Groaning I looked over the top of Nanoha's head and into the dark room we were in. Despite the alarm clock above the bed telling me that it was seven-thirty in the morning, it still felt felt as if it was the dead of night. The window curtains were closed but there was almost no light to be blocked out thanks to the rainclouds hanging thick in the sky. I was so tempted to simply hug the girl in front of me and go back to sleep but I knew I couldn't. There was too much to do today and we really needed to get back to my summer house to start. With any luck we could start planning how exactly we were going to fight the people we were up against and maybe even get an update about Nanoha's eyesight from Shamal as well. Of course I had to get out of bed before any of this could happen, but Nanoha was sleeping so soundly... Closing my eyes, I cuddled up against her and sighed out contently. Well, maybe five more minutes wouldn't hurt anything...
6th Mobile Division: Redemption V
By: Satashi
Fate quickly opened the door to her house and ushered Nanoha inside before closing her umbrella and shaking off the rain on it. “What a day to rain,” she complained more to herself than her friend but still got a reply back anyway.
“I thought you liked rain, miss storm lover.” Standing where she was, she looked around the house even though she couldn't actually see it. “This is the same house you stayed in when you were younger right? After you moved out of your apartment?”
“It is,” Fate's voice trailed off, seeing only Elio and Caro awake. “Mou, we hurried all the way here and everyone is still asleep?”
The youngest girl in the room turned and smiled at her commander. “Hayate-san told us to sleep in and rest since the first few days would be our vacation.” She yawned loudly before she could continue though. “The time difference here is weird so we didn't end up going to bed until way late in the morning.”
“Can you show me to our room?” Nanoha asked casually before Fate trotted off to do her own thing. “I want to change clothes, please.”
“Yes, this way Honey.” Fate took her hand and began to guide her around the living room while trying her best to describe everything to her at the same time. “Stairs,” She placed her fiancé's hand on the rail and was pleased to see Nanoha go up them simply without worry. Once near the top the girl slowed down slightly and took her time to make sure she wouldn't over balance like before and soon found herself standing at the top with a proud grin on her face. “You're already adapting,” Fate whispered so only they could hear. “That's my girl.”
“Flirt,” She accused back as the blond started to guide her to their room. The door was opened for her and after stepping in she was greeted at once by a cheerful cry from her friends. “Arisa!” she exclaimed brightly, opening her arms for a hug and getting it seconds later. “Hey! You stayed the night here?”
“We did,” She replied back while giving her one more hug before jumping onto Fate as well. “Oh sweet Jesus, Fate you did cut your hair! I thought Suzuka was lying!” Looking back and forth between the two her eyes slowly drifted off back to Nanoha, who was simply smiling. “So, it's true? Nanoha?”
“Mm,” She replied softly, knowing what she was referring to. Bracing for another hug, she was startled to find a finger poking her chest.
“How stupid do you have to be, huh?” Arisa demanded of her. “Getting defeated! Honestly! I thought you was the 'Ace of Aces' there!?”
Nanoha puffed out her cheeks angrily. “Well excuse me for being human! The guy took out my entire team as well, it wasn't like I just keeled over and died!”
“Well you should have tried harder or retreated or something!” She went on. “Mou, what am I going to tell my friends now after bragging about you so much?”
“Wait, you have friends?” Nanoha acted surprised.
“Of course I do!” Arisa shouted back at her in mid glaring contest. Several seconds passed by between them before both girls lost their anger and hugged each other again. “I missed you.”
“You too.” Nanoha smiled, pleased at being able to vent a little of her anger out.
Fate started to change clothes for the day after digging through her large duffel bag. “I'm going to wake up Hayate and start on breakfast for everyone, need anything before I go off?” The girls shook their heads, leaving her free to do as she desired. “Arisa, let's catch up once I'm done cooking okay?” She got a nod and left the three to talk amongst themselves. As the blond walked down the hall she casually trailed her fingers along the wall until she made it to the room at the end. Peeking in, she saw the form of Hayate's body and smiled to herself for getting it right on the first try. “Hayate?” she asked gently as she walked across the room. “Wake up, I need help cooking for so...many...people?” Her words slowly trailed off, mouth hanging open at the sight. Her best friend was laying quite literally on top of her best male friend, arm around his chest and knee brought up to his thighs. To top off everything Hayate had a dreamy smile on her face and was slightly drooling on Yuuno's chest. 'Oh man,' Fate thought to herself as she used Bardiche and the house's M2D to bring up her camera screen. 'Payback is a bitch, Hayate.'
“I want to see what school Mommy and Fate-san went to,” Caro mused aloud as she thought about it.
Subaru grinned. “Oh that would be interesting! The top three Ace's old school! Maybe we could find yearbooks!”
The leader of the pack had to suppress a grin. “Okay, I'm game.” holding up her device, she spoke softly to it. “Cross Mirage, have you managed to adapt to the environment on this planet?” She was given a short affirmative answer, making her smile. “Can you display and find information?” Again she was confirmed, making the group cheer out. “Thank you. Load portable M2D and connect with the house please.” This time a small screen appeared in front of her. “Display directions from here to whatever school Nanoha and Fate went to as children.” The screen remained still for several moments as it searched the limited availability of Earth's 'Internet' mixed with the personal database of the requested people. Finally a map appeared before them, getting smiles all around.
The girl in question looked down sadly, hunched over with her hands clasped. “It was insane,” She finally revealed as Raising Heart displayed a floating monitor for them to replay the battle. “It was like... Fighting a god... I couldn't even touch him.” She listened to the battle taking place and cringed when she heard her own pain filled scream. “That move... Why does he know it?” Looking over towards the general area of the group, she closed her eyes. “That's Skeith's move... she gave it to me before she started to sleep.”
“Can you ask her?” Fate looked over at her lover as she pet the puppy form of Arf sitting in her lap. “We would like to know that as well.”
Nanoha shook her head sadly. “She's asleep; Aura only wakes when my life is threatened and only long enough to make sure I'm okay. Other than that, it's as if she isn't alive.”
Yuuno licked his lips. “Skeith is a program,” His childhood partner looked over at him, not liking his words. “I know she has a soul, Nanoha, I'm not implying otherwise. But...still, she's like an advanced version of Rein.” Looking over at the small girl sitting on Hayate's shoulder he offered a small smile. “Man I always feel like a creep when I say that because I see her as a real person.”
“Rein is Rein,” She confirmed for him happily. “I know I'm a program, it doesn't bother me. My friends treat me as a person, that's all that I need to make me happy.” To prove her point she flew over to Yuuno and sat on his shoulder instead. “Where is this going?”
“I was hoping to find some way to activate Skeith's program so we could find out more information on this.” Yuuno spoke again, glancing around to different people as he did so. “All we know is the people we're up against use a type of Unison Device to allow them their power. Unlike you, Rein, it seems to merge with them completely. So much so that they actually refer to themselves in a plural sense.”
“Anyway,” Hayate interrupted him. “We know how they get their power and we have a counter measure for it...”
“Why do you say it like that?” Fate sighed. “This is another one of those insanely risky things, isn't it?”
Suzuka swallowed. “Is it that bad?”
Slowly Hayate nodded. “Yuuno and I have talked about this for a while now, trying to gather data before talking to you about it. So far we only came up with two solutions...”
“...And?” Nanoha pondered when nothing was spoken for a while.
“One, we fight them before they load a linker core or prevent them from loading one once we start fighting.”
Nanoha stared at the direction Yuuno was in for a long moment, trying to decide if he was serious or not. “Gee, way to hit the nail on the head there Yuuno-kun. Tell me, what insanely brilliant second plan did you come up with?”
“...Fight them when they have mana burn after they already loaded a core.”
“You're kidding!?” Nanoha acted shocked. “Come on Yuuno-kun! Be serious here!” She was answered with silence, leaving her a moment before slowly hanging her head. “We don't stand a snowball's chance in hell do we?”
Suzuka reached out to her friend and was rewarded with a slow hug from her. “Hey, don't worry, you've done things before that were slim right? If we have a while to plan then surely we can come up with something that will give us an edge right?”
Nanoha slowly nodded in the embrace. “Mm...Yuuno-kun and Hayate-chan have never let me down before, I'm just a little touchy I suppose.” She felt her back being rubbed and sighed out at the feeling. “Thanks, I'm better now.” Taking a large breath, she calmed down. “What about the AMF?”
Fate nodded at the idea while petting Arf's puppy form in her lap. “Yeah, what do you think about that? Would they be immune to it like Jail was?”
“Jail was telekinetic, not magical.” Hayate reminded them. “He did the research, but I don't know if the main branch also continued it. Not many planets have magical energy you know.”
Yuuno leaned forward. “It's worth a shot. I have the device after all, and your barrier jackets have been equipped with the neutralizing frequency. I don't know how much it will take their power down, nor how long it will last before they find the device, but it's worth a shot. No sooner than did the words leave his mouth than a monitor appeared in the air between them all.
“Hayate!” Carim's image looked panicked on the screen. “Our databases were hacked last night! Teleportation logs were copied!”
“What!?” Hayate leaned forward and slammed her hands on the table in front of her. “How did this happen!? Who did it!?” The screen stayed silent despite her yelling so she tried again. “Carim, who-”
“The U.F.Q most likely,” the screen picked up again. “ We fear that-” Her voice stopped, blinking. “Huh?”
Yuuno put his hand on Hayate's shoulder. “There's a long delay, you'll have to wait before talking again.” Turning to the screen, he spoke to the woman. “Did they get our location?”
Carim replied shortly. “Yes, they know you are on non-administrated planet number ninety-seven. They don't have your exact location so if you lay low and don't call attention to yourself then you should be okay if you stay indoors.”
Arisa swallowed. “Um, this may not be the best time to say this but... Lutecia, I think her name was, said something about Tia being on the news stopping some type of robbery this morning...” Fate looked over and met Hayate's eyes in fear.
“Such a slow reaction time,” A voice floated down to them, slowly lingering over the field as the group scrambled to gather. “I expected more from the students of the top flying Ace.” Slowly the figure sank down onto the ground and crossed his arms. “ I wonder if this will even be worth my time?”
Tia observed the man in front of them slowly, taking in everything she could to try and figure out exactly who he was and a weakness, if any. The man had long white hair flared back freely behind his back. Blue eyes glared at them, matched by the exact same type of armor that the Azure Flame wore. “Who are you?” She finally spoke, Barrier Jacket flaring to life around her skin. “Why have you attacked us?”
“They call me Balmung... of the Azure Sky.” Balmung smirked at them, pulling out a large broad sword type device. “If you do not surrender peacefully I will do more than harm you. A hostage would be nice but is not required.”
Elio gripped Strada and stood ahead of his fellow lightning members. With his spear in front of him, he narrowed his eyes and spoke. “Azure Sky, the same type of name Tri-Edge had. He was probably sent here to kill the others?”
Subaru swallowed. “How... how can we fight someone on par with the guy who beat Nanoha fully powered...” Her eyes widened as Balmung slowly inserted a small round gem into his sword. “Is that...?”
Balmung smirked, blasting the gem into his device. “Load Linker core!”
“Affirmative!” His device held a thick accent to it.
When Caro could see again, she realized that the simple act of loading the energy source had knocked them all back several feet from where they had been standing previously. “... I'm scared...” Her shaking hands were soon comforted by another gripping it firmly. Following it up to it's owner, she found Lutecia looking at her with a determined expression. Caro nodded at her after a few seconds and turned to glare back at the man, for the first time noticing that Elio was still in front of them even after taking the brunt of the blow.
“Listen,” Tia whispered softly so only they could hear her words. Balmung was slowly walking towards them as they gripped their weapons. “I can't promise you that we will survive this.” She closed her eyes for just a moment. “If you want to run, I will distract him so you can get away. There is no shame in a strategic retreat; I won't force any of you to put your life on the line in this battle.”
“She's right,” Subaru stood next to Tia and loaded rifle sized shells into the glove her lover had made for her. “You can make it back while we keep his attention.”
Elio scoffed to himself. “I'm not going anywhere.” Shifting his stance, he prepared to strike. “We're a team.”
Lutecia stood on the other side of the boy, lifting her hands and forming a magic circle for support under her. “You accepted me without questions... I will not turn my back on you, no matter the cost.”
Finally Caro walked forward as well, twin circles appearing under her feet. “My dragons... Bless my knight with the armor of frost, and my team with the mist of protection.” The roars of vanishing dragons echoed somewhere in the skies as the magic keeping them on Earth changed to enchant those around her. The Dragoon Knight was instantly frozen over, graced in armor that looked to be completely made out of ice. Although it had a form around his normal barrier jacket, the exact details could not be made out, as it was mostly translucent. The rest of them were covered lightly in a type of silver glowing fog that clung to their bodies. “My protection may not last long against him,” She warned. “But it's the best I can do.”
Tia's lips turned up into a proud smirk as her eyes trained back onto the man in front of them who was now preparing to strike. “Thank you, all of you.” Narrowing her eyes, she contacted the group mentally. “Here's what I need you to do to win this!”
The group scattered at once, running quickly away from the attack that was launched at them. The area they had just been standing was gone now, simply vaporized from the sword swing. “Oh?” Balmung mused, turning around and grinning at the several blast of magic that were absorbed into the barrier surrounding him. “So you will put up a fight?” Glancing to his side, he noticed Elio seem to phase into view across from him before vanishing again and reappearing on his other side. “This should be interesting to say the least.”
Subaru's fist slammed hard against the barrier in front of Balmung, glove crackling furiously as a spent shell was ejected from it's holder. She seemed to be three complete feet away from the man, fighting a barrier that she herself could only project mere inches from her skin. Jumping back, she avoided a slash of the sword and landed in a crouch. She gripped her arm tightly, panting in pain as light blood trickled from between her fingers. “I'm fine!” she yelled before Tia could be distracted. Looking down, she winced at the cut. 'He wasn't even close to getting me and yet he did this much damage from a miss?Even with Caro's dragon barrier...'
Elio once again flashed across the battlefield as Tia emptied her guns quickly, streaming several shots up and above the man in an attempt to find a weak spot in the shield. Her guns, although empty of shells, still fired as fast as she could pull the triggers. The gunslinger noticed that the magic wasn't being drained from her but instead came from from Caro. “I can't summon while having two active dragon enchants,” The young one gasped out as she continued to pump magical energy into everyone to increase their abilities. “This is all I can do!”
Lutecia danced around the man outside of the barrier as Elio flashed over them yet again. Trying to find a spot to attack from, she sent several small insets through the shield only to have them vaporized from the magic radiating from within. “I can't get any through!” She cried as Balmung kicked his foot out. Although missing her by four feet, she still flew through the air and dug a trench into the ground where she landed. “Ah...Ahn...”
“Lulu!” Elio forced himself not to rush over to her, instead blurring his speed as he ran across the battle area. Leaping over the man, he focused all the energy Caro had sent him and loaded a shell to enforce it. The spear tip bounced off the top of the barrier just as it had been.
Balmung glanced to the side, seeing Elio once again appearing on his other side. “My dear boy, what are you trying to do?” turning his attention to Tia, he focused himself on dodging her bullets and allowed a few to be absorbed by his protection. With a quick slash he sent Subaru railing through the air and into the dirt, sliding far in the dust. “Hahaha, this is too much fun! Like a cat playing with it's mouse before consuming it!” His world flipped around as the ground beneath him blasted into the sky. Balmung nimbly ran across the raising spike of stone and lashed out against the purple summoner.
“What I desire!” Lutecia flew into the air and twirled around an attack. “Water of deception!” Balmung's sword sliced clean through the girl's body, grinning at the sudden surprised look and dead blank eyes of the defeated insect queen. Landing, he took a startled look as the two body parts flashed into water, covering both himself and the ground. “I desire,” Lutecia spoke from afar as Elio lashed forward again. “A flow of lightning from within!”
Balmung laughed as the electricity flared around him, not breaking the shield that Elio once again bounced off of. “Such pathetic attempts!” Despite the power radiating around him being able to floor most double-A mages in one hit, he simply blasted Lutecia back into the ground when she was finished channeling her energy.
“Lulu!” Elio blurred again, catching her body before slamming into the broken bleachers. “Are you okay?” Holding her tighter, her noticed that she felt rather soft in his arms and unconsciously squeezed her.
“E-Eli-chan!” Lutecia blushed darkly, making Elio realize that he had been feeling up her chest. “I-I don't mind but this... this is hardly the time!”
“I didn't mean to!” Pulling back he let her go and grabbed his spear, tripping over himself in an attempt to gain some distance from the blushing girl
Tia growled, shouting at him. “Elio, pay attention!” Frowning, she looked back at her opponent. 'Damn puberty messing up my team...' Despite being wide open for attack nothing came, as Balmung was too busy laughing at them. The leader smirked, loading two more rounds into her twin pistols and unloading what she could. 'That's it, just keep being cocky.' She had to leap to the side as she was charged, feeling her barrier jacket almost vaporize from the close encounter. Skidding to a halt, she inspected the damage and frowned at her bruised leg. A tackle came next, and she rolled across the ground with her Stars partner to avoid another close swing of the massive broadsword. “Subaru!” The blue haired girl panted, clutching her side and withering in agony from the attack she just took to cover her partner. “Let me see!”
“No!” Subaru screamed loudly. “Fight! I'll be fine!”
“But-” Her words were barely audible over the roar of fire summoned by Lutecia, followed by another attempt to sneak in poisoned wasps.
“GO!” The injured girl cried desperately.
Tia forced back the feeling and ran, shooting both guns as fast as she could. “Hey! Over here!” She glared at him as she was looked at, allowing Elio to once again make his journey. She bent herself backwards and saw the sword sail above her. Ignoring the blinding rush of energy around her she shot several times, creating a smoke cloud around them. “Caro! Please! Everything you have!”
“I'm at my limit!” The dragon princess sobbed out as she fell to her knees. “Too much! Four people is too much!” with her shaking hands, she forced the remaining energy from her linker core into both Tia and Elio.
Lutecia slid along the ground as she got into position, summoning a swarm of flies around her so thick she couldn't see through them. “Go, my darlings,” She requested of them softly. “Confuse him!” Pushing out her hands, she felt her body stagger. “Tia... I summoned enough to buy you some time...” Falling to her knees, she forced herself to stay up the rest of the way. 'I can't fall yet! There's one more thing I have to do!'
Balmung looked around at the insects buzzing around him, feeling Elio flash above him again. Despite the interference he managed to see the movement and threw out his hand to counter. The scream was loud, bringing a smile to his face as chunks of ice fell. Several more blast hit his shield but the combination of smoke and flies made him stop to look for the new direction they were coming from. “Go away!” Slashing out his hand, he enveloped the area around him in a thick fire, burning most of the insects in the process. Now free to see slightly, his eyes widened at the sight of Elio landing in front of him. His body was covered again, green and purple armor gracing his jacket.
“Knight attack:” He began, the smirk evident on his face as Strada cracked over it's entire body from the force of the attack just delivered. “The God that Failed!” Lutecia collapsed across from him, leaving the armor to shatter as well. Balmung looked up finally, seeing the scratched and cracked area in his barrier above his head.
“You...! All this time...!?” His eyes narrowed angrily, building up a ball of energy in his hand and thrusting it forward at the boy. “Damn you!” The blast hit it's mark, but he had no time to see the damage done. Looking up, he gasped at the sight of Tia flying straight down at him. “This is madness!”
Tia pointed her shotgun at the top of the barrier and fired the moment she was about to collide with it. The force of the attack finally shattered a hole in the barrier where all five of them had been concentrating their attacks. Falling through it, Tia reared back a hand in a punch and threw it at Balmung's face. As expected it was caught firmly within his own fist. Not letting up, Tia twisted her body around and lashed her foot out. Balmung lifted his leg to absorb the shock of it almost instantly, dropping his sword and predicting the next attack before it even came. Tia flipped her body over upside down and threw out her other foot to connect with the man's shoulder, only to have it caught by Balmung's now free hand. “Checkmate,” Tia stated as she hung upside down in his grasp, black and red version five of Cross Mirage placed directly on the man's chest. His eyes went wide as the trigger was pulled.
The world blurred around her as the blast shot, heat searing through her jacket and burning her skin. There was a scream but she didn't know if it was from him or herself, maybe a combination of both. Everything Caro had given her was gone, the shells in her barrel emptied. Cross Mirage was already draining her, sucking the energy from her body to complete the task. The feeling in her hand spread, snapping sharply once she realized what it was. Firing the fifth stage one handed hand instantly fractured the bones in her hand, spreading back into her wrist and arm, moving up in splintering lines to her shoulder which was now out of socket.
One body hit the ground, Tia falling first onto the back of her neck and shoulders and then continuing to collapse onto her back. Looking up in agony, she saw the body of Balmung above her, taking a few staggering steps away from her before falling to his knees and then onto his face. Panting, she watched for any signs of movement, but saw nothing other than the pained signs of breathing. The man's eyes met hers then, his lips turning up into a sick smile and laughing. “Ha...ha...ha...ha... Well... played...” Grunting, he coughed blood. “Kite was...right... My arrogance... was...the death... of me...” Looking at her harder, he gave one final smirk. “But you... you're coming... with me!”
“Tiaaaa!” Subaru's scream invaded the Stars member's ears as a thick black slime erupted from Balmung's body and latched onto her. All at once she heard screaming inside her head, pain covering her body as the ooze tried to consume her. “Tia! Tia!” Subaru's voice was desperate now, hands grasping at the black substance and slinging it away from her. Ripping and tearing, the close quarters fighter shredded her way into the avatar trying to kill her partner. Finally, after several pain staking seconds, the ooze stayed still. “Tia...Tia...! Answer me!”
“Suba...ru...” Tia weakly opened her eyes as the enemy on her fell away from her body as if it was never there.
“Oh god... I was so scared...” Leaning over, she gently tried to touch her but had to stop when her partner winced. “What is it?” Her voice was almost high pitched, scared for her life.
“Shoulder...” The word instantly made Subaru's hands grip her, snapping it back into socket instantly. “Owwwwwwwwww!”
“Subaru! Tia!” A new voice screamed loudly from the air, Fate dropping to the ground so hard her boots dug into the dirt, forming two small trenches. “ Are you okay!?” Her eyes instantly widened at the amount of blood stained on Subaru's battle uniform.
Tia looked over at her and smiled as best she could. “We... won... Fate...-san...”
The Lightning leader quickly scanned the area and accounted for everyone still moving. Finally she leaped over them and inspected the body. “...The Azure Sky.”
Balmung weakly opened his eyes, staring up at Fate with what little energy he had left before dieing. “Even though I die...” His voice was so weak Fate had to lean closer to hear him. “My job was completed... Nanoha...will be dead... before you get there...” With those last words, his head turned to the side and stared lifelessly at nothing.
Fate stared at him in disbelief for a full four seconds before turning sharply on her squadron. “Report!” No words came to her ears so she tried again. “Damn it I said report!”
“Ma'am.” Elio tried his best, understanding why she was so desperate. “Lulu and I will make it.”
Caro weakly opened her eyes, dust blowing softly as she panted, face still on the ground. “I'll... be okay...”
Subaru nodded at Fate, still too worried about her partner. Tia, seeing this, spoke as best she could. “Go.”
Fate gave them all a regretful look before turning and blasting into the air again back towards where she had just came from. 'If anything happens to Nanoha I'll...' She couldn't finish the thought, already pushing herself to her limit of flying speed. “Bardiche,” She spoke to her device as she spun in the air to try and even out the air turbulence she just passed through. “Contact the house!”
“Connection terminated,” The weapon told her simply.
“Contact Nanoha!”
“Raising Heart's address is unavailable.”
“Hayate!”
“The Tome of the Night Sky's address is-”
“YUUNO!”
“The Book of One-Thousand's address is unavailable.”
Fate choked on her air, pushing harder. 'No... Please, God, no!'
“You haven't been still since Fate left,” Yuuno told her, pressing his hand down on her leg to keep her from bouncing it up and down so quickly. “Calm down, they only know what town we're in, if that. To be able to track us down enough to battle would take way too much luck.”
“You don't believe in luck,” Nanoha stated as she looked to where the voice was coming from. “There is no such thing as luck, only statistics, right?” She heard a soft chuckle under the male's breath and took small confidence from it. “Can you contact her?”
Hayate sighed. “Nanoha-chan, she just left, can't you wait ten minutes?”
The girl fumed up at her, accidentally petting Arf too hard and getting a small bark. “Sorry,” She spoke down to her before talking back to her friend. “I do it all the time when I'm nervous, she's used to it by now. Activate battle filter and contact please.”
“Fine,” Hayate raised her hands and got a display in front of herself. Ignoring Suzuka and Arisa's amazed looks, she tapped a few buttons in the air. “Battle filter set.”
Suzuka leaned over to Yuuno ans whispered lightly to him while Hayate tried to connect. “What's 'battle filter' mean?”
“In short, it means if whoever's weapon is engaged, the call won't go through unless you use an emergency contact. That way we know if it's safe to talk to someone or not.” He got a slight hum from his friend so he turned back to the brown haired girl across from him. “What's taking so long?”
Hayate frowned. “I don't think you set up the connection right here, the call isn't going through.”
Yuuno blinked. “It has to be set up right, we've used it already.”
“Well it's obviously not working now is it?” She put her hands on her hips and frowned at the display. “How odd... Contact Nanoha, please.” The screen lit up in a red error message almost instantly, declaring that the frequency was unavailable. “What's going on...?”
“Sshh!” Nanoha put a finger to her lips and shushed them quickly. Time ticked by slowly as they all tried in vain to hear what the girl had become so serious over. “You hear that?” her own voice quieted down to nothing more than a whisper. “The humming sound...”
Yuuno's eyes lit up, quickly grabbing the two civilians by putting an arm over each of their shoulders and hastily leading them away. “Be quiet and be prepared to run,” He told them harshly in a whisper. “We're trapped in a barrier, when they are attacked we are going to make a break for it. Once at the end, I'll hack the shield and let you two out before returning to battle. Don't go home, just find a crowded place and stay there.” His words were barely finished before a light knocking came on the door, shattering the silence that hung around the room. Staying as still as he could, the blond man backed the girls up to a wall and tried to stay in front of them as best he could, hands gripping their wrist in preperation to drag them to safety. Again the knocking came, slower this time and much louder. Swallowing, he looked over at Hayate and got a short nod back. Both of their barrier jackets sprang to life at once. Hayate fused with Rein quickly, kneeling down and holding out her staff. Slowly energy began to gather into a ball at the tip. Circulating over itself, the magic grew larger as she laid in wait.
The next few moments happened so fast it seemed to click by in still frames in Yuuno's mind. The door burst open all at once, allowing a man entrance to their home uninvited. The next scene was Hayate screaming loudly as she fired her blast, followed by her face being gripped by the man's large hand. Nanoha was screaming demands to know what was happening, the two girls behind him freezing in place despite his pleads to move. Hayate was already losing her battle, overpowered even without her limiter on. Nanoha made her move, pleading for her friends to run to safety. It was then that they finally moved and allowed the male to almost literally drag them outside. The seconds flashed by quickly, each one making him try harder at breaking the code to grant them access to the field's power. Hayate was fighting, Nanoha was screaming, Suzuka was crying, Arisa was yelling...
Finally it cracked, Yuuno broke through the barrier and formed a hole to shove his friends through. He didn't say anything to them after pushing them out, only turning around and running back inside. Hayate was already laying on the couch, beaten but breathing. Leaping into action, he grabbed Nanoha around the waist and pulled her out of the way of one of the man's blast. “It's me!” He whispered desperately into his friend's ear when she struggled to break free of his hold. “Sweetie it's me, don't worry!” He tried to calm her as best he could, shielding them both from an attack but getting thrown back into the wall from the force of it. “We're getting out of here!”
“I think not!” The man was already in front of them, raising his hand and forming another attack.
Nanoha heard Yuuno's cry of pain and a soft thunk next to her. Panting, she looked in front of herself, eyes wide yet unseeing. It was quiet again, the only sounds coming from Yuuno's groaning body and Hayate's weak attempts to stand. Her breath echoed around her, heart pounding in her ears. She heard laughter, taunts thrown at he as she slashed out Raising Heart in an attempt to hit the man. Her body ached, mind demanding her to gain distance and fire from mid to long range, to claim her spot in the air. She pressed down the urge, knowing she could hurt her friends drastically if she acted too quickly. 'Skeith!' She flexed the fingers on her right hand. 'Help me! I need you!' Out of no where a magical blast hit her, life saved only by Raising Heart's auto barrier. 'Find me! Skeith!' sliding on the floor, she tried to look around, to find Hayate and try and help her. 'Skeith! Aura! Listen to me! Find me!' Again she was hit by a blast, feeling her barrier jacket shred from it.
Hayate's voice suddenly came to her ears, telling her to run to the right and escape. The sounds of battle sprang up again, this time lasting for almost a minute before Hayate's voice died down again. “Now just one more,” The man spoke, snapping Nanoha's attention to the direction it was coming from.
“Come and get me!” She taunted him, finally running where Hayate told her to and ramming her right shoulder roughly against the door frame as she made it outside and into the air. “Catch me if you can!” she felt the presence follow her, forcing her to fly faster away, in any direction she could. She didn't know which way was up, down, or anything in between anymore. All that mattered was the man was with her and not harming her friends anymore. 'Come on... Come on! I'm right here!' Nothing came to her call. No familiar sound of the tuning fork, no itching of her skin, no rush of power...
Pain flared to life as several magical energy daggers cut across her body and forcing her to crash roughly into a building and fall. Catching herself, she quickly descended, using the building she just hit as a guide. Panting, she could tell her barrier Jacket was mostly ripped now and could feel the wind blowing against her skin from a rather large gap somewhere over her stomach area. 'Skeith... please...' Again she felt a sudden hit on her stomach, making her breath leave her body. 'Fate...' With the last thought, she slumped over.
Weakly his left eye opened, looking up at her hazily. “Fate... Hayate...inside... Nanoha escape... he's chasing her...”
“Are you okay!?”
The man coughed, using his own energy to get to a sitting position. “Hayate... check on her...”
Fate stayed with him a second longer to ensure herself he wouldn't topple over as soon as she left his side. Rushing into the house he found the girl laying on her stomach, spread out on the floor. “Hayate!” Sliding down beside her, she shook her shoulder as gently as she could. “Open your eyes!”
“Ugh...” She came to quickly, waking much faster than the male thanks to her years of battle. “Fate... We were jumped... Is Yuuno okay?”
“He's okay,” Her red eyes glanced back over to him just to ensure herself as well. “And you?”
“No time. The girls are safe, Nanoha took off, I don't know where, he's after her, go.” Her words were broken, mind having trouble thinking straight. “He hit my head... can't focus...”
Yuuno spoke up from across the room, grabbing their attention. “The jamming barrier's gone... I can contact Shamal to get us and the forwards if they were attacked as well.”
“They were,” Fate confirmed as she ran outside and closed her eyes. “Get help immediately, I'm going to find Nanoha.” She heard them reply but didn't listen. Instead she concentrated hard, focusing on the bond she shared with her fiancée. 'Nanoha... Nanoha!' A feeling shot through her heart, making her leap into the air and fly hard towards where she thought she would find her. She didn't have to go far before finding a small section of the town encased in a short barrier. Sailing down to it, she strangely enough found herself able to pass into it without any trouble. 'It's a trap,' she knew it but right now didn't care. “Nanoha? Nanoha!?” Her voice seemed to fade into nothing, only getting a laugh in return for her calls. Running fast, she slid to a halt when she caught sight of a rather large looking man in armor that she had seen before on both Balmung and Tri-Edge. “Who are you!?”
“My name is Orca. Orca of the Azure Sea. You are late, Fate.”
“Where is Nanoha!?”
“She has already been taken care of.” Reaching down behind an area Fate couldn't see, he lifted up Nanoha's body by one of her wrist and held her in the air so Fate could see.
The blonde's world froze. She couldn't move, couldn't take her eyes from the sight. Her friend, lover, fiancée, was lifeless. Blood trickled down over one of her eyes and barrier jacket torn to pieces. “Na...no...ha...?”
“Didn't put up much of a fight, this one.” Orca continued to taunt her.
“My... My Nanoha...” Fate's words began to break, eyes brimming with tears.
“Crying? The Terror of Death? Pathetic.”
“Give her to me.” Her words were suddenly cold, venom dripping in them.
Orca chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Nanoha's waist and kept her in his arms. “What do you want with a body?” He pondered.
“Give her to me,” Fate repeated the words as she shoulders shook in fury, eyes glaring harshly at the ground. “Give her to me!”
“And lose such a pretty figure?” He shifted her in his arms, looking at the holes in the barrier jacket. “No, I think I'll keep her around for a while longer.” Turning back to Fate, he grinned in satisfaction seeing the small amount of blood drip from Fate's clenched fist where her fingernails were biting into her skin.
“I swear,” Fate told him, slowly looking up and meeting his eyes. Orca blinked in shock, seeing the blond suddenly in front of him, hand thrusting up to his stomach and into his skin. Red eyes bore into his as her fist ripping through his body until it found his heart and crushed it between her fingers.
The man almost dropped Fate, blinking again and this time seeing Fate where she had been standing. His chest wasn't in pain, heart still beating. 'Illusion magic?' He asked himself, shaking off the feeling. 'No... No it was desire...A desire to kill...' The thought only made him smile more.
“I swear...” Fate repeated again as Bardiche formed in her hand. “Not even the flames of hell will protect you from me now.”
Subaru: Fate is fighting like I've never seen before...Just watching makes me scared for my life...
Hayate: Devil Trigger, the small amount of insanity she inherited from Precia, came again... Even if she wins this battle, I don't know if she herself will survive in that state.
Elio: Next time on Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, 6th Division: The True Terror of Death.
Yuuno: Nanoha... Fate...
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