Chrono was waiting them in his usual welcome party. This time he brought more people with him for Nanoha's bags. He had his black jacket like it was the only thing he had in his closet and stood firmly waiting for them to arrive long time before they came.
”Welcome to Claudia, again.” Chrono welcomed his friends back to his ship.
”Our own intergalactic taxi.” Yuuno teased.
”Whatever, crossdresser.” Chrono stroke back.
Yuuno quickly turned his eyes at Aren.
”Nanoha-san might have accidently found out...” He poked his fingers together.
”Yuuno-san is into crossdressing?” Teana asked, astound, from the side handing Nanoha's bags to the people waiting for them.
”You didn't know?” Nanoha asked unhappy with her gossiping skills.
”You're dead Aren-san.” Yuuno lifted his head from despair and looked for the betrayer. ”Where did he go?” He searched spinning around.
”Dissapeared silently after you started facepalming.” Fate patted Yuuno in the back. ”You must know that we all love you...”
”I'll get that watch!”
”Go for it ferret!” Chrono cheered at Yuuno who ran out of the room.
”Oh boys...” Hayate laughed.
”So to the hug round.” Chrono opened his arms for greeting his friends.
”Always hugging the girls.” Nanoha teased. ”You have permission to hug Fate-chan.”
”Wha?” Chrono asked, turning his face at his sister. ”I need Nanoha's approval to hug you? About time.” He gave her a lopsided grin.
”Wha-what are you talking about?” Fate blushed and gave her brother a hug.
Chrono laughed, answering the question with a wink before moving onto the rest.
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”Onu!” A young girl shouted hitting the second last card in her hand.
”Ooohohoo... You're not winning this time Lan-chan.” A ruffled boy issued a challenge with nearly twenty cards in his hand.
”Hmm...” A man in long white hair pondered. ”Miachell can you do anything about Lanlai-chan winning?” He asked the brunette next to her.
”Lets see... Yes I can.” She nodded, choosing a card from her hand.
”Ouww... Miachell-nee meanie.” Lanlai pouted.
”Aah... All hope is not lost!” A boy flexed. ”Go for it Lin-rin.”
”Alright, there you go.” The man placed a card carefully on the pile.
”Draw fooour~” Miachell announced her trumpcard.
”Waah...” The black haired girl moaned in desperation and relucantly picked four cards.
”Hahaa... The game continues!”
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”Tia, Tia!” A voice behind her called.
”What is it Subaru?” Teana turned around.
”You ready? We're about to leave.”
”Yes, I am. It wasn't long ago when you asked me that and ran to prepare yourself.” She rolled her eyes. Subaru was so naïve.
Subaru panted a bit from the long run. ”I'm just making sure.” She said worried
”I'll be fine. I'm paired with Nanoha-san. It's I who should be worried.” Teana waved and continued walking towards the teleport hall.
”Right...” Subaru corrected her stance and followed the woman.
____________________
It was blue. Blue everywhere. The sky, the sea... that's it. There was nothing else left from Selshin. Non-administrated planet 65 was fully covered in masses of water.
”Oh yea, Aren-san.” Erio caught the attention of the pondering man. ”How are we going to get into the head temple when it's covered in water?”
Everything stopped... But the helicopter they were in. They didn't even think about that small detail.
”Oh that.” He calmly lifted his head. ”I got connections.”
”Those connections?” Yuuno questioned from the cockpit.
”Different, this time.”
”A secret move?” Subaru asked excited.
”Yes, a secret move.” Aren nodded.
”Cheeee~”
”But how are we going to find it?” Erio asked again.
”It's in the center of... the... land...” Aren staggered and fell into deep state of thinking.
”Ah great...” Teana covered her face with her palm.
”Don't worry, we got plenty of fuel.” Vice comforted from the cockpit. They brought everybody necessary from RF6 with them. And half of the unnecessary.
”This is going to be a looong~ day...” Nanoha frowned.
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”Aaaw... Now Lin-rin won. I knew he was planning something like this.” The blond boy threw the rest of his cards at the table.
”I told you Same-nii.”
”Now, now Lanlai-chan. How could he understand?” The white haired man teased.
”He...” Lanlai pondered intensely.
”Yes. It doesn't matter what you tell him. He doesn't listen.” Miachell nodded her head.
”I know Linque-nii, Miachell-nee. But I try anyway...” Lanlai shook her head.
”Oi!” Same gathered attention with a loud yell. ”Don't go mocking me while I'm around. Do it behind my back.”
”Don't worry. We do that too.” Linque laughed.
”Anyhow. Same you're cleaning again.” Miachell announced, leaving the table for her room.
”Nooooo...” The black clothed boy rolled from feinged agony.
____________________
”Found it!” Caro announced looking out from the window.
The temple was barely visible through the masses of water. To Nanoha it resembled of Mayan pyramids only that it was much bigger and had a large open area on the top. It looked like a massive city had grown all around it.
”Vice-kun, open the hatch please.” Aren commanded, casting himself wings.
”Alright.” Vice showed his thumb and flipped a switch.
The hatch opened slowly and noisily. A breeze of warm sea air came flying in.
”What do you think he is going to do?” Caro watched the winged man hover over the submerged temple.
”Honestly, I'm very interested to see.” Yuuno watched from the cockpit.
Aren inhaled deeply the air of his home country and yelled:
”I'M HOOOOOOOME!” He turned around and told the people watching to burn this image to their brains.
”Levithen! You have won the war of Selshin.” He yelled at the sea.
”Don't say...” Yuuno leaned from the hatch to see better.
”This planet belongs to you now!”
”BUT! There is one thing that you don't own, a small part of the head temple!”
”He can't be serious...” Teana pressed her face closer to the glass.
”I have something I want. You have something I want.”
A small whirlpool formed on top of the head temple.
”I ask for a deal! Guidance.”
”Grant us a passage to the head temple and we shall open this area for you.”
The whirlpool began growing steadily.
”This is the last plead of the Selshin people!”
Whirpool now showed the top of the head temple.
”HEAR IT!”
And in an instant, the masses of water left the area, leaving the temple dry with unrealistic walls of water surrounding it.
”JESUS!” Nanoha yelled at the show of power.
”No, I think it was Moses.” Fate corrected.
____________________
”Clean, clean.” Lanlai watched a boy move around with a brush.
”Quit teasing me Lan-chan.” Same rubbed a spot multiple times. ”Raaah! How can four people make this much mess!?”
”You did skip the last 300 times you lost, so it's no suprise that this place is messy.” Linque informed, inspecting the area.
”I'm sure you guys are cheating...” The boy moved around complaining before slipped because of an earthquake. ”What th...? Can't be... Could it?” He looked at everybody in the torch lit room, who were just as suprised.
”Aren-nii!” Lanlai ran to the leftmost corridor.
”Mhmm...” Miachell flexed and walked in the rightmost corridor.
”About time that guy showed up.” Same pushed himself up from the floor and threw his brush away.
”I will be needing you again, Visualisation of Weapon.” Linque's hands flashed undescribeable light. This had been practised too many times in the past.
____________________
”No way...” Yuuno gasped. ”He split the sea.”
”So these are his connections...” Erio shiwered.
”Whehehe... Thats one secret move...” Subaru praised trying to stop her knees from shaking.
”Get ahold of yourself, Subaru.” Teana ordered. ”We're going.”
”Alright people.” Vice landed the heli on the temple courtyard. ”Go for it.”
”Stars, Lighting, ready for action.” Nanoha announced, jumping from the chopper.
”Careful.” Fate caught Nanoha from slipping on seaweed.
”Thanks Fate-chan.” Nanoha smiled and stabilized herself on the slimy ground.
”Over here!” Aren gestured to follow him.
Everything in the temple was covered in runes. Ceiling, walls, pillars, floor, everything. It was a gorgeous sight no matter how you looked it. The temple was made of something unseen even by Yuuno and it glowed deep blue, as to show how the god of waters had won this land.
He walked slowly as the last person in the line in the corridors, that narrowed as they wandered deeper to the temple.
”Here we are.” Aren announced from the other end.
The little tunnel spread into wide open space with a wall of red lines all starting from the center. The door itself was glowing deep blue.
-Open up- Aren ordered, making the door humm into life like a machine and descend to the floor.
”After all that fancy talk; this was the secret code to open the door to the book?” Nanoha asked, inspecting her surroundings.
”Uhu.” Aren nodded firmly from the front of the line.
Beyond the door the stone was brown, showing any alingment. Light came from various torches in the walls. Who knows how long they have burned.
”Here's the split up.” He ordered at a crossroad. There were five routes in total.
”Ohh... That's why you wanted Yuuno to come as well?” Fate deducted. ”Lighting squad, Stars squad plus you two makes total ten, so its two per corridor. You just didn't want to go alone, did you?” She grinned playfully and glanced at Yuuno.
”Exactly.” Aren confirmed Fate's quess. ”I'm taking Yuuno-san, thanks bye.” He grabbed Yuuno's hand and pulled him to the corridor in the middle. Once both were on the other side a door like the one they used to enter here ascended from the floor and blocked the way out.
”So... I'm stuck with you.” Yuuno dusted his clothes a bit. ”Do you know who we are facing?”
”The pot and pan.” The dark haired man answered, walking onward in the narrow corridor.