"This is completely stupid, probably the most idiotic thing we could possibly do, and I guess I just answered the question on why we're doing it," Zafira lamented, shaking his head and burying his head on a pillow made from his hands, almost wishing he wasn't the stoic Belkan knight he was. Guardian Beast or not, the Belkans took knight training seriously, and Zafira had indeed been trained as a knight. He could even hold a sword in his beastly form!
"Hey. Think about it like this. At least we're gonna have a pool!" Shamal said, smiling.
"Just a small one, though, 'cuz I like having a yard," Naruko said, frowning.
"Shouldn't you get a permit to do something like this?" Nanoha asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"I don't know," Naruko said, shrugging. "But the Old Man'll probably know. Hey, Old Man, do we need a permit to do this?"
Said Old Man turned around from where he was finalizing the deal with Signum on the pool's placement and zie. "Technically, you do, but I'm the supreme dictator of this village, so…"
"…That is horribly convenient," Nanoha mentioned, shaking her head.
Fate shrugged. "I can't complain. My adoptive mother's an Admiral," she said.
"Why are all my friends rich or influential?" Nanoha asked.
"Why do you make friends by making them explode?" Fate asked, tilting her head. "Some questions just don't have answers, Nanoha."
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Nanoha asked, pouting.
"Well, I feel a lot better after destroying something," Naruko said, shaking her head.
"That's good, because we've got an hour to get you cleaned up, we can't very well receive Admiral Harlaown stinking of sweat and covered in dirt, can we?" Shamal asked, smiling at her.
"We really should take a bath, as well," Nanoha admitted. "Haven't had time since this morning's training."
"Neither did I," Fate added.
"Well, let's hurry that up, I've got to cook up a feast! We're gonna have guests!"
Meanwhile, back in the Asura, the last few preparations were being made.
"You know I'm Konoha, right? You don't need to waste a 'slot', so to speak, bringing me along," Jiraiya said, stretching a little.
"Yes, I know, but they won't accept that. The moment you accepted to come with us, they probably began to consider you a hostile," Lindy said, shaking her head. "Nevertheless, I want to make sure that we're all on the same page. Yuuno, would you mind giving one last once over?"
Jiraiya smiled a little. "You know, you could've just told me I was going to get a lecture," he said, shrugging.
"It's simple. Research indicates that the Book has been corrupted. When exactly is unknown, but all the available research has managed to determine that the corrupted programs are the Defense and Rebirth programs, both of which are out of control. The TSAB was never able to gain administrator rights to disable or reset those programs in all of their experiments with the book. There is a minimal possibility that the Master might be able to delete them, but it's slim, as they are corrupted."
"Sounds complex. You know something more. Explain?"
Yuuno nodded. "Admiral Graham's plan circumvents the need to destroy the book, which means the Rebirth program won't come into play, and the book won't seek another master as it still has one. In theory, the book itself is not problematic. If we were able to somehow clear or seal the corruption away from the rest, it'd be possible to defuse the situation without requiring the use of the Eternal Coffin."
Jiraiya nodded. "Basically, what you need is for Naruko to separate the corrupted parts of the book herself. If she can claim administrator rights, then she can do so, correct?"
"Yes. However, even doing so would cause the Defense Program to go Berserk. Furthermore, as they are corrupted, they are also tied, and cannot be truly eliminated. The Rebirth Program is a core function of the book, which means that it cannot be disabled or removed. The only choice would be to reprogram it to exclude the Defense Program when it is restructuring the book. As we lost the means with which the book was created, we have no idea how to reprogram it to do such a thing as of yet."
"Have you tried sealing away the Defense Program? If it isn't destroyed, it shouldn't be regenerated, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"It's been tried. However, the Defense Program has always managed to remove itself from all containers it has been sealed in, by corrupting them from within. It then goes on a rampage and either destroys itself or rejoins the main book," Yuuno explained. "There has been no successful seal that lasted more than a couple of days on record," Yuuno said.
"Hm. So it's just too powerful to remain sealed, hm?" Jiraiya asked, frowning.
"Yes. No container has survived—"
"Has a living container ever been considered or used?" Jiraiya asked, breaking through Yuuno's concentration.
"Wha—no, never," Yuuno said, though his professionalism almost shattered at the mere idea.
"It's a common practice. In this world, there are nine persons known as Jinchuuriki. Each of them has been used to hold a very powerful beast at bay, by sealing it within their bodies. Naruko is one of them. Her body has been used to seal and hold the strongest of them all, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Any other container any of those beasts are sealed in is quickly corrupted and destroyed, allowing them to roam free. The concept here seems to be similar," Jiraiya said, crossing his arm.
"How was this 'Kyuubi no Kitsune' sealed, if you don't mind me asking?" Lindy asked, frowning.
"Like I said, it was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "So it took a lot more than the others to seal. My apprentice, then our village's leader, used a special seal called Shiki Fuuin… What it does is summon the Death God to drag both the caster and the target's soul into its stomach, sealing them forever," Jiraiya explained. "It's a sacrificial jutsu that takes the caster's life. My apprentice used his own daughter as the prison for the Kyuubi, while he himself was eaten by the Death God."
Lindy frowned and shook her head. "It's unacceptable, we won't exchange a sacrifice for another one," she said.
"No, no it isn't," Jiraiya said. "I'm fifty six years old, Admiral-chan. I've lived a long and full life. If extinguishing my life is the price to pay to make sure my goddaughter can live hers… It's not too high a price."
"Mister Jiraiya…" Lindy muttered, her tone sad.
"To perform that kind of sacrifice…" Yuuno muttered.
"It's nothing," Jiraiya said, waving his hand. "That girl is my goddaughter, but… I've never been there for her. When her father died, I was devastated and I… ran away. I was a coward, I was afraid I couldn't raise her the way she should be, so I threw myself into my work. I… I have no right to call myself her godfather, and I have no right to claim I had a hand in turning her into the lovely young girl that she is," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. "The very least I can do for her is this. She doesn't even know me, and this is for the best. I'd hate for her to be sad because of this. Admiral-chan, promise me that when all this is done… you will never tell her."
"But—you can't—" Yuuno protested.
"I understand. Then… our plan…"
"We need Naruko to become the administrator and cut out the corrupted parts of the book. I'll seal them away forever," Jiraiya said, simply. "The Knights should be okay with that much…"
"The problem is… it involves something very, very risky," Lindy said, sighing.
"In order for Naruko to become an Administrator, she would need to activate the Book in full," Yuuno commented. "She will probably have a very small window of opportunity before the corrupted Defense Program takes her over," he added.
"While I was never involved in her upbringing… I know my goddaughter is a strong girl. I have faith in her, she can do it," Jiraiya said.
"And… it's the most… satisfactory," Lindy said, trying to find a better word and failing, "choice we have right now."
"That's it, then, we're all on the same page. Now, remember, no mentioning to that girl I'm supposed to be her godfather. She's already got enough on her plate. Far as she knows, I'm just a ninja, and that's the way it ought to remain."
Yuuno and Lindy nodded.
"Are we all ready, then?" Lindy asked.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Yuuno said.
"I was born ready," Jiraiya confirmed.
"Very well, then."
The designated meeting point was normally chosen to be a neutral area, away from any innate advantages either side could use. It was a simple idea to put an even playing field so that the diplomatic negotiations could be carried out in a more… satisfactory manner. However, Konoha was not neutral ground and taking Naruko out of it wasn't acceptable, given the amount of people who believed her to be a container of a tailed beast.
Even though it was 'enemy territory', the best place to have the conversation would be… in the very same manor the Wolkenritter lived in. Almost over dinner, in fact. Fortunately, the main dining hall was more than large enough to accomodate all of the involved parties, all five of the 'TSAB' side as well as all five of the Wolkenritter's side, Naruko included.
The large table seated all ten comfortably. Naruko, naturally, sat at the head of the table, though she herself didn't see the point of why her knights had insisted. Directly to her left was Zafira, and directly to her right was Signum. To Signum's right was Shamal, and to Zafira's left was Vita.
Directly opposite Naruko was Lindy, who clearly understood the reason for the table's layout. To her right were Jiraiya and Yuuno, and to her left were Nanoha and Fate. Despite what should've been a heavy and oppressive atmosphere, everyone actually enjoyed a rather nice meal with plenty of table conversation. A lot of it was actually because of a stream of lewd jokes and innuendo.
A lot of it was centered around Nanoha, over whose head the jokes flew without a care in the world. However, Fate and Yuuno were both looking like ripe tomatoes and Lindy was scarcely holding back her giggles.
Of course, Jiraiya also made his customary passes at each and every one of the attractive adult females around, but was dejected when he got shot down each and every time, not even being able to score a pity date with Lindy.
Finally, however… dinner came to an end, as Naruko, still brimming with energy, went about picking up the dishes and utensils. Nanoha, Fate and Yuuno quickly stepped up to help her, and they were done with the dishes in record short time, despite the large amount. Soon enough, everyone was seated into the table once more, back in their original starting positions.
"We have welcomed you into our home, you came in peace," Signum stated, closing her eyes and leaning a bit into the table to get a better look at Lindy. "Don't make us regret giving you this chance."
Lindy smiled. "Let us begin, shall we?"