Disclaimer:
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is the creative property of Seven Arcs, whom created this wonderful anime/manga series. Anything not attributed to Seven Arcs belongs to their respective owners, such as other series, references, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue us! We're just college students with too much free time on our hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters we created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are ours. So without further ado, let's get on with the show!
The Surgeon General's Warning:
Read at your own risk.
BE BORN! / MANLY! MASKED! MAGICAL! GUY Nanohiko
Show me the way to you...!
Prologue 01:
A Little Wish / CROSS ENCOUNTER!
A Genderbending Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha AU fanfic co-produced by the evil genius of Tempest Dynasty and James "Ray" Edwards
Nine years old.
What a boring age to be...
Kindergarten was over, so say goodbye to nap time and sleeping in on Saturdays—the Fourth Grade was starting. Hello, Cram School! Hello, Saturday School! Why? Because entrance exams for Junior High started the year after that, then there was High School to worry about, and let's not forget about University. Hello, part-time job! Normal. Hello, writing a resume and sitting in stuffy suits waiting to be interviewed for a job! Totally normal. Hello, bills and taxes! Totally average just like everyone else will be, following the same footsteps left behind by those who came before them, which was nothing like the life of the heroes and characters in prime time anime and masked hero dramas. Those people were really something. Something extraordinary. Exciting. Different. They had a place to call their own in life; somewhere they belonged; something only they could do!
Takamachi Nanohiko sighed inwardly as he rode the bus to school.
It was a place unreachable, impossible for any person in the world because it was all fake. There were no heroes, no magic, no fantastic intergalactic organization that protected the law and order of the stars, no evil malignant who had to be defeated to save the day. They were just actors and actresses, backed by a huge company or other, putting something together for a profit to entertain the masses, to give people some escape from the usual, normal, every day grind.
How Nanohiko hated those two words "the normal" and "the usual".
He was the youngest of three siblings, his parents happily married and still as madly in love with each other as newlyweds. The honey-haired boy was pretty confident he would probably see a few more brothers or sisters by the time he graduated from university at the rate his folks were going. His elder brother and sister was another remarkable spot of "sunshine", too. Technically, Miyuki-neesan was adopted; however, she was also "technically" a distant cousin of theirs; the reasons are rather complicated and Nanohiko had yet to receive a thorough explanation. In any case, with the absurdly happy atmosphere of harmony and love in the household, he supposed it was fine that he left well enough alone.
…Even if the situation made him feel terribly out of place, like some third wheel tagging along. Just where was his place in the family? Was he, Takamachi Nanohiko, meant to be some kind of trophy little brother? The perfect little brother? Dutiful, pious and respectful to his elders, the child whom should be happy, grateful that he was being nurtured into such a model Japanese boy, practically a chibi samurai. He was taught right and wrong. He was taught manners. He was taught sincerity. He was taught kindness. He was taught charity. Of course, he was taught courage as well. He naturally excelled in the martial arts, just like his brother, sister, and father before him, and would likely succeed to their dojo in due time.
Takamachi Nanohiko was grateful for all these valuable, precious things he had been taught, yet would he ever have a chance at all to use them? What good would they be in the normal world he lived in now? Everyone used the common things. It was what to be expected. There was never a chance for him to do or experience anything else. For example, there was no need for courage when everyone obeyed what was right, and ultimately, such a normal existence transformed him into the reserved though kind boy he was today. No one knew of his profound thoughts...
...Or his silent despair.
"Oi! Nano-boke, stop spacing out!" a familiar voiced reminded him sternly, as he felt a familiar set of knuckles rap against the top of his head. "I've been waving this career survey sheet in your face for a full three minutes now!"
"Ah...! Um, s-sorry, Arisa-iinchou," he apologized, with a blush, to snickers and guffaws all around. Nanohiko had not even noticed he had arrived at school and class was already in session!
"Hey, you! Stop laughing and fill these out before that bonkers Despair-sensei comes back. And, geez, Nano-boke, get a grip. Boys ought to be able to take care of themselves by now, and—hey, you! Who said we were on a first name basis when I'm on duty!?"
It had only been about two weeks since the new semester started, but Alisa Bannings (Arisa to her friends) had firmly secured her place now and forever as a class representative, burning her image into so many young minds. There was not even a vote as "Despair-sensei" had waltzed in on the first day of class, commiserated about something or another, and arbitrarily assigned her as class rep, since she was the only one who spoke out against him. Then again, arbitrarily assigning might be saying a bit much, he stated that she had the qualities of someone in charge and the blonde had the bright idea that he meant she would make a good class rep. So, Arisa proceeded to set up an impromptu vote, practicing democracy as she called it, much to the delight of Despair-sensei, and ultimately won by "sheer force of ego".
No one was prepared really to go up against that.
"Ara, ara, Arisa-chan, aren't you being a little harsh on Takamachi-kun?" a certain violet-haired heiress chimed in the knick of time to save him. Honestly, without her calming influence, for which he was grateful, Nanohiko was convinced that Arisa would "burn" out of control herself.
"Eh?"
"We've known each other since kindergarten, so... Oh, I know, I read this in a book the other day. Ufufufufu, Arisa-chan, truth is, you really like Takamachi-kun and bullying him is just your way of showing tough love, ne?"
"AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! TSU-KI-MURA! SU-ZU-KA!"
Then again, Suzuka was as much as a calming influence as she was a spark to rouse the flames higher, nowadays. If he had not met these two girls, both of whom were heiresses to multimillion fortunes, Nanohiko could not have imagined having lived to this very day. It was the first and only time he ever had to use "Courage" for as younger children Suzuka had been bullied by the more aggressive Arisa; naturally, he had stood up to the latter. What he did not expect for all three of them to become friends (though those older and more romantic than him would have called an insane one-in-a-trillion coincidence that he ought to be super grateful for). It was a completely strange though not unwelcomed outcome, for he could not imagine life without them, and since then the girls have both matured in their own ways to becoming responsible young "adults".
However, he could not say the same for himself.
Sigh.
A Career Survey, huh? thought Nanohiko. He stared listlessly at the form laid out on his desk, as his peers settled down from the excitement with some disappointment. Today was Saturday; a half day for school, and everyone was looking for an excuse to procrastinate, so they could head home with the least amount of effort expended. But what was there for him to do about this difficult conundrum?
There was only one answer he could write truthfully, after all.
Kami-sama, if you are there, if you can hear me, could you listen to one wish from me, please? Pretty please? I promise, it'll be the last thing I ever ask from you. From here on out I promise I'll do things right, and, well, if you need me, I am yours, so... that's why: please, let something happen! Something special. Something fantastic. Something lyrical. Something magical. Something that will change my life forever. I want to know. I want to find out for myself: where I belong, what it is that makes me special, what I can do… that something only I could do. Please, Kami-sama: let something happen!
And so he wrote:
I want to be a Hero.
--
The end of another day: how exhausting, though at least tomorrow was Sunday. Arisa had not been too happy when he had declined the afternoon with her and Suzuka, citing a bout of "Blue" and the desire to get a head start on next week's assignments. When they were younger, it would have likely sparked a confrontation, but thankfully, Suzuka had grown into her own place, and had tactfully suggested a compromise: he would spend Sunday afternoon with them instead, fair enough, no?
Of course, Nanohiko knew he had to agree. There was no argument, protests, or anything when it came to girls. If they wanted something, they were going to get it, as he had come to learn quickly through his friends, arguably, his closest friends. Some boys thought he was a little off hanging around with girls. Other boys had a ridiculously deep respect and admiration for him, especially considering the said girls were Arisa and Suzuka, who were apparently in the top ten of their "Bingo Books"...whatever that is.
In any case, it was best he turned in for the night. Knowing those two, well mostly because of Arisa, as she self-appointed herself the life of the party so to speak, tomorrow should prove to be an interesting distraction from the usual, hopefully. His parents approved the outing already, and he would be set to leave after breakfast and a few errands were settled to prepare Midori-ya for business on Monday morning.
Yup, what a day, but still... it was totally normal, too; these futile attempts to escape for a little while from the norm.
Someone? Anyone? Can you hear me? Listen to my voice; this might be the only transmission I can get out... Listen: your city, no, your entire planet is under siege, every living thing on this world can live or die at any moment. We have done the unforgivable. We have awakened something has, something ancient, something that men sealed away in the first place many aeons ago in a forgotten place, a forgotten time so that others would not open Pandora's Box. It is a terrible power, fit to rival the divine, god-like, and it preys upon Man: mind, body, and soul.
I am sorry.
Sorry that I was not able to stop this from happening. Sorry that I brought this calamity to your world. Sorry that I, a Soldier, cannot fight this enemy alone. All I have succeeded in doing is delaying the inevitable, but… not all hope is lost yet.
I have need of your aid, but only one of you may step forth for I will not sacrifice so many like fodder to fire. There is a slumbering champion, a warrior amongst your number, I sense. Someone waiting to prove their worth, worthy to represent you all in this fight for tomorrow. Please, if you can hear me, answer my call. Lend us your strength!
Awaken!
Takamachi Nanohiko awoke, standing?! He yelped in surprise, nearly losing his balance, as his thoughts lit ablaze in a whirl of activity and bewilderment. Where am I? Why am I dressed? Did I sleep walk all the way here? And what in the world was that voice just now? A dream? It sounded so mixed up, like a girl and a boy trying to talk over and under each other simultaneously. Weird. And, what's that noi...whoa.
The sky.
The sky was on fire, burning blue, with little stars or sparks sparkling in the air. Blazing shards of azure light, shades brighter than Arisa's eyes, streaked brilliantly every which way, too close to be shooting stars or comets. Pretty, fantastic; Nanohiko was mesmerized by the continually shifting scene. Arcs of electric lightning now joined the fray with thunder cracks, vermillion and blue. Where were they coming from? What was making them? He wanted to know he wanted to see more, his feet carrying him unconsciously forward, past the high rises and down the street, further ahead, buildings clearing, giving way to a broader space, open sky.
The salty smell of the sea greeted his nose, his ears heard the roar, and his eyes saw...
Uminari Marine Tower?! he thought, mystified by the sight.
A fantastic dog fight was transpiring over a hundred meters up in the air, right at the top of the lighthouse. The two opponents caught in a life or death struggle: a blazing blue star chased by a smoldering bolt of sickly violet that seemed to trail noxious smoke in its wake. Sporadic gunfire, shrieking beams of destruction, the shouts of bullets marked by tracers, and even screaming guided "missiles", were exchanged between them, as they weaved, jockeyed, and broke off for position in classical air combat maneuvers. Fiery explosions pockmarked the kaleidoscopic sky; braking slashes and sudden trailing zigzags appeared in feats of unbelievable super-maneuverability, when the two suddenly diverted from their flight paths to clash thunderously in melee combat no less! Again and again, they thundered before hastily jetting away, banking sharply, leaving stark contrails as they accelerated, spitting death and "flame" at each other.
Suddenly, a pause: the deadly sky dance ended, and the two combatants stared each other down before the gaze of Uminari Marine Tower, still miraculously unharmed. One of them spoke, the ill star of sickly violet, addressing the other in a malevolent, warping voice bearing a thousand cries of men, women, and children. It was so terrible that the very air seemed to tremble, and made Nanohiko feel as if his own brain was festering and aching; an unnatural power:
"Statement: For a descendant lower life form of The Enkindlers, I praise you for the resistance you have given, and to reduce one magnificent as I to a mere five Jewels is no easy feat, even in the haze of awakened slumber. However, this trivial diversion ends here, unclean animal. The scenario proceeds now to the Jewel Master's calculations, and there is but one course: your extermination."
The blaze blue star riposted in kind, carrying an unusual quality of two voices speaking as one, boy and girl, though much more human compared to other and not so disconcerting. Nanohiko found he could sympathize with them, for they exhibited the same discomfort as he, and he hoped he or she was not the villain in this matter.
"Ugh, Goddess of Magic and Mysteries Almighty, there you go again with that sick-sucking singing voice of yours. Geez, seriously, don't talk unless you have to, and honestly, can't your type come up with anything more original than that? I might not look like much, may-be, but I have heard that kinda ego-boosting doom-and-gloom speech since I was seven cycles old! It starts to get on my nerves after awhile, like a smelly, rotten blob of space zombie slime that spawned after you left Ganymede rock lobster in a fridge for a cycle. ...Oh, sorry, I was reminiscing over something in my private life, outside the uniform in blue; I hope I didn't deflate your ego trip."
Astonishingly, the boy realized then, he could understand both of the stars. How was that possible? By all means, with the powers they brought to bare, they were seemingly visitors from outer space or the furthest corner of imagination. What were they doing here? Why were they fighting?
"Riposte: Your bluster is meaningless, animal," derided the violet star, as the evil miasma around it intensified with ominous lightning strikes. "You have done much to inconvenience I, and for that transgression, there is but one result: death."
"Yeah, yeah, you really like repeating yourself, don't you? Sorry, I can't feel you on that one, 'cause let's face the facts here, your singing sucks."
"Condescension: Foolish double helix, what more can you offer in resistance? All that lies ahead in the scenario is the erasure of your faulty genes from existence. There is no past, no present, no future for you. This is the limit of-"
"Limit? Ah-hahahahahahha!" the blue star twinkled with laughter, "Did you just say limit? My limit? No yesterday, no today, no tomorrow? Goddess! AH-ahaha-ohohoho! You dumb-XXXs are all the same, and you never learn the difference either!"
"Reply: Foolishness."
The blue star blazed a little brighter, "Hey-hey, hey, now! just who the hell do you think I am? Listen up! Clean out those ears, and listen real well. Do the impossible! See the invisible! Kick all your reason to the curb! That's how We, who hold the promise of Courage, the Great Gurren Brigade, do things! Bridging Yesterday. Today. And Tomorrow. I have sworn to protect it, to grasp it all with these hands, for the sake of the future, a brighter tomorrow for everyone!"
"Patronizing Analysis: What conceited words. Your time is up, carbon," boomed the violet star. Now, terrifyingly, its miasma was an overwhelming pitch black that seemed to suck the life out from the twinkling stars in the air around the lighthouse.
A showdown was coming...
"Don't believe me? Then, don't blink! Open up those baby blues wide and shiny. You don't want to miss it, now. I'll prove it to you: a miracle created by the bond of all our hearts! 'Cause to a Brave of the Gurren-dan, space and time don't matter to us; no matter how far apart we are, we're never alone! Everyone. Let's GO, together!"
With that famous declaration in the vein of "IKOUZE, MINNA!", the burning blue sky and the twinkling stars all came rushing back, a great upheaval so massive that it drained all sound from the air. They gathered at a single point, an outstretched fist, or so Nanohiko thought it must have been, held high above the blue star, coalescing into a brilliant shining nexus of light and power, a beacon, no, a star! The very night seemed to shy away, pitch black fleeing in fear, as the wind whipped and churned into a nimbus of air and gravity, lifting particles to fuel the super mass.
It was awesome. It was fantastic. It was magical. Out of this world! Nanohiko never wanted this moment to end!
"Disbelief: What? Impossible. The numbers do not lie, all is within calculations, the scenario...! But how, where have you pulled this power from!? The earlier high-energy attacks have already diminished the target's combat endurance severely. You were at your limit mere microns ago. How!"
"A smart magician never lets anything go to waste. C'mon, you didn't think this lightshow was just that a show, did you?"
"Shout: Silence!"
"Hey, I might not know anyone who lives here, but it's my responsibility to protect this world too, eh? These people don't know anything, and we just showed up out of nowhere making a fuss of things. Whatever problems they have is already enough without adding our own to the mess. They are innocent, and that is why, I can't just let you walk away and destroy this world, especially without giving it my all! Now, how about it: an all-or-nothing, full-frontal duel, O Eternal Perfect Primeval, or… are you scared, now?"
"RAGE: INSOLENCE, YOU SHALL PERISH WITH THEM ALL!"
The violet star exploded into a full blown, overwhelming wave of darkness, cursed and maddening, that screamed with the howls of millions. They were ghoulish smoldering green wraiths bubbling at its surface, filled with wanting and hatred for all whom lived, before, now, and forever. Together, they had become an aspect of death, despair that would swallow the new sun whole.
Undaunted, the blue star plunged into the embrace of the abyss headlong and struck...
"This is the last card I have got to play! The shining light of hope, everyone's future, lies here in this fist! Heroic Sign: NOVA IMPACT LET'S DO IT! BLAZE: BRIGHTER, HOTTER, STRONGER! BREAK THROUGH! TO TOMORROW!"
...So did the world shatter in an apotheosized roar of light, the Dark blistering, bulging with terrible boils and puss, before disintegrating, returning to the nothingness from whence it spawned. The surrounding low-rise buildings, Uminari Marine Tower, all being stripped, blasted, and blown away into shining sparks, as two voices cried out: one in defeat and one in triumph.
"Urrghhh! ...In-incon...ceiv-able... A dis...gusting.. Monkey... h-has... this... much...po-wer!?"
"And so... This is our victory, heh."
Th-That was so cool. Awesome! came the excited thought to Takamachi Nanohiko, whom never felt more alive in his short life. The light, the intense burning heat, the electricity, everything seemed to wash over him, pick him up, and spirit him away like a feverish dream.
Please, let this be real!
To be continued...
Author's Notes:
Welcome to another tale, another twist. I'm sure you can all guess what's going on, right? If not, you may want to reread it all. In any case, thank you for reading and be sure to review. You could also contact us via email, should you so desire.
Wait for it. Another one is coming.