Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Kaijo]

Rough draft of MGLN Chapter 14. Again, not too sure I'm happy with how it turned out, as I'm running into a bit of a writer's block with these parts, but hoping to power through it. My outline made better sense before I started filling things in, heh. Anyway, the plot picks up in these next couple of chapters.

Also look for subtle hints and foreshadowing.^^

Previous parts can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2116261/Kaijo

Spoiler for MGLN Crisis, Chapter 14: Searching the Darkness:

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Crisis
Chapter 14: Searching the Darkness



“Wait, say that again?” Hayate asked.

Teana smiled, and opened up a window displaying the ship. “We use the Bucket. When Fate and I went over it awhile back, we had to disable numerous protocols. One of them was an auto-pilot setting, we think. There was other information we needed, and then things came up and we sorta forgot about it. But I think I can get it working again.”

“How do you know the ship will take you to Jail's hideout?” Signum asked, pointing out the obvious question.

“I don't know,” Teana admitted, shaking her head. “But it has to lead somewhere. TSAB intelligence detected several random scientific research outpost attacks awhile back. If my theory is right, Jail was using these ships to rebuild equipment and materials for his next plan. As such, anything this ship was carrying had to have a way of making it back to a point where Jail ccould collect it. We hitch a ride, set it loose, and follow where it leads.”

“I'll go with you,” Arf declared. “It was my capture that sent in motion the chain of events that has Fate and Erio in his hands.”

Hayate closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, then opened them. “Anyone I send has to be clear-headed and focused, and I know how much this is weighing you, Arf.” The familiar wanted to argue, but looked downcast. “I'll want to have several platoons ready to follow you in a ship. If we find Jail's hideout, I want to take it down as fast as possible.”

Teana shook her head again. “That's... gonna be a problem. The ship is small, and the life support system is very minimal, due to it requiring operation by drones. I'd say no more than six people can survive for any length of time. Also, the auto-pilot is programmed for evasive maneuvers and random trajectory if it detects any ships nearby. I'm hesitant to mess with that, for fear of ruining the auto-pilot. You'd have to remain out of sensor range and communication range. Anyone on board wouldn't be able to call for help.”

“So the six people who go would be on their own,” Vita concluded. “I assume you mean six physically adult people. I require little more than half that due to my size, so I'll go.”

“Agito and I consume very little air, too,” Rein added, for once earning agreement with her demon rival.

“In puppy form, Arf and I also consume very few resources,” Zafira added, currently in wolf form. “Probably no more than half a normal adult when added together.”

Arf looked at him and smiled, mouthing a “Thank you.” She was a bit surprised to see him meet her gaze for several seconds, then nod. She thought she detected something else there, but was unsure.

Hayate nodded, smiling. “Very well. I'll have a list of who is going by the time Tea and Shari tell us the ship is ready. I'll try to include everyone who wants to go, while maximizing success for this mission. This is a long shot, but I think it's worth the risk. You're all dismissed for now; do what you can to get prepared in case you are going.”

Teana let a breath out she didn't know she was holding, glad that her plan had been approved. She just hoped it worked.



“Zafira, wait up!” Arf called in woman form, since he had switched to adult human form after leaving the office. “I wanted to thank you for that back there.”

“It was the truth,” he offered simply, continuing to straight ahead as they walked down the hall. “And I know the feeling of wanting to protect and rescue one's master.”

Arf matched his stride, but dropped her gaze a bit. “Oh, yes, that is true, I suppose. We each serve our masters.”

Zafira was silent a moment, then added, “Still, you would make a worthy combatant addition to this mission. We once crossed fangs in combat, so I can vouch for your strength.”

“Zafira....” she spoke softly, looking up at him, then grinned, fang showing. She playfully punched him and teasingly added, “I didn't think you liked me that much!”

His gaze turned away. “I-I care for all our comrades. We all share the same goals.”

Arf burst out laughing. “Zaffy, are you too fun to tease. Where ya headed?”

“Since we have some time, I thought I would get in some training,” he replied. “Ever since Shamal told us we were becoming real again as opposed to programs, I've felt the urge to see if I could improve.”

“Well, since you put it that way,” Arf said, still grinning. “I think I will join you. I would make a worthy sparring partner, wouldn't I?”

“If you wish,” he replied simply.

Arf shook her head. “Well, if you're becoming normal, you should also work on lightening up...”



“We got your message,” Subaru said in the Lt. Col.'s office, then chuckled. “And Caro double-timed it to get back here as soon as possible.”

“I want to go with the team,” Caro said firmly. “I promised Erio I would rescue him and Fate.”

Hayate studied the girl's unwavering gaze. “It's possible. As you know, space on the ship is limited. I need clear-headed people.”

Caro stood at attention. “I swear I will follow orders to the letter.”

“I'd like to go as well,” Subaru offered. “If there is another one of these relic devices there, I can handle it.”

Hayate looked back and forth between the two. “Very well, I won't exclude either of you. Get prepared and report back here at 1700 hours.” The two girls broke into smiles and looked at each other, but Hayate put up a hand to forestall comment. “I didn't say you'd go for sure, either. Once we know for sure how many I can fit on there, I'll let everyone know. I want everyone ready just in case.”

The two girls straightened and saluted, saying at the same time. “Yes, Ma'am!”



With Shari and Suzuka working full time, the ship was brought back into shape, and the life the life support system was even improved a bit. After some testing, Hayate was able to confirm the roster of who was going. Signum, Vita, Zafira, Arf, Teana, Subaru, and Caro were able to be packed in, along with Rein and Agito. But when it was discovered that there was room for one more, Hayate surprised them by deciding to come along, too.

After all, she had told them, Fate was her friend, too. And for once, she wanted to get out of the office to do some more field work.

She also carried a powerful beacon. When they found Jail's hideout, she would activate it to call for reinforcements. But depending on where they ended up, it could be hours, if not days, before help arrived. No homing beacon could be used on the ship, because it would be picked up and the ship would think it was compromised and shut down it's engines.

Chrono's ship towed the Bucket out to where they had captured it and let it go. As soon as the Claudia was out of sensor and communication range, Teana activated the ship's auto-pilot. The demi-drones attached to it provided enough stimulus that the ship registered all systems as normal. It promptly jumped into hyperspace, traveling on an unknown course; they wouldn't know where they were going until they got there.

Knowing it could be awhile, they took turns on watch duty while the rest slept.



Vivio had waited until nightfall, just after Arisa the babysitter had put her to sleep. She slipped out of bed quietly, using magic to float so as to not cause the floorboards to creak, and quickly got dressed in black clothes. She placed one of her larger stuffed animals under the covers, hoping that if Arisa peaked in, she wouldn't check too closely.

Making sure that she had everything, she flew out the window, making sure to close it behind her. She knew that her mamas needed to get special permission to fly in the city and that anything flying above a certain height would get tracked, so she kept close to the ground.

In her research, and in her study of Nanoha's medical charts, she had learned that her mama had injured her linker core. Both in her extended battle against Vivio many months ago, and it was damaged again in her fight against some strange man. She felt guilty, because it was her own fault that her mama had been injured the first time. If that hadn't happened, she might not have been badly hurt again the second time.

While she also felt guilty back then, she didn't know what she could do to help. Now she did. No matter how much it scared her, she knew of a way to help her mama, but didn't think the grown-ups would let her do it. And she had promised to be strong.

She just hoped she could do this without anyone finding out.



“Tea, wake up!” Subaru was saying.

“Mmm?” the slowly-waking girl responded, stretching. “Subaru? What is it?”

“We just dropped out of hyperspace,” the cyborg girl told her. “I think we're there.”

Tea came fully awake and sat up. “Wake the others, I'll go check navigation.”

Subaru nodded and left to check the other rooms while Tea headed to the bridge. As the cyborg girl had said, the Bucket had dropped out of hyperspace and was approaching the second planet of a three-planet system. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like they the ship was headed for one of the southern continents.

"Subaru informed me that we arrived?" Hayate inquired, joining the other girl on the bridge. Rein floated in behind her.

Teana nodded. "I think so. I can't access much of the ship systems at the moment, but there appears to be quite a bit of turbulence and interference in the upper atmosphere. Better tell people to hold on; it's going to get bumpy."

"I'll do it!" Rein announced, flying out of the room.

Everyone got secured as the Bucket descended into the atmosphere, Tea and Hayate strapping themselves into the chairs on the bridge. As the junior agent predicted, the ship began to shake violently as made it's approach. She feared she may have underestimated the turbulence, as it felt like the ship was going to fly apart. But after several long minutes, it subsided and things returned to normal.

The two girls on the bridge watched as the craft continued its descent, coming low over a forest, heading right for a range of mountains. Worried, Tea unbuckled and utilized the scope function of Cross Mirage to scan the range.

"I don't see any openings!" she exclaimed in worry. "Maybe this was a bad idea; maybe we missed something in the ship's programming, and now it's going to deliberately kill us!"

Hayate put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. If it looks like it's coming to that, we can still bail out. But there could be a hidden entrance that will either open up, or be covered by an illusion." The mountain range loomed larger and larger. "Still, it might be a good idea to get ready to bail out. Pass the word to the others. I'll stay on the bridge. I can blast myself out of here if it looks bad."

Tea nodded and left.



Quattro tapped away at her console. "Collector #4 is returning. It seems to be a bit late. Have drones stand by to check it's contents."

On a hunch, she ran some activate scans, eyes widening a bit in surprise at her readings. For a minute, she debated internally. Then, as the ship came closer, she quickly began typing more commands into the system, clearing the ship to land.



Under cover of darkness, Vivio made her way across the final open leg of distance between her and the old Section Six headquarters building. It was technically a minimum-security facility, now used for some extra training facilities, offices, and also Shari's lab.

Coming up against the wall of the building, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. From her time in the barracks, she remembered a window that she could open from outside, in her mamas' old room. Flying up to the second-story window, she was relieved that no one appeared to be in it. She cracked it open and let herself in, taking a moment to steady herself before going further.

Her heart was beating louder now, so much so that she feared most of the facility could hear it. But she reminded herself that she couldn't stop now; her mama was counting on her. Nanoha didn't give up that day, so many months ago, and neither would she.

Opening the door, she crept out into the hall way, trying to look normal, like she belonged there. If this particular section was still used on a dormitory, there could be other kids so she wouldn't appear unusual.

She made her way to the stairwell.



The ship slid into the docking bay, and drones descended on it.

Quattro noted the scorch marks. "Hmm, it appears you suffered a bit of battle damage. Drones, check every inch of the ship."

Several type 1's entered as other type 1 gadgets left the ship, floating along the ground single file.

"We should have those drones checked for battle damage as well," Uno said, coming up alongside her.

"Oh, dear sister, you surprised me," Quattro said, smiling. "But I was already on that. Ship drones, head down the hall and check in at the door on the far left."

"I'll never understand why you talk to them," Uno noted off hand, checking data on her pad. "Computer commands are more efficient."

Quattro watched the drones move up the steps and enter the hallway, smiling wider. "Oh, just because it amuses me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do!"



"I thought for sure she knew it was us," Agito said, canceling her unison with Teana, who released the illusion spell that hid them all as gadget drones.

"The way she looked at us, I think she might have," Arf noted, changing from small girl form to dog form.

"The good news is that it looks like this is it," Zafira added, also returnign to full wolf form. "The hallways are near exact copies of Jail's old Cradle base."

"Oh, thanks for the magic boost, Agito," Teana said, grateful. "I don't know that I could have made that illusion so convincing without it, nor maintained it that long without being stationary."

Rein canceled her own unison with the pink-haired girl. "Thank Caro and me, too, as we were working to boost your illusion spell, too!"

Tea smiled and nodded at the pair.

"Well, if she knew it was us, she didn't sound the alarm," Signum noted. "Perhaps they already know, and are waiting for us to fall into a trap."

Hayate shook her head, opening a door and tossing the activated beacon in it. "At any rate, we can't really worry about that right now. If they don't know we are here, they will soon. We need to find Erio and Fate as soon as possible, and stop the doctor if he's here. Let's split up: I'll take Tea, Zafira and Arf. Signum, you take Vita, Subaru, and Caro."

Everyone acknowledged the orders, and the group split up at the next T hallway intersection.



"It seems we have guests," the doctor noted. "Girls, would you be so kind as to handle them? Oh, and send in the series-14 androids."



It had been mostly uneventful, and remarkably smooth, Subaru noted. She was hopeful that would continue.

However, the two cyborgs barring their way as they turned a corner, killed that notion.

"Subaru, Caro, you two go on ahead," Vita said, readying Graf Eisen. "Signum and I have unfinished business with these two."

"None of you will be going anywhere," Tre told them menacingly, signaling.

Subaru looked back to find the path behind them was blocked by four more cyborgs, and her eyes widened. "Nove, Wendi, Dieci, Cinque... why!? What are you doing here?"

The four cyborgs said nothing, emotionless as they stood there.

"You'll have to forgive them; they don't like to talk much," Sette explained, bringing up her blades.

Subaru grit her teeth, glaring back at Tre and Sette in anger. "What have you done to them!?"

"We've done nothing," Tre told her, assuming an attack stance.

Signum brought up her sword. "Subaru, moderate your emotions; you need to fight with a clear head. It looks like we have no choice, but I know you can handle it. Remember Ginga."

The cyborg girl could never forget that fight with her sister. She turned back to the four cyborgs and raising her Revolver Knuckle, determination burning. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to knock you back to your senses one way or another. Caro, I'll need your support."

Caro nodded fiercely, raising her arms, Kerykeion glowing softly. "Understood; I'm ready."

"We'll toast them all!" Agito added, grinning, moving in front of Signum. "Unison in!"

For a moment, all combatants stared at each other. Then, on some unspoken cue, everyone charged at once.

"Fried, Blast Ray!"

The little dragon let a fireball loose, which caused the cyborgs to scatter. Subaru charged in after, skating up the wall and coming in at Nove directly. The other skating cyborg twirled and lashed out with her foot in a powered spin kick, but Subaru powered on through, using Vibration Shatter on the other's leg. There was pause as the two connected, but Subaru had the stronger momentum and sent the other girl violently twisting and slamming into the floor.

[Sorry, Nove,] Subaru thought to herself. [But I know we can fix up your cyborg leg later.]

"Emerald fury that whose domain is the sky, piercing wind of nature that cuts through all; Come to me and let loose your whirlwind howl!" Caro chanted. "Dragon Soul Summon, Adelinde!"

Wendi charged in to attack the summoner while Cinque tossed knives, but Adelinde rose up on hind legs and beat her wings furiously. The cyborg surfer and the knife projectiles were flung backwards due to the fierce draft. The earlier fires were also blown out.

But Subaru could see the real worry as Dieci was charging up her cannon; in moments it would fill the entire hallway. "Caro, get out of here! I'll handle them!" Signum and Vita were already gone, having taken their battles elsewhere.

"All four of them!?" Caro protested. "You can't-"

Subaru charged Cinque and Dieci, while Wendi slowly regained her feet and Nove struggled to stand. "GO! You have to find Erio and Fate! I'll cover for you!"

The young summoner, nodded, jumping onto Adelinde's neck and pointing her wrist down the hallway. "Wheel Protection!" Cinque, who had been about to toss more knives at Subaru, was temporarily slowed to a crawl.

Power gather on the drawn back Revolver Knuckle, as Subaru realized Dieci was about to fire. "Diviiiine... Buster!" She punched forward, sending a stream of azure magical energy at the cannon cyborg.

Dieci fired, but the blue energy cut into the cyborg's beam, spreading it and providing enough cover for Subaru to close the distance with a double foot kick. Dieci ducked out of the way, and the skates impacted the shoulder mounted cannon instead. Subaru managed to grab Dieci's arm, though, and spun as she landed, tossing the other girl farther down the tunnel.

That was when she noticed Wendi had finished charging a shot, and Cinque's slow had worn off and had turned her way. In the next moment, Wendi fired and Cinque tossed her daggers in a wide pattern.

As the projectiles loomed larger in her vision, Subaru was glad that at least Caro had gotten away.



Teana moved up, one gun held in both hands, placing her back against the wall next to the door. Arf and Zafira crossed to the other side of the closed door, nodding that they were ready. Hayate, in unison with Rein, readied her staff, then gave the signal. Teana hit the button for the room's door and dove into it, rolling and coming up on one knee to cover the entire room.

And froze, her mouth dropping open.

"Fate!" Arf exclaimed, beginning to run forward. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Arf, stop!" Hayate commanded. "Look at her; something's not right."

Tea had come to a similar conclusion. Fate looked unharmed in her barrier jacket as she stood there, no expression on her face; even her eyes betrayed no emotion. Bardiche was deployed in Haken form. It was almost as if she was waiting for them. If she was Jail's prisoner, why was she like this?

The golden-haired girl brought up her weapon, then charged at Arf, swinging.

"Look out!" Zafira growled, moving quickly towards Arf who was frozen with shock. He managed to knock her out of the way in time, but winced in pain as he took a long cut to his side.

"Zafira!" Arf cried, overcoming her shock.

"Teana!" Hayate shouted, bringing out her book, flipping pages. She needed something concentrated, something that wouldn't fry everyone in the room.

Tea realized Hayate was working up a spell, and began firing rapidly at Fate to give the SS rank mage both time and cover. Fate blurred backwards, avoiding the shots. Tea cursed, knowing what was coming next, diving again as Bardiche's golden edged smashed the place she was kneeling a moment before.

"Arc Saber," Fate whispered, swinging.

"No!" Arf yelled, diving forward and bringing up a Round Shield to protect Hayate. The rapidly-spinning projectile was stopped, but began to cut into her shield.

Tea blasted it out of the way before it could penetrate, then moved as Hayate sent the mental command to get out of the way. Arf dropped to the ground and rolled.

Hayate brought up her staff. "Resound, Horn of Judgment! Ragnarok!"

Fate threw up a Defenser Plus barrier a split second before the blast of magical exploded against her.



The small figure used a bit of magical energy concentrated around her fist to break the vent grating and pry it outward. The lights were mostly off in the lab storage area, but Vivio knew she had to be quick. She was just glad she was barely managed to squeeze through the ventilation system.

She dropped to the ground, wondering for the first time the object was located that she was seeking. A quick look over the rows of shelves revealed nothing. Then she noticed the walk-in safe in the back wall, and despaired; how was she going to get into that? The little Takamachi girl realized her mother wouldn't give up in a situation like this, and neither would she.

But then the storage room began to turn, and Vivio froze in fright. Thinking quickly, she rapidly floated over above and behind the door as it opened inward.

Shari stepped into the room carrying a package and turned on the lights, humming to herself as she walked between the rows of shelves. Vivio saw her chance and floated over the ground, hiding behind boxes as Shari approached the safe. Getting into position, she watched Shari punch the combination into the keypad, memorizing the numbers. Once she had them, she returned to the wall vent shaft, pulling the grating up, and waited.

The senior technician left the safe after several minutes, closing it was she walked back to the door. Vivio waited until the lights were off and she heard the door close, taking a few more minutes to calm her rapidly beating heart. When she was sure it was safe, she slipped back down and entered the combination, smiling in delight when it worked.

The inside of the safe wasn't too large, and it was easy to find the case she was looking for on a top shelf. It was also surprisingly easy to open, yet Vivio had to steady herself, suppressing the waves of panic and fear that came up when she glimpsed the object inside.

Hands shaking, Vivio reached in and grabbed the relic crystal. The pain that followed was just as bad as she thought it would be.


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

Author's notes:

An old writing adage goes: "If you show a gun mounted on a wall in Act I, you better be prepared to have it used or come into play by Act IV." Well, it's not so much writing, as much as just any story. I try to keep that in mind.^^

Chapter 15 will be part two to this particular escapade, unless I need to do a part three, but it's half done at the moment. Expect the unexpected! And if things go right, Chapter 16 should be a very special chapter for some fans...

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Alavon

Yeah...like the next installment of Remembrance...

I see what you're trying to do

Well, I don't mind. It's nice knowing that some one is really looking forward to it

Maybe a peek at some art will prompt me to work faster *nudge nudge*

In the mean time, I've posted Shattered Dreams up at FF.net.

[Alavon]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

I see what you're trying to do

Well, I don't mind. It's nice knowing that some one is really looking forward to it

Maybe a peek at some art will prompt me to work faster *nudge nudge*

In the mean time, I've posted Shattered Dreams up at FF.net.

You got yourself a deal! But you have to wait 'till Wednesday since I need to get a hold of a scanner permission slip (damn college rules)...

[GlancingReverse]

I was bored, and felt like doing something, so this came up.

Spoiler for ...:

Glaring – (v.) Staring with anger, fierceness, or hostility.

“The glint in his eyes is quite powerful”. That was the only thought on the mind of a certain Nanoha Takamachi as she slowly backed away from the person across from her. Inching away little by little, Nanoha desperately wished that she had some kind of excuse for getting out of the current situation. Alas, the poor brunette had none, and was forced to deal with the person who had cornered her. Sighing inwardly, Nanoha decided to decipher the situation one piece at a time.

“Okay, let's start from the beginning,” Nanoha began, raising her hands to the air. “ Why are your eyes like that?”

“You're the only one left...” The figure responded ominously. “I've trained enough to get past the others, and now it's your turn...”

The brunette was not amused. “Cut the theatrics.” She told him directly.

“Fine,” The man complied hesitantly, began talking normally. “Now then, you're the only one left!”

“Yuuno,” Nanoha complained, “can you at least tell me what you're referring to?”

“Staring contest.” The boy replied. “I'll beat you.”

“Umm... Okay...” Nanoha looked away, scared of the intensity contained in the boy's eyes. “Begin?” She asked hesitantly while turning back towards him.

“Yes,” Yuuno confirmed, staring straight at the brunette. The two stood for a minute, passion in their eyes. Suddenly, the boy leaned in even closer to the girl, causing her to flinch at the sudden movement, before quickly taking a peck on the lips and running off, having succeeded.

Having recovered and watched the boy run away, one thought was on Nanoha's mind. “Geez, if he wanted a kiss, all he had to do was ask. I would've gone much deeper, myself.”

[Nanya01]

Okay guys and girls. Remember that "Time Loop - Prank Wars" that I wrote up a month ago?

No? Time Loop - Prank Wars

Well, I wrote a follow-up to it. I'll admit, I never intended to take it this far. RadiantBeam convinced me to have the Numbers follow Ranma back to Nerima. And Fuyu no Sora convinced me to do this follow up. If you like it, thank them.

Spoiler for Numbers in Nerima - PT I:

Tre frowned, even as she panted softly, someone was trying to get into the room, thankfully Ranma had built several extra rooms to the Tendo house for her sisters to sleep in, but she and Uno had taken the guest room with Ranma. Standing up, ignoring her nudity, she looked at the window as a young boy slipped in. "Who are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes and preparing her IS for battle.

The boy's eyes widened at the nudity, the smell that was coming off of her and the fluids he could see dripping down from between her legs, nope, there was no doubt just what she was doing before he came into the room. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and his nose shot out a blood shot so powerful he flew backwards and outside.

"Nnngh... Tre.... Get back to bed... Not in the mood for another round with you and Uno." Ranma muttered against Uno's chest, hugging and cuddling up to her.

"Hey!" She pouted, crawling back into bed, pulling the sheets over her and sandwitching Ranma between her and Uno's breasts again.

The next morning Sette rubbed her eyes as she walked from her room down the hallway with nothing more than a small, well, for her, she was rather tall and busty after all, towel over her breasts. "Thought I heard something last night." She muttered and opened the bathroom door to take a bath. She blinked as she looked at the sheer size of the bath, it had to be larger than the whole house. "How did this get here?" She wondered, dropping her towel as she began to scrub off.

"Ah, Sette!" Sein grinned at her from in the bathtub. "Isn't Ranma great? He said he got the idea from someone named Washu, a giant bath for all the girls in the house!" The blue-green-haired cyborg kicked her feet up and down, splashing water all over the bath-tub. "Honestly, this is much better than spending time in prison and then going to work for the church." Ranma had filled them in on what their lives would have become in the normal time-line, they honestly liked this looping business better and better. Plus Sette, Otto and Deed all had fun personalities!

Sette nodded as she washed her pink hair. "Yeah, I'm glad myself."

The door opened as Otto, Deed and Nabiki wandered in. The middle Tendo sister looked around, snapping awake. "Gee, Ranma, you had to go all-out here, didn't you?" She groused, though she knew that the water bill wasn't going to be high, since this was an alternate dimension from the rest of the house. Lessons from Washu always did pay off, after all.

The others turned to her, blinking. "Wait, you know what's going on?" Otto asked, confused, she thought only Ranma had been looping.

Smirking, Nabiki nodded. "Yep. Been looping longer than anyone but Ranma around here. And I've met you girls before in previous loops." She still wondered why she replaced Teana in that one loop. Subaru was so sad in that loop that it almost made her cry. Still, she got Cross Mirage out of it... Then Brianna Diggers had to get her hands on it. Nabiki still wasn't sure about having an overdrive being an arm-attached gatling gun, even if it did have a ton of fire-power to it.

The four blinked and nodded as the new girls went about cleaning up. Nabiki took a good look at Otto and shook her head. "Always wondering if you were a boy or a girl."

Otto pouted and cupped her chest. "I can't help it that I was designed with such a small chest." She nearly started crying before Deed hugged her and glared at Nabiki, who held her hands up innocently.

"Hey, sorry, I know it's a touchy subject. You always wore such baggy clothes that it was hard to tell. You're kind of cute though." Nabiki had mellowed out a lot during the loops, it probably didn't hurt that she had nothing to gain by being mean to people, since everyone had a damn long memory for slights against them. Normally the loopers and Anchors were quick to forgive, but that didn't mean that they forgot.

Otto blushed softly. "Thanks." She didn't know what to think about that compliment as Nabiki shook her head at her.

"Don't get the wrong idea here." Nabiki said before dousing herself with cool water and then jumping into the bath-tub. "I'm not into girls. Even ones who can pass as a boy."

Otto pouted and wondered if maybe she needed to talk to Ranma about this, he knew about relationships, maybe he could help her out with this.

And thus, Nabiki sighed, not knowing what was about to befall her.

It didn't take long for the doors to the bath to open up and Dieci and Cinque, both wrapped in towels, to wander in silently.

Sette looked at the two, scratching her head. "Where's Nove and Wendi?" She didn't need to ask about Tre or Uno, since the two of them had taken up residence in Ranma's room, and the other sisters all knew better than to go in there, since Quattro had done that once, demanding to know what the screaming was about. Just what was that thing going "peebo" anyway? She wondered, seeing as how it jumped on Quattro's back and exploded, none of the sisters ever wanted to check on Tre or Uno when they were screaming for more from her father.

Even if she was the only one, Sette thought of Ranma as her father, though maybe Otto and Deed did as well, they were a lot of fun to play and spar with at times.

"They're..." Cinque began, but stopped as there was a rush of air, two figures running past her and made her and Dieci drop their towels. "Right here, apparently." She said and closed the door behind her before someone spied on the naked girls.

"Oh, come on, Nove!" The taller of the two grinned nervously as she was pinned to the wall by a glaring Nove. "It wasn't that bad."

"Not that bad? You pinched my ass! That hurt!" Nove yelled back. "I'd pinch yours, but you'd enjoy that!" Wendi grinned at her, not disputing what was said.

"Looks like it hurt." Nabiki muttered and whistled, causing the two to blink and look at her. "As much as I'd love to see two incredibly good-looking naked redheads go at it, and, Nove, you might need some lotion for that spot, I would rather like to be able to take a bath in peace, you want to fight, go outside, we don't need the house wrecked." Stretching, she ignored the looks she was getting. "What? Ranma and Akane did that enough before we started looping, I don't need this place to get wrecked any worse than it can on a good day. The crazies haven't shown up yet, so this place isn't going to fall apart soon." At least not for a few days, when Ryoga showed up, then Shampoo a couple of weeks later. Then again, it had been a couple days, since Ranma had taken the time to build the extra rooms and not go to school. Not that she blamed him, she only went sometimes out of boredom, plus it was more fun after Ranma showed up, if he went. Maybe she should find a way to get Kuno to come to the house soon?

"Not that, what about going at it?" Nove asked as she put Wendi down, getting a kiss on her cheek for that. Nove had to push her off before she got a little too into it, and blushed as her hands pushed against the most obvious place available. Stupid perky, firm hand-holds. She thought irritably to herself.

"Eh? Oh, that.." Nabiki shrugged and sunk herself further into the water. "Ranma can turn into an incredibly hot redheaded girl at times, and there's been clones of him running around, it was always fun to watch." If her eyes were open and looking to the side, she might have seen Otto's look of interest at that.

A while later, after Kasumi had called everyone down, the Numbers, dressed in the clothes that they had either borrowed from Kasumi, Nabiki or Akane, or the clothes they had when they got to the Tendo Dojo, all sat around the table eating.

"Hey, dad, what are we going to do today?" Sette asked, looking at the slightly tired, slightly grinning Ranma, in some sweats and a shirt, next to him was Uno and Tre, both in bathrobes and nothing else, well, as far as anyone could tell, nothing else on but robes that barely covered their chests and hips.

"Well, after breakfast, I think it's time for you girls to get some clothes and other things." Ranma said, blinking at Otto, who seemed to fidget slightly. "Otto, do you need something?"

"Ah... Can we..." She pointed at the kitchen, getting a nod from Ranma, who looked at Kasumi, who nodded pleasantly.

"Go ahead, no one will bother you, right?" The eldest Tendo said, smiling in such a way that no one would dare argue with her, even Tre and Uno couldn't find it in them to disagree.

Once in the kitchen, Ranma looked at the blushing, fidgeting Otto. "...You know, right now, I want to hug you tightly and call you all sorts of cute names, Otto."

"Ah..." The flat-chested girl whimpered and looked down.

"It's okay." Ranma smiled at her and put his hands on her shoulder. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"Um... Doc, err.. Ranma, I..." She blinked as he shook his head.

"Call me Doctor, or Ranma, whatever feels more comfortable for you." She nodded at him. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Well, that girl... Nabiki..."

"She make fun of you?" Ranma blinked as Otto shook her head. "What then?"

"She called me… cute..."

Ranma blinked, before a small grin came to his face. "Well, well, my dear Otto, it seems that you have a crush on Nabiki." He grinned at her blushing face. "Don't worry, I'll get you set up on a date with her."

"But, she says that she's not into girls." Otto pouted softly and Ranma chuckled at her, pulling the girl into a hug. "Doctor?"

"Don't worry about that. She might say that, but she's quite willing to be in a relationship with a girl if the girl isn't scum and is a good person, and you're both." Ranma grinned and let go of the hug, oh, he could easily set up a date for Otto. "We'll work on that in a bit."

The shorter girl nodded as Ranma led her back into the dining area. "Okay, girls, finish up and we'll go shopping."

"Yeah!" Sein, Wendi and Nove cheered as one as all they and their sisters started to eat more. Kasumi was surprised, even though she had seen it for three days now, how much the girls could just eat.

Akane grumbled and left for school, upset that she couldn't get any of them to go with her, though considering that only the three girls with the flattest chests could wear her shirts, well, she felt rather upset and jealous and didn't want to be around them at all.

"Saotome, can I speak with you?" Nabiki said as she walked to the dojo. "Alone." Ranma sighed and walked with her, stopping in the dojo.

"What?"

"What's your game, Saotome? You generally aren't this nice of a person in the loops." Nabiki gave him a flat look as Ranma shrugged.

"Well, at first, it was just for fun. The girls saw me as Scagiletti, the one who made them, it was easy to get most of them to just go along with what I had planned, pull some pranks, cause mayhem, don't fight, it was easy." He took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes.

"What changed?"

"Sette, the tall pink-haired girl, she called me dad. She called me dad, Nabiki..." Opening his eyes and seeing the stunned look on her face, he nodded. "You and I both know until the loops end I can't have children, no one awake in the loops can." For someone like Nabiki who had knew Ranma for millennia, the sheer regret radiating from his words was palpable.

"But she... Sette knows what's going on now... She's looping... She still calls me dad... Otto, Deed, they look to me like a father, it, it's different than just using them to have fun." He sighed and closed his eyes once again, a half pained, half hopeful expression on his face. "Yeah, at first it was just fun, but... But after Sette said that... And the rest were all having so much fun and were so happy..." He stopped once again and looked Nabiki right in the eyes and for the first time in very, very long while, she saw the real Ranma Saotome, oldest of the Anchors and not the mask he had build around himself to keep his sanity.

"I promised myself... I promised myself that if they ever remembered, the next time I saw them that I would help them have as much fun, as much freedom as they wanted, no matter the efforts I had to put into it."

Starring into the eyes of her friend, part-time enforced mentor and oldest companion in this ever repeating hell, the eldest Looping Tendo sister came to the conclusion that this one oath that not even the Ultimate Force of the Multiverse could ever break.

She pitied Sclagiletti for the mad scientist had no idea just what was about to hit him (repeatedly) in the face.

"You're a stand-up guy, Saotome..." she lowly comment, her mind cast back to the critical event that more then any other had shaped Ranma into the man he was today.Done a lot of thinking after that debacle so long ago, huh?" she whispered.

Seeing him nod and sigh, Nabiki shook her head and smiled softly. "Fine, fine... Whatever, I was just curious." She started to walk back to the house pensive, Ranma following her.

As they came back, the oppressive aura that hanged between them dissipate, a smile gracing Ranma's face when he saw the assembled girls, ready to go.

Absentmindedly, Nabiki wondered how much of it was the mask. But the more she looked at it, the less she saw the mask in it.

"Well, girls, let's go." He chuckled, nodding to Uno, who was in her secretary outfit and Tre in her spandex suit.

They barely had the time to exit the Tendo property when a shout dripping in pure unaltered anger stopped them.

"RAAAANNNNMMMMAAA!" Ranma blinked and looked into the yard. "Huh? Ryoga?" He looked at the bedraggled lost boy, behind him, Genma in panda form was holding up a sign about some nonsense about teaching his worthless son a lesson. "I don't have time to play with you." He tseked at them before turning back, intent on ignoring the two bubbling annoyance.

"You think... That I'm playing!?" Ryoga roared and rushed forward.

Unamused, Ranma merely turned his head looked back at them, his hands still firmly tucked in his pockets. His eyes glinted a cold blue and a sardonic smirk twisted his features.

Ryoga never did understood what happened to him. One moment he was rushing forward, intent on crushing his hated nemesis' head to a pulp, the next, he was on his knee, sweet dripping from the pore of his body, an unquenchable FEAR twisting his entrails his vision narrowing on Ranma.

It was like his limbs were made of lead, his breath was coming in short gasp and adrenaline was flooding his body, his brain locked between the two most basic instinct, fight or flight.

For a moment, Ryoga had the impression he the basic outline of a great feline, its body intertwined with that of his rival.

And then...it stopped. Did I...did I dream this ? He though feverishly.

Looking around himself, he saw that it had certainly been no dream as the panda was likewise picking himself up, a look of wariness clearly visible.

And while none of the girl had been driven to the ground, all of them were starring at Ranma with look varying between surprise, wonder, awe and contemplation.

Ranma chuckled and looked at the others around him. "Sorry, been a long time since I did that." He walked to Ryoga and lifted him up, grinning at him. "Look, Ryoga, I can do that to you with ease, do you really want to fight me?"

Ryoga grumbled, he might have been bull-headed and stupid, but he wasn't that stupid. "Fine..."

"Look, Ryoga, you want to show up and fight, that's fine, just don't attack me in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, send me a letter or something." Ranma rolled his eyes as Ryoga dusted himself off. "Actually..." Ranma turned to look at Nove, Wendi and Deed, a plan forming in his mind. "Nah, nevermind, not right now." He shook his head. "But, you can come back any time, I'll have someone to spar with you any time you want a good fight." He chuckled and motioned for the cyborgs to go with him.

"GROWF!" The panda jumped in front of him, waving a sign. 'Where are you going, boy?'

"Boy, Genma, you don't pay attention, do you? I'm going shopping for clothes for my girls, so, out of the way." He kicked the panda in the gut, sending it up into the air and out of the area. "Shall we?"

It hadn't taken long for the rather large group to arrive at a nearby mall, where the ten cyborgs rushed in, looking for clothes, the only thing Ranma said was to not rip, tear or otherwise damage anything.

Not that he was against that as he sat down on a couch near the front himself, but this was a loop where they could have fun, he had done damn near everything he could do in Nerima. Leaning back, he closed his eyes, drifting off slightly.

"Hey! Nove!" Wendi called out, grinning as she held up some nearly transparent light red sleep-wear. "I think this would look perfect for you."

Nove shook her head, fighting off a blush. "No thanks." She muttered and walked down to the leotards, blinking as she saw a deep blue one that looked almost armored. Shrugging, she went to the changing rooms to try it on. Ranma had stated that their spandex suits weren't needed anymore. They were their own people now.

"Whee!" Nove stopped on her way to the changing rooms, blinking as Otto and Deed ran through the clothing racks, spinning them around and around as they ran around, Cinque was looking through other clothing racks, blinking as Sette picked her up and helped her look at the ones on the higher shelves.

Nove shrugged and opened the changing room door, her eyes widening as she saw Dieci inside, completely naked as she changed. It wouldn't be so bad, since Dieci had her back to Nove, but that mirror on the other side of the room showed all of Dieci's talents entirely to anyone who happened to walk in by accident. "Ah... Sorry." She gulped and closed the door, her face turning redder than her hair. She had seen Dieci naked before, it was just embarrassing to walk in on her when she was changing after all. She was surprised that the door wasn't locked, but that wasn't important. She shook her head and took the next door, blinking as Tre stopped her, handed her a piece of clothing and walked off.

Nove shrugged, she honestly didn't understand Tre some days. Stepping inside, she closed the door and stripped naked, before pulling the leotard on, blinking as she adjusted it. The thing was a deep blue, strap-less, leaving the top half of her breasts bared for the world to see, not that she minded, it looked good on her. Turning around and glancing over her shoulder, she blushed slightly as it didn't cover her entire rear-end, still, it made her look good. She looked at the article of clothing that Tre had given her, a short-sleeved jacket that she slipped onto her shoulders. The thing was short, and it wouldn't close without squeezing her breasts tightly. It still gave her a small sense of modesty as it covered most of what the leotard didn't on her breasts. She did a small spin and smiled softly. "This looks good." She muttered, nodding to herself, she was going to make sure that Ranma bought this for her. She needed some accessories to it, but the basic look looked good. Stripping down, she put it to the side, making a note to make sure that he bought it for her.

Meanwhile Deed was playing dress-up on Otto in another changing room, both girls giggling as they put on weirder and funnier outfits. "Otto the biker punk." She giggled as she finished putting on the leather outfit for the more boyish girl, dressed in a bandanna, sunglasses, leather jeans and a sleeve-less leather jacket with a blue shirt underneath.

Smirking, the short girl crossed her arms, trying to look tough. "Hey, what's up?" She tried to emulate a deeper male voice, getting Deed, dressed in her bra and panties, to nearly fall over laughing.

Otto stopped trying to look tough as she giggled softly. "I rather like this. Think the doctor will let me have it?"

Deed nodded as she put on a pair of tight blue jeans, a short-sleeved shirt and a jean jacket, before looking into the mirror, blinking and leaning against Otto. "...We look like a biker couple."

Otto blinked and shook her head. "Nah, it doesn't look good on you. You would look better in a dress."

"You think so?" Deed blinked in confusion as Otto nodded, the two changing clothes and trying on different things. Some things they agreed on, other things they both agreed would look better on someone else, especially with Deed's long, brown hair clashing with some of the "tough girl" outfits they tried on her. Otto, on the other hand, looked damn good in the more "punk" outfits that they tried.

Just for fun, Deed had slipped out just long enough to grab a short tuxedo and had Otto put it on. The long-haired girl had never blushed so hard in her life. "Wow... Otto... If I didn't know better, I would swear that you're a guy right now. You look good."

Otto smiled and wondered if they had more clothes like this.

(---)

Ranma was startled awake as someone shook his shoulder. "Huh?" He blinked as Nabiki looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, Nabs..."

"I'm surprised you let your guard down."

"Nah, if you had any hostile intent, I would have reacted." He muttered and stretched slightly. Looking around, he smiled as he saw the girls going to town with the clothing. "It's good to see them having fun."

"Think you can afford this?" She asked, blinking as a cloaked figure walked in, handed Ranma a wallet, then left. "...Who?"

"Just a clone I had dress up turn some of my gold into cash." Ranma shrugged and smirked as he looked around. It was so good to see the girls having fun. "Don't you have school?"

"Don't you?" She shot back, getting a laugh from the two of them. Considering that the both of them could make things that would make them both insanely rich and famous, school was such a bore and only done when they had nothing else to do.

It didn't take long for the girls to get their clothes bundled together, most of them wearing various simple outfits, save for Cinque, who was wearing a blue skirt, sleeveless top, black leggings and brown boots, smiling softly at him; and Uno, the light-purple haired woman was wearing her secretary outfit. Tre was wearing a fairly thick blue sleeveless shirt that was skin-tight and black pants.

Wendi was wearing some biker shorts and a halter-top, showing off all of her curves. Looking at it, one had to wonder just how she got it on in the first place, it looked almost painted on. Nove was wearing a red t-shirt and a loose pair of shorts, while Dieci was wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt and snug blue jeans.

Otto was wearing a black shirt and light blue shorts that went down past her knees. Deed was wearing a light teal button-up shirt and a brown skirt combination while Sette wore loose-legged brown pants and a multi-color t-shirt, "tye-dye", Nabiki supplied as she realized what it was, and a bandanna in her hair that matched her shirt. Sein opted for a pair of jeans and a blue-green shirt.

Ranma looked at the casheer, wondering if it was okay for them to wear the clothes already. "Don't worry." The lady smiled at him. "I already rang them up... And all of these clothes..." There was a lot of clothes, not that Ranma or Nabiki were surprised by that, there.

"Saotome, you do have a plan, right?" Nabiki muttered to him as she watched the prices on the clothes go up and up and up as they were rang up. "How are you getting this all home?"

He rolled his eyes. "Clone express." He muttered as the final articles of clothes were rang up. Handing the lady far more than it was worth, he and the other cyborgs started to vacate the store with their goods.

"Uh, sir... Your change..."

Ranma waved it off. "Keep it." It wouldn't do her any good in the long-run, but maybe she could have some fun until the world reset.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow as there were several pops around them, Ranma's clones appearing, taking the clothes and running back to the dojo. "You just gave her 70,000 yen to play with."

"Like I ever needed it, Nabs." Ranma rolled his eyes. "Okay now then... Huh?" He blinked as he realized that Sein, Cinque and Sette had disappeared.

Wendi giggled and pointed to the toy story, Nove, Otto and Deed were following them in.

Shrugging, Ranma decided to go in as well, it wasn't like he had much else to do.

Though, he had a bad feeling for some reason. He just couldn't figure out why.

(---)

Cinque knew exactly what she wanted, she needed Sette's help to get it, since Sette could reach up there and she couldn't. It was amusing for most people watching, as the silver-haired eye-patched girl dragged the far taller pink-haired girl with her through the store to the stuffed animal collection.

Pointing up, Cinque smiled at Sette, who stared at what she wanted. "You sure?" Seeing her nod, Sette shrugged, grabbed the stuffed animal and pulled it down. "Here.. A genuine "Bonta-kun" replica." The thing was slightly taller than Nove, though considering she was the second shortest of her sisters, it wasn't a big deal. But Cinque, the shortest of all her sisters, was absolutely tiny compared to the thing.

Though, considering that Cinque smiled happily and hugged the Bonta-kun doll, Sette supposed it didn't matter.

(---)

Ranma looked around, blinking as Sein was with Dieci, both of them looking over the various board and card games. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why he had a bad feeling. Seeing something catch his eye to the side, he groaned, now he knew why.

He just hoped that something stupid didn't... Oh, who was he kidding?

Still, there was no hurry. He just wondered how massive the explosions were going to be.

(---)

Sette had turned away, just for a moment as she looked at the toys on the racks. Seeing a small panda, she wondered why she felt the urge to buy it and throw darts at it when she got home, or let Cinque use her throwing knives on it. Something about it annoyed her... Maybe it was because of that stupid panda that bothered her "dad"? She wasn't sure.

Still, as she turned away, she heard a voice, an annoying, sugar-filled, sweet and skin-crawling voice. "Antonette! Antonette!" The voice called happily. Turning, Sette's eyes widened as the Bonta-kun doll that Cinque had been hugging was suddenly taken from her, leaving her on her butt.

"Antonette! You're mine now!" The voice revealed itself to be a small, petite girl in a pink dress, long curly brown hair and blue eyes as she hugged the giant teddy bear to herself. "No one shall have you but me! Azusa Shiratori!"

Cinque would be blinking, but since her right eye was missing and behind an eyepatch, she settled for winking a few times. "You... Give back Bonta-kun!"

"No! Antonette is mine!" She squealed and hugged the thing closer to her.

"Give..." Cinque's eye flashed dangerously as several knifes appeared in her hand automatically. "Back..." There was genuine anger in her voice, which was something very few people could actually claim to cause her. "Bonta-kun!" She threw her knives at the girl, trying very carefully to not harm the teddy bear.

"No!" She yelled and ran way as the knives hit the ground. "Antonette is mine! Mine!"

Watching, Sette sweat-dropped and looked up, grimacing. No wonder Cinque was so mad. It was the last one in stock. "Hey, Cinque, wait..." She winced as the short, silver-haired girl ran after the kleptomaniac, pulling her knives out of the ground and throwing them at Azusa.

"Rumble Detonator." Cinque said, her vision nearly red. No one, but NO ONE, took her fuzzies away and got away with it!

Sette winced as there were several explosions in the store, people running and screaming, crying about bombs or something like that. Which probably wasn't too far off from the truth, now that she thought about it. Sighing, she caught up to Cinque, who was pulling a burnt and damaged Bonta-kun doll, the right side of its face was burned off and the left foot was damaged, there was stuffing leaking out as Cinque hugged it and walked away, sniffling softly.

Sette ran up to Cinque, but not before kicking Azusa away, trying to calm her down. "Um, dad..." She saw Ranma sighing as he caught up to them.

"Come on, let's go back to the dojo..." Ranma shook his head, making sure to leave money for the bear and the repairs by the register. "And you, register-boy, don't be so paranoid, this is Nerima after all." He rolled his eyes, blinking as Sein ran through the walls, literally, with a few games. Sighing, he tossed some more money onto the small pile and left, Sette and Cinque flanking his sides.

Inside the store, Azusa groaned and stood up. "One-eye girl, I will not forget this! I, Azusa Shiratori, will never forgive you for taking Antonette away from me! Oooh, pretty birdies..." Her eyes swirled as she fell over.

---

Later on, Uno was walking down the streets of Nerima, alone. Not because of a fight or anything like that, but because Ranma had wanted them to get to know the area on their own. Tre, Sette, Nove and Cinque had stayed behind, the first three to spar against each other lightly and Cinque was there because Ranma had told her to vent some frustration.

Oh well, Uno was enjoying the walk at least. The people were fairly nice, even if that one lady with the ladle seemed to be able to hit anything she wanted to. Those poor birds dropped to the ground with deadly water accuracy. Blinking as she came across a sign. "Help wanted?" She shrugged, she had nothing better to do, and she was curious as to what kind of clinic used acupuncture for treatment.

Once inside, Uno looked around, it was quaint, homey, and not too bad of a place to be, if one needed to relax before getting treated. Her eyes widened as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking at it, they widened further as they saw it was nothing but bones, spinning around she turned to face...

A man in a black martial arts Gi, glasses on his face and short brown hair smiling at her while holding a skeleton. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you with Betty here." He apologized to her. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I saw the sign outside and was idly wondering why you needed help." Uno said as the man chuckled softly.

"Ah. I just need someone for a bit, help out clean up, answer phones and organize patients files." He smiled at her.

"Oh," Uno smiled softly at him in return, "easy enough, mr..."

"Tofu. Dr. Onu Tofu."

She blinked, that was a weird name, then again, she was named after number one, so, it wasn't that unusual. "Well, like I was saying, this is easy enough, since I can perfectly hack into any computer system in the world with no one knowing that I was there to begin with, so filing and organizing files would be easy for me."

"Hack any system?" Tofu blinked as she nodded. "Prove it."

She shrugged, a small blue screen appearing in front of her, as did a blue keyboard as she started typing several things down. "Here, see for yourself. This is a live feed of the security system of a place called the "White House"."

Tofu blinked as she turned the blue screen to him, his eyes widened as he heard audio from the screen.

"Mr. President."

"Yes?"

"We have confirmation on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

"Excellent, begin the war immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

The screen turned off as Uno smiled pleasantly at him.

"You're hired. When do you want to start?"

(---)

A couple of hours later at the Tendo Dojo, an event of major importance was taking place.

"Here you go, Cinque." Kasumi smiled as she handed the incredibly short one-eyed girl the large teddy bear. "I couldn't fix the face completely, but Ranma did say that you might like it like this." The foot had stitches over it, keeping it sealed up, the face had some new cloth that was a lighter shade of fur than the rest of the bear. There was a black eyepatch sewn into the bear's head over the damaged eye.

Cinque's good eye sparkled as she hugged the bear tightly to her body and dragged it over to the sitting area, sitting down by the couch as she held it. It was kind of funny to Kasumi, to see such a small, young-looking girl hugging a bear that was almost twice her size happily.

"Hey, dad..." Sette spoke up as she entered the room, dressed in jeans and a red tie-dye t-shirt with a red and silver bandanna in her hands as she looked at Ranma, who was sitting on the couch next to Cinque.

"Yeah?" Ranma looked over his shoulder to look at her as she smiled nervously. "What's up, Sette?"

"Going to go run around town, that fine?"

Ranma shrugged as she put her bandanna on. "Yeah, that's fine, just don't get lost."

"If I get lost... Flare my power, you'll come find me?"

Ranma nodded as he looked her over. "You know, your outfit is missing something..." He muttered and pulled out a pair of yellow-tinted glasses and tossed them to her. "Here."

Sette blinked and put the glasses on. For some odd reason, she had the urge to find some flowers and hold up her fingers in a 'V' shape.

Deed blinked as she came down the stairs, dressed in shorts and a tank top as her hair was damp. "Where's Sette going?"

"Just for a walk." Ranma shrugged. He wasn't too worried about her, she could take care of herself. He blinked as the door to the back yard opened up and a girl with brown hair stepped into the room, glaring at Cinque. "How the heck did she find out that we were here?"

"You!" The girl pointed at Cinque. "Give me back Antonette!"

Cinque stood up, a blade appearing in her hand as she stood protectively in front of her bear. "Go back to whatever sugar dump you crawled out of."

The girl twitched before smirking at her. "You! I challenge you to Anything Goes Martial Arts Figureskating next week!" She pointed at Cinque. "I win and Antonette is mine!"

"Uh, Azusa..."

"What?" She whirled on Ranma, who was shaking his head.

"Don't you and Mikado have nothing but matches all of this week?"

She blinked a few times before snapping her fingers. "Oh yeah! Okay, fine! In three weeks then! See you at Kolkhoz High then!" She disappeared before anyone could say anything.

Or at least, she thought so, the instant she turned around a blade sunk into the ground under her, exploding and sending her flying into the air through the roof.

Ranma sweat-dropped as Cinque looked on innocently. "What?"

"You're going to need a partner who knows how to skate, Cinque... Get practicing with Nove."

(---)

Blinking as there was an explosion back at the house, Sette was tempted to head back, but figured that if there was a real problem that she wouldn't be too needed. Cinque, Nove and Tre were better at combat than she was anyway, and Ranma had been telling her that she could find her own way in life, she didn't need to be a pure fighter anymore. While being a fighter was important for the loops, most people who were looping weren't pure fighters anymore. Heck, Ranma himself had said that he was as much a scientist as he was a fighter these days.

Ignoring those thoughts, the tall pink-haired girl shrugged and just walked around, drinking in the sights around her. This place wasn't as technologically advanced as Mid-Childa had been, but at least it wasn't completely stone-age. Although, she had to admit, the yellow tinge that she saw the world was rather neat, thanks to the sunglasses she was wearing.

She blinked and spun around as she heard a thump and then an engine rev up as a motorcycle drove up to her. "Otto?" She blinked a few times, looking at the boyish girl, dressed in jeans, a black shirt, a sleeveless blue jean vest, ankle-boots on her feet and black glasses on her face.

"Hey." She smiled at her sister. "Isn't this bike great? Dad got it for me." It looked like a rather fancy motorcycle, allowing Otto to lean back, since the handlebars were rather long. "I think he called it a Harley."

"You call him dad, too?" Sette smiled as Otto nodded. "Sweet. By the way, I think you hit something."

Otto blinked, she hadn't noticed anything as she tried to show Sette her new wheels. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Odd... Wanna get on and ride?" Otto smiled as Sette did just that, slipped behind her and hugged the smaller brown-haired girl from behind as Otto revved the engines and gunned it down the street.

(---)

Tatewaki Kuno was having what he would like to think of as a good day. His Fierce Tigress, Akane Tendo, again showed him how much she loved him. Oh sure, it hurt a little bit, but he knew that she didn't want to reveal her affections in public. Why, as soon as he could get her alone, he was certain that his persistence and love would shine through.

Thoughts on his Fierce Tigress fled his mind as he rounded a corner and saw her, a beauty of all beauties. Tall, buxom, long pink hair, a red t-shirt that screamed free spirit, jeans that hugged her legs and showed off the curves of her lower body and a bandanna that didn't detract from the way she looked, especially those pretty pink eyes as he got closer. "Ah! The pink-haired Goddess who rivals, nay, surpasses the Goddess Athena in beauty. Come to me, my Goddess! I wish to date thee!" He yelled and ran at her, only to be hit from behind by something loud and annoying, sending him flying. "Aiiiiieee! The love of the Heavens is one fraught with pain!" He called out as he disappeared into the air.

(---)

Pushing her long hair over her shoulders, Sein stretched and smiled softly. "Hey, Deed, this place is pretty neat, isn't it?" At least she thought so. No mages with ungodly amounts of power flying around, no military assholes ordering her and the others around, and best of all, in Sein's opinion, no one had any real expectations of what they were to do.

"Yeah..." The brown haired girl smiled softly and looked up, blinking. "I thought people around here couldn't fly."

Sein scratched her head and looked up. "Huh, weird, people can fly if they scream something about heaven and pain?" She honestly had thought that people in this world couldn't fly under their own power.

The two shrugged off the slightly odd sight, they had seen weirder from being on Mid-Childa after all, and continued on, wondering what to do when Sein blinked slightly. "Hey, Deed, do you hear that?"

"The sound of flesh getting whipped and girls crying out in pain or pleasure?" Deed asked rhetorically as she and Sein moved closer to the sound. Motioning to Sein, the blue-green haired girl grabbed her sister and the two phased through the wall partly, just enough to lean through and look to see what was going on.

They blinked as they saw a dark-haired girl in a leotard holding a whip-like object in her hand, laughing hysterically as she used her weapon, snapping it around the limbs of one of the three girls in different colored leotards on the ground and throwing them into the walls, each other, the garbage or the ground. "Now maybe you can respect the Black Rose a bit more." She sniffed, turned and leapt away, laughing the whole time. "OHohohohohohohohoho!"

Deed didn't know why, but she found that laugh rather... Interesting. "I think we should check on those three, huh?"

Sein shrugged and phased through the wall completely, pulling Deed with her. The two helped the injured girls up and asked them what had happened.

"She's Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose! She's the captain of the St. Herberke Rhythmic Gymnastics club. We have a match with her later this week!" One of the girls cried out pathetically,

Sein blinked in confusion and scratched her head. "So you jump her and tried to beat her up and she defended herself and beat you up when you had her outnumbered three to one?"

"Yes, but..."

"And then you three tried your hardest to beat her, but she proved to be too much for your feeble attempts and now you're injured and looking pathetic and going to try to say that you either had to or that she attacked you first, right?" Deed spoke up, snorting as she stood up. "Come on, Sein. I can't believe that I felt sorry for these three."

"Good point."

"Wait..." The girls groaned as Deed and Sein left them. "You're supposed to listen to our story!" They cried as one.

(---)

Hours later, Sein and Deed found themselves relaxing in the living room of the Tendo home as a knock on the door was heard. The two looked at each other and shrugged as they saw Tre, dressed in a robe that barely covered her chest or hips, her hair mussed up and a satisfied smirk on her face, walk to the door and open it.

Sein shrugged, what Tre was doing wandering around after having sex was her own business. Besides, she rather liked how relaxed and happy Tre seemed to be lately, especially when she wandered around in that bathrobe of hers.

"Oh yes, come on in." She heard Tre and idly looked back to see who was coming in. Her eyes widened as she saw the three beaten up and bruised girls.

"Hey, Deed! It's the wimps!" Sein grinned and pointed at them as her sister turned to look.

"We're not wimps!" The girls yelled as one. "She was just really good!" They sniffled softly. "And you could have at least helped us here!" The girl with short brown hair said softly.

"I told you that we should have left that guy with the bandanna." The girl with wavy black hair glared at her teammate.

"Hey, he offered to help get us here." The first girl whimpered. "How was I supposed to know that he couldn't find his way out of the alleyway without getting lost?"

Behind them, Tre stretched, causing her robe to shift and move up, flashing her panties to anyone who was looking, before she left the room and went upstairs. Moving down the hallway, she knocked on a door with a duck sign titled "Akane" on it.

"Come in." She heard Akane's voice as she opened the door and stepped in. On the bed, Akane was resting on her back as she read a book. Akane was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts as she looked away from her book. "Oh, you..." Akane sighed and sat up. She didn't like the woman in front of her. Tre was taller, bustier, curvier and was dammed fast and strong, Akane had seen that during the sparring matches she had with Sette, Nove, Wendi, Cinque and Ranma. Most of that was just the girls trying to either tag Ranma or refine their own abilities. Plus the fact was that Tre seemed at least as good as Akane was in pure skill.

Tre rolled her eyes, she really didn't like this girl. She wasn't too bad most of the time, but then there were times that her temper or jealousy flared up and it just annoyed her. "There's three girls here to see you downstairs."

Akane could only blink.

(---)

Two minutes later in the dojo Akane, Sein, Deed and Tre sat around listening to the girls' story. Tre actually found herself agreeing with Sein and Deed, these girls were incredibly pathetic, they had the element of surprise, superior numbers and, presumably, skill and ability. After all, what kind of idiot would try to take on superior opponents without having a strategy in mind?

Something in the back of her mind was telling her that she might be in that class of people if Ranma hadn't taken Jail Scagiletti's place. Whoever that guy was. She thought to herself.

Tre wasn't to blame for not knowing who Jail Scagiletti was, since Ranma had taken over his place in the loop that one time he was the only "Doctor" that she had ever known, literally, and she had never looped before that point, she really had no idea who Jail Scagiletti was.

Though Ranma had mentioned that if they ever woke up in future loops that they would know who Jail Scagiletti was and the differences between the two of them.

"So, please, Akane! You have to help us! The honor of Furinkan High depends on you! You're the only female martial artist that we could turn to!" The leader of the three, practically begged Akane, tears falling down her face softly as she tried to move the heart strings of the youngest Tendo.

"Don't worry." Akane grinned at them and thumped her chest dramatically. "I'll definately win the match for Furinkan!" Seeing them thank her tearfully, she couldn't help but feel a surging swell of pride. She was certain she'd be able to win this. Just a bit of practice and she'd be able to do anything!

The three smiled as Tre led them out of the dojo.

"Do you know how to use these?" Sein asked as she lifted the ribbon and moved it around. "The girl that beat them up was using this to throw around trashcans and those girls."

"Besides, Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics?" Deed asked blinking as she picked up a large hoop and tossed it up and down. "How does that work? Just using blunt and soft objects to hit your opponent?"

Akane nodded as she picked up the clubs, one in each hand. "Yeah."

Sein blinked as she saw Akane in a leotard. "How'd you do that so fast?"

Akane shrugged as she lightly waved the clubs around. "Anything Goes clothing speed change." Seeing the blank looks, she shrugged. "What? It's a real technique. Mostly useless in a fight, but it's useful when your clothes get wrecked somehow."

Sein and Deed sweat-dropped as they watched Akane through the clubs up into the air, before they landed a few feet away from her. "Is that supposed to happen?" Sein asked, curiously, blinking as Akane growled and grabbed a ribbon and started to twirl it, before it somehow got tangled around her ankle, causing her to trip and fall down, twisting so that she landed on her back, but it caused her to get completely wrapped up in the ribbon.

Deed sweat-dropped more. "Um, I hate to say this, but you aren't exactly coordinated, are you?"

"Shut up!" Akane growled as she tried to squirm out of the ribbon. "I'll get this!"

"Especially if you have help." A male voice spoke up from the Dojo door, causing the three to blink and look at the door. Ryoga was leaning on the door frame, smirking softly. "I heard about the attack from the girls, and I don't think that it's right that they would get beat up so mercilessly. Plus, I can train you in Rhythmic Gymnastics."

Sein shrugged, she found this boring and left the room.

Deed, on the other hand, took a step forward. "Can you teach me too?" Seeing both Ryoga and Akane look at her weirdly, she blushed softly. "I... I want to learn some other weapons, if that's okay?"

Ryoga shrugged at her. "Sure. Besides, Akane could use a sparring partner that's learning with her."

Akane nodded and smiled. Deed was one of the few of the new girls that was living at her home that she didn't mind. She was nice, fairly quiet, compared to Nove and Wendi at least, and she wasn't insanely better than Akane was in martial arts unlike most of her sisters.

Deed smiled, this could be fun.

Hours later...

Deed wiped some sweat off of her forehead, she had avoided the worst of the accidents that had happened during the training.

Akane, on the other hand, was on the ground, struggling to untie herself from both the hoop, which she had tried jumping through, and the ribbon that she had been using. "Grr... I'll get this!" She couldn't believe that Deed hadn't gotten wrapped up like she had.

"You're doing better, honestly." Ryoga tried to smile reassuringly, it was hard. He had never seen someone so clumsy claim to be a martial artist before. Then again, she wasn't too bad, she just lacked a serious trainer or sparring partner.

"Dinner!" Kasumi was heard yelling from the kitchen.

Deed stretched and grimaced at the smell coming from her. "I'll go get washed up and changed. Ask Kasumi to hold some food for me, please?" Seeing them nod, she disappeared into the house.

"Do you mind if I eat too?" Ryoga asked, rubbing the back of his head as Akane smiled at him.

"Sure." She said as she kicked the last of the equipment away from her. "Follow me."

Smiling, Ryoga did just that, walking out the door and following the sweet girl Akane, walking by a field of flowers, a few bears in ice-capped snow fields and... Wait, what? Ryoga looked around and growled loudly. "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?!"

(---)

[Nanya01]

Spoiler for Numbers in Nerima - PT II:

"So, those three got someone to replace them, huh?" A female dressed in a black dress huffed, before grabbing her dress and pulling it up and throwing it off of her, revealing that she was wearing a black leotard underneath with a giant mallet strapped to her back. "I, Kodachi the Black Rose, will not stand for this." She jumped into the air, jumping to the roof of a two-story house and started bounding from rooftop to rooftop effortlessly.

Landing in the back yard of the Tendo yard, Kodachi blinked, the house was rather big, it looked like the house had gotten an addition to the upstairs, extra rooms added to the ends of the hallways as the house was expanded on the sides. "I must admit, this architecture is quite well done." She mused to herself quietly. The lights were mostly off, seeing as it was getting late. She shrugged to herself and jumped to the roof, quietly creeping around. She would deal with the problem now rather than letting it get out of hand.

(---)

Deed, dressed in a light brown nearly transparent nightie with nothing underneath, sighed as she flopped onto her bed, eyes closed. She just felt so relaxed after bathing and eating that she just wanted to rest and sleep. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes slightly, before they opened up wide at seeing that girl in the alley way hanging from her ceiling. "Uhh..."

"I must say, that you're prettier than I would have thought you would be." Kodachi said, giving Deed, who started blushing pretty hard, an appraising eye. "Although, my tastes do not run that way, I must admit that you would be a near rival for my perfect beauty." Suddenly Kodachi dropped from the ceiling and pulled out the mallet from her back, before swinging down at Deed, who rolled out of the way and grabbed one of her blade handles that was on the table next to her bed, igniting her blade and holding it in front of her defensively.

"What the heck?" Deed stared at the girl in front of her. "You compliment me and then attack me?"

Kodachi laughed softly. "Ohohohohohohoho... You think that I attack you for no reason? You were going to replace those girls that attacked me. And I, for one, believe in all fairness of the fight."

"Uh... I don't think it's fair to attack someone when they're nearly naked and trying to get some sleep." Deed sweat-dropped at her. "Look, if you wanted to attack me, couldn't you wait until morning?"

Kodachi blinked, she hadn't heard someone say that to her before. "Well, I suppose so, but it becomes such a problem when people see me do this kind of thing." She jumped forward and swung the mallet down at Deed, who tried parrying the mallet, only to grimace as she was driven back against the wall. At least her blade had destroyed the wooden mallet. "Such a dangerous weapon." Kodachi laughed at her and pulled out a ribbon from behind her. "You are a very formidable opponent, I look forward to facing you down at the match." She started laughing, before twirling her ribbon around in front of her, many, many black rose petals flying out of nowhere before she bounded out of the open window next to Deed, who was coughing slightly.

Deed looked at her room and pouted, not only did the rose petals make a mess of her room, but her bed was broke now. "...Maybe Otto won't mind me sleeping with her tonight." She blinked as the door to her room opened and Ranma stepped in, dressed in just his black pants and nothing else.

"Deed, you okay?" He asked, looking at her and, his eyes narrowed at this, the black rose petals scattered all over the room. "Did Kodachi hurt you?" He was surprised as she dropped her blade, suddenly jumped at him and hugged him. "Hey... You okay?"

"My bed's broke, my room's a mess and that girl hit on me before trying to hurt me." She sighed. "What's wrong with her?" Ranma shrugged as he hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm not sure. We'll get you a new bed in the morning. I'm sure that either Sein, Dieci, Sette or Otto will let you sleep in their room tonight."

Deed smiled softly at him. "Thanks." Mentally, she made a note to talk to Akane, she was going to so replace the youngest Tendo in the upcoming Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts match.

(---)

"No." It was a simple, flat statement. It was breakfast time, the rather large group of girls were sitting around the table, as was Genma, Soun and Ranma, but they weren't girls, so they didn't count for that.

"She attacked me, though." Deed said to Akane as the large amounts of food on the table disappeared rather quickly. Interestingly enough, it wasn't all Genma's fault. By her side, Nove was trying to tell Wendi to stop trying to feed her.

"That's why I'm going to take her on." Akane said with a determined look in her eyes. "She showed up to my house, attacked a guest after putting three of my classmates out of action?" The girl balled her hands into a fist. "I won't stand for this!

Deed frowned slightly, she really wanted to go against Kodachi too. "Fine... But I'm still training with you." Akane nodded and smiled, she didn't mind training with Deed, the girl was pretty nice about it.

Nabiki rolled her eyes at the conversation. "Really, Akane, you can have a million chances at Kodachi, she is Kuno-chan's sister after all."

"Just watch, I'm going to get good enough to beat her and avenge the honor of my school!" Akane stood up, taking a dramatic pose, the wind started to blow and water crashed against the rocks behind her.

"Dad, Uncle Saotome, stop that." Nabiki groaned as the two men chuckled sheepishly, Genma putting away the fan and Soun taking down the projector he was using to make the waves and rocks. "Besides, Akane, it's only three days away, can you get good enough in that length of time to beat her?"

Akane nodded at that. "Ryoga already taught me how to do the moves, and Deed's going to help and..." She moved from her spot, only to trip over something fall to the ground with a "splat". "Oww!" She cried out, reaching for her ankle. "What the? P-chan? What are you doing under mommy's feet?" She asked, before wincing as her ankle throbbed. "Owwies."

Ranma slipped up behind Nabiki and tapped her shoulder. "When did that happen again?"

"While you were building the extra rooms."

"Oh." He had missed Ryoga showing up at all. Something seemed off though... "Doesn't he usually show up to kill me at night?" Near him, Tre frowned as she overheard that and looked at the pig in disgust.

"You were busy and I told him to come back at a later time." Seeing Ranma look, she smirked at him. "I just told him that it wouldn't be honorable to attack someone who would be tired and he left quietly."

"Just like that?" Ranma sweat-dropped as he watched Akane try to get up, but fail and fall down, clutching her ankle. "...History always repeats itself..."

"If you aren't careful about it." Nabiki nodded sagely.

A few minutes later, Akane was sitting on her bed, grimacing as Kasumi wrapped up her ankle. "I'll be fine." She reassured Kasumi and tried to stand up, only to fall flat on her face. "Oww..." She grimaced and reached for her ankle.

"You need to be careful, Akane. It's a light sprain but..." Kasumi trailed off, shaking her head.

"Dammit!" Akane cursed and punched her bed. "So, it might be healed by then, it might not be healed in time for the match?" She cursed and sat back. "So, what? There's three days, and it's not like..."

Deed cleared her throat, getting Akane's attention. "I can cover for you." She offered, blinking as Akane frowned.

"You don't go to our school, don't you think that they wouldn't like it?" Hearing that, the brown-haired cyborg shrugged, it didn't matter to her, she wanted to take on Kodachi again. Akane sighed and grimaced, she couldn't believe she was asking this, but at least Deed was easy enough to get along with. "Then, please, give her hell."

Deed grinned, she could do that.

Meanwhile in another room, Ranma had Deed's blade hilts taken apart as he cleaned and adjusted them, blinking as Nabiki cleared her throat and glared at him. "I did something wrong, and you aren't going to tell me because you're pissed, right?" He asked, turning back to the blades and working on them.

"Close, Saotome. Very close. But I'm more pissed at why you didn't offer to heal Akane's ankle." She asked, her arms crossed.

"Why didn't you?" He shot back at her.

"I was going to, but I wanted to know why you didn't."

Ranma sighed and put down the blade hilts, before turning to Nabiki. "How many times have we done this?" When Nabiki blinked, he shook his head. "The whole "meet Kodachi, fight Kodachi, deal with this match". How many times?"

"A lot."

"I've done it, Akane's done it, hell, I think you did it once."

Nabiki grimaced, she hated that loop where she had been the youngest and Akane had taken her place, that had sucked horribly. "Okay, point, so, you just want to see something different this once?" Seeing him nod and go back to working on the hilts, she frowned. "I'm calling bullshit, Saotome. Even so, you would have at least offered to fix her ankle for her, even if you had to make her swear on her honor that she wouldn't participate in the match." Seeing him stiffen, even if slightly, was gratifying enough. "So, spill, what's the deal?"

"...Remember a long time ago?"

"Too vague." Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Be more specific."

"Remember what Akane did to Yggdrasil?" Ranma asked, getting Nabiki to stop, her eyes widening and her face paling as the memory of WHAT Ranma had put the both of them through in retaliation for having caused the emergence of the Fith Generation Loops. "I found out, much later, that she set back Skuld's work by at least a few hundred... Thousand... Loops." He growled the last part out, taking deep breaths to try and keep his cool. "Skuld told me... She told me that it would only take, maybe another thousand loops, at most, to finally get the loops to end... They were stabalizing, Nabiki! We hadn't been in a fused or crossed loop in so long that I was starting to enjoy everything again." By this point, Nabiki could clearly hear the sound of Ranma's knuckle poping as he clenched his fist in pure frustration.

"I... Akane smashed it... And fucked everything up." Nabiki blinked in stunned stupidity. "...Sorry." She knew exactly how pissed Ranma was, he was so much older than most of the other loopers that he was tired of doing the loops. He may not have looked it, but he really was a tired old man, and there were times that it really showed.

Plus the fact that they had used HIS backdoor access to Yggdrasil, a gift from both Urd and Skuld had only added insult to injury.

"Yeah. This is actually the most fun I've had in a long time, so, I'm not going to let anything ruin it for me." Ranma muttered and went back to working on Deed's blade hilts.

Nabiki was silent as she thought about that. "It's a weak excuse, Saotome. I've done worse to you, others have done worse to you, so, why do that to her?"

Ranma shrugged as he finished putting the blade hilt back together. "Maybe it is. But, honestly, Nabiki, we've both seen this scenario a lot of times, let someone else try for once." He smirked and turned around as he put the last pieces into place. "Who knows? Maybe something interesting will happen for once?"

Nabiki grumbled, sighing as she conceded that point. "Okay, fine, so, what are you doing?"

Ranma shrugged. "Kodachi's going to cheat, we both know that. I'm just tuning up Deed's blades so they won't kill Kodachi by accident." He grinned as he thought about the... modifications that they had. "I think Deed will like what I did."

"So, what about Nove and Cinque?" Nabiki asked, smirking as Ranma sighed.

"They're not bad at ice-skating, but I can't give them my full attention just yet." Ranma smirked and laughed softly. "Oh well, when this is over, they'll have more fun."

"I bet." Nabiki muttered.

---

Deed slumped to her knees, panting hard as her long brown hair pooled around her head. "That... Not fun..." She groaned as the ribbon in her hand slipped from her numb fingers as she tried to catch her breath.

"Get up. Your muscles will cramp otherwise." She heard Ranma speak as he helped her to her feet. "Walk it off, you're doing pretty good."

Deed nodded, not having the energy to really say anything against that, since she was too tired at that moment.

Ranma shook his head and smiled as Deed hobbled around the dojo. By his estimation, they had been working out, well, Deed had been working out, for about six hours straight, mostly dodging and trying to avoid some of the things that he recalled Kodachi having. "Deed, when you've cooled down, take a bath, okay? We'll continue in the morning."

Seeing her stumble out of the dojo, Ranma shook his head and walked over to a corner in the room and sat down in front of a small pile of disassembled parts before picking them up and pulling out a screwdriver to work on it.

Idly, he wondered just how much Deed would enjoy the final product.

---

Nove stumbled into the dojo, slightly tired, but she wanted to get warmed up before Cinque came down and wanted to learn how to skate better. She honestly wanted to know what was going through her midget of an older sister's head right now. And considering that Cinque was the only one of her sisters shorter than Nove, it actually meant something for her to call her sister a midget. Or it didn't, she just liked to tease her older sister. "Ah..." She blinked as she saw Ranma in the dojo, flipping Deed's laser blade hilts in the air up and catching them as they came down. "What are you doing here?"

Ranma shrugged at the short redhead. "Eh, was training Deed most of last night, after everyone went to bed, then I sent her to take a bath while I finished modifying her weapons."

Nove blinked a few times, before frowning softly. "Um, forgive me for being wrong, but wouldn't that mean she would have a chance to drown in the bathtub, if she was incredibly tired?" She blinked as Ranma chuckled, walked up to her and smiled. "What?"

"You're a good sister, Nove. But Deed won't drown." He had made sure of that. Seeing her blink in confusion, Ranma shook his head. "Don't worry about it, you'll get wrinkles on your face too quickly." He chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Nove blushed and turned away. "Ah, that's not..." She cleared her throat. "So, up for some sparring?"

Ranma grinned and slipped into a casual stance as he clipped both of Deed's blade hilts to his pants. "Sure."

If anyone was looking at the two as they squared off, they would be disturbed by the nearly identical grins both Nove and Ranma had at that moment.

---

Otto blinked as she woke up and saw Deed sleeping on her bed. "Deed?"

"Tired... No wanna dodge... Ack!" Her twin mumbled in her sleep, getting the flat-chested, boyish girl to sweat-drop, wondering just what kind of training Ranma had put her sister through to get that reaction.

Still, Otto shrugged, got out of bed, careful to not bother her twin and slipped out to bathe and wake up in the morning. As she walked down the hallway, she was joined by Dieci, Sein and Uno. "Morning." The three nodded back at her. When they got into the bathroom, they saw Nabiki and Akane soaking in the giant furo with Wendi and Sette.

Sette looked up and waved at them. "Water's fine."

As she washed down, Uno looked at Sette in confusion. "Just where is grouchy?" She asked, getting a laugh from Sein, Wendi and Dieci. Granted Tre wasn't grouchy very much these days, but she could be. Hell, even Nove managed to crack a smile more often than Tre, and that was saying something, considering how angry the two seemed to be all the time.

"Tre left just before you got here." Sette smiled at them. "She said something about finding dad for some fun if he wasn't busy." Behind her, Akane sputtered and twitched, why the hell was the tall pink-haired girl saying something like that so dammed early in the morning?

---

Tre blinked as she put her hand on the door to the dojo, before blinking as she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh. Frowning slightly, she opened the door and blinked as she saw Nove in mid-air, twitching as she was pummeled from various points before taking a shot to the chin that sent her tumbling head over end down to the floor, crashing onto her side and rolling with the blow and ending up kneeling, one hand on the floor and holding her hand up to her face, grinning, even as she was bruised, bleeding and dirty from the blows.

Landing on the floor, Ranma smirked at her, taking a stance as he chuckled. "Not bad, Nove, you almost avoided that attack."

Wiping some blood off of her face, Nove grinned savagely and rushed forward, cocking her fist back as she tried to get to Ranma before he could do anything to stop her.

She found herself thrown across the room as Ranma grabbed her arm, flipped her upside down, before kicking her in the side and sending her crashing into the wall on the other side of the room. "Oww..." Nove groaned and slumped, not getting back up. "That hurt." Nove groaned.

Ranma chuckled and grabbed Tre's hand as she tried to punch him and flipped her over his shoulder onto her back, driving the air out of her. "Drat." She smirked up at him.

"What was that?" Ranma asked, chuckling at the purple-haired cyborg.

"Was just seeing if I could avenge my loss from yesterday." Tre smirked up at him, chuckling and wincing. "Guess not."

Ranma chuckled and shook his head. "Nope." He let go of her and walked over to Nove and helped her to her feet. "You okay, Nove?"

"Urgh... Just get me some food." The short redhead muttered as Ranma let go of her. She stumbled and nearly fell down, but Ranma grabbed her to stop her from falling. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess I got a little out of hand there." Ranma picked her up, carrying her out of the dojo.

Nove grimaced but didn't complain as he took her to the living room, sat her down on the couch before putting his hands over her body, a soft white glow coming from his hands and easing the pain her body had been feeling a moment ago. "What?"

"Healing magic." Ranma chuckled at her.

"Why didn't you heal Akane then?" Nove wondered, wondering what made her special enough to get healed like this.

"I have my reasons." Ranma chuckled and stopped healing her. "You're good to go, anyway..."

"Hmm?" Nove blinked as Ranma pulled a bucket of water out of somewhere and chuckled.

"I gotta wake Deed up. She needs to keep her strength up and eat something."

The short redhead didn't know what to think as Ranma left the room, but didn't think much on it. She blinked as Tre came into the room and sat down in another chair and leaned back. "Um, Tre..."

"Yeah?" She blinked as Nove looked at her, her face flushed slightly. "What?" She frowned at the short redhead. "Don't tell me that you're getting attracted to me."

"What? No! But your robe is rather short around the legs and open in the top."

Tre smirked and shrugged, causing her breasts to shift under her robe. "It lets people look at my breasts, ass and legs if I want to." She crossed her legs, showing off a hint of her panties underneath, causing Nove to growl, get up and quickly leave the room. "Ahh... Alone time now." Tre chuckled and leaned back against the chair, enjoying the time alone.

---

Deed snuggled against the soft, comfy bed. She was just too tired, not enough sleep, too...

She was rudely awakened as a splash of ice-cold water hit her, forcing her to sit up with a gasp, her eyes wide. "Gah!" She panted, looking around with wide eyes.

Ranma chuckled softly as he lowered the bucket. "Sorry, Deed, but you need to get up and get something to eat." He ignored the way she twitched and glared at him. "Also, you might want to get dressed."

"Fine, fine." She grumbled as she got out of bed, wincing slightly. She felt so stiff and sore right now.

Ranma shook his head. "Just get down to get some breakfast, okay? You need to eat something to get your strength back." He said gently and patted her on the back softly.

"Did you have to soak me?" Deed asked, nearly whining as Ranma chuckled at her.

"I tried to wake you up for over ten minutes now." Ranma shook his head and left the room.

Deed sputtered, twitched and grumbled. Couldn't he have at least not soaked the bed? It would take hours, if not days, for it to dry out completely. Sighing, she stripped out of her wet clothes and got dressed. At least she had taken a bath before going to bed.

---

Later at the table, Sein grinned as she saw Deed eating a lot more than she normally did. "Wow, worked a little too hard last night?" She chuckled as Deed gave her a bit of a dirty look. "What? You did, otherwise you wouldn't be eating so much right now."

"Six hours, okay? We worked out for six hours." Deed grumbled and looked at Ranma. "So, what are we going to do today?"

He smirked at her. "You'll see when we get there." He chuckled at the groan of dismay she was giving him. Oh, how much fun it was going to be.

Deed didn't know why, but she felt like someone just walked over her grave. Or maybe that was Wendi's foot rubbing across her feet as the redhead tried to rub Nove's feet, she wasn't sure.

Ranma blinked as he saw Uno excuse herself from the table. "Busy?"

"I've got a job." She smiled at him, causing everyone to blink at her. "There's a clinic nearby, a Dr. Tofu's clinic, he hired me for some work there."

Ranma laughed as she left. "Ha! Now that's irony." Of everyone at the table, only Nabiki got the joke and chuckled quietly. "Alright, Deed, meet me in the dojo when you're done eating, I need to show you something."

Deed sighed and went back to eating. She really didn't want to deal with this without a full stomach.

"Which training method did he use?" Nabiki asked as she took a drink of water. Nearly nothing would surprise her.

"He kept yelling to dodge." Deed said, blinking as Nabiki spit out her water. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's generally just humiliating, annoying and dammed effective." Nabiki coughed a few times. "Ask Keiichi, Naruto or Ichigo if you ever meet them."

Deed nodded, wondering just what crazy things Nabiki and Ranma had seen in the loops.

---

Hours later, Sein walked into the dojo, wondering how Deed's training was going. She had seen Ranma leave an hour ago, saying that he was going to check up on something and had left Deed training alone. Sein's blue-green eyes blinked in confusion as she looked at her sister. "Uh... Are you into bondage, Deed?"

On the floor, wrapped up in several ribbons that somehow managed to tie themselves around her breasts, spread her legs slightly, gag her and tie her arms up behind her, was Deed and she was glaring at her older sister, who chuckled, walked over to her, grabbed her shoulder and phased her out of the ribbons. "How did that happen?"

Deed whimpered and shook her head. "Been like that for an hour! Do you know how BORING it is when you can't do anything?" Sein took a step back, grinned softly and raised her hands up in a defensive gesture.

"Hey, come on... I was just curious."

Deed grumbled and shook her head, sighing. "Sorry, Sein, just a little cramped and no one came to help me out for an hour. I'm not using more than one ribbon ever again." The long-brown haired cyborg sighed and looked at the mess. "Much less four at once. Dad's going to be upset too."

Sein shrugged and scratched her head. "Eh, at least you didn't try that at the match, huh?" Suddenly Deed started laughing as she nodded, that would be rather humorous.

---

Two Days Later...

It was the night of the match, Akane looked around as people started to come to the St. Herberke school gym, which looked closer to a dome than a gym, and pile in. "Where is Deed?" She asked, wincing as her ankle still gave her problems when she tried walking on it.

"Otto was bringing her." Sein said, before smirking as the sound of a rumbling engine was heard. "Ah, there they are." The two looked on as Otto, dressed in her black jeans and leather vest, dark sunglasses on her face as she drove her motorcycle to the gym, Deed was riding on the bike, sitting behind Otto while dressed in purple pants and shirt while holding a duffel bag.

"Thanks, Otto." Deed smiled as her twin stopped the bike and let her get off. "See you inside." Otto nodded at her as Deed waved to Sein and Akane, walking to the both of them.

"Oh wow! Look how handsome he is!" A nameless girl said loudly while pointing to Otto, who blinked behind her glasses and blushed hard as more girls were whispering, giggling and pointing at her.

"Uh... Uh..."

"Oh wow, handsome and cute!" A very pretty girl smiled as she stepped closer to Otto. "So, what are you doing later?"

"Watching my sister take on Kodachi Kuno." Otto said, her voice breaking as she tried to keep her cool, it got harder as girls started crowding her and asking for her sister's name so they knew who she was cheering for. "Uh, her name's Deed, you'll see her when the match starts." She gulped as someone boldly slipped their hand on her lower back, she was thankful she didn't get off the bike or someone would have been squeezing her butt. "Um, excuse me!" She roared the engine and the girls backed away as she peeled out of there to find a parking spot.

"Awww! He was so cute too!" The girl that had tried to feel Otto up pouted as the biker had left.

---

Nabiki sighed as she sat in the stands, looking around as people started piling in the stands, some on the upper levels, most, like her, were sitting on the lower levels to get a better look at the ring where the match would take place. It was closer to a Professional Wrestling ring in terms of size and design, but she knew it wasn't just for show. She smirked softly as she saw Ranma, Uno and Tre sit down just in front of her. "Hey, you three. Not being Deed's spotter?" She asked, curious and blinking as Akane sat down next to her. "Okay, so, who..."

"Nove is." Otto said as she and Sette sat down in the same row as Nabiki and Akane, just down a bit from them. The small group was sitting right next to the ring floor to get a better look, not that any of them needed to sit so close, but it would be easier for them to cheer Deed on from there. Dieci sat next to Nabiki, right next to the steps that made up the isle, Cinque, being the shortest, was sitting right in front of her.

Uno blinked a few times. "Where's Sein and Wendi?"

"Welcome to the Rhythmic Gymnastics Martial Arts Match and... ACK!" People blinked and started muttering as there were sounds heard over the loud speaker.

"Sorry about that!" A new voice was heard. "My name's Sein and myself and Wendi are taking over for the announcers for the rest of the match!"

In the ring, a girl with a short black ponytail, dressed in a white dress shirt and black dress pants was announcing the contestants. "For St. Herberke, the Champion, Kodachi Kuno!" She yelled, gesturing towards the girl in a black leotard, her hair done up in a long black ponytail. "And in this corner..." She trailed off, blinking as she saw Deed, dressed in a leotard as she held a ribbon in her hand. "Um... Who?"

"Deed." When the ring referee asked for a last name, the brown-haired cyborg sweated slightly, before she blurted out the first name that came to mind. "Saotome!"

In the stands Nabiki started laughing as Ranma twitched slightly, next to Ranma, Uno looked on amusedly as people looked on in slight confusion.

Otto scratched her head before smiling at that. "So, I'm Saotome too then?" Nabiki, hearing that, nearly fell over laughing, and only stopped when Ranma turned to give her a flat look.

"Can I be Sette Saotome, dad?"

Ranma sighed and chuckled ruefully. "Sure." He really didn't have any real objection to it, though it did feel weird to have anyone call him dad, or even take his last name, other than as a joke.

Sitting on the lowest level, Takewaki Kuno nodded as he looked at the opponent of his sister. She was a pretty girl, but nothing compared to his fierce tigress or the pink haired Athena. "Ah, if not for them, that lovely lady would be almost worthy of my affections." Kuno said softly, smiling as she rested his Bokken on his shoulder. If only he had found his Athena's name.

"Representing Furinkan High! Deed Saotome! The rules are simple!" The referee yelled at the crowds. "No time limits, no bare-handed blows! If either contestant is knocked down or falls out of the ring, they will lose."

"Ohohohohohohoho!" Kodachi laughed as she held a length of rope in one hand and two clubs in the other hand. "Shall we begin?"

"Gladly." Deed smirked and lashed her ribbon out at Kodachi, who batted it away with her rope, then wrapped up the end of the ribbon with her clubs as she spun around, swinging the rope at Deed, who spun to avoid the blow. Her eyes widened as Kodachi jumped into the air, laughing the whole while and wrapping it around her ankles.

"Oh no!" Wendi stood up, yelling into the microphone. "It seems as if Kodachi has wrapped up Deed by her ankles and is about to trip her up, if that happens..."

"Immediate forfeit!" Sein finished for the redhead next to her. "Oh, look at that, Champion Kodachi uses her rope to try and sweep Deed off her feet, it's almost like it's a club or rod."

Deed winced as she felt the blow to her ankles but she rolled with the blow, put her hand on the mat and used it to flip away from Kodachi. "Ball!" She called out as Kodachi called for a hoop. Catching the large ball that Nove threw to her, Deed re-directed it straight at Kodachi while kicking her feet loose. Sure, she could fly, but that wouldn't be as much fun. Plus it would be a hassle to explain why she could fly in the first place.

"Hoop." Kodachi called out, using her rope to snag the inside of the ring, spun it around a few times, before spinning her body to add momentum and launching the hoop at the ball that was thrown at her, cutting it clean through.

"What the heck?!" Deed's eyes widened as she bent backwards to avoid the hoop, only for her eyes to widen as it cut clean through one of the corner posts.

"Hey!" Nove yelled at the referee. "Isn't that illegal?!"

"It's not a bare-handed blow." The referee shrugged as Kodachi grabbed a ribbon that her second tossed to her, before lashing out, the end wrapping around the hoop and pulling it back.

Deed grimaced and jumped to the side as the hoop was pulled back, tearing up the mat a bit in the process.

"Ohohohohohoho! You are good." Kodachi smirked as she snapped her ribbon, letting the hoop fly back at Deed, who had grabbed the two halves of the ball in the ring and used them to knock the hoop harmlessly, well, as harmlessly as a razor-sharp hoop was, out of the ring and onto the floor.

"Why the heck are you cheating anyway?" Deed asked as she grabbed her ribbon.

"Cheating?" Kodachi put her hand up to her mouth and laughed, most people shuddered as it got louder. Deed didn't even flinch. "My dear girl, the true essense of Martial Arts Rythmic Gymnastics is to control an endless array of tools, watch!" Kodachi jumped into the air, snapped her ribbon out and wrapped it around the nearest object, which happened to be a steel chair, before she pulled back and swung it at Deed, who had snapped her ribbon out, similar to Kodachi and wrapped it around the referee bell and swinging it at the chair, both colliding and knocking each other out of the ring with a loud crash.

"Incredible! I didn't even know that the ribbons were that sturdy." Sein yelled excitedly and jumped back with Wendi as Deed wrapped the ribbon around the announcer table. "Woah! Never thought I'd ever see a table go flying like that before! What's this? Champion Kodachi is countering with... Some idiot in a kendo outfit and wielding a bokken." Sein blinked as someone whispered in her ear. "Oh! That's Kodachi's older brother, ladies and gentlemen!"

Wendi looked at the judges next to her. "Is the use of a brother legal?"

"LEGAL!" They yelled as one and raised white flags.

Kuno saw the table flying at him, before he thrusted his wooden sword out, smashing the table, and Deed's ribbon, to pieces.

"Deed!" Nove yelled as she tossed two small objects at the brown-haired girl, who caught them, one in each hand.

Kuno, meanwhile, crashed into the isle in the bleachers and shook his head. "That... Did not hurt." He muttered as he rubbed his head and stood up. His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of pink. "My pink haired Athena! I wish to date with thee!" He rushed forward, his arms open, before a green light enveloped him and sent him flying up and out of the gymnasium.

"Um, Otto, I think you blasted someone."

Otto blinked at Sette in confusion and looked at her hands, which were smoking. "What happened?"

Back in the ring, Deed activated her Twin Blades and took a defensive stance.

"Ohohohohohoho! I see you can use two, huh?" Kodachi laughed and twirled her rope in her hand. "You shall see that you aren't as good as you imagine!" She and Deed jumped up into the air at the same time. Kodachi called for her ball in mid-air and swung her rope, which was quite obviously a rod disguised as a rope by this time, at the ball, Deed crossed her arms above her head the blades lit behind her.

"Twin Blade..." Deed trailed off as she recalled something Ranma had said to her in training.

*Flashback...*

"It's not always what you know, or what you don't know, or what your opponent's using. Using a move that you know is always good. But the best moves are always used when you modify them on the fly."

"Really?" Deed asked, blinking.

"No, I just made that up."

"GAAAH!" Deed yelled as Ranma laughed at her and tripped her up.

"But I wasn't lying. My best moves are always modified on the fly." Ranma smirked at her.

*End Flashback*

Deed's eyes glinted as the ball rushed towards her, her blades were surrounded by an orange aura of power. "BREAKER!" She screamed, swinging her blades forward, destroying the ball, hitting Kodachi in the upper chest and slamming her down, hard, through the mat and into the floor, her body surrounded by an aura of energy as Kodachi was forced through the mat.

Everyone was silent as Deed landed on the mat silently, waiting.

The referee walked up to the Kodachi-shaped hole and peered down. Kodachi was alive, but clearly out of the fight, skin smoking as she groaned. "Champion Kodachi Kuno is out of the fight! The winner is Deed Saotome!" She yelled, gesturing to the brown-haired girl, who was starting to blush at the cheers she was getting.

"And there you have it, folks! Deed is the winner of this big match!" Sein was all smiles as she watched the way people were cheering for her sister.

Kodachi groaned and climbed back into the ring, panting and groaning with each move. When Deed looked at her curiously, she stood up tall and laughed softly. "My, my. That was the best match I ever had, girl. You are very good. I look forward to seeing you again."

In the stands, Ranma blinked, several times before asking what was on his and Nabiki's minds. "Did she just... Befriend Kodachi?" Who knew that attacks like that could actually work outside of Nanoha's universe?

Nabiki started chuckling. Oh, this was going to be a fun loop.

[RadiantBeam]

I can't wait for you to get to the ice skating challenge.

[ghazghkull]

Speaking of time-related fics, where's the post where Nanoha and Fate encounter their future children?

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by ghazghkull

Speaking of time-related fics, where's the post where Nanoha and Fate encounter their future children?

The omake chapter? I don't remember the specific page, but I know Nanya put it up onto FF.net a long time ago if you want me to dig out the link for you.

[ghazghkull]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

The omake chapter? I don't remember the specific page, but I know Nanya put it up onto FF.net a long time ago if you want me to dig out the link for you.

That would be appreciated :3

Edit: Nvm, I found it :3

[Rika23onROOF]

(^//////^) post chapter 2 of My Princess in ff.net already.

Spoiler for small bits from My Princess cp2:

“You’re safe!” Suzuka threw herself at Arisa.

“Huh—?!”

The blond freeze at that spot, her mind went blank as soon as Suzuka hugged her. Its weird that she let herself being hugged by a stranger. Usually she avoids it or struggled to break free, it usually happened when her family had a reunion and she was being given bear hugs from her aunts and uncles. It’s not like she hates them, she was just uncomfortable and not used to it. Her parents were to blame about it since they rarely show her that kind of affection.

The cries of the purple hair girl made her eyes widen. Is she crying? She took a peek at the girl’s face, she really was crying. W-What did I do?! Arisa started to look panic as those sobbing gets louder. “H-Hey, d-don’t cry. I-I’m sorry?” She wasn’t sure if it was her fault or not but apologized anyway.

Suzuka in the other hand could only cling on her. Wrapping her arms around Arisa’s neck, she let herself weep at the girl’s neck. Her worries started to fade away knowing the girl she hugged was real and not her imagination. She didn’t want to let go of her, she felt…safe and secure.

“H-hey, come on now don’t cry.” Arisa tried once again. Ack! People are looking!

She looked at the others to see if anyone could help her out but strangely they were…smiling? Especially from Shinobu and Falin. But she couldn’t help feel the murderous aura coming from the two maids. What did I do now? Those two practically given off a vibe of ‘You make her cry, you’ll pay for this’. She felt being eye by a predator that would eat her anytime now. The others only raised their head in amusement.

Finally her cries stopped and Suzuka looked up to see Arisa, who was still fidgeting at Noel and Falin’s stared.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe, I thought those boys caught you.” Suzuka beamed.

“Boys?” Arisa blinked, and then she remembered what happened before. “Oh you mean those three. I manage to hide from them.” Arisa grinned.

Suzuka giggled, the depression that surrounds her hours ago completely disappears.

Ahem.

Both blinked and looked at Shinobu, who coughed for no reason. But for Arisa it took her few moments to notice why, she and the girl were still attached to each other. Giving a small yelped she released herself from Suzuka’s embraced.

“I-Its not what you think!?” Arisa burst out to Shinobu.

“My, my, what do you think I think, Arisa-chan?” Shinobu winked, making Arisa flushed in embarrassment.

[Dr_Tom]

29 pages of backlog just for missing 3 or 4 days of lurking....hell

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by GlancingReverse

I was bored, and felt like doing something, so this came up.

Spoiler for ...:

Glaring – (v.) Staring with anger, fierceness, or hostility.

“The glint in his eyes is quite powerful”. That was the only thought on the mind of a certain Nanoha Takamachi as she slowly backed away from the person across from her. Inching away little by little, Nanoha desperately wished that she had some kind of excuse for getting out of the current situation. Alas, the poor brunette had none, and was forced to deal with the person who had cornered her. Sighing inwardly, Nanoha decided to decipher the situation one piece at a time.

“Okay, let's start from the beginning,” Nanoha began, raising her hands to the air. “ Why are your eyes like that?”

“You're the only one left...” The figure responded ominously. “I've trained enough to get past the others, and now it's your turn...”

The brunette was not amused. “Cut the theatrics.” She told him directly.

“Fine,” The man complied hesitantly, began talking normally. “Now then, you're the only one left!”

“Yuuno,” Nanoha complained, “can you at least tell me what you're referring to?”

“Staring contest.” The boy replied. “I'll beat you.”

“Umm... Okay...” Nanoha looked away, scared of the intensity contained in the boy's eyes. “Begin?” She asked hesitantly while turning back towards him.

“Yes,” Yuuno confirmed, staring straight at the brunette. The two stood for a minute, passion in their eyes. Suddenly, the boy leaned in even closer to the girl, causing her to flinch at the sudden movement, before quickly taking a peck on the lips and running off, having succeeded.

Having recovered and watched the boy run away, one thought was on Nanoha's mind. “Geez, if he wanted a kiss, all he had to do was ask. I would've gone much deeper, myself.”

Hehe, that was sweet ^^ Thanks for that.

[Satashi]

AlternativeS 1 AlternativeS 2 AlternativeS 3a AlternativeS 3b

Spoiler for Alternatives 4-1:

I looked up at the morning sky from my wheelchair as I moved along the sidewalk leading to the main part of the Saint church. The air was crisp and held a taste to it that others said they couldn't place. I knew what it was, as the sky had always been a part of me. It was the fall season coming, bringing with it cooler weather and the pretty colors of leaves before they fall. I liked this season best and I couldn't help but smile to myself as I made it into the church after someone held the door for me. Upon entering I saw sister Schach looking around herself frantically and I couldn't help but go over to her to ask what was bothering her so much.

AlternaticveS IV
By: Satashi

"You lost her?" Nanoha asked, honestly shocked at what she was just told. "How do you lose a little girl!?"

"I'm terribly sorry," Schach bowed embarrassedly. "I went to check on her and she wasn't in her room. I don't think she could have made it too far..."

"I'll help look." Turning her chair, Nanoha moved herself in the opposite direction. "Contact me if you find her, okay?"

"Thank you, Nanoha-san."

The girl in the chair sighed out in a mixture of worry and annoyance. 'I can't believe they lost her... Poor thing must be scared out of her mind...' Nanoha licked her lips and tried to repress a worried feeling. 'She's so young, I hope we find her so we can help her...If I was a little girl, where would I go?' Her blue eyes looked out a window she was passing.' I'd want to be outside, away from everyone else...' Turning, she headed down another hallway and out through a door leading into a small outside area in the middle of the church.

Passing a flower bed, Nanoha looked around and did a double take when she thought she saw motion out of the corner of her eye. Moving to a large tree in the middle of the tiny park, Nanoha saw Vivio hiding half behind the tree holding the stuffed rabbit she had given her. "Hello there," Nanoha spoke softly, making Vivio move behind the tree more. "I see you found the bunny I gave you." Vivio looked down at her friend and then slowly turned back to Nanoha, nodding lightly. When no words were given, Nanoha tried again to talk with her. "My name is Nanoha... what's yours?"

"...Vivio." The single word was said softly, laced with a slight bit of fear in it.

"Vivio... that's a really nice name." Nanoha smiled at her. "How old are you, Vivio?"

"...Don't know." The answer made the older woman want to bite her tongue. "Where's my mama?"

"Can't find your mama?" Nanoha asked softly, instantly reflecting back on Fate. "That's not good... How about we look for her together?" Offering her hand out, she kept smiling at the blonde in front of her until she slowly came out from hiding and walked over to her to accept the hand. "What does your mama look like?"

"...Don't know..." Vivio sniffled, looking down. "...Scared."

Nanoha placed her other hand on top of Vivio's gently. "Don't be scared; I'm here with you, okay?" She got a small nod but Vivio's eyes still clearly told how she felt. "...Are you hungry, Vivio?"

"Mmn." A small nod came paired with the sound.

"Do you like waffles?" Nanoha smiled again, getting an interested look. "Why don't we go someplace where we can eat some? Bunny-san can come too." Glancing down at Vivio again, Nanoha felt a twinge of sympathy when she noticed the girl was only wearing a shirt that went to her knees. "Do your feet hurt? Want to sit on my lap?"

"Mmn..." The girl looked down a moment but her mis-matched eyes turned back up, looking at the outstretched arms of the woman leaning towards her. After several seconds of debating with herself, she raised her arms and allowed Nanoha to lift her and place her onto the older woman's legs.

"There," Nanoha praised her with a smile. "Isn't that better?" One hand went to Vivio's hair and patted it softly. "We'll get you some clothes after we eat, okay?" Vivio turned and looked back at her curiously. "Don't worry, you're safe okay?"

"Nanoha-san!" Schach's voice came as the woman ran out into the garden. "I saw you from the window."

"I just found her," Nanoha explained happily. "We're going to get something to eat; she must be starving, I'm sure she hasn't eaten since at least yesterday morning."

"I'll take her-" Schach reached out to Vivio but pulled back when the girl cried out and hugged Nanoha, hiding her face in the woman's breasts. "Ah..."

"Don't be scared, Vivio." Nanoha tried to sooth her and repress the shock of suddenly being held onto. "You're here with me, I won't go anywhere." A red and green eye looked up at her, each moistened with tears paired with a scared sound coming from the child's closed mouth. "I promise, you're safe with me." Nanoha leaned down a bit and stroked Vivio's hair. "Relax, everything is okay now."

Vivio slowly nodded and placed her face back against Nanoha's chest, holding onto her just in case. "Mmn..."

Nanoha looked back at sister Schach with a helpless expression. "Guess it can't be helped... Lets go to the kitchen and get her fed."

"O-Okay..."

Spoiler for Alternatives 4-2:

~**~

Nanoha watched with interest as Vivio looked at her fork and butter knife with a helpless expression. Clumsily the girl tried to cut off a bite of the food but only succeeded in moving it around on her plate. Before tears came to Vivio's eyes, Nanoha forced herself to stop watching the adorable act and lean over to take Vivio's plate. "Here, I'll help you." Easily, she began to cut up the waffles into bite sized pieces. "There you are, Vivio." Nanoha moved the plate back to the girl and felt rather proud of herself when she got a cheerful sound mixed with a chomp of food. "You were really hungry, huh?"

"Mmn!" Vivio stabbed another bite, holding the fork in her closed fist.

Schach leaned over to Nanoha while looking at Vivio. "Ne, Nanoha-san..." When the older woman shifted closer to her, she began to whisper. "What are we going to do with her? We know she's an artificial mage so she doesn't have parents..."

"I'm not sure exactly," Nanoha whispered back just as quietly. "We need to find someone who can take care of her." Turning back to Vivio, Nanoha watched the girl eat bite after bite, getting more and more syrup on her face. Not being able to help it anymore, Nanoha got a napkin and moved next to Vivio again. "Here, you're making a mess of yourself..." Vivio allowed her to wipe her face, making content sounds at being pampered.

Now with a clean and full child to contend with, Nanoha allowed Vivio to is on her lap once more. Together along with Sister Schach, they went down the church hallways and to a room where they kept a few spare clothes for children. "Anything in her size?" Nanoha asked curiously, holding Vivio by her sides while the girl looked around with interest.

"Yes, this should fit her." Schach pulled out a white shirt with blue sleeves. "And here's the matching skirt." A blue skirt was offered as well.

"Change clothes, Vivio," Nanoha told her gently. With a small motion, the woman lifted Vivio from her lap and placed her down onto the floor. When she was looked at helplessly, Nanoha gave her a sad smile. "Want me to help you?" A nod answered her. "Lift your arms for me."

Three minutes and a clothed Vivio later, the small group went back into the hallways and headed to the front of the church. "I'll contact you as soon as we find someone." Schach spoke happily. "Thank you for your help, Nanoha-san."

"Wasn't a problem at all." Nanoha smiled at Vivio next to her. "I have to go now, Vivio."

"Waheh?" The girl grabbed Nanoha's wheelchair and shook her head. "No!"

"Don't worry, Sister Schach will take good care of you." Nanoha tried to smile again when Vivio started crying openly. "Vivio, don't cry, you'll be just fine." The loud crying was mixed with sobs and broken half words despite the two older women trying to sooth her.

"Vivio, we will have lots of fun together," Schach promised as best she could. "Don't worry, you'll be really happy here!" The crying got louder when Schach placed her hands on Vivio's shoulders. The small girl moved away and held onto Nanoha's leg tightly, shaking her head and crying out even more.

Nanoha looked helplessly at Schach and got a hopeless look in return. "I guess it can't be helped then... I'll look after her for the time being."

"But Nanoha-san...Are you able to care for such a young girl while on the base?"

"No," Nanoha shook her head, moving a hand down to stroke Vivio's hair in an attempt to calm her. "But I can't just leave this child after everything she's been through... It seems like she trusts me and I'd hate to think what would happen to her if I left her like this... she may try to run away again, and keeping her under lock and key would be no better than whoever had her beforehand..."

"I see..." Schach rubbed her hands together. "If there's anything I can do to help just let me know."

"I will, thank you." Taking a deep breath, Nanoha leaned forward to the still sobbing girl holding onto her. "Vivio," the gentle voice saying her name made Vivio look up at Nanoha, sniffling heavily. "Would you like to come home with me?"

"...Mmn." Nodding, Vivio looked up at her with shaking red eyes stained with tears.

Nanoha nodded and carefully started wiping away the tears on Vivio's face. "Okay then, we'll stay together for a while then, is that okay?" Another nod and hum came, paired with a noticeable lift in the girl's spirits. "Then lets head home together." Taking Vivio's hand, she nodded at her friend once more.

~**~

"It's not much, but its a start," Yuuno finished while glancing over the monitors in front of himself. "At least we've managed to narrow down the rift you came through, Harlaown-san."

"Please, call me Fate." The blonde offered happily. "Thank you so much, Yuuno, you have no idea how much better I feel after hearing this."

The male grinned. "We're just getting started, but it seems like we have a clear direction on where to go from here. If everything goes absolutely perfectly smoothly, then I'd say you will be on your way back home in little over a month."

"A month..." Despite the time frame, Fate couldn't help but smile broadly, red eyes shining with a light that she hadn't shown once since she arrived. "I'd wait forever if it meant I could go back to my family one more time."

A beeping sound rang up, making Hayate look up from her desk. "Speaking of, Nanoha is contacting us." A button was pressed and Nanoha's image appeared on a screen along with the loud yelling of a small child. "Na-Nanoha!?"

Nanoha looked at her friends on the screen embarassedly. Vivio was clinging to her tightly, yelling without shame at the idea of being removed from Nanoha's arms. "Uhm... Help me, please?" She asked, blushing hard and offering a light smile.

Spoiler for Alternatives 4-3:

Hayate laughed happily at the sight and nodded at her friend teasingly. "We're on our way. Try not to make the girl cry too much before we get there okay?"

"Mou, not funny, Hayate-chan." Nanoha pouted at her as the connection cut off. turning back to Vivio, the woman tried again to reason with her. "Vivio, don't cry so much okay? I will only be gone for a few hours. I promise I will be back.... Aw, please Vivio? Pretty please?" Her attempts at requesting leave fell on deaf ears as Vivio shook her head, clinging harder to Nanoha's legs. "I have no idea how to deal with a crying child..."

The door to Nanoha's room opened and Hayate walked in along with Yuuno and Fate. The woman in the lead crossed her arms and looked at Nanoha with an amused smirk. "Well, this is an interesting sight. Nanoha-chan is babysitting, and not doing a very good job."

"Ha, ha, ha." Nanoha gave a sarcastic laugh. "What do I do? She refuses to let me go."

Fate took a step forward and picked up the small stuffed bunny that was on the floor. "Vivio?" Her voice was soft and light, making the small girl tense up before turning around. At once, Vivio screamed out in terror and literally scrambled to climb up on Nanoha. Clinging to the woman tightly, she pressed her face against Nanoha's chest and sobbed out.

Hayate looked down at the blonde curiously. "Not very good with the children, are you?"

"I...I don't understand." Fate stood up completely and walked to Nanoha, offering the bunny to Vivio. Instead of taking it, Vivio started to shiver, hugging onto Nanoha more and crying out. "Vivio?"

Nanoha took the plushy and gave Fate an apologetic look. "She seems to be scared of you for some reason."

"It seems so..." Fate answered back softly. "I better move away..." True to her words, the blonde turned and walked away, hiding behind Yuuno.

"Vivio," Nanoha spoke to her in a caring tone. "Don't be scared, nothing will hurt you. See, bunny-san says its okay." Her hand made the plushy bounce lightly in the air before Vivio took it and held it close to her chest.

Hayate moved forward this time and knelt down next to the two, looking at Vivio with curiosity. "You have very pretty eyes, Vivio."

"This is Hayate-chan," Nanoha introduced the still sniffling girl to her friend. "She's my best friend in the world." As an after thought, she looked at Yuuno and stuck out her tongue playfully at him. "And that is Yuuno-kun, my... best male friend in the world."

"Hello, Vivio." Yuuno greeted with an over dramatic bow that made Vivio forget the current problem she was facing.

Fate held back saying anything and instead watched the small group talk to Vivio, distracting her for a moment so she could calm down. 'I wonder what made Vivio so afraid of me? Was it because I grabbed her when she was running away? Does she think I will hurt her?'

"Vivio," Nanoha spoke up again, rubbing the girl's back. "I really have to go do my duties now." At once Vivio's eyes started to mist up.

"So," Hayate interrupted the waterworks. "You get to stay with me for a while, until Nanoha-chan can come back. It will be lots of fun!"

Yuuno glanced over at Hayate and whispered into her ear so no one else could hear. "Are you able to watch after her right now?"

"A small break won't kill me, at least until Nanoha finishes her training." Hayate picked up her voice again and opened her arms up. "Come on, lets go have some fun, okay Vivio?"

Vivio looked from Hayate to Nanoha, giving a small whimper at the idea of being transferred. "Its okay," Nanoha promised her. "I will come pick you up in a few hours. You don't want to be a selfish girl, do you?"

Another displeased sound was made but Vivio did allow herself to be plucked from Nanoha's lap and cradled against Hayate's body. "There," Hayate cooed at her. "We will play dress up!"

Nanoha rubbed her forehead. "Ah, I need to get some clothes for her as well."

"I'll get them," Fate spoke up again. "I got my first paycheck for the missions I did, so it won't be a problem."

"No, no, I'll pay for them." Nanoha shook her head.

"Its okay, my money won't be used anyway later on. The least I can do is get some clothes. Should I pick up some groceries while I'm out?" Fate moved to the kitchen and looked around to see what she should buy.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha turned and moved over to the girl, blushing. "Really, you don't have to-"

"Shush," Fate replied simply, pulling up a monitor and starting to make a list. "I want to." Looking over at Nanoha, she smiled down at her and leaned over to touch her nose in an imitation of what Nanoha did to her earlier. "Should I bring back some ice cream for her?"

"I... guess so." Nanoha reached up and took the finger in her hand, holding onto it. "Thank you... Fate-chan."

"You're very welcome." Letting Nanoha hold onto her finger, she looked over at Vivio, who quickly turned away from her to hide against Hayate. "Well, I'll be off then... Can I borrow your car, Nanoha?"

"Certainly."

Spoiler for AlternativeS 4-4:

~**~

Fate shifted the many bags in her arms as she opened the door leading into Nanoha's loft style room. "I'm back," she called out contently, only to be shushed by the girl sitting on the couch.

"Vivio is taking a nap." Nanoha revealed in a slightly hushed voice. "I finally got her to sleep so I'd like for her to rest up."

Fate smiled at her as she dropped off the groceries on the kitchen cabinet. "Remember that when she's wired at three in the morning." Opening the bags up, she started placing random things into the small refrigerator. "Don't get up, its not much."

"You didn't even look to see if I was," Nanoha complained lightly as she leaned back onto the couch."

"I know you." Fate hummed while finishing up the small task. Once completed, she picked up the plastic bags containing Vivio's clothes and walked over to Nanoha. Sitting beside her, she started holding up the outfits in turn. "What do you think?"

"Very nice," Nanoha inspected each set of clothing happily. "This should last her."

"I got a few things for me as well. Yuuno said I would be here for at least a month longer if there are no delays. I'm honestly expecting it to be longer, but one can hope, right?" She held up a see-through pink nightie. "I got this for you." Handing it to Nanoha, Fate started rooting through the bag. "There are matching panties in here somewhere...Ah," Holding them up, she smiled.

Nanoha felt her cheeks burn as she inspected it. "Wow..."

"Is it too much?" Fate asked with a hint of concern in her voice. "I wanted to get you a little something since you've been so helpful and kind to me. I wasn't going to do lingerie but I was in the store and it really... reminded me of you." She smiled lightly and looked away with a slight hint of embarrassment. "I think it would look really nice on you. Something pretty for a pretty girl, you know?"

Nanoha felt her heart skip a beat. Holding the sheer fabric to her chest, she looked down and stammered out her response. "Th-thank you..." Knowing that even the tips of her ears were red, she shyly glanced over at Fate. "I'll... wear it for you sometime."

"Mmn, I'd like that." Fate replied back casually, placing Vivio's clothes all back into one bag while placing hers in another.

"S-so..." Nanoha fidgeted, trying to repress the thoughts of having someone actually wanting to see her in something sexy. "A month, huh?"

"Yes, its nice to have a time frame. I'm sorry for imposing on you like this. Hayate gave me my own room and yet I've been here the past few days."

"Its okay..." Nanoha finally folded her gift and placed it beside herself. "Really, its nice to have company. It gets... a little lonely here by myself."

"I'm sorry." Fate shifted to sit closer to Nanoha. "I wish I could help with that."

"You are..." The woman looked at Fate and then back to her lap, leaning ever so slightly closer to her. "What do we normally do in times like this?"

A happy smile came to Fate's lips as she reflected back. "Really want to know?"

"Yes?"

Fate leaned closer to Nanoha and smiled teasingly, a hint of playfulness in her eyes. "Kiss. Simple kissing while holding each other. Smiling, light flirts, sometimes tickling each other... just enjoying being next to each other."

Nanoha thought on it, smiling at the idea. "What's it like?"

"I can't... really describe it." Fate leaned back onto the couch and soon found Nanoha laying back as well. Out of instinct her arm went over the other girl's shoulders. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No!" Nanoha reached up and grabbed Fate's hand before it left. "I mean, its okay... its comfortable, you know?"

To the blue eye'd girl's delight, Fate simply smiled and nodded. "It is; you always were a snuggle slut."

"Snuggle slut?" Nanoha laughed when saying the words. "That's sickeningly cute, in a weird kind of way." Leaning onto Fate more, she played with the fingers on her shoulder with her own. "So... are you a snuggle slut as well?" The blonde looked up at the ceiling and pretended to think about the question. 'She's so casual about being close like this... I love it.' Nuzzling against the blonde's neck, Nanoha inhaled deeply. "You smell nice."

"Tried on perfume while at the mall. Guilty pleasure you could say."

Nanoha arched an eyebrow at her. "You wanted to get me a gift and tried on perfume, then bought me lingerie?" She grinned. "And you even smiled when I offered to show you my underwear... perv."

"Ah, no, that's..." Fate felt her words stop in her throat, unsure of what to say.

"Its okay," Nanoha replied back contently. "I don't mind... I think its cute." Shifting her head to rest on Fate's shoulder, she gazed at the blonde. "You're so pretty and shy, so its really cute to think that you have a dark side."

"H-hey now..."

"Hm?" Nanoha interlaced her fingers with Fate's.

"Nothing... just for a moment I could swear you really were her." Fate told her softly, voice suddenly getting a little sad.

Nanoha felt as if she had been slapped. A mixture of annoyance and jealousy mixed in her chest and she pulled away from Fate. 'Why won't you look at me for who I am?'

"Nanoha?" Fate asked, unsure as of why the girl suddenly pulled away from her so fast. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

Fate grimaced. "Uh oh... What did I say? Was the nightie too much for a gift after all? I'm sorry, I'll-"

"Its not the nightie." Nanoha replied back a little snippier than she had intended. "Its just... ugh, I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm just in a weird mood I guess."

"Oh... Okay..."

"Fate-chan," Nanoha reached out for the blonde when she went to stand up. Looking up into the now sad eyes, she couldn't help but sigh out. "Um... Remember the other day you said you would hug me again after you got out of the shower?"

"...Yes?"

"I could use that hug."

Fate instantly moved back down and wrapped her arms around Nanoha, pulling her close. "Silly girl, if you had a weird day and are in a mood, you can always have a hug."

Inhaling Fate's scent, Nanoha slid her arms around the girl's waist and held on tight. "Thank you."

"Anytime." Fate moved back enough to rest her forehead against Nanoha's. "Anything else you would like? How about a leg massage?"

Nanoha smiled, blushing happily at the closeness of Fate's face. "I would love that, very much." Fate slid off the couch and smiled up at her, slowly running her hands up Nanoha's leg before gripping the stocking and ever so slowly peeling it down. 'Oh my god that's such a seductive sight.' Nanoha's eyes went wide and she hid her face behind both her palms, gasping at the bold thought that ran through her mind.

"Nanoha? What is it?" Fate asked curiously, getting a furious shaking of Nanoha's head in reply. "Silly."

Spoiler for Alternatives 4-5:

~**~

Nanoha looked over her shoulder when she heard rustling sheets behind herself. Vivio, lost in a sea of blankets, was struggling to find her way out. A small grin came to Nanoha's face as she moved herself over to the bed, watching the act curiously for as long as she could before knowing Vivio might get scared." Here, I'll help," she spoke up and noticed the struggling stopped at once to allow her to free Vivio.

The small blonde took in a large breath once her head was clear of the fabric and she turned to look at Nanoha, her hair frizzing in all directions from static electricity. Small arms reached out in a request to be picked up and Nanoha obliged her, pulling the girl into her lap and moving back to her desk to try and do some of her work. "Did you sleep well, Vivio?"

"Mmn."

Nanoha shifted the girl so she was sitting sideways on her lap and held up a finger in a 'no-no' motion. "When you're agreeing with a female, you say 'yes ma'am' okay?"

"...Yes ma'am?" Her words made Nanoha smile, which in turn made Vivio giggle and close her eyes happily. "Yes ma'am."

'Her vocabulary doesn't seem to be that bad... but she seems to only want to make sounds to communicate...' Nanoha reached up to touch Vivio's nose, getting a smile again. "Vivio, are you hungry or anything?"

"No ma'am."

The older woman looked impressed again. "Is there anything you want to do?" The girl thought about it a moment before tilting her head to the side.

"Don't know."

"TV?"

"Hmmn?"

Nanoha moved so she could go downstairs, past where Fate was taking a nap on the couch. "I think I have lots of channels." Raising her hand, she made a monitor appear above the table. A horizontal one apepared in front of Vivio, who looked at it curiously. "This one moves the channels up and down. The volume is here, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Vivio looked at it a moment before turning to the side when Fate mumbled something in her sleep. At once Vivio shrieked and lunged at Nanoha, almost falling into the floor in her attempt to hug onto the older woman.

"Vi-Vivio!?"

Fate slowly sat up. "What is it...?"

"I don't know, Vivio suddenly got scared." Nanoha held the shaking girl.

"Vivio?" Fate sleepily moved over to Nanoha and reached out to stroke the girl's hair. "Don't be scared, you're fine here." When her hand touched the blonde, another shriek came and Vivio buried her face tighter onto Nanoha's chest. "She... really seems to be terrified of me..."

"Seems so..." Nanoha sighed. "Vivio... Vivio, look at me okay?" Reluctant eyes turned up to see the girl speaking to her. "Fate-chan is a good friend of mine... She won't hurt you, I promise."

"No." Vivio shook her head.

"Vivio," Nanoha tried again. "I promise you. Fate-chan is a good girl."

Fate leaned forward slowly, offering a smile to the girl who still tried to lean away from her. "Vivio, would you like some ice cream?"

"Oooooohhhhnn...." A sound that was mixed between wanting and dreading came at the same time, making both of the older girls repress laughture.

"I'll get you some," Fate promised. "Would you like to go with me to the ice cream store?"

Vivio shook her head frantically but Nanoha nodded. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! Vivio, will you be a good girl and bring Nanoha back some ice cream? Pretty please?"

Vivio looked terrified but the gentle look she was getting made her slink back and meekly nod. "...Yes ma'am."

"Be a good girl for Fate-chan, okay?"

Fate stood and reached up to pick up Vivio, who instantly reached back for Nanoha. "don't worry, I'll protect you," Fate told the struggling girl. "Vivio, please don't move so much, I can't hold you."

"Down!"

Nanoha held up a finger again. "Say please when you want a request, okay?"

Vivio sniffled. "Down... Please..."

"Okay," Fate sat Vivio down on the floor but took the girl's small hand in hers. "But you have to hold my hand, okay?"

Vivio looked at Nanoha one last time, tears in her eyes at the thought of being alone with Fate. The woman in the wheelchair smiled at her and leaned forward to try and ease her fears. "I promise you, Vivio, Fate-chan is nice. Okay?"

"...Yes ma'am..." Vivio almost whispered out, looking back at Nanoha the entire time Fate walked with her to the door.

Spoiler for AlternativeS 4-6:

~**~

"Here we are," Fate spoke softly as she parked her car outside of the mall. "The best ice cream in town is in here." Reaching over, she moved the seatbelt from the squirming girl's lap. "There you go." Opening her door, Fate slid out of Nanoha's van and walked around to Vivio's side to help her down. "Hang onto my hand, okay?" Instead of taking Fate's hand, Vivio gave her pleading eyes. "Mou... stay next to me, okay?"

Vivio walked next to the older woman down the parking lot, every now and then running a few steps ahead so she could jump over a puddle on the ground left over from yesterday's rain. "Don't run, Vivio, you could fall." Fate told her in a soft but firm voice. The little girl ignored the heading and tried to jump another puddle, ending up falling down when she slipped in the water. "Mou, Vivio..."

Running up to the girl, Fate gently helped the crying child to her feet. "Are you okay?" Making sure the girl didn't land in the water, Fate sighed at the lightly skinned knee. "Aw, poor girl." Her hands dusted off the dirt. "Not bleeding, thankfully." when Vivio kept crying, Fate bent down lower and kissed the sore spot. "Pain, pain, fly away." Vivio hiccupped and looked at Fate curiously. "Does it still hurt?"

"Mnn..." Shaking her head, Vivio brought a finger up to her mouth.

"Good." Fate moved forward and hugged Vivio so she could lift her up and balance her against her hip. "There, I'll carry you the rest of the way so you can rest, okay?"

"...Yes ma'am."

Now with Vivio in tow, the blonde made the rest of the way into the mall. Lights from the nearby arcade distracted Vivio enough for Fate to have a pleasant time of carrying her through the food court and to the ice cream section there within. A greeting was made and Vivio turned to the small shop, eyes going wide at the sheer amount of candy and toppings on display. "Hey," Fate started. "I'd like a Pecan's Passion in a 'to-go' container, as well as a combination of sweet cream, cookie dough, chocolate chips, fudge, and a brownie, also in a waffle bowl." Turning to Vivio, Fate smiled at her. "What do you want?"

The question took her by surprise and Vivio placed both of her small hands onto the glass covering the ice cream and toppings. The amount of choices she could make overwhelmed the girl to the point where she just looked up at Fate hopelessly. "Um...."

Fate smiled at her. "Want me to pick for you?" The idea seemed to make Vivio nervous but she still slowly nodded, unsure if she was making the right choice or not. When given the go-ahead, Fate looked at the choices again and spoke up, easily recalling her daughter's favorite selections. "Chocolate and sweet swirl ice cream with chocolate chips, caramel, and crushed cookies in a chocolate covered waffle bowl." The words made Vivio make an excited sound as she turned from Fate and back to the people behind the counter. "Look, Vivio," Fate mused, leaning the girl closer. "See? That’s going to be yours." One hand pointed at the mess of yummy goodness being mixed together with spades.

"Mmn!" Vivio's eyes stayed on the treat until Fate paid for them and picked up the two bowls to hold in one hand as well as carry the plastic bag containing Nanoha's bucket by her fingertips. The two went to a small table and Vivio found herself being sat down in a seat and handed a spoon.

"Don't eat too fast, you'll get a headache and might make yourself sick, okay?" Fate knew the words would be ignored so she added in another line. "If you get sick you won't be able to eat anymore, you know?" That seemed to do the trick and Vivio's eager attempts to get to her treat slowed to the point where Fate was confident enough to slide the chair forward. "Enjoy."

Watching Vivio eat the cold treat made Fate smile brightly to herself. 'It’s amazing, being able to see my daughter so young again... I wonder what Vivio would say if I told her I got to see her four year old self make a mess of herself in a food court...' The idea made her giggle as she ate. ' I should take a picture to show to her girlfriend.'

Several pictures and a very content Vivio later, Fate found the girl walking next to her back towards the door. When they were almost there, Vivio stopped and grabbed Fate's skirt. A small hand pointed next to the arcade at the merry go round. Bright lights were blinking and music was playing just loud enough to attract attention to it. "Can I?" Vivio asked, hope laced in her voice.

"Yes," Fate gave in at once, walking with her over to it and giving the man there a few dollars to allow Vivio to ride. Holstering the girl up, Fate sat her on a plastic horse and looped the safety belt around her waist. "Gold on to the pole, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Vivio almost shouted, bouncing to see if she could make the ride start any faster.

'And I thought Nanoha was just like herself... Vivio is exactly the same as she was when she was younger.' The ride started and Fate stood next to Vivio's horse, one hand on the child's back. Around and around they went, making the older woman a little disorientated since her body wasn't actually moving.

When the ride finished and Vivio was lifted from the horse, the girl gave Fate large puppy dog eyes. "Again?"

"Sorry, but other people want to ride as well." Fate held Vivio with one arm looped under her and balanced the girl against her side. "See?" Her free hand pointed to the line of kids waiting to get on. "We have to let them ride as well, right?"

"....Mmn."

"We'll come back another day," Fate promised her. "We'll take Nanoha as well."

"Un!" Vivio smiled happily, missing the fact that she was being carried by the blonde all the way back to the van, where she was placed in the seat and buckled in.

[Nanya01]

@Satashi: Cute. Very cute. :3

[SulliMike23]

Aww...now I wanna make a Fate/Vivio mother/daughter moment.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

@Satashi: Cute. Very cute. :3

XD I love Fate/Vivio moments, since Fate is such a push-over when it comes to Vivio

Originally Posted by SulliMike23

Aww...now I wanna make a Fate/Vivio mother/daughter moment.

Do eeeeeeeeeeeet

[Rika23onROOF]

Originally Posted by Satashi

Spoiler for AlternativeS 4-6:

~**~

"Here we are," Fate spoke softly as she parked her car outside of the mall. "The best ice cream in town is in here." Reaching over, she moved the seatbelt from the squirming girl's lap. "There you go." Opening her door, Fate slid out of Nanoha's van and walked around to Vivio's side to help her down. "Hang onto my hand, okay?" Instead of taking Fate's hand, Vivio gave her pleading eyes. "Mou... stay next to me, okay?"

Vivio walked next to the older woman down the parking lot, every now and then running a few steps ahead so she could jump over a puddle on the ground left over from yesterday's rain. "Don't run, Vivio, you could fall." Fate told her in a soft but firm voice. The little girl ignored the heading and tried to jump another puddle, ending up falling down when she slipped in the water. "Mou, Vivio..."

Running up to the girl, Fate gently helped the crying child to her feet. "Are you okay?" Making sure the girl didn't land in the water, Fate sighed at the lightly skinned knee. "Aw, poor girl." Her hands dusted off the dirt. "Not bleeding, thankfully." when Vivio kept crying, Fate bent down lower and kissed the sore spot. "Pain, pain, fly away." Vivio hiccupped and looked at Fate curiously. "Does it still hurt?"

"Mnn..." Shaking her head, Vivio brought a finger up to her mouth.

"Good." Fate moved forward and hugged Vivio so she could lift her up and balance her against her hip. "There, I'll carry you the rest of the way so you can rest, okay?"

"...Yes ma'am."

Now with Vivio in tow, the blonde made the rest of the way into the mall. Lights from the nearby arcade distracted Vivio enough for Fate to have a pleasant time of carrying her through the food court and to the ice cream section there within. A greeting was made and Vivio turned to the small shop, eyes going wide at the sheer amount of candy and toppings on display. "Hey," Fate started. "I'd like a Pecan's Passion in a 'to-go' container, as well as a combination of sweet cream, cookie dough, chocolate chips, fudge, and a brownie, also in a waffle bowl." Turning to Vivio, Fate smiled at her. "What do you want?"

The question took her by surprise and Vivio placed both of her small hands onto the glass covering the ice cream and toppings. The amount of choices she could make overwhelmed the girl to the point where she just looked up at Fate hopelessly. "Um...."

Fate smiled at her. "Want me to pick for you?" The idea seemed to make Vivio nervous but she still slowly nodded, unsure if she was making the right choice or not. When given the go-ahead, Fate looked at the choices again and spoke up, easily recalling her daughter's favorite selections. "Chocolate and sweet swirl ice cream with chocolate chips, caramel, and crushed cookies in a chocolate covered waffle bowl." The words made Vivio make an excited sound as she turned from Fate and back to the people behind the counter. "Look, Vivio," Fate mused, leaning the girl closer. "See? That’s going to be yours." One hand pointed at the mess of yummy goodness being mixed together with spades.

"Mmn!" Vivio's eyes stayed on the treat until Fate paid for them and picked up the two bowls to hold in one hand as well as carry the plastic bag containing Nanoha's bucket by her fingertips. The two went to a small table and Vivio found herself being sat down in a seat and handed a spoon.

"Don't eat too fast, you'll get a headache and might make yourself sick, okay?" Fate knew the words would be ignored so she added in another line. "If you get sick you won't be able to eat anymore, you know?" That seemed to do the trick and Vivio's eager attempts to get to her treat slowed to the point where Fate was confident enough to slide the chair forward. "Enjoy."

Watching Vivio eat the cold treat made Fate smile brightly to herself. 'It’s amazing, being able to see my daughter so young again... I wonder what Vivio would say if I told her I got to see her four year old self make a mess of herself in a food court...' The idea made her giggle as she ate. ' I should take a picture to show to her girlfriend.'

Several pictures and a very content Vivio later, Fate found the girl walking next to her back towards the door. When they were almost there, Vivio stopped and grabbed Fate's skirt. A small hand pointed next to the arcade at the merry go round. Bright lights were blinking and music was playing just loud enough to attract attention to it. "Can I?" Vivio asked, hope laced in her voice.

"Yes," Fate gave in at once, walking with her over to it and giving the man there a few dollars to allow Vivio to ride. Holstering the girl up, Fate sat her on a plastic horse and looped the safety belt around her waist. "Gold on to the pole, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Vivio almost shouted, bouncing to see if she could make the ride start any faster.

'And I thought Nanoha was just like herself... Vivio is exactly the same as she was when she was younger.' The ride started and Fate stood next to Vivio's horse, one hand on the child's back. Around and around they went, making the older woman a little disorientated since her body wasn't actually moving.

When the ride finished and Vivio was lifted from the horse, the girl gave Fate large puppy dog eyes. "Again?"

"Sorry, but other people want to ride as well." Fate held Vivio with one arm looped under her and balanced the girl against her side. "See?" Her free hand pointed to the line of kids waiting to get on. "We have to let them ride as well, right?"

"....Mmn."

"We'll come back another day," Fate promised her. "We'll take Nanoha as well."

"Un!" Vivio smiled happily, missing the fact that she was being carried by the blonde all the way back to the van, where she was placed in the seat and buckled in.

they are so kute~~

oh! and I also wanted to say
Its about time! Satashi-senpai finally updated AlternativeS
Give Satashi-senpai a kiss as a reward (^//////^)

Originally Posted by SulliMike23

Aww...now I wanna make a Fate/Vivio mother/daughter moment.

Do it Sulli-senpai! No one is stopping you! (^/////^)

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by Rika23onROOF

they are so kute~~

oh! and I also wanted to say
Its about time! Satashi-senpai finally updated AlternativeS
Give Satashi-senpai a kiss as a reward (^//////^)

It was only like two days! XDDD

[RadiantBeam]

Sorry about that Rika, I got Satashi converted to ViCia. It was a bit of a distraction.