Vivio clucked her tongue as she closed her cell phone. None of her friends were picking up so it seemed she was doomed to wander the city alone. She had intended to spend the day helping Yuuno at the library since he had said he'd be busy, but when she got there she was informed that he had the day off.

She couldn't help but find it strange, but she shrugged it off. She didn't expect Yuuno to tell her everything he was doing, even if she kind of wanted him to. The man was certainly allowed a life outside of her.

But the problem still remained: she was a teenaged girl with a lot of free time and no one to hang out with. She idly considered swinging by the training center, but she knew if Nove or Einhart wasn't there, she wouldn't have a worthy opponent to spar against.

"Guess I'll just go home." She sighed and turned to leave when her ears picked out a familiar laugh in the crowd. "That sounds like…"

She turned to the direction the sound came from and managed to pick out a familiar brown side tail on the fringe of the crowd.

"I knew it. Nanoha-mama!" Vivio called, but her mother made no indication of hearing her over the background noise. She politely pushed past the other sidewalk goers to meet up with her mother, but stopped when she got closer. Happily chatting and laughing along with Nanoha was a certain blonde haired man.

Vivio wasn't sure why, but she found herself peeking around a nearby sign board. 'Why is Yuuno-san here?' She wondered. 'Wait, why am I hiding anyways?' Her mind told her that she could just go join them, but her body didn't agree. She had absolutely no reason to be bothered by it. Her mama and her boyfriend had been good friends for ages, so it wasn't odd for them to spend time together.

But something inside her twisted when she saw his face redden from Nanoha gently placing her hand on his arm as she smiled about something.

'… If he was just spending time with Nanoha-mama today, why didn't he tell me so?' She thought. He should have no reason to hide it from her, right?

When the old friends headed off down the street together, Vivio followed closely behind them against her better judgement. She knew she should just leave it alone, but some aspect of this whole situation really bugged her. There was this nagging sensation in her chest that told her the atmosphere between them was loaded with a lot more meaning.

They looked so happy together as they walked and talked, laughing about something Vivio couldn't hear. Such behaviour was certainly nothing odd for her mother, but Vivio got bad vibes from the way Yuuno would got flustered as Nanoha teasingly elbowed him in the ribs. There was certain look in his eyes that Vivio could not recall ever being cast in her direction.

'… What is this?' She wondered as she clutched her chest. 'This is a Yuuno-san I've never seen before… Why is he only showing it to Nanoha-mama?'

Seeing that unfamiliar smile on his face made Vivio realise just how little she knew about the man. While she had known him for ten years, there was the remaining nineteen years of his life that was a mystery to her. But her mother had known him that whole time, hadn't she? Vivio could see the strong bond between them and wondered if she could ever hope to match it.

The longer Vivio watched the pair, the more she felt her heart sink. Unable to bear it anymore, she turned around and made good on her previous decision to head home. When she arrived there, she immediately went to the living room and pulled out the family photo album. She had seen the pictures held within several times before, but this time she wanted to actually take time and study them in hopes that the memories within could enlighten her.

She carefully glanced at each page, taking special note of the images that featured Yuuno. Some had him on his own, one had him chatting amicably with Fate, one had him yelling angrily at an apathetic Chrono, and even one of Miyuki playfully petting his hair after what was probably a failed attempt to get him to change into ferret mode.

But he always seemed to look the happiest in the photos he shared with Nanoha. There was one in particular that had Nanoha innocently wrapping her arms around him as she smiled at the camera. Yuuno's face was red, but his smile was far bigger than the ones he had in the other pictures. The feeling from earlier stirred up in Vivio's gut again.

"Why does Yuuno-san always look the happiest when he's with Nanoha-mama?" She muttered under her breath.

"What'cha lookin' at, Vivio?"

Vivio jumped at the sudden arrival and turned to the childlike familiar.

"Arf! You scared me…"

"Oh, sorry about that." Arf grinned sheepishly as she looked over Vivio's shoulder. "Ah, the old album. Those were the days."

It dawned on her that Arf would be a good person to ask, seeing as how she had known Yuuno for a long time as well.

"I was just wondering what Yuuno-san was like when he was a kid." Vivio said.

"Oh ho, I guess you'd be interested in that, considering." Arf held her hand to her chest triumphantly. "Well feel free to ask me anything!"

"I was wondering more specifically about… Him and Nanoha-mama. They're really close, aren't they?"

"Well of course they are." Arf nodded. "They were partners even before they met me and Fate. Quite the combo, those two, with Yuuno as the brains and Nanoha as the brawn. If it weren't for their combined efforts, I can't even think of how Fate would have ended up."

"Did they always get along so well?"

"Yup, as far as I know they've always been the best of friends. Well," Arf chuckled. "Yuuno did have a huge crush on her, though."

"… Eh?" Vivio's mind went blank. "What did you just say?"

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious to everyone except Nanoha herself. He tried his hardest, but he never did get through to her. Well, we all know whose direction her eyes were in, anyways… What's wrong?" Arf asked when she saw Vivio's downcast look.

"It's nothing, Arf." Vivio forced a smile. "Thanks for talking to me. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

When Vivio left, Arf couldn't help but wonder if she had said something she shouldn't have.

X-X-X

Vivio used her arms as cushions as she rested her head on her desk. She had one arm outstretched and idly used her finger to play with the stuffed bunny that housed Kris. She had long since switched to carrying the jewel of the device alone, but occasionally she liked to fool around with the animated rabbit.

"So Yuuno-san was in love with Nanoha-mama…" Vivio mused as the bunny attempted to catch her finger. "I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since Nanoha-mama is so great…" The scene she had witnessed earlier in the day flashed through her mind. "… He couldn't still have feelings for her, could he?"

The rabbit offered no response, as it was not programmed to.

Vivio tried to convince herself that it must have just been a boyhood crush. They were young, and he must have given up when he knew he'd never win her over, right?

But Vivio knew she couldn't think such things without devaluing her own feelings. She had had a crush on Yuuno since she was a little girl, and there had been many times when she thought she'd never be able to get him to accept her feelings, but she never gave up.

"That's right!" Vivio perked up a bit. "He accepted my feelings and is going out with me now, so that should be proof enough that he's over Nanoha-mama!"

Her sigh of relief got caught in her throat when a memory shot through her mind.

"She's becoming more and more like her mama every day!"

She couldn't recall what specific person had said that because she heard similar comments all the time. Over the years those around her would always note how much she emulated Nanoha, and Vivio had considered it the highest praise. She idolized her mama and had always aspired to become just like her in any way she could, even tying up her hair in the same fashion.

What if Yuuno wasn't actually looking at her, but really looking at Nanoha's shadow? Since he couldn't get Nanoha, was he simply going after the next closest thing?

Vivio shook her head rapidly. No, Yuuno-san wasn't the kind of person who would do that, she assured herself. He wouldn't toy with her emotions like that just to live out some life long desire to be with Nanoha.

Not consciously, anyways. Vivio filled with dread when she thought this. Yuuno might not even be aware he was doing it. When they started, he had openly admitted he wasn't sure about his feelings and that he wanted time to clarify them. What if he realises that he was only using her as a replacement for Nanoha? Once he did, then surely he'd…

"Vivio, it's time for dinner!"

Vivio jumped out of her chair as Nanoha poked her head into the room.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"Uh… No, it's…" Vivio found she couldn't meet her mother's eyes. "It's nothing. I'll be right down."

At the dinner table, Vivio only poked at her food with the utensils, finding she didn't have much of an appetite. She kept stealing glances at her brunette mother, debating whether or not she should ask what she did with Yuuno all day.

"So what did you do all day, Nanoha?" Fate asked instead.

"Oh, nothing special." She answered, taking a quick glance at their daughter. "Just went to a few places downtown."

"… Thanks for the food." Vivio muttered as she got up, angry that her mother wasn't telling the whole truth and that she considered going out with her boyfriend as 'nothing special.'

"Eh? But Vivio, you haven't eaten anything…" Fate noted.

"I'm not hungry." She replied curtly before going upstairs to her room. She let out a big sigh as she fell face first onto her bed. Whatever negative feelings she had towards her mother had already vanished. Vivio just loved her too much to stay mad at or blame her for anything. She couldn't stay mad at or blame Yuuno for anything either, though she thought it might be easier if she could. Vivio just didn't know what she was supposed to do.

A gentle knock came from the door. "Vivio? Is it ok if I come in?" Apparently Fate took Vivio's silence as consent, because she entered moments later. Vivio didn't move as her taller mama took a seat on the bed. "Is something wrong? If you're having any problems, you know you could talk to me about it."

Vivio continuing keeping her face buried in her comforter. She honestly didn't think even Fate could help her with her current problem. As far as Vivio knew, when it came to relationship issues, her mamas never had any. They never fought, they never argued, and they never even disagreed with each other. In Vivio's eyes their relationship was absolutely perfect in every way, it was the ideal relationship that she always wished she would have.

Fate remained seated for a few minutes before getting up and heading to the door. It was quite clear that her daughter wasn't willing to talk about it just yet so it was probably best to leave her alone. Just when she was about to close the door behind her, Vivio spoke up.

"Fate-mama, did… Did you ever have doubts about how Nanoha-mama felt about you?"

"All the time." She answered with a soft smile as she shut the door.

Vivio pondered that a moment. Perhaps her mama's romance wasn't a storybook one after all. But Vivio already knew the ending to that book while her own was still being written.

Should she talk to him about it and get the story straight from his mouth? Discussing issues with him had worked out in the past, but what if this time things don't go as well? If he…

Her train of thought derailed when her cell phone rang. She flipped it open and put it to her ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Vivio speaking."

"Good evening, Vivio. It's Yuuno." She almost dropped the phone when she heard his voice on the other side of the line.

"Y-Yuuno-san! Good evening…" Vivio gulped before continuing. "You said you were going to be busy all day, so did you finish what you had to do?"

"Uh… Yeah… I did. It wasn't really anything big, just a few errands to run."

Vivio's shoulders slumped at the obvious lie. It was apparent to her now why he would hide it.

"Anyways," He continued. "Are you doing anything right now? If not, could we meet up? We need to talk."

"Um, sorry I have a test coming up and I need to study and I'm really tired too so I might go to bed early so I'll talk to you later, bye!" She spilled out before quickly slapping the phone shut. They needed to talk? She had frozen the moment she heard those words. If he wanted to talk about what she thought he wanted to talk about, then she couldn't bear to hear it.

X-X-X

Vivio cursed her luck as the next day she had to return a book to the Infinity Library. She prayed she could stealthily sneak up to the return slot and ditch her cargo without running into the head librarian. She really didn't think she could handle what he had to say.

"Hey there, Vivio."

Damn it.

"Ah, Yuuno-san… What a coincidence, running into you here…"

Yuuno blinked. "Are you feeling all right? You look pale…"

"I'm just fine! You worry too much!"

"If you say so… Now, regarding what I wanted to talk about last night…"

"Well, would you look at the time!" Vivio shoved her book into his arms. "I promised Ixy that we'd go shopping together! Could you return that for me? Thanks!"

"Hey, wait a…" Yuuno stood dumbstruck as she ran away. Something was definitely wrong.

X-X-X

Vivio once again lay face down on her bed. She knew she couldn't keep running away from him like that, but she didn't know what else to do. So long as she didn't hear what he had to say, she could hold onto the happiness she had finally obtained. She didn't want to risk loosing that.

"… Come in…" She called when she heard a knock at her door, expecting one of her mamas to open it. She jumped off her bed when she saw she was wrong. "Yuuno-san! What are you doing here?"

Yuuno entered and closed the door behind him. "I need to talk to you no matter what."

"C-Can't it wait?" Vivio's eyes darted around the room, looking for some means of escape. "I-I was just about to go train with Nove…"

"Is something wrong, Vivio? You've been acting strange lately…"

"No! It's nothing! Just… please leave!" She pleaded, turning her back to him. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. "If I've done something to offend you, please let me know!"

"You didn't do anything, so just get out! I don't want to talk to you!" She almost screamed it.

"Just… Just tell me why!"

"Because I'm scared!" She finally shouted, whirling around to show a face streaked with tears. "I'm afraid that next words out of your mouth will be 'I'm breaking up with you'!"

Yuuno was taken aback. "Why would you think that?"

"I heard! You're actually in love with Nanoha-mama, right? And everyone always says how much I'm like her… You never really cared about me, did you? I was just taking Nanoha-mama's place, right? You said you weren't sure what your feelings were, but you were going to realise this eventually and dump me because I'm not the one you love!"

"That's not true, Vivio!" He insisted. "I don't feel that way about Nanoha…"

"You're lying!" She yelled. "I saw you yesterday in the city walking around with Nanoha-mama! You looked so happy as you talked and walked with her… You were having so much fun… She's the one you really want to be with, right? And then you hid it from me… You lied and said it was nothing… I… There's no way I could beat her… I…" Vivio's voice gave out on her as she covered her face with her hands and let the sobs take over.

"Vivio," Yuuno said gently. "Vivio, I need you to calm down and listen to me so I can explain." When she quieted down to sniffles and wiped at her eyes, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a neatly wrapped box. He held it out to Vivio, who took it with a confused look. She pulled off the wrapping paper and opened the lid to reveal a silver necklace. Attached to it was a glass rabbit that sparkled under the light.

"It's beautiful…" She whispered.

"I know I'm a little early, but…" Yuuno smiled sheepishly. "Happy birthday, Vivio."

"Yuuno-san… you…"

"I wasn't too sure what I should get you, so I asked Nanoha to come with me and help pick something out." He explained. "She kept teasing me about you the whole time, though, but I was really glad that she finally seems comfortable with me dating you."

"So that's what it was…" Vivio gave a self depreciating smile as tears began to fall again. "I should never have doubted you… I… I'm so stupid…"

"It's ok, Vivio." He said, pulling her into a hug. She was so mature that sometimes it was easy to forget how young she really was. "I understand. The truth is that yes, I was in love with Nanoha for quite some time, but I put my feelings for her behind me long ago. While you do share several similarities with Nanoha, you are not her. You're your own unique individual named Vivio Takamachi."

"Really?" She sniffed.

"Of course, and there's no need for you to 'beat' Nanoha. You're the girl whose skill and grace in the martial arts never fail to fascinated me and your energy and sheer love of live never fail to put a smile on my face. Most of all, you're the girl I consider to be my intellectual equal. Not to insult Nanoha or anything, but she was never any good at complicated things. With you, I can mention Krasophacrasticia and you actually know what I'm talking about."

"The ancient kingdom where people only walked on their hands." She managed a smile.

"Exactly." Keeping his hands on her shoulders, Yuuno held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes. "Several months ago, in this very room, you confessed your feelings for me. At the time, I wasn't sure what I felt, but now I'm certain and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I love you, Vivio. Please continue being my girlfriend."

Vivio didn't even bother trying to stop her tears as they began falling again, for she knew they were tears of joy. "Of course I will!" She cried joyously, wrapping her arms around him again. "I love you too, Yuuno-san! I've always loved you for as long as I can remember!"

"I'm sure there will be many difficulties from this point on, but I know we'll be able to get through them together. If something is troubling you, you don't have to suffer alone like this again. Just talk to me and we'll figure it out, promise?"

"I promise, Yuuno-san."

They sealed that promise with a kiss.

X-X-X

Outside the door, Fate wiped away a tear.

"Our little girl's all grown up."

"Yeah…" Nanoha was also about to wipe away a tear when she stopped. "… Wait, what did he mean I'm not good at complicated things?"

Originally I was going to have Yuuno admit his feelings at the end of One Step at a Time, as Rossa had brought up a rumour that he was using Vivio to replace Nanoha. But thanks to comments from Kaijo and Satashi, I left that one as a pure humour fic and then made this fic. So kudos to the both of them!