PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Next Day – 10:15 AM
Teana leaned against a tree at the local park, which was deserted except for a handful of DDF personnel (including herself, the rest of Gamma, Negi, and the recently-arrived Theta Team) and the five local girls (well, and that odd little Familiar-esque magic empowerer called Kyubey). Last night after the 'footage' viewing, as well as so far this morning, they'd been doing their best to get to know these girls, and the DDF group already had a grasp of what they were like.
Madoka Kaname was idealistic, cheerful, and a tad naïve. She had a strong, kind heart and a desire to help people and make friends. She had some self-esteem issues, though, feeling herself worthless and lacking in any significant accomplishments, and she wanted to become a Puella Magi mainly to give herself a purpose. But according to Akemi, Madoka forming a Contract would trigger a chain of events ending in some sort of city-flattening calamity; the enigmatic girl refused to elaborate further, stating "you'd never believe me; no-one else ever has". Sayaka Miki was a brave-hearted girl with a strong sense of justice. Like Madoka, she wanted to make a difference. She also had further motivations in the form of love for a boy hospitalized by injury.
Thankfully, though, witnessing how close Mami Tomoe came to death had been enough of a shock to awaken Madoka and Sayaka to the fact that being a magical girl fighting creatures of darkness wasn't all sunshine, roses, frilly pink outfits, and calling your attacks. Hopefully the danger involved would convince them to wait until they got proper training before leaping into the fray.
Mami Tomoe was an experienced Puella Magi. She was elegant and graceful, methodical yet flashy in her fighting. There were two parts of herself, however, that she had worked hard to remain hidden. The first was her loneliness; she had been orphaned in a car crash, and Kyubey had convinced her, on the brink of death, to forge a Contract, her wish (that was another interesting thing about the Puella system: a Contract's forging came with a single wish) being to survive. She was quite well off, dwelling in a fancy apartment, living off her wealthy parents' inherited fortune and her surprising skill (especially for a 14-year-old) at playing the stock market. However, she lived alone, and as a magical girl she'd been fighting alone for quite some time. As a result, she had deep issues with loneliness and abandonment; one reason she'd been reckless against the last Witch was because Madoka's promise to be by her side left her so genuinely happy and giddy that she got sloppy, distracted by her own powerful emotions. She'd gotten a hold of herself fully now, though, and the DDF's providing of new combat partners would ensure something like that wouldn't happen again.
The second side of Mami that she wanted to keep hidden was her "uncouth, boyish" side, as she called it – her love of action flicks, shooters and other stereotypically-male-oriented games, and, when alone at her home, relaxing with her hair down, munching on snacks, while wearing nothing but her panties. For someone with such an elegant, delicately feminine image, this side of herself was definitely not something she wanted becoming known to the world.
Kyōko Sakura was an interesting case. She was a very selfish girl, but a little pressing had revealed why she only looked out for herself: she believed that any attempt made by someone to help other people, especially with magic, would only end up going horribly wrong and causing nothing but pain and suffering for all involved. Privately, Mami had then explained Kyōko's heart-breaking past, which cast the belligerent redhead in a whole new light; she was a tragic victim of unforeseeable circumstance, lashing out at the cruel world by retaliating with her own cruelty. Nanoha and Negi were hoping that they and the others could show Kyōko-chan that life didn't have to be that way, that she had just been unlucky, and that she could help others and let herself have friends again and have everything turn out all right. Mami had, of course, agreed to help them with this monumental task.
Homura Akemi was very difficult to read. She was stoic and quiet, speaking rather tersely most of the time and doing her best to appear coldly neutral. However, some of the more experienced DDF members, looking at her body language & eyes and hearing her voice, could tell she was much deeper. Homura was in a constant struggle to control, rein in, and suppress her emotions, and deep down inside she was suffering from a very, very large amount of heartbreak and pain. She was keeping her emotions locked away for fear of her accumulated sorrows bursting out and consuming her. It would likely be very difficult to get her to gradually open up, release her feelings, and allow herself to feel and to truly interact with the others, while avoiding letting her dark emotions out took quickly; if she was anything like Fate, it could take a handful of years of constant work for the process to complete. But any challenge existed to be overcome.
Right now, they were gathered at the park for some field-testing and a little training. First off was identifying the girls' primary elemental affinities. That had been quick & easy enough – Mami's affinity was Earth, Kyōko's was Lightning, Madoka's was Wind, Sayaka's was Water, and Homura's was Fire. Next would be teaching Madoka and Sayaka how to access their magical power, and teach them a few basic Vetus-system spells, while also teaching the ever-versatile Sagitta Magica to the other three. Homura would also get some practice with some of her multitude of new weapons, while Negi helped Kyōko hone her polearm skills (Fate would help her as well once she was done with attending to a task later this evening).
Suddenly, about 20 minutes into the park meeting, magical energy flared as a long-distance transportation circle formed toward the middle of the secluded field, large and glowing with magenta light. The glow peaked in a brilliant flash of light, forcing everyone present to shield their eyes. After a few seconds, voices could be heard.
"Are ya okay, Twi? Y' look a bit out of it, hun."
"I'll be fine. I'm just… whew… a bit tired from performing such a complex spell. …Did I do it right?"
As the group opened their eyes, shock gave way to recognition. Teana grinned. "Twilight! AJ! And the whole rest of the gang, too! What are you guys doing here?"
Standing where the magic circle had been was a group of familiar Equestria natives: the six bearers of the Harmony Elements – Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie – along with Spike, Trixie (who was still Mark-less), Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, Golden Tiara, and the Crusaders.
"Wow, you girls brought everyone along, huh?" Shion said.
"Not quite" Dash replied. "Celestia & Luna couldn't come on account of having to keep Equestria spinning. And we got a few more coming in a day or two. We're just the first group."
"We've seen all the 'footage' from the other coalition and from the Collector Incident," Twilight said, "and we want to help with whatever's going on now."
"Are you… sure bringing the Crusaders along for this was wise?" Mai asked.
"Y'all are implyin' we coulda stopped them" Applejack said in a deadpan tone.
"Ah, yes. Silly me."
"So, then…" Rainbow Dash said. "What's happenin' this time?"
-SCENE BREAK-
Same Day – 2:40 PM
Explanations had been given and training had commenced. The five locals were presently taking a break with their new instructors, while also mingling with the recent arrivals. Mami and Rarity had hit it off splendidly, Golden Tiara was calmly conversing with Homura while trying to slowly and carefully get the girl to open up a little, Sayaka was listening to some of Shining Armor's stories from the years he'd been in the Royal Guard, Kyōko was having her attempt to segregate herself from the group gently but insistently foiled by Cadence (she'd babysat Kyōko's type before, so she knew just how to handle the girl), and Madoka was hanging with Pinkie and the kids.
"So how's your recovery going, Trixie?" Teana asked.
"Well enough" the unicorn replied. "I still… can't use magic, and my Mark is still gone, seeing as my previous 'Special Talent' wasn't really something I was special with at all…" she grew melancholy, her self-esteem issues grabbing hold again. Teana laid a hand on her back. "But my chakra training is progressing nicely, I've been told. Kakashi left me some scrolls that have been really helpful. I can already convert my chakra into Lightning energy."
"That's good" Teana praised her. "See? You're making progress."
"Yeah… I just don't know if it'll ever be enough…"
Suddenly, a holoscreen popped up, flashing an alert.
"Warning" a computerized voice announced. "Unversed and malevolent extra-planar entities detected."
"Already?" Teana said. "Alright, people, you heard it! Fun-time's over! Anyone below C-Rank combat skills, stay on the sidelines; everyone else, get ready to move!"
Of course, that only included Madoka, Sayaka, and the six Crusaders. Everyone else readied themselves to fight.
"Vision, where are they coming in?" Teana asked the Starshot's VI.
"Two locations, Lieutenant Lanstar" the Forerunner-made artificial semi-intelligence replied. "The warehouse district and the park near city hospital. Dimensional-shift barriers are being erected in both areas to remove mundanes from danger."
"Alright, we'll split into three groups – one will head to each danger zone, while a smaller third one will stay here and watch Kaname, Miki, and the Crusaders in case the enemy tries sending someone after them while we're out fighting."
"Alert" Vision said. "Dimensional transference spell detected. IFF tags confirm Dimensional Defense Force memberships. Allies incoming."
A blue magic circle formed, and from it emerged Samus and the members of Sigma Team.
"Good timing, girls" Teana said to them.
"What's happening that makes this good timing?" Aqua asked.
"Demon & Unversed attack; two locations. I'll explain everything else about what we're facing here afterwards. Aqua, you and I should pick teams to lead to each location; we also need to leave a few behind to watch the noncombatants."
"Got it."
-SCENE BREAK-
Park Near Mitakihara City Hospital
The team led by Aqua and Samus hurried onto the scene; other than them, it was composed of Kaede F., Marie, Mana K., Erika, Erio, Golden Tiara, Rainbow Dash, Homura, and Mami. Teana and Negi were leading another team (composed of Ahsoka, Subaru, Asa, Timmy, Caro, Twilight, Trixie, and Kyōko) to handle the warehouse sector, while the rest stayed to guard the noncombatants at the other park. The hospital was across the street from this park, slightly grayed out and empty thanks to the dimension-shift barrier.
As soon as they arrived, the enemy appeared and began attacking – 'Demons' and Unversed came crawling out of the woodwork from every direction, and soon the entire team was fighting. Homura, for one, was quickly coming to like the fresh-off-the-assembly-line UNSC BR85 scoped rifle that made up part of her vast new armory of DDF weapons; Kaede, meanwhile, was impressed at how good a shot the girl was (though the UNSC did make their guns to be very easy to pick up and use). Meanwhile, a pulse of green-hued Biotic power from Golden Tiara sent a pack of Floods flying, and she then threw out a Shockwave-Chain that tossed several Scrappers every which way. Marie and Mami were firing bolts of purple and yellow magic at anything they got in their sights, while Erika and Aqua were using their Keyblades to carve through Demons and Unversed with practiced ease.
Over the next few minutes they fought, but the number of spawning-in enemies kept increasing, as did the size, power, and durability of some of the hostiles. Slowly the team was pushed back, forming a defensive circle that was very slowly shrinking as they pressed closer together, being attacked from all sides. Then a bigger surprise made itself known: a 'Behemoth' Heartless with two massive guns strapped to its back, mixed in with the Unversed and Demons.
"Slipspace rupture detected" Charon announced. "Cannot identify or locate vessel; emissions are being suppressed."
"Great, so did the Dark Voice send a ship after us, too, or something?" Rainbow Dash said.
"This is Lt. Aran to any Dimensional Defense Force personnel in range" Samus radioed. "We are being pressed in hard from all sides and are in danger of being overrun. Requesting assistance!"
And then a voice came over the comm. that made Mami's eyes widen with amazed recognition:
"We hear ya, Lt. Aran! Don't worry, folks; cavalry's here!"
The voice of Lt. Jeff "Joker" Moreau.
A barrage of missiles flew in, detonating amongst the enemy horde and blowing huge chunks out of their numbers. Seconds later, the unmistakable 170-meter form of the Normandy II flew in overhead, hovering low over the battlefield. UNSC-made point-defense guns opened up, cutting down swathes of enemy troops, while the vessel fired a barrage from its disruptor torpedo launchers at the approaching Behemoth, obliterating it with only a handful of direct hits and also wiping out more of the Unversed and Demons. The N2's ventral cargo hatch opened as it lowered to around 15 feet off the ground, and a blur of glowing blue energy shot out like a cannonball, Commander Jason Shepard's Biotic Charge terminating in the midst of a pack of Type-Gs and -Es and sending them flying.
The rest of Team Shepard quickly leapt down from the hatch and onto the battlefield, opening fire on the now-off-balance horde of Dark creatures. A Type-F that tried to swoop in on Mami got its brain blown out by a Mantis shot from Garrus, while a trio of Floods trying to ambush Homura from behind got zapped by Legion's Combat Drone. Jack and Grunt charged in, using Biotic power and raw Krogan strength to bulldoze anything in their paths, while Zaeed, Kal'Reegar, and Jacob used their assault rifles to cut down a pack of Scrappers that tried to charge them. With the influx of firepower and the Normandy's guns, the tables had been thoroughly turned.
"What are you guys doing here?" Marie said.
Shepard grinned. "We were in the neighborhood," he replied, "thought you might need a hand."
"The Normandy-2 looks good as new."
"The Huragok do good work. They even helped us get rid of all the Cerberus logos that were all over the ship. And, as you can see, they got the slipspace drive installed and working in record time."
"Shepard," EDI radioed, "there is a problem. Life-signs detected at the nearby hospital; someone had enough latent potential to be pulled in by the dimension-shift barrier. Furthermore, hostiles are moving in on them. It is highly unlikely they are combat-trained, or even aware of their latent ability or what is going on."
"I'll take a team and rescue them" Shepard replied. "…Kaede, Tali, Thane, you three are coming with me. The rest of you, mop up the stragglers and then head out to help the other group at the warehouse district."
-SCENE BREAK-
Kyōsuke Kamijō was having a very weird day. First he had that odd dream involving cake pirates led by Captain Hook who was wearing a hot-pink version of his iconic hat. Then that new nurse confused him for a girl (well, it was sorta understandable – he was slight in build with somewhat feminine facial features, he hadn't cut his hair in a while, and puberty hadn't hit his voice yet – but it still irked him a little bit). And now he'd been out for an assisted 'walk' in the hospital plaza with his doctor and his parents when suddenly a wave of energy/reality/whatever had swept over the entire area, leaving the quartet in a grayed out version of the hospital, with no-one else around. And not too long after, gunfire had been heard in the park across the way, on the other side of the main building from the plaza (so they couldn't see what was going on).
And now they were being stared down by a fairly large group of dark, shadowy demon-things.
The pack of Neoshadows slowly approached them, as Kyōsuke's father bravely placed himself between the Heartless and his wife, son, & son's doctor. The lead Neoshadow broke forward, rushing at them… and suddenly a sniper's bullet tore through its head, destroying it. DMR shots picked off three more, and two colorful energy spheres – an Incinerate and a Warp – came flying in and destroyed two more. The four civilians watched in amazement as the rescuing quartet entered the scene, Shepard leading the charge. Thane Biotically lifted three Neoshadows into the air, allowing Tali to use her shotgun to blast them at her leisure. Shepard took out the last two with his Predator pistol. With that done, Squad Shepard walked up to the astonished civilians.
"What… is going… on?" the doctor stammered out, trying to keep her jaw from dropping.
"Well…" Shepard awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a very long story, and I'm not sure any of you would believe me."
Kyōsuke looked around at the dissipating remains of the last Neoshadow, and then around at the grayed-out empty locale, and then at Thane & Tali, and then back to Shepard. "Try us" he replied.
"You ever heard of the theory of alternate universes or realms?" Kaede said. "The theory's wholly correct. We're part of a multi-dimensional alliance/coalition of multiple sovereign entities and individuals of unique ability, working together to combat mutual threats. Those creatures were foot-soldiers in service to our current primary foe. We use a multitude of resources, technological and magical, to safeguard the realms."
"Magical?" the boy's mother asked.
"Well… yeah. But we've long since figured out the scientific theories and bases behind magical energy, to the point where we can detect and even – to a limited extent – generate it via pure technology. For us, it's pretty much just another fundamental force of existence, like gravity and the strong & weak nuclear forces, and such. It's just called magic because it was dubbed that a long time before we figured out the science behind it, so the name stuck. Same with chakra, or 'ki' as some know it; we can explain it scientifically, even though it can still do quite a few mystical things."
"Though using such forces to literally resurrect the dead, like I know has been done, is still something I don't think can be explained scientifically" Tali chimed in.
"Well, we don't know everything about magic or chakra yet. That'll take decades or even centuries more study. Besides, that at least partially relies upon detailed knowledge of the mechanics behind souls and such, and that field of study is still in its infancy; we've figured out for certain that souls exist, but that's pretty much all we know."
"Oh, and…" Shepard said to the four civvies, "there are instances of some realms' events having fictional counterparts in other realms; I'm pretty sure I saw a star-struck look in the eyes of one of this world's local 'magical girls', so… try to keep this whole thing on the down-low for a while, please."
"There are magical girls in this world?" Kyōsuke asked, eyes going wide.
"Yes" Kaede replied. "We've met three in this city, as well as two potential candidates. It's a rougher life than Sailor Moon or Pretty Cure would make you think, though; all three have some fairly troublesome psychological issues as a result of their experiences fighting eldritch monsters by themselves with little in the way of partnership and no living family for support – one's cripplingly lonely and hides behind a fake smile, one is selfish and crude because her last attempt at selflessness resulted in her entire family being killed, and one is stone-cold stoic because, from what one of our empaths can tell, she's suffered so much pain and loss in her life that her negative emotions she's constantly suppressing could consume her if she let them out. So yeah, it's not all sunshine, roses, pink frills, and heart-shaped energy blasts."
"Our coalition does have quite a few psychologists trained to deal with special-powered individuals with issues like theirs, however" Thane said. "We'll have to see if it's enough."
"Could you explain this odd empty grayness we're in?" the boy's father asked.
"We can erect barriers that shift everyone half a dimension over unless they have sufficient magical strength or are recognized by the barrier as being members of the Dimensional Defense Force" Kaede replied. "However, once in a while someone with sufficient untapped magical potential will be pulled in even if they don't know they have magical potential, or even that such a thing exists." She brought up her Omnitool and scanned the group. "Oh, yeah; definitely the boy. You've got a pretty robust Mana Core."
"I have… magical potential…?" Kyōsuke murmured.
"So how'd we get pulled in?" the doctor asked.
"Were you in direct physical contact with him when the barrier went up?"
"…Oh. Yes."
"There you go."
"Shepard," EDI radioed, "there are still more Heartless in the hospital area. Fortunately, the group of people you have found were the only hospital residents pulled in; you will not need to rescue anyone else, simply clear the dark entities out."
"Alright. Thanks, EDI. Tali, you're with me. Thane, Kaede, watch over these people in case more of those things try to attack them again."
"Yes, Commander" "Of course, Shepard"
As Shepard and Tali ran off into the dimension-shifted hospital to go Heartless Hunting, Kaede and the doctor helped Kyōsuke limp over to a bench. As everyone got settled, Thane was struck by a brief coughing fit. He composed himself quickly enough, but the doctor was now eyeing him.
"Even in a different species," she said, "I can recognize a few troublesome sounds in that. Do you have asthma or pneumonia, or emphysema?"
"No" Thane replied. "My illness is species-exclusive, and is not transmittable to others. …However, it is terminal."
This caught the four locals' attention.
"What exactly is the problem?" the doctor asked.
"My species, the Drell, are native to Rakhana, a very arid planet. Eventually, we over-exploited the world to the point of ecological collapse. Wars broke out over food and water, and our population plummeted from combat and famine. Our world was dying, and so was our species. We were discovered by the Hanar, another race, who transplanted several thousand of us offworld just as the full force of the collapse hit. As the rest of our brethren continued to kill each other while Rakhana died, we were saved. But… there was a price.
"The Hanar are an aquatic race. Their homeworld, Kahje, is almost entirely covered in ocean, and it rains every day. For a species that had only ever known arid desert, it was too drastic a change. Our lungs can't handle the excess moisture. The disease is known as Kepral's Syndrome, after the first Drell to be officially diagnosed with it. It interferes with our lungs' ability to absorb oxygen. At advanced stages, which I have yet to reach, it also interferes with our blood cells' ability to carry oxygen, in addition to continued damage to the lungs. Eventually, we die of hypoxia.
"There is no cure. In exchange for our survival as a species, the Drell are doomed as individuals to early death. The best Hanar and Salarian geneticists are working on a species-wide genetic modification program to save us, but it will take years before the project bears fruit. I only have around eight months left – slightly more if I restrict myself to dry, arid environments, and slightly less if I am frequently exposed to higher-humidity climates."
The listeners were silent as they processed this. What could they say, really? Any ruminations, however, were cut off as a good-sized pack of Shadows and Neoshadows suddenly spawned in around a dozen meters away. Thane and Kaede immediately took ready stances, Kaede pulling out a pre-prepared Humerus Sword from a storage scroll (partly because she didn't wanna freak out the spectators by forming a fresh one) while Thane drew his M5 Phalanx pistol. The duo ran in, Kaede using her blade to stab and slice through Heartless while Thane picked more off with his pistol.
The spectators watched attentively as the two warriors carved through the shadowy beings; Kyōsuke had stood up to get a better view. None of them noticed as the single Neoshadow emerged from the ground behind and to the left of the boy. Suddenly, Kyōsuke's latent potential 'kicked in' enough for him to sense the dark energy signature right behind him. Startled, he turned his head and saw the Heartless that was way too close. It lashed out with a claw, and Kyōsuke threw himself to the right; this saved him from a potentially mortal wound, but the claw raked across his damaged left hand, ripping across the bandages and the flesh. He cried out as his momentum carried him down to the ground. The other three startled and turned to look, now noticing the Heartless amongst them.
The Neoshadow hissed and went for the boy again, but this time a kick to the face from Kyōsuke's father interrupted it. The man then grabbed one of his son's metal crutches and swung, knocking the Heartless to the ground. He brought it down in an axe-blow on the shadowy being's head, and the Neoshadow was destroyed in a burst of Darkness particles. Kaede and Thane quickly noticed the commotion and ran over. Kaede approached Kyōsuke, hand glowing with healing chakra, but a Shadow leapt onto her back, forcing her to wrestle it off.
"Damn it! I'm sorry; these things aren't going to give me the chance to heal you!"
She pulled out her M395 DMR and started shooting the Heartless as they charged. Thane tossed out a Biotic Throw that destroyed two and stunned a third, which he then finished off with his pistol. The dark creatures were soon whittled down. However, a new threat entered the scene, leaping down from the roof and landing atop the last Shadow, destroying it: a Dark Thorn. The large Pureblood Heartless roared, the spiked chains wrapped around its arms jangling as it pounded its fists together. It rushed at them, leaping high and preparing to slam them with its claws…
…When a blur of pink and green 'flew' in with a war-cry, her midair punch sending the Dark Thorn flying with considerable force to smash into a distant wall, being destroyed on impact. The group's rescuer landed, revealing herself to be a teen girl with pale-pink hair wearing a dark-green flak jacket over a red outfit, her green eyes topped by a diamond-shaped seal in the middle of her forehead.
"Sakura-san!" Kaede said with a smile.
"Hey, Kaede-san" Sakura Haruno replied. "Looks like I had good timing."
"You could say that" Thane said with a small grin. "That was certainly an impressive entrance."
"I've had a lot of practice with that. …Who are these four?"
"Pull-ins from when the dimension-shift barrier was put up" Kaede said. "One of them got slashed by a Heartless."
Sakura walked over, wincing a bit when she saw Kyōsuke's bloody hand. "Let me take care of that" she said.
Once the boy was helped back onto the bench and the shredded bandages were removed, Sakura kneeled in front of him, her hands glowing green with healing chakra as she held them over his left hand. The bleeding stopped, and the torn flesh began to slowly mend. After a handful of seconds, her eyes widened just a bit.
"There's a lot more damage here than just from the Heartless' claws" she said. "Hmm… Well, while I'm here…"
"Is…" the boy's mother said. "Is she really…?"
"Haruno Sakura is one of our best healers" Kaede said. "The only ones who are for sure better are her teacher, Senju Tsunade, and a mage named Konoe Konoka."
"Tsunade-sama says I'll probably be as good as her in less than a decade" Sakura said as she focused on repairing nerve damage. "And Konoe-san's healing has limits; her magical Artifact can heal any injuries, so long as there's still a spark of life in the person, but only within three minutes of the injury being sustained. When it comes to healing older wounds like I'm doing, she's 'only' around the skill level of Tsunade-sama's assistant, Shizune-sempai… who is a cut above the rest, to be sure."
As Sakura continued her work, Shepard and Tali returned. They looked over at the damaged wall where the Dark Thorn had crashed into, and then at Sakura's presence healing Kyōsuke's arm.
"What'd we miss?" Shepard said.
"Nothing much" Kaede replied.
Sakura had by now repaired enough damage that Kyōsuke could feel and move his fingers again, though she was not yet done. While the medic-nin continued working, the boy's father noticed that the shotgun Tali was carrying was fairly large and bulky, especially being held by her small, slight frame.
"I'm guessing that suit comes with strength-enhancement functions?" he said.
"A little," Tali replied, "but not as much as some people think. We Quarians are actually pretty strong."
"Quarians' muscles are pretty dense compared to most species'," Shepard said, "and as a result they're surprisingly stronger than their appearances would suggest. On top of that, their bones are dense and very resistant to fracture, and when their muscles or bones are damaged they heal very quickly. Top that all off with a rather strong cultural tradition of keeping in peak physical condition, and they're one of the stronger and hardier species in the galaxy – only Krogans and Yahg can routinely outmuscle Quarians, and for the former it's not that easy."
"Now if only our immune systems had that same durability" Tali grumbled.
"What's wrong with your people's immune systems?" the doctor asked.
"First off, we evolved on a planet with little in the way of harmful microbes, and the only native arthropods dwell in the deep oceans; Rannoch has no insect or arachnid analogues. In fact, a lot of Rannoch's native microbial life is at least partially symbiotic, so our immune systems evolved to co-opt them instead of fighting them. That led to… issues once we started colonizing other worlds. Our immune systems were fairly adaptable, though, so it hardly ever caused trouble.
"Then…" she sighed. "Then the exodus happened. We lost our homeworld because of our own short-sighted aggression. In the 300 years since, we've been forced to live on a fleet of thousands of starships. All that time aboard the ships has severely compromised our immune systems and wrecked their adaptability. So now, we have to wear these suits. An open-air exposure or – ancestors forbid – an open wound can very quickly lead to a fatal infection. To top it all off, our proteins are based on dextro-amino acids, rather than the levo-amino acids found in humans and most other races; only the Turians are dextros like us. So we have to be extra careful in what we eat and what we are exposed to, or else we could suffer from lethal anaphylactic shock."
"Wow… That sounds awful" Kyōsuke's mother said.
"It could be worse; we could be in the same situation as the Volus. Rannoch has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere with pressure similar to Earth's. The Volus come from a world with a methane-ammonia atmosphere with very high pressure. They have to wear big, bulky atmospheric pressure suits whenever they're offworld, or else not only will they suffocate, they'll split open."
A few of the listeners grimaced at the mental image.
"Whew…" Sakura leaned back, the glow around her hands dissipating. "That should do it. There'll be a little surface scarring, and some stiffness from not being used for a while, but I managed to repair the neural and muscular damage. You might not wanna do anything strenuous with it for a day or two, just in case."
Kyōsuke started in awe at his healed hand, seeing and feeling the fingers as he wiggled them. The rest of his body still felt like crap, but his hand was good as new. His dream was again in reach.
"Shepard, all hostiles have been eliminated. The barrier will be dispelled soon. I recommend you exit with haste before you are exposed to the mundane population."
"Sounds like that's our cue to leave" Shepard said to the local quartet. "Please keep this whole situation quiet as much as you can. Also, since you're already sorta-involved, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give you this". He pulled out a small oblong device, around the size of a fist. "This contains a wealth of audio-visual data on our coalition's backstories and adventures, all the way up to the end of the Collector campaign in my 'verse. It'll also project a small dimension-shift barrier for you to all watch it in while altering the flow of time in it, so only two and a half hours will pass in the outside world. You won't need to eat or sleep or use the bathroom while you're in it. It should help you understand a lot more about what you got caught up in. Again, though, keep it secret from the rest of the world; there's too much of a risk for chaos if this got out."
The boy nodded shakily as he accepted the device with his hands – both his hands. Shepard nodded, and then he & the four others left. A few minutes later, the dimension-shift barrier dispelled, returning Kyōsuke and his parents & doctor to the 'normal' realm.
-SCENE BREAK-
Tsunade Senju strolled through the halls of the Starshot, having taken a break from her post-war duties as Hokage to tackle a rather ambitious task she'd set down for herself. She'd spent a while reading up behind the specifics of this disease, and of the physiology of the species suffering from it. She knew she could never hope to individually cure every one of the millions of sufferers, but if she could do it for this one particular individual, who was part of something much greater than most of his people could ever dream…
She walked into the portside lounge of the Forerunner destroyer, where the Normandy team was taking a little R&R. "Mr. Krios?" she said. "Could I speak with you for a moment, please?"
-SCENE BREAK-
"Are you certain that this is your choice?" Kyubey asked.
"…Yes" Sayaka replied. "Kyōsuke got hurt because he was dragged into this mess, however slightly. Haruno-san gave him his dream back, but… I want to be strong enough to protect him."
"Very well" Kyubey said as its body surged with magical energy. "Miki Sayaka, welcome to the world of the Puella Magi."
As she felt new, raw power flowing through her, Sayaka closed her eyes and focused on the mental image of the smile of the boy she loved.
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: More help arrives, and a foe thought dead makes a surprise appearance.