Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[bhl88]

First thing Kyrie teaches: How to flirt.

Kyrie Jr.: Wanna see my pan-
Yuuno: No -_-

[Filraen]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

SSX

ViVid 1-15

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - ViVid 16:

On the way to the hospital

Dragon form

Valgaav

I almost expected Kuma getting to the hospital before Hayate.

("Just great. I knew one of us should have gone when Lina was giving birth to Arashi.") I think it makes more sense Signum mentioning asking Lina about Arashi's birth. Still, funny.

Big dragon form is big

Good to show how much Sette has grown.

[Lycodrake]

So, apparently, posting ideas in the crossover idea thread is a futile effort.
Would've been nice to have known that before I went there looking for feedback...
And I know quite well that this thread has little interest in merely "ideas"...
Well, guess I'll need to give up on that stuff, then.

I probably should just comment on the fanfics here, seeing as "One-Half and Eleven": a) isn't going well in revision and b) doesn't matter to anyone else.

[Kaijo]

Lyco, I can't speak for everyone, but people who write fics, generally have a lot of fic ideas of their own that they are trying to write. And if you're looking for feedback on an idea that you plan to write, generally people don't see much in the way of how to comment, until they've actually seen a first chapter written.

And then again, not every post is going to generate feedback. Sometimes, people just have nothing to say. That's the way it goes. You have to decide, as a writer, what you are writing for. For me, I write just because I have ideas in my head and it pleases me to get them down on electronic paper. If you are seeking the attention of others, well, a lot of times fics don't get that attention until they are well into it. Or at least a few chapters posted, and thus people start getting into it.

And personally, I'm pretty bad since I don't really read much fanfiction at all. I just write as the urge strikes me.

Just wanted to let you know how things go. Just because people don't comment, doesn't mean they aren't reading, either. For every review I'd get on ff.net, there were generally 100+ people who were reading.

[Craxuan]

When I write, I write for my own and the characters' sake. I've written - created that world so that it exists in our world, even if it means that I am the only who will observe it.

[Old_Iron]

Who wants something nonsensical and amusing?

A short drabble for the lulz while you wait.

Spoiler for Treehouse:

Three men stood upon the land which would be their battlefield.

A lush plain of green with only a single tree standing before them.

Supplies were of no issue. Nor were the tools to wage their war. They had only their mission and they would complete it without fail. No sacrifice was too great. No price too high.

"...So, why am I here again?" The blonde man's bland query was met with flat stares from his comrades in arms.

"Because despite your claim of ineptitude with construction, extra hands will make this go far faster." The silver haired man, tallest of the three, gave his honest reply.

"Besides, Hayate will be pissed if she finds out the ferret's been stuck in his cage for too long." The blue haired man's scathing follow up was good natured, but still biting as the majority of his remarks tended to be.

Yuuno glared at the his friend for the use of his eternal nickname. "Chrono, one of these days, I'm going to teleport your uniform into a lake. During a meeting." It was an empty threat and they both knew it. It was not a matter of skill, but rather being a line which crossed into excessive retribution.

Chrono simply smirked and adopted a haughty tone, one he knew would further irritate the librarian. "Not while I have those pictures you won't. Until I'm satisfied, I own you." He would have begun laughing maniacally as Yuuno fell to the ground in a defeated pile, but a cuff to the back of his head stopped him.

"If you're done playing around, we've got work to do." Zafira's raised eyebrow and smirk sent a chill down Chrono's spine. "Or do you want me to give your wife the pictures I got my hands on?" In truth, Amy had already seen them. She'd found them to be absolutely hilarious as well. But Chrono didn't need to know just yet. Not while it was an effective leash on the snarky man.

"Fine. Fine. Lets get to work." The admiral waved his hands in a placating gesture as he took a step back from the Guardian Beast. How Zafira got his hands on those images was beyond him. It also wasn't his fault. He'd had a little too much wine, nothing more.

"You mean the ones of him in one of Amy's dresses? Or the ones where he was posing in his office without pants on?" Yuuno received a furious look from Chrono at the mention of said events. An amused grin plastered itself on his face at the chance for a little payback. "I know of them, but I've never seen them. So they're no threat from me."

"Indeed. You need only fear my retribution, Admiral Harlown." Zafira's triumphant smirk only served to further infuriate the man.

"Anyway! Lets stop babbling and get to work! If we make enough progress, we might get lunch for our effort." His piece said, Chrono began marching towards the pile of lumber with an embarrassed flush on his face and one hand digging out the blueprints for their task.

It was a treehouse. Something for the myriad munchkins in their respective families to enjoy. Vivio had expressed an interest in one, as had Chrono's girls. And as such, the three men had been drafted to build one by the three Aces plus Amy. They were a force none wished to stand against.

It had only been Zafira and Chrono who had been ordered to deploy for the mission, but some.... persuasion had led Yuuno to being roped into the task as well. Something about 'not escaping the suffering'.

It was not long before the yard of the Takamachi-Harlaown residence on Mid-Childa was filled with the sound of construction and the voices of three men working in harmony.

"No! That's a socket wrench. Get me a tube wrench, ferret!"

"What the hell is a tube wrench!?"

"Who bought imperial bolts? All our tools are metric!"

"Zafira! Its going to fall! Run!"

"Yuuno, the saw's not secure its going to-!"

"That doesn't fit in there!"

"I'll fit you in there!"

"My hand! Oh, Kaiser, my hand!"

"Watch where you're swinging that hammer, mutt!"

"Look out below!"

"Put it out! PUT IT OUT!"

"My shirt's on fire!"

Ah yes, the wonderful harmony of jolly cooperation.

Fortunately, there was no need to call the fire department as it was only a small and easily contained inferno. One which miraculously left only a large patch of scorched earth, some charred timber, and three slightly singed men in its wake.

Breathing heavily, a shirtless Yuuno stared up at the sky from his place on the ground. "I think we should take a break." Sure, they were almost done. But a near death experience was enough to make anyone want to take five. Especially when it involved fire. A fire none of them knew how it began.

"For once, I'm inclined to agree with the ferret." Chrono was only slightly less singed than the librarian, but no less sweaty, shirtless, or sprawled out on the ground. "I'm also starving. Want to get something to eat?"

Zafira, being in a similar state as his comrades, nodded his agreement. "Its getting close to lunch to begin with. We can finish this up afterwards."

"Hopefully without killing ourselves in the process." Chrono's amused barb brought about some half hearted chuckles. It had been... an excitable few hours, to say the least.

"Yes, dying would be bad. I'd like to live long enough to see this monstrosity completed. I also believe my wife would be greatly displeased if I were to meet my maker here." And would she ever. Zafira was fairly confident Arf would find a way to revive him just so she could kill him again.

Chrono snickered at the comment. "Amy wouldn't be too happy either. She'd claim I was just trying to find a way to get out of doing the dishes."

"To be fair, you did claim it would be a national security risk if you took out the garbage that one time. I think her claims are well founded." Chrono's sputtering brought a grin to Yuuno's face. "And before you ask, I heard it from Fate. Your sister and your wife do talk about you behind your back, you know."

Intervening to avoid another verbal flame war, for Yuuno being on the offensive was usually the prelude to one, Zafira stood and stretched his arms. "Want to grab some takeout or see if Nanoha left anything in the fridge for us to eat?" While not even close to the level of culinary skill his Master possessed, he and everyone else would agree Nanoha was no slouch in the kitchen. It was usually a matter of time available to cook in the Ace's case.

"Better to check if she did regardless." Yuuno began heading towards the empty house with his compatriots in tow.

Nanoha and Fate had opted to take Vivio out for the day to make the treehouse a surprise for the girl. And with Caro and Erio being offworld, the normally busy home was eerily quiet. At least until the three shirtless men entered and began rummaging for sustenance.

Opening the refrigerator, the blonde discovered there was a large assortment of deli meats, cheese, and other sandwich related accoutrements. "Well, she didn't cook anything. But there's plenty of stuff to make lunch with." A note on one of the packages of ham drew his attention. "Nanoha says we can eat our fill as payment for our hard work."

Chrono raised an eyebrow and snorted amusedly. "What are we servants?"

"Is there any bacon in there?" The Guardian Beast loved bacon. He had gone so far as to call it by the name 'pig candy' on occasion. Considering Arf shared his appreciation for the delectable meat, it showed up quite often at mealtime. And vanished from the table in short order.

"Yes, there's bacon. Lots of it." Yuuno didn't need to turn around to see Zafira pumping his fist in victory. "Ham, pastrami, bacon, chicken, turkey, you name it. Wow, they really went all out."

Zafira grinned wolfishly as the image of a sandwich the likes of which would make even gods bow before began assembling itself in his mind. "Then lets not waste their efforts."

Yuuno returned the grin. "It would be insulting to do any less."

Chrono merely sighed, ignoring his own desire to tear into lunch like a madman for the moment. "Ruled by your stomaches, both of you. Have you no shame?"

The reply was one ready and loaded to go by both man and beast. "No."

"Good, because I'm starving. Toss me the ham."

It would be another half hour before they managed to get back to work. Zafira's godly bacon-wich had nearly caused a grease fire in its construction and Yuuno had dropped a can of soda which needed to be cleaned up after it exploded. Hunger sated and full of vigor once more, they set to their task with about as much cooperation as they'd had before lunch.

It took them two hours to finish the treehouse.

It would have been only an hour, but Yuuno had an unfortunate accident involving a screwdriver. It only needed a few stitches, but the trip to the emergency room had slowed things down.

When Vivio finally saw her newly completed sanctuary and smiled most joyously, it made all the near-death experiences worth it.

[Yasanagi]

Great stuff, Iron!

[Lycodrake]

Nicely done, Iron, as to be expected of the forge. ^^

[Lhklan]

"Yes, dying would be bad. I'd like to live long enough to see this monstrosity completed. I also believe my wife would be greatly displeased if I were to meet my maker here." And would she ever. Zafira was fairly confident Arf would find a way to revive him just so she could kill him again.

Wait, Arf and Zafira married? Someone write their wedding, stat!

[Old_Iron]

Glad you enjoyed it. XD

Originally Posted by Lhklan

Wait, Arf and Zafira married? Someone write their wedding, stat!

Here they are. A love forged through time, tribulations, hard work, and bacon.

And now I die to sleep.

[NorthernFallout]

Bacon.

It's like duct tape, but for relationships.

[Nanya01]

This took WAY too long to write. =/

SSX

ViVid 1-15

ViVid 16

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - ViVid 17:

Listening to Hayate from the waiting room, Zafira had to admit, being a wolf most of the time had some real advantages. Especially since, with his hearing, he could tell just how much pain she was going through.

He grimaced as he heard a loud, to him at least, he doubted most people could hear it over Hayate's screaming, crack that came from the room. "That's the fifth bone in Reinforce's hand that's broken."

Signum sweat-dropped and was silently grateful that Reinforce was in there. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be anywhere near Hayate at that moment. "I didn't think Hayate was that strong."

"Daddy isn't normally." Zwei shuddered as she heard Hayate scream out in pain again. "Does having a baby hurt this much all the time?" Looking around, she whimpered as none of the people in the room had any answers. "WAAAH! Daddy's going to be in there forever!"

"I don't think it lasts forever." Gil spoke up. "But it might seem like it." He sighed as, instead of calming Rein Zwei down, it only served to make her more agitated. "She'll be alright. Believe me, Rein, lots of women go through this."

"But, what happens if something goes wrong?!" Rein's face was full of panic as tears started to well up in her eyes. "No! I don't wanna lose her!" She turned and raced for the door. "DADDY!"

"Knock it off!" Agito tackled Rein Zwei in mid-air before pinning her to the floor. "Hayate'll be fine. Nothing bad's going to happen to her, okay?" She sighed as Rein's eyes teared up when they heard Hayate cry out again. 'This is going to be a loooong day, isn't it?'

(---)

Fate knew Hayate was due any day now, however, she had something more important to do. After all, this was something important to her.

Standing in front of the grave stone that marked where they buried Precia Testarossa, Fate knelt down and put her hand over the grave. "Hello, mother. Yes, I know, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" A small smile tugged her lips as she put a single flower on the grave. "It looks like whoever kept sending you flowers over the years has kept doing it." She wished she knew who it was that kept remembering her mother. It would have been nice to finally meet them. "You should see your grand-daughter, mother. Vivio's so lively. I'm sure you'd love her."

Fate sighed and shook her head. "I really do miss you. Even with all that you did, I still miss you. But, I'm not sad. I just wish that everyone could have known the real you. The one who loved Alicia, I mean." Fate closed her eyes and put her hand on the ground. "I guess I just..." She trailed off as she looked at her hand. "...Did it rain recently?" The ground was unusually soft for a graveyard. "I need to go, mother." She put a hand on the gravestone. "I'll try to visit more than once a year at least."

As she walked out of the graveyard, Fate couldn't help but frown to herself. The ground felt like it had been recently disturbed and then put back to normal. After all, it didn't look damp.

Then again, a dog could have come in and buried a bone there.

At least, that's what Fate was hoping.

(---)

It was roughly an hour later when the doctor finally emerged from the delivery room. Looking at the small group, he nodded. "They're both fine, though, I think that Reinforce needs to get her hand looked at."

He stepped aside as Shamal, Signum, Vita, Zafira, Rein and Agito went into the room. He looked at Gil and the two catgirls as they stayed outside, he raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you three going to go in as well?"

Gil shook his head. "No, I'll wait until she comes out. I'm not quite as nimble as I used to be, I'm afraid." He chuckled and leaned back, smiling. "I'm just glad that she had the child safely."

"Three of our friends went to go look at the other babies, so we'll just wait for them here." The girl with long hair smiled up at him while she rubbed the older man's arm gently. "Lotte!"

"What?" The short haired girl pouted and stomped her foot onto the ground childishly. "I just wanna see the baby too!"

Gil chuckled as he opened his eyes to watch his daughters argue with each other. Had they always been that way? He wasn't sure. But one thing was certain, they never got boring.

(---)

"Oooh!" Rein Zwei stood on Hayate's shoulder as she looked down at the little bundle in her arms. "This is..."

"Your little sister." Hayate smiled at Rein Zwei and looked to the side where Reinforce was getting the bones in her hand set properly. Wincing, Hayate knew that she'd have to make up for breaking Reinforce's hand in at least six places.

Agito gasped as the little girl opened her eyes, revealing bright purple eyes, though Agito could have sworn she saw a hue of red in them. "...Do babies have their eye colors right away?" She found it interesting that the baby's skin was fairly pale, and the little bit of hair on her head was fairly dark.

"Some do." The nurse spoke up as she finished fixing up Reinforce's hand and put in a cast. "Use that for a few days so your bones settle before you use any healing magic." Reinforce nodded at her. "As for the name, what is the little dear's name?"

"Can it be Reinforce Drei?" Rein asked, her eyes sparkling at the thought. "Then I can go 'no, Drei, you can't have all the ice cream, I want some too' and treat her like a real little sister and..."

"Actually..." Hayate smiled as she took a deep breath. "I already decided... Her name... Is Kyouka Yagami."

Hayate had two reasons for naming her girl Kyouka. The first was that she thought naming her daughter Reinforce Drei would be a bit tacky. And the second...

Kyouka meant reinforce anyway.

"Where's grandfather?" Hayate looked around, a little sad. "I thought he'd be here."

"He's outside." Shamal said while Signum slipped out to get the man. "He didn't want to overcrowd you, I think."

Hayate chuckled softly as she closed her eyes and panted, giving birth had taken a lot out of her today. "I'm okay, just tired. Takes a lot to give birth."

"Hayate," she cracked an eye open and smiled as she looked at Signum as she led Gil to the bed side.

"Grandfather..." She held up her baby. "Say hello to Kyouka."

The smile on Gil's face, combined with how happy she was to have her baby, and the look of love Reinforce was giving her...

Hayate could honestly say that it was the happiest day of her life. Only the day she got her family even came close.

(---)

"Fortis," Levi spoke up without even looking back. "What are you doing here?" She didn't want to be disturbed right now. "Did you manage to somehow convince Arnage or Cypha yet?"

"No, but I was wondering, just how much longer until we get to where you want to go?"

Levi grinned at that. "Not far from here. Besides, haven't you had fun with all those new requests? But, if that's all, I'd like to be left alone."

Fortis looked at the large tube and the naked woman that floated inside. "Tell me, Levi, what is the purpose of this? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"You know those Megahs I have?" Levi asked rhetorically, "I can build them, and thanks to a certain foolish Unison Device, I can create a power source for them. I'm trying to see if I can make humans to power an army."

"I see," Fortis's voice showed no emotion, but Levi knew that he was both awed and disgusted by what she was doing. "What about the woman in the tube?"

"Oh, her?" Levi turned back to look at Fortis, and it took all his willpower to not flinch from the insane grin on her face. "Let's just say, this is a personal project of mine." She waved her hand to dismiss him and turned back to the naked woman in the tube.

"Of course." Fortis stepped out of the room.

Levi grinned as she looked up into the tube. "Quite a reversal from what it was before, huh?" Her shoulders shook before she threw her head back and let loose a bone-chilling laugh. "Yes! This time... This time things will be different. Won't they... Mother?"

Inside the tube, Precia Testarossa gave no response.

(----)

"Fortis," Cypha narrowed her eye as she saw the androgynous male walking down the hallway. "What's next on the agenda?" Oh how she hated the fact that Fortis, Deville, Veyron and even Curren had accepted the pledge with that Mazoku. Cypha refused outright and she refused to let Arnage take that pledge herself.

Fortis shrugged at the dark-skinned woman. "It doesn't matter right now. Apparently miss Levi is finally getting us to the destination she is aiming for."

"I see..." Cypha turned and walked away from him. "I need to do something. And I'm taking Arnage with me."

Fortis nodded and sighed softly. "If we didn't need to refill the ship as often as we do..."

"I'll go find you a little girl to pilot the ship if you want," Cypha rolled her eye in disdain.

Watching her walk away, Fortis blinked. Cypha usually was cool and sometimes gruff, but that was the first time he had heard her speak with something bordering on resentment.

"Now that I think about it... What do I know about her?"

(---)

Cypha took a deep breath to try and calm down. "Of course, I just had to say that, didn't I?"

"Talkin' ta yerself again, Cypha?"

Turning her head, Cypha snorted at the person who addressed her. "Arnage, you're lucky that..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the redhead rolled her eyes, "dunno why ya helped me when ya did, but I don't complain about bein' alive." She narrowed her eyes at Cypha, "though, that deal that the others took sounds appealin..."

"Don't." Cypha narrowed her eye at the redhead. "Whatever you do, do not make a deal with that thing.

Arnage just blinked in confusion. "Uh... Okay..." It wasn't the first time that Cypha had stopped her from even talking about making a deal with Levi, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "So, Cypha, what're we doing now?"

When Cypha grinned at her, Arnage felt like she needed to run out of the room, get a change of underwear and hide under the bed for a few hours.

"Practice."

"Mommy, I'm sorry that I lost control when I did." Arnage whimpered as Cypha grabbed her arm and dragged her to the training area.

(---)

"What..?" She gasped as she looked around in horror. "What did I?"

"Oh my, my, my..." A female voice spoke up and she turned, staring at the other woman as she smirked at the devastation. "I never thought I'd see so much... Destruction. That Eclipse stuff is really potent."

Growling, she stood up and gripped her weapon. "Why?"

Raising an eyebrow, the mysterious woman smirked at her. "I would think you'd be happier now. A chance to truly live? More power than you ever thought possible?" Seeing the way that she trembled, the other woman shook her head. "Really? You're upset that you killed them? You should be thanking me. After all, they thought you were dead and gone. If I didn't infect you with the Eclipse, you'd either be dead or suffering right now."

Trembling at the words, she grabbed her sword and rushed forward. "DIE!"

Laughing, the woman seemingly disappeared. "Is that all you can do?"

"Not at all!" She snapped and spun around, swinging her sword and gasping as nothing happened. "...What?"

"My, my..." The woman laughed at her. "Your magic's useless, and your weapon won't register your power at all. Well, this is where I shall take my leave, but first..." The woman smirked and held a hand up to her. "Goodbye." The last thing she knew was a blinding flash of light and a powerful magical blast overwhelming her defenses.

(---)

Cypha snorted as she looked at Arnage's bruised form on the floor. "You're not that badly hurt."

"You stink." Arnage muttered as she forced herself to her feet. "What's the point? I'm immune to magic anyway." Her eyes widened and she dodged to the side as Cypha threw her sword right through where Arnage was a moment ago.

"Because not everyone uses magic." Cypha said as she stalked towards Arnage and pulled on the cord that was attached to her sword, pulling it back to her hand. "Some worlds don't use magic and instead rely on mass weapons. I know of a few that have enough mass weapons that they could slaughter at least ten worlds before they run out."

Arnage gawked at Cypha. "...How do they not kill each other?" Cypha shrugged and turned around. "Cypha?"

"We're done, go get cleaned up. We'll be reaching a new planet tomorrow." As Cypha walked off, Arnage wondered why the dark-skinned woman had mentioned a new planet and then shrugged it off. Cypha had her own madness after all.

After all, she was, by far, the oldest member of the Huckubein.

[Lycodrake]

An unexpected development concerning Precia, definitely. And a surprise name of "Kyouka", but a nice one.
Inb4 Aizen jokes abound *shot*

[mega1987]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

This took WAY too long to write. =/

SSX

ViVid 1-15

ViVid 16

Spoiler for Blood That Flows - ViVid 17:

Listening to Hayate from the waiting room, Zafira had to admit, being a wolf most of the time had some real advantages. Especially since, with his hearing, he could tell just how much pain she was going through.

He grimaced as he heard a loud, to him at least, he doubted most people could hear it over Hayate's screaming, crack that came from the room. "That's the fifth bone in Reinforce's hand that's broken."

Signum sweat-dropped and was silently grateful that Reinforce was in there. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be anywhere near Hayate at that moment. "I didn't think Hayate was that strong."

"Daddy isn't normally." Zwei shuddered as she heard Hayate scream out in pain again. "Does having a baby hurt this much all the time?" Looking around, she whimpered as none of the people in the room had any answers. "WAAAH! Daddy's going to be in there forever!"

"I don't think it lasts forever." Gil spoke up. "But it might seem like it." He sighed as, instead of calming Rein Zwei down, it only served to make her more agitated. "She'll be alright. Believe me, Rein, lots of women go through this."

"But, what happens if something goes wrong?!" Rein's face was full of panic as tears started to well up in her eyes. "No! I don't wanna lose her!" She turned and raced for the door. "DADDY!"

"Knock it off!" Agito tackled Rein Zwei in mid-air before pinning her to the floor. "Hayate'll be fine. Nothing bad's going to happen to her, okay?" She sighed as Rein's eyes teared up when they heard Hayate cry out again. 'This is going to be a loooong day, isn't it?'

(---)

Fate knew Hayate was due any day now, however, she had something more important to do. After all, this was something important to her.

Standing in front of the grave stone that marked where they buried Precia Testarossa, Fate knelt down and put her hand over the grave. "Hello, mother. Yes, I know, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" A small smile tugged her lips as she put a single flower on the grave. "It looks like whoever kept sending you flowers over the years has kept doing it." She wished she knew who it was that kept remembering her mother. It would have been nice to finally meet them. "You should see your grand-daughter, mother. Vivio's so lively. I'm sure you'd love her."

Fate sighed and shook her head. "I really do miss you. Even with all that you did, I still miss you. But, I'm not sad. I just wish that everyone could have known the real you. The one who loved Alicia, I mean." Fate closed her eyes and put her hand on the ground. "I guess I just..." She trailed off as she looked at her hand. "...Did it rain recently?" The ground was unusually soft for a graveyard. "I need to go, mother." She put a hand on the gravestone. "I'll try to visit more than once a year at least."

As she walked out of the graveyard, Fate couldn't help but frown to herself. The ground felt like it had been recently disturbed and then put back to normal. After all, it didn't look damp.

Then again, a dog could have come in and buried a bone there.

At least, that's what Fate was hoping.

(---)

It was roughly an hour later when the doctor finally emerged from the delivery room. Looking at the small group, he nodded. "They're both fine, though, I think that Reinforce needs to get her hand looked at."

He stepped aside as Shamal, Signum, Vita, Zafira, Rein and Agito went into the room. He looked at Gil and the two catgirls as they stayed outside, he raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you three going to go in as well?"

Gil shook his head. "No, I'll wait until she comes out. I'm not quite as nimble as I used to be, I'm afraid." He chuckled and leaned back, smiling. "I'm just glad that she had the child safely."

"Three of our friends went to go look at the other babies, so we'll just wait for them here." The girl with long hair smiled up at him while she rubbed the older man's arm gently. "Lotte!"

"What?" The short haired girl pouted and stomped her foot onto the ground childishly. "I just wanna see the baby too!"

Gil chuckled as he opened his eyes to watch his daughters argue with each other. Had they always been that way? He wasn't sure. But one thing was certain, they never got boring.

(---)

"Oooh!" Rein Zwei stood on Hayate's shoulder as she looked down at the little bundle in her arms. "This is..."

"Your little sister." Hayate smiled at Rein Zwei and looked to the side where Reinforce was getting the bones in her hand set properly. Wincing, Hayate knew that she'd have to make up for breaking Reinforce's hand in at least six places.

Agito gasped as the little girl opened her eyes, revealing bright purple eyes, though Agito could have sworn she saw a hue of red in them. "...Do babies have their eye colors right away?" She found it interesting that the baby's skin was fairly pale, and the little bit of hair on her head was fairly dark.

"Some do." The nurse spoke up as she finished fixing up Reinforce's hand and put in a cast. "Use that for a few days so your bones settle before you use any healing magic." Reinforce nodded at her. "As for the name, what is the little dear's name?"

"Can it be Reinforce Drei?" Rein asked, her eyes sparkling at the thought. "Then I can go 'no, Drei, you can't have all the ice cream, I want some too' and treat her like a real little sister and..."

"Actually..." Hayate smiled as she took a deep breath. "I already decided... Her name... Is Kyouka Yagami."

Hayate had two reasons for naming her girl Kyouka. The first was that she thought naming her daughter Reinforce Drei would be a bit tacky. And the second...

Kyouka meant reinforce anyway.

"Where's grandfather?" Hayate looked around, a little sad. "I thought he'd be here."

"He's outside." Shamal said while Signum slipped out to get the man. "He didn't want to overcrowd you, I think."

Hayate chuckled softly as she closed her eyes and panted, giving birth had taken a lot out of her today. "I'm okay, just tired. Takes a lot to give birth."

"Hayate," she cracked an eye open and smiled as she looked at Signum as she led Gil to the bed side.

"Grandfather..." She held up her baby. "Say hello to Kyouka."

The smile on Gil's face, combined with how happy she was to have her baby, and the look of love Reinforce was giving her...

Hayate could honestly say that it was the happiest day of her life. Only the day she got her family even came close.

(---)

"Fortis," Levi spoke up without even looking back. "What are you doing here?" She didn't want to be disturbed right now. "Did you manage to somehow convince Arnage or Cypha yet?"

"No, but I was wondering, just how much longer until we get to where you want to go?"

Levi grinned at that. "Not far from here. Besides, haven't you had fun with all those new requests? But, if that's all, I'd like to be left alone."

Fortis looked at the large tube and the naked woman that floated inside. "Tell me, Levi, what is the purpose of this? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"You know those Megahs I have?" Levi asked rhetorically, "I can build them, and thanks to a certain foolish Unison Device, I can create a power source for them. I'm trying to see if I can make humans to power an army."

"I see," Fortis's voice showed no emotion, but Levi knew that he was both awed and disgusted by what she was doing. "What about the woman in the tube?"

"Oh, her?" Levi turned back to look at Fortis, and it took all his willpower to not flinch from the insane grin on her face. "Let's just say, this is a personal project of mine." She waved her hand to dismiss him and turned back to the naked woman in the tube.

"Of course." Fortis stepped out of the room.

Levi grinned as she looked up into the tube. "Quite a reversal from what it was before, huh?" Her shoulders shook before she threw her head back and let loose a bone-chilling laugh. "Yes! This time... This time things will be different. Won't they... Mother?"

Inside the tube, Precia Testarossa gave no response.

(----)

"Fortis," Cypha narrowed her eye as she saw the androgynous male walking down the hallway. "What's next on the agenda?" Oh how she hated the fact that Fortis, Deville, Veyron and even Curren had accepted the pledge with that Mazoku. Cypha refused outright and she refused to let Arnage take that pledge herself.

Fortis shrugged at the dark-skinned woman. "It doesn't matter right now. Apparently miss Levi is finally getting us to the destination she is aiming for."

"I see..." Cypha turned and walked away from him. "I need to do something. And I'm taking Arnage with me."

Fortis nodded and sighed softly. "If we didn't need to refill the ship as often as we do..."

"I'll go find you a little girl to pilot the ship if you want," Cypha rolled her eye in disdain.

Watching her walk away, Fortis blinked. Cypha usually was cool and sometimes gruff, but that was the first time he had heard her speak with something bordering on resentment.

"Now that I think about it... What do I know about her?"

(---)

Cypha took a deep breath to try and calm down. "Of course, I just had to say that, didn't I?"

"Talkin' ta yerself again, Cypha?"

Turning her head, Cypha snorted at the person who addressed her. "Arnage, you're lucky that..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the redhead rolled her eyes, "dunno why ya helped me when ya did, but I don't complain about bein' alive." She narrowed her eyes at Cypha, "though, that deal that the others took sounds appealin..."

"Don't." Cypha narrowed her eye at the redhead. "Whatever you do, do not make a deal with that thing.

Arnage just blinked in confusion. "Uh... Okay..." It wasn't the first time that Cypha had stopped her from even talking about making a deal with Levi, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "So, Cypha, what're we doing now?"

When Cypha grinned at her, Arnage felt like she needed to run out of the room, get a change of underwear and hide under the bed for a few hours.

"Practice."

"Mommy, I'm sorry that I lost control when I did." Arnage whimpered as Cypha grabbed her arm and dragged her to the training area.

(---)

"What..?" She gasped as she looked around in horror. "What did I?"

"Oh my, my, my..." A female voice spoke up and she turned, staring at the other woman as she smirked at the devastation. "I never thought I'd see so much... Destruction. That Eclipse stuff is really potent."

Growling, she stood up and gripped her weapon. "Why?"

Raising an eyebrow, the mysterious woman smirked at her. "I would think you'd be happier now. A chance to truly live? More power than you ever thought possible?" Seeing the way that she trembled, the other woman shook her head. "Really? You're upset that you killed them? You should be thanking me. After all, they thought you were dead and gone. If I didn't infect you with the Eclipse, you'd either be dead or suffering right now."

Trembling at the words, she grabbed her sword and rushed forward. "DIE!"

Laughing, the woman seemingly disappeared. "Is that all you can do?"

"Not at all!" She snapped and spun around, swinging her sword and gasping as nothing happened. "...What?"

"My, my..." The woman laughed at her. "Your magic's useless, and your weapon won't register your power at all. Well, this is where I shall take my leave, but first..." The woman smirked and held a hand up to her. "Goodbye." The last thing she knew was a blinding flash of light and a powerful magical blast overwhelming her defenses.

(---)

Cypha snorted as she looked at Arnage's bruised form on the floor. "You're not that badly hurt."

"You stink." Arnage muttered as she forced herself to her feet. "What's the point? I'm immune to magic anyway." Her eyes widened and she dodged to the side as Cypha threw her sword right through where Arnage was a moment ago.

"Because not everyone uses magic." Cypha said as she stalked towards Arnage and pulled on the cord that was attached to her sword, pulling it back to her hand. "Some worlds don't use magic and instead rely on mass weapons. I know of a few that have enough mass weapons that they could slaughter at least ten worlds before they run out."

Arnage gawked at Cypha. "...How do they not kill each other?" Cypha shrugged and turned around. "Cypha?"

"We're done, go get cleaned up. We'll be reaching a new planet tomorrow." As Cypha walked off, Arnage wondered why the dark-skinned woman had mentioned a new planet and then shrugged it off. Cypha had her own madness after all.

After all, she was, by far, the oldest member of the Huckubein.

Me: And I was hoping to see Eins, Zwei and Drei. Like in those CG Reinforce pictures.

Odin: Like it's gonna happen anyways.

Reia: Someone's playing Necromancer around here.

Iris: Or a prelude to the Eclipse outbreak.

Val: Anymore paradox seekers, please set into the spotlight?

*A supposed-to-be king of Britain, a counter guardian and a time puella raced each other to get out of the room.*

Val: I'm just gonna introduce you guys... Not dump something on you.

Mariemeia: *Still Loli-fied and redressed into Taokaka's outfit.* WHO CARES ABOUT THEM! GAK! *And still being hugged by Cinque.*

Cinque: Kitty!

Mariemeia: GET THIS HELLION OFF ME AND RETURN ME TO MY PROPER AGE OF 18! ACK! GAH! AIR!!!!!*and currently in Cinque's bearhug.*

[Old_Iron]

Another drabble that I wrote most of at... 4 or 5 in the morning because I couldn't sleep.

I sorta just... wrote. Not really sure where it came from or why, but here it is.

And yes, the next chapter of Swords and Shields is currently being beta'd. Again.

Spoiler for Waiting:

It was nights like these when sleep refused to come to him.

These long nights full of worry and dreading the ring of the phone.

Yuuno had accepted this fate the moment he decided to marry a woman of the military.

Certainly, there was theoretically little risk in her position. The higher up in the chain of command you were, the further you were likely to be from dangerous situation. She was a commander more than a fighter and such a role placed her further and further from the crosshairs of renegades, rebels, and insurgents.

In theory.

He knew all about theory. Theory lined the infinite number of tomes he surrounded himself with in his work. Those tomes full of hypotheses and 'what ifs'.

It was part of his duty to take each and every possibility seriously when digging into the endless repository of information. It didn't matter whether it was for a high profile case or the possibility Al Hazardians used indigo instead of navy to decorate their walls.

Those little theories all had to be taken equally seriously. It also meant he'd come across innumerable theories which he'd found to be disproved or had disproved himself.

Her safety was one theory he never wanted to test.

Even surrounded by such mighty guards, the likes of which would shake entire worlds with their power, he would still fear.

The Wolfram was a powerful ship. One which she personally commanded into battle when needed. To this day, the vessel had never suffered more than the damaging of its paint under her care. Yet he knew there was always a weakness in the constructions of man. History had proven such a thing all too well.

At the moment, she was on board the vessel. Chasing down a powerful criminal cell. It didn't matter how infrequently she had to do so personally, the fact remained she still had to.

It was easy to tell when she had to enter the fray. He became a nervous wreck, so immersed in work he barely had time to stop and think about every worst-case scenario. Those scenarios which drove away peaceful respite. Those scenarios which became worse and worse with each passing moment.

What if a bulkhead failed?

What if life support malfunctioned?

What if an enemy mage got a lucky shot in?

What if she were overpowered?

What if she were captured?

What if...

In the dimly lit kitchen of their home, he stared down at the steaming mug of tea and shook his head to try and drive away such worsening thoughts.

Sometimes a cup of tea would soothe his nerves a degree or two. He much preferred coffee to tea, much like his wife, but she still made sure tea was always on the shopping list.

This night, the tea did little to calm him. The day at work had been stressful. Far more so than usual owing to the heavy influx of data requests. What made it all the worse was overhearing one of his subordinates being worried about their own loved one who had been caught in an area of heavy fighting. Such news only worsened his fears.

The communications blackout did not ease his heart in any way. It was standard protocol for a mission such as this.

There were times Yuuno wondered if perhaps he was disgracing her by acting in such a manner. Letting his worries and concerns get to him and turning him into a mess of a man who could hardly function at times. He fingered the simple golden band around his ring finger and bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

He had faced death so often in his archaeological expeditions. He'd lost friends and family to traps, cave ins, and even unfortunate accidents.

However to lose her would be something so far beyond what he could bear.

He loved her beyond what anyone could call reasonable.

But was it so wrong to do so?

They had pledged themselves to one another. Made the other a part of themselves. Vowed to be together forever for better of for worse, in sickness and in health, until death did they part.

And each time she marched out onto the field, she did so with death following close bend her.

It was the occupation she had chosen. The occupation he had accepted. And he would never dream of taking it away from her. This dangerous duty she embraced and strove to excel in.

A part of him wondered if it was this bad for her when he went on a dig. He hoped it wasn't. She was strong, far stronger than he.

He was never much of a religious man, but Yuuno prayed for her safety. Prayed she would come home to him. Safe and sound. It was a selfish wish to desire her wellbeing above all others. But a wish he would never give up, even knowing he had other dear friends who marched into the line of fire so much more often than she did.

But they were not his beloved wife. They were not the lively and loving woman he had pledged his life to.

They were not the wheelchair bound little girl he had first met in the chill of Uminari's winter.

They were not the playful and perverse girl who teased her friends mercilessly.

They were not the selfish young woman who demanded to be fed by him when she fell ill with a cold.

They were not the woman who shed tears of joy at the altar as she kissed him for the first time as his wife.

They were not the furious woman who cried at the bedside of her injured family, wanting nothing more than to obliterate those who had harmed them.

They were not the steadfast commander who refused anything less than victory in battle and the safe return of everyone under her command.

They were not his beloved Hayate.

His hands were clasped together in the dead of night as he whispered desperately, for it was all he could do. "Please be safe, Hayate. Please be safe and come home to me... Safe and sound..."

---

It was two days later when the front door opened and a haggard looking woman entered the home with a tired, yet relieved, announcement of her presence. "I'm home~"

Hayate received no response and she sighed sadly. She'd called to let Yuuno know she was going to be home early. Perhaps he hadn't gotten her message yet? It was the middle of the day and she hadn't expected to return home so early. Just as she was about to kick off her shoes, the sound of screeching tires caused her to whip around with a spell lighting up in her hand.

She needn't have bothered. There was the haphazard slamming of a car door and she caught sight of her husband stumbling across the driveway towards her. "Yuu-!" Her words were cut off as Yuuno cleared the distance in moments and swept her off her feet in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get home sooner. I was in a lecture and..." He trailed off as he felt himself about to begin babbling and swallowed. Yuuno gently set down his wife and she looked up into his eyes with a warm expression. "I'm just glad you're home safe."

Hayate giggled and wrapped her arms around her husband, returning the hug as strongly as her small frame would allow. "I've told you, you don't need to worry so much. I'm the invincible and adorable Hayate-chan. Nothing's going to stop me." Her words were as a much a reassurance to herself as they were to Yuuno.

Yuuno ran his fingers through her now messy locks, taking care not to accidentally pull on her favorite and ever-present hair clips. "That you are..." There was a comfortable silence for a while as they simply stood at their front door, luxuriating in each other's presence. "Hayate... Welcome home."

She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him. "I'm home."

[Nanya01]

Great, Iron...

Now I need to go brush my teeth...

Cavities just formed.

[Lycodrake]

My teeth are rotting away as I type this, Iron. Wonderful job, seriously. Just...wow.

[00-Raiser]

Originally Posted by Old_Iron

Another drabble that I wrote most of at... 4 or 5 in the morning because I couldn't sleep.

I sorta just... wrote. Not really sure where it came from or why, but here it is.

And yes, the next chapter of Swords and Shields is currently being beta'd. Again.

Spoiler for Waiting:

It was nights like these when sleep refused to come to him.

These long nights full of worry and dreading the ring of the phone.

Yuuno had accepted this fate the moment he decided to marry a woman of the military.

Certainly, there was theoretically little risk in her position. The higher up in the chain of command you were, the further you were likely to be from dangerous situation. She was a commander more than a fighter and such a role placed her further and further from the crosshairs of renegades, rebels, and insurgents.

In theory.

He knew all about theory. Theory lined the infinite number of tomes he surrounded himself with in his work. Those tomes full of hypotheses and 'what ifs'.

It was part of his duty to take each and every possibility seriously when digging into the endless repository of information. It didn't matter whether it was for a high profile case or the possibility Al Hazardians used indigo instead of navy to decorate their walls.

Those little theories all had to be taken equally seriously. It also meant he'd come across innumerable theories which he'd found to be disproved or had disproved himself.

Her safety was one theory he never wanted to test.

Even surrounded by such mighty guards, the likes of which would shake entire worlds with their power, he would still fear.

The Wolfram was a powerful ship. One which she personally commanded into battle when needed. To this day, the vessel had never suffered more than the damaging of its paint under her care. Yet he knew there was always a weakness in the constructions of man. History had proven such a thing all too well.

At the moment, she was on board the vessel. Chasing down a powerful criminal cell. It didn't matter how infrequently she had to do so personally, the fact remained she still had to.

It was easy to tell when she had to enter the fray. He became a nervous wreck, so immersed in work he barely had time to stop and think about every worst-case scenario. Those scenarios which drove away peaceful respite. Those scenarios which became worse and worse with each passing moment.

What if a bulkhead failed?

What if life support malfunctioned?

What if an enemy mage got a lucky shot in?

What if she were overpowered?

What if she were captured?

What if...

In the dimly lit kitchen of their home, he stared down at the steaming mug of tea and shook his head to try and drive away such worsening thoughts.

Sometimes a cup of tea would soothe his nerves a degree or two. He much preferred coffee to tea, much like his wife, but she still made sure tea was always on the shopping list.

This night, the tea did little to calm him. The day at work had been stressful. Far more so than usual owing to the heavy influx of data requests. What made it all the worse was overhearing one of his subordinates being worried about their own loved one who had been caught in an area of heavy fighting. Such news only worsened his fears.

The communications blackout did not ease his heart in any way. It was standard protocol for a mission such as this.

There were times Yuuno wondered if perhaps he was disgracing her by acting in such a manner. Letting his worries and concerns get to him and turning him into a mess of a man who could hardly function at times. He fingered the simple golden band around his ring finger and bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

He had faced death so often in his archaeological expeditions. He'd lost friends and family to traps, cave ins, and even unfortunate accidents.

However to lose her would be something so far beyond what he could bear.

He loved her beyond what anyone could call reasonable.

But was it so wrong to do so?

They had pledged themselves to one another. Made the other a part of themselves. Vowed to be together forever for better of for worse, in sickness and in health, until death did they part.

And each time she marched out onto the field, she did so with death following close bend her.

It was the occupation she had chosen. The occupation he had accepted. And he would never dream of taking it away from her. This dangerous duty she embraced and strove to excel in.

A part of him wondered if it was this bad for her when he went on a dig. He hoped it wasn't. She was strong, far stronger than he.

He was never much of a religious man, but Yuuno prayed for her safety. Prayed she would come home to him. Safe and sound. It was a selfish wish to desire her wellbeing above all others. But a wish he would never give up, even knowing he had other dear friends who marched into the line of fire so much more often than she did.

But they were not his beloved wife. They were not the lively and loving woman he had pledged his life to.

They were not the wheelchair bound little girl he had first met in the chill of Uminari's winter.

They were not the playful and perverse girl who teased her friends mercilessly.

They were not the selfish young woman who demanded to be fed by him when she fell ill with a cold.

They were not the woman who shed tears of joy at the altar as she kissed him for the first time as his wife.

They were not the furious woman who cried at the bedside of her injured family, wanting nothing more than to obliterate those who had harmed them.

They were not the steadfast commander who refused anything less than victory in battle and the safe return of everyone under her command.

They were not his beloved Hayate.

His hands were clasped together in the dead of night as he whispered desperately, for it was all he could do. "Please be safe, Hayate. Please be safe and come home to me... Safe and sound..."

---

It was two days later when the front door opened and a haggard looking woman entered the home with a tired, yet relieved, announcement of her presence. "I'm home~"

Hayate received no response and she sighed sadly. She'd called to let Yuuno know she was going to be home early. Perhaps he hadn't gotten her message yet? It was the middle of the day and she hadn't expected to return home so early. Just as she was about to kick off her shoes, the sound of screeching tires caused her to whip around with a spell lighting up in her hand.

She needn't have bothered. There was the haphazard slamming of a car door and she caught sight of her husband stumbling across the driveway towards her. "Yuu-!" Her words were cut off as Yuuno cleared the distance in moments and swept her off her feet in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get home sooner. I was in a lecture and..." He trailed off as he felt himself about to begin babbling and swallowed. Yuuno gently set down his wife and she looked up into his eyes with a warm expression. "I'm just glad you're home safe."

Hayate giggled and wrapped her arms around her husband, returning the hug as strongly as her small frame would allow. "I've told you, you don't need to worry so much. I'm the invincible and adorable Hayate-chan. Nothing's going to stop me." Her words were as a much a reassurance to herself as they were to Yuuno.

Yuuno ran his fingers through her now messy locks, taking care not to accidentally pull on her favorite and ever-present hair clips. "That you are..." There was a comfortable silence for a while as they simply stood at their front door, luxuriating in each other's presence. "Hayate... Welcome home."

She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him. "I'm home."

Oh hey, I actually read something for once.

I wonder how it'll be when Hayate tells him she "accidentally backed into a katana."

Nice story. Reminds me of a similar one I did, only Yuuno was married to Fate instead.

So while I have every intention of continuing my fics, I was wondering if anyone would want me to post spoilers of what will happen in them. That way at least you won't constantly be wondering how things will turn out.

[Rising Dragon]

Only post spoilers of what's going to happen in your fics if you do not intend to continue them anywhere public.

[Old_Iron]

Originally Posted by 00-Raiser

Oh hey, I actually read something for once.

I wonder how it'll be when Hayate tells him she "accidentally backed into a katana."

Nice story. Reminds me of a similar one I did, only Yuuno was married to Fate instead.

So while I have every intention of continuing my fics, I was wondering if anyone would want me to post spoilers of what will happen in them. That way at least you won't constantly be wondering how things will turn out.

I think he'd have a heart attack, honestly.

And I remember that one. I loved it greatly. =3

I think I'll be happier waiting for you to finish writing them rather than spoling myself.