4 years after the JS Incident
"This is Lightning One, can anyone hear me?"a young looking girl with blonde hair and scarlet red eyes yelled onto her mic trying to reach her comrades on the battlefield. "Is anyone out there?" she looked around the crumbling city street, desperately hoping to see someone coming to her aid. Only hazy static came from her magical wireless communication device as she continued trying to reach for any survivors for help. Her twin blonde pony tails flying in the wind flapping wildly as shock waves of air blew past her raining rock debris all over her white cape and navy blue barrier jacket.
"Captain, we can't hold out here much longer!" a man wearing a green and blue robe with a metal chest plate, from the ground mage division, grabbed the girl by the shoulder yanking her behind a barricade of dug up pavement. An explosion from an artillery shell tore the street up in front of the barricade making the two of them crouch lower as debris got hurled over them and the ground shook trying to knock down the line of defense mages.
"We must hold out!" she yelled over the sound of red magical bullets, being fired by combat cyborgs and gadget drones taking refuge the building from across the street, whizzing past over her head. "The lives of thousands of Mid-Childians depend on us to hold them here until they finish evacuating into the ships!"
"This is suicide!" he screamed at her in terror his eyes danced wildly in his eye sockets. "We can't hold out against all these combat cyborgs and gadget drones!" An explosion from an artillery shell tore up a chunk of the makeshift barricade. The screams of the mages, holding the defense line, being torn up by enemy fire and shrapnel emphasized his point for a retreat.
She gritted her teeth looking around at the men and woman crouching behind their torn up makeshift barrier. The defenders firing magic shots futilely into the never-ending ranks of gadget drones shielding the combat cyborgs with an Anti-Magic Field canceling out every magical shot making them fizzle out harmlessly. Hanging her head she resigned to the hopelessly situation knowing that she needed to get her men and woman out safely to their own evacuation ships. "This is Fate Testarossa, all remaining forces ...retreat," she spoke the last words bitterly.
~*~~*~
Two weeks earlier
~*~~*~
"Vivio!" Nanoha waved and called to a small girl, with shoulder length blonde hair and pretty green and red eyes, that was waving to her friends from school.
"Nanoha-mama!" Vivio ran up to a young woman with brunette hair tied into a side ponytail and jumped into her open arms.
Catching Vivio in her arms and hugging her tightly she asked, "How was your first day back at school?"
Lifting her daughter into her arms and carried her to the a yellow sedan.
"It was great!" she fidgeted with her mother's long silky brunette hair. "We didn't do much today but guess what? I'm in the same class with my friends Einhart, Lio and Corona again!"
"Isn't that nice," Nanoha smiled to her daughter as they drove home. "Well make sure to work hard and be nice to your friends again this year," she teased her daughter.
"Mou, mama you know I always do!" Vivio laughed off her mother's teasing as they pulled into the driveway of their home.
"Welcome home Vivio, Nanoha," Fate poked her head out of the kitchen greeting them.
"Fate-mama your home from work!"Vivio ran up to her and hugged Fate's waist from behind.
"Yup, I got a week off from work," she handed Vivio a small plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of warm caramel milk. Walking out of the kitchen she gave Nanoha a hug along with a quick peck on the cheek. "Since you have a week off school, where do you want to go for the week?" she sat down with her daughter at the table.
Vivio nibbled at her cookies thinking. "Um mm mmmm, Nanoha-mama is there anything special this week at grandma and grandpa's world?"
"Lets see, Nanoha called up her Magical Communication Device with her hand and flipped the screen though the Earth dates. "Mhmmn, how about this?" she turned the monitor of her MCD to Vivio. It's still summer vacation in Japan for another week and we can visit some friends that are off on vacation."
Fate coughed trying to hide her giggle. "Nan-cough-Nanoha!"
Nanoha looked at the blonde with a raised eyebrow suddenly remembering the summers they had spent together as teens. "Mou! Fate-chan that was so many years ago!" she sighed while looking at her lover's smug expression. "Don't bring that up in front of Vivio!"
"I'm sorry Nanoha," she hid her mouth in her sleeve. "I couldn't resist.".
The green and red eyes looked back and forth between the two mamas confused at their inside joke. "Mama, will mama's work friends come with us?" she asked the two of them.
"Mhmmn, I don't think so,Nanoha hugged Fate from behind stroking her hair thinking. "Teana and Subaru are busy taking their mage AA rank test, Caro and Eilo are off world right now too. Hayate well she has some urgent work. So yes it will just be family this time Vivio." Nanoha looked to Fate to see if she had anything to add.
Fate sighed longingly as she remembered the time they had together back then. "Ah, Nanoha you were so cute back then." She stared at the ceiling blankly and her mouth watering.
"Fate-chan!" Nanoha yelled at Fate making her snap out of her daydream.
"Oh, erhm sorry," The blonde's face flushed pink as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She winked at her lover and went upstairs. "I'll umm...start packing our things."
"A trip back to Earth mhmmn Nanoha?" Fate got into the bathtub with Nanoha. "What is the occasion?" She splashes some water at Nanoha face.
"Fate sometimes your intuition can be scary, being able to guess these things," Nanoha sighed sinking deeper into the tub. "Well the TSAB (Time and Space Administration Bureau) is going on an expedition mission to some far away sector of space they think some planets with advance civilizations or Lost Logia can be found. They want me to be a part of this so called expedition."
Fate looked at her puzzled. "Well it can't be that long of a mission right?"
"Nyaahaha, it's going to take 3 months to get there"
"What!" Fate stood up in the bath splashing Nanoha all over with water."
"Yes, three darn months on one of those cramped state of the art navy ships".
"But but who is going to take care of Vivio!"
"Hayate says that she will do it...as much as she can, and our friend will pitch in whenever they can too. "Sorry," Nanoha sank lower into the water seeing the shock on Fate's face.
"It's not your fault," Fate lowering herself back down into the the water moving closer and slides herself beside Nanoha. "Just make sure you come home to us safe and sound," She hugs Nanoha around the waist putting Nanoha's head under her nose. "I'll do a little digging around to see this so called expedition mission of theirs."
"Mouu! I don't want to get you in trouble Fate-chan," Nanoha looked up at her lovers beautiful ruby eyes.
"Mamas where are you?" Vivio called from outside the bathroom.
"Eh hehe looks like we soaked for too long," Fate pecked Nanoha on the nose and got up grabbing at towel drying herself. "We are all packed and ready to go for the week, lets enjoy it as much as we can," she smiled at Nanoha gently. "Well, my princess shall we?" She offered her hand to Nanoha, pulling her up from the tub wrapping another towel around her helping her dry off.
"I love you Fate-chan." Nanoha hugged Fate pressing her body on Fate's.
"I love you too Nanoha." Fate pet Nanoha? head, kissing her forehead.
"Mama!" Vivio's cry startled the two of them, making them slowly pull apart from their embrace".
"Coming Vivio, wait a minute ok? Mama is getting dressed." Nanoha called back to Vivio. Slipping on a nightdress as she exited the steamy bathroom, walking up to Vivio picking her daughter in her arms. "I'm here," she stroke her daughter's hair pretty blonde hair. "Lets go to bed we have a big day tomorrow."
"All ready to go Nanoha." Fate stepped into the off world teleporter beside Nanoha dropping their suitcases beside them. "Are you ready Vivio?" she looked down at Vivio clutching her little white bunny plushie.
"Mhmm!" Vivio nodded her head up and took Fate and Nanoha's hands while putting her plushie into the hood of a cute blue hoodie with cat ears sticking up from the hood.
"Alright Jesshera, we are ready for transport." She looked over to a girl in her mid-teens.
"Yes, Captain. Commencing transport," Jesshera turned to the console, her fingers dancing over the translucent keyboard. Her key strokes sounded like a machine gun as she tapped in the transport commands. Looking down on the monitor, double checking her work, her mid-length chestnut hair falling over her face. Brushing it back behind he ear, she turned back to the occupants in the teleporter. "All systems go, have a nice trip Agent Testarossa, Captain Takamachi, little Vivio," she gave them a casual salute and activated the transporter making them disappear in a shower of blue sparks.
A shower of blue sparks rained down on the hardwood floor inside a quite living room inside a house. A small thud echoed in the dark room as three figures materialized into the house. A small click came from the corner of the room near the door way, lite the room up.
"Nanoha?" a sleepy voiced yawned from the doorway. "Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me mom," Nanoha called to the woman standing at the doorway.
"I wasn't expecting you to come this early, it's still dark outside," Momoko (Nanoha's mother) sat down at the dining room table.
"Ummm, you're forgetting the time difference between our worlds mom." Nanoha corrected.
"Oh right, well Nanoha, Fate and Vivio your room is ready just leave the stuff down here and we?l sort it out tomorrow,she yawned and started back up stairs.
"Umm, mom...thanks for having us over," Fate thanked her politely and gave a small bow.
"You're always welcome in our house any day Fate," Momoko waved a little and walked up the stairs back to her room.
Nanoha and Fate muffled a giggle and crept upstairs to their room with Vivio in tow. The sun rising up above the roofs of the neighboring houses casting long shadows on the walls as the girls unpacked their stuff in Nanoha's old room with Vivio peacefully snoozing on the bed.
"I sure missed this place," Nanoha sighed as she when over the contents of her old room. Picking up a wood picture frame, with a picture of five young smiling girls in a white school uniforms, off her desk, she sighed touching her finger on each of pictures of the girls. "We were so small back then, Alisa, Suzuka, how long as it been since I saw you two in person,she mumbled to herself.
"Well, I the purpose of this trip is to visit our friends before you long mission," Fate popped up behind Nanoha hugging her waist. "I'm sure Alisa will be too happy to see you."
"Happy..eh hehe..your making fun of me again," Nanoha chuckled nervously. "She is going to kill me for not seeing her enough over the last few years."
"Well, lets make today a start," Fate countered. "I'm sure we can go over to Alisa's mansion and have a play date like we use to in middle school. "Vivio will get a blast playing in that zoo of dog and cats."
"Mou! Fate-chan" Nanoha paused to think. "Fine we will go but YOU will have to protect me," she stops packing for a moment and turns around bumping into Fate, putting on a puppy face, her finger poking at Fate's nose.
"You know I will always protect you, now and forever, now will you quit making that face before I do something that will wake everyone up!" Fate backs away holding her hands behind her back. "Erhm." Her cheeks blushed as red as her eyes which were looking down to the ground nervously. "Mmmm well,she looked outside trying to distract herself. "The the sun is up, we've been talking though out the morning, lets go down and eat." She hurried downstairs closing the door a little too hard.
Nanoha looked at the closed door with a blank expression then fell back on to the bed laughing. "Fate-chan you silly pervert." She woke and raced down after Fate leaving Vivio to snooze a little while longer. "So what's for breakfast honey?" Nanoha slid beside Fate in the kitchen.
"I think we will go with something simple, bacon and scrambled eggs sound good?" Fate took out a package of bacon from the freezer.
"Sounds fine to me,she raided the fridge of eggs, taking them over to the counter and cracking them into a bowl. "Scrambled eggs huh" a smile came to her lips. "Scramble FULL POWER!" her arms were a blur as she beat the eggs into a gooey oblivion.
"Oh Nanoha," Fate face palmed, laughing at Nanoha. "When will you ever grow up?"
"NEVER!" Nanoha pointed her fork at Fate and ran up close to her. "You like me this way," she winked at her poking Fate's cheek with the egg covered fork.
"Aren't we lively this morning." Momoko entered the kitchen area to see the two girls flirting with each other. "Don't bottle it up too much, I bet your friends back on Midchilda can't hear you two yet," she teased them.
"Oh hehe sorry mom," Nanoha broke away from Fate and started the frying pan to fry the eggs. "Fate-chan I'll finish up cooking, can you get Vivio?"
"Sure thing hon." Fate went upstairs and came down moments later giving Vivio a piggyback ride.
"Mama, Grand-mama, Good Morning!" Vivio waved to Nanoha and Momoko while riding on Fate's back.
"Good Morning Vivio!" Nanoha and Momoko called back, the smell of Nanoha's cooking filled the entire room. "Have a nice nap?"
"Mhmm!" she nodded her head and sat down at the table.
"Well today we are going to meet some friends from our days at school Vivio," Nanoha loaded her daughter's plate with food. "So make sure to eat well."
"OK Mama!" Vivio spooned her food quickly and gulped down her glass of caramel milk. "All done!"
"Gheez, Vivio you got bits of egg all over your face," Fate wiped it off Vivio's face with a small white towel. "There all clean, now wash up and we will get going."
"So you're going to see Alisa and Suzuka today right?" Momoko asked the two girls behind her mug of coffee.
"Yes," Nanoha shuddered a little, making Fate give a small giggle.
"Well I'm sure she will be happy, she has been calling me to ask you when you can come back to Earth." Momoko smiled and kept sipping away at her coffee.
"Happy...umm sure." she quietly replied and gave a pleading look at Fate.
"Mama, I'm ready!" Vivio came back a few minute later wearing in a cute frilly yellow dress with a brown ribbon around the waist. "Lets go!" she took Nanoha's hand and dragged her to the door.
"We will see you later," Fate waved back and closed the door behind them. "Well, lets go Nanoha." she egged Nanoha forward as they walked to Alisa's mansion.
"We are finally there," Nanoha stood at the gate of a mansion and pressed the doorbell and quickly ran behind Fate. The gates opened with a loud eerie creaking and squeaks. "This is going to be bad!" she whispered behind Fate's ear shiver.
"Nanoha, Miss Ace of Aces, we are here on a mission." Fate scolded Nanoha playfully. "This mission requires a certain amount of diplomacy, which I'm sure you have done before." she continued smirking looking at her shocked lover's face. "Now in you go," she pushed Nanoha past the gates.
"Well I'm sure she is the Ace of Aces," a young woman with flowing blonde hair and green sparkly eye in a pink sleeveless shirt and black knee lengthened skirt walked out from behind a bush. "This little Ace is in a small spot trouble!" Alisa put her hands on her hips.
"Oh no," Nanoha hid behind Fate's shoulder.
"So why did it take you soooo long to come and see your best friends from school?" Alisa pouted leaning closer to Nanoha, their noses almost touching.
Nanoha sank lower behind Fate's shoulder. "Mage training?"
"You do that for every day you're not on Earth."
"Mad Scientist Terrorist and evil combat cyborgs?"
"You also get those everyday!"
"I have a daughter?"
"NO!"
"Forgive me?"
"Only, if you give me a hug." Alisa looked away trying to keep on her mad face.
Nanoha took a small step out from behind and taking baby steps step towards Alisa.
"Mmmmm." Alisa grumbled impatiently and flung out her arms grabbing Nanoha and hugging her tightly.
"Ow ow ow, Alisa your killing me!" Nanoha struggled to get out of her tight grip.
"No, this is your punishment for not visiting me for so long," Alisa loosened her grip.
"Now now Alisa don't go killing our friends now," Suzuki appeared behind with her long purple hair in a white hair band holding it back, the wind making her white dress flap in the wind. "It's so nice to see you Nanoha." She pet a small black kitten in her arms while smiling brightly to Nanoha.
"Kitty!" Vivio's voice rang out in the middle making them all stop and laugh. "Here kitty kitty!" Vivio ran up to Suzuki jumping up trying to get a closer looking at the cat.
"My you have a lively daughter Nanoha," she let the kitten go into Vivio's anxiously waiting arms.
"She is still learning," Nanoha walked over and gently pulled on one of Vivio's pigtails. "Vivio remember your manners."
"Sorry mama" she hugged the kitten tighter and bowed slightly at Alisa and Suzuki. "Good Morning!"
"Vivio, mamas are now going to talk with their friends," Fate knelt down patting Vivio on the head. "You can go around back of the mansion and play with all the little animals but don't go into the woods."
"YAY!" Vivio ran off to the back. "COME HERE DOGGY!" her happy cries rang out from behind the house.
"Well Vivio sure is having fun," Alisa giggled and dragged Nanoha by the shoulder. "Lets go to the back and have some tea and some fun of our own," she called over one of her servants and asked her to bring over a tray of tea and snacks.
"Fun of our own? Nanoha mumbled to herself. "Sounds painful."
The four girls walked to the back and sat down at their old tea time table from when they were in elementary school. An old man with white hair and short beard wearing a suit soon came over with a cart line with silver plates and a white porcelain tea set with enough tea and snacks to sink a ship.
"Whaaa, this looks delicious!" Nanoha tried to pull away from Alisa's arm lock.
"NO, bad girl!" Alisa pulled her back and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie putting it in front of Nanoha mouth. "Say ahhh."
"Alisa, noo!" Nanoha sealed her lips turning away as Alisa kept poking the cooking in her lips. "Fate help me!" she pleaded to her. "You don't want others doing this to me do you?"
Fate gave Nanoha a small twitch of the lips. "Alisa you have my permission to tease Nanoha all you like," turning her head to face Nanoha. "I can do that to you any day I like. So I can live with it, and so can you." Fate gave Nanoha a peck on the cheek and a pat on the head and turn away to chat with Suzuki.
"Fate-chan you're evil!" Nanoha shouted and was pulled back by Alisa shoving a cookie in her mouth.
"Ah, that was fun." Fate slung Nanoha's arm over her shoulder. "We'll try to come again before we go back to Midchildia," she waved goodbye to Alisa and Suzuki. "Sooo, Nanoha how are you holding up?"
"Fate you are evil," Nanoha mumbled quietly as she slumps over Fate's shoulder like she was drunk.
"It wasn't that bad," Fate pats Nanoha on the back.
"…"
"Nanoha?" Fate looks beside her to see Nanoha snoozing away. "Awww, well lets hurry home." Fate lifts Nanoha up on to her back. "It is so nice having Nanoha here like this," she thought to herself. "If only these days will last longer," she sighed a little, carrying Nanoha back to her parent's house.
~*~~One Week Later~~*~
Blue spark danced down the teleporter as three girl materialized on the pad. "Welcome back Agent Fate, Captain Takamachi and Vivio its nighttime now on Midchilda so please be careful making your way back to base," Jesshera welcome the three of them back giving them another causal salute.
"Thanks," Nanoha wave to her, in better spirit since the first day of their holiday which she has come to call "The Alisa Incident."
Stepping out of the teleporter room the three girls headed back to the Section 6 living quarters while being welcomed back by their fellow mages.
"Well that was a fun week!" Nanoha opened up her suit case and flipped it upside down dumping all of their used cloths on the floor. "Beside being tortured by you and Alisa it was a nice vacation!" She flopped herself back first on to the bed and rolled around messing up the sheets.
"Yes, I wouldn't mind going back there again." Fate sat beside Nanoha holding her hand.
"Oh hush" Nanoha pulled away putting her arm over her eyes.
"Well, feel free to lay back. I have a week of cloths and stuff to sort out." Fate go up and sighed at the mess on the floor. "Vivio, can you go to go to bed yourself?" she called out into Vivio's room.
"Yes, Fate-mama," Vivio replied in a sleepy yawn, followed by a rustle of sheets. "Goodnight mamas."
"Goodnight Vivio," the two tried mamas sang back to their daughter in unison.
"Pull me up and I'll help you clean." Nanoha put her hand up in the air at Fate.
"Gheez Nanoha your more of a baby than Vivio," Fate grabbed her hand and yanked her up, not expecting Nanoha to come face first at her giving her a surprise kiss. "Mhrfmm! Na-Nano-ha!"
Pulling away and twirling away from Fate on to the messy living room, Nanoha licked her lips and stuck out her tongue at Fate who was flushed red. "Bleeeeeh, now lets clean up."
"Oh, never mind I'll take care of it, tomorrow you've got a long road trip starting tomorrow." Fate reached out pulling Nanoha playfully back beside her.
"But, but," Nanoha protested half heartedly.
"No buts, I'll take care of it," the blondie swept Nanoha off her feet and placed her in bed. "Its bed time," she took her finger and placed it over Nanoha's lips.
"Fine," she stripped off her clothes and tossed them into the mess. Nanoha spread herself all over the bed hiding her bare body under the sheets.
"Nanoha" Fate shook her head. "How am I suppose to get in?"
"Use your imagination," Nanoha smirked flashing her bare body from under the covers.
"You," Fate dived under the covers. "are going to pay for that little stunt."
"Please wake up Master, it is now 296 cycles, 6 intervals, and 7 fractions." Raging Heart's alarm clock rang to wake her master up. "The expedition party leaves in 2 intervals and 3 fractions."
"Ugh, I hate early mornings." Nanoha covered her eyes with her arm keeping the beams of sun light shining though the blinds out of her eyes. "Fate-chan?" she looked over next to her to see Fate still snoozing away on her belly with Vivio sleeping on her back. Her head somehow managed to get under the pillow. "Silly bed head,shaking her head she waded though the mess of cloths from last night fixing her hair into a side tail trying to find a bite to eat in the fridge. Grabbing a bite she hurried to get dressed. "Raging Heart, record message and forward it to Bardiche please."
"Yes, my master," the little red jewel flashed and flew over and hovered in front of Nanoha recording a video. "Standby," Raging Heart paused. "Ready."
"Hi Fate-chan, umm sorry I didn't wake you but you look like you were having such a nice dream." Nanoha pointed the video recording to record Fate in her interesting sleeping position. "Vivio, Nanoha-mama will be gone for a little while, so be a good girl for Fate-mama and your friends ok?" she gave the small wave to the recording. "I'll try to be careful but you know me nyahaha, always pushing myself to the limit," she awkwardly scratched the back of her head shaking her head. "And I'll try not to worry about you two blowing up our apartment," she finished up her morning chores, walking out her apartment room while making the recording, with Raging Heart hovering with her as she walked though the quiet Mobile Section 6 hallways. Nanoha's footsteps echoed though the empty hallways, walking out though the front a bus idled waited for her.
"Captain Takamachi, nice to have you on board," a young man with light brown hair stood at the doors. I'll be your Captain for this merry three month trip on board my ship the Scarlet Swan."
"Wonderful, just wonderful, Captain?"she raised an eyebrow wondering what his name was.
"Captain Clifred of the Transdimensional Cruiser Scarlet Swan, my dear girl," he mused checking out his sexy passenger.
Nanoha shook her head and gave a small laugh almost forgetting that Raging Heart was still recording. "Well this is it," she gave a small sigh. "I'm off. I love the both of you so much; I'll miss the both of you." Taking a deep breath of cold morning air she go on the bus followed by the captain, the doors hissed closed.
"All aboard!" Clifred shouted to the amusement of fellow passengers. The bus engine revved as they drove off to the navy shipyard.
Continued Chapter 2.
After-Thoughts: This would be the first time I actually tried writing anything of this scale. Thanks for reading so far. I've always been fascinated by sci-fi and magic in one package and I discovered that when I watched Magical Lyrical Girls Nanoha/Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series almost 4(?) years back.
One thing I bet all readers are probably face-palming at is the way I decided to keep time in Midchildia. "96 cycles, 6 intervals, and 7 fractions" would translate to "days of the year, hour of the day, minutes." I've always had a pet peeve when it came to timekeepers of the universe, its always based on Earth time standard 24/7. So I decided to add a new way to time keep.
I hope we meet again in Chapter 2 of Re-encounter.
FateSkyFire