Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Satashi

I should do another RG!Nanoha short sometime...

...

So horribly tempted...

*shot*

[GlancingReverse]

I was kind of hoping for an explanation of what it was in the first place, actually.

[Rising Dragon]

Originally Posted by GlancingReverse

I was kind of hoping for an explanation of what it was in the first place, actually.

Oh, well then. I'd explain, but Satashi could explain it far better than I ever could.

[MeisterBabylon]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Without internets at home, I've been somewhat... absent... as of late.

I feel your pain. My internet's going to be pear-shaped until the 16th of Oct, and I'm using my cellphone as a modem for now...

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

As soon as the To Aru Kagaku no Railgun anime aired, I knew this was coming. You're so predictable. ^^;

Half correct. I was thinking about this since Index, but there were several contradictions that messed with the idea. I was ambivalent with the universe in general, and I still am a little. Ultimately, I was only after Misaka. Also, at that time, I was obsessed with getting my purple gear in WoW, so all fic ideas got mothballed.

You were correct in that A Scientific Railgun was what gave me both an impetus and a point of entry into the Railgun no Sekai. The event that draws down the false background in a certain photo shop if you will. Also, since that time, I've developed a certain OC better fit for a closer association with Misaka-tachi in Academy City, thus why I was able to start her on the chessboard with a better game plan.

Well what can I say? Ever since I was dropped into Nanoha World, I have caused the various Worlds to fuse. It's very obvious by now.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

There have been stranger crossover ideas kicked around in here, like my eventual Gundam 00 crossover with Hayate piloting Reinforce Gundam.

Funny. I never found that strange.


Though a pretty weird crossover fusion world from me would be:

Spoiler for FOR YOUR LULZ ONLY:

Earth is dotted with small scale conflicts where Arm Slaves are as common as guns and developed countries are training ESPers in Academy Cities as the next stage in the arms race. As the various hidden magical societies, including Megalomagica-whachamacallit () and Li Syaoran's Clan Wolf, watch on in mixed dismay and bemusement, it has become apparent that a vigilante terrorist group known as Celestial Being has taken the fight into the 3 super powers to end this distorted state of Earth.

Even the magical half is in strife. Kamen Riders from the other dimensions have come to Earth to battle for survival and escape from their collapsing worlds. Fate Averruncus intends to destroy Megalomagica as much as Kurt intends to destroy the scientific world. The CLAMP School Detective Alliance of Magical Girls, the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and the Ariadne Knights are hard-pressed to keep things in order. To make matters worse, a Asura Cryin has appeared in Japan. Invaders have resumed their assault from the Webway. EASTER, while no connection to the others, are shaking things up as they pursue their own objective to find the Embryo in expense of others.

Through it all, one anonymous but immortal ESPer bolstering defences across both sides of Earth with his small but growing force of genetically-modified Space Marines are what stands between everything and the total collapse of Humanity.

An Earth split half-in-half. An Earth of profound craziness waiting to explode. An Earth that is just another chessboard on which the Witches play.

Khrack no Sekai.

This world possesses too much power for you to even handle. This will really be the end of you, DIKEIDO!!!

...maybe I was trying too hard to be ridiculous.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

Oh good lord. *rolleyes*

Entertaining nonetheless.

Probably one of the few times the magic and science halves overlap. Thanks, I hope my bad English wasn't too much a bother.

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

The funny part is that Index/Railgun ESP is more magical than most magic, since it requires the esper to dissociate themselves from "reality."

See why it drew me in?

Originally Posted by Heinekochan

"Just a passing through magical girl. Remember that!"

/facepalm

This is all your fault, Hei...

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

You're gonna get taken home! =O

You're doing it wrong! Put more yandere into that OMOCHIKAERI!!!

[RadiantBeam]

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not dead yet!

...

... Though I might be. Soon. But anyway.

I present to you "Sisters", chapter 2.

Spoiler for Sisters chapter 2:

Chapter 2

“Step one,
You say we need to talk.”

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“Hayate-chan…” Nanoha sighed, wondering if she should be amused or worried as yet another underclassman hastily darted away after shoving some small offering into the brown-haired girl’s hands, blushing hotly. “I think you’re developing a serious problem.”

Hayate sighed even as she tucked the offering—a simple card, nothing fancy, but she made note to put it in a special place when she got home—under her arm and followed Fate and Nanoha upstairs to the roof so they could eat their lunch. “I know, I know. I don’t know how to handle it, honestly.” She laughed softly. “I never had many admirers back on Earth.”

At that, Nanoha nodded quietly in understanding as she settled down against the wire fence; after several minutes, she glanced at Fate curiously. The blonde noticed her look and stopped, chopsticks still in her mouth as she looked at Nanoha. “What?”

“You’re awfully quiet.” Nanoha raised a brow. “Usually you make some kind of sarcastic comment.”

It had been a running theme for awhile now; Hayate would be approached by some new suitor or admirer, and Fate would make a sarcastic, snarky, or generally sharp remark about it when the three were alone. In a way, she almost seemed annoyed by the whole situation, but now Nanoha found her silence even more unnerving.

Fate shrugged. “Hayate already knows my feelings on the matter,” she said, taking a moment to swallow. “I think she should just be straightforward and say she isn’t interested.” There was no change in Fate’s voice as she said this, but something in her eyes had Nanoha looking at her curiously again.

Hayate giggled and hugged Fate tightly, seeming amused by the whole situation. “Aw, is Fate-chan getting jealous? Don’t worry, you know I’ll always love you more than anyone else!”

Fate jolted at first, but settled down when she realized Hayate bore no ill will behind her playful actions; she sighed and smiled. “Yes, yes, Hayate,” she said lightly. “I know. Now can you please let go?”

“But you never let me cuddle with you!”

Even as Nanoha laughed, she couldn’t help noticing the subtle way Fate’s shoulders relaxed.

And she wondered.

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Chrono Harlaown had done his job long enough to see every side of humanity. Some sides he saw sickened him and made him want to get as far away from his fellow man as fast as possible; some sides endeared him to the human race and made him want to do his best to protect them.

Right now, he was seeing the darkest side of humanity, the side that made him want to crawl away somewhere dark and deserted and cry.

Because he knew he couldn’t do that, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and turned his back on the body of the dead girl as a sheet was gently drawn over her still form. “When did you find her?” he asked quietly.

The policeman in charge of the investigation had to keep from squirming under Chrono’s calm, dark gaze. “A little after six in the morning, sir,” he said at last. “She was found by a young drunk couple coming home from a party. They panicked and didn’t report it right away.”

“I see.” Chrono frowned and looked back at the body again. He could feel a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, burning at his insides like acid

“Definitely a murder, in any case.” The policeman rubbed the back of his neck and resisted the urge to stretch in front of Chrono. “Looks like she has some defensive wounds. Method of killing was some form of a low-power Intelligent Device, maybe something that became a knife or a gun.”

“Any idea who did it or…?”

“Nope.” The policeman shook his head even as he frowned. “Nothing that could give us even a single damn clue. It’s frustrating. She’s the seventh one this month, and I recognize the method.” He sighed. “Looks like we’ve got a serial killer on our hands. Dammit.”

Even as the policeman turned away to consult with his fellow officers, Chrono could see another disturbing trend that his companion didn’t seem to notice—or if he had, he simply hadn’t commented on it.

All of the girls who had been killed so far had two things in common—dark hair, either extremely dark brown or black, and light blue eyes.

He barely suppressed a shudder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“I thought I told you to make it loud.”

Miyuki nodded calmly and fought back the (in her mind) animalistic urge to wrap her hands around her customer’s neck and squeeze. She didn’t want to kill him—she just wanted to shake him until some common sense entered his thick skull.

She doubted it ever would, but still, she could hope.

“It’s as loud as I can make it, Bobby.” Breathe in, deeply, then breathe out. “Any louder and you’ll be put in jail for being too loud and disrupting the peace.”

The ‘it’ in question was the engine of Bobby’s brand new car, a sleek black model that Miyuki thought would’ve better fit Fate when she got her license in a few years. It was the latest in the recent line of stylish, obnoxiously expensive cars off the Mid-Childan market. Bobby, after buying his, had taken it upon himself to change the wheels of the car and paint orange and yellow flames on the hood and sides, clearly hoping to pick up a few chicks when he cruised during spring break and lose his virginity. What a charming, lovely young man.

Bobby was a rich kid who lived on Daddy’s money and had grown up in Daddy’s house on the other side of the river. Bobby, apparently, wasn’t used to hearing the word no, and he certainly wasn’t used to being told that he couldn’t do something. Which was probably why he was being such a pain in the ass when he’d come in the other day to the garage and asked Miyuki to ‘make the engine loud’ and had returned to pick it up today and learned why she hadn’t done it.

“But it has to be loud!” His voice went up an octave, whining, and made Miyuki want to cringe and cover her ears. Was he seriously her age? “The chicks dig loud!”

Deep breath. Slow, smooth, that was the way. “Bobby, unless you want to land a night in prison, I can’t make the engine any louder. You’d get arrested on the spot.”

Bobby glared, but Miyuki didn’t waver. Scowling, he turned away. “You’ll be hearing from my father about this.”

I tremble with fear. Miyuki nodded.

He gave her one last glare and stormed out, muttering something about picking up his car in the afternoon. Miyuki stood for several minutes before she groaned and collapsed into the chair she’d wheeled up to the car, groaning miserably. “Dammit, I hate him,” she whispered.

“You handled him like an old pro.” Inhaling deeply from his cigarette, Hiro Oak rested a large hand on Miyuki’s head and gently ruffled her hair. “You’ve got class, kid, I’ll give you that.”

“Words can’t describe how much I hate you right now,” Miyuki muttered.

Hiro shrugged. He was an old man in his early sixties with a strong, thick build of someone who had worked with cars and mechanics all his life, his hair a dark steel gray. “You handle Bobby much better than I do.”

“You could’ve given me a warning, chief.”

“Sorry, you know I can’t handle that brat.” Hiro patted Miyuki on the head before heading back to his office in the back of the garage. “Take a five minute break to get your legs back under you, kid. You earned it.”

“For the last time, I’m twenty-two,” Miyuki called after her boss, and smiled when his only reply was throaty, deep laughter. Shaking her head and chuckling, she stood up.

It wasn’t a bad job, honestly. Miyuki was surprised to even know Mid-Childa had just as many mechanical garages as Earth did, if not more because of the dependence on Intelligent Devices and other such things. Amy had asked around to help her get the job, and Mariel had known an old friend of a friend who’d been able to seal it all together.

Miyuki was still amazed to know she could handle such things with ease. She’d certainly spent enough time with Shinobu during her teenage years to figure out how things worked, and while it wasn’t something she’d thought of doing with her life, it was a nice day job for when Nanoha was at school.

It wasn’t that Miyuki was homesick; she wasn’t, really. She just needed something to do, something to prove to herself that she was still good at something, even if she felt like a literal fish out of water on the magical world of Mid-Childa.

Honestly, she’d been stunned when Nanoha had asked her to come along. It was the true that the two of them had become closer after Kyouya had gone away fully to college and devoted himself more to Shinobu, but Nanoha had always been the most independent of the siblings. Miyuki hadn’t expected her to lean on anyone, much less her.

Because clearly, I’m just so dependable. Miyuki smiled bitterly at that and shook her head. No, she wouldn’t think about that. Thinking about that would just give her one hell of a headache and make her cranky and miserable, and Nanoha would surely pick up on it when she came home. It was amazing, really, how well Nanoha could read Miyuki these days.

If Miyuki actually stopped to think about it…

No. No thinking about it.

The soft, muffled sound of sneakered footsteps made Miyuki glance up, and she was grateful for the distraction, smiling as a new customer came into the garage. “Yes, can I help you?”

Her first thought was that he looked like a kid. He was tall, taller than she was, and slender—not skinny or bony, just very slim. His face was boyishly round, with large, dark brown eyes that reminded Miyuki of a puppy that would follow its owner around. Pale, amazingly pale blonde hair was pulled back in a short baby ponytail that almost reminded her of Yuuno. His feet looked too big for his body, like one wrong step would make him trip.

He looked like a slim, overgrown kid.

“Ah… I’m sorry.” He shuffled his feet. “I know you probably think I should be in school, but something happened to my Device, and your place was the closest repair garage when I looked it up…”

Miyuki nodded. The garage handled all kinds of devices and mechanical problems, so working on an Intelligent Device wasn’t out of the norm. “May I…?”

Without hesitation, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his Device, passing it to Miyuki. It was a bracelet, a thin silver band, and set in the very center of it was a dark royal purple gem. Miyuki had to look closely, but she saw it right away—a thin crack slashed its way through the stone. “Well,” she murmured. “How did this…”

“I was training.” He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Sparring with a friend. I slipped, attacked him a little too hard, and when he tried to defend himself, that happened.” He looked at his Device. “Sorry about that, Shining Hope.”

The stone flashed, and a soft feminine voice emerged from the Device. “No need to apologize, dear.”

He laughed softly and looked at Miyuki. “She’s bad at holding grudges,” he murmured. “I always do this to her, even when I try not to.”

Miyuki couldn’t help but smile; he was a sweet kid, endearing in his own way. At the very least, he seemed to genuinely care for his Device. It was almost cute. “It doesn’t look that bad. I’ll bet we can get her back to you before the day’s even over.”

The boy’s eyes lit up at that. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.” The damage didn’t look that bad, though Miyuki wouldn’t know by eye; she needed to take Shining Hope to one of the more experienced members to be sure, but the crack didn’t seem threatening.

“So she’ll be okay?”

“Yes, she’ll be fine.” Miyuki chuckled. “If you come by later today, she’ll be brand new.”

At that, the kid shuffled his feet again and lowered his eyes. “Uh, actually…”

She could tell where this was going. “Don’t you have school?” she asked, raising a brow.

He shrugged. “It’s already noon. I missed half my classes as it is.” He looked at her pleadingly. “Please? I won’t get in your way. I just want to make sure Shining Hope will be okay. She was a gift from a friend.”

…

Oh, hell.

Miyuki sighed. Gods, but she was a sucker, especially with him looking at her with those brown eyes. He really was just a kid. “Fine,” she said. “But stick close to me, okay? Chief will read me the riot act if you touch something and it breaks.”

His eyes lit up again, and he scrambled after her. “I won’t, I promise! Thank you so much, uh…”

“Miyuki.” She swallowed to hold back her laughter. “Just call me Miyuki.”

He grinned at that.

“My name’s Chris. It’s nice to meet you, Miyuki.”

Miyuki smiled up at him. “Nice to meet you too, Chris.”

Together, they disappeared into the garage.

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. Ironically enough, while listening to this chapter I alternated between listening to "How To Save A Life" by The Fray and "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. I wonder why.

2. And so we have our first hints of a serial problem. I originally had a bit with the baddies meeting to discuss Hikaru (I changed Light's name to that), but it didn't seem to fit. I'll try to put it in next chapter, since Nanoha and Co. learn about what's going on then. Oh, and yes, Chrono noticed a similarity between the victims. Oh dear.

3. Miyuki meets a kid. Or, should I say, Chris. Innocent friendship? Maybe... hopefully it worked.

4. Yes, I made Miyuki a mechanic just to make that joke with Bobby. I thought it was funny, in any case.

Now if you don't mind, I need to repair the large dent in my desk that's shaped like my forehead. Enjoy.

EDIT: And... linkages, because I forgot about them totally the first time!

I gotta dig up the links for "Plea" and "Reply", I have them saved on Word but don't have the links. >>;;

Chapter 1: http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost...ostcount=15172

[GlancingReverse]

You get a desk? Lucky. The only desk that I would be able to type on and not be watched by others is already taken by another computer that's too heavy to be taken off and has so many problems with it it can't go 10 minutes without freezing.

That's why I like the floor.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by GlancingReverse

I was kind of hoping for an explanation of what it was in the first place, actually.

Landscaper!Fate was a story written by Junkedcat. It was one of two fics I have ever favorited on FF.N . Its plot was an alternate universe where the girls do not have magic. Fate is not only a landscaper, she is.....
THE LAWN QUEEN!


Fate works for Chrono's landscaping service and is a real tomboy/ girl who knows what she wants. She isn't shy about her desires and speaks before speaking a lot of the time. One of her jobs leads her to Nanoha's house.

Now, Nanoha isn't the girl we know and love. Instead, she's an even awesome-er girl we love! Taken from Triangle Heart storyline and the first part of season 1 where Nanoha feels "left out" and "not part of" her family, this Nanoha is super super SUPER shy, is not confident at all (since she never received magic or encouragement). Anyway, Nanoha's family is very rich and Nanoha is sheltered beyond beleif. So much so, that when she sees Fate doing landscaping services, she is so intrigued that she goes out to meet her.

Upon meeting Fate, who is annoyed at the heat, she asks why Fate - a girl - is doing manual labor. Fate snaps at her and claims that not everyone is handed things on a silver platter, and some of them have to work for a living. Nanoha is so upset about upsetting the blonde, and scared to death because she was yelled at, she runs to her room to cry.

A little bit later, Nanoha is so upset with herself being so shy and stuff, she sneaks out of her house to walk down the street in front of where she lives. Upon sneaking out again to see the world she's sheltered from, she runs into Fate at a gas station. The two exchange words and Fate realizes that "the princess" snuck out.

A quirky/odd friendship is formed and Fate escourts Nanoha around a bit, eventually leading to Fate's apartment. The ever so clueless Nanoha is semi-seduced but Fate stops before it goes too far.

Add in a few more visits to Nanoha's house for her job, Fate comes to want to befriend Nanoha and, eventually, become girlfriends. Nanoha is super intrigued by the world she never knew and Fate is very activly flirting with the clueless princess she met.

The fic has many more plot developments: Nanoha's back story, A deep development of Fate, making everyone really connect with Nanoha and her shyness, and lots of fan service/jokes/pickup lines that Nanoha completely missed.

I loved the story so much, I asked JC if I could have his permission to write a spin off of it, focusing on Nanoha since he followed Fate 90% of the time. He agreed and I started writing "Richgirl!Nanoha". I started my fic when his started and they ran parallel to each other. JC helped me along the way and after I posted one aprt (I think it was chapter 3) I mentioned something that would mix up a part in his fic. I went back, fixed it, and then he and I worked really close together to write both the fics that started actually almost depending on the reader to read both fics to completly get everything from the fic. His was from Fate's view and mine was from Princess's (Nanoha's)

I loved writing Richgirl!Nanoha a lot (I still think its my fave fic I've ever written) but despite always mentioning "This story is based off Landscaper!Fate" in my story, some people didn't understand the story was a spin off and after I got a comment saying that someone didn't know what Landscaper!Fate was, I deleted Richgirl!Nanoha from FF.N and wrote an apology note in my Satashi Night Live story for suddenly removing it. I didn't want people to think the story idea was mine, and even after JC told me he really enjoyed RG!N, I still felt his was way better anyway so now RG!N is an AnimeSuki exclusive fic.

Spoiler for Richgirl!Nanoha chapter 1:

!!!!!Please Read Carefully!!!!!

This story is a side story to Junkedcat's fanfic “Landscaper!Fate”. I don't know how much this story will be by itself, as it is mainly a side-plot to his fic. Please note that everything you read in here will not be canon in Junkedcat's story. Although I am working with him to try and enhance his story as much as his will enhance mine, this is not written by him and as such, there will be inconsistencies between his and mine. Also, he wrote Landscaper!Fate first, so this is a “fanfic of a fanfic”. This chapter may not be very good because I have to lay down Nanoha's personality in this alternate universe but the next few ones will be more fun and interesting, as well as more interaction between our favorite two girls. With all that being said, please enjoy this.

!!!!!Please Read Carefully!!!!!

It was another boring day. I had slept in, as my tutors were not coming to teach me things today. Lately they had been coming less and less, making my college education a little lacking. Sometimes I wish my dad would just let me go to an actual campus to study but I know deep down that I would be too scared to actually attend regularly. All my life I have been sheltered, guarded from the outside world and given everything I could possibly want without a second thought. My room was littered with plushies and stuffed animals, my bed large and softer than a cloud, and my vanity filled with several necklaces and rings. All of this meant little to me, as my interest lay elsewhere.

Richgirl!Nanoha
By: Satashi

Growing up, I was always sent to a private school. I was driven there, dropped off, and picked up immediately after school. Classes were strict and we were taught everything we would need to know in life, ranging from how to speak properly, to mathematics, to business courses. I was molded to act, speak, and behave like a proper lady, how to manage my money, and how to make people obey my commands to farther me in life. Recently I have wanted more. I wanted to do something, to get out, to see the world, to do... anything really. I wondered what it was like to have fun on a playground like children, to go to an amusement park, to go down a waterslide.

I have never even been in a gas station before, never had a candy bar, never snacked on a bag of chips. No, those were beneath my family. We were proper, we ate elegant fruits and expensive chocolates imported from Sweden just for us. A lady didn't eat chips. A lady didn't munch on cheap candy bars. A lady was always proper, always silent unless spoken to, always there for her man and to raise her children.

I wanted more. I wanted to experience things that a lady didn't experience, I wanted to see things a lady shouldn't see. I wanted to live my own life.

As I walked around my stupidly large bedroom I heard noises coming from outside. Curiosity took over and I made my way to my closet to change from my silk nightgown into a pretty dress. Once properly covered I moved to my window to peek outside. There were two people I didn't know out on our yard walking around. One was a male with dark black hair that tinted a shade of curious blue when the sunlight hit it. The other was a blond with red eyes and definitely female. Large breasts were emphasized by the sweat staining the same shirt that hid whatever hair she had tucked under it. For some reason I was amazed. A girl shouldn't be doing yard work, that was a man's job wasn't it? A girl should be... should be inside watching it being done, right? And then she should offer the man a glass of water or lemonade. No, that's not right, a woman would simply pay the people and then go about her business.

So why was this girl sweating in the sun? I couldn't take my eyes from her, following her battle with a mower as she went over my yard. One pass, two passes, three passes. Each one made the female struggle more, but I could see well defined muscles covering her arms. Not enough to be unattractive but still there to add to the weird sense of attraction she was giving me. The blonde looked up at my window and I partially hid myself from her by going behind my curtains. She had red eyes, a color I had never seen before. Were they contacts or natural I wondered. When she looked away from my window I moved back into view and observed her more.

The female stopped using her machine and stood next to the male a moment while talking. They seemed to be having a fun conversation but it ended when she took a water bottle from him and brought it to her mouth. Her teeth bit down around the cap to open it and I watched her turn her body slightly towards me. The liquid spilled down her cheeks and trailed into her shirt as blond hair flew out from repression. I felt shocked when I saw her pour the rest of her water over her chest, clearly revealing her nipples under the wet fabric. How unladylike! A girl should never ever let anyone but her man see something like that!

Red eyes met mine and I yelped softly, partially hiding again. The girl's tongue moved from her mouth, licking her lips in such a way that it seemed almost... perverse! My heart was pounding as I moved fully from the window. I shouldn't see something like that... I shouldn't see something so... so... dirty. Despite this I still moved to peek shyly out the window. The girl was walking to the truck parked in our driveway but tripped when she met the transition from grass to pavement. I couldn't help but smile lightly at this and grip the curtain with one hand. My eyes went to the truck they were getting into. “Harloawn Landscaping,” I read the name aloud softly. I recall my father talking about landscaping our yard during a dinner so I assume these were the people hired to do it.

But a girl...

I walked from the window and sat on my bed, sinking down on it. A girl was doing manual labor. A girl was sweating and working. A girl was doing a man's job. My eyes went to my window as thoughts ran through my head. If... If a girl could do things like that, then I could also do things as well, right? The idea almost shocked me, made me nervous to think things like that. I was a lady, after all... A lady who wanted more. I swallowed, nervously running my hands over themselves in thought. I didn't really want to be a lady. I wanted to be free, free like the people I saw on what little television I was allowed to watch. Free to see things like I saw today. Free to experience the world and realize for myself that everything I was fed all my life might not be true.

It was then that I made my decision. I couldn't sit by and waste my life anymore. I was twenty years old and I have never experienced things that people should have experienced. I have read books from my trips to the library. Young teen books that talked about arcades, fast food, getting into trouble for fun. I wanted to do that. I wanted to have fun, I wanted to see things they didn't want me to! I was pacing before I realized that I had even stood. The only way to do this would be to go out into the world for myself, but that was my problem. Dad wouldn't let me go anywhere by myself, let alone places like that... So how do I do it?

The idea came at once. The re-occurring plot in all the teen books I read at the library: Sneaking out at night. That was always the first step to seeing life, to experiencing things their parents didn't want them to, to starting their own story...

The idea stayed with my all day, lingering on my mind as I snacked on a freshly made bagel from our personal baker. I could do it, it would be surprisingly easy. My room was off-limits when my door was closed, no maid would come in, no watchman would peek in to see me. No, father would have a fit if he ever caught wind of someone coming into my room at night. It was perfect, all I had to do would be to leave my house without anyone... okay there was a problem.

I went through the rest of the day pondering, planning, wondering. What would I do once outside? Where would I go? How would I get back? Despite living in this same house all my life I didn't know my town very well at all. Most of it was seen through the window of a car as I was taken around by my personal driver. Knowing where things were and getting around on your own were not things a lady would bother themselves with. Tonight I wouldn't be a lady. Tonight I would see the world, or at least the area around my house.

Darkness came quickly and I was in my room around my personal curfew. I was nervous to be honest, scared about what I was going to do. Several times I almost talked myself out of it, almost stopped myself from doing it, almost gave up on my dream of being independent. Despite my fears I kept telling myself that there was only one way right now to do the things I always wanted to: I had to gather the courage and take that step.

My step came in the form of opening my bedroom window. One AM in the morning, while everyone was asleep, I made my first escape into the unknown world. I climbed down the lattice under my window since I was on the second story and stepped down on the grass and shrubs below. Walking through them, I quickly made a break for it. Almost stumbling in my sandals, I exited my property and went out onto the street before it. Luckily most of our yard was behind our house so I didn't have that far to go before reaching where I was now. The area around me was familiar, as I have been here countless times. If I was going to explore any then I would have to go farther than my own front yard area.

I walked for a long time, looking around at everything and the people strolling down the neighborhood. I saw a police car patrolling by and for a moment I wondered if I had been caught out of bed and had the police looking for me. The car kept going by and I got a friendly nod of the head when I met the driver's eyes with my own. As I walked around I nervously sought out some place to go to, some area that would make this all worth while. I was scared to go too far out so when I saw a small photo booth outside of a store I felt relieved. Something I had always wanted to do was close by, and I jogged lightly over to it.

Peeking my head in, I stood in front of the lit screen and licked my lips. The controls were easy enough, as everything was drawn in a picture for me. I touched the screen a few times and inserted a few yen inside of it taken from my purse. I chose a bright lacy pink border and posed with a peace sign, smiling happily for the first time in as long as I could remember while having my picture taken. I felt thrilled at the simple act and looked at the print outs on the sticker paper for a long moment before stepping out of the booth and heading back home. It was enough tonight that I got these photos. Now I had something to encourage me next time I was going to sneak out.

I had decided. I was going to be my own self for now own. Even if it was starting small like this, and even if I was really scared and nervous about doing it... I was going to find out who I was, what purpose I had being alive, and not be some object for a man I didn't love. I wasn't a lady, I was a girl with dreams. I was going to be more than a pretty face, I was going to live my life. Just like that girl I saw today, I was going to be my own.

As I climbed back up into my room I felt more proud of myself than ever before. I hid the stickers in my drawer and placed one on the inside of my wallet so only I could see it. Now every time I doubted myself I could look at it for a small vote of confidence. This was still new to me, and I had only managed to walk two blocks from my house tonight, and I was still shaking from my nervousness... But I had done it.

I took the first step.

[GlancingReverse]

*Checks for short version*

None. Guess I'd better start reading that overly long summary you just gave.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by GlancingReverse

*Checks for short version*

None. Guess I'd better start reading that overly long summary you just gave.

Sorry, I tend to rant about things I like :3

[TheShinySword]

Which is why satashi's so quiet most of the time, she hates most everything.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by TheShinySword

Which is why satashi's so quiet most of the time, she hates most everything.

*pets Shiny* don't go filling people's heads with weird ideas now, Shiny-honey

I generally don't read fics so I don't comment on them. When I do, my reviews are like 15 paragraphs long and take almost an hour to write >.<

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not dead yet!

...

... Though I might be. Soon. But anyway.

I present to you "Sisters", chapter 2.

Spoiler for Sisters chapter 2:

Chapter 2

“Step one,
You say we need to talk.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“Hayate-chan…” Nanoha sighed, wondering if she should be amused or worried as yet another underclassman hastily darted away after shoving some small offering into the brown-haired girl’s hands, blushing hotly. “I think you’re developing a serious problem.”

Hayate sighed even as she tucked the offering—a simple card, nothing fancy, but she made note to put it in a special place when she got home—under her arm and followed Fate and Nanoha upstairs to the roof so they could eat their lunch. “I know, I know. I don’t know how to handle it, honestly.” She laughed softly. “I never had many admirers back on Earth.”

At that, Nanoha nodded quietly in understanding as she settled down against the wire fence; after several minutes, she glanced at Fate curiously. The blonde noticed her look and stopped, chopsticks still in her mouth as she looked at Nanoha. “What?”

“You’re awfully quiet.” Nanoha raised a brow. “Usually you make some kind of sarcastic comment.”

It had been a running theme for awhile now; Hayate would be approached by some new suitor or admirer, and Fate would make a sarcastic, snarky, or generally sharp remark about it when the three were alone. In a way, she almost seemed annoyed by the whole situation, but now Nanoha found her silence even more unnerving.

Fate shrugged. “Hayate already knows my feelings on the matter,” she said, taking a moment to swallow. “I think she should just be straightforward and say she isn’t interested.” There was no change in Fate’s voice as she said this, but something in her eyes had Nanoha looking at her curiously again.

Hayate giggled and hugged Fate tightly, seeming amused by the whole situation. “Aw, is Fate-chan getting jealous? Don’t worry, you know I’ll always love you more than anyone else!”

Fate jolted at first, but settled down when she realized Hayate bore no ill will behind her playful actions; she sighed and smiled. “Yes, yes, Hayate,” she said lightly. “I know. Now can you please let go?”

“But you never let me cuddle with you!”

Even as Nanoha laughed, she couldn’t help noticing the subtle way Fate’s shoulders relaxed.

And she wondered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Chrono Harlaown had done his job long enough to see every side of humanity. Some sides he saw sickened him and made him want to get as far away from his fellow man as fast as possible; some sides endeared him to the human race and made him want to do his best to protect them.

Right now, he was seeing the darkest side of humanity, the side that made him want to crawl away somewhere dark and deserted and cry.

Because he knew he couldn’t do that, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and turned his back on the body of the dead girl as a sheet was gently drawn over her still form. “When did you find her?” he asked quietly.

The policeman in charge of the investigation had to keep from squirming under Chrono’s calm, dark gaze. “A little after six in the morning, sir,” he said at last. “She was found by a young drunk couple coming home from a party. They panicked and didn’t report it right away.”

“I see.” Chrono frowned and looked back at the body again. He could feel a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, burning at his insides like acid

“Definitely a murder, in any case.” The policeman rubbed the back of his neck and resisted the urge to stretch in front of Chrono. “Looks like she has some defensive wounds. Method of killing was some form of a low-power Intelligent Device, maybe something that became a knife or a gun.”

“Any idea who did it or…?”

“Nope.” The policeman shook his head even as he frowned. “Nothing that could give us even a single damn clue. It’s frustrating. She’s the seventh one this month, and I recognize the method.” He sighed. “Looks like we’ve got a serial killer on our hands. Dammit.”

Even as the policeman turned away to consult with his fellow officers, Chrono could see another disturbing trend that his companion didn’t seem to notice—or if he had, he simply hadn’t commented on it.

All of the girls who had been killed so far had two things in common—dark hair, either extremely dark brown or black, and light blue eyes.

He barely suppressed a shudder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

“I thought I told you to make it loud.”

Miyuki nodded calmly and fought back the (in her mind) animalistic urge to wrap her hands around her customer’s neck and squeeze. She didn’t want to kill him—she just wanted to shake him until some common sense entered his thick skull.

She doubted it ever would, but still, she could hope.

“It’s as loud as I can make it, Bobby.” Breathe in, deeply, then breathe out. “Any louder and you’ll be put in jail for being too loud and disrupting the peace.”

The ‘it’ in question was the engine of Bobby’s brand new car, a sleek black model that Miyuki thought would’ve better fit Fate when she got her license in a few years. It was the latest in the recent line of stylish, obnoxiously expensive cars off the Mid-Childan market. Bobby, after buying his, had taken it upon himself to change the wheels of the car and paint orange and yellow flames on the hood and sides, clearly hoping to pick up a few chicks when he cruised during spring break and lose his virginity. What a charming, lovely young man.

Bobby was a rich kid who lived on Daddy’s money and had grown up in Daddy’s house on the other side of the river. Bobby, apparently, wasn’t used to hearing the word no, and he certainly wasn’t used to being told that he couldn’t do something. Which was probably why he was being such a pain in the ass when he’d come in the other day to the garage and asked Miyuki to ‘make the engine loud’ and had returned to pick it up today and learned why she hadn’t done it.

“But it has to be loud!” His voice went up an octave, whining, and made Miyuki want to cringe and cover her ears. Was he seriously her age? “The chicks dig loud!”

Deep breath. Slow, smooth, that was the way. “Bobby, unless you want to land a night in prison, I can’t make the engine any louder. You’d get arrested on the spot.”

Bobby glared, but Miyuki didn’t waver. Scowling, he turned away. “You’ll be hearing from my father about this.”

I tremble with fear. Miyuki nodded.

He gave her one last glare and stormed out, muttering something about picking up his car in the afternoon. Miyuki stood for several minutes before she groaned and collapsed into the chair she’d wheeled up to the car, groaning miserably. “Dammit, I hate him,” she whispered.

“You handled him like an old pro.” Inhaling deeply from his cigarette, Hiro Oak rested a large hand on Miyuki’s head and gently ruffled her hair. “You’ve got class, kid, I’ll give you that.”

“Words can’t describe how much I hate you right now,” Miyuki muttered.

Hiro shrugged. He was an old man in his early sixties with a strong, thick build of someone who had worked with cars and mechanics all his life, his hair a dark steel gray. “You handle Bobby much better than I do.”

“You could’ve given me a warning, chief.”

“Sorry, you know I can’t handle that brat.” Hiro patted Miyuki on the head before heading back to his office in the back of the garage. “Take a five minute break to get your legs back under you, kid. You earned it.”

“For the last time, I’m twenty-two,” Miyuki called after her boss, and smiled when his only reply was throaty, deep laughter. Shaking her head and chuckling, she stood up.

It wasn’t a bad job, honestly. Miyuki was surprised to even know Mid-Childa had just as many mechanical garages as Earth did, if not more because of the dependence on Intelligent Devices and other such things. Amy had asked around to help her get the job, and Mariel had known an old friend of a friend who’d been able to seal it all together.

Miyuki was still amazed to know she could handle such things with ease. She’d certainly spent enough time with Shinobu during her teenage years to figure out how things worked, and while it wasn’t something she’d thought of doing with her life, it was a nice day job for when Nanoha was at school.

It wasn’t that Miyuki was homesick; she wasn’t, really. She just needed something to do, something to prove to herself that she was still good at something, even if she felt like a literal fish out of water on the magical world of Mid-Childa.

Honestly, she’d been stunned when Nanoha had asked her to come along. It was the true that the two of them had become closer after Kyouya had gone away fully to college and devoted himself more to Shinobu, but Nanoha had always been the most independent of the siblings. Miyuki hadn’t expected her to lean on anyone, much less her.

Because clearly, I’m just so dependable. Miyuki smiled bitterly at that and shook her head. No, she wouldn’t think about that. Thinking about that would just give her one hell of a headache and make her cranky and miserable, and Nanoha would surely pick up on it when she came home. It was amazing, really, how well Nanoha could read Miyuki these days.

If Miyuki actually stopped to think about it…

No. No thinking about it.

The soft, muffled sound of sneakered footsteps made Miyuki glance up, and she was grateful for the distraction, smiling as a new customer came into the garage. “Yes, can I help you?”

Her first thought was that he looked like a kid. He was tall, taller than she was, and slender—not skinny or bony, just very slim. His face was boyishly round, with large, dark brown eyes that reminded Miyuki of a puppy that would follow its owner around. Pale, amazingly pale blonde hair was pulled back in a short baby ponytail that almost reminded her of Yuuno. His feet looked too big for his body, like one wrong step would make him trip.

He looked like a slim, overgrown kid.

“Ah… I’m sorry.” He shuffled his feet. “I know you probably think I should be in school, but something happened to my Device, and your place was the closest repair garage when I looked it up…”

Miyuki nodded. The garage handled all kinds of devices and mechanical problems, so working on an Intelligent Device wasn’t out of the norm. “May I…?”

Without hesitation, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his Device, passing it to Miyuki. It was a bracelet, a thin silver band, and set in the very center of it was a dark royal purple gem. Miyuki had to look closely, but she saw it right away—a thin crack slashed its way through the stone. “Well,” she murmured. “How did this…”

“I was training.” He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Sparring with a friend. I slipped, attacked him a little too hard, and when he tried to defend himself, that happened.” He looked at his Device. “Sorry about that, Shining Hope.”

The stone flashed, and a soft feminine voice emerged from the Device. “No need to apologize, dear.”

He laughed softly and looked at Miyuki. “She’s bad at holding grudges,” he murmured. “I always do this to her, even when I try not to.”

Miyuki couldn’t help but smile; he was a sweet kid, endearing in his own way. At the very least, he seemed to genuinely care for his Device. It was almost cute. “It doesn’t look that bad. I’ll bet we can get her back to you before the day’s even over.”

The boy’s eyes lit up at that. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.” The damage didn’t look that bad, though Miyuki wouldn’t know by eye; she needed to take Shining Hope to one of the more experienced members to be sure, but the crack didn’t seem threatening.

“So she’ll be okay?”

“Yes, she’ll be fine.” Miyuki chuckled. “If you come by later today, she’ll be brand new.”

At that, the kid shuffled his feet again and lowered his eyes. “Uh, actually…”

She could tell where this was going. “Don’t you have school?” she asked, raising a brow.

He shrugged. “It’s already noon. I missed half my classes as it is.” He looked at her pleadingly. “Please? I won’t get in your way. I just want to make sure Shining Hope will be okay. She was a gift from a friend.”

…

Oh, hell.

Miyuki sighed. Gods, but she was a sucker, especially with him looking at her with those brown eyes. He really was just a kid. “Fine,” she said. “But stick close to me, okay? Chief will read me the riot act if you touch something and it breaks.”

His eyes lit up again, and he scrambled after her. “I won’t, I promise! Thank you so much, uh…”

“Miyuki.” She swallowed to hold back her laughter. “Just call me Miyuki.”

He grinned at that.

“My name’s Chris. It’s nice to meet you, Miyuki.”

Miyuki smiled up at him. “Nice to meet you too, Chris.”

Together, they disappeared into the garage.

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. Ironically enough, while listening to this chapter I alternated between listening to "How To Save A Life" by The Fray and "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. I wonder why.

2. And so we have our first hints of a serial problem. I originally had a bit with the baddies meeting to discuss Hikaru (I changed Light's name to that), but it didn't seem to fit. I'll try to put it in next chapter, since Nanoha and Co. learn about what's going on then. Oh, and yes, Chrono noticed a similarity between the victims. Oh dear.

3. Miyuki meets a kid. Or, should I say, Chris. Innocent friendship? Maybe... hopefully it worked.

Now if you don't mind, I need to repair the large dent in my desk that's shaped like my forehead. Enjoy.

Poor desk. *Puts a padded pillow around RB's head* That will protect you, desk.

As for the chapter itself... I liked it. I really do. Is that Fate/Hayate I smell on the horizon? XD Awesome!

[TheShinySword]

Originally Posted by Satashi

*pets Shiny* don't go filling people's heads with weird ideas now, Shiny-honey

I generally don't read fics so I don't comment on them. When I do, my reviews are like 15 paragraphs long and take almost an hour to write >.<

:3 I'm just trying to add to your mystique.

[Rising Dragon]

See, told ya that Satashi could explain LS!Fate/RG!Nanoha far better than I ever could.

... and since its an ASuki exclusive, that means I'll have to hunt for the rest of the chapters in this thread. Dammit.

[Satashi]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

See, told ya that Satashi could explain LS!Fate/RG!Nanoha far better than I ever could.

... and since its an ASuki exclusive, that means I'll have to hunt for the rest of the chapters in this thread. Dammit.

RG!N isn't posted here, just the update links to FF.N (which don't work anymore)I could post them though if you want, I think they're short enough.

for L!F, you'll have to search for them. If you do, save the links for me too XDDDD

[Rising Dragon]

Originally Posted by Satashi

RG!N isn't posted here, just the update links to FF.N (which don't work anymore)I could post them though if you want, I think they're short enough.

for L!F, you'll have to search for them. If you do, save the links for me too XDDDD

Well, its good you clarified that, as I don't like giving myself headaches for no reason. =X But yeah, it'd be great if you posted them here. I really enjoyed the RG!Nanoha short I read in your collection on FF.net, but I wasn't aware there were more of them.

EDIT: Oh jesus. Searching Junkedcat's posts on this thread resulted in over 150 hits. @__@ *goes to get his Excedrin*

[SulliMike23]

Seriously Satashi, other than here and ff.net, where do you post your stories?

[Nanya01]

Well, I've seen Satashi's stuff on Mediaminer.org (where the lemon version of RadiantBeam's and my "Heart to Heart" story is, BTW) and on ShoujoAi. I think that's the website, can't remember, lots of Yuri stuff there.

[GlancingReverse]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

Well, its good you clarified that, as I don't like giving myself headaches for no reason. =X But yeah, it'd be great if you posted them here. I really enjoyed the RG!Nanoha short I read in your collection on FF.net, but I wasn't aware there were more of them.

EDIT: Oh jesus. Searching Junkedcat's posts on this thread resulted in over 150 hits. @__@ *goes to get his Excedrin*

Or you know, you could take the easy way out and just do a bit of fancy wordplay on google for it. I actually managed to find one.

http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost...postcount=2019

[Rising Dragon]

Originally Posted by GlancingReverse

Or you know, you could take the easy way out and just do a bit of fancy wordplay on google for it. I actually managed to find one.

http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost...postcount=2019

Ah, well, that looks like the second chapter. To be honest, though, Google and I don't have a healthy relationship so I don't do it for much searching.

Well, Satashi, here's something to start with!