Chapter 9: Favors and Lies
As Chrono and Amy were going over the various details regarding Kaname's family history, Philip himself was busy browsing through the various books that Yunno had with him when he got back with the Familiar, Xelia. It was only through an old battered black book with red linings near the edges of the front cover as well as the strange writing that was on it that Philip notified Chrono.
"Guys…I think I found something," he said.
"What do you have?" asked Chrono.
"It's not something I recognize…but I think this might have some clue as to what the actual purpose of these crystals that we've been hearing about are…as well as other things," said Philip.
"That book belonged to one of our historian archivists," said Xelia, perched above them hanging on a small wire near a lamp.
"What does it contain?" asked Chrono.
"Are you sure you want to know even though you might not like the answer?" she asked.
"The way I see it we don't have much of an option," said Philip. "Where's Reo sand Subaru?"
"We sent them out on sentry duty and told them to report back if they noticed anything odd," said Capt. Lindy.
"So what's in the book?" asked Philip.
"You've already mentioned a bit of what's in there Philip. Whoever told you other things regarding these crystals…might have misinformed you," said Xelia.
"So you're saying that the archivist that Kaname went to before…was probably a spy?" asked Chrono.
"In a manner…it's possible. However, there is one detail that I found that might pique your interest but…it's a bit dangerous," said Xelia.
"What is it?" asked Philip.
"Those that were sealed inside the dark fangs…how should I put this…fed…on dark emotions. These were gathered in smaller doses from the tinier ones that were known as Shadow Seeds," explained Xelia.
"Necro mages managed to obtain power from them…however, it drains them at the same time."
"Wait a second…there was one that was on that traitor Patrick during that sudden raid," said Philip. "And I think I saw two others on those demonic soldiers that were accompanying him."
"Those would be the seeds that you found. Each links to one fang and when there's enough…the user is then completely drained," said Xelia.
"Wait…when you mean 'drained'…" began Chrono.
"Yes…that's exactly what I mean. However…there is one other thing about the fangs that you might find…disturbing," she said.
"Which is…what?" inquired Philip.
"They've been known to cause madness, perverse the mind, and possess the body," answered Xelia.
"Is there any way to destroy them?" asked Chrono.
"There's only one effective method. Exorcisms only work on demons…but not on artifacts…none like this anyway. The only way to destroy them…is through massive magic damage. You'd have to bind the person extremely well in order for it to work," she replied.
"I think there are only a couple of people we know that can work on binds," said Philip.
As Kaname worked his way to the rooftop of the campus, he spotted a small window which overlooked not just the rest of the school grounds, but in the distance he could spot Tokyo Tower. However, just as he was about to continue onwards, a quick flash of yellow zipped by and barely caught his eye.
'Was that…who I think it was?' he wondered.
Shaking it off, Kaname eventually reached the rooftop where he spotted Yunno waiting for him.
"I got your message by the way," he said.
"Good timing," replied Kaname.
"What was so important?" asked Yunno.
"Remember that time when Fate came by and told us about that prophecy segment?" he inquired.
"Of course…why?"
"When she felt she was being followed…I believed her…to an extent. However, as I walked inside the campus today…Principal Mizuki pulled me in the storage room and warned me that we were being followed," answered Kaname.
However, as soon as he mentioned that bit, Kaname mentally cursed at himself and wished he had thought a bit more quickly as to how he was warned. That small tidbit caused Yunno to raise an eyebrow in both curiosity and suspicion.
"What in the world were you two doing in the storage room?" he asked.
"Don't let your imagination go to your head. It's NOT what it looked like," said Kaname.
"So…why would she warn you when she could have told you elsewhere?" asked Yunno.
"Probably not to give away any clues to our…hunters," said Kaname.
"Hunters?" inquired Yunno.
"Our guess is that we're probably blown right when Fate was at our place. Someone must have known she was up to something and sent those to follow her…at least that what Mizuki believes, and yet they must have realized where their next target would be," said Kaname.
"Here," guessed Yunno.
"So it would seem. However, that's not the worst of it…before I left to answer a call from Chrono, Nanoha told me that the actual instructor for PE was out for a few days…possibly either sick or pulling a sickie, or…something happened to him that nobody knows about. I then had a slight vision that was similar to a dream sequence I told Xelia one night…this time however, it was similar to that…except there were a couple of other individuals fighting alongside Nanoha," explained Kaname.
"Was this from your point-of-view?" he asked.
"Most likely," he answered. "Bad news is…that's apparently my next class."
"I'll notify the others and have Capt. Lindy place the two platoons on standby," said Yunno.
"Let's hope your little hunch proves right," said Kaname.
"Was she trying to flirt with you or something?" asked Yunno.
"Didn't I already say that wasn't the case, ferret-boy?" shot back Kaname.
"No need for you to put it that way," he answered.
"Besides…I doubt she'd be interested in me like THAT," replied Kaname. "Although I think what would make it worse is if she knew about both me and my mother."
"Why is that?" asked Yunno.
"During that one attack in the girls' bathroom, I was trying to get some information from that rouge vampire, until Mizuki silenced it," explained Kaname.
"Oh…point taken. Just be glad she doesn't know you're somewhat of a hybrid," said Yunno.
For a split second, Kaname's eyes changed from brown to ice blue before responding, "Let's just hope it stays that way."
By the time Kaname and Yunno got back down to the second floor, Yunno explained to him how to get to the boys' locker room which was on lower left side of the basketball court. However, the only thing that Kaname felt uneasy about was to explain about the mark on his right hand.
"I think I can cover that part for you," said Yunno. "I'll notify Telecathias and Mizuki after Chrono and Capt. Lindy."
"Much appreciated," he replied.
As Kaname followed the directions that Yunno provided to get to the boys' locker room, he felt a familiar dizzying sensation before it got accompanied by that burning sensation on his right hand, causing him to lean against the wall when he got inside the locker room.
'Something's not right here…but what is it?' he wondered, breathing heavily.
'Kaname…can you hear me? It's Chrono.'
'What's going on?' he asked.
'Reo and Subaru just got back, but Subaru's pretty banged up. They reported running into several hooded figures that appeared to have demon-like properties. They were able to fend them off temporarily, the two platoons we deployed were with them but most got taken down, until Reo noticed the direction they're taking,' explained Chrono.
'Which was…'
'They're headed for the school,' he replied.
'Damn it…just when things couldn't get worse. I'm faintly detecting a dark presence here…however…I think Nanoha just gave me the clue I needed before break. I've been notified by Mizuki about something called Shadow Assassins tracking us. I told Yunno about it and he was about to warn the others,' answered Kaname.
'Kaname…it's Amy. We just looked up the individuals that work at that school and one of them happens to be in league with an old military friend of yours,' she said.
'Who?' he asked.
'We're not sure…but he seemed to know quite a bit about you,' she replied.
At that instant…Kaname suddenly paled for a brief moment trying to piece things together and came across a conclusion that he didn't see coming.
'Kaname…Kaname, are you there? Answer me!' called out Amy.
'It's a trap,' said Kaname.
'What?!' exclaimed Chrono.
'Philip send the data to the Audi, tell Reo and Subaru to take it and meet us over at the campus grounds double-time! I'm going to notify Yunno,' replied Kaname.
As he quickly went through the various possible scenarios in his head and weighed his options, Kaname then quickly changed into uniform which was mostly a white shirt and blue shorts but kept his device around his neck when the time came. By the time he finished, other boys then came in and were getting ready while Kaname then headed out into the basketball court and waited. He then took the opportunity to notify Yunno via telepathy.
'Yunno are you there?' called out Kaname.
'I just reached the principal's office and there's been quite a scuffle. It turns out someone has been keeping tabs on you and Telecathias intervened somehow. He's knocked out but I'm not sure how long it'll last,' replied Yunno.
'Good…cause I just realized this whole thing was a trap. Nanoha's also at risk. If what I told you earlier does come to pass, we could be looking at real trouble in the long run,' answered Kaname. 'I've sent word to Capt. Lindy and Chrono. Notify me if any trouble heads our way.'
'You got it,' said Yunno.
Just as the students began to assemble, Kaname noticed Nanoha with her friends also coming out with them. Trying to keep calm and acting normal, he then joined the others silently as the PE sub came in. He seemed tall, had neatly combed brown hair, a medium build, and was wearing sunglasses. What caught Kaname's eye however was a sudden flash of black on the right wrist that appeared to be a metal wristband; seconds later, that familiar throbbing pain that was accompanied by a burning sensation resurfaced. Nanoha noticed the way Kaname was acting and took a quick glance before tapping him on the shoulder.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"I think so," he replied.
As the roll call was being done, Kaname tried his best to fight the pain mentally despite the throbbing in his head. Nanoha took note of this and took a quick peek before tapping Kaname on the shoulder.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
"I think so," he replied.
Seconds later, a strange ringing sound began to reach his ears, causing him to cover them. Nanoha also heard it and covered her ears as well. The sound was followed by a barrier that enveloped the entire area.
"Wh-what is that noise?" she wondered.
However, what caught Kaname's attention next eventually gave away the tell. As soon as Nanoha's name was called, a small purple orb of energy formed on the sub's right hand. At that moment, Kaname yelled out to Nanoha, "Get down!"
Nanoha was confused at first when he yelled it out, but didn't have time to respond after she felt herself being tackled down by him. The blast radius barely reached the students, including Nanoha's friends. Things began to escalate when the small windows near the top section of the stands were broken and several Shadow Assassins appeared.
"What's going on?" wondered Nanoha.
'Great…just what I needed…more trouble,' thought Kaname.
Just as the substitute was about to launch another attack, a series of chains ensnared him and the Shadow Assassins as Yunno came bursting through the door with Mizuki not far behind him. She then took out what appeared to be a pole staff but then seconds later, two energy filled scythe blades appeared on opposite ends. What really stunned Kaname was her agility while holding the weapon. The assassin's kept firing projectiles at her but they kept getting deflected as she spun her weapon constantly in a circular motion. Three of them stopped firing, leapt off and engaged in battle with her. As Kaname scanned amidst the current chaos for the person that attacked Nanoha, he then noticed him making his way towards her but as he tried to get closer, that familiar feeling he felt before the attack came back.
'Damn it…what…is this guy?' he wondered.
Kaname took a quick glance at Nanoha's friends who suddenly were too shocked and frightened to even escape. However, what happened next Kaname did not expect to happen so quickly. Just as he was about to strike, something within him awoke allowing him to see through the façade of the person attacking, causing his eyes to widen in surprise and shock.
Standing before Nanoha was demon that had a beastial head that resembled a disfigured bull wielding a spiked mace.
As for Nanoha, the device that Yunno placed in her bag suddenly began to speak in a mechanized female type of voice.
"I can help you," she said.
"Eh? Who said that?" she wondered.
"Don't be alarmed…I was sent to aid you," it replied.
As Nanoha looked into her bag, she then spotted a round red gem that wasn't in her bag before and picked it up. When she held it in her hand, the gem itself began to emit a pink glow.
"Nanoha…use it now!" shouted Yunno, as he struggled to keep the ones that he bound to stay that way.
"This? I'm not sure how," she replied.
"Close your eyes and clear your mind," replied Yunno. "Activating administrative rights…open new user setup."
"Registering new user…your current magic levels make you qualified to use me," chirped the red gem.
"What? Magic level?" wondered Nanoha.
"Yunno…what's this barrier that formed around this whole area?" asked Kaname.
"It's a type of field that separates magic from reality. Humans can't see what's going on inside the barrier nor can they go in it. The surrounding area inside the barrier however will be affected," explained Yunno.
"Once I'm through with you…your blonde friend is next," said the demon in the guise of a PE teacher.
'What? Who is he talking about? Is it Fate? No…she's…she's a friend. I won't let you hurt her!' thought Nanoha.
As if sensing her thoughts, the device activated.
"Command accepted. Barrier jacket set up: Divine Armor," chirped the device.
The sudden burst of light caused both Kaname and the demon to shield their eyes as a pink ray of light enveloped Nanoha. The cold air wrapped around Nanoha while lifting her up as the fabric began to take shape. What she didn't realize was that it was all from her mind that the fabric formed into what she was thinking. The hands became covered in black gloves while the wrist guards from the jacket formed that were blue with gold lines wrapped around the middle and a tiny red jewel close to the tip of the wrist guard to complete it.
Afterwards as the rest of the barrier jacket formed first around her chest going down before separating at the torso, followed by a white miniskirt that had a blue triangle pattern wrapped around it. The shoes were the last thing to form, resembling nothing more than what appeared to be normal sneakers that were right before the stockings wrapped around Nanoha's feet, completing the transformation. The staff itself had a white handle with a pink end while the top of it was a golden curve with the red jewel placed in the middle and held securely with two exhaust ports sticking at the lower end of the curve. It resembled what some would consider a typical traditional mage's staff…except this was no ordinary mage's staff.
Kaname's eyes widened in surprise when he quickly put together the images from the events that flashed in his mind, but something else was bothering him just as much as this sudden revelation.
'So he wasn't kidding after all,' he thought. 'But who could have tipped it off?'
Mizuki managed to fend off two of her attackers but the third one caught sight of Nanoha's transformation. Kaname then realized the current situation had escalated another level and that Nanoha might not know much on magic and had to think quickly.
'Oh…that's just great, not only will she have to hide her identity from others but the fact that those around her could be targets has just made this a lot worse. Well…that's just prime,' thought Kaname.
The third Shadow Assassin then made his way toward Kaname very quickly…so fast that Mizuki was only able to block one of the assassin's attacks that she was engaging in and yell out, "Kaname behind you!"
However, Kaname then spotted a quick flash of sliver which then made him smirk.
"I don't think so," he said, as he swiftly kicked aside the assassin's right hand which held a dagger, causing him to stagger, but not before Kaname finished up with a sweeping low kick knocking him down to the floor.
As Kaname faced the demon that was heading for Nanoha, the device that was around his neck began to float in front of him emanating that same silver aura.
"I've been waiting for you," chirped the device.
"How did…" he began.
"You wish to help your friends?" it asked. Kaname then nodded.
"Then join forces with me…become a meister."
As Kaname then placed his right hand and grasped the device, a magic circle with an X inside of it formed beneath him.
'I have to find out the truth behind these events…I won't let the enemy get the best of me. I WILL see this through to the end,' thought Kaname, with his eyes closed.
As if reading his thoughts, the device then activated.
"Command accepted, barrier jacket start up," chirped the device.
Kaname then felt the chill of wind sweep through around him as he felt himself being lifted up. First the fabric wrapped around his arms forming a dark blue color with a mini crescent at the top of the sleeve before metal gauntlets formed on top near the hands, a dark blue vest formed at the front before an interwoven wooden chest plate covered it. The shoulders were covered in a metallic silver armor with gold lines running around the edges, and then the same was for the legs, resembling that of iron greaves worn by warriors, a simple leather brown belt wrapped around the waist, and a metal helm with a crescent design in the middle top was placed around the head. There was a scabbard with an extra pocket at the top, and a trigger that was hidden at the hilt of the sword completing the transformation. All in all, it made him resemble that of a samurai during the feudal eras in ancient Japan.
When Nanoha came to, she was slightly surprised as to the current situation because of a few things: 1.) The outfit she was wearing as well as what she was holding, 2.) The fact that she can now see what was really standing in front of her, causing her to feel slightly intimidated, 3.) She could also see that Kaname was also wearing battle armor as well.
Seconds later, the glass above the stands shattered again as several more Shadow Assassins appeared above them.
'Oh great…more of them,' thought Kaname, as he sighed in annoyance.
"There are two of you now? No matter…I'll deal with you first," replied the demon, facing Kaname.
"Wh-what's going on? What am I wearing?" wondered Nanoha.
"We'll explain later. Right now, you should try and help Mizuki-san and Yunno," answered Kaname. "The big guy is mine."
"Do you know anything on magic?" chirped the red gem.
"None…nothing at all," she replied.
"Then allow me to help you," said the device. "Follow my instructions."
The chains that were holding the remainder of the Shadow Assassins and the demon began to lose their hold and several more Shadow Assassins began to appear.
'Damn it…just how many are there?' wondered Kaname.
The bull headed demon with the mace then began to advance on Kaname with its right hand wielding the mace raised to strike. However, what he didn't notice was that the one assassin he knocked out earlier had just gotten back up and had its dagger ready poised to strike. Nanoha took note and managed to warn Kaname in time.
As soon as Kaname spotted the assassin, he quickly drew out his sword and blocked the first attempt before kicking the assassin forward and having him get clobbered by the mace before turning into black dust. Knowing that there was hardly any time to rest, Kaname then spotted the second wave of Shadow assassins take aim towards Nanoha.
"Nanoha…above you!" shouted Kaname.
As the projectiles were fired, Nanoha then raised her staff which then produced a barrier in front of her, catching the shots fired before they disintegrated seconds later. The bull headed demon raised his right hand wielding the mace to strike and Kaname noticed the slight delay between the raise and the landing of the blow was mere seconds.
'He's strong but shouldn't be very nimble. We've got to take the battle outside so that there would be little damage inside,' thought Kaname. He looked outside towards the sky for a brief moment. Suddenly, it dawned on him as to how to create little damage within the school grounds.
"Nanoha, Yunno…we can take these guys outside of the school grounds," said Kaname.
"How do you suggest we do that?" asked Yunno.
"Just follow my lead," he replied. "Wait for my signal."
As the mace came down again, Kaname drew his sword quickly while using the scabbard to catch the mace. The angle of the slash arc was horizontal and was enough to cause a gash at the stomach before Kaname switched his handling to backhand before doing a series of zig-zag slashes, and then using the scabbard, gave a hard shove and with an adjustment by the wrist switched the handling back to normal before putting the sword back in its scabbard. What Kaname didn't notice was that the sword emitted a blue aura while in use.
The result was threefold. First, the force of the push caused the demon to lose its footing, second, the series of slashes were enough to wound the demon and slow him down, and third, the combined effect made it difficult for him to get back up.
As for the assassins targeting Nanoha, she managed to fire several magic bullets temporarily stunning them. Mizuki had finished her opponents before a third wave of Shadow Assassins appeared above them.
"Now…move!" shouted Kaname.
As the four of them made their way through the third wave outside at the back of the school grounds, Kaname mentally cursed and realized that even though there were trees in the back and the field was wide…there was no telling as to where his allies would come in.
By the time they were outside, Kaname noticed that there was a track and field course outside and in the distance was a large field probably used for soccer.
By the time that Reo and Subaru arrived on the scene, Subaru could clearly see the barrier whereas Reo couldn't.
"Oh great…now there's no telling as to where they are in the campus," said Reo.
"There's a barrier around the school though, so there's no telling as to how many people could be inside," said Subaru.
"Barrier…I don't see one," said Reo.
"What? But…it's right there," she replied, pointing to a dome like shape covering the school campus.
"Nope…I don't see it," he answered back.
"I'm going to go help them out," said Subaru, getting out of the car.
"Well what am I supposed to do?" asked Reo.
"Just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary," replied Subaru, heading inside the barrier.
Back over at the campus, Kaname continued to fight against the demon before him while Nanoha was trying to get used to using her newfound skills as a mage. Mizuki was slowly starting to tire from fending off each attack from the assassins.
The demon raised its mace again at Kaname, swung, and missed. Kaname knew that the demon was strong but not nimble, yet he himself could feel the fatigue slowly setting in.
'I can't keep this up forever. I've got to get it up somehow. The area is wide enough and the barrier should prevent any magic damage from reaching the surrounding areas…depending on the type used. Wait a second…the sky…that's it, but how to…' wondered Kaname, with his sword at the ready again, facing his adversary. He then took a quick glance and noticed Nanoha in the sky with the assassins trying to gain higher ground to get at her but so far…each attempt has hit nothing but air. It was then he spotted the wings at the shoes and then noticed the way Yunno kept trying to bind the ones that were advancing on Mizuki and Nanoha. The solution then became clear.
"Yunno…how much longer can you keep the ones you have tied up?" asked Kaname.
"I'm not sure how much longer I can hold them off, but I'll try," he replied.
What he didn't notice was that one assassin managed to sneak up behind and was poised to strike. Nanoha spotted it just as she fired off several pink bullets at the ones that were engaging her and warned Yunno via telepathy.
"Yunno-kun…behind you!" said Nanoha.
Just as Yunno was about to turn around and just as the blow was about to fall, something burst through one of the other doorways that led to the basketball court and someone armed with geared knuckles just punched through the assassin before it dissipated.
Kaname then dodged another attempt the bull demon made before taking a quick glance as to who the person was that just burst into the scene. It was until he spotted the blue fur on the head that Kaname smirked, but immediately turned various shades of red when he saw what Subaru was wearing once the dust cleared and mentally cursed in his head thinking, 'That's a bit revealing…somewhat.'
"Hehe…sorry I'm late," said Subaru.
"Who's that?" wondered Nanoha.
"It appears to be an ally," chirped the red device.
"Actually you're right on time," said Kaname, getting his sword at the ready. As Kaname got ready, his left arm brushed against something in a small box at the side of his belt. Reaching in, he felt what resembled a shell casing. When pulled out, his device then explained that it was used to amplify magic levels. A small slot opened near the hilt and Kaname seemed to have figured out the use of it and placed a few in. In an instant, the sword began revert from blade to what resembled that of a rifle. The hidden trigger then revealed itself on the other side of the hilt. Kaname then tried to communicate to the others, besides Mizuki, in telepathy.
"Guys…I think I've got an idea," said Kaname.
"Well could you please hurry it up a bit…I'm not sure how much more I can hold them," said Yunno.
"Just a little longer…hear me out first. Subaru…think you can get this big guy in the air?" asked Kaname.
"No problem…that guy won't know what hit him," replied Subaru.
"Nanoha…how are things going on your end?" asked Kaname.
"So far…I think I've gotten most of them," she replied.
"Alright…we've got only one shot at this. Yunno…when Subaru's got the demon in the air…use your binds to fully secure him, then Nanoha and I will take the shots needed to take him out," explained Kaname.
"That sounds simple enough…make it fast," said Yunno.
Kaname began sending magic rounds down range at the bull headed demon to catch its attention. As soon as it spotted Kaname, he tried to charge at him despite his size until Subaru came in charging and using her geared knuckle on her right hand, gave the demon a hard punch to the stomach before it got sent up into the air. What Kaname didn't see was that Mizuki, after finishing off the assassins that engaged her a while ago, used her pole staff with the energy scythes off to bring herself up to the second floor of the school and then with a quick twist from the staff, divide it in two and use them as a means to get to the roof.
Nanoha kept trying to shoot down the projectiles being fired from her while firing back at the third wave that was currently engaging her from the rooftops. By the time the demon was up in the air, Subaru then took out the Shadow Assassins that Yunno had bound from the second wave, before he was able to focus his efforts on chaining the demon securely. Nanoha then noticed the number of projectile missiles coming at her starting to diminish as she turned and saw Mizuki engaging them on the rooftops.
Kaname then called out to Nanoha telepathically and explained to her the current situation before pointing his device at the demon. She could see from below a faint silhouette resembling Kaname pointing something and looked at where he was pointing at and saw the demon that she had seen before the battle chained up by Yunno's binds and got the message. She then pointed at the demon with her staff and the device responded.
"Executing command: changing to cannon mode."
In mere seconds, the curved end of the staff began to form into something that looked like the barrel of a firearm, except that most of the top save for the back part was there. Small bits of pink magic energy began to gather at the center, the barrel resembling tip pointed at the demon.
"Locking on target…preparing to shoot."
As Nanoha prepared to fire, Kaname tried to keep his arms steady as he aimed with his and explained to Nanoha telepathically. Mizuki had already cleared out the remaining Shadow Assassins and looked on to where Nanoha was at.
"Wait for my cue to fire…I'm thinking that despite the demon being bound he's sure to be protected somehow," said Kaname, telepathically. He then pulled the trigger once the lock was confirmed.
"Twilight shooter," chirped the device.
He fired off three rounds to test his hypothesis. Nanoha saw three quick shots heading up and to their surprise, Kaname was right. A red shield in the shape of an egg was surrounding the demon. Even though it was visible for no more than a few seconds…Kaname knew what he had to do.
"Nanoha…once the barrier is gone, that's when you take your shot, understood?" instructed Kaname.
"Uh, yeah…I got it," she replied.
Several magic rings began to form at the end of the rifle before magic energy began to gather. Kaname then braced himself for the sudden push that the shot would produce and hoped he would be able to hold his ground as he made his attempt to break the barrier.
'We've only got one shot at this…I have to make this count,' thought Kaname.
"Ready to let loose…partner?" asked Kaname.
"Awaiting your orders, sir," replied the device.
As soon as Kaname felt he had the shot, he then pulled the trigger.
"Lunar breaker," chirped the device.
A huge beam of energy shot forth from the rifle headed straight for the demon and as predicted…the shield surrounding it revealed itself. As Kaname tried to steady himself from the force of the blast, Nanoha looking from a distance spotted the cracks that began to form.
Mizuki, Subaru, and Yunno also saw the attack as well as the shield formed around the target.
"They're both shooting from a distance…that's a risky gamble. One misfire and it could destroy the barrier surrounding the area," said Subaru.
'Just a little more…come on,' thought Kaname, as he used his body to absorb the pushing force from the blast.
Suddenly, Nanoha noticed the demon starting to move and struggle as he tried to break the binds holding him. She quickly notified Kaname telepathically.
"You're going to have to think quick…he's trying to break the binds," said Nanoha.
"That's not good," said Kaname. 'I'm going to have to try a double tap…although this could get a bit draining.'
"Can you do a follow up shot?" asked Kaname.
"Able and willing sir," replied the device.
"Let's hope this works," said Kaname, after the first shot began to recede. He immediately prepped up for the two quick shots that were aimed at the demon that was nearly free.
"Better hurry it up Kaname…I can't hold out much longer," said Yunno.
"Don't overdo it," shouted Mizuki, from the rooftops.
"I have no choice," replied Kaname, as he took aim once more.
'Try this on for size.'
"Crescent blaster," chirped the device.
The shots that went off began to go at a curved form like that of the moon, as one shot went left and the other right; from a distance it looked like it was in a pincer formation. Once connected, the shield formed up again showing the already apparent cracks. Since the effect was like that of a pincer claw, the pressure from both shots began to slowly break through. The backlash from the shot however, almost threw Kaname to the ground. Nanoha then had her shot prepared once the shield was broken.
"Divine…" chirped the red gem
The pincer effect from the blast did the trick and the shield eventually broke. However, the demon was eventually free from the binds, yet it wasn't prepared for another strike.
Nanoha saw the shield destroyed and knew that was her cue and pulled the trigger.
"Buster."
The huge amount of pink magic energy surged towards the demon at a fast rate, barely enough for the demon to notice. It tried to block it but to no avail. The rest of the energy unfortunately hit the barrier and it looked like it was about to break if it weren't for the demon disintegrating before them as the beam began to die down. Fortunately, the barrier barely withstood the blast from Nanoha's attack and the fight eventually ended.
Kaname leaned against his device for support as he suddenly felt a bit drained from what had just happened.
"That…was…intense," he panted. A light began to surround Kaname as the barrier jacket began to disappear and he was back in his uniform and the device reverted back to its original size and form.
The same case occurred with Nanoha as she slowly descended back to the ground. Subaru's barrier jacket was also starting to fade as she found herself in her civilian attire once more.
'It's a good thing you showed up when you did,' said Kaname telepathically to Subaru.
'Kaname…since when did you become a mage?' she wondered.
'About 15-20 min. ago…roughly,' he replied. 'What was with the skimpy outfit?'
'What was that?!' replied Subaru, starting to get annoyed and surprised.
'You were wearing worn out jean shorts, a jacket that seemed similar to Nanoha's in appearance, as well as a black vest with blue linings with a zipper in the middle and your stomach was showing,' replied Kaname.
'Wait…I was?' she wondered, still a bit surprised.
'Yeah…I could see almost quite a bit,' replied Yunno.
'Shut up,' shot back Subaru.
"Looks like you handled yourself well Nanoha. You picked it up pretty quick," said Yunno.
"Not as quick as Kaname did," she replied.
As Kaname slowly stood up and joined them, Mizuki then managed to jump off the rooftop and somehow gracefully landed near them. Mr. Tanaka, aka: Telecathais arrived to the scene a few seconds later.
"If you just came to the party…you're late," said Kaname.
"I heard what you told Mizuki," said Telcathias.
"Is that…" began Mizuki.
"Yes…it's her. Just like Yunno told me," he answered.
"Why did he tell you but not us?" asked Mizuki.
"There are certain times when discretion is necessary," said a voice.
The three of them turned to see Chrono and Capt. Lindy coming through a side gate from the right side of the school campus.
"Our remaining paladins are going after the last two waves," explained Chrono.
"Looks like you've got things covered here," said Capt. Lindy.
"For now at least," said Kaname.
"Um…who are they and what exactly is going on here?" asked Nanoha.
Kaname looked at Chrono and Capt. Lindy and no words needed to be exchanged when Kaname gave that serious look from his eyes.
"It's best that we continue with classes for now. You'll be getting your answers soon enough," said Kaname.
"There's just one thing that bothers me," said Telecathias.
"What's that?" asked Subaru.
"I'm just a bit curious though…what were you and Mizuki doing in the storage room?" asked Telecathias.
At that moment both Kaname and Mizuki turned various shades of red and looked away.
'Oh crap,' he thought.
"What?!" exclaimed Subaru, staring at Kaname.
"It's not what you think," said Kaname, quickly.
"Oh?" wondered Capt. Lindy, with a sly smirk.
"Captain…I'm being serious here," whined Kaname.
"Well…you see…" began Mizuki
"She was just trying to warn me," finished Kaname
Telecathias, aka: Mr. Tanaka raised an eyebrow, smirked, and looked at the two as Mizuki turned back and saw the expression. "Really?"
At that moment, Kaname had an uneasy feeling and Mizuki went from shocked…to really ticked off, took out a slipper and chucked it at his face yelling in Japanese, "You damn pervert!"
Immediately he began running as Mizuki gave chase giving him various threats and as their yelling began to fade, Kaname gave an uneasy laugh, as did Nanoha before she said to Kaname telepathically,
"I didn't know you were into older women."
"I'm not," he replied. "What I said earlier was true though."
"Is that so?" she wondered.
"Oh come on," groaned Kaname, placing his right hand near his forehead and giving an annoyed sigh.
"We'll be waiting outside," said Chrono.
"Notify us when you're ready," said Capt. Lindy.
"Understood," said Kaname.
As Nanoha and Kaname went back inside, the barrier around the school grounds began to disappear and time appeared to resume its usual course. The other students then began to gather and Arisa and Suzuka began to look around and wondered who the substitute was going to be.
They got their answer when the door opened revealing a familiar face that Kaname instantly recognized from a previous visit. The light brown hair and the green eyes and the manner in which he was walking pretty much gave it away.
'That's impossible,' said Kaname, telepathically.
'What is?' asked Nanoha.
'I didn't know he actually does a part time job teaching. He's the exact same guy we met over at that nightclub when you were with Fate,' replied Kaname.
'Really? My memory is a bit hazy,' said Nanoha.
'Of course…it was the drink. I should've been more attentive,' said Kaname.
'It's not your fault. I decided to go along with her,' said Nanoha.
As Leon made his way over to the group, some of the girls began to talk excitedly amongst themselves as to how good looking he was, causing Kaname to roll his eyes. He then introduced himself to the students and explained that he was going to be the substitute for the PE class until their previous teacher returns. Leon then had them spread out a few feet from each other and work on stretching techniques such as arm circles, cherry pickers, and then jumping jacks. Nanoha tried her best to keep up but found it a bit difficult. After they had finish with their stretches, Leon then led them outside at the back, and some of the students then began talking to themselves when they saw the extent of what damage was present over at the track and field. Some of the metal chain linked fences were bent or torn, others completely bent. The rubber tarmac on the field appeared to have had a few large imprints. Nanoha and Kaname looked at each other for a brief moment before looking away.
'I don't think what happened today might sit well with my family,' said Nanoha, telepathically.
'We'll do our best to break it down to you guys…slowly…if we must,' answered Kaname.
As the students then ran two laps around the track, Leon watched from a distance before Mizuki came to join him as they sat on the bleachers.
"I'm presuming someone tipped off someone about what happened here," said Leon.
"How could you even tell when you're not even a magus?" asked Mizuki.
"Last I recall, you were only a vampire hunter," he replied. "I'm just filling in until the previous PE teacher comes back."
"Have you found anything lately?" she asked.
"What? In order to help you…or Kaname and his team?" asked Leon.
"You forgot about that brunette girl," said Mizuki.
"Who…her?" asked Leon, pointing to the one with the white bow in curved ponytails.
"Yes…her. She's no longer just a student at this college. She's a magus now," said Mizuki.
"How in the world…" began Leon.
"You're guess is as good as mine. However, I think I have a hunch…that fate somehow had a hand in this," she replied.
"You do realize that as a result, those closest to her will now be targets. I can't guarantee her safety," said Leon.
"You don't have to…he will," said Mizuki.
"By he…I'm presuming you mean Kaname," said Leon.
"Exactly," she said. "Right now all we have are questions…and not a lot of answers."
"I'll do what I can for now…but I should warn you to tread carefully. You only know half of what they're going through right now," said Leon, as he went to get the soccer equipment after the students had finished doing their laps.
Kaname then decided to lend a hand as well, and as soon as they were out of earshot he turned to Leon and asked, "What exactly are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same," he said.
"I was told to keep an eye on Nanoha," replied Kaname.
"Nanoha? So that's her name."
"Oh don't give me that 'I don't remember her' crap. You saw her with that blonde girl, Fate that one night before the sudden attack," retorted Kaname, as he was carrying one of the bags with soccer balls.
"Guilty as charged," he joked.
Kaname stopped and dropped the bag and faced Leon.
"I'm not fooling around here. Someone tipped off about what would happen here and I need to know why," he answered.
"As do I. However…I just recently heard about an interesting tidbit that you might want to hear," said Leon.
"I'm listening," said Kaname.
"Apparently, your old lycan friend managed to break into an underground vampire fortress with a small band of his kind and break out your mother and someone else from prison. As for why, that is beyond me. I usually thought them to be bitter enemies," said Leon.
"Most still are and very few are willing to cooperate," said Kaname, picking up the bag. "Are you sure of this?"
"Beyond any doubt. Now…come on, we best not keep them waiting," said Leon, going on ahead of Kaname.
As they set up the field and the teams divided, Kaname noticed Nanoha swaying a bit as if something was wrong and tried to communicate telepathically.
'Nanoha…are you alright?' asked Kaname.
'I'm feeling a little dizzy…and slightly tired,' she replied.
'Damn it…she must've pushed herself a bit during that fight,' thought Kaname.
"Nanoha-chan…are you alright?" asked Arisa.
"Just a bit tired and slightly dizzy," she replied.
"Leon…I think Nanoha is going to have to sit this one out. She doesn't look so good," he said.
"Alright…I have a cold water bottle with me as well as some meds that should help with whatever she's feeling," replied Leon.
Arisa and Suzuka guided Nanoha to a wooden bench and set her down as Leon gave her some water and a couple of pills to deal with her headache. Kaname then decided to join the soccer game as Arisa, Suzuka, and Nanoha watched from the sidelines.
Kaname quickly realized that he didn't have as much in terms of conditioning as much of the other students but he knew how to strategize and plan. He managed to gain a goal for his team, but it was through his strategies that enabled his team to win by only one more point as the other team had two points.
By the time the game ended and the class was over, Arisa then offered to take Nanoha to the infirmary while Kaname then volunteered to take her class notes to her after the next class had finished once Suzuka had finished copying them down. Kaname then notified Yunno via telepathy, as he was helping Leon put away the sports equipment.
After he had finished changing in the boys' locker room, Kaname's next class as he found out from his slightly altered schedule was biology on the third floor. The only thing that made him uneasy was if his vampire side suddenly came up if they were to do a dissection, and that would really cause problems. The class turned out to be two fold. He was able to copy the notes needed during lecture and fortunately for him during the lab portion of class, there were no dissections, but there were a few stations with microscopes set up as they were looking through specimens with regards to cell types. As Kaname found out later, the lab portion seemed to take a bit less compared to the lecture portion. Surprisingly, Yunno was also in the same class as him. So besides talking about the lessons in class, Kaname then mentioned that Nanoha could've possibly overexerted herself slightly, despite being a new magus, as well as what Leon had told him.
"How do you know of this?" he asked.
"It happened during the PE class, as I was helping set up the soccer game," replied Kaname.
"She told me that she's not very good in the physical aspect of the class," said Yunno.
"Yeah…that evidence made itself apparent."
"So this Leon guy said that a lycan ally managed to lead a small group into an underground vampire lair and free your mother and whoever else was captured?" inquired Yunno.
"That's what he told me," said Kaname.
"Do you really think you can trust what he's saying?"
"To be frank Yunno…I don't know what to think right now. If what he says is true, then there's no way she would have come out unscathed," he answered.
"She's a vampire though," said Yunno.
"With none of her abilities I might add," said Kaname. "She's more vulnerable than before."
"But what about that memory sweep?" asked Yunno.
"That appears to only be the skill she has left," he replied. Suddenly, a sense of dread began to come upon Kaname as soon as he said that.
"Oh no."
"What is it?" asked Yunno.
"If whoever captured her knew of her ability…they might try to extract information regarding what you told me earlier about those artifacts and find their locations," said Kaname.
"That would be bad," said Yunno. "Did Leon mention anything about a source?"
"I'm not sure," replied Kaname.
As the lunch break came up, Kaname and Yunno found Nanoha leaving the infirmary as Suzuka gave her the notes that were copied from Nanoha's other classes.
The five of them decided to eat on the rooftop which had a chain link fence, several metal benches and a huge square with various flowers in the center. As Yunno and Nanoha were discussing about questions regarding history and biology, Kaname thought for a while about what Leon had told him as well as the sudden possibility that his mom would be slightly weakened after being captured. What he didn't want to dwell on was what could have possibly happened to her as a result of that. By the time lunch was over, Kaname only had a couple of classes left, which were English Literature, and Music. Luckily for him, he had his violin case. The classes felt short to him at first, but after they ended, as Kaname left the campus, he spotted two black vans, as well as the Audi lined up in the front. Some of the students began to wonder as to what was going on. Kaname spotted Capt. Lindy and Chrono coming out in civilian form from one of the vans and walked up to them.
"Any word on Patrick's whereabouts?" he asked.
"No…but your partner Philip manage to get information on the contact that told your lycan ally as to where to find your mother," she replied.
"We've notified Nanoha's family and told them the situation is under control for now. However, they had plans of trying to head back and run the bakery business again," said Chrono.
"Although that seems normal, she will eventually realize that her involvement now puts those close to her in danger. It'll be difficult to ensure their safety," said Kaname.
"We'll try and find a way to make it work. In the meantime, I suggest we head back so we can discuss further planning," said Capt. Lindy.
"Understood," said Kaname, as he rolled up one of his sleeves and pushed a button on his watch which activated the DATS program putting it on autopilot as well as the automatic navigation system. As Reo and the others went ahead, he spotted Philip coming along in a red Suzuki motorcycle while his own was not far behind him. Kaname offered Nanoha a ride, while Yunno rode behind Philip, with Kaname taking the lead. He then explained telepathically of the current situation, excluding the part about his mother being captured, while Yunno filled in bits that Kaname had trouble explaining.
By the time they got back, it was already getting dark and Nanoha found the underground base to be a bit intimidating. The only tidbit that Kaname and the others weren't told about was that there was a magic barrier that was able to contain magic energy, even if it was only during training sessions.
What Kaname saw upon arriving however, made his stomach lurch a bit. Luke was covered with slash marks and a few deep wounds, his breathing heavy, and was shivering considering he was out of lycan form and bleeding pretty bad, and had numerous bandages on him. Kaname's mother was currently resting on a stretched out couch with a couple of pillows, a thick blanket, and a cool wet towel on her forehead. The woman next to her he immediately recognized as Minako. Amy was tending to them both, while Xelia sat near her master in bat form. After Nanoha was
Introduced to the rest of the crew, Capt. Lindy, Chrono, and Yunno explained the current situation to Nanoha…in segments.
"So…let me get this straight…there's fights going on between humans, vampires, beastmen, and werewolves and somehow a dark force is possibly the cause of these conflicts?" she inquired.
"That's pretty much the gist of it," said Philip.
"What has been the magus' role in the conflict?" asked Nanoha.
"Back then…most were trying to act as a buffer between the factions, but as soon as word caught wind of what some of them were capable of doing…including the dark arts, that's when things slowly began to take a turn for the worst. Some were able to resist the dark powers and tried to seal away those that were influenced by them…however, that proved to be a risky and foolish mistake," explained Yunno.
"However, some of us were led to believe that even before that, magi from other places have been in past wars which have ravaged across the lands years ago, before the one war that involved them with the other four factions," added Xelia.
'We'll have to be discreet on the other details if we were to explain this to Nanoha's family,' said Yunno to Chrono, telepathically.
'I'm not sure if they're going to take it well,' he replied.
As the others were explaining other bits of information regarding past history to Nanoha, Kaname's ears picked up a faint knocking sound at the door and rushed upstairs and towards the front door to answer it. He was shocked and surprised however, as to the blonde figure and the two others accompanying her.
It was Fate, with Arf and Vercossa, and from the looks of what Kaname had just seen…the outlook wasn't good.
"Can you help us? We just barely got past a second surprise attack," said Arf.
"What happened to Fate?" asked Kaname.
"She was berated and beaten badly…by Precia," said Vercossa.
"We better take this downstairs," said Kaname, carefully picking Fate's battered form with Arf and Vercossa following behind him.
Nanoha then heard incoming footsteps as Kaname came back down and was shocked and surprised to see him carrying Fate.
"Fate-chan!"
"Get some pillows and blankets quick!" barked Kaname.
"On it," said Philip, as he rushed upstairs.
"What happened?" asked Reo.
"You'd find this hard to believe but…" began Vercossa.
"She was whipped and beaten…by Precia, her mother," said Arf.
"Are you sure she's really her mother?" asked a familiar voice.
Arf, Vercossa, and Kaname turned to see Minako slowly get up from her bed.
"What do you mean?" asked Kaname. "Isn't she really?"
"I think it's best if I started back from the time I left your place, Kaname," said Minako.
Kaname looked at Chrono and Amy for a brief moment and immediately spotted something that was off.
Amy was looking away for a brief moment and it was then that he felt something was wrong.
"Guys…is there anything you want to tell me before Minako tells her story?" he inquired.
"Um…well…you see…" began Amy.
"Come on guys…what were your findings?" asked Kaname.
When they didn't answer, he asked again.
"I need things to be clear before she starts guys. What…did you find?"
"First off…we came across something that we didn't realize was actually around after the war as well as during those times when mages began sealing in those Dark Fangs," said Yunno.
"Which was…"
"There were small fragments that have a small variety of aftereffects called Shadow Seeds," said Xelia.
"That's what you probably felt during the fight at the college grounds Kaname," said Nanoha.
"Most likely," said Xelia. "Lately there have been reports of sudden attacks happening both in the cities and in some cases probably in the paladin branches as well."
"How do you know of this?" asked Kaname.
"Xelia monitored what was going on through this," said Chrono, pulling out a circular case which was actually a cover for a golden pendant with strange markings and in the center a smooth ruby.
"What is it?" asked Reo.
"It's something I use to amplify my telekinetic abilities to an extent," said Xelia. "However…there's a slight drawback. Well a few at least. One of them is that it can be a bit draining for me…mentally more than physically, another is that while I'm able to try and read other minds of vampires…there have been times when I've felt dark forces try and enter mine, so I have to quickly get out of the trance before it happens. As for the last one…forget it…it's…a bit embarrassing."
"What is it?" asked Reo.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to Xelia," said Kaname. "Was there anything else?"
When no one answered, Kaname became suspicious. "Guys…I'm serious. The looks on your faces give it away."
"We…went through your family background," said Amy.
"What?"
"Going through your family history…we just found out something that turned out to be nothing more than a lie," said Chrono.
"Which is what?" asked Kaname.
"You were told that you possibly have a brother due to the mark on your right hand. The truth is…you don't have a brother. She lied to you," said Chrono.
"Kaname…after Minako finishes her story…there's…something personal, I need to discuss with you about," said Vercossa.
"Alright," he replied. "Let's hear what she has to say."