Long chapter is looooooong. This was my original idea for a follow up Teana/Vice fic, but when I decided to go for the anthology route, it had to wait its turn (cuz I like keeping things in a somewhat chronological order). There are lots of references in here. See if you can catch them all!
Disclaimer: Aside from the games/DVDs themselves, I don't own the rights to Nanoha or any of the other series I reference/blatantly steal characters and lines from. It's all in the nature of fun.
It was another free day for Riot Force 6. Commander Yagami had decided that all work and no play made Forwards a dull boy… Or something. Teana thought that comment was off.
Anyways, like the pervious day off, Teana wanted to head into the city for a change of scenery. This time she would have to go alone, though, as Subaru was spending time with Ginga. Teana didn't wish to interrupt sibling bonding time.
She made her way towards the hanger in hopes of borrowing the motorcycle again. Zipping down the road at high speeds was a great way to pass the time. When she reached the hanger, however, she saw that her plans had been dashed. The motorcycle was already out and ready to go, but a casually clothed Vice stood next to it with a helmet tucked under his arm.
"Hey Teana." He greeted when he noticed her. "What's up?"
"Well, I was going to ask if I could borrow the bike." She said. "But if you're using it, Sergeant Vice…"
"Where do you need to go?" He asked.
"No where, really. I was just going to wander around the town…"
"Ok then, that's perfect." He smiled. "I'm heading into town too. Hop on and we'll go in together."
"Ah, no, I couldn't trouble you…"
"It's no trouble. Let's go." He grabbed another helmet and tossed it to her. Then he straddled the vehicle and patted the seat behind him. Since he was offering, Teana figured she might as well. She pulled on the helmet and sat on the bike. Vice started the engine, and Teana hesitantly placed her hands on his hips.
"Oh, you're going to want to hold on a lot tighter than that." He laughed. He pulled her hands around his waist, where she automatically linked them together.
Teana went red in the face. Their positions were reversed, but this was the second time her body had been so closed to his. Oh sure, she was used to physical contact thanks to Subaru, but being that way with a man carried a whole slew of different implications.
Now that she thought of it, her brother had been the only other male she had been that close with.
"Off we go!" Vice cheered as he revved the engine. And away from the base they shot. Teana wasn't prepared for that much acceleration right out of the gates. But once the shock was out of the way, the thrill kicked in. It must have been because she wasn't the one driving, but the fact she couldn't predict what the man would do next made her blood pump that much faster. The way he whipped through the turns and swirled around slower vehicles had her completely overlooking the fact her chest was now pressed firmly against his back.
When he entered the city limits, Vice slowed down to obey the speed limit. Teana eased back.
"You're good at this, aren't you?" Teana noted. She could barely hear his response over the beating heart in her ears.
"Were you expecting any less?" He grinned. Vice found some parking and shut down the bike, securing it. He dismounted while Teana allowed herself a deep breath to let the adrenaline settle.
"So, when do you want to meet back here?" The man inquired. Teana considered it for a moment. It's not like she had any particular plans, so…
"Actually…" She started. "If you don't mind… I'd like the accompany you, Sergeant."
"Sure, I could go for the company. However." He paused. "It's our day off. Forget about rank."
"Ok, Vice…" Teana didn't feel quite right about simply using his name. If it wasn't rank, there was only one thing to call some one who was her senior in so many ways. "… Sempai."
Vice nodded his approval. "Then let's go." He headed off and Teana followed closely behind him.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"To a shop my buddy owns." He answered. After a brief walk, they stood in front of the store. The sign read 'Katagiri Komics.'
"I don't think that's spelled correctly." Teana murmured.
"Don't worry about little things like that." Vice pushed through the door. "Heya, Billy. How's business?"
"Hello Vice. Good to see you." The spectacled man behind the counter greeted. His long brown hair was tied in a high ponytail. "What brings you here today?"
"Got a day off, so I figured I'd pop in to see your wares."
Teana glanced around the store at said wares. The shop was filled with shelves covered with figures and boxes of figures. She wasn't surprised to see robots, but there were also various creatures and humans in different outfits. There were also shelves lined with books and other printed media. Any area of wall that wasn't blocked by a display was covered by posters depicting machines, girls, or muscular men killing things.
Billy gestured Vice closer and whispered in his ear. "Hey, who's the cutie? That's not your sister. Bit young for you, don't you think?"
"It's not like that." Vice snorted. "Besides, you're not one to talk. How's Kujo doing?"
Billy coughed and didn't answer. "So, who is she?"
"She's a junior in the same division as me." He responded. "She's the leader of our Forward squad, so don't think she's just some kid."
"Hm, so she's a mage." Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What kind of device does she use?"
"She switches between single and dual pistols."
"A gunslinger just like you, then."
"Like I used to be." Vice corrected him.
"Right, right. Well, I say give her a few years and you'll definitely have quite the catch on your hands."
"Shut up, you."
Teana, oblivious to the men's conversation, continued browsing the shop. She quickly learned that not all of the items had to be built and came pre-assembled. The craftsmanship was remarkable. So much detail and care went into each piece.
When she looked up at a higher shelf, she frowned. She was staring up a plastic girl's skirt into a panty-clad fanny. Teana could respect attention to detail, but was this really necessary? Well, she concluded there really were people out there who got off on that sort of thing. She shot a glance over her shoulder.
"…What's with that judgmental look she's giving us?" Billy mumbled. "Ah, Miss, if you don't find anything that interests you, that section over there is more popular with our female patrons." Billy gestured to a rack of comics. Teana walked up to it and read the sign aloud.
"No climax, no point, no meaning?" She blinked. That didn't sound too interesting. Vice had to quickly slap his hand over his mouth as he watched on expectantly. Teana picked up a random book and flipped through it. The drawings were very clean and crisp. It looked very good in her eyes. The story seemed to revolve around two males who…
She slammed the book shut when she saw the first mosaic. "W-What is this?" Tomato face demanded. Vice's hand couldn't stifle his laughter anymore.
"Oh man, Teana. Your face right now is priceless!"
Teana glowered. She didn't see what was so funny. "A-Anyways, is it really ok to let minors look at something like this?"
"Oh? I would have figured you were mature enough to handle it."
Great, now he was treating her like a kid. She hated that more than being tricked.
"I-I was just surprised, that's all." She huffed, putting the book back on the shelf.
Vice let her steam and turned back to Billy. "So my friend. Have you got the fastest speed and the strongest sword for me?"
"If you're talking about the Susanowo, I'm afraid I haven't gotten it in stock yet."
"That sucks." Vice puffed. "Well, let me know when you get it in."
"You got it."
"Alright, you ready to go, Teana?"
Teana could have been snarky, but she decided that pouting about what happened earlier would hardly impart the mature and womanly image she wanted Vice to see. So she simply nodded and followed him out the door.
"Please come again!" The shop keep's call followed them.
"So, see anything you liked?" Vice grinned at her.
"N-No, I didn't." Teana recalled the plastic underwear and the naked men. Males and females, it seemed, were equally perverted.
"But man, your reaction to that doujinshi was so cute." He chuckled.
Gah, he just called her cute! That was… wait, was that a good thing or a bad thing? Regardless, Teana was desperate for a distraction. She needed anything to change the subject.
"Ice cream! Get your ice cream!" A vendor called.
Ice cream, perfect! Having their tongues preoccupied with the frozen treat was just the way to subvert awkward conversation! Subaru was always…
Teana thought of her partner and her juvenile obsession with ice cream. The sparkles in her eyes, the way she'd leap up and down in childish glee… Yes, childish. What would Vice think if she suggested ice cream? Would he think of her as a child again? Maybe she should…
"Ooo, ice cream!" Vice exclaimed. "You want some?"
… It seemed Teana was over thinking things. This was a man very much in tune with his inner child. It was their day off! She was meant to cut loose. Her sempai wasn't the sort of judgmental person who would think less of her if she had some fun. Rather than attempting to impress him, she should just be herself.
… It's not like she was trying to impress him or anything!
"Sure, I'd like some." She answered with a smile.
X-X-X
So now the pair was walking down the street, licking their respective stack of multicoloured frozen dairy product.
"Nothing like some ice cream on a beautiful day." Vice commented. Teana nodded in agreement. While consuming, the two talked about Riot Force 6, the training the Forwards underwent, and the quirks of the various members.
"Subaru has always been like that." Teana explained. "She can make friends with just about anyone. She fit right in with the other Belka users at the academy, most of whom were guys. She was quite popular with them, even if she was too dense to realise it."
"Sounds like her all right." Vice popped the rest of the cone into his mouth. "Well, with all that energy, it's hard to imagine anyone disliking her."
"Well… Some thought she was just a spoiled girl getting by through her father's position." Teana frowned. She and Subaru had been pretty thoroughly ostracized at first.
"Wish I could have seen their faces when you whooped their asses through your effort and guts!"
"Yeah." Teana smiled again. "We showed them all right."
Vice checked his watch. "Still early…" He glanced around. "Hey! An arcade! Let's go there!"
Teana was starting to find the man's youthful sense of fun to be quite endearing. Of course it wasn't like he was old or anything. He only had a few years on her. Calling Vice 'old' would also be calling Nanoha 'old'. Teana pitied anyone dumb enough to do that. They wouldn't find all the pieces.
Teana hadn't really been in an arcade before, but it turned out to be just as noisy as she predicted. Dings, beeps, clacks, buzzes, and kabooms assaulted her ears. The cheers, jeers, and sneers of the patrons came in the second wave.
"I haven't been in one of those for awhile." Vice said. He glanced around at the selection of machines. It had the typical assortment of fighting games, racing games, beat-um up games, shooting games, rhythm games, air hockey tables, and claw machines. "What should we play first…?"
As they ventured deeper inside, they noticed a large crowd gathered by one of the games. Being taller than the majority of them, Vice could easily see over the heads. The audience was attentively watching as two young boys shot off the heads of zombies and other undead creatures. The light gun game was titled 'Residence of the Not Alive.'
The boys killed what appeared to be the last boss, and their final scores appeared. They then entered their names in the top score slot. Apparently their names were 'POO' and 'ASS'. How unfortunate. They holstered the guns and looked triumphantly at the boisterous crowd.
"Amazing!"
"They won!"
"I've never see anyone beat this game before!"
Poo and Ass were contented with the praise.
"Hmmm, not bad for a couple of kids." Vice noted. By some sort of super selective hearing, the boys managed to pick out the comment.
"What did you say?" Ass demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the bigger man.
"Huh?" Vice blinked. "I said you guys aren't bad."
"Not bad?" Poo shot back. "We owned this game! Don't talk like you could do better, old man!"
"Old man?" Although he smiled, Teana saw the vein in Vice's forehead. "Of course I could do better than a couple of brats. Heck, she could beat your score too. All by herself!"
"Wah, sempai!" Teana sputtered when he put both hands on her shoulders. "Don't drag me into this!" The boys and their apparent posse erupted into laughter.
"HAHA, yeah, right! Like some girl could beat us!"
Teana felt the vein in her forehead pop too. There was no reason to believe a girl would be any worse at this kind of thing than a boy!
"Go on, Teana." Vice whispered to her. "Show them how a real gunslinger handles things."
Picking fights with kids was hardly the mature thing to do, but Teana wasn't thinking about that. "Ok, I'll do it." She decided. Vice slipped her two credits and she stepped up to the game. A quick glance at the instructions was all she needed. She slid the coins in both player slots and grabbed the guns.
She hit her marks with precise aim, never missing a beat even when she fired away from the screen to reload. She head shotted the walking corpses, grounded some flying hell spawn, attacked the weak point of the giant enemy crab for massive damage, and when she reached the final boss, she shot at it until it died.
The crowd was silent as her score, twice the amount of the others, appeared. She triumphantly inputted TEA on both sides of the scoreboard.
Poo and Ass were dumbfounded. Whatever was left of their egos could fit collectively into Rein's coffee mug. Teana suddenly felt bad for not holding back.
"Uh, don't take it too hard, kids." She said. "I have more experience than you, so… If you keep on practising, you'll be just as good in no time!"
"Do you mean it, big sis?" They said with sparkling eyes. Where did that politeness suddenly come from?
"That's right. Hard work makes anything possible."
"Alright!" Poo cheered. "Let's keep playing!"
"Yeah!" Ass echoed the enthusiasm. "We'll beat that high score some day!"
The boys prepared to dump the rest of their allowance into the machine. Teana slipped away and rejoined Vice.
"Nice work." He said.
"Thanks."
"Just remember to mind the position of your feet." He advised. "It'll give you a firmer stance."
"Yes sir."
Vice checked his watch again. "That sure ate up a lot of time. We should be heading out."
"Ok." Teana followed him in the direction of the exit, but something in one of the claw machines caught her eye. In with the yellow rat and green alien frog dolls was a simple plop of pink fabric. The only other feature was the black ovals that appeared to be eyes.
Something about it appealed to her greatly. Maybe it had some sort of connection to a past life or a parallel dimension.
Or perhaps it was because this single ordinary looking plushy was stuck in a pile of well known, super popular characters. It's very existence so easy to over look.
"So, you like that dango looking one?" Vice's voice cut in, making her jump.
"Wah! Ah… Um… Not really…"
"Ok, just leave it to me!" The man cracked his fingers dramatically and popped a coin into the machine. Motors whirred and lights flashed and the claw came to life. Vice gripped the joystick and manoeuvred it into the ideal position. He pressed the button and the claw fell. It securely gripped the little doll and pulled it into the air. The claw returned to its inert position, where it dropped the dango into the hole. He reached into the slot and handed it to his companion.
"Wow." She gasped. "I heard these things were impossible to win."
"Hey," Vice laughed. "I'm a helicopter pilot. Precision handling is my job."
"T-Thank you." Teana squeezed the toy lightly in her hands. It was so soft. This was the second present he had given her.
Soon they were back on the street and off to their next destination.
"So where are we going now?" Teana asked.
"This is why I came into town in the first place." Vice pulled out a flyer from his pocket and handed it to her. It advertised the opening of a firearms exhibit at the local museum. It boasted as having the largest assortment of guns from throughout the ages on display.
If she had known such a display existed, Teana would have made the time to check it out herself.
X-X-X
There were a surprising amount of people at the exhibit. Humans had the strangest fascination with things that could kill them. Teana was no exception. She was curious about the sleek, powerful, and strictly banned instruments of death that had predated items such as her Cross Mirage.
"Wow, that's the legendary M16!" Vice gawked. "And here's a Desert Eagle! This baby packs a punch! Check out the heavy artillery, too! There's an honest to God cannon! The kind that uses gun powder and cannonballs!"
Teana grinned. He was certainly enjoying himself. After looking at the glass encased rifles and shot guns, Vice stopped in front of a certain display, gaped, and nearly pressed his face into the window.
"Teana! You have to see this." He beckoned her over. Teana stood beside him and read the sign.
"A M1911A1?"
"It's been customized, too! First of all, the feeding ramp has been polished to a mirror sheen. It's not going to have any feeding problems. The slide's been replaced with a reinforced version. And it meshes perfectly with the frame. The frame itself has been iron-welded and scraped down multiple times for maximum precision. The front strap part of the frame has been checkered to make it dig into the hand. That prevents any slipping. The sight system's original, too. It's a 3-dot type. It's got an enlarged front sight, giving it superior target sighting capability. The regular hammer's been replaced with a ring hammer. That enhances the cocking speed and increases the hammer-down speed. They also reworked the grip safety to accommodate the ring hammer. Looks like they eliminated it altogether. This is a tool for pros. The thumbs safety and the slide stop are extended to allow for more precise handling. The base of the trigger guard is whittled down, so you can use a high grip. And the trigger itself is a long type for easy finger access. The trigger pull is about 3.5 pounds. That's about a pound and a half lighter than normal. The magazine well has been widened to make it easier to put in a new magazine. The magazine catch button has been cut down low to make it harder to hit by mistake. The mainspring housing has been changed to a flat type to increase grip. And it's even been fitted with stepping so that it doesn't slip from the recoil when firing. On top of that, they added cocking serrations to the front part of the slide. That lets you load and eject cartridges faster in an emergency. Whoever did this is a professional. No question – this thing could shoot a one-hole at 25 yards in a machine rest."
"… That's some gun."
"Yeah. How I wish I could use a weapon this fine once in my life!"
Vice molested the gun with his eyes for several minutes before Teana had to lightly yank him away. Others wanted to see it too. The man behind them's mouth twitched into a smile. While Teana and Vice checked out the Uzis, the man shed his jacket, wrapped it around his hand, and smashed through the glass. The alarms blared as he grabbed the pistol and pointed it into the crowd.
"Nobody move!" He shouted. "I know how to use this!"
The crowd let out a collective gasp, and several started to scream.
"Shut up!" The man with the gun yelled. "Unless you want a bullet in your skull! Now, take out all your valuables!" Several complied with the request.
"What do we do, Vice-sempai?" Teana whispered. She knew Vice was unarmed. If she had to, she could take the man out with Cross Mirage, but who knew if he could get some shots off before she could do so.
"Just leave it to me." Vice whispered back. He began to walk towards the man.
"Hey buddy! Stop right there!" The man threatened.
Teana wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, but she decided to have faith in her sempai. She still offered a silent prayer for his safety, though. She gripped the card in her pocket.
"Oh, and what will you do if I don't?" Vice asked casually, thumbs hooked on his pockets.
"I'll pump you full of lead!" The man shot back. "And don't think of me as one of those stupid criminals! I made sure the safety is off!"
"I see. Yes, that was certainly smart of you." Vice still didn't stop.
"I warned you!" The man scowled and pulled the trigger. Teana gasped and prepared to leap into action.
However, all that happened was that a loud, empty click echoed through the room.
"Huh?" That was all the criminal could get out. Vice crossed the distance in two bounds and delivered a right hook that would make Captain Falcon jealous. Blood and spit flung out as the man went spinning back into the floor.
"Too bad you weren't smart enough to realise they wouldn't put loaded guns on display!" Vice quipped as he shook the pain out of his hand. The crowd burst into cheers and Teana breathed a sigh of relief. Vice took the gun from the unconscious man's hand. He indulged himself in the sensation of holding the weapon before the security officers arrived.
X-X-X
The sky had turned orange by the time they left the museum. They had to relay what happened to the proper authorities. Once procedure was all taken care of, they were set free.
"Boy that was fun." Vice grinned. "What a way to end the day."
"I-I'm just glad you're ok." Teana admitted. "I was worried there for a second."
"I told you I'd handle it." He reminded her. Teana nodded. She wouldn't soon forget how calm he had been, and how cool he looked delivering that punch. "I can't believe I got to touch the M1911A1, though! I should thank that idiot."
Teana sighed happily. This guy was really something else.
"I guess it's time we went home." Vice suggested. And so they headed back to where they parked the bike. When they reached it, Vice spun around and tossed Teana the starter. "Here, you can drive. I'll hold your little friend for you."
"T-Thanks." Teana blinked. She wasn't expecting that. She handed Vice her stuffed item and tugged the ribbons out of her hair to put on her helmet more easily. Vice took a moment to consider her.
"You know, I think you look better with your hair down." He noted. Teana blinked twice.
"Y-You think so?"
"Yeah. Makes you look more mature."
"R-Really…" Teana looked away to hide her blush. She strapped on her helmet, started the bike, and hopped on. She soon felt his arms, plus a dango, wrap around her waist.
"All set." He said. Teana revved the engine and took off.
Since the day was ending, she decided to drive at a decent pace. It would just be a nice, relaxing ride back to base.
"Hey, pull over for a minute." Vice suddenly asked her. Curious, she complied. He just looked off into the distance. "Just take a look at that sunset."
Teana looked and watch the golden orb slip away below the land. Sunsets were all the same, but they were still… "Beautiful." She muttered.
"Thanks for tagging along with me today." Vice said after a silence. "I had lots of fun."
"So did I, Vice-sempai. So did I."
X-X-X
When Teana got back to her room, she made sure Subaru wasn't around and opened her special drawer. In it was the picture of her and her brother, her toy gun, and a green rifle and pistol wielding robot. She placed the stuffed dango in it as well.
Yeah, today had been fun.
Of all the characters in Nanoha, it is not Yuuno, but Teana I identify with the most. StrikerS eps 7-9 are still quite difficult for me to watch (in a good way). So to all my detractors, no, I am not living vicariously through Vice to get with Teana. If anything, I am living vicariously through Teana to get with Vice!
Bet you never imagined a perfectly straight male being able to admit that!
Anywho, now a guide to the references!
Billy Katagiri - Taken right out of Gundam 00. Graham's best buddy, and since Graham and Vice share the same VA, the choice was obvious.
Kujo - Also from Gundam 00. Sumeragi's real name. The object of Billy's affection, she is considerably younger than he is.
No climax, no point, no meaning - For those who might not know, this phrase in Japanese is "Yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi", which is commonly abbreviated as 'yaoi.'
Susanowo - The final mobile suit Billy made for Graham. The one mentioned here is just the model kit, of course.
Effort and guts - Gunbuster reference. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Now.
Vice's age - Not a reference, but felt I should explain myself anyways. Vice's age is never stated (not even on the official website). However, in the manga Signum calls him an eight year vet, and implies that he was a kid when she first met him. So if they let kids like Erio join when they're 10, and Signum was comparing him to Alto and Lucino (who I think are 13-14), I assume Vice's age is around 18-21. There's also how he and Nanoha refer to each other in a rather familiar fashion (she calls him Vice-kun). I'm more inclined to believe he's around her age.
Residence of the Not Alive - Obvious bastardization of 'House of the Dead'
Giant Enemy Crab - If you don't know this one, youtube it.
Yellow rat doll - Pikachu, naturally
Green alien frog doll - Keroro Gunsou/Sgt Frog
The dango plushy - You know I just had to fit a Clannad reference in here somewhere! Teana and Vice share VAs with Nagisa and Tomoya. The doll is the same member of the 'Dango Daikazoku' that Nagisa loves so much.
The M1911A1 - Vice's dialouge is ripped word for word from Metal Gear Solid 3. I know next to nothing about firearms, so who better to turn to than Naked Snake and his famous fangasm over the gun Eva gives him?
Captain Falcon - You all should know this one!
