Magical Girl: The Other Side
DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit fanfic written jointly by LSSJ2 Gohan and The King of Soda. We make no claim to ownership over the respective franchises of Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball GT, all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama, and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, A's, StrikerS, Force, and Vivid, all owned by Seven Arcs, Geneon Entertainment, and Masaki Tzusuki.
(1st Edited: 01/29/14)
(2nd Edited: 06/13/14)
(3rd Edited: 12/05/14)
CHAPTER 2: A Fateful Encounter! Her Name Is Nanoha!
Through the streets of Uminari City walked three girls, all wearing identical outfits, a simple white dress with black patches, long, green stockings, and brown shoes. The first had reddish-orange hair, blue eyes, and possessed a cheerful, sprightly demeanor. This was Nanoha Takamachi. The second girl had long blonde hair, teal-emerald eyes, and a fierce, powerful personality. Her name was Arisa Bannings. And the third child had flowing violet hair, sapphire eyes, and seemed to have a cool, relaxed attitude. This girl was more commonly known as Suzuka Tsukimura, and the three students were close-knit friends.
"Something I can do," Nanoha muttered under her breath. "Something only I can do."
This vexing quandary had been on her mind for some time. Lately, around others, even her close friends and family, Nanoha had begun to feel like a third wheel, out of touch with all the people in her life. Different. Isolated and alone. Trapped. There had to be some special purpose for her, a way to make her feel like she belonged again.
"Hey, wasn't Suzuka-chan amazing in dodge ball today?" Arisa commented as the three walked by a park.
"Yeah, she was awesome," Nanoha agreed, tuning back in to the girls' conversation.
"Oh, come on, guys," the purple-headed girl said, embarrassment written plainly across her face. "I wasn't that good."
They passed a strolling woman and her dog, which swung around and started barking at them.
"Hey!" the woman scolded. "Stop it!"
Arisa turned on the dog, greatly irritated by all the barking the annoying mutt was doing.
"URUSAI!" she yelled.
As the girls continued their travels, Arisa ran out ahead of them and looked down a path winding through the forest itself.
"Hey, over here, guys," she told them. "We can take the shortcut through the woods, and we'll be there in no time."
Suzuka looked up the path, clearly afraid of what possibly awaited them in there. Thoughts of serial killers and rapists went through her mind, and suddenly she wasn't sure that this was such a good idea.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked Arisa uncertainly.
"Hmm..." Arisa said, thinking. "Yeah, the path's rough, but we'll be fine."
So, with a little reluctance, the girls entered the path, intent on following Arisa's advice and taking the short way home. As the three made their way through the surrounding bushes and trees, Nanoha came to a very clear conclusion. The sights, the sounds, and general feel of the forest were very familiar to her, and the redhead finally recognized where she had seen it before.
This is the place I saw in my dream last night, she thought.
She could remember the dream clearly. A blonde-haired boy had tracked a monster to this exact place. The monster had overpowered him, but just when it looked like the boy was doomed, another boy, this one with raven-black hair and steely, determined eyes burst onto the scene, his hair flashing gold as he saved the boy from the beast.
"Is something wrong?" Suzuka asked, breaking in on her thoughts.
It was then that Nanoha realized she had stopped walking.
"Nanoha-chan?" Arisa prompted.
"A-Ah, no!" Nanoha insisted, walking forward to rejoin her friends. "It's nothing." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Are you alright?" the violet-haired girl asked, still concerned for her friend's strange behavior.
"Yeah," Nanoha said, deciding not to tell them about the dream for the time being. They would just think she was crazy.
"Okay, then," the strawberry-blonde said, holding her arm out. "Let's go."
As her friends headed out, Nanoha looked to the side, still thinking about the dream and the two boys in it.
"How strange..." she whispered.
"Nanoha!" Suzuka called.
"Oh, yeah!" Nanoha said, remembering where she was and speeding ahead to join her friends.
As they walked down the path, suddenly, a burst of... something entered Nanoha's mind. She couldn't really explain what it was, only that it just popped into her head out of nowhere, causing a strange sensation to flood her entire body. She came to a complete halt as a voice spoke in her head, and through that weird feeling, she finally grasped what it was saying.
— Help me... — it begged.
Her friends noticed that she had stopped and pivoted to face her.
"Nanoha-chan?" Arisa asked, curious why she'd stopped again.
"Did you guys hear something just now?" Nanoha asked hesitantly.
"Um, like what?" the other blue-eyed girl replied.
"Like someone's voice?" Nanoha elaborated, feeling stupid even as she said it, yet in her heart she knew it to be true.
Arisa and Suzuka looked at each other. From the expression on Suzuka's face, it was apparent she was worried about her friend, but Arisa seemed to think Nanoha was playing a really unfunny joke on them.
"Not really," the blonde-headed girl said.
"I don't think I heard anything," Suzuka said slowly.
— Help me! — the voice cried, stronger this time.
Suddenly forgetting that she had company, Nanoha took off running, trying to find the voice that seemed to call only for her. She didn't know if the voice was real or if her young mind had snapped. All she knew was that she needed to find the source of that voice. Maybe it was the call she had been waiting for? She wasn't sure, but she sure wanted to find out.
"Nanoha!" her friend Arisa called out, running after her.
"Nanoha-chan, wait!" the purple-haired girl exclaimed, she too running after Nanoha.
"I think that the voice came from over here," the auburn-haired girl whispered to herself, following the voice's echo.
Nanoha exited the thick of the trees and entered a small clearing. Once in the clearing, she looked around, trying to locate any source of the voice. It was then that she caught glimpse of a figure lying down on the grass. Upon closer inspection, she gasped in horror at what she saw.
"Oh my goodness! Arisa-chan! Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha suddenly cried out, calling to her approaching friends.
"What's wrong, Nanoha? Why did you run away like that?" Arisa asked, suddenly worried by Nanoha's change of mood.
"Take a look over there!" she replied, pointing at what she had found. "It's a boy..."
"A boy?!" Arisa exclaimed, the gears in her head already switching to fight or flight mode. "I swear, if it's some sort of creep I'm gonna..."
Her threat suddenly died in her throat as she discovered the source of Nanoha's horror.
A young boy, apparently no older than they all were, lay shirtless on the grass. He had one arm wrapped up in a makeshift sling, the rest of his body looking worse for wear, with many scrapes and cuts all along the exposed areas.
A few seconds later, Suzuka successfully caught up with her two friends. Upon discovering the boy's broken state, her eyes opened like saucers, letting out a gasp as she promptly fainted. Arisa was able to catch their friend as she fell so she wouldn't hit her head.
"Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha exclaimed in worry.
"Oh great, just what we needed! Wake up, Suzuka-chan! We can't drag the both of you to the hospital!" the fiery blonde girl cried out in exasperation, moving to try and reanimate their unconscious friend.
As Arisa was busy waking up their shy friend, Nanoha carefully approached the wounded boy.
"He seems familiar somehow..." she whispered, taking in his facial features, before a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"This is the boy from my dream!" she whispered in shock, recognizing the boy's face. "Except... his hair isn't gold."
And it was true. The boy's hair, which had been golden yellow and glowing very brightly in her dream, was now a simple black. But what did all this mean? Was it possible that the events in her dream were real?
"Something wrong, Nanoha-chan? Why are you whispering?" Arisa asked her, holding the now conscious Suzuka as she approached their friend and steadying her with a comforting hand over her shoulder.
"Oh, nothing! H-Hey, Suzuka-chan... are you alright?"
"Oh yes, nothing serious. Just a bump on the head," the purple-haired girl replied sheepishly.
"Well, we'd better get this boy to the hospital. He looks like he's in pretty bad shape," Nanoha replied, moving to grab hold of the boy and carry out her stated intentions before something else caught her eye.
"H-Huh? Oh goodness, girls, look!" Nanoha called, making the girls rush to see what Nanoha was staring at.
"Is that...?" Arisa began.
"A ferret?" Suzuka finished for her. Noticing the small animal's bad condition, which was even worse than the boy's, she felt consciousness slip from her once more. That is, before she suddenly felt a vice grip across her shoulder.
"Don't. You. Dare!" Arisa growled at her, practically knocking the dizziness out of her.
"What do we do now?" Nanoha asked as she took the small animal in her arms.
"Simple. You take the boy to the hospital; I'm taking the ferret here to the vet," Arisa replied, taking the ferret from Nanoha's hands.
"Are you sure, Arisa-chan?"
"Positive. Besides, I better bring Suzuka-chan with me lest she faints again."
"I-I will not!" the azure-eyed girl replied.
"Just a precaution!" the strawberry-blonde replied simply.
"I..."
"That's fine, I guess," the pigtailed girl replied.
"Well, we'll get going now. You take care of him. Come on, Suzuka-chan."
"Bye, Nanoha-chan!" Suzuka said, following the other girl's path.
"See you later, girls!" Nanoha replied, before kneeling in front of the dark-haired boy and taking hold of his arm. She then proceeded to pull him up, getting him into a sitting position, and then wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
When she tried to get him to stand up, however, she found with surprise she could barely lift his weight.
"Moooou, you sure are heavy!" the girl commented, helping herself into a standing position with some assistance from a nearby tree and grabbing the boy's arm tightly, doing her best to avoid falling along with him.
Seemingly hearing her thoughts, the boy began to stir, groaning in obvious pain.
"Oh, you're awake!" Nanoha chirped, thankful.
"H-Huh? You... who are you?"
"I am Takamachi Nanoha. What's your name?"
"I... I'm Gohan... Son Gohan."
"Gohan...?" she whispered, almost as if pondering on it.
"That's a funny name!" she chirped, giggling softly.
"H-Hey!" he protested softly. "I-I was named after my dad's grandpa..."
"Sorry," Nanoha laughed. "It's just... your name means cooked rice."
"Dad named me after food?" Gohan repeated, shocked. "B-But I thought it was his grandpa's name!"
"Your grandpa had a funny name!" she chirped cheerfully. "Oh, but sorry if I insulted you," the girl added politely.
"I-It's okay... I guess..."
"So, um, you think you can walk on your own?" Nanoha asked him, prompting Gohan to notice the position they both were in, mainly, of Nanoha barely being able to carry him and struggling to breathe as she did so.
"I-I don't think I can... b-but, I'll try." The boy replied, trying to unwrap his arm from Nanoha's shoulders and balance himself. However, as soon as he attempted to find balance on his feet, a sudden wave of pain assaulted his senses, making him stagger.
"Oh, wait, don't overexert yourself," the girl said, carefully holding him and helping him stabilize himself.
"I... I'm sorry for the troubles," he whispered, blushing in embarrassment.
"It's no problem, Gohan-kun!" she told him with a friendly smile.
"So, um... where to now?" he asked her uncertainly.
"To the hospital. We need to get those wounds of yours treated," Nanoha replied matter-of-factly.
"O-Okay," the boy whispered awkwardly.
Slowly, taking their time, with Nanoha supporting him and Gohan hobbling along at a slow pace, the duo began the walk to the hospital, unaware of the events taking place at the same time a long distance away...
Pain... that was all she could feel at the moment. Pure, undiluted, excruciating pain, coursing through every fiber of her body like molten fire, threatening to consume her body from within in a blinding wave of burning agony. The sound of electricity was all around her, and her senses were being strained to the limit. It was pain beyond reason, pain beyond endurance, pain beyond imagining...
She was strapped in an X position, hands and legs tied down to two poles rising up on either side of her. Little wires connected to her bare skin to a straightjacket-like device wrapped tightly around her torso. Pumps and a long cable ran from the device into an ominous-looking machine with blinking lights and covered in dark edges and shapes. And in the exact center of the machine was a small glowing red jewel that shone luminously as the machine drew mana from it to run the device.
Finally, as the pain faded to bearable levels, Fate's screams died down, and the hum of the machine dropped to a low thrumming.
"That's enough!" Arf cried angrily. "Stop this! Stop it!"
"The Relic is the only way to energize Fate's linker core back to its previous level, before her little... incident," Precia said coldly. "This is the only option we currently have. It will take months for her linker core to recover its mana on its own, and time is a precious luxury we do not have right now."
"Then quit for today!" Arf snapped heatedly. "She's done more than enough for you!"
"No. I regret doing this," Precia hissed, her tone making it quite evident that she didn't regret it at all, "but without it, all our plans will fall to pieces. She must continue with her mission. And besides, it's punishment for failing to retrieve all of the Jewel Seeds."
"That's it! I won't stand for this anymore!" Arf growled in anger. "This has got to stop!"
"N-No, Arf, d-don't... do it."
The soft plea made Arf stop cold in shock.
"W-What? B-But, Fate —!" Arf protested. "Look what she's doing to you...!"
"Arf... please... don't. I-I need to... do this," Fate gritted. "I-If it's important t-to my mother, t-then I'll d-d-do it."
Precia smirked. "That's a good girl," she said, before exiting the room.
As she left, the device beeped again, and soon, Fate's screams tore through the room once again.
Leaving for her personal chambers, Precia locked the doors behind her, so nobody would disturb her privacy. Slowly, she walked towards the middle of the chamber, where a pod laid. Inside it rested a little girl, a child who appeared exactly identical to Fate, only looking about half her age. The girl looked peacefully asleep, silently floating in the liquid that held her. Staring directly at her, Precia's expression notably softened, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes as she went up to Alicia's tank and placed her hand on it.
"Very soon, my little one, the both of us will be together again. I-I hope you can forgive me when you see me again," she whispered, her tone changing radically from the cold, cruel, and even sadistic sneer she put on in front of Fate and Arf, into a decidedly softer, desperate whimper as she let her barriers down. It was the very first time she seemed less of a monster, and more... human.
There no time to lose. I have to bring my baby back, at all costs... she thought to herself.
Her musings, however, were interrupted as a screen popped beside her, revealing a purple-haired man with golden eyes.
"Hello, dear. How are you doing?" a cheerful male voice greeted her.
"Scaglietti," Precia growled. "What do you want now?"
"My, my, aren't you upset tonight! Something wrong?" he wondered.
"That doll wasted herself saving some random kid she found. Her medical skills are so pathetic that she actually drained her whole linker core," she spat, turning to face the eccentric man for the first time.
"Ohoho! That's sweet! It's her first crush!" Jail chuckled, sounding decidedly amused, before he suddenly realized something. "Oh, wait! Then I guess that this is the perfect chance for you to put my gift to good use, eh?" he asked, curiosity evident in the man's voice.
"At least the Relic will prove useful," Precia said, rolling her eyes at Jail's antics.
"I still don't get why you don't just use the Relics instead of the Jewel Seeds. You do know, those can serve just as fine," he pointed out.
"Wrong!" she cut off abruptly. "Those Relics are simply magical batteries. The Jewel Seeds carry greater power, and together... they are the key to Al-Hazard!" she ranted vehemently, fire in her eyes.
"Oh, so you have yet to get them, huh?" he asked with a small note of surprise.
"As I said, that stupid doll drained herself of her magic, so I need to use the Relic to replenish it," Precia growled.
"Oh, then I guess it wasn't you then," Jail mentioned matter-of-factly, tapping his chin.
"What are you talking about?" Precia demanded, narrowing her eyes at what Jail had said.
"Oh well, you see, a few hours ago my scanners managed to gather some info on that world where the Jewel Seeds landed. And as it turns out, there was a major dimensional dislocation right there," the man explained simply.
"What?!"
"As you heard, honey! Someone just one-upped you and ripped through time and space! First I thought you finally made it, but then I discovered that it wasn't you! Seems we have a visitor from another dimension. Imagine that!" Jail said, amusement returning to his voice and expression as Precia's eyes widened in shock.
"An unauthorized dimensional transit...?" Precia whispered, her eye twitching. "Damn it! Just what I needed! If the Bureau wasn't alerted by the Jewel Seeds landing on that planet, they surely will be now!" she hollered angrily.
"Well, you know, honey, this new visitor might help you reach Al-Hazard faster," Jail chimed in, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hmm... that might be the case... but what could possibly be so powerful...?" Precia mused.
"Something from Ancient Belka, maybe?" the Doctor offered. "Whoever crossed dimensions has a very powerful device, you better know it!" Jail added, sounding enthusiastic. His golden-hued eyes sparkled with unrestrained glee.
"And you say it comes from the very same world the Jewel Seeds landed? Very well, I shall inform it of this new development," Precia stated, her tone making it clear she wanted the conversation over.
"Do so! Oh, and tell Fate her dad said hi for me, dear! Catch you later!" Jail said brightly.
With those words, the screen closed off and Jail's face disappeared from Precia's sight.
Jail Scaglietti... what are you planning now...? a corner of Precia's mind wondered as she took a final glance at Alicia and departed.
"Still the same old Precia, I see..." Jail mused as the connection cut off.
"Doctor?" a feminine voice asked right beside him.
"Ah, Uno, yes, please be a sweetheart and make sure to erase all traces of this conversation, please," the man asked, turning to look at the woman standing next to him, whose appearance was basically a gender-swapped version of the Doctor himself.
"As you wish, Doctor," the cyborg replied obediently.
While Uno activated her Inherent Skill, Jail simply smirked.
I wonder... what will this new development mean?
Gohan was seated in the hospital bed, covered in bandages and waiting for the doctor to come and see him. Nanoha was waiting by his side and he could tell that she had taken an interest in his well-being.
"Are you sure you feel okay, Gohan-kun?" she asked him.
Gohan actually smiled a little. Who would've guessed I'd find someone who cares about me in this strange world?
"I'm fine," he reassured. "Honestly, it looked worse than it was."
The door opened and the doctor, a dark-haired man with hollow cheeks and sharp features, entered, holding a clipboard. He looked at whatever was written on the sheet. Then, he glanced up and smiled.
"You gave us quite a scare, Gohan-san," Dr. Akubi said. "But you should heal just fine. The damage was mostly just superficial except for that arm of yours, but with a little time and rest, you should be back up to speed in a few weeks."
"Super!" Nanoha chirped. "Thank you very much, Doctor."
"It was no trouble," Dr. Akubi said. He turned back to face Gohan. "Now, do you know where you are will be staying, Gohan-san?"
Gohan blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"We ran your name as well as your parents' names through the hospital's database," the doctor explained to him. "There is no record of a Goku or a Chi-Chi ever coming to this hospital, or any other, to give birth to you. That isn't so unusual, since a lot of children are born at home, but then we ran you through the school system's computer, and we found you never attended a school in Japan. It's as though you dropped out of the sky, and it is very puzzling, to say the least. Care to explain?"
Gohan felt his heartbeat increase, and his palms got sweaty. He noticed Nanoha giving him a scrutinizing look and he felt very nervous. What could he tell this doctor? That he was from another dimension? Would he even believe him? He had to think of something fast.
"I was born at home," Gohan said slowly, improvising wildly. "But I never went to school, and my dad died when I was only five, and there was an accident recently that made living with my mom impossible."
These two statements were, technically, both true.
"I see," Dr. Akubi said, writing that down on his chart. "And how did you sustain those wounds?"
"A, um, a, a bear!" Gohan said. "A bear attacked me in the woods, and I barely got away from it!"
"Well, then, you're very lucky to still be alive, Gohan-san," Dr. Akubi said seriously.
"Oh wow!" Nanoha exclaimed. "That must've been scary!"
"I'd rather not think about that right now," Gohan said, hating to lie, but seeing no other choice.
"I see." The doctor turned to look at Nanoha. "We've notified your parents and they're on their way over. I believe they are bringing your brother and sister too. I take it you wanna stay with your friend here until they arrive?"
Nanoha glanced at Gohan and flashed him a cheerful smile. Gohan felt taken aback.
"Sure!" she said happily. "I'd love to stay with you, Gohan-kun!"
"Um... thank you, Takamachi-san," he said, blushing slightly.
"Oh, don't call me that, Gohan-kun! We're friends, so you can just call me Nanoha!" the girl chirped happily.
"O-Okay, Nanoha, and thank you again for helping me here," the boy said awkwardly, feeling his cheeks warm up.
"It's nothing, Gohan-kun! Anyone would've done the same!" she replied.
"Y-Yeah, I suppose."
While the two of them were talking, Dr. Akubi had discreetly let himself out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. However, before Gohan or Nanoha could say anything more to each other, a sudden cry startled them.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID FERRET!"
As if on cue, a small ferret entered the room, quickly jumping onto Gohan's lap. It looked up once, managed to squeak happily, and then dropped unconscious while still in Gohan's lap, seemingly contented.
"H-Huh?" was all Gohan could say as he saw the ferret.
"Oh hey, Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan!" Nanoha greeted the source of the voice: A very tired Arisa Bannings, with Suzuka right behind her.
"Where is... that stupid... ferret...?!" the girl wheezed, panting for breath.
"U-Um, you mean this ferret?" Gohan inquired, pointing at the small animal in his arms, which Gohan had picked up.
"Yes! That one! We... we've chased him for over half the city now!" the blonde said exasperatedly.
"Really? I thought the ferret was badly injured?" Nanoha inquired.
"Not really, t-the vet said it was nothing that serious," Suzuka replied, before Arisa turned on Gohan.
"Okay, I want some answers right now! Who are you and why were you and this ferret lying half dead in the middle of a forest?!" the fiery blonde demanded, moving to glare practically right in Gohan's face. And despite her being a normal human child, Gohan was nonetheless intimidated by her fierce temper, making him feel a bit more like he was at home.
Man, she sounds like mom! Gohan thought, while his mind tried to find an answer.
"I... I-I am Son Gohan, n-n-nice to meet you," the boy replied.
Arisa didn't look amused.
"Okay, seriously, Gohan? You're telling me that is your actual name?" the girl deadpanned, crossing her arms across her petite chest.
"U-Um, yes," he replied timidly. Arisa didn't seem too convinced.
"Nice to meet you, Gohan-san! My name is Tsukimura Suzuka," the purple-haired girl behind them said, smiling shyly at the boy.
"U-Um, thanks, it's a pleasure to meet you too," the boy replied, looking away from Arisa's scrutinizing glare.
"Arisa-chan, leave him alone already. He's hurt badly and has nowhere else to go!" Nanoha shot up in defense of the intimidated boy.
"I'll keep my eyes on you, Gohan," Arisa said, giving the "I'm watching you" signal, consisting of pointing at her eyes, then pointing at him.
"You'll have to forgive Arisa-chan. She can be a little feisty."
"U-Um, it's okay, I guess..." the boy said, still finding the situation awkward.
The girl finally stepped away from the hybrid's personal space and let him be just in time to hear a knock from the door.
"Hello, can we pass?" The voice belonged to an adult in his thirties. Entering with him was a woman of long light brown hair, together with two dark-haired teenagers, a boy dressed and a girl wearing glasses and with her hair in a ponytail.
"Mom, Dad! Onii-chan, Miyuki-neechan!" Nanoha chirped happily, jumping to embrace her family.
"Hey, princess, how're you doing?" Shirou said, greeting his daughter with a hug.
"Hello, Nanoha-chan. Arisa-chan, Suzuka-chan, it's good to see you," Nanoha's mother said, addressing the girls.
"So, this is the kid you've talked about, Nanoha-chan?" the head of the Takamachi household asked, turning to look at Gohan.
"Yeah, his name is Gohan-kun!"
Momoko blinked at how quickly Nanoha addressed the boy.
"Gohan?" Kyouya inquired, tilting his head curiously.
"Who names their son cooked rice?" Miyuki mused, hoping the others didn't hear her.
"I was thinking the exact same thing!" Arisa piped in, proving her wrong.
"B-But I was named after my dad's grandfather..." the boy muttered, looking down as a small blush tainted his cheeks.
"Well... it's certainly an interesting name!" Shirou chimed, trying to comfort the embarrassed boy.
"Oh, Gohan-kun, this is my family! That's my father, Shirou; my mother, Momoko, and these two are my Onii-chan and my Onee-chan, Kyouya and Miyuki!" Nanoha chirped, introducing him to her family.
"N-Nice to meet you all. I-I am Son Gohan," Gohan said embarrassedly.
"The pleasure's all ours, Gohan-san!" Shirou replied warmly.
"Oh dear, you don't look so well! What happened to you?" Momoko said worriedly, approaching Gohan and noticing his wounds.
"N-No, no, i-it's nothing, really!"
"Gohan-kun was attacked by a bear! He barely made it out alive!"
"N-Nanoha-san!"
"Oh my God!" Miyuki said, clasping her hands to her mouth.
"Wow, are you okay, man?" Kyouya asked. "You're lucky you're here."
"No, I-I'll be fine, I-I just need to find someplace to go," Gohan stammered. "Really, that's all!"
"Ooh, I had an idea!" Nanoha exclaimed happily. "Mom, Dad, can Gohan-kun stay with us?"
The older couple looked at one another, surprised at this abrupt and totally unexpected request.
"Oh, I don't know, Nanoha, sweetheart," Shirou said hesitantly.
"Yeah," Momoko added. "I mean, don't you have your own family to stay with?"
Gohan hung his head, eyes downcast. "I don't have a family anymore."
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, Gohan, dear!" Momoko said. "I-I didn't mean to upset you!"
"N-No, it's okay," Gohan replied even as he fought the tears. "How could you know?"
"Moooouuu, please, Mom, Dad?" Nanoha begged. "It'll be so much fun! At least let him stay for a few days!"
"Well, okay," Shirou said, sounding reluctant, "but only until we can find a place for him to stay."
"Oh, I... I don't know," Gohan murmured. "I wouldn't want to intrude. You have your own family, after all."
"Come on, Gohan-kun! We can have so much fun together!" the youngest of the Takamachis insisted.
"Yes, and she does have a point, Gohan-san. The law will not allow you to live on your own, and you may end up with some foster family you don't care about," Momoko pointed out gently. "And it's not like we wanna adopt you or anything. This is only temporary."
"Yeah, come on, you don't wanna disappoint Nanoha-chan now, do you?" Miyuki added teasingly.
"I... alright, b-but I promise I'll pay you for your troubles somehow!"
"You don't have to do that, little buddy, but, if you really insist on doing it, take your time, alright? Don't feel obliged to do it all at once," Kyouya reassured him, walking up to the hybrid and putting a warm hand on the boy's free shoulder.
"Thank you," Gohan said, liking the older boy immediately.
"Hey, I'll let you stay for free if you let me play with the little ferret there," Miyuki offered, pointing at the animal in Gohan's hands.
"Really? You mean... we can keep him too?" Nanoha asked her father hopefully.
"Well, that might be a problem, but I guess it should be fine, if you properly take care of him, that is," the man replied.
"I'll do it. It's the least I can do for your hospitality," Gohan said, bowing politely.
"Well, I'm already liking this boy," Momoko commented.
"Say, where is he supposed to sleep now? I have a spare futon for him, but we don't have any extra space," Kyouya pointed out.
"I know!" Nanoha giggled, suddenly getting a brilliant idea. "I want him to sleep in my room!"
"W-What...?!" Gohan spluttered, eyes wide as a blush covered his cheeks once again.
"Mou, come on, Gohan-kun! Why not?"
"You cannot be serious!" Arisa practically roared.
"A-Are you sure that's okay, Nanoha-chan?" Suzuka asked uncertainly.
"B-B-But I-I'm a boy! A-And you're a girl! It'd be improper," Gohan stammered, his cheeks growing redder every second.
"Exactly!" Arisa agreed. "What's gotten into you, Nanoha-chan?!" the strawberry-blonde demanded heatedly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Nanoha asked innocently, making Arisa and Suzuka sigh and Gohan sweatdrop.
"Oh, Gohan... looks like you've got your work cut out for you," Kyouya commented, chuckling softly at his sister's antics.
"But... I..." the boy tried to argue.
"There's nothing wrong with two friends sleeping together in the same room, at least not while they're this young," Momoko pointed out.
"But, Momoko..." Shirou protested.
Momoko cut him off. "After all, it's not like we'd do anything to jeopardize Nanoha's happiness, would we, Shirou?"
Shirou sighed, seeing he was going to be beaten on this issue. "Okay, fine."
"Alright, I guess..." Gohan offered after a few seconds of silence. "I guess if you all have no problems with it, I-I don't either."
"Moouuu, thank you, Gohan-kun!" Nanoha said, embracing him tightly around his waist, making the boy blush.
"We'd better watch out, Kyouya-kun. We might be in-laws with that boy someday," Miyuki whispered to Kyouya's ear.
"No way!" Arisa cried out.
"Huh? W-What's that supposed to mean?" Gohan inquired timidly.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Miyuki replied, waving her hands at him.
Arisa, for her part, glared hotly at Gohan. Gohan winced.
"U-Um, is something w-wrong, Arisa-san?"
"If I hear word of you trying anything with Nanoha, you better be ready, because there will be consequences."
"Um, excuse me, but... what d-do you mean by that?" Gohan asked, blushing a deep crimson.
"Never mind!" Arisa shouted.
"Un, Arisa-chan...?"
"We're leaving, Suzuka!" Arisa cut in quickly, taking the purple-headed girl by the arm and dragging her out of the room.
"U-Um, bye, Nanoha-chan, Gohan-san, a-and Nanoha-chan's family!" Suzuka said hurriedly, quickly departing the room with Arisa.
Once they were all gone, Shirou turned to his family and said, "So, now that things have settled down a little, what do you say we all go talk to the staff and ask if we can bring Gohan-san home with us?"
"Thank you, Daddy!" Nanoha said happily. "That'd be perfect!"
She turned to look back at Gohan.
"Come on, silly!" she urged. "Let's get going!"
And she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. Keeping one hand firmly latched to the little ferret by his side, Gohan couldn't help but wonder just what new kind of journey awaited him with Nanoha and her family at their home.
One thing's for sure, he thought amusedly as Nanoha pulled him, it's going to be quite an adventure!
And he followed her down the hall after her family.
Well, there it is. It took time, effort, and lots of hard thought, but now it's here! The new chapter of The Other Side is here!
I apologize for the delay here, end of college and other Real Life issues got in the way, but as we promised, it's here!
As King has said, Yuuno-hate will not be tolerated here. So keep your hate-o-rade deep where the sun doesn't shine, will you?
For the rest, welcome to this story. As a final question, would you like it if KoS posted his scale of mage ranks & power levels? He's been very excited about it, but the final answer is yours.
Well, with these words, we bid thee farewell.
Until we meet again!
LSSJ2 Gohan and KoS