Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Expectations ❯ Searching ( Chapter 4 )

Unexpected Expectations

Chapter 4: Searching

 

 

 

Shamal withdrew her hand from Nanoha's head. "It looks like fainting and dizziness, from being on your feet so long."

 

"But I'm not even that far along for it to affect me that much!" Nanoha protested from the hospital bed. "Am I?"

 

"Every woman is different, with regards to specific pregnancy symptoms and when they get them," the doctor replied. "In some, the uterus can expand and interfere with blood flow to your legs, which causes your blood pressure to drop, making you light-headed. I'm going to recommend you try to stay off your feet for long periods, and eat a bit more food to increase your blood sugar level. Before you protest, you can still stand around to teach, just take enough sitting rest breaks when you can."

 

"So she's okay, then?" Fate asked, feeling relieved. She feared the worst when Nanoha collapsed, but if this and a small bump on the head was all she was suffering from, she could rest a bit easier.

 

Shamal nodded. "Just let me know if you feel or encounter anything else out of the ordinary."

 

Nanoha sat up and thanked the doctor, and as the two left, Fate could see there was something else on her friend's mind, but also knew she wouldn't talk about it just yet. She only hoped that it wasn't going to be too major, and that Nanoha could work it out.

 

 

 

She cried out in pain and he laughed, slapping her face to shut her up as he continued to use her. Her body shook and shuddered, rocking back and forth, as he took his time and pleasure from her. All this time she ignored him, but now she wouldn't ignore him any longer.

 

"No, stop!" Yuuno protested, as he watched himself violate Nanoha, but chains held him fast, and he couldn't move.

 

The other Yuuno turned to sneer at him, not pausing in his actions. "Why stop? This is what you wanted and now she is yours. You need only press your advantage to cement it." He roughly shoved down to emphasize the point, making the woman under him scream.

 

"This is not what I wanted!" he protested, tears forming in his eyes. "I just wanted her to be happy!"

 

"What does her happiness matter?" the other Yuuno barked, standing up and grabbing her hair to lift her up. "Take a look. See how she doesn't fight? She's already yours and you don't even realize it. Remember what you did. It was you who did this to her!"

 

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Yunno screamed, surging against the chains that bound his wrists and ankles to the wall. "I didn't... I was..."

 

The other Yuuno laughed. "Can't finish it, can you? Are you sure you want to go there? YOU did this; there is no denying it. I am the you that faces the truth, while you hide in fear of it." He dragged Nanoha over by her hair, lifting her up and shoving her face near his.

 

"Yuuno-kun, you did this to me," came her soft, gentle voice that used to bring him such joy. "But it's alright now, I forgive you. You can have me over and over now, please; I don't mind." She reached up and cupped his cheeks in her hands, smiling vacantly and hauntingly. "I'll be a good wife to you, staying home to raise our children, cooking and supporting you. I won't risk my life with magic so I will never leave you."

 

"N-Nanoha..." Yuuno uttered, trembling and sweating, hearing some words that he had always dreamed of hearing; but something was wrong. "This is isn't you... this isn't how I wanted you to be; I want you to be yourself!"

 

"But it's too late for that," the other Yuuno told him nonchalantly. "You did this to her. You broke her."

 

Yuuno turned to fix the other him with a strong glare. "But I want to fix things! I'm going to make it right, so she doesn't have to suffer. Somehow, no matter what, there has to be a way! I can't ask for forgiveness; no matter what the cost, I'll make it so she can live a normal life again, like before!"

 

His words were greeted by a laugh. "There is no way, and you know it. Now be a man and take responsibility for what you've done. Take her and show her that you'll be her master now."

 

"I love you, Yuuno-kun," Nanoha cooed, wrapping her arms around him, her naked body pressing against his, kissing his cheek. "I'll love you forever and ever, because it's the only thing I can do now. Just like you always wanted..."

 

 

 

Yuuno awoke in a cold sweat, panting, sitting upright as the blankets fell off him. He hugged and rubbed his body, making sure he was really awake, the cool breeze against his moist skin confirming the reality of his situation as the effects of the nightmare slowly faded. As his breathing slowed, he wiped his face on his arm reflexively; why were his eyes watering so much?

 

He shook his head; it had been getting worse and worse, as the dream had come to him most nights now, becoming more abominable with each iteration. The cold numbness in his gut grew more pronounced, as if something was now missing and he'd never be a whole man ever again, along with the fear that he'd never be able to undo what happened.

 

All his life, he only wanted to protect her; he loved her, but she seemed to be more happy with Fate, so he stepped back to let her go. It hurt a bit, but he knew enough that it would hurt more to drag her out of her happy life, as he had no right.

 

And now he had betrayed that protection, he had been forced betrayed her in the worst way possible by something else, and he couldn't wipe the painful memories from his head.

 

"No, it was my fault, I won't blame anyone or anything else," he told himself softly, shaking his head and then looking at his clenching and unclenching hands. "I could have fought harder. I could have done something, and not given up so easily, and then we wouldn't be in this mess. I failed her; it was me, and not something else. I won't blame anything else, I can't."

 

He sighed as he got out of bed in his motel room, taking note it was still light out, the time indicating it was only a couple hours past midnight on this planet. He knew he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight, so he took a hot shower, hoping it would somehow burn the memories from his mind, or perhaps the heat would get scalding hot enough to incinerate him. That's what it would take, because no matter how clean he got, he always felt that there was a layer of filth that just wouldn't go away.

 

Yuuno seethed and clenched his eyes in pain, realizing he had subconsciously turned up the shower all the way. Perhaps he should just pass away here; it would be what he deserved.

 

A hand shot out and turned it back down, and he sighed in relief. [No, I can't die here, not yet. Not until I've at least found a way that Nanoha can be made better.]

 

He finished the shower and decided to go for a run in the cool night air; perhaps it might help a bit to clear his head.

 

 

 

Unadministered world #213 was sparsely populated, and Yuuno considered that a blessing. It meant he could more easily determine whether this was the right world or not. Most of the population was centered around the town near the starport, with the rest mainly workers on several large farms and mining operations.

 

A stop by one of the larger bars confirmed he wasn't likely to find what he was looking for here, as Racheal's notes indicated that she had picked it up from a more rural village. That left world #231, which was a short hop by transport ship, and since #213 was a major agricultural export world, there were plenty of cargo ships ferrying goods out to other planets.

 

But the one that would take him in the direction he wanted wasn't due to depart until tomorrow, so he had to take a room in a motel for the night, although he almost wished he hadn't. Still, having that dream there was better then having it on a ship.

 

And with any luck, he could learn more about the object on the next world, and find out something that would help Nanoha. If it was a dead end, too, he'd backtrack to #123 or #132, exploring any possibility, no matter what the cost.

 

 

 

Fate stepped up to the teleporter to begin the first of many hops. She had managed a lead that someone matching Yuuno's description had been seeking passage on a cargo ship, one of the ones that didn't require much in the way of identification, just cash. That made him harder to track, but not impossible. She did a check on the transports that left after that, and narrowed down the possibilities to three ships, as Yuuno hadn't been seen looking for transport past the departure of the last one.

 

Of those, one ship had just picked up a load of minerals, so space would have been very limited; she doubted that he would have been on that one. But the other two were more viable possibilities, as they had both offloaded goods and then left for more, so that gave her a 50/50 chance. One was a produce ferry and the other carried completed goods from off-planet companies; which one did Yuuno take?

 

She was guessing the produce ferry, as the furnished goods transport wasn't quite as seedy in picking up travelers, and thus was starting a series of teleports that would bring her along the ship's route. With any luck, she could find out where Yuuno had disembarked.

 

As the teleporter initialized, Fate wondered if Nanoha was doing, hoping that she was doing the right thing, and that her friend would be okay while she was gone....

 

 

 

"You know what I have to do," Fate told her solemnly, knowing that Nanoha was aware several days had passed.

 

Nanoha nodded. "Alright, please don't hurt him, though. Just let him know that I don't blame him, and that I want him to come back. I think he was hurt as badly as I was. He was scared, like I was."

 

"I know," Fate agreed softly. "I can't promise anything, but I'll find him and bring him back, as much for his sake as yours. Also, Shamal has cleared her calender, and I got Aina back to take care of the house chores. And as for your classes..."

 

"I know, I'll talk to Vita, too, and let her help out more," Nanoha replied, looking down at the hands in her lap. "I might have to tell her why as well."

 

Fate put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You don't have to tone down your teaching too much, just a few small changes."

 

Nanoha nodded again, placing her own hand on the one Fate had on her shoulder, and giving it a gentle squeeze as a way of thanking her.

 

 

 

In the end, Nanoha found she couldn't tell Vita the full reasons, just that Shamal had ordered her to take it a bit easy for awhile. She laughed it off and said it wasn't much, but she had a feeling that Vita didn't fully buy the story. Still, the hammer knight had relented when Nanoha said she was fine walking home that afternoon; she didn't want the other girl to know about her counseling sessions, and she had an appointment.

 

And she wasn't a glass doll; she wouldn't shatter at the slightest thing and she wanted people to get that through their heads. She could take care of herself! She was still more than capable of that, despite her condition.

 

Once more, her left hand went to rest on her stomach as she traveled along the sidewalk, somehow analyzing if she could feel the life within her yet. But there wasn't much difference between the hundred other times she had checked. On one hand, she somehow felt a sense of wonder and joy at the thought, but on the other, it was also a reminder of how the baby came to be.

 

She stumbled sideways a bit and her right hand shot out to steady herself against a wall as the memories came back again, seeing not Yuuno, but something else, vague and formless, taking advantage of her body. Nanoha shook her head; she could admit she had been raped now, but why did it still affect her so strongly? The more she thought about it, the more revulsed and angry she became. Unconsciously, the hand against the wall became a fist.

 

"You don't look like you're doing so well," a male voiced noted with a bit of concern. "Me and my friend here can help you out."

 

Her head was down, so she didn't see their faces, only felt their presence. "You want to... help me out?"

 

"Yeah, we're pretty good at that," a different voice told her, and she deduced it must have been the first one's friend. "We can take you someplace if you need help. It'll be a lot of fun, too!"

 

"I... see..." Nanoha noted in a calm voice that was anything but. Her head came up as she fixed the two men with a glare. "I think I can handle things myself."

 

"Don't be that way," the first one noted, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "You need help and-" He didn't get a chance to finish.

 

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Nanoha screamed, batting his hand off with her left, while her right came up, pink magic charging.

 

His eyes widened, but he couldn't react in time as Nanoha fired into his gut, knocking him off his feet to land on his back. Turning, she focused on the other man, who was actually more of a teenaged boy. His quivering face as he took a step back was only partially noted by Nanoha as she fired on him, too sending him to land on his friend.

 

"P-please, stop!" the first pleaded. "We're sorry, we didn't mean any harm!"

 

"No harm?" Nanoha questioned softly, magic still glowing at her fingertips. "Just fun?"

 

"Yes yes!" the other declared, his voice cracking in fear.

 

"Then what's the problem?" Nanoha told them in a normal voice, but one that oozed menace, both hands coming up. "I find this to be fun."

 

They screamed as she fired again, blasting both down an alley where they landed in a heap. Before they could move, she discharged her next attack, slamming them into the wall of the alley's dead end, alternating hands as to batter the pair with unending force blasts, not even taking note that they were both unconscious now.

 

"NANOHA STOP!" cried a female voice.

 

She found her arms pinned to her side by a simple bind spell, but before she could break it and resume her attack, a small form had interposed itself between her and her targets and was walking slowly toward her.

 

"They're unconscious, there's no need to continue," Vita beseeched her calmly. "You've done enough, it's over now."

 

Nanoha blinked, the red tinge in her vision fading that she hadn't even realized was there. "Vita... chan? What did I...?" The bind spell faded and she dropped to her knees, eyes quivering as she glanced back and forth between the bloodied males and the small girl.

 

Vita placed her hands on Nanoha's shoulders, gazing into her face with a gentle look. "It's over now, you're alright."

 

Nanoha broke down, hugging the smaller girl around her neck as she cried, to the sounds of approaching sirens.

 

 

 

Yuuno took a seat at the bar, keeping his hood up and cloak around his body, ignoring the other patrons. He knew they were studying the newcomer, but he didn't want to attract too much attention... yet.

 

"What can I get for you?" the barkeep asked, cleaning a glass.

 

"Something good, but not too strong," Yuuno told him. "And also some information."

 

Like most towns that sprung up around starports, this one functioned as sort of a gathering place for people and information, from all over the planet. If something had gone on, or was going on, somehow on the planet, he should be able to pick up some hints here.

 

"I have just the thing," the barkeep said with a smile, beginning to fix the drink. "What kind of information were you looking for? Perhaps a decent vacation spot? Interest in acquiring rare goods?"

 

"I'm looking for information on kidnappings and abductions," Yuuno told him quietly, studying the man's reaction.

 

The barkeep raised an eyebrow, but finished the drink and slid it over. "That's kind of vague. Like any planet, I suppose there's something of that sort that happens here occasionally."

 

Yuuno briefly looked down at the drink that was tinged a bit brown, but also glowing a faint yellow. "A series of them, perhaps happening most often over ten years. Perhaps mostly male victims." He took a swig of the drink; it was a bit vile, but it gave a pleasant tingle and the aftertaste was rather interesting.

 

"Now that you mention it," the barkeep said, his head tilting a bit. "I think I do recall some rumors about that."

 

As he paused, Yuuno understood and slid money across the table, which was triple what the drink cost.

 

"Ah yes, I do recall there being some trouble on the eastern continent," he recalled, taking the money. "It's not recommended for visitors, as men have gone missing occasionally. Some return, some don't. Of the ones that do, most can barely remember what happened, while others appeared disturbed and didn't want to talk about it. And some were babbling wrecks, barely able to say their own name."

 

[Paydirt,] Yuuno thought, excited. It could be something else entirely, but he had a good feeling about this.

 

Out loud he asked, "And no one knows what's going on? No one has done anything about it?"

 

The barkeep shook his head. "It's very heavy jungle over there, with trees hundreds of meters tall and thick foliage. People long learned to just steer clear and they were fine. No one really knows what's going on; could be a disease or a poison from an exotic animal or something else. The law only stretches so far on this planet if it's something more sinister. And that's about all I can tell you, though I recommend strongly that you not go there."

 

Yuuno downed the rest of the concoction and slid more money across, smiling. "Thanks for the drink."

 

The barkeep nodded as Yuuno stood up and headed outside, mulling it over. Even if the information was good, there was still a chance that it wouldn't be the location he was looking for, but there was only one way to be sure. The eastern continent was across an ocean, and unless he wanted to try his luck flying across, he needed some transportation. Flying for too long was dangerous if he got tired midway or got caught up in a sudden storm; plus, he wanted to conserve his magic.

 

He sighed as he walked along the street; his follower wasn't doing a very good job of hiding himself. He debated just simply teleporting away, but instead he was intrigued; he needed to know who was following him and why, and thus stepped around a corner of a three-story building and levitated up into the air, waiting.

 

The shadowy figure eventually crept around the corner, features mostly hidden due this world's sun having gone down a few minutes ago. His pursuer was probably perplexed at his disappearance, but started quickly down the street anyway to find some sign of him. Yuuno floated along above, waiting for the right moment, then dove down and grabbed the person, pulling them into a side alley and hitting them with a chain-bind.

 

"Hey, let me go!" his target shrieked with a female voice, catching him by surprise and elbowing him in the gut an instant before the chains took full effect. Her cap fell off, revealing a lock of shoulder length hair, and she turned to stare at him, surprise on her face. "You! Why are you doing this!?"

 

Yuuno studying the freckle-face girl as he rubbed his stomach;, she appeared almost as old as he was. "You were the one following me. I wanted to find out why. Well?"

 

To her credit, she appeared a bit ashamed, but still defiant. "I have very good hearing, and I overheard you asking the barkeep about the abductions. I can help you."

 

His raised an eyebrow. "How would you be able to help me? And why would you?"

 

She hesitated, then looked down at her binds. "Can you release me first? And we can talk back at my place. It's not much, but I can at least offer you a place to sleep and a meal."

 

She wanted something, Yuuno knew that much for sure as she was being unusually generous, but he couldn't figure out her game. Still, she wasn't a mage and didn't appear too threatening, so maybe he could learn something. He dissolved the bind spell and she rubbed her wrists, nodding in thanks, then retrieved her cap.

 

"It's not far, I'll show you," she told him, stepping out of the alley.

 

Yuuno had to admit he was intrigued, and he could delay his journey to the eastern continent at least until tomorrow. Still, what exactly could she tell him?

 

 

 

He wasn't the only one seeking information at the moment, as someone else had been asking questions, but she was growing frustrated at the answers. Fate had been asking around on this planet for several hours, and some people might or might not have seen him, possibly, maybe, but they couldn't say for sure.

 

Had she guessed wrong? Did he take the other transport ship? Or did he really get off-planet in another way?

 

She took another sip from her drink as she sat at her table, debating her next course of action. Obviously, her next lead wasn't just going to drop in her lap, so she had to think like Yuuno; what could he be doing? What could his reasoning be for leaving the planet? How did he expect to "make things better"? Just by his absence, or did he have a particular destination in mind?

 

Fate sighed again and took another drink; she had tasted better, but it wasn't bad, and the low alcoholic content was just enough to relax her mind a bit. She was hoping for a random burst of inspiration, but failing that, the general pleasant buzz was of some comfort.

 

"Damn brat, it's all his fault," a male voice drifted over from nearby. "We lost standing in the group thanks to him."

 

"I'm sorry I let him beat me," another male voice replied, then came a bang on the table. "If we meet up with him again, I'll show him a thing or two. No glasses mage is gonna make a fool out of me twice!"

 

Fate blinked, straightening up. [Could it be possible?]

 

She stood and crossed over to the round table where the two guys were seated, pulling up a chair. "I couldn't help but overhear you two having mage problems. Care to tell me about it?"

 

Both men looked at her with suspicion, before the skinny one asked, "Why should we? And who are you?"

 

She smiled deliciously. "Someone who can help with your problem. I make a living hunting down mages and... punishing them. Care to tell me about your encounter?"

 

The two looked at each other, then began to talk, and as they did, Fate's smile grew wider. [Got you, Yuuno!] It appeared he had really intimidated and embarrassed the two, and she was quite impressed, although she knew that the normally quiet Yuuno was quite a skilled mage. She settled on a small price to complete her mage bounty hunter image, although she had no plans to collect; there was a bigger prize at stake.

 

She spared a thought for Nanoha, reaffirming her vow. She was gonna bring him back, regardless if she had to tie him up and knock him out. She'd apologize to Nanoha later, for any roughing up that might occur.

 

One way or another, Yuuno was coming home.

 

Author's notes:

 

Depending on how familiar you are with certain subjects about the way humans deal with things, you might be able to pick up a few things in this chapter. If not, it'll be made more clear next chapter.