Mami Tomoe –the only daughter of Jun Tomoe and his hot shoujo wife Vivienne, apple of her parents's eyes, and a normal young girl- went through her typical day. She curled her hair, fawned over her parents fawning over her (truly an endless cycle that tastes like diabetes), aced her exam, enjoyed afternoon tea and peach pie, heard voices inside her head...
"Help me! Can you hear me? Can you hear my voice? Whoever is listening to this... I beg of you. Please help me. Please."
No, she is not going to get a Green Lantern ring right after she gets Raging Heart. Please read Shadow Crystal Mage's Takamachi Nanoha of 2814 for a story like that. He does it much better than I can ever hope to do.
"The wind is in the sky! The stars are in the heavens! An unvanquishable spirit in my heart! Grant your magic upon my hand, Raging Heart! Set up!"
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THE MANY LIVES OF MAMI TOMOE
(a.k.a. Mami's Good Ends)
A Puella Magi Madoka What If? Anthology
Disclaimer: I do not own Madoka or Nanoha. I do not want to be befriended by SHAFT and Seven Arcs. Befriending is lethal to males unless you have Huckebein-level regeneration.
Dedication: To Sky Zephyr. Enjoy the befriending. Oh, wait, befriending is lethal to males. Never mind. XD
Also: Merry Christmas!
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Story Seven
SET UP
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Mami could be said to be an ascended fan girl. Her mother was a fan of magical girls. The former Vivienne Ohtori named her only child after the classic magical idol girl Creamy Mami. Her princess curls-haired daughter followed in her footsteps... as well as the tread tracks of her father.
You see, Jun Tomoe was a mechaphile. His interests and array of robots, both Real and Super, posed an interesting contrast to his wife's collection of dolls and figma.
This conflux of kodomomuke –"intended for children"- and seinen –"young men"- influences led to a girl who could appreciate Pretty Cure from the point of view of both of its two target demographics.
"Kyah, Nagisa-chan and Honoka-chan are so cute... and they're so strong, too... the power of friendship is so wonderful..."
So when Raging Heart -and what a curious name that was for a magic wand- asked for permission to assume the most apt weapon for her, the first thing that came to Mami's mind was-
"I would like a gun, please."
After all, she was a magical girl, not a magic knight.
(At this point, the possibility that Magic Knight Rayearth will later be featured in this fan fiction has been set in stone. Thank you, SCM-sama.)
Mami was also a constant visitor to TV Tropes even though she sometimes felt like the site was ruining her life. That was why she made a Magical Girl To-Do List that covered the mundane,-
"Wake up, check. Go to school, check. Save the world, check."
-the exotic,-
"Action Girl, check. Calling Your Attacks, check. Frills of Justice, check... I don't really cast spells, so I'm not a Magical Girl... Magical Girl Warrior, check..."
-and most importantly, her Non-Human Sidekick.
"Yuuno-kun? Do you have a human form?"
"I do. It's actually my real form."
"Oh? So you're not really a ferret?"
"Of course not, Mami-san! I'm really human!" He sounded rather offended. "Here, let me show you..." He glowed green, grew...
"Eh? Yuuno-kun, you're a boy?" The blushing Mami scanned her List. "Does that make you my love interest, too?"
"Wah? Mami-san! What are you saying? This is so sudden! I'm not ready!"
"But Yuuno-kun, you're blushing... wait, you were always in my room when I changed clothes..."
"I didn't look at your naked body, Mami-san!"
"Yuuno-kun, you pervert!"
[Let's blast this phallic-shaped peeping tom, Master,] Raging Heart proposed.
"Yes! Let's set up, Raging Heart! Divine Punishment! Zenryoku Zenkai!"
"W-w-wait!"
Yes, sometimes Mami does wish she was alone.
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Why the hurry? Mami knew from all the anime she and her parents liked to watch that, sooner rather than later, a rival would appear to contest ownership of the Jewel Seeds. The question was, what kind of rival would this newcomer be?
"Don't come closer," growled the formidable caped girl who rather resembled the Deathscythe Hell Custom from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz.
"Very well, I shall keep my distance as you request." Mami knew from all the hostage negotiation documentaries on TV that she had to carefully balance friendliness and determination during first contact lest hilarity ensue. "I just want to ask you why you are collecting the Jewel Seeds. Perhaps I can assist you?"
"I don't need your help."
"Then perhaps you can help me. I must confess that I'm new to this Magical Girl business. Would you happen to have any tips for me?"
"Give up on the Jewel Seeds. And stay out of my way."
She sounded a lot like Nana Mizuki, Mami thought. Kuudere or tsundere? "I cannot in good conscience abandon my quest to seal Jewel Seeds. Still, I will endeavor to avoid disrupting your mission. So you still won't tell me why you need them?"
"No. Go away."
Kuudere, all right. "All right. But before I go, perhaps I can interest you in a spot of tea?" Mami held up a metal flask for inspection. "It's my special blend. Yuuno-kun swears by it."
"Photon Lancer," was the almost-irritated comment that closed negotiations.
[Get set,] the girl's brutal-looking pole-axe of a Device confirmed.
"And here I even bothered to bring peach pie," Mami lamented.
"Fire!"
Paper beats stone, stone beats scissors, and scissors beat paper. A bardiche -"A type of Eastern European heavy polearm," Yuuno read on Wikipedia- apparently beats musket in a Beam-O-War.
The battered Mami guessed it was to be expected. Katanas are better and all that.
Still, how Raging Heart raged over losing that first fight...
"The next time we fight, I might not be able to hold back," the Dark Magical Girl had murmured to Mami before leaving.
I'll remember that, Deathscythe-chan... just as I remember hearing you apologize to me when you shot me down...
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Having tried the magical girl way of peacefully reasoning with her opponent during their fight -a heartfelt effort at diplomacy that got her Arc Saber Exploded for her troubles- Mami now switched strategies to Peace Through Superior Firepower. This required research.
Yuuno goggled at the mishmash of tapes, CDs, DVDs, assorted players, flat screens, and surround sound system that filled Mami's room. "Mami-san?" he hesitantly asked. "What is this?"
"They're my Papa's Gundam series, Yuuno-kun. We're going to watch them all."
"How does watching Gundam help us?"
"There are a lot of weapons and attacks in the Gundam series. We might be able to find something that Raging Heart can adapt for our next fight with that girl."
Her magical boy friend (a boy who was her friend but wasn't her boyfriend... yet...) remained dubious. "Mami-san, I understand that you want to beat-"
"Befriend," she primly corrected him.
"-befriend this girl. I appreciate the fact that you decided to stay at home to research all this instead of going to a hot springs resort with your friends and family. But I'm worried that you are starting to turn into what your Internet call a NEET..."
"You're one to accuse me of being a NEET, Yuuno-kun, when you're the one who always hogs the laptop all night to browse Wikipedia."
"That's different! It's like the Infinite Library back on Mid-Childa! I gotta read them all!"
"Just don't forget that Wikipedia is an open source site," Mami reminded him. "Anyone can modify the information there."
"Heresy! Sacrilege! Blasphemy!"
Raging Heart was impressed with how Yuuno raged. Mami patiently waited him out before proceeding to her plan. "Anyway, Yuuno-kun, let's begin."
"We can't possibly watch all of these in just one sitting," he protested.
"Not if I use Anime Watching Goddess Mode!" she declared in her best BRYAN BLESSED impersonation. "I'll watch them all simultaneously!"
"Whaaat?"
And so began a segment totally stolen from The World God Only Knows. To save time and space, let's skip to the end of the marathon session!
"Thank you, Sheo Darren," Yuuno groaned from where he lay limp upon the carpet. "I thought it would never end..."
"We haven't even begun to fight, Yuuno-kun! Now it's time to watch the rest of my Papa's Real Robot shows!" Mami brightly brought up. "And after that, my mother's magical girl shows will be next!"
"M-m-mercy, Mami..."
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When Mami and her rival crossed paths again, the former brought a number of rude surprises for the latter.
"Go, Funnels! Dragoons, launch! Fly, my Fangs!"
Deathscythe-chan couldn't help but hiss as she dodged through a web of pink laser beams woven by a swarm of attack drones.
Where did this girl build these? In a cave? With a box of scraps?
"Divine Buster Rifle!" Raging Heart's Gunner Mode now sported an extended barrel and larger power capacitators. "Stun Mode!" Mami waited for the blood-red light and strident tone of a solid lock as an invisible laser painted her target. "Shoot!"
A ruler-straight bolt of pink lightning split the night sky.
"Fate!" Arf raced towards her mistress' opponent. Yellow malevolence crackled upon her knuckles. "Get away from her!"
Yuuno blocked her halfway to his partner. "AT Field!" The young archaeologist grimaced. "Did I just call my barrier that?"
"Good job, Yuuno-kun!"
Yuuno was unsure whether Mami was referring to his timely defense of her or his growing otaku tendency. He also wondered if it was backhanded praise. No, probably not, Mami was too nice a girl to do that.
Fate finally won through the drones' crossfire. She came at Mami in a high-speed street-hugging rush, black cloak all a-flutter behind her and Bardiche slung beneath her like the talons of a hunting raptor. She really was an anthromorphic Deathscythe Hell Custom...
Raging Heart's current form boasted a built-in beam bayonet beneath its muzzle. Mami sent a mental thanks to Char's Counterattack as she used the impromptu spear to jab and parry. "Jewel Seeds are dangerous!" Their beam blades clashed brilliantly. "I seal them before they can hurt people! Is that also the reason you seek them out?"
"No..."
That single word was what Mami had been waiting for, working on. She broke off their battle and quickly backed away without striking or firing. That was difficult; her opponent was faster and more agile than her. So Mami added the risky incentive of lowering Raging Heart's still-smoldering muzzle as a show of faith in this girl named Fate.
"Your name is Fate, isn't it? If you're planning to use Jewel Seeds to hurt people, Fate-chan, I cannot allow it. But," she quickly added, "If it's for something else, if it's to help yourself or someone you care for, then I can understand why you want them. And if that's so, then maybe I can help you. I'll even give you my Jewel Seeds."
That generous offer drew a gasp of "Mami!" from Yuuno and an equally surprised glow from Raging Heart. But it had the desired effect on Fate, whose expression turned just slightly interested.
"Please just talk to me, Fate-chan. Tell me why you are doing this. At the very least, I will listen to you."
Fate openly hesitated now. Her Device shared its mistress' uncertainty; Bardiche's fearsome energy scythe actually fluctuated. "I..."
Mami managed to limit her relieved reaction to a nod.
"I'm just trying to-"
"Fate!" Arf snarled from where Yuuno bogged her down. "You don't have to answer her! Our job is to bring back the Jewel Seeds, remember?"
Fate stiffened. Then her sad green eyes hardened into agates that could cut glass. Bardiche came up again, beam blade blazing anew.
It was all Mami could do not to bury her pretty face into a gloved palm. "Why do you sympathetic anti-villain antagonists always do this?" she groaned.
[Let's blast some sense into her, Master,] Raging Heart egged.
Mami did as her Device suggested. She still got no straight answer out of Fate. Neither did she get the Jewel Seed. What she did get was serious damage to Raging Heart.
"I'm sorry, Raging Heart," she apologized to her Device afterwards. "This happened because I was reckless and selfish..."
Raging Heart glowed warmly. [Worry not, Master. We will blast them good next time.]
"That's right! Next time, I'll shoot Fate-chan instead of the Jewel Seed!"
"Mami," Yuuno sighed, "You're starting to become as trigger-happy as Raging Heart..."
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Complications arrived in the form of the Time-Space-err, the Dimensional Administration Bureau. Mami had to briefly put aside her promise to Raging Heart for other, more immediate matters.
"Chrono-kun? Why does your uniform have spikes?"
"To be honest, Mami, I don't know. It's always had them. Is there a problem with them?"
"Yes. They're spikes of villainy."
"I've never heard of that term before. What do you mean by that?"
"Those spikes are usually worn by villains and used to impale things. The more of them on your shoulder or the bigger they are, the more evil you are."
"I didn't know that..." Chrono wondered if that was the reason suspects always put up a fight yelling that he'd never take them alive.
"Don't worry, Chrono-kun," Mami reassured him. "Even if you wear those spikes, I know you are a nice boy."
Chrono couldn't help but blush. "Ah... thanks, Mami..."
Yuuno was not jealous. Not one bit.
They walked into the Nadesico's- err, the Asura's meeting room, a space wondrously furnished in the manner of a traditional Japanese outdoor tea party. It contained everything a tea lover wanted and needed: a blooming cherry blossom tree, a parasol-covered wooden platform, all the utensils needed for a formal Sado, and most of all The Thing That Goes Doink: a shishi-odoshi, "boar-chaser" in English, a clever contraption that makes that sound to keep skittish wild animals away from meticulously-tended gardens.
"Mami?"
A dreamy sigh fluttered free of the tea fanatic's soft lips. "I think I am in love..."
Yuuno and Chrono were definitely not jealous. It was just a room, after all. What did it have that they didn't?
Stupid thing that goes doink...
Mami stayed in a serene bliss, soaking up the pleasant atmosphere and Lindy's exposition, up until the first sugar cube plopped into green tea.
"Stop!"
Lindy froze in the middle of the act of sweetening her bowl. "What's wrong, Mami?"
"How can you do that, Admiral Harlaoun?" The blonde girl openly sobbed. "And here I thought so highly of you!"
"What did I do wrong?"
"That!" A trembling finger leveled accusation at Lindy's bowl of tea. "This kind of tea is meant to be enjoyed in its incorruptible pure pureness! What you've done is a crime! You're despoiled it!"
"Ah... I'm sorry, Mami... Admiral Gil Graham drinks tea this way, so I thought-"
"You're not supposed to do that with green tea! Here! Let me show you how it's done!"
From then on, the crew of the Asura knew that Mami Tomoe ruled any place where tea was served.
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Fate Testarossa had no idea what to expect in Unadministered Planet # 97. She didn't expect running into a native mage with magical firepower equal to her own (as well as breasts that far surpassed hers, but that was another, minor matter). Or her mother preferring Jewel Seeds over a cake; Fate considered getting whipped into a bloody wreck to be totally her own fault for not anticipating her mother's preference. And while she anticipated that the Bureau would intervene, she thought it would be later rather than sooner, not right before she and that girl were about to duke it out.
Her (bad) luck held true even now, locking her in battle with seven supercharged Jewel Seeds, a battle she had initiated and one she was losing despite her best efforts.
So she was no longer too surprised to suddenly play primary to a whole solar system of magically-powered gun platforms. Of course that girl would find her during the least opportune moment. It was just her fate, Fate fatalistically supposed, to fail over and over again despite her best, a best that would never be enough for her mother.
But she would still try, even if she died in the attempt.
"FATE!" Arf screamed.
And then said metaphorical piranha formed a protective screen around Fate, surrounding the drenched girl with pink Protection and blasting apart any watery dervishes that dared approach.
"What?"
solti ola i, amaliche cantia masa, estia
As Yuki Kajiura sang an immaculate chorus, down from Asura descended Mami Tomoe. She bestowed a smile that could defrost ice queens unto the face of the startled Fate. The latter fell back despite herself, staring in surprise as her rival offered to recharge her depleted Bardiche.
"Are you all right, Fate-chan? Please let me help you. I want to help you."
And Fate Testarossa finally rediscovered an emotion she thought had deserted her long ago.
Hope.
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A hope she was soon forced to destroy with her own hands, much to her own quiet horror.
[Photon Lancer: Phalanx Shift.]
"Phalanx! Smash her to pieces! Fire!"
I'm sorry, she silently apologized each and every time she hurled bolt after thunderbolt of Zeus. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mami...
"Spark: End!"
Oh, Mother!
Finally, bombardment spell spent, Fate averted her eyes from the roiling crowd of smoke that had consumed her victim.
It's over...
solti ola i, amaliche cantia masa, estia
She startled. Was she imagining things? Or did she really hear uplifting quasi-Latin chanting coming from-
A fresh breeze blew away acrid smoke and dissolving scraps of mana. Mami emerged from the murk, clothes in tatters but still proudly standing. Divine Buster Rifles filled her hands. Their crimson cores played the song that best embodied her.
Despite herself, Fate almost cheered.
e sonti tolda i, emalita cantia mia, distia
"Are your shields up, Fate-chan?" Mami called out.
"What?"
"Are your shields perfect?"
Fate didn't really know what came over her. She just felt the need to haughtily answer, "Of course it is. Now you will see how insignificant you are" even though that ran exactly counter to her feelings for this persistent girl.
"Roger that. Raging Heart! Twin Divine Buster Rifle!"
Mami slammed her cannons together to form a double-barreled blaster. A holographic head's up display flickered into existence before her brown eyes. Power gathered within the tandem muzzles.
a litia dista, somelite esta dia, a ditto i della, filioche mio, solti tola
Fate knew better than to simply gape at that fearsome-looking fire-linked weapon. But she jerked to a stop before she could even begin to move. Only now did she notice the finned Funnels surrounding her. The pink pyramid of energy they projected had once protected her. Now they turned her into the prettiest target on a firing range.
"A bind?" she hissed. And of a type she'd never seen or heard of before!
solti ola i, amaliche cantia masa estia, e sonti tolda i, emalita cantia mia distia
The targeting brackets of Raging Heart's HUD burned crimson. "Shoot!" Mami ordered.
Directed energy weapons are not supposed to impart recoil. God killed a catgirl for that impertinent thought. Then He granted a small miracle to Fate by allowing her Defenser to just barely withstand that wave motion gun blast.
alita della, amaliche sonta dia, mia sonta della, i testa mia, testi ola, solti ola
The panting Fate looked up to see the end of their match manifest. Mechanical wings spread forth behind Mami. They unfurled into broad vanes similar to the solar panels borne by the space satellites of this world. But instead of soaking up sunlight, the long blades swiftly siphoned the massive amount of magic energy Mami and Fate's battle had scattered all around them. And they fed all that power into the huge cannon seated upon Mami's right shoulder.
"This is my final shot, Fate-chan. Starlight Breaker Satellite Cannon!"
No single shield could possibly stop what was coming. So Fate stacked the odds in her favor by stacking half a dozen Defensers.
She shouldn't have bothered. Credens Justitiam was almost as reliable as Emiya when ensuring victory.
solti ola i, amaliche cantia mia, dia, dia...
"Zenryoku zenkai! Tiro Finale!"
It was too powerful to be called an explosion.
Fate came out of pleasantly warm pinkness to discover herself borne princess-style in her opponent's arms.
"What a troublesome girl..." But Mami was smiling warmly at her.
This time, at long last, Fate allowed herself to blush.
.
Mami was a good girl. Brought up by loving parents in a warm household, surrounded by friends and admirers, few things earned her dislike. Far fewer angered her. And she forgave almost immediately.
Not even getting her cute butt handed to her by Fate piqued her. She considered it part and parcel of being a magical girl. And the nice thing about Mid-Childan magic was that its standard setting was non-lethal stun.
Besides, Mami did win convincingly during their last fight. And if you look at it from a certain perspective, it was the first time they really did fight as themselves, Mami Tomoe against Fate Testarossa, and thus the only fight that mattered.
(Even God can be petty. Why not a magical girl?)
And then she met Fate's mother.
Rather, Mami beheld Precia Testarossa callously discard Fate live on HD hologram.
Fate, who had fought Mami and Yuuno and Chrono for the Jewel Seeds. Who had been bruised and bled and nearly died in her quest for Precia's approval. Now derided as nothing more than a clone of Precia's dead daughter Alicia, a replacement goldfish who had outlived her usefulness.
Had Precia had been in the same room or at least within line of sight, fire, and range, Mami would have let her have both barrels of Twin Divine Buster Rifle in the face.
Instead, she gently laid the stricken Fate upon a bed. Gave the cold, limp girl one last hug. Stood up.
"Yuuno-kun? Raging Heart?"
"Mami."
[Yes, my Master.]
For once the battle-crazy Device was quiescent. Raging Heart could be likened to a natural disaster looking for a place to happen. It was a tactical nuke that made a person capable of of mass destruction- but nukes could only be used once per warhead. In a similar way, its rage was always spur-of-the-moment, fully felt but quickly expelled through overpowered blasts of pink punishment.
But its master's tranquil fury far surpassed its own. Mami was wroth. Biblically so. She burned like the sun in the sky, that vast mass of roiling plasma locked within magnetic fields whose power dwarfed the best and worst of lost Al-Hazred, a grand thermonuclear fusion reaction five billion years in the running and good for another five, the alpha and omega of its star system, truly the chief deity of certain human cultures, an angry pagan god whose fire could scorch Heaven and obliterate Earth.
An eruption was unnecessary. Poise was paramount. A lady must always be graceful.
But Mami still intended to consume everything that dared stand between her and Precia in the implacable manner of the master-less sea that constantly overran her blue-white world.
Beware the nice ones, indeed. Demons run when a good girl goes to war.
"Let's go smite some Philistines."
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"Mami?" Yuuno dared to ask right before they teleported into the fray.
"Yes, Yuuno-kun?"
"What's a Philistine?"
.
A minute later, Chrono was Break Impulsing a baddie with uncharacteristic flamboyance.
"Show-off," Yuuno muttered. "Just because he has a Device and I don't..."
The young archaeologist poured his annoyance and strength into a stout yank on his Chain Bind spell. The robot knight owning the ankle at the other end of the energy chain tripped, dragging several of its fellows down with it. Just like how Tallgeese 3 did to that bunch of Serpents Custom in the Endless Waltz OVA he and Mami had watched earlier in this chapter. Yuuno was a very good student.
"Now, Mami!"
The fallen knight found its vision slit full of the business end of a Divine Buster Rifle.
Mami didn't bother pulling the trigger. She simply and dispassionately slit it open from grilled visor to armored crotch with her beam bayonet, stilling the clanking churl helplessly laid out before daintily booted feet.
Now, her other Divine Buster Rifle, the one levelled at a cluster of knights, she did fire with a coolly stated "Shoot". Her targets vanished within an actinic pink beam.
"Go on ahead, Mami, Yuuno!" Chrono urged. "I'll hold them here!"
"Be careful, Chrono-kun. I cannot stand it if I see more of my friends get hurt."
The young Enforcer was sorely tempted to reach for those slightly shaking white-gloved hands so that he could hold them and their owner in a purely platonic and reassuring manner.
But Chrono was a professional. Duty came first.
Besides, he was sure the seething Yuuno standing behind him would strangle him with a creatively-used Chain Bind for making a move on the ferret boy's magical girl 'spacebar' friend. Not to mention Amy was always within reach of the Fire button for the Asura's main battery.
"Don't worry." He held a thumb up for Mami's reassurance. "I'll be back."
Yuuno so wanted to terminate Chrono for the corny pick-up line had not Mami worried him more. He waited until the blue-haired Enforcer was out of sight before asking his partner. "I'm fine, Yuuno-kun," he was told.
It was a lie, of course. But only a small white lie. And besides, a girl's lies were less mortal than a boy's.
Mami's spirit did rise a little when Arf joined them. The three of them advanced in a triangular formation, Mami on point, her flanks screened by Yuuno and Arf.
But her slowly-distorting mind continued to regard the world with growing detachment. Erinyes, she was thinking, the infernal avengers of Greek mythology, goddesses of vengeance born out of Uranus's blood. They dwelt deep witin the underworld, only emerging to punish whosoever has sworn a false oath, be they man or god. They were terrible to behold, their manes nests of vipers, their dog-like bodies flung after their prey by bat wings whose flaps sounded like monstrous heartbeats. They embodied the act of self-cursing contained in the oath.
That was her. Mami was a devil, a devil in white, noble but still demonic, a fallen angel caught halfway down by an uplifted ape. Hers was the light of destruction cast upon the world to wither all it touched.
Hell was empty. All the devils were here on Earth...
Her forefingers curled again and again upon the triggers of Raging Heart's current form. All that power spent so freely strained even her significant reserves. Mami's titanic duel with Fate had been but minutes ago, too little time to truly replenish herself. Yet she continued to freely give of what dwindling power remained to her, splitting her output into her separated Divine Buster Rifles, twirling almost lazily while holding the triggers down and the weapons out, a true Magical Girl whose font of blessings knew not its own limit.
No defense was perfect. A few attacks got through her allies' array. None penetrated Mami's Barrier Jacket, but not even the best man-portable energy shield developed in Mid-Childa powered by over 9000 units of magic could completely neutralize all that imparted kinetic energy and the accompanying pain.
Yet she withstood all those hurts from without in grim silence. These are nothing, cracked the mental lash that flogged her past blasted enemies and internal limits she had never thought existed. Nothing compared to what Fate-chan went through...
Oh, Fate-chan!
Pouring her waning power and her breaking heart into Raging Heart, Mami prepared another destructive discharge.
"Mami-san! Look out!"
A combat golem with an axe to grind flung its weapon at her. She turned too slowly, wondering if this was how it ended, wondering about the light at the end of the tunnel...
The sky went bright.
[Thunder Rage.]
Jagged lightning savaged the enemy ranks. Two million volts of power blew apart golems and the throwing ax before the latter came within ten feet of Mami. Skywards, slinging down God's thunderbolts with a swing of Death's scythe, soared His Watcher, a golden-haired angel of thunder.
"Thunder! Rage!"
Then did the scales of blind fury fall from Mami's eyes. It was like emerging from a deep dream that had seemed so real. "Fate-chan?" she asked of the apparition who settled beside her.
"Mami." Just as she had guessed, a smile looked wonderful on Fate's lips. "Can I help you?"
And so the avenger regained grace. She who considered herself an Erinyes instead transformed into one of the Eumenides, the Kindly Ones, a spirit of vengeance tempered by mercy, now the bringer of justice.
"Yes!" Mami burst out happily.
[Master,] Raging Heart suggested in the midst of this happy reunion, [May I play appropriate theme music to power up all of you?]
"Of course, Raging Heart!" Mami approved before beaming at Fate. "Let's show them what magical girls can do!"
"Yes, let's."
.
You taught me how to slip free of the stagnant air. Now a quiet wish to reclaim myself wells up in me. I looked up to your gaze on the ends of the sky. It vanishes in a sympathetic rain, but I won't let disappointment keep me down.
I shake things up! For the first time, I realize, trust myself, and take a shot! And you're there when I take a good look... The meaning to fighting without hesitation is to face the weakness in my heart. That's how I can come into brilliant bloom.
How can I just walk somewhere, heedless of where I'm headed? There I was, standing still, unable to decide my own way. But my unbroken courage proved hidden in the clouds. When I cleared them, so did my drive. And I will never let my hope die out even in the distant future.
I take off, shiver, awaken, seek, pave the way, and go with you without any doubts! Why had I kept on being so lost? I seize my countless wishes so I can triumph gloriously!
Powerfully, gently, wind on my wings...
.
"Thunder Smasher!"
[Get set.]
"Twin Divine Buster Rifle!"
[Stand by. Ready.]
"Now!" Mami and Fate called out together.
.
I shake things up! For the first time, I realize, trust myself, and take a shot! And you're there when I take a good look... As long as I fight without hesitation, I'm not going to lose anything!
Shiver, awaken, seek, pave the way, and go with you without any doubts! Why had I kept on being so lost? I seize my countless wishes so I can triumph gloriously!
.
Golden hair streamed freely in the sea breeze. One such mane had once been bound in twinned ponytails. The other remained gracefully curled.
"Fate-chan..." Mami fidgeted nervously. "When you come back, will you let my family adopt you? I've always wanted a little sister..."
It was Fate's turn at last to smile. "I'd love to be your sister, Mami. But can I think it over before I give you an answer? Admiral Harlaoun also asked me the same thing."
"Of course! Take your time to think things through. It's an important decision for you." She bowed. "I apologize for imposing on you. It was rude of me..."
"It's all right, Mami. I'm very happy you want to be my sister. But I don't see you that way. At least," Fate admitted, "Not yet..."
"That's right. We can start as friends first," Mami agreed.
"We're more than friends, I think..."
And Fate suddenly, shyly embraced Mami.
"Fate?"
"Mami Tomoe... I love you..."
And Yuuno was officially and finally jealous.
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To Be Continued...
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Author's Notes: Finally! This chapter escaped Developmental Hell and made it into the light of day!
I had expected to finish this within two weeks. But a combination of Cerberus Knight Syndrome and real-life sickness bogged me down. The extra time was, of course, spent well polishing purple prose. We all want to be like Shadow Crystal Mage or Daishi Prime, but there can only be one ^^
This chapter was mostly derived from the Nanoha 1st movie. Certain scenes in the TV series are mentioned; Mami skips out on the hot springs trip, for one, and avoids getting bushwacked by Fate, not to mention a fan service scene.
Some characters may seem different. Fate is the most obvious case of OOC. I focused less on her overwhelming drive to make Precia happy and more on how she is affected by Mami's advances. Mami here is far more diplomatic than her canon self due to not losing her parents, hence her getting a hug instead of just hair ribbons at the end of the chapter. (Don't worry, Yuuno-Mami shippers; I am a fair and just Author who listens to his readers ^^) And those of you who follow the Nano doujins will recognize trigger-happy Raging Heart.
Nanoha is a Gundam (or Zeorymer if you subscribe to Super Robots instead of Real Robots) girl. Hence, Mami gained Wing Gundam's Buster Rifle, Wing Zero Gundam's Twin Buster Rifle, the Funnels and Fin Funnels from UC Gundam series, DRAGOONs from Gundam Seed, GN Fangs from Gundam 00, and the Satellite Cannon from Gundam X. I was going to add other weapons, but I realized the ones I have in mind are more fitting for A's, so I reserved them. Hint hint: Double X Gundam and Crossbone Gundam.
Yes, there will be a sequel in the future. Yuuno will prove anew why you do not mess with archaeologists. Expect Chain Bind awesomeness. Vita will be CLANGed.
The insert song is a minor rearrangement of the English translation for Nana Mizuki's Take A Shot, the insert song for season one's climactic battle and one of my favourite Nana songs.
And now, for those of my readers who remember my penchant for adding extras in my older fics...
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Omake: The PMMM Girls In... SET UP!
(title totally stolen from ZipCode's fic of the same name)
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"Good morning, Madoka-chan, Homura-chan," Mami greeted her cute juniors.
"Good morning, Mami-san!"
"G-g-good morning, Mami-senpai..."
Yup. That's Moemura right there.
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"Wait!" Mami called out to her departing rival. "I'm Mami Tomoe. What's your name?"
The smirking redhead leveled a broad-bladed spear at her face. "Memorize this! Memorize Kyouko Sakura! Carve it into your memories! For that is the name of the memorable girl who has defeated you!"
Mami just barely bit off a temptation to call her an orange. Besides, this girl looked more like an apple.
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"Get away from Kyouko, you curly!"
Yuma, Kyouko's green-haired loli cat Familiar, swung a sphere-topped staff at Mami.
Yuuno reached out with one hand. He clamped it upon Yuma's head and literally held her off.
"Y-y-you bully!" Arms and legs too short to reach their tormentor flailed in epic fail. "Put me down!"
"Hey!" Kyouko snapped from where she and Mami fought. "Don't bully Yuma!"
"Yuuno-kun!" Mami likewise scolded. "It's bad form to bully a little girl!"
"She started it," Yuuno protested. Then he paused. "Hey, that's interesting... I thought maybe Kyousuke or even KyuBoy might replace me in this Omake. But I'm still here... all right! I'm faring better off here than in Nanoha canon!"
"Who are you talking to, Yuuno-kun?"
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A blue-haired swordswoman dropped in between the rival battle couples.
"Halt! I'm Space-Time Administration Bureau Officer Sayaka Miki Harlaoun! You're all under arrest!"
"Damn it!" Kyouko hissed. "An Agent of STAB!"
The furiously embarassed Sayaka brandished her sword menacingly. "Don't abbreviate the name of the Bureau like that! You make us sound like bad guys!"
"Make me, you sorry excuse for a space sheriff!"
"Why, you... I'm going to make you eat those words, you loudmouth!"
"Om nom nom mogu mogu!"
Agent of STAB-
"Not you, too, Sheo Darren!" Sayaka snapped.
-and Dark Magical Girl proceeded to totally ignore Mami to stab and slash at each other in a manner totally lacking belligerent sexual tension.
"They're like a love-hate couple," a dazed Mami noted to the similarly stunned Yuuno.
"If this is what you call 'love at first sight', Mami, I don't want to see what you consider to be 'hate'..."
"Shut up!" Kyouko and Sayaka yelled at them. "We're not in love with each other!"
Clingy jealous catgirl Yuma wasn't too sure about that. So she flipped Sayaka's skirt to distract the Agent of STAB-
"Kyaaah! Pervert! Sheo!"
-and dragged Kyouko away for some private sexy time- err, to escape.
"Yuma! Leggo! I had her on the ropes!"
"Yuma will take care of anyone who bullies Kyouko!"
"Then get her, not me!"
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"SHEO!" STAB Admiral Hitomi Shizuki screeched at the dimensional border known as the Fourth Wall. "Why am I Sayaka's mother? I'm going to punch you in the tummy for this!"
Kyousuke Kamijou shrugged when the camera settled its view on him. "I just live here."
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Kyouko dreamed. In her dreams, she picnicked with her mother and Yuma.
"I love you, mother," she murmured.
"I love you, too," replied a voice that sounded like Inoue Kikuko. "Momo..."
Momo? But mother, my name is Kyouko...
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"Stinger Sword!" Despite the greater threat of the seven activated Jewel Seeds before them, Sayaka still glared at Kyouko. "Just so you understand, I'm helping Mami-san out. I'm not doing this for you!"
Kyouko wanted to tell them, especially this annoying girl, that she didn't need their help.
"T-thank you..."
"Y-you're welcome..."
Mami favored the blushing girls with a fond smile. "Oh, my... they've unlocked the KyoSaya Route..."
Yuuno exulted for a different reason. "Yes! The Beta Couple has formed! I get to keep Mami all to myself! Take that, KyouMami shippers! Het is better than Marimite-style senpai-kouhai yuri!"
"Yuuno-kun..."
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Due to Yuuno outrageously tempting fate (not to mention KyouMami shippers)...
The cutest cancer patient in the world woke up to find an odd but cute boy kneeling before her.
"Heil, Charlotte," saluted Pyotr, the Knight of Cheese. "Heil, Meister of the Book of Darkness..."
Still groggy and admittedly hungry, Charlotte burbled the first thing that came to her sleepy mind.
"I can has cheeseburger?"
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Within the 666 pages of the former Tome of the Night Sky, the slumbering white-haired Defense Program opened its eyes to reveal alien red pupils shaped rather like buttons.
"Make... a contract... with me... and become... a..."
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Omake: Witch of the Night Sky
Written by: Sky Zephyrus
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"I am Mami Tomoe and I am the Witch of the Night Sky! Resounds, horn of the end! Ragnarok!"
A blast of energy later and Homura was curling up in fetal position. She remembered way to clearly when she fought the so called Witch of the Night Sky and got blasted by the similar massive blast, only it was white and called Hraesvlgr or something like that. Thanks to that, she now was a 'friend' with her but she still having nightmares with massive energy blasts.
"Not the face...not the face..."
Madoka looked at Mami with stars on her eyes.
"Kyaaa! Mami-senpai is so cool! I want to be like her!"
Suddenly Sayaka got a mental image where Madoka was wearing white and blue dress holding a pink staff with red gem and blasting magic right and left while befriending people like Mami. She shuddered at that thought.
Kyouko had a glazed look on her eyes while she recalled her own experience of Mami's' befriending'. It feels so good to be blasted by Mami...
"Oi, Mami! What are we going to do with this thing!" Vita called to her as she held a rather pale Kyubey on her hand.
"I think Zaffy-kun needs a friend," she replied as she blasted another overpowered spell to Walpurgisnacht.
The blue wolf had a grin on his face. "Yes, I really need a friend."
"...I'm so dead..." Kyubey gulped while paling even further.
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Up Next
Story Eight
"Ultimate Girl Mammies-ack, I mean, Mami! I've come!"
