Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

For anyone who follows FotR, True Lies or DRG, I announce now that all of my fanfiction works are being discontinued and likely to never be picked up again. This is due to my lack of interest in fanfiction nowadays which is being inhibited by ship wars, pairings, fluff, more fluff and general notorious canon accuracy.

I'm going to develop on my own, creating my own universes for original stories instead, as to not be limited by set rules. This doesn't mean I leave, I will still be here, but I won't write anything and read a lot less (less than I already do).
I'm going to post my original/short stories in my Fan Creation thread for anyone interested in that.

Rock on.

Well, I'll still read them in backlog. Just for kicks. If you do write some original, or if you already have, I would love to read them sometime.

[Evil Rick]

Spoiler for Opening theme: Eternal Darkness:

Spoiler for Chapter 9: New Darkness:

Spoiler for Event 6:

“Who are you?!” Still holding Karil in my arms, I demanded an answer out of the undead who was standing at the entrance of the cellars, this one was different from the other undead I had faced, a big hat and coat, a pair of strange guns, a cigarette in his mouth and flames burning his chest... this creature was obviously the rider who kidnapped Karil and the one responsible for all of this... or at least that was what I though.

“Answer me! Who are you!?”

The demon put again the cigarette in his mouth and replied with a horrible voice.

“My name is Hell's Gunslinger”

“What did you do to Karil?! If you did something bad to her, I swear...”

“Your threats mean nothing to me, so don't waste time saying them... as for victim 20...” When I heard the phrase 'Victim 20', I immediately though that this creature was a minion of Nanoha, that maybe she had returned and that she was seeking vengeance.

“Her name is Karil! Now I know... you're a demon at the service of Nanoha, right? I killed your mistress and all of her demons, I can kill you as well, so tell me, what did you do to Karil?!”

“Buahahahahahahahahah!!!” Hell's gunslinger laughed so hard that he dropped his cigarette

“You fool! My mistress is not Nanoha, the White Devil doesn't compare with the woman I serve!”

I was shocked... Nanoha... the woman that almost destroyed the world... and this demon claimed her mistress to be more powerful?

“What did you do to Karil?! What is happening to her?!” I demanded an answer again.

“I just took what my mistress needed of her, for what she send me... she will be pleased, soon she will bring Hell to earth and the 1000 years of Darkness will begin”

“What are you saying? What did you take from Karil?!”

“It doesn't matter, for you nothing matters now... because you'll die here and now Vivio Valentine!”

Hell's gunslinger extended his arm pointing with his gun at us, I had just seen the enormous crater that the previous shot had left... I couldn't fight this firepower.

I jumped away and covered Karil with my body, Hell's gunslinger shot and an enormous explosion collapsed the roof over the cellars, when the rumble ended and the smoke vanished, I looked around, seeking for Hell's gunslinger, several rocks were now between me and the stairs in which he was, in front of me I spotted more stairs in a corner of the ruins of the cellars, it was clear what I needed to do.

“I must take Karil at Black Wolfness at the Vatican Knights quarters”

I immediately took Karil in my arms and ran upstairs, she was in the same state, sweating and apparently trapped in some kind of Nightmare.

I came out to the yard of the ranch, no sign of... anything, I decided to run in direction to the main gates.

I ran as fast I could, but when I was just about to reach the gates, an Undead Bandido spawned from the ground in front of me, only at this point I realized... I had left the Shotgun in the cellars.

I was unarmed and unable to move fast, I knew I was dead, the Bandido walked slowly in my direction, I was frozen, scared, in shock, with cold sweat rolling down my forehead, the Bandido pointed his shotgun at us, but when he was about to pull the trigger, the gates behind him collapsed and crushed him, at first I though that it was another undead rider, but when I looked better, I couldn't believe it, it was the black horse that I found on Sun's Hill, he had returned to save me and Karil.

“Fool... why did you come back? They could kill you!” I was hiding my happiness with this anger, it was stupid, I know... I simple hugged the horse's head and jump over him along with Karil.

“Let's get out of here!” The Horse ran out of the ranch and headed to the North, the American quarters were hidden in the canon of the Lost West, near the river of Silvers, I needed to head North.

I rode for almost 6 hours with Karil in my arms, I was tired but I knew I was close, the Sun raised ahead of me and I could see the canon of the Lost West.

“We are here! We made it Karil! You'll be okay...!”

In an instant, I feel my whole body freeze, like if my heart had stopped, I fell along with Karil unable to do anything.

“You can't escape... you're mine...” I heard this evil voice inside my head again, after this, my sight turned black... and I fell unconscious.

Spoiler for Ending theme: Once Upon a December:

Spoiler for Hell's Gunslinger:

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by Evil Rick

Spoiler for Opening theme: Eternal Darkness:

Spoiler for Chapter 9: New Darkness:

Spoiler for Event 6:

“Who are you?!” Still holding Karil on my arms, I demanded an answer out of the undead who was standing at the entrance of the cellars, this one was different from the other undead I had faced, a big hat and coat, a pair of strange guns, a cigarette in his mouth and flames burning his chest... this creature was obviously the rider who kidnapped Karil and the one responsable for all of this... or at least that was what I though.

“Answer me! Who are you!?”

The demon put again the cigarette in his mouth and replied with a horrible voice.

“My name is Hell's Gunslinger”

“What did you do to Karil?! If you did something bad to her, I swear...”

“Your threats mean nothing to me, so don't waste time saying them... as for victim 20...” When I heard the phrase 'Victim 20', I immediately though that this creature was a minion of Nanoha, that maybe she had returned and that she was seeking vengeance.

“Her name is Karil! Now I know... you're a demon at the service of Nanoha, right? I killed your mistress and all of her demons, I can kill you as well, so tell me, what did you do to Karil?!”

“Buahahahahahahahahah!!!” Hell's gunslinger laughed so hard that he dropped his cigarette

“You fool! My mistress is not Nanoha, the White Devil doesn't compare with the woman I serve!”

I was shocked... Nanoha... the woman that almost destroyed the world... and this demon claimed her mistress to be more powerful?

“What did you do to Karil?! What is happening to her?!” I demanded and answer again.

“I just took what my mistress needed of her, for what she send me... she will be pleased, soon she will bring Hell to earth and the 1000 years of Darkness will begin”

“What are you saying? What did you took from Karil?!”

“It doesn't matter, for you nothing matters now... because you'll die here and now Vivio Valentine!”

Hell's gunslinger extended his arm pointing with his gun at us, I had just saw the enormous crater that the previous shoot had left... I couldn't fight this firepower.

I jumped away and covered Karil with my body, Hell's gunslinger shot and an enormous explosion collapsed the roof over the cellars, when the rumble ended and the smoke banished, I looked around, seeking for Hell's gunslinger, several rocks were now between me and the stairs in which he was, in front of me I spotted more stairs in a corner of the ruins of the cellars, it was clear what I needed to do.

“I must take Karil with Black Wolfishness at the Vatican Knights quarters”

I immediately took Karil in my arms and ran upstairs, she was in the same state, sweating and apparently trapped in some kind of Nightmare.

I came out to the yard of the ranch, no sign of... anything, I decided to run in direction to the main gates.

I ran the fastest that I could, but when I was just about to reach the gates, an Undead Bandido spawned from the ground in front of me, only at this point I realized... I had left the Shotgun in the cellars.

I was unarmed and unable to move fast, I knew I was dead, the Bandido walked slowly in y direction, I was freeze, scared, in shock, with cold sweat rolling down my forehead, the Bandido pointed his shotgun at us, but when he was about to pull the trigger, the gates behind him collapsed and crushed him, at first I though that it was another undead rider, but when I looked better, I couldn't believe it, it was the black horse that I found on Sun's Hill, he had returned to save me and Karil.

“Fool... why you came back? They could kill you!” I was hiding my happiness with this anger, it was stupid, I know... I simple hugged the horse's head and jump over him along with Karil.

“Let's get out of here!” The Horse ran out of the ranch and head to the North, the American quarters were hided in the canon of the Lost West, near the river of Silvers, I needed to head North.

I ride for almost 6 hours with Karil in my arms, I was tired but I knew I was close, the Sun raised ahead of me and I could see the canon of the Lost West.

“We are here! We made it Karil! You'll be ok...!”

In an instant, I feel all my body freeze, like if my heart had stopped, I fell along with Karil unable to do anything.

“You can't escape... you're mine...” I heard this evil voice inside my head again, after this, my sight turned black... and I fell unconscious.

Spoiler for Ending theme: Once Upon a December:

Spoiler for Hell's Gunslinger:

OH NOES!! What will happen Next!!

Ether way I'm hoping for an old fashioned duel with the Hell's Gunslinger

Page Claim for Nice Warm Weather (I hate the cold)

[TerranReaper]

Originally Posted by Evil Rick

Spoiler for Opening theme: Eternal Darkness:

Spoiler for Chapter 9: New Darkness:

Spoiler for Event 6:

“Who are you?!” Still holding Karil on my arms, I demanded an answer out of the undead who was standing at the entrance of the cellars, this one was different from the other undead I had faced, a big hat and coat, a pair of strange guns, a cigarette in his mouth and flames burning his chest... this creature was obviously the rider who kidnapped Karil and the one responsable for all of this... or at least that was what I though.

“Answer me! Who are you!?”

The demon put again the cigarette in his mouth and replied with a horrible voice.

“My name is Hell's Gunslinger”

“What did you do to Karil?! If you did something bad to her, I swear...”

“Your threats mean nothing to me, so don't waste time saying them... as for victim 20...” When I heard the phrase 'Victim 20', I immediately though that this creature was a minion of Nanoha, that maybe she had returned and that she was seeking vengeance.

“Her name is Karil! Now I know... you're a demon at the service of Nanoha, right? I killed your mistress and all of her demons, I can kill you as well, so tell me, what did you do to Karil?!”

“Buahahahahahahahahah!!!” Hell's gunslinger laughed so hard that he dropped his cigarette

“You fool! My mistress is not Nanoha, the White Devil doesn't compare with the woman I serve!”

I was shocked... Nanoha... the woman that almost destroyed the world... and this demon claimed her mistress to be more powerful?

“What did you do to Karil?! What is happening to her?!” I demanded and answer again.

“I just took what my mistress needed of her, for what she send me... she will be pleased, soon she will bring Hell to earth and the 1000 years of Darkness will begin”

“What are you saying? What did you took from Karil?!”

“It doesn't matter, for you nothing matters now... because you'll die here and now Vivio Valentine!”

Hell's gunslinger extended his arm pointing with his gun at us, I had just saw the enormous crater that the previous shoot had left... I couldn't fight this firepower.

I jumped away and covered Karil with my body, Hell's gunslinger shot and an enormous explosion collapsed the roof over the cellars, when the rumble ended and the smoke banished, I looked around, seeking for Hell's gunslinger, several rocks were now between me and the stairs in which he was, in front of me I spotted more stairs in a corner of the ruins of the cellars, it was clear what I needed to do.

“I must take Karil with Black Wolfishness at the Vatican Knights quarters”

I immediately took Karil in my arms and ran upstairs, she was in the same state, sweating and apparently trapped in some kind of Nightmare.

I came out to the yard of the ranch, no sign of... anything, I decided to run in direction to the main gates.

I ran the fastest that I could, but when I was just about to reach the gates, an Undead Bandido spawned from the ground in front of me, only at this point I realized... I had left the Shotgun in the cellars.

I was unarmed and unable to move fast, I knew I was dead, the Bandido walked slowly in y direction, I was freeze, scared, in shock, with cold sweat rolling down my forehead, the Bandido pointed his shotgun at us, but when he was about to pull the trigger, the gates behind him collapsed and crushed him, at first I though that it was another undead rider, but when I looked better, I couldn't believe it, it was the black horse that I found on Sun's Hill, he had returned to save me and Karil.

“Fool... why you came back? They could kill you!” I was hiding my happiness with this anger, it was stupid, I know... I simple hugged the horse's head and jump over him along with Karil.

“Let's get out of here!” The Horse ran out of the ranch and head to the North, the American quarters were hided in the canon of the Lost West, near the river of Silvers, I needed to head North.

I ride for almost 6 hours with Karil in my arms, I was tired but I knew I was close, the Sun raised ahead of me and I could see the canon of the Lost West.

“We are here! We made it Karil! You'll be ok...!”

In an instant, I feel all my body freeze, like if my heart had stopped, I fell along with Karil unable to do anything.

“You can't escape... you're mine...” I heard this evil voice inside my head again, after this, my sight turned black... and I fell unconscious.

Spoiler for Ending theme: Once Upon a December:

Spoiler for Hell's Gunslinger:

There is someone more powerful than Nanoha . This is something that might just get interesting.

[Advent000]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

For anyone who follows FotR, True Lies or DRG, I announce now that all of my fanfiction works are being discontinued and likely to never be picked up again. This is due to my lack of interest in fanfiction nowadays which is being inhibited by ship wars, pairings, fluff, more fluff and general notorious canon accuracy.

I'm going to develop on my own, creating my own universes for original stories instead, as to not be limited by set rules. This doesn't mean I leave, I will still be here, but I won't write anything and read a lot less (less than I already do).
I'm going to post my original/short stories in my Fan Creation thread for anyone interested in that.

Rock on.

I'm gonna miss FOTR (dyeing with curiosity to know how it was going to end), but you shouldn't write if you don't feel like it, though where is your fan creation thread.

Originally Posted by Evil Rick

Spoiler for Opening theme: Eternal Darkness:

Spoiler for Chapter 9: New Darkness:

Spoiler for Event 6:

“Who are you?!” Still holding Karil on my arms, I demanded an answer out of the undead who was standing at the entrance of the cellars, this one was different from the other undead I had faced, a big hat and coat, a pair of strange guns, a cigarette in his mouth and flames burning his chest... this creature was obviously the rider who kidnapped Karil and the one responsable for all of this... or at least that was what I though.

“Answer me! Who are you!?”

The demon put again the cigarette in his mouth and replied with a horrible voice.

“My name is Hell's Gunslinger”

“What did you do to Karil?! If you did something bad to her, I swear...”

“Your threats mean nothing to me, so don't waste time saying them... as for victim 20...” When I heard the phrase 'Victim 20', I immediately though that this creature was a minion of Nanoha, that maybe she had returned and that she was seeking vengeance.

“Her name is Karil! Now I know... you're a demon at the service of Nanoha, right? I killed your mistress and all of her demons, I can kill you as well, so tell me, what did you do to Karil?!”

“Buahahahahahahahahah!!!” Hell's gunslinger laughed so hard that he dropped his cigarette

“You fool! My mistress is not Nanoha, the White Devil doesn't compare with the woman I serve!”

I was shocked... Nanoha... the woman that almost destroyed the world... and this demon claimed her mistress to be more powerful?

“What did you do to Karil?! What is happening to her?!” I demanded and answer again.

“I just took what my mistress needed of her, for what she send me... she will be pleased, soon she will bring Hell to earth and the 1000 years of Darkness will begin”

“What are you saying? What did you took from Karil?!”

“It doesn't matter, for you nothing matters now... because you'll die here and now Vivio Valentine!”

Hell's gunslinger extended his arm pointing with his gun at us, I had just saw the enormous crater that the previous shoot had left... I couldn't fight this firepower.

I jumped away and covered Karil with my body, Hell's gunslinger shot and an enormous explosion collapsed the roof over the cellars, when the rumble ended and the smoke banished, I looked around, seeking for Hell's gunslinger, several rocks were now between me and the stairs in which he was, in front of me I spotted more stairs in a corner of the ruins of the cellars, it was clear what I needed to do.

“I must take Karil with Black Wolfishness at the Vatican Knights quarters”

I immediately took Karil in my arms and ran upstairs, she was in the same state, sweating and apparently trapped in some kind of Nightmare.

I came out to the yard of the ranch, no sign of... anything, I decided to run in direction to the main gates.

I ran the fastest that I could, but when I was just about to reach the gates, an Undead Bandido spawned from the ground in front of me, only at this point I realized... I had left the Shotgun in the cellars.

I was unarmed and unable to move fast, I knew I was dead, the Bandido walked slowly in y direction, I was freeze, scared, in shock, with cold sweat rolling down my forehead, the Bandido pointed his shotgun at us, but when he was about to pull the trigger, the gates behind him collapsed and crushed him, at first I though that it was another undead rider, but when I looked better, I couldn't believe it, it was the black horse that I found on Sun's Hill, he had returned to save me and Karil.

“Fool... why you came back? They could kill you!” I was hiding my happiness with this anger, it was stupid, I know... I simple hugged the horse's head and jump over him along with Karil.

“Let's get out of here!” The Horse ran out of the ranch and head to the North, the American quarters were hided in the canon of the Lost West, near the river of Silvers, I needed to head North.

I ride for almost 6 hours with Karil in my arms, I was tired but I knew I was close, the Sun raised ahead of me and I could see the canon of the Lost West.

“We are here! We made it Karil! You'll be ok...!”

In an instant, I feel all my body freeze, like if my heart had stopped, I fell along with Karil unable to do anything.

“You can't escape... you're mine...” I heard this evil voice inside my head again, after this, my sight turned black... and I fell unconscious.

Spoiler for Ending theme: Once Upon a December:

Spoiler for Hell's Gunslinger:

My guess is that the Mistress is Precia.

[TerranReaper]

Spoiler for Chapter 6:

Chapter 6: Retreat from Glatisant
The fighters spread out quickly when the androids poured into the village. Before this, some events already set this in motion. Nanoha had arrived into a darkened Dinsmark, hoping to catch any of the rebels off guard with the synthetic girl trap but little did she know that Chrono and the village elder already set a trap there with village militiamen getting ready in the houses. The fighters that arrived there were told about the plan only after they nearly reached the village but didn’t expect the TSAB to be there already. They fell for the synthetic village girl trap but in turn Nanoha fell into theirs. Very confusing, I know. This is how people trick each other though.

“Get those rebels killed and spread out to destroy Glatisant’s radar stations. After that, destroy the entire rebel force,” Nanoha said to the androids.

The androids nodded and went after the rebels. A battle ensured in the village and only chaos reigned. The mages took cover from one point to another while fighting back.

“You know, I’m really cheesed off by these cyborgs,” an annoyed mage said.

“They are androids, not cyborgs. Androids are controlled by a central nexus but cyborgs are those who can think for themselves,” his partner said.

“Yeah, well, I think the term ‘cyborg’ is cooler,” the former said.

“This is about getting your terms right, not saying something because it is cool. You’re almost like the Terrans,” his partner said again.

“Oh c’mon Jeanne, that is why Terrans live longer. They’re so carefree,” the first one said.

“I think it’s still wrong,” the female mage said while turning around and firing at the androids.

“You’re just like that Terran sergeant Jimmy Cavaldis,” he muttered.

Joshua skidded past them and hid behind a wall.

“You two take cover now!” he yelled.

The two mages hit the dirt and at the very moment their bodies touched the snowy ground, a missile flew past their heads and impacted several androids, blowing them up into pieces.

“Are you alright, Jeanne?” the mage asked.

His partner slowly got up and brushed herself.

“I’m more worried about you than about myself,” she said.

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” the male one said with a grin.

The mage named Jeanne knocked his head with her weapon.

“Don’t get any funny ideas. I’m not gonna date you,” she said.

“Oii, you two stop flirting and get fighting! Those androids are pouring in like a tide!” Joshua called out to them.

At the village square, Fate and Nanoha stared at each other with the wind blowing in Fate’s direction. The battle went on behind them but no one came to stop them.

“Do you feel that wind, Nanoha? It seems to favor me for victory,” Fate said.

“I know but sometimes it can all be changed. The power to win depends on the ability of one person and I regretfully tell you that you are still not up to my par,” Nanoha said.

“Look Nanoha, I never wanted to fight you. You used to love me but now I don’t even know who you are. It is as if the true ‘White Devil’ has awakened in you,” Fate said while trying to hold back her tears.

Nanoha was expressionless.

“Don’t try to get my pity with that expression of yours, Fate. You know why I do this. I chose this and it was my will. I vowed to remain faithful to the TSAB no matter what,” Nanoha said.

“Then I guess you never loved me in the first place either. Fine, if you really hate me that much…I HATE you as well!” Fate yelled out, this time tears came out from her eyes.

“I never said I hate you…it’s just that it is my duty,” Nanoha said while looking down.

“So, you love duty more than me? Okay, then I’ll take you as an emotionless monster then,” Fate said angrily while clutching her left arm into a fist.

“Call me whatever you want, Fate, it won’t change a thing,” Nanoha said.

Fate gave a yell of anger and ran towards Nanoha. The two clashed in the middle of the square, throwing attacks at each other. The spectacle was such a sight to see that some of the mages and Terran soldiers stopped to take a look at the two battling it out.

“Wow, this is just like in the comic books!” one soldier quipped.

“If it were a comic book, we can be such great heroes,” a mage said sarcastically.

“Don’t try too hard, Fate…or you’ll end up like me,” Nanoha warned as she blocked Fate’s melee attack.

“What do you mean?” Fate asked.

“You’ll find out sooner or later. Perhaps by then, you’ll have the advantage over me in combat,” Nanoha said.

Nanoha binded Fate and forced her to the ground. She pointed Raging Heart at Fate.

“But for now, you’ll never beat me,” Nanoha said.

Fate struggled to free herself but to no avail.

Suddenly, Nanoha coughed out blood and clutched her heart. Some of the blood spattered onto Fate’s face. Nanoha tried to mask her pain but it was a bit too intense for her. Just then, Shamal’s holographic image appeared beside Nanoha.

“Nanoha, how long are you going to ignore my restraint? I advise you that it is best you return and let the others do the job for you. If you keep up like this, you’ll be dead in 5 months!” Shamal chided Nanoha.

Blood flowed from Nanoha’s mouth and she wiped it away.

“I’ll return when I’m done, Shamal,” she said.

Nanoha turned to Fate and released her.

“I’m not sure if we’ll meet again. However if we do meet, we’ll continue where we left off,” she said.

Nanoha activated her wings and took to the skies. Vita came by and looked at the sky.

“She really is a stubborn girl,” Vita muttered.

Fate pointed her weapon at Vita but Vita remained calm.

“I can easily beat you but this isn’t what I want, Fate. I’m here to warn you about the things to come that involve Hayate,” Vita said.

Fate wasn’t convinced but she allowed Vita to continue anyway.

“Hayate somehow has a change in heart. It is as if she wanted to divide the world into two factions. I can’t tell you more than that but let me warn you, don’t cross Hayate or Jail’s path,” Vita said.

“Why should I listen to you?” Fate asked suspiciously.

“Because I am one of those who have heard and known about Hayate’s plan. It’s your funeral if you don’t take my advice,” Vita said.

She took to the skies as well.

“Is it me or does any of the battles seem a bit shorter and more talking?” she asked herself.

“Give it a break, ma’am. The shorter the battle, the more time we have to bolster our defenses. Look, the androids are being beaten back,” Subaru said happily as she arrived after Vita left.

“Yes but somehow, I think we’ve been thrown into a void of betrayal and chaos,” Fate said.

In the end, the androids did not succeed in their mission of taking over Glatisant and destroying the radar stations. However, Fate felt at unease after what Vita warned her about. She looked at the pile of dead bodies and shook her head.

“The battle was short but almost half of our numbers died,” Subaru said grimly.

“Glatisant is safe and that is all that matters,” Fate replied.

“Fate, we have the permission to place defensive weapons at the other exit of the village. With your permission?” Joshua asked.

Fate nodded and said no more.

“Great job, now Glatisant is safe,” Chrono said over the COMM. “Now, all we have to do is muster our forces and prepare for any other attacks. Three flagships have been recovered and now we have them in our arsenal of battleships,” Chrono said.

“Is it the Spirit of Fire?” a mage asked.

“No but better. We have the Dawn Under Heaven, Pillar of Autumn and Star Dust. I tell you, these three are the most formidable flagships in the TSAB. I really must give credit to the raiding party who stole some ships for us,” Chrono said gleefully.

“That’s great, onii-chan,” Fate said.

“What’s the matter? You don’t sound too good,” Chrono said.

“It’s nothing, I’m just fatigued,” Fate said.

She looked into the starry sky and sighed. Her world has turned upside down and Nanoha didn’t really seem to love her anymore. She felt that this was only the tip of the iceberg. Something far more sinister still lurks beneath.

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by TerranReaper

There is someone more powerful than Nanoha . This is something that might just get interesting.

Originally Posted by Advent000

My guess is that the Mistress is Precia.

Im betting on it being Hayate

[RadiantBeam]

Fifth chapter of Bless the Broken Road this time around. Some more focus on Fiasse and Elise, alongside a NanoFate confrontation scene that had me banging my head against the desk. Hopefully there won't be any lasting brain damage.

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: Take It All Away:

Chapter 5: Take It All Away

“You’re going to see a doctor?”

Twelve-year-old Fiasse Crystera’s question caused ten-year-old Elise McGaren to pause for a moment, absently bouncing the ball under her hand in a practiced move. She shrugged, tugging lightly on her pony tail to tighten the band that held it tied up. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll have to leave England, but I’m not scared. He’s a friend of Mom and Dad’s, and Uncle Al said he’s a nice, trustworthy guy.”

“Father knows him?”

“He’s that man that always comes to the parties, remember? Tall, kinda muscular, large scar on his face over one of his eyes.”

Fiasse frowned contemplatively, studying the sky as she scanned her memory to see if she’d ever glimpsed the man Elise had just described. As his image formed in her mind’s eye, she shuddered a little. “I don’t like him.” She rubbed her arms to ward off a sudden chill. “He’s creepy. I didn’t even know he was a doctor. What does Father see in him, anyway?”

“Beats me.” Elise shrugged. She liked the scarred doctor just fine; he’d given her plenty of fun little gifts to chase away the boredom of house parties. “Anyway, he told Mom and Dad I have a special condition that only he can treat, so they’re sending me with him for a little while.”

“A special condition?”

“Yeah. He didn’t say what… just that it was really rare and hard to cure. Not life-threatening, though.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“He said it could be a long time. They have to run tests and stuff. If I don’t cry he’ll give me candy.”

Fiasse frowned; Elise may have been two years her junior, but she was still young enough to be charmed by the promise of toys and sweets. Fiasse knew she still had a soft spot for them herself, but she liked to think that she’d outgrown them. Just a little.

“Well… just be careful. Something about him bugs me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Elise dismissed her friend’s concern with a simple wave of her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“So… Tiore is dead.”

Fiasse took a sip of tea, meeting Lindy’s gaze over the rim of her cup. “I thought you knew.”

“No. I mean yes. I knew, but…” Lindy frowned. “I sent flowers. I wanted to attend, but the agreement… it was your mother’s wish, and I respected it to the end.” The green-haired woman sighed. “I could never blame her for it, for wanting it. She and Al were like yin and yang. She was lost without him.”

Fiasse said nothing to Lindy’s interpretation of her parents, merely gulped another mouthful of tea and let the sugary warmth slide down her throat. When it became obvious that the younger woman wasn’t uncomfortable with the subject, Lindy set her cup down with a gentle clink. “How did she die?” she asked. “I only knew that she was dead and where to send the flowers. I was never given any details.”

The last of the Crystera family finally lowered her cup, gazing quietly ahead at nothing. “She just lost the will to live,” she murmured. “After she gave up on the Forgotten Song, something inside her just… went out. Even now I wonder how she lasted twelve more years without Father by her side. She shut down completely.”

“Then… you were alone.”

Fiasse shrugged, a quick, jerky motion as her eyes clouded over and darkened slightly. “Define alone.” She chuckled and leaned back in her chair, gently rubbing Sweet Song between her fingers.

“For Mother, it was simple. She only lived for two things: Father and I. After Father died, I wasn’t enough to keep her going. Her body just took longer to give up than her heart did.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“I’m home, Mother.”

The soft voice wasn’t enough to stir the middle-aged woman as she lay quietly in bed, her eyes blank and staring into space as though she could see something that her fourteen-year-old daughter could not. On light feet Fiasse closed the door, slid off her backpack, and headed across the room, kneeling beside the bed and covering her mother’s hand with her own.

Tiore didn’t stir.

“I’m a little sore today. Got cut up pretty good.” Fiasse laughed sheepishly and gingerly studied the long, bloody gash on her arm that still bled slightly. “I was practicing some of the moves you taught me and Sweet Song before Father died, but I must have used too much power. Came right back at me.”

Tiore didn’t respond.

In an absent gesture that more suited a mother than a child, Fiasse lifted her free hand and gently stroked her mother’s hair, ignoring the way her arm throbbed at the motion. “Elise turned twelve a few days ago. I took her out around the city all day. She still won’t laugh, no matter what I do. Things are really tense with her and her parents. She told me she’s planning to move out when she’s eighteen; she can’t take living with them anymore.”

Still nothing.

“Father’s anniversary is coming up pretty soon.” Fiasse blew out a long breath. “I was thinking of taking Elise with me this time. She blames herself for what happened. Says it doesn’t matter if his superiors ultimately gave him the order, she was the one who drove her hand through his chest.” She shook her head, and as sunlight streamed through the open window strands of hair gleamed like gold. “She knows he’s forgiven her, and so have I,” she whispered. “She just can’t forgive herself.”

Tiore gave no response.

Her eyes a little brighter than before, Fiasse lifted her mother’s hand and turned it, gently brushing her lips against Tiore’s palm in an old, familiar gesture that made her heart ache. “I’ll go make you some lunch,” she said at last. “I left you a big breakfast, but you must be getting hungry again. I’ll be right back.”

Fiasse rose swiftly and left the room as quietly as she’d entered it, taking care to close the door behind her softly so Tiore wouldn’t startle. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Tiore lay in silence. She hadn’t even opened her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Abandonment was familiar to Elise. She knew it well, had known it like a friend for the past fifteen years of her life, after the incident that had robbed her of a child’s innocence and a chance at a normal life, something her parents had never—or simply weren’t willing—to accept. She’d watched Fiasse being abandoned by Tiore, slowly but surely over the twelve years the old woman had lasted after Alfred’s death.

And she recognized that same sense of abandonment the moment she’d stepped between Nanoha and the blonde named Fate T. Harlaown. It had been difficult for her to tell who had been the abandoner and who had been the abandoned, but she’d recognized the feeling as it cackled through the air like gathering electricity just waiting to break. And so she’d made her presence known, ultimately preventing the moment before it could even happen.

She’d snuck out a back door while Lindy and Fiasse talked, and now she wandered the hallway absently, not having a clear destination or goal in mind. She paused for a moment, eyeing the refreshment machine as she weighed the change in her hand; deciding what the heck, she popped her coins in and ordered a water, not even blinking when her change was accepted and the bottle clattered into the low area where she could grab it.

That was alien technology for you.

Amused, Elise twisted the cap, broke the seal, and drank her water in one long gulp. Her throat wet and her body feeling cool she continued her wandering, ignoring the curious stares she was attracting on the ship. Call it a ping of her sister sense, call it simple instinct, but it was no accident as she settled calmly in the corner, back against the wall and one foot braced lazily behind her, eyes closed as she nursed her water bottle.

On the other side of the wall stood Nanoha and Fate, in the hallway.

Elise leaned her head back and took another long drink from her water bottle.

The next few minutes promised to be very interesting, she mused idly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“… How have you been?”

The question made Fate blink, and in all honesty it caught Nanoha by surprise as well—and she had asked it. The blonde stared at her lost friend for a moment before clearing her throat, deciding to give an answer. “Well enough. Mom and Chrono-niichan took me back to Mid-Childa not long after…. Yeah, after,” she finished somewhat lamely. “Um… I’m an Enforcer now.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Uh… Arf got married.”

“Really?”

The surprise in Nanoha’s tone, the flash of delight in her eyes, caused Fate to subconsciously relax at the thought of her familiar. “It took awhile,” she admitted, “since we were working on familiar rights back then, and those are still on shaky ground. But it happened. She and Zafira have been together a couple years now, not counting their marriage.” Burgundy eyes cautiously met blue. “What about you?”

Oh, hell.

Knowing exactly what it would lead to, Nanoha took the plunge anyway. She’d purposely wiped her records clean, had pulled away from anything and everything that had to do with the TSAB for four years. Fate deserved her answers. “As said before, I grew up in England.” She shrugged. “Fiasse-chan expressed concern for me after my accident, and it seemed like a good chance to start over. Onee-sama has been watching over me ever since then.”

“So then… why does your personal information in the databank disappear after your accident? Was that done on purpose?”

Nanoha blew out a long breath, closed her eyes; she steeled herself and quietly opened her eyes again. “Yes,” she said at last. “It was done on purpose. After my accident I spoke to several of the higher-ups to have my records erased once I left the TSAB.”

“Why?”

Dangerous territory was being entered now. Nanoha heard the steel enter Fate’s voice, saw her eyes narrow and flash subtly, and knew she was practically dangling one foot over deep, swirling waters. She couldn’t resist taking the plunge. “Because if I hadn’t, you would have tried to find me. Don’t deny it,” she snapped as Fate opened her mouth. “You would have. You, and Hayate-chan, and Yuuno-kun. It was easier for me to have those records erased, so I’d know you could never find me.”

“I wouldn’t have tried to find you if you hadn’t disappeared!” The anguish in Fate’s voice, the betrayal, cut at Nanoha sharper than any knife ever could. “You were just gone, Nanoha! No goodbye, no warning, nothing! I never knew if you were even stable enough to live a normal life, or—“

“Fate-chan, take a good, long look at me. What do you see?”

Fate’s mouth snapped shut, confusion making her frown as she slowly swept her eyes over Nanoha. She shook her head helplessly, fighting rising tears. “What am I supposed to see?” she whispered hoarsely.

“You want to know what I see when I look at you?” Nanoha smiled slightly, sadly. “I see a young girl who’s grown into a beautiful young woman. I see someone chasing her dreams, someone who put her past behind her. Someone who’s building on the strength she already has. That’s what I see when I look at you, Fate-chan.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I look at Hayate-chan, and I see a woman who will be a great, powerful leader someday. I see a person who will inspire others, encourage them when they want to give up, someone who will be strong enough to make decisions but wise enough to not be corrupted by them. I look at Yuuno-kun and see a great mind, sharp eyes that never miss a single detail, someone who will make a fine mentor one day and probably lead the team that discovers something nobody’s ever seen before.”

Nanoha closed her eyes.

“And then there’s me.” She laughed softly. “Me, who can’t even handle half the magic she used to. I can only fire two, maybe three Divine Busters with my Beretta, and that’s when I’m having a good day. All of you are flying, carving paths in the sky that I’ll never be able to follow.” She opened her eyes even as the tears finally fell. “And I’m grounded, making my own path on Earth. You don’t need me anymore, Fate-chan. I’m not strong enough to protect you, or anyone else, like I used to. I’m sorry.”

Fate said nothing, trembling all over as her fingers curled tightly into fists; she opened her mouth, as though to say something, but the words didn’t come. Shaking her head furiously, she turned on her heel and stalked down the hall.

Nanoha didn’t watch her go. Swiftly she turned her back on Fate and headed in the opposite direction even as her vision blurred and heat stung her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the rising sobs.

A hand shot out from the edge of her vision; a strong hand clamped firmly on her wrist, yanking her in, and Nanoha was pulled into a gentle embrace, her face tucked firmly beneath someone’s chin. She whimpered softly, recognizing the touch. “O-Onee-sama?”

“You,” Elise sighed out, gently running a hand through brunette strands, “are the most stubborn girl I’ve ever met.” Her empty water bottle lay forgotten in a trash can.

The tears Nanoha had been valiantly fighting back burst forward, and she sobbed into Elise’s chest, soothed by her arms and the feeling of being held by someone, being supported. Elise quietly closed her eyes.

“Most stubborn girl I ever met,” she whispered, gently brushing away the tears that continued to fall. “You and Fiasse both.”

So here you go. A bit more development on Fiasse and Elise, and there's more to come for the next few chapters. Quite a bit of action coming up...

And hopefully Nanoha and Fate can resolve their issues.

[TerranReaper]

Originally Posted by Seraph42

Im betting on it being Hayate

I seem to think so as well.

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Fifth chapter of Bless the Broken Road this time around. Some more focus on Fiasse and Elise, alongside a NanoFate confrontation scene that had me banging my head against the desk. Hopefully there won't be any lasting brain damage.

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: Take It All Away:

Chapter 5: Take It All Away

“You’re going to see a doctor?”

Twelve-year-old Fiasse Crystera’s question caused ten-year-old Elise McGaren to pause for a moment, absently bouncing the ball under her hand in a practiced move. She shrugged, tugging lightly on her pony tail to tighten the band that held it tied up. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll have to leave England, but I’m not scared. He’s a friend of Mom and Dad’s, and Uncle Al said he’s a nice, trustworthy guy.”

“Father knows him?”

“He’s that man that always comes to the parties, remember? Tall, kinda muscular, large scar on his face over one of his eyes.”

Fiasse frowned contemplatively, studying the sky as she scanned her memory to see if she’d ever glimpsed the man Elise had just described. As his image formed in her mind’s eye, she shuddered a little. “I don’t like him.” She rubbed her arms to ward off a sudden chill. “He’s creepy. I didn’t even know he was a doctor. What does Father see in him, anyway?”

“Beats me.” Elise shrugged. She liked the scarred doctor just fine; he’d given her plenty of fun little gifts to chase away the boredom of house parties. “Anyway, he told Mom and Dad I have a special condition that only he can treat, so they’re sending me with him for a little while.”

“A special condition?”

“Yeah. He didn’t say what… just that it was really rare and hard to cure. Not life-threatening, though.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“He said it could be a long time. They have to run tests and stuff. If I don’t cry he’ll give me candy.”

Fiasse frowned; Elise may have been two years her junior, but she was still young enough to be charmed by the promise of toys and sweets. Fiasse knew she still had a soft spot for them herself, but she liked to think that she’d outgrown them. Just a little.

“Well… just be careful. Something about him bugs me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Elise dismissed her friend’s concern with a simple wave of her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“So… Tiore is dead.”

Fiasse took a sip of tea, meeting Lindy’s gaze over the rim of her cup. “I thought you knew.”

“No. I mean yes. I knew, but…” Lindy frowned. “I sent flowers. I wanted to attend, but the agreement… it was your mother’s wish, and I respected it to the end.” The green-haired woman sighed. “I could never blame her for it, for wanting it. She and Al were like yin and yang. She was lost without him.”

Fiasse said nothing to Lindy’s interpretation of her parents, merely gulped another mouthful of tea and let the sugary warmth slide down her throat. When it became obvious that the younger woman wasn’t uncomfortable with the subject, Lindy set her cup down with a gentle clink. “How did she die?” she asked. “I only knew that she was dead and where to send the flowers. I was never given any details.”

The last of the Crystera family finally lowered her cup, gazing quietly ahead at nothing. “She just lost the will to live,” she murmured. “After she gave up on the Forgotten Song, something inside her just… went out. Even now I wonder how she lasted twelve more years without Father by her side. She shut down completely.”

“Then… you were alone.”

Fiasse shrugged, a quick, jerky motion as her eyes clouded over and darkened slightly. “Define alone.” She chuckled and leaned back in her chair, gently rubbing Sweet Song between her fingers.

“For Mother, it was simple. She only lived for two things: Father and I. After Father died, I wasn’t enough to keep her going. Her body just took longer to give up than her heart did.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“I’m home, Mother.”

The soft voice wasn’t enough to stir the middle-aged woman as she lay quietly in bed, her eyes blank and staring into space as though she could see something that her fourteen-year-old daughter could not. On light feet Fiasse closed the door, slid off her backpack, and headed across the room, kneeling beside the bed and covering her mother’s hand with her own.

Tiore didn’t stir.

“I’m a little sore today. Got cut up pretty good.” Fiasse laughed sheepishly and gingerly studied the long, bloody gash on her arm that still bled slightly. “I was practicing some of the moves you taught me and Sweet Song before Father died, but I must have used too much power. Came right back at me.”

Tiore didn’t respond.

In an absent gesture that more suited a mother than a child, Fiasse lifted her free hand and gently stroked her mother’s hair, ignoring the way her arm throbbed at the motion. “Elise turned twelve a few days ago. I took her out around the city all day. She still won’t laugh, no matter what I do. Things are really tense with her and her parents. She told me she’s planning to move out when she’s eighteen; she can’t take living with them anymore.”

Still nothing.

“Father’s anniversary is coming up pretty soon.” Fiasse blew out a long breath. “I was thinking of taking Elise with me this time. She blames herself for what happened. Says it doesn’t matter if his superiors ultimately gave him the order, she was the one who drove her hand through his chest.” She shook her head, and as sunlight streamed through the open window strands of hair gleamed like gold. “She knows he’s forgiven her, and so have I,” she whispered. “She just can’t forgive herself.”

Tiore gave no response.

Her eyes a little brighter than before, Fiasse lifted her mother’s hand and turned it, gently brushing her lips against Tiore’s palm in an old, familiar gesture that made her heart ache. “I’ll go make you some lunch,” she said at last. “I left you a big breakfast, but you must be getting hungry again. I’ll be right back.”

Fiasse rose swiftly and left the room as quietly as she’d entered it, taking care to close the door behind her softly so Tiore wouldn’t startle. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Tiore lay in silence. She hadn’t even opened her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Abandonment was familiar to Elise. She knew it well, had known it like a friend for the past fifteen years of her life, after the incident that had robbed her of a child’s innocence and a chance at a normal life, something her parents had never—or simply weren’t willing—to accept. She’d watched Fiasse being abandoned by Tiore, slowly but surely over the twelve years the old woman had lasted after Alfred’s death.

And she recognized that same sense of abandonment the moment she’d stepped between Nanoha and the blonde named Fate T. Harlaown. It had been difficult for her to tell who had been the abandoner and who had been the abandoned, but she’d recognized the feeling as it cackled through the air like gathering electricity just waiting to break. And so she’d made her presence known, ultimately preventing the moment before it could even happen.

She’d snuck out a back door while Lindy and Fiasse talked, and now she wandered the hallway absently, not having a clear destination or goal in mind. She paused for a moment, eyeing the refreshment machine as she weighed the change in her hand; deciding what the heck, she popped her coins in and ordered a water, not even blinking when her change was accepted and the bottle clattered into the low area where she could grab it.

That was alien technology for you.

Amused, Elise twisted the cap, broke the seal, and drank her water in one long gulp. Her throat wet and her body feeling cool she continued her wandering, ignoring the curious stares she was attracting on the ship. Call it a ping of her sister sense, call it simple instinct, but it was no accident as she settled calmly in the corner, back against the wall and one foot braced lazily behind her, eyes closed as she nursed her water bottle.

On the other side of the wall stood Nanoha and Fate, in the hallway.

Elise leaned her head back and took another long drink from her water bottle.

The next few minutes promised to be very interesting, she mused idly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“… How have you been?”

The question made Fate blink, and in all honesty it caught Nanoha by surprise as well—and she had asked it. The blonde stared at her lost friend for a moment before clearing her throat, deciding to give an answer. “Well enough. Mom and Chrono-niichan took me back to Mid-Childa not long after…. Yeah, after,” she finished somewhat lamely. “Um… I’m an Enforcer now.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Uh… Arf got married.”

“Really?”

The surprise in Nanoha’s tone, the flash of delight in her eyes, caused Fate to subconsciously relax at the thought of her familiar. “It took awhile,” she admitted, “since we were working on familiar rights back then, and those are still on shaky ground. But it happened. She and Zafira have been together a couple years now, not counting their marriage.” Burgundy eyes cautiously met blue. “What about you?”

Oh, hell.

Knowing exactly what it would lead to, Nanoha took the plunge anyway. She’d purposely wiped her records clean, had pulled away from anything and everything that had to do with the TSAB for four years. Fate deserved her answers. “As said before, I grew up in England.” She shrugged. “Fiasse-chan expressed concern for me after my accident, and it seemed like a good chance to start over. Onee-sama has been watching over me ever since then.”

“So then… why does your personal information in the databank disappear after your accident? Was that done on purpose?”

Nanoha blew out a long breath, closed her eyes; she steeled herself and quietly opened her eyes again. “Yes,” she said at last. “It was done on purpose. After my accident I spoke to several of the higher-ups to have my records erased once I left the TSAB.”

“Why?”

Dangerous territory was being entered now. Nanoha heard the steel enter Fate’s voice, saw her eyes narrow and flash subtly, and knew she was practically dangling one foot over deep, swirling waters. She couldn’t resist taking the plunge. “Because if I hadn’t, you would have tried to find me. Don’t deny it,” she snapped as Fate opened her mouth. “You would have. You, and Hayate-chan, and Yuuno-kun. It was easier for me to have those records erased, so I’d know you could never find me.”

“I wouldn’t have tried to find you if you hadn’t disappeared!” The anguish in Fate’s voice, the betrayal, cut at Nanoha sharper than any knife ever could. “You were just gone, Nanoha! No goodbye, no warning, nothing! I never knew if you were even stable enough to live a normal life, or—“

“Fate-chan, take a good, long look at me. What do you see?”

Fate’s mouth snapped shut, confusion making her frown as she slowly swept her eyes over Nanoha. She shook her head helplessly, fighting rising tears. “What am I supposed to see?” she whispered hoarsely.

“You want to know what I see when I look at you?” Nanoha smiled slightly, sadly. “I see a young girl who’s grown into a beautiful young woman. I see someone chasing her dreams, someone who put her past behind her. Someone who’s building on the strength she already has. That’s what I see when I look at you, Fate-chan.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I look at Hayate-chan, and I see a woman who will be a great, powerful leader someday. I see a person who will inspire others, encourage them when they want to give up, someone who will be strong enough to make decisions but wise enough to not be corrupted by them. I look at Yuuno-kun and see a great mind, sharp eyes that never miss a single detail, someone who will make a fine mentor one day and probably lead the team that discovers something nobody’s ever seen before.”

Nanoha closed her eyes.

“And then there’s me.” She laughed softly. “Me, who can’t even handle half the magic she used to. I can only fire two, maybe three Divine Busters with my Beretta, and that’s when I’m having a good day. All of you are flying, carving paths in the sky that I’ll never be able to follow.” She opened her eyes even as the tears finally fell. “And I’m grounded, making my own path on Earth. You don’t need me anymore, Fate-chan. I’m not strong enough to protect you, or anyone else, like I used to. I’m sorry.”

Fate said nothing, trembling all over as her fingers curled tightly into fists; she opened her mouth, as though to say something, but the words didn’t come. Shaking her head furiously, she turned on her heel and stalked down the hall.

Nanoha didn’t watch her go. Swiftly she turned her back on Fate and headed in the opposite direction even as her vision blurred and heat stung her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the rising sobs.

A hand shot out from the edge of her vision; a strong hand clamped firmly on her wrist, yanking her in, and Nanoha was pulled into a gentle embrace, her face tucked firmly beneath someone’s chin. She whimpered softly, recognizing the touch. “O-Onee-sama?”

“You,” Elise sighed out, gently running a hand through brunette strands, “are the most stubborn girl I’ve ever met.” Her empty water bottle lay forgotten in a trash can.

The tears Nanoha had been valiantly fighting back burst forward, and she sobbed into Elise’s chest, soothed by her arms and the feeling of being held by someone, being supported. Elise quietly closed her eyes.

“Most stubborn girl I ever met,” she whispered, gently brushing away the tears that continued to fall. “You and Fiasse both.”

So here you go. A bit more development on Fiasse and Elise, and there's more to come for the next few chapters. Quite a bit of action coming up...

And hopefully Nanoha and Fate can resolve their issues.

I had tears toward the end, Nanoha and Fate's argument got to me, hopefully everything will be alright between them. Some how I believe a certain Hayate and Yuuno will probably help with that.

Also when you mentioned the doctor with the, "large scar on his face over one of his eyes" it made think of Black Jack

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Fifth chapter of Bless the Broken Road this time around. Some more focus on Fiasse and Elise, alongside a NanoFate confrontation scene that had me banging my head against the desk. Hopefully there won't be any lasting brain damage.

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: Take It All Away:

Chapter 5: Take It All Away

“You’re going to see a doctor?”

Twelve-year-old Fiasse Crystera’s question caused ten-year-old Elise McGaren to pause for a moment, absently bouncing the ball under her hand in a practiced move. She shrugged, tugging lightly on her pony tail to tighten the band that held it tied up. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll have to leave England, but I’m not scared. He’s a friend of Mom and Dad’s, and Uncle Al said he’s a nice, trustworthy guy.”

“Father knows him?”

“He’s that man that always comes to the parties, remember? Tall, kinda muscular, large scar on his face over one of his eyes.”

Fiasse frowned contemplatively, studying the sky as she scanned her memory to see if she’d ever glimpsed the man Elise had just described. As his image formed in her mind’s eye, she shuddered a little. “I don’t like him.” She rubbed her arms to ward off a sudden chill. “He’s creepy. I didn’t even know he was a doctor. What does Father see in him, anyway?”

“Beats me.” Elise shrugged. She liked the scarred doctor just fine; he’d given her plenty of fun little gifts to chase away the boredom of house parties. “Anyway, he told Mom and Dad I have a special condition that only he can treat, so they’re sending me with him for a little while.”

“A special condition?”

“Yeah. He didn’t say what… just that it was really rare and hard to cure. Not life-threatening, though.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“He said it could be a long time. They have to run tests and stuff. If I don’t cry he’ll give me candy.”

Fiasse frowned; Elise may have been two years her junior, but she was still young enough to be charmed by the promise of toys and sweets. Fiasse knew she still had a soft spot for them herself, but she liked to think that she’d outgrown them. Just a little.

“Well… just be careful. Something about him bugs me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Elise dismissed her friend’s concern with a simple wave of her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“So… Tiore is dead.”

Fiasse took a sip of tea, meeting Lindy’s gaze over the rim of her cup. “I thought you knew.”

“No. I mean yes. I knew, but…” Lindy frowned. “I sent flowers. I wanted to attend, but the agreement… it was your mother’s wish, and I respected it to the end.” The green-haired woman sighed. “I could never blame her for it, for wanting it. She and Al were like yin and yang. She was lost without him.”

Fiasse said nothing to Lindy’s interpretation of her parents, merely gulped another mouthful of tea and let the sugary warmth slide down her throat. When it became obvious that the younger woman wasn’t uncomfortable with the subject, Lindy set her cup down with a gentle clink. “How did she die?” she asked. “I only knew that she was dead and where to send the flowers. I was never given any details.”

The last of the Crystera family finally lowered her cup, gazing quietly ahead at nothing. “She just lost the will to live,” she murmured. “After she gave up on the Forgotten Song, something inside her just… went out. Even now I wonder how she lasted twelve more years without Father by her side. She shut down completely.”

“Then… you were alone.”

Fiasse shrugged, a quick, jerky motion as her eyes clouded over and darkened slightly. “Define alone.” She chuckled and leaned back in her chair, gently rubbing Sweet Song between her fingers.

“For Mother, it was simple. She only lived for two things: Father and I. After Father died, I wasn’t enough to keep her going. Her body just took longer to give up than her heart did.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“I’m home, Mother.”

The soft voice wasn’t enough to stir the middle-aged woman as she lay quietly in bed, her eyes blank and staring into space as though she could see something that her fourteen-year-old daughter could not. On light feet Fiasse closed the door, slid off her backpack, and headed across the room, kneeling beside the bed and covering her mother’s hand with her own.

Tiore didn’t stir.

“I’m a little sore today. Got cut up pretty good.” Fiasse laughed sheepishly and gingerly studied the long, bloody gash on her arm that still bled slightly. “I was practicing some of the moves you taught me and Sweet Song before Father died, but I must have used too much power. Came right back at me.”

Tiore didn’t respond.

In an absent gesture that more suited a mother than a child, Fiasse lifted her free hand and gently stroked her mother’s hair, ignoring the way her arm throbbed at the motion. “Elise turned twelve a few days ago. I took her out around the city all day. She still won’t laugh, no matter what I do. Things are really tense with her and her parents. She told me she’s planning to move out when she’s eighteen; she can’t take living with them anymore.”

Still nothing.

“Father’s anniversary is coming up pretty soon.” Fiasse blew out a long breath. “I was thinking of taking Elise with me this time. She blames herself for what happened. Says it doesn’t matter if his superiors ultimately gave him the order, she was the one who drove her hand through his chest.” She shook her head, and as sunlight streamed through the open window strands of hair gleamed like gold. “She knows he’s forgiven her, and so have I,” she whispered. “She just can’t forgive herself.”

Tiore gave no response.

Her eyes a little brighter than before, Fiasse lifted her mother’s hand and turned it, gently brushing her lips against Tiore’s palm in an old, familiar gesture that made her heart ache. “I’ll go make you some lunch,” she said at last. “I left you a big breakfast, but you must be getting hungry again. I’ll be right back.”

Fiasse rose swiftly and left the room as quietly as she’d entered it, taking care to close the door behind her softly so Tiore wouldn’t startle. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Tiore lay in silence. She hadn’t even opened her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Abandonment was familiar to Elise. She knew it well, had known it like a friend for the past fifteen years of her life, after the incident that had robbed her of a child’s innocence and a chance at a normal life, something her parents had never—or simply weren’t willing—to accept. She’d watched Fiasse being abandoned by Tiore, slowly but surely over the twelve years the old woman had lasted after Alfred’s death.

And she recognized that same sense of abandonment the moment she’d stepped between Nanoha and the blonde named Fate T. Harlaown. It had been difficult for her to tell who had been the abandoner and who had been the abandoned, but she’d recognized the feeling as it cackled through the air like gathering electricity just waiting to break. And so she’d made her presence known, ultimately preventing the moment before it could even happen.

She’d snuck out a back door while Lindy and Fiasse talked, and now she wandered the hallway absently, not having a clear destination or goal in mind. She paused for a moment, eyeing the refreshment machine as she weighed the change in her hand; deciding what the heck, she popped her coins in and ordered a water, not even blinking when her change was accepted and the bottle clattered into the low area where she could grab it.

That was alien technology for you.

Amused, Elise twisted the cap, broke the seal, and drank her water in one long gulp. Her throat wet and her body feeling cool she continued her wandering, ignoring the curious stares she was attracting on the ship. Call it a ping of her sister sense, call it simple instinct, but it was no accident as she settled calmly in the corner, back against the wall and one foot braced lazily behind her, eyes closed as she nursed her water bottle.

On the other side of the wall stood Nanoha and Fate, in the hallway.

Elise leaned her head back and took another long drink from her water bottle.

The next few minutes promised to be very interesting, she mused idly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“… How have you been?”

The question made Fate blink, and in all honesty it caught Nanoha by surprise as well—and she had asked it. The blonde stared at her lost friend for a moment before clearing her throat, deciding to give an answer. “Well enough. Mom and Chrono-niichan took me back to Mid-Childa not long after…. Yeah, after,” she finished somewhat lamely. “Um… I’m an Enforcer now.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Uh… Arf got married.”

“Really?”

The surprise in Nanoha’s tone, the flash of delight in her eyes, caused Fate to subconsciously relax at the thought of her familiar. “It took awhile,” she admitted, “since we were working on familiar rights back then, and those are still on shaky ground. But it happened. She and Zafira have been together a couple years now, not counting their marriage.” Burgundy eyes cautiously met blue. “What about you?”

Oh, hell.

Knowing exactly what it would lead to, Nanoha took the plunge anyway. She’d purposely wiped her records clean, had pulled away from anything and everything that had to do with the TSAB for four years. Fate deserved her answers. “As said before, I grew up in England.” She shrugged. “Fiasse-chan expressed concern for me after my accident, and it seemed like a good chance to start over. Onee-sama has been watching over me ever since then.”

“So then… why does your personal information in the databank disappear after your accident? Was that done on purpose?”

Nanoha blew out a long breath, closed her eyes; she steeled herself and quietly opened her eyes again. “Yes,” she said at last. “It was done on purpose. After my accident I spoke to several of the higher-ups to have my records erased once I left the TSAB.”

“Why?”

Dangerous territory was being entered now. Nanoha heard the steel enter Fate’s voice, saw her eyes narrow and flash subtly, and knew she was practically dangling one foot over deep, swirling waters. She couldn’t resist taking the plunge. “Because if I hadn’t, you would have tried to find me. Don’t deny it,” she snapped as Fate opened her mouth. “You would have. You, and Hayate-chan, and Yuuno-kun. It was easier for me to have those records erased, so I’d know you could never find me.”

“I wouldn’t have tried to find you if you hadn’t disappeared!” The anguish in Fate’s voice, the betrayal, cut at Nanoha sharper than any knife ever could. “You were just gone, Nanoha! No goodbye, no warning, nothing! I never knew if you were even stable enough to live a normal life, or—“

“Fate-chan, take a good, long look at me. What do you see?”

Fate’s mouth snapped shut, confusion making her frown as she slowly swept her eyes over Nanoha. She shook her head helplessly, fighting rising tears. “What am I supposed to see?” she whispered hoarsely.

“You want to know what I see when I look at you?” Nanoha smiled slightly, sadly. “I see a young girl who’s grown into a beautiful young woman. I see someone chasing her dreams, someone who put her past behind her. Someone who’s building on the strength she already has. That’s what I see when I look at you, Fate-chan.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I look at Hayate-chan, and I see a woman who will be a great, powerful leader someday. I see a person who will inspire others, encourage them when they want to give up, someone who will be strong enough to make decisions but wise enough to not be corrupted by them. I look at Yuuno-kun and see a great mind, sharp eyes that never miss a single detail, someone who will make a fine mentor one day and probably lead the team that discovers something nobody’s ever seen before.”

Nanoha closed her eyes.

“And then there’s me.” She laughed softly. “Me, who can’t even handle half the magic she used to. I can only fire two, maybe three Divine Busters with my Beretta, and that’s when I’m having a good day. All of you are flying, carving paths in the sky that I’ll never be able to follow.” She opened her eyes even as the tears finally fell. “And I’m grounded, making my own path on Earth. You don’t need me anymore, Fate-chan. I’m not strong enough to protect you, or anyone else, like I used to. I’m sorry.”

Fate said nothing, trembling all over as her fingers curled tightly into fists; she opened her mouth, as though to say something, but the words didn’t come. Shaking her head furiously, she turned on her heel and stalked down the hall.

Nanoha didn’t watch her go. Swiftly she turned her back on Fate and headed in the opposite direction even as her vision blurred and heat stung her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the rising sobs.

A hand shot out from the edge of her vision; a strong hand clamped firmly on her wrist, yanking her in, and Nanoha was pulled into a gentle embrace, her face tucked firmly beneath someone’s chin. She whimpered softly, recognizing the touch. “O-Onee-sama?”

“You,” Elise sighed out, gently running a hand through brunette strands, “are the most stubborn girl I’ve ever met.” Her empty water bottle lay forgotten in a trash can.

The tears Nanoha had been valiantly fighting back burst forward, and she sobbed into Elise’s chest, soothed by her arms and the feeling of being held by someone, being supported. Elise quietly closed her eyes.

“Most stubborn girl I ever met,” she whispered, gently brushing away the tears that continued to fall. “You and Fiasse both.”

So here you go. A bit more development on Fiasse and Elise, and there's more to come for the next few chapters. Quite a bit of action coming up...

And hopefully Nanoha and Fate can resolve their issues.

You know what's really aggravating? You're working through some of the things that we were talking about via PM, and I'm reading along and really starting to follow some of the incidents in the past and they're making sense, the pieces falling into place...only I can't tell if it's because things are starting to be properly explained or because of our discussions!

Anyway, this chapter is long on emotion, giving us slices of Fiasse, Elise, and Nanoha. We get some much-needed detail about the Triangle Heart characters (particularly for those--like me!--who don't know about them) and well as finally starting to flesh out what people have been talking about in the various early chapters. The scene with Fiasse and her mother was a tear-jerker, and the hints being dropped about Alfred's death (he's Fiasse's father, right? Is he Elise's literal uncle or is it just because the families are close?) are getting interesting. Who is the scarred "doctor," what did he want with Elise, were Elise's parents in on it (causing their split with her), and did the "hand through his heart" reference really mean what it sounds like--that Elise had killed Alfred!? And if so, why and how? And what were the "orders" he was given, and how does the TSAB fit into it all?

So many mysteries...

And Nanoha is such a guy! Valuing herself strictly because of what she's capable of doing rather than who she is as a person...? I was half-expecting Fate to follow Nanoha's "I'm not strong enough to protect..." exit line by yelling in her face, "And what the hell does that matter? I'm your friend, not some damsel in distress that only has use for you to be rescued!" It's really in character for Nanoha, though; her exaggerated sense of responsibility is pretty much her defining personality trait. She's really not used to valuing herself based on what she can bring to people emotionally.

...I need to work that into a Vivio story. I can really see Nanoha having trouble coming to understand the small parts of being a mother and dealing with the problems that can't be...or shouldn't be...fixed.

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by TerranReaper

Spoiler for Chapter 6:

Chapter 6: Retreat from Glatisant
The fighters spread out quickly when the androids poured into the village. Before this, some events already set this in motion. Nanoha had arrived into a darkened Dinsmark, hoping to catch any of the rebels off guard with the synthetic girl trap but little did she know that Chrono and the village elder already set a trap there with village militiamen getting ready in the houses. The fighters that arrived there were told about the plan only after they nearly reached the village but didn’t expect the TSAB to be there already. They fell for the synthetic village girl trap but in turn Nanoha fell into theirs. Very confusing, I know. This is how people trick each other though.

“Get those rebels killed and spread out to destroy Glatisant’s radar stations. After that, destroy the entire rebel force,” Nanoha said to the androids.

The androids nodded and went after the rebels. A battle ensured in the village and only chaos reigned. The mages took cover from one point to another while fighting back.

“You know, I’m really cheesed off by these cyborgs,” an annoyed mage said.

“They are androids, not cyborgs. Androids are controlled by a central nexus but cyborgs are those who can think for themselves,” his partner said.

“Yeah, well, I think the term ‘cyborg’ is cooler,” the former said.

“This is about getting your terms right, not saying something because it is cool. You’re almost like the Terrans,” his partner said again.

“Oh c’mon Jeanne, that is why Terrans live longer. They’re so carefree,” the first one said.

“I think it’s still wrong,” the female mage said while turning around and firing at the androids.

“You’re just like that Terran sergeant Jimmy Cavaldis,” he muttered.

Joshua skidded past them and hid behind a wall.

“You two take cover now!” he yelled.

The two mages hit the dirt and at the very moment their bodies touched the snowy ground, a missile flew past their heads and impacted several androids, blowing them up into pieces.

“Are you alright, Jeanne?” the mage asked.

His partner slowly got up and brushed herself.

“I’m more worried about you than about myself,” she said.

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” the male one said with a grin.

The mage named Jeanne knocked his head with her weapon.

“Don’t get any funny ideas. I’m not gonna date you,” she said.

“Oii, you two stop flirting and get fighting! Those androids are pouring in like a tide!” Joshua called out to them.

At the village square, Fate and Nanoha stared at each other with the wind blowing in Fate’s direction. The battle went on behind them but no one came to stop them.

“Do you feel that wind, Nanoha? It seems to favor me for victory,” Fate said.

“I know but sometimes it can all be changed. The power to win depends on the ability of one person and I regretfully tell you that you are still not up to my par,” Nanoha said.

“Look Nanoha, I never wanted to fight you. You used to love me but now I don’t even know who you are. It is as if the true ‘White Devil’ has awakened in you,” Fate said while trying to hold back her tears.

Nanoha was expressionless.

“Don’t try to get my pity with that expression of yours, Fate. You know why I do this. I chose this and it was my will. I vowed to remain faithful to the TSAB no matter what,” Nanoha said.

“Then I guess you never loved me in the first place either. Fine, if you really hate me that much…I HATE you as well!” Fate yelled out, this time tears came out from her eyes.

“I never said I hate you…it’s just that it is my duty,” Nanoha said while looking down.

“So, you love duty more than me? Okay, then I’ll take you as an emotionless monster then,” Fate said angrily while clutching her left arm into a fist.

“Call me whatever you want, Fate, it won’t change a thing,” Nanoha said.

Fate gave a yell of anger and ran towards Nanoha. The two clashed in the middle of the square, throwing attacks at each other. The spectacle was such a sight to see that some of the mages and Terran soldiers stopped to take a look at the two battling it out.

“Wow, this is just like in the comic books!” one soldier quipped.

“If it were a comic book, we can be such great heroes,” a mage said sarcastically.

“Don’t try too hard, Fate…or you’ll end up like me,” Nanoha warned as she blocked Fate’s melee attack.

“What do you mean?” Fate asked.

“You’ll find out sooner or later. Perhaps by then, you’ll have the advantage over me in combat,” Nanoha said.

Nanoha binded Fate and forced her to the ground. She pointed Raging Heart at Fate.

“But for now, you’ll never beat me,” Nanoha said.

Fate struggled to free herself but to no avail.

Suddenly, Nanoha coughed out blood and clutched her heart. Some of the blood spattered onto Fate’s face. Nanoha tried to mask her pain but it was a bit too intense for her. Just then, Shamal’s holographic image appeared beside Nanoha.

“Nanoha, how long are you going to ignore my restraint? I advise you that it is best you return and let the others do the job for you. If you keep up like this, you’ll be dead in 5 months!” Shamal chided Nanoha.

Blood flowed from Nanoha’s mouth and she wiped it away.

“I’ll return when I’m done, Shamal,” she said.

Nanoha turned to Fate and released her.

“I’m not sure if we’ll meet again. However if we do meet, we’ll continue where we left off,” she said.

Nanoha activated her wings and took to the skies. Vita came by and looked at the sky.

“She really is a stubborn girl,” Vita muttered.

Fate pointed her weapon at Vita but Vita remained calm.

“I can easily beat you but this isn’t what I want, Fate. I’m here to warn you about the things to come that involve Hayate,” Vita said.

Fate wasn’t convinced but she allowed Vita to continue anyway.

“Hayate somehow has a change in heart. It is as if she wanted to divide the world into to factions. I can’t tell you more than that but let me warn you, don’t cross Hayate or Jail’s path,” Vita said.

“Why should I listen to you?” Fate asked suspiciously.

“Because I am one of those who have heard and known about Hayate’s plan. It’s your funeral if you don’t take my advice,” Vita said.

She took to the skies as well.

“Is it me or does any of the battles seem a bit shorter and more talking?” she asked herself.

“Give it a break, ma’am. The shorter the battle, the more time we have to bolster our defenses. Look, the androids are being beaten back,” Subaru said happily as she arrived after Vita left.

“Yes but somehow, I think we’ve been thrown into a void of betrayal and chaos,” Fate said.

In the end, the androids did not succeed in their mission of taking over Glatisant and destroying the radar stations. However, Fate felt at unease after what Vita warned her about. She looked at the pile of dead bodies and shook her head.

“The battle was short but almost half of our numbers died,” Subaru said grimly.

“Glatisant is safe and that is all that matters,” Fate replied.

“Fate, we have the permission to place defensive weapons at the other exit of the village. With your permission?” Joshua asked.

Fate nodded and said no more.

“Great job, now Glatisant is safe,” Chrono said over the COMM. “Now, all we have to do is muster our forces and prepare for any other attacks. Three flagships have been recovered and now we have them in our arsenal of battleships,” Chrono said.

“Is it the Spirit of Fire?” a mage asked.

“No but better. We have the Dawn Under Heaven, Pillar of Autumn and Star Dust. I tell you, these three are the most formidable flagships in the TSAB. I really must give credit to the raiding party who stole some ships for us,” Chrono said gleefully.

“That’s great, onii-chan,” Fate said.

“What’s the matter? You don’t sound too good,” Chrono said.

“It’s nothing, I’m just fatigued,” Fate said.

She looked into the starry sky and sighed. Her world has turned upside down and Nanoha didn’t really seem to love her anymore. She felt that this was only the tip of the iceberg. Something far more sinister still lurks beneath.

I'm a bit concerned about what Vita said.

Hayate trying to divide the world in two factions? Does Hayate is turning to the "bad guys" side?

BTW: Pillar of Autumn? O.O! Cool! We'll see Captain Keyes and Cortana!


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey girls!

Today is Valentine's day, I'd like to give a present to all the pretty girls who like to post on the FF thread

Infortunely, I cannot be there with you, so, I'll send you my present with one of my personal friends

Spoiler for Happy Valentine's day to all the pretty girls of the Nanoha FF thread:

[Lute]

Spoiler for The Ultimate Showdown of TSAB's Destiny:

Vivio looked around at the various drunken attendees of Hayate’s Riot Six Reunion Party.

“So Vivio… are you going to sing us that song you told us about?” Hayate asked with an alcohol-induced flush on her face, sprawled on a couch with her head lying on a near-unconscious Vita’s lap, who in turn was leaning against Cinque.

Anxiety ran through Vivio’s mismatched eyes as she once again pondered her chances of survival after singing the song she had prepared. It had seemed like an oh-so-funny idea at the time – even Falling Soul had approved it. In retrospect, she should have taken that as a very bad sign from the get-go.

Stage fright, mistress? the too-intelligent device teased.

“I’m just enjoying the last peaceful moments of my life,” Vivio shot back as she cradled the microphone in her hands as though it might explode at any moment.

The probability that you will be targeted by multiple siege-level attacks is near unity.

“That’s why you agreed to provide the music, isn’t it?”

“Yay~ Vivi’s~ gonna~ sing!” Nanoha-mama giggled in excited anticipation. Vivio had discovered the hard way earlier in the evening that even bashed beyond capability to perform any other functions, Nanoha-mama somehow retained the ability to intervene each and every time Vivio tried to sneak something alcoholic into her mouth. That was the sole reason that Vivio was the sole person in the building still sober; heck, even Syn was drunk. Her resolve strengthened as her best friend gave her a thumbs-up and a wacky smile.

Cliched rap beat, set up! Falling Soul seemed to catch on to Vivio’s emotions. The device connected to the sound equipment set up for the party, and a heavy drum beat echoed throughout the house. Vivio swallowed and pushed herself past the point of no return.


Old Voltaire was hopping around
Cranagan like a big playground
When suddenly Fate made a barrier
And hit Voltaire with an Arc Saber
Voltaire got pissed and gave a real loud yell
But didn't expect to be swept by Noel
Who proceeded to open up a can of maid-fu
When Hakutenou came out of the blue

And it started beating up Noel Ehrlichkeit
Then they both got flattened by a Phalanx Shift
But before Fate warped back to the Garden of Time
Zest Grangaitz came as an undead mime
And took an Agito unison out from his motherlode
And blew Fate away with their unison mode
But he ran out of cartridges and he ran away
Because Yunno Scrya came to save the day

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

Voltaire took a bite out of Yunno Scrya
Like Schach Nouera took a bite durin’ praya
And then Noel came back – but there was a track
T’was Subaru’s Wing Road; she jumped on her back
And Fate was injured, and trying to get steady
When Zest Grangaitz came back with a machete
But suddenly something caught his leg and he tripped
Precia Test’rossa took him out with her whip

Then she saw Voltaire sneaking up from behind
And she reached for her staff which she just couldn't find
'Cause Fate stole it and she shot and she missed
and Subaru deflected it with her fist
Then she jumped in the air and did a somersault
While Zest Grangaitz tried to pole vault
Onto Jail Scaglietti, but they collided in the air
Then they both got hit by a Cute Arf Stare

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown...

Devils cried out in agonized worship
Out from the flames materialized Nanoha
Who shot Starlight Breaker made of pink friendship
Into the crotch of Precia Test’rossa
Who fell over on the ground, clutching her hip
As Fate pretended to be Alissa
Mama saw through her clever disguise
And she held Fate's head in between her thighs

Then Reinforce One and Reinforce Zwei and
Book of Darknees and their mistress Hayate and
Erio Mondial and Doctor Shamal and
Carim Gracia and Regius the General
Shario, Caro lu Rushe, Zaphira, and Dame Signum
Ginga, Lutecia, every last cybernetic Num.
Vice Granscenic and Griffith Lowran,
Tia, Vita, Aria, and Chrono Harlaown
All came out of nowhere lightning fast
Turning the White Devil’s schemes to a Divine Bust
It was the bloodiest brawl existence ever saw
With Midchildians looking on in total awe

And the battle raged on for a century
Many lives were claimed, but eventually
The champion stood, the rest saw their better:
Mr. Graham in a bloodstained sweater

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
Of TSAB’s Destiny


Vivio breathed heavily after finishing the fast-paced song. There was shocked silence all around; she could not tell immediately if that was a good or bad sign.

Shall I prepare your defences, mistress? Falling Soul seemed awfully nice in his mistress’s expected final moments.

There was a sudden muffled gasp coming Fate as she found her head trapped in between Nanoha’s thighs. All eyes remained on Vivio, however.

“…”

“…encore!”




Notes:
Based off the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, as if it wasn’t already enough…
Fate is pronounced with two syllables, as the characters did in the original Japanese

Hope nobody's offended >_>

[TerranReaper]

Spoiler for Chapter 7:

Chapter 7: Of love and friendship
Shamal took a look at Nanoha and her internal organs via a medical scanner. As the checkup completed, the doctor wasn’t sure what to tell her.

“Um, your condition isn’t as good as it was a year ago. Your Linker Core has received extensive damage and your body’s immune system is weakening,” Shamal said while looking at her clipboard.

“What does that mean, Shamal?” Nanoha asked.

“It means if you continue pushing yourself with devastating attacks, your Linker Core will most likely deteriorate and it may affect your vital organs such as your heart, lungs, blood circulatory systems and even your brain. This may lead to cardiac arrest, respiratory problems and even death,” Shamal said darkly.

Nanoha made and uncomfortable noise.

“That is why I had put a restraint on you but it seems like your stubbornness only led you to a worsening condition. Had you not stop fighting just now, treatment will be much harder,” Shamal continued.

“So what treatment can I get?” Nanoha asked.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to stop participating in missions for at least 2 months, that way you can recover to your former health. I can’t guarantee a full recovery because of the critical injuries you sustained a few years back (a scene shown in Strikers when Nanoha suffered massive injuries when she was younger). However, if you cooperate with me, I’ll do my best to nurse you back to full health if conditions allow,” Shamal said.

Nanoha said nothing and looked at her right arm. It was full of red spots, a sign of internal bleeding.

“Fine, I won’t participate in anymore missions until two months have passed. You’re gonna have to tell Hayate about this,” Nanoha said.

“I’ve already told her,” Shamal said right after Nanoha finished her sentence.

She marked something on her clipboard and headed for the exit.

“Rest here while I go get some medications. We will prepare you for surgery in 2 hours,” Shamal said and left.

Outside the infirmary, she didn’t expect to see Hayate waiting for her.

“So how is Nanoha’s condition?” Hayate asked without the slightest hint of concern in her voice.

“She needs a lot of rest and a surgery. We maybe able to get her back to full health again but I can’t guarantee it,” Shamal said.

Hayate let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

“There are never any guarantees,” she mumbled.

“Ma’am, I’m curious about your plan. Why is it that you want to divide the world into two factions while getting the Terrans involved? Aren’t we already at peace after the Jail Scaglietti Incident?” Shamal asked.

Hayate was hesitant. She crossed her arms and sighed.

“There are never easy answers for cases like this, Shamal. Sometimes, you do it because it’s for the sake of everyone but sometimes, it’s for personal reasons. Mine is somewhere in between,” Hayate said.

“How is that connected to your plan? Wouldn’t it be easier if everyone is united?” Shamal asked again.

“Like I said, Shamal, there are never easy answers. Once the plan is set into full motion, perhaps then you’ll understand why I’m doing this. Whatever the outcome of my plan is, I’m still going to burn in Hell for my decisions,” she said morosely.

She saluted to Shamal and left. Shamal was worried about Hayate. She has been like that since the coup started. Hayate seemed to regret her decision but not regretting her actions at the same time. Maybe there wasn’t an easy explanation after all.

A few days later in Glatisant, Fate was having a morning walk and enjoying the scenery of the Alpine forest near the East Hydrian Line. This was the first walk she had in her life without Nanoha by her side. She tried to forget about Nanoha but the many years of love between them just refused to get out from her mind.

“Stupid memories,” Fate muttered.

She bumped into Joshua who was also taking a walk.

“Well, fancy meeting you here,” he said.

“Good morning, Joshua,” Fate said with a weak smile.

“Buenos días, Fate, you still look morose. Can’t get Nanoha out of your mind?” Joshua asked.

“Yeah, it’s not as easy as it seems, especially when we were so close before all of this happened,” Fate said.

Four fighter jets flew above them followed by mages who were attending flight training.

“I know how it feels. Hell, I’ve been through something like this when I broke up with my girlfriend,” he said bitterly.

“It’s not as easy as it seems and it’s not like a boyfriend and girlfriend breaking up. To me, it’s like something special has been lost in my life,” Fate said.

She sat and the snowy ground and looked at the sky.

“My mother, Prescia Testarossa, was the only person who showed me love at first but later it was Nanoha who showed me unrequited love. I loved her and later I was adopted into the Harlaown family and they showed me love as well but none of them can compare to the love Nanoha showed me,” Fate said sadly.

“So what happened to your biological mother?” Joshua asked.

“She died when the Garden of Time collapsed and buried her along with my original self, Alicia,” Fate said.

“Original self? You mean you’re a clone or something?” Joshua asked in surprise.

“Yes, I am a clone of my dead sister,” Fate said.

Joshua gave a low whistle.

“That is new. A real cloned human right in front of me,” he said.

Fate lay on the ground and made a snow angel while smiling.

“I used to love this,” she said.

Just then, Vivio’s holographic image appeared over Fate.

“Mama, I need you back at HQ now. There is something that needs to be done,” she said and her holographic image winked out.

Fate got up and brushed herself.

“I guess my daughter needs me. Are you coming along?” she asked Joshua.

“You go; I have a jog to finish. Adios senorita Fate,” Joshua said with a Spanish accent (he was half Spanish).

Back at HQ, Vivio was looking at a holographic map that showed the enemy movements outside Glatisant.

“Mama, the Pillar of Autumn has detected enemy movements outside of Glatisant. I’m still too young to think of strategies. Can you help me?” Vivio asked Fate.

“Of course I will, Your Majesty,” Fate said with a smile.

She turned to look at the map, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

“That’s odd, the enemy is lacking formation and they seemed confused, indicated by the way they spread out.

“They’re trying to trick us into a trap. Die Narren denken, dass wir dumm sind (Those fools think we are stupid),” Velka muttered.

“We won’t fall for it; rather, we will send a recon unit to check on them. I need volunteers,” Fate said.

No one raised their hands but moments later Subaru did so along with Caro and Erio.

“We will do it for the safety of Glatisant,” Subaru said.

“Very good, Subaru. Don’t worry, Shari will keep in touch with you. Once you have learnt of the enemy’s motive, get out of there quickly,” Fate said.

Vivio looked at the fighters and smiled sweetly.

“Please, I am in no danger so dispel whatever concerns you have in your mind,” she said gently.

“Nicht zu komfortable, die Feinde durchtriebene (Do not get too comfortable, the enemies are sly),” Velka said in German.

“Keine Angst, sie werden niemals durch Glatisant (Do not worry, they will never get through Glatisant),” she answered back in German fluently.

German language and Belkan language are the same so they conversed quite easily. Velka was impressed.

“Was immer Sie sagen, Majestät (Whatever you say, Your Majesty),” Velka answered with a smile.

“Okay, just keep the enemy out and we’ll be safe,” Vivio said to everyone.

“Vivio, kann ich Ihnen eine Fahrt in einem meiner Aufklärungsfahrzeug? (Vivio, can I offer them a ride in one of my reconnaissance vehicle?),” Velka asked.

“Natürlich tun, was immer Sie können zu helfen (Of course, do whatever you can to help),” Vivio replied.

Velka saluted and left the room. Just before going out for the recon mission, Subaru checked her PDA for the info on the androids.

“Weak to melee attacks eh. This will make things simple for me,” Subaru said and she kept her PDA.

She opened her closet and found a necklace that Teana gave to her on her birthday. Subaru wanted to smile but she slammed the closet door shut and wiped the tears in her eyes.

“She is not my friend anymore,” Subaru said angrily.

Outside of the base, there was an APC waiting for her, inside the passenger compartment was Caro, Erio, some mages and Caro’s dragon Friedrich.

“Took you quite a while, Subaru. C’mon, we don’t have much time to waste,” the APC driver said.

Subaru got on and the APC set out towards the Eastern entrance. Little that they know that someone was waiting for them and it will be a big disadvantage to Subaru to fight her.

“Yes, come to me, Subaru,” Teana said while looking at her HUD’s radar.

I added foreign language to my fic to give it some taste. However, German language reign supreme here

By the way, Happy Valentines Day

Spoiler for Valentine Kiss:

[TheShinySword]

Originally Posted by Lute

Spoiler for The Ultimate Showdown of TSAB's Destiny:

Vivio looked around at the various drunken attendees of Hayate’s Riot Six Reunion Party.

“So Vivio… are you going to sing us that song you told us about?” Hayate asked with an alcohol-induced flush on her face, sprawled on a couch with her head lying on a near-unconscious Vita’s lap, who in turn was leaning against Cinque.

Anxiety ran through Vivio’s mismatched eyes as she once again pondered her chances of survival after singing the song she had prepared. It had seemed like an oh-so-funny idea at the time – even Falling Soul had approved it. In retrospect, she should have taken that as a very bad sign from the get-go.

Stage fright, mistress? the too-intelligent device teased.

“I’m just enjoying the last peaceful moments of my life,” Vivio shot back as she cradled the microphone in her hands as though it might explode at any moment.

The probability that you will be targeted by multiple siege-level attacks is near unity.

“That’s why you agreed to provide the music, isn’t it?”

“Yay~ Vivi’s~ gonna~ sing!” Nanoha-mama giggled in excited anticipation. Vivio had discovered the hard way earlier in the evening that even bashed beyond capability to perform any other functions, Nanoha-mama somehow retained the ability to intervene each and every time Vivio tried to sneak something alcoholic into her mouth. That was the sole reason that Vivio was the sole person in the building still sober; heck, even Syn was drunk. Her resolve strengthened as her best friend gave her a thumbs-up and a wacky smile.

Cliched rap beat, set up! Falling Soul seemed to catch on to Vivio’s emotions. The device connected to the sound equipment set up for the party, and a heavy drum beat echoed throughout the house. Vivio swallowed and pushed herself past the point of no return.


Old Voltaire was hopping around
Cranagan like a big playground
When suddenly Fate made a barrier
And hit Voltaire with an Arc Saber
Voltaire got pissed and gave a real loud yell
But didn't expect to be swept by Noel
Who proceeded to open up a can of maid-fu
When Hakutenou came out of the blue

And it started beating up Noel Ehrlichkeit
Then they both got flattened by a Phalanx Shift
But before Fate warped back to the Garden of Time
Zest Grangaitz came as an undead mime
And took an Agito unison out from his motherlode
And blew Fate away with their unison mode
But he ran out of cartridges and he ran away
Because Yunno Scrya came to save the day

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

Voltaire took a bite out of Yunno Scrya
Like Schach Nouera took a bite durin’ praya
And then Noel came back – but there was a track
T’was Subaru’s Wing Road; she jumped on her back
And Fate was injured, and trying to get steady
When Zest Grangaitz came back with a machete
But suddenly something caught his leg and he tripped
Precia Test’rossa took him out with her whip

Then she saw Voltaire sneaking up from behind
And she reached for her staff which she just couldn't find
'Cause Fate stole it and she shot and she missed
and Subaru deflected it with her fist
Then she jumped in the air and did a somersault
While Zest Grangaitz tried to pole vault
Onto Jail Scaglietti, but they collided in the air
Then they both got hit by a Cute Arf Stare

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown...

Devils cried out in agonized worship
Out from the flames materialized Nanoha
Who shot Starlight Breaker made of pink friendship
Into the crotch of Precia Test’rossa
Who fell over on the ground, clutching her hip
As Fate pretended to be Alissa
Mama saw through her clever disguise
And she held Fate's head in between her thighs

Then Reinforce One and Reinforce Zwei and
Book of Darknees and their mistress Hayate and
Erio Mondial and Doctor Shamal and
Carim Gracia and Regius the General
Shario, Caro lu Rushe, Zaphira, and Dame Signum
Ginga, Lutecia, every last cybernetic Num.
Vice Granscenic and Griffith Lowran,
Tia, Vita, Aria, and Chrono Harlaown
All came out of nowhere lightning fast
Turning the White Devil’s schemes to a Divine Bust
It was the bloodiest brawl existence ever saw
With Midchildians looking on in total awe

And the battle raged on for a century
Many lives were claimed, but eventually
The champion stood, the rest saw their better:
Mr. Graham in a bloodstained sweater

This is the Ultimate Showdown of TSAB’s Destiny
Earthians, Numbers, Wolkenritter, Hayate’s Lesbian Army
And only one will survive, I wonder who it will be
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
This is the Ultimate Showdown...
Of TSAB’s Destiny


Vivio breathed heavily after finishing the fast-paced song. There was shocked silence all around; she could not tell immediately if that was a good or bad sign.

Shall I prepare your defences, mistress? Falling Soul seemed awfully nice in his mistress’s expected final moments.

There was a sudden muffled gasp coming Fate as she found her head trapped in between Nanoha’s thighs. All eyes remained on Vivio, however.

“…”

“…encore!”




Notes:
Based off the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, as if it wasn’t already enough…
Fate is pronounced with two syllables, as the characters did in the original Japanese

Hope nobody's offended >_>

YOU!
YOU!
YOU!
YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!


Please marry me I think I'm in love.

On this day of love I do smell the sweet scent of cracky crack and it has led me to you! And it's crack that includes the device of my own creation. Thank you for making this (very boring) day start off with the wonder of crack.
Oh ho ho ho ho ho *Dances into the sunset despite it only being 10 AM*

... btw: have you ever posted here before? Cause if you haven't welcome to the FFT you're gonna fit in fine and please visit our IRC located under Satashi's sig.

[Lute]

The fic was my first post here, this will be my second post, muhahahahaha.

Let's go to that nice cathedral in Segav with the nice preacher and have the marriage performed there!

If it's alright with you, I would like to be able to keep using Falling Soul for future fics. What does it look like in combat?

And while I'm at it, I might as well secure permission to use Syn in future fics too.

[Keroko]

Originally Posted by Lute

And while I'm at it, I might as well secure permission to use Syn in future fics too.

Go ahead, I don't mind.

[TheShinySword]

Originally Posted by Lute

The fic was my first post here, this will be my second post, muhahahahaha.

Let's go to that nice cathedral in Segav with the nice preacher and have the marriage performed there!

If it's alright with you, I would like to be able to keep using Falling Soul for future fics. What does it look like in combat?

And while I'm at it, I might as well secure permission to use Syn in future fics too.

Sounds good to me :3 To Segav!

Go ahead and use falling soul to your hearts content he's free to all who have need of him.

Spoiler for Falling Soul:

Falling Soul has two battle forms, the standard one is that of a long glaive with a crescent shaped blade. The Second is that of a sword and shield. The shield is a small round buckler while the sword a hand and half. If I had the patience I'd drag up some old RebelS and just copypasta his description but I don't feel like searching for it~

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by TheShinySword

Sounds good to me :3 To Segav!

Go ahead and use falling soul to your hearts content he's free to all who have need of him.

Spoiler for Falling Soul:

Falling Soul has two battle forms, the standard one is that of a long glaive with a crescent shaped blade. The Second is that of a sword and shield. The shield is a small round buckler while the sword a hand and half. If I had the patience I'd drag up some old RebelS and just copypasta his description but I don't feel like searching for it~

This will help

Spoiler for Falling Soul:

PD: Welcome to the team Lute!

Any doubt, you can ask me through PMs

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by Lute

The fic was my first post here, this will be my second post, muhahahahaha.

Let's go to that nice cathedral in Segav with the nice preacher and have the marriage performed there!

If it's alright with you, I would like to be able to keep using Falling Soul for future fics. What does it look like in combat?

And while I'm at it, I might as well secure permission to use Syn in future fics too.

WELCOME!!

Originally Posted by TheShinySword

Sounds good to me :3 To Segav!

Go ahead and use falling soul to your hearts content he's free to all who have need of him.

Spoiler for Falling Soul:

Falling Soul has two battle forms, the standard one is that of a long glaive with a crescent shaped blade. The Second is that of a sword and shield. The shield is a small round buckler while the sword a hand and half. If I had the patience I'd drag up some old RebelS and just copypasta his description but I don't feel like searching for it~

Oh God, please no cheesy Elvis Impersonators