Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

So earlier this month Alavon approached me and asked if I would write a story for a holiday themed doujinshi that she'd draw. I agreed and she's been hard at work on it ever since. I 'wrote it' in the sense that I described what was going on it in, because there's no dialouge in it. It's three pages in length.

Alavon is using a program to tone that she's not used to, and she doesn't think she'll have it done by New Years when it'd still be relevant. So for now I'm just going to post what she's done so far.



It's still a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy it

Great job, Alavon ^_^ you're awesome!

(BTW my new siggy was done by her too :3 )

[EDIT] Page claim for cute devices

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

This was really sad, both on Hayate's side and on the Wolkenritter's side. I really liked the simple language, nothing too flashy, just lots of short statements and questions--it really set the mood, making me imagine a silent movie in my head, which really added to the atmosphere.

Glad it worked, was my intention to create something like that. I also personally dig simplistic writing so that's what I use the most. Easier to read/write, for one.

I wonder how old Hayate is here (as I don't think it had been evident in the piece).

You're right it's not evident, didn't really think of how to implement it. If you want an answer to this and the "known all along" thing:

Spoiler for wieeee:

It's roughly somewhere after StrikerS, which also serves to say that it came as a shock as they were established family members. Their "contract", as you say, was suddenly nullified, which Hayate had a hunch would happen sometime. Which she didn't want, obviously.

[vic-vic]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

So earlier this month Alavon approached me and asked if I would write a story for a holiday themed doujinshi that she'd draw. I agreed and she's been hard at work on it ever since. I 'wrote it' in the sense that I described what was going on it in, because there's no dialouge in it. It's three pages in length.

Alavon is using a program to tone that she's not used to, and she doesn't think she'll have it done by New Years when it'd still be relevant. So for now I'm just going to post what she's done so far.



It's still a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy it

Look very promising, I`m definitely going enjoy it.

[Nanya01]

Long post is long.

Also, this won't look too much like canon.

But, hey, at this point, canon doesn't really exist, no?

A's

Jump

New Parts 1-45

New Part 46

New Part 47

New Part 48

New Part 49

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - New Part 50:

Riksfalto grimaced as she was knocked onto her back. "Oww..." The Sword of Light had shut off as she looked up at Huraker, who had Zelgadis by his throat and squeezing hard. Even the Chimera's body wasn't able to keep him from feeling the effects of the attack. Her other hand was bombarding Yuuno with magical power that he was hard-pressed to keep blocking.

She snorted as she saw Huraker use Zelgadis as a battering ram and slap Valgaav out of the air, causing the hybrid to crash down next to her. "We really suck, huh?" Maybe Huraker really did have power that rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Hellmaster Phibrizzo. She looked up and stared, the door was starting to crack. "Hey... What the hell is that?"

"I don't know..." Valgaav said as he got to his feet and looked at Gorun Nova, before grabbing it and lighting both weapons up. "I wonder..."

Zelgadis felt himself starting to black out. "Nnngh..."

"This is the end, for you." Huraker smirked, before gasping as she felt a thin blade pierce her in the chest. "What?" She looked down, before looking up and chuckling as she saw Fate standing up, still in that weird metal-like outfit. "Nice try."

"Bardiche..." Fate snapped her fingers.

"Yes sir, Dragon Slave."

"Wait, what?" Huraker's eyes widened as her body was engulfed in a red sphere that caused her to scream out, throwing Zelgadis away from her, who coughed, but didn't waste that moment and held up his hands.

"RA TILT!"

As Zelgadis cast that, enhancing the destructive power of the Dragon Slave even higher, Yuuno put his hands together, before launching a wave of fire that was taller than he was into the dome, turning it from red-white to red-orange in color.

Riksfalto frowned, that wasn't enough, she was sure of it.

Everyone flinched away as the power was pushed away from Huraker, covering the field for a moment. "You..." Huraker growled, her body was twitching in pain. "You think that's enough to defeat me?!"

"Guess I don't have a choice." Valgaav muttered. "Light come forth!" Both weapons lit up and he crossed the blades above his head, gasping as the weapons resonated with each other, the power shooting straight up and into the "door".

He grimaced as it opened up, causing all combat to halt as everyone stared up at the Dark creature that appeared at the door. "You who live on this pillar, prepare for absolution."

Valgaav stared at the creature, before dropping Gorun Nova and Ragudo Mezegis to the platform floor silently. "Yes..." He muttered, floating up. "I understand..."

"Lord Valgaav!" Jillas screamed as he saw his master get absorbed into the cloud-like creature. "What is that?!"

Huraker looked on, greed in her eyes. "Yes... Power... Absolute power..."

"Huraker!" Riksfalto yelped as she was forced down onto her butt from the force of energy suddenly released by Huraker. "What..?" Her eye widened, as did everyone else's eyes, as they heard the next words spoken.

"Join with me and you shall be reborn into the new world. Or stand in my way, and face nothingness."

"For some reason..." Zelgadis grumbled while rubbing his neck. "I don't like either option."

(---)

"Ah, Miss Lina..." The ship's doctor smiled at her. "Can I speak with you a moment?"

"Ah, sure." Lina nodded as she walked over to him, but not before smiling at Nanoha, who asked if something was wrong. "It's okay, Nanoha. I was feeling a little under the weather while we were at that town, so I came to the ship for an hour and had the doctor do some tests on me, just to make sure that I wasn't coming down with the flu or something." Waving any concerns down, she walked over and talked in low tones to the doctor.

Sylphiel frowned softly and looked at Arf, in puppy form, walked to the group. "Are you okay?"

Arf nodded and sighed softly. "This form consumes less of Fate's magic."

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Sirius suddenly stiffened, his eyes wide. "No... It's too soon!"

"What?" Gourry looked at him in confusion as the Shinzoku held his hand out.

"I need Bodigar, now!"

"Why?"

"Dark Star's been summoned." At that moment, alarms went out all across the ship, causing most of the group to cover their ears. It was so loud and none of them had heard anything like it before.

"Only if you take us with you." Lina spoke up as she walked back to the group. She narrowed her eyes at the Shinzoku. "I don't trust you at all, so, if we're going, all of us are going." She looked at Arf and Sylphiel. "That means you two this time."

"Why?" Arf blinked and Lina rolled her eyes.

"You two are going to be useful for this, and we don't have time to argue." Lina nodded at Sirius as the Shinzoku teleported the whole group to where the door had opened up.

(---)

Yuuno, having grabbed Nezzard and Bardiche and finding them remarkably unharmed, was shocked as the remaining group appeared in front of him. "What?"

"Excuse me." Sirius grabbed Nezzard from him and Bodigar from Gourry, before lighting both up and using the combined power to seal the gate. He sighed as he saw Dark Star disappear "Not ready yet." Even with all five weapons, he had no idea how to deal with this. "Erulogos... Almace..." Both were dead and he really hated not knowing what to do at the moment.

"Fate!" Arf ran to the girl, who was back in her normal Barrier Jacket and panting hard. "Are you okay?"

Looking at her familiar, Fate hugged Arf and trembled slightly. "I'm okay. How about you?"

Arf hugged her master back, just happy that Fate was alive.

"Sylphiel, Yuuno, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, heal everyone." Lina started directing people as she made sure that Zelgadis was okay. "We're going to need everyone back on their feet and soon."

"I would hope so." Lina blinked as Xellos appeared on the platform. "It was so hard to track you after you disappeared like that, Miss Lina."

"Yeah, well..." Lina gasped as everything started to shake. "What the heck?!"

Sirius stared in shock. "The door... It's cracking open!"

"Well, if Dark Star absorbed Vorfeed, Valgaav and Huraker, I'd think he'd be a lot stronger." Riksfalto shook her head as she looked at the door cracking. "I'm surprised that Dark Star merged with them so fast though."

Xellos shrugged and looked at Lina. "Well, Miss Lina, just what are you going to do?"

Lina closed her eyes. "Whatever I have to do." She walked over to Shiro and smiled at him.

"Lina, what, MMMPH?!" His eyes widened as she pulled his head down and kissed him on the lips, causing most everyone on the platform to blush and look away.

Interestingly enough, Riksfalto just looked on curiously.

Lina broke the kiss, her face flushed slightly, before she turned and looked at the door. "Just keep healing them, I'm going to try something first." She cupped her hands in front of her and looked up. "And, no matter what, don't interfere."

Filia just finished up making sure that Fate was okay, before blinking at those words. "Wait a second, what are you..?"

She didn't get to say anything more as the door shattered open. She gasped as she saw Valgaav on top of a Dark Cloud, glaring at them.

"Lord Valgaav..." Jillas whimpered as he saw his master. "I thought you were..."

"Golden Dragon of the Fire Dragon King, you, who have slaughtered Valgaav's people in the past, shall face judgment now." It was weird, Valgaav had a mix of four different voices as he looked at Filia.

"What's going on?" Lina whispered to Xellos.

"It's likely... That because this Dark Star is a mix of Dark Star and Vorfeed, that Valgaav was not destroyed, because he is a mix of Dragon and Mazoku..."

"Then Huraker's still alive in there." Riksfalto spoke up. "She had the power of Ragradia in her."

Filia stepped forward, ignoring the way that Sylphiel and Yuuno were healing Lyos on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him start moving again. "I am a Gold Dragon with no clan of my own. I was abandoned by my clan and betrayed by the others. So, like you, Valgaav, I am alone." Her eyes widened as she felt her skirt suddenly flip upwards, flashing everyone on the platform.

"You also have no panties to call your own." Xellos said smugly as Filia screamed in embarrassment, spun around and punched him clear off the platform.

"Well..." Lina dead-panned, "that killed any sort of drama that was being built up."

Xellos reappeared next to Lina. "I was just trying to lighten things up a little."

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME!" Lina yelled and gasped as she heard Valgaav chuckling.

"It is for this reason, that all worlds must be remade. The constant strife that Dark Star and Vorfeed faced between them was too much for them."

Lina closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry... I can't let you do that." She gulped slightly and held her hands in front of her. "I guess I can't trust even myself to keep a promise..."

"Darkness Beyond Blackest Pitch."

Sylphiel gasped, her eyes wide as she heard that. "Miss Lina, you can't!"

"Ignore me and keep working on healing him!" Lina yelled at her, both of her eyes were glowing gold at this time.

"Deeper than the Deepest Night."

Nanoha's eyes were wide, her body trembling as she felt Chaos in waves that she had never felt before, even when she tapped into her own Chaos powers.

Sirius, Riksfalto and Xellos all took steps back, their eyes wide and then they all fell to their knees and bowed their head as they acknowledged what was happening. It was something that all of them understood, deep in their souls.

"Lord of Darkness who Shines Gold As the Sea of Chaos
I call Upon thee and swear myself to thee."

There was a giant black ball of energy above Lina's head, swirling with golden power. Lina herself was gritting her teeth and had to move her right leg a step back to stabilize herself. 'So powerful...' She grimaced and took a deep breath, preparing to finish the incantation.

"I stand ready to bear the strength you give me.
Let the Fools Who Stand Before Me be destroyed..."

Lina gasped as she looked up, the black ball of energy suddenly shattering into nothingness. "...What?" She fell to her knees, gasping as her body went cold. "What happened..?" She couldn't feel it anymore, the power of the Lord of Nightmares wasn't in her anymore.

"Lina!" Shiro was by her side in an instant and grabbed her. "Are you..." He was startled as he saw Lina's eyes. Both were the same red color.

"What color?" Lina asked as Dark Star seemed to tremble for a moment. "What color?"

"Both are red."

Lina cursed lightly. "Dammit! She's not going to help this time around."

"What?" Xellos looked at her in confusion.

"It seems that the Lady won't allow any use of her power for this fight." Lina muttered, before gasping as Dark Star suddenly let out a roar and crashed through the portal.

The last thing that most of them saw was a large ball of energy heading their way.

(---)

"Miss Lindy!" Amy gasped as the scanners were going berserk.

"I know." Lindy nodded to her, before nodding to everyone else. "Let's go everyone, we don't have a choice anymore."

"Right!" Everyone nodded as hands started to fly over the consoles.

Lindy frowned, this wasn't going to be good.

(---)

Lina gasped as everyone appeared several miles away from where the platforms were.

"That was a close one." Xellos said as he stood on Filia's back, the Dragon seemed just as surprised as the rest of them were.

"How did.." Zelgadis asked and Xellos just smirked at him. "A secret right?"

"No, I just had help from Riksfalto and that Shinzoku. And, of course, Filia-chan here." He patted the Dragon on the back and she turned her head and growled. "Now, now... You know we're contractually obligated to have some out of place humor every so often."

"Where are the Dark Star weapons?" Sirius looked around, worriedly.

"You mean these?" Riksfalto asked as they spun around her. She grinned at him. "I thought that I'd keep them, but I guess we need them."

"Miss Lina!" Sylphiel yelled at the shocked redhead. "How could you?! You know that that spell's forbidden!"

"Well, yeah... But don't you think that you could yell at me for it later?" Lina pointed to the platforms that were exploding. "We kind of have a very dangerous thing right there."

"Oh..." Sylphiel blinked and nodded.

"What about that prophecy, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked, causing Lina to frown.

"Maybe... But..." She looked on as Dark Star raced towards the continent. "Damn! Filia! Catch up to it."

"Right!" Filia yelled as she took off like a rocket. Even at the speeds that everyone was traveling on her back, it just wasn't enough to keep up with Dark Star.

"At this rate, we won't be able to stop him!" Zelgadis said.

"We can though." Lindy was heard speaking to everyone who could hear it. "Pull back, we've got this one."

Chrono's eyes widened as he paled. "FILIA! PULL BACK!" His mother wouldn't... Oh no, she would. "MOVE!"

(---)

"Weapon is fully charged and we've got a lock."

Lindy nodded as she turned her key. "Arc En Ciel... FIRE!"

(---)

Everyone stared in shock as a white beam of energy crashed into Dark Star's face, before engulfing most of the body, and then spreading out in every direction for miles.

"Woah!" Riksfalto stared. "What the hell is that?!"

No one could answer her as they were busy trying to escape the massive explosion.

(---)

"Did it work?" Amy asked, silently grateful that Mary had fixed the scanners to get over their problem when a powerful Mazoku was around.

"We'll know in a moment." Lindy said quietly as the explosion finally started to subside.

(---)

"Even Lord Ruby-Eyes wouldn't be able to laugh that off." Xellos muttered. He was almost certain of it.

Suddenly a loud roar answered them as a black beam of power raced upwards towards the stars.

"NO!" Chrono gasped as he saw that. "MOM!"

(---)

"Incoming!"

"Quick! Avoid it!" Lindy commanded, hoping that they could avoid a direct hit. If not, well, it was going to be a quick flash before they all died.

They were mostly successful. They did avoid a direct hit.

Sadly, the attack was strong enough that even a near miss caused blew out their engines and caused them to start falling towards the planet below.

Lindy grimaced as she gripped her chair. "Just do your best to avoid crashing into anyone."

"Right!"

(---)

"We need to get ahead of him!" Lina yelled and Xellos just shrugged and looked at Huraker and Sirius, both of who nodded, before the group disappeared again.

They reappeared on a rocky out-cropping that was once a mountain range a hundred kilometers from the sea. "This work for you?"

Lina sighed softly as she walked up to Riksfalto and grabbed Galveira. "I'm going to need this." She looked at Xellos. "And I need a lift."

"Miss Lina?" Amelia asked as Lina smirked at her. "What are we going to do?"

"If we're going to do that prophecy thing... I want to make sure that it works. So, we're going to hit him with everything we've got. Our strongest spells, holding nothing back." She looked at Lyos. "You good enough to go?"

Lyos pulled out Banisher and smirked at her. "Yeah, I'm more than good enough."

Lina nodded and grabbed Gorun Nova, tossing it to Gourry, Ragudo Mezegis and tossed it to Zelgadis, Bodigar was tossed to Sylphiel while Nezzard ended up in Amelia's hands.

"Hey!" Riksfalto pouted. "I wanted those."

"You wanna be useful, help Arf and Sirius play defense for us." Lina muttered as she looked at Shiro, before walking to him and giving him a hug. "I'm sorry for what I did, Shiro..."

"It's okay." He said to her as he hugged her back. "Just do what you're best at. Making miracles happen."

Lina smiled and nodded, walking to Xellos and looking at Dark Star. "He's still hurting, we have to move now."

Xellos nodded as he grabbed her and the two teleported up and ended up hanging in mid-air.

"Light come forth!" Lina called out Galveira as the other weapons on the ground lit up. Around her, Nanoha and Fate, holding Raising Heart Excellion and Bardiche Zambar, had floated up to get close to her.

"Filia..."

The Dragoness looked at Dark Star and sighed at Yuuno. "I'll be okay..."

He nodded, before stepping to the side and letting his Holy power flow through him.

"Why not use that Ra Tilt that you did before?" Riksfalto asked and Yuuno chuckled softly.

"I was completely worn out from that, I don't know if I could do it again, I was kind of desperate to stop you, so..." He chuckled slightly at her. "I want to make sure that I can help more." He blushed as she suddenly hugged him.

"Heh... You're cute when you worry about things." She ruffled his hair and let go. "Just make sure to give him a good one for me."

Yuuno blushed heavily, the feel of her chest in his face was... Quite distracting. Shaking his head, he concentrated and let the power flow into him.

"Raising Heart..." Nanoha said softly as she closed her eyes.

"Alright. Starlight Dragon Breaker."

A magic circle appeared under Nanoha's feet as one appeared in front of her, a red ball forming in the center of it.

"Let's go, Bardiche."

"Yes, sir."

"Plasma Slave Zambar!" Fate called out, her Zambar blade turning red even as lightning crashed down onto it.

Xellos raised an eyebrow at the power. "Huh, if four Dragon Slaves can destroy a country, I wonder what will happen when these amplified ones go off."

"Heh..." Lina chuckled as Xellos held her, bridal style, in mid-air. "We'll find out... And stop grabbing my breasts."

"Sorry." He moved his hand. "There's a lot more than there was before."

Lina rolled her eyes as she pulled back on the string of Galveira. "Keep it up and I'll give you a Dragon Slave enema, Xellos."

He gulped and nodded, smiling harmlessly. "Okay, you win."

"Good." She smiled at him as she, Fate, Nanoha and Sylphiel, who was holding Bodigar as it started to glow red, all started chanting.

"Darkness Beyond Twilight.
Crimson Beyond Blood that Flows.
Buried in the stream of time
Is where your power grows.
I pledge myself to conquer
All the foes that stand.
Against the mighty gift bestowed
In my unworthy hand.
Let the fools who stand before us
Be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"

As they chanted up their spells, Shiro held the Blast Sword up high, the red energy of the Dragon Slave that the sword had absorbed was spinning around the blade and concentrating to the point.

Gourry held Gorun Nova and was waiting for the right moment to strike.

Zelgadis, Amelia and Chrono were all chanting their own spells.

"Source of all souls, which dwells in the eternal and infinite! Everlasting flame of Blue!
Let the power that's gathered in my soul be called forth from the Infinite!"

It was rather impressive how their weapons were glowing with the power that was coursing through them at that moment.

Yuuno looked at Lyos, who was focusing his power around his weapon. "You ready?" In his hands was a concentrated ball of energy.

Lyos just smirked at him. "When they are."

Nanoha opened her eyes. "Zen Ryyoko Zen Kai! Starlight Dragon BREAKER!" She swung Raising Heart down towards the red ball of energy in front of her, a pink and red wave of energy that was far wider than even the Amplified Divine Buster had been raced forward towards Dark Star.

"Plasma Slave Zambar... BREAKER!" Fate swung Bardiche forward, a red and yellow wave of power rushed side-by-side with Nanoha's attack.

"DRAGON SLAVE!" Lina and Sylphiel called out at the same time, letting their powerful magics fly forward, the energies colliding and enhancing each other as the beams rushed towards Dark Star.

"HA!" Gourry yelled, swinging down Gorun Nova at the same time as Shiro, who fired the attack he had charged up.

"Blaze... TILT!" Chrono yelled as he fired his spell.

"RA TILT!" Zelgadis and Amelia both yelled, firing their spells through their Dark Star weapons.

Yuuno snapped his hands forward, the super-heated plasma in his hands snapping forward while Lyos fired a blast of absolute zero.

"Incredible." Xellos actually had his eyes open as he stared in shock at the power that was being displayed as all the attacks connected with the merged being at the same time. "If it was just Dark Star, he'd be dead. Even Vorfeed would be dead, but..."

"I know." Lina panted slightly as she watched the destruction unfold. "Nanoha, Fate, we're going to the ground now."

The two nodded as the four of them descended to the ground.

"Now what?" Filia looked at Lina, who sighed softly.

"Heh... If he survived that, he's going to be hurting... So... That prophecy states we need the power of five points of light around a single star, the power of the Darkness Beyond Twilight and the Brilliance Beyond the Dawn, right?"

"Miss Lina?" Filia blinked in confusion.

"I actually did give thought about that prophecy. I just didn't put much stock into it since Vrabazard didn't give it to the Gold Dragon, at least that's what Yuuno said."

"So, what are you going to do?" Shiro asked as Lina shrugged at him. "You don't know?"

"Not at all. I mean, it almost sounds like we'd have the Dark Star weapons circle around someone who would cast a spell, using the power of Cephied and Shabranigdo and then fire a single arrow that would defeat Dark Star." She blinked at the looks she was getting, before rubbing the back of her head and chuckling. "Guess that's what we have to do, huh?"

"What do you want us to do then?" Nanoha asked and Lina chuckled softly.

"Run interference if he decides to attack." Nanoha nodded and looked at Fate, Chrono, her father and Sirius. "We need the power of Shabranigdo and Cephied..."

"Riksfalto and I will supply you with the power of Shabranigdo. But as for Cephied..." Xellos looked at Yuuno, then Lyos, then Filia. "It would have to be one of them."

Lyos stepped up. "I'll do it."

"You sure?"

Lyos chuckled and nodded. "I haven't done much, I think I can help out here at least."

"I'll help too." Yuuno stepped up beside him. "Um, so what do we do?"

"Just draw out the raw power of Cephied. Since you two can use Holy magic, it should be easy." Xellos said as he and Riksfalto took up positions on the other side of Lina.

"You all ready?" Lina asked as she looked at her friends. They nodded, the Dark Star weapons all glowing brightly.

Lyos and Yuuno nodded and charged up power as Riksfalto and Xellos did the same.

"Power born from the Lord of Nightmares, we call forth the Darkness Beyond Twilight and the Brilliance Beyond the Dawn, to call forth a single arrow of light that will split the heavens."

"You shall all be destroyed and this world will be purified of all the pain and suffering that it has caused. The eternal strife between the light and dark will come to an end."

Lina closed her eyes for a moment. "That's a nice thought, I admit, but... That's not a world an imperfect being can create. We're all flawed, all of us. Because of that, none of us can make an ideal world. Only a perfect being could." She pulled on the string, before letting loose. "AAAH!"

Amelia, Gourry, Zelgadis and Sylphiel all let out cries as they swung their weapons down, the attacks from them merging with Lina's attack, before it became a single beam of power that struck out against Dark Star's attack, overwhelming it, before the attack consumed the entity that was in front of them.

"The power of light and dark can only be wielded by a human who exists between them." Xellos spoke up as he watched the events unfold. "The chaotic power of the Fusion magic is turning nothingness into creation. Look there." Seeing the body starting to split apart, Lina sighed as she slumped to the ground as the entity was breaking apart. "It's over..." She sighed softly.

Ugh, that took FOREVER to finish!

[Yasanagi]

Spoiler for More MD Shenanigans:

Material-S groaned once as she regained consciousness and realized that she was lying on a bed. “W-where am I?”

“Seikou-chan! Are you alright?” Yuuno’s concerned face hovered quite close to her own, causing her cheeks to turn slightly red.

“What happened? I was standing outside your quarters earlier and…” She recalled talking to her device for a little bit while pondering how to help him deal with whatever that may be bothering him.

He stepped back to give her some space. “I was hoping you could tell me. I heard you faint earlier and brought you into my room to recover. When I felt your skin, it was unbelievably cold! Just what could have caused it?”

“I don’t know…” Seikou paused for a moment. “How long was I out for?”

Yuuno quickly checked the digital clock that was near the bed. “A good 10 hours. In case you were wondering, I haven’t seen or heard anybody out and about.”

“They are probably still resting. We had been up for quite some time.”

“That’s true.” The thought of Rai’s activities from the previous night reminded him that he still had to figure out what to do with her and how to go about dealing with the fallout that would certainly come from springing out the Combat Cyborg currently on the ship.

“What’s wrong?” asked the red clad woman from the bed.

“Hm? Oh… it’s nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me please. I saw it for a moment. That troubled look in your eyes. What is bothering you, Yuuno-san? Whatever that weighs heavily on you… if possible, I would like to ease that burden.”

He looked startled for a moment before letting out a small smile. “I appreciate the gesture but this is something you can’t help me with.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated,” countered the Librarian.

“Then make it uncomplicated.” Material-S wasn’t about to give up so easily on this.

“Seikou, you and the others… you ladies have a long road ahead of you to find your place in civilization. You should be focusing on that. I can handle my own problems.”

“That’s not fair!” exclaimed the Nanoha replica in a rather surprising emotional outburst. “All this time, you’ve always put our needs ahead of your own while your own troubles eat away at you inside!”

“It’s okay, really!”

“No, it’s not okay! I want to repay you for your kindness, Yuuno-san! If you won’t let me help you, then… then…!” She frantically tried to think up of something before settling for the first thing that popped in her mind. “Then I’ll pin you to the ground and not let you up until you tell me what’s troubling you!”

Cue awkward silence as Seikou immediately felt embarrassed that she came up with something so silly and childish. As for Yuuno, he had a slightly different reaction, complete with a slight twitching of the eyebrow. ‘…… pin me to the ground? As in a wrestling type pin…?’

This reminded him of a strange dream (more like a nightmare) he had some time ago about him being twisted into a pretzel several times thanks to different submission holds that were done to him by a red bikini clad Nanoha. He didn’t know what could have caused that dream but he would never forget what happened to his dream self in there…

“Lyrical Magical Armlock!”

*SNAP* “ARGH!”

“Lyrical Magical Cross Legged Lock!”

*CRACKLE* “IthurtsithurtsITHURTS!”

“Lyrical Magical Siberian Suplex!”

“S-Siberian?”

“For Real Soviet Damage, Yuuno-kun! Teehee!”

“Don’t ‘teehee’ me, Nano-” *POP* “UNCLE! UNCCCLEE!”

He shook off the thought. ‘No way… she wouldn’t do such a…’ His green eyes widened in surprise as Seikou had gotten up from the bed and slowly began to approach him. “W-wait… what are you…? You’re kidding, right?”

The Starlight Destroyer merely held up her hands and started flexing them as if ready to grapple. She was hoping not to go through with this embarrassing action any further but until he was willing to talk, then she would have to put up with this. Now, she recalled seeing those weird people on that Muscle Planet do something like announcing the names of their deadly attacks before pouncing on their opponent…

“Um… Magical Material…”

“OKAY, I’LL TALK, I’LL TALK!”

“You will? That’s… good.” She was glad he didn’t call her bluff since she wasn’t sure if she could have went through with those childish motions in the event that Yuuno remained stubborn. Now that he’s willing to talk, she should be able to help him although at the moment, the whole atmosphere felt a bit awkward for the both of them.

*GROWL*

And her growling stomach didn’t really help matters. But at least now Yuuno was smiling, even if it came at her dignity’s expense. “How about we talk about this over some supper?”

“Er… yes that would be appropriate.”

**********

It had been a busy day for Fate T. Harlaown. Along with her usual workload that came with her position, she also had been keeping her eye on updates to the Materials case. The latest update had been news of an unexpected visit to one of the orbital prisons by one of the Materials. Surveillance footage showed that it was her doppelganger that had broken in and taken an entire refrigerator along with one of the prisoners, one of Jail’s Combat Cyborgs.

This wasn’t exactly comforting news. If anything, this meant possibly having one more opponent to deal with, assuming that the Materials knew how to reprogram her. She was hoping that wouldn’t be the case since according to her patient profile, Sette had been making good progress in her rehab program.

Thinking about her doppelganger, eyewitness accounts had painted her replica’s personality as a combination of a cheerful child and a psychopathic killer. This somewhat fit her observations when the Materials had broadcasted themselves over the planet earlier in the month. Along with what she managed to find out from her brother, Fate came to the theory that her clone had a very unstable mindset, most likely fuelled by the Nanoha and Hayate replicas.

All this left her with more questions. And she wasn’t the only one who wanted answers.

Fate could only imagine how this is gnawing away at Nanoha inside. And she shared that frustration too as well. Fifteen years ago, when she had tried to seal several Jewel Seeds at once, Nanoha and Yuuno didn’t hesitate to go against Bureau orders to lend her help. Now Yuuno’s in a dangerous position with three replicas that originated from the Book of Darkness and Nanoha can’t even go out to save him. Of course, the difference is the fact that they have no idea where Yuuno even is at this point compared to how the Asura easily tracked her down on Earth when she triggered the Jewel Seeds to react simultaneously.

At least Nanoha was taking it better these days compared to when she was denied her request to join the search parties. Her normal daily routine was coming back together with today being Fate’s turn to pick up some groceries while she did some house cleaning. Since she wanted to get in and out quietly and quickly, she used a light transformation spell to disguise her features before entering the market.

The grocery list wasn’t too extensive so it didn’t take her long to head towards the check out counter and subsequently hear the commotion that was happening at one of the registers.

“You can’t do this, dammit! My coupons are good! Take them!”

A quick glance showed an irate male customer yelling at the female cashier. He didn’t care about the ruckus that he was making or the crowd that was starting to gather around him.

“Sir, these coupons are expired. I’m not allowed-”

“If you don’t take it, you’re gonna be expired! Take my coupons or I’ll sue! I’m a lawyer with the Bureau! I’ll sue you in court!”

Fate really wasn’t in the mood for this. “Excuse me?”

“What do ya want?” snapped the other man.

“Are you a prosecutor or defense attorney?” asked the young woman calmly.

“Huh?”

“Which law school did you attend? Can you tell me which division you work for and which jurisdiction it covers?”

“W-what?” All he could do at this point was stammer and stare, especially after she deactivated the transformation spell.

“Sir, impersonating an agent of the Bureau is a serious offense. Furthermore, there are enough witnesses and evidence to hold you in court for harassment, threatening, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. I’m an Enforcer with the Bureau. I have contacts in every legal division. My recommendation? You leave, before I place a call and make this official.” Applause and cheers came from the other customers while the other man merely ran out of the store as fast as his legs could take him, leaving behind his items on the counter. “Oh my, he left his groceries behind.”

“You want some free stuff?” asked the grinning cashier.

“No, I shouldn’t and…” The crowd quickly closed in on Fate, asking for a handshake, autographs and the usual requests that one makes when meeting a celebrity.

‘So much for trying to keep a low profile...’

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

So earlier this month Alavon approached me and asked if I would write a story for a holiday themed doujinshi that she'd draw. I agreed and she's been hard at work on it ever since. I 'wrote it' in the sense that I described what was going on it in, because there's no dialouge in it. It's three pages in length.

Alavon is using a program to tone that she's not used to, and she doesn't think she'll have it done by New Years when it'd still be relevant. So for now I'm just going to post what she's done so far.



It's still a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy it

Aw, soooo cute! And I'm impressed, too, by the improvements Alavon has made in her art skills over the years! Good stuff all around.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

Spoiler for More MD Shenanigans:

Material-S groaned once as she regained consciousness and realized that she was lying on a bed. “W-where am I?”

“Seikou-chan! Are you alright?” Yuuno’s concerned face hovered quite close to her own, causing her cheeks to turn slightly red.

“What happened? I was standing outside your quarters earlier and…” She recalled talking to her device for a little bit while pondering how to help him deal with whatever that may be bothering him.

He stepped back to give her some space. “I was hoping you could tell me. I heard you faint earlier and brought you into my room to recover. When I felt your skin, it was unbelievably cold! Just what could have caused it?”

“I don’t know…” Seikou paused for a moment. “How long was I out for?”

Yuuno quickly checked the digital clock that was near the bed. “A good 10 hours. In case you were wondering, I haven’t seen or heard anybody out and about.”

“They are probably still resting. We had been up for quite some time.”

“That’s true.” The thought of Rai’s activities from the previous night reminded him that he still had to figure out what to do with her and how to go about dealing with the fallout that would certainly come from springing out the Combat Cyborg currently on the ship.

“What’s wrong?” asked the red clad woman from the bed.

“Hm? Oh… it’s nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me please. I saw it for a moment. That troubled look in your eyes. What is bothering you, Yuuno-san? Whatever that weighs heavily on you… if possible, I would like to ease that burden.”

He looked startled for a moment before letting out a small smile. “I appreciate the gesture but this is something you can’t help me with.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated,” countered the Librarian.

“Then make it uncomplicated.” Material-S wasn’t about to give up so easily on this.

“Seikou, you and the others… you ladies have a long road ahead of you to find your place in civilization. You should be focusing on that. I can handle my own problems.”

“That’s not fair!” exclaimed the Nanoha replica in a rather surprising emotional outburst. “All this time, you’ve always put our needs ahead of your own while your own troubles eat away at you inside!”

“It’s okay, really!”

“No, it’s not okay! I want to repay you for your kindness, Yuuno-san! If you won’t let me help you, then… then…!” She frantically tried to think up of something before settling for the first thing that popped in her mind. “Then I’ll pin you to the ground and not let you up until you tell me what’s troubling you!”

Cue awkward silence as Seikou immediately felt embarrassed that she came up with something so silly and childish. As for Yuuno, he had a slightly different reaction, complete with a slight twitching of the eyebrow. ‘…… pin me to the ground? As in a wrestling type pin…?’

This reminded him of a strange dream (more like a nightmare) he had some time ago about him being twisted into a pretzel several times thanks to different submission holds that were done to him by a red bikini clad Nanoha. He didn’t know what could have caused that dream but he would never forget what happened to his dream self in there…

“Lyrical Magical Armlock!”

*SNAP* “ARGH!”

“Lyrical Magical Cross Legged Lock!”

*CRACKLE* “IthurtsithurtsITHURTS!”

“Lyrical Magical Siberian Suplex!”

“S-Siberian?”

“For Real Soviet Damage, Yuuno-kun! Teehee!”

“Don’t ‘teehee’ me, Nano-” *POP* “UNCLE! UNCCCLEE!”

He shook off the thought. ‘No way… she wouldn’t do such a…’ His green eyes widened in surprise as Seikou had gotten up from the bed and slowly began to approach him. “W-wait… what are you…? You’re kidding, right?”

The Starlight Destroyer merely held up her hands and started flexing them as if ready to grapple. She was hoping not to go through with this embarrassing action any further but until he was willing to talk, then she would have to put up with this. Now, she recalled seeing those weird people on that Muscle Planet do something like announcing the names of their deadly attacks before pouncing on their opponent…

“Um… Magical Material…”

“OKAY, I’LL TALK, I’LL TALK!”

“You will? That’s… good.” She was glad he didn’t call her bluff since she wasn’t sure if she could have went through with those childish motions in the event that Yuuno remained stubborn. Now that he’s willing to talk, she should be able to help him although at the moment, the whole atmosphere felt a bit awkward for the both of them.

*GROWL*

And her growling stomach didn’t really help matters. But at least now Yuuno was smiling, even if it came at her dignity’s expense. “How about we talk about this over some supper?”

“Er… yes that would be appropriate.”

**********

It had been a busy day for Fate T. Harlaown. Along with her usual workload that came with her position, she also had been keeping her eye on updates to the Materials case. The latest update had been news of an unexpected visit to one of the orbital prisons by one of the Materials. Surveillance footage showed that it was her doppelganger that had broken in and taken an entire refrigerator along with one of the prisoners, one of Jail’s Combat Cyborgs.

This wasn’t exactly comforting news. If anything, this meant possibly having one more opponent to deal with, assuming that the Materials knew how to reprogram her. She was hoping that wouldn’t be the case since according to her patient profile, Sette had been making good progress in her rehab program.

Thinking about her doppelganger, eyewitness accounts had painted her replica’s personality as a combination of a cheerful child and a psychopathic killer. This somewhat fit her observations when the Materials had broadcasted themselves over the planet earlier in the month. Along with what she managed to find out from her brother, Fate came to the theory that her clone had a very unstable mindset, most likely fuelled by the Nanoha and Hayate replicas.

All this left her with more questions. And she wasn’t the only one who wanted answers.

Fate could only imagine how this is gnawing away at Nanoha inside. And she shared that frustration too as well. Fifteen years ago, when she had tried to seal several Jewel Seeds at once, Nanoha and Yuuno didn’t hesitate to go against Bureau orders to lend her help. Now Yuuno’s in a dangerous position with three replicas that originated from the Book of Darkness and Nanoha can’t even go out to save him. Of course, the difference is the fact that they have no idea where Yuuno even is at this point compared to how the Asura easily tracked her down on Earth when she triggered the Jewel Seeds to react simultaneously.

At least Nanoha was taking it better these days compared to when she was denied her request to join the search parties. Her normal daily routine was coming back together with today being Fate’s turn to pick up some groceries while she did some house cleaning. Since she wanted to get in and out quietly and quickly, she used a light transformation spell to disguise her features before entering the market.

The grocery list wasn’t too extensive so it didn’t take her long to head towards the check out counter and subsequently hear the commotion that was happening at one of the registers.

“You can’t do this, dammit! My coupons are good! Take them!”

A quick glance showed an irate male customer yelling at the female cashier. He didn’t care about the ruckus that he was making or the crowd that was starting to gather around him.

“Sir, these coupons are expired. I’m not allowed-”

“If you don’t take it, you’re gonna be expired! Take my coupons or I’ll sue! I’m a lawyer with the Bureau! I’ll sue you in court!”

Fate really wasn’t in the mood for this. “Excuse me?”

“What do ya want?” snapped the other man.

“Are you a prosecutor or defense attorney?” asked the young woman calmly.

“Huh?”

“Which law school did you attend? Can you tell me which division you work for and which jurisdiction it covers?”

“W-what?” All he could do at this point was stammer and stare, especially after she deactivated the transformation spell.

“Sir, impersonating an agent of the Bureau is a serious offense. Furthermore, there are enough witnesses and evidence to hold you in court for harassment, threatening, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. I’m an Enforcer with the Bureau. I have contacts in every legal division. My recommendation? You leave, before I place a call and make this official.” Applause and cheers came from the other customers while the other man merely ran out of the store as fast as his legs could take him, leaving behind his items on the counter. “Oh my, he left his groceries behind.”

“You want some free stuff?” asked the grinning cashier.

“No, I shouldn’t and…” The crowd quickly closed in on Fate, asking for a handshake, autographs and the usual requests that one makes when meeting a celebrity.

‘So much for trying to keep a low profile...’

Heh, I see what you did there, referencing your other fic.

While the part with Fate was nice and all, it was also, well, completely pointless. I don't want to rush you, but it wouldn't hurt to pick up the pace a bit. Things have been moving too slow recently and their return to Mid Childa is taking too long. Once they get there, things'll definitely pick up and become more interesting.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

Glad it worked, was my intention to create something like that. I also personally dig simplistic writing so that's what I use the most. Easier to read/write, for one.

I admire that Hemingway-esque style of writing , I personally have a hard time doing it myself. It's definitely easier to read/write, and in addition it's nice for a modern audience used to visual and audio media (anime, movies, graphic novels, etc) since part of the description is delivered through the visual--I compare modern novels and fanfiction to older novels (say, Victorian novels), and the huge difference in writing there is that they take full paragraphs to describe something that nowadays, gets maybe one sentence at most, and often nothing at all .

You're right it's not evident, didn't really think of how to implement it. If you want an answer to this and the "known all along" thing:

Spoiler for wieeee:

It's roughly somewhere after StrikerS, which also serves to say that it came as a shock as they were established family members. Their "contract", as you say, was suddenly nullified, which Hayate had a hunch would happen sometime. Which she didn't want, obviously.

Spoiler for spoiler:

Ah, I see! So my second guess was right , and so we have Hayate suspecting/dreading that day and to have it finally hit her...

[Kaijo]

Okay, here we go, finishing off this little arc and paving the way for the final stretch:

Future Tense

Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2

In which Nanoha confronts Zira while forces move against her, and Teana and Givo make a desperate gamble...

Previous parts can be found here.

Spoiler for Future Tense, Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2:

MGLN: Future Tense
Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2

Xx~~*~~xX

This was it.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the '125 Supools Championship Bout!"

The final fight that she needed to win, in order to return to Mid-Childa in order to start the revolution that would finally change the Bureau.

"In this corner, displaying impressive magical power with seven consecutive wins, thus proving just why she has the reputation she does; the Starlight Destroyer, Seikou!"

There was just one problem.

"And this corner, the returning champion with a record 62 wins versus 2 losses, the Soul Stabber, Zira Rinaldi!"

Her opponent's face was firm, and Nanoha expected no less. Having studied Zira's style compared to what she knew of Shamal and Zafira's abilities, Nanoha felt confident she could win. However, there was one big issue remaining, since both women held large stakes on winning this match.

"Match continues until one side can no longer fight. Begin!"

Nanoha wasted no time. "[Zira, I-]"

And apparently, her adversary didn't either.

Zira blurred forward, ignoring the telepathic sending. Nanoha barely got a shield up in time, but Zira whipped out her sword in a split instant, destroying the barrier in an explosion. Both mages shot out of the smoke cloud in different directions, but Zira didn't let up for an instant, rebounding off the arena shield and coming in again. Nanoha fired a Divine buster, but the woman disappeared and the beam hit empty air. Reacting quickly, Nanoha executed a Flash Move and thus it was the very air being rendered instead of her body.

Thunder rumbled as the split air came rushing back together, but Nanoha was already preparing her next spell. "Axel Shooter, Gatling Mode!"

A high stream of shots erupted from Raging Heart's spear tip, as Nanoha attempted to track Zira's path. From her earlier study, Nanoha knew Zira preferred to keep the pressure up with short range attacks, using a short range teleport move not unlike her own Flash Move; Zira called them Flash Steps instead, and they were employed to great affect in the setup to an attack.

[I just need to keep her occupied long enough....] Nanoha thought to herself as Zira worked her way closer. And then the brunette cut off her attack and dove for the ground while firing a Divine Buster. [I need to buy Sein more time.]

The explosion kicked up a layer of dust that she hid herself in, but shortly after doing so, the cloud was cut into several parts by multiple slashes and Zira was on her again. This time, Nanoha deflected the sword swing her staff, able to follow the quick moves due to her experience fighting Fate. Zira was almost as fast, but slighty less predictable, which made the battle more difficult in some ways. Also, since Zira drew her weapon only when ready to strike, using the speed of the well-practiced maneuver to add to it's deadliness; a quick-draw ability not unlike the ancient samurai of Japan.

Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, but that ended quickly as Zira sensed the attack and phazed away, a dozen Axel Shooter orbs from the earlier Gatling spell streaking in for her. Nanoha flew backwards through the air, trying to get a bead on Zira again, but it was too late.

Time stopped and her vision swam.

"Got you," Zira whispered into Nanoha's ear from behind.

Nanoha glanced down to see a hand protruding from her chest, holding her linker core.

x~~*~~x

"Layla!"

A head topped by short reddish hair came up as her name was called. "Givo?"

The other prisoners in the cell looked up as the familiar boy appeared on the other side of the cell. "I've come to get you guys out of here!"

Layla was aghast. "What? How!?"

"I brought, uh, a kind of help, " he told her proudly, pointing to his "assistant."

"That's Teana Nakajima, Homeworld Security Director!" a man in the cell uttered in disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke!?"

"No joke," Teana tried to assure him as the cell door swung open. "I need your help, which is why I'm helping to get you out of here. But the system will only be down for 5-10 minutes at most, so we need to hurry. We have a chance as long the drones are in diagnostic mode. Cross Mirage!"

"Deactivating," the device intoned.

Layla glanced down momentarily as the collar fell off her neck and clattered to the floor, and then back up at Givo. "Are you sure about this?"

He spared an eye to glance up at Teana, then returned his gaze to Layla and nodded. "Yes. Well, I think so. I don't think we have much of a choice, anyway." He sighed. "It's a long story."

"He's right about that," Teana agreed, meeting Layla's gaze with a look that didn't reveal much. "Neither one of us has much of a choice. I need your help as much as you need mine, and you stand to win your freedom."

"We can't go with her!" the prisoner who had spoken before uttered. "This has to be some Bureau trick to test us!"

Layla studied Givo's eyes, and then stood up defiantly to shook her head in disagreement. "Maybe, but somehow I don't think so. At any rate, I'm not giving up; it's not what Rio would do. I'm in."

One by one, the other dozen prisoners stood, including the doubter, although he was next to last. However, one person still remained inside, sitting against the back wall. Layla followed Givo's glance as it went past the rest of the prisoners and focused on the individual.

"Sister?" he questioned, but she barely looked up in response. "Sister Rubella?"

"Leave her," Layla said softly. "The others won't trust her after what she's done. She's part of the Bureau now, for better or for worse."

Givo ignored her, his expression thoughtful, then he crossed into the cell and came to stand before the nun. "Sister, they are escaping. I remember, even though I was angry, that you healed me. You're not a traitor, so much as someone who wanted the fighting to end. We have to fight, though."

"Leave me, like she said," the Saint Church nun finally uttered. "They're right. I won't be trusted again, and this is my punishment. I can only be judged by the Saint alone. Go."

"Givo, we don't have time for this!" Teana admonished him. "We have to go, now!"

"But-" he started to say, glancing back and forth between Rubella and Teana.

The nun reached out and pushed him away. "It's okay, I will wait for her holiness's judgment. I was prepared when I took the actions I did. If she is willing, we will see each other again. If not, I am glad I got to know you."

Layla sighed, and then walked over to him and gently grabbed his shoulder. "Givo, you heard her. Even if we wanted to take her, if she wasn't willing, she'd just slow us down."

He glared at her, but allowed himself to be gently pulled back out of the cell, his gaze returning to the sister. "I'll see you again, I promise!"

She smiled and nodded at him, while Layla turned back toward Teana. "Okay, we're trusting you, crazy at that sounds. Now what?"

"I need you to teleport us somewhere, so I can get a signal out over the jamming," Teana explained. "Your file says you have a range of just over 500 meters, so we'll need several hops to reach it, however."

"I can't take more than three people with me, though," she countered, glancing at the rest of the prisoners. "And I need to get them out."

Teana dismissed the concern, and tossed her a datapad. "They'll have to fight their way out. The Enforcers are technically after me, so any resistance they encounter will be light. They just need to follow that map into the sewers, and then blend in with the people in the ghettos outside Clanagan. If they move fast enough, they should be able to slip out sometime after. With the jamming in effect, the guards won't be able to coordinate an effective search. Now go!"

"Don't worry about us," a female prisoner stated, accepting the data pad from Layla after she checked it over. "We all made a vow to fight the Bureau no matter what; we'll see you at the rendezvous point."

Layla shook the woman's hand firmly as the prisoners began filing out. "Agreed, we'll see each other then." She turned back towards Teana and Givo while the woman went to join her compatriot's. "Well, where to?"

"We need to get above the jamming so I can send a signal, and there is one place in all of Clanagan that is deliberately above the jamming field," Teana stated evenly with small smile. "Hayate's personal command center at the top of the central Bureau spire."

x~~*~~x

The pain was just as maddening as she remembered, but she was prepared.

"Reactor Puge," Raging Heart intoned, as the outer layers of her barrier jacket exploded, propelling Zira and her apart.

Still a bit shaky from the effects, Nanoha reformed her barrier jacket in the smoke screen, and then took aim and fired. "Excelion Buster!"

Zira recovered just in time to draw her blade and swing, dividing the beam, although the pure force of it drove her back and began to shred her own barrier jacket. Zira yelled and pushed her sword forward, completing the slice and sending a vertical wave of magic up the beam, which forced Nanoha to dodge, thus ending her attack. For the next moment, the two paused and studied each other warily, panting in an effort to regain their wind.

"[Kela,]" Nanoha sent telepathically, and was rewarded by the brief flash of surprise and shock on Zira's face before her regular demeanor returned; she'd have to remember to thank Sein later for her information. "[She's your daughter, the one you're trying to afford the operation for. I understand why you're fighting, and why you need to win. And I promise I'll help you with-]"

"[I don't want you, or anyone's, pity nor sympathy!]" Zira responded angrily, taking Nanoha aback with the ferocity, and then charging straight for her opponent again.

Nanoha released a volley of orbs, sending half of them at Zira while the others arced off in wide angles and then returned to her. Just as she suspected, Zira disappeared and came in at a different direction, but this time, Nanoha had her magic missiles there and waiting, forcing her opponent to divert her own attack and defend herself. For the next few moments, they engaged in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, rapidly speeding around the arena, Zira trying to get in close while Nanoha kept her off-guard with her magical shots.

"[I just want to help,]" Nanoha continued, keeping her tone calm while preparing her next spells. "[I met her and even chatted with her; you have a beautiful daughter. I don't know why you left her at the orphanage-]"

But Zira had prepared her own spells, too; magical threads erupted from all directions and ensnared Nanoha's limbs, showcasing that her opponent hadn't merely been flying around aimlessly. But as Zira charged toward her now-bound opponent, she flew right into Nanoha's own prepared trap-bind spell; for the moment, it was a stalemate and a race to see who would break free first.

"[Even though she doesn't know who you are, your daughter wants her mother, more than anything,]" Nanoha continued, working on her binds. "[Why won't you go to her? Why won't you let me help you?]"

"You don't need to know!" Zira seethed out loud, a hand trying to reach the sword at her waist.

"If I defeat you, will you tell me?" Nanoha offered.

Zira barked a laugh. "Fine. If you think you can manage that."

"Understood," Nanoha replied, then closed her eyes. "Raging Heart, Blaster Two."

Her opponent stared as twin blaster bits materialized and proceeded to cut Nanoha's binds with Strike Flame tips, then she slid back through the air several meters and began charging for a Divine Buster with the two blaster bits helping to reinforce the main beam. Nanoha knew this might be pushing the stress on Raging Heart a bit, and she hadn't heard from Sein yet, but she had a good opportunity here and she couldn't pass it up.

Zira seethed and growled against her restraints, just managing to break her right hand free and grab her sword handle a split second before the blast reached her. Sword met beam again as she tried to cleave the stream in two, but wasn't entirely successful, being driven rapidly back instead until she managed to slip out of the way. She panted and glared at her opponent, her barrier jacket singed and and ripped in various places, but otherwise intact.

Nanoha inwardly debated about how to continue holding her off, when Sein's voice finally echoed in her head, giving the brunette the signal she was waiting for: "[I talked to the old man: It's done.]"

Inwardly, she felt a sigh of relief, but that still left the problem of what to do about Zira; she was quite evasive, and it would be hard to trap her in another bind, and any lesser attacks she dealt with via her sword. Nanoha needed someway to hold her still while hitting her with an attack big enough she couldn't block or cut. An answer came to her almost immediately, and she grit her teeth, knowing this was going to hurt.

And thus she waited, standing still, as Zira charged again. Her adversary blurred again, popping up in various places around her before disappearing again, trying to disorient Nanoha and leave her guessing as to where she'd strike. But Nanoha knew that those Flash Move-like abilities took a considerable amount of mana to do, which meant Zira had to strike soon.

"Master!" Raging Heart exclaimed, and Nanoha shifted slightly right while dropping her weapon.

Zira's eyes widened in shock. "What...!?"

With her right hand, Nanoha had grabbed Zira's left, that was now jutting out of her chest. The incredible agony was back, but due to Nanoha having experienced it twice before and shifting at the last moment, it had missed her linker core. And with her left hand, she had grabbed Zira's right wrist, the one that held the sword. Zira tried to free her hands... but found she couldn't.

Nanoha shakily looked up and met Zira's eyes. "Excelion... Buster."

The other woman had just enough time to glance around, noticing that Raging Heart was floating below her and pointing up, while the blast bits were above and to either side and pointing down at a 45 degree angle. In the next moment, three pink beams converged on her in a large Y-shape, while her mouth opened in a soundless scream.

And then it was over, and Nanoha fought the pain as the hand retreated from her chest, catching the falling woman in her arms and dropping gently to the ground. While Seikou was announced as the victor, Zira's eyes began to flit open again, indicating that she had regained consciousness. Almost immediately, her facial expressions revealed that she knew she had lost.

"[Will you tell me about it now?]" Nanoha asked gently, laying the woman down; but Zira faced away, making no move to get up. "[Why won't you go see your daughter, and let her know who you are?]" Zira's expression became more pained. "[Zira?]"

"[Because it's my fault she's like that!]" the anguished response finally came as the woman's moist eyes snapped shut.

x~~*~~x

The trio materialized in the command room, Givo shielding them against Enforcers that opened fire the instant the three appeared, while Teana's magical bullets took them, and and technicians manning the stations, out.

"Let's hurry, we don't have much time," Teana stated, blasting the door controls and sealing them shut with a welding shot. "You two get the dimensional barrier up; we'll have company soon, and we don't want guests teleporting in after us."

"Give me... a second," Givo panted, hands on his knees. "If it hadn't of been for Layla's boost spell, I couldn't have held up a barrier against that."

"You need more practice with shielding spells," the Homeworld Security Director told him pointedly while tapping away at the keys on one of the stations. "Just as I thought, the computers here were locked out the instant we came in, so I can't use them, nor can I access the dimensional relays. Cross Mirage, can you send the coded signal to Hayate's ship from here?"

"Accessing..." Cross Mirage responded, the seconds ticking away in agonizing slowness, while shouts and spells sounded from the other side of the barricaded door. "Unable to complete. Hayate's ship has entered hyperspace and is now out of range."

"Damn it!" Teana cursed. "We were too late!"

"I might be able to boost the signal strength of your device," Layla replied, beginning to strain a bit as she helped Givo maintain the dimensional barrier. "But I'm not sure if it will be enough, and I don't know how long Givo could hold this on his own."

"I'll manage somehow," he grunted under his breath. "Do it quick!"

She nodded at him, then switched her focus to Teana and Cross Mirage. "Timeless ether, the span of the cosmos, grant this mage a line through through space. Communication signal, Boost Up!"

"Resending signal..." Cross Mirage repeated, while the three glanced up nervously as the dimensional barrier began to crack.

x~~*~~x

"Supreme Commander, we have a signal coming in," a bridge tech announced.

Hayate glanced up from her position in the Captain's chair. "What is it?"

"Accessing and decoding now...."

x~~*~~x

The dimensional barrier finally shattered, the magic backlash sending Givo tumbling across the room. Layla was immediately at his side, making sure he was alright and helping him up.

"We need to get out of here," Layla made the obvious announcement, beginning her teleport calculations.

"Not quite yet; Cross Mirage, status!" Teana snapped.

"Target out of range, unable to complete," the device replied after a moment.

"No!"

x~~*~~x

"It's from Supools," the bridge tech answered. "The Enforcers have found the underground fighting ring and are setting up a perimeter. We'll be in range to begin transporting down within a few minutes."

Hayate sat back in her chair. "Good. I want a full containment barrier ASAP." Inwardly she knew that wouldn't stop Nanoha, who had powerful barrier bursting magic, but it would slow her down and let them know exactly where she was when she attempted to break out. "Signum, did you hear that?"

A holographic screen opened showing the Wolkenritter General, Vita, Shamal, and Zafira behind her. "Ah. We are ready to move as soon as possible."

Hayate folded her fingers in front of her face; Nanoha wouldn't escape this time, not if she had anything to say about it.

x~~*~~x

"[I don't understand, why do you think it's your fault she was born that way?]" Nanoha questioned, kneeling down.

"[I... kept fighting, even after I found out I was pregnant,]" Zira admitted, tears leaking out of her closed eyes, as if she was reliving the experience she was describing. Now that the dam had burst, the rest came flowing out all at once. "[It was in the middle of a championship, and I couldn't afford to back out. But I lost a match, badly. The doctor's told me there could be a risk the baby was harmed, but I didn't find out until she was born; her foot was deformed and her spine is slightly out of shape.]" She paused to wipe her eyes with an arm, then finally opened them to glare at Nanoha. "[So I had to win! I HAVE to fix my mistake!]"

"[I know what it's like, seeing your daughter hurt,]" Nanoha stated softly, emotion creeping into her voice, reliving her own personal ordeal. "[It's as if someone reaches inside you and twists your insides, leaving you feeling weak and helpless, always questioning yourself, knowing there should have been something you could have done, but didn't. The guilt, the fear, and the anger eat away at you.]"

She shook her head and gazed down at Zira. "[But your daughter needs you right now, and I've just received word that the championship funds will be transferred into your account; I don't need them, as my deal was just a series of fights. You should be able to get her operation with them.]" She held out her hand. "[Let's work together.]"

Zira was speechless, staring at the other woman as if she had grown a second head. But any response was put on hold as both women suddenly felt a dimensional barrier engulf them, flooding the entire area.

In that respect, Sein's mental warning almost wasn't needed: "[It's a trap!]"

x~~*~~x

The door finally burst open, flooding the room with Enforcers with Fate right behind, giving orders. "Stop them!"

Teana smiled grimly as Layla's pink magic engulfed them, and gave the other woman a message. "Tell Quattro I'll be back, and that I have a bullet with her name on it."

Binds, barriers, and magic shots filled the room, but the three intruders disappeared just before that.

x~~*~~x

"[The old man is sending the data to Raging Heart about the location of the ship he has for you, but you'll obviously need to hurry,]" Sein continued in Nanoha's head. "[I may or may not be able to reach you in time, so just go without me if I don't make it.]"

"[Thank you, Sein, but it's probably safer for you to stay on Supools,]" Nanoha replied earnestly. "[It's me they are after, and what I have to do on Mid-Childa is considerably more dangerous than what we did here. But I'm truly thankful for what you've done, and I'll repay it someday. Tell the old man thanks for me as well.]"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then, "[We'll see. This conversation isn't done, but you need to hurry. If I make it, I'm coming with you. If not, then good luck. Sein out.]"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Nanoha said quickly, helping the other woman to her feet. "The funds will be placed in your account shortly; hopefully, I'll be back someday to see your daughter run."

Zira refused to let the hand go, and instead squeezed it. "Thank you, but we're not done."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow.

The other woman glanced sideways as the sounds of explosions and voices became louder. "We've got to get you out of here. I assume you have an escape route?"

"Thank you, but I can't let you-"

"Whoa, I'm not going with you all the way," Zira stated sternly, giving her an even gaze. "I'm just helping to get you out of here. I have a daughter to return to, remember?"

A small smile appeared on Nanoha's face. "Alright, just for a short while. This way."

Zira nodded, and the two women sprinted out of the arena.

x~~*~~x

[Okay, it's just down a couple more levels...] Sein started to say as she slipped out of the ceiling and landed in the corridor, following her mental map, when a bind snapped into place on her wrist.

"You're under arrest!" a male Enforcer declared, pointing his staff at her.

Sein cursed herself, in her haste, she hadn't checked the room before entering it. [A rookie mistake!] She tried to break the bind, but the Enforcer's staff was charging for a stun shot that would obviously knock her out, and she knew she wouldn't make it in time.

Suddenly, a dark shape was there, grabbing the staff in it's teeth. "What in the hell-!?" Before he could question it further, he was swarmed by several more.

Sein blinked. "Dogs? It couldn't be..." A side wall exploded outward, revealing three familiar faces, one of which she hadn't seen for years. "Deed, Otto! ...Verossa!?"

Otto knocked the Enforcer out with a shot. "It's a good thing we found you when we did; Verossa's dogs were tracking you for the past several minutes as you dove through floors and walls. YOu're quite difficult to keep up with."

"How did you even know I was here?" Sein asked as Deed sliced the bind off her with her sword.

"No time to explain; we have to get out of here," the #12 cyborg replied, glancing at the room's doors. "We can compare notes after. We can't risk getting caught here with Verossa's important information."

Sein looked at him. "Important information?"

"Something that could tilt the course of our conflict," he told her, sending his dogs back out to find a secure escape route. "From what I've learned, our real enemy isn't Hayate nor the Bureau; there's something bigger going on. I've got the information on a disc which I'll show you when we-"

Sein's eyes widened. "Do you have it with you? I need to get it to Nanoha!"

"Nanoha?" Otto questioned, raising an eyebrow. "So that's who she really was? Not Seikou?"

"It's a long story, but what if you say true, then she'll need to know," the #6 cyborg replied, snatching the disc from Verossa's hands as he hesitantly held it out to her, and then placing it in a side pocket. "Thanks for coming, but you guys should get out of here; I need to get to Nanoha before she escapes. I can't explain now."

Deed placed her hands on Sein's shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?

Sein nodded, smiling, and then hugged her sister. "Trust me. And if you can, find a way to Mid-Childa. Something tells me we'll need your help there shortly, if we make it."

Verossa nodded. "I was planning to head in that direction anyway, but we'll meet up again there." He glanced up as an explosion sounded down the hall. "However, we need to go, now. My dogs have found a route but it won't last long."

"Later!" Sein waved, diving into the floor.

x~~*~~x

"Ooooh, you want some more, bay-bee?"

Vita smacked the dizzied mohawked man on the head with her hammer to knock him out, sighed, and then held a hand up to her ear. "Vita here, still no sign of the target. Light resistance mainly, but also, I found some magic hounds. It's possible Verossa is involved."

"This is Shamal," came the almost-monotone reply in her ear. "Klarer Wind has narrowed down her position somewhere in the west corridors. An Enforcer unit is in pursuit."

"Hayate here, I'll join them, if Zafira and Signum will keep pushing her west," their mistress stated. "We'll spread out around her to box her in, then take her down together. Let's move!"

"Roger," Vita replied, placing a bind on the enemy mage and leaving him to a pair of Enforcers while she sprinted off down the cratered hallway.

x~~*~~x

"You're under arrest!" several Enforcers announced, pointed their staves at the two women they had just run into.

"Why, how rude!" Victoria stated, whipping out her fan. "I shall have you know that I am from the esteemed Dahlgren family, a master of the Thunder Emperor style whose routes trace back to-"

"MOM!" Gloria yelled, throwing a barrier up across the hallway while simultaneously yanking her mother back around the corner as the Enforcers opened fire. "What did you think you were doing!?"

"That was rather rude of them," Victoria huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't even let me finish my speech."

"What makes you think they were going to?" the younger woman questioned, incredulous.

"Well, that's how it was done back in my day," the elder Dahlgren opined, and then sighed despairingly. "Combat always follows the speech. That's just how it's done. The youth of today have no respect for tradition."

Gloria rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Whatever. We need to get out of here and the closest way out is through them, so how about trying combat first this time?" She held up an electrified fist and grinned.

Victoria nodded, pulling out a second fan and charging them both with the same electric magical energy. "For once, I agree with you. Let us show these ruffians the Dual Thunder Emperor Style, for victory and glory! Ohohoho!"

The daughter tried her best to ignore her mother's laughter as the two women charged back around the corner in unison and attacked.

x~~*~~x

"This it?" Zira asked, glancing upward at the ship resting on a 45 degree angle launch slope. The name on the side read: Centennial Sparrow. "It looks like a piece of junk, honestly."

"Watch your mouth!" came a female voice from a hatch on the ship's side, walking down the boarding ramp. "She'll make point five past hyperspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts! Captain Duo is the name. And I take it you're Seikou, the one we're supposed to transport to Mid-Childa?"

Nanoha nodded and gave a short bow. "Yes, and I'm grateful for your assistance."

Zira planted her hands on her hips. "Well, it's up to you, but with the dimensional barrier up, we can assume there is a Bureau ship in orbit to greet you. Not sure how you plan to get past that."

"I've outrun Bureau starships," Duo boasted, jutting a finger at her chest. "Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big XV class ships, now."

Zira rolled her eyes as if to say "whatever" and then turned back to Nanoha. "We still have the barrier to deal with, but this is as far as I can go."

"I'll destroy the barrier," Nanoha stated confidently. "You just get yourself to the edge, and then run as soon as it goes down; it might not stay down long."

"I will, good luck to you, and thanks again," the other woman offered earnestly, then hesitated and held out a hand.

Nanoha shook it eagerly. "You, too. And say hello to both your mother and your daughter for me."

Zira nodded, and then headed back out into the corridor.

"Alright, let's get going!" Duo declared energetically, holding up a hand to her ear as she led Nanoha up the boarding ramp. "Choonie, fire up the engines and prepare to launch!"

x~~*~~x

Teana glanced at the city of Clanagan in the distance and sighed, regretting her failure. Not only had she failed to protect Wendi and Nove, but she had abandoned them along with Dieci, She had failed to stop Quattro's plot, failed to contact Hayate, and was now a wanted fugitive, driven from the city.

"Damn it all!" she cursed, slamming her fist against a tree.

"She had no choice, we had to get out of there," Givo told her, keeping an eye on the unconscious Layla; she had used up the rest of her magic to make the longer teleport jump to the ghetto, where they hotfooted it out of Clanagan.

"I know that, but still!" Teana shot back gruffly. "I lost the entire city, no, the whole planet to Quattro amd Due! Hayate has no idea what she'll be walking back into. I'll just have to find some way to sneak back in and warn her when she gets back."

"Well, we can't go back now," Givo pointed out. "Well just have to hide until until things cool down."

Teana shook her head. "Things won't cool down, not where Quattro is concerned. But you're right, we do need to get out of here and hide for awhile; they are probably trying to trace the teleport, so we aren't safe here." She paused thoughtfully, and then turned to Givo, a grim smile growing on her face. "But I do have an idea. I need you to find us a certain accomplished expert at hiding."

x~~*~~x

Sein drove her cyborg limbs as fast as they could go while running down the corridor, the spaceship in the distance igniting its engines. A glowing ball of pink magic was positioned at the craft's nose, that Sein recognized as Nanoha's magic; she realized Nanoha was going to shatter the barrier as they launched, which meant she didn't have much time.

With a final push, she came aside the ship while it began to climb, and then leapt with all her might towards the wall that separated the corridor from the launch ramp the spaceship was rapidly ascending.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha swung her staff down, activating the Starlight Breaker just as the ship cleared the launch tube and burst into the air. The magic exploded forward, shattering the barrier after a few seconds of direct impact.

"Altitude climb nominal," Captain Duo declared.

"Bureau ships in orbit!" co-pilot and engineer Choonie announced, worry in her voice. "They know we're coming; I don't know how you plan to get around them."

"You should know me well enough by now, hun," Duo replied, a certain eagerness in her voice. "You just handle the hyperspace jump calculations while I bring the shields up and remind you just why I'm the main pilot here. There hasn't been a Bureau ship yet who could catch me!"

Nanoha held onto her seat straps as the ship rocked from nearby explosions, as energy beams lanced from the cruisers, seeking the small ship out. Several times, the ship shuddered as Nanoha felt what were probably were shots connecting, but true to her boast, the captain managed to outmaneuver them long enough to clear the atmosphere. With a final burst of speed, the ship lurched into hyperspace.

"Geez, about time you steadied the ride," came a voice from behind. "I had a hell of time holding on. Perhaps you should get your inertia dampeners checked."

Duo swiveled around in her chair. "My inertia dampeners are fine! There just aren't any that can keep up with the inertia this ship puts out. Now, who the hell are you and how did you get aboard?"

Nanoha craned her head around. "Sein! What are you doing here? You should have stayed on Supools!"

The cyborg cracked a grin. "You aren't getting rid of your manager that easily!" She held up a shiny disc. "It just so happens that I received some last minute intel from Verossa, Deed and Otto. They claimed it was important, so I thought you should have a look at it. At the least, they need me to get it to any resistance groups on Mid-Childa, and you previously mentioned you had contact with them."

"You can plug it in here," Choonie informed them, indicating a slot.

"I sure hope it was important enough for you to stow away with me," Nanoha stated, hesitation in her voice. "It's not exactly going to be safe around me."

Sein popped in the disc, grin still present. "When has it ever?"

Nanoha sighed, then all four quieted down to watch the recording of Regius's office. While the captain and the first mate were clearly confused about what was going on, Sein easily recognized her deceased sister Due from pictures, though she was at a loss when it came to the figure wrapped in a full-body cloak.

The #6 cyborg shook her head. "Well, not sure how or why this is important, except it looks like Due survived and... Nanoha? What's wrong?"

The cloned mage was pale and trembling, her face locked on the still image. "That voice... I know it...."

Sein's eyes widened a little in surprise. "You have? Who is it? It doesn't sound like anyone the doctor used to work with. Where have you heard it before?"

Nanoha gave her a hauntingly terrified look, like none other she'd ever seen on the woman's face, while replying simply, "In my dreams."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Magical Girl Therapist Nanoha! In re-watching A's with some of my anime group members, and then re-watching StrikerS on my own, I really was struck by how Nanoha tries to play counselor/psychologist a lot, even in the midst of combat, heh.

At any rate, Nanoha will be back on Mid-Childa next chapter, one way or another, as the series rounds third base and heads for home. The final confrontations are coming, and mysteries will be revealed shortly. Tune in next time for "The Return" where we learn the fates of several characters, including some we haven't seen for awhile...

Victoria and Gloria were just for fun; not sure if they'll pop up again, but you can be sure people like that find a way to survive. ;p I'm completely blaming Dezo for the use of them, though.

[Rising Dragon]

... Centennial Sparrow? Captain Duo? Choonie?

[Yasanagi]

So... that was a gender bent Hans Solo? Might need some random Star Wars lines thrown in there for lulz.

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

I admire that Hemingway-esque style of writing , I personally have a hard time doing it myself. It's definitely easier to read/write, and in addition it's nice for a modern audience used to visual and audio media (anime, movies, graphic novels, etc) since part of the description is delivered through the visual--I compare modern novels and fanfiction to older novels (say, Victorian novels), and the huge difference in writing there is that they take full paragraphs to describe something that nowadays, gets maybe one sentence at most, and often nothing at all .

Hemingway-esque? Well that's quite a nice compliment (read up a bit, it's basically my favorite style when used by authors). Not that I've read anything by him, but now you made me want to try and continue with this style.

[Kaijo]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

... Centennial Sparrow? Captain Duo? Choonie?

Too much?

Had more than a few people talk about how this has some Star Wars vibes at times, sooo....

[NorthernFallout]

Inspired by Future World Music. An alternate past for a certain Knight.

You don't need the music really, but it might provide quite a nice mental image.

Spoiler for The Knight, The Mercenary:

Spoiler for Music:

Pink hair fluttered in the weak wind on the Knight that stood on a castle’s tower. She surveyed the battlefield beneath, merely observing as the enemy forces decimated her allies. It was a massive silvery blob of soldiers that pushed forwards, aiming to reach the castle’s iron gates. From there they would break through the barricade and conquer the castle.

She was the lone defence that still stood. Though her reputation was simple, that of an excellent mercenary, foes that stood in her way did their best to avoid her. It was that word, ‘excellent’, that carried her reputation. Without that word she would not have reached the level she now was on.

A horn blared in the dusk. It was a signal for the female mercenary to engage. The meatwall that had just provided time, was now useless. It was time for her to step in. Time for the last defence to rise from its resting place.

From her hip she drew with a hand encased in a glove of shiny metal a white sword from its golden scabbard. There were no shaking or hesitation. Her face was that of utter determination and concentration. She would not let her benefactors down. That was not the reputation she had built up. That was not the foundation she stood upon.

“I pray to you, Goddess of War. For I shall cleanse these foes with my blade, their blood tainting my soul. Give to me the power for War, and I shall repay you in full.”

The mercenary had spoken with calm, her voice barely a whisper. It couldn’t be heard by anyone but her. But it was as it was meant to be. She felt her soul being struck as by lightning. For a brief moment, everything was blank. Then it was all clear.

She jumped off the tower’s roof into the grey sky. Her world became that of a howling wind. She rolled forward once in the air with her feet aimed at the ground beneath. It came at her in an instant.

She landed with a soft thud, barely audible for those who fought around her. She was now in the middle of the chaos, standing on the blood-soaked ground. As she inhaled a slow, deep breath, she could feel a lone drop of rain on her cheek. Then she set off.

Only a few of her allies remained that tried to block the legion of foes. They could all feel the mercenary’s aura as she approached from behind them. It gave them a temporary confidence boost that few could muster and they pushed back one more meter. Enough to give them a chance to avoid their foes and send in the Knight, the mercenary.

For a brief moment, their foes were struck with surprise. It was something that only lasted for a few seconds. But it was all she needed to start her dance of death.

She choose two foes that stood in the front. She slashed with her sword once, twice. The two foes fell, blood slowly seeping from their armor that covered their torsos. Before they had managed to hit the ground, more had fallen. Her blade reached everywhere, in an instant. Her foes had mere fractions of seconds to react.

From afar it brought confusion. Foes fell more rapidly, a white sword slashing between them. It was a blur, a divine power that swept through their ranks. It instilled fear. It created hesitation.

Blood flew and so did limbs. The mercenary’s face was colored a dark red. Barely a single spot on her tender skin was clean from the tainted blood. But she did not falter. That was not something she let her mind be obstructed by. It was just an effect of her actions, a powerless effect. As it always had been.

Her foes began to back away as she slaughtered their brothers in arms. No one wanted to take the fight to her. The fight came to them and what had once been a battle of conquering became a battle of survival.

The mercenary slowed her dance of death. Her sword slowed down and became visible. Her boots halted, covered in mud. Blood dripped from her face that still had the determination of granite. The rain now fell with strength and her hair stuck to that blood-covered face.

A ring formed around her. A ring of scared, angry soldiers that had witnessed their brothers succumb to the mercenary’s blade. She knew they would not have any of it. Even facing death, fear and anger mix well. What it can do to soldiers is astounding. She didn’t face weak soldiers anymore. Now she faced real soldiers. But for them, it wouldn’t make a difference. Neither would it to her.

They prepared. She prepared. She let out the breath she had held ever since she had jumped down from the tower. She straightened up and shoved the sword tip-down into the mud and rose her face towards the sky. The rain cleaned it from the blood that tainted it and she closed her eyes.

Another deep breath was inhaled.

The legion grasped the opportunity.

They attacked as one. A raging, screaming manifestation of violence. They rushed towards her, weapons drawn high. Mud splashed. Blood flew. Rain fell like tears from the dead sky.

“For the moment has come. Lend me your strength, once more. For that I repay you in full.”

A tornado of death. In an instant the mercenary had gone from a standing position to one that reaps lives. The first foes that were unfortunate to reach her first flew through the air. Their limbs were cut off from blurry swords. But the foes kept coming.

A slash on the right, a slash on the left, a thrust upwards, a thrust backwards. Her sword moved with the speed of light. From white to red it turned. Darker and darker for each slash. It was too fast for the rain to clean off the taint. It slashed open throats and it chopped off limbs. Blood flew thick in the air.

Bodies were thrown back from the force that the cause of their deaths had brought them. Their brothers fell in heaps. The ground was filled with blood so thick that the rain could not wash it away.

The sound of metal clashing rang out over the battlefield. Time and time again. Another foe fell, another body flung away by the sword. The mercenary kept moving. Kept slashing. Kept killing. Her body was powered by War. Her body was that of a Goddess. There is no stop for such divine intervention. But in the end, it all comes at a price.

Silence came abruptly. The mercenary stopped her swing in mid-air and opened her eyes. Nothing stood before her. No living soul challenged her still. She was now alone, standing among that which had once been a legion of violence.

She straightened up once again and slid the sword into its scabbard. No shaking, no hesitation. She let her breath go and faced the sky once more.

“Thank you for your gift. I now repay you in full.”

She whispered it into the wind and waited for the payment to be accepted. She didn’t have to wait long. The moment which she feared the most came as it had many times before.

Her eyes started to bleed. Her vision went red and she gritted her teeth as the divine power left her soul. Blood trailed from her ears and dissolved in the rain. The water cleansed her hair from blood. Her body bent from excruciating pain.

She screamed. In pain. In relief. In regret.

As if called, a fog slowly drifted over the battlefield and secluded the bodies that lay there. The figure of the mercenary became dim from a distance. Eventually she drifted into the fog, a Knight, a mercenary. Her dark figure disappeared.

Her scream transformed into a haunting echo, signaling her departure from the lands. Doomed to search for a new benefactor.

[Nanya01]

WHOO HOO!

I did it!

I got done with this section of the story before the year ended!

WHOO HOO!

A's

Jump

New part 1 - 50

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - New End:

After a major battle, there was always calm. Always. It didn't matter if one side completely steam rolled the other side or the fight was even.

Things were always calm, even nature seemed to give pause when a fight had just ended.

"We won..." Zelgadis, looking human again, said as he sat on the ground. For some reason, he didn't feel like celebrating. He wasn't sad, but there was a melancholic feel to everything.

"Yeah..." Filia said as she sat behind Chrono. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see him turn to look at her, his face a mask of nothing but pain and sadness. She had no idea what was going through his mind at that moment, but it couldn't have been good.

"My father died when I was really young." She blinked as she heard his voice in her head. "And now... Now my mom... And my oldest friend... All gone..." He blinked as Filia wrapped her arms around him from behind and hugged tightly.

"Lord Valgaav!" Jillas was sobbing loudly. "He... He wasn't a bad person! He saved me life. He was a good person when you got to know him." He fell to his knees as he let his tears flow freely.

"I got that feeling too." Nanoha said as she sat next to the sad fox-creature. "When we fought, he was angry and sad, but I didn't sense evil from him. Just pain." Needing to kill, being able to kill. Until this mission, she had never killed anyone, heck, until this mission she had never really seen a dead body.

Of course, her mind was completely ignoring the fact that she did not kill anyone. Maim and injure people, but she didn't kill anyone.

Sighing, Lina sat next to Shiro, resting her head on his shoulder, before sighing. "Sorry."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a squeeze. "For what? Kissing me then using the Giga Slave?" He shook his head and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Lina. I'm not going to get upset just because you did something stupid."

"Well, all's well that ends well, I say." Xellos smiled as he leaned against a rock. "Though, I have to admit, I am rather glad that Huraker got killed." He honestly had the feeling that she manipulated everyone. When he thought back on the events that unfolded, it made sense, that she manipulated the events that happened.

It wasn't fair. He was the one who was supposed to manipulate people, not the other way around.

Riksfalto stretched, her chest bouncing as she looked at Yuuno. "Well, kid, I'd love to stay, but I'm sure that Lord Dolphin's going to want to know why I fought against Huraker..."

"Yuuno." She blinked her one good eye at him. "My name's Yuuno Scrya."

Riksfalto laughed. "I'll remember that, Yuuno." She smiled and disappeared.

Xellos shook his head and chuckled. "I think she understands better than even Dynast did..."

"Understand what?" Sirius looked at the Mazoku, who smirked at him.

"That... Is a secret." He laughed as he disappeared. "Sorry that I can't stay, but Beast Master needs an update as well."

Fate, sitting next to Yuuno, sighed as she saw the Mazokus disappear. "They... Were weird. I thought Mazoku were evil." Yuuno just shrugged and Lina laughed softly. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just... Even Mazoku, who prefer negative emotions and the like, aren't all evil. Xellos will gladly kill you if it furthers his goals, but he's just as likely to save your life if you're useful to him."

"So..." Yuuno looked at Lina in confusion. "He's not... Evil? Just..."

"He's evil enough to laugh at you while slaughtering your whole clan, while leaving you alive. I think Riksfalto there just loves a good fight and doesn't care about much else." Lina shrugged at that. Most Mazoku that she had encountered were pretty evil. And you could never trust them fully. But then there was Gaav, who would have left her alone had Hellmaster not been sending Gaav's spies bad intel about her working with him. And Xellos was just nutty. Riksfalto seemed odd as well.

And there was Sherra, who could have killed her back when she was on the ground and weakened, but she didn't. And Zelas gave her an assist in killing Dynast. Who knew what Dolphin was like.

(---)

"I want some chocolate..." Dolphin whined as she looked at her empty box.

"Lord Dolphin." She blinked as she saw Riksfalto appear before her. "Huraker's dead."

"Huh?!" Dolphin sat up, staring. "Speak now!"

As Riksfalto explained everything that had happened, from Huraker getting her, Sherra and Valgaav to work together, to Huraker stealing the power of the Aqua Lord, to Dark Star appearing and threatening the world.

Dolphin sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No more chocolate then..." Oh well, it was for the best. Huraker really shouldn't have over-stepped her boundries like that.

(---)

"nnngh..." She cracked an eye open and blinked as she felt someone running their hand through her hair. "What?"

"About time you woke up, Sherra." Zelas said softly and smiled at the Mazoku. "So, tell me something, how do you feel?"

"Um... Weird... I mean, my head's in your lap... But other than that..." Her eyes widened. "Dynast? Where is Lord Dynast?"

"Dead." Zelas said, her eyes hardening and the younger Mazoku stared at her, trembling. "Lina Inverse killed him with a Ragna Blade fired through the Bow of Light. I don't think any of us could have survived that."

"Lord Dynast..." Sherra shuddered and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to fight back something that she had never felt before. "You knew, you KNEW that Lina Inverse was on the top ten list of people you don't want to be around." Why would he go after her then?

"Yes, well... I'm glad that he did... I've been wanting to kill him for years now." Sherra gasped and looked at Zelas in shock. "Don't get me wrong, Sherra, my hatred for him was because of something he did to me a long time ago, nothing more. Now, my question for you is, what will you do?"

"Huh?" She blinked as Zelas smiled at her and gently cupped her face.

"You're in shock, I'm sure, but close your eyes for a moment."

Confused, the Mazoku did so, and her eyes snapped open as she realized what Zelas was getting at. "What?"

"Dynast always gave his name to his General and Priest, because he could use them later if he had to." Her eyes widened as Zelas nodded. "All Mazoku Lords have ways to survive a lot. Dynast had a plan for his underlings, should he fall... They would gain his power, memories, experiences..."

"He'd... Erase me... Just to survive?"

"Yep." Zelas nodded at the shocked look on Sherra's face. "Now, it's up to you. What do you want to do now?"

"I..." She closed her eyes. "Why am I still me then?"

"Oh, that?" Zelas smirked at her. "I happened to... Purge his memories and experiences from you, couldn't do anything about the power however."

"You're being... Candid... Considering Xellos..." Sherra grumbled softly and Zelas laughed at her. "What?" She pouted and blushed as Zelas patted her on the cheek.

"You're too cute. Anyway, what reason would I have to hide information from you?" Zelas chuckled as Sherra blinked at her. "You now have a choice, you don't answer to anyone directly, so, what do you want to do?" That was a lie, they both knew it, but without a Lord telling her what to do, Sherra was a free agent as far as the rest of the Mazoku were concerned.

"I..." Sherra took a breath. "Is it normal to feel nothing because your lord died?" Zelas just shrugged and she groaned, knowing that the older Mazoku wasn't going to tell her anything. "...I need time to think." She got up and looked around. "...Where am I?"

"My personal sanctum." Zelas said as she stood up. "I'd appreciate it if you... Kept quiet about being here."

"Ah..." Sherra nodded and shivered at the look that Zelas was giving her. "Well, um, I'll let you know in the future." She disappeared in a flash, leaving Zelas alone.

"Heh..." She smirked and walked over to a stone that stuck out of the ground. "Of all the people I met, you were the only one I ever made that promise to..." There was a name on the stone, but time had weathered it away to nothingness.

That was fine with Zelas.

She was the only one of the Lords that understood why Gaav had been so upset after Ragradia had died, after all.

(---)

"So, that's it then?" Lyos looked around at the group. "I guess it's over."

"Yeah." Amelia nodded as she sighed. "Still feels like something's missing..."

Before anyone could say anything more, the sky was filled with white feathers. "What the?" Everyone blinked before gasping as a figure of a woman appeared and a small ball dropped down in front of Chrono and Filia.

Reaching out, Filia took it and her eyes widened. "Valgaav... It's Valgaav." She could see inside the egg, at the small creature inside. She closed her eyes and smiled softly.

Chrono wondered why she was holding it against his chest, but supposed that it didn't matter, it was nice that something good came out of it.

There was a hissing, crackling noise that had him looking up in surprise. "...on? Hey! Can anyone hear me?!"

"Mary?!" Chrono gasped as several screens popped up, the images were kind of staticy and unstable, but everyone could see Mary, behind her, Lindy and Amy looked fine, well, kind of beaten up, but fine. "How?!"

"Oh, the beam missed us by about fifteen centimeters, but our engines kind of blew so we ended up crashing down in the forest..." She turned her head to look at someone off screen. "Where are we again?"

"Hmph!" A woman with long purple hair, a slim figure wearing a bikini, spiked shoulder guards, a cape walked into view. The most noticeable thing about her though, was her breasts. Large just didn't describe it. They were like someone grafted watermelons onto someone's chest and caused them to stick there. "You're near Atlas City..." She looked at the group and gasped. "Lina Inverse! I knew you'd try to kill me! I just never expected you to do it with a flying ship!"

"N...NAGA?!" Lina's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?!"

"I should ask you the same question!" Naga crossed her arms under her breasts and let out a "hmph". "And just WHY is your left eye gold? Is there something wrong with this scrying thing?"

Lina just stared blankly at the screen.

"GRACIA?!" A voice had Naga stop and turn her head to one of the screens she was looking at and gulped as she saw Amelia looking at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is that you... Sister?"

"WHAAAA?!" Lina felt like falling over. "NAGA'S YOUR SISTER?!"

Naga gulped and waved her fingers nervously as she looked at Amelia. "Hey sis... Um... How's dad?"

"Looking everywhere for you!!"

"Hey, mom, how's the Arthra?"

"Totaled, we can barely get this transmission to you, never mind getting home, we're kind of stuck here for a bit."

He nodded, well, at least they were alright.

Lina shook her head. "Well, might as well..." She stood up with Shiro and looked at everyone. "I have an announcement to make." She grinned as everyone looked at her seriously. Lina then grabbed Shiro's hand and put it on her belly, causing his eyes to widen. "I just want you all to know that Shiro and I are going to be parents again."

"Oh, you're pregnant..." Gourry nodded, before blinking a few times, his eyes widening and his jaw falling to the ground.

"WHAT?!" The screams could be heard around the world.

Lina rubbed the back of her head as she giggled and stuck her tongue out at them.

Sirius just shook his head in amusement. This world really was interesting.

(---)

"Thanks for giving us a lift here, Sirius." Amelia said as she saw the ship. "Gracia!" She gasped as she saw her sister leaning against the hull of the ship. "GRACIA!" She jumped forward and hugged Naga for all she was worth. "I missed you so much!"

"Huh, you know, in all the time that I knew her, I never thought that she was a princess." Lina shook her head as she looked at Naga.

"I'd like to thank you, humans from the Flare and Blue Dragon worlds." Sirius said as the Dark Star weapons floated around him. "But I need to go home now."

Lina nodded and looked at Filia, who had opted to come with them. "What about you?"

"I... Don't have any home to go back to..." Filia sighed. "To all Dragons, I'm always going to be a part of the Gold Dragons that murdered the Ancient Dragons. And to the Gold Dragons still alive, I'm the one who helped kill several Dragons, so, I have no home anymore."

"What about you, Jillas?" Zelgadis asked the fox person.

Jillas smirked and crossed his arms behind his head. "Knowing that Lord Valgaav's alive is more than enough, besides, people on this continent don't know anything about gunpowder. I could make a fortune in marketing the stuff to royalty."

"Just make sure you sell to the right people." Zelgadis nodded at him.

"Gourry-dear..." Sylphiel patted the blond swordsman on the back. "Are you sure about letting the Sword of Light go?"

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled at her. "Besides, it came from his world originally."

"Okay." She nodded and sighed softly.

"Before I forget!" Lina snapped her fingers and grabbed the sheathed Blast Sword from her husband. "We won't be needing this where we're going, Gourry."

His eyes widened as he looked at it. "You're giving the Blast Sword to me?"

"Nope." She shook her head and grinned at him. "I'm selling it to you, for five hundred fifty."

Gourry blinked for a moment, before he saw the look on her face and it suddenly dawned on him. The two of them started laughing.

"I... Don't get it." Lyos scratched his head. His confusion doubled as Zelgadis started laughing as well. "What?"

"That was the price that Lina offered to buy the Sword of Light from Gourry."

Lina smiled, before giving Gourry a hug. "Take care of yourself, Gourry." She let go of the hug and handed the sword to him. "And, Sylphiel..." She grinned at the priestess's stunned look. "The next time I stop by, I better hope that my next kid has some playmates." She winked at the suddenly flushed priestess.

"Well, I need to get going." Sirius nodded and looked at the ship. "I can make a detour to your world if you want me to."

"Only a god would consider going to a world not his own as a "detour"." Zelgadis shook his head.

Filia sighed as she saw the outsiders start to go into the ship. She still was holding Valgaav's egg, but she really didn't know what to do with her life. She yelped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Chrono smiled at her softly. "I had a talk with Admiral Lindy. If you want... You're welcome to come with us, at least until you know what you want to do in life."

"Really?" She blinked, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"What about you, Mr. Lyos?" Amelia asked, getting a shrug from him.

"I dunno. I mean, I was used by someone I thought I trusted, so... I'm not sure anymore." He crossed his arms behind his back.

"Well, I don't have much to do, and I'm sure that the Gold Dragons of Dragon's Peak would love to know that Ragradia's still alive in a sense." Zelgadis shrugged at the young boy. "Besides, I'm sure that they'd want to know what happened here as well."

"Well, if everyone's ready..." Sirius said as most of them got onto the ship. "Take care of yourself, people of Cephied's world." He nodded as he got onto the ship himself.

A moment later it disappeared.

Naga gulped at the look Amelia was giving her. "Um..."

"I'm glad that you're wearing mom's outfit, but you really should have sent a letter home at least!" Amelia stomped her foot on the ground. "Now, come on, you're going to at least come home and say hi to dad."

"You really grew up, kiddo." Naga ruffled Amelia's hair, but nodded. "Fine, I guess I can come home for a little bit."

(---)

"What happened?" Huraker gasped as she saw Riksfalto and her master glaring at her. "Um..."

"You decided that you would take the power of the Aqua Lord and dominate the entire race, Huraker?" Dolphin took slow steps forward that had the Priest gulping as she stepped back slowly. "You decided that you would replace Lord Shabranigdo as our master? And kill all those who stood in your way?"

"Bu... But..."

"You attacked me, Huraker..." Riksfalto shook her head. "Can't believe you would."

"I saved your life!"

"I know." Riksfalto nodded. "I'm grateful, but..." She narrowed her good eye. "You threatened Yuuno, that was going too far."

Dolphin blinked and shook her head. "I'll... Deal with that later, as for you, Huraker..." She snapped her fingers and Huraker screamed as her body was being torn apart from the inside out. "You forgot what we Mazoku truly desire, didn't you?"

"Wh...What?" Huraker gasped in pain.

"Freedom to make our own decisions. Had you just used the power to become a Lord, I wouldn't have cared, but you tried to take over and order us around. For that, you must die."

The last thing either of them saw was Huraker on the ground, screaming in pain as she disappeared.

"Now, as for that human..." Dolphin turned to Riksfalto, who gulped. "Just make sure that he's worth going after." She chuckled as Riksfalto stared at her. "What? Mazoku interact with humans on all sorts of levels, Riksfalto, go and have some fun, just report back to me when I have a mission for you."

Riksfalto nodded and grinned as she disappeared from her master. This was going to be fun.

(---)

Days later...

"MOM! DAD!" Miyuki hugged her parents and squeezed hard. "You guys were gone for so long that we were getting worried."

Lina chuckled as she hugged her eldest daughter. "We ended up going on vacation... And had to save every universe." She did find it interesting that Filia was living with Lindy, Chrono and Amy here on Earth, but mentally shrugged it off, whatever happened over there was their own problem.

"You'll need to tell me about it." Miyuki smiled as she saw Nanoha, Fate, Arf and Yuuno walk into the house, letting go of her parents, she hugged the kids tightly. "Missed you kids too."

They didn't say anything as they hugged her back, they didn't have to.

It was good to be home.

-End

Spoiler for Comments:

What Dolphin said to Huraker is basically what Xellos said to Shabranigdo in Evolution-R.

[vic-vic]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

WHOO HOO!

I did it!

I got done with this section of the story before the year ended!

WHOO HOO!

A's

Jump

New part 1 - 50

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - New End:

After a major battle, there was always calm. Always. It didn't matter if one side completely steam rolled the other side or the fight was even.

Things were always calm, even nature seemed to give pause when a fight had just ended.

"We won..." Zelgadis, looking human again, said as he sat on the ground. For some reason, he didn't feel like celebrating. He wasn't sad, but there was a melancholic feel to everything.

"Yeah..." Filia said as she sat behind Chrono. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see him turn to look at her, his face a mask of nothing but pain and sadness. She had no idea what was going through his mind at that moment, but it couldn't have been good.

"My father died when I was really young." She blinked as she heard his voice in her head. "And now... Now my mom... And my oldest friend... All gone..." He blinked as Filia wrapped her arms around him from behind and hugged tightly.

"Lord Valgaav!" Jillas was sobbing loudly. "He... He wasn't a bad person! He saved me life. He was a good person when you got to know him." He fell to his knees as he let his tears flow freely.

"I got that feeling too." Nanoha said as she sat next to the sad fox-creature. "When we fought, he was angry and sad, but I didn't sense evil from him. Just pain." Needing to kill, being able to kill. Until this mission, she had never killed anyone, heck, until this mission she had never really seen a dead body.

Of course, her mind was completely ignoring the fact that she did not kill anyone. Maim and injure people, but she didn't kill anyone.

Sighing, Lina sat next to Shiro, resting her head on his shoulder, before sighing. "Sorry."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a squeeze. "For what? Kissing me then using the Giga Slave?" He shook his head and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Lina. I'm not going to get upset just because you did something stupid."

"Well, all's well that ends well, I say." Xellos smiled as he leaned against a rock. "Though, I have to admit, I am rather glad that Huraker got killed." He honestly had the feeling that she manipulated everyone. When he thought back on the events that unfolded, it made sense, that she manipulated the events that happened.

It wasn't fair. He was the one who was supposed to manipulate people, not the other way around.

Riksfalto stretched, her chest bouncing as she looked at Yuuno. "Well, kid, I'd love to stay, but I'm sure that Lord Dolphin's going to want to know why I fought against Huraker..."

"Yuuno." She blinked her one good eye at him. "My name's Yuuno Scrya."

Riksfalto laughed. "I'll remember that, Yuuno." She smiled and disappeared.

Xellos shook his head and chuckled. "I think she understands better than even Dynast did..."

"Understand what?" Sirius looked at the Mazoku, who smirked at him.

"That... Is a secret." He laughed as he disappeared. "Sorry that I can't stay, but Beast Master needs an update as well."

Fate, sitting next to Yuuno, sighed as she saw the Mazokus disappear. "They... Were weird. I thought Mazoku were evil." Yuuno just shrugged and Lina laughed softly. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just... Even Mazoku, who prefer negative emotions and the like, aren't all evil. Xellos will gladly kill you if it furthers his goals, but he's just as likely to save your life if you're useful to him."

"So..." Yuuno looked at Lina in confusion. "He's not... Evil? Just..."

"He's evil enough to laugh at you while slaughtering your whole clan, while leaving you alive. I think Riksfalto there just loves a good fight and doesn't care about much else." Lina shrugged at that. Most Mazoku that she had encountered were pretty evil. And you could never trust them fully. But then there was Gaav, who would have left her alone had Hellmaster not been sending Gaav's spies bad intel about her working with him. And Xellos was just nutty. Riksfalto seemed odd as well.

And there was Sherra, who could have killed her back when she was on the ground and weakened, but she didn't. And Zelas gave her an assist in killing Dynast. Who knew what Dolphin was like.

(---)

"I want some chocolate..." Dolphin whined as she looked at her empty box.

"Lord Dolphin." She blinked as she saw Riksfalto appear before her. "Huraker's dead."

"Huh?!" Dolphin sat up, staring. "Speak now!"

As Riksfalto explained everything that had happened, from Huraker getting her, Sherra and Valgaav to work together, to Huraker stealing the power of the Aqua Lord, to Dark Star appearing and threatening the world.

Dolphin sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No more chocolate then..." Oh well, it was for the best. Huraker really shouldn't have over-stepped her boundries like that.

(---)

"nnngh..." She cracked an eye open and blinked as she felt someone running their hand through her hair. "What?"

"About time you woke up, Sherra." Zelas said softly and smiled at the Mazoku. "So, tell me something, how do you feel?"

"Um... Weird... I mean, my head's in your lap... But other than that..." Her eyes widened. "Dynast? Where is Lord Dynast?"

"Dead." Zelas said, her eyes hardening and the younger Mazoku stared at her, trembling. "Lina Inverse killed him with a Ragna Blade fired through the Bow of Light. I don't think any of us could have survived that."

"Lord Dynast..." Sherra shuddered and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to fight back something that she had never felt before. "You knew, you KNEW that Lina Inverse was on the top ten list of people you don't want to be around." Why would he go after her then?

"Yes, well... I'm glad that he did... I've been wanting to kill him for years now." Sherra gasped and looked at Zelas in shock. "Don't get me wrong, Sherra, my hatred for him was because of something he did to me a long time ago, nothing more. Now, my question for you is, what will you do?"

"Huh?" She blinked as Zelas smiled at her and gently cupped her face.

"You're in shock, I'm sure, but close your eyes for a moment."

Confused, the Mazoku did so, and her eyes snapped open as she realized what Zelas was getting at. "What?"

"Dynast always gave his name to his General and Priest, because he could use them later if he had to." Her eyes widened as Zelas nodded. "All Mazoku Lords have ways to survive a lot. Dynast had a plan for his underlings, should he fall... They would gain his power, memories, experiences..."

"He'd... Erase me... Just to survive?"

"Yep." Zelas nodded at the shocked look on Sherra's face. "Now, it's up to you. What do you want to do now?"

"I..." She closed her eyes. "Why am I still me then?"

"Oh, that?" Zelas smirked at her. "I happened to... Purge his memories and experiences from you, couldn't do anything about the power however."

"You're being... Candid... Considering Xellos..." Sherra grumbled softly and Zelas laughed at her. "What?" She pouted and blushed as Zelas patted her on the cheek.

"You're too cute. Anyway, what reason would I have to hide information from you?" Zelas chuckled as Sherra blinked at her. "You now have a choice, you don't answer to anyone directly, so, what do you want to do?" That was a lie, they both knew it, but without a Lord telling her what to do, Sherra was a free agent as far as the rest of the Mazoku were concerned.

"I..." Sherra took a breath. "Is it normal to feel nothing because your lord died?" Zelas just shrugged and she groaned, knowing that the older Mazoku wasn't going to tell her anything. "...I need time to think." She got up and looked around. "...Where am I?"

"My personal sanctum." Zelas said as she stood up. "I'd appreciate it if you... Kept quiet about being here."

"Ah..." Sherra nodded and shivered at the look that Zelas was giving her. "Well, um, I'll let you know in the future." She disappeared in a flash, leaving Zelas alone.

"Heh..." She smirked and walked over to a stone that stuck out of the ground. "Of all the people I met, you were the only one I ever made that promise to..." There was a name on the stone, but time had weathered it away to nothingness.

That was fine with Zelas.

She was the only one of the Lords that understood why Gaav had been so upset after Ragradia had died, after all.

(---)

"So, that's it then?" Lyos looked around at the group. "I guess it's over."

"Yeah." Amelia nodded as she sighed. "Still feels like something's missing..."

Before anyone could say anything more, the sky was filled with white feathers. "What the?" Everyone blinked before gasping as a figure of a woman appeared and a small ball dropped down in front of Chrono and Filia.

Reaching out, Filia took it and her eyes widened. "Valgaav... It's Valgaav." She could see inside the egg, at the small creature inside. She closed her eyes and smiled softly.

Chrono wondered why she was holding it against his chest, but supposed that it didn't matter, it was nice that something good came out of it.

There was a hissing, crackling noise that had him looking up in surprise. "...on? Hey! Can anyone hear me?!"

"Mary?!" Chrono gasped as several screens popped up, the images were kind of staticy and unstable, but everyone could see Mary, behind her, Lindy and Amy looked fine, well, kind of beaten up, but fine. "How?!"

"Oh, the beam missed us by about fifteen centimeters, but our engines kind of blew so we ended up crashing down in the forest..." She turned her head to look at someone off screen. "Where are we again?"

"Hmph!" A woman with long purple hair, a slim figure wearing a bikini, spiked shoulder guards, a cape walked into view. The most noticeable thing about her though, was her breasts. Large just didn't describe it. They were like someone grafted watermelons onto someone's chest and caused them to stick there. "You're near Atlas City..." She looked at the group and gasped. "Lina Inverse! I knew you'd try to kill me! I just never expected you to do it with a flying ship!"

"N...NAGA?!" Lina's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?!"

"I should ask you the same question!" Naga crossed her arms under her breasts and let out a "hmph". "And just WHY is your left eye gold? Is there something wrong with this scrying thing?"

Lina just stared blankly at the screen.

"GRACIA?!" A voice had Naga stop and turn her head to one of the screens she was looking at and gulped as she saw Amelia looking at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is that you... Sister?"

"WHAAAA?!" Lina felt like falling over. "NAGA'S YOUR SISTER?!"

Naga gulped and waved her fingers nervously as she looked at Amelia. "Hey sis... Um... How's dad?"

"Looking everywhere for you!!"

"Hey, mom, how's the Arthra?"

"Totaled, we can barely get this transmission to you, never mind getting home, we're kind of stuck here for a bit."

He nodded, well, at least they were alright.

Lina shook her head. "Well, might as well..." She stood up with Shiro and looked at everyone. "I have an announcement to make." She grinned as everyone looked at her seriously. Lina then grabbed Shiro's hand and put it on her belly, causing his eyes to widen. "I just want you all to know that Shiro and I are going to be parents again."

"Oh, you're pregnant..." Gourry nodded, before blinking a few times, his eyes widening and his jaw falling to the ground.

"WHAT?!" The screams could be heard around the world.

Lina rubbed the back of her head as she giggled and stuck her tongue out at them.

Sirius just shook his head in amusement. This world really was interesting.

(---)

"Thanks for giving us a lift here, Sirius." Amelia said as she saw the ship. "Gracia!" She gasped as she saw her sister leaning against the hull of the ship. "GRACIA!" She jumped forward and hugged Naga for all she was worth. "I missed you so much!"

"Huh, you know, in all the time that I knew her, I never thought that she was a princess." Lina shook her head as she looked at Naga.

"I'd like to thank you, humans from the Flare and Blue Dragon worlds." Sirius said as the Dark Star weapons floated around him. "But I need to go home now."

Lina nodded and looked at Filia, who had opted to come with them. "What about you?"

"I... Don't have any home to go back to..." Filia sighed. "To all Dragons, I'm always going to be a part of the Gold Dragons that murdered the Ancient Dragons. And to the Gold Dragons still alive, I'm the one who helped kill several Dragons, so, I have no home anymore."

"What about you, Jillas?" Zelgadis asked the fox person.

Jillas smirked and crossed his arms behind his head. "Knowing that Lord Valgaav's alive is more than enough, besides, people on this continent don't know anything about gunpowder. I could make a fortune in marketing the stuff to royalty."

"Just make sure you sell to the right people." Zelgadis nodded at him.

"Gourry-dear..." Sylphiel patted the blond swordsman on the back. "Are you sure about letting the Sword of Light go?"

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled at her. "Besides, it came from his world originally."

"Okay." She nodded and sighed softly.

"Before I forget!" Lina snapped her fingers and grabbed the sheathed Blast Sword from her husband. "We won't be needing this where we're going, Gourry."

His eyes widened as he looked at it. "You're giving the Blast Sword to me?"

"Nope." She shook her head and grinned at him. "I'm selling it to you, for five hundred fifty."

Gourry blinked for a moment, before he saw the look on her face and it suddenly dawned on him. The two of them started laughing.

"I... Don't get it." Lyos scratched his head. His confusion doubled as Zelgadis started laughing as well. "What?"

"That was the price that Lina offered to buy the Sword of Light from Gourry."

Lina smiled, before giving Gourry a hug. "Take care of yourself, Gourry." She let go of the hug and handed the sword to him. "And, Sylphiel..." She grinned at the priestess's stunned look. "The next time I stop by, I better hope that my next kid has some playmates." She winked at the suddenly flushed priestess.

"Well, I need to get going." Sirius nodded and looked at the ship. "I can make a detour to your world if you want me to."

"Only a god would consider going to a world not his own as a "detour"." Zelgadis shook his head.

Filia sighed as she saw the outsiders start to go into the ship. She still was holding Valgaav's egg, but she really didn't know what to do with her life. She yelped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Chrono smiled at her softly. "I had a talk with Admiral Lindy. If you want... You're welcome to come with us, at least until you know what you want to do in life."

"Really?" She blinked, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"What about you, Mr. Lyos?" Amelia asked, getting a shrug from him.

"I dunno. I mean, I was used by someone I thought I trusted, so... I'm not sure anymore." He crossed his arms behind his back.

"Well, I don't have much to do, and I'm sure that the Gold Dragons of Dragon's Peak would love to know that Ragradia's still alive in a sense." Zelgadis shrugged at the young boy. "Besides, I'm sure that they'd want to know what happened here as well."

"Well, if everyone's ready..." Sirius said as most of them got onto the ship. "Take care of yourself, people of Cephied's world." He nodded as he got onto the ship himself.

A moment later it disappeared.

Naga gulped at the look Amelia was giving her. "Um..."

"I'm glad that you're wearing mom's outfit, but you really should have sent a letter home at least!" Amelia stomped her foot on the ground. "Now, come on, you're going to at least come home and say hi to dad."

"You really grew up, kiddo." Naga ruffled Amelia's hair, but nodded. "Fine, I guess I can come home for a little bit."

(---)

"What happened?" Huraker gasped as she saw Riksfalto and her master glaring at her. "Um..."

"You decided that you would take the power of the Aqua Lord and dominate the entire race, Huraker?" Dolphin took slow steps forward that had the Priest gulping as she stepped back slowly. "You decided that you would replace Lord Shabranigdo as our master? And kill all those who stood in your way?"

"Bu... But..."

"You attacked me, Huraker..." Riksfalto shook her head. "Can't believe you would."

"I saved your life!"

"I know." Riksfalto nodded. "I'm grateful, but..." She narrowed her good eye. "You threatened Yuuno, that was going too far."

Dolphin blinked and shook her head. "I'll... Deal with that later, as for you, Huraker..." She snapped her fingers and Huraker screamed as her body was being torn apart from the inside out. "You forgot what we Mazoku truly desire, didn't you?"

"Wh...What?" Huraker gasped in pain.

"Freedom to make our own decisions. Had you just used the power to become a Lord, I wouldn't have cared, but you tried to take over and order us around. For that, you must die."

The last thing either of them saw was Huraker on the ground, screaming in pain as she disappeared.

"Now, as for that human..." Dolphin turned to Riksfalto, who gulped. "Just make sure that he's worth going after." She chuckled as Riksfalto stared at her. "What? Mazoku interact with humans on all sorts of levels, Riksfalto, go and have some fun, just report back to me when I have a mission for you."

Riksfalto nodded and grinned as she disappeared from her master. This was going to be fun.

(---)

Days later...

"MOM! DAD!" Miyuki hugged her parents and squeezed hard. "You guys were gone for so long that we were getting worried."

Lina chuckled as she hugged her eldest daughter. "We ended up going on vacation... And had to save every universe." She did find it interesting that Filia was living with Lindy, Chrono and Amy here on Earth, but mentally shrugged it off, whatever happened over there was their own problem.

"You'll need to tell me about it." Miyuki smiled as she saw Nanoha, Fate, Arf and Yuuno walk into the house, letting go of her parents, she hugged the kids tightly. "Missed you kids too."

They didn't say anything as they hugged her back, they didn't have to.

It was good to be home.

-End

Spoiler for Comments:

What Dolphin said to Huraker is basically what Xellos said to Shabranigdo in Evolution-R.

Congratulation, Nanya!

Nice to see that everyone earn their happy ending!

Expect Huraker but she shouldn`t underestimate her creator. Dolphin may look goofy and harmless, but her rage can make even Lina shrunk in fear.

[shiroi mahotsukai]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

WHOO HOO!

I did it!

I got done with this section of the story before the year ended!

WHOO HOO!

A's

Jump

New part 1 - 50

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - New End:

After a major battle, there was always calm. Always. It didn't matter if one side completely steam rolled the other side or the fight was even.

Things were always calm, even nature seemed to give pause when a fight had just ended.

"We won..." Zelgadis, looking human again, said as he sat on the ground. For some reason, he didn't feel like celebrating. He wasn't sad, but there was a melancholic feel to everything.

"Yeah..." Filia said as she sat behind Chrono. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see him turn to look at her, his face a mask of nothing but pain and sadness. She had no idea what was going through his mind at that moment, but it couldn't have been good.

"My father died when I was really young." She blinked as she heard his voice in her head. "And now... Now my mom... And my oldest friend... All gone..." He blinked as Filia wrapped her arms around him from behind and hugged tightly.

"Lord Valgaav!" Jillas was sobbing loudly. "He... He wasn't a bad person! He saved me life. He was a good person when you got to know him." He fell to his knees as he let his tears flow freely.

"I got that feeling too." Nanoha said as she sat next to the sad fox-creature. "When we fought, he was angry and sad, but I didn't sense evil from him. Just pain." Needing to kill, being able to kill. Until this mission, she had never killed anyone, heck, until this mission she had never really seen a dead body.

Of course, her mind was completely ignoring the fact that she did not kill anyone. Maim and injure people, but she didn't kill anyone.

Sighing, Lina sat next to Shiro, resting her head on his shoulder, before sighing. "Sorry."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a squeeze. "For what? Kissing me then using the Giga Slave?" He shook his head and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Lina. I'm not going to get upset just because you did something stupid."

"Well, all's well that ends well, I say." Xellos smiled as he leaned against a rock. "Though, I have to admit, I am rather glad that Huraker got killed." He honestly had the feeling that she manipulated everyone. When he thought back on the events that unfolded, it made sense, that she manipulated the events that happened.

It wasn't fair. He was the one who was supposed to manipulate people, not the other way around.

Riksfalto stretched, her chest bouncing as she looked at Yuuno. "Well, kid, I'd love to stay, but I'm sure that Lord Dolphin's going to want to know why I fought against Huraker..."

"Yuuno." She blinked her one good eye at him. "My name's Yuuno Scrya."

Riksfalto laughed. "I'll remember that, Yuuno." She smiled and disappeared.

Xellos shook his head and chuckled. "I think she understands better than even Dynast did..."

"Understand what?" Sirius looked at the Mazoku, who smirked at him.

"That... Is a secret." He laughed as he disappeared. "Sorry that I can't stay, but Beast Master needs an update as well."

Fate, sitting next to Yuuno, sighed as she saw the Mazokus disappear. "They... Were weird. I thought Mazoku were evil." Yuuno just shrugged and Lina laughed softly. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just... Even Mazoku, who prefer negative emotions and the like, aren't all evil. Xellos will gladly kill you if it furthers his goals, but he's just as likely to save your life if you're useful to him."

"So..." Yuuno looked at Lina in confusion. "He's not... Evil? Just..."

"He's evil enough to laugh at you while slaughtering your whole clan, while leaving you alive. I think Riksfalto there just loves a good fight and doesn't care about much else." Lina shrugged at that. Most Mazoku that she had encountered were pretty evil. And you could never trust them fully. But then there was Gaav, who would have left her alone had Hellmaster not been sending Gaav's spies bad intel about her working with him. And Xellos was just nutty. Riksfalto seemed odd as well.

And there was Sherra, who could have killed her back when she was on the ground and weakened, but she didn't. And Zelas gave her an assist in killing Dynast. Who knew what Dolphin was like.

(---)

"I want some chocolate..." Dolphin whined as she looked at her empty box.

"Lord Dolphin." She blinked as she saw Riksfalto appear before her. "Huraker's dead."

"Huh?!" Dolphin sat up, staring. "Speak now!"

As Riksfalto explained everything that had happened, from Huraker getting her, Sherra and Valgaav to work together, to Huraker stealing the power of the Aqua Lord, to Dark Star appearing and threatening the world.

Dolphin sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No more chocolate then..." Oh well, it was for the best. Huraker really shouldn't have over-stepped her boundries like that.

(---)

"nnngh..." She cracked an eye open and blinked as she felt someone running their hand through her hair. "What?"

"About time you woke up, Sherra." Zelas said softly and smiled at the Mazoku. "So, tell me something, how do you feel?"

"Um... Weird... I mean, my head's in your lap... But other than that..." Her eyes widened. "Dynast? Where is Lord Dynast?"

"Dead." Zelas said, her eyes hardening and the younger Mazoku stared at her, trembling. "Lina Inverse killed him with a Ragna Blade fired through the Bow of Light. I don't think any of us could have survived that."

"Lord Dynast..." Sherra shuddered and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to fight back something that she had never felt before. "You knew, you KNEW that Lina Inverse was on the top ten list of people you don't want to be around." Why would he go after her then?

"Yes, well... I'm glad that he did... I've been wanting to kill him for years now." Sherra gasped and looked at Zelas in shock. "Don't get me wrong, Sherra, my hatred for him was because of something he did to me a long time ago, nothing more. Now, my question for you is, what will you do?"

"Huh?" She blinked as Zelas smiled at her and gently cupped her face.

"You're in shock, I'm sure, but close your eyes for a moment."

Confused, the Mazoku did so, and her eyes snapped open as she realized what Zelas was getting at. "What?"

"Dynast always gave his name to his General and Priest, because he could use them later if he had to." Her eyes widened as Zelas nodded. "All Mazoku Lords have ways to survive a lot. Dynast had a plan for his underlings, should he fall... They would gain his power, memories, experiences..."

"He'd... Erase me... Just to survive?"

"Yep." Zelas nodded at the shocked look on Sherra's face. "Now, it's up to you. What do you want to do now?"

"I..." She closed her eyes. "Why am I still me then?"

"Oh, that?" Zelas smirked at her. "I happened to... Purge his memories and experiences from you, couldn't do anything about the power however."

"You're being... Candid... Considering Xellos..." Sherra grumbled softly and Zelas laughed at her. "What?" She pouted and blushed as Zelas patted her on the cheek.

"You're too cute. Anyway, what reason would I have to hide information from you?" Zelas chuckled as Sherra blinked at her. "You now have a choice, you don't answer to anyone directly, so, what do you want to do?" That was a lie, they both knew it, but without a Lord telling her what to do, Sherra was a free agent as far as the rest of the Mazoku were concerned.

"I..." Sherra took a breath. "Is it normal to feel nothing because your lord died?" Zelas just shrugged and she groaned, knowing that the older Mazoku wasn't going to tell her anything. "...I need time to think." She got up and looked around. "...Where am I?"

"My personal sanctum." Zelas said as she stood up. "I'd appreciate it if you... Kept quiet about being here."

"Ah..." Sherra nodded and shivered at the look that Zelas was giving her. "Well, um, I'll let you know in the future." She disappeared in a flash, leaving Zelas alone.

"Heh..." She smirked and walked over to a stone that stuck out of the ground. "Of all the people I met, you were the only one I ever made that promise to..." There was a name on the stone, but time had weathered it away to nothingness.

That was fine with Zelas.

She was the only one of the Lords that understood why Gaav had been so upset after Ragradia had died, after all.

(---)

"So, that's it then?" Lyos looked around at the group. "I guess it's over."

"Yeah." Amelia nodded as she sighed. "Still feels like something's missing..."

Before anyone could say anything more, the sky was filled with white feathers. "What the?" Everyone blinked before gasping as a figure of a woman appeared and a small ball dropped down in front of Chrono and Filia.

Reaching out, Filia took it and her eyes widened. "Valgaav... It's Valgaav." She could see inside the egg, at the small creature inside. She closed her eyes and smiled softly.

Chrono wondered why she was holding it against his chest, but supposed that it didn't matter, it was nice that something good came out of it.

There was a hissing, crackling noise that had him looking up in surprise. "...on? Hey! Can anyone hear me?!"

"Mary?!" Chrono gasped as several screens popped up, the images were kind of staticy and unstable, but everyone could see Mary, behind her, Lindy and Amy looked fine, well, kind of beaten up, but fine. "How?!"

"Oh, the beam missed us by about fifteen centimeters, but our engines kind of blew so we ended up crashing down in the forest..." She turned her head to look at someone off screen. "Where are we again?"

"Hmph!" A woman with long purple hair, a slim figure wearing a bikini, spiked shoulder guards, a cape walked into view. The most noticeable thing about her though, was her breasts. Large just didn't describe it. They were like someone grafted watermelons onto someone's chest and caused them to stick there. "You're near Atlas City..." She looked at the group and gasped. "Lina Inverse! I knew you'd try to kill me! I just never expected you to do it with a flying ship!"

"N...NAGA?!" Lina's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?!"

"I should ask you the same question!" Naga crossed her arms under her breasts and let out a "hmph". "And just WHY is your left eye gold? Is there something wrong with this scrying thing?"

Lina just stared blankly at the screen.

"GRACIA?!" A voice had Naga stop and turn her head to one of the screens she was looking at and gulped as she saw Amelia looking at her, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is that you... Sister?"

"WHAAAA?!" Lina felt like falling over. "NAGA'S YOUR SISTER?!"

Naga gulped and waved her fingers nervously as she looked at Amelia. "Hey sis... Um... How's dad?"

"Looking everywhere for you!!"

"Hey, mom, how's the Arthra?"

"Totaled, we can barely get this transmission to you, never mind getting home, we're kind of stuck here for a bit."

He nodded, well, at least they were alright.

Lina shook her head. "Well, might as well..." She stood up with Shiro and looked at everyone. "I have an announcement to make." She grinned as everyone looked at her seriously. Lina then grabbed Shiro's hand and put it on her belly, causing his eyes to widen. "I just want you all to know that Shiro and I are going to be parents again."

"Oh, you're pregnant..." Gourry nodded, before blinking a few times, his eyes widening and his jaw falling to the ground.

"WHAT?!" The screams could be heard around the world.

Lina rubbed the back of her head as she giggled and stuck her tongue out at them.

Sirius just shook his head in amusement. This world really was interesting.

(---)

"Thanks for giving us a lift here, Sirius." Amelia said as she saw the ship. "Gracia!" She gasped as she saw her sister leaning against the hull of the ship. "GRACIA!" She jumped forward and hugged Naga for all she was worth. "I missed you so much!"

"Huh, you know, in all the time that I knew her, I never thought that she was a princess." Lina shook her head as she looked at Naga.

"I'd like to thank you, humans from the Flare and Blue Dragon worlds." Sirius said as the Dark Star weapons floated around him. "But I need to go home now."

Lina nodded and looked at Filia, who had opted to come with them. "What about you?"

"I... Don't have any home to go back to..." Filia sighed. "To all Dragons, I'm always going to be a part of the Gold Dragons that murdered the Ancient Dragons. And to the Gold Dragons still alive, I'm the one who helped kill several Dragons, so, I have no home anymore."

"What about you, Jillas?" Zelgadis asked the fox person.

Jillas smirked and crossed his arms behind his head. "Knowing that Lord Valgaav's alive is more than enough, besides, people on this continent don't know anything about gunpowder. I could make a fortune in marketing the stuff to royalty."

"Just make sure you sell to the right people." Zelgadis nodded at him.

"Gourry-dear..." Sylphiel patted the blond swordsman on the back. "Are you sure about letting the Sword of Light go?"

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled at her. "Besides, it came from his world originally."

"Okay." She nodded and sighed softly.

"Before I forget!" Lina snapped her fingers and grabbed the sheathed Blast Sword from her husband. "We won't be needing this where we're going, Gourry."

His eyes widened as he looked at it. "You're giving the Blast Sword to me?"

"Nope." She shook her head and grinned at him. "I'm selling it to you, for five hundred fifty."

Gourry blinked for a moment, before he saw the look on her face and it suddenly dawned on him. The two of them started laughing.

"I... Don't get it." Lyos scratched his head. His confusion doubled as Zelgadis started laughing as well. "What?"

"That was the price that Lina offered to buy the Sword of Light from Gourry."

Lina smiled, before giving Gourry a hug. "Take care of yourself, Gourry." She let go of the hug and handed the sword to him. "And, Sylphiel..." She grinned at the priestess's stunned look. "The next time I stop by, I better hope that my next kid has some playmates." She winked at the suddenly flushed priestess.

"Well, I need to get going." Sirius nodded and looked at the ship. "I can make a detour to your world if you want me to."

"Only a god would consider going to a world not his own as a "detour"." Zelgadis shook his head.

Filia sighed as she saw the outsiders start to go into the ship. She still was holding Valgaav's egg, but she really didn't know what to do with her life. She yelped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Chrono smiled at her softly. "I had a talk with Admiral Lindy. If you want... You're welcome to come with us, at least until you know what you want to do in life."

"Really?" She blinked, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"What about you, Mr. Lyos?" Amelia asked, getting a shrug from him.

"I dunno. I mean, I was used by someone I thought I trusted, so... I'm not sure anymore." He crossed his arms behind his back.

"Well, I don't have much to do, and I'm sure that the Gold Dragons of Dragon's Peak would love to know that Ragradia's still alive in a sense." Zelgadis shrugged at the young boy. "Besides, I'm sure that they'd want to know what happened here as well."

"Well, if everyone's ready..." Sirius said as most of them got onto the ship. "Take care of yourself, people of Cephied's world." He nodded as he got onto the ship himself.

A moment later it disappeared.

Naga gulped at the look Amelia was giving her. "Um..."

"I'm glad that you're wearing mom's outfit, but you really should have sent a letter home at least!" Amelia stomped her foot on the ground. "Now, come on, you're going to at least come home and say hi to dad."

"You really grew up, kiddo." Naga ruffled Amelia's hair, but nodded. "Fine, I guess I can come home for a little bit."

(---)

"What happened?" Huraker gasped as she saw Riksfalto and her master glaring at her. "Um..."

"You decided that you would take the power of the Aqua Lord and dominate the entire race, Huraker?" Dolphin took slow steps forward that had the Priest gulping as she stepped back slowly. "You decided that you would replace Lord Shabranigdo as our master? And kill all those who stood in your way?"

"Bu... But..."

"You attacked me, Huraker..." Riksfalto shook her head. "Can't believe you would."

"I saved your life!"

"I know." Riksfalto nodded. "I'm grateful, but..." She narrowed her good eye. "You threatened Yuuno, that was going too far."

Dolphin blinked and shook her head. "I'll... Deal with that later, as for you, Huraker..." She snapped her fingers and Huraker screamed as her body was being torn apart from the inside out. "You forgot what we Mazoku truly desire, didn't you?"

"Wh...What?" Huraker gasped in pain.

"Freedom to make our own decisions. Had you just used the power to become a Lord, I wouldn't have cared, but you tried to take over and order us around. For that, you must die."

The last thing either of them saw was Huraker on the ground, screaming in pain as she disappeared.

"Now, as for that human..." Dolphin turned to Riksfalto, who gulped. "Just make sure that he's worth going after." She chuckled as Riksfalto stared at her. "What? Mazoku interact with humans on all sorts of levels, Riksfalto, go and have some fun, just report back to me when I have a mission for you."

Riksfalto nodded and grinned as she disappeared from her master. This was going to be fun.

(---)

Days later...

"MOM! DAD!" Miyuki hugged her parents and squeezed hard. "You guys were gone for so long that we were getting worried."

Lina chuckled as she hugged her eldest daughter. "We ended up going on vacation... And had to save every universe." She did find it interesting that Filia was living with Lindy, Chrono and Amy here on Earth, but mentally shrugged it off, whatever happened over there was their own problem.

"You'll need to tell me about it." Miyuki smiled as she saw Nanoha, Fate, Arf and Yuuno walk into the house, letting go of her parents, she hugged the kids tightly. "Missed you kids too."

They didn't say anything as they hugged her back, they didn't have to.

It was good to be home.

-End

Spoiler for Comments:

What Dolphin said to Huraker is basically what Xellos said to Shabranigdo in Evolution-R.

Well done, congratulation on finishing this 51 part story before new year. I'm just happy that it all ended up going well in the end. I can just hear that narrator from pokemon saying "And as our heroes depart for home a new adventure awaits beyond the horizon" or something like that.

PS: DIE Huraker!

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Okay, here we go, finishing off this little arc and paving the way for the final stretch:

Future Tense

Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2

In which Nanoha confronts Zira while forces move against her, and Teana and Givo make a desperate gamble...

Previous parts can be found here.

Spoiler for Future Tense, Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2:

YOu're quite difficult to keep up with." (You're)

whole planet to Quattro amd Due! (and)

to hide until until things (extra 'until')

Kinda just leafed through this chapter again so there might be more mistakes I skimmed over.

It was an okay chapter, though like the rest of the arc it was bogged down by some pointlessness. Well at least things are back on track now.

[Kaijo]

Thanks for the corrections, Raiser! And thanks to everyone else who commented, here or privately.

Uploaded Future Tense, Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2 to ff.net.

[Nanya01]

Updated Blood That Flows all the way through A's.