Greetings and salutations to my faithful readers, and welcome aboard InsertRandomUsernameHere! I'm always glad to find that my writing has entertained someone new.

First, I'd like to say that I have decided to leave Luckless Wasteland in the crossover section after all. I was always leaning towards that option anyway, I guess I just needed to hear someone else say that I should do it.

Moving on, I was not expecting to find two more Lucky Star/Fallout crossovers when I got back here! That ties us with Naruto as the third most common Lucky Star crossover and makes us the second most common Fallout crossover! Woot! (Oddly enough, we lose out to Naruto in the Fallout section. Weird, huh?) The fact that both are based on Falling Stars makes me feel a bit overshadowed, but that's okay. I do have my own small readership after all, so I've got nothing really to complain about. As long as I know someone is reading, I'll keep writing. So read away!


"We're here, Miyuki! We're finally here!"

Miyuki looked up to see Tenpenny Tower looming over them at the top of one final incline. Miyuki sighed heavily; it was now close to nine in the morning, and they had been running for hours. Miyuki's feet hurt, her skin burned, her lungs ached, and she must've went through five whole bottles of water. They had run into a handful of raiders, pools of radioactive sludge, a whole pack of vicious wild dogs, and even a haywire Protectron, and they were only just now reaching their destination.

"Konata-san, I don't know if I can make it," Miyuki said between pants.

Konata was hunched over taking deep breaths as well. "If it makes you feel better, Yuki-chan, I've never run that far either. I wasn't sure we could make it, but it's just up that hill. And we're not too late; we would've heard the explosion. Miyuki, we still have a chance!"

That gave Miyuki new energy. She pushed onward, despite every muscle in her body screaming not to. They climbed the hill and approached the tower. Up close, the building looked like it was once a luxury hotel before the bombs fell. Miyuki guessed that it was maybe five or six stories high. Large slabs of broken concrete had been jigsawed together to form a wall around the tower itself. The wall was up to twelve feet tall in some places.

"Konata-san, I don't see how we can get in there. They surely won't let us in through the gate."

"Don't worry Yuki-chan. If there's one thing I'm good at, it getting into places I'm not supposed to."

They circled the wall until they came to a pile of rocks next to a low section of wall. "You see, Yuki-chan? Just follow me!" Konata jumped up and grasped a piece of rebar sticking from the concrete. She hauled herself up and perched on the wall like a cat. Miyuki jumped to grab the rebar and fell. She had no problem reaching the bar, but she was too tired to pull herself up. Konata hung down and offered her hand to Miyuki. "Here, grab my hand." Miyuki did so, and after much struggling managed to climb up with Konata's help.

"How can you manage to have that much strength left?" Miyuki asked as they dropped down the other side of the wall.

"Well, I cheated. I took a little Buffout on the way up here."

"Oh. I see." Buffout was a type of pre-war steroid.

"Speaking of which, you should take a Mentat. I'd hate to see you blank out during the shootout." Miyuki nodded and took a Mentat.

The two girls sneaked to the front of the tower, where a few guards were posted near a surprisingly decorative, if rusted, gate. An intercom buzzed next to the gate.

"State your name and business at Tenpenny Tower," one of the guards said into the intercom.

"This is Burke. I've fulfilled Mr. Tenpenny's request, and I'm here to see him."

"Oh, welcome back, Mister Burke. I'll open the gate right up."

Konata grinned. "Well, what do you know?" she said as the gate slid open. "Looks like we're right on time." She drew her knife from her belt with a flourish. "I'll be right back."

Konata darted behind one of the decorative stone pillars in the tower's courtyard as Mister Burke entered. He rounded the dried up fountain and headed straight toward her pillar. Konata's catlike smile crept across her face. Perfect! As Burke passed the pillar, Konata leaped out and lunged for him, her knife poised like a mantis' claw. Burke barely noticed her and managed to dodge at the very last second; the blade missed by centimeters.

As Konata recovered from her lunge, he gave her a shove, toppling her over next to the fountain. He turned and ran for the doors as the guards drew their assault rifles. Konata drew her Chinese pistol and rapidly emptied her ten round clip into the guard near the intercom. Five of the weak 10mm rounds impacted harmlessly on the guard's security armor, and one round missed entirely. Four rounds, however, managed to strike his head and kill him.

Konata sprung up and dove for the sandbags that the guard had been standing behind, kicking the body away as the two guards across the courtyard open fired. Konata reloaded and took a few potshots at the guards, but her pistol was just as inaccurate as it was weak. "Miyuki!" she called out, "Over here!"

Miyuki dashed over toward Konata and took cover behind a pillar. "What happened? How did you miss him?"

"His hat gave him plus-one Perception is what happened," Konata said, sounding bitter. "Try to draw their fire."

"Got it!" Miyuki leaned around the pillar and took a shot with her rifle, but it flew wide. One of the guards turned his rifle towards Miyuki, sending chunks of stone flying from her cover. The guard attacking Konata stopped to reload, prompting Konata to stand and empty another clip at the guards. One of the rounds grazed the attacking guard's arm, distracting him. Miyuki took the chance to fire at the reloading guard, and she managed to send the .32 round straight through his unarmored bicep.

With both guards momentarily distracted, Konata vaulted over the sandbags and sprinted toward them, dodging some frantic fire from the grazed guard. With a wide sweeping slash, Konata cut both their throats at once. She retrieved an assault rifle, replacing the empty magazine as they ran up to the doors and paused.

"They'll be waiting for us. You ready?" Konata asked, her hand on the door handle.

Miyuki nodded. "We've come so far. I'm not about to give up."

Konata grinned. "Well, here goes nothing!"


"I still say this is a bad idea," Sergeant Platner cautioned. "We really should stay grounded during daylight hours."

"Oh, stop being such a worry-wort!" Akira replied. "This way, we can catch this Miyuki girl faster, and the President will be so happy and proud of us!"

Akira craned her neck to see over the pilot's shoulder and out the windshield. The dirt and rocks littering the Wasteland were little more than a brown blur below them. "So, do we have any information about Andale?" Akira asked Platner.

"After reviewing our pre-war maps, I've determined that Andale was a small suburb south of the urban area known as Fairfax, the ruins of which we should be coming upon shortly."

"Oh! Is that it?" Akira pointed out the windshield at a rapidly approaching cluster of pre-war buildings.

"Yes, that should be-" Platner was cut off by an explosion throwing the Vertibird off course and shaking everyone inside. "Damage report!" Platner shouted as the craft started to stabilize.

"We've lost control of our left engine, and we're taking small arms fire from the buildings," Dixon reported.

"Sir," Callow said, panic in his voice, "They've fired another missile!"

Akira jumped back into the passenger compartment and strapped herself in as the missile impacted. Everyone in the Vertibird was suddenly thrown around like rag dolls as the craft came crashing down, skipping off the roof of a tall building as it did. It careened past Fairfax, plowed through a still standing section of overpass, and ricocheted off a cliff face before coming to rest half-buried in the dirt.


Konata and Miyuki threw open the double doors and charged inside, ready for a fight. Upon entering the tower lobby, however, they were stopped dead in their tracks, momentarily stunned by the sheer numbers stacked against them.

Four guards had taken cover behind the reception desk, and four more were crouched in front of it. Six more guards were interspersed throughout the large lobby, taking cover behind chairs and pillars, and perched on the walkways overlooking the main floor were four more guards. Burke stood by the elevator behind the desk, flanked by an important looking guard. Twenty guns, in total, all pointed at Konata and Miyuki.

Burke chuckled. "Bravo. Bravo, I say. Quite the show of bravery and heroism you two have put on. It would appear that I have underestimated you. But this is where it ends. I'll give you one chance to turn around and walk away. You can't save Megaton; why go down with it?"

Konata put on her determined grin. "You know what I say? I say bring on a hundred guards! We'll beat you in the end, even if we have to use every last buff we have! Even if our weapons and armor are lowered to zero condition! We'll still win, because you're all nothing but NPCs!"

Miyuki hadn't the faintest clue as to what Konata said, but it sounded encouraging. "What she said!" she blurted out.

Burke cocked his eyebrow. "I'll never understand you Wastelanders. Very well, if you have a death wish, then I will be happy to fulfill it." He turned to the guard beside him. "Chief Gustavo, eliminate them."

Gustavo nodded. "You heard him boys! Open fire!"

Konata and Miyuki ducked behind two nearby stone pillars as a wave of lead washed toward them. Konata listened for a few seconds. "Dang, they're staggering reloads to keep the pressure on us," she muttered. She dug a syringe of Med-X, a powerful painkiller, from her pocket and pulled the cap off the needle with her teeth.

"Konata-san? What are you doing?" Miyuki asked, sounding worried.

Konata slid the long needle into her wrist. "I'm going to tank them. I'll draw their aggro so you can pick them off. Aim for their heads; they don't have helmets. Don't worry about me, my outfit's in good condition. Combine that with this Med-X and I figure my DR is at least thirty-five. Plus I get plus-sixty HP from the Buffout I took earlier."

Miyuki sweatdropped. "Wh-What did you just say?"

Konata pulled a frag grenade from her belt. "Just shoot whoever shoots at me."

She lobbed the grenade around the pillar and toward the desk. The desk was blown in two, sending splinters everywhere. Most of the guards dove away from the explosive, but two were injured in the blast and one was killed.

Having broken the main offensive line, Konata charged forward, assault rifle blazing. She managed to mow down several of the ground level guards before emptying her magazine and being forced to take cover by the ruined desk.

Miyuki took careful aim and picked off two of the guards on the second floor before fire was once again focused on her. Konata drew her knife and pistol before jumping over the desk and charging for Burke, slashing one guard and headshoting another on her way.

She lunged for Burke, but Chief Gustavo swung at her with the butt of his gun, forcing her to dodge. She turned and lunged for him, taking three shots before stabbing him between the armor plates on his chest. Ripping the knife back out, she turned and saw Burke standing in the elevator. She hurled her knife straight at him, but the door slid closed just in time to block it. Konata silently cursed as she ran over to retrieve her knife.

Taking a moment to jab a stimpak into her wrist to help seal up the many bullet wounds she had just acquired, she turned back towards the lobby. The number of guards was now much lower; Miyuki had managed to kill all but five, who were now focusing fire on her. Konata scooped Gustavo's rifle off the ground and charged at the guards from behind, pouring lead into the closest. Her rifle ran dry, and she swung it like a club at the back of a second guard's head. Miyuki managed to get another headshot off, and Konata finished the last two with her knife.

"You're a real deadeye, aren't you?" Konata said approvingly.

Miyuki smiled bashfully. "Well, when you've read every book in the Vault, there's not much to do but practice with your BB gun."

Konata nodded. "Makes sense. Now come on, Burke got away." She started towards the stairs. "We need to hurry if we're gonna catch him!"


"Akira-sama! Akira-sama!"

Akira cringed at hearing Minoru's voice. She opened her eyes and cringed more when she saw him hanging over her.

"Akira-sama! Thank goodness you're awake!"

"Minoru? What happened to the others?" she asked, cute voiced.

Minoru frowned. "They didn't make it. They're all dead."

"Then get off of me!" Akira shouted, no longer needing to act. She kicked Minoru away and sat up, finding herself on the ground a short distance from a pile of flaming wreckage. She noticed that her uniform was singed and torn in places; she vaguely noted that Minoru's was as well.

"Wait here," she instructed. Minrou simply sat still, still a bit shaken from her outburst. Akira walked back to the wreck, careful to avoid the flames and sharp debris. She entered through a large hole torn in the side of the hull, emerging a short time later carrying the two olive duffel bags.

"Looks like most of the equipment is slag," she said, dropping the bags in front of Minoru. "No power armor or laser rifles," she said with a sigh. "Just these," she patted the two laser pistols strapped to her thighs, "And this." She tossed the assault rifle to Minoru. "Most of the food and water was okay though, so I put it all in the bags. Now lets get going."

She walked away, and Minoru scrambled to collect the bags before following her. "But, Akira-sama, where are we going?"

Akira gave him an annoyed look. "We're going to Andale, stupid. We're going to catch this girl so we can go back home. What else would we be doing?" Minoru looked down at his feet. She was right, they still had a mission to complete.

They walked south, and it didn't take very long before they reached Andale. A Red Rocket fuel station greeted them as they walked up the hill to the small group of houses. Most were little more than rubble, but three were left standing.

"Well, hello there young lady!"

A man had appeared from seemingly nowhere to come and greet them; Minoru jumped, startled, but Akira didn't miss a beat. "Hi there, Mister! I'm Akira Kogami!"

"Good to meet you!" the man said, his voice every bit as cheerful as Akira's. "Name's Smith, Jack Smith. Welcome to Andale, the best little town in Virginia!" The man didn't seem to notice their uniforms, which were rather out of place in the Wasteland.

"It's good to meet you, Jack!"

"And it's good to meet you too! Feel free to stay in Andale as long as you'd like. Heck, stop by the house for dinner sometime if you like. Just let Linda know beforehand so she can make enough for five!"

"That sound's like fun! Maybe we'll do that."

"I hope to see you there! So, did you need anything else?"

"Well, we're looking for someone and heard that she came to Andale."

"Well, that's no surprise. Andale wins town of the year every year; we always get visitors! What did she look like?"

As Akira retold her story about lost cousins, Minoru decided to take a look around the town; the back and forth cheeriness was starting to get to him. He walked toward another house and saw a boy standing on the sidewalk.

"You're new here, aren't you?" the boy said as he approached. "Wow! I never get a chance to talk to the new people! Dad always takes care of them before I get a chance."

Minoru looked confused. Takes care of them? "What do your parents do?" he asked.

"The same things that all parents do! My mom cooks and cleans the house and my dad goes to work with Mr. Wilson. They work in the basement, or sometimes in Mr. Wilson's shed. Dad says that when I'm older, I'll come to work with him, and learn the family business!"

"Oh, that sounds nice. So you like living in Andale?"

"It's swell! Except... I wish there were more kids. And my dad says that I'm going to have to marry smelly old Jenny Wilson someday. He keeps saying stuff to my mom about keeping the family going, and how when him and Mr. Wilson were brothers, they didn't want to get married either. It's weird... that means Mr Wilson is my uncle and Jenny is... something. I don't know. It seems weird to marry her."

Before Minoru could respond, a man came walking up to them. "Hey there, Junior. Making a new friend?"

"Hi, Mr. Wilson. I was just telling him about life in Andale."

"Ah, Andale. It's the perfect place to settle down and raise a family, stranger."

Minoru tried starting a conversation. "Junior told me that you and Mr. Smith work together. What do you do?"

"I feed my family and I love my wife and daughter, what more to life is there, stranger? Family first! And any man who says anything different is saying something wrong. And you should hit that man. With a stick."

Minoru sweatdropped.

"Oh Shiraishi-san!" Akira called. Minoru turned and saw her beckoning him across the street.

"I have to go now," he said, bowing.

"We'll catch you later!" Mr. Wilson called after him.

"What is it, Akira-sama?" he asked upon reaching her.

"That Jack guy says he's never seen this Miyuki chick, but he's gotta be lying. He's way too nice to be telling the truth."

"I don't know, these people seem like they're just nice. I don't think they're lying about anything."

"Oh, come on Shiraishi-san," Akira said, her voice sweet. "You don't really believe that, do you?" She pouted, blinking her big, golden eyes at him. "I mean, you of all people should know to never judge a book by it's cover." Minoru frowned as Akira switched out from cute mode, her point proven. "I'm telling you, these people are hiding something. Follow me, I have an idea."


"Just two more floors, Yuki-chan!"

Miyuki didn't think anything was more tiring than running across miles of barren wasteland; she was now very close to changing that assessment. But still, she pressed on up the next flight of stairs, determined to stop Burke and set things right.

Konata opened the door to the top floor as the elevator doors across the hall opened. Burke fired as he left the elevator, forcing Konata to duck back for cover. Miyuki caught up as Burke dashed down the hall, headed for the master suite. She took a quick shot, but she only grazed his leg. Burke slowed, but he kept firing back.

Miyuki reached into the ammunition bag Konata had given her as they gave chase, but she found that she had expended all her magazines in the lobby. She had one round left in her current magazine; she would have to make it count. Konata took potshots as they ran before cursing and throwing her pistol to the ground; she too, had run out of ammunition.

Burke entered the master suite, which was left unguarded; apparently, every guard in the tower had been called down to the lobby. The girls followed him into the suite and through a set of doors leading to the balcony.

"End of the line, Burke!" Konata said with a grin. "You're cornered."

Burke was standing on the left side of the balcony next to a table holding an open case. On the right side sat an old man in a bright red suit. Miyuki noticed that he had a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Mister Burke," the man said in a thick British accent. "Who are these people? You said the security breach was under control!"

"It is under control, Mr. Tenpenny," he replied, his pistol pointed at the girls. "You two are proving to be an extreme inconvenience. But you will find that I have the advantage here." Burke's hand was hovering over the case, which seemed to contain a control panel of sorts.

"Wait, is that...?" Miyuki started to ask, too scared to finish the question.

Burke grinned maliciously. "Indeed it is. The detonator for the Fusion Pulse Charge. If either of you so much as raise your weapons, I will flip the switch, and Megaton will cease to exist. Now back away and drop your weapons."

"Why should we listen to you? You're just gonna blow it up no matter what we do!" Konata shouted.

Burke's hand inched closer to the switch. "I'm giving you a chance to survive. Surrender, and you live. Try to attack, and you will die with your precious town. It's your choice."

Konata grinned. "Fine. I choose... option C!"

Konata moved surprisingly fast, swinging her knife in a wide arc before letting it fly at Burke. The knife buried itself in his stomach, forcing him to stagger back, away from the case. Burke fired his pistol at Konata, striking her in the leg and torso as she sprung forward. She took two more shots before closing the distance and delivering a strong kick. Burke flew back against the railing before Konata pounced on him and ripped her knife out from his stomach. Despite the pain, Burke managed to squeeze off two more shots before a slash to the wrist made him drop the pistol. Konata stabbed him twice before delivering a final slash to the neck.

As Burke's corpse fell, Konata turned to attack Tenpenny, but she staggered and clutched at her point-blank bullet wounds, leaning on the railing for support. Miyuki saw Tenpenny start to draw his sniper rifle, taking advantage of Konata's weakened state. She aimed her rifle, hoping to end this conflict with a well placed headshot. She squeezed the trigger.

And missed.

Miyuki's eyes widened as panic set in. She was out of rounds; there was nothing she could do to stop that high-powered rifle from tearing through Konata. The world seemed to grind to a halt as she watched the scene unfold before her. Tenpenny had drawn his rifle, and was starting to take aim. For the first time, Miyuki saw fear on Konata's face. Konata squeezed her eyes shut as the rifle was brought to bear, and the dull boom from the high powered firearm filled her ears.


"Thank you so much for inviting us to dinner, Jack!" Akira bubbly exclaimed as she sat down at the table.

"Think nothing of it, friend! We're more than happy to show some good old fashioned hospitality to our guests." Jack walked back out to the living room. "Junior!" he called up the stairs, "It's dinner time!"

Akira nudged Minoru, who was seated beside her. "The basement door is over there," she said quietly, subtly nodding towards the hall. "That's gotta be where they're hiding the girl."

Jack returned and sat down, followed by Junior. "Oh, hi there," Junior said when he saw Minoru and Akira. "I didn't know we were having company. We never have guests over for dinner!"

"Nonsense!" Jack said, "We have guests for dinner all the time!"

"They're ready!" Linda, Jack's wife, called over from the stove. She removed a tray from the oven and brought it over to the table. "My special Meat Pies, baked fresh from the oven. I hope you like them!" Linda placed several of the baked patties on everyone's plates and sat down.

Akira took a bite; her eyes widened slightly as she nearly gagged, but she never dropped her act. "Delicious!" she exclaimed.

Minoru tried the meat and was similarly repulsed, but tried to not show it. "My, it certainly has a unique flavor," he said after managing to gulp it down. "What kind of meat is it?"

"Oh, it's a very special kind of meat. A choice cut, if I do say so myself." Jack answered vaguely.

They continued to eat until Akira and Minoru had choked down half their meals. Akira gave Minoru a wink; Minoru looked hesitant, but nodded.

"Ohhhh..." Minoru moaned, clutching his stomach. "Akira-sama, it's happening again!"

Come on, you idiot! Put some emotion into your lines! "Oh dear!" She faced Jack. "Jack, do you have a bathroom? It's an emergency!"

"Uh, sure. It's just upstairs."

Minoru stood abruptly and bowed stiffly. "Thank you very much!" he exclaimed before rushing out from the kitchen.

"Is he okay?" Jack asked.

"Poor Shiraishi-san has radiation sickness." Akira shrugged. "Poor guy keeps needing to use the bathroom."

"Well, that's just too bad."

Akira studied Jack as they ate, searching for holes in his act, any hint or clue that might confirm her suspicions. He must be a good actor, but so am I.

Minoru returned to the kitchen, bowing as he entered. "Thank you for letting me use the bathroom."

Jack smiled. "Not a problem, friend. Everything come out okay?"

"Yes sir," Minoru said as he sat down. "Everything was fine."

They started eating again, and Akira nudged Minoru. "Did you find it?" she whispered.

"I think so. It was the only one up there."

"Well, lets hope it's the right one. Then we'll be able to find out what's really going on around here."


I'm dead. I failed my Luck roll and now I'm dead.

Aren't I?

Konata slowly opened her eyes. She was still hunched over on the balcony of Tenpenny Tower, clutching her bullet wounds. She looked over at Allistair Tenpenny, and was surprised to see him slumped in his chair, his chest shredded by buckshot. She glanced at Miyuki and found the meganekko clutching a sawed-off shotgun, the barrel of which was smoking.

"M-Miyuki-san? You... you saved me!" Konata exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

"I... I did?" Miyuki glanced down at the shotgun in confusion. "I don't even remember drawing this..."

"Yuki-chan saved me!" Konata exclaimed as she sprung up to pounce on Miyuki with a hug, but her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. "Right," she muttered, wincing. "My HP is low." She started to fumble for a stimpak.

"Konata-san, wait," Miyuki said, shifting her focus back to the moment. "Let me help." Miyuki crouched next to Konata, taking a stimpak from Konata's pouch and gently applying it to her wrist.

Konata smiled softly and leaned against Miyuki. "Thanks, Yuki-chan. I mean it; I really pushed my luck there. If this had been a solo mission, well, I'd have gotten a game over." She looked up at Miyuki. She looked genuinely thankful, but her eyes never lost their mischievous gleam. "I guess adventuring in a party is really the way to go!"

"You don't need to thank me, Konata-san. I owe you my own life after all. Are you certain you're all right? I could apply another stimpak." Miyuki offered.

"Nah," Konata replied as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm still pretty sore, but I'll just sleep it off. You save caps on stimpaks that way."

Miyuki stood and the two examined the opened case on the table.

Konata scowled at the array of buttons and levers. "Here it is; the detonator for the bomb." She closed the case and held it out to Miyuki. "Would you like to do the honor?"

Miyuki nodded and took the case. She swung the case through the air and flung it out over the balcony. It careened into the Wasteland before smashing into tiny pieces on the ground.

Miyuki let out a deep sigh of relief, glancing out over the Wasteland. Megaton was just a speck on the horizon, but it was definitely there.

Konata gave her a thumbs up. "Good job!"

Miyuki smiled. "I suppose we should head back now, shouldn't we?"

Konata's eyes gleamed, and she held up a hand as though she were stopping Miyuki. "Not so fast, Yuki-chan. We've just completed our main quest objective. Do you know what that means?"

Miyuki sweatdropped. "I'm afraid I don't, Konata-san."

Konata grinned. "Well, I'll tell you. Now is the time for loot! Even if we only take the assault rifles and security armor, we'll make a fortune! Besides that, we've got this whole tower, ripe for the picking! Just think of it," she started to count off on her fingers, "We can get all kinds of nice pre-war clothes from a luxury place like this, and there's got to be a lot of food and water, not to mention a clinic filled with medicine. We can probably find all kinds of junk items too, and if we're lucky there'll be a weapons locker somewhere!"

Miyuki eyesmiled. It was comforting to see Konata's boundless enthusiasm and energy, despite what they had been through. "Alright, where should we start then?"

"Right here!" Konata declared. She marched over to Burke's corpse and retrieved his 10mm pistol. "You know," Konata said, spinning the silenced weapon on her finger, "I think I might end up keeping this one. It should have better stats than my old one, plus I can do mutiple sneak attacks with it!" She holstered the gun and glanced back at the corpse. After a moment of thought, she snatched up Burke's pre-war fedora and put it on. "How do I look?"

"It definitely suits you," Miyuki replied.

Konata approached Tenpenny's corpse and picked up his sniper rifle. She held it out to Miyuki. "This is rightfully yours. Seems like a nice upgrade from your hunting rifle."

Miyuki took it tentatively. "I don't know. This seems like it would be much harder to fire."

Konata shrugged. "Well, just hang onto it for a while. You never know when it might come in handy, like that shotgun of yours. You can always sell it later if you don't want it." Konata headed back towards the door. "Come on, there's a whole lot more loot just waiting for us to take it! I hope we can carry it all..."

Miyuki followed Konata, taking one last glance back at the Wasteland. We really did it. Maybe life on the outside isn't so bad after all. Maybe, with Konata's help, I really can make a life for myself out here.


So, what do you think? I'm told that my fight scenes are well written, but capturing the dynamic action present in every good fight with nothing but words is a bit of a challenge, and I'm not always sure I can pull it off. Any feedback on what you did or didn't like would be appreciated, especially considering how many more fights are sure to come.

A few thoughts on story drama. Fallout 3 players know that this is not actually how the "Power of Atom" quest plays out, but it makes for a more exciting read than "Miyuki disarmed the bomb and Megaton was safe." That's about how it would've went if I had followed the game exactly. In fact, from a dramatic standpoint, Fallout 3 is seriously lacking. But the potential is obviously there, and I intend to keep capitalizing on it.

I'm glad that someone gets the significance of sending Akira and Minoru to Andale. I had actually planned on resolving that plotline in this chapter, but I was afraid that what I have planned would've overshadowed Miyuki and Konata's triumph.

On the subject of character death. While I find the taste of an innocent girl's blood to be delicious, I am of the firm belief that any main character death (especially in fan fiction) should be a defining moment for that character. It should establish that character as someone to be remembered as the story continues; send them off with a bang, so to speak. Should I ever decide to kill off one of the girls, it won't be from a random gunshot. It will be from a pointed, well-aimed gunshot after suitable buildup establishing the bitter relationship between the shooter and the victim, and will likely involve some form of sacrifice on the part of the victim, all accompanied by an extensive and dramatic narration intended to produce an intensely emotional scene. (Please note that this is merely a hypothetical example. I'm not saying I have plans to kill any of the girls, but I'm not discounting that possibility either. I'm merely saying such an event would not be taken lightly on my part.)

Well, I'm off to write the next chapter. Look forward to a little more backstory, some side questing, and Akira's trademark rage. And Fallout 3 guys, don't go spoiling the secret of Andale before the big reveal. ;)