Yuuno moaned lightly as he awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He attempted to rise and begin another day, but the arms tightly encircling him made that impossible. Glancing over he was met with a blast of blue resting on his shoulder.

"Not again…" He sighed as he attempted to pry Material-L's hands away. Raiko would often climb into his bed during the night despite him telling her not too. Unfortunately the girl had the strength of a gorilla, so freeing himself always proved to be a difficult task. Sighing again, he let his head roll to the other side.

There his eyes met with Material-S's.

"Good morning, Yuuno-san." Seikou greeted flat.

"Gah!" Yuuno jerked. "S-Seikou, what are you doing in my bed too?"

"… My apologies." The brunette said calmly as she sat up. "After witnessing Raiko do it, I decided to experience it for myself. Is it that much of a bother?"

"Err, well…"

"Hey, peons!" Material-D burst through the bedroom door, only to stop and glare at the scene before her. "And here I was wondering why you weren't around to serve me! How dare you engage in those activities without your harem mistress present?"

"No, Yami, you're…" Yuuno began.

"You are mistaken, Material-D." Seikou interrupted. "We were merely sharing the same bed, nothing more. If you wanted to join us, you had the opportunity but you are the one who decided she have her own room."

"Like I'm going to share a room with lowly servents!" Yami huffed. "Well whatever you're doing doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm hungry and you don't have breakfast ready!"

"Breakfast?" Raiko suddenly shot up. "I want waffles!"

"Yes, that sounds like a grand idea." Yami nodded and pointed to Yuuno. "Now get to work!"

Yuuno groaned. How did he end up in this mess?

X-X-X

"… I told you to teach them, not seduce them." Chrono said flatly.

"I didn't!" Yuuno insisted. "They just decided on this harem business on their own!"

"Well, I suppose I can't blame you." Chrono went on without a hitch. "Teachers often take advantage of their students, and I suppose if you can't score the real things, their evil clones are a fine substitute."

"How dare you!" Yuuno exploded. "I would never stoop so low! And even if it's you Chrono, I won't stand for you speaking of them like that! They may be copies, but they are not evil nor are they merely substitutes for the others! They're their own unique individuals and deserve to be treated as such!"

"So you're saying you have no intention of taking advantage of them."

"Of course not!" Yuuno shouted.

"Then you should have no problem living with them."

"No problem at all!"

"Good, it's decided then." Chrono smirked.

Yuuno blinked before it dawned on him. "… Wait, what?"

X-X-X

"Chrono that bastard…" The young archaeologist muttered as he mixed the batter. His older friend sure knew how to manipulate him, and it pissed Yuuno off that he did. Yuuno and the Materials had been quickly set up in a house all their own after that. It wasn't a very large residence, with only two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath, and a living room. The original intent was for Yuuno to have his own room while the Materials all shared one, however when they arrived Yami wasn't pleased.

"I object! Why should I have to share? As your king I demand to have my own room!"

Though Yuuno tried to fight it, Yami wouldn't give in. It also didn't help that the other two didn't have a problem with Yami's proposed arrangement. And so, Yami got the single room to herself while Yuuno had to share with Raiko and Seikou.

He considered moving to the couch instead, but Raiko wouldn't let him.

"But I want to sleep with sensei!" She had pleaded. Yuuno wasn't sure if he gave in to her puppy dog eyes or the possibility she might break something if he made her mad, but he ended up occupying one of the three single beds all the same.

Yuuno would always have to dash out in the morning and knock on the door before entering since Raiko had no qualms about stripping in front of him. Even so, the blue haired girl often forgot to close the door so he did catch the occasional glance. At least Seikou had a sense of shame.

Sometimes he wondered about the nature of the Materials. They were copies of Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate that the Book of Darkness's defence program had created so it could continue to survive and Yuuno theorized that their personalities were taken from the subconscious of his friends. Raiko was extremely childish and prone to temper tantrums, acting like the selfish kid Fate never had the chance to be. On the other hand, Seikou was mature and polite, the kind of girl Nanoha probably aspires to be. While he doubted Hayate secretly wanted to rule the world, she had been confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. That weakness probably had her desiring more power, a desire that the darkness had amplified and twisted.

Even if his theory was true, it didn't make them any less human in Yuuno's eyes.

"Hey, mongrel! Stop introspecting and hurry up with those waffles!" Yami demanded.

"Yes, your majesty…" He droned sarcastically before realising it was the wrong thing to say.

"So you finally understand your place." Yami leaned back smugly. "It's about time!"

"Please do not mind her." Seikou said beside him, stirring her own bowl of batter.

"I try not to but sometimes it's hard…" He sighed before shaking his head and smiling. "Thanks for helping out, Seikou. I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it." Seikou replied and Yuuno swore he could see a ghost of a smile on her face. He honestly didn't know how he'd handle things without her around.

"Do you like waffles, yeah we like waffles, do you like pancakes, yeah we like pancakes, do you like French toast, yeah we like French toast, do do do do can't wait to get a mouthful!" Raiko sang happily as she banged the butt of her fork and knife on the table.

"… I hope we don't have to make pancakes and French toast too…" Yuuno chuckled nervously.

"Do not worry, Yuuno-san." Seikou reassured him. "I am certain she shall forget about it soon."

X-X-X

They got away with just the waffles and after cleaning up and getting ready, the four of them headed to the Infinity Library.

On top of teaching the Materials, Yuuno still had the task of organizing the library on his plate and somehow he managed to juggle both. Since he couldn't let them out of his sight, the three girls had to accompany him to the library, much to Yami's dismay. She found the place to be boring and unsuited for a great ruler such as herself, but she had been convinced that she had a duty to watch over her subjects.

Of course the 'watching over' part didn't last long, and the silver haired girl often took what she called 'royal naps.' She was currently engaged in one of those.

While his magic ran its searches, Yuuno glanced over to Yami's sleeping form sprawled out on one of the ledges. He couldn't help but note how serene and down right cute her sleeping face looked. It was far more pleasing than her scowling visage and sharp tongue.

Next he checked on Raiko, who was floating off to the side surrounded by books. Yuuno never expected the Infinity Library to stock picture books, but sure enough it did. The twin tailed girl had one open in her hands and was reading it rather intently. Yuuno was somewhat proud to note that she held the book right side up.

"Yuuno-san, here are the books you require." Seikou announced as she floated up to him with a stack of tomes.

"That's great, thanks." Yuuno smiled. "You can just put them there."

Seikou complied and when her task was complete she merely sat on the air next to Yuuno. He was aware of her closeness, but he actually found some comfort in it. His life had been rather hectic recently, so this nice and quiet moment was extremely welcome.

"I am pleased to see you all getting along so well." A new voice noted. Yuuno turned to the fresh arrival.

"Oh, hello Reinforce." He greeted the ancient device. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Hey! It's boobie-book-lady!" Raiko bounced up and flew over, grabbing onto Reinforce and burying her face in her chest. "You're so big and bouncy and soft!"

"I thank you." Reinforce smiled with a soft blush. Seikou stood and bowed politely and Reinforce returned the gesture to the best of her ability. Yami continued to snooze.

"What can I do for you today?" Yuuno asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing." She replied.

"Well, I'm managing to get by somehow." Yuuno smiled sheepishly.

"Yuuno-sensei is great!" Raiko beamed. "He made us waffles!"

"I see," Reinforce patted Raiko's head. "Thank you for taking such good care of them, Yuuno."

"No, I'm really not doing that much…" Yuuno scratched the back of his head.

"Yuuno-san is far too modest." Seikou noted.

"Yes, we all owe you a great deal." Reinforce nodded. "If it weren't for you we wouldn't be able to continue to exist and live peacefully like this. Thanks to your research the defence program has been split up and sealed away within the four of us where it is not powerful enough to cause any more harm."

"It was the least I could do…" He flushed.

"Oh, look who it is." Yami yawned as she floated down. "What are you doing here?"

"You look well Material… Pardon, Yami." Reinforce smiled.

"Call me your majesty!" Yami huffed. "Know your place you dusty old book!"

"The same as always." Reinforce noted. "If she gives you too much trouble, please feel free to ask for my assistance."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Yuuno shrunk a bit under Yami's glare.

"Hrmph, well we should be done for the day!" Yami declared. "We're leaving!"

"But I'm not…" Yuuno tried, but Yami grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

"I said we're leaving!"

"Okay!" Raiko cheered, pulling herself away from Reinforce and following the others. "See you boobie-book-lady!"

Seikou bowed again and left as well.

"I wish you luck." Reinforce said softly.

X-X-X

Yuuno sighed for the umpteenth time that day as he flopped down onto the couch. The moment of peace earlier had been fleeting, and his current time alone would probably prove to be the same.

"NO, I DON'T WANNA!" Raiko's shout rang through the house. The pounding of footsteps followed and the girl in question ran into the living room.

Completely naked.

Yuuno only had his saliva to do a spit take with as he got a full look at her young naked body. Seikou entered the room soon after, but at least she had to sense to wrap a towel around herself.

"Raiko, it is time for your bath." She said calmly.

"No! I don't wanna take a bath!" Raiko ran up to Yuuno. "Sensei, I don't have to take a bath, right?"

"Err, you, ah, um…" Yuuno fumbled with his words as he remembered he should shut his eyes. "Yes, you have to take a bath!"

"Eeeeeh?" Raiko pouted. "But it's not fair! Sensei never has to take a bath!"

"I do take baths!" Yuuno told her. "I'll take mine after you're done yours!"

"I don't believe you!" Raiko crossed her arms. "I'll take a bath when you take a bath!"

"W-We can't do that!" Yuuno insisted.

"Why?" Raiko asked.

"B-Because, it's not good if boys and girls take baths together…"

"Why?" Raiko asked again.

"Because…"

"Yuuno-san, I do not believe she will relent on this issue." Seikou said. "Besides, Enforcer Harlaown had informed me that you've bathed with girls before… Is it really so undesirable to bathe with us?"

'Damn that Chrono…' Yuuno chanced opening an eye to look at Seikou. It was very slight, but he saw a little sadness in her expression and it caused him to relent. "… Okay, okay, I'll take a bath with you…"

"Yay!" Raiko cheered and dragged him by the arm. "Let's go!"

X-X-X

Yuuno hesitantly stripped himself before entering the bath. He tried to keep from looking at the equally naked Seikou and Rai, but as soon as he opened the door he got a face full of Yami.

"It took you peons long enough!" She scolded, her legs planted firmly apart and her hands on her hips. "What would you do if I caught a cold?"

"Y-Yami!" Yuuno gawked, the image burning into his eyes before he could close them.

"Hm? What's your problem, mongrel?" Yami looked at him curiously before breaking out into a smirk. "Aha, is seeing your glorious ruler in the buff too much for you to handle? You should be honoured I am allowing you to see my naked form! There is no need to be embarrassed."

Yuuno thought back to the time at the hot springs resort, causing him to flush more fiercely. At that time he was able to see the voluptuous forms of Miyuki and Shinobu, and compared to those women, these girls were certainly nothing to blush about, but it was the principle of the matter!

"What about you?" He asked. "Have you no sense of shame?"

"What a thing to say!" Yami scoffed. "Do you feel shame when dirt and dust see you changing? This matter is no different."

"I love dust bunnies!" Raiko grinned. "They're so fluffy and cute but they make me sneeze and then I squish them!"

"Uh, that's nice…" Yuuno sighed. Well, he should have figured he was no more than dust in Yami's eyes.

"Now then be a good servant and wash me." Yami declared, holding her arms out to the side.

"Excuse me?" Yuuno risked cracking open an eye to see she was being serious.

"You heard me! Do you honestly expect royalty to wash themselves? We have people to do that for us!" Yami sat on one of the bath stools and gestured to her rear. "Get to it!"

Having given up already, Yuuno sat down behind her, blindly groping for the soap and wash cloth. Creating lather, he kept his eyes closed as he put the cloth against Yami's flesh.

"Kyah!" She moaned. "My, such a bold servant washing there first!"

"I'm sorry!" Yuuno's eyes shot open, only to see that his hand was placed on the middle of her back. Looking up, he saw Yami smirking over her shoulder at him.

"Too easy," She snorted. "Now pay attention to what you are doing! If you mess up, heads will roll!"

Yuuno gulped, but kept his eyes open. He just hoped she didn't expect him to wash every part of her body…

"I wanna wash some one too!" Raiko suddenly decided, sitting behind Yuuno with another bar of soap. She went to work on his back, which proved to be slightly painful.

"Raiko, not so hard!" He pleaded. "Do it more gently…"

"Kay!" She complied some what, but it still felt like she would scrub off a layer of skin.

Yuuno beared with it, focusing his attention on washing Yami's back without letting his eyes drift down to her butt. He felt a gaze on him, however, and he looked out the corner of his eye to see Seikou. The brown haired girl was already in the tub, the water up to her nose. She quietly blew bubbles as she watched him with half-lidded eyes.

Feeling even more self-conscious, Yuuno clamped his legs together.

"Sensei, you missed a spot!" Raiko said as she leaned over his shoulder. Her soapy hand went to Yami's back, but the action had her pressing up against Yuuno. His body stiffened as he felt two soft mounds squish against his back and rubbed gently against him as Raiko fidgeted around.

Knowing full well what was going on, Yuuno felt as if he was about to burst. It didn't help that at the moment his mind decided to remind him that the developing body currently held against him was the same as another girl he knew. He had never taken a bath with Fate before, but now he could clearly picture the pretty blond girl in his mind, completely naked and looking at him with a sweet, bashful expression on her face. He wanted to berate himself, tell himself it was wrong to think of a friend like that, but it seemed the forbiddeness of it had even more blood rushing to his head.

"Hm?" For some reason Raiko chose that moment to look down at Yuuno's front. "Hey look! It's getting bigger!"

When that was said, steam shot out of the boy's ears and he toppled over.

X-X-X

"Arg…" Yuuno groaned when he came to. Before his eyes opened, he mentally noted the feeling of fabric against his skin, making him relieved to realise he wasn't naked anymore. When his eyes fluttered open he saw Seikou looking down at him.

"Yuuno-san, you are finally awake." This time her gentle smile was noticeable.

"Seikou, what…" He tried to sit up, but when he did the dizziness hit him, causing him to fall back to his horizontal position. His head hit some kind of cushion, but it didn't take long for it to dawn on him that the cushion was actually Seikou's lap. "I'm sorry! I'll…"

"Please don't push yourself." She softly chided. "You fainted while we were in the bath." Her eyes made a quick dart to his midsection. "We were all… curious, but I assure you I prevented the other two from doing anything."

"O-Oh, thanks…" Yuuno's face turned red again. "Where are the other two?"

"They have already gone to bed. I remained here to await your awakening."

Yuuno looked around to see they were on the couch in the living room. "Sorry for the trouble."

"I feel as though I should be saying that to you." Seikou said with a touch of sadness. "We are the ones who have caused you so much trouble."

"No, it's okay." He replied. "It's not that bad…"

"… You are aware that we have had previous care takers before, yes?"

"Yeah," Yuuno said, thinking back to how he had only taught them while another Bureau appointed person took care of them at home.

"You are our seventh." Seikou revealed.

"What? Was it really that many?"

"Yes," She nodded. "Some lasted almost a week, others only a few days. One didn't even make it an hour."

"Oh…" Yuuno frowned. That certainly sounded bad.

"I cannot say I didn't wish them gone." Seikou went on. "It felt as though they did not care about us at all and were merely doing it for reimbursement. They treated us like objects. While there was one man who appeared to be different, it was only an act and he soon attempted to touch me in an inappropriate manner."

"What?" This time when Yuuno shot up he stayed upright. "Then…"

"Do not worry, he did not lay a hand on me before I… forcibly removed him."

Yuuno's frown deepened. He figured the Bureau would have better screening procedures than that, but perhaps at that point they were so desperate they accepted just about anyone. Chrono's earlier comments suddenly made more sense.

"You are a different matter." Seikou reached out and gently laid her hand on his. "No matter how much trouble myself, Raiko, or Yami cause, you are still here. Despite all the hardships you have never left us and you have always treated us like humans rather than objects. On top of that, earlier you were presented a chance to take advantage of us, but you did not do so. You are a kind, considerate man. Raiko, myself, and even Yami can all sense this and we are extremely grateful that you are here. Thank you for all you've done."

"Uh, well, you're welcome…" Yuuno went bashful at the genuine look in her eyes. "I know that none of you are bad girls either, which is why I want you to have a chance at a normal life. You have so many opportunities ahead of you and I'll do all that I can to help you along the way."

"I really appreciate that." Yuuno's heart skipped a beat when she graced him with the largest smile he had ever seen on her face.

"S-So you have any idea of what you want to do in the future?" He quickly glanced away and asked.

"… I am unsure." Seikou admitted. "However I do know that I wish to remain with… Would it be appropriate to call them my sisters?"

"Yes!" Yuuno smiled. "I think that's a great way to think of them."

"I wish to remain together with my sisters." Seikou nodded. "Also…" She looked Yuuno right in the eye. "I wish to remain together with Yuuno-san as well."

"O-Oh…" Yuuno flushed and turned away again. "Well… I can't promise we'll always be together, but I'll be here so long as you need me."

"That is reassuring." She said as she rose. "Now I think it is time to retire for the evening. Raiko and Yami were quite worried about you and I am certain they will be happy to see you well rested in the morning."

Yuuno nodded and they returned to their room. He wasn't surprised at all to see Raiko already fast asleep in his bed.

"This girl…" He sighed happily. It felt like it would be a shame to disturb her, so he decided to climb in with her. Just for tonight.

"Good night, Yuuno-san." Seikou said from her bed.

"Good night, Seik… AH!" The air was squeezed out of him when Raiko grabbed hold.

"I'm not letting you get away, Mr big fluffy cloud!" The long haired girl mumbled happily in her sleep.