Four Minds
”Mhmm...” She moaned in her bed. It was almost midday and she could hear people talking outside.
Forward quaters were close to the canteen, where the sound of talking and scent of freshly made food would always comfort oversleeping forwards.
”I'm late!” Caro grabbed her clock and gave it a violent shake. ”Whyyyy~?”
She swiftly climbed down from her bed, dressed in the dull RF6 uniform and ran outside without checking her appearance.
”Morning, Caro.” She stopped herself and noticed Erio greeting her.
”We're late!”
”Nope, Nanoha-san said at the field that because it was the day of the big mission there will not be any training today.” Erio comforted the hyperactive girl. ”You're lucky to sleep this long.”
Caro calmed herself. ”Oh. Well then, morning, Erio-kun.” She smiled at the boy.
”Haaaaa~” A man behind them yawned. ”Oh, Erio. Pleasing your mistress are we?”
”Aren-sama!” The boy saluted.
”Drop the -sama, please.” Aren ordered. ”Has the boy been well, Caro?” He crouched to ask the small girl directly.
”Weeell~. Erio-kun is always nice to me.” Caro smiled innocently.
”Ooohohooo~.” Aren gave thumbs up at his discipline. ”Good job!”
”Yo-you have mistaken.” Erio denied desperately.
”Just go with the flow.” Aren left the two child laughing.
”...and what's more suprising that he's not the only one with it!” Shari informed Yuuno listening closely.
”What more did you find out?” He asked interested of Shari's research.
”Morning Shari-chan, Yuuno-san.” Aren interrupted his best friends around here. He had had many interesting chats with Shari about engineering and he got along with Yuuno.
”Morning Aren.” Shari waved at him not minding that he had interrupted her talk. ”Finally up. Slept well?”
”Huh? I thought I slept only for 6 hours?”
”You were in that tube over a day.” Yuuno answered.
”Oh... I thought I woke up during the same day. Ahhaha~” He laughed, embarrassed.
~--
Nanoha was watching this interested, nibbling her bread away slowly.
”Be careful or Shari or Aren will take Yuuno away from you.” Fate warned after watching Nanoha's actions for a while.
”I got my Fate-chan.” Nanoha answered still watching the newly formed group of friends.
”Ye-yes... You declared me yours yesterday...” Fate blushed to ears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
”Attention everybody. This is Nanoha speaking.”
The meeting Fate was in silenced to listen what Nanoha had to say.
”From this day onward, Fate-chan is mine. Don't go touching her without my permission. Those who do, will be Nanozised!”
”N-no she couldn't...” Fate pinched herself to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
The cheering RF6 made was heard from miles away.
”Good job, Fate-chan.” Hayate congratulated clapping happily and quickly everybody in the room joined her. ”What happened?”
”Ye-yesterday-Nothing happened! She said that 'I will let everybody know that I got Fate-chan'. I can't believe she did it.” Fate lowered her head in her hands to cover her blushing.
”Aaaaw...” People around her moaned in dissapointment.
”Wh-what?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
”Hehee...” She turned facing Fate and leaned over the table and kissed her in the forehead. ”Mark of Nanoha. Claimed for all of eternity.”
A few couraging whistles and cheers came from people scattered around the hall.
~--
”Did I miss something?” Aren turned his head around towards the sounds.
”You sure did. Let me tell you...” Shari began her story.
____________________
”Aren-san, you tell us the rest.” Hayate called for the suited man to rise to the stand.
”Yes, Hayate-san.” Aren answered and walked to the front. ”There are four knights protecting the book. Don't try to befriend them...”
Sudden laughter of Subaru interrupted the briefing.
”What?”
”Ah... No, it's nothing. Please continue.” Subaru apologized still giggling.
”Uh... Anyway. As I was saying, the knights have only one programming. Protect the book. You can't overcome that.”
”So we need to kill the knights to get the book?” Nanoha asked.
”You can't kill them even if you wanted to.” Aren said. ”As I've told you. The book channels the knights giving them near immortality and unlimited mana until it runs out of cores to burn. After that it will take mine and burn it to oblivion.”
”Are you saying that we have to fight the knights until the book runs out of power, kills you and then choose a new master for it so we can destroy it?” Yuuno questioned making people gasp.
”No, no. This programming will end if two conditions happen.” Aren raised two fingers. ”First, I am there.” He lowered one. ”Second, they suffer a fatal wound.”
”But you said they were immortal.” Fate asked.
”'Near immortal. They can't die but will know if they would.” Aren corrected. ”What we need to do is to kill all knights before the book runs out of power and I die.”
”Won't the knights die once released from the book as it can't channel to them anymore? I know they are important people to you.” Hayate looked at her knights.
”Ok, maybe immortality was a bad term. The book prevents them from aging and resurrects them when they die.” Aren shrugged his shoulders.
”Wait! They aren't really bond to the book!?” Hayate yelled. ”You mean they are still real people?”
”They should be. Maybe programming was a bad term too...” The man scratched his head and fixated his eyes on a wall.
”Are you sure the book hasn't ran out of power keeping them from aging?” Fate asked.
”That's one fun thing about the book. This version can use same linker core for unlimited times. So, the knights use their own to power the book that then channels them power so they don't age. Smart,eh?”
Yuuno lifted his jaw to question again. ”You mean that Selshin magic could keep people alive for ever and eternity, not to mention resurrect?”
”Level four acolyte of Jube could using his own power, without the resurrection part.” ”But that power was only for the kings and they could only do it for one person. The book on the other hand is infused by Jube himself and thus can do it with the small power it gains from the knights.”
”So even the gods of Selshin joined in this project?” Yuuno asked.
”Well it was interesting for them, so some of them joined in.” Aren explained, hinting doubt. ”I'm more worried about the knights having fun with the unlimited mana.”
”What do you mean?” Fate asked
”I know.” Nanoha volunteered to explain. ”Think that you have unlimited power, you are forced to use it and people against you are trying to kill you. What do you do?”
Fate fell silent and thought about it.
”Have the most fun fight in your life.” The brunette explained.
”Indeed. Goddess of Bonds, Marriage and Friendship, Vichin, has herself binded them to this task. Her color is pink and when you see a flash of that color, they have died once and the bond is broken.” He continued. ”The book has 1333 pages, so even that there is masses of power to use. Try to beat the knights fast.”
”Why so many pages? The previous worked with 666.” Fate asked.
”Not sure, maybe they wanted it to really kickass.” Aren lifted his shoulders.
”You got gods for everything? Couldn't you do anything by yourself?” Shari complained as an atheist.
”Pretty much and...” Aren was stunned by the claim. He knew it was true but didn't want to say it.
”I think that's everything we need to know.” Hayate declared clapping slightly at the interview Aren gave. ”Chrono was close-by again so we'll be boarding Claudia again or maybe he was waiting for us... Anyway pack your stuff and get ready.” She ordered gaining salutes.
____________________
”Aren...” Shari came knocking to her friends door. ”I'm sorry what I said back in the briefing.”
The man in the upper bed rolled in it until he was faced at Shari. ”It's okay. You're right, we didn't do anything by ourselves or atleast without the power gained from gods.” He stated now that only she could hear it.
”Still...”
”We even had a rule that people had to train magic, so they could do their jobs better.” Aren laughed. ”Those without any talent were cast out from society and forced to do odd jobs for living. My grandmother was like that.” He smiled, tearing.
Shari climbed up the ladder and sat next to Aren. ”I'm sorry for the painful memories I've caused.”
”It's okay I told you.” Aren casted his face down. ”You didn't know so I can't blame you or would anyway.”
”Why is that?” She placed her hand on his shoulder. ”When somebody does bad things to you, you should be angry.”
”I can count my friends from 400 years with two hands. Being angry to one is the last thing I want to do.” Aren stared at his palms.
Shari was silent for a while. ”You got more then that here.” She comforted.
”Really?” Aren asked, strangely surprised. ”You mean it's not the Nanoha and Yuuno inside me saying 'They are all your friends'?”
”Have you discarded every friend canditate like that for your entire life?”
”Well, it would have been rude just to claim they're all my friends.” He smiled sadly.
”You're too modest.” Shari lifted her voice. ”In Mid-Childa making friends equals submission through overwhelming power, forcing yourself into people's lives and, when it comes down to it, converting from friendship abuser into friend.” She explains enthusiastically.
”Yuunoha doesn't agree with you.” Aren smirked.
”They just live in denial.” Shari placed her hand on Aren's shoulder, shaking her head.
”I see.” He cast his face down. ”Thanks.” He wiped his face with his sleeve.
”Always crying.” Shari gave Aren a friendly punch. ”Your suit will get dirty. How about we go and get you some real clothing afterwards?” She asked.
”Ahaha... Sounds good.” He smiled at the woman next to him, smiling back.