Episode 6 - Feelings That Can't Be Understood?
Nanoha has found herself thinking constantly about Fate — especially her eyes, which strike her as beautiful, but also sad and lonely. Her friends have noticed her constant state of distraction, and Alisa finally snaps out at her for it. Nanoha apologizes for zoning out, but Alisa is infuriated that Nanoha won't tell them what's troubling her.
Alisa and Suzuka leave for their after-school music class, and Nanoha heads home alone. All three girls separately reminisce about how they first became friends — it started out with a fight, but they grew close once they learned to share their feelings with each another.
With free time on her hands, Nanoha heads out with Yuuno to look for Jewel Seeds. Elsewhere, Fate and Arf prepare to do the same, although Arf worries that Fate is pushing herself too hard. Fate is determined to continue in spite of Arf's misgivings, saying that her mother is waiting for her.
Meanwhile, at Midori-ya, Shinobu is helping Kyouya in the kitchens. They've both noticed that something seems to be troubling Nanoha lately, but Kyouya says that Nanoha isn't the type to want to talk about it.
Fate tentatively locates a Jewel Seed in the city, but can't quite pinpoint its position. She decides to force it to activate by casting a wide-area spell over several city blocks. As soon as she does, Yuuno and Nanoha sense what she's doing. He hastily puts up a barrier while she transforms and rushes towards the scene.
As soon as the Jewel Seed reveals itself, Fate and Nanoha both try to seal it from a distance. It becomes quiescent, but the two girls reach it at the same time and start fighting. With their spells flying about, the Jewel Seed begins to pulse with energy. Wondering again why Fate has such lonely eyes, Nanoha finally succeeds in introducing herself. She tells Fate her reasons for hunting the Jewel Seeds, and asks the other girl what hers are. Fate seems about to respond, but Arf angrily tells her she shouldn't trust someone just because they act nice.
Abandoning conversation, Face abruptly turns and races for the Jewel Seed, Nanoha on her heels. As they each try to cast sealing spells, Raising Heart and Bardiche crash together. The Jewel Seed reacts at the same instant — both devices crack, and a massive burst of energy is unleashed...
Tropes
- Cliffhanger: The first since episode 1.
- Defeat Means Friendship: In Flashback, Alisa became friends with Nanoha after the latter hit her for bullying Suzuka.
- Foreshadowing:
- When Fate stands up, we get a brief glimpse of her back, which is covered in what look like lash marks...
- When they first met, Alisa and Nanoha started out fighting with each other, but ended up becoming close friends. Guess where Nanoha and Fate's relationship is going to end up?
- Poor Communication Kills: The running theme of this episode. Fate refuses to tell Nanoha why she's going after the Jewel Seeds so relentlessly, even though Nanoha keeps asking. At the same time, Nanoha's friends and family are worried because she's obviously keeping something secret but won't confide in them. This puts a strain on her friendship with Alisa.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: Nanoha is fascinated by Fate's beautiful-yet-sad eyes, to the point where she can't stop thinking about her.
