Unnamed Snippets, by Takil

Part I originally posted on December 16th, 2016

Part II originally posted on December 21st, 2016


Part I


Ah. That was what it was.

It wasn't her ethereal beauty, almost inhuman in nature.

It wasn't the feeling of power emanating off her as she forced the lancer in blue back.

It wasn't the ridiculousness of the sight of the tiny woman blasting the much larger man back.

It was the absence of the feeling in the small of his back. He had grown used to the small pain there, the pain that shot through his body when he moved wrong, or when he overstretched himself.

He had kept the knowledge from his best friend, afraid that she would once again begin babying and smothering him, or that she'd have those nightmares again, shooting awake and drenched in sweat and warping to his side to make sure that he was there and he was safe.

He couldn't put her through that again if he could.

It was the absence of that pain that he noticed first. It had been there one minute, his backside against the ground of the small shack, his hands behind him to protect his fall. Then she appeared in a blast of light and power, and it was gone, as if it had all been a figment of his imagination.

Later, when his side was split apart from that terrifying axe sword of the giant, or when those swords pierced his flesh, he knew it wasn't the jewel seed that had saved his life. He could feel it within his very soul, and although he didn't have the chance to give it back, he thanked her every day for the rest of his life for the existence of it. It had saved his life, allowing him to be born as Emiya Shirou. It had saved his life from the jewel seed, even if the seed had attached itself to it. It had saved him from the Book of Darkness.

And it had saved him on that snowy planet, his body covering his best friend's. It had allowed him to protect that beautiful existence, and for that he would be forever grateful.

It had allowed him, time and time again, to return to that person, who had saved him just as much as the man he had always seen as his hero had.

So, he gave his thanks the only way he could. When his first daughter was born, he named her that familiar name.

Emiya Arturia. The memory of the once-and-future king, and the third person to save him.


Part II


The first time Shirou had met the Takamachi's was shortly after Nanoha had "befriended" him. She had demanded as her friend, he come over and meet her family. He had tried to argue, (still unsure about the whole friend thing in the first place) but she took no disagreements.

Later in life, Shirou would realize just how easily Nanoha could convince him to do something, a skill shared by most of the important women in his life, but for now, all he knew was that he couldn't bear the small, growing frown on his first friend's(?) face, so he quickly acquiesced.

The small café was a pleasant establishment, the location small but comfortable. Shirou noticed right away Nanoha's mother. Who else could she be, with her hair the same shade as her daughter's? There was also a tall man standing beside her, working the counter, who he reasoned was her father.

"Mama, Papa, I'm home!"

"Ah, welcome back, Nanoha!" Her mother stopped and looked at Shirou for a second. "And is this the Emiya-kun we've heard so much about?"

Shirou looked at the suddenly nervous girl, scratching her cheek. What exactly had she told them about him? The time on the roof was probably the second time they had ever talked.

"Ehehehe… Uh, yeah… Emiya Shirou-kun, I'd like you to meet my parents-"

"Momoko and Shiro Takamachi." The older woman smiled.

The man laughed and reached out a hand to the younger Shirou. "We share a name, so we should stick together against the oppression of the women in our life, ne Shirou-kun?" The burgeoning Magus didn't know it, but the handshake and the informality were a tool the older man used to make the boy comfortable. It was something he had used quite often in his youth, long before he retired.

That being said, it worked well, the boy shaking his hand, even though he had no idea what was going on.

And he still didn't, even though he was suddenly eating dinner with Nanoha, her parents, and the two older teens that had introduced themselves as Miyuki and Kyouya.

Kyouya smiled at the young redhead, keeping in mind what his sister had said about how he seemed almost… Empty inside. "So, Shirou-kun, Nanoha tells me that you moved here recently. I know that moms pretty much kidnapped you to eat, but is there anyone we should call in order to let them know where you are?"

Shirou shook his head lightly, gripping his chop sticks in his hand tightly as he tried to grip the noodles. "No, dads on a trip." He blew on his meal as his new… Friends' parents shared a concerned look.

"Does… That mean he left you all alone?" The older Shiro asked patiently. The problem was the child wasn't concerned, as if this was a regular thing.

Shirou nodded this time. "Yeah. Dad goes off every couple months looking for something, or on work. He'll be back later this week." He finished his meal quickly and began standing up. "I've got to begin cooking for tomorrow's lunch though, so if you'll excuse me-"

Momoko cut him off. "Nonsense! There's no way I'm leaving you alone for an entire week!" She turned to her husband and son. "Shiro, get the guest room ready! Kyouya, get some older clothes of yours for Shirou-chan to change into!"

Dismissing the fact she called him -chan, Shirou shook his head quickly even as the other two males began to do so. "There's no need, I'm used to it, and I don't want to be a bother."

His… Friend, smiled at him. "Mom's not going to let you leave, and she's too stubborn to win an argument against. Dad would know best, he's never won!"

"Stubborn like you?" He didn't mean to let out.

Her face looked shocked for a split second before opening up into a large smile. "Yup!"

And just like that, he was suddenly sleeping on a futon on the floor, not dissimilar to his own room, but with a far different feeling to it. He decided not to practice his magecraft that night, simply due to the fact that he was convinced the Takamachi family matron was going to check in on him to make sure he hadn't tried to escape. So, he decided to get comfortable and get rest.

The house was different from his own, but… He didn't hate the feeling he got here…

Yeah, the warmth…

When Momoko awoke at her normal time to begin cooking her family's breakfasts, she awoke to a nice smell wafting up. Immediately she bounced out of bed. No one in her family actually cooked except her, so who was doing this? The last time Nanoha tried to make her breakfast in bed she almost burnt the house down.

She raced down the steps, only to stop when she saw the young boy her youngest child had brought with her the day before. A peculiar child that didn't properly act as a child should, his eyes and motions more like someone attempting to imitate a person rather than what a person should be.

He was wearing an apron he must have borrowed from them; a plate being filled with omelets and toast. "Ah, Takamachi-san. Good morning."

"Good morning, Shirou-chan. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing up so early?"

He tilted his head like a small animal, like he had to go over what she said in his mind. "Ah… I wanted to repay you letting me stay the night, even though it must have been a bother. It only felt right to help out a bit."

Smiling gently, the older woman walked over to him and placed her hand gently on his head. "It's really no bother, Shirou-chan. Any friend of Nanoha's is a friend of ours. She has great taste in friends after all."

At this he looked down, gripping the spatula a little tighter. "Friends, huh…" The youth looked up at her. "What does it mean to be friends?"

And that was the problem she had noticed. He didn't understand… To not even understand the concept of friendship, to be used to and be okay with being left alone for long periods of time, to wish to help and repay even the simplest acts of kindness.

This boy… What had happened to him in the past? This was something more like she'd expect to see from one of her husband's old buddies, not a child.

But that was something to be dealt with another day. Instead, she gently wrapped her arms around him and drew him to her. "That will be something to find out on your own Shirou-chan. And you'll have lots of time to find out, because I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of my daughter. She's just as stubborn as me after all!"

"So I've heard."

She wasn't wrong, and that stubbornness was something that would cause him no end of troubles and headaches in the future, but it would be something he always admired about his best friend.

Momoko smiled gently as the boy hesitantly pulled away from her embrace. "I need to finish breakfast quickly, Takamachi-san…"

"Of course, Shirou-chan. Let me get everyone else ready, and we'll eat together."

It was at breakfast, when Nanoha was complimenting Shirou on his impressive skills (especially for such a young boy) that Momoko finally noticed what was bothering her. When Nanoha said with a large smile "Thanks!" The boy's eyes lit up and his mouth opened into the largest grin she had ever seen.

The minute the short conversation was over though, his face immediately returned to the impassive expression he had before. That… That wasn't right. A child should smile after all. That did it. She'd have to show this boy how he could be happy!

Shirou would later figure out stubbornness wasn't the only thing the Takamachi women had in common.

For Shirou, the Takamachi family was something he had never had before. His father loved him, and he loved his father, but there was always a distance between the two of them. Maybe it was because he wasn't his blood son, or maybe it was something to do with the old man being a Magus, Shirou didn't know. But what he did know was that the Takamachi family was made of warmth.

Warmth and guilt, because by god could every single one of them make him feel like a child (disregarding the fact that he was). Momoko hugged him whenever she saw him, Shiro always took good care of him, Kyouya was beginning to teach him in swordsmanship, and Miyuki treated him as if he had always been a part of the family. And Nanoha of course, acted like the best thing in the world was being with him and her other friends, like the most important thing in the world was to have fun.

And with time, he found himself letting off small smiles whenever she did something silly, or when Alisa and Suzuka had a fight that Nanoha broke apart single-handedly. Or when Momoko would give him one of those small hugs to say hello, or a long hug to say goodbye. Or when Shiro would give him some advice that he knew his father tried to give, but couldn't quite figure out how to. Or when Kyouya would stay up late watching dumb movies with him, or when Miyuki would give one of those teasing grins asking if he wanted to take a bath with her.

Yes… The Takamachi family was made of warmth.

And when far later in life he would adopt a young child of his own, his one wish above all else was that she could be raised with that same warmth he was shown by a family as dear to him as his own.


Caster Class Card (Part I & II), by Catasros

Part I originally posted on April 2nd, 2016

Part II originally posted on April 21st, 2016


Part I


Uminari City, night of Christmas Eve. The air is cold, the snow covers the city like a blanket and everything is silent. Mostly. To those few who know, this night has inadvertently become the one where several plans, both well made and less so will make or break. In the sky over the quiet buildings, visible only to those allowed to see the calm is broken by the clamor of battle and multicoloured light of magic. Spells that could raze the city with ease, tear down workplaces and whipe out homes with ease if it weren't for the protective dome which cover the battlefield are being sent flying through the sky with ease. The ones most visually stunning are being preformed by mere children, much too young for the responsibility such power and skill bring. All present within this dome strive with all their strength to fullfill their goal. All but one.

On the top of Uminary University Hospital stands a lone child. His hair is bright red and his eyes not unlike gold. The very same eyes are filled with dispair. This is a child who's sole purpose in life is to be a Hero. An Ally of Justice who saves everyone. It is for this sole reason he practice his mediocre spells. This is why he, until recently, preformed a suicidal practice every night. This is why his mind is filled with a soul-crushing selfloathing. An innocent life, the life of a girl he knows at that, is in terrible danger, his friends are on the ropes and he can do nothing. It is a dogfight unlike anything this world has seen for ten years, and he is unable to even attempt to join. Everything would seem hopeless.

"Well, well young man. Why such a glum expression?" The world warps and twists. The chilly rooftop vanishes and in it's place, what seems to be a richly detailed limousine takes shape. Along the left wall stands a bar table and along the right a sofa, stretching from one end to the other, where it twist and follow the back wall. At the far end stands a small table and at the table sits a man. He is small, almost as short as the boy himself and wears a black suit. The man is almost bald and what little hair he has is white as snow. He has a long, pointed nose, large eyes and bushy black eyebrows. On the table in front of him rests a large amount of cards. The boy unwillingly takes a step back and sweat starts to form on his brow.

"Now, why this scared face? You look like a rabbit facing a fox. Come on, take a seat." The man makes a gesture towards the sofa and the boy carefully sits down, not taking his eyes off the tiny man. The boy has been instructed to not to talk with strange men after all and this imp-like man is plenty strange. Just a shame the lecture didn't touch upon kidnapping via teleportation.

"Where am I? What do you want?" His voice carried little strength, not that much more then a whisper. Still, the old man's pointed ears picked it up.

"Where? Why, you're in the Velvet Room. And I am here to help you, if you so wish." The boy visibly relaxed somewhat, but none the less raised an eyebrow at the rather unexpected answer.

"Help? How?"

"My, you ask plenty questions, don't you. In short, I will give you means to fight like you never could imagine." Before the boy could reply, the old man picked up three of the spread-out cards from the table. Now, young man. Each of these hold the power you need to save your friends. Choose one, young Shirou. More will come, with time as you gain skill in their use. But for now, all you can handle is one. All you need is one. The first depicted a woman in armored plate wielding a bow. The second, another armored figure, this time a man riding a carriage. The last picture showed an old man with white beard draped in heavy robes and carrying a staff.

The boy looked at the old man in disbelief. "Why would you give me this? What do you want? The old man chuckled slightly.

"Because, boy, it is my purpouse. I give power to those worthy to enter the Velvet Room. But if you wish to feel like you need to earn these gifts, I could send you on small quests later, if you wish. It may just hasten your path to your Dream." After a short moment of hesitation, the boy took the card with the robed man.

Instantly, the room started to fade. "Wait! What's your name?" The boy cried out, even as the room vanished and the city began to reappear. The man chuckled again.

"My name is unimportant for now, Emiya Shirou, but for now you can call me the Card Master. At that, the Velvet Room had vanished entirely and Emiya Shirou found himself on the cold roof of Uminari University Hospital once more, the tiny card the only proof of the apparent dream. Above him beams of colourful light still clashed, only in greatly diminished strenght. Shirou's hand unconsiously closed upon the card and it instantly shattered into fragments of multicoloured light. The fractions gathered around the surprised youth and in a brief flash his clothes had changed.

His School uniform had been replaced by heavy robes and a hood in different shades of purple. In one hand he held a crocked knife with a rainbow-woloured blade and in the other a long staff. He also floated several decimeters above the rooftop. as he took the sudden change in, knowledge forced it's way into his mind. From seemingly nowhere, he gained the insight into spells long lost. Magic lost to the mages of today. And, more importantly to the present, he learned how to fly. The thoughts and worries over the so called Card Master's knowledge of his Dream, and more importantly, his name, was long forgotten. He let the knife vanish into the folds of the robe, now painfully aware of it's meaning and the tragedy it carried, and then took to the sky, mind already preparing ways to finally aid his dear friends.

Back in the Velvet Room, the Card Master Igor smiled widely "Well well well... Emiya Shirou, you may just become a very interesting Wild Card... I look forward to see what your future has in store..."


Part II


Flying, as it turned out, was harder then his friends made it look like, and his new clothes made it no less awkward. The tiny shape made it's way up into the endless sky, ziging, zaging, dipping and rising, everything but straight, with the city shrinking beneath him rapidly. The sensation of such freedom, of complete weightlessness was addicting, never before had he felt like this. Granted, the headache which came out of nowhere took away some of the thrill. It too, was unlike anything he'd felt before. It was a chilling thing, spreading like hoarfrost through his mind. It was a searing sensation, as if someone tried to slowly scorch his brain. A thousand needles piercing his bloodveins from the inside out. But it never stayed long, never, grew beyond a mild annoyance. He cast a glance upwards, towards the awaiting battle. Fierce beams of light kept cutting through the night, the stalemate had yet to be broken. Shirou took a moment to admire the view as he kept ascending. Uminari had never looked quite as beautiful as now, it's lights akin to a million gems in the night. Then his mind burned. He shifted his gaze upwards again. A blood-red knife-like bolt of light flew past him. It would've struck him between the eyes, had not something warned him beforehand. There was no more time to be distracted.

He was nearly at the scene of the dogfight, unlike anything the rest of the world had ever seen. In the short moments he had looked elsewhere, it would seem the opponent had had enough, and started to fire off greater, much more dangerous spells. His friends, who had already struggled to keep up was now hardpressed to stay safe, never mind counterattacking. Red dagger-like speels, the same as the one that came too cloe to give him an unwanted piercing covered the battlefield, with a streak of pink light and another streak of yellow light speeding through the offending projectiles, weaving in, out and around them. He emptied his mind, like so many times before and to the front of his mind came the power to aid his friends, and with it, the incoporeal stinging sensation increased tenfold.

Futher away, a small girl in a once pristine white dress flew for her life. Never before this point had Takamachi Nanoha been pushed so hard. 6 months previously, she had fought hard. Without any training or preceeding knowledge, she had been thrust into a matter far out of her league. She had prevailed, and forced herself beyond her limits, but it didn't compare. Spells of all manner of schools filled the heavens, each primed to kill. Not stun or knock unconcious, but kill, and they were wielded by a thing which had hijacked their newest friend's body. Nachtwall someone had called it, she vaguely remembered. Everything hurt by this point. She had had far to many close shaves with offending spells, the fight had been long and she and her companion, Fate Testarossa had been forced into a different fight just barrier jacketswere burned, their bodies battered and bruised and their Linker Cores nearing depletion. But they had to win, for that sad girl they had to win. There was a way, she knew it, they just had to-

Their foe, a tall woman with long flowing silver hair and red eyes raised her hand. All the offending spells vanished. The two young aces dared to breathe a sigh of relief. But then, almost like a cruel gesture of fate, new light started to gather in the woman's hand. More and more. Nanoha desperately tried to formulate a strategy, it wasn't over yet, they just had to- "Divine Danmaku" It was barely more then a whisper, but the words made the two freeze up entirely. Spheres gathered around the woman. Dotting the air around in ever greater number. The two lost all hope in an instant, both knew just how many projectiles this spell would launch and that it was nowhere near fully charged. And indeed, the spheres just kept on forming until their opponent could barely be seen. It was over, they could never survive this. The spheres lunged forwards. 200 meters separated the two girls from their dark opponent, and the offending spells covered half the distance in no time. Just as tears formed in their eyes, the most unlikely voice cut through the night.

"ανούσια λόγια"

Fiercely shining beams cut though the air, shattering the onslaught of pink deathballs. A second volley blazed past the black-clothed woman, forcing her to a halt. All 3 fighters turned to the oncoming shape, a small boy dressed in heavy purple robes unsteadily flying towards them, with tufts of red hair poking out beneath the hood.

Beneath the hood, Shirou clenched his teeth. As a magus, he was no stranger to the pain that would come with the usage of Magic Circuits, but this was something else entirely. His mind felt like it was burning, and at the same time freezing over. The sensation of getting stung by needles had grown similarly to the point where he could no longer just ignore it. But he would endure it. Too many lives where at risk for him to quit because of this. So he readied a second spell.

"περισσότερες λέξεις"

Before him, the silver-haired woman froze up, his spell rendering her unable to move. It wasn't for long, but enough. A new wave of pain wrecked through his mind, but he held on. He had felt the blaze of fire before, he had felt pain before. This was nothing he couldn't handle. Almost there. A magic circle formed before the woman, the spell prompted without words or gestures. She had no need for them. A new blast of Magic tore through the sky, larger then any before it. But before it could reach him:

"συντομώτερος δρόμος"

The boy vanished and the starshattering spell carried on towards the heavens. Nearly instantly the boy appeared again, just in front of his target and his hand went into his robe. When he pulled it out, he held the wicked blade again. Without hesetation or fear, disregaring the cries from his two friends he thrust it forwards, bringing it's damning name to his lips.

"RULE BREAKER!"

The blade barely broke the woman's skin, but none the less, the effect was instant and ruthless. Every contract broke. In an instant the beautiful woman was replaced by a small brownhaired girl, Yagami Hayate, holding an old black book in her hands. The book in question seemed to have grown lighter, the great weight gone and it glowed with an inner pale light. Fate was there in a flash, catching Hayate before she could begin her fall. The book in her arms glowed for a second, and in the brownhaired girls chest a different glow answered. The children in black and white turned to the boy. The lad in question clutched his chest with his free hand for a second, before the robes vanished, and he rapidly began to fall. Nanoha dove after him, but she just couldn't catch up. Her strength was finally running out and she ultimately wasn't as fast as Fate. A cry of desperation left her lips.

Shirou's mind was blinded by pain. He couldn't think, couldn't move, all he could comprehend was scenes he had never seen. Memories wich wasn't his own. A life filled with suffering, betrayal from all sides, cruel Gods and cold, bitter hate. And unending despair and couldn't draw on the card's power anymore. It was unresponsive, dormant. He'd die. Crushed upon the waves, like a watermelon dropped on concrete. Through the haze of bitter memories, Shirou found himself satisfied. The Card's ultimate power, Rule Breaker had done it's job. Yagami Hayate was free, and the Tome of the Nightsky cleansed. Six lives was safe, as well as the lives of his friends and the whole city. He was satisfied with that. Through the pain, he was at peace with his oncoming demise.

That was when he saw it. A large hawk, made up of thin blue wires filled more and more of his fading vision. With a final Herculean effort he twisted his head towards the distant shore. Barely, just barely he could make out the figure of a woman where land met sea, a woman with brilliant white hair and clear red eyes wearing a deep red shirt and white skirt, her face was twisted in worry. Behind her stood a man dressed in black suit with messy black hair, with a similiar expression. Shirou afforded a smile as more wires burst out for the hawk and closed around him, slowing down his fall. As darkness finally took him and the pain faded, all he could think was: "I hope mom won't use the bath punishment again."


Sword Cancer, by Fraggle

Originally posted on March 2nd, 2016


The Jewel Seed.

A Lost Logia of tremendous power. Able to disturb space-time, cause sudden alteration of size, strength, and may cause dimensional rifts when used in larger numbers. Shirou recalled that Yuuno could go on about them for hours. Back then he really hadn't been very interested in them aside from keeping them sealed and save. Even after one of the lost logia's had decided to settle down inside his body, which resulted in a sealing device monitoring him 24/7, his interest had been limited to knowing enough to keep the damn thing from going haywire if things went south.

Maybe he should have paid more attention back then...

"... has spread to three different areas in your liver alone. We found traces of the alterations in your limbs, as well as some small areas in your brain. Those are probably why you keep losing consciousness when your body is placed under significant stress." Shamal paused, the mask of the professional doctor slipping as her have betrayed just how distraught she herself was over the scans in her hand. "The spread has been slow until you suffered traumatic damage to your back last year, when your body deflected most of the weapon's impact by shifting your lower back's muscle tissue into steel. Most likely this is where..."

...because he was pretty sure that Yuuno or anyone else had never mentioned that they were Carcinogenic.

Later on Shirou would remember Nanoha, expression reduced to an eerie pale ghost of her trademarked enthralling smile, clutching to his side while trying to convince herself that it was all but a bad dream. He would remember Fate, who kept asking questions, each one becoming more forceful and desperate as she sought for a solution, for options, any glimpse of hope. He would remember Hayate promising him that everything would be alright, that she'd find a way even as the girl who had years before had accepted her own demise simply refused to acknowledge that this time he had drawn the shortest straw.

At that moment, Shirou found that after having survived the inferno of his old hometown, having magical beast attacking him, having Fate's mad scientist mother experimenting on him and finally facing magical warriors of distant pasts in battle, sword cancer really was not the way he had expected to die. Hell, he hadn't even thought of sword cancer as a thing.

And seeing how his friends were taking the news, he really wished it wasn't.


Shirou Papa, by Teknofan

Originally posted on May 21st, 2015


Shirou gave a satisfied sigh as he stretched his arms over his head while walking back towards the Alpine residence. The night air was a pleasant temperature and a fine way to end a fulfilling day. The training trip to Carnaaji had been in the works for a while. Vivio and her friends (along with newcomer Einhart Stratos) had spent the first day playing/training in the river with Nove. While Shirou, along with Nanoha, Fate, and the forwards did their own training exercises in preparation for the mock battle between the red and blue teams next morning.

Both Nanoha and Fate had stayed behind to give the training field another once over, while Shirou made his way back to the resort with plans to have a quick dip in the hot spring followed by cooking a delicious supper for the girls (and Erio).

He was broken from his musings by what sounded like an explosion followed by a geyser springing up from the fenced off area of the hot spring.

Shirou immediately sprang into a sprint, his mind already pulling up blueprints of blades from his soul, as he sent out a telepathic call to his adopted child via a prepared channel between his device and Sacred Heart.

"Vivio can you hear me?"

"Wha…ah…AH... Papa?"

"What happened? Are you alright? I'll be right there."

As the redhead quickly reinforced himself and traced his signature twin blades, readying to soar over the fence and lay waste to-

"AH! Wait Papa, it was just Sein"

-Sein for…. wait a moment?

The golden –eyed magus freezed in his actions as the act of suddenly stopping coupled with his forward momentum resulted in him falling comically face first onto the dirt ground.

"Wait a second, Vivio did you just say Sein?"

"Uhm"

After spitting out some dirt and grass, Shirou thought back to what he remembered about the #6 cyborg. He never really interacted with her very much, in fact the only memorable things he could recall was her being a member of the sankt church, her ability to be intangible, a bad habit of groping girls in the bath….

"Vivio"

Despite the heat of the spring, Vivio couldn't help but feel a distinct chill at the tone of her father's voice.

"Yes Papa"

"Tell me exactly what happened."


As the girls emerged from the changing area feeling both refreshed and hungry, Sein was the last to leave but before she could take more than three steps beyond the threshold she nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt a hand clamp on to her right shoulder from behind.

"Hello Sein, fancy seeing you here," Shirou said merrily

Or at least while it sounded merrily there was also a hint of wrongness. The same wrongness that caused the cyborg nun to break out into cold sweat and stand stock-still as if some primal instinct warned her not to move nor look back. It didn't help that everyone else had turned around at the sound of Shirou's voice and were now also staring at the red-haired magus with varying looks of fear and paling faces.

"Ah p-papa," Vivio stammered while both Rio and Corona clung to her at either side and while her device 'Kris' tried to bury itself into Vivio's blond hair. "You r-really don't n-need too…"

"Oh but I do," Shirou replied cheerily as he stepped around to Sein's right side while still keeping his iron claw left hand on her shoulder causing the #6 cyborg to finally look at Shirou's face.

It was the stuff of nightmares.

"Lutecia, do you mind if I borrow one of the spare rooms?" Shirou asked the purple haired summoner. "We're going to have a little chat about why sexual harassment is bad."

"Just down the hall, first door on your left." The lavenderette succinctly replied.

"Why thank you," Shirou replied while dragging Sein down towards the room in question.

The now white faced nun looked back towards her family and friends. Eyes wide with fright, mouth open in a silent cry for 'help', while reaching out with her left hand as though grasping for a life line that would save her from the abyss.

"You reap what you sow sis." Nove quipped.

"Good luck Sein." Subaru said with a thumbs up.

"Maybe this will get through to you." Teana said evenly.

"D-do your best." Caro replied

"Try not to die."Chirped Lutecia.

"uuuwwaaaaaaaaa." Sein mewled pathetically before being pulled into the room followed by the door shutting with a sound not unlike the closing of a coffin lid.

"Uhm, Vivio."Einhart softly asked.

"Yes." Vivio replied while her friends and Kris still clung to her.

"Is you father, uh, usually this terrifying?"


Ilya's Outlash, by Teknofan

Originally posted on September 25th, 2012


Darkness began to fade away before light as Shirou try to rid his head of the lingering cobwebs within his cranium.

"Wha...what happened, " groaned shirou as he tried to regain focus only to become more increasingly aware of the aches and pains all over his body.

"Ah, your awake"

"Wha..what happened, where...am I ...I.."

Memories began to flow through the redhead's mind, a telepathic call for help, ambushed by a white beautiful woman wielding a large halberd, leaving said woman's fileted corpse behind, rushing towards and entering the temporal barrier, and then...

Broken and bloodied bodies...no...

A petite redhead torn in half beside a shattered hammer...no...A young man in a black uniform with spiked shoulders and a bloody stump for a head...no...no...An unrecognizable lump of blue fur and red entrails...no..no..no...A pink haired woman with a gaping hole through her torso...NO...NO..A dismemberd blonde in a green dress...NO...NOAnother blonde in black whose abdomen had been crushed...NO...NO...A brunette kneeling on the ground, her throat slit, her face forever frozen in anguish, despair and grief ...NO...NO...NO...A tiny doll like girl stomped into a footprint...NO...NO...NOOOOO...A woman in a large crater, the concrete is shattered around her, her pristine white and blue jacket is stained in red, limbs bent and twisted at unnatural angles...NO...And yet she still manages to turn her head towards him...NO...And he watches the life fade from her eyes ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO

"Honestly I can't believe those guys actually managed to take away nine of berserkers lives "

A giant adamantine monster wielding a monstrous axe and a crushed blonde man in its gargantuan hands...

"Even after I set up that field to slow them down and keep them from flying away, ...seriously magi that can fly, who knew..."

Vision tinted in red , a terrifying scream of rage and despair, blades and weapons that can rend a mountain being traced and launched at sonic speeds to destroy the monster...

"I still wasted two command seals, had to kill at least one of them myself and what kind of barrier was she using anyway , it was like trying to cut through steel with a butterknife, oh yeah and there was that annoying little flying doll that tried to attack me..."

Twin katanas in hand, charging, backhanded by the quickly recovering beast...

"... I hope it really hurt when berserker stomped her, anyways I nearly wasted all my prana just to stop you after you killed berserker again!"

Pain and agony wracked both his body and soul, a vision of scarlet red eyes, and then darkness...

" Oh and don't think I've forgotten about what you did to Leysritt, that was the closest I've ever seen Sella come to crying..."

He became idly aware that he was restrained in a chair but all he could feel was a deep cold numbness permeating his being. The physical aches and pain were but a distant memory. His mind kept looping back to the moment he entered the shattered field filled with the bodies of his shattered friends to the moment of darkness and then back again like a horrid video set to eternally repeat. The already broken man that was Shirou Emiya shattered even more into infinitely smaller pieces. He had failed.

"Hey don't ignore me, I know you can hear me, do you have any idea what you've cost me? Do you? I have half a mind just to kill you now and be done with it..."

He couldn't save them, he couldn't save anyone, just like ten years ago at the fire, just like eight years ago at the Garden of Time and again at that snowy field overlooking Uminari. The people he trained with, traveled with, fought alongside with, sat down and enjoyed his cooking with, they were gone...gone...

"...what was up with the magic they were using and for that matter what was up with YOUR magic..."

All the training, the studying, the fighting, the weapons and skills acquired. The leaps and bounds he made in discovering, honing, and mastering his unique craft. To be able to stand alongside his friends, to become the hero his father couldn't, and all of it was for naught; cause he was not there when his friends no his family needed him the most. They were all dead...DEAD.

" Hey are you even listening..."

Shamal...Vita...Zafira...Signum...Rein...Hay ate...Chrono...Fate...Yuuno...Na... Na...Nanoha...

" I'm seriously starting to get mad, you better start talking or I'm gonna call Berserker and get him to rip your.."

"Why?"

"Wait, what did you say?"

"Why did you kill them?" Shirou said weakly while raising his head to finally look at his surroundings. It was a well furnished room with immaculate white walls and elaborately embroidered and decorated furniture. There was a large four poster bed and scattered around the room were stuffed animals and dolls indicative of child's room, a very rich and expensive child's room. He looked down to see that he was secured to a chair by thick chains wrapped around his chest, arms, and legs. He then looked upon the sole occupant of the room besides himself and beheld a young girl who looked no older than twelve wearing a purple and white dress. She also possessed white hair, white skin, and blood red eyes.

The same colour of eyes that Fate had...

It was at this moment that the tumultuous emotions within shirou burst out in an regurgitive vomit all over the formerly clean carpet.

ARRgghh slop slop!

"EWWWWWWWW gross, just look at this mess," the girl said with disgust, "What is wrong with you anyway?"

"What's wrong," Shirou choked out in a mix of outrage, anger, and incredulity, "WHAT'S WRONG! THEY'RE DEAD AND YOU KILLED THEM...YOU AND THAT MONSTER! WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? THEY DID NOTHING TO YOU!" Shirou roared while trying to struggle and free himself from his bonds. The girl backing away suddenly looking startled and frightened. He instinctively reached out to his circuits willing them to activate so he can shatter these chains and enact righteous vengeance against the killer in front of him only to realize that no matter what he did his circuits would not activate.

"Oh I wouldn't bother trying to use your magic if I were you," the girl said haughtily now looking more composed with her hands on her hips and sporting a confident grin. " I placed a seal on your circuits and this is room surrounded by a bounded field that keeps any outside mana from getting in, so why don't you get comfortable and we can have a nice long chat."


Kiritsugu and Precia, by fraggle

Originally posted on August 14th, 2015


"Nothing we do with the second chance live has given us will ever make up for the atrocities we performed, no matter our intentions" Kiritsugu gazed into the distance, ignoring her in favor of gazing up into the empty sky. "The reason you sit here, looking for an answer shows that somewhere, buried deep inside of you, you knew what you were doing was wrong."

"You kept telling yourself 'It can't be helped, this is the only way." a twisted smile appeared on the man's face, his expression that of a man looking down at his former self. "This is how things are. At times you'd convince yourself that the people you're hurting deserve it. You become numb to their pain and suffering, you learned to shut out the voice speaking against it. But the voice never goes away, and at times when you have almost forgotten, when you think you are at peace with yourself it will return with with a vengeance."

"I sit here, and I cannot imagine the day when I will forgive myself." Precia confessed. "I don't believe… No, I know I don't deserve it."

"That's good, because that day will never come."Kiritsugu noted, startling the woman with the certainty of his statement. "Others may try to convince you they have forgiven you, kind people like my son and his friends who are capable of such a thing. But remember that their forgiveness is more about them than you. For them, imparting forgiveness is a blessing."

"If you wish... If you wish for it then I will protect you from anyone or anything in this entire world. Not because I'm your daughter... but because you're my mother!"

"Fate deserves… they deserve so much better than me."

"They do." Kiritsugu agreed . "Then again, so does my wife and our children."

"Then," Precia looked at Kiritsugu with a look bordering on despair. "How do I go on from here?"

"You'll keep going, because you have no other choice." the man stood up, turning away from the woman. "You will never forgive yourself. Accept it. You hurt others, hurt your child in ways that may never be undone. You might never find personal retribution, but your life does not have to end. There are still things people like us can do. Things that are right, roles that we must play whether it be that of a parent of a teacher. Do not live for yourself but live for others, others that may be saved through your effort.

The man walked into the garden of the house, moving out of the light of the house as a single point of light betrayed the lightning of a cigarette.

"That is the least you can do."


The Seven Rings That Protect Against Orbital Bombardments, by fraggle

Part I originally posted on May 10th, 2015

Part II originally posted on May 11th, 2015

Part III originally posted on May 12th, 2015


Welcome all participants and spectators." The enthusiastic voice of the smallest Wolkenritter echoed trough the speakers placed on the field. " This is The Crimson Iron Rider Vita.."

"..and this is Chrono, Male specimen extraordinaire." A second male voice joined the broadcast. "The two of us, along with the ferret over here.."

"HEY!"

"... will be giving live commentary on this event." The admiral ignored the burning glare from the librarian sitting next to him as he continued. " The main actor of today's entertainment has just entered the training grounds... he truly has no survival instincts does he? I mean, does he know whats going to happen?"

"Technically all the attacks will be non-lethal,"Vita pointed out. "But... no, he's like a lemming in that regard."

"Well, better to be a lemming then to be a ferret."

"One day I'll hit you, you know." Yuuno's eyes were hidden from view as if an ominous shadow was being cast over it . "When you least expect it..."

"Come at me Librarian, do you have enough books to throw at me?"

"ONORE!"

Emiya Shirou ignored the distant rabble of the crowd which was currently fully occupied by the sudden brawl taking place in the commentary booth. Instead he Focused his attention on a white speck in the sky, his reinforced sight making out the lovely features of the anger hovering in place... although technically she was more of a white devil. It had been her idea to test the limits of his latest addition to his arsenal, preferably on a remote training complex with as little as spectators as possible. Unfortunately Vita had gotten word and even yesterday he was sure that the girl had been selling tickets to both her and Nanoha's students.

"Shirou. Are you ready?"Nanoha's voice entered his mind as the familiar sensation of the telepathic communication system transferred her thoughts to his mind "... Don't push yourself to hard. If things get out of hand warn me immediately!"

"Don't worry. I have faith in your ability,"

Shirou responded as he stretched out his right arm, his own preparations complete as he called forth the construct to the forefront of his thoughts. "Besides, we want to see what the limits are. Holding back wont help me there. That's why..."Magical energy poured forth from Nanoha's core. With a single, practiced motion she aimed Raising Heart towards the ground.

"Divine... Buster!"

The attack raced towards the boy who watched the incoming beam unflinching, his response unwavering as he shouted his answer.

"Rho Aias!"


The battlefield was bathed in pink. From the heavens poured forth the pink beam of destruction, only to fail to find traction as it touched the first layer of the seven petals protecting the defender. All who watched it were mesmerized as the struggle continued, the beam's output increasing as the white devil loosed the restraints on her power.

" Divine buster. The pink lance of merciless befriending!" Vita spoke as the excess mana started to cause havoc on the battlefield. "Merciless pink death! Awakener of love! inducer of strange sexual fanta..OW!"

" That's enough of that," Chrono Harlaown noted while his fist continued to rest on Vita's head before elaborating. "First developed by Takamachi Nanoha as an ranged attack to seal distant lost logia, she soon converted it to her signature offensive bombardment-type attack spell."

"It's barrier-piercing ability is not to be underestimated" Yuuno added while staring at the clash between the two spells. "Most barriers struck directly fall within seconds..."

"Which means that Yuuno Scrya here is having a serious bout of barrier envy right now, dear ladies and gentlemen." Vita mused "Because right now Nanoha is making no progress at all."

Her attack had not diminished in output ever since she had started. Raw power compressed on a deadly lance of power struck the shield in front of him. It was a mighty blow, one loaded with an amount of magic that he could never match with force alone.

His enemy was his lack of energy and the constant drain inflicted by the conceptual weapon. His ally was the shape of the barrier, which acted as an umbrella as it diverted the majority of the attack away from him. Nanoha's attack was simply not compressed enough to fully focus her strength onto a single point, rendering it unable to break trough the shield itself. Instead her attack was slowly eroding the outer layer, resulting in the skin on his right hand turning sore and red away as his body suffered in accordance.

"...Originally the shield of Aias was an actual bronze shield, covered in seven layers of ox-hide." Yuuno Scrya explained even as the power struggle continued. "It is said that the javelin of the hero Hector which had never before been blocked during the Trojan War was first stopped by this shield. The myth tells that the weapon pierced trough all but the seventh layer before stopping."

"That sound less like a win and more like nearly not losing"Vita noted as she suddenly started eyes the shield with less confidence then before. "Also, if it was made from bronze then why is it now a pink flower?"

"... a long and complicated story. "Yuuno brushed Vita's question aside. "Well, in short this shield is more like a representation, a Conceptual Weapon that is said to be an absolute defense against any thrown weapon."

"Is that what Shirou said?"

"Yes, following with 'It's magic, that's how it works'," Yuuno let out a sigh, "Anyway... oh, Nanoha stopped attacking."

Shirou glanced to the sky as the pressure of Nanoha's attack dissipated without warning. Nanoha hadn't moved from her spot in the sky, nor had he moved a single step from his position. Around him the ground had been brushed away by the sheer force, leaving him standing in a small enclave of pristine ground surrounded by fresh dirt. He ignored the stinging of his skin as he refused to relax, unwilling to let down his guard as he looked towards the sky...

... towards the slowly gathering mass of magical energy.


Starlight Breaker. There probably wasn't any mage in the TSAB's training corps who did not know of the white devil's signature finishing move. Originally designed to gather the stray magical energy from the battlefield, for the young Takamachi Nanoha this spell had been the final Ace in the hole. Shirou still remembered the look on Fate Testarossa's face when the exhausted blond truly realized just how bad the cards had been stacked against her. While the younger Nanoha needed both herself and her opponent to spend most of her magic for this attack to work the current Nanoha did not even need anyone else to fuel her assault.

Eyeing the growing ball of pink Emiya Shirou found himself very grateful for the fact that Nanoha had left her cartridges behind. This was the first time he found himself the recipient instead of being just a bystander...

"Blink and you're dead" Shirou spoke to himself, remembering how Yuuno had once explained his attempts on withstanding Nanoha's attack. "One moment of weakness and you're toast."

Thus Shirou stood his ground as the skies broke open and destruction rained down towards him.

"AAAUG!" Vita cried out as she averted her gaze from the battlefield while jamming a pair of sunglasses handed to her by Yuuno onto her nose. "My vision will be over saturated for days!"

Starlight breaker, no matter it's strength is but a blast of magic with my mystery to it. Thus it cannot pierce the impenetrable shield of Aias...

"What the..!"

Each layer has the defensive power of a fortress wall. But what the endless wave of magic cannot pierce it erodes. Shirou's arm bursts into pain as the first two petals are washed away by the current, clenching his teeth as the toll is payed by his own flesh. Nanoha's attack is an unrelenting force, steadily washing away his defense as the third layer falls. For a moment hope filled Shirou's mind as the attack started to waver, the blast finally reaching its apex...

"Raising heart!"

... only for Nanoha to come crashing down on top of him, weapon first as she delivered the third and final layer of her assault.

"Divine Buster...A.C.S!"

Shirou blinked.