A/N: Not like I need another story to have to update or anything, but I created this one to poke around at Vivio and Einhart a little bit when I feel the urge to. It's in line with the Vivid universe minus the magic, and with MMA (mixed-martial arts) instead. Vivio X Einhart with background NanoFate - - AU, mature content.

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.

~Prologue~

Dear Fate,

It's been one year since we last spoke. One year since you walked away without a goodbye. Everyday the grief of losing you in my life lessens, but somehow everything around me still reminds me of you.

There's something I want to tell you - - You are the last image I see when I fall asleep every night, and the first person I think of when I wake each morning. It's funny how these words can come so easily now that you are gone, isn't it?

What's left behind is an empty shell. Once full and complete, I have since become imperfect and unbalanced.

I miss you, but also do not blame you for leaving. I will soon throw this letter away, the same as I have done with the dozens of letters before. I write these because, for the briefest of moments, it feels like we are together again. Somehow.

Please just know... I am still here.

SURRENDER REFLEX

by : ~Nissanity~

Chapter 1 – A Punishment to Some

~Flashback, 9 years prior~

"Good job, Vivio! Make sure you don't close your eyes when you strike the bag, okay?"

Vivio nodded solemnly and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Okay, Fate-mama," she replied.

Fate reset the kickboxing pad against her thigh and knelt down to brace herself for impact. Vivio resumed practicing side kicks as Fate studied her form closely. After a set of ten, they paused for Vivio to catch her breath before they resumed ten kicks with the other leg.

"You're so much better than I was at your age," Fate said as she lowered the bag.

Vivio's head shot up excitedly. "Really?!"

Fate placed her hand on Vivio's head and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Um-hmm! Now, let's do some push-ups together before we call it quits, okay?"

Vivio got into the push-up position on the ground and smiled at Fate beside her before lowering her body to the ground and back up.

"1, 2, 3 – one! 1, 2, 3 – two...!" they chanted together.

oOOOo

~Present Day~

"Pick up your feet, Vivio!" Signum directed. "Don't let her get around you."

Vivio wiped her nose with her thumb quickly as she studied her opponent across from her in the ring. The students at Signum's gym were all hanging on the ropes and cheering mostly for her, while she and Rio circled each other near the center of the ring.

Rio made her move, throwing two straight jabs at Vivio's face. Vivio dodged them, and placed a knee directly into her opponent's abdomen.

The dark-haired girl stumbled forward with the wind knocked out of her, and Vivio placed her hands under her thighs and lifted up, sending them both to the mat. Vivio immediately side-mounted her and twisted Rio's arm to attempt submission. Rio resisted for a few seconds before tapping out on the mat with her free hand.

"Alright, that's good!" Signum yelled. Vivio stood up from her position above Rio and removed the mouthguard from her upper teeth. She made her way to the corner of the ropes to discuss the match with Signum, while Vita sauntered to the center of the ring to hover over Rio.

"That was fucking terrible," Vita commented over the downed fighter.

"I know," Rio replied quickly between gasps.

Vita tapped her on the forehead with her finger. "You're really going to let that lush beat you?" she continued to taunt.

Heterochromatic eyes flashed as she glanced over her shoulder at the offending comment. Signum grabbed Vivio by the chin and pulled her head back around to look at her again.

"Focus, alright? It wouldn't bother you so much if it weren't true, now would it?" Signum commented.

Vivio took a sip of water from her squeeze bottle and started exiting the ring through the ropes. "I didn't know this match was doubling as an AA meeting, Signum?"

"Yeah well, your performance suffers when you're hungover. It wastes everyone's time."

"Do you want to give me some pointers on technique, or just nag me like my mother?" Vivio countered.

Vita stood up angrily. "You should respect your mother, Vivio," she scolded.

Vivio did not acknowledge the statement, and instead removed her gloves and hand wrapping in silence. She threw them in her duffel bag and slid the strap over her shoulder.

"We have someone coming from the sister gym to spar with you next week, Vivio. You need more of a challenge," Signum told her.

Rio was finally beginning to sit up in the middle of the ring, rubbing her sore arm and shoulder as Vivio looked over at her competition.

"I'll be here," Vivio replied.

Signum watched with crossed arms as Vivio began walking to the back of the gym. "You should really consider entering the tournament next month," she added.

Vivio only saluted above her head as she turned the corner and pushed open the door to the dressing room. She loudly dropped the duffel bag on the wooden bench, and opened the door to her locker to retrieve her t-shirt and jeans from inside.

"Such bullshit..." she muttered as she threw her gym shoes into her locker loudly.

"I couldn't agree more," a soft voice came from beside the locker door.

Vivio closed the door slowly and glanced to her left where the voice originated. "Are you here to convince me otherwise, Sieg?"

The raven-haired girl leaned her back against the locker door next to Vivio's, and rested her hands behind her.. "No. It makes it that much easier to win the tournament again this year."

Vivio smiled and stepped closer to the her. "Well, you're welcome then," she said sweetly.

A hand found the small of Vivio's back and pulled her closer. "What are you doing tonight?" Sieg asked her.

"I dunno, what are you doing tonight?" Vivio countered as she playfully walked two fingers up the middle of her chest.

"A-Ah, there are bouts at the Nakajima's tonight," she responded in a flustered tone as she watched Vivio's fingers make their way back down her stomach. "A-And Nove is throwing a party after. Her parents are out of town tonight."

"I'll go," Vivio responded as she pulled away from her to grab the bag from the bench. "What time?"

"The fights start at eight, but you might want to show up a little before. Hey, what about your mom?" Sieg then asked, reaching out and grabbing Vivio's hand before she could walk away.

Vivio fingers made their way to the back of Sieg's neck and pulled her close to her. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?" she whispered in her ear. Sieg pulled back to look at her skeptically.

Vivio let go and began walking away from her towards the dressing room door to leave. "Don't worry, she'll be at work tonight. I'll see you around eight, okay?"

Sieg received a small wave as a goodbye before Vivio exited the dressing room and started on her journey home.

oOOOo

"Have to work late. I won't be home until later tonight. There is some food in the fridge, you just have to heat it up. ~Love, Mama"

Vivio threw the note on the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She spotted the vegan lasagna in the glass dish that her mother had prepared at some unknown point, which was wrapped neatly with wax paper and aluminum foil. She opted to pass on food for the time being, knowing that most of her daily calorie intake would probably come in liquid form later that evening.

Her hand raised the remote to the television to turn it on, and she sat down on the couch in a huff. After a minute of aimlessly flipping through the channels and finding nothing of interest, Vivio decided to get a head-start on the party instead. She walked to the kitchen cabinet that contained her mother's stash of vodka for a distraction.

"Not that she ever drinks it anyway," Vivio assured herself as she mixed it with a bottle of diet soda she found in the fridge. It tasted disgusting to her, but she knew it would help her pace herself so that she wasn't completely hammered before heading back out that evening.

Television became more interested the more Vivio sipped the drink, just as everything else did when she decided to 'let go and enjoy life', as she put it. She glanced around at the empty house and fought back memories of happier times, when both her mothers would crowd around her on that very same couch. It was common that they would watch animated movies together, which Fate could never get enough of.

Vivio let out a low growl at the uninvited trip down memory lane, and walked back in the kitchen to add the rest of the vodka to the soda bottle. She glanced at the clock above the oven, and was grateful to see it was time to start getting ready for the party that evening. She refilled the now empty vodka bottle with water and replaced it in the cabinet, and took her mixed drink into the bathroom with her.

A quick shower and change of clothes was all that was needed to remove the thoughts of what used to be, and she made her way back downstairs and was out the front door in no time. The bus that ran close to their house was running a little earlier, and she finished her drink as she traveled the two-mile journey in the back of the bus that evening. She was hoping she would still be at least slightly buzzed when she made it to her destination.

The bus stop was only a block away from the Nakajima's house, and she jogged across the quiet street towards the two-story brick home that sat at the back of the cul-de-sac. She had fought plenty of times in the make-shift fighting ring in the basement, as well as drunkenly thrown up on numerous occasions in one of the upstairs bathrooms.

Vivio didn't even have to knock before the front door flew open. "Vivio! Glad you could make it!" Wendi shouted above the loud music inside. "Drinks are in the kitchen, and everyone is heading to the basement soon."

"Thanks, Wendi," she responded as she walked inside and looked around. She spotted people walking through the kitchen to the door leading to the basement, but she opted to stop by the counter with the drinks before joining them downstairs.

Vivio was attempting to keep too much foam out of her beer she was getting from a keg, when she felt warm arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey, you made it," Sieg's soft voice said behind her.

Vivio glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Yeah. Been here long?"

"Nope. Wanna do a shot with me?" Sieg asked as she pointed to the counter full of liquor bottles.

"I think I'll stick with this for now," she replied as she held up the plastic red cup in her hand. "But after our fights, I'm game."

Sieg pulled away from behind her and grabbed Vivio by the hand, and began leading her to the basement door. "Good idea. Hey, Nove recruited a new girl for tonight, by the way. She's supposed to be really tough."

"Who?"

Sieg shrugged. "Just some girl. Ein – something?"

Vivio stopped them in their tracks before they could reach the basement stairs. "Einhart Stratos?"

"Yeah, you know her?"

"I beat her in a tournament once before, when I was twelve," Vivio replied. "She's a year older than me, so she was always in a higher age bracket since then."

"Damnit, if you beat her then she can't be all that good," Sieg teased.

Vivio's punched Sieg in the upper arm in response to the comment, causing Sieg to drop Vivio's hand and grab the spot in pain. "Holy... fuck! That hurt!" she yelled.

"Don't forget that I beat you too," Vivio reminded her as she walked past Sieg and down the basement stairs. She was greeted with the familiar sight of the crowd in a circle on the edges of the room, and a few well-warn mats were the only protection between the fighters and the hard concrete floor.

Vivio immediately searched the crowd for the aqua-haired girl she recalled from their previous encounter. Sieg was close behind as she descended the stairs next, rubbing her arm one last time before turning her attention to the warm-up match that was taking place.

"Who's sparring right now?" Sieg asked.

"Hmm?" Vivio distractedly responded. "Oh, um, it looks like Corona and Rio. They have their headgear on, so there must not be any bets on the match."

"Yeah, it's sometimes good to just practice outside of the gym."

Vivio spotted movement from across the crowd, and Vivio spotted familiar heterochromatic eyes as Einhart made her way through the crowd to stand in front to observe the match closer.

"Is that her?" Sieg asked Vivio from behind her.

"Yeah..." she replied quietly. "She grew up, that's for sure."

"Ain't that the truth..." Sieg was now distractedly eyeing Einhart, her eyes glancing up and down over her. Vivio rolled her eyes, and pushed her elbow into her companion's stomach.

Einhart spotted the interaction, and her eyes met Vivio's across the crowd. She nodded once in greeting before returning her attention to the center of the room.

"Looks like she remembers you too?" Sieg mentioned.

"Maybe so?" Vivio watched the match with feigned interest, choosing instead to try to sum up Einhart as much as possible from the corner of her eye. She had perfect posture and a slim figure in her black warmup pants and baby tee, and the muscles in her biceps were highly visible on her crossed arms.

Corona and Rio touched gloves to signify the end of their round and exited the ring, and Nove came to the center of the room and raised her hands. "Alright! As most of you know, this is a winner-take-all competition. There is no headgear, just regulation gloves. Everyone in the contest fights once, and the crowd decides the winner once it's all over. Any questions?"

Everyone in the crowd whispered and murmured after the announcement, but no one had anything to ask of the emcee. "Well, in that case... Einhart, you're up, since this is your first time here. You get to choose your opponent in return," Nove added.

Einhart looked directly across the room. "In that case, I choose Vivio," she replied confidently.

Vivio felt her head jerk back reflexively before she glanced over at Sieg, who shrugged at her in return. Vivio looked back at Einhart, who was unflinchingly meeting her gaze.

"No problem," Vivio replied as she took off her shirt and shoes, leaving her in just her sports bra and track pants. "I'm good with a rematch."

The crowd was buzzing with excitement as the two girls entered the designated fighting area together. Sieg helped Vivio secure her gloves onto her hands, while Nove assisted Einhart into hers.

Vivio punched her fists together to ensure they fit before turning her attention to her opponent. Nove stood between the two of them as they began to bounce and dance around in place.

"Go!" she shouted, and cut her hand in the air before moving backwards to rejoin the crowd.

Vivio approached Einhart quickly, and immediately landed a straight kick into Einhart's chest. The unexpected assault took Einhart by surprise, and she stumbled backwards before regaining her footing. Her confused and surprised expression lasted only a second before it returned to her usual stoic one instead.

The two met in the middle of the ring again, and began trading more controlled jabs and kicks without landing anything solid. Vivio attempted a right hook, which Einhart ducked and immediately came behind her, and wrapped her arms around her abdomen.

Vivio felt herself being picked up into the air several feet, and then slammed into the floor mat on her back with a loud thud. Her head hit the thin mat sharply and caused her vision to blur for a moment, allowing Einhart to mount her hips to try to get her to submit.

"Get your ass up, Vivio!" she heard Sieg yell behind her.

Vivio was able to turn onto her stomach while Einhart punched her in the ribs and the back of the head. Using all the strength she could, she pushed Einhart off of her as she stood up. Vivio stumbled away to the edge of the ring, and Einhart let herself to recover while her opponent regained her composure as well.

Vivio quickly moved back to the center ring and began summing up Einhart's style again. She gathered that Einhart was patient and preferred to attack in well-timed measures, which was complete opposite to Vivio's strong-armed approach.

Einhart attempted to place a few side kicks to Vivio's thigh and waist, and on the third attempted kick Vivio saw her opportunity to counter-attack. She caught Einhart's leg and landed a straight jab directly on Einhart's unprotected face. Einhart flew backwards from the impact and hit the ground on her back. Vivio immediately tried a side-mount, but Einhart kicked her away in the chest and stood back up before she could successfully pin her.

Before Vivio could regain her defensive stance, Einhart was in front of her and attacking again at full force. Vivio landed a solid punch, but it didn't seem to phase her opponent. Einhart grabbed her behind the neck with both hands and brought her face down into her right knee, and then her left. Vivio flew back in a daze from the impacts, and Einhart landed one final right cross across her mouth, sending Vivio to the floor completely unconscious.

"That's it, that's it!" Nove shouted as she came to stand in front of Einhart. She held up her hands to show she was no longer a threat, and Sieg and Nove bent down to try to assist Vivio.

Vivio's head rolled back and forth a few times before she slowly blinked her eyes open. She immediately put her hand to her forehead. "Ugh, did I lose?" she mumbled in her haze.

"Do you feel like a winner right now?" Sieg sarcastically replied. Vivio reached her hands up, and Sieg and Nove helped her to her feet.

The taste of blood was present in Vivio's mouth, and she tenderly touched the left side of her face near her eye. She noticed it was swollen, and when she pulled her fingers away she found blood was flowing from a wound near her eye.

"We should get you cleaned up," Sieg suggested.

"You've gotten better, Einhart," Vivio said loudly across the room to the winner, whose back was to her as she began removing her gloves.

Einhart glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah, well... I expected more out of you, Vivio," she replied coldly.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Sieg said angrily.

Vivio touched her split lip and winced in pain. "It's fine, Sieg. She's right. Let's get upstairs so I can clean up before your match, okay?"

Vivio allowed Sieg to take her back up the basement stairs with her arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her ribs and back of her head were now aching from the repeated punches she had endured.

"Grab that," Vivio instructed and pointed to the kitchen island.

Sieg laughed and reached over to retrieve a bottle of tequila from the counter. They made their way through the kitchen and to the stairs, which lead up to the second story bedrooms. There was very few people in this area of the house, with most guests watching the fights in the basement at this point.

Vivio leaned up against the banister in the hallway as Sieg retrieved a first aid kit from the bathroom. Her vision was drawn to movement at the front door, and she spotted Einhart beginning to leave out the front door.

"You're not staying?" Vivio called out to her.

Einhart's hand paused on the front doorknob, and she eventually glanced up at Vivio. "There's no need to. I already accomplished what I came here for."

"What about the party? You could stay for a drink?"

Einhart hesitated for a moment, and her finger tapped the doorknob a few times in contemplation.

"We'll meet again when you're serious," was the only answer given before she exited the front door. Vivio was initially deflated by the response, but was soon distracted by Sieg pulling her into one of the bedrooms with the first-aid kit and bottle of tequila in her hand.

"Come on, Vivio. I'll definitely make you feel all better, okay?"

oOOOo

Vivio woke up to someone shaking her shoulders roughly. "Vivio, wake up! Wake the fuck up! It's the cops!"

Sieg ran to the other side of the room and started throwing clothes onto the bed. Vivio contemplated what she had been told for a moment as she tried to open her eyes, before jumping out of the bed quickly.

"Shit, I can't get caught here!" Vivio said in a panic.

"None of us can," Sieg replied as she pulled on her pants and buttoned them. She put on her t-shirt and untied shoes next as Vivio gathered her scattered clothes across the bed.

Vivio was dressed in record time despite her intoxicated state, and she paused to listen to the growing noise outside the bedroom door after. She turned her attention to one of the windows across the room when she heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

"We're on the second floor!" Sieg scolded when she noticed Vivio slide the window open.

"Got any other suggestions?" she replied as she looked outside to the ground.

Sieg bit her thumbnail as she contemplated the risk of jumping down from that height, but Vivio was already climbing out of the window before Sieg could decide if she had the courage do it or not.

"Hang on a second!" Sieg yelled.

Vivio calculated the best way to land, and before she could second-guess herself she jumped out of the window to the ground. The moment her feet hit the ground, she tucked and rolled to lessen the impact of the fall. She immediately looked up to the window above her and spotted Sieg about to jump out next.

"Be careful!" Vivio warned as she looked around outside to make sure the coast was still clear. Sieg hesitated for a moment longer, and then jumped out of the window next. When she landed, Vivio heard a loud pop as Sieg awkwardly rolled after landing.

"FUCK!" Sieg screamed and grabbed her ankle to stabilize it. She fell back to the ground in pain, and her eyes were squeezed shut as her forehead pressed against the grass.

Vivio knelt down beside her. "Oh, shit! Alright, I'll go get help. Hang on, okay?" she said.

Sieg waved her hand at her but didn't look up. "Just go! Don't get caught here. Your mother will kill you."

"I'm not leaving you here, idiot." Vivio stood up and ran across the lawn and around to the front of the house, where she spotted an officer standing on the front porch.

"Hey!" he yelled when he looked in her direction and noticed her standing there. Vivio's plan was to run past Sieg on the ground and then down the street, but as she turned she ran straight into the chest of another officer. She fell to the ground in surprise from the impact.

"Vivio?!" the officer exclaimed as he looked down at the girl crumpled at his feet..

Vivio looked above her at the familiar voice, and then covered her eyes in realization. "Hey, Uncle Chrono," she muttered.

"There's an injured girl behind the house. Call for an ambulance," she heard him say to someone else as she continued to lay on the ground in defeat.

"Her name is Sieg," Vivio informed him.

"Get up, Vivio," Chrono directed her sternly. Vivio complied, and finally stood up and met her eyes with his. Chrono held up his index finger in front of her.

"Follow my finger with your eyes," he instructed. Vivio gave a half-hearted attempt, knowing she wouldn't be able to pass the sobriety test.

"Do you want me to hook her up?" an officer asked him behind Vivio.

Chrono shook his head. "No, I'll personally escort her home. Let's go, Vivio."

Vivio felt a strong hand grip her on the shoulder and start to guide her over to one of the squad cars parked outside the house. The flashing red and blue lights made her dizzy, and she had to fight off nausea as they got closer to the vehicle.

"You'd better not throw up in my car," Chrono added as if reading her mind. He opened the passenger side of the door, and kept his hand on her head as she entered to ensure she didn't hit it on the door frame. In any other situation, Vivio would feel absolute dread with having to face her mother after being driven home in a police car, but she was too intoxicated to let the implications of the situation fully sink in at the moment.

Chrono entered the vehicle next and immediately pulled out his cell phone. He punched a few buttons to pull up his contact list, and then brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Nanoha? Yeah, it's Chrono. Sorry to bother you so late... Yeah, she's okay. She was at a party that was just broken up... Well, she's pretty drunk?" He glanced over at Vivio, who was now slumped against the car door.

"Okay, I'll see you there," he said, and then ended the call and placed the phone in the cup holder. He put the car in gear and started driving out of the cul-de-sac.

"Great..." Vivio muttered.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you or something?" he countered.

Vivio shifted in the seat. "It doesn't matter."

"What would your mother say, huh?"

Vivio laughed a little. "Well, I'm sure she had plenty to say just now, right?"

Chrono paused, and then looked over at his niece. "No... Your other mother."

Vivio's eyes shot open and she glared at him. "Is that supposed to be some sort of sick joke, Chrono?"

Silence enveloped the two of them as the tension between them grew, with the subject of his absent adopted sister now hanging in the car.

"Like I give a flying-fuck what she thinks at this point," Vivio finally said bitterly.

Chrono didn't press the issue any further as they drove, and Vivio was more than happy to drop the subject of the blond-haired woman who had left their family behind without even saying goodbye. The ride to her house was much too short, and when they arrived she spotted her mother waiting on the front porch as they pulled into the driveway. She was still in her work uniform, and her sapphire eyes flashed in anger as they met her daughter's through the windshield.

Vivio pushed the car door open slowly as she maintained eye contact with her mother. Chrono exited the vehicle as well and walked behind his niece up the walkway. Vivio attempted to walk past her mother, but Nanoha put her arm up on the porch pillar to block her path.

"What happened to your face?" she asked angrily.

"I lost. It's no big deal," she replied.

Nanoha put her arm down. "Go inside. I'll meet you in the living room."

Chrono stood in front of Nanoha to discuss the details of the situation, and Vivio walked into the house. She collapsed on the couch and willed the room to stop spinning. After a few moments, the sound of her mother slamming the front door shut helped sober her up a little.

"Sit up!" Nanoha shouted.

Vivio groggily sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes. She stared blankly at the floor as she awaited her mother's wrath.

Nanoha crossed her arms and peered down at Vivio."What am I supposed to do with you, Vivio?!"

Vivio continued to remain motionless. "Nothing."

"Nothing? You come home drunk, and your face is completely fucked up ... And I'm supposed to do nothing?!"

Nanoha watched in frustration as her daughter sat on the couch in silence in front of her. "Don't think for two seconds you won't be punished for this," she then threatened.

"It doesn't matter," was Vivio's only response as she crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"No friends. No phone. No laptop. You can go to school and come straight home for the next month."

Vivio finally glanced up. "What about MMA?"

Nanoha put her hand on her hip as she contemplated the request. "You can still do that. But none of that unsanctioned bullshit. Signum's gym is probably the one good thing left you have going on in your life."

Vivio scoffed. "No kidding..." she muttered.

Nanoha tensed further. "It's that supposed to be some sort of snide remark about me?"

"You figure it out," Vivio replied as she stood up from the couch. She attempted to turn away from her mother to end the conversation and head to her bedroom.

Nanoha grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her back to face her. "So what, it's my fault it is like this? Is that it?"

Vivio threw her arm back to get out of her mothers grasp. "It's always been your fault!" she shouted as her eyes locked onto her mother's. Nanoha's eyes immediately filled with tears at the implication.

"We aren't having this discussion while you're drunk," Nanoha said as she brushed a few tears away in frustration.

Vivio threw her hands up in the air. "Yep, let's keep avoiding reality. That sounds great! I'm going to bed then."

Nanoha let Vivio climb the stairs and enter her bedroom without any other attempts to stop her. She sat down on the couch that held so many warm memories for their family, and the emotions of the past immediately overwhelmed her. She clutched her hand to her mouth as she looked around the living room with wide eyes.

"God... how did we get to be like this?" she asked herself quietly.

Vivio laid her head down on the pillow, after having just thrown up in the bathroom attached to her bedroom. She turned to lay on her left side away facing away from the bedroom door, and she fell asleep to the familiar sound of her mother sobbing loudly in the living room over a life now gone forever.

A/N: Ahhh I have too many stories to update, I swear. I'll do my best to keep up with them. Until next time! ~Nissanity~