Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic
A/N: Some of you were wondering about the whole Raging Heart listening to Fate thing. Hopefully I can clear things up a bit with this note. Despite being Legendary Weapons of mass power, Raging Heart, along with Bardiche, etc are still sentient. They are 'alive' in some respects and their sole purpose aside from assisting their masters is to protect them. With Nanoha's life being in danger (along with Vivio's), and the condition for them to be safe was to bring Fate to Jail, it shouldn't be a surprise that Raging Heart went ahead to do what Fate asked it to do. Why didn't Bardiche fight back on Fate's behalf? Because Fate asked Raging Heart to shoot her for the sake of Nanoha. If Fate was unwilling to sacrifice herself like that, and Raging Heart shot at her anyways, it would be then that Bardiche would have stepped in to protect his master. Hopefully that clears up that issue for you all. But just a word of warning, don't count out Fate just yet. ;)
For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ I just love blowing peoples minds with these chapters. Lol. But seriously speaking, if there's any chapter which should blow your mind, it would be the one below. You'll see what I mean when you read it. 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 38: Welcome Home ~ ***
"Mama! MAMA!"
Jail couldn't but laugh as the new key to Al Hazard writhed on the throne it was strapped onto. He had built the device himself, from the rarest of crystals found all over the world. Combining the crystals in a specific pattern, the throne acted like a giant magnifying glass, focusing magical power wherever he wanted. In this case, the throne fed Vivio's latent magic into one of his modified Logia Relicia crystals.
Unlike the Logia Relicia embedded in his Numbers assassins' weapons, this particular gem was equivalent to a hundred regular Logia Relicia compacted in one. Not to mention, it was a pure blood red colour and as big as a bowling ball, instead of the usual small coin-sized orange magatama gem with a white line through it. It would be the very thing he would use to open the doors to Al Hazard when it was fully charged. And that's where they were right now, in the Garden of Time near the doors to Al Hazard. His Numbers assassins had retaken the place earlier from the guards set up by the Empress to watch over it.
"My Lord."
"Oh?" At Uno's warning, Jail turned around to look at the demolished entrance way leading into the Garden of Time. Just as he did, Lutecia walked into the inner chamber with the White Devil in tow. Draped over the white assassin's shoulder was the limp body of the Thunder Reaper.
"You actually did it?" Jail was laughing. When he told the White Devil to bring Fate to him, he didn't actually think the girl would do it. In fact, he was waiting for her to storm back in here, attempting a suicidal run, to save the blonde brat strapped to the throne. And when his Numbers killed her, he would use the White Devil's body as a base to make a new key.
Tears flowed down the White Devil's face, the white assassin ignoring Jail's hysterics. Almost drunkenly, she stumbled forward, her shoulders sagging under the extra weight, both physical and not. The White Devil brushed off the looks the Numbers assassins gave her, the ones acting as body guards to the alchemist, as she continued walking across the room. Upon reaching the other end of the chamber, where the special Logia Relicia jewel was being charged by Vivio's magic, the white assassin gently laid down the Thunder Reaper's body on the floor.
"Is she-"
"Dead," the White Devil choked out, squeezing her eyes shut as more tears fell.
"How merciful of you," Jail said with a smirk. Glancing at Uno nearby, the alchemist nodded his head. The White Devil quickly found herself disarmed, and pinned to the floor on her stomach.
"You never... were going to... let me go..." the White Devil wheezed out.
Nove pressed her foot down on the back of the White Devil, to keep her for going anywhere. She held Raging Heart in her hand. Sette's boomerang blade was also pointed at the downed assassin's throat, while Sein and Uno stood nearby, watching.
Jail laughed. "Why would I ever let you go?" the alchemist said. "Along with those two specimens over there," he said referring to Vivio and the Thunder Reaper, "you would be perfect for my experiments."
Lutecia made a fist. "But Doctor," she said quietly. "She did what you asked."
"My sweet, sweet Lutecia," Jail said, turning to the small assassin with a smile. "You're truly a kind killer. You probably don't understand my reasons behind this, and that's fine. Just wait there silently while I finish up here, okay?"
Lutecia gritted her teeth as Jail turned back to look at the White Devil again.
"Now where were we? Ah yes, you." The violet haired man grinned. "I'm no longer in need of your services," he said. "Just your body."
Walking towards the White Devil, Jail pulled out a knife from his coat pocket. "I hope you've made peace with whatever gods you pray to, because you're about to meet them in person." Jail grinned sadistically.
A blur of black. "Not while I'm still breathing!" And a flash of gold. "Bardiche!"
"Photon Lancer!"
Orbs of condensed lightning materialized in the air around the now standing Thunder Reaper, immediately shooting off in different directions. The knife in Jail's hand was immediately blasted away, both Nove and Sette dodging to the side to avoid the orbs homing in on their position. In her haste to dodge, Nove dropped Raging Heart. Uno, Sein and Wendi also went scrambling as yellow magical spheres targeted them as well.
Jail hissed in pain, clutching at his bloodied and burned hand. "But you were supposed to be dead!" he growled, fury burning in amber coloured eyes. "You were dead!"
"News of my death have been greatly exaggerated," the Thunder Reaper said.
~ Half an hour ago ~
"F-Fate-"
"Divine..."
"Raging Heart!" The White Devil struggled to move her weapon away from the Thunder Reaper, but the black assassin's grip was firm and unmoving.
"It's alright," the Thunder Reaper said again, as the magical attack neared its firing point. "I love you, Nanoha."
Then time ran out.
"Buster."
"FATE-CHAN!"
The hairs on the back of Quattro's neck raised, making the Numbers assassin turn around. Her eyes went wide as all she saw was pink. Quattro's scream was quickly devoured by the White Devil's blast of magic, all of the illusions she had been maintaining until then disappearing a split second later.
"Wha-what...?" A hand went to Otto's head, the Numbers assassin looking around in a daze. "How did I get here? What's going on?"
Many other Numbers assassins showed similar signs of confusion, leaving both Vita and Signum, and the Samurai and City Guards fighting them, surprised at the sudden lack of fighting will. Nevertheless, the Samurai and City Guards were quick to close in on the disoriented blue assassins and restrained them before they caused further havoc.
Due gritted her teeth, scanning her surroundings as most of the fighting stopped abruptly. The Samurai and City Guards wasted no time in subduing the others, but Due would not go down without a fight. "Damn you White Devil!"
Dodging the binding seal of the nearest samurai, Due darted towards the nearest rooftop searching for her quarry. It didn't take the Numbers assassin long to find her prey as there was only one assassin wearing white in the immediate vicinity. Her clawed hand twitched in anticipation, the metal weapon screaming for blood. Due could still remember the first time she skewered the white assassin through the back. It had been glorious. But now, now it would just be vengeance. With a mighty leap, Due charged at the White Devil, the white assassin's back currently facing her.
"Purple Lightning Flash!"
Due's breath was knocked from her lungs, pain exploding from within as a fiery blade skewered her through the stomach. Green eyes widened in shock, crimson dripping from her lips as she looked up to meet the furious blue eyes. Pink hair swished in the air behind the Captain of the Samurai.
"You will not lay a hand on her!" Signum hissed, wrenching Levantine free.
Due dropped to the ground head first, falling in to darkness.
"Nanoha."
"Baka!" The White Devil clutched at the Thunder Reaper tightly, her face buried in the black assassin's shoulder as she shuddered. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"
Burgundy coloured eyes were wide with surprise, the Thunder Reaper soon after smiling as she wrapped her arms around the White Devil's shoulders. At the very last second before the Divine Buster attack fired, somehow the white assassin managed to wrench her weapon free from the Thunder Reaper's tight grasp, yanking it to the side just in time for the attack to blast wide. Unfortunately for Quattro, it hit the Numbers assassin dead on, taking the assassin out and stopping the mind control she had over most of the other Numbers assassins in the area.
"Nanoha-"
Lips met lips in a passionate kiss, the White Devil literally stealing the breath from the Thunder Reaper. Moments later, the two assassins broke apart, breathless.
"I love you Fate-chan! I love you!" The White Devil exclaimed, looking up at the stunned Thunder Reaper. "I could never kill you! I'd kill myself first!"
The white assassin's voice quickly dropped to a whisper. "I can't live with you Fate. I can't." White knuckled fists clenched at black garb. "So please... please, don't make me."
The Thunder Reaper leaned down and pressed her forehead against that of the White Devil. "Alright," she said with a soft smile. "Let's figure out another way then."
~ Back to the present. ~
Jail laughed. "You're more clever than I gave you credit for." The alchemist staggered backwards towards his make shift desk nearby, his uninjured hand reaching for the small black box on the top of it. "Clever as you may be, you're already too late!"
Jail pitched the black box at the doors to Al Hazard, the spinning motion of the throw forcing the box open. Mid air, a similar pure red Logia Relicia crystal fell out of the box, slamming into the doors to Al Hazard with a crunch. A high pitched scream sounded instantly after that, all eyes turning to Vivio as the child screamed like she had never before. The first blood red Logia Relicia crystal next to the Thunder Reaper lit up like a beacon, all of the magical power forced into it previously now shooting towards the second one stuck to the doors to Al Hazard in a beam of red energy. But it didn't stop there. The red Logia Relicia continued to draw magical power for Vivio, at a faster and dangerous rate as the opening of the doors demanded it.
"MAMA!"
"Vivio!" both the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper exclaimed.
Jail was in hysterics, the massive double doors to the mythical land creaking and groaning, the seal on them finally breaking. Ever so slowly, they began to open, an unparalleled influx of magical potency rushing into the chamber.
"Glorious! Glorious!" Jail said over and over again, watching in delight as the power of Al Hazard started to leak through.
Vivio screamed again, the crystal throne sucking more and more magic out of her to accommodate the opening of the doors. No regular person could withstand such abuse and live. The White Devil was at the small blonde's side, scrambling to tear the restraints off of the child but they would not budge.
"Vivio!"
The Thunder Reaper turned back to Jail, knowing full well the man wouldn't help her. So instead, she turned her gaze to the red Logia Relicia crystal at the source of it all. "Nanoha!" she shouted over Vivio's screams. "Destroy the throne! It's the only way!"
"What?" Jail squawked. "No!"
The Numbers assassins charged at the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper to intercept them, but soon found themselves occupied with an army of bugs which blocked their path.
"L-Lutecia!" Jail exclaimed in shock. "What is the meaning of this!"
Garyu sent Nove flying backwards with a roundhouse kick, the Numbers assassin careening into Sette who was just behind her with a follow up counter. Sein and Uno dodged walls of small insects, keeping out of range of their stinging attacks.
Lutecia levelled her gaze at the alchemist. "I was wrong about you, Doctor," the small assassin said. "You never were going to help me find Okaa-san, were you?"
Thankful for the interference, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper wasted no time in calling forth their magical attacks.
"Plasma..."
"Vivio," the White Devil said.
"Divine..."
"This is going to hurt a bit. But please bear with it."
"Smasher!"
"Buster!"
"What...!"
Signum stared in horror as an enormous explosion of magic erupted from Mount Fiji, the geological landmark being situated at the southern most edge of the Lower District. A district sized black pillar of magic rocketed into the sky from the mountain, making the samurai's skin crawl. She and Vita had just finished securing the last remaining Numbers assassins with the help of the City Guards, while Signum's Samurai sealed the last of the rampaging Spirit Seeds. With that settled, the duo turned towards the Garden of Time, just about to dash off to back up The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper who had gone ahead.
"Watch out!"
Signum's head jerked up in time to see a bolt of black magic lash out at her. Despite the enormous distance separating her and the black pillar of magic in the Lower District, it took mere seconds for the bolt to close the distance between them.
"Brennenkugel!"
The Captain of the Samurai shielded her face with her arm as multiple fireballs shot past her from behind, intercepting the blast of black. The resulting explosion knocked Signum back a few feet, but she remained upright on the rooftop she occupied.
"Master!" Agito exclaimed, flying up to the samurai. "You alright?"
"Agito-san?" Signum said in surprise. "I thought I told you to stay with Shamal-san."
"Klarer Wind! Protect against it!"
"Yes!"
Multiple green barriers appeared over all districts, blocking dark magic attacks which would have destroyed houses and hurt citizens. No matter how strong the blasts were, the barriers would not break.
"Shamal-san!" Signum exclaimed in surprise. The green robed attendant stood on a nearby rooftop.
Agito half chuckled, half grinned. "I didn't disobey you Master," the fire sprite said. "I simply followed Shamal-sama here, along with-"
"H-H-Hayate-sama?"
The Empress hovered in mid air off to Shamal's right, black wings shooting out from her back with her trusted Tome of the Night Sky hovering just above her left hand. In her right hand was Schwertkreuz, the Staff of Sword Cross. Rein floated nearby, the tiny sprite glowing white and infusing the Empress with her magic.
Unlike her predecessors, Hayate did not inherit the Book of Darkness from the emperors before her. Instead, her abilities called forth a newer, more powerful tome called the Tome of the Night Sky. Said to be the sister tome to the Book of Darkness, as well as its complete opposite from a magic potency standpoint, Hayate's guardians, her chosen knights, were not creations through her magical tome. Instead, there were instead living, breathing people and creatures who willingly chose to protect her, people and creatures who chose to fight for what Hayate believed was right. And those who answered the Empress' call were Signum, Shamal, Vita, Zafira and Rein.
Raising her staff to the sky, Hayate closed her eyes and started to chant. "Come forth, the wind of snow, and become the fletching which falls from the heavens."
A large circle of white runes appeared before the brunette, four smaller rune circles materializing at the corners of the larger one. Blue eyes snapped open, Hayate pointing her staff at the flares of black magic lashing out from the district sized column of black magic.
"Hræsvelgr!"
Blasts of white magic shot out from the rune circles, exploding on contact with the black magic. White cancelled black, only for more bolts of black magic to erupt outwards at the capital city and its occupants.
"They must not have gotten there in time!" Yunno shouted over all the noise, he too standing on a rooftop nearby. "If we don't close the gateway soon, it will be a repeat of the Garden of Time Incident all over again, but much, much worse!"
"How are we supposed to close it if we can't even get close enough to it!" Signum shouted, darting to the side to avoid another stray bolt of dark magic.
"Brennenkugel!" Agito shouted again, shooting off another batch of fireballs, intercepting those stray blasts of magic which missed both Hayate's neutralizing attacks as well as Shamal's barriers.
"The only way is to forcefully stop the ceremony by destroying the doors leading to Al Hazard," Yunno yelled back. "But not only does that take immense magical power, the one who does it would be killed in the blast!"
"How big of a blast are we talking about here?" Hayate shouted, panting, as she fired off another magical attack.
Yunno grimaced, pushing up his glasses higher on his nose. "An entire district, at least," he said.
Blue eyes widened. "But Nanoha and Fate are still there!" Vita turned back to look at column of black magic engulfing Mount Fiji.
Fate was floating.
She didn't know where she was or how she got here, but she was floating. An unusual calmness held her, despite her senses registering nothing at all. No light. No sound. No touch. Just calm. And the feeling of warmth.
"Fate."
Burgundy coloured eyes opened. "Who...?"
A giggle. "Silly Imouto."
"Imouto?"
"I'm proud of you my Musume."
"Musume?"
"Thank you, Fate-chan."
"See you later Imouto."
Fate closed her eyes with a smile on her face.
"Fate-chan! Fate-chan! Open your eyes! Fate!"
Someone was shaking her. The blonde groaned, wine coloured eyes opening groggily before looking around. She was on the ground. And flat on her back.
"Fate-mama!" came a relieved cry.
"Vivio...?"
"Uhn!" the little girl replied, clutching at Fate's right hand.
"Fate-chan!"
Fate soon found herself in the tight hug of the youngest Takamachi. "Fate-chan! Fate-chan!" Nanoha repeated over and over again.
Fate smiled, wrapping her arms around the brunette's shaking shoulders. "I'm here Nanoha," she said softly. "I'm here."
"Ugh..." came a groan to Fate's left.
Nove pushed herself up to her hands and knees, one hand holding her head. The redheaded Numbers assassin looked around in a daze. "Where am I?"
Sein also shared Nove's confusion, the other Numbers assassin looking around blankly.
The crystal throne and blood red Logia Relicia crystals were destroyed, now nothing but shattered pieces of glass scattered all over the room. But while the ceremony to open the doors to Al Hazard was interrupted and stopped, things were far from over.
A cackling laugh.
Burgundy coloured eyes glared at the alchemist on the other side of the room.
"You think you've won?"
An unconscious Uno lay limply over Jail's body, the Numbers assassin having shielded her lord with her body when the explosion which destroyed the crystal throne and Logia Relicia crystals happened. Sette was not too far away from the pair, having done the same, though her protection came through her magically enhanced swords. The resulting clash of magic however, destroyed the Logia Relicia which enchanted her blades, turning them into burnt strips of metal.
"You fools!" Jail exclaimed, laughing again. "You're already too late! The doors to Al Hazard have already started to open! And soon, this world will be no more!"
As Jail spoke those words, the doors to Al Hazard groaned and screeched in protest again, the magic leaking in from the other side forcing the gateway more and more open the longer it remained ajar. Fate gritted her teeth as flashes of memories came back to her from the incident over ten years ago.
A blood red sky.
People screaming and dying.
Crumbled and burnt buildings.
She couldn't let that happen again!
"Is there no way to stop it?" Fate said out loud, not really expecting an answer.
"There is a way," Bardiche chimed.
"It must be destroyed," Raging Heart completed for the other legendary weapon.
Jail laughed more. "Destroy it? In your state? You couldn't even kill a fly."
"I can," came a shaky voice. Violet coloured eyes levelled with the laughing alchemist. "If it means stopping another Garden of Time Incident, I can." Nanoha pulled back from Fate, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"There's no way you can do it," Jail taunted. "Even if you could, you'd be killed in the explosion which followed."
"If that's what I must do, so be it." Nanoha rose unsteadily to her feet, grabbing Raging Heart from the ground as she did so. Fate followed her up, also rising to her feet and taking Bardiche from Vivio when the little girl held the weapon up to her.
"Nanoha-"
"Take Vivio and get as far away from this place as you can, Fate-chan," Nanoha said. She turned towards the partially ajar doors to Al Hazard. A deep, aching throb pulsed within her chest, one which grew more intense with each magical attack she spurned out. But the brunette ignored it. It probably wouldn't matter in the next few minutes anyhow.
"What?" Fate exclaimed in disbelief. "Ile! I'm not leaving you here all by yourself!"
"And Vivio is not leaving Nanoha-mama either!" the little blonde said, putting on a strong face.
Nanoha turned back to look at the pair. "You two are leaving and that's final. Don't argue with me," she said.
"And what about you Nanoha?"
"As long as you two are safe, it's alright." The brunette smiled sadly, looking at the floor. "As long as nothing happens to you two, it doesn't matter what happens to me."
Fate gritted her teeth before grabbing Nanoha by the arm. She whirled the white assassin around to face her. "Are you kidding me?" Fate shouted, her voice filled with anger.
Violet coloured eyes widened in surprise.
"You think sacrificing yourself here will make things all better?"
"Fate-"
"I love you Nanoha!" Without warning, Fate pressed her lips against Nanoha's, in a hungry, breath taking kiss. "I love you..." the blonde said in a quieter voice after pulling away to catch her breath.
"Fate-chan..." Nanoha said just as breathlessly, her eyes slightly glazed.
"So please," Fate continued. "Please don't leave me and tell me it's okay."
"Alright..." Nanoha said in a whisper. The brunette swallowed, her mind still a bit fuzzy. Vivio giggled somewhere in the background. "Alright," Nanoha repeated. "So you're not leaving."
"And Vivio is not leaving either!"
Both Fate and Nanoha chuckled.
"Ile, you're not," Fate said, patting the child on the head.
"Oh how touching," Jail said with the roll of his eyes. "Where are my tissues?"
Nanoha and Fate glared at the alchemist.
"Ano..." Sein said, hesitantly interrupting the conversation. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"
Fate and Nanoha looked at each other before looking back at Sein again.
"I'll get them to safety," Lutecia said, emerging from the shadows and walking up to the assassin pair.
Fate instinctively placed herself between Nanoha and Vivio, and Lutecia, Bardiche raised and pointed at the small black assassin. She was still distrustful of the other black assassin, in spite of the girl's help a few minutes ago. Contrary to Fate's actions, Nanoha just smiled.
"Thank you Lutecia-chan," she said, tugging on Fate's arm. The blonde got the message and lowered her weapon.
"It would have been nice to meet you under different circumstances."
"Hai," Lutecia reluctantly agreed.
With the rest of the occupants, that being Jail and his lackies, now evacuated from the inner chamber, Fate, Nanoha and Vivio turned back to face the slowly opening doors to Al Hazard. The whole inner chamber was starting to shake now, the strain on the partly opened doors becoming more and more evident. The inner chamber wouldn't last for much longer.
"Raging Heart!"
"Alright!"
"Bardiche!"
"Yes Sir!"
"Ne Fate-chan," Nanoha said. A large pink rune circle materialized in front of the brunette, wings of pink magic extending from the white staff she held. "Do you remember when we finally saw each other again, after the Garden of Time Incident?"
Stray magic from all around the room began collecting into an orb of pink, the magical globe steadily growing in size between Nanoha and the runed circle. The brunette panted slightly, the ache in her chest growing exponentially worse the more magic she gathered in front of her.
"But because of the ceremony to create the new key, your Linker Core has been injured and is unstable right now," Shamal said. "That's one thing my healing magics could not fix. If you tried to use any heavy magical ability now, the strain of it will most likely kill you."
"Hai," Fate said, a ball of lightning condensing in the palm of her free hand. She too experienced the wrenching pain in her chest, as she prepared one of her most devastating attacks. Yet even so, Fate still gave Nanoha a strained smile. Sweat rolled down her cheek. "I remember."
A yellow runed circle materialized in front of the blonde, a ring of yellow also materializing like a bracelet around her casting hand. "It was one of the happiest days of my life," Fate said.
A gentle wind blew by, rustling the locks of a young girl with brown hair. Today, she waited on the main bridge connecting the Middle District to the Upper District. Today, she would finally get to see her friend again.
"Count IX... VIII... VII..."
"I got there early because I was so excited," Nanoha recounted, a wide smile stretched across her face as she thought back to that fateful day. Vivio listened quietly, the small child gripping at both Fate and Nanoha's shirts, standing in between them, watching.
Fate chuckled. "And I was running late, because I got lost. I still didn't know my way around the districts too well yet, back then."
A small blonde child huffed and puffed, red faced from all the running she had done up until now. Lindy had let her go back to the Middle District on her own as the teal haired woman had a few more things to sort out in the Imperial Palace relating to her adoption. Turning her head left and right, burgundy coloured eyes darted all over the place trying to figure out where she was. All the roads looked the same to the small blonde, and it didn't help that people were all over the place making it harder to see over them.
"VI... V... IV..."
Nanoha pulled back Raging Heart, the legendary weapon pointing backwards over her shoulder. Her shoulders began to hunch forward as breathing steadily became difficult. "Silly Fate-chan," the staff wielder said with a breathless chuckle. "You still get lost, even today."
Fate gritted her teeth, the strain on her body also becoming increasingly challenging to deal with. Even so, she lowered her stance as the lightning orb in her hand doubled in size, and forced a pout. "I do not!" she retorted indignantly.
The brunette giggled. "Fate-chan, Fate-chan," Nanoha said. "You're so cute."
The small child bit her lip, tightening her grasp on the bridge railing. She stared down at the waters below, but that did nothing to calm her racing heart. What would she say when she finally saw her again? What should she do when they finally were within arms reach?
"III... II... I..."
"But that's what I love about you," Nanoha whispered, tears in her eyes.
"I love you too, Nanoha." Water rolled down Fate's cheeks.
"Count 0."
Raging Heart whipped forward, striking the collected orb of compressed magic, releasing it in a powerful explosive beam of energy.
At the same time, Fate threw forward her casting hand, the orb of lightning smashing against the runed circle of magic floating in front of her, releasing a tri-attack of yellow magic.
"Starlight... BREAKER!"
"Trident... SMASHER!"
Yellow and pink magic swirled together, combining into a huge blast of white. The immense magical attack soon after smashed into the doors of Al Hazard with a bang, the mystical doors immediately buckling and crumbling under the assault. The resulting shockwave and explosion engulfed the immediate area a split second later, and everything faded out to white.
"Hurry! This way!" Chrono shouted, directing the last citizens away from the crumbling Lower District. Things had suddenly taken a turn for the worst when Mount Fiji lit up with that unholy magic, black arcs of corrupted power vaporizing anything it touched. Shields of green appeared throughout the district, trying to defend against the stray magic, but it still wasn't enough. Chrono didn't know who the shield summoner was, but he was thankful for their assistance. Without them, they wouldn't have been able to evacuate the people.
A crack of power.
"Kami!" Chrono stumbled to the side, just narrowly dodging a stray bolt of black magic. The blast ended up striking the house behind him instead, disintegrating half the house upon impact.
"Stinger Snipe!"
An arc of blue tore through the air, crashing into two more bolts of black magic which shot out in Chrono's direction. The Captain of the City Guards gritted his teeth, leaping backwards to put more distance between him and the growing pillar of blackness expanding outwards from Mount Fiji. Chrono had willingly stayed behind, defending his men as they evacuated the citizens, and escaped the immediate area themselves. Having unique abilities, not unlike his step sister, made him the best person to hold the line while everyone else scrambled back to safety. The only problem was, that left him without back up when the time came from him to retreat.
"Snip Shot!"
Twirling S2U in his hands, blue magic shot out from the legendary obsidian staff again, nullifying the next few blasts of dark magic lashing out at the City Guards' Captain. But Chrono's efforts were in vain, as for every blast of black power he nullified, two more blasts would take its place. Chrono quickly found himself overwhelmed, dark magic raining down upon him like hail.
A pained cry.
Chrono just barely ducked behind an abandoned house in time, clutching at his arm, as multiple streaks of stray magic ripped through the area. A moment ago, a bolt of tainted magic had grazed his arm. While the touch had been nothing more than a caress of wind, it was enough to incinerate the armor on his arm and burn him. His left arm now hung limply at his side, crimson running the length of it. Sweat rolled down the sides of Chrono's face, the Captain of the City Guards breathing heavily. If he didn't figure out a way to escape this madness soon, he wasn't going to make it.
"Taichou-san! Hang on! I'm coming!"
Chrono's head snapped to the side at the sound of the shout. Twenty feet away, he caught sight of one of his City Guards dodging dark magic, trying to reach him. While Chrono was momentarily shielded by the house he took refuge behind, it wouldn't be long before the house disintegrated under the rain of black energy completely, taking Chrono with it.
"Ile! Stay back!" Chrono screamed in warning, watching as the City Guard stumbled over uneven ground. But his yell came too late and a split second later, a beam of darkness struck his second-in-command, and the man was no more.
"YAMATO!" Blue eyes were wide with horror.
"Chrono-san!"
A blur of orange streaked in from the side, long fur tickling Chrono's nose as a familiar demon fox skidded to a halt in front of him.
"A-Arf-san?" the City Guards' Captain said in shock.
The demon fox grinned teethily, a triangular seal of magic already spinning under their feet. "Fate would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you."
Before Chrono could say anything, he heard the remnants of the house at his back groan and creak behind him. His gaze went upwards as the last standing wall snapped in half and crashed down upon their heads. But he would not perish there. A flash of light blinded the Captain a moment later, and then Chrono found himself on a rooftop in the Middle District.
"W-what?" Chrono said in disorientation.
"Stay here," Arf said, turning to face the pillar of blackness. She took one step forward.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"Fate and Nanoha-"
The demon fox's words were cut off by a loud, reverberating boom, one of which caused the entire capital city to quake under everyone's feet. Stumbling and staggering to remain upright, both Arf and Chrono watched wide-eyed as the unholy magic enveloping Mount Fiji wavered before it imploded and dissipated, making the mountain collapse in on itself. A geyser of dust and grit shot up into the sky, enveloping the entire Lower District and part of the Middle District in a wall of brown and grey.
"Ile..." Arf said in disbelief, the demon fox suddenly feeling numb. "Nanoha and Fate... they were... they were still..." she said, her voice trailing off.
"W-What...?" All of the colour drained out of Chrono's face, once he realized what Arf was saying.
"Ile..." Tears pooled in the corners of Arf's eyes, the demon fox trembling where she stood. "Nanoha..." she said in a choked murmur. Then she screamed. "... FAAAAAATE!"
~ Japan. Ten years ago. Months after the Garden of Time Incident. ~
"Nanoha!"
The said brunette turned her head at the sound of her name, violet coloured eyes immediately widening with glee as they focused on a running blonde racing towards them.
"Fate-chan!" a ten year old Nanoha exclaimed, waving as she ran towards her friend.
Just as both girls were within arms reach of each other, Nanoha tripped on a loose stone and tumbled forward. Fate easily caught the brunette in her arms, ensuring her friend didn't face plant on the ground, hurting herself.
"Mou!" Fate exclaimed. "You have to be more careful, Nanoha!"
Nanoha blushed. "Nyahaha, I'm alright!" the peppy brunette said. "I knew you'd be there to catch me, Fate-chan."
It was Fate's turn to blush, Nanoha smiling widely at the nice rosy colour filling the blonde's cheeks. Kami-sama, she missed this. Nanoha soon straightened up, pulling Fate into a proper hug, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.
"Nanoha?"
"Welcome home, Fate-chan," Nanoha said.
Fate smiled. "It's good to be home."
A/N: Phew! I have to say, this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for this piece. Hehe. And now, before all of you mob me, this is not the last chapter. :P There's an epilogue which follows after this one. So stay tuned!
In case you're wondering, Hayate's chants came directly from the MGLN wikia datebase when looking up those specific attacks.
Also, I have no idea which of Fate's attacks are the most powerful, so I just picked her Trident Smasher move to match Nanoha's Starlight Breaker attack.
On a final note, for those of you who aren't familiar, Chrono's main weapon is the S2U. He doesn't receive the Durandal until the StrikerS season, and that only shows up them. Like Caro, Erio, Subaru and Teana, Chrono is always a legendary weapon's wielder. And for those of you wondering how Arf saved Chrono, it was through a Dimensional Transfer teleportation spell.
For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below.
Hai = Yes
Ile = No
Baka = Idiot
Imouto = Younger Sister
Musume = Daughter
Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother
Brennenkugel = Burning Ball (German)
Schwertkreuz = Sword(-shaped) Cross (German)
Hræsvelgr = Corpse Swallower (from Norse Mythology)
Ano = Umm
Kami = God
Taichou = Captain
Ne = A word, when used in certain contexts, gets the attention of someone.
For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics