Disclaimer: I do not own MGLN or Sailor Moon
The White Devil of the Moon
By Bissek
Chapter 3
How Not To Make a First Impression
The floor of the Crown Arcade was empty. After double-checking that her exit would not be seen, Luna activated the control that would make the Sailor V machine move away from the hidden staircase, allowing her to leave. She had been stuck in the command center for an entire week, and she was sick of it. She wanted fresh air, fresh food, and humans willing to stroke her fur. She also needed to tell the Senshi about what had happened to the princess, and since she didnÆt know how to set up the teleconference mode on the communicators, she needed to speak to them in person to brief them all at once.
Luna snuck out of the arcade and headed to the residence of her æownerÆ, Mamoru Chiba. Her enemy already knew of the connection between them, so no further harm could be done to her plans by associating with him. It didnÆt take long for Luna to make her way back to her home. Fortunately, Mamoru always kept a window open for his æpetÆ.
Mamoru was quick to notice that Luna had returned.
ôI wasnÆt expecting you to turn up, Luna. Has something happened?ö He asked.
Luna nodded. ôThat girl who kept us from contacting the princess is more than she seems. I fear that she has her own sinister designs on the princess.ö
Luna then began explaining her conclusions in more detail.
Mamoru was outraged by what Luna had discovered. His princess was being held as a brainwashed prisoner of a Dark Senshi? The Dark Senshi was seeking to block all attempts from the true Senshi to contact the princess so that she wouldnÆt awaken and break free? This was something that he could not allow to stand.
Mamoru didnÆt know much about his own past. He had blocked out most of his memories after the accident that killed the rest of his family. The slowly awakening memories of his previous life were more concrete than his memories of his current one. There were times that Endymion actually seemed more real to him than Mamoru Chiba did. As a result of this, he had come to the conclusion that if he managed to fully awaken his past self, he would be able to discover who he was in his current life. And the key to doing this lay with the person who Endymion had centered his life around: Princess Serenity.
He could still recall all of the times that Serenity had snuck down to the Earth, first to spend time on a real world rather than a magically sustained artificial habitat, and later just to see him. He remembered dancing with her the night they were to be officially betrothed. And he could remember her screams of grief as he died in her arms when her birthday celebration turned into a catastrophe.
Mamoru would not permit his beloved princess to face the tragedies of her previous life in this one. He would free her from the clutches of this Dark Senshi, and thwart BerylÆs plan to keep them apart. Then they could be together again.
Luna was planning to inform the Senshi of what she had learned at their next meeting. That would be in two dayÆs time. Mamoru had no intention of waiting that long. He would begin hunting his enemy tomorrow.
The sun rose upon Tokyo. People across the city began to rise from their beds and begin their days. Nanoha wasnÆt among them. Despite her long-ingrained habit of waking at dawn or earlier, she was staying in bed. Her back hurt too much.
She wasnÆt sure why beating such an easy game had merited such a riotous response from everyone else in the arcade (The only real difficulty she had was that the machine, like virtually all arcade machines, wasnÆt designed to be used by someone who was left handed). Or why the second highest scorer hadnÆt even managed to get a sixth of her score. But the enthusiastic congratulations of the observers had been rather painful for her.
If only she had taken the time to study some healing magic. Then she could have done something about her aching back. But then again, she was also forbidden from using magic any more than absolutely necessary for the time being, so she couldnÆt have healed her back even if she knew such a spell. And unfortunately, Fate didnÆt know any spells for healing people, either.
The blankets shifted as Fate got out of the bed. Nanoha groaned and turned over.
ôGood morning, Nanoha.ö Fate said.
ôMorning.ö Nanoha grunted.
ôAre you okay?ö
ôDonÆt want to get up. Back hurts.ö
ôAlright, just lay back. IÆll go get breakfast.ö With that, Fate left.
By the time breakfast was over, Nanoha had decided that she wasnÆt up to walking around the city that day. So Fate and Aruf headed out to see the sights while Nanoha remained behind to rest.
Tuxedo Kamen stalked the streets of Azabu Juuban, searching for the Dark Senshi. With Luna travelling with him, he could track his enemy down directly, rather than just hoping he crossed her path at some random point. It wasnÆt long before Luna found the trail he was looking for.
He was in luck: his enemy wasnÆt travelling with the princess. There was no risk that the Dark Senshi would try to harm the princess rather than allow her to go free. Here was the perfect opportunity to eliminate his belovedÆs captor. He produced a rose and carefully took aim. Tomorrow he would be reunited with his dearest Serenity once again.
The night streets were deserted, but something had put Fate on edge. She fingered Bardiche nervously. She wasnÆt sure what was setting her off, but years of work as a TSAB enforcer had left her able to tell when trouble was coming. The flicker of something coming towards her quickly in the corner of her eye confirmed that instinct.
Fate activated her barrier jacket and brought up a shield. The incoming object pierced through the shield, only to stick into her cape. She glanced briefly at the projectile. A rose? Strange choice of weapon. Still, it had been able to penetrate a hastily cast shield spell, so there was some power behind it. If she had taken the hit entirely on her jacket rather than her shield, it could have hurt.
A man jumped down from the rooftops at her, swinging something as he dropped. Fate raised BardicheÆs axe form to parry. The man, dressed in formal evening wear for some bizarre reason, kept trying to press the attack, swinging wildly with his cane. It wasnÆt much of a contest. FateÆs attacker clearly wasnÆt very focused, rendering any actual skill he had meaningless. Even if he had been thinking clearly, he was hardly in the same league as Signum, who Fate had sparred with periodically for years. Within twenty seconds, Fate had knocked the cane out of the manÆs hands and then reversed her swing to club the man in the head with BardicheÆs blunt side.
The man dropped to the ground, dazed and unable to rise. As he fell, Fate saw Aruf return with a rather familiar cat clamped in her jaws. Fate looked down on the captive animal.
ôBefore, you were just an annoyance. But this is a bit much. Attacking an officer of the Bureau is a serious offense. But since IÆm not on duty, IÆm feeling generous. IÆm willing to give you three choices. First, you can go home and leave Nanoha and me alone to finish our vacation in peace. Second, you can try to provide a coherent explanation for your actions, after which I will pass your story on to my superiors if you can convince me that the situation warrants TSAB intervention. Third, you can try to bother me again, after which I will allow Aruf to use you as her personal chew toy. Which is it going to be?ö
The cat whimpered painfully, clearly not seeing what the difference between being ArufÆs chew toy and what was going on at that very moment. Aruf spat the cat out. The bedraggled, slobber drenched feline gasped for breath, then looked up at her nemesis.
ôYou wonÆt get away with this. We will free the princess from your clutches.ö The cat snarled.
Fate scratched her head. ôIÆm sorry, but I have no idea what youÆre talking about. I donÆt know any royalty.ö
ôDonÆt play dumb with me! YouÆve been blocking us from contacting the princess this entire time!ö
Realization came to Fate. She sighed. ôWhat could have confused you to the point that youÆd mistake the daughter of a restaurateur for the daughter of a monarch? IÆve never seen a familiar act so peculiar before in my life. If you want, I can try to get some help for you. Once youÆve been healed properly IÆm sure youÆll be able to remember who your real master is.ö
The catÆs eyes widened with horror at FateÆs offer and it started backing away, hissing in anger. Fate took that reaction as the rejection it was and continued.
ôYou people are clearly too disturbed to be allowed to keep running around. IÆm going to have to take you in. If you submit quietly, you will be permitted to testify in your own defense.ö The real problem was what Fate was going to do with these people. Since this was an unadministered planet, there wasnÆt a base or patrol ship nearby that she could drop them off on, and she didnÆt have any place that would serve as a holding cell. Fate supposed she could keep them chained up in a basement somewhere until a patrol ship could pick them up, but that would still require her or Aruf guarding them until said ship arrived, which could take days. Which Nanoha would notice. Which would negate the original purpose of this exercise û to keep NanohaÆs recovery from being disturbed.
FateÆs musings on how to contain her prisoners caused her attention to slip from the one who had appeared to been disabled. The man in the tuxedo had roused somewhat, and had managed to get a hold of another rose. Fate saw the motion and started to turn towards her attacker. The rose missed her, but caught the collar of her cloak, going through it and continuing into the brick wall behind her. The cat took advantage of the distraction to flee, Aruf on her heels.
Fate tried to move forward to secure the man, but found that the rose had effectively nailed her to the wall. Not wanting to get within range of Bardiche again, the man turned and staggered away, leaving Fate to pull herself free of the surprisingly strong piece of foliage. As Aruf returned, reporting that the cat had slipped away by going into a crevice that the larger animal couldnÆt pass through, Fate resolved that she would try to convince Nanoha to change vacation venues after the wedding. And to send a report in so that an enforcer team could contain that cat before she developed an unhealthy fixation on someone who couldnÆt defend herself.
Luna seethed as she found her way back to Tuxedo KamenÆs side, trying to shake off the dog slobber all over her coat as she did so.. How dare that girl shrug her off as a broken construct? Her, who had once been one of Queen SerenityÆs personal advisors? She didnÆt know what this TSAB was, but they would learn that the Moon Kingdom was more than the childish fantasy their agent so glibly shrugged them off as. And to so glibly offer to æfixÆ her so that she would stop æmistakingÆ the princess for her æreal masterÆ. Luna was certain that the ædoctorÆ that the witch planned to call in would just brainwash her into another servant.
The Dark Senshi may have been able to defeat the Earth Prince, but she had yet to face the power of the true Sailor Senshi. They would be gathering for a meeting tomorrow, and Luna would see to it that the Senshi hunted down and destroyed this villainess. But first, Luna had to get the prince home. While he probably didnÆt have a concussion, it was clear that he wasnÆt in good shape after that axe blow.
LunaÆs efforts to guide Tuxedo Kamen were interrupted by the distinctive sound of a communicator going off. The prince fumbled for the communicator, dropping it as it left his pocket. Luna walked up to the communicator and pawed it open.
ôLuna?ö MercuryÆs voice came over the communicator. ôWhereÆs Tuxedo Kamen? The Dark KingdomÆs come up with something new. We need all the extra firepower we can get.ö
Luna winced. She had been so eager to free the Moon Princess that she had gone along with EndymionÆs plan to face the Dark Senshi alone without considering the possibility that he might fail. And because of that oversight, the Senshi were now in danger. She wouldnÆt make that mistake again. Next time, she would bring overwhelming force.
Luna looked towards Endymion and saw him clutching his head in pain. ôIÆm sorry,ö Luna admitted. ôBut KamenÆs out of action for the time being. IÆm afraid youÆre on your own.ö
Sailor Mercury cringed at LunaÆs words. How had it come to this? All she had wanted in life was to get through school, get admitted to a good college, go on to medical school, and become a doctor like her mother. Then she had gotten a funny pen as a prize from an arcade game, the faculty from her juku had been replaced by monsters, and she found herself spending her spare time fighting creatures that had wiped out all civilization on Earth thousands of years in the past and apparently wanted to do it again. This wasnÆt the life she wanted. And if she couldnÆt figure out how to deal with the floating, legless, suit of armor, it would soon be over.
Her ice couldnÆt damage it. Neither did MarsÆ flames or JupiterÆs lightning. VenusÆs beams were doing damage, but most of the power went into piercing the armor. Since they didnÆt know where the thing was vulnerable, the minimal penetration wasnÆt doing enough harm to matter. She had hoped that Tuxedo Kamen had some ability that would significantly hurt the thing, but he wasnÆt available.
A crackling sound was the only warning Mercury had before the enemy launched a ball of energy at her. She dove to the ground, just barely avoiding the attack. If her hair had been as long as her colleaguesÆ, the near miss would have caused most of it to burn off. As it was, she felt a painful tingling down her back as it passed over her and smashed into a wall.
Noticing that the near miss had rendered her unable to move quickly, the floating armor moved in closer, raising its blade to finish her off. Mercury desperately fired a blast of ice at her opponent, freezing its shoulder. The ice locked up the joint for a few precious seconds before shattering under the force placed upon it, giving Jupiter the chance to pull Mercury to safety.
So the armorÆs joints could be iced over. That was something she could use. If only it had legs to take out, that would be more useful. It would also help if she knew what was keeping the thing up in the air.
The Mercury Computer chimed, announcing that it had finished its scan of the armor. Disappointingly, it didnÆt include any data about what was in the armor or making it move. It was just an analysis of the armor itself, the alloy it was made of and its various chemical properties. Mercury glanced at the data, not expecting it to be all that useful, and then smiled as she saw how low the thermal conductivity of the metal was. She knew how to take the thing down.
ôMars! Hit the armor exactly where I do!ö She called out. Then she launched a freezing blast at the center of the armor. A burst of flame hit the same point just afterwards, thawing and softening the frozen piece of metal. A second freeze caused the metal around the section to start cracking as the armor started suffering from thermal shock.
ôVenus! Now!ö Mercury yelled. A blast of energy struck the cracking metal, making it shatter. Mercury quickly saw the reason why they hadnÆt been able to hurt the youma wearing the armor up to this point. There hadnÆt been one. Nobody had been wearing the armor. The armor was some kind of robot, either completely autonomous or controlled by someone far away. A bolt of lightning from Jupiter crackled into the exposed machinery, shorting out the robot and making it crash lifelessly to the ground.
The four Senshi looked at their fallen opponent and gasped for breath. Something had changed with their old enemy, and if it hadnÆt been for a design flaw, their latest creation might have beaten them. They needed something to change the equation in their favor, and soon. They needed the princess.
None of the Senshi had a social life active enough to justify acquiring traditional skills with makeup, but they had all been forced to learn the art over the past year nonetheless. It had been necessary in order to conceal visual evidence of evening spent out fighting monsters. Even those who could spend the entire day without seeing a relative still had to spend most of their typical day outside of the comfort of their home, so the burns, bruises, cuts and scrapes from battles would be noticed. Every single one of them had been using that skill on this day.
The most visibly injured was Mamoru, whose flaking makeup exposed an enormous bruise that made him look like somebody had clubbed him with the blunt side of an axe. Makoto actually commented on that, only to learn that he really had been clubbed with the blunt side of an axe.
ôWe canÆt go on like this.ö Rei groused. ôThat robot the Dark Kingdom sent last time was a lot tougher than the youma we normally face. If they had sent more than one, or if all four of us hadnÆt been there, we would have lost.ö
ôWe need something to strengthen our side, or we need to slow BerylÆs forces down. I donÆt think we could take them if another one of those robots shows up tonight.ö Makoto agreed.
ôAnd I doubt either of those will happen without us awakening the princess.ö Rei concluded. ôWhat did you learn from your meeting with her, Minako?ö
ôLetÆs see. The most likely reason you couldnÆt sense her in a reading is that she managed to get a full-time job right out of junior high and has been out of the area at that job ever since.ö Minako started. ôSheÆs only in the area now because sheÆs taking a vacation due to her older brother getting married soon. That could be a problem for us û once the wedding is over, she could very well end up going back to her job, ending up far out of our reach.ö
The Senshi shared worried glances at that. While none of them could think of a job that could be gotten without even a high school diploma that theyÆd want to accept, the implications of their princess abandoning her destiny to return to some low-paying menial job on the other side of the country werenÆt good.
ôOn a more positive note, if we can awaken her, she could very well help us turn the tide. She tried out the Sailor V game and beat AmiÆs score on her first try.ö She continued.
ôHow high did she score?ö Makoto asked.
ôOne million points.ö
ôIs it possible to get a score that high?ö Ami wondered.
ôNo. The game surrendered at 999,999. I recall Artemis saying that the game couldnÆt be beaten; it would just create more levels the further you go.ö
ôThatÆs right.ö Artemis confirmed. ôThe only way to beat the game is to max out the score counter. I didnÆt think anyone would even get close to actually doing that.ö
ôHowever, if the princess does awaken soon, there will be one problem if she tries fighting alongside us. She apparently hurt her back recently, and still hasnÆt recovered.ö Minako continued.
ôAnd I think I know whoÆs to blame for that.ö Luna announced. All heads turned to face the moon cat (who was stuck in a pet carrier to keep her shed hair from getting over the others).
ôWho would that be?ö Makoto demanded, flexing her fists.
ôThe princessÆs æfriendÆ is anything but. SheÆs been actively interfering with every attempt weÆve made to contact the princess. I arranged for the princess to receive a communicator as a prize from the Sailor V game, and her æfriendÆ confiscated it almost immediately. After I made one call and discovered that the princess no longer had the communicator, that communicator went completely off the net. Along with the information that Ami was able to gather while staking out the hotel where the princess is staying, I can only come to one conclusion: That this Fate person is a Dark Senshi, who is holding our princess as a brainwashed prisoner.ö
Rei and Makoto looked enraged at that statement, a sentiment shared by Mamoru. Minako, Ami, and Artemis looked more dubious.
ôDonÆt you think there could be an alternative explanation?ö Artemis asked.
ôLike what?ö
ôLike maybe she just doesnÆt want her friend getting into trouble while sheÆs still recovering from a recent back injury?ö
ôShe threatened to feed me to her dog!ö
ôYou have been following her around for some time. I could see why she wouldnÆt like that.ö Ami pointed out.
The argument continued. Luna refused to consider the possibility that she might be wrong, and despite Ami, Minako and Artemis poking holes in LunaÆs arguments, Rei, Makoto and Mamoru all decided they agreed with Luna. It was ultimately a symptom of a far larger problem.
None of the five humans involved in protecting Tokyo from the youma had enlisted voluntarily. They had all been forced into the role as the result of being stuck in the middle of a youma attack and being fortunate enough to acquire the means to defend themselves. The five of them had all come from different walks of life, and had very little in common besides a non-paying career that none of them had wanted to go into and which they all wanted to be able to give up with a clear conscience. Once that happened, it was quite likely that theyÆd all go their separate ways and never deliberately cross each otherÆs paths again.
Given that, it was understandable that Rei and Makoto would want there to be a simple answer to the current difficulty they were facing in their unwanted profession. Just remove the princessÆs captor, and the princess would awaken. With the princess awakened, they could take the offensive against Beryl. Once that was done, they could end the war and spend their nights sleeping instead of running around the rooftops in skimpy fukus.
Despite the tempting urge to take an easy answer and hope it would solve their problems, Minako didnÆt accept LunaÆs theory. She had spent an afternoon with Nanoha and Fate. If Fate had been manipulating NanohaÆs memories to make her think she was an old friend, she had gone through a lot of effort. It was hard to believe someone would invent a fake memory as inherently absurd as losing a volleyball match by knockout. In addition to the apparent level of detail in those allegedly fake memories, Minako had also seen the look on FateÆs face when Nanoha collapsed. She couldnÆt believe that Fate would deliberately seek to harm Nanoha, even if she had some ulterior motive behind associating with the girl. Ami agreed on that point, having examined the footage of FateÆs evening flight and noting the loving expression that Fate used when gazing upon the princess. While she might not be doing what was ultimately in the princessÆs best interests, it seemed likely to Ami and Minako that Fate was doing what she personally believed to be in the princessÆs best interests.
Hopefully, the other two Senshi wouldnÆt do anything too reckless before they could figure out a way to get Fate to understand that the princess had to fulfill her destiny.
After a few days of rest, NanohaÆs back had recovered enough to allow her to go out again. Considering how close it was getting to the date of KyouyaÆs wedding, the timing was rather fortunate. So she and Fate were taking Aruf on an evening walk. Things were going fine until Aruf froze and started growling.
Nanoha looked around and saw a cat peeking out of an alley. For any other dog, that might have been a reasonable explanation for that reaction, but Nanoha knew Aruf. She had spent a considerable amount of time around SuzukaÆs numerous cats without ever having any problems with them, so why would she react like that on seeing a cat now?
Then Aruf pulled her leash out of FateÆs grasp and chased after the cat.. That wasnÆt something Aruf would normally do. Nanoha wondered what was going on, but reassured herself that Aruf would return. Then she heard Aruf howl in pain. Something was definitely wrong. Fate ran to see what was going on. A moment later, Nanoha heard a crack of lightning come from the alley. Nanoha knew there was trouble. She maneuvered herself to a position where she could look into the alley.
Luna had been waiting for the Dark SenshiÆs pet to come by. The dog had reacted to her presence just as she had anticipated. As the dog came after her, Luna darted into the alley and hid behind some trash cans. Now it was time to spring the trap.
The dog followed into the alley. Sailor Mars stepped out of the shadows at the far end of the alley. The dog started sniffing for its enemy, not realizing that there was another enemy waiting for it. Luna grinned triumphantly as a wave of heat passed her hiding place and the dog howled in pain from being struck with a fireball. It served the mutt right for using her as a chew-toy.
The Dark Senshi came into the alley after her pet. Seeing the dog wounded and the apparent perpetrator at hand, she prepared to fight. This was when Sailor Jupiter dropped from the rooftop behind the princessÆs jailor. The plan had worked. The witch was now trapped in a narrow alley between two Senshi.
Attacked from two directions, the Dark Senshi called up a shield in each hand to block the incoming spells. The shields held, but they were noticeably damaged from the blows. Oh well. It didnÆt matter if the Senshi couldnÆt breach her defenses on the first shot. Their enemy was trapped, so they could always keep firing until the shields broke down.
That was when LunaÆs plan broke down. A burst of pink light flashed in the alley, and JupiterÆs lightning stopped coming. Luna peeked out from her hiding place to see what happened, and gaped at what she saw. Jupiter was down, not seriously harmed, but knocked down and just as surprised as Luna at who had done it.
Standing above JupiterÆs fallen form was the Moon Princess, who was now looking angrily at Mars. The princess pulled something out of her shirt with her left hand and started to speak.
ôI am the one who has been given a mission.ö She recited.
Luna gulped. While she didnÆt know what the princess was saying, it sounded like some kind of spell. Mars also started backing away, realizing that who it was that was standing against her.
ôUnder the contract, release these powers.ö She continued.
Why was the princess seeking to harm her Senshi? Why was she siding with her captor?
ôWinds to the sky, starsàö The princess fumbled, apparently forgetting the next part of the incantation. Before anyone else could react, the Dark Senshi darted towards the princess, grabbed her, and flew up to the rooftop. The dog then transformed, turning into a woman with canine ears and tail, who ran towards Mars, and proceeded to punch the girl who had tried to set her on fire out. Then she flew off after her master.
ôLet me get this straight,ö Sailor Venus said. ôTwo members of the Sailor Senshi, champions of love and justice, just attempted a backstreet mugging.ö
Two Senshi and one moon cat looked down rather shamefully at that description of their attempt to free their princess.
ôAnd thatÆs not even the worst of what you did with your little scheme. You could potentially have cost us any hope of awakening the princess.ö Venus continued.
ôWhat?!ö Luna exclaimed. ôWe were just trying to free her from that witch!ö
ôWhat you intended doesnÆt matter. You forgot that even if your theory that all of the princessÆs memories about this Dark Senshi being manufactured is true, she doesnÆt know that. What Nanoha saw was two people sheÆd never seen before in her life attacking one of her oldest friends. You could very well have convinced her that the Senshi are her enemies.ö
A look of horror spread across three faces as they realized exactly how much they had screwed up.
While Venus was dressing down her colleagues for their poorly thought out display of excess initiative, Fate was explaining to Nanoha exactly what had been going on behind her back over the past few weeks. Nanoha was rather upset that Fate had been hiding things from her, but was forced to concede that FateÆs reasoning was sensible û mainly because of how much casting a Divine Shooter powerful enough to knock the girl in the green skirt took out of her.
ôDid they ever explain what they wanted?ö Nanoha asked.
ôNot in any coherent matter. I strongly suspect that the familiar those people were taking orders from wasnÆt quite right in the head. I think weÆre going to need to spend the rest of our vacation somewhere else if weÆre going to get any peace.ö
ôHmmà How about Kyoto? IÆve never been there.ö
ôThat sounds good. Hopefully those people wonÆt try to follow us there.ö
ôWe should probably send a report to the Bureau about them. TheyÆre probably going to try to cause more trouble later on.ö
ôYouÆre right. IÆll write something up in the next few days. Given that your brotherÆs wedding is tomorrow, I donÆt think IÆll be able to finish it before then.ö
Nanoha smiled. ôAt least we arenÆt likely to have any trouble show up at a wedding.ö
Omake by Elvarein:
"Bu-bu-but! She's our Princess of the Moon!" Venus gasped out, trembling, staring at the glowing yellow blade resting at her neck that had just bisected a pillar. Oh my god. Oh my god I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'm too pretty to die!!!
Fate slowly lifted her head, her hair falling away slightly from her face to reveal a face twisted into a horrendous snarl and eyes that seemed to glow. Glow, with the fury of a thousand suns, with the promise of complete destruction. The searing blade seemed to inch closer, if it were possible. She opened her jaws and...
There was a high pitch, half strangled whine and a sudden venting of yellow liquid with the accompanying stench. The girl's body relaxed and she fell into blissful oblivion.
Nanoha blinked and tilted her head slightly to stare quizzically at Fate who looked back with her normal serene expression. "I'm not that scary am I?"
She smiled back and laughed, her voice tinkling gently. "Never, Nanoha. How could you be, and besides, isn't that funny calling you the princess in the moon? Wouldn't you be a rabbit then, like the story your mother told us?"
Nanoha giggled softly and turned to face the other Senshi who are still stared at Fate, who was slightly behind Nanoha, abject fear in their eyes. "Now, could you please try again, this time with the truth?"
They shuddered and started babbling their guts out, as they completely stopped struggling in their bonds. Just as a tiny animal keeps completely still, praying that the predators are ignoring it. Behind Nanoha, Fate seemed to have acquired a glowing, burning aura from somewhere and the Senshi could swear that there was ominous music coming from nowhere.
A/N: Aruf isnÆt badly injured. Familiars can take a good deal of damage.
The reason the Senshi were having trouble with the drone is because their attacks are meant to burn, freeze, and shock. Against something that doesnÆt feel pain, those arenÆt the attacks to use. They needed spells to pierce, cut, and smash.
Thermal shock, which is caused by rapid temperature change, is a real phenomenon. For an easy real-life example, drop an ice cube in a glass of hot water, and watch the ice crack while it melts.
The White Devil of the Moon
By Bissek
Chapter 3
How Not To Make a First Impression
The floor of the Crown Arcade was empty. After double-checking that her exit would not be seen, Luna activated the control that would make the Sailor V machine move away from the hidden staircase, allowing her to leave. She had been stuck in the command center for an entire week, and she was sick of it. She wanted fresh air, fresh food, and humans willing to stroke her fur. She also needed to tell the Senshi about what had happened to the princess, and since she didnÆt know how to set up the teleconference mode on the communicators, she needed to speak to them in person to brief them all at once.
Luna snuck out of the arcade and headed to the residence of her æownerÆ, Mamoru Chiba. Her enemy already knew of the connection between them, so no further harm could be done to her plans by associating with him. It didnÆt take long for Luna to make her way back to her home. Fortunately, Mamoru always kept a window open for his æpetÆ.
Mamoru was quick to notice that Luna had returned.
ôI wasnÆt expecting you to turn up, Luna. Has something happened?ö He asked.
Luna nodded. ôThat girl who kept us from contacting the princess is more than she seems. I fear that she has her own sinister designs on the princess.ö
Luna then began explaining her conclusions in more detail.
Mamoru was outraged by what Luna had discovered. His princess was being held as a brainwashed prisoner of a Dark Senshi? The Dark Senshi was seeking to block all attempts from the true Senshi to contact the princess so that she wouldnÆt awaken and break free? This was something that he could not allow to stand.
Mamoru didnÆt know much about his own past. He had blocked out most of his memories after the accident that killed the rest of his family. The slowly awakening memories of his previous life were more concrete than his memories of his current one. There were times that Endymion actually seemed more real to him than Mamoru Chiba did. As a result of this, he had come to the conclusion that if he managed to fully awaken his past self, he would be able to discover who he was in his current life. And the key to doing this lay with the person who Endymion had centered his life around: Princess Serenity.
He could still recall all of the times that Serenity had snuck down to the Earth, first to spend time on a real world rather than a magically sustained artificial habitat, and later just to see him. He remembered dancing with her the night they were to be officially betrothed. And he could remember her screams of grief as he died in her arms when her birthday celebration turned into a catastrophe.
Mamoru would not permit his beloved princess to face the tragedies of her previous life in this one. He would free her from the clutches of this Dark Senshi, and thwart BerylÆs plan to keep them apart. Then they could be together again.
Luna was planning to inform the Senshi of what she had learned at their next meeting. That would be in two dayÆs time. Mamoru had no intention of waiting that long. He would begin hunting his enemy tomorrow.
The sun rose upon Tokyo. People across the city began to rise from their beds and begin their days. Nanoha wasnÆt among them. Despite her long-ingrained habit of waking at dawn or earlier, she was staying in bed. Her back hurt too much.
She wasnÆt sure why beating such an easy game had merited such a riotous response from everyone else in the arcade (The only real difficulty she had was that the machine, like virtually all arcade machines, wasnÆt designed to be used by someone who was left handed). Or why the second highest scorer hadnÆt even managed to get a sixth of her score. But the enthusiastic congratulations of the observers had been rather painful for her.
If only she had taken the time to study some healing magic. Then she could have done something about her aching back. But then again, she was also forbidden from using magic any more than absolutely necessary for the time being, so she couldnÆt have healed her back even if she knew such a spell. And unfortunately, Fate didnÆt know any spells for healing people, either.
The blankets shifted as Fate got out of the bed. Nanoha groaned and turned over.
ôGood morning, Nanoha.ö Fate said.
ôMorning.ö Nanoha grunted.
ôAre you okay?ö
ôDonÆt want to get up. Back hurts.ö
ôAlright, just lay back. IÆll go get breakfast.ö With that, Fate left.
By the time breakfast was over, Nanoha had decided that she wasnÆt up to walking around the city that day. So Fate and Aruf headed out to see the sights while Nanoha remained behind to rest.
Tuxedo Kamen stalked the streets of Azabu Juuban, searching for the Dark Senshi. With Luna travelling with him, he could track his enemy down directly, rather than just hoping he crossed her path at some random point. It wasnÆt long before Luna found the trail he was looking for.
He was in luck: his enemy wasnÆt travelling with the princess. There was no risk that the Dark Senshi would try to harm the princess rather than allow her to go free. Here was the perfect opportunity to eliminate his belovedÆs captor. He produced a rose and carefully took aim. Tomorrow he would be reunited with his dearest Serenity once again.
The night streets were deserted, but something had put Fate on edge. She fingered Bardiche nervously. She wasnÆt sure what was setting her off, but years of work as a TSAB enforcer had left her able to tell when trouble was coming. The flicker of something coming towards her quickly in the corner of her eye confirmed that instinct.
Fate activated her barrier jacket and brought up a shield. The incoming object pierced through the shield, only to stick into her cape. She glanced briefly at the projectile. A rose? Strange choice of weapon. Still, it had been able to penetrate a hastily cast shield spell, so there was some power behind it. If she had taken the hit entirely on her jacket rather than her shield, it could have hurt.
A man jumped down from the rooftops at her, swinging something as he dropped. Fate raised BardicheÆs axe form to parry. The man, dressed in formal evening wear for some bizarre reason, kept trying to press the attack, swinging wildly with his cane. It wasnÆt much of a contest. FateÆs attacker clearly wasnÆt very focused, rendering any actual skill he had meaningless. Even if he had been thinking clearly, he was hardly in the same league as Signum, who Fate had sparred with periodically for years. Within twenty seconds, Fate had knocked the cane out of the manÆs hands and then reversed her swing to club the man in the head with BardicheÆs blunt side.
The man dropped to the ground, dazed and unable to rise. As he fell, Fate saw Aruf return with a rather familiar cat clamped in her jaws. Fate looked down on the captive animal.
ôBefore, you were just an annoyance. But this is a bit much. Attacking an officer of the Bureau is a serious offense. But since IÆm not on duty, IÆm feeling generous. IÆm willing to give you three choices. First, you can go home and leave Nanoha and me alone to finish our vacation in peace. Second, you can try to provide a coherent explanation for your actions, after which I will pass your story on to my superiors if you can convince me that the situation warrants TSAB intervention. Third, you can try to bother me again, after which I will allow Aruf to use you as her personal chew toy. Which is it going to be?ö
The cat whimpered painfully, clearly not seeing what the difference between being ArufÆs chew toy and what was going on at that very moment. Aruf spat the cat out. The bedraggled, slobber drenched feline gasped for breath, then looked up at her nemesis.
ôYou wonÆt get away with this. We will free the princess from your clutches.ö The cat snarled.
Fate scratched her head. ôIÆm sorry, but I have no idea what youÆre talking about. I donÆt know any royalty.ö
ôDonÆt play dumb with me! YouÆve been blocking us from contacting the princess this entire time!ö
Realization came to Fate. She sighed. ôWhat could have confused you to the point that youÆd mistake the daughter of a restaurateur for the daughter of a monarch? IÆve never seen a familiar act so peculiar before in my life. If you want, I can try to get some help for you. Once youÆve been healed properly IÆm sure youÆll be able to remember who your real master is.ö
The catÆs eyes widened with horror at FateÆs offer and it started backing away, hissing in anger. Fate took that reaction as the rejection it was and continued.
ôYou people are clearly too disturbed to be allowed to keep running around. IÆm going to have to take you in. If you submit quietly, you will be permitted to testify in your own defense.ö The real problem was what Fate was going to do with these people. Since this was an unadministered planet, there wasnÆt a base or patrol ship nearby that she could drop them off on, and she didnÆt have any place that would serve as a holding cell. Fate supposed she could keep them chained up in a basement somewhere until a patrol ship could pick them up, but that would still require her or Aruf guarding them until said ship arrived, which could take days. Which Nanoha would notice. Which would negate the original purpose of this exercise û to keep NanohaÆs recovery from being disturbed.
FateÆs musings on how to contain her prisoners caused her attention to slip from the one who had appeared to been disabled. The man in the tuxedo had roused somewhat, and had managed to get a hold of another rose. Fate saw the motion and started to turn towards her attacker. The rose missed her, but caught the collar of her cloak, going through it and continuing into the brick wall behind her. The cat took advantage of the distraction to flee, Aruf on her heels.
Fate tried to move forward to secure the man, but found that the rose had effectively nailed her to the wall. Not wanting to get within range of Bardiche again, the man turned and staggered away, leaving Fate to pull herself free of the surprisingly strong piece of foliage. As Aruf returned, reporting that the cat had slipped away by going into a crevice that the larger animal couldnÆt pass through, Fate resolved that she would try to convince Nanoha to change vacation venues after the wedding. And to send a report in so that an enforcer team could contain that cat before she developed an unhealthy fixation on someone who couldnÆt defend herself.
Luna seethed as she found her way back to Tuxedo KamenÆs side, trying to shake off the dog slobber all over her coat as she did so.. How dare that girl shrug her off as a broken construct? Her, who had once been one of Queen SerenityÆs personal advisors? She didnÆt know what this TSAB was, but they would learn that the Moon Kingdom was more than the childish fantasy their agent so glibly shrugged them off as. And to so glibly offer to æfixÆ her so that she would stop æmistakingÆ the princess for her æreal masterÆ. Luna was certain that the ædoctorÆ that the witch planned to call in would just brainwash her into another servant.
The Dark Senshi may have been able to defeat the Earth Prince, but she had yet to face the power of the true Sailor Senshi. They would be gathering for a meeting tomorrow, and Luna would see to it that the Senshi hunted down and destroyed this villainess. But first, Luna had to get the prince home. While he probably didnÆt have a concussion, it was clear that he wasnÆt in good shape after that axe blow.
LunaÆs efforts to guide Tuxedo Kamen were interrupted by the distinctive sound of a communicator going off. The prince fumbled for the communicator, dropping it as it left his pocket. Luna walked up to the communicator and pawed it open.
ôLuna?ö MercuryÆs voice came over the communicator. ôWhereÆs Tuxedo Kamen? The Dark KingdomÆs come up with something new. We need all the extra firepower we can get.ö
Luna winced. She had been so eager to free the Moon Princess that she had gone along with EndymionÆs plan to face the Dark Senshi alone without considering the possibility that he might fail. And because of that oversight, the Senshi were now in danger. She wouldnÆt make that mistake again. Next time, she would bring overwhelming force.
Luna looked towards Endymion and saw him clutching his head in pain. ôIÆm sorry,ö Luna admitted. ôBut KamenÆs out of action for the time being. IÆm afraid youÆre on your own.ö
Sailor Mercury cringed at LunaÆs words. How had it come to this? All she had wanted in life was to get through school, get admitted to a good college, go on to medical school, and become a doctor like her mother. Then she had gotten a funny pen as a prize from an arcade game, the faculty from her juku had been replaced by monsters, and she found herself spending her spare time fighting creatures that had wiped out all civilization on Earth thousands of years in the past and apparently wanted to do it again. This wasnÆt the life she wanted. And if she couldnÆt figure out how to deal with the floating, legless, suit of armor, it would soon be over.
Her ice couldnÆt damage it. Neither did MarsÆ flames or JupiterÆs lightning. VenusÆs beams were doing damage, but most of the power went into piercing the armor. Since they didnÆt know where the thing was vulnerable, the minimal penetration wasnÆt doing enough harm to matter. She had hoped that Tuxedo Kamen had some ability that would significantly hurt the thing, but he wasnÆt available.
A crackling sound was the only warning Mercury had before the enemy launched a ball of energy at her. She dove to the ground, just barely avoiding the attack. If her hair had been as long as her colleaguesÆ, the near miss would have caused most of it to burn off. As it was, she felt a painful tingling down her back as it passed over her and smashed into a wall.
Noticing that the near miss had rendered her unable to move quickly, the floating armor moved in closer, raising its blade to finish her off. Mercury desperately fired a blast of ice at her opponent, freezing its shoulder. The ice locked up the joint for a few precious seconds before shattering under the force placed upon it, giving Jupiter the chance to pull Mercury to safety.
So the armorÆs joints could be iced over. That was something she could use. If only it had legs to take out, that would be more useful. It would also help if she knew what was keeping the thing up in the air.
The Mercury Computer chimed, announcing that it had finished its scan of the armor. Disappointingly, it didnÆt include any data about what was in the armor or making it move. It was just an analysis of the armor itself, the alloy it was made of and its various chemical properties. Mercury glanced at the data, not expecting it to be all that useful, and then smiled as she saw how low the thermal conductivity of the metal was. She knew how to take the thing down.
ôMars! Hit the armor exactly where I do!ö She called out. Then she launched a freezing blast at the center of the armor. A burst of flame hit the same point just afterwards, thawing and softening the frozen piece of metal. A second freeze caused the metal around the section to start cracking as the armor started suffering from thermal shock.
ôVenus! Now!ö Mercury yelled. A blast of energy struck the cracking metal, making it shatter. Mercury quickly saw the reason why they hadnÆt been able to hurt the youma wearing the armor up to this point. There hadnÆt been one. Nobody had been wearing the armor. The armor was some kind of robot, either completely autonomous or controlled by someone far away. A bolt of lightning from Jupiter crackled into the exposed machinery, shorting out the robot and making it crash lifelessly to the ground.
The four Senshi looked at their fallen opponent and gasped for breath. Something had changed with their old enemy, and if it hadnÆt been for a design flaw, their latest creation might have beaten them. They needed something to change the equation in their favor, and soon. They needed the princess.
None of the Senshi had a social life active enough to justify acquiring traditional skills with makeup, but they had all been forced to learn the art over the past year nonetheless. It had been necessary in order to conceal visual evidence of evening spent out fighting monsters. Even those who could spend the entire day without seeing a relative still had to spend most of their typical day outside of the comfort of their home, so the burns, bruises, cuts and scrapes from battles would be noticed. Every single one of them had been using that skill on this day.
The most visibly injured was Mamoru, whose flaking makeup exposed an enormous bruise that made him look like somebody had clubbed him with the blunt side of an axe. Makoto actually commented on that, only to learn that he really had been clubbed with the blunt side of an axe.
ôWe canÆt go on like this.ö Rei groused. ôThat robot the Dark Kingdom sent last time was a lot tougher than the youma we normally face. If they had sent more than one, or if all four of us hadnÆt been there, we would have lost.ö
ôWe need something to strengthen our side, or we need to slow BerylÆs forces down. I donÆt think we could take them if another one of those robots shows up tonight.ö Makoto agreed.
ôAnd I doubt either of those will happen without us awakening the princess.ö Rei concluded. ôWhat did you learn from your meeting with her, Minako?ö
ôLetÆs see. The most likely reason you couldnÆt sense her in a reading is that she managed to get a full-time job right out of junior high and has been out of the area at that job ever since.ö Minako started. ôSheÆs only in the area now because sheÆs taking a vacation due to her older brother getting married soon. That could be a problem for us û once the wedding is over, she could very well end up going back to her job, ending up far out of our reach.ö
The Senshi shared worried glances at that. While none of them could think of a job that could be gotten without even a high school diploma that theyÆd want to accept, the implications of their princess abandoning her destiny to return to some low-paying menial job on the other side of the country werenÆt good.
ôOn a more positive note, if we can awaken her, she could very well help us turn the tide. She tried out the Sailor V game and beat AmiÆs score on her first try.ö She continued.
ôHow high did she score?ö Makoto asked.
ôOne million points.ö
ôIs it possible to get a score that high?ö Ami wondered.
ôNo. The game surrendered at 999,999. I recall Artemis saying that the game couldnÆt be beaten; it would just create more levels the further you go.ö
ôThatÆs right.ö Artemis confirmed. ôThe only way to beat the game is to max out the score counter. I didnÆt think anyone would even get close to actually doing that.ö
ôHowever, if the princess does awaken soon, there will be one problem if she tries fighting alongside us. She apparently hurt her back recently, and still hasnÆt recovered.ö Minako continued.
ôAnd I think I know whoÆs to blame for that.ö Luna announced. All heads turned to face the moon cat (who was stuck in a pet carrier to keep her shed hair from getting over the others).
ôWho would that be?ö Makoto demanded, flexing her fists.
ôThe princessÆs æfriendÆ is anything but. SheÆs been actively interfering with every attempt weÆve made to contact the princess. I arranged for the princess to receive a communicator as a prize from the Sailor V game, and her æfriendÆ confiscated it almost immediately. After I made one call and discovered that the princess no longer had the communicator, that communicator went completely off the net. Along with the information that Ami was able to gather while staking out the hotel where the princess is staying, I can only come to one conclusion: That this Fate person is a Dark Senshi, who is holding our princess as a brainwashed prisoner.ö
Rei and Makoto looked enraged at that statement, a sentiment shared by Mamoru. Minako, Ami, and Artemis looked more dubious.
ôDonÆt you think there could be an alternative explanation?ö Artemis asked.
ôLike what?ö
ôLike maybe she just doesnÆt want her friend getting into trouble while sheÆs still recovering from a recent back injury?ö
ôShe threatened to feed me to her dog!ö
ôYou have been following her around for some time. I could see why she wouldnÆt like that.ö Ami pointed out.
The argument continued. Luna refused to consider the possibility that she might be wrong, and despite Ami, Minako and Artemis poking holes in LunaÆs arguments, Rei, Makoto and Mamoru all decided they agreed with Luna. It was ultimately a symptom of a far larger problem.
None of the five humans involved in protecting Tokyo from the youma had enlisted voluntarily. They had all been forced into the role as the result of being stuck in the middle of a youma attack and being fortunate enough to acquire the means to defend themselves. The five of them had all come from different walks of life, and had very little in common besides a non-paying career that none of them had wanted to go into and which they all wanted to be able to give up with a clear conscience. Once that happened, it was quite likely that theyÆd all go their separate ways and never deliberately cross each otherÆs paths again.
Given that, it was understandable that Rei and Makoto would want there to be a simple answer to the current difficulty they were facing in their unwanted profession. Just remove the princessÆs captor, and the princess would awaken. With the princess awakened, they could take the offensive against Beryl. Once that was done, they could end the war and spend their nights sleeping instead of running around the rooftops in skimpy fukus.
Despite the tempting urge to take an easy answer and hope it would solve their problems, Minako didnÆt accept LunaÆs theory. She had spent an afternoon with Nanoha and Fate. If Fate had been manipulating NanohaÆs memories to make her think she was an old friend, she had gone through a lot of effort. It was hard to believe someone would invent a fake memory as inherently absurd as losing a volleyball match by knockout. In addition to the apparent level of detail in those allegedly fake memories, Minako had also seen the look on FateÆs face when Nanoha collapsed. She couldnÆt believe that Fate would deliberately seek to harm Nanoha, even if she had some ulterior motive behind associating with the girl. Ami agreed on that point, having examined the footage of FateÆs evening flight and noting the loving expression that Fate used when gazing upon the princess. While she might not be doing what was ultimately in the princessÆs best interests, it seemed likely to Ami and Minako that Fate was doing what she personally believed to be in the princessÆs best interests.
Hopefully, the other two Senshi wouldnÆt do anything too reckless before they could figure out a way to get Fate to understand that the princess had to fulfill her destiny.
After a few days of rest, NanohaÆs back had recovered enough to allow her to go out again. Considering how close it was getting to the date of KyouyaÆs wedding, the timing was rather fortunate. So she and Fate were taking Aruf on an evening walk. Things were going fine until Aruf froze and started growling.
Nanoha looked around and saw a cat peeking out of an alley. For any other dog, that might have been a reasonable explanation for that reaction, but Nanoha knew Aruf. She had spent a considerable amount of time around SuzukaÆs numerous cats without ever having any problems with them, so why would she react like that on seeing a cat now?
Then Aruf pulled her leash out of FateÆs grasp and chased after the cat.. That wasnÆt something Aruf would normally do. Nanoha wondered what was going on, but reassured herself that Aruf would return. Then she heard Aruf howl in pain. Something was definitely wrong. Fate ran to see what was going on. A moment later, Nanoha heard a crack of lightning come from the alley. Nanoha knew there was trouble. She maneuvered herself to a position where she could look into the alley.
Luna had been waiting for the Dark SenshiÆs pet to come by. The dog had reacted to her presence just as she had anticipated. As the dog came after her, Luna darted into the alley and hid behind some trash cans. Now it was time to spring the trap.
The dog followed into the alley. Sailor Mars stepped out of the shadows at the far end of the alley. The dog started sniffing for its enemy, not realizing that there was another enemy waiting for it. Luna grinned triumphantly as a wave of heat passed her hiding place and the dog howled in pain from being struck with a fireball. It served the mutt right for using her as a chew-toy.
The Dark Senshi came into the alley after her pet. Seeing the dog wounded and the apparent perpetrator at hand, she prepared to fight. This was when Sailor Jupiter dropped from the rooftop behind the princessÆs jailor. The plan had worked. The witch was now trapped in a narrow alley between two Senshi.
Attacked from two directions, the Dark Senshi called up a shield in each hand to block the incoming spells. The shields held, but they were noticeably damaged from the blows. Oh well. It didnÆt matter if the Senshi couldnÆt breach her defenses on the first shot. Their enemy was trapped, so they could always keep firing until the shields broke down.
That was when LunaÆs plan broke down. A burst of pink light flashed in the alley, and JupiterÆs lightning stopped coming. Luna peeked out from her hiding place to see what happened, and gaped at what she saw. Jupiter was down, not seriously harmed, but knocked down and just as surprised as Luna at who had done it.
Standing above JupiterÆs fallen form was the Moon Princess, who was now looking angrily at Mars. The princess pulled something out of her shirt with her left hand and started to speak.
ôI am the one who has been given a mission.ö She recited.
Luna gulped. While she didnÆt know what the princess was saying, it sounded like some kind of spell. Mars also started backing away, realizing that who it was that was standing against her.
ôUnder the contract, release these powers.ö She continued.
Why was the princess seeking to harm her Senshi? Why was she siding with her captor?
ôWinds to the sky, starsàö The princess fumbled, apparently forgetting the next part of the incantation. Before anyone else could react, the Dark Senshi darted towards the princess, grabbed her, and flew up to the rooftop. The dog then transformed, turning into a woman with canine ears and tail, who ran towards Mars, and proceeded to punch the girl who had tried to set her on fire out. Then she flew off after her master.
ôLet me get this straight,ö Sailor Venus said. ôTwo members of the Sailor Senshi, champions of love and justice, just attempted a backstreet mugging.ö
Two Senshi and one moon cat looked down rather shamefully at that description of their attempt to free their princess.
ôAnd thatÆs not even the worst of what you did with your little scheme. You could potentially have cost us any hope of awakening the princess.ö Venus continued.
ôWhat?!ö Luna exclaimed. ôWe were just trying to free her from that witch!ö
ôWhat you intended doesnÆt matter. You forgot that even if your theory that all of the princessÆs memories about this Dark Senshi being manufactured is true, she doesnÆt know that. What Nanoha saw was two people sheÆd never seen before in her life attacking one of her oldest friends. You could very well have convinced her that the Senshi are her enemies.ö
A look of horror spread across three faces as they realized exactly how much they had screwed up.
While Venus was dressing down her colleagues for their poorly thought out display of excess initiative, Fate was explaining to Nanoha exactly what had been going on behind her back over the past few weeks. Nanoha was rather upset that Fate had been hiding things from her, but was forced to concede that FateÆs reasoning was sensible û mainly because of how much casting a Divine Shooter powerful enough to knock the girl in the green skirt took out of her.
ôDid they ever explain what they wanted?ö Nanoha asked.
ôNot in any coherent matter. I strongly suspect that the familiar those people were taking orders from wasnÆt quite right in the head. I think weÆre going to need to spend the rest of our vacation somewhere else if weÆre going to get any peace.ö
ôHmmà How about Kyoto? IÆve never been there.ö
ôThat sounds good. Hopefully those people wonÆt try to follow us there.ö
ôWe should probably send a report to the Bureau about them. TheyÆre probably going to try to cause more trouble later on.ö
ôYouÆre right. IÆll write something up in the next few days. Given that your brotherÆs wedding is tomorrow, I donÆt think IÆll be able to finish it before then.ö
Nanoha smiled. ôAt least we arenÆt likely to have any trouble show up at a wedding.ö
Omake by Elvarein:
"Bu-bu-but! She's our Princess of the Moon!" Venus gasped out, trembling, staring at the glowing yellow blade resting at her neck that had just bisected a pillar. Oh my god. Oh my god I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'm too pretty to die!!!
Fate slowly lifted her head, her hair falling away slightly from her face to reveal a face twisted into a horrendous snarl and eyes that seemed to glow. Glow, with the fury of a thousand suns, with the promise of complete destruction. The searing blade seemed to inch closer, if it were possible. She opened her jaws and...
There was a high pitch, half strangled whine and a sudden venting of yellow liquid with the accompanying stench. The girl's body relaxed and she fell into blissful oblivion.
Nanoha blinked and tilted her head slightly to stare quizzically at Fate who looked back with her normal serene expression. "I'm not that scary am I?"
She smiled back and laughed, her voice tinkling gently. "Never, Nanoha. How could you be, and besides, isn't that funny calling you the princess in the moon? Wouldn't you be a rabbit then, like the story your mother told us?"
Nanoha giggled softly and turned to face the other Senshi who are still stared at Fate, who was slightly behind Nanoha, abject fear in their eyes. "Now, could you please try again, this time with the truth?"
They shuddered and started babbling their guts out, as they completely stopped struggling in their bonds. Just as a tiny animal keeps completely still, praying that the predators are ignoring it. Behind Nanoha, Fate seemed to have acquired a glowing, burning aura from somewhere and the Senshi could swear that there was ominous music coming from nowhere.
A/N: Aruf isnÆt badly injured. Familiars can take a good deal of damage.
The reason the Senshi were having trouble with the drone is because their attacks are meant to burn, freeze, and shock. Against something that doesnÆt feel pain, those arenÆt the attacks to use. They needed spells to pierce, cut, and smash.
Thermal shock, which is caused by rapid temperature change, is a real phenomenon. For an easy real-life example, drop an ice cube in a glass of hot water, and watch the ice crack while it melts.
I guess that Fate will really regret tempting fate when uninvited guests show up for the wedding.