Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Fan Fiction ❯ The Skeleton Key ❯ Lost & Found? ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Funimation does, nor do I make money from my stories. They are for entertainment purposes only, in agreement with Fair Use.

Fate’s POV

I've been home for about a week now. I'll be seeing Dr. Graham in two days. Nanoha has been waiting on me hand and foot. She cooks my meals and then brings them to me in the living room. Then she kneels on the floor at my feet waiting for my approval or disapproval of the food. No matter how many times I've told Nanoha she could sit next to me on the couch, she refuses and continues to stay at my feet. She is still so used to the customs of her time period that is hard for her to break away from it.

The first time Amy saw Nanoha bringing my Raman into me; she flipped out and almost got herself burned. She came running in thinking that the bowl was being thrown at me. When she made a grab for it, it moved out of her way and safely out of harm’s way. When Amy's hands came up empty she looked around for the bowl and it was hovering just to her right. She stared at it then stepped back and continued watching it go towards me at a very slow and delicate manner.

I've had to move into one of the rooms downstairs, as climbing the stairs with crutches was out of the question. Going up wasn't so bad. It was coming down that terrified me. I felt like I was going to go headfirst down the stairs even though Nanoha was standing in front of me the whole time coming down. I didn't know if she'd be able to stop my dissent if I started tumbling.

We still sleep in the same bed. Nanoha continues to make love to me and even though I can touch her, she doesn't feel my touch and no matter how intimate, she has no sensation. This saddens me that I cannot give her the same pleasure that she gives me night after night.

“Fate I'm worried about you. You’ve been sleeping more and eating less. I'm afraid that I am slowly killing you. I need to stay away from you for a while so that you can regain your strength and health.”

“How long do you plan on staying away Nanoha? I need you here by my side. Please, don't leave me alone.”

“Oh Fate. If I am not careful, I will end up taking your life, the life that I promised to save. Call the priestesses and have them send me away. I can't take the fact that I am doing this to you. Please Fate this is torture for me watching you slowly die before my eyes.”

“No we will find a way to send you to Alicia. Remember I promised you freedom and that is exactly what you're going to get. No more, talk about sending you away to limbo and a lonely existence. I won't allow it. You are either going to stay with me or we’ll find a way to let you rest in peace.”

The next morning when I woke up, Nanoha was not next to me. So I called out for her and got no response. I got up, got dressed, and made my way out to the living room and I still could not find her. I was able to make my own breakfast and ate it at the counter.

I started to get worried that something might have happened to her, so I decided to go out for a walk. Maybe even visit her grave, as I still have not seen her head to see what part of it was missing.

Carefully making my way through the forest, I came to her hill and there she was sitting next to her place of rest. “For a ghost you’re awfully hard to find.”

“I'm sorry Fate. I didn't realize how late it was. I'll go make your breakfast so that you can start your day.”

“It's okay. I’ve already had breakfast. I was even able to clean up the kitchen. Do you mind if I join you?”

“No I don't mind at all. You can visit my grave any time.”

I made my way up the hill with my crutches maneuvering around the mound of dirt that was still there. I went to where her head was placed. As carefully as I possibly could I set down on the cool grass and looked over at Nanoha. She was staring down at herself in her new grave. I could see the longing in her face. I had to find a way to keep my promise.

I looked down at the stones and planking and started moving, them and I gingerly lifted her head up so that I could look at it and see what color that beautiful hair was that I had felt two weeks ago. It seemed to be the same shade as her ghostly form; Chestnut Brown. As I continued looking at her skull, I noticed that part of her jaw was missing.

As I continued to inspect the damaged area, I noticed it had an odd and peculiar pattern. Almost as if he deliberately cutaway her bone to make something. I ran my fingers over that area and it had a strange smooth texture. It's almost like I have touched this before but I was having a hard time remembering where.

“You must've been a very stunningly beautiful woman for your era. I would have fallen in love with you at first sight. Even as a ghost, you captured my heart and made me fall in love with you. I'll find a way Nanoha. There has to be a way without this missing piece of bone. Even if I have to dig up his grave to look for it I will.”

Smiling a very sad smile, she shook her head no. “I do not want you to do something so drastic Fate. You’re a better person than he ever could be. If I didn't know any better I could've sworn that, you and Alicia were twins if it wasn't for the fact that you are both separated in time by a little more than a century.

Please reconsider what I said the other night about sending me away. Your face is drawn and starting to become haunted. The spark that was in your eyes is slowly dimming, your soul is slowly starving, and your body is starting to wither. I am the cause of all of this happening to you Fate. I can no longer be near you for any length of time. I can feel that I am drawing energy from your body that you need to live.

So I have come to a decision that I will stay here until you find a way; either for the two of us to be together, or for me to finally be at peace. You can come and visit me as much as you would like, but I need you to understand the longer that you are near me the shorter your life will become.”

I nodded my head yes, to let her know that I understood what she was saying. I noticed when I woke up this morning I was actually full of energy and wanting to get up and move around, unlike the other two weeks were all I wanted to do was either stay in bed or sleep on the couch. I knew this was because Nanoha wasn’t near me but I didn't want to actually face that truth until now.

“So what will you do now? Are you going to stay here and just wait? Will you come to the house and visit me from time to time? I have to at least see you once throughout the day. I can't just go without seeing you or being with you. You are part of my life now and I will not cut you out of it.”

“I will stay here for the most part but I also plan on exploring and seeing what else is here. You said that there was a cave on the property; I did not know that it existed until you spoke of it. I would like to see it. Maybe I'll be able to find the missing part of me to make me whole once more. Other than that, I do not know. I just know that I must keep my distance so that I do not hurt you.”

Looking down at her skull in my hands and looking at that missing piece of jawbone, I had the sense that I had seen that pattern somewhere I just could not remember where I had seen it.

Coming back from my appointment with Dr. Graham, I'm standing at my front door trying to unlock it. If I didn't get the key in just right, unlocking the door was impossible. “Dammit all! One of these days I'm gonna throw this key out and get a brand-new lock for this door. I'm so sick of this key not working when I try to unlock the damn door.”

I was about to jam the key into the lock to try again when Yuuno grabbed my wrist before I could do it. I looked at his hand and then up his face as he started to move my hand closer so he could get a look at the key. He continued staring at it as if he was amazed. I could see Hayate looking between my hand and Yuuno’s face. When something caught her eye about my hand, she leaned in closer to take a look at my key and then gently took it out of my hand examining it. She looked up at me with wonder on her face.

“You had it this entire time and you didn't even know you had it did you?”

Confused I looked between Hayate and Yuuno as if they had both gone crazy. “I had what the entire time? Would you care to fill me in on what it is I had supposedly had that I didn't know I had.”

“It's the key Fate. The key is her key.”

“Okay now you're talking in riddles and you expect me to figure this out how?”

“She's right Fate you had the key to setting her free as a key.”

“Okay now I know you both are meant for each other because you're both talking in riddles. Just stop talking like that and tell me what key that supposed to be a key of.”

“Just stop and think Fate of what I had just said, the key to setting her free is your key.”

“The key to setting her free is my key?” And then like a light bulb went off in my brain it dawned on me what they were talking about. “Are you guys trying to tell me this is Nanoha's missing jawbone? He fashioned it into a key to the front door of the house. That sick twisted son of a bitch. He must've planned this all along in case someone had been able to do what we did. She still would've been trapped because he had fashioned it into a key. Well I'll be damned. I had the ability to free her weeks ago and didn't even know it.”

I took the key gently back from Hayate and caressed it gently. Then slowly inserted it into the lock and it opened effortlessly. I put it back into my pocket and walked into the house.

Not wanting to waste another moment, we headed out to her gravesite hoping that Nanoha was there. When we arrived, I looked around but I didn't see her.

“Nanoha, Nanoha where are you?” But I got no response back. I was trying to think of where she might've gone when I remembered she had talked about going to the cave that she did not know had been on the property.

Thanking the good doctor who said I didn't need crutches anymore, I was able to get to the cave with much more ease than if I had to use those damn things. It was frustrating not being able to move around as freely as I'm used to.

Upon arriving at the cave, I could feel her presence so we walked in and there she was standing at the back of the cave looking at the wall. She either had heard our approach or could feel my presence because she turned around just before I got up to her.

“What is it Fate? You look excited about something. I see you no longer need those things to assist you in walking. But that can't be the only reason for the excitement that I see in your eyes.”

“I found it Nanoha. I found a way of setting you free so that you can be finally at peace. Actually Yuuno and Hayate found it, but I’ve had it all along and didn't know it.”

Putting my hand in my pocket I slowly withdrew the front door house key and held it in front of her. She looked between me and what within my hand with the look of wonder in her eyes as she realized that she will finally be able to be released to be with her beloved Alicia. I could see tears trailing down her cheeks at the realization that she would be leaving me for her first love.

The four of us made it back to her gravesite getting down on the ground so that I could remove the stones and planking’s. I lifted her head out once more and sure enough, it slid into place perfectly.

Looking up at Nanoha, I had tears in my eyes. I knew it was time to say goodbye. “I'm going to miss you Nanoha. I never thought that my true love would end up being a ghost. If you're reincarnated or when you're reincarnated you know where I'll be, right here waiting for you. I'll stay at this house until the end of my days waiting for you. So please hurry back so that we can both be happy once more my love.”

“Oh Fate, my Fate I will find you somehow, someway we will be together once more. I promise you this my beloved Fate.”

“I'm not gonna say goodbye, just until we meet again, my love.” With tears trailing down my face I set her head down in its place putting the planking back over and placing the stones back. I slowly move the dirt to fill her grave. With each passing moment, I could see her fading until at last I could see her no more and her burial was complete.

I sobbed for the loneliness that I felt without her presence. I was once again alone. I hadn't realized how much her presence was comforting to me and how whole she had made me feel.

It took me a few weeks to come to grips with the fact that she was gone. I had called Zafira’s Locksmith as they specialized in old-fashioned locks and had the front door lock replaced.

I also realized how big and empty this huge mansion really was without her presence. So I decided on seeing if there was anybody in the area that was looking for a room to rent. So I put flyers up for a housemate stipulating in the flyer that only female inquiries would be looked into.

I walked into my favorite café and went over to the owner to see if she would put up my flyer. “Mrs. Takamachi I'm looking for a housemate preferably female. If you know anybody that would be willing to go half on the utilities, that would be there only rent. I've decided to keep the house instead of selling it. I made a promise to someone that I would stay there and I intend to keep it.”

“A housemate?” She took the flyer from my hand and looked it over. A slow smile started to spread over her face and she nodded her head yes. “I think I might have just the person for this. If you don't mind, I can send her up to your place either today or tomorrow. Would that be all right with you?”

“Yes that would be fine I'll be at the house.”

“Very good then, I'll make sure to send her up to see you as soon as she gets in.”

“Very good then. Thank you Mrs. Takamachi. Thank you for your help and I hope you have a good day.”

The day came and went and I was sitting at my computer trying to wrap my brain around my story I was supposed to be writing. My publisher was after me once more to get that book finished, but it seems all I can think about is Nanoha.

So I decided to start a new book. I named it The Skeleton Key. It's a mystery romance something I had never tried before. The words for this story just flew through me and before I knew it, I was three quarters of the way done with it when I realized I didn't know how I wanted it to end.

As I was struggling with this decision there was a knock at my front door, so I got up to answer it wondering who could be coming to call at this time of day. I forgot what Mrs. Takamachi had said yesterday that she was going to send someone up as a possible housemate.

When I opened the door, a young woman was standing there with Chestnut Brown hair. It probably would go down to about the middle of her back if she had kept it down but it was in a sideways ponytail. The next thing that I noticed was her alabaster skin then what captured my attention were her blue eyes. They were the type of blue that I could lose myself in.

“Hi I'm sorry. My mom told me that you were looking for a housemate. I was wondering if the offer was still available.”

“Yes, yes it is. I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare it’s just you’re very pretty. Please come in my name is Fate, Fate T. Harlaown. I'm pleased to meet you Ms.”

“Nanoha, Takamachi Nanoha. My mom owns the Café that you were at yesterday and she said that you were looking for housemate. This is kind of nice as I’m looking for someplace that is out in the country; so this would work out for both our benefits. Don't you agree my Fate?”

Authors Notes: Thank you for reading my story; please leave a review and tell me what you think, positive criticism is always welcomed, flamers will of course be ignored.In Love & Light,Zona Rose @};-