A/N: Hello there. Uh, this update was supposed to be faster and yet... Sorry, writing had been really difficult for me lately, I had days during which I couldn't write a single sentence without forcing it out.

FFLurker: Thanks for your feedback, as well as other guests commenting the story. According to Nanoha Wiki, Flash Move was a spell used by Nanoha to counter Fate's Blitz Action ^^ Don't worry, I've also mixed up those two spells.

All right, I'll rant more in the ending author's notes. I hope you'll like this chapter, enjoy.

Passage to Al Hazard

Chapter 3

By: Caelion

It was a beautiful day. A great one for a picnic under the blue sky. Sitting on a blanket, in the middle of a meadow, a dark-haired woman was spending her time with her daughter. "Alicia, is there anything that you want for your birthday?" Precia turned to the girl.

"Let me think..." The little blonde next to the woman scratched her chin, pondering about the question. "I want a baby sister!" She exclaimed suddenly, making her mother blush lightly. "If I had a sister, I wouldn't be lonely when you're away," The girl explained, her eyes lightening up. "And we could do all sorts of stuff to help you!" She added happily.

"Well, that's true, but..." Precia started uncertainly, trying to change her daughter's mind.

"I want a sister! Promise me, mommy!" Alicia gave her mother a pleading look, putting out her right hand's pinky in direction of the confused woman.

The battle had been lost before it even started. Not having any other options left, because a refusal was not an option, Precia smiled mildly, catching her daughter's finger with her own.

Alicia's expression brightened even more, if that was even possible. She was going to have a little sister! What would be her name? Would they be similar to each other?

Fate opened her eyes sharply. It was that dream again. One of her- no, one of her sister's memories she had, buried somewhere deep in her mind. She sighed silently, looking at the celling and thinking about this retrospection she had a while ago.

Dreams like this one were making the blonde feel strangely sad and nostalgic. And they were always making her wonder how would her life looked like if Alicia hadn't died. How would it be like to have a kind and gentle older sister? Would she be like Linith? Calm and wise, guiding her through difficulties of her life. Or maybe she would be more like Arf? Always full of energy but still reserved enough to be more of her partner-in-training than of a friend. And on top of that all, would she even love her?

Fate was definitely a caring person. She was still very young but she cared for people she loved, just like others cared for her. There was a point in her life when she was feeling sad and unwanted. But then, happier days had come and brightened her world. But along with them, the secret regarding her sister had been revealed to her. The older she was getting, the more she understood from those short reminders of Alicia's life which haunted her from time to time. Mostly at night, because the time made her eventually forget what was supposed to replace her own memories. The memories she wanted to know.

Her mother was rather reluctantly talking about this accident. Or to be more precise, she wasn't talking about it at all. It was just something Fate had to accept over the years and she had learned that none of her questions would be answered. Then again, she was too young to care about it anyway. But even if she had accepted the truth quite easily, it didn't devoid her of her will to know her 'true' memories, instead of having the ones of her sister's.

Sighing once more, Fate sat on her bed, careful to not wake up Arf sleeping next to her. Apparently, two beds in the apartment hadn't convince the familiar to stop being clingy to her master, even at night. Going to the bathroom and washing her face, Fate made a short list of things she had to do. And there were a few of them. First of all, she had to hurry up to Nanoha's house before the girl left to school.

After eating a few toasts for breakfast, the blonde scanned her wardrobe, looking for some clothes to wear, finally picking up a black summer dress barely covering her thighs. Adding a black knee-high boots to it, she looked at herself in a mirror. She loved darker colours, both her mother and Linith were always saying that black was going well with her eyes and hair colour. Tying up her hair into two twin ponytails with her favourite ribbons, also black, she looked at herself one more time, pleased with her appearance. With a silent 'I'm leaving', she opened the door to her apartment and made her way towards the rooftop.

As soon as Fate went outside, she pulled out Bardiche and put her Barrier Jacket on. After a few minutes of flying, she was hanging high above Nanoha's house. When the brunette showed herself, the girl went after her, hovering high enough to not be seen. Following an orange bus Nanoha got in, Fate had finally reached her destination. Which was nothing else than her friend's school. The blonde looked at the place from the sky. So this was where the brunette was spending half of her day. The school grounds were surrounded by a wire fence, preventing strangers from entering. "Bardiche, what's the local time and day?" Fate asked, raising her right hand.

[8.30am, Saturday, Sir.] The device responded, blinking with a golden light.

"Thank you, Bardiche." Scratching her chin lightly, the blonde tried to remember a certain conversation she had with Nanoha about the earthly week being divided into seven days. If it was Saturday, then it meant that the brunette was going to finish her classes at noon. The earlier, the better. Turning around, the blonde flew back to her apartment. She was going to come back later.

Since the last accident with Jewel Seeds, Fate and Arf had a quite difficult time with coming back to searching the Logia like they used to do before. The familiar, being injured twice almost in a row, willy-nilly had to take her time to let her body heal fully. Fate had it no better, even after magically healing her bones, her ability to fight dropped down drastically. And eventually, after many try-outs and failed attempts to get up and train, she accepted the truth that she had to simply rest before getting back to her old, good shape.

Finally, after almost eight days, the time had come to go back on Earth. Fate was really excited to see Nanoha again. Especially with the news she had to deliver to her. Waiting near the girl's school gate, the blonde was looking nervously at a large digital clock hanging on a wall of one of many buildings surrounding her. It was almost noon and the sunlight made the girl regret dressing in black. Fate sat down on a bench near the entrance and crossed her legs. She rested her chin on her hand and watched as a luxury limousine stopped in front of the gate. The car's driver got out and opened the back passenger's door. Just in time to let a short, violet-haired girl get inside, followed by a blonde and... "Nanoha!" Fate stood up from the bench, waving to her friend.

"Fate-chan," The girl waved back, getting curious looks from her two companions. "Ah, this is my new friend I've told you about," The brunette turned to the two, gesturing at Fate.

The blonde suddenly felt speechless when she heard a silent 'wow' and two new pairs of eyes rested on her, watching her with interest. "Um, I'm Fate Testarossa, nice to meet you." She introduced herself and bowed lightly, just like Nanoha had taught her once.

The violet-haired girl spoke first. "I'm Tsukimura Suzuka, nice to meet you too." She smiled and bowed back.

"Arisa Bannings, likewise." The other blonde followed and fixed her green eyes on Fate. "Nanoha was right," She said suddenly. "You really are pretty."

Fate's cheeks burned red at the praise. Seeing Nanoha smiling apologetically, she responded sheepishly. "T- Thank you."

"Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt but you'll be late for your cram school classes." The driver turned to Suzuka, still standing and holding the door.

"So, we'll meet on Monday," Nanoha went to Fate's side, waving to her friends.

"Um, see you!" Suzuka returned the wave and so did Arisa, getting into the car.

When the limousine left, the brunette looked at Fate, taking her hand into her own. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" She asked mildly. "I'm glad you're fine again."

"Mm, I'm okay now. Good to see you again." The blonde responded and started walking with Nanoha by her side.

"By the way," The other girl asked with apparent curiosity. "How did you know where my school is?"

"Ah, I followed you this morning." Fate answered. "Sorry," She added apologetically.

"Nah, no problem, I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised," Nanoha waved it off. "You haven't contacted me for days, I didn't know when you were going to come back here."

"Actually, I came to deliver some news for you, that's why I decided to wait here." The blonde admitted, watching as her friend's expression turned from just cheerful into a happily curious one. "My mother agreed to let you help us and she invites you for a few days to our place. Would you like to come?"

The brunette looked at the other girl, almost exclaiming 'of course I would'. "Mm!" She nodded enthusiastically. "I just need to get a permission from my mom, and my school starts on Monday again so I need to be back tomorrow before the evening."

"That's all right," Fate answered mildly. "I'll wait for you today at 2pm in the alley, just come if you'll be able to go."

Chatting all their way to Nanoha's house, the distance they passed seemed somehow not long enough to say everything they wanted to. They talked about almost all that happened in those eight days during which they couldn't see each other. Starting with Fate's tries to come back to a good shape, going through Nanoha's school life and finally getting to the topic of the brunette's involvement in the Jewel Seed case.

"Mother was a little reluctant to it at first," Fate explained, asked by Nanoha if her help wouldn't be more of a trouble. "But I've managed to convince her finally."

"Thanks," Nanoha gripped her friend's hand a little harder, suddenly realising that she was holding it for their whole way. "Helping you means a lot to me."

"I know," The blonde responded playfully. "So, we'll meet later, I hope so." She said when they stopped in front of Nanoha's house.

"Mm, we will." The brunette smiled and went inside. "I'm home!" She called, changing her shoes and deciding to go straight to her mother.

"Welcome home, Nanoha!" She heard her mother's soft voice calling her suddenly from the kitchen. "Come here for a second!"

"Yes!" The girl replied, going in the direction of the voice calling her.

"You seem happy, with whom were you talking a moment ago?" Momoko asked, looking curiously at her daughter. "I saw you when I went upstairs to your room." She added, seeing the girl's surprised expression.

"Um, it was my new friend, Fate-chan," The shorter brunette responded, sitting on a chair, near her mother. "She's invited me to a sleepover at her place today."

"Ah, so that's why you're in such a good mood, isn't it?" The woman spoke gently, getting back to preparing a dinner.

"Mhm, it is," Nanoha admitted, getting up to help. "Can I go? Please?" She asked, hoping for a positive response.

Momoko stayed silent for a while, pondering about the case. "I guess you're responsible enough to ask me this time," She said, making her daughter sigh mentally when she got the reference to her last night escapade. "When are you planning to come back home?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, probably," Nanoha answered immediately, hoping for a good outcome. "Does it mean you agree?"

The woman sighed lightly and smiled to herself. "It does," She confirmed and the girl next to her hugged her suddenly.

"Thank you, mom," Nanoha tightened her hold around her mother's waist, thinking about what she had to pack and take with her.

Fate didn't have to wait for too long. No more than ten minutes passed, since she had landed in the alley, when she saw Nanoha running in her direction and waving cheerfully. The blonde returned the gesture, watching the girl. It was the first time she had seen her in something else than her regular, white, school uniform. The brunette was dressed in a short, red skirt and a white top with pink stripes. On her feet she wore matching, red sandals and a small backpack was hanging on her arm.

"Ready to go?" Fate asked, receiving a nod. "Be careful to not lose your sandals during the flight." She warned, and before Nanoha could respond, she picked her up like a princess and soared fast above the ground.

"Ah!" The brunette squealed, holding her backpack with one hand and hanging the other one around her friend's neck. The flight wasn't too long, after a short while they landed on top of the skyscraper Fate was living in. And waiting for them was no one other than Arf. "Good afternoon, Arf-san," Nanoha greeted the girl.

"Good to see you again, Nanoha," The familiar replied with a grin. "Thank you for saving us back then. We'd have surely died without you."

"D- Don't say it like that," Nanoha waved it off. She still had to get used to the thought that she'd saved someone's life.

The brunette went to Fate's side when the girl called her, saying that they'd reach the Gardens shortly. She felt the blonde's hand on her own and gripped it lightly, being engulfed by a golden light. Suddenly, she felt as if she was sucked into a huge vacuum, the light disappeared and everything around her looked like a fast-forwarding space film. Stars started spinning around her, blackness turning into a mix of dark green and violet, and the girl felt as if her stomach was spinning along with them. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them when she felt Fate gently pulling her hand.

"You look sick," The blonde stated seriously. "Have you kept your eyes open?" She questioned with concern.

Nanoha only nodded her head, feeling as if every attempt of opening her mouth could end badly for her stomach. "What was that?" She asked when she calmed down.

"We were travelling through dimensions, that's why you should keep your eyes closed during that." Fate explained, leading her friend to Precia's office.

"I'll wait for you in the laboratory." Arf said, taking a different direction.

Nanoha recognised the door to Fate's mother's room. After getting permission to enter, the two girls stepped inside. "Good morning, Testarossa-san," The brunette greeted and bowed, right after passing the doorstep.

"Welcome, Nanoha, Fate." Precia was sitting behind her desk with her legs crossed. She put down notes she was holding and looked at the two. "Has Fate already told you why I wanted to meet with you?" She turned to Nanoha mildly.

"Um, she told me that it's about my request..." The brunette answered shyly.

"Then I'll just ask you one more time, are you sure that you want to do this?" The woman asked seriously, fixing her eyes on the girl.

"Yes." Nanoha responded firmly with no hesitation.

"Good," Precia got up from her seat. "Then I'll show you what I can offer you." Leading them through a labyrinth of halls and chambers, the black-haired woman stopped abruptly before passing a silver door with a small digital keyboard attached to them.

Receiving another questioning look, Nanoha nodded her head once more and Precia entered a password, opening the door.

Behind them was a medium-sized laboratory with a large tube standing in the middle of the room. Inside it, was floating a small necklace in shape of a silver circle with a sapphire gem in it's centre. Next to the tube, Arf was looking closely at the device, and in a back of the room, behind a set of computers, was sitting Linith. "I've just made the last corrections," The woman spoke, turning to the rest. "It should work flawlessly."

Nanoha watched the necklace with open mouth, gently touching the glass dividing them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Fate pulled the girl out of her thoughts, making her look at the blonde.

"It's name is Voulge," Precia explained. "Linith designed it as a device similar to Bardiche in a way."

"Voulge..." Nanoha repeated the name absently, fixing her eyes on the azure gem once again.

"You probably want to try it out, don't you?" Linith asked, walking to the tube and pulling a few triggers, causing the device to rest softly on the tube's bottom. Then, she removed the glass. "Don't be shy, take it." She encouraged the girl.

Carefully, as if dealing with something incredibly fragile, Nanoha touched the warm necklace, taking it into her hand.

[Welcome, Ma'am.] The device spoke with it's digital voice, similar to Bardiche's, and blinked with a bluish light.

"Um, hello, Voulge," The brunette responded, surprised by the greeting.

"Come on," Fate grabbed Nanoha's arm suddenly. "I'll show you our training ground."

"Um, wait a second," Nanoha stopped the girl. "Thank you very much!" She looked at Precia and Linith. Receiving two smiles in response, she bowed and turned around to follow her friend, Arf going with them.

The chamber the two went in was different than other ones they had to pass through. It was definitely larger, if it was even possible, and a soft material was covering it's floor and walls. Besides it, the room was practically empty.

"It's to prevent injuries resulting from falling or hitting the wall." Fate explained, leading Nanoha inside. "Go ahead, you can use it here." The girl encouraged. "It works in the same way as Bardiche."

"Okay then," The brunette cleared her throat and took a breath. "Voulge, set up!" She exclaimed, rising up her hand with the necklace.

[Barrier Jacket, get set!]

A strong azure light surrounded Nanoha as her transformation sequence activated, changing her normal clothes into a Barrier Jacket. A white skirt appeared on the girl's legs, ending a little above her knees. Her top was replaced by a body-suit like black cloth, covered by a white jacket with long sleeves and puffy arms, decorated with two, round, azure gems and a long black and blue cape attached to them. A long, and about 10cm wide, blue stripe was going through the brunette's front, starting on the edge of her skirt and ending high on her collar. Her hands were protected by black gloves while black and blue thigh-highs didn't leave a part of her legs uncovered. Adding a pair of steel boots and Fate had to admit that her friend was looking fabulous in her new Barrier Jacket.

[Trident Form, get set!]

The device finished the transformation, appearing in amazed Nanoha's hands, this time not as a necklace, but as a deadly-looking trident. The staff itself was larger than the brunette and the girl had to look up to see three blades crowning the whole device. The middle one was a little longer and symmetrical, while the two outside ones were shorter and a bit round on their exterior edges.

A silent 'wow' escaped the brunette's mouth. She raised the weapon, taking it in her both hands. She noticed, that despite it's impressive size, the trident was lighter than she expected and operating it, at least for now, was a pretty easy thing to do. "Um, how do you like it, Fate-chan?" The girl asked her friend sweetly, leaning on the weapon and rising her left leg cutely.

"Y- You look really good," Fate admitted, feeling a light blush creeping on her face.

"And deadly!" Arf added, giggling along with her master. "So, how about a little sparring to test it out?" The familiar proposed, transforming herself and clashing her, covered with metal, fists together with a loud sound.

"Um, I don't know if I..." Nanoha started uncertainly but Fate stopped her efforts.

"Don't worry, Arf will go easy on you," The blonde assured and turned to her familiar. "Right, Arf?"

"Sure!" The girl responded cheerfully. "It'd be just a friendly match to test out it's abilities."

"P- Please take care of me then," The brunette answered, slowly stepping into the centre of the chamber and taking a stance, pointing the three blades at smirking Arf.

"Here I come!" The familiar shouted, plunging forward and rising her right fist, reaching out her left to catch Nanoha's weapon.

[Barrier Protection]

Voulge blinked, creating an azure barrier in front of the brunette. When Arf's fist connected with it, Nanoha had to put all her strength into her legs and arms to withstand the attack and not fall.

[Barrier Explosion]

Arf's eyes widened and she quickly jumped backwards, covering herself from a sudden eruption of bluish light.

[We'll shoot her, Ma'am.]

The device informed and Nanoha nodded. "Yeah."

[Pike Form, get set!]

The trident changed it's form quickly. The two outside blades parted, along with the middle one and the staff creating a four leaf clover shape. An additional hold with a trigger appeared near the set of blades.

Nanoha gripped the weapon tightly, placing her left hand on the hold and aiming at Arf. [Target locked.] The device informed, making the girl concentrate on her opponent. When the familiar shot forward again, the brunette pulled the trigger.

[Star Lance]

Voulge beeped and a bright, azure light filled the room, Arf suddenly finding herself on a collision course with a bluish beam. Hands raised in a defensive state, she shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for a hit. Most of the blow was blocked by a shield activated in the last moment, but the physical part of the spell sent the girl up to the celling.

Nanoha wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead, leaning on the staff and panting lightly. Her eyes widened when she saw Arf swiftly bouncing off the celling, and already in her wolf form, flying towards her with abnormal speed. Acting like a deer in front of headlights, the brunette covered herself with her hands.

[Rapid Move!]

The device in Nanoha's hand reacted quickly, and in a blink of eye, the girl was a few meters above the ground, watching Arf hitting the floor with a crash. The familiar didn't give up, turning around immediately and pouncing on Nanoha once again.

This time the distance was too short to let the brunette react in a proper way. She only gripped the device harder, holding it in a horizontal position, when Arf's fangs tightened around the staff. The energy of the blow sent both Nanoha and the familiar down on the soft floor.

"I guess it's my win," Arf smirked, pining the brunette down to the ground and baring her teeth playfully.

"I guess it is..." Nanoha giggled nervously.

The orange-haired wolf stepped back, turning into a girl again and helping the other with standing up. "Don't worry, you did well." She assured, patting her lightly on her arm. "A little bit of training and you'll be able to compete even with Fate!"

"T- Thank you," The brunette responded shyly, spotting Fate waiting for her with a smile. Changing back into her normal clothes, Nanoha looked at her device, now back in form of the necklace. "Thank you, Voulge." She said, putting it on her neck.

[At your service, Ma'am.]

"Can I really sleep here?" Nanoha asked with disbelief when Fate led her to her bedroom. It was a big room, dimly lightened by a tall lamp standing next to a king-size bed. On the other side of the room were standing two armchairs, a fancy looking sofa and a small table. There were no windows, but instead of them, there were two large screens on walls, projecting images of a landscape basked in moonlight at night.

"Linith set up an earthly view for you to let you acclimatize to this place better." Fate explained when she saw Nanoha staring at the screens with amazed expression on her small face. "You can use whatever you want to in the room." She added, leading the girl to the bed and encouraging her to sit down on it.

"Wow, it's so soft!" The brunette couldn't help but fall on her back and sink down in the soft mattress.

Fate giggled lightly, watching her friend with amusement. "I'll go now," She stood up and Nanoha's face became serious again. Seeing it, the blonde added. "Just call me whenever you want." The other girl was still staring at her, this time with a questioning look. "Like this." Fate demonstrated, sending a mental message, and laughed again when Nanoha jumped suddenly, looking around.

"H- how?" She stammered, sitting up.

"Just close your eyes and say what you want with your heart." The blonde instructed the girl patiently, smiling encouragingly at her.

Nanoha did as she was told, closing her eyes and focusing on a few words lingering in her mind. "Is that good?" She asked and cheered up when Fate nodded her head.

"We can talk like that when we're on Earth." The girl sat down one more time, taking Nanoha's hand into her own.

"It's like we're connected by hearts, isn't it?" Nanoha giggled when Fate's cheeks became decorated with a cute blush.

"Um," The blonde nodded with embarrassment. "I must go now, If you need something, just say so." Standing up again, Fate squeezed gently the brunette's hand before letting it.

"Good night then, Fate-chan," Nanoha responded with a small smile.

"Good night." Returning the gesture, Fate turned around and left.

Nanoha sighed loudly and fell on the bed once more. It was so soft she could fall asleep without even changing her clothes. Raising herself up with substantial difficulty, the girl reached out for her backpack and took out a pink shirt. After changing herself, she took her new device off her neck and carefully placed it on a small night table. Lying down on the bed, she turned the light off and buried herself in even softer cushions and under a warm quilt.

Everything was so perfect but one thing. She couldn't fall asleep. Turning and changing her position many times, she finally gave up, lying on her back and watching the celling. Closing her eyes, Nanoha thought about Fate. "Fate-chan," She asked silently, waiting for the girl's response.

"Yes? Has something happened?" Her concerned voice reached the brunette, even if she couldn't physically hear her.

"No, I just... can't sleep." Nanoha answered, feeling suddenly embarrassed about disturbing her friend by something so silly.

"Is the bed uncomfortable?" Fate's tone was full of concern. Apparently, the girl had seriously wanted her friend to feel good in her residence.

"I- No, it's fine," Nanoha assured. "It's just that... something familiar is missing." Waiting for her friend's answer, Nanoha turned on her right side, watching the moon on screens. A few minutes passed and Fate didn't respond. The brunette closed her eyes to ask again when a soft knocking broke the silence around her. "Yes?" She sat up and the door opened, showing Fate standing there and holding something in her hand.

"Can I come in?" The blonde asked silently.

"Sure," Nanoha answered and the door closed again, immersing the room in darkness and artificial light of the two screens.

"Do you mind me sleeping with you tonight?" Fate came closer to the bed, the object she was holding proving to be a pillow.

As if in response, the brunette moved away herself and her cushions on the other side of the bed, making a lot of free space for her friend. "Go ahead," She encouraged with a soft voice.

Fate lay down on the bed, covering herself with the quint and turning on her right side while Nanoha turned on her left so the two were facing each other. "I thought that you couldn't sleep because the room is too big," The blonde whispered, looking into her friend's eyes. "I shouldn't have left you alone here." She said with apologetic voice.

Under the quint, Nanoha searched blindly for Fate's hand, finding it finally and squeezing reassuringly. "Don't worry about it." She whispered back, glad that the blonde was there with her, and gently interlaced their fingers. The presence of the girl was somehow soothing and encouraging for Nanoha as she fell asleep almost immediately after closing her eyes.

Green eyes scanned a page of a book carefully, stopping from time to time to re-read some sentences once more. A rustle of paper broke the silence lingering in a small, sunlit room and a blond-haired boy shifted in his seat, turning the page. The book was interesting enough to gather his whole attention, or at least to stop him from paying it at his, already cold, breakfast.

A sudden buzzing sound made him tear away from his lecture. He answered the call immediately and a holographic screen popped in front of him. "Yuuno Scrya speaking," He said with professional sounding, but still childish, voice.

"Good morning, Mr Scrya," The other person greeted him with light voice. "This is Time and Space Administration Bureau, my name is Amy Limietta and I'm calling on behalf of Admiral Lindy Harlaown." The brunette girl smiled, and seeing Yuuno's half-eaten breakfast, quickly added. "I hope I don't disturb you."

"Um, no, it's all right." The boy answered, putting a plate with the food aside.

"You were the one reporting finding a Lost Logia, also known as Jewel Seeds, am I right?" Amy asked, looking at her notes.

"Yes," Yuuno confirmed quickly, feeling an excitement building up in hope for some news regarding his discovery. "I've called TSAB immediately and I were present during loading the Seeds on the space cruiser."

"Mhm, I have it here." The girl nodded her head. "Admiral Lindy Harlaown would like to meet with you today at noon in the TSAB headquarters. Can I confirm the meeting or would you rather to choose another date?"

"No, I'll come today!" The blond-haired boy responded immediately, sitting at the edge of his chair. A high ranked TSAB member wanted to meet with him personally, it just had to be something important. So why wait?

"Okay then," Amy tapped at the keys of a computer next to her. She looked at the display and continued. "Your visitor number is 24a." She informed politely.

"Thank you very much." Yuuno bowed his head lightly.

"Likewise." The girl offered another smile before hanging up the call.

Almost instantly, the boy pounced on the rests of his breakfast, finishing it in a few minutes. He quickly washed himself, got dressed, and after putting on his lately found treasure in form of a red necklace, he was ready to go out. Then, his eyes rested on a small watch near his bed. Right, he still had two hours left.

The TSAB headquarters at noon were, as always, full of people, both civilians and military. After making his way to an enormously big reception, the only thing Yuuno could do was to wait in a short queue. When his turn finally came, he went to the desk, looking up at a young woman sitting behind it. "I'm here to meet with Admiral Lindy Harlaown." He informed.

"Your visitor number?" The receptionist asked, clearly bored with her job.

"24a." The boy answered, waiting for further instructions.

The woman looked at her computer screen, resting her head on her arm. "Admiral Harlaown's office is at the seventh floor, room number 706." She said with almost no emotion, suppressing a yawn.

"Thank you!" Yuuno responded and looked around, searching for any sign of an elevator. Finally, finding what he wanted, he started to make his way through a crowd of people, only to find out that it was just too crowded to use it. Eventually giving up, he decided to just use the stairs.

The boy got on the seventh floor after a few minutes of climbing up the empty stairs. Panting and gasping for more air, he spotted the room he was supposed to go into. He knocked at the door lightly, and after being let in, he opened them, stepping inside. "Good afternoon, Admiral Harlaown," He greeted, standing in front of a large desk with a middle-aged woman sitting behind it. The whole office was quite spacious, furnitures were mostly black with silver parts, the floor was covered with a soft and expensive carpet. TSAB surely wasn't stinting it's high-ranked members of properly equipped offices.

"Good afternoon," The woman responded with a friendly tone. With a graceful move of her hand she shoved away some stray, ocean-green, hair from her face. The rest of them was tied into a long and high ponytail, falling softly at her back. "Please, sit down," She gestured at a chair near the desk.

The aura of dignity, surrounding the woman, made Yuuno carry out her wish immediately.

"Do you know why I wanted to meet with you?" Lindy asked mildly, resting her chin on her hands.

"Um, is it connected with Jewel Seeds?" The boy answered with a question.

"It is," The woman confirmed, resting her back in her chair. "I'm afraid it's going to be a bad news to you." She continued with a serious tone and Yuuno's face fell a little. "Some time ago, we've lost contact with the cruiser transporting the Logia. Our researches indicate that it was apparently destroyed in an interdimensional space, near the Unadministrated Planet #97." Lindy explained with an expression of a professional. "Me and my crew were ordered to investigate the case and retrieve the Jewel Seeds. Since you've been the one who's found them and you know what to look for, would you like to help us with it again?"

For a short while, Yuuno couldn't say a word. So he was just staring at the admiral with disbelief painting on his face.

"Of course, you'll get a proper reward for it." The woman added, seeing the boy's indecision.

"I- Of course I'll help you!" The blond stood up and bowed his head. "Thank you for taking me into account." He said enthusiastically. It was true that his previous efforts went to waste, but how could it even matter when he was going to go on another journey to a different world?

Lindy smiled at the reaction. "Take your most important things with you, we take off in two days, the cruiser's name is Arthra."

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I had so much difficulties with writing this chapter. I don't know when the next update will be, of course, I'll try to bring it as fast as possible. The thing is that my university has started again, and on top of that, I'm dealing with a major writer's block, though I hope it won't take me too long.

As for some explanations, I'll start from Nanoha's device. I know that voulge, as a weapon, doesn't have too much to do with trident or pike, except for all of them being pole weapons. And so doesn't bardiche and scythe. So I took this fact (of being a pole weapon, I mean), as a binding factor.

As for Yuuno, I have always wondered how exactly he managed to get on Earth. In the Movie 1st manga it's partially explained so I took this idea and connected it with another one. I mean, the ship transporting Jewel Seeds was destroyed in the series. And yet, TSAB reacted only after this whole dimensional disturbance thing caused by Nanoha and Fate. A little strange since I honestly don't think that Yuuno's clan had their own space crafts.

That's it for now, thank you for reading, take care and see you next time.