Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Hiria]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

This is an odd plotbunny. I recently realized that DezoPenguin and I both made Vivio ultimately be 15 in our stories, and so this was born. I use the other Vivio with DezoPenguin's permission, and this is short; I'm just highlighting on the most obvious difference between the two of 'em, despite the fact that they're the same age.

Spoiler for Alternate Realities FTW:

“I hate alternate realities.”

Vivio spared her mentor a surprised look. “Really, Vita-sensei? I find it kind of cool.”

“You would.” In a significantly worse mood than her younger student, Vita slumped in the plastic chair, sucking on the straw of her caramel milk carton and a scowl on her face, effectively scaring away half the population. “I’m not too comfortable about the thought of another me running around.”

Nanoha giggled, in a surprisingly good mood considering the magical warp that had yanked her and her two companions through time and space into an odd little alternate reality with another version of them running around. “Come on, Vita. It’s no different from home. Besides, Hayate-chan—theirs, not ours—said they’re doing everything they can. We just have to wait."

Vita grumbled, gulping a mouthful of milk. “I just can’t believe it… in this world, Hayate and Verossa actually get married… I’m gonna have to watch that bastard like a damn hawk when we get home…”

While Nanoha attempted to soothe her angry little friend, Vivio watched the passing people with evident curiosity, perched on the edge of her seat and earning some odd looks from the people walking by. In this world, her other self had learned how to handle Mid-Childan magic under the guidance of her mothers and Chrono, and wielded a device called Burning Glory, which was set as a dark blue ring on her finger when not in use. The use of her Belkan-based Parsifal, on the other hand, was the total opposite of her counterpart, and only a threat from both Vitas had kept Mariel from dismantling him on the spot to see what made him tick.

After looking around for a few minutes, Vivio couldn’t help noticing that her other self was hanging around the landing area, evidently waiting for something or someone to arrive. Unable to resist, Vivio leaned out and snagged the sleeve of a passerby, which happened to be this world’s Caro. “Hey, Caro-nee,” she murmured, and the older woman leaned in closer curiously, always willing to help. “Who’s Vivio waiting for?”

It took a few minutes for Caro to recall that there were two separate Vivios, looking between the pair quickly to confirm that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her; she smiled. “Oh, Vi’s waiting for Lu-chan. She’s been on a mission for about six months now, and today she’s coming home.” The pink-haired summoner laughed. “I think it’ll be good for Vivio. She’s been going slowly insane since Lu-chan left. It happened right after they got together, too, so that made it worse in some ways, I think…”

A joyful cry of “Cia!” interrupted the conversation, and both girls looked up.

Just in time to see Vivio fly into the arms of Lutecia Alphine, her arms coming tight around the older girl’s neck as she kissed her.

Right on the mouth.

Deeply.

Vivio blinked; her jaw dropped.

“I… have a girlfriend in this world?” She blinked several times, trying to process this new information. “B… but… Nanoha-mama said I can’t date yet… and Lutecia-chan’s four years older than me…”

“What can I say? Love knows no limits.” Caro patted Vivio cheerfully on the shoulder as the couple in front of them broke apart and started away, fingers twined together as they spoke in low tones.

Nanoha paled.

Suddenly in a much better mood, Vita chuckled. “Better watch out, Nanoha,” she teased, nudging the woman with her elbow. “Your Vivio might start getting some ideas now.”

Nanoha narrowed her eyes.

“… I’m watching Vivio like a hawk when we get home.”

*runs far, far away*

LOl. XDXDXD
I <3 Alternate Realities
Alternate Realities FTW indeed!
nice work, radiantbeam. ^-^

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

The True Lies short is complete and I tried something new. First-Person PoV.

Spoiler for Despair and horror:

I moved slowly towards the corner in the intersection of the corridor and peeked behind it. A strong and disgusting smell that touched my nose made me flinch back, nudging Kate behind me.
She looked at me with surprise, with those deep and teary eyes I had come to know very closely these last hours.

"What's going on?" she whispered to me.

"Sssh," I notioned to her and took another peek around the corner.

My eyes registered two people standing in front of something I couldn't see clearly. Whatever it was, it was bloody and smelled awfully.

Bodies, was my first thought as I drew back my head from the corner. Looking at Kate, I thought about what we could do.
The two humans, or whatever they were, were standing a few metres from the intersection. Sneaking past them was my first thought and going back was not an alternative. Without any further leads to go on, I decided to try the only thing I could do.

"Listen to me Kate. We are going to sneak past this intersection," I whispered to her. Her eyes followed mine and her face showed anticipation. "Whatever you do, do not look to the right. Just hold my hand and follow me as closely as you can. Can you do that for me?"

For a second I thought she was going to object. To my relief she just nodded and I took a firmer grip of her hand.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Then let's go."

With a final peek around the corner to check that the other two weren't looking, I took a slow but accurate step into the hallway. Kate followed shortly, her hand pressed hard against mine. We traversed the floor slowly, each of us taking careful steps to avoid making any noises.

When we had traversed half of the distance over to the other side, I heard a high-pitched scream, almost like an animal. I turned my head slowly to the right and saw one of the others running towards me.
She had wild red-sprained eyes and her mouth was open in a terrifying shape. Blood was smeared over her face as if she had feasted on something still alive.

I thought I would panic, but for some reason, I didn't. I just threw Kate in front of me and pushed her towards the other side.

"Run! Run towards the door and don't look back!" I shouted before losing all my air in my lungs. The woman had thrown herself at me and pinned me down against the adjacent wall. She snarled as if she was insane and tried to bite me wherever she could get a clean hit.

With the limited movement I had, I managed to move my head to look after Kate. All I saw was a shadow passing me and running after her. I tried to shout, to warn her about her hunter, but I couldn't get any air into my lungs.
I watched as the man got a hold of her hair and pinned her to the ground. I watched as he bit down on her throat, making her bleed massively from the wound. I watched, as her lips moved while facing me, her face in utter shock and fear.

"Brother. Help me."

D: That virus is truly terrifying.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

This is an odd plotbunny. I recently realized that DezoPenguin and I both made Vivio ultimately be 15 in our stories, and so this was born. I use the other Vivio with DezoPenguin's permission, and this is short; I'm just highlighting on the most obvious difference between the two of 'em, despite the fact that they're the same age.

Spoiler for Alternate Realities FTW:

“I hate alternate realities.”

Vivio spared her mentor a surprised look. “Really, Vita-sensei? I find it kind of cool.”

“You would.” In a significantly worse mood than her younger student, Vita slumped in the plastic chair, sucking on the straw of her caramel milk carton and a scowl on her face, effectively scaring away half the population. “I’m not too comfortable about the thought of another me running around.”

Nanoha giggled, in a surprisingly good mood considering the magical warp that had yanked her and her two companions through time and space into an odd little alternate reality with another version of them running around. “Come on, Vita. It’s no different from home. Besides, Hayate-chan—theirs, not ours—said they’re doing everything they can. We just have to wait."

Vita grumbled, gulping a mouthful of milk. “I just can’t believe it… in this world, Hayate and Verossa actually get married… I’m gonna have to watch that bastard like a damn hawk when we get home…”

While Nanoha attempted to soothe her angry little friend, Vivio watched the passing people with evident curiosity, perched on the edge of her seat and earning some odd looks from the people walking by. In this world, her other self had learned how to handle Mid-Childan magic under the guidance of her mothers and Chrono, and wielded a device called Burning Glory, which was set as a dark blue ring on her finger when not in use. The use of her Belkan-based Parsifal, on the other hand, was the total opposite of her counterpart, and only a threat from both Vitas had kept Mariel from dismantling him on the spot to see what made him tick.

After looking around for a few minutes, Vivio couldn’t help noticing that her other self was hanging around the landing area, evidently waiting for something or someone to arrive. Unable to resist, Vivio leaned out and snagged the sleeve of a passerby, which happened to be this world’s Caro. “Hey, Caro-nee,” she murmured, and the older woman leaned in closer curiously, always willing to help. “Who’s Vivio waiting for?”

It took a few minutes for Caro to recall that there were two separate Vivios, looking between the pair quickly to confirm that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her; she smiled. “Oh, Vi’s waiting for Lu-chan. She’s been on a mission for about six months now, and today she’s coming home.” The pink-haired summoner laughed. “I think it’ll be good for Vivio. She’s been going slowly insane since Lu-chan left. It happened right after they got together, too, so that made it worse in some ways, I think…”

A joyful cry of “Cia!” interrupted the conversation, and both girls looked up.

Just in time to see Vivio fly into the arms of Lutecia Alphine, her arms coming tight around the older girl’s neck as she kissed her.

Right on the mouth.

Deeply.

Vivio blinked; her jaw dropped.

“I… have a girlfriend in this world?” She blinked several times, trying to process this new information. “B… but… Nanoha-mama said I can’t date yet… and Lutecia-chan’s four years older than me…”

“What can I say? Love knows no limits.” Caro patted Vivio cheerfully on the shoulder as the couple in front of them broke apart and started away, fingers twined together as they spoke in low tones.

Nanoha paled.

Suddenly in a much better mood, Vita chuckled. “Better watch out, Nanoha,” she teased, nudging the woman with her elbow. “Your Vivio might start getting some ideas now.”

Nanoha narrowed her eyes.

“… I’m watching Vivio like a hawk when we get home.”

*runs far, far away*

Lol. That's great, I think one of you guys mentioned that before. I like the part about Vivio and Lutecia. Too bad nothing happened with the alternate version of Vita, it would have been hilarious.

Originally Posted by Evil Rick

Yep, the guy it's me

That's cool, making a cameo at the very end.

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

This is an odd plotbunny. I recently realized that DezoPenguin and I both made Vivio ultimately be 15 in our stories, and so this was born. I use the other Vivio with DezoPenguin's permission, and this is short; I'm just highlighting on the most obvious difference between the two of 'em, despite the fact that they're the same age.

Spoiler for Alternate Realities FTW:

“I hate alternate realities.”

Vivio spared her mentor a surprised look. “Really, Vita-sensei? I find it kind of cool.”

“You would.” In a significantly worse mood than her younger student, Vita slumped in the plastic chair, sucking on the straw of her caramel milk carton and a scowl on her face, effectively scaring away half the population. “I’m not too comfortable about the thought of another me running around.”

Nanoha giggled, in a surprisingly good mood considering the magical warp that had yanked her and her two companions through time and space into an odd little alternate reality with another version of them running around. “Come on, Vita. It’s no different from home. Besides, Hayate-chan—theirs, not ours—said they’re doing everything they can. We just have to wait."

Vita grumbled, gulping a mouthful of milk. “I just can’t believe it… in this world, Hayate and Verossa actually get married… I’m gonna have to watch that bastard like a damn hawk when we get home…”

While Nanoha attempted to soothe her angry little friend, Vivio watched the passing people with evident curiosity, perched on the edge of her seat and earning some odd looks from the people walking by. In this world, her other self had learned how to handle Mid-Childan magic under the guidance of her mothers and Chrono, and wielded a device called Burning Glory, which was set as a dark blue ring on her finger when not in use. The use of her Belkan-based Parsifal, on the other hand, was the total opposite of her counterpart, and only a threat from both Vitas had kept Mariel from dismantling him on the spot to see what made him tick.

After looking around for a few minutes, Vivio couldn’t help noticing that her other self was hanging around the landing area, evidently waiting for something or someone to arrive. Unable to resist, Vivio leaned out and snagged the sleeve of a passerby, which happened to be this world’s Caro. “Hey, Caro-nee,” she murmured, and the older woman leaned in closer curiously, always willing to help. “Who’s Vivio waiting for?”

It took a few minutes for Caro to recall that there were two separate Vivios, looking between the pair quickly to confirm that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her; she smiled. “Oh, Vi’s waiting for Lu-chan. She’s been on a mission for about six months now, and today she’s coming home.” The pink-haired summoner laughed. “I think it’ll be good for Vivio. She’s been going slowly insane since Lu-chan left. It happened right after they got together, too, so that made it worse in some ways, I think…”

A joyful cry of “Cia!” interrupted the conversation, and both girls looked up.

Just in time to see Vivio fly into the arms of Lutecia Alphine, her arms coming tight around the older girl’s neck as she kissed her.

Right on the mouth.

Deeply.

Vivio blinked; her jaw dropped.

“I… have a girlfriend in this world?” She blinked several times, trying to process this new information. “B… but… Nanoha-mama said I can’t date yet… and Lutecia-chan’s four years older than me…”

“What can I say? Love knows no limits.” Caro patted Vivio cheerfully on the shoulder as the couple in front of them broke apart and started away, fingers twined together as they spoke in low tones.

Nanoha paled.

Suddenly in a much better mood, Vita chuckled. “Better watch out, Nanoha,” she teased, nudging the woman with her elbow. “Your Vivio might start getting some ideas now.”

Nanoha narrowed her eyes.

“… I’m watching Vivio like a hawk when we get home.”

*runs far, far away*

Vita angry! lol

Lovelly

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

This is an odd plotbunny. I recently realized that DezoPenguin and I both made Vivio ultimately be 15 in our stories, and so this was born. I use the other Vivio with DezoPenguin's permission, and this is short; I'm just highlighting on the most obvious difference between the two of 'em, despite the fact that they're the same age.

Spoiler for Alternate Realities FTW:

“I hate alternate realities.”

Vivio spared her mentor a surprised look. “Really, Vita-sensei? I find it kind of cool.”

“You would.” In a significantly worse mood than her younger student, Vita slumped in the plastic chair, sucking on the straw of her caramel milk carton and a scowl on her face, effectively scaring away half the population. “I’m not too comfortable about the thought of another me running around.”

Nanoha giggled, in a surprisingly good mood considering the magical warp that had yanked her and her two companions through time and space into an odd little alternate reality with another version of them running around. “Come on, Vita. It’s no different from home. Besides, Hayate-chan—theirs, not ours—said they’re doing everything they can. We just have to wait."

Vita grumbled, gulping a mouthful of milk. “I just can’t believe it… in this world, Hayate and Verossa actually get married… I’m gonna have to watch that bastard like a damn hawk when we get home…”

While Nanoha attempted to soothe her angry little friend, Vivio watched the passing people with evident curiosity, perched on the edge of her seat and earning some odd looks from the people walking by. In this world, her other self had learned how to handle Mid-Childan magic under the guidance of her mothers and Chrono, and wielded a device called Burning Glory, which was set as a dark blue ring on her finger when not in use. The use of her Belkan-based Parsifal, on the other hand, was the total opposite of her counterpart, and only a threat from both Vitas had kept Mariel from dismantling him on the spot to see what made him tick.

After looking around for a few minutes, Vivio couldn’t help noticing that her other self was hanging around the landing area, evidently waiting for something or someone to arrive. Unable to resist, Vivio leaned out and snagged the sleeve of a passerby, which happened to be this world’s Caro. “Hey, Caro-nee,” she murmured, and the older woman leaned in closer curiously, always willing to help. “Who’s Vivio waiting for?”

It took a few minutes for Caro to recall that there were two separate Vivios, looking between the pair quickly to confirm that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her; she smiled. “Oh, Vi’s waiting for Lu-chan. She’s been on a mission for about six months now, and today she’s coming home.” The pink-haired summoner laughed. “I think it’ll be good for Vivio. She’s been going slowly insane since Lu-chan left. It happened right after they got together, too, so that made it worse in some ways, I think…”

A joyful cry of “Cia!” interrupted the conversation, and both girls looked up.

Just in time to see Vivio fly into the arms of Lutecia Alphine, her arms coming tight around the older girl’s neck as she kissed her.

Right on the mouth.

Deeply.

Vivio blinked; her jaw dropped.

“I… have a girlfriend in this world?” She blinked several times, trying to process this new information. “B… but… Nanoha-mama said I can’t date yet… and Lutecia-chan’s four years older than me…”

“What can I say? Love knows no limits.” Caro patted Vivio cheerfully on the shoulder as the couple in front of them broke apart and started away, fingers twined together as they spoke in low tones.

Nanoha paled.

Suddenly in a much better mood, Vita chuckled. “Better watch out, Nanoha,” she teased, nudging the woman with her elbow. “Your Vivio might start getting some ideas now.”

Nanoha narrowed her eyes.

“… I’m watching Vivio like a hawk when we get home.”

*runs far, far away*

*chortle* You certainly got that out quickly! It's cute, too! Though...Hayate and Verossa? Damn, somebody moves fast.

The bit about Mariel was cute. I'm glad Vita and Vivio had the smarts to keep quiet about the fact that their Mariel had actually made Parsifal, or else there'd have been no stopping this Mariel to find out what was what.

(Ah, well, at least Parsifal wouldn't have complained. I think he takes personality lessons from Signum...well, except in omakes, where he's a smartass, but all Devices are smartasses in omakes. It's a rule, I think. I just wish that I knew enough...er, any...German to give him some genuine dialogue.)

Vita is evil.

But you missed on one thing. You should have had Lutecia...who can't reasonably be expected to be aware of random parallel-reality travelers stopping by...grab the wrong Vivio!

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

But you missed on one thing. You should have had Lutecia...who can't reasonably be expected to be aware of random parallel-reality travelers stopping by...grab the wrong Vivio!

Now that would have been just plain damn Funny

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Seraph42

Now that would have been just plain damn Funny

That actually happened, originally.

But then it made the whole thing too long, and I was too lazy to write something that exceeded a page.

[Allquall]

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

“Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” Carim asked one final time to the woman lying on the couch.

“Nope,” replied Hayate with a smile, “Go have fun at the spa with Schach.”

“You just want rid of me,” teased Carim while picking up the car keys off of the kitchen counter. Hayate rolled her head back on the couch armrest and grinned broadly at the blond, who in return flicked the brunette’s nose.

“Ow!” yelped Hayate rubbing her nose before protesting, “Hey, if you get to lay naked in mud for a day, then I should be able to lay on the couch naked for a day.”

“What makes you think I would oppose you doing that?” smirked Carim leaning over the side of the couch and letting her long blond hair spill onto Hayate’s face.

“You mean I get to?”

“Just promise me that you’ll sit on a towel or something,” sighed Carim.

“Yes!” Hayate raised her curled fists in the air in triumph.

“You are so easy to please,” chuckled Carim as she threw her wallet and her sunglasses into a large purse.

“I prefer the term ‘low maintenance’,” yawned Hayate rolling onto her side.

“A plastic plant would be 'low maintenance',” chuckled Carim, “You require more than the occasional dusting and far more attention if you catch my drift.”

A light snore answered Carim’s snide remark, and Carim rolled her eyes while quietly closing and locking their apartment door. She would have been more upset at Hayate for falling asleep on her twice in the last twenty-four hour period, but her own emotional exhaustion kept her from her normal rage levels. It had been a rough month for both of them between moving in together and their vastly different work schedules. Sure, living together was fun for the first week, but there wasn’t any time for them to be alone.

Hayate especially felt conflicted at the new arrangement. She knew that she loved Carim. She wanted to share a life with her, but why was it so hard to share a roof? The brunette yawned again and arched her back in a long stretch before collapsing again on the sofa cushions. She peeled off her gray socks and tossed them onto the floor. She grinned at the sloppy display, because she had kept her small apartment much cleaner now than when she had lived alone.

Soon all of the Captain’s clothes with the exception of her undergarments were tossed carelessly onto the floor while Hayate staggered to the kitchen. She scratched her bare chest and tugged open the refrigerator door. Inside she saw a nice lunch that Carim had prepared for her with instructions on how to prepare the meal.

“Effort,” grumbled Hayate as she reached past the wrapped lunch in favor of the quart of milk behind it. In a few moments, Hayate poured the milk into her bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios and loudly crunched over the kitchen sink.

With each sloppy munch, Hayate felt equal amounts of freedom and guilt. On a normal Saturday a month ago, she would have spent the day eating cereal and moving from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom and back. Now, Saturdays meant bike rides in the park or going to poetry readings at the library with Carim. However, Carim’s presence made her happy, but Carim’s presence also made visits to the one bathroom in the apartment very uncomfortable. Especially in the morning after burrito night. Hayate had taken to using the bathroom in the early hours of the morning or taking her business to work, but not today. Today was the temporary return of the inner savage that Hayate kept safely hidden from the icon of class who loved her.

She rinsed out the finished bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before picking up her discarded clothes and placing them in the hamper by the bedroom door before closing the bathroom door behind her. She stared at her expressionless face in the mirror as she rigorously brushed her teeth.

‘I wonder what Carim’s doing now?’ she thought.

The toothbrush stayed still in her mouth as she thought about her long, blond hair, her smooth skin…

“Aagggh!” Hayate gagged as she coughed into the sink. While her thoughts had wandered, she had carelessly let her toothbrush drift too far into her throat.

She wiped her mouth while studying her image once again in the bathroom mirror. However, the bathtub behind her wrestled her attention away from her other half and to the joys of being alone. She soon had a mixed assortment of scented candles flickering from the edge of the tub as it filled with hot, bubbly water. She hissed as she stuck the tip of her foot into the hot water, and goose bumps appeared all over her naked body.

She pulled her foot out of the bath while the water still ran and went back into her bedroom to fetch one last piece of equipment. She came back to the small bathroom and plugged the small emergency radio into the wall next to the hair dryer and the large mountain of Carim’s hair products. Hayate slowly turned the dial, and the static melted away to her favorite classic rock station. She turned up the volume while turning off the water and let the power chords echo off the bathroom walls.

The army captain sank into the bath while the sounds of the 80s flooded her ears.

…I don't wanna touch you too much baby
'cause making love to you might drive me crazy…

The guitar screamed amid the static while Hayate sat up in the tub while playing her air guitar dramatically.

“Love bites! Love bleeds! It's bringin' me to my knees!” she sang with the radio, but in the back of her head she was thinking, ‘Thank God that Carim can’t see this.’

She submerged her body under the warm water as Fleetwood Mac warned her that she should never break the chain and Bon Jovi wanted to lay some chick down on a bed of roses.

“He was hot then. What the hell happened?” Hayate sighed with her mouth slightly in the water before wailing, “For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails…”

She rocked her head in time with the beat until the much younger voice of Bon Jovi faded into the high melody line of a well-played guitar.

“No way!” Hayate squealed and stood up in the bathtub while playing her air guitar as the bass chords and drums joined the guitar.

Hayate grabbed the bar of soap and sang to the throng of groupies and fans she envisioned onto the tiled wall.

“She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”

She sang and rocked out with her air guitar while flinging water all over the bathroom.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa….Sweet Child of miiiiiiiiiiine!”

Bath water drenched the ceiling as Hayate’s right arm windmilled her invisible guitar, and she brought the bar of soap in front of her mouth while screeching the end of the chorus.

“Whoa! Whoa! WhooOA! Sweet child of mine!”

Her mind returned to the images of the screaming audience as she picked the air while clenching her teeth for the guitar solo. She was so focused on the imagined audience that she failed to notice the real one opening the bathroom door. Carim’s eyes bulged at Hayate’s undulating body sleek with soapy water, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She sat on the toilet lid and enjoyed the private show.

"Carim's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain to quietly pass me by…"

A smile crept on Carim’s face and the wall of politeness that she had felt forced to maintain shattered in an instant. Her clothes fell haphazardly to the bathroom floor while Hayate started screaming the chorus line again.

“Whoooooooa! Sweet child of- AAAAAAAAAK!!” squawked the embarrassed and surprised Hayate as she turned to see a naked, laughing Carim standing mid-shin in hot bathwater. She plunged back down into the water.

“Whoa! Sweet child of mine!” sang Carim with more restraint than Hayate had demonstrated. “I love this song! I had no idea you liked it too! Where do we go…”

The blond extended her bare arms to the very embarrassed Hayate who accepted them hesitantly. The water flowed off of Hayate’s toned body as Carim pulled her to her feet.

“Where do we go…Where do we go now…” muttered Hayate.

Carim grabbed the shampoo bottle, “Yeah, where do we go noooooooow?”

“OOOOH! Sweet child of mine!” sang Hayate letting her true self shine through the well-mannered façade.

The two grown women threw their hair into disarray while headbanging to the last chord of the song and then cackled as they sat in the cooling water of the tub.

“You were supposed to be at the spa,” laughed Hayate as Carim laid back against her chest.

“I left Schach there,” replied Carim sweetly.

“Why?”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” the blond laughed, “I found all that sitting around in mud a little boring. I thought I'd join whatever trouble you were starting.”

Hayate chuckled, “Well, if you’re bored tonight, I know a great 80s place down the street.”

“It’s a date,” Carim announced while running her hand up Hayate’s leg, “But first…”

Hayate gulped as the tub squeaked while Carim turned to face her.

“You need to wash my hair.”

“Huh?” asked a confused Hayate.

“After all that headbanging, I’ll be lucky to run a comb through it without some conditioner.”

Hayate was already reaching for the plastic bottle by the time the blond finished her sentence.

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by Allquall

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

“Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” Carim asked one final time to the woman lying on the couch.

“Nope,” replied Hayate with a smile, “Go have fun at the spa with Schach.”

“You just want rid of me,” teased Carim while picking up the car keys off of the kitchen counter. Hayate rolled her head back on the couch armrest and grinned broadly at the blond, who in return flicked the brunette’s nose.

“Ow!” yelped Hayate rubbing her nose before protesting, “Hey, if you get to lay naked in mud for a day, then I should be able to lay on the couch naked for a day.”

“What makes you think I would oppose you doing that?” smirked Carim leaning over the side of the couch and letting her long blond hair spill onto Hayate’s face.

“You mean I get to?”

“Just promise me that you’ll sit on a towel or something,” sighed Carim.

“Yes!” Hayate raised her curled fists in the air in triumph.

“You are so easy to please,” chuckled Carim as she threw her wallet and her sunglasses into a large purse.

“I prefer the term ‘low maintenance’,” yawned Hayate rolling onto her side.

“A plastic plant would be 'low maintenance',” chuckled Carim, “You require more than the occasional dusting and far more attention if you catch my drift.”

A light snore answered Carim’s snide remark, and Carim rolled her eyes while quietly closing and locking their apartment door. She would have been more upset at Hayate for falling asleep on her twice in the last twenty-four hour period, but her own emotional exhaustion kept her from her normal rage levels. It had been a rough month for both of them between moving in together and their vastly different work schedules. Sure, living together was fun for the first week, but there wasn’t any time for them to be alone.

Hayate especially felt conflicted at the new arrangement. She knew that she loved Carim. She wanted to share a life with her, but why was it so hard to share a roof? The brunette yawned again and arched her back in a long stretch before collapsing again on the sofa cushions. She peeled off her gray socks and tossed them onto the floor. She grinned at the sloppy display, because she had kept her small apartment much cleaner now than when she had lived alone.

Soon all of the Captain’s clothes with the exception of her undergarments were tossed carelessly onto the floor while Hayate staggered to the kitchen. She scratched her bare chest and tugged open the refrigerator door. Inside she saw a nice lunch that Carim had prepared for her with instructions on how to prepare the meal.

“Effort,” grumbled Hayate as she reached past the wrapped lunch in favor of the quart of milk behind it. In a few moments, Hayate poured the milk into her bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios and loudly crunched over the kitchen sink.

With each sloppy munch, Hayate felt equal amounts of freedom and guilt. On a normal Saturday a month ago, she would have spent the day eating cereal and moving from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom and back. Now, Saturdays meant bike rides in the park or going to poetry readings at the library with Carim. However, Carim’s presence made her happy, but Carim’s presence also made visits to the one bathroom in the apartment very uncomfortable. Especially in the morning after burrito night. Hayate had taken to using the bathroom in the early hours of the morning or taking her business to work, but not today. Today was the temporary return of the inner savage that Hayate kept safely hidden from the icon of class who loved her.

She rinsed out the finished bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before picking up her discarded clothes and placing them in the hamper by the bedroom door before closing the bathroom door behind her. She stared at her expressionless face in the mirror as she rigorously brushed her teeth.

‘I wonder what Carim’s doing now?’ she thought.

The toothbrush stayed still in her mouth as she thought about her long, blond hair, her smooth skin…

“Aagggh!” Hayate gagged as she coughed into the sink. While her thoughts had wandered, she had carelessly let her toothbrush drift too far into her throat.

She wiped her mouth while studying her image once again in the bathroom mirror. However, the bathtub behind her wrestled her attention away from her other half and to the joys of being alone. She soon had a mixed assortment of scented candles flickering from the edge of the tub as it filled with hot, bubbly water. She hissed as she stuck the tip of her foot into the hot water, and goose bumps appeared all over her naked body.

She pulled her foot out of the bath while the water still ran and went back into her bedroom to fetch one last piece of equipment. She came back to the small bathroom and plugged the small emergency radio into the wall next to the hair dryer and the large mountain of Carim’s hair products. Hayate slowly turned the dial, and the static melted away to her favorite classic rock station. She turned up the volume while turning off the water and let the power chords echo off the bathroom walls.

The army captain sank into the bath while the sounds of the 80s flooded her ears.

…I don't wanna touch you too much baby
'cause making love to you might drive me crazy…

The guitar screamed amid the static while Hayate sat up in the tub while playing her air guitar dramatically.

“Love bites! Love bleeds! It's bringin' me to my knees!” she sang with the radio, but in the back of her head she was thinking, ‘Thank God that Carim can’t see this.’

She submerged her body under the warm water as Fleetwood Mac warned her that she should never break the chain and Bon Jovi wanted to lay some chick down on a bed of roses.

“He was hot then. What the hell happened?” Hayate sighed with her mouth slightly in the water before wailing, “For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails…”

She rocked her head in time with the beat until the much younger voice of Bon Jovi faded into the high melody line of a well-played guitar.

“No way!” Hayate squealed and stood up in the bathtub while playing her air guitar as the bass chords and drums joined the guitar.

Hayate grabbed the bar of soap and sang to the throng of groupies and fans she envisioned onto the tiled wall.

“She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”

She sang and rocked out with her air guitar while flinging water all over the bathroom.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa….Sweet Child of miiiiiiiiiiine!”

Bath water drenched the ceiling as Hayate’s right arm windmilled her invisible guitar, and she brought the bar of soap in front of her mouth while screeching the end of the chorus.

“Whoa! Whoa! WhooOA! Sweet child of mine!”

Her mind returned to the images of the screaming audience as she picked the air while clenching her teeth for the guitar solo. She was so focused on the imagined audience that she failed to notice the real one opening the bathroom door. Carim’s eyes bulged at Hayate’s undulating body sleek with soapy water, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She sat on the toilet lid and enjoyed the private show.

"Carim's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain to quietly pass me by…"

A smile crept on Carim’s face and the wall of politeness that she had felt forced to maintain shattered in an instant. Her clothes fell haphazardly to the bathroom floor while Hayate started screaming the chorus line again.

“Whoooooooa! Sweet child of- AAAAAAAAAK!!” squawked the embarrassed and surprised Hayate as she turned to see a naked, laughing Carim standing mid-shin in hot bathwater. She plunged back down into the water.

“Whoa! Sweet child of mine!” sang Carim with more restraint than Hayate had demonstrated. “I love this song! I had no idea you liked it too! Where do we go…”

The blond extended her bare arms to the very embarrassed Hayate who accepted them hesitantly. The water flowed off of Hayate’s toned body as Carim pulled her to her feet.

“Where do we go…Where do we go now…” muttered Hayate.

Carim grabbed the shampoo bottle, “Yeah, where do we go noooooooow?”

“OOOOH! Sweet child of mine!” sang Hayate letting her true self shine through the well-mannered façade.

The two grown women threw their hair into disarray while headbanging to the last chord of the song and then cackled as they sat in the cooling water of the tub.

“You were supposed to be at the spa,” laughed Hayate as Carim laid back against her chest.

“I left Schach there,” replied Carim sweetly.

“Why?”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” the blond laughed, “I found all that sitting around in mud a little boring. I thought I'd join whatever trouble you were starting.”

Hayate chuckled, “Well, if you’re bored tonight, I know a great 80s place down the street.”

“It’s a date,” Carim announced while running her hand up Hayate’s leg, “But first…”

Hayate gulped as the tub squeaked while Carim turned to face her.

“You need to wash my hair.”

“Huh?” asked a confused Hayate.

“After all that headbanging, I’ll be lucky to run a comb through it without some conditioner.”

Hayate was already reaching for the plastic bottle by the time the blond finished her sentence.

*chortle* Sometimes it's good to be old. I'm flashing back to 80s music videos here. And the image of Carim headbanging with a shampoo bottle in the tub has me hunting for a "rofl" smiley!

But why did Hayate get demoted?

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by Allquall

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

“Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” Carim asked one final time to the woman lying on the couch.

“Nope,” replied Hayate with a smile, “Go have fun at the spa with Schach.”

“You just want rid of me,” teased Carim while picking up the car keys off of the kitchen counter. Hayate rolled her head back on the couch armrest and grinned broadly at the blond, who in return flicked the brunette’s nose.

“Ow!” yelped Hayate rubbing her nose before protesting, “Hey, if you get to lay naked in mud for a day, then I should be able to lay on the couch naked for a day.”

“What makes you think I would oppose you doing that?” smirked Carim leaning over the side of the couch and letting her long blond hair spill onto Hayate’s face.

“You mean I get to?”

“Just promise me that you’ll sit on a towel or something,” sighed Carim.

“Yes!” Hayate raised her curled fists in the air in triumph.

“You are so easy to please,” chuckled Carim as she threw her wallet and her sunglasses into a large purse.

“I prefer the term ‘low maintenance’,” yawned Hayate rolling onto her side.

“A plastic plant would be 'low maintenance',” chuckled Carim, “You require more than the occasional dusting and far more attention if you catch my drift.”

A light snore answered Carim’s snide remark, and Carim rolled her eyes while quietly closing and locking their apartment door. She would have been more upset at Hayate for falling asleep on her twice in the last twenty-four hour period, but her own emotional exhaustion kept her from her normal rage levels. It had been a rough month for both of them between moving in together and their vastly different work schedules. Sure, living together was fun for the first week, but there wasn’t any time for them to be alone.

Hayate especially felt conflicted at the new arrangement. She knew that she loved Carim. She wanted to share a life with her, but why was it so hard to share a roof? The brunette yawned again and arched her back in a long stretch before collapsing again on the sofa cushions. She peeled off her gray socks and tossed them onto the floor. She grinned at the sloppy display, because she had kept her small apartment much cleaner now than when she had lived alone.

Soon all of the Captain’s clothes with the exception of her undergarments were tossed carelessly onto the floor while Hayate staggered to the kitchen. She scratched her bare chest and tugged open the refrigerator door. Inside she saw a nice lunch that Carim had prepared for her with instructions on how to prepare the meal.

“Effort,” grumbled Hayate as she reached past the wrapped lunch in favor of the quart of milk behind it. In a few moments, Hayate poured the milk into her bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios and loudly crunched over the kitchen sink.

With each sloppy munch, Hayate felt equal amounts of freedom and guilt. On a normal Saturday a month ago, she would have spent the day eating cereal and moving from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom and back. Now, Saturdays meant bike rides in the park or going to poetry readings at the library with Carim. However, Carim’s presence made her happy, but Carim’s presence also made visits to the one bathroom in the apartment very uncomfortable. Especially in the morning after burrito night. Hayate had taken to using the bathroom in the early hours of the morning or taking her business to work, but not today. Today was the temporary return of the inner savage that Hayate kept safely hidden from the icon of class who loved her.

She rinsed out the finished bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before picking up her discarded clothes and placing them in the hamper by the bedroom door before closing the bathroom door behind her. She stared at her expressionless face in the mirror as she rigorously brushed her teeth.

‘I wonder what Carim’s doing now?’ she thought.

The toothbrush stayed still in her mouth as she thought about her long, blond hair, her smooth skin…

“Aagggh!” Hayate gagged as she coughed into the sink. While her thoughts had wandered, she had carelessly let her toothbrush drift too far into her throat.

She wiped her mouth while studying her image once again in the bathroom mirror. However, the bathtub behind her wrestled her attention away from her other half and to the joys of being alone. She soon had a mixed assortment of scented candles flickering from the edge of the tub as it filled with hot, bubbly water. She hissed as she stuck the tip of her foot into the hot water, and goose bumps appeared all over her naked body.

She pulled her foot out of the bath while the water still ran and went back into her bedroom to fetch one last piece of equipment. She came back to the small bathroom and plugged the small emergency radio into the wall next to the hair dryer and the large mountain of Carim’s hair products. Hayate slowly turned the dial, and the static melted away to her favorite classic rock station. She turned up the volume while turning off the water and let the power chords echo off the bathroom walls.

The army captain sank into the bath while the sounds of the 80s flooded her ears.

…I don't wanna touch you too much baby
'cause making love to you might drive me crazy…

The guitar screamed amid the static while Hayate sat up in the tub while playing her air guitar dramatically.

“Love bites! Love bleeds! It's bringin' me to my knees!” she sang with the radio, but in the back of her head she was thinking, ‘Thank God that Carim can’t see this.’

She submerged her body under the warm water as Fleetwood Mac warned her that she should never break the chain and Bon Jovi wanted to lay some chick down on a bed of roses.

“He was hot then. What the hell happened?” Hayate sighed with her mouth slightly in the water before wailing, “For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails…”

She rocked her head in time with the beat until the much younger voice of Bon Jovi faded into the high melody line of a well-played guitar.

“No way!” Hayate squealed and stood up in the bathtub while playing her air guitar as the bass chords and drums joined the guitar.

Hayate grabbed the bar of soap and sang to the throng of groupies and fans she envisioned onto the tiled wall.

“She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”

She sang and rocked out with her air guitar while flinging water all over the bathroom.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa….Sweet Child of miiiiiiiiiiine!”

Bath water drenched the ceiling as Hayate’s right arm windmilled her invisible guitar, and she brought the bar of soap in front of her mouth while screeching the end of the chorus.

“Whoa! Whoa! WhooOA! Sweet child of mine!”

Her mind returned to the images of the screaming audience as she picked the air while clenching her teeth for the guitar solo. She was so focused on the imagined audience that she failed to notice the real one opening the bathroom door. Carim’s eyes bulged at Hayate’s undulating body sleek with soapy water, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She sat on the toilet lid and enjoyed the private show.

"Carim's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain to quietly pass me by…"

A smile crept on Carim’s face and the wall of politeness that she had felt forced to maintain shattered in an instant. Her clothes fell haphazardly to the bathroom floor while Hayate started screaming the chorus line again.

“Whoooooooa! Sweet child of- AAAAAAAAAK!!” squawked the embarrassed and surprised Hayate as she turned to see a naked, laughing Carim standing mid-shin in hot bathwater. She plunged back down into the water.

“Whoa! Sweet child of mine!” sang Carim with more restraint than Hayate had demonstrated. “I love this song! I had no idea you liked it too! Where do we go…”

The blond extended her bare arms to the very embarrassed Hayate who accepted them hesitantly. The water flowed off of Hayate’s toned body as Carim pulled her to her feet.

“Where do we go…Where do we go now…” muttered Hayate.

Carim grabbed the shampoo bottle, “Yeah, where do we go noooooooow?”

“OOOOH! Sweet child of mine!” sang Hayate letting her true self shine through the well-mannered façade.

The two grown women threw their hair into disarray while headbanging to the last chord of the song and then cackled as they sat in the cooling water of the tub.

“You were supposed to be at the spa,” laughed Hayate as Carim laid back against her chest.

“I left Schach there,” replied Carim sweetly.

“Why?”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” the blond laughed, “I found all that sitting around in mud a little boring. I thought I'd join whatever trouble you were starting.”

Hayate chuckled, “Well, if you’re bored tonight, I know a great 80s place down the street.”

“It’s a date,” Carim announced while running her hand up Hayate’s leg, “But first…”

Hayate gulped as the tub squeaked while Carim turned to face her.

“You need to wash my hair.”

“Huh?” asked a confused Hayate.

“After all that headbanging, I’ll be lucky to run a comb through it without some conditioner.”

Hayate was already reaching for the plastic bottle by the time the blond finished her sentence.

I lol'd so hard. Just the image of Carim and Hayate headbanging is enough, but naked in the tub? Too much. Fleetwood Mac ftw! You know what would be funny, if Welcome to the Jungle played because that's a song to sing to.

[Hiria]

Originally Posted by Allquall

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

“Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” Carim asked one final time to the woman lying on the couch.

“Nope,” replied Hayate with a smile, “Go have fun at the spa with Schach.”

“You just want rid of me,” teased Carim while picking up the car keys off of the kitchen counter. Hayate rolled her head back on the couch armrest and grinned broadly at the blond, who in return flicked the brunette’s nose.

“Ow!” yelped Hayate rubbing her nose before protesting, “Hey, if you get to lay naked in mud for a day, then I should be able to lay on the couch naked for a day.”

“What makes you think I would oppose you doing that?” smirked Carim leaning over the side of the couch and letting her long blond hair spill onto Hayate’s face.

“You mean I get to?”

“Just promise me that you’ll sit on a towel or something,” sighed Carim.

“Yes!” Hayate raised her curled fists in the air in triumph.

“You are so easy to please,” chuckled Carim as she threw her wallet and her sunglasses into a large purse.

“I prefer the term ‘low maintenance’,” yawned Hayate rolling onto her side.

“A plastic plant would be 'low maintenance',” chuckled Carim, “You require more than the occasional dusting and far more attention if you catch my drift.”

A light snore answered Carim’s snide remark, and Carim rolled her eyes while quietly closing and locking their apartment door. She would have been more upset at Hayate for falling asleep on her twice in the last twenty-four hour period, but her own emotional exhaustion kept her from her normal rage levels. It had been a rough month for both of them between moving in together and their vastly different work schedules. Sure, living together was fun for the first week, but there wasn’t any time for them to be alone.

Hayate especially felt conflicted at the new arrangement. She knew that she loved Carim. She wanted to share a life with her, but why was it so hard to share a roof? The brunette yawned again and arched her back in a long stretch before collapsing again on the sofa cushions. She peeled off her gray socks and tossed them onto the floor. She grinned at the sloppy display, because she had kept her small apartment much cleaner now than when she had lived alone.

Soon all of the Captain’s clothes with the exception of her undergarments were tossed carelessly onto the floor while Hayate staggered to the kitchen. She scratched her bare chest and tugged open the refrigerator door. Inside she saw a nice lunch that Carim had prepared for her with instructions on how to prepare the meal.

“Effort,” grumbled Hayate as she reached past the wrapped lunch in favor of the quart of milk behind it. In a few moments, Hayate poured the milk into her bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios and loudly crunched over the kitchen sink.

With each sloppy munch, Hayate felt equal amounts of freedom and guilt. On a normal Saturday a month ago, she would have spent the day eating cereal and moving from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom and back. Now, Saturdays meant bike rides in the park or going to poetry readings at the library with Carim. However, Carim’s presence made her happy, but Carim’s presence also made visits to the one bathroom in the apartment very uncomfortable. Especially in the morning after burrito night. Hayate had taken to using the bathroom in the early hours of the morning or taking her business to work, but not today. Today was the temporary return of the inner savage that Hayate kept safely hidden from the icon of class who loved her.

She rinsed out the finished bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before picking up her discarded clothes and placing them in the hamper by the bedroom door before closing the bathroom door behind her. She stared at her expressionless face in the mirror as she rigorously brushed her teeth.

‘I wonder what Carim’s doing now?’ she thought.

The toothbrush stayed still in her mouth as she thought about her long, blond hair, her smooth skin…

“Aagggh!” Hayate gagged as she coughed into the sink. While her thoughts had wandered, she had carelessly let her toothbrush drift too far into her throat.

She wiped her mouth while studying her image once again in the bathroom mirror. However, the bathtub behind her wrestled her attention away from her other half and to the joys of being alone. She soon had a mixed assortment of scented candles flickering from the edge of the tub as it filled with hot, bubbly water. She hissed as she stuck the tip of her foot into the hot water, and goose bumps appeared all over her naked body.

She pulled her foot out of the bath while the water still ran and went back into her bedroom to fetch one last piece of equipment. She came back to the small bathroom and plugged the small emergency radio into the wall next to the hair dryer and the large mountain of Carim’s hair products. Hayate slowly turned the dial, and the static melted away to her favorite classic rock station. She turned up the volume while turning off the water and let the power chords echo off the bathroom walls.

The army captain sank into the bath while the sounds of the 80s flooded her ears.

…I don't wanna touch you too much baby
'cause making love to you might drive me crazy…

The guitar screamed amid the static while Hayate sat up in the tub while playing her air guitar dramatically.

“Love bites! Love bleeds! It's bringin' me to my knees!” she sang with the radio, but in the back of her head she was thinking, ‘Thank God that Carim can’t see this.’

She submerged her body under the warm water as Fleetwood Mac warned her that she should never break the chain and Bon Jovi wanted to lay some chick down on a bed of roses.

“He was hot then. What the hell happened?” Hayate sighed with her mouth slightly in the water before wailing, “For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails…”

She rocked her head in time with the beat until the much younger voice of Bon Jovi faded into the high melody line of a well-played guitar.

“No way!” Hayate squealed and stood up in the bathtub while playing her air guitar as the bass chords and drums joined the guitar.

Hayate grabbed the bar of soap and sang to the throng of groupies and fans she envisioned onto the tiled wall.

“She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”

She sang and rocked out with her air guitar while flinging water all over the bathroom.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa….Sweet Child of miiiiiiiiiiine!”

Bath water drenched the ceiling as Hayate’s right arm windmilled her invisible guitar, and she brought the bar of soap in front of her mouth while screeching the end of the chorus.

“Whoa! Whoa! WhooOA! Sweet child of mine!”

Her mind returned to the images of the screaming audience as she picked the air while clenching her teeth for the guitar solo. She was so focused on the imagined audience that she failed to notice the real one opening the bathroom door. Carim’s eyes bulged at Hayate’s undulating body sleek with soapy water, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She sat on the toilet lid and enjoyed the private show.

"Carim's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain to quietly pass me by…"

A smile crept on Carim’s face and the wall of politeness that she had felt forced to maintain shattered in an instant. Her clothes fell haphazardly to the bathroom floor while Hayate started screaming the chorus line again.

“Whoooooooa! Sweet child of- AAAAAAAAAK!!” squawked the embarrassed and surprised Hayate as she turned to see a naked, laughing Carim standing mid-shin in hot bathwater. She plunged back down into the water.

“Whoa! Sweet child of mine!” sang Carim with more restraint than Hayate had demonstrated. “I love this song! I had no idea you liked it too! Where do we go…”

The blond extended her bare arms to the very embarrassed Hayate who accepted them hesitantly. The water flowed off of Hayate’s toned body as Carim pulled her to her feet.

“Where do we go…Where do we go now…” muttered Hayate.

Carim grabbed the shampoo bottle, “Yeah, where do we go noooooooow?”

“OOOOH! Sweet child of mine!” sang Hayate letting her true self shine through the well-mannered façade.

The two grown women threw their hair into disarray while headbanging to the last chord of the song and then cackled as they sat in the cooling water of the tub.

“You were supposed to be at the spa,” laughed Hayate as Carim laid back against her chest.

“I left Schach there,” replied Carim sweetly.

“Why?”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” the blond laughed, “I found all that sitting around in mud a little boring. I thought I'd join whatever trouble you were starting.”

Hayate chuckled, “Well, if you’re bored tonight, I know a great 80s place down the street.”

“It’s a date,” Carim announced while running her hand up Hayate’s leg, “But first…”

Hayate gulped as the tub squeaked while Carim turned to face her.

“You need to wash my hair.”

“Huh?” asked a confused Hayate.

“After all that headbanging, I’ll be lucky to run a comb through it without some conditioner.”

Hayate was already reaching for the plastic bottle by the time the blond finished her sentence.

yay! A hayatexcarim fic!!! I love this pairing! X3

[NorthernFallout]

Another True Lies short, on the request of wanwan. Contains information regarding HAVOC, at least a certain aspect of it.

Spoiler for False Fear:

"Hayate, come over here. I want you to look at this case."

Shamal notioned to her mistress to take a seat beside her desk, which she did.

"What is it? Anything special?"

"I think so," Shamal said and took forth some notes and placed them in fornt of Hayate. "This is the first case of Havoc were no one except the infected was hurt. It was in a suburb not far from here."

Hayate raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought Havoc killed everyone it infected, or at least hurt people close to the infected. This isn't the case?"

"It is, in a way. The infected died through fear."

"Fear?"

"Yes," Shamal said and place a photo in front of Hayate. "This is the victim."

Hayate took the pic in her hand and studied it. A frown grew on her face as she looked at it.

"How old is this girl?" she asked.

"Fourteen. Pretty tragic background. Her parents were the second group of victims to Havoc. It happened in their home," Shamal said and looked away slightly. "They beat each other to death. In front of her.

Hayate sighed and continued to look at the pic.

"Her face...it's filled with panic and fear. So alive, but still dead."

"Yes, that was how she was found, under her bed, all curled up. She had those scratch marks all over her." Shamal pointed them out. Long, red streaks covered her front area and forearms.

"Why did she have that?"

"The doctor examining the body was not sure why, but he says they were self-inflicted. They are very similar to scratch marks you get if you have an itch and scratch too much...although this is much worse."

Hayate looked at Shamal, thoughts racing through her mind.

"You know...could those scratch have been casued because she thought something was on her skin? Isn't Havoc known for attacking the brain?"

Shamal thought about it for a moment.

"That's the only thing we know about Havoc. We don't know how, but it does change a human's mental state."

"What if she developed a fear of something. Such an extreme fear she would panic if that something, lets say spiders, crawled all over her. Would that be possible?"

Shamal nodded.

"Certainly. We don't know how Havoc works but as we look more into other cases, it could happen. Developing arachnophobia as a first step, then push that phobia into extremes."

Shamal shook her head.

"Poor girl. I guess her heart stopped out of fear for something that didn't exist."

Hayate looked at the picture and sweeped her finger across it. She finally put in the desk again and stood up.

"Kepp me updated, Shamal," she said and left the room in a hurry.

[Saharet]

Originally Posted by Blue-Phoenix

A new idea I have been tossing around. Something a little different than what I normally write, more serious. A focus on using literary devices actively in writing.

On Mid Childa a black market exsists, a black market that specializes in magical items. As it's popularity grows, so does the use of magic in crimes across the planet...

Spoiler for The War of Magic:

The streets were crowded with holiday shoppers, and snow fell gently against the planet. Cheerful voices and music filled the air, colorful lights casting their joyful glow onto happy faces. Cars churned up white snow, driving slowly along the side roads, as people window shopped for their last minute gifts.

Subaru would have much rather been window shopping to what she was doing any day. Riding along her Wing Road was Teana on her trusty red motorcycle as they hurried after the rouge mage that flew across the skies.

Subaru looked down at the merry streets below and sighed in annoyance. The holiday's were less than a week away, and she still could not find the perfect gift. Teal eyes lingered on Teana's slender form that straddled the powerful machine beneath her. The perfect gift...

"Subaru, watch out!" Tea cried, swerving to avoid an on-coming magical attack. Subaru leap over the magical sphere and growled. The mage ahead of them had the speed to keep a good distance between himself and the two pursuers.

Skating closer to the red mechanically beast Subaru shouted over the wind and biting snow, "Tea, chinese firedrill!"

The red head nodded, letting go of the black grips and sliding effortlessly back to the rear seat of the bike. Subaru vaulted into the air, her roller skates dissolving, and took over driving the roaring beast.

"Sniper Mode!" Cross Mirage blinked, one of the pistols solidifying in Teana's outstretched hand, the barrel elongated for distance shooting. Taking aim carefully over Subaru's shoulder Teana's eyes narrowed, and with a twitch of her finger a large sphere of magical energy shot off, soaring through the night sky. The fleeing mage erected a barrier quickly, but it was no match for the power cased magical bullet. The orange ball hammered through the magic like a rock through tempered glass, nailing the red clad mage in the chest. On the street below, a orange light lite up the sky, a blue tail leading towards it like a dragon stretching across the inky black night.

The intrepid duo bound the limp man with magical chains. The man was middle aged, his brown hair matted to his head with sweat. His red mages jacket and device (both unlicensed) were tattered and torn; cheap equpiment from the new black market.

Subaru swung her legs off the motorcycle and walked over to the fallen man. "This is the third one this month..."

Tea released her set-up and walked over to Subaru and sighed. "This new black market on mages items, and the raising incidents of magic used for criminal activity; they are both obviously connected," her soft blue eyes gazed over the edge of the Wing Road, peering down at the people of Mid Childa, "but all they see is magic doing harm and nothing more."

The snow fell, blanketing the women in white silence as the population beneath them continued on, unaware of what lay ahead of them.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS:
The War of Magic

I like it so far, the black market idea is neat and i look forward to more of your writting ^^

[yuiseppe]

Originally Posted by Allquall

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

--

Allquall BANZAIIIIIII~~

lol that's very enjoyably crackful. Would hate to see what hayate's bathroom is normally like though

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by Allquall

There's just not enough CarimXHayate crackfluff here.

Disclaimer: The young people may not get this one.

Spoiler for Sweet Child of Mine:

“Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” Carim asked one final time to the woman lying on the couch.

“Nope,” replied Hayate with a smile, “Go have fun at the spa with Schach.”

“You just want rid of me,” teased Carim while picking up the car keys off of the kitchen counter. Hayate rolled her head back on the couch armrest and grinned broadly at the blond, who in return flicked the brunette’s nose.

“Ow!” yelped Hayate rubbing her nose before protesting, “Hey, if you get to lay naked in mud for a day, then I should be able to lay on the couch naked for a day.”

“What makes you think I would oppose you doing that?” smirked Carim leaning over the side of the couch and letting her long blond hair spill onto Hayate’s face.

“You mean I get to?”

“Just promise me that you’ll sit on a towel or something,” sighed Carim.

“Yes!” Hayate raised her curled fists in the air in triumph.

“You are so easy to please,” chuckled Carim as she threw her wallet and her sunglasses into a large purse.

“I prefer the term ‘low maintenance’,” yawned Hayate rolling onto her side.

“A plastic plant would be 'low maintenance',” chuckled Carim, “You require more than the occasional dusting and far more attention if you catch my drift.”

A light snore answered Carim’s snide remark, and Carim rolled her eyes while quietly closing and locking their apartment door. She would have been more upset at Hayate for falling asleep on her twice in the last twenty-four hour period, but her own emotional exhaustion kept her from her normal rage levels. It had been a rough month for both of them between moving in together and their vastly different work schedules. Sure, living together was fun for the first week, but there wasn’t any time for them to be alone.

Hayate especially felt conflicted at the new arrangement. She knew that she loved Carim. She wanted to share a life with her, but why was it so hard to share a roof? The brunette yawned again and arched her back in a long stretch before collapsing again on the sofa cushions. She peeled off her gray socks and tossed them onto the floor. She grinned at the sloppy display, because she had kept her small apartment much cleaner now than when she had lived alone.

Soon all of the Captain’s clothes with the exception of her undergarments were tossed carelessly onto the floor while Hayate staggered to the kitchen. She scratched her bare chest and tugged open the refrigerator door. Inside she saw a nice lunch that Carim had prepared for her with instructions on how to prepare the meal.

“Effort,” grumbled Hayate as she reached past the wrapped lunch in favor of the quart of milk behind it. In a few moments, Hayate poured the milk into her bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios and loudly crunched over the kitchen sink.

With each sloppy munch, Hayate felt equal amounts of freedom and guilt. On a normal Saturday a month ago, she would have spent the day eating cereal and moving from the kitchen to the couch to the bathroom and back. Now, Saturdays meant bike rides in the park or going to poetry readings at the library with Carim. However, Carim’s presence made her happy, but Carim’s presence also made visits to the one bathroom in the apartment very uncomfortable. Especially in the morning after burrito night. Hayate had taken to using the bathroom in the early hours of the morning or taking her business to work, but not today. Today was the temporary return of the inner savage that Hayate kept safely hidden from the icon of class who loved her.

She rinsed out the finished bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before picking up her discarded clothes and placing them in the hamper by the bedroom door before closing the bathroom door behind her. She stared at her expressionless face in the mirror as she rigorously brushed her teeth.

‘I wonder what Carim’s doing now?’ she thought.

The toothbrush stayed still in her mouth as she thought about her long, blond hair, her smooth skin…

“Aagggh!” Hayate gagged as she coughed into the sink. While her thoughts had wandered, she had carelessly let her toothbrush drift too far into her throat.

She wiped her mouth while studying her image once again in the bathroom mirror. However, the bathtub behind her wrestled her attention away from her other half and to the joys of being alone. She soon had a mixed assortment of scented candles flickering from the edge of the tub as it filled with hot, bubbly water. She hissed as she stuck the tip of her foot into the hot water, and goose bumps appeared all over her naked body.

She pulled her foot out of the bath while the water still ran and went back into her bedroom to fetch one last piece of equipment. She came back to the small bathroom and plugged the small emergency radio into the wall next to the hair dryer and the large mountain of Carim’s hair products. Hayate slowly turned the dial, and the static melted away to her favorite classic rock station. She turned up the volume while turning off the water and let the power chords echo off the bathroom walls.

The army captain sank into the bath while the sounds of the 80s flooded her ears.

…I don't wanna touch you too much baby
'cause making love to you might drive me crazy…

The guitar screamed amid the static while Hayate sat up in the tub while playing her air guitar dramatically.

“Love bites! Love bleeds! It's bringin' me to my knees!” she sang with the radio, but in the back of her head she was thinking, ‘Thank God that Carim can’t see this.’

She submerged her body under the warm water as Fleetwood Mac warned her that she should never break the chain and Bon Jovi wanted to lay some chick down on a bed of roses.

“He was hot then. What the hell happened?” Hayate sighed with her mouth slightly in the water before wailing, “For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails…”

She rocked her head in time with the beat until the much younger voice of Bon Jovi faded into the high melody line of a well-played guitar.

“No way!” Hayate squealed and stood up in the bathtub while playing her air guitar as the bass chords and drums joined the guitar.

Hayate grabbed the bar of soap and sang to the throng of groupies and fans she envisioned onto the tiled wall.

“She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky…”

She sang and rocked out with her air guitar while flinging water all over the bathroom.

“Whooooooooooaaaaaa….Sweet Child of miiiiiiiiiiine!”

Bath water drenched the ceiling as Hayate’s right arm windmilled her invisible guitar, and she brought the bar of soap in front of her mouth while screeching the end of the chorus.

“Whoa! Whoa! WhooOA! Sweet child of mine!”

Her mind returned to the images of the screaming audience as she picked the air while clenching her teeth for the guitar solo. She was so focused on the imagined audience that she failed to notice the real one opening the bathroom door. Carim’s eyes bulged at Hayate’s undulating body sleek with soapy water, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. She sat on the toilet lid and enjoyed the private show.

"Carim's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain to quietly pass me by…"

A smile crept on Carim’s face and the wall of politeness that she had felt forced to maintain shattered in an instant. Her clothes fell haphazardly to the bathroom floor while Hayate started screaming the chorus line again.

“Whoooooooa! Sweet child of- AAAAAAAAAK!!” squawked the embarrassed and surprised Hayate as she turned to see a naked, laughing Carim standing mid-shin in hot bathwater. She plunged back down into the water.

“Whoa! Sweet child of mine!” sang Carim with more restraint than Hayate had demonstrated. “I love this song! I had no idea you liked it too! Where do we go…”

The blond extended her bare arms to the very embarrassed Hayate who accepted them hesitantly. The water flowed off of Hayate’s toned body as Carim pulled her to her feet.

“Where do we go…Where do we go now…” muttered Hayate.

Carim grabbed the shampoo bottle, “Yeah, where do we go noooooooow?”

“OOOOH! Sweet child of mine!” sang Hayate letting her true self shine through the well-mannered façade.

The two grown women threw their hair into disarray while headbanging to the last chord of the song and then cackled as they sat in the cooling water of the tub.

“You were supposed to be at the spa,” laughed Hayate as Carim laid back against her chest.

“I left Schach there,” replied Carim sweetly.

“Why?”

“You’re rubbing off on me,” the blond laughed, “I found all that sitting around in mud a little boring. I thought I'd join whatever trouble you were starting.”

Hayate chuckled, “Well, if you’re bored tonight, I know a great 80s place down the street.”

“It’s a date,” Carim announced while running her hand up Hayate’s leg, “But first…”

Hayate gulped as the tub squeaked while Carim turned to face her.

“You need to wash my hair.”

“Huh?” asked a confused Hayate.

“After all that headbanging, I’ll be lucky to run a comb through it without some conditioner.”

Hayate was already reaching for the plastic bottle by the time the blond finished her sentence.

The music I grew up on and still great to listen to
And Yes the morning after Burrito (hot wings for me) night are always embarrassing

Originally Posted by markesellus

I lol'd so hard. Just the image of Carim and Hayate headbanging is enough, but naked in the tub? Too much. Fleetwood Mac ftw! You know what would be funny, if Welcome to the Jungle played because that's a song to sing to.

I agree with this statement

*In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your shun n,n,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,n,,n,n,,n knees, knees
I wanna watch you bleed*

[Kaix]

Originally Posted by markesellus

Here have a (Zaffoha) fic.

Spoiler for ;.;:

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do for him.”

“No! This can’t be happening, he can’t just DIE!” The doctors looked at her despondently.

Vivio cried silently, staring at Zafira’s shaking body. Vivio could not remember a time in which Zafira wasn’t in her life. He had taken care of her, been her first friend. When her mamas were on a mission and she was worried about them, Zafira was there to cheer her up. How could he just leave her like this?

Hayate hugged Vivio close to her; she knew what Vivio was going through. Zafira was her good friend as protector and guardian beast. The silent wolf was always there to help her when she needed it, and always seemed to have the right advice. He was wise beyond his years. She remembered when she first met him, and how she had finally freed them all from the Book of Darkness.

Hayate glanced around the room and locked on to the rest of the Wolkenritter. Shamal was crying loudly in the corner with Signum trying to comfort her as best she could. Signum had tears in her eyes as well, but knew she couldn’t break down, at least not until she got home. Vita looked as if she wanted to join in to hug Vivio, and was desperately trying not to cry, but it wasn’t working so well. Hayate stopped hugging Vivio and Vita came over and took her place. Hayate glanced toward the door; she wished somehow Fate would get over here and help her comfort Vivio.

Most of all, the one person who needed to be here was the one person who was probably hit the hardest of them all. Nanoha. She was on an important mission on Non-Administered planet 54. Hayate had called her earlier today, and had told her the situation. Zafira was hurt; the doctors couldn’t do anything. She cringed, remembering Nanoha’s broken voice.

“I didn’t even get to see him one last time. Hayate, what should I do? I can’t leave during the middle of a mission. I feel so helpless.”

“Do you want to speak to him?” She had held the phone to Zafira’s ear, even though she knew he couldn’t here what Nanoha was saying.

“Zafira…I’m really going to miss you. I love you, and I want you to remember that…Zafira…Zafira…ZAFIRA!”

Hayate hated that she was the one that had to make the decision. She couldn’t bear to see Zafira in any more pain, but she still wanted him to live.

“Doctor, will it hurt him?”

“No Lieutenant Colonel, I assure you it’s like going to sleep, he won’t feel a thing.”

I’m sorry Nanoha.

“Ok doctor, there isn’t any point of making him suffer anymore…I give you the authorization to euthanize him.”

“Do you want to be present while we do it?”

“No, I think we’ll all wait outside.”

I don’t think any of us can handle it.

________________________________________________

Nanoha came back a week later, eyes empty and downcast. She had cried every single day after that and was never the same. We all went to visit his grave the day she came back. She stared at his tombstone for hours, the words engraved in her eyes.

Zafira
Guardian Beast
Protector
Friend
Loved by one
Missed by all
May he rest in peace.

Sometimes I think Nanoha never forgave me for the decision I made, although she never shows it.

What happened to me today IRL, my dog died.

T_T I'm sorry to hear about your dog. It was a really sad to read this.

Originally Posted by Knight of L-sama

=hugs markesellus= ;_; Poor doggy.

*attempts to cheer you up, even tho its just a distraction*

Spoiler for Q!F Epilogue: WARNING: Implied Bestiality, Entails Excessive Suspension of Disbelief, and involves TALKING DUCKS and references to Mai Hime, StrikerS, and Shugo Chara:

-cut-

And for your convenience, here's that picture again: Q!F Epic-logue-ness!

Page CLAIM for... love for underloved animals of Nanohaverse?

That was... weird...

Originally Posted by Evil Rick

Final Chapter

Yes, here it is, the final chapter, after a year of work, my saga of Nanoha, Rise of Techno - Union is complete, I will not bore you with words, there is a "Words of the Author" page along with this last chapter

Spoiler for Intro:

-cut-

Full download link

http://rapidshare.com/files/16775769...eddon.zip.html

Extra full download link (just in case)

http://www.badongo.com/file/12249602

Enjoy!

PD: You are not expecting the ending I created so don't be tricky, don't see the pages before start reading

Thanks for Reading!

It's hard to believe that it's over... Final chapter sounds so sad. It was epic. Completely epic! It was everything I was expecting to see and even more. It was really sad what happened to Zaeta, but the epilogue showing everybody being happy together showed that it wasn't in vain. Nanoha's new mode was quite awesome. I liked the epilogue-like letter the most. Because of everything they have been through, they really deserved a happy ending. I'll admit I was almost crying when Nanoha and Vivio got to Zaeta's grave and the man's words in the last page really hit. I'd take off my hat to you and all the effort you put in NROTU. Thank you for making such a great story.

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

The True Lies short is complete and I tried something new. First-Person PoV.

Spoiler for Despair and horror:

I moved slowly towards the corner in the intersection of the corridor and peeked behind it. A strong and disgusting smell that touched my nose made me flinch back, nudging Kate behind me.
She looked at me with surprise, with those deep and teary eyes I had come to know very closely these last hours.

"What's going on?" she whispered to me.

"Sssh," I notioned to her and took another peek around the corner.

My eyes registered two people standing in front of something I couldn't see clearly. Whatever it was, it was bloody and smelled awfully.

Bodies, was my first thought as I drew back my head from the corner. Looking at Kate, I thought about what we could do.
The two humans, or whatever they were, were standing a few metres from the intersection. Sneaking past them was my first thought and going back was not an alternative. Without any further leads to go on, I decided to try the only thing I could do.

"Listen to me Kate. We are going to sneak past this intersection," I whispered to her. Her eyes followed mine and her face showed anticipation. "Whatever you do, do not look to the right. Just hold my hand and follow me as closely as you can. Can you do that for me?"

For a second I thought she was going to object. To my relief she just nodded and I took a firmer grip of her hand.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Then let's go."

With a final peek around the corner to check that the other two weren't looking, I took a slow but accurate step into the hallway. Kate followed shortly, her hand pressed hard against mine. We traversed the floor slowly, each of us taking careful steps to avoid making any noises.

When we had traversed half of the distance over to the other side, I heard a high-pitched scream, almost like an animal. I turned my head slowly to the right and saw one of the others running towards me.
She had wild red-sprained eyes and her mouth was open in a terrifying shape. Blood was smeared over her face as if she had feasted on something still alive.

I thought I would panic, but for some reason, I didn't. I just threw Kate in front of me and pushed her towards the other side.

"Run! Run towards the door and don't look back!" I shouted before losing all my air in my lungs. The woman had thrown herself at me and pinned me down against the adjacent wall. She snarled as if she was insane and tried to bite me wherever she could get a clean hit.

With the limited movement I had, I managed to move my head to look after Kate. All I saw was a shadow passing me and running after her. I tried to shout, to warn her about her hunter, but I couldn't get any air into my lungs.
I watched as the man got a hold of her hair and pinned her to the ground. I watched as he bit down on her throat, making her bleed massively from the wound. I watched, as her lips moved while facing me, her face in utter shock and fear.

"Brother. Help me."

The first person pov quite changed the way this story feels. This is probably the reason it isn't as schoking as the other ones. Nonetheless, I really like these shorts. It really manages to give a feel about what will happen in True Lies.

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Another True Lies short, on the request of wanwan. Contains information regarding HAVOC, at least a certain aspect of it.

Spoiler for False Fear:

"Hayate, come over here. I want you to look at this case."

Shamal notioned to her mistress to take a seat beside her desk, which she did.

"What is it? Anything special?"

"I think so," Shamal said and took forth some notes and placed them in fornt of Hayate. "This is the first case of Havoc were no one except the infected was hurt. It was in a suburb not far from here."

Hayate raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought Havoc killed everyone it infected, or at least hurt people close to the infected. This isn't the case?"

"It is, in a way. The infected died through fear."

"Fear?"

"Yes," Shamal said and place a photo in front of Hayate. "This is the victim."

Hayate took the pic in her hand and studied it. A frown grew on her face as she looked at it.

"How old is this girl?" she asked.

"Fourteen. Pretty tragic background. Her parents were the second group of victims to Havoc. It happened in their home," Shamal said and looked away slightly. "They beat each other to death. In front of her.

Hayate sighed and continued to look at the pic.

"Her face...it's filled with panic and fear. So alive, but still dead."

"Yes, that was how she was found, under her bed, all curled up. She had those scratch marks all over her." Shamal pointed them out. Long, red streaks covered her front area and forearms.

"Why did she have that?"

"The doctor examining the body was not sure why, but he says they were self-inflicted. They are very similar to scratch marks you get if you have an itch and scratch too much...although this is much worse."

Hayate looked at Shamal, thoughts racing through her mind.

"You know...could those scratch have been casued because she thought something was on her skin? Isn't Havoc known for attacking the brain?"

Shamal thought about it for a moment.

"That's the only thing we know about Havoc. We don't know how, but it does change a human's mental state."

"What if she developed a fear of something. Such an extreme fear she would panic if that something, lets say spiders, crawled all over her. Would that be possible?"

Shamal nodded.

"Certainly. We don't know how Havoc works but as we look more into other cases, it could happen. Developing arachnophobia as a first step, then push that phobia into extremes."

Shamal shook her head.

"Poor girl. I guess her heart stopped out of fear for something that didn't exist."

Hayate looked at the picture and sweeped her finger across it. She finally put in the desk again and stood up.

"Kepp me updated, Shamal," she said and left the room in a hurry.

That was good. More info on HAVOC is always good to receive. And this is quite some valuable piece of information.

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by Kai the Reaper

It's hard to believe that it's over... Final chapter sounds so sad. It was epic. Completely epic! It was everything I was expecting to see and even more. It was really sad what happened to Zaeta, but the epilogue showing everybody being happy together showed that it wasn't in vain. Nanoha's new mode was quite awesome. I liked the epilogue-like letter the most. Because of everything they have been through, they really deserved a happy ending. I'll admit I was almost crying when Nanoha and Vivio got to Zaeta's grave and the man's words in the last page really hit. I'd take off my hat to you and all the effort you put in NROTU. Thank you for making such a great story.

Thankyou Kai and everyone for reading it, I put all my efort on this comic, I'm happy to see that you people liked it, thankyou very much

I'm really happy for how this story ended, I must admit, I didn't liked StrikerS and for the desillution on that season, is that I decided to make this I'm a bit sad yeah, is not the same to turn on my computer witouth imaginating how to wrok on the next page... but this isn't the last of Evil Rick's comics

Thankyou everyone for reading!

@Kai the Reaper: Oh, btw, the guy on the last page, the opne who said "One just person can make the diference"... it was me

[Saharet]

today is december first *takes a deep breath in*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FON FILIA!!!!!!!!

6 months since it started!

Laff you guys |3

[RadiantBeam]

I... I finished it... FINALLY!!!

Chapter 2 of Bless the Broken Road!

I should be working on a paper for my Lit & Lore class, but I wanted desperately to finish this and get it up...

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: The Grand Illusion:

Chapter 2: The Grand Illusion

“I wonder how Nanoha’s been lately…”

Amused, Kyouya glanced at Miyuki as the pair sat in a taxi, on their way to Elise’s apartment to meet up with their friend and younger sister. The plan was to explore the city together for awhile before going to visit Fiasse. “She comes home to visit every holiday.”
“I know, I know. But we’ve never seen her here, right? Maybe she acts differently.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it. Nanoha’s always been very steady and dependable.”

Miyuki shrugged and shifted slightly in her seat, retrieving a photograph from her pocket; it was bent around the edges but still in good condition, and for a few minutes the older siblings studied the image captured by the camera. The image had been sent to the Takamachi family last year, on Nanoha’s birthday, along with a letter from their youngest child and separate notes from her two caregivers. The photo had been shot in a park; Nanoha and Fiasse sat side-by-side while Elise sat in front of Nanoha, no doubt coaxed reluctantly into the position by her two companions. Nanoha had flung her arms happily around Elise’s neck, grinning into the camera. Fiasse had one hand soothingly on Elise’s shoulder and the other braced on Nanoha’s back, most likely to keep her upright, a laugh lighting up her face. A small, amused smile curved Elise’s lips slightly as she braced one hand on Nanoha’s shoulder to keep the younger girl steady, her other arm hugging Kuon to her chest.

“She seems happy, if it’s worth anything,” Kyouya murmured at last.

Miyuki nodded quietly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“Elise? Nanoha? We’re here.”

The door clicked open, the key Elise had sent by mail weeks earlier fitting perfectly as Miyuki and Kyouya stepped into the apartment. It was smaller than the house they shared with their parents, but it was clean and well-kept. It was also quiet. “Must be out,” Kyouya murmured as Miyuki darted from his side across the living room; he raised a brow and shook his head before calling after her, “No snooping while they’re gone, Miyuki.”
“I’m not going to snoop! I’m just curious, is all.”
“Curious. Right, right…”

Miyuki spun easily on her heel, sticking her tongue out playfully at her older brother as she darted through the living room, somehow miraculously missing all the pieces of furniture and not ending up flat on her face.

Miyuki claimed it was the skill of a trained swordsman.

Kyouya just figured she was lucky.

“Still, that’s weird.” He frowned, scanning the room. “Elise gave me a call while we were still on the plane, but she didn’t mention anything about going out.”
“Maybe something came up?”

Kyoua mulled the thought over as Miyuki poked her way through the apartment, scanning bookshelves and being a general snoop. She figured that as Nanoha’s older sister, she had the right to be nosy when it came to the details of her younger sibling’s life. She would have gone upstairs, but doing so would have attracted Kyouya’s attention and earned her a scolding. He still treated her like a child sometimes, though he was technically only two years older than her.

“Huh? Who is… oh! Kyouya, Miyuki!”

Miyuki’s streak of good luck ended abruptly as she yelped, jumped back, lost her balance, and tripped right over the couch with a loud crash.

A small sandy-colored fox raced down the stairs, her tail waving and the bell on her collar jingling softly; as she ran she was bathed in a golden glow, and by the time she’d reached the bottom of the stairs she’d achieved a human form, with fox ears and a tail. “Ah, are you alright? I didn’t mean to startle you, Elise told me that you guys would come but she and Nanoha had some target shooting…”
“It’s fine, don’t mind her. Miyuki overreacts a lot.”

With a groan of misery, Miyuki slowly staggered to her feet, rubbing the back of her sore head. “Mou, Kyou-chan, you’re so mean to me…” She blinked several times, looking at Kuon. “You’re… Kuon-san, right? Nanoha mentioned you, and you’re in pictures.”

The fox familiar smiled, giving a small bow. “That’s right. Kuon, at your service. You must be Kyouya and Miyuki.” She straightened up, flicking an ear briefly as she studied the two older siblings, Miyuki making her way back to Kyouya’s side, albeit moving slower than she’d been before. Kyouya frowned. “You can’t… possibly be Nanoha’s familiar, could you? Because according to the TSAB…”
“Oh! Oh, no.” Kuon shook her head. “I live here, but I’m not Nanoha’s familiar. I’m Fiasse’s.” She laughed sheepishly. “It’s… kind of a long story, actually, and I still don’t like talking about it after all these years.”

There was a moment of silence; then, Kyouya cleared his throat. “Um, you said Nanoha and Elise were out…?”
“Yeah.” Kuon nodded at the door. “Nanoha went to get some groceries with Alisa, then when she got back Elise took her to the shooting range. They’re probably still there.” She perked up. “Actually, I’ll take you there! Just give me a minute, Elise always says I need to be on a leash when I’m out…”

And with that, the fox familiar scampered down the hall.

Kyouya and Miyuki exchanged looks.

“… Why do I feel the urge to call her Kyon?” Miyuki whispered.

Kyouya shrugged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“Onee-sama, one more time? I think I’ve almost got it down.”
“No.”
“But I’ve only done it twice! I feel fine, I swear! Can’t I—“
“No.”

With a groan of misery Nanoha lowered her gun, glaring accusingly at Elise as Raising Heart flashed in its place on her beloved Beretta. A thin sheen of sweat shone on her forehead and her breathing was slightly more ragged than it had been before, but otherwise she was none the worse for wear; Elise couldn’t help but note that she wasn’t shaking anymore. She’s making some progress, at least, the blonde mused, ignoring the younger girl’s glare.

She stepped closer, gently prying the gun from Nanoha’s hands. “It’s already warm. I know you can feel it.” She frowned, looking at the brunette disapprovingly. “One more shot, and not only will you be drained, but your hands will be burned.”
“That’s not true! How am I supposed to know if I don’t even—“

Not even bothering to let Nanoha finish her sentence, Elise reached out and gave the fifteen-year-old’s ear a quick, hard twist. Nanoha yelped and immediately forgot about her gun, jerking back as her hand flew up protectively to shield her ear. “Ow! Owowowowow! Let go!”

Shaking her head, Elise released Nanoha’s ear. “You’ve always caved so easily to that,” she murmured, sliding her free hand into her pocket, Nanoha’s gun hanging loosely from her fingers. “It used to be easier when you were a kid.”
“But I’ve almost got it.” Nanoha rubbed her sore ear and grimaced. “Divine Sniper is the only one still giving me trouble.”
“Nanoha, one of these days you’ll master it. But until then, we follow your restrictions.” Elise held the gun out to her younger counterpart. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to see you die yet.”

Nanoha winced slightly; her eyes flickered before she sighed and took the gun from Elise. “Mou, no fair, saying things like that,” she murmured. “I don’t like worrying you so much, Onee-sama.” She gave a quick twist, and with a soft click Raising Heart rolled in the palm of her hand before floating up to the black ribbon around her neck. “Sorry, Raising Heart. Only a short session today. Onee-sama’s orders.”
“Not to worry, my master.”
“Not my orders, for the last time.” But Elise’s lips quirked slightly.

Nanoha snorted and rocked back on her heels, tossing her hair back behind her shoulders as her eyes gleamed mischievously. “You still enjoy enforcing them, though,” the brunette teased. Elise raised a brow before setting down the gun.

“For the record, you were warned.”

In a fluid surge of motion, Elise caught the younger girl in a headlock. Nanoha let out a squeal of surprise and delight, struggling against the blonde’s strength, but Elise had a firm grip on her and wasn’t willing to let go. “O-Onee-sama!”
“Say uncle.”
“No!”
“Uncle, uncle, uncle.”

Elise all but sang the words, her eyes gleaming playfully as Nanoha grunted and twisted, still not capable of freeing herself. This was the side that seemed to be reserved for Nanoha and Nanoha alone; something about the younger girl always unlocked the mischief bubbling beneath Elise’s calm mask, kept tightly under lock and key whenever she was with others. With Fiasse it was released as gentle bickering, playful words shot back and forth. Under Nanoha’s hands, though, it came out unleashed in a way that delighted the brunette. It was Nanoha’s little secret, and she treasured it dearly.

But right now, she was willing to admit she was in over her head.

“Okay, okay!” Her voice was breathless from laughter and trying to escape Elise’s grasp. “Uncle, uncle! Let go!”
“Uncle,” Raising Heart echoed cheerfully, and Nanoha could have sworn there was a hint of teasing in her mechanical voice.

Smirking, Elise tousled Nanoha’s hair gently before releasing the other girl, and Nanoha had been struggling so fiercely that she stumbled back and fell on her butt with a yelp and a thud. Elise raised a brow, her lips quirking.

“Graceful, Nanoha,” a voice called from the doorway. “Very graceful.”

Nanoha’s head snapped around; her eyes widened and lit up with delight as Kyouya and Miyuki walked towards them, Kuon tugging eagerly at the leash. “Onee-chan! Onii-chan!” With a laugh of delight the fifteen-year-old shot up and threw herself into her older siblings’ arms.

If this was the closest she could ever get to coming home, it would be more than enough.

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If this was the closest Fiasse Crystera could ever get to sticking her middle finger at the world, it would be more than enough.

“Ma’am, may I recommend against the course of action you are about to take?”

Fiasse smiled slightly, adjusting her shawl to keep it straight and quickly sweeping her hair back into her customary ponytail, set higher than Elise’s. “You could,” she said calmly, “but I can’t promise I’ll listen.”
“You haven’t changed a bit.” Sweet Song almost sounded exasperated.
“Sweet Song, the agreement between the TSAB and my family has stood strong for fifteen years. They don’t bother our personal problems, and we don’t bother theirs.” The smile on her face slowly slipped to the frown. “Whoever wants my mother’s diary, that’s a personal problem. And besides that, Nanoha and Elise…”

She trailed off for a few minutes, standing in contemplative silence. Shaking her head, Fiasse walked across the room and opened her office door, closing it behind her loud enough to attract Iria’s attention. “Iria, I’m going out,” Fiasse called over her shoulder as she breezed past the older woman. “Don’t wait for me.”
“Wait, what about the meeting with the TSAB? They’re arriving today to speak with you.”

Fiasse scowled.

“They’re a little too late to speak with me about anything. They should have said something fifteen years ago.”

Iria said nothing, just closed her eyes as Fiasse headed down the halls of the school, looking for the nearest exit. The change in her pocket clinked softly; she had enough for a taxi cab into the city.

It would be enough.

Outside, a tree branch bent slightly, as if beneath some weight of a person bathed in shadows. As Fiasse walked out to the main path, the tree rattled and a few leaves drifted soundlessly to the grass as her mystery pursuer followed in her footsteps.

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“Nanoha mentioned something about learning how to handle a gun in the video letters she sent home.” Miyuki sipped absently from her can, watching her sister play with Kuon among the trees of the deserted park. It was midday and relatively empty, a good place to waste some free time. Elise had let Kuon of the leash, much to the little fox’s delight, and she and Nanoha were now darting through the park in a carefree game of hide and seek. Or maybe it was tag. It was hard to tell.

Elise, Miyuki, and Kyouya had taken residence on a park bench, Miyuki drinking a can of Pepsi while Kyouya chose coffee. Elise shrugged quietly and leaned back, her shoulder brushing Kyouya’s. “There’s no law against it,” the blonde said quietly. “She’s a hard worker and she learns fast. Plus, it’s an easy way for her to still use some form of magic, even if it’s not what she was used to.”
Kyouya paused, his cup at his lips as he glanced at Elise out of the corner of her eye. “Magic?”
“It’s perfectly safe. She isn’t even using half of what she used to.” Nanoha tackled Kuon, and the two rolled through the grass, giggling and wrestling. “I know her limits, Kyouya, don’t look at me like that.”

Miyuki sighed, elbowing her brother softly as she swallowed a mouthful of Pepsi and making him cough as coffee went down the wrong pipe. “He’s worried. Sorry. It’s just…” Her voice softened slightly, mindful of Nanoha, and the three instinctively leaned in closer. “Shamal-san said her Linker Core sustained permanent damage from the injury. It shrunk down drastically and never managed to recover. That’s why she can’t handle the level of magic she was before.”
“I still don’t totally understand exactly what happened.” Elise frowned, narrowing her eyes. “I got a copy of the report when I started teaching her how to shoot, but the only word I’m familiar with is Linker Core and how it’s linked to magic. And that’s just vaguely.”
“Simply put, the thing that drove itself through her chest attacked her in two ways.” Kyouya took a long sip of coffee to drown out the hot, brotherly surge of anger. “Physically, of course, it stabbed her through the chest. But magically, it also got a good grip on her Linker Core and, more or less, tried to rip it out of her body. The magical damage she sustained from that would have killed her if the wound didn’t. Thankfully, Vita-san was able to get the damn thing off before it succeeded, so all it did was yank out a good portion of her Linker Core. Not enough to kill her, but it weakened her.”

Elise shuddered and looked up; Nanoha met her gaze and grinned, waving at her cheerfully before Kuon, in human form now, tackled her back to the grass and instigated another round of wrestling. For a moment the three adults gazed at her, watching her play; slowly they all relaxed again. “By the way, Elise,” Kyouya began conversationally. “Has Nanoha expressed a… interest in anyone since she came here?”

Miyuki giggled quietly, stifling it behind her hand as Elise raised a brow. For a moment the blonde said nothing; then she smirked and shrugged, putting her hands back behind her head and closing her eyes. “It’s becoming quite a problem, actually,” she said mildly, opening one eye to observe Kyouya. “I’m running out of places to hide the bodies.”

Kyouya’s eyes widened and he choked on his coffee, doubling over as he was hit by a coughing fit. Miyuki howled with laughter, clutching her stomach with her arm and Elise smirked, opening her eyes and straightening up. “Breathe, Kyouya,” she ordered, thumping the man on the back. “I’m just joking. People have shown an interest in Nanoha, but she isn’t returning it at all.” She frowned contemplatively. “Actually, sometimes it feels like she’s already fallen for someone, but she feels she can’t have them now.” She shrugged.

Kyouya and Miyuki exchanged knowing looks. Suddenly, the dark-haired man chuckled. “Actually, speaking of falling for someone you can’t have—“
“Oi!” Blushing, Miyuki whacked Kyouya on the shoulder. “Quiet, you!”
“No worries, ‘Yuki.” Elise chuckled, observing her friend with gentle eyes. “I already know about it.”
“E-eh? Y-you do? Wait! How did you—“

Suddenly Kuon sat bolt upright, her ears swiveling forward. Nanoha frowned. “Kuon?”

Kuon trembled.

“Fiasse’s in trouble.”

Suddenly, Elise was glad that she’d decided to keep Nanoha’s gun with her.

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The blow rocked the ground beneath Fiasse’s feet; she couldn’t keep her balance even if she tried and she fell, skidding against the pavement of the sidewalk. Her hair band snapped and her hair flowed freely down her back as she braced herself on her elbow, panting, her face darkened red and black by bruises.

“Ma’am!”

A soft laugh made her head snap up, and Fiasse narrowed her eyes as the young man knelt on the lamp post, smirking. He was a familiar; she could tell by the look of him, with the ears and tail of a tiger. His golden eyes gleamed and he clenched his fingers. “You know,” he began lazily, his tail waving in the air behind him, “if you just gave us the diary like we asked, we wouldn’t have to do this.” He paused, tilted his head to the side, laughed again. “But then, this is just me.”

He disappeared in a blur of orange and black, and Fiasse’s heart pounded against her ribs. Gasping still, she reached up and gripped Sweet Song tightly, closing her eyes as the small purple gem in the center of the cross flashed. “No harm shall fall on the child born yesterday,” she sang, her voice soft but sure.

“Prepare yourself, ma’am.”

“The enemy brought on the northern winds…” Her eyes snapped open as Sweet Song flashed a brilliant, dark royal purple. “… Shall not be allowed to pass!!”

Wind surged up and forward, swirling around her; the tiger familiar’s eyes widened, but he was going too fast to slow his descent on her. “What the hell?”

“ARMOR SHIELD!”

He crashed headlong into the bubble-shaped wind that encompassed the young songstress, was ripped brutally to the side by its strong cold current and thrown none too gently into a nearby park bench, which he tipped right over. Grimacing Fiasse slowly sat up, narrowing her eyes and trying desperately to weigh her options. The park was empty, thankfully; no innocents would get caught in their battle. Guess I have no choice but to stay on the defensive for now, she thought, her muscles tensing as the tiger familiar sprang over the broken bench, blood running down his face.

“You little bitch!” His voice was a high-pitched roar of fury, and Fiasse was suddenly reminded of an evil little boy that had had his favorite toy taken away. With a snarl he surged towards her and she grimaced, bracing for the impact that was sure to come. She wouldn’t be injured—yet—but maintaining Armor Shield took up a great deal of her energy.

Heh… and I never even got to see…

The sound of a gunshot made her head whip around, eyes wide; whoever had fired was a good judge of speed, at least somewhat, as the tiger was thrown to the side, blood spurting from an injury in his shoulder.

“Damn.” Nanoha scowled, lowering her gun. “I was aiming for his head.”
“We’ll work on target shooting later,” Elise promised, yanking one of her own guns free. “Fiasse! Are you okay?”

Straightening up, Fiasse smiled weakly and nodded; with the distraction Armor Shield faded away, and Miyuki surged forward to cradle her close, gently stroking the older woman’s cheek. Her blue eyes darkened dangerously. “You’re bleeding.”
“Just a scratch.” Fiasse rested her head against Miyuki’s chest. “How did you know I was in trouble?”
“Kuon.” Kneeling on her other side, Kyouya jerked his head at the familiar, who had assumed a stance between the Takamachi siblings and Elise and Nanoha. “Fiasse, what the hell have you gotten into this time?”
Fiasse laughed weakly. “I don’t even know.”

Nanoha let out a soft sigh of relief, rubbing Raising Heart between her fingers as the device flashed impatiently. “Down girl,” she whispered.
“As you wish, my master.”
“Nanoha.” Elise spared her younger counterpart a quick look. “Remember your limits.”
“Mou, Onee-sama!”

The tiger familiar was nowhere to be seen. Elise frowned, slowly scanning the area with her eyes. “Where the hell is that bastard?” she murmured, and straightened up. “Stay with Fiasse,” she ordered Nanoha. “I’m going to try tracking him down. He isn’t getting off that easily.” Nanoha nodded, and Elise set off. Narrowing her eyes, Nanoha tightened her grip on her gun and shifted so she was standing between her friends and the rest of the open park. At the sound of Fiasse’s voice, she looked back. “What was that, Fiasse-chan?”
“We can’t stay here.” Fiasse gritted her teeth, struggling to stand. “If the TSAB agents have arrived yet, they’ll feel the magic I released and come here.”

Nanoha stiffened; her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her gun as her fingers went limp. “The TSAB?” she whispered, and dread slowly crept into her eyes.

As if right on cue, she felt the tingling that announced the arrival of another being via teleportation, and she could only stare in a kind of helpless disbelief as Chrono Harlaown materialized in the air, eyeing the group with a cold glare. “That’s us,” he said calmly. “We got worried when you weren’t in your office, Crystera-san.”

Fiasse bit her lip and said nothing. Chrono slowly swept his eyes over the small gathering. “Well,” he murmured, “some familiar faces here I see, and…” His voice faded away; his eyes widened. “Nanoha?” he croaked.

Nanoha could say nothing. If Chrono was here, then that had to mean—

Another tingle, twice as strong as before; two people were arriving now.

“Heh, I feel kind of sorry for Yuuno-kun. Poor guy looked downcast when we said he couldn’t come along.”
“He isn’t a combat mage, Hayate-chan. Having him come along would make no sense, especially since this is just a small problem…”

They couldn’t be here.

But they were.

Barely even breathing, Nanoha watched as Yagami Hayate and Fate T. Harlaown materialized, one on either side of Chrono. Her throat tightened up; her heart clenched painfully. Hayate was giggling quietly, while Fate’s eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.

She’s beautiful.

Hayate saw her first; she blinked several times as if to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her before opening her mouth, obviously intent on getting Fate’s attention, as the blonde was currently looking at Kyouya, Kuon, Miyuki, and Fiasse with curious eyes. Nanoha shook her head furiously, but it was too late.

For the first time in four years, blue eyes met burgundy.

“Na… Nanoha?”

Nanoha swallowed. She couldn’t move. “Fate-chan.” Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper, and for a long moment the two stared at each other, neither sure of what to do now. The gun slipped through her fingers, dangling freely now.

For the two of them, time seemed to freeze.

Unfortunately, for everyone else, this wasn’t the case.

“Nanoha! BEHIND YOU!!”

Elise’s shout jerked Nanoha out of her reverie and she whirled around, eyes wide, just in time to see a blur of orange and black, teeth bared in a feral grin and long claws extended.

Oh, shi—

“NANOHA!!!”

A flash of gold.

And then blood sprayed through the air.

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The tiger familiar narrowed his eyes; he snorted softly before yanking his hand free, blood dripping from the tips of his claws.

With a choked gasp, her stomach spurting blood and staining her shirt dark red, Elise sagged into Nanoha’s arms. Her weight pulled the younger girl down to her knees, and Nanoha let out an anguished cry. Elise’s gun lay behind the familiar, dropped in her haste to reach the younger girl. “Crap…” Elise grimaced, resting her head against Nanoha’s shoulder. “I… always forget… how it hurts…”

With a growl the tiger familiar turned away. There were too many people for his taste; better to retreat now and get yelled at. Fury! The female shriek in his head made him cringe. Where the hell are you? You didn’t get into trouble again, did you?! You know what our mistress said about doing things behind her back!
Relax, Glory. He grimaced, scratching the back of his neck. I didn’t do anything bad. I’m coming home now. Tell Blaze to calm down, too.
Hey, it’s your ass that gets skinned, not mine.
I love you too.

With his back turned, the tiger couldn’t see what Nanoha was doing; in one fluid motion, still supporting Elise, the brunette yanked Raising Heart off the ribbon and clicked her into place on the gun. Elise winced, blinking groggily as she was bathed in pink light. She heard Nanoha’s breathing hitch and grow ragged, her body still exhausted from practice at the target range, her body beginning to shake; but her eyes were blank, narrow, and her grip on the gun was tight and true, aiming right at the tiger’s back.

It would only take one shot.

“Nanoha.” Elise’s hand came up, covered hers. “Don’t. You’ve reached your limit. Your Linker Core can’t take much more.” She coughed, but stayed focused on her charge. “Nanoha. I know you hear me. Stay with me, kid.” Her voice softened, was almost gentle. “Come back now. Lower the gun, Nanoha.”

There was a flash of dark orange; blinking, everyone looked up, only to discover the tiger was gone.

Slowly, Nanoha closed her eyes; she inhaled deeply and lowered the gun, releasing a shuddering sigh as her magic circle faded away into nothingness. Her body was still trembling and her breathing was still unsteady, but she hadn’t fired. “That’s my girl,” Elise whispered, smiling tiredly.
“How did you get here so fast?” Nanoha’s voice was anguished; she released the gun and turned her hand, clasping fingers with Elise. “You were all the way behind him.”
“That’s for me to know and you to never find out.”

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Fate glanced to the side as Chrono clicked his device off. “I just got in contact with the ship,” he said emotionlessly. He motioned briefly to Elise. “She’ll be treated in the medical center. You’re all coming with us.”

No one said anything.

Fate couldn’t tear her eyes off Nanoha. The brunette was cradling an older woman in her arms, and there was a softness to her voice she’d never heard before as she spoke in low tones, a gentleness to her eyes that she’d never seen.

The four-year-old gash on her heart throbbed painfully against her ribs.

How much have you changed, Nanoha?

[darkalpha]

Sorry for LONG LONG delay, but I finally got around to writing more of my BoD Nanoha fic idea (that I came up like a year or two ago, going through like 3-4 different plot rewrites before I finally settled on something that felt doable to me ^_^;; ). The first chapter is complete and I've already made some progress on the 2nd chapter. The question I want to ask, though, is how should I present it here? The first chapter is about 3k words in length. Would posting it here using spoiler tags for length be fine, or should I post it on FF.net and link it here?

[TerranReaper]

Spoiler for Chapter 9:

Chapter 9

“Troopship 50 you’re clear for re-entry of the planet’s atmosphere. Welcome home,” a voice sounded in the troopship’s COMM. In the pilot’s cockpit, a holomap appeared in the pilot’s monocle. “Troopship 50 to Hawaii flight base, re-entering the atmosphere in 5,” the pilot responded with a cool Navy accent. In the troop compartment, Nanoha and Fate sat side by side, holding hands while the rumbling of the troopship increased. A few marines were in there, including the one that spoke to Nanoha. One of them lit a cigarette and puffed on it, making the whole compartment smell like smoke.

“Hey, can you smoke after we reach ground? I’m getting nauseated by the smoke you’re exhaling,” another marine complained. The marine with the cigarette stared at the other marine and threw his cigarette into a disposal bin. “Nanoha, look outside,” a tall marine said. Nanoha and Fate turned around to see the outside view of the window. The view was spectacular as they saw the great Pacific Ocean. There were some islands and one of them had a volcano that released magma. From there, they also saw the capital Honolulu with so many skyscrapers standing up. The distant sun was rising over the eastern horizon, casting out its beautiful lights. Fate and Nanoha were mesmerized.

“I’ve never seen such beautiful view since the day we had a break and went to Arthas Beach on Mid-Childa,” mumbled Fate. “This is one of the untouched places…well, nearly untouched places on Earth by the Belkans. People still lead a harsh life though,” the tall marine said again. After 4 minutes, they landed onto a landing pad in Honolulu. Some marines secured the troopship and waited for the compartment door to open. Nanoha and Fate stepped out and the marines saluted. They saluted back.

One marine came up to her and saluted. “Ma’am, I have orders to take you to General Kassel. Please follow me to High Command,” the marine said. So, the two followed the marine and entered and armored transport vehicle. They went passed several places and Fate noticed the body of a space ship in the middle of Honolulu, all rusted up and falling apart. “What is that?” asked Fate. The marine shook his head. “That is the wreck of USS Midsummer Night. Crashed in the year 2462 and it is the grim reminder of people who tried to act smart. Captain Russell Silverstein was the ship’s captain. This ship was Earth’s finest and was reputed to be invincible until she got struck at the fusion engines after Russell charged into the middle of the Belkan Fleet. Silly bastard got himself shot out of space and the main body fell here,” the marine said.

Nanoha was silent and Fate looked grim. Later, they passed by a military assembly factory. There were guards, lots of them, surrounding the factory. In the open space, an aircraft was being constructed by hundreds of engineers. “That aircraft seems interesting. What is it?” asked Nanoha curiously. “That is Project Hresvelgr and it will be complete soon. The German Luftwaffe Company decided to create a super craft that will not only function as a flying aircraft carrier, it is also functions as an atmospheric warship. Safe from most attacks and armed with the latest weapons, this thing can wreak havoc on the Belkans if they dare attack Earth again,” the marine said gleefully. “Anyway, we’re here,” he continued.

Nanoha and Fate were welcomed and debriefed by the military general, who offered them to stay in a beachside chalet. It wasn’t much but it sure has a beautiful view of the sea. That night, Nanoha and Fate lit up a campfire and cooked clams. It has been a while since they got this kind of rest. The moon was full and the light cast by it just gave a kind romantic feel. “Nanoha, don’t you just enjoy the moonlight?” asked Fate. Nanoha stared at the moon and smiled. “Ya, I agree. Somehow, it feels good to be back on Earth even if it’s not Uminari. I now have a sense of peace that I never had even after the Mobile Section 6 was disbanded. It’s…brilliant,” said Nanoha with a wide smile. Fate can’t help but smile and her red eyes sparkled under the moonlight. They walked by the seashore, holding hands together. In the sky, they saw Terran space ships patrolling on low orbit, their engines casting an electric blue glow as their engines fired. The two walked past a boulder.

“Times have changed, Nanoha. You may assume that we are happy but in reality, we are bonded by the shackles of poverty and strife. However, we wish that your stay here is happy,” someone said. Nanoha saw a man sitting on a boulder to her left. It was Virgil and he had Agito with him. She flew towards Nanoha and sat on her shoulder. “It has been a while, Nanoha. You look like you’ve grown a little,” said Agito cheekily. Nanoha smiled back. “Nice to see you again, Agito. Same to you, Commander Virgil,” said Nanoha. Agito examined Fate and gave two thumbs up. “Looking good, Fate,” Agito quipped. Fate patted Agito’s head and turned to Virgil. “So, what did you mean by what you said earlier?” she asked.

“Oh nothing, I was just lamenting how bad the future is. If the Belkans did not attack us…oh never mind. I guess I’m complaining too much. Ignore what I said earlier,” said Virgil. The silver streaks in his brown hair seemed to glow a bit under the moonlight. The night wind blew into their hairs and made them look serene and graceful. “So, how do you find Hawaii?” asked Virgil. “Oh, it’s very relaxing. I must thank your generals for treating us well,” said Fate. “It was nothing. Besides, you guys need ‘em since you two have been frozen for 500 years. You’re skinnier than you used to be,” said Agito. “Are you calling me fat?” asked Nanoha.

“No,” said Agito. Just then, a wave splashed on Fate and Nanoha’s feet. It felt cold but it was refreshing. “Fate, Nanoha, you two will start training duties tomorrow for new mixed blood and Mid-Childan recruits. New freshies equals to a bigger army,” said Virgil as he got off the boulder. “Well then, I’ll see you girls tomorrow at the training fields. The boys and girls are more than eager to meet you two,” said Virgil. He gave a wave and left with Agito.

On Mid-Childa, Subaru and Teana were sitting in the reception hall, trying to fathom things out. First is that Heinrich got Hayate’s book, secondly is that Vivio seemed stronger than imagined that she broke Graf Eisen. “What is going on? Subaru, I can’t even answer that so stop asking me the same question,” complained Teana. “I was just trying to make sure of things. There are so many things that need answering right now that I can’t stop thinking about it,” said Subaru. The two stared at each other and rubbed their chins. “Oh what the heck, we’re no detectives. We might as well leave that to someone to think about,” said Teana.

Subaru laughed mockingly. “Look around you, Tia. Besides Miss Shari and Vivio, I don’t think there is anyone we know left.” Teana shook her head and got up. “My instincts tell me that staying here would be a bad idea. What say we head out of here and see what the enemy has to offer?” asked Teana. “Are you stupid? If we get caught, we’re paste. Besides, you always have a bad feeling,” whispered Subaru. Just then, Heinrich came in with Vita and Signum. “Good news you two, we have an assignment for you to keep you busy. Some intruders have infiltrated the Tower of Storm and all we need you to do is to get rid of them,” said Heinrich. Teana stared at him cautiously but Heinrich stared back dangerously.

“Was my orders unclear, Teana Lanster?” he asked dangerously. Teana looked down and shook her head. “No, sir,” she replied softly. Teana beckoned Subaru to go and the two left. Shari saw everything from the receptionist counter and she held her handgun tight. “I suspect something amiss right now. I better be on my guard,” she whispered to herself softly. Just then, someone landed behind her and grabbed her neck. “You won’t need that handgun, lady. Scaglietti has better plans for you,” said the assailant. That was the last thing she heard.

It has been quite a delay but here is Chapter 9.

Spoiler for KOTR Chapter 1:

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Knights of the Reich
Chapter 1

Have I not made a promise to you, Fate, that we will live together as one family? I finally have that chance to achieve that after 7 long years. Duty has set us apart but now we have a chance to officially live together. We are one family and we have bestowed each other a wedding ring. Yes, Fate, we are married. Don’t you remember? All the flowers, the white wedding dresses, Yuuno dressed in the groom’s clothing…I kissed you after the ceremony. I also kissed Yuuno as he is now my fiancé too. I’m sure you remembered it, Fate…

Nanoha woke up from her dream and got out from bed. Her hair was a mess after a good night sleep. Still sleeping was Yuuno and Fate was nowhere to be seen. Nanoha looked at the rising sun, its radiant beams reflected onto Nanoha’s naked body. Nanoha gave a warm smile and proceeded to dress herself up. Just as she was about to put on her skirt, Fate came in with two cups of coffee.

“You’re awake. I thought you’ll sleep on forever,” said Fate jokingly. The sunlight reflected her beauty and Nanoha can’t help but admire Fate. There was something about Fate that made her look so beautiful. “Good to see you up and early. Has Vivio gone to school yet?” asked Nanoha. Just then, Vivio poked her head into the room and smiled. “Good morning Nanoha-mama. I have extracurricular lessons today so I’ll be back a bit later,” said the heterochromic teen. “Don’t come back too late, Vivio. We’re having dinner at Hayate’s,” said Nanoha. Vivio gave a thumb up and left.

“Kids grow up fast, don’t they? The last time we found her was 7 years ago and now she is a teen, not the little cry baby liked we used to know,” said Fate with a smile. She drained her cup of coffee and put on her uniform. Nanoha also put on her uniform before drinking her coffee. While reading the daily news at the dining room, Hayate contacted Nanoha. “You’re awake I see. I have a few things to discuss with you when you arrive. It’s regarding about the Terran Defense Contract. They proposed to share their space cannon technology with us in return for peace keepers to quash rebellions occurring in the African continent,” said Hayate.

“So Chrono has approved of its final phase?” asked Nanoha in a surprised tone. “I thought he seldom made deals with the Terrans,” she continued. Hayate shook her head. “The Navy desperately needs a weapon to defend Mid-Childa from the rising anarchists based on one of Mid-Childa’s surrounding planetary bodies. They have this chance and they are forcing Chrono to take that opportunity,” said Hayate. Nanoha winced at the sound of that. “So he was forced? Well, it could have been worse,” she said. She finished her coffee and got up from her chair. “I’ll meet up with you later, Hayate,” said Nanoha before closing the holocom.

Fate and Nanoha flew to the Capital Defense HQ to meet up with Hayate, now a Rear Admiral. There were Terran soldiers guarding a troopship as a man exited from it. The Mid-Childans know this man Big Al, Earth’s Primary Defense Administration minister who was a fat middle-aged man with a bemused look. Wherever he went, several Terran soldiers would follow him. “So, what is with the increased security around Big Al?” asked Fate. “The anarchists have plotted to assassinate him so that the defense contract would not be carried out. I still doubt that the increased security will help but it is worth a try,” said Hayate. Then, they saw a young man walking behind Big Al, half his face was covered and he had black armor with a tinge of blue. He had a striking look that several female mages stopped to look at him. He was cautious, looking around for any threat.

“Who is that young man?” asked Nanoha. “That man is Captain Lance Valentine of the 41st Terran Mobile Infantry Force. He is much of a mystery to us…though I would like to get to know him,” said Hayate slyly. “Hayate, I thought you wanted to talk to us about that defense contract,” said Nanoha. “Oh yes, I’ve almost forgotten about it. Chrono want us to sign this contract so he can make final decisions on the Orbital Defense Platform,” said Hayate.

Somewhere in the city, Vita was having a drink of milk in a café with Shamal. “Shamal, why is that your cooking never improved over the years? First you tried to cook curry with herbs and now you tried cooking steamed fish with too much parsley. If you improved your cooking, Miss Hayate wouldn’t need to cook after a long day of work,” said Vita. “Can’t help it, I’ve always been bad in cooking. All I can do is healing,” said Shamal bitterly. “Yeah, I’m only afraid you’ll put antiseptic into someone’s food,” said Vita.

“Uh…yeah, I accidentally made Signum sick after putting antiseptic into her soup which I have mistaken for fish paste. Tell me, why we are eating in this café again?” asked Shamal. Vita stared at her and shook her head. “You burned the kitchen after you left that stove open and there was a gas leak. Good thing for that or else I’ll be drinking your antiseptic soup,” joked the red-haired girl. “Oh c’mon, I was making steak,” said Shamal bitterly.

A fine young officer walked passed their table and stood behind Vita. He set his hands on her shoulder, startling Vita. “Hiyah Vita, what a surprise to see you here,” said the man. Vita blushed so red that Shamal saw it. “Good morning to you, Lieutenant Altier. Where are you going so early in the morning?” asked Shamal. “Oh, I was heading to TSAB HQ. Someone wanted to speak to me. Anyway, here is a carton of milk you wanted, Vita. Don’t worry, you need not pay me,” said Altier. Just as the man left, Vita slowly turned around to look at him. “Idiot,” she mumbled. Shamal stroked her chin and smiled evilly at Vita. “Can it be that you are dating this guy? I thought I noticed a change in you after meeting him last year. You even secretly requested him to buy you milk,” said Shamal.

“N-no such thing! I hate him and I wouldn’t date a man like him! Besides, I like Miss Hayate more!” Vita yelled. “That’s what they all say. I think this is Vita’s first love with a man. Miss Hayate should hear about this,” said Shamal. “No, don’t! She’ll kill me if she found out!” Vita yelled, nearly on the verge of tears. “You think Miss Hayate is like that? Vita, please don’t be so naïve. I’m sure Miss Hayate would understand,” said Shamal.


“It’s not that. Miss Hayate is Lieutenant Altier’s girlfriend,” Vita said solemnly. Shamal was dumbfounded and her jaw dropped. “Oh my goodness, Miss Hayate likes Altier but he likes you…this is like those soap operas!” said Shamal with a twinkle in her eye. Vita growled at Shamal so she stopped. “C’mon, we’ve lingered long enough. Lets get outta her,” said Vita.

Here is the first chapter of a different story.