trans_9 | "OW! That so totally hurts!" -- Charles Xavier

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"OW! That so totally hurts!" -- Charles Xavier

The battle against the Ohm raged on, and the casualties on the ground were mounting. Injured crew members got emergency treatment in the field, which largely amounted to patching them up so they wouldn't die sometime within the next fifteen minutes. After that, they were quickly picked up by shuttle and brought back to the ship, where they were sent to a medbay that was getting progressively more crowded.

The situation was growing increasingly dire, to the point that Stacy activated one of the AI's to help out.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

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Fate was brought into the Med Bay moments later, carried by two fellow crewmates and deposited on one of the beds next to Vivio's. She was unconscious and battered, there was a dark smear of blood staining her blond hair at the back of her head, and her breathing seemed a little shaky... but she was alive, thankfully.

Vivio looked up, seeing Nanoha, looking worse for the wear, but alive. "Nanoha-mama!" Vivio called out. She wanted to hug her, but with her wound and her arm pinned back that wasn't possible. "I-I'm fine! What about you...?"

She was cut off as she saw Fate being brought in.

"No... FATE-MAMA!" Vivio cried out, horrified at the state of her other parent.

And that was a form she'd recognize anywhere. Nanoha felt her blood run cold -- not just Vivio, but Fate, too? "Fate-chan...!"

"I-I'll be right back, Vivio, so--" Nanoha tore off, not even finishing her sentence, rushing to Fate's bedside without even a moment's thought for her own wounds. When she saw the other girl's chest slowly rising and falling with breath, though, she exhaled sharply, tension melting from her shoulders.

Nanoha reached out to touch her lover's face, brushing a forelock of blonde hair out of her closed eyes. "I should have been there for you," she said quietly. Both Vivio and Fate had been hurt - she couldn't help but feeling like she'd failed them.

But they were both alive. And so was she, despite the pain.

Fate stirred at the touch, groaning as one unfocused eye opened just a crack. "Wha...?"

And then the fog in hear brain cleared, and the still fresh memories of the final battle hit her. The Node... they had had a clear shot at it. But then something went wrong... it attacked, and the Guards... one of them charged, and then everything went back.

Fate jolted upright, and had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from screaming. Her side burned, and her head felt like it had been bashed in by Graf Eisen. She very nearly succumbed to the pain again, but she pushed it back, turning towards Nanoha.

"What... what happened...?"

"Fate-mama...!" Vivio cried out again, watching Nanoha race to Fate's side. If she wasn't hooked up to everything, she'd been right with the girl. Instead, Vivio tried to adjust herself so that she was facing her parents.

"Y-You're back on the ship, Fate-mama...!" she replied, trying to fight back tears.

As soon as Fate sat up, Nanoha's bloody hands were on her shoulders to push her back down again. "Don't get up, Fate-chan... okay? Just rest for now."

She looked from Fate to Vivio and back, torn between relief that they were both alive and regret at not being able to protect her family. "They... left. I don't know why."

Sorry, Nanoha, but Fate just can't stay down after being hit by that bombshell. She sat up again, slower this time, trying not to agitate her injuries.

"They left? But we... does that mean..."

They failed. They failed to protect a perfect, peaceful world from those monsters, and couldn't do anything to stop them. All that fighting was for nothing, and in the end they couldn't even scratch the Node...

The thoughts whirling around in Fate's mind seemed to be making the pounding in her head even worse, so she took a deep breath, reaching up to rub her forehead in an attempt to push the pain away a bit.

The Ohm just... left? This confused Vivio... but at the same time, depressed her. They lost badly, but at the same time they were spared...

"...we can get them next time... right?" Vivio asked. That's all they could do, right?

"We'll have to. Now that we know what we're up against..." Nanoha looked at Vivio before turning back to Fate, and once more putting her hands on her shoulders. "Fate-chan. Stay down." She looked over her shoulder at Vivio. "You too, Vivio. Both of you need to heal up first."

"Damnit..." Fate muttered as she was pushed down again. It was very rare that Fate cursed, so if Nanoha picked up on it, she'd probably realize that her friend is much, much more upset than she looks right now. Which is saying a lot.

Fate knew she shouldn't kick herself over what happened, but she couldn't help it. They had been able to protect the civilians from the hoard of Ohm, and the planet hadn't been destroyed, but still...

The crew may now know what they're up against, but so do the Ohm. And if they were defeated so easily, what would happen the next time they met?

Vivio nodded as Nanoha told her to lay back down. She let out a sigh as she did, bummed out by everything she's been hearing.

"...you think staying her counts as my punishment?" Vivio said, trying to change the subject at the moment.

Nanoha's fingers lingered on Fate's forehead for just a moment before she turned to Vivio, dearly wishing she could be in two places at one time. "...we'll see, Vivio," she said quietly as she knelt by the girl's bed, running a hand through her daughter's bangs.

"You were very brave."

"Yeah, you really were..." Fate turned her head a little towards her daughter, the constant throb dying down a bit as the pressure was taken off the back of her head. And even with all the thoughts about how she failed and how badly everything turned out swirling around her mind, she smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Vivio."

Vivio heard what both Nanoha and Fate had said... and she wanted to cry. They were proud of her for what she did, no matter what happened. Her lower lip trembled as she smiled at the two, relaxing at Nanoha's touch.

"...thank you, Nanoha-mama... Fate-mama..."

"Shh. You need your rest, okay? You'll be feeling better before you know it." Nanoha smiled at her. "We're glad you're safe." She wouldn't ever tell Vivio the fear that had gripped her heart down on the planet.

She leaned in to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Try to rest."

Fate really, really wished she could be by her daughter's side. But, unlike a certain someone, she knew when to stay put when she needed to, so she did. Speaking of a certain someone...

"You too, Nanoha," She said. "You really look like you need to rest."

Vivio let out another sigh as Nanoha kissed her forehead.

"Okay, Nanoha-mama..." Vivio said, trying to get herself comfortable in the bed. First chance she got, she was going to head back for her room and rest there.

"Good girl," the mage said quietly, running a hand down over Vivio's cheek and thanking whatever power existed that she was alive and going to be okay. "Just rest up so you can be back on your feet soon."

And then she turned back to Fate, shaking her head. "Ah... I'll be fine, Fate-chan. You two need the doctors, not me."

It was a pretty blatant lie, but she delivered it well.

Edited 2010-07-02 03:01 (UTC)

Fate can see right through your blatant lies, Nanoha. It's pointless to try.

"Please don't be stubborn about this, Nanoha. You need a doctor too."

Nanoha shook her head. "It's okay, really! It's nothing serious - they should help the people who need it more first, shouldn't they?"

Sighing, Fate sat up again. "You know you can't lie to me about this. I know how badly you must be hurting right now."

"Fate, lie down," she admonished before shaking her head. "I'm just banged up a bit. I'll be fine! A few bruises and scrapes won't kil lme, you know."

"I'll rest if you will," Fate said, crossing her arms. She flinched just a little at the sharp jab in her side, but other than that, she maintained her glare.

"You're hurt a lot worse than I am," Nanoha pointed out, crossing her own arms and trying not to wince. "I promise I'll have the doctors take a look at me once they've looked at everyone who needs it more."

"You went all the way up to Blaster-3, in addition to all the fighting you did before that. And you used Starlight Breaker," That was the trouble with huge attacks like that, Nanoha. They're very, very hard to miss. "Even if you're waiting... lay down, please?"

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