RE: [IC][WIP][Arc 1] How I Managed to Quit Worrying and Love The Grief Seed
04-17-2019, 03:16 PM
04-17-2019, 03:16 PM
And here we go, the final push for this volume of How I Managed to Quit Worrying and Love The Grief Seed.
(Note: kinda had to rush this. If you catch something wonky, by all means make note of it.)
“Well,” said Washu softly. “Like I said before, I can repair the damage. The good part is that her cells are actually still alive. The unfortunate part, though, is that she would still be brain dead.”
“Which is where Hild comes in,” said Peorth from the table as she looked over the contract. “Why did you have to do this Benjamin? Couldn’t you have just used your Wish for this?”
“Maybe,” said Ben a bit sheepishly. “But... I don’t know... I felt like I needed to save that for something else. And besides... it felt cheap. It felt like there was something more that was needed. A toll to be paid so no one person above, below, or anywhere in between could call this a cheat. This is something that will be paid in full, even if it takes a while.”
“Well, either way, I’m impressed,” said Peorth. “Hild must really like you for some reason. I don’t see any hidden traps in this contract - the only negative to this being if you renege on the deal, then Death will immediately take Alicia, and you will spend eternity in hell.
“I highly suggest you uphold this deal. A hundred years of servitude after your natural death is a bargain for this. She could have easily demanded ten-thousand years instead.”
Ben sighed. “Tell me about it.” He then turned to the Senshi who were all in council with Tohsaka Rin.
Ami took note of his presence and quietly interrupted the conversation, gesturing to Benjamin.
“Yes?” asked Rin, slightly cross at his intrusion.
“Just checking,” said Ben, trying to sound appeasing.
Rin sighed. “I’m sure it can be done. Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I do think that what your doing is huge. But the less you bother us, the sooner it can happen. Now go away. We’ll let you know when we’re done here.”
“Yes, Miss Tohsaka,” said Ben, feeling a bit chastened. He turned to go check in with Nanoha and Fate, but was pulled up short by someone calling him.
“Rodes’-dono.”
Ben turned. It was Rei, and unlike the last few times he’d seen her, she was a bit pensive this time.
“Hino-dono,” he replied with a bow.
“Don’t,” she said, and not in a harsh way. “After this... it should be the other way around. I’ve only ever heard of one other person doing something like this... and I love her more than anything else in all of existence.
“Rodes-dono... I understand that once you had feelings for me, even though I was only a fictional character to you at the time. And I understand that you may have feelings for me even now.
“I have an admission to make. I was... frightened. Not only about the fact that you know so much about me. But also of what letting you in would do to me. But now I see... no matter how terrible the darkness inside of you is... it’s you. Your darkness is you, and because of that, it’s not so frightening anymore. Because... now I know what you are capable of.
“I still don’t believe we would be good for each other... my heart already belongs to others... But I know now that you would never have hurt me. The only one that could have hurt me is myself. And now I regret that I pushed you away before. Please forgive me of my callousness, Rodes-dono.”
“Thank you. From now on though, if you like, you can just call me Ben or Benjamin.”
“Then call me Rei. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you, Rei. Though, if you’ll excuse me...” he then turned to look over at Nanoha and Fate, who were both looking at Alicia inside her capsule and whispering to each other. “I think I should go check on my family.”
“They’re serious about that, aren’t they?”
Ben nodded. “I don’t know why, just... there’s something between Nanoha and me. It kinda drives us both crazy, though in a good way. And for me and Fate... We were kindred long before we met.”
“...The things your father did to you...” said Rei softly.
Ben nodded and sighed. “I hate it. I hate that there are so many people out there that take their children for granted. It happened to you. It happened to her. It happened to me.
“No more of it. We break this cycle of abuse and neglect this generation.” He then looked to Rei and smiled. “However long this takes... if you do work something out, and you’re still around, don’t be afraid to call on me. Any of you. It’s going to be a while until I can have children of my own, and I can help you guys learn the ropes. Oldest out of seven kids, you know.”
Rei smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.” Her eyes suddenly got a far away look to them. “It is so weird to think about... for them to want to start a family at such a young age...”
“They’re in no rush,” said Ben. “But eventually... yes. Very much yes.”
“I’m glad, then. I don’t think there’s very many men that could be a better father than you. And I think even Mamoru could take lessons from you.”
Ben scoffed. “One thing’s for sure, none of that malarkey about having her get up by herself. It’s one thing to say that one day they won’t be there to pick her up, it’s another to stand outside of arm’s reach. The insecurity that breeds has consequences. Dark Lady was proof of that.”
Rei shivered. “That was so unreal... seeing her like that.”
“Props where its deserved, though. She really rocked out that black dress. Maybe she and Usagi should try for the yin-yang look. Dark side of the moon and light side. I’m gonna have to get Chibi-Usa hooked onto Pink Floyd.”
Rei snorted. “Weirdo,” she said, teasingly. Her face then softened into a warm smile. “Go be with them. You three... you look good together.”
Ben smiled back. “Just wait until they’ve grown up.”
Rei continued to give him that soft smile. “I don’t have to. I made a fire reading.”
That took Ben by surprise, but it sparked something just then. Something that just had to be.
What happened next was almost instinctive. Ben gently took Rei by the shoulders, squaring himself off with the somewhat smaller young woman, and bowed his head. To Rei, for some reason, this felt natural and she did the same.
As their foreheads touch, Rei had a flashback to a place that was cool, arid, and dusty with rust colored rocks and sparse, but beautiful vegetation.
Someone was with her. A family member. A brother? She was about to go someplace and not come back for a long time. Their last moment together was like this, with their foreheads touching together.
Another vision flashed. Her childhood in Japan. Mother was gone. The ceremonies had all concluded the day before. After praying at the family shrine, he was there to comfort her as they both mourned - a boy just a few years older than her.
Flash. They’re older now. He in middle school, she just two years behind him in elementary school still. Their backs are to each other as they both face down bullies. And she knew that everything would be fine no matter what because he had her back, and she had his.
Flash. Her father on her birthday. A loathsome time for her. But he is there again. Telling their own father to go back to the rock he crawled out from under. He is becoming such a man - strong and passionate like she is, not tolerating such pettiness, not even from family, and yet every bit as charismatic as their father. The woman that finds him will be very lucky.
Flash. She in the regalia of Eternal Sailor Mars. He, kneeling before her in dark armor. A burningly bright blade is in her hands as she lays it over one shoulder, then the other, proclaiming him a Lord of Mars - the Knight of Cydonia. Defender of the Innocent. Righter of Wrongs. Deliverer of Justice. Agent of Vengeance.
As they opened their eyes, they both gave each other surprised looks.
“Was that what I think it was?” said Ben, his voice low yet incredulous.
“...a possibility," said Rei at barely more than a whisper, her voice filled with awe. "Something that could have been, but never was.”
“Imouto-chan,” said Ben, and the word rooted Rei right where she stood.
“Aniki,” she breathed.
And just like that, they suddenly threw their arms around each other, tears of anguished joy running from their eyes.
“...I wish that I had been there for you. I am so sorry I wasn’t.”
“Don’t be,” said Rei quietly. “Even if we only imagined it... Maybe... somewhere out there, it’s true.”
Ben scoffed bemusedly as he looked in her eyes, smiling through the tears. “Jeeze, just when I thought things might be normal between me and you.”
“It’s alright,” said Rei as she smiled back. “I think... you were what I needed. A brother. And I’m fine with you being my brother now.” Her grin then turned mischievous and her eyes sparkled with something more than just the tears that were already there. “But don’t you dare tease me, though, or I’ll hit you so hard that it’ll leave a mark for weeks.”
Ben grinned back. “I don’t doubt it, Sis.”
Rei laughed softly. “Whatever. Just go over there and take care of your girlfriends.”
Ben sighed. “So unreal. Talk to you later - I think we got a lot to catch up on now.”
“Have some chai ready,” said Rei as she made her way back to the others. who were already buzzing over what they’d seen just then.
Ben was about halfway there when he heard Minako scream “NANDAIYO!?!?”
He covered his mouth as he tried hard not to explode into laughter.
“What happened?” asked Nanoha as he approached.
“I think I finally found the little sister I always wanted,”
“Heee-EEH?” replied Nanoha.
Ben chuckled. “It’s alright... just... I’ll explain in a bit.”
“We’ve been talking about what to do if this really works,” said Fate, a bit of anxiety creeping into her voice. “Nanoha and I are already sharing her room at the apartment over the Midoriya. But with Alicia... there won’t be any room. Not unless we get Miyuki to share her room...”
“I’ll talk things over with your family,” said Ben. “I can set up an apartment here, permanently, and you girls can spend as much time here as you like.”
“But how?” asked Nanoha.
“Easy. We’ll just enroll you into a school over here and say it was your preference. The local government will let you stay here as long as your parents designate me as your caretaker.”
“You mean it?” said Fate as she warmed to the idea immediately.
“We just have to get your parents to go along with it. We can even set up funding for you... Bank cards for both of you, and Alicia, too; cell phones if you don’t have them already; and an account for your folks to pay a modest rent. No worries about utilities - everything is solar powered, and water and gas are as cheap as dirt here.”
##
Benjamin arrived at the Midoriya just as the last customers were leaving at closing time with Nanoha leading the way. Fate wanted to stay - she was rooted to the spot next to her sister’s stasis chamber while Washu worked on Alicia. Ben doubted that there was any force on Earth that would have been able to move her from there without dire consequences.
“Mama! Papa! Tadaima!”
“Okaerii Nanoha!” said Momoko happily. “I thought you were going to be staying there for a few more days. Did something happen?”
“You could say that,” said Nanoha with a smile of his own.
“There’s a lot to talk about,” said Ben with a somewhat sheepish smile.
Momoko smiled back. “I’ll go ahead and get some tea. Anything you prefer?”
“Plain green tea will be fine,” said Ben.
Shiro offered them seats at one of the tables as Kyouya counted down the til and Miyuki swept the floors in preparation to mop.
“So, how did everything go?” asked the Takamachi patriarch.
“As well as could be expected,” said Ben. “We’ve run into some disturbing revelations.”
Momoko arrived with the tea, asking, “What kind of revelations?”
“Some of the worst. Fortunately, we’re all okay. But there’s now a lingering threat. Kyouya and Miyuki should hear this, too.”
The two froze. Kyouya set the money aside and went to make sure the doors were locked while Miyuki set her broom against the counter and joined them at the table.
“Alright,” said Ben, and he then plunged on ahead, telling them about the Incubators, how they powered their civilization, and how they sacrificed the lives of human girls to do so.
The Takamachis were shaken by the news.
“And here we were thinking that we would be safe from the Slaugh this far south,” said Shiro as he shook his head. “So, is there a way to fight these things?”
“The Goddesses are already working on locking down their operation,” said Ben. “But a number of the Kyubey constructs have gone to ground. They’re being careful not to do anything to draw attention to themselves. Which, fortunately, means that they aren’t doing much of anything. Washu is working on a few things, regardless. There is some good news, though.”
“There is?” said Miyuki with a hopeful look.
Nanoha nodded. “Benjamin made a deal with the Daimakaicho. She’s going to help us bring Fate’s sister, Alicia, back. And at the end of Ben’s life, he’ll spend a hundred years working as the Daimakaicho’s bounty hunter to pay her back.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” said Shiro, point-blank.
“Hild is cutting me me a straight-forward deal on this,” said Benjamin. “No hidden traps or loopholes. Besides, I’d do whatever I could to make Fate and Nanoha happy. If that means I spend a hundred years making up for it after I die? That’s a steal as far as I’m concerned.”
Briefly, a silent exchange took place between Shiro and Momoko.
Do we do anything about this?
It’s his choice. I think its worth it.
Is it?
If the contract is fair? Definitely.
“Alright,” said Shiro. “We understand. Though having to put Alicia up as well does make things a bit inconvenient.”
Ben raised a hand to stop Shiro. “I’ve already thought about that.”
Everyone gave Ben a surprised look. “How so?” asked Shiro.
“I’m not suggesting that everyone moves in, but I have an abundance of living space available. If we were to enroll the girls into one of the private schools on the West Side of town, and you appoint me as their caretaker, then Nanoha and Fate can live at Westwoods.”
“It’ll be great!” piped up Nanoha. “Ben wants us to learn to live independently. He has plans for us to have prepaid bank cards, so it’ll be like being grown up and having a wage.”
“What about the bills?” asked Momoko.
“I’d like it if you folks paid a modest rent on their behalf,” said Ben. “But other than that... like I told the girls, everything there is solar powered, and gas and water are cheap as dirt around here. The only thing they’ll really need to pay for themselves is food. Otherwise, the money you send them will just a glorified version of an allowance.”
“How much were you going to ask?” asked Shiro.
“Four hundred a month. And that’s for a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with nine-hundred square feet of space, fully furnished, and utilities and Internet included.”
Shiro took out a notepad and a pen and did the math, converting the square footage into tatamis.
Everyone’s eyebrows went up at that.
“Wow,” said Kyouya. It was no secret that his relationship with Shinobu was deepening, and the idea of sharing an apartment with her suddenly seemed very tantalizing. The only thing would be getting her parents to go along with it.
“Alright then,” said Shiro with a small smile. “Since we still haven’t set it up yet, we’d like it if you came and played your guitar in the store at least twice a week for us. The business that will bring in will make up for paying their rent and providing them with a bigger allowance. But what about later on? When it’s time for everyone to go back to the universes they came from?”
Ben shrugged. “Then it’s time for everyone to go. From what I’ve been told, this universe will cease to exist - no worries, there’s no existential threat. This universe came into being when the causalities of several universes began to merge together. When the Goddesses fix everything, all that causality will reverted all back into their original sources and it will be like nothing ever happened.”
“What about Alicia?” asked Momoko.
“That deal will be binding even after this is all said and done,” said Ben. “I wouldn’t have gone this far with it otherwise. Rest assured, I will protect Alicia with everything I have. At least until she can stand on her own. And even then? She’d only have to ask and I’ll be there.”
Shiro nodded. “That’s good enough for me, then.”
##
Benjamin put Rin and the Senshi up for the night while Rob went back home for the evening.
In the morning, everyone was getting ready for what was certain to be a huge event.
As Ben entered Washu’s lab, he found just about everyone from his complex and Rob’s had shown up.
It’s an event, thought Ben to himself chidingly. Not a party. Party though it wasn’t, Ben was sure that there was going to be some low-key reception afterwards.
Most of everyone was clustered around a table where Benjamin’s contract with Hild was on display. Hild was standing by and looking somewhat smug as everyone tried their best to find some kind of loophole in the legalese, but to no avail.
Rob found Ben quickly.
“As our usual go-between to the celestials would no doubt say, this is one Hell of a document.” Rob grinned. “But I’ve gone through the bureaucratese twice, and Kazari treated it like computer code and checked the wording for logic bombs while I was double-checking the meanings of a few obscure terms.”
“And?” asked Ben with a knowing little grin.
“It’s exactly what you represented it to be. Hild isn’t trying to pull a fast one here.”
“So it's okay if I sign it,” said Ben with just a bit of good natured sarcasm.
Rob's expression went completely neutral. “Only if you're sure that this is what you want to do.”
Ben was slightly taken aback by that. “Okay, what's wrong?”
“You're taking on responsibility for her life, here. Are you ready to be a father?”
Ben gave Rob a Vulcan Eyebrow so severe that it forestalled any further comment. Ben strode to the table, the crowd parting once they noticed he was making his way through. Without missing a beat, pulled out a fine-tipped sharpie marker and signed the document with his full, unabbreviated name - a signature that he has only used a few times in his life, one of which was when he signed his contract of enlistment into the Navy. And then as if that wasn't enough, he took out a lancet - the sort used by diabetics to test their blood glucose level - lanced his thumb, and then pressed it to the document next to his signature.
He then looked to Rob with a crooked grin. “I’ve been ready for a long time.”
Rob grinned and offered to shake Ben’s hand. “Welcome to the club!”
“Only in the loosest sense,” said Ben as he shook Rob's hand. “More likely than not, She’s gonna call me her big brother. And it'll fit if Fate... well, you know.”
“For what it’s worth Benjamin,” came Hild’s voice as she approached, “I am happy for you. You’d better make those girls happy, though, or else I’ll spend a bit of quality time with you.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Ben in an unusually meek tone. “You should know, though... how much I hate hurting people.”
“As long as you do your part to make things better,” said Hild. She then turned to face everyone. “We’ll be starting in just a few minutes, everyone. I’ll give you all a few minutes more to look over the contract.”
As Hild spoke, Washu wheeled out one of her hospital beds. In it was Alcia, her cheeks rosy and chest moving softly. It was an illusion, though. While her body was indeed alive, there was nothing there. In fact, a small device rested on her forehead with a couple of red and green blinkenlights flashing.
Ben went to look at her, as did Fate and Nanoha. The others remained a respectful distance back, murmuring softly to each other. After looking over the beautiful little girl, Ben then turned to Washu.
“Hello Washu-chan. I take it you have the Phylactery?”
“Right here,” she said as she removed a small diamond pendant from her pocket. “One-hundred percent pure carbon, nano-assembled into a diamond crystal. As we discussed, it’s been engineered from the inside-out to be as strong as possible. The Emerald Cut makes it easy to mount safely and securely. The mount itself is a monomolecular construct. It has a dimensional transponder so that, should it ever be lost or stolen, we can find it no matter what.”
Benjamin nodded. “Alright. Miss Tohsaka? It’s your show now.”
“About time,” grumped the young woman. “I’ve had this spell circle ready long before you decided to crawl out of bed.”
“I’d like to see how well you do with a circadian rhythm that’s permanently locked,” said Benjamin, giving Rin his Vulcan Eyebrow.
“Can’t you just fix that?” said Rin in puzzlement as she set the pendant down in the middle of her spell circle.
“Washu-chan can do it, for sure,” said Ben. “But the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Late nights are my forte, and I can get a lot more done at night when there’s fewer distractions.”
“If you wanna try it, I can set you up,” said Washu with an impish grin.
Rin stepped back with a sickly smile. “Ah, thanks but NO thanks. Really. I like my circadian rhythm the way it is.”
“Darn,” said Washu as she snapped her fingers in disappointment.
“Anyhow, I’m gonna get started. Ben, I’ll need you to back off a bit. No offense, but your MD Field could ruin things before we even got started.”
“Right,” said Ben sheepishly as he scooted backwards by ten feet. “This good enough?”
“Perfect. Okay everyone, quiet please so I can concentrate on this.”
Rin took out one of her power stones and then focused on the spell circle, energizing it with the stored power in her gem.
Meanwhile, specially assigned people had been buddied-up with others who might start chattering to help maintain silence for Rin’s sake.
Fortunately, Rin was able to complete her task with no incident.
“Alright, it’s done,” she said as the gemstone she was using crumbled into dust and the spell circle dimmed. She then picked up the pendant and presented it to Benjamin.
“Don’t worry,” said Rin. “Part of the spell matrix I burned into this gem is hardening against your disruption ability. You’d actually have to make a considerable effort to unravel it. You want my advice though? Don’t.”
“We’re not even going to attempt anything like that,” said Washu as Ben accepted the pendant.
“Okay,” said Hild. “Thank you, Miss Tohsaka, for your efforts.”
“Thank you guys. Now that Washu-chan is supplying us with gems, my life has become a whole lot easier.”
Hild smirked. “Indeed. Benjamin, go ahead and put the pendant around her neck. I’ll need you, Fate, and Usagi for the next part.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” continued Hild as Ben carefully slipped the chain under Alicia neck. “I’m going to call up Alicia’s soul - Belldandy and the others have already made sure that I can do that. Once she’s here, it will be Usagi’s job to bind her into the gemstone, and tie Benjamin’s life-force into it. Afterward, I will use your memories, Fate, to create the new ones for her.”
“What will she remember about Precia?” asked Fate.
“Everything up until the accident,” said Hild. “That part she will remember clearly. What she will not remember is what came between the accident and the time she spent with you in the that dream the Book of Darkness created. What she learns of her mother afterwards is up to you people. Beware, all of you: it is true what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Be careful about what you do and do not tell her.”
Benjamin nodded. “Let me handle that,” he said. “I already owe you a service, Lady Hild. If this turns out to be a sin, then I’ll take that sin upon myself and work it out with you.”
“Upon your head be it, then, Benjamin. Now, each of you, place your dominant hands over the gemstone.”
Fate went first, then Ben, and then Usagi. And then Hild.
She then began to sing.
Hild’s voice had an almost otherworldly quality as she sang in what was clearly a minor key. It started out almost like a dirge and a lament.
“Death has accepted Ben’s offering,” came Hild’s telepathic voice. “I have her soul now. Usagi, take her. You know what must be done.”
An orb or pristine light had appeared in Hild’s free hand. Usagi nodded her head, and as she accepted Alicia’s soul, her gown and regalia of the Moon Empress sprang into being on her person. Suddenly, Usagi was as radiantly beautiful as Belldandy.
As the Lunar icon apeared on her head, so too did the Silver Moon Crystal. It bathed the phylactery and Alicia’s beautiful little soul in brilliantly pure light. Tentatively, at first, the soul touched the phylactery.
“It’s okay,” said Usagi’s voice in their heads, though it was directed to Alicia’s soul. “I know it seems scary at first. It always is. But you’ve done this before. Life is waiting for you!”
Alicia’s soul then began to settle into the diamond, almost like someone settling into a deep bathtub, and suffused the phylactery with its light.
“Good,” said Hild. “Now then, Fate. I know this will hurt. But all good things come with a cost. Turn your mind back to what you have been trying to forget. Turn you mind back, and recall everything in the clearest detail.”
There were no voices from Fate, only images like a movie. The brief time that she spent there in that illusory dream. And we all felt her as she wept quietly at the memory, at the cruelness of it.
Hild drew the memories out, and carefully planted them into Alicia’s mind.
“Now then, Brave Benjamin. Brother Benjamin. Beloved Son of the Right Hand. Let me take your essence and bind it to her.”
Ben tried to relax, then flinched as he felt Hild’s metaphorical hand reach into him. She paused, patiently waiting as Ben made himself relax again, and willed himself not to react as he felt Hild draw something from him. He could feel it, even as she tied it into the gemstone that held Alicia’s soul.
Suddenly, Ben felt his perspective shift, and suddenly he was in a white room that held many mirrors, all of them facing each other and reflecting light into infinity.
“Hello,” said a little girl’s voice. “Who are you?”
Benjamin turned and there was Alicia wearing a little white sundress.
“Oh!” said Ben. “I beg your pardon for the intrusion. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay,” said Alicia. “I can tell that you didn’t do it on purpose. So what’s your name?”
“I’m Benjamin. And you must be Alicia.”
“How did you know!?” cried out the girl, though her face lit up gleefully at being recognized.
Ben went down on one knee so he could look at her on her level and smiled.
“I’m a very close friend of your sister, Alicia.”
“You are?” she asked. “But why are you here then?”
Ben opened his mouth, but Alicia’s face suddenly fell, as though she had just seen something terrible. And just like as if she’d seen something terrible, she charged Benjamin and then threw her arms around him.
“I saw it. Just now,” she said quietly. “Something happened to Mommy. She’s... not here anymore, is she? And she hurt Fate too... And you were hurt, too... Why do so many people have to be hurt?”
Ben sighed as he hugged Alicia back, not sure how she was seeing these things.
“I don’t know, Alicia,” said Ben quietly. “There’s a lot of evil in the world. Fate and I... we we’re lucky to meet.”
“You love Big Sis, don’t you?” Alicia whispered.
“Yeah. She’s very special to me.”
“...When I grow up, I want to help people like you do. Will you be my Big Brother and teach me?”
“I’ll teach you everything I know, Alicia.”
“Thank you, Big Bro,” she whispered as she squeezed tightly.
She then let go and looked Ben in the eyes. There were tears there, but also hope. A lot of hope.
“There’s so much I want to see... things that I would never have seen if you didn’t love Big Sis as much as you do. Let’s go and see them.”
Ben smiled despite the tears that stung his own eyes.
“You got it, Little Sis.”
The next thing Ben knew, Hild’s song was trailing off. It was still in a minor key, but the ending notes held the promise of tomorrow to them.
And as Ben’s eyes opened, so did Alicia’s. Right away, her eyes found Fate’s own.
“Hi, Big Sis,” she said softly.
Fate put her arms around Alicia and burring her head into the pillow next to her sister’s.
“Hello... Alicia...” she managed to say before she broke down.
##
Alicia was very weak. But Washu assured them all that she would be better after a day or two of her treatments.
Fate and Nanoha were staying there with her. No exceptions. Washu didn’t push the matter. She simply smiled kindly and brought up beds for them as well.
Ben kissed all three of them goodnight and went outside.
As he had thought, there was a very low-key gathering. Though it was subdued, there was a happy current that ran through the crowd. When Ben came out, everyone began to gather around him and take turns shaking his hand, congratulating him for what he’d made possible.
“But guys, it wasn’t just me,” he said.
“Don’t be so modest,” said Rin. “Yeah, a lot of us had contributions. But it was you who just told Destiny where to shove it and how far.”
“Thanks... just...” Ben floundered as he tried to find the words. “I still couldn’t have done it myself. At least not without taking on even more debt.”
“For this, Benjamin?” said Usagi. “You didn’t even have to ask. When we heard we didn’t even wait.”
Ben scoffed. “I did think it was kinda funny how you all got here so quickly. It wasn’t like it was an emergency.” Suddenly, a yawn came on that Ben couldn’t fight off. “Oof. I’m beat.”
“Well it only stands to reason,” said Ami. “You just shared so much of your life energy with Alicia. You should go rest now. We can sort ourselves out.”
Ben smiled tiredly. “Thanks guys. Stay as long as you like - I know how you love to make use of the Onsen here.”
##
When Ben got up to his apartment, Hild was up there, waiting for him.
“Lady Hild,” said Ben. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Hild chuckled. “Oh, there is so much you can do that would make my day, Benjamin.
“The Tohsaka girl is right,” said Hild. “Your contract has disrupted karma.”
Ben shrugged. “By all rights, karma has been blown to hell with everything that’s happening here.”
“True,” said Hild with a nod. “But you have... well, not quite cheated Death... but you’ve made a binding agreement. And Death is willing to accept your service in exchange for Alicia to live the life she wasn’t meant to have.”
“You know how I feel about that ‘meant to’ crap,” said Ben.
Hild grinned. “That’s part of why I like you, Benjamin. You will fight to destroy the tragedies and replace them with happiness.” Her grin then turned sinister. “You had better be careful. If you keep that up, then one day you will take too much upon your soul and you will fall. And what a glorious fall it will be.”
“Hoping that I’ll drag down all these people with me?” said Ben.
Hild chuckled. “Oh no. That’s part of why you will fall in the first place. What I love the most about it, though? I just know you’re going to bring a lots of deserving souls down with you, kicking and screaming the entire way. And you will laugh such a wonderful laugh, because they are damned and you have denied them their escape from Hell.”
Hild licked her lips at the thought. “I might even reward you for such a deed.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven?”
“I’m sure that Lord Phantomhive will appreciate having you under his retainer.”
“We’ll see what happens. By the way, she somehow figured out what happened.”
Hild blinked at that. “Oh? About Precia?”
Ben nodded. “Not only that, but me as well. She knows that both Fate and I were abused by our parents, and figured that we had bonded very closely over that.”
“Interesting,” said Hild thoughtfully. “It must be mental conamination coming from you. I did warn you that parts of you might rub off on her, but I never thought it would be this fast or blatant.”
Ben sighed. “So there’s a telepathic bond between us now?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What is certain, though, is that from now on, Alicia will be want to be as close to you as possible. For so long as she needs her phylactery and is reliant on your spiritual energy, she will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame. She will crave your presence and especially your touch.” She chuckled at that. “It might make finding personal time for you and your two little paramours difficult. She may even drive a wedge between you.”
Ben sighed at that. “I’ll sit down with the three of them and we’ll talk. It will be better to get this out into the open.”
“Good. I may be in the business of gathering souls for hell, but I wouldn’t want to see those girls broken up over you.”
“Thanks. Anything else?” he asked.
Hild shook her head. “I’ve already done my due diligence.”
Ben nodded. “Of course, Lady Hild. I’ll try not to trouble you any more.”
“Good. I am a busy person after all. There is just one other thing, though,” said Hild. And then without warning, she pulled Ben up to her and her lips were covering his as she shoved her tongue into his mouth.
It caught Ben off guard, but he knew better than to scorn the Mistress of Hell.
“Mmm~” said Hild as she broke of the steamy kiss. “Not bad at all. You will have to deal with two very healthy young women in the future - and rest assured, as sweet as they are now, they will crave pleasure when they’re older. And not only for pleasure’s sake, but for much more primal reasons as well. In just a few short years, the vessels within them will start demanding to be filled. Oh, it is so fascinating to watch as young girls grow up and lose their innocence in bits and pieces. And these two will be even more amusing to watch as they try to resist... and then try to tempt you when they cannot resist anymore.
“But I wonder which of you is going to be too much for the others to handle. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping an eye on your three. If I like what I see, then perhaps once you’ve finished your mortal life and I have you, you can perform other services while Death isn’t making use of you.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “I certainly hope that I won’t just be some plaything to you.”
Hild chuckled darkly. “My playthings all writhe in the agonizing and eternal fires of Hell. Having you as a consort will be something else entirely~. Think about it, Benjamin. But not too hard. You have plenty of time.”
There was a burst of flames and suddenly she was gone.
Ben sighed. He really hated cold showers.
##
It was all illogical. None of it made any sense at all. The entire civilization. Locked down, just like that.
The rest of them were already making plans. They’d broken out of traps like this before. They just needed the energy to do so.
And energy harvest was what the Incubators specialized in.
Even though they’d had some success with Precia - her despair had been quite remarkable, even for an adult of her species - that had been rendered moot by those interlopers.
Magical Girls? Without Soul Gems? How? And that man that somehow disrupted magic... Not logical... but very intriguing.
Kyubey and two others herded one of Precia’s familiars into a secluded space under one of the elevated expressways where many homeless made their meager resting points. The familiar decided this was good enough and then burrowed through the fabric of space, creating its own labyrinth.
After it has fed a few times, then it would become a fully-fledged witch itself. And judging by the conditions, it wouldn’t be too long until it would start spawning its own familiars.
Precia had been a setback. But it had its sights set on another.
Further up north, a Kyubey crept through one of the properties. The dogs didn’t even stir - it made no noise and generated no scent. It had to be careful, but the risks were outweighed by the potential rewards.
“Hello Alisa,” said the Kyubey, beaming its telepathic thoughts straight into the mind of the little girl inside the mansion. “Would you like to become a magical girl, just like your friends?”
End of Volume 1
(Note: kinda had to rush this. If you catch something wonky, by all means make note of it.)
“Well,” said Washu softly. “Like I said before, I can repair the damage. The good part is that her cells are actually still alive. The unfortunate part, though, is that she would still be brain dead.”
“Which is where Hild comes in,” said Peorth from the table as she looked over the contract. “Why did you have to do this Benjamin? Couldn’t you have just used your Wish for this?”
“Maybe,” said Ben a bit sheepishly. “But... I don’t know... I felt like I needed to save that for something else. And besides... it felt cheap. It felt like there was something more that was needed. A toll to be paid so no one person above, below, or anywhere in between could call this a cheat. This is something that will be paid in full, even if it takes a while.”
“Well, either way, I’m impressed,” said Peorth. “Hild must really like you for some reason. I don’t see any hidden traps in this contract - the only negative to this being if you renege on the deal, then Death will immediately take Alicia, and you will spend eternity in hell.
“I highly suggest you uphold this deal. A hundred years of servitude after your natural death is a bargain for this. She could have easily demanded ten-thousand years instead.”
Ben sighed. “Tell me about it.” He then turned to the Senshi who were all in council with Tohsaka Rin.
Ami took note of his presence and quietly interrupted the conversation, gesturing to Benjamin.
“Yes?” asked Rin, slightly cross at his intrusion.
“Just checking,” said Ben, trying to sound appeasing.
Rin sighed. “I’m sure it can be done. Look, don’t take this the wrong way. I do think that what your doing is huge. But the less you bother us, the sooner it can happen. Now go away. We’ll let you know when we’re done here.”
“Yes, Miss Tohsaka,” said Ben, feeling a bit chastened. He turned to go check in with Nanoha and Fate, but was pulled up short by someone calling him.
“Rodes’-dono.”
Ben turned. It was Rei, and unlike the last few times he’d seen her, she was a bit pensive this time.
“Hino-dono,” he replied with a bow.
“Don’t,” she said, and not in a harsh way. “After this... it should be the other way around. I’ve only ever heard of one other person doing something like this... and I love her more than anything else in all of existence.
“Rodes-dono... I understand that once you had feelings for me, even though I was only a fictional character to you at the time. And I understand that you may have feelings for me even now.
“I have an admission to make. I was... frightened. Not only about the fact that you know so much about me. But also of what letting you in would do to me. But now I see... no matter how terrible the darkness inside of you is... it’s you. Your darkness is you, and because of that, it’s not so frightening anymore. Because... now I know what you are capable of.
“I still don’t believe we would be good for each other... my heart already belongs to others... But I know now that you would never have hurt me. The only one that could have hurt me is myself. And now I regret that I pushed you away before. Please forgive me of my callousness, Rodes-dono.”
“Thank you. From now on though, if you like, you can just call me Ben or Benjamin.”
“Then call me Rei. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you, Rei. Though, if you’ll excuse me...” he then turned to look over at Nanoha and Fate, who were both looking at Alicia inside her capsule and whispering to each other. “I think I should go check on my family.”
“They’re serious about that, aren’t they?”
Ben nodded. “I don’t know why, just... there’s something between Nanoha and me. It kinda drives us both crazy, though in a good way. And for me and Fate... We were kindred long before we met.”
“...The things your father did to you...” said Rei softly.
Ben nodded and sighed. “I hate it. I hate that there are so many people out there that take their children for granted. It happened to you. It happened to her. It happened to me.
“No more of it. We break this cycle of abuse and neglect this generation.” He then looked to Rei and smiled. “However long this takes... if you do work something out, and you’re still around, don’t be afraid to call on me. Any of you. It’s going to be a while until I can have children of my own, and I can help you guys learn the ropes. Oldest out of seven kids, you know.”
Rei smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.” Her eyes suddenly got a far away look to them. “It is so weird to think about... for them to want to start a family at such a young age...”
“They’re in no rush,” said Ben. “But eventually... yes. Very much yes.”
“I’m glad, then. I don’t think there’s very many men that could be a better father than you. And I think even Mamoru could take lessons from you.”
Ben scoffed. “One thing’s for sure, none of that malarkey about having her get up by herself. It’s one thing to say that one day they won’t be there to pick her up, it’s another to stand outside of arm’s reach. The insecurity that breeds has consequences. Dark Lady was proof of that.”
Rei shivered. “That was so unreal... seeing her like that.”
“Props where its deserved, though. She really rocked out that black dress. Maybe she and Usagi should try for the yin-yang look. Dark side of the moon and light side. I’m gonna have to get Chibi-Usa hooked onto Pink Floyd.”
Rei snorted. “Weirdo,” she said, teasingly. Her face then softened into a warm smile. “Go be with them. You three... you look good together.”
Ben smiled back. “Just wait until they’ve grown up.”
Rei continued to give him that soft smile. “I don’t have to. I made a fire reading.”
That took Ben by surprise, but it sparked something just then. Something that just had to be.
What happened next was almost instinctive. Ben gently took Rei by the shoulders, squaring himself off with the somewhat smaller young woman, and bowed his head. To Rei, for some reason, this felt natural and she did the same.
As their foreheads touch, Rei had a flashback to a place that was cool, arid, and dusty with rust colored rocks and sparse, but beautiful vegetation.
Someone was with her. A family member. A brother? She was about to go someplace and not come back for a long time. Their last moment together was like this, with their foreheads touching together.
Another vision flashed. Her childhood in Japan. Mother was gone. The ceremonies had all concluded the day before. After praying at the family shrine, he was there to comfort her as they both mourned - a boy just a few years older than her.
Flash. They’re older now. He in middle school, she just two years behind him in elementary school still. Their backs are to each other as they both face down bullies. And she knew that everything would be fine no matter what because he had her back, and she had his.
Flash. Her father on her birthday. A loathsome time for her. But he is there again. Telling their own father to go back to the rock he crawled out from under. He is becoming such a man - strong and passionate like she is, not tolerating such pettiness, not even from family, and yet every bit as charismatic as their father. The woman that finds him will be very lucky.
Flash. She in the regalia of Eternal Sailor Mars. He, kneeling before her in dark armor. A burningly bright blade is in her hands as she lays it over one shoulder, then the other, proclaiming him a Lord of Mars - the Knight of Cydonia. Defender of the Innocent. Righter of Wrongs. Deliverer of Justice. Agent of Vengeance.
As they opened their eyes, they both gave each other surprised looks.
“Was that what I think it was?” said Ben, his voice low yet incredulous.
“...a possibility," said Rei at barely more than a whisper, her voice filled with awe. "Something that could have been, but never was.”
“Imouto-chan,” said Ben, and the word rooted Rei right where she stood.
“Aniki,” she breathed.
And just like that, they suddenly threw their arms around each other, tears of anguished joy running from their eyes.
“...I wish that I had been there for you. I am so sorry I wasn’t.”
“Don’t be,” said Rei quietly. “Even if we only imagined it... Maybe... somewhere out there, it’s true.”
Ben scoffed bemusedly as he looked in her eyes, smiling through the tears. “Jeeze, just when I thought things might be normal between me and you.”
“It’s alright,” said Rei as she smiled back. “I think... you were what I needed. A brother. And I’m fine with you being my brother now.” Her grin then turned mischievous and her eyes sparkled with something more than just the tears that were already there. “But don’t you dare tease me, though, or I’ll hit you so hard that it’ll leave a mark for weeks.”
Ben grinned back. “I don’t doubt it, Sis.”
Rei laughed softly. “Whatever. Just go over there and take care of your girlfriends.”
Ben sighed. “So unreal. Talk to you later - I think we got a lot to catch up on now.”
“Have some chai ready,” said Rei as she made her way back to the others. who were already buzzing over what they’d seen just then.
Ben was about halfway there when he heard Minako scream “NANDAIYO!?!?”
He covered his mouth as he tried hard not to explode into laughter.
“What happened?” asked Nanoha as he approached.
“I think I finally found the little sister I always wanted,”
“Heee-EEH?” replied Nanoha.
Ben chuckled. “It’s alright... just... I’ll explain in a bit.”
“We’ve been talking about what to do if this really works,” said Fate, a bit of anxiety creeping into her voice. “Nanoha and I are already sharing her room at the apartment over the Midoriya. But with Alicia... there won’t be any room. Not unless we get Miyuki to share her room...”
“I’ll talk things over with your family,” said Ben. “I can set up an apartment here, permanently, and you girls can spend as much time here as you like.”
“But how?” asked Nanoha.
“Easy. We’ll just enroll you into a school over here and say it was your preference. The local government will let you stay here as long as your parents designate me as your caretaker.”
“You mean it?” said Fate as she warmed to the idea immediately.
“We just have to get your parents to go along with it. We can even set up funding for you... Bank cards for both of you, and Alicia, too; cell phones if you don’t have them already; and an account for your folks to pay a modest rent. No worries about utilities - everything is solar powered, and water and gas are as cheap as dirt here.”
##
Benjamin arrived at the Midoriya just as the last customers were leaving at closing time with Nanoha leading the way. Fate wanted to stay - she was rooted to the spot next to her sister’s stasis chamber while Washu worked on Alicia. Ben doubted that there was any force on Earth that would have been able to move her from there without dire consequences.
“Mama! Papa! Tadaima!”
“Okaerii Nanoha!” said Momoko happily. “I thought you were going to be staying there for a few more days. Did something happen?”
“You could say that,” said Nanoha with a smile of his own.
“There’s a lot to talk about,” said Ben with a somewhat sheepish smile.
Momoko smiled back. “I’ll go ahead and get some tea. Anything you prefer?”
“Plain green tea will be fine,” said Ben.
Shiro offered them seats at one of the tables as Kyouya counted down the til and Miyuki swept the floors in preparation to mop.
“So, how did everything go?” asked the Takamachi patriarch.
“As well as could be expected,” said Ben. “We’ve run into some disturbing revelations.”
Momoko arrived with the tea, asking, “What kind of revelations?”
“Some of the worst. Fortunately, we’re all okay. But there’s now a lingering threat. Kyouya and Miyuki should hear this, too.”
The two froze. Kyouya set the money aside and went to make sure the doors were locked while Miyuki set her broom against the counter and joined them at the table.
“Alright,” said Ben, and he then plunged on ahead, telling them about the Incubators, how they powered their civilization, and how they sacrificed the lives of human girls to do so.
The Takamachis were shaken by the news.
“And here we were thinking that we would be safe from the Slaugh this far south,” said Shiro as he shook his head. “So, is there a way to fight these things?”
“The Goddesses are already working on locking down their operation,” said Ben. “But a number of the Kyubey constructs have gone to ground. They’re being careful not to do anything to draw attention to themselves. Which, fortunately, means that they aren’t doing much of anything. Washu is working on a few things, regardless. There is some good news, though.”
“There is?” said Miyuki with a hopeful look.
Nanoha nodded. “Benjamin made a deal with the Daimakaicho. She’s going to help us bring Fate’s sister, Alicia, back. And at the end of Ben’s life, he’ll spend a hundred years working as the Daimakaicho’s bounty hunter to pay her back.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” said Shiro, point-blank.
“Hild is cutting me me a straight-forward deal on this,” said Benjamin. “No hidden traps or loopholes. Besides, I’d do whatever I could to make Fate and Nanoha happy. If that means I spend a hundred years making up for it after I die? That’s a steal as far as I’m concerned.”
Briefly, a silent exchange took place between Shiro and Momoko.
Do we do anything about this?
It’s his choice. I think its worth it.
Is it?
If the contract is fair? Definitely.
“Alright,” said Shiro. “We understand. Though having to put Alicia up as well does make things a bit inconvenient.”
Ben raised a hand to stop Shiro. “I’ve already thought about that.”
Everyone gave Ben a surprised look. “How so?” asked Shiro.
“I’m not suggesting that everyone moves in, but I have an abundance of living space available. If we were to enroll the girls into one of the private schools on the West Side of town, and you appoint me as their caretaker, then Nanoha and Fate can live at Westwoods.”
“It’ll be great!” piped up Nanoha. “Ben wants us to learn to live independently. He has plans for us to have prepaid bank cards, so it’ll be like being grown up and having a wage.”
“What about the bills?” asked Momoko.
“I’d like it if you folks paid a modest rent on their behalf,” said Ben. “But other than that... like I told the girls, everything there is solar powered, and gas and water are cheap as dirt around here. The only thing they’ll really need to pay for themselves is food. Otherwise, the money you send them will just a glorified version of an allowance.”
“How much were you going to ask?” asked Shiro.
“Four hundred a month. And that’s for a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with nine-hundred square feet of space, fully furnished, and utilities and Internet included.”
Shiro took out a notepad and a pen and did the math, converting the square footage into tatamis.
Everyone’s eyebrows went up at that.
“Wow,” said Kyouya. It was no secret that his relationship with Shinobu was deepening, and the idea of sharing an apartment with her suddenly seemed very tantalizing. The only thing would be getting her parents to go along with it.
“Alright then,” said Shiro with a small smile. “Since we still haven’t set it up yet, we’d like it if you came and played your guitar in the store at least twice a week for us. The business that will bring in will make up for paying their rent and providing them with a bigger allowance. But what about later on? When it’s time for everyone to go back to the universes they came from?”
Ben shrugged. “Then it’s time for everyone to go. From what I’ve been told, this universe will cease to exist - no worries, there’s no existential threat. This universe came into being when the causalities of several universes began to merge together. When the Goddesses fix everything, all that causality will reverted all back into their original sources and it will be like nothing ever happened.”
“What about Alicia?” asked Momoko.
“That deal will be binding even after this is all said and done,” said Ben. “I wouldn’t have gone this far with it otherwise. Rest assured, I will protect Alicia with everything I have. At least until she can stand on her own. And even then? She’d only have to ask and I’ll be there.”
Shiro nodded. “That’s good enough for me, then.”
##
Benjamin put Rin and the Senshi up for the night while Rob went back home for the evening.
In the morning, everyone was getting ready for what was certain to be a huge event.
As Ben entered Washu’s lab, he found just about everyone from his complex and Rob’s had shown up.
It’s an event, thought Ben to himself chidingly. Not a party. Party though it wasn’t, Ben was sure that there was going to be some low-key reception afterwards.
Most of everyone was clustered around a table where Benjamin’s contract with Hild was on display. Hild was standing by and looking somewhat smug as everyone tried their best to find some kind of loophole in the legalese, but to no avail.
Rob found Ben quickly.
“As our usual go-between to the celestials would no doubt say, this is one Hell of a document.” Rob grinned. “But I’ve gone through the bureaucratese twice, and Kazari treated it like computer code and checked the wording for logic bombs while I was double-checking the meanings of a few obscure terms.”
“And?” asked Ben with a knowing little grin.
“It’s exactly what you represented it to be. Hild isn’t trying to pull a fast one here.”
“So it's okay if I sign it,” said Ben with just a bit of good natured sarcasm.
Rob's expression went completely neutral. “Only if you're sure that this is what you want to do.”
Ben was slightly taken aback by that. “Okay, what's wrong?”
“You're taking on responsibility for her life, here. Are you ready to be a father?”
Ben gave Rob a Vulcan Eyebrow so severe that it forestalled any further comment. Ben strode to the table, the crowd parting once they noticed he was making his way through. Without missing a beat, pulled out a fine-tipped sharpie marker and signed the document with his full, unabbreviated name - a signature that he has only used a few times in his life, one of which was when he signed his contract of enlistment into the Navy. And then as if that wasn't enough, he took out a lancet - the sort used by diabetics to test their blood glucose level - lanced his thumb, and then pressed it to the document next to his signature.
He then looked to Rob with a crooked grin. “I’ve been ready for a long time.”
Rob grinned and offered to shake Ben’s hand. “Welcome to the club!”
“Only in the loosest sense,” said Ben as he shook Rob's hand. “More likely than not, She’s gonna call me her big brother. And it'll fit if Fate... well, you know.”
“For what it’s worth Benjamin,” came Hild’s voice as she approached, “I am happy for you. You’d better make those girls happy, though, or else I’ll spend a bit of quality time with you.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Ben in an unusually meek tone. “You should know, though... how much I hate hurting people.”
“As long as you do your part to make things better,” said Hild. She then turned to face everyone. “We’ll be starting in just a few minutes, everyone. I’ll give you all a few minutes more to look over the contract.”
As Hild spoke, Washu wheeled out one of her hospital beds. In it was Alcia, her cheeks rosy and chest moving softly. It was an illusion, though. While her body was indeed alive, there was nothing there. In fact, a small device rested on her forehead with a couple of red and green blinkenlights flashing.
Ben went to look at her, as did Fate and Nanoha. The others remained a respectful distance back, murmuring softly to each other. After looking over the beautiful little girl, Ben then turned to Washu.
“Hello Washu-chan. I take it you have the Phylactery?”
“Right here,” she said as she removed a small diamond pendant from her pocket. “One-hundred percent pure carbon, nano-assembled into a diamond crystal. As we discussed, it’s been engineered from the inside-out to be as strong as possible. The Emerald Cut makes it easy to mount safely and securely. The mount itself is a monomolecular construct. It has a dimensional transponder so that, should it ever be lost or stolen, we can find it no matter what.”
Benjamin nodded. “Alright. Miss Tohsaka? It’s your show now.”
“About time,” grumped the young woman. “I’ve had this spell circle ready long before you decided to crawl out of bed.”
“I’d like to see how well you do with a circadian rhythm that’s permanently locked,” said Benjamin, giving Rin his Vulcan Eyebrow.
“Can’t you just fix that?” said Rin in puzzlement as she set the pendant down in the middle of her spell circle.
“Washu-chan can do it, for sure,” said Ben. “But the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Late nights are my forte, and I can get a lot more done at night when there’s fewer distractions.”
“If you wanna try it, I can set you up,” said Washu with an impish grin.
Rin stepped back with a sickly smile. “Ah, thanks but NO thanks. Really. I like my circadian rhythm the way it is.”
“Darn,” said Washu as she snapped her fingers in disappointment.
“Anyhow, I’m gonna get started. Ben, I’ll need you to back off a bit. No offense, but your MD Field could ruin things before we even got started.”
“Right,” said Ben sheepishly as he scooted backwards by ten feet. “This good enough?”
“Perfect. Okay everyone, quiet please so I can concentrate on this.”
Rin took out one of her power stones and then focused on the spell circle, energizing it with the stored power in her gem.
Meanwhile, specially assigned people had been buddied-up with others who might start chattering to help maintain silence for Rin’s sake.
Fortunately, Rin was able to complete her task with no incident.
“Alright, it’s done,” she said as the gemstone she was using crumbled into dust and the spell circle dimmed. She then picked up the pendant and presented it to Benjamin.
“Don’t worry,” said Rin. “Part of the spell matrix I burned into this gem is hardening against your disruption ability. You’d actually have to make a considerable effort to unravel it. You want my advice though? Don’t.”
“We’re not even going to attempt anything like that,” said Washu as Ben accepted the pendant.
“Okay,” said Hild. “Thank you, Miss Tohsaka, for your efforts.”
“Thank you guys. Now that Washu-chan is supplying us with gems, my life has become a whole lot easier.”
Hild smirked. “Indeed. Benjamin, go ahead and put the pendant around her neck. I’ll need you, Fate, and Usagi for the next part.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” continued Hild as Ben carefully slipped the chain under Alicia neck. “I’m going to call up Alicia’s soul - Belldandy and the others have already made sure that I can do that. Once she’s here, it will be Usagi’s job to bind her into the gemstone, and tie Benjamin’s life-force into it. Afterward, I will use your memories, Fate, to create the new ones for her.”
“What will she remember about Precia?” asked Fate.
“Everything up until the accident,” said Hild. “That part she will remember clearly. What she will not remember is what came between the accident and the time she spent with you in the that dream the Book of Darkness created. What she learns of her mother afterwards is up to you people. Beware, all of you: it is true what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Be careful about what you do and do not tell her.”
Benjamin nodded. “Let me handle that,” he said. “I already owe you a service, Lady Hild. If this turns out to be a sin, then I’ll take that sin upon myself and work it out with you.”
“Upon your head be it, then, Benjamin. Now, each of you, place your dominant hands over the gemstone.”
Fate went first, then Ben, and then Usagi. And then Hild.
She then began to sing.
Hild’s voice had an almost otherworldly quality as she sang in what was clearly a minor key. It started out almost like a dirge and a lament.
“Death has accepted Ben’s offering,” came Hild’s telepathic voice. “I have her soul now. Usagi, take her. You know what must be done.”
An orb or pristine light had appeared in Hild’s free hand. Usagi nodded her head, and as she accepted Alicia’s soul, her gown and regalia of the Moon Empress sprang into being on her person. Suddenly, Usagi was as radiantly beautiful as Belldandy.
As the Lunar icon apeared on her head, so too did the Silver Moon Crystal. It bathed the phylactery and Alicia’s beautiful little soul in brilliantly pure light. Tentatively, at first, the soul touched the phylactery.
“It’s okay,” said Usagi’s voice in their heads, though it was directed to Alicia’s soul. “I know it seems scary at first. It always is. But you’ve done this before. Life is waiting for you!”
Alicia’s soul then began to settle into the diamond, almost like someone settling into a deep bathtub, and suffused the phylactery with its light.
“Good,” said Hild. “Now then, Fate. I know this will hurt. But all good things come with a cost. Turn your mind back to what you have been trying to forget. Turn you mind back, and recall everything in the clearest detail.”
There were no voices from Fate, only images like a movie. The brief time that she spent there in that illusory dream. And we all felt her as she wept quietly at the memory, at the cruelness of it.
Hild drew the memories out, and carefully planted them into Alicia’s mind.
“Now then, Brave Benjamin. Brother Benjamin. Beloved Son of the Right Hand. Let me take your essence and bind it to her.”
Ben tried to relax, then flinched as he felt Hild’s metaphorical hand reach into him. She paused, patiently waiting as Ben made himself relax again, and willed himself not to react as he felt Hild draw something from him. He could feel it, even as she tied it into the gemstone that held Alicia’s soul.
Suddenly, Ben felt his perspective shift, and suddenly he was in a white room that held many mirrors, all of them facing each other and reflecting light into infinity.
“Hello,” said a little girl’s voice. “Who are you?”
Benjamin turned and there was Alicia wearing a little white sundress.
“Oh!” said Ben. “I beg your pardon for the intrusion. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay,” said Alicia. “I can tell that you didn’t do it on purpose. So what’s your name?”
“I’m Benjamin. And you must be Alicia.”
“How did you know!?” cried out the girl, though her face lit up gleefully at being recognized.
Ben went down on one knee so he could look at her on her level and smiled.
“I’m a very close friend of your sister, Alicia.”
“You are?” she asked. “But why are you here then?”
Ben opened his mouth, but Alicia’s face suddenly fell, as though she had just seen something terrible. And just like as if she’d seen something terrible, she charged Benjamin and then threw her arms around him.
“I saw it. Just now,” she said quietly. “Something happened to Mommy. She’s... not here anymore, is she? And she hurt Fate too... And you were hurt, too... Why do so many people have to be hurt?”
Ben sighed as he hugged Alicia back, not sure how she was seeing these things.
“I don’t know, Alicia,” said Ben quietly. “There’s a lot of evil in the world. Fate and I... we we’re lucky to meet.”
“You love Big Sis, don’t you?” Alicia whispered.
“Yeah. She’s very special to me.”
“...When I grow up, I want to help people like you do. Will you be my Big Brother and teach me?”
“I’ll teach you everything I know, Alicia.”
“Thank you, Big Bro,” she whispered as she squeezed tightly.
She then let go and looked Ben in the eyes. There were tears there, but also hope. A lot of hope.
“There’s so much I want to see... things that I would never have seen if you didn’t love Big Sis as much as you do. Let’s go and see them.”
Ben smiled despite the tears that stung his own eyes.
“You got it, Little Sis.”
The next thing Ben knew, Hild’s song was trailing off. It was still in a minor key, but the ending notes held the promise of tomorrow to them.
And as Ben’s eyes opened, so did Alicia’s. Right away, her eyes found Fate’s own.
“Hi, Big Sis,” she said softly.
Fate put her arms around Alicia and burring her head into the pillow next to her sister’s.
“Hello... Alicia...” she managed to say before she broke down.
##
Alicia was very weak. But Washu assured them all that she would be better after a day or two of her treatments.
Fate and Nanoha were staying there with her. No exceptions. Washu didn’t push the matter. She simply smiled kindly and brought up beds for them as well.
Ben kissed all three of them goodnight and went outside.
As he had thought, there was a very low-key gathering. Though it was subdued, there was a happy current that ran through the crowd. When Ben came out, everyone began to gather around him and take turns shaking his hand, congratulating him for what he’d made possible.
“But guys, it wasn’t just me,” he said.
“Don’t be so modest,” said Rin. “Yeah, a lot of us had contributions. But it was you who just told Destiny where to shove it and how far.”
“Thanks... just...” Ben floundered as he tried to find the words. “I still couldn’t have done it myself. At least not without taking on even more debt.”
“For this, Benjamin?” said Usagi. “You didn’t even have to ask. When we heard we didn’t even wait.”
Ben scoffed. “I did think it was kinda funny how you all got here so quickly. It wasn’t like it was an emergency.” Suddenly, a yawn came on that Ben couldn’t fight off. “Oof. I’m beat.”
“Well it only stands to reason,” said Ami. “You just shared so much of your life energy with Alicia. You should go rest now. We can sort ourselves out.”
Ben smiled tiredly. “Thanks guys. Stay as long as you like - I know how you love to make use of the Onsen here.”
##
When Ben got up to his apartment, Hild was up there, waiting for him.
“Lady Hild,” said Ben. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Hild chuckled. “Oh, there is so much you can do that would make my day, Benjamin.
“The Tohsaka girl is right,” said Hild. “Your contract has disrupted karma.”
Ben shrugged. “By all rights, karma has been blown to hell with everything that’s happening here.”
“True,” said Hild with a nod. “But you have... well, not quite cheated Death... but you’ve made a binding agreement. And Death is willing to accept your service in exchange for Alicia to live the life she wasn’t meant to have.”
“You know how I feel about that ‘meant to’ crap,” said Ben.
Hild grinned. “That’s part of why I like you, Benjamin. You will fight to destroy the tragedies and replace them with happiness.” Her grin then turned sinister. “You had better be careful. If you keep that up, then one day you will take too much upon your soul and you will fall. And what a glorious fall it will be.”
“Hoping that I’ll drag down all these people with me?” said Ben.
Hild chuckled. “Oh no. That’s part of why you will fall in the first place. What I love the most about it, though? I just know you’re going to bring a lots of deserving souls down with you, kicking and screaming the entire way. And you will laugh such a wonderful laugh, because they are damned and you have denied them their escape from Hell.”
Hild licked her lips at the thought. “I might even reward you for such a deed.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven?”
“I’m sure that Lord Phantomhive will appreciate having you under his retainer.”
“We’ll see what happens. By the way, she somehow figured out what happened.”
Hild blinked at that. “Oh? About Precia?”
Ben nodded. “Not only that, but me as well. She knows that both Fate and I were abused by our parents, and figured that we had bonded very closely over that.”
“Interesting,” said Hild thoughtfully. “It must be mental conamination coming from you. I did warn you that parts of you might rub off on her, but I never thought it would be this fast or blatant.”
Ben sighed. “So there’s a telepathic bond between us now?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What is certain, though, is that from now on, Alicia will be want to be as close to you as possible. For so long as she needs her phylactery and is reliant on your spiritual energy, she will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame. She will crave your presence and especially your touch.” She chuckled at that. “It might make finding personal time for you and your two little paramours difficult. She may even drive a wedge between you.”
Ben sighed at that. “I’ll sit down with the three of them and we’ll talk. It will be better to get this out into the open.”
“Good. I may be in the business of gathering souls for hell, but I wouldn’t want to see those girls broken up over you.”
“Thanks. Anything else?” he asked.
Hild shook her head. “I’ve already done my due diligence.”
Ben nodded. “Of course, Lady Hild. I’ll try not to trouble you any more.”
“Good. I am a busy person after all. There is just one other thing, though,” said Hild. And then without warning, she pulled Ben up to her and her lips were covering his as she shoved her tongue into his mouth.
It caught Ben off guard, but he knew better than to scorn the Mistress of Hell.
“Mmm~” said Hild as she broke of the steamy kiss. “Not bad at all. You will have to deal with two very healthy young women in the future - and rest assured, as sweet as they are now, they will crave pleasure when they’re older. And not only for pleasure’s sake, but for much more primal reasons as well. In just a few short years, the vessels within them will start demanding to be filled. Oh, it is so fascinating to watch as young girls grow up and lose their innocence in bits and pieces. And these two will be even more amusing to watch as they try to resist... and then try to tempt you when they cannot resist anymore.
“But I wonder which of you is going to be too much for the others to handle. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping an eye on your three. If I like what I see, then perhaps once you’ve finished your mortal life and I have you, you can perform other services while Death isn’t making use of you.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “I certainly hope that I won’t just be some plaything to you.”
Hild chuckled darkly. “My playthings all writhe in the agonizing and eternal fires of Hell. Having you as a consort will be something else entirely~. Think about it, Benjamin. But not too hard. You have plenty of time.”
There was a burst of flames and suddenly she was gone.
Ben sighed. He really hated cold showers.
##
It was all illogical. None of it made any sense at all. The entire civilization. Locked down, just like that.
The rest of them were already making plans. They’d broken out of traps like this before. They just needed the energy to do so.
And energy harvest was what the Incubators specialized in.
Even though they’d had some success with Precia - her despair had been quite remarkable, even for an adult of her species - that had been rendered moot by those interlopers.
Magical Girls? Without Soul Gems? How? And that man that somehow disrupted magic... Not logical... but very intriguing.
Kyubey and two others herded one of Precia’s familiars into a secluded space under one of the elevated expressways where many homeless made their meager resting points. The familiar decided this was good enough and then burrowed through the fabric of space, creating its own labyrinth.
After it has fed a few times, then it would become a fully-fledged witch itself. And judging by the conditions, it wouldn’t be too long until it would start spawning its own familiars.
Precia had been a setback. But it had its sights set on another.
Further up north, a Kyubey crept through one of the properties. The dogs didn’t even stir - it made no noise and generated no scent. It had to be careful, but the risks were outweighed by the potential rewards.
“Hello Alisa,” said the Kyubey, beaming its telepathic thoughts straight into the mind of the little girl inside the mansion. “Would you like to become a magical girl, just like your friends?”
End of Volume 1