Disclaimer: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and all respective license holders. The Persona Series belongs to ATLUS. I only own this fic and nothing else. I also own all the mistakes too.
Chapter 17: Of Knights and Thieves
Placing the ingredients into his basket, Ren started walking over to where the next one was. School was starting tomorrow again, and he decided to do shopping today as a means of getting his mind off of things, as well as just needing to buy groceries.
He shifted his bag, only to find it emptier than he expected. He then remembered that he let Nanoha's family take care of Morgana for just a few days. Nanoha's elder… sister? The elder sister was sad that Yuuno was 'returned' to his original owners. To that end, Nanoha and Morgana decided to cheer her up by letting her look after the not cat for just a little bit.
Still he couldn't say he was completely thrilled about the arrangement. The last time he and Morgana were separated like this was when Morgana tried to strike it on his own after an argument with Ryuji. Aside from that brief moment in time, the two were usually inseparable. Ren hadn't realized how much of a comfort Morgana had become, at least until now.
Fate had also gone back with Lindy and her crew to return to the TSAB Headquarters to finish the remaining legal procedures, as well as to meet up with her mother. Fate would send video letters to both him and Nanoha due to the incompatibility of technology between Earth and Midchilda.
Usually they would contain her day to day life with Lindy and the crew, as well as how Precia's legal battles were going. Precia's trials were about halfway done now, expedited by Sae's excellent work. Her experience on both sides of a trial apparently had given her an immense advantage that caught her opposition off guard, alongside them underestimating her because of her origins. At the thought, Ren internally apologized to Sae once more for getting her caught up in interdimensional criminal legal battles.
Letting out a sigh, he continued to walk over to where the next item on his mental list was, only to find something that wasn't a cart in his way.
"Just… a little… bit… more…"
"Would you like some help?" He offered before anything else came to mind. The girl around Nanoha's age looked up at him in surprise, but then that quickly shifted into embarrassment.
"Oh, um… yes if it isn't too much of a bother," the girl said with a bashful expression, her Kansai accent catching him a bit off guard now that he was hearing it properly. Kansai was rare in Uminari. Her brown hair that that didn't reach her shoulders blended a bit with the flushed expression and contrasted with her dark lavender eyes. Though as striking as such a sight was, Ren's attention was taken by, as much as he tried to hide it, what the girl was sitting in: a wheelchair. He internally shook himself of his thoughts and grabbed the item she needed.
"Oh, I need this too," he realized before he gave it to the girl and grabbed his own.
"Are you making curry as well?" she asked. He blinked twice as he looked down to find that he indeed had ingredients to make curry in his basket. He hadn't noticed at all that the ingredients were for curry. He looked at the little bottle of spices, now realizing that it was a bottle of spices, and started wondering if he should put it back and try to make something else. Defeated, he placed it into his basket.
"I guess I am…" Ren replied, his mind starting to wonder just how he became so absent minded… no he knew, but he didn't know what to do about it.
"You guess? But you've got everything for curry already in there," the girl started to laugh at his expense, but it was a cute girlish laugh that was absent of any malice, just bemusement of the absurd situation. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm Hayate Yagami," the girl introduced herself.
"Ren Amamiya," he returned.
"Ren…" she repeated, letting it roll off her tongue. "Do you do the cooking for your family as well?"
"I would, if they were ever home." His parents still hadn't returned from their jobs out of town. They sent him money regularly, but it was like they didn't exist otherwise.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know," she apologized as remorse crept upon her expression.
"It's fine. What about you? You're out shopping alone." He was about to ask where her parents were but wanted to avoid the same faux pas.
"My family had something they needed to do today. I'm hoping to have a warm meal ready for them when they come home tonight," she replied with Ren noticing a warmth to her voice when she said the word family.
"I see. Your family's pretty lucky to have someone like you."
"Actually, I feel like I'm the lucky one," Hayate earnestly told him, the innocence almost blinding him. "They can be a bit overly protective sometimes and can dote on me a bit too much." He could understand why. Any sensible person would want to dote on a child in a wheelchair. "But it makes me happy, knowing that we can be together. As long as they're around, it feels like things are always going to work out."
"I'm jealous," he admitted, though saying as such in a joking manner.
"Oh right…" Hayate let out, remembering what he told her just moments prior. "Say, if you don't have anyone else at home, why don't you come over to my place and join my family and I for dinner?" Ren was taken aback by the sudden offer. Even in Tokyo, he'd never been over to anyone's places for dinner. Even in Uminari, he'd stayed out of Nanoha's home life. Partially to give her privacy and space, but also because he was sure her older brother and father had it out for him. He'd seen the scars on that man and decided to not get anywhere near that.
"Um… well…"
"Come on, we can even compare curry recipes," the girl begged and goaded in a way only children really could. He was remiss to somehow get involved with yet another little girl, but on the other hand this would be an affair with her whole family. The alternative was going home to an empty, dark place and eating alone. Not only that, but he'll have left a child in a wheelchair by herself… He sighed as he made his decision.
"Alright, but I'll leave once dinner is over."
"Great! Now come on, we've got a few more ingredients to get, right?"
-0-0-17-0-0-
"Hayate, who's that?" Ren turned around from stirring the pot to find a small girl that looked Hayate's age staring at him with a deathly glare.
Her vibrant light reddish hair was in twin braids, it looked a bit out of place with her punkish outfit consisting of a white T-shirt with a stylized skull decal which contrasted with a black skirt that had a loose hanging belt with a yellow cross attached. Her stockings were also in black and white, but that was difficult to see, given that he towered over the girl.
"Yes, Hayate-chan, who is this that you've brought home?" The next person to ask was a short blonde-haired woman who wore a dark shirt and green cardigan over a long white skirt, making her look quite demure. Her voice was softer than the little girl's, but it was no less wary.
"Hmmm…" was the only thing he could hear from the dark pink haired woman with a ponytail. She wore a white button shirt under a low-cut sweater combined with a skirt whose color matched her hair as well as tights to cover her legs. Of the woman who had appeared, she looked the most mature, but she also seemed the most hostile.
"Grrr…." Lastly was their very large, very noticeable wolf like dog that had an odd bluish coloration.
"This is Ren Amamiya. He helped me today at the supermarket. When I heard that he was going to be eating alone tonight, I offered to let him have dinner with us," Hayate explained to the group, but the remained on edge despite her best efforts.
"Uh… nice dog?" Ren said to try and break the ice, only to be met with the same icy glares and another growl.
"That's Zafira, normally he's really nice, but don't let it bother you. The youngest one is Vita, over there with blonde hair is Shamal, and lastly the one with a ponytail is Signum. Now come on everyone, let's be nice and welcome our guest, alright? Dinner's ready, so take your seats."
On her second attempt the women and wolf finally let up. Vita still let out a noticeable grunt of disapproval but made no moves against Hayate. They silently moved towards the table. It wasn't that they ignored him. In fact, they were directing all their attention towards him. He'd experienced this before and could immediately tell. He wasn't wanted.
"How do you do…" Shamal said with a forced smile, the hesitation to make nice clear in her voice. Still he decided to not let it get to him. She was making some sort of effort to be polite and It made sense. If anything, a more easy-going reaction would have been weirder.
"I'm fine," was his only reply as he brought the plates to the table now that everyone was seated. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, feeling more conscious about each step he took and the weight of the plates in his hands. However, as he drew closer, something changed. As soon as the smell hit their noses, Ren could notice a change in the demeanors of the family. They had… softened.
"Well what are you waiting for? Dig in!" Hayate told them once everyone's plate had been set, waiting for them to try the curry. The first to grab their utensil was Vita, who promptly dug in.
"Mmmmm! It's good!" She exclaimed as she then started to dive in for more. "It's better than last time!" A look was shared between the other two women in the room, who seemed unsure by what Vita meant. Seeing their companion eat with such delight, the two moved followed suit. Shamal was the next to try it.
"Oh my… this is…" was all she could say before she was lost in the flavor and needed to keep quiet so she could chew. Signum was the last to take a bite, and even after having done so, the woman kept quiet. Ren however didn't miss her lips curl into a smile, nor how her hand seemed to speed up between bites.
"Hayate, you've gotten better!" Vita praised the brown-haired girl, as she continued to wolf down on her plate. "It was okay before, but now this might be my favorite dish you've made so far."
"Indeed, you just have to tell me what you did this time to improve on the dish so drastically," Shamal followed.
"I… wouldn't mind having more of this," Signum added in an even tone that was then cut off by another mouthful of curry.
"Awoooo!" Zefira cried, causing Ren to whip his head to find the wolf chowing down on his own plate, causing him to wonder just when he got his own, and if it was fine for him to be having curry in the first place. Well the wolf seemed to be enjoying himself…
"I'm glad you all like it," Hayate said as she finally took her turn to eat a bite of the curry. Her hand flew straight to her mouth as soon as it met her tongue. She chewed in silence for just a moment before swallowing it, and savoring what was left of the taste. She was tempted to take another bite right then but held firm against the idea. "Ren, this is wonderful. Your curry is simply amazing!" She finally admitted, garnering stares from her family, before their eyes shifted over to the guest.
"You made this?" Shamal broached, to which Ren only replied to a nod as he finally felt comfortable enough to eat. Yup, it was the usual flavor.
"Urgh…" Vita let out as her face morphed into a grimace. Her hand which held another bite of curry shook with great ferocity. On one hand, it was by far some of the tastiest stuff she'd ever had, on the other though, it was made by that stranger who showed up out of nowhere. Her stomach growled, betraying her. She cursed her weak stomach, but she then she realized she was also losing control of her hand which inched closer and closer to her mouth.
"Dammit…" she quietly cursed so that Hayate wouldn't hear her as she finally gave in and took another bite. She couldn't help it. It was so good. It wasn't fair.
"Hmmm…" was all that could be heard from Signum when she stopped midway through putting another bite in her mouth before she too just continued on with her meal. "I must say your culinary skills are impressive," she said after savoring the taste and just letting the satisfaction roll over her.
"Thanks. That's my best dish so it'd be pretty sad if it wasn't good." A recipe passed down; he had to do his best because of that.
"It's okay…" Vita grumbled, but then held her plate out to him. "Seconds…"
"Vita, what do we say?" Hayate asked the girl.
"Seconds… please…" Vita said as she turned away to hide her embarrassment.
"I as well, if you would so kindly," Signum held her plate out to him in much the same way.
"If it isn't too much trouble," Shamal followed.
"Awwooo!" Again, Ren wasn't sure if it was okay for wolves to have curry, but Zafira seemed okay.
"No problem," he said as he reached out to grab their plates, also bending down to get the wolf's as well.
"Let me help you with that," Hayate offered.
"I'll be fine," he said as he balanced the plates about his arms so that the sauces wouldn't get on the bottom of the plates. "I've worked at a café before, so this is nothing."
"Wow…" Hayate let out in amazement of his dexterity as he walked over to the pot and one by one refilled every one's plates of rice and curry, placing them back on his arms, and in just a few swift motions, placed them back down on the table in front of everyone and Zafira on the floor. "That was great!" Hayate said as she brought her hands together to clap.
"That was nothing," he brushed her praise aside. Besides, he'd done far more impressive things than just plate handling.
"It takes a deft hand to be able to do that, you should be proud of your skills," Signum added to his adulations.
"Then… thanks… would you all like more?" He asked as he noticed that the four's plates were empty a second time, much to his surprise and embarrassment.
"Yes, please!" They answered in unison. A chuckle escaped from Ren as he moved to serve.
-0-0-17-0-0-
"I still don't trust you…" Vita said out loud as Ren was putting his shoes on. The dinner had started off rocky, but eventually Signum and Shamal warmed up to him. Zafira at the very least no longer growled at him as well. He'd already said his goodbyes to the rest of them, and only Vita stood behind him. Though her glare was not as strong as before. "You may make a good curry, but that doesn't make you trustworthy. Why exactly did you approach Hayate?"
"She was struggling to reach for something on the shelf. I saw her and offered to help. After that we just kind of talked a bit, and then she invited me over," he recalled an abridged version of events. "I wanted to refuse, but she insisted."
"Hmmm… that sounds like Hayate…" Vita was forced to admit. "But I'm warning you, if you do anything to hurt her, I'll perosnally make sure you pay." Ren was equal parts amused and impressed. On the one hand, a diminutive little girl threatening him wasn't something he was afraid of, past experiences aside. On the other, it was clear how much Vita adored Hayate. Despite the wheelchair bound girl's circumstances, loneliness was clearly not an issue her life was ailed by.
"Yeah, go ahead. If I did anything to hurt her, I'd probably want some kind of punishment as well." Ren hoped he would never become the kind of person that would hurt someone like Hayate.
"Ew… are you some kind of masochist?" Vita asked in disgust.
"I'm more of a sadist really," Ren played along.
"Ugh… even worse," Vita said, holding herself and beginning to step away from him, only for her stomach to rumble a second time. "Not now…" she complained.
"Here," Ren said as he reached into his bag and held out a pack of Pocky for her.
"You're not trying to bribe me, are you?"
"You act like you have anything to give in the first place. Come on, just take it." Vita looked at the snack with a conflicted gaze just like with the curry, only she gave in sooner this time. She grabbed it right from his hand and opened it up in a single pull before biting into the first stick with an audible crunch of the chocolate covered cookie stick.
"Alright, maybe you aren't so bad…" Vita admitted, though only in a whisper. "You can come by another time, and make curry again."
"I've got more than just curry you know."
"And you can make those too!" Vita told him in a rush. "Anyways, you should get going! The… train? Yeah, the trains don't run all night so you should go before the last one!" She said as she pushed him out the door, though not roughly. She only pushed just enough to get him to move.
"Alright, I'm going, I'm going. I'll see you next time I guess," he said as he waved goodbye from outside the door.
"Yeah and bring more snacks next time too."
"Vita! Where are you!" they heard Shamal from somewhere inside.
"Coming!" Vita replied before turning back to Ren. "Well, later!"
"Yeah, later." Vita closed the door. The last he heard of her were the girl's fading footsteps. With nothing else to do, he walked towards the train station. Humming a little tune, he didn't know from where, he enjoyed the summer night in his hometown… enjoyed… he enjoyed it.
"Guess that dinner wasn't so bad at all," he said to himself with only the silence to answer him. They knew his number, so they were bound to see each other again someday.
-0-0-17-0-0-
"Huh? Signum-san?" Ren noticed in his path on his way to Midoriya from school. It had been a couple of weeks since school started again for the fall semester. He'd taken to learning baking from Nanoha's mother and was going over there now, as well as to see how Nanoha was doing with her training. That would have to wait however, given that Signum looked to be in a spot of trouble.
"What's wrong?" He asked. The woman looked positively lost as she stared down at the piece of paper she had in hand.
"Oh, Amamiya-san. I'm just…" the woman hesitated to continue.
"Lost?" He finished for her.
"Yes…" she admitted with a small blush. "It's just that Shamal was a bit busy today, so she asked me to go to the hospital to pick up Hayate-san from a routine checkup, only I can't find the hospital at this address. What's worse is that I've been there before, so I'm ashamed that I cannot find it again."
"Let me see." Signum handed him the paper, after a quick look he knew where it was. "Oh, this hospital. It's actually close by. I can take you there."
"I can't trouble you any further," Signum tried to refuse as kindly as she could while trying to take the paper back from him.
"That's alright, besides, wouldn't want to get lost a second time, right?" Ren said as he dodged the woman's attempts to take the instructions from him.
"I'm telling you that I won't make another mistake, so if you could kindly hand it over… fine. If you could show the way…" Signum said, giving up when she realized it would probably be faster to just let him take her to the hospital.
"Of course, it's this way," he said as he started walking, to which Signum followed.
"Hayate wants you to come over again some time," Signum spoke suddenly as they were walking.
"Huh? Oh, I've been busy with school recently, and some other stuff. If you give me a call beforehand, I can probably come over," Ren replied. He hadn't seen the Yagami family since that night when he first met their family.
"I see, then I'll let Hayate know you said that. Vita has been begging for more of your curry as well. She's become quite incessant in wanting more," Signum informed him.
"I'm happy to have a fan," Ren said as they rounded the corner.
"I also… would like to have some more as well," Signum admitted in an odd combination of embarrassed, but resolved. "It would also help to ease Hayate's burden if you were to come over and help cook." Ren only showed his worry for a second before doing his best to hide it.
"Right… Maybe not today, but I can come over tomorrow then," he answered. He had to be at Midoriya today, but didn't have anything pressing tomorrow, so it wouldn't be a problem.
"Truly? That would be… that would be nice if you could," Signum caught herself, though Ren could spot a trickle of drool before she wiped it away.
"You know, I don't mind if you want to be more honest with your desires," Ren told her as the crossed the street.
"I cannot. I couldn't possibly ask for more," Signum answered him. "Anything more would be overindulgent."
"It's not overindulgent to just want to eat curry," Ren said with a chortle. "And besides, it also isn't overindulgent to want to ease someone else burden." Signum blinked twice at Ren's remark, before flushing with embarrassment.
"It is simply my duty… as her family," she spat out that last part. Ren noticed the little verbal hiccup but waived it off. They had their circumstances, and it was not his job to pry. At least he hoped it wouldn't be.
"You all really care for her," Ren remarked, causing another embarrassed blush to paint Signum's face.
"Yes, we do…" was all she answered with before she noticed her surroundings. "Oh, we're here. Thank you for your guidance"
"Just make sure you don't get lost again. I can't stick around, so be sure to tell Hayate I said 'Hi', okay?"
"I will, and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow for dinner," Signum said with a bow.
"Don't you mean your family?"
"Um… yes, my family will be looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow for dinner," Signum corrected herself without defense. With a final wave goodbye, the Ren departed for the café as Signum headed inside the hospital and disappeared behind the frosted glass doors.
-0-0-17-0-0-
"And now you just have to wait for the pot to boil," Ren said as he placed the lid over the pot.
"I see, thank you so much for your instruction," Shamal said with a bow, causing the young man to blush a bit in embarrassment. He wasn't used to such reverence from someone as mature as Shamal.
"It's no problem. Just follow the recipe, and you'll be fine. After you get used to it you can experiment from there, and only after you get used to it," Ren added, placing extra emphasis on practice and experience. It was now late September. Ever since the first time he came over for dinner, he'd occasionally run into the Yagami family, and even get invited over for another meal on the off occasion. He'd been over to their place more times than he'd been to Nanoha's home now. Not that her older brother and father made that easy in the first place.
"Right, practice, practice, practice…" With a pump of her arms to psych herself up, she began to stare intently at the pot. She examined every inch to wait for even slightest bit of movement. Of course, it was literally watching a pot boil, she realized after a second or two, and toned it down. Taking a step back she spoke up.
"Since we're waiting, I suppose this is a good an opportunity as any." Ren turned away from the stove, wondering just what was on Shamal's mind. "Thank you for being Hayate-chan's friend." That was not what he had expected, not that he knew what to expect in the first place.
"What's this all of a sudden?" Ren asked, not understanding why Shamal was saying this.
"It's just… Hayate-chan didn't really have many friends outside of our family and her doctor. You see, before we arrived, Hayate had been alone for a while now. Her parents had died quite some time ago, and her illness… well it should be self-evident how that could be a problem. She lived by herself for a long time in that condition. A much longer time than a child should have to live alone in that condition. It was only this past summer, on the day of her birthday that we were able to finally come and be with her."
"I see…" A nine-year-old girl by herself living in that condition? He couldn't imagine it. It would be hard enough for a normal girl, let alone one in Hayate-chan's position. He probably wouldn't have been able to do it. "At least you're with her now," he said, trying to highlight the positive of the situation and turn around the gloomy atmosphere.
"Yes… and hopefully it will be that way for a long while," Shamal said with a distant look in her eye, that Ren couldn't discern the reason for. "Once again, thank you for being her friend."
"It's not a problem," he answered.
"It seems there aren't many things that are a problem for you, is there?" Shamal giggled a bit. "You can cook, clean, you're good with your hands, you seem fairly astute as well given how easily and accurately you're able to answer Hayate-chan's questions... Is there anything you can't do?"
"Stay out of trouble," he answered honestly, but in a way that could be seen as a joke.
"You? You seem too nice for a bad boy." She laughed harder at the idea that Ren could be any kind of delinquent. He was just too nice, and polite. The ever stiff Signum had warmed up to him, and even Vita wasn't so prickly around him anymore. Zafira of course found the boy to be nice company. "If you were such a bad boy, I don't think we would have liked you hanging around Hayate-chan."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"I suppose that's true… But if you were to ask me, I don't believe that kindness of yours is a deception. That's why we're happy to have you over so often. Anyways, how's the pot?" She asked before he could respond to her words.
"Huh? Uh… Perfect," Ren said as he peered inside, making sure to lift the lid away from him to avoid a face full of steam. "Now we stir for just a bit more. Do you want to go for it?"
"Oh! Yes, I could use the practice," Shamal said as she picked up the ladle and walked up to the pot to begin stirring. "I can't wait for Hayate to try this." She smelled the broth as it cooked in the pot. It smelled just as delicious as the first time she took a whiff when Ren first came over for dinner.
"Make sure you're getting the bottom. Don't want anything to burn down there."
"Right!" She said with gusto as she moved her ladle deeper as instructed. That night, for the first time in the Yagami Family, they actually liked Shamal's cooking for once.
-0-0-17-0-0-
"That family sounds nice," Morgana said he rested on the dining table. The two of them were home and Nanoha's Family's custody over him had ended. Ended in tears by Nanoha's elder sister but ended all the same. "Can't say I'm thrilled by the dog, but otherwise they sound nice. Certainly, closer than your family…" the cat looked over to the dark empty hallway, only the living room, dining room, kitchen combo was lit.
"Anyways I'm just glad to be back. The Takamachi family is nice, but they can be a bit overbearing for an independent gentleman such as myself," Morgana said as he began to lick himself clean.
"Glad to have you back."
"What this all of a sudden? Don't get all sappy on me now," Morgana said that, but he was happy to hear Ren say as such. "Next time you go to the Yagami house, take me with you."
"Sure, just don't talk so much, okay?"
"Huh? Why's that?" Morgana asked, tilting his head.
"Just a hunch. I don't know anything specific, but just trust me when I say that you should just meow when we go over to their house next time," Ren warned. He would be stupid to not notice the signs. They were hiding something. He didn't know what it was they were hiding, but they didn't seem like bad people.
Vita had a bad mouth, but her love for Hayate was clear as day to anyone with a working set of eyes. Signum could be as warm as a block of ice, but her nobility and heart would show through for those she cared about in a picosecond. Shamal was just warm to be around, always looking out for the rest of the family like a mother or older sister. Zafira was as fiercely loyal as any dog should be, and always watching carefully for the rest of them.
No matter how he looked at it, they weren't bad people in the slightest. Odd, but not bad at all. He and the thieves targeted criminal scum almost exclusively and the Yagami family were nothing like that. But the signs of something lurking in the shadows were still there. He looked outside the window. The shine of the full moon clear in the darkness of the night. He hoped that his hunch was nothing, or at the very least it wasn't something to worry about. However somewhere deep inside he could feel a storm brewing.
Author's Notes:
Okay, now I'll take a break and work on FiEW as well as plan this one out further. So now Nanoha A's begins. A short prologue-esque chapter that covers the interim time between the end of summer vacation and the beginning of A's which is around late November, early December if I remember that correctly. This is just setting up the groundwork for what's to come. Just like last time, Ren's opponents aren't bad people, but this time there's no easy path for him to find like changing a person's heart. He'll have to hoof it out with everyone else.
Now that I've binged watched all of Nanoha A's as well as read accompanying manga, the wiki, and tropes pages, I can now begin my planning in full. I've actually got most of it done in my head but writing it down and getting some specifics is still needed. Again, I'll be taking a break from this one for a bit to make sure I have everything ready and hashed out. Granted I take so long between chapters that it probably doesn't matter, but I thought it fair to inform everyone of what's going on.
As always, if you have any criticisms, leave them in a review. Despite how much it may not seem, I do read all of them, and they do motivate me to write more, when they don't demoralize me at any rate. I do want to improve so any criticism I can get is wonderful (like the one about cutting which is a fair one).
Anyways, I hope you guys had a fun time. I hope you have a great rest of your day, and I hope to see you next time. Take care.
P.S. Anyone know where I can watch subs of the season? I can only find dubs, and it's not like I hate dubs. It's difficult for me to hate a dub with Christina Vee in it, but it's more that subs are basically captions, and I can pause and read it without having to rewatch something to hear it again. I hated doing dictation practice in kindergarten, and I still hate it now. If anyone can PM me a link to subs without horrible viruses, I'd be grateful.
