Chapter 3: A New Enemy

"So that's the gist of it," I said, holding up my right hand so Nanoha could see Thor.

We were sitting on a bench in the park that was close to the clearing, Ai was behind us, pacing back and forth like a woman possessed.

Nanoha frowned, clutching the bag of bird seed a bit tighter and throwing some more to the birds gathered at her feet, "I see," she said softly. "I'm not angry that you did what you had to do but..."

Ai froze, her eyes widening in terror.

I didn't know why she was acting like this, Nanoha seemed more like my mom. Concerned about me, understanding. I knew it was probably possible to get her mad, and I most likely didn't want to for fear of my limbs, but Ai was blowing it way out of proportion.

"Don't you think you were too reckless Ai-chan? You need to stop making me worry."

"Y... yes Ma'am! Ceasing the worry-causing now!"

Nanoha smiled, "It's okay Ai-chan, relax. Sit down."

"Yes!"

Ai, still stiff as a board, made her way around the bench and sat down next to Nanoha, still with a look of utter terror on her face. Nanoha giggled and ruffled her hair, causing her to relax visibly, "I'm glad you recovered Thor, and you kept the damage to a minimum also, it didn't take the repair teams too long. It would have been better if you lead him away from the housing area though."

Ai frowned, her face falling and her hair covering her eyes, "Sorry."

"I know you could have easily taken him down, but you let down your guard and he got the drop on you, be more careful next time, I didn't train you to be absent-minded."

"I understand Ma'am..."

Nanoha was very kind, I could see that much.

She turned to me, "As for you Yusuke-kun, I don't want you fighting these people anymore, even if Thor is stuck to you like glue."

"Yeah, but I..."

Her smile turned to a frown, "But I know that won't stop you, you're not part of the administration, you're not one of my trainees, and the report that Ai sent back indicated that your power is extensive. Instead of me giving you an order I want you to promise me something, and if you break that promise I'll have to intervene..."

I swallowed nervously, "Okay."

"I want you to promise me that you won't do anything reckless. What you did last night was jumping the gun a little, but sometimes things like that are necessary. You're not a part of the administration, at least not yet. For now, since Thor won't leave you, I'm conscripting you as a temporary associate of the administration. In addition to your usual protection you will also be able to fight for yourself. However... I want Ai-chan to train you."

Ai gasped, "But Ma'am I..."

"You can do it."

Ai fell silent, "You really think so?"

"I know you can, I'm the one that trained you after all. One more thing as well," she said, turning back to me, "When I said that sometimes those things are necessary I meant it, unless you have to defend yourself, unless you have to help Ai fight, you must not interfere. If Ai's training comes back with good results, and if you don't act reckless, I'll put in a reference for you and you can join the administration when you graduate. I have to warn you that the training is pretty intense though."

"Wait... I never gave you an answer though, so how do you know I want this?"

Nanoha giggled, "Your answer was obvious when you decided to use Thor."

I blushed and frowned, turning away, "I guess that's... true."

I closed the door and kicked off my shoes, "I'm home!"

"And where have you been for the past two hours?" asked my Mom, walking out of the living room with her arms crossed.

"With a friend," I said.

Suddenly I regretted saying anything. Mom grinned, "Oooohhhh, so you were out with a girl?"

"Wha... I mean... I guess so, but..."

Mom's grin didn't fade, and she stepped forward to block the way to the living room, "Details Yusuke, don't leave your mother in the dark now."

"It's not like that," I grumbled, "And they're both..."

"Two? Yusuke I am very disappointed in you, double timing of all things!"

"I already told you it's not like that! Just gimme a second to explain. I was out with Kurosawa-san from class, and we were with Nanoha-san."

"Nanoha?"

"Yeah, I met her in the park, and her and Kurosawa are really close. So it seems like we all started hanging out I guess. Nanoha-san seems like an older sister type."

"So, you must really like Ai-chan then."

"What... what makes you say that?"

She pointed to my right hand and I felt the blood drain from my face, "That's a very nice bracelet, did she give it to you?"

I couldn't very well tell her the truth.

I swallowed hard, trying to gather my composure.

"Yes," I managed to say through grinding teeth.

"I see I see." My mother nodded sagely, "Well be sure to work up the courage soon, or she'll be spirited away by some other boy."

"Mom!"

"Heh. Tommorow's Sunday, you should pay her a visit."

-The next day-

I guess in a way I was still following in my father's footsteps.

"Again."

He had been a police officer pretty much since he graduated from college.

"One more time Yusuke."

Then there I was, training to be a mage... or something. From the way I hit that man with my hammer the night before, it didn't feel very magical, it felt more... brutal.

I swung Thor with all the force I could muster, and a blue bullet of light shot out from the end, colliding with the last can sitting on the fence in Ai's backyard.

It had seemed this 'administration' saw fit to give her lodging while she was here.

It was a nice place too, two floors, more than enough for one person, but Ai had drug me to the backyard before I had a chance to check the place out. Then she coerced me into pulling out Thor to 'get a feel for my abilities'... her words, not mine.

My musing was interrupted by Ai's clapping, "Yes! You're getting the hang of this really quickly. We'll take a brake since that shot from last night probably took a lot out of you."

"What are you talking about? I feel fine."

She grinned, "Not for long you won't. Big booms like that are a part of the job, but believe me they take a toll, it's recommended you get some rest after a big fight like that, especially for beginners like yourself. You have an advantage, but that doesn't mean you're invincible."

"An advantage huh?"

"Magic users from Earth are rare, but when they pop up they pack a punch, Nanoha-san is from here, and she's one of the most powerful mages in the administration."

"Oh, that's right, when we met in the park she said she was visiting her family."

Ai grinned, "Yep!"

"What about you? You have a pretty Earthy sounding name to me."

"Yeah, that's because my line came from here. You'll run into people who have weird names every now and again, at least according to your standards. I wasn't born here myself, but the name stuck, so... Ai Kurosawa."

"Does that have anything to do with why you were put in my class?"

She laughed, scratching the back of her head, "Maybeeee... I'm starving, put Thor up and we'll go inside and grab some lunch."

"Right."

The hammer collapsed in on itself and it ended up on my wrist once more. I followed Ai to the backdoor and was pretty surprised when we actually entered the house. The place was huge. There was a set of stairs leading up on the west side of the room, with a large living room on the first floor with an attached kitchen.

I could only assume that the upstairs held the bathroom and bedrooms.

"Doesn't it get kind of weird living in a big place by yourself like this?"

Ai smiled and scratched the back of her head, "It is weird. I've never been to Earth before now, so I was kinda confused on how everything worked, but it doesn't seem too different, just no magic."

I glanced down at my bracelet and frowned, "It seems more like technology than magic."

"Yeah, it is a kind of technology if you think about it, and the AIs definately help, but the potential for magic ultimately comes from the person, the staff itself is like a magnifier, and the AI is like a partner."

"So you can do magic without the staves?"

"Yep, but most of the time it's not as effective on the offensive side of things. If you use healing or barrier spells, or you're a support mage, you can do without a staff. It's not just staves that are used either, you can use any number of things, like your hammer, and my senpai and her sister use gauntlets."

She lead me to the kitchen and started to dig through the cupboards, pulling out random boxes of food stuffs and little jars of seasoning, "So uh... what's for lunch?"

Ai froze, "I... I'm not too good at cooking actually, I was looking for the instant noodles."

"What?"

She turned away from the cupboards and leaned against the counter, frowning, "I've been concentrating on my training and joining the military for a long time. I haven't exactly had time to learn how to cook."

"You're my age though, aren't you? Isn't it strange to recruit children?"

"Not particularly. The work can get dangerous, but it's nothing like Earth's military. Casualties are extremely low, and people like me won't usually be put on the front line unless there's something really exceptional about them. Nanoha-san started when she was nine, but she didn't get conscripted until a few months later."

"That's... crazy. Child soldiers?"

"It must be something horrible from where you're standing, but I've seen people younger than us do amazing things. It's all a matter of perspective."

"I guess so."

"So the point is that I can't cook!"

I sighed, she shouted the fact like she was proud of it or something. "Listen, I know a few things. My mom usually cooks, but she's taught me and I've taken the reigns a few times. It's honestly not that hard, especially if you have a recipe or know it by heart." I stepped forward to where she'd left various ready to prepare foods on the counter. Nothing looked too interesting, "What do you have in the fridge?"

"Um... some vegetables, chicken, fish. I usually just eat that stuff plain."

I shook my head, "Alright, you've taught me enough for the day. It's time for the student to become the master. We're making a stir fry."

"Wha... but what if I burn it or... what if I start a fire?"

"Are you seriously that afraid of something going wrong?"

She scratched her cheek and let out a forced laugh, "I'm clumsy when it comes to housework."

"So why's this place look okay?"

She pouted, "I just got here. I'm not a natural disaster you know!"

"Okay okay, no need to yell." I grabbed a bottle of seasoning and some spice, "Get a measuring cup and grab some vegetables and peppers."

"Which ones?"

I shrugged, "Whatever looks good, I'll sort them all out so it doesn't end up tasting weird."

She gave me a mock salute, "Yes sir!"

I rolled my eyes.

Lunch passed in a flash, and we ended up just lounging on the couch to watch TV. I felt tired, perhaps the shot from the day before was finally taking its toll on me like Ai said it would. She lectured me on the importance of using powers responsibly, especially for a new kid like me, so I figured it was best to listen to her. "We won't train tomorrow," she mumbled, leaning back into the cushions a bit, "You need the rest in case something happens, and it'll tear you apart if you push yourself too hard starting out."

"Did Nanoha-san teach you that?"

"Yeah," she said with a frown, "It was actually the highlight of her teaching method. Later on you'll be able to cast much more powerful spells without it eating at you, but if you break yourself by training too hard or overusing a spell things'll end up pretty bad."

"So save the best for last."

She grinned, "It's not just good for you, but it's oh so satisfying to save the biggest explosion and throw it in the enemy's face at the end."

"You seem like you enjoy destroying stuff."

Her face went red, and she turned away, "Heh, is it that obvious? Nanoha-san got mad at me a few times because I was being too reckless with the way I attacked. Word of advice, never make that woman angry. An S plus rank mage is not to be trifled with."

"I figured as much, what'd she do to you?"

"I can't even remember," she said with a nervous laugh, "All I know is that I woke up in the infirmary. I'd heard stories of how she did it with one of her other trainees, but I was stupid and concentrated too much on how nice and caring she was."

I chuckled, "Sometimes the firm hand of discipline is needed."

"It's not funny Yusuke-kun! I've been terrified of her ever since, and all she does is laugh and tease me about it!"

"Just treat her like you normally do."

She sighed, "I guess you're right, but it really was scary. It took me days to be able to talk to her after that. The first thing she did was apologize, and then she explained exactly why she blasted me."

"Strange woman."

"You have no idea."

"Sorry to suddenly change the subject but..." I held up my right hand so she could see Thor, "I understand what you said earlier about AIs sticking to mages, but why would this one choose me?"

She shrugged, "No one knows what qualifies someone to be chosen by an AI. I think Raising Heart chose Nanoha because they're both strong and kind." She pulled her necklace from under her shirt, cradling it in her hand. I noticed it had a small yellow jewel, "Amaterasu chose me because we both like blowing stuff up. Why don't you try asking? It could be any number of things."

I looked straight at the jewel on the bracelet and frowned.

Subject qualified.

"For what?"

Desire to make difference. No regrets for path chosen.

I let my arm drop and Ai smiled, "There you have it Yusuke. It doesn't happen often, most AIs never find a mage they stick to. When they do it's like having a partner to watch your back, even if there are no other mages around."

I sighed and leaned back, my head laying on the tip of the couch and eyes towards the ceiling, "So do people always go after things like the Jewel Seeds?"

"Not always, but they pop up every once in a while. When they do it's our job to stop them. Not all Lost Logia are unstable, but those that are, like the jewel seeds, are kept under the protection of the administration. They're locked away for safe keeping. The Jewel Seed in you was discovered on a planet not far from here. Nanoha-san went to intercept, but when she got there the man who attacked us was already there. She chased him all the way to Earth, and that's where she met you. He must have lost the Jewel Seed when he tried to kill you and you used its power. Since it's constantly keeping you alive a mage wouldn't be able to sense it unless they did an active scan on your body. The man got away, and Nanoha-san didn't figure out you had the Jewel Seed until a few months later. She knew it healed you, but she thought he still had it."

"I see. Do we have any idea who this guy is?"

She shook her head and sighed, "Not in the slightest. We've been looking and looking ever since the incident five years ago, but there's not a single trace of his identity. He could be from a lost tribe."

"A lost tribe?"

"It's a name... for a people who aren't in the administration's registry, or aren't listed in the Infinity Library."

I took a deep breath, "I'm in way over my head huh?"

She laughed, "You'll feel like that for a while, but don't let it get you down. Be glad that Nanoha-san gave you permission to use Thor. I was surprised she did honestly. She's more than likely doing a huge stack of paperwork for you right now."

"Man, I don't wanna be a burden on her."

"If she's letting you fight with Thor that's enough to show you're anything but a burden."

"I hope so."

"Nanoha-chan?"

Nanoha's eyes snapped open, and she mumbled an incoherent excuse, causing the person who had interrupted her nap to laugh a bit. She rubbed her eyes and examined her surroundings. This was her office, a small and simple place, and she was at her desk with a stack of papers.

What had she been doing again?

"You have to give her a second, she's usually like this when she falls asleep working."

After letting out a yawn Nanoha finally found the composure to speak, "Oh, Fate-chan, Hayate-chan, what are you two doing here?"

The two in front of her desk glanced at each other and exchanged laughs, "Well," said Fate, "We were here to ask for your help, but it appears you're... busy with something else."

Nanoha blushed, "Wha... I was really working this time I swear! It's just that paperwork always makes me so sleepy."

Hayate brought a hand to her mouth and let out a light laugh, "Are those the papers for Yusuke Ryudou?"

Nanoha looked down at the papers once more and let out a sigh, "Yeah, they are."

"What's wrong?" asked Fate.

"Well... I just didn't want to get him involved in this, but then he picked up Thor and now this entire thing is a lot messier than it should have been."

Fate raised an eyebrow, "So you conscripted him? Obviously he has potential if you did that."

"He does. He's not as powerful as I was at that age, but Ai-chan's report indicates he has a strong affinity to Thor and a solid Linker Core. Part of my job is keeping eyes out for new recruits, it's just..."

"He reminds you of yourself," said Hayate.

"... Yeah."

Hayate smiled and clasped her hands together, "That settles it then. You shouldn't worry so much Nanoha. Here." Hayate reached over her friend's desk and gathered all the papers together, much to the surprise of the ace, "I'll take these and worry about Yusuke-kun. You two..." she glanced at both of them, "Will take the day off, you've both been working for a week straight. Don't try to tell me you're fine either, Subaru told me what's been going on."

Fate frowned and Nanoha rubbed her forehead with a sigh, "I guess you're right," said the ace, "It has been a pretty long week."

Hayate nodded firmly, turning on her heel and walking from the office at a brisk pace.

"Ever since she's been promoted to Colonel she seems a bit stiff," said Nanoha.

Fate laughed, "Her position is important. When she relaxes she's like a completely different person. Shall we?"

Nanoha nodded and smiled, standing from her desk and rolling her shoulders a bit, "Let's go get something to eat."

Downtown wasn't too far from HQ, and it was relatively quiet for a Sunday afternoon. Due to that fact Nanoha and Fate could actually walk side by side and not bump into another person every second. The two both had small vanilla ice cream cones, and they walked leisurely down a sidewalk, taking their time to enjoy the fresh air, "It's been a while since we've just walked like this," said Fate.

Nanoha nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. When we're not at work Vivio takes up all of our time, and we're usually driving everywhere."

Fate laughed, "She is an energetic one. I think you're starting to rub off on her Nanoha-chan."

"Heh, she gets broody a lot though, I wonder if she gets it from you."

"Hey... that's..."

Nanoha giggled, "I'm just teasing you."

Fate sighed and shook her head, "On another subject, what do you think about all the recent technological jumps?"

Nanoha pondered this for a second, looking a bit contemplative. "I think magic and technology can fit well together. You've seen how helpful the numbers can be."

"That's true."

"On the other hand, overreaching did cause the end of several worlds that were technologically advanced. I think we won't have a problem though, as a society we learned the first time."

"Which is why we need to keep an eye out for people who want to abuse that power, whether it be magic or technology. Hayate-chan gave a speech about this the other day, how we should open our arms to innovation, but we should be responsible."

Nanoha smiled, "Maybe one day you'll be up on stage like that."

Fate blushed and looked away, "I... I don't think..."

"You would probably be better at giving speeches than me. I've never been too interested in politics."

"You still overwork yourself."

"Only with my trainees. You saw me asleep at my desk."

"Is paperwork really that bad for you?"

Nanoha nodded firmly, "It makes my vision blur, and I get super tired."

"So... where should we head to next?"

"Let's go see Teana, I heard she went up a magic rank."

"She's a double A now, right?"

"Yeah, she even broadened her spells a little."

"Good to know she strengthened her weak point."

Before they could turn the next corner, alarms blared.

Nanoha's eyes widened.

"Alert, alert, please proceed to shelter immediately." The loudspeakers boomed over the entire city, louder even than the alarms.

Nanoha and Fate ran back towards HQ with no hesitation, ice cream dropping to the ground, forgotten.

"Yusuke-kun, could you come here a sec?"

"Yeah, no problem." I drug myself away from the couch and went to help Ai in the kitchen, "What's up?"

"Help me with the dishes, will you?"

"Sure."

Magic field detected.

I raised an eyebrow, "Thor?"

Ai looked down at her necklace, "Do you sense it too?"

Yes.

Amaterasu glowed.

High velocity approach. Exceptional energy.

"We have to leave," said Ai.

"What? But..."

"Don't argue, let's just leave!"

She grabbed my hand and all but dragged me from her house.

Just as we made it past the threshhold of the front door...

An explosion ripped through the house, shattering wood, grass, and concrete. It tore cleanly, viciously, as if it were aimed.

"Hmph, Leon was right, you two really are like cockroaches."

We both looked up...

A woman, floating just above the remains of the house, smirk tracing her lips. She wore a spandex-like suit, red. Her hair was long, and of the same color. She held no staff or anything of the sort. "You'll have to hand over that Jewel Seed of yours. Of course that means you'll die, but I'll make sure to kill your girlfriend first so you can watch."

"Don't screw with us!" shouted Ai, pulling her necklace off, "Amaterasu!"

Yes. Staff form.

"Kurosawa, wait!"

It was too late, she was already transformed and flying through the air towards her opponent.

The woman chuckled, "How brave of you."

A blinding flash of light...

"Ah!"

And Ai was sent flying into the remains of her house.

Then the woman descended, slowly, towards me, "Well that's no fun. I prefer strong prey, oh well, can't always get what you want, right?"

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as my knees started to shake.

This was bad.