[00-Raiser]

Week off from school, and I didn't touch my text books once. Gah. Oh well, I have 5 hours to kill between classes. Perfect time and atmosphere for studying!

But for now I've beaten my Bleach game and have my first Vivio/Yuuno story ready for your reviewing pleasure.

It's my first time, so please be gentle

I should note that I suck at titles, so I'd like to ask for some suggestions.

Spoiler:

High school junior Vivio Takamachi watched as her tutor, Yuuno Scrya, looked over her notebook. He sat on the edge of her bed, nodding his head as his eyes moved down the page. Seated at her desk, Vivio twirled her pencil around her fingers, awaiting his assessment.

“Absolutely perfect.” He said, closing the book. “Not a single mistake.”

Vivio smiled. She knew she got it all right. She was the smartest student in her class. Certainly, it was due to the man before her. It took a little begging, but the librarian had agreed to tutor her. Of course Vivio’s mamas were all for it. They knew their daughter would excel in their childhood friend’s capable hands.

Vivio wondered what her reward would be this time. Whenever she did well on a test or an assignment, Yuuno would give her little gifts in return. He used to give her stuffed animals, but as the years went on he advanced to clothing and small charms (which Vivio imagined her mamas helped him choose). Of course there were always the books. Vivio now had quite the collection of old and rare tomes, each weathered page brimming with knowledge of the past. The best reward by far was when he’d invite her to spend the day with him at an archaeological dig. She looked forward to those the most. Sifting through the dirt to uncover hidden mysteries with the best in the business was exhilarating.

“Since you’re at this level, I don’t think you need me to tutor you anymore.”

“Huh?” Vivio blinked. Her pencil clattered to the desktop in surprise. “What do you mean, Yuuno-san?”

“Like I said, you don’t need me to tutor you anymore. You’ll get along just fine without me.”

“No! You’re wrong!” Vivio insisted. She hadn’t expected this turn of events. “I only do so well because you’re teaching me! If you stopped, my grades would drop for sure!”

“That’s not true.” Yuuno said. “You’re a smart girl, Vivio. You always have been. Be more confident in yourself.”

“But…” Try as she might, she was actually unable to think of a rebuttal. He was right. She didn’t need him to tutor her. In fact, she never did. But this had been the only way she could get him to spend time with her, to pay attention to and focus only on her. She knew he was a busy man, and the fact that he made room in his schedule for her made the teen so happy. She didn’t want it to end.

“Please don’t stop coming.” She pleaded, getting to her feet. “I don’t want you to stop…” Vivio cast her gaze downwards. “Or does it bother you to keep coming? I know I’m just being selfish, but… Is spending time with me really that bad?” She looked back up at him with glistening eyes.

“What? No! Of course not!” Yuuno also got to his feet. Their equal heights allowed for him to look her straight in the eyes. “But you just don’t need me anymore.”

“I do need you!” She asserted. “Just… Not for studying…”

“Huh?” He blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve always admired you since I was little, Yuuno-san.” She started. “You’re so gentle, kind, and smart. You always treated me so warmly. You always looked out for me and took care of me. It made me really happy. When I became older, I realised what these feelings were.” Vivio swallowed. She was going to keep herself contained until she was more of an adult, but at that moment, her emotions threatened to burst out anyways. “I love you, Yuuno-san!”

You could have blindsided him with a Starlight Breaker and not have come close to matching the expression of shock he wore at that moment. “W-What are you saying, Vivio? It’s not good to joke around like that.”

“I’m serious!” A little mad, she tackled him for emphasis. They tumbled back onto the bed, Yuuno landing propped up on his elbows, Vivio on top of him.

“Vivi-” He was cut off by the girl’s lips pressing against his own. The action caused his eyes to open so wide he saw double.

“I really do love you, Yuuno-san.” Vivio whispered when she broke off. Yuuno’s mind froze. It was blank, yet jumbled with thoughts at the same time. He just stared vacantly into those longing, mismatched eyes.

“But…” He forced his tongue to move and try to expel his tangled thought trains. “But you’re so young, still a child, and I’m so old…”

“That doesn’t matter!” She shot back. “And I’m not a child anymore! Look at how big I’ve gotten! I’m just as tall as you are, and my breasts won’t even lose out to Fate-mama’s!” Yuuno couldn’t argue that point. Her ample bust was pressed firmly into his chest. “I’m sixteen! That’s old enough to get married! And I don’t care if you’re older!”

“But there must be a guy your own age…”

“None of the guys at school can compare to you! I get love letters all the time, you know, but I turned them all down. It was because they aren’t you! They can’t even begin to compare!”

“Uh…” Yuuno found himself surprisingly short on ammo. He had known the girl since she was six years old. It would be weird to see her as a potential romantic partner, wouldn’t it? But, surely because he had known her since she was a child, he was fully aware of her transformation into a beautiful young woman. To deny that she was a very desirable female would be an outright lie. Yes, she was a child no longer. But…

“I love you so much.” Vivio buried her face into his chest. “Is there something about me you don’t like?”

“I… well… uh… I don’t dislike anything… I mean… I do like you, but… uh… that’s…”

“… Is it because I’m not Nanoha-mama?” She asked with a chill in her voice.

“No!” He said reflexively. “I got over my feelings for her a long time ago.”

“Then there’s no problem! So why don’t you want to be together with me?”

No, there was still a problem. A very big, very dangerous problem.

“Vivio, Yuuno-kun, I brought you some te…” Said problem paused when she opened the door to see her daughter in an intimate position with her life long friend. Yuuno could see the air freeze as Nanoha narrowed her eyes.

“Ah! Nanoha!” He tried. “This isn’t what…”

“This is exactly what it looks like!” Vivio declared, meeting her mother’s gaze. She tightened her grip on the man. “I love Yuuno-san and I want to be with him!”

“… I see.” Nanoha’s voice was ice. “Vivio, Yuuno-kun, please come downstairs. We need to talk.”

Yuuno could only wonder if he was about to get blasted or stabbed.

… Probably both.

---

Being seated at the dinner table with the Takamachi family was not an unfamiliar experience for Yuuno. He often stayed for meals after a study session, enjoying the warm and friendly air that accompanied the mealtime conversation.

Tonight was an entirely different matter. It was as if Chrono had used Durandal to freeze the room. Vivio and Yuuno sat on one side, Nanoha and Fate on the other. Vivio’s expression was set in a determined manner, while Yuuno couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with anyone. The two mothers wore looks that would ensure top positions in the poker world championships.

“So, Yuuno-kun.” Nanoha started. “Why don’t you tell us what’s going on.”

“I, uh, well, you see…” As he was unable to decipher her tone, Yuuno wasn’t sure if grovelling or running would be the best option.

“Yuuno-san did nothing wrong.” Vivio cut in. “I’m the one who made the first move. I’m in love with him and I was just making that very clear.”

Nanoha shifted her gaze to the girl. “Vivio, you’re aware of how young you are, right? This could just be a little crush that will pass.”

“I’m old enough to know what my feelings are.” The teen replied resolutely.

“And you know that Yuuno-kun is the same age as us?” Nanoha asked.

“Of course I do.” Vivio replied. “Age is not an obstacle. Besides, it’s not that strange. Grandpa Shiro is several years older than Grandma Momoko.”

“That may be true.” Nanoha nodded. “But people still won’t look favourably on a teenage girl being with some one thirteen years her senior. Are you ok with that?”

“Did you care what people thought when you and Fate-mama got together?” Vivio retorted. “Even if everyone else is against it, my feelings won’t change!”

“So you’re absolutely serious about him, Vivio?”

“Absolutely.”

Nanoha held her daughter’s unwavering stare until her partner’s hand came to rest on her shoulder.

“Well,” Fate spoke for the first time. “We knew we’d have to let her go eventually. We just never knew it would be this soon.”

“You’re right.” Nanoha sighed. “She grew up a little too fast for my liking.” She then smiled. “I just wanted to make sure she was prepared for it.”

Vivio brightened. “You mean…”

“Yeah.” Nanoha nodded. “I can see how determined you are. If this is our daughter’s decision, of course we’ll fully support it.”

Vivio bounced up and rounded the table, throwing her arms around her mothers. “Thank you so much! You two are the best!”

“Now don’t get too ahead of yourself, Vivio.” Fate cautioned, turning back towards the male. “So, Yuuno, will you accept her feelings?”

“I, uh, well…” Being the target of three expectant gazes certainly didn’t make him any more comfortable. What was he supposed to do in such a situation? If he turned Vivio down, it felt as if he would fail his friends’ expectations. Why not accept? Here was an attractive young woman throwing herself at him. He was nearing thirty and still single, so it was a great chance. No, he refused to accept on those grounds. Her genuine feelings deserved a genuine answer. He had to be honest. There was no denying that Vivio was a special person to him. But in what sense? Daughter? Niece? Friend? Student? After ten years, could he now see her as a woman? Maybe he could. This incident was certainly making him view her in a new light. Perhaps eventually he could find himself falling in love too. But at the moment, he knew one thing for certain.

“I’m not sure I can return her feelings right away.” Yuuno started. “But maybe with some time I will. I can say this, though.” He looked at the girls with conviction. “I do want to make her happy.”

Vivio let out a happy sounding noise before she ran around the table again, latching on to the man this time. “I’m going to make sure you’re happy too, Yuuno-san!” She declared.

“Take care of her, Yuuno-kun.” Nanoha said. “We know she’s in good hands.”

Yuuno tested putting an arm around Vivio. He found it wasn’t as weird as he thought it would be.

“… But no funny stuff until she’s eighteen.”

“Awww, mama!”

I look forward to making improvements based on your input.