Watashi wa… Ane-san Desu Ka
A/N: AU with OOC. This is a work of fanfiction. Businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. I do not own any of the characters from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.
Everyone knows that the Yakuza or familia are a fearsome group of people and not someone you would want to mess with. Heck, you don't want to be associated with them and you would avoid them if possible. But can there be good people within the group? What people do not realise is that, they can be very loyal and am strongly guided by codes of the family. What would happen if one suddenly gets thrown into the midst of it? Read to find out more.
Chapter 1
"Okay, Hayate-chan, I'll see you later for dinner. I need to get to the bookstore before the first print runs out! DanMachi Light Novel Volume 10 is finally out! I can't wait to get my hands on the first print!" Nanoha semi-shouted as she ran off into the distance.
After running a few blocks, and made it around the corner, the bookstore is finally in view. Nanoha could see the stand for the new release books, and situation seems really grim. There are only 2 books left.
'Damn. Why did I have to stay back for the extra assignment today? It's all Carim-sensei fault for giving us an extra assignment to do. Arrhh... Why can't they just bring in more stock? I hate to wait for another week... or worst, a couple of weeks!' Nanoha grumbled in her mind as she walked briskly towards the stand.
Suddenly, a blonde showed up in front of her before she could get her hands on the book.
'It's okay… It's just one person, so there will one left for me' Nanoha thought as she walked up to the stand.
The blonde took both books and began to head for the counter.
"Wait!" Nanoha called out.
The blonde turns around right at the moment where the cloud parted and the sun shone on her, causing her hair to glow yellow. One look at the blonde and Nanoha was captivated by the voluptuous blonde. She felt like she just got sucker punched. Piercing burgundy looked straight into azure.
"Erm… Erm… Can I have that book please?" Nanoha stammered in English as she looked and pointed at the books in her hand.
"It's alright, I can speak and understand Japanese." The breathtakingly beautiful blonde replied.
A sigh of relief escaped from Nanoha before she asked again, mind now only filled with getting her hands on the light novel, "Can I please have a copy of the book? It's a new release you see… and I have been waiting for it to come out."
"You mean these 2 books?" The blonde asked.
"Yes. Since both are the same books, I was wondering, no… I was hoping that you can let me have a copy." Nanoha explained.
"Sure. I was getting them as gifts anyway. Here you go." The blonde replied as she handed a copy of the book over to Nanoha.
Both Nanoha's eyes and face lit up like a Christmas tree! "Thank you so much!" Nanoha thanked as she gave her a deep bow.
She then quickly made her way to the counter like a kid getting a new toy. The blonde couldn't help but to grin at that.
After Fate got her books too, she left the store and as she was passing by the park. She saw that brunette sitting there, totally absorbed in her book. Fate couldn't help but stood there and observed her, admiring the view as her curiosity grew.
The light novel brunette was so engrossed in her book. She wore an excited smile as she read. The scene was just beautiful. With the sun peeking through the leaves, and the wind gently tossing her hair, she looked like she was one with nature, totally enjoying the moment.
Fate looked down at the books in her hand, and back at the brunette with eyes as bright and blue as the sky. She headed back to the bookstore and got the series, from Volume 1 to 9.
-0-
Weeks later, they bumped into each other again. This time round, both of them reached for the same blue ray copy of Log Horizon Season 2.
"My bad" the blonde said at the same time as Nanoha did, "I'm sorry." Nanoha look at the blonde like a deer caught in headlights.
They stood there and looked at each other for a moment and the blonde greeted, breaking the silence, "Hi, we meet again."
Nanoha replied with THE most awkward smile which made her looked ridiculously funny. She was trying to smile but her face looks cramped up, as if she just ate something really sour.
The blonde couldn't help but chuckled, "There are multiple copies this time round so we won't have to fight."
"Nayhahaha… True that." Nanoha laughed nervously as she scratched her cheek. It was a nervous habit of hers. Nanoha just couldn't stand looking at the blonde as she felt herself blushed. She kept her head angled downwards as much as she could without being rude.
A copy of the blue ray came into view. "Here you go. Season 1 is pretty good, right?" The blonde said as she handed Nanoha a copy of the anime.
"Thank you." Nanoha replied as she accepted the disks.
"I didn't do anything. All I did was to take the discs off the shelf. Well, hope you'll enjoy it. I know that I will enjoy re-watching it in high definition." The blonde replied with a smile.
'Ah! Her smile's too bright!' Nanoha thought as she looked to the ground again.
By the time Nanoha looked back up, the blonde was gone without a trace.
-0-
'Third time is always the charm, right?' Nanoha thought to herself often.
"Nanoha-chan~" Hayate sang, breaking her from her trance. "You are phasing out again. You have been doing that a lot lately. A penny for your thoughts?" Hayate commented.
"Well… Just thinking about anime related stuff…" Nanoha replied.
Technically, she wasn't lying… She did meet her in Animate, one of the anime chain outlets, and they did kind of (loosely) talked about anime.
"I just don't understand why you are so fascinated with cartoons. We are already in 3rd year of university." Hayate teased.
"Anime is anime. Anime is NOT cartoon. Depending on the series and art, anime can be targeted for children, young adults, and adults. Cartoon is what kids watch like Paw Patrol." Nanoha snipped back.
"Wow... relax, girl. I was just pulling your leg and mimicking your papa. You know that I'm really into cosplaying myself." Hayate replied.
"Well, I better get going. I'm just going to swing by the store again before heading home. Papa will be home today for the weekend and we're going out for tea together tonight. I don't want to be late." Nanoha advised with excitement.
-0-
While browsing in the store, her brother called, delivering disappointing news. "Nanoha, we won't be able to make it back today. They are not done with the discussion yet." Kyoya announced.
"Alright…" Nanoha sighed sadly.
"You alright, my dear baby sister?" Kyoya asked.
"I'm alright. I'm just disappointed, that's all." Nanoha replied.
"You know that we would be there if we could, right? The discussions for the pachinko parlours are just at a critical point. We are hoping to close the deals and sign the contract either tomorrow or the day after." Kyoya explained.
"I understand. Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Nanoha replied.
"You have your device with you?" Kyoya enquired.
"Yes yes." Nanoha replied nonchalantly.
-0-
While distracting herself with the sea of blue rays in front of her, 'Phantom Mind' from Nana Mizuki rang softly in the background, capturing her attention. She turned around to spot the person with such good taste.
Blonde entered her view. She spoke in a language that Nanoha didn't understand.
Once she ended her call, she turned around and saw Nanoha peeking at her over her shoulder.
"Hi, we meet again." The blonde greeted with a half-smile as she came up beside the brunette.
"H… Hi." Nanoha replied nervously.
"So what you getting today?" The blonde asked.
"Nothing in particular. I'm just browsing to waste time. My dinner plan with my family fell through, so I have heaps of time to waste." Nanoha complained.
"I see…" The blonde replied.
"Nayhahaha… Sorry for complaining…" Nanoha laughed shyly as she scratched her cheek.
"Hey, it's all good. No worries there." The blonde replied.
"So what do you have there?" Nanoha asked.
"Death Note. I thought of trying something different." The blonde replied with a smile.
"Really? Have you watched Ghost in the Shell before? That series are awesome. Pretty deep stuff, but way better than the over rated Death Note. It's not really that great in my opinion." Nanoha advised.
"Really? I ought to put this back then. Thanks for the advice." The blonde replied with a sunny smile.
'Oh, that blinding smile again.' Nanoha thought.
"Now let me pick a series for you… How about this?" The blonde suggested as she handed the disc over.
"Overlord?" Nanoha questioned.
"Have you not watched it? It's pretty good. I bet you will like it." The blonde suggested.
"I'll give it a go I guess. I have nothing else better to do anyway. Opps… I'm doing it again." Nanoha started out strong but faded to a whisper.
Breaking the awkward silence, the blonde asked, "Hey, since your dinner plan fell through, want to go grab a bite together?"
"Erm…" Nanoha hesitated.
"You can always say no. I won't get offended." The blonde added with a hint of blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Nayhahaha… I was just surprised that's all. Wasn't really expecting that. Thank you, I would love the company." Nanoha replied with a smile.
They looked at each other for a moment then Nanoha introduced, "Nanoha, my name is Takamachi Nanoha. Though it's a little late, please to meet you." Nanoha raised her hand to offer a handshake.
"Fate, Fate Testarossa. No wait… Fate Harlaown. Please to meet you too." Fate replied as she held Nanoha's hand to return the handshake.
"You don't even know your own name or are you just giving me a fake name?" Nanoha teased.
"Both my mums, mum Precia and her newlywed, mum Lindy were together for ages, and they recently, finally I should say, tied the knots. So I'm still trying to get used to the name." Fate clarified.
"So where would you like to go for tea? Any good place to introduce? I'm fairly new to this area." Fate asked.
Right on cue, Nanoha's tummy growled. Nanoha immediately looked away with embarrassment.
"Hahaha. Why don't we go pay up for this and let's get you fed." Fate announced.
-0-
They had a great time eating and chatting. 3 hours just flew by as if it was half an hour. They talked about light stuff and nothing too personal. They talked about anime manga and light novels they came across with their like and dislikes. They even exchanged numbers and email address.
"It's getting late, I'll walk you home." Fate offered.
"Then what about you? Who's going to walk you home?" Nanoha countered.
Fate just smiled in response.
"I'll be fine. My place isn't that far from here, just a few blocks away." Nanoha replied as she waved off the idea.
"Well, I'll be heading off then. I had a great time tonight. Will I get to see you again?" Fate asked.
"Sure. We can meet up again sometime. I had a great night too. Thanks for the company tonight." Nanoha replied cheerfully. 'Yes! I'll get to see her again!' Nanoha thought.
When Fate was leaving the store, she walked past these two hooligans that had just entered the store. One had spiky hair and the other one had multiple ear rings. They cat called Fate as she passed them. Fate had an instant dislike towards them.
When Fate was by the door, she turned back to wave goodbye to Nanoha. Instead of seeing a smiling face, Fate saw those two lowlifes harassing Nanoha. One of them even tried to reach for her hair but Nanoha just swept his hand away apathetically. Fate could tell that Nanoha was very uncomfortable with the situation but she was trying her best to hold it in.
Fate began walking back to Nanoha. She took something that looked like a pin and left it on the table. Rings immediately backed off upon seeing it.
-0-
"Come on, let's go. It's not worth the trouble." Rings warned spikes.
"What's wrong with you? She looks like she could use our company." Spikes replied.
"Sorry to keep you waiting love, I'm done with my phone call now." Fate called out as she got back to the table.
Nanoha's attention was immediately on the newcomer. Being called 'love' by her, even if it's just acting, it brought warmth to her heart.
When she got beside her, she leaned down and kissed Nanoha on her cheek and said casually, "Are we ready to go?"
Nanoha caught on quickly and smiled. "You do know how to keep me waiting." Nanoha replied as she stood up, carrying on the act.
Fate put her arm over Nanoha's shoulder and Nanoha circled her arm around Fate's waist. Even with the irritating situation, this action felt so good, so natural. Nanoha felt like they fitted well against each other.
Fate looks over to the two guys standing across the table, and asked "Are they your friends, love?"
"Nope, just someone random." Nanoha replied coolly.
They were having these conversations as if the guys weren't even there.
As they began to walk off, Spike grabbed Nanoha's arm and barked, "How dare you ignore us, bitch!"
With swift action, Fate immediately grabbed and flipped his hand over, pulling his arm into an arm lock, smacking his head against the table."Arrrh, freaking dyke, let go of my hand!" Spike cursed.
"NEVER EVER touch my girl." Fate spitted venomously.
If eyes could kill, Fate definitely had her killing eyes on. She was giving off a 'you don't want to fuck with me' aura. Nanoha just blushed deeply with the proclamation of her being hers but that went unnoticed by Fate.
With all these action going on, the manager came over and asked, "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, they were just about to leave." Fate answered coolly as she let go of the arm lock.
"Come on man, let's go. Don't you recognise the emblem? Let's get out of here." Rings advised.
'Emblem?' Fate thought.
-0-
After they left, Fate turned and held onto Nanoha's hand as she stroke her cheek softly with the other. "Nanoha, are you alright?"
Nanoha threw herself against Fate and held on to her tightly. Nanoha was a little shaken up.
Fate put her arms around Nanoha and drew comforting circles on Nanoha's back. They pulled apart after a short embrace.
"Are you feeling better now?" Fate asked with concern.
"Yes, thank you." Nanoha replied shyly.
"Come on, let's get you home now and I won't accept a no for an answer." Fate advised.
"I'll have to take you up on that offer I guess then. Apologies for the trouble." Nanoha replied.
-0-
They were tailed after they got out from the store. "Let's go somewhere with more people. I think we are being tailed." Fate told Nanoha softly.
Nanoha immediately fumbled through her pocket and pulled out a very small device, no bigger than the size of a thumb. It looks almost like a medical alarm. She pressed on the device repeatedly.
"Is that a medical alarm? Are you alright?" Fate asked as they brisk walked.
"Back up" was all Nanoha said.
'What sort of backup could she be calling?' Fate wondered.
There were more of them behind them now. Noticing that, Fate held onto Nanoha's hand as they began walking faster.
'Her hand is so warm…' Nanoha thought as she was beginning to enjoy this new contact.
They made a wrong turn and were herded into an alleyway. "Not feeling so mighty now, huh? So what if you are with the Takamachi clan. I don't give a fuck about that. One of these days, Hinamoto will rule the area." Spike taunted.
A questioning thought flew through her mind as they closed in, 'Clan?' Fate automatically stepped up in front of Nanoha protectively. They now had no chance to out run them now. Looking for a way out among the sea of bodies in front of them, Fate realised that they had no way out. The only chance of escaping now is to fight off some of them and create a hole for Nanoha to escape through.
'Fighting 1-on-1 would be easy as. They shouldn't be that skilled. Fighting 2-on-1 is going to be taking a fair bit of my attention. Fighting 3-on-1 and protecting Nanoha at the same time would be like all hell breaks loose. No, I should just go all out from the start.' Fate thought to herself.
-0-
"Don't be afraid, Nanoha. I won't let them hurt you." Fate whispered to Nanoha.
"I'm going to engage some of them and create a space for you to run through." Fate advised.
"There's too many of them. You can't take them on your own." Nanoha advised.
"All we need is a gap to punch through." Fate replied.
"I can fight too." Nanoha advised confidently as she stepped out from behind Fate.
"Are you sure about this?" Fate asked to confirm as she was unsure of her skill level.
"Yes, but I'm better with a staff though." Nanoha replied without any hesitation.
Fate could tell by the look Nanoha had. She was not distressed by the situation they were in. It may not be as dire as she thought. Nanoha had a confident look in her eyes.
"Let's do this then. I'll go right." Fate declared as she lunged forward.
Fate managed a one punch knockout on the first two guys when Nanoha dropped one. 'Not too bad at all!' Fate thought to herself after seeing Nanoha in action. After a few exchanges of punches and kicks, there's finally a gap! Fate immediately held onto Nanoha's hand and ran for it.
-0-
They managed to escape the alleyway but they were still being chased. There's about six of them left.
'What kind of gang would round up twelve people just to ambush two female! That's just how low these lowlifes were. I really hate bullies!' Fate thought.
As they ran down the streets, two of them nearly caught up with them.
"Nanoha, I'll take care of this two. You run ahead." Fate ordered.
"I'm not leaving without you!" Nanoha replied.
"It would be easier for me if it's just me! Go!" Fate responded as she shoves Nanoha forward.
Fate stopped and turned to fight off the two guys while the other four made a pass. 'Shite! They slipped through!' Fate cursed inwardly. After fighting off two guys, Fate ran like her life depended on it.
-0-
Fate could see that Nanoha was unable to hold the ground against four of them at once and she jumped right in when she caught up.
Nanoha tripped and was backed up against the wall. Somehow, when Fate saw that, she lost her concentration for a split moment and one of them managed to land a lucky punch on her jaw.
Feeling all groggy, she did the only thing she could to protect Nanoha, which was to stand in front of her, trapping her against the wall and taking all the hits. 'Better me than her.' Fate thought.
Nanoha was crying out, "Fate-chan! Fate-chan!"
The guys threw punches and kicks on her battered body but Fate did not budge. One of them got the bad blow to the back of her head and she almost went down. Nanoha could see the daze in her eyes.
"Get off me, Fate. I can still fight!" Nanoha shouted from within the protective arms of Fate.
When Fate thought this was all over and that they were going to lose, the guys were picked off by another group of guys.
Fate could not hold on any longer, knowing that Nanoha is safe now she smiled at Nanoha and passed out in front of her. Nanoha immediately caught hold of her and hugged her body tight to hers.
Signum finally arriving to the rescue asked, "Nanoha ojo-sama, are you alright?"
Nanoha just kept crying out for Fate and said that she needed medical attention right away. After confirming that Nanoha was alright, a little banged up but otherwise alright, Signum left the scene to Zafira. She took off with Nanoha and Fate was securely in her arms.
"Who's this blonde?" Signum asked as she looked down to the unconscious blonde.
"She's a friend, and my saviour." Nanoha replied.
Nanoha held onto Fate in the back seat of the car all the way to the hospital.