Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[shiroi mahotsukai]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Fear can make people do stupid things; but it's an individual choice on whether we want to live in fear of what could be. It takes a unique strength to counter.

Anyway, on to the reason for my posting:

Unexpected Expectations

Chapter 13: Two Roads Diverged

Previous parts can be found here.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 13: Two Roads Diverged:

Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 13: Two Roads Diverged

Nanoha took a deep breath. "I just want to tell you-"

"Shh, it's okay, I know," Fate replied, interrupting her. "Me, too."

Nanoha....

"Well, got what you finally wanted; thought you'd be happier."

Yuuno looked up to see himself, realizing it was the other him. "What makes you think this is what I wanted!?"

He gestured to the two women hugging each other, displayed on the screen. "I know you; I AM you. That teleport wasn't to save her; it was to avoid facing the truth. It was the easiest path to follow, and thus you did it. You're so predictable that way."

"That's not true!" Yuuno shot back, angry. "I did what I had to, to save her!"

The other him shrugged. "That's a cop out, and you know it. But believe what you wish, if it makes you feel better."

"After all you've put me through, I'm surprised you're telling me that," Yuuno said darkly, then laughed. “And here I am talking to myself; I must have finally gone crazy. Who are you supposed to be?”

"I am you, remember?" his duplicate informed him. "You created me to help you. Everything that's happened, everything I did to you is what you desired.”

Yuuno stared at him, incredulous. “All those bad dreams, and you're telling me that's what I wanted!?”

The other him laid back and gazed upwards, seemingly unperturbed. “After all this time, you still don't see it. Denial is pretty powerful, I suppose. Very intriguing.”

“Well then, if you're supposed to be me, why don't you just tell me?” Yuuno challenged. “What exactly am I hiding from myself?”

His duplicate laughed. “That would be too easy, but I can toss you some hints. The way you ran away, nearly burned yourself in the shower, allowed those amazons to capture and torture you, took them back into the procreat even though you knew what would happen, and ultimately threw your life away. Hell, let's go back in time to the Jewel Seeds, and how you went after them alone. Even after you got Nanoha's help, you wanted to push her back out of it once you were feeling better and continue alone. Seeing it yet? You pride yourself on being a scholar, so it shouldn't be an issue.”

“You're saying I always take everything on myself?” Yuuno asked after a few moments of thought, then laughed once again. “That I have some sort of martyr complex?”

“Well now, you are a bright boy after all!” his duplicated sneered. You *wanted* to torture yourself, so I obliged; that's why we're still talking now, because you're still conflicted. All that stuff you did? Self-destructive much?”

Yuuno was silent a moment. "Maybe I am. I guess I never stopped to think about it. What does it matter now, anyway?"

"You think that if you live, you'll still need to bring pain to yourself and those around you," his mirror image accused. "You don't want others to suffer because of you so much, and thus death is a convenient escape. Life and reality are much scarier to confront."

"And I realize you're only telling me this, because you're trying to torture me some more," Yuuno commented cynically, still gazing at the still frame of Nanoha and Fate. "That is what you said you were here for."

"Perhaps I am," the duplicate suggested with a grin. "For you, living is the worst torment you could possibly endure at this point. You're too pathetic to stop blaming yourself for everything, always trying to think of others, while never thinking of yourself. You fancy yourself somehow noble for doing so, when in reality you're just killing yourself a little at a time. 'Yuuno is a good man, never thinking of others, isn't he so great? He never wants for anything.' Sickening, that's what it is."

Yuuno's head lowered. The sting was straight to the point, but he should have expected that; there was little you could hide from yourself if you were deliberately looking. And one always knew what hurt oneself the worst.

"So, I ask you: Is this what you really want?" the replica challenged again. "Are you satisfied with this? Just giving up?"

Yuuno clenched his eyes shut, the picture fading before his eyes. "No...."

The other Yuuno cupped his ear and leaned in slightly. "Hmm? What was that?"

"I don't want it to end like this...." Yuuno declared under his breath, his fists clenching as he finally faced the truth he had been avoiding. "I was hurt, used, abused.... and I convinced myself that it was what I wanted. To prove it, I continued to abuse myself, justifying it by saying I was doing it for everyone else."

His other yawned. "So? What are you going to do about it? Bit late to finally figure that out, hmm? After all, you're dead."

Yuuno's head came up, fixing his double with a glare. "But now I know your purpose. I created you because I wanted to punish myself, constantly seeking pain as some form of atonement. Perhaps I was running away, but not anymore!”

"Whoa, weren't you watching the movie? You're dead!"

Yuuno grinned. "If I were dead, you wouldn't be trying to convince me to live. Like I said, you're the part of me I created to torture myself; you're still trying to do it. And apparently, you also got the self-preservation part of myself, too. While I wanted to die, you want to live; and if I die, so do you."

Expecting another comeback, Yuuno was surprised instead to see his double slowly clap his hands. "Congratulations, ferret boy. Took you long enough." His face turned serious, as he slowly dissolved. "I'll be watching you, you know. Waiting for you to slip up, to torture you again. Because you will call me again. Perhaps to cut your wrists or something."

"We'll see about that," Yuuno told his other self as it completely disappeared, then he looked up and closed his eyes. "But now, I have some place I need to be."

x~~*~~x

His eyes shot open and he took a deep breath, instantly panicking at his lack of movement; he felt constricted, sluggish, his limbs unresponsive. And then his brain full registered his location in a hospital bed, a breathing mask over his face, and a blanket covering most of his body. He still couldn't move much, but he gradually calmed down.

[Is this real?] he wondered. [Did I do it?]

And then as his eyes roamed the room, he noted the girl with familiar brown hair beside his bed, leaning over with head down and resting on her arms, and he smiled.

[If this isn't real, if it is some sort of dream, perhaps I don't want to wake up,] the thought came to him, but then he chastised himself; that's what got him into this mess in the first place.

His slight movements must have disturbed her, for she slowly raised her head and rubbed her eyes, blinking as she noticed the patient in the bed looking back at her.

"Yuuno-kun!" she cried, leaning forward suddenly to hug him. "You're awake!" She pulled back suddenly. "You are awake, aren't you? You remember everything? How do you feel?"

"Yes," he managed to say with a hoarse voice, then grimaced. "Throat... dry..."

"Oh, hold on, there is something we can about that," she told him, reaching down and pulling up a tube, lifting his breathing mask a bit to hook one end of the tube into his mouth. "You were in a coma for over a week; Shamal wasn't sure you'd pull through, considering the damage you sustained. Okay, I'm gonna squirt some water into your mouth."

He swallowed the small amount of cool liquid, his speech improving as a result. "Thank you, Nanoha. And I want to say.... I'm sorry. For what I did to you, for running away after, and for wiping your memories. I know you don't remember, but-"

"Shh!" Nanoha commanded, something in her tone making him curious. "Stop it! I remember everything. Strangely, it all came back to me when I saw you begin to fall. Shamal thinks my mind magically protected those memories of you, because they were so connected with my magic so my subconscious just buried them.

She reached down to take his left hand in hers, squeezing it. "I already forgave you for what happened when we were inside that lost logia; it wasn't you who raped me, and I know it hurt you as much as it hurt me. But I know you would never willingly harm me if you could help it. I let you, so that you wouldn't suffer. I forgive you for running away, too. It hurt, I'll admit, but I probably wasn't ready to face you right away. And it was I who decided on the mind wipe, again, because I didn't want you to suffer, and I could see you were. " She smiled sadly. "I think we both messed up, doing bad things we shouldn't have, because we didn't want the other to suffer."

"I never knew..." Yuuno stated softly, staring at her, then laid his head back and let out a single laugh. "I guess we were both a couple of idiots, then."

"Yeah..." she replied, then gave his hand a squeeze. "But I'm glad you're back, Yuuno-kun."

Yuuno closed his eyes concentrating on the feeling of his hand in hers. "Me too." But there was something more. "Nanoha... I realized a lot of things while I was out. Things I wanted to hide, because I felt it was for the best. But I know now, I have to be honest with myself, and with everyone else."

"Yuuno-kun?" Nanoha questioned, her voice unsure.

"Part of why it hurt me so much, to see you hurt," he replied softly. "I never wanted to hurt you, and yet I ended up doing it anyway. But the real reason was because of... how I feel about you. I want to do what I can to help you raise our child, but I'll leave it up to you, as to how much you want me involved. I don't expect you to feel the same; I just want you to be happy. And I didn't want to be conflicted anymore."

"Shh," Nanoha told him again, leaning down to hug him. "I know, I understand. Perhaps I always knew how you felt, and never confronted it myself. I don't know how I feel right now, but we'll work something out, I promise. This is your baby, too, and I want the child to know what a great man his or her father is. And no matter what, I can promise we'll always be friends. We've been through too much together; I'd be a terrible friend if I let it end over a few small bumps. We all have our issues, even me."

Yuuno smiled finally feeling the weight begin to lift, as he closed his eyes and managed to lift his arms to hug her back. "That's all I wanted to hear, thank you."

x~~*~~x

"Oh, Yuuno, welcome!" Fate said with a smile, as he came in through the door. "How was it?"

"Difficult, as always," he admitted.

She smiled. "Counseling sessions are like that. But just think of Aina, who has more physical therapy to go through later."

"Yeah, and I promised I'd take her over, before I head off on my trip," Yuuno told Fate, walking with her into the living room.

"Going to see Quin and Mallory?" Nanoha called from the kitchen as she prepared dishes. "I almost wish I could go with you, to meet them. All I have is the letters you've received, with them thanking you for all you did. If you hadn't of gone on your trip, Mallory would be dead now."

Yuuno laughed once. "At least something good came of it. That's what Dr. Leann says anyway."

A crying sound emanated from somewhere in the house, causing the three to sigh and smile, and Nanoha to begin to remove her apron.

"Oh dear, I should have known she wouldn't stay asleep until after dinner," Nanoha commented.

"I can handle it," Yuuno offered with an amused smile, holding up his hands "Don't worry about it.

Nanoha's smile let him know she was grateful. "Thank you. Here, take this bottle in case she's hungry; I kept it warm."

Yuuno accepted it, pointedly trying to avoid turning red at Fate's very pleased grin as she set the table; she was really enjoying seeing "daddy" be put in these situations. As Yuuno traveled to the baby's room, he had to admit he was finding himself enjoying it, too, although he tried not to let it show too much. Despite the method of conception, having a child was somehow soothing to him, deep down.

[Still,] he thought with a sigh as he opened the door into the darkened room, [it might be nice if she was a little quieter.]

He set the bottle down as he picked up his crying 3-month old daughter from her crib and began to rock her in his arms. "Shh, it's okay Momoko, daddy's here."

Surprisingly, she began to quiet down, settling for some occasional frustrated cries, which made him feel proud inside for some reason. He started to hum a low song, a little useless ditty he remembered from his own childhood, thinking about everything he wanted to teach this young girl.

"That was beautiful," Nanoha said from the doorway, startling him as he finished his song; he didn't even realize he had switched to a low singing voice.

He blushed. "Just trying to calm her down, which I think she is now."

"You are good at that," Nanoha remarked with amusement, coming to stand beside him. "It usually takes me twice as long to calm her back down. I take it she's not hungry?"

Yuuno shook his head, as he noticed Momoko's eyes were closed again. "Doesn't seem like it; might have just been a bad dream, and she just wanted some reassurance. Speaking of food, didn't you need to watch dinner?"

"Fate's taking care of it," Nanoha replied, reaching out to gently squeeze his upper arm. "You're a good father."

Somehow, that simple phrase meant more to him than anything else, but it also caused his cheeks to redden again. "Thank you, although I don't know what I'm doing, or where I"m going most of the time."

"One step at a time," Nanoha told him. "That's all any of us can do. There's a lot I still don't know, either. But we'll take it one day at a time. You, me, Fate, and Momoko."

Yuuno nodded, in full agreement. "One day at a time. That's good enough for me."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

As a fanfic author, sometimes we find ourselves with multiple directions we could go, and then we realize the beauty of writing fanfics, is that we can explore several directions. The previous chapter could have ended there, and indeed, if you feel it makes for a better ending, you can stop there. But I wasn't able to have Yuuno confront himself in that, and I guess I'm a bit of a sap that likes happier endings, so I wrote this. Personally, it could be an AU ending, or the real thing, but that's something I'll leave for the reader to decide.

Some of you may recognize the title from a Robert Frost poem, where he contemplates which path to take. And how, in the end, he took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference. His poems and short stories are some of my favorites, especially after I sang quite a few of his peoms-turned-int-songs in high school. While some say he may have been obsessed with death, I think he was more into the unknown; that he'd rather avoid the easy path, because the harder one made him a better person. But that's just my own view, heh.

So that's what this was, the exploration of another path, that I'll leave it to the reader to decide.

As for shippings or pairings, I'll leave that up to the reader, too. I didn't say what Nanoha or Yuuno are, or even what Fate is in this, but if someone wants to write a fic based off this ending, or the "ending" to the previous chapter, feel free. And take whichever interpretation you'd like.

In the end, I just wanted to do the unexpected, and explore something a bit different. Mainly just to try everything, and to grow as a writer.

And now, I have to finish Red Jewel Diaries, and make a decision, heh. See you next time!

Awesome, I'll have to read the rest of that when I wake up tommorrow.

And here's the revised edition of my earlier post, incorperating. the edits made by Jokulhaup, and an ending that seemed more satisfying to me. (Still haven't come up with a name for it though.)

Spoiler for space once again:

The winds were strong; they whipped the waves beneath me into tattered shreds and frigid froth. In nothing but my sleeveless barrier jacket I felt cold as my golden yellow hair flew behind me, I also felt pain.

Pain is like a disease, a parasite that feeds upon one’s body, and like any other disease, it can kill. A slow agonizing death; a swift painless one, those were the two choices awaiting me.

I could continue to resist, to fight against the pain that threatened to consume me, my red-stained arms were numb and hanging at my side, all that kept me up was the iron-hard determination I felt, the longing to return home was the one thing that kept me conscious.

The other option was to give in, to surrender myself to the darkness that flickered around the edges of my vision. I could let myself go and plunge down into the infinite depth of the ocean beneath me.

No! I had responsibilities, I had to return, I could deal with this “This is nothing.” I thought to myself again and again, to no avail. The darkness, albeit slowly was getting closer, crawling across my sight like some kind of insect.

As pain and weakness started to grip my failing body, I couldn't help but thing back on how I wound up in this situation.

I, Fate Testarossa Harlaown, an enforcer for the Time Space Administration Bureau, was sent here to deal with a terrorist group that had attacked a local marine settlement. It was supposed to be a routine neutralization mission, but the blood from numerous wounds trickling down my arms and legs tell otherwise.

I was ambushed in mid-air. My attackers used unidentified weapons of an unknown make, capable of firing strange projectiles reminiscent of Teana Lanster's Cross Mirage. For some reason, Bardiche couldn’t sense them and I was pierced through several times, I fear that one may have damaged my heart.

Now, on the verge of death and miles from the nearest human inhabited area, I could do little more than desperately cling for life. I had dispatched an emergency request for assistance to Section Six HQ, but even at maximum speed, they were still hours away.

I clung on to my life through nothing but my own will. The cold felt like iron bands around my chest, constricting my lungs, each shuddering breath was harder to draw than the last.

I gripped Bardiche’s handle tighter to support myself, my hands shook as I scanned the dark horizons for any sign of movement, if my mysterious attackers returned I would really be done for.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I succumbed to my wounds. Faces flashed through my mind, Erio, Caro, Vivio, Nanoha! All of Section Six seemed to be looking at me and on every face was the same expression of sadness. One by one the faces vanished until I was all alone again.

Next thing I knew I was falling, falling through a void of infinite nothingness. Above me there shone a pale light, getting fainter as I fell, maybe this was what people who had suffered from near-fatal accidents said they saw.

As I gazed up at that rapidly shrinking pinprick of light, my mind slipped into darkness and I fell away.

[WarpObscura]

Originally Posted by Jokulhaup

There are parts of that fic that are superfluous to its meaning.

Spoiler for ASDF Mk. II:

Vita watched Yuuno sleep without regret.

But what did you interpret it as? I'm interested in knowing whether I communicated my intent right.

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

These two statements broke my heart, as they really show how Megane doesn't actually know her own daughter well after all, both from her coma and also from Lutecia's Shadow life. Great job there!

And small tidbits like that really show how much Lutecia's grown . And like the two quotes above, it also shows how little Lutecia communicates about her feelings in general, and with her own mother .

Nice little short, it tells of tragedy in a comedic way. That's great writing there, RB .

It irks me that I missed these things the first time through! You're right--it really does tell the story, in between the smiles, of the ongoing separation between Megane and Lutecia. I feel really silly for missing it, too, because, RadiantBeam's worked with those concepts before, in the way that Megane and Lutecia don't really interact as "mother and daughter" but more as close adult friends (with Lutecia's experiences with Jail and later the Shadows, plus the Nanohaverse's hyper-acceleration of what "adult" means, plus their complete separation since Lutecia was two pretty much meaning that Lutecia's idea of "Megane-as-mother" was an intellectual construct based on her, Lutecia's emotional needs than anything actually resembling a relationship) and the vague mist of tragedy that underlies that.

My sympathies . Although I wonder, depending on how internet-safe you are, would hate crime even be a problem in your Real Life? Feeling confident and proud enough of yourself to openly express your sexuality is a great and rare thing, and I hope you can get the freedom to do that on your own terms someday.

Complete agreement here.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

It's almost done; I should have it ready and posted within the next 24 hours.

I, quite clearly, live right.

I have been somewhat distracted, though, as I have fairly recently gone from a netbook with GMA915 graphics to a Mobility Radeon 5650... so I have been basking in the joy of a real GPU... My new Gateway NV5925u has arrived and I'm loving the ability to game again.

Currently plowing my way through Half-Life 2 again. Great game.

As do you! Glad you're having fun!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

It irks me that I missed these things the first time through! You're right--it really does tell the story, in between the smiles, of the ongoing separation between Megane and Lutecia. I feel really silly for missing it, too, because, RadiantBeam's worked with those concepts before, in the way that Megane and Lutecia don't really interact as "mother and daughter" but more as close adult friends (with Lutecia's experiences with Jail and later the Shadows, plus the Nanohaverse's hyper-acceleration of what "adult" means, plus their complete separation since Lutecia was two pretty much meaning that Lutecia's idea of "Megane-as-mother" was an intellectual construct based on her, Lutecia's emotional needs than anything actually resembling a relationship) and the vague mist of tragedy that underlies that.

It's always fun to play around with the concept, even when I do it without realizing! But it's a constant struggle of balance, with how I've developed Lutecia's character in my universe. On one hand, she genuinely loves Megane, and when she calls her "Mom" she means it as much as she can; but on the other hand, she was way past the point of ever actually considering Megane a mother figure, and even now she keeps a certain amount of distance between them. On the good side of the coin, it's because she doesn't want to hurt Megane or cause her to feel guilty, but on the bad side of the coin, Lutecia just can't bring herself to completely view Megane as "mother" and not "older sister" or "close confidente".

[Jokulhaup]

Originally Posted by WarpObscura

But what did you interpret it as? I'm interested in knowing whether I communicated my intent right.

orz
I realized my version could be interpreted as Yuuno or Vita being without regret.

As it is, I interpreted it as a Yuuno/Vita, which made me lol.

[Nijiru]

@Kaijo: Nice ending to a very good work.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Spoiler for Innocent Question:

--snip---

I do love the details you add to the story, it makes the characters and the setting come alive. Also, I'm a sucker for stories where the parent or sibling teases one of the characters, it helps keep 'em grounded and human.

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Fear can make people do stupid things; but it's an individual choice on whether we want to live in fear of what could be. It takes a unique strength to counter.

Anyway, on to the reason for my posting:

Unexpected Expectations

Chapter 13: Two Roads Diverged

Previous parts can be found here.

Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 13: Two Roads Diverged:

--snip--

This is an interesting divergence, for one thing, Yuuno here seemed to finally get some sense [metaphorically] knocked into him and by a more tough love version of himself. Good work!



-----


So… I promised a few people I would be posting something but… uh, I felt like the other stories felt somewhat lacking. I chose to post this story instead. It's also a work-in-progress and something I've been working on for a long time now…

The Arrows Fall Backwards

Part 1: Brave New World

Spoiler for The Arrows Fall Backwards -- Part I: Brave New World:

Title: The Arrows Fall Backwards
Fandom: Nanoha
Characters: Fate, Nanoha, Lindy, Chrono, Yuuno. Ensemble.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Part I: Brave New World

Congratulations on the mess you’ve made of things

I.




The world burned.

Nanoha could only stare at the devastation before her. She could cry, she should be crying but there were no tears left in her. Instead there was only the dull, numb feeling in her heart.

The house, the dojo, Midori-ya. Uminari. Everything was in ruins.

Mother wept earlier. Great, wracking sobs that shook her body when one of the men father helped informed her how Shiro Takamachi never got out of the building. Kyouya wouldn’t even look at mother, he had an expression on his face Nanoha never wanted to see again.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how it should have been.

But there was no denying the reality of it.

The world burned around her and but all Nanoha could feel was numbness.

888

“Because of the devastation your actions caused, this court finds you, Fate Testarossa, guilty.”

Chrono crossed his arms. Justice was done and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. The little girl who the Mid-Childa media dubbed as ‘The Reaper’ was really nothing but a tool. The real criminal was Precia Testarossa. But she was out of reach, dead, fallen to chasing after a fool’s quest leaving a child to answer for her crimes. Suitably discarded at will.

Normally, the Time Space Administration Bureau was lenient to criminals with Fate’s power and skill and history of abuse, if it were any other case she could have gotten away with community service.

But the mess that happened in the Unadministrated World No. 97 had the people demanding blood, anyone’s blood and there was only one logical scapegoat— Fate.

Chrono glanced beside him and saw his mother clench her fist, she had tried her hardest to spare Fate from this, he offered as much advice as he could but Fate had been withdrawn and quiet. She’d been this way ever since Chrono found her, almost catatonic with an injured orange dire wolf hunched protectively over her master.

There shouldn’t even be a trial given her condition but the only time Fate spoke she refused to help herself and even spoke up to have trial continued. She didn’t even defend herself. That’s what frustrated Chrono more.

“She’s trying to take the burden of guilt all to herself,” Amy had told him earlier.
“She learned what happened to that planet and I don’t think she’s forgiven herself.”

“But she wasn’t the one who wished for the rift!”

“I know that, Lindy knows that, even Yuuno knows that, the whole crew of Asura knows it. Deep down maybe Fate knows it too but she’s too mired in grief and guilt to do anything.”

If he were the type of person to indulge in the dramatic, he would have punched the wall.

“What happens to her now?”

Chrono looked up, jerked from his memories and found himself looking at the one eyed boy, “They would probably ship Fate off into a detention center. She’s still too young for prison.”

“Isn’t a detention center just another way to say prison?” Yuuno demanded, his one good eye piercing at Chrono.

Chrono scowled. “I know that.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Life’s seldom fair, Ferret Boy.” He said it without irony even if he thought the same thing earlier.

The one green eye glared at him, “I thought I was One Eye?”

“Amy calls you One Eye, I call you Ferret Boy.”

Yuuno fumed.

“Boys.”

Chrono stopped baiting Yuuno and faced his mother and superior officer. “I’m going to talk to Fate and then Leti.”

Admiral Leti was surrounded by reporters and she looked none too happy about it on the other end of the court room, Fate was being shackled again. Eyes still and empty, the familiar next to her also bound and shackled. “Understood.”

“I’ll see you back in the ship.”

Chrono nodded, “C’mon, Scrya.”

He pulled his coat from the chair and as he did he saw his mother crouch before Fate Testarossa. Her familiar’s head rose and even in wolf form he could see the hope shine in her eyes. Chrono looked away. He would never forget the first time he saw Fate after her mother’s deadly fall. No one should look that way, especially someone as young as Fate. It was like the rug was pulled from under her as she watched her whole world fall apart. It was an image that burned into his mind and one that would haunt him for years to come.

888

Zest rose from where he watched the proceedings. He wasn’t supposed to be here but Reguis asked him to look in on the trial. If one could call it that, it was a trial by media. Even the defense was merely a token effort, a gesture meant to appease the System. Still, it was hard to believe the waif of a girl was the cause of so much death and devastation but the Catastrophe was another example why Lost Logias should be found.

The Bureau just recently found its footing but the Jewel Seeds Incident gutted most of the Navy’s personnel and ships leaving the organization woefully undermanned and the once shining branch of the Bureau was now teetering on the brink. These were dangerous times and, if Regius was to be believed, it will only grow more unstable.

The crowd of people swirled around him and he turned to leave. There was a chuckle right by his elbow, Zest glanced beside him and saw a boy no older than fifteen. Zest frowned and the boy, probably sensing he was being watched looked at him. He was still smiling, amused.

“Wonderful isn’t it?”

Zest merely tilted his head in inquiry.

“It’s a brave new world.” His smile grew wider and Zest felt an uneasy feeling grow, “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“What?” There was a jostling in the crowd and Zest found himself pushed away, he found himself fighting against the tide until the people around him settled down but the boy was gone.

“Hey.”

Zest turned and saw Alpine, “Looking for something?”

“I was looking for—” he paused then shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

Alpine nodded, “Ready? Team’s waiting.”

“Yes, we’re done here.”

“How was it?”

“A circus,” Zest replied, walking away from the court room and navigating his way out of the building. He put the boy out his mind and the Testarossa girl. There were a lot of things to be done and little time to do it in, he’s wasted enough time looking at the past.

Spoiler for Author's Note:

The title was snapped up from Tom McRae's Mermaid Blues and chapter heads taken from the lyrics of TV on the Radio by DLZ.

This story idea took root a few months ago before I knew anything about the plot of Nanoha Movie 1st film and movie. So, I hope you forgive whatever similarities you might find. And, despite what happened and will happen I'm really not trying to write a Darker and Edgier version but I did want to explore what would if, for whatever reason, Nanoha and Yuuno were unable to meet and take it from there.

Also, I'm having a WIP amnesty month so you might see more of my works in progress this month!

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

So… I promised a few people I would be posting something but… uh, I felt like the other stories felt somewhat lacking. I chose to post this story instead. It's also a work-in-progress and something I've been working on for a long time now…

The Arrows Fall Backwards

Part 1: Brave New World

Spoiler for The Arrows Fall Backwards -- Part I: Brave New World:

Title: The Arrows Fall Backwards
Fandom: Nanoha
Characters: Fate, Nanoha, Lindy, Chrono, Yuuno. Ensemble.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Part I: Brave New World

Congratulations on the mess you’ve made of things

I.


The world burned.

Nanoha could only stare at the devastation before her. She could cry, she should be crying but there were no tears left in her. Instead there was only the dull, numb feeling in her heart.

The house, the dojo, Midori-ya. Uminari. Everything was in ruins.

Mother wept earlier. Great, wracking sobs that shook her body when one of the men father helped informed her how Shiro Takamachi never got out of the building. Kyouya wouldn’t even look at mother, he had an expression on his face Nanoha never wanted to see again.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how it should have been.

But there was no denying the reality of it.

The world burned around her and but all Nanoha could feel was numbness.

888

“Because of the devastation your actions caused, this court finds you, Fate Testarossa, guilty.”

Chrono crossed his arms. Justice was done and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. The little girl who the Mid-Childa media dubbed as ‘The Reaper’ was really nothing but a tool. The real criminal was Precia Testarossa. But she was out of reach, dead, fallen to chasing after a fool’s quest leaving a child to answer for her crimes. Suitably discarded at will.

Normally, the Time Space Administration Bureau would have lenient considering Fate’s power and skill and the evidence of abuse she could have gotten away with community service.

But the mess that happened in the Unadministrated World No. 97 had the people demanding blood, anyone’s blood and there was only one logical scapegoat— Fate.

Chrono glanced beside him and saw his mother clench her fist, she had tried her hardest to spare Fate from this, he offered as much advice as he could but Fate had been withdrawn and quiet. She’d been this way ever since Chrono found her, almost catatonic with an injured orange dire wolf hunched protectively over her master.

There shouldn’t even be a trial given her condition but the only time Fate spoke she refused to help herself and even spoke up to have trial continued. She didn’t even defend herself. That’s what frustrated Chrono more.

“She’s trying to take the burden of guilt all to herself,” Amy had told him earlier.
“She learned what happened to that planet and I don’t think she’s forgiven herself.”

“But she wasn’t the one who wished for the rift!”

“I know that, Lindy knows that, even Yuuno knows that, the whole crew of Asura knows it. Deep down maybe Fate knows it too but she’s too mired in grief and guilt to do anything.”

If he were the type of person to indulge in the dramatic, he would have punched the wall.

“What happens to her now?”

Chrono looked up, jerked from his memories and found himself looking at the one eyed boy, “They would probably ship Fate off into a detention center. She’s still too young for prison.”

“Isn’t a detention center just another way to say prison?” Yuuno demanded, his one good eye piercing at Chrono.

Chrono scowled. “I know that.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Life’s seldom fair, Ferret Boy.” He said it without irony even if he thought the same thing earlier.

The one green eye glared at him, “I thought I was One Eye?”

“Amy calls you One Eye, I call you Ferret Boy.”

Yuuno fumed.

“Boys.”

Chrono stopped baiting Yuuno and faced his mother and superior officer. “I’m going to talk to Fate and then Leti.”

Admiral Leti was surrounded by reporters and she looked none too happy about it on the other end of the court room, Fate was being shackled again. Eyes still and empty, the familiar next to her also bound and shackled. “Understood.”

“I’ll see you back in the ship.”

Chrono nodded, “C’mon, Scrya.”

He pulled his coat from the chair and as he did he saw his mother crouch before Fate Testarossa. Her familiar’s head rose and even in wolf form he could see the hope shine in her eyes. Chrono looked away. He would never forget the first time he saw Fate after her mother’s deadly fall. No one should look that way, especially someone as young as Fate. It was like the rug was pulled from under her as she watched her whole world fall apart. It was an image that burned into his mind and one that would haunt him for years to come.

888

Zest rose from where he watched the proceedings. He wasn’t supposed to be here but Reguis asked him to look in on the trial. If one could call it that, it was a trial by media. Even the defense was merely a token effort, a gesture meant to appease the System. Still, it was hard to believe the waif of a girl was the cause of so much death and devastation but the Catastrophe was another example why Lost Logias should be found.

The Bureau just recently found its footing but the Jewel Seeds Incident gutted most of the Navy’s personnel and ships leaving the organization woefully undermanned and the once shining branch of the Bureau was now teetering on the brink. These were dangerous times and, if Regius was to be believed, it will only grow more unstable.

The crowd of people swirled around him and he turned to leave. There was a chuckle right by his elbow, Zest glanced beside him and saw a boy no older than fifteen. Zest frowned and the boy, probably sensing he was being watched looked at him. He was still smiling, amused.

“Wonderful isn’t it?”

Zest merely tilted his head in inquiry.

“It’s a brave new world.” His smile grew wider and Zest felt an uneasy feeling grow, “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“What?” There was a jostling in the crowd and Zest found himself pushed away, he found himself fighting against the tide until the people around him settled down but the boy was gone.

“Hey.”

Zest turned and saw Alpine, “Looking for something?”

“I was looking for—” he paused then shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

Alpine nodded, “Ready? Team’s waiting.”

“Yes, we’re done here.”

“How was it?”

“A circus,” Zest replied, walking away from the court room and navigating his way out of the building. He put the boy out his mind and the Testarossa girl. There were a lot of things to be done and little time to do it in, he’s wasted enough time looking at the past.

Spoiler for Author's Note:

The title was snapped up from Tom McRae's Mermaid Blues and chapter heads taken from the lyrics of TV on the Radio by DLZ.

This story idea took root a few months ago before I knew anything about the plot of Nanoha Movie 1st film and movie. So, I hope you forgive whatever similarities you might find. And, despite what happened and will happen I'm really not trying to write a Darker and Edgier version but I did want to explore what would if, for whatever reason, Nanoha and Yuuno were unable to meet and take it from there.

Also, I'm having a WIP amnesty month so you might see more of my works in progress this month!

Hm, an interesting premise. I wonder if you're going to explore how things before the disaster played out in the changed set up. I'm also curious as to who that boy was supposed to be.

In other news, posted my Signum short to FF.net.

[WarpObscura]

Originally Posted by Jokulhaup

orz
I realized my version could be interpreted as Yuuno or Vita being without regret.

As it is, I interpreted it as a Yuuno/Vita, which made me lol.

Yeah, you got it right. That was indeed more-or-less the intent.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

I do love the details you add to the story, it makes the characters and the setting come alive. Also, I'm a sucker for stories where the parent or sibling teases one of the characters, it helps keep 'em grounded and human.




This is an interesting divergence, for one thing, Yuuno here seemed to finally get some sense [metaphorically] knocked into him and by a more tough love version of himself. Good work!



-----


So… I promised a few people I would be posting something but… uh, I felt like the other stories felt somewhat lacking. I chose to post this story instead. It's also a work-in-progress and something I've been working on for a long time now…

The Arrows Fall Backwards

Part 1: Brave New World

Spoiler for The Arrows Fall Backwards -- Part I: Brave New World:

Title: The Arrows Fall Backwards
Fandom: Nanoha
Characters: Fate, Nanoha, Lindy, Chrono, Yuuno. Ensemble.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Part I: Brave New World

Congratulations on the mess you’ve made of things

I.




The world burned.

Nanoha could only stare at the devastation before her. She could cry, she should be crying but there were no tears left in her. Instead there was only the dull, numb feeling in her heart.

The house, the dojo, Midori-ya. Uminari. Everything was in ruins.

Mother wept earlier. Great, wracking sobs that shook her body when one of the men father helped informed her how Shiro Takamachi never got out of the building. Kyouya wouldn’t even look at mother, he had an expression on his face Nanoha never wanted to see again.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how it should have been.

But there was no denying the reality of it.

The world burned around her and but all Nanoha could feel was numbness.

888

“Because of the devastation your actions caused, this court finds you, Fate Testarossa, guilty.”

Chrono crossed his arms. Justice was done and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. The little girl who the Mid-Childa media dubbed as ‘The Reaper’ was really nothing but a tool. The real criminal was Precia Testarossa. But she was out of reach, dead, fallen to chasing after a fool’s quest leaving a child to answer for her crimes. Suitably discarded at will.

Normally, the Time Space Administration Bureau was lenient to criminals with Fate’s power and skill and history of abuse, if it were any other case she could have gotten away with community service.

But the mess that happened in the Unadministrated World No. 97 had the people demanding blood, anyone’s blood and there was only one logical scapegoat— Fate.

Chrono glanced beside him and saw his mother clench her fist, she had tried her hardest to spare Fate from this, he offered as much advice as he could but Fate had been withdrawn and quiet. She’d been this way ever since Chrono found her, almost catatonic with an injured orange dire wolf hunched protectively over her master.

There shouldn’t even be a trial given her condition but the only time Fate spoke she refused to help herself and even spoke up to have trial continued. She didn’t even defend herself. That’s what frustrated Chrono more.

“She’s trying to take the burden of guilt all to herself,” Amy had told him earlier.
“She learned what happened to that planet and I don’t think she’s forgiven herself.”

“But she wasn’t the one who wished for the rift!”

“I know that, Lindy knows that, even Yuuno knows that, the whole crew of Asura knows it. Deep down maybe Fate knows it too but she’s too mired in grief and guilt to do anything.”

If he were the type of person to indulge in the dramatic, he would have punched the wall.

“What happens to her now?”

Chrono looked up, jerked from his memories and found himself looking at the one eyed boy, “They would probably ship Fate off into a detention center. She’s still too young for prison.”

“Isn’t a detention center just another way to say prison?” Yuuno demanded, his one good eye piercing at Chrono.

Chrono scowled. “I know that.”

“It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Life’s seldom fair, Ferret Boy.” He said it without irony even if he thought the same thing earlier.

The one green eye glared at him, “I thought I was One Eye?”

“Amy calls you One Eye, I call you Ferret Boy.”

Yuuno fumed.

“Boys.”

Chrono stopped baiting Yuuno and faced his mother and superior officer. “I’m going to talk to Fate and then Leti.”

Admiral Leti was surrounded by reporters and she looked none too happy about it on the other end of the court room, Fate was being shackled again. Eyes still and empty, the familiar next to her also bound and shackled. “Understood.”

“I’ll see you back in the ship.”

Chrono nodded, “C’mon, Scrya.”

He pulled his coat from the chair and as he did he saw his mother crouch before Fate Testarossa. Her familiar’s head rose and even in wolf form he could see the hope shine in her eyes. Chrono looked away. He would never forget the first time he saw Fate after her mother’s deadly fall. No one should look that way, especially someone as young as Fate. It was like the rug was pulled from under her as she watched her whole world fall apart. It was an image that burned into his mind and one that would haunt him for years to come.

888

Zest rose from where he watched the proceedings. He wasn’t supposed to be here but Reguis asked him to look in on the trial. If one could call it that, it was a trial by media. Even the defense was merely a token effort, a gesture meant to appease the System. Still, it was hard to believe the waif of a girl was the cause of so much death and devastation but the Catastrophe was another example why Lost Logias should be found.

The Bureau just recently found its footing but the Jewel Seeds Incident gutted most of the Navy’s personnel and ships leaving the organization woefully undermanned and the once shining branch of the Bureau was now teetering on the brink. These were dangerous times and, if Regius was to be believed, it will only grow more unstable.

The crowd of people swirled around him and he turned to leave. There was a chuckle right by his elbow, Zest glanced beside him and saw a boy no older than fifteen. Zest frowned and the boy, probably sensing he was being watched looked at him. He was still smiling, amused.

“Wonderful isn’t it?”

Zest merely tilted his head in inquiry.

“It’s a brave new world.” His smile grew wider and Zest felt an uneasy feeling grow, “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“What?” There was a jostling in the crowd and Zest found himself pushed away, he found himself fighting against the tide until the people around him settled down but the boy was gone.

“Hey.”

Zest turned and saw Alpine, “Looking for something?”

“I was looking for—” he paused then shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

Alpine nodded, “Ready? Team’s waiting.”

“Yes, we’re done here.”

“How was it?”

“A circus,” Zest replied, walking away from the court room and navigating his way out of the building. He put the boy out his mind and the Testarossa girl. There were a lot of things to be done and little time to do it in, he’s wasted enough time looking at the past.

Spoiler for Author's Note:

The title was snapped up from Tom McRae's Mermaid Blues and chapter heads taken from the lyrics of TV on the Radio by DLZ.

This story idea took root a few months ago before I knew anything about the plot of Nanoha Movie 1st film and movie. So, I hope you forgive whatever similarities you might find. And, despite what happened and will happen I'm really not trying to write a Darker and Edgier version but I did want to explore what would if, for whatever reason, Nanoha and Yuuno were unable to meet and take it from there.

Also, I'm having a WIP amnesty month so you might see more of my works in progress this month!

....

Considering all of this, we're going to be getting the explaination of how this happened, right? Please? Pretty please?

On that hand, very nice! Just the right amount of angst (), and it's interesting to see a darker, nastier take on what could have happened if Nanoha had never met Yuuno and thus, had never gotten through to Fate and saved her. I'm personally still optimistic enough to think this can end at least semi-happily, but I'll have to wait and see what you do.

Update soon!

[Thunderbird]

Because I was bored...probably been done before, but I've never seen it. More for RB though since she likes this sort of thing...I think

Spoiler for Well done...my daughter...:

"If you wish..." red eyes spoke with clarity and sincerity "If you wish, I will protect you from anyone or anything in this entire world." she spoke without hesitation, without fear...without regret. "Not because I am your daughter" she took a step forward "but because you are my mother!" she outstretched her hand

The crew of the Asura looked on in silence, even Arf was dumbfounded at the declaration. Fate, nonetheless, stood resolute. She was willing to throw away everything: her new friendship with Nanoha, her painful memories, her life...all to save the dying woman know as her mother.

"All right..." Precia spoke after a lengthy silence. "Come to me...Fate."

The blond took a step towards the woman, then another, and another.

"Fate, don't!" Arf screamed

"Back away from her, Fate Testarossa!" Chrono yelled

Those words fell to deaf ears as Fate continued to walk, step by step with her arm outstretched until she held her mother's hand.

"If you are true to your words..." Precia spoke softly "Then you will do this for me..."

"Yes, mother" Fate nodded as she drew yet closer to her mother's body.

"Raise your head" Precia ordered as she held a jewel seed in her hand.

"You cant be serious!" Lindy yelled out "That will kill her!"

Fate lifted her head and leaned back as Precia carefully placed a jewel seed into the blond's chest, merging the seed with the linker core.

"Argggghhh!!! ahhhhh!!!" Fate screamed in pain as the fusion initiated, bright aqua light began to fill the room.

"Chrono, we have to regroup!" Lindy shouted as she headed towards the exit "Arf-san too! Lets go!" she ordered.

The three of them escaped from the main chambers and regrouped with Nanoha down the hall.

"What's wrong everyone?" the girl in white stared at them while they caught their breath. "Where is Fate-chan?" she asked after looking around.

"Nanoha we have a problem..." Chrono began.

~xX*Xx~

Fate slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up slowly from the ground. "Mother..." she called as she turned her attention towards the woman. "I'm ready."

"Your order is simple this time" the older woman smiled "Search and Destroy" she stated "We cannot allow them to invade the Garden any longer. Destroy them all ."

"What about those who are no longer able to battle? Should I-" she was cut off when Precia grabbed her by the neck and raised her in the air

"Dont joke with me!" She tightened her grip slightly "My orders were very specific...! Search and Destroy...SEARCH AND DESTROY!!" she tightened a little more, making the girl squirm and struggle to breathe "You are to crush anything that gets in our way!!! Do not run and do not hide from them!!! Attack them head on!!! Barrel right through them!!! Obliterate any obstacles!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!?!!" she threw the blond to the ground.

The little girl gasped for air and coughed for a few moments before bringing herself to one knee and bowing. "Understood...mother." she stood up and threw all her doubts behind as she flew in the direction that the others retreated from.

~xX*Xx~

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha called, stopping the blond's advance "Why...?" her face full of sadness

The room's lighting dimmed slightly, as if reacting to the mood of the very scene itself

"Nanoha" Fate frowned "I am sorry...but we cannot be friends" she drew her weapon "The result will be different this time" her eyes glowed "get ready."

"Lindy-san, Chrono-kun, Arf-san" she looked over her shoulder "Please take all the wounded out and escape. I will stay and defeat Fate-chan once again."

"Nanoha!" Chrono protested

"Lets go" Lindy ordered "she cant use her full power if we are in the way." she pushed them before turning back "Good luck Nanoha-san. We will send reinforcements as soon as possible"

"Said your farewells?" Fate waited patiently "If so then lets begin."

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha braced herself as she knew that words were useless once again.

Two flashes of light blurred through as the weapons clashed in the darkness...the white and black jackets soared through the dark gloom. The time between the two instants was
practically nonexistent. The surge of power from the clashes dislodged parts of the ground and hurled them into the air signaling the start of the battle.

"Shes fast" Nanoha thought to herself "Shes definitely far stronger than she was last time." she grit her teeth, wondering if the girl had held back on purpose in the last battle.

"I see you've gotten a bit better" Fate noted, seeing how much better Nanoha was moving compared to their first bout. "Now I will be able to enjoy this battle without restriction" she smiled.

"Her speed is most definitely incredible!" Nanoha thought to herself "I have to take the initiative!" she charged once again

The weapons clashed and the next attack followed immediately, both combatants not even having time to inhale again. Fate attacked with the speed she inherited from the refinement of Linith's teaching. Her body moved as a blur, the attacks followed each other in rapid succession. The brutal force behind each attack was most definitely not human. But Nanoha's trained eyes could see them, and as long as she could see them, she could fight. The speed in which they attacked each other flew between the possible and impossible, their senses had sharpened and time seemed to pass by a lot slower.

"You seem to be in better shape, you move really really well." the red-eyed girl praised "In that case...." she put her weapon in front of her and changed modes into its Scythe form. She closed her eyes and concentrated as if enchanting it with power

"Its my chance for a counter attack!" Nanoha thought and stepped forward. "...!" her body stopped itself

"Hmm" Fate opened her eyes and grinned at the frozen Nanoha.

[Protection] Raising Heart activated automatically

On the other side of the field, Fate tensed her body like a bow ready to fire. She had stopped moving yes, but Nanoha couldn't find any way to take advantage of it, her instinct was going wild. For some reason she knew that she must maintain her distance, that the blond's attack would be able to reach her even from that far.

"How about this technique next?" her eyes glowed an even deeper shade of red and stared directly into Nanoha's as if to confirm that the other girl was paying attention.

Nanoha knew there was no way to escape, so the only option was to handle it head on. She griped her staff harder and reinforced the barrier in front of her, moving her back leg further to help brace for impact.

"Harken...SABER!" Fate drew back and made a slashing movement. Three spinning circles of electricity rapidly approached her enemy from different directions

"Kuh!" the white mage grunted as the attacks slammed into her shield one after another.

Fate took this opportunity and charged at her opponent like a bullet fired from a gun. Nanoha recovered but didn't try to dodge, Instead faced the charge and steps forward, almost as if to expose herself to it. The sound of steel striking steel echoed again

"..."

"..."

Both combatants were without words. 13 attacks connected...but only one sound was made. The girl in black doesn't even draw back for a second assault. Her weapon got lodged into the ground thanks to the white mage's deflection.

"Not bad at all" she commented, slowly freeing Bardiche.

"I made it somehow..." Nanoha muttered to herself. "somehow..." she was partially amazed herself. Despite her not-quite-so-perfect condition she managed to move her body in the face of that overpowering rush.

"You know..." Fate smiled "a real battle..." she poised her weapon happily "is supposed to be like this!"

Nanoha commenced her counter attack and slowly began to push Fate back.

"Geh..." the blond lost her balance and leaned on her weapon making it a golden opportunity.

The girl in white charged to take advantage of the situation, with the conviction that she has finally won.

"Haaaaaa!" she cried out and swung her weapon towards the other girl's head. There was nothing present to stop it...or so she thought.

The sound of metal hit her staff and forced her back.

"Wha-?" she gasped out before backing up a couple of paces and looked around to see if there was anyone that could have interfered.

"...I...am rather disappointed in you..." Fate's voice forced the mage to look directly. "Is this all you really can do?" she lowered her weapon.

Once again the sound of something hitting Raising Heart echoed pushing its wielder back a step. Then again...and again...and again...

"I misjudged you..." the girl sighed in a way that almost made it sound like a soft cry before it became full of anger "but I certainly saw it!" she tightened her grip around the staff "back when you were fighting me last time..." she glared at Nanoha "the blazing flame of your life!"

Once again the invisible attack landed on Raising Heart causing its master to take one more step back.

"What is going on?!" She screamed at herself frustrated "I cant see the attacks whatsoever!" she grit her teeth. "Guh!" she braced herself again as another attack landed "There is no way she is *this* much stronger!" she glared. "Ack!" she grabbed her arm as another attack penetrated her barrier and broke her skin.

"...fine then..." Fate lowered her head before taking a deep breath and slowly raised her eyes to glare at her opponent.

"...!" Nanoha flew back a little bit creating as much distance as possible

"Allow me to introduce my next technique..." slowly she raised Bardiche in Assault Form and set it up the same way as before. This time, however, only the setup looked the same. "With this technique, let your life blaze with fire..." she began to charged her energy "If you cannot do this..." she narrowed her eyes "then you will die..."

Nanoha found herself unable to move at the sudden massive pressure she was receiving from the small 9 year old child.

[Arc Saber] Bardiche called out for its master as Fate charged.

Blow after blow was exchanged. Each time they connected, Nanoha thought that her own attacks were weakening, while Fate's was becoming more and more powerful.

"Huff...huff..." the girl in white tried her best to recover and parry the massive onslaught that the other girl was ruthlessly bringing down upon her. Her body began to feel like lead as more and more of her power was being used just to defend herself, her barrier jacket torn in several places.

This was no longer a fight...it had turned into a one-sided barrage. Attack after merciless attack followed each other and, as if to make fun of the struggling girl, any pathetic counter attacks were easily brushed aside. the red-eyed girl became even more and more frustrated during the entire session. With each attack she threw out, her enemy's counter became more and more pathetic.

"Keh.." she spat out towards Nanoha "...and you were supposed to be my equal?!" she slammed her axe full force into the defender's staff "Dont joke with me!!!!"

"Kyaaa!" Nanoha screamed as she was sent flying

"You never showed a change of pace! You just kept doing the same thing over and over!" Fate flared, her anger now reached critical limits. "This disappointment...this irritation...ARGH!!!!" she charged again and slammed her weapon into the pink barrier, causing its master to plummet to the ground below.

"I....I..." Nanoha tried to speak, but the situation wouldn't even give her a chance to breathe. She tried to counter the last attack.

"Enough with your games!!"

"Uwaaaaaaah!!"

With a single good kick to from the side, the girl in white was sent sprawling onto the ground. The girl in black landed lightly some distance away, looking in disgust at her opponent.

"This is the end..." her voice full of anger "I will at least do you the courtesy of ending your life with my GREATEST ATTACK!"

Nanoha slowly rose to her feet, her entire body weight resting on her staff.

"Photon Lancer Phalanx Shift!!!" with her cry, the surrounding area around her formed a bright yellow. The ground began to shake so much you could barely manage to stand normally. The air around her began to burn and suffocate everything around it. This power was truly enormous. Without a glimmer of doubt, this power by far exceeded any protection the barrier jackets might offer.

"...wha...?!" Nanoha looks on and began to think quickly. She knows there is no way for her to avoid it, not with her body half injured as it is. "I..promised Fate-chan..." she spoke to herself "I promised...I would save her...!"

"Dont do this..." Fate's voice seemed to revert back to normal "Stop this travesty..."

"I have to....! I have to...!" she reached out and raised her staff.

". . ."

"I promised...I would save you..." she slowly staggered to her feet and pointed her device. "Raising Heart..."

Understood...Master... the device responded.

Soon a large pink ball began to form in front of her...slowly but surely it intensified to match the glow of its counterpart.

"I'm sorry...but I wont let you hit me with that again" Fate summoned binds that interrupted Nanoha's concentration. "You survived this before...let's see if you will survive this again." she raised her hand "Fire!!" she ordered

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh~~!!!!!!!" Nanoha scream filled the area as the attack slammed into her body.

The whole roomed turned white for a moment, blinding everyone in it before slowly reverting back. In the middle of the floor, with blood all over her jacket, laid Nanoha. Her blue eyes seemed to be barely functioning as she stared up at the red counterparts.

"Fate...-chan..."

Fate raised Bardiche over the other girl, a single tear rolling down her face "I'm sorry...Takamachi Nanoha" and with both hands, plunged her weapon into the other girl's heart. Red fluid came up and splattered all over her jacket, her body, her weapon, her face...She bit back the feeling of anguish that coursed through her body as she pulled out the weapon and paid her last respects to the girl she once considered her friend. Her shoulders wouldn't stop shaking even as gentle hands were placed on them. Her mother's voice coming from behind her.

"Well done...my daughter..."

*runs before she gets skewered by bullets*

[Demi.]

Well I should have expected that after "*runs before she gets skewered by bullets*" but no, I had to keep reading and see it for myself.

Fate was a bit too snarky there, since I can't really envision her acting so cocky, but hey, I guess that's what fanfics are for. Also, what was the jewel shard for? I guess it was to make her stronger, but it's never really explained...Since the reason Fate won so easily just seemed like it was because Fate was holding back during their first final battle.

[Thunderbird]

It was a little thingy done at 322am, I wasn't really thinking...just staring blankly at the screen while words just miraculously formed because of my fingers typing...boy do I need some sleep XD

[Demi.]

It was still a pretty good read for people into that depressing kind of stuff.

[Kaijo]

Last chapter of Unexpected Expectations is up on ff.net here.

With that out of the way, I should have Dragon Quest done in less than a week, then there is only a single chapter remaining. I may or may not be able to finish "Perils of Lost Logia II" as I need to be in a certain mood to write that kind of fic, so it may take longer (although I only envision it being about another 4 chapters or so).

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Hm, an interesting premise. I wonder if you're going to explore how things before the disaster played out in the changed set up. I'm also curious as to who that boy was supposed to be.

In other news, posted my Signum short to FF.net.

Thanks! I will touch on a few things about the disaster but not really play out in detail what happenedand leave some for the imagination. Sometimes the imagination does a better job than the writers

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

....

Considering all of this, we're going to be getting the explaination of how this happened, right? Please? Pretty please?

Yep Like, I've said above, there will be some explanation but not in detail

On that hand, very nice! Just the right amount of angst (), and it's interesting to see a darker, nastier take on what could have happened if Nanoha had never met Yuuno and thus, had never gotten through to Fate and saved her. I'm personally still optimistic enough to think this can end at least semi-happily, but I'll have to wait and see what you do.

Update soon!

Thanks! I'm glad the chapter just had the right amount of angst, since I don't want this to be about the angst. I've always been fascinated with the fork in the road sort of AUs and wanted to try my hand at it.

And, if you're familiar with the type of stories I like (and I think you are) you'll get the hint how this might end Other than that I'm keeping mum!

There's going to be an update coming soon

Originally Posted by Thunderbird

Because I was bored...probably been done before, but I've never seen it. More for RB though since she likes this sort of thing...I think

Spoiler for Well done...my daughter...:

--snip--

*runs before she gets skewered by bullets*

Heh. That'll learn me to be worried about Darker and Edgier, this was certainly a lot darker and edgier! And, boy did Fate commit to the role... although, I'm not too sure about Fate snarking and smirking like that. That felt too... mustache twirling villain than Fate at her worst.

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Last chapter of Unexpected Expectations is up on ff.net here.

With that out of the way, I should have Dragon Quest done in less than a week, then there is only a single chapter remaining. I may or may not be able to finish "Perils of Lost Logia II" as I need to be in a certain mood to write that kind of fic, so it may take longer (although I only envision it being about another 4 chapters or so).

Okay, this might bein the backlog... but I don't think I've read Dragon Quest? Is that a Nanoha story?

[00-Raiser]

Kaijo is refering to a fic he's writing that shares the title.

[synaesthetic]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

....

Considering all of this, we're going to be getting the explaination of how this happened, right? Please? Pretty please?

On that hand, very nice! Just the right amount of angst (), and it's interesting to see a darker, nastier take on what could have happened if Nanoha had never met Yuuno and thus, had never gotten through to Fate and saved her. I'm personally still optimistic enough to think this can end at least semi-happily, but I'll have to wait and see what you do.

Update soon!

This AU reminds me of my back-burnered AU where Alicia never died and ended up becoming a rather implacable villain, and Yuuno never turned into a ferret, and Miyuki found a magical sword and... yeah I think I should probably try to work on that one again at some point.

[Arkeus]

MMh, new fall of Belka time fic on ffnet .

So far, not looking too bad.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

This AU reminds me of my back-burnered AU where Alicia never died and ended up becoming a rather implacable villain, and Yuuno never turned into a ferret, and Miyuki found a magical sword and... yeah I think I should probably try to work on that one again at some point.

Yes, you should! I've been waiting for more of that one!

Page claim for waiting!