Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[RadiantBeam]

I'd like to Cee how Einhart reacts to being complained to about bra shopping.

Pageclaim for epic misspellings of justice!

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Kaijo

Nanoha in general has always been about different types of family units, and familial love and relationships. To the point that romantic entanglements themselves are virtually eliminated. It's showing us that families can form in many different ways, and end up looking very different. But they are no less a family, of people who care about each other.

Adoption, in particular, is strongly pushed. People who aren't blood-related, deciding to become family, or joining a part of another family. Like the Yagamis, or the Harlaowns, or the Nakajimas... the latter has a father with initially two children who aren't technically his, and he ends up adopting four more.

It's a way to say, "Hey, you can have a family without the standard or traditional family roles." Indeed, romantic attachments would mangle the main message, so I can see why Seven Arcs won't ever go there. Initiating romantic attachments would destroy the message that you can't have a family without some kind of romantic love in there.

Yeah, pretty much. Of course Yuuno is the only character with no such family to speak of. Poor guy.

@Satashi: Because she's Vivio's oldest friend, Corona FTW!

[Rising Dragon]

My vote's on C as well.

[Jokulhaup]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Wait... Was that... Fate in the facility?

...

Oh dear. This won't end well, I think.

Could also be a grown up Vivio, which really isn't better at all.

[00-Raiser]

Ok so I revised my priest piece again using some stuff suggested by Jimmy C

Spoiler for Honey Trap:

When our eyes met that day in the courtyard, I felt as if the Kaiser herself had ordained our meeting.

I cannot explain it precisely, but there was something that radiated from her eyes at that time, something far different than the looks of respect and admiration that the others around me would give. Yes, there was just more to it, like a sort of longing, almost as if she had found exactly what she was looking for.

The serene smile she sent my way is something forever burned in my memory. I rushed through my business that day, trying to get free even a moment earlier so I could search for the woman who had captivated me so easily.

She was still waiting there in the garden, and when I approached she beamed at me once again.

“I knew you’d come.” She said wistfully.

Yes, I am certain some unknown power was behind our meeting. What followed were months of unbelievable bliss. To think an older man such as myself would garner the affections of one so youthful and beautiful… It was almost too good to be true.

But it was true, she assured me. She told me of how since joining the church, she highly respected and looked up to me, in awe of my lofty position as keeper of the Shroud of the Saint King. It had interested her, so she begun to secretly watch me and eventually fell for me.

I could not help but melt as she leaned in close to me, pressing her young, supple body against mine as she whispered words of love in my ear.

It did not take long for me to begin to desire her as well. I may be a pious man, but before such words of devotion from her I could not help but crumble. Nothing in the Saint Church doctrine prohibits affairs between priests and nuns, so there wasn’t anything unfaithful in it.

Occasionally we would come close to giving in to our carnal desires, but she would always pull back.

“I want to wait for it to be really special.” She would always tell me. I respected her wishes, so we never went that far. It mattered not, for our bond was all that was needed to sate me.

However, one day she appeared to be out of sorts. When I questioned her, she attempted to pass it off as nothing, saying it wasn’t a big deal and I shouldn’t worry about it. Naturally I kept prying as it was obvious something was troubling my beloved. She eventually broke down and explained the situation to me.

Her father was an avid gambler with little luck, so he had amassed quite an amazingly large debt. Paying such a debt was no longer feasible by regular means, so when the collectors came for him, he offered the only thing he had of any value: his own daughter.

I was appalled by this, but she was even more devastated. Tears welling in her eyes, she told me that if she didn’t go, her father would be killed. She didn’t want that to happen, but she also didn’t want to be given away to some strange men, as she was sure she’d be sold off to be some person’s plaything. She was saving herself for me, she said, so the mere thought was revolting, but she couldn’t leave her father to die.

Running up to me and putting her body against mine, she gingerly put a hand to my cheek and looked into my eyes with her watery ones.

“Please, you have to help me.” She begged in a whisper.

Of course I wanted to help her, I would do anything for her, but what could I do? Even if I were to put her and her father in protective custody, apparently this organization had ties everywhere, so even the church might not be safe. I would have to eliminate the debt itself, but how? When I took my vows I gave up all worldly possessions, so I had no money of my own.

If only I could get that money quickly some how…

The image of the holy item flashed through my mind. Yes, if we sold that, it would certainly be worth more than enough! But what was I thinking? Was I honestly considering stealing the holy relic? Looking into the pleading eyes of my love made my heart constrict. Yes, if it was for her I would do anything, even betray my god.

“… I have an idea.” I told her, explaining what it was. My words took a moment to register before her face showed shock.

“You can’t do that.” She tried to reason. “Even if it is for me, to do such a thing…”

“It’s the only way to save you!” I assured her. I wasn’t going to lose her like this, so I would do it.

Using my clearance I easily made my way into the chamber which held the shroud. I hesitated momentarily, a sliver of doubt appearing in my resolve. Clenching my teeth, I reassured myself that it was the only way. It was for the sake of my love, so surely the Kaiser would understand! Would she not be pleased to know that her legacy had saved others and brought them happiness?

I took it and then made haste to our rendezvous point. I had become a criminal, but I was prepared for it. It was all for my beloved’s sake!

We met up and made our way outside the church walls. We ran quickly and it appeared as though we would get away with our crime. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to me.

“Let me hold on to it.” She asked, gesturing to the cloth I carried. Nodding, I handed it to her. “So this is…” She muttered, examining the ancient fabric before folding it up and tucking it under her arm.

“Quickly, we must go!” I urged her, but she just smiled at me.

“I must thank you for all that you’ve done.” She said. “And now your usefulness has ended.”

“W-What?” I gasped in shock. What was she…?

“IS: Liar’s Mask.”

I felt something sharp and hot pierce into my belly. The sensation was nearly secondary to the shock I felt seeing her lovely brown hair lighten in colour and her habit dissolving into some sort of blue jump suit.

The burning in my gut spread horizontally and I heard something fall with a sickening squish. Wondering why I suddenly felt so much lighter, I peered down to see what seemed to be intestines piled onto the ground. Following the organs, I noticed they climbed up into the slash across my stomach…

Oh, so those are my intestines…

I made to voice my disbelief, but I only choked on the blood that had flowed out of my mouth.

“It’s been fun.” She said, running her tongue across the crimson stained claws that adorned her fingers. “But this is where we part ways.”

The last thing my mind registered was her bladed hand swinging at my neck.

[Yasanagi]

Spoiler for More Material Days:

Just as she finished snapping at the Fate replica, Material-D dragged Yuuno's unconscious body up from the chair and started repeatedly slapping his face again with the Paper Fan in an attempt to wake him up. "WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!!"

"Material-D... you need to calm down. This is not the time to panic," stated Material-S from her spot.

"First, call me 'Your Majesty'! Second, this is the perfect time to panic!!" screeched the Hayate replica with her green eyes clearly showing her agitation. "If we don't do something soon, we're going to get blown up to smithereens!! And he's the only person who knows how to operate the ship properly! Unless there's some sort of emergency panic button-"

"Ooh! Ooh!! Can I press the panic button?" asked Material-L eagerly.

"Quiet you!!" She immediately resumed trying to slap the sole male occupant awake but the only effect she has had so far was to cause his cheeks to turn red and swell up. Plus there was some bleeding from the nose thanks to a small rupture.

"Wow... her panic level's over nine thousand! Yuu-nii's nose is bleeding from all that massive damage!!"

"Yuu-nii...?" Material-S found it unusual to see Material-L warm up to someone this quickly upon all the strangers that they have encountered on their vast journey. She decided to ponder on this later as there were more pressing concerns. "Material-D, see if you can get control over the vessel and move us out of orbit. I will resume attempts to wake up Yuuno."

"Dammit, call me 'Your Majesty'!" But she didn't object to the Nanoha replica's suggestion and shoved the librarian's body in her comrade's direction before she took the seat and started trying to figure things out after placing her Paper Fan to the side. "Argh... how do I work this thing?! That peon just placed his hands down and..."

The moment her palms rested on the console, the computer began to react. "New user detected. Registering palm prints......"

**********

"How many more cartridges do you have left?" asked the male Divider Wielder as he steadied the much larger version of his device which was still cooling down from using up that last cartridge.

"Down to the last one. Although..." She checked her skirt pockets and pulled out a bright yellow cartridge, a white cartridge and a red gem.

"Well?"

"I do have an Aura Cartridge and a Flametongue on me as well. If you don't want to use them up prematurely, you better make the last three shots count," said the woman before tossing over the white cartridge to him.

"Roger that."

**********

"Registration complete. Synchronization complete. Welcome, Hayate Yagami."

"That name...!!" Material-D had to fight down the urge to blast this bucket of bolts straight to heaven now just for calling her that. She did take a deep breath before trying to access ship systems. "Give me control over navigation and propulsion systems."

"Unable to comply. Secondary control relays are offline." Another warning siren started ringing. "Warning! Incoming attack spell."

'Wait... what did that peasant do again?! He just cast his defensive spell through the system?!' She wasn't sure if she was doing this right but she focused herself and conjured a large defensive Belkan triangle to cover the part of the ship that was being attacked. "Panzer Schild!!"

While Material-D took care of defense, both Material-L and Material-S were wondering how to handle the unconscious Yuuno. "I admit... I do not know how to properly handle this type of situation," said the Nanoha replica.

"Hm... try kissing him on the lips! It should wake him up like in Sleeping Beauty!" exclaimed the Fate replica as the ship rocked once from the shield handling the first shot.

"...... but he's not under a magical spell. He's been rendered unconscious by the sudden unjust beating he received earlier," replied Material-S.

"It was his fault for not staying still when I told him!" shouted Material-D in defense as her shield absorbed another hit.

"Details, details! The basic story's the same. An evil witch knocks out the fair-"

"HEY!!" 'Note to self: pound that damned blue haired brat!'

"-prince and he needs a kiss from a beautiful princess to wake him up!" said Material-L with that happy childish smile on her face.

"Oh... kay..." After adjusting the unconscious librarian's body to face towards her, Material-S bent down and pressed her lips against his while carefully avoiding the blood.

"Don't forget to slip him some tongue!" shouted the Fate replica.

Material-D gave a small disdainful snort while maintaining the shield which absorbed the third shot without any major hassle. "Hmph! If I weren't stuck manning this station, I would show you how it's done!"

The moment Material-S released the unconscious Yuuno, she waited for him to wake up. However, he hardly seemed to be responding to the earlier stimulus. "I guess my kiss wasn't enough?" For some reason, she felt somewhat disappointed.

"Then lemme try!" Material-L lunged towards the librarian but was blocked off by the Nanoha replica. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know if I did it correctly. Let me try kissing him again."

"I wanna try kissing Yuu-nii!!"

**********

"Still holding together? How resilient..." He had to give them credit for being able to withstand the barrage from his modified Divide Zero spell, especially since it's being fired from his larger Divider. 'And I already used up the magical power in that last cartridge...'

"They really are something out of the ordinary!" squealed his partner, much to his irritation. "We've got to bring them back to Fortis! I'm sure he'll want to examine these new specimens as soon as possible!"

"You know the rules. Those who lay eyes on the scriptures of the Silver Cross must be eliminated." He held out his free hand. "Pass me that Aura Cartridge and that Flametongue."

"Aw, phooey. I wanted to find out what made those three tick," grumbled the woman before tossing those two items to the Divider Wielder. After changing his device back to normal standard size, he slipped in the Aura cartridge into the ammo chamber before snapping it shut. Then he held the red gem against the handle of the device until it melded into it, changing the blade to a bright red colour.

"Flametongue junctioning complete." He got into position and pointed his Divider up at the sky at the approximate point of where he had fired last. "Divide Zero Mark II: Blasting Zone."

And with that, an extended pillar of energy was released from the device and shot through the outer atmosphere...

**********

"Okay, break it up you two!" growled the Hayate replica who was still synchronized to the ship systems in case of another attack. As the two bickered over kissing the unconscious Yuuno, Material-D merely wondered how she had managed to put up with this for a decade.

"Seikou-chan's not being fair! She already got one kiss!" complained Material-L while keeping her eye on the prize.

"I swear if you don't shut up about kisses, I'm gonna give you a fist to the kisser!" Before she could threaten the Fate replica some more, the computer's beeping got her attention again. "What the...?"

The viewscreen popped open to reveal a large pillar of light gathering together not too far away from the rear of the vessel. What startled Material-D was that the light seemed to be originating from the surface of the planet itself. Even Material-S was wondering what it could mean. "That's..."

"A pwetty beam saber!!" shouted the Fate replica in excitement.

"...... oh, shit," was the only eloquent response Material-D could come up with for this latest development.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

Spoiler for More Material Days:

Just as she finished snapping at the Fate replica, Material-D dragged Yuuno's unconscious body up from the chair and started repeatedly slapping his face again with the Paper Fan in an attempt to wake him up. "WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!!"

"Material-D... you need to calm down. This is not the time to panic," stated Material-S from her spot.

"First, call me 'Your Majesty'! Second, this is the perfect time to panic!!" screeched the Hayate replica with her green eyes clearly showing her agitation. "If we don't do something soon, we're going to get blown up to smithereens!! And he's the only person who knows how to operate the ship properly! Unless there's some sort of emergency panic button-"

"Ooh! Ooh!! Can I press the panic button?" asked Material-L eagerly.

"Quiet you!!" She immediately resumed trying to slap the sole male occupant awake but the only effect she has had so far was to cause his cheeks to turn red and swell up. Plus there was some bleeding from the nose thanks to a small rupture.

"Wow... her panic level's over nine thousand! Yuu-nii's nose is bleeding from all that massive damage!!"

"Yuu-nii...?" Material-S found it unusual to see Material-L warm up to someone this quickly upon all the strangers that they have encountered on their vast journey. She decided to ponder on this later as there were more pressing concerns. "Material-D, see if you can get control over the vessel and move us out of orbit. I will resume attempts to wake up Yuuno."

"Dammit, call me 'Your Majesty'!" But she didn't object to the Nanoha replica's suggestion and shoved the librarian's body in her comrade's direction before she took the seat and started trying to figure things out after placing her Paper Fan to the side. "Argh... how do I work this thing?! That peon just placed his hands down and..."

The moment her palms rested on the console, the computer began to react. "New user detected. Registering palm prints......"

**********

"How many more cartridges do you have left?" asked the male Divider Wielder as he steadied the much larger version of his device which was still cooling down from using up that last cartridge.

"Down to the last one. Although..." She checked her skirt pockets and pulled out a bright yellow cartridge, a white cartridge and a red gem.

"Well?"

"I do have an Aura Cartridge and a Flametongue on me as well. If you don't want to use them up prematurely, you better make the last three shots count," said the woman before tossing over the white cartridge to him.

"Roger that."

**********

"Registration complete. Synchronization complete. Welcome, Hayate Yagami."

"That name...!!" Material-D had to fight down the urge to blast this bucket of bolts straight to heaven now just for calling her that. She did take a deep breath before trying to access ship systems. "Give me control over navigation and propulsion systems."

"Unable to comply. Secondary control relays are offline." Another warning siren started ringing. "Warning! Incoming attack spell."

'Wait... what did that peasant do again?! He just cast his defensive spell through the system?!' She wasn't sure if she was doing this right but she focused herself and conjured a large defensive Belkan triangle to cover the part of the ship that was being attacked. "Panzer Schild!!"

While Material-D took care of defense, both Material-L and Material-S were wondering how to handle the unconscious Yuuno. "I admit... I do not know how to properly handle this type of situation," said the Nanoha replica.

"Hm... try kissing him on the lips! It should wake him up like in Sleeping Beauty!" exclaimed the Fate replica as the ship rocked once from the shield handling the first shot.

"...... but he's not under a magical spell. He's been rendered unconscious by the sudden unjust beating he received earlier," replied Material-S.

"It was his fault for not staying still when I told him!" shouted Material-D in defense as her shield absorbed another hit.

"Details, details! The basic story's the same. An evil witch knocks out the fair-"

"HEY!!" 'Note to self: pound that damned blue haired brat!'

"-prince and he needs a kiss from a beautiful princess to wake him up!" said Material-L with that happy childish smile on her face.

"Oh... kay..." After adjusting the unconscious librarian's body to face towards her, Material-S bent down and pressed her lips against his while carefully avoiding the blood.

"Don't forget to slip him some tongue!" shouted the Fate replica.

Material-D gave a small disdainful snort while maintaining the shield which absorbed the third shot without any major hassle. "Hmph! If I weren't stuck manning this station, I would show you how it's done!"

The moment Material-S released the unconscious Yuuno, she waited for him to wake up. However, he hardly seemed to be responding to the earlier stimulus. "I guess my kiss wasn't enough?" For some reason, she felt somewhat disappointed.

"Then lemme try!" Material-L lunged towards the librarian but was blocked off by the Nanoha replica. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know if I did it correctly. Let me try kissing him again."

"I wanna try kissing Yuu-nii!!"

**********

"Still holding together? How resilient..." He had to give them credit for being able to withstand the barrage from his modified Divide Zero spell, especially since it's being fired from his larger Divider. 'And I already used up the magical power in that last cartridge...'

"They really are something out of the ordinary!" squealed his partner, much to his irritation. "We've got to bring them back to Fortis! I'm sure he'll want to examine these new specimens as soon as possible!"

"You know the rules. Those who lay eyes on the scriptures of the Silver Cross must be eliminated." He held out his free hand. "Pass me that Aura Cartridge and that Flametongue."

"Aw, phooey. I wanted to find out what made those three tick," grumbled the woman before tossing those two items to the Divider Wielder. After changing his device back to normal standard size, he slipped in the Aura cartridge into the ammo chamber before snapping it shut. Then he held the red gem against the handle of the device until it melded into it, changing the blade to a bright red colour.

"Flametongue junctioning complete." He got into position and pointed his Divider up at the sky at the approximate point of where he had fired last. "Divide Zero Mark II: Blasting Zone."

And with that, an extended pillar of energy was released from the device and shot through the outer atmosphere...

**********

"Okay, break it up you two!" growled the Hayate replica who was still synchronized to the ship systems in case of another attack. As the two bickered over kissing the unconscious Yuuno, Material-D merely wondered how she had managed to put up with this for a decade.

"Seikou-chan's not being fair! She already got one kiss!" complained Material-L while keeping her eye on the prize.

"I swear if you don't shut up about kisses, I'm gonna give you a fist to the kisser!" Before she could threaten the Fate replica some more, the computer's beeping got her attention again. "What the...?"

The viewscreen popped open to reveal a large pillar of light gathering together not too far away from the rear of the vessel. What startled Material-D was that the light seemed to be originating from the surface of the planet itself. Even Material-S was wondering what it could mean. "That's..."

"A pwetty beam saber!!" shouted the Fate replica in excitement.

"...... oh, shit," was the only eloquent response Material-D could come up with for this latest development.

Heh, somehow Yuuno manages to be super lucky and incredibly unlucky at the same time

So a giant energy sword from the surface? I immediately thought of the Trans-am Raiser sword.

[Nanya01]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Ok so I revised my priest piece again using some stuff suggested by Jimmy C

Spoiler for Honey Trap:

When our eyes met that day in the courtyard, I felt as if the Kaiser herself had ordained our meeting.

I cannot explain it precisely, but there was something that radiated from her eyes at that time, something far different than the looks of respect and admiration that the others around me would give. Yes, there was just more to it, like a sort of longing, almost as if she had found exactly what she was looking for.

The serene smile she sent my way is something forever burned in my memory. I rushed through my business that day, trying to get free even a moment earlier so I could search for the woman who had captivated me so easily.

She was still waiting there in the garden, and when I approached she beamed at me once again.

“I knew you’d come.” She said wistfully.

Yes, I am certain some unknown power was behind our meeting. What followed were months of unbelievable bliss. To think an older man such as myself would garner the affections of one so youthful and beautiful… It was almost too good to be true.

But it was true, she assured me. She told me of how since joining the church, she highly respected and looked up to me, in awe of my lofty position as keeper of the Shroud of the Saint King. It had interested her, so she begun to secretly watch me and eventually fell for me.

I could not help but melt as she leaned in close to me, pressing her young, supple body against mine as she whispered words of love in my ear.

It did not take long for me to begin to desire her as well. I may be a pious man, but before such words of devotion from her I could not help but crumble. Nothing in the Saint Church doctrine prohibits affairs between priests and nuns, so there wasn’t anything unfaithful in it.

Occasionally we would come close to giving in to our carnal desires, but she would always pull back.

“I want to wait for it to be really special.” She would always tell me. I respected her wishes, so we never went that far. It mattered not, for our bond was all that was needed to sate me.

However, one day she appeared to be out of sorts. When I questioned her, she attempted to pass it off as nothing, saying it wasn’t a big deal and I shouldn’t worry about it. Naturally I kept prying as it was obvious something was troubling my beloved. She eventually broke down and explained the situation to me.

Her father was an avid gambler with little luck, so he had amassed quite an amazingly large debt. Paying such a debt was no longer feasible by regular means, so when the collectors came for him, he offered the only thing he had of any value: his own daughter.

I was appalled by this, but she was even more devastated. Tears welling in her eyes, she told me that if she didn’t go, her father would be killed. She didn’t want that to happen, but she also didn’t want to be given away to some strange men, as she was sure she’d be sold off to be some person’s plaything. She was saving herself for me, she said, so the mere thought was revolting, but she couldn’t leave her father to die.

Running up to me and putting her body against mine, she gingerly put a hand to my cheek and looked into my eyes with her watery ones.

“Please, you have to help me.” She begged in a whisper.

Of course I wanted to help her, I would do anything for her, but what could I do? Even if I were to put her and her father in protective custody, apparently this organization had ties everywhere, so even the church might not be safe. I would have to eliminate the debt itself, but how? When I took my vows I gave up all worldly possessions, so I had no money of my own.

If only I could get that money quickly some how…

The image of the holy item flashed through my mind. Yes, if we sold that, it would certainly be worth more than enough! But what was I thinking? Was I honestly considering stealing the holy relic? Looking into the pleading eyes of my love made my heart constrict. Yes, if it was for her I would do anything, even betray my god.

“… I have an idea.” I told her, explaining what it was. My words took a moment to register before her face showed shock.

“You can’t do that.” She tried to reason. “Even if it is for me, to do such a thing…”

“It’s the only way to save you!” I assured her. I wasn’t going to lose her like this, so I would do it.

Using my clearance I easily made my way into the chamber which held the shroud. I hesitated momentarily, a sliver of doubt appearing in my resolve. Clenching my teeth, I reassured myself that it was the only way. It was for the sake of my love, so surely the Kaiser would understand! Would she not be pleased to know that her legacy had saved others and brought them happiness?

I took it and then made haste to our rendezvous point. I had become a criminal, but I was prepared for it. It was all for my beloved’s sake!

We met up and made our way outside the church walls. We ran quickly and it appeared as though we would get away with our crime. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to me.

“Let me hold on to it.” She asked, gesturing to the cloth I carried. Nodding, I handed it to her. “So this is…” She muttered, examining the ancient fabric before folding it up and tucking it under her arm.

“Quickly, we must go!” I urged her, but she just smiled at me.

“I must thank you for all that you’ve done.” She said. “And now your usefulness has ended.”

“W-What?” I gasped in shock. What was she…?

“IS: Liar’s Mask.”

I felt something sharp and hot pierce into my belly. The sensation was nearly secondary to the shock I felt seeing her lovely brown hair lighten in colour and her habit dissolving into some sort of blue jump suit.

The burning in my gut spread horizontally and I heard something fall with a sickening squish. Wondering why I suddenly felt so much lighter, I peered down to see what seemed to be intestines piled onto the ground. Following the organs, I noticed they climbed up into the slash across my stomach…

Oh, so those are my intestines…

I made to voice my disbelief, but I only choked on the blood that had flowed out of my mouth.

“It’s been fun.” She said, running her tongue across the crimson stained claws that adorned her fingers. “But this is where we part ways.”

The last thing my mind registered was her bladed hand swinging at my neck.

I have to admit, this looks very good and is pretty believable for everything. Very good.

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

Spoiler for More Material Days:

Just as she finished snapping at the Fate replica, Material-D dragged Yuuno's unconscious body up from the chair and started repeatedly slapping his face again with the Paper Fan in an attempt to wake him up. "WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!!"

"Material-D... you need to calm down. This is not the time to panic," stated Material-S from her spot.

"First, call me 'Your Majesty'! Second, this is the perfect time to panic!!" screeched the Hayate replica with her green eyes clearly showing her agitation. "If we don't do something soon, we're going to get blown up to smithereens!! And he's the only person who knows how to operate the ship properly! Unless there's some sort of emergency panic button-"

"Ooh! Ooh!! Can I press the panic button?" asked Material-L eagerly.

"Quiet you!!" She immediately resumed trying to slap the sole male occupant awake but the only effect she has had so far was to cause his cheeks to turn red and swell up. Plus there was some bleeding from the nose thanks to a small rupture.

"Wow... her panic level's over nine thousand! Yuu-nii's nose is bleeding from all that massive damage!!"

"Yuu-nii...?" Material-S found it unusual to see Material-L warm up to someone this quickly upon all the strangers that they have encountered on their vast journey. She decided to ponder on this later as there were more pressing concerns. "Material-D, see if you can get control over the vessel and move us out of orbit. I will resume attempts to wake up Yuuno."

"Dammit, call me 'Your Majesty'!" But she didn't object to the Nanoha replica's suggestion and shoved the librarian's body in her comrade's direction before she took the seat and started trying to figure things out after placing her Paper Fan to the side. "Argh... how do I work this thing?! That peon just placed his hands down and..."

The moment her palms rested on the console, the computer began to react. "New user detected. Registering palm prints......"

**********

"How many more cartridges do you have left?" asked the male Divider Wielder as he steadied the much larger version of his device which was still cooling down from using up that last cartridge.

"Down to the last one. Although..." She checked her skirt pockets and pulled out a bright yellow cartridge, a white cartridge and a red gem.

"Well?"

"I do have an Aura Cartridge and a Flametongue on me as well. If you don't want to use them up prematurely, you better make the last three shots count," said the woman before tossing over the white cartridge to him.

"Roger that."

**********

"Registration complete. Synchronization complete. Welcome, Hayate Yagami."

"That name...!!" Material-D had to fight down the urge to blast this bucket of bolts straight to heaven now just for calling her that. She did take a deep breath before trying to access ship systems. "Give me control over navigation and propulsion systems."

"Unable to comply. Secondary control relays are offline." Another warning siren started ringing. "Warning! Incoming attack spell."

'Wait... what did that peasant do again?! He just cast his defensive spell through the system?!' She wasn't sure if she was doing this right but she focused herself and conjured a large defensive Belkan triangle to cover the part of the ship that was being attacked. "Panzer Schild!!"

While Material-D took care of defense, both Material-L and Material-S were wondering how to handle the unconscious Yuuno. "I admit... I do not know how to properly handle this type of situation," said the Nanoha replica.

"Hm... try kissing him on the lips! It should wake him up like in Sleeping Beauty!" exclaimed the Fate replica as the ship rocked once from the shield handling the first shot.

"...... but he's not under a magical spell. He's been rendered unconscious by the sudden unjust beating he received earlier," replied Material-S.

"It was his fault for not staying still when I told him!" shouted Material-D in defense as her shield absorbed another hit.

"Details, details! The basic story's the same. An evil witch knocks out the fair-"

"HEY!!" 'Note to self: pound that damned blue haired brat!'

"-prince and he needs a kiss from a beautiful princess to wake him up!" said Material-L with that happy childish smile on her face.

"Oh... kay..." After adjusting the unconscious librarian's body to face towards her, Material-S bent down and pressed her lips against his while carefully avoiding the blood.

"Don't forget to slip him some tongue!" shouted the Fate replica.

Material-D gave a small disdainful snort while maintaining the shield which absorbed the third shot without any major hassle. "Hmph! If I weren't stuck manning this station, I would show you how it's done!"

The moment Material-S released the unconscious Yuuno, she waited for him to wake up. However, he hardly seemed to be responding to the earlier stimulus. "I guess my kiss wasn't enough?" For some reason, she felt somewhat disappointed.

"Then lemme try!" Material-L lunged towards the librarian but was blocked off by the Nanoha replica. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know if I did it correctly. Let me try kissing him again."

"I wanna try kissing Yuu-nii!!"

**********

"Still holding together? How resilient..." He had to give them credit for being able to withstand the barrage from his modified Divide Zero spell, especially since it's being fired from his larger Divider. 'And I already used up the magical power in that last cartridge...'

"They really are something out of the ordinary!" squealed his partner, much to his irritation. "We've got to bring them back to Fortis! I'm sure he'll want to examine these new specimens as soon as possible!"

"You know the rules. Those who lay eyes on the scriptures of the Silver Cross must be eliminated." He held out his free hand. "Pass me that Aura Cartridge and that Flametongue."

"Aw, phooey. I wanted to find out what made those three tick," grumbled the woman before tossing those two items to the Divider Wielder. After changing his device back to normal standard size, he slipped in the Aura cartridge into the ammo chamber before snapping it shut. Then he held the red gem against the handle of the device until it melded into it, changing the blade to a bright red colour.

"Flametongue junctioning complete." He got into position and pointed his Divider up at the sky at the approximate point of where he had fired last. "Divide Zero Mark II: Blasting Zone."

And with that, an extended pillar of energy was released from the device and shot through the outer atmosphere...

**********

"Okay, break it up you two!" growled the Hayate replica who was still synchronized to the ship systems in case of another attack. As the two bickered over kissing the unconscious Yuuno, Material-D merely wondered how she had managed to put up with this for a decade.

"Seikou-chan's not being fair! She already got one kiss!" complained Material-L while keeping her eye on the prize.

"I swear if you don't shut up about kisses, I'm gonna give you a fist to the kisser!" Before she could threaten the Fate replica some more, the computer's beeping got her attention again. "What the...?"

The viewscreen popped open to reveal a large pillar of light gathering together not too far away from the rear of the vessel. What startled Material-D was that the light seemed to be originating from the surface of the planet itself. Even Material-S was wondering what it could mean. "That's..."

"A pwetty beam saber!!" shouted the Fate replica in excitement.

"...... oh, shit," was the only eloquent response Material-D could come up with for this latest development.

Ha ha ha! L is funny as hell, S... Well, she's S and D, well, ha ha... Good one.

Is that a Blasting Zone heading their way?

[Yasanagi]

Yes, that's a BFS made out of pure energy heading their way.

[shiroi mahotsukai]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Sorta, there aren't really clear cut boundaries with this sort of thing. When the whole 'mama' thing started, Fate said "I'll be your god mother, so in a way I'm like your mama too" or something along those lines. Since Fate has experience with kids, it was her job to help Nanoha and Vivio settle in to their new relationship. Later Fate distances herself from them to let them grow as parent and child on their own. Of course since Fate did have a big hand in raising Vivio, the girl does view her as a mother figure and treats her as such.

Thank you for the information 00-Raiser, I've been wondering about that for awhile. On second thought maybe that should have gone in the Q&A...Ah well.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by shiroi mahotsukai

Thank you for the information 00-Raiser, I've been wondering about that for awhile. On second thought maybe that should have gone in the Q&A...Ah well.

Well, it fits here well enough too since the whole "Nanoha and Fate with Vivio as a happy family" theme is something that comes up a lot in MGLN fanfiction. Of course, in most of those stories, Fate is the second mother, no questions asked...

[Jimmy C]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Ok so I revised my priest piece again using some stuff suggested by Jimmy C

Looks good. I have no further suggestions.

[WarpObscura]

Gimme a C, Satashi.

Originally Posted by Yasanagi

Spoiler for More Material Days:

Just as she finished snapping at the Fate replica, Material-D dragged Yuuno's unconscious body up from the chair and started repeatedly slapping his face again with the Paper Fan in an attempt to wake him up. "WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!!"

"Material-D... you need to calm down. This is not the time to panic," stated Material-S from her spot.

"First, call me 'Your Majesty'! Second, this is the perfect time to panic!!" screeched the Hayate replica with her green eyes clearly showing her agitation. "If we don't do something soon, we're going to get blown up to smithereens!! And he's the only person who knows how to operate the ship properly! Unless there's some sort of emergency panic button-"

"Ooh! Ooh!! Can I press the panic button?" asked Material-L eagerly.

"Quiet you!!" She immediately resumed trying to slap the sole male occupant awake but the only effect she has had so far was to cause his cheeks to turn red and swell up. Plus there was some bleeding from the nose thanks to a small rupture.

"Wow... her panic level's over nine thousand! Yuu-nii's nose is bleeding from all that massive damage!!"

"Yuu-nii...?" Material-S found it unusual to see Material-L warm up to someone this quickly upon all the strangers that they have encountered on their vast journey. She decided to ponder on this later as there were more pressing concerns. "Material-D, see if you can get control over the vessel and move us out of orbit. I will resume attempts to wake up Yuuno."

"Dammit, call me 'Your Majesty'!" But she didn't object to the Nanoha replica's suggestion and shoved the librarian's body in her comrade's direction before she took the seat and started trying to figure things out after placing her Paper Fan to the side. "Argh... how do I work this thing?! That peon just placed his hands down and..."

The moment her palms rested on the console, the computer began to react. "New user detected. Registering palm prints......"

**********

"How many more cartridges do you have left?" asked the male Divider Wielder as he steadied the much larger version of his device which was still cooling down from using up that last cartridge.

"Down to the last one. Although..." She checked her skirt pockets and pulled out a bright yellow cartridge, a white cartridge and a red gem.

"Well?"

"I do have an Aura Cartridge and a Flametongue on me as well. If you don't want to use them up prematurely, you better make the last three shots count," said the woman before tossing over the white cartridge to him.

"Roger that."

**********

"Registration complete. Synchronization complete. Welcome, Hayate Yagami."

"That name...!!" Material-D had to fight down the urge to blast this bucket of bolts straight to heaven now just for calling her that. She did take a deep breath before trying to access ship systems. "Give me control over navigation and propulsion systems."

"Unable to comply. Secondary control relays are offline." Another warning siren started ringing. "Warning! Incoming attack spell."

'Wait... what did that peasant do again?! He just cast his defensive spell through the system?!' She wasn't sure if she was doing this right but she focused herself and conjured a large defensive Belkan triangle to cover the part of the ship that was being attacked. "Panzer Schild!!"

While Material-D took care of defense, both Material-L and Material-S were wondering how to handle the unconscious Yuuno. "I admit... I do not know how to properly handle this type of situation," said the Nanoha replica.

"Hm... try kissing him on the lips! It should wake him up like in Sleeping Beauty!" exclaimed the Fate replica as the ship rocked once from the shield handling the first shot.

"...... but he's not under a magical spell. He's been rendered unconscious by the sudden unjust beating he received earlier," replied Material-S.

"It was his fault for not staying still when I told him!" shouted Material-D in defense as her shield absorbed another hit.

"Details, details! The basic story's the same. An evil witch knocks out the fair-"

"HEY!!" 'Note to self: pound that damned blue haired brat!'

"-prince and he needs a kiss from a beautiful princess to wake him up!" said Material-L with that happy childish smile on her face.

"Oh... kay..." After adjusting the unconscious librarian's body to face towards her, Material-S bent down and pressed her lips against his while carefully avoiding the blood.

"Don't forget to slip him some tongue!" shouted the Fate replica.

Material-D gave a small disdainful snort while maintaining the shield which absorbed the third shot without any major hassle. "Hmph! If I weren't stuck manning this station, I would show you how it's done!"

The moment Material-S released the unconscious Yuuno, she waited for him to wake up. However, he hardly seemed to be responding to the earlier stimulus. "I guess my kiss wasn't enough?" For some reason, she felt somewhat disappointed.

"Then lemme try!" Material-L lunged towards the librarian but was blocked off by the Nanoha replica. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know if I did it correctly. Let me try kissing him again."

"I wanna try kissing Yuu-nii!!"

**********

"Still holding together? How resilient..." He had to give them credit for being able to withstand the barrage from his modified Divide Zero spell, especially since it's being fired from his larger Divider. 'And I already used up the magical power in that last cartridge...'

"They really are something out of the ordinary!" squealed his partner, much to his irritation. "We've got to bring them back to Fortis! I'm sure he'll want to examine these new specimens as soon as possible!"

"You know the rules. Those who lay eyes on the scriptures of the Silver Cross must be eliminated." He held out his free hand. "Pass me that Aura Cartridge and that Flametongue."

"Aw, phooey. I wanted to find out what made those three tick," grumbled the woman before tossing those two items to the Divider Wielder. After changing his device back to normal standard size, he slipped in the Aura cartridge into the ammo chamber before snapping it shut. Then he held the red gem against the handle of the device until it melded into it, changing the blade to a bright red colour.

"Flametongue junctioning complete." He got into position and pointed his Divider up at the sky at the approximate point of where he had fired last. "Divide Zero Mark II: Blasting Zone."

And with that, an extended pillar of energy was released from the device and shot through the outer atmosphere...

**********

"Okay, break it up you two!" growled the Hayate replica who was still synchronized to the ship systems in case of another attack. As the two bickered over kissing the unconscious Yuuno, Material-D merely wondered how she had managed to put up with this for a decade.

"Seikou-chan's not being fair! She already got one kiss!" complained Material-L while keeping her eye on the prize.

"I swear if you don't shut up about kisses, I'm gonna give you a fist to the kisser!" Before she could threaten the Fate replica some more, the computer's beeping got her attention again. "What the...?"

The viewscreen popped open to reveal a large pillar of light gathering together not too far away from the rear of the vessel. What startled Material-D was that the light seemed to be originating from the surface of the planet itself. Even Material-S was wondering what it could mean. "That's..."

"A pwetty beam saber!!" shouted the Fate replica in excitement.

"...... oh, shit," was the only eloquent response Material-D could come up with for this latest development.

I approve of FF8 references. If Squall Veyronhart doesn't use a Renzokuken onscreen at least once in canon, I should think there will be much rage!

[yuiseppe]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Well, it still doesn't have a title yet, but hey, it still has Fate! And Bardiche! That should count for something!

Spoiler for She seems to have spent too much time with Nanoha...:

"You're sure you ladies don't need to rest after traveling?" Aztek said when the Enforcers rejoined him after checking into the hotel. Yaris wasn't sure if he was being polite or obtuse.

"Adjutant, our travel consisted of standing in place for less than a minute during dimensional transport. It took longer to get out of the spaceport."


"Yeah, I guess you have a point there."


She ignored her own momentary reaction to the transport; the ill effects had faded in under twenty minutes, although Aztek's driving had brought back echoes of them. She wondered if she'd be better off putting on her Barrier Jacket to absorb the stress of the high-G maneuvers.


"Anyway, you said that you had a suggestion for our next step?"


Aztek nodded.


"Right. Now, you know that the Security Forces have already completed the initial investigation—crime scene examination, forensic tests, witness interviews, and so on."


"Uh-huh." In the interest of cooperation, Yaris chose not to mention that the locals had significantly exceeded their responsibilities before calling in the Enforcement Bureau. After all, they were here now, working together, so there was no point in complaining about how they got there.


"Well, one of the major players in the illegal antiquities trade is based here in Caledon City. I'd set up a meeting to talk with him, and I thought that the two of you might want to join me. He may have been able to hang out in the gray areas of local law, but offworld heat is another kettle of fish entirely. If he wasn't involved in swiping the Circlet of Thessidor, then he should be able to find out who was."


It was the first time any of them had used the name of the missing Lost Logia. It hadn't been intentional, but even so breaking that curious silence had an effect on them all. Even Harlaown seemed to sense it, a shadow seemed to flicker across her deep red eyes. Lost Logia were like that, these ghosts of the fallen pasts. When they were involved even simple cases of theft and sale for profit got complicated.


"So who is this man?" Yaris pushed past the moment, as she always did. "What do we need to know about him?"


"His name is Nicolas Zil. Ostensibly, he's a restauranteur. The Chateau d'Argent is, in fact, one of the most well-known and highly-regarded restaurants in the city."


"Five-star cuisine, eh?"


"Oh, yeah. He does business out of his private rooms above the restaurant, and he's well known as a collector of antiquities, particularly Legarian rarities. I'm sure that won't surprise you, since one of the best ways to conceal illegal business is to do it within a legal one, clouding the picture."


"If he had a fancy for Legarian rarities, then is it likely he commissioned the theft?"


"It's possible. We're certain that his private collection is significantly larger than his 'public' private collection, if you know what I mean, and he's brokered deals that weren't for his own purchases as well."


"Why hasn't this man been arrested?" Harlaown asked.


"Knowing he's a crook and being able to prove it in court are different things, Enforcer. That's particularly true when a man has powerful friends as Zil does. That means we can't act without all the Is dotted and Ts crossed, probable cause obtained for every action and no allegations without solid evidence backing them up. There's no chance of acting on suspicion alone and getting away with anything. Lost Logia, though, that's a little different."


"You're looking forward to this, aren't you?" Yaris said slyly.


Aztek affected a face of mock innocence.


"Me? Whyever could you think so?"


"Oh, I don't know. But, if I were a law officer who's had to handle a suspected criminal with kid gloves and the opportunity came to bring him before TSAB authorities who haven't the slightest interest in how big a player he might be on this one single world and a mandate to make very sure that he isn't playing around with restricted magical technology, I'd probably be grinning from ear to ear at the idea."


Aztek's smile slowly widened until it matched Yaris's description.


"You know, there just might be something to that." He coded on the car's engine and shot out into traffic.


~X X X~


More than one person looked up when the three uniformed officers walked into the Chateau d'Argent's elaborately furnished lobby. Nicolas Zil's love for antiquities was plain to see, as four pillar-shaped display cases showed off artifacts: an elaborate mask of what looked like porcelain, an ornate double-bladed dagger, and other items. Along one wall a tapestry of a battle scene was covered by glass, opposite the maitre'd's stand. Yaris tried to keep her rubbernecking to a minimum, letting her eyes take in the décor without moving her head as she followed Aztek's crisp stride towards the host.


"Good afternoon, Adjutant," the maitre'd said, his glance flicking over the rank insignia on Aztek's collar. "How may I help you?"


"Deacon Aztek, National Security Forces. My associates and I have an appointment with Mr. Zil."


The host looked surprised at that; he touched a button on his podium and a small screen, no more than three by five inches, appeared.


"Pardon me, but I have an Adjutant Aztek and companions to see Mr. Zil?"


"I'll be there in a moment," replied whomever was on the other side of the screen.


"Very well." The host raised his eyes to Aztek and said said, "It will just be a moment, Adjutant, ladies."


The "moment" did in fact take no more than forty seconds before the lobby door opened and a slender, dark-skinned man with a shaved (or just bald) head and very sharp, angular features right down to the line of his eyebrows approached.


"Adjutant Aztek. We weren't expecting such an...imposingly official presence."


Yaris stepped up next to her local aide.


"Enforcers Yaris and Harlaown, Time-Space Administration Bureau," she said crisply, her tone matching the mood Aztek seemed to think would be the most effective approach with Zil. "Are you Mr. Zil?"


"No, Enforcer," the dark man said, momentarily taken aback.


"Then we'll save the explanations for when we see him. I don't like to repeat myself."


He glanced back and forth between Aztek and herself, the pause before his response long enough that Yaris wondered if he was a mage and communicating telepathically with his boss. If he was, he must have received a positive answer.


"Of course. Please come with me."


He led them from the lobby down a hall paneled in dark wood. Through doors on both sides Yaris could see dining rooms, light glittering off crystal, brightly polished silver, and snowy linens, and caught further hints of opulent furnishings. She wasn't familiar enough with Andorelan history to know the culture or time period being evoked, but it gave her the feeling of a post-medieval aristocratic luxury, of a time when birth meant privilege and entitlement and technology was sufficient to support it. At the end of the hall he touched a button and a section of paneling slid aside to reveal an elevator, the car outfitted in brass and more dark wood. Yaris felt a soft buzz at the back of her neck as they entered, her Device letting her know that they were being scanned for weapons.


The elevator ascended smoothly and their escort brought the three law officers to a large conference room. The furnishings here were equally elaborate, and the walls were pierced with glass cases, each bearing further antiquities. Was it because Zil liked to be surrounded by the objects of his passion, or because he was trying to show off, present an image to the people he met with?


Looking at the man who awaited them, Yaris had to conclude that it was the latter. Zil was a thick-bodied, well-fed man wearing an immaculate white suit, plum-colored shirt and lilac tie. His brown hair was a rich chocolate color with lighter highlights and he had a neatly trimmed beard into which he'd allowed a little gray, just enough to suggest experience and wisdom without a loss of strength and virility. He had short-fingered plowman's hands from which three rings glittered, and one ear was pierced for a diamond stud.


"Adjutant, Enforcers, good afternoon!" he greeted them heartily, waving his hand, but did not get up from his seat at the head of the long table—a classic power move. Yaris wasn't impressed; she'd seen it all before. "Come, join me, and tell me what I can do for such eminent guests." He gestured at the table.


The three of them approached, not responding to his hail-fellow-well-met heartiness. The point was to present a front of stern, overwhelming officialdom, although Yaris couldn't help but think that with Harlaown in tow they looked more like a family playing dress-up than a law enforcement squad.


Since beating around the bush would only undermine the impression they wanted to make, Yaris came out and said, "Adjutant Aztek tells up that you have extensive knowledge of the market for Lagarian artifacts."


"You do me too much honor. I have a collector's instinct, true, but nothing more."


She gestured at the walls.


"More than just an ordinary collector, I'd say."


"Trinkets. Mere baubles to whet the appetite. The time period is fascinating to me: a technologically advanced lost civilization existing on our own world long before Belkans or Midchildans sailed the dimensional sea. It's inspiring to think of. The artifacts I collect are not priceless treasures of gems and precious metal; their value lies in that they offer a window into the far-off past, into the lives of people now long passed on."


"Then how much," Aztek said, "would an artifact that literally gave you a window into that past be worth to you?"


"I'm afraid that I don't follow."


"The Circlet of Thessidor has been stolen from the Provincial Museum."


"The Circ—" Zil began, and avarice flickered in the depths of his deep brown eyes. "Incredible. But why do you come to me?"


"You know the market," Aztek said. "If the Circlet was being offered for sale, you would know."


"Surely you are not asserting that you believe I would traffic in stolen goods."


"You know as well as I do that in the antiquities trade, provenance is often forged, winked at, or ignored entirely."


"You are being extremely insulting, Adjutant. I assure you that my ownership of every item you see here is backed up with complete and valid documentation."


"And the ones we don't see, in your private collection?" Yaris said, her voice somewhere between a drawl and a sneer. Zil puffed up with false indignation—or heck, maybe it was real; some of these crime-boss guys were touchy about being accused of things even when they were guilty, as a matter of face and ego. She cut him off, leaning forward, palms on the conference table so her face was no more than six inches from his, making his seated posture one of weakness instead of strength. "Maybe you don't quite grasp the situation. This isn't about what you may or may not have bought through legal, dubious, or illegal channels in the past. This is about a stolen Lost Logia. Do I have to spell out for you what that means?"


"Why you little—" Zil's urbane polish vanished as he shot to his feet, knocking his chair back. "I'll have you know—"


"Don't push me on this. I'm not in a mood to listen to a two-bit hustler—" she shot back, watching Zil's face turn purple, but she too was interrupted by a voice from behind her carrying the telltale metallic echo of a Device.


"Get set."


Yaris, Zil, and Aztek all turned towards Harlaown. The triangular pendant around the girl's neck flashed an in an instant her uniform was gone, replaced by a Barrier Jacket of black tunic and tights—very similar, actually, to her Enforcer uniform—and high-collared white cape. Her black-gloved right hand closed around the shaft of a short-handled Device with a head like a blunt-edged axe blade. The yellow crystal in the axe-head flashed, and the metallic voice spoke again.


"Plasma Lancer."


Six spears of yellow energy blasted off in multiple directions, crashing into the walls between the display cases and smashing open hidden panels. From behind the panels, one man toppled, unconscious, a heavy rifle-like weapon tumbling out of his slack hands, while five goons charged. Blasts of magical energy shot into the room from gaps in what had to be two more panels at the end of the room, but were stopped by the glittering yellow dome that sprang up around the Enforcers and Aztek. "Defenser Plus" echoed in the air, confirming the source of the barrier.


Yaris said something not precisely suitable for an eleven-year-old's ears, but since Harlaown had started this mess her partner figured she could deal. She assumed her own Barrier Jacket, neck-to-front black with a crimson cape and tiny halo hat, her blue hair coming loose from the braid and spilling down her back. She plucked her own Device's card-shaped standby form from her pocket and converted Star Sentry into its combat-ready staff form.


The five thugs she could see appeared to include three men and a woman with typical rod-type Storage Devices, along with another weapon-user. Even as Yaris was assessing the situation, Harlaown was already moving to resolve it.


"Haken Form."


The axe-head tipped back, sprouting a scythelike blade. The child sprang towards the two attackers on her side of the table. A sweep of her scythe cut down the defenseless non-mage, and in a motion so quick Yaris could barely track she bought it back around towards the second man.


"Haken Slash."


Sparks flew as the enhanced attack tore through the mage's rudimentary Barrier Jacket, overwhelming his defenses and blasting him unconscious with magic damage. Yaris whipped Star Sentry towards the goons on the other side.


"Plasma Shock."


A bright explosion of blue-white light staggered two of them, utterly disrupting their attempts to cast spells. The third pointed his Device at Harlaown. "Strike Fire!" he yelped, and four shooting-magic "bullets" sprang from the rod's tip. Two missed outright, shattering a display case, one impacted the skirt of her Barrier Jacket without apparent effect, and the last she actually swatted away with her scytle.


Zil had tried to make a run for it the instant the firefight broke out, but Aztek had intercepted him, tackling him to the carpet. They rolled over and over, grappling and punching while the Enforcers dealt with the armed opposition.


More blasts came from the end of the room, but Yaris was ready for them, raising her Mystic Defender barrier spell to protect herself. The force of the impacts was negligible; she doubted the opposition would have qualified as better than C-rank.


"Harlaown, get those two behind the wall!" she ordered, then pointed at the mage who'd launched the Strike Fire spell.


"Pulse Laser," Star Sentry recited.


"Haken Saber," Harlaown's Device said almost at once.


Four blue-white orbs shimmered into place around Yaris's target, then blasted into him, dropping him unconscious. Simultaneously, Harlaown's scythe-blade launched into a spinning arc off the Device and blew apart the protective panel, knocking out the man behind it. Her Device switched back to its original form, she pointed it at the remaining panel, and a Mid-style rune glowed beneath her feet.


"Plasma Rage!" she cried, and a blast of lightning blew the better part of the wall apart. Impressed despite herself, Yaris Plasma Shocked her last two enemies into unconsciousness. That just left Aztek, who was getting the worst of it with Zil. The man in the white suit had Aztek pinned down, one hand gripping his throat while the other rose and fell like a triphammer, methodically beating the Adjutant down.


It would have been easy for either Enforcer to blast the enraged Zil, but Yaris decided it would be polite to give Aztek the opportunity.


"Iron Tiger," Star Sentry intoned. Blue light swelled around Aztek, enhancing his physical strength like a Belkan knight's magic did. He knocked Zil's arm away, then pumped his fist up into the restauranteur's face. Zil's head snapped back, blood spraying from a broken nose, and a second punch toppled him off Aztek onto his side on the rug. Aztek pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his jaw and panting heavily, while Yaris surveyed the sprawled bodies and the damage to the room. She turned her gaze to Harlaown, skewering the child with her eyes.


"We," she announced, "are going to have a long talk about this."


~X X X~


The lobby was awash in brilliant sunlight spilling through floor-to-ceiling windows descending in streams through ornately-wrought, circular skylights. He stumbled a bit as he came out of the staircase elevator, as if his feet wouldn't quite go where he wanted them to. The images before his eyes were shifting and confusing. Fanciful patterns in green, scarlet, and gold writhed into existence in the beige wall-to-wall lobby carpeting, taking shape just long enough to tease at his memory for the meaning of their symbolism, then vanishing again, swallowed by the drab fibers. An ornamental wooden table set with a decanter and glasses shimmered as a cart rolled through it, pushed by a white-aproned housekeeper.


He swayed as he walked forward, trying not to set his feet on the eerily erupting griffons and hydras, giving his advance the disconcerting aspect of a strange, patternless dance, putting him in mind of a drunken courtier who'd attempted a quadrille, only to miss steps and ricochet to and fro as he bumped into dancer after dancer until he was approached by—


"Excuse me, sir, but do you need help?" gingerly asked a young man in livery, the gold and green tabard of a page red jacket and cap with gold braid of a doorman, on his first first week week on the job.


Memory becoming reality, as he recalled the servant using those same words to the dancer? Was he the dancer? Is it memory? Or what is happening now? But no, just a memory; as I resemble that man, so does the response.


Ahead of him a woman in a scarlet gown passed through a closed glass door, the panel seeming to fly apart in a thousand fragments open archway that came back together as she passed on. His head pounded at the sight, and he shook off the grasping hand of the interloper whose offered kindness only served to irritate him the more as it provided one more discordant note in the haze of his perception.


"Let me go!" he snapped, more harshly than the boy deserved for he had only been trying to be of service. He swayed forward, then set his jaw and marched straight for the archway door, heedless of the way the air seemed to stream and flow around him. He collided heavily with a barrier he could not see fumbled for the door handle for a long moment as if he couldn't quite grasp what he was supposed to do with it, the knowledge slipping from his grasp until at last the door gave way before him and he staggered out into the burning sunlight.

Previously:

Chapter 1

Wooo We're starting to be able to piece things together now! Curious about Fate's way of dealing with the irritating types (pre-emptive self defence?), but I guess Yaris is going to have a little chat with her about that huh.

Looking forward to the next instalment!

[Satashi]

C: lots

Spoiler for previously:

Spoiler for CYOA Vivio POV:

I woke up easily enough, rolling over to look at my mother's smiling face as she gently shook my shoulder. "Good morning, sleepy head," She told me, getting a smile for it. "I'll have breakfast ready soon so come on down when you can."

I nodded and sat up in bed, giving a large stretch. Nanoha-mama left the room and I contently swung my feet over so I could stand. Kris turned on my radio so I could listen to my favorite talk show while getting dressed.

A new style school uniform was hung on my closet door handle and I couldn't help but feel a little proud of putting it on. I was finally in the same school as Einhart now, and it felt good to know all of us would be wearing the same uniform.

Pulling off my pajamas, I slid on my camisole and shifted a little uncomfortably when the uniform went over it. My chest had started developing a little more recently, and I realized that I actually started feeling my breasts wiggle when jogging. Putting this aside to think about later, I finished dressing myself and patted Kris on the head before heading downstairs.

Fate-mama was here this morning and I happily gave her a hug for the surprise visit. "I'm glad you could make it!" I told her, getting a pat on the head. Fate-mama was here a lot more than usual lately, and I was happy for it. Even if she wasn't my real mother, I still thought of her as so, and not seeing her for a while made me feel uneasy.

Sitting at the table, I began munching the pancakes placed before me, happy to see all my favorites there as well. A few berries were on the side of the plate along with some scrambled eggs. I loved fruits, and generally had them as often as I could. I much preferred blackberries over chips for snacks and I even had string cheese when bored instead of Nanoha-mama's famous cookies. I guess that attributed to my lean figure which was just starting to develop. Speaking of...

Spoiler for Part 2:

"Ne," I spoke, getting both Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama to look at me. I generally referred to Nanoha as mama and Fate as 'mom' when not calling their names, so this time they both gave me their attention. "I kind of... need a favor."

"What is it?" Fate asked me curiously.

"Well..." I fidgeted a little. "Lately... I think I've been... uhm.. 'jiggling' when training."

"Jig..." Nanoha's eyes widened slightly after a small pause. "Oh!" To my surprise she covered a small giggle. "I see." Nanoha nudged Fate playfully. "See? I told you."

I blushed as Fate smiled at me. "You just have the opening ceremony today, right? How about I pick you up after class and we go shopping?"

Nanoha agreed. "Best you get some before you start changing at school. I have work today so I can't go with you unless you want to wait?"

"No, today is fine." I nodded to myself. "The other girls all have them already so..."

At that moment I noticed the time and yelped slightly. "I might be late!" I quickly started eating my breakfast while they leasurly sipped their morning coffee. Once done, I stood up and grabbed my empty briefcase for class and gave them each a hug in turn. "Bye-bye mama, mom!" I cheerfully ran from the house and made my way down the sidewalk.

The morning was a little warm, as it was still summer time, and by the time I made it to the usual meeting place I was already sweating a little bit. "Rio, Corona, Einhart-san, good morning!"

"Mornin'!" Rio was overly cheerful as usual.

"Good morning," Corona bowed lightly to me, smiling brightly.

"Good morning, Vivio-san." Einhart told me with a little bow as well.

We wasted most of the time walking to school chatting about nothing in general. At the school entrance, Einhart showed us where out classroom was after we found out what home room we were all in. With that, we waved goodbye to her as she went to the stairs to go up a level to her classroom.

After home room we assembled in the stadium for an exceedingly long introduction to the school. I was used standing during things like this, so I was pleasantly surprised to find chairs for all of us.

The meeting finally ended and we were dismissed back to home room, where our teacher told us how things would work. I was handed a syllabus and looked over it with the teacher. There were a few school trips planned, as well as events and festivals that I was really looking forward to after we went to Einhart's classroom for her festival last year.

Once we were dismissed, we went into the hallway and then met with Einhart at the gates. "Finally," I complained lightly. "If we're in school, we should at least talk about more interesting things."

Rio laughed at my statement. "I agree, but I'm sure a lot of people are glad for that."

Corona shook her head. "But learning new things is really interesting..."

"Nerd," I accused, knowing I was almost just as bad.

"Yup," Corona agreed readily, smiling.

"What are your plans?" Einhart asked all of us.

At that moment, Fate pulled by and honked, getting my attention as well as the attention of a lot of the upperclassmen. Granted, Fate's car was a little on the expensive, flashy side, but I thought it was normal by now. "I have to go early today, sorry." I waved at them all before trotting over to the car and greeting Fate. "Mom, hi!" Getting in, I waved to my friends one more time before being driven off. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime," Fate's soft voice always seemed to sooth me for some reason. "Don't tell her I told, but Nanoha was really jealous I get to buy you your first bras."

Spoiler for Part 3:

I blushed lightly at hearing that. Nanoha had the role of mother down to an art form it seemed. Then again, she was my mom, so I was a little biased. Fate seemed to try extra hard as well, actually, even though she wasn't really my mother...

Come to think about it, Fate has always been there with me, ever since I could remember. Back when Nanoha-mama first started looking after me, I mistook her as my mother. She talked with Fate and asked her for help and the next thing I knew, I was calling them both mama. I was young then and didn't understand anything other than Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama.

As I grew up, Fate was there with me at my parent's day at school, took me shopping, and listened to any fears I had. But she wasn't actually my mother, I had learned that somewhere along the way. I could remember the feelings I had then, and I don't like recalling them. Eventually I just accepted that Fate was Fate-mama because I was still young and didn't want to let go of that. Now, however, I was older and more accepting...

"Vivio?" Fate looked over at me curiously. "You're awfully quiet today, is something wrong?"

"Ah, I just..." I hesitated a moment. I had overheard Nanoha-mama and Aunt Hayate talking before, about how Fate had tried to distance herself form me in the past before. I knew it was because of her work and that Nanoha-mama was my mother and not her, but... Fate-mama...

"Vivio?" Fate put her hand on my forehead while still trying to keep an eye on the road. "You don't feel hot..."

"I don't feel sick," I told her while reaching up to remove the hand from my forehead and hold it. I noticed how much larger it was than mine and took a little comfort in the protection it could offer me. "Ne... Fate-mama?"

"Yes?" She seemed to pick up on my mood and got serious.

"I have a question that has been bothering me for a while... but I've been kind of scared to ask."

"What is it, Darling?"

"Well..." I looked over at her and held onto her hand with both of mine. "Does it bother you that I call you mama?"

"...What?" I could tell she was shocked at my question and I looked down into my lap to avoid meeting her eyes. Several long moments went by in silence, making me start to want to cry at the feeling in my chest. "Actually..." Fate began, making my chest feel even more tight. "I think it would bother me more if you stopped..."

"...Really?" I finally looked over at her.

"Mmn..." Fate was trying to keep looking forward instead of at me, but I had to accept that because she was still driving to the mall. "In the past I was worried how you would feel when you realized I wasn't actually your mother. Even though we constantly said I was your godmother back then, you didn't differentiate between their meanings. I kind of felt like I was trying to take Nanoha's child away from her."

"...Really?" I repeated my last question, not really sure what to think right now.

"... Yeah." Fate squeezed my hand. "I was really hurt from where Caro and Erio left to live on their own... and I kind of took refuge in you and Nanoha."

"Is that why you went away for so long?"

Fate nodded sadly. "Yeah... But when I came back, you still called me 'mama', even though Nanoha assured me you knew the difference."

"Because....Fate-mama was Fate-mama... Even if you were just my godmother, you... were my mother too."

"...Thank you." She rubbed the top of my hand with her thumb a little hard. I could tell she was scared right now so I placed my other hand ontop of hers to try and comfort her as well.

"So I am just a little scared..." I began softly. "That one day you would ask me to stop calling you that... Since everyone seems to think that you and Nanoha-mama..."

Fate smiled at that. "My relationship with Nanoha is complicated. We gave up on what other people thought a long, long time ago. More so than that, however," She parked the car in the mall parking lot and looked over at me. "I don't mind being known as your mother, and Nanoha doesn't either."

The words took me by surprise. "You talked to Nanoha-mama about it?"

"Of course," Fate assured me. "It wasn't nearly as awkward as you would imagine. She was smiling the entire time and told me that I was your mother as well, even if it wasn't on the adoption papers. Nanoha is your legal guardian, but family isn't just blood or paper. You're my daughter because we chose each other. I don't need a sheet of paper to say that, or have to marry Nanoha to get the title by default. I am your god mother officially, but if it is okay with you, I'd like you to continue thinking of me as your mother as well." Reaching over to me, she gave me an awkwardly positioned hug. "Nanoha feels the same, so what do you think, Vivio?"

"I... I'd like to keep you as my mom," I hugged her back tightly, trying not to cry. "Thank you..."

Fate pulled back and kissed my forehead. "It hurts to know you kept this inside for so long... Please, for now on, if you ever have anything you are worried about, please ask us, okay? That's what it means to be your mother."

"Yes," I nodded and wiped my eyes. "Thank you."

Fate rubbed her own eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Is there anything else you want to ask while we're here?"

I shook my head. "Later, there are a few things, but right now I just want to shop with my mom."

"Okay," her word broke lightly but after a few more breaths she smiled at me lovingly and we each got out of the car.

"Uhm," I reached to take her hand and walked with Fate-mama to the mall entrance. "Where do we buy stuff like this at in the mall?"

Spoiler for Part 4:

"Victoria, of course." Fate-mama informed me as the cool air of the mall washed over us. The sounds of chatter came at once and I walked beside my mother nervously now. I knew that store, and I was a little nervous about going into it.

"Are you sure? Isn't that like... Grown up stuff?"

"Well there are some like that, but it's just a regular store." Fate-mama giggled at me and I held her hand tighter when we went inside the store. At once my cheeks colored, looking around at all the different types of underwear on display. To my horror, Fate-mama didn't lead me over to some secluded area of the store, but instead got a clerk to come over to us. "Hello," Fate told her cheerfully. "My little girl needs to be measured, please."

I almost fainted when the store clerk nodded and whipped out some type of flexible tape measure. After a reassuring nod from my mom, I submitted myself to being measured. After learning my sizes, I felt a little bit of embarrassment leave just before I Fate-mama came back to me holding up different size bras. "I have to try them on too!?"

"Of course," she mused, putting different ones against my chest, making me grab them. Moments later, I was basically pushed into a changing room and I was joined by Fate-mama, who began unclasping the bras from the hanger. "You don't seem to be any smaller than an A-cup, maybe AA."

"D-don't the double numbers mean bigger?"

"Not for A," Fate-mama revealed to me, handing me a bra after I stripped my top. She watched my fumble for a bit before trying to cover a giggle and failing. My hands were behind my back, struggling to clasp the tiny little hooks that I could swear were making fun of me. After having her fill of embarrassing me, Fate-mama took the clothing off me, went around my back and looped it around me. "Like that, now turn, put arms through."

I blushed hard and did as I was told, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "It's... awkward." I removed the article of clothing and replaced it with an other and then another. Finally I found one that seemed to fit me properly and I hopped in place, pleased at how I didn't feel the weird sensation anymore. "Oh this isn't that bad... But it feels a little odd."

"How so?"

"Here," I ran fingers along the hard section of the bra just under my chest.

"That's the under wire."

"Are there some without it?"

"Well, yes, but there isn't really a point in wearing them since they don't really support you... but I guess you're small enough to not worry about that."

I was subjected to being forced into many, many different styles and types before I decided on a kind that I really liked. It wasn't tight on my chest like other styles, and the straps weren't as thick as the first few I tried on. After that, I was able to leave the changing room and was lead over to a section that had the style I liked all on hangers. "Mom...?"

"Yes?" Fate leaned over.

I blushed and looked through the selection. "They're all so..."

Fate seemed to just realize something. "Oh, did you want something more simple?"

I blushed and turned from my mother, recalling that Corona had simple white cotton bras and Rio had cotton with prints all over them, matching her panties. Einhart-san had some that looked elegant, but were still a simple emerald green. What was in front of me were made of... I wasn't really sure, but it wasn't like theirs. They had frills and lace, complete with flower pattern designs sewn on them.

Mom seemed to be worrying now, so I shook my head and started picking out different kinds. "N-no, these are nice! Really pretty!"

Fate sighed out in relief and helped me pick out a handful of styles and colors ranging from pitch black to a fire red and a bright baby blue one that I really loved. To my surprise, Fate picked out matching panties for each color bra I had, ranging from her recommended lace and silk ones to my chosen cotton side ties.

After selecting them all, I as made to go into the changing room once more and try on the black bra so I could walk around the store. It felt really strange on me, and after about a minute of blushing and stammering, I was finally drug around behind Fate while she shopped a little for herself. My hands were popped more times than I could count when I tried to tug at my bra to adjust it and I finally gave up, head down and accepting the fact that they were no where near as comfortable as I had expected them to be.

Almost half an hour passed before we were done shopping and Fate-mama plucked the tag from the bra I was wearing instead of me changing out of it. "Mom!?"

"You can wear it out and get used to it," she told me calmly.

"I-I can't!" I tried to stop her as she opened the door to the changing room, but was too late. I followed her to the check out register and hid behind her when all my underwear was rang up. 'Oh my god, he's knows I'm going to wear those!' I hid behind Fate-mama more when she let the male clerk scan the tag that was plucked from me. The name brand of my bra and style appeared on the register and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was sure my mom could feel it against her back. 'He knows what bra I'm wearing!!!'

I felt a stab of guilt as well as shock rip through me when the total was given and I couldn't believe that we just spent almost four months of my allowance on clothing all at once. When we left the store, I was still looking at the floor, cheeks stained a dark crimson while I carried a bright pink and white striped bag in my hands. Even though Fate-mama was perfectly calm, I could swear that everyone looked at me and knew I had just bought underwear from that store thanks to my bags...

When we finally made it home, I felt a lot better about the ordeal and even the tight feeling around my chest seemed to be almost not there anymore. Running into the house happily, I was actually looking forward to changing in the locker room tomorrow so my friends could see the pretty things I bought. I knew Einhart-san would compliment me and I could just feel that Rio would be insanely jealous over them.

"Welcome home!" Nanoha's voice made me dart into the kitchen. "How was shopping?"

"Was fun!" I told her, setting my bags down. "I even got one like Fate-mama has, look." I pulled the bottom of my shirt up fully to show my mom the frilly black bra with see-through lace designs on it. Not a second later, I heard the sound of a spit take and coughing. My body froze and I looked to the side to see Yuuno sitting at our dining table, eyes looking away and cheeks a dark red. "Ah....ahhhnnn....."

Nanoha scratched her cheek. "Er, Yuuno-kun is staying with us for dinner..."

I ran from the room as quickly as I could, dodging Fate-mama and running up the stairs into my room so I could close and lock my door. As I fell face first onto my bed, I buried my face into a pillow and felt like it would be okay if I sank into my bed, never to be seen again.

Spoiler for Part 5:

I laid on my bed for several minutes before I slowly moved up into a sitting position. I sank back against my headboard and pulled a large stuffed dango plushie into my lap. I gave a small sigh and looked across the room for a few moments before blushing more and hugging my plush. "Kris, call Einhart-san please." A monitor appeared in front of me and I saw the girl's name on it for a few seconds before I got the image of my friend with an apron on. Several pots were in front of her and she had what appeared to be a smear of sauce across her cheek from her nose.

"Hello, Vivio-san." She greeted me casually. "What are you up to?"

Although I felt bad about interruption her during cooking, I knew it wouldn't really matter since she didn't have to focus on me too much. "Einhart-san..."

"Something wrong?" She looked at her monitor with a conscerned expression now.

"I flashed Yuuno-kun."

Einhart froze for a full three seconds before turning red and looking back at her cooking. "How bold..."

"I- I didn't mean to!" I shouted, blushing like crazy. "I went shopping and showed Nanoha-mama a new bra I got, and I was wearing it, and I pulled up my shirt, and he was right there, and he saw it I'm sure, and I can't beleive I have to eat dinner with him tonight too!"

"Was that one sentence or five?" She asked me curiously, making me wish I could smack her upside the head.

"I'm serious here! I need help!"

Einhart was still blushing, but she didn't seem very phased by my words. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to be worried over. Guys naturally want to see a girl's breasts. Now he won't have to wonder what they look like."

I felt my cheeks get so hot I was sure I was sweating. "E-Einhart-san!"

She smiled to herself and looked over her shoulder at me. "Relax, Vivio-san," her words were soft now, and I actually took some comfort in them. "It was in front of your mother, right?" I nodded at her. "And he is a life-long friend right?" I nodded again. "Then it shouldn't matter, he probably saw you naked countless times when you were a baby. To him it is nothing to worry about. They are probably laughing downstairs now at how you're so embarrassed over it."

I felt releived. "That's true... you're right..."

Einhart nodded. "So, besides you having a crush on him, it isn't a problem right?"

I nodded again. "Yes, thank you for- Now wait a gosh darn minute here! Who told you I had a crush on him!?"

"Rio," She blinked at me. "Was it a secret?"

"Yes!" I yelled at her. I covered my face with both palms and sank back again. I can't beleive Einhart-san knows about my crush...

"Well, he's the only male in your life, and it's natural with all the time you spend with him. You did follow him around like a lost puppy for a while as well."

"Shut up," I complained, looking away. "It's a stupid crush, I have on on the one guy from Super junior as well..."

Einhart nodded. "Mmn, that's why it doesn't matter too much." She smiled at me. "Hey, I think I am going to have a lot of left overs tomorrow, would you like me to make you a lunch box?"

I tried my best to smile at her.

A.) "Yes, that would be nice."
B.) "Sorry, Mama always makes me one on my first full day of school."

[Nanya01]

Ha ha! Einhart's funny.

As much as I'd like it, I'm going to say that it'll have to wait Because Nanoha would most likely make her that lunch box like a good mother.

Plus you never know, maybe Einhart would get delayed and Vivio would be starving.

[RadiantBeam]

I'm going to say A. Nothing like drama and questioning yourself when you're at a vulnerable age.

[Yasanagi]

I would rather see Thoma use Renzokuken and have Veyron use Shimatsuken. It would make for a more intense duel between them when they eventually cross Dividers again.

[Satashi]

Spoiler for previously:

Spoiler for CYOA Vivio POV:

I woke up easily enough, rolling over to look at my mother's smiling face as she gently shook my shoulder. "Good morning, sleepy head," She told me, getting a smile for it. "I'll have breakfast ready soon so come on down when you can."

I nodded and sat up in bed, giving a large stretch. Nanoha-mama left the room and I contently swung my feet over so I could stand. Kris turned on my radio so I could listen to my favorite talk show while getting dressed.

A new style school uniform was hung on my closet door handle and I couldn't help but feel a little proud of putting it on. I was finally in the same school as Einhart now, and it felt good to know all of us would be wearing the same uniform.

Pulling off my pajamas, I slid on my camisole and shifted a little uncomfortably when the uniform went over it. My chest had started developing a little more recently, and I realized that I actually started feeling my breasts wiggle when jogging. Putting this aside to think about later, I finished dressing myself and patted Kris on the head before heading downstairs.

Fate-mama was here this morning and I happily gave her a hug for the surprise visit. "I'm glad you could make it!" I told her, getting a pat on the head. Fate-mama was here a lot more than usual lately, and I was happy for it. Even if she wasn't my real mother, I still thought of her as so, and not seeing her for a while made me feel uneasy.

Sitting at the table, I began munching the pancakes placed before me, happy to see all my favorites there as well. A few berries were on the side of the plate along with some scrambled eggs. I loved fruits, and generally had them as often as I could. I much preferred blackberries over chips for snacks and I even had string cheese when bored instead of Nanoha-mama's famous cookies. I guess that attributed to my lean figure which was just starting to develop. Speaking of...

Spoiler for Part 2:

"Ne," I spoke, getting both Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama to look at me. I generally referred to Nanoha as mama and Fate as 'mom' when not calling their names, so this time they both gave me their attention. "I kind of... need a favor."

"What is it?" Fate asked me curiously.

"Well..." I fidgeted a little. "Lately... I think I've been... uhm.. 'jiggling' when training."

"Jig..." Nanoha's eyes widened slightly after a small pause. "Oh!" To my surprise she covered a small giggle. "I see." Nanoha nudged Fate playfully. "See? I told you."

I blushed as Fate smiled at me. "You just have the opening ceremony today, right? How about I pick you up after class and we go shopping?"

Nanoha agreed. "Best you get some before you start changing at school. I have work today so I can't go with you unless you want to wait?"

"No, today is fine." I nodded to myself. "The other girls all have them already so..."

At that moment I noticed the time and yelped slightly. "I might be late!" I quickly started eating my breakfast while they leasurly sipped their morning coffee. Once done, I stood up and grabbed my empty briefcase for class and gave them each a hug in turn. "Bye-bye mama, mom!" I cheerfully ran from the house and made my way down the sidewalk.

The morning was a little warm, as it was still summer time, and by the time I made it to the usual meeting place I was already sweating a little bit. "Rio, Corona, Einhart-san, good morning!"

"Mornin'!" Rio was overly cheerful as usual.

"Good morning," Corona bowed lightly to me, smiling brightly.

"Good morning, Vivio-san." Einhart told me with a little bow as well.

We wasted most of the time walking to school chatting about nothing in general. At the school entrance, Einhart showed us where out classroom was after we found out what home room we were all in. With that, we waved goodbye to her as she went to the stairs to go up a level to her classroom.

After home room we assembled in the stadium for an exceedingly long introduction to the school. I was used standing during things like this, so I was pleasantly surprised to find chairs for all of us.

The meeting finally ended and we were dismissed back to home room, where our teacher told us how things would work. I was handed a syllabus and looked over it with the teacher. There were a few school trips planned, as well as events and festivals that I was really looking forward to after we went to Einhart's classroom for her festival last year.

Once we were dismissed, we went into the hallway and then met with Einhart at the gates. "Finally," I complained lightly. "If we're in school, we should at least talk about more interesting things."

Rio laughed at my statement. "I agree, but I'm sure a lot of people are glad for that."

Corona shook her head. "But learning new things is really interesting..."

"Nerd," I accused, knowing I was almost just as bad.

"Yup," Corona agreed readily, smiling.

"What are your plans?" Einhart asked all of us.

At that moment, Fate pulled by and honked, getting my attention as well as the attention of a lot of the upperclassmen. Granted, Fate's car was a little on the expensive, flashy side, but I thought it was normal by now. "I have to go early today, sorry." I waved at them all before trotting over to the car and greeting Fate. "Mom, hi!" Getting in, I waved to my friends one more time before being driven off. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime," Fate's soft voice always seemed to sooth me for some reason. "Don't tell her I told, but Nanoha was really jealous I get to buy you your first bras."

Spoiler for Part 3:

I blushed lightly at hearing that. Nanoha had the role of mother down to an art form it seemed. Then again, she was my mom, so I was a little biased. Fate seemed to try extra hard as well, actually, even though she wasn't really my mother...

Come to think about it, Fate has always been there with me, ever since I could remember. Back when Nanoha-mama first started looking after me, I mistook her as my mother. She talked with Fate and asked her for help and the next thing I knew, I was calling them both mama. I was young then and didn't understand anything other than Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama.

As I grew up, Fate was there with me at my parent's day at school, took me shopping, and listened to any fears I had. But she wasn't actually my mother, I had learned that somewhere along the way. I could remember the feelings I had then, and I don't like recalling them. Eventually I just accepted that Fate was Fate-mama because I was still young and didn't want to let go of that. Now, however, I was older and more accepting...

"Vivio?" Fate looked over at me curiously. "You're awfully quiet today, is something wrong?"

"Ah, I just..." I hesitated a moment. I had overheard Nanoha-mama and Aunt Hayate talking before, about how Fate had tried to distance herself form me in the past before. I knew it was because of her work and that Nanoha-mama was my mother and not her, but... Fate-mama...

"Vivio?" Fate put her hand on my forehead while still trying to keep an eye on the road. "You don't feel hot..."

"I don't feel sick," I told her while reaching up to remove the hand from my forehead and hold it. I noticed how much larger it was than mine and took a little comfort in the protection it could offer me. "Ne... Fate-mama?"

"Yes?" She seemed to pick up on my mood and got serious.

"I have a question that has been bothering me for a while... but I've been kind of scared to ask."

"What is it, Darling?"

"Well..." I looked over at her and held onto her hand with both of mine. "Does it bother you that I call you mama?"

"...What?" I could tell she was shocked at my question and I looked down into my lap to avoid meeting her eyes. Several long moments went by in silence, making me start to want to cry at the feeling in my chest. "Actually..." Fate began, making my chest feel even more tight. "I think it would bother me more if you stopped..."

"...Really?" I finally looked over at her.

"Mmn..." Fate was trying to keep looking forward instead of at me, but I had to accept that because she was still driving to the mall. "In the past I was worried how you would feel when you realized I wasn't actually your mother. Even though we constantly said I was your godmother back then, you didn't differentiate between their meanings. I kind of felt like I was trying to take Nanoha's child away from her."

"...Really?" I repeated my last question, not really sure what to think right now.

"... Yeah." Fate squeezed my hand. "I was really hurt from where Caro and Erio left to live on their own... and I kind of took refuge in you and Nanoha."

"Is that why you went away for so long?"

Fate nodded sadly. "Yeah... But when I came back, you still called me 'mama', even though Nanoha assured me you knew the difference."

"Because....Fate-mama was Fate-mama... Even if you were just my godmother, you... were my mother too."

"...Thank you." She rubbed the top of my hand with her thumb a little hard. I could tell she was scared right now so I placed my other hand ontop of hers to try and comfort her as well.

"So I am just a little scared..." I began softly. "That one day you would ask me to stop calling you that... Since everyone seems to think that you and Nanoha-mama..."

Fate smiled at that. "My relationship with Nanoha is complicated. We gave up on what other people thought a long, long time ago. More so than that, however," She parked the car in the mall parking lot and looked over at me. "I don't mind being known as your mother, and Nanoha doesn't either."

The words took me by surprise. "You talked to Nanoha-mama about it?"

"Of course," Fate assured me. "It wasn't nearly as awkward as you would imagine. She was smiling the entire time and told me that I was your mother as well, even if it wasn't on the adoption papers. Nanoha is your legal guardian, but family isn't just blood or paper. You're my daughter because we chose each other. I don't need a sheet of paper to say that, or have to marry Nanoha to get the title by default. I am your god mother officially, but if it is okay with you, I'd like you to continue thinking of me as your mother as well." Reaching over to me, she gave me an awkwardly positioned hug. "Nanoha feels the same, so what do you think, Vivio?"

"I... I'd like to keep you as my mom," I hugged her back tightly, trying not to cry. "Thank you..."

Fate pulled back and kissed my forehead. "It hurts to know you kept this inside for so long... Please, for now on, if you ever have anything you are worried about, please ask us, okay? That's what it means to be your mother."

"Yes," I nodded and wiped my eyes. "Thank you."

Fate rubbed her own eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Is there anything else you want to ask while we're here?"

I shook my head. "Later, there are a few things, but right now I just want to shop with my mom."

"Okay," her word broke lightly but after a few more breaths she smiled at me lovingly and we each got out of the car.

"Uhm," I reached to take her hand and walked with Fate-mama to the mall entrance. "Where do we buy stuff like this at in the mall?"

Spoiler for Part 4:

"Victoria, of course." Fate-mama informed me as the cool air of the mall washed over us. The sounds of chatter came at once and I walked beside my mother nervously now. I knew that store, and I was a little nervous about going into it.

"Are you sure? Isn't that like... Grown up stuff?"

"Well there are some like that, but it's just a regular store." Fate-mama giggled at me and I held her hand tighter when we went inside the store. At once my cheeks colored, looking around at all the different types of underwear on display. To my horror, Fate-mama didn't lead me over to some secluded area of the store, but instead got a clerk to come over to us. "Hello," Fate told her cheerfully. "My little girl needs to be measured, please."

I almost fainted when the store clerk nodded and whipped out some type of flexible tape measure. After a reassuring nod from my mom, I submitted myself to being measured. After learning my sizes, I felt a little bit of embarrassment leave just before I Fate-mama came back to me holding up different size bras. "I have to try them on too!?"

"Of course," she mused, putting different ones against my chest, making me grab them. Moments later, I was basically pushed into a changing room and I was joined by Fate-mama, who began unclasping the bras from the hanger. "You don't seem to be any smaller than an A-cup, maybe AA."

"D-don't the double numbers mean bigger?"

"Not for A," Fate-mama revealed to me, handing me a bra after I stripped my top. She watched my fumble for a bit before trying to cover a giggle and failing. My hands were behind my back, struggling to clasp the tiny little hooks that I could swear were making fun of me. After having her fill of embarrassing me, Fate-mama took the clothing off me, went around my back and looped it around me. "Like that, now turn, put arms through."

I blushed hard and did as I was told, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "It's... awkward." I removed the article of clothing and replaced it with an other and then another. Finally I found one that seemed to fit me properly and I hopped in place, pleased at how I didn't feel the weird sensation anymore. "Oh this isn't that bad... But it feels a little odd."

"How so?"

"Here," I ran fingers along the hard section of the bra just under my chest.

"That's the under wire."

"Are there some without it?"

"Well, yes, but there isn't really a point in wearing them since they don't really support you... but I guess you're small enough to not worry about that."

I was subjected to being forced into many, many different styles and types before I decided on a kind that I really liked. It wasn't tight on my chest like other styles, and the straps weren't as thick as the first few I tried on. After that, I was able to leave the changing room and was lead over to a section that had the style I liked all on hangers. "Mom...?"

"Yes?" Fate leaned over.

I blushed and looked through the selection. "They're all so..."

Fate seemed to just realize something. "Oh, did you want something more simple?"

I blushed and turned from my mother, recalling that Corona had simple white cotton bras and Rio had cotton with prints all over them, matching her panties. Einhart-san had some that looked elegant, but were still a simple emerald green. What was in front of me were made of... I wasn't really sure, but it wasn't like theirs. They had frills and lace, complete with flower pattern designs sewn on them.

Mom seemed to be worrying now, so I shook my head and started picking out different kinds. "N-no, these are nice! Really pretty!"

Fate sighed out in relief and helped me pick out a handful of styles and colors ranging from pitch black to a fire red and a bright baby blue one that I really loved. To my surprise, Fate picked out matching panties for each color bra I had, ranging from her recommended lace and silk ones to my chosen cotton side ties.

After selecting them all, I as made to go into the changing room once more and try on the black bra so I could walk around the store. It felt really strange on me, and after about a minute of blushing and stammering, I was finally drug around behind Fate while she shopped a little for herself. My hands were popped more times than I could count when I tried to tug at my bra to adjust it and I finally gave up, head down and accepting the fact that they were no where near as comfortable as I had expected them to be.

Almost half an hour passed before we were done shopping and Fate-mama plucked the tag from the bra I was wearing instead of me changing out of it. "Mom!?"

"You can wear it out and get used to it," she told me calmly.

"I-I can't!" I tried to stop her as she opened the door to the changing room, but was too late. I followed her to the check out register and hid behind her when all my underwear was rang up. 'Oh my god, he's knows I'm going to wear those!' I hid behind Fate-mama more when she let the male clerk scan the tag that was plucked from me. The name brand of my bra and style appeared on the register and my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I was sure my mom could feel it against her back. 'He knows what bra I'm wearing!!!'

I felt a stab of guilt as well as shock rip through me when the total was given and I couldn't believe that we just spent almost four months of my allowance on clothing all at once. When we left the store, I was still looking at the floor, cheeks stained a dark crimson while I carried a bright pink and white striped bag in my hands. Even though Fate-mama was perfectly calm, I could swear that everyone looked at me and knew I had just bought underwear from that store thanks to my bags...

When we finally made it home, I felt a lot better about the ordeal and even the tight feeling around my chest seemed to be almost not there anymore. Running into the house happily, I was actually looking forward to changing in the locker room tomorrow so my friends could see the pretty things I bought. I knew Einhart-san would compliment me and I could just feel that Rio would be insanely jealous over them.

"Welcome home!" Nanoha's voice made me dart into the kitchen. "How was shopping?"

"Was fun!" I told her, setting my bags down. "I even got one like Fate-mama has, look." I pulled the bottom of my shirt up fully to show my mom the frilly black bra with see-through lace designs on it. Not a second later, I heard the sound of a spit take and coughing. My body froze and I looked to the side to see Yuuno sitting at our dining table, eyes looking away and cheeks a dark red. "Ah....ahhhnnn....."

Nanoha scratched her cheek. "Er, Yuuno-kun is staying with us for dinner..."

I ran from the room as quickly as I could, dodging Fate-mama and running up the stairs into my room so I could close and lock my door. As I fell face first onto my bed, I buried my face into a pillow and felt like it would be okay if I sank into my bed, never to be seen again.

Spoiler for Part 5:

I laid on my bed for several minutes before I slowly moved up into a sitting position. I sank back against my headboard and pulled a large stuffed dango plushie into my lap. I gave a small sigh and looked across the room for a few moments before blushing more and hugging my plush. "Kris, call Einhart-san please." A monitor appeared in front of me and I saw the girl's name on it for a few seconds before I got the image of my friend with an apron on. Several pots were in front of her and she had what appeared to be a smear of sauce across her cheek from her nose.

"Hello, Vivio-san." She greeted me casually. "What are you up to?"

Although I felt bad about interruption her during cooking, I knew it wouldn't really matter since she didn't have to focus on me too much. "Einhart-san..."

"Something wrong?" She looked at her monitor with a conscerned expression now.

"I flashed Yuuno-kun."

Einhart froze for a full three seconds before turning red and looking back at her cooking. "How bold..."

"I- I didn't mean to!" I shouted, blushing like crazy. "I went shopping and showed Nanoha-mama a new bra I got, and I was wearing it, and I pulled up my shirt, and he was right there, and he saw it I'm sure, and I can't beleive I have to eat dinner with him tonight too!"

"Was that one sentence or five?" She asked me curiously, making me wish I could smack her upside the head.

"I'm serious here! I need help!"

Einhart was still blushing, but she didn't seem very phased by my words. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to be worried over. Guys naturally want to see a girl's breasts. Now he won't have to wonder what they look like."

I felt my cheeks get so hot I was sure I was sweating. "E-Einhart-san!"

She smiled to herself and looked over her shoulder at me. "Relax, Vivio-san," her words were soft now, and I actually took some comfort in them. "It was in front of your mother, right?" I nodded at her. "And he is a life-long friend right?" I nodded again. "Then it shouldn't matter, he probably saw you naked countless times when you were a baby. To him it is nothing to worry about. They are probably laughing downstairs now at how you're so embarrassed over it."

I felt releived. "That's true... you're right..."

Einhart nodded. "So, besides you having a crush on him, it isn't a problem right?"

I nodded again. "Yes, thank you for- Now wait a gosh darn minute here! Who told you I had a crush on him!?"

"Rio," She blinked at me. "Was it a secret?"

"Yes!" I yelled at her. I covered my face with both palms and sank back again. I can't beleive Einhart-san knows about my crush...

"Well, he's the only male in your life, and it's natural with all the time you spend with him. You did follow him around like a lost puppy for a while as well."

"Shut up," I complained, looking away. "It's a stupid crush, I have on on that one guy from Super junior as well..."

Einhart nodded. "Mmn, that's why it doesn't matter too much." She smiled at me. "Hey, I think I am going to have a lot of left overs tomorrow, would you like me to make you a lunch box?"

Spoiler for Part 6:

I tried my best to smile at her. "A-ah, okay. That would be nice." Generally Nanoha-mama made me lunch on my first full day of school, but since Yuuno-kun was over then we probably wouldn't have enough left over anyway. "Thank you," I finished up once I eralized that she was still cooking for her current dinner. Countless pots were around her, making me wonder exactly what the girl was cooking. Before I could answer, however, a knock came at my door.

"Vivio?" Nanoha-mama's voice came easily. "Can I come in?"

"S-sure, one moment!" I turned to the monitor. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure," Einhart-san waved lightly at me with a wooden spoon in her hand before the screen cut off. Taking a deep breath, I went to the door and opened it. "Hey Mama."

"You havn't changed yet?" She asked me curiously. "Don't get your uniform dirty, we don't have that many."

"Oh, yeah," I really didn't feel like changing clothes since it would draw attention to my attire and probably make yuuno-kun remember what happened not to long ago. Nanoha-mama help out my earlier disregarded bag and I flushed, realizing I left the bright pink and white bag on the kitchen floor when I bolted earlier. "Thank you..."

"Welcome," Nanoha closed the door and walked with me to my bed, where I dumped the contents. "Can I look?"

"Yeah..." I began changing while Nanoha-mama looked at my new clothes, giggling at the variety and colors.

"You let Fate-chan pick the store didn't you?" She giggled

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you don't have any bunny prints, so yes it is." Nanoha winked at me.

I gave a small laugh, knowing it would be true. "Yes, yes..." After several minutes, I was fully changed and walking downstairs with mama. Yuuno-kun came into site and he pointedly made no indication of looking at my chest. 'Relax,' I told myself. 'Just like einhart-san said, he probably saw me naked as a baby countless times... Wait, I was adopted when I was six, he never saw me as a baby!'

~**~

The following day at school went by pretty quickly for the most part. I was placed in a seat at the front row but all the way to the side next to a window. Rio was to my right and Corona behind her. We all grinned at each other while looking over the textbooks in our bags. Although the start of each book seemed to contain things we already knew, about ahlfway into it the book started getting really interesting.

The homeroom teacher introduced herself to us again and we were given a once-over about everything that was talked about yesterday. After that, the bell rang and a new teacher came into the room. He was a tall man who was slightly heavy set. Blonde hair was styled on his head and he had a thick mustache. Opening his mouth, he addressed us in a thick accent. "Good Morning class, I will be your history teacher." He looked at all of us and hesitated when he saw me. I was used to this by now, due to my eyes, so I simply smiled at him happily.

The class began shortly and we proceeded through it at a fast pace. I was called on to read and I stood up contently to fill the classroom with my voice before sitting down once more. After me, Rio was selected shortly after and her peppy tone made me wake up a little bit more. A few more moments went by and Corona read untill the class ended, letting us all talk to each other.

"Wow," I mused to my friends when the teacher left. "Is it just me or did he really lay it on us the first day?"

Corona agreed with a nod. "He did, for real... Maybe he heard about us from the other teachers like before?"

Rio shook her head. "Nuh uh, we are in a new school so they wouldn't talk to our old teachers.

We were left wondering when the new instructor came in and staretd talking to the class even before the bell rang.

When lunch finally came, all three of us left the classroom together and went down the unfamiliar halls until we found a door leading out into the main courtyard. Einahrt-san was already there, sitting on the grass and looking around. Rio called out to her first, rather loudly, and waved over her head to get the girl's attention.

"Good afternoon," Einhart addressed us. "How were your first classes?"

"Boring," the word came from allof our mouths at the same time. Einhart seemed amused by this and she smiled while handing me a lunch box wrapped in a blue napkin. "Ah, thank you," I went on to say.

Opening the box, I looked at the oddly arranged mixture of food. The rice seemed to be packed weirdly and was clumped in areas, depsite being pressed down by the lid. The scent seemed normal enough and I took the offered chopsticks Einahrt handed me.

"Oh, did Einahrt cook for Vivio?" Corona asked, clearly knowing the answer already. "Aw, how sweet!"

"I bet her fanclub is really jealous," Rio added in, poking Einhart's arm with her copsticks.

The joke about Einhart-san having a fanclub wasn't really a lie, as I had met them once before while waiting for Einhart-san at the school gate last year. There were a group of about seven guys and two girls in the club, and I wasn't sure if she was flattered or creeped out by it, but judging by her personality, she probably didn't care one way or another.

Corona waved a hand in front of me and I blinked. "Going to eat?" She asked me curiously, plucking a piece of shrimp from my box. "I'll help myself then!" She popped it in her mouth and smiled brightly for a moment before her face turned blue. "It's... It's good..."

"Really?" Einhart asked, looking pleased. "I tried really hard."

I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I still picked up some chicken and put it in my mouth. The texture was a mix between super glue and cardboard, which was only slightly more pleasing than the taste, which reminded me of burnt wood covered in teriyoki sauce left on the counter for a few days. "It's good," I managed out a weak smile, making Einhart-san sigh in releif. I met Corona's eye and she turned away, signally to me all I needed to know about her opinion.

I ate slowly, trying not to cough as each piece went down. I had brought my own thermos as usual, and it was drained quickly just to help wash down the 'food' that Einhart-san made for me. Unfortunetly, though, the blazing hot sun above us reminded me just how warm it was, and when my drink ran out, I was left with half my food to go. I was sweating already from her over use of peppers and my stomach felt like it was on fire. I could feel the tingle in the back of my throat to warn me that I might throw up as well...

Fortunetly, or unfortunetly depending on how you looked at it, my body could no longer make it through the suffering I was going through. I saw my vision swim and my friends all turned to look at me. Rio was saying something, but her voice was wavering. The food in my stomach threatened to come up one more time before I manged to repress it... and I fell to the side as I lost consciousness.

~**~

I groaned as I woke up, blinking several times to celar my vision. A woman was leaning over me smiling and I felt really comfortable for some reason. "Awake?" She asked me, making me nod. I was helped to a sitting position and I realzied that I was in the nurse's office. All three of my friends were sitting next to me and I blushed hard when I realzied what happened.

Rio beamed at me. "You passed out from the heat and Einhart carried you bridal style all the way here!"

I blushed extremly hard at hearing that. "O-oh..."

"Do you hurt anywhere?" The nurse asked me.

"I..." I nodded. "My head really, really hurts for some reason." With those words, Rio looked at Einhart and grinned like the cheshire cat. Einhart-san's face was scarlet red and, for some reason, Corona was looking at the door frame leading into the room while obviously holding back a laugh.

The bell rang signalling the end of lunch period and my friends all hopped up. I was helped to my feet and the Nurse gave me some pills to fight off nausia that normally came after being in the heat for a long time. I took them at once and drank the glass of water offered to me before smiling and heading out of the room to make it through the rest of my day.

~**~

Once the final bell rang, I felt immensly better. Closing my books, I smiled at my friends.

A.) Go to the library
B.) Go to the Strike Arts stadium to train.

[Nanya01]

A, just because.

BTW, I think I was the only one to choose B before. HA!