MAGICAL GIRL LYRICAL CINDERELLA
CHARTER 07
// inside Main Hall //
There was something special happening in the main hall.
Today, like they promised, Lost Force Riot Force 6, with cooperation of the Admiralty Office, organized their very first public cosplay party under guise of Kingdom of Mid-Childa's Annual Royal Gathering. Everybody was dancing to the music of "Makes Me Wonder" supplied by Audio Department, and the party had somewhat turned 70's with disco lights and sparkles thrown in for originality's sake.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kingdom of Mid-Childa's Annual Royal Gathering." Everybody turned their attention to the stage. It was Ginga, the Royal Announcer, and she was also dressed to appropriately match the party's mood. "As the representative of the royal family, I, Ginga Nakajima--"
"GINGA! GINGA! GINGA! GINGA!" several cosplayers cheered and flagged banners of her name wildly.
"Do the barrel roll!" a person shouted.
"Shake it like a Polaroid picture!" another person hooted.
Ginga pouted in anger at their reaction. "Mou! What's up with you people?"
"Because Ginga-nee is our life!" they shouted. "And you even look cute when you pout!"
Subaru in her GAR Form charged at her sister's stalkers. She sent them flying away from the hall with a well-aimed Superior Courageous Hammer. Again, she made a victorious pose and bellowed the same quote from Riot Force 6's last stage play. Again, fan boys and male audience screamed hot-blooded tears of approval and bowed to Subaru in utmost reverence.
"All these super robot stuffs make me annoyed," one of the party-goers mumbled. "Where is the royal family?!"
"Yeah! We want our king and queen to appear!" his members roared.
"I want Prince Yuuno!" a girl cried.
"People, please be patient," Ginga spoke, and audience strangely obliged to the request. "King Zafira and Queen Arf are on the way. They and their son will be arriving soon, so please use this time to enjoy."
"Hurray for Ginga!" they cheered. "Ginga for president!" Ginga blushed furiously due to the supportive cheer and excused herself to leave; she, unfortunately, fell onto her face while rushing backstage, and audience roared in excitement at what they saw.
"SHIRO NO PANTSU!!!!" 50 percent of audience died of blood loss.
"That reminds me: where's Cinderella?" one of them asked, having forced to suppress his burning desire.
"For your information, dear audience," Shamal spoke as she took over the microphone, "due to technical issues, Cinderella's scene has to be abandoned and at such, we're having time-skip in this stage play."
"That sucks," he chided. "We didn't get to see Cinderella getting dressed up."
"Mah, we have saved that part for all of you," Shamal continued. "So are you- IYAAH!"
Shamisen had done it again. This time, not only it grabbed Shamal's tail, it also nibbled and nuzzled its furry mass. The TSAB medical officer was moaning in pleasure and distress as the cat continually played the game of catch-and-release, meowing in victory along the way.
"Kill that cat!" one angry party-goer screamed. "NAO!"
"Go for the leg, Shamisen!" an excited party-goer shouted. "NAO!"
"Iyah! Shamisen, yamete!" Shamal moaned, wiggling her tail in distress as she tried brushing Shamisen off her.
"SHAKE THAT BOOTY, SHAMAL!" male audience roared.
"You guys are H!" she replied. "AH! DAME!"
Fan boys, male audience, visitors, photographers, male cosplayers, delegates, and TSAB officers bled their noses. All because Shamal was making the suggestive facial expression and because she was making the provocative whimpering voices as her tail became the target of choice for Shamisen.
Finally Shamal finally got control of Shamisen. "Bad kitty! Bad! You won't have dinner for tonight!" Beating its head many times as a lesson, she kept the cat firmly in her arms. "Gomen, minna-sama. So are you ready?"
"HELL YES WE ARE!" the Spartan cosplayers roared.
"Dewa."
At the cue call, the infamous widescreen, ultra-high resolution plasma television was brought down from the ceiling and suspended 30 feet above the audience.
// SPECIAL SCENE STARTS HERE //
Chrono mumbled, as he dragged himself to the bed. The whiplash Fate gave him was so sore he had thoughts of quitting the stage play entirely, and mumbling in unknown dialect he lay on the bed, sighing in relief at the soothing comfort of the mattress.
"I won't be able to follow them to the party anyway…" he mumbled and rested his arm over his forehead. "My back hurt… my clothes are still wet… and I still have to look after this house." He later glared at the camera. "Just because I'm her adoptive brother doesn't mean I have the rights to do this and that to Fate. Got it?"
(Audience booed. "Chrono just wants Fate-chan for herself," they hissed.)
"Oh-ho. Cinderella wants to go to the party, and Cinderella is too scared to admit. Right, Friedrich?"
"Kyuu!"
"Let's give her some surprise present, shall we?"
"Oh, not that again…" Struggling to sit up, Chrono waited for the cast to appear and was equally unimpressed. "Aren't you supposed to be with Erio?"
"Why, yes I was," Caro answered as she nonchalantly walked in. "But Lindy-san reminded me about my part, so here I am, uplifting my role as the fairy."
"I bet Mother wants me to wear weird stuffs again…" he mumbled.
"As a matter of fact, that is correct," Caro said and giggled. "Anyway, Cinderella, I, your Fairy Godmother shall grant your wish -- your deepest desire, on top of that. So, what would you like to wish?"
Chrono shook his head. He thought he could joke the young mage about his wish, so he said: "give me the best dress you have so I can go to the party without having to worry about Stepmother and Stepsisters."
"Your wish is my command, Cinderella." Caro summoned a summoning magic circle and chanted in ancient Mid-Childan language. For a while, the magic healed Chrono's backache but it also enveloped him in whitish pink aura. Something was terribly wrong, the audience noticed, as the aura dissipated and they waited for the summoning magic to complete.
Then it did.
Chrono slowly emerged to visible eyes. What the unsuspecting audience was watching was something they never anticipated before.
And one of them was performing a checklist.
"Summer uniform? Check. Flashy skirt? Check. Three measurements? Check. Ribbons? Check. Glasses? Check."
The person closed his notebook. He coughed a couple of times, pointed to the screen and said: "I, hereby, declare that Admiral Chrono Haraoun has a die-hard fetish of schoolgirl."
"Admiral Haraoun is now a schoolgirl!?" male audience screamed. "IT'S A TRAP!!!!"
"KYAA! CHROSUKE!!" fan girls cried.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, CARO!!!" he shouted.
"But Lindy-san said it'd fit your role!" Caro squealed and hid behind the chair. "Admiral, you don't have to yell at me like that. You're scary…"
"Not only you gave me schoolgirl uniform," Chrono growled and snapped when he realized the choker's built-in device had altered his voice as well. "You even made me sound like a girl! This is madness!"
"ZOMG! Admiral Haraoun even sounds like a schoolgirl!" male audience roared. "IT'S A DOUBLE TRAP!"
"CHROSUKE KAWAII!" fan girls squealed.
"Now, now, Cinderella," Shamal's voice reminded. "You're going to be the prom queen of the night, so watch your manners and behave."
"Not even you, Shamal!" Chrono shouted.
"As expected from our Cinderella herself," Ten no Koe added. "She is too shy to admit that she does like cosplaying as schoolgirl. To think her dress is the flamboyant Hakuo Gakuen fuku, too… everybody's hot blood is burning in utmost excitement!!!"
// SPECIAL SCENE ENDS HERE //
"OBJECTION!"
The door was slammed. Everybody turned to the entrance path, and had their eyes popped out of sockets and jaws dropped to the floor. It was "Hakuo schoolgirl Cinderella" and he was terribly pissed off as he trampled down the alley that led to the stage. Completely ignoring the audience that were speechless by his appearance, he got up on the stage and glowered at Shamal.
"Anou… Chrono-kun?"
Chrono snapped. He pointed to Shamal, then to the audience and the cameramen. "I shall use my authority as the Admiral to sentence each and every one of you after this stage play," he murmured. "Just you wait."
"…Chrono-kun, you speak like you're a tsundere or something," Shamal suggested.
"True, true," some audience agreed. "Chrono is indeed a tsundere."
"Is it just me," a man asked to his fiancée, "or does the makeover somehow turn Admiral Haraoun into a cute-looking schoolgirl? You see, every time I look at him he reminds me to the girl in Lucky-Star -- Kagami, I think. She's a tsundere, too."
"Honey, are you gay for Chrono?" his fiancée questioned.
"Hell no! I'm straight!" he retorted.
"If Chrono were to have a female alter-ego, how would we call it?" a cosplayer asked.
"Should we call him Catherine Haraoun?" his friend.
"That is a brilliant idea!" the cosplayer agreed. "From now on, we shall call Chrono's alter-ego Catherine-chan!"
"I hate you guys…" Chrono growled.
"Southern Cross! It's the holy light! We are the crusaders of the southern cross!"
Everybody looked at the door. Male audience and fan boys immediately howled at the sight of Yuuno. Chanting his name and shouting battle cries, some of them (especially the Spartan cosplayers) stomped their feet on the floor to sign the arrival of the Mid-Childan warrior prince.
"FOR MID-CHILDA!!!!"
"FOR GLORY!!!!"
"YUUNODAS!!!!"
Yuuno lifted his hand. In an instant the commotion was silenced, and everybody was now watching at him in anticipation. "People of Mid-Childa, I thank you for your participation." They applauded and cheered for their revered Infinity Librarian.
"Of course they need to," Ten No Koe murmured, "because in the actual series, Yuuno-kun never gets enough airtime compared with the girls. At least, in fan fiction universe, he gets to appear as much as he wants to. Na?"
"Now, now, Ten no Koe-san," Yuuno said.
"Prince Yuuno!" one of the Spartan cosplayers shouted. "Give us your fiery speech that transcends to the heavens above!"
"Prince Yuuno!" a fan boy hooted. "Give us your advice on future battle!"
"Prince Yuuno!" male audience yelled. "Give us guidance!"
"Prince Yuuno!" a girl squealed. "Please have my baby!"
"What the hell is that for?" the three men demanded.
Again, Yuuno lifted his hands to silence them. "Thank you for your fervent support, my fellow citizens," he spoke. "I am well aware that you are hungry for my inspirational speeches, and I am well aware how each and every one of you is in the needs for my leadership."
"PRINCE YUUNO SIMPLY ROCKS!" they replied.
"But the fact is today, we are having a very fun day, together under the radiant sun of this kingdom," Yuuno continued and pointed to the ceiling. "So don't waste further time and pierce through the heavens above with your power! There is nothing impossible in this world!"
Audience roared. Some of them even went as far as calling Yuuno with the honorary suffix "Aniki" which made him slightly blush. Standing behind him, Arf and Zafira simply clapped hands, with the latter mumbling "for the Man's Festival…" in low voice.
Yuuno walked toward the stage and stumbled across the likes of Nanoha, Fate and Hayate. He noticed his close friends were gaping at him in disbelief, and he laughed. "My friends, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate. Is there anything wrong with speaking and acting like a certain hot-blooded man?" arrogantly he asked and reinforced the statement by swaying his untidy blond hair over his shoulder; fan girls squealed at the manly display and fainted on the spot.
"Yuuno-kun, you're scary," Nanoha muttered.
Yuuno laughed again. "I understand your sentiment, Nanoha-san, and I do realize you are the lucky ones to have the most airtimes on television," he continued. "Mah, at least in fan fiction universe, I can do whatever I like."
"See? I've told you he was enjoying it," Ten no Koe chided.
"You've watched too much 300, Yuuno-kun," Hayate murmured. Fate nodded to agree. "Get over it. You're not a movie-goer, and you aren't supposed to be one."
"If there's something wrong with it, Hayate-san, it's the failure to appreciate the strength and dignity of the Spartans," Yuuno answered. The Spartan cosplayers roared in approval at the statement and shouted "THIS IS SPARTA!" in unison.
"Besides, Fate-san," Yuuno spoke and chuckled. "Your whipping techniques need refinement. You can come to the Infinite Library anytime."
Fate snapped. "W… what was that supposed to mean?!"
"By the way, Hayate-san," Yuuno later said. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were supposed to bring the Sanzenin Family for a quick tour."
Hayate gasped. "How did you know?"
"To put it simply, Vita and Madam Sanzenin were cornered by some cosplayers who literally failed at life, and they were shouting for help," he continued. "They screamed your name, but they also cried out the other Hayate's name. A fated destiny was inevitable as you and that Hayate rushed to the scene and saved them. You thought you would do the best to avoid further confrontation with that Hayate, so you asked Vita to escort them to the VIP room."
(While the Sanzenin Household was led by Vita to the VIP Room, Hayate sneezed. "I bet you're having a bad day, aren't you Hayate-kun?" Maria asked.
"I think so…" he mumbled.)
Yuuno grinned. "Isn't that right?"
"Superior observation skill is superior," Hayate spoke in awe. "You're full of awesomeness."
Yuuno noticed the stunted Chrono onstage. Leaving his TSAB friends in utter confusion, disbelief and amusement, he headed there and approached him. "Oh, hello, ma'am," he spoke and bowed to Chrono in respect. "I have never seen you before. Are you new?"
Chrono gulped. What must he do? Yuuno, his long-time friend, the Chief Librarian of the Infinite Library, the Prince of Mid-Childa, was actually bowing to him as if he was a real deal! Unknown to him, his face started burning, and the ribbons that were tying his fake hairs in bunch also started spinning wildly. On top of that, Nanoha, Fate, Hayate and the rest of the audience muffled their laughter at the impromptu introduction scene that was happening before them, and turned away from the odd couple as their rationale was unable to process the overflowing information.
"I am Prince Yuuno of Mid-Childa. I welcome you to this Annual Royal Gathering," Yuuno spoke as he stood back.
Reluctantly Chrono bowed to him -- in the most mannered way he could think of. "P-pleased to meet you, Your Highness," he mumbled.
"What is your name?" Yuuno asked.
"C… Cinderella, Your Highness," Chrono replied and bowed to him again.
"Cinderella, isn't it? Well, the name and its owner are truly beautiful," Yuuno spoke. Audience whistled and cooed at the answer, and they even silently told the Mid-Childan prince to "go for it".
He offered Chrono a hand, and in the most blatant facial expression ever, he asked him: "Shall we dance?" Audience hooted in approval at the offer, although some of them did warn Yuuno that the beautiful girl in front of him was a trap.
Chrono gulped. He was unsure whether he should accept the gesture or decline it. Yet the more he resisted, the more he heard deviously encouraging whispers from the audience as they told him to "go for it anyway".
"I… I think I should go to the washroom for a while," Shamal said and tiptoed from them. "Ganbatte ne, Chrono-kun!"
Eventually he had to. Swallowing his pride as a man, he took Yuuno's hand, shivering as he felt his skin touching Yuuno's. "P… please be kind, Your Highness," he murmured and hid his flushed face.
-x-x-x-x-x-
"Ands so Prince Yuuno and Cinderella Haraoun met. In this twisted tale of love and destiny, one can only wonder the outcome of this outlandishly wrong and stupid match-up of the century. What must we do, Ten no Koe-san?"
"Mah, don't worry about it. The two of us aren't entirely responsible for the scripts, anyway. Na?"
"This means all of us must sit and wait for the finale of this presentation. I must pray to God the outcome won't be disastrous."
"Ch-Chotto! Are we having two-part episode!?" Chrono shouted and squealed when Wind Deity decided to do His job by blowing his skirt upward.
"JUST A BIT HIGHER!!!!!" fan boys yelled.
SUBAIGAR killed fan boys with Super Courageous Hammer.
"VICTORY GOES TO THOSE WITH COURAGE!!!" Subaru bellowed.
"Ten no Koe-san, you're right after all. Why don't we all leave the suspense behind and inform audience and readers to stay tuned for our next episode?"
"It indeed is. With that done, I leave the rest of this chapter to your wildest imagination, and that concludes today's presentation. Stay tuned, as we bring you more madness in…"
MAGICAL GIRL LYRICAL CINDERELLA
A Lost Property Riot Force 6 presentation and it's mean to be a parody. Don't blame us; we just do whatever we're told.
"That is just plain wrong," Nanoha commented. "To have Yuuno-kun and Chrono-kun paired up like a real couple."
"And Chrono-kun is dressed up quite good too," Hayate murmured.
"I can't believe Mother would go as far as asking Oniichan to dress as a schoolgirl," Fate mumbled.
They stared at Cinderella Haraoun. Suddenly flames of envy enveloped them as they glowered at the story's supposed heroine. "And he looks more beautiful than us…"
-x-x-x-x-x-
// outside Main Hall //
The Numbers and Lindy's Youngling Battalion were temporary at peace. The battle that had almost destroyed the entire complex was averted, thanks to Imotou and her charms (that made male died of happiness and female blush in awe). It was a blessing in disguise, too; had the battle continued, the stage play that was taking place in the Main Hall would be in jeopardy as well.
"Erio-kun! Mitte! Mitte!" Again, Imotou giggled as she fired another set of Shamisen Buster at the Numbers. Again, it was Tre who took the credit as the most unfortunate of the sisterhood, as she was pinned down by hundreds of the cat. Again, Erio had to cover his bleeding nose, mumbling something in Belkan German while the rest of the Numbers watched at him in curiosity.
"That reminds me," Quattro spoke. "What are we doing in here, anyway? I thought we were after some Relics."
"I don't think we can continue our work, Quattro," Cinque murmured and glanced at Imotou. The girl's cuteness flaunts simply made her growl in jealousy, and she turned to her megane companion. "Quattro, am I cute?"
Quattro blinked. "Eh?"
"Tell me, Quattro. Am I cute?" Cinque asked. "Am I?"
Quattro tried answering the question that proved to be as difficult as the eye-patched girl herself. So instead, she dragged Erio and pulled him towards her. "Why don't we ask this red-haired for opinion?" she suggested.
"Eh?!"
Cinque stared at Erio. The boy was blushing furiously as the Number's face was closing in to his. "Tell me, boy, am I cute?" she asked, while not taking care of Lutecia who was glowering at her in jealousy. "You do find me cute, don't you?"
Erio's face turned red tomato. "Anou… Lindy-san… help?"
Meanwhile, high above a skyscraper, a dark figure enveloped in cloak was observing the TSAB Complex. It was one of the Numbers, and she was distancing herself from the chaotic disorder caused by her team-mates. Her objective was also the same, but unlike her sisters, she chose to operate separately from them for reasons they reached upon a mutual agreement.
"Uno, I'm ready," Dark Ginga spoke into her earpiece. "Give me coordinates."
"Roger."
Unknown to "that" Ginga, a person was spying upon her -- also from high building. He was arming his handgun, with the Roman numerical "13" carved upon it. His eyes were glued upon Ginga, murmuring something in ancient language
Train Hartnett nodded. "Target identified."