Author's Note: Okay, I'm back, maybe. Sort of. My life went to hell in a handbasket for a while there (dead parent, dead family, dead pets, home loss and several moves, permanent injuries and all that fun!) and I'm barely getting back into stability. I have not quit writing and plan on getting back into everything when I can, but I cannot at all promise anything like consistency in update times. I'll do my best to get back on track.

Beta: Myareska

"Or you could do what Knight and I do, and just pray everything is fine."

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha:
Altered Course

CHAPTER THREE:
Revelations

There was only a sense of confusion among the other members of the family of five at Nanoha's cry. The nine-year-old ran past her parents and siblings to the foreign girl lying unconscious on the sofa. Yuuno bound off her shoulder with the momentum, running up the arm of the couch until he was hovering over her. "Fate-chan?" she asked in a trembling voice, gingerly touching the girl by the shoulder. The only response was a whimper. Nearby, bandaged across her side on the floor, Arf lay at her master's side, and upon seeing Nanoha and Yuuno, she let out a weak growl. Miyuki moved, reaching out to pick up Yuuno off of the injured girl as he tentatively crawled atop her arm to her chest, but Nanoha stood up and grabbed her by the hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Where did you find her?" she demanded.

"W-we found her lying in the street," Miyuki stuttered, surprised by her little sister's desperation. "She was like this when we found her, and—"

Nanoha failed to hear the rest as Yuuno spoke to her telepathically.

Nanoha, Fate's in really bad shape. I can stabilize her, and her familiar, but I have to do so as soon as I can.

Nanoha tore her gaze away from her sister, staring at Yuuno. Her family mistook it for looking at the girl he was standing atop of, the fear and worry evident in her eyes. Her mother laid a hand on her shoulder. "Nanoha, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer. Yuuno-kun?

I'm sorry, Nanoha. We don't have time. I have to use magic on them—you'll have to explain it to the rest of them.

After a moment's hesitation, Nanoha squeezed her eyes shut and gave Yuuno a brief nod. "Do it."

As her family tried to ask her about the odd statement, green light exploded across the floor beneath the two victims in the room. Two feminine shrieks sounded from Momoko and Miyuki as Shiro pushed his wife behind him to protect her. A field of faint green light burst up from the runic circles that revolved beneath Fate and Arf, while Yuuno stared down at them pointedly, concentrating on his spellwork.

"W-what's going on?!" Kyouya demanded.

"It's magic," Nanoha told them.

Nanoha nervously fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as she sat on the floor next to the couch, unmindful of the runic circle containing Fate and the glow coming off of the field of magic surrounding it. Her parents were on the floor as well, her mother having sank to the floor in shock at what she was seeing with her father keeping his arm around her to support her. Miyuki too sat on the floor, staring in bewilderment at the sight before her, while Kyouya leaned against the wall, arms crossed and a grim expression on his face.

"It… it started when I found Yuuno-kun," Nanoha began explaining. "I didn't mention it at the time, but I… I could hear him. I thought I was hallucinating, but then I found Yuuno-kun in that clearing. I heard him again that night, way more clearly. He was speaking to me, telepathically."

"Telepathically? Nanoha, that—" Miyuki started, only to start as a boy's voice piped up.

"She's not lying to you, I assure you," Yuuno said to everyone in the room, looking over his shoulder from where he sat atop Fate, drawing the startled gazes of everyone except Nanoha. "I was under attack, and needed help. Nanoha saved me."

"The ferret can talk…" Momoko said faintly.

"She saved you?" Shiro asked, looking straight at the ferret with hard eyes. "From what?"

"I came to this world to find the Jewel Seeds. I had found one, but it… it managed to form itself into a monster to defend itself. It came after me again, later that night, to finish me off, but Nanoha saved me. Because she could hear my call, I knew she was a mage, and lent her my Device. She brought me here after she secured the Jewel Seed."

"Then that night she brought you here, she had…"

"Un. I'm sorry," Nanoha apologized, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I didn't mean to worry everyone, but I couldn't leave him to die…"

"What are Jewel Seeds? Why are you trying to find them?" Kyouya interrupted, drawing the attention away from his youngest sister even as Miyuki placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort the girl.

"Ancient magical artifacts," the ferret responded. "And unstable ones at that. Normally, they are used to grant the wishes of those who hold them… but their instability can result in them going out of control on their own. They can also go out of control thanks to mistaken executions by people or animals, and harm the environment in the process. I've been trying to retrieve them and seal them so they can't. Nanoha has been helping me immensely with the task."

"And this girl? Fate-chan, you said her name was?" Momoko asked, looking at her youngest. "Is she involved in this?"

"… yes," Nanoha said after a moment. "She's been after the Jewel Seeds too, but… I don't know why. She wouldn't talk to me whenever I asked."

"We've had to fight her and her familiar over them several times already," Yuuno added. "But this last time…"

"We tried to capture the Jewel Seed at the same time. It… it did something, I don't know what, but then… this stranger appeared and he attacked us!" Nanoha exclaimed in a rush, her voice breaking. "He hurt Fate-chan and Arf-san, but we managed to get away… but… but…!"

Nanoha yelped as her sister's arms enveloped her, pulling her back into her embrace. Miyuki's hand patted Nanoha's head, a comfort to the distraught girl. "It's okay, Nanoha," she murmured, drawing a hesitant nod from her.

"Her injuries must have been more severe than I thought, if you found them in this state," Yuuno continued to the rest of the family. "I'm sorry I had to reveal this all to you in this fashion. When I saw the condition she was in, I knew I couldn't waste any time in healing them."

Shiro only shook his head in response. "No, it's fine. Your first instinct was to help them, even though they're your enemies… it's clear you have good intentions."

"How long will it be before we can talk to her?" Kyouya spoke. "This isn't something we can take to the police… and we can't take her to a hospital. We need to know more."

"I can't say," Yuuno said. "Physically, they'll be fine by tomorrow. But… Fate's linker core is in very bad condition."

"Linker core?"

"It's an organ of sorts. One for mages like myself, Nanoha, and Fate. It's how we draw mana from the environment. Whatever that man did to her, it's done some severe damage. It can recover, but… it'll take some time. It may be longer before she awakes."

"And her… dog? What about her?"

"Her familiar, Arf… she needs Fate's mana to live. I think she'll recover first, but she'll need to limit the amount of mana she draws from Fate if she's to recover soon. We'll need to speak to her once she awakes… we'll need to restrain her somehow as well. She's very protective of Fate, and we're kind of on her bad side as it is."

"Alright… Nanoha," Shiro said, turning back to his youngest, who started at the sudden address. "You'll stay with your sister tonight. We'll keep Fate in your room for now."

"But…!" Nanoha protested, slowly rising to her feet. Miyuki's hands caught her by the shoulders as she wobbled from the movement. "I need to be there if she wakes up! She—"

"Nanoha, you're dead on your feet," her father cut her off. "I don't know what happened tonight, but whatever it was took its toll on you."

"You need to rest, sweetheart," Momoko said, getting up and going over to her youngest, placing a comforting hand on Nanoha's shoulder. "Please, listen to your father. We'll come rouse you when your friend wakes up."

"Mom's right, sis," Miyuki followed up. "You might know magic but right now I bet even I can keep you from doing anything."

"… Okay," Nanoha acquiesced, looking between her mother and her sister, downtrodden. Miyuki guided Nanoha back to the bedrooms, but not before the girl took one last lingering look at the blond-haired girl unconscious on the couch. Once the girl was out of sight, the ferret standing atop Fate audibly sighed and shook his head.

"Thank you," he said, looking back at the other adults in the room. "I've tried to keep her out of this once Fate got involved, but… she would have none of it. She's been determined to help me collect the Jewel Seeds, and to get through to Fate."

"No, I understand," Shiro said, glancing down at the floor, his expression unreadable to Yuuno. "Nanoha-chan's always been like that."

"It's our fault, I'm afraid," Momoko lamented, looking away in shame as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "We haven't been the best parents to her."

"I don't understand," Yuuno said, sounding plenty confused. "You've been nothing but the best parents you can be from what I've seen."

"… when Nanoha was just a toddler, I was hurt during a job I had taken, and was hospitalized," Shiro started to explain, letting out a heavy sigh. "At the time the doctors didn't know if I'd make it. The whole family was thrown into disarray. My wife had to look after the bakery, and my son had to help her. Miyuki was watching over me in the meantime."

"But we had forgotten about Nanoha," Momoko continued, looking off to the side, ashamed. "We had just opened up our shop when it happened, so we were so busy making ends meet that we left her on her lonesome. We didn't mean to, and yet…"

"She seems to have turned out okay though," Yuuno pointed out. "It's obvious she loves you, so I know she doesn't hold it against you."

"That doesn't make it easier on us," Shiro replied with a melancholic smile. "It's true that she grew independent because of it, but that just means she didn't feel it necessary to tell us about what was going on her life. I can understand why, given how unbelievable this magic business is…"

"But you still worry. I understand," Yuuno said. "I'm truly sorry. I never wanted to drag anyone into this mess, but I couldn't have gotten this far without her help. But now, with this interloper… I don't know what will happen from here. I can't stop from finding the Jewel Seeds, but I don't want to see Nanoha hurt."

"We'll figure something out. What about that girl? Will she be okay?"

"I think so." Yuuno glanced down at the girl he stood upon, noting that her pained expression had begun to lessen. "I believe I was able to begin the healing in time… I'm just worried that it won't be enough. Whatever Mujo did to her is something I've never even heard of before, let alone seen. But this is working for now."

"What about the dog?" Kyouya spoke up, glancing at Arf on the floor by the couch. "What should we do about it? If it knows magic too, I don't think a kennel's going to help. We don't even have a kennel…"

"You're right. If she comes to, I'll handle it—I can use a bind spell to restrain her. From there, we can try and reason with her. If we calm her down, it shouldn't be a problem," Yuuno told them. He didn't sound hopeful.

"Gonna be a long night then," Kyouya said. He turned to his parents. "I'll stay up with them to keep an eye on her." His father nodded to him.

"I'll take over for you after a little while. You won't do much better if you're dead on your feet, Kyouya."

"Right."

"Thank you," Yuuno said. "Just be careful if you see her stir. She's much more dangerous than she looks."

"Well, we'll call it a night then," Shiro said, taking his wife's proffered hand to rise to his feet. The father took one lingering look at the strange girl being healed on his couch before he and Momoko went on their way to the bedroom. He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder once as he passed, an unspoken affirmation on what lay ahead for him.

"Well, can't say today wasn't exciting," Kyouya remarked as moved over to the mages in the room.

Sliding glass doors surrounded by garishly colorful advertisements slid open noiselessly as he approached. Only a few people within the internet café looked up to see the gray-haired stranger in a sharp business suit enter, but those few did a double-take as they took note of his unusual, elven features—and beneath his green spectacles, the anger barely concealed in the mask of an arrogant smirk.

Kyoji Mujo took a moment to observe his surroundings, taking note of the open booths of computer terminals, each one manned by a person typing away at a keyboard and clicking away with a mouse. Not a single one lay unmanned, but that was hardly a problem. The receptionist, a bored-looking teenage girl tapping away at a cell phone, didn't look up as he walked past, yet more of the customers did. Perhaps they realized something was off, something in his pace or his stance. He stopped behind one particular seat, occupied by a plain-looking teenager bobbing his head to the beat of pop music blasting through his headphones as he read some article on the terminal's web browser.

The boy shouted in surprise as Mujo grabbed hold of the seat and yanked it backwards, throwing him out of it to land painfully on his back, his headphones ripped from the machine itself in the process. Only a lack of speakers installed with the computer prevented the music from blaring out, but Mujo paid it no mind as the kid scrambled to his feet and scurried off with a shout of fear. He sat down in the now vacated chair and closed the page the boy was on—an article on some idol named Nana—and opened up a new one to a search site. Around him other customers began to pack up in a frenzy, deciding to be nowhere near the callous intruder. They too were paid no mind as he typed in his query.

However Mujo's countenance morphed into a dissatisfied frown as the terms "Lost Ground" brought up nothing of significance. There were no articles about the separated expanse of land that birthed the Alter Users. A quick follow-up on them also proved useless, the website attempting to correct his terms when it found nothing. "Where am I?" he asked himself. Again he typed in more queries, looking into the status of the HOLD and HOLY organizations, to no avail. With an irritated sigh, he changed direction, opening up a search program for maps.

As he opened up one, it quickly became apparent that this was not the same world he had come from. He could see on the map that the region that had become the Lost Ground, the Kanagawa Prefecture near the city of Tokyo, was wholly intact, as if the Great Uprising had never occurred. A quick trace of his computer's location narrowed down his location to that of Uminari City, a place he had paid very, very little attention to before.

"Huh. To think, those theories of parallel universes were correct," he spoke, returning back to the original searches. Once more he changed the nature of his queries, instead inputting the characteristics of those children he had found upon his arrival to this world. A number of predictably worthless articles were brought to his attention, equating the terms of his searches to that of magical girl anime. He frowned once more, but this time it was thoughtful, contemplative. Given his own powers, he quickly deduced that whatever those girls were, it was a secret that was well kept from society at large. That could prove difficult for him.

With a chuckle, he stood up from his seat, stepping away from the booth as his grin turned sadistic. The receptionist near the entrance cringed back from him as he made his leave back into the night. At the edge of the street he stopped, looking upwards at the stars above.

He was truly on his own here, in a strange, almost alien world. He knew of no way to return to his own, or to open up the Door to the Other Side without the aid of Kazuma and Ryuho, and their easily manipulated passions. But not all was hopeless for him. No, with that unusual crystal he consumed, and those children he fought hiding somewhere in the city, he was certain he could find something he could use—a way back to his world, or perhaps a new way to satisfy his thirst.

The smile that graced his features would've sent grown men running. It looked like he needed to find one of those girls again. With the blonde injured from their bout, Mujo imagined she would go to ground to lick her wounds. Then he just needed to find the redheaded girl, make her tell him what he wanted to know… and take her power too.