Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Nanya01]

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 57:

It was nearly an hour later when Cinque found herself in a mountain valley, on her knees as her energy finally dissipated fully. "Nnngh... I'm going to be sick..."

"Interesting," a female voice spoke up and Cinque gasped and turned her head to see a woman standing above her, "you have mother's power, huh?" The woman was wearing blue pants and a blue tank top over her modest chest. Her long, blue hair was done up in a ponytail off the back of her head, she had long bangs over her left eye. Her right eye was green and her skin was fair as she smiled at Cinque. "My name is Uri."

"Uri?" Cinque blinked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't..."

"Don't worry about it, dear." Uri smiled as she knelt down. "You seem upset about something." She blinked as she saw the girl's eye. "Oh, you do have mother's power."

"You keep saying mother, I don't.." She blinked as Uri put a hand on her lips.

"It's best you don't understand right now, little one." Uri shook her head. "I was looking for something when I felt your power. Are you sure that you're okay?"

Cinque shook her head and turned away. "No... I..." Cinque slumped and looked down. "I don't know.. I just did something really good, I helped someone, but... I could have done it sooner, why didn't I?"

Uri blinked and tilted her head. "I'm not sure, I wasn't there. Why don't you explain what happened?" Cinque shook her head slowly and Uri nodded. "Very well, I won't make you talk. You just relax, okay? Sadly, I need to go, but whatever what bothering you, remember this, you did a good thing, even if it took a long time to do it."

"I could have done it sooner, but, I didn't, and her daughter..." Cinque blinked as Uri disappeared from view. "What the?"

"I can't help you, girl, I have to do my own things, but if you need to find redemption, perhaps you should talk to the one you wronged."

Cinque just stared, wondering what the heck she just saw. "...Was she a Shinzoku?" At least, Cinque hoped so.

Still, she wondered, why didn't she heal Megane sooner?

"You were afraid, you idiot!"

"I know." Cinque closed her eyes and tried to fight off her own inner mind.

"Yeah, you could have healed her. But you were so afraid that you couldn't do it."

"I know! I know!" Cinque put her hands over her ears and shook her head.

"And now that you have healed her, you think that she'll be thankful to you? What about Lutecia?"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Cinque fell to her knees before curling into a ball and crying. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."

(---)

Nanoha groaned and rubbed her forehead. 'Chaos? Who's using Chaos?' She shook her head as she walked into the head office. "Hello, Admiral."

"At ease, Nanoha." Chrono smiled lightly. "Listen, for now, I'm taking over, until things calm down with Hayate." Nanoha nodded. "Now then, tell me, these enemies that you've run into over the past few missions, what are your thoughts on them."

"Powerful, aggressive, dangerous, quite like Fate-chan or Hayate's family were back in the day, but I don't think that they're evil, manipulated by someone, maybe, but I think they're all good kids, they just need their heads screwed on straight."

Chrono nodded to her. "What about the loss of Subaru?"

"A mistake on my part, I underestimated the girl that captured her, she was a lot stronger than I thought and I held back almost needlessly." Chrono narrowed his eyes at her. "I do admit my fault in that, none of us have ever fought enemies who use such tricky techniques and tactics before."

"I see, very well, my next order is this to you, Nanoha." He took a deep breath, he figured she wouldn't like his next orders. "The next time that you or any of this Riot Force run into these enemies, you are to bring them down," Nanoha's eyes widened and she paled at Chrono's next words, "any, and I mean any way necessary." He held up his hand before she could protest. "Dismissed."

Nanoha nodded and turned around, leaving Chrono in the office.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha, I wish I didn't have to make that request, but we can't take anymore chances with them, not after what happened to Signum and Zafira."

(---)

Kyrie sat up as her cell door opened up. "Hi, Shamal!" She grinned and sat cross-legged on the bed. "I have to admit, it was nice taking a shower. I usually just clean up when it rains or by jumping in a river." She wiggled on the bed and leered at the blonde as the door closed behind her. "Thanks for getting me new underwear too! I didn't think that there was underwear so... Smooth!"

"It's called silk." Shamal smiled and walked over to the bed to sit down. "So, Kyrie, who hired you to work against us?"

Kyrie pouted and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Talking about your master is a bad idea, Shamal.. I saw someone who did that once." She shook her head. "Nah uh, not going to tell, no! Don't want my face to melt off!" She grabbed her head. "No, stop! Stop! Nah uh! No! Stop, not talking! Stop!"

"Kyrie!" Shamal grabbed the girl and pulled her into her lap, hugging her. "Shhh... Shhh..." Shamal rocked back and forth slowly as Kyrie trembled in her arms. "It's okay. Shhh..." She rubbed the girl's back as Kyrie hugged her, hiccuping and burying her face into Shamal's chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"No wanna talk... Don't get hurt... Keep quiet, they won't... No, stop..." Kyrie's eyes were wide, but dull. "No... AHHHH!" She suddenly jerked, as if struck from behind. "Master! Please!" Kyrie spun in Shamal's grasp, falling to the floor. "No! Not there, not there! NNNGAAAAHHHH!!" She grabbed her stomach, right where the scars on her body were at. "Please stop! I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she bucked violently on the floor. "Please stop, master! It hurts! It hurts so much! I'll never, I'll never do it again!"

Shamal watched, horrified as she saw Kyrie's reactions. "...What kind of..." She grabbed Kyrie by her shoulders and sat her up. "Kyrie, forgive me."

There was a loud slapping sound, and Kyrie fell to her back, grasping her cheek and looking ahead stupidly. "...What happened?"

Shamal sighed softly and picked Kyrie up. "You started to freak out, Kyrie." Shamal sat on the bed, still holding Kyrie. "I won't make you talk about your master, Kyrie." The girl trembled and buried her face against Shamal's chest. "It was really bad, huh?" Kyrie sniffled and nodded against her. "Is that why you smile all the time?"

"I don't like thinking about the past, it hurts." Kyrie whimpered and hugged Shamal tighter. "I'm so cold... I miss Amitie... I miss Kuma..."

Shamal just held Kyrie, rocking back and forth while fighting the urge to cry herself.

(---)

"Mama?" Vivio blinked as Nanoha came into the room that she and Arashi were playing in. "Mama, you sad?"

Nanoha knelt down and hugged Vivio tightly. "A little."

Vivio pouted as she heard that. "Don't be sad, mama." Nanoha pulled away slightly, blinking at that and Vivio patted her on the top of the head. "Mama shouldn't be sad."

Nanoha smiled and hugged Vivio again. "Thank you, Vivio. I'll stop being sad for you." When Vivio giggled, Nanoha closed her eyes. "Caro."

"Yeah, auntie?"

Nanoha blinked and a warm feeling filled her as she heard that. "Thank you, but, you said you had something important to tell me about the girl that hurt Signum?"

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot! She has yours and grandma's weird power!"

"Weird pow.." Nanoha's eyes widened and her face paled. "...Thank you, Caro-chan..."

"Okay, Auntie."

Nanoha cut the communication with Caro and contacted Chrono. "I normally would say this face-to-face, but I don't want people listening in."

"What is it, Nanoha?"

"The girl that injured Signum... She was able to use Chaos power."

"You're sure?"

"Positive, Chrono-kun."

"That explains a lot, and begs the question how it happened. Thank you." Nanoha nodded as she cut off communications with Chrono.

(---)

Chrono closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "This is going to be a pain in the ass. Alicia's back and someone has that power? What else is going to happen?!"

(---)

Levi smirked as she watched Reinforce twitch and whimper. "Oh please, the fluids I used were merely for show, to let you have that wonderful sensation of being filled even more." She nearly laughed as said fluids came leaking out of Reinforce and landed on the floor with a plop.

Reinforce groaned and glared at Levi. "You..."

"Reinforce!"

Reinforce gasped as she heard Hayate's voice. "Hay...ate..."

"Hey, mom."

"Vita..." Reinforce groaned softly.

"Mommy!"

"Zwei..."

"Still holding onto your memories of your family." Levi rolled her eyes as she looked at the data and smirked. "Seems like you don't have much left of them though, do you? In three days, you'll be nothing more than a blank slate, my dear..." She laughed as Reinforce growled at her. "You're going to be so... Lovely to have as a slave." She smirked at Reinforce. "Maybe I can give Lutecia the proper equipment and have the two of you make a few Unison devices for a bunch of new Megahs?"

"No... I won't... I won't LET YOU!"

Levi's eyes widened as Reinforce's arms suddenly became tentacles that shot out and slammed her into the wall. "GAH!" She twitched as a sudden surge of pain rushed through her into the Astral plane. "What... What's going on?!" She screamed, her own ability to use her power was suddenly stifled by whatever Reinforce was doing to her.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Reinforce screamed, the tentacles dissipating as the cups on her breasts and temples activated, sending a pulse of power into her, causing her to spasm and fall over, unconscious.

Levi panted heavily, her hand on her chest as she saw Reinforce's currently unconscious body face-down on the floor. "You broke the straps?" But with Reinforce's legs still strapped up and the device still in her ass, it made for a very interesting view. "You bitch." Levi walked over to Reinforce and pulled the device out of her ass before pulling her out of the stirrups, letting her collapse to the floor. "I can't believe this! I wanted to go slow with you. I did! I was going to do it with lots of pleasure for the both of us... Now I'm just going to steal everything in your brain." Seeing Reinforce's bare ass pointed at her, Levi growled at the unconscious device. "But first..." A multi-headed whip of dark energy formed in her hands. "I'm going to take my frustration out on your hide."

The next several minutes were filled with a horrible crackling sound as the energy connected with Reinforce's rear end, leaving welts and tearing into the tender flesh there, drawing some blood out of there as well.

"You will pay, Reinforce." Levi banished the whip and picked up Reinforce before tossing her into a tube. "This tube will keep you suppressed." She smirked as she pushed a button, causing it to get filled with a liquid and an energy field covered Reinforce. "You'll pay..." Levi panted before walking over to the computer to analyze the data she had. "But first, I need to know what that was."

Levi put her hand over the holes that Reinforce put in her body and stared at how slow they were recovering. "That bitch... I will make her pay for this!"

Still, she needed to know what happened. She didn't want to experience that again. As she looked at the data she had, she growled at the fact it would take at least two days to break down fully.

'This could be problematic.' She thought to herself.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 57:

It was nearly an hour later when Cinque found herself in a mountain valley, on her knees as her energy finally dissipated fully. "Nnngh... I'm going to be sick..."

"Interesting," a female voice spoke up and Cinque gasped and turned her head to see a woman standing above her, "you have mother's power, huh?" The woman was wearing blue pants and a blue tank top over her modest chest. Her long, blue hair was done up in a ponytail off the back of her head, she had long bangs over her left eye. Her right eye was green and her skin was fair as she smiled at Cinque. "My name is Uri."

"Uri?" Cinque blinked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't..."

"Don't worry about it, dear." Uri smiled as she knelt down. "You seem upset about something." She blinked as she saw the girl's eye. "Oh, you do have mother's power."

"You keep saying mother, I don't.." She blinked as Uri put a hand on her lips.

"It's best you don't understand right now, little one." Uri shook her head. "I was looking for something when I felt your power. Are you sure that you're okay?"

Cinque shook her head and turned away. "No... I..." Cinque slumped and looked down. "I don't know.. I just did something really good, I helped someone, but... I could have done it sooner, why didn't I?"

Uri blinked and tilted her head. "I'm not sure, I wasn't there. Why don't you explain what happened?" Cinque shook her head slowly and Uri nodded. "Very well, I won't make you talk. You just relax, okay? Sadly, I need to go, but whatever what bothering you, remember this, you did a good thing, even if it took a long time to do it."

"I could have done it sooner, but, I didn't, and her daughter..." Cinque blinked as Uri disappeared from view. "What the?"

"I can't help you, girl, I have to do my own things, but if you need to find redemption, perhaps you should talk to the one you wronged."

Cinque just stared, wondering what the heck she just saw. "...Was she a Shinzoku?" At least, Cinque hoped so.

Still, she wondered, why didn't she heal Megane sooner?

"You were afraid, you idiot!"

"I know." Cinque closed her eyes and tried to fight off her own inner mind.

"Yeah, you could have healed her. But you were so afraid that you couldn't do it."

"I know! I know!" Cinque put her hands over her ears and shook her head.

"And now that you have healed her, you think that she'll be thankful to you? What about Lutecia?"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Cinque fell to her knees before curling into a ball and crying. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."

(---)

Nanoha groaned and rubbed her forehead. 'Chaos? Who's using Chaos?' She shook her head as she walked into the head office. "Hello, Admiral."

"At ease, Nanoha." Chrono smiled lightly. "Listen, for now, I'm taking over, until things calm down with Hayate." Nanoha nodded. "Now then, tell me, these enemies that you've run into over the past few missions, what are your thoughts on them."

"Powerful, aggressive, dangerous, quite like Fate-chan or Hayate's family were back in the day, but I don't think that they're evil, manipulated by someone, maybe, but I think they're all good kids, they just need their heads screwed on straight."

Chrono nodded to her. "What about the loss of Subaru?"

"A mistake on my part, I underestimated the girl that captured her, she was a lot stronger than I thought and I held back almost needlessly." Chrono narrowed his eyes at her. "I do admit my fault in that, none of us have ever fought enemies who use such tricky techniques and tactics before."

"I see, very well, my next order is this to you, Nanoha." He took a deep breath, he figured she wouldn't like his next orders. "The next time that you or any of this Riot Force run into these enemies, you are to bring them down," Nanoha's eyes widened and she paled at Chrono's next words, "any, and I mean any way necessary." He held up his hand before she could protest. "Dismissed."

Nanoha nodded and turned around, leaving Chrono in the office.

"I'm sorry, Nanoha, I wish I didn't have to make that request, but we can't take anymore chances with them, not after what happened to Signum and Zafira."

(---)

Kyrie sat up as her cell door opened up. "Hi, Shamal!" She grinned and sat cross-legged on the bed. "I have to admit, it was nice taking a shower. I usually just clean up when it rains or by jumping in a river." She wiggled on the bed and leered at the blonde as the door closed behind her. "Thanks for getting me new underwear too! I didn't think that there was underwear so... Smooth!"

"It's called silk." Shamal smiled and walked over to the bed to sit down. "So, Kyrie, who hired you to work against us?"

Kyrie pouted and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Talking about your master is a bad idea, Shamal.. I saw someone who did that once." She shook her head. "Nah uh, not going to tell, no! Don't want my face to melt off!" She grabbed her head. "No, stop! Stop! Nah uh! No! Stop, not talking! Stop!"

"Kyrie!" Shamal grabbed the girl and pulled her into her lap, hugging her. "Shhh... Shhh..." Shamal rocked back and forth slowly as Kyrie trembled in her arms. "It's okay. Shhh..." She rubbed the girl's back as Kyrie hugged her, hiccuping and burying her face into Shamal's chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"No wanna talk... Don't get hurt... Keep quiet, they won't... No, stop..." Kyrie's eyes were wide, but dull. "No... AHHHH!" She suddenly jerked, as if struck from behind. "Master! Please!" Kyrie spun in Shamal's grasp, falling to the floor. "No! Not there, not there! NNNGAAAAHHHH!!" She grabbed her stomach, right where the scars on her body were at. "Please stop! I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she bucked violently on the floor. "Please stop, master! It hurts! It hurts so much! I'll never, I'll never do it again!"

Shamal watched, horrified as she saw Kyrie's reactions. "...What kind of..." She grabbed Kyrie by her shoulders and sat her up. "Kyrie, forgive me."

There was a loud slapping sound, and Kyrie fell to her back, grasping her cheek and looking ahead stupidly. "...What happened?"

Shamal sighed softly and picked Kyrie up. "You started to freak out, Kyrie." Shamal sat on the bed, still holding Kyrie. "I won't make you talk about your master, Kyrie." The girl trembled and buried her face against Shamal's chest. "It was really bad, huh?" Kyrie sniffled and nodded against her. "Is that why you smile all the time?"

"I don't like thinking about the past, it hurts." Kyrie whimpered and hugged Shamal tighter. "I'm so cold... I miss Amitie... I miss Kuma..."

Shamal just held Kyrie, rocking back and forth while fighting the urge to cry herself.

(---)

"Mama?" Vivio blinked as Nanoha came into the room that she and Arashi were playing in. "Mama, you sad?"

Nanoha knelt down and hugged Vivio tightly. "A little."

Vivio pouted as she heard that. "Don't be sad, mama." Nanoha pulled away slightly, blinking at that and Vivio patted her on the top of the head. "Mama shouldn't be sad."

Nanoha smiled and hugged Vivio again. "Thank you, Vivio. I'll stop being sad for you." When Vivio giggled, Nanoha closed her eyes. "Caro."

"Yeah, auntie?"

Nanoha blinked and a warm feeling filled her as she heard that. "Thank you, but, you said you had something important to tell me about the girl that hurt Signum?"

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot! She has yours and grandma's weird power!"

"Weird pow.." Nanoha's eyes widened and her face paled. "...Thank you, Caro-chan..."

"Okay, Auntie."

Nanoha cut the communication with Caro and contacted Chrono. "I normally would say this face-to-face, but I don't want people listening in."

"What is it, Nanoha?"

"The girl that injured Signum... She was able to use Chaos power."

"You're sure?"

"Positive, Chrono-kun."

"That explains a lot, and begs the question how it happened. Thank you." Nanoha nodded as she cut off communications with Chrono.

(---)

Chrono closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "This is going to be a pain in the ass. Alicia's back and someone has that power? What else is going to happen?!"

(---)

Levi smirked as she watched Reinforce twitch and whimper. "Oh please, the fluids I used were merely for show, to let you have that wonderful sensation of being filled even more." She nearly laughed as said fluids came leaking out of Reinforce and landed on the floor with a plop.

Reinforce groaned and glared at Levi. "You..."

"Reinforce!"

Reinforce gasped as she heard Hayate's voice. "Hay...ate..."

"Hey, mom."

"Vita..." Reinforce groaned softly.

"Mommy!"

"Zwei..."

"Still holding onto your memories of your family." Levi rolled her eyes as she looked at the data and smirked. "Seems like you don't have much left of them though, do you?" In three days, you'll be nothing more than a blank slate, my dear..." She laughed as Reinforce growled at her. "You're going to be so... Lovely to have as a slave." She smirked at Reinforce. "Maybe I can give Lutecia the proper equipment and have the two of you make a few Unison devices for a bunch of new Megahs?"

"No... I won't... I won't LET YOU!"

Levi's eyes widened as Reinforce's arms suddenly became tentacles that shot out and slammed her into the wall. "GAH!" She twitched as a sudden surge of pain rushed through her into the Astral plane. "What... What's going on?!" She screamed, her own ability to use her power was suddenly stifled by whatever Reinforce was doing to her.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Reinforce screamed, the tentacles dissipating as the cups on her breasts and temples activated, sending a pulse of power into her, causing her to spasm and fall over, unconscious.

Levi panted heavily, her hand on her chest as she saw Reinforce's currently unconscious body face-down on the floor. "You broke the straps?" But with Reinforce's legs still strapped up and the device still in her ass, it made for a very interesting view. "You bitch." Levi walked over to Reinforce and pulled the device out of her ass before pulling her out of the stirrups, letting her collapse to the floor. "I can't believe this! I wanted to go slow with you. I did! I was going to do it with lots of pleasure for the both of us... Now I'm just going to steal everything in your brain." Seeing Reinforce's bare ass pointed at her, Levi growled at the unconscious device. "But first..." A multi-headed whip of dark energy formed in her hands. "I'm going to take my frustration out on your hide."

The next several minutes were filled with a horrible crackling sound as the energy connected with Reinforce's rear end, leaving welts and tearing into the tender flesh there, drawing some blood out of there as well.

"You will pay, Reinforce." Levi banished the whip and picked up Reinforce before tossing her into a tube. "This tube will keep you suppressed." She smirked as she pushed a button, causing it to get filled with a liquid and an energy field covered Reinforce. "You'll pay..." Levi panted before walking over to the computer to analyze the data she had. "But first, I need to know what that was."

Levi put her hand over the holes that Reinforce put in her body and stared at how slow they were recovering. "That bitch... I will make her pay for this!"

Still, she needed to know what happened. She didn't want to experience that again. As she looked at the data she had, she growled at the fact it would take at least two days to break down fully.

'This could be problematic.' She thought to herself.

Me: Okay... Another Offspring of L-sama appeared....

Odin: Nanya, you got the knack of punching us in the gut, figuratively....

Me: MOAR!!!!

Iris: Can you give this to Nanya-Muse? *hands over a dozen box of cinnamon rolls.*

[Filraen]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 57:

...

Uri... let's file that name together with Abby (who, while I don't think it's the case, they may be the same one like Igor/Lucefer) and the question "What happened to the Blue Staff Shinzoku?"

[Rising Dragon]

So Altered Course doesn't seem terribly popular at the moment. :k I won't stop writing on it, but I think I should at least attempt to complete something else that I've been putting off for a while first. Something I think everyone else has been waiting on.

So with any luck, the next installment I post will be chapter 1 of The State of Affairs.

[Nanya01]

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

StrikerS 57

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 58:

Yuuno was facing one of the worst problems known to any man. It wasn't a problem that any man would like to deal with if they could help it.

"Miyuki..." Yuuno trailed off as his first girlfriend smiled at him. "I know we haven't talked much, but, you know, insanity and all..."

She crossed her arms under her breasts and leaned against the wall, giving him a small grin. "I've been here for less than two days, Yuuno and you've hardly said anything to me," she adjusted the glasses on her face, "one might think that you're avoiding me or something."

Yuuno gave her a disgruntled look. "I wasn't trying to, I'm just," he sighed and shook his head, "no, I was avoiding you, but it wasn't on purpose, with Signum and Zafira like they are, and other problems we have right now."

"I know." Miyuki smiled, uncrossed her arm and walked over to him, giving him a hug. "I know. Things have been crazy since I arrived." She smiled as Yuuno nodded and hugged her back. It didn't last long before they separated. "I can wait for you a few more days." She winked at him. "After all, I waited for almost six years before giving you a birthday present you couldn't forget." Miyuki laughed as Yuuno blushed hard. "I hope you've been treating the girls right."

Yuuno nodded to her. "You know I wouldn't abuse my trust with them."

"Boss has to worry about the other problem."

Miyuki laughed as Yuuno blushed hard. "Any of the girls around you using you?"

"Well, there is one..." Yuuno trailed off, causing Miyuki to frown at him suddenly. "Yeah, she's quite demanding and I never get to ask for anything in return from her."

"Who is she?" Miyuki said, her voice tight and angry. "I'll make her..."

"Yuuno-papa!" Yuuno smiled and turned, kneeling down to catch Caro in a hug. "Mmmmm! Love you!"

Yuuno hugged her back. "Love you too, Caro," he stood up while hugging her and looked at Miyuki, "Caro's that girl." He laughed as Miyuki suddenly face-faulted and Caro looked at him in confusion. "It's okay, Caro." He put her down and she giggled. "So, how are everyone?"

"Erio-kun's fine, Vivio and Arashi were having fun playing hide and seek with him and Nanoha-san. Then Fate-san got them all to get supper." She held her hand up. "Come on, papa, let's go get some food too."

"Sure." Yuuno looked at Miyuki and held his arm out to her. "Want to come with?"

"Sure." She smiled and took his arm and walked with him. As she watched Caro giggling and pulling them along, she felt a warm feeling fill her. 'It's almost like we're a family together.' As they got close to the cafeteria, she blinked as she saw Arashi, Erio, Fate and Nanoha at the door, the latter was holding Vivio in her arms. '...No, now we're a family together.'

No matter what their futures held for each other and any personal relationships they had, they were family. They had been for years. Even if things had changed between them personally, they were family.

Sometimes, it was nice to be reminded of that fact.

(---)

Groaning as she woke up, Signum looked at the door. "...Shari, why'd you wake me up?" When Shari pointed down, she looked and her eye softened as she saw Reinforce Zwei sleeping on her bed with her. "She should have left," Signum looked at Shari, "so, why'd you come here?"

"Well, a few pieces of good news, one, we fixed Laevantein." She pulled out a sheathed sword, before unsheathing it. "See, good as new... Well, it is new."

"That was... Fast. Mary's taken a lot longer than that for Raising Heart in the past."

Shari rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised at the amount of lab techs we've had in there, it wasn't hard to make the body, and the cartridge chamber was easy enough to fix. Hell, we could have had it done in two hours if we didn't get distracted by other stuff. What took so long was making sure that we could get its A.I. situated in properly." Signum nodded to her. "Another good thing is, well, I heard from a nurse that you're almost healed, right?"

"Other than my eye and my hand, yes." Signum snorted at Shari. "I've got nerve damage in my eye, they're not sure if I'll ever be able to see out of it properly ever again, and they had to remove what was left of my hand down to the wrist, why do you ask?" Signum held up her bandaged stump of an arm.

Shari walked over to the bed and put a small bundle into Signum's left hand. "Open it up." She smiled as Signum did just that.

"This," Signum stared at the item, before growling and holding it high above her head. "What kind of sick joke is this? If I wasn't injured, I'd..."

"Before you complete that thought and throw that, you should know what it is." Signum glared at her, but Shari just grinned at Signum, despite how tired she felt. "That's all that's left of Laevantein." She put the sheathed version on the bed next to Signum. "It was Laevantein's wish to become that. Now tell me, Signum, can you refuse your partner? Who's been with you for centuries?"

Signum stared and slowly lowered her arm down. "...Laevantein? Is this true? Is this really all that's left of your original body?"

"Ja."

Signum lowered her head and found that she was doing something that she hadn't done in a long time...

She was crying. "Laevantein, you... Why?"

Shari smiled and patted Signum's back as Zwei slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes to get the sleep out of them. "Because, Signum, Laevantein cares for you, and decided that if it can't fight in its original body anymore, it should help you out more directly." She watched as Signum looked at the item, then at Laevantein, before finally looking at her bandaged stump of an arm. "Signum, if you go through with this..."

"Do it." Signum looked at Shari. "I don't care, if Laevantein can give up what's left of its body to help me out, I can't turn that down."

Zwei blinked and looked at the metal bundle Signum held up and gasped, her eyes wide as she saw it open up. "That is..."

"I'll let the medical staff know what we're going to do, this won't be easy." Shari rubbed her eyes as she grabbed the item, wrapped it back up and walked out of the room. "We can't do anything about your eye though." Signum nodded and Zwei looked at Signum out of concern.

"Will you be okay?"

Signum looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Maybe. I might have to wear an eye-patch for the rest of my life, but I should be okay." She looked down at her sword. "Laevantein, thank you."

"Kein Ärger."

(---)

"I see..." He nodded at what Chrono was telling him. "I'm not happy about this, Admiral..."

"Believe me, General Gaiz," Chrono interrupted him, "I would have rather it not come to this, but all things considered, I would rather take over than let her emotions cloud her judgement."

"I understand that," Regius narrowed his eyes at Chrono, "I wish you would have run it by me first," he grumbled, annoyed by the way that the Admiral had done things.

"Again, my apologies for this, I wouldn't have done it if I had a choice." Chrono looked at Regius with his eyes narrowed. "I'm sure that your scanners picked up a large discharge of magic energy far from here, correct?"

"Couldn't pin-point it, but yes..." Regius looked at another screen that popped up. "This wasn't normal, you think it could have been..?" He trailed off as Chrono nodded. "Very well. Tell me, Admiral, what is going on right now?"

"A Mazoku we thought dead ten years ago has returned," Regius paled, his eyes widening as memories of ten years ago flashed into his head, "thankfully, not the one who took over the Ground Forces, but rather, his underling."

"Still, troubling. I can put the word..." He stopped and shook his head. "No, not yet, we don't know where this Mazoku is, do we?" One thing that bothered him was that he didn't think that Jail would ever be in league with a Mazoku. Why would he change that?

Unless he had been killed and replaced by the Mazoku. That bothered him greatly, the thought of the brains working with a Mazoku unknowingly was terrifying beyond belief.

(---)

"Uno," Jail walked into the medical lab and blinked as he saw Megane on the medical table, "why is she out of her tube? And why is she wearing the blue spandex?"

"Well, the spandex will keep her from getting sick for one and for two," Uno smirked at him, "she fills it out almost as good as Sette does. As for why, look!" She pointed to the computer excitedly and bounced up and down. "I can't believe it! Cinque's as nuts as the rest of them are and she used some crazy luck or something, but Megane's getting better."

Jail sweat-dropped heavily. "I've never seen you this excited before."

"Hmph!" Uno crossed her arms under her breasts. "Maybe if I wasn't your direct clone, I'd be interested in other things. I mean, really, would it have been too much to ask for you to give me a libido half the size of your ego?"

"You've been hanging around Sein too long." Jail deadpanned and Uno shrugged at him.

"I'm the one who cleans their suits and sheets, and Tre and Sein always make such a mess together, you think I wouldn't be curious about that?" Uno narrowed her eyes at him. "So, what did you want?"

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Jail smirked at her. "I realized something. I don't need the Saint's Cradle anymore." She stared at him in shock. "The bigger prize," Jail held his hands up, his fingers twitching in excitement, "is Al Hazard. That is what I really want."

Uno nodded slowly. "So, what are we going to do? It's pretty far away."

Jail grinned at her savagely. "I may not need the Saint's Cradle, but I do need a ship, and I'm sure that the Bureau has plenty of ships capable of going off into deep space."

"Oh sure, we're going to go up to the Bureau and say 'hey, sorry about being criminals and all, can we have a space ship to go look for Al Hazard?' and they'll gladly let us!" Uno narrowed her eyes at him. "Get real, this isn't some sappy children's story, there's no way that we're going to..."

"Steal one." Jail grinned at her. "But I need to talk to all of your sisters first."

Uno nodded, wondering what Jail had planned. "Cinque's gone at the moment."

"Oh," Jail blinked, sighing heavily, "drat! Oh well, I'll have to wait for her." Jail cupped his chin with his right hand and chuckled heavily. "I've done a lot of horrible things in my life, but I know, I just know, if I have Al Hazard, I can make things right again."

Outside the door, unseen to Jail and Uno, was Lutecia, who blinked as she listened in on the conversation. Turning, she walked back to Quattro's lab as fast as she could. Her master would want to know about this.

[staplesdex2]

So what will happen to the Saint's Cradle?

[Sunder the Gold]

So, I have an outline already prepared for a short story following Fate's mage test battle against Chrono, where the midget Enforcer fights Arf.

I've had the outline prepared for a while now, but I don't know when I'm ever going to get around to fleshing it out. However, the short is intended to be dialogue heavy, and the outline includes all of the basic dialogue.

Would anyone be interested in reading it, or would y'all rather I actually finished the thing first?

[GaelicDragon]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

StrikerS 57

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 58:

*snip* .

I have this mental image of Signum with a chainsaw attachment for her missing hand.

[Nanya01]

Alright, I'm saying this RIGHT NOW!

NO FLIPPING CHAINSAW!

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

StrikerS 57

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 58:

Yuuno was facing one of the worst problems known to any man. It wasn't a problem that any man would like to deal with if they could help it.

"Miyuki..." Yuuno trailed off as his first girlfriend smiled at him. "I know we haven't talked much, but, you know, insanity and all..."

She crossed her arms under her breasts and leaned against the wall, giving him a small grin. "I've been here for less than two days, Yuuno and you've hardly said anything to me," she adjusted the glasses on her face, "one might think that you're avoiding me or something."

Yuuno gave her a disgruntled look. "I wasn't trying to, I'm just," he sighed and shook his head, "no, I was avoiding you, but it wasn't on purpose, with Signum and Zafira like they are, and other problems we have right now."

"I know." Miyuki smiled, uncrossed her arm and walked over to him, giving him a hug. "I know. Things have been crazy since I arrived." She smiled as Yuuno nodded and hugged her back. It didn't last long before they separated. "I can wait for you a few more days." She winked at him. "After all, I waited for almost six years before giving you a birthday present you couldn't forget." Miyuki laughed as Yuuno blushed hard. "I hope you've been treating the girls right."

Yuuno nodded to her. "You know I wouldn't abuse my trust with them."

"Boss has to worry about the other problem."

Miyuki laughed as Yuuno blushed hard. "Any of the girls around you using you?"

"Well, there is one..." Yuuno trailed off, causing Miyuki to frown at him suddenly. "Yeah, she's quite demanding and I never get to ask for anything in return from her."

"Who is she?" Miyuki said, her voice tight and angry. "I'll make her..."

"Yuuno-papa!" Yuuno smiled and turned, kneeling down to catch Caro in a hug. "Mmmmm! Love you!"

Yuuno hugged her back. "Love you too, Caro," he stood up while hugging her and looked at Miyuki, "Caro's that girl." He laughed as Miyuki suddenly face-faulted and Caro looked at him in confusion. "It's okay, Caro." He put her down and she giggled. "So, how are everyone?"

"Erio-kun's fine, Vivio and Arashi were having fun playing hide and seek with him and Nanoha-san. Then Fate-san got them all to get supper." She held her hand up. "Come on, papa, let's go get some food too."

"Sure." Yuuno looked at Miyuki and held his arm out to her. "Want to come with?"

"Sure." She smiled and took his arm and walked with him. As she watched Caro giggling and pulling them along, she felt a warm feeling fill her. 'It's almost like we're a family together.' As they got close to the cafeteria, she blinked as she saw Arashi, Erio, Fate and Nanoha at the door, the latter was holding Vivio in her arms. '...No, now we're a family together.'

No matter what their futures held for each other and any personal relationships they had, they were family. They had been for years. Even if things had changed between them personally, they were family.

Sometimes, it was nice to be reminded of that fact.

(---)

Groaning as she woke up, Signum looked at the door. "...Shari, why'd you wake me up?" When Shari pointed down, she looked and her eye softened as she saw Reinforce Zwei sleeping on her bed with her. "She should have left," Signum looked at Shari, "so, why'd you come here?"

"Well, a few pieces of good news, one, we fixed Laevantein." She pulled out a sheathed sword, before unsheathing it. "See, good as new... Well, it is new."

"That was... Fast. Mary's taken a lot longer than that for Raising Heart in the past."

Shari rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised at the amount of lab techs we've had in there, it wasn't hard to make the body, and the cartridge chamber was easy enough to fix. Hell, we could have had it done in two hours if we didn't get distracted by other stuff. What took so long was making sure that we could get its A.I. situated in properly." Signum nodded to her. "Another good thing is, well, I heard from a nurse that you're almost healed, right?"

"Other than my eye and my hand, yes." Signum snorted at Shari. "I've got nerve damage in my eye, they're not sure if I'll ever be able to see out of it properly ever again, and they had to remove what was left of my hand down to the wrist, why do you ask?" Signum held up her bandaged stump of an arm.

Shari walked over to the bed and put a small bundle into Signum's left hand. "Open it up." She smiled as Signum did just that.

"This," Signum stared at the item, before growling and holding it high above her head. "What kind of sick joke is this? If I wasn't injured, I'd..."

"Before you complete that thought and throw that, you should know what it is." Signum glared at her, but Shari just grinned at Signum, despite how tired she felt. "That's all that's left of Laevantein." She put the sheathed version on the bed next to Signum. "It was Laevantein's wish to become that. Now tell me, Signum, can you refuse your partner? Who's been with you for centuries?"

Signum stared and slowly lowered her arm down. "...Laevantein? Is this true? Is this really all that's left of your original body?"

"Ja."

Signum lowered her head and found that she was doing something that she hadn't done in a long time...

She was crying. "Laevantein, you... Why?"

Shari smiled and patted Signum's back as Zwei slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes to get the sleep out of them. "Because, Signum, Laevantein cares for you, and decided that if it can't fight in its original body anymore, it should help you out more directly." She watched as Signum looked at the item, then at Laevantein, before finally looking at her bandaged stump of an arm. "Signum, if you go through with this..."

"Do it." Signum looked at Shari. "I don't care, if Laevantein can give up what's left of its body to help me out, I can't turn that down."

Zwei blinked and looked at the metal bundle Signum held up and gasped, her eyes wide as she saw it open up. "That is..."

"I'll let the medical staff know what we're going to do, this won't be easy." Shari rubbed her eyes as she grabbed the item, wrapped it back up and walked out of the room. "We can't do anything about your eye though." Signum nodded and Zwei looked at Signum out of concern.

"Will you be okay?"

Signum looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Maybe. I might have to wear an eye-patch for the rest of my life, but I should be okay." She looked down at her sword. "Laevantein, thank you."

"Kein Ärger."

(---)

"I see..." He nodded at what Chrono was telling him. "I'm not happy about this, Admiral..."

"Believe me, General Gaiz," Chrono interrupted him, "I would have rather it not come to this, but all things considered, I would rather take over than let her emotions cloud her judgement."

"I understand that," Regius narrowed his eyes at Chrono, "I wish you would have run it by me first," he grumbled, annoyed by the way that the Admiral had done things.

"Again, my apologies for this, I wouldn't have done it if I had a choice." Chrono looked at Regius with his eyes narrowed. "I'm sure that your scanners picked up a large discharge of magic energy far from here, correct?"

"Couldn't pin-point it, but yes..." Regius looked at another screen that popped up. "This wasn't normal, you think it could have been..?" He trailed off as Chrono nodded. "Very well. Tell me, Admiral, what is going on right now?"

"A Mazoku we thought dead ten years ago has returned," Regius paled, his eyes widening as memories of ten years ago flashed into his head, "thankfully, not the one who took over the Ground Forces, but rather, his underling."

"Still, troubling. I can put the word..." He stopped and shook his head. "No, not yet, we don't know where this Mazoku is, do we?" One thing that bothered him was that he didn't think that Jail would ever be in league with a Mazoku. Why would he change that?

Unless he had been killed and replaced by the Mazoku. That bothered him greatly, the thought of the brains working with a Mazoku unknowingly was terrifying beyond belief.

(---)

"Uno," Jail walked into the medical lab and blinked as he saw Megane on the medical table, "why is she out of her tube? And why is she wearing the blue spandex?"

"Well, the spandex will keep her from getting sick for one and for two," Uno smirked at him, "she fills it out almost as good as Sette does. As for why, look!" She pointed to the computer excitedly and bounced up and down. "I can't believe it! Cinque's as nuts as the rest of them are and she used some crazy luck or something, but Megane's getting better."

Jail sweat-dropped heavily. "I've never seen you this excited before."

"Hmph!" Uno crossed her arms under her breasts. "Maybe if I wasn't your direct clone, I'd be interested in other things. I mean, really, would it have been too much to ask for you to give me a libido half the size of your ego?"

"You've been hanging around Sein too long." Jail deadpanned and Uno shrugged at him.

"I'm the one who cleans their suits and sheets, and Tre and Sein always make such a mess together, you think I wouldn't be curious about that?" Uno narrowed her eyes at him. "So, what did you want?"

"Ah! I almost forgot!" Jail smirked at her. "I realized something. I don't need the Saint's Cradle anymore." She stared at him in shock. "The bigger prize," Jail held his hands up, his fingers twitching in excitement, "is Al Hazard. That is what I really want."

Uno nodded slowly. "So, what are we going to do? It's pretty far away."

Jail grinned at her savagely. "I may not need the Saint's Cradle, but I do need a ship, and I'm sure that the Bureau has plenty of ships capable of going off into deep space."

"Oh sure, we're going to go up to the Bureau and say 'hey, sorry about being criminals and all, can we have a space ship to go look for Al Hazard?' and they'll gladly let us!" Uno narrowed her eyes at him. "Get real, this isn't some sappy children's story, there's no way that we're going to..."

"Steal one." Jail grinned at her. "But I need to talk to all of your sisters first."

Uno nodded, wondering what Jail had planned. "Cinque's gone at the moment."

"Oh," Jail blinked, sighing heavily, "drat! Oh well, I'll have to wait for her." Jail cupped his chin with his right hand and chuckled heavily. "I've done a lot of horrible things in my life, but I know, I just know, if I have Al Hazard, I can make things right again."

Outside the door, unseen to Jail and Uno, was Lutecia, who blinked as she listened in on the conversation. Turning, she walked back to Quattro's lab as fast as she could. Her master would want to know about this.

Val: Cybernetic hand for Signum, A la Skywalker style?

Odin: Looks like jail's gonna have a heads up if Regius call him for an inquiry.

Me: MOAR please?

[Rising Dragon]

Yeah guys, if you want chainsaw Devices, you'll have to read MercenarieS when I get to chapter 4.

[GaelicDragon]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Alright, I'm saying this RIGHT NOW!

NO FLIPPING CHAINSAW!

Groovy!

So when is Caro going to start calling the women in Yuuno's life "contestant #1"

[Nanya01]

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

StrikerS 57

StrikerS 58

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 59:

Cinque looked up at the rock face and grimaced. "How am I supposed to get out of here? Fly?" She could use her knives and climb out, or make the mountain explode, but she'd either get tired or get hurt in the process. "Dang it." She turned around and leaned against the wall and pulled her legs up against her. "Just how did I get..." She trailed off and looked down. Her eyes widened as she saw that she wasn't on the ground anymore. "...I can fly?" Gingerly, Cinque pushed away from the wall and stared as she didn't fall down. "So..." She looked up and found herself flying upwards. "...I can fly..." A smile graced her face. "I can FLY!"

Sure, it was weird not having her feet on the ground and moving, but this was awesome. "...Now I know how the others feel all the time." Still, the speed wasn't too fast, not compared to the others who could move through the air at least. Oh well, it wasn't like she was going to get caught up in some sort of tournament on the way back to the base where she'd be forced to fight in just because of some arbitrary reason.

(---)

"Hey, Master..."

Levi opened her eyes from where she was leaning back against the chain. "What is it, Quattro?" She glared at Reinforce, who was unconscious in her tube. "I'm a little busy trying to break some data down."

"Forgive me, but it seems that Jail's changed his plans."

Levi's eyes widened and she sat up fully. "What?! What do you mean? What plans?"

"It seems that he doesn't need the Saint's Cradle."

Levi snarled, her pupils shrinking as she slammed a fist onto the counter-top next to her. "Impossible. I thought you did all that you could to make ensure that he'd go after that little clone!"

"Seems that Nove brought back something that we didn't expect."

"Get rid of it then." Levi growled as Quattro sighed in her mind. "What?"

"Too late, Jail's made up his mind about something and I don't think he's going to need the Cradle anymore."

Levi was about to snap and destroy something when a thought came to her. "...Then we'll need to do something about it." A dark smirk came to her face and her eyes flashed. "I think it's time that Jail learns his real place in this world."

"What about the Cradle?"

Levi just smirked at the question. "I have my own plans for that." She looked at the computer screen and narrowed her eyes. "My plans, that I have constructed, no Jail, you will not disrupt them so easily."

(---)

Amitie, in a robe that just barely covered her thighs, looked at Kuma and nodded to him before going back to target practice. "Kyrie was always better than me when we swapped weapons." She spun her guns in her hands and fired a few shots at various targets. "I do have a move that could have stopped her, I think..."

"But you were saving that for something special, right?"

Amitie sighed at Kuma's question and holstered her weapons. "If Levi hadn't pulled us here, I would have given everything, even my life, if it meant that Kyrie could live without a Mazoku master."

"Could you leave her alone though?" Kuma asked as he sat down. "I don't want to butt in where I'm not welcome, but I don't think you could do that, not to her." Amitie sighed heavily and looked down. "You know... The Bureau has lots of rehabilitation programs for people who've had a hard life." Kuma looked up at the sky as the sun started to set. "When this is done, I could get you and Kyrie into it. You'd have to work with the Bureau and answer their questions though."

Amitie winced and looked down. "I dunno... I don't..."

"Just cooperate with them as best you can about what's going on then." Kuma stretched his legs out and sighed heavily. "I'll be good as new in a day, so, Anita..." He sweat-dropped as she pointed her gun at him. "...Ami, right."

"Better." Amitie put her gun down. "What do you want now?"

"I was wondering where you were going to sleep." Amitie blinked at Kuma's question. "I've got plenty of open rooms after all."

Amitie stared and looked away, blushing hard. "Um... I dunno, is there a room you suggest?"

Kuma shrugged at her. "Try room eight, it's near the hot springs, if you feel the need to take another bath in the morning." He sighed as she got up, nodded and left. Kuma just closed his eyes and tried to relax. '...To think that I might actually have to use that soon.'

It wasn't something that he liked to think about, but he was almost certain it was going to be needed soon.

(---)

Subaru blanched slightly at the glare she was getting from Nove's sisters as she entered the bathing room. "Um... Sorry, I was just..."

"Knock it off," Tre said as she leaned back against the side of the bath, "you know the rules, everyone, no matter how angry we are at each other, we don't let that bother us when we're taking a bath." Tre looked at Subaru and snorted. "Even if she is a Bureau dog, this is still bath time."

The others nodded and settled down as Subaru slipped into the bath quietly. She looked at Deed and Otto and couldn't help but notice the tail that the flat-chested girl had. "Um..."

"What?" Otto asked, giving her an almost angry look.

"Neat tail."

Otto blinked, that hadn't been the response she was expecting. "You, you think so?" She held her golden-brown tail up as Subaru nodded and smiled at her.

"Yeah. I've never seen a tail like that before, it looks really cool." Subaru's eyes widened as she felt something snake around her ankle, before pulling, causing her head to go under the water and her rear end to get pulled up above water.

"What about mine?" Wendi pouted and let go of Subaru's ankle, allowing the girl to get her head above water. "Don't I have a cool tail too?"

Nove narrowed her eyes and grabbed Wendi's tail, yanking up hard and causing her sister to yelp and fall face-first into the water as Nove held her rear end up above the water. "How'd you like that?" Nove asked as she let go of Wendi's tail.

Wendi turned and narrowed her eyes at Nove. "Oh, you think that just because you don't have a tail you can grab me by mine?"

"Calm down, both of you," Tre narrowed her eyes at Wendi and Nove, "or I'll hold both of you under the water until you behave." She snorted and leaned back again, twitching as she felt a familiar pair of hands on her breasts. "...Sein, let go right now."

"Aww..." Sein phased through the wall next to Tre and leaned her head on Tre's shoulder. "What's wrong with a little skin-ship?"

"Personally, I think Tre's breasts are too firm." Mr. Snuggles said from his position on Sette's shoulder. "Now Sette has the right mix of firm and softness for this kitty."

Sette smiled and reached up to scratch his head. Oddly enough, there was a soft blush on her face as she did that. "Mr. Snuggles, please, do not talk like that in front of others."

"Is this normal?" Subaru looked at Otto, who shook her head. "...Oh."

"It is usually more lively." Otto gave her a small smile. "...Though, tell me, why does the Bureau hate us?" Subaru blinked several times. "They send such powerful enemies after us, the doctor just wanted us to find Lost Logia." Otto looked down while petting her tail. "He told us, we were created because the Bureau needed strong people to fight for it."

Subaru could only stare at her and looked around, watching as Sette said something to her pet cat and Tre dunked Sein for some reason while Wendi teased Nove, who went completely red at whatever was said. "...Really?"

"Yes," Deed spoke up from her position next to Dieci, the other cyborg was leaning back, her eyes closed and enjoying the hot water. "All of us were made to be weapons, nothing more."

Subaru frowned at that. "But... Gin-nee and I are like all of you too, and we have a family, with mom, dad, and Aston and Cecilia, my younger siblings. You aren't just weapons," Subaru blushed as Otto, Deed and even Dieci looked at her curiously, "I mean, you don't seem like weapons to me."

"That sounds nice," Otto said softly as she pulled her knees up to her chin and looked across the large bath tub, "but it will not happen... I have got a tail, look at Deed's arms, she and Sette have scales on their arms, Wendi has a tail too, none of us are normal, even for cyborgs. Quattro found files with help from Un-nee, all of us have seen what happens to freaks." Otto looked at Subaru, sadness in her eyes. "They are eliminated, there is no place for freaks, after all."

Subaru stared, before growling. "BULLSHIT!" She screamed, catching everyone's attention. "I don't care if the lot of you are considered freaks by the Bureau!" She swung her arm to the side and stood up above Otto. "I won't let them hurt any of you for no reason at all! You're all human! It doesn't matter!" Subaru balled her hands into fists. "I won't let... You're not bad."

"Very sweet," Tre spoke up, "but you should sit down before you fall down." She smirked at Subaru as the short-haired girl sat down. "But even if you're right, can you actually keep the Bureau from eliminating us?"

Subaru was quiet for only three seconds before nodding at Tre. "I promise, I won't allow it. If I have to, I'll find a way for all of you to be safe."

"We're going to fight your friends again," Tre spoke to her, catching the others attentions, "the doctor explained to me that he has one more mission, and this time we're going to purposely attack and get the Riot Force's attention. Tell me, if someone gets hurt again, can you say that you can keep us safe?"

"Everyone deserves a chance to live their life," Subaru looked down, "none of you deserve anymore pain in your lives. Unless you kill someone, I think I can help you."

Tre didn't say anything, she just closed her eyes and thought about what Subaru said. Several minutes of pure silence later, Tre stood up and left the bath. "...I admit, dog, the thought of having a life sounds nice. Try not to make promises you can't keep in the future though."

Tre did hope it was true, though. Not for herself, she didn't care about herself too much, but her younger sisters, all of them, deserved better than her.

If only that thought didn't feel hollow and leave a sharp pain in her chest.

[novalysis]

An update on the Third Life, a ZnT Nanoha-verse Crossover where Arf get's summoned by Louise.

The Third Life Reincarnating Portals: Part I
Reincarnating Portals Part II

Here goes.

Spoiler for The Third Life - The First Night in Tristian - I: Reveille:

I: Reveille.
She felt herself suspended in that empty darkness, devoid of all senses, floating slowly in some viscous nothingness. Occasionally, that void briefly gave way to snatches, a brief scent of a gourmet, a brief flash of evening light, a brief snatch of voices and sound, the feel of luxuriously smooth wood. Small snatches of sensations. But beyond that, she floated in a state of unawareness, the sense of time and self absent in that dreamless sleep.

Sleep, of course is a rather more nuanced thing, rather than an entire whole. And Familiars themselves, especially one in Arf's situation had certain unusual stages of sleep, due to the nature of their bonds to their masters that reached into the mind. Such as right before Arf awoke. Indeed, our wolf is rather unique individual, even among Familiars, in rather unique, though not completely unknown circumstances.

Now, most Mid-Childan familiars have the capability of pooling their knowledge and experience together with their masters, as well as sharing an empathic connection. Of course, the master was at liberty to block or restrict those connections, and Arf strongly suspected that the Familiar she regarded as her mentor had been subjected to this by Precia, Fate's actual mother. In practice of course, the farther the Dimensional “Distance” between a Familiar and its' master, the more deliberate effort was required in exploiting the features of the link. Normally, this wouldn't be a concern, since most familiars usually remain at their master's side.

However, Arf's circumstances was unique. Even her contract with her mistress, to “Live through life” was one of the most generous terms that could be granted to any familiar. Her mistress, the legendary Ace Enforcer, Fate Testarossa often went on missions in distant reaches of the Dimensional Sea And given the frightening skill of that great Artificial Mage, Arf herself remained in the capital world of Mid-Childa, believing that she would support her mistress better in an information gathering capacity. Communication and interaction through the Familiar bonds over great dimensional distances was something Arf was very well accustomed to exploiting. Indeed, few Familiars in the TSAB were in her league when it came to controlling such bonds. However, it also led to certain unique quirks of hers.

Such as reaching out through the Familiar bonds between her master and herself. Before waking up, she would always reach out through the Familiar bonds, in an effort to achieve a sense of reassurance on her mistress state. She always did so, without fail, ever since the first time she and her mistress had been separated for a significant period of time, back when she was forced to flee from Fates' true mother.

And so the Familiar attained self-awareness within the void. And as always, in her habit, she visualized within the darkness at the border of consciousness the Familiar Bond. It began with a brief scent. And that was where she paused abruptly. That scent had the distinct syrupy sweet smell of the supply of mana feeding her existence. But that scent felt utterly strange. It was not the liberating freshly mint scent after the end of a thunderstorm of Fate Testarossa nor the alluringly sharp ozone tange that accompanied Erio Mondial's mana.

No, the scent smelled alien, utterly so. It reminded Arf of the scent of the chilling, cooling scent of Anti-Magic. And it was tinged with the smell of one of those gale-storms that occasionally visited some of the many residences she had resided in over the years. And the stench was intense, giddily so. It brimmed with a vigorously varying intensity, a mighty wind that somehow kept picking up and drawing down, or an unpredictable wave. It smelled of great-power untamed, uncontrolled. Frightening, glorious chaos. Indeed, a sound like that of a mid-ocean storm roared in her mind.

And it was coming from the scent of her golden blazing linker-core, linked by cords of intensely wavering silver. A sight that just came into view.

Well, curiosity killed the cat. But I'm a wolf anyway, so that old saw ain't applicable to me. She wrly thought, as her “eyes” began following the vast wavering tendrils that intertwined and fed her very existence. The visualization of the bond between her master and herself. And above her was a blazing chaos of glittering silver light, a perpetual nova of silver tinged with the inky blackness of a void, instead of the intense inter-play of purple and gold that she expected to see above her instead. The magic sustaining her was substantially different.

Gingerly, she attempted to begin her ascend up to the bright light that represented the other end of the Familiar Bond, paw by paw up the flowing patterns of the bonds. It was initially slow going, as the magic felt viscous, thick, resistant and yet strangely slippery. But then, she made a realization.
The great bonds bore a certain, consistent, rolling geometric shapes. It was made out of a flowing column of repeating patterns, again and again. Judging by their consistency, she guessed they appeared to be runes of some sort, though of a language she never recalled reading in all her studies and experiences. Perhaps those runes could be exploited somehow? She reached out for the bonds-

The brief flash of silver light engulfed her. When it faded away, it was replaced with a far more mundane scene. She was in an ornate room. Rich looking furniture, from elaborately crafted chairs to well appointed cushions and lavish stately sculptures of various beast attested to the status of its' inhabitant. It was bathed in warm orange light from ornately decorated lamps. The most odd feature though was the bed of straws at the far corner of the room.

But more significantly, Arf realized she was looking at herself. The face of her child form greeted her, her eyes serenely closed. She saw that she was lying down face-up on a lap, most likely of the mage she was looking through the eyes of. And she could see one relatively small, dainty pale hand stroke and play with the hair around her ears. A distinct sense of puzzlement could be detected. She could feel another palm resting against the fine linen of the bed.

Her thoughts began to race. She replayed the most recent events in her mind quickly. She remembered being forced into the portal back at the mansion in Altsiem, Mid-Childa. She remembered waking up to a crowd, and quickly hiding her animalistic features as a precaution. And then, she was kissed, followed by the sudden carving of runes on her arm. And now, she had a new master. The dots immediately connected together, as all elements clicked in place.

Immediately, she felt a sense of wariness. Until she could get a grip on the situation, it'd be best if she erred on the side of caution.

And then, she simultaneously that she was lying on something that felt half like flesh, and half like fabric. Two distinct fabric – her head felt like it was resting on wool, and somewhere between it and her legs, the wool was replaced with fine linen. She was about to wake up. And she could feel a smooth, fairly warm hand playing around with her hair on-top of her head, in sync with the vision she was still simultaneously perceiving through the eyes of the origin of the bond. That was the final piece of the puzzle, the affirmative evidence that brought her to a conclusion. The contact with Erio had been fulfilled. Her bond had been passed on to a new master.

She opened her eyes to see the prominent, arrow-sharp chin of the strawberry blonde girl with long flowing hair. The girl that had kissed her. A girl, judging by the sudden jerk Arf felt beneath her, that had been quite startled at her awakening, as those distant eyes crimson eyes suddenly snapped out of its' blank daze, focused and widened all at once.

Corseque, is the translation I instructed ready? Arf's mind immediately snapped right into attention, drawing on the memories, experiences and habits of her previous masters. Her body automatically slid of Louise, as she got up to her feet.

Reams of information quickly flowed in her mind, a sensation akin to perceiving a flow of text down her retinas, as the girl she was looking at struggled to bring her expression back under control. The language apparently bore similarities to several Unadministrated World 97 Language, principally Flemish and French dialects. A day of sampling of conversations in the background had yielded an adequate lexicon transferred directly to the mind. Analysis of the bond – Arf decided to cut it off there.

The name of the girl was Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. She normally went by the name Louise. Or Ms Valliere. A most curious name indeed, her device affixed to the end of that analysis. Arf could positively feel the amusement dripping off from the A.I. Well, telepathy was working, even if the flow of magic in this world was certainly not Mid-Standard.

“ So, you're awake at last, Familiar. Who are you?” Louise finally spoke with the capitalization of the F in Familiar clearly emphasized in her voice, interrupting Arf's chain of thoughts.

Arf considered her response, carefully.

“ My name is Alph, but you may call me Arf. Where are we exactly?” She spoke slowly, rolling unfamiliar pronunciations carefully through her tongue. Speech in that language was proving awkward.

“ We are at the renowned Tristian Academy of Magic, in the kingdom of Tristian, near the capital. Where are you from, Familiar, and what creature are you exactly?” Louise asked. Though Arf was insufficiently acquainted with the nuances of the language to read into its' tone, the empathic link between her and the short girl in-front of her hinted that there was a sense of curiosity.

There was a slight pause.

Corseque? Is there any Kingdom on any planet in the records you have with you that goes by the name Tristian? Is this a Contacted World?

“ I am a girl - “ Arf began.

“ Don't lie to me!” Louise sharply interrupted. Another moment's pause followed. “ I saw it. That ear, and that tail. You are not a human, and don't tell me that you're an ordinary commoner girl. Why did you hide it?” She snapped.

Not a good start. So she did see it, after all. Arf thought.

Tristian does not appear on any archives stored on me. Coreque replied back to her earlier question. Troubling. The lag in response-time was most unusual.

Arf gave a slight shrug. “ I see you saw my ears and tails then. You are correct, I'm not human, but I am a female, and -“ The words began coming out more smoothly, as Arf's mind became more used to it.

“ So you are like a Rhyme dragon then?” Louise asked, her previously stern face brightening at Arf's words.

“ What do you mean by that? I do know of some dragons personally though, but I'm not one. ” Arf cocked her head to the side in puzzlement.

Some of the optimism in Louise's face bled away. “Not a dragon, then.” She looked disappointed. “But there are very few creatures that I know of that can change forms like you did. What are you then, and where did you come from?”

"No, I am a wolf, a magical construct sustained by magics. Now, could you kindly tell me where exactly am I?”

Louise however, had apparently drifted off. There was a dazed look, a stray smile that slowly creep up on her face. Arf highly sensitive ears could hear Louise muttering under her breath : “ Sustained by magics ? Then founder be praised. I'm a true mage! I really am!” She repeated several times over, eager awe in her voice. Through the link, Arf could feel the heady sense of elation that accompanied the accomplishment of something deeply yearned for?

Why would she be happy over bonding a Familiar though? Why is it so important to her? Arf could immediately think of a few theories, and normally would have directly posed them to Louise with the brashness and directness that usually characterized her. Alas, given the circumstances, she decided it was best if she refrained. Though the empathic bonds between herself and the girl who had apparently bind her was proving to be a great help, even if the linkages were not flowing as naturally as she was used to. Her left hand felt the faint stirring of a mild cooling sensation each time she drew on the bonds to read her new Mistress actions.

There was, of course, another grim, unwelcome possibility. The entire set-up was rigged to set her at ease. After all, Arf could think of numerous reasons why she would be targeted and kidnapped. Starting from her very position back on Mid-Childa.

“Well the, let's see your original form then.” She beamed at Arf, an eager glint in her eyes, that light elated tone still in her voice, brimming with anticipation.

Arf gave a small little sigh. Given the unusual nature of Louise's magics, she'd have to be careful with her shape-shifting. In that same often practiced transformation, Arf willed herself to return to her original wolf form, in it's full size and glory. She drew in a well practiced trickle of magic. A flash flood of mana flew into her spell - and a very loud explosion resulted, and the acrid scent of burned carbon filled the room. Through the bonds, she could feel Louise's heart almost audibly dropping in the delicately carpeted floor below her- quite a feat, considering that both materials were not known to produce loud sounds in collisions.

When the smoke cleared, there stood a mistress, and a single tall reddish-orange haired women with slightly singed hair, a prominent pair of wolf ears and a tail protruding from her back.

Louise blinked twice. “Oh.” She muttered in a small voice. “ Is that it?” She looked up at Arf, the previous glee replaced with a stare of sober disappointment that also reeked through the bond.

Arf frowned slightly, in her adult form complete with the tell-tale features of a Familiar. “The Shape-shifting apparently didn't go all the way. I am not yet fully accustomed to using your magic, mistress.” Perhaps that would finally confirm her suspicions.

It did. Louise momentarily flushed, her indigence obvious.

“So even my Familiar can't use my magic properly-” Louise paused in mid-sentence, eyes widening again, the sense of realization flooding through the bonds.

“ Wait a moment. Famil – I mean Arf. Where do you come from exactly? What do you mean by the fact that you are a Wolf magical construct? Who created you?” Her questions came in rapidly. “ Hey, face me when I'm talking!” She said to Arf as Arf pulled a chair up besides Louise, and sat down on it. “ I didn't say you could seat – oh well, never mind. “ Louise rolled her eyes.

“This will take quite some time to explain, huh? ” Arf thought out loud. This is really going downhill. This is clearly a prelude to a teenage outburst of angst. Damage Control.

She turned to look at Louise in the eye. “ I guess it's better to take a seat then, if you don't mind. I would answer your question, if you can answer mine first.” She began calmly. This was quite a gamble, and she was tempted to drop that masquerade right there and then. “ What are the terms under which you bind me in, exactly?” “

“ You mean you don't know? But all Familiars instinctively know of their position. I mean, I summoned you of-course, in the Springtime Familiar Ritual, and bound you tome as my Familiar – and – what's this strange look you have on my face? It's just a Ritual that every mage performs. What's so impressive about that summoning anyway? What's up with that creepy look of admiration here? I'm not a great- mage , or – or anything like you think, the Ritual was the first spell I managed to successfully – ah never-mind. What am I saying anyway? I am babbling. Anyway, you haven't answered my question yet-” Louise faltered, as Arf gave her a sharp look that reminded her of her own mother.

“ Hmm, interesting.” Arf commented.

“ Well, really, don't interupt me famil-” She pasued again, as Arf rose one up one hand.

“ I take it that all Familiars summoned usually come from this Dimension, Mistress Vallerie, then?” Arf decided that it was better to get to the point.

“That's – that's a silly question. Of course, while Familiars can be summoned from any point in the continent, most Familiars tend to come from regions nearer to the Summoner's current location. In general, the greater the mage, the farther his or her summons will tend to come from. Most of my peers summoned a creature native to Tristian, or at best, a nearby region of a neighboring country like Gallia or Germania. That stupid Kirche boasted of her Familiar hailing from the Fire Mountains from the Southern End of Halkegenia Continent along the Romalian-Gallia border. ” Louise explained. “What do you mean by Dimension? I don't recognize that word. The Summon Servant spell has never called in a living creature from anywhere beyond this continent. In-fact, travel to another world is the stuff of myth and legends – like that legendary gate.”

“ And this “ Arf emphasized “was your first successful spell , ever? “ She arced one eye. “ Tell me, how old are you?”

Interesting. Her puzzlement is sincere. Clearly, the existence of other Dimensions is not common knowledge in this world, at least, if Louise never even heard of the term before. . Arf inwardly thought.

“ Sixteen.” Louise replied

“ Sixteen? Where I come from, children begin actively casting spells almost as soon as they learn to talk, in some cases. Is this your first year as a student then, in this academy?”

“ Why are you asking me such questions? Shouldn't a familiar know her mistress instinctively anyway?” Louise asked with a clear tone of impatience. Arf inwardly winced. She should have been more careful. Oh well. She decided to play out the conversation to its' predictable conclusion.

“ I don't. ” Louise shoulders slumped at that simple response.

“ And I thought I had cast the Bond Familiar spell perfect, and for once succeeded in actually casting a spell....” Her eyes looked down as she replied in a soft voice, the previous heat in her voice seeped away like a deflated balloon. “ Even my Familiar can't use my magic properly.... she doesn't have the same skills as other familiars, I'm really a failure as a mage....”

That sounds like a rather improbable claim. That level of magics that summoned me here is almost certainly something that an evident untrained novice like her should have been able to manage. Indeed, if not for the Familiar bond and the empathic link , I just might dismiss this story. Clearly, this girl before me has power, but is unable to control it. And no wonder. Her Mana feels as slick and tricky as crude oil. I'll probably have to review my spell knowledge to see which of them are usable. I strongly suspect that most of my abilities are being limited by the unusual nature of the magic I'm being supplied with.

Arf laid her hands on Louise's shoulders. “ I think you are truly powerful Mistress. Unskilled, yes. Untrained, most certainly. But your raw potential is one of the strongest I've ever seen in my life. You see Louise, you were wrong. There are other ….worlds out there. I come from one of those worlds. For you to summon me all the way to this world - .”

“W- what? Other worlds? You are lying aren't you again?” Louise accused.

“ Why should I be lying, mistress?” Arf asked in a pleasant tone.

“ I mean, that's ridiculous. I can't even cast a single spell right, it always ends in an explosion. Besides, stop coming up with such absurd lies. You are not making me feel any better, if that's what you are trying to do. I mean, you can't even shape-shift to your wolf form using my magic.” Louis replied in a slightly bitter tone.

“ Still, something happens when you cast a spell right? You certainly have magic after all, and the very fact I'm still here testifies to that, doesn't it? Still, if the concept of another world is unacceptable to you, then you have at least summoned me from a far, far away.”

“ Fine, then. If you want to be infuriatingly vague about it, have it your way, I'd have you sleep in that haystack over there. I initially intended on letting you sleep with me on my bed, you know- “

“ The haystack is fine.” Arf shrugged “ Back where I came from, I occasionally slept in a litter, even in my human form too.”

“ In that case, you'll sleep outside my door tonight then. No carpets for you. “ Louise snapped.

Ah, shame. Perhaps I should have simply said that I came from very far-away. But her skepticism does suggest that this world has no knowledge whatsoever of the Dimensional Sea. I'd probably do some investigation tonight, and look around this school. It's an unfamiliar world after all, but at least my worst suspicions are likely unfounded.

As for the girl. Oh, she's a difficult one to deal with. Very insecure. Come to think of it, this has to be one of the least self-assured of the children I've encountered. Pride and Insecurity means that it's not going to be an easy going. Oh, Erio. She's much worst than you ever were even when you first came under our care.

Arf realized that her mistress was undressing while she was thinking. She was already down to her underwear.

“Erm, I think I'll leave now, if you need some privacy.” Arf offered.

“No. Stay. I have some other things to tell you” Louise continued undressing.

“ You are fine with that Mistress?”

“ I don't see what is there to be ashamed of in-front of my Familiar.” Louise replied casually.

“ I see then. “ Well, Fate had no qualms casually undressing in-front of Arf too, but that was a reflection of the intense closeness between both of them. She somehow got the impression that it was completely different in the case of Louise.

She saw Louise carelessly discarding her clothes all over the floor, before slipping in a Night-gown. Hayate would have had a field-day with that sight, Arf reflected, smiling slightly inside. Right then, she felt a small pang of longing. But only a little. The runes on her hand seemed to briefly felt warmer, for a moment, in contrast to the cool night breeze flowing in from outside.

Louise yawned. “ Wash this for me in the morning. “

“ Well, I did the laundry for my previous mistress, among other things. That shouldn't be a problem” Arf commented, as she picked up the articles of clothing all over the floor, and began to leave for the door.

“ Stop.” Louise ordered. “ One more thing, Familiar. You haven't answered my questions yet. What do you mean by your previous mistress? Was she the one who made you?”

“ Well, yeah. She was. It's a long story. “ Arf shrugged.

“ Tell me tomorrow then. I'm tired, and it's past my bed-time anyway. You may go now, Familiar.” Louise instructed in a deliberately neutral tone. With a snap of her fingers, the lamps in the room went out, plunging in the room into a darkness only illuminated by faint moonlight.

“ Good night, mistress.” Arf lightly said, as she picked up the articles of clothing, and closed the door behind her.

You are a liar yourself mistress. Though I respect your self-control in curbing your burning desire to know the full-story. And is that trepidation I feel? Arf thought, as she walked out.

Louise laid there in the darkness for a few moments. When the door clicked shut, she whispered in the darkness. “ Good night, Arf.”

Outside the door-way, Arf gave a slight smile. “She's really a child, huh? Lost, confused, a difficult case. ” She remarked to Corseque, as she quickly folded Louise's clothes into a neat bundle in the corridor. She gave a sigh. “ This is not going to be easy.”

First, the Laundry. Then, exploration and recon. With nocturnal energy, she strode down the hall-way, clothes in hand. The night was still young.

Thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by novalysis

An update on the Third Life, a ZnT Nanoha-verse Crossover where Arf get's summoned by Louise.

The Third Life Reincarnating Portals: Part I
Reincarnating Portals Part II

Here goes.

Spoiler for The Third Life - The First Night in Tristian - I: Reville:

I: Reville.
She felt herself suspended in that empty darkness, devoid of all senses, floating slowly in some viscous nothingness. Occasionally, that void briefly gave way to snatches, a brief scent of a gourmet, a brief flash of evening light, a brief snatch of voices and sound, the feel of luxuriously smooth wood. Small snatches of sensations. But beyond that, she floated in a state of unawareness, the sense of time and self absent in that dreamless sleep.

Sleep, of course is a rather more nuanced thing, rather than an entire whole. And Familiars themselves, especially one in Arf's situation had certain unusual stages of sleep, due to the nature of their bonds to their masters that reached into the mind. Such as right before Arf awoke. Indeed, our wolf is rather unique individual, even among Familiars, in rather unique, though not completely unknown circumstances.

Now, most Mid-Childan familiars have the capability of pooling their knowledge and experience together with their masters, as well as sharing an empathic connection. Of course, the master was at liberty to block or restrict those connections, and Arf strongly suspected that the Familiar she regarded as her mentor had been subjected to this by Precia, Fate's actual mother. In practice of course, the farther the Dimensional “Distance” between a Familiar and its' master, the more deliberate effort was required in exploiting the features of the link. Normally, this wouldn't be a concern, since most familiars usually remain at their master's side.

However, Arf's circumstances was unique. Even her contract with her mistress, to “Live through life” was one of the most generous terms that could be granted to any familiar. Her mistress, the legendary Ace Enforcer, Fate Testarossa often went on missions in distant reaches of the Dimensional Sea And given the frightening skill of that great Artificial Mage, Arf herself remained in the capital world of Mid-Childa, believing that she would support her mistress better in an information gathering capacity. Communication and interaction through the Familiar bonds over great dimensional distances was something Arf was very well accustomed to exploiting. Indeed, few Familiars in the TSAB were in her league when it came to controlling such bonds. However, it also led to certain unique quirks of hers.

Such as reaching out through the Familiar bonds between her master and herself. Before waking up, she would always reach out through the Familiar bonds, in an effort to achieve a sense of reassurance on her mistress state. She always did so, without fail, ever since the first time she and her mistress had been separated for a significant period of time, back when she was forced to flee from Fates' true mother.

And so the Familiar attained self-awareness within the void. And as always, in her habit, she visualized within the darkness at the border of consciousness the Familiar Bond. It began with a brief scent. And that was where she paused abruptly. That scent had the distinct syrupy sweet smell of the supply of mana feeding her existence. But that scent felt utterly strange. It was not the liberating freshly mint scent after the end of a thunderstorm of Fate Testarossa nor the alluringly sharp ozone tange that accompanied Erio Mondial's mana.

No, the scent smelled alien, utterly so. It reminded Arf of the scent of the chilling, cooling scent of Anti-Magic. And it was tinged with the smell of one of those gale-storms that occasionally visited some of the many residences she had resided in over the years. And the stench was intense, giddily so. It brimmed with a vigorously varying intensity, a mighty wind that somehow kept picking up and drawing down, or an unpredictable wave. It smelled of great-power untamed, uncontrolled. Frightening, glorious chaos. Indeed, a sound like that of a mid-ocean storm roared in her mind.

And it was coming from the scent of her golden blazing linker-core, linked by cords of intensely wavering silver. A sight that just came into view.

Well, curiosity killed the cat. But I'm a wolf anyway, so that old saw ain't applicable to me. She wrly thought, as her “eyes” began following the vast wavering tendrils that intertwined and fed her very existence. The visualization of the bond between her master and herself. And above her was a blazing chaos of glittering silver light, a perpetual nova of silver tinged with the inky blackness of a void, instead of the intense inter-play of purple and gold that she expected to see above her instead. The magic sustaining her was substantially different.

Gingerly, she attempted to begin her ascend up to the bright light that represented the other end of the Familiar Bond, paw by paw up the flowing patterns of the bonds. It was initially slow going, as the magic felt viscous, thick, resistant and yet strangely slippery. But then, she made a realization.
The great bonds bore a certain, consistent, rolling geometric shapes. It was made out of a flowing column of repeating patterns, again and again. Judging by their consistency, she guessed they appeared to be runes of some sort, though of a language she never recalled reading in all her studies and experiences. Perhaps those runes could be exploited somehow? She reached out for the bonds-

The brief flash of silver light engulfed her. When it faded away, it was replaced with a far more mundane scene. She was in an ornate room. Rich looking furniture, from elaborately crafted chairs to well appointed cushions and lavish stately sculptures of various beast attested to the status of its' inhabitant. It was bathed in warm orange light from ornately decorated lamps. The most odd feature though was the bed of straws at the far corner of the room.

But more significantly, Arf realized she was looking at herself. The face of her child form greeted her, her eyes serenely closed. She saw that she was lying down face-up on a lap, most likely of the mage she was looking through the eyes of. And she could see one relatively small, dainty pale hand stroke and play with the hair around her ears. A distinct sense of puzzlement could be detected. She could feel another palm resting against the fine linen of the bed.

Her thoughts began to race. She replayed the most recent events in her mind quickly. She remembered being forced into the portal back at the mansion in Altsiem, Mid-Childa. She remembered waking up to a crowd, and quickly hiding her animalistic features as a precaution. And then, she was kissed, followed by the sudden carving of runes on her arm. And now, she had a new master. The dots immediately connected together, as all elements clicked in place.

Immediately, she felt a sense of wariness. Until she could get a grip on the situation, it'd be best if she erred on the side of caution.

And then, she simultaneously that she was lying on something that felt half like flesh, and half like fabric. Two distinct fabric – her head felt like it was resting on wool, and somewhere between it and her legs, the wool was replaced with fine linen. She was about to wake up. And she could feel a smooth, fairly warm hand playing around with her hair on-top of her head, in sync with the vision she was still simultaneously perceiving through the eyes of the origin of the bond. That was the final piece of the puzzle, the affirmative evidence that brought her to a conclusion. The contact with Erio had been fulfilled. Her bond had been passed on to a new master.

She opened her eyes to see the prominent, arrow-sharp chin of the strawberry blonde girl with long flowing hair. The girl that had kissed her. A girl, judging by the sudden jerk Arf felt beneath her, that had been quite startled at her awakening, as those distant eyes crimson eyes suddenly snapped out of its' blank daze, focused and widened all at once.

Corseque, is the translation I instructed ready? Arf's mind immediately snapped right into attention, drawing on the memories, experiences and habits of her previous masters. Her body automatically slid of Louise, as she got up to her feet.

Reams of information quickly flowed in her mind, a sensation akin to perceiving a flow of text down her retinas, as the girl she was looking at struggled to bring her expression back under control. The language apparently bore similarities to several Unadministrated World 97 Language, principally Flemish and French dialects. A day of sampling of conversations in the background had yielded an adequate lexicon transferred directly to the mind. Analysis of the bond – Arf decided to cut it off there.

The name of the girl was Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. She normally went by the name Louise. Or Ms Valliere. A most curious name indeed, her device affixed to the end of that analysis. Arf could positively feel the amusement dripping off from the A.I. Well, telepathy was working, even if the flow of magic in this world was certainly not Mid-Standard.

“ So, you're awake at last, Familiar. Who are you?” Louise finally spoke with the capitalization of the F in Familiar clearly emphasized in her voice, interrupting Arf's chain of thoughts.

Arf considered her response, carefully.

“ My name is Alph, but you may call me Arf. Where are we exactly?” She spoke slowly, rolling unfamiliar pronunciations carefully through her tongue. Speech in that language was proving awkward.

“ We are at the renowned Tristian Academy of Magic, in the kingdom of Tristian, near the capital. Where are you from, Familiar, and what creature are you exactly?” Louise asked. Though Arf was insufficiently acquainted with the nuances of the language to read into its' tone, the empathic link between her and the short girl in-front of her hinted that there was a sense of curiosity.

There was a slight pause.

Corseque? Is there any Kingdom on any planet in the records you have with you that goes by the name Tristian? Is this a Contacted World?

“ I am a girl - “ Arf began.

“ Don't lie to me!” Louise sharply interrupted. Another moment's pause followed. “ I saw it. That ear, and that tail. You are not a human, and don't tell me that you're an ordinary commoner girl. Why did you hide it?” She snapped.

Not a good start. So she did see it, after all. Arf thought.

Tristian does not appear on any archives stored on me. Coreque replied back to her earlier question. Troubling. The lag in response-time was most unusual.

Arf gave a slight shrug. “ I see you saw my ears and tails then. You are correct, I'm not human, but I am a female, and -“ The words began coming out more smoothly, as Arf's mind became more used to it.

“ So you are like a Rhyme dragon then?” Louise asked, her previously stern face brightening at Arf's words.

“ What do you mean by that? I do know of some dragons personally though, but I'm not one. ” Arf cocked her head to the side in puzzlement.

Some of the optimism in Louise's face bled away. “Not a dragon, then.” She looked disappointed. “But there are very few creatures that I know of that can change forms like you did. What are you then, and where did you come from?”

"No, I am a wolf, a magical construct sustained by magics. Now, could you kindly tell me where exactly am I?”

Louise however, had apparently drifted off. There was a dazed look, a stray smile that slowly creep up on her face. Arf highly sensitive ears could hear Louise muttering under her breath : “ Sustained by magics ? Then founder be praised. I'm a true mage! I really am!” She repeated several times over, eager awe in her voice. Through the link, Arf could feel the heady sense of elation that accompanied the accomplishment of something deeply yearned for?

Why would she be happy over bonding a Familiar though? Why is it so important to her? Arf could immediately think of a few theories, and normally would have directly posed them to Louise with the brashness and directness that usually characterized her. Alas, given the circumstances, she decided it was best if she refrained. Though the empathic bonds between herself and the girl who had apparently bind her was proving to be a great help, even if the linkages were not flowing as naturally as she was used to. Her left hand felt the faint stirring of a mild cooling sensation each time she drew on the bonds to read her new Mistress actions.

There was, of course, another grim, unwelcome possibility. The entire set-up was rigged to set her at ease. After all, Arf could think of numerous reasons why she would be targeted and kidnapped. Starting from her very position back on Mid-Childa.

“Well the, let's see your original form then.” She beamed at Arf, an eager glint in her eyes, that light elated tone still in her voice, brimming with anticipation.

Arf gave a small little sigh. Given the unusual nature of Louise's magics, she'd have to be careful with her shape-shifting. In that same often practiced transformation, Arf willed herself to return to her original wolf form, in it's full size and glory. She drew in a well practiced trickle of magic. A flash flood of mana flew into her spell - and a very loud explosion resulted, and the acrid scent of burned carbon filled the room. Through the bonds, she could feel Louise's heart almost audibly dropping in the delicately carpeted floor below her- quite a feat, considering that both materials were not known to produce loud sounds in collisions.

When the smoke cleared, there stood a mistress, and a single tall reddish-orange haired women with slightly singed hair, a prominent pair of wolf ears and a tail protruding from her back.

Louise blinked twice. “Oh.” She muttered in a small voice. “ Is that it?” She looked up at Arf, the previous glee replaced with a stare of sober disappointment that also reeked through the bond.

Arf frowned slightly, in her adult form complete with the tell-tale features of a Familiar. “The Shape-shifting apparently didn't go all the way. I am not yet fully accustomed to using your magic, mistress.” Perhaps that would finally confirm her suspicions.

It did. Louise momentarily flushed, her indigence obvious.

“So even my Familiar can't use my magic properly-” Louise paused in mid-sentence, eyes widening again, the sense of realization flooding through the bonds.

“ Wait a moment. Famil – I mean Arf. Where do you come from exactly? What do you mean by the fact that you are a Wolf magical construct? Who created you?” Her questions came in rapidly. “ Hey, face me when I'm talking!” She said to Arf as Arf pulled a chair up besides Louise, and sat down on it. “ I didn't say you could seat – oh well, never mind. “ Louise rolled her eyes.

“This will take quite some time to explain, huh? ” Arf thought out loud. This is really going downhill. This is clearly a prelude to a teenage outburst of angst. Damage Control.

She turned to look at Louise in the eye. “ I guess it's better to take a seat then, if you don't mind. I would answer your question, if you can answer mine first.” She began calmly. This was quite a gamble, and she was tempted to drop that masquerade right there and then. “ What are the terms under which you bind me in, exactly?” “

“ You mean you don't know? But all Familiars instinctively know of their position. I mean, I summoned you of-course, in the Springtime Familiar Ritual, and bound you tome as my Familiar – and – what's this strange look you have on my face? It's just a Ritual that every mage performs. What's so impressive about that summoning anyway? What's up with that creepy look of admiration here? I'm not a great- mage , or – or anything like you think, the Ritual was the first spell I managed to successfully – ah never-mind. What am I saying anyway? I am babbling. Anyway, you haven't answered my question yet-” Louise faltered, as Arf gave her a sharp look that reminded her of her own mother.

“ Hmm, interesting.” Arf commented.

“ Well, really, don't interupt me famil-” She pasued again, as Arf rose one up one hand.

“ I take it that all Familiars summoned usually come from this Dimension, Mistress Vallerie, then?” Arf decided that it was better to get to the point.

“That's – that's a silly question. Of course, while Familiars can be summoned from any point in the continent, most Familiars tend to come from regions nearer to the Summoner's current location. In general, the greater the mage, the farther his or her summons will tend to come from. Most of my peers summoned a creature native to Tristian, or at best, a nearby region of a neighboring country like Gallia or Germania. That stupid Kirche boasted of her Familiar hailing from the Fire Mountains from the Southern End of Halkegenia Continent along the Romalian-Gallia border. ” Louise explained. “What do you mean by Dimension? I don't recognize that word. The Summon Servant spell has never called in a living creature from anywhere beyond this continent. In-fact, travel to another world is the stuff of myth and legends – like that legendary gate.”

“ And this “ Arf emphasized “was your first successful spell , ever? “ She arced one eye. “ Tell me, how old are you?”

Interesting. Her puzzlement is sincere. Clearly, the existence of other Dimensions is not common knowledge in this world, at least, if Louise never even heard of the term before. . Arf inwardly thought.

“ Sixteen.” Louise replied

“ Sixteen? Where I come from, children begin actively casting spells almost as soon as they learn to talk, in some cases. Is this your first year as a student then, in this academy?”

“ Why are you asking me such questions? Shouldn't a familiar know her mistress instinctively anyway?” Louise asked with a clear tone of impatience. Arf inwardly winced. She should have been more careful. Oh well. She decided to play out the conversation to its' predictable conclusion.

“ I don't. ” Louise shoulders slumped at that simple response.

“ And I thought I had cast the Bond Familiar spell perfect, and for once succeeded in actually casting a spell....” Her eyes looked down as she replied in a soft voice, the previous heat in her voice seeped away like a deflated balloon. “ Even my Familiar can't use my magic properly.... she doesn't have the same skills as other familiars, I'm really a failure as a mage....”

That sounds like a rather improbable claim. That level of magics that summoned me here is almost certainly something that an evident untrained novice like her should have been able to manage. Indeed, if not for the Familiar bond and the empathic link , I just might dismiss this story. Clearly, this girl before me has power, but is unable to control it. And no wonder. Her Mana feels as slick and tricky as crude oil. I'll probably have to review my spell knowledge to see which of them are usable. I strongly suspect that most of my abilities are being limited by the unusual nature of the magic I'm being supplied with.

Arf laid her hands on Louise's shoulders. “ I think you are truly powerful Mistress. Unskilled, yes. Untrained, most certainly. But your raw potential is one of the strongest I've ever seen in my life. You see Louise, you were wrong. There are other ….worlds out there. I come from one of those worlds. For you to summon me all the way to this world - .”

“W- what? Other worlds? You are lying aren't you again?” Louise accused.

“ Why should I be lying, mistress?” Arf asked in a pleasant tone.

“ I mean, that's ridiculous. I can't even cast a single spell right, it always ends in an explosion. Besides, stop coming up with such absurd lies. You are not making me feel any better, if that's what you are trying to do. I mean, you can't even shape-shift to your wolf form using my magic.” Louis replied in a slightly bitter tone.

“ Still, something happens when you cast a spell right? You certainly have magic after all, and the very fact I'm still here testifies to that, doesn't it? Still, if the concept of another world is unacceptable to you, then you have at least summoned me from a far, far away.”

“ Fine, then. If you want to be infuriatingly vague about it, have it your way, I'd have you sleep in that haystack over there. I initially intended on letting you sleep with me on my bed, you know- “

“ The haystack is fine.” Arf shrugged “ Back where I came from, I occasionally slept in a litter, even in my human form too.”

“ In that case, you'll sleep outside my door tonight then. No carpets for you. “ Louise snapped.

Ah, shame. Perhaps I should have simply said that I came from very far-away. But her skepticism does suggest that this world has no knowledge whatsoever of the Dimensional Sea. I'd probably do some investigation tonight, and look around this school. It's an unfamiliar world after all, but at least my worst suspicions are likely unfounded.

As for the girl. Oh, she's a difficult one to deal with. Very insecure. Come to think of it, this has to be one of the least self-assured of the children I've encountered. Pride and Insecurity means that it's not going to be an easy going. Oh, Erio. She's much worst than you ever were even when you first came under our care.

Arf realized that her mistress was undressing while she was thinking. She was already down to her underwear.

“Erm, I think I'll leave now, if you need some privacy.” Arf offered.

“No. Stay. I have some other things to tell you” Louise continued undressing.

“ You are fine with that Mistress?”

“ I don't see what is there to be ashamed of in-front of my Familiar.” Louise replied casually.

“ I see then. “ Well, Fate had no qualms casually undressing in-front of Arf too, but that was a reflection of the intense closeness between both of them. She somehow got the impression that it was completely different in the case of Louise.

She saw Louise carelessly discarding her clothes all over the floor, before slipping in a Night-gown. Hayate would have had a field-day with that sight, Arf reflected, smiling slightly inside. Right then, she felt a small pang of longing. But only a little. The runes on her hand seemed to briefly felt warmer, for a moment, in contrast to the cool night breeze flowing in from outside.

Louise yawned. “ Wash this for me in the morning. “

“ Well, I did the laundry for my previous mistress, among other things. That shouldn't be a problem” Arf commented, as she picked up the articles of clothing all over the floor, and began to leave for the door.

“ Stop.” Louise ordered. “ One more thing, Familiar. You haven't answered my questions yet. What do you mean by your previous mistress? Was she the one who made you?”

“ Well, yeah. She was. It's a long story. “ Arf shrugged.

“ Tell me tomorrow then. I'm tired, and it's past my bed-time anyway. You may go now, Familiar.” Louise instructed in a deliberately neutral tone. With a snap of her fingers, the lamps in the room went out, plunging in the room into a darkness only illuminated by faint moonlight.

“ Good night, mistress.” Arf lightly said, as she picked up the articles of clothing, and closed the door behind her.

You are a liar yourself mistress. Though I respect your self-control in curbing your burning desire to know the full-story. And is that trepidation I feel? Arf thought, as she walked out.

Louise laid there in the darkness for a few moments. When the door clicked shut, she whispered in the darkness. “ Good night, Arf.”

Outside the door-way, Arf gave a slight smile. “She's really a child, huh? Lost, confused, a difficult case. ” She remarked to Corseque, as she quickly folded Louise's clothes into a neat bundle in the corridor. She gave a sigh. “ This is not going to be easy.”

First, the Laundry. Then, exploration and recon. With nocturnal energy, she strode down the hall-way, clothes in hand. The night was still young.

Thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks.

Me: Um.... what can I say? MOAR to see if this going to be good...

Odin: You just want to see the rest of it, you numbskull.

Me: heheeheh....

[bhl88]

So it's TSAB and Jail vs Levi (assuming that they know that they have a common goal xD)

As for Levi:
Jail: time to spank your butt too.
Levi: nooooooooo
Tia: I want my turn.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by bhl88

So it's TSAB and Jail vs Levi (assuming that they know that they have a common goal xD)

As for Levi:
Jail: time to spank your butt too.
Levi: nooooooooo
Tia: I want my turn.

Me: Levi's gonna orgasm there, mate.

Odin: Let Vivio, Subaru, Caro, Wendi, Sein and Amelia sing "Happy Happy Joy Joy" and other joyful song at Levi. You'll see her try knock herself into unconsciousness...

[Lycodrake]

Looks like Levi has plans to keep Jail doing what she wants him to...but I'm hoping that he's able to do something to put a wrench in them.

...also, nice skin-ship with Wendi and Nove. But you already knew I'd say that. XP
I forgot Otto had a tail here, too...now I feel bad. ;w;

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by novalysis

An update on the Third Life, a ZnT Nanoha-verse Crossover where Arf get's summoned by Louise.

The Third Life Reincarnating Portals: Part I
Reincarnating Portals Part II

Here goes.

Spoiler for The Third Life - The First Night in Tristian - I: Reville:

-snip-

Well, I enjoyed it, but here's my comments to it.

Spoiler for Thoughts, concerns:

You're mixing tenses. You should write in past tense rather than present tense.

Indeed, our wolf is rather unique individual, even among Familiars, in rather unique, though not completely unknown circumstances.

That really doesn't look too good.

I'd suggest...

Indeed, the wolfgirl was a rather unique individual, even among other Familiars, due to rather unique, though not completely unknown circumstances.

I prefer further to farther, but that's just me.

don't need an apostrophe here...

In practice of course, the farther the Dimensional “Distance” between a Familiar and its' master

its already signifies possession to master. (Old grammar lesson)

Her mistress, the legendary Ace Enforcer, Fate Testarossa often went on missions in distant reaches of the Dimensional Sea And given the frightening skill of that great Artificial Mage,

the "And" doesn't need a capital letter.

This line bothers me greatly.

Well, curiosity killed the cat. But I'm a wolf anyway, so that old saw ain't applicable to me. She wrly thought

Put a single apostrophe around Arf's thoughts, or put them in Italics, so we know that she's thinking to herself.

and wrly should be wryly

lavish stately sculptures of various beast attested to the status of its' inhabitant.

Again, its doesn't need the apostrophe to claim ownership.

to understand, remember this... If it is not "it's" as in "It Is", but instead it is its as in "the dog wagged its tail", it doesn't need the apostrophe.

When you have characters speak, you don't put a space between the quotation marks and the first letter of speaking.

Though Arf was insufficiently acquainted with the nuances of the language to read into its' tone

again, no apostrophe needed.

Arf willed herself to return to her original wolf form, in it's full size and glory

it's here means "it is", you just want its again.

She decided to play out the conversation to its' predictable conclusion.

Again, its doesn't need that apostrophe

That sounds like a rather improbable claim. That level of magics that summoned me here is almost certainly something that an evident untrained novice like her should have been able to manage.

"should" have a "not" after it or be "shouldn't".

“No. Stay. I have some other things to tell you” Louise continued undressing.

needs a comma after "you".

“ Well, I did the laundry for my previous mistress, among other things. That shouldn't be a problem” Arf commented

personally, I'd move the comma from after commented to after problem. But that's just me.

Okay, other than that, you still have the problem of having spaces between what's being said and your quotation marks.

I do like this, and I like how it's showing that Arf is being manipulated by the runes on her body.

This'll make for some interesting times, I think.

[Filraen]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

StrikerS 1-55

StrikerS 56

StrikerS 57

StrikerS 58

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - StrikerS 59:

...

*reads calmly* Nothing to say other that I'm still very upset to Cinque for blowing Signum's hand.

Originally Posted by novalysis

An update on the Third Life, a ZnT Nanoha-verse Crossover where Arf get's summoned by Louise.

The Third Life Reincarnating Portals: Part I
Reincarnating Portals Part II

Here goes.

Spoiler for The Third Life - The First Night in Tristian - I: Reville:

...

First, the Laundry. Then, exploration and recon. With nocturnal energy, she strode down the hall-way, clothes in hand. The night was still young.

Thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks.

Something I forgot to mention the other time. I like your idea of using Arf because (on power levels) she isn't overpowering like in other ZnT crossovers.

And you still have sometimes a space after an opening quote.

Going nice.