Author's Notes:
Well here it is. The answer to the cliffhanger on Friday. Ah, that was a great piece of work wasn't it?
Chapter 8: Guardian
"This is Lightning 4! We have an emergency situation. I will report," it said. Her voice seemed to echo in the car as Kasumi and I stared at each other. "We've found a case we believe to be a Relic in a back alley off of 3rd Ave F-23. There is also a girl who we believe to have carried the case."
We had to move to take control of the scene but I knew I wasn't going anywhere until I answered her. Sigh…it's sink or swim…might as well tell her how I honestly feel. Deep breath…and here we go…
"Kasumi…I…I think you're a great person and all, I really do. However…I can only, and have only, seen you as a friend…nothing more."
I braced myself for the clichéd rejection scene. I even tensed my body up to prepare for a beating. But instead, all I heard was a sigh of relief.
"I see, so you feel the same way as I do."
"Huh?!"
She was smiling at me…not crying or pissed off…but smiling?
"Thanks for telling me that, it really is a load off my shoulders."
"I repeat, 'HUH!?'"
She started to explain.
"I wanted to go on this date with you to see if I could do this as your girlfriend, but no matter how hard I tried, I only saw it as two friends hanging out…or rather, the female friend forcing her slave to carry everything for her."
"Why you…sigh…so that's how it was," I said as I slumped back on my chair.
"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that, but I had to be sure you whether or not you felt the same way I did."
"No problem. Anyway we better get to Caro's position before something bad happens."
"Right! Kick it into high gear and let's go!"
"Roger!"
So that means everything between us will be back to normal…right?
-
When we arrived there, the Subaru and Teana were already there.
"Sorry we're late, we were on the other side of the city, what's the situation?" I asked as we caught up to them.
"Kuro-kun!" Subaru suddenly jumped up and blocked me from getting any closer.
"Uh…what is it?" We need someone to hold a perimeter around this place," she explained. "I'll come with you to brief you on the situation."
"Um…wouldn't Hikari be a more appropriate choice?" I asked as she pushed me away.
"No, no! It has to be you!" She wasn't letting up one bit. Kasumi looked at Subaru with her eyebrow raised then looked over at Caro. Her eyes widened in shock before turning back to me.
"You should listen to when a girl is asking to you to do something!" she said as she pushed me along as well. "Get moving!"
"Geez what is wrong with you two? I'm going, I'm going!"
-
As we waited for Vice and the Captains, Subaru informed me of what Caro and Erio told her, at least, stuff that wasn't mentioned in Caro's report. Like how it was a girl even younger than Caro was and how she was all beat up from walking for who knows how long in the sewers.
"I see…" I said after I heard everything. "Thanks."
"No problem," Subaru replied. "You can't be the only one who doesn't know what is going on."
"That's not what I'm thanking you for."
"Eh? Then what for?"
"For not letting me see the beat up girl. That's the real reason you made me come up here under the guise of 'establishing a perimeter,' right?"
"That…that is…um…"
"Oh, so that was the real reason after all."
"AH! You tricked me!"
"That old trick only works on gullible people. Says a lot doesn't it?" I asked her smiling slightly.
Seeing her blush and stutter like this while looking for a rock to crawl under is pretty funny.
"But seriously, thanks…I don't know what I would have done if I saw it."
"Heh, heh…no problem. Ah, there they are!" She said as she looked up and waved her hands.
I looked up as well. There's the chopper…I hope we can get the girl out of here as soon as possible…
-
As everyone gathered around Dr. Shamal as she treated the girl, I stood way in the back, so that the others obscured my view of the treatment. Of course, I simply said that I was standing watch, although I doubt anyone believed me, but if they didn't, they didn't say anything.
"Her physical condition is stable and there are no dangerous readings either…there's not reason to worry," Shamal diagnosed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially me. I took this opportunity to get a closer look at the girl. She was small all right. She was probably around six or seven years old…why the hell was she chained to Relic cases?
"I'm sorry that this had to happen during your vacation, everyone," Fate-san said as I looked back over to the others.
"No, its fine," Erio and Caro said quickly. Wonder how their little date went?
"We'll take the case and the girl back via helicopter," Nanoha-san said. "You guys inspect the scene."
"Understood."
Everyone but me agreed to this. I was too busy looking at the girl. There was…something about her that was bothering me…this feeling…for some reason, she reminds me of Fate-san and Erio…but why?
"Nanoha-chan, can you carry this girl to the helicopter?" Shamal asked her.
"Ah, no, let me do it for you," I said quickly as I rushed over.
"Eh? N-no that's okay, you shouldn't over exert yourself, Kuro-kun." She said as she and Fate-san picked her up carefully.
"How would I over exert myself picking up a little…wait…" I turned my head slowly like a garden sprinkler towards Subaru's back. She immediately stiffened up and turned around to see me glaring at her. She tried to walk away but I caught up and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Do you make it a habit of sharing personal stories?" I asked softly.
"N-no! I was just…uh…" she replied shaking in her boots.
"Didn't I say I only wanted you two to know?"
"W-well…I thought it would be important to…uh…let…"
"What part of, 'I don't want other people to know about this,' was too hard to understand?"
A small alert rang off in my comm.
"Saved by the bell…" Subaru muttered softly.
-
As was predicted, the Gadgets have caught whiff of the Relics and were on their way here. We had two objectives: take control of the northeast and southwest areas, while escorting the chopper out of the hot zone. Shouldn't be too hard. We're also getting reinforcements from Lieutenant Vita and Sergeant Ginga Nakajima…hey is she Subaru's older sister?
"Now then," Teana said as we prepared our devices. "Everyone, I hoped you enjoyed your vacation."
"Time to get to work and kick some ass!" Subaru said.
"Yeah!"
My precious vacation time…I'm really going to rip you a new one Scagletti.
"Standby!"
"Set Up!" "Lock and Load!" "Engage!"
This is something that always makes this worthwhile…transformation is nice…heh, heh…boing…
This was the battle plan, Lightning 3 and 4 along with Stars 3 and 4 will intercept the enemies entering through the sewer systems. Lightning 5 will assist Long Arch by relaying real time battle data back to them while I was to assist when necessary. In short I was a reserve unit, not too bad I guess.
I decided to keep a close eye on the chopper. I don't know why…maybe it's because of the little girl on board that has no way to defend herself. It's not that I don't trust Shamal or Vice, but…I just feel uneasy about all of this.
It was only a few minutes before Kasumi contacted me.
"Orders? About time," I said.
"We have a problem! Nanoha-san and Fate-san are under heavy attack from the Gadgets!"
"Tch, what a bad time to be without those birds! We can't fly without them! I'm getting tired of hopping from building to building."
"Seriously…anyway, keep your eye on the helicopter! We believe that they'll be targeting that sooner or later."
So they are after that girl? I should really trust my gut feelings more often!
"Hikari! You head underground and help the others! I'll see what I can do from up here!"
"Roger! Be careful up there! You'll be at a disadvantage until Ken gets there."
"Tell me something I don't know."
I cut the line and started to close the distance between the chopper and myself.
It was a few more minutes before I could barely make out the chopper.
"Oi, Vice!" I called through my comm..
"Huh? Kuro? Aren't you supposed to be with the other Forwards?" he asked.
"Change of plans! Control believes that you're the target…well not you yourself, but your cargo."
"Hmm…the way you say it, it makes me sound unimportant."
"Hahaha, sorry for being harsh."
"Should I head back and pick you up?" He asked as the chopper stopped for a moment.
"No," I said as I climbed up a large office building to measure the distance left to the chopper. "I'm pretty close to you already, just keep moving until you're out of the hot zone!"
"Roger!"
Just as I was about to continue my trek, I felt a shiver throughout my body. W-what is this? This is…
Someone contacted me through my comm.
"Long Arch? What is this?" I asked.
"A large energy signal has been spotted within the city!" Shari explained. Is this what I'm feeling? "Stars 5! Can you see anything from your position? It's to your northeast!"
Northeast…I turned to my right and saw something glowing…damn it my eyes aren't as good as Kasumi's…but…wait!
"What the hell is that!?"
"Stars 5?"
"It's a cannon! It's charging up!"
"Roger! Wait for confirmation!"
Screw that! I can't wait! What's it aiming at? Wait…it's aiming for…the chopper! Are they planning on destroying the evidence?
"Like hell they are!"
I started skipping across the rooftops like mad as I closed the distance, I didn't care if I was breaking orders. I needed to stop that shot!
A loud explosion reached my ears. It was if the world was moving in slow motion. I turned to see a large beam shoot from the building. No…not again…don't let it happen again…they're just in front of me damn it!
What is your desire?
I saw Ken floating next to me.
Do you want power?
Yes.
Power to make anything possible?
No. I don't need that much.
Then, what?
Just to protect my friends.
Are you willing to give your body up?
No. I intend to keep protecting them with this body.
Then they may die…
If I save them and disappear, they will be sad.
Despair is better than death.
No. A life full of despair is a fate worse than death.
An interesting answer... very well, I shall grant you your power. The power to protect is yours.
The next thing I knew, there was a loud explosion ringing through the air.
-
"Who…who are you?" Someone near me asked. I looked to my left, and saw Dr. Shamal who had fallen over from the explosion. I tried to speak but there was something covering my mouth, a metal mouth guard.
I took a quick look over my body. My original Barrier Jacket has changed completely. Instead of a samurai like armor, it was heavy full plate armor, similar to European knights of the Middle Ages. My imagination goes pretty far, I guess. I also now have a second black wing on my back. Must be a symbol of a rank up.
How did I get from that building to here I wonder…
A movement spell. Shadow Step. It relocates your entire being through the worlds of shadows using shadows to a place where you have been before.
I see. I looked at my feet. I was standing on top of Dr. Shamal's shadow. So that's how it works. I had also emitted a large shield to cover the chopper when I reappeared. I gave Dr. Shamal a thumbs up to let her know I was an ally since my looks and my voice were different and cut off respectively.
I jumped out of the helicopter to take a look around the area. There was still smoke around and it was jamming our communications…so annoying…let's see with this new armor comes with a new weapon…a gauntlet?
Flare Fist of the Demon King, Shinken, gauntlet form.
I see…how come I am unable to speak?
All of your concentration must be focused on your magic in this form. Dispel the magic to regain normal body functions.
I see…I can't talk when I use my magic. I lowered my hand that was holding up the barrier and my steel mask opened outward like an automatic door.
I picked up Long Arch's transmission in my comm.
"Is anyone there? Can anyone confirm the status of the helicopter?"
"This is Stars 5," I said breathlessly, opening my mouth after it was plugged up like that was tiring. I could barely catch my breath. "I…I managed to protect the chopper!"
"Kuro-kun?"
I turned around to see Nanoha-san behind me. She was looking at me in bewilderment as well…wait…
"Um…why are you pointing your device at me?" I asked pointing at Raising Heart, which was in a form I haven't seen before.
"Oh! Uh…I thought you were an enemy," She said as she scratched the back of her head.
"Please don't threaten me like that…it's really scary…" Like "looking down the opening of a nuclear missile silo" scary…
"A-anyway, Nanoha-san!" I said as I pointed in the direction where the shot came from. "I'll handle the defense of the chopper! The target is over there!"
"Okay! Fate-chan let's go!"
She then flew past me towards the cannon. As I watched her and Fate-san chase after the target, my comm. rang.
"Kuro! Is that really you up there?" It was Kasumi.
"Um, can I call you back? I'm watching the Captains using extreme brute force to subdue the ones who shot at the chopper."
Just as I said that, they shot some very dangerous and painful looking magic at the fugitives. Their shots collided into each other right where the fugitives were at and they were caught in a huge explosion…ouch.
"No they dodged it!" Fate-san said through the channel.
Seriously? How the hell is that possible?
A fast object rescued them.
I see…then that's it then, huh?
I flew towards the pilot seat of the chopper and knocked on the glass.
"You got a clear ride home buddy," I said to Vice.
"Yeah! Thanks for the save!" He said giving me a small salute.
"Heh, heh, all in a day's work."
I pulled back a bit and looked around. I guess I'll regroup with the other Forwards.
-
When I got there they were explaining what happened to the Relic that Vita thought she lost.
"The case wasn't a silhouette, it was the real one," Teana said. "My silhouettes are weak to shock and would have disappeared the minute they took it."
"So we opened the case and put a heavy seal on the Relic itself," Caro said.
"And the relic is…" Subaru said as she lifted off Caro's hat, revealing a transparent flower.
"Right here," Teana said as she snapped her fingers, turning the flower into the Relic.
"We thought it was best that Caro held onto it," Kasumi said, picking up the Relic.
"Since she has the least direct contact with the enemy," Erio added.
Rein and I clapped our hands in praise while Vita simply laughed, completely dumbfounded.
"By the way, Kuro-san," Caro said as everyone turned to look at me. "What's with that new jacket?"
"Oh this?" I asked as I turned around on the spot to show it to everyone. "Doesn't it make me look totally bad-assed?"
"Don't joke at a time like this!" Kasumi said.
"AH! Okay. This is another variation of my Barrier Jacket that was unlocked when the Limiter was removed, 'The Armor of the Unmovable Mountain, Barrier Jacket, Guardian Form.' With it I was able to get to the chopper and deploy a shield to block that shot, like so."
The steel mask closed around my mouth again as I concentrated my magic into my feet.
Shadow Step!
I sunk into the ground and heard the others gasp in shock. I then appeared behind Caro an instant later and my mask reopened.
"It's a pretty good movement spell," I said as I leaned on her head playfully. "However, I can only move to places I've been before and only if there is a shadow at the location. After that I deployed a magic shield, like this."
The mask closed itself again and I raised my hand above my head. A shield appeared above our heads. It was so wide that it covered all of us with ease. I then put my hand back down and the mask opened again.
"I see…so that's what happened," Teana said with her hand on her chin.
"Um…your heavy," Caro said.
"Ah, sorry about that," I said as I moved away a bit. "Another downside to this is that I can't talk when I use my magic. This stupid mask keeps closing on me when I do so." I pointed to the now open mask."
"No wonder you couldn't tell us that you saved the helicopter earlier," Subaru said. "If you did we might have been able to keep the summoner under custody…"
"Kuro! Front and Center!" Vita shouted suddenly.
"Y-yes ma'am!"
Oh crap! I remembered that I acted on my own without waiting for orders! Even if I saved the chopper…that or she's pissed at losing her quarry and even more pissed that Subaru just reminded her of it.
She looked up at me for a moment before smiling a bit.
"Thanks for saving the helicopter," she said. "You did a good job today."
…Did she just thank me?
I put my hand on her forehead.
"W-what the hell are you doing?" she asked as backed away.
"Just checking for a fever…did you hit your head on something Lieutenant?"
Whoa…I could see flames appearing behind her…why is she clutching her hammer with both hands? Oh, she's raising it above her head now. Oh, it's growing bigger! Oh it's…oh crap…
CLANG!
No pain on my head, just a loud sound echoing in it. Cool, the helmet I'm wearing is strong enough to defend even against the Lieutenant, even though she is good at breaking barriers. No wonder these gloves were considered dangerous.
"Cool, that didn't hurt at all," I said as I knocked on the helmet.
"Oh? It didn't, did it?"
There was a burning sea in her eyes now…man I got to learn to shut up sometimes…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
My scream echoed throughout the city as I was being beaten my savage superior.
A song that gives a person their strength can not be silenced, but can a person really rely on something that they do not understand? Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha LegendS: Songs and Family.
Author's Notes:
Well instead of having an official couple this chapter, we have Kuro's new Barrier Jacket and weapon form. I apologize if any of you are disappointed by the turn of events, but I have other plans for Kuro right now. Of course, you can't have him go an entire Chapter without getting hurt at least once. I love having him piss off Vita like this. It's almost like a stress relief. Oh and just in case any of you, my maybe 15 readers, are like me and try to visualize the characters actually saying the words in my fic, I fee like Kuro sounds like Nakamura Yuichi (who voiced Okazaki Tomoya from Clannad and Graham Acre from Gundam 00 as well as voicing Saotome Alto from Macross F) and Kasumi sounds like Hirohashi Ryou (who voiced Fujiyabashi Kyou from Clannad). Next time will be a Vivio chapter and something to do with a song...along with more relationship hints. Oh and don't worry, Kasu-min still has a huge role to play later on, so she's not out of the picture JUST yet! Hmm...should I have told you that? Oh well, that's not for a long time anyway.
Oh and on a final note, Reviews are appreciated and begged for!! I'm on my knees damn you!!
