A/N: I was presented with an interesting challenge for this one: make it work for non-fans as well as fans- my very second submission on this site, at that! While I shudder at the thought of describing everyone's Barrier Jackets, this chapter fortunately has none of that. We'll see how this goes, then.

This chapter 'beta'd ' by a bunch of people!

I'm Nanoha Takamachi, and I'm supposed to be an ordinary third grader. Or rather, I was, but something happened last spring to change that. I became a mage and made friends with some wonderful people. Actually, I went to the baths with some of them just a while ago!

Right now, though, nothing so exciting was happening. The brunette-haired girl was kicking back her legs and doing her homework. The sad reality was that even after such an exciting event, the less interesting parts of life carried on. Even with a part-time mage job, homework couldn't exactly be ignored, and Nanoha had to work hard when she did work so she could have lots of time to play and be with her friends. It didn't hurt that she had a good intuition for maths, at least.

Speaking of her friends, one of them texted her that instant. She blinked, looked at her phone, and smiled.

Suzuka: Hi Nanoha! Arisa and some friends are coming over for dinner tonight, and we were wondering if you could come too!

Suzuka Tsukimura and Arisa Bannings are both good friends of mine. We met in first grade, and we've been together ever since. They're a wonder to talk to, but I haven't had dinner with them in a while... What an opportunity! I better finish my homework and fast!

The room descended into a storm of pencils to paper as Nanoha threw herself into her work with reckless abandon. So reckless, in fact, that a certain kind man with dark brown hair and a mildly worried face stepped into her room. That worry was quickly replaced by confusion as he witnessed his daughter tearing away at her work at a speed he had never seen. From anyone.

"Nanoha? You were being a bit loud, so I thought..."

She quickly turned to face him."Oh, I'm fine, dad! I'm just a bit excited, is all. Suzuka invited me to dinner, so I wanted to get my homework finished before then!"

This is my father, Shiro Takamachi. He owns the Midoriya, a local cafe that's really popular with all sorts of people! He takes really good care of me, and he's still so friendly with my mother, too!

Shiro blinked. "Nanoha, you should make sure your family is okay with that before you get so excited about it."

He was met with nervous laughter. "Oh, I'm sorry, Dad! It's just been a while since we had dinner together, and I got really excited and totally forgot!"

"Now, now, Nanoha. It's alright. If I can get Kyouya to take you there, then you're good to go. I'm sure he'd like to see Shinobu again, anyways. And while I'm at it, I'll call up your friend Fate and see if she can come along as well, if you want."

Nanoha's face brightened. "Thanks, dad! I'd like that very much!"

Minutes blurred into hours as Nanoha attacked her studies. To her, it seemed like no time at all before she finally closed her textbook and called it done. And not a minute later, a call rang throughout the house.

"Nanoha! Your friends are here!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

A few preparations later, most notably putting on her favorite set of pink hair ribbons, and Nanoha headed down to the rest of her family. She found them there in the living room, all in various states of excitement.

A young man who shared his father's hair color was waiting by the door. While his voice sounded a bit mean on the outside, Nanoha could tell that he was kind and a good person like so many other people in the world. "Hurry up, squirt. Don't keep us waiting."

That's Kyouya Takamachi, my older brother! He's in college right now, and he's a swordsman like Dad used to be. He's really strong and cool!

"Hmph, you just want to see Shinobu," a similarly-haired, slightly younger woman teased. His glance at her more or less proved her right, not that Nanoha quite knew such things.

That's my big sister, Miyuki! She's pretty cool, and really good friends with my brother- in fact, she's getting swords lessons from him! She's in the eleventh grade right now.

"Aww, play nice, big brother, big sister," Nanoha pouted, putting smiles back on their faces.

The last unintroduced member of the Takamachi family already had a smile: a lovely woman with vibrant brown hair who seemed to Nanoha as angelic as most mothers do to their children. "It's a shame we can't come with you, Nanoha, but I hope you enjoy yourself!"

And there's my mom, Momoko Takamachi. She bakes all the food for the Midoriya. She cares about us a lot, and she's very beautiful and really gentle. I love my mother!

Nanoha smiled and waved her mother and the rest of her family off. "Okay, see you guys later!" she said, as she and Kyouya advanced and slid the door open to find...

"Hi Fate, hi Chrono!"

"Hello, Nanoha."

The girl who answered with a cute smile on her face seemed a small thing, a pale flower in the dimming light. She had beautiful red eyes and a fine set of blonde hair. But although she looked fragile now, Nanoha knew she was anything but.

This is Fate Testarossa, my very best friend! We met last spring, and although we started out fighting, we're all better now and we've really gotten close. Especially since now, she's living in the neighborhood and going to school with us. I'm really excited for this!

"H-hello."

The dark-haired boy who stood next to her, a bit older than Nanoha and Fate but not nearly as old as Kyouya, certainly seemed distinctly uncomfortable. Even though his clothes were still dark like his uniform, the casual situation seemed to be one he had trouble dealing with, and his posture was far too rigid for someone who should be at ease.

And that's Chrono Harlaown. He's an enforcer of the Time-Space Administration Bureau- the people who I have a part-time job with, whose goal it is to keep the universe safe! He has a scary uniform and he puts on a serious face, but he's real nice once you break his shell. I wonder what he's doing here?

The fact that Kyouya did not recognize him did nothing for Chrono's stress right now. Nanoha's brother was eying the boy with suspicion. "Who's this?"

"Chrono's a mutual friend of ours. Chrono, this is Kyouya, my big brother!"

"It's n-nice to meet you, s-sir," Chrono said, perhaps a bit weakly.

"Hmph. Well, if you're a friend of Nanoha, you must be alright." Chrono had a chance to relax. "But if you mess with her..."

And there was his stress again. The world was cruel to poor Chrono.

"Well then, shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

A little while earlier...

I'm Hayate Yagami. I used to be an ordinary third grader. Well, mostly ordinary. I suppose my paralysis isn't ordinary...Anyways, on my birthday, I became the master of the Book of Darkness! I didn't even know magic was real, but these people are more than real enough! They're my knights, guardians of the master of the Book, but to me they're more like my beloved family. But right now, we have...a bit of a problem...

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!" she squeaked. Were she not in a wheelchair and surrounded by characters straight out of an anime (oh, wait...), Hayate Yagami would not have looked much out of the ordinary. A typical, happy schoolgirl living a happy life. She had bright blue eyes, and though her brown hair was not as vibrant as that of our other heroine, her choice of hair decorations- a pair of bands, one in yellow and one in red, on the left side- was certainly more lively, not that either of them knew about the others' accessories yet.

At the moment, however, she was staring in shock at a large container, her knights all crowded around and equally dismayed. (Except for Zafira. He was still in a corner.)

"Our dinner..."

"It's...!"

"Ruined."

Indeed. What had once been food was now totally unrecognizable. Somehow, while they weren't looking, the meal Hayate had worked so hard on making had been utterly trashed. It could not be considered food anymore.

Ahem! Let me introduce these three in the order they spoke. (And Zafira.)

First, a girl who could have passed for a year or two younger than Hayate, with blue eyes and a head full of red hair braided into a set of pigtails. Of the group, her reaction was certainly the closest to 'anger', and she seemed on the verge of tears.

That's Vita. She might not look it, but she's really strong for someone so small! Plus, she's so cute and brash and stubborn, like a tsundere right out of a manga. All in all, she's a pretty wonderful person to be around.

Next, a woman with a gentler air about her and a sad expression that did not really suit her. She was a blonde against the sea of (relatively) dark hair, and her eyes were brown, of all things. She was already moving to envelop Hayate in a gentle hug, even through the wheelchair.

This is Shamal. She's so kind and pretty and acts so much like a mother to me and the Wolkenritter! Although her cooking skills could use some work, she does just fine with the groceries. She's a healer, and really good at it, too.

Lastly, the woman who even in casual clothes seemed to fit the name of the Wolkenritter (literally Cloud Knights in German, or Ancient Belkan- the two were suspiciously similar). Her hair was a brilliant pink, a ribbon pulling part of it into a long ponytail that trailed loosely down her back. Her eyes were green and her face was best described as stern, as it almost always was.

And this is Signum, possibly the leader of the Wolkenritter! As you can see, she's always calm and serious and acts very much like a 'knight' in all sorts of ways. In spite of that, though, she's as close to me as the rest of them.

Oh..wait, there was someone Hayate forgot, although initial impressions would not suggest him to be 'someone'. A largely blue-furred wolf in the corner with a brilliant mane of white and a coat around his paws of the same color. That was Zafira. Even when he went into human form, he didn't talk much.

Anyways, this was a matter for talking. Or a matter for Hayate to put her head into her hands and sigh as she mourned the loss of her precious food.

"How did this happen?"

Vita had other ideas.

"Whoever did this, I'll find them and I'll-"

"Please calm down, Vita-chan." Shamal completely failed to calm Vita down despite her best efforts.

Meanwhile, their leader had a more practical take on the subject, a take definitely directed at one Hayate Yagami.

"How it happened is unimportant right now. We can ask such questions after we make a new plan."

Hayate brought her head up, looking at Signum as Shamal and Vita continued to argue in the background. A new plan, huh? There were things she could make quickly enough, but nothing that could match the feast they had lost. They couldn't really eat at a restaurant: the money wasn't quite there. If only there was another way... oh...wait.

"Excuse me, everyone. Is it okay if we go to Suzuka's house for dinner?"

All eyes turned to Hayate. Each of them considered that idea in their own minds. All of them were nervous, of course, seeing as they rarely had dinner out, especially on such short notice. Vita and Shamal were both excited at the prospect of getting friendly, whereas Signum was concerned about what might happen going in. Who knew who might be there?

Zafira quietly stated his own mind. "I will be fine, whatever you decide."

"Classic Zafira right there," Vita commented. The wolf declined to respond, but the look on his face made it obvious he did not approve. "Anyways, I dunno. Noel's cooking is pretty good. Not as good as Hayate's, of course, but good enough for me."

Shamal just smiled. "I hear she did invite us. We should at least call them up and see if it's an option. Shame we have to impose on them so soon."

Signum frowned. "Master Hayate, I would also suggest confirming whether this 'dinner at Suzuka's' plan could happen before becoming too attached to it. Shall I call them now?"

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll do it. Where's the phone?"

Several moments of bringing the phone to Hayate and/or Hayate to the phone later...

"Hello, this is Hayate Yagami. Yes, well, is Suzuka there? Oh, good...Hello Suzuka, hello Noel. So... Remember that offer you gave us earlier? Well... Our dinner met an unfortunate end, and we were wondering if maybe we could...er, have dinner with you tonight?...Really? Are you sure? Thank you! I have to make sure everyone is okay with it first, though..."

Vita and Shamal raised their hands. Signum's assent was notably absent. Hayate attempted to fix that by speaking with her telepathically.

[Why not, Signum? It'd be good to make more friends, and besides, the Tsukimuras are giving us this, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste. ]

[I already went out once today. It was not a pleasant experience.]

[Do you have any other plans for dinner?]

After a few moments of silence, Signum's hand went up. Well, that was easy. Shockingly easy, in fact.

"Okay, looks like everyone's good with it! Alright, let's do it! ...ahuh.. yeah. Ahuh. See you there!"

Nanoha finally asked a question that had been bugging her since she left the house.

[Chrono-kun, what are you doing here anyways? You don't usually come along on social events.]

[Since your devices are under repair, I'm here to make sure you're well guarded. Also... mother said I should get out more...whatever that means.]

Fate answered that question for him. [It means you need to meet people and talk to them, I think.]

[Ehehe. Fate-chan's right.]

Chrono just seemed embarrassed. He was given mercy by their arrival at the Tsukimura mansion.

'Mansion' was certainly one way to describe it. Actually... It was probably the best way to describe it. Built in classic Victorian style, the structure before them had enough windows that it certainly looked the part of a wealthy home, sometimes making Arisa, who also happened to come from wealth, very jealous indeed. Chrono might have been a bit intimidated by this... if he didn't see more impressive things all the time.

Oh yeah, Kyouya was still there too. He was not privy to their conversation, though he did sense that something was odd with them, but he kept those ideas to himself. More importantly, he rather obviously nudged them along.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We gonna go in or what?"

"...oh. Yeah. Sorry."

The sheepish trio (and annoyed big brother) finally advanced to the grand double doors and rang the doorbell. Somewhat to their surprise, they were greeted by not one but two blue-haired maids, the older one practically at mothering age herself and the younger one a few years ahead of Nanoha by the looks of it.

"Lord Kyouya, Lady Nanoha, Lady Fate, and Lord..."

"Chrono."

Fate added by way of explanation: "He's a friend."

"Chrono. It's good to see you again, and for the first time as well."

"Hi Noel!" Nanoha put in.
While the older one spoke, the younger one just smiled, particularly at Nanoha.

"You're all welcome tonight, so come on in and make yourselves at home! Arisa and Suzuka are already at the table, and I hear our other guests will be arriving shortly."

"Thanks, Faline."

These are the Tsukimura family maids. The older one is Noel. She doesn't talk a huge amount, but she's really cool and pretty. She reminds me of my own mother, actually! And the younger one is her little sister Faline- say it with me, Fah-leen. She's rather clumsy, to be honest! But she's still nice. Oh, and about the hair...

Arisa occasionally joked that the Tsukimuras had blue hair due to being vampires. In reality, it was nothing so fantastic as that. Rather, it was a simple, relatively harmless genetic mutation. They had traced the history of that color back to the 1400's, but some sources suggested that the blue hair had been passed down through the Tsukimura family line for generations beforehand. Fate in particular found it all quite interesting, perhaps because of her own exotic heritage.

While Nanoha was expositing, she mindlessly walked forward into the grand hall of the Tsukimura. If she had been paying attention, she might have had a chance to renew her wonder at all the splendor on display around her. But she was not paying attention. Her friends, unfortunately, were not as likely to be amazed to begin with, two of them having done this before and one of them having seen similar things back on Mid. And while Fate still had a sense of wonder, nothing amazed Kyouya anymore. It was doubtful that even a sudden reveal that magic was a thing and his little sister wielded it would have so much as made him falter.

Wait a minute. Nanoha... yes, Nanoha almost walked into the wall there. Only the timely intervention of Kyouya saved her from her own daydreams, much to her embarrassment.

"You should really watch where you're going, squirt."

"Ehehehe... A-ah, sorry brother."

"Come on, let's get going."

Several moments of walking and one dramatic door opening later...

Arisa and Suzuka were already there at one of the longest dinner tables Nanoha had ever seen. With Arisa's bright orange hair and colorful personality contrasted against Suzuka's subdued blue and gentle demeanor, the two made for an interesting couple of friends. Both of them greeted Nanoha and co with a smile.

"Hi Nanoha!" "Hi Fate!"

"Hi Arisa! Hi Suzuka!"

"Hello..."

Meanwhile, Chrono was awkwardly silent. Kyouya, on the other hand, seemed a bit concerned. "...is Shinobu not here today?"

"She had to go out for something," Suzuka answered him. He frowned and made a note to ask her about that later.

True to form, the pre-dinner conversation quickly devolved into talking about a wide variety of nothing, with Nanoha, Arisa and Suzuka forming the bulk of the chatterboxes. Fate and Kyouya occasionally put in their two cents as well, the former with a shy air and the latter just grumpy at being denied his girlfriend. Chrono did his best to pretend he was on a mission or asleep or something.

And thus, the drama entirely sneaked up on them. The doorbell rang in the distance, but only Kyouya and Chrono paid it any heed. None of the others were prepared for when the door opened and Hayate and her family came in.

"Oh, hello Hayate! It's nice to see you!" was all Suzuka managed to get in before the tension choked the room into sudden, uncomfortable silence. The Wolkenritter were as shocked by seeing Nanoha and co as Nanoha and co were shocked by seeing the Wolkenritter- among them, only Signum and Chrono managed to avoid dropping their jaws to some extent or another, and Vita seemed like she was going to need help picking hers up off the floor. Needless to say, Arisa, Suzuka and Hayate were incredibly confused as to why everyone was staring at each other all of a sudden. On the other hand, Kyouya didn't know exactly why, but he could definitely sense the tension in the air... he looked prepared to do something drastic.

But it was obvious enough to Nanoha, Fate and Chrono. They may have been in casual clothes, but there was no doubt about it: the people who had wheeled that cute girl their age into the room were the same Wolkenritter that had drained Nanoha's magic, injured Fate, and put both of their Devices in critical condition. If it weren't for Nanoha and Fate being unarmed right now, Chrono probably would have put them under arrest by order of the Time-Space Administration Bureau that instant and explained what he could to the others later.

Hayate looked around and sputtered. "U-um...W-w-why are you all looking like that? D-do you guys know each other?"

The part of shouter of overly loud "NO!" was played by Vita and Nanoha. The Wolkenritter could hardly admit to what they had been doing behind Hayate's back, even if it was for her sake. And Nanoha could hardly just talk about magic here and now, could she?

Kyouya seemed even more on edge. The tension in the air was so thick Faline could trip over it. Which she did, having just arrived bearing appetizers. The sheer strangeness of the scene before her made her stumble before she could even announce her presence, and she fell forwards rather precariously.

Thankfully, that broke the spell, as Arisa and Suzuka rushed to save her from her impending faceplant, and...even managed to save the appetizers along the way. It gave Nanoha time to attempt to rescue their image, directing her telepathy toward the Wolkenritter as well as her allies.

[Can everyone hear me? I know we fought and all, but we're making a scene here. If everyone could at least act moderately friendly for now, please? I mean, we're not going to fight here, we might as well talk about this...]

Unfortunately for them, she was right. Nanoha could practically hear Vita going 'hmph!' and shaking her head through her response.

[This is only a temporary truce, you got that?! Next time it's serious.]

[U-uh, right...]

[That's not true...]

[eh?]

Mental eyes – and quite a few normal ones – turned to the Fate who had suddenly 'spoken up'.

[People fight because they don't understand each other. If you talk it out, you'll find you may not have to fight for what you want after all. I should know...If we don't know what you want, we can't help you.]

[Well said, Fate!]

"Ahem, is everyone done being creepy?" Kyouya asked, clearly irritated at the strange changes on everyone's faces.

And thus the great circus began as people who just fought each other to the point of hospitalization tried to have a friendly dinner with each other.

A/N to all the two people who have reviewed as of this update: thanks to both of you! Sorry for the wait. Writing this took a lot more than I'd thought it take, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with the latter half. Regardless, seeing people read and appreciate it might just make it worth it, especially if I somehow manage to become semi-popular. So as to build hype, I'll give you a teaser of next chapter's title: Discussion Enforced by Starlight Breaker! ...It reveals absolutely nothing. I tried, though.