Warning: This story has been discontinued at Chapter 6 and will not be completed.

A/N: Fair warning - - This new story revolves around religious themes, although it's not really supposed to be taken too seriously. There might be some violence, moderate amounts of sex, and maybe a good deal of swearing. I'll hopefully be earning the M-rating on this story soon, so if none of these things interest you, you may want to skip this one. NanoFate as always.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from or the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime, nor any other movie, actor, song, or character referenced or stated in this story.

oOOOo

THE SABERS OF IL SANTI (Discontinued)

by : ~Nissanity~

Prologue

Nanoha POV

"Train Number 9 is approaching the track in two minutes. Please stand clear of the platform. I repeat..."

I impatiently readjusted the strap of my backpack against my shoulder, as I waited for my train to arrive at the station. I was running behind schedule to start my shift at Midorya, my parents cafe that I worked at when they were short staffed. I had stayed behind a few minutes after class to discuss the current assignment due in my Religious Studies class with the professor, missing my original train by a few minutes.

"Oh my God, there's a little girl down there!" I suddenly heard screamed to my left. A woman was frantically pointing down at the rails in the station, and people began to rush over to her side. I immediately dropped my backpack and ran in her direction as well.

When I approached the edge and looked down, I saw a little girl sitting in the middle of the rails on the lower level. She had a stuffed rabbit laying next to her as she looked around her surroundings, confused and panicking.

I noted that the little blond-haired girl had one red eye and one green eye, and looked to be about five-years old. I laid on my stomach on the platform, my body hanging half off of it.

"Sweetie, please come to me!" I plead, with my hand stretched out to her like a few other passengers. "I know you're scared right now, but you have to brave and stand up, okay?"

More screams rang out as the next arriving train rounded the corner in the station. The little girl only looked up at us blankly as we all begged her to come to us. She then focused her eyes directly on me.

"Mama?" she asked me, her face now looking a bit hopeful. I took a deep breath and mustered up all the courage I had, and stood up quickly.

"I'll hand her up to you!" I yelled to the people next to me. I jumped down from the platform and picked up her stuffed animal, placing it back into her arms. I then scooped the girl up in my arms and ran over to the edge of the platform. The other passengers all had their arms outstretched towards us, as I lifted her up to them to safety.

The group suddenly moved their arms away from me, and I was only able to turn around in time to see the front of the train make contact with body, before my vision turned completely white.

oOOOo

My vision was restored a few moments later, and I suddenly found myself standing in the middle of Midorya. I was surprised to see it empty in front of me, without even my parents or siblings around to tend to the counter.

I looked down at myself and patted my body, noting that I didn't have any injuries, even though I distinctly remembered the train making contact with me.

"You really love this place, yes?" I heard a voice say from behind me.

I turned around to find a teal-haired woman sitting down at one of the booths, pouring herself a cup of tea. After she set the teapot down, she gestured to the seat across from her. I walked over and sat down across from the woman, noting she was now placing an unusual number of cubes of sugar into the drink.

"I do love this cafe," I confirmed as I settled into the seat. "I grew up here."

The woman nodded at my statement, now pouring cream into her cup of tea. "That's why you chose it. To make the process easier for you," she informed me.

I paused for a moment to consider her words. "Am I dead?" I asked.

"Yes, you're dead," she quickly confirmed.

"Oh," I replied flatly. I then began rapping my knuckles against the table. "So... now what?"

The woman set her tea cup on the saucer. "Well, I do have good news for you, Nanoha. You're getting a second chance, of sorts."

I perked up a little. "Really? What do you mean exactly?"

"The circumstances of your death caught my attention, and I feel that you may be more of an asset here on Earth than in Heaven," she said.

"So, are you...?" I began.

She laughed and waved me off. "Oh, no! No-ho-ho! I am a certainly an associate of His, though."

The woman handed me a business card, which I read aloud. "Saint Lindy, Archangel. Messenger of God?"

"Yes, that's right. But you can just call me Lindy," she told me. "I just had a position open up on my crew, and after your actions today, I certainly think you would fit in well with my team."

"What type of team is it?" I asked nervously.

"My angels, of course!" she replied. "If you agree to join us, I think you will find the work to be challenging, yet satisfying. And after the sacrifice you made today, I think you have well-earned the opportunity to fulfill this role."

"An... angel?" were the only words I could find in response to her proposal.

Lindy stood up from the table, and pieces of the walls of the cafe started breaking apart and falling off around her. "You're body is about to be resuscitated at the train station Nanoha, so you need to make a decision. I'm sorry, I wish I could give you more time to decide on this, but I simply can't."

"And if I say no?" I asked, dodging a piece of ceiling that almost fell onto me.

"You die," Lindy simply responded.

The floor shifted below me, and it suddenly felt like I was in an earthquake. "What would I have to do?" I shouted, bracing myself against the table.

"Protect people, in many different ways!" she responded as the lights of the cafe flickered. "Nanoha, it's now or never!"

"Yes!" I yelled in response. "I'll do it!"

Lindy snapped her fingers, and I suddenly felt my back against cold, hard concrete. I gasped deeply, my eyes flying open in a panic. It took me a moment to register that I was now looking at the ceiling of the train station. There were quite a few people hovering over me, as my eyes darted around quickly.

"Not a scratch on her... Unbelievable..." I heard murmured around me. I sat up and immediately saw the little blond-haired girl sitting next to me, staring at me with a frightened look on her face. I reached over and pulled her into my lap, hugging her close.

"What's your name, sweetie?" I asked her.

"Vivio," she replied quietly into my shirt.

"And where are your parents, Vivio?"

She pulled away from my shoulder to look up at me, her eyes showing confusion at my question. I hugged her tightly to me again.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry," I assured her. "But first, let's get both of us to the hospital."

oOOOo

THE SABERS OF IL SANTI

Chapter 1 – Angels and Demons

Fate POV

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" I exclaimed, as my mother pulled me into the Catholic Church by the ear. The evening Mass was already well underway, but that didn't stop her from walking in with our group with much fanfare, to sit us all in one of the front pews.

I immediately knelt down in front of my seat, tracing the sign of the cross across my body before folding my hands in prayer. Ginga followed suit next to me, with her sister Subaru joining next to her. I then checked to confirm my 9mm with the short silencer attached was fully concealed under my jacket.

"What are we doing here?" Ginga whispered to me through clenched teeth.

"I have no idea!" I replied in a hushed voice back to her. "We haven't been to the Church since we were kids!"

My mother knelt down between Ginga and I, swaying her hips back and forth to scoot us over, so that we could give her more room.

"Lindy just got herself a new angel, and we need all the help we can get!" she hissed quietly to us, now making the sign of the cross as well.

Ginga rolled her eyes. "Well, for fuck's sake, Precia! It takes years for an angel to become skilled enough to earn their wings. What's the problem?" she asked. The lady in the pew in front of us turned around and peered at us disapprovingly. I gave an apologetic smile in return.

Precia turned and glared at Ginga. "Lindy's new angel earned her wings in a week!" my mother exclaimed loudly. More people began to turn around to stare at us.

I glanced around, starting to feel uncomfortable with everyone's looks. "Mother, can we just get out of here?" I asked quietly.

My mother stood up. "You're right! We should be out there doing something. This won't do us any good in here. Let's go, girls!" she cried, grabbing me by the ear again.

"Ow! That really hurts!" I yelled as we made our way back out of the church.

I rubbed my tender ear as we all stood outside the front doors on the sidewalk, our group illuminated under the streetlights. I took out a cigarette from my pack and lit it, the smoke mixing with my foggy breath on the chilly winter night. As I was putting my pack and lighter back in my inner jacket pocket, my mother took the cigarette from my mouth and started smoking it herself.

"So, what do you think will happen now?" Ginga asked. "Lindy's team was already pretty good. Chrono was hard enough to win souls against, and Teana is becoming better every day. She'll probably have her wings soon."

"Subaru's close to it as well, though," I responded, before lighting a new cigarette.

"I think Teana is closer, honestly," Subaru mentioned. "As soon as she gets the sharpshooter thing perfected, she'll have them."

"Have you spoken with the Germans yet, Precia?" Ginga asked.

My mother crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "No! I'd rather not speak to that meddlesome brat any more than I have to!"

"Oh, she's not that bad!" I scolded her. "She's actually kind of fun."

My mother said nothing, only huffing a little and continuing to puff on my original cigarette.

"Those things are still bad for your health, you know?" Subaru mentioned, as she observed me take another drag of mine.

I waved off her admonishment. "So, what's the plan then?" I then asked the group.

"Should we find go out who this mystery angel is?" Ginga asked me.

My mother seemed to brighten with the idea. "Yes! You guys should go find her and gather all the information you can on her. We need to know just who our competition is. "

"You didn't happen to get an address from Yuuno when you were at his office earlier, by chance?" I ventured.

My mother scowled at me. "Yeah, right," she grumbled. "That little prick wouldn't tell me anything else!"

I laughed, and then looked around at the buildings surrounding us. "That one," I announced, pointing to the roof of the tallest building in our vicinity.

"I hope it has an elevator," Ginga responded, craning her neck upwards.

"I'm going home," my mother suddenly informed us. "Call me later when you find out anything."

We parted ways from her and started making our way across the busy streets of the city, towards our rooftop destination.

"Uminari Crowne Plaza," the sign read of the upscale building we were about to make our way to the top of.

"This is really fucking nice!" Ginga commented as we walked into the lobby. "Too bad we can't afford to ever stay in a place like this."

"We could if we made more commissions," I mused, thinking of all the souls that Chrono had captured before our group even had a chance to react. "With him and the new angel, we will probably have to step up our game even more."

We walked to the end of the lobby and I spotted a button for the elevator. I pressed it, and noticed the button wasn't illuminating. I pressed it several times again with no result.

"Hey Fate, look!" Subaru said from beside me. She was pointing to the closed double doors of the elevator, and I noticed a sign reading "Out of Order" taped to the front. I turned around and saw all the elevator doors had the same sign on them.

I looked upwards to the ceiling. "Oh, great! Thanks a lot!" I said sarcastically above me.

Ginga smiled at the sign on the doors. "That's what we get for skipping the gym today," she mentioned.

"There's the stairs," Subaru announced, now walking over to the door at the end of the hallway. She opened the door, allowing us to enter ahead of her. I stood at the railing and looked up into the rectangular opening, with the endless stairs spiraling above me.

"Maybe we should just create a barrier...?" I began, thinking of how much easier it would be to fly up instead.

Ginga hit me on the back of the head. "We can't do that unless there are demons around, Fate. You know that."

Subaru started her way up the staircase. "Come on, guys! I'm looking at this like a blessing in disguise. Anything to help me get stronger at this point is good."

Ginga and I grumbled in agreement and followed behind Subaru, who was jogging up the stairs ahead of us. As we rounded the first corner of stairs, I noticed a sign to my left that read "Floor 2 of 34." I lowered my head in resignation and continued climbing behind Ginga.

We made it to the top of the stairs and onto the roof, and I bent over with my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. I reached into my inner jacket lapel and retrieved my pack of cigarettes.

Subaru looked at me with a disapproving expression on her face. "Those stairs wouldn't have been so bad for you - " she began.

"Nope!" I interrupted, and then inhaled the smoke as best as I could between gasps. "We all have our vices," I added, exhaling and steadying my breath a little bit more.

Ginga ran to the edge of the building and looked down at the city. She raised her hand up in front of her, beginning to scan the area below her. "This might take a while," she stated.

I came and stood beside her. "Because we don't know her aura yet?" I asked her.

"Search for a pinkish-red," a voice suddenly came from behind us. I turned around quickly, my hand poised over my gun in the holster under my arm.

"Shamal!" Subaru cried out. "So it was you who just pinged me, then!"

The blond-haired angel put her hand affectionately on Subaru's head and ruffled her hair. "We need to teach you how to conceal yourself better," she said sweetly to her.

"Hey Shamal," I greeted. "So you guys have already checked out the new angel then?"

Shamal nodded, coming to stand on the edge of the roof beside Ginga to look down on the city. "Yes. Master Hayate sent us out right away when she heard that she earned her wings so quickly. Pretty little thing, too," she told us.

Ginga perked up a little. "Is that so...?" she mused, narrowing her eyes as she increased the power behind her search a little.

Shamal chopped Ginga on the head lightly. "I've known you long enough to know she isn't your type."

"Ah," Ginga simply replied, decreasing the power of the scan back to its usual strength.

"What did you guys learn about her?" I then ask her, flicking my cigarette butt over the edge of the building.

"Not much," Shamal admitted. "Lindy has already taught her how to conceal a lot of her powers. She has saved three souls already from possession in the past few nights, though. She even beat Vita to one."

Shamal chuckled a little at the thought, and then raised her hand in front of her to add a little power to Ginga's search. It wasn't long before we saw a faint red glow come from the university campus a few blocks away.

"Oops! I'm sure she felt that," Ginga said, lowering her hand. The red glow disappeared.

"That happened with us, too," Shamal mentioned. "She gives off a stronger than usual reaction when sought out."

Subaru started making her way down to the roof door. "I have an idea where to look, so I'll start trailing her. You guys can stay up here, so that she doesn't sense you."

"Good idea," I told her. "We might as well take advantage of the fact you don't give off much of an aura yet, while we still can."

"Look for copper-hair in a side ponytail. And bright sapphire eyes. You can't miss them," Shamal said to Subaru's retreating back, as she opened the roof door to head back downstairs.

"Got it!" Subaru said over her shoulder cheerfully as she left.

"So, this new angel must have you 'knights' worried, if you are coming to find us?" I mentioned.

Shamal waved her hand and scoffed a little. "You guys and your rivalries! You know that we don't mind working with others. We get along with Lindy and the Americans just as well."

I smiled. "I know," I responded. I thought affectionately of the German Archangel Hayate, whom I also considered a close friend now as well. She was considered the peacekeeper among the angels, whose egos and ambitions could sometimes lead to problems among us all.

"It's your mother and Lindy's feud that causes most of the issues," Shamal added.

I grimaced. "My mother can be a pain in the ass, I know," I acknowledged.

Ginga's cellphone suddenly rang, and I took the opportunity to light another cigarette. "Chain smoking now?" Shamal asked me disapprovingly.

"What is with everyone today?!" I responded, exhaling exasperated.

"Just because your immortal doesn't mean that shit won't affect you in your human form," Shamal scolded me.

I nodded stubbornly, recalling the climb up the stairs as I began listened in on Ginga's conversation on the phone.

"She's headed where...? Oh, that's close to here," Ginga said into the phone, looking down over the edge of the building. She tapped me on the shoulder and pointed down to the street below.

I looked down and noticed a very small Subaru lurking behind the wall of a building, her cellphone to her ear. Around the corner from her was a girl my age walking on the sidewalk. I could only make out the reddish-brown hair in a side ponytail as she passed across my vision. She had on a winter jacket and a backpack, walking away from one of the entrances of the university campus.

"That's her," Shamal confirmed. "We did observe that she is still trying to maintain a normal life, despite her new status on Earth."

I looked over at Shamal, surprised. "Really? Is that something Lindy wanted her to do?"

Shamal shook her head. "Doubtful. It was probably her own wish. We'll see how long it lasts, though."

I was silent, remembering all the ties to other humans I severed not long after I had died and obtained the status as an angel.

"It's funny," I mentioned. "How quickly you have to lose people in your life in order to save them..."

"It is what it is," Ginga stated flatly. "We have some of family here with us, so we should consider ourselves fortunate."

We watched the new angel walk cross an intersection and turn to a less busy street. We made our way to the other side of the roof to continue observing her. She entered into a two-story building, the bottom half looking to be a restaurant.

"Midorya Cafe," Ginga said, recognizing the business. "They have really good pastries."

We watched silently as Subaru moved to a new location, closer to the entrance of the cafe. After about ten minutes, the girl exited the cafe, a young girl now in her arms. Ginga, Shamal, and I all reacted in shock and slight panic. They began to walk away down the street together.

"Oh, no..." I groaned. "She has a daughter? That's going to be a huge problem for her." Ginga's phone rang again, and Ginga answered it.

"...Yeah, we see her," Ginga responded after a moment. "How young does she look?" she then asked.

Ginga shifted the phone receiver away from her mouth. "About five," she informed Shamal and I quietly.

We continued to monitor the two girls walking down the street for a few moments. Ginga hung up the phone again to continue observing closer. Suddenly, a darkness fell over the street below us, and the shadows being cast by the objects on the street began to twitch and shift.

"Oh, what the fuck?!" I yelled. "He's summoning them now?!"

Shamal raised her arms up, quickly creating a barrier to protect the humans in the immediate vicinity below us. They disappeared, leaving just the shadows and the two girls. The angel stopped in her tracks, holding the girl protectively in her arms and turning towards the shifting shadows in fear.

Shamal's face showed concern. "The girl got trapped in the barrier because the angel was holding onto her when I created it. You guys better get down there fast."

"What a cheap shot," I said before turning to Ginga. "You ready?" I asked her.

"You know it," she responded. She jumped off the roof to the street below, and I followed suite a second behind her.

She and I accelerated our speed as we fell, slamming into the pavement below. I used my fist to brace against the impact and the pavement quickly cracked all around us, creating a crater in the sidewalk. The shadows that were just beginning to solidify their forms turned to us after hearing our arrival.

I retrieved the gun from my holster, ejecting the cartridge of blessed ammunition in my palm, to double check it before the fight started. "These won't work until they are fully formed," I mentioned to Ginga. "I count about ten demons."

Ginga pulled out her pistol, affixed with silencer as well, and held it to her side. "The angel probably won't fight with the girl in the barrier," she mentioned.

I eyed the shadows, who were swaying as they studied us. In an instant, they had turned and were heading in the direction of the the angel to attack them.

"Protect the girl!" I yelled to Ginga, jumping to fly over the demon shadows, trying to reach the two girls quickly. I was grateful to see a familiar pink-haired angel suddenly make it in front of them first below me. She held out her hand in front of her, sending some of the demons flying in the opposite direction.

"Signum!" I exclaimed as I landed, standing beside her to face the opponents. Ginga was to the rear of the group and had just been joined by Subaru. We suddenly had the upper-hand, with the shadows contained between the four of us. The demons all paused, as we all had our weapons posed and ready to fire as soon as they were fully formed.

The shadows quickly dissipated back into the concrete, and the darkness lifted from around us immediately. I saw Shamal jump down from the roof of the building to join us before removing the barrier. I returned my gun to my holster, feeling my pack of cigarettes brush against my hand in my jacket pocket. I removed it, ready to light a new cigarette.

"Thank you..." a shaky voice came from behind us. Everyone turned around except me, as I was focused more on lighting my cigarette instead.

"What are your names?" Shamal asked kindly to the two behind me.

"Nanoha," the angel responded. "And this is Vivio."

"That was pretty dangerous," Signum spoke up next. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Nanoha holding the little girl close to her as she looked away to the ground.

"You may want to find other arrangements for your daughter? It would be safer for her," Signum then suggested.

Nanoha shook her head. "She not my daughter. I'm just keeping her close until I can find a more stable place for her."

I saw Signum and Shamal glance over at each other. I started to walk away from them, motioning for Ginga and Subaru that it was time to go. I knew we were already going to be in enough trouble with my mother for assisting Lindy's new recruit.

"Wait!" Nanoha called from behind us. "You're the Italians, right?"

I stopped momentarily. "Yes. If you're smart, you will just stay away from us," I told her over my shoulder.

"No!" she replied quickly. "No. I want to talk to you, please? Maybe we can discuss this, instead of fighting?"

I shook my head, smiling a little as I turned to face Nanoha to inform her it was impossible. I finally saw her face for the first time, and I felt the flash from her sapphire eyes almost pierce through me when my burgundy ones met hers. My smile fell, and I took a step back in shock as I stared at her, as she studied me carefully in return.

"Who are you?" she asked me quietly, her eyes now looking me over completely.

I released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding in an attempt to speak. "Fate..." I managed to respond.

I felt Ginga's hand grab my shoulder. "Come on, Fate. Precia is going to be really upset about this. We should get going," she said into my ear. I turned and nodded my head in agreement.

"We'll help Nanoha with Vivio," Shamal informed me. "Just try to smooth this over as best as you can with your mother."

Subaru and Ginga turned and started walking away down the street. I looked for a few seconds longer at Nanoha, before turning to join my partners ahead of me as well.

"Well, that was interesting," Ginga spoke up after a moment as we walked. "I have never once seen you respond to anyone like that, Fate."

I flicked my cigarette away. "It doesn't matter," I responded bitterly. "We have a job to do, and that girl is our competition."

"She's going to be tough. Her aura seems really strong," Subaru mentioned.

I glanced over at the sidewalk where Ginga and I had landed earlier from the rooftop. It was restored without any sign of damage with the barrier now gone.

"She still clings too much to her human principles," I responded. "We'll use that to our advantage for as long as we can."

"We still protect that Vivio girl no matter what," Subaru reminded me.

"Of course," I replied. "Although now that Satan knows about her and is willing to attack her at any moment, it's just a matter of time. Unless Nanoha gets rid of her soon."

"How cold, Fate," Ginga scolded me.

"It's not my fault Jail is such an asshole! There is no point in pretending that the little girl isn't a problem for her."

"You're still concerned, at least," Ginga countered.

"Maybe..." I responded simply. I turned the corner at the intersection we had just approached, making my way to my preferred bar downtown.

"But not concerned enough that this place can't fix it," I added, pushing the double doors open ahead of me.

A/N: So yeah, new story concept! Hope you guys stick around with me for it. We shall see how often I can update this one among the other stories. Well, until next time! ~Nissanity~