Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic

A/N: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!

For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below.

Knight of Dusk – For some reason, I didn't realize you reviewed (despite reviewing for chapter 5) until now. I'm wondering if there was a glitch on ffnet as you're not the first unsigned reviewer I've missed. I'm really sorry about that. Thanks for the comment. ^^ As for Vivio and if she'll be showing up, and who the saint is, that you'll just have to wait and see. Hehe. Thanks again! :)

3 – Again, as mentioned in the previous unsigned review, I did not see your comment until now. Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying it. ^^ There are many more chapters to come, so stay tuned! ^^

another reviewer XP – For some reason, I did not see your comment until now. Wow, I'm really sorry about that. I'm glad you're enjoying the tale. Thanks for the comment. ^^

randomreviewer – I think a general apology is in order to all unsigned reviewers. I'm always very specific when replying back to comments and until today, I hadn't seen a single unsigned review until now. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. Hopefully I won't have that problem again. Thanks for the comment!

thunyaporn – My apologies, I was supposed to write you back in the previous chapter, but things got a little crazy around posting time and I forgot. Sorry about that. I'm glad you liked the chapter. ^^ Hopefully, this one will be just as exciting for you. Thanks again. :)

kris-tim – Thanks for the comment. :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. You asked for the next chapter, and here it is. Enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.

*** ~ Chapter 18: Late Night Visitors ~ ***

"Fate-chan?"

Burgundy eyes lowered from the night sky to the owner of the voice. "Kaa-san?"

Harlaown Lindy peered up at the tiled rooftop of the Harlaown house, dressed in nothing more than her nightgown and a cloak. Fate leaned forward to see just past the edge of the roof, surprised to find her adopted mother outside, at this late hour, staring up at her. And in the cold no less.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Lindy smiled at the blonde. Fate's climbing abilities never ceased to amaze the teal haired woman. How Fate was able to climb out of her bedroom window to the roof without falling remained a mystery. Thankfully Lindy didn't have to go too far when searching for her adoptive daughter in times like this.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Fate shook her head, blonde tresses swirling about in the calm air. She looked up at the crescent moon once again, trying to order her thoughts.

"Still thinking about him?"

~ Four hours before ~

"Thank you for walking me back home Signum-sama" Fate said smiling.

Signum, Fate and Nanoha currently stood at the gates to the Harlaown residence in the middle district. Evening had fallen, the stars already out and twinkling in the night sky. Fate and Nanoha had dined at the imperial palace for dinner, at Signum and Shamal's request. It was a celebratory meal for all their hard work in the imperial kitchens, cooking lunch for the Empress earlier. It was also an apology of sorts, as the pair had to wait for almost six hours in the guest room to learn whether or not their meal was acceptable. They didn't see the Empress at all during their stay at the palace, though that was not all unexpected. The Empress was a busy woman after all.

"It was my honour Testerossa-san" Signum replied with a small smile of her own. "I would gladly do this everyday for you both should you choose to accept the Empress' offer."

The meeting with the Empress' guest went on longer than expected, leaving both girls waiting anxiously for the results of their meal. In the end, both of them fell asleep on the couch in the guest room, only to be woken up by Shamal and Signum when the women came to give them the good news. The Empress loved the meal and had their contracts written up immediately. They were to start work the day after they accepted the terms, all of which were more than either of them could have ever asked for. Both Nanoha and Fate were flabbergasted speechless. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect such a quick response or offer.

"Nyahaha, you're too kind Signum-sama" Nanoha said blushing in embarrassment. "I wouldn't impose on you like that. You're busy enough already with more important things."

Both Nanoha and Fate requested some time to think about the Empress' offer. As excited as they both were, working for the Empress would change things dramatically for them. First off, they would have to move into the upper district, where their protection was guaranteed should one of the assassin clans try to hurt them. People would go to any lengths to get to the Empress, including attacking those closest to her. Family would also have to be considered, as well as arrangements to ensure their safety. This affected Nanoha especially, as Kyouya was still recovering and was unable to be moved for a while yet. And then there were things like adjusting to their new status and the politics of the upper court of nobles. Neither of them looked forward to that.

"It would be no problem Takamachi-san" Signum said, turning her gaze to the brunette. "It would be an honour in fact."

"Fate-chan? Is that you?"

The trio turned towards the gate at the sound of Lindy's voice.

"Hai Kaa-san!" Fate said opening the gate to the Harlaown residence. "I'll be right in."

"We should get going" Signum said to Nanoha. "It's getting late."

Nanoha nodded. "Good night Fate-chan!" The brunette tackled her best friend in a hug.

Fate stumbled backwards a few steps from the sudden shift in weight, but managed to keep them both upright. The blonde smiled, cheeks pink. "Good night Nanoha. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uhn!"

Signum bowed to Fate before turning around to lead Nanoha away. Nanoha waved before following behind the samurai into the darkness of the night. Fate waved back until she could no longer see them. Shutting the gate behind her, Fate walked the few steps to the front door of the house. Lindy was already there to greet her.

"Welcome back Fate-chan!" Lindy wrapped her arms around the blonde and hugged her tightly. "How did everything go?"

Despite the eagerness in her mother's voice, Fate detected a hint of hesitation as well, causing her to pause before answering. "It went-Nii-san!"

Chrono smiled sheepishly behind his mother standing in the doorway. "Hi Fate. Welcome home."

Fate smiled brightly. "So you were able to make it tonight."

"Ah well…"

Wine coloured eyes shifted to the person behind Chrono, a man with piercing amber eyes and long violet hair. The said person emerged from the sitting room.

"Is that Fate?"

Both Chrono and Lindy stiffened at the sound of the man's voice. Lindy's lips pressed into a fine line. Chrono's jaw clenched. Both actions did not go unnoticed by the youngest Harlaown.

"I didn't realize we had company" Fate said cautiously. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your moment Fate" the man said in broken Japanese. His accent was thick, definitely identifying him as a foreigner. His clothes even looked different. But it was the look in his eyes that caught Fate's attention. Something familiar, yet unsettling.

"Do I… know you?"

The man smiled wearily, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. "Umm… It's been a very long time since we last saw each other Fate. I almost didn't recognize you."

Fate was on full alert now, goose bumps popping up on her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck raising. "Who are you?" A demand. Not a question.

The man swallowed, glancing quickly to Chrono and Lindy before looking back to her. "Fate, I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I'm your father."

Lindy sighed when she saw Fate tense at the mention of their late night guest. The conversation after Fate returned from the imperial palace was… awkward, to say the least. Mostly, it was the four of them staring at each other around the table not knowing what to say. Jail tried his best to find some middle ground with Fate, speaking about general things hoping to peak her interest. But Fate always replied with one word answers when asked something, and ended any line of discussion they had very quickly.

A clatter made Fate jump. The blonde looked back to her adoptive mother. To her surprise, there was now a wooden ladder propped up against the side of the house and Lindy came climbing up. The former co-captain of the City Guard smiled at Fate's stunned expression as she sat down next to her.

"You didn't think you were the only climber in the house, did you?"

"I-Ile…" Fate began. "I-"

Lindy laughed. "I may be old, but I can still climb. Though, maybe not through windows like you, but still."

Fate blushed in embarrassment.

"Just don't go jumping off the roof now, or you'll give me a heart attack. Clyde used to do that all the time just to scare me. That man!" Lindy shook her head chuckling.

"I would never do that Kaa-san!"

Lindy smiled at Fate's horrified expression. "I'm just teasing Fate-chan." The older woman bumped shoulders with the younger Harlaown, smiling all the while.

"Ah… right. Teasing…" Fate smiled slightly, her gaze shifting to her feet. A light weight pressed onto her shoulder.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Lindy asked. Her head rested against Fate's shoulder. The blonde still wore her black kimono with cherry blossoms printed on it.

Fate sighed, picking at her sleeves restlessly. "I don't even know where to begin…"

A pause. "How about you start with what you're feeling right now?"

Fate brought her knees up to her chest, poking at the hem of her kimono. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel" she said reluctantly.

Lindy glanced up at Fate's face, noting the look of twisted anguish. She frowned but said nothing further. Fate would talk it out when she was ready.

"What do you say to the Otou you don't remember when he suddenly shows up at your doorstep ten years later proclaiming you're his Musume?" Fate pursed her lips. "How do I even know he's really my Tou-san and not some pretender?" Fate crossed her arms over her knees, resting her chin on them.

"He said some things that we couldn't deny" Lindy offered. A weak reply on her part, but it was better than nothing.

"I have no memory of before I met you Kaa-san" Fate said in aggravation. "He could be making it up and I wouldn't know!"

"Shhh Fate, it's alright." Lindy pulled Fate into her arms, stroking Fate's back. Fate was trembling. The older Harlaown knew it wasn't because of the chill in the night air. "It's alright…"

Fate curled up in her adopted mother's arms, the soothing touch of the older woman calming her down bit by bit. "I don't know what to think" she said in almost a whisper.

"You're scared."

Fate nodded, feeling the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"It's natural to feel scared about this Fate-chan." Lindy ran a hand gently through Fate's hair. "If what Scaglietti-sama says is true, things will change."

"But I don't want things to change!" Fate exclaimed. "It took me ten years to figure out things. To figure out who I am. To figure out the real me. And now he comes in here, and says these things, making me question everything I have come to know, and I don't know what to do!"

"Oh Fate." Lindy grimaced.

"I don't want things to change!" Fate repeated, tears streaking her cheeks. "All I've ever needed was you, Nii-san and Nanoha. But now… now I don't know what I need anymore…"

Lindy smiled. "Does Nanoha know how you feel about her?" She didn't meet her adopted daughter's gaze. She didn't need to.

Fate went ramrod stiff. "E-eh?" Burgundy eyes widened. Fate pulled away from Lindy to sit upright. She looked at the teal haired woman.

Lindy chuckled. "I may be old, but even I'm not too old to see how you two act around each other."

Fate was horrified. "Y-you mean-"

"Oh yes" Lindy confirmed. "I know exactly how you feel about the youngest of the Takamachis."

"Y-you're m-mistaken!" Fate said. She roughly wiped her face on her sleeves as she fought back the blush on her cheeks. "W-we're just really good friends. T-t-that's all!"

Lindy gave Fate a sly grin. "So you say."

Fate's flush darkened, the blonde looking at her lap, fidgeting anxiously. "E-even if what you say was true, Nanoha probably doesn't even feel that way about me." A sad smile. Nanoha loved to tease her, but that was it.

Lindy sighed heavily. It seemed like a bit of tough love was in order. She slapped Fate upside the head. "Don't be foolish Fate-chan. Nanoha loves you just as much as you love her."

Fate froze, one hand rubbing the back of her head. The moment Lindy hit her, she seriously thought the older woman was going to punish her for being so silly. But then when she went and said that, Fate could only stare. "Okaa-san… You mean… That... That doesn't… bother you?"

"Bother me?" Lindy raised an eyebrow at Fate. "Why would that bother me?"

"Well… I mean…" Fate found herself again fidgeting, the flush still ever present on her cheeks. "W-we're both women and-"

Lindy laughed loudly, startling the blonde. "You can't but love who you love, my dear." The teal haired woman smiled. "If Nanoha makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

Fate blinked.

"She's a good girl" Lindy said, wrapping an arm around Fate's shoulders. "I know she'll take good care of you. And you'll take care of her too." A gentle squeeze.

"Okaa-san…" Fate was speechless. She could feel the tears coming back, Fate truly touched by her adopted mother's acceptance of her.

"So when are you going to tell her?" The waggle of teal eyebrows.

"W-what?"

Lindy grinned, mischief glinting in her eyes. "When are you going to tell Nanoha that you love her? I'm not going to wait for grand babies forever you know."

"K-Kaa-san!" Fate's face was scarlet.

Lindy laughed again. "If you need some advice on how to get your girl Fate, I know a few tricks of my own. In fact..."

The eldest Harlaown continued to give her adopted daughter advice on love long into the night, much to Fate's horror. Fate wasn't sure what horrified her more, the fact that her mother found out about her crush or the fact that Lindy was already talking about grand babies at her age. The youngest Harlaown could only hope that Chrono wouldn't catch wind of this. If he did, Fate would never hear the end of it.

Unseen to both women, a small shadow zipped behind them and darted off towards the imperial palace. Silver platinum hair whipped in the wind as tiny blue eyes frowned. Hayate had to know about Jail visiting Fate. She needed to know what he was up to. She needed-

Rein yelped, something suddenly enclosing around her small form and holding her in place. It was then the sprite noticed a buzzing sound nearby, surrounding her in fact. She gasped when she caught sight of a black robed assassin, the one who currently held her tightly in the palm of their hands. Blood coloured eyes regarded her calmly.

Rein couldn't even scream before things went black.

A/N: For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below.

Kaa-san/Okaa-san = Mother

Nii-san/Onii-san = Big Brother

Tou-san/ Otou = Father

Musume = Daughter

Ile = No

For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics