Fate had felt a great sense of relief once she had been discharged that morning. Driven to the Takamachi clan's compound by Rein at her request, the blonde had gawked at the size of the enclosure. Certainly, they appeared in the rural outskirts of Tokyo, yet the value of the land it sat on had to still be in the multi-millions.
The buildings looked ancient but well-maintained, and when she glanced up at the roofs, she could see no nails or metal fixings. Noticing her curious looks, Momoko, who had greeted them at the door to show them in, smiled, "Sashimono; Japanese wood join technique. Very strong."
"Amazing…" The blonde observed. Someone was sweeping the flagstones in the entrance way, the area littered with fall leaves. Seeing Momoko's guests, they bowed. Fate and Rein returned the bows and resumed following Momoko. The older woman gestured to one side where a large building sat, "Dojo," she explained. Muffled yells and thuds could be heard coming from inside, revealing a session in progress.
Further in, a more elaborately appointed building could be seen. A well-maintained well sat to the side of a traditional japanese garden complete with a koi pond, intricately cultivated bonsai trees and a bamboo fountain. The rhythmic, muted clack of the bamboo fountain accentuated the peace of the inner compound, and Fate appreciated the soothing ambience greatly.
"You have a beautiful home…" She complimented Momoko, who beamed and slid open the main shoji door. Inside, the matriarch found house slippers for her guests who switched to the indoor footwear before stepping inside. "Ojama shimasu~" Fate and Rein said, exchanging faintly amused looks to realise both had looked up the proper etiquette when entering someone's home in Japan.
"Dozo," Momoko answered simply, dimpling to her guests. "Are the rooms prepared for our guests, Kanae-san?" The woman in an apron over her kimono bowed and assured the matriarch that all was ready. Led up a narrow set of stairs that would only admit one person at a time, the Takamachi woman slid open a shoji door a few paces away from the stairwell.
Inside was a fair-sized room. Tatami mats covered every floor surface, offering a pleasing surface to walk and sit on. In the far corner was a single bed, and closer to the middle, a folded futon and its various components were stacked against one of the far walls.
"Apologies, Rein-san, there is no space for two beds." Rein smiled, she had followed in carrying her own luggage, since this was to be a long-term assignment. "Please, this is pure luxury to those in our line, Momoko-san. I will assign Ginga-san to be stationed in Fate-san's room, while I guard Nanoha-san."
Momoko hesitated, "She… is working with you?"
To Fate, it appeared Rein was expecting the woman's reaction as she nodded gravely, "She promises to remain within all acceptable boundaries. Please speak with me if you feel she has overstepped. Apologies, my agency had no one else available."
The matriarch gave Rein a tight smile, glancing over to the blonde, "Well, if she is guarding Feito-san, I suppose that is all right."
Fate could feel the undercurrents between the two women. Feeling it was likely none of her business, she simply bowed low to Momoko, once more expressing her thanks for the invitation. Momoko swiftly raised the sweet blonde from her bow, "Please be most welcome. Na-chan cannot keep herself still when must recover. More than enough if guest-san can distract her. Perhaps re-train guest-san or something."
Momoko had kept any information of their friendship under wraps, but the mother in her couldn't resist giving the blonde extra reasons to spend time with her youngest. Rein seemed to cotton on to the older woman's intentions and cracked a faint smile, "Certainly, it would be easier to guard my clients if they were in the same room together."
Fate looked from the Takamachi woman to the bodyguard, "I would not presume to assume Miss Taka… Um, Nanoha-san would want me around that much…"
Momoko merely waved away the blonde's concerns, "Special circumstance, hai? This is not office, you are not on company time. Other children are busy with dojo, so is husband." She patted herself, "Busy with clan business, also." The Japanese woman was glad that the bodyguard seemed to understand what her underlying motives were.
"I-If she doesn't object, I would be more than happy to help…" Still a little dubious, she smiled anyway, glad to have a way to repay the Takamachi clan's kindness. "If you don't mind, may I take a bath before Rein-san drives me back to the hospital?" She'd heard that Nanoha was back in surgery this morning, but would be out before lunch. If she was going to make good on Momoko's request, then she had a small window to freshen up and get changed before visiting her boss.
"Certainly." Momoko beamed. "I will show you to the baths once you have your clothes." Momoko moved to wait outside of the room. Nodding, Rein added, "Sounds like a good idea. I've been wearing the same clothes for far too long now."
Fate approached the luggage already in the room with some trepidation. The jet black design of it sported bright yellow highlights and had the letters FATE T. pasted onto it, identifying it as belonging to her. The combination on it hadn't been changed since it was last closed, and so she popped it open.
She blinked for long moments at the sight of what appeared to be a brand new digital SLR seated amongst the rest of her belongings. This was a pleasant surprise. Had she bought it recently? The receipt tucked into the instruction booklet inside the camera's box told her yes. "Well, I know what I was up to before all that happened, I guess."
Rein was on the other side of the room, carefully divesting herself of various hidden weapons on her person. Pulling out a standard set of clothes that matched what she currently wore, she waited patiently for Fate to go through her belongings. She watched as the woman peered curiously at the digital camera, struck once more by the well-hidden apprehension the blonde displayed. She was handling her memory loss as well as could be expected, and the bodyguard could tell that there was a hidden layer of steel beneath the beautifully icy exterior; this was no fainting flower.
Plucking bits of clothing up, Fate settled on a simple white and yellow stripe tank, short cropped black jacket and an ankle length white skirt. She had no idea if the combination would look good on her, but if it was what her past self had packed, she supposed it wouldn't end up being too terrible.
Rejoining Momoko, the women were shown to a large communal bath that was split down the middle. To the left, for men, and the right was designated for women. Inside the changing area, Momoko explained that the shelves with wicker baskets were for storing their clothes. Another shelf held spare shower caps and towels. Finally, a large cloth bin was indicated as the receptacle for soiled clothes.
Rein seemed fairly familiar with this style of bath, so it was just Fate who was learning how things were done in this household. Stepping into the tiled area, she could see open stalls with polished wood dividers for individuals to wash themselves before a mirror. Wooden stools were situated at each stall for seating, and a simple shower with wall dispensers occupied each stall. At the far end, near wooden fencing that bordered the entire bath area was what appeared to be a natural hot spring, if the sulphurous scent emanating from the steaming water was any indication. A faint dusting of pink settled over her cheeks. Well, if this was how things were done, she'd just have to get used to it.
"Thank you Momoko-san." Gathering her nervousness into a ball and shoving it deep down inside of her, Fate stored her clean clothes in a basket and began undressing. Rein joined her in a matter-of-fact manner while Momoko begged off to go prepare lunch bento for them to bring to the hospital.
The blonde showered and washed her hair as quickly as she was able to. Her urgency was driven by some unknown need for her boss to surface from her latest operation to a familiar face rather than alone in her room. Focusing on the ticking of time helped Fate not think about how she was effectively showering with a stranger.
Twisting back her damp hair, towelled as dry as Fate was able to in the short time she had given herself, she quickly got dressed and headed back out. She had found an incongruously pink scrunchie amongst her belongings and used it to tie her damp hair back into a low ponytail, deciding that the dry autumn air would be enough to help most of her hair dry on its own.
Rein had her own long silver hair in a tail and took a slightly longer time dressing, considering the deadly weapons she had to re-equip before pulling on her own clothes. Fate remained close by, eyes averted, knowing that Rein needed to keep her in sight to better guard her.
Feeling much better for the shower, Fate wondered if something similar could be done for Nanoha. She knew the woman was conscious about how she looked, likely uncomfortable to have a work associate seeing her in such a state. Perhaps she could find out if it was possible to help the woman wash her hair.
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Greeting the guards still stationed outside Nanoha's hospital room, Fate left Rein to distribute the much-appreciated lunchboxes to them, the silver-haired woman herself digging into her prepared meal with gusto after having removed her own mask.
Carrying her own and Nanoha's lunchboxes, Fate adjusted the mask she'd been given and made her way inside, relieved to see the executive back and resting easily on her bed. Her colour was still pale and cheeks somewhat hollowed from all the surgeries and IV drips that had been her staple for the last many days that Fate had been staying at the hospital herself.
This being the woman's final scheduled surgery, Momoko had decided it would be a good time to make a favourite of her daughter's for her first real lunch after almost a week of nothing substantial. Setting the bento boxes on the bedside table, Fate took a moment to wash and refill the sippy cup, boiling up a fresh pot of water, and just straightening the woman's blankets and fringe.
The arm not in a sling was laid over the blankets, a blood pressure monitor clipped to her index finger, and Fate pondered if perhaps having her hand held would keep the woman's bad dreams at bay. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she pulled her visitor's chair closer and held the executive's hand in hers. Her other flipped through that well-used tech magazine Inoue had gotten for her some time ago.
It was a light squeeze that alerted Fate to the woman's approach towards wakefulness. Squeezing back, she put the magazine aside and watched in fascination as a face previously relaxed tensed. Shortly after, long lashes lifted and the deep blue of Nanoha's gaze found Fate's own wine-shaded eyes. It took less than three seconds for her eyes to focus and the blonde smiled, "Morning."
Nanoha's mind took a tad longer to catch up to eyes that had easily settled on what she wanted to see, and so there was no reply to Fate's greeting for a little longer. Blinking, hating the haze of being under, the executive found it easier to just squeeze the warm appendage she could feel in her right hand. "Mor… ning." Knowing the woman was likely thirsty, Fate held up the bed's remote for Nanoha, one brow lifted in silent query to the woman. Did she want the incline up?
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At the woman's nod, Fate depressed the button to allow the prone woman to sit up slightly. Better than having her attempt to do it on her own and making the wound in her waist worse. Again. "Pardon me," she murmured, unclipping the woman's ventilator to free her mouth and allow her to take sips from the cup Fate had just refilled.
"Thanks." The woman said quietly. Fate assumed she was sounding closer to her usual self and found the executive's low voice pleasing to the ear. "Anytime. How are you feeling?"
The executive took a while taking stock of herself and with sombre seriousness, informed her AVP, "I've been… better." Fate shook her head at the woman's dry tone, "Why do I get the feeling you have a tendency to downplay everything to do with your own health?"
"Because my family… exaggerates?" Nanoha sounded hopeful that the blonde bought what she said. She wished she knew what nonsense people had poured into Fate's ears while she'd been incapacitated.
Alas, the blonde didn't appear taken in, "Hmm, we shall see." Realising she still had Nanoha's hand in hers, she awkwardly withdrew hers and shifted back a little, "If you are up for it, your mother made you lunch. She said it was your favourite."
About to say something, a loud growl filled the room and to Fate's utter bemusement, the executive blushed. The blood pressure monitor's wire shifted as the auburn-haired woman covered her eyes with her usable hand. A musical laugh followed and Fate took the bento box Momoko had prepared especially for Nanoha.
The savoury scent of grilled eel filled the room. A huge helping of it sat atop a bed of fragrant rice, glazed and glistening with seasoning that Momoko knew Nanoha was particularly fond of. One of the compartments held a large slab of sweetened egg, and in the other compartment, a large portion of gyoza swimming in its tangy dip of soy, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
Nanoha swallowed, as did Fate. This was far more than the blonde had expected, but Nanoha appeared more than pleased with what was presented. Fate wheeled over the height-adjustable table for Nanoha and placed the woman's meal there. Opening her own bento, she blinked. Hers were filled with peeled oranges, apples, watermelon slices, and grapes.
The women exchanged looks, "Momoko-san expressly said these two were for us," Fate mentioned faintly. She could see the gears turning in Nanoha's head as she pondered the odd servings. When the pieces fell into place, Nanoha resisted the urge to cover her eyes again. "I think…"
"We are meant to share both," Fate finished for the executive, feeling her cheeks warm for the second time today.
'What in kami's name was her parental unit of the female persuasion thinking?!' It was bad enough she had to act a stranger with the blonde, now her mother appeared to be plotting to force them together anyway. She was going to have to speak with her parent. Existing was painful enough without these sorts of shenanigans being thrown her way.
Fate read the bleakness overtaking Nanoha's expression as an unwillingness to go along with this and rose, "I will ask a nurse if we can borrow some cutlery and dishes." Appreciating the blonde's consideration, Nanoha heaved an internal sigh of defeat and delayed the woman's departure, "It is… all right… Fate-san." Fate could see the woman's internal struggles clearly. At last, her eyes dipped closed in defeat, "Apologies… I will have to... trouble you."
The executive's pride was stung, that was obvious. What was also obvious, was that there was absolutely no way she'd be able to use chopsticks, or even a spoon, right now. She covered Nanoha's hand with her own, the hard plastic of the woman's blood pressure monitor digging into her palm, "Nanoha-san, it is clear Momoko-san knows y-you are unable to have this bento without aid, and trusted that I would help you. This is of no burden to me, so please, do n-not feel burdened either. I could tell it pleased her greatly to be able to prepare your favourites."
Nanoha's throat bobbed, the executive's pride wrestling with the angel's completely valid points. At last conceding, she gave a jerky nod. A flash of impatience chased itself across the auburn-haired woman's features. She needed to get better and get out, so that she could better put distance between herself and this blonde temptation.
The blonde smiled warmly behind her mask and though the executive refused to look her way, any concession with this woman felt like a win to Fate.
There had to be a point where Fate would run out of patience with her, Nanoha thought. Knowing that an achingly beautiful smile was being sent her way, mask or no mask, the executive refused to look, knowing she would be utterly lost if she did.
Fate puzzled over the provided tablespoon and fork for a moment, drawing Nanoha's attention. "Kaa-san knew a knife… and fork would make… no sense, and she did not want… to trouble you with chopsticks." She explained how to hold the spoon in the right hand, and use the fork to push mouthfuls onto said spoon with the left, a method most commonly used in Singapore and other South-East Asian countries. Getting the hang of this, Fate packed a portion of eel and rice onto the spoon and offered it to the executive.
Accepting the mouthful was a bittersweet endeavour as memories of all the times they had shared meals flashed through Nanoha's mind. The taste of her mother's home cooking on top of that was almost too much and she had to look away to chew, afraid her eyes would give her away. She blinked furiously, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat.
Fate worried she had done something wrong and asked as much, "I'm sorry, Nanoha-san, did I do something wrong?"
An emphatic shake of Nanoha's head was her reply, "Missed… this." She didn't elaborate, and Fate assumed she meant she had missed her mother's cooking.
Ensuring she wouldn't embarrass herself, Nanoha exhaled silently and turned back to Fate. "Have… a bite too." She ran a critical eye over Fate, deeming the blonde had lost weight since the start of all this, not that she could say that now.
Having no recollection of having this, whatever it was, Fate hooked her mask under her chin and gingerly tried a spoon's worth for herself. The sweet and savoury marinade complimented the soft, juicy barbecued eel, and the subtly vinegared short-grain rice was a wonderful fluffy accompaniment to the protein. "Mmm, what is this?" A small part of her wondered if it tasted better because she was sharing the spoon with her pretty boss. 'Dangerous thoughts, Fate, better stop that now.'
Nanoha had been watching the Midchildan try what was probably her first taste of unagi (again) and the corners of her eyes crinkled despite herself, to see Fate enjoying the taste. "Barbecued freshwater… eel marinated in tare sauce, um…" Blue eyes squinted while Nanoha's mind attempted to break down the ingredients for the blonde, "Soy sauce, but thick… ened, with rice wine… swee… tened. Kaa-san uses honey. Makes… a difference." Her eyes focused once more on the blonde, who seemed impressed all out of proportion.
"Do you cook a lot?" The blonde asked. Nanoha gave a small nod, "Live… alone." The executive accepted the next mouthful, this one with the sweetened egg, and refused to think too much about how this felt like indirect kissing.
"That makes no sense," Fate commented after taking another mouthful for herself. Savouring the soft, bouncy omelette, she lifted a finely arched brow at the blonde.
"You cook, have a good job, look great, and aren't married?" Nanoha knew the blonde meant it as a lighthearted joke, and stomped on her initial reaction to feel hurt. 'Be fair, she doesn't even remember you're gay.' "Who wants to… date anyone with… holes in their body?" She actually felt proud she was able to keep her voice even.
Fate gave a light snort, feeding Nanoha another mouthful to stem that nonsense spilling from her mouth, "How did you get shot, anyway? I thought Japan was safer than that."
Chewing pausing, Nanoha sighed to herself. The dreaded question had come, and she still didn't have a good answer for the blonde. She used the time to finish chewing to buy herself a little more time. Schooling her voice to be emotionless, she said, "There were some… bad people who took you. It was… my duty to take you back." It sounded so stupid to Nanoha, but it was the most edited yet truthful answer her mind could come up with.
Of all the answers Fate was expecting, this… this insanely bare bones explanation was the last thing she could have expected. She studied Nanoha, the woman chewing coldly as if she had just spoken about the weather and not about deliberately putting herself in danger to… 'take' Fate back, from extremely unsavoury individuals, apparently.
The official who had introduced himself to Fate as Ueda had questioned her about what she could remember, which was zip, but what he'd shared with regards to this Jail Scaglietti and his associates made the blonde shiver over her narrow escape. It stank to the high heavens of her family's high-handed approach to one of their own, and she could read her mother's fingerprints all over it. Ueda had neglected to inform her who had been behind her rescue, however.
Slowly, she worked on getting more of the meal into Nanoha whose eyes were once more avoiding Fate. 'Was this how princesses in stories felt when a prince saved them?' Feeling her heart rate pick up, the blonde struggled to come to terms with what the auburn-haired woman had just revealed. But this prince felt carved from cold marble for all the emotion she now showed.
"I… don't know what to say," she confessed. The executive merely continued to eat, her expression a mask. "I miscal… culated. That's all." A shadow flitted across the executive's face and Fate felt the distance between them become even greater than ever, even though they were sharing a meal. Hazarding a hand on Nanoha's, Fate squeezed, forcing the reticent woman to look at her.
Eyes of chill blue realised the blonde was crying, and Nanoha hurled silent curses at herself. "It's not… your fault." She tried to reassure the blonde. "Is it not?" Fate whispered, tightening a shaking hand around Nanoha's, enough that Nanoha could feel the plastic clamping on her finger a tad too hard. "Nanoha-san, I read your chart. I barely know you and it still hurts. Couldn't someone else have done it?"
"No." Voice emphatic, jaw set in a grim cast, Nanoha refuted the blonde, "Not quickly… enough. Safety first."
"Mine, but not yours?" Fate asked in a hushed voice, brow furrowed, the need to understand overtaking all sense of caution.
Again, Nanoha appeared frustrated with her inability to properly convey what she meant. To her, it seemed as though the concept was simple enough for a child to understand, so why could Fate not? "Duty." The executive intoned, forcing her voice to be clear. Fate's head fell as more tears slipped past eyes squeezed shut. Nanoha squeezed the hand that held hers so tightly, needing Fate to look at her, which she eventually did. The cold of the executive's expression thawed just a hair, "It's o… kay."
Fate inhaled a shuddering breath. What sense did it make that the one recovering from multiple impact and gunshot wounds would be the one comforting her? 'She can't even feed herself, get it together!' Belatedly remembering there was more lunch to finish, Fate brushed impatiently at her eyes, heaping the biggest spoonful yet to feed Nanoha. "It won't be okay until you are," she stated adamantly.
Nanoha wished she had the ability to slam her head on the table. How was she to wean herself from the Angel if the woman felt responsible for her injuries? "I am bet… ter." Gathering the remnants of her dignity around her battered form, she again tried for distance.
"I will accept nothing less than a full recovery, Miss Takamachi, so eat up. You need this." Chin lifted haughtily, the princess appeared determined to take personal control of the cold woman's recovery, no matter what she said. Nanoha felt her sense of control slipping through her grasp. She didn't have the energy to fight this, she already felt sapped of strength, and she wasn't even through with lunch.
"Still bossy… I see." It was weak, but the mildest hint of approval appeared in the executive's azure gaze. Fate slowly realised the role she had been hired for demanded that she didn't bend or bow to the tempest of the executive's wishes. That she had to be her own person. The exact polar opposite of what her family had always demanded from her. Tried to force out of her.
"I'm glad some things don't change, then." Heartened that Nanoha wasn't fighting her on this, Fate exhaled a breath she hadn't even realised she had been holding. Even incapacitated, Nanoha took a lot to stand up to. The blonde wondered what the woman was like at full health. Whew. "Now, how does a shampoo and wash sound after lunch?"
Apparently, Fate had hit on something Nanoha desperately wanted. The woman's head dropped and she groaned, "I need…"
The blonde sounded pleased to have guessed correctly, "You got it. IF you're good and finish your food."
"Half of… this is yours," Nanoha protested, head lifting to cast Fate a look of mild outrage.
"I'm not recovering from multiple injuries," Fate countered tartly, but she did take another bite for herself. The rest of lunch progressed swiftly now that Nanoha had motivation. Fate did her best to get the majority of the meal into the convalescing woman, though the executive frequently rebelled, refusing to take a bite until Fate had one first.
Handing Nanoha a tissue to wipe with, Fate repositioned her mask and took a moment to wash the bento boxes and cutlery. She couldn't recall when she'd last had such a significant meal and she hoped she wouldn't be put into a food coma before she was done helping Nanoha with her shampoo. The blonde worried that the woman's shoulder would keep her arm in a sling for a significant length of time. It would be a good idea if she learned how to help Nanoha clean her hair, right? Right.
Putting away the washed bento boxes and cutlery, Fate lowered Nanoha back to a supine position and went to look for a nurse. With Rein's help, she explained her wish to learn how to help the executive with washing her hair, something the matronly nurse was more than happy to teach to the gaijin.