Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

For something a bit different, Kaijo writes a NanoFate fic!

Spoiler for True Love:

True Love



“When the moon's in the sky, like a big-a pizza pie, that's amore,” the portly Italian waiter sung, playing his accordion and moving around the small table.

The full moon was indeed high in the sky, as Nanoha and Fate watched him, eating from the same plate of spaghetti. They didn't even notice they were slowly slurping up the same noodle until their lips met suddenly, and there was a pause of a few brief moments as they gazed into each other's eyes.

Then they both blushed and quickly separated, while the waiter continued to sing his love song.

------

It really was like flying, Fate realized. She spread her arms out to either side, feeling the wind blow strongly from she stood on the very tip of the prow of the large boat. Behind her, she could feel Nanoha holding onto her so she wouldn't fall, and was glad the other girl had taken her up here for this.

------

Fate gasped as she grabbed and picked up, long flowing dress and all. “What do you think you're doing!?”

“What does it look like?” Nanoha told her, a bit drunk, as she took another step on the staircase.

“It looks like you're going to take me to bed!” Fate protested, upset. “Have you not considered my feelings?”

“Frankly, Fate-chan,” Nanoha replied, in an even voice as she continued to ascend the stairs. “I don't give a damn.”

The pair headed for the bedroom, over Fate O'Hara's protests.

------

Fate Testarossa's favorite pasttimes were riding her horse and tormenting the farm girl that lived there. Her name was Nanoha, but she never called her that. Nothing gave Fate as much pleasure as ordering Nanoha around.

“Farm girl, polish my horse's saddle,” she ordered. “I want to see my face shining in by morning.

“As you wish,” Nanoha said simply. 'As you wish' was all she ever said to her.

“Farm girl, fill these with water,” Fate commanded, bringing two large buckets and setting them down, then added, “Please.”

“As you wish,” Nanoah replied.

That day, Fate was amazed to discover that when Nanoha was saying “As you wish,” what she meant was “I love you.” And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved her back.

“Farm Girl!” Fate commanded, as Nanoha was about to leave the room; she had to think of a reason to keep her here, then discovered it. “Fetch me that pitcher?”

Nanoha stepped over, right in front of Fate, the edges of her lips rising just a bit, as she reached up and plucked the object from it's hanger. “As you wish.”

------

“Nanoha?” Fate asked, fear creeping into her voice as she watched the horizon slowly light up. “What is it? Why are we out here at this time?”

The other woman sighed, slowly unbuttoning her shirt. “There's something I want to show you. The real reason, that no one else knows.”

Growing more fearful, Fate glanced back and forth as the first rays of sunrise streaked over the hills and through the trees, striking the woman she loved.

And her jaw dropped as Nanoha started to sparkle a rainbow of colors, glimmering in the sunlight.

“Do you hate me now?” Nanoha asked hesitantly, fear in her voice.

Fate answered by hugging and tackling the girl into the grass, tears in her eyes. “I could never hate you....”

They lay chastely in the meadow for a long time, basking in the love they had for each other.

------

Nanoha blinked as her teenaged daughter, Vivio, ran in from the back door, cheeks bulging, hand over her mouth. She disappeared into the hall and then Nanoha heard the bathroom door slam shut.

“Fate-chan, do you know what's wrong with Vivio?” she called, worried.

Fate walked in from the backdoor, looking perplexed. “I'm not sure. She wanted to know what it was like to be in love, so I was telling her about some things in our past.”

Nanoha raised an eyebrow in confusion.

------

Author's notes:

For those who don't get the references:

Lady and the Tramp
Titantic
Gone With the Wind (Yes, that line wasn't actually used there, but I couldn't find the words for the scene I wanted)
Princess Bride
And the last one is too ugly to mention!

You mean Twilight? *shot repeatedly*

Oh, now I remember why I waited until now to comment on your fic since I'm back safely in my dorm room. I'm laughing too damn hard here! Somehow the Lady and the Tramp, Titanic, and Twilight bits really did it for me. No wonder Vivio got sick!

EDIT: Pageclaim for parodies!

[Kaijo]

Got this done as well, so I figured I'd post it and see what kind of feedback I get, based on the way I'm approaching things.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts:

Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts



"Shamal said you're pregnant?" Fate asked, not believing what she heard the first time.

Nanoha seemed to shrink slightly, but nodded in affirmation as she continued folding clothes.

Fate sighed, realizing that she had never seen Nanoha in this kind of state in all the years the golden-haired girl had known her, and it was extremely disquieting. Nanoha was normally was so strong, able to handle most anything thrown at her; it was that strength that saved Fate herself from her early life. She could only remember one other time that Nanoha broke down, and that was when Vivio was kidnapped. Even when Nanoha was incredible injured a long time ago, and took almost two years to recover, she remained strong. But this incident with Yuuno had really shaken her up.

Fate took Nanoha's hands in hers, forcing the girl to pause her clothes-folding. "It's alright, we'll get through this, I'll be here to help you, okay?"

Nanoha nodded and gave her a disarming smile, as she pulled her hands out and reached back into the basket for a shirt. "It's okay, I'm feeling better now. It's still a bit overwhelming, but I think I can handle thinking about it now. I just need time to mentally work things out."

"How did you feel after she told you?" Fate inquired gently. "And what else did Shamal say?"

Nanoha thought back. "Well..."



"That can't...." Nanoha started to say, trembling and gazing down at her tummy. [I'm going to have... a baby?]

"I just double-checked my readings," Shamal told her patient, her voice growing more soothing. She sat down next to the bed, and reached out to gently stroke Nanoha's shoulder. "I know it can be shocking and overwhelming; I've had quite a bit of experience dealing with young women who suddenly find themselves pregnant, and the father is no where around."

"But Yuuno will come back!" Nanoha insisted, sitting up and hanging her legs off the edge of the bed, facing Shamal with confident eyes.

Shamal sat back, fixing Nanoha with a hard look. "So what will you do about the baby? What happens when Yuuno comes back? How do you think he will feel about it?"

Her head dropped. [I'm not even sure how I feel about this. What about how Yuuno feels? Would he leave me to raise it by myself? Would he stay? Do I want him to stay?]

"I'm not sure," she admitted, hesitantly raising her hand to gently rub her tummy, as if she could somehow feel the life inside. It was crazy, she knew; it was way too soon in the process for her to feel anything down there... right?

Shamal stood up and crossed the room, grabbing a piece of paper to write on and coming back with that and a few other tracts, handing them to Nanoha. "This is the name of a good counselor I know. I suggest you talk with her to help figure out your feelings. Will you go through with the pregnancy? Will you keep the baby? Will you give it up for adoption?"

Nanoha's head came back up. "Of course I'll have it! I couldn't imagine... killing it." Her other hand, the one holding the papers, lowered to cover her tummy as well, protectively shielding it.

The doctor smiled. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. I had to ask; the Bureau doesn't like abortions, either, but as a doctor, I have to consider the physical and mental well-being of my patients." She gently took Nanoha's hand to help her off the bed and back to her feet. "Go see Dr. Lorna. Once you get your own head sorted out, then you can confront Yuuno. Normally, I'd caution young mothers to not rely on the father if he's run out, but I know Yuuno. He's a good man; I'm sure he'll be back. You need to know what to say when you see him."

Nanoha thanked Shamal as she left, being handed more tracts about what to expect during the early pregnancy months. It was something to distract her, she knew, because she had decided to have the baby and keep it; she couldn't imagine giving it up.



Fate looked over the materials, holding up the business card in particular. "Have you made an appointment with this Dr. Lorna yet?"

Nanoha shook her head as she finished folding the last piece of clothing, then sighed as Fate looked at her. "I know, I delayed going to Shamal, too. I won't do that this time."

"Good, then once you start doing that, I can bring Yuuno back," Fate told her, imaging what she'd do to him when she found him.

"Fate-chan, I told you I wanted to let him come back on his own..." Nanoha said, hesitantly, looking up at the other girl. "I know he'll come back."

"Nanoha, things have changed, he needs to know about this," Fate told her sternly. "This baby is his, too. We don't know when he's coming back, but the earlier you two work this out, the better."

Nanoha sighed again, and began to gather up the clothes to take up to the bedrooms. “Can you wait at least a few more days?”

Fate thought it over, then agreed, nodding. “Alright, a few more days to see if he comes back. Then I go looking.”

The other woman smiled at her as she stood up with a load of folded clothes. “Thank you, Fate-chan.”



Yuuno checked his pack sitting next to him for the hundredth time, but it was still there. He knew he was acting rather nervous and he was mostly by himself in this corner of the cargo hold, next to a few crates, but this civilian transport ship was rather seedy. He didn't want to risk taking taking the official teleporters, as they logged everyone that went through, and he didn't want to be tracked. Nanoha might have reported it, or someone could have discovered what happened by now, and he couldn't afford to be caught, not until he found a way to fix what had happened.

And what if he couldn't? The thought had come to him multiple times, and he didn't have an answer. Would he stay on the run, unable to face Nanoha again? Or turn himself in to face whatever punishment he deserved?

Yuuno found his thoughts drifting back to that moment; it felt like a dream to him, as he had experienced dreams of that nature before, given his feelings for Nanoha. And in dreamland, he could safely explore things, knowing he wouldn't do anything of that sort to her in the waking world unless she returned his feelings.

But this time felt different; she didn't seem as accepting, and he felt it might have been one of those darker dreams until her pained voice cried out for him to stop. Somehow, the scene came a bit more into focus and the horrifying thought came to mind that perhaps this wasn't a dream. But the pain started then, as he tried to stop himself; he couldn't force himself onto Nanoha this way, not if he could help it.

Once again, her voice and touch got through to him, somehow soothing the agony in his mind and lulling him to sleep. The pleasurable cloudiness descended on his mind once more, and he found he didn't have the strength to fight it anymore, and instead welcomed its seductive embrace.

Until he woke up and found her under him, and it was blatantly obvious what had happened. Her teary, pained, and red streaked face also made it obvious that he had hurt her, violated her, badly. In one moment, he had damaged her in the worst way possible.

How could I possibly apologize and atone if this doesn't work?

He shook his head and pushed it aside; he'd have to deal with that if it came up, as he couldn't think of an answer at the moment. Right now, he was just grateful this low-class transport wasn't too picky about passengers, and accepted straight cash without any need for ID. It was also slower than the Bureau ships, but that was an acceptable price to pay for anonymity, despite the rather unslightly bunch that were his shipmates.

The undercover archeologist pulled his hood farther over his head, part of a longer cloak that he was using to conceal his features, and brought up up a holo screen to check his information again. Racheal had sent him a bit more information which indicated her travel route as best as she could remember all those years ago, although it was a bit sketchy and jumped all over the place, so he had his work cut out for him. Still, he managed to narrow down the possibilities.

She had said unadministered world #132 or #123 initially, which left him scratching his head. #132 was closer to the edge of TSAB-patrolled space, but #123 wasn't, so he scratched that one off for now. There were, however, two other possibilities; if she really meant #231 or #213, then that would make more sense, as both of those were closer to the edge, with #231 right on it. His current course would take him past #213, so he'd check there first, and if he couldn't pick up when he was looking for, then he'd continue on to #231.

“Hey there, friend, why are you all the way over here by yourself?” came a deep male voice that also cast a shadow over Yuuno and his screen. “Why don't you hang around with us? We're having a great time at the other end.”

He shut it off and looked up, seeing a pair of the seedier ruffians looming over him, one being considerably taller and bulkier than the other. “I prefer it this way, but thank you for your offer.”

The larger one loomed over him more, while the smaller and skinnier one said, “I don't think you understand, friend. Loners make everyone nervous, so we'll need you to socialize.”

Yuuno snapped as the large hand came down on his shoulder, and he raised his own glowing hand. The big man promptly backpedaled, gasping and choking, hands grasping for his face, but unable to get close as a green bubble had appeared around his head, blocking all oxygen.

“What the...?” the skinny one blurted in shock, as the big man eventually fell backwards with a loud thud. He turned to Yuuno. “You're... a mage....”

“I said I prefer to remain alone,” Yuuno repeated, canceling the spell so the big man could breathe. “Take your friend and go.”

The skinny one was trembling a bit with fear, but shook his hand in defiance. “You'll pay for this!”

Yuuno ignored the pair, as the skinny one helped the bigger one up and they left. He couldn't afford to be bothered with lesser concerns; he had a more important mission to accomplish, and he would finish it no matter what.



Fate took her own vacation leave time, so that she could watch out for her best friend. Nanoha was in a situation that she had never been in before, and despite what she said, Fate knew it was affecting her deeply; she wasn't over it yet, and probably wouldn't be, until things were worked out between her and Yuuno.

One one had, she knew Yuuno, and knew he'd never deliberately do this to her, so Fate believed that magic was involved. But on the other, he had made things worse by leaving the way he did, despite his pledge to “make things better” whatever that meant. He was a good guy overall, but she supposed this incident affected him as greatly as it had Nanoha. But she still felt anger at him for abandoning Nanoha like this; what was he thinking!?

She still really wanted to go hunt him down, but Nanoha had made her wait a few more days, which could make the trail go cold; Yuuno could be halfway across the galaxy by now. She had put out some feelers already, and had a few decent leads, however.

Nanoha still really believed in him, and Fate hoped she was right to do so; they had a relationship she really couldn't comprehend, that wasn't quite friends, and wasn't quite student and teacher. Maybe there was a bit of family and deep mutual respect there, but if so, Fate couldn't understand why Yuuno ran. Sure, he could have just kept distance at the most, until receiving word about Nanoha, but he had left the entire planet.

Fate sighed as she drove Nanoha from the counselor to work; canceling the morning classes to make time for the counseling session had been another one of the things she insisted Nanoha do. As she glanced out of the corner of her eye to the passenger seat, Nanoha smiled, but Fate could tell it still wasn't reaching her eyes.

“I told you I'm fine, Fate-chan,” Nanoha chided her. “The counseling session helped, and I've been scheduled for weekly ones. And you have my promise I'll take it easy at work, but I'm mostly okay now. I just feel like I need to keep involved, or I'll go stir crazy. I'm not a glass doll; I need to get out there and do things!”

Fate half-smiled. “I know, and I won't stop you. But you'll have to forgive me for worrying anyway.”

“I know,” Nanoha admitted softly, with a tone that indicated her true feelings were peeking out for once.

[I'll protect you from anything,] Fate vowed mentally. [Even from yourself if need be.]



Nanoha knew Fate was there, standing far enough way to watch, but not interfere. When Nanoha had thrown up this morning, Fate had been particularly insistent she cancel classes and take it easy, but Nanoha had expected what was going to happen from the information Shamal had given her, and so she could handle a little unpleasantness in the morning.

A part of her was glad her friend cared, but she could handle things, and sometimes it felt like Fate was hovering over her a bit too much. She was still fully capable of teaching her classes even despite the pregnancy; it would be months before it became a real hindrance to physical mobility, and even then, she could still teach some things. She wasn't about to let this stop her.

She couldn't let it stop her. Even the counselor agreed with her, mostly.



“Your friend seems to care about you a great deal,” Dr. Lorna noted, as she closed the door, seeing Fate seated outside and waiting. “Please, have a seat

Nanoha sat down on the couch hesitantly. “Thank you. And yes, Fate-chan and I have been there for each other for a long time.”

Lorna sat down behind her desk and smiled gently. “That's good, we all need the support of friends in a difficult time. Now, why don't you lie down and tell me about your most recent difficult time.”

“Okay, but there isn't that much to tell,” Nanoha replied, laying down to gaze at the ceiling, the intricate patterns up there seeming almost hypnotic. “Due to the activation of a lost logia, a friend of mine was magically forced to have sex with me, and he ran away in guilt, and I'm pregnant. I can deal with it now.”

“I'm sure you can,” the psychologist agreed, chuckling lightly. “But you'll have to humor me, as I have to ask questions and talk about things; otherwise, it makes all my years of studying pretty pointless!”

Nanoha was forced to giggle as well, probably the first time she had laughed even a little since the incident.

“Now, if you'll pardon my asking, how were you feeling at the time of the sexual encounter?” she asked. “And please, try to be as honest and straight-forwards as you can, regardless of how you might feel. This is only to help you, and I'm legally bound to not tell anyone what you say, no matter what.”

“I know that, it's just that I don't know what else I can say,” Nanoah replied. “I remember being confused as to what had happened, then worried because Yuuno seemed to be having some sort of painful headache. Then scared because he suddenly was kissing and forcing himself on me.”

She could head the counselor typing, obviously making notes. “What were your feelings towards Yuuno before this?”

“He was one of my best friends,” Nanoha replied. “From childhood, we were fairly close.”

“So you grew up together, then,” Dr. Lorna concluded. “Did you suspect he developed any feelings for you during your times together that might have influenced him?”

Nanoha thought back over the years; did he? “No, I don't think so. We were fairly close, and we exchanged things like birthday and Christmas presents, and occasionally we did things together, but I don't think he felt that way about me...” She paused, realizing something and promptly sat up. “I know what you're trying to say, that Yuuno had feelings for me and that made him force himself on me. He wouldn't do that!”

“I'm not trying to say anything,” the female counselor declared. “I'm only trying to get at the truth of feelings. Once we have that base, we can work on where to go after. If we don't confront those truths, the pain will continue to fester inside us. I encourage you to continue, it will help, I promise.”

Nanoha thought it over, and decided to accept it for now, so she laid back down. “And besides, even if he did, on some level, want to... have sex with me, he was definitely compelled to. And I let him, because he went into painful spasms when he tried to stop himself.”

“So you didn't want to have sex, and thus allowed yourself to be raped?”

“It wasn't rape!” Nanoha nearly shouted, sitting up again and blinking at the water in her eyes. “I let him!”

“Nanoha, I've counseled many young women in your position,” Lorna explained. “A lot of them say it wasn't rape, because they let the other party have their way. On some level, it's the psyche protecting itself, because then they can admit that they weren't violated against their will.”

“But it was Yuuno!” Nanoha insisted strongly. “And he was magically forced to as well!”

The doctor nodded. “That may be, but the fact remains that it happened against your will. You didn't want it, and wouldn't have done it. Even if something was controlling Yuuno, that something is responsible for putting you in a very uncomfortable position. It may have been Yuuno physically there, but something else used you, even if it was just non-intelligent magic. And your body responded, thus you feel betrayed on some level. I read that your daughter was kidnapped once; it's a similar concept. Something happened that you couldn't prevent, only rape happens on a much more personal level, and thus is much more damaging, especially if we don't confront it.”

Nanoha stared at the doctor, tears in her eyes, suddenly seeing the dreadful truth she was still suppressing. By focusing on Yuuno, she was able to suppress the fact that it was rape, and it didn't matter if it was Yuuno or something else responsible. It didn't matter if she had let it happen by telling herself it was just Yuuno.

Her face dropped to the floor, and she slowly wrapped her arms around her body. “I... was raped.”

Lorna stood up and came over to sit by Nanoha, reaching out to rub her back gently. “That's a big step for anyone to admit as we all come up with distractions and excuses to ignore that truth. But it's not the end, even if you were. It's how you go from here that matters. I've read your file and what you've been through; you're a strong woman, so you can get through this, too. I know you won't let this stop you.”

Nanoha dried her eyes and looked up, feeling incredible vulnerable, but also somehow oddly comforted. “Thank you...”

She smiled. “Thank your friends, too. And I'll go ahead and recommend that you can go back to work, as it's also important to get back into routines and resume our lives, but we'll meet once a week, alright?”

The other woman nodded, suddenly feeling grateful.



As Nanoha watched the current crop engage in combat exercises from the holo screens that were also recording various data statistics, she was glad that she could keep working. She knew now it might have been a distraction, but it was also her life. The doctor was right on at least one point: she wasn't going to let this stop or cripple her.

But she was also glad that no one else had been told yet about the incident and her condition, and she wanted to keep it that way. That would lead to uncomfortable questions about the baby's father and birth circumstances, and she still hadn't quite been able to figure things out in her mind yet. While she knew she felt violated now, she also still realized it wasn't really Yuuno's fault even if he had some feelings for her (and she wasn't entirely sure of that right now). For her part, she did care about him; she just wanted to talk to him and work things out first.

She wiped the tear from her eye, wondering how it got there. [Yuuno, where are you? I want you to come back so I can tell you I'm not upset.]

Nanoha shook her head to clear it, and almost wished she hadn't, as she got a strange feeling of vertigo. She took a step back to steady herself, but she found her legs unresponsive.

The last thing she recalled before her collapse, was Fate shouting her name.


Author's notes:

A bit more serious than I'm used to, but going where the story leads. I'm also going to take a moment to do a little preaching.

Rape is never much about the sex, and most rape doesn't involve it much at all, actually. The reason it's so bad, is because it happens against our will, and our bodies respond to it, despite us not wanting them to. Men can be raped this way as easily as women, so there should be no gender bias. It's this betrayal by our own bodies that forms a lot of why we hate rape so much.

There are various other reasons, and for each person it can vary, but this is why it was difficult for Nanoha to approach. Even though she had accepted that Yuuno was forced, and she let it happen to spare him the pain, it still meant she was forced by something, and that something is what she had(and still has to) to confront.

[Fuyu no Sora]

Originally Posted by Alavon

So does that mean that Momoko had Kyouya when she was 14?

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Well, no, Kyouya isn't Momoko's child, and neither is Miyuki. This is only clarified in Trangle Hearts, but since it hasn't been stated otherwise in the Nanohaverse, it's safe to say the same holds true.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Actually, Kyouya and Miyuki aren't Momoko's biological children. Kyouya is the son of Shiro and his first wife, who was killed; Miyuki was left behind by her biological mother, Misato, and raised by Momoko and Shiro. Momoko's only biological child out of the lot in TH canon is Nanoha.

Not necessarily. Momoko could have given birth to Kyouya at 14.

There was someone (I can't remember who right now) who in the Questions and Answers thread asked how old Alicia Testarossa was when she died and how many years passed since then until the first season. Another person answered that it was mentioned somewhere in S1 (I personally can't remember that moment) that she died 26 years prior to Nanoha. Since Precia Testarossa is 40 at the beginning of the story, well... wouldn't that make her 14 years old when she gave birth to her daughter?

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Shiro, as I just discovered, is 37 and Momoko is 33.

Where did you get that information, if I may ask? I've always been curious about Nanoha's parents and Lindy's age...

[Nijiru]

@Kaijo: I'll be keeping an eye on this, as you've piqued my interest. All I can say on the note at the bottom is that it's true, and having that happen will affect someone for the rest of his or her life. I know it's affected my life, and I want to see how you have Nanoha deal with it.
Also, I laughed at the Princess Bride parody.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Got this done as well, so I figured I'd post it and see what kind of feedback I get, based on the way I'm approaching things.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts:

--snip--.

This story has caught my attention, I was a bit ambivalent about it at first but seeing this chapter and the Author's Note made me glad. Rape is one of the most trigger-y subjects out there and you're handling it well. I'm looking forward to more of this.

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

Not necessarily. Momoko could have given birth to Kyouya at 14.

There was someone (I can't remember who right now) who in the Questions and Answers thread asked how old Alicia Testarossa was when she died and how many years passed since then until the first season. Another person answered that it was mentioned somewhere in S1 (I personally can't remember that moment) that she died 26 years prior to Nanoha. Since Precia Testarossa is 40 at the beginning of the story, well... wouldn't that make her 14 years old when she gave birth to her daughter?



Where did you get that information, if I may ask? I've always been curious about Nanoha's parents and Lindy's age...

Um. I'd rather not think about Momoko and Precia giving birth at 14.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Got this done as well, so I figured I'd post it and see what kind of feedback I get, based on the way I'm approaching things.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts:

Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts



"Shamal said you're pregnant?" Fate asked, not believing what she heard the first time.

Nanoha seemed to shrink slightly, but nodded in affirmation as she continued folding clothes.

Fate sighed, realizing that she had never seen Nanoha in this kind of state in all the years the golden-haired girl had known her, and it was extremely disquieting. Nanoha was normally was so strong, able to handle most anything thrown at her; it was that strength that saved Fate herself from her early life. She could only remember one other time that Nanoha broke down, and that was when Vivio was kidnapped. Even when Nanoha was incredible injured a long time ago, and took almost two years to recover, she remained strong. But this incident with Yuuno had really shaken her up.

Fate took Nanoha's hands in hers, forcing the girl to pause her clothes-folding. "It's alright, we'll get through this, I'll be here to help you, okay?"

Nanoha nodded and gave her a disarming smile, as she pulled her hands out and reached back into the basket for a shirt. "It's okay, I'm feeling better now. It's still a bit overwhelming, but I think I can handle thinking about it now. I just need time to mentally work things out."

"How did you feel after she told you?" Fate inquired gently. "And what else did Shamal say?"

Nanoha thought back. "Well..."



"That can't...." Nanoha started to say, trembling and gazing down at her tummy. [I'm going to have... a baby?]

"I just double-checked my readings," Shamal told her patient, her voice growing more soothing. She sat down next to the bed, and reached out to gently stroke Nanoha's shoulder. "I know it can be shocking and overwhelming; I've had quite a bit of experience dealing with young women who suddenly find themselves pregnant, and the father is no where around."

"But Yuuno will come back!" Nanoha insisted, sitting up and hanging her legs off the edge of the bed, facing Shamal with confident eyes.

Shamal sat back, fixing Nanoha with a hard look. "So what will you do about the baby? What happens when Yuuno comes back? How do you think he will feel about it?"

Her head dropped. [I'm not even sure how I feel about this. What about how Yuuno feels? Would he leave me to raise it by myself? Would he stay? Do I want him to stay?]

"I'm not sure," she admitted, hesitantly raising her hand to gently rub her tummy, as if she could somehow feel the life inside. It was crazy, she knew; it was way too soon in the process for her to feel anything down there... right?

Shamal stood up and crossed the room, grabbing a piece of paper to write on and coming back with that and a few other tracts, handing them to Nanoha. "This is the name of a good counselor I know. I suggest you talk with her to help figure out your feelings. Will you go through with the pregnancy? Will you keep the baby? Will you give it up for adoption?"

Nanoha's head came back up. "Of course I'll have it! I couldn't imagine... killing it." Her other hand, the one holding the papers, lowered to cover her tummy as well, protectively shielding it.

The doctor smiled. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. I had to ask; the Bureau doesn't like abortions, either, but as a doctor, I have to consider the physical and mental well-being of my patients." She gently took Nanoha's hand to help her off the bed and back to her feet. "Go see Dr. Lorna. Once you get your own head sorted out, then you can confront Yuuno. Normally, I'd caution young mothers to not rely on the father if he's run out, but I know Yuuno. He's a good man; I'm sure he'll be back. You need to know what to say when you see him."

Nanoha thanked Shamal as she left, being handed more tracts about what to expect during the early pregnancy months. It was something to distract her, she knew, because she had decided to have the baby and keep it; she couldn't imagine giving it up.



Fate looked over the materials, holding up the business card in particular. "Have you made an appointment with this Dr. Lorna yet?"

Nanoha shook her head as she finished folding the last piece of clothing, then sighed as Fate looked at her. "I know, I delayed going to Shamal, too. I won't do that this time."

"Good, then once you start doing that, I can bring Yuuno back," Fate told her, imaging what she'd do to him when she found him.

"Fate-chan, I told you I wanted to let him come back on his own..." Nanoha said, hesitantly, looking up at the other girl. "I know he'll come back."

"Nanoha, things have changed, he needs to know about this," Fate told her sternly. "This baby is his, too. We don't know when he's coming back, but the earlier you two work this out, the better."

Nanoha sighed again, and began to gather up the clothes to take up to the bedrooms. “Can you wait at least a few more days?”

Fate thought it over, then agreed, nodding. “Alright, a few more days to see if he comes back. Then I go looking.”

The other woman smiled at her as she stood up with a load of folded clothes. “Thank you, Fate-chan.”



Yuuno checked his pack sitting next to him for the hundredth time, but it was still there. He knew he was acting rather nervous and he was mostly by himself in this corner of the cargo hold, next to a few crates, but this civilian transport ship was rather seedy. He didn't want to risk taking taking the official teleporters, as they logged everyone that went through, and he didn't want to be tracked. Nanoha might have reported it, or someone could have discovered what happened by now, and he couldn't afford to be caught, not until he found a way to fix what had happened.

And what if he couldn't? The thought had come to him multiple times, and he didn't have an answer. Would he stay on the run, unable to face Nanoha again? Or turn himself in to face whatever punishment he deserved?

Yuuno found his thoughts drifting back to that moment; it felt like a dream to him, as he had experienced dreams of that nature before, given his feelings for Nanoha. And in dreamland, he could safely explore things, knowing he wouldn't do anything of that sort to her in the waking world unless she returned his feelings.

But this time felt different; she didn't seem as accepting, and he felt it might have been one of those darker dreams until her pained voice cried out for him to stop. Somehow, the scene came a bit more into focus and the horrifying thought came to mind that perhaps this wasn't a dream. But the pain started then, as he tried to stop himself; he couldn't force himself onto Nanoha this way, not if he could help it.

Once again, her voice and touch got through to him, somehow soothing the agony in his mind and lulling him to sleep. The pleasurable cloudiness descended on his mind once more, and he found he didn't have the strength to fight it anymore, and instead welcomed its seductive embrace.

Until he woke up and found her under him, and it was blatantly obvious what had happened. Her teary, pained, and red streaked face also made it obvious that he had hurt her, violated her, badly. In one moment, he had damaged her in the worst way possible.

How could I possibly apologize and atone if this doesn't work?

He shook his head and pushed it aside; he'd have to deal with that if it came up, as he couldn't think of an answer at the moment. Right now, he was just grateful this low-class transport wasn't too picky about passengers, and accepted straight cash without any need for ID. It was also slower than the Bureau ships, but that was an acceptable price to pay for anonymity, despite the rather unslightly bunch that were his shipmates.

The undercover archeologist pulled his hood farther over his head, part of a longer cloak that he was using to conceal his features, and brought up up a holo screen to check his information again. Racheal had sent him a bit more information which indicated her travel route as best as she could remember all those years ago, although it was a bit sketchy and jumped all over the place, so he had his work cut out for him. Still, he managed to narrow down the possibilities.

She had said unadministered world #132 or #123 initially, which left him scratching his head. #132 was closer to the edge of TSAB-patrolled space, but #123 wasn't, so he scratched that one off for now. There were, however, two other possibilities; if she really meant #231 or #213, then that would make more sense, as both of those were closer to the edge, with #231 right on it. His current course would take him past #213, so he'd check there first, and if he couldn't pick up when he was looking for, then he'd continue on to #231.

“Hey there, friend, why are you all the way over here by yourself?” came a deep male voice that also cast a shadow over Yuuno and his screen. “Why don't you hang around with us? We're having a great time at the other end.”

He shut it off and looked up, seeing a pair of the seedier ruffians looming over him, one being considerably taller and bulkier than the other. “I prefer it this way, but thank you for your offer.”

The larger one loomed over him more, while the smaller and skinnier one said, “I don't think you understand, friend. Loners make everyone nervous, so we'll need you to socialize.”

Yuuno snapped as the large hand came down on his shoulder, and he raised his own glowing hand. The big man promptly backpedaled, gasping and choking, hands grasping for his face, but unable to get close as a green bubble had appeared around his head, blocking all oxygen.

“What the...?” the skinny one blurted in shock, as the big man eventually fell backwards with a loud thud. He turned to Yuuno. “You're... a mage....”

“I said I prefer to remain alone,” Yuuno repeated, canceling the spell so the big man could breathe. “Take your friend and go.”

The skinny one was trembling a bit with fear, but shook his hand in defiance. “You'll pay for this!”

Yuuno ignored the pair, as the skinny one helped the bigger one up and they left. He couldn't afford to be bothered with lesser concerns; he had a more important mission to accomplish, and he would finish it no matter what.



Fate took her own vacation leave time, so that she could watch out for her best friend. Nanoha was in a situation that she had never been in before, and despite what she said, Fate knew it was affecting her deeply; she wasn't over it yet, and probably wouldn't be, until things were worked out between her and Yuuno.

One one had, she knew Yuuno, and knew he'd never deliberately do this to her, so Fate believed that magic was involved. But on the other, he had made things worse by leaving the way he did, despite his pledge to “make things better” whatever that meant. He was a good guy overall, but she supposed this incident affected him as greatly as it had Nanoha. But she still felt anger at him for abandoning Nanoha like this; what was he thinking!?

She still really wanted to go hunt him down, but Nanoha had made her wait a few more days, which could make the trail go cold; Yuuno could be halfway across the galaxy by now. She had put out some feelers already, and had a few decent leads, however.

Nanoha still really believed in him, and Fate hoped she was right to do so; they had a relationship she really couldn't comprehend, that wasn't quite friends, and wasn't quite student and teacher. Maybe there was a bit of family and deep mutual respect there, but if so, Fate couldn't understand why Yuuno ran. Sure, he could have just kept distance at the most, until receiving word about Nanoha, but he had left the entire planet.

Fate sighed as she drove Nanoha from the counselor to work; canceling the morning classes to make time for the counseling session had been another one of the things she insisted Nanoha do. As she glanced out of the corner of her eye to the passenger seat, Nanoha smiled, but Fate could tell it still wasn't reaching her eyes.

“I told you I'm fine, Fate-chan,” Nanoha chided her. “The counseling session helped, and I've been scheduled for weekly ones. And you have my promise I'll take it easy at work, but I'm mostly okay now. I just feel like I need to keep involved, or I'll go stir crazy. I'm not a glass doll; I need to get out there and do things!”

Fate half-smiled. “I know, and I won't stop you. But you'll have to forgive me for worrying anyway.”

“I know,” Nanoha admitted softly, with a tone that indicated her true feelings were peeking out for once.

[I'll protect you from anything,] Fate vowed mentally. [Even from yourself if need be.]



Nanoha knew Fate was there, standing far enough way to watch, but not interfere. When Nanoha had thrown up this morning, Fate had been particularly insistent she cancel classes and take it easy, but Nanoha had expected what was going to happen from the information Shamal had given her, and so she could handle a little unpleasantness in the morning.

A part of her was glad her friend cared, but she could handle things, and sometimes it felt like Fate was hovering over her a bit too much. She was still fully capable of teaching her classes even despite the pregnancy; it would be months before it became a real hindrance to physical mobility, and even then, she could still teach some things. She wasn't about to let this stop her.

She couldn't let it stop her. Even the counselor agreed with her, mostly.



“Your friend seems to care about you a great deal,” Dr. Lorna noted, as she closed the door, seeing Fate seated outside and waiting. “Please, have a seat

Nanoha sat down on the couch hesitantly. “Thank you. And yes, Fate-chan and I have been there for each other for a long time.”

Lorna sat down behind her desk and smiled gently. “That's good, we all need the support of friends in a difficult time. Now, why don't you lie down and tell me about your most recent difficult time.”

“Okay, but there isn't that much to tell,” Nanoha replied, laying down to gaze at the ceiling, the intricate patterns up there seeming almost hypnotic. “Due to the activation of a lost logia, a friend of mine was magically forced to have sex with me, and he ran away in guilt, and I'm pregnant. I can deal with it now.”

“I'm sure you can,” the psychologist agreed, chuckling lightly. “But you'll have to humor me, as I have to ask questions and talk about things; otherwise, it makes all my years of studying pretty pointless!”

Nanoha was forced to giggle as well, probably the first time she had laughed even a little since the incident.

“Now, if you'll pardon my asking, how were you feeling at the time of the sexual encounter?” she asked. “And please, try to be as honest and straight-forwards as you can, regardless of how you might feel. This is only to help you, and I'm legally bound to not tell anyone what you say, no matter what.”

“I know that, it's just that I don't know what else I can say,” Nanoah replied. “I remember being confused as to what had happened, then worried because Yuuno seemed to be having some sort of painful headache. Then scared because he suddenly was kissing and forcing himself on me.”

She could head the counselor typing, obviously making notes. “What were your feelings towards Yuuno before this?”

“He was one of my best friends,” Nanoha replied. “From childhood, we were fairly close.”

“So you grew up together, then,” Dr. Lorna concluded. “Did you suspect he developed any feelings for you during your times together that might have influenced him?”

Nanoha thought back over the years; did he? “No, I don't think so. We were fairly close, and we exchanged things like birthday and Christmas presents, and occasionally we did things together, but I don't think he felt that way about me...” She paused, realizing something and promptly sat up. “I know what you're trying to say, that Yuuno had feelings for me and that made him force himself on me. He wouldn't do that!”

“I'm not trying to say anything,” the female counselor declared. “I'm only trying to get at the truth of feelings. Once we have that base, we can work on where to go after. If we don't confront those truths, the pain will continue to fester inside us. I encourage you to continue, it will help, I promise.”

Nanoha thought it over, and decided to accept it for now, so she laid back down. “And besides, even if he did, on some level, want to... have sex with me, he was definitely compelled to. And I let him, because he went into painful spasms when he tried to stop himself.”

“So you didn't want to have sex, and thus allowed yourself to be raped?”

“It wasn't rape!” Nanoha nearly shouted, sitting up again and blinking at the water in her eyes. “I let him!”

“Nanoha, I've counseled many young women in your position,” Lorna explained. “A lot of them say it wasn't rape, because they let the other party have their way. On some level, it's the psyche protecting itself, because then they can admit that they weren't violated against their will.”

“But it was Yuuno!” Nanoha insisted strongly. “And he was magically forced to as well!”

The doctor nodded. “That may be, but the fact remains that it happened against your will. You didn't want it, and wouldn't have done it. Even if something was controlling Yuuno, that something is responsible for putting you in a very uncomfortable position. It may have been Yuuno physically there, but something else used you, even if it was just non-intelligent magic. And your body responded, thus you feel betrayed on some level. I read that your daughter was kidnapped once; it's a similar concept. Something happened that you couldn't prevent, only rape happens on a much more personal level, and thus is much more damaging, especially if we don't confront it.”

Nanoha stared at the doctor, tears in her eyes, suddenly seeing the dreadful truth she was still suppressing. By focusing on Yuuno, she was able to suppress the fact that it was rape, and it didn't matter if it was Yuuno or something else responsible. It didn't matter if she had let it happen by telling herself it was just Yuuno.

Her face dropped to the floor, and she slowly wrapped her arms around her body. “I... was raped.”

Lorna stood up and came over to sit by Nanoha, reaching out to rub her back gently. “That's a big step for anyone to admit as we all come up with distractions and excuses to ignore that truth. But it's not the end, even if you were. It's how you go from here that matters. I've read your file and what you've been through; you're a strong woman, so you can get through this, too. I know you won't let this stop you.”

Nanoha dried her eyes and looked up, feeling incredible vulnerable, but also somehow oddly comforted. “Thank you...”

She smiled. “Thank your friends, too. And I'll go ahead and recommend that you can go back to work, as it's also important to get back into routines and resume our lives, but we'll meet once a week, alright?”

The other woman nodded, suddenly feeling grateful.



As Nanoha watched the current crop engage in combat exercises from the holo screens that were also recording various data statistics, she was glad that she could keep working. She knew now it might have been a distraction, but it was also her life. The doctor was right on at least one point: she wasn't going to let this stop or cripple her.

But she was also glad that no one else had been told yet about the incident and her condition, and she wanted to keep it that way. That would lead to uncomfortable questions about the baby's father and birth circumstances, and she still hadn't quite been able to figure things out in her mind yet. While she knew she felt violated now, she also still realized it wasn't really Yuuno's fault even if he had some feelings for her (and she wasn't entirely sure of that right now). For her part, she did care about him; she just wanted to talk to him and work things out first.

She wiped the tear from her eye, wondering how it got there. [Yuuno, where are you? I want you to come back so I can tell you I'm not upset.]

Nanoha shook her head to clear it, and almost wished she hadn't, as she got a strange feeling of vertigo. She took a step back to steady herself, but she found her legs unresponsive.

The last thing she recalled before her collapse, was Fate shouting her name.


Author's notes:

A bit more serious than I'm used to, but going where the story leads. I'm also going to take a moment to do a little preaching.

Rape is never much about the sex, and most rape doesn't involve it much at all, actually. The reason it's so bad, is because it happens against our will, and our bodies respond to it, despite us not wanting them to. Men can be raped this way as easily as women, so there should be no gender bias. It's this betrayal by our own bodies that forms a lot of why we hate rape so much.

There are various other reasons, and for each person it can vary, but this is why it was difficult for Nanoha to approach. Even though she had accepted that Yuuno was forced, and she let it happen to spare him the pain, it still meant she was forced by something, and that something is what she had(and still has to) to confront.

Well, I think this course was the most natural, considering the subject matter, so I think it's fine. There were a few errors and typos scattered within, but otherwise, well done.

On rape, you're right about it not being about the sex, it's about power: the power to force some one against their will and take something precious from them. It's not "Damn, she looks fine, I want a piece of that!" but "Look at that bitch, acting all high and mighty! I ought to teach her a lesson!" Also, rape is not usually done by strangers, but some one who knows the victim.

And yeah, men can get raped too, it's just goes unreported. Males, being socialized into acting tough and what not, would never admit to such a thing.

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

Not necessarily. Momoko could have given birth to Kyouya at 14.

There was someone (I can't remember who right now) who in the Questions and Answers thread asked how old Alicia Testarossa was when she died and how many years passed since then until the first season. Another person answered that it was mentioned somewhere in S1 (I personally can't remember that moment) that she died 26 years prior to Nanoha. Since Precia Testarossa is 40 at the beginning of the story, well... wouldn't that make her 14 years old when she gave birth to her daughter?

It's possible, yes, but probable? I don't think so. Besides, the state of the Takamachi family is explained in Trangle Hearts (the original story), with the only apparent difference being that Shiro isn't dead in the Nanoverse. There's no reason to believe how everyone is related to each other has changed. Other apparent differences from TH can be attested to the universe having different laws, i.e., Shinobu not being a vampire, and Noel not being a robot.

I don't know where you got Precia's age, but the official site for the first season has her age listed as (??)

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

Where did you get that information, if I may ask? I've always been curious about Nanoha's parents and Lindy's age...

Official character page. Lindy's age isn't listed, though.

[Alavon]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Got this done as well, so I figured I'd post it and see what kind of feedback I get, based on the way I'm approaching things.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts:

Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 3: Hidden Thoughts



"Shamal said you're pregnant?" Fate asked, not believing what she heard the first time.

Nanoha seemed to shrink slightly, but nodded in affirmation as she continued folding clothes.

Fate sighed, realizing that she had never seen Nanoha in this kind of state in all the years the golden-haired girl had known her, and it was extremely disquieting. Nanoha was normally was so strong, able to handle most anything thrown at her; it was that strength that saved Fate herself from her early life. She could only remember one other time that Nanoha broke down, and that was when Vivio was kidnapped. Even when Nanoha was incredible injured a long time ago, and took almost two years to recover, she remained strong. But this incident with Yuuno had really shaken her up.

Fate took Nanoha's hands in hers, forcing the girl to pause her clothes-folding. "It's alright, we'll get through this, I'll be here to help you, okay?"

Nanoha nodded and gave her a disarming smile, as she pulled her hands out and reached back into the basket for a shirt. "It's okay, I'm feeling better now. It's still a bit overwhelming, but I think I can handle thinking about it now. I just need time to mentally work things out."

"How did you feel after she told you?" Fate inquired gently. "And what else did Shamal say?"

Nanoha thought back. "Well..."



"That can't...." Nanoha started to say, trembling and gazing down at her tummy. [I'm going to have... a baby?]

"I just double-checked my readings," Shamal told her patient, her voice growing more soothing. She sat down next to the bed, and reached out to gently stroke Nanoha's shoulder. "I know it can be shocking and overwhelming; I've had quite a bit of experience dealing with young women who suddenly find themselves pregnant, and the father is no where around."

"But Yuuno will come back!" Nanoha insisted, sitting up and hanging her legs off the edge of the bed, facing Shamal with confident eyes.

Shamal sat back, fixing Nanoha with a hard look. "So what will you do about the baby? What happens when Yuuno comes back? How do you think he will feel about it?"

Her head dropped. [I'm not even sure how I feel about this. What about how Yuuno feels? Would he leave me to raise it by myself? Would he stay? Do I want him to stay?]

"I'm not sure," she admitted, hesitantly raising her hand to gently rub her tummy, as if she could somehow feel the life inside. It was crazy, she knew; it was way too soon in the process for her to feel anything down there... right?

Shamal stood up and crossed the room, grabbing a piece of paper to write on and coming back with that and a few other tracts, handing them to Nanoha. "This is the name of a good counselor I know. I suggest you talk with her to help figure out your feelings. Will you go through with the pregnancy? Will you keep the baby? Will you give it up for adoption?"

Nanoha's head came back up. "Of course I'll have it! I couldn't imagine... killing it." Her other hand, the one holding the papers, lowered to cover her tummy as well, protectively shielding it.

The doctor smiled. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. I had to ask; the Bureau doesn't like abortions, either, but as a doctor, I have to consider the physical and mental well-being of my patients." She gently took Nanoha's hand to help her off the bed and back to her feet. "Go see Dr. Lorna. Once you get your own head sorted out, then you can confront Yuuno. Normally, I'd caution young mothers to not rely on the father if he's run out, but I know Yuuno. He's a good man; I'm sure he'll be back. You need to know what to say when you see him."

Nanoha thanked Shamal as she left, being handed more tracts about what to expect during the early pregnancy months. It was something to distract her, she knew, because she had decided to have the baby and keep it; she couldn't imagine giving it up.



Fate looked over the materials, holding up the business card in particular. "Have you made an appointment with this Dr. Lorna yet?"

Nanoha shook her head as she finished folding the last piece of clothing, then sighed as Fate looked at her. "I know, I delayed going to Shamal, too. I won't do that this time."

"Good, then once you start doing that, I can bring Yuuno back," Fate told her, imaging what she'd do to him when she found him.

"Fate-chan, I told you I wanted to let him come back on his own..." Nanoha said, hesitantly, looking up at the other girl. "I know he'll come back."

"Nanoha, things have changed, he needs to know about this," Fate told her sternly. "This baby is his, too. We don't know when he's coming back, but the earlier you two work this out, the better."

Nanoha sighed again, and began to gather up the clothes to take up to the bedrooms. “Can you wait at least a few more days?”

Fate thought it over, then agreed, nodding. “Alright, a few more days to see if he comes back. Then I go looking.”

The other woman smiled at her as she stood up with a load of folded clothes. “Thank you, Fate-chan.”



Yuuno checked his pack sitting next to him for the hundredth time, but it was still there. He knew he was acting rather nervous and he was mostly by himself in this corner of the cargo hold, next to a few crates, but this civilian transport ship was rather seedy. He didn't want to risk taking taking the official teleporters, as they logged everyone that went through, and he didn't want to be tracked. Nanoha might have reported it, or someone could have discovered what happened by now, and he couldn't afford to be caught, not until he found a way to fix what had happened.

And what if he couldn't? The thought had come to him multiple times, and he didn't have an answer. Would he stay on the run, unable to face Nanoha again? Or turn himself in to face whatever punishment he deserved?

Yuuno found his thoughts drifting back to that moment; it felt like a dream to him, as he had experienced dreams of that nature before, given his feelings for Nanoha. And in dreamland, he could safely explore things, knowing he wouldn't do anything of that sort to her in the waking world unless she returned his feelings.

But this time felt different; she didn't seem as accepting, and he felt it might have been one of those darker dreams until her pained voice cried out for him to stop. Somehow, the scene came a bit more into focus and the horrifying thought came to mind that perhaps this wasn't a dream. But the pain started then, as he tried to stop himself; he couldn't force himself onto Nanoha this way, not if he could help it.

Once again, her voice and touch got through to him, somehow soothing the agony in his mind and lulling him to sleep. The pleasurable cloudiness descended on his mind once more, and he found he didn't have the strength to fight it anymore, and instead welcomed its seductive embrace.

Until he woke up and found her under him, and it was blatantly obvious what had happened. Her teary, pained, and red streaked face also made it obvious that he had hurt her, violated her, badly. In one moment, he had damaged her in the worst way possible.

How could I possibly apologize and atone if this doesn't work?

He shook his head and pushed it aside; he'd have to deal with that if it came up, as he couldn't think of an answer at the moment. Right now, he was just grateful this low-class transport wasn't too picky about passengers, and accepted straight cash without any need for ID. It was also slower than the Bureau ships, but that was an acceptable price to pay for anonymity, despite the rather unslightly bunch that were his shipmates.

The undercover archeologist pulled his hood farther over his head, part of a longer cloak that he was using to conceal his features, and brought up up a holo screen to check his information again. Racheal had sent him a bit more information which indicated her travel route as best as she could remember all those years ago, although it was a bit sketchy and jumped all over the place, so he had his work cut out for him. Still, he managed to narrow down the possibilities.

She had said unadministered world #132 or #123 initially, which left him scratching his head. #132 was closer to the edge of TSAB-patrolled space, but #123 wasn't, so he scratched that one off for now. There were, however, two other possibilities; if she really meant #231 or #213, then that would make more sense, as both of those were closer to the edge, with #231 right on it. His current course would take him past #213, so he'd check there first, and if he couldn't pick up when he was looking for, then he'd continue on to #231.

“Hey there, friend, why are you all the way over here by yourself?” came a deep male voice that also cast a shadow over Yuuno and his screen. “Why don't you hang around with us? We're having a great time at the other end.”

He shut it off and looked up, seeing a pair of the seedier ruffians looming over him, one being considerably taller and bulkier than the other. “I prefer it this way, but thank you for your offer.”

The larger one loomed over him more, while the smaller and skinnier one said, “I don't think you understand, friend. Loners make everyone nervous, so we'll need you to socialize.”

Yuuno snapped as the large hand came down on his shoulder, and he raised his own glowing hand. The big man promptly backpedaled, gasping and choking, hands grasping for his face, but unable to get close as a green bubble had appeared around his head, blocking all oxygen.

“What the...?” the skinny one blurted in shock, as the big man eventually fell backwards with a loud thud. He turned to Yuuno. “You're... a mage....”

“I said I prefer to remain alone,” Yuuno repeated, canceling the spell so the big man could breathe. “Take your friend and go.”

The skinny one was trembling a bit with fear, but shook his hand in defiance. “You'll pay for this!”

Yuuno ignored the pair, as the skinny one helped the bigger one up and they left. He couldn't afford to be bothered with lesser concerns; he had a more important mission to accomplish, and he would finish it no matter what.



Fate took her own vacation leave time, so that she could watch out for her best friend. Nanoha was in a situation that she had never been in before, and despite what she said, Fate knew it was affecting her deeply; she wasn't over it yet, and probably wouldn't be, until things were worked out between her and Yuuno.

One one had, she knew Yuuno, and knew he'd never deliberately do this to her, so Fate believed that magic was involved. But on the other, he had made things worse by leaving the way he did, despite his pledge to “make things better” whatever that meant. He was a good guy overall, but she supposed this incident affected him as greatly as it had Nanoha. But she still felt anger at him for abandoning Nanoha like this; what was he thinking!?

She still really wanted to go hunt him down, but Nanoha had made her wait a few more days, which could make the trail go cold; Yuuno could be halfway across the galaxy by now. She had put out some feelers already, and had a few decent leads, however.

Nanoha still really believed in him, and Fate hoped she was right to do so; they had a relationship she really couldn't comprehend, that wasn't quite friends, and wasn't quite student and teacher. Maybe there was a bit of family and deep mutual respect there, but if so, Fate couldn't understand why Yuuno ran. Sure, he could have just kept distance at the most, until receiving word about Nanoha, but he had left the entire planet.

Fate sighed as she drove Nanoha from the counselor to work; canceling the morning classes to make time for the counseling session had been another one of the things she insisted Nanoha do. As she glanced out of the corner of her eye to the passenger seat, Nanoha smiled, but Fate could tell it still wasn't reaching her eyes.

“I told you I'm fine, Fate-chan,” Nanoha chided her. “The counseling session helped, and I've been scheduled for weekly ones. And you have my promise I'll take it easy at work, but I'm mostly okay now. I just feel like I need to keep involved, or I'll go stir crazy. I'm not a glass doll; I need to get out there and do things!”

Fate half-smiled. “I know, and I won't stop you. But you'll have to forgive me for worrying anyway.”

“I know,” Nanoha admitted softly, with a tone that indicated her true feelings were peeking out for once.

[I'll protect you from anything,] Fate vowed mentally. [Even from yourself if need be.]



Nanoha knew Fate was there, standing far enough way to watch, but not interfere. When Nanoha had thrown up this morning, Fate had been particularly insistent she cancel classes and take it easy, but Nanoha had expected what was going to happen from the information Shamal had given her, and so she could handle a little unpleasantness in the morning.

A part of her was glad her friend cared, but she could handle things, and sometimes it felt like Fate was hovering over her a bit too much. She was still fully capable of teaching her classes even despite the pregnancy; it would be months before it became a real hindrance to physical mobility, and even then, she could still teach some things. She wasn't about to let this stop her.

She couldn't let it stop her. Even the counselor agreed with her, mostly.



“Your friend seems to care about you a great deal,” Dr. Lorna noted, as she closed the door, seeing Fate seated outside and waiting. “Please, have a seat

Nanoha sat down on the couch hesitantly. “Thank you. And yes, Fate-chan and I have been there for each other for a long time.”

Lorna sat down behind her desk and smiled gently. “That's good, we all need the support of friends in a difficult time. Now, why don't you lie down and tell me about your most recent difficult time.”

“Okay, but there isn't that much to tell,” Nanoha replied, laying down to gaze at the ceiling, the intricate patterns up there seeming almost hypnotic. “Due to the activation of a lost logia, a friend of mine was magically forced to have sex with me, and he ran away in guilt, and I'm pregnant. I can deal with it now.”

“I'm sure you can,” the psychologist agreed, chuckling lightly. “But you'll have to humor me, as I have to ask questions and talk about things; otherwise, it makes all my years of studying pretty pointless!”

Nanoha was forced to giggle as well, probably the first time she had laughed even a little since the incident.

“Now, if you'll pardon my asking, how were you feeling at the time of the sexual encounter?” she asked. “And please, try to be as honest and straight-forwards as you can, regardless of how you might feel. This is only to help you, and I'm legally bound to not tell anyone what you say, no matter what.”

“I know that, it's just that I don't know what else I can say,” Nanoah replied. “I remember being confused as to what had happened, then worried because Yuuno seemed to be having some sort of painful headache. Then scared because he suddenly was kissing and forcing himself on me.”

She could head the counselor typing, obviously making notes. “What were your feelings towards Yuuno before this?”

“He was one of my best friends,” Nanoha replied. “From childhood, we were fairly close.”

“So you grew up together, then,” Dr. Lorna concluded. “Did you suspect he developed any feelings for you during your times together that might have influenced him?”

Nanoha thought back over the years; did he? “No, I don't think so. We were fairly close, and we exchanged things like birthday and Christmas presents, and occasionally we did things together, but I don't think he felt that way about me...” She paused, realizing something and promptly sat up. “I know what you're trying to say, that Yuuno had feelings for me and that made him force himself on me. He wouldn't do that!”

“I'm not trying to say anything,” the female counselor declared. “I'm only trying to get at the truth of feelings. Once we have that base, we can work on where to go after. If we don't confront those truths, the pain will continue to fester inside us. I encourage you to continue, it will help, I promise.”

Nanoha thought it over, and decided to accept it for now, so she laid back down. “And besides, even if he did, on some level, want to... have sex with me, he was definitely compelled to. And I let him, because he went into painful spasms when he tried to stop himself.”

“So you didn't want to have sex, and thus allowed yourself to be raped?”

“It wasn't rape!” Nanoha nearly shouted, sitting up again and blinking at the water in her eyes. “I let him!”

“Nanoha, I've counseled many young women in your position,” Lorna explained. “A lot of them say it wasn't rape, because they let the other party have their way. On some level, it's the psyche protecting itself, because then they can admit that they weren't violated against their will.”

“But it was Yuuno!” Nanoha insisted strongly. “And he was magically forced to as well!”

The doctor nodded. “That may be, but the fact remains that it happened against your will. You didn't want it, and wouldn't have done it. Even if something was controlling Yuuno, that something is responsible for putting you in a very uncomfortable position. It may have been Yuuno physically there, but something else used you, even if it was just non-intelligent magic. And your body responded, thus you feel betrayed on some level. I read that your daughter was kidnapped once; it's a similar concept. Something happened that you couldn't prevent, only rape happens on a much more personal level, and thus is much more damaging, especially if we don't confront it.”

Nanoha stared at the doctor, tears in her eyes, suddenly seeing the dreadful truth she was still suppressing. By focusing on Yuuno, she was able to suppress the fact that it was rape, and it didn't matter if it was Yuuno or something else responsible. It didn't matter if she had let it happen by telling herself it was just Yuuno.

Her face dropped to the floor, and she slowly wrapped her arms around her body. “I... was raped.”

Lorna stood up and came over to sit by Nanoha, reaching out to rub her back gently. “That's a big step for anyone to admit as we all come up with distractions and excuses to ignore that truth. But it's not the end, even if you were. It's how you go from here that matters. I've read your file and what you've been through; you're a strong woman, so you can get through this, too. I know you won't let this stop you.”

Nanoha dried her eyes and looked up, feeling incredible vulnerable, but also somehow oddly comforted. “Thank you...”

She smiled. “Thank your friends, too. And I'll go ahead and recommend that you can go back to work, as it's also important to get back into routines and resume our lives, but we'll meet once a week, alright?”

The other woman nodded, suddenly feeling grateful.



As Nanoha watched the current crop engage in combat exercises from the holo screens that were also recording various data statistics, she was glad that she could keep working. She knew now it might have been a distraction, but it was also her life. The doctor was right on at least one point: she wasn't going to let this stop or cripple her.

But she was also glad that no one else had been told yet about the incident and her condition, and she wanted to keep it that way. That would lead to uncomfortable questions about the baby's father and birth circumstances, and she still hadn't quite been able to figure things out in her mind yet. While she knew she felt violated now, she also still realized it wasn't really Yuuno's fault even if he had some feelings for her (and she wasn't entirely sure of that right now). For her part, she did care about him; she just wanted to talk to him and work things out first.

She wiped the tear from her eye, wondering how it got there. [Yuuno, where are you? I want you to come back so I can tell you I'm not upset.]

Nanoha shook her head to clear it, and almost wished she hadn't, as she got a strange feeling of vertigo. She took a step back to steady herself, but she found her legs unresponsive.

The last thing she recalled before her collapse, was Fate shouting her name.


Author's notes:

A bit more serious than I'm used to, but going where the story leads. I'm also going to take a moment to do a little preaching.

Rape is never much about the sex, and most rape doesn't involve it much at all, actually. The reason it's so bad, is because it happens against our will, and our bodies respond to it, despite us not wanting them to. Men can be raped this way as easily as women, so there should be no gender bias. It's this betrayal by our own bodies that forms a lot of why we hate rape so much.

There are various other reasons, and for each person it can vary, but this is why it was difficult for Nanoha to approach. Even though she had accepted that Yuuno was forced, and she let it happen to spare him the pain, it still meant she was forced by something, and that something is what she had(and still has to) to confront.

Even though I know it wasn't really Yuuno's fault, I can't help but be mad at him. He shouldn't have ran away if Nanoha claim's that he's a nice guy. He is nice, but irresponsible when it comes to certain situations. Running away is a cowardly thing to do, especially after doing what he did (but I guess you can't blame him...>(). Then he says he'll "make up for it" later. I'll be really piss if Nanoha decides to go out with him (forgive him, yeah, she should...). I don't think he deserves that role (friends definitely) and should see and spend time with his child (because he's Yuuno...). But that's it.

I'm really impress, Kaijo. You are the first person to make me feel furious (not at you or at your fic...); I'm so mad that I'm breathing heavily. Man...if Nanoha goes out with him after all that crap...

Nanoha: Even though you raped me, impregnated me and then left me, I'll go out with you, Yuuno-kun!

Yuuno: I love you, Nanoha!

*growl*

Great work! Keep it up and update soon! PLEASE!

P.S. And no; I'm NOT bashing Yuuno. I only said what I sain because of WHAT he did. Even if FATE did that crap (actually, she did in a fic and I was pretty mad at her too! >(), I will STILL be pretty piss off....

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

Not necessarily. Momoko could have given birth to Kyouya at 14.

Triangle Heart canon specifically states that Kyouya isn't Momoko's biological son; he was born to Shiro and his first wife. Though, honestly, I don't know how much TH canon applies to Nanoha...

[Fuyu no Sora]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

It's possible, yes, but probable? I don't think so. Besides, the state of the Takamachi family is explained in Trangle Hearts (the original story), with the only apparent difference being that Shiro isn't dead in the Nanoverse. There's no reason to believe how everyone is related to each other has changed. Other apparent differences from TH can be attested to the universe having different laws, i.e., Shinobu not being a vampire, and Noel not being a robot.

I don't know where you got Precia's age, but the official site for the first season has her age listed as (??)

I know that. However, it would be a way to explain the "Momoko gave birth to Kyouya at 14" thing, wouldn't it? Yes, I know of Triangle Hearts and since Nanoha is a spin-off it doesn't necessarily mean that things stayed the same either.

Nanoha Sound Stage Booklet 02 states Precia Testarossa's age as 40, Linith's as 18 and Fate's as 7-9.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Triangle Heart canon specifically states that Kyouya isn't Momoko's biological son; he was born to Shiro and his first wife. Though, honestly, I don't know how much TH canon applies to Nanoha...

Yep, I know. But since Word of God never actually said if everything in TH is the same in Nanoha except for minor details...

[00-Raiser]

@Alavon: I don't think Yuuno deserves that much scorn. Sure, it was cowardly of him to leave without confronting Nanoha directly about it first, but he's not so much running away as he is just leaving for a while. He did say that he would be back, so it's not like he's just up and abandoning everything. He's taking responsibility for what happened in his own way by finding out the truth of the matter. Sure it won't change what happened or anything, but he's still trying to make things right (even if it's not the best way).

Well, even if Nanoha wanted to start a romantic relationship with him afterwards, he'd probably still feel far too guilty and undeserving to accept that.

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

Yep, I know. But since Word of God never actually said if everything in TH is the same in Nanoha except for minor details...

It's the other way around: since TH is the basis for Nanoha, Word of God would have to say if anything was different for it to be so.

[Alavon]

On a lighter note, here's more of, OMG! My Boyfriend is an Assasin! (or "Why Shiro Retired" as the Master of Shiny Crack said...but I still don't have an official title...>.>)

Spoiler for OMG! My Boyfriend is an Assasin! Short:

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

There were many things that Momoko Takamachi has seen, many of which she shouldn't have known what it was; she may be only seventeen years old, but she's wasn't stupid.

"Are you telling me that all you feed your son is..." she grabbed the McDonald bag and looked at it disgustedly. "Fast food?"

Shiro rubbed his hands together nervously, his goofing smile shining brightly from his tanned face.

"Well, you see, I've always been busy with work that I," he looked at Momoko who looked ready to pop. "...I never had time to...cook?"

Momoko raised an eyebrow then looked at the empty bag. After staring at it for a good minute, she turned towards the living which was occupied by a very hyper three year-old boy who looked exactly like his father.

She sighed.

Shiro blinked at her then laughed nervously.

"So you forgive me?"

He wished he didn't say that. He noticed a dark shadow covering much of Momoko's face and a evil grin slowly took shape. Shiro took a step back and gulped.

"Oh, I forgive you all right," she began, putting on her apron. "I forgive you enough to...GIVE YOU A COURSE IN COOKING 101!"

"EHHHHH!?"

And for the first time in history, an Assassin gets whipped by a Cook.

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

At least now we know why Shiro learned how to cook.

[Fuyu no Sora]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

It's the other way around: since TH is the basis for Nanoha, Word of God would have to say if anything was different for it to be so.

*shrugs* Maybe so. I was simply pointing out a similar case and how Kyouya and Miyuki aren't necessarily Momoko's adopted children.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

It's the other way around: since TH is the basis for Nanoha, Word of God would have to say if anything was different for it to be so.

Well, to be fair, MGLN is already vastly AU from TH considering that Shiro is still alive and well. So other small things could easily have been modified to fit the show continuity.

[Alavon]

@ 00-Raiser: Maybe but the topic of rape is very personal to me...so I'm being bias...and besides, he shouldn't have left the planet...

@Momoko's Age: And if it's not specifically mentioned, I believe Nanoha is the only biological child of Momoko. After all, it's never mentioned so I think TH creeped itself in canon Nanoha...

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Fuyu no Sora

*shrugs* Maybe so. I was simply pointing out a similar case and how Kyouya and Miyuki aren't necessarily Momoko's adopted children.

Well, your math is off in Precia's case. If she was 40 in SS02, and Alicia had died 26 years before the series, 40 - 26 does equal 14, but... the 26 years is for when Alicia died. How old was Alicia when she died? Maybe like 6-9? So was Precia EIGHT YEARS OLD when she gave birth to Alicia? Possible? Yes (the youngest mother on record gave birth when she was three) but I don't think they'd decend that far into squick territory.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Well, to be fair, MGLN is already vastly AU from TH considering that Shiro is still alive and well. So other small things could easily have been modified to fit the show continuity.

Right, like how Shinobu and Noel are both human.

However, the main diverging point is Shiro's death. That's the only discernable point where the two universes split off. As such, there's no reason to believe anything that came before it was different unless specifically stated.

[Alavon]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Well, your math is off in Precia's case. If she was 40 in SS02, and Alicia had died 26 years before the series, 40 - 26 does equal 14, but... the 26 years is for when Alicia died. How old was Alicia when she died? Maybe like 6-9? So was Precia EIGHT YEARS OLD when she gave birth to Alicia? Possible? Yes (the youngest mother on record gave birth when she was three) but I don't think they'd decend that far into squick territory.



Right, like how Shinobu and Noel are both human.

However, the main diverging point is Shiro's death. That's the only discernable point where the two universes split off. As such, there's no reason to believe anything that came before it was different unless specifically stated.

WTF!

[Rising Dragon]

Ultimately, what matters is what's needed for the fanfic, really. Its up to the author on how the background is presented. If it needs a more regular background, the author can go with that. If it needs something more like the TH background, the author can go with that. Its not something that we really need to worry about until its actually confirmed by 7Arcs.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Alavon

WTF!

True story.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Alavon

@ 00-Raiser: Maybe but the topic of rape is very personal to me...so I'm being bias...and besides, he shouldn't have left the planet...

Personally, I see Kaijo's fic as an example of something of a double rape, myself. There's no doubt, IMO, that Nanoha was definitely raped, if not by Yuuno then definitely by some kind of faceless magic that doesn't know any better. But in a way, I think Yuuno was just as much raped as she was. He tried to stop, but it caused him pain; he was literally forced to continue so it wouldn't hurt him anymore. So IMO, the rape goes both ways in this case; in a way, Yuuno was raped just as badly as Nanoha, if not more so.

[Fuyu no Sora]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Well, your math is off in Precia's case. If she was 40 in SS02, and Alicia had died 26 years before the series, 40 - 26 does equal 14, but... the 26 years is for when Alicia died. How old was Alicia when she died? Maybe like 6-9? So was Precia EIGHT YEARS OLD when she gave birth to Alicia? Possible? Yes (the youngest mother on record gave birth when she was three) but I don't think they'd decend that far into squick territory.

Yeah, well, it's why I found it weird and borderline squick, but hey, that was the recognized answer in the Q&A thread, don't look at me.

About the youngest mother in the world: I knew she was five years old, was born and lived in Peru and that her parents raised her son as their own; the kid grew up beliving his mother was his sister. Where's the three-year-old from?