AN:
After seeing just the first two minutes of Last Encore's first episode, I had to write such a thing. Poor Hakunon. I'll just pretend it didn't really happen. You all should do the same.

JUST A NIGHTMARE

All of a sudden, woken in sweat, Hakuno Kishinami shoots up from her bed, her breath too ragged to be caught just yet. She feels so utterly sick, her stomach twisting at the mere images still burned into her memory, possibly never leaving, along with the sensation. Too realistic for not being real, making the young Master doubt that it was merely a dream, despite supposedly knowing better.

The shifting of the bed awakes the blonde Servant next to her from her peaceful slumber – Nero Claudius, blinking shortly and adjusting her eyes to the darkness just enough to make sure she isn't just imagining her beloved Master sitting up in their bed.

"Praetor?" Nero inquires confused, wondering as to why the girl would be awake in the middle of the night so randomly. However, she doesn't seem to react, amplifying the Servant's worries. She sits up as well, before putting her hand on the other's shoulder comfortingly, trying to reach her again. "Praetor!"

The touch along with the familiar voice brings Hakuno back to reality, somewhat, just enough out of her own brooding to respond. Turning her head, she faces the emerald eyes she usually feels so drawn into, though now she remembers a picture of them being empty, and lifeless. "Saber," she murmurs, taking notice of her Servant.

"What's wrong, Praetor?" Her usually strong voice sounding comfortingly soft, lulling Hakuno away from the fear that the images burned into her mind are true, not enough to calm her fear-induced fast heartrate, but to make at least half-coherent thoughts possible again.

"I… Nothing," she starts, but brushes her Servant off. "You should go back to sleep, we need to be rested." Hakuno doesn't want to talk about what she's seen, she would rather just forget it all, make it an incoherent blur just like her life's memories as a whole. Sadly, amnesia doesn't work this way.

Nero, however, can't seem to believe her Master's reassurance this easily, not while every possibly evidence and what she knows about Hakuno says against her words. She furrows her eyebrows just slightly, showing that she isn't going to accept such a response, she wants the truth.

"Praetor, you're a bad liar," the blonde points out sternly, although she softens her gaze right afterwards. She doesn't want to confront Hakuno like this, she wants to relieve her qualms and ease her back into sleep. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Hakuno bites her lip, not sure whether to tell her Servant or not, not sure how to start or what to say overall. It's better not to tell her, not to burden her Servant with something like this. Something that may happen, or just may not. There was no certainty whatsoever whether this was just a dream, after all.

"I guess," the brunette finally admits reluctantly. Nero sighs, moving closer to her Master to provide warmth and a sense of security for Hakuno, the two things along with a listener that she seems to need badly right now.

"Don't make me ask for every little detail myself," Nero cautions softly, gesturing for Hakuno to keep going herself. The latter takes a deep breath before she starts retelling what's still in front of her mental eyes, the pictures that just refuse to leave her consciousness.

It's hard for her, because telling it somebody means to accept it in a way. It means to admit to it, which is a somewhat scary idea, because she'd rather make it unseen and unhappen. But that isn't possible.

"I was on the school's rooftop, I think. Sitting, leaning against a wall, but… my legs were missing," the brunette girl swallows hard, not noticing the increasing concern from her Servant at her choked words. "It hurt so much. I can still feel the pain, as if my legs really…have been ripped off."

Nero is speechless, not exactly sure on what to do to comfort her Master. The mere imagination of being in such a position is almost too painful to bear, topped only by being aware that it was Hakuno of all people who had to go through it; even though it was 'just a dream'. But unknown to her, for at least these mere seconds, is that this isn't all there was to this nighmare.

"I saw you…die. You fought a Servant, you tried hard, but…" Hakuno doesn't notice the hot tears flowing down her cheeks now, the feeling of her stomach twisting at the mere memory of seeing this outcome in a realistic way too apparent. "It was not enough. A laser shot a big hole through your stomach. You were…"

Continuing this sentence is impossible for her. The idea of the two of them dying is always apparent in their situation, but never would Hakuno have imagined it this vividly, this brutally. The phantom pain of her non-existent legs was horribly painful on its own, but it faded compared to seeing the woman most important to her die in an even crueller way.

"It was my fault," the young Master sobs apologetic, her words close to becoming an incomprehensible mess as her breath turns more irregular again. "You will die because I'm a useless Master!"

Without a word, Nero pulls her Master close to herself, wrapping her arms around her securely, comfortingly caressing the brunette tresses of her Master until Hakuno seemed to calm down just enough to become somewhat coherent again.

"I'm sorry," Hakuno mutters devastated, in between sobs.

"You have no need to be, Praetor. It did not happen," Nero reminds her. "And it will not happen," she assures her Master.

"How can you be so sure?" Hakuno wants to believe in her Servant's words, but once she has seen this possible outcome, there is just no way not to fear it anymore. It has felt too real to forget. It can't be unseen.

"Because it's us. You are invincible, as long as I am by your side. And I cannot possibly lose with a Master of unrivalled raw beauty such as yours." The overflowing confidence of the former Roman empress is having a soothing effect on the young Master. There's not a single shred of doubt for their victorious outcome in her Servant, and that is in some way contagious.

"Thank you, Saber," Hakuno musters a weak smile, showing that she feels better now. It's not that she could shake off these images just this easily, or completely suppress the fear consuming her, but for now she may just be able to take a rest. Maybe she can also find the courage to rule out the possibility of this being the outcome of their partnership.

"Umu! No need for thanks, as this is my duty as your Servant," Nero puffs out her chest, seemingly cheerful again, and proud of her comforting effect. "If you do want to show your gratitude to me, do it with a kiss," she adds, a teasing smirk accompanying her bold suggestion.

"A…what?" Hakuno is more surprised than embarrassed about this proposal. For as long as they've been partners – which is as long as Hakuno's memory reaches – she has felt in some way drawn to her Servant. Being near her has seemed to be enough to keep her happy. There is no step further that she truly longed for, or at least none came to her mind.

But now that she thought about it, the seemingly soft lips of the girl next to her seem so inviting. Too inviting to pass up. Plus, she is genuinely grateful for the comfort she received, so she ought to express this accordingly, especially if the person in question wants her to.

Slowly, though without any hesitation, Hakuno closes the distance between her face and her Servant's, closing her eyes as the awaited contact of skin approaches, just mere seconds before their lips touch. After a short while she distances herself from the blonde again, noticing the flushed cheeks in front of her.

"That was a…" Nero starts, but before stuttering, coughs and corrects herself. "A great…technique, Praetor. I must compliment you here. Umu!"

Hakuno tilts her head to the side, eyeing her Servant suspiciously. She is a bubbly, cheerful person to begin with, but for once she seems genuinely embarrassed for some reason. Nervous, even.

"Shouldn't I have kissed you?" The girl wonders out loud, now considering that maybe Nero has made just a joke and she, being the dense person she is, has not really caught that.

"No, no! You should! Umu, I mean…" It appears Nero is trying hard to collect her thoughts, but fails horribly, resulting in a mess of jumbled words coming out of her mouth too fast to be said completely consciously.

This side of Nero is too cute. Usually, she is on the giving (and teasing) side, so she seems to be in some way weak to someone else catching her off-guard with an affectionate, intimate touch, even as sweet as just a short kiss. Distractive enough for even Hakuno to forget about her worries for just a few moments, enough moments of feeling at peace and somewhat happy to aid in full comfort.

"Should I kiss you again?" The brunette asks, probing for her Servant's reaction. Without a fail, she seems surprised and the blush on her cheeks intensifies. Taking it as an invitation, Hakuno leans forward and kisses Nero again, before she gets even as much as a chance to retort.

She lets her lips linger on the other's for longer than before, softly tugging on her Servant's bottom lip before allowing distance between them again, which turns out much needed for the blonde, as she is short on breath from the surprise attack.

"P-Praetor, what's gotten into you?" Nero's face is flushed, her question interrupted my small pants. Hakuno isn't sure what brought her to this.

"I think I love you," she states nonchalantly, although a bit surprised by her own feelings which she only realises now, after the kisses she shared with her Servant.

"You're bold, Praetor," Nero responds. "Umu, but I am…just as infatuated with you."

A smile creeps onto Hakuno's face, their mutual feelings for each other alleviating most of her fear for the future. She feels that the two of them belong together, not only as Master and Servant but also as partners, friends and even lovers.

For forever.