(To be snarky: while it doesn't have a damn thing to do with the plot, there's NanoFate lurking all over the place in the background, so if the concept gives you hives or something, just pass on by, thank you?)
"It was just a simple errand. Pick up Fate's car from the mechanic. So why does Nanoha find herself at the center of four hostile mages?"
It's funny you should mention that, because it's exactly how I came up with the idea for this story:
Spoiler for How I thought of this one.:
I agreed to write another side-story for RadiantBeam to an event in "Daddy's Little Girl," so I was rereading that story to see what happened so I didn't mess up any details. When I got to the scene with Lutecia confronting Nanoha, I started wondering what would have happened had Lutecia panicked upon seeing the White Devil sitting there and immediately started summoning things. The next thing I knew, I was writing a story!
heehee that snort-out-loud material. How old do you place Vivio in that short? She sounds 14-17 to me.
Oh and slight typo in "Fate, though, was laughing so heard that tears ..."
(To be snarky: while it doesn't have a damn thing to do with the plot, there's NanoFate lurking all over the place in the background, so if the concept gives you hives or something, just pass on by, thank you?)
"It was just a simple errand. Pick up Fate's car from the mechanic. So why does Nanoha find herself at the center of four hostile mages?"
It's funny you should mention that, because it's exactly how I came up with the idea for this story:
Spoiler for How I thought of this one.:
I agreed to write another side-story for RadiantBeam to an event in "Daddy's Little Girl," so I was rereading that story to see what happened so I didn't mess up any details. When I got to the scene with Lutecia confronting Nanoha, I started wondering what would have happened had Lutecia panicked upon seeing the White Devil sitting there and immediately started summoning things. The next thing I knew, I was writing a story!
Reviewed.
(But darn it, how do you expect me to write angst when you write such hilarious humor?)
Yeah I know, but it gave me two fun characters to play with. I love the date scene in puncture bolt so much x_x and Dross is such a theatrical character. He's actually not that powerful.
I wanted to make it an epic story, but I didn't know how to expand it. Namely I didn't know what Orn knew about linker cores. I talked with MtG people, but they weren't much help. They tried quite a bit too.
I was going to make a character have both a linker core and a spark. Perhaps ambition surpassed me. I'll leave these as footnotes while SpaceBrotha makes fun of me :P. what was the phrase 'dropping Chthulu on a mouse' Planeswalkers were gods once. they are mortal now, but they have far more magic at their disposal than these battle mages. Remove from game, destroy all creatures, no regeneration. Stuff like that.
Didn't understand at all your mtg cross...it seems it was mtg people against TSAB? talk about Overkill...
Yeah pretty much overkill, but planeswalkers are mortal. Makes the battle vicious, but not undoable. DIdnt understand at all? Interesting. Well I'm sure there is some quality control for me to figure out, but I'm not sure what to make of that. past chapters or Fanfiction.net
Spoiler for Animist and the Anarchist chapter 3:
Fate yawned and rolled out of bed. She was beginning to realize what Hayate meant about the headache pills. Still, she left them where they remained in her drawer. Nanoha was already up and getting ready no doubt. She'd be doing that even if she had the day off, but today was special. It would be the first day she faced her students. That's what she'd like to think, but in fact it was the first day she would begin teaching her own students.
"What were their names again?" Fate yawned once more and a mug of coffee appeared in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and a sweet smile was returned. "Thank you." She gladly took it from her.
"Subaru Nakajima and Teana Lanstar."
Fate looked down at the mug after she took a sip and back to Nanoha. "Mm, you put something in this. Cinnamon?"
"Like?"
"Its not Christmas yet." Fate joked, "How old were they?"
"They are both 10 years old, but I have great expectations."
"Mm." Fate smiled and took another sip.
---
The training field had more students this time around. Nanoha took it upon herself to combine sessions. She turned to the young protege with two guns at the ready. "Teana, you will watch how I deal with a close ranged opponent whom relies on speed, agility and power."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Teana beamed. Subaru grinned. She loved watching the older Privates fight. Even so, it was the teacher she was in love with.
Privates Seabring and Tempest hurried onto the field. Hana was out of breath, but in good spirits. Fury was grinning ear to ear. "Hey kids!"
"Welcome, I am so glad you could make it on time, Private Fury Tempest." Nanoha smiled. "You have two warnings, but I'll overlook them, for the moment. Raising Heart." Her device shimmered.
"Yes, Sir."
"Set Up." Nanoha transformed and stood before them. She blinked.
Fury was laughing. Hana was blushing. All Hana could think of was to elbow the girl. "Shh, please."
"OK, OK," Fury tried to calm down.
Nanoha sighed, she knew she'd understand this better in time. "I am a long range air assault mage. Private Fury Tempest, in this city we have here, can you think of any way to deal with that?"
"Jump?"
"Contact Detonations are easy to spot."
Fury actually thought for a minute, "I'll just try it again."
"Thought as much," Nanoha nodded. "I also understand you've chosen to ignore your shields. Despite your speed and tenacity, I doubt this will serve you on the battle field. You will encounter enemies far more powerful than a drone. For this you must be prepared. I will start by shooting you." Nanoha smiled.
"Alright." Fury bared her teeth and clenched her fists.
Nanoha rose into the air and raised her staff. "Axel Shooter."
Fury dashed into the city and used her leg gauntlets to blast herself upwards. Soon, she was on the roof of a building and then another. A dozen pink balls of energy slammed into where she once stood at each jump. Another nearly knocked her off the building. "Alright!" Fury blasted off the building directly at her.
"Heh." Nanoha rose higher into the air and Fury missed completely. She impacted with the ground to break her fall. "I see you are trying to manage your energy better. Still, you've cratered the training field."
"It's not a real training field!" Fury whined.
"The actual battlefield might be on base. Those dorms and those shelters. You will protect them."
"Of course!" Fury was ready for more.
"Axel Shooter. Fury, use your shields."
Fury had been charging her leg gauntlets while they talked. She blasted straight up into the air. Nanoha blinked and dashed sideways. Fury flailed her arms and plummeted back to the ground. One more crater. "Not sure Teana-chan there is learning from this." She sighed. "Shoot."
The energy blasts radiated outwards and one at a time they shot down upon Fury. She gritted her teeth and dashed away to the nearest building. She burst through the window.
"Inside?" Nanoha smiled. "Raising Heart?"
"No problem." Nanoha closed her eyes and watched as the energy balls traveled around her. She asked one to enter the building. An explosion in the top floor distracted her.
She frowned and put up a shield. The wall burst outwards and collided with her shield to no effect. Amidst the explosion was a fist already charged for a detonation. The blast reamed off the shield and blew Fury back into the building into a far wall. The dust cleared.
Fury sat there in the rubble watching. "I need to work on this more."
"You do, but that's what you are here for."
Nanoha had them gather again into a line. She looked to Teana first. "Have you any thoughts?"
Teana smiled, she had considered herself well read, "Always be ready for sneaky moves."
Fury blinked, "Brat." She was elbowed.
Nanoha smiled, "Very good. Subaru, any ideas?"
"Me? Ah, hmm. Getting in close as fast as possible?"
"Yes, that is what you should see in this. I'm proud of you." Nanoha patted her on the head. "Hana?"
Hana smiled, she like Subaru didn't expect to be called on, but she had an answer. "Use decoys."
Nanoha smiled again, "Certainly, Fury's attack would of hit me from behind if it had been at the same moment as that explosion, but that is not a skill Fury has, yet. Fury?" She turned to her now.
"What they said?"
"Come now, you should have the easy answer having tried it yourself."
Fury tapped her foot and crossed her arms. Thinking was never a strong suit. "I don't like to waste energy. I use it to charge my detonations, which are always ready." She held up a glowing gauntlet.
"In simpler words, always be prepared." Nanoha smiled, "I saw the way you ran out there. Each step is a small explosion propelling you forward. You don't use sonic move much, do you?"
"Blast step. Yeah, I tried sonic move against Commander Vita, but it didn't work."
"Practice makes perfect, but never be satisfied with perfect. I train to this day, although I should say even my teachers train to this day." She smiled and walked away from them. "Fury, I want you to learn to use shields. Small blasts will wear you down or throw you off balance. On second thought, the best way to do this is action. Break into teams and spar. Hana you will face Teana. I will watch from a distance, please choose the location within the training area."
"Yes, Ma'am!" they saluted.
"Fury, please be careful with physical damage. I know you have been working directly with Captain Fate at night."
"Understood." She tried to sound serious. She just wanted to fight already.
Subaru was thrilled. Since their strategies were similar, this was going to be a grudge match. Even so she knew her blades were imperfect and there was her age, but she knew wing road would be great and she could punch as hard as Fury could. She just had to avoid getting grabbed.
"Engage!" Nanoha smiled. She watched them with the monitors and the mini cameras spread throughout the area. Fury and Subaru took to the streets with building on either side. They agreed it gave them both advantages. Destruction couldn't be helped here, this was a mock fight.
"Wing Road!" Subaru blasted into the air on the path she drew herself. Fury's mouth was agape as she got away from her.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Fury blasted upwards and tried to knock Subaru off the path, but missed. She landed and cratered the ground. "I see how it is." She grinned. She watched the little one go around her. The path led back to her. She stepped on it and smiled; it could support her weight. "Detonate." Wing Road shattered, but Subaru leaped into the air.
Her gauntlet spun with charged energy, "Divine Buster!"
Fury clasped her hands together. "Detonate!" The blast blew the two away from each other. Fury bounced off the ground while Subaru smacked into her road once again. Her attack hit nothing.
"Attack, attack, attack!" Fury bounded back up and charged forward, "My turn!"
"Ack!" Subaru rolled off the road and onto the ground. Fury punched the road hard and it shattered, then faded away when Subaru ended it. "Wing Road!" a new path appeared and she blasted away from Fury.
"Nice trick!" Fury jumped onto it and went into pursuit. "Don't think I care if you have wheels, shrimp!"
Subaru jumped and reversed her skates. "Stop breaking my road, punk!" Subaru held her eyelid and stuck her tongue out. She then jumped and reversed her wheels again. The path went into a loop and then took a wide arcing turn. Subaru sped through it with ease. Fury used a detonation to break through the loop and blasted herself forward onto the path. She charged her gauntlets again.
"Damn you." Fury laughed, this was fun. Subaru had her gauntlet completely charged.
She had to get her off guard, she smiled. Her path diverged sharply straight for Fury. She rocketed full speed, "Divine Buster!"
"Contact Detonation."
Nanoha sighed and walked over to the two of them. "You OK, Fury?"
"Yeah." Fury was covered in dirt and her clothes were ripped.
"Subaru?"
"I broke a skate, but yeah." She was taking them off. A wheel fell off and rolled away, "Mou."
"Well, using an explosion to blow yourself away from your opponent is quite the dangerous trick in close range combat. Subaru, your wing road is impressive, but yes others can use your road and you need to adjust to that. The loop and the immediate intersection were well thought out."
"Thank you." Subaru smiled.
Fury frowned, "How's Ha-chan doing?"
"Stalemate, I'm afraid. Hana blocked every shot fired on her. Let's go watch." She helped them up and they headed over to the field.
--
"Teana-chan, are you tired yet? I'm not sure how long we should do this."
"Tired? No," Teana almost took it as an insult, but her opponent's smile was genuine. "I'll come up with something."
"OK," Hana smiled. "Maybe I should summon Fenrir, but Commander Takamachi said to practice shields."
"Well she said spar, do as you like."
"OK, round shield. Great mother Gaia, I ask for your blessing. I call forth Fenrir!" A large summon circle appeared before her. The large grey and white wolf reared up and howled. He looked around the field and saw he was in a fire fight. "Please go easy on the little one. We are playing." The wolf turned to her and then back to Teana. Fenrir started panting.
"Nice doggy..." Teana charged her guns, "Cross Mirage, stay with me." She fired off rapid volleys, the wolf dodged and weaved despite its size. The blasts turned and chased it.
Nanoha walked up to them and almost laughed. Fury however started laughing loudly. Subaru joined in and ran over to help her partner. "Tia-tia, are you alright?"
"Agh, Fen..stop ...ack, licking me!" She tried to pull away, but the beast had her pinned.
"Fenrir, come here." Hana smiled. Fenrir happily complied and trotted over to her. "Good Fenrir."
Nanoha wondered what to make of this battle. It was so very different than the last. "Teana your shots will pierce any shield given practice just as Fury could break through any barrier. Those are your positions on the battlefield. However, Hana your summons and your reinforcing magic make for an excellent full back position. Subaru and Fury, you will be a striker. The front line assault mage. Even at your ages you will perform and make me proud."
Nanoha nodded, "That's it for this morning's practice, clean up and I'll see you again after lunch. Oh, Subaru, see Shari, she'll fix that for you. Also make sure you didn't sprain your ankles."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Fury elbowed and teased Subaru. "Lucky little runt." She laughed. Hana cleared her throat. Fury was distracted and hopped over to her, "Hey, how was it?"
"Fine, you?" Hana smiled, but her eyes were on Subaru's thankful expression. Teana was wiping her face off with a towel.
--
"Why didn't I check her sight scores?" Nanoha was furious.
"Ah, wait, what?" Fate made her way across the room quickly. She knew that look. "Sight scores?"
"She has better eyesight than I do. Know how transformations bathe you in light and last for only a couple seconds? She saw me."
"Oh, wow. How clearly?"
"Enough, where are those headache pills?"
"I'll give you a back rub instead."
"Thanks." Nanoha plopped down upon the bed and groaned. "Interested?"
"Mm?" Fate pulled off Nanoha's shirt and undid her bra. No doubt that was a relief, too, at this point. "The training?"
"Yeah. Mm." Nanoha smiled. "New sheets?"
"Yes,"
"Smells nice."
"They do, so, how'd it go?" She started working her shoulders.
Nanoha moaned again, "Sorry, Tempest and Subaru are an even match, but I'm afraid they'll hurt each other trying to get a hit in. They are both fast and reckless. Still, I have high hopes for Subaru. She is able to adapt to her opponent pretty quickly."
"I understand her sister is also skilled."
"Oh, Ginga right?"
"Yes, she is studying for an administrative job like her father." Fate pressed her palms into her shoulders harder. "Like that?"
Nanoha nodded and sighed. Fate was good at back rubs. "He's well respected in the military and has two cute daughters. Oh, that's right, he helped on that mall fire incident."
"Yes, I believe so. The kids were so young, back then."
"They were like ourselves in a way, new to magic, but valiant, brave, foolish."
"Having a teacher and mentor at this age is something special, I think." Fate smiled and tickled under her ribs.
"Hey!"
"Lighten up, if we are unable to teach these forwards, what does that say about us?"
"Heh, we were rebellious, weren't we?"
--
Fury stomped back and forth under a tree. Her brows were furled and her mouth muttered inaudible complaints. Hana ignored this and took a bite of her salad. Fury stopped and plopped down beside her, "I got to thinking."
"Why?"
"Why? I don't know why, I just thought that Subaru pisses me off."
"Fu-chan, she is ten years old. She doesn't understand any better than you do how to fight at Commander Takamachi's level."
Fury fell backwards onto the blanket and kicked her feet, "That's not it." She clenched her fists and relented. "She..."
"Is like you. Rash, hasty, fast, and powerful." Hana turned to her and put a hand upon hers. "She respects you as her superior even if she won that battle."
"What? Won? How?" She sat up and looked her in the eyes.
"You were buried in dirt, Fu-chan, her blast connected. Be glad your auto shields were enough. I think she went easy on you."
"AAGHHH! That brat did not go easy on me! No way, no how!"
"Oh? If she didn't then why are you angry?"
"I can't think about this anymore!" Fury scrambled to her feet and marched off towards the mess hall doors.
"You forgot your sandwich, Fu-chan."
"Oh, right." She was back in an instant and pulled the sandwich out of the basket.
"Silly girl." She pulled out a box of croűtons and tossed the contents onto the grass beside them. A loud flapping was heard overhead and Hugin landed beside them.
Fury almost choked. "How long was that chicken up there?"
"Hugin, is not a chicken. He is a grand falcon from my home world."
"Mou, I still say its an overgrown chicken." She finished her sandwich in a bite. Hugin walked over to her and stared her down. Hana watched pensively. "What? What do you want?" The bird peeked into the picnic basket and pulled out another sandwich. "Oh no, no way are you doing that to me!" The bird nodded and flew up into the air with the sandwich. "YOU DAMN CHICKEN!" Fury chased after it.
Hana sighed, "Hugin, please don't be too long." She nodded as she heard a confirmation. Perhaps Hugin and Fury were more alike than she thought. Troublemakers.
"It's a nice day out isn't it?" Shamal asked. Signum was seated with her for a change and they had a tea set. It wasn't often that they shared moments like this outside, but the weather simply had to be enjoyed.
"It is." Signum's eyes were fixated on something in the distance. She heard a soft concussion and then saw something flailing in the air. The object fell to the ground only to be flailing in the air once again. Above the object was something about the same size circling over head. It dove down occasionally as if to tease the other object. "How many warnings can an officer receive before action is taken?"
"Four, but on the third strike is grounding to base. What sort of warnings and what officers are distracting you?" Shamal smiled. She had a good idea, but wanted to be impartial.
"Nothing." Signum took a sip of her tea. "Very nice, what is this again?"
"Hana helped me with it. Its a favorite of hers from her home world, but the plants used are not native here."
"Smuggled?" Signum almost smiled. Shamal didn't answer. Cross pollinations and animal introductions were not something that concerned the military, but were very important to certain types of people. They were humored at least.
"You damn chicken!" The bird flew in low over head of the people eating outside. Fury rocketed above the bird, but missed once again. She landed on a table and destroyed it with her next hasty jump. Soon people started fleeing the ruckus. Signum sighed.
"Not going to say anything?" Shamal smiled wistfully.
"If I gave her a direct order, could she hear and understand me?" Signum sipped her tea once more.
"No. I don't believe so."
"She has two warnings from Vita so far." Signum frowned. The two of them were heading their way. "Trust me?"
"If you damage my tea set." Shamal teased. It wasn't special to her and Signum knew it. She kept her special set at home stored away in their old house. They planned to stay there end of the year with Hayate. Signum made sure to finish her tea.
"Damn you bird brain, give me back my sandwich!" Fury rocketed upwards, but the bird weaved out of reach. Fury exploded the area with her arm gauntlets and the shock wave forced Hugin to take evasive actions. The turbulence rattled the tea set below and Hugin opted to drop the sandwich.
"Hmm, ham, cheese, celery, and peanut butter." Shamal observed. Fury collided with the table.
"I'm not done with you, you winged rat!" Fury charged her leg gauntlets without even realizing two officers were seated at the table. Signum grabbed her foot and the table was obliterated. Fury fell to the ground in the shrapnel and got a foot pressed down upon her sternum.
"It is a pleasure meeting you, Private Fury Tempest." Signum grabbed her by the shirt collar and held on tight. "I don't spar with the rookies, but I will administer punishments if provoked. I don't mean warnings." She lifted her up high above her and stared deep into her crimson eyes.
Fury swallowed, she knew the rumors about her, but most of which were girls fawning over her. Her usual approach was not going to work here, "Sorry?"
"Heh, run along before anyone else gets hurt."
"Else?" Fury swallowed again.
"Yes." Signum threw Fury to the ground. Fury cursed and ran away from them.
"Enjoying this?" Shamal started picking up the mess, but found most had burned up. It was a good thing their shields held. "Not much left of the table."
"She's young, but she was driven without distractions." She turned to Shamal, "I had heard she was easily distracted."
"Oh? You seem to be in a good mood today."
"I think it might be what was in that tea." Signum mused.
Shamal laughed, "Could very well be."
--
"Hugin, are you alright?" She patted the falcon. He didn't seem injured. Fury walked by and stopped in her tracks. "Fu-chan, be nice to my friend, he only wanted to play. I'm sure you understand."
"No chicken is getting between my food and my mouth." She blinked. "Unless I'm eating chicken."
"Right, now please be a good friend and pat Hugin. I want you to be friends."
Fury groaned, but knelt down beside her. Hugin blinked and looked at her. Fury went to pat him on the head but almost got her hand bit. "That beak is huge."
"You can relate."
"Hey!" Fury blinked, "Yeah, I guess I can," she laughed. "OK, Hugin, what do you want from me?" Hana smiled. Fury was understanding things a bit better. "If you want me to stop calling you a chicken, forget it!" Hugin cawed at her. Fury almost fell over backwards. "You want me to apologize? I want you to apologize to me! You understand?"
"Fu-chan."
"Fine, OK, OK." Fury sighed. "Whatever, truce?" She held out a hand. Hugin looked at it and turned to Hana whom only smiled. Hugin turned back to Fury and lifted a claw. They shook. "Good, now that I have you." Hugin crushed her hand. "AAHAGGAHA" Hugin flew up high into the tree before Fury could react.
"Bad girl, no kiss." Hana pouted. Fury was crying on the blanket holding her hand muttering chicken again and again.
OK, I realize some problems with the direction of my story. I'd love more critiques, but the ones I m getting are good and meaningful which i greatly appreciate. So, thanks to Arkeus. Now then, Fury is a troubled child, I don't want to oversell how dangerous she is, but given her fighting style, personality, and upbringing, she will be reckless, careless, unthinking, and passionate. The military is many things to the youth they find. Troubled children with bad upbringings given a new life as a weapon honed by training under the TSAB. Letting the go as they please without training is a danger to everyone as opposed to a danger they can control and deal with.
Fury will push this control to its limit, that's my plan for the story.
__________________
For those that belittle their favorite characters, complain about pairings, complain about oversexed images. Stop, thank you.
Fear Anxiety Doubt is but a fad. The life of a fad depends entirely on the willingness to support it. Difficulty is a choice. Determination is a path. Your next great idea after your destination is the true goal.
So, here's my side of my fic exchange with DezoPenguin. He requested a scene where Nanoha deals with having her limiter placed back on her. Here's hoping he likes it.
As one of the key medics in the TSAB and one of the few who could claim to know the three Aces best, Shamal had long ago learned not to be frightened by much of anything. After being destroyed by the very thing that had created her and shot at numerous times by mages and things she didn’t even care to name, she liked to think she’d developed a will of steel.
At least, that was the conclusion she came to when she found herself gazing into the eyes of one very annoyed Takamachi Nanoha and realized she wasn’t the least bit afraid of the younger woman. Judging from the flare in her eyes and the way her hands were clenched, Shamal guessed the Ace of Aces had just left her most recent medical check after rescuing Vivio.
Ah, so THAT’S why she’s so mad…
“Why did you put my limiter back in place?”
It was rare for Nanoha to raise her voice, even when she was dangerously close to losing her temper. Her voice was always even, calm, that one step away from snapping out and yelling. It was a trait she’d inherited from Momoko, and she was pretty damn proud of it. Shamal slowly swept her eyes over the brunette’s profile and judged that it wouldn’t take much more for her to snap and lose it completely. She leaned back in her chair, resting her hands calmly in her lap, and spoke. “I put it back in place because if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me right now.” Her eyes narrowed. “You sustained critical damage to your Linker Core because of those Starlight Breakers you used to save Vivio. Your pulse, heart, and breathing were off the charts when you got back to headquarters. It’s a miracle you could still stand after that attack you launched at her.”
“Which proves I don’t need it!”
“Which proves,” Shamal shot back, “that you’re just as stubborn as you’ve always been. In fact, you shouldn’t even be here right now. You should be resting and giving your body a chance to recover.”
Nanoha’s eyes darkened dangerously. She slammed her hands on the desk, but Shamal barely even flinched. “You placed that limiter back on me without my permission,” she said, her voice shaking with a fury that threatened to engulf her whole body. “You had no right to—“
“I had every right, and you know it as well as I do.” Shamal met Nanoha’s gaze evenly. “I’m in such a position to make that call if I see fit, seeing as I was appointed the head medic by Hayate-chan. I wouldn’t have placed the limiter back on you if you hadn’t put yourself in a situation where your life depended on having it.”
“You can’t expect me to think of myself when I’m trying to save someone!”
For a few minutes Shamal studied Nanoha quietly, taking in her rigid posture and furious gaze. When at last she spoke, her voice was soft, but her words drove home like a bullet. “I respect the fact that you will always try to save people, Nanoha-chan,” she said. “Please respect the fact that I love you just as much as I love Hayate-chan and will always try to do what I believe is best for your wellbeing.” She rested her hands on her desk as Nanoha’s eyes widened. “You might be willing to return to the sky when it calls you, but I can name several people who would be perfectly happy to see you permanently grounded for the next ten or twenty years.”
Nanoha said nothing, her whole body taut as a bowstring; she whirled on her heel and stalked out of the room, the door whooshing shut behind her silently. With a groan of exhaustion Shamal slumped back in her chair, closing her eyes. “That could have gone better,” she murmured in the silence.
Knowing this whole incident was far from over, Shamal reached out and punched in a few keys on her keyboard. The screen popped up and the connection got through instantly, much to the blonde’s relief. “Fate-chan.”
“Shamal-san?” On the screen, Fate frowned in confusion. “What’s going on? I was just about to drop off Vivio…”
“I know, I know, but I need some help.” Shamal rubbed her temples. “Nanoha-chan just found out about the limiter being placed back on her.”
“I take it she wasn’t happy.” Fate looked away for a moment to soothe Vivio as the younger girl expressed an interest in something off-screen.
“No, I’m afraid she wasn’t. Hayate-chan already pulled rank and gave her a few days off, but she’s still got that anger bottled up inside and I don’t think she completely understood what I said to her…”
Shamal trailed off here, but the message got through. Fate frowned.
“I’ll talk to her. Just give me a few minutes to—hey, Vivio, wait a minute.”
“What’s going on?”
“She saw Megane Alphine’s daughter.” Fate sighed. “Megane-san came in to speak to Genya-san and Hayate-chan today about getting back into the TSAB, and she must have left Lutecia out by the office. Vivio’s completely entranced by her.”
Shamal smiled. “Sounds like love at first sight.”
“Ha, ha. Funny.” The smile faded quickly from Fate’s face. “I’ll talk to Nanoha, Shamal-san.”
Shamal sighed.
“Yes. Thank you, Fate-chan. You’re probably the only one she’ll listen to.”
Fate clicked her phone shut and then spent a few minutes looking around blankly as she realized Vivio was no longer by her side. She didn’t have to look far; the six-year-old had made a beeline for her object of interest, and as Fate approached she saw Lutecia lean in, responding to whatever Vivio was speaking about. Amused, not sure what to make of Vivio’s apparent fascination with the older girl, Fate walked up to them, smiling as Lutecia glanced up at her. “Hello, Lutecia.”
“Um… hello.”
It was funny; while talking to Vivio Lutecia had seemed completely relaxed, confused by the younger girl’s approach but taking it in stride with an ease that had most likely been born from her friendship with Caro and Erio. Her newfound confidence only went so far, though, as she stiffened up the minute she saw Fate. Seeing some of her old self in the girl, Fate didn’t take it personally. “I’m sorry. Is Vivio bothering you?” She laid a hand on the little girl’s shoulder, who immediately pouted. “Fate-mama, I wasn’t—“
“Not at all.” Lutecia cut in smoothly, her voice sure even though her eyes gleamed uncertainly. Her lips twitched upward slightly. “I kind of enjoyed the company, actually.”
Why, was that almost a smile? Fate couldn’t help it as her lips curved in response. It seemed Vivio had Nanoha’s talent for drawing people out of their shells. Vivio glanced up at Fate. “Mama, can I stay with Lutecia?”
“Vivio—“
“I wouldn’t mind it.” Lutecia glanced nervously at Fate. “Really.”
Amused, sensing that her daughter’s first attempt at befriending had been a success, Fate briefly knelt and stroked Vivio’s hair. “Okay, then I’ll leave you here with Lutecia for awhile.” She smiled, though it was slightly strained at the edges. “Nanoha-mama and I need to talk, anyway.”
Vivio frowned, tilting her head to the side. “About what?”
Fate gently ruffled Vivio’s hair. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older. It’s grown-up stuff.”
The door was closed, which managed to annoy Fate without totally taking her by surprise. Nanoha had a bad habit of withdrawing whenever she was angry or depressed, and she showed no sign of outgrowing it anytime soon. Knowing it was useless if Nanoha was truly as angry as Shamal claimed she was, Fate nonetheless followed old instinct and knocked on the door. “Nanoha? Are you in there?”
A muffled movement from inside, but no response. Fate sighed and rested her hand on the door. “Open up, Nanoha,” she urged. “Shamal-san called me and told me what happened. We need to talk.” She paused for a moment, listened.
Still nothing.
“Nanoha, come on. Hayate-chan gave me the code for this door. I can open it at anytime, and you know it. Please don’t make me do that.”
For a moment there was still no response; just as Fate was preparing to enter the code onto the lock-pad, the door opened. Relived, she stepped inside and started towards the bedroom, knowing Nanoha would be there. Thankfully that door had been left open, and she entered without any hassle.
Nanoha glanced briefly at her before turning her gaze back to the window; Fate saw the tension in her shoulders and winced. “Where’s Vivio?” the brunette asked. “You said you were dropping her off.”
“She got attached to Lutecia. She’s with her right now. Lutecia’s a good kid; she’ll take care of Vivio.”
There was no verbal response, but the subtle relaxing of Nanoha’s shoulders alerted Fate to the fact that her mood had lightened slightly. Taking it as a good sign, the blonde cautiously settled on the bed. “I spoke to Shamal-san earlier.”
“I heard you say that, yes.”
“You’re angry.”
It was a statement, not a question, and the neutral tone of it had Nanoha turning, her eyes narrow. “Yes, I’m angry,” she hissed. “Shamal-san placed that limiter back on me without my consent. I had no say in the choice.”
“You were unconscious and in critical condition. I doubt you could have said anything even if you wanted to.” Fate met Nanoha’s gaze evenly. “As soon as you got Vivio to safety you collapsed. It was nearly a repeat of your incident.”
“So I was told.” The fire in her eyes never dimmed. “It doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want it.”
“It also doesn’t change the fact that you need it.” Fate struggled to keep her voice calm as she stood, even as her eyes narrowed to match Nanoha’s. “At this rate you’ll die, Nanoha.”
Nanoha’s jaw locked and she jerked her chin up, her eyes flashing like a brilliant pair of sapphires. “I’m not afraid of death,” she said coldly. “I never have been. I fully expect to be shot down one of these days. With or without this limiter—“
Something inside Fate snapped.
Her speed hadn’t become legendary for nothing; Nanoha had barely started to finish her sentence when she found herself slammed hard against the window, and all she had time to see was a pair of blazing burgundy eyes before Fate’s mouth crushed against hers, ignoring her yelp of surprise and protest. Indeed, the Enforcer was letting her have no say in the matter; her hands tightly gripped her shoulders, keeping her locked firmly in place, locking Nanoha between the glass of the window and her body. In some hazy corner of her mind, Nanoha was amazed that the window was still intact.
It was a kiss born of fury, of desperate anguish and a driving urge to show what she couldn’t say; Fate’s tongue left no part of Nanoha’s mouth untouched, and after a few seconds the Ace of Aces ceased trying to resist and retaliated. After a few minutes Fate broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Nanoha’s shoulder, her breathing ragged; Nanoha realized she was shaking, and she swallowed. “F-Fate-chan?” she squeaked.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.” Fate’s grip on her shoulders loosened, though her hands didn’t fall away. “I was going to stay calm and talk you into seeing the good side of this. I told myself that.”
“Well, ah… I’m not exactly complaining about your method.” Her laugh breathless, Nanoha gently wound her arms around Fate’s waist, and was amazed to discover the blonde was trembling just as she was—but for an entirely different reason. “Fate-chan?”
“I know you don’t want it.” Fate blew out a long breath. “Believe me when I say that, Nanoha. But please… try and understand. If you don’t have this limiter, next time… next time you might not come back.”
Because she had nothing to say, Nanoha simply shifted her grip on Fate and hugged the blonde close, so her cheek was resting against her shoulder. Keeping one arm around Fate’s waist, she gently laid a hand on her head and stroked her hair.
“I watched you almost die once, Nanoha.” Fate’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Please don’t make me watch it again.”
Nanoha gently rested her cheek against Fate’s hair. “Okay.” Her voice was gentle. “I’m sorry, Fate-chan. You won’t have to watch that again.”
Nanoha still hated the limiter.
But if it soothed the minds of the ones she loved most, then she’d endure it. If only for their sakes.
Shamal sighed and gently clicked the screen off, switching back to hallway cameras as Hayate smiled at her. “You didn’t see her when she came in,” she murmured. “She was ready to spill blood over it.”
“I knew Fate-chan could calm her down. She’s always been able to.” Hayate’s eyes lit up as she watched the screen. “… And what have we got here?”
Curious at the change of her mistress’s tone, Shamal looked back at the screen. The image was crystal clear, and there was no mistaking what she saw: six-year-old Vivio Takamachi, leading ten-year-old Lutecia Alphine through the hallway. The little girl seemed to be having the time of her life, while her older companion appeared to be the calmest she’d been since Erio and Caro had left for the sanctuary.
“Well, well, well,” Hayate murmured, and a gleam entered her eyes. “And here I thought Lutecia-chan was hung up on Erio-kun.” She smirked. “Is it possible that we’ll be seeing a repeat of Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan?”
“They’re only children, Mistress.” Shamal laughed before studying the moment. “But give them a few years, you never know… where are you going?”
Hayate paused, grinning over her shoulder.
“What? Just because we have to wait a few years for them to mature doesn’t mean I can’t get the betting pool started.”
The End
And I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist the Lu/Vi scenes.
So, here's my side of my fic exchange with DezoPenguin. He requested a scene where Nanoha deals with having her limiter placed back on her. Here's hoping he likes it.
As one of the key medics in the TSAB and one of the few who could claim to know the three Aces best, Shamal had long ago learned not to be frightened by much of anything. After being destroyed by the very thing that had created her and shot at numerous times by mages and things she didn’t even care to name, she liked to think she’d developed a will of steel.
At least, that was the conclusion she came to when she found herself gazing into the eyes of one very annoyed Takamachi Nanoha and realized she wasn’t the least bit afraid of the younger woman. Judging from the flare in her eyes and the way her hands were clenched, Shamal guessed the Ace of Aces had just left her most recent medical check after rescuing Vivio.
Ah, so THAT’S why she’s so mad…
“Why did you put my limiter back in place?”
It was rare for Nanoha to raise her voice, even when she was dangerously close to losing her temper. Her voice was always even, calm, that one step away from snapping out and yelling. It was a trait she’d inherited from Momoko, and she was pretty damn proud of it. Shamal slowly swept her eyes over the brunette’s profile and judged that it wouldn’t take much more for her to snap and lose it completely. She leaned back in her chair, resting her hands calmly in her lap, and spoke. “I put it back in place because if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me right now.” Her eyes narrowed. “You sustained critical damage to your Linker Core because of those Starlight Breakers you used to save Vivio. Your pulse, heart, and breathing were off the charts when you got back to headquarters. It’s a miracle you could still stand after that attack you launched at her.”
“Which proves I don’t need it!”
“Which proves,” Shamal shot back, “that you’re just as stubborn as you’ve always been. In fact, you shouldn’t even be here right now. You should be resting and giving your body a chance to recover.”
Nanoha’s eyes darkened dangerously. She slammed her hands on the desk, but Shamal barely even flinched. “You placed that limiter back on me without my permission,” she said, her voice shaking with a fury that threatened to engulf her whole body. “You had no right to—“
“I had every right, and you know it as well as I do.” Shamal met Nanoha’s gaze evenly. “I’m in such a position to make that call if I see fit, seeing as I was appointed the head medic by Hayate-chan. I wouldn’t have placed the limiter back on you if you hadn’t put yourself in a situation where your life depended on having it.”
“You can’t expect me to think of myself when I’m trying to save someone!”
For a few minutes Shamal studied Nanoha quietly, taking in her rigid posture and furious gaze. When at last she spoke, her voice was soft, but her words drove home like a bullet. “I respect the fact that you will always try to save people, Nanoha-chan,” she said. “Please respect the fact that I love you just as much as I love Hayate-chan and will always try to do what I believe is best for your wellbeing.” She rested her hands on her desk as Nanoha’s eyes widened. “You might be willing to return to the sky when it calls you, but I can name several people who would be perfectly happy to see you permanently grounded for the next ten or twenty years.”
Nanoha said nothing, her whole body taut as a bowstring; she whirled on her heel and stalked out of the room, the door whooshing shut behind her silently. With a groan of exhaustion Shamal slumped back in her chair, closing her eyes. “That could have gone better,” she murmured in the silence.
Knowing this whole incident was far from over, Shamal reached out and punched in a few keys on her keyboard. The screen popped up and the connection got through instantly, much to the blonde’s relief. “Fate-chan.”
“Shamal-san?” On the screen, Fate frowned in confusion. “What’s going on? I was just about to drop off Vivio…”
“I know, I know, but I need some help.” Shamal rubbed her temples. “Nanoha-chan just found out about the limiter being placed back on her.”
“I take it she wasn’t happy.” Fate looked away for a moment to soothe Vivio as the younger girl expressed an interest in something off-screen.
“No, I’m afraid she wasn’t. Hayate-chan already pulled rank and gave her a few days off, but she’s still got that anger bottled up inside and I don’t think she completely understood what I said to her…”
Shamal trailed off here, but the message got through. Fate frowned.
“I’ll talk to her. Just give me a few minutes to—hey, Vivio, wait a minute.”
“What’s going on?”
“She saw Megane Alphine’s daughter.” Fate sighed. “Megane-san came in to speak to Genya-san and Hayate-chan today about getting back into the TSAB, and she must have left Lutecia out by the office. Vivio’s completely entranced by her.”
Shamal smiled. “Sounds like love at first sight.”
“Ha, ha. Funny.” The smile faded quickly from Fate’s face. “I’ll talk to Nanoha, Shamal-san.”
Shamal sighed.
“Yes. Thank you, Fate-chan. You’re probably the only one she’ll listen to.”
Fate clicked her phone shut and then spent a few minutes looking around blankly as she realized Vivio was no longer by her side. She didn’t have to look far; the six-year-old had made a beeline for her object of interest, and as Fate approached she saw Lutecia lean in, responding to whatever Vivio was speaking about. Amused, not sure what to make of Vivio’s apparent fascination with the older girl, Fate walked up to them, smiling as Lutecia glanced up at her. “Hello, Lutecia.”
“Um… hello.”
It was funny; while talking to Vivio Lutecia had seemed completely relaxed, confused by the younger girl’s approach but taking it in stride with an ease that had most likely been born from her friendship with Caro and Erio. Her newfound confidence only went so far, though, as she stiffened up the minute she saw Fate. Seeing some of her old self in the girl, Fate didn’t take it personally. “I’m sorry. Is Vivio bothering you?” She laid a hand on the little girl’s shoulder, who immediately pouted. “Fate-mama, I wasn’t—“
“Not at all.” Lutecia cut in smoothly, her voice sure even though her eyes gleamed uncertainly. Her lips twitched upward slightly. “I kind of enjoyed the company, actually.”
Why, was that almost a smile? Fate couldn’t help it as her lips curved in response. It seemed Vivio had Nanoha’s talent for drawing people out of their shells. Vivio glanced up at Fate. “Mama, can I stay with Lutecia?”
“Vivio—“
“I wouldn’t mind it.” Lutecia glanced nervously at Fate. “Really.”
Amused, sensing that her daughter’s first attempt at befriending had been a success, Fate briefly knelt and stroked Vivio’s hair. “Okay, then I’ll leave you here with Lutecia for awhile.” She smiled, though it was slightly strained at the edges. “Nanoha-mama and I need to talk, anyway.”
Vivio frowned, tilting her head to the side. “About what?”
Fate gently ruffled Vivio’s hair. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older. It’s grown-up stuff.”
The door was closed, which managed to annoy Fate without totally taking her by surprise. Nanoha had a bad habit of withdrawing whenever she was angry or depressed, and she showed no sign of outgrowing it anytime soon. Knowing it was useless if Nanoha was truly as angry as Shamal claimed she was, Fate nonetheless followed old instinct and knocked on the door. “Nanoha? Are you in there?”
A muffled movement from inside, but no response. Fate sighed and rested her hand on the door. “Open up, Nanoha,” she urged. “Shamal-san called me and told me what happened. We need to talk.” She paused for a moment, listened.
Still nothing.
“Nanoha, come on. Hayate-chan gave me the code for this door. I can open it at anytime, and you know it. Please don’t make me do that.”
For a moment there was still no response; just as Fate was preparing to enter the code onto the lock-pad, the door opened. Relived, she stepped inside and started towards the bedroom, knowing Nanoha would be there. Thankfully that door had been left open, and she entered without any hassle.
Nanoha glanced briefly at her before turning her gaze back to the window; Fate saw the tension in her shoulders and winced. “Where’s Vivio?” the brunette asked. “You said you were dropping her off.”
“She got attached to Lutecia. She’s with her right now. Lutecia’s a good kid; she’ll take care of Vivio.”
There was no verbal response, but the subtle relaxing of Nanoha’s shoulders alerted Fate to the fact that her mood had lightened slightly. Taking it as a good sign, the blonde cautiously settled on the bed. “I spoke to Shamal-san earlier.”
“I heard you say that, yes.”
“You’re angry.”
It was a statement, not a question, and the neutral tone of it had Nanoha turning, her eyes narrow. “Yes, I’m angry,” she hissed. “Shamal-san placed that limiter back on me without my consent. I had no say in the choice.”
“You were unconscious and in critical condition. I doubt you could have said anything even if you wanted to.” Fate met Nanoha’s gaze evenly. “As soon as you got Vivio to safety you collapsed. It was nearly a repeat of your incident.”
“So I was told.” The fire in her eyes never dimmed. “It doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want it.”
“It also doesn’t change the fact that you need it.” Fate struggled to keep her voice calm as she stood, even as her eyes narrowed to match Nanoha’s. “At this rate you’ll die, Nanoha.”
Nanoha’s jaw locked and she jerked her chin up, her eyes flashing like a brilliant pair of sapphires. “I’m not afraid of death,” she said coldly. “I never have been. I fully expect to be shot down one of these days. With or without this limiter—“
Something inside Fate snapped.
Her speed hadn’t become legendary for nothing; Nanoha had barely started to finish her sentence when she found herself slammed hard against the window, and all she had time to see was a pair of blazing burgundy eyes before Fate’s mouth crushed against hers, ignoring her yelp of surprise and protest. Indeed, the Enforcer was letting her have no say in the matter; her hands tightly gripped her shoulders, keeping her locked firmly in place, locking Nanoha between the glass of the window and her body. In some hazy corner of her mind, Nanoha was amazed that the window was still intact.
It was a kiss born of fury, of desperate anguish and a driving urge to show what she couldn’t say; Fate’s tongue left no part of Nanoha’s mouth untouched, and after a few seconds the Ace of Aces ceased trying to resist and retaliated. After a few minutes Fate broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Nanoha’s shoulder, her breathing ragged; Nanoha realized she was shaking, and she swallowed. “F-Fate-chan?” she squeaked.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to do this.” Fate’s grip on her shoulders loosened, though her hands didn’t fall away. “I was going to stay calm and talk you into seeing the good side of this. I told myself that.”
“Well, ah… I’m not exactly complaining about your method.” Her laugh breathless, Nanoha gently wound her arms around Fate’s waist, and was amazed to discover the blonde was trembling just as she was—but for an entirely different reason. “Fate-chan?”
“I know you don’t want it.” Fate blew out a long breath. “Believe me when I say that, Nanoha. But please… try and understand. If you don’t have this limiter, next time… next time you might not come back.”
Because she had nothing to say, Nanoha simply shifted her grip on Fate and hugged the blonde close, so her cheek was resting against her shoulder. Keeping one arm around Fate’s waist, she gently laid a hand on her head and stroked her hair.
“I watched you almost die once, Nanoha.” Fate’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “Please don’t make me watch it again.”
Nanoha gently rested her cheek against Fate’s hair. “Okay.” Her voice was gentle. “I’m sorry, Fate-chan. You won’t have to watch that again.”
Nanoha still hated the limiter.
But if it soothed the minds of the ones she loved most, then she’d endure it. If only for their sakes.
Shamal sighed and gently clicked the screen off, switching back to hallway cameras as Hayate smiled at her. “You didn’t see her when she came in,” she murmured. “She was ready to spill blood over it.”
“I knew Fate-chan could calm her down. She’s always been able to.” Hayate’s eyes lit up as she watched the screen. “… And what have we got here?”
Curious at the change of her mistress’s tone, Shamal looked back at the screen. The image was crystal clear, and there was no mistaking what she saw: six-year-old Vivio Takamachi, leading ten-year-old Lutecia Alphine through the hallway. The little girl seemed to be having the time of her life, while her older companion appeared to be the calmest she’d been since Erio and Caro had left for the sanctuary.
“Well, well, well,” Hayate murmured, and a gleam entered her eyes. “And here I thought Lutecia-chan was hung up on Erio-kun.” She smirked. “Is it possible that we’ll be seeing a repeat of Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan?”
“They’re only children, Mistress.” Shamal laughed before studying the moment. “But give them a few years, you never know… where are you going?”
Hayate paused, grinning over her shoulder.
“What? Just because we have to wait a few years for them to mature doesn’t mean I can’t get the betting pool started.”
The End
And I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist the Lu/Vi scenes.
Liked, reviewed, Lutecia/Vivio scenes cute. Hayate's last line, as they say, made of win.
"For Life is experience, and longevity is, in the end, measured by memory, and those with a thousand tales to tell have indeed lived longer then any who embrace the mundane."
KOTR 25
“Is that really you, Subaru?” Fate asked in disbelief as she saw Subaru enter the base entrance. “Besides a long hair, it’s the one and only Subaru Nakajima,” Subaru said with a wry smile on her face. “Subaru needs some rest. Fate, can you bring her to the medical centre? She needs some patching up,” Nanoha said. Fate nodded and took Subaru by the hand. “Come with me, you really need medical attention,” Fate said. At the same time, Vivio came up to Nanoha with some data chips. “Mama, Yukihara wants these data chips stored away. She says it’s important and it contains confidential info,” she said while handing over the chips to her mother’s hands. Nanoha saw inscriptions on it marked “X-20”.
“What is this about?” Nanoha asked inquisitively. Vivio shook her head. “Not sure but she says it is related to my job as Wingmen Liaison Officer,” Vivio said. Wingmen Liaison Officers are basically like AWACS which keep pilots in the air informed of dangers or mission updates. Ever since they began living underground, Vivio took up the job as one of these officers and she was quite well-paid. Vivio was quite good at it. Every officer is assigned to a squadron of pilots and she was assigned to Viper Squadron, a regular squadron of pilots. She became known as “Little Guardian” by them. “Something related to your job eh. Well, I think I better not know what it is,” Nanoha said dryly.
On the surface, Teana was having some shut eye in a pillbox. She was the only one in that particular pillbox because nobody wanted to take position in a frontline pillbox. Nobody does. Teana took up that place because Nanoha encouraged her to. Deep down in her heart, she really didn’t like it because if there were an invasion, she would be the first to get hit. Well, an invasion seems unlikely because they were in a heavily defended position. From both sides of Avalon Valley, there were anti-air cannons and the entrance to Avalon City was heavily fortified and defended by 120mm Heavy Cannons and pillboxes. They needed to defend this city as it is their only living place and haven. It was named so because it was like a safe haven for people to live and recover from the Nuclear Armageddon.
Personally, Teana preferred if this war never happened. She could never understand why it ever happened. Before the Terrans arrived on their planet, several problems already surfaced that indicated an imminent war. After Jail Scaglietti’s imprisonment, illegal activities were on the rise but the government did nothing about it, saying that “there is no significant danger in it”. It seemed like an excuse to not do anything and those money pinching politicians really angered the crowd. Besides that, the military size began to shrink and mutiny was on the rise as well. Mages and soldiers were not satisfied with their job and they just resigned. At the same year, a strange recruitment site appeared on the Internet. Teana accessed into one of these sites before but she thought it was only a prank site.
It turned out to be a real thing and with so many members (she saw the statistics) in the group they call the Kingdom Soldiers, that led to become their enemy. An enemy not only to the Mid-Childans, the Kingdom Soldiers, or preferably called the Anarchists, are also enemies to the Terrans. Teana wanted to know who those people so revered by the anarchists are. They seemed to have god-like statuses and almost mythical. Teana only knew of one Knight the anarchists called Arin. Although unconfirmed, she heard that Arin was actually a nice lady, nice to her own followers anyway.
She looked at Avalon City’s entrance. The underground city was formerly known as B7R and it served as a city to the rebels during the Great War of 1988. Her father used to take part of the battle and he was a decorated hero but was not widely known by the civilian population. Her father once stormed B7R before and he was the only one that came out alive after his entire company was wiped out. After the war, the rebels abandoned the city and it was left there until the day when the survivors of the Nuclear Armageddon moved in and renovated the city to become usable again. Brigadier General Yukihara renamed it as Avalon after the name of the island where King Arthur, whoever he was, last laid.
Teana rubbed her eyes from fatigue. She had been awake for 24 hours and she really needed some sleep. Those damn commanders put her on guard duty as if they expected enemies to strike. Teana doubted that the anarchists knew anything about Avalon Valley because they were there for 11 months and they did not have any problems with anarchists. She couldn’t really understand what the fuss was all about. Her watch showed that it was already 9 a.m. in the morning but the sky was still dark. It always is and it always will be for the next century or so unless someone does something about it…if there is really anything anyone could do. Teana let out a sigh and continued to scan the horizon. All she could see was a wide valley with a deep trench a few kilometers away.
“Hey Teana, having some trouble sleeping?” a soldier asked her as he entered her pillbox. Teana nodded and lay back onto a chair. “Yeah, I’ve been up all night and I’m feeling really sick right now. What brings you here, Davion?” she asked the soldier named Davion. “I’m just here to help you out…if you want me to. Colonel Nanoha also ordered me to take your place temporarily so you could rest. She said it was up to you to decide,” he said while setting his rifle at a corner and sat down on another chair. “In that case, please do. Can you take care of things while I get some shut eye?” she asked him. Davion nodded. “Of course, you just leave that to me,” he said. With that assurance, Teana lay back onto her chair and closed her eyes. Moments later, Davion heard her snoring. “She must be damn tired,” he mumbled.
Avalon Valley was filled with dirty snow and ash. It had fallen non stop since the Nuclear Armageddon and the sight wasn’t pretty. People avoided these snow they called White Waste as it contained contaminated chemicals from nuclear fallouts. Those working outside of shelters were forced to wear hazard suits to avoid coming in contact with the snow. One could survive only seven hours outside without the suit before being subjected to lethal radiation overdose. Fate had seen people suffer because of that. She hated those who launched the nuclear bombs and she swore to make them pay for that. People are suffering because of that and all forms of life on the planet’s surface are dead. The flowers that once grow on vast fields are now gone. The sakura trees that Nanoha introduced into Mid-Childa are nothing but tree stumps.
Fate can’t help but cry silently over the devastation of her beloved home world (who wouldn’t if their world gets destroyed). “Fate, why are you crying?” Nanoha asked as she entered her room. Fate shook her head. “Nothing, I just can’t help but feel sad over the loss of my world. I have lost a lot but it is a blessing that I did not lose you and Arf. However, my world is now nothing but a desolate wasteland of ashes and carcasses. Once the pride of our colony is now a hazard,” she said. Nanoha hugged Fate and kissed her. “It’s okay, you have me and I will assure nothing dear to you will be lost. I promise you that, Fate,” Nanoha said with some tears at the side of her eyes.
Suddenly, the base alarms rang and a hologram of Brigadier General Yukihara appeared before them. “I did not expect this to happen but the anarchists have found our haven! I want every commander in the command centre ASAP!” she yelled before her hologram winked out. The two did not need telling twice and they quickly scrambled. At the command centre, the commanders gathered for a quick meeting. “Our radars show that the enemy has split into 3 companies. One is heading towards the second hanger entrance; the other is heading straight for the city entrance while the final company is heading for the Avalon Laser Platform. Now we have a few defensive positions that will turn the tide of battle for us but it must be defended by the right person,” Yukihara said. There were a few officers available and there are 5 defensive positions.
You have a chance to plan a defensive move. Look at this map and think about it.
Spoiler for Avalon Valley Map:
Spoiler for Briefing:
Okay, you have 5 officers available for 5 areas each marked A to E on the map. Who shall man that position? The officers are Fate, Nanoha, Vita, Signum and Zafira. They are at your disposal. Each defense position is important and stopping the enemy counts no matter what. There are also three super weapons at your disposal but only one can be used. They are the nuclear missile silo, the Ion Cannon Uplink and the Avalon Laser Platform. Your choice determines the outcome of the story.
A new idea of mine: The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript
Part One: Darkness
Spoiler for The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript: Darkness:
She knew her eyes were open, though she couldn’t see anything. The darkness was complete. Movement was possible, but sluggish and resisting. Trying made her feel sleepy, to return to the unconsciousness from whence she came.
But she was curious. She did not know where she was.
She was aware, though, and that was something that she remembered vaguely. And her four companions. And the concept of her duty, and her master. She was expecting more of a flood of images and ideas to come, especially given that her eyes were not providing any images themselves, but the flood was only a short trickle. There wasn’t much to her memories. A lot less than she wanted, anyway.
There was darkness around her. Darkness enveloping all that she could sense. Darkness blocked her sight, hearing, touch… and even her memory. All she had was darkness.
But somehow, the darkness knew her. It was comforting. She let herself drift, not minding her predicament. She’d have a new master soon.
~~********~~
Darkness
~~********~~
“Anfangen.”
The man was blinded for a moment by the eerie glow that suddenly brightened and took over his vision. He raised his arm to defend his face from the onslaught, but it was over suddenly. He blinked and lowered his arm slowly. Arrayed in front of him were four people. On the far left was a young woman in blonde hair. Roughly center was another young woman, though with a more stern demeanor, with a very light red hair. On the far right was a girl in red pigtails, and in the back was a male familiar. They were all kneeling to the man.
The man frowned. This hadn’t really been what he had been expecting.
“Confirmed startup of the Book of Darkness,” the young woman in the center with the light red hair said formally.
“We are the guardian knights who will gather for the Book of Darkness, and protect its master,” the blonde continued.
“Clouds that gather under the master of the night sky,” the familiar added.
“The Wolkenritter… awaits your command,” the girl finished.
There was a silence as the ‘Wolkenritter’ and the man didn’t move. The silence stretched until finally the man broke it with a sigh and a few words. “You have got to be kidding.”
~******~
How did you get this injury?
…I made a mistake.
That’s unlike you. I don’t think… I don’t remember you getting hurt like this before.
I remember. It happens.
…I don’t. Were we not together at the time?
No. You healed me then much as you are healing me now.
Then why don’t I remember it?
There are things that we don’t remember. Memories aren’t perfect.
You’d think I’d remember doing this for you before.
Do you know what you’re doing?
Of course I do.
Then it is no matter. As long as we can do our duty.
…
~******~
Arthur?
There was no response. Peter looked around warily, though he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the semi-darkness of night among the city streets, lanterns fighting against the encroachment of the blackness. Patrols were supposed to be… normal affairs; none of these scares that his partner always managed to give him. But, normally he actually answered when called mentally. Not tonight.
Arthur?
So he had finally managed to get himself into a predicament. He likely had ‘managed’ to bash his own head in, and Peter had a guilty jolt as his negative side asserted that the kid deserved it. That wasn’t strictly true, even though Peter would have given almost anything to get a new partner. Peter sighed. There really was nothing to do but find the poor boy and get him sent up to the infirmary. He sensed a magical power… probably sixty or so feet to his left. He glanced. There was an alleyway there that led to the next street over, where Arthur had been patrolling.
Peter walked over toward the alleyway keeping his senses open. Only the one magical signature. Just like every other night, nothing was happening. Just Arthur being Arthur. A small part of Peter indulged in a quick fantasy of Arthur being dismissed for his latest stupidity, and Peter gaining a partner that wouldn’t be so…
There were two people in the alley. One was standing, the other laying down. Peter didn’t recognize the one standing, but that was the one with the magical signature. Glancing down… that was Arthur. His eyes were closed. There was no magical signature.
He didn’t even have time to scream, much less ready his weapon.
~******~
Do you remember any of our masters?
Not specifically. They run together.
Me too. I’m getting worried.
It’s not important. The only master that matters is the one we have now.
…Yes. But don’t you wonder? What mistakes they made, what we could’ve learned from them?
…What do we need to know beyond our duty and how to perform it? And we’ve known those forever and aren’t about to forget.
You can always be better.
That’s why we train.
But shouldn’t we train our minds?
We needn’t think. The master does that.
~******~
The throne room was vast. A huge arching ceiling of stone soared above the heads of the occupants of the room. On the throne sat a man, looking to be in his thirties. He wore a dark cloak with a cape that was draped across the right side of the throne. On that side stood a tall form bedecked in black armor next to a kid-sized form in identical armor other than the size. On the other side, two forms, each slightly shorter than the tall form opposite the throne, stood in the same armor. They were a foreboding presence.
On the steps leading up to the dais, the man in red cried out again, though no one reacted. The crowd that was arrayed facing the throne were too afraid to do anything in response, while the man on the throne seemed not to care. It was impossible to determine what the four figures in armor thought… not that any eyes were on them. They were scenery, a part of the background to be noticed and promptly forgotten.
“Please!” the fallen figure cried, trying to crawl up the stairs to the top of the dais. “I beg you!”
“Shut him up,” the man on the throne said dismissively. The tallest of the figures in armor walked to the fallen man, calling a sword into their hand. Quickly, the sword flashed red through the air, separating the head from the body. The figure returned to its place beside the throne, and there was silence in the room.
The man on the throne rose. “I am your new king,” he said, looking impassively at the shocked crowd. He gestured to the fallen grotesque form…forms… on the stairs in front of him. “The old age is over, and a new one has begun.” His eyes narrowed as he swept a malevolent gaze over the crowd. “Get used to it.” He spun on his heel. “My commands are to be carried out immediately. The commands of the Knights,” he gestured vaguely at the figures in armor, “are to be considered mine.”
He smiled, though the crowd arrayed behind him couldn’t see it. “Knights, check them for Linker Cores. Make some pages.” He turned back to look at them and allow them to see his predatory grin. More than a couple stepped backward. “And let’s not kill them quite yet.”
~******~
How many times has it been now?
I don’t remember.
I lost track a long time ago, but I didn’t think you would.
A new idea of mine: The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript
Part One: Darkness
Spoiler for The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript: Darkness:
She knew her eyes were open, though she couldn’t see anything. The darkness was complete. Movement was possible, but sluggish and resisting. Trying made her feel sleepy, to return to the unconsciousness from whence she came.
But she was curious. She did not know where she was.
She was aware, though, and that was something that she remembered vaguely. And her four companions. And the concept of her duty, and her master. She was expecting more of a flood of images and ideas to come, especially given that her eyes were not providing any images themselves, but the flood was only a short trickle. There wasn’t much to her memories. A lot less than she wanted, anyway.
There was darkness around her. Darkness enveloping all that she could sense. Darkness blocked her sight, hearing, touch… and even her memory. All she had was darkness.
But somehow, the darkness knew her. It was comforting. She let herself drift, not minding her predicament. She’d have a new master soon.
~~********~~
Darkness
~~********~~
“Anfangen.”
The man was blinded for a moment by the eerie glow that suddenly brightened and took over his vision. He raised his arm to defend his face from the onslaught, but it was over suddenly. He blinked and lowered his arm slowly. Arrayed in front of him were four people. On the far left was a young woman in blonde hair. Roughly center was another young woman, though with a more stern demeanor, with a very light red hair. On the far right was a girl in red pigtails, and in the back was a male familiar. They were all kneeling to the man.
The man frowned. This hadn’t really been what he had been expecting.
“Confirmed startup of the Book of Darkness,” the young woman in the center with the light red hair said formally.
“We are the guardian knights who will gather for the Book of Darkness, and protect its master,” the blonde continued.
“Clouds that gather under the master of the night sky,” the familiar added.
“The Wolkenritter… awaits your command,” the girl finished.
There was a silence as the ‘Wolkenritter’ and the man didn’t move. The silence stretched until finally the man broke it with a sigh and a few words. “You have got to be kidding.”
~******~
How did you get this injury?
…I made a mistake.
That’s unlike you. I don’t think… I don’t remember you getting hurt like this before.
I remember. It happens.
…I don’t. Were we not together at the time?
No. You healed me then much as you are healing me now.
Then why don’t I remember it?
There are things that we don’t remember. Memories aren’t perfect.
You’d think I’d remember doing this for you before.
Do you know what you’re doing?
Of course I do.
Then it is no matter. As long as we can do our duty.
…
~******~
Arthur?
There was no response. Peter looked around warily, though he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the semi-darkness of night among the city streets, lanterns fighting against the encroachment of the blackness. Patrols were supposed to be… normal affairs; none of these scares that his partner always managed to give him. But, normally he actually answered when called mentally. Not tonight.
Arthur?
So he had finally managed to get himself into a predicament. He likely had ‘managed’ to bash his own head in, and Peter had a guilty jolt as his negative side asserted that the kid deserved it. That wasn’t strictly true, even though Peter would have given almost anything to get a new partner. Peter sighed. There really was nothing to do but find the poor boy and get him sent up to the infirmary. He sensed a magical power… probably sixty or so feet to his left. He glanced. There was an alleyway there that led to the next street over, where Arthur had been patrolling.
Peter walked over toward the alleyway keeping his senses open. Only the one magical signature. Just like every other night, nothing was happening. Just Arthur being Arthur. A small part of Peter indulged in a quick fantasy of Arthur being dismissed for his latest stupidity, and Peter gaining a partner that wouldn’t be so…
There were two people in the alley. One was standing, the other laying down. Peter didn’t recognize the one standing, but that was the one with the magical signature. Glancing down… that was Arthur. His eyes were closed. There was no magical signature.
He didn’t even have time to scream, much less ready his weapon.
~******~
Do you remember any of our masters?
Not specifically. They run together.
Me too. I’m getting worried.
It’s not important. The only master that matters is the one we have now.
…Yes. But don’t you wonder? What mistakes they made, what we could’ve learned from them?
…What do we need to know beyond our duty and how to perform it? And we’ve known those forever and aren’t about to forget.
You can always be better.
That’s why we train.
But shouldn’t we train our minds?
We needn’t think. The master does that.
~******~
The throne room was vast. A huge arching ceiling of stone soared above the heads of the occupants of the room. On the throne sat a man, looking to be in his thirties. He wore a dark cloak with a cape that was draped across the right side of the throne. On that side stood a tall form bedecked in black armor next to a kid-sized form in identical armor other than the size. On the other side, two forms, each slightly shorter than the tall form opposite the throne, stood in the same armor. They were a foreboding presence.
On the steps leading up to the dais, the man in red cried out again, though no one reacted. The crowd that was arrayed facing the throne were too afraid to do anything in response, while the man on the throne seemed not to care. It was impossible to determine what the four figures in armor thought… not that any eyes were on them. They were scenery, a part of the background to be noticed and promptly forgotten.
“Please!” the fallen figure cried, trying to crawl up the stairs to the top of the dais. “I beg you!”
“Shut him up,” the man on the throne said dismissively. The tallest of the figures in armor walked to the fallen man, calling a sword into their hand. Quickly, the sword flashed red through the air, separating the head from the body. The figure returned to its place beside the throne, and there was silence in the room.
The man on the throne rose. “I am your new king,” he said, looking impassively at the shocked crowd. He gestured to the fallen grotesque form…forms… on the stairs in front of him. “The old age is over, and a new one has begun.” His eyes narrowed as he swept a malevolent gaze over the crowd. “Get used to it.” He spun on his heel. “My commands are to be carried out immediately. The commands of the Knights,” he gestured vaguely at the figures in armor, “are to be considered mine.”
He smiled, though the crowd arrayed behind him couldn’t see it. “Knights, check them for Linker Cores. Make some pages.” He turned back to look at them and allow them to see his predatory grin. More than a couple stepped backward. “And let’s not kill them quite yet.”
~******~
How many times has it been now?
I don’t remember.
I lost track a long time ago, but I didn’t think you would.
I remember other things. Our names.
So it is possible to remember?
Sometimes. Sometimes not.
That’s frustrating.
It’s not important.
No…
Our charge and each other. That’s all we need.
…You’re right.
~*~
Interesting stuff. I especially liked the glimpses into the Wolkenritter's minds in-between scenes, illustrating how significant a difference Hayate made.
Location: In the Netherrealm, thinking who to betray next...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TerranReaper
Spoiler for KOTR 25:
KOTR 25
“Is that really you, Subaru?” Fate asked in disbelief as she saw Subaru enter the base entrance. “Besides a long hair, it’s the one and only Subaru Nakajima,” Subaru said with a wry smile on her face. “Subaru needs some rest. Fate, can you bring her to the medical centre? She needs some patching up,” Nanoha said. Fate nodded and took Subaru by the hand. “Come with me, you really need medical attention,” Fate said. At the same time, Vivio came up to Nanoha with some data chips. “Mama, Yukihara wants these data chips stored away. She says it’s important and it contains confidential info,” she said while handing over the chips to her mother’s hands. Nanoha saw inscriptions on it marked “X-20”.
“What is this about?” Nanoha asked inquisitively. Vivio shook her head. “Not sure but she says it is related to my job as Wingmen Liaison Officer,” Vivio said. Wingmen Liaison Officers are basically like AWACS which keep pilots in the air informed of dangers or mission updates. Ever since they began living underground, Vivio took up the job as one of these officers and she was quite well-paid. Vivio was quite good at it. Every officer is assigned to a squadron of pilots and she was assigned to Viper Squadron, a regular squadron of pilots. She became known as “Little Guardian” by them. “Something related to your job eh. Well, I think I better not know what it is,” Nanoha said dryly.
On the surface, Teana was having some shut eye in a pillbox. She was the only one in that particular pillbox because nobody wanted to take position in a frontline pillbox. Nobody does. Teana took up that place because Nanoha encouraged her to. Deep down in her heart, she really didn’t like it because if there were an invasion, she would be the first to get hit. Well, an invasion seems unlikely because they were in a heavily defended position. From both sides of Avalon Valley, there were anti-air cannons and the entrance to Avalon City was heavily fortified and defended by 120mm Heavy Cannons and pillboxes. They needed to defend this city as it is their only living place and haven. It was named so because it was like a safe haven for people to live and recover from the Nuclear Armageddon.
Personally, Teana preferred if this war never happened. She could never understand why it ever happened. Before the Terrans arrived on their planet, several problems already surfaced that indicated an imminent war. After Jail Scaglietti’s imprisonment, illegal activities were on the rise but the government did nothing about it, saying that “there is no significant danger in it”. It seemed like an excuse to not do anything and those money pinching politicians really angered the crowd. Besides that, the military size began to shrink and mutiny was on the rise as well. Mages and soldiers were not satisfied with their job and they just resigned. At the same year, a strange recruitment site appeared on the Internet. Teana accessed into one of these sites before but she thought it was only a prank site.
It turned out to be a real thing and with so many members (she saw the statistics) in the group they call the Kingdom Soldiers, that led to become their enemy. An enemy not only to the Mid-Childans, the Kingdom Soldiers, or preferably called the Anarchists, are also enemies to the Terrans. Teana wanted to know who those people so revered by the anarchists are. They seemed to have god-like statuses and almost mythical. Teana only knew of one Knight the anarchists called Arin. Although unconfirmed, she heard that Arin was actually a nice lady, nice to her own followers anyway.
She looked at Avalon City’s entrance. The underground city was formerly known as B7R and it served as a city to the rebels during the Great War of 1988. Her father used to take part of the battle and he was a decorated hero but was not widely known by the civilian population. Her father once stormed B7R before and he was the only one that came out alive after his entire company was wiped out. After the war, the rebels abandoned the city and it was left there until the day when the survivors of the Nuclear Armageddon moved in and renovated the city to become usable again. Brigadier General Yukihara renamed it as Avalon after the name of the island where King Arthur, whoever he was, last laid.
Teana rubbed her eyes from fatigue. She had been awake for 24 hours and she really needed some sleep. Those damn commanders put her on guard duty as if they expected enemies to strike. Teana doubted that the anarchists knew anything about Avalon Valley because they were there for 11 months and they did not have any problems with anarchists. She couldn’t really understand what the fuss was all about. Her watch showed that it was already 9 a.m. in the morning but the sky was still dark. It always is and it always will be for the next century or so unless someone does something about it…if there is really anything anyone could do. Teana let out a sigh and continued to scan the horizon. All she could see was a wide valley with a deep trench a few kilometers away.
“Hey Teana, having some trouble sleeping?” a soldier asked her as he entered her pillbox. Teana nodded and lay back onto a chair. “Yeah, I’ve been up all night and I’m feeling really sick right now. What brings you here, Davion?” she asked the soldier named Davion. “I’m just here to help you out…if you want me to. Colonel Nanoha also ordered me to take your place temporarily so you could rest. She said it was up to you to decide,” he said while setting his rifle at a corner and sat down on another chair. “In that case, please do. Can you take care of things while I get some shut eye?” she asked him. Davion nodded. “Of course, you just leave that to me,” he said. With that assurance, Teana lay back onto her chair and closed her eyes. Moments later, Davion heard her snoring. “She must be damn tired,” he mumbled.
Avalon Valley was filled with dirty snow and ash. It had fallen non stop since the Nuclear Armageddon and the sight wasn’t pretty. People avoided these snow they called White Waste as it contained contaminated chemicals from nuclear fallouts. Those working outside of shelters were forced to wear hazard suits to avoid coming in contact with the snow. One could survive only seven hours outside without the suit before being subjected to lethal radiation overdose. Fate had seen people suffer because of that. She hated those who launched the nuclear bombs and she swore to make them pay for that. People are suffering because of that and all forms of life on the planet’s surface are dead. The flowers that once grow on vast fields are now gone. The sakura trees that Nanoha introduced into Mid-Childa are nothing but tree stumps.
Fate can’t help but cry silently over the devastation of her beloved home world (who wouldn’t if their world gets destroyed). “Fate, why are you crying?” Nanoha asked as she entered her room. Fate shook her head. “Nothing, I just can’t help but feel sad over the loss of my world. I have lost a lot but it is a blessing that I did not lose you and Arf. However, my world is now nothing but a desolate wasteland of ashes and carcasses. Once the pride of our colony is now a hazard,” she said. Nanoha hugged Fate and kissed her. “It’s okay, you have me and I will assure nothing dear to you will be lost. I promise you that, Fate,” Nanoha said with some tears at the side of her eyes.
Suddenly, the base alarms rang and a hologram of Brigadier General Yukihara appeared before them. “I did not expect this to happen but the anarchists have found our haven! I want every commander in the command centre ASAP!” she yelled before her hologram winked out. The two did not need telling twice and they quickly scrambled. At the command centre, the commanders gathered for a quick meeting. “Our radars show that the enemy has split into 3 companies. One is heading towards the second hanger entrance; the other is heading straight for the city entrance while the final company is heading for the Avalon Laser Platform. Now we have a few defensive positions that will turn the tide of battle for us but it must be defended by the right person,” Yukihara said. There were a few officers available and there are 5 defensive positions.
You have a chance to plan a defensive move. Look at this map and think about it.
Spoiler for Avalon Valley Map:
Spoiler for Briefing:
Okay, you have 5 officers available for 5 areas each marked A to E on the map. Who shall man that position? The officers are Fate, Nanoha, Vita, Signum and Zafira. They are at your disposal. Each defense position is important and stopping the enemy counts no matter what. There are also three super weapons at your disposal but only one can be used. They are the nuclear missile silo, the Ion Cannon Uplink and the Avalon Laser Platform. Your choice determines the outcome of the story.
Spoiler for Battle of Avalon music:
music from Ace Combat 4
I think that "Little Guardian" is a cool nickname for Vivio
An enemy ofensive that puts Nanoha on the need to set defense, uh?
I'm.... not vey good with Militar strategy, I think that I could spoild something if I choose one of the officers or one of the Super weapons so I better don't choose any
Quote:
Originally Posted by spawnofthejudge
A new idea of mine: The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript
Part One: Darkness
Spoiler for The Many Masters of the Malevolent Manuscript: Darkness:
She knew her eyes were open, though she couldn’t see anything. The darkness was complete. Movement was possible, but sluggish and resisting. Trying made her feel sleepy, to return to the unconsciousness from whence she came.
But she was curious. She did not know where she was.
She was aware, though, and that was something that she remembered vaguely. And her four companions. And the concept of her duty, and her master. She was expecting more of a flood of images and ideas to come, especially given that her eyes were not providing any images themselves, but the flood was only a short trickle. There wasn’t much to her memories. A lot less than she wanted, anyway.
There was darkness around her. Darkness enveloping all that she could sense. Darkness blocked her sight, hearing, touch… and even her memory. All she had was darkness.
But somehow, the darkness knew her. It was comforting. She let herself drift, not minding her predicament. She’d have a new master soon.
~~********~~
Darkness
~~********~~
“Anfangen.”
The man was blinded for a moment by the eerie glow that suddenly brightened and took over his vision. He raised his arm to defend his face from the onslaught, but it was over suddenly. He blinked and lowered his arm slowly. Arrayed in front of him were four people. On the far left was a young woman in blonde hair. Roughly center was another young woman, though with a more stern demeanor, with a very light red hair. On the far right was a girl in red pigtails, and in the back was a male familiar. They were all kneeling to the man.
The man frowned. This hadn’t really been what he had been expecting.
“Confirmed startup of the Book of Darkness,” the young woman in the center with the light red hair said formally.
“We are the guardian knights who will gather for the Book of Darkness, and protect its master,” the blonde continued.
“Clouds that gather under the master of the night sky,” the familiar added.
“The Wolkenritter… awaits your command,” the girl finished.
There was a silence as the ‘Wolkenritter’ and the man didn’t move. The silence stretched until finally the man broke it with a sigh and a few words. “You have got to be kidding.”
~******~
How did you get this injury?
…I made a mistake.
That’s unlike you. I don’t think… I don’t remember you getting hurt like this before.
I remember. It happens.
…I don’t. Were we not together at the time?
No. You healed me then much as you are healing me now.
Then why don’t I remember it?
There are things that we don’t remember. Memories aren’t perfect.
You’d think I’d remember doing this for you before.
Do you know what you’re doing?
Of course I do.
Then it is no matter. As long as we can do our duty.
…
~******~
Arthur?
There was no response. Peter looked around warily, though he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just the semi-darkness of night among the city streets, lanterns fighting against the encroachment of the blackness. Patrols were supposed to be… normal affairs; none of these scares that his partner always managed to give him. But, normally he actually answered when called mentally. Not tonight.
Arthur?
So he had finally managed to get himself into a predicament. He likely had ‘managed’ to bash his own head in, and Peter had a guilty jolt as his negative side asserted that the kid deserved it. That wasn’t strictly true, even though Peter would have given almost anything to get a new partner. Peter sighed. There really was nothing to do but find the poor boy and get him sent up to the infirmary. He sensed a magical power… probably sixty or so feet to his left. He glanced. There was an alleyway there that led to the next street over, where Arthur had been patrolling.
Peter walked over toward the alleyway keeping his senses open. Only the one magical signature. Just like every other night, nothing was happening. Just Arthur being Arthur. A small part of Peter indulged in a quick fantasy of Arthur being dismissed for his latest stupidity, and Peter gaining a partner that wouldn’t be so…
There were two people in the alley. One was standing, the other laying down. Peter didn’t recognize the one standing, but that was the one with the magical signature. Glancing down… that was Arthur. His eyes were closed. There was no magical signature.
He didn’t even have time to scream, much less ready his weapon.
~******~
Do you remember any of our masters?
Not specifically. They run together.
Me too. I’m getting worried.
It’s not important. The only master that matters is the one we have now.
…Yes. But don’t you wonder? What mistakes they made, what we could’ve learned from them?
…What do we need to know beyond our duty and how to perform it? And we’ve known those forever and aren’t about to forget.
You can always be better.
That’s why we train.
But shouldn’t we train our minds?
We needn’t think. The master does that.
~******~
The throne room was vast. A huge arching ceiling of stone soared above the heads of the occupants of the room. On the throne sat a man, looking to be in his thirties. He wore a dark cloak with a cape that was draped across the right side of the throne. On that side stood a tall form bedecked in black armor next to a kid-sized form in identical armor other than the size. On the other side, two forms, each slightly shorter than the tall form opposite the throne, stood in the same armor. They were a foreboding presence.
On the steps leading up to the dais, the man in red cried out again, though no one reacted. The crowd that was arrayed facing the throne were too afraid to do anything in response, while the man on the throne seemed not to care. It was impossible to determine what the four figures in armor thought… not that any eyes were on them. They were scenery, a part of the background to be noticed and promptly forgotten.
“Please!” the fallen figure cried, trying to crawl up the stairs to the top of the dais. “I beg you!”
“Shut him up,” the man on the throne said dismissively. The tallest of the figures in armor walked to the fallen man, calling a sword into their hand. Quickly, the sword flashed red through the air, separating the head from the body. The figure returned to its place beside the throne, and there was silence in the room.
The man on the throne rose. “I am your new king,” he said, looking impassively at the shocked crowd. He gestured to the fallen grotesque form…forms… on the stairs in front of him. “The old age is over, and a new one has begun.” His eyes narrowed as he swept a malevolent gaze over the crowd. “Get used to it.” He spun on his heel. “My commands are to be carried out immediately. The commands of the Knights,” he gestured vaguely at the figures in armor, “are to be considered mine.”
He smiled, though the crowd arrayed behind him couldn’t see it. “Knights, check them for Linker Cores. Make some pages.” He turned back to look at them and allow them to see his predatory grin. More than a couple stepped backward. “And let’s not kill them quite yet.”
~******~
How many times has it been now?
I don’t remember.
I lost track a long time ago, but I didn’t think you would.
I remember other things. Our names.
So it is possible to remember?
Sometimes. Sometimes not.
That’s frustrating.
It’s not important.
No…
Our charge and each other. That’s all we need.
…You’re right.
~*~
I had always said that the past of the Wolkis is something with lot of potential, keep going
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Aww, poor puppy, you do you belong to?” cooed Nanoha lovingly to a lost-looking dog, “Are you lost?”
The small poodle shivered and whimpered at the attention. Nanoha’s heart broke as she saw the lost expression on the dog’s face and wrapped her arms around it.
“Don’t cry, puppy,” Nanoha said tearfully, “Let’s find out who you belong to.”
Nanoha winced as a dull pain rode up her back, and she rounded the corner to see if the puppy’s owner was anywhere to be found.
“Where’s Fate?” Nanoha mumbled to herself, “She would know where to find his owner.”
The image of her beautiful partner’s face flashed before her mind’s eye, but her vision dissipated as soon as she saw an old woman shuffling down the hallway.
“Excuse me, Ma’am? Does this puppy belong to you?”
“Hello, Nanoha, dear,” the old woman replied, “No, he’s not mine.”
Nanoha narrowed her eyes in confusion. “How do you know me?” she asked while her hold on the puppy tightened.
“You’ll be fine,” the old woman giggled as she shuffled away.
“Wait!” Nanoha shouted, “What do you mean by 'fine'?”
“That’ll you’ll be fine,” the woman chuckled again, “She'll be here in a few minutes.”
“Fate?”
“Yes, dear,” she answered, “Little Fate will be here soon.”
“How do you know Fate? How do you know me?”
The old woman turned her back and slowly walked away singing a little song, “The rose in the garden slipped her bud, and she laughed in the pride of her youthful blood….”
Nanoha stood still in shock and confusion as she watched the old woman disappear behind another corner, but the small dog in her arms nuzzled her chest. The perplexed woman patted the small poodle in her arms unconsciously, and the dog licked her hand affectionately in return.
“Where did Fate go?” Nanoha asked herself. Her mind pricked her memory stores. She knew where Fate had gone, but she couldn’t remember where her lover had gone for the life of her.
A young woman who was dressed professionally passed her without so much as a nod.
“Excuse me,” Nanoha said clearing her throat, “Does this little guy belong to you?
“Ick!” the woman sneered, “Get that thing away from me!”
Nanoha shielded the small dog as the woman tried to smack the defenseless animal out of Nanoha’s arms.
“Are you that heartless?” Nanoha growled warningly, “Don’t you dare touch this sweet puppy!” Nanoha could feel the small dog’s tail wag slightly.
“What’s going on here?” a middle-aged man said as he stepped between the two women.
“Sir,” Nanoha said, “I’m trying to find this dog’s owner. He’s lost, and this jerk is trying to hit him.”
The man shook his head and glared at the woman, “Dr. Jeffrey-“
“I’m sorry!” the woman apologized, “But sir-“
The man held up his hand, and the gesture silenced the woman. He then turned to Nanoha and the shivering puppy in her arms. “Why don’t you sit over here, Nanoha?”
Nanoha tilted her head in confusion, “How do you know me? Have I met you before?”
The man tried to give her a comforting smile as he directed her to a large overstuffed chair. “Just wait here for a little while, Nanoha. Fate should be along in a few more minutes,” he said soothingly.
At this point, Nanoha felt a growing fear blossom from her mounting anxiety, and she struggled to remember where she had met all these people. And where had Fate gone?
It was too much, and Nanoha hugged the small dog tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“She’ll be here soon,” the man said softly as he patted her back.
“Fate…” Nanoha sobbed while she buried her face into the puppy’s curly fur, “Where did you go?”
Time marched slowly for Nanoha as she cradled the shivering dog in her arms. The chair caused her back to ache even more, but she seemed to lack the energy to move. She sunk into the cushions of the couch and cried the time away for reasons that she could not fully understand. All she knew is that she wanted to find Fate as quickly as possible. Maybe her blond lover would let her keep this sweet dog that was sleeping peacefully on her lap.
“Umm, Nanoha?”
Nanoha turned to see a large woman in blue scrubs leaning over the chair.
“Yes, Jane?” she answered. Nanoha gasped in shock. She did not know this person, and yet she knew her name. However, the face seemed so familiar…
“Miss Nanoha, Fate came to see you,” the rotund woman said, and Nanoha jerked her head in the direction of where the woman was pointing.
The young woman had blond hair like Fate, but her eyes were a deep blue like the roaring ocean. Also, her face was different than the Fate she loved. The features were smoother, and her eyes lacked the passionate love that she craved.
“Who are you?” asked Nanoha as her heart broke in disappointment. “You’re not Fate.”
Nanoha saw tears well in the young woman’s eyes, and the blond looked at the ground as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand like her Fate always did.
“I’m sorry,” stammered Nanoha as she tried to collect her thoughts while holding the small dog in arms. She stood to face the young impostor, and the pain in her back made her wince, “I didn’t-“
The young woman embraced her tightly and sobbed deeply onto her shoulder.
“Careful!” Nanoha said, “You’ll crush the puppy!”
“Grandmother,” the blond cried, “don’t you remember me?”
“Grandmother?” repeated Nanoha, which made the young woman cringe in sadness. Her mind struggled to make the connections. She knew that she had forgotten something, but she couldn’t remember what. “What is your name?”
“Fate…” the girl gasped in mid-sobbed, “Vivio-mama named me after her mama…remember?”
“Vivio?” Nanoha said as her mind searched fervently for the missing memories.
“Grandmother!” Fate pleaded with desperation in her eyes, “Please remember me!”
The large nurse in scrubs pulled Fate off of her frail grandmother with silver hair, “She does, sweetie. It’s still in there. You can see that she’s trying to remember. Give her a few minutes.”
The young blond nodded and hugged the nurse while Nanoha stared at them in confusion.
“She really seems to like your present that you brought over last week,” the nurse said kindly, "She carries it with her all the time."
Fate hugged Nanoha and patted the plush poodle doll that her grandmother held tenderly in her arms. “I’m glad you liked it, grandmother. I’ll bring another when I visit next week.”
“Fate…” Nanoha said to the blond while her old, widowed eyes begged for patience and forgiveness while she tried to connect her past experiences to her current situation.
“Thank you,” the blond said with a weak smile as she wiped her blue eyes. She kissed the ancient cheek and waved to the front desk as she left the nursing home.
A little something. There's possible pairings - if you look at it, I suppose you can see one-sided NF, as well as an alternative pairing.
In homage to Inigo Montoya
Spoiler for My name is Vivio...:
Vivio leaned against the wall, blood leaking from where she had been stabbed, Excalibur in her shaking hand. Dimly in the distance the sounds of battle continuted; magical attacks, clashing steel, and the occasional bark of an assault rifle employed by Colonel Franz Jaeger's Order mages. She gazed hatefully at her opponent; the woman clad in black shook her head scornfully.
"Your overdeveloped sense of revenge is going to get you in trouble someday," she said, and lunged. Vivio raised her sword, the steel Belkan blade weakly parrying the Mid-Childan energy blade.
"Hello, my name is Vivio Scrya," murmured Vivio, slowly staggering up and walking forward. "You killed my father. Prepare to die." To punctuate her words, her sword came up, clashing against the woman's energy blade, as she advanced slowly, driving her foe back, her left arm pressed against the gash in her side. "Hello, my name is Vivio Scrya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
Vivio's foe didn't take kindly to that, going on the offensive, but it was as if her attacks were useless, for the young woman parried each and every strike, countering her enemy; it was as if the wounded Vivio had gained her second wind, becoming more powerful, forcing her enemy back, her strokes becoming more energetic.
"Hello, my name is Vivio Scrya! You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
"Stop saying that," hissed the woman, slashing to the side; Vivio ducked under the slash and stabbed her in the shoulder, steel piecing the unarmored flesh, causing her foe to cry out in pain.
"Hello, my name is Vivio Scrya! You killed my father. Prepare to DIE!" roared Vivio, as she went on the offensive, forcing her enemy up against the wall, her blade at the throat of the beautiful blonde woman.
"No!"
"Offer me money," said Vivio, her voice trembling.
"Yes."
"Power as well, promise me anything I wish for."
"All that and more!"
"I WANT MY FATHER BACK YOU BITCH!" screamed Vivio, and drove her sword into the woman's body, the blade sticking out, their faces so close they could have kissed each other.
"I did this for Nanoha," gasped the woman, her eyes dimming.
"Goodbye, mother," hissed Vivio, and she yanked her blade out, as the woman collapsed to the floor lifelessly. Footsteps sounded behind her, as she slowly sank to her knees, sweat on her brow, as a man in black-and-gray camoflage and black body armor appeared behind her, taking in the scene, 5 other similarly-clad mages fanning out behind him, securing the room. Rifle in hand, he kicked away the device from the dead mage, and gazed sadly at her for a moment, before reaching down, feeling a pulse, and then closing her eyes, before turning to Vivio.
"There, there," he said, surprisingly gentle. "It's over now, Vivio." Tapping the earpice on the side of his cap, he ordered, "Overlook, This is Uruz Six Actual. I need a medic ASAP. Target has been neutralised, I have one friendly WIA."
"Semper Fi, Colonel."
Franz Jaeger looked back at the dead body and sighed sadly. "Goodbye, Fate." You may have killed Yuuno, but you were still once my friend...
"Uruz Six, Overlook. Bravo Six reports that they're almost done securing the facility. He's found some interesting reading materials... about a certain evangelist."
"Overlook, Uruz Six copies. Call for evac, we're getting out of here." Yet another mess I have to clean up. I should have never let Erick & Glen talk me into commanding the Order.
__________________
One must forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged.Heinrich Heine.
“Aww, poor puppy, you do you belong to?” cooed Nanoha lovingly to a lost-looking dog, “Are you lost?”
The small poodle shivered and whimpered at the attention. Nanoha’s heart broke as she saw the lost expression on the dog’s face and wrapped her arms around it.
“Don’t cry, puppy,” Nanoha said tearfully, “Let’s find out who you belong to.”
Nanoha winced as a dull pain rode up her back, and she rounded the corner to see if the puppy’s owner was anywhere to be found.
“Where’s Fate?” Nanoha mumbled to herself, “She would know where to find his owner.”
The image of her beautiful partner’s face flashed before her mind’s eye, but her vision dissipated as soon as she saw an old woman shuffling down the hallway.
“Excuse me, Ma’am? Does this puppy belong to you?”
“Hello, Nanoha, dear,” the old woman replied, “No, he’s not mine.”
Nanoha narrowed her eyes in confusion. “How do you know me?” she asked while her hold on the puppy tightened.
“You’ll be fine,” the old woman giggled as she shuffled away.
“Wait!” Nanoha shouted, “What do you mean by 'fine'?”
“That’ll you’ll be fine,” the woman chuckled again, “She'll be here in a few minutes.”
“Fate?”
“Yes, dear,” she answered, “Little Fate will be here soon.”
“How do you know Fate? How do you know me?”
The old woman turned her back and slowly walked away singing a little song, “The rose in the garden slipped her bud, and she laughed in the pride of her youthful blood….”
Nanoha stood still in shock and confusion as she watched the old woman disappear behind another corner, but the small dog in her arms nuzzled her chest. The perplexed woman patted the small poodle in her arms unconsciously, and the dog licked her hand affectionately in return.
“Where did Fate go?” Nanoha asked herself. Her mind pricked her memory stores. She knew where Fate had gone, but she couldn’t remember where her lover had gone for the life of her.
A young woman who was dressed professionally passed her without so much as a nod.
“Excuse me,” Nanoha said clearing her throat, “Does this little guy belong to you?
“Ick!” the woman sneered, “Get that thing away from me!”
Nanoha shielded the small dog as the woman tried to smack the defenseless animal out of Nanoha’s arms.
“Are you that heartless?” Nanoha growled warningly, “Don’t you dare touch this sweet puppy!” Nanoha could feel the small dog’s tail wag slightly.
“What’s going on here?” a middle-aged man said as he stepped between the two women.
“Sir,” Nanoha said, “I’m trying to find this dog’s owner. He’s lost, and this jerk is trying to hit him.”
The man shook his head and glared at the woman, “Dr. Jeffrey-“
“I’m sorry!” the woman apologized, “But sir-“
The man held up his hand, and the gesture silenced the woman. He then turned to Nanoha and the shivering puppy in her arms. “Why don’t you sit over here, Nanoha?”
Nanoha tilted her head in confusion, “How do you know me? Have I met you before?”
The man tried to give her a comforting smile as he directed her to a large overstuffed chair. “Just wait here for a little while, Nanoha. Fate should be along in a few more minutes,” he said soothingly.
At this point, Nanoha felt a growing fear blossom from her mounting anxiety, and she struggled to remember where she had met all these people. And where had Fate gone?
It was too much, and Nanoha hugged the small dog tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“She’ll be here soon,” the man said softly as he patted her back.
“Fate…” Nanoha sobbed while she buried her face into the puppy’s curly fur, “Where did you go?”
Time marched slowly for Nanoha as she cradled the shivering dog in her arms. The chair caused her back to ache even more, but she seemed to lack the energy to move. She sunk into the cushions of the couch and cried the time away for reasons that she could not fully understand. All she knew is that she wanted to find Fate as quickly as possible. Maybe her blond lover would let her keep this sweet dog that was sleeping peacefully on her lap.
“Umm, Nanoha?”
Nanoha turned to see a large woman in blue scrubs leaning over the chair.
“Yes, Jane?” she answered. Nanoha gasped in shock. She did not know this person, and yet she knew her name. However, the face seemed so familiar…
“Miss Nanoha, Fate came to see you,” the rotund woman said, and Nanoha jerked her head in the direction of where the woman was pointing.
The young woman had blond hair like Fate, but her eyes were a deep blue like the roaring ocean. Also, her face was different than the Fate she loved. The features were smoother, and her eyes lacked the passionate love that she craved.
“Who are you?” asked Nanoha as her heart broke in disappointment. “You’re not Fate.”
Nanoha saw tears well in the young woman’s eyes, and the blond looked at the ground as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand like her Fate always did.
“I’m sorry,” stammered Nanoha as she tried to collect her thoughts while holding the small dog in arms. She stood to face the young impostor, and the pain in her back made her wince, “I didn’t-“
The young woman embraced her tightly and sobbed deeply onto her shoulder.
“Careful!” Nanoha said, “You’ll crush the puppy!”
“Grandmother,” the blond cried, “don’t you remember me?”
“Grandmother?” repeated Nanoha, which made the young woman cringe in sadness. Her mind struggled to make the connections. She knew that she had forgotten something, but she couldn’t remember what. “What is your name?”
“Fate…” the girl gasped in mid-sobbed, “Vivio-mama named me after her mama…remember?”
“Vivio?” Nanoha said as her mind searched fervently for the missing memories.
“Grandmother!” Fate pleaded with desperation in her eyes, “Please remember me!”
The large nurse in scrubs pulled Fate off of her frail grandmother with silver hair, “She does, sweetie. It’s still in there. You can see that she’s trying to remember. Give her a few minutes.”
The young blond nodded and hugged the nurse while Nanoha stared at them in confusion.
“She really seems to like your present that you brought over last week,” the nurse said kindly, "She carries it with her all the time."
Fate hugged Nanoha and patted the plush poodle doll that her grandmother held tenderly in her arms. “I’m glad you liked it, grandmother. I’ll bring another when I visit next week.”
“Fate…” Nanoha said to the blond while her old, widowed eyes begged for patience and forgiveness while she tried to connect her past experiences to her current situation.
“Thank you,” the blond said with a weak smile as she wiped her blue eyes. She kissed the ancient cheek and waved to the front desk as she left the nursing home.
You had me all the time wondering what was going on.
Then the realization came.
And I almost cried.
That was beautiful, Allquall. A really great short.
Thanks for writing this, and please share it with the rest of the people over ff.net, they can't miss this ^^
2009-01-30, 06:50
Author
For those that belittle their favorite characters, complain about pairings, complain about oversexed images. Stop, thank you.
