Author's Note: Again, I will NOT be around until next week…! Thanks to Alavon and everyone who is reading this RIGHT THIS SECOND.

~Note: I wrote this listening to Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne, in case you want the mood~

"Alicia? Fate?" asked Nanoha. "I got the…" she was interrupted by a scream. Dropping the drinks onto the ground carelessly, she turned and ran back into the forest, her auburn hair waving behind her as her feet pounded the grass.

A girl with long blond hair was crying over two bodies: one of Precia Testarossa, the other of her twin sister. Nanoha's eyes grew wide, and filled with tears. "Fate-chan?" she asked softly. "What happened to Alicia?"

The girl didn't answer. Nanoha crept over to her and knelt beside her shaking form. There was a knife wound in the dead girl's back, while Precia had a knife still embedded in her heart. Nanoha wondered briefly how she had survived all these days with the wound she had given herself two weeks ago. "Fate-chan?" she asked again.

The girl turned, and look at her with wide auburn eyes that burned into Nanoha like lamps. "I'm…not…Fate…" she whispered slowly, her dark eyes filled with horror as tears ran down her face. "I'm…"

"You're…not Fate-chan?" asked Nanoha slowly, uncomprehendingly. "Then…"

"Fate…Fate...is dead…" whispered Alicia Testarossa. "Fate has…"

"No," Nanoha mouthed the words. "No…"

Alicia closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the body of Fate Testarossa, hugging the girl's bloodied body to her own. "Fate…"
"NO!" Nanoha's words were a scream. "NO!"

Alicia didn't look up, and pressed her face into Fate's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Fate…I'm… so sorry…" she murmured.

"NO!!!!!"

***

It was a funeral of someone very precious to two people in the world. Alicia stood at her twin sister's grave, as tears rolled down her cheeks, slowly. Nanoha stood beside her.

Nanoha's face was tearless. She wore a hard, cold expression. Her blue eyes were as dark as a midnight sky. Alicia hardly knew her—but she knew that this was the way Nanoha dealt with the pain that twisted through her heart like it did Alicia's.

Lindy Harlown, Chrono Harlown, Arf and Amy stood together in a line behind Nanoha and Alicia. Arf was crying into Amy's shoulder. But the others only looked incredibly sad. Alicia did not take a second glance at them. She just stared at the marble construction in front of her.

Boquets dotted the bottom of the stone, like colorful snow.

Ugly.

Alicia wanted to rip the flowers away. The world should be dark and cold and gray. The colors did not belong in a dark world. She clenched her fists and wrapped her arms around her chest, where the pain had throbbed ever since that day in the woods.

Nanoha's hands were shaking, and Alicia could see tears in her blue eyes as Lindy stood up to say some words.

"Fate-chan was a sweet and lovely girl…I liked her very—"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Alicia screamed suddenly, interrupting Lindy. Nanoha grabbed her arm, but the blond shook her friend off. "You don't know a thing about Fate," she said, pushing Lindy out of the way, and standing up in front of the group in her place. "None of you know a thing about Fate!"

No one said anything, not even Nanoha.

"Fate was…"

"Alicia," Nanoha stared up at her friend. Blue eyes met maple ones, and Alicia felt as if Nanoha was staring into her very soul. "Fate-chan wouldn't like you yelling,"

Alicia turned away and walked from the gathering.

She could hear the sea.

They had left Fate to rest on a seaside cliff—how ironic. Alicia felt the urge to laugh, and gripped the madness that once posessed her tightly. Controlling it. She walked farther and farther away from the funeral.

"Alicia," Nanoha whispered, and Alicia turned to stare the girl in the eyes. "Alicia…"
And Nanoha did something Alicia did not expect.

She burst into tears.

Alicia reached out instinctively, and Nanoha leaned into her.

Nanoha was crying.

Alicia wrapped her arms around her friend while she sobbed. It felt like a flipped image of what had happened earlier.

"Fate…Fate…Fate-chan…"

"Nanoha…"

"Fate…" Nanoha cried, and her voice was filled with a blistering agony that shocked even Alicia. "Fate…"

"Nanoha…." Alicia said hesitantly. "Did you love Fate?"

"Of course I did," Nanoha stared up at Alicia with questioning, tear-filled eyes. "Of course I loved her. Didn't you?"

"But…did you love her…?" Alicia felt the words slip awkwardly from her tongue, and waited uncomfortably for the answer.

Nanoha thought for a moment, surprisingly calm for someone shaking with sobs. "I think I did…" she admitted finally. "I think…"

Alicia nodded.

"I think you did, too,"

***

Things did not change, even though there was a gaping wound in the universe, a black hole that lay there, untouched and unnoticed, for everyone to stare at with pity.

They could sympathesize.

But they could not empathize.

Alicia lay on her stomach in the dark room that she shared now with a girl named Arf, in a foster home with Lindy Harlown.

Sometimes Arf would call her Fate.
It hurt.

There were a lot of things left unsaid. There were a lot of things that Alicia tried not to think about. There were a lot of things that Alicia tried to ignore.

But one thing in particular bothered Alicia the most.

And it was not about Fate.

She had not seen Nanoha Takamachi since Fate's funeral.

Nanoha had loved Fate.

For some reason, this hurt—not anywhere near as much losing Fate hurt, but…Alicia shook off the thoughts as if trying to get rid of a bug. There was…nothing that could be more important than grieving right now.

"I want you to be happy, Alicia,"

That was what Fate would have said.

But happiness had to wait.

***

A year. It had been a year since Alicia had held Nanoha on the seaside cliff during Fate's funeral. And a lot had changed.

Precia Testarossa had been buried properly—and Alicia had attended her funeral, alone.

Jail Scaligetti died the following month in a car accident.

Arf and Chrono had gone to boarding school.

Alicia was alone a lot.

For most of her life.

She still had not called on Nanoha—she had probably left this town already anyway. Alicia shook her head.

The doorbell rang.

Alicia shuddered briefly and went to answer it.

The door swung open.

Nanoha Takamachi, age fifteen, stood there.

Her hair was in a side ponytail as opposed to the pigtails she'd used to wear.

"Hello, Alicia," Nanoha said quietly.

Alicia stumbled backwards and Nanoha walked into the house, as if nothing was wrong.

"It's been awhile," Nanoha commented, sitting at the new couch, behind a low coffeetable. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Alicia answered numbly, her dark eyes not focusing on Nanoha as she sat on the couch opposite her friend. "How are you?"

"I've been all right," Nanoha answered, smiling a little—a forced smile that faded quickly into a serious stare. "Alicia, I have something to tell you,"

Alicia closed her eyes. "Yes?"

"Look at me, Alicia," Nanoha whispered. Alicia opened her eyes unwillingly, and stared at the girl in front of her, into her slate blue eyes. "Alicia,"

Alicia clenched her fists and waited.

"I love you, Alicia,"

Alicia closed her eyes again. "I'm…" she began, but had to stop. "I'm…sorry…" she said finally. "But I can only think of you as a friend,"

Liar. The blue eyes whispered. Liar.

I can't be the only one who's happy. I don't deserve to be happy. Fate loved Nanoha too, and so…

I can't take this away from her.

I'm sorry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: I know this was extremely short, and I apologize deeply. I know that I did this in a very short period of time late at night.

And yes, I think this is the end.

Playlist:

-"Slipped Away" by Avril Lavigne

-"I'm With You" by Avirl Lavigne

-"God is a Girl" by ???

-"All the Things She Said by TATU

-"Synchronicity" by Yui Makino

-"The Day Has Come" by Within Temptation

-"Michiyuki" by ???

Thank you, everyone! Special Thanks to Alavon, BPHaru and everyone who has continued reading I'm With You from beginning to end.

I WILL be writing a sequel, don't worry. That will come out soon, I promise. I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, I admit it…I kept being IM'd by my friend, which really threw me off. I'm sorry…I tried to watch a listen to a lot of sad music to get me back into the mood, so yeah… I did love every single review, and I'm sorry if I didn't reply to yours…if it was your first review, I tried to reply, but my most recent flood, I did not reply to. I'm also a very strong NanoFate supporter, don't get me wrong, but….this story did not work out that way. I deeply apologize to all those waiting for a great NanoFate story…

Alavon: Thank you so much for helping me with this story! I DID use your ending plan, and I loved the way it turned out! I loved your help, and I hope you'll help me out again someday!

BPHaru: Thank you for helping from the beginning and making me plan out the plot and giving me an idea of where to go with this story!

THANK YOU: IF YOU READ I'M WITH YOU FROM BEGINNING TO END AND STUCK WITH FATE, NANOHA, ALICIA AND I THROUGH IT ALL.

-Lyrical Moon Ema