Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Just letting people know that I'm not going to be around for the next couple of days, being out of state and all.

*Looks around if Lina's casting a Giga Slave together with Nanoha's Chaos Star Breaker.*

Me:<---- Flees to another reality.... WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!

Odin: Advance Happy Halloween.

Val: Sorry, no sweets available.

Mariemeia: 'Coz my twin is one of the few sweet-tooths around here. *looks at Elane, Amelia and Iris consuming the last of the sweets made by Sarah and Reia.*

Sarah: All those hard work, got mutilated by those sweet-tooths...

Reia: Advance All saint's day and All soul's day to everyone who's doing those traditions.

[NorthernFallout]

Let the feast being anew, for the soul of the Angel of Blood hath returned! GEB ILYAA N’GHFT!

(Back to old-school gore, be warned)

Spoiler for ”The Monster in the Park”:

A bright moon shone in the night. For Arthur, having walked for hours aimlessly, it made him realize that everything around him was dark. His mind had been blank for that time and he couldn’t remember what path he had taken. But he knew his name and he knew where he lived. That was enough for him.

Walking along the sidewalk, getting the occasional glance from an annoyed passer-by because of his swaying, almost drunk, walk, he wondered if he really should head home. After all, the night was warm and sweet. A true summer night, in other words. He was even coming up at the park, lying silent in the night.

“Why not?” he mumbled to himself and strayed onto the path leading into the park. He looked at the trees, eerie and mysterious in the darkness. The leaves were silent, untouched by the wind. The fountain, in the middle of the lake, was silent, too. The park was stuck in time, to Arthur’s mind. Frozen.

Arthur often thought too much, just like this. He would let his mind wander for hours on end, coming up with the wildest imaginations his mind was capable of. He could think up a story about anything. But he couldn’t put it down on paper, of course. Then his mind would go blank again. It was one source of frustration in his life that he had never been able to conquer. And yet he still tried. He refused to give up on writing the novel he wanted to publish. He couldn’t let go of that dream. Not for anything.

His thoughts wandering, he realized he had been walking without a purpose again, coming to a standstill at a bench. The reason was beyond him, but he looked around, suddenly alert. There was something in the park, observing him. He hadn’t been aware of it before, but now he could feel the piercing stare in his neck. Chills ran along his back. He didn’t want to be walking in the park anymore. His imagination began to run wild again. The stares looked into his soul, seeing his weak, inner self.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and started walking again, more briskly now. He didn’t want to run, to raise suspicion. His body was screaming at him to get out of there. But he retained his cool, even if he was close to the breaking point.

A horrendous scream broke the silence in the park and he finally broke into a run, ignoring what he had just thought about himself. He didn’t know where it had come from, but he didn’t care. He just ran towards the exit, as fast as his legs carried him.

As he got closer to the lightposts right at the exit, he could see something on the ground. He slowed his approach, starting to sneak. It was still very dark, but the lightposts lit the area up a little around him and allowed him to see. What he saw was white clothing against the dirty ground and white, long hair in a mess, almost crawling along the ground. It was a girl lying there, he realized. Injured and unconscious.

Throwing away his earlier fears of someone, or something, prowling around him in the bushes, he approached her and knelt down. She was breathing, but weakly. The injuries had looked grave from a distance, but up close there only seemed to be scratches, except for a gash on her forehead. He guessed it was what had caused her to collapse. But as to what had caused it, he didn’t want to know.

Throwing a glance over his shoulder he thought for a second, coming to a decision. Slowly bending down, he carefully picked up the girl in his arms and carried her away, towards his home. Why he did it, he didn’t know. But he knew that if he let the girl remain where she was, whatever had injured her would come back for her. He had decided he wouldn’t let that happen.

*****

Dabbing a wet cloth on the girl’s forehead, Arthur was thinking of the park. If there truly was a dangerous creature there, he had to go to the authorities. He didn’t think it was an crazy idea either. He had heard the urban myths of magical creatures sometimes going astray from their natural habitat and entering inhabited areas. This might just be one of them, he had decided.

The girl moaned in discomfort and turned in his bed. He had put her there as soon as they had returned, letting her rest and taking care of her wounds. In the light of his home, however, he had noticed the massive blood stains on her clothing. What he found odd was that the blood didn’t belong to her. It was too much to have come from the gash on her forehead, or any of her other wounds. He figured she had defended herself against whatever had attacked her, wounding it.

Strong lass, he mused and squeezed out the water of the towel, slung it over the chair and stood up. Might as well get some work done. Not like I’m going to sleep any time soon.

He walked over to his desk and sat down on the old wooden chair. In front of him was the panel, waiting for him. Its blue-ish light filled his face as he placed his fingers on the keyboard. His mind wasn’t blank for once. He glanced at the girl lying on his bed. Thanks, lass. Seems like you’ve inspired me. Perhaps you’d become my muse if I asked...

He knackered away, watching as the text took form in front of him. The park still scratched at the back of his mind, distracting him. He had been thinking about it for a while and it didn’t add up. The creature. The girl. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks again. But at least he was writing, inspired by the events that had unfolded.

He shut his eyes and rubbed them, trying to focus. The writing took priority. He could ponder about the events later. The girl was asleep, breathing deeply behind him. He sat in his own little bubble of peace now and let his brain get to work.

*****

The next time he looked up from the screen, two hours had passed. He hadn’t noticed it at all. It was early in the morning, but still somewhat dark outside his windows. He got up from the desk and stretched. His back and neck were aching and he could finally feel sleep beckoning for him. After all, he hadn’t slept for almost two days. Perhaps now he could finally rest. The question was where, as he glanced at the empty bed-

Empty?

The tiredness he had felt quickly retreated and he became alert once again. He had been so focused in his writing that he hadn’t even heard the girl get up.

He looked around, listening intently. She couldn’t have gone far. All of the doors were still closed and the windows seemed untouched. The house itself wasn’t that big either and it didn’t have a lot of hiding places. Sneaking around the corner, he checked the hallway, which was empty. He stepped lightly on the wooden floor in the hall, towards the kitchen. As he approached the door frame he grasped it and peered inside. His search didn’t last long.

She was in there, swaying lightly back and forth. She had her back to him and he could hear a soft hum coming from the girl’s lips, but he didn’t recognize it. The tune was slow and made even more eerie by the weak light from outside as morning approached. It reflected off something in her hand and he stayed where he was.

“Lass?” he whispered, uncertain. The hum stopped and she stood there, doing nothing. Finally, after what felt like several minutes to Arthur, she reacted.

“What is your... name?” she whispered. He could barely hear her, but her voice wasn’t as soft as he had anticipated. It carried some kind of weight to it, one that he had never really heard before. There was something more behind it, too. An emotion. Dark and gloomy.

“Arthur,” he said and relaxed a little. “Lass, what are you doing up? You should be resting.”

“Arthur... is it?” she said and ignored his question. “That’s an odd name around here. Thank you for helping me. It must have been quite scary in that park when you found me, though.”

“Well, yes it was... Lass, what’s your name?”

“My name...” the girl murmured as she slowly turned around, revealing the nastiest grin Arthur had ever seen. Her red eyes were open wide, glaring at him. “My name is Wallachia.”

She launched at him without warning, bringing forth the knife in her hand. Arthur was too slow and only managed to move an inch before Wallachia collided with him, sending a searing pain into his abdomen. He froze and gaped in shock, unable to even utter words. He looked down at Wallachia who was smiling back at him. From the knife sticking out he could see his blood starting to drip along its handle.

“You rescued me from one of my enemies,” Wallachia said and started to carve with the knife in his abdomen, cutting through his flesh. “Enemies in my eyes, of course. In your eyes he would have been my killer... And your savior.” His ribs blocked the path of the knife. She gave it a powerful tug and the ribs broke with a series of loud cracks. Slowly and methodically, she continued to cut his flesh.

Arthur gurgled as blood started to fill his lungs and seeking its way up his throat. The pain was indescribable, paralyzing him. He was holding himself upright by grabbing the door frame, his knuckles going white. He didn’t know what else to do. His mind was filled only with pain.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll catch me someday,” Wallachia mused and finished her carving, pulling the knife out. A big, fat slab of flesh dropped to the floor with a sickening, wet thump. Without waiting she pounced the knife in again and started to carve his organs that now hang free on his stomach, grinning as she did. “Oooh... I won’t go hungry for a while.”

Arthur’s vision began to grow dark from the loss of blood. He saw his own intestines below him, falling out one after another as Wallachia pulled them out with the knife. Soon she discarded the knife altogether, giggled and ripped them out by force. Blood was flowing freely from his abdomen, spluttering onto the floor and turning it a sinister red. For each ripped organ he convulsed, his eyes rolling farther back into their sockets.

“You know the monster in the park?” she said while giggling. “Seems like you were wrong. The monster was here all along.”

Arthur’s body finally gave up and he collapsed in a pile on the sticky floor, his soul granted its final sleep. For a moment Wallachia looked surprised at how long he had hold out. It quickly faded, however, and she knelt down next to the body. She thrust her hand inside his chest and ripped his heart free from its cage. She held it up above her, letting the blood drip onto her extended tongue, squeezing the heart until it exploded from the pressure. Her face and clothes were showered with blood. Each drop warmed her and she licked her lips in delight.

She then began the real feast.

[Note: Wallachia is an old OC of mine.]

[Rising Dragon]

Oh shit Wallachia's back. :k

[bhl88]

Lol I was about to say Melty Blood, but this Wallachia's a girl.

[KeithKurogane]

Unless that Wallachia has a tendency to say:
Katto. Katto Katto Katto Katto KattoKattoKattoKattoKATTOKATTOKATTOKATTOKATTOKATTO !!!

[Craxuan]

Aw, that was such a cute story... Guess I shouldn't hold back on the link either.

http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detai...d=350217&no=31

[Mr Coin]

@AtomicoX Awesome chapter, Where are your other stories. I want to read them.

@Craxuan, that link was gold. Can you tell me who made it?

[Craxuan]

The poster? It's in that website. The others are all in Korean unfortunately.

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by Mr Coin

@AtomicoX Awesome chapter, Where are your other stories. I want to read them.

This one was a one-shot, though more of that will come. However, you can check out my (old) index here. Mind, the style, quality and such is lower since I haven't added anything for a while. But it has a lot of what I've written, including the origination of Wallachia and her profile.

[deathcurse]

Happy Halloween everyone...and I regret that I don't have a scary fic for people, but hopefully this Hayate x Vivio Files fic will do?

Spoiler for Hayate x Vivio Files Chronology:

Gut Feeling - by deathcurse
Little Girl - by deathcurse (Part 1 of 3 stories)
Ulterior Motives - by deathcurse
Lose By Holding Back - by deathcurse
You Never Lose By Loving - by deathcurse *First story in the series, recommended to be read first*
Prerogative of the Brave - by deathcurse (in progress)
To Let Nature Run its Course - by Extrinsical/Eagle8819
Grandmama Wolf - by RadiantBeam
Judgement Day - by deathcurse
The Things We Tame - by Shigan
No Explanation Will Be Good Enough – by Shigan
The Next Best Thing - by Shigan

Fanon
Unforseen Complications - by Moczo
Bad End - by deathcurse

Spoiler for Ulterior Motives:

Quick Note: This story takes place in the Hayate x Vivio Files, about 6 months before the events of “You Never Lose By Loving.” Vivio is 14 and Hayate is 27 (and Lutecia would be 18).

Ulterior Motives

Vivio Takamachi gritted her teeth, feeling a bead of sweat slide down her temple. Just…a…little…higher…

“Th…Thirty!” Vivio touched her forehead to her knees, feeling the pressure of the padded workout bench behind her knees and in front of her ankles. She exhaled, lowering herself down from her sit-up.

“That’s not what this insignia is,” Lutecia joked, holding up her flash card again just above Vivio’s knees so that the younger girl could see it even as she prepared herself for another set of sit-ups.

“Navy, Second-Lieutenant,” answered Vivio from memory as she laced her fingers behind her head again. She paused. “Hey, thanks again for helping me study for my Military Policies test, Lutecia.”

“How could I not?” teased her purple-haired friend from her seat on a balance ball. The base gym was empty due to the late hour, but late at night was the only time that Vivio and Lutecia could manage to find that worked in both their schedules. Between final exams for Vivio and mass orders of graduation Devices for Lutecia, neither of them had seen much of each other for the last few weeks. Lutecia shuffled Vivio’s note cards. “I need to earn my worth as a best friend, right? Besides, this is fun. It’s a nice refresher.” She held up another card by Vivio’s knees. “This one?”

With a clench of her stomach muscles, Vivio raised herself up, her shirt tightening across her taut back muscles. “Air…Force, Captain,” Vivio identified, panting as she held her position, then lowered her upper body back down. That insignia Vivio knew well—she had spent enough time ironing Nanoha-mama’s uniform jacket, after all.

Honestly, Vivio was glad that it had been an easier question for her to answer, because her nervousness had grown in the last ten minutes, scrambling her thoughts from the present into her approaching conundrum. The repetitiveness of the sit-ups helped with the anxiety, but honestly, if she wanted to ask Lutecia about her problem then she needed to speak up before they both had to go home. While Nanoha trusted Vivio enough to let her go out wherever she wanted even at odd hours, even the White Devil drew a line at letting her fourteen-year-old daughter be wandering about past eleven on a weeknight.

(Hence the reason why Lutecia was helping Vivio study during their hanging-out time: "studying" was a magic word that let Vivio sneakily get away with certain things like curfew during exam season.)

“Um…Lutecia…”

“Yes?”

“Well…”

“…Yes?”

Just spit it out, Vivio! The blonde gulped. “I…need a bit of advice.”

“Oh?” The summoner raised an eyebrow, brushing her long purple locks behind an ear. She shuffled through the cue cards. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Smiling at Vivio’s startled gaping, Lutecia patted Vivio’s shin in amusement. “You’re pretty obvious when you’re stressed about something, you know. So, what’s the problem?”

Vivio stuck her tongue out at her friend, then inhaled as she pulled herself into another series of sit-ups. “You know that…Officer Training Program I…mentioned before?”

“The one at St. Hilde?” Lutecia frowned a bit as she pondered, then nodded. “Oh yes, you’re applying for an internship placement soon, aren’t you?”

Panting as she lowered herself down again, Vivio grunted affirmation.

Lutecia held up another cue card picture.

Vivio crunched into her fifthiest sit-up. “Ground Forces, Colonel.”

“You know all the Ground Forces ones well, huh?” Lutecia teased, her red eyes twinkling.

Don’t react don’t react…aw. Vivio blushed, nearly falling backwards as her stomach muscles shivered. “Yeah, yeah…anyway. Um…I know that I have the grades and the applied skills to go, well, nearly anywhere I want.” It wasn’t as embarrassing admitting such an immodest thing to a best friend; Vita had drilled excessive modesty out of Vivio long ago, claiming that a good warrior who didn’t need to boast didn’t need to put herself down either. “And well, I had gone though my choices a lot over the last month, but…”

After waiting for some time when Vivio fell silent, Lutecia reached over and put a hand on Vivio’s knee. “But?”

“Well, I kind of know which placement I want,” Vivio admitted in a small voice. “But I’m not…not sure it’s the best place for me.” Vivio did another series of sit-ups, the burn in her abdominal muscles vanishing as her nervousness grew.

“And which placement is this?”

Vivio bit her lip. She was so going to get teased. But if she wanted honest advice, then she was going to have to suck it up. “…The Ground Forces Defence Corps Strike team.”

“Defence Corps?” Lutecia repeated, and Vivio could practically see the pieces click together behind her friend’s delicate features. When the lightbulb turned on, Vivio sighed and let herself flop down onto the padded matt resignedly.

Thankfully, Lutecia Alphine was her best friend for a reason. The older girl set the study notes to the side and rolled her balance ball away to sit next to Vivio, sliding closer so that she could peer down at Vivio’s face. “So, one of the places you want to apply to is the Strike Team division under Hayate’s command?” She asked, not a hint of teasing in her tone.

“That’s the thing,” Vivio said miserably, blowing a puff of air through her blonde bangs. “I…well, I don’t want to want that internship just because of Hayate-san, you see?” She kicked her legs out straight, lying sprawled on her back. “I mean, I…you know how I can’t exactly think straight around Hayate-san.” With a small laugh, Vivio rolled her eyes. “Pun sort-of intended.”

“So you’re worried that you’re being biased, and you want to make sure that you’re thinking it out before you jump to a decision?”

“Yes, exactly,” Vivio said eagerly. She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. “That’s what I need advice for! Do you have any thoughts?”

“Slow down a little,” Lutecia held up a hand, laughing nervously at Vivio’s intensity. “Okay, you have to help me understand how you think first. What other programs would you want to get into, if you weren’t going to try for the GFDC Strike Team?”

Good thing she was prepared for such a question. Vivio shuffled in a pseudo-military crawl on her stomach over to her workout bag, where she pulled out Sacred Heart and tapped him on the head to wake him up. “Kris, display folder “OTP internships” please.”

Three holoscreens immediately appeared in the air. Vivio touched the first one and moved her finger closer to Lutecia, the screen following her movement. “This one is pretty cool. It’s a placement with the Special Investigations Unit, working off-world. I thought about this one because my investigative skills aren’t the greatest compared to my combat skills, so it could be a good chance for me to work on my weaknesses.”

“Sounds nice. Why isn’t it on the top of your list then?”

“Um…lots of things.” Vivio counted off on her fingers. “Firstly, it’s off-world. I don’t really want to get deployed right now…I want to stay at home with Nanoha-mama. It’s hard enough that Fate-mama is away so much—I don’t want to do that to Nanoha-mama as well. And the whole purpose of the internship component of the OTP is ideally for us to make connections in the field that we want to advance in. So it seems kind of wasteful, even if I would learn a lot, to spend a year interning in a division that I probably won’t make a career out of.”

Lutecia scrolled down the page, skimming through the details of the SIU program. “Hm, yes, I see what you mean. You still haven’t decided yet what you want to do, Vivio?”

“No,” Vivio moped, playing with the ends of her ponytail. That was the stock question that she kept getting asked in the last year, and it was both annoying and panic-inducing at the same time. “How did you decide to become a Device Meister?”

“There wasn’t much to do on uninhabited worlds,” Lutecia deadpanned, and laughed when Vivio socked her in the shoulder. “Ow! I actually really don’t know, Vivio. I think I was just good at it, and it was really interesting. And I love seeing new partnerships begin, so I think I just went with it when I found that I could do it well.” She playfully shoved Vivio back. “And how about you? Other than becoming a pugilist, what would you want to do?”

“I’m not going to become a professional boxer,” complained Vivio, pulling the other holoscreens over. “Geez, when you win one tournament…Anyway, other than doing something with the military, which is a given, I’m open to nearly anything at this point.”

“Why so adamant about the military?” Lutecia asked, somewhat seriously. “You’re really good with sociology and history too—it’s not like you couldn’t find yourself a good job outside of the TSAB.”

Vivio laughed softly, sighing. “It’s in the family blood. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had to stand on the side and watch everyone we know fight to protect what we love, and I couldn’t help. If I’m going to do it anyway, I might as well make a living from it, huh?”

“I think that’s what Nanoha-san said when she found out that she can legally blow things up often as an instructor.”

They burst out laughing, giggling at the thought.

“Okay, what’s another one?” Lutecia gestured at the digital applications.

“This one is pretty cool—it’s a Forward position with Battalion 108. I could work with Subaru’s dad! The internship would be mostly drilling and learning combat tactics though, from what I know of the Battalion’s mandate, but they have a lot of cool specialist programs that they’re offering. So even though I won’t actually do a lot of real combat I’ll still be sparring and learning about leading squads and stuff like that.” Vivio minimized her half-completed application form so that Lutecia could look at the program’s official information package. She started stretching to touch her toes as she waited for Lutecia to finish forming an opinion of her own as her friend speed-read through the documents. “I’ll have to move to the barracks, but it’s still close to Cranagan. It’s pretty tempting—I really like their explosives training!”

Lutecia started laughing even harder, until she was nearly choking. “Oh my—like…mother…like daughter!”

“Hey!” Vivio blushed and indignantly kicked the balance ball over to have it bop Lutecia in the side. “It’s technical training!”

Lutecia wiped her mirthful tears away and slid the screen back over to Vivio. “Right. So, what’s wrong with this one?”

“Well…that’s the thing. There’s not a whole lot wrong with this one, per se…” Vivio ducked her head, then motioned the last holoscreen over. “I’m just, well…it’s a toss-up between the Strike Team and Battalion 108, really. That’s why I’m so worried; Lutecia-chan, I’m worried that I’m leaning toward the Strike Team just because I’d get to work with her!” To her horror, Vivio felt her eyes start to sting with confused emotion.

Oh no, she couldn’t cry over something like this! It was utterly silly and humiliating.

“Hey, hey!” Lutecia rubbed the blonde’s back in comforting circles. “Hey, Vivio, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad. It’s a good thing that you’re thinking so carefully about this.”

“I really want to,” Vivio confessed, wiping at her eyes. “There’s only one opening a year for interns, and they get dozens of applications. And, well…” She hesitated. Lutecia had never teased her about her crush on Hayate as much as Caro and the others, but still, Vivio could tell that Lutecia was only indulging her whenever Vivio went on and on about how she felt for Hayate.

How could she explain the level of her burning desire to have the chance to spend weeks and months working closely with Hayate? She had read up on all the reports and public files about the Strike Team and what they did, and watched all the PR releases Hayate—Lt. General Yagami—had given about the relatively new unit in her official capacity as the Capital Defence Corps Commander, always dreaming about somehow getting a chance to work there despite her young age. Vivio couldn’t think of anything she had ever wanted more in her life.

And that was exactly the problem.

Vivio would be so ashamed of herself if she made such an important decision for her life and career simply because of a silly childhood fancy. So really, all she needed was for Lutecia to tell her that Vivio was indeed being foolish, and that would give Vivio the small push she needed to move past dreaming into more realistic things.

“But yeah, the Strike Team internship doesn’t cover as many topics as the Battalion Forward position. It’s a lot more like a real job, since eventually you’d be on call for missions and such. There’s a lot more real fighting, but I don’t even know if I want to go that kind of team-specialist route.” Vivio shrugged, her tone offhand. She ground a heel against the mat, downcast. “I mean…I admit that the only reason it stayed on my list for so long was because it was a CDC position working out of Hayate-san’s building.”

“I see,” Lutecia remarked, crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” mumbled Vivio, reaching to shut down the Strike Team application screen. “It’s a lot clearer how silly it is once I said it out loud, thanks for—”

“Hey, hold on a minute,” Lutecia scowled, grabbing onto Vivio’s wrist. “I didn’t actually say anything yet, so don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Sorry…”

“So, the only reason you looked at the Strike Team internship was because of Hayate?”

“Well, not the only reason, but—”

“What else?”

“Huh?” blinked Vivio.

“What other reasons?” Lutecia persisted, looking awfully intimidating even while sitting cross-legged on a blue practice mat and wearing grungy workout clothes.

“Uh…” Vivio stammered, confused. “It sounded…cool?”

“That’s it? Cool?”

“No! They do a lot of fighting, but it’s really urban, compared to military campaigns. You know how much I like using Strike Arts rather than bombardment attacks, so this seemed like an interesting placement to develop my Strike Arts skills. And it’s a relatively new program in the CDC itself, so I’ll be likely to get promoted faster or get a command position during my internship year rather than have to wait until I graduate.” She felt herself stumbling over words as she nervously tried to blurt out all the other reasons before Lutecia’s aggressive interrogation and expectant stare. “And yeah, it’s close to home so I can stay at the house with Nanoha-mama…and, um…”

“So why are you so hard on yourself?”

“I…what?”

Lutecia leaned forward and patted Vivio’s shoulder. “Those were a lot of really good reasons why you should consider applying for the Strike Team internship. It sounds like either the Strike Team or Battalion 108 would be great placements for you, Vivio.”

“I…I guess…” Vivio paused, then smiled, feeling her mood shift from dejected to amazed. “…Yeah. Thanks, Lutecia-chan.”

“Anything for my best friend.” Lutecia bounced up to sit on her balance ball again, scooping up Vivio’s study notes with one hand. “You’ll do just fine. Hey, it’s a long internship—you might as well be happy at what you’re doing, and happy with the people you’re working with, right?”

A corner of Vivio’s lips twitched as she turned onto her knees, lowering herself down and ready to count push-ups. “Yeah. Thanks, I’m glad I off-loaded on you, Lutecia-chan. It’s really helped me make it all make sense.”

Yes, it all made sense now.

“Good luck—even though I know you’ll get anything you want. You’re a stubborn Takamachi, after all!” Lutecia grinned, and drew a card from the face-down note deck of military insignias. “Back to studying…”

She held it up.

Vivio smiled. “Ground Forces, Lieutenant-General.”

Spoiler for Author's Note:

While I struggle though school and finishing up the insanely emotional “Prerogative of the Brave” Chapters 6 and 7, I thought that I’d write a bit more about Vivio’s life and thoughts separate from the whole romance thing =) (it’s only fair, since Hayate’s gotten a few stories of her own for that!).

I have no clue if Vivio actually does the laundry/irons clothes in her house, but I liked the joke ^_^. Not to mention it lets me get a gag into one of my currently-unfinished-HxV Files-stories! =)

Oh, and of course, Nanoha totally knows Vivio’s lame teenager tricks =P. As a teenager, Vivio is clearly unaware of that fact ^_-.

[Kaijo]

Just a note that I wasn't able to finish the Halloween fic I had planned, so I'm gonna postpone it to next year and resume work on my other fics instead. I've become a bit too distracted lately trying the 12 hour Excalibur II challenge on FF9, heh.

[Nanya01]

Hey, I'm back!

And I got candy for people who were waiting for me.

If you count Blood That Flows as candy.

Peek's Mini-Arcs:

Yagami Mid Four Dwell Takamachi Scrya Fatherhood Harlaown Dreams Dance Healing Twins Advice History Onwards Cycle

BTF Omakes:

Old Iron Omakes 1, 2, 3 Mr Snuggles Omake

Playdate Start

Playdate 2

Playdate 3

Playdate 4

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - Peek - Playdate End:

If one were to ask Lina how she felt about someone naming their child after her, she wouldn't have any real answer. In her life, her name had gone from a curse when she was younger, which was what happened when countries, villages and even people were considered nothing more than collateral damage when fighting against Dragons, Mazoku and some high-level sorcerers; to one that represented hope and determination.

That last bit threw Lina for quite the loop after Zelgadis told her about it the first time. Even if it was to emphasize how she had fallen against Hellmaster Phibrizzo, but had defeated him, only to rise from the grave not too long afterwords to fight against the abomination that was Dark Star and Vorfeed's fusion, defeat them, save the world and then rise to the stars and leave the world again.

While Lina had no end of confidence, hearing stories like that really did embarrass her. All she wanted to know was what kind of idiot came up with stories like that anyway?

(---)

"ACHOO!"

"You okay, daddy?" Amelia asked as she walked into the throne room where her father, King Phil, was looking over some official paperwork.

"I'm fine, Amelia!" The large man stood up and laughed loudly. "It'll take more than a sneeze to knock me out! What brings you here? I thought you were going to be traveling the country-side, meeting new people and making new contacts?"

The busty young woman blushed and nodded. "Well, I was, but you'll never guess who showed up!"

King Phil looked curious, before smiling broadly as a familiar young man walked into the hall. "Mr. Zelgadis! It's been so long, my friend!"

The Chimera, though he looked human due to the shifting spell that he learned from Arf so long ago, grimaced as King Phil somehow managed to launch himself from the throne to right in front of him, slapping him on the back hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. "Ugh..." If there was one thing he didn't miss from this world, it was Phil's... Over-exuberance when he was excited.

Phil chuckled as Zelgadis struggled to get back onto his feet. "So, how are things in that other world, Mr. Zelgadis?"

"Well, I can't say I agree with everything that they do." Zelgadis stood up fully and shook his head to stop the ringing of his ears. "But, over-all, they aren't a bad lot." A small grin came to his face as he looked at Phil and Amelia. "About what you'd expect from a large governmental body, most of the people who work there are pretty sincere about things, but I suspect, though I have no proof, that the leaders of the organization are probably corrupted in various places."

King Phil and Amelia both nodded, it was quite common in most governments. "What makes you say that, Mr. Zelgadis?" Even if it was common, Amelia wasn't sure what Zelgadis meant.

Zelgadis ran a hand through his hair, moving it out of the way of his eyes. One thing he found annoying, his hair had grown rather long since he could turn human again. "I've heard too many complaints about too much red tape and how different branches of the military could help out, but don't. That either signifies incompetent leaders or corrupt ones, or both."

"It could be, but unless you know for sure..." King Phil shook his head and Zelgadis nodded.

"Oh, I know, I don't plan on commenting about it to anyone until I know more. Besides, it could just be a few clerks that are doing the wrong thing for whatever reasons." Shrugging, Zelgadis glowered at his hair as it covered his eyes again. Why the heck was his hair growing so much these days? "Anyway, there are other things as well..."

(---)

"So, what made you name him after me anyway?" Lina asked as she and Gourry were sitting in his kitchen, sipping on some tea while the children played in the yard.

The fact that there were several thumps, crashes and even a small explosion outside didn't worry either of them, especially when they heard Fried chirping with Arf and Suzuka running around and yelling at the kids. Lina wasn't too worried about something happening to the children. Suzuka and Arf were more than enough to deal with all but the strongest of Mazoku, Elves or Dragons that might try something.

There was always something random, like a sorcerer knowing the Dragon Slave or some sort of anti-magic tank, or some sort of Demon Beast that could show up and wreck havoc, but if that happened, Lina was certain that she and Gourry could deal with it.

Gourry shrugged at her. "I was going to call him Lina..." He was interrupted by a paper fan swatting him right between the eyes.

"I'm glad you didn't." Lina muttered as she put the fan away.

Gourry rubbed his forehead. "Sylphiel did the same thing." He muttered, remembering her words about how he should 'be serious' about naming their child. "Sylphiel named him Leon, but the nurse wrote it down as Leo, so, it stuck."

Lina sweat-dropped heavily as she looked at Gourry. "...Since when has your memory been that good?" Gourry leaned back in his chair and thought about it for a few seconds.

"Huh, I don't know. I guess when it comes to stuff that's important, I can remember it."

"Do you even remember who Gaav is?" Lina dead-panned and got a confused look from Gourry.

"Who's that?" The answer was so sincere from the blonde swordsman that Lina found herself face-faulting to the ground painfully. "Are you okay, Lina?"

"Stupid jellyfish brains..." Lina grumbled. "He only tried to kill you a few times." Gourry scratched his head in confusion and Lina just sighed heavily. "I guess someone trying to kill you doesn't register as important, huh?"

"Not at all." Gourry smiled broadly and Lina just ended up shaking her head in amusement.

"You know, Gourry... Even if you are nothing but a stupid jellyfish brain..." The redhead smiled lightly at him. "I'm glad that you're happy."

Gourry just smiled happily. "Thanks, Lina. How's things back home anyway?"

"Pretty good, actually." Lina took a sip of her tea again. "Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno don't always listen, but they're still good kids, I wouldn't change them for anything." She chanced a look outside and shook her head as she saw Fried fly after a bird, trying to fry it. "The younger kids are a handful at times though."

There was a thump and some screaming from outside. Getting up, Lina walked outside and raised an eyebrow as she saw Erio grabbing his nose with blood covering his hands. "What happened?"

Caro, who was next to Erio, looked away, her face was completely red. "I didn't, I mean, I'm sorry."

"OWWW! OWWW!" Erio was rolling on the ground and kicking his feet up and down.

Lina walked over to her grandson and gently moved his hands away from his nose before casting a recovery spell. "Just relax, okay?" Erio whimpered, tears falling out of his eyes as Lina's healing magic worked on his face. "Caro, what happened?"

The girl was looking down and for some reason, Lina imagined the girl having dog's ears and a dog's tail, all drooping and making her look absolutely piteous. "...Arf?" She looked at Arf, who seemed to be trying to hold back some laughter. "What happened?"

"Erio was teasing Caro again and Caro got mad and..." Arf fought back some snickers that were bubbling to the surface. "Then Caro slammed her head against Erio's face and..."

"I get it." Lina rolled her eyes as she focused on healing Erio. "Well, Erio, didn't I tell you to watch out?" The boy sniffled and nodded, at least his nose wasn't hurting so much anymore. "What do you say to Caro?"

"Sowwie fha bhein a mhenie."

Caro dug her right toe into the ground, before looking up, her lips were quivering, a weird sound was coming out of her mouth, before she fell down onto her butt and started giggling heavily. "You sound funny!" She pointed at him, laughing.

Erio would have pouted, but even he had to admit, he did sound funny.

As she finished working her magic on his face, Lina chuckled and took Erio into the house to wash his face. Maybe this would get him to treat Caro better. And if not, she could teach Caro how to do better headbutts that wouldn't break people's noses every time she connected with them.

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Hey, I'm back!

And I got candy for people who were waiting for me.

If you count Blood That Flows as candy.

Peek's Mini-Arcs:

Yagami Mid Four Dwell Takamachi Scrya Fatherhood Harlaown Dreams Dance Healing Twins Advice History Onwards Cycle

BTF Omakes:

Old Iron Omakes 1, 2, 3 Mr Snuggles Omake

Playdate Start

Playdate 2

Playdate 3

Playdate 4

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - Peek - Playdate End:

If one were to ask Lina how she felt about someone naming their child after her, she wouldn't have any real answer. In her life, her name had gone from a curse when she was younger, which was what happened when countries, villages and even people were considered nothing more than collateral damage when fighting against Dragons, Mazoku and some high-level sorcerers; to one that represented hope and determination.

That last bit threw Lina for quite the loop after Zelgadis told her about it the first time. Even if it was to emphasize how she had fallen against Hellmaster Phibrizzo, but had defeated him, only to rise from the grave not too long afterwords to fight against the abomination that was Dark Star and Vorfeed's fusion, defeat them, save the world and then rise to the stars and leave the world again.

While Lina had no end of confidence, hearing stories like that really did embarrass her. All she wanted to know was what kind of idiot came up with stories like that anyway?

(---)

"ACHOO!"

"You okay, daddy?" Amelia asked as she walked into the throne room where her father, King Phil, was looking over some official paperwork.

"I'm fine, Amelia!" The large man stood up and laughed loudly. "It'll take more than a sneeze to knock me out! What brings you here? I thought you were going to be traveling the country-side, meeting new people and making new contacts?"

The busty young woman blushed and nodded. "Well, I was, but you'll never guess who showed up!"

King Phil looked curious, before smiling broadly as a familiar young man walked into the hall. "Mr. Zelgadis! It's been so long, my friend!"

The Chimera, though he looked human due to the shifting spell that he learned from Arf so long ago, grimaced as King Phil somehow managed to launch himself from the throne to right in front of him, slapping him on the back hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. "Ugh..." If there was one thing he didn't miss from this world, it was Phil's... Over-exuberance when he was excited.

Phil chuckled as Zelgadis struggled to get back onto his feet. "So, how are things in that other world, Mr. Zelgadis?"

"Well, I can't say I agree with everything that they do." Zelgadis stood up fully and shook his head to stop the ringing of his ears. "But, over-all, they aren't a bad lot." A small grin came to his face as he looked at Phil and Amelia. "About what you'd expect from a large governmental body, most of the people who work there are pretty sincere about things, but I suspect, though I have no proof, that the leaders of the organization are probably corrupted in various places."

King Phil and Amelia both nodded, it was quite common in most governments. "What makes you say that, Mr. Zelgadis?" Even if it was common, Amelia wasn't sure what Zelgadis meant.

Zelgadis ran a hand through his hair, moving it out of the way of his eyes. One thing he found annoying, his hair had grown rather long since he could turn human again. "I've heard too many complaints about too much red tape and how different branches of the military could help out, but don't. That either signifies incompetent leaders or corrupt ones, or both."

"It could be, but unless you know for sure..." King Phil shook his head and Zelgadis nodded.

"Oh, I know, I don't plan on commenting about it to anyone until I know more. Besides, it could just be a few clerks that are doing the wrong thing for whatever reasons." Shrugging, Zelgadis glowered at his hair as it covered his eyes again. Why the heck was his hair growing so much these days? "Anyway, there are other things as well..."

(---)

"So, what made you name him after me anyway?" Lina asked as she and Gourry were sitting in his kitchen, sipping on some tea while the children played in the yard.

The fact that there were several thumps, crashes and even a small explosion outside didn't worry either of them, especially when they heard Fried chirping with Arf and Suzuka running around and yelling at the kids. Lina wasn't too worried about something happening to the children. Suzuka and Arf were more than enough to deal with all but the strongest of Mazoku, Elves or Dragons that might try something.

There was always something random, like a sorcerer knowing the Dragon Slave or some sort of anti-magic tank, or some sort of Demon Beast that could show up and wreck havoc, but if that happened, Lina was certain that she and Gourry could deal with it.

Gourry shrugged at her. "I was going to call him Lina..." He was interrupted by a paper fan swatting him right between the eyes.

"I'm glad you didn't." Lina muttered as she put the fan away.

Gourry rubbed his forehead. "Sylphiel did the same thing." He muttered, remembering her words about how he should 'be serious' about naming their child. "Sylphiel named him Leon, but the nurse wrote it down as Leo, so, it stuck."

Lina sweat-dropped heavily as she looked at Gourry. "...Since when has your memory been that good?" Gourry leaned back in his chair and thought about it for a few seconds.

"Huh, I don't know. I guess when it comes to stuff that's important, I can remember it."

"Do you even remember who Gaav is?" Lina dead-panned and got a confused look from Gourry.

"Who's that?" The answer was so sincere from the blonde swordsman that Lina found herself face-faulting to the ground painfully. "Are you okay, Lina?"

"Stupid jellyfish brains..." Lina grumbled. "He only tried to kill you a few times." Gourry scratched his head in confusion and Lina just sighed heavily. "I guess someone trying to kill you doesn't register as important, huh?"

"Not at all." Gourry smiled broadly and Lina just ended up shaking her head in amusement.

"You know, Gourry... Even if you are nothing but a stupid jellyfish brain..." The redhead smiled lightly at him. "I'm glad that you're happy."

Gourry just smiled happily. "Thanks, Lina. How's things back home anyway?"

"Pretty good, actually." Lina took a sip of her tea again. "Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno don't always listen, but they're still good kids, I wouldn't change them for anything." She chanced a look outside and shook her head as she saw Fried fly after a bird, trying to fry it. "The younger kids are a handful at times though."

There was a thump and some screaming from outside. Getting up, Lina walked outside and raised an eyebrow as she saw Erio grabbing his nose with blood covering his hands. "What happened?"

Caro, who was next to Erio, looked away, her face was completely red. "I didn't, I mean, I'm sorry."

"OWWW! OWWW!" Erio was rolling on the ground and kicking his feet up and down.

Lina walked over to her grandson and gently moved his hands away from his nose before casting a recovery spell. "Just relax, okay?" Erio whimpered, tears falling out of his eyes as Lina's healing magic worked on his face. "Caro, what happened?"

The girl was looking down and for some reason, Lina imagined the girl having dog's ears and a dog's tail, all drooping and making her look absolutely piteous. "...Arf?" She looked at Arf, who seemed to be trying to hold back some laughter. "What happened?"

"Erio was teasing Caro again and Caro got mad and..." Arf fought back some snickers that were bubbling to the surface. "Then Caro slammed her head against Erio's face and..."

"I get it." Lina rolled her eyes as she focused on healing Erio. "Well, Erio, didn't I tell you to watch out?" The boy sniffled and nodded, at least his nose wasn't hurting so much anymore. "What do you say to Caro?"

"Sowwie fha bhein a mhenie."

Caro dug her right toe into the ground, before looking up, her lips were quivering, a weird sound was coming out of her mouth, before she fell down onto her butt and started giggling heavily. "You sound funny!" She pointed at him, laughing.

Erio would have pouted, but even he had to admit, he did sound funny.

As she finished working her magic on his face, Lina chuckled and took Erio into the house to wash his face. Maybe this would get him to treat Caro better. And if not, she could teach Caro how to do better headbutts that wouldn't break people's noses every time she connected with them.

Me: Is it safe?

Val: Yes, Mega... Oh boy! This gonna confusing as hell sooner or later if you keep using that pen-name.

Me: Tell me about it.

Odin: Lina should have realized one of her friend's father is beyond overly excited when it comes to feats of heroism...

Reia: And one of the most common mistake made when naming a child occurs even in a backwater world. Jeez...

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Happy Halloween everyone...and I regret that I don't have a scary fic for people, but hopefully this Hayate x Vivio Files fic will do?

Spoiler for Hayate x Vivio Files Chronology:

Gut Feeling - by deathcurse
Little Girl - by deathcurse (Part 1 of 3 stories)
Ulterior Motives - by deathcurse
Lose By Holding Back - by deathcurse
You Never Lose By Loving - by deathcurse *First story in the series, recommended to be read first*
Prerogative of the Brave - by deathcurse (in progress)
To Let Nature Run its Course - by Extrinsical/Eagle8819
Grandmama Wolf - by RadiantBeam
Judgement Day - by deathcurse
The Things We Tame - by Shigan
No Explanation Will Be Good Enough – by Shigan
The Next Best Thing - by Shigan

Fanon
Unforseen Complications - by Moczo
Bad End - by deathcurse

Spoiler for Ulterior Motives:

Quick Note: This story takes place in the Hayate x Vivio Files, about 6 months before the events of “You Never Lose By Loving.” Vivio is 14 and Hayate is 27 (and Lutecia would be 18).

Ulterior Motives

Vivio Takamachi gritted her teeth, feeling a bead of sweat slide down her temple. Just…a…little…higher…

“Th…Thirty!” Vivio touched her forehead to her knees, feeling the pressure of the padded workout bench behind her knees and in front of her ankles. She exhaled, lowering herself down from her sit-up.

“That’s not what this insignia is,” Lutecia joked, holding up her flash card again just above Vivio’s knees so that the younger girl could see it even as she prepared herself for another set of sit-ups.

“Navy, Second-Lieutenant,” answered Vivio from memory as she laced her fingers behind her head again. She paused. “Hey, thanks again for helping me study for my Military Policies test, Lutecia.”

“How could I not?” teased her purple-haired friend from her seat on a balance ball. The base gym was empty due to the late hour, but late at night was the only time that Vivio and Lutecia could manage to find that worked in both their schedules. Between final exams for Vivio and mass orders of graduation Devices for Lutecia, neither of them had seen much of each other for the last few weeks. Lutecia shuffled Vivio’s note cards. “I need to earn my worth as a best friend, right? Besides, this is fun. It’s a nice refresher.” She held up another card by Vivio’s knees. “This one?”

With a clench of her stomach muscles, Vivio raised herself up, her shirt tightening across her taut back muscles. “Air…Force, Captain,” Vivio identified, panting as she held her position, then lowered her upper body back down. That insignia Vivio knew well—she had spent enough time ironing Nanoha-mama’s uniform jacket, after all.

Honestly, Vivio was glad that it had been an easier question for her to answer, because her nervousness had grown in the last ten minutes, scrambling her thoughts from the present into her approaching conundrum. The repetitiveness of the sit-ups helped with the anxiety, but honestly, if she wanted to ask Lutecia about her problem then she needed to speak up before they both had to go home. While Nanoha trusted Vivio enough to let her go out wherever she wanted even at odd hours, even the White Devil drew a line at letting her fourteen-year-old daughter be wandering about past eleven on a weeknight.

(Hence the reason why Lutecia was helping Vivio study during their hanging-out time: "studying" was a magic word that let Vivio sneakily get away with certain things like curfew during exam season.)

“Um…Lutecia…”

“Yes?”

“Well…”

“…Yes?”

Just spit it out, Vivio! The blonde gulped. “I…need a bit of advice.”

“Oh?” The summoner raised an eyebrow, brushing her long purple locks behind an ear. She shuffled through the cue cards. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Smiling at Vivio’s startled gaping, Lutecia patted Vivio’s shin in amusement. “You’re pretty obvious when you’re stressed about something, you know. So, what’s the problem?”

Vivio stuck her tongue out at her friend, then inhaled as she pulled herself into another series of sit-ups. “You know that…Officer Training Program I…mentioned before?”

“The one at St. Hilde?” Lutecia frowned a bit as she pondered, then nodded. “Oh yes, you’re applying for an internship placement soon, aren’t you?”

Panting as she lowered herself down again, Vivio grunted affirmation.

Lutecia held up another cue card picture.

Vivio crunched into her fifthiest sit-up. “Ground Forces, Colonel.”

“You know all the Ground Forces ones well, huh?” Lutecia teased, her red eyes twinkling.

Don’t react don’t react…aw. Vivio blushed, nearly falling backwards as her stomach muscles shivered. “Yeah, yeah…anyway. Um…I know that I have the grades and the applied skills to go, well, nearly anywhere I want.” It wasn’t as embarrassing admitting such an immodest thing to a best friend; Vita had drilled excessive modesty out of Vivio long ago, claiming that a good warrior who didn’t need to boast didn’t need to put herself down either. “And well, I had gone though my choices a lot over the last month, but…”

After waiting for some time when Vivio fell silent, Lutecia reached over and put a hand on Vivio’s knee. “But?”

“Well, I kind of know which placement I want,” Vivio admitted in a small voice. “But I’m not…not sure it’s the best place for me.” Vivio did another series of sit-ups, the burn in her abdominal muscles vanishing as her nervousness grew.

“And which placement is this?”

Vivio bit her lip. She was so going to get teased. But if she wanted honest advice, then she was going to have to suck it up. “…The Ground Forces Defence Corps Strike team.”

“Defence Corps?” Lutecia repeated, and Vivio could practically see the pieces click together behind her friend’s delicate features. When the lightbulb turned on, Vivio sighed and let herself flop down onto the padded matt resignedly.

Thankfully, Lutecia Alphine was her best friend for a reason. The older girl set the study notes to the side and rolled her balance ball away to sit next to Vivio, sliding closer so that she could peer down at Vivio’s face. “So, one of the places you want to apply to is the Strike Team division under Hayate’s command?” She asked, not a hint of teasing in her tone.

“That’s the thing,” Vivio said miserably, blowing a puff of air through her blonde bangs. “I…well, I don’t want to want that internship just because of Hayate-san, you see?” She kicked her legs out straight, lying sprawled on her back. “I mean, I…you know how I can’t exactly think straight around Hayate-san.” With a small laugh, Vivio rolled her eyes. “Pun sort-of intended.”

“So you’re worried that you’re being biased, and you want to make sure that you’re thinking it out before you jump to a decision?”

“Yes, exactly,” Vivio said eagerly. She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. “That’s what I need advice for! Do you have any thoughts?”

“Slow down a little,” Lutecia held up a hand, laughing nervously at Vivio’s intensity. “Okay, you have to help me understand how you think first. What other programs would you want to get into, if you weren’t going to try for the GFDC Strike Team?”

Good thing she was prepared for such a question. Vivio shuffled in a pseudo-military crawl on her stomach over to her workout bag, where she pulled out Sacred Heart and tapped him on the head to wake him up. “Kris, display folder “OTP internships” please.”

Three holoscreens immediately appeared in the air. Vivio touched the first one and moved her finger closer to Lutecia, the screen following her movement. “This one is pretty cool. It’s a placement with the Special Investigations Unit, working off-world. I thought about this one because my investigative skills aren’t the greatest compared to my combat skills, so it could be a good chance for me to work on my weaknesses.”

“Sounds nice. Why isn’t it on the top of your list then?”

“Um…lots of things.” Vivio counted off on her fingers. “Firstly, it’s off-world. I don’t really want to get deployed right now…I want to stay at home with Nanoha-mama. It’s hard enough that Fate-mama is away so much—I don’t want to do that to Nanoha-mama as well. And the whole purpose of the internship component of the OTP is ideally for us to make connections in the field that we want to advance in. So it seems kind of wasteful, even if I would learn a lot, to spend a year interning in a division that I probably won’t make a career out of.”

Lutecia scrolled down the page, skimming through the details of the SIU program. “Hm, yes, I see what you mean. You still haven’t decided yet what you want to do, Vivio?”

“No,” Vivio moped, playing with the ends of her ponytail. That was the stock question that she kept getting asked in the last year, and it was both annoying and panic-inducing at the same time. “How did you decide to become a Device Meister?”

“There wasn’t much to do on uninhabited worlds,” Lutecia deadpanned, and laughed when Vivio socked her in the shoulder. “Ow! I actually really don’t know, Vivio. I think I was just good at it, and it was really interesting. And I love seeing new partnerships begin, so I think I just went with it when I found that I could do it well.” She playfully shoved Vivio back. “And how about you? Other than becoming a pugilist, what would you want to do?”

“I’m not going to become a professional boxer,” complained Vivio, pulling the other holoscreens over. “Geez, when you win one tournament…Anyway, other than doing something with the military, which is a given, I’m open to nearly anything at this point.”

“Why so adamant about the military?” Lutecia asked, somewhat seriously. “You’re really good with sociology and history too—it’s not like you couldn’t find yourself a good job outside of the TSAB.”

Vivio laughed softly, sighing. “It’s in the family blood. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had to stand on the side and watch everyone we know fight to protect what we love, and I couldn’t help. If I’m going to do it anyway, I might as well make a living from it, huh?”

“I think that’s what Nanoha-san said when she found out that she can legally blow things up often as an instructor.”

They burst out laughing, giggling at the thought.

“Okay, what’s another one?” Lutecia gestured at the digital applications.

“This one is pretty cool—it’s a Forward position with Battalion 108. I could work with Subaru’s dad! The internship would be mostly drilling and learning combat tactics though, from what I know of the Battalion’s mandate, but they have a lot of cool specialist programs that they’re offering. So even though I won’t actually do a lot of real combat I’ll still be sparring and learning about leading squads and stuff like that.” Vivio minimized her half-completed application form so that Lutecia could look at the program’s official information package. She started stretching to touch her toes as she waited for Lutecia to finish forming an opinion of her own as her friend speed-read through the documents. “I’ll have to move to the barracks, but it’s still close to Cranagan. It’s pretty tempting—I really like their explosives training!”

Lutecia started laughing even harder, until she was nearly choking. “Oh my—like…mother…like daughter!”

“Hey!” Vivio blushed and indignantly kicked the balance ball over to have it bop Lutecia in the side. “It’s technical training!”

Lutecia wiped her mirthful tears away and slid the screen back over to Vivio. “Right. So, what’s wrong with this one?”

“Well…that’s the thing. There’s not a whole lot wrong with this one, per se…” Vivio ducked her head, then motioned the last holoscreen over. “I’m just, well…it’s a toss-up between the Strike Team and Battalion 108, really. That’s why I’m so worried; Lutecia-chan, I’m worried that I’m leaning toward the Strike Team just because I’d get to work with her!” To her horror, Vivio felt her eyes start to sting with confused emotion.

Oh no, she couldn’t cry over something like this! It was utterly silly and humiliating.

“Hey, hey!” Lutecia rubbed the blonde’s back in comforting circles. “Hey, Vivio, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad. It’s a good thing that you’re thinking so carefully about this.”

“I really want to,” Vivio confessed, wiping at her eyes. “There’s only one opening a year for interns, and they get dozens of applications. And, well…” She hesitated. Lutecia had never teased her about her crush on Hayate as much as Caro and the others, but still, Vivio could tell that Lutecia was only indulging her whenever Vivio went on and on about how she felt for Hayate.

How could she explain the level of her burning desire to have the chance to spend weeks and months working closely with Hayate? She had read up on all the reports and public files about the Strike Team and what they did, and watched all the PR releases Hayate—Lt. General Yagami—had given about the relatively new unit in her official capacity as the Capital Defence Corps Commander, always dreaming about somehow getting a chance to work there despite her young age. Vivio couldn’t think of anything she had ever wanted more in her life.

And that was exactly the problem.

Vivio would be so ashamed of herself if she made such an important decision for her life and career simply because of a silly childhood fancy. So really, all she needed was for Lutecia to tell her that Vivio was indeed being foolish, and that would give Vivio the small push she needed to move past dreaming into more realistic things.

“But yeah, the Strike Team internship doesn’t cover as many topics as the Battalion Forward position. It’s a lot more like a real job, since eventually you’d be on call for missions and such. There’s a lot more real fighting, but I don’t even know if I want to go that kind of team-specialist route.” Vivio shrugged, her tone offhand. She ground a heel against the mat, downcast. “I mean…I admit that the only reason it stayed on my list for so long was because it was a CDC position working out of Hayate-san’s building.”

“I see,” Lutecia remarked, crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” mumbled Vivio, reaching to shut down the Strike Team application screen. “It’s a lot clearer how silly it is once I said it out loud, thanks for—”

“Hey, hold on a minute,” Lutecia scowled, grabbing onto Vivio’s wrist. “I didn’t actually say anything yet, so don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Sorry…”

“So, the only reason you looked at the Strike Team internship was because of Hayate?”

“Well, not the only reason, but—”

“What else?”

“Huh?” blinked Vivio.

“What other reasons?” Lutecia persisted, looking awfully intimidating even while sitting cross-legged on a blue practice mat and wearing grungy workout clothes.

“Uh…” Vivio stammered, confused. “It sounded…cool?”

“That’s it? Cool?”

“No! They do a lot of fighting, but it’s really urban, compared to military campaigns. You know how much I like using Strike Arts rather than bombardment attacks, so this seemed like an interesting placement to develop my Strike Arts skills. And it’s a relatively new program in the CDC itself, so I’ll be likely to get promoted faster or get a command position during my internship year rather than have to wait until I graduate.” She felt herself stumbling over words as she nervously tried to blurt out all the other reasons before Lutecia’s aggressive interrogation and expectant stare. “And yeah, it’s close to home so I can stay at the house with Nanoha-mama…and, um…”

“So why are you so hard on yourself?”

“I…what?”

Lutecia leaned forward and patted Vivio’s shoulder. “Those were a lot of really good reasons why you should consider applying for the Strike Team internship. It sounds like either the Strike Team or Battalion 108 would be great placements for you, Vivio.”

“I…I guess…” Vivio paused, then smiled, feeling her mood shift from dejected to amazed. “…Yeah. Thanks, Lutecia-chan.”

“Anything for my best friend.” Lutecia bounced up to sit on her balance ball again, scooping up Vivio’s study notes with one hand. “You’ll do just fine. Hey, it’s a long internship—you might as well be happy at what you’re doing, and happy with the people you’re working with, right?”

A corner of Vivio’s lips twitched as she turned onto her knees, lowering herself down and ready to count push-ups. “Yeah. Thanks, I’m glad I off-loaded on you, Lutecia-chan. It’s really helped me make it all make sense.”

Yes, it all made sense now.

“Good luck—even though I know you’ll get anything you want. You’re a stubborn Takamachi, after all!” Lutecia grinned, and drew a card from the face-down note deck of military insignias. “Back to studying…”

She held it up.

Vivio smiled. “Ground Forces, Lieutenant-General.”

Spoiler for Author's Note:

While I struggle though school and finishing up the insanely emotional “Prerogative of the Brave” Chapters 6 and 7, I thought that I’d write a bit more about Vivio’s life and thoughts separate from the whole romance thing =) (it’s only fair, since Hayate’s gotten a few stories of her own for that!).

I have no clue if Vivio actually does the laundry/irons clothes in her house, but I liked the joke ^_^. Not to mention it lets me get a gag into one of my currently-unfinished-HxV Files-stories! =)

Oh, and of course, Nanoha totally knows Vivio’s lame teenager tricks =P. As a teenager, Vivio is clearly unaware of that fact ^_-.

ViCia friendship is good, too.

Nah, in all seriousness, I loved it. ^^ It was sweet to see just how much Vivio trusts Lutecia and how much Lutecia gets her, enough to not tease her when she's going to be serious about something. It's a sweet little relationship, and it's nice to know that at the very least, Vivio has one person in her corner.

[itanshi1]

It was halloween? Dang it, I was wondering why my door bell kept going off, wtf.

I'll post a fic tomorrow night :3

[Mr Coin]

Originally Posted by Craxuan

The poster? It's in that website. The others are all in Korean unfortunately.

Originally Posted by AtomicoX

This one was a one-shot, though more of that will come. However, you can check out my (old) index here. Mind, the style, quality and such is lower since I haven't added anything for a while. But it has a lot of what I've written, including the origination of Wallachia and her profile.

Thanks for the stories. It made my Halloween better.

I have a Korean friend. He took up the job to translate it for me.

Happy Halloween guys.

[Craxuan]

Originally Posted by Mr Coin

Thanks for the stories. It made my Halloween better.

I have a Korean friend. He took up the job to translate it for me.

Happy Halloween guys.

Eh?! If that's the case please send the few stories (Links as well?) he translated to me (Doesn't matter if it's just a few lines in a text file); I've been trying to do the same but couldn't find someone who could read Korean.

[Mr Coin]

Originally Posted by Craxuan

Eh?! If that's the case please send the few stories (Links as well?) he translated to me (Doesn't matter if it's just a few lines in a text file); I've been trying to do the same but couldn't find someone who could read Korean.

Ah, LOL. I think you misunderstood. He translated the comics to me orally. My friends were having a "scare the shit out of each other contest' last night. Sorry, Craxuan. XD

[Craxuan]

Oh well, never mind then. Let's see, who do I want to scare next with this epic comic...?

[KeithKurogane]

Spoiler for Chapter 01 - The End of a Thousand Years:

07:45 A.M., En-route to St. Hilde Academy of Magic…

“Omigosh omigosh omigosh…” Rolo can’t hide his excitement as he basically jumps on his seat of the bus their class were currently riding.

“Shut up Rolo. You’re getting annoying.” Alex gritted out. He was tempted to slug him in the jaw. “Were going to have a combat practice in St. Hilde, not to go sight seeing there.”

Rolo just shook his head, “You don’t understand… It’s an all girls school. ALL GIRLS SCHOOL! I can finally see Asamiya-chan! And maybe we can finally find a girlfriend for you there. Right guys?”

Some of their classmates who heard their conversation laughed and replied yes to Rolo.

“See? The whole class want you to have a girlfriend already!” Rolo pointed out.

“I’m too young for that kind of stuff.” Alex said, remembering what his father taught him, ‘Study first, Relationships later’. “I must have a stable job before going on a relationship with someone. My father told me that.”

“Don’t be too old-fashioned Alex.” One of his classmates spoke.

“Enjoy your life while you’re young!” Another one of his classmates voiced out, but this time it came from a female.

“You already have a stable job!” Rolo said, “The Garage Café is quite popular in our area.”

“Because it’s the only Internet Café in our place. And the money I earn from there mostly goes to bills, computer maintenance and your sister’s salary, and I have to manage the little money remained for household expenses and savings.”

Everyone in the bus stared at Alex.

“And I have to manage the electric bills, water bills, miscellaneous bills…” Alex ranted.

“Okay.” Rolo interrupted, “We know living alone is tough, but we just wanted you to enjoy your life more. Forget your other life as a responsible teenager and just enjoy this trip as a NORMAL teenager.”


“But-” Alex was cut off by Rolo’s passive stare and several coughs from his classmates.

“No buts Alex. We might need the Mature Alex later in the combat practice but right now, we need the Teenager Alex with us. Do you understand?” Rolo’s voice was firm, like a big brother scolding a little brother for a mistake.

Smiling, Alex surrendered. “Yes.”

-=0=-

9:00 A.M., St. Hilde Academy of Magic, Training Grounds…

Vivio was warming up for the upcoming combat practice against the delegates of Yasogami Middle School which were about to arrive anytime soon. She wants to give everything she got in the combat practice against them. Who knows, she might find a strong fighter among them.

“Hey Vivio-chan!” the voice of Rio called, “You’re preparing for the combat practice?”

“Yes, I think there will be some interesting fighters from Yasogami. I can’t wait to fight them!”

“Just make sure you leave some for us.” Rio joked.

“Hmm?” Vivio looked around, “Were are the others?”

“Lutecia and Corona went to the Faculty Office to ask about the rules of the combat practice. Einhart is currently practicing in the rooftop.” Rio replied.

“I see… so, you want a little sparring match?”

“Sure.”

“But there is condition in this match…” Vivio added with a smile on her face. She then suddenly transformed to her Adult From and dashed towards Rio, intending to land a blow. “First hit wins!”

Rio just sweatdropped as she transformed to her Adult Form and began to dodge Vivio’s attacks.

Corona, Einhart and Lutecia arrived a few minutes later and saw Vivio dodging Rio’s attacks.

“You two should stop already. Save your strength later for the combat practice.” Lutecia spoke to Vivio and Rio.

“Ehehe, we just got lost in the heat of the fight…” Rio stops as she scratched the back of her head. “Anyways, have you got the rules of the upcoming combat practice?”

“Yes. It will be a ‘Capture the Leader’ scenario. The ranged attacks will be limited to Shooting Type attacks only. So no Bombardment Type spells are allowed. Its more like a friendly melee combat practice than a proper combat practice.” Lutecia said.

“I see…” Vivio muttered, a bit disappointed that she wont be able to fire a Divine Buster. “…are there any good close range fighters in Yasogami.”

“I heard there are some decent fighters that came from that school… We will find out…” Rio said before she was interrupted by Miura.

“Hey! The students from Yasogami has arrived!”

“…right about now.” Rio finished as she and the others proceeded to meet the Yasogami students.

-=0=-

9:25 A.M., St. Hilde Academy of Magic, Entrance…

“Holy shit! Were here! WERE HE- urk.” Rolo clutched his stomach as Alex elbowed him.

“Will you behave, you look like an escaped mental patient because of your behavior.” Alex scolded.

“But Alex…” Rolo whined as he did his Puppy Eyes technique.

Alex facepalmed, “For the love of- Stop that.” He then noticed some girls that were approaching them. ‘Hmm… those girls are cut- Stop that thought process!’

“Umm… Hi, were the students from Yasogami Middle School who will participate in the combat practice. I’m Alexander Kurogane.”

“Pleased to meet you Kurogane-san. I’m Vivio Takamachi. Pleased to meet you.” Vivio happily introduced herself and her friends.

“Pleased to meet you too. I hope we could have a intere-” Alex spoke but he was interrupted by Rolo.

“Hey guys! Alex’s spring has finally came!” Rolo yelled, which caught the attention of his classmates.

Cue massive cheering.

“Woohoo! Go for it Alex!”

“Six girls Alex?! Damn~!”

“I told you guys, he is too much for one girl!”

The girls in subject and Alex slightly blushed.

“You know guys, you’re on your own.” Alex said as he proceeded to walk towards the gates of the Academy.

“Hey Alex, were just kidding!” Rolo said, but Alex ignored him and continued to walk away. “Alex? Alex?! ALEX?!!”

-=0=-

9:45 A.M., St. Hilde Academy of Magic, Training Grounds…

“That’s embarrassing…” Alex muttered after his classmates were able to bring him back inside the Academy.

“I’m really sorry Alex.” Rolo apologized for the nth time. They were doing stretching exercises as they prepared for the combat practice.

“Don’t worry Rolo, I’m not angry at you…” Alex’s smile turned dark, “…those girls on the other hand…” he then pointed at Vivio and the others who were waving at him, then gave Rolo a frosty stare. “…will beat you to a pulp. Especially one of them is a Takamachi. Does that ring any bells inside your head?”

“OH GODS NO! SPARE ME FROM YOUR GIRLFRIE- oof!” Rolo fell on his knees, clutching his stomach.

On the other hand, Vivio and her friends find the scene funny since they agreed to scare Rolo as punishment.

“Alright guys, the combat practice will commence after fifteen minutes.” The instructor said as she began to give the rules and asked who will be the ‘leaders’ of each team.

-=0=-

“My lord, a portal to Schwarz is developing over the St. Hilde Academy of Magic.”

“So… they have started to move…”

“Orders, my lord?”

“Umm… One Java Rice and a cup of Iced Tea…”

“Lord Yatagarasu!”

“I’m joking. Anyways, be on standby Alice. If the situation turns dire, help the Thirteenth.”

“Your orders shall be done.”

-=0=-

Inside the Schwarz…

“Food…”

“Hungry…”

“Fresh Meat…”

The creatures then noticed the unstable wall of reality starting to break up. Then one of them smelled something.

“This smell…”

“Humans…”

“Feed me…”

“FOOD!” The united chorus of the creatures as they quickly rushed towards the source of the smell.

-=0=-

Alex was nervous. He knows that even with the ‘Battle Hymn’ in effect, their chances of winning against St. Hilde students is around ten percent. They were that good, and add to the fact that they have the descendants from Ancient Belka, namely Einhart and Vivio, they are clearly no match against them.

Shrugging to himself, he decided to humor his classmates before they got steamrolled. “Knights of the Round Table!”

His classmates looked at him, since they know they used that as the name of their team during the sports festival. The St. Hilde students on the other hand, looked at them.

“This is going to be a tough one… I know that winning in this is like looking for a needle in a field of grass. I just have an order for you guys…” He stood up and spoke loudly as he could, “Fight hard. Give everything you’ve got. I know that verbal support is the only thing I could do for you guys…”

“Don’t worry Alex. Just give us orders and we will immediately follow you!”

“Leave them to us, Oh Demon Lord of the Round Table!” Rolo said, remembering the lines he used to intimidate the enemy. “They shall feel the rage of our crimson flames!”

“Just because they survived longer in the battlefield, that does not make them invincible.”

“Very well.” Alex sat on his throne and ordered, “Knights, prepare for glory!”

On the St. Hilde Team…

“What a peculiar bunch….” Einhart commented.

“They seem to trust Kurogane-san… maybe that’s why they designated him as their leader.” Corona added.

“Anyways, this is going to be an interesting fight.” Rio said as she grinned.

“Have you guys noticed that Kurogane-san is the only one that does not have a Barrier Jacket on?” Lutecia asked, looking at Alex with a bit of confusion.

Vivio then spoke, “Now you asked it, is that book his device? Wonder why he did not use it?”

“I don’t know.” Miura answered, “He seems to trust his friends that they will protect him.”

“Lets ask him later.” Vivio suggested as the instructor blew her whistle to call their attention.

“Okay, the combat practice will start in 10… 9… 8…”

Alex gulped, “Here comes the steamroller…” He whispered to himself.

“7… 6… 5…”

Vivio and the others shifted to their stance.

“4… 3… 2…”

Everyone prepared themselves for the fight.

“1… GO!”

As the students commenced the combat practice, Alex suddenly felt an unearthly aura. The aura screamed danger and wrongness and it nearly suffocate him. Looking at his classmates and friends, they did not seem to sense it. He began to look for the source of the wrongness he sensed. He then caught glimpse of a strange black hole in the sky, and from the black hole something fell into the battlefield.

The both teams were about to clash when something landed in between of them; kicking up dust everywhere.

Everyone promptly stopped, wondering what the heck just happened. Soon afterward, one of Alex’s classmate was sent flying through the air by some invisible force.

Alex on the other hand, saw that there was an assailant that attacked his classmate, but the attacker was blurred in his vision.

“Move back everyone, something is in there!” Alex quickly yelled.

The attacker, who noticed him, instantly rushed at him; mowing Alex’s classmates out of its way. Reacting quickly, he jumped out of its way as it crushed the ‘throne’ he sat a few minutes ago.

But for the others, all they saw was Alex jumping out of his chair then the chair got crushed by some force.

Before Alex could take a good look at the place he vacated, the feeling of wrongness suddenly intensified. Looking at the black hole, he saw that there are more blurred unknowns getting out of it.

Rather than gawking at what he is seeing, he called their instructors, throwing formality out of the window in favor for survival “Call some serious help. We are under attack by unknown assailants!”

“Wai- wha-” the instructor was currently shocked at the turn of events.

“Hurry!” Alex pleaded.

“A-alright!” the instructor quickly left.

Alex then looked at his confused classmates and immediately gave an order, “Guys! Defensive position around the St. Hilde students!” They looked at him, obviously waiting for an explanation, “I’ll explain later! On your positions, double time!”

He gripped the Azure Grimoire tightly as he and his classmates quickly going on their formations. “What the hell is happening?!”

-=0=-

Alice tsked, “Of all demons, it has to be a Wendigo and some meddlesome Cait Siths and Kobolds…” She then prepared a Agidyne to take out Wendigo but was instantly interrupted by a telepathic message from Yatagarasu.

“Cease your attack Alice.” Yatagarasu ordered in a calm voice, “I want to see what he could do before help could arrive.”

“But my lord,” Alice protested, “Even if this ‘help’ arrived, they can’t see demons! And the Thirteenth can’t see them properly yet because his COMP is not activated!”

“That’s why I want you to cease your attack. I want to see what he could do without his COMP. Besides, I’m sure he is watching him…”

-=0=-

Everyone is slightly panicking and confused at the sudden turn of events. Someone or something was attacking them and all they could do is to defend because they cant see the attackers.

“How many are them out there?!” Rolo yelled as he felt an attack connect to his barrier.

“Too many to count! Incoming attack!” Alex yelled back as he pointed the direction where the attack would come from.

“This is insane!” Rio yelled out, clearly frustrated. “We can’t see who’s attacking us! Only Kurogane-san can see them and we are forced to defend!”

“I have called Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama, they will be arriving shortly!” Vivio tried to calm her friends.

“I really hope they could crack their cloaki- argh!” Alex was cut off when something wrapped around his feet and forcibly dragged him out of the barrier.

“Goddamnit, Alex!” Rolo tried to get Alex’s hand but he was a second too late.

“Don’t worry, I will get him!” Vivio went out of the barrier to get Alex back.

“Vivio, wait!” Einhart tried to follow but was forced back when the barrier got hit.

-=0=-

Vivio was able to catch up with Alex who dodging like crazy from the invisible attackers. She quickly wondered why he is the only one among them who could see the attackers.

“Takamachi-san! Go back inside!” Alex yelled as he did a roundhouse kick at something. “Behind you!”

Vivio reflexively punched and felt her fist connect to an invisible attacker. “I’ll not go back without you!”

“You don’t understand!” Alex then ducked and did a foot sweep. “I can survive this because I can almost see them! You on the other hand can’t! One on your left and two coming from behind!”

“Just because I can’t see them does not mean I can’t fight them!” She punched to her left then did a spinning kick so she could attack the other two.

Alex sighed as he tried to persuade her but his voice died on his throat as he saw the big unknown behind Vivio. He quickly ran towards Vivio, wrapped his arms around her and used his body to block the attack. The force sent them flying a few meters towards their friends.

“Alex/Vivio!” their friends watched in horror as Alex continued to use his body to protect Vivio. Some of the St. Hilde students quickly noticed that he does not have any Barrier Jacket on as his bruises and wounds start to leak blood.

“Fuck this!” Rolo ran towards Alex and Vivio, a spell was already cast, “Eat this! Stinger Lance!” he then cast his version of Stinger Blade at the space where he think the unknown was standing. His attack connects. “Hell yeah! How do you like that!”

“Rolo… you idiot! RUN!” Alex yelled as loud as he can but it was too late when the big unknown punched Rolo back to the barrier. He then saw Corona’s golem move and was able to catch him. At the same time; Lutecia began to shoot, and her shots connected to big unknown, which Einhart, Miura and Rio took as an opportunity as they moved in to attack it.

“Flame Dragon Break!”

“Hammerschlag!”

“Hengemon Sky-severing Knuckle!”

Those attacks connected and was able to push the big unknown away from Alex and Vivio.

“Kurogane-san, hang in there!” Corona said as she cast a Barrier spell around them.

“Why?” Vivio asked, tears flowing out of her eyes, “Why did you protect me even if you don’t have any Barrier Jacket on?”

“I feel…” Alex coughed a bit of blood out of his throat, “It my duty to do it… I don’t want your parents to feel the pain of losing you… I don’t want them to experience the pain of losing someone you loved…”He then looked around and his eyes grew wide in horror as the unknowns that he barely see was now around the barrier and was pounding it hard.

“I… can’t hold this much longer…” Corona’s voice was strained as she tried her best to keep the barrier up.

“How many are out there Kurogane-san?” Einhart asked, preparing to attack.

“Too many for us…” Alex said as he slammed his fist to the ground. “Damnit… is this the end?”

“Nope.” a familiar voice spoke. Alex turned around and saw his dad standing there, holding a rainbow colored sphere.

“You will live on and fight…” he approached Alex and pushed the sphere into the Azure Grimoire, “…for you now have the power to protect Humanity.”

[Parts upgrade completed! Scanning for Magnetite within the area…]

The Azure Grimoire levitated then fired a shockwave that sent the unknowns around them sprawling in the air or skidding on the ground.

“One born of Human flesh...” a booming voice from the Azure Grimoire spoke, “Man is now a race of some power. You, son of man... must face the power you hold and you must face your destiny as well...”

[No Magnetite could be found! Switching to Secondary Summoning Style!]

Everyone is currently in awe at what is happening.

Rolo, on the other hand, grinned as his classmates supported him to stand up. “You finally activated your device Alex! Show them what you got!”

The booming voice continued, “Though your days be peaceful, the fated time draws near...”

[Checking connection to the Atziluth Server… optimizing… condition green. Checking connection to the Babel Server… optimizing… condition green. Checking connection to the Amala Server… optimizing… condition green.]

“I am your judgment.” The booming voice said. “So long as the Lord does not live in you, all living beings hold darkness in their hearts.”

“I’ve seen device activation, but this…” Rio was in awe at what is happening.

“Something big is about to happen.” Einhart said. She has this feeling that this will not be the end of it.

[Accessing the Cathedral of Shadows… connection has been established.]

“If you truly wish to be yourself, then rise and fight the darkness within... the demon inside.” The booming voice continued to speak.

“The demon… inside?” Vivio asked. She finds the situation even more bizarre. An Intelligent Device doing a monologue? Now she seen it.

[Starting the Demonic Compendium... Start up successful.]

“If you have the will to challenge your destiny of battle, son of man, state your name...” The booming voice went silent.

[Demon Summoning Program ready to boot… Booting the Demon Summoning Program! Please state your name Demon Summoner…]

Vivio and the other girls looked at Alex, who was currently entranced at the events that happened. Though they have to wonder, what is the Demon Summoner and Demon Summoning Program stuff is all about.

“Kurogane-san, your device is asking for your name.” Lutecia pointed out.

“Huh?” Alex snapped out of his trance and noticed that the girls are looking at him. “Err… what?”

“Your device is asking for your name.” Miura said.

“Oh… okay.” Alex looked at his device and spoke, “I’m Alexander M. Kurogane.”

[Alexander M. Kurogane is now registered as the Thirteenth Keeper of the COMP unit ‘Azure Grimoire’. Starting Visualizer Field.]

The Azure Grimoire began to glow white as an wall of energy began to push itself into multiple directions. As soon the glow faded, everyone in the training field were now able to see their attackers, or in Alex’s case, can see them clearly.

Majority of their attackers were some sort of bipedal, armored wolf and was holding a club as its weapon. Some were bipedal cats that wear boots, has a fancy hat on their heads and wield rapiers as weapons. The last and the only one in the training field was some sort of horned gorilla with white fur.

[Enemies analyzed as Kobold and Cait Sith. The lead demon is Wendigo.]

“Azure… is there any chance that the other enemy will pull back if we defeated… Wendigo is it?” Vivio politely asked.

[Not sure. Just take him out to prevent any reinforcements that might arrive.]

“Right.” Alex said as she tried to stand up but his injuries protested. “Ow.”

[Here sir. Dia.]

A warm light suddenly washed over Alex and his began to heal quickly. “I’m a bit fine, thank you Azure.”

[You are my Keeper. I’m going to support you whether I can.]

“Well then. Azure Grimoire, set up.” Alex ordered.

[Switching to Adult Mode. Barrier Jacket set up.]

A flash, then after the light died down, Alex’s classmates and everyone else were gobsmacked.

“Holy shi-”

“Awesome!”

“Damnit Alex!” Rolo yelled, a bit jealous. “Why do you get the good stuff?!”

Alex’s height was around five feet eight inches. He looked a bit skinny but his blue hair and blue eyes remained the same. Plus…

“Why did you choose our senior’s school uniform as your Barrier Jacket?!” Rolo asked, pointing a finger at him.

“Because it looks neat.” Alex deadpanned. “Anyways, we will leave the wolf and cat thingys to you guys. We will take care of the gorilla.”

“Don’t mock me Demon Summoner!” Wendigo angrily yelled, as he clearly heard the ‘gorilla’ comment.

“So you talk huh. Why did you attacked us?” Alex asked.

Wendigo, on the other hand, gave him the middle finger, “Humans are food! That’s why! Cait Siths, mob them.”

Several Cait Siths drew their blades and began to run towards Vivio and the others. Einhart and Rio quickly attacked them head on.

“Leave these to us!” Einhart said as she began to punch the Cait Siths out of the way.

“Go after the gorilla!” Rio said as she followed Einhart in the fray.

Alex looked at his device and asked, “What is my weapon?”

[Form Change, Meteor Dragon Magnum Mode.]

The book glowed for a bit then it changed form into a gun. Alex wondered why did it looks like an Earth standard mass weapon.

“Is that a…” Corona asked, fearing that what Alex is holding right now is a mass weapon.

“I don’t think so…” Alex replied, “...It’s a bit lighter than the real one… but lets discuss it later. We have a enemy to defeat.”

“Right.” Corona nodded as she summoned her Golems to clear the way.

Following Corona, Lutecia summoned Garyuu and let it attack as she began to bombard the Kobolds and Cait Siths with Reflect Mirage.

Looking at Vivio and Miura, Alex said, “Can you guys keep it busy? I’m going to finish it in one shot.”

The two nodded and they began to harass Wendigo from multiple directions. Wendigo tried to slam his fist on Vivio who attacked him from below but she was able to evade because of her reflexes. Miura then proceeded to attack Wendigo’s head, but it roared in defiance and annoyance.

“Just drop dead humans! You can’t keep this forever!” Wendigo yelled as he tried to backhand Miura, but she was able to move away from his reach.

“And let you hurt my friends?” Vivio shot back, “I’ll wont let you!”

“Then you shall die first!” Wendigo roared as it ran towards Vivio…

But Alex went in front of Vivio, Meteor Draogn aimed at it.

“No, you first.” Alex said as he pulled the trigger.

[Agidyne.] Azure Grimoire declared as a crimson bullet shot out of the gun and went straight to Wendigo’s forehead.

Wendigo roared in pain as his body began to spontaneously combust. It began to roll on the ground, trying to put out the flames.

“Phew, good thing Azure said Wendigo’s natural weakness is fire…” Alex then lowered his weapon and approached Miura. “Are you alright?”

Miura nodded, “Yes Kurogane-san. That thing is so tough. I think much more tougher than Zafira-sensei.”

“I say…” Alex then looked at his classmates and the other St. Hilde students as the bring down the last of the…

“Demons huh…” Alex then looked at Azure Grimoire in Gun Form. “Is this what he mean by the end of the thousand years?”

“It’s not yet over humans! Mabufudyne!” Wendigo roared as he slammed his hands on the ground, causing ice spike to shoot out of the ground, attacking everyone in the training field. “You hurt me Demon Summoner… so just stay there and watch as I turn your friends and fellow humans into my snack. You’re a delicacy, so you shall be last.”

Alex groaned, “Damn… that attack is strong.” He looked around and saw that everyone was down, even the demons that were still in good fighting condition earlier was not spared from Wendigo’s attack. He looked at Wendigo and it saw it was approaching Corona. He tried to raise his weapon and try to fire another Agidyne, but someone was already attacking Wendigo. It was Vivio.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!” Vivio tried to punch Wendigo’s head but it was instantly blocked and she then found herself staring at a large fist. She was sent a few meters away from Wendigo.

“So, you can still fight eh… I’ll go for you first.” Wendigo then went for Vivio.

Alex gritted his teeth, “Is there anyway to bring that monster down?!”

[Materializing Summoner Bullet.]

Then a green colored bullet fell on Alex’s left hand. “I don’t know how this will help me, but I’m going to try…” Forcing himself to stand up, he raised his weapon and quickly aimed at Wendigo.

“Hey Wendigo! Up here!” Alex yelled, which made Wendigo look at him. He then pulled the trigger.

*Click*

…
..
.

“Epic Fail.” Wendigo then ignored him and proceeded to casually walk towards Vivio who is still dazed.

“What the- WHAT THE HELL?!” Alex raged at his weapon. “HOW DO I USE THIS BULLET?!”

“Like this…” A voice suddenly spoke in his head. A few seconds later, he found himself aiming his weapon on his own head.

“Alex… what the hell you’re doing?!” Rolo yelled.

Everyone else was thinking he is now committing suicide.

“Summoning…” Alex then pulled down the hammer of his gun, “Initiate.” Pulling the trigger, he felt the bullet go into his head.

Everyone closed their eyes to avoid seeing Alex’s head get blown off. Some who have watched the scene noticed that there is no blood and he is now glowing.

“Come forth! Cerberus!” Alex called out. A mist suddenly formed in front of him, a few seconds later that mist started to crackle with electricity. A sudden flash then a Loin like creature showed up. It gave a roar before rushing at Wendigo, tackling it down to the ground.

Everyone is completely bewildered. They know summoning but what Alex did is just plain insane.

“He summoned a creature…” Lutecia started, still in total disbelief at what she saw.

“…by shooting himself?” An equally confused Corona continued.

“What the fuck man!” Rolo yelled, angry at Alex’s stunt. “You summoned that creature by SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE HEAD?! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?!”

Alex did not hear Rolo, he is now panting, “Hot…” he then began to unbutton his Barrier Jacket. “So hot…”

“Get off me you puppy!” Wendigo kicked Cerberus off of him.

Everyone looked at Alex when he suddenly cursed and took a step back, as if he’s the one who got kicked.

“Why you- Cerberus! Mega Claw!” Alex ordered, which Cerberus obliged. Cerberus ran towards Wendigo who tried to smash him down, but Cerberus was able to evade the attack and able to connect the Mega Claw attack ton Wendigo’s chest. It sent the large demon off the training ground and crashing into a tree.

Finally undoing his Barrier Jacket’s buttons, he approached Vivio who is now recovering from the attack earlier. He kneeled down and scooped Vivio off the ground and carried her bridal style.

“Are you alright, my princess?” He asked with a grin on his face, his voice sound confident.

Vivio’s face suddenly went scarlet. “H-huh? Are you alright Kuroga-” she was stopped when Alex shook his head.

“No my princess. You should call me Alex. First name, okay?” Alex winked at her, making her face more red. He then walked towards Einhart and the others.

After letting Vivio down, Alex looked at the girls gathered and winked at them, “Lets eat lunch together after this. I’ll be back quick.” He them ran towards the battling Wendigo and Cerberus, leaving the girls a bit red on the face.

“W-w-what happened to Alex?” Vivio asked, not noticing that she used his first name.

“It seems that his personality have changed.” Einhart who quickly hid her blush, answered as she watched Alex fight Wendigo.

Alex, who was able to get behind of Wendigo, loaded an Agidyne round on his weapon, “Sorry gorilla, I have girls to meet and deepen our relationships with.”

[Agidyne.]

Once again Wendigo found himself being set aflame, but Alex refused to let it end there. “Cerberus! Raging Claws!”

Alex’s demon instantly went in for the kill while Wendigo rolled on the ground.

Using its last breath, Wendigo spoke, “Master… Be-” His body suddenly dissolved into thin air.

Alex grinned as he approached his demon and shook its paws. “That’s awesome! I’ll make sure to call you some other time so that we can talk.”

Cerberus roared, it seems that it is happy with its new master.

“Well, time to close that hole.” Raising his gun, Alex fired a shot at the black hole. The hole suddenly shattered and disappeared. A crystal fell on the ground as the indicator that it is closed.

[Magnetite Detected. Absorbing.] The Azure Grimoire then reverted back to it’s Book Form and began to absorb the crystal into its system. [Absorption completed.]

Alex grinned as he looked at Vivio and the others, “Well its time for-” He consciously recalled Cerberus back to Azure Grimoire, only to feel that he is quickly approaching the ground. “-luncgggggggggh.”

Everyone was suddenly alarmed when Alex fainted after taking his first step and fell face first to the ground.

-=0=-

Next:
Chapter 02 – Yatagarasu of the Black Sun

Question: What should I give to the girls? A demon or a Persona?