[IC][WIP][Arc 1] How I Managed to Quit Worrying and Love The Grief Seed

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, new tag!  [WIP] can be used in place of [STORY] to indicate stories that are works in progress and therefore very rough.  Can also be used to indicate that you are still a bit fuzzy on the timestamps and will hammer that out in due time.

In this, we have the promised story that I plotted out earlier in the planning thread and everyone unanimously approved.

This is only some of it so far.  I'm posting it now so that you guys can see that I actually have been working on something for the project.

---

It had been a week after the Halloween Party.

Ben still felt disjointed from the whole thing.  His mind kept going back to that night.  His shirt soaked with Fate’s and Nanoha’s tears.  The warmth of them wrapped around him.  And the profound sense that he had landed himself into trouble.

He sighed at that as he made his breakfast - steel-cut oatmeal (not the weak-sauce rolled oat crap), scrambled egg sandwich on toasted wheat, with sharp cheddar and sweet-pickled jalapeno peppers, a big mug of English breakfast tea, a tall glass of orange juice, and a banana.
The morning news was on the TV in the living room and he was just setting his tray down when there was a polite knock at the door.

They were early.

Ben went to the door and opened it, not entirely surprised to find Nanoha, Fate, Alice, and Suzuka.

“Hey girls!” said Ben cheerfully as he opened the door wide.  “Come on in.  I was just sitting down to eat my breakfast.”

“Oh!” cried out Nanoha in surprise.  “Uhm...”

“Nanoha, it’s alright,” said Ben.  “Just get on in here.  It’s fine that you’re early, I just wasn’t quite expecting it.”

“Eh-heh-heh, well,” said Nanoha sheepishly as everyone filed in and started to exchange outside shoes for house slippers.

Fate took over since it seemed Nanoha was too embarrassed.

“Alice felt that it would have been beneath her and Suzuka to take the bus, so she asked her family’s chauffeur to drive us over.”

Once Ben closed the door, though, Fate surprised him by suddenly lunging and wrapping her arms around him, and surprising Suzuka and Alice.

Ben sighed - in for a penny, in for a pound - went down on one knee and hugged Fate back, simply enjoying the closeness as they let their cheeks rub together.  He could smell the sweet fragrance of her shampoo and body wash.

“What’s all this about!?” cried out Alice in shock.

That put Ben on the spot, but Fate turned to her and said, “Benjamin... he is special.  He did something... something that earned my love and respect.”

“My turn!” said Nanoha as she opened her arms wide.  With little other choice, Ben kneeled down and gave her a hug, too.

It was every bit as nice as Fate’s hug.

“You too, Nanoha?” said Suzuka in surprise.

“He’s a very good person.  He did something very brave and courageous that he didn’t really have to do, and he did it because he wanted Fate to feel better.  So if he gets hugs from Fate-chan, then he’s gonna get hugs from me too.”

Alisa and Suzuka looked to each other, and Suzuka just shrugged.  Alisa sighed and decided to take it in stride.  After all, it wasn’t as if they could possibly love him that way.

“Girls, do you want anything to drink?  I got orange juice, milk, water, or even tea if you’d like some.”

“No thanks,” said Fate.

“Okay then,” said Ben, “then I’m gonna get back to my breakfast before it gets cold.”  As he then turned he spotted a developing issue.  “Or before my CATS get to it!”

Babs, who had been sniffing at the plate he’d left on the coffee table, and Luna, waiting for any potential windfalls, both shot their heads up in that classic “Oh crap! Dad caught us!” look and darted away, scrambling up the cat tree and parking themselves up on top of the bookcase.

“Oh!  What pretty cats!” said Suzuka as she began trying to tempt the two of them down.

“Luna will probably come down - the larger black and white one.  She’s likes to play up this ‘oh woe is me’ shtick and loves attention.  She’ll act like a ragdoll cat in your hands.”  He finally bit into his breakfast sandwich, savoring the blend of flavors, especially the cheese and sweet jalapenos.

“What’s the other one’s name?” asked Suzuka as the other girls made themselves comfortable on his sectional sofa.

Ben swallowed before saying, “Her name is Babs. Which is short for Babd Catha, who was a Celtic war goddess known for taking the shape of a raven and causing chaos for the soldiers she didn’t favor.”

“Is she a mean kitty?”

“No.  Just... Very VERY CAT.  You know, aloof, haughty, acts innocent of all sin, and slow to trust other people.  She likes me only so much as a warm lap, though it helps that I helped raise her as a kitten.”  Ben took another bite.

“You mean she’s not anymore?”

Swallow.  “Mngh.  Yes, she’s about as big as she’s ever going to get.”

“She’s so tiny, though!”

“Oh, she makes a tiny little meow, too.  Almost like she’s trying to whisper.”

“How cute!”

Ben chuckled evilly.  “Don’t let it fool you.  If she’s meowing at you, she’s actually telling you to leave her alone.  You’ll only get about two warnings before she hisses and takes a swipe at you.  Just be calm and she’ll decide if she wants to get to know you.”

As Ben turned back to his meal, Luna gave into temptation and was immediately doted upon by Suzuka.

Meanwhile the local news broadcast on the TV shifted to another topic.

“Police today are stymied as yet another body has turned up - the third so far in a string of unusual deaths.  So far the victims have been homeless people in the vicinity of Centro Plaza.  Further stymieing authorities is that a clear cause of death has yet to be determined.”

Benjamin looked to Suzuka, communicating the question.

Suzuka shook her head.  Had there been anything that her family would have known about this, they would have told her.

Benjamin looked back to the TV as the news wrapped up by cautioning the public about being in the area after hours.

“Something is out there,” he said grimly.  He then reached for his cell phone and dialed Washu.

##

Benjamin showed the girls to the apartment that they’d be sharing.  He’d already put in all the furniture they’d need - they could personalize things later.  Leaving them to get settled in, he went to Washu’s lab, knocked on her door, and was immediately allowed in.  Waiting inside were Washu and Teletha.

“Glad you could make it,” said Washu impishly.

Ben grinned wryly.  “Well, you know how it is, you get a bit of authority, and suddenly everyone else's problems are now yours.”

Washu scoffed.  “Don’t I know it!”

Teletha smiled.  “How very true.”  Her face then went somber as she asked, “Do you really think that the Tsukimuras have anything to do with the killings?”

“No,” said Ben flatly.  “I never got that vibe off of them.  They’re good people.  Mostly what I’m aiming for is information.”

Washu nodded.  “And with the desiccated state of the bodies, you’d want to go to the subject matter experts.  I just wish we could get a hold of one of those bodies.”

“Would if we could,” said Ben.  “Anyhow, I’ve already called ahead, so all there’s to do is to drive over.”

“Are we taking the van or the big truck?”

Ben sighed.  “Rather not - diesel is pricey and I’d like to keep their usage to when it’s absolutely needed.  And that just leaves us with Scrappy.  Washu-chan, would you mind being in the jump seat behind Teletha?”

“I’ll live,” said Washu breezily.  “Advantages of coming in such a small package, you know?”

“Yes,” said Teletha, “but all the same it would be nice if you could find something more practical.”

“It’s in the works,” said Ben.  “I’ve got a line on a Saturn S-series coupe, a 2000 with the dual overhead cam engine - it’s the third generation model so it has the cool suicide door behind the driver’s door.  I’m also looking at a nice 1996 BMW 525i.”

“Can you afford that?” asked Teletha.

“I’m getting more than enough money.  The owner of the Bimmer wants two grand, and so does the owner of the Saturn.  I had that socked away as of last payday.  In fact, I’m also gonna be buying myself a lot of tools.  I have projects that I’ve wanted to do, but never the money for them.  Let’s get going.  The girls will be fine for the time being, but I’d rather not let them be for too long, even if Sosuke is keeping an eye on things.”

##

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” said Ben gratefully as Noel saw them all to their seats before serving the tea.

“No need to thank us, Benjamin,” said Shun Tsukimura with a grave expression as he looked to them over his glasses.  He appeared as an average salaryman of Japan, save for the violet eyes that his daughters bore.  “We were concerned ourselves when the corpses began to show up.”

“At first we thought it was a fluke,” said Haruna, her dark-blue hair almost looked black and matched her eyes.  “But then the second body was found and we started to become concerned.”

“Whoever is doing this is jeopardizing our way of life,” said Shun.  “This sort of behavior among our kind was once tolerated, but as forensic science has progressed in these modern days, the dangers of being discovered have drastically increased.  It is thanks to the noble service of our human servants that we are able to live this life without resorting to such unseemly behavior.”

With that, Noel bowed quietly, respectfully acknowledging the gratitude of her masters.

“For that reason,” said Shinobu suddenly, “Kyouya, Miyuki, and myself have all volunteered to assist you in any way that we can.”

“Are you sure of that?” asked Teletha.  “If things go bad, we would feel absolutely horrible if one of you were caught up in it.”

“It’s fine with us,” said Haruna.  “We only ask that Alisa and Suzuka be kept out of this.”  She then grinned wryly.  “Though I can’t imagine that Nanoha and that dear girl, Fate, would be willing to be sidelined like that.”

Ben sighed.  “I don’t think anyone could stop them, even by main force.”  That caused a ripple of chuckles as we all knew of the fiery streak possessed by the youngest of the Takamachi Clan.  “At any rate, when do you want to come over?”

“I should be ready by this afternoon.  Kyouya and Miyuki as well.”

“Good,” said Ben.  “That’ll give me time to check up on the girls and the rest of my tenants, and then come back with the van.”

##

When Ben got back, it was to a not entirely unwelcome surprise.

“Come on come on come on!” said Sasami insistently as she began pushing Ben along the moment he got out of Scrappy.

“Whoa, where’s the fire, cute stuff?” said Ben bemusedly.

“If you don’t hurry it’s gonna be under your butt!~” taunted Sasami.

“SASAMI-CHAN!” cried out Aeka in shock, but the girl only giggled.  Ben could only shrug helplessly as he went along with her.

Quickly, Ben was guided right into Nanoha’s and Fate’s apartment where they all waited for him - Nanoha, Fate, Suzuka, and Alisa.

And spread out on the table was lunch - tuna salad sandwiches, dill pickle spears, and barely tea.

“Surprise!” they called out gleefully.

“Girls!” cried out Ben in pleasant surprise.  “You didn’t have to go and do this for me!”

“Au contraire,” said Alisa with mocking haughtiness.  “You’ve been doing so much for us all, we felt it was only right to give a little back to you.  It’s only fair, after all.”

Ben rolled his eyes at that.  “Well, try not to spoil me here, okay?”

“Okay,” the five girls all chorused, and then broke out into giggles.

##

The day held one more surprise when Ben went to pick up Shinobu with the van.

Waiting with Shinobu with a bag of her own was little Francesca K. Erhlichkeit.  (It turns out that Farin was a mutation of Furan, which is the Japanese equivalent of Fran, which is short for Francesca, which makes a lot more sense with a surname so unrepentantly German.)

“Hello Benjamin,” greeted Francesca cheerfully.  “I will be accompanying Miss Tsukimura with you to your home.”

“Okay, said Ben, a bit perplexed.  “Not that I mind, but...”

Shinobu giggled behind her hand.  “Benjamin, with all those girls over there, some of them from such affluent families like ours, we would have been remiss in not sending one of our servants as well.  Besides, my sister and I have our special diets to consider.  Francesca is more than capable of providing for the two of us.”

“Before you ask, Mr. Rhodes, I already have the needed supplies packed.  All I’ll need from you is a comfortable chair to recline in.”

“Well, I can’t argue that logic,” said Ben a bit sheepishly.  He then went to the back of the van and opened the cargo doors.  “Let’s get you lovely ladies saddled up.”

##

Once they picked up Kyouya and Miyuki, Kyouya and Shinobu moved to the last row and sat close together in the middle, talking softly to each other.  Miyuki had Shotgun while Francesca sat in the middle of the first row.

Ben sighed as, while doing his routine check of the rear view, saw that Shinobu and Kyouya were leaning close together.

“Is something wrong?” asked Miyuki.

“Oh, not really,” said Ben, pitching his voice low enough that only she would hear him.  “Just an old problem.”

“May I ask?” said Miyuki.

“Well... I don’t like to seem like an ugly person,” said Ben slowly, “but I’m just a bit envious.”

Miyuki twigged to what Ben meant right away.  “I understand.  I myself envy him - that he has that kind of happiness in his life.  But he’s the only boy I’ve ever really known that understands...”

Benjamin nodded slowly as he caught the dangling thread.  “The family trade.  It’s not exactly something you can just talk about with anyone.”

Miyuki nodded in agreement.  “That is one holdover from the old traditions that has good reason for remaining.  Few people would understand that there comes a time where a person must kill another.  Even fewer still understand how intensely personal it is to do it with a blade - to cut them open and watch as the light fades from their eyes.”

“I will admit,” said Ben, “that’s something I would find difficult to relate to.  But I was a sailor in the US Navy.  And while I had no front-line experience, I was expected to be my country’s sword should I be called upon for it - whether it be by circumstance or by chance.”

“I can tell what you’re thinking,” said Miyuki quietly.  “And don’t feel bad about that.  I know I’m attractive.  It’s a consequence of my heritage.  Kunoichi bred for not only ability, but for beauty as well, for a beautiful flower is more likely to lure a foe into its thorns.

“I cannot see myself in such a relationship with you, Benjamin...”  and then suddenly he could hear the impish grin in her voice as she went on, “but that’s mostly because Nanoha has her sights set on you.~”

Ben sighed.  “You sure this isn’t just some passing thing with her?”

Miyuki shook her head.  “She likes girls.  Her first crush was actually another girl at her school in the next grade.  She never told mother and father about it because she was worried about what they might think.  But she told me everything and cried her heart out in my chest.

“Up until she met you, she never had any interest in any males, young or old.  You are special, Benjamin.”

“But what about Fate?”

Miyuki chuckled.  “Do I need to whack you over the head with a shinai?”

“No,” replied Ben, a bit flustered at having been caught off-guard like that.  “I mean...  I know... about Fate...”

Benjamin sighed.  In for a penny, in for a pound.  “I shouldn’t have done what I did, Miyuki.  I shouldn’t have opened up so suddenly to her.  Not when she was still so vulnerable.  People would say that I was taking advantage of her...”

“But you weren’t,” said Miyuki, quietly but firmly.  “You wanted her to feel less hurt.  Less alone in the world.  Yes, she has Nanoha, but you knew that Nanoha could never fully relate to the betrayal Fate suffered, no matter how much she loves her.  She’s never experienced anything like that in her life, and I hope that she never does.

“But you bridge that gap.  You not only balm Fate’s wounds, but you also help bring Nanoha closer to understanding what it is that’s in those wounds that makes them fester.

“Nanoha loves you not only because she is drawn to you, but also because you help her to understand the only other person she cares that much about.”

Ben sighed again.  “Miyuki-”

“No, Benjamin.  I understand - you’re too old for them.  But I saw that picture of your mother.  Heaven have mercy on me, I hope all the gods above and below will bless me that I look that good when I’m sixty years old!”  Miyuki then sighed and went on, “Benjamin... You need to understand.  The love Fate and Nanoha share is going to be fraught with misunderstandings.  I don’t doubt that Nanoha can rise to the occasion.  But with you?  You’re the missing piece.  You are what makes it all work together harmoniously.”

“But... Miyuki, don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not trying to weasel out of this or anything... But... you and your family won’t be staying with us forever.”

Miyuki was silent at that for the next mile, only the hum of the five cylinder turbo diesel engine filling the air.

“We’ll find a way, Benjamin.  I don’t know how, but we’ll find it.”

##

There had been an arrival while they were gone - Peorth and Marller.  They’d been sent as a joint force to help tackle the situation.

Once Ben arrived with the others and unloaded everything from the van, they all filed into the manager’s office where Ben had a smart board set up just for this reason.  Projected on the board was a satellite map of Centro Plaza and everything around it from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and Adult Detention Center to Milliam Park, and from the Haven for Hope homeless shelter down to the UTSA Downtown Campus.

“Here’s where the action has been so far,” said Ben as he gestured with a laser pointer.  “One body found in a dumpster by the jail - how in the blue fuck they got it in there without getting spotted by surveillance I have no idea.  Another over here by the Wells Fargo Bank.  And the last one was in one of the service docks at the UTSA Campus.

“With police activity in the area being as it is, a hideout shouldn’t have lasted long, especially with how these bodies have been getting dumped.  This leaves Washu-chan and I to one conclusion.”

Washu then stepped up to take over.  “People.  I’ve pinged the dimensional space in this region, and someone has a pocket universe in this area.  Unfortunately, I’m unable to get a solid fix on it.  That requires two transceivers placed a lot further apart than my lab is capable of.  And I’ve already asked the Goddesses.”

Peorthe stepped in this time.  “Unfortunately, with the Yggdrasil/Nidhog system being off line, we’re unable to assist.  All we can do is send someone in there to scout things out in person.”

“That’s where I come in,” said Benjamin.  “I’ve been homeless before, so I know how to play and look the part.  I can actually be out there and look for clues.  But I won’t be alone.  We’ll have a group watching from close by, watching for trouble and ready to jump in the moment it comes.

“That said, though, after talking with Peorth, Marller, and Washu, I’ve set up an exclusion list of people we won’t allow to be on that group.  However, I insisted that does not preclude people from being part of a reserve unit that can be called in when we need more help.

“The watch group will post their stake-out on top of the UTSA Frio Street Building.  The location is relatively lax in security - if you arrive directly to the roof by portal and under the cover of a storming field generator, you should go completely without notice.  We’ll also include proximity sensors to alert us when you guys need to make a hasty retreat.

“Any questions?”

Tenchi raised a hand.  “Ben, what if you wind up getting taken?”

“That’s actually what we’re sort of hoping for,” said Washu.  “Don’t worry.  In addition to communication equipment, Ben will be carrying a beacon that we can track through dimensional space.  They won’t get far with him before we can bust down the doors.”

Noike was next.  “What do we do with the culprit once they’re apprehended?  Surely we can’t just turn them over to the local authorities.”

“That’s my job,” said Marller.  “Once we have them, the Daimakaichou herself has some... questions that she’d like to have answered.”

Whoever the culprit was, those who understood what the Daimakaichou was capable of had no envy whatsoever for them.

##

After the meeting, everyone broke up to get dinner.  Ben had to take a moment to make sure that Francesca had what she needed and then went up to his apartment.

And found Peorth up there waiting for him.

“Good evening, Benjamin,” said the scantily clad goddess.  “I hope that you will forgive me for letting myself in.  I was curious about your library and I felt that you needed to talk.”

Ben sighed, not because of the intrusion.  “I have a feeling that I know what this is going to be about.”

“Please, sit down, Benjamin.  I promise that I’m not here as a bearer of bad news.”

Ben nodded, the reluctance evident in his carriage.  “Would you like anything to drink, first?”

“No, but thank you for offering.”

Ben nodded and sat down in the sectional, while Peorth sat in the opposite leg.

“I know, Benjamin, that you are deeply troubled over this matter involving Nanoha and Fate and their feelings towards you.  For the moment, let me assure you: their feelings are indeed genuine.”

Ben nodded.  “I had little doubt of that.  Girls their age and...  well, I guess it’s fair to say that there are some that would lie to get their way, but not these two, and not for this.  But thank you for dispelling any lingering doubts I had on the matter.  Now my only problem is how do I make something like this work?”

“That is very understandable, Benjamin.  The age difference would be quite alarming to some.  But there are ways around this.”

“Oh?” asked Ben.

Peorth nodded.  “For one thing, you have a wish available to you through the Goddess Relief System.  If you would like to, you could use that wish to alleviate the situation in some manner.  And while I can’t tell you what to wish for, I do have the leeway to help you better craft your wish so it will have the desired results.”

Ben sighed.  “That is one way of doing it, but it’s like I said to Miyuki earlier; everyone is going to leave eventually.  What do we do then?  My place is here, and theirs is over there.  They have lives that they need to live out.”

“This is very true,” said Peorth.  “However, you should not approach this as though you do not have allies on your side.  The elder Takamachis witnessed what happened between you three at the Halloween Party.  They are very well aware of Nanoha and Fate’s feelings towards you.  And that night they were made aware of the terrible circumstances of your childhood.”

Ben leaned back in the couch, letting it all wash over him as his guts churned at the realization that Nanoha’s parents knew.

“Benjamin, please understand that they do not disapprove of you.  In fact, they feel that you are an admirable person for the things you do and the heart you have.  They would like to welcome you into their family and take you back home with them.”

Benjamin didn’t react outwardly, but his mind was reeling.  The profound thought that they wanted him in their family.  No matter that he was a broken person with as many faults as he had qualities.  His anxiety wanted to deny it, that he didn’t deserve this.  But a meek and much battered little voice whispered that he did deserve to belong to a good family.

Finally, the logical part of him weighed in: more information was needed, because even if they could bring him with them...

“Even if I could go with them,” said Ben quietly, “We’d still have the same problems... I could only imagine what the people of Uminari City would think of me, forty-seven years old, marrying a girl of twenty, and also taking in her lady-lover, also twenty, as a legal mistress.”

Peorth chuckled.  “They’ve spoken with Washu-chan in that matter.  They’re going to be looking into making you young again so it won’t turn as many heads.  Though I do imagine that a young American with his wife and mistress under the same roof will cause no end of gossip.~”

Ben lifted his head to give Peorth a surprised ‘Say WHAT!?’ look, but she only grinned back at him.

“They’re serious.”

“As serious as can be.”

Ben sat up and sighed.  “They covered all the bases.  They really are serious about this, aren’t they?”  He shook his head in amazement.  “I can only imagine what it’ll be like once they move to Midchilda.  I don’t think I have any mage talent.  I’d probably be the stay-at-home-dad.”

“Oh?  And is there something wrong with that?” asked Peorth.

“No, not really...” Ben sighed.  “Just that I’d worry about them is all.  I mean, I know they’re capable and everything...”

Peorth nodded sagely.  “Such is the plight of the home maker wedded to the soldier.”  She then made a thoughtful sound and said, “You know, it is almost a shame that those two got to you first.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ben.

Peorth smiled back, then stood up, taking a seductive pose.  “Otherwise, because you have so many traits that I admire, I might have taken an interest in you.”

Benjamin blinked at that.  There was only one thing to do in a case like this, and it was to throw The Rule of Funny a bone.

He slowly got up, went to a wall, and with his fists against it, he started rhythmically hitting his head against it, and chanting in Latin in time with the impacts.  Just like Chris Knight did in Real Genius.

Peorth giggled hysterically and somehow that made everything alright with the world.

##

Nanoha hummed cheerfully as she worked in the kitchen.  Her mind was not on what was to come, but rather on what was at that moment.

She could barely believe it, but it took Miyuki having a heart-to-heart with her in order for her to see it herself.

She was in love.  With a girl and a boy.

...Well, you couldn’t really say he was a boy, but still...

Was it confusing for her?  Only a bit.  As far as Nanoha was concerned, she could love both Fate and Benjamin just as much.  Which was great because she knew that Fate had come to like Benjamin as much as she did... though for somewhat different reasons.

The one thing that did bother Nanoha was that Ben wasn’t a girl.

This was something that Miyuki didn’t explain.  Nanoha understood that boys can like boys and girls can like girls.  And sometimes they can like both... which was kinda strange, but that’s not important.

What was important was that Nanoha liked girls.  The nicer boys at school were... nice.  It was fun to play with them sometimes.  But she never got the kind of feelings that meant she liked any of them like that.

So why was Benjamin so special?  He even said so himself that he’s no one special... though considering what happened with him and Fate, Nanoha would dispute that claim.

No no, there was no denying it.  He was special in some very intangible way.  But how?

She thought back to when he held her and Fate close together.

He was very strange, that was for certain.  But in a good way.  Nanoha could tell, he was a person who could be as solid and immovable as a mountain, something that felt safe and stable in one moment... and then suddenly he could be like the air itself - sustaining, yet freely moving and allowing freedom to move.  He was a lot of contradictions, that was for sure.

But once again, her mind turned back to when he held both her and Fate.

And finally it clicked.

Benjamin was that dark place that was not scary.  He was the dark place that was warm and comforting.  Being close to him was like wrapping herself up in a down comforter in the middle of winter time like a caterpillar weaving itself into a cocoon.

While Fate felt like her other half, Benjamin wrapped around them both, providing sanctuary from the harsh world outside.

Nanoha never talked about it to anyone - not even Miyuki - but she was really an anxious person in her own way.  Nearly losing her father the way she did made her realize how easy it was to lose something important.

Her first crush hadn’t helped matters any.

But Benjamin... there was something about him - a sense that so long as he willed it, there was absolutely nothing in heaven or earth that could move him.

Not that he was invincible - the way he’d been hurt was proof of that.

But he would never give up.  She somehow knew that no matter what hardship came his way, he would always be there, stubbornly refusing to give up, and only because there had been one important person in his life.  Someone that he knew that if anything happened to him, it would have utterly broken that one person.

His own mother.

And now, Nanoha knew that she herself was important to him - he had said she was beautiful and all those wonderful things.  She could see it in his eyes - he had seen her in that anime and wished that she could be in his life.  And now that she was, she knew that Benjamin would do whatever he can to live.  He would live for both her and Fate.

Though that sounded a bit selfish when she thought about it that way.

Thinking it over, she reasoned it wasn’t just for selfish reasons she wanted Benjamin to carry on - Nanoha’s Japanese sensibilities would not permit it.

She wanted Benjamin to live because it was the right thing to do.  She would not keep him selfishly to just herself and Fate.  She wanted him to be in the world, helping people in his own way.

What he did for Fate was, in her humble opinion, absolutely beautiful.  She wanted him to be able to help others like that.

She could not do what he had done.  She’d tried with Fate.  She had tried so hard.  The most she could do was tell Fate that she was glad she had made it out, and that she would actually talk to her about it.  She couldn’t wrap her mind around what Fate had endured - never imagine what it would have been like for her own mother to treat her in such a way - but she knew for certain that keeping it bottled in would have killed her just as surely.

But Ben?  He told her flat out that he understood.  He showed Fate his own emotional scars.  He gave Fate the hope that she needed - that there is a life that can be built from such terrible beginnings.

And thus Nanoha’s resolve was set.  Nanoha liked girls, yes.  But Benjamin, despite not being a girl, held the potential of security - someone around whom she could at last let her guard fully and completely down.  Vulnerability was a non-issue with him - he would comfort and protect her.  It was the emotional equivalent to taking off a stuffy suit and putting on your softest and comfiest clothes and curling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate.

And what’s more is that Nanoha knew that she didn’t need to fight for his sake - all he needed was her love.  And for what he offered and has already done?  Love was something she could give Benjamin in abundance.

She did worry that other people might not like it because Benjamin was so much older than them.  But in reality, she didn’t care.  As soon as it was allowed, she wanted to be his family.

“You seem happy,” said Alisa as Nanoha brought dinner out to the table.

“Eh-heh-heh,” chuckled Nanoha nervously.  Just then, she had to take back that bit about not caring about what others thought.  She had no idea what her friend with her American values would think of this!

“Yes,” said Suzuka with a smile, “something does seem to have made you happier than usual, Nanoha.  Would you like to share?”

“It’s probably Benjamin,” said Fate with an almost dreamy smile.  “He is such a wonderful person.”

Nanoha felt a creeping dread at this.  She didn’t feel betrayed by Fate - that would have required her to have known she was doing something wrong.  But Fate didn’t seem to know that things here on Earth worked a biiiiit differently.

Francesca then added her own contribution.  “Mistress, I think I know what Fate is talking about.”

“Oh really~?” said Suzuka, an evil gleam in her purple eyes.  “Do tell, Francesca~.”

“It seems that Benjamin has gained the close affection of Nanoha and Fate.  The poor man.  He is so lonesome, and circumstances of culture and law would keep him from being with them.”

“WHAT!?” cried out Alisa in shock.  “Both of you!?  And him!?  Oh this is just so wrong on several levels!  A man with two women is just plain unconscionable.  And then the fact that he is old enough to be our father!”

“But Alisa,” said Fate.

“No buts!  It’s just wrong and that is all there is to it.”

Tears streaming down her eyes, Fate suddenly ran to the room she shared with Nanoha, who went swiftly after her.

Suzuka and Francesca both gave Alisa grave looks.

“What!?  It’s true!” she said, trying to defend herself.

“Perhaps in the legal sense,” said Suzuka.  “But I sense that there is something deeper at play.”

“Indeed there is,” said Francesca.  “Benjamin and Miyuki didn’t bring it up specifically, but I was able to surmise it from what I know about Fate.  It is apparent that Benjamin was a victim of abuse, just as Fate was.”

“Oh dear,” said Suzuka as her face fell.  “That is terrible.  And saying that they can’t be together... that must have been the worst thing Fate could have been told.”  The two then looked to Alisa, who then had the decency to look sheepish.

“I...  ah...  I didn’t know.”

Suzuka sighed.  “Next time, please ask before you say things like that.”

##

Nanoha held Fate close as she sobbed uncontrollably.  There have been few times where she’s ever wanted to smack someone, let alone a friend, but by gods above and below, Alisa had better be careful about what she says next time!

There was a red glow in the dimply lit room and suddenly someone else was present.

“Oh dear,” said a voice in a somewhat mocking and sultry tone.  “I could sense that there was misfortune afoot in here, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

“What can Big Sister Marller do to make it better?~”

Fate stopped crying, surprised at the sudden intrusion.  Nanoha, though, was quicker on the uptake.

“Raising Heart!”

“STAND BY READY!”

“Now now, there’s no need for that,” said Marller.

“But you’re a demon!” accused Nanoha.

“Well yes, that is true,” said Marller.  “And rest assured, misery and suffering is our stock in trade.  However, if we stand to gain something - that is, to make a profit of some kind - then we are more than willing to aid in true love’s fulfillment.”

“You mean,” said Fate, her voice watery, “you would do something nice if you got something for it in return.”

“Exactly,” said Marller with a grin.  “We may be demons and monsters, but we have our principles.  When we make a deal, we keep that deal.”

“But what can you do?” asked Nanoha.

“What can I do indeed,” said Marller thoughtfully.  “I am a First-Class Demon, so there isn’t much that I can’t do.  And I do know what you want.  What you want is Benjamin, right?  I don’t blame you.  He’s quite the fellow.  Damaged, yes.  He’s a bit of a fixer-upper that way.  But you two have the patience and understanding to handle that.  The question is, how soon do you want him, and how badly?”

“But what could be done to make it happen?” asked Fate.

“Oh, a number of things.  You could wish that he was younger.  You could wish that you were older.  Or you could even wish for it to be socially acceptable.  There’s all kinds of ways around it.  As the saying goes, the sky's the limit.  The only real limit is what you’re willing to pay.”

“What do most people pay for a wish?” asked Nanoha.

“Usually they offer their souls, though we feel that’s pretty unimaginative and boring.  Some, though, will offer some kind of service in exchange - to work for us for a set term fulfilling some kind of task that is vital to our operations.  We’ve gotten some of our better accountants that way.”

“So you’re saying,” said Nanoha slowly, “that if we do something for you, that you will grant us a wish that can allow us to be together with Benjamin.”

“Correct,” said Marller.

Fate and Nanoha looked to each other.  Fate shook her head slightly, and that was all Nanoha needed.

“We appreciate the offer, Marller, but we’ll respectfully decline.”

“As you like,” said the demoness.  “Keep in mind, though, the offer will always be open to you should you ever change your minds.”  Marller’s expression then took on a kinder and gentler look.  “And really, don’t worry about this.  I only offered because I know how much this sort of thing can suck.”

“How?” asked Fate.

“Kid, I’ve been around since the days when Abraham was wearing diapers.  I’ve had a few things with other guys that just didn’t work out because of circumstances.  And just for once, I wouldn’t mind seeing someone else buck the system for the sake of their happiness.”

“You really mean that?” said Nanoha, just now starting to lower her guard just a bit.

“Yes, I really do mean that.” ... “Well, I won’t overstay my welcome.  But I’ll be around.  Whenever you want to talk, just call my name.  I’ll be there.”


##

Benjamin managed to shoo away Peorth so he could get to making a quick dinner.  Once fed, he started working on his ‘disguise’.

He knew pretty much exactly what to do.

Digging into his laundry hamper yielded the clothes he wore when Scrappy had blown its head gasket between cylinders 1 and 2, and had to go through an arduous process to replace it.  In fact, he had worn the clothing for three days in a row in the middle of a sweltering Texas summer.

The clothes, a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, were covered in dirt, grease, and smelled worse than a Old New York City sweatshop.

After that, he messed up his face and hair with used motor oil, giving him an absolutely filthy appearance.  Finishing it all off was his older set of Navy boots - paint spattered and beaten to hell and gone again.  At the very least they were comfortable if no longer waterproof.

Looking in the mirror, he judged himself ready, turned out the lights, and went to lock up on his way out.

And in doing so, almost plowed into Nanoha and Fate.

“Whoah!  Hey girls,” said Ben as he neatly avoided them.

Nanoha looked at him in alarm and said, “Benjamin, what happened to-”  She suddenly stopped as the smell registered.  She scrunched up her nose and reared back as Fate covered her mouth and nose.  “Ewwww!  What is that smell!?”

“About three days worth of literal blood, sweat, and tears,” said Ben.  “Sorry, but this is the best way to blend in as one of the homeless.”

“Does it have to smell so bad?” asked Fate.

“Unfortunately, yes,” said Ben.  “If I smell clean, then the disguise is less convincing.  But with this?  It’ll leave no doubt in others minds.”

“Well let's hurry up and do this so you can get out of those nasty clothes,” said Nanoha.

---

TBC...

[Black Aeronaut]

This bit here will be inserted at the very start, making for a sort of prologue for this story.  I think it works pretty well, but critical commentary is strongly desired.

---

Precia Testarossa was at a loss.

The last thing she remembered was falling into chaotic space - that which lay even beneath dimensional space.

She had hoped that maybe, just maybe she might land in Al Hazred.

Instead, she was in what appeared to be Unadministered World 97 all over again.  But nowhere near where the jewel seeds had landed.  She was in some strange city with wide-open land tracts and a small metropolitan in the center.  The people were different, and so was the language.

Several languages actually!  Utter insanity!

She sighed as she looked to Alicia’s stasis tank.  At the very least she had been able to find a source of power.  It was fortunate that the stasis device had its own internal backup power for emergencies like these - where Alicia was involved, Precia took absolutely no chances.

A sudden coughing fit wracked her and once it passed she looked to her hand.  Blood in her sputum again.  Much more than last time.  Her condition was deteriorating fast and she had no idea of what to do or where to go.

Just then, a noise drew her immediate attention.  An empty beverage container of some cheap metal rolled out from behind a small pile of boxes.  She drew out her device, Scharfrichter, and shifted it into its secondary whip-form.  Whatever was preying on her will not survive the encounter.

“Please do not be alarmed,” said a voice that sounded anything but threatening.  “I do not intend any harm.”

“Show yourself!” demanded Precia.

A strange creature that somewhat resembled a cat, white with red markings, jumped up from behind it’s cover and perched lightly on the boxes.  Its beady little red eyes stared at her with its face frozen in the most ridiculous little smile she had ever seen.  She had no idea what to make of the ‘tails’ that seemed to sprout from its ears, let alone the two gold rings that seems to float around them.

“Greetings.  My name is Kyubey.  You seem to be in a predicament.  I might be able to do something helpful.”

“... Go on, Kyubey.  I will decide for myself if you can indeed be helpful.”

---

This next bit is going to be inserted right after the First Night of the Stakeout.  Here, we get to see a bit of what Precia is up to...

---

Precia gazed into her soul gem.  She would never cease to be amazed by this strange bit of technology.  A mana-reactor of some kind that house her very soul, and empowering her linker core to a level that was far greater than what she had enjoyed in her prime.  She had such power now that she wasn’t even sure if it would fit on the Midchildan scale at all - she was at the very least SSS+ Rank.

“Mother,” said a soft, deadpan voice behind her.  Precia sneered as she turned to the source.

Kyubey had not been able to grant the wish she had wanted.  Instead, all it was able to do was to create a simulacrum of Alicia.

Of course, it behaved nothing at all like her daughter.  It was a dead thing - completely lifeless and devoid of anything that might resemble a soul.  Indeed, looking into its red eyes, Precia could see no light there.  This thing may as well have been an elaborate clockwork doll.  So she had it dressed in a manner similar to Fate.  Though not even that helped much.  They still made her skin crawl and her lip curl.

At the very least, it was faultlessly obedient.  Which was why she had made more.

“What is it?” she demanded in a tone that was just short of being a snarl.

“The latest experiment has concluded,” it stated with a flat tone and an almost mechanical rhythm.

“Yes, and?” she said impatiently.  “The results?”

“The latest iteration of the phylactery failed to contain the subject’s soul.  However, we were successful in capturing the subject’s life essence and it has been added to the stockpile.”

“Very well then.  Dispose of the body and prepare the next subject.  And make another simulacrum.  I will have the next revision for the phylactery ready soon, so do not dawdle.”

“Understood, mother.”

Precia’s lip curled once more as the thing turned and left to do her bidding.  She once more turned to her work.  She was missing something - she just did not know what.  Perhaps it was something to do with the linker cores?  If so, then she needed to find a subject that had a much stronger one than the trash her Fate-simulacra have been abducting off the street.

She felt a wave of drowsiness come up, and once again she tapped into her power to restore her physical body.  Just like that, she was suddenly fully alert and filled with energy.

The healing abilities that this soul gem came with had been what spurred the project in the first place.  If it was able to restore her health and even a degree of her youth with just a whim, then she wondered what it would do for her daughter.

“Soon, Alicia,” she said.  “Very soon.”

Once again, Precia Testarossa became lost in her work.

---

TBC...

[Inquisitive Raven]

From the first post:

that must of been the worst thing Fate could have been told.”

Should be "must have" or "must've." The contraction "must've" sounds like "must of" which is probably where the confusion comes from.

[Black Aeronaut]

Fixed!

[Black Aeronaut]

A little bit of bonding time, and a little bit of progress made, which raises as many questions as it answers.

---

Benjamin put his disguise away, went through the shower, then slept through the morning and early afternoon.  As Nanoha, Fate, and the rest of Team Fisherman had slept the night away in Washu’s lab, they spent that time demonstrating travel magic for Washu, who then spent the evening putting together a sensor drone specially made for their purposes.

When Ben woke up at two in the afternoon, he got himself fed, checked in with everyone, then retired to his apartment.  He felt at a bit of a loose ends, so he opened the windows and the front door, leaving the security door closed, vacuumed the bedrooms, and swept and mopped all the other floors.  He then threw his laundry into the washing machine, set the cycles, and finally went back to the living room where he picked up his guitar, sat down, and started playing.

For a few minutes, he just doodled around, playing nonsense riffs and licks until he suddenly found himself laying an old favorite of his.

There was a polite knock at his door.

“Come in,” he said without interrupting the music.

Nanoha and Fate came inside.  Nanoha was smiling at seeing the guitar again.  Now that Ben was not in his Halloween costume, Nanoha got a better sense of him as his fingers plucked the strings and shifted over the frets.

Fate simply stared in wide-eyed wonder.  She had heard some music, but most of it was Alicia’s memories.  She had ever imagined that a single person could make such a wondrous sound.

“How long have you known how to play guitar, Benjamin?” asked Nanoha as she and Fate sat down on the sectional sofa.

“Not long, really,” said Ben with wry smile.  “I cheated and asked Washu-chan to implant the skills into my brain.  Part of having ADD is that the part of your brain that gives you a satisfied feeling from doing hard work is kinda broken.  Traditional awards systems don’t work on me.  I only wanted to be able to play well, not spend countless hours sounding like crap.”

Fate giggled at that.  “That does sound like you alright~.”

Nanoha laughed as well.  “So what song are you playing now?  I think I’ve heard it before, but I don’t know what it is.”

Ben smiled.  “Doesn’t surprise me much.  The Beatles had quite an impact on Japan during their time.  This is one of their early songs and it is called The Fool on The Hill.  It’s about a man who sits by himself on top of a hill.  Nobody likes him because he is so different from everyone else.  But even though he wants friends, he knows the people that do not like him are not worth his time, even though he tries anyways.”

Knowing that they would want to hear it for themselves, he cycled back to the opening verse, and began to sing.

Day after day, alone on a hill
The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that he's just a fool
But he never gives an answer

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ‘round

Well on the way, head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices is talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ‘round

And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ‘round

He never listens to them
He knows that they're the fools
They don't like him

The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning ‘round

As Nanoha and Fate both listened, smiling and yet thoughtful, Ben let the music trail off and rested his guitar in his lap.

“The song was very special to me when I was much younger,” he said with a sad, distant smile.  “I was so very different from everyone else.  Nobody saw the world the way I did.  Whenever I looked around, I saw how everything interacts.  Causes, effects.  Machines moving.  People reacting.  I would try to see exactly how it is that the world spins on.

“And nobody understood me.  They had no frame of reference.

“When I grew older, I eventually started to learn how to frame it for other people to understand.  Those that listened?  They were shocked.  Because here I was, this seemingly quiet, hyperactive teen who always ate as if he was starving, had just said something that completely shifted their paradigm.”  He then grinned a bit mischievously.  “Sometimes without the benefit of a clutch.”

They blinked at him in confusion.

“It’s why some cars have three pedals instead of two.  A clutch momentarily disconnects the engine from the transmission so you can shift gears without grinding them and ruining your transmission.”

“Oooh!” said Nanoha as if she got it... then frowned.  “But what’s a paradigm?”

“A perspective,” said Ben.  “And a way of thinking.  Such as he culture of another country and their way of thinking.  A paradigm shift is when someone’s way of thinking and looking at the world changes.”  Ben grinned again.  “And a paradigm shifting without a clutch can be like you suddenly realized something that is so radically different from what you knew before that it feels like your brain just exploded.”

Nanoha and Fate both laughed hysterically at that as Ben kept grinning and bobbed his eyebrows at them.

He then went on, “But that’s just how I am.  I have a tendency to change people.  A girlfriend I once had told me that I was like this crazy and intense storm that came into her life, and completely turned her world upside down.  She said that because of me, the world was never going to be the same again afterwards.”

“That sounds kinda scary,” said Nanoha, suddenly sober at this revelation.

“It is for a lot of people,” said Ben with a shrug.  “A lot of people... they like the status quo and they’re afraid of things changing.  But then...”  Ben spoke again, this time reciting instead of singing, “‘He never listens to them, He knows that they’re the fools, They don’t like him, But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down, and the eyes in his head see the world spinning ‘round.’”

Nanoha got up at that, came over to Ben's side, sat down, and leaned up against him.  Fate got up and did the same on his other side.

“I don’t care what others think,” said Nanoha.  “You’re my fool on the hill.  And Fate’s, too.”

Ben didn’t say anything.  He simply took up his guitar again and started playing.

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be...

##

That night, as Benjamin and the others went out into the grungy part of town on the west side the the expressway, there was one other report in addition to the others.

“The Mosquito is free.  Telemetry is good.”

And for several hours, the night was quiet just as before.

As Benjamin was settling in for a nap, Sousuke’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Alert!  The Mosquito has detected activity.  Polecat, proceed to North Medina and West Martin - it’s in the loading dock between the Databank Building and Scobey Cold Storage.”

“Eagle Nest, Polecat copies,” said Ben as he got up and started running.  It took him a moment since he’d been on the far side of the search area.  But by the time he got there, all he could see was one person slumped against the  loading dock platform as though they were another homeless person sleeping.

But the fact that they were completely unclothed put the lie to that.  It didn’t help matters that the loading dock had been fenced off.

“Eagle Nest, Polecat.  No activity.  Possible corpse sighted.”

“Polecat, Eagle Nest.  Understood.  The Mosquito reports the activity ceased just before you came within line of sight.  Mother Hen wants that body.  Dispatching a drone to your location.”

“Polecat, Eagle Nest Actual,” came Noike’s voice.  “I’m calling it for the night.  Sticking around now is only asking for trouble.  Stand by to receive your extraction point.”

“Eagle Nest Actual, Polecat.  Copy that.  Will move once the package is secure.

##

Shinobu Tsukimura gazed at the corpse with barely contained horror.

“This... This is monstrous,” she murmured just barely loud enough to be heard.

“No offense, Shinobu,” said Benjamin politely, “but we kinda gathered that.  Can you elaborate any?”

“...There are old stories,” she said quietly.  “Stories of the primordial progenitors of our kind.  Things that you can’t even call human.  We called them Nosferatu.  And when they fed, they took everything.  Not just blood, but all the electrolytes too.  And even more horrifying was that they even sucked out their very life essence... and the soul as well.

“How such abominations came to be, we do not know.  The only good thing about them is that they would only need to feed in such a manner once in a century.  In the meantime, they took servants, turning them into the night walkers that you’re more familiar with.”

“What happened to these Nosferatu?” asked Ben.

“There were exterminated by their servants.  Eventually they had turned enough humans that they had the power of numbers on their side.  They revolted against the Nosferatu, and then afterwards turned to a more quiet way of life - remaining hidden, sometimes in plain sight, and only feeding as they needed to.  But... there were stories that a few Nosferatu survived.  Lurking in dark places, and living wretched lives in order to remain hidden.

“Father used to tell Suzuka and I stories about these things in order to frighten us.  But even so, I never thought that any could be real.”

“I doubt that’s the case,” said Washu.

“How?” asked Shinobu.

“This body has no bite marks.  Shinobu, I know this might seem rude, but may I see your fangs?”

“If it helps, then yes,” said the girl.  She then opened her mouth and bared her teeth.  And then her canines, which had already looked unusually sharp before, extended by nearly an inch.

“Please, come closer,” asked Washu.

Shinobu reluctantly went down on one knee, and Washu gently took Shinobu’s face in her hands, carefully tilting her head this way and that so she could see the fangs in full detail.

“Remarkable,” said Washu as she took her hands away.  “Thank you, Shinbu, that’s enough.”

Right away, her fangs retracted back into their original positions, and she closed her mouth as she got up again.

“Later when this is all over with, Shinobu, I would like to ask if I could perform a full examination of you - don’t worry, nothing invasive.  Just a few scans and a DNA sample.  If you don’t mind.”

“It doesn’t sound like much trouble, but why?”

“Well, I am a scientist, am I not?  I am simply very curious about how you work, dear.  And besides, should something happen to you or anyone in your family, it would be good for me to know how to treat you properly.”

Shinobu nodded.  “It is hard to find a medical professional who is versed in our particular biology,” said Shinobu.  “If you’re willing to be our family’s doctor, then I will not mind.”

“Great!  Now, back to this...” said Washu, looking to the corpse once again and her face turning thoughtful.  “It does display a lot of what you said these Nosferatu would do to their victims.  I even made an APO localization chart.  Souls extend up through the higher dimensions, you see, and the APO localization chart is a three-dimensional ‘snap shot’ of it.

“Anyhow, the thing is that whatever did this to this poor person... it basically ripped their soul to shreds and then sucked it out of them.”

“Yee-gads,” said Benjamin in revulsion.  “It’s like how a spider eats its prey.”

“What do you mean?” asked Shinobu.

“The reason why spider bites hurt so much if they get their venom into you is because it’s like digestive enzymes.  It predigests the prey’s innards within its own carapace, and then the spider just sucks it all out.”

Washu nodded at that.  “And whatever is doing this?  That’s pretty much exactly what it did to this person’s soul.”

Shinobu shuddered at the idea and Benjamin couldn’t blame her one bit.

---

Next part is gonna be a bit slower in coming because we're gonna be getting into the knock-down-drag-out bits...

[Bob Schroeck]

Very nice, at least the Fate/Nanoha/Ben scene -- the rest is well done but not nice at all, if you know what I mean. Oh, and you have a paragraph with a narrative perspective shift into first person that you need to fix ("Nanoha got up at that, came over to my side, sat down, and leaned up against me. Fate got up and did the same on my other side.").

[Black Aeronaut]

Argh. Yeah, I keep doing that out of habit - Not quite used to doing Third Person all the time, but it's a necessity here since so many characters viewpoints need to be accounted for.

EDIT: And fixed.

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh, just thought you guys ought to have pictures.  Luna is the black-and-white, and Babs is the little gray tabby.

   

   

Any wonder that Suzuka would want to snuggle them? 

[Black Aeronaut]

Been a bit stuck, trying to get the next part written up - just jumping right into the third night didn't feel right. I suddenly realized that Suzuka and Francesca, being the good friends they are, would put out a call for an assist in dealing with the spat between Nanoha and Alisa.

In short, David Bannings and Jodie Lowell will be visiting Westwoods to see their daughter, and have a teaching moment with her. While these two are alpha-as-hell Top 0.1%'ers, they are good people and anything but bad parents.

[Black Aeronaut]

Alright, now for something to get us back into the groove after the shit show in the other thread.

Keep in mind, I'm very fuzzy on the characterization of Alisa's parents, Jodie and David, and I'm basing it mostly on what I've seen of Alisa's personality and the pictures I've managed to find of them.  Keep in mind, these two are complete and total sociological alpha-types who are also highly cosmopolitan and just a little bit eccentric.  They are certainly "New Money", but their business and social acumen are top-notch.

Also, keep in mind that Ben has already met Alisa's parents off-screen and Ben, putting his natural charm to maximum effect, hit it off very well with the two.  Don't worry, though.  I'll be filling in that blank spot eventually.

---

Suzuka sighed as she worked alongside her friend and servant, Francesca, to prepare their lunch.

“Is something troubling you?” asked Fran, addressing her casually as it was only the two of them in the kitchen.

“Nanoha and Fate aren’t here,” replied Suzuka plainly.

Fran nodded.  “Alisa still hasn’t apologized,” she noted.

“If only there was someone that could get her to see reason on this,” pined Suzuka.

“What about her parents?”

“Heh?” replied Suzuka, giving the young maid a surprised look.

“Well, Missus Lowell and Mister Bannings knows her best.  They’d probably be the best ones to talk to her about this sort of thing.”

“But what if they share the same views?” said Suzuka with concern.

“Somehow I doubt that will be an issue.  After all, do they not share a close friendship with your parents despite the fact they know that you’re vampires?”

“Well... yes, but this is different...”

“I’ll contact my sister then.  She will know for sure.”

##

A few hours later, just as the Whirlwind crew were coming in for the night, there was the distinct sound of superbikes revving as they geared down.

The rear gates opened and they blinked in wide-eyed surprise.

“Aprilia RSV4’s!” said Keiichi in surprise.

“Two of them!?” cried out Megumi.

“And in custom paint,” added Chihiro.

“So cool!” said Sora.

And indeed, the two bikes did have custom paint jobs.  The male rider’s bike bore a blue dragon of the Oriental style - long and sinuous - and wreathed in dark clouds that spat jagged bolts of lightning.

The female’s bike bore a tiger wreathed in flames, jumping out with teeth bared and claws out.

The riders themselves were both lean and athletic in build and wore track-rated full body suits and full helmets that perfectly matched their bikes.

As the two parked their bikes in a pair of available spaces under the awnings and took off their helmets, revealing a pair of beautiful anglo-American faces, they immediately locked eyes on the quartet, and in typically American style, smiled openly and greeted them.

“Hi!” said the man as they approached.  “I’m David Bannings - Alisa’s father.  You must be friends of Benjamin’s.”

He stuck his hand out, immediately taking Keiichi aback with his forwardness.

As Keiichi shook the man’s hand and he moved on to the others, the woman greeted them before they could say anything.

“And I’m Jodi Lowell - Alisa’s mother.  I was a bit worried when we saw the neighborhood, but it’s actually very nice here.  I’m impressed.”  She also stuck her hand out to Keiichi.

“I’m Chihiro Fujimi,” said the tomboyish Japanese woman.  “I’m the owner, founder, and lead designer over at Whirlwind.”  She thumbed back in the direction of the shop on the corner.  “We do custom jobs on superbikes.  This wallflower here is Keiichi Morisato, my lead mechanic and assistant designer.  Little Sora here is our junior mechanic, and Keiichi’s more outgoing sister here is Megumi - she’s our test rider and sometimes even helps out in the shop.  I’m guessing you guys wanted to see Benjamin, though.”

“We’d like to, but mostly we came to check up on our little girl,” said David.

Jodie smiled wryly.  “We heard she’s in a snit with one of her friends.”

Though they didn’t vocalize it, a look of comprehension communicated the unvoiced “Oooooohhhhh!” quite clearly.

“In that case,” said Megumi, “Ben put them all up in unit 225.  Ben is in unit 229, next to the manager’s office.  He should be getting up about now.”

“We’ll let him have his chance to wake up,” said David amiably.  “Alisa always comes first for us.  Oh, can we get a business card from you?  We’d like to see what kind of work you’ve done in the past...”

##

There was a knock at the door and Francesca went to check on who it was since Alisa and Suzuka were currently engrossed in a game of Dead or Alive 5.

Suzuka had been playing as Ayane while Alisa, of course, had been playing as Helena Douglass.

“Stupid cheap-shot ninja counters,” grumbled Alisa at the fourth consecutive defeat in a best-of-seven match.

“THERE’S MY LITTLE GIRL!” boomed David’s voice.

Alisa sprang up and charged into her father’s waiting arms.  “DADDY!”

“And what am I?  Chopped liver?” snarked Jodie Lowell.

“Oh mom!” said Alisa as she then went to give her mother a hug.  “You’re my favoritist mom ever!”

“I’m your only mother... not unless your father’s eyes have been wandering...”

David laughed in earnest at the joke, even though he was the butt of said joke.

“Honestly, you’d think she’d learn by now,” snarked David.  “She’s almost too much for me to handle.”

“Damn right!” crowed Jodie, causing Alisa to laugh at her parents antics.

“But why are you guys here?” asked Alisa.

“Well,” said Jodie, fixing her young daughter with a serious look, “a little birdie told us that you’re fighting with Nanoha.  Is this true?”

“Yes, mommy,” said Alisa, turning pink.

“You care to tell us what this is about, Princess?” asked her father.

“Well... Nanoha and Fate kinda have this thing for the apartment manager.”

David nodded at that.  “Nanoha’s parents told us about it.”

“You knew already!?” cried out Alisa in shock.  “But why didn’t you tell me?”

Jodie shrugged.  “It wasn’t for us to tell.  That was for Nanoha and Fate alone, and no one else because its their business and not ours.”

“But it’s so wrong!” bemoaned the girl.

“Is it?” asked David.  “You know that they were the ones that moved first - Nanoha and Fate that is.  And in a lot of other places, affluent families like ours will betroth their daughters when they’re as young as you are, but that’s usually to establish blood relations with another family.  Fortunately for those two, they’re the ones that actually want this, and Shiro and Momoko approve of him.”

“But he’s so old!  He’s older than you, Daddy!”

“Which is true,” said Jodie.  “But this Washu-person is working on a way to restore him to his youth.  And they’ll be taking him back to Uminari City when it’s time to go home.”

“But...  But...  Both of them!?”

Jodie actually laughed.  “Alisa!  Sweetheart?  I’ve been waiting for the day your daddy brings home another woman.  I know I haven’t really told you, but it’s fun to kiss another girl.  You should try it some time.”

“I would not mind,” said Suzuka impishly, causing everyone but Alisa to break out into laughter.

“That’s why your mom and I aren’t actually married,” said David.  “We didn’t want any legalities to get in the way of any love we might find along the way.”

“But...”

Jodie then scooped up her daughter and kissed her on the cheek.  “Don’t start that now.  You know we love you no matter what.”

“But... what if you split up?” quailed Alisa quietly.

“Not gonna happen,” said David.  “Your mom and I have been and always will be madly, crazy in love with each other.”

Jodie nodded.  “And apparently Nanoha is madly, crazy in love with Benjamin.”

“But why?” asked Alisa.

“We don’t know for sure, Princess,” said David.  “The only way you’ll find out is if you ask her yourself.”

“And knowing how us girls can be?” said Jodie impishly.  “She won’t be able to figure out how to tell you for a long time.  But you can rest assured, sweetie, she has very good reasons.”

##

Benjamin watched with mild amusement as Nanoha and Fate had an absolute blast playing Strikers 1945 on his old Gamecube.  The staying power of that old console system was amazing.  As he sipped his after-breakfast tea, he happened to look out the window to see Jodie and David walking outside with Alisa firmly in place on her mother.

There was a break in the gameplay as the two girls defeated the final boss.

“Someone told me, in an effort to make the world seem terrible, that one day your parents put you down and never picked you up again.  I countered by saying, that was because they knew that you could stand on your own.”

Sure enough, Jodie set Alisa down and they walked together up the steps to the mezzanine outside.  A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

Sure enough, Jodie, David, and Alisa were waiting outside.

“Hi guys,” said Ben cheerfully.  “C’mon in.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Benjamin,” said Jodie with a smile as she gave him a quick hug, then made way for Ben and David to share a hand-shake-bro-hug.

“It’s nice to have you guys here.  Can I get you anything?  The Takamachi’s hooked me up with their supplier and I’ve been able to get a case of C.C. Lemon.”

“That’d be perfect, thank you,” said David.

“I’ll take one, too, please,” said Jodie.  “Do you want anything, Alisa?”

“Do you have any of that sweet green tea?”

Nanoha made a face at that and Ben laughed.  “Cold brewed green tea with honey.  You got it.”

“Barley tea, please,” asked Fate.

“Me too,” added Nanoha.

“Okay, you got it.  Just a moment while I do my thing.  Go ahead and have some seats, and don’t mind the cats.”

“I’m surprised this place is so nice, Benjamin,” said Jodie as she st down along with everyone else on the sectional.  “How did you manage it?”

“Belldandy and Skuld did the biggest part - actually restoring this place,” said Ben as he got out a tray and began pouring drinks or just setting the bottles out.  “And with Washu-chan’s help, I set up the security fences and gate system.  We also worked together on developing the Good Neighbor System.  How’s that working out for you guys, anyhow?”

“The most unobtrusive security system I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing,” said David with honest admiration in his voice.

“No kidding,” said Jodie.  “We actually had to run a few tests because we weren’t sure if it was working or not.”

Ben chuckled as he came out with the tray.  “I never thought I’d ever see Washu-chan to be so glad to be handling so many false alarms.”

There was a round of polite “Thank you”s as Ben sat down and opened his own bottle of C.C. Lemon.

“You’re welcome,” said Ben, and then went into Business Mode.  “So, I get the sneaking suspicion this isn’t a normal social call.”

“Alisa has something she needs to say to her friends,” said David.

“And the situation being what it is,” said Jodie, “we felt it best for everyone to be present to help moderate things.  Alisa?”

Alisa nodded and then spoke meekly.  “Fate?  Nanoha?  I’m... sorry... about what I said before.  It was very mean of me to say that.  And I shouldn’t be judging you or even Benjamin right away.”

Nanoha set her glass of barley tea down, went over to Alisa, looked her in the eyes...

...And suddenly wrapped her up in a bone-crushing hug.

“Please, don’t ever say something like that again.  I can’t stand the idea of losing you as a friend.  And it would break Fate-chan’s heart, too.”

“I promise,” said Alisa quietly as she hugged Nanoha back.

But as the two separated, Alisa had a worried look on her face.  “But Nanoha?  I... don’t want to sound mean or anything... But why do you like Ben like that?”

Nanoha blinked as she parsed that, and then ran it through her intensely analytical mind.

“I’m... not sure why, Alisa,” she said slowly.  “For some reason, it just feels like we fit together.  He kinda feels like my father and my brother, only different.  He’s sad.  And angry.  And lonely.  And he doesn’t deserve that.  I don’t like him just because I feel sorry for him, though I do.  It feels like...  like if I fall, and Fate-chan isn’t there, then he will catch me.

“I know that’s kind of silly because I know that any of my friends would be there to help me when I need it, but I have to remind myself of that fact every time.  But with Ben?  I don’t even have to think about it.  I somehow know he’s going to be there, no matter what happens.

“I know I’m not weak.  I know I’m strong.  I know I can protect people and help them.  But even then, I’m  scared sometimes.  That what I do might not be enough.  But when I am with Ben?  He somehow makes that feeling go away.  It’s like he’s helping me just by being there... like I’ve been carrying something heavy and then he starts helping me carry it.”

“That is very good, Nanoha,” said Jodie with a smile.  “It is true.  Sometimes you can feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.  It’s also pretty lonely being Atlas.  So it’s very comforting to have someone like Ben.  He’s good like that.  He makes the load lighter by taking on some of the burden himself, even though he’s already having to bear up under so much himself.

“It might seem unhealthy, but then, Nanoha and Fate will both take on some of his burden...”  She then look at Ben and smiled, saying, “Of course, not right away.  They’ll need to grow up a bit first before that can happen.”

“I dunno,” said Ben.  “They’re awfully mature for their age.  Though I also know that doesn’t always translate to wisdom.  That’s a very rare case, and only seen in the true prodigies that know how to pace themselves so they don’t burnout.”

“And that’s why Ben is good for them,” said David.  “If Nanoha and Fate trust him implicitly, he’ll be able to help keep them from overexerting themselves.”  David shot a knowing grin at the two girls.  “And don’t you two try to tell me you haven’t pushed the envelope before.  If what I’ve heard is true, then you two are lucky to still be with us today.”

Jodie snorted.  “No kidding.  I almost feel sorry for you, Ben.  Right now, they’re just kids, so that’s one thing.  But when they get older...”  She let that trail off there because the adults there all knew that down that path lay topics best not discussed.  Apparently, Nanoha and Fate understood as well, as they both flushed brightly.

Alisa, though, just looked confused, but then shrugged it off.

“Aaaaaannnyyyyyhooowwww,” said Ben in an attempt to change the subject so blatant that he was sending it by Western Union, “I need to start making plans for tonight.  I have a feeling we’re gonna have a break-through.”

“What do you mean?” asked David, perplexed.

“You know those bodies that have been turning up around Centro Plaza?  It looks like another displacee.  I don’t think I need to say how bad this can be.”

“You’re not in any danger yourself, are you?” asked David

“It’s a calculated risk,” said Ben.  “But whoever or whatever is doing this needs to be stopped - this could just be a small step in a larger plot.  And considering the sorts of things that are out there...”

Jodie shuddered.  “Say no more.  I had to write a paper on Lovecraft’s writings back in college.  Creepy stuff!”

David shook his head.  “You go with God, Benjamin.”

Ben smiled wryly.  “Way ahead of you there.”

[itsune9tl]

Apparently, Nanoha and Fate understood as well, as the both flushed brightly.

Missing the phrase "of them" between "both", and "flushed".

Otherwise:    
 --
^^vv><AB*!

[Rajvik]

Or the the was supposed to be they

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, got it fixed. Thanks much!

Yeah, Jodie is gonna rib those two relentlessly, and all while silently going "hue-hue-hue" in the back of her head.

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay here we go.  If you see any weird typoes, it's because I just got an ergonomic keyboard and I'm getting used to it.

Let me know what you think and if there's anything I can improve.

---

“I hope that we find something this time,” said Ryoko as she lounged nearby on the roof.  “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t think I could stand smelling those clothes again!”


“Did you sign the list as well?” asked Aeka.

“Oh?  There’s a list now?” asked Marller impishly.

“It was left on Benjamin’s door by Nanoha as we were leaving,” said Sousuke.  “Her name and Fate’s were on the list as well.”

“Wait, what is the list for anyhow?” asked Peorth.

“It is a petition that Benjamin burn those clothes the moment this whole ordeal is over with,” said Aeka Primly.  “I understand that needs must when the devil drives, present company excepted.”

“Thank you,” chirped Marller.

Aeka nodded before continuing, “But those garments are simply dreadful.  Even Mihoshi has signed it.”

“Quiet!” said Sousuke suddenly.  “The Mosquito is picking up activity.

“Where?” asked Noike

“Close to where Ben is at.  Narrowing it down...”  Sousuke then frowned.  “Not good.”

##

Down below, Benjamin was dozing, curled up in a corner and secure in the knowledge that if there was something wrong, then the others would alert him.

That sense of security ended suddenly when he felt himself falling backwards.  Several hands grabbed him and felt a violent jolt go through his body.

“GYAAH!” he cried out.

“Subject secured,” said a voice very much like Fate’s, only dead and lifeless.

“big... mistake...” wheezed Ben as his hand weakly went down to his belt and hit the panic device.

##

Right then, an alarm sounded at Sousuke’s console.

“SHIT!” cried out Ryoko.  “The panic alarm!”

“Any chance he could have done it by mistake?” asked Peorth.

“No,” said Sousuke tersely.  “Benjamin is much more disciplined than that.”

“Eagle Nest, Mother Hen,” came Washu’s voice over the com, “this had better not be a false alarm!”

“Mother Hen, Eagle Nest Actual,” replied Noike on her headset.  “Negative!  Big big negative!  We have lost visual on Polecat!  Do you have a track?”

“Eagle Nest Actual, Mother Hen - I have signal.  Working on localizing its source.  We’re waking up Team Fisherman now.”

##

The effects of the taser were wearing off, but Ben played possum for the moment while he was dragged unceremoniously by two copies of Fate... if fate had been five years old and unusually strong.

He furtively  looked around through half-lidded eyes.  It looked very much like the Garden of Time, with it’s strange techno-gothic architecture and and massive use of purple and violet colors.

The favored colors of Precia Testarossa.

Not good, thought Ben to himself.  He then glanced up at his captors for the moment.  They were definitely copies of Fate... or rather of Alicia and dressed as Fate.

Very Not Good.

It was then Benjamin decided to take matters into his own hands.  These copies of Alicia were strong, but they lacked mass.  Ben was able to twist himself around, flinging the two against the walls.  ONe was momentarily stunned, but the other regained its wits quickly and attempted to attack Benjamin with its taser stick...

...only for the device to suddenly fizzle.

The Alicia clone looked blankly at the device and stated in a dull monotone:

“Unknown error.”

Benjamin wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, then lunged forward, delivering a sharp blow to the copy’s solar plexus.

“Unknown error,” it said again as it slumped lifelessly against the wall.  But then it kept repeating itself, sounding more and more like the stuttering of an old audio card when experiencing buffer overruns.

“Un-Unkno-own Er-Error.  Unnnnnn-n-n-known Error. Un-Un-Unknoooo-o-o-owwwn Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-.”

Suddenly, the copy dissolved into glowing particles that gave off heat and light as they faded into nothing.

“What?” said Ben in puzzlement.  He then went to the other copy, checking to see if it was still alive.

“Unknown Error,” it said, then repeated the same process of degrading speech before it too disintegrated in Ben’s hands, giving off heat and light as it did so.

“Okaayyyyy,” said Ben.  For a moment, he wondered if they had even been sentient at all.

He really hoped not.

“Eagle Nest, Polecat, coms check.”

Sousuke was very quick in getting back to him.  “Polecat, Eagle Nest, coms check sat.  You had us worried for a moment.  What’s your status?”

“Eagle Nest, Polecat - A bit discombobulated, but I seem to be okay.  They hit me with some kind of taser but it didn’t take.  I strongly suspect that we may be dealing with Precia Testarossa because I was attacked by two copies of Alicia.  Despite being physically strong, though, they seem to be fragile.  They both disintegrated after taking only minor damage.”

“Polecat, Mother Hen.  Please repeat that.  You said Precia Testarossa?”

“Mother Hen, Polecat - that’s affirmative.  At this point I’m 65% certain of it.”

“Leaving yourself wiggle room, huh?  Polecat, Mother Hen - We’ll continue to monitor you.  We’re attempting to get a fix on your location in dimensional space.”

“Mother Hen, Polecat - Do you need me to stay put?”

“Polecat, Mother Hen - Negative.  Move around as much as you can.  Tracking signals through dimensional space isn’t the same as triangulating a radio signal.”

“Polecat, Eagle Nest - if you must move around, then please gather intel for us.  However, do not take any unnecessary risks.”

“Polecat copies.  Moving out.”

##

Few things people ever expect of Ben, especially with him not seeming to have an ‘indoor voice’, is for him to be a ninja for all practical purposes.  But then, it only stood to reason when he grew up having to be quiet around a man that could hear a mouse farting across the room.
When properly motivated, Ben could be as silent as a hole in the darkness, and you would never know that he was there at all.

Here, Ben had an advantage in that the floor would make no noise to betray him. And his boots were soft and worn from all the wear he’d put on them during his time in the Navy.

He slinked silently from one shadow to the next, his dark blue oil and sweat stained clothes blending in well, and always pausing to strain his ears to hear whatever he could - while nowhere nearly as sensitive as his stepfather’s, Ben’s hearing was excellent.

This was why he was able to hear a patrol of two Alicia clones coming his way, well in advance.

Ben hunkered down in the shadows, ready to strike if he had to.  The footsteps grew closer until they suddenly paused.

“Group Alpha to Base.  No life signs detected.  Proceeding to next area.”

Benjamin stayed absolutely still until he couldn’t hear them anymore.

“Mother Hen, Polecat - Just narrowly missed a patrol of those Alicia-copies.  Something strange is going on here.  They reported back to their base, saying, and I quote: “No life signs detected.’  They don’t seem to be able to detect me for some reason.”

“Polecat, Mother Hen - Nanoha and Fate seem to know something, but I don’t have enough data to make any conclusions.  Stay alert and carry on.”

“Polecat copies.”

##

Eventually, after evading several more patrols, Ben made it to the main chamber.  It was a vast, wide-open space.  Dominating the center of the far wall was Alicia inside her stasis chamber, raised up on a dias.  closer and in front of the dias was what looked like a combination between a work table and a system console.

There, Precia Testarosa stood, clad in her black dress with her dark makeup.  Ben wondered who the hell she was trying to impress with that ‘sexy goth’ look.  He shook his head and continued to take stock of the situation.  All around, Alicia-copies moved about performing tasks that sere inscrutable to Ben.  Some worked at tables with either consoles or holographic displays showing some strange kind of math.  Others were busy with a set of stasis chambers to the left side of the room.  Inside those were people resting in state and devoid of clothing.

Benjamin carefully retreated until he was far enough away that he felt safe enough to talk.

“Polecat, All parties - I have visual confirmation.  Precia Testarosa is on site and seems to be performing experiments using the homeless people from Town.  Also estimate at least two-dozen Alicia-copies.”

“Eagle Nest copies, Polecat.  Mother Hen has a fix on your location and we are making preparations to gate-in.  Can you create a distraction?”

“Maybe,” said Ben.  “How soon will you be ready?”

“60 seconds.”

“Okay, I’ll wait forty-five seconds and then do something.  I hope to God that the gate works.”

“Polecat, Mother Hen - you better believe it will, buster.”

Ben grinned at that.  “Polecat Copies.”  He checked his watch, made his way back to the main chamber, check his watch again, and then stood up in the open.

“Precia Testarosa!” he boomed in a manner that would have made Brian Blessed proud.  “Stand and deliver!”

The woman actually jumped at that and spun to face him.

“Who are you!?”

“The guy that’s gonna kick your fucking ass for scaring the hell out of the people of my city.”

Precia’s eyes narrowed.  “You have no idea what sort of trouble you’re getting into.”

“Oh, I’m pretty well aware.  Precia Testarossa, a scientist who was in charge of an experimental power generation system that failed due to pushy and impatient backers and killed your daughter in the process.  Now you’re a wanted criminal by the TSAB and are a conditionally Double-A ranked mage.

“Did I forget anything?” he finished with a raised eyebrow.

“Seize him!” called out the woman.

Benjamin dropped low, swept the legs out from under the first one, kicked the next one solidly in the gut, sending it against a work table, and then slugged a third in the solar plexus, sending it sprawling.

Each one of them began stuttering the words ‘Unknown Error’ before fizzling into warm motes of light.

“You really ought to look into your quality control program,” said Ben.  “These things break way too easily.”

“THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE!” shouted Precia.  “These simulacra are at least C-Rank and you’re not even a mage!”

“DANGER” came a mechanical voice from Precia’s hip.  “ANTI-MAGIC FIELD DETECTED.”

“What!?” cried out Precia in shock as she then leveled a look of dawning realization at Benjamin.  “That cannot be!  That’s a one-in-a-billion recessive trait!”

For Benjamin, the pieces in his head were just starting to come together, but then there was the sound of running feet coming up from behind him.

“THE ALAMO CITY WRECKING CREW HAS ARRIVED!” crowed Benjamin gleefully.

“KILL THEM ALL!” screamed Precia.

Chaos ensued.

(“Alamo City Wrecking Crew?” whispered Marller to Ben.)

(“It even rolls off the tongue better than Nerima Wrecking Crew.”)

Sousuke and Noike laid down suppressing fire and the simulacra quickly reacted by forming a phalanx formation using round shield spells as others behind them began to raise their mass produced devices and fire blasting spells in our direction.  Ryoko tried to fire off an energy blast from above, but the Alicia Similucra dissuaded her with sharply accurate blast spells.

“Augh!” growled Ryoko as she got back down into cover with us.  “Dammit, Ben, I thought you said they were easy!”

“I thought so, too,” replied Ben.  “Lemme try something here.”

Before anyone could do anything to stop him, Ben vaulted their cover and bumrushed the phalanx.  At first, they all feared the worst...

That was until Ben shoulder-charged his way through, shattering the facade of round shields, and knocking the simulacra off their feet.  Before they could even rreact, Ben reversed directions and came back, knocking another hole in their formation as he did so.

“So, whatcha guys think?” asked Ben as everyone took advantage of the outright chaos he’d just sown in the enemy lines.

“That was crazy!” snapped Noike.  “Don’t do something like that without talking to me first!”

“No promises,” said Ben honestly, “But I will if there’s time.”  Noike grunted in annoyance as Ben took up an assault rifle.

Just then, a group of simulacra came in from the hall behind them, firing on their position.  Ben cursed and started putting rounds downrange, forcing the copies into cover.

“Washu, Noike - we need backup!”

“On their way now!  Check your fire!”

Just then, there were pink and yellow flashes of light.  Nanoha and Fate came charging in wearing their barrier jackets and their devices in combat mode.  On their heels was Arf, Tenchi, and Mihoshi.

“Arf,” called out Fate.  “Bind them up!”

“Right!”

“Mihoshi!” snapped Noike.

“Yes, Captain!” replied the brown-skinned blonde.

“Get all the equipment in here tagged for transport.  Especially the stasis chambers!”

“I’ll get the one with Alicia-chan!” called out Nanoha.  “Axel Shooter!” she called out. sending round orbs of her pink magic flying around and knocking Alicia Simulacra out for the count.  The rest, Fate Began to mow down with Bardiche.

She didn’t look terribly happy about it.

Meanwhile, Precia kept trying to cast binding spells, but to no avail.

“ERROR,” said her device, “ANTI-MAGIC FIELD IN AREA OF EFFECT.”

She then noticed Mihoshi clumsily sneaking around the stasis tubes.

“Oh no your don’t!” she snarled as she leveled her device at the GP Detective and began to fire blasting magic at her.

Mihoshi yelped and dodged haplessly, all while managing to accidentally tag each stasis tube with a teleport transponder.

“No more experiments for you, Precia!” came Nanoha’s voice behind her.

Precia snapped around just in time to see the girl tag Alicia’s stasis tube with a teleportation transponder.

And in an instant, it winked out of existence, taking Alicia with it.

“ALICIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!” screamed Precia Testarossa, which was the last meaningful words she ever said.

At the moment, the Soul Gem she wore as a pendant filled with darkness and then began to seemingly suck in the light from all around it.  Precia’s form was consumed as the darkness spread like ink out from her chest, and once she was fully covered she began to grow.

Ben watched it all happen, dread starting to pool in his gut as she grew and grew.

The ink began to recede, leaving a white wedding dress.  Her belly had swollen like that of a woman in her late-term pregnancy, except that the middle of her belly had become a gaping void that seemed to weep black tears.  Her physical for was indistinct - they looked like limbs from wood-cut shadow puppets.

And it laughed - a horrible, keening, insane laughed tinged with heartbreak

What was worse was that all the Alicia simulacra still left had changed too - they became marionette puppets that danced all around their mother.

“Oh dear God,” said Ben in horror.  “She’s turned into a Witch!”

“What!?” cried out Tenchi.

“That’s what happens to Magical Girls in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  Once despair overtakes them, they turn into these abominations!  EVERYONE FALL BACK!!!”

No one dared ask Ben for any further clarification - the tone in his voice spoke volumes.  Once everyone had fallen back to the main hall that led into the chamber, Ben explained the important parts.

“Right now, there’s nothing we can do for her,” said Ben, watching as even right then the space began to change from the neo-gothic architecture of The Garden of Time to a warped mockery that looked like a kindergartner tried to copy it using cutouts of colored construction paper.  Everyone began to look around nervously as Ben went on.

“She was damned to that curse the moment she made a pact with the Incubator.  The only good thing we can do now is to put her out of her misery.”  He then turned to Nanoha and Fate.  “Fate?  Nanoha?  It’s probably for the best that you’re not here for this.”

Fate shook her head.  “I need to see this through.”

Benjamin turned to look to Noike.  She had a slightly sad look in her eyes, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Alright then, here’s what we’ll do.  Witches are tough - the stronger the magical girl that spawned it was, the stronger the Witch.  I’m just spit-ballin’ here, but I’d rate this one at about a 6.5 on a scale of one to ten.”

“What do we do then?” asked Sousuke.

“Simple.  Take cover and unload on it.  Most of the danger in facing a Witch is in dealing with its familiars and not letting her sneak up on you.  All her attacks will be physical, but they are extremely unconventional.  She  can change her shape at will.  Anything in here can become a weapon.  Also, be mindful of your perspective - this place is turning into a Witch’s Labyrinth.  It’s aptly named.  Things around here will get very weird.  Lots of nonstandard space-time.  I don’t think I need to go into detail how dangerous that can be.”

“Out of the fat and into the frying pan!” grumbled Ryoko.

“Can’t be helped,” said Ben.  “With an Incubator running around, we’ll need to be very cautious about what happens after today.”

“Benjamin,” said Nanoha, “what is an Incubator supposed to be?”

“Some weird construct built to serve a bunch of beings that are trying to build a life raft for the heat death of the universe.  But they do it by letting poor, misguided girls turn into these monsters.  They somehow are able to use negative energy harvested in the process of killing Witches.”

“How horrible!” hissed Peorth, and even Marller was taken aback.

Ben nodded.  “Is everyone here ready?”  Everyone nodded their heads.  “Okay, let’s do this!”

Ben went first, leading the charge, and screaming “LEEEEEERRROOOOOOYYYY  JHHHHEEEENKIIINNNNNSSS!!!” at the top of his lungs.  This, naturally caused reactions from confused looks to outright guffaws.

Benjamin didn’t duck behind any cover, though.  He had a theory that he wanted to test, and the best way to do it was to get up-close and personal with the Witch that Precia had become.

He pulled out the combat knife that he’d kept hidden in his clothes, holding it overhand as he kept his eyes wide open for trouble.

Familiars got in his way and he cut them down with contemptuous ease.

The Witch took note of his presence and turned to lash out at him with a whip.  He dodged, ducking down, tucking his head, rolling to the side, then slapping a hand down as he sprung back up onto his feet without skipping a beat.

At that very moment as Nanoha, Fate, and Ryoko orbited the witch, looking for an opening to attack, when suddenly both BardichE and Raising Heart cried out in alarm:

“DANGER! ANTI-MAGIC FIELD DETECTED! BENJAMIN IS SOURCE!”

“What is that supposed to mean!?” said Ryoko.

Fate and Nanoha both looked to each other and then nodded.

“Benjamin is nullifying it’s power!” said Fate.  “We must strike fast!”

“Raising Heart!”

“READY!”

“Starlight Breaker - SET-UP!”

“CHARGING!” said the device as it devoured every mana cartridge in it’s magazine.

Ryoko recognized the attack right away.  “WHOAH WAIT!  BEN’S STILL DOWN THERE!”

“It’s okay,” said Fate, stopping Ryoko.  “She’s good with it.  Besides... Ben is strong.  He can handle it, especially since he’s generating an anti-magic field.  You can help by hitting the Witch with everything you have.  ARF!  Bind it!”

“You got it!”

Down below, the Witch tried again to use it’s weapon against Ben, but he was too close this time.  Ben raised his left arm, letting it wrap around his forearm and grabbing the thick chord in his hand.  He then pulled with all of his might to keep his arm from getting ripped out of its socket when she pulled the whip back.

As luck would have it, the motion brought Benjamin right up to her face.

“SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!” he called out as he brought the combat knife down in it’s eye.

Benjamin would have let go right away, except that he saw Arf’s binding spell snap into place, immobilizing the Witch’s hands.  So instead, he hung on for dear life, waiting for the big fireworks show to start.

“He’s gone insane!” cried out Noike.

“No!” said Peorth all the sudden.  “There’s something...  Oh dear Almighty, is it really...”  she then summoned a remote console for the Yggdrasil and began typing furiously.

“What is it?” asked Sousuke.

“This... This shouldn’t be possible!” said Peorth in shock.

“What is?” demanded Tenchi.

“He’s generating an anti-magic field!  And Nanoha and Fate know it!”

“What!?” cried out Marller.  “But he’s baseline!  Nothing special at all!”

“No, he’s the exact opposite!  OH HOW STUPID OF US!!!”

“What is it?”

“HE’S A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF SIGURD SNAKE-IN-THE-EYE!”

“WHAT!?” cried out Marller in surprise.  “There’s no way!”

“It’s worse!  His family also has a lineage of Mexican witches - Brujas!”

“But what does that mean?” said Aeka.  “I thought he was normal!”

“He was!  At least until he came to the Metacontinuity!  The malleable causality has had an effect on him!  Here and now, he’s a perfect disciple for Odin!  We might as well have just gift-wrapped that man and handed him over!  LOOK!”

Peorth turned the display so everyone could see it.  There, next to a picture of Benjamin in profile was a marking of several triangles interwoven together in such an intricate manner that it played tricks with a person’s eyes, drawing them in.


  9crossings-knot-symmetric-triangles-pseudo-valknut.png (Size: 7.01 KB / Downloads: 251)

“Oh shit,” said Marller.  “Isn’t that the Valknut?”

“Worse!  It’s the Grand Valknut!  He is one of Odin’s chosen ones!  Hand picked by the Allfather himself for HIS Einherjar.”

“What's the difference?” asked Marller.

“The men he chooses as his personal Einherjar are only the greatest of heroes!  It means that he is worthy of sitting at the grand table next to Tyr and Thor!”

“Peorth,” said Aeka, “I’m afraid I don’t understand!  Are you saying he’s an equal to the Gods!?”

“No.  But he’s worthy of their respect - enough that he’ll be called upon to tell his story as the others have been told in the great eddas.  It’s an incredible honor, but what Ben must go through...  I know he’s suffered, but was it truly that much to win Odin’s respect!?”

“You weren’t there to see what happened at the Halloween Party,” said Aeka.  “To know that he suffered as Fate has, and for so much longer than she!  My heart wept for that poor man.”

They all turned to look at the battle taking place.  There, Ben clung to the Witch’s face, stubbornly refusing to let go as he drove the knife in again and again, even while Ryoko and Fate made strafing runs.

“If he doesn’t represent triumph in the face of death,” said Marller, “then I don’t know what does.”

Finally, back up above, Raising Heart was finally ready.

“CHARGE COMPLETE. I CAN BE SHOT.”

Nanoha nodded grimly and then, as she pulled the trigger, screamed, “STARLIGHT BREAKER!  SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTT!!!”

The entire space was lit up in pink as a brilliant beam of pink light so intense that it seemed white transfixed the Witch through her chest.

And then exploded in a pastel nova.

The Witch gave one last keening wail that sounded horribly like she was crying out Alicia’s name as, at long last, all that was left of Precia Testarossa was undone.

If there is any justice in the universe, thought Benjamin to himself as he began to fall, then she is, at long last, at peace.

Something caught him by the arms, surprising him.  Looking up, he saw both Fate and Nanoha - each of them holding one of his arms - smiling down at him.

He smiled back as they set him down on the floor.  Down there, Benjamin saw a dark shape.

Precia’s Grief Seed - the remnants of a Soul Gem that was hollowed out with the death of the Witch that bore it.

Carefully, he picked it up and put it in his pocket.


( ^^^ Please play for music - source is legal ^^^)

“GUYS!  GUYS!” squawked Washu’s voice urgently on all their communicators.  “YOU ALL GOTTA GET OUT OF THERE!  THE POCKET DIMENSION IS COLLAPSING!”

And just then, everything began to shift and distort as the fabric of space all around them became unstable.

“RUN!” screamed Ben.

The portal appeared on the far wall of the room, but the warping of space was distorting everything enough that it was hard to tell whether they were going the right way or not.  It was like seeing everything through thick oil on the surface of water, curling in on itself, lensing in and out of bubbles, and shifting positions.  Even time seemed to bend.  Seconds became hours.  Hours became seconds.

Peorth was there with an outstretched arm as they got close - she apparently willing the space in her vicinity to be more stable as everything around them fell apart.

Finally, though, after what seemed forever, they were all through and the gate shut behind them.

Everyone was safe and accounted for.

---

The Valknut is a very special symbol in Norse mythology.  It represents self-sacrifice, bearing through all hardships to the end, and following an honorable warrior's code.  This is not something to be taken lightly as, just as Peorth says, it marks you as a Disciple of Odin, and acts as a marker for the Valkyries to automatically bring you to Valhalla as an Einherjar.

Usually, the Valknut is a somewhat simpler shape.


  valknut borromean.jpg (Size: 7.69 KB / Downloads: 242)
  valknut unicursal.jpg (Size: 6.94 KB / Downloads: 242)

But the one I used combines both into what you might call a Grand Valknut.  While not seen in any of the historical records, if it ever had been it could be said to represent The Perfect Legendary Warrior - the one that only shows up every other century or so.  Also fitting in that it has twelve corners, and the rune of Tyr, the Norse God of War and the ideal warrior, is the 12th rune in the Odinic system of 18 Holy Runes.

[Inquisitive Raven]

I'll have to go over it later, but I spotted a number of autocorrupt errors and t a few verb conjugation issues (I wanted to say "verb tense issues," but one case is a matter of number agreement, not tense).

[Black Aeronaut]

I'm about to to destroy you in the feels...

---

Of course, that wasn’t the end of things.  There were many questions raised that needed to be answered.  Chiefly among them...

“Okay, what in the name of the Golden Ratio was THAT!?” cried out Washu.

Ben sighed.  “Something that I’m gonna need to take some time to explain.  Washu-chan, you got something we can use as a briefing room?”

Without a word, Washu went to the nearest wall, tapped out a sequence on keys that only revealed themselves as they were pressed, and suddenly a door slid open in the seamless wall.

“Right this way, everyone,” said the pint-sized super genius.

While they all trudged in, Ben said, “Get comfortable folks.  This is gonna take a bit.”

As they all sat down, small tables like school desks appeared in front of them with notepads, pencils, and that person’s favorite beverage at just the right temperature.

Washu didn’t do things by halves.

“Alright,” began Benjamin.  “Here’s what we’re dealing with.  It’s a civilization that is bent on The Greater Good.  To this end, they are sacrificing the lives of countless little girls in order to harvest some kind of magical energy from negative emotions and use it to power their civilization in order to stave off the heat death of the Universe.”

“What do you mean by ‘sacrificing’?” asked Washu.

Ben nodded.  “There we get into the Puella Magi System created by this civilization.  It started out with just a few girls, many hundreds of years ago by our current perspective.  The Incubators, a nigh infinite number of constructs collectively known as ‘Kyubey’ offered to make these girls into Puella Magi.  All they had to do was to make a wish.

“Kyubey would grant that wish, and then... I don’t know how to sugar coat this, but it basically turns these girls into Liches.”

“Liches?!” said Peorth in surprise.  “As in souls in phylacteries and virtually invulnerable to death!?”

Ben nodded.  “Exactly.  And all of this without the poor girls realizing it.  The Puella Magi receives an object known as a Soul Gem.  In addition to housing their soul, it’s a sort of manna reactor, except that it has an intentionally built-in flaw: the damn thing doesn’t have a tail pipe.”

Both Marller and Peorth went pale at that.

“You mean...” said Marller, unable to finish.

Ben nodded grimly.  “Nothing is for free.  The wish dooms these poor girls into a miserable un-life that will eventually end with their souls becoming irreversibly corrupted.  Near as I can figure, Soul Gems work by separating ambient magical energy out into negative and positive energy.  The positive energy goes into the spells cast by the Puella Magi, while the negative energy collects in their soul gems.

“The Incubators harvest this energy using grief seeds - what is left of a Witch after it has been killed.  A Grief Seed will act as a sponge, soaking up the negative energy upon contact with a soul gem.  Once a grief seed is full, they hand it over to the Incubators to be ‘disposed of’.

“Eventually, all Puella Magi wind up discovering the truth about what’s happened to them.  When that happens, they end up going one of two ways.  Many become overcome with despair - the state at which the negative energy has reached a critical mass inside their soul gem, and it becomes a Grief Seed.  At that point the Puella Magi becomes a Witch.

“The other is that they snap in a different way.  They become cold, ruthless people who care only about their own continued survival.  To that end, they wind up farming Witches.

“You see, a Witch’s familiars can mature and turn into Witches themselves given enough time.  They’ll leave their home labyrinth and create ones of their own.

“Witches are bad news in that they will ensnare people who are severely depressed or even having thoughts of suicide.  I don’t think I need to state how close to home that hits for a person like me.

“Are there any questions?”

Teletha raised her hand and Ben called on her.

“Is there anything that can be done to save these girls?” she asked.  “Anything at all?”

“I don’t know for sure,” said Ben.  He then reached into his pocket - a spherical cage with an intricate design that was obviously symbolic of Precia’s grief - the loss of her daughter - with an equally decorative spike running through the y-axis.

“This was Precia’s Grief Seed.  Each one has a unique design to it that is very symbolic.  Some have theorized that there is an imprint of the person who this once was on the Grief Seed itself.  Whether anything can be recovered from that or not...” Ben shrugged helplessly.  “Peorth, Washu-chan?  I’m going to turn this over to you two.  I think that it would be a good idea for this to be a joint research project.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Peorth.  “I have faith in Washu-chan’s abilities despite what’s happened.  And even as hard-pressed as we are with the Yggdrasil, we can spare someone.  We’ll send Belldandy - she’s good with things like this, and it will let her spend the nights with her husband.

“However,” continued Peorth, “I feel that it’s time we discussed you, Benjamin.”

Ben blinked at that.  “In regards to...?”

“Your ability to generate an Anti-Magic Field.”

“Is that what was happening?” he asked.

Peorth nodded.  “Nanoha?  Fate?  I would like to see the sensor data from Raising Heart and Bardiche from the fight.”

“Sure!” said Nanoha.

“Right away!” replied Fate.

The two girls came to the front and their devices rose into the air, projecting holographic view screens for Peorth to peruse.

“Very interesting.”  She then called up her own terminal to the Yggdrasil system.  Washu took interest and came over.

“Mind if I have a look there?” she asked.

“Not at all,” replied Peorth as she adjusted and enlarged the screen so Washu could see as well.

Prominent on the Yggdrasil Terminal was the icon from before - the Grand Valknut.

“Very well then.  Washu-chan, are you satisfied.”

“For now,” she said.  “I’d like to be able to go over this data in-depth later on, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll have copies of all the relevant files sent to your email.”

“Thanks!”

Peorth then looked to Benjamin.

“Ben, you were never ordained as an elder in your church, correct?  And that you never received your Patriarchal Blessing?”

“What’s that?” asked Nanoha.

“Something very special,” said Benjamin.  “It’s not spoken of lightly.  A Patriarchal Blessing is something you only ever get once.  It’s considered... not prophecy, but revelation.  We Latter-Day Saints are very different from other Christian faiths in that we have a very clear and concise idea of who and what we are, where we came from, and where we’re going.  There’s nothing vague about it.  We believe that we are literally the Children of God - not just us Saints, but humanity as a whole.  It’s everyone’s birthright.  And like with any birthright, that comes with covenants for the faithful.  And a patriarchal blessing is one of those.

“As for exactly what it is... As I said before, it’s revelation more than anything else.  It tells a person a little bit about who they were before they came to Earth and passed through what we call The Veil - what clouds our memories of that pre-existence.  It will reveal other interesting things, like which of the Tribes of Israel we’re to be adopted into.  It also gives an idea of what to expect of themselves and how they can best handle things.  Dangers to be avoided and the such.  Again, not prophecy - these would be things that would be dangerous to a person specifically.  We’re all warned to avoid vices, but some of us are particularly susceptible to some more than others.”

Benjamin looked to the others as they looked at him with wide-eyed surprise.

“I never imagined you to be so... religious!” said Teletha suddenly.

Ben shrugged.  “As I tell others, I was raised as a Latter-Day Saint.  I still consider myself to be one... my Elders would probably say that Lucifer has worked especially hard to keep me from serving whatever purpose God had intended for me.  I take a more philosophical view.  I feel that my purpose is to walk on the outside.  To see the perspective of those outside looking in.  And to warn my brethren that, sinners or not, they need to soften their attitudes towards certain people.  To remind them that at no point did Christ ever advocate to make anyone’s life any more miserable than it may be.  That is Lucifer’s work.”

Peorth laid a comforting hand on Ben’s shoulder.  “I understand your anger towards them, Benjamin.  You feel that they should have done more for you.”

Ben’s head didn’t exactly snap towards Peorth, but it was a measured and decisive movement.

She continued, “And you are right.  There was so much more they could have done.  But they worried about splitting your family apart.  Maybe it would have been for the best.  But that was your world, not this one.

“And that is why this has happened.”

Peorth pulled the Terminal window into view again, this time displaying two symbols, each one a grouping of three triangles overlapping each other.  Though while one image showed them as being linked like rings in chainmail, the other showed them as physically linked, as though drawn with a calligraphy pen without lifting the nib from the paper.

“What do they mean?” asked Benjamin.

“These are Valknuts.  Warriors that had sworn themselves to Odin, to put victory above all else, above all pain, suffering, and heartbreak.  But that was only for Midgard Warriors to show this covenant with Odin.

“Odin has his own sign for those He chooses himself.”

Peorth gestured again, and then the Grand Valknut was displayed in all its eye-bending glory.  Ben himself wasn’t discomfited by the appearance.  He actually found it quite pleasing to his eye; the way it all flowed and fitted together so intricately appealed to his aesthetic sense as well as the engineer inside him.

“This is the Grand Valknut.  The sign Odin himself bestows on his chosen.  It is in your file in the Yggdrasil computer.”

Ben looked at Peorth in surprise and others in the seating area gasped softly.  Not all of them had overheard Peorth and Marller’s conversation as Aeka and Noike had.  Nanoha and Fate, too, were taken aback, putting their hands up to cover their mouths.  Tenchi and Washu had intense stares, while Sasami wore a look of abject pity.

“Okay then,” said Benjamin with a tense sort of slowness that sent shivers up some people’s spines.  “So Odin chose me.  What does this mean and why?”

“You know that you are a direct descendant of the legendary viking, Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye.”

“Yes.  This is known to me.  My mother traced her own matrilineal heritage all the way back to the old records of the royal families of Europe, which brought this to her attention.”

Peorth nodded.  “What’s more is that Sigurd was the grandson, through his mother, Aslaug, the seer wife of Ragnar Lodbrok, of the Valkyrie named Brunhild.

“Benjamin.  You have the right to lay claim to the title of Warrior.  Though you would likely be called upon to prove that yourself, your claim would have credence to it.”

“And what would Odin have me do?”

“What you have done thus far.  Fight for what is good and just.  Fight as if you feel no pain, even though you do feel it so acutely.  And to never give in, no matter how great the burden.”

“If he wants that of me, then he needs to come down here and convince me of it, and not brand me like some common animal.”

Benjamin’s voice was low and unusually quiet, but the tone was something most of them had never heard him use, least of all Nanoha and Fate.  But as terrible as Benjamin had sounded in that moment, the two couldn’t bring themselves to feel fear of him.  Instead, his outrage was their own.  Nanoha’s hand sought out and found Fate’s without either of them looking, and squeezed each others fingers together tightly as they both felt their hearts blaze in tightly controlled fury.

“You can refuse this calling, Ben,” said Peorth.  “Odin is not taking your free agency away from you.  Instead, it’s more like he is leaving the door open and the light on for you, inviting you to come into his house, and be one of his trusted men.”

“Then he needs to convince me of that himself.”

“As you wish, Benjamin,” said Peorth.  “But know that this sign will still be on your head.  And while others may not know of it, those that matter most will see that you have Odin’s favor and may seek you out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when I need to make an example out of someone,” said Ben tersely.  “Is there anything else I should know of?”

“Your ancient viking heritage is not all.  There were many Brujas on your matrilineal line.  This is very likely why you have this strange ability to disrupt magics.”

Ben nodded.  “Like I was doing with the simulacra and Precia.”

Peorth nodded.  “Not only that, but you may have been providing us with protection that kept Precia from casting any spells on us.  Up until she became a Witch.”

“That was definitely a shit-hits-the-fan moment,” said Ben.  “Okay, so what does this mean in the grand scheme of things?  Can it be strengthened or trained?”

“Most likely yes to both counts.  I’m going to leave that in Washu-chan’s and Belldandy’s capable hands, though.  As for what it means, I think that makes you, Mr. Legendary Hero, a much more tactical piece on the playing board.”

“No kidding,” said Marller with a grin.  “You were practically steamrolling over those carbon copies, and even though they were weak, they had numbers on their side.”

“And you completely destroyed that advantage,” said Teletha with a smile.  She then sighed and said, “If only dealing with AMALGAM back home were so easy.”

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” said Washu as she turned and gave Ben a pointed look, saying, “let’s get to this thing with the girl in the stasis tank.  Do you really think I can do anything for her?”

Ben shrugged.  “Maybe?  I just wanted us to try.  I feel that both Alicia and Fate deserve that much.  Especially Fate.”

“But... why?” asked Fate.

“You deserve to have some family,” said Ben.  “I can’t think of anything better than Alicia.”

“And I think that’s about it,” said Peorth.  “Does anyone have anything to add?  Questions, comments, suggestions?  Alright then.  Let’s break here and see if we can get some sleep.”  Peorth then turned to Ben and said, “And you get rid of those clothes, Mister!”

Ben laugh in spite of himself.  “Right, right...”

##

Before Ben would go to bed for the morning, he stopped by Nanoha and Fate’s apartment.  Fran opened the door for him.

“You’d better come inside,” said the young servant.  “Fate is in a bad way.”

“What happened?” he asked as he entered.

“Having to fight all those copies of Alicia... It had an effect on her.”

“Oh no,” said Ben mournfully.

He went to their room and stood just outside the door and listened as Fate poured her heart out to poor Nanoha.  He could tell that once again, the girl was out of her depth - it was literally all she could do just to try and comfort the heartbroken girl.

Ben, as usual, knew exactly what to do in this case.  Like called to like, after all.

He left, then came back with his guitar and knocked gently at the door frame.

“Yes?” said Nanoha, her voice a bit watery from her lack of success at consoling Fate.

“I think I have a bit of medicine for Fate,” he said as he quietly entered.

Fate sniffled as she looked up and saw Ben with his guitar.  She knew from the last few times she heard Ben play, it was always something special, something that connected.  And this time, it was clear that he had something that was just for her.

Her sorrow overridden by curiosity for the moment, she dried her eyes as she sat up.

“What are you going to play?” she asked weakly.

“Well,” said Ben as he sat down and checked the tuning of the guitar, “there are times when it’s not enough just to be sad.  The hurting just becomes so senseless and cruel.  And just crying isn’t enough to get it all out.  At times like this, you need to know how to be angry about what has happened to you.”

“Angry?” said Fate.

Ben nodded.  “Yes.  Angry.  Scream.  Kick.  Hit something.  Break things.  Make the entire world know that you’re upset.  You can’t keep it inside.

“I know that some people express anger differently.  This song is a cupful of bitter resentment, sorrow, and rage.  It was originally about a man with a drug addiction fighting against himself.  However, it also fits for someone who has been abused, like you and me.  Once we’re free at last, we’re finally able to look back - to look inside - and contemplate what happened.”

With that, Ben began to pick the chords and notes, filling the air with a sorrowing and haunting melody.



And you
Can bring me to my knees
Again

All the times
That I could beg you please
In vain

All the times
That I felt insecure
For you

And I leave
My burdens at the door

But I'm on the outside
And I'm looking in
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me
I can see through you
See to the real you

All the times
That I felt like this won't end
It's for you

And I taste
What I could never have
It was from you

All the times
That I've cried my intentions
Full of pride

But I waste
More time than anyone

But I'm on the outside
And I'm looking in
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me
I can see through you
See to the real you

All the times
That I've cried
All this wasted
It's all inside

And I feel
All this pain
Stuffed it down
It's back again

And I lie
Here in bed
All alone
I can't mend

But I feel
Tomorrow will be okay

But I'm on the outside
And I'm looking in
I can see through you
See your true colors
'Cause inside you're ugly
You're ugly like me
I can see through you
See to the real you

Ben set his guitar aside then, because Fate needed to hold him and cry against his chest.  As Ben and Nanoha both stroked her back, he told her:

“It’s okay, Fate.  You can go ahead and scream.  I’m not going to be upset if you do.”

Fate nodded.

And then she howled in anguished rage.

And she screamed horrible curses at her mother in Midchildan.

And she gripped Ben’s shirt and pounded on his chest.

Fate Testarossa finally let go of all of her anger and resentment.

After a long time, she was finally spent, and simply laid in Benjamin’s lap, sniffling as she cried silent tears, the anger having finally abated and leaving her feeling hollow inside.

But somehow, it was a good sort of emptiness.  Like as if she had just removed something awful from the room of her soul and the air was finally starting to clear a bit.

“Feel better now?” asked Benjamin gently as he stroked her back and Nanoha gently dabbed at her face with tissues, pausing now and then to give her little kisses.

Fate nodded her head slowly, but it was not a half-hearted gesture.  She honestly did feel that, just like in the song, tomorrow would be okay.

“Alright, lemme up and we’ll get you ready for the night.”

From there, Nanoha took Fate to the bath and gently helped her clean up.  As they soaked in the tub together, Nanoha held Fate’s back to her chest, cherishing the soft, warm feeling of her loved one against her bare skin.  Fate simply let herself go, feeling safe and secure in Nanoha’s arms, knowing that she won’t ever betray her.

After that, Ben had some cool glasses of milk for them and made sure they were comfortable for the night.  He kissed them both on the foreheads and went to make sure everything in the apartment was shut off for the night.  The cats had food and water.  The kitchen was clean.  The living room was tidy.  And the dining area awaited the next meal.

Benjamin went to his room.

Everything there was in order.

But Ben still felt things were incomplete.

He sighed heavily to himself, got his guitar, sat down in his chair, and started to play.

It was at least an hour until felt like he could get to sleep.

##

That afternoon, Ben woke slowly and reluctantly crawled out of his bed.  After getting some food into him and checking on the status of his cats, he then went down to see Washu.

A moment later, Ben knocked politely on the door to Washu’s lab and it popped open invitingly.

“C’mon in, Ben,” came Washu’s voice, drifting through the door.  “I think I know what’s bothering you.”

Ben walked in and Washu was there at her workstation, going over the medical scans and data of Alicia Testarossa.

“Hey Washu-chan.  Any prognosis yet?” asked Ben.

Washu sighed and shook her head.  “I can repair the systemic damage, easy.  But even if I did revive her, she’d be a vegetable.  Her brain was dead for too long.”

Ben felt himself deflate at that.  “Alright then...  Can I see her though?”

“Sure, just through that door on your right.”

“Thanks, Washu-chan,” said Ben.  “For at least trying, I mean.”

“I would have done it anyways, Ben.  You should know that by now.”

Ben scoffed at himself.  “Yeah, you would have, wouldn’t have you?”

Washu smiled wanly.  “Go on then.  Pay your respects.”

Ben smiled back, then went to the door that Washu had indicated.

There in the room was the tank.  And inside it was a perfectly beautiful little girl, just like her sister only a few years younger.

The memory of that one scene from Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s came to mind.  The one where The Book of Darkness had Fate in its clutches.  And how it tortured her with what could have only been her very own personal Heaven.

Precia.

Alicia.

And Fate.

Living happily and peacefully together.

And the utterly heartrending farewell Fate gave her sister when she realize that this was not something she could keep.

   

Ben pounded a fist on the side of the capsule while the tears streamed from his face.

“NO GODDAMMIT!” snarled Benjamin.  “This has gone on long enough.  No more!”  He then stood up and turned around to find Fate looking him in the eyes, uncertain and anxious.

“What I’m about to do,” he said, “I do out of love and compassion.  And because all I want is for you to be happy.”  He then pulled in a breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs: “LADY HILD!  I WANT TO MAKE A WISH!”

And just like that, there was s sudden flare of hot flames and the Daimakaicho appeared - a beautiful, snow-haired, dusky-skinned woman, dressed in red and black and in such a way as to emphasize the sexual appeal of her body in every way possible.

“Very bold of you, Benjamin,” she practically purred.  “And a bit overly dramatic, much?” she teased.  “You know that you could have simply called on the phone.”  Her face then turned serious as she said, “I hope that you hadn’t been expecting preferential treatment.  Only Heaven gives out freebies.”

“Lady Hild,” said Ben, bowing his head to the Daimakaicho, “I only want the professional courtesy of you cutting a straight-forward deal with me.  No hidden loopholes or quid pro quos.”

“I suppose I can,” she said thoughtfully.  “Lord Phantomhive’s reports of your activity have been most satisfactory.  And I really would rather not lose someone of your... singular character.  So, what is it that you want?” she said as her gaze turned to Alicia’s capsule.  She walked around it, trailing a fingertip over its surface in an rather sensuous manner.  She then looked up at Ben and smiled.  “As though I couldn’t tell.”

“Can it be done?” asked Ben.  Fate began to come closer and Ben subtly positioned himself between the girl and Hild.  He knew it wouldn't do much, but he felt it was best to not let Fate draw too much attention to herself.

Hild actually became thoughtful.  “It could... but given how long she has been dead for - no matter how well preserved her body is - it’s going to be a very difficult task to get her soul to reestablish itself in her body.”

“What needs to be done?” he asked.  At this time, he felt Fate pressing against his side.  He took her hands into his and she held his arm tightly against herself.

“We’ll need to create a phylactery for her.  And it will need to be specially made so that it will allow her soul to slowly bind itself back into her mortal flesh.”

“I think that can be done.”

“Well I hope you weren’t thinking that was all to it, because there’s more.”

“I guess not.  Please continue, Milady.”

“There will need to be an upkeep paid.  Someone will need to split their spiritual energy with her.  This will serve to keep her body animated while her soul reasserts itself.  Think of it as an extended-period jump-start.”

“I’ll provide it.”  The tension Fate applied to his armed was suddenly doubled.

Hild smiled.  “You do realize that certain traits will begin to rub off on her.  She may gain your Asperger’s Syndrome, or even your magic disruption capability.”

“It’s better than the alternative.”

“How very pragmatic of you.  I appreciate that in my servants.  Now tell me - what do you offer in repayment?  You had better make it good - Death does not like being cheated, even if it’s at my behest.”

There was a tense moment as Ben thought that over, and then the bit about death made him think of something.

“What if I worked for you and death as a shinigami for one-hundred years after my death?”  Fate's grip on his hand moved from 'tight' to 'white-knuckled'.

“Little boy, if this girl’s plight is all it takes to set you off, then how can I expect you to do regular work as a Shinigami?  Surely you never imagined that such work involves ferrying the souls of lost children, do you not?”

“That’s why I won’t be any ordinary shinigami.  I will be your personal bounty hunter.  The one you call in for a soul that has spited you in avoiding their fate.  Your very own Johnny Blaze, minus the whole soul-eating thing as I’m pretty sure you want those souls for Hell.”

“Iiiinnnnnteerresssiiiinnngg~” purred Hild.  “And what makes you think that I don’t already have people like this working for me?”

“Nothing.  I figured I’d take a shot anyhow.”

Hild chuckled.  “I do have a few people working for myself and Death in such a capacity.  However, by the time you meet your fate-”

“?!” cried out Fate wordlessly, causing Hild to chuckle.

“Oh, not you, dear child, the other kind of Fate - by the time you mortal life is over, I will probably have need of another one.

“So... Alicia’s soul in a phylactery, your spiritual energy to help sustain her until she no longer needs it, and your servitude in death.  Does that sound about right?”

“Her memories,” said Ben suddenly.  “Will those be intact as well?”

Hild smiled.  “Good catch.  For being so sharp, I’ll not only make certain that her memories are restored, but I will also implant some memories  from the Book of Darkness incident.”

At Fate’s surprised look, Hild smiled.  “Oh, don’t be so shocked, dear child.  The memories will actually be your own... only modified to be from her perspective.  She will be able to recognize you as her sister right away.”

“But...” said Fate, looking confused.  “Aren’t you supposed to be evil?  Why would you do something so nice?”

Hild went to Fate and, courageous girl that she was, didn’t flinch as Hild gently, almost lovingly even, tilted her face up to look her in the eyes.

“Because, dear child, I know what family means.  My antics with Urd are not simply to throw her and her sisters off-balance.  As a mother, I dearly wish that she would acknowledge me.”

“I’m sorry,” said Fate, and she genuinely meant it.  “I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright, Fate,” she said as she cupped her cheek softly.  “You’re not of this world, and you meant no offense.  You simply did not understand, and yet you sought understanding.  There is no crime in that.  I only ask one thing of you, Fate.”

“Yes?”

“Treasure her always.”

“Forever!” cried out Fate without hesitation.

“Good girl.”  She then left Fate, turning back to Ben, and said, “Well, is that satisfactory, Benjamin?”

“Yes, Milady.  If I may ask, though, while we make preparations, may I have a copy of the contract?  Trust, but verify, you know.”

The Daimakaicho made an amused sound.  “Indeed.”

With a flourish and a burst of flames, a scroll appeared in her hand.  She was about to pass it to Ben when she held it back, then said,

“Remember, Benjamin.  I do not do things like this lightly.  You have been highly effective thus far, and that in spite of, or perhaps even because of, your shortcomings.  As you asked, this contract is straightforward.  And I expect you to make good on this wish.”

“I do not doubt that there’s any issues, Milady.  And as I’ve said... I’m doing this out of love.”

“Hmm,” said Hild with a smile.  “It is very noble of you...”  She then leaned over and whispered seductively in his ear, “But don’t think that I don’t know what you truly want.~”

“I know what my dark side is,” said Ben firmly, but gently.  “Unlike some, I acknowledge that it is a part of what I am.  I understand why it exists and what caused it to be the way it is.  And I do my best to be at peace with myself.”

Hild chuckled.  “You know, if more men were like you, I’d probably be out of a job.”  She then gave a nasty smile.  “Be careful now, Benjamin.  They say that one should not come to the attention of their executives... but you have gained mine, and in such a bold manner, too.  I will be keeping an eye on you from now on~.”

“Of course, Milady,” replied Ben with a polite bow.

“Hah.  Smarmy little charmer.”  She suddenly burst into flames and was gone just like that.

Ben then looked to Fate.  “Let’s get the-OOF!”

He didn’t get much more than that out because Fate had wrapped her arms around him and squeezed with all of her considerable strength.  For a moment, there were only her sobs.

“How could you do this?” she finally managed to say.

“Fate.  My dear little love.  If it meant that you could live a happy life with your sister and Nanoha, then I would die a thousand times over.  Willingly.  Knowingly.  Even if it meant that I would have never met you and was never a part of your life.  So long as each time I get a short moment to look down from heaven, and see your smile.  That would make all the suffering in the world worth it.”

He then went down on one knee, taking her head in his hands so he could look her in the eyes and say it so that she would know without any room for doubt this was coming from his heart.

“Family bonds are sacred, Fate.  It is what makes us human.  Without family, we are nothing.”

Fate hugged him close once more, and whispered in his ear, “Be my family.  With Alicia.  With Nanoha.”

Ben kept her close.  “Even though I’m an old man?”

“Don’t care.  You need family.  I do too.  Please, don’t make me ask again.”

For a long moment, Ben simply held her there like that.

“What does Nanoha think?”

“She wants us both.  You make her feel at ease.  And she loves that you make me feel stronger.  Please?”

Ben sighed.  “Every year, every month, every day, you and Nanoha will grow more and more beautiful, and all the more tempting for me.  It’s going to be hard for me to wait until we can do this legally.”

“That won’t stop us from loving you.”

“Nor I, you,” he whispered in her ear.  “I will be family to you, Fate.  From now until forever.”

When Fate and Ben finally parted, Nanoha was there waiting.  She first went and hugged Fate tightly, whispering things between each other, words of love and assurance.  Once reaffirmed, they let each other go, and then Nanoha went to Ben.

Still down on one knee, Ben received her with open arms, hugging her tightly.

“Raising Heart saw everything,” she whispered.  “You brave fool.  My precious, courageous fool on his hill.”

“Would you have me any other way?” Ben whispered back, mild amusement coloring his tone.

“Never in ten-thousand years.  Thank you.”

“Always.”

[Labster]

Yes, all the feels.  Good work.  A few notes, mostly copyedits:

> “I never imagined you to be so... religious!” said Teletha suddenly.
It always surprises me to find agnostics in settings where there are gods all over the place.  But yeah, human nature, there's gonna be a few of them.

> but it was s measured and decisive movement.
s/ s / a /;

> “These are Valknuts."
A healthy part of a balanced breakfast.

> “You know that you are a direct descendant of the legendary viking, Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye.”
Uhm I hate to break this to you, but half the cast is a direct descendant of Sigurd if you are.  If a European person living before 1000 AD has living descendants, then all Europeans are a descendant of this person, because math.  As much as I like the royal blood trope, everyone has both royals and slaves in their ancestry.  (Of course the admixture is different, so you can be more genetically similar to a distant ancestor than others.)  Of course if Sigurd didn't exist in every reality, you can bend this rule.

> There were many Bruja’s on your matrilineal line.
Looks like you're missing a noun after Bruja's.

> he said as he quietly entered.
Talking seems like not quietly entering.

> she dried her as she sat up.
eyes?  face?

> half hearted gesture
needs hyphen

> And the dining area waited for the next meal.
"waited for" is okay but a bit awkward, maybe "awaited" or "stood ready"?

> “LADY HILD!  I WANT TO MAKE A WISH!”
You could have just called me on the phone, you know.  The number is area code 666...

> “I think that ca be done.”
can

> I will be your personal bounty hunter.
Ooooh! Godwhacker's on the case.

> At Fate’s surprised look, Hild smiled.
By this point I had forgotten she was in this scene.

> “You brave fool.  My precious, courageous fool on his hill.”
She's really right.  Marked by the top good God, same day makes a deal with the devil.

[Inquisitive Raven]

I think it's supposed to be the plural "brujas" rather than the possessive "bruja's."

[Bob Schroeck]

Yes, the feels are strong with this one.

May I also add:

> He then pulled in a breathe
"breath". Breathe with a terminal "e" is a verb.

> “Be careful now, Benjamin. They say that one should not come to the attention to their executives...
I think some context is missing here. Whose executives? Hell's?

[robkelk]

>  “Be careful now, Benjamin.  They say that one should not come to the attention to their executives...
I think some context is missing here.  Whose executives?  Hell's?

From context, it looks like Hild is the executive.

Which means the line should be "one should not come to the attention of their executives", not "one should not come to the attention to their executives".

As for the contract, I recall we decided somebody would look it over before Ben signed it...

"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?"

"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."

Rob's expression went completely neutral. "Only if you're sure that this is what you want to do."

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"You're taking on responsibility for her life, here. Are you ready to be a father?" Before Ben could reply, Rob added, "I can't answer that. Only you can make that call."

[Black Aeronaut]

Yep.  Lots of typographical errors.  I've gone back and fixed them, as well as tweaked a few things here and there.  As to the rest...

> “I never imagined you to be so... religious!” said Teletha suddenly.
It always surprises me to find agnostics in settings where there are gods all over the place.  But yeah, human nature, there's gonna be a few of them.

It made sense with Teletha.  Not only is she a woman of science, but I never once see anything that implies she's anything but agnostic.  She's just been rolling with it thus far, but to suddenly find that Ben's a strong believer in the Latter-Day Saint faith, if not a devout member?  Yeah.  Most people would never guess it coming from me because they have this imagery of LDS people being so squeaky-clean thanks to pop culture...

> “These are Valknuts."
A healthy part of a balanced breakfast.

Pffffft!

> “You know that you are a direct descendant of the legendary viking, Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye.”
Uhm I hate to break this to you, but half the cast is a direct descendant of Sigurd if you are.  If a European person living before 1000 AD has living descendants, then all Europeans are a descendant of this person, because math.  As much as I like the royal blood trope, everyone has both royals and slaves in their ancestry.  (Of course the admixture is different, so you can be more genetically similar to a distant ancestor than others.)  Of course if Sigurd didn't exist in every reality, you can bend this rule.

I had that though too, but then, I think that what we can say is that actually having the genealogical information that backs up claims like these is what makes them stronger in the Metacontinuity.  Sure, it's a claim many people can make.  But how many of them have actually gone out of their way to see if it's a valid one?  It's kinda like the difference between believing and knowing - belief can be broken or weakened, but a solid knowing backed up with incontrovertible evidence?  Another person can tell Ben all kinds of lie about his past, but he knows the truth.

> he said as he quietly entered.
Talking seems like not quietly entering.

Heh.  One of the problems with being Aspie is volume control - as in I often have no indoor voice.  I'll go ahead and make this more clear.

> I will be your personal bounty hunter.
Ooooh! Godwhacker's on the case.

<BugsBunny>Weellll maaaaaayyyyyybeeeeeeee~.</BugsBunny>

> At Fate’s surprised look, Hild smiled.
By this point I had forgotten she was in this scene.

I'll see about fixing that...

> “You brave fool.  My precious, courageous fool on his hill.”
She's really right.  Marked by the top good God, same day makes a deal with the devil.

It's kinda my character's Take That at Odin.  The Allfather won't mind much, though - triumph in the face of death is his thing.

I think it's supposed to be the plural "brujas" rather than the possessive "bruja's."

Yep, lotsa typos...

>  “Be careful now, Benjamin.  They say that one should not come to the attention to their executives...
I think some context is missing here.  Whose executives?  Hell's?

From context, it looks like Hild is the executive.

Which means the line should be "one should not come to the attention of their executives", not "one should not come to the attention to their executives".

Yeah, kinda goofed it up there.

Keep in mind, Ben works for Lord Phantomhive.  And who does Lord Phantomhive ultimately work for?  In the grand scheme of things, Hild is the CEO of the parent company, and Benjamin pretty much just ran into the boardroom with an offer that was hard for Her to pass up.  He is most certainly on the radar now.

As for the contract, I recall we decided somebody would look it over before Ben signed it...

"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?"

"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."

Rob's expression went completely neutral. "Only if you're sure that this is what you want to do."

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"You're taking on responsibility for her life, here. Are you ready to be a father?" Before Ben could reply, Rob added, "I can't answer that. Only you can make that call."

Yeah, I got that in the next section, but I'll go ahead and work this in there.  And when Rob asks if Ben is ready to be a father...

"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.  Without missing a beat, Ben 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."

[robkelk]

Rob grinned and offered to shake Ben's hand. "Welcome to the club!"

[Black Aeronaut]

"Only in the loosest sense," said Ben as he shook Rob's hand.  "More likely than not, She's gonna calle me her big brother.  And it'll fit if Fate... well, you know."

---

I now have this mental imagery of them all grown up.  The governing bodies have taken a page out of the Book of Fenspace and have regular conventions where all the major powers gather amid peoples of hundreds of stellar nations...  Ben and company are just leaving customs and someone mentions that Alicia should be around - she's supposed to meet them there.

And then clear from the other end of the conourse, they hear her coming.  Nanoha is already getting a measuring tape ready...

"BIIIIIIIG BOOOOOOOO-THHHEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR!!!!!~~~"

*KERPOW!* *SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!*

"So, how far did they go this time?"

"22.8 Meters.  That's a new record."

"Wow.  She's been practicing."

*All nod in agreement*

[Black Aeronaut]

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

[Labster]

<applause>

Good going. Your stinger gave me an unrelated idea for another stinger, when I finally write my action chapter. Lots of stuff happened today, so I'll do an editing pass later. So far only noticed:

conamination

I'm also curious if Hild's song a standard minor key with Aeolian mode, or something weirder like Dorian mode to give it a more otherworldly quality. (no not actually expecting an answer here lol)