A/N: In case you haven't heard, I'm writing an original fiction book. Link is in my profile, as ffnet doesn't allow copy pasting anymore. Still, if you find this not to be an obstacle: smashwords com/books / view/380166

Check it out, leave a review, tell me what you think so far, 'kay?

….

Kinomoto Sakura of 2814

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Epilogue: You Are (Definitely) Not Alone

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. If I did… well, this would all be canon. WARNING: MAY CAUSE HEAD EXPLOSION!

….

Welcome to the Club

"And so, we are pleased to welcome Crimson Blade-chan, Lightferry-kun, Tea-chan, Shizuku-chan, Twilight Moon-chan and Bloody Nailbat-chan into the United Magical Girl Association," Yukihiro Ayaka announced, not even stuttering at Rinko's rather violent choice of name.

"United Magical Girl (& Boys) Association," Negi, Kotaro, Yuuno, Syaoran, Mamoru and Shiro corrected.

"What they said," Ayaka said breezily as the boys all sighed at the blatant sexism and once more silently resolved to be taken more seriously. "And it is with great joy that we officially add them and Isuzu Ayane, Manaduru Miu and Tachikawa Satoka to the ranks of our organization."

"Hey, my name's supposed to be 'Unlimited Blade Works'!" Satoka protested.

"That term is taken," Chachamaru said gently.

Satoka scowled. "By who?"

Kuro raised a hand. "It's my final attack super duper finisher big bang spell technique," she said. "If you want, you can fight me for it."

Satoka looked down at the barely-clad little girl in front of her, who was smiling at her brightly. "You're actually a super-dangerous badass, aren't you?" she said flatly. She was a product of the modern generation, and had seen enough anime, manga and RPGs to know where this sort of thing usually went.

"Yup!" Kuro said brightly.

Satoka sighed. "Darn it, I thought no one would be using a name like that. Why can't I think of a good name no one is using?"

Yuuno patted her on the shoulder. "I know how you feel. Everyone keeps calling me 'Ferret Lantern'."

Satoka paused and smiled. "Suddenly, my problem doesn't seem too bad."

Yuuno sighed. "No one takes me seriously…"

Kuesu found her hand being shook by the armored girl with the bells in her hair.

"I'm so glad I'm not alone anymore," Asuna said, relieved. "I'm Twilight Red. Let's protect the dignity of the word against sparkly vampires together!"

Negi and Lizlet were, not surprisingly, bonding over a shared love of tea as his students glared at the new rival.

Shizuku was glaring at Hayate, Nodoka, Evangeline, Yue, the Narutaki twins, Sakura, Tomoyo, Fate, Nanoha, Alisa, Suzuka, Illya, Miyu and Kuro. "Damn it, nano… too many lolis, nano. My rarity value is dropping, nano!"

She jerked as Kuro put an arm over her shoulder.

"So…" Kuro said casually. "You smell like a dirty girl. Have you ever done loli-on-loli?"

Shizuku glared at her. "I'm supposed to be the only loli around here," she said petulantly, hissing. Kuro took note of her really long tongue.

"So tsun…" Kuro grinned, and Shizuku for some reason felt a chill go down her spine. "I'm looking forward to making you dere…"

Himari and Setsuna glared at each other.

"Cat bitch," Setsuna ground out through clenched teeth.

"Flat crow," Himari hissed.

"Himari, please don't.–" Yuuto began.

"AngelGARd, really, you shouldn't–" Negi said.

That was as far as they got before the two erupted into a ball of swordswomanly violence. People sighed in annoyance and began pulling out cash and handing them to Kuro, while others grabbed seats and made their own bets.

"Thank you, white ring future visions!" Kuro sang. "Easiest money in the world…"

….

We're Off To See The Guardians!

"Hoe…" Sakura breathed, awed. She been saying that all through the trip and taking so many pictures it was a good thing she had a digital camera.

"Sakura-chan," Yuuno said, spreading his arms expansively to take in the whole planet before them. "Welcome to Oa. Home base of the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corp. The most ancient still-used police station in the cosmos, and oldest source of paperwork in known creation." He smiled. "Nanoha-chan's homeland."

Sakura giggled and half-expected Nanoha to make some kind of annoyed protest. The latter, however, had spread her arms and legs wide herself, as if wanting to hug the whole planet. Her expression was that of someone about to enter the most awesome theme park ever.

"OA!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!" she cried joyfully. "I'm ba-ack! Please take care of me!"

Yuuno and Sakura laughed as they began their descent while Nanoha did excited loops, twists and spins around them, urging them to go faster and waving at the other trails of green light flying in and out of the planet, many of whom waved back. The message from the Guardians barely half an hour after the end of the battle against the still-undesignated giant had very politely but firmly asked Sakura to come meet them at her earliest convenience, no rush, but would it please be sometime soon? Tomoyo had wanted to come, insisting she needed to film Sakura first setting foot on an alien world, but Nanoha had been quite firm on the subject. Sakura was surprised at all the traffic they met on the way down, at the number of people who seemed to know Nanoha. "Is she famous?" Sakura asked Yuuno as Nanoha split off from them to speak to yet another… Sakura supposed it was an alien… wearing something that covered most of it, usually in colors of black and green with a little white thrown in flying up from the planet.

"Kinda," Yuuno said, pointing. "You see that hole? The Great Oan Sinkhole?"

Sakura looked. It was a very big hole.

"She made that," Yuuno explained.

Sakura nodded. Yes, it seemed the kind of thing Nanoha would do. "By accident, right?"

"Mostly by accident," Yuuno allowed.

They exchanged sage nods of understanding.

The place looked like something out of one of the better-illustrated anime, with tall, imposing, futuristic buildings all over the place, and aliens as far as the eye could see. Some looked humans, with maybe strange eyebrows or pointy ears or bright skin colors to set them apart, but most looked very strange, like octopuses, dolphins, insects and trees. Still, Sakura noticed everyone had an air about them, a feeling she got more from her magic than her eyes, of genial good will and mild indigestion, like some of the police officers she's passed in the big city.

Many brightened at seeing Nanoha, making obviously greeting gestures at her and calling to her in their own languages, which her new ring somehow translated. Nanoha waved back cheerfully, exchanging words with them in, Sakura was surprised to notice, their own languages, telling them she was in a hurry, that she was due to meet with the Guardians. Many asked what she blew up this time.

In the center of the city was a gigantic version of the green lanterns Nanoha and Yuuno carried around. It dominated the view, and even though it was much smaller than many of the buildings, it could clearly be seen all across the city. Indeed, buildings seemed arranged to give people a mostly unobstructed view of it. It seemed surrounded by some kind of rippling force field, which Sakura's companions seemed to find odd.

They were not yet at the building they were aiming for, what Yuuno had pointed out as the Guardian's Citadel, directly in front of he giant battery, when Sakura saw her first Guardians. They floated around the battery and seemed to project the force field with their hands. Their appearance reminded her of wrinkly Smurfs in red nightshirts who'd lost their hats. Nanoha and Yuuno glanced curiously at them, and one of the two waved them along to the Citadel.

"Put the camera away," Yuuno murmured to her as they approached what was unmistakably a front desk. A four-armed Green Lantern sat there tending to several things at once. Sakura tried not to stare.

"Hey Salaak!" Nanoha greeted cheerfully. "How's business?"

"You appear as punctual as ever in your reports, 2814.1," the Green Lantern, Salaak, said. He directed an intent look at Sakura, who smiled nervously. "What's she in for?"

"Nothing," Nanoha said. "She just managed to do something that the Guardians want to talk to her about. It was in my report."

"Your report this week was 546 pages long," Salaak said blandly, then sighed and waved a ringed hand. Yet another display appeared in front of him. "Let's see… 'utilized blue-frequency psycho-reactive plasma'? What does that even mean?"

"Ask your ring," Nanoha said, in the tones of someone telling you to ask your mother. "When can we go in?"

Salaak waved them off. "They're expecting you, just go right in."

Nanoha smiled encouragingly at Sakura as the doors opened, and the three of them went inside…

….

Anthropomorphic Evil Guardian Intercept System

Tomoyo, smiling, slid the contract across her desk towards Kageyama. "I believe you will find my terms more than generous," she said. As he took the contract to examine it, Tomoyo helpfully expositioned for those on the other side of the fourth wall. "Given that Sakura-chan's new abilities will now figure heavily in your organization's strategy, I have decided to invest in your organization, including providing gear, research and development. Naturally, I expect you to put this to proper use."

"Proper use being we protect Kinomoto Sakura," Kageyama said.

"Naturally," Tomoyo said. "Any number of people can destroy Invaders. Only she can bring them back. As such, she is unique and irreplaceable."

"True," Kageyama mused. "And of course, you will be using us for your own purposes."

Smile. "My only purpose is to protect Sakura-chan. As long as you keep to that objective, I don't care what else you do with my money. Take over North Korea, for all I care. "

"Don't tempt me," he said good-naturedly. "And I suppose this condition is why we are to incorporate as a private security firm?"

"It's a reputable private business that will naturally require all the licenses you would need in any case," Tomoyo said. "It also provides the cover for additional manpower, as well as allowing you partial independence by taking on private work. After all, troubled ninja youths need careers too. And I have no objections to you using a portion of my funding as investment capital. You seem to have done well with that."

"Well," Kageyama said, looking at the proposed name of the business. "I must admit the acronym is rather catchy…"

….

A Certain Magic Railgun

It had been a perfectly normal day. Get up, wake her sister, take a bath, make sure her sister took a bath, get dressed, help her sister get dressed, put away her homework, try to finish her sister's homework on the way to school, make sure sister gets to class, run to class in time to not be caught by the start of class, be the dashing and awesome onee-sama of the school, have lunch, make sure her sister finished her lunch, beat the crap out of that Ushiromiya Eva bitch who was messing with her little sister, more onee-sama awesomeness, pry Kuroko off of her, hang out with Kongou Mitsuki, Suzushina Yuriko and Shokuhou Misaki at the Episodic Action-Drama Research Society (a.k.a. Toku Club), text her otaku friend Kirino about the girl's strange boy troubles, retrieve her sister from the Literature Club, greet Nagato-san, take her sister to Akiba, hear screams of help, transform into a magical girl warrior of truth, love and justice…

Oh yeah, this Puella Magi thing was awesome. The outfit was actually pretty cool, a black bodysuit with a red scarf and goggles with huge, bug-eye lenses. She wasn't sure what the miniskirt around it was for though. Electricity crackled at her command, and she surfed from one piece of metal to another, flying on electromagnetic waves.

The source of the screams soon came into sight. Though the monsters were to be expected, she was a bit thrown off to find the yelling was coming from Eternal Sailor Moon, who was screaming because her hair was on fire.

For some reason, all the Senshi started screaming when she announced herself and started helping out. Why did they seem to think she was going to kill them?

"It's nothing personal," Tuxedo Kamen-sama said apologetically afterward. "It's just that they think if a new magical girl appears, it means they're going to die. Or if they're lucky, only have a near-death experience."

"Why?" Mikoto asked, confused.

"Experience," Tuxedo Kamen sighed. "Painful experience. But it's our hangup, and I'm sure after they've stopped panicking and praying they don't die they're going to want to come over to thank you. Here, I'll start. Thanks for helping us out." He held out his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get your name a while ago."

Mikoto grinned and shook it. "I'm thinking of calling myself… the Railgun."

Tuxedo Kamen paused. "That's… the one where you launch things with a magnet, right?"

Mikoto was impressed. Most people thought it had to do with trains. But she supposed an awesome super hero like Tuxedo Kamen-sama would know about that sort of thing. "Uh huh," Mikoto said. "But I only use mine for good, of course."

Tuxedo Kamen nodded. "Of course. Welcome to the fight, Railgun-kun. It's always nice to meet new people."

Misaka Mikoto preened. Yes, this Puella Magi thing was awesome.

….

The Great And Powerful Guardians

Sakura looked up at the floating, wise-looking Guardians and resisted the urge to tap her heals together. It was all the green in the décor around her, she was sure. Yuuno and Nanoha had been dismissed once she was inside, and though both had looked at her in concern they had left readily enough. Sakura took that as a sign that these Guardians were trustworthy.

"Welcome to Oa, child," one said. Though their faces were sternly impassive, Sakura didn't get the feeling they were bad people. "So strange. For millennia, none from your planet has ever been part of the Corp, and now three at once set foot upon our world. Do you feel well, child?"

Sakura stared a moment before remembering her manners. "Ah, I'm fine, Guardian-sama."

The one who asked nodded. "Then let us begin. As this is not a trial, may we ask you to introduce yourself?"

"Ah, forgive me!" Sakura bowed. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura, Guardian-sama."

"Kinomoto Sakura," another said. "It has come to our attention that you have come upon a way to wield the blue light of Hope." They all stared at the ring on her left hand. "Ganthet, will you confirm that she has, indeed, done so?"

One of the Guardians, one with a balding head but a long white ponytail began to drift down to Sakura. "If I may child?" he asked, not rudely but clearly not willing to accept a refusal. Gulping, Sakura began to tug the ring off her finger to show it to him, but a blue hand coming to rest on top of her stopped her from doing so. His hand, to Sakura's surprise, was very firm and strong, but also gentle, and also much less wrinkly than she had expected. He gently took her left hand and held it up to his eye. To her surprise, he took what looked like those eyepieces she'd see jewelers use on TV and put it on one of his eyes, peering intently.

"Yes," he eventually said, letting Sakura go. "Yes, this ring is definitely of Hope. How did you come by this, child? We thought the blue rings had long since been sealed away, hidden deep within the bowels of Adara."

For some reason, some of the Guardians coughed delicately into their fists at these words.

"I didn't come by this, Guardian-sama," Sakura said. "I made it from a blue stone a friend gave me as a gift." Hesitantly, she began to tell them about The Hope Card, and the battle against the giant monster. She reached into her bag and showed them the small, delicate lantern that came with it, so small she could hold it in one hand.

When Sakura had finished, the Guardians were all silent. Finally, one said, "It has been a long time since this universe has seen the blue light. A long time."

Off to the side, a Guardian coughed something that sounded, translated though her ring, strangely like 'vacation'.

"You know what I mean," the one who had spoken said. He one turned to Sakura. "There is much hope in you child, to be able to gather so much of the blue light, much less shape it so. What do you intend to do with this ring, child? It is a great and terrible power, one of seven that exist, an equal to the green light of our Corp. If you wish, we could take it from you, and you can live as an ordinary human."

At the mention losing her ring, Sakura involuntarily stepped back, raising her right hand protectively. "I…" she said softly. "I wouldn't want that. I need this ring. It's the only way to help the victims of the Invaders. And besides, a friend gave it to me. It's very important."

Another silence.

"You must understand, Kinomoto Sakura," another Guardian said. "The rings were our creations. The power they possess is great, their capacity for harm limited only to what those who have them can dream."

"But you gave a ring to Nanoha-chan," Sakura said. "Don't you know what she does with it?" She made a mushroom cloud gesture with her hands.

This time several of the Guardians definitely coughed into their fists. "Yes, we know that she does–" another Guardian said, also making a mushroom cloud gesture. Her gesture, however, caused a small, illusory mushroom cloud to appear, as if for emphasis. "But she has proven herself worthy of tending such power. We trust her with it."

"And what do I need to do to be worthy? What do I need to do for you to trust me with my own ring?" It wasn't a challenge, only an innocent, straight forward question.

For a moment, the Guardians are silent. Then they began to drift away, rising upwards. As Sakura looked on in confusion, Ganthet gently took her by the hand. "Sit with me child, if you will?"

Sakura was fairly certain the little bench hadn't been there before, but she sat down on it with Ganthet, who straightened his robes as he did so and paused thoughtfully. "I discovered the blue light, you know?" he said after a while. "Among my people, I was the first to use it."

After a while, Sakura asked, "What was it like?"

Ganthet rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I kept babbling about strange things that hadn't happened yet and kept getting visions about what I'd have to eat later that day. I shouldn't have done those experiments on an empty stomach."

Sakura couldn't help it. She laughed, trying to stifle it. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw Ganthet smiling.

As she gets herself under control, Sakura realized what he was saying. "You know what the blue light feels like," she said.

He nodded. "Oh yes, I do." He glanced upwards at the other Guardians floating near the roof and leaned towards Sakura. "Between you and me, while I might use green now, blue is still my favorite. It makes people want to make things better. But we decided to use green instead, and in the long run, it's worked out."

"Why not blue?" Sakura asked, curious.

Ganthet looked at her. "Because it's so hard to control, to make it do anything. Most people need to be near a green ring to make it do anything really useful. Though I've always felt being able to talk to other people is all you really need."

Sakura nodded. "Hoee! Being able to talk to anyone and understand what they're saying is wonderful! I know Nanoha-chan thinks so too. She likes talking to people."

"Before she…" And they both make a mushroom cloud gesture.

As her giggling died down, Sakura looked at Ganthet again. "What do I need to do, Guardian-sama?"

"We have no right to tell you," Ganthet said. "It is your light and your ring. Do with it as you will."

At Sakura's startled look, Ganthet smiled. "Trust starts best with trust, child. I will trust you. And should you betray that trust…" There was a wink. "Your 'Nanoha-chan' knows where you live."

Sakura considered this, and nodded. "Thank you, Guardian-sama."

"And to help that trust along…" Ganthet said, rising. "Come with me child. Let me show you what that ring can reallydo…"

….

Boy's Club

"I hereby call this meeting of Boy's Club to order!" Mamoru said, rapping his knuckles on the table of the karaoke booth authoritatively. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce our newest member, Amakawa Yuuto-kun. Let's make him feel welcome shall we?"

There was a round of applause as Yuuto sheepishly smiled and tried not to look awkward. It was a few day later after the Association party, and Yuuto was finding himself feeling a bit awkward and guilty. The girls were probably worried about his disappearance. Sure, he'd left a note, but chances were the wind would blow it under the refrigerator, Tamamo would eat it, or the girls wouldn't bother to look at it. With his phone off, he'd be completely untrackable. Well, mostly untrackable. Who knew what the girls could do to find him? The fact he'd been brought to a different town would probably help in making him hard to find, but still. Misaki wasn't all that far from Takamiya City.

It was something of a new experience for him to be surrounded by boys his age who weren't angrily jealous of the fact Himari was unusually close to him. Everyone was perfectly nice however, apart from Gilgamesh's tendency to refer to people as 'mongrel'. The others treated this as just a minor personality quirk, though Kotaro would sometimes protest he was a wolf, not a dog.

Yuuto felt mildly awkward about using the booth's singing facilities at first, but seeing Kotaro's enthusiasm as he mangled the opening lyrics for some Kamen Rider show was enough to break the ice. In truth, Yuuto was a bit surprised at how age-diverse the group was. Zafira-san, Harry-san and Lancer-san looked well into their thirties, though the scars on Harry's face made him seem older. Negi, Kotaro, Syaoran and the absent Yuuno– It was a pity Yuuno-kun couldn't be here, but apparently he was in space to talk to his alien overlords, or something– were on the younger end of the scale. He'd thought the same of Chrono, and had been surprised to learn the other boy was fourteen. He seemed so young.

Yuuto had been mildly concerned that the Boy's Club would be about them getting drunk on tea and misogynistically bitching about the women they knew, but he'd been relieved that wasn't the case. "It's just that being outnumbered like that can be a bit... overwhelming," Mamoru said.

Kotaro clutched a fist. "That's right! Sometimes men need to be men, darn it!

"Here, here!" Kuro and Haruka cheered enthusiastically.

"Could you please pass the tea, Negi-sensei?" Sakurazaki Setsuna asked

Yuuto was still trying to wonder what they were doing here. "I thought this was Boy's Club..." he ventured hesitantly.

"So?" Kuro said dismissively. "It's also called the Magical Girl Association. I've got girl troubles and problems of the heart too! I belong here as much as anyone!"

"We women have woman problems too, you know," Haruka said, leafing through the song book as Setsuna blushed, muttering denials. "Sometimes you need to be with your friends without the girlfriend. I love my girl but honestly, being in a committed relationship is tough."

"Yeah," Shiro, Zafira, Chrono, Mamoru and Kotaro sighed. Syaoran looked at all of them like they were insane.

"While all the sexy-times are fun–" Zafira said as Shiro blushed and mumbled something.

"Very fun," Haruka agreed as Kuro gave her a jealous sideways glare and Artemis, sitting on the table, nodded sagely.

"– sometimes you just wanna relax with friends," Zafira finished.

"You mean you want to rub it in our faces we're single," Harry said blandly as Kero pigged out on the chips they'd smuggled in using the Gate of Babylon ("My great Noble Phantasm is not a means of smuggling food!").

"That too," Mamoru admitted.

"What's so tough about being in a committed relationship?" Syaoran asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand," Kuro said. "After all, you got the most perfect girl to be in a relationship with in the universe! She's not even jealous when you see her best friend naked! She's not even mad! She's just okay with it because she trusts you two!" Artemis, Yuuto, Mamoru, Haruka and Chrono shot him jealous looks. Setsuna looked like she wanted to say something but kept quiet.

"I will trade you– no, no I won't, I won't trade you anything from my relationship, because Sakura is wonderful," Syaoran said, sounding a bit smug. "But even as great as our relationship is, would you really trade the problems you have for the chance to eventually be murdered by Tomoyo?"

Negi frowned. "She's not really that bad..." he said halfheartedly. Everyone looked at him. He shut up.

All in all, it was a fun evening. Yuuto was actually enjoying himself before they heard the first rumor about the vampire murders. And that was when the differences between hanging out with normal people and hanging out with the Boy's Club (plus Haruka, Kuro and Setsuna) became apparent. His normal circle of friends would have dismissed it as crazy stories. Once, he would have as well until Himari disabused him of the notion, at which point life-endangering shenanigans would ensue. Nowadays he'd internalize his shock and act weird all the way home until he talked about it with one of the girls, at which point he'd worry until they did something about it. At that point even more dangerous life-endangering shenanigans would ensue, possibly several times in a row.

With the Boy's Club, however, Harry-san said, "Hey, wanna go vampire hunting?"

This all eventually spiraled into a week-long incident that led, a couple of weeks later, to Tohno Shiki being inducted into the Boy's Club, sighing about maids, nuns and adopted sisters, and Kuro finding a new friend in Tohno Akiha and Kohaku. Yumizuka Satsuki was the nicest vampire they could ever meet, certainly much nicer than Evangeline, and the Boy's Club's battle against Nrvnqsr Chaos and Roa had been epic. Perhaps one day we'll even tell you about it.

Eventually, Yuuto decided his new friends were totally worth all the new near-death experiences.

….

Just Won't Die

Somewhere in Takamiya City, a paper nun flew through the darkness, subtlety altering the world around it. One leg was missing, as if cut off by gigantic scissors, but it was not impaired.

Eventually, it reached a cram school and began to feed…

The despair was delicious.

….

Seduction of the Innocents

Cassandra Doe, or so she was called, followed the smiling girl into the hidden underground bunker. It was a minimalist affair, with glowing white fluorescent floor, wall and ceiling panels, as if someone was making a not-particularly-imaginative movie set. Except for the doors, the room was empty of features but for a bed and a clear glass case. Or was it a closet?

Her classmate Hakase waited in the room, smiling a bit too brightly and thinking guilty thoughts of the kind she usually only did when watching her girlfriend Sakurako doing cheers, at PE, or wearing a swimsuit.

"Chao, are you sure this is a good idea?" Hakase said. "I mean, sure I got off the hook with the faculty over the Mahorafest thing, but if they found out I'm working with you again–"

"Don't worry, Hakase-chan!" Chao said, smiling deliberately in a way that she knew would have Hakase's heart all aflutter. Cassandra really couldn't understand her classmates, for all that she could all but read their minds. "I'm just asking you to be caretaker of some stuff. It's not even all that advanced! Wayne Enterprises has stuff just like it in beta as we speak. Technically, you'll be working with Cassandra-san."

Cassandra tilted her head, eloquently expressing her skepticism as to why the girl would think that.

Chao smiled. "Because I have a proposition for you, Cassandra-san. Tell me, have you been feeling… bored? Drifting? Unfulfilled?"

Cassandra made no reply, physically or otherwise.

"I know you train with Kaede-chan, Setsuna-chan, Kotaro-kun and Ku-chan," Chao said, still smiling, even though Cassandra could tell she was in constant low-level pain. "After all, it's really all you have to communicate with people, right? Words can be so unreliable, after all. Even as I'm talking, you're not really using your ears to listen to me."

Despite herself, Cassandra tilted her head in interest.

"You like it in 3-A, don't you, Cassandra-san? You like having all these normal, weak people around you mixed in with the strong, interesting people," Chao said, obviously making an effort not to pace around Cassandra. "You like having a normal life. And even though you have some distance between you, it's nice to meet people you can relate to, a little, right?"

She wanted something.

"You'd probably have more to talk about if you have common interests, you know," Chao continued, subtle as a brick. "Like that Magical Girl vigilantism some of your classmates have going on. Going around town, patrolling, protecting people…"

Chao raised one hand, clicking on a control, and the closet/case opened. In it hung a black body suit, a utility belt, grappling rope equipment, and a dark purple, hooded cloak.

"If you want, I can help you get involved with the hobby," Chao said as Cassandra glanced at the open case. "You'd probably enjoy it! Fresh air, healthy exercise, lots of people to 'talk' to..." Chao smiled wider. "You might even meet someone interesting!"

Cassandra gave her a bland look. "Why is everyone always obsessed with sex?" she vocalized. Then, because the months had been sinking in and making her a 3-A girl, she added, "It's not Negi-sensei, is it?" Honestly. Once she realized what that was about, she really couldn't see the appeal.

Chao waved a finger. "Ah ah ah! I can't tell you that… that would be a… spoiler…"

Cassandra gave her another long look, then shrugged. Eh, why not. It might be interesting to hear what this girl wanted her to do, because of course she wanted Cassandra to do something. She could just quit if she didn't like it…

….

Home

Lee Syaoran sighed as he closed the door to his room, leaning against it for a moment, eyes closed. "Home, sweet home," he muttered. Back to his home address, ready for another year of attending the local school, learning more of the family magic and picking up the ropes of the family business interests. True, he'd already arranged for one of the Association teleporters to pick him up next weekend so he could join up with the rest of the Boy's Club to go fishing, but it was the principle of the thing.

He opened his eyes, glancing at the table where his inbox lay. There was a stack of mail there, official correspondences, junk mail, some magazines he was considering canceling, a box that looked like it had gone through hell to get here… yeah, all that could wait.

Syaran sorted through his bags, sending off the laundry and refolding the rest back into his closet so they'd be the first to be used next time, and began planning what to pack, if any, for the next weekend. He put his sowrd back in its customary place in the umbrella stand next to his bed. Technically, he had a rack on his desk he was supposed to put it in, but the umbrella stand was more convenient, a gag gift from one of his cousins. It was some time before he got to the box.

He barely recognized cousin Sandra's handwriting in the midst of the stains, sand, blood and vaguely-Arabic– Egyptian?– writing on it. Inside was a note that was along the lines of, "Merry Christmas. Have a paperweight". Bemused, he examined the box's contents, a roughly hand-sized blue carving of a scarab beetle, highly stylized ad actually a bit minimalist. It was, indeed, the ideal size to be a paperweight. It also tingled slightly with magic, but he doubted that had been part of cousin Sandra's considerations when buying it. She didn't have magic, and she regarded chi as cheating in her quest to be the best, most skilled martial artist and killer in the world. For which they were all thankful, else Superman-sama might be dead by now. Still, the magic was vaguely interesting. He'd have to examine it later, though it likely wouldn't amount to much. Lots of ancient crap had magic on it, if for no other reason than that they were so old. It was one of the stranger aspects of Nasurian magic that encroached on a lot of the other styles. He wasn't sure why, he wasn't a metaphysical engineer.

Still, it did make for a pretty good paper weight. He set it on his desk, and began answering his snail mail. It was still there when he eventually left the room. When it disappeared a few days later, he didn't even notice, since that morning he woke up with a strange tingly itch on his back and began hearing the strangest chittering sounds no one else seemed to hear…

….

Jackpot

The car was burning.

Tomoe Mami could feel the heat of the flames, smell the sickly, plastic smell of the car's components beginning to melt, the disgusting roasting smell as her parents burned, and knew she was going to die.

Hello.

She looked up, and saw through a haze of tears a white face with brilliant, blood-red eyes.

Would you like to be saved?

And so, Mami Tomoe, as dozens of girls had done before her in the past months, made a contract.

….

What's In A Name?

"'Bernkastel' is a stupid name, Rika-chan. It's a place in Germany!"

"They make good wine! And like 'Lambdadelta is any better? It's just your name in Greek, Miyo-chan!"

That night, they murdered 18 people, each in a closed room it would have been impossible for a killer to enter or leave. Afterwards, hand-in-hand, they made love to each other as Puella Magi for the first time…

….

New Coworkers

"And that's why you're paying for this drink," Kilowog finished, holding up the plastic– Yuuno supposed it was plastic– mug of the pink, fizzy, foamy, fermented honey-equivalent that on Kilowog's planet was the local equivalent of beer. Or possibly cola. "You messed up the entire training curve sending this one in loaded up like that!" he jerked his chin at Yuuno. "Are you trying to get my job?"

"Of course not, Kilowog-sensei!" Nanoha protested from across the round table they were sharing in the corps commissary. Truth be told, Yuuno had heard there were more popular hangouts on Oa, like that bar 'Troubleshooter's', but Nanoha liked the commissary food, and it wasn't like Yuuno had anywhere else to go, so he'd followed her. That was where Kilowog had found them, eating blue Rirhath jimbella fruit pies and chocolate smoothies. Apparently chocolate, like symmetrical biped vaguely-humanoid life, was everywhere. "It's just we were in a crisis situation, and I needed to get him up to acceptable combat levels!"

"So you did…?" Tomar-re asked, popping a live grub into his beak.

"Oh, just an adaptation of a local training regimen a l-local training expert put me through," Nanoha said. Yuuno had to give her credit, her eyes didn't go glassy with terror at all that the thought of Evangeline.

"He's doing it again," Ch'p said, and Yuuno realized he'd curled up in the fetal position again.

"Sorry, reflex," he said, straightening looking down at his blue-stained plate and wondering if he had any room for more pie.

The three non-human Green Lanterns exchanged glances that Yuuno clearly recognized as their variations on Chrono's 'crazy Earth people' look.

"Well, so long as you never do it again," Kilowog said with jovial gruffness. "Otherwise I will give you my job, and we'll see how you like it!"

"Warning," Yuuno's ring said. "Power levels are rising beyond 100%."

"Sakura-chan!" Nanoha cried, perking up and looking around, a viewscreen appearing in front of her as she scanned for the other girl. It didn't take long to find her. She entered followed by a hush that might have had something to do with the Guardian floating next to her, his red robes rippling. Sakura herself was much-changed. Gone was the dress she'd been wearing when they'd flown in. Instead, she wore a blue and black bodysuit mostly of the style that was the essential 'generic' template most Lanterns started with before they began customizing. She'd already started on that, adding a blue wrap skirt, possibly since she felt self-conscious, and what looked like a small blue poncho. In the center of the poncho over hear heart, however, was a different symbol from the one the corps employed and also greatly customized. Instead of the circle and parallel lines (or sometimes circle and fins, or square and line, or however it had been artistically interpreted within reason), it was a circle, the lines above and below slighting apart and connected to the main body by shorter lines, while to either side to curling 'arms' ran parallel to the central circle. The shape was also vaguely lantern-like, although one that looked like it was about to give you a hug.

For some reason, glowing blue wings trailed blue sparks behind her as a halo spun over her head.

"As you were," the Guardian told the room in general, which did almost nothing but get people to start eating again and watch out of the corners of whatever they used to see as the two walked– or in the Guardian's case, floated– towards Yuuno and Nanoha's table.

"Nice look," Yuuno said. "Although you realize Tomoyo is going to go nuts designing something for you. Several somethings, most likely."

Nanoha was more physical. "Sakura-chan!" she cried happily leaping up and enfolding the other girl in a hug. "Did it go well? What did the Guardians say? Are you some kind of 'Blue Lantern' now?"

"Hoe…" Sakura laughed. "I don't know about that. But it's been great! Ganthet-sensei has been teaching me how to use my ring! I can do all sorts of things with it now." Her face screwed up in an adorable manner and light shot from her ring, shaping itself in a practiced manner into a small, adorable kitten.

"Kawaii!" Nanoha squealed, reaching over and petting the construct, which purred.

"Kinomoto Sakura has been a most able learner," Ganthet said, voice as Guardianly neutral as always but clearly approving. "She has shown great affinity for her light. We have spoken about what is to be done with her. The universe has long been bereft of the Blue. It is perhaps time to change this. Kinomoto Sakura has expressed an intention to use her new-forged power to work for the betterment of her fellow sentient beings, and so it has been decided that we shall aid and sponsor her in this endeavor. Though she will not be directly answerable to Oa, we have allowed her a connection to the memory of the Main Power Battery for her own reference. We would ask the officers of sector 2814 to provide her as much support as they can spare."

"Of course Guardian-sama," Yuuno said. "We'll do all we can to help Sakura."

Or else Tomoyo will kill us, he thought.

"That extends to all the Corps," Ganthet said, pitching his words deliberately at the crowd that had clearly been listening. "Though she does not wear or colors, she intends to work towards the same purpose. Though it is unlikely in the immediate future, Kinomoto Sakura of 2814 might someday find herself in your sector. I expect you provide her the cooperation and support you would offer, if not a fellow Lantern, than a kindred spirit who fights evil." There was a murmur around the room as affirmatives were given, though some were silent, studying the strange human in blue. Many were looking at their rings, plainly wondering why power levels were rising.

"This calls for a celebration!" Nanoha declared. "How do you feel about blue pie?"

….

Deus Ex Machina

Alicia Testarossa smiled to herself she watched the three, sight unseen, fly back to Earth, two green trails accompanying a slightly wider blue trail as Sakura flew through space unaided for the first time, glowing wings of energy at her back. It was a beautiful sight, though her partner was mildly irritated at the sight of the blue wings. A reminder of old failures.

Did any of them wonder why the stone had taken the form of a ring? After all, the link between rings and greater control was strictly arbitrary. In that moment, it could have taken any form. In fact, when she had intervened, the stone had been about to take the form of a double of Sakura's Wand. It had been her nudge that made caused it to become a ring, based on the nearest available template: Yuuno's. It had been a small thing, that change. But then, atoms were small things. And she'd heard from her mother, so long ago, that if they were the slightest bit different the whole universe as they knew it would be greatly altered.

Small differences built up, after all.

Besides, a small gesture was all she was allowed to make to pay back the girl for the nightmares she had given her that had led her to change the foreseen fate at the battle against the Defense Program.

"Thanks for helping keep my little sister safe," Alicia said, and was gone to get back to her job dispensing wrath. A measured, orderly, well-thought out wrath, to be sure, but wrath nonetheless.

….

With Violet Light

Tomoyo finished doing a hundred strokes brushing her hair before she began twisting it over her shoulder to make a braid. Her room was dark, to best get her in the mood to sleep rather than posting on the internet all night long. Outside her door, she could hear her security detail changing shifts and glanced sideways to check that her katana was within reach. They would be switching shifts outside as well, and it would be the best time to conduct some sort of infiltration run into the mansions grounds.

Finishing her braid, she secured it with a ribbon as she stood to go to bed. As she passed by a window, something caught her eye, a tinkle of light. She turned to face it, wondering if it was one of her new associates coming for a midnight visit or something more sinister she had to report to her guards when the panes of one of her windows broke, the bullet-proof glass shattering as easily as sugar. Tomoyo was thrown back as a glowing purple, almost pink crystal slammed into her heart.

"Daidouji Tomoyo of Earth…" she heard as she lay there, stunned. "Your heart burns with love. Rejoice, for you have been chosen."

"Welcome, Star Sapphire of 2814."

As Tomoyo lay there, stunned, she heard herself begin to laugh…

….

Material Evidence

Hayate smiled in beatific pleasure as she sat the head of the table, her family before her. It had been rare in the past few months, what with the paperwork and most of the Wolkenritter being Shanghaied into the TSAB, but at last, tonight they could sit together and eat as a family. She and Reinforce had slaved all day to prepare dinner, chopping up ingredients, watching the stove and carefully preparing each and every serving. The two of them had made everyone's favorites, and had even stashed some Chocolate Overkill Omnicide in the freezer for afterwards, since the orgasm sounds Vita made when she ate it amused her. And because it was Vita's favorite dessert, of course. She'd even be generous and pretend to turn in early so the five of them could have an orgy in the living room while she listened from upstairs. Yes, there was nothing like good family bonding time…

The phone rang. She briefly considered blowing it up as it shattered the peace of their happy family togetherness time.

Shamal, who was closest, stood from the table to answer the call as Hayate reminded herself that the phone was also a valued member of the household and didn't deserve to be blown up like one of Nanoha's targets.

"Hello?" Shamal said as Hayate nodded happily to herself and went back to eating her stir-fry. "Oh, yes, Vita-chan's right here admiral. Yes, so is Signum and Zafira. Why do you ask… What."

The last word was spoken in utter flatness that made everyone look up.

Shamal turned towards the rest of them. "Apparently, someone who looks a lot like Vita just attacked Chrono-san. When Fate-chan flew to help him, someone who looked like Signum-chan attacked her. And the Asura's been picking up energy readings from where the Defense Program was destroyed."

Everyone looked at Hayate, who looked forlornly at the food in front of them. The beautiful, beautiful food.

"I should have blown up the phone," she sighed.

….

- To be continued… in Takamachi Nanoha of 2814: LeaguerS

….

A/N: And it's done!

I'm taking a short break for Christmas and to try and finish my original fiction, but expect to see LeaguerS soon!

Please review, C&C welcome.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.