Story Title:
Bound by Regret

Genres/'Tags':
Mystery / Supernatural / Romance / Yuri / Alternate Universe / Ghost

Summary:
Walking home from school, Takamachi Nanoha sees a mysterious blonde girl in the park. Entranced by the girl's mysterious air, Nanoha walks up to her and asks her who she is. The response she gets is not quite what she expected: "Y-you can... see me?" ::AU & Nanofate::

Disclaimer:
I do not own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha and all related trademarks are owned by Seven Arcs.

Foreword:
Hello there, or, 'Nice to meet you,' in case we haven't met before.

My name is Zarosguth and I thank you for taking your time to start reading this story.

My first multi-chapter Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Fan Fiction, rejoice!

Inspired by both 'Forever Girls' by Amagakure Gido and 'Honey Crush' by Asu Tsubaki. Reading those manga inspired me to write a ghost story. With that I don't mean a horror story but rather a story in which a human and a ghost live together. Or something like that.

Occasionally, I might borrow a small thing or two from those two aforementioned manga.

I guess you could call this an AU Ghost!Fate story.

Finally, before we begin I would like to point out that this story is un-Beta'ed. If you're interested in becoming a Beta-reader for this story then please do not hesitate to send me a PM. Only serious applications please; I need someone capable since English is not my native language.

With that, please enjoy!

*~-[ Chapter #1: You Can See Me? ]-~*

Fate POV:
The first time I realized I was a ghost was back when I found myself floating above the clouds. The view was like something out of a dream, yet it felt like I had just woken up.

I tried to remember, how did I die? Also, if I was a ghost, then I must have had some sort of regret in life preventing me from passing on right? Then, what was my regret?

Floating aimlessly above the clouds I kept pondering these questions.

The more I thought about it, the less I seemed to be able to recall of my life. All I knew and remembered clearly was my name.

Fate Testarossa.

*~-[ X ]-~*

Nanoha POV:
The high pitched beeps from my phone's alarm clock woke me up. Still half-asleep I reached for my nightstand in an attempt to grab my phone and silence it. But I accidentally knocked it off of my nightstand instead. Groaning in annoyance as the beeping started going faster I reached to the floor from my bed and grabbed my phone, quickly silencing the alarm.

I yawned and stretched to wake myself up more. My eyes fluttered open and I sat in bed for a moment. My attention slowly drifted to my phone.

Oh yeah, today is the start of the new school year. I thought to myself as I saw today's date.

I crawled out of bed and slowly made my way to the bathroom. I took a close look at myself in the mirror. My sapphire-blue eyes were slightly clouded over as I was still tired.

I quickly washed my face, the cold water helped me wake up completely. Next, I combed my auburn hair and bound it into a ponytail. In all of the years I've had this hairstyle I've never been able to centre my ponytail properly so I've always worn it on the left side of my head.

I got dressed and went downstairs to eat breakfast with my family before I'd go off to school.

My name is Takamachi Nanoha, a second-year at Uminari High.

*~-[ X ]-~*

Fate POV:
I was floating through the city I had found below the clouds. Did I live here when I was still alive?

I ran into a lot of people in the busy streets. Or rather, a lot of people ran through me. But none of them seemed familiar and neither did the city itself.

It was early morning and a lot of children and young guys and girls roamed the streets, probably on their way to school.

I've never been to school, I was never allowed to... I jumped at my own thoughts. Did I just... remember something?

"Ugh..." I groaned, trying to force any kind of memory only resulted in headache. I shrugged it off and instead continued drifting through the streets with no clear goal in mind.

*~-[ X ]-~*

Nanoha POV:
"Hey~!" I exclaimed happily when I saw my three best friends at the school gate.

"Nanoha-chan!" They greeted me back.

"How have you been?" Hayate-chan asked. Hayate-chan's full name is Yagami Hayate. We met when we were nine. At the time Hayate-chan was in a wheelchair due to the lower half of her body being paralyzed. Recent surgery had allowed her to use her legs again though she still had trouble when she'd have to walk or stand for longer periods of time. She had short brown hair slightly darker than mine and blue eyes.

"I'm doing well, thank you. What about you guys?" I replied with a smile.

"Fine of course." Arisa-chan cut in. Arisa-chan comes from the wealthy Bannings family. She could be a bit blunt and usually acted tough but she just did that to hide her kind nature; she didn't want to appear 'soft'. Arisa-chan had long sandy-blonde hair and green eyes.

"I'm happy to see everyone again." Suzuka-chan added. Suzuka-chan's also from a wealthy family, the Tsukimura family in her case. She's very gentle and kind and always kept Arisa-chan in check. Her long hair was purple in colour, as were her eyes.

The sudden sound of the school bell cut our reunion short; we had to get to the new year opening ceremony.

*~-[ X ]-~*

After a quick and pretty uneventful opening ceremony we found ourselves in the classroom.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Hayate-chan asked.

"Hm? What're you talking about Hayate-chan?" Suzuka-chan wondered.

"Normally the opening ceremony is led by headmaster Harlaown-san, but she didn't this year." The brunette elaborated. "What do you think Nanoha-chan?"

"Sorry? What?" I wasn't paying attention so I had missed what they were talking about.

Arisa-chan sighed audibly. "Still a dreamer aren't you, Nanoha-chan?" She said with her hands on her hips.

"Nyahaha… Sorry." I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment.

Just at that moment the teacher came in and motioned for us to sit down as class was starting.

To be honest, I have always had the tendency to daydream and that hadn't changed. Even as a second year high school student it seemed I still dreamt off easily.

As the teacher droned on I was staring out the window at the bright blue sky.

If only I could fly… I'd fly around the world and help people. Maybe I could be like those magical girls on TV…

Whoa, what...? I swore I had just seen something golden-yellow in colour fly by. Was that a bird or something? It must have been. Maybe I should stop dreaming and pay some attention to class; I'm starting to see things.

*~-[ X ]-~*

"We'll see you tomorrow Nanoha-chan." Suzuka-chan smiled at me as she and Arisa-chan stepped into their limousine. I happily waved them goodbye with Hayate-chan before she got picked up by one of her guardians. A friendly blonde woman known as Shamal. Once alone, I started on my own way home as well.

The weather was nice that day so I decided to take a little detour through the park.

The park was situated at the edge of the city and had a great view over the ocean. As I reached the park I noticed it was very quiet, which was a bit strange taking in account what great weather it was. I headed for the park bench that had the best view of the entire park.

Taking a seat on the bench I looked out over the ocean. The water was calm and the sky was clear. I loved the sky and I still do; I'd always dreamt of one day flying through the sky like a bird.

Lost in daydream I was eventually pulled back to reality when my cell phone rang, which caused me to jump. I quickly answered the phone; it was my mom.

"Nanoha, where are you? It's getting late! Are you okay?"

"Nyahaha! Sorry mom, I'm fine; I am at the park. I'll come home as soon as I can." I assured her.

"Alright Nanoha. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too mom." I said before I hung up the phone.

As I stood up from the bench and turned to leave the park and go home I noticed a person standing a few meters away. I saw she had golden-blonde hair that seemed to shine with an other-worldly brilliance.

In fact, her entire presence seemed other-worldly.

*~-[ X ]-~*

Fate POV:
I had reached some sort of park with a very nice ocean view. The sparkling water soothed me as it glistened in the sunlight.

There weren't many people at the park. In fact, there was only one other person, a high school girl by the looks of it. And she was just enjoying the ocean view it seemed.

Such a serene atmosphere. I took a deep breath, pleasantly surprised to find I could still enjoy the fresh sea breeze and the slightly salty smell of the ocean water.

The sound of a ringing phone caught my attention. I looked over to see the auburn-haired girl pick up her cell. Turned out it was her mother.

Must be nice, to have a mother whom is concerned for you... Wait, does that mean my mother was never concerned for me like that? Ugh... I just can't remember!

As infuriating as not remembering was, I simultaneously had a feeling that told me I didn't really want to remember either.

Distracted by my own thoughts, I didn't notice someone coming to stand next to me until a warm and happy-sounding voice spoke.

"Hello, I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

*~-[ X ]-~*

Nanoha POV:
I don't know why, but I have to talk to her. With that as the single thought that ran through my head, I slowly approached the blonde. When I had reached her and stood next to her I got a decent look at her face; she didn't seem to notice me.

She had a very pretty face but what I noticed almost immediately were her eyes; they were red in colour, like the wine my parents drank on special occasions. They had a very far-off look in them, as if the world around her was of no concern whatsoever.

Before I had even realized it, I had spoken. She turned to me and looked startled. I could see the confusion on her face.

"Y-you can... see me?"

I'll be honest; that wasn't quite the response I had expected.

*~-[ X ]-~*

Fate POV:
I could read the confusion on her face. Granted, it was a bizarre question but I was genuinely surprised; all throughout the day people didn't pay the slightest bit attention to me and also passed right through me. Yet this girl, spoke to me.

"Um... Yes...? Why wouldn't I?" Fair question, I had to admit to myself.

"I mean, most people aren't able to see ghosts. You're the first person I've met who is able to see me." I tried to explain.

"A ghost?" She asked me sceptically, her head cocked to the side.

"Yes, a ghost." I confirmed shyly. To prove my point I slowly lifted myself off the ground and started floating about half a meter above the ground.

The auburn-haired girl looked up at me, her sapphire blue eyes betraying her shock at the revelation. I half expected her to run away screaming so I turned my face away from her.

It was silent for about a minute. The screaming I was expecting didn't come.

I slowly turned around and was met with a bright smile from the auburn-haired girl.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked. I was surprised by how weak my own voice sounded, as if I was on the verge of tears. Which could have easily been true.

"Why would I be afraid of you? You're clearly not an evil ghost are you?"

I was at a loss for words; how could she say something like that so casually? This girl, she was something else.

"What is your name?" She asked with a friendly smile.

"Uh, I um..." I stammered, still caught off guard by her casual demeanour.

"Oh I'm sorry, it's not very polite of me to ask you for your name without giving you my own first is it?" She said, scratching her neck. "My name is Nanoha, Takamachi Nanoha."

"Nano... ha. Nanoha." I tried. It was a pleasant name to say. I liked it; just saying her name made me feel warm.

"Yes! That's it!" She exclaimed happily. "Now, what is your name?"

"F-Fate, Fate Testarossa." I answered with a small stutter.

"Fate-chan is it? Nice to meet you Fate-chan!"

"Yes," I nodded, "it is also nice to meet you, Nanoha."

*~-[ End of Chapter ]-~*

Please leave me a review telling me what you think; I love getting feedback and I don't mind people being critical. In fact, I welcome it!

*~-[ May we meet again, fare thee well! ]-~*