SonicANIME2010 here with, ideally, the last update to Lyrical Familiar for a little while, much as I like how this story is going and how fun it is to write this, I realize that I still have to focus on my other two stories. That said, I will put this one on a brief hiatus effective after this chapter post. This will allow me to focus on my other two stories, Sonic: Knight of the Night Sky and Sonic Adventure: Lyrical Record. Without any other delay, here we go!

[Dimensional Space]
[Time-Space Administration L-class Dimensional Cruise Vessel "Asura"]
[Time: 0855 Zulu]

It wasn't as if there was much choice in the matter that found one child archeologist and older admiral in the same room sharing a cup of tea. The subtle roar of the spaceship's engines combined with the standard issue bedding in the sleeping quarters being designed more for function rather than comfort, mixed for a tough night's rest. The only consolation for Yuuno was at least that Lindy was able to brew her own tea and it tasted plenty better than what the mess hall would've served.

"I'm guessing you had just about as much sleep as I did" Lindy casually said to the younger boy, "Perhaps a little more as I was had things to think about when I dismissed you."

"Yeah" The boy admitted in a little bit of guilt, "Hard to sleep when you have something on your mind."

"Still thinking about how your report on the Jewel Seeds will be taken?" Lindy asked, though she knew the answer. She gave the boy an understanding and comforting smile upon seeing him nod in response, "It'll be fine. As far as the higher ups in the Bureau are concerned, a suspect is in custody and standing trial for her actions involving the Jewel Seeds"

"But if I hadn't lost the Jewel Seeds, they wouldn't have gotten into her hands." Yuuno noted still in some amount of guilt.

"You can hardly be held responsible for an accident occurring." The woman countered, "The higher ups would be more inclined to commend you for enlisting a local who became a key driving factor in recovering the Jewel Seeds before they could be used for more harm."

"There is that..." Yuuno admitted and held no counter to the woman's statement at the current time.

"For the time being, we should focus on what we're going to do when we arrive on Mid-Childa" The woman noted, "You know where you're filing that report on the Jewel Seeds, correct?"

"Yes" the boy nodded, "I have filed progress reports on the findings I get from archeological digs before."

"Good" The admiral nodded in satisfaction, "I will accompany you for as long as I don't get dragged off to some meeting or summoning."

"Forgive me for saying this Admiral" the boy noted timidly the woman's choice of wording, "But you almost make it sound like you're expecting that to happen."

"In my experience, you learn to expect things to happen and prepare for them" Lindy said casually with a sip of her tea, "Anticipate actions before they occur, and you might find it rewarding."

"I will keep that in mind" the boy nodded.

"Good..." The admiral was about to say something else when an alert on her computer screen popped up. The woman allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she read the message, "Looks like we'll be arriving on Mid-Childa in less than 3 hours. You better get your things ready"

"Will do" Yuuno nodded, stood up and promptly excused himself after saluting the admiral once more.

Lindy found herself sighing the minute the boy had left her office quarters. Though she would say that she had plenty of time to lend a helping hand to anyone, she still had her own thoughts to lose sleep over. Like it was the case before, Precia Testarossa and the thought of having to break the news of Alicia being found alive to said woman was still fresh on her mind.

[Opening: "Innocent Starter" Nana Mizuki]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Lyrical Familiar
Chapter 24
Revelations and Aftershocks

[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[Uminari City, Japan]
[Residential District: Takamachi Residence]
[Local Time: 0845 am]
[BGM: "Welcome to our town" Final Fantasy IV OST]

It was still somewhat early into the weekend morning when the members of the Takamachi family, plus their three temporary houseguests, settled down for a nice breakfast together. Nanoha, Fate, Alicia, along with Sonic and Arf, were already dressed up in casual, civil clothing designed for the spring, almost summer weather. And, in an almost comical manner, the aforementioned mages plus familiars were trying to eat said breakfast in a hurry.

"Settle down" Momoko chided softly, her face bearing an expression of amusement, "Your breakfast won't go anywhere."

"But, Arisa-chan and Suzuka-chan are going to be waiting for us" Nanoha tried to counter; though she had a feeling her mother wouldn't have any of it.

"I'm sure they'll be patient too." Momoko countered with that and another point, "Besides, don't you have one more party to wait on?"

"Oh yeah" Nanoha's memory was jogged in a second; though she didn't forget, some points require reminders, "Chrono-kun and Amy-chan."

The girl and her mother were referring to a shopping trip planned for this day. Since there was little doubt that Fate, Arf and Alicia were going to have a prolonged stay on Earth until the trial with Precia was over, Nanoha's family had taken it to themselves to help get the girls prepared for the long stay. What was among the things to get dealt with after aside from a school transfer? You guessed it, clothes shopping.

Arisa and Suzuka were more than willing to join their new friends in shopping while Amy Limietta and Chrono Harlaown were tagging along to supervise. Though the maids for the Tsukimura household were also coming along, they were also providing the transportation.

If the plan was to be followed to the letter, Arisa and Suzuka would arrive in a van driven by Noel at the top of the hour. From there, they would pick up Chrono and Amy before finally heading off to the shopping mall. Though, as it would sometimes happen, certain people may be "fashionably late" to the rendezvous.

Just about everyone was excited for the trip. The exceptions were easily understood; Sonic and Chrono had about the same amount of excitement; or more appropriately, discomfort for the trip. After all, they were the only guys on a shopping trip for girls, but they were going to endure it.

Breakfast was eaten in a proper, slow order after that, and they had all cleaned up after themselves. Once the dishes were all cleaned, the shopping trip party put on their shoes and, almost in a timely matter, a familiar horn sounded from outside.

"We're off!" Nanoha announced to her family as she and the others went outside to where the large van, with Noel and Farin standing near the open front seat doors waving, was parked and waiting for them.

"Have fun!" Momoko calmly saw her daughter and houseguests depart, "Be safe and call when you're on the way home!"

With a final wave and bowing gesture of departure, the group went into the van and it departed for the start of the adventurous, and interesting, day.

[TSAB Administrated Planet #1 "Mid-Childa"]
[Cranagan, Central Mid-Childa]
[Central-Mid Courthouse: Judge Chambers]
[Time: 1105 Zulu]
[BGM: "Baron Castle" Final Fantasy IV]

Lindy and Yuuno had arrived on Mid-Childa in little less than an hour ago and, sure enough, the admiral had barely been able to escort the child archeologist several feet towards their destination before they were intercepted by Admiral Leti Lowran. Lindy had barely been surprised as they had reported in upon arrival; it was only a matter of what the purpose of the interception was for.

Lindy had anticipated having to file a report on the recent case, especially considering the tricky tactics she utilized to keep Fate from being taken, but she had hardly expected to be summoned to an emergency meeting in a judge's chambers. Leti, for her part, had no idea why either. She was just told to fetch her counterpart from the Asura and take her to the courthouse.

Upon entering the room, Lindy was greeted to the sight of two lawyers seated before a desk. The lawyers appeared to be likely in their mid-30s or early-40s, while the judge was a woman in her late-50s to early-60s. It was obvious to the admiral that both lawyers and the judge were from the TSAB's JAG core. That much didn't surprise her; rather it would've been more surprising if they weren't handling it.

"Admiral Lindy Harlaown" Lindy announced herself formally with a salute

"At ease" the judge waved off the polite gesture and went straight to business, "You know why you're here?"

"Either it has something to do with the report I sent in prior to my arrival or my move to keep Fate Testarossa from coming to Mid with her mother" the woman answered quickly, as if she had anticipating the question. She took in the fact that neither judge nor lawyer gave her any looks after the latter was said before she continued on, "Am I to assume it is because of the former?"

"Yes; if anything you did the Bureau a favor by keeping the girl on that planet" The judge replied, "Given what has already been stated in the reports, she would've been far too volatile as a witness for either side. And, from what we can draw from your report, her help was needed.

"But, I didn't call for this emergency meeting to commend you. This is about who you encountered on that recent mission" The judge motioned to a picture of Alicia Testarossa as she appeared during the adventure on Little Planet, "Are you absolutely certain of this girl's identity?"

"Yes. I had taken a recent sample of her DNA and compared it against reportedly missing children in the past." Lindy opened the folder containing her full report and reorganized the papers about until the most important document would've been the first read. She handed it to the judge with a serious expression, "They're a perfect match. This girl is Alicia Testarossa"

"By kami..." the judge, along with both lawyers, had to pause to compose themselves after getting a proverbial bombshell dropped on them with the revelation.

"I don't understand how that is possible." One of the lawyers pointed to the picture, "The accident that led to her disappearance happened over 25 years ago, and this girl doesn't even look like she's aged a bit since."

"I can guess that she was taken from Mid as the explosion went off by Little Planet. The satellite object that had become Alicia's temporary home." Lindy offered, "We don't know anything else about it at this time, and it disappeared before we can learn from it."

"I see… there's not much to do then." The judge closed the folder before glancing at the admiral once more, "I assume you'll break this news to Testarossa?"

"I'll have to, we can't keep this secret from her" the woman answered back, "I'll need some time alone with her though, as I talked with her a few times prior to her official booking. I think the news will be best to come from me."

"Then you'll have as much time as you need" the judge nodded, "As of right now, this trial; if I can even call it that is at a halt."

"What?!" Lindy was shocked, enough so that she had to take a moment to regain her composure, "Nothing's happened since she was booked?"

"Apparently there's a lot of high-profile interest in this case from some of the politically minded higher-ups in the Bureau" the judge had a visibly annoyed expression on her face, "And they keep sending the attorneys, and myself, mixed messages. Until everyone's on the same page, I've put the trial on hold."

"Lovely" the admiral did not hold back her sarcasm in that statement, "Just what this case needs; a political mess."

"It is what it is." The judge said as she stood up, which also got the two attorneys to stand up as well, "This concludes the meeting. You are all dismissed"

"Yes, ma'am!" the admiral and attorneys saluted almost in sync and took their leaves with troubled thoughts and confusion.

'Now for the fun part' Lindy thought to herself as she followed both attorneys to where Precia was kept.

[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[Uminari City, Japan]
[Downtown: Shopping Mall]
[Local Time: 1205 am]
[BGM: "Welcome to our town" Final Fantasy IV OST]

The group had arrived at the mall at around the time for the department stores to open up for business. This was mainly done so they could get a good parking spot for the van. After all, the weekends were when the malls would find the most traffic and the parking spots, while free, came at a premium given how many people shop on the weekends.

The first part of the shopping trip started innocent enough with a department store that carried well-known brands tailored for girls and boys under the age of 10. While Alicia had quite the length of time since her last shopping escapade, she adapted quickly and was soon dragging her younger sister/clone off to try on shirts and skirts. It was cute, especially as Fate, who was normally shy and timid, had a cute blush on her face when she saw how cute she and her sister looked in the outfits.

The final decisions for both girls had, to much the surprise of the others, been quite different. Fate had found a likeness in the black and yellow themed outfits, which Nanoha, Sonic and Arf noted that likely carried on from the colors her Barrier Jacket and Bardiche were centered around. Alicia, on the other hand, had found her style in the sea-green, light blue and white outfits, and made sure she picked the tops and bottoms that had some frills to go with. There was no mistaking the energetic personality the shorter blonde had, which offset with her sister.

Arf also had the opportunity to pick up a few outfits for herself. Even though she was a shapeshifting wolf, she had quickly picked up a point that she would likely be spending more time under the human guise, at least until she had developed a shapeshift to assume a more suitable form for the planet. Her kind of wolf was not like the ones she had read about on this planet, so it was reasonable to believe that she would've drawn a few concerned looks. Even Arisa, who had a fondness for dogs, had agreed that Arf's natural form was a little too unusual and had opted to help her look for clothing to fit in. The wolf-girl had settled on a few simple pairs of jeans and shirts, simple and functional.

The innocence of the next part of the trip would've been widely up for debate; and it was the underwear shopping. The only boys of the trip had tried so hard not to focus too hard and avert their eyes, but a few of the girls were of the mischievous sort and wouldn't let them have it, namely Arisa and Amy Limietta.

A few times while Alicia was helping Fate and Arf with their undergarments, Arisa had tried on a few and playfully showed off to Sonic and Nanoha, visibly enjoying the blushing reactions she had received. Her fun had been cut short multiple times by the sensible Suzuka, thankfully. Unfortunately for Chrono, he had no such aid; Amy had found quite some enjoyment in trying on some of the more risqué garments just to mess with him. The only reason she had stopped was when the other girls were finished and waiting for them.

The group had opted to take a break for snacks and discussion before continuing on with their adventure. They had reached a pretty reasonable pausing point as their next destination would've been the electronics retail stores for phones and whatnot, and the food court was in the middle. Lunch was bought and a large table was where they gathered to eat and trade chat.

"So, how are you guys doing?" Amy opened up the field with a standard question, "Having fun?"

"Yeah" Alicia and Fate were the first to nod, the former was a little bit more expressive than the latter as she continued, "It's been a while since I last did this sort of thing, and it's really fun to see what gets my cute little sister happy."

"And I like to see Alicia happy too…" Fate softly added, the praise she had received from the aforementioned sister had elicited an adorable blush to her cheeks, "I've never done this before"

"I'm having a blast too!" Arf quickly chipped in rather energetically. It had been a bit of a surprise for Sonic and Nanoha to see an energetic side to the wolf-girl familiar, but they had found quickly that any serious side to her personality was quick to melt away when her mistress was happy and having fun, "I'd like to try this again if Fate's going too."

"Just don't spend too much" Chrono chided on a serious note, "We're operating on our own budget here."

"Mou, Chrono-kun, don't take all of the fun out of this" Amy Limietta sighed in exasperation over her co-worker becoming the killjoy, "Though he is right, the Bureau isn't going to pay for the expenses."

"Not to worry" Arisa chimed in joyfully, "I'm paying for them."

"But, Arisa-chan..." Nanoha tried to argue against, "You don't have to; it's not too much for my family…"

"Nope! You're not allowed to open your wallet today, Nanoha-chan!" the dirty-blonde countered right back, "I'm paying and that's final."

Fate and Alicia were equally surprised, but they had opted to not offer any arguments as the words of their new friend carried a tone of finality to them. With full stomachs and high spirits, the shopping trip continued.

[TSAB Administrated Planet #1 "Mid-Childa"]
[Cranagan, Central Mid-Childa]
[TSAB Mid-Childan Main Office]
[Time: 1235 hours Zulu]
[No BGM]

It was a silent trip back to the Main Office for Lindy and the JAG core attorneys for the Testarossa case. The former was still in deep in thought as to how to break the news to Precia about the recovery of her biological daughter, the latter were still in shock over how it was possible.

Just as the drive over was silent, so was the walk to an interrogation room, where Lindy had to wait outside with the prosecuting attorney. The defense, under privilege, had gone to fetch her client and talk to her briefly before letting Lindy in. It wasn't much of a wait, as the attorney had only given a brief update of the delayed case before informing her about the visitor.

Lindy was let in shortly after that as the defense attorney left the room, no doubt due to Precia requesting to talk with the guest alone once she found out who it was. The admiral wasn't quite sure what to expect of Precia's condition, but she was pleased to find that the woman had appeared to clean herself up a bit after she was booked.

"So, you've come to speak with me again" The older woman addressed the admiral with a neutral expression, "If it was anyone else, I might've had the lawyer stay, but I feel that I can trust you."

"Yes, I feel I should thank you though for that little suggestion you dropped when we last spoke" Lindy said as she neared the seat opposite of where Precia sat, "Fate was a great help in resolving a little incident on the planet the Asura was in orbit of."

"Good for her, she deserves better than me." The woman allowed some relief to show in her expression, though she had to greatly school it to keep the guilt she still felt away. Her efforts were quickly aided when she saw a vanilla folder in the grasp of the admiral, "But I don't believe that's why you are here."

"Indeed…" Lindy admitted with a soft sigh as she took her seat and set the folder out in front of the other woman, signaling for her to open it up, "It's about what, or should I say, who, we found during this incident that brought me here"

[BGM: "Cry in Sorrow" Final Fantasy IV]

If the older woman had any sense of foreboding, she didn't allow it to show on her face as she took the folder and opened it. Her expression fell flat in shock and her arms felt light, almost as if the sight had caused her to feel older. Right in front of her was the cause of the shift in emotion, one of the many shots of Alicia as she had appeared to aid in the liberation of Little Planet.

"Is this…" Precia found herself struggling to piece together her question, "Is she really…"

"Indeed she is…" Lindy confirmed the unfinished question with a solemn nod, "DNA confirms it; this is your daughter"

"Alicia…" the woman clenched the photograph tightly, tears slowly trailed from her face in an outburst of emotions, which, considering how good the woman was at schooling her features, made her state more obvious.

"Well then…I'll leave you be if you wish" Lindy had started to sit up to take her leave, but a firm grasp on her sleeve halted any further action. The admiral could only sigh when she saw the pain-stricken face of Precia stare right at hers and she got the message real clear, "Or I can stay."

"Please…" the woman weakly requested, "Tell me everything…"

"Several days ago, a dimensional disturbance happened over a lake on the planet that a majority of the Jewel Seeds had landed on. The source of the disturbance was a satellite-like object. It quickly fell under the siege of a mad scientist and his robotic creations hoping to utilize its power for conquest." Lindy started out with the incident occurring, "To liberate this land and send a message to this madman, I sent a small task force consisting of Fate, her familiar and their new friends, whom you'll recall were their "rivals" in the previous incident…"

"Yes... they had fought a few times, the girl in white had tried so hard to reach out to Fate" The woman nodded calmly, "I held a lot of respect for her determination and drive."

"Along the way, they had encountered Alicia; who was already working to drive the machines out of the land, claiming that it had been her home for a short amount of time" the admiral continued, "If I knew how your daughter ended up there, or how she barely appeared to have aged a year or so past the accident, I would've told you… but as of right now…"

"You don't know…" Precia finished the hanging statement, sighing when she drew a solemn nod from the admiral, "And I don't suppose you could investigate this Lost Logia further?"

"It disappeared shortly after it was liberated" The younger woman nodded, though she was quick to place a reassuring hand on Precia's shoulder, "But I doubt this will be the last time we see of it. According to the hedgehog, this asteroid, known to the locals as "Little Planet" will appear once every year and stay for one month's time before disappearing.

"Given time, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this" Lindy continued with a smile, "This I can assure you."

"Not like it matters… I know that Alicia is alive and well, and I am happy for that." A small smile graced the woman's features before a worried frown replaced it quickly enough, "How is she? Does she know about Fate? How is she taking her?"

"These should answer your questions" The admiral flipped over several pictures until she got to a string that showed Alicia energetically and lovingly doting on Fate like a sibling would, "She is… if I may paraphrase… overjoyed that she has a little sister to dote on and play with. The fact that Fate's an artificial mage and clone of her doesn't matter at all to her. She's happy to finally have a little sister and that her mother had not forgotten the promise."

"She remembered it too…" Precia hung her head lightly in regret; tears had rolled down her face once more, "Does she know about me?"

"She does, but she has told me that she is not ready to see you right now" Lindy regretfully had to break that sad truth to the older woman, "I believe that she doesn't quite know what to say and, until she does so; I'm afraid your reunion will have to wait."

"The fact that I'm facing serious charges will complicate that matter as well…" Precia hung her head low once more and her grip on the admiral's sleeve loosened, "Is this all?"

"Yes" Lindy nodded as she stood up to take her leave, "I'll leave you to your thoughts. I'll try to visit you in a few days if I'm still here."

The young admiral barely made it a few steps to the door before the older woman had called to her again in concern.

"Wait!" Precia gestured to the folder, "What about this?"

"Keep it" Lindy answered, "There are only pictures in that folder. Look through them all if you wish. I had managed to compile all of the shots I could that had Alicia with Fate and her new friends."

"Oh…" The older woman could only offer a parting greeting to the admiral as she watched her depart, "Thank you…"

The wave of a hand was the only sign that Precia could discern to indicate that the admiral had even heard the words of gratitude. If the woman were to focus her gaze longer on that door, she might've seen the younger admiral heave out a heavy sight or relief upon closing the door to the interrogation room.

'That went better than I expected' Lindy thought to herself in relief as she departed, 'I'll have to check by her in a day or so when I get the chance...'

[Non-Administrated Planet #97 "Earth"]
[Uminari City, Japan]
[Residential District: Takamachi Residence]
[Local Time: 2105 hours (9:05 pm)]
[No BGM]

The shopping trip came to a rather peaceful end well into the afternoon. Fate and Alicia had gotten matching phones, which, oddly enough, was the same model used by Nanoha. Phone plans were paid for by Chrono and Amy, as they had opted to take the responsibility for. Even though Fate and Alicia had spent more nights staying over at the Takamachi residence, they were still technically attached to the household of Lindy Harlaown for the time being.

The maids had dropped off Nanoha, Sonic, Fate, Alicia and Arf outside of the house shortly after dropping off Chrono and Amy at the Harlaown residence. Goodbyes were exchanged before the maids had taken Arisa and Suzuka back home to their respective houses.

They had all arrived shortly before Momoko had finished making dinner for everyone. And after enjoying said dinner and aiding with the dishes, the girls along with Sonic and Arf, quickly got ready for bed.

"I had a lot of fun today, Fate-chan, Alicia-chan" Nanoha said as she stood outside her bedroom door with Sonic already almost asleep in their shared bed. The brunette had wanted to say a few things before she joined her de facto little brother and familiar.

"Oh, me too" Fate nodded in agreement, though she was still shy, the efforts taken by everyone had slowly gotten her to get out of that shell.

"I would love to do it again!" Alicia chimed out beside her younger, but not shorter, sibling.

"Me too" Arf added; the girls could've pictured the wolf girl in her natural form wagging her tail in anticipation and excitement over the idea.

"I'm sure we can at some point..." Nanoha smiled cheerfully, "Until then, good night!"

"Good night!" the others chimed back.

And with that, another adventurous day came to a close. However, much like time goes on, so does a story. But for now, from a little home in Uminari City Japan, good night everyone.

[Ending: "Little Wish ~Lyrical Step" Yukari Tamura]

[End of Chapter 24]

Author's notes: Alright! That will do it for now. This story is officially going on a hiatus until I finish up the arcs for Lyrical Record and Knight of the Night Sky. This will give me the chance to fill my brain with possible ideas as to how to play out the A's arc. And also how to deal with Fate and Alicia and ultimately who adopts them. As of right now, I'm leaning between keeping it canon with Lindy, or putting them with the Takamachis, which would give Fate and Alicia a chance to get to know Nanoha a lot better. There's also the complexities surrounding Precia to deal with as well, so I've got a lot on my plate now and I need some time to sort it all out. Until then, my story updates will focus on the latter stories I've put off for far too long. See ya!