Nanya-muse: BUUUUURP! Sorry, I was just hungry! So I ate it!
Deathcurse-muse: *Whaps Nanya-muse with a trout* That was RadiantBeam-muse's food!
Nanya-muse: WAAAAHHH!! I was just SOOO HUNGRY! *Glomps DC-muse* Forgive me, please?
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
I will definitely have to fix that when I rewrite this. Should have done more research on where places were located.
Don't worry about it, most people don't look too deeply at locations anyways. But you could easily tweak it to be that they were at the planet side branch of the library (don't know if there is one canonically but some liberties are allowed).
Spoiler for Blood That Flows - Peek - Harlaown Part 2:
As she walked up to the condo, a bag in her arms, Lindy blinked as she saw Val walking outside. "Val, where are your parents?"
"They're kissing, grandma! And I think they were going to go make lots of loud noise." Lindy sighed at Val's explanation. "Can I go play with Arashi then?"
Lindy smiled and nodded. "Sure, just let me put this stuff away, okay." Val nodded and smiled as she went into the condo. The young Dragon sat down on the cement and created a small ball of energy and amused himself by trying to juggle it.
Trying, because he kept dropping it, adding yet another small hole in the cement.
(---)
Lindy walked into the house and sighed as she heard some soft moaning and whimpering coming from down the hall. 'Don't those three know how to close the door?' Shaking her head, she ignored the sudden shriek from Amy as she put away the groceries and other things she had in her arms. 'Those three...' She shook her head as she left the apartment, making sure to close and lock the door behind her. Really, if she didn't start making plans months ago when she had first accidentally walked in on the three one day when they were recovering from an intense session, she just knew that the wedding plans wouldn't be going as smoothly as they were.
Besides, pregnant or not, she liked Filia and Amy both. At least they kept Chrono from becoming a skirt chaser or downloading porn from the internet.
Then again, considering what she heard about Yuuno's device and how it liked stuff like that...
Lindy just hoped that Yuuno wasn't doing something stupid to deal with his hormones.
(---)
"ACHOO!" Yuuno rubbed his nose.
"I told you jumping into the Arctic Ocean wasn't a good idea, boss."
Yuuno wiped the icy water off of his body and sighed. "You know that it takes a lot of heat or cold for me to feel it. What else was I supposed to do?" At least his hormones finally quieted down.
"You could always..."
"Thoth, if I was to do that with them, I'd end up in the same situation that Chrono's in." Yuuno rubbed his forehead. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Alright, boss. Still, I think that Miyuki wouldn't mind."
Yuuno twitched. While he probably wouldn't mind it himself, all he had to do was think about what happened with Chrono before he shook his head. "No. I'm not ready to be a father, Thoth."
His device had nothing to say about that.
(---)
A little later...
"Val!" Arashi grinned as he ran up to the young Dragon. "What are you doing here?"
"Mom, Amy-mama and dad were busy, so I wanted to play." Val smiled as he looked at the Takamachi house. "Who's all here?"
"My big brother's watching me today!" Arashi held his arms to the side and ran around to the back. "Whoosh! Come on! Caro, Fried and Erio are in the back yard."
Val's eyes lit up at that. "Sweet!" He wanted to see if he could get Fried to transform into a human. He would succeed someday. After all, it wasn't too hard for him to become a small Dragon, even if his mother didn't like him transforming too much.
After all, it wasn't nice to scare normal people by turning into a Dragon in front of them.
Lindy smiled as Kyouya stepped outside. "Hope you don't mind me leaving him here."
Kyouya shook his head. "No. Mom's at the shop if you wanted to talk to her."
"Thanks." Lindy nodded to him. "I'll pick Val up later today, if that's alright?"
Kyouya chuckled at her. "Nah, that's fine." As he watched her leave, he sighed softly and wondered how his parents were going to take the news of him moving.
(---)
Later...
Lina looked at the door as it opened. "Hey, Lindy." She smiled at the other woman. "What brings you here?"
Lindy smiled and looked around. "Looks pretty dead." She got a laugh from Lina. "Something funny?"
"You missed the end of the rush by four minutes." Lina shook her head. "Something wrong at home?"
Lindy shook her head. "No, I was hoping to get some tea though. I don't think that my home is a place to be for the next..." She trailed off and looked at the time on her watch. "Forty minutes or so."
Lina raised an eyebrow and smirked softly. "While I'm glad that things are going well for your son and future daughter-in-laws, how's the wedding plans coming along?"
Lindy smiled brightly. "Almost done. We should be ready before the month is out."
"So, another two months before we actually get to have the wedding then?" Lina teased her. When Lindy gave her a sour look, Lina held her hands up. "Hey, it took me almost a year to get my wedding with Shiro done properly." Of course, with those missions for demon extermination that kept popping up, it did delay the wedding several times. Hell, the two often joked about the fact that if they didn't stop demon hunting, they would end up getting married in the hospital.
"Yes, well, this is an advantage to having a lot of connections on Mid-Childa and friends who will go that extra mile to help out."
"Magic to make the dress fit properly doesn't hurt either, huh?" Lina winked and Lindy nodded. "Anyway, I was wondering something. Filia, what does she do over at your place?"
"You mean besides studying up on the history of this world and Mid-Childa's own history?" Lindy nearly laughed as Lina blinked a few times. "Don't be so surprised. She wants to be able to help, but getting a job, either here or in the Bureau, does require at least some basic education."
Lina gave Lindy a flat stare. "Considering that I got at least ten different "offers" about Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno to join the Bureau just last year alone, I'd say that you don't require that much education."
Lindy had the decency to look embarrassed about that. "Yes, well, we are short on mages at times. Strong mages like those three, Hayate and her family, not to mention, yourself, are rare." Hell, Lindy wished that she had found Lina sooner. A SS class sorceress that had such control over her power was a rare find indeed. The fact that she had trained two children to go from AAA to at least S class in five years, and a A class defensive mage into a mage that was at least AA+ with powerful offensive abilities was nothing short of miraculous.
"Listen, Lindy, despite what you might think, unless it's a threat to the world, I'm pretty much retired now." Lina shook her head at Lindy's look. "Look, I'm willing to pass on some information, teach a new spell now and again, but I really just want to run my shop with my husband."
"Then why do you keep jumping in whenever a new mission pops up?" Lindy smiled lightly as Lina twitched at that.
"Alright, yeah, I do. Despite everything else, I do like a good adventure, but I don't want my life to be nothing but travel and adventure." She shook her head. "I got most of that out of my system years ago. But..." Lina sighed heavily. "Even though I want to just sit back and relax, I want to protect my family. I don't know. Maybe if I didn't end up marrying Shiro. Maybe if I ended up on Mid-Childa instead of Earth. Maybe if I never cast the Giga Slave against Hellmaster. Maybe I'd still be traveling, fighting, adventuring and searching for treasure, rather than just wanting to settle down fully."
Lindy shook her head. "Lina, I don't think that there's anything wrong with that. I've known plenty of retired Generals and Colonels who wished that they were still active and solving problems, even if all they want to do is settle down and live the rest of their lives peacefully. You're just cursed with the ability to fight well and you're a mother who has children out there fighting as well." Lindy sighed and turned around to lean back against the counter. "I worry about my son, and the grandchildren that are on their way, every time he goes out onto a mission. I may be strong, but I know that I wouldn't survive half the things he does." She looked at Lina and sighed. "You, you're burdened with the fact that you know you can survive the things that your children do."
"I've been trying to avoid fighting more." Lina shook her head. "I feel like a character from some sort of novel who grew up and had children. And even though the story's supposed to be about my children, I keep getting involved in their adventures."
Lindy chuckled at the comparison. "There's a reason most parents in adventure stories are either dead, heavily injured or missing from their children's lives at the start of the story."
Lina laughed at that. "I've been dead before, it wasn't fun." The two women shared a few more chuckles before sobering up. "So, why take so long to get the wedding plans together? I would have sworn that Chrono wasn't the type for a fancy wedding."
"He's not. I want the reception to be memorable, however." Lindy smiled at Lina. "That's the most fun, after all."
Lina sighed softly, much to Lindy's surprise. "Shiro and I didn't have much of a reception. We got married, found someone who could watch Kyouya and Miyuki for us while we were in Europe, and went off on our honeymoon."
Lindy shrugged at that. "Well, the best we can do is make it so that our children had it better than we did and hope that their children have it even better than they do."
"Don't write your will just yet." Lina smirked at the other woman. "We're not that old yet."
Lindy laughed at that. "Nope, but it never hurts to make plans. Plus, grandchildren are just so cute."
Lina smirked at her. "Unless Kyouya has some kids on the way, I don't want to have grandchildren just yet." She sighed softly and looked at the calendar. "Has it been five weeks already?"
"She'll wake up, you'll see." Lindy nodded to Lina. "I heard Hayate was able to finally cast a light spell without fainting the other day."
"That's what happens when you force a burnout." Lina shook her head. "Still, she'll be back to normal soon enough."
Lindy wished that she could offer Lina any comfort about Nanoha. It was hard when the girl's condition hadn't changed in the slightest in five weeks.
All they could do was wait and hope that she got better.
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
So, then... anyone else got a dead muse on their hands?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanya01
*looks at my muse* ...What did you do?
Nanya-muse: BUUUUURP! Sorry, I was just hungry! So I ate it!
Deathcurse-muse: *Whaps Nanya-muse with a trout* That was RadiantBeam-muse's food!
Nanya-muse: WAAAAHHH!! I was just SOOO HUNGRY! *Glomps DC-muse* Forgive me, please?
deathcurse-muse: *points at the unconscious RadiantBeam-muse on the ground* So...you totally have to do something about this. It's your fault.
Nanya-muse: But...but... *clings to DC-muse's arm* Help me, please?
deathcurse-muse: *glares and tries to shake Nanya-muse off* It's not my problem! Fix her!
Nanya-muse: *teary-eyed and starts sniffling, looking sad*
deathcurse-muse: ....Fine....I'll....urgh, stop crying! I'll help you, okay? *blushes*
Nanya-muse: WHEEEEEEEEEEE! *squeals and glomps*
RadiantBeam-muse: *still comatose on the floor*
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old_Iron
Greetings to you all. Old Iron here.
I'm relatively new to the author scene, but I hope to improve myself to the point of actually having dialogue and maybe even a plot.
Been reading quite a few Nanoha stories in the past year or so and I figured that I should give it a stab.
Spoiler for I Stand Alone:
"He could feel the searing heat all around him. It was a stifling conflagration that ate away at the air, attempting to steal life from his lungs almost nearly at the same pace as he could draw it in. Beneath his battered and bleeding form lay the thankfully unconscious forms of two people close to his heart. Though at the rate that the oxygen was being devoured in the immediate area and from the wounds that had rendered then ignorant of the world, they were likely not to survive for very long.
With a pained groan, he struggled to his feet whilst being careful not to move either of the two. Debris and craters littered the area, the bodies of the unfortunate few caught in the initial assault lay among them. It was a self depreciating gratitude that he felt when he realized just how few visitors the Infinity Library actually got and how rarely anyone actually left the building during the day. A more popular place would have probably been painted red with the blood of the dead.
The sounds of battle rang out quite clearly as the rogue machines continued their wholesale slaughter, checked only be the combat mages actually able to withstand or penetrate their AMF. The number who could do so was not small, but they were still outnumbered by the mechanical assailants ten fold. Familiar beams of pink and yellow flashed in the distance. The massive battleships that had been commandeered by them loomed ominously in the lower atmosphere as they poured out reinforcements of all shapes and sizes.
He had to do something to help, but first he had to get them out of this fire else they would all die of asphyxiation and burns before blood loss. Familiar formulas that had become second nature nearly in his life flashed briefly in his mind, pulling together and shaping the mana within his body. A large, pale green circle lit up the ground beneath himself and his two companions before rising sharply and consuming all three. A few moments later, Yuuno, Hayate, and Vivio reappeared within the library's interior. The strong walls standing strong against the initial assault that had torn apart the streets and weaker buildings outside.
Removing his torn overcoat, Yuuno placed it over the bodies of the two females to keep them a little warm from the normal chill of the library. His hands glowed briefly as healing magics washed over the two to stabilize their vitals. Nodding that they both seemed like they'd pull through until proper medical attention came, he began gathering more mana. With grim determination and a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he reactivated the teleportation array and vanished.
Calling for reinforcements did not cross his mind, assuming any would even be able to come to his position at all. It had become his lot in life as of late, to support from the sidelines and be called in when all was said and done, if at all. The search algorithms he'd designed for the library to expedite the gathering of information had pushed him out even further. He rarely saw his friends anymore these days, save for Hayate, who had preferred to get the information from him in person, and Vivio, who he'd usually had to watch over when her mothers were unavailable.
Standing atop the Infinity Library, battered, bloody, and bruised, with glasses cracked and burns everywhere, Yuuno idly wondered if what he was about to do would be considered insane. Perhaps something inside of him had snapped, or maybe just wanted one chance to show he wasn't so useless as he believed many seemed to see him as. It might have even been something so simple as wanting to put up a fight against something that was hell bent on destroying everything he knew and loved.
Gathering up the considerable amount of mana produced within his Linker Core, Yuuno proceeded to cast the one of the strongest defensive spells in his arsenal. It was a simple spell known by many, but in Yuuno's hands, Round Shield was nothing less than a mighty aegis against some of the most powerful spells known. The spell itself did not take much mana, but that was for one shield. With a cascade of purple hued light, countless shields appeared, blanketing the Infinity LIbrary with a tall bulwark separating the massive mechanical army from Yuuno. The massive outpouring of magic drew the attention of the machines assaulting the city and a number of them broke off to deal with his now obvious location.
It was often assumed that the mastery of barriers, shields, and binds left one mostly useless in an offensive nature when that mage was by themselves. What many failed to realize was just how brutally effective those spells could be in an offensive role. That was a lesson Yuuno was going to unintentionally teach Mid-Childa this day.
Barriers are an interesting thing when one takes the time to think about it. It was something that the Head Librarian had done on more than a few sleepless nights since the Book of Darkness incident. What exactly was a Barrier? Was it more than something to shield yourself from an attacker or from hostile environs? A very disturbing yes had been the answer he'd found. A barrier did not stop an incoming Starlight Breaker. No, it denied the Breaker's ability to exist beyond the barrier's range of influence. A barrier was a denial against an existing force or property.
That was something that Yuuno had put to grim practice once before and had not done so ever since. Numerous barrier sprung to life as the flying machines began to draw close enough to open fire upon the cathedral-like shield array surrounding the library. As beams and bullets were stopped dead against his powerful shields, Yuuno bade his barriers, through mathematical command, to inflict themselves upon the machines and crush them flat. In rapid succession, the first dozen airborne craft that came too close were compressed between the young man's barriers.
Those that did not detonate upon rapid compression were smashed into plates no more than three centimeters thick. A rewrite of the barrier's formula launched these formerly hostile foes at those still remaining as though they were chakram. Some were split and others smashed, but most of the remaining machines that had come to assault Yuuno's stronghold were how no more than scrap. But machines learn and flew well beyond the range of the deadly barriers, opting to hurl their ordinance from a safe distance. Explosions rocked the area and fiery plumes lit up the air all around the library, but still the shields held.
Such distance did not falter the librarian's will. More barriers sprang into existence, setting to specifically programmed tasks as Yuuno directed them via will and motion of hand. Warped lampposts and rebar were twisted into wicked looking spiraled spears. Slabs of broken stone and cracked streets were sheared into lances. As each usable bit of debris was wrought into an impromptu projectile, they were pulled before Yuuno and a hand motion set into action another barrier. This barrier denied the lack of motion in all three axes, imposing upon it tremendous momentum and converting a once motionless object into a deadly comet. Hurled at such tremendous speed that some even glowed red hot from friction before lancing a machine too slow to evade, shredding the victims from the absurd forces placed upon them.
By now there were no more foes that he could sense, only see in the distance. The immediate region was clear of the merciless mechanical assailants, but Yuuno's now combat addled mind was searching. Searching for more enemies who would bring death and ruin to this world. Up above, one of the massive battleships emitted a massive and near blinding flash as the Arc en Ciel of a TSAB Navy warship finally managed a killing blow before being struck down itself. The two mortally wounded ships began their uncontrolled descent into the atmosphere, dragging down a second enemy ship and nailing shut their own coffins as the friction chewed them up with blazing jaws.
They would not be consumed so easily. Their mass was far too much to eat all at once. They wound fall upon the land and ravage it far worse than the machines had been able to in the short few hours of the attack. Not even Yuuno's barriers would hold against such an impact, nor could any mage or ship destroy enough in time. Even those that could generate such force would die in the effort or, far more likely, be shot down preparing for such a spell.
A moment of clarity fell over Yuuno's mind as the adrenaline peaked in his system. He was vaguely aware of the approaching figure of one of the Wolkenritter from low altitude, likely Vita, though she was still at a tremendous distance. The increased magical signature from one figure below alerted him to the awakening of Hayate. Still, all around him was clear, even the machines were moving clear as mages scurried to get as many people to safety as possible in the scant few minutes before the trio of wrecked ships fell upon the city. The machines, though fleeing for their mechanical hides as well, took up ever chance to kill anything in their path.
In this heightened state of awareness, Yuuno dropped his shield array and pulled together another bout of teleportation magic whilst sending a brief warning to the incoming Vita. Hayate and Vivio never knew what happened before they found themselves in midair, tossed neatly into the Hammer Knight's surprised arms. Though small in stature, her strength kept her from dropping either of her two sudden passengers. If was that and a one word warning from the Head Librarian that set her moving at top speed away from the Infinity Library with her master and young Vivio.
Now. Now Yuuno stood alone. The wind blew his blond hair about as he stood atop the library's tallest point. As best he knew, the impact of the three derelicts would ruin this land for ages to come and kill so many people from the fallout. Now was for what could be his final sacrifice, one last time to prove himself. Even if that proving was to himself.
Manipulating his barriers with such complex mathematical structures was no small feat. In fact the demand his brain placed on oxygen was forcing so much blood into his head that his ears and nose began to bleed as small capillaries burst under the pressure. He was pulling in the atmosphere and compressing it in an insanely fast rotation. Compressing it with such force that the sphere before him began to glow white hot. The blazing wrecks were even closer now, far too close. Yuuno idly wondered if time was really slowing down or if it was just his perception. A flash of light burst from the searing ball now held condensed beneath dozens upon dozens of shields and barriers.
It was now or never. Raising the complex spell-work containing his final gambit above his head, there seemed to be no sense of anything beyond what he was doing. There was no sound to his ears. No smell reached his nose. His body felt numb. Tunnel vision became black and white save for the colorful array in his hands. He reinforced the barriers behind the sphere until he could feel his Linker Core screaming in pain from the drainage.
He exhaled and broke the barriers facing the incoming battleships.
For a brief moment, Mid-Childa experienced man made sunrise. Silence followed the blinding flash for only a fraction of a second, then a terrifying roar as nuclear hellfire erupted from the roof of the Infinity Library. A star had been born, only to be sacrificed ruthlessly as a last ditch weapon conceived by one man. This was not magic, this was a horrendous massacre of physics at the hands of magic. The column of blazing atomic death consumed the derelict ships in one vicious wave, pushing them back before reducing them to their constituent particles and a spray of molten slag in an instant. Hellfire continued beyond into space, devouring another machine commanded battleship and wounding two TSAB ships before beginning to dissipate.
In the dying light of the micro-nova, Yuuno Scrya stood there. His arms were scorched, his clothes mostly ash, and wounds burned shut. As he closed his eyes, he wondered, had he finally proven himself?"
Interesting story. It really just threw us into the middle/end of things, and I find that a really neat storytelling technique .
The downside to that kind of technique though, especially in a short story, is that the reader has a hard time connecting with the conflict and the character dilemmas. I didn't really feel like I had a personal, emotional stake in Yuuno's fight, or in the ships crashing, etc. It doesn't ruin the fic, but it is a bit of a loss.
I had a great sense of imagery as I read this, and I could really see the ruins and battlefield and flaming ships as I read . Awesome!
I like this as a short story, personally, both because I like the abrupt start , and also because truthfully, a longer story about Yuuno would probably not have captured my interest (sorry, I'm a biased reader, I admit ). However, expanding it into a longer story could be neat too, since it would give you the chance to explain what led to this conflict and also why people were doing the things that they did. Whatever you decide to do with it, it was a neat read, thanks .
I do wonder though: why is Yuuno worrying about "proving himself" in this story? There weren't really any references to Yuuno feeling weak, looked down on, or self-deprecating in the story, so the ending felt disconnected with the rest of the story. (It actually felt like it was addressing the fandom, actually, as if asking the non-Yuuno fans if he succeeded in being as awesome as the rest of the cast--to which I'd have to say: yes, he did prove his awesomeness . But it felt jarring to me since it was more of a meta-statement). If this is just a snippet of a longer story, then maybe the set-up went in earlier parts. But if it's going to be a stand-alone story, then I'd recommend building up this personal worry of Yuuno's so that the final question has weight .
I do wonder though: why is Yuuno worrying about "proving himself" in this story? There weren't really any references to Yuuno feeling weak, looked down on, or self-deprecating in the story, so the ending felt disconnected with the rest of the story. (It actually felt like it was addressing the fandom, actually, as if asking the non-Yuuno fans if he succeeded in being as awesome as the rest of the cast--to which I'd have to say: yes, he did prove his awesomeness . But it felt jarring to me since it was more of a meta-statement). If this is just a snippet of a longer story, then maybe the set-up went in earlier parts. But if it's going to be a stand-alone story, then I'd recommend building up this personal worry of Yuuno's so that the final question has weight .
The 6th and 7th paragraphs make reference to it. It wasn't only at the end.
So, then... anyone else got a dead muse on their hands?
Mine's sort of being a bitch still, rather than being dead. All inspiration is for things I can't write yet--and I can't write any of the current stuff due to school. Bah.
My muse is always active, I just don't get around to writing anything. Went out to dinner tonight so I didn't have time to work on my next fic so expect it to be delayed another day or two.
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
The 6th and 7th paragraphs make reference to it. It wasn't only at the end.
I saw that, and I suppose that I should amend my statement from "any" to "many"; it still felt more like a meta-statement than a point built up in the story . Perhaps the fic had been written as a Take That to the fandom--in which case, the point was done and done well! But if Old Iron had wanted the point to stand within the story itself, it just wasn't built up enough for me . This may just be a personal preference though, since I like reading stories as disconnected from everything (author, fandom, etc) but what is expressed in the story itself. So it's a comment that should be taken with a grain of salt .
Wow, I hadn't expected such a review. I hadn't even thought about that last part being a meta-statement and thinking about it that makes the ending seem rather... surreal? I think.
I've done some reworking to fix a few things and tried to expand on the story so that some of the actions make more sense and to flesh out why Yuuno feels the way he does. I hope so, at least.
It'll also let me try to work in other short stories following the events and possibly parallel to the events. Certainly Hayate and Vivio's reaction is something I should cover at some point. Assuming my muse doesn't suddenly fall apart due to lack of prior use.
I've split it into two parts so that there isn't a sudden massive text bomb. Though it is still fairly long... So without further blathering:
Spoiler for I Stand Alone Part 1:
He could feel the searing heat all around him. It was a stifling conflagration that ate away at the air, attempting to steal life from his lungs almost nearly at the same pace as he could draw it in. Beneath his battered and bleeding form lay the thankfully unconscious forms of two people close to his heart. Though at the rate that the oxygen was being devoured in the immediate area and from the wounds that had rendered then ignorant of the world, they were likely not to survive for very long.
With a pained groan, he struggled to his feet whilst being careful not to move either of the two. Debris and craters littered the area, the bodies of the unfortunate few caught in the initial assault lay among them. A more popular place would have probably been painted red with the blood of the dead. Fortunately museums rarely attracted large crowds.
The sounds of battle rang out quite clearly as the rogue machines continued their wholesale slaughter, checked only be the combat mages actually able to withstand or penetrate their AMF. The number who could do so was not small, but they were still outnumbered by the mechanical assailants ten fold. Familiar beams of pink and yellow flashed in the distance. The massive battleships that had been commandeered by them loomed ominously in the lower atmosphere as they poured out reinforcements of all shapes and sizes.
--- Scene Break --- 4 hours prior to attack ---
It had been a slow day at the Infinity Library. Usually there would be clerks running back and forth with piles of tomes and papers, hurrying to complete their tasks to meet the considerable demand for information. Requests from all branches of the TSAB would pour in and the clerks would then make use of the powerful search algorithms constructed by the Head Librarian, one Yuuno Scrya, to pull the information requested and have it sent off in digital format. This system also kept internal foot traffic to a a relative minimum as higher ups, researchers, and investigators no longer had to come to the library in person to get what they needed.
This day, there were far fewer requests than normal and it gave all present a chance to breath a little easier. Such was usually not the case for Yuuno. Even if the requests handled by his subordinates slowed down, the ones for sensitive information often did not. Special requests for information involving certain subjects and cases had to be handled by him as Head Librarian as no one else had a high enough pay-grade to have access.
Unfortunately, such a status also kept him locked up when heavy workloads came in. The aftermath of the Scaglietti Incident certainly hadn't helped. Processing the remains of the Cradle and cataloguing everything had kept Yuuno unable to do much more than take breaks to use the restroom, eat, and sleep. Not to mention the absurd amount of information acquired from Jail's, albeit illegal, research. Yuuno was fairly certain that he would forget what natural sunlight felt like at the pace he was going.
The situation certainly hadn't helped his already miserable social life. The only contact he'd had with with his friends in the past few months had been through work, leaving no chance to catch up. He hadn't actually spoken to Nanoha since the Scagliettit Incident. Fate had been nearly all business in the few times she'd called in to request information. Yuuno knew they were busy, but he still felt a little used. It was as if all he was good for was sitting back and acting as a glorified search engine.
Ever since he'd started at the Infinity Library, contact with everyone had declined sharply. The only semi-regular visitor he'd had was Hayate, occasionally accompanied by either Signum or Vita. For reasons he could only wonder at and secretly dream of, the Mistress of the Book of the Night Sky preferred to get her information from him in person. It was something he was glad for.
Since perhaps about a month after the Cradle's destruction, Hayate had occasionally brought along little Vivio when coming in to request more mundane information, stating that her 'mamas' were on assignment or otherwise unable to watch over the girl. While never actually able to join them when they asked him to join them for lunch, he was glad for the company. It was the only thing that kept him sane these days. Hayate could see that he was being worked to the bone, Yuuno could tell, but there was little she could do in her position without getting one or both of them fired.
This day however, Yuuno's dismal lot changed for the better when the large doors to his office opened with a groan. Looking up from the ancient tome in his hands, he was nearly bowled over as a blonde rocket ran around his desk and leaped into his lap whilst shouting his name. The book went flying as he moved to catch the catch the smaller person and not send both of them crashing to the ground.
The book landed nearby with a dull 'thud', accompanied by mirthful laughter from the second figure who had entered the room, "I think that you'd have developed a sixth sense for detecting Vivio-Rockets by now, Yuuno." Said figure was revealed to be Hayate, clad in her TSAB uniform and wearing her ever present grin. "Sorry, I've been too busy to tune my radar lately." he replied with a bit of humor in his tired voice.
Hayate seemed both amused and irritated at his reply, "Well, I've got something that should perk you up a bit. At very least it'll get you out of the office. And don't worry about work, I finally managed to convince some of our collective bosses that you more than deserved a break." she finished with a confident smirk before giving a knowing look at Vivio. Said girl jumped off of Yuuno's lap and began rummaging around her pockets before pulling out three pieces of paper with a smile and presenting them to the librarian, "We're going to the museum! They've got a new display up about the Saint Kaiser." It seemed that anything to do with history, particularly the Saint Kaiser, would get Vivio's near undivided attention.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh of defeat, Yuuno surrendered to the duo, "All right, let me get my coat." "Yay!" exclaimed the little blonde girl before running over to Hayate, who bent down to give a high-five.
As Yuuno rummaged around the mess that was his office to get to his coat hangar, Hayate took notice at just how worn down the man seemed. It was as if his spirit was slowly burning itself out, like a lamp without oil. She would have continued her train of thought on her friend's health but it was interrupted when he tapped her on the shoulder, "You okay? You zoned out for a sec." inquired Yuuno. "No, no, I'm good. Shall we?" That was all it took for Vivio to grab both adult's hands and drag them out of the office humming happily, Yuuno barely managing to lock the door behind him.
--- Scene Break --- 3 hours prior to attack ---
It hadn't taken the trio long to arrive at the nearest transportation facility thanks to Hayate's decision to drive rather than rely on the TSAB HQ's mass transit system to get them there. From the facility, it was a quick jump to a Mid-Childan branch where a taxi was hailed. The whole time, Vivio couldn't seem to contain her excitement. Whether that was from the fact that they would soon be at a repository of historical artifacts, that she was on an outing with 'Yuuno-papa' and 'Auntie-Hayate', or a combination of both seemed to matter little to the adults, so long as she was happy.
Arriving at the museum only took a few minutes of suffering the midday lunchtime congestion. As Yuuno paid the driver, much to Hayate's mock annoyance, the sky seemed to darken ever so slightly as clouds began to come in from the east.
The museum certainly served as a much needed break for the Head Librarian, even if most of the time was spent running around and trying to keep an eye on Vivio. It was still the most alive he'd felt in ages.
He took great pleasure in explaining things to both Hayate and Vivio about the various historical artifacts, more than a few of which had been discovered by himself on the digs he no longer had time for. Yuuno talked in great detail about the Crown of the Kaiser, an intricate piece of magical gold work that had been passed down through generations. From there they saw the Armor of Invincibility, a legendary suit of armor said to bestow upon the wearer said invincibility and only ever worn by one legendary fighter who served the Kaiser alongside his best friend, a mage of great power if not horribly violent at times.
As Yuuno regaled them with his knowledge of the past, Hayate felt a little pleased with herself. It wasn't much, but at least he seemed to have a little more spring in his step as the three walked through the numerous and extraordinary exhibits. Still, she wanted to know exactly what was troubling her longtime friend. She wanted to help, even if a little. She was fairly certain by now that it stemmed from lac of contact with his friends. Humans were social animals after all.
Deciding that it was good a time as any, Hayate claimed that they should take a short break and perhaps get something cold and sweet. Vivio's eyes lit up at the prospect of ice cream, but managed to reign in her joy.
--- Scene Break --- 1 hour to attack ---
Spoiler for I Stand Alone Part 2:
The line at the museum's food court was short and it did not take long for the three of them to obtain their frozen snacks. Sitting at a nearby table and noting that Vivio was far more interested in ice cream than anything else, Hayate decided to set foot into a possible minefield, "Yuuno, are you alright?" She spoke in the same tone she used whenever Vita or Zwei would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares.
"Eh?" His response was short and full of confusion.
"It just seems like whenever I see you lately, you seem less... lively. Like you're wasting away in front of me." It was far more direct than she wanted to be, but Yuuno would have just tried to deflect the question if she didn't prod a little forcefully.
Setting down his cup of ice cream, Yuuno sighed deeply. It was a sound that one might expect from an old man rather than someone in their early twenties. He was debating within himself whether or not to entrust Hayate with something so personal, something that he felt was rather selfish as well. He couldn't find any decent reason not to tell her. Fear was one reason, but fear of being rejected by one of the few remaining friends who stayed in contact with him didn't seem quite applicable with Hayate. She was, in a sense, a mother of five individuals who each had their own problems to deal with and she'd been with them through thick and thin.
"...I don't think so." he finally answered hesitantly, "I feel... used."
That was not an answer Hayate had been expecting, her eyes widening slightly as Yuuno continued, "After I took over the Infinity LIbrary, I saw everyone less and less. It was something I expected, especially after I started work on the Infinite Search Algorithm. But after that... It was just work. The few times I talked with anyone, it was for information requests or Logia analysis."
Hayate nodded, letting Yuuno continue, "Its gotten to the point where the only contact I have with anyone is through those requests. Even when I can find time to call anyone, it ends up being turned into work." The woman flinched imperceptibly, knowing that she was guilty as well for such treatment, "I haven't even spoken to Nanoha since the Scaglietti Incident." he finished, trying to sound as blase about it as possible. He wasn't very successful.
"I know it must be hard for you, but you know that you are a very dear friend to all of us. If it weren't for you, I'm almost certain that a lot of us wouldn't be here today." Supplied Hayate gently. It was true, afterall. Nanoha wouldn't have learned magic, Fate would likely have been arrested or worse, and Hayate herself probably wouldn't even be alive. "And... for what its worth, I am sorry that we haven't been able to keep in touch as much. Though I can't fathom why Nanoha has made herself into such a... non-entity in your life." she admitted quietly.
"Thank you, Hayate. I mean it." offered Yuuno with a small smile, which Hayate returned. Meanwhile, Vivio, who had finished her ice cream looked on in confusion.
Though he had admitted part of his worry to the young woman, there was more to it than that. A portion of it stemming from being a part of the Scrya clan. The Scrya clan was after one thing in all their exploits: the facts. For something to be proven fact, you needed proof. Proof was something very difficult to obtain, and it was proof that Yuuno felt he lacked. Had he truly proven his worth to his friends? Perhaps he hadn't and that was why they'd drifted apart from him with such apparent ease in his eyes.
He'd taught Nanoha magic, assisted in Fate's trial, helped to stop the rampaging defense program, and all other sorts of other little things for everyone since then. Was he allowed to be saddened by his supposed failure or did he have to try harder to become something in their eyes?
--- Scene Break --- Zero Hour ---
Though the mood had become somewhat melancholy after their ice cream break, Vivio's enthusiasm for history was not to be curbed and both adults soon found themselves enjoying themselves more as time went on.
The clouds from earlier had blown in and now filled the sky with billows of white fluff that the youngest of the three was determined to find all manner of shapes in as they left the museum.
That was when everything went to Hell.
Static tainted messages popped up all over the place, revealing the maddened face of Jail Scaglietti. Before Hayate could open up communications to TSAB HQ, Jail spoke, "Greetings people of Mid-Childa! If you are seeing this, then obviously I have failed in my conquest." It was said in a mocking, slightly drunken tone, as if he'd recorded this in the height of madness or a state of delirium. Hayate bit back a curse as the line was dead, indicating some kind of interference around HQ. Jail continued, "Since I have apparently failed in my goals using the Cradle, I'll go for a more traditional approach. War."
The cloudy sky lit up as the massive forms of battleships de-cloaked in the upper atmosphere, their guns raining down death. No one had any time to react or put up their defenses. All Yuuno could do was hurl himself between Hayate and Vivio and pray.
The world became sound and fire and pain, rendering their world black.
--- Scene Break --- 30 minutes after attack ---
Yuuno had to do something to help, but first he had to get them out of this fire else they would all die of asphyxiation and burns before blood loss. Familiar formulas that had become second nature nearly in his life flashed briefly in his mind, pulling together and shaping the mana within his body. A large, pale green circle lit up the ground beneath himself and his two companions before rising sharply and consuming all three. A few moments later, Yuuno, Hayate, and Vivio reappeared within the museum's interior. The hardened walls standing strong against the initial assault that had torn apart the streets and weaker buildings outside.
Removing his torn overcoat, Yuuno placed it over the bodies of the two females to keep them a little warm from the chill of the museum. His hands glowed briefly as healing magics washed over the two to stabilize their vitals. Nodding that they both seemed like they'd pull through until proper medical attention came, he began gathering more mana. With grim determination and a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he reactivated the teleportation array and vanished.
Calling for reinforcements did not cross his mind, assuming any would even be able to come to his position at all. It had become his lot in life as of late, to support from the sidelines and be called in when all was said and done, if at all.
Standing atop the Central Mid-Childa Museum, battered, bloody, and bruised, with glasses cracked and burns everywhere, Yuuno idly wondered if what he was about to do would be considered insane. Perhaps something inside of him had snapped, or maybe just wanted one chance to show he wasn't so useless as he believed many seemed to see him as. To prove himself worthy. It might have even been something so simple as wanting to put up a fight against something that was hell bent on destroying everything he knew and loved.
Gathering up the considerable amount of mana produced within his Linker Core, Yuuno proceeded to cast the one of the strongest defensive spells in his arsenal. It was a simple spell known by many, but in Yuuno's hands, Round Shield was nothing less than a mighty aegis against some of the most powerful spells known. The spell itself did not take much mana, but that was for one shield. With a cascade of purple hued light, countless shields appeared, blanketing the building with a tall bulwark separating the massive mechanical army from Yuuno. The massive outpouring of magic drew the attention of the machines assaulting the city and a number of them broke off to deal with his now obvious location.
It was often assumed that the mastery of barriers, shields, and binds left one mostly useless in an offensive nature when that mage was by themselves. What many failed to realize was just how brutally effective those spells could be in an offensive role. That was a lesson Yuuno was going to unintentionally teach Mid-Childa this day.
Barriers are an interesting thing when one takes the time to think about it. It was something that the Head Librarian had done on more than a few sleepless nights since the Book of Darkness incident. What exactly was a Barrier? Was it more than something to shield yourself from an attacker or from hostile environs? A very disturbing yes had been the answer he'd found. A barrier did not stop an incoming Starlight Breaker. No, it denied the Breaker's ability to exist beyond the barrier's range of influence. A barrier was a denial against an existing force or property.
That was something that Yuuno had put to grim practice once before and had not done so ever since. Numerous barrier sprung to life as the flying machines began to draw close enough to open fire upon the cathedral-like shield array surrounding the museum. As beams and bullets were stopped dead against his powerful shields, Yuuno bade his barriers, through mathematical command, to inflict themselves upon the machines and crush them flat. In rapid succession, the first dozen airborne craft that came too close were compressed between the young man's barriers.
Those that did not detonate upon rapid compression were smashed into plates no more than three centimeters thick. A rewrite of the barrier's formula launched these formerly hostile foes at those still remaining as though they were chakram. Some were split and others smashed, but most of the remaining machines that had come to assault Yuuno's stronghold were how no more than scrap. But machines learn and flew well beyond the range of the deadly barriers, opting to hurl their ordinance from a safe distance. Explosions rocked the area and fiery plumes lit up the air all around the museum, but still the shields held.
Such distance did not falter the librarian's will. More barriers sprang into existence, setting to specifically programmed tasks as Yuuno directed them via will and motion of hand. Warped lampposts and rebar were twisted into wicked looking spiraled spears. Slabs of broken stone and cracked streets were sheared into lances. As each usable bit of debris was wrought into an impromptu projectile, they were pulled before Yuuno and a hand motion set into action another barrier. This barrier denied the lack of motion in all three axes, imposing upon it tremendous momentum and converting a once motionless object into a deadly comet. Hurled at such tremendous speed that some even glowed red hot from friction before lancing a machine too slow to evade, shredding the victims from the absurd forces placed upon them.
By now there were no more foes that he could sense, only see in the distance. The immediate region was clear of the merciless mechanical assailants, but Yuuno's now combat addled mind was searching. Searching for more enemies who would bring death and ruin to this world. Up above, one of the massive battleships emitted a massive and near blinding flash as the Arc en Ciel of a TSAB Navy warship finally managed a killing blow before being struck down itself. The two mortally wounded ships began their uncontrolled descent into the atmosphere, dragging down a second enemy ship and nailing shut their own coffins as the friction chewed them up with blazing jaws.
They would not be consumed so easily. Their mass was far too much to eat all at once. They wound fall upon the land and ravage it far worse than the machines had been able to in the short few hours of the attack. Not even Yuuno's barriers would hold against such an impact, nor could any mage or ship destroy enough in time. Even those that could generate such force would die in the effort or, far more likely, be shot down preparing for such a spell.
A moment of clarity fell over Yuuno's mind as the adrenaline peaked in his system. He was vaguely aware of the approaching figure of one of the Wolkenritter from low altitude, likely Vita, though she was still at a tremendous distance. The increased magical signature from one figure below alerted him to the awakening of Hayate. Still, all around him was clear, even the machines were moving clear as mages scurried to get as many people to safety as possible in the scant few minutes before the trio of wrecked ships fell upon the city. The machines, though fleeing for their mechanical hides as well, took up ever chance to kill anything in their path.
In this heightened state of awareness, Yuuno dropped his shield array and pulled together another bout of teleportation magic whilst sending a brief warning to the incoming Vita. Hayate and Vivio never knew what happened before they found themselves in midair, tossed neatly into the Hammer Knight's surprised arms. Though small in stature, her strength kept her from dropping either of her two sudden passengers.
Run
If was that and a one word warning from the Head Librarian that set her moving at top speed away from the area with her master and young Vivio.
Now. Now Yuuno stood alone. The wind blew his blond hair about as he stood atop the museum's tallest point. As best he knew, the impact of the three derelicts would ruin this land for ages to come and kill so many people from the fallout. Now was for what could be his final sacrifice, one last chance to prove himself. Even if that proving was to himself.
Manipulating his barriers with such complex mathematical structures was no small feat. In fact the demand his brain placed on oxygen was forcing so much blood into his head that his ears and nose began to bleed as small capillaries burst under the pressure. He was pulling in the atmosphere and compressing it in an insanely fast rotation. Compressing it with such force that the sphere before him began to glow white hot. The blazing wrecks were even closer now, far too close. Yuuno idly wondered if time was really slowing down or if it was just his perception. A flash of light burst from the searing ball now held condensed beneath dozens upon dozens of shields and barriers.
It was now or never. Raising the complex spell-work containing his final gambit above his head, there seemed to be no sense of anything beyond what he was doing. There was no sound to his ears. No smell reached his nose. His body felt numb. Tunnel vision became black and white save for the colorful array in his hands. He reinforced the barriers behind the sphere until he could feel his Linker Core screaming in pain from the drainage.
He exhaled and broke the barriers facing the incoming battleships.
For a brief moment, Mid-Childa experienced man made sunrise. Silence followed the blinding flash for only a fraction of a second, then a terrifying roar as nuclear hellfire erupted from the roof of the building. A star had been born, only to be sacrificed ruthlessly as a last ditch weapon conceived by one man. This was not magic, this was a horrendous massacre of physics at the hands of magic. The column of blazing atomic death consumed the derelict ships in one vicious wave, pushing them back before reducing them to their constituent particles and a spray of molten slag in an instant. Hellfire continued beyond into space, devouring another machine commanded battleship and wounding two TSAB ships before beginning to dissipate.
In the dying light of the micro-nova, Yuuno Scrya stood there atop the seared building's rooftop. His arms were scorched, his clothes mostly ash, and wounds burned shut. As darkness filled his eyes, he wondered, had he finally proven himself?
Location: Fighting against those who oppress the system
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old_Iron
Wow, I hadn't expected such a review. I hadn't even thought about that last part being a meta-statement and thinking about it that makes the ending seem rather... surreal? I think.
I've done some reworking to fix a few things and tried to expand on the story so that some of the actions make more sense and to flesh out why Yuuno feels the way he does. I hope so, at least.
It'll also let me try to work in other short stories following the events and possibly parallel to the events. Certainly Hayate and Vivio's reaction is something I should cover at some point. Assuming my muse doesn't suddenly fall apart due to lack of prior use.
I've split it into two parts so that there isn't a sudden massive text bomb. Though it is still fairly long... So without further blathering:
Spoiler for I Stand Alone Part 1:
He could feel the searing heat all around him. It was a stifling conflagration that ate away at the air, attempting to steal life from his lungs almost nearly at the same pace as he could draw it in. Beneath his battered and bleeding form lay the thankfully unconscious forms of two people close to his heart. Though at the rate that the oxygen was being devoured in the immediate area and from the wounds that had rendered then ignorant of the world, they were likely not to survive for very long.
With a pained groan, he struggled to his feet whilst being careful not to move either of the two. Debris and craters littered the area, the bodies of the unfortunate few caught in the initial assault lay among them. A more popular place would have probably been painted red with the blood of the dead. Fortunately museums rarely attracted large crowds.
The sounds of battle rang out quite clearly as the rogue machines continued their wholesale slaughter, checked only be the combat mages actually able to withstand or penetrate their AMF. The number who could do so was not small, but they were still outnumbered by the mechanical assailants ten fold. Familiar beams of pink and yellow flashed in the distance. The massive battleships that had been commandeered by them loomed ominously in the lower atmosphere as they poured out reinforcements of all shapes and sizes.
--- Scene Break --- 4 hours prior to attack ---
It had been a slow day at the Infinity Library. Usually there would be clerks running back and forth with piles of tomes and papers, hurrying to complete their tasks to meet the considerable demand for information. Requests from all branches of the TSAB would pour in and the clerks would then make use of the powerful search algorithms constructed by the Head Librarian, one Yuuno Scrya, to pull the information requested and have it sent off in digital format. This system also kept internal foot traffic to a a relative minimum as higher ups, researchers, and investigators no longer had to come to the library in person to get what they needed.
This day, there were far fewer requests than normal and it gave all present a chance to breath a little easier. Such was usually not the case for Yuuno. Even if the requests handled by his subordinates slowed down, the ones for sensitive information often did not. Special requests for information involving certain subjects and cases had to be handled by him as Head Librarian as no one else had a high enough pay-grade to have access.
Unfortunately, such a status also kept him locked up when heavy workloads came in. The aftermath of the Scaglietti Incident certainly hadn't helped. Processing the remains of the Cradle and cataloguing everything had kept Yuuno unable to do much more than take breaks to use the restroom, eat, and sleep. Not to mention the absurd amount of information acquired from Jail's, albeit illegal, research. Yuuno was fairly certain that he would forget what natural sunlight felt like at the pace he was going.
The situation certainly hadn't helped his already miserable social life. The only contact he'd had with with his friends in the past few months had been through work, leaving no chance to catch up. He hadn't actually spoken to Nanoha since the Scagliettit Incident. Fate had been nearly all business in the few times she'd called in to request information. Yuuno knew they were busy, but he still felt a little used. It was as if all he was good for was sitting back and acting as a glorified search engine.
Ever since he'd started at the Infinity Library, contact with everyone had declined sharply. The only semi-regular visitor he'd had was Hayate, occasionally accompanied by either Signum or Vita. For reasons he could only wonder at and secretly dream of, the Mistress of the Book of the Night Sky preferred to get her information from him in person. It was something he was glad for.
Since perhaps about a month after the Cradle's destruction, Hayate had occasionally brought along little Vivio when coming in to request more mundane information, stating that her 'mamas' were on assignment or otherwise unable to watch over the girl. While never actually able to join them when they asked him to join them for lunch, he was glad for the company. It was the only thing that kept him sane these days. Hayate could see that he was being worked to the bone, Yuuno could tell, but there was little she could do in her position without getting one or both of them fired.
This day however, Yuuno's dismal lot changed for the better when the large doors to his office opened with a groan. Looking up from the ancient tome in his hands, he was nearly bowled over as a blonde rocket ran around his desk and leaped into his lap whilst shouting his name. The book went flying as he moved to catch the catch the smaller person and not send both of them crashing to the ground.
The book landed nearby with a dull 'thud', accompanied by mirthful laughter from the second figure who had entered the room, "I think that you'd have developed a sixth sense for detecting Vivio-Rockets by now, Yuuno." Said figure was revealed to be Hayate, clad in her TSAB uniform and wearing her ever present grin. "Sorry, I've been too busy to tune my radar lately." he replied with a bit of humor in his tired voice.
Hayate seemed both amused and irritated at his reply, "Well, I've got something that should perk you up a bit. At very least it'll get you out of the office. And don't worry about work, I finally managed to convince some of our collective bosses that you more than deserved a break." she finished with a confident smirk before giving a knowing look at Vivio. Said girl jumped off of Yuuno's lap and began rummaging around her pockets before pulling out three pieces of paper with a smile and presenting them to the librarian, "We're going to the museum! They've got a new display up about the Saint Kaiser." It seemed that anything to do with history, particularly the Saint Kaiser, would get Vivio's near undivided attention.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh of defeat, Yuuno surrendered to the duo, "All right, let me get my coat." "Yay!" exclaimed the little blonde girl before running over to Hayate, who bent down to give a high-five.
As Yuuno rummaged around the mess that was his office to get to his coat hangar, Hayate took notice at just how worn down the man seemed. It was as if his spirit was slowly burning itself out, like a lamp without oil. She would have continued her train of thought on her friend's health but it was interrupted when he tapped her on the shoulder, "You okay? You zoned out for a sec." inquired Yuuno. "No, no, I'm good. Shall we?" That was all it took for Vivio to grab both adult's hands and drag them out of the office humming happily, Yuuno barely managing to lock the door behind him.
--- Scene Break --- 3 hours prior to attack ---
It hadn't taken the trio long to arrive at the nearest transportation facility thanks to Hayate's decision to drive rather than rely on the TSAB HQ's mass transit system to get them there. From the facility, it was a quick jump to a Mid-Childan branch where a taxi was hailed. The whole time, Vivio couldn't seem to contain her excitement. Whether that was from the fact that they would soon be at a repository of historical artifacts, that she was on an outing with 'Yuuno-papa' and 'Auntie-Hayate', or a combination of both seemed to matter little to the adults, so long as she was happy.
Arriving at the museum only took a few minutes of suffering the midday lunchtime congestion. As Yuuno paid the driver, much to Hayate's mock annoyance, the sky seemed to darken ever so slightly as clouds began to come in from the east.
The museum certainly served as a much needed break for the Head Librarian, even if most of the time was spent running around and trying to keep an eye on Vivio. It was still the most alive he'd felt in ages.
He took great pleasure in explaining things to both Hayate and Vivio about the various historical artifacts, more than a few of which had been discovered by himself on the digs he no longer had time for. Yuuno talked in great detail about the Crown of the Kaiser, an intricate piece of magical gold work that had been passed down through generations. From there they saw the Armor of Invincibility, a legendary suit of armor said to bestow upon the wearer said invincibility and only ever worn by one legendary fighter who served the Kaiser alongside his best friend, a mage of great power if not horribly violent at times.
As Yuuno regaled them with his knowledge of the past, Hayate felt a little pleased with herself. It wasn't much, but at least he seemed to have a little more spring in his step as the three walked through the numerous and extraordinary exhibits. Still, she wanted to know exactly what was troubling her longtime friend. She wanted to help, even if a little. She was fairly certain by now that it stemmed from lac of contact with his friends. Humans were social animals after all.
Deciding that it was good a time as any, Hayate claimed that they should take a short break and perhaps get something cold and sweet. Vivio's eyes lit up at the prospect of ice cream, but managed to reign in her joy.
--- Scene Break --- 1 hour to attack ---
Spoiler for I Stand Alone Part 2:
The line at the museum's food court was short and it did not take long for the three of them to obtain their frozen snacks. Sitting at a nearby table and noting that Vivio was far more interested in ice cream than anything else, Hayate decided to set foot into a possible minefield, "Yuuno, are you alright?" She spoke in the same tone she used whenever Vita or Zwei would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares.
"Eh?" His response was short and full of confusion.
"It just seems like whenever I see you lately, you seem less... lively. Like you're wasting away in front of me." It was far more direct than she wanted to be, but Yuuno would have just tried to deflect the question if she didn't prod a little forcefully.
Setting down his cup of ice cream, Yuuno sighed deeply. It was a sound that one might expect from an old man rather than someone in their early twenties. He was debating within himself whether or not to entrust Hayate with something so personal, something that he felt was rather selfish as well. He couldn't find any decent reason not to tell her. Fear was one reason, but fear of being rejected by one of the few remaining friends who stayed in contact with him didn't seem quite applicable with Hayate. She was, in a sense, a mother of five individuals who each had their own problems to deal with and she'd been with them through thick and thin.
"...I don't think so." he finally answered hesitantly, "I feel... used."
That was not an answer Hayate had been expecting, her eyes widening slightly as Yuuno continued, "After I took over the Infinity LIbrary, I saw everyone less and less. It was something I expected, especially after I started work on the Infinite Search Algorithm. But after that... It was just work. The few times I talked with anyone, it was for information requests or Logia analysis."
Hayate nodded, letting Yuuno continue, "Its gotten to the point where the only contact I have with anyone is through those requests. Even when I can find time to call anyone, it ends up being turned into work." The woman flinched imperceptibly, knowing that she was guilty as well for such treatment, "I haven't even spoken to Nanoha since the Scaglietti Incident." he finished, trying to sound as blase about it as possible. He wasn't very successful.
"I know it must be hard for you, but you know that you are a very dear friend to all of us. If it weren't for you, I'm almost certain that a lot of us wouldn't be here today." Supplied Hayate gently. It was true, afterall. Nanoha wouldn't have learned magic, Fate would likely have been arrested or worse, and Hayate herself probably wouldn't even be alive. "And... for what its worth, I am sorry that we haven't been able to keep in touch as much. Though I can't fathom why Nanoha has made herself into such a... non-entity in your life." she admitted quietly.
"Thank you, Hayate. I mean it." offered Yuuno with a small smile, which Hayate returned. Meanwhile, Vivio, who had finished her ice cream looked on in confusion.
Though he had admitted part of his worry to the young woman, there was more to it than that. A portion of it stemming from being a part of the Scrya clan. The Scrya clan was after one thing in all their exploits: the facts. For something to be proven fact, you needed proof. Proof was something very difficult to obtain, and it was proof that Yuuno felt he lacked. Had he truly proven his worth to his friends? Perhaps he hadn't and that was why they'd drifted apart from him with such apparent ease in his eyes.
He'd taught Nanoha magic, assisted in Fate's trial, helped to stop the rampaging defense program, and all other sorts of other little things for everyone since then. Was he allowed to be saddened by his supposed failure or did he have to try harder to become something in their eyes?
--- Scene Break --- Zero Hour ---
Though the mood had become somewhat melancholy after their ice cream break, Vivio's enthusiasm for history was not to be curbed and both adults soon found themselves enjoying themselves more as time went on.
The clouds from earlier had blown in and now filled the sky with billows of white fluff that the youngest of the three was determined to find all manner of shapes in as they left the museum.
That was when everything went to Hell.
Static tainted messages popped up all over the place, revealing the maddened face of Jail Scaglietti. Before Hayate could open up communications to TSAB HQ, Jail spoke, "Greetings people of Mid-Childa! If you are seeing this, then obviously I have failed in my conquest." It was said in a mocking, slightly drunken tone, as if he'd recorded this in the height of madness or a state of delirium. Hayate bit back a curse as the line was dead, indicating some kind of interference around HQ. Jail continued, "Since I have apparently failed in my goals using the Cradle, I'll go for a more traditional approach. War."
The cloudy sky lit up as the massive forms of battleships de-cloaked in the upper atmosphere, their guns raining down death. No one had any time to react or put up their defenses. All Yuuno could do was hurl himself between Hayate and Vivio and pray.
The world became sound and fire and pain, rendering their world black.
--- Scene Break --- 30 minutes after attack ---
Yuuno had to do something to help, but first he had to get them out of this fire else they would all die of asphyxiation and burns before blood loss. Familiar formulas that had become second nature nearly in his life flashed briefly in his mind, pulling together and shaping the mana within his body. A large, pale green circle lit up the ground beneath himself and his two companions before rising sharply and consuming all three. A few moments later, Yuuno, Hayate, and Vivio reappeared within the museum's interior. The hardened walls standing strong against the initial assault that had torn apart the streets and weaker buildings outside.
Removing his torn overcoat, Yuuno placed it over the bodies of the two females to keep them a little warm from the chill of the museum. His hands glowed briefly as healing magics washed over the two to stabilize their vitals. Nodding that they both seemed like they'd pull through until proper medical attention came, he began gathering more mana. With grim determination and a dangerous gleam in his eyes, he reactivated the teleportation array and vanished.
Calling for reinforcements did not cross his mind, assuming any would even be able to come to his position at all. It had become his lot in life as of late, to support from the sidelines and be called in when all was said and done, if at all.
Standing atop the Central Mid-Childa Museum, battered, bloody, and bruised, with glasses cracked and burns everywhere, Yuuno idly wondered if what he was about to do would be considered insane. Perhaps something inside of him had snapped, or maybe just wanted one chance to show he wasn't so useless as he believed many seemed to see him as. To prove himself worthy. It might have even been something so simple as wanting to put up a fight against something that was hell bent on destroying everything he knew and loved.
Gathering up the considerable amount of mana produced within his Linker Core, Yuuno proceeded to cast the one of the strongest defensive spells in his arsenal. It was a simple spell known by many, but in Yuuno's hands, Round Shield was nothing less than a mighty aegis against some of the most powerful spells known. The spell itself did not take much mana, but that was for one shield. With a cascade of purple hued light, countless shields appeared, blanketing the building with a tall bulwark separating the massive mechanical army from Yuuno. The massive outpouring of magic drew the attention of the machines assaulting the city and a number of them broke off to deal with his now obvious location.
It was often assumed that the mastery of barriers, shields, and binds left one mostly useless in an offensive nature when that mage was by themselves. What many failed to realize was just how brutally effective those spells could be in an offensive role. That was a lesson Yuuno was going to unintentionally teach Mid-Childa this day.
Barriers are an interesting thing when one takes the time to think about it. It was something that the Head Librarian had done on more than a few sleepless nights since the Book of Darkness incident. What exactly was a Barrier? Was it more than something to shield yourself from an attacker or from hostile environs? A very disturbing yes had been the answer he'd found. A barrier did not stop an incoming Starlight Breaker. No, it denied the Breaker's ability to exist beyond the barrier's range of influence. A barrier was a denial against an existing force or property.
That was something that Yuuno had put to grim practice once before and had not done so ever since. Numerous barrier sprung to life as the flying machines began to draw close enough to open fire upon the cathedral-like shield array surrounding the museum. As beams and bullets were stopped dead against his powerful shields, Yuuno bade his barriers, through mathematical command, to inflict themselves upon the machines and crush them flat. In rapid succession, the first dozen airborne craft that came too close were compressed between the young man's barriers.
Those that did not detonate upon rapid compression were smashed into plates no more than three centimeters thick. A rewrite of the barrier's formula launched these formerly hostile foes at those still remaining as though they were chakram. Some were split and others smashed, but most of the remaining machines that had come to assault Yuuno's stronghold were how no more than scrap. But machines learn and flew well beyond the range of the deadly barriers, opting to hurl their ordinance from a safe distance. Explosions rocked the area and fiery plumes lit up the air all around the museum, but still the shields held.
Such distance did not falter the librarian's will. More barriers sprang into existence, setting to specifically programmed tasks as Yuuno directed them via will and motion of hand. Warped lampposts and rebar were twisted into wicked looking spiraled spears. Slabs of broken stone and cracked streets were sheared into lances. As each usable bit of debris was wrought into an impromptu projectile, they were pulled before Yuuno and a hand motion set into action another barrier. This barrier denied the lack of motion in all three axes, imposing upon it tremendous momentum and converting a once motionless object into a deadly comet. Hurled at such tremendous speed that some even glowed red hot from friction before lancing a machine too slow to evade, shredding the victims from the absurd forces placed upon them.
By now there were no more foes that he could sense, only see in the distance. The immediate region was clear of the merciless mechanical assailants, but Yuuno's now combat addled mind was searching. Searching for more enemies who would bring death and ruin to this world. Up above, one of the massive battleships emitted a massive and near blinding flash as the Arc en Ciel of a TSAB Navy warship finally managed a killing blow before being struck down itself. The two mortally wounded ships began their uncontrolled descent into the atmosphere, dragging down a second enemy ship and nailing shut their own coffins as the friction chewed them up with blazing jaws.
They would not be consumed so easily. Their mass was far too much to eat all at once. They wound fall upon the land and ravage it far worse than the machines had been able to in the short few hours of the attack. Not even Yuuno's barriers would hold against such an impact, nor could any mage or ship destroy enough in time. Even those that could generate such force would die in the effort or, far more likely, be shot down preparing for such a spell.
A moment of clarity fell over Yuuno's mind as the adrenaline peaked in his system. He was vaguely aware of the approaching figure of one of the Wolkenritter from low altitude, likely Vita, though she was still at a tremendous distance. The increased magical signature from one figure below alerted him to the awakening of Hayate. Still, all around him was clear, even the machines were moving clear as mages scurried to get as many people to safety as possible in the scant few minutes before the trio of wrecked ships fell upon the city. The machines, though fleeing for their mechanical hides as well, took up ever chance to kill anything in their path.
In this heightened state of awareness, Yuuno dropped his shield array and pulled together another bout of teleportation magic whilst sending a brief warning to the incoming Vita. Hayate and Vivio never knew what happened before they found themselves in midair, tossed neatly into the Hammer Knight's surprised arms. Though small in stature, her strength kept her from dropping either of her two sudden passengers.
Run
If was that and a one word warning from the Head Librarian that set her moving at top speed away from the area with her master and young Vivio.
Now. Now Yuuno stood alone. The wind blew his blond hair about as he stood atop the museum's tallest point. As best he knew, the impact of the three derelicts would ruin this land for ages to come and kill so many people from the fallout. Now was for what could be his final sacrifice, one last chance to prove himself. Even if that proving was to himself.
Manipulating his barriers with such complex mathematical structures was no small feat. In fact the demand his brain placed on oxygen was forcing so much blood into his head that his ears and nose began to bleed as small capillaries burst under the pressure. He was pulling in the atmosphere and compressing it in an insanely fast rotation. Compressing it with such force that the sphere before him began to glow white hot. The blazing wrecks were even closer now, far too close. Yuuno idly wondered if time was really slowing down or if it was just his perception. A flash of light burst from the searing ball now held condensed beneath dozens upon dozens of shields and barriers.
It was now or never. Raising the complex spell-work containing his final gambit above his head, there seemed to be no sense of anything beyond what he was doing. There was no sound to his ears. No smell reached his nose. His body felt numb. Tunnel vision became black and white save for the colorful array in his hands. He reinforced the barriers behind the sphere until he could feel his Linker Core screaming in pain from the drainage.
He exhaled and broke the barriers facing the incoming battleships.
For a brief moment, Mid-Childa experienced man made sunrise. Silence followed the blinding flash for only a fraction of a second, then a terrifying roar as nuclear hellfire erupted from the roof of the building. A star had been born, only to be sacrificed ruthlessly as a last ditch weapon conceived by one man. This was not magic, this was a horrendous massacre of physics at the hands of magic. The column of blazing atomic death consumed the derelict ships in one vicious wave, pushing them back before reducing them to their constituent particles and a spray of molten slag in an instant. Hellfire continued beyond into space, devouring another machine commanded battleship and wounding two TSAB ships before beginning to dissipate.
In the dying light of the micro-nova, Yuuno Scrya stood there atop the seared building's rooftop. His arms were scorched, his clothes mostly ash, and wounds burned shut. As darkness filled his eyes, he wondered, had he finally proven himself?
Much better, it allowed me to understand what was going on, and how Yuuno was really feeling neglected. It wouldn't surprise me why he really wanted to prove himself worthy to his friends.
Spoiler for Blood That Flows - Peek - Harlaown End:
Elsewhere...
Amy sighed as she used Filia's chest as a make-shift pillow. She'd use Chrono's chest, but Filia was both between her and Chrono, and her breasts were softer than Chrono's chest was. "That was..." She squirmed slightly. "Filia, your tail's teasing me again." She squirmed as she felt Filia's appendage in various places that it probably shouldn't have been in.
Filia was blushing softly as Chrono rubbed her belly from his spot beside her. "Can't help it..."
Chrono kissed Filia's bare shoulder. "You know, something's bothering me, Filia..." When she turned to look at him, he gave her a small smirk. "Weren't you the one that belted me with your mace because I looked up your skirt?"
Filia would have shifted, but her arms were wrapped around Amy's body. "There's a difference between looking up a woman's skirt when you don't know her and being in an adult relationship with two people you really care about." She lectured him. "I trust you now, I didn't trust, nor know you then."
"Really?" Chrono sat up as Filia smiled at him. Amy was smiling as well, but the way she was squirming and moaning didn't leave much room for her to react to other things.
Filia nodded and shifted Amy so she was laying on her back and turned to Chrono. "You offered me a place to stay without asking anything of me." The two of them ignored a small shriek from Amy and various wet sounds that were happening because of what Filia's tail was doing to the brunette. "You're an excellent father to Val and a great person." The blonde Dragoness leaned over and smiled at him. "I wouldn't have agreed to being together with you and Amy if I didn't trust you at least."
The two of them shared a kiss while molding their bodies together. It lasted until Amy let out a shriek and her hand smacked Filia in the shoulder. Breaking the kiss, the two turned to look at Amy as she shuddered and spasmed lightly. "Not... Fair..." She panted and reached for Filia's tail and pulled it out from between her legs. "I swear, it's not fair that you can use your tail like that."
Chrono chuckled softly. "Come on, Amy, it's not that bad..." He suddenly paled as she got a rather mischievous look on her face. "Uh..."
"Filia," Amy squeezed Filia's wet and sticky tail while narrowing her eyes, "why don't you show Chrono what you put me through."
Chrono's eyes widened at the looks they were giving him. "Now, now... Just what are you... Hey!" He yelped as Filia sat on top of him, grinning as her tail moved down. "Just what are yooOOOU?!" He yelped as he felt something poking him in a place that he didn't think was normal. "...You wouldn't."
"Not so bad, huh?" Amy smirked as she positioned Filia's tail into the right position. "Let's see how you like it!"
Filia had a thrill of delight as Chrono let out a yelp and a loud whimper as she and Amy introduced him to a new world of kinky pleasures.
(---)
Meanwhile...
Caro let out a giggle as she and Fried rode on Val's back as the transformed Dragon ran around the back yard at the Takamachi household. Sure, Val told her that he wasn't allowed to fly in the city, but he running around in his natural form was pretty liberating.
Watching them, Erio pouted. It wasn't fair! Val never offered him a ride.
"Erio-niichan!" Arashi called out, causing the young boy to turn and see the even younger boy try and drag out a bucket of some sort from the kitchen. "Lookie!"
Blinking, Erio walked up to the door and looked inside the bucket. "Balloons?"
Arashi nodded, ignoring the sounds of running water in the background. "Uh huh! Kyouya-nii tied them up for me!"
Erio grinned and pulled a couple out. "Hey! Val, Caro!" The Dragon and the summoner both blinked and turned to look at Erio, just in time to get splattered with water from both Erio and Arashi.
The two blinked a few times before Val narrowed his eyes. "They got water balloons! Get 'em!"
"KU!" Fried flew at the two and got hit with several water balloons in the face.
The two boys were laughing and giggling as they threw water balloons at the other three in the yard before they let out a yelp of shock as ice cold water doused them from behind. Spinning around, they saw Kyouya grinning at them while holding two large water balloons in his hands.
"Better run, kids! I've got bigger balloons!"
Erio looked at Arashi, then at Caro and Val, the latter having changed back into his green-haired child form, as the two of them walked up to the two boys, before they all nodded in agreement, grabbed the water balloons and started throwing them at Kyouya as fast as they could.
Even though he was getting pelted by multiple water balloons, it didn't stop him from dousing the four of them with the balloons he was holding, causing them to all shriek and laugh.
Kyouya was just thankful that he closed the door behind him. His mother would kill all of them if the house was soaked because of a water balloon fight.
Besides, being able to torment the kids while having fun was just too great of an opportunity to pass up. After all, the garden hose was nearby.
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
No, the only one I could see he want to prove against was himself. He wanted his old life back yes, he wanted his friends to acknowledge him also a yes, but not in arms. What he wanted was a change of his current life, and Scaglietti's convenient war gave him that chance.
... Have fun imagining. xD
Putting that aside, I guess the revelation somewhat... dampens the original one-shot. There's also a sense of incompatibility whenever I try to read part 1 and 2 together. In that sense, it would be better if you keep all the scenes before your one shot as part 1, then keep the original one shot as part 2. Or just remove those scene breaks line from part 2.
Spoiler for Blood That Flows - Peek - Harlaown End:
Elsewhere...
Amy sighed as she used Filia's chest as a make-shift pillow. She'd use Chrono's chest, but Filia was both between her and Chrono, and her breasts were softer than Chrono's chest was. "That was..." She squirmed slightly. "Filia, your tail's teasing me again." She squirmed as she felt Filia's appendage in various places that it probably shouldn't have been in.
Filia was blushing softly as Chrono rubbed her belly from his spot beside her. "Can't help it..."
Chrono kissed Filia's bare shoulder. "You know, something's bothering me, Filia..." When she turned to look at him, he gave her a small smirk. "Weren't you the one that belted me with your mace because I looked up your skirt?"
Filia would have shifted, but her arms were wrapped around Amy's body. "There's a difference between looking up a woman's skirt when you don't know her and being in an adult relationship with two people you really care about." She lectured him. "I trust you now, I didn't trust, nor know you then."
"Really?" Chrono sat up as Filia smiled at him. Amy was smiling as well, but the way she was squirming and moaning didn't leave much room for her to react to other things.
Filia nodded and shifted Amy so she was laying on her back and turned to Chrono. "You offered me a place to stay without asking anything of me." The two of them ignored a small shriek from Amy and various wet sounds that were happening because of what Filia's tail was doing to the brunette. "You're an excellent father to Val and a great person." The blonde Dragoness leaned over and smiled at him. "I wouldn't have agreed to being together with you and Amy if I didn't trust you at least."
The two of them shared a kiss while molding their bodies together. It lasted until Amy let out a shriek and her hand smacked Filia in the shoulder. Breaking the kiss, the two turned to look at Amy as she shuddered and spasmed lightly. "Not... Fair..." She panted and reached for Filia's tail and pulled it out from between her legs. "I swear, it's not fair that you can use your tail like that."
Chrono chuckled softly. "Come on, Amy, it's not that bad..." He suddenly paled as she got a rather mischievous look on her face. "Uh..."
"Filia," Amy squeezed Filia's wet and sticky tail while narrowing her eyes, "why don't you show Chrono what you put me through."
Chrono's eyes widened at the looks they were giving him. "Now, now... Just what are you... Hey!" He yelped as Filia sat on top of him, grinning as her tail moved down. "Just what are yooOOOU?!" He yelped as he felt something poking him in a place that he didn't think was normal. "...You wouldn't."
"Not so bad, huh?" Amy smirked as she positioned Filia's tail into the right position. "Let's see how you like it!"
Filia had a thrill of delight as Chrono let out a yelp and a loud whimper as she and Amy introduced him to a new world of kinky pleasures.
(---)
Meanwhile...
Caro let out a giggle as she and Fried rode on Val's back as the transformed Dragon ran around the back yard at the Takamachi household. Sure, Val told her that he wasn't allowed to fly in the city, but he running around in his natural form was pretty liberating.
Watching them, Erio pouted. It wasn't fair! Val never offered him a ride.
"Erio-niichan!" Arashi called out, causing the young boy to turn and see the even younger boy try and drag out a bucket of some sort from the kitchen. "Lookie!"
Blinking, Erio walked up to the door and looked inside the bucket. "Balloons?"
Arashi nodded, ignoring the sounds of running water in the background. "Uh huh! Kyouya-nii tied them up for me!"
Erio grinned and pulled a couple out. "Hey! Val, Caro!" The Dragon and the summoner both blinked and turned to look at Erio, just in time to get splattered with water from both Erio and Arashi.
The two blinked a few times before Val narrowed his eyes. "They got water balloons! Get 'em!"
"KU!" Fried flew at the two and got hit with several water balloons in the face.
The two boys were laughing and giggling as they threw water balloons at the other three in the yard before they let out a yelp of shock as ice cold water doused them from behind. Spinning around, they saw Kyouya grinning at them while holding two large water balloons in his hands.
"Better run, kids! I've got bigger balloons!"
Erio looked at Arashi, then at Caro and Val, the latter having changed back into his green-haired child form, as the two of them walked up to the two boys, before they all nodded in agreement, grabbed the water balloons and started throwing them at Kyouya as fast as they could.
Even though he was getting pelted by multiple water balloons, it didn't stop him from dousing the four of them with the balloons he was holding, causing them to all shriek and laugh.
Kyouya was just thankful that he closed the door behind him. His mother would kill all of them if the house was soaked because of a water balloon fight.
Besides, being able to torment the kids while having fun was just too great of an opportunity to pass up. After all, the garden hose was nearby.
poor Chrono, having a TAIL slowly but surely shove up in his ASS.
and we got one nice water balloon fight to end the mini-arc. *suddenly got submerged by a Waterga*
Buwah!!! *looks around* Who did that!?
*sound of silence*
I have a bad feeling about this...
*nearly got hit with Pandora Form #422: Grief*
*Gulp* A very Bad feeling....
__________________
Darwin's nominee are best for laughs.
MGLN "Befriending" shows love thru superior firepower (Zenryokou Zenkai!)
Gundams are your worst nightmare in the battlefield.
SRW beats all foes.
JAM Project pwns all!!!
And I can't still make fanfic without restarting from the start when new ideas comes in...
It had been expected that plans would change for the evening. Instead of Olivie going to give her recollection of events on Touma’s home world to the investigators, she would do that the next day. And instead of Vivio and Nanoha going out to a local restaurant for dinner, they instead settled for eating with everybody in the office cafeteria. Thank goodness that the kitchen staff worked late hours to provide something to eat for those who worked night shifts in the head office.
Hayate had been the exception as she went to check on her Knights and take them home for their own evening meal. If she had stayed, they probably would have stayed to keep an eye on things and there was a good chance that having them share a table with the Kaiser while there were still some underlying tensions would have been awkward.
The conversation had been focused on Vivio’s upbringing. It was something that the older Kaiser wanted to hear so that she would be at ease in the event that she would no longer interact with the child in the future although that didn’t seem likely to happen seeing how the little girl didn’t want to let go of the other woman. There was so much she wanted to know about her predecessor but the child didn’t mind doing the talking this time around (although she tried not to talk too much about the Cradle since that made the other woman get all gloomy and sad).
“And then when me and Nanoha-mama became a family, Fate-mama offered to be my guardian and somehow, I just got used to seeing her as my Mama too.”
“So you have two mothers, hm?”
“Do you find that strange?” asked Nanoha while grabbing a slice of bread.
Olivie shook her head. “Not really. When I went around visiting various communities, I saw a fair share of households where children were raised only by women and they seemed to turn out healthy and fine. But is it alright if she grows up without a male parental figure? She might be missing out on something.”
“What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”
“My father, Matthias Segbrecht, instilled many of the values that I live by today, Ms. Carim. If not for him, I would not have been involved with the communities of common people and could have grown up with a closed heart.”
“Can you elaborate a bit more on that?” Yuuno had taken out some things so that he would be able to record everything that she said.
“My daily activities on the Cradle were planned out in advance. Mornings were for combat magic and martial arts training. My grandparents and Great Uncles often tested my limits to get a good reading on my progress. Then afternoons were for studying military strategy and being involved in planning out operations to conquer worlds so that the Belkan Empire could be reborn again. Evenings were for getting familiar with different functions of the Cradle and learning how to make the most use out of those mechanical automatons that were on board. If I had continued that routine every day of the year, I probably would have turned out to be a perfect puppet Warrior King for my elders and any other powerful figures in the political landscape.”
Yuuno nodded in understanding. “The Belkan political atmosphere had been described by some historical textbooks as dangerous with members of the court always looking to gain more power and influence by playing games of deception. They were people who would smile at you right up to the point when they plunge a knife into your ribs.”
“That’s a rather accurate description,” admitted the young woman.
“You didn’t have a mama to care for you?”
Olivie merely smiled sadly at Vivio. “When my mother was giving birth to me, some complications arose and it came down to a choice to save her life or mine. So I essentially grew up without a mama. The female servants that tended to me never stepped out of place and never acted as mother figures even though they looked like they wanted to.”
“They probably were kept in place by the wills of those elders of yours,” noted Nanoha. “But they probably couldn’t keep your father in place. Is that right?”
“He knew how to navigate the political system in order to provide for me. He protected me where he could from anything that could put me in genuine danger, physically or emotionally. He always managed to find time for me when I needed his counsel. Above all, he was my friend who wanted what was best for me. It was thanks to him that I was able to leave the Cradle and stay with Ingvalt on Shutra when he saw how I was crumbling emotionally thanks to living on the ship daily. I honestly can’t think I would have turned out the way I did if not for him.”
“He must have been something,” remarked Subaru while digging into her own meal.
“His greatest pride was being my papa next to becoming a Kaiser who could serve the people faithfully. It was something I tried to do while on Shutra and now that I’m on this planet, I would like to continue to carrying out that mission.”
“So… I should ask for a papa?” asked a confused Vivio.
“Not necessarily,” replied the older Kaiser gently. “If things are okay with you as they are now, then you don’t need to change anything. It’s your choice after all. Just don’t dismiss the benefits of having a male role model.”
“So what’s he like, Mom? Your dad that is.”
She paused for a moment to address her son’s question. “Hmmm… he was a very large and outspoken man full of life. And I’m not sure if I would be able to describe him well so I’ll have to try and draw an image that I can share with you all.” She closed her eyes for a moment and projected the memory of her father into everybody’s minds which caused a number of varied reactions.
“How does Her Majesty’s father maintain those curls on his hair?” Otto found that particularly fascinating. “And what is with that purple cape and pink tunic?”
“Yes, I know it’s an eyesore. I wish his choice of wardrobe was a bit more normal but what could I do?” Olivie sighed dramatically. “Maybe he did it to throw his enemies off balance by dressing in weird colours.”
Nanoha chuckled once before cleaning up her tray. “Well, it’s getting late and we need to be getting home. Let’s go, Vivio.”
“Eh? But I wanted to talk with Ollie-chan some more!”
“Ms. Carim said that we could stay at the Church for now. After I make up for not speaking with that officer today, I’ll be able to enrol for proper language classes and start figuring out how I can best serve the community while Touma can get registered to go to school at that St. Hilde Academy. But if your mother doesn’t mind, you can come see us after your classes end at the Church.”
“WAAII!” Vivio couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come. She then turned to the boy sitting by the Kaiser’s side. “That means I’ll get to see you lots at school, onii-chan!”
“Er… yeah, that sounds… nice.” Touma just shifted uncomfortably by the way she smiled at him. Then again, who could blame him when a child version of his mother was looking up at him in adoration?
**********
Oh... and here's a picture of Olivie's dad...
__________________
Thanks to 00-Raiser for hooking me up with the sig!
I'm gonna ask a stupid question: "Is Olivie's a descendant of Domon and Rain?"
__________________
Darwin's nominee are best for laughs.
MGLN "Befriending" shows love thru superior firepower (Zenryokou Zenkai!)
Gundams are your worst nightmare in the battlefield.
SRW beats all foes.
JAM Project pwns all!!!
And I can't still make fanfic without restarting from the start when new ideas comes in...
2011-08-22, 18:09
Author
.
. Awesome!
). However, expanding it into a longer story could be neat too, since it would give you the chance to explain what led to this conflict and also why people were doing the things that they did. Whatever you decide to do with it, it was a neat read, thanks 
. But it felt jarring to me since it was more of a meta-statement). If this is just a snippet of a longer story, then maybe the set-up went in earlier parts. But if it's going to be a stand-alone story, then I'd recommend building up this personal worry of Yuuno's so that the final question has weight 
