Higher Powers by Wordsworthy
Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the Suikoden series, or the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Series for that matter. This is, after all, just a fanfiction written for the sole purpose of entertainment and no profit motive whatsoever. So please just enjoy the story and do not sue me for this. If you wish to know more about the series, please support the companies producing them directly and purchase their merchandise if you like.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2: Wings
Time really flies. It's already been ten years since the Jail Scaglietti Incident and the forwards have all grown up into fine mages of their own accord. Subaru is leading her own rescue team in the Disaster Planning and Humanitarian Aid and has already distinguished herself early with a fine record of successes. Teana has also been accepted as a member of the Enforcers and has risen up the ranks faster than any rookie in recent times. Heheh… other than a certain blonde of course. It feels oddly fulfilling to see your former students making a name for themselves. I can't feel any prouder.
A faint sound of an explosion rang out from somewhere in the near distance.
Erio and Carol have stayed on with Mobile Division 6 though and have changed quite a bit over the years. For one, their physical appearances have changed almost completely. Erio has filled out his frame well and stands all at a lean and muscular five feet nine and still growing. Boys really do grow up so quickly. Caro too has blossomed quite wonderfully. While she isn't so endowed with height, she more than made up with her… ahem… womanly figure. Both of them have also been promoted to A+ rank mages, a just indication of their progress so far I would think. However, Erio has taken over the role of Front Attacker from Subaru and has made the position his own quite quickly while Caro remained as Full Back. With the departure of the two older girls, a few additions to the team had to be made. Taking over the role of Center Guard from Teana was Lutecia Alpino, the former Jail-affiliated summoner. Apparently, she and Caro had some sort of rivalry going on for this position and both studied almost obsessively for the auditions. I really didn't understand what was going on, until I realised that the Center Guard gets to partner the Front Attacker. Kids will be kids I guess. Even now, Caro still seems a bit miffed at the purple haired girl and me… Nonetheless, you have to give credit to Lutecia. She managed to weasel private lessons from Vice-kun who had already gone back to the Sniper Unit as an instructor himself, as well as surprise everyone on the examination board with her new device, a silver handgun with an elongated barrel she named Zes Lupine in tribute to the fallen Striker. Her new ranged abilities, together with the quality of her support and summon spells earned her quite a few brownie points. I hope you agree with me too. You know how much I hate it when you take her side and whine together with her.
Another explosion rang out, this time closer and louder than the previous. A pair of fingers raised themselves to a forehead and massaged them gingerly before reaching back towards the touchpad.
Another addition is Agito, the unison device Signum rescued during the Incident. Apparently she has the ability to unite with a Meister or mage and augment the magical powers and abilities, much like what Rein does, though with a particular affinity towards the element of fire. She fills a new role that was added into the Forward, the Auxiliary Guard, whose job is to provide the Forwards with additional tactical input and unison-induced firepower should the situation call for it. She can also double as our very own independent communications unit in case of field-jammers. She's currently working on her compatibility with the rest of the Forwards but can also be seen hanging around Rein on her days off. They make quite a cute couple don't they? Even with all that bickering foreplay. There were also some changes with the Guard Wing positions that Erio used to fill. At the moment, the role is expanded to Guard Wing Left and Guard Wing Right, hence making the Full Back essentially a more flexible and versatile unit who is now essentially everyone's partner instead of just the Guard Wing's. Smart move eh? Even if I do say so myself. I had to do something to get rid of that pink puppy eye look… We are still testing possible candidates for the Left position, though there are quite a few hopefuls. Apparently the fame of our little unit has spread a bit further than we thought. And we all know who our Right is…
Yet another explosion. Except this time, it sounded much too close for comfort, rocking the building slightly in the aftershock. Sighing once again, the blonde saved her message and put the touch board away before she dematerialized the window and flew off in the direction of the latest smoking depression in the field.
"Nanoha! Vivio! You two are overdoing it again! Look at all this mess!"
"Sorry…" Two sheepish sounding voices greeted her back.
"Mou… I can't even finish my letter to Mother. And what did I tell you about using excessive power during training." The blonde added a pout for good measure.
"But Fate-mama, I really want the Guard Wing position. That's why I had Nanoha-mama give me this really hard combat simulation…"
"Fate, you know I have no resistance against Vivio when she's like this…"
"No buts! You two are grounded for today until I say otherwise. Now go inside and get cleaned up before I tell you no ice-cream for today." The enforcer took a step back involuntarily.
"And stop looking at me with those puppy eye looks again! You too Nanoha!"
"…"
Well, as I was saying, our Guard Wing Right will probably be our very own fourteen year old girl. Runs in the family I guess, her being Nanoha's girl and all. I'll come by for a visit when we can get our leaves approved together. Until then, please take care of yourself Lindy-kasan. Miss you lots,
Fate T. Takamichi
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Next." Nanoha's voice called out towards the group of nervous looking teenage mages seated in the corner. Today was the field examination for the Guard Wing position after all and no one in the right mind would have thought it to be easy. But no one would have expected it to entail taking on both Striker class legends at once. Not that there was time to be starry-eyed and all, since they weren't pulling any punches either, making the deceptively simple target of surviving for ten minutes or landing a hit anywhere seem near impossible at the moment. Well, except for a certain blonde with multi-coloured pupils perhaps.
"Hai!"
After close to nine minutes of dodging and aerial acrobatics, Vivio began counting down the eternity of a minute while desperately trying not to get hit too much by the pink and yellow energy shots zipping about at insane speeds.
Is it me, or are they going even harder on me? I'm their kid after all, right? … Oh right… it's exactly because I'm their kid. Oh well…Good thing I had those flying lessons nailed earlier…
As the countdown got down to around ten seconds, Vivio broke into a nosedive towards the ground, hoping that the gravity-induced acceleration could throw off some of the more persistent homing spheres. It was then that she caught the awestruck looks on some of the other candidates.
Must be my folks. Oh wait, they're in awe of them from the beginning already. That must mean it's me? Hee…
A slight smile crept on her face as she veered up a little more spectacularly than necessary in an expression of glee. She counted inwardly as the last seconds trickled down.
Three! Two! One! Yay… what the… Ooof!
An unexpected weight landed square on her back, causing her to fall from her flight path and spiral towards the ground. Gritting her teeth, the blonde focused on the additional weight and adjusted her flight capacity to compensate for the added load. She barely managed to slow the freefall down to a reasonably safe velocity and landed face down on a grassy clearing off the edge of the training field. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, she tried to get up but the weight was still pressing her down. Turning her head, she managed to catch a glimpse of flowing silver blonde hair before she mustered all her indignation and embarrassment into one sentence.
"Hey! Will you get off me already?!" Okay two sentences.
The parents of a certain miffed girl on the ground breathed a little easier when they heard that familiar voice shooting off again. The blonde of the two raised an eyebrow at the other before sending a telepathic message.
"She's your child after all."
The brown haired woman puffed her cheeks out slightly.
"She's your girl too. And I don't have lungs like that."
"Sure."
The blonde shook her head slightly in amusement before turning towards the sight of a young man with light blonde hair get off her daughter's back and offering a gloved hand towards her. A slight smirk formed as she noticed the slight hesitation before the offered hand was accepted, and the slight red on her daughter's cheeks afterwards.
I hope Nanoha didn't see that.
She watched the other woman from the corner of her eye before she let loose a little chuckle. Someone was still pouting cutely it seems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Thanks. Now, would you tell me why and how you landed on me? We were at least thirty feet in the air and it is a restricted airspace." Vivio began after getting to her feet.
The strange young man just stared blankly at her. Either he was either having trouble understanding what she was saying or he did not manage to hear it at all. Vivio gave a little sigh before assessing the person before her.
Hmmm… he looks young, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Long silver, no, silverish blonde hair, a slightly tanned complexion and beautiful… I mean… shiny mysterious green eyes. Vivio shook her head slightly before looking him up and down some more. And what is he wearing in this weather… a long blue coat with brown trimmings, a long white scarf, a dark green inner shirt and black pants, boots… it sure doesn't look like any military uniform I've ever seen.
"You're not from around here are you?" she quizzed curiously.
The newcomer blinked a little, before looking at her gently, shrugging his shoulders and making a small gesture towards his ear.
He's probably lost. He can't even speak or understand Mid-Childa tongue after all.
Before she can begin questioning anew, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The footsteps of two dozen or so mages, sent in response to the sudden breach of airspace no doubt. Soon enough, they found themselves completely surrounded. The apparent leader of the squad stood out and pointed a finger at the young man.
"You there! You are in violation of restricted military airspace. You're coming along with us for investigations. Come along peacefully or otherwise."
The man in question looked at the leader of the guards blankly before turning to Vivio with an eyebrow raised in question. This pissed the other man off.
"Are you playing a fool or just acting dumb? You ARE coming with us whether you like it or not."
"Erm, excuse me," started the blonde girl as she moved in front a little "I really don't think he understands what you are saying."
"Is that so? That it seems like you would have to come along too little girl, since that makes you seem like the intruder's accomplice or something like that."
The older man gripped Vivio's hand tightly in one motion causing her to wince a little. She was actually struggling as best she could against her urge to break his jaw for being so rude to her and calling her "little girl". However, that wouldn't have looked too promising in her resume for the Guard Wing position. Before she could do anything, a blur of blue flashed across her eyes and she felt her hand again.
He decked him. Oh boy…I can't believe this. How do I explain things now?
The guards surrounding them pointed their staves towards the two in the middle while the young man stepped protectively in front of Vivio. Before they could fire however, a faint green glow emanated from his right hand before he waved that arm in a sweeping motion towards the guards in front. In the blink of an eye, half of the guards were blown some ten metres away by an invisible force and a rush of cold air. Turning to the rest of the guards around, he proceeded to do the same to the others. Vivio was stunned to say the least. For starters, the same emerald irises that looked so gentle and friendly earlier had taken on a frosty and malignant glint. Next, she had just seen a single guy take out twenty four experienced mages in less than ten seconds and is currently toying with them like rag dolls, knocking them about one place or another all at once. The blonde man then raised that gloved hand into the air again and the green glow she saw earlier got a little brighter before she noticed the guards hovering in the air and struggling, flailing about as though they were being crushed by an invisible force. She had to do something before someone got hurt too seriously. So she put her arms around that raised arm and pulled down with all her strength, all the while looking up with her best puppy eye expression. Those emerald eyes blinked once again, before they regained their gentle light and the arm came down willingly. With a snap of his fingers, the guards were thrown a little distance off, but with little further damage. Vivio even noticed some of the guards slow down just before hitting hard objects like tress, as though cushioned by the air itself. The young man's eyebrow twitched again as he noticed a pair of shadows loomed overhead causing him to make a reflexive pull with his hand, but it was still held down by Vivio though. At that moment, the blonde girl she heard something that made her own brow twitch.
"I think we found our Wings."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes:
Well, I used most of the characters from Nanoha Strikers and assigned them slightly different roles. For some reason, the Erio-Caro-Lutecia triangle seems really popular among other fanfictions, so I decided to throw that in too. Fate and Nanoha are also married in my story, since they do have a kid together and all… it just seemed inevitable somehow. Just for the heck of it, I threw in a Agito-Rein pairing too, though it's probably going to be a case of friendship rather than Shoujo-ai like Fate and Nanoha. Vivio is also going to play a large part in the scheme of things to come, especially since she's going to be a Forward too.
In addition, I added a very tame indication of the power of Lazlo's runic magic. The green glow on his right hand is actually a Cyclone Rune that grants him powerful wind magic. Together with the Rune of Punishment, that leaves one more slot for another rune. I might have him equip a Rage Rune, but that's still being considered. I'm planning on making Lazlo one of those hidden, super overpowered characters around, as befitting the bearer of godlike powers of a True Rune. A little remnant from old mahou shoujo genres where the true powers of the protagonist is hidden from everyone else but erupts during crisis for dramatic effect.
Lazlo's current outfit is actually an altered version of the garb worn by Harmonian bishops, the same one in which he rode in alongside Sasarai. Though it seems icky that he's been wearing the same outfit for so long, people really do not change their clothes much during the medieval period in Europe too, so it is somewhat the same situation. Also, the Harmonian outfit looks pretty trendy with its likeness to one of those Matrix trench coats, except it is blue and is decorated by trimmings, straps and coats of arms where relevant. It would look European to me.
Oh, in case it's not obvious already, I'm thinking of a Vivio-Lazlo pairing too. How that will work out, we will have to see later on too.