New York, Planet Earth…
Noah and Nanoha reappeared in a narrow, hidden alley in New York, not far from the hotel they were temporarily staying at. Without a word, the two of them left the alley and blended into the flow of pedestrians on the streets, as they headed back toward their hotel.
The walk was filled with silence. Noah tried, not just once or twice, to start a conversation, but each attempt failed. Nanoha only answered with a hum, a faint smile that never quite reached her eyes, and the gentle pressure of her fingers tightening around his hand. Aside from that, she remained distant, lost in her thoughts.
By the time they reached the hotel, neither of them spoke. They boarded the elevator together, waiting as it slowly carried them upward. When the doors finally opened on their floor, Nanoha didn't hesitate and pulled Noah's hand, which she was still holding, straight toward their room.
She unlocked the door with their keycard and stepped inside. Noah, baffled by her sudden decisiveness, could only follow along. The moment he crossed the threshold, Nanoha closed the door behind them and secured it with a double lock.
"...Non?" Noah asked softly. "What's going on with you?"
Instead of answering, Nanoha turned to face him.
Then, without warning, she pushed him back toward the bed.
Surprised by her sudden action, Noah fell back onto the bed. The soft mattress bounced under him, and the next moment, he felt Nanoha's weight settle over his body. She straddled him without hesitation, and he swallowed hard at the closeness.
"E-eh… my dear Non…" he murmured, cheeks warming. "I can't help but think we're about to do something we probably shouldn't show to anyone."
Nanoha didn't answer him. Still, he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks as she reached up, removing the earpiece from her ear, and then his, before tossing both onto the carpet below the bed.
She leaned down and kissed him, long and passionately. Noah froze for a second, caught off guard, before instinct took over and he returned the kiss. Their lips met with growing intensity at every second pass until they finally broke apart, both breathing hard.
"…Nanoha-san," Noah said softly between breaths, "isn't that a little bold of you?"
"…Did you dislike it?" Nanoha asked softly.
Instead of answering with words, Noah kissed her again, his hands instinctively finding her waist and pulling her closer. His hand reached toward her chest and thighs. His sudden boldness made Nanoha let out a soft, sweet moan between their kisses, and the way her body responded only excited him further.
They broke apart once more as Nanoha leaned back, sitting upright atop him. She licked her lips as her hands slowly reached and loosened the ties of her dress. And then, she lifted the fabric and slipped out of it, letting it fall at the side.
Noah could only stare at her full glory. Even with her undergarments still on, the sight in front of him stole his breath. She was stacked where it mattered, tight where it should be. He even noticed how her muscles toned just enough from years of TSAB training. It has the right balance of softness and firmness. Takamachi Nanoha's existence was simply beautiful.
"Noah… make love to me," she said softly.
"…I already expected that this would be the direction we would be heading," he admitted, voice low. "But I still want to ask you… Just what brought this on so suddenly?"
Nanoha lowered her head, her bangs hiding her eyes.
"....I hated it," she whispered.
"Yes?" Noah blinked.
"I hated the words the Ancient One told you," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "As if you were someone who would destroy worlds and lives. I hated how she tried to paint you as a villain. I hate it… I hate it so much."
Slowly, she looked up at him. Tears slipped free and traced down her cheeks. The moment Noah saw them, his chest tightened in pain.
'No…No! This isn't right. Nanoha shouldn't be crying.'
He didn't understand why, but this was the first thought that came to him when he saw her tears.
'She should be smiling. She shouldn't be hurting like this.'
"Even though she apologized…" Nanoha said between her sobs, her voice shaking with emotion. "It still hurts. It hurts that someone could speak about the person I believe in like that."
She clenched her hands on his shirt. "That's why… Noah… please. Make love to me. I want to forget this pain. Make it go away, wash it away with your love."
Hearing her words, Noah made his decision.
He raised himself, carefully turning them until Nanoha lay under him. She let out a small, surprised gasp as she fell on the bed, her heart pounding so loudly she could feel it in her ears. Noah was right above her, one hand brushing her cheek, wiping away the tears she hadn't noticed falling.
"Nanoha…"
"Noah…"
He leaned down, closing the distance between them.
In the next moment, they became one, not just in body, but in heart, emotions, and the feelings they chose to share.
—----
Meeting Deck on board the Hyperion, at the Far Side of the Moon…
"…Out of respect for you and Takamachi, I won't ask about the reason the two of you cut the communication line after returning to your room," Chrono said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Whatever happened between you two during those last 12 hours is strictly your personal business."
His tired eyes stared at the awkwardly smiling Noah Alden seated across from him.
On the large, comfortable couches of the Hyperion's meeting deck—which looked far more like a living room than a command center—were an equally exhausted Yuuno, Hayate's family, the Wolkenritter (Signum, Vita, and Zafira), Amy Harlaown, and the other support staff of their task force.
They were gathered aboard the Hyperion for the official debrief following the First Contact—Noah and Nanoha's meeting with the Masters of the Mystic Arts, with the Ancient One having shared the locations of three Infinity Stones, four of the six had now been found.
At long last, their mission had taken a significant step forward.
Though the meeting hadn't begun, several key members were missing. Nanoha, Lumine, Sirin, Fate, and Hayate were all absent.
The reason was simple.
The five of them were currently in the Hyperion's training room, "sparring." Or rather… ganging up on Nanoha.
Shamal and AI-chan had accompanied them to make sure no one got seriously hurt and that the training room itself survived the ordeal.
After Noah and Nanoha had cut off communications the previous day, Lumine, Sirin, Hayate, and Fate had somehow pieced together exactly what was happening between the two. Their suspicions were all but confirmed by the unmistakable glow on Nanoha's expression when they all met this morning.
And to explain why Chrono and the others looked totally exhausted. Yesterday, during the communication blackout, they had to use everything they had to stop four extremely powerful and extremely jealous women from descending on the planet where Noah and Nanoha were.
"Ahaha… ahahaha… thank you for your hard work," Noah said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. His expression was a mixture of embarrassment and genuine gratitude.
Almost on cue, a distant explosion can be heard through the deck, followed by AI-chan's despairing scream from the training room on a lower level.
Noah, Chrono, and the others all flinched in unison.
"...Ten thousand overlapping shields." After a while of complete silence, Yuuno muttered at last, his face still buried in the couch pillow.
Noah blinked, genuinely confused. "Ten thousand what?"
Without lifting his head, Yuuno continued flatly, "That's what it took just to trap Lumine. Ten thousand overlapping shields, layered into a cage sturdy enough to make sure she couldn't escape."
Noah's cheek twitched as his mind pictured the sheer effort that must have taken.
Chrono snorted, setting his coffee down with a sharp clink. "Ten thousand? Hah! You had it easy, ferret boy. Switch places with me next time and try stopping a rampaging, jealous woman who can control the void."
Yuuno opened his mouth to protest—then grimaced, thinking better of it.
"It took me 107 different binding spells," Chrono continued through gritted teeth, "each layered thousands of times just to keep Sirin from moving. I even had to cast Eternal Coffin to stop all four of them."
"…For what it's worth," Signum Yagami said evenly as she poured herself a cup of coffee, her expression perfectly blank, "I am grateful for your efforts, Chrono."
She took a sip. "…Fate has truly grown stronger. She was moving far faster than the last time we sparred."
"…Hayate wasn't any different," Vita Yagami chimed in from her lying position on top of the large bean bag. "We thought we were done for the moment she chanted 'Ragnarok' to remove us…"
"…I suppose that only proves how terrifying a woman's jealousy can be," Zafira added dryly from beside the couches.
Hearing all of that, Noah winced, his expression turning apologetic.
"Seriously… thank you, all of you," he said earnestly.
Chrono, Yuuno, and the Wolkenritter responded with a shared, tired exhale, waving their hands in dismissal and telling him not to think of it.
At that moment, the doors to the meeting deck burst open. Bruised Nanoha came rushing in, throwing herself straight into Noah's arms.
"Bweeeeeeh!! Noah, everyone is so mean!" she cried as she clung to him. "They all ganged up on Nanoha-chan!"
"What are you saying, Nanoha-chan?!" Hayate shot back as she limped in after her, carrying the small, fairy-sized, fainted Reinforce Zwei in her hand. "You're the one who mercilessly bombarded us with Starlight Breakers!"
"…And you didn't even stop until all four of us were completely flattened!" Fate added as she followed, leaning heavily on a support stick.
The rest also arrived, a floating Sirin wrap in several bandages, and Lumine being supported by Shamal to walk.
"This is so unfair!!" Sirin complained immediately, puffing out her cheeks as she pointed at Nanoha. "How did Nonon get a status buff after doing it only once?! And how come we who've done it multiple times didn't get this strong?!"
"S-Sii, what are you even saying in front of everyone?!" Noah protested, his face burning bright red.
Naturally, he was completely ignored.
"…Is Nonon some kind of main character in a magical girl anime?" Lumine mused as Shamal helped her sit down near Noah. "The kind who gets an absurd power-up from her 'love interest.'"
"Noah, what did you do to make her this strong?!" Sirin shot him a sharp glare. "How did Nonon suddenly end up with raw power on the same level as Kii?!"
Ignoring the ongoing shuraba, Chrono turned toward Shamal, who was drowning herself in coffee.
"So," he asked her, "how bad was it?"
"Quite bad…" Shamal replied after finishing her second cup. "Just like Fate-chan and Hayate-chan said, somehow Nanoha-chan was able to keep firing Starlight Breakers multiple times until all four of them couldn't even move anymore."
Her expression winced before letting out a tired sigh. "And she wasn't even exhausted, nor her linker core showed any signs of strain at all."
"…How is that possible?" Yuuno muttered in disbelief. "Even if we assume there was that much excess mana released from how intense their battle was, Nanoha shouldn't be able to fire that many breaker-type spells without exhausting herself."
"That's exactly what baffles all of us," Shamal said, offering a strained smile. "The same reason Lumine-chan and Sirin-chan were so shocked. As far as my estimates go, the excess mana in the training room should've only been enough for one, maybe two breaker-class spells."
She turned her head and looked toward Nanoha, who was still clinging to Noah, her face buried against his neck. Hayate and Fate had claimed either side of him, while Lumine and Sirin continued throwing him with questions.
"And yet," Shamal finished quietly, "Nanoha-chan did it."
"…Perhaps Nanoha-chan became a Pathstrider?" Amy murmured.
Her words immediately got their attention. Chrono's cheeks twitched. Yuuno looked up. Even Noah and the others fell silent as every eye turned toward her.
Amy flinched, suddenly aware she was the center of the room. She scratched her cheek, face burning red. "W-wait! I-I'm just saying it's a possibility, okay?! I'm not saying that's actually what happened!"
Slowly, all eyes switched again, and this time to Nanoha, who only buried her face deeper against Noah's neck.
"Non?"
"Nonon?"
"Nanoha-chan?"
""...Can you tell us the truth?""
Perhaps feeling the pressure of everyone's stares, Nanoha's shoulders flinched. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Noah with an adorable, pleading puppy eye, an expression so effective that he almost dropped the topic entirely.
Almost.
Unfortunately for her, the combined glares from Lumine, Sirin, Fate, and Hayate stopped him cold.
'Sorry, Non… I can't win against the pressure from the others,' Noah apologized silently as he looked away.
Realizing Noah wasn't going to save her, Nanoha pouted and shot a glare at the others. They returned it without hesitation.
With a small sigh, Nanoha loosened her hold on Noah and adjusted herself on his lap so she could face everyone properly.
"…Surprise~," she said casually, as if announcing the weather. "Nanoha-chan is a Trailblazer now."
"…WHAT?!"
"Since when?!" Fate and Hayate leaned in close at the same time.
"When Akivili made their presence known, even from beyond death," Nanoha replied, rubbing the back of her head. "From what I understood… They liked how I defended Noah against the Ancient One's accusations. Sooo… I guess I got adopted? Or something like that."
Everyone froze.
Even Noah, Lumine, and Sirin, veteran Nameless themselves, stared at her in complete disbelief.
"B-but we didn't notice any changes this whole time!" Hayate shouted.
"…Except for that glow when you came back," Fate added sulkily.
"Honestly," Noah admitted, still stunned, "even I didn't notice you becoming a Pathstrider of Trailblaze."
Lumine and Sirin nodded in agreement.
Nanoha shrugged. "I also didn't notice any particular changes in me, actually. Aside from being able to tap into an endless amount of mana for my spells…" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "…I don't really feel any different."
"…I don't know which one is scarier," Hayate murmured at last, rubbing her temple. "Stones capable of rewriting the causality of the universe… or giving the bombardment idiot an endless supply of mana."
"FUEE?! That's mean, Hayate-chan!!" Nanoha protested immediately, pouting adorably.
Chrono let out a long sigh, his nth of the day, and shook his head, deliberately pushing aside any thoughts of potential collateral damage caused by a certain someone. "…With the mystery of how Takamachi got her power-up," he said, straightening slightly, "let's finally begin our debrief. The meeting with the 'Ancient One,' the confirmed locations of the Stones, and our next course of action."
With the meeting finally getting back on track, Nanoha reluctantly slipped off Noah's lap and took a seat beside him, earning immediate pouts from the rest of the girls. One by one, everyone adjusted their posture and settled in. This was serious business from here on.
Amy stepped forward, tapped on the data pad in her hand, and the lights in the room dimmed slightly as a projection formed in the center.
"Thanks to the efforts of the First Contact team, we successfully establish a connection with a local power within the planet Earth." she began as images of the planet, New York city, New York Sanctum, Wong, Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One, the medallion where the Time Stone is sealed, and the name of their group 'Masters of the Mystic Arts' all appeared in the projection.
"The meeting with the Ancient One, whom the Masters of the Mystic Arts recognize as the Sorcerer Supreme and their leader, marked a major step forward in our mission to gather information on the Infinity Stones," Amy explained. "Thanks to the information she shared, we now understand the condition and status of four out of the six stones."
She tapped a few commands on her pad, and the projection changed. The image of the Six stones appeared, four of them were now highlighted, with two labeled with names Reality and Time.
"With the Reality Stone currently in Noah-kun's possession, and the Time Stone secured by the Sorcerer Supreme," Amy continued, glancing around the room, "we can consider both of those safe for now. That leaves us with the Power, Space, Mind, and Soul Stones."
She let out a small exhale, letting everyone digest the information.
"The next stone we encounter could be any one of those four, which complicates our planning. What we do know is that one of the remaining stones is currently held by a governing body on this planet that's 1 out of 117 recorded nations."
Chrono stepped forward, smoothly picking up where she left off. "On top of that, we're facing the possibility of an external invasion force, one that includes a stone wielder arriving on this planet. We don't know which stone they possess, nor do we have any clear estimate of the size of their forces. Needless to say, it makes the situation… messy."
"So," Yuuno hummed, raising an eyebrow, "we know a powerful force is heading this way, and we know the next stone could be one of several—but we don't know which stone they have, or how large their army is."
He nodded. "Cool. Guess we're preparing for four possible powers at once."
Fate raised her hand hesitantly. "If that's the case… why can't we ask the Ancient One again which stone will appear?"
"The reason is actually simple, Fii," Noah chipped in, the nickname immediately made Fate blush. "The Ancient One likely only saw that the two stones would appear at some point along the timeline through the Medallion Eye's power. But she probably couldn't distinguish which one, it's likely because each stone's energy interferes with the others, creating too much noise to identify them clearly."
He continued smoothly, "And just like the Orb and the stone in their hand, the remaining stones are probably sealed inside vessels that prevent their energy from leaking outward."
"Right… and with how cautious she was," Hayate added with a scowl, crossing her arms, "to the point she assumed our hubby will go dark… tsk." Lumine, Sirin, Nanoha, and Fate mirrored her displeasure as the memory came back. "Someone like that would definitely want to know what kind of threats they're facing in advance."
"I see…" Fate nodded slowly, understanding their explanation.
"Hmm… I think whoever is bringing that invasion force is likely using either the Mind or the Soul Stone," Sirin said thoughtfully.
Reinforce Zwei, who had only just woken up before the meeting began, tilted her head at Sirin's words. "What makes you say that, Sirin-san?"
Sirin shrugged lightly. "How else could a single person command an army capable of attacking an entire planet? Either by controlling their minds… or binding their souls to their will."
Chrono narrowed his eyes slightly. "…That actually sounds reasonable."
Sirin blinked, then quickly turned away, hiding her faint blush much to the amusement of Noah and the girls.
"Well, as for the stone currently in the hands of this world's government," Noah continued with a confident smirk, "that one's actually easy to deal with. All we need is a little… provocation."
"Provocation?" Chrono raised his brow.
"We make it clear that we know what they have and that we want it," Noah said calmly. "Sooner or later, a certain bald, one-eyed, paranoid man will come looking for us instead."
"That's oddly specific, Noah," Lumine said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Perhaps you're onto something?"
"You think too highly of me, Lumi," Noah replied with a wry smile. "I'm just throwing out guesses. Though… I will admit the Force gave me a brief vision of the same person when I was searching for potential points of contact. But he didn't know anything about the Stones, but he seems… relevant."
"And yet you still mentioned him," Chrono said, narrowing his eyes as he looked straight at Noah. "So either your instincts are telling you something… or you already know this person's significance."
Noah let out a sigh. With Chrono's words, all eyes in the room naturally turned toward him. "Alright," he admitted at last, raising both of his hands in surrender. "I'll be honest. The Force did tell me that this person is important because he acts as the commander of the 'Heroes' of this world." He stopped, then corrected himself. "Or more accurately… the decision-maker who works with them."
He leaned back in his seat, meeting Chrono's gaze. "He doesn't know about the Stones directly. But he might be connected to people who do."
Noah raised a hand and pointed toward the projection of New York City. "That's also why I chose this city over every other place on this planet. The Force guided me here. This city is the nexus, the point where that man and the heroes are most likely to appear."
"As expected," Chrono said calmly, "your actions are calculated, not random." He folded his arms. "Do you think the invasion will begin here as well?"
Noah's brows furrowed. "…I can't say for certain. But my instinct tells me this city might be the ground zero of the coming war."
Chrono's expression tightened for a moment before he nodded. "Then we begin preparations with New York designated as ground zero, and we proceed under the assumption that the stone wielder is using either the Mind or Soul Stone."
"E-ehh? Y-you actually considered what I said?" Sirin's eyes widened, genuinely shocked that Chrono was making plans based on what she thought had been an offhand comment.
"Given the current situation," Chrono replied with a small, reassuring smile, "what you said aligns with what I and surely Noah believe is most likely to happen."
Still unable to believe it, Sirin turned toward Noah. He met her eyes, smiled softly, and gave her a firm nod.
"The moment you suggested it, Sii," Noah added calmly, "the Force went completely silent. That's usually its way of telling me a possibility has risen to the top."
"O-oh…" Sirin fidgeted slightly, her cheeks warming as she looked away.
"By the way, Chrono," Noah continued smoothly, went back into Captain mode, "I'm handing you operational control over the Titan mechs. Deploy them as you see fit."
"I'll gladly accept," Chrono replied without hesitation. He then turned sharply toward Yuuno. "Ferret, take the Wolkenritter and establish a forward base on the planet. We'll need reliable access in and out of the planet, especially once the war begins."
"…Just how long are you planning to keep calling me that?" Yuuno sighed, then nodded anyway. "Fine. I'll handle it."
He turned toward the Yagami family—Signum, Shamal, Vita, and Zafira. All four met his gaze and nodded in agreement.
"Ah—then take this terminal, Yuuno," Noah said, pulling out the Trailblaze™ Terminal, a device resembling a modern smartphone, and handing it over. "VA is linked to it. He'll assist with anything that requires hacking or technical support."
"Thanks, bro," Yuuno said with a grin as he accepted the terminal.
[I am glad to work with you again, Sir Yuuno.] Void Archives replied.
"Ahaha… looks like we worked together back in your time," Yuuno said cheerfully. "Let's get along this time, too."
"Ah—sorry," Sirin cut in, raising a hand. "I want to check the condition of this world's dimensional walls. From what we've heard, they're being constantly attacked by this 'Doordoormoo' guy from another dimension."
"That's fine. I was concerned about that as well," Chrono agreed easily. "Then I assume Noah will go with you?"
"Of course," Noah replied without hesitation. "I'm not letting Sii handle that investigation alone."
"Then we're coming too!" Lumine, Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate said in unison.
"Sorry, but that won't work," Chrono stopped them immediately. "We still need people here handling other preparations. At most, I'll allow one more person to join them."
The four girls exchanged glares. Then, without a word, they all stood up together and walked out of the meeting deck.
"…Crap," Chrono muttered, a bead of sweat sliding down his temple. "Did I just trigger another war?"
"Yes. Yes, you did," Noah, Yuuno, and everyone else answered in unison, dread thick in their voices.
A second later, the distant sound of an explosion can be heard through the ship, followed closely by AI-chan's despairing scream.
======