魔法パン屋リリカルなのは

(Mahou Panya Ririkaru Nanoha)

Magical Baker Lyrical Nanoha

By Team Hinamori

An AU of our AU Thunderstorms. It takes place on the same night as Thunderstorms.

Chapter 1

Mindless Banter

I laid in bed thinking to myself about my father's words. It was a brief video call, but it was more than enough to make me rethink about the direction my life was heading.

I was considered a "hero" of sorts. I run around saving the day by blowing things up, befriending enemies by blowing things up, teaching my daughter how to blow things up, and etcetera… but was this what I really wanted to do? Did I really want to teach my child and her future siblings the destructive art of "White-Devil-Fu"? And did I really want to raise my children to fear that one of these days their mama and/or papa won't ever be coming home?

No.

Hero or not, my babies needed the security of having a stable family. The world does not come before my world.

My girlfriend slept beside me peacefully, her back turned to me with our little girl nestled in between her arms. A loud thunderstorm brewed violently outside；lightning cracking, thunder bellowing and rain pouring). The raging weather outside concurred with my thoughts, tremulous and earthshaking.

'What's wrong, Nanoha?' Fate's words entered my mind like a mouse creeping through a hole.

'N-Nothing…'

'You're still awake, why?'

'Can't a pregnant woman stay up once in a while?'

'Yes, but not when she has a busy day ahead of her.'

I didn't enjoy this non-verbal argument Fate and I were having. Everyday we'd argue about something, and everyday it would end the same way. 'Fate-chan, do you think we've done enough?'

"Hm?" Fate hummed out loud.

'Do you think we've saved enough lives and stopped enough villains?'

Fate shifted to look at me, the lightning illuminating her handsome face for a mere second before returning back to the darkness. 'What's this all about? Is there something on your mind?' she asked me with a concerned tone.

'Well,' I began. 'I was thinking maybe it was time for us to hang in the towel, and just focus on our lives.'

'I don't get it… I thought this is what you wanted?'

'Yes and no. I love doing what I do, but when our daughters are born I don't think I can focus on saving the world while being a single mother.'

Fate got up suddenly, causing Vivio to wake up. She laid back down and apologized to our daughter before replying, 'Single mother? Nanoha, I really don't understand… do you not want me to be here?'

'Fate-chan, I love you, but I know you'll get called out… again. And when you do, I don't know if I can handle being away from you for so long.'

"N-Nanoha…"

Even though Fate couldn't see me, I looked away ashamed of myself. 'We aren't married, there isn't anything stopping you from going out and being with someone else.'

'There really isn't anything stopping me from doing that even if we were married.' Fate chuckled and pulled me in close to her. 'Not that I would, or could, find anyone better than you.'

'…'

'Nanoha, you know full well that it isn't my fault we aren't officially married.'

'I know…'

'So what's the problem then?'

I sighed and snuggled in close to my partner. 'I-I… my father told me something today.' I waited for Fate to say something, but instead she patiently waited for me to continue. 'He and my mother are retiring, and Onee-chan doesn't want to take over the bakery… so they're going to sell it.'

'Oh…'

'Fate-chan, you don't have to approve of this but—'

'You want to retire and take over the family business.'

I gasped out and asked, 'How'd you know?'

'Haha, because I know you.'

'Nyahaha… it's always been my dream to take over the bakery with my husband.' I explained to her honestly. 'But instead I became a magical girl—'

'You're not a girl anymore, Nanoha.' Fate chided.

'But instead I became a magical girl and fell in love with a magical nitwit.'

'Yuuno?'

'You, you ninny.'

'I take offense to that.'

I rolled my eyes and pinched Fate's butt. I relished both the firmness of Fate's rear end and her startled yelp. 'I'm trying to be serious here. I really want to take the family business over, but… at the same time I don't want to raise our children in a world where you could suddenly disappear.'

'Nanoha, you know full well that I would never leave you and the kids.'

'You can't say that you never will. You're an active duty soldier; you could be shot down and killed.'

'…'

'It would break my heart if you got hurt, and I would die if you were taken away from me permanently.'

'…'

'So, please, for our children's sake… let's retire.'

Fate sighed, the arm she had around my shoulders tightening. 'You practically are retired, Nanoha… they won't let me go that easily.'

'Then I'll go over and knock some sense into whoever's stopping us.'

'Come to think of it, you said you wanted to take over the Midoriya with your husband… is there something you aren't telling me?' Fate asked with a furious tone. I felt a shiver run up my spine when Fate's jealous side appeared. 'If you're cheating on me…'

'Fate-chan, no man in his right mind would try to take me away from you!'

'You sure it's me they're scared of?'

I punched my girlfriend on the arm and growled at her. 'Take that back before I show you some pregnant fury.'

'Hah, your cooking is by far more horrible than your so called fury.' Fate laughed and poked me on the cheek. 'You can decimate a whole country with one Starlight Breaker, but you can annihilate the world with a drop from one of your special soups.'

'Yeah well, your breath stinks.'

'Because I ate your cooking.'

I snarled at Fate, failing to realize she couldn't see me unless the lightning flashed—luckily it did before I changed my expression; the look of utter fear on Fate's face was priceless. 'Take that back before I remove your DNA from my body.'

'W-What!?'

'You heard me Mister, apologize right now.'

Fate huffed. 'How do I know the babies are even mine? You and Yuuno seem pretty close.'

'I seem pretty close to Chrono-kun too.'

'Okay that's it. I demand a paternity test!'

"Nanoha-mama, Fate-papa, will you two please be quiet!?" Vivio grumbled with an exasperated sigh. 'You said to get some sleep, and yet you two aren't sleeping!"

"S-Sorry!"

'Nanoha, Vivio's starting to act like you…'

'This is horrible!'

"I heard that." Vivio muttered.