective stance in front of her. Between the walls and crates, the only path of escape was behind them. They had the mage effectively trapped in the narrow space.
Jane whipped out pictures of suspect mages and threw them at the ebony haired woman's feet. "Tell me where they are and I'll let you go."
Fate glanced at the five photos not recognizing any of the mages depicted on them, and frankly not caring. The pull on her linker core had grown stronger, as did her desire to reach Nanoha's side. "I'm Fate T. Harloawn. Investigative enforcer for the TSAB. Let me pass, Detective." Her voice held a hint of warning, a veiled threat should her demand not be met.
"You know I can arrest you for impersonating an officer. Answer my question." Jane said, gun pointed at the mage.
"I don't have time for this, detective. Let me through."
"Can't. You're suspe- Don't move!" Jane yelled, gripping her gun, her finger poised on the trigger as Fate took a few steps back. "I said. Don't Move!"
Fate ran straight for the detective and doctor.
Jane fired.
Fate dodged the bullet and another as she jumped at the last second, spinning over their heads and landing on the other side.
"Sorry, detective, there's somewhere I need to be right now." Fate's voice carried over as she ran away, and quickly grew out of sight.
The detective clenched her jaw and followed after her. She hated mages.
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Fate ran through corridors and factory walkways, metal platforms that hovered above the ground by steel cables coming down from the ceiling. At times, in order to take the quickest route, she jumped down a flight of stairs, bounded over the side of the walkway railing, grabbed hold of chains hanging from the ceiling and swung from one chain to next across vast rooms, or leaped from railing to railing instead of running through the walkways, which were winding paths that crisscrossed the room instead of going straight across. She could have flown except she didn't want her magic to fail her in the middle like before. Besides, even with the handicap she covered a lot of ground very fast.
The gang members passing by, or doing their business quickly took arms against her, tried to shoot her down- she seemed an almost crazed monkey, jumping from one place to another, or swinging on metal vines- and found themselves quickly put to sleep by golden multi-raid shots. After a lot of trouble, and half the members she encountered unconscious, Fate reached the lowest level in the factory where the tug in her chest was the strongest. She stood in front of a heavy steel door. The two men once guarding the entrance were unconscious from a swift plasma lancer. She opened the door and walked in, unprepared for what she would find.
The room was dark. Fate created a golden orb. Her eyes quickly adjusted from the pitch black to the light. When they did she nearly cried. Hanging by her wrists, was Nanoha, battered and bruised, her clothes torn, with specks of blood that had dripped down from some wound on the left side of Nanoha's head, and those were only the visible wounds. She didn't even know about the rest of her body. Rushing to her side, Fate quickly cut the metal bonds and caught Nanoha's limp form in her arms. She hugged her. Her face rubbed against Nanoha's brown hair loose and freely flowing down her back. "I'm sorry. So sorry." She whispered.
Nanoha groaned, and Fate eased up, cradling Nanoha in her arms like a baby.
"F-a.."
"Shh. Don't talk. I'm here, Nanoha." Her hand caressed Nanoha's uninjured cheek.
Nanoha's eyes were closed. "Fa-te-ch-an?" She sounded confused; in her fogged mind she thought she was hallucinating Fate's voice. It wasn't the first time she imagined her lover's presence.
Fate bit her lip and sniffled. "I'm here." She choked.
Nanoha lifted her hand and peaked her good eye open. Fate could see a haze of cloudiness in her one blue orb. She suspected drugs. Nanoha's other eye was completely black and swollen shut.
Fate gently took her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing it almost reverently. "I'm here Nanoha."
Nanoha smiled slightly, one that reached her eye. The image was different- a person with black hair and purple eyes watched her, but Nanoha recognized that gentleness and her voice. "Fate." She whispered, almost like a prayer before her eye closed and she fell into sleep, more content and at ease than Fate had found her.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Fate stiffened, sensing his presence, Nanoha's kidnapper. Fate went down to her knees, careful of the body resting in her arms.
"Wonderful performance. But you still haven't cried for me, Enforcer. Or should I say Raven. Lovely disguise by the way. You had me completely fooled too. Bravo." He clapped an almost standing ovation.
Fate eased Nanoha's legs onto the cement floor and slowly sat her back till her head gently rested on the floor. Fate leaned over her, her head bending down as she placed a gentle kiss on Nanoha's forehead. She stood up, "For what you did to her," and turned to Shadow, "I'll pay you back tenfold." She growled. Hardness in her purple eyes sought more than justice. Retribution burned inside her.
"You already have, Enforcer." Shadow spoke gravely. "You took my brother from me."
Her gaze was cold, righteous indignation smoldering any sympathy, or care to understand his beguiling statement.
"You don't remember?" His anger grew at the lack of recognition in the enforcer's eyes, an affront to him and his brother. He hated her and others like her, the enforcers, police, politicians, all of them. They only forced their Will upon them, him and others like him, normal citizens. They punished them, threw them into jail cells to rot for the rest of their lives for accusations of wrongdoing that could be false or true while they, under protection of Justice whose judgment is fickle, favoring her servants and incriminating those who are not, lived comfortable lives innocent of their crimes, untouched by the very laws that subjugated him and the rest. "Let me help you law-bringer," he uttered the term like it was a filthy word. "The year is 0072. You were on Planet Kolumb."
Fate clenched her jaw. It was a time and place she didn't wish to be reminded of. Her dreams that woke her in a cold sweat was enough of a reminder. She had been young. No older than sixteen, a junior in Earth's High school, and an Enforcer-in-training in the TSAB. She was assigned to a simple mission. She and a group of her fellow training officers under the command of Sergeant Borg were to rally up and subdue a bunch of juvenile mages running amuck.
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Some city in Planet Kolumb
Fate flew out the apartment building, chasing after the teenager.
"Hawk eye to Gold Eagle. Where the hell are you going?!" Her commander yelled in her head, making her wince.
"Pursuing target, sir." She responded, hot on the teen's tail.
"I told you a million times we work as a team! You're running The Mills for this Harloawn!"
"Yes, sir." She grimaced, her flight-speed actually slowing down, almost losing the boy, as her magic dropped in remembered agony. The last time she broke orders and was placed in The Mills (a group of power plants back at the base where lightening mages worked to generate electricity) she couldn't perform magic for a weak. The activity was that draining.
The link cut out, and she increased her pace, eventually landing in a shipyard.
There fight was quiet brutal. It felt like she was up against an animal than a mage. He hit with power that knocked her off her feet. He easily broke through her magic barriers and his magic shots when they did hit were burning; literally, she would feel like her body was on fire. It took a lot of her magic to nullify his too. Something surprising considering he was three mage ranks beneath her. The teenage didn't seem to think or feel either. She would hit him in places that should have knocked him out or at least disabled him, but he just shook it off and kept on coming. He seemed to run purely on instinct. She had never encountered someone like him before. The young mage was practically frothing in the mouth.
Fate gathered her magic, pooling enough energy to knock out a triple-A ranked mage. "Plasma Lancer." She released her energy, the attack hitting him square in the chest, sending him back a few feet. The teen went to his knees, vomiting blood.
She was surprised. How was he still awake? It seemed all her attacks just caused him bodily harm, which was expected since a lower ranked mage couldn't handle a magical attack of that magnitude; that's why she never used excessive magic on lower ranked mages. How was she going to subdue him? He had broken out of her binds, cutting himself in the process. She couldn't handle him bodily, he was too aggressive.
His scream broke her from her thoughts. The teen rushed her. She didn't move ready for his next attack. All he did was, keep on running; straight into her blade.
Blood spilled from his mouth to the ground. The madness in his eyes was gone. He smiled at her, his teeth all bloodied, and said. "Thank you."
She pulled out her sword, Bardiche quickly reverting to storage form. She watched almost as if she were observing a movie as the teenage boy, only a year younger than her, fell in slow motion, first going to his knees and then the rest of his body fell back, landing in his own growing pool of blood. She watched him for what seemed like hours on end, hoping he'd get back up like always. It was foolish. She knew that type of wound, seen it on other mages on the battlefield. Those mages never got back up.
There was a scream, more like a wail. She wasn't sure. Then a young boy appeared, running passed her. She watched him, a boy with dark unruly hair of about ten years, just a little older than Erio. He hugged the body of the older teen and cried. She felt bad. He shouldn't cry, the teenager would get up, he always got up, and then they'd resume their fight. She saw the teen lift his hand, touched the younger boy's cheek before it fell, and his breathing stopped. He didn't get up, or move after that.
That's when the boy looked up, his eyes were brown. They had an intensity swirling within them that was too hard for an innocent child. His gaze was accusing and full of hate. With just that one look, he pierced through her heart, and she fled into the sky his screams following after her.
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"You were that boy." Fate said, the fire that once shown in her eyes reduced to embers as she was guilt ridden.
"Yes. And now you'll accept your punishment." He made a gesture and men swarmed in, weapons drawn.
"I'll take anything you do to me. But, you leave Nanoha out of this."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Enforcer. You took something of mine that I cherished. Now, I'll take away what you cherish."
Fate clenched her jaw, the fire inside her igniting in a blaze of gold. Bardiche comfortably rested in her hands in Zamber form. Her hair had turned its natural blond and her eyes were burgundy. She stood before him, in her true appearance, and her barrier jacket in place.
"I see. Kill her." Shadow uttered callously.
Fate had a shield in place around Nanoha. Their attacks bounced off harmlessly, none aimed for the enforcer standing outside her barrier. She cast a spell. Golden circles quickly filled the room, their centers holding balls of electricity that shot at Nanoha's assailants- some fell screaming to the floor, others managed to escape.
"If you have something against me." Fate disappeared and phased in, in front of Shadow. "You take it out on me." Her sword was lowered, opening herself up to attack.
"Alright everybody Freeze!" The detective from earlier cried as she stood in the doorway gun pointed at Fate and Shadow.
"Friends of yours, Enforcer." Shadow smirked as he gathered an energy ball and threw it at the detective.
Fate rushed alongside it and then pulled ahead of the magic bullet. Coming to stand in front of the detective with her sword turned to its broadside, she deflected the attack a millisecond later. To the detective she seemed to appear in front of her within the blink of an eye.
"Detective, you should leave. This is no place for a non-mage."
The detective didn't get to say anything. The enforcer left to engage in a fight with the cloaked figure before she could. With a grumpy expression, annoyed by mage's and their superiority complex, the detective watched them trade blows in a pace faster than her eyes could see. To her it looked like gold and black trails colliding and separating and colliding again. When they came to their third standstill, the Detective took aim and shot the cloaked figure.
"Flower!" The cloaked man screamed as she fell against him wincing. She had been on the sidelines from the very beginning since Fate walked in the room and the fight broke out. She had watched everything, unsure of the rightness of their actions. Even so, she had run into the bullets path, taking it for him.
"I'm okay." She muttered in a haze.
He hugged her. "Stupid. I could have dodged that."
She didn't say anything, her eyes closing as she fell asleep, the drug in the bullet taking effect. He laid her down. Then glared at the detective. "No interruptions." He held his hand out, gathering an energy attack that quickly disappeared as gold chains pinned his arms to his sides.
"Shoot now!" Fate cried to the detective, who pulled the trsigger, hitting the cloaked man straight in his linker core. It didn't take long for him to crumple to his feet.
Fate released her barrier jacket, the black hair and purple eyes of her disguise as Raven, taking over her appearance. It would be a while yet before the glamour spell would wear off. She began walking over to her sleeping Nanoha.
"Freeze." Jane called, leveling her gun at the ebony haired woman. For a moment, she had thought the woman was the Enforcer Fate T. Harloawn, but she figured that person with blond hair and red eyes must have been an illusion spell the ebony haired woman had cast on herself to cover her true appearance.
Fate gave her a questioning eyebrow, as if saying really this again. "Detective, I'm on your side."
"I heard that line before."
"I can prove it if you let me show you my badge."
"No way. You keep your hands where I can see them."
"You're being ridiculous. If I wanted to harm you, you wouldn't be talking to me right now."
The doctor, standing beside the detective, passed by the arguing pair, more concerned about the unconscious brunette. She kneeled over the woman, recognized her as the TSAB's ace, and didn't like the blue tinge to the pallor of her skin. Maura grasped Nanoha's wrist. It was a bit on the chilly side. The instructor's heart beat was faint and far between. "She needs a hospital now." the doctor's voice while spoken evenly, cut through the enforcer's and detective's argument.
Jane lowered her gun while Fate immediately rushed to Nanoha. Her heart hammered in her chest as she nodded at the doctor and took Nanoha into her arms. She tried a healing spell, but it didn't work. Nanoha's skin was still a pale blue and her heartbeat faint as her breathing, which was slow and shallow.
Fate glanced between Nanoha and the two non-mages in a room full of dangerous mages who were for the moment unconscious.
"Go. We need to round them up anyway." It pained the detective to say it, letting her go scot free, but the brunette's health was of more importance and the mage, who seemed to care about her, was best chance of getting that woman to a hospital quickly.
The detective read the concern on the mage's face, hesitating because of them. It surprised her that the street punk actually cared about them. It was rather unusual and unexpected. "We'll be fine." The detective reassured the mage standing in indecisiveness.
Fate nodded, deciding to create long-lasting strong bonds around every mage just in case they did wake up she could be assured the two non-mages would be safe. "Thank you... I'm sorry I don't know your names."
"It's Rizzoli & Isles." Jane introduced with a slight smile.
Fate nodded, before her body glowed golden and she shot straight out the factory, creating a series of holes in the ceiling.
Jane and Maura moved slightly out of the way when scraps of metal sheets fell down in a heap, knocking up dust that made them cough.
"A warning would have been nice." Jane grumbled, after she finished coughing.
"Stop complaining Jane. You made a new friend."
"I'd rather not have felons as friends." Jane muttered, grumpy.
"Oh. She's not. That was really Fate T. Harlaown."
Jane paused in dragging one of the bodies, shooting her best friend a look. "Right."
"You don't believe me." Maura accused.
"Maura," Jane felt exasperated as she explained common knowledge. "Enforcer Harlaown has blond hair and red eyes all the time, and she doesn't dress like a punk off the streets."
"Yes. But, I performed a magic signature test when I checked her earlier." She was referring to Fate's sudden illness near the crates.
Jane halted in surprise and confusion. "How? I didn't see you carry a scanner." Those things were pretty big, suitcase size big.
Maura flashed her wrist, which had a watch on it.
Jane quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you showing me your watch?"
Maura smiled, knowingly. "It's not just a watch. It's something I created back in college that lets me identify mages. I have to be in touching distance though to get a sample." She said thoughtfully.
"How could you keep something like that from me Maura! I want one of those! In fact you should make them for the whole department." Jane went on in excitement.
Maura fell silent, almost regretting she said anything, as the detective went on how her device could revolutionize detective work for non-mages.
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Fate paced outside the hospital doors to the ER. Nanoha had been in there for a good few hours now.
"Miss," A nurse tapped Fate's shoulder as she walked pass, stopping her pacing. The nurse didn't recognize her, her disguise as Raven hadn't faded. "Would you like some tea? It will calm your nerves."
The only thing that would calm her now was knowing Nanoha would be ok. She shook her head and gave the nurse a polite smile, then returned to pacing.
An hour later, the doctor said she could see her wife.
Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Fate walked into the room. Nanoha was sitting up in the hospital bed, free of injury and the effects of the drug.
"Fate-chan?" Nanoha questioned as a woman with raven hair, purple eyes, and the aura of her partner walked in.
Fate smiled, happy to look into both of Nanoha's blue eyes. Just a little while ago Fate had seen her with a black and swollen eye, a cloudiness in her other eye. Now, Nanoha's eyes gazed at her with crystal clarity, informing Fate the drug Shadow had given her was out of her system. "How are you feeling? Nanoha." She walked over to a seat beside Nanoha's bed.
"Good. What's with the get-up?" Nanoha followed Fate's motion, the chains over her exposed abdomen clinking together with every step. Nanoha rather liked the revealing halter, mini-skirt, and black combat boots.
"I'm undercover. This is Raven right now." Fate explained with a gentle smile as she sat down.
Nanoha's lips quirked into a smile. "Raven huh." Nanoha confirmed before she sparkled with mischief. "You know, Raven." Nanoha lifted her index finger and gestured for the woman to come closer.
Fate wondered what this was about, but leaned over some. Nanoha kept curling her finger toward her, telling her to come closer and closer until Fate was close enough to feel Nanoha's warm breath on her face.
Nanoha lifted her hand, running it through black lock's that held the softness of Fate's hair. She twirled a lock around her finger. "I'm married, but." Nanoha gazed into purple eyes on a face she recognized as Fate's. It was kind of strange in a pleasant way. "I won't mind cheating on her with you." She said, innocent, but oh so bad.
Fate got closer, pausing over Nanoha's lips. "Won't your wife get angry if she finds out."
"I'll convince her to have a threesome."
Fate made a sound of surprise, shocked by her words. Nanoha grasped Fate behind her head, keeping her in place, as she leaned up, to touch their lips in a soft gentle kiss.
Minutes later, when they came up for air, Fate in the spirit of things said. "If your wife is as good of a kisser as you, I don't think I'd mind a threesome."
Nanoha frowned. Fate second guessed herself, thinking she probably shouldn't have said it even if it was a joke. "My wife is off limits. I don't like sharing her."
Fate was surprised, but at the same time, but at the same time funny. She hid her smile behind a fist over her mouth, pretending she was thinking. "Well aren't you selfish." Fate held a roguish expression that made Nanoha shiver. She always did like the bad girl act. Fate crawled onto the bed, her arms and legs on either side of Nanoha as she crouched over her on all fours. "I think I can handle that. I like you anyway." She leaned down capturing Nanoha's lips in a soul searing kiss that had Nanoha moaning within seconds.
Later, letting Nanoha recover, Fate returned to her seat. Inwardly, she smirked at her work, Nanoha breathing heavily and dazed.
Nanoha watched as the glamour faded, and Raven's features gradually gave way to Fate's. Blond ran over her black roots and down the length of her hair. Scattered specks of burgundy peaked through purple. Burgendy spots grew larger and larger in size until there were large globs of burgundy with specks of purple in her eyes. Then the burgundy globs merged together running over and erasing even the specks of purple until nothing of Raven was left, and Fate looked back at her. Her burgundy eyes sad, guilt ridden.
The same eyes she had seen when Fate returned from after that mission. Nanoha briefly wished for the playful Raven to come out and erase Fate's pain. But, there were things Fate needed to say, get out, and things only Nanoha could do to heal her. So, Nanoha sat straighter, readying herself for the first wave of Fate's tumultuous emotions. It was a long time in coming too. Nanoha had waited since high school for Fate to open up to her about that mission.
Fate's speech was slow, pausing between sentences as she grappled with her shame and guilt that she thought she had dealt with by burying it deep inside to be forgotten. Dreams, the only time they could arise, was their only form of remembrance. "I was on a mission. I ended up fighting a boy, a year younger than me. Fifteen and three mage ranks below me. But, he was strong. I'd hit him. They were non-lethal hits, meant to knock him down. But, no matter what I did, binds, punches, magic shots he kept fighting." Her hands fisted, relaxed, and fisted again, fighting with herself as she spoke. "I put more magic into my shots. Magic shots that were meant to knock out a mage two ranks above him."
Nanoha listened not judging, although as an instructor she knew those shots on a lower ranked mage caused devastating physical damage.
"He fell. But, it was only for a moment. He rushed me. I could have moved. I could have lowered Bardiche. I could have done so many different things. But I didn't. I stood there with my sword pointed. And he-" Fate quieted. Her chair scraping back as she stood up, turned her back to Nanoha, and walked toward the window. The rays of the setting sun shone on her in shades of red and yellow, casting a silhouette that in Nanoha's eyes evoked an image of an outcast angel, suffering the woes of the mortal plane.
Fate gazed at the sky, seeing another time and place. "I killed him." It was a soft spoken whisper that Nanoha barely heard. "He ran at me and I killed him." She said with more strength, silent tears running down her face. The weight of her guilt that would never leave and she never wanted it to. "And you know what he told me."
Nanoha stayed silent.
Fate turned around, and gazed into her wife's supportive blue eyes. It made her uncomfortable, feeling she didn't deserve it, on the other hand it was a relief. "He thanked me, Nanoha." She whispered, then fell silent.
"He didn't blame you Fate. It's what he wanted."
"I know. It took me a long time to figure that out. But, I'm still guilty. It was my hand holding Bardiche. It was my lack of action that brought his death. And it is my fault for hurting that little boy and making him into what he is today, and I accept all of that." She got worked up at the end, but she breathed in and out, her voice lowering as she more calmly said, "What I don't accept, is how you were dragged into my mess, Nanoha. You were hurt because of me." Fate looked down ashamed she couldn't protect her wife.
"Fate," Nanoha dropped the honorific on purpose, making Fate tense. "Come here."
Fate walked right up to the bedside where Nanoha made her sit down. Nanoha laced their fingers together, feeling Fate relax a bit. "You know when I married you. I accepted everything. All your baggage, all your faults, your hopes, and dreams. Everything, Fate."
Staring down at their linked hands, Fate held back tears coming from her warmed heart. Nanoha always had a way of charming people. She was gifted at it.
"And while its really sweet you want to protect me, Vivio, Erio, Caro, and the whole Takamachi-Harlaown family, my over-protective enforcer." The term, and emphasis on my, sent a slight smile to Fate's lips. "You can't be everywhere at once, and." placing a finger under Fate's chin, Nanoha lifted Fate's head, their eyes meeting. "We are all strong enough to protect ourselves."
Fate nodded. "I understand." They sat in comfortable silence until, "What if you wear that new wrist-band that came out. I heard it can send a signal to-" Nanoha placed a finger over Fate's lips, giving her that patient, but don't start look. "Right. You can take care of yourselves." Fate acquiesced against Nanoha's finger, which her wife removed with a smile after getting Fate's reluctant acceptance.
"Great news." The doctor suddenly burst into their room, holding a clip board and smile. "The baby is okay."
Fate and Nanoha stared at him blankly, not understanding a word. Then, they cried, "Baby! What baby?!"
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AN: Well there you go. A whopping 51 pages. I think I broke a record, well for me. I think its fairly obvious who is pregnant. I know the chapter wasn't fuzzy cozy. But, I had to write it like this because I needed a way to show Fate's connection, which I can't do to the same degree later on as I did here. I think based on the events you can understand Fate's role better.
I don't have the next chapter planned out. Chapter stories come to me in bits and pieces in no particular order. The only thing that came to me were bits far later in the story like when the baby is born. Its such a cute scene too. *sigh* I want to be at that point now, but I can't. I have to get there first, and the journey hasn't shown its self to me. All I know is a general outline of pregnancy, delivery, baby. How it plays out is a complete mystery.
Well, I'll stop that.
I'd like to take the time to apologize to those readers who aren't happy with the way this chapter played out. I'm sorry, had to do it, but I'm still sorry. I can only appease you by saying future chapters will not be this intense again. It will be very warm and cozy and some comedy very much in line with how Parental Love started out.
On that note, was this worth the wait? Not worth the wait? I'm curious and kinda scared to find out.