Disclaimer: I don't own Nanoha no duh.
Magical Babysitter Lyrical Zafira
Chapter 2
In which Zafira hides in a closet
Zafira was not in hiding. He just happened to be in the broom closet because he liked small dark confined spaces. It definitely wasn't because he didn't want to meet the little girl he was going to be looking after. No not at all… definitely not. Okay maybe a little bit… alright that was the reason but Zafira wasn't about to admit he was terrified of a six year old.
So far he hadn't thought of an excuse for being in the broom closet, 'I went to get a broom' wouldn't work because Zafira couldn't exactly sweep the floor. Something more along the lines of, 'I didn't want to meet my six year old charge because I'm a timid little puppy on the inside,' said with his tail between his legs would be the most honest thing he could say, but it would also be embarrassing and make him the laughing stock of Long Arch.
Zafira shuffled around in the small space, kicking over a bucket in the process, closets were not made for hiding in, especially if you were a not-so-bendy giant blue wolf. When he tried to get more comfortable his tail knocked over a mop with a crash. He winced, if he kept making noise someone would find him, and everyone would know what a coward the supposedly brave Zafira was.
Zafira wasn't afraid of any enemy, the threat of injury or death never even made him flinch. However, small children were his one true weakness. He could crush an enemy, he couldn't crush a child. He could force an enemy to listen but he couldn't force a kid to. He'd had a master who made him look after his kids once. Scariest. Incarnation. Ever. Zafira swore those children were demons. By the time his master was defeated Zafira was half bald and his ears hung way too low.
Was the closet shrinking? The space felt like it was getting smaller and smaller by the second. He'd been in there too long. Zafira thought he'd get used to it after an hour but now two had passed and he was no better off. And yes Zafira had been hiding for two hours. He wasn't actually supposed to meet Vivio for another thirty minutes; he figured it'd be too suspicious if he mysteriously (and conveniently) disappeared right when he was supposed to meet her. Zafira was sure if he wasn't around Hayate would assign someone else to take care of her (what didn't know was that there wasn't anyone else to assign to said task).
He tried to move again, it was impossible to get comfortable in a 4x4 space with a giant shelf taking up half of it. It didn't help he was too short to reach the hanging string that turned on the light bulb. Maybe if he stood on his hind legs he could make it, a little light could make the situation more bearable. Zafira tried to reach up and keep his balance, but he failed and with a loud yelp he fell down, his head landing the bucket he had knocked over early and the rest of his body falling on top of the fallen mop. Urg… great now he was stuck, at least he had an excuse now.
Well at least he hadn't hurt himself, though the mop he was laying on was a pain and he couldn't see because of the bucket on his head. He also couldn't remove the bucket because he had conveniently fallen so he was perfectly wedged between the door and the bottom of the shelf. Yelling for help wouldn't work because the lovely bucket on his head would produce an echo that would quickly render him deaf. All he could do was hope someone either heard the crash or spilled something and needed broom. And wait. He had to wait too, he had nothing to do but wait…
Okay waiting for help was taking too long. Zafira couldn't tell how much time had passed since he fell down. Maybe it had been a minute, maybe an hour, time lose all meaning when you have a bucket on your head. Did he have to worry about oxygen? Did the door have a crack or was he stuck in a death chamber.
Suddenly hope filled his highly sensitive, well trained ears, someone was walking down the hall. Zafira used all three centimeters of free space he had to tap his bucket head on the door, over and over again.
The door swung open and Zafira toppled out. "Zafira-san!"
"Bucket," Zafira wiggled around on his back.
His savior reached around Zafira's head and yanked off the bucket. Zafira had never been so glad to see light. He wiggled around until he could flip back onto his legs. "Thank you Griffith-San."
Hayate's second in command stood up, "How did you get in there?"
Zafira hesitated, what to say what to say, "I was looking for a broom." Way to go genius, Zafira had thought up the one excuse that wouldn't work.
"But you can't-."
"I meant bucket," Zafira stretched his aching limbs. "I was looking for a bucket and I seem to have found one."
Griffith shot him a disbelieving look but the pale blue haired man didn't press him. "I was surprised to find you in the broom closet," he pushed up his glasses and laughed, "For a second I there thought you were hiding."
Zafira chuckled, shaking his head. There was no way he'd admit Griffith was right. He was pretty sure Griffith wasn't the type to go around telling everyone Zafira had been hiding in the closet but he didn't know Admiral Leti's son very well. Zafira knew even less about Griffith then he knew about Vice (though after the previous day's excursion he knew way more then he cared to about the Sergeant). Zafira made it a point to socialize as little as possible. He had no need to talk with anyone outside of the Wolkenritter other then what his job required. Some people (Vita) called him anti-social, while others (Shamal) just said he liked to play the part of a lone wolf, Zafira just thought of himself as a solitary man/wolf/thing.
"You were assigned to taking care of the small child who was rescued correct?" Zafira supposed Hayate had told Griffith, he was her aide after all.
"That's correct. I'm to serve as her guardian."
"Good, I'm glad you have such an important duty." Such an important duty? He was looking after kindergartener! Even if she was attached to a relic when she was found, she was staying in Mobile Section 6! There were half a dozen A and S ranked mages walking through the place daily. Zafira was convinced he'd been given this job because Hayate didn't want him to feel inadequate, not that it was working.
"Well I'll just be going then," Zafira started to walk away.
"Zafira-san, you're going the wrong way," lucky Zafira, apparently Hayate had told Griffith everything about his meeting.
Zafira turned around, "Thank you Griffith-san." Well he'd just walk far enough so leave Griffith's field of vision and then Zafira would go hide again.
"Would you mind if I came with you?"
Yes. Yes Zafira would mind if Griffith went with him but he couldn't tell Griffith that because if he did Griffith would want a reason and the only reason Zafira had was that Zafira planning on hiding in next empty room. So instead of saying what Zafira wanted to say he instead answered Griffith with, "Not at all."
Griffith brightened, "Thank you. Truth be told I'm on my break. I don't really have anything to do." Great now Zafira was serving as entertainment for bored commanders in training.
"Ah," Zafira intended that to be the end of their conversation. But Griffith had other ideas.
"So Zafira-san what was it you do again? I mean before today of course."
First Vice asked now Griffith, was everyone on Long Arch this nosy? All the more reason to avoid them then. "I protect Hayate and Shamal," Zafira was going to leave it at that but Griffith seemed to be expecting more, "When they require it."
"I see." Unlike Vice, Griffith didn't inquire anymore.
"So…" Zafira supposed it would be polite to ask back, "what is it you do for Hayate?"
Griffith pushed up his glasses; he seemed to do that a lot, if his glasses were so loose he should go get new ones. "Well I do many things for Commander Yagami."
"What he means is he's her errand boy."
Zafira groaned and Griffith turned an angry red. "I am not an errand boy!"
Vice and his grin laughed, "Yes you are." How lovely Vice was here too now.
"Don't you have something to crash right now Vice-san?" Griffith was trying the tactic of not-so-subtle hinting. Zafira wondered what kind of bad blood existed between the two of them, maybe they knew each other as little kids and Vice stole Griffith's rattle, Griffith looked like kind of guy with a long memory.
"I only crashed into the administrative building once and no one got hurt so it doesn't count." Nice logic there Vice.
"You destroyed a wall."
"But no one got hurt."
"That's not the point!" Zafira looked between the two men, apparently they forgot Zafira was there… wait a minute… if they forgot him then Zafira could slip away unnoticed. Zafira stopped walking, allowing the two arguing men to pass by him. Now all he had to do was find a hiding spot before one of them-
"Got a problem Zafira?" Vice looked over his shoulder. Okay that plan was a failure.
"N-no," Zafira chuckled uncomfortably, damn Vice and his ability to argue and pay attention to his surroundings… no scratch that, that was probably a good quality for a pilot to have. "Just got caught up in my thoughts I guess."
"Ah," Griffith nodded, "I suppose you must be nervous."
Zafira shook his head rapidly, "I am not."
"Really? I'd be pretty worried," Vice mused. "After all you will be with her for at least a few months, maybe more depending on what they decide to do with her. In fact I'd-" But Zafira never found out what Vice would in fact do because Griffith interrupted.
"It's in Captain Fate and Instructor Nanoha's apartment correct?"
"That it is," somehow they had managed to make it all the way across the base in fifteen minutes. The three of them stood in front of the door in silence for at least a good minute or two. "Aren't you going to knock?"
"Of course," Griffith's red cheeks were back. "Yeah… knocking." Vice snickered. Griffith lifted up a hand and knocked on the door.
"It's open" Nanoha's cheery voice answered them.
Again Zafira looked at Griffith who opened the door for him, why did he choose to go around in dog form again? "Now I am going in alone."
"Fine," Vice shrugged, "Come on Griffith let's go drinking."
"It's the middle of the day!"
"That never stopped me."
Zafira shook his head; poor Griffith had no idea what he was getting into. On the other hand Zafira knew exactly what he was getting into, a world of yanked tails and high pitched squeals. He gulped and walked through the door.
Nanoha's apartment was very clean. Zafira knew this was in no part Nanoha's doing and was in fact the doing of Ana the housemother. He remembered very distinctly from their time on Earth Nanoha could not keep anything clean to save her life. Zafira felt a tad guilty about walking around such a clean house, as he himself was not very clean, mostly due to his irrational hatred of baths.
"Nanoha-san?" Zafira looked around, Nanoha and… the child didn't seem to be around.
"Upstairs!" Zafira sighed, he hated staircases almost as much as baths. Up, up, up, stairs were not fun when you had four legs. "Nanoha-sa-," Zafira immediately jerked around, facing the wall with a face that was turning red despite the fact he had fur thus one could not actually see the color.
"What is it?" Oh Nanoha, how could one person be that naïve. Zafira felt a deep connection to Yuuno at that moment.
"Nanoha-san could you please not invite me up until you finish putting on your shirt," Zafira looked up at the ceiling.
"Mmm? But you don't care do you?" Zafira most certainly did care, but he couldn't let her know that.
"Of course not but for the sake of your innocence."
"Nya ha ha you're so cute Zafira," The ruffling of her jacket alerted Zafira that it was safe to turn around.
"Well where's the child?" Zafira only saw Nanoha in the room, and unless he was supposed to guard an invisible girl that meant she was missing.
"Oh Ana took Vivio to get breakfast while Fate and I got ready," She stretched, "they should be back any minute now." The front door clicked open.
"How… convenient."
"Vivio don't run," Ana's voice was accompanied by a small girl appearing on the staircase.
Time froze; at least it did for Zafira. All of the sudden he was in one of those stupid romance movies Hayate, Shamal and Rein loved so much, except in this one the hero was a giant azure wolf and the heroine was a six year old girl, and anything resembling romantic attraction would be so illegal all the strings in the world wouldn't be able to pull them out of the mess, so in reality it was absolutely nothing like those romance movies at all. Red eyes met two colored ones; silence resonated throughout the room until-
"MONSTER!" A cry of sheer terror caused Zafira to jump back, startled. How could one child make such a loud noise?
"I-I," Zafira looked to Nanoha for help but she looked just as startled as him. Zafira had gone through a lot in life but no one had ever been afraid of him.
"Vivio. Come over here, don't worry about Zafira he's a good monster." Good monster, thanks for that Nanoha, Zafira would have scowled but he was aware that that would make him even more 'scary'.
Vivio eyed him suspiciously, as if he would try to eat her if she turned away for a second. Without ever removing her eyes from Zafira she inched towards Nanoha. As soon as she got close enough to the mage she dashed behind her legs. "Bad monster."
"N-no I'm not…" how exactly was Zafira supposed to explain that he wasn't a 'bad monster'? "You see I'm erm…"
She poked her head around Nanoha's legs before ducking back, "Nu uh. Don't fall for his tricks."
His tricks? Zafira's eye twitched, he in no way resembled a suspicious person. He was a proud guardian beast not a common street mutt.
"Sorry Zafira," Nanoha chuckled nervously.
"No… I'm just," He looked away a look of depression growing on his muzzle, "scary." Wait there was one way he wouldn't have to be scary. If he remembered correctly it wasn't very hard to do. Just think small… and cute… and fluffy. Small, cute, fluffy, small, cute, fluffy he repeated it like a mantra in his head. He felt the familiar aching pain in his limbs as they compressed. In less then a second it was over and Zafira realized he could only see up to just below Nanoha's knee caps. How did Arf manage to stay in this form!
Vivio peeked out, "Puppy? Where's the monster?"
Zafira cleared his throat, "There is no monster," he must have looked ridiculous, a tiny puppy with a deep manly voice. "It's only an…" why was he going to such lengths to make someone who shouldn't even be his responsibility (Just because Arf was good with munchkins didn't mean all familiars were). "Illusion. This is my real form."
She moved a little bit out from behind Nanoha, who was watching both of them with an amused face, "really?"
"Well if I didn't look scary then I couldn't keep away the bad guys," Zafira mentally winced, did he really just say really 'bad guys'?
She scooted out a bit more, still looking as if he was going to jump out and attack, "Really really?"
"Yes," he nodded; his serious expression was very odd on a puppy.
Vivio broke into a smile rivaling Vice's grin, "puppy!" She dashed forward somehow managing to get Zafira in a suffocating hug.
"Nanoha… help."
Nanoha giggled, "Vivio, you have to let go of puppy now or he won't be able to play with you ever."
"Okay" she dropped Zafira on the ground where he lay panting for a few minutes.
Nanoha knelt down, "Now be a good girl for Zafira and Ana Vivio."
Vivio nodded as if Nanoha had just asked her to save the world. "I promise!"
Zafira looked up from the floor he'd be okay as long as she never hugged him again.
Maybe babysitting wasn't as hard as Zafira thought it was. Sitting there on the couch while Vivio "helped" Ana fold laundry was pretty easy, Ana did all the hard work, he was there in case of emergency. And by emergency he meant an attack, and only an insane man would attack section 6.
"Puppy look!" She held up a crumpled shirt.
"Not puppy Za-fi-ra," Zafira would not be called puppy! He was his mistress's proud knight!
"Zafi… Zafi… Zafilo." She fumbled around unable to say the name.
Ana giggled from behind them, "Zafira you can't expect her to say such a big word."
"Big word!" He huffed indignantly, "She has very advanced vocabulary."
"But she's still just a little girl."
"Zafi…Zafi…Zaffy!" Vivio clapped her hands as she said the last one. She pointed a little finger at Zafira. "Zaffy!"
"No Za-fi-ra."
"Za-ffy."
Zafira grunted and repositioned himself on the couch. If he just refused to answer to Zaffy she'd learn.
"Zaffy."
Zafira looked away; he would not allow himself to be demeaned even if it was by a child.
"Zaffy" She poked his side. He would not give in. "…Zaffy." But she sounded so sad, "Zaffy…"
"Yes Vivio," he mentally sighed, so he was completely giving up as long as no one outside of Nanoha's apartment ever heard her call him Zaffy he'd be alright.
She held up something that he supposed was supposed to be folded laundry but it was nothing like the laundry he'd ever seen. "Did I do it right?"
"Not exactly."
She puffed out her cheeks, "I don't get it."
Zafira sat up, "Then I'll show you." Years of being the only one around when Shamal was doing the laundry had made Zafira quite efficient in the monotonous task. He took a towel in his mouth, probably a health code violation on Earth but on Mid-Childa giant talking wolves doing the laundry was completely normal, and with ease he used a combination of his mouth and his paws to fold the cloth into a neat little rectangle.
Vivio looked from him to the folded towel then to the unfolded ones. She picked an unfolded one up stared at it for a moment then put it in her mouth and started to fold it exactly how Zafira did.
"…Vivio you don't have to use your mouth," Zafira forgot she was a six year old.
Vivio removed the now perfect, although a tad wet, rectangle from her mouth. "But you did?"
"Well I lack thumbs."
Vivio shook her head, "but this works… right?" the girl proceeded to fold another towel in this fashion. Well as long a no one found out there was kiddy drool on the towels… Zafira seemed to be betting a lot on the hope no one would find out anything.
Zafira felt a small smile creep onto his muzzle; something resembling pride bloomed in his chest, Zafira proceeded to suppress the stupid feeling. He stretched out on the couch and nestled into the cushions, keeping one eye on Vivio at all times. He didn't know why he'd been so worried babysitting was easy.
Next time on Magical Babysitter Lyrical Zafira: Zafira learns babysitting may be easy but nannying is hard. Vice tries to help, Griffith's dragged along and Zafira wishes he had thumbs.
A/N: And now the introduction chapters are done. And I am very very thankful for that. I don't particularly like this chapter --. On the other hand I'm really looking forward to the next one so if you didn't like this chapter please give the next one a try before giving up on me. If you have the time please review and thank you for reading.
