I got the idea for this from a conversation I had with a friend about Kuroshitsuji...

Disclaimer: I do not own MLGN nor do I plan to profit from this story.

~xXx~

Argh, I don't know where to begin. My dad should stop being so vague with his gifts, but it was kind of fun this time…

~xXx~

One morning a girl ran excitedly into her high school classroom. She was rather early since school had not started, but, then again, so was her friend.

"Hey, look what my dad brought for me from his business trip this time," said an almost breathless Alisa Bannings. As usual, Alisa was thrilled about her father's gifts because they were often bizarre and required some aid in deciphering.

Setting her studies aside, Suzuka Tsukimura, Alisa's best friend, responded, "It looks like an antique camera." She referred to the slightly rusted bronze colored camera that had small rubies and black diamonds embedded at the side. It was the kind of camera that had a component that would yield a picture.

"Yeah, that's what I told my dad and he told me to try it out and see what happens," said Alisa, still bubbling with excitement.

"It is as if he expects something other than a typical photograph from this camera…" Suzuka pondered.

"Oh, look, Nanoha's here," said Alisa as she saw Nanoha Takamichi through the classroom door's window. Alisa started to adjust the camera based on her memory of the instructions her dad gave her.

Nanoha entered the classroom.

"Good morning, Alisa. Good morning, Suzuka." said Nanoha in her naturally cheerful manner.

"Good morning, Nanoha. Where's Fate today?" Suzuka replied as Alisa was still preoccupied with her camera.

"She said that she had something to do this morning, but she will be here before the bell rings." Nanoha answered. Suzuka thought she heard a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yes!" Alisa suddenly exclaimed.

Before anyone could ask, Alisa snapped a picture of Nanoha with her new camera.

A little disoriented by the abrupt flash, Nanoha inquired, "Alisa, what was that for?"

"Her dad brought her an interesting camera from his business trip," answered Suzuka as she looked over Alisa's shoulder, curious of the resulting image the latter just obtained from her camera.

Both girls' eyes widened. Suzuka's suspicion was confirmed.

Still recovering from the camera flash, Nanoha noticed her friends' expressions. "Nyahaha, I didn't look that bad, did I?"

"Why is Fate in this picture? She isn't even here," Alisa noted, puzzled.

"Alisa, take a picture of me," Suzuka suddenly requested.

"Okay..." said Alisa, unsure if she should take Suzuka's picture and even more wary of the camera's product.

With another flash and a slightly disoriented Suzuka, the second photo reflected a white cat with a silky coat.

Tears came to Suzuka's eyes. "Oh, it's Momo," she said as she gazed lovingly at the picture.

"Isn't Momo dead?" Alisa and Nanoha asked at the same time. Momo was Suzuka's first cat, the cat that began her endearment with felines, which explained the multitude of cats in she owned.

Wiping away her tears, "Yeah…Alisa, let me take your picture."

Alisa agreed despite feeling slightly apprehensive about the notion.

This time the photo reflected a large adult Shih Tzu.

"It's Fifi! It's been so long since she passed away," said Alisa, who promptly broke down in tears at her recollections of the dog. Alisa was very fond of canines. In fact, during Fate's incident, she was extremely disappointed when she realized that she could not keep Arf.

Given that both subjects of the photos were dead, Nanoha was worried. "Wait. Since these pictures are of your deceased pets…does this mean that something has happened to Fate?" She felt faint at the thought of losing Fate.

"Oh my gosh, you are right. Let's go see if Fate is alright," said Alisa, who immediately recovered from her tears. Suzuka nodded in agreement.

As the three friends were about to dash out of school, Fate T. Harlaown stepped into the classroom.

Nanoha rushed over to embrace Fate, knocking the wind out of the latter. "Thank god, you are okay."

"Did I miss something?" Fate asked, confused about the bone-crushing hug from Nanoha and the concerned expressions on her friends' faces.

They debriefed Fate on Alisa's mysterious camera.

"Oh, let's take Fate's picture." Alisa decided at the end of the conversation.

The fourth photo revealed a dark haired woman (Precia Testarossa), a woman in a maid outfit with cat ears (Linith), a girl that looked exactly like Fate (Alicia), and Arf, in her puppy form. Under a large oak tree on a sunny day, a jubilant mood was felt from subjects.

Fate stared at the photo in wonder. Nanoha felt a twinge of sorrow for her friend.

"That puppy looks a lot like Arf." Alisa inquired.

"Is that your other family?" Sizuka asked. She and Alisa knew that Fate was adopted by the Harlaowns.

Fate nodded, eyes transfixed on the image. "They…aren't here now, except for Arf."

Then, she smiled and said, "Your dad picked out quite a strange camera for you. It captured some of the most important things to me that… are not in this world."

Nanoha was still perplexed Fate's appearance in her photo. "Since this is an artifact, let's see if Yuuno knows what this is," she suggested, hoping that his background in archeology could unravel the mystery surrounding the camera.

Everyone nodded. At the moment the bell rang, signaling the start of the school day.

~xXx~

After school, the girls sought Yuuno, who was in the school library, organizing books.

His eyes shined as he ogled at the perfectly preserved artifact."Ah, this is a piece of lost technology from one of the older civilizations before Mid-Childa," Yuuno marveled.

"What is it supposed to do?" Nanoha asked.

"This one in particular reveals one's most treasured thing or person that is not of the particular world this camera happens to be on," Yuuno said after another moment's examination.

"Do deceased pets fit the description?" Alisa asked. Along with Alisa, Suzuka looked intently at Yuuno for the answer.

Yunno nodded, "As long as it was important to you."

"So… a person who does not come from Earth but is still living applies too, right?" Nanoha asked hesitantly.

"Correct. They are still not of this world," Yuuno said, matter-of-factly.

Recalling Nanoha's photo and her reaction to Fate's entrance, Alisa and Suzuka grinned at Nanoha. The latter blushed.

Unaware of Nanoha's uneasiness, Fate realized: "So that's why Arf appeared in my photo."

~xXx~

At least something interesting resulted from that. Wait till Hayate hears about this. Too bad, she was absent today.

~xXx~

Well, if you have not figured it out, Alisa was the narrator at the beginning and end.

Check out my MLGN and Bungaku Shoujo crossover story if you want to.

Reviews are greatly appreciated :) Doozo.