Chapter 3: Introductions
The girl landed lightly on the ground, a smile covering her face. Before Nanoha could inquire about the green haired girl in front of her, the girl's facial expression quickly changed to one of annoyance.
"And may the Gods grant you peace? Ah geez, that was way to cliché." The girl crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she fell into deep thought. Nanoha and Yunno could only exchange questioning glances at each other before she spoke up.
"Oh, I got it." The girl struck a pose reminiscent of some old cartoon hero. "Disappear from this world foul demon, your kind shall no longer be permitted to run free!"
Silence. After several seconds, the girl grabbed at her head and started screaming.
"Ahh! That's even worse!" If she hadn't just faced a zombie, Nanoha would have found this funny.
However, something hit her while she watched the girl pace and mutter to herself. Common. She's speaking Common.
Dealing with new worlds was always difficult, and was usually made more difficult thanks to various language barriers. To simplify matters, the TSAB mandated teaching a common language among all schools on regulated planets as a second language. The idea was to allow for easier communication and trade among planets while allowing them to keep whatever unique languages already existed. But the question remained, how did this girl know Common, and who taught it to her?
"Umm. Excuse me?" With a start, the shrine maiden snapped out of whatever daydream she was having and turned towards the white Ace.
"Ahh, sorry." Coughing to herself, the girl straightened up and closed her eyes. "Another miracle given unto you from the Moriya Shrine. Your faith in the Gods has been given form." The girl bowed deeply. "I am pleased that you are unhurt."
The girl straightened back up and smiled at the girl in front of her, a genuine smile gracing her features. Nanoha could only sigh. Not only did the girl know Common, but the Japanese she just used was extremely accented, further adding to her confusion.
She decided to answer back in the girl's more familiar language. "Yes, thank you. But, if I may ask… who are you?" The question came out with a bit more bite than she had wanted. The girl in question however, seemed more surprised at Nanoha's use of Common.
"Huh?" The girl opened her eyes and actually looked at the person she had saved for the first time. Nanoha began to feel uncomfortable as she could feel the girl look her up and down. "A-are you…?"
"Sorry, but I'd prefer if we talked somewhere else." Eyeing the still smoldering remains of the zombie, Nanoha began walking back down the street. "I have a couple of questions I would like to ask you, and talking here seems a bit… disrespectful." Her eyes drifted towards the alley where the young boy lay. She inwardly cursed that she had apparently taken the 'miracle' meant for him.
"R-right. Yes, of course." The green haired girl excitedly followed after her. It seemed that she didn't know about the boy. As they walked, Nanoha couldn't help but wonder whether that was a good thing or not.
If Nanoha felt uncomfortable before, having a shrine maiden hover around and examine her made the feeling even worse. They had only walked a few blocks, but the girl's constant movements made the short trip feel even longer. Even Yunno was starting to get annoyed with her cooing over him.
"Um. I don't mean to be rude, but would you mind taking a step back?"
To her shock, the girl jumped back and started bowing. "Ahh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just curious is all."
Nanoha shared a confused look with her partner sitting on her shoulder before turning back to the girl. "What's your name?"
"Huh?" The girl stopped bowing, a blank look crossing her face momentarily. "S-Sanae. My name is Sanae Kochiya. I'm the shrine maiden of the Moriya Shrine." Sanae bowed her head in reverence for her shrine before looking back up at Nanoha. "Um. And your name is?"
She considered just giving her name, but judging from the girl's recent actions, it wouldn't matter. "Nanoha Takamachi. I'm a mage within the Time Space Administration sent to investigate this area."
"R-really!" Sanae's yell caught her off guard. "You really are a TSA mage?" Before she could say anything else, the shrine maiden had run back up to her. "So that's an actual Barrier Jacket and a real Device. You even have a familiar. This is so cool!"
Sanae frantically waved her arms, making the sleeves of her miko outfit flap about wildly, and Nanoha even thought she saw sparkles in the girl's eyes. She was used to people admiring her, as that kind of attention came with being famous, but getting this kind of attention as an ordinary TSA mage was a bit confusing.
Clearing her throat, Nanoha managed to calm Sanae down before she hit herself with one of her sleeves, only to have her trip as she stepped forward.
"Ow." Offering her hand, the brunette helped the miko back to her feet. A quick search of her surroundings revealed a broken sandal strap. "Aw darn it. This is why I hate these things. They break too quickly." Sanae started looking up and down the street, looking for something before quickly running off.
Yunno-kun. The brown ferret jumped off her shoulder before turning to watch the other girl. That girl, Sanae-san, is it possible that she's from a registered planet? That can't be, right? Was she the magic signal you found in this area?
Yes she is. I confirmed it when she killed that thing back there. She's one of the Youkai signatures in this city.
Then how does she know Common or about magical devices? Nanoha watched as Sanae peered through a store window. There haven't been any records of meetings with Youkai before right?
She could have visited a registered world before and learned about everything there. As long as she didn't create a disturbance, she wouldn't really be noticed. That was certainly true.
"Miss Takamachi!" Turning back towards the store, Nanoha saw Sanae wave to her as she walked into the store.
"Hold it!" That idiot. She rushed into the store. "What do you think you're doing? Do you know how dangerous it is to rush in blindly?" Sanae jumped back slightly. It seemed she wasn't used to being scolded.
"I-it's fine, really. My magic is strong enough to take out these monsters. I am a god after all."
"What?" Being a Youkai was one thing. Claiming to be an actual God was something else entirely. "What do you mean?"
"I. Am. A. God." Without looking up from the pile of shoes on the floor, the blue and green miko continued. "Well, I guess it's better to say that I became a god at… some point. I don't know when. I would have to ask Lady Kanako about that."
Nanoha could only stare at the girl in confusion as she tried to process this new information. "Hey. What do you think of these?"
Sanae turned around holding a pair of multicolored shoes. If she was looking for something to take her mind off of the new information she had received, wondering why this particular shoe brand decided to make their shoe look like an amateur painting was a good option.
"It seems a bit flashy for a shrine maiden don't you think?"
Seemingly agreeing, Sanae took another look at the shoes, scrunched her face in disgust, and threw them over her shoulder before turning back to the pile behind her.
[Incoming transmission.]
As Raising Heart's voice ripped through her mind, she was silently thankful that her device had acted silently. Sanae was already fangirling over her being a TSAB mage; she didn't even want to think about how the girl would react if she knew Raising Heart was intelligent.
Report. What's your situation? Turning her back to the miko, she let her thoughts drift towards her unit.
Roland's voice echoed through her head. Captain. We've made contact with one of the groups hiding in the city.
And? How does everything look? Did you find any mages among them?
Nanoha could hear Roland hesitate on the other end of their link. That's the thing. We did find two mages hiding out among a group of about twenty people, but they didn't seem all that pleased to be called out in front of everyone.
She sighed. That was certainly to be expected based on the information they had on this planet. Then again, she figured any mages would be more willing to expose themselves during a crisis like this, especially if they had the power to protect others. Apparently she was wrong.
There's something else. Roland's voice brought her out of her musings. When we made ourselves known, the people there seemed to think we were from some shrine. They didn't even believe us when we said we weren't.
Now this was surprising. Sparing a glance behind her to make sure Sanae wasn't hovering over her again, Nanoha had to wonder just what was going on. Is that so?
We've managed to convince them that we are here to help them, but… they still believe we come from this 'Moriya Shrine', and are offering prayers to some little statue. Roland was clearly confused. What should we do?
Another glance behind her. Let them. Confusion was her only response. Let them believe you're from the shrine. If it will help us protect the people here that's fine. Besides, I've met the priestess from the shrine, and she doesn't seem like a bad person. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. A small yelp of success told her she didn't have a lot of time left for her call. Even if she is a bit… peculiar.
Taking a second to look around the store, Nanoha spotted her partner sitting on top on one of the clothes racks. Judging by the annoyed look on his face, Yunno was conversing with Michael and Nala, and didn't approve of whatever they had found. She would have to ask for details later.
By the way. Shifting her gaze towards the door, the ace looked in the direction of the alleyway where she had fought that creature. Have you run into any human-like creatures? Zombies I guess would be the best term.
Um… no we haven't yet. May I ask why?
I have.
W-wait! You mean like an actual zombie? Like in movies and stuff? She recognized the panicked voice as Alice's. She could hear the girl shudder, followed by Johan laughing at her.
Yes, I do. Johan's laughter stopped. I engaged one, and these things are fast and powerful. Don't attempt to immobilize them. Kill them. She could practically hear everyone gasp. Before any of them could ask the obvious question, she continued. Yes, I'm serious. Whatever these things are they are no longer human. Your safety as well as the safety of those in your care should be your primary concern.
A quick approval from Roland and Johan, as well as a much shakier one from Alice and Tom, was all she needed. All right. Keep me informed and be careful. Nanoha out.
"There!" A small sensation at the back of her head was the only warning she got. Shifting her weight forward and concentrating magic into her feet, Nanoha jumped down the aisle in front of her. Coming to a stop after several feet, she quickly swung her device behind her, a magic ring already visible around the edge of her staff. Turning her head to confirm her target, the ace was greeted with a visibly shocked miko. She still thought the leather jacket was too out of place.
Growling slightly, Nanoha dispelled the magic circles forming her spells, only to feel something fall onto her back. A quick examination of Sanae showed her holding two white ribbons.
"S-sorry sorry." Waving her arms in apology, Sanae quickly apologized. "I-I just t-thought… w-well I mean…"
"Geez. You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Nanoha puffed out her cheeks and began walking back down the aisle. "You're lucky you aren't an enemy, otherwise you would be in the wall right now." She felt like she was lecturing a child.
Sanae took a look at the wall behind her. She didn't seem to doubt the mage's power, but seemed a bit skeptical about being thrown that far. "S-sorry. I just thought you would look better with your hair down."
Nanoha raised an eyebrow. Sighing slightly, she took the ribbons and started tying up her hair. "Yes. Just like that. It looks so much better with just the one."
Confused, the brunette turned to look in one of the dirty mirrors littering the store. To her surprise, she had tied her hair into a single off-centered tail, the way she normally had her hair.
"I see." Ignoring the girl in front of her momentarily, she dematerialized the extra ribbon and smiled at her reflection. "Did you find anything?" Her answer came in the form of Sanae happily spinning in her new dusty white sneakers. "Good, then we should get going. We don't want any more of those things showing up."
Seeing Sanae nod, Nanoha turned back towards the entrance of the store. "Yunno-kun." The ferret whipped its head towards her, obviously pulled out of his mental conversation, and ran towards his partner. As soon as she felt the familiar weight on her shoulder, she started towards the door.
"Darn kids. Don't they know how to craft basic investigation spells? Just what are they being taught these days?"
Nanoha could only raise an eyebrow at her partner. It was very rare to see his this upset. The last time this had happened, he had gotten into an argument with Shamal over some research topic she couldn't remember.
"Honestly, how hard is it to analyze a given material, classify it and index it against materials from the TSA's database?"
I see. "Yunno-kun." Realizing he was talking aloud, Yunno quickly stopped talking and looked over at the brunette.
"You do realize Michael doesn't have half the information in the Infinity Library memorized, right?" She had to admit, seeing a ferret blush was pretty funny.
Stepping outside, she was greeted with the sight of a shrine priestess pacing back and forth. "Sanae-san? What's wrong?"
"Oh. Um, Miss Takamachi, the thing is… I have to go and see Lady Kanako." Seeing Nanoha's confusion, she continued. "Well, I was kind of wondering if you would like to come with me, but I don't know if that would be alright."
"Why?"
"Eh? Well, I mean… you're the first human that I've really talked to, and well… I was hoping we could talk some more, you know?" The shrine maiden scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, a light blush lingering on her face.
She was surprised. She had to admit that the proposition seemed a bit risky since she would be going to meet another 'god', and this one may not be as friendly as Sanae was. However, seeing the girl so flustered helped ease her fears.
"Nyahaha. Sure. I still have some questions I need to ask you anyways. And meeting this Lady Kanako might speed things along."
"Really?" The green-haired jumped in excitement. "Are you sure? I mean, didn't you say you were here for some sort of mission? I don't want to get in the way."
Nanoha waved off her concerns. "It's okay. The rest of my unit is looking around the city."
"I see." Sanae looked down as though something had just occurred to her. "But, Miss Takama-"
"Nanoha."
"Eh?" Sanae blinked in surprise to being interrupted.
"Just Nanoha is fine. I don't really like being called by my last name anyways."
A fierce blush appeared on the miko's face. "M-Miss N-Nanoha?" The ace in question managed to give a forced laugh at the addition of the word 'miss', but it was enough to bring an honest smile to the girl's face.
"Oh, but I'm not sure if it would be alright for you to come with me. Lady Kanako doesn't really like visitors."
"We can deal with that when we get there." A small nod was her only response. "So then, where is your shrine?"
The miko shook her head briefly before pointing towards the edge of town. "The shrine is further down that way, closer to the residential area. It will be a lot faster if we fly." She stopped mid-breath and looked at the white and blue mage curiously. "Um, Miss Nanoha. Can you fly?"
She barely managed to suppress her natural response as her own warning to her unit played in her mind. Despite how convenient it would be, her best course of action would be to hide that ability. Also, based on Sanae's question, it looked like she didn't know that TSA mages were capable of flight. She made a mental note to find out just what kind of contact the miko had made.
"No, I can't."
"O-oh, right. Sorry." She looked more disappointed than sorry. Psyching herself up, the girl straightened herself up and extended her hand. Speaking in what Nanoha could only assume was her most professional voice, the girl proclaimed, "Well then, Miss Nanoha, allow me to grace you with the miracle of flight."
Smiling at the girl's showmanship, Nanoha grabbed Sanae's hand. Almost instantly, she felt a powerful wind whirl around her. The next instant, she found herself floating a few feet off the ground.
Wind? It felt like the wind itself was pushing her upwards. It felt rather unsteady compared to her own flight, but chalked it up to her not being the one in control. A small groan from her shoulder told her Yunno felt the same way.
Without another word, the green and blue miko pushed against an invisible surface and took off towards the sky with the white and blue mage in tow.
She had to admit that Sanae was fast. Not as fast as Fate, but fast enough to keep up with Vita or herself. She also had to revise her opinion of the girl's method of flight as they weaved through the trees. Despite feeling the wind pushing on her from one direction at a time, they were surprisingly agile. Although one or two close calls with a tree made her wish the miko would stop showing off.
"We're here." With a powerful gust of wind, the two mages were pushed above the trees.
Nanoha couldn't help but gasp at the sight in front of her. A grand shrine stood at the top of the hill, looking down upon the town. A large wall surrounded the shrine, as well as the lake she could see behind it. What drew her attention was the large purifying rope hanging over the entrance. It looked… new, or at least newer than the surrounding building and gateway.
Having been set down just outside, the two walked through the gateway.
[Master. Barrier detected.] She didn't need to be told. Walking through the gateway, she felt like she was walking through water. Whatever could create a heavy barrier like this was certainly powerful. She was just glad that this barrier didn't have the same effect as the one surrounding the city.
"Um, what was it I was supposed to do?" Nanoha looked over to see Sanae poking at a couple of buckets with her gohei. "Crap, I forgot again. I hope she doesn't mind."
Stopping only to remove her new shoes, Sanae rushed into the shrine, beckoning for Nanoha to follow her.
A small tap on her neck stopped her before she could move. Looking herself over, she quickly recast the spells that formed her Barrier Jacket. She had to agree with Yunno, it would be better to enter clean than risk anything. She was a visitor after all.
With one final breath to steel herself, Nanoha stepped forward, the power emanating from inside threatening to overwhelm her as she entered the Moriya Shrine.
Author's Note: As always, I would like to thank everyone for reading, and especially for all the feedback I have been receiving. On that note however, I would like to address a few issues.
I would like to start by saying that I do really appreciate every single review that has been left. There is however a reason this isn't a crossover with FSN. I am well aware of just how powerful Nasuverse characters can get and the fact that certain characters (Gil, Saber, Arc, etc.) would completely curbstomp the Nanoha-verse. Hell, there are probably very few Touhou characters that could stand up to someone like Gilgamesh(Reimu and Yukari come to mind(and only if Reimu floats out of the current dimension)).
The universe I've set up for this does have a few rules, which I will get to in due time, but right now I'm applying them to certain weapons and abilities. For example, just as Gáe Bolg has already hit, Remilia's Gungir is fated to always pierce. Things like that. This won't come up for a while, but I figured it was better to say it now.
As for Nasuverse characters appearing in this story, I only have one canon character slated for appearance. The other major Nasu-based character is an OC that you may have already met. *CoughSickDayCough*
I don't plan to include anyone else simply because, based on the rules I'm using, they are TOO powerful. That and it is much easier to work with the Touhouverses danmaku.
Once again, thank you for reading. If you think I said too much, would like to hear more, or think this AN is completely unnecessary, please tell me. It's the only way I'll learn.
