Hi guys, Yami Kero here. After careful evaluation of my first attempt at a Nanoha fanfic, I've decided to try and re-write the whole fanfic that I was working on, while adding in stuff here and there in which I felt it could help explain a bit more than from my previous attempt. What my plan was when starting this was to tie in bits from both the manga connection of A's to StrikerS as well as the anime, and additional material from the Sound Stage Drama CDs. Also…I had to re-think on how I originally thought this was going to go out as, but then something gave me an idea which made have to re-write on the thought process of my sub-villain. The reason being was that two films sort of gave me the idea yet I'm combining elements from both films and trying to increment them into this fanfic.

I realized that the first time I wrote the fanfic that there weren't many that understood the Japanese language, so…I've decided to just stick with two things in regards to terms, which are the honorifics as well as the so-called military terms (just from the interpretations that I've come across from both manga and anime series), yet as one author already told me that it's just probably better for me to stick with just writing it in English. Also…one of the other things that I'm obviously going to add besides Japanese are a few other languages. In order to try and stay true to the Wolkenritter characters, I'm obviously going to utilize the German language, as well as adding two other languages for two reasons. 1.) To list out seven things (I'll explain the significance of the number seven in my second chapter) for one language and 2.) To list out different attacks for another fighting style (one that I've created myself, yet description-wise might and might not sound as original, but is slightly similar in terms of Belkan-style ability). I'll explain more about that part in a later chapter. However…I'm going to give all readers a quick heads up here. In terms of Japanese term usage…there's only going to be one…that's right…one…term that I'll be using, and it's actually a concept that originated from a country in Asia. (Though there might be some that might figure it out before I even mention it).

Note: Bold italicized words – telepathic message.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha or any of the characters whatsoever, just the OC's I've created. The credit for the Nanoha series goes to Keizou Kusakawa, the director of the series and Masaki Tsuzuki the writer of the series.

With that said, enjoy and happy reading.

Prologue:

[Timeframe: 2 years ago;

Setting: TSAB Armed Forces, North Midchilda 4th Regiment, Ground Forces Military Academy].

There was quite a lot of chatter amongst many of the new trainees as each went to check onto which room he/she was as well as the roommate/partner the person was paired with based on their exam results and their interviews or were already talking with the person that he/she was paired with. One of the trainees that was looking up his room number had light blue hair, light green eyes, had a small build and sported a small bracelet with an aquamarine gem on his right arm. A young female trainee was a few feet away from the young man that was checking his room number had short red hair and aquamarine eyes.

"Let's see…the room I'm assigned to would be…" said the young man

"My assigned room number is…" began the young woman.

"Number…38"

The two of them gave a brief glance to the other when they realized they were put in the same room.

"I see you're in the same room as I am. My name's Shiro Higurashi, age 16. Just call me Shiro. Nice to meet you," replied the young man.

"So it seems. I'm Mizuki Tenrow, age 15. It's a pleasure to meet you Shiro-kun," replied the red-head.

"I guess we're partners from now on," said Shiro. "We should probably unpack and get ready for training sessions."

Shiro didn't noticed as he was getting his bag that Mizuki was staring at him for some reason. Unbeknownst to the young man was that he was getting glances not only from her, but other girls as well. The whispers and giggles from some of them as he looked up and looked around made him feel a bit uneasy.

'I seriously don't get why they're looking at me. I mean sure, I have some good looks but…do they have to point it out?' he wondered.

'I can't believe how adorable he looks. His hair sparkling like the light hitting a lake…I can see why he's getting looks from some of the other female trainees,' thought Mizuki, still looking at Shiro.

"What is it?" he asked, causing Mizuki to snap out of her staring.

"It's nothing. Well…it's just that…" she began.

"I know that some of the others are looking at me as well. I don't mind, as long as I'm not getting surrounded. I sometimes prefer keeping my distance," said Shiro. "Shall we get going?"

"O-of course," said Mizuki, following behind him.

As they quickly got ready for the morning training, Mizuki tried to engage Shiro in a conversation, but he was mostly quiet once he finished. Shiro had gone out of the room they were in and waited outside considering that she was changing and he wanted to respect the girl's privacy. When preparations were set, they both headed to the weapons room where an instructor was already waiting. The weapons room was near the exit to the training grounds, where a few more instructors were waiting outside. The crowd was pretty big, considering that there was quite a lot of competition. Shiro and Mizuki were way in the back as the instructor in front began calling out numbers for each trainee.

"Speaking of which Shiro…what type of style do you use?" asked Mizuki.

"Good thing you asked. I suppose mine's a combination of both Mid-Childan and Belkan, but for the most part…it's Belkan. The reason being is…" he began, as he took out his weapon, which resembled a gun at first glance, but then there was also a gun hilt on right side and a scabbard on his left, and a small sheathe for a dagger. With a push of a switch and a hard flick of the arm, the gun instantly changed to a long curved sword with the guard section of the sword in a circle-shape.

"I can see why," said Mizuki.

"The circle-shaped guard transforms into a winding gear that's used for my anchor gun. If I did a quick flick after pushing the switch, it would revert to a dagger form. A much hard flick with the use of my arm converts it to the sword form that you see before you," explained Shiro.

"I guess diversity does have its advantages," said Mizuki.

"You could say that," replied Shiro. "What about you?"

"It's Mid-Childan for the most part yet it uses a Belkan cartridge system," replied Mizuki, taking out her gun. Hers was slightly different from Shiro's in that it had a longer barrel and that loading the bullets were a bit different as well. Mizuki's magazine clips were full moon shaped and Shiro noticed that on her left arm was a leather bracer.

"Looks like you do archery as well," guessed Shiro.

"Sort of. Just like your weapon, mine can double into a crossbow form which is a little more useful than a standard bow and arrow," explained Mizuki.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, someone accidentally bumped into Shiro as they were talking. Shiro turned around and his eyes widened in shock when he immediately recognized who it was. The person that bumped into him was a young girl that had light brown hair and dark blue eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't looking," she said. A sudden gasp escaped the girl's lips when she saw whom she had bumped into.

"Ka-Karou-sa-san?"

"Sh-Shiro-san?"

"I can't believe that I'd find you here of all places. It's been a long time," said Shiro.

"It's been too long, Shiro. Funny that I'd run into you again," said Kaoru.

"You two know each other?" asked Mizuki.

"We were neighbors back then when we were little. Shiro's my childhood friend," explained Kaoru.

"Oh…Kaoru…this is Mizuki Tenrow. She's my roommate and partner. Mizuki…Kaoru," explained Shiro.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Kaoru," said Mizuki, extending her hand.

"Likewise, Miss Tenrow," she replied, accepting it.

"Who are you partnered with?" asked Mizuki.

"That would be me," replied a young female voice.

The three of them turned to see a young woman with long black hair, and light blue eyes.

"My name's Relena Gramfield, age 17. Nice to meet you," she said.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Shiro Higurashi, age 16," replied Shiro. "My partner is Mizuki Tenrow, age 15."

"It's nice to meet you," said Mizuki, extending a hand.

"Likewise," said Relena, accepting it.

"What room number are you two?" asked Kaoru.

"Room number 38 and you?" asked Mizuki.

"Room number 36," replied Relena.

"We're right next to each other," realized Shiro, "since the odd numbers are on the left and the even numbers are on the right."

"I'm thinking the reason we got paired up like this is that we have non-standard devices," guessed Mizuki.

"I agree. I'm not sure if it's that common though," said Relena.

Mizuki noticed that Shiro was silent for a moment and went into a telepathic channel.

'What's wrong?' she asked.

'It's a bit odd but…this was also the same place that my older brother got his training while I was at home brushing up on my shooting and swordsmanship skills,' replied Shiro.

'Really? That's kinda cool,' said Mizuki.

"Excuse me…you four over there," called out one of the instructors.

"Yes sir?" asked Shiro.

"You guys don't seem to use the standard devices. If you'll please head over to the training grounds, so that the other trainees can get through, it would help ease this traffic," said the instructor.

"We're sorry sir," said Relena. "Let's go Kaoru."

"Let's talk during lunch, OK?" called out Kaoru.

"Sure," replied Shiro.

Once outside, Shiro was just as surprised as to how large and wide it was. There were already various people that were formed into teams. Shiro heard a whistle blow and one of the nearby instructors came over and called their number.

"Team A, hurry and deploy!" he shouted.

"Yes sir!" replied Shiro, with Mizuki beside him.

"You're objective is to clear those objects and maintain formation until you've reached the end of the course, understood?" he explained.

"Yes sir!" they replied.

"Team 38…ready…"

Shiro then sent a quick telepathic message to Mizuki just split seconds before they began.

'I'll cover front, you cover the rear…got it?' inquired Shiro.

'Sure…I've got it,' replied Mizuki.

"Go!" he shouted, as he blew the whistle.

The course consisted of several orange cones going down and several blocks that had hidden targets. Some of the blocks were spread out from the cone path and the red flag at the end was the finish. Both Shiro and Mizuki started at the same time, guns at the ready and weaved through the cone path while at the same time shooting out the targets that came up. Some of the targets were right in front of them while others came from behind. Shiro used his hearing skills when there was a target behind Mizuki and notified her while keeping his eyes alert for the targets in front of him. Mizuki managed to keep up with Shiro's pace until they got to an open spot where four blocks were set up in a square formation and both of them were back to back and took out the targets with ease before reaching the end of the course.

"Very good Team 38. You two were in sync with your shooting and defensive capabilities, but your formation needs a bit of work. Now head over to the course which is wall climbing," said the instructor.

"Yes sir," they replied.

"I know that girls are usually supposed to go first but…I'm just wondering…are you sure you can handle my weight?" asked Shiro.

"I'm sure I can," replied Mizuki.

"Just making sure. I don't want to look where I'm not supposed to look," he answered, blushing slightly.

"Thanks for your courtesy. You're very modest," said Mizuki.

"No problem," he replied.

By the time they got to the wall, the two of them watched a few others do the course before they were called in. Like how they had discussed, Shiro decided to go first so that he might not get reprimanded for looking under a girl's skirt. Some of the others trainees that had finished noticed that Mizuki was the one who was going to give Shiro a leg up.

"Whenever you're ready," said Mizuki, her legs bent slightly and her hands in a cupping position.

"Alright, try and get me to the top in one go. Once I get up, I'll come back for you," explained Shiro, one foot on Mizuki's cupped hands. "On three. One…two…"

"Three," said Mizuki, as she exerted as much strength she could to raise Shiro up to the top of the wall. True to his word, Shiro was slightly bent and extended his hand to Mizuki as she then tried to get over the wall. It took a couple of minutes for Mizuki to find her footing, but once she did, Shiro helped her up over the wall. He was the first to go down and then he caught Mizuki in her arms.

"Very good you two," said the instructor.

Once they had the wall climbing done with, the last exercise they were sent to was a little similar to the first except that it was timed. The course layout was a bit different as were the targets. Instead of bulls-eye targets, there were red and blue targets. The cones that were in place were marked with a yellow stripe that indicated a shooting point.

"Shiro Higurashi," called out one of the instructors.

"Sir!" he replied, with a salute.

"As you can see that the layout of this course is similar to the first except for two things. One, it's timed and two, it will test how well you can differentiate between targets. Red targets are enemies, blue targets are dummies. You will be given 5 minutes to shoot down all red targets or as many as you can until you reach the end of the course. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright…ready…"

Shiro already had his gun at the ready, and quickly scanned the area. His magazines had approximately 12 bullets in each casing and he only equipped 4. He already used the first magazine set in the first exercise and half of the second in the first exercise as well, which meant that he only had around six bullets currently in his gun.

"Go!" shouted the instructor.

Several other trainees that were also waiting their turn after Team 38 saw Shiro start on his run. He quickly spotted three reds and then fired his rounds quickly and precisely before it could switch and had already reached his first shooting point. This time, the targets constantly switched before Shiro used his last few rounds and had to quickly reload before taking a quick look up and spotting a red target being covered behind a blue one. He fired a shot and began to maneuver the round past the blue target which barely managed to hit the red one seconds before it could go down.

"Wow, that's impressive," said one of the trainees.

"Nice shot," said the instructor.

Shiro heard but had no time to return the compliment as he quickly moved to the next shooting area while constantly scanning his surroundings for any red targets. Just like he did with the first exercise, Shiro used his sense of hearing to help notify him of any targets that would pop up. Before he reached the second shooting area, he heard a whirring sound and a snap and whirled around, his eye catching a hint of red from the corner of his left eye and fired, while controlling the shot when two blue targets came in front of the red target causing him to have to carefully navigate the shot to hit the red target.

'He's good,' thought Mizuki.

"It's like to this guy he seems to quickly assess and map out the course to find his target," said another trainee.

By the time he reached the second shooting area, which resembled that of what he came across in the first exercise, he saw red and blue targets switching at fast intervals which caused him to have to think on his feet. He almost shot at a blue target until he saw a red one and controlled his shot to move it to the red target knocking it down. Once he cleared that area, he then moved on to the final shooting area while scanning left, right, and behind taking careful notice of each change in target. By the time he reached the end of the course, Shiro had already used three magazine cartridges and his last one had three bullets left.

"Very impressive Number 38. You finished with 3:26.05, shot down 31 red targets, 0 blue targets and had an 85% accuracy rate. Well done," said the instructor.

"Thank you for the compliment sir," replied Shiro, bowing. He then went to the back of the course as Mizuki took her position.

"Mizuki Tenrow…you already heard what I've told your partner. Now let's see how well you perform in this situation. Ready…"

Mizuki had her hand at the holster of her gun, her feet planted on the ground and legs bent.

"Go!"

She took off at a quick sprint and saw a red target which was quickly covered by three blue targets that appeared in front. Taking out her gun and firing a quick shot, she maneuvered the bullet just as she reached the first shooting area as it swerved past the three blue targets hitting the red one as it made the last turn.

'Good…at least she's keeping her cool,' thought Shiro, as he watched intently.

She was a little slower than Shiro in terms of assessing the situation but she reacted quickly enough to compensate for it for the time being. She accidentally shot one blue target as she finished with a time of 2:57.06, shot down 35 red targets, one blue target, and had an accuracy rate of 88%. However, as a result of shooting down a blue target, her number of red targets was reduced by 5 targets, making it 30 red targets.

"You did well out there," said Shiro.

"Thanks, but not as well as you," said Mizuki.

"You made one mistake during that exercise. You could learn from it and try to not make the same mistake again, don't look so down. You actually almost beat me in that last one," said Shiro.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Shiro," said Mizuki.

By the time they finished, it was already lunch time. The two caught up with Relena and Kaoru who were heading down to a nearby restaurant close to the main facility. The place they ate at resembled that of a sushi bar. Shiro seemed a bit happy considering that like his partner, Mizuki, ate lightly so as not to overwhelm the stomach thereby making it difficult to move at times.

The girls chatted eagerly with one another while Shiro silently sipped his tea and spoke when a question was being directed at him. Relena leaned next to Kaoru's ear and whispered, "Your childhood friend seems very quiet. He doesn't talk much does he?"

"Sometimes. He's either meditating, or mentally preparing himself for what's to come next," said Kaoru.

Their lunch break was somewhat brief having only ordered a few pieces of sushi. By the time they got back, each went to their respective room, changed and got ready for the next training session. Shiro quickly realized that it was mostly the basics and how they were applied, however…something stirred within his mind in which he quickly recalled something that his father had told him when he was younger.

Mizuki was currently working on target practice where several targets were hidden in between trees, while he was waiting his turn. By the time it was Shiro's turn, he knew that he had to put aside the thought in his head for later and focus on what was in front of him now. Just when the two of them thought the physical training was as vigorous and hard-pressing, the exams that they took were just as equally tricky.

Once the day was over, Mizuki had just gotten Shiro some juice when she was heading back to the room that she shared with Shiro. Upon entering, she saw him filling out something when he took a brief glance at her.

"I brought you some juice, in case you were thirsty," she said.

"Thanks. Have you filled out your questionnaire?" asked Shiro, accepting the drink from Mizuki.

"Most of it, except for a few parts," replied Mizuki.

"Have you noticed that some of the questions would almost be just as likely to be asked when being interviewed?" inquired Shiro.

"No…I never thought of it like that," she replied. She then spotted a small case beside his duffel bag and eyed it curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You play an instrument?" asked Mizuki, pointing to the oddly shaped case.

"Yes, I do," replied Shiro.

"What kind exactly?" asked Mizuki.

"A violin," he replied. "Let me guess…you want me to play a piece?"

"I don't mind. I actually like listening to classical music," said Mizuki.

After filling out his questionnaire, Shiro took the violin and bowstring from its case and put the case standing upright next to his duffel bag. The tune he began playing had a gentle, steady, and really beautiful sound. Mizuki's eyes went wide with surprise as she stared at the young man playing. She then briefly closed her eyes as she listened, letting the tune flow through her ears.

'It's like seeing flowers bloom for the first time,' she thought.

Once he finished playing, she slowly opened her eyes as he gently placed the violin back in its case.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"It was beautiful. Who taught you that piece?" asked Mizuki.

"My grandmother on my mother's side really. She died from breast cancer when I was only eight years old," he said.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sure she's probably proud of you and how far you've come," said Mizuki.

"Thanks," said Shiro.

The next few weeks of training went by quickly. On the third week after the afternoon training session there were many trainees that were checking their overall practice results.

"Can you see anything?" asked Shiro.

Mizuki was craning her neck while standing on her tiptoes for support to try and spot their names.

"Found it. Team 38, Higurashi and Tenrow…I don't believe it," said Mizuki.

"What is it?" asked Shiro.

"Would you be surprised if I told you?" asked Mizuki.

"Maybe. Unless you don't want to tell me," said Shiro.

'We're in second place,' said Mizuki, telepathically.

Shiro blinked for a brief moment, and one of his eyebrows was raised.

'Second place huh?' wondered Shiro. He craned his neck and looked over a person's shoulder scanning the rankings until he found their number at the top of the list with their names.

Shiro was taken aback and looked at his partner and simply said, "Wow."

"You're not surprised?" asked Mizuki.

"Well…I am but…" began Shiro.

"You just find it hard to believe?" asked Mizuki.

"Yeah," he replied.

Shiro then heard a sudden gasp from the crowd and turned and saw Relena and Karou who were checking their rankings as well.

"Hey you two," called out Mizuki waving her hand at them so that they could see her.

"Hi Mizuki, hey Shiro," greeted Relena.

"How did you two fare?" asked Kaoru.

"Will you promise not to make such a big deal out of it if I told you?" asked Shiro.

"I promise," she said.

"We're in second place," he whispered.

"Are you serious? Good for you guys," said Relena.

"I told you not to make such a big deal out of it," said Shiro.

"What about you two?" asked Mizuki.

"We're in third place," said Kaoru.

"That's not so bad. At least you guys are among the top ones along with us," said Shiro.

The remaining three months before they finished was quite a tough one, especially for Shiro and Mizuki when they found out that they were nearly at the top of their class. However, what caught Mizuki off guard completely was the person that was going to help with the aerial combat training. The person had longer red hair and the same eyes as Mizuki.

"R-Ri-Rika onee-chan?!" stuttered Mizuki.

"Hi," she said in a cheery voice, waving at the pair.

"What are you doing here?" asked Mizuki. "I thought you were taking care of the files of the new recruits over at the Eastern Side."

"Is that how you greet your older sister after having not seen her for so long?" huffed Rika.

"Sorry…it's…nice to see you too," said Mizuki.

"Oh…who's the cutie that you have with you? Is he your boyfriend?" teased Rika.

Mizuki quickly felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she pouted and glared at her older sister.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's just the partner I got paired up with," retorted Mizuki.

"Sheesh. OK…I was just kidding. Can't you take a joke?" asked Rika. "Nice to meet you…"

"It's Shiro. Shiro Higurashi," he replied. "Nice to meet you too"

"Anyway…one of the instructors called in sick and so I was called in to help replace him. I'm just going to be recording the data and sending it to one of the nearby ones here. So…you both almost reached the top I hear," said Rika.

"That's right," said Shiro. "How'd you know?"

"Word got around pretty quick about you two and your efforts, not to mention that I still have an updated file on you two," explained Rika.

"Wait…so did you update the file yourself or did someone already send you the file?" asked Mizuki.

"Someone sent it over to me after the exam and practice session results were recorded," explained Rika.

"I see," said Shiro.

"Anyway…I'm just here to explain what your guys' course entails," said Rika. "See those four light green orbs above me?"

"Yeah," they replied.

"Those will be hidden within the forest and you two will have to locate and retrieve them," said Rika.

"There's more to this isn't there?" guessed Mizuki.

"You're quite sharp, Mizuki. Though hidden, you'll have to watch each other's back because of these little guys," said Rika.

Several round disc-shaped drones appeared around Rika, each equipped with a small laser.

"They may be small but if you're caught within its firing range, you better watch yourself."

Shiro slightly gulped and felt a bead of sweat go down the back of his head.

'Somehow…I've got a bad feeling about this,' he thought.

On the final month of their training sessions, Shiro slightly shuddered after meeting Mizuki's older sister.

"I'm sorry for the way my sister was acting. She can be a bit…odd at times," said Mizuki.

"It's alright. I've already tried getting used to it," replied Shiro. "Is there a certain reason as to why she does that?"

"Sort of," replied Mizuki.

"It's OK. You don't have to tell me right away. Just whenever you feel comfortable doing so," said Shiro.

Things seemed to be going good for them as well as Relena and Kaoru who managed to survive the last week of training. Even though their graduation from the Ground Forces military academy went well without a hitch, the cheerful atmosphere that surrounded Shiro made his mind a bit oblivious as to the oncoming tragedy that was about to befall upon him.

A week after graduation, Shiro was notified of a call that was regarding him. As soon as he picked up, a small screen showed a young man who appeared to be a few years older than Shiro, had long purple hair and light brown eyes and was wearing a gray suit with a white formal shirt and red tie.

"Is this Shiro Higurashi?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be me," he replied.

"My name is Rio Kuria. I'm an Investigator and also a colleague of your father," he explained.

"I see. What can I do for you?" asked Shiro.

"I've received a notification about your father from one of his partners that is in critical condition," said Rio.

"What happened? Is he alright?" asked Shiro, his voice showing a hint of worry.

"I'm sorry to tell you this sir but…he's dead," replied Rio.

Like I said before…I didn't do much in terms of trying to make certain parts clear in my first attempt. This is my first attempt at re-writing my fanfic, which means that I have to do a lot of re-editing and inserting stuff here and there. It'll be a while before I can get this done. I just hope I can finish without losing any ideas. As for what I originally said before about utilizing other languages for attacks and the like in terms of fighting styles, expect to see some German in there considering I'll be using the Wolkenritter at certain points in my chapters, particularly Vita and Signum. (IMO…Vita is a little tricky for me to write, personality-wise generally speaking). Of course I'm going to add some references from the Sound Stage Drama CDs to help sort of try and give some focus to my OCs as well as try and explain some things about the four forwards from StrikerS.

Next chapter:

Shiro's moment of happiness was cut short from the news of his father's death and just after graduating from the Ground Forces Academy. He, along with his partner Mizuki is now assigned with the Disaster Relief Squad.

Under the watchful eye of Mizuki's father, Tobias Tenrow…the two of them gains some valuable experience while working together. They eventually apply for the Mage Rank Promotion Exam for Class A and are evaluated by Nanoha and Rein. Shiro's childhood friend Kaoru and her partner Relena take their test a couple of weeks later. The only question that lingers in their minds is…will they be transferred over to Section Six if they passed?

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Blazers Ch. 1: Tough Trials and a New Day.

R/R