It was the early hours of the morning before Fate was able to make her way back to the house that she lived in with Nanoha and Vivio. It was a higher standard of living than they had previously enjoyed in their quarters at the Bureau, but when Vivio had entered their life it had become clear that such accommodations wouldn't do when bringing up a hyperactive six-year old. The Bureau had offered to give them a private estate by way of their extensive service to the TSA, but Nanoha would not have any of it. The down-payment offered along with a good word put in by Lindy had meant that the three of them were able to move into a more permanent home very quickly.
None of this was helping Fate now. The hot rushed feeling at the back of her throat made every passing second a constant torment. She had force herself to reach for the door handle, the key shaking in her hand.
Vivio.
It wasn't as if their daughter had been completely alone all this time. Hayate had been quick to reassure her of that. Since they lived relatively close to the base, the attack on the Bureau had prompted evacuation measures throughout the surrounding homes, many of which served occasionally as barracks for the lower-ranking soldiers and mages. Sister Schach and Zafira had personally volunteered to safeguard her. But a bodyguard wasn't what Vivio needed right now.
I'm sorry, Vivio. I let you down. Nanoha wanted to be with you tonight. She wanted so much to be with you. And if I could, I would have done the next best thing and been there for you instead…
Because Vivio wasn't your average child. She wasn't completely innocent of the world. She'd survived at the hands of Scaglietti and she had probably been told about what was going on. Fate didn't want to think about how Vivio had felt when she realised that neither of her parents was going to come home to her tonight. It didn't matter if she understood the reasons why, because that kind of loneliness was all-encompassing.
What am I going to say to her? How can I look her in the eye and tell her Nanoha isn't coming home tonight?
Just thinking about it scared her, frightened her more than any time before when she had been fighting for her life. Vivio had lost one mother already. She didn't deserve to lose another.
But Vivio would already know the truth. The night was already gone, leaving a measure of desolation in its wake. It was past one in the morning now; Vivio would have fallen asleep hours ago, all alone in the house. Maybe Zafira or Schach may have guarded her up to the last few hours, long enough to make sure she was tucked up in bed neatly, maybe trying to tell her that Fate would be here for her before nightfall, fixing her up a bowl of her favourite…
Vivio, I'm sorry.
She turned the key in the lock and swallowed as she pushed the front door open.
The lights were all off in the hallway, but it wasn't impossible to see through the haze of dawn. No, the house had settled down to sleep long ago. Vivio. She had to be okay.
"Vivio?" she whispered, not wanting to wake up her daughter.
She didn't switch on any of the lights, keeping the house in a dreamlike state as if by doing so she would be able to make it up to Vivio by having her sleep more soundly. She could hear her child's deep breathing, in and out, falling away in the next room. Their bedroom where she and Nanoha shared a twin bed together. Maybe Vivio just felt more comfortable sleeping in a bigger bed. Fate smiled to herself despite her misgivings and tiptoed inside.
Inside, Vivio was lying fast asleep on the side of the bed, wrapped up tight under the warm covers. She was smiling happily, as if enjoying a nice dream. The sight of her, so comfortable and content in the bed, warmed Fate's spirits to no end.
Then she saw that Vivio's arms were wrapped about someone – someone in the bed with her.
The tension re-emerging within her, Fate's heart missed a beat as she came forward. The dim light made it difficult to see. Her breath constricted as she fumbled for the light switch, moving the dimmer down to the far left to keep the light at a gradual minimum.
Her gaze shifted further forward onto the dressing table besides the bed, where a familiar precious red orb lay unmoving.
Raging Heart?
What was Raging Heart doing here? It didn't…it couldn't…because if Raging Heart was here, then Nanoha…
Her mind screamed within her when she saw who was in the bed with Vivio. The face of a beautiful young woman with long brunette hair falling down her neck in a silent curve. Her eyes were closed as the tip of her chin brushed Vivio's blonde hair, her mouth partway open and completely still. A face that Fate knew all too well, whose mouth she'd kissed, whose scent she'd grown to love…
"Nano…Nanoha?!"
Her cry came out in a choked sob, suppressed and strangled by her own fatigue and constant worry. Fate felt weak at the knees, forcing herself to go to her. The relief and happiness that came felt like it was being held back, as if part of her was pleading to say that it couldn't be true.
No. Fate held herself back still. How could…how?! Nanoha had disappeared in her arms, crumbled away as Srethis taunted her that she had died in the past. She had thought to prove them wrong, to find Nanoha herself, and find out exactly why she had –
Yes, she had found her, but why here? In their bedroom? With Vivio? She had disappeared all the way back in Hayate's office…none of this made any sense…
The part of Fate that had begun to expect the worst at times told her, She's an illusion. Nanoha isn't here. Someone's trying to break you.
She didn't like that part of her. She didn't like the voice which told her that everything she did was going to fail. It had been particularly active in her mind on the way back home, and Fate had long thought she had silenced it for good. She should have known better.
No, that's Nanoha, she thought determinedly. I'll prove it. I'd know the touch of her skin anywhere.
Slowly, Fate pressed forward and touched Nanoha's cheek with the palm of her hand. She was no illusion. She was real. She felt like the Nanoha she had always known and loved, the Nanoha who could cast all her fears and doubts away with just a smile, the Nanoha who she yearned to –
She felt cold. Icy, to the touch.
Fate drew her hand back with a shock. No. The house was warm. And the temperatures were moderately above average outside. Nanoha shouldn't be cold. Not…not unless…
A pang of fear gripped her heart, her breath quickening. She touched Nanoha again, feeling the same dead frost, and felt around her lover's mouth. Breathing. She's asleep, isn't she? She came back, and she fell asleep with Vivio, and…
She's not breathing.
Fate's mind started to break down. No. Concentrate. Pulse. Remember your training. Two fingers on the side of the neck, press down upon the vein. She can't be dead. Srethis was lying to you. Keep calm, keep calm, don't lose control…
Her hands were shaking too badly. She couldn't keep them still for more than a few seconds to take the pulse. Is this why she feels so cold? Is she…?
Heartbeat. Find her heart. You can listen to her heartbeat no matter how bad you're shaking. She's here, with you. She has to be.
Her own breath coming out thick and fast, the blood draining from her face, Fate pulled the covers down partway.
The worst was yet to come.
As Nanoha's skin was exposed, the dim light came down across her skin to reveal the marks on her body. Hundreds of marks, crossing down her shoulders, her neck, her cheeks…
In horror Fate threw the whole blanket off. Her lover was naked underneath, the same peculiar markings crossing her entire body all the way down to her arms, her legs, her waist…not scars, but lots and lots of tiny blue runes, as if someone had sculpted them all over her…
Nanoha…what happened to you?
She didn't know what to do. A silent scream started deep down inside her, but the solitary rational part of her existence right now remembered Vivio sleeping, sleeping with that beautiful smile on her face, and forced it down. No. Think, listen, run, help, find, save, rescue –
Her fingers found the phone on the dressing table, working on automatic reflex. She dialled the only number she knew how to. With everything breaking down around her, Fate clung to the only other friend who she shared so much closeness with. The faces of everyone else she knew melted away into oblivion.
The phone rang twice at the other end before it was picked up. Fate didn't know what she would have done if no one had answered. Her mind was set in a one-track direction right now, destined to follow that one path to destruction or salvation.
"Hello?" Hayate's voice came on the line.
Fate collapsed onto her knees on the hard floor. "Hayate," she whispered. "Help me."
The leaves crunch underneath her feet. She is running, panting, the sense of urgency in her drawing Nanoha through to that clearing in the woods. At first she doesn't recognise it, doesn't recognise the path home from school, doesn't recognise the faces of her schoolfriends, Suzuka and Arisa, as they give chase after her. Everything is just a blur, lost in memory.
"Yuuno-kun?"
The ferret is lying on his side, wounded from trying to seal the first of many creatures that were born from the Jewel Seeds. Raging Heart hangs securely from the collar around its neck.
"Do you remember this place, Nanoha?" he says. "This is the place where you first met me. The place where it all began."
Nanoha looks down at herself, feeling the rush of nostalgia at seeing her old school uniform again. She must be nearly ten years younger. "Yuuno-kun, is this a dream?"
The ferret shakes its head. "No. It's a hallucination created to stop you going insane. And I'm not Yuuno."
Yuuno's head and body elongate and expand out unexpectedly. It's quite a sight, but Nanoha isn't quite prepared for what follows next.
"You're a bear?" she says, almost in awe.
"No," the bear says, plopping itself down in front of her. "But taking this form seems to help reduce your mental trauma. Your past self seems to like cute and fluffy toys. I'll keep this form until you wake up."
"Wake up?" Nanoha is confused. He isn't explaining himself very clearly and it's frustrating. "But you said this isn't a dream."
"No, and you're not asleep, Nanoha," says the bear. "You're dying. But I'm going to help you. I'm going to lead you to my power, and you're going to live again. But in exchange, you have to do something for me."
"Wait, wait." Nanoha shakes her head, trying to get all this through my head. "You're going too fast."
"On the contrary, I'm being very informative." The bear frowns. "Don't you remember me?"
Nanoha just stares at him. "I think I'd remember having a conversation with a patronising teddy in one of my dreams, wouldn't I?"
The bear puffs itself up angrily. "Didn't you hear me? This isn't a dream. And believe it or not, we've met before. We've had this conversation about seventy times by now and you never remember me each time. And that's because you won't remember me until after we finish this conversation. And you know what? I don't remember you either. Except that I do, because the me from tomorrow told me that I have. And when they tell me, I remember. Because at the same time, I'm coming right from yesterday to now. How much simpler do you want me to put it?"
Nanoha continues to stare in complete confusion.
"Are you a time traveller?" she says finally.
The central view screen focused on the main hospital ward flickered as the surveillance cameras continued to monitor Nanoha's bed where she had been admitted into mental care. Hayate watched from the control room, feeling as if the distance between Nanoha and herself wasn't so great after all. Behind her, Shari was scrolling down a list of all the medical data coming in, waiting for Chrono and Yuuno to approve their end of the long-distance communication network. It was easier this way, talking to each other over each department instead of wasting hours trying to organise a meeting in the same room. No matter what happened, the TSAB would continue on tirelessly, time after time.
It was now into the early afternoon of the day after the attack. The news of Nanoha's sudden reappearance had travelled like wildfire, followed by widespread concern at her admittance into hospital. Shamal had had her hands full just trying to find somewhere to put all of the Get Well cards, and had been forced to refuse any visitors.
Almost any visitors, that is.
Hayate watched Nanoha's bed silently, giving no word to her inner thoughts. Fate had stayed faithfully by Nanoha's side all night long, despite being worn-out from the action of the previous day, her face desperate with worry. It didn't seem to matter what assurances Shamal and the rest of the medical team were giving her. She wanted to stay. In the end, it became apparent that she was going to keep herself up all night long and jeopardise her health in doing so, until Shamal insisted that she get at least some measure of sleep before they had another casualty in their hands.
"Fate," Hayate murmured out loud, quiet enough so that nobody could hear. "You shouldn't have to suffer like this."
Shamal's diagnosis of Nanoha's condition had been both a relief and a concern to everyone. But Fate hadn't seemed to believe her, arguing that Nanoha was on the verge of death, not satisfied for an instant until she could feel Nanoha breath next to her once more. And then it was if she wouldn't let go for a moment. But with time came healing, and the hours had grown long past the dawn.
Chrono had scheduled a group meeting with the high-ranking mages involved personally, which would usually include all of the Aces. But one of them was lying unconscious and another was too sick with worry to leave her. Hayate doubted that Fate would ever be the same again. After all, personal loss cut through all the way to her soul, bringing back bitter memories of her childhood.
So far, only Hayate, Shamal and Yuuno were a part of the meeting. Hayate guessed that Shamal was there to provide details of Nanoha's condition, and perhaps relay the information back to the rest of the Wolkenritter, who would in turn do the same to their own individual squads. Hayate didn't know why Chrono just let her, Hayate, do all of it. She was used to command, after all. Did he not trust her? His behaviour towards her was somewhat frustrating, but tolerable.
Yuuno's appearance, however, gave Hayate a shred of hope. There could only be one reason why Chrono would ask him to be present.
"Hayate?"
It was Chrono's voice on the second monitor as the videoscreen onboard the Asura hooked up to their internal network. They were online. There was no sign of any signal from Yuuno at the Infinity Library, but perhaps Yuuno had his hands full with research already.
"I'm here," Hayate acknowledged from her end. "Yuuno hasn't turned up yet."
Chrono's gaze was even and measured, but somewhat restricted. An indication of just how much responsibility he was taking on from his present level. For him to have called a meeting so soon after the Bureau was barely recovering from the first attack since the JS Incident...something must have come up.
"We can start without him," he said. "If Shamal is here, then..."
The blonde-haired mage's tranquil voice sounded from the wards. "I'm here too." She sighed, her eyes weary and tired as she appeared on screen. Early morning emergencies for life-or-death situations did not allow the head of the medical team ample sleep, especially when you worked on double shifts. "I'm guessing you want me to update you on how Nanoha-san is."
"Please," Chrono said. "I know you must be tired of people asking."
Shamal's gaze went to Nanoha's bed in front of her, where she had spent many hours after dawn making her primary diagnosis. "She's going to be all right. Her life signs are all strong enough to lead her back to recovery. Her respiratory levels and heart rate are all at the level of a normal healthy human being. From the readings, she appears to be sleeping peacefully and there is no reason why she shouldn't awaken later on."
Chrono's sceptical attitude showed that he needed more persuading than that. "Fate was making a considerable outcry when you brought her in."
"That's understandable, given their relationship - "
"She seemed to think that Nanoha was close to death. Fate isn't the kind who would sit by and do nothing if she thought something was wrong. And yet...you're really saying there's nothing wrong with her?"
"Of course," Shamal said rather irritably, annoyance weaving into her voice. "When Fate-san brought her in, she was reasonably healthy. I checked for any signs of rogue substances in her body, injuries, toxins, poisons and so forth..." She shook her head. "Nothing. It's as if she just fell asleep. In my professional medical opinion, I think everyone is just overreacting."
Hayate spoke up at this point, unable to conceal her worries any further. "You didn't mention the blue markings on her body, Shamal."
The blonde mage nodded. "I was coming to that. As you both know – and this is partly why I have not allowed visitors to Nanoha-san – Nanoha-san's body was covered from head to toe with strange blue markings. We made some attempt to remove them, but so far everything we've tried, short of causing harm to Nanoha-san's body, has failed." She closed her eyes for a moment, brushing a strand of hair out of her eye. "However, after extensive analysis of the markings, they don't seem to be harmful to Nanoha-san in any way. They don't affect her bodily functions or her brain activity or any other part of her."
"But they won't come off," Hayate said with a hint of agitation in her voice.
Shamal's tone softened as she turned to her. "I don't think you should worry about that, Hayate-san," she said with a smile. "There's a lot of substances in this world which won't come off your skin by normal means, but that doesn't mean they'll hurt you. Besides, we're still researching into this matter." She shrugged. "Maybe they'll just fade on their own."
Chrono nodded in satisfaction. "I see. We'll leave it in your hands then, Shamal. And...I know this might not be your area, but have you heard about the status of Raging Heart?"
When the other woman shook her head, Chrono went on, "Fate found Raging Heart at the same time as she found Nanoha. As you know, each and every mage has a deep connection with their own device, so I had Raging Heart checked up on. And..." He took a deep breath, his words more aimed at Hayate than Shamal. "I don't want to worry anyone, but Raging Heart was found to be completely drained of all power."
The feeling of being eaten away inside her increased inside Hayate. Raging Heart...was drained of all power? The amount of magic that Nanoha can channel inside Raging Heart is extreme, at a far higher level than even I am capable of sometimes...
"I already have Mariel working on it," Chrono was saying, keeping his voice deliberately calm. "She should be able to get Raging Heart back to normal in no time, if my respect for her ability is any judge. It's nothing for anyone to worry about. We have enough on our minds at the moment."
Hayate didn't seem to hear him. What happened to Nanoha when she vanished? What could drain Raging Heart of all the magical power contained within?
"In any case, you have my thanks, Shamal. Your help is invaluable." The look in Chrono's eyes seemed distant and distracted. "I know you have work of your own to do, especially now that Nanoha's..."
The medical mage bowed her head respectfully. "With your leave, Chrono-kun. I hope that you are able to get to the bottom of this."
The connection terminated at Shamal's end and her videoscreen at the wards was deactivated. Hayate felt a dull emptiness as the mage disappeared from the conversation, accompanied by the same emotion that had been eating away at her since this morning. Shamal's words meant well, but for some reason they didn't make her feel any better.
So Nanoha was alive and well? Fate didn't seem convinced in the slightest. Hayate had never seen her friend in this state of emotion before, acting as if Nanoha was on the verge of death. The strange markings on her body were not good news for any of them either, especially if they weren't going to be coming off. And Raging Heart...
Our opponents took Nanoha away, and returned her...like she is now. They wouldn't do that for no reason. I need to talk to Srethis about this, if they will talk to me. Anything could help at this stage, and it feels like Nanoha's life is at the core of it all.
Abruptly, the screen from the Infinity Library came to life several seconds after Shamal's screen switched off. The friendly face of a young green-eyed man with medium-length brown-blonde hair extending down to neck-level appeared in greeting, gazing studiously through his glasses at them.
"Yuuno-kun!" Chrono exclaimed, the light coming back to his eyes again at the researcher's presence. "I'm glad you could make it after all."
"I'm sorry I'm late," Yuuno apologised profusely. "With all the projects that have been coming in lately, I haven't had a lot of free time lately..."
Hayate smiled despite herself. She hadn't had the chance to talk with Yuuno face-to-face for many months by now. Everything had seemed so busy before, especially with Yuuno confining himself to the depths of the Infinity Library and constantly away at research conferences, but now it seemed as if they would be talking again once more. She had another reason to be in high spirits now: Yuuno's presence here might mean that Chrono was going to take her request to look into time travel seriously after all.
"It's good to see you again, Yuuno-kun," she said seriously.
Yuuno's eyes twinkled. "It's strange, isn't it? We never seem to talk when the world is at peace. And here we are now, with the threat of enemies attacking the Bureau..."
"Danger attracts us all, Yuuno-kun," Hayate smiled. "It brings us all together."
Chrono tapped the edge of his communicator a few times, bringing them all back into focus. "I don't mean to break up your reunion here," he said, seeming somewhat less tense nonetheless, "but we have things we need to discuss. Hayate, I was concerned about the marks on Nanoha's body when she was brought in. Fate was not in the best condition at the time, but from what she said I was able to gather that the blue markings were runes of a kind."
"Runes?" Hayate repeated, not understanding. "You mean...?"
"Precisely," Yuuno said excitedly, the academic within him pushing to the surface. "According to Chrono-kun's observations, the runes repeat over Nanoha's skin, again and again. Like a kind of mantra. Like words. Like...some kind of language." He pushed his glasses up to the rim of his nose. "Chrono-kun had them copied down and sent to me to research in the Infinity Library."
"They're...a language?" Hayate didn't know what to think of all this. "You mean somebody wrote these alien words on Nanoha's body over and over again?"
Yuuno sounds thrilled about it because he loves discovering new things. He's thinking about this new language that he's going to discover, and about where it came from, what culture, what civilisation...but all I can think about is that someone subjected Nanoha to some kind of twisted ritual. No wonder Fate broke down when she saw her.
"Yes," Yuuno said, wide-eyed with the idea. "The prospect of it is fantastic. These runs could be the proof of an ancient forgotten language that we know nothing about! A whole species and world, knowledge just waiting to be unlocked! But it will take time," he said seriously to Chrono. "A lot of time and effort. It all depends on the hidden secrets locked within. A week, a month, or forty thousand years! In any case, the end result will be worth it!"
"We can't wait quite that long," Chrono said disapprovingly. "I'm half-expecting the Bureau to be attacked tomorrow if we're not careful." He sighed. "Yuuno-kun...if you're able to translate the runes, please tell us. If not, then we'll just have to live with it."
The archaeologist's eyes were still shining. "But these runes could be the key to knowledge which far surpasses - "
"Yuuno-kun," Hayate said heavily. "Please."
"I also have one more thing to discuss here," Chrono said, moving closer to the screen, his features in sharper focus. "The Lost Logia."
Hayate felt a sense of foreboding at these words, but suppressed it. "What about them?"
"Everything, Hayate. The attack on the Bureau. The decoy. Srethis' infiltration to remove our defences so that we would be vulnerable. The Lost Logia...Hayate, I haven't told this to many people. But when Shari gave me her run-down of the extent of the damage caused, it became evident that one of the Lost Logia is missing."
If she had said she hadn't been expecting this, Hayate would have been lying. It had been a suspicion lodged in the back of her mind ever since she had found out that the vaults had been attacked directly. Of course. Srethis brings down all defences from the safety of my office. Including all the security keeping the Lost Logia sealed away. When Subaru and Tiana gave me their report, they said that all of the Lost Logia were open and vulnerable at the vaults. Anyone could have taken them. Anyone.
But she also recalled that of all the monsters who had attacked the vaults...all of the mutants, the Manticore and so forth...they hadn't gotten past their last line of defence. Subaru and Tiana had fought them off and prevented any of the attackers from getting in. So the attackers then hadn't been the ones who had stolen the Lost Logia.
Of course they were just a decoy. But you would have to get all the way in to take one of the Lost Logia. Like Exoria did when she opened a portal in time. They attacked us on both ends.
"Chrono-kun has given me the task of analysing exactly which Lost Logia was stolen and what its purpose is," Yuuno explained. "Luckily, I have a lot more information to go on here, because the data on every Lost Logia is archived here at the Infinity Library. Now, you have to understand that I have begun my analysis at very short notice, and so I can't give you a completely detailed run-down of the missing Lost Logia for a day or so. But..."
No, wait. It couldn't have been Exoria who stole the Lost Logia. I was chasing her, remember? She panicked and she fled. Which means that either there's someone else with the kind of powers that she has, or someone else infiltrated the vaults when we were caught-off balance and...
"Yes?" Chrono asked in answer to what Yuuno was saying.
"I have been able to access the most local archives of the Lost Logia," the researcher mage said. "The information they contain is rather out-of-date and imprecise, but not altogether incorrect. So I can give you a rough idea about what exactly are the abilities of the missing Lost Logia."
It all comes down to one thing. The impossible, non-sensical, fantastical existence of time travel.
"Roughly, based on a few assumptions," Yuuno finished, "the Lost Logia was stolen is rumoured to grant its user the ability to speed up or slow down time itself. In essence, you could manipulate or disrupt the flow of time on a basic level. Now, I know this is only an imprecise description, but once I am able to find more about its particular abilities..."
Hayate jumped to her feet, slamming her hands on the console in front of her. She felt Chrono's gaze on her, troubled, regretful, but she didn't care. The evidence in front of them all could not be argued with or ignored any longer. If what they did brought the whole world down upon themselves, then so be it. Maybe it was impossible. But what had happened to Nanoha, what had happened to her, and what the purpose of the missing Lost Logia was...
"Hayate?" Yuuno whispered in alarm.
"Yuuno-kun," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "I want you to do something for me. I want you to go through the Infinity Library and find everything you've got on time travel. Everything, including the details of the missing Logia. Everything's that going to happen to us now will depend on it."
Fate watched with haunted eyes as her lover slept on, hour after hour. The sight of Nanoha's face painted with those strange symbols as she slumbered on peacefully brought a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Shamal had told her that Nanoha was sleeping normally, that there was nothing wrong with her, that the runes on her face were doing her no harm...
Fate's hands tightened around the edge of the bed. Shamal hadn't held a dead Nanoha in her arms.
She'd stayed on for hours on end by Nanoha's side until worry for her own health had won out. But her mind wouldn't rest, wouldn't stop crying that Nanoha wasn't really there, that as soon everyone left her alone again that Nanoha's skin would go cold once more and her breathing would gradually stop as the forces around them conspired to destroy the two of them once more. The fear inside her told Fate that that was exactly would happen. She ended up taking sleeping pills to quell her frightened mind to slumber.
When she woke up, Nanoha was still sleeping. She hadn't woken up or even moved once. Fate took Vivio to her, the sound of her daughter's voice reassuring her. Vivio told her that Nanoha had kept her promise to her, and that she was happy to be with her. She asked when Nanoha-mama would get better. Fate didn't know what to tell her. She was relieved when Shamal answered for her instead, and said that Nanoha would wake up anytime soon now.
Fate watched Nanoha continue to sleep, the rise of her breast moving up and down, her hand on her arm. Warm. Not cold. She wasn't gone, at least not yet.
It was late evening and she was still asleep. If she really was asleep. No, the doctors and nurses were wrong. She must be in a coma. Maybe she wouldn't wake up, ever, not for Fate, not for anyone, ever again. Maybe she was trying to talk to Fate but she couldn't. Everyone said she was fine, she was going to be fine. So many Get Well cards, strewn everywhere. Too many. Fate hadn't written one. She didn't need to. Nanoha wasn't going to be fine, she felt that. And neither was she; nobody was going to be fine.
Vivio was fast asleep by now. Fate had requested more people around her daughter, people whom she respected and loved and that Vivio respected and loved. She never wanted Vivio to ever be alone again. She didn't want Vivio to go through what she had had to go through.
Sleep. Nanoha looked so peaceful and – could she say happy? - that it almost made her want to go to a similar place. But she didn't want to leave.
"I love you," she said quietly, her words feeling like scattered leaves falling into winter. They were heard and they were crushed but it didn't matter as long as your loved one was the one who heard them. "I don't know if you're having a dream or a nightmare. But I know you can wake up from it. Please, Nanoha? Wake up for me. I know I'm selfish for asking so. And Vivio's okay. She knows you'll awake when you're ready. You kept your promise to her and she knows it."
No response. The nurses hadn't hooked her up to any of the machines or breathing apparatuses. They kept telling Fate that there was nothing wrong with her. But I'm looking at her, and you're wrong.
"I need you, Nanoha," she whispered, and laid her head against the brunette's breast, feeling the touch of her skin against her own, the tears dripping down across her cheek.
"She'll wake up, Fate."
The reassuring voice came from behind her, and was painfully familiar. Fate shook her head, unable to tell whether she was imagining things. She wiped the tears away, turning to see...a young girl with long red hair flowing down the length of her back, blue eyes blinking into her own, with red fox-like ears...
"Arf?" she said in bewilderment. "Is that you? How...how can you be...?"
Arf nestled closed to her, cuddling her and pushing her slender body against hers. "Because you need me," she said simply.
The comfort felt surreal but nostalgic. It brought back memories of the familiar who had comforted her time and time again when Precia would hurt her. The first real memory of love she ever had, after the fake ones that been implanted within her mind.
"But you aren't here," Fate protested, "you're with Chrono and Amy in the Asura. You're..." A sad smile came to her lips. "You aren't real, are you?"
The familiar stroked her hair with a pained expression. "I'm real. If you dreamed me up to help you go on, then I'm as real as anything you know."
What if Nanoha never wakes up?
Cheeks wet with tears, Fate pressed her face against the side of Arf's neck. She felt soft, gentle and beautiful as she always had been. She'd always thought she'd abandoned Arf after they'd saved Hayate from her fate. But Arf had insisted that she'd be here for Fate when she needed her more than ever. When Nanoha wasn't here to save her. When she...
"It doesn't matter what happens," Arf whispered in her ear. "I'll always be here for you, helping you move on."
I know. I know you will, Arf. I'm...I'm sorry...
"I'm sorry too, Fate," said the familiar. Her eyes shone. Blue like Nanoha's eyes. "You were right. I'm just a dream. And dreams end."
"Arf...?"
Arf raised her arms up behind her head. Her ears were turning black. No, her fur was turning black too, as if it was being burned up, burned away with the rest of reality. She raised a hand up and black mist fell away from the fingers.
Her skin began to crumbled away as darkness eroded her face and features completely. The black mist shot forward and clawed at Fate. Fate screamed and lurched backwards as far as she could. The pain shot through her head, piercing, resounding through her mind.
"Oguba," the mist said in a voice of harsh steel. "Oguba!"
She was screaming as she came back to reality. She was waking up. Her own screams woke her up as Fate clutched at her head, the whole world spinning around her. Arf wasn't there. Arf wasn't real. No, what was real, what was real was that she was kneeling beside Nanoha's bed, and that Nanoha was...Nanoha was...
Fate's eyes opened as she awoke from the nightmare.
But the black mist before her was no dream. It was pouring out of Nanoha's body, our of the blue runes that lay across her skin. It gushed into the night air, filling the ward like smog. Terrified, Fate grasped Nanoha's wrist tightly. Her skin was cold, so cold. Her breathing had stopped. They were wrong. They were all wrong.
"Oguba!" the black mist screamed at her, rushing towards her.
It poured out of Nanoha's body completely as Fate fell to the floor, screaming for help. The blue runes on her skin disappeared as it left Nanoha behind, and the mist streaked over Fate's head harmlessly, dissipating into the air like steam, fading into the walls and disappearing completely. It chanted the same unfamiliar word again and again into the night as the world spun around Fate's mind, rocking on the back of her feet.
It was gone. Fate clung to the edge of the bedrail. The black mist had disappeared and taken the blue runes with it. She...was Nanoha...
Her hand feels warm. I can smell...no, I can hear her breathing. Her heat, her warmth, her skin...
Nanoha's eyes slowly opened and stared into hers.
"Fate?" she said weakly. "Where...where am I? What happened?"
She didn't understand the tears that stained Fate's face or the overwhelming happiness that came over her in a huge rush. The blonde mage touched her cheek shakingly as if trying to decide whether she was a dream or not. Confused, Nanoha touched her hand back, looking up at her in wonder.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The breath went out of her as Fate enclosed her in a dangerously tight hug on top of her bed , pressing the entirety of her body against hers. She was crying in her ear, whispering her name again and again as she clutched at her face and her skin, closing her mouth against hers. Nanoha's arms came up against her, returning the hug and the kiss. Binding her back to stability once more.
"Nanoha..." Fate whispered with emotion. "Are you...are you going to stay with me?"
"Of course," Nanoha replied quietly. Her voice was shaking, but she didn't know why. "I would never leave you, Fate. Never."
I missed you, Fate. But I don't feel like you ever left.
Wordlessly, she wrapped her lover tighter still in their fierce embrace. She didn't know what had happened, or why, or the reasons Fate seemed so broken. It didn't matter why. All that mattered was that they were together once more.