Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[sniperk]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Now, for something different... this is a shortfic based off "Nanoha the Movie 1st". This is an idea I actually had rattling around in my skull for quite awhile, and finally decided to write it.

Spoiler for The Importance of Safety:

The Importance of Safety
A “Nanoha the Movie 1st” short fic


They had only known each other a short time.

“I want to be your friend!” Nanoha told the other girl with sad eyes.

But in that time, they had made a connection; one that would last for the rest of their lives.

“I wanted to answer you,” Fate admitted nervously. “I want to be your friend, too.”

Although neither could have imagined how short that would turn out to be.

Nanoha didn't even notice when Yuuno put his hand on her shoulder while he talked to Admiral Lindy on the Asura, as she was too busy crying into Amy's arms.

“..and it was an accident,” Yuuno was saying. “By the time I got here, it was too late.”

“NO!” Nanoha shouted, surprising everyone with it's intensity. “I killed her! It's all my fault!”

“Nanoha, you didn't-” Yuuno started to say.

“We've reviewed the tapes,” Lindy said solemnly, interrupting him. “We know what happened, and while it's true it was an accident... it was partially Nanoha's fault.” She crouched down in front of Nanoha, placing her hands on the girl's shaking shoulders. “Not that we are blaming you, but-”

“There will need to be an official investigation,” Chrono finished for her. “And a punishment.”

“Chrono!” Amy chastised. “I think she's been punished enough!”

Nanoha shook her head and dried her eyes on her sleeve. “No, Amy, it's alright. It's my fault...”

“They were just playing around!” Yuuno protested. “If you're going to blame anyone, it should be me! I'm the one who-”

“Yes, you'll shoulder some of it, too,” Chrono told him pointedly. “There are rules regarding intelligent devices and the revelation of magic to new people so they don't get hurt. And now Fate and Arf have paid the price.”

“Stop it!” Nanoha demanded, jumping in front of Yuuno with her arms outstretched. “I'm the one who should have known better; I helped him of my own free will. I should have known the risks!”

Lindy sighed. “Calm down, I'm sure we can work out something. Amy, would you take Nanoha and Yuuno back to their rooms? We'll talk about this late after I contact the TSAB.”

Yes,” Amy said softly, then turned to the two children. “Come on, you two.”

“And Nanoha,” Lindy said, before the two had gone too far down the hall. “I hope this shows you how important safety is, with regards to magic. Learn from it.”

Nanoha, paused for a bit, not turning around, but seemed to shudder a bit before continuing on. After they disappeared around the corner, the admiral turned to the now sealed door that served as Fate and Arf's temporary quarters, which they had been confined to. The mess would have to be cleaned up, but not before she made her report.

Chrono seemed to read her mind. “May I ask what you plan to put in your report?”

Lindy sighed again. “Just what happened. Nanoha visited Fate and Arf in their room. They played around, like girls do. Nanoha brought out Raising Heart to show Fate, things got out of hand, and the weapon went off.” She shuddered, remembering the red on the walls.

Chrono shook his head and looked at his own device; just why did people put triggers on dangerous weapons these days, anyway?

Already reviewed on FF.net, but... Here I was reading the summary, thinking. "Some humor might be good to brighten my day". I read the thing, and now I'm in for some shooting games. Any suggestions?

[itanshi1]

sin and punishment 2?

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

The idea is that in the end of the epilogue, as it was written, Teana doesn't end up with Vice or with Subaru within that one-shot. It was never specifically stated that the possibility that she would hook up with Subaru after was a sunk possibility. That's what the whole ending is based around; possibilities.

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Nailed it . *tosses RB a cookie*

Aha! So rather than all that discussion about how you should rewrite the story, I should instead have been advising you about how you should rewrite the author's note!

[sniperk]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Aha! So rather than all that discussion about how you should rewrite the story, I should instead have been advising you about how you should rewrite the author's note!

A little late for THAT now.

@00-Raiser
No. That's not the ship I... was talking about...

...

Damn you. Now you stuck the idea in my head.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Okay, all edits are in! Long Time No See is now posted on Fanfiction.net.

And on its coat tails, my alternate ending Tough Love has also been posted to FF.net!

Originally Posted by sniperk

@00-Raiser
No. That's not the ship I... was talking about...

...

Damn you. Now you stuck the idea in my head.

Teana/Nanoha?
Teana/Fate?
Teana/Erio?
Teana/Caro?
Teana/Shari?

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Teana/Nanoha?
Teana/Fate?
Teana/Erio?
Teana/Caro?
Teana/Shari?

Teana/Ix?
Teana/Mariage?
Teana/Genya? (Heck, she spends half her time acting like Subaru's mom anyway... )

[sniperk]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Okay, all edits are in! Long Time No See is now posted on Fanfiction.net.

I've added some more details and incorporated more suggestions by Dezo into the story . Hopefully it's now more in line with what I was trying to get at....and if not, ah well, it's an optional ending anyhow!

Thanks guys, for all your feedback!

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

And on its coat tails, my alternate ending Tough Love has also been posted to FF.net!

And both commented/reviewed.

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Teana/Nanoha?
Teana/Fate?
Teana/Erio?
Teana/Caro?
Teana/Shari?

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Teana/Ix?
Teana/Mariage?
Teana/Genya? (Heck, she spends half her time acting like Subaru's mom anyway... )

Are you going to list every single character?

When I said odd, I meant odd from the fandom. The other character seems to receive the short end of the stick too many times, and in other the character appear without any romantic motivation at all.
To be sure, I didn't saw/read any fic with them togheter yet, and that's why I'm uneasy to bring them to the table without a good story.
For now, it's just a pet idea I have to it, but to make it happen it'll take time, so first, I'll finish at least one of the stories I have ongoing.
Not that I'm confident that with a good story they'll be well received anyway

Edit:
(Or that I'm confident to write a good story about them at all. )

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Teana/Mariage?

Now your playing with necrophilia!

Originally Posted by sniperk

Are you going to list every single character?

No, just the ones Teana's had some interactions with

Originally Posted by sniperk

Not that I'm confident that with a good story they'll be well received anyway

Eh, I was pretty certain everyone would be disgusted at the idea of Vivio/Yuuno. But... well, ok, I did get those reactions eventually, but not from anyone here

But it depends, really. If the pairing you have in mind is yuri, 99.9% of people will be all for it. If the pairing is straight, it'll probably be a smaller percentage

[itanshi1]

Well, teana/Signum is rare, but amusing. i tried it once.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

The Importance of Safety is up on ff.net here. Or should be soon, if it doesn't work for you, heh. Waiting to see how badly the NanoFate fans crucify me over this...

Reviewed ^^.

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Aha! So rather than all that discussion about how you should rewrite the story, I should instead have been advising you about how you should rewrite the author's note!

LOL, that would have saved me lots of editing! But thanks Dezo, amazing comments, and I made quite a few changes by your suggestions .

Originally Posted by sniperk

And both commented/reviewed.

Thanks! Yeah, we debated it pretty fiercely here, eh?

[Kaijo]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Reviewed ^^.

I saw that, thanks!^^ In answer to your question, Nanoha wasn't firing at full power, so that's why there are still walls; instead, Fate just got plastered across the wall (no barrier jacket and no time for a barrier). =)

[DezoPenguin]

This is deathcurse's fault. In her review at ff.net of "Shadow in the Rain," she wrote:

"You're not doing it just because you feel guilty or because Auris Gaiz is a manipulative **? 'Cause I will pitch her non-magical hind end out a window and have Aunt Hayate cover it up if she ever hurts you, NSIS director or not."

...oh, that is just BEGGING for an omake! =D *nudge nudge* =P
So...okay!

Spoiler for Always Read the Fine Print:

The doctor ran his gaze down the screen, looking at a list of his patient's injuries. The more critical ones were under control, but even with magical healing it took time for bones to knit and internal organs to be force-regenerated to healthy status. Still and all, the TSAB had marvelous medical technology, and given a few months, the patient would be up and about; in half a year she would be as good as new.

That was good. The director of the NSIS was needed. She had work to do.

A flag at the end of the file caught the doctor's attention. Curious, he called it up.

"Ms. Gaiz, we have a serious problem."

Auris groaned.

"I have several serious problems right now, thank you," she said snippily. The painkillers were wearing off.

"Well, you may have a few more. The extensive treatments you've received and will continue to need are by no means cheap."

"I'm a ranking officer of the TSAB military, Doctor. We have complete medical coverage."

"Yes, normally that's true, but in this case...well, according to this, you sent Lutecia Alphine into a dangerous situation without sufficient backup, resulting in her nearly being killed, and as a result her girlfriend Vivio beat you within an inch of your life. Is that substantially correct?"

Auris muttered several imprecations that the doctor charitably chose to blame on the medication.

"...Yes," she finished.

"Well, that's the problem. TSAB military insurance doesn't cover Acts of God."

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

This is deathcurse's fault. In her review at ff.net of "Shadow in the Rain," she wrote:

"You're not doing it just because you feel guilty or because Auris Gaiz is a manipulative **? 'Cause I will pitch her non-magical hind end out a window and have Aunt Hayate cover it up if she ever hurts you, NSIS director or not."

...oh, that is just BEGGING for an omake! =D *nudge nudge* =P
So...okay!

Spoiler for Always Read the Fine Print:

The doctor ran his gaze down the screen, looking at a list of his patient's injuries. The more critical ones were under control, but even with magical healing it took time for bones to knit and internal organs to be force-regenerated to healthy status. Still and all, the TSAB had marvelous medical technology, and given a few months, the patient would be up and about; in half a year she would be as good as new.

That was good. The director of the NSIS was needed. She had work to do.

A flag at the end of the file caught the doctor's attention. Curious, he called it up.

"Ms. Gaiz, we have a serious problem."

Auris groaned.

"I have several serious problems right now, thank you," she said snippily. The painkillers were wearing off.

"Well, you may have a few more. The extensive treatments you've received and will continue to need are by no means cheap."

"I'm a ranking officer of the TSAB military, Doctor. We have complete medical coverage."

"Yes, normally that's true, but in this case...well, according to this, you sent Lutecia Alphine into a dangerous situation without sufficient backup, resulting in her nearly being killed, and as a result her girlfriend Vivio beat you within an inch of your life. Is that substantially correct?"

Auris muttered several imprecations that the doctor charitably chose to blame on the medication.

"...Yes," she finished.

"Well, that's the problem. TSAB military insurance doesn't cover Acts of God."

God: the only person who can kick your ass and not get punished for it.

Awesome omake, Dezo. I always did wonder if Vivio would make good of her threat if Auris did anything even remotely threatening to Lutecia.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

This is deathcurse's fault. In her review at ff.net of "Shadow in the Rain," she wrote:

"You're not doing it just because you feel guilty or because Auris Gaiz is a manipulative **? 'Cause I will pitch her non-magical hind end out a window and have Aunt Hayate cover it up if she ever hurts you, NSIS director or not."

...oh, that is just BEGGING for an omake! =D *nudge nudge* =P
So...okay!

Spoiler for Always Read the Fine Print:

The doctor ran his gaze down the screen, looking at a list of his patient's injuries. The more critical ones were under control, but even with magical healing it took time for bones to knit and internal organs to be force-regenerated to healthy status. Still and all, the TSAB had marvelous medical technology, and given a few months, the patient would be up and about; in half a year she would be as good as new.

That was good. The director of the NSIS was needed. She had work to do.

A flag at the end of the file caught the doctor's attention. Curious, he called it up.

"Ms. Gaiz, we have a serious problem."

Auris groaned.

"I have several serious problems right now, thank you," she said snippily. The painkillers were wearing off.

"Well, you may have a few more. The extensive treatments you've received and will continue to need are by no means cheap."

"I'm a ranking officer of the TSAB military, Doctor. We have complete medical coverage."

"Yes, normally that's true, but in this case...well, according to this, you sent Lutecia Alphine into a dangerous situation without sufficient backup, resulting in her nearly being killed, and as a result her girlfriend Vivio beat you within an inch of your life. Is that substantially correct?"

Auris muttered several imprecations that the doctor charitably chose to blame on the medication.

"...Yes," she finished.

"Well, that's the problem. TSAB military insurance doesn't cover Acts of God."

YESSSSSSS! Awesome!

I love how snippy Auris is . And haha, Vivio got revenge in more than just the physical pain--she's gonna bankrupt Auris too! (I bet you Hayate not only helped cover up for Vivio, but looked up the TSAB military insurance policy first before putting the idea in Vivio's head! )

[synaesthetic]

Celica was the one who broke into the insurance database and made sure the medical treatments wouldn't be covered... *whistles innocently*

[sniperk]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

This is deathcurse's fault. In her review at ff.net of "Shadow in the Rain," she wrote:

"You're not doing it just because you feel guilty or because Auris Gaiz is a manipulative **? 'Cause I will pitch her non-magical hind end out a window and have Aunt Hayate cover it up if she ever hurts you, NSIS director or not."

...oh, that is just BEGGING for an omake! =D *nudge nudge* =P
So...okay!

Spoiler for Always Read the Fine Print:

The doctor ran his gaze down the screen, looking at a list of his patient's injuries. The more critical ones were under control, but even with magical healing it took time for bones to knit and internal organs to be force-regenerated to healthy status. Still and all, the TSAB had marvelous medical technology, and given a few months, the patient would be up and about; in half a year she would be as good as new.

That was good. The director of the NSIS was needed. She had work to do.

A flag at the end of the file caught the doctor's attention. Curious, he called it up.

"Ms. Gaiz, we have a serious problem."

Auris groaned.

"I have several serious problems right now, thank you," she said snippily. The painkillers were wearing off.

"Well, you may have a few more. The extensive treatments you've received and will continue to need are by no means cheap."

"I'm a ranking officer of the TSAB military, Doctor. We have complete medical coverage."

"Yes, normally that's true, but in this case...well, according to this, you sent Lutecia Alphine into a dangerous situation without sufficient backup, resulting in her nearly being killed, and as a result her girlfriend Vivio beat you within an inch of your life. Is that substantially correct?"

Auris muttered several imprecations that the doctor charitably chose to blame on the medication.

"...Yes," she finished.

"Well, that's the problem. TSAB military insurance doesn't cover Acts of God."

I kept thinking that the punchline was going to be more in the ways of a painful, sturdy, and chubby thing... delivered to Auris where the light doesn't shine.

Glad it wasn't.

*takes mind out the gutter*

[Tempy]

Cross post from OCT.

Spoiler for Blind:

“Keroko, get out of there! The device is going to blow up at any second!”

Red lights, blaring alarms, the area was mostly empty now, but one still remained.

“I can’t leave yet. Data is still downloading into Neltharion. If we give up on this, then what
worth was going on this mission?”

“Don’t be crazy! That intel is not worth your life!”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to waste all that time and effort spent getting to this point. This is half
a year’s worth of work, Hayate, we can’t just waste it!”

Indeed, there was much sacrifice poured into this operation, the blood, sweat, and tears of many
Enforcers making this all possible. Thousands of man-hours spent, just to provide this small
window. But now, a single bomb threatened to ruin it all.

“This is a direct order from your superior officer, Captain Keroko Takamachi. Evacuate the
premises immediately and return to base!”

It wasn’t often that Hayate used her commander voice, but when she did, it meant she would
not overlook anything. And as much as it pained her, Keroko could not just outright refuse, not
when it was official.

“…Acknowledged. Dissolving connection and evacuating. I just hope what I got is enough.”

The red gem of her device flashed once in confirmation, and the Ace zipped away as fast as she
could. A quiet rumble, rapidly growing into a terrifying roar, came from behind her. The noise
urged her to go faster, away from that terrible sound. She could feel the heat behind her,
scorching the tails of her barrier jacket. Be it morbid curiosity, or nervous worry, Keroko
peered behind her.

She watched as the light consumed her.

“KEROKO!”

Keroko gasped as she awoke, her entire body tight and braced for… something. Deep breaths.
Deep, calming breaths. Okay. Where was she? What time was it? She could not see anything.
Darkness, all around. Why couldn’t she see? Were her eyes covered?

“Oh, Keroko, you’re awake!” a familiar voice. Where?

“Shamal? What’s going on?” Keroko groped blindly in front of her. A warm hand soon grasped
hers.

“You’re in the hospital, Keroko. You’ve been unconscious for almost 48 hours, which is a good
sign. The surgeons had finished treating you, and now you just need to rest.”

She would have tilted her head to the side, had it not threaten to make her nauseously dizzy.
“Surgeons? Did I need surgery? Is that why my head is wrapped up?”

“Yes, it’s is just post-op,” the redhead could hear Shamal step up closer to her, probably
looking at the devices by the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy, and kind of sick. Mostly nauseous though.”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

“The last thing…?” Keroko tried to focus her mind. “Um… oh! I was getting the intel when
Hayate told me to pull out. Then… I don’t remember much else. There was something really
bright though.”

The Ace could feel a soft hand gently grasp hers, a gesture she returned in relief, but what she
would hear next would steal all the strength from her body. “Keroko, during the last phase of the
mission, there was an extraordinary bright flash, one in which you were in the middle of.”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“You watched it all happen, Keroko. Your eyes were wide open. As a result, your retinas were
severely damaged. You’re blind, Keroko,” Shamal finished quietly.

“That’s… not as good as I hoped it would be.”

“The surgeons managed to successfully operate on you, but they are not sure if you will regain
sight or not.”

“…What?” her voice dropped to a whisper.

“The damage was incredibly extensive. There was even discussion if we should just remove your
original eyes and replace them with cybernetics. All we can do is wait…”

“—ong?”

“I’m sorry?”

“How long?

The doctor grimaced, unable to give the girl a good answer. “I… I don’t know. ”

“Dammit, Shamal! How long am I going to be fucking blind?!” Keroko could not see the wince
in the doctor’s face as her hand was crushed, but Keroko could feel her trying to pull away.
Immediately the Ace let the hand go, her previously furious face quickly dropping into one of
shame. “I-I’m sorry, Shamal. I didn’t mean to scream. I-I just—I’m just so…”

“It’s okay, Keroko. I understand and I forgive you,” Shamal took Keroko’s hand again.
“You’re under a lot of stress. But as I said, I do not know how long that will be. Everyone’s
body is different and they take to treatments differently. The best estimate I can give you…
maybe a month? That’s best case scenario.”

Despite Shamal’s reassuring squeeze, Keroko’s hand remained numb and limp. She had always
known that there was the threat of severe injury or death while serving with the TSAB, and she
had been convinced she was prepared for those threats. Now that it actually happened… was
she truly prepared for this?

There was an emptiness in her now, a deep, almost bottomless sense of loss that clawed deeply
at her chest. Blindness. Loss of sight. Possibly permanent, with no sense of assurance that it
would heal. Her entire world was gone now, masked in unending darkness.

Her life. Her existence. How much of it was impossible now?

What am I going to do…?

The room door slid open, fast footsteps passing over the threshold.

“Keroko!” a young, worried voice; the voice of her sister.

“Hey, onee-chan,” Keroko greeted as calmly as she could, chuckling as Nanoha caught her in a
big embrace. “Hey, now. I’m hospitalized, remember?”

“I was so worried…!” Nanoha’s voice was muffled with her face buried into Keroko’s shoulder.
In response, the redhead gently patted her sister’s head.

“It’s alright. I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“But your eyes…!”

“The doctors said there was a chance that I may get my vision back. Considering how high-tech
Mid Childa medicine is, I’d say it’s a pretty good chance.”

Nanoha gave no response, choosing only to hug her sister closer.

“Is everyone here?”

Takamachi answered with a nod, “Un. They’re all waiting outside. The doctors are only letting a
few of us in at time. Fate is here too.”

“Hello, Keroko,” A soft voice, yet the worry was painfully evident.

“Heya. Sorry for worrying everyone.”

“As long as you’re fine, it’s okay.”

“Well, what is everyone waiting for? Bring ‘em all in! I might not be able to see, but I can still
hear!” Keroko gave her friends a vicious grin.

She didn’t realize how bad of a headache she would get with so many people in the room.
--

It was a few hours since everyone had left. Though exhausted and fraught with worry, her friends
reluctantly accepted Keroko’s insistence that she was fine. Still, the room she sat in felt painfully
empty. The silence was… frightening, in a way. Earlier, she nearly got a headache from all the
noise, but now the stillness of her room sought to strip her of her clinging sanity. She felt lonely,
weak, and terribly lost. Did she even know the color of her hospital gown? What did her room
look like? Was there even a TV here? A radio? What about the kind of flowers that were
brought in? The card supposedly by her bedside—what did it say? The weather? Were the
lights on? She could even have a sleeping roommate, but she would never know.

God, she wanted to know. All these things, so minor before, now lost to her! She wanted to see!
Tear these bandages away, open her eyes, and throw off this horrible mantle smothering her
vision!

Frustration. Fear. Anxiety. Terror. Her hands fidgeted restlessly as she felt the stress swell
within her chest. Her breath quickened, as did her pulse. The monitors by her bedside beeped
in reflection of her state. Never before did she want to scream so badly, to just break everything
and cry to the world.

There was a quiet knock at her door, waking her to the present and freezing her breath in her
throat. Her heart still thundered in her chest, though the tension seemed to slowly bleed out.
What was…

The knocking came again, to which Keroko managed to croak out, “Come in.”

The door quietly hissed as it slid open, the muted footsteps of her guest coming closer and closer.

“Who is it?” She hated feeling this vulnerable, this weak. If anyone were to do anything, she
would be completely open and unable to respond. Even as this presence stopped by her
bedside, the ace could not help but feel utterly terrified as to whom may be standing there.

“Hello, lady Keroko,” a familiar voice said, deep, quiet, but strong. Those three simple words
seemed to banish all the anxiety, the fear and loathing.

Oh thank God.

“Noland,” she greeted, turning her head instinctively towards the source. “Hey.”

“I apologize for not visiting earlier with the others. There was something I had to attend to.”

“No, it’s fine, really. You visited, and that means a lot to me. Thank you.”

“I am certain you have heard this many times, but, how are you feeling?”

“I’ll be honest with you: like total shit.”

“Unsurprising,” the knight placed something on the nightstand before sitting down. “But you are
alive and well, and for that, I am supremely relieved.”

“Alive, yeah, but I don’t know about well. I’m blind, Noland, and the doctors don’t know if I
can see ever again.”

She jumped as something touched her hand, not expecting the contact. A warm, rough hand
gently grasped hers.

“I heard of your injury from your sister. I am terribly sorry.”

The Ace shook her head, “It’s not like you had anything to do with it. But, I’m not really sure
what I can do about this…”

“What of cybernetics?”

“Don’t even mention that. I don’t care how advanced and safe the stuff is; it just creeps me out.
No offense to the Numbers, but I don’t think I can stand knowing my eyes have been ripped out
and replaced with fakes.”

Noland made no response, instead squeezing the girl’s hand in support.

“Y-you know, I’m… I’m kinda scared,” the girl admitted, reciprocating the squeeze. “No... I'm
very scared. I mean, what if I can’t see ever again? My life… my life is ruined! What good is a
combat mage that’s blind?

“Lady Keroko..."

"I can't work anymore! I can never see my sister, family, and friends again; I can't even see or
take care of Vivio. I'm... I'm useless!"

"Stop. Stop it. Think about what you are saying. What nonsense is this, believing that you are
useless?"

"It's true though. The Bureau has no use for a handicapped mage. Why would anyone even
want me around? I'm just a burden, something to be taken care of. Why would anyone want me
around?"

"You idiot."

Keroko was stunned into silence. Very rarely did Noland used any language other than polite
and formal speech with her, so these words, as mild as they may be, struck her as hard as a slap.
She could feel his grip on her hands tightening.

"You are not useless, nor are you unwanted. That is selfish thinking. Would everyone really
abandon you? Would they all pity you? What has become of the brave, fiery young woman that
I have come to know?"

"She's blind now, unable to even defend herself from a simple Gadget."

Keroko expected a slap for that. Instead, she felt her bed shift towards the edge. Warm, strong
hands grasped her shoulders; Noland was right in front of her.

“You have lost sight, temporary it may be, but that does not mean you are lost. Taste. Touch.
Sight. Sound. These are the senses that you still have.”

“Giving me the lecture, eh?” she asked with a bitter smile.

“Far from it, lady Keroko. I have the highest hopes that you will regain your vision, but until then,
you must adapt. Do you really expect to remain bedridden?”

“But what can I do? I’m not like you, Noland—”

“No, you are not," he interrupted. "You are not as weak as I was. When I was blinded, I
wallowed in self-pity and anguish, my mind overwhelmed by the changes to my body and my life.
Days, weeks, I groped wildly in the darkness, thinking that I was weak and my life was forever
lost. But you, you will not fall to that same despair. You are so much stronger than that. I will not
allow you to be consumed by that darkness within you."

Keroko's shoulders slumped, an invisible action to them both. Noland pulled her into a gentle
hug.

"All is not lost. If you will allow me, I will help you all that I can. The others too, all our friends;
they will gladly help. You are not alone."

“The blind leading the blind,” Keroko chuckled bitterly. “Ironic.”

Still, her arms came up to reciprocate the hug.

“Alright, Noland. We’ll do things your way. Sorry for freaking out there.”

“No, your worries and fears are very understandable. I too was like that.”

They separated, followed by a short moment of silence between them. Keroko leaned back into
her bed, while Noland took a seat next to it.

“Hey, what time is it?” the Ace asked suddenly.

“I do not know. Dark, likely.”

“Mmh.”.

“May I ask a question?” Noland asked suddenly.

“Sure.”

“Why did you not tell the others of your condition?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Before arriving, I received a call from lady Vivio. She wholly believes in your complete
recovery. However, in light of your earlier fears, I suspect you did not divulge the complete truth
to them.”

“Heh. You caught me,” she gave another bitter laugh. “Can you really blame me, though? I don’t
want them to worry more than they have to. Besides, the doctors did say I had a chance.”

“False hopes hurt far more than the most biting of truths, lady Keroko. You know this,”
Noland’s voice was stern at first, but then it softened. “And I too believe in your recovery.
I merely worry that the deception will simply magnify their anxieties.

“I know. I’ll apologize deal with it when the time comes,” she trailed off into a yawn

“You are still recovering. Rest.”

“Yeah. That’s probably the best idea. Are you going back home?” there was something hidden
in that question, a small inflection in her voice. Easily missed, but it was certainly there.

Fortunately, the knight picked up on that little thing, “No. I will be right here when you wake.
Rest well, lady Keroko."

The room was cold, dark, and empty. But here, upon these worn and sterile sheets of white, she
was not lonely. Peaceful slumber came easily.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Celica was the one who broke into the insurance database and made sure the medical treatments wouldn't be covered... *whistles innocently*

Seems Lutecia has a wide and varied network.

[Tabasco]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

This is deathcurse's fault. In her review at ff.net of "Shadow in the Rain," she wrote:

"You're not doing it just because you feel guilty or because Auris Gaiz is a manipulative **? 'Cause I will pitch her non-magical hind end out a window and have Aunt Hayate cover it up if she ever hurts you, NSIS director or not."

...oh, that is just BEGGING for an omake! =D *nudge nudge* =P
So...okay!

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Celica was the one who broke into the insurance database and made sure the medical treatments wouldn't be covered... *whistles innocently*

Shadows stick together. I have a vision of a kind of quiet mutiny within their ranks after that little stunt gets out, with that being the opening act.

That is something that would warrant further exploration, what exactly Vivio's role in society really is. She could be anything from a monarch in exile to like here, but somehow I don't think 'ordinary mage girl' is going to be anywhere on the list.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Tabasco

That is something that would warrant further exploration, what exactly Vivio's role in society really is. She could be anything from a monarch in exile to like here, but somehow I don't think 'ordinary mage girl' is going to be anywhere on the list.

I actually had a story for that when I was trying to find a main plot to develop during the ViCia series. The original idea actually focused on the idea of the Sankt Kaiser and Vivio being two separate entities, and Sankt Kaiser had taken control of Vivio's body and forced Lutecia to work with her. It never did manage to get off the ground, though.

EDIT: Pageclaim for stories that never get off the ground!