Movements stiff from all the casts on her body and arms, Nanoha sorted through the contents of her belongings that had been sent over by the ryokan. Her hand found a loose box tumbled with the rest of her belongings. Picking it up, she fingered it with reverent sadness, recalling that it was Fate who had last touched it when she had helped Nanoha stow away her cuff-links. Again, that unceasing ache in her heart pulled at the heir's insides and she blinked overly bright eyes, tucking the box safely under a few layers of clothing.
"Does Fate know we're leaving in a few days?" Rein was looking over the top of her laptop from where she sat at the kotatsu, putting together a package of her available agents for TSAB's CEO to go through. An air of pensiveness cloaked her client's form and the bodyguard had a good idea what, or who, was behind the heir's mood.
Nanoha tried not to resent the fact that it was Rein and not Fate who was there. When the subject of the blonde was brought up, she shook her head, "I was planning to let her know today." It was tempting to just ask Ginga to pass on the message. Nanoha could not stomach that much discourtesy being shown to Fate, however.
Jaw tight, Nanoha finally opened the neatly wrapped package that had been delivered to their hotel room a few weeks back. Inside, a multitude of plushies sat - the souvenirs for Haruka-chan that she had gotten with Fate, in the last few hours when... when the blonde had still been her best friend. Even completing that thought hurt. With trembling fingers, she reached in to pull out the little deer plushie from Mononoke Hime that she had gotten for Fate, and something inside her broke.
Head bowed, hot tears splashed onto the hand holding the plushie on her lap, the heir grieving over the loss of the woman she cared for more than life itself. The magnitude of her feelings for the blonde had not abated one whit since Fate had woken up without any memories of their time together. Having her just rooms away, knowing nothing of their shared past, was agony. Agony that far outstripped anything Nanoha had experienced with Ginga or Yuuno.
She loved Fate. Past Fate, present Fate, it did not matter. She was in LOVE with the woman.
"Feito-chan is Feito-chan." The memory was like fiery claws raking her from the inside, but she bore it. Even if she would be the only one to know, it would have to be enough. No matter how much it hurt, she held every moment, every second close. This would be her cross to bear, the price for her failure to protect the woman she loved.
The claws of her fingers tightened around the soft toy and eyes blurred with tears not yet fallen could see some damp spots in the material. Sniffling, Nanoha tried to dry it on her yukata. "Let me," plucking the small toy out of a calloused hand that still shook, Rein dabbed a tissue over the surface of it, soaking up what she could.
Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Nanoha used the sleeve of her garment to wipe impatiently at her face. "Thank you," she mumbled, voice thick. Rein passed the obviously very important item back to the heir who cradled it in the crook of the arm not in a sling, "This is no way to live, Nanoha-san."
Eyes of dull slate stared at the toy, "That's the lot I drew," voice hoarse, the heir was slumped in resignation, appearing on the brink of tears again.
"She's not dead, you know. In fact, she's here because of you," Rein felt obligated to point out.
"The history of us… is," just saying it aloud sent a spike through the auburn haired woman's heart. Inhaling deeply, the Takamachi heir began working to rebuild her veneer of self-possession, slowly climbing back up to her feet. "Revisiting the past," Her jaw worked while she attempted to find the right words, "Is detrimental to her well-being. I will not allow it." The warning in her voice was obvious. Rein was not to say a thing to the blonde.
Staring at her client, Rein pursed her lips, "I dare say I have never come across a more stubborn client in all my years in this line of work."
Nanoha carefully placed the plushie on her bed and padded over to the washbasin in her room. Unable to shower with her casts, she had to settle for being wiped down, hence the basin of water on the washstand. She picked up a damp washcloth hanging on the lip of the basin and focused on wiping away any evidence of her moment of weakness.
"I offered to transfer you over to being Fate's guard," Nanoha reminded the silver haired woman, her alto a mere shadow of its usual dryness.
"That doesn't change the fact that you still need help."
"I could engage a nurse."
"You could," Rein conceded, taking the washcloth out of Nanoha's grasp, rinsing and wringing it out to wipe away the tear tracks she could still see on the woman's face. There was nothing she could do about the dark circles under the heir's eyes, unfortunately, "But I'd rather be the one getting these freebie kisses."
Nanoha's chuckle was rusty, barely used in the weeks Rein had been guarding the woman. "All the better to perpetuate my reputation as an incorrigible rake, I suppose." Checking her reflection in the mirror hung behind the washstand, she gave a slight nod. "Right then." Grimly determined, she picked up the Yakul plush with its adorable little red bridle and headed out.
A soft knock pulled Fate's attention from her laptop. With Nanoha's surgery and recovery, the blonde felt it best that she go through the old orientation videos and slides she must have forgotten about when she had first joined TSAB, instead of bothering the woman for more sessions going through her old Outbox.
Ginga cracked open the shoji, then pushed it all the way open to admit the Takamachi heir. "Apologies for intruding," the woman looked incredibly uncomfortable, stepping in only past the doorway and no further. Fate hid the hurt she felt to see the heir so out of place in what was essentially her own home. It had to be because of her, Ginga, or the both of them. Outside, she could see the shadow of the woman's silver haired 'bodyguard'.
"Not at all, I was just going through orientation videos." Fate studied the Takamachi heir. The woman seemed as if she had not slept a wink since her surgery yesterday and the blonde felt a tendril of worry worming its way into her heart. It was so difficult not to grab the woman to tuck her into bed. She twiddled nervously with the hem of one yukata sleeve.
"Now I feel worse for taking you away from such riveting content." Startled at the show of that signature humour, Fate was at a loss over how to respond.
Sternly holding back her need to take in the blonde's nearness, Nanoha cleared her throat and soldiered on, "I've been given leave to fly; tickets for the four of us have been booked for this Friday. Rein's firm will prepare transport for us."
Giving Fate no space to react, Nanoha dug her hand into her sling, pulling out an adorably soft Yakul plush toy. "Also, I found this in the items the hotel sent over." The woman's voice became noticeably rougher, "It's not mine, so I believe it is yours." She held it out towards Fate, throat bobbing for some reason. Recognising the noble steed from her favourite animated movie, the blonde accepted the held out toy from the heir, "I see… That makes sense. Thank you." Nodding stiffly, Nanoha spun on her heel and left quickly.
Ginga quietly slid the room's door closed again. Once certain that her boss and Takamachi heir were out of earshot, she muttered, "She looks like shit." Fate could not dispute that, and her heart twinged. The executive clearly did not want to spend more than a second in her presence, so what could she do about it? Was this also what her past self dealt with? Loving someone who only wished to avoid her?
"Cute toy," Ginga remarked, looking at the plush. "It's from my favourite Studio Ghibli movie," Fate explained, and why it made sense that the toy was probably hers. Her boss probably watched nothing but business and news shows, she seemed so serious about everything.
Settling back down at the kotatsu, Fate turned the plush toy in her hands, brushing back the creature's soft fuzz. Curiously, some spots had fuzz stuck together. Brushing those spots, she could feel a slight dampness held in the fur. Sighing, she placed the plush next to her laptop and unpaused the video she had been watching.
"I thought she would r-rest well with… with…" Her throat closed, remembering the sight of Nanoha locking lips with Rein in her room, and worse, being carried to her bed by the silver haired bodyguard. It was nauseating thinking about it.
"With my boss banging her?" Ginga finished sourly for Fate, having been witness to the same scene as the blonde and finding it equally distasteful. Her opinion of Rein had taken quite a nosedive since that Sunday lunch.
Fate snapped her mouth closed and nodded. The words were crude but she felt no compunctions about being delicate about this. There was no sugarcoating what they had seen.
"I don't know what either of them is thinking. Rein is obviously not a good match for her. The woman travels all the time for work, she never stays in one place for more than a few months…"
"M-Maybe that is what appeals to Nanoha-san. You h-heard what Momoko-san said, that she saw a lot of women but never settled on any…" Both women fell silent, wondering why neither of them were good enough even for a fling with someone who obviously made it a habit of tumbling available women on a regular basis.
Fiddling with the bridle on the plush, Fate propped her chin on the palm of her hand, elbow resting on the kotatsu's surface, "What was she like before she left the clan?"
The lavender haired bodyguard did not reply immediately. Settling cross-legged on the opposite side of the table, Ginga drew a hidden knife with a flicker of her hands. Finding a small nick, she pulled out a pocket whetstone to work it out.
"My family have been vassals to the Takamachi clan since the Warring States period. I was sent to study under Shiro-sama's tutelage when I was fourteen."
Videos forgotten, Fate listened to her bodyguard, hand stroking the soft fuzz of her Yakul.
"It was intimidating presenting myself to the family. Addressing Shiro-sama was like speaking to a cliff. Kyoya-san and Miyuki-san were in their late teens or early twenties by then, and already accomplished in the Arts in their own right." A wistful smile played over the woman's lips, "Ojou-sama was the first to approach me in the dojo. She said that since she was a year younger, I could be her senpai. Of course, she wiped the dojo floor with me the first time we faced off together."
Ginga chuckled, tucking her weapon away, "Even then, her talent was obvious. She refused to participate in competitions, saying there was no meaning if she could not defeat herself. She was so serious, even for a child. Perhaps because she grew up around adults. Not to say she was cold, mind you. Whatever the experience, whoever the person, she embraced them without judgement."
Leaning back, hands propped onto the tatami behind her, Ginga threw the blonde a chagrined look, "With her doll-like beauty and open mind, she was destined for student council both as a junior and a senior. It was only in her later teens when…" Things became more difficult for the woman to recount, "When she had to grow up very quickly."
"When she left the clan?" Fate asked.
Ginga nodded, expression shamefaced, "We… We were dating in secret. Someone outed us and both our clans were in an uproar, since we were both heir-apparent in our respective branches." She inhaled a deep breath, then exhaled a sigh full of regret, "She refused to be ashamed, and oh that temper of hers... I remember she'd thrash anyone who looked at me sideways, unless it was an elder she couldn't touch."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I couldn't take the attention, all that pressure. So I broke up with her." Her lips twisted, as if she had tasted something bad, "My family set me up with someone 'respectable'. Shiro-sama tried with Nanoha, but that girl refused to bend. This was her and damn anyone who wouldn't accept it." The woman grew more hesitant, and Fate could tell Ginga was self-editing to avoid revealing overly sensitive information, "Then a terrible accident happened and things got too precarious for her family. That was when she decided to remove herself from the shogi board. Left on a scholarship, then a TSAB bond, and ended up helping to set up the Singapore offices for the company."
A terrible accident. Fate wondered if that was the 'abuse' Nanoha's doctor had previously mentioned, back when the woman had first been wheeled back into the ICU after yet another surgery.
"I've never met a more stubbornly independent individual in my life; she refused every penny Momoko tried to send her," Ginga murmured with grudging respect. "I'm not surprised Shiro-sama wouldn't let her go quietly into the night after…" Verdant eyes flickered to the princess, and she coughed lightly.
Wine-shaded eyes were distant, the blonde evidently trying to picture what Ginga had shared with her. When the woman's voice trailed off, eyes on her, Fate blew out a frustrated breath, "Wish I could fill in the blanks."
"You and I both…" Ginga admitted. The Takamachi heir had received terrible amounts of damage to herself to save her client, and yet she was taken with her boss? It made absolutely no sense.
"You know… thinking back, I remember you vaguely when I was visiting Ojou-sama in Singapore." Fate blinked, never having heard of this before, "Indeed?"
"Yes, she had her hands on my chest when you appeared with the Wolkenritter in HR." The blonde stiffened, causing Ginga to giggle, "Oh, not that way. She was trying to push me out of her office and me, being me, wouldn't take no for an answer. I had no idea you were her new AVP at the time."
"Wolkenritter in HR." Fate glanced back to her paused video, the tall, pink haired woman presenting the video had her name under her portrait. "Signum Wolkenritter, EVP of Human Resources," she read aloud.
"Yes, that one. You're almost as tall as she is, I think," Ginga noted with mild envy, herself only coming up to the blonde's ear at best. "I remember you calling Ojou-sama 'Nanoha-chan' over the intercom with Vita, too." The bodyguard scratched lightly at her chin in thought. With how the Takamachi heir was behaving with the blonde, aside from when she was confined to St. Luke's and interacting with her one constant visitor, Ginga could not fathom their relationship as being that familiar at work. "Maybe as a joke?"
Fate frowned contemplatively at her laptop screen, "Perhaps. It's been… very difficult for me to pin down what our working relationship was." Giving up, she threw herself backwards to sprawl over the tatami floor, an arm flung over her head, blonde hair strewn around her in a halo of gold, "Maybe someone at work can tell me." Crimson eyes shadowed, she considered the possibility that no one at work knew, either.
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"At this rate she's going to think you hate her." Nanoha kept right on walking, "It'll get better with time," she lied tightly to herself and Rein. Which reminded her. Pulling out her cellphone, she made a quick call.
"La Jefa!" The naked relief in Teana's voice dredged a smile out of the executive.
"Hey, Tea. Sorry for the radio silence. Shit's been…"
"Crazy, yea, we figured." Nanoha was unsurprised her managers had finagled their way into finding out most, if not all that had happened.
"How're you doing?" Another loaded question.
Teana heard her boss exhale a quiet breath, "I've been better. Look, I called to make an off the books request."
"Whossat Tea?"
"Shh, it's La Jefa."
"Oh my gods, is she okay?"
"Can it, Subaru, she's trying to ask me something!"
Clearing her throat, Nanoha projected her voice into the line, "Actually, it's a request for the both of you."
The voices on the other end died down, both women listening intently.
"If Fate-san asks, she and I are colleagues and nothing more."
Back in Singapore, the couple exchanged looks.
The bolder of the two was the first to speak, "Er, Ojou-sama, I don't think we quite get what you mean…" So, Nakajima Subaru had heard.
Voice growing hard, Nanoha elaborated, "Precisely what I said. If Fate-san asks either of you what her relationship was with me, tell her we were good colleagues, that is all." Silent, Rein followed half a pace behind her client, the woman's footsteps taking her through the courtyard and out of the clan compound. It was obvious that Nanoha did not want anyone eavesdropping.
"Nothing about broken bathroom doors, taking her car back from the axe throwing range, looking up Regius and friends. Nada."
The women were quiet again. "Um, but boss, aren't you guys like, pals?" Teana this time, venturing her own delicate query.
Head held high, Nanoha walked paths her feet had memorised more than two decades ago, eyes left unfocused while she fought against her own instincts to run right back to Fate's room to hold her and never let go. "She doesn't remember, and I don't want her to. Look, she gets blackout headaches remembering stuff. There's a high chance she'll fall and hurt herself if she remembers something and…" A muscle in her jaw ticked, "I won't risk that." Her sigh sounded heavy over the line, "I can't keep her in a physical bubble. This is the next best solution."
Voice softening, she addressed the two as equals, "I need everyone on board for this, including you guys. Please."
The couple looked at the other again, "We understand. If that is what Ojou-sama requires of us."
Shoulders untensing, Nanoha's head dropped a little, "Thank you, Subaru, Teana. I'll be back next week, I hope. I'll see you guys then."
Rein's mild disapproval was palpable at her elbow, but Nanoha refused to acknowledge the woman's opinion on this. She promised her father, certainly, but not until she got the all clear from Shamal. What was she even supposed to ask the blonde if the green light was given, though? "Hey, remember how we used to spoon one another in bed?"
Biting back the urge to cuss at the heavens, she dropped her phone back into her yukata's pocket and focused on her one sanctioned walk of the day.
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Extricating herself from her mother's embrace had been difficult, which only served to irritate Nanoha. Admonishing herself to grow the fuck up, she gathered the remnants of her dignity to bow to the rest of her family, who bowed back. "Please warn me before you invade my life. I need to brace myself. Maybe book a flight to Timbuktu," she murmured drily to her family.
"Oh you. For that, Kaa-chan will hide when omiai happening." Blue eyes widened in mock horror before the woman eased into a dusty chuckle, "Please take care of yourselves. Dewa~" Detesting long goodbyes, Nanoha dipped her head and accepted Rein's help to get into the back of the unmarked sedan the bodyguard had procured for their use, the silver haired woman closing the door once the heir's seat belt was fastened.
The woman had opted for a baggy white pullover and loose, wide-leg pants in royal blue. With its elastic waistband, it allowed the heir to travel in relative comfort despite her waist injury and casts.
Fate had remained to one side to allow the heir to make her farewells. Bowing low now, she offered her sincere thanks to the clan for their care. Stepping forward, Momoko hugged the blonde, then Ginga, "Daughter is stubborn, but not made of stone, hai? Keep trying."
Winking at the now blushing women, she asked, "Packed kimono?" At their nods, she beamed, "Good. My child act modern but is more traditional than my Shi-chan." Allowing the implication to sink in, she patted both their bottoms, nodding approvingly at the childbearing hips both candidates possessed. Fate squeaked at the unexpected touch, blushing even harder. Ginga fared no better and hurriedly hustled her client into the back of the car with Nanoha. Momoko's drive for grandbabies knew no bounds.
Nanoha may have noticed the heavy blushes on both women when they got into the car, if she had not been occupied with working herself up to the dreaded upcoming flight. She had opted not to take her painkillers, just her antibiotics, and that familiar persistent ache at the base of her skull had returned with annoying predictability. Thinking back to the time when she had made the flight over with Fate, she let out a silent sigh of longing, fiercely missing the blonde's distractions.
Making good time for the evening flight on Japan Airlines, the group were pleasantly surprised to find their business class bookings bumped up to first class. At first thinking it was a TSAB perk, they were swiftly disabused of that notion when a government official of no discernible rank or title appeared at the counter.
Once their luggage was checked in, the official, a slim brunette with cropped hair and glasses, led them to a lavishly appointed private waiting room. A barista and a bartender stood at their respective stations, ready to take any orders from their guests. A wide array of finger foods were also available, ranging from cheeses to crackers to a chef ready to take sushi and sashimi orders.
"Takamachi-san, the government extends our congratulations on your new appointment. In addition, we would like to offer our gratitude for your swift response to what may have become a diplomatic incident. Please accept this upgrade as a token of our appreciation."
Fate could hardly follow what was being said, and was grateful to Ginga for providing a running translation.
The brunette then turned to address Fate, "Princess Testarossa, we extend our deepest regrets for the inconvenience caused and hope that you will visit us again in more pleasant circumstances."
Addressing both executives, she concluded, "For all future flights on our national carrier, our people will do their utmost to render to you the best seats at no additional cost." Bowing deeply, the woman departed, leaving the group to settle down to wait for boarding in an hour.
Nanoha rose from her bow seeing the official off and simply pressed her index finger to her lips, indicating to the group to keep any chatter to themselves for now. "Rein, if you could help me to that couch… I think I may try to catch forty winks." Nanoha doubted she could rest with her headache, but pretending to was all she needed to avoid having to be social.
Watching the silver haired woman help Nanoha get comfortable, Fate looked away when Rein leaned down to press her lips to the faintly smiling executive's forehead. Stalking to the sushi counter, she ordered herself some nigiri and cold saké, figuring it would be a while before she would taste authentic Japanese cuisine once she was back in Singapore.
Unsurprisingly, Ginga settled on the stool next to her and asked for the same.
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As always for Nanoha, the journey was dismal and she was failing massively at getting a single wink of sleep. Fortunately, the screen doors that offered privacy in the first class cabins kept that knowledge from most anyone other than Rein. The woman had imposed herself during dinner time in case Nanoha had needed help and indeed, she had.
Fate's cabin was opposite of the Takamachi heir's own, and despite herself, she could not help overhearing the women's low conversation.
"Why didn't you take your painkillers?" The bodyguard's voice was even, though a thread of exasperation could still be heard in the way she addressed her client.
"Fucking hate blacking out around strangers," the heir's voice sounded rough, weary, and Fate wished there was something she could do to help. Rein's sigh matched Fate's own.
"I find myself in the odd position of saying I don't blame you, but I still blame you."
Nanoha snorted, "I'll deal." Voice turning serious, she added, "Once we've landed, we're escorting them to Fate-san's place first."
"You think those elements you fought will try something in Singapore?"
"Maybe. I haven't been back for weeks, so I can't tell for sure."
"You're in no shape to do anything, however."
"I'm not, but you are."
"...A third agent will be joining us when we land, wouldn't she be enough?"
"'Fraid not."
Rein eyed the auburn haired woman who was being stubborn beyond belief. Said woman was giving her a Puss-in-Boots liquid eyed look and she knew she was being played. Sighing again, she shook her head, "You're hopeless."
Knowing the in-cabin lights had her and Rein in silhouette, Nanoha lifted her arm to draw Rein close and at the last moment, turned her head slightly so their lips never met. Still, she kissed thin air, loud enough for her neighbour to hear, before letting go of her bodyguard. "It's why you like me," she replied with a mock purr.
Chuckling at the woman's wiles, Rein tucked an extra layer of blankets around the executive's shoulders, knowing the cold of their altitude would be causing more aches than usual in the woman's injuries, "Try closing your eyes even if you can't sleep. I'll keep watch."
"Thanks." The lights were turned off in the cabin then, and Fate turned her head to face away from the side Nanoha was on. Sleep did not come for the blonde either, the woman's long arms wrapped around herself while she did her best not to feel miserable that she wasn't the one the executive trusted to watch over her while she rested. The screen was great for hiding any tears she shed.