Speaking of humor...I doubt I mentioned this before but...when it comes to innuendos...I have more fun reading them than writing them. I know I tried an attempt at giving hints and such but...I'll admit...I suck at it. I mentioned in one of my posts about a h-doujin called Spoonful 2, and...in my re-attempt at my fanfic, I mentioned that my main OC was thrown a question about having a "fantasy" from his partner unexpectedly. In one of the chapters I finished, I mentioned that a cousin of his works at an adult store in which Hayate gets something that...would probably surprise Nanoha and cause Fate to be...annoyed. Unfortunately, my main OC was somewhat dragged into it as well.
The result...Fate wants to give some payback to her. So...this is what I tried to come up with.
Spoiler for Payback is Sweet:
After Shiro came back from sparring with his partner, he was about to head over to a vending machine to get something cold when Fate called him over. Once Shiro got his cold beverage, he then saw the Officer over at the lobby.
“You need something?” asked Shiro.
“Yeah…have you seen Hayate around?” asked Fate.
“Last time she said that she needed to go take care of some errands. I suspect she’ll be back in a few minutes,” he replied.
“Well…when you see her…tell her that Nanoha and I need to talk to her…personally,” said Fate.
Shiro was silent for a brief moment before he realized what it was all about.
‘Oh…it has to do with that dominatrix suit that she got from that shop my cousin works at,’ he thought.
“I’m guessing that it has to do with that…suit?” inquired Shiro.
“That…suit? Oh…yes…that suit,” answered the blonde.
“Did you find it…offensive?” asked Shiro.
He heard her sigh in annoyance. “It was a bit…revealing…and rude of her I might add,” she said.
“Because…well…she also got one for my partner as well,” said Shiro sheepishly.
Fate stared at him incredulously and was shocked at what he just said.
“The reason…well…my partner asked a…inappropriate question…to which I responded,” said Shiro.
“Wait…you mean…you’re actually into…” began Fate. She suddenly gasped and scolded him. “Shiro…you pervert.”
“Well…it’s true. Usually…I prefer having them being dominant over…me,” he said. “I presume that the both of you alternate roles?”
Fate knew where this was going and quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening.
‘In a way…yes,’ replied Fate. ‘She hasn’t taken your…innocence…yet, has she?’
‘Nope,’ he replied. ‘I’m guessing that what you’re planning is…payback?’
Shiro then saw a glint of mischief and deviousness in her eyes and slightly shuddered. ‘There’s my answer,’ he thought.
A few minutes later, after the two of them had finished talking about Hayate, Shiro was about to head to his work space when Signum passed by him.
“What were you talking to Testarossa about?” she asked.
“Come to think of it Signum…please don’t think wrong about this but…has your Master ever done any…awkward things?” asked Shiro.
“What do you mean?” asked the Belkan knight.
“You know…like have odd dressing up ideas or other ideas that sound…farfetched?” inquired Shiro.
Signum was silent for a moment before saying, “You have no idea.”
“That sounds like a bad thing,” guessed Shiro. “Does she drag you guys into her scenarios or ideas?”
“She can be a bit persistent…and a bit annoying when she does so, however…despite how embarrassing it may sound…sometimes…we have no choice,” said Signum.
“I see,” said Shiro. “I’m guessing you heard Fate yell out Hayate’s name in frustration?”
“Yeah…she didn’t seem too pleased about something,” said Signum.
“That something…also happened to be in the possession of my partner. Hayate went to an adult shop that a cousin of mine works at and got some…suit…that…well…you don’t want to know,” said Shiro.
“Wait…you said…adult shop?” repeated Signum.
Shiro nodded.
“She better not do anything to harm her,” growled Signum.
“Actually…I think Fate is just trying to pay her back for her joke,” said Shiro. “Although…don’t you get tired of her silly antics at times?”
The Belkan knight was silent and Shiro didn’t know how to interpret it before he saw a slight nod.
“I’ll admit that she does need to know some restraint,” said Signum. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
“My lips are sealed,” said Shiro.
Shiro then heard an incoming vehicle pass by and a few minutes later, Hayate came back from her errands. He then walked over to her and told the lieutenant that Fate and Nanoha wanted to talk to her…personally. Shiro put more emphasis on the word personally, which was enough to get Hayate slightly on edge. He didn’t want to guess what was in store…but…his gut feeling told him…it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
What are innuendos?! Seriously, though, I'm with you. I prefer to read them over writing them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
New short! Set in Sistersverse, so the pairing is obviously Miyuki/Nanoha, at least subtly implied. Also, Syn came up with an awesome ship name for them while we were chatting on AIM, dubbing them NanoYuki. It is awesome and I love it and she gets full credit for it.
Onward!
Spoiler for Sky Pendant:
Nanoha absently brushed loose strands of hair out of her eyes, leaning down slightly as she peered through the glass of the Mid-Childan jewelry store. The teenager wasn’t usually one to pay much mind to fancy little things like necklaces and earrings, but she had to admit that a certain trinket in the store display had caught her eye: a tiny pendant, the stone the color of a clear blue sky with no clouds. Two small white wings had been carefully carved and attached to the sides of the stone, making it look as if the little necklace would come to life and flit off at a moment’s notice.
“Do you like it, my master?” The curious tone that was apparent in Raising Heart’s voice made Nanoha smile, and she got the feeling that her little jewel was assessing the pendant she currently eyed, almost like a potential mate or possible competition.
“No worries, Raising Heart, you’re my first love.” Her hand lightly closed around the Device. “I have to admit it’s very pretty, though.” And expensive, she thought with a small wince as she once more glanced at the price tag. She was by no means poor, but she wasn’t exactly made of money at the moment, either. A shame, really; she liked the necklace, too…
“What’re you looking at, Nanoha?”
Nanoha nearly jumped out of her skin, but managed to stifle the yelp; she glanced up to find Miyuki peering over her shoulder, the older woman casually leaning against her sister and wrapping her in a loose embrace as she studied the object of Nanoha’s interest. Nanoha took a deep, slow breath and tried to calm her raging heartbeat. “Onee-chan, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t sneak up on me like that anymore.”
Miyuki smiled innocently. “I remember no such agreement.” Ignoring the brunette’s glare and grumble, she peered in closer. “You like it? You’ve never been one for jewelry before.”
“It kind of reminds me of the sky.” Nanoha laughed sheepishly. “But it’s way too expensive; I think something like that would take a chunk out of even your paycheck, Onee-chan.” Reaching down, she caused Miyuki to let go of her as she grabbed her school bag, and mentally slapped herself for missing her warmth. “I was just looking.”
“Just looking.” Miyuki raised a brow.
“Mmmm! That’s enough for me.” Nanoha tucked her bag under her arm and smiled. “Ready to go home?”
Since her back was turned, Nanoha didn’t see the way Miyuki studied her, then glanced back at the pendant.
It was getting dark, and Nanoha was starting to worry.
It wasn’t like Miyuki to work late; the older woman had a schedule of coming home either before darkness fell or very soon afterwards, mostly because they were both still in an adjustment period to their new home and didn’t want to worry each other. In fact, the older woman had acted oddly during their shopping trip; she’d suddenly mentioned that she’d forgotten that she had an extra shift at work, and had disappeared before Nanoha could even ask what was going on.
With a sigh, Nanoha lay back on her bed. “But even with an extra shift, she isn’t usually out this late…” She scowled, trying to get her mind to stop formulating explanations for why Miyuki hadn’t come home yet and failing miserably.
“Perhaps she is on a date, my master?” Raising Heart suggested, floating beside her. “After all, there was one young man at her workplace who said he would like to ‘tap that’—"the rest of the Device’s sentence was muffled as Nanoha groaned and smacked her down with a hand, pinning her to the bed.
“Don’t say ‘on a date’ and ‘tap that’ so casually,” Nanoha mumbled, wondering why the thought of her sister out on a date with a man—or hell, a woman if she really wanted to torture herself—bothered her so much. Miyuki certainly had every right to go out on dates; she was still young, and a very beautiful woman.
So why was she feeling this burning ache in her chest at the thought?
At that moment, the door opened and distracted Nanoha from her thoughts, making her sit up and causing Raising Heart to release a muffled squeak of protest from beneath her hand. “Onee-chan?”
“Sorry I’m late, Nanoha.” She heard Miyuki close the door and lock it. “I had to work late because a couple guys cut out early.”
“It’s all right.” Springing off the bed, Nanoha darted to greet her sister, reaching her just in time to see her hang up her jacket. “Did you eat yet? I can get started on dinner.”
“Um, yeah.” Miyuki seemed oddly nervous. “Hey, Nanoha, can you do me a favor and close your eyes?”
Nanoha blinked in confusion before she nodded, closing her eyes. She didn’t know what her sister was thinking, but she trusted Miyuki and saw no reason to question her. She felt the older woman’s fingers brush her neck, then the soft sound of something clicking into place and a gentle weight against her chest. Confused, she opened her eyes slowly.
And blinked, finding that she was now wearing the winged, sky-colored pendent she’d looked at earlier. Stunned, her hand closed around it. “Onee-chan?”
“You said you liked it.” Miyuki smiled weakly. “And my salary pays a little bit more than yours does at the moment.”
“But…. You didn’t have to…”
“I just wanted to, you know? It’s rare to see you take an interest in something like that.” The older woman rubbed the back of her neck and resisted the urge to squirm. Why the hell was she so nervous? This wasn’t the first time she’d bought something for Nanoha because the girl had wanted it but couldn’t get it herself, so why was this different?
The next instant Miyuki’s babbling was cut off as she was hugged tightly by Nanoha, the teenager smiling happily as her eyes shone. “Thank you, Onee-chan!”
…
Oh hell, she was blushing.
Nonetheless, Miyuki gently hugged Nanoha back and returned her smile. “No problem, Nanoha.”
She wondered why she felt as if she was in big, big trouble.
Spoiler for Author's Notes:
1. So yeah, this is set in Sistersverse, obviously. I just have no clue if this will actually be mentioned in the canon plot for the story itself, or just left off to the side.
2. At this point I'm kind of dropping the whole "could be viewed as sisterly love" thing, at least for this one-shot, since I've decided to go full steam ahead with the pairing for the main story. So obviously, this was a good chance to drop some little hints of things developing ahd shifting.
3. In terms of storyline, this takes place maybe a month or so before the main plot of Sisters kicks off.
Nice. Just one question. Where do I sign up for more?
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathcurse
Just something that I found in my files and decided to finish for fun . A little short pre-A's, about Dr. Ishida and Hayate .
Spoiler for Just What the Doctor Ordered:
Just What the Doctor Ordered
“How are you today Hayate-chan?” Ishida-sensei flipped through Hayate’s charts, glancing over at her with warm concern. She had only been the little girl’s doctor for about a year, but Ishida felt more fond of Hayate than any of her other patients. It was tragic, Hayate’s inexplicable paralysis, yet the girl never lost her smile no matter how many trips in and out of the hospital.
“Alright,” Hayate said, giving her a sheepish grin.
“Alright?” Ishida gave her a stern look. “The nurse said you were sick last night?”
Another sheepish grin sealed her guilt. The doctor clucked and waved the clipboard admonishingly. “If you’re not feeling well you have to say so. Hayate-chan trusts her sensei, yes?”
“Of course!”
“Good,” Ishida said, patting Hayate on the head affectionately. “So,” she asked again, “How are you today, Hayate-chan?”
“My stomach’s still a little queasy,” Hayate confessed this time. “But it’s much better than yesterday! I feel a lot better too, and I’m really not tired or hurting anymore.”
Dr. Ishida smiled as she readied the thermometer device, waiting for the electronic display to turn on. “Do your legs hurt at all?” Despite the trouble, any time Hayate landed in the hospital Ishida would carefully take her through all their usual tests to make sure that the paralysis hadn’t spread any further. While it hadn’t spread higher up Hayate’s body in the last year, which was a relief, every time the girl’s legs seemed to get weaker and less responsive, a fact that always horrified Ishida. She hid her true worry from Hayate though. The girl was too kind by far, and Ishida knew that Hayate would strain herself to try and ease her doctor’s concerns, which was the last thing Ishida wanted.
Hayate really was such an exasperatingly considerate child.
“The nurses are really nice, and they help me turn a lot so my legs don’t hurt at all,” Hayate answered, blinking her kind blue eyes up at Ishida. She obediently opened her mouth for the thermometer, holding it under her tongue, well-practiced at the routine. “Um pheelin muhch betther, reahy.”
Ishida laid a hand on Hayate’s forehead, the more inaccurate but comforting way to judge Hayate’s temperature. “Hm, you’re a lot cooler than yesterday, so that’s good.” She heard the thermometer beep and scribbled down the number on her clipboard. “Well, Hayate-chan, all your tests came in fine, so there are no worries there. I’m still a little concerned about your fever though. I think I want to keep you here for one more day, just to make sure that you’re completely better.”
“If you really think so, sensei…” Hayate mumbled, looking at her lap then glancing up imploringly. “But if I’m okay to go home, I really would rather not be any trouble here.”
While the little girl had a point, Ishida hummed, looking through the charts again as an excuse not to answer right away. It was true, Hayate would probably be alright going home, but she was reluctant to send the girl back to her empty house the day before her birthday. Ishida never understood how Hayate could possibly be allowed to stay all alone in a large house while disabled, but all her protests were replied with oddly evasive notices from her superiors. Something about special circumstances, and an uncle who had explained this to that person, and signed that for this clause…
But none of that solved the problem of leaving a nine-year old child alone in an empty house.
“Sensei?”
“Hayate-chan, are you sure?” Ishida set her clipboard down on the bedside table and took a seat on the bed, patting Hayate’s hand. “It would be no trouble to have you stay another day for observation.”
The girl smiled one of her sweet, gentle smiles. “I don’t want to take up space that someone else who’s actually sick might need…”
“You are someone who’s actually sick, Hayate-chan,” reminded Ishida, tapping the girl on the head.
“Still, I’m lots better today, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are,” Ishida assured her while also sighing and conceding the point. She studied Hayate’s innocent and open expression, struggling to keep her personal emotions and her professional logic separate. Long stays wouldn’t be good for the girl, exposing her to stronger germs in the hospital environment, and the mental strain of being constantly hospitalized wasn’t either. Hayate would probably do better at home, although it would add another constant worry to Ishida’s own mind.
“Okay, I’ll let you go home if you promise me something?” Ishida gave in. “You have to promise to go home and rest. Get lots of sleep, and come in again tomorrow for your scheduled check-up—we didn’t finish all the tests yesterday, so it’ll be really quick, okay?”
“Okay,” promised Hayate, nodding.
“Good girl,” smiled Ishida, and handed Hayate her clothes from the bed-stand. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She left Hayate to change and walked outside the room, sliding the charts back into the box beside the door. Making her way over to the nurse’s station, Ishida spotted one of them changed out of their scrubs and ready to leave. “Ah, Hitomi-san? Can you please do me a favour?”
The tall blonde woman nodded curiously. “Of course, sensei.”
“Could you please walk Hayate-chan home? It’s alright if she needs to stop for groceries on the way, but please make sure she gets home safely and that she goes to bed.”
“Hayate-chan?” Hitomi grinned and nodded again, her eyes warm. All the nurses had a soft spot for Hayate, although it was rather sad how often they all saw the girl. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” Ishida said in relief. She returned to Hayate’s room, walking in as Hayate finished transferring herself to her chair and was pulling the sheets neatly flat and centering her pillow. Ishida didn’t want to ruin the pleasure Hayate got from being polite and helpful by letting her know that the nurses had to strip and remake the beds anyways, and so she waited patiently for Hayate to finish.
“Hitomi-san has just finished her shift and will walk you home…is there anything else you need?”
“Nothing sensei, thank you,” Hayate replied, bowing in her chair and giving her another smile.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Ishida watched Hayate wheel herself out into the hallway and cheerfully greet Hitomi, the two of them chatting enthusiastically as they made their way to the elevator.
One of her colleagues came up to her side. “Oh, is Hayate-chan alright?”
“Yes,” Ishida reassured her, smiling despite her internal worries. “It was just a bad flu, her condition isn’t any worse.”
“It’s such a sad thing, for such a young girl to be paralyzed like that. Her condition is stable though, isn’t it?”
“For now,” Ishida said softly.
It was Hayate’s birthday tomorrow.
Please, if there were any kind gods listening…let that poor little girl become happy and well and not alone anymore.
Spoiler for Author's Note:
And we all know who showed up the next day!
I've always liked Dr. Ishida, and I think it's pretty special how the first person we hear in Nanoha A's is Dr. Ishida asking after Hayate . Sad how she's the only person who cared about Hayate before the Wolkenritter!
I kinda wanted to see a short with Ishida-sensei talking to Shamal about work. Where this idea came from? No idea.
Nice. Just one question. Where do I sign up for more?
Well, chapter 4 should be up sometime this year pretty soon depending on how much free time I have. But it's going to take awhile for me to get to the NanoYuki parts; I'm currently developing the plot at the moment.
No, it's not "Someone For Everyone". That's Shiny's work.
Yeah, it's not the story that everyone is looking forward to, but it is something I enjoyed writing.
Time Loop
Chapter Six
Developing Numbers
Sorry, bad title name.
Spoiler for Numbers in Nerima:
Ranma looked around the ballroom with all the elegantly dressed people and shook his head. What the heck was going on here? Considering he couldn't really make out anyone's faces he figured that he was either in the Silver Millennium, or was dreaming. Seeing the floating cats dancing with three-headed dogs on the ceiling, he was tempted to think of the latter.
"Ah, Mr. Saotome." A familiar voice spoke up to his right, causing him to turn and raise an eyebrow at the blond idiot in an orange tuxedo. Seriously, who the hell made a tuxedo out of orange? "I trust that you're taking a liking to our... Accomodations."
Suddenly the surroundings around him shifted and blurred and he found himself on a chair, chains wrapped around him as he looked at the blond idiot, this time in an orange lab coat, grinning at him. "Okay, seriously, Naruto, lose the orange."
"NEVER!" He screamed to the heavens while shaking his fist dramatically. "I shall prove to you that orange is far superior to anything you know of!"
"Even sex?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto sputtered for a moment before the walls were blown open and Sakura, what the hell is she doing here?! Ranma thought as the pink haired monster flew past him and through another wall.
The two looked into the smoking hole as a short-brown-haired, boyish-looking person stepped through, dusting the sleeves of the jacket they were wearing.
"Otto?" Ranma blinked a few times.
She smirked at him. "Call me... Saotome... Otto Saotome."
Ranma gasped awake with a jerk and sat up, or tried to as Tre rested her head on his lap and Uno had her arms wrapped around his shoulders while snuggling to his side. "No more late night parties while watching Bond films." He muttered to himself.
"Bad dream?" Nabiki asked as she looked around the darkened entertainment room that they were in. "I don't care how much Washu taught you, this is still impossible." It had been a small hall closet before Ranma decided to play "mad scientist" with it.
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to make a room large enough for a DDR party when you fold and bend space around you." He chuckled softly. "Besides, Washu does it on a grander scale, I just used it for a small room."
Nabiki looked around and sweat-dropped. "Small? This is at least as large as the school gym."
He shrugged. "Hey, if we want to have another failed wedding, this place is less likely to fall apart than the dojo." That got a laugh from Nabiki as she looked around the room and the various large seats and small couches that were strewn out in front of a large, flat-screen television. "You really should stop stealing from other universes."
"Heh, they won't miss a television a few chairs, sofas and the like." He chuckled. "Besides, I paid for them."
Nabiki shook her head and looked at the others in the room. Wendi was snuggling up to Nove's side as the shorter redhead rested her head on Wendi's head, both seemingly exhausted. Cinque was strewn across both of their laps as she slept there. Across from them, Otto and Deed slept cuddled against each other. Sette slept on a recliner in the corner, covered in a red blanket as she rested. "Where's Sein and Dieci?"
"Not sure..." Ranma frowned a bit but blinked as the two stepped back into the room.
Sein rubbed her eyes and stumbled to the large bean bag in the middle of the room before flopping on it, grabbing the nearby discarded blanket and covered herself up, falling back asleep.
Dieci sighed as she looked at Ranma and Nabiki. "...We had to use the bathroom." She flushed slightly as the two chuckled. "Um... How are things with my cannon going?"
"Pretty good." Ranma smiled at her. "Only lost ten shadow clones to random explosions."
The long-haired girl sweat-dropped. "You're... Taking that well."
Nabiki rolled her eyes as she grabbed a chair on wheels. "I doubt that he lost that many clones to your gun, Dieci." When she blinked a few times, Nabiki shook her head. "Look, he once built the Death Star from scratch in this universe just to see if he could. When it exploded, he took out all of Oceania with it." Seeing Dieci look at her blankly, she sighed. "You'll have to sit down and watch the Star Wars movies sometime."
"...Movies?" The brown-haired girl blinked a few times. "The Death Star is from a movie?" Of course it would be, it would have to be.
"In this universe it is." Ranma explained to her. "There is a universe where the Death Star actually exists." He sighed as Uno mumbled something in her sleep and squeezed his body tighter. "I've been to that universe a few times, so I know how the thing is made." He chuckled softly. "Anakin once used the Borg to build a Death Star just to prove to Kirk that he could."
"I... See?" Dieci blinked a few times as Nabiki rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, you'll see more crazy things out there when you start looping. Just don't try to see what happens if you combine the All-Spark with the Death Star. The results... They aren't pretty." Nabiki chuckled as she remembered the results of what happened after that. After all, it had resulted in one of her earlier fused loops.
"Oh..." The confused cyborg looked at Ranma, who sighed softly.
"Don't worry about it. I've been looping for so long that it's rather insane. Most of my memories are swiss-cheese when it comes to smaller things." Ranma looked at Dieci and his eyes, to her, looked so old that she felt rather small and insignificant. His eyes seemed like he had seen the secrets of the universe, had cracked them apart, had figured everything in reality out and found that he knew nothing. All of that, she saw in an instant.
A moment later, the feeling was gone and all she saw was tired, humorous eyes looking at her. "Ah... Sorry." Dieci chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.
"Don't worry about it." Ranma smirked at her.
(---)
Mornings in Nerima for most of the people around the Tendo Dojo had come to a routine. Most of the time it was being woken up by yells, crashes, growls, explosions that went off in the Tendo yard. There was often times laughter and cries of surprise or loud splashes of water. It generally ended as people were settling down for breakfast. Until the week everyone was at the beach, most of Nerima had gotten rid of their alarm clocks. They didn't need them much anymore. Thankfully for the past three days, the Tendo house was lively again and no one needed alarm clocks.
So when there was an insanely large explosion and several windows, glass objects, cracked walls and broken streets, most people actually did pay attention.
After all, most of them had never had their houses front walls either cave in or be blown away by an object going so fast that it broke the sound barrier several times over while creating a gigantic destructive pressure wave around it while doing so.
In the Tendo yard, Ranma, Cinque, Sette, Nove and Genma, in his human form this time, stared stupidly at the broken wall, the street and the buildings, trees, fences and light posts that were all destroyed. "...It's like some sort of giant ball ran through there." Nove commented as Ranma shook that off and followed the path of destruction.
When he and the others got to the end, Tre was laying face-down in a crater, not moving. Frowning, he nudged her shoulder, getting a groan from the purple-haired cyborg. "Tre?"
"I cnt mv." She said, her voice muffled as Ranma rolled her over, revealing her shirt, pants, bra and panties all torn up and in tatters on her front. Her face, arms, legs and the front of her torso were cut up and bleeding from hundreds of shallow cuts.
"...Ouch." Ranma muttered and shook his head before putting a hand over her torso. A soft light appeared in his palms and she groaned slightly, squirming until the marks over her skin slowly faded and disappeared.
"What the heck..?" Genma took a step back, wondering what Ranma was doing.
"Healing technique." Ranma rolled his eyes. It was rather amazing how easy it was to use minor healing spells and convert it to other types of energies. Really, other than extremely potent healing spells and abilities, most all healing magic and techniques were exactly the same. Using Ki to heal was really the same as using Reikai, magic or Chakra with some minor tweaks.
"Can't do that again." Tre moaned as she sat up, her upper clothing finally giving up and falling apart, leaving her topless in a crater. She looked at Genma, who was oogling her. "...Can I kill him?" She asked while covering her naked breasts with her arms, blushing and frowning while looking away.
Ranma rubbed his head and pulled out a large robe and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Knock it off, Genma." Really, he was acting like he had never seen a pair of breasts before. Then again, Tre had a rather large chest, that might have had something to do with it.
Nodding her thanks, Tre stood up, only to have her pants and panties tear apart and fall to the ground in tatters. "...I liked those pants too." She muttered as she tightened her robe and made her way back to the house.
Ranma looked at the destruction and laughed at it. "Well, at least I don't have to clean it up." He said as he followed Tre back to the Tendo home, but not before kicking Genma for being an open pervert.
Cinque shook her head and looked at Nove and Sette. "Don't develop a technique that causes your clothes to disintegrate as a result."
When they got back to the house, Wendi and Sein were looking at the path of destruction curiously. "Tre-nee..." Wendi waved the taller cyborg down. "What happened?"
"I was finally able to use Mach Impulse." Tre muttered and walked into the house. "I'm starving." She grumbled as she went into the house and to her room. Even if she was starving, she wanted to at least wear a pair of underwear under the robe.
The last thing she wanted was someone looking down when she was wearing nothing but a robe on and get a free show.
Blinking, Sein turned to the others as they walked into the yard. "...Does this happen all the time?"
"More than you know." Ranma smirked at her and looked at the destruction sighing. "Oh well..." He'd get some clones to clean it up later. "Tre's right, we should eat."
Later at the table, Nove looked at Tre seriously. "Just what the heck happened out there? You suddenly glowed and shot off like a cannon ball."
Wincing as she recalled the pain she felt from crashing into the ground like she had, Tre shook her head. "Finally was able to use Mach Impulse, the results weren't good." She grumbled as she practically wolfed down the food.
"Meaning she managed to develop the raw technique but hasn't refined it yet." Ranma had a smirk on his face and a tone of voice that had Wendi shuddering and jumping into Nove's lap, shrieking in fear. "It wasn't that bad." He deadpanned at her. Honestly, she hadn't even begun to go through his real training methods and this was how she was reacting?
"Ice doesn't freeze that way." Wendi murmured as she shook on Nove's lap, who sighed and dislodged herself from the other redhead, pushing Wendi off of her lap.
"Anyway... What's with the weird energy you use?" When Ranma looked at her with a raised eyebrow, she clarified, "it's like magic, but... Not... I don't know... It's like... A 44 megahertz frequency while magic is more like a 55 megahertz frequency." Nove's face felt flush at the looks she was getting. "It's the closest thing I could think of!" She waved her arms in front of her rapidly to get them to stop with the weird or teasing looks.
"Actually, I was thinking the same thing." Cinque looked at Ranma through her one good eye. Her eye-patch was off and to the side, allowing the slightly confused and concerned look on her face to be completely seen. "It's nothing like anything that I've ever seen, so I was a bit curious."
"It's chi." Ranma said with a shrug, but he was amused by the two. "I'm honestly surprised that you didn't call it magic though." Most people of Mid-Childa just assumed it was magic no matter what. It had taken a long while for the Wolkenritter to stop calling it magic and they KNEW it wasn't magic.
Nove chuckled at that, glad that people weren't calling her stupid or staring at her fully. "Well, it was like magic, but there was something that felt off. I thought it was some sort of IS at first, but... That girl who attacked me, she used the same thing as you did."
Idly wondering what Shampoo was up to, Ranma nodded at Nove. "Yeah, it's chi. It's the basic life energy every living thing has."
"...If everyone has it, does that mean..." Nove began as Ranma shook his head.
"No. It's a pain in the ass to learn how to use properly anyway. Most people, if they can use it, just use it to strengthen and enhance their bodies, nothing more." Plus it generally took most of ones life time to learn how to use beyond simple body enhancing. "It's not like magic, where if you have it, you can use it. Though, magic and chi are similar in the fact that everyone has varying amounts and varying levels of ability when it comes to what they can do." Ranma tapped his chin a few times.
"Son... Magic?" Genma looked a little confused before getting splashed in the face with cold water, turning him into a panda. "Growf?"
"You turn into a panda with a splash of cold water and magic confuses you?" Ranma rolled his eyes as the panda grumbled and settled down. "Still..." He looked at Nove and Cinque, smiling at them. "Great job. You two didn't call it magic the first chance you got."
Nove and Cinque both felt their faces flushing, but they had pleased looks on their faces.
(---)
Watching Shampoo train, Cologne idly smoked on a pipe and wondered about a few things. Mostly she wondered about the girl's seeming rivalry with that redheaded girl, Nove. There was more to that girl than she was seeing. Not only that, the redhead's older sister, Tre wasn't too skilled, but she was strong and fast, which wasn't too unusual, she had fought against the Musk before, those warriors were either stronger or faster than any human could possibly be in one life time. The others were also a mystery, but they all had signs of training, or at least experience of some sort, in their walk. Some had more than others, of course, but there wasn't much that could be done about that. "Really, granddaughter, are you that hard-up that you can't concentrate?" She enjoyed the flushed, angry look on her face from that. If Shampoo couldn't get her emotions in order, well... Cologne sighed softly and shook her head. While she was grateful that Shampoo had gotten a new drive to train and better herself, she could see that the girl wasn't improving very quickly.
"Shampoo..." Cologne shook her head, sighing. "That's enough, you're just wearing yourself out."
"Not..." She panted softly. "Done yet."
Shaking her head, Cologne had to wonder what it was about pride, arrogance, anger and frustration that kept people from truly reaching their full potential. "Yes, yes you are. You've trained non-stop for the past few days, you're not getting any better right now."
Shampoo frowned at that, unsure why Cologne was so stubborn about all of this. "I won't lose to her again!" She explained, clenching a fist tightly. "I just need to figure out how to beat that attack of hers." She frowned as she spoke in Chinese.
"Where on Earth am I now?!" A male voice yelled suddenly, getting both Amazons attention. "I swear! I was in Paris a few minutes ago." Both Amazons sweat-dropped as a boy with a spotted bandanna on his forehead walked into the clearing. They didn't know where this "Paris" was, well, Shampoo didn't, Cologne had a vague idea of it being on an entirely different continent, but that was it.
"You aren't near this Paris, boy..." Cologne told him, getting a startled jump from Ryoga as he spun around and looked at the two stupidly. "You're in a construction lot in Nerima."
"Really?" Ryoga blinked, rubbing the back of his head. "That would explain why everyone's speaking Japanese, but why is it only a twenty minute walk from here to Paris?"
Shampoo sweat-dropped heavily, so heavily in fact that she fell over. "Stupid, this Japan, not Paris."
"But! I swear! I was just in Paris! I was by the Eiffel Tower, people were speaking French, well, there were some Japanese and English in there, but I thought they were tourists."
Holding up a hand and pointing behind her, Cologne sighed at him. "Was that the tower you were at?"
"Huh?" Ryoga looked up and blinked, nodding. "Yeah! Wow, I didn't know that Paris was near Nerima." He got a groan from both women in response.
"Shampoo think that he dumber than Mousse." The purple-haired girl grumbled as she sighed heavily.
(---)
Walking around the city, Nove could only sigh softly. Honestly, with the way things were here, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to Mid-Childa again. The thought of not always being awake for the loops and being a criminal really didn't sit well with her. Really, this world was peaceful, if a little strange. She blinked as a knife suddenly embedded itself in the sidewalk in front of her. "Eh?" She looked up and blinked as she saw some guy in long white robes and black pants stand on the top of the telephone pole, his incredibly long hair, seriously, it rivaled Sette, Dieci and Cinque's hair lengths, fluttered in the wind and his eyes were closed at that moment. Nove could feel her face heat up slightly. He had a pretty face at least.
"So, there you are." The boy intoned as he jumped down to land lightly on his feet. "I shall make you pay for taking Shampoo's honor!" He cried out while pointing at a telephone pole that he had just jumped off of.
"Uh... that crazy purple-haired girl?" Nove blinked, getting the boy to turn towards her voice and pull out of his sleeves... "...Those are some thick glasses."
Putting the glasses on his face, he squinted and leaned forward. "Huh, you cut your hair. Never-mind that!" He jumped back and pulled out a pair of broadswords. "Prepare to die!"
"What is with people trying to kill me lately?" Nove muttered as she ducked under the slice towards her head and twisted to the side of his follow-up sword thrust.
"Karma for kidnapping Vivio?" Nove turned to see Sein and Dieci there, watching her, the shorter-haired cyborg grinned at her. "That and all the pranks we pulled back then."
"Then why aren't, eek!" Nove had to jump over some chains with sharp points that nearly skewered her, "why aren't you dealing with this then?"
Sein shrugged and turned to Dieci, who scratched her head. "...Maybe people hate redheads around here?" Both Nove and Sein looked at Dieci, who shrugged. "What? It seems like everyone gets irrationally angry at Nove for some stupid reason."
Nove blinked as her back touched a brick wall. "Well, this sucks." She muttered and tensed her legs, preparing to leap out of the way of his next attack.
"Fist of the White Swan!" The boy cried out as his hands blurred, in that instant, Nove, Sein and Dieci's faces all turned green and Nove froze, getting clocked upside the head and sent tumbling to the ground.
"EWWWW!" All three girls cried out as Nove quickly scrambled away from the crazy person.
"Nove, you okay?" Sein asked, looking at her in concern.
"Eww! I need a bath. One in acid maybe!" Nove gagged as she shuddered, looking around for some water to wash her face with.
"Hey!" Dieci frowned at the boy, who was smirking at them. "Why don't you at least use something more normal!"
The boy blinked at her. "...What's wrong with "Fist of the White Swan"?" As far as he knew it was a perfectly legitimate technique, albeit it was unorthodox, but that was the point of his style.
"YOU HIT ME IN THE FACE WITH A DUCK-SHAPED TRAINING POTTY!" Nove screamed at him.
He smirked at them. "I, Mousse of the Chinese Amazons, am a master of black magic and hidden weapons." Flicking his wrists to the side, he held four knives in each hand, between each of his fingers.
Sein blinked a few times as she saw him do that. "Hey, Cinque would just love to know how you did that." The shortest cyborg might not have said anything, but Sein had once lifted that long coat of hers and it was heavy as hell, mostly because of all the heavy knives that it held.
Mousse said nothing and threw the knives at them, missing them by more than a good foot and causing them to dig into the walls and sidewalks around them. "Now, for stealing my Shampoo's honor, die!" Jumping into the air, he pulled out more chains, these ones had spiked balls on the end and threw them down, aiming at Nove. It was too bad about Sein and Dieci, but that was the price to pay for being in his way.
Sein just dropped through the ground and Dieci jumped back while Nove jumped straight up and glared at the nearly blind idiot. "You tried to hurt my sisters!" She yelled at him.
The next thing Mousse knew was a pair of feet crashing into this throat and chest, before he was driven into the ground so hard that all the windows around them rattled and shook.
"And stay down!" Nove snarled at him, raising her foot to stomp on him again before Sein grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. "Lemme go! He tried to hurt you! Lemme go!"
"Calm down, we're okay, Nove." Sein said softly to her, smiling as she slowly relaxed. "I don't think it would be a good idea to kill someone."
"Why not? They keep trying to kill me." Though Nove could feel the anger leaving her body, she didn't have much will to keep hurting the jerk, she just wanted to know why Sein wouldn't let her finish him off.
"Ah..." Sein didn't have a comeback for that.
"Would you want to be like them? Jerks that kill for no reason?" Dieci asked her shorter sister as she walked up to the pair. "Even when we were criminals, Nove, you never would have killed someone without a really good reason."
Sighing, Nove slumped and nodded. Dieci was right, after all. "Thanks."
Both Sein and Dieci smiled at her as she was freed from Sein's grasp. "Come on, sis, let's get some ice cream or something." At least they could forget the horrible experience that way. "...And get your face washed up."
"Ewww! I almost forgot!" Nove shrieked as the trio left the fallen Amazon in the dirt.
Mousse groaned as he slowly sat up a little bit later and rubbed his throat. "She kicks like a mule." He muttered, before coughing and getting up, stumbling off. He needed a place to sit, rest and recover after all of this.
(---)
Sette blinked as she saw Ryoga walking around, seemingly lost. She was about get his attention when a bus drove between them for a few moments. When the bus passed, Ryoga was gone, leaving the tall pinkette looking on in confusion. "...Where'd he go?"
Unseen to Sette, there had been an open manhole cover which he had walked over, causing Ryoga to fall down and into the sewers, getting soaked and triggering his curse. "Bwee!" The little piglet cried out helplessly as it was swept away from the sudden rush of water that came from further up in the sewers.
(---)
"Curse this 54-year-old body and it's need to go to the bathroom every four hours!" A male voice was heard from a building.
"I told the professor that messing with time travel was dangerous."
"Shut up, Zoidberg."
"Aww..."
(---)
Sette just shrugged and walked off, wondering what she was going to do for the rest of the day. Blinking, she thought she heard someone call out to her, before a there was a lighting up of green light in the area and a rumbling of a motorcycle. "Hello, Otto."
The boyish girl smiled at her taller sister. "What's up, Sette?"
The taller girl shrugged as she looked at Otto. "Nothing much, honestly. Saw Ryoga, but he went and teleported away before I could say anything." She tapped her chin, blinking a few times. "Been using your IS lately?"
Otto blinking and slowly shook her head. "No... Why do you ask?"
"No reason, I just thought the area lit up in green for a moment." Sette did think it was weird though, who else had glowing green energy beams of doom anyway?
(---)
In a tree, several blocks away, a severely burned and beaten up Kuno Tatewaki groaned and tried to get up. Well, okay, he wasn't beaten up, and his clothes were only slightly singed, it was the fact that he had landed on the tree-branch a bit too perfectly for his own tastes. "Mine... Jewels... Do not go crunch that way..." He said in a high squeaky voice as his body turned to the side before falling straight down and landing on his head. At least nothing major was injured, or so people who disliked him would have you believe.
But that was something for another time.
(---)
A couple hours later, after getting out of the sewers, a while in the public baths, and a new change of clothes, Ryoga found himself wandering around Nerima again, taking in the sights and wondering about the offer that the old woman, if she could be called a woman, had given him.
Flashback...
"Well, boy, I'd be willing to train you. I can teach you a technique that will make you nearly unbeatable." She smiled at him in such a way that he just shuddered.
"No thanks. I'll just be going now." He said as he turned around and started to walk out of the area and to Nerima, or maybe to Okinawa, no one was sure with a Hibiki. Unless their name was Dan, but no one talked about Dan.
"That's fine, if you change your mind, I'll be right here." She turned away for a moment, to say something to Shampoo in Chinese and turned back to Ryoga, but he was long gone, leaving a blinking Amazon, who shrugged and went back to Shampoo.
End Flashback...
"I still wonder how Ranma does that." A female voice spoke up, catching Ryoga's attention. Anyone speaking of his hated rival, or at least he thought Ranma was his rival, but Ranma had never been able to make him fall to the ground so easily before, at least not in middle school, would catch his attention easily.
"Not sure, Tre-nee." A shorter girl, with long brown hair, was shrugging as she walked next to a tall, short purple-haired woman. "I do like what he did to my blades though."
The taller woman smirked at her. "You mean being able to channel your magic better, Deed?"
"Of course."
"It's you!" Ryoga yelled and pointed at Tre, his eyes were wide, before he narrowed them. "I remember you! You were the one running around naked that night!"
Tre blinked in disbelief, mostly because she honestly didn't know who the babbling idiot was. "Uh... What?"
Ryoga glared and curled his hands into fists. "You know what I'm talking about! Don't try to deny it!" He yelled as he grabbed at his bandannas and pulled four off of his head, getting a blink from the two cyborgs.
"How many of those things do you have?" Deed asked, wondering how he did that. "Sette would just love to know how you did that."
Snapping his wrist down, the soft fabric suddenly stiffened as if it was hard wood or metal, before Ryoga snapped his arm out, throwing the bandannas as though they were spinning shurikens or even buzz-saws.
(---)
"What's wrong boss?" A clone suddenly spoke up as Ranma stiffened and narrowed his eyes.
"Not sure, but something feels... Off..." He muttered, before shaking his head. "Not sure what it is, but anyway, are we almost done with this?"
The clone smirked as he held up Dieci's cannon. "Almost. Just have to finish the overdrive mode for this thing, then we'll have some fun with it." The clone chuckled, almost darkly and gleefully.
"...You've been spending too much time around Brianna, haven't you?" Ranma deadpanned as the clone smirked at him.
"Hey, I love big guns, explosions and her big guns." There was a perverse look on his face as he giggled not unlike some other perverts in the multiverse.
"...I wonder if you're supposed to represent my libido or something."
Shrugging, the clone laughed at him. "Hey, it's not like you go out and try to get some lately anyway."
"Now I know how Naruto feels." Ranma muttered softly, wondering why he thought something was wrong in the world.
(---)
Her face was stuck in a stunned position as the wind blew around her. Both Ryoga and Tre were looking at her, both with eyes fairly wide, Ryoga more-so than Tre as Deed, in an almost comical slow motion, reached behind her and pulled at her hair, only to find out that it was only half as long as it had been before, and only on her right side. "...My hair..." She said slowly, realizing that her hair was long on one side and badly cut on the other side. "...You cut my hair..." She could still feel the strands as they fell out of her long hair. "...My hair..."
"Uh..." Ryoga felt bad that her hair got cut like that. He didn't know much about how girls saw their hair, but he knew that they spent a lot of time taking care of it. "Sorry?"
Deed blinked a few times, before focusing a gaze on him that could melt steel. "You..." She didn't know when she called for her weapons, but they materialized in her hands, lighting up. "Cut..." Her eyes, normally an incandescent red in color, though slightly darker than Wendi's own eyes, seemed to sharpen and burn in a blaze of anger. "My..." Tre wasn't sure if Deed could use fire-based magic, since it was rare that anyone had any sort of elemental magic from Mid-childa. No one was really sure why it was rare, but the common belief was that using devices to do calculations for magic was the reason. "HAIR!"
Tre couldn't help it, she winced reflexively as Deed laid into Ryoga. Honestly she was surprised that the blades weren't slicing him to ribbons, but that wasn't important as Ryoga screamed out in pain with each hit. There was a small explosion and Tre shook her head. "There goes a car... And some garbage cans... And a brick wall..." She commented before finally grabbing Deed in bear hug and lifting her up. She was grateful for her large size and immense strength, she needed every ounce of it as Deed struggled and thrashed to get back at the thoroughly beaten Lost Boy.
"Lemme at him! Lemme at him! He cut my hair! He needs to pay!"
"Remind me not to let you cut the lawn." Tre idly commented, before noticing the tears falling out of Deed's eyes. "...Deed?"
"...He cut my hair... I liked my hair! Now it's ugly!" Deed suddenly slumped, before snapping her head up and glaring at the groaning, barely moving and heavily bruised Ryoga. "Lemme at him!"
"No! Let's... Let's go home... Maybe Ranma can fix this?" Like someone flipped a switch, Deed calmed down as Tre pulled her out of the area.
"You think dad can?" Deed asked, her voice full of hope. When Tre nodded, Deed slipped from her grasp and landed lightly on her feet. "Well then, what am I waiting around here for?!"
Tre could only watch, stupefied as Deed took off like a rocket, saying she'd be at the Tendo Dojo if anyone was looking for her. "...What is it about this place that causes such insanity?" Tre asked to no one in particular. "Then again..." She sighed, remembering the smiles that her sisters had, the way that they could just have fun and no one was trying to arrest or bother them for just being themselves. "...I'm getting soft." Tre shook her head, oddly not displeased by the notion.
Maybe they were becoming more human? Tre didn't know, but if it was a positive thing she really couldn't complain. Well, except for the insanity that seemed to be contagious, that she could do without.
Back where he was layed out, totally bruised and beaten, Ryoga groaned blinked, either he was seeing things, or someone was over him. "Pick him up, Shampoo." An old voice, why did it sound familiar to him? Why was the world moving? He wasn't sure anymore. He was grateful that he didn't have to think about it anymore as his vision darkened completely and he passed out, not that he'd ever mention that he was beaten by a girl. Nope. He had his pride after all. If anyone asked, he'd say that he let her beat him up.
(---)
"Tofu-Sensei, there's a Ms. Takeda here to see you." Uno called out to the back as the man in question came out, smiling at the taller woman, before turning to the smaller, older woman.
"Hello, is your ankle still giving you problems?"
"Just a small amount." The older woman admitted as she limped slightly.
"Well then, how about..." The door to the clinic opened up, getting both Tofu's and Uno's attention. In that instant two things happened, first was Ms. Takeda gaping and wishing that her ankle wasn't hurting and Tofu's glasses fogged over heavily as the person in question walked through the door. "Ka, Ka, Ka, Kasumi! How nice to see you here!" Tofu got all giggly and jittery as Kasumi smiled at him.
Uno, thankfully, had moved away and had pulled Ms. Takeda away from the two. She wasn't sure what was going on exactly with Dr. Tofu, but for some reason she didn't want to be near him right now.
Giggling, Kasumi smiled at the doctor. "You're so silly, I'm just returning this book I borrowed." The instant that she put the book in his hands, Tofu suddenly erupted into insane giggles, spun to the side and flung open the metal cabinet that was used to hold various white coats and supplies, along with a full-size skeleton model.
"Hee hee hee! Betty, what are you doing here?" Grabbing the skeleton, he started dancing, spinning around, and around, and through the door, destroying the wall, as Uno stared stupidly, the old woman thanked Uno for saving her life and Kasumi was just giggling at the antics of Dr. Tofu as he crashed through mail boxes, fences and telephone poles.
"...This happen often?" Uno asked, getting a surprised look from the older woman. "...What? I've never seen those two in the same room together."
"...You are most lucky." Ms. Takeda nodded sagely at her. "Would you be a dear and help me to the bus stop? Tofu-sensei won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."
"Uh... Sure." For all her experiences, Uno really, really found that she felt like a fish out of water in this city. "...That was kind of funny."
"As long as he doesn't get his hands on you." Ms. Takeda chuckled softly as Uno nodded, before blinking as she looked back into the room. "Coming, Kasumi?"
"Hmm? Oh sure." She smiled and followed the tall Number. "What about work?"
Uno shrugged the question off. She'd just clock out later.
(---)
"Ranma?" Uno blinked as she walked into the kitchen shortly after taking Ms. Takeda home. "What are you doing?" Seeing Deed sitting on a chair with a white apron around her neck, looking miserable while Ranma had a pair of scissors in his hands as he held up her hair... "Oh..." Uno sat down on another chair in the kitchen. "So what's with the hair cut?"
"Ryoga cut my hair..." Deed said, pouting heavily as she heard the snip and cut through her hair. "Very badly, and now I need my hair cut to even it out." She seemed more upset as she said that. Ranma, surprisingly, was quiet as he cut her hair.
"Ouch..." Uno could understand, growing hair as long as Deed had was a pain normally, to have it cut off like that... "You did get him back, I hope."
"He's still alive..." Deed muttered as Ranma stepped out around from behind her. "Well?"
Smiling slightly, he materialized a few mirrors around Deed and had her look at them. "I think it turned out pretty good."
Uno couldn't help but agree as she saw Deed's hair, it was a lot shorter, just past her shoulders, as opposed to before where it was competing with Cinque's hair and reaching her butt. "Not bad."
Even so, Deed seemed to be even more upset as she looked at her new hair-style. "...You really did like your hair long, huh?" Ranma asked her, getting a sniffle and nod from the cyborg. Smiling softly, Ranma got behind her, his hands glowing as he gently grabbed the ends of her hair and pulling down and much to the shock of both Deed and Uno, the hair started to grow, going from her shoulders down the length of her body until it reached the length of her hair from before.
"...wow..." Both cyborgs could only stare in awe as Ranma smiled at them.
"How did you learn that?" Uno asked, Deed was too shocked at seeing her hair back to normal again, getting a shrug from Ranma in response.
"You'd be surprised what you can come up with when you're bored some days."
Uno was about to say something when Deed suddenly jumped off the chair and hugged Ranma tightly, tears leaking out of her eyes as she thanked him profusely. Seeing Ranma smile softly as he hugged her, the eldest of all the cyborgs was rather struck by how Ranma looked like a father at that moment. Idly, Uno wondered just why Ranma's eyes seemed to light up in happiness whenever Deed, Otto or Sette called him father, before shrugging it off, it was something to ask him about later.
(---)
Contrary to common thoughts among various loopers and anchors, Ranma could, in fact, sleep in a room with women and not have sex with them all the time. While those people would say that was impossible, that was just what was happening, minus the sleeping as Uno, who was under the covers in the futon that she, Tre and Ranma shared, just couldn't sleep. There was just too much on her mind. "You two asleep?"
"Not yet." Tre muttered, sighing softly while Ranma chuckled from his spot between them and turned his head to face her.
"What's wrong?" He was curious, there wasn't much to see in the dim lighting, but then again, his eyesight was so much better than most people's even a small speck of light allowed him to see almost perfectly. There were times he wasn't sure whether to thank Brianna and Britanny or curse them for their involvement in that.
"I've just been curious about something..." She said as she sat up, revealing that she was wearing a large t-shirt under the blankets as she turned to look at him. "You look at Deed, Otto and Sette differently than the others."
"Really?"
"Yeah..." Uno nodded and sighed softly. "It's not like you're playing favorites or anything, but your eyes seem happier whenever they call you "dad" as opposed to the rest of us. Why is that?" She might not have asked had she known more about the subject, it wasn't her fault that no one explained things to her. Really, it wasn't.
Both Uno and Tre looked at Ranma in confusion as he stood up and walked towards the window, opening it. "Sorry... I... I'm not going to answer that one, Uno." He sighed and looked at them. "I'm not mad, I just... I just don't like talking about that subject, that's all."
Both Uno and Tre were left with nothing but questions and confusion and really had no idea just what had happened exactly.
Retreating to the roof, Ranma sighed softly as he sat there, ignoring the wind as it blew against his body as he looked out at the buildings silently. There was a lot that he had forgotten over the years, mostly for his own sanity's sake, remembering every little detail that one went through over a countless amount of years could drive someone insane. There were just some things that stayed with a person though.
The loss of his first child was one of them.
As he sat there thinking, a lone tear fell from his face. He hadn't done anything wrong, hell, it had been so early in the loops that he had used them to try and fix everyone's problems. Actually having a child had been the happiest moment of his relatively short, at the time, life. His hands actually shook slightly as he held his hands up to look at them. He could still feel the weight, the way his child wiggled, squirmed, cried and even kicked at him.
Then the loop restarted.
Closing his eyes, he chuckled mirthlessly. "Not very funny." He muttered to himself, tears falling down his face, he didn't care if anyone saw him at that moment.
"Still can't forget, huh?" A familiar voice spoke up, causing him to nod as he turned to the person in question.
"You never had to deal with the memory, Nabiki." Ranma shook his head at her, his face tear-streaked at that moment. "My first child... I can never forget the sudden shock of losing my first child, Nabs."
"I wish you wouldn't call me that." The brown-haired girl muttered as she moved towards him and sat down within arm's reach of him. The two sat there in comfortable silence for hours, just watching the night as it went by slowly.
They would still be there, sitting silently and looking out at the day as the sun slowly crept over the horizon, signifying the start of a new day.
Spoiler for Ending Comments:
Man, what a way to end the chapter, huh?
Don't worry, future chapters are funnier, I promise.
And Deed is scary when she gets angry.
I laughed at the part about how none of them need alarm clocks anymore, with the ruckus that occurs in the mornings .
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
New short! Set in Sistersverse, so the pairing is obviously Miyuki/Nanoha, at least subtly implied. Also, Syn came up with an awesome ship name for them while we were chatting on AIM, dubbing them NanoYuki. It is awesome and I love it and she gets full credit for it.
Onward!
Spoiler for Sky Pendant:
Nanoha absently brushed loose strands of hair out of her eyes, leaning down slightly as she peered through the glass of the Mid-Childan jewelry store. The teenager wasn’t usually one to pay much mind to fancy little things like necklaces and earrings, but she had to admit that a certain trinket in the store display had caught her eye: a tiny pendant, the stone the color of a clear blue sky with no clouds. Two small white wings had been carefully carved and attached to the sides of the stone, making it look as if the little necklace would come to life and flit off at a moment’s notice.
“Do you like it, my master?” The curious tone that was apparent in Raising Heart’s voice made Nanoha smile, and she got the feeling that her little jewel was assessing the pendant she currently eyed, almost like a potential mate or possible competition.
“No worries, Raising Heart, you’re my first love.” Her hand lightly closed around the Device. “I have to admit it’s very pretty, though.” And expensive, she thought with a small wince as she once more glanced at the price tag. She was by no means poor, but she wasn’t exactly made of money at the moment, either. A shame, really; she liked the necklace, too…
“What’re you looking at, Nanoha?”
Nanoha nearly jumped out of her skin, but managed to stifle the yelp; she glanced up to find Miyuki peering over her shoulder, the older woman casually leaning against her sister and wrapping her in a loose embrace as she studied the object of Nanoha’s interest. Nanoha took a deep, slow breath and tried to calm her raging heartbeat. “Onee-chan, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t sneak up on me like that anymore.”
Miyuki smiled innocently. “I remember no such agreement.” Ignoring the brunette’s glare and grumble, she peered in closer. “You like it? You’ve never been one for jewelry before.”
“It kind of reminds me of the sky.” Nanoha laughed sheepishly. “But it’s way too expensive; I think something like that would take a chunk out of even your paycheck, Onee-chan.” Reaching down, she caused Miyuki to let go of her as she grabbed her school bag, and mentally slapped herself for missing her warmth. “I was just looking.”
“Just looking.” Miyuki raised a brow.
“Mmmm! That’s enough for me.” Nanoha tucked her bag under her arm and smiled. “Ready to go home?”
Since her back was turned, Nanoha didn’t see the way Miyuki studied her, then glanced back at the pendant.
It was getting dark, and Nanoha was starting to worry.
It wasn’t like Miyuki to work late; the older woman had a schedule of coming home either before darkness fell or very soon afterwards, mostly because they were both still in an adjustment period to their new home and didn’t want to worry each other. In fact, the older woman had acted oddly during their shopping trip; she’d suddenly mentioned that she’d forgotten that she had an extra shift at work, and had disappeared before Nanoha could even ask what was going on.
With a sigh, Nanoha lay back on her bed. “But even with an extra shift, she isn’t usually out this late…” She scowled, trying to get her mind to stop formulating explanations for why Miyuki hadn’t come home yet and failing miserably.
“Perhaps she is on a date, my master?” Raising Heart suggested, floating beside her. “After all, there was one young man at her workplace who said he would like to ‘tap that’—"the rest of the Device’s sentence was muffled as Nanoha groaned and smacked her down with a hand, pinning her to the bed.
“Don’t say ‘on a date’ and ‘tap that’ so casually,” Nanoha mumbled, wondering why the thought of her sister out on a date with a man—or hell, a woman if she really wanted to torture herself—bothered her so much. Miyuki certainly had every right to go out on dates; she was still young, and a very beautiful woman.
So why was she feeling this burning ache in her chest at the thought?
At that moment, the door opened and distracted Nanoha from her thoughts, making her sit up and causing Raising Heart to release a muffled squeak of protest from beneath her hand. “Onee-chan?”
“Sorry I’m late, Nanoha.” She heard Miyuki close the door and lock it. “I had to work late because a couple guys cut out early.”
“It’s all right.” Springing off the bed, Nanoha darted to greet her sister, reaching her just in time to see her hang up her jacket. “Did you eat yet? I can get started on dinner.”
“Um, yeah.” Miyuki seemed oddly nervous. “Hey, Nanoha, can you do me a favor and close your eyes?”
Nanoha blinked in confusion before she nodded, closing her eyes. She didn’t know what her sister was thinking, but she trusted Miyuki and saw no reason to question her. She felt the older woman’s fingers brush her neck, then the soft sound of something clicking into place and a gentle weight against her chest. Confused, she opened her eyes slowly.
And blinked, finding that she was now wearing the winged, sky-colored pendent she’d looked at earlier. Stunned, her hand closed around it. “Onee-chan?”
“You said you liked it.” Miyuki smiled weakly. “And my salary pays a little bit more than yours does at the moment.”
“But…. You didn’t have to…”
“I just wanted to, you know? It’s rare to see you take an interest in something like that.” The older woman rubbed the back of her neck and resisted the urge to squirm. Why the hell was she so nervous? This wasn’t the first time she’d bought something for Nanoha because the girl had wanted it but couldn’t get it herself, so why was this different?
The next instant Miyuki’s babbling was cut off as she was hugged tightly by Nanoha, the teenager smiling happily as her eyes shone. “Thank you, Onee-chan!”
…
Oh hell, she was blushing.
Nonetheless, Miyuki gently hugged Nanoha back and returned her smile. “No problem, Nanoha.”
She wondered why she felt as if she was in big, big trouble.
Spoiler for Author's Notes:
1. So yeah, this is set in Sistersverse, obviously. I just have no clue if this will actually be mentioned in the canon plot for the story itself, or just left off to the side.
2. At this point I'm kind of dropping the whole "could be viewed as sisterly love" thing, at least for this one-shot, since I've decided to go full steam ahead with the pairing for the main story. So obviously, this was a good chance to drop some little hints of things developing ahd shifting.
3. In terms of storyline, this takes place maybe a month or so before the main plot of Sisters kicks off.
Cute, when Raising Heart appeared slightly jealous . But won't that mean that Raising Heart wouldn't be that fond of Miyuki anymore, after Miyuki got that necklace for Nanoha?
And even for just sisterly-love, it's totally reasonable to be jealous and uneasy at the thought of your sibling going on dates ^^. However, just the prolonged attention to how nervous Miyuki was in giving the pendant had me going "nope, not sisterly love there!" But it might just be how attentive I am to details ^^.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sniperk
I kinda wanted to see a short with Ishida-sensei talking to Shamal about work. Where this idea came from? No idea.
Hm, it's an interesting idea....Shamal jumped to being this total doctor in StrikerS, and assuming she had good medical knowledge beforehand, I wouldn't be surprised at a scene of her and Dr. Ishida debating using lots of medical jargon about Hayate's condition...except that awkwardly, Shamal would know the true, magical reason behind Hayate's paralysis....
And reviewed I went off on a bit of a tangent, though XD
@your note: You're welcome Reviewing is the best way for us writers to support each other, so if you write something and I read it, you can be sure to expect a review from me. It always makes me really happy to get a review, so of course I want others to experience that feeling as well
Reviewing is the best way for us writers to support each other
I suppose that's debatable depending on your preferences. For me, the best way to be supported by other writers is to have my work honestly critiqued so I can go back and edit it, making it better. Reviews tend to be too short and to the point for my liking, especially the FF.net ones. Though it's still nice to know people like reading my work.
I suppose that's debatable depending on your preferences. For me, the best way to be supported by other writers is to have my work honestly critiqued so I can go back and edit it, making it better. Reviews tend to be too short and to the point for my liking, especially the FF.net ones. Though it's still nice to know people like reading my work.
Well, I agree with that, but FF.net reviews still act as final stamps of approval (or disproval). Not to mention they're much easier to look back on rather than comments here that get lost in the sea of pages. Personally I'll look back on reviews I get and they make me happy and energize me to work on more. They get me pumped. And honestly they also remind me that not everyone there hates me.
Also, sometimes with critiques, people will spend all day telling you what you did wrong, yet after revising you ask them if it's good now or not, they stay silent. Stuff like that tells me people just like pointing out faults and that doesn't seem very supportive at all.
Also, sometimes with critiques, people will spend all day telling you what you did wrong, yet after revising you ask them if it's good now or not, they stay silent. Stuff like that tells me people just like pointing out faults and that doesn't seem very supportive at all.
I suppose it really all comes down to who you ask. I've gotten some very good, intelligent critiques from the likes of Spawn, DC, and Dezo, who have always done an excellent job of telling me what I've done right while also pointing out what I could improve on. But I suppose it all comes down to personal preference, again.
Preferences aside, I don't think anyone would be happy working so hard to revise something only then to have to beg others to say something about it...
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow, in a house dropped on an ugly, old woman.
There were various reasons for this, which will be explained in the author's notes at the end. Might not be up to my usual standards, but I needed to get this out.
Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 10: Pain:
Unexpected Expectations
Chapter 10: Pain
"Admit it, you didn't really think our people knew about the outside world, or how to track someone outside of it," Gikan sneered, to the steady tune of the knife she was sharpening on a whetstone.
Fate tugged on her magical bonds, but still didn't sense any weakness. "Okay, I admit it. I can understand why you'd want me, but let Nanoha go; she's not involved in this."
"As I told her earlier, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Leethe reminded her, not bothering to turn from her lookout on an upper level warehouse window. "But if everything goes according to plan, she'll get out of this alive."
"Who are these people?" Nanoha asked, in a voice much more timid than Fate remembered; had the memory wipe really changed her personality that much? "Am I supposed to know them, too?"
Fate shook her head, cursing the collar that kept her magical abilities suppressed; without it, she could break her ankle and wrist binds and take down both of these women. "No. They were people I... ran into, while I was tracking Yuuno."
Gikan barked a laugh, then shot her a venomous glare. "You mean, when you called up that lightning storm that burned down half the village! Thanks to you, we lost a considerable amount of this year's crop; a lot of our people will die due to lower food reserves. We were a dying race before, and you just sped it up!"
Fate's eyes were steady, as the knife embedded itself in a wooden crate near her head. Giken could have killed her with that toss, but she gathered they needed her alive for reasons they wouldn't disclose; right now, that was the only positive in their corner. She glanced over at Nanoha, feeling regret for getting her involved in this, as it was her single-minded carelessness that brought this situation on them; in that light, she felt she was beginning to feel almost as much guilt as Yuuno.
"I'm sure the Bureau would help you with food, if you asked them," Nanoha offered, showcasing some of the old spirit to Fate's relief.
"We handle our problems ourselves," Leethe informed her, still not looking over. "Outsiders cannot be trusted; we must rely upon ourselves. That's what we were taught, and that's what has kept us alive for 300 years."
Fate sighed, knowing no amount of negotiation would get through to them, but glanced over at their third captor. "And what about you? Why are you here?"
Frey, who had been mostly emotionless throughout all this event, showcased a small amount of surprise, but quickly regained her composure while darting a glance at Gikan. "I'm here because I want to be."
"I thought only death awaited you, if you went back to the tribe?" Fate inquired, feeling there was something more going on between those two, from the way Gikan looked back at Frey.
"Much can be forgiven, if I return triumphantly with the Procreat," Frey answered, then crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, a sign that she didn't wish to speak anymore.
"My daughter is also quite skilled with transformation magic," Gikan explained, a note of pride in her voice, then her eyes twinkled. "Why don't you show them, Frey, why it is we brought you along?"
The revelation of Gikan being Frey's mother was a shock to Fate, but not as much as what happened next. The younger girl turned back, appearing a bit surprised at her mother's request, but sighed and made a few hand signs. Fate's mouth dropped open as Fate morphed into Aina.
"It's my pleasure, Miss Fate; I enjoy looking after children, and Vivio reminds me a lot of my own daughter at that age," Frey said in Aina's voice, then canceled the transformation.
The implication couldn't be clearer.
"What have you done with Vivio and the real Aina?" Fate demanded.
"They are safe," Leethe answered, still glancing out the window. "For the moment, anyway. One can never be too careful about loose ends." She promptly stood up and jumped down. "But enough talk; it's time for action. The mouse has come seeking the cheese."
Fate glanced back and forth between Leethe and Gikan, the latter slowly smiling, wondering what it meant.
“[Nanoha?]” Yuuno called mentally as he approached in his car. “[Fate? Can you hear me?]”
He grew disheartened at the lack of reply, and then received a somewhat frightened, “[Yuuno-san?]”
Yuuno blinked in disbelief. “[Vivio? They got you, too? Where are you? Are you with your mamas?]”
“[I'm with Aina-san and we're tied up,]” she sent back, mental voice a bit shaky, but there was an undercurrent of courage there. “[I don't know where my mamas are.]”
The archeologist got out of his car and started walking toward the warehouse. “[Can you see anything else around? Your kidnappers?]”
“[No,]” she replied sadly. “[I'm scared. Are you going to save us?]”
“[Yes, I am, but I might need your help,]” he soothed, pausing in front of the open door. “[Just hang tight for now, and I'll get back to you. You're going to have to be brave; can you do that?]”
“[Y-yes, I think so,]” she sent back.
She was an amazing girl, Yuuno knew. Any other girl might have been too scared to do anything, but Vivio was Nanoha's daughter, and she had done wonders instilling her own couragous values into her child. As he stepped into the darkness, he could only hope he could keep his promise to her; but as yet, he didn't have any kind of plan.
It had started earlier that evening, when he received a text message to come to Nanoha's house. He hated leaving as his research was still ongoing; although he was able to glean a few more details about the Procreat and the mind-wiping lost logia, there was nothing that indicated how to return memories. But Fate's note had indicated it was urgent and to come quickly, however he was in for quite a shock when he arrived. The house was a mess and no one was home, but there was one handwritten note that said to come straight to this warehouse and tell no one, or Fate and Nanoha would die.
He might have dismissed it, but there was a clear picture of the two unconscious, on the floor. And now, apparently, they had Aina and Vivio, too.
“Stop where you are,” echoed a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
Yuuno paused, but kept himself calm and his voice steady. “Where are they?”
“They are alive, and will remain that way as long as you do what we say,” the voice informed him tacitly. “A couple meters in front of you are a pair of wooden crates. There is a collar on one of them; put it on. I'm sure you recognize it.”
Yuuno eyed the darkened warehouse, but he could barely make out any features, even after his vision had adjusted. He had a decent idea of where the voice was coming from and debated teleporting over there to get the drop on her.
“My partner is currently holding a knife to the necks of the women,” the voice came again. “You put the collar on in the next 20 seconds, or one the hostages will die.”
Yuuno grit his teeth, realizing the odds were against him; even if he teleported to the voice, he had no idea where the girls were. They'd be dead before he could free them. Sighing, he quickly stepped up to the wood crate and found the collar, an object he definitely recognized; he had spent several days wearing one, which meant these people were either those man-hating amazons, or someone attempting to make him think so.
“[Vivio, listen to me,]” Yuuno quickly sent telepathically. “[I'm not going to be able to talk to you telepathically for awhile. But I will save you, Aina, and your mamas, I promise. I'll need your help and I'll let you know what to do when the time comes, okay?]”
As soon as he received her confirmation, he took a breath, then quickly snapped the collar around his neck.
“There, it's on,” he called out. “Release the women; I'll be your hostage.”
Instead of a reply, a darkened figure appeared on a stack of boxes and jumped down in front of him; Yuuno instantly recognized who it was, as Leethe checked his neck and confirmed it was in place.
“He's got it on, his magic is suppressed,” Leethe announced. “We'll be going now.”
Yuuno shot her an angry, bewildered scowl. “Wait, going where? I demand to see all the hostages first.”
Leethe's glare rivaled his own. “You're in no position to demand anything, male. But we are not without mercy. I will let them talk to you for a moment. Gikan, let them speak!”
“We're okay, Yuuno-kun,” Nanoha's voice echoed, a bit of fear in her voice, but it was mostly steady.
“Nanoha and I are here,” Fate called out. “But Aina and Vivio are tied up somewhere else. Just do what you have to do; we'll get out of this somehow!”
“Shut up!” came Gikan's voice. “He'll do what we want, or he gets you back in pieces!”
[So they did have four hostages,] Yuuno realized glumly. [How the hell am I going to save all four with no magic?] He realized one thing for sure: he'd have to think of something, because they were counting on him and he had promised Vivio.
“That's enough,” Leethe informed him. “You and I are going to go get the Procreat. Once we return here with it, we'll release the women to you. You try anything funny, or if I don't return here within an allotted time, and Gikan will start killing the hostages. I suggest we move.”
“Hold on, there's no way I can get that out of the vault!” he protested. “Especially taking you along. There's no way they'd let you near it!”
“You have a point,” she agreed, then looked into a darkened corner. "But we prepared for that. Do it now!" Before his eyes, her form slowly shifting into a near-perfect replica of Fate. “This should not arouse suspicion, as you two are friends, are you not?”
Yuuno was disturbed, partly by how much she looked and sounded like Fate; the transformation magic was thorough. But as the two headed back to his car, he was even more disturbed that their plan might actually work.
“And that's what Yuuno said to me,” Vivio was telling the other woman. “I know he'll save us.”
“I see,” Aina replied, continuing to work her fingers. “Well, I hope so, but he'll probably still need our help.”
They were tied back-to-back, their wrists bound by rope to the steel pole between them. Their ankles were also tied, but Aina wasn't as concerned about those right now; she was just glad that she had let her nails grow out recently, and was slowly cutting away at the bonds, ever since they were tied up here. Already, a few strands had been broken, but it was slow going. The only good news was that they were in a large storage closet, and the door was only partially open, so no one could directly see them unless they stepped in, which they did to check up on the two ever ten minutes or so.
“I know, he said he'd let me know how we could help, even though he couldn't use telepathy anymore for some reason,” Vivio replied, a bit sadly. She paused for several moments, then asked, “Aina, why did they take us?”
“I'm not too sure, but they want something,” she answered, remembering back to her own kidnapping; she felt stupid, useless, to have failed in her protection of Vivio. She had let Nanoha down again, the same way she had back when Vivio had been kidnapped the first time. “And I think they want Yuuno to get it for them, which is why they kidnapped your mamas, because he cares about them. I think they just took you and I because we were there.”
“Well, Yuuno-san is really smart, so I'm sure he'll save us out somehow,” the young girl declared confidently. “I visited him at the library several times; he knows a lot of things! Someday, I want to know as much as he does.”
Aina felt another couple of strands give way. “That's a very nice goal. I'm sure you'll accomplish it someday.”
The housemaid was chagrined to note that Vivio almost seemed to possess less fear than she did about this situation; but then again, Vivio was a strange girl. Still, she kept the conversation going, partly as a way to keep her from thinking too much about this, and partly to cover her actions. Her finger was beginning to feel a bit tired, but she pressed on; years of cooking, sewing, patchwork, gardening, and other housework had really given her fingers a workout.
She just needed a little more time.
His companion throughout the car trip had been mostly silent, which had made him a bit more comfortable as it gave him time to think of a plan, but he still couldn't come up with a decent one; most of them ended with one of the girls getting killed. He needed to take both women out of action for at least a few minutes, but he wasn't sure how he could do that without his magic; and they were far stronger than him physically. It made him wish he had taken some strike arts lessons or something.
“You must think us barbarians,” Leethe said abruptly, still making him feel unease due to her use of Fate's voice. “For taking your friends hostage like this.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” he replied, pulling off the freeway.
“Our kind were already slowly dying,” she explained. “Very few of us are capable of childbirth now, and with each passing year, more die than are born. The Procreat was our one hope, and when it was stolen, it was a serious blow to our tribe; it's return can save us. Thus, drastic actions is needed.”
“We gave you offers of help once before,” he reminded her, pausing at a stoplight.
She eyed him. “Would you allow something precious to be taken from you, to become dependent upon another power not under your control?”
“If the alternative was threatening and hurting people, I just might,” he shot back, still not looking at her.
She barked a laugh. “Perhaps you cannot understand, because you are a male. Our history teaches us how men have subjugated women in almost every society. That is why our holy saint gave us the means to protect ourselves, and ensure we would never be slaves again.”
“At another time, I might find this fascinating,” he told her. “But now all I want is Nanoha and the others back unharmed.”
“Then I suggest we hurry to the Procreat,” Leethe told him pointedly. “Gikan can be a bit... rough, and is easily bored. The sooner we get back, the less likely she may feel compelled to do something.”
Yuuno took the hint and made the rest of the trip in silence, but the beginnings of a plan had begun percolating in his mind, which sorted itself out by the time they arrived; and ironically he had Leethe to thank for it. It required a few things going just right, but based on what he had learned so far, there was every indication it would work. There was just one small detail he had to arrange, but he was confident he could get that much.
The guard post at the gate let them through after they flashed IDs; Yuuno was well-known at this base by now due to his work in the vault and Leethe had Fate's, so they were waved through without much fuss, allowing Yuuno to park near the main building. Part of the vault's security was the fact that very few knew it was even here, so he knew that much was on their side. Still, it was risky; if anyone thought to challenge Leethe more directly, or sense the transformation magic in effect, it would all be over quickly.
Fortunately, most had gone home for the day, so the hallways were mostly empty; all they encountered was the odd enforcer patrol who simply passed them without a word, or late worker they passed, paid them no heed. Also, they wouldn't need to actually go to the vault, but to Yuuno's work area.
"Yuuno!" the guard behind the desk greeted with a smile, standing up. "What brings you here this late at night? Last I heard, you were taking a vacation."
The archeologist smiled. "Hey Charlie! Nothing much. My vacation ends soon, but I thought I'd retrieve some a data pad I left last time I was here. You know, get a jump on what I'll be doing when I start up again. I'm actually going stir-crazy without much to do now, haha!"
Charlie waved him through the scanners. "Alright, sure, go right ahead, but Miss Harlaown will have to wait here. New rules put into place by Col. Yagami; only authorized personnel are allowed in."
Yuuno glanced at Leethe. "It's okay, I'll be right back."
He caught her return look, letting him know not to try anything funny, and then headed into his workroom, past the other guard standing outside. Everything was how he left it, including the Procreat now resting on his desk. He felt a sigh of relief, glad it hadn't been moved out, but inwardly he wondered what became of Captain Vespertine's investigation. He had forgotten to check up on her, so there was no telling if whoever had altered the records, was still using this.
He pulled out a handkerchief, careful to wrap the item up without touching it - he didn't want to risk accidental activation - and then placed the item in his inside coat pocket. Now he just needed to get out, which would be a bit tougher than getting in. He grabbed a data pad to make his story look legit, then headed back out into the check-in area, shooting a glance at Leethe again and indicating the scanner with his eyes. She seemed to get the idea, and shifted away from the scanner to the other side of the desk.
"Alright, see you tomorrow, Charlie!" Yuuno said, stepping through it, hearing the buzz as expected.
"Just a minute, Yuuno, can you step through again?" Charlie asked, glancing down at his screen.
"Sure, that's strange, it's never done that to me before," Yuuno said, stepping back, through to the sound of a buzz again.
Leethe took that moment to strike, jumping on him and swinging both fists at his head, knocking him out of his chair and to the ground. The guard beside Yuuno's work door leapt into action, but Yuuno tripped him up and Leethe rendered him similarly unconscious.
"Thank you for not killing them," Yuuno told her, releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "But the next patrol to come by will realize what's been done, so we need to get out of here in a hurry."
"Did you get it?" Leethe questioned.
"Yes, of course," Yuuno replied, pulling it out and lifting the cloth to show her. "But I hold onto it, until we exchange it for the hostages. Now I suggest we go."
Leethe followed him into the hallway, and he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. "Very well, you may carry it... for now."
Aina felt another few strands snap, and then the bonds around her wrists finally loosened a bit, enough for her to slip her hands out. Wasting no time, she undid the ones around her ankles and then quickly whispered for Vivio to be quiet while she freed the younger girl.
No one had been by to check on them in a few minutes, but it could happen anytime now, so she needed to be quick. Tiptoeing to the door, she peeked out, but only saw the younger girl, who was mostly facing away from the door as she leaned against a stack of wooden pallets. If they were careful enough, and none of the other women were in sight, they might just be able to sneak out.
Aina bent down to whisper into Vivio's ear. "This door may creak a bit if opened farther, so you go first, since you can slip out without opening it any farther. Try to make it outside and go for help; don't stop running, unless you can find a good place to hide for a bit. If they see us, I'll distract them."
Vivio nodded, then went to the wooden door, attempting to squeeze out the small crack without opening it. Aina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and then froze.
Frey had turned to look straight at them. "They're escaping!"
"Run, Vivio!" Aina shouted as Frey began sprinting in their direction.
Thankfully, the little girl did as she was ordered, running as fast as she could. The housemaid realized, though, they she wouldn't get far unless Aina bought her time, and so stepped out to grab and tackle Frey as the girl passed by. The two fell to the ground and tumbled, but Aina was quickly kicked away; still, she attempted to get to her feet quickly, to further impede Frey, but a larger form smashed into her and sent her back to the ground.
"Go after the brat!" Gikan shouted. "I'll handle this one."
Aina dizzily regained her feet once more and began to run again, noting with despair that Frey was getting away, but hoping she had bought Vivio enough time; she had failed Nanoha and Vivio once, and now hoped this would make up for it. But Gikan was there, trying to grab and restrain her, and so Aina did the only thing she could think of: a near-instinctual self-defense grappling move she had picked up while on base.
It was hard to say who was surprised more; Aina for managing to pull it off and send the other woman to the ground, or Gikan for getting tossed by a maid. But it didn't last long, as she focused her magic and grabbed the retreating Aina's ankle with an ice bind that tripped her up and sent her to the floor.
Both women slowly got to their feet, each eyeing the other. Aina gauged the distance to the door, but didn't hold much faith in her chances of making it out.
"The kid won't get far," Gikan informed Aina matter-of-factly. "My daughter is an expert tracker and a quick runner, so you've accomplished nothing. But it appears I mistook you for just a lowly cleaning girl, when there is a bit more to you than one might suspect. Our tribe admires warriors, even lowly ones who show a bit of potential, so I'll give you a fighting chance. Defeat me, and not only will I let you go, but your friends as well.
"And how am I supposed to do that?" Aina demanded to know. "I'm not a mage."
Gikan's dark blue magic circle formed as she gathered her magic, forming a near-perfect replica of a spear made entirely of ice, then tossed it housemaid, where it clattered to the floor in front of her feet.
"Use that," the woman challenged. "I won't use magic, so show me what you got."
Aina bit her lip, considering just giving up and hoping Vivio got away free. After all, that would be enough; that would be the sane thing to do. But Nanoha and Fate were still prisoner; even if she couldn't defeat this woman, maybe she could do something else. Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the screaming in her gut to just surrender, Aina reached around behind to undo her apron. Sliding it off, she bent down and picked up the spear, wrapping the apron around it so she could hold it without freezing her hands off.
Gikan grinned hungrily and dropped into a grappling stance. "Good. I'm beginning to like you already. Let's do this."
Aina smiled grimly... then turned and ran.
She heard Gikan snarl behind her, knowing the warrior woman was hot on her trail but she had no intention of standing up to a straight fight. She knew Nanoha and Fate had to be around here somewhere, and if she could just find them and free them, they'd do the fighting. She just had to hope she found them before...
Too late, Aina only saw it coming at the last moment, as Gikan came at her from a different angle, slamming into the maid and sending her tumbling away. Somehow, Aina kept ahold of the spear and rolled to her feet, noting Gikan coming in once more; the warrior wasn't giving her a chance to get away again.
Aina swung the spear, but Gikan ducked under it and punched her in the stomach, then backhanded her across the face, sending Aina stumbling backwards out of the stacked-crate aisle. She probably would have fallen, but she backed into a pillar and used it for support to catch her bearings and her breath. Somehow, she was still upright, but she was beginning to doubt the wisdom of her actions, until she happened to glance across the room to see Nanoha and Fate bound side-by-side across the way. She glanced at Gikan, who had stayed back instead of following it up, a grin on her face; it was almost like she was enjoying this.
"Now, are you ready to fight, little one?" the warrior woman taunted. "Or are you ready to give up? There is no shame in doing so; we Quessna warriors are renowned for our strength and beauty."
While she caught her breath and bearings, Aina glanced at Gikan's nearly bald head, the patch over her eye, and the various scars and disfigurements all over the woman's body; if that was beauty, then she had no desire to see the rest of them. But the strength part obviously couldn't be denied, and thus getting to Nanoha and Fate would be more difficult that she initially imagined; still, she wasn't about to give up.
She stepped out, pointing the spear at Gikan, slowly rotating left to make it look like she was circling in on the other woman, while getting closer to the other two captives. But Gikan's grin faded as she realized what was going on and sprung at the housemaid. Aina turned and ran again with all her strength, then planted her heel and swung backwards at the attack she figured was coming.
Gikan danced back, surprise on her face as the tip of the spear grazed her shirt open along her stomach, then snarled angrily and came in again. Aina realized her mistake too late; she wasn't a warrior, and couldn't hope to even delay a true fighter, and now she was out of time.
She heard Fate shout, "STOP IT!" but Gikan's shoulder was slamming into her, knocking the breath out of her body, then the warrior woman's head slammed into her chin, knocking her face up.
Aina could barely tell what was going on around her, or even where her body was, and then her head hit something else and her vision swam. She just barely felt herself hit the floor, her whole body numb except for burning agony, and then a merciful whiteness engulfed her, relieving her of all her pain.
Fate stared at Aina's unmoving form, her mouth agape; something about the way her body moved and landed looked unnatural, causing Fate to fear for the worst.
"Aina!" Vivio cried from the doorway, held firmly by a surprised Freya.
"Mother..." the young woman breathed, glancing back and forth between the body and her parent. "You killed her."
Author's note:
Writing can be cathartic. There were various reasons for this, but mainly because of a recent family tragedy, which I felt I needed to release somehow. I won't go into it here, but I felt I needed to get this out.
Should only be another chapter or two, I think, and then this will be done. We'll see if I can hit those and get them finished up.
Spoiler for Unexpected Expectations, Chapter 10: Pain:
The Procreat is are one hope, (should be 'our')
No one had been by in a few minutes to check on them in a few minutes, (need to get rid of one of those)
Tiptoeing to he door, (the)
maybe she could something else (could do)
Left a few erroneous lines in the quote.
Another good chapter, but the ending... ;_; Part of me hopes that it isn't as it appears, but your note makes me think otherwise. Well... at least she got a CMOA ;_;
Well, chapter 4 should be up sometime this year pretty soon depending on how much free time I have. But it's going to take awhile for me to get to the NanoYuki parts; I'm currently developing the plot at the moment.
Also busy shipping Celica at Victor. *cough*
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
I suppose it really all comes down to who you ask. I've gotten some very good, intelligent critiques from the likes of Spawn, DC, and Dezo, who have always done an excellent job of telling me what I've done right while also pointing out what I could improve on. But I suppose it all comes down to personal preference, again.
I have to agree here. While I did become fairly annoyed when the resident pedant got his panties in a wad about the Bureau coup d'etat/civil war idea, I do prefer brutally honest critiques.
In private. Not in a public forum. And not in language that clearly reveals the "critique" to actually be a "troll."
Also you gain 666 metal points for the Rin avatar.
For the record, you're just encouraging me to ship her at him even more. With any luck, I might get that fluffy one-shot I told you about on AIM up later today, if my schedule cooperates. Gonna be hard since I'm heading home for the weekend.
Quote:
Also you gain 666 metal points for the Rin avatar.
What are innuendos?! Seriously, though, I'm with you. I prefer to read them over writing them.
Nice. Just one question. Where do I sign up for more?
I kinda wanted to see a short with Ishida-sensei talking to Shamal about work. Where this idea came from? No idea.
Innuendos are like adult jokes that can easily be misinterpreted by many people. (At least...that how I define it.) (Anyone else have a better definition?)
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Man, I seem to be hit by a severe case of inspiration for shorts! Another Hayate one, an introspective short.
Spoiler for Who Hunts Monsters:
Who Hunts Monsters
The night sky is beautiful, as always.
Something I’ve come to appreciate about my recent promotion is the extended working hours. Honestly, being the last one to leave the office at night makes it so much easier to carry out my evening ritual in privacy.
They wouldn’t understand. That, or they would misunderstand why I’m doing it. I don’t want them to worry about the wrong things.
This is the tallest rooftop in the city, and every night I can catch the coldest night winds as they blew across the ocean and brushed by Cranagan. Every night, after work and after the office empties of staff and friends, I can make my way alone to the roof after leaving Rein sleeping in my briefcase, and sit cross-legged on the cold concrete. My knees would brush thin air.
Dangerous position, I know, but I’m not scared.
I need to be here.
I have to remind myself, always.
I can’t forget.
It’s hard for me to imagine confiding in Nanoha-chan or Fate-chan about this, since I doubt that they’d understand. Definitely not Nanoha-chan—she’s such the Hero, capital H. I was so relieved during the Scaglietti Incident when we found Quattro beaten but alive after Nanoha had defeated her. I don’t think it even occurred to Nanoha that she could have killed someone. Heroes don’t think in those terms.
Fate-chan’s not much better, for all that she knows what it could be like. Her red eyes still sometimes carried a wounded air, whenever she slipped and remembered. And for her, maybe it was that memory, that knowledge of what she could have been like, that kept Fate-chan from crossing the line.
Oh, I don’t mean that killing is the line. I’ve no illusions—Enforcers have to kill sometimes, in a battle, to save their own life or the lives of others. No, I have no illusions.
But even if Fate-chan has killed, she’s never crossed the line.
I remember ten years ago, on a rooftop like this one. Well, not exactly like this one, although this rooftop is pretty close (that’s why I come here every night). Spacious enough for a helicopter to land, although there’s no chain-link fence here, and that time was on top of a hospital.
It was a beautiful night then too.
What a young child I was then.
You see, you never know exactly what kind of person you are until that defining moment comes. If you ask my children (my family), or my friends (also my family, in a way), they will all say that I’m a noble, kind person who has a strong moral code and determination to help others. A hero. And I’m not saying that they’re wrong about all that.
But I’m not a hero.
Because heroes never, ever cross that line.
Oh, I’m not punishing myself, or driving myself into the ground out of some need to repent. Really, I’m not! That’s just the kind of misunderstanding I know Nanoha would jump to.
See, the defining moments come when you have nothing, absolutely nothing, left to lose. A sort of who you are in the dark kind of moment.
I love my family. Signum, Shamal, Vita and Zafira… Even though we’ve only known each other for half a year then, I love them as if we’ve been family forever. And oh, they love me so much in return—risking my disappointment in them in order to save my life! Challenging the Bureau for me…I’m so honoured with their love. And for me, because they didn’t want to taint my life with blood, they swore not to kill a single soul as they fought to complete the Book of Darkness. They never wanted to murder anyone.
In a way, even my Wolkenritter can be heroes.
There’s a line.
A line.
I wanted to kill Fate and Nanoha.
That night on the rooftop, surrounded by the dying remnants of my family…I wanted to kill them. For a moment, a second, a lifetime of rage, murder had flared in my heart.
I saw who I am in the dark.
Even if all the fighting was done by the Book of Darkness, I know who the real villain was.
Was, not is. I had been lucky, and everything had turned out mostly alright. I know that I’m not to blame for all the violence. I had been tricked, so nothing was my fault, right?
I can’t forget.
There is a line.
I crossed it.
Every night, I come up to the rooftop to remember. Remember what makes me different from the crooks I catch. And I always find my answers, I do.
That moment of murderous desire does not make me a killer.
But oh, how easy it could be, to fall.
Spoiler for Author's Note:
ANGST-FEEL, BEGONE!
I hope that this didn't come across as an angsty-Hayate .... I had always wondered what could have been going on in Hayate's head that moment when she saw "Fate" and "Nanoha" kill the Wolkenritter in front of her in A's... This is my speculation that Hayate's thoughts had been, for a split second, murderous, and how Hayate might come to view that impulse years later.
Man, I seem to be hit by a severe case of inspiration for shorts! Another Hayate one, an introspective short.
Spoiler for Who Hunts Monsters:
Who Hunts Monsters
-Snip-
Very interesting, to be honest, I'd completely forgotten about the whole Fake!Nanoha and Fake!Fate kill Vita scene; I think the explosions right afterward distracted me too much. ~.~
I kind of feel bad for Hayate, having to be burdened with the acknowledgment that she's not only capable of slipping, but actually has done so. Personally, I don't think it's angst. Her soliloquy strikes me as more of an... introspective, possibly regretful, speech. It's not like she's bemoaning her "fall" after all, she's acknowledging its existence.
It gives Hayate more dimension as a character; she too has a dark side that she worries about, maybe even fears.
Lastly, this is more the sort of thing I'd write in a Fanfiction.net review. ~.~
Man, I seem to be hit by a severe case of inspiration for shorts! Another Hayate one, an introspective short.
Spoiler for Who Hunts Monsters:
Who Hunts Monsters
The night sky is beautiful, as always.
Something I’ve come to appreciate about my recent promotion is the extended working hours. Honestly, being the last one to leave the office at night makes it so much easier to carry out my evening ritual in privacy.
They wouldn’t understand. That, or they would misunderstand why I’m doing it. I don’t want them to worry about the wrong things.
This is the tallest rooftop in the city, and every night I can catch the coldest night winds as they blew across the ocean and brushed by Cranagan. Every night, after work and after the office empties of staff and friends, I can make my way alone to the roof after leaving Rein sleeping in my briefcase, and sit cross-legged on the cold concrete. My knees would brush thin air.
Dangerous position, I know, but I’m not scared.
I need to be here.
I have to remind myself, always.
I can’t forget.
It’s hard for me to imagine confiding in Nanoha-chan or Fate-chan about this, since I doubt that they’d understand. Definitely not Nanoha-chan—she’s such the Hero, capital H. I was so relieved during the Scaglietti Incident when we found Quattro beaten but alive after Nanoha had defeated her. I don’t think it even occurred to Nanoha that she could have killed someone. Heroes don’t think in those terms.
Fate-chan’s not much better, for all that she knows what it could be like. Her red eyes still sometimes carried a wounded air, whenever she slipped and remembered. And for her, maybe it was that memory, that knowledge of what she could have been like, that kept Fate-chan from crossing the line.
Oh, I don’t mean that killing is the line. I’ve no illusions—Enforcers have to kill sometimes, in a battle, to save their own life or the lives of others. No, I have no illusions.
But even if Fate-chan has killed, she’s never crossed the line.
I remember ten years ago, on a rooftop like this one. Well, not exactly like this one, although this rooftop is pretty close (that’s why I come here every night). Spacious enough for a helicopter to land, although there’s no chain-link fence here, and that time was on top of a hospital.
It was a beautiful night then too.
What a young child I was then.
You see, you never know exactly what kind of person you are until that defining moment comes. If you ask my children (my family), or my friends (also my family, in a way), they will all say that I’m a noble, kind person who has a strong moral code and determination to help others. A hero. And I’m not saying that they’re wrong about all that.
But I’m not a hero.
Because heroes never, ever cross that line.
Oh, I’m not punishing myself, or driving myself into the ground out of some need to repent. Really, I’m not! That’s just the kind of misunderstanding I know Nanoha would jump to.
See, the defining moments come when you have nothing, absolutely nothing, left to lose. A sort of who you are in the dark kind of moment.
I love my family. Signum, Shamal, Vita and Zafira… Even though we’ve only known each other for half a year then, I love them as if we’ve been family forever. And oh, they love me so much in return—risking my disappointment in them in order to save my life! Challenging the Bureau for me…I’m so honoured with their love. And for me, because they didn’t want to taint my life with blood, they swore not to kill a single soul as they fought to complete the Book of Darkness. They never wanted to murder anyone.
In a way, even my Wolkenritter can be heroes.
There’s a line.
A line.
I wanted to kill Fate and Nanoha.
That night on the rooftop, surrounded by the dying remnants of my family…I wanted to kill them. For a moment, a second, a lifetime of rage, murder had flared in my heart.
I saw who I am in the dark.
Even if all the fighting was done by the Book of Darkness, I know who the real villain was.
Was, not is. I had been lucky, and everything had turned out mostly alright. I know that I’m not to blame for all the violence. I had been tricked, so nothing was my fault, right?
I can’t forget.
There is a line.
I crossed it.
Every night, I come up to the rooftop to remember. Remember what makes me different from the crooks I catch. And I always find my answers, I do.
That moment of murderous desire does not make me a killer.
But oh, how easy it could be, to fall.
Spoiler for Author's Note:
ANGST-FEEL, BEGONE!
I hope that this didn't come across as an angsty-Hayate .... I had always wondered what could have been going on in Hayate's head that moment when she saw "Fate" and "Nanoha" kill the Wolkenritter in front of her in A's... This is my speculation that Hayate's thoughts had been, for a split second, murderous, and how Hayate might come to view that impulse years later.
Yeah, didn't feel much like angst, more like Hayate just accepting that something that happened in the past. Certainly we can't blame her for that moment after the nightmare fueled cutie breaking experience she went through. I often see characters have their "I could be [bad] like them, but I'm not" moments in the novels I read, and you did a really good job with it DC. Nice work
In other news, I want to write a NanoFate (gasp), but I have no ideas. My main problem is that I can accept Fate being in love with Nanoha easily enough, but not the other way around. Anyways, if anyone has any plotlines or ideas they'd like to suggest, please do so. It might kick start something in my head.
In other news, I want to write a NanoFate (gasp), but I have no ideas. My main problem is that I can accept Fate being in love with Nanoha easily enough, but not the other way around. Anyways, if anyone has any plotlines or ideas they'd like to suggest, please do so. It might kick start something in my head.
You could always go reading through drabbles and ficlets to see if inspiration strikes. I'm a bit too tired to suggest myself though, sorry. ~.~
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jokulhaup
Very interesting, to be honest, I'd completely forgotten about the whole Fake!Nanoha and Fake!Fate kill Vita scene; I think the explosions right afterward distracted me too much. ~.~
I kind of feel bad for Hayate, having to be burdened with the acknowledgment that she's not only capable of slipping, but actually has done so. Personally, I don't think it's angst. Her soliloquy strikes me as more of an... introspective, possibly regretful, speech. It's not like she's bemoaning her "fall" after all, she's acknowledging its existence.
It gives Hayate more dimension as a character; she too has a dark side that she worries about, maybe even fears.
Honestly, so had I! I was reading TVTropes about "Thou Shalt Not Kill" and suddenly it hit me that while Hayate hadn't killed, she may very well have had the thought of it once...
I'm glad to see it came across the way I intended!
I like exploring Hayate's dark side ...she seems the most likely of the Aces to be the one who may eventually give in slightly to that side , in my opinion!
Quote:
Lastly, this is more the sort of thing I'd write in a Fanfiction.net review. ~.~
LOL, is that a hint?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
Yeah, didn't feel much like angst, more like Hayate just accepting that something that happened in the past. Certainly we can't blame her for that moment after the nightmare fueled cutie breaking experience she went through. I often see characters have their "I could be [bad] like them, but I'm not" moments in the novels I read, and you did a really good job with it DC. Nice work
Thanks! I've come to really like Hayate suddenly....a surprise for me, since I'm used to seeing her in humourous roles in fanfiction!
Quote:
In other news, I want to write a NanoFate (gasp), but I have no ideas. My main problem is that I can accept Fate being in love with Nanoha easily enough, but not the other way around. Anyways, if anyone has any plotlines or ideas they'd like to suggest, please do so. It might kick start something in my head.
Yeah, I think there are a few people who agree with you in seeing Fate loving Nanoha, but a harder time seeing Nanoha loving Fate... Something you could maybe try is having Nanoha's friends point out Fate's attraction to her, and having them ask Nanoha what her feelings are... in a way, it could force Nanoha to think deeply about her feelings for Fate, but it could also make her feel like she's being pushed into a relationship she might not want, if you want some conflict?
Location: Pennsylvania. It's sort of like a real state.
Age: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
In other news, I want to write a NanoFate (gasp), but I have no ideas. My main problem is that I can accept Fate being in love with Nanoha easily enough, but not the other way around. Anyways, if anyone has any plotlines or ideas they'd like to suggest, please do so. It might kick start something in my head.
One word: Clowns.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I'm sorry. I'll go be quiet now.
2010-04-29, 18:16
Seriously, though, I'm with you. I prefer to read them over writing them. 
Author
I went off on a bit of a tangent, though XD
