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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 3 years

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ohh i saw your answer about the sequels of star wars. id love to read you tear through the whole trilogy

Well, I’ve avoided this ask long enough. Part of the reason is this is really a huge topic, far too much for one ask, so I’m going to have to do this at a very high level.

In short, the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy is what one gets when you slap together the goal of selling merchandise and making tons of money, being as risk averse as humanly possible, adding a handful of warring directors with incredibly different visions, and having virtually no imagination when it comes to the imagining and writing of characters.

And we get this beautiful, awful, franchise that for reasons beyond me people seem to actually like (though interestingly, no one seems to like all of it, they may actually like one or two of the films, but no one says all three are actually in any realm of good).

With that, let’s begin.

The Force Awakens

For me this is easily the most tolerable of the sequel trilogy: it’s not great, it’s not terrible. It’s thoroughly watchable, you can be taken along for the movie’s journey and not raise your eyebrows too much at the action and leave the theater feeling this maybe wasn’t a complete waste of your time.

There’s a good reason for that. That reason is called the most blatant form of plagiarism I have ever seen in cinema in my life.

“The Force Awakens” is just “A New Hope” wearing a mustache. Only, it’s one of those cheap mustaches you get from a party store that, if you stare at it too long, just looks like the most false and awful thing you’ve ever seen. The mustache actively makes it worse. “The Force Awakens” is “A New Hope”, but worse.

Seriously, every major character, every major plot point, every major scene I can go directly back to “A New Hope”.

Our story begins when the Resistance, at great cost to our valiant heroes including torture at the hands of the Emperor’s second in command, sends a file out into the wilderness to be received by his people. This file contains plans for the Death Star.

The film then focuses on Luke, er Rey, getting involved in the Resistance, boarding the Death Star, and successfully destroying at the same time even at the lost of a beloved mentor that she just met (trading in Obi-Wan for Han Solo).

Our evil empire is run by an evil emperor who is so evil he sits in a chair, is served by very Moth Tarkin-esque human storm troopers, and has a second in command who revels in the Darth Vader get up (for no other reason that it makes him feel cool but we’ll get into this).

It’s “A New Hope”. Rey is Luke, Han Solo is Obi-Wan, Poe is a kind of Han Solo, Kylo Ren is Vader, Snoke is Palpatine, Hux is Tarkin, BB-8 is R2-D2, etc.

“But that’s not terrible,” you say, “I liked A New Hope?”

First, it is terrible, it gives a very bad sign of where the sequel trilogy is headed and is just lazy writing. It means that those who produced this franchise were so terrified of taking risks, of possibly ending up mocked as the prequels were, that they will deliver exactly what the original trilogy was. And what’s that? Uh, evil empires, scrappy desert kids, AND MORE DEATH STARS!

That brings us to point number two, the world of Star Wars after the events of the original trilogy shouldn’t support such things. And, if it does, my god what a bleak existence this place has turned into.

The First Order being able to rise easily from the Empire’s remains means that Luke accomplished nothing. Anakin sacrificed himself and had his moment of redemption for nothing. There was no happy ending to the Original Trilogy, our heroes failed miserably, and there is no indication that our new band of heroes can possibly succeed in their place. (More on this as the movies progress).

We now are in a galaxy where this new Republic is so pathetic that Leia doesn’t even give it the time of day and builds her own private army to battle the Empire. The First Order is able to not only rebuild a massive army by raiding villages on many different worlds and stealing children and do so successfully for at least ten years but is able to build a Death Star bigger than any we’ve ever seen before.

And the movie tries to convince us these are completely new problems, that Luke Skywalker is a hero (remember this is TFA, not TLJ yet), and that somehow these things just sprung up out of nowhere. BUT YEAH, RESISTANCE, WOO!

As for Rey, she’s like... a worse version of Luke. Her only motivation through the entire series is her trauma at being abandoned by her parents. That’s it, there’s nothing else to her, nothing else she ever wants or feels conflicted by. She struggles with the dark side because... the dark side? Genetics? Unclear? She’s absurdly, ridiculously, powerful in a way that’s acknowledged but never that acknowledged (we’ll get into this) and the movies just fail to sell me on her in any way.

Honestly, an easy fix for me would have just been making Rey a much younger character. I could believe a fourteen-year-old having stayed in the desert, scrounging for scraps, believing her parents are coming back every day now. As a twenty-something year old... It starts getting hard to believe she never left. (Also, this gets the benefit of getting rid of Reylo, which is always a plus for me).

As for Kylo Ren, I legitimately walked out of TFA thinking he was supposed to be comic relief. He’s what happens when someone desperately wants a likable, redeemable, villain and we get... Well, as a reminder his opening scene is one of genocide: he pillages and destroys a town with no regret and brutally tortures a man for information. We’re told he’s like this “because evil evil Snoke” and that may well be but throughout the film (and the series) it becomes clear that Kylo Ren’s main motivation is he deseprately wants to be cool. He wants to be a badass like Vader, he dresses in Vader cosplay (either ignoring or not knowing that Vader only dressed like that because his body was completely destroyed), he has these huge temper tantrums and nobody respects him because he’s a toddler in a Vader suit.

He murders his own father, his parents who (at least in the films themselves) show every willingness to take him back and forgive him what he’s done, so that he can fully embrace his own “evilness”. In other words, he commits patricide to feel cool about himself, then it doesn’t work.

And the movie series really banks on me feeling conflicted about Kylo Ren or at least wanting him to be redeemed. Granted, the wider internet seems to love him, I just can’t.

Oh, before I forget, the other thing I love about Kylo Ren is that the movies insist he’s a) strong in the Force b) is equal to Rey. Rey consistently beats the shit out of him with 0 training. Kylo Ren has been training in the Force for years. Guys, they are not a Dyad, Rey is far far far stronger than he is and for whatever reason the films never want to admit it. Because I guess we like things coming in pairs now.

But yes, “The Force Awakens”, at a distance not great nor terrible, but a rip off of a movie we’ve already seen that left me going “Welp, the next one’s probably The Empire Strikes Back then I guess we’re getting Ewoks”. I was sort of right on that and sort of wrong.

The Last Jedi

So, JJ Abrams clearly had a vision of where he wanted this sequel trilogy to go. He set up these big questions such as what’s up with Finn, who are Rey’s parents and why was she left on this nowhere planet, will Kylo Ren be redeemed and how, who is Snoke, etc.

Now, I’m not saying these aren’t stupid questions. To be frank, they kind of are. Finn being Force Sensitive was the most inconsequential thing I’ve ever heard of, Rey’s parents should not have been used to drive the plot the way it was, as spoken above I’m clearly team gut Kylo Ren, and that Snoke was actually just Palpatine being the world’s largest cockroach is a beautiful but hilarious answer.

That said, what Johnson did was he decided, “You know what, I’m going to take every trope of Star Wars and completely flip it on its head and absolutely doom the sequel to this movie.”

And by god, he did.

We get a weirdly pointless movie in which Poe, SINGLEHANDEDLY, completely obliterates the Resistance. He first obliterates their bombers by failing to follow command, then goes and bitches about how he’s not put in command when he clearly shows no ability to understand how a military works, actively subverts orders which in turn obliterates the entire Resistance fleet until the only survivors can fit on the Millenium Falcon. They have no ships, no weapons, barely any people, and are ultimately doomed doomed doomed.

We have Finn’s weird subplot with a suddenly introduced character Rose in which the pair aid in Poe’s blowing up the resistance (they send sensitive information using the communication equipment of a guy they do not know, who fully admits to being shady and out for his own skin, and are flabergasted when he betrays them).

Rose herself is this weirdly sweet person who seems forced into the plot to a) provide a love triangle for Finn and Rey b) provide this forced sunny outlook that I didn’t really need in the film.

We get Rey never really being trained, going into the Cave of Wonders for a few seconds, falling in love with Kylo Ren over weird Force Skype calls (where I did not need to see him shirtless, thank you film) and being horrifically betrayed when Kylo Ren turns out not to be a great guy. Never saw that coming, Rey.

As for Kylo Ren, well... God, we get Emperor Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren, the Emperor. I’m not even that upset about the anticlimactic murder of Snoke (that was kind of funny, especially in the context of Palpatine going, “Bitch, please, you’re in my chair” immediately in the next film) but just Kylo Ren being emperor. And also that the Resistance only escapes at all because he’s so dumb he made their dumb plans seem smart (i.e. concentrates all his firepower on an illusion for ten minutes while Hux goes, “Emperor, sir, we could actually destroy the Resistance right now.”

Now, you’ll notice I didn’t complain about Luke. A lot of people are upset he became a grumpy, miserable, old hermit who sits around waiting for death. Frankly though, in this universe, that’s exactly where he is. He left “Return of the Jedi” thinking he’d saved the world, he’s resurrected the Jedi Order, and all is well. Only a decade later, his students are all murdered by his nephew, the Empire’s back, and he accomplished nothing. He’s an utter failure as a Jedi (though Luke never realizes he knew jack shit about the Jedi Order and was in way over his head but I guess that’s beyond him). Why shouldn’t he go sit on a rock and wait to die?

Now, did he have to drink that blue dinosaur milk? Well, I guess it was funny, gross but funny so... Sure, I guess he did. But I do like that he gave Rey 0 training, they had one meditation session and then he whined about how Obi-Wan was such a stupid asshole. And then Rey ran off to be with her boyfriend, who then told her that her parents were gutter trash (which again, was funny, but I don’t think that was supposed to be funny).

Of the characters introduced in the movie, the only one I really liked was the hacker, and it was for the actor/the beautiful way in which he gracefully exited stage left with zero shame going, “You all knew I was going to betray you!” You beautiful man, you.

Rise of the Skywalker

First, when something is called “Rise of the Skywalker” you know you’re in for a rough time.

But anyways, TLJ was filled with a controversy Disney didn’t want (half their audience hated it, half loved it, but at least they sold those penguin dolls) so they desperately get Abrams back. Only, what he clearly wanted from his series has been shot to hell, and now he’s left with Emperor Kylo Ren, a completely obliterated Resistance, a dead Luke, a love interest he never planned to introduce for Finn, Rey’s parental crisis being solved with trash people, Snoke just suddenly dead, Hux planning revenge, and then some.

And so, Abrams goes the brave and hilarious route of shouting “PRETEND THAT LAST MOVIE NEVER HAPPENED”

We open to a fully functioning Resistance (their bomber fleet is back, their fleet period is back, they have all their fully trained personnel). We have Rey getting the Jedi training she needed this time from Leia, who is now a Jedi, because yay feminism rammed down my throat to make the audience feel better. Rose says “It’s cool guys, I don’t want to join the adventure this film, I’m going to stay here and work on robots” so that she can gracefully exit the entire plot. Kylo Ren is demoted from Emperor in two seconds when we discover that a) Snoke was apparently Palpatine b) for unexplained reasons Palpatine’s alive (and I am now convinced that man will never die). Kylo Ren tells Rey at the first opportunity that he lied about her trash parents AND REALLY SHE’S A PALPATINE! THIS WHOLE TIME, REY! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I’M SUPER SERIAL THIS TIME, REY.

Basically, in the course of an overly long movie, Abrams desperately shoves in everything he was trying to get out of the series, while sobbing, and sobbing even harder when things like Finn being Force Sensitive or Lando having a secret daughter get caught. I actually agree with the Producers on this, by the way, the Finn trying to tell Rey something scenes were weird and indicative of a love triangle but him being Force Sensitive instead... It says a lot that the movies did not change when it was removed, at all. And Lando was just this strange cameo who was in the film to make us feel nostalgic.

And this isn’t even getting to the ridiculous 24 hour time limit (which made me think there should have been some video game style clock in the corner letting us know when Dawn of the Third Day is coming), Palpatine’s other secret army on a secret Sith planet that can be easily taken down by taking out one navigation tower, Rey’s hilarious struggle with the dark side in which she has a vision of herself in a cape hissing, Kylo Ren’s hilarious redemption in which the movie in the form of Leia and Han Solo says, “Alright, Ben, it’s time to stop being evil” and he says “okay”, the fight with Palpatine in which I’m supposed to believe he dies for reals because... I have no idea why I’m supposed to believe he’s dead. The Reylo, god the Reylo, and Kylo Ren’s tragic, hilarious, death.

And then, of course, the ending where Rey decides she’s a Skywalker now.

I actually did laugh all the way through “Rise of the Skywalker”, you can’t not, I mean it’s a hilariously awful movie. The only thing that might have made it more hilarious was if we actually did get those Ewoks.

TL;DR

They’re all bad movies, if you want more specifics than this, you’re just going to have to ask me questions.

#ask #anon #anti star wars sequels #anti rey #anti kylo ren #anti reylo #ah what beautiful awful movies #i look foward to the characters being shocked and appalled when yet another evil empire arises in five years #i look forward to them being even more shocked when palpatine's still not dead #that man will never die

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ayzrules · 3 years

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✶ 𝐇𝐗𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒: 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 & 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 & 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 Long story short, I have been thinking about this for wayyyyy too long now and wanted to get some ~thoughts~ & analysis written down! This post is going to be...fairly long, lol. Apologies in advance :D

Also, if you can’t see the last gif (the one for ‘holy’), click here. Tumblr keeps fucking up the image when i try to upload it :////

This post is probably going to be about 2/3 yorknew & phantom troupe/kurapika focused, 1/3 chimera ants, maybe with some references to other arcs (including manga-only arcs) mixed in. so, ofc, tons of spoilers ahead! also, i realize that my blog theme is hard to read (and i’m p sure clicking ‘keep reading’ sends you to the og post itself), so i’m linking the post w/ full text copy/pasted in on my art backup side blog (which has a more legible font) here.

✶ 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 I’m sure absolutely nobody is surprised with me starting here - there is just. SO. MUCH. DEATH. in hxh. & right from the start, one thing I noticed that togashi really emphasized was the #4 and its connection to death. in japanese, chinese, and im p sure some other asian cultures the number 4 is pronounced like the word for death so it’s associated with death in general, and boy oh boy does the ‘deadly number 4′ thing show up E V E R Y W H E R E. we get to the hunter exam, and hisoka is applicant #44. kurapika is #404. i didn’t notice it at first, but this was so intentional holy shit. togashi is NOT SUBTLE.

So pika & hisoka are, right off the bat, associated with death. okay. and then there are even more clues to drive the point home: hisoka is member #4 in the phantom troupe, kurapika’s birthday is april 4th (aka 4/4). 100% not a coincidence (!!). with hisoka, it’s pretty obvious why togashi’s throwing all this death 444444 stuff around - dude is a psycho murder pedo clown, literally gets off on killing people (and there’s also the fact that judas sits 4th from the left in the last supper painting, and he’s sort of the judas equivalent for the phantom troupe). with kurapika, though, it’s a bit more subtle and woven deeper into his characterization, which i LOVE. togashi puts the mans in blue & gold & white (traditionally ‘pure’ or ‘heavenly’ colors), makes him so fucking kind & so good-hearted.....when he’s not relentlessly pursuing his revenge, ofc. more on this in the next section, but pika = death. togashi has made that v v v clear.

Backtracking a bit to hisoka, though, I also just wanted to point out the 4 is death symbolism in the fortunes too (GOD i love the fortunes): in one translation, he’s the false fourth moon, and in the og japanese (i think), he’s the false hare (4th in the lunar zodiac or w/e it’s called. i don’t know the japanese cultural influences here, but in the chinese legend that established the zodiac animals, they race across the heavenly river & the top 12 animals got zodiac slots. the hare finished 4th, so it’s #4 in the cycle).

And just as a final note, Tserriednich is the fourth prince of the kakin empire, and also another dude who has a hard-on for murder & other gory shit. again: togashi is not subtle with this, lmfao

✶ 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐘, 𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐘 As probably everyone who’s gotten to yorknew knows, togashi is so 0 fucks given when he wants to be. I mean there’s the whole thing where he just. took New York and decided, Yorknew. LMFAO, but also, he made the main antag of that arc be named chrollo lucilfer, sit around in a ruined church, have a reversed cross coat, pale & dark-haired/dark-eyed, generally dressed in dark colors, very terrible murder guy. liiiike......chrollo x devil symbolism game is 1000/10 at this point lmaooo

And i know absolutely nothing about christianity in general, but pt/kurapika & yorknew arc is just so full of christian imagery/symbolism! one thing that i L O O O O O O V E though is how togashi really blurs the traditional christian-coded good/evil, holy/damned boundaries.

Back to kurapika: he wears gold and blue, his coloring is very stereotypically ‘angelic’, he’s precious and good and kind. his chains are all about ~judgment~ and ~healing~ - some of the chains are also in literal cross shapes, aren’t they? And the chain dagger in his own heart...the imagery is very startlingly similar to the immaculate heart of mary, where the swords stabbing thru the heart apparently represent seven sorrows. IDK much about this stuff other than the visual similarities; literally had to google ‘daggers through heart christianity?’ to even get the name of that thing LOL. anyway, at first, it seems like togashi establishes him as the ‘angel’, the ‘good’, the ‘holy’ in the angel/devil, good/evil, holy/damned dichotomy between him and chrollo.

But that’s not the end of the story. his entire storyline is driven by a huuuuuuuge giant desire for vengeance, first of all, and then there’s the scarlet eyes, which canonically are seen as demonic/cursed/what have you (according to one of the movies or smth? where they show pika as a 10 y/o?), and then we also have red eyes in modern culture being associated w pretty much the same thing (vampires, anyone?). the fight scene with uvo has everything in b&w besides the blood on his face & his red eyes & the moon (<<< more fortune foreshadowing & symbolism, i love to see it), and there are tonssss of scenes where he has to suppress his rage. so all of that is obviously not very angelic of him i would say LOL. in fact, what i find super interesting is that the scarlet/red eyes (which are ‘demonic’) is actually the driving factor behind his super powerful nen abilities; this ties in so well with the fortunes & death associations imo! the fortunes call him the ‘death-bringer’ in one translation, or ‘half-angel, half-death’, so that’s one side of pika = red eyes = death, but there’s also the fact that emperor time is literally draining his life force. so pika = death for both himself and others namely the pt, question mark?

Now for chrollo: togashi’s devil symbolism is EXTREMELY overt with him, but i love the subtler jesus references too. the church thing, obviously, and the st. peters cross which is cuz st peter respected jesus too much & didn’t think he was worthy to die in the same way as him (or something like that, i am the most atheist person in the world & hxh is literally my entire christian education pls) but is also used as an anti-christianity symbol these days. bandit’s secret looks like a bible, lbr, and mans has a cross tattoo.

Other things beyond visuals - 12 spiders, 12 apostles; hisoka’s betrayal, where member #4 can be thought to correspond to judas sitting 4th from left at last supper. and this miiiiight be a bit of a stretch, but i think the meteor city being the place of origin may also play into the blurred line between angel/devil and holy/damned here; meteors are defined as space rocks that are in earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent in the process. meteorites are for the kinds that actually reach the ground. and idk, lucifer was cast out of heaven / sky too right? so i think there might be some subtle fallen angel imagery/symbolism playing into the pt as well

✶ 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 (𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒) Last section yay! i don’t have as much to say about this, besides when i was making chimera ant arc edits & realized that there might have been some subtle gon/meruem parallels???

So obviously, everyone knows that line killua says to gon - “you are light” - and then i was just remembering that meruem’s name means.... “light that illuminates all” (!!!!). maybe it’s a coincidence, but knowing togashi, i’m leaning towards nahhhh. there HAS TO be some kinda meaning there (!!).

Going back to the events of the chimera ant arc....ooh boy. let’s see: gon is optimistic & hopeful even in the face of kite potentially being dead, killua says he’s light, they find kite & dude is fucked up, gon is pissed. gets all angry & ~dark~, especially during the palace invasion when he’s staring pitou down as she fixes up komugi. then the actual fight against pitou: more darkness, more anger, but through it all there’s still light, namely his jajanken being very orange & fiery lookin.....and that final sequence, where he puts all his possible nen he’d ever have into his ~final form~ or wahtever & turns into a male version of true form!bisky but dressed in a crop top & short-shorts (i am SCARRED, btw. s c a r r e d !). there’s just huuuge flashes of light as that’s going on, and it reminded me of supernovas or dying stars when i was thinking about it, where the star is like, collapsing under its own weight? & burning thru its own fuel, until there’s nothing left except a dwarf or black hole or what have you. one final, extremely deadly burst of light & energy before death.

On the meruem side of things: born into a dark cave, exhibits a traditionally evil/cruel/wicked/whatever personality/traits so that has ppl associating him with darkness. then he gets to know komugi, starts to appreciate other aspects of humanity, seems like he could have actually turned into a decent person who doesn’t want to eat everyone - so that’s a ‘path to light’, maybe? - and then the extermination team yeets themselves into the palace, netero takes him out to bumfuck nowhere, they fight. netero’s fighting is just ALL light, from his giant ass golden 100-type guanyin bodhisattva to the poor man’s rose. again, there’s the sense of finality to it all, in a similar vein to dying stars: netero comes in determined to kill meruem no matter what, and we all know netero doesn’t flake. then we see netero get destroyed after the zero hand, and he triggers the rose, and everything is burning & on fire before the flames are put out and all turns dark again.

But wait!!! pouf & youpi revive meruem and all he does is play gungi with komugi, even with the poison of the rose. he eventually dies, and the gungi pieces in that final shot of them together (i am BAWLING just thinking about it holy shit) has one that’s all white, one that’s a black ring and white inside. i assume all white is for komugi, who has never done ANYTHING wrong in her LIFE, so i like to think that the 2nd one is for meruem - born “into darkness”, literally & figuratively, but he turns something like ‘good’ by the end. it’s interesting how togashi has sort of gone for a bit of a subversion here: the hero going from light to darkness, and the main antag from darkness to light.

✶ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 AahhhhHHHHHhhh so if you read all the way down here through my LONG rambles, tysm! i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear what other people think about all this, and i’ve FOR SURE missed tons and tons of stuff - chimera ants is just. SO MUCH. and i don’t know it as well as yorknew eeek.

I’m not sure if i’m really ~knowledgeable~ in any other areas relating to hxh, so this might be the only one of these that i do, but i definitely think about some of this - esp all the religious symbolism & #4 stuff - a ton! so in the meantime, if it’s of any interest, i’m just going to shamelessly plug my hxh x religious beliefs/superstitions edit series :D lots of love to all!!!

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dreamsmp-au-ideas · 3 years

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Fire Emblem AU

First house I want to focus on is the *insert drumroll here*

Green Gator House, where those who hail from the SMP Empire reside!

The SMP empire is the oldest empire in the continent of Carmine. While it once ruled over the entire continent, it lost that power after The Badlands and L’Mmanberg were formed. Despite this, SMP has the most land and all of its citizens are proud of its rich history. The Gator is the house animal because of its toughness and strength, with high populations at SMP’s beaches. This years Green Gators consist of the following

Dream- Dream is the future emperor of the SMP and is considered a prodigy in his speed and skill with lances. He’s generally friendly with most students, despite being distant towards those of other houses. Dream always wears a green hood to cover up his hair for reasons unknown to others. However, underneath his jokes is someone who is desperate to change the status quo, especially how those with and without crests are treated. Dream is totally planning to start a war but he’s only doing it for the good of everyone. He disguises himself with his mask when he needs to work with his less morally standing allies. These allies are people who worship a mysterious god *coughtheeggcough* which gives them great power in exchange for the blood of humans. Dream doesn’t like working with them but he has no choice. Dream in his mask and longer cloak becomes known as The Green Demon. While Dream does have genuinely good reasons for starting a war and his resolve to achieve a better future for his nation won’t waver, he does sometimes ponder it after hanging out with his classmates. Dream specializes in lances, swords, and riding. He has a weakness in faith and heavy armor. He doesn’t like being weighed down. He has two crests.

George- George is Dreams loyal retainer and one of his best friends. George was a commoner until Dream just happened to see him compete in a tournament and was like “I want that one”. Thus, George was taken in to train as his retainer and he became fast friends with Dream and Sapnap. George kinda stands out as one of the few commoners in The Green Gators, not that anyone would dare give him crap about it in front of Dream. George is one of the few people to know what Dream is planning to do and his main reason why. That is to say, why Dream always has his hair covered. George is considered the least chaotic one in the Dream Team, as him, Dream, and Sapnap are called. He’s well known for sleeping in the weirdest places, like in the middle of lunch. Despite this, he is not to be underestimated with his skill in bows and riding wyverns. George is colorblind which he accidentally keeps a secret purely because he forgot to tell his housemates. George specializes in bows and flying. He has a weakness in riding. He has no crests.

Sapnap: Sapnap is Dreams childhood friend because of their families close connections. That is to say, Sapnaps father is the financial advisor to Dreams father. However, Sapnap really doesn’t want to do that and would much rather become a general someday. Sapnap has great talent with reason and is called an arsonist by his classmates after he set their lunch on fire when he was stuck with cooking duty. In his defense, he thought that would make the lunch cook faster and didn’t consider the possibility of fire. Sapnap is a friendly prankster but he does have his worries. Dream and George have been acting more distant lately and he has no idea why. All they are offering is vague platitudes or just evading his questions. Sapnap specializes in reason (fire) and brawling. Weakness in flying and riding. He has a crest.

Puffy: Puffy is a noblewoman who has always dreamed of becoming a knight. Her family specializes in overseas trading but she would really rather stay at home and defend others. She’s one of the oldest out of her classmates and is quickly dubbed as the mom friend. Puffy takes a shine to her future emperor and calls him her duckling after he started coming over to spar with her. Puffy also becomes fast friend with Niki, even though they are in separate houses. Puffy has a lot of friends in other houses. Perks of being used to interacting with those different from herself from trading, she supposes. Puffy has a strong sense of honor and believes very highly in fairness. She specializes in heavy armor and axes but she’s not so hot at flying. She’s not a big fan of heights. She has no crest. Basically, she’s a tanky character who is good at taking physical hits but has very low speed

Schlatt- Schlatts family used to be a part of L’Manberg and he was close friends with Wilbur. That is until his noble family made a risky investment and it backfired. Hard. When none of the nobles would help, nobles from the SMP offered financial aid in exchange for them leaving L’Manberg for the SMP. Schaltt’s family agreed, but their financial position is still very fragile. Schlatts friendship with Wilbur fizzled out after that, mostly due to Schlatts bitterness at the nobles of L’Manberg. Schlatt is also one of the few who can tell somethings off with Wilbur eve before he goes all hunched over eyepatch dude during the timeskip. However, Schlatts not good with feelings so he doesn’t approach Wilbur about it. Schlatt is a cynic about the concept of an honorable noble and has major money hoarding issues. He’s constantly trying to come up with new ways to make some quick cash off of people because who knows when he’ll need some extra? He’s friends with Quackity and Tubbo or as he puts it “The only nobles here he can tolerate because they aren’t self righteous pricks” Schlatt has strengths in reason(fire) and swords with a weakness in faith. He has no crest.

Quackity- Quackity is a noble of a minor house. He’s set to be the next leader of his territory after graduation so he’s mostly here to have one last hurrah of having fun and prepare for leadership. Quackity tells loads of jokes and may appear not to take things seriously. The important thing to note is appears. Quackity wants the best for his people and is willing to do whatever it takes to be a good leader for them. He secretly does a lot of research in past rulers and how they succeeded. Quackity does goof off a lot in between classes, which mostly involves helping out Schlatt with his latest scam. Or trying to talk him out of it if he thinks its a bit too immoral. If he’s not with Schlatt, Quackity likes hanging out with Sapnap as well. Quackity has strengths in axes and authority with a weakness in bows. He has a crest.

Tubbo- Tubbo is also a noble of a minor house. He’s a middle child in a lot of siblings. He’s at the academy mostly so he can figure out what he’s going to do with his life. He’s one of the younger students there. His and Tommy’s families are actually fairly close due to both of them being close to their respective borders. Despite their families trading a lot Tommy and Tubbo has never met. They quickly became inseparable at the academy, despite Tommy being busy with his duties as Wilbur’s retainer. It sure would be a shame if they were separated and forced to fight each other in a war, wouldn’t it? Tubbo loves to hang out at the greenhouse or cook with Karl. He’s extremely skilled at magic, through hard work mostly. Tubbo has strengths in both faith and reason (wind magic) and has weaknesses in axes and brawling. He’s a classic squishy wizard character who cannot take many hits due to low defense. He has a crest.

If Karl decides to teach The Green Gators he has two options before the timeskip. He can either side with Dream or go against him along with everyone else except George. Each side has pros and cons that could be debated about all day and night but that’s neither here nor there. This is mostly just to cover the students and what their generally like and backstories because this is already long enough without going into the plot. Sorry about that by the way. Feel free to tell me if you want this shortened.

Ah I remember why I didn’t pick up the game. It’s because I’m going to get attached to all the characters and won’t be able to save them all and oh no I’m crying.

ANyways. This is good. I like everyone’s characters in here and I’m excited for more. Also ouch on the Clingy Duo angst. Oh god. Oh no.

#dream smp #dream smp au #smp three houses au #dream #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #sapnap #captain puffy #jschlatt #quackity #tubbo #ask #tack-tick

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oceanera12 · 4 years

Text

The Soldier

Part 1: The Medic (Finn’s POV)

Kix was drunk. He knew it. Maz knew it. So why was she trying to make him see any kind of reason? He stopped listening an hour ago and at this point she was just a fuzzy blob of orange.

He honestly didn’t know how Maz had even spotted him as a clone. It wasn’t like he looked like one. He’d grown his hair out as long as could, got rid of most of his armor (the chest piece and arm pieces remained but he could have gotten them off the black market) and all clones were supposed to be dead a hundred times over.

That thought made Kix order another drink. Maz tried to argue (something about him “having enough”) but he didn’t care. It had been two years since he’d woken up to the day, and the Crimson Corsair crew knew better then to bother him.

Which was why he was confused and angry when someone sat down next to him. It was hard to see who, but the voice cut through the haze. “I’m Finn. Sorry to but in.”

Whoopty do. Kix got his drink and dunked it back, ignoring the babbling shiny kid for the next ten minutes. Finally, the kid’s comm blinked and it sounded like his departure was upon them. Thank the Force. The kid turned to leave and Kix ordered another drink (where’d Maz go? Oh well, no more babbling). It appeared and he started to down it.

“FN-2187.”

Kix’s mind came to a screeching halt. He spat up the vile liquid trying to find air but only found choking because numbers-- why the KRIFF were there numbers?

He turned to the shiny kid, squinting at his blurry form and managed to ask, “What?” The question was unbidden, unwanted, because numbers there couldn’t be numbers-- and not just designations that was spat out far too quickly and far too familiar to be a designation that was a name that was a kriffing name--

“FN-2187... That’s the name the First Order gave me.”

Kix knew about the First Order. The group in support of the old Empire, the Empire that had wiped out the Republic the thing he had sought to protect and had failed, failed so terribly--

He allowed the anger to shine through and managed to grit out, “I see” before finishing his liquid. The shiny kid walked away, leaving Kix to try and forget about numbers.

-------------------------------------

Kix slept through the following day. He hated sleeping. Sleep brought forward old faces; faces he’d never see again and voices he’d never hear. Guilt swept through his mind at the screams of the dead and fallen.

Jesse had always been concerned about his sleeping habits. If Kix had his way, he would’ve never slept, just kept running on kaf and stims until his body collapsed into black. Then Kix would wake up several hours later with several concerned brothers (and an unhappy Coric) over him. But there had been no dreams.

But on this pirate crew, there was no running from dreams.

Kix shot awake near sleeping hour, falling from his bed and hitting the floor with a loud ‘clunk’. He thrashed against the blanket, trying to free himself from his bonds and finally succeeded, crawling into the corner and hugging his knees into his chest. Breathe Kix, just breathe.

Kix didn’t know how long he remained there, but he found himself somehow in the fresher. He splashed water on his face and looked in the mirror.

That had been a mistake. The face was too familiar. Not for the first time, Kix wanted to tear it off, get rid of it, get rid of the ghosts, make them stop--

The knife was in his hands before he knew what he was doing and the urge to end it all was stronger than it had been in a long time. He was a living ghost and ghosts needed to die.

And then a different voice rose up, soft but piercing.

“FN-2187.”

Kix’s hands froze, tears pricking at his eyes. Numbers. Why was it always kriffing numbers? He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to breathe, shut out the past, don’t think about it--

Jesse slammed his helmet against the ground and screamed. Kix felt like joining him but someone had to be the calm one right now or there might be some treasonous actions later (there would be, but not by the clones).

Kix went to comfort his brother, but Jesse shoved the hands away. “Hundreds of our brothers are dead and all that karking, son of a bantha sees is numbers. Kriffing numbers!”

Kix swallowed down the bile. “Some people distance themselves from pain differently. Maybe General Krell is just doing that by focusing on numbers.” Jesse didn’t even try and believe those words and if Kix was being honest with himself, neither did he.

Rex was no help right now. Krell was keeping him close. Fives was making the situation worse and Kix had no doubt there would be some disobeying of orders in the near future because something was wrong here. Krell was just... wrong and there was nothing, nothing they could do about it.

“Do you ever think we’ll be more than a kriffing number?” The question was sudden and Kix had not been prepared for it. Jesse looked a little calmer and more depressed then angry.

Kix hesitated. “I... I don’t know.”

“Well,” Jesse glared at his hands, “If I ever make it out of this war, I am going to stand in the Senate and yell at them about numbers.”

Kix almost snorted at the notion. A clone appearing in the senate? Not possible. But Jesse didn’t need to hear that. He already knew. “What would you tell them exactly?” Kix indulged him.

Jesse was silent for a moment, just thinking. Then he looked up at Kix, his gaze hard and eyes angry. “Never again.” He didn’t need to elaborate. Kix knew too well what Jesse meant.

Kix’s eyes flew open, tears streaming down his face. He looked in the mirror and found Jesse’s eyes (Rex’s, Cody’s, Fives’, Echo’s, Harcase’s, Tup’s all of them) staring back.

There was something Kix used to tell his brothers who had just lost someone close to them. It was harsh in words but it had always snapped them back into the present.

Kix took a deep breath then growled at himself the best he could. “Are you a soldier of the Republic or not?”

I’m a soldier of the Republic, sir.

“Then start acting like one.”

------------------------------------------

The Resistance meeting was... interesting. Poe Dameron appeared to be the leader of the discussion, talking about the losses of the New Republic and the Resistance in kind. The shiny kid stood up and spoke about what he’d seen the First Order do during his time among them. Then days of the old Rebellion against the Empire were spoken of and then the meeting was dismissed.

Kix stood in the back, debating if he was actually doing this. He’d informed his captain he would be leaving the crew last night, but the man hadn’t seemed surprised. It might have had something to do with Kix’s sudden haircut (the tatoo helped keep who was staring back at him in a mirror easier to remember) and his stocking up on supplies and the renewal of what was left of his armor. Kix almost brought the helmet but had decided against it. He left it on top of a hill for the elements or thieves, whichever came first.

Most of the attendees were filling out or towards Poe and Finn with thankful words or curses. Kix waited until a good moment then marched forward. Finn didn’t visibly recognize him at first but Kix saw the flash of realization cross his face. Kix came to a stiff attention. Old habits die hard. “I’d like to help.”

Requesting permission to return to active duty, sir!

The shiny kid, Finn, outstretched his hand and gave a warm smile, “Glad to have you...?” The unspoken question for a name sent Kix back to the past for a moment, but with happy memories of meeting new brothers. “Kix.” It brought a rare smile to his face. “Kix... Fivofist”

Kix of the Five-Hundred and First Attack Battalion, reporting.

“What can you do?” Dameron spoke up, sharing a look with Finn (“you know this guy? can we trust him?”)

“I’m a field medic and a soldier. Just tell me what you need.”

Finn smiled, “More medics are always good to have more of.” (“not really but yes, we can trust him”)

Poe nodded thoughtfully, “Ever seen a battle?”

Kix almost laughed. “Hundreds, probably. More than I’d like to admit. There were a lot of enemies and not a lot of friends.”

Poe and Finn shared a look Kix could quite read but no comment was said except for a “Welcome aboard.”

And just like that, Kix had reenlisted into the army.

------------------------------------

The Resistance was... different. Not bad, just different. Kix learned quickly that his practice in medicine was a little out of date and worked hard to correct it. Many medical personnel tried to befriend him and would invite him to meals, which Kix kindly declined.

It wasn’t them. Kix just needed to focus on the job and not think about brothers in arms or he’d find himself thrown into a panic attack. The only person he couldn’t brush off was Finn. The shiny kid was kind and open and never pushed conversation, choosing to chat away about anything that came to mind. It was the kind of random chatter Kix could handle, sending him back to the days of treating loopy brothers and chaotic Generals.

And then Finn would describe the First Order. The tales he told were nothing like Kix’s in the Clone wars. They were stories about not trusting anyone, trying to be better than anyone, not doing anything out of freewill or you’d never be seen again. Kix had to stop what he was doing sometimes and swallow back the urge to vomit.

------------------------------------

Kix thought it was a trick at first. Transmissions from Emperor Palpatine? Impossible. The First Order was just trying to scare people away from the Resistance cause. Fear was a powerful way to control.

Kriff, he didn’t even listen to the transmissions at first. Kix just heard about them through other people and rolled his eyes. Of course the Resistance had to treat it as a probability and sent several teams out to investigate (Finn and Poe included).

So maybe it was a blessing when Kix decided to listen to one such transmission in his room for laughs. What kind of impression had the actor done? The Senator Palpatine voice or the Emperor’s gravel?

The smile vanished after a single sentence. By the end of the transmission Kix was out of the room, out of the base, miles from the command center. He fired his blaster at a rock until it refused to fire again. The useless weapon was then thrown at the smoking target with a ear piercing scream.

-----------------------------------

He didn’t know how much time had passed. Kriff, he didn’t even know how he’d gotten back to base after his melt down. All Kix knew was the wall in his room was rough, gray, and rock.

------------------------------------

It was the shiny kid that finally broke through the haze. Kix hadn’t even heard him come in. Kriff, he thought he was hallucinating the steady voice, talking about the missions. And then after probably an hour of just words there was a pause and suddenly, “Hey, are you okay?”

The question crashed down on Kix’s world.

“He should be dead.” Kix growled. “Why isn’t he dead?!”

That man had used his brothers as a means, as slaves, and then tossed them aside like they were nothing. But they had been men. His brothers. That nightmare had ended for all of them because that man was dead.

Except he wasn’t.

Finn’s voice was steady. “I don’t know... I don’t think we’ll ever know but we will get him.”

Kix almost laughed. Get Palpatine? Like that was even possible. “Kriffing, sithspit--” He turned to find Finn, eyes wide with concern. “That kriffing laandur shabuir should be in a kriffing hole in the ground in the depths of Mustafar. He should be rotting unremembered and disgraced with nothing left of him but the ashes in the wind!” Kix vaguely realized he had slipped into Mando’a and Finn probably had no idea what he was saying but he didn’t care. Kix vented for several minutes, describing in great detail what he would do to that monster. He deserved a fate worse than death.

“He should be karking dead and he’s alive and everything we ever did was a lie, it was a kriffing lie, we were used and pawns and he should be dead... he should be DEAD and he’s alive and they’re not. They’re dead... and he’s...” Kix’s words came to a slow, the tears threatening to break free again. “He’s alive and I can’t... I can’t... I’m sorry, brothers... I’m sorry... I’m a coward... I’m sorry, brothers...”

A hand rested on his shoulder. Kix placed his own on top of it and for a moment just pretended it wasn’t Finn. “I’m sorry, Jesse. Forgive me.” And then the tears came.

The shiny pulled him in for a hug and Kix took it. He needed it, more than he’d ever admit it.

-------------------------------------

Kix had been working in the medbay when Finn came to say goodbye. He was off on another grand adventure with the heroes of the Resistance. Kix would never admit it, but he was a bit jealous sometimes. The medical wing was never dull, but it wasn’t the same as being in the field.

They gave their usual farewells and Finn turned to leave. Kix was turning back to his patients when the thought struck him.

You haven’t told him your number.

Kix frowned at the thought. Numbers meant nothing to him. Why would Finn need to know about his number?

The urge came stronger and it felt as if General Skywalker himself was ordering him into the field. Kix sighed and turned back to Finn calling out loudly, “CT-6116.”

As the words left his mouth a wave of peace enveloped him. Kix was surprised. Numbers were harsh and mean. Names were peaceful and kind. And yet... It felt like a warm hug. A single tear fell down his cheek for no apparent reason. At least, until he saw Finn’s face.

Finn had frozen in place at the words. He turned around now, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked shook, almost frozen in terror. Numbers were painful. Harsh. Mean. And FN-2187 was anything but those.

Kix forced a smile. “I thought it was time you knew.”

You’re a good man, Finn. Thank you for being my friend.

Finn seemed unable to speak. Instead, he fell into attention and saluted Kix. Kix returned it with a small smile. And then Finn was gone.

----------------------------------------

The sky lit up with lightning from the ground. Kix braced himself against the ship as the pilot screamed out in horror and suddenly he was falling. Falling down with burning debris to the ground. Kix himself was in pain, his head and ears ringing. Something slammed into his head and it sent him spinning. Down and down and down and--

Someone grabbed hold of his wrist and the fall stopped.

Kix blinked. The pain was gone from his head and the world had stopped spinning. He looked down towards the ground, which was still quite a way to fall. The ship he had volunteered for duty in was in shreds and pieces, effectively blown to bits by that kriffing sith. No one could have survived the explosion let alone the fall.

“Are you going to keep staring down at the ground, vod, or are you going to look up?”

Kix’s mind came to a screeching halt. He slowly turned his gaze from the wreckage, following his arm up to his savior.

Jesse was laying down on nothing but air. His hands were holding onto Kix’s arms, the grip tight and unwilling to let go. Jesse smiled, “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” He floated down to Kix’s level, hands still holding his brother’s arm. “Physics aren’t really a thing anymore sooo...”

Kix stared for a second. His free hand shook, coming up to Jesse’s face. He pulled it back at the last second, shaking his head and eyes squeezed shut. This had to be a dream.

Arms enveloped hims in a tight hug and Jesse’s voice mumbled into Kix’s ear. “I’m real, vod. I promise.”

“You’re dead,” Kix dared to whisper.

Jesse chuckled, “Hate to break it to you, vod, but so are you.”

A loud scream from below snapped them both back into the battlefield and the world lit up yet again. Jesse’s grip tightened instinctively and Kix could have sworn he felt a blaster seemingly materialize in one of Jesse’s hands. “That’d be the Generals and our brothers."

Kix frowned. “What?”

Jesse didn’t seem to hear him. Kix found himself being dragged towards the ground as the light dimmed and then faded into nothing. Jesse didn’t take them into the planet (thank the Force). He stopped on the surface and called down, “Is it over?”

As if things couldn’t get any weirder Captain Rex and General Skywalker seemed to materialize out of thin air. “It’s over. For real this time.” Skywalker nodded, satisfied about something. Rex nodded, “Thank the Force.”

Kix stared at them, confused. "What’s over?”

Rex smiled. “Palpatine is dead.”

Kix doesn’t remember falling to his knees and he doesn’t remember when he started to cry. But he does know that Jesse is holding him and Rex has his hands on Kix’s shoulders and he can hear Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Tup, Dogma, and everyone gathering around and speaking quietly and--

Kix knows he’s finally home.

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agent-cupcake · 4 years

Note

hiya i’m not sure if your requests are open but if they are could i please have them yandere prompt 7 with caspar!! i adore your work

7. “I’m trying to help! You had a problem, and I fixed it!”

There was no name you could think to call yourself, no direct consciousness to cling to. No person living in the confines of your weightless head. There was nothing but an endlessly rolling sea of fog, your head cresting the waves every so often to grasp at a memory of a life you couldn’t remember.

You were a child, standing on the pier with your father —he was a naval engineer, the best in the Leicester Alliance— as you looked upon his newest warship. She was a beautiful creature, this ship named Claudia, everyone said so. You weren’t so sure. It was her face, you thought, her front —the bow! it was called the bow because ships always had different names for everything— was fixed with a frightening metal face. And she smiled. Not for you or your father or for the dozen others who had come to see this modern marvel. No, Claudia smiled for the enemies, for the Almyrans. Claudia, beautiful Claudia, would approach them with a scary bronze grin, Claudia would smile as she killed them.

You were a girl, twirling in your new dress made of imported fabrics shipped in from the Empire on the eve of your first ball. You felt beautiful, weightless, ready to leave behind your childish toys and frocks and join the adults in their courtly games. But these games were dangerous, and not all smiles were honest. Makeup tears ran down your face as your mother told you —wiping the blackened tears from your cheeks so as to avoid staining the beautiful fabric of your new dress— to smile even when it hurt.

You were a woman with a face drawn and pale as you followed the evacuation orders of the ruling Duke Claude von Riegan. Imperial Troops were marching to take Derdriu. And they would win, everyone knew they would, even if all the Alliance soldiers armed themselves and formed defensive lines to keep them at bay. All of the fine naval weapons your father had spent his life creating were useless, now. No smiles, bronze or otherwise, would greet the Emperor when she conquered.

You were a survivor, emerging from the war relatively unscathed and as a newly sworn part of the new Fódlan government under the command of Emperor Edelgard. Maybe that would have scared you, or made you go red with shame, but there was a smile that kept you from falling to those feelings. A true, warm, reckless smile. He had a name, you knew it. He had a name and a voice and warm, warm hands.

Hands that had caught you when you fell, when you were dizzy and unstable as heavy black inkblots invaded your vision and pulled you under. What happened before the dark? What name had you called, whose hands had caught you?

You knew it! You knew, you knew, you knew-

“Caspar?” you managed to gasp out, trying to claw out of the fog and into the world using the name as an anchor. A warm, warm hand grabbed yours as you flailed, holding you still. Your eyelids fluttered, heavy and unfocused. He was blue. Blue eyes and hair, a color that was all at once soft and electric as it blurred in your vision. You could remember the color, from before the dark, before the falling. Before-

“Hey, relax, you’re okay,” he said comfortingly, his calloused thumb rubbing circles on your hand. You groaned in response, your body heavy and head fuzzy. It was too much for you to support yourself, your limbs wilting back into the seat and corner wedge of the wall. The familiar sway of a horse-drawn coach trundled beneath you. Your body ached in a thousand places from the uncomfortable position. And yet you couldn’t find the energy to move, to consider what was happening. “It’s fine if you keep sleeping, we’re not there yet.”

You groaned again, the words you wanted to say not finding cohesion in your own brain. Sleep sounded nice. Sleep was inevitable. So you let it wash over you, fading out of whatever reality you’d managed to find and into the grasp of memories unearthed by his voice.

Now there was a new feeling, one that was very distinctly yours. It was sinking, drowning, dark, and cold. It held like chains, trapping you in the dark.

You were newly engaged and laden with the heavy weight of news you so badly didn’t want to voice aloud. Beside you sat the man with the brilliant smile. Caspar von Bergliez, that was his full name but you only ever knew him by the first because he had absolutely no regard for station and you enjoyed the thrill of ignoring propriety. He had his own heavy, horrible news.

“You’re leaving?” you asked to clarify, eyes wide with shock and panic. The salty breeze of the ocean air blew a fresh gust, bringing another wave of the familiar fishy, wooden scents from the docks, but there was no comfort in it.

“Yep, I got orders to leave tomorrow. I guess there’s some sort of dispute in Enbarr I’ve gotta go check out.” Caspar shrugged casually. “I’m not sure what it's about but it seems urgent.”

“Will you be coming back?” you asked, a hint of desperation in your voice. It was strange how quickly the terror had taken hold in your heart, considering that you knew he would have to leave eventually. But leaving now of all times, right when you needed his brilliant smile the most.

“Yeah, I have no idea,” Caspar said. “Thanks to you, I got my work here done in half the time I expected.” He smiled, as if not seeing the tragic irony of your help allowing him to leave sooner. “That’s actually why I wanted to meet with you today, ‘cause you’ve been such a big help.” He paused, uncharacteristically taking the time to consider his next words with a crease between his eyebrows. “I was wondering if maybe you could come with me... If you want to. We make a pretty great team, if I do say so myself, and I’ve been needing someone to keep me organized and stuff.”

You stared at him, jaw loose on the verge of dropping. Caspar wasn’t the type to lie, and you doubted any motive he’d have to make up something like this. Shock faded into something like anger. Not at the short notice of the invitation or the casual way he proposed it, although those were perfectly valid complaints. No, you were angry as you wondered why couldn’t he have asked you earlier?

“I can’t,” you said, but the wind caught your soft words and pulled them away. Swallowing hard, you averted your gaze, unable to look at Caspar directly. “I can’t do that. My father has... Arranged for me to be married. That’s what I wanted to tell you today.”

“What?” Caspar asked, his body tensing in a way you could feel through space between you. “You’re gonna say no, right?”

“I can’t,” you repeated. “Lord Pendleton is doing my family an honor by agreeing to the match.” You spoke the words you’d heard a hundred times from your parents with great care, a sick feeling in your stomach. Even saying the name — soon to be your name — was difficult, like a mouthful of medicine you had to force down your throat.

“Him? But you don’t even like that guy!” Caspar said. His voice was raised too loud for comfort in the relative peace of the breezy afternoon, making you flinch. Tears stung at the back of your eyes at this horrible arrangement of events, but you forced them back. Your mother told you to smile, no matter what. The one you mustered was a bitter, fragile thing, full of false humor.

“That’s not the point of arranged marriages,” you said, forcing an even voice. “And I don’t dislike Lord Pendleton. By all accounts, he’s a fine man. His family has been working with mine for years. And, besides, everything has already been arranged. I can’t just break it off like that.” Not without making an enemy of both his family and your own, at least. Despite that logic, guilt formed a knot in your chest on top of the selfish pain. Denying Caspar when he was looking at you with such earnest eyes was harder than you’d have ever thought, but you raised your gaze to meet them, to plead with him. “You understand, right?”

Caspar frowned, his shoulders slumping a bit as the burst of passion faded. He nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I get it…” He sighed, running a hand over his face, into his hair. It was already tousled by the wind, but now the longer bits stuck up. It was cute in a way you absolutely loathed noticing. “If I had asked you before, would you have said yes?” he asked.

“Yes,” you agreed without hesitation. That made his frown fade a bit, although the thought didn’t bring you much solace. It was little more than an empty prize, a chest of fools gold.

“Yeah, cause you like me way better, right?”

And again, you answered without thinking. “Of course I do. You’re… You’re a good man,” you told him. “You’re the closest friend I’ve ever had.” You deflated with those words, a hollow feeling in your chest. In contrast, Caspar’s chest only seemed to swell.

“Aw, I like you a lot, too,” he cooed, a strangely unaffected response to such a deeply personal confession. “A lot, a lot. And you know what? I have a feeling things are just gonna work out.”

Sending a sideways glance at Caspar, you felt a melancholic burst of affection. Maybe innocent was a strange word to describe a fully grown man, and perhaps an inappropriate one if you were to get right down to it. Condescending, infantilizing, and certainly unbecoming of the Minister of Military Affairs. And yet, it was the only description that came to mind in your hours with Caspar. He wasn’t innocent in the way of white flowers and doe eyes, but in an innate, childish way that gave light to his beaming smile and a captivating animation to his endlessly energetic attitude. And, yes, he was innocent when it came to women. Happily oblivious, or perhaps too distracted by everything else to be preoccupied with such things. Right then, it hurt. If he had offered marriage, perhaps you could have said yes. If he had shown any sign of romantic affection, maybe you could have justified taking his offer.

Heart sunken deep, you looked out to the ocean where clouds were building on the horizon. Not storm clouds, but the thick type that would bring a pointless oceanic gloom with them. You related to them far more than Caspar’s sweet optimism. “I hope so.”

You were a child and your father was carrying you in his arms, cradled to his chest while you pretended to sleep so he wouldn’t put you down. He smelled like the ocean, sawdust, and the achingly familiar scent of the cologne your mother liked so much. But, no. That wasn’t true, you weren’t a child and it wasn’t your father who was carrying you. Your body ached in the way it had only begun aching when you reached adulthood. The smell was wrong, too. Sweat and linen and leather.

Then there was a bed beneath you, a place you could finally lay flat. Still, the discomfort persisted, your brain relentlessly struggling against the dark and muscles falling slack. It was the thirst that finally got your eyes open and stiff body moving. The moments between wakefulness and the press of the cup to your lips was a blur, you couldn’t even remember seeing the water beside your bed. It was sweet, soothing your throat with each desperate swallow. Some of it dribbled down your chin, nearly choking you. Still weak, so weak, your fingers let the empty tin cup fell to the floor. Then your eyes closed again, ignoring the dozens of little pains you suffered.

"Oh, so you are awake!” Your eyes opened to the familiar voice, watching him enter the tent. A tent? “That’s good,” Caspar said. “I was starting to worry you’d never open your eyes.”

“How long was I asleep?” you asked, the words coming without thought as your mind swam, too disoriented to focus on any of your larger concerns. It looked and smelled like the earliest hours of the morning when he had opened the tent, the air thin and bitter with a creeping chill.

“About twenty hours? Give or take some, yesterday was pretty hectic,” Caspar answered, looking up as he thought. Then he smiled, sitting on the edge of your bed and stretching, throwing you a sideways grin. “Did you know that you snore? I didn't know girls did that. It was pretty cute. Reminded me of this cat I used to take care of.” His tilted. “I kinda miss that little guy."

“Twenty hours,” you repeated, knowing the words had far more significance than you could give them. Fog clouded your brain, panic barely finding its way through when everything all felt so unreal, so far away. The water hadn’t done much to ease the sour, sandy flavor weighing down your tongue. Your body sagged, your head aching. Everything was so uncomfortable you could hardly stand it. Fear of the unknown, of the confusion, was beginning to take hold. “Last I remember I was… You were there?” you asked, looking at him helplessly. “What happened? Where are we?”

“Hey, don’t panic, everything’s okay!” Caspar said, looking a little panicked himself. “We’re an hour out from the old Empire border. It’ll be two days more of traveling before we get to Enbarr.” His face scrunched unhappily. “I’ll have to teach you how to ride long distances so we can make better time when we travel from now on. Traveling so slow is the worst.”

“We left Derdriu,” you said, cold with horror. Memories were slipping into place, more relevant memories. “I snuck out to see you off and... You poisoned me?”

Caspar frowned. “Believe me, I didn’t want to!” he emphatically told you. “But I was worried you’d make everything all complicated again. I knew you were gonna feel too bad about leaving to come with me without some... Help. Besides, it’s better this way. You’d be completely wasted as Lord Pendleton’s wife. He’s a chump and a coward.”

“So you kidnapped me?” you asked, overwhelmed and nearly breathless on the verge of hyperventilating.

“You said you wanted to come with me,” he said.

“It’s not that simple,” you protested, a hand rising to your head to halfheartedly massage your temples.

“See? You think too much, it makes everything so complicated. Now that you’re already gone, you don’t have to feel bad about leaving.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” you said, your eyes closing. Hunger gnawed at your stomach, a reminder of all the time you’d spent asleep, getting farther and farther away from your family.

“You like me, don’t you?” he asked. Your eyes opened. Caspar looked pleading, a tad desperate. Oh, so innocent. It made your heart ache, it made your empty stomach twist.

“Of course I do,” you said, choking on the words. He relaxed slightly.

“Yeah, that’s good. I’m glad,” he said, nodding. Awkward.

A moment passed, Caspar looking intently at the tent wall with furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips. It wasn’t enough time for you to think, only to feel a washing sense of distress and fear.

“Listen,” he finally said. “I know that I can be kinda difficult and reckless. I’ve even been called annoying, but you don’t ever make me feel like that. I didn’t realize what I felt until you said that you were gonna get married. I realized that the idea of you with any other man made me angry. Livid, actually. I kinda wanted to leave and fight Lord Pendleton right then and there just for thinking about marrying you.” Caspar’s posture was hunched, his eyes down and cheeks blushing bright red. “This is so embarrassing... I swear, I didn’t want to do it like this.” He finally looked up, his jaw set as if he was readying for a fight. “The thing is, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, protecting you and taking care of you. I know you didn’t want to marry that guy and that you’d be miserable, so even though it didn’t make me happy to do it like this, I had to take you. You understand, right?”

"No, I don’t,” you said, your voice a pinched, parched sound. Some part of you wanted to laugh at the horrifying juxtaposition of his confession and the situation, the morbid way they complimented each other. “I don’t understand why you would do this at all.”

“I’m trying to help!” Caspar said, pleading once more. “You like me way more than that guy, you wanted to come with me!”

“Why would you think that any of this is what I wanted?” you asked, meeting his shout with a shrill whisper and gesturing around the tent. Slowly, bit by bit, Caspar’s expression faltered, as if your unhappy tone was only just now invading in on his mood. It left you feeling cold. You had always known Caspar was a bit oblivious, but this was something else entirely. He truly hadn’t given a second thought to this, any of this. He thought this was for the best.

“Please don’t be upset,” he begged, moving towards you with imploring, innocent eyes. Then he smiled, and it was the worst one yet. So genuine and sweet, you felt as if you could actually see the love. Love. Caspar smiled and reached out to you with his warm, warm hands. “You had a problem, and I fixed it!”

#caspar von bergliez #caspar von bergliez x reader #fe caspar #fe caspar x reader #yandere #fire emblem three houses #FE3H #my writing #long post //#sorry i've been gone i'm in wyoming for the summer #yee haw guys

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cincinnatusvirtue · 4 years

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Simon Bolivar (1783-1830): El Liberatador/The Liberator.

Simon Bolivar, sometimes referred to as the George Washington of South America, is best known for his leading role of the independence of six Latin American nations (Venezuela, Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Peru & Ecuador) from the Spanish Empire in the early 19th century. His military prowess and political image as a revolutionary exists into the modern era and continues to inspire, irk and even alienate many the world over particular those in Latin America to the modern day.

-Simon Bolivar was born on July 24th, 1783 in Caracas Venezuela then part of the Spanish Empire. His father’s paternal line was of Basque descent in northern Spain and settled in South America int he 16th century, while his maternal grandmother was descended from Spanish families settled in the Canary Islands.

-Bolivar’s father was a Colonel in the Spanish colonial army, his father died of tuberculosis when Bolivar was three and his mother died when he was nine. His primary caregiver in his youth was a family slave, named Hipolita.

-Bolivar’s family was aristocratic and slave owning, in a class known as Criollo, which was known for being of almost exclusively Spanish descent with little to no Amerindian descent, making them a fairly exclusive caste in colonial South America.

-Spain had been involved with the Americas since the end of the 15th century and start of the 16th century, it had conquered, colonized, and almost completely transformed the the landscape of the Americas stretching from parts of the modern United States to the tip of the South American continent. Disease and superior military technology and the use of diplomacy to play off various indigenous rivalries, combined with a religious mass conversion utterly changed the demographics and politics of Central and South America Though Spain was the first major modern European colonial power in the Americas it overshadowed in North America by the Dutch, French and most notably the British. In South America and Central America it had to contend with all these powers over the coming centuries but its only major competitor for the most part in South America was Portugal in Brazil.

-By the time of Bolivar, Spain’s Empire was large, though Spain had started to suffer status of becoming a second rate power in Europe due to its being eclipsed largely by France and Britain and the imperial rivalry between those two nations.

-Bolivar was raised with private tutors who taught him very much in a classical education of the time, Enlightenment values steeped in history, politics, philosophy as well as physical activity such as horseback riding and swimming.

-Bolivar was enrolled in the military of Spain and sent to Spain in 1800 to complete his studies, whilst there he traveled Europe, then in the throes of the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars. Bolivar himself witnessed Bonaparte’s self-orchestrated coronation as King of Italy in 1805, which he held in personal union with himself, having already been crowned Emperor of the French in 1804. Bolivar, held republican values and disdain for the ceremony and monarchical pretenses of Bonaparte but he also admired Bonaparte in other ways for his military prowess and standing up the reactionary monarchies of Europe.

-Bolivar and indeed his contemporaries in Latin America likewise was influenced by the American Revolution which had given birth to the United States and was the first successful revolution in the modern era of a colonial nation against its parent country. Serving somewhat as a template for their later achievements along with ideals of republicanism and human rights.

-Bolivar would return to Venezuela in 1807, the year before Bonaparte turned on his erstwhile Spanish ally and overthrew the Bourbon dynasty and replaced it with his own brother on the throne, launching an unexpected guerrilla war nationwide, which found itself supported by the British and Portuguese and would last for another 7 years alternating between uprisings, French suppression and gradual defeat of the French forces. This war would have ramifications for the rest of the empire.

-1810 saw a coup in Venezuela which sought to establish its independence and with the chaos back in Spain, no cohesive government could offer counter-revolution. Though there remained a royalist element in Latin America that would be Bolivar’s primary enemy during his campaigns. Bolivar was named in 1811 a part of a diplomatic team sent to Britain to gain diplomatic recognition.

-1813 saw the establishment of a new Second Republic of Venezuela and Bolivar was named a military governor in then New Granada (Colombia). He undertook his so called Admirable Campaign against royalists who wished to maintain the Spanish crown’s rule over Latin America, even though the Bourbons weren’t officially back in power until the following year when Napoleonic France was driven from Spain. The campaign was ultimately successful in uniting the disparate colonies each fighting for their independence. Here he earned the nickname El Liberatador or “The Liberator” and issued his Decree of War to the Death, which threatened death against all Spanish colonists if they did not actively support the war for independence, regardless of their level of involvement. It was to symbolize the divisive nature of Bolivar to many. On one hand totally committed to his goals but seemingly willing to impose his will in a dictatorial fashion to achieve them.

-The revolutions in South America were indeed disparate, united in common cause to rid themselves of royalist rule from mother Spain but not necessarily united with each other and Bolivar had to fight against rival republican factions in New Granada. These disputes forced him to flee to Jamaica until tempers cooled. There he was the victim of a failed assassination that forced him to Haiti instead where he remained in a brief exile.

-Bolivar returned to Venezuela with Haitian support in 1816 fighting against royalists there. Though the fighting was back and forth for the next couple of years. Spain having restored the Bourbons recommitted to asserting royalist rule. The campaign including crossing the Andes Mountain range which was no small feat. Bolivar worked hard to achieve a sense of unity among the many different factions and disparate colonies of Venezuela and New Granada.

-Finally, in 1821 with British support, the Bolivar lead Patriotic army defeated the royalist elements of Spain decisively at the Battle of Carabobo on June 24th. This paved the way for a united country, a de-facto federalized republic akin to the United States of America, it was called Gran Colombia, uniting Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. The new nation was declared September 7th of that year with Bolivar as its first President.

-Bolivar’s next move was the liberation of Ecuador against Spain, winning victory after victory in 1822 and this was followed with campaigns in Peru’s liberation which likewise successful and appreciatively raised respect for Bolivar’s military prowess. Though his troops were accused of ill treating the locals and taking much plunder. His campaigns would be successful by 1825 making Peru an independent and separate but sister republic. The same year “Upper Peru” declared itself a new nation allied with Gran Colombia called Bolivia, named after Bolivar himself.

-Bolivar’s remaining years were spent dealing with political infighting within Gran Colombia which was divided and weak in its political infrastructure. While, he admired the United States’s achievement of independence from a European power, he did not believe its federal model of federal government balanced by somewhat decentralized state governments could be replicated successfully in Gran Colombia. His remedy was to increasingly turn to a form of centralization. However, the territory encompassing the new nation was vast and though the people spoke a common language and had a common cause in independence it was divided by sectional differences owing to geography and local custom. Along with opposition to Bolivar’s centralization attempts which included appointing a lifetime presidency with the ability to handpick their own successor. Some feared this would create a new form of monarchy or dictatorship.

-Attempts at a passing of laws to rewrite this constitution were met with deadlock due to the divisions within the various factions and ultimately did not pass. Bolivar attempted compromise measures but there remained suspicion over his intentions and he once again was victim to a failed assassination attempt in 1828.

-Bolivar sought to eventually unite Gran Colombia with Peru and Bolivia as well in a so called Confederation of the Andes. However, the truth was Bolivar’s plans were spoiled by the sectional and ideological differences in the sister republics and within Gran Colombia itself. Uprisings took place in Ecuador, New Granada and Venezuela and the nation found itself now at war with Peru. He was also suspicious of the United States and its own ambitions of political influence in Latin America, since the recent Monroe Doctrine declared essentially the whole of the Americas to be within its political sphere of influence.

-On January 30th, 1830 he resigned his Presidency of Gran Colombia seeing no viable political path forward for his vision though he urged the still nominally unified nation to remain unified, he denounced the calls for dissolution. Though later that year, the separation became permanent and Gran Colombia was succeeded by independent nations of New Granada later to become modern Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

-In the coming decades all these nations interestingly would be governed by a centralist model that Bolivar had advocated for the preservation of Gran Colombia. They were government by the very people who had condemned his own vision on central authority.

-Bolivar himself died of tuberculosis on December 17th, 1830 in modern Colombia, he was preparing for a self-imposed move to Europe and had already begun taking steps to move there.

-In the wake of his death, the South American republics founded by Bolivar were fraught with civil war and wars among each other over influence and competition for resources. Tensions among these nations has remained intermittent to the present, each of these nations faced a degree of internal instability with quick successions of new governments alternated with dictatorships that would last either quickly or for prolonged periods of time.

-Each subsequent country has a generalized local view of Bolivar that is complex and varied. Ranging from admiration and adulation for his role in their founding and helping to shape their political environment to disdain and condemnation for his armies’ treatment of the locals to his authoritarian flirtations which he considered a political necessity in Latin America, believing its culture required such a certain level of heavy handedness. This contradiction between striving for freedom and seeking a means of instilling control even through self-righteous authoritarianism remains one of Bolivar’s contradictions. This struggle between aspirations of freedom and liberty tempered with dictatorial means to enforce stability is not unique to Bolivar or Latin America, it is been an issue the world over. However, Latin America’s republics throughout their history, including those founded by Bolivar have also emulated and embodied this contradiction to the present day at various times. It remains an resolved tension in various countries at various times.

-Bolivar’s personal reputation is likewise revered by others outside of Latin America as an inspiration, many of his personal writings still survive and inform of his character and political thought. Others such as Karl Marx actually condemned Bolivar as dictator masquerading as a revolutionary. Yet, Bolivar would hold an appeal to later socialist/communist thinkers in a Latin American context in particular.

-Bolivar does remain a popular figure in Hispanic American historical memory for many so called common/working class people and his name/image are used to evoke revolutionary ideals. He his remembered with everything from US naval vessels to statues the world over, cities and a nation named after him and public holidays in his memory. For all his contradictions and his many struggles, his promise and his failure, Bolivar is undeniably a hugely influential figure in modern world history, particularly in Latin America...

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naruwitch · 4 years

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron Chapter 31: Battle of Kyushu

"Prince Schneizel, we appreciate you stepping in for Viceroy Cornelia during this time."

"When I heard about what happened I contacted the Emperor immediately," Schneizel said calmly from behind the Viceroy's desk, "I practically insisted that he leave Area 11 in my care until my sister could be recovered."

"Yes, and we're deeply grateful for your assistance. With you here, we can hopefully put a lid on this crisis!" the officer said with a bow.

"Hmmm, well I'm not sure if Area 11's forces will be enough against this Voltron threat, I do hope to at least quell the unrest as soon as possible," Schneizel said honestly.

Suddenly the doors to the office were thrown open and Lord Guilford rushed in, slightly out of breath, "Your Highness!"

Schneizel blinked, slightly startled, "Lord Guilford, what the matter?"

"Prince Schneizel, the enemy has destroyed the great Great Kamon Bridge in Kyushu block!" the knight reported gravely.

"What?!" Kanon exclaimed behind the Prime Minister, who's own eyes widened partially at this news.

"They also cut off vehicle access at four other points, and large numbers of assault landing craft are moving into the Genkai Sea!" Guilford continued.

Schneizel gasped in realization, "The Chinese Federation? Have they made a declaration of war?"

"No, Highness! The crafts are bearing the flag of Japan!"

At this piece of information, Schneizel frowned deep in thought. He had heard rumors that some of the old leaders of the Kururugi Regine had fled to the Federation. He always had a lingering suspicion that one of them could attempt an attack like this with the Chinese backing them up. It seemed they were finally playing this card.

"Send all available military personnel to Kyushu block, push them back!"

"Yes, Your Highness," Guilford said, but the knight didn't depart, meaning that there was something else to be said as well.

"Is there something else?" Schneizel bluntly, but not unkindly.

"There is sir… the military managed to locate Suzaku Kururugi…"

o~o

(Two days ago)

"I've dishonored you," Suzaku said, holding the Purple Bayard out to a shocked Allura, "I'm not worthy to be called a Paladin."

"Suzaku, this is crazy!" Milly protested, "You can't just leave! Even if what Mao said was true-"

"It is true," Suzaku interrupted, looking down remorsefully, "I can't forgive myself…"

"...Has being a Paladin become a burden for you?" Allura asked softly, still not taking the Bayard, "Something that troubles you?"

"No, I'm grateful for it," Suzaku answered honestly.

"Then why?" Allura inquired.

"What Mao said was true, I did kill my own father," Suzaku admitted sadly. Behind Princess Allura, the other Paladins plus Coran stood as well. Most of them gasped save for Lelouch who only grimaced. Coran and Allura looked the most horrified, "I was never punished for it. I just lived on like nothing happened. And right now…" the Purple Paladin looked up, emotion filling his eyes, "...I'm being protected again! Someone like me isn't worthy of being a Paladin of Voltron."

"But Suzaku," Rivalz exclaimed, "We won't be able to form Voltron without you! We need you!"

Suzaku just shook his head, pressing the Purple Bayard into Allura's hands, "There are far more worthy candidates to be Yoru's Paladin here. Like Tohdoh-sensei, or Ohgi… or even you Princess Allura. And if that's not the case, there must be someone else out there."

"Then… what are you going to do?" Shirley asked worriedly.

"I'm going back to Britannia."

This answer resulted in a ripple of protest, demanding to know if Suzaku had lost his mind, and what would he possibly gain from joining the enemy!

"What the hell Kururugi?! You know that Britannia is almost as bad as the Galra!" Kallen practically roared, "And if you want to keep up the pity party you don't have to go crawling back to them! You can work here among the ranks with us!"

"I know. And I'm not interested in changing Britannia inwardly, at least not in the way I originally wished. But at least this way, me returning can at least throw the Empire off our trail."

This reasoning had many of the group looking at Suzaku in bewilderment for a moment before he continued.

"Think about it. Seven missing students, seven Lions. Even without solid evidence, someone is bound to make a hypothesis like that sooner or later. Lelouch, you yourself said your brother is just as intelligent as you, maybe even more so. I wouldn't be surprised if Schneizel already suspects that that's the case here. And C.C. has already theorized that the Emperor is aware that you're Zero. If he can figure that out, he'll figure out who the Paladins are at some point as well. With me returning supposedly out of the blue, it will at least divert their suspicion for a little while, and it will keep our families safer."

"Suzaku…" Shirley said softly, "We don't care what happened back then! You're still a member of the team! Please-"

Lelouch's hand suddenly raised, silencing Shirley. The Black Paladin's expression was pained, but a layer of understanding swam in his eyes as well.

"Suzaku… if you really want to leave, we have no right to stop you…" he said firmly, his dark hair hiding most of his face, "But please, think about what you're doing…"

"...There's no need for that," Suzaku said softly, "My mind's been made." He then looked up and smiled as he turned away, "Thank you for everything."

With that said, Suzaku left the lounge quickly before any lingering thoughts could change his mind. He trudged to the transport hanger, where he had prepared a pod the night before.

"Suzaku!"

The Purple Paladin froze and feared to turn around. Painfully though, he did so.

At the entrance of the hanger, Nunnally had come in her hoverchair. Then incredibly, she forced herself to her feet and tried to run after him, but she only got five steps before she tripped and fell hard on the floor.

With a gasp, Suzaku put his remaining things down and ran to help Nunnally up.

"Nunnally! Are you okay?" he asked.

"Please Suzaku… please don't go!" Nunnally begged, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. Looking deep into them, Suzaku's resolve dangerously wavered.

His own eyes grew moist as he gently picked Nunnally up and set her slowly back on her chair.

"Suzaku…?" Nunnally asked, looking up at him in confusion. He then enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Nunnally," he whispered, a small tear trickling down his face

"Huh?" the girl gasped as he pulled away. He all but sprinted to the pod, eyes refusing to look back.

"Suzaku, wait! Come back!" Nunnally shouted, trying to propel the chair forward, but it wouldn't budge. When he had gone to hug her, Suzaku had switched the movement function on the chair off.

"No!" she could only wail as she watched the pod's front close before rocketing out of the launch bay and disappearing from sight.

o~o

Suzaku gasped awake with a jerk. Nunnally's cries of despair and desperation still rang in his head. It took a few seconds to remember where he was as his eyes adjusted to the interrogation chamber he was being held in for the time being.

The second that he contacted the military, Suzaku was immediately taken in for questioning and all of them were ones that he was expecting. Where had he been for the last few months? Where were the other Ashford students? Were they kidnapped, and if so did he have any information on the captors?

Fortunately, Suzaku had been prepared for this. From the moment he decided to leave he thought of a story that he hoped would sound believable. It was true, he was with the six other still-missing Ashford students at Lake Kawaguchi where they were declared missing shortly thereafter.

He said he didn't remember much, but when the seven of them had decided to hike one of the trails, they were jumped by a group of masked assailants. The attack had been so sudden that he hadn't had time to defend himself. Later he would learn that he was actually the first of the group to be taken out. They were taken to a facility and were carefully monitored, given strict diets and 'training' schedules. They were given slots of 'social time' to interact with one another, and he reported that all of them appeared as healthy as he had been. He also suspected that they had been moved around a lot because he remembers times when he would suddenly blackout in his 'room' where a 'caregiver' would watch him eat his meals. They wouldn't leave the room until every speck of food had been eaten.

When asked how he got away, all he could say was that he must have gotten lucky. During one of the moves, the medicine they used to knock them out must not have worked for some reason. He woke up when they were being put into transports. He waited for the right opportunity to jump the captors and get away. He added that he had tried to take Lelouch with him, since he believed the captors didn't know his identity as a prince, and feared for his safety if they ever found out, but Lelouch had instead told Suzaku to find help. Dragging him along would just slow him down. So long as one of them got away the better.

Suzaku had no clue if the soldiers questioning him bought his story or not, but they weren't treating him like a criminal at the moment, so he could only hope it would remain that way. He just prayed that he threw any suspicions of the Paladins identities off for the time being. If anything, he at least bought them a little time.

His reminiscing was interrupted when he heard the doorknob to the room jiggle. He looked up just in time to see a pink blur practically tackle him out of his chair.

"Wha-?" Suzaku gasped before his brain registered who it was.

Euphemia broke off and dusted herself, blushing slightly from the display.

"It's good to see you again, Suzaku," she smiled.

"Euphie..it's good to see you too," he smiled back.

"Well, well, it seems you're quite the lucky man, Suzaku," a cheery voice sounded from the doorway. Looking up, Lloyd, Cecile, and, to Suzaku's honest surprise, Nonette were all standing in the doorway, each smiling, looking glad to see him.

"Suzaku, we're glad to see that you're alright," Cecile said, "the military and police have been looking for you and the others night and day."

For some reason, Suzaku didn't quite believe that. Sure, he was sure that Cecile was being honest from what she knew, but… it was more likely that the military was searching non-stop for Prince Lelouch day and night. While he wasn't sure about the other students, he doubted the military or other authorities would have given a damn if he showed up dead on the street.

To his surprise though, Nonette actually politely bowed to him in the traditional Japanese greeting, "It's an honor to officially meet you, Warrant Officer Kururugi. Earl Asplund and Miss Croomy have spoken very highly of you and your skills as a pilot."

Still partially stunned by such a formal greeting, Suzaku eventually nodded, "Thank you. I've been told you're quite the skilled pilot yourself, Lady Enneagram."

"Please, Nonette is fine," the knight shook her head, "we might as well treat each other as equals if we're going to be working together."

"Working… together?" Suzaku questioned cautiously, not quite understanding what the Knight of Nine was saying.

"Indeed," another voice said from behind the others. Looking up, Suzaku was completely shocked to see Lelouch's half-brother, Schneizel el Britannia walk in with a polite smile. In his hand he was carrying…

"...But… I thought Nonette had started piloting it?" Suzaku protested as he stared at the Lancelot key in the prince's hand.

"That is true, however, Lloyd's data doesn't lie either," the prince argued pleasantly, "You're the only other person with the skills needed to pilot the Lancelot. Besides, there's another project that I've requested Lady Enneagram's assistance with. It may be difficult to believe thanks to… some officers' views, but you are a skilled and valued soldier… Major Kururugi."

Suzaku gasped as his eyes shifted between Euphie, Nonette, Lloyd, and the key in the Prime Minister's hand.

o~o

"We hereby declare the resurrection of Japan as a lawful, independent, and sovereign nation!" the voice of Sawazaki rang over the Castle's monitors as the many of the residents listened to the latest news report of the attack in the Kyushu area.

"Atsushi Sawazaki, leader of the forces that have occupied the Fukuoka military base, was Chief Cabinet Minister of the Kururugi Administration in the former nation of Japan," a man's voice immediately followed.

"After the war, he fled to the Chinese Federation, but is apparently making his move now in response to the recent civil unrest caused by Voltron and Zero." Pictures of both Lelouch's mask identity and Voltron itself flashed on the screen.

"Whether the Black Knights or Voltron have played a role in these unfolding events is still under investigation."

"What the hell?! We're not part of this!" Tamaki shouted in anger. Ohgi, Kaguya, Coran, Kallen, Allura, and Lelouch watched the broadcast carefully.

"Kaguya, was Kyoto aware that this was going to transpire?" Allura asked the girl sternly.

"No," Kaguya answered immediately, "They were completely thrown off guard as well. They were just notified about his unilateral claims over the Sakuradite mining rights."

"I see…" Allura nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Lelouch, who was looking critically up at the screen, "Lelouch, what is our next move? Should we attempt contact or make a statement perhaps?"

"I wouldn't go jumping on that bandwagon just yet," Lelouch decided, "The fact that Sawazaki is being assisted by the Chinese Federation is troubling on its own. It's more likely that he's being used as a puppet for that faction to take Japan for themselves."

"Lelouch, if I may," Coran spoke up, "when you first informed us of your planet's conflict, you seemed to make it clear that Britania and this Chinese Federation certainly aren't allies. If this attack makes them Britannian's enemy, wouldn't that make them an ally for us? What's the saying the humans use? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?'"

"I don't know," Kallen admitted, "From what I've heard the Chinese Federation isn't that much different from Britannia. Isn't that right, Ohgi?"

"As far as I know that is the case," he nodded.

"While it's true that the Federation and Britannia are at odds right now, politically wise, their government isn't too different from Britannia," Kaguya explained, "The Chinese Federation is still an Imperial Monarchy. Officially the Emperor or Empress is the leader, but… the most recent Empress, Tianzi, has little to no power at all. The High Eunuchs are the ones with the power. She acts more as a figurehead. If you look at it a certain way, the Chinese Federation is seen as more of an oligarchic system than anything else. This doesn't make them too different from Britannia's Royal Family… no offense to you Lelouch."

"None taken."

o~o

Meanwhile in the coast of the Kyushu bay, a fierce storm was blowing through the area. The winds were so strong that it was preventing the Britannian forces from calling in any air support. They had no choice but hold out until the storm passed or calmed enough for Knightmares equipped with float systems to sweep in.

"It's a stroke of good fortune that this storm hit," General Tsao, a high ranking general from the Chinese Federation commented victoriously, "We must use it to tighten our grip on Kyushu."

"You see, General Tsao?" Sawazaki boasted proudly next to him, "Heaven is on our side. We're going to prevail in this battle with ease."

o~o

"Martial law is not necessary — such measures would only upset and frighten people," Prince Schneizel calmly reasoned with the two officers in his office, Darlton being one of them, "Contact E.U. Foreign Minister Gandolphi. Oh, and put a call in to the Toromo Agency in Cambodia."

"Prince Schneizel, using the Toromo Agency could be of–"

Darlton wasn't able to finish when the doors to the office opened and Princess Euphemia entered.

"Prime Minister," she stated.

"Yes, Euphie?" Schneizel asked gently as the generals parted to let her through, "Something wrong?"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, "I'm still the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11. There must be a way I can assist you."

"Thank you. Just your offer to help me is more than enough," Schneizel answered with a smile.

"But I…" Euphemia protested.

"Before her capture, Viceroy Cornelia ordered you to be kept out of as much military conflict as possible, Sub-Viceroy," Darlton informed her.

"She did…?" Euphie asked sadly, looking down at her feet.

"Uh, no, Sub-Viceroy, let me correct myself," Darlton amended when he saw the princess's expression, "it's just that-"

"Please, understand, Euphie," Schneizel spoke up, "We've already lost Cornelia. If something were to happen to you as well…"

"Wait, you don't really think-" Euphie gasped.

"There hasn't been confirmation of that yet," Schneizel explained carefully, "but the situation is simply too treacherous to take any chances right now."

Euphemia struggled to hold back tears as the feeling of hopelessness rolled over her. Once again she was being forced to the sidelines again. She had never felt so useless before.

"Darlton, concerning the matter we were discussing, I know someone who has a way in with them, so I will ask for help," the prince explained.

"Yes, Your Highness," the general nodded.

o~o

"Man… how long is she going to stay in there?" Rivalz groaned as he leaned against the wall across from Shirley's room.

Not long after Suzaku left the ship, Shirley had abruptly run to her room and locked herself inside. No matter who knocked on the door, or for how long, she refused to open up to them. She didn't even come to dinner that evening or breakfast that morning. Even the plate of food goo that they had left outside her door remained untouched. Everyone was worried about the Orange Paladin, but it was understandable. After all… she had killed someone.

At the moment, Rivalz and Milly were camping outside her room. They had been for the past hour, but no matter how many times they knocked, and even demanded to be let in in Milly's case, Shirley remained silent, stubbornly refusing to answer.

Before Milly could respond, Rai and C.C. came around the corner, with Arthur trotting along beside them as well.

Rai's looked between the door and two teens outside it. Then he sighed, "That bad, huh?"

"Well, what exactly did you expect?" C.C. asked bluntly, "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Shirley may have good intentions, but her mentality is certainly not that of a soldier."

"It's not like we're not willing to help her," Milly argued, "but if she doesn't talk to someone…"

Rai frowned sadly and looked at the door again.

"...I can handle this. Could you give us some space?" he finally asked before standing in front of the door.

Reluctantly, Rivalz, and Milly slowly picked themselves up and left. C.C. did as well shortly after. Once they were out of sight, Rai felt something nuzzle his legs. Looking down, he saw Arthur rubbing up against his ankle, before looking up at the Green Paladin with a soft 'mrow.'

With a small smile, he knocked lightly on the door.

"Shirley, it's Rai. Can I come in?" he asked cautiously.

It took several seconds, and for a moment Rai thought that Shirley wouldn't answer, until finally, he heard the small buzz of the door unlocking. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he entered with Arthur trailing close behind.

Rai easily spotted the Orange Paladin, sitting on her bed hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes looked hollow and there were dry tear marks on her cheeks. Looking up, he noticed that two of the trash nebula creatures were floating close by, but from the sounds of their squeaks, they hadn't been successful in lighting Shirley's mood at all and seemed relieved that someone else had finally come.

Arthur actually made the first move, immediately leaping onto the bed and settling snuggly at Shirley's side, purring softly.

Following the cat's lead, Rai slowly approached her other side, cautiously sitting down, and - after silently debating with himself - draped an arm around her shoulders. Shirley didn't react and Rai took that as a good thing. At least she didn't start screaming or demanding for him to get out and leave her alone.

There was a heavy silence in the room for a while as Rai tried to figure out how to start talking. The only noise was Arthur's soft purring and the occasional squeak from one of the fuzzy aliens.

"...You made the right call in there," he finally said, "if you hadn't done it, Mao would've killed Lelouch and blown up the Castle. And who knows what would have happened to the Lions… You saved everyone."

"...I know that," Shirley mumbled softly, seeming to tighten her grip around her legs, "I know that he was evil, and if I hadn't, I… but… I-I can't handle it!"

She finally moved, letting go of her legs, and burying her face in her hands.

"C.C… she warned me that this could happen!" she sobbed, "She warned me that I'd have to do it eventually! But… I-I don't…"

"You just don't know if you can handle it, right?" Rai finished for her softly.

Shirley whined, practically collapsing against Rai's shoulder. He gently ran a hand down her back, waiting for her sobs to calm before speaking again.

"I understand. I've killed a lot as well," he said honestly, but not proudly. Shirley looked up at him, surprise shining in her eyes. He smiled bitterly, "Don't look so surprised, I'm a gladiator, remember?" Shirley's shoulders slumped as she remembered that detail about her crush.

"Anyway, I don't… I don't remember much about what happened while I was there," Rai continued, "but, I do know that every time I was put out there in the ring, each fight was either live or die. Only one of us would walk out of there still breathing. Some were bad, other gladiators like me, who actually enjoyed killing. Others… others were simply other prisoners, trying to survive just like me. All for Zarkon's entertainment…"

Shirley peaked up at his face. It was holding a pained frown and his eyes were haunted.

"Whenever I sleep... I always see myself in that same pit again. There's so much noise; all the spectators yelling and cheering... The monsters I fight roaring at me... And all I have is a sword, sometimes half a sword. I'm only given armor or even a shield for 'special' fights. I look up, and I see that monster sitting on his throne, his eyes baring down on me like the devil. The only thing I know for certain is that I'm facing an enemy that wants me dead. But... I do it. I endure it. Because my life doesn't end here. I have people that I love waiting for me, people I want to protect. I have my mother and my sister, but now it's more than just that."

He leaned back and smiled, though it looked fairly forced from what Shirley could see, "Now I have Allura, Lelouch, Kallen, Suzaku, Rivalz, Milly, Coran, and so many others... I got you to Shirley. And I know you have the same thing. You have people who love you, people who care about you, people that are worth protecting. Mao is not going to be the only one. We're probably going to fight people that we might have to kill, if not to save our own lives, but maybe even so many others. If we can avoid it, great; but if not, we have to do it. Taking someone's life is never easy, and it's something you never get used to. Something you shouldn't get used to. But as long as you have faith in the people who are willing to help you share that burden, and the cause that you fight for, then you'll never stray from your path. I already know what I'm fighting for, what you are fighting for?"

Shirley felt tears gather in her eyes again, but they weren't of sorrow. Rai's speech had really touched her and helped her see a different perspective of everything. Yes, the guilt of what she did didn't leave, it likely never would, but a mix of the Green Paladin's words and Arthur's constant purring dampened it.

Speaking of Arthur, the cat took the opportunity to climb onto Shirley's lap, curling up tightly.

Shirley remained silent for a moment, before she clenched her fists, eyes lighting up in determination.

"I want to fight to protect the weak. I'm a Paladin of Voltron!" she exclaimed.

Rai smiled proudly as he wrapped her in a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Rai," she whispered.

"Anytime," he replied.

o~o

"Hey…"

"Oh, hi!" the newly named Chigusa smiled as she greeted Ohgi who rounded a corner of the hallway into the kitchen. The amnesiac had been sorting through various seed packs that the Paladins had brought back from Earth when they had dropped the Black Knights off. In hopes of providing a more diverse, but still slightly familiar diet to the crew, the Paladins discussed with Coran and the Princess of starting a greenhouse in one of the more temperature-controlled rooms and possibly bringing up some chickens and cows in a different room for some eggs, milk, and protein as well. The idea certainly seemed to intrigue the Alteans and they agreed to give it a shot at the very least.

Most of the crew had returned after learning what happened, and it became clear that just because they were in space didn't mean that they were untouchable. Yes, the Galra could come at any time, and Rakshata and her team, along with Coran, were working rigorously to get a space Knightmare ready for testing. However, the fact that Mao managed to sneak onto the ship was still baffling. Although the Castle's security was high for most unknown lifeforms entering and exiting the ship, the crew started a rotation where at least one Black Knight was on camera duty at all times.

The Paladins eventually came to the conclusion that Mao must have snuck onto one of the Lions while they were on Earth. Why none of the Lions had reacted to an intruder entering them was another mystery, but then again it was exactly how C.C. managed to sneak on board Polaris in the first place as well.

If any good things came out of the situation, it was that Ohgi noticed that Villetta-no Chigusa he had to remind himself- seemed to be more at ease around the others on the ship, which honestly surprised him. Perhaps it was because they showed that they did care for her safety, despite her status in her lost memories. He was personally happy with the new name too, and thought it was adorable that Nunnally had been the one to pick it. She had good taste.

"Look," he said, hesitating for a second, "I realized I never personally apologized for what happened the other day. I was put in charge of keeping an eye on you, and you almost got killed. So… I'm sorry."

Chigusa shook her head, "You don't need to apologize Kaname," she said reassuringly, "sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Unless you personally asked Mao to kidnap me, none of this is your fault."

"Well… still, I wish there was more I could do," he admitted, "I'll admit, I feel pretty useless right now. I mean, the only ones that can actually go out and fight are the Paladins right now until we can get some Knightmares up and running."

Chigusa chuckled, "Well if you're looking for something to do, you can help look through these seed packs. I'll admit my Japanese is a bit rusty, and some of these are in your language."

"Oh, sure," he smiled, walking over to the counter.

o~o

Suzaku scratched his arm as the tight fabric of the Lancelot suit irritated his skin. A folder lay in front of him at the table inside of the Camelot division's quarters. A mission briefing to be exact. The second that the current storm showed signs of letting up, Suzaku was to take the Lancelot into battle against Sawazaki and push him and the Chinese Federation troops back. A mission perfect for the Lancelot. He would be able to clear a path for the rest of Britannia's forces to swoop in and finish the job that way.

The door opened next to him and Cecile walked in with a pleasant smile.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said, holding out some tea and rice balls to him.

"Oh, thank you, Miss Cecile," he said graciously, taking one of the rice balls. If Suzaku was honest, he really missed the taste of his native country's cuisine. He hoped the greenhouse project worked out back at the Castle so that the other Paladins could have a piece of Earth back with them as well.

Cecile smiled warmly as Suzaku ate. He had to restrain himself from devouring the food. Miss Cecile was a great cook.

"Suzaku, just so you know, I really am glad that you're alright," Cecile said honestly, "We spent every spare minute we could looking for you and those friends of yours."

Suzaku smiled. He could tell that Cecile really meant what she said. "I appreciate it, Miss Cecile. And I want to thank you as well. Ever since I got here, you've always been kind to me, even though I'm an Eleven. I'm really thankful for everything you've done."

"Oh, I really didn't do that much," she denied, "Honestly, most of the time I'm sad that I can't do more, but I can tell that you're a good person, Suzaku. Despite what most of the rest say, I don't really care about Britannia's views on race. I personally think the whole number system is stupid. In my eyes, you're a person who wants to change the world for the better, and I assure you, you'll have my support no matter what happens."

With a final smile, Cecile turned and left to let Suzaku finish his food.

"No matter what, huh?" he muttered, glancing down at the key to the Lancelot. For a moment, the small drive disappeared, being replaced by the cool handle of the Purple Bayard.

He'd admit the time he spent with the other Paladins had been a pleasant reprise. He'd honestly felt happier than he had in a long time simply being there with everyone. Just… being be.

Which was why a sin like the one he carried shouldn't drag them down. Though he was no longer a Paladin, he would work on his end to help achieve peace for Earth and the universe. That was the best he could do now… right?

o~o

"Princess, you wished to see us?" Tohdoh asked as he and the Four Holy Swords entered the lounge she had specified over the intercom. Waiting with her were Kallen and Lelouch, who gestured to the couches behind them.

"Please have a seat," Lelouch invited and waited patiently for them to settle.

"We'll get straight to the point," Allura said promptly, "Regarding this Sawazaki character's actions in Kyushu, we wish to get your personal opinions on the situation. Would it wiser to view him as a potential ally or an enemy as of now?"

"Sawazaki was always a coward," Chiba responded immediately with a scowl, "He may have supported the movement for Japan to fight after surrendering, but the second he got he fled to the Chinese Federation with barely any warning at all."

"True," Urabe nodded, "And neither Kyoto nor the JLF had heard a peep out of him up until now."

"How do the kids put it nowadays? 'All bark, no bite?'" Senba quipped bitterly.

"Most likely, the Chinese are using Sawazaki for their own agenda," Asahina agreed, "He's just a front. I have no doubt that he cooked up some sort of agreement with them in order to get them to cooperate. Who knows what'll happen should this siege succeed."

The three nodded, taking in the information. A couple more questions followed, regarding Sawazaki's loyalty to Prime Minister Kururugui and other actions during the Pacific War. As more information was gathered, the more Lelouch saw that Sawazaki was more like a rat who preferred to work in the shadows, and only strike when the enemy's guard seemed down. While a decent strategy, it was a cowardly one as well, just like Chiba first said.

After feeling like they gathered all they could, Lelouch nodded, "All right, thank you. Now if you everyone doesn't mind, there's something I want to discuss with Tohdoh in private."

"You sure?" Kallen asked.

"Yes, please," Lelouch nodded firmly.

Reluctantly, everyone slowly trickled out of the room, with Kallen lingering a moment longer at the door before finally stepping out, the door sliding shut behind her.

"Can I assume that what you want to talk to me about is what happened to Suzaku's father?" Tohdoh asked calmly, looking at Lelouch expectantly.

"Yes," Lelouch nodded, "We got the gist of it thanks to Mao, but I want to know what really happened if you're willing to explain."

Tohdoh sighed wearily before speaking, "Well, as I'm sure you're already aware, Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi did call for a do-or-die resistance when Britannia invaded. Suzaku feared that this would lead to the deaths of millions, which of course it would, and he attempted to oppose his father and convince him to change his mind. However, the Prime Minister was one of the most stubborn people I ever met, and he refused. When it became clear that reason was no longer an option, Suzaku raised a knife against him, but even then, Genbu called his bluff. I don't think I need to elaborate further about what happened afterward."

"Suzaku used that knife and killed his own father with it," Lelouch confirmed with a grim frown.

Tohdoh nodded once, "When that happened, Kyoto made up the yarn of the Prime Minister's suicide, in order to protect Suzaku. If the truth ever came out, the Japanese citizens would no doubt attempt to take revenge, even though he was still a child. Not long after, Suzaku went on to join the Britannian military, making claims of creating a change from the inside."

"In reality, he sees it as his penance, correct?" Lelouch guessed, "A way to atone for an unforgivable crime he committed."

Tohdoh remained silent, but Lelouch didn't need an answer to know that he was correct.

With a sigh of his own, Lelouch got to his feet, "Thank you."

Just as he reached the door, Tohdoh spoke, "You've changed Lelouch. When I first met you, you were a small, spiteful boy that was always angry at the world. Now, I don't see that child. You've grown into a leader that people can trust. And includes myself."

Lelouch smiled and glanced back at the Colonel as the doors slid open.

"Thanks."

o~o

'A figurehead,' Euphemia li Britannia pondered as she gazed up at a portrait of her late brother Clovis, 'that's all I was from the start. I knew that, but I thought if I gave my best effort, maybe I could make some difference. Forgive me, Clovis. I met Zero face-to-face but I didn't avenge your death… I have to think of some way to save Lelouch and Nunnally, but how? I don't have the kind of power that my sister had. I'm not like her or Schneizel. No matter where I go, I'm just a burden, and I act selfishly, though I don't mean to… maybe if I had tried harder, Cornelia wouldn't…'

Euphemia choked back a sob as thoughts of her sister, and her unknown status lurked in her mind. It was agonizing to not know if Cornelia was alright, or even alive right now. She was sure that Lelouch wouldn't kill her, but as for the other Black Knights, she wasn't so sure. They technically had the right to do it, considering the damage Cornelia had brought to their home.

"Sister, please hold on for me…"

o~o

"Oh yeah, they told me about you," the museum's security guard said, looking at the form that had been handed to him, "You need to get the document signed today, right? But a member of the Royal Family is viewing the art right now."

"Huh? Which member is it?" Nina Einstein asked.

o~o

"Wait, so you're saying…" Tamaki began as he and the rest of the Black Knights looked up at Zero from the ballroom floor. Lelouch with his Zero guise on was standing at the top of the chamber's steps, the remaining Paladins, Allura, Coran, Kaguya, Tohdoh, and Ohgi by his side. Nunnally was also there, with Sayoko and C.C. by her side.

"We aren't going to collaborate with Sawazaki. He's not independent, he's a puppet of the Chinese Federation." Lelouch stated.

"But he says he's fighting for Japan," one of the Black Knights protested below.

"Japan would get a new name and a new master but nothing would change," Lelouch leveled his head, "His Japan is a sham."

"Yeah…" Asahina said, "so what you're really saying is…"

"That when Britannia strikes back we play dead?" Urabe finished.

"Zero," Tohdoh said, "Perhaps you should clarify our goal."

"Yeah," Ohgi agreed, "I mean, preparing for the Galra's arrival is clear, but how exactly are we going to do that?"

The Black Paladin's answer shocked everyone.

"Our first step is making Japan an independent nation."

"Independent?!" Kallen's eyes went wide as she stared at Lelouch, along with most of the rest of the Paladins.

"Is he serious?!" Rivalz gasped.

"A nation?!" Asahina exclaimed.

"You mean us?!"

"An independent country?!"

"Wait a minute!" Ohgi stepped forward. "No matter how much the Black Knights have expanded-"

"Our enemy is an empire that controls one-third of the world. And the Galra are an alien race that has conquered almost the entire universe!" Chiba finished.

"We can't pull that off alone!" Tamaki stepped forward.

"We must!" Zero countered, "We must send a message to not just Britannia, but the Galra as well! And that is this: You don't need to be a super-power to be strong and stand on your own two feet. However, creating an independent country is only the first step! The second is to build a coalition of nations to unite Earth together! That includes both the smaller countries and other superpowers, as well as those from Britannia. Only then will the final stage be accessible. A truly united Earth, where there are no more divisions. Simply one planet with one people standing together. Though separate nations will continue to exist, we'll stand united. Only then can Earth take the next step of becoming part of the Universe!"

o~o

The sun began to set behind the horizon as Princess Euphemia's transport began to depart the museum.

"Princess Euphemia!" Nina screamed desperately as she attempted to run past a security guard, only to be grabbed roughly from behind.

Euphemia gasped from inside the limousine as Nina was wrestled to the ground.

"Secure the perimeter!" the head guard ordered, ignoring Nina's protests, "Code Delta! We have a Code Delta!"

"Please!" Nina begged, "I just want to- Princess Euphemia! To get-a look at her!"

"Secure all exits!" Another guard shouted as several more began to surround the distraught student.

Looking bewildered at the sight, Euphemia gasped as recognition spread across her face. That was the same girl from Kawaguchi. The one she saved from those JLF terrorists.

"We got a suspicious girl at the building's perimeter!" more shouts followed as Nina's tears fell freely down her face.

"Stop it!" Euphemia ordered, stepping out of the limo, "That girl is a personal friend of mine!"

o~o

"Wow, Lelouch, I honestly wasn't expecting that bombshell to be dropped in there!" Rai commented as the Paladins, accompanied by Allura, Coran, C.C., Nunnally, Sayoko, and Kaguya, returned to the bridge.

"It makes sense though when you think about it," Milly continued, "You gotta lay the foundation somewhere as they always say."

"While this development has truly uplifted the spirits of the Black Knights, there is still another problem," Allura said, sad to have to return to this topic. "Without Suzaku to pilot his Lion, it is impossible to form Voltron. And we can not win this war without him."

"Meaning, we either need to choose a new Paladin or somehow convince Suzaku to rejoin us," C.C. concluded.

"Well, we obviously aren't going to replace him, right?!" Rivalz exclaimed, "I can't think of anyone else that could pilot Yoru as well he can!"

"Even so, Rivalz," Kallen murmured, "It's like Lelouch said the other day. We can't force him to stay. Plus, doesn't our bond as Paladins rely on willingness and trust too? It's something like that, right Coran?"

"Indeed," the older Altean nodded, "the only way Voltron can form properly and function at all is because you all trust one another. You have no doubt of your loyalty. However, with this secret now out in the open, I wouldn't be surprised that if we forced Suzaku to stay, that would have greatly affected or damaged the Paladin bond, making it that much harder to fight. Why even the bond he developed with his own Lion could have been damaged."

Lelouch grimaced at that. He knew exactly what that felt like. After all, he went through the exact same thing after they invaded Zarkon's main base. If he was being honest, a small part of him was still wary of Zenobia's loyalty to him. Whether his bond with her was really strong enough to overcome Zarkon's.

"So… what do we do then?" Milly asked, scowling a little, "It seems… it seems wrong to replace him just like that. I mean, wouldn't us doing that only solidify his decision to stay away? It would just prove to him that he's replaceable when he's not!"

"When you think about it though, a lot of what we learned from Mao's actions makes sense regarding Suzaku," Lelouch murmured.

"What do you mean?" Rai asked.

"He's at odds with himself... because he used to be different," Lelouch continued, remembering the younger Suzaku at the Kururugi Shrine, "He never placed any importance on another person. Why, it was tough enough for me to kill my half-brother. But Suzaku killed his father when he was only ten years old, and he's been carrying that burden around all these years…"

"I can't imagine the pain he's been in all this time," Allura said softly.

"Just killing someone in general…" Shirley whispered, looking sadly at her feet, her eyes haunted, "I mean… I'm the one that did it. I killed Mao. Someone I knew was a homicidal maniac. But even still knowing that…"

Silence followed, a heavy weight seemed to hang in the air as they thought of their missing friend. Their missing brother. They wanted to help him, but how could they…

"Hold on," Rai suddenly said, "There's something I still don't get. Even if Suzaku didn't want to be a Paladin anymore, worthy or not, why did he choose to go back to Britannia of all places? He could easily have been absorbed into the Black Knights as a ground soldier or pilot. Heck, he could have simply stayed on the Castle as a tenant if he really wanted to. Plus, I doubt his main reasoning was simply to help cover up our identities…"

Lelouch grimaced. He had a theory, and it wasn't a pretty one.

"Do you all remember when I told you how C.C. and I met, way back in Shinjuku? When I got my Geass?" Lelouch questioned.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on him, dubious expressions on their faces.

"Yeah… you said Suzaku was there too," Rivalz remembered, "he helped you and C.C. get away."

"Well, that is true," Lelouch nodded, "but… there's a little more to it than that. And now that I know Suzaku's secret, it makes so much more sense now."

"What happened?" Kallen asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, shortly after C.C.'s canister opened, and after Suzaku revealed who he was to me, there was a group of soldiers directly under Prince Clovis's command that found us and cornered us. They knew what the real mission was, which was to recapture C.C., but Suzaku had been briefed that it was poison gas that had been stolen. So he was just as surprised as me when C.C. came tumbling out instead."

Kallen couldn't quite hide the grimace on her face as he memory of that day flashed in her mind again, but she held her tongue as Lelouch continued.

"Anyway, despite the fact that it was clear that I was a Britannian student, the captain ordered Suzaku to kill me. To not leave any witnesses. But Suzaku refused to follow that order and defended that I had nothing to do with this. He was practically begging for them to let me go… He knew… As a Britannian soldier, especially an Honorary Britannian, an Eleven, that defying an order like that would have consequences. Deadly consequences."

"...It's a death sentence," Milly was the one to say it aloud.

"Exactly," Lelouch nodded, "Suzaku knew that all too well. He made no attempt to stop them either. Didn't even resist. Why he was even smiling when the captain shot him."

The sense of foreboding seemed to triple in the room, as all the occupants came to a terrifying realization, but none of them dared to speak aloud.

Nunnally, who had stayed quiet for most of the conversation along with Sayoko, swallowed back bile from the sick feeling she had in her stomach.

"Lelouch... what... what are you saying...?"

The Black Paladin's answer felt like a guillotine's blade falling.

"He wants to die."

There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room - even C.C. looked stunned. It was only then that the horror of the situation was truly realized.

"He thinks if he dies for a cause he believes to be right, it might redeem him," Lelouch continued, "You all heard what he said when he left, he wants to be punished for what he did."

"We can't let that happen!" Nunnally blurted out, leaping to her feet. Sayoko tensed, ready to catch the girl if she started falling, "We have to help him!"

"Yeah, this… isn't there some sort of medical term for this?" Shirley asked.

"Medical term?" Coran asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, it's called 'Survivor's Guilt' on Earth," Rai elaborated, "It's when a person has feelings of guilt because they survived a life-threatening situation when others didn't. It goes hand-and-hand with PTSD too. Usually, this should be a fairly natural reaction if something bad happens, but this is being taken to the extreme."

"I do know that a lot of war veterans go through something like that at some point," Milly added.

"Still, Suzaku was ten!" Rivalz protested, "He probably didn't even know what he was even doing!"

"I'm sure once we convince him to come back, we can assist him in understanding that," Allura reasoned.

"Everyone, calm down," Lelouch said, "I want to help Suzaku too, but we need to be careful about this. One wrong move and we risk our identities getting exposed and that will bring its own plethora of problems."

"Well, we aren't just going to leave him be, right?" Shirley exclaimed.

"Of course not," Lelouch scowled, looking almost offended, "We just need the right opportunity…" he glanced up at the monitor displaying the battle happening at Kyushu back on Earth, "...In fact, I might have an idea."

o~o

"Incoming missiles. Appears to be coming from Fukuoka base! One minute, five seconds to impact!"

"An air raid?" Suzaku asked from inside the cockpit of the Lancelot. Due to the Avalon being destroyed thanks to Voltron, the Camelot unit was currently on a smaller airship dubbed the Le Fay. The overall structure was the same as the Avalon (at least according to what Suzaku had been told), including the ports where the Knightmares were located.

"We'll be fine in this position," Cecile answered over the intercom.

Suzaku found himself nodding as he felt the impact from the missiles beneath the Lancelot, the Le Fay's lower shields absorbing the attack. Any moment now he would be ordered to deploy from the transport and into the battle below

He hunched over in his chair, ready to act the second he was told.

Strangely though, he felt… out of place. Suddenly, the superior armor of the Lancelot felt like only thin layers of tin foil, and he found himself shifting his hands repeatedly over the controls. He feels exposed like he could be shot at any moment, and the Knightmare's cockpit won't be able to stop anything.

Not like in Yoru. Who wasn't another machine, but… a part of him...

Suzaku shook his head. He couldn't think about that now. He made his choice. Made his bed, now had to lay in it.

So why did he still feel like there was a gaping hole in his chest now?

"Major Kururugi, I'm laying out the mission plan for final verification," Cecile's voice rang again through the cockpit as a screen lit up in front of him with a map of the area, "This ship will breach the enemy's front line from high altitude and move directly to the launch point. The advanced weapon systems Z01-Lancelot using the Float Unit will attack the enemy headquarters at Fukuoka base. The Float Unit consumes energy fast so pay attention to your operation time."

"Yes, My Lord," Suzaku acknowledged, his hands running over the throttles once more, before pressing down on the button. The Lancelot leaned forward, in position ready to launch into battle, "M.E. boost."

"Lancelot Unit, now launching!" Cecile exclaimed.

"Launch!" Suzaku parroted before the familiar pressure of the air in his face from shooting forward hit him.

The Knightmares charged down the launching system and shot off the ramp of the Le Fay. The Float Unit unfolded on Lancelot's back, propelling him towards the enemy base.

'Here we go,' Suzaku thought as his eyes zeroed in on the mission.

o~o

"The enemy ship seems to have launched a bomber but it's moving faster than a fighter plane!" a soldier alerted Sawazaki and General Tsao as they gazed at a map of their own.

"I have picture," another soldier informed as a pop-up screen appeared, showing the form of the Lancelot speeding towards them. Gasps were heard all around the command center.

"A Knightmare?!" Sawazaki gasped.

"It's not being transported; it's just flying on its own!" Tsao realized.

"That weapons report we got, could this be it?!" Sawazaki realized.

"You mean that novelty weapon?" General Tsao asked.

"So then, the pilot must be-" Sawazaki's eyes widened. If it was true that he had been found, then there was only one explanation.

o~o

"The military force that's trying to occupy the Kyushu block is fighting under ex-Minister Atsushi Sawazaki. If they lose him, the new Japanese government will collapse very quickly. In that case, the Chinese Federation will lose their excuse for being here and have to withdraw."

Suzaku remembered Lloyd's explanation from before the mission as the Lancelot twirled gracefully around dozens of missiles fired towards him from several helicopters. With a grunt, he fired a single slash harken from the Lancelot, catching one of the helicopters and twirling it around, making it crash into the others.

Despite this though, Suzaku couldn't help but feel like the Lancelot felt jerky compared to that of Yoru's fluid movements when she weaved around asteroids and Galran fighters.

"There it is…" Suzaku muttered as he spotted the enemy base, blocking an attack from another aircraft with his Blaze Luminous. "The enemy headquarters."

Then a beeping sound caught his attention.

"An open channel?" Suzaku gasped as a grainy image of Sawazaki glitched onto the screen.

"This is Minister Sawazaki," the politician addressed, "is that Prime Minister Kururugi's son in the pilot seat?" Suzaku gave no answer. "I see. I didn't know he had a son like you."

o~o

"Are you sure about this Prime Minister?" Nonette asked as she settled into the seat of the large black Knightmare waiting to be launched from another port on the Le Fay, Prince Schneizel's face displayed in front of her, "I'd much rather prefer to fight with Kururugi than use him like this. It feels like we're playing dirty."

"I understand your concern Lady Enneagram," Schneizel reasoned, "but this is the best course of action to stop this attack and avoid as much collateral damage as possible. Besides, Major Kururugi is an excellent pilot. He won't go down without a fight.

"...I understand Prime Minister," Nonette could only mutter as the Gawain's cockpit slowly closed and the power-up systems began.

o~o

"-and then, when you saved me," Nina explained fervently, kneeling by a small fire pit in front of Princess Euphemia, "Princess Euphemia — I'll never forget it — you looked like some kind of goddess… like you were bathed in radiant light."

Nina suddenly gasped in realization, as she fidgeted in the dress she was now wearing, "Oh, forgive me! I should have thanked you for these change of clothes you gave me."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Nina," Euphie smiled softly, "Besides, I'm not at all the wonderful person you think I am. I'm no good compared to my brother and sister…"

"No, that's not true!" Nina nearly shouted in horror, as Euphemia looked up with a gasp, "How can you say that about yourself…? There's not one good thing about me… really, nothing at all. My parents are ordinary, I'm not the least bit pretty, and there's just nothing special about me!" the spectacled girl lamented, looking at her clasped hands in shame.

"That's wrong, Nina. I think you're a very cute girl," Euphie argued, hoping to cheer her up.

Nina looked up with a gasp, her cheeks dusting with red before looking down in embarrassment, "Oh, no… I'm not really good for anything… not at all. And now…" Nina had tears in her eyes now, "Now all of my friends have gone missing, and I'm the only one left! And now there's that Voltron-monster that could attack at any time. I just feel… Why am I so useless?!"

Euphemia gazed at the girl in front of her with sympathy. She understood what this girl was feeling all too well.

'She hates herself. But so do I… both my sister Cornelia and Nunnally and even Lelouch are missing, and I can't do a thing about it to help...'

"I guess I understand, but Suzaku makes me uneasy," Nina murmured off-handedly.

Euphemia's eyes suddenly widened as the fire crackled next to them.

'That's it! Suzaku feels badly too!' She had seen it. Sure he hadn't really explained why, but it was clear that Suzaku was in pain somehow. It had always been present, from the moment she first met him, to reuniting with him just the other day, but now it was much more pronounced.

"So please, oh please, don't say that you're no good, Princess Euphemia! I beg of you!" Nina pleaded, desperately, "Because… because… I need you… I need your goodness."

Euphemia smiled, "Thank you so much, Nina. I'm glad I got to know you. You've really helped me understand!"

o~o

With a hiss, the doors to the vacant Purple Lion's chamber opened. The Lion, dubbed Yoru by her good, honored-bound Paladin, usually would look proud and strong as she sat on her hind legs, her shield up to prevent intruders from getting in.

Now, a sense of melancholy seemed to darken her features, her head even looked slightly tilted down. If she had the ability to, there would no doubt by streaks of tears running down her snout. She had felt her sisters leave the ship just moments ago, but with no Paladin to fly her, she would be nothing but a nuisance, a wild beast on the battlefield.

"She looks so sad," Nunnally's small voice murmured as she gazed up at the Lion from the hoverchair, Sayoko and C.C. flanking her.

"Lady Nunnally, your intentions are noble," the kunoichi maid said, "but you don't even know how to pilot a Knightmare."

"Not to mention that it's ultimately up the Lion if you can even step foot on board," C.C. added, "According to Allura, the Lion chooses the pilot. I hope you realize there's still the chance you could be rejected."

"I know that!" Nunnally exclaimed firmly, "But… my brother and his friends are down there. I can't just sit back and not do anything. Not while Suzaku is…"

She grit her teeth as she pushed herself off her chair. She almost immediately fell, only for the two women to catch her and steady her. Once regaining her footing, she straightened, and with small, careful steps approached Yoru's barrier. Once within arm's reach, she placed a hand gently atop of the forcefield.

"I know I'm not Suzaku, but... but he needs help. I want to help him, and you're the only one who can let me help him!" Nunnally exclaimed, practically begging with the Lion, "Please... he's... he's like a second brother to me... and I know he means a lot to you too!" Nunnally gasped as tears welled in her eyes, "Suzaku... he... he wants to sacrifice himself! I know this is selfish but... please! I'm begging you! Help me save him!"

There were several seconds of dead silence. Then with a flash, Yoru's eyes blazed golden. With a gasp, hearing a distant roar in her head, Nunnally stumbled falling back, the particle barrier vanishing.

Behind her, Sayoko and C.C. gazed in awe as the Lion roared to life.

As Yoru lowered her head to let her pilot in, Nunnally shakily got back to her feet, a relieved, emotional smile on her face.

o~o

"This has nothing to do with my father. I came here to put an end to this fighting. I will accept your surrender," Suzaku said stoically as he landed the Lancelot on the ground below the wheels squealing against the metal surface.

"You want to rob Japan of its dream of freedom?" Sawazaki asked.

"Freedom has to come the right way, not like this," Suzaku replied. However, as the words left his tongue, they felt hollow to him. His time as a Paladin really helped open his eyes. If Voltron took this approach with Zarkon, they would get nowhere. But what else did he have now? Saying that phrase now simply felt like he was falling into an annoying habit again.

"You act out of selfishness? It's justice without ideology," Sawazaki retorted.

"No, you're wrong! That's not what I-" Suzaku was cut off as something exploded behind him. The VARIS rifle flew out of the Lancelot's hand and was destroyed a second later as Knightmares moved out and attacked.

"My VARIS…" Suzaku grunted as he looked at the Knightmares. "These are Chinese Federation Gun-Rus!"

o~o

Sawazaki smirked cockily as he watched Suzaku getting ambushed, "He allowed me to distract him. He still has much to learn!"

o~o

Back at the Viceroy's Palace, Euphemia walked confidently up to her brother's desk. The Prime Minister seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with Darlton, both their faces were grim.

"Euphie?" Schneizel questioned, honestly surprised to see her.

"Schneizel, may I have access to a private communication line?"

o~o

Suzaku grunted the Blaze Luminous on the Lancelot's left arm exploded along with his Float Unit as he tried to take cover behind some crates. However, dodging attacks was the least of his problems as warning lights began to beep repeatedly throughout the cockpit. "My energy filler!"

o~o

Back on the Le Fay, the Camelot Unit was in a near panic.

"Are you kidding?!" Lloyd exclaimed, turning to Cecile. "They blasted off the float!"

"The Le Fay has to strike at the base!" Cecile said urgently.

"No, the shield doesn't completely surround us! One direct hit and we'll go down in flames!" Lloyd panicked, gripping his head almost ripping his hair out.

"Suzaku, reroute all power to combat and comm systems!" Cecile ordered promptly, looking down at her console.

o~o

"Got it!" Suzaku replied before rushing to do so, trying to stay calm. The factspheres on the Lancelot shut down.

"You had better surrender, Suzaku," Sawazaki sneered, "Since you're Prime Minister Kururugi's son I guarantee you will be very well treated, my boy."

"I decline. If I used my father's name for this I'd never forgive myself," Suzaku retorted, as Knightmares surrounded him, "This is between you and me."

"I see…You are very much your father's son, as foolish and stubborn as he was."

Suzaku growled, wracking his brain to figure a way out of the situation he was in.

"Suzaku Kururugi!" the voice made Suzaku's eyes widen as he looked up and saw…

"Princess Euphemia!" Suzaku gasped.

"Suzaku, the truth is you and I…That is…" Euphemia trailed off.

"Sorry." Suzaku wheeled the Lancelot out and attacked the enemy Knightmares. "But right now…"

"You see…I hereby command you to love me!" Euphemia shouted.

"Right… Wait, what?!" Suzaku stopped upon realizing what Euphemia had said, his eyes bugged out.

o~o

"Huh?" Cecile gasped too at what she just heard.

"What? What is it?!" Lloyd asked anxiously, his eyes wild.

"Uh…Sorry but this is private." Cecile said, her face flushing as she removed her headpiece.

o~o

"And in return, I will love you! Forever!" Euphemia continued steadfastly.

"Princess Euphemia!" Suzaku gasped as he weaved around the enemy bullets.

"Suzaku, I love your stubbornness and your kindness and your strength! Your sad eyes, your clumsiness, and the way you have trouble with cats! I love everything about you! When you disappeared, I thought about you every day! I hoped that you'd one day be found and come back to me!" Suzaku fired his flash harken once more as the Princess went on, "So please, don't hate yourself!"

For a moment, Suzaku found himself at a loss of words, before he smiled softly, "I see that I've made you even more worried than I did before. You really are…" like a whip, the Lancelot threw one Knightmare against several more, making them fall like dominos, "Everything you do is impulsive. When we first met, when you told me you were a princess, when you selected my school — always!"

"Yes, they were all sudden," Euphemia confirmed with a smile, "but that's because…I suddenly realized..."

"But then it's that spur of the moment feeling that's opened so many doors for me." Suzaku wheeled the Lancelot towards the enemy command center. "Thank you."

o~o

"What are you doing?!" Sawazaki exclaimed, feeling panic rising in him for the first time that evening, "Stop him now!"

o~o

Suzaku opened his eyes. "Princess, can I make one final request?"

"Final?" Euphemia gasped on the other side.

"Please, transfer this to a separate line," Suzaku requested, "one that no else is using."

Euphemia was confused but did as he said. Suzaku followed suit in the Lancelot.

Suzaku knew what he said next had to stay between himself and the Princess. No one, especially from Britannia could overhear this.

"Euphie, I just want you to know… your sister, Cornelia, and Lelouch and Nunnally, they're all right. They're safe and being well-taken care of," he explained the best he could.

"Wha-they are?" Euphemia gasped, hope and joy bubbling inside her.

"Yes," Suzaku nodded as the Lancelot's energy filler blinked on its final bar, the enemy sweeping in for a final blow, "You may see them again really soon, and when you do there'll be a surprise for you. A good one."

Euphemia gasped happily in relief upon hearing this. But something told her that Suzaku wasn't finished.

"And also, when you see them again, please deliver a message for me. Tell them, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for them. I'm sure they'll be fine without me."

"Suzaku, don't tell me you're-"

The Lancelot wheeled down a pair of walls with one leg on both walls and leaped out into a circle of enemies. "Tell them thank you for everything, and Euphie, I mean that for you too. Thanks for everything," he sighed in acceptance as the enemy raised their guns, "I was stubborn all the way to the end."

"Why don't you tell us yourself?!"

Suzaku gasped as suddenly, lasers of ice and fire rained down from the sky, freezing and burning the Knightmares, their pilots along with them.

o~o

From the Chinese transport, Sawazaki gasped, "What was that?"

"Something just appeared on the radar. And they're huge!"

"We've got picture!"

"Sir! You need to see this!"

Sawazaki gasped as the seven Voltron Lions descended onto the battlefield. The Black and Purple ones landed directly in front of Suzaku, growling aggressively like a real lion would protect its cub. The Green, Yellow, Orange, Blue, and Red ones circled them protectively as well, firing and destroying any Knightmares that got too close.

Suddenly the line went black, only to be replaced moments later by the laughing face of Voltron himself.

o~o

Euphemia gasped in surprise as the same laughing image flashed on her private line as well.

o~o

Rai's fingers danced rapidly across Zerith's keyboard as he quickly and effectively hacked into both the lines that the Lancelot was connected to and effectively cutting both Sawazaki and Euphemia (as well as any other Britannians listening in) out, while also establishing a private line of his own, connecting all the Lions to the Lancelot's communications.

"Wha-Yoru?" Suzaku gasped at the sight of the Purple Lion, "But how are you-?"

"Suzaku!" Nunnally's voice rang through the channel, making him gasp, "Are you okay?"

"Wha-Nunnally?" he gasped, a mixture of awe and horror in his tone. His brow furrowed, "Lelouch, what the hell-"

"For the record, I never agreed to this arrangement," Lelouch answered. One could clearly tell he was frowning as he said this. Lelouch hadn't exactly been pleased when he discovered that Nunnally had gone behind his back and did this, only for Nunnally to argue back that Suzaku needed as much help as possible, and Yoru didn't want to sit back and do nothing while her Paladin's life was in danger.

So, with the promise that they would discuss this when they returned to the Castle, Lelouch relented, knowing Nunnally would at least be physically fine inside the Lion.

"Wait so… Nunnally are you…?"

"No," Nunnally answered, "Yoru's letting me fly her because she wants to help you Suzaku, but… she couldn't do that on her own."

Suzaku was at a loss for words. The Purple Lion still wanted to help him, even after learning what he did? Why? He was sure that anyone on the Castle would have been a better fit than him.

"Suzaku, we all want to help you!" Shirley suddenly exclaimed as the other Lions surrounded the Lancelot, "You did a bad thing, but that doesn't make you a bad person. What about all the times you saved our lives? Like when you helped fight off Sendak when he took over the Castle?"

"Or what about the time you, me, and Milly saved all those Merpeople from that Baku monster?" Rivalz added.

"Or when we fought all those Ro-beasts Zarkon sent against us?" Milly continued.

Rai spoke next, "You've done something that you think you can't forgive yourself for, we get that. I especially know what that's like... But just because you did something bad, doesn't mean you can't redeem yourself."

Kallen huffed out a laugh before speaking next, "You're a stubborn idiot who doesn't know when to quit. But, at the same time, you're someone we can depend on. You didn't even hesitate to help me fight Zarkon back at Galra HQ. And... I never did get a chance to thank you for that."

"Suzaku, please," Nunally begged, "We might have different parents, but you're family to me! I don't want to lose you! I know I'm being selfish right now, but I don't care! Please come back to us! I love you!"

Suzaku was stunned. He was sure that once it had sunk in for the Paladins of his sin, they would leave him. They had the right to after all.

But no, that's not what happened. They didn't see a murderer. They saw a friend, a teammate, a brother, and a member of their family. One that they wanted to come home.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch intoned, shaking him out of his thoughts, "When I first arrived at your family's home, I didn't trust anyone. I completely shut myself out from everyone except Nunnally. But, you were able to help break through my shell, you became the first real friend I ever had outside my biological family. You're always putting everyone else first ahead of yourself, but every now and again, you're entitled to be a little selfish, you're human too. I don't want to lose the first friend I ever had. I don't want to beg, but I will if I have to. You, and everyone else, you've all been there for me. Now it's our turn to return the favor."

Tears had begun to build in his eyes as he listened to Lelouch's speech, but the final statement made them spill over. He gasped and tried to muffle sniffles with his hand. From inside, he heard an almost impatient whine and the sound of metal approaching the Knightmare. He half expected Yoru to start pawing at the Lancelot.

With a hiss, the cockpit of the Lancelot slid open, and just as he suspected, was met with Yoru's long snout.

Patting the top of the Lancelot's head in a clear goodbye, Suzaku jumped to the ground as Yoru lowered her head in front of him with an eager purr.

Making his way up into the familiar cockpit, he was immediately greeted by Nunnally, who instantly leaped up and hugged him tightly. A hug that he gladly returned.

"Thanks for keeping Yoru company," as he pulled back, Yoru's familiar soft growls echoed in his mind, "Yeah, it's good to see you too, girl."

Throwing her head back, Yoru roared loudly, followed by the other six Lions before shooting up into the sky.

"I recognized that strategy the second you appeared in the battle," Lelouch addressed, "They send a single fighter in to try to disrupt the main force so that even if you failed, Britannia's militia would have swooped right in. This has Schneizel written all over it!"

"You think he's here? Maybe on one of those boats?" Kallen asked.

"No," Lelouch shook her head, "Schneizel prefers to stay back and command from a distance, unlike Cornelia who participates actively in the battle."

Before further discussion could ensue, the group suddenly found themselves surrounded by several Chinese helicopters.

"Hey!" Rivalz exclaimed, activating Polaris's sonic ray, "Out the way!"

With a roar, Polaris fired the sonic ray, effectively disabling all of the helicopters, causing them to fall back to Earth.

"So, now what? Who do we attack? One or both sides?" Shirley asked.

Before Lelouch could reply, a screen appeared in front of him, receiving a signal. It seemed to be coming from the Chinese Federation.

"Well, well, Minister Sawazaki," Lelouch addressed as he quickly slid on his mask before answering.

"Zero! Why are you attacking us, we're both on the same side! Shouldn't we be fighting together as comrades?! Don't you care about Japan?!" the Minister exclaimed, but Lelouch could see the fear in his eyes as well.

"Voltron stands against anyone who uses violence unjustly for their own selfish end," Lelouch informed indifferently.

"Selfish?!" Sawazaki shouted in offense, "I'm doing this for Japan!"

"Sawasaki! If this is for Japan, why did you run away to the Chinese Federation?!" Suzaku asked, activating a voice-only connection, "You should have stayed, for everyone's sake!"

"You're still a child!" Sawazaki shouted.

Lelouch sighed dramatically, "It seems words have no effect on you. Very well. Paladins, we're attacking the enemy command center!"

"Wha-what-!" was the final thing Sawazaki said as Zero cut off the connection.

"Form Voltron!"

o~o

"Lady Enneagram," a radio crackled, "Voltron's here! The Lions just converged."

"What?! Why aren't we attacking then?" she exclaimed.

"That's the thing, they appear to be fighting the Chinese Federation!"

"What…? That doesn't make any sense?" she muttered, "Why are they fighting on our side now?"

o~o

"Suzaku… you and Lelouch are…" Euphemia murmured in relief when she heard about Voltron appearing at the base.

o~o

"So that was the plan," Tohdoh said, as he and the rest of the Black Knights watched the footage from the Castle, "It was clear that the Lions were more than enough to take the base…"

"Still, we at least could have helped with Earth-bound Knightmares. Give them some sort of back-up!" Tamaki protested.

"Yeah, even I'll admit it feels weird to be fighting on Britannia's side…" Ohgi trailed off before Allura interrupted.

"You're misunderstanding," the Altean corrected, "Victory is not necessary in this case. But Voltron's participation in this battle is an undeniable truth. It's showing your planet and people exactly where Voltron stands in this war, and that is protecting your nation."

"And even if this battle isn't officially reported," Coran added, "Rumors will spread. By the time this is over, I'm sure the entire country will know about it."

o~o

"What's wrong with going to another country, then waiting for the right moment to strike?!" Sawazaki demanded as he rode in a military vehicle to escape the base that Voltron was currently tearing to pieces. A helicopter was waiting for him and General Tsao., "That's an effective strategy, isn't it?"

"We can set up a new line of defense at Kagoshima," Tsao suggested.

"Right. I appreciate your help," Sawazaki nodded as they finally approached the helicopter pad.

Before either of them could enter the helicopter though, Aka's head suddenly slammed down on it, destroying it completely. Sawazaki stumbled backward in shock as Voltron levitated directly in front of him and Tsao.

"Sawazaki, that's far enough!" Rai ordered from the Green Lion.

"You won't get away that easy!" Kallen shouted.

"Im-impossible!" Sawazaki stuttered in fear before falling to his knees, "They took the largest fortress in all of Kyushu, with hardly any effort?"

The sound of Knightmares and vehicles approaching was heard from below as Voltron turned to leave.

"I think Britannia can handle things from here," Milly stated.

"Right… let's go home," Lelouch ordered before the Paladins rocketed back into the sky, reunited once again.

o~o

Taking one more moment to adjust his armor for the hundredth time, Suzaku took a deep breath before walking steadily onto the bridge, where Allura, Coran, Nunnally, and the other Paladins waited for him.

Allura smiled softly as Suzaku approached from the opened door.

"Suzaku Kururugi, Paladin of the Purple Lion, Yoru, reporting for duty," he said with a bow.

"Welcome back, Suzaku," Allura smiled and handed his Bayard back to him, "I believe this belongs to you."

Suzaku took it, but the feeling of unease still remained. Yesterday, the team had made it clear that they wanted him here. But was he truly worthy as a Paladin?

"I'm grateful, Princess Allura," he said honestly, "but… despite all this, I still feel undeserving of this."

To his surprise, Allura approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up in surprise, "I'm not so sure. I don't know if you're already aware of this, Suzaku. But the Purple Lion's previous Paladin was my mother, Queen Melenor of Altea," Suzaku's eyes widened at this information, along with the rest of the team besides Lelouch, "In a way, she was much like yourself, every bit as stubborn as you are, while also putting the lives of others above her own. But, what made her truly stand out was how she always told me, that when you make a mistake, you can always find a way to redeem yourself no matter how grave your mistake was. You took the life of your own father, and I can't imagine what that must be like for you, but despite all your flaws and shortcomings, the Purple Lion chose you to be her Paladin for a reason; because it recognized the best in you, just as we all do."

Suzaku didn't know what to say, still trying to process this new revelation, so Allura continued.

"When I was a child, my father told me something. I didn't quite understand it back then, but now I do. The real test of honor is not how you die. It's how you live."

Suzaku gasped at this, before smiling, gratitude, and determination on his face, "I won't let you down."

Allura nodded, "I know you won't."

"Yay!" Nunnally cheered, before rushing to hug him again. Suzaku laughed as he gently hugged her back once more.

"All right! Welcome back!" Milly cheered.

"This ship has been way too boring without you Suzaku," Rai smiled.

"Eh… Yeah, I guess it was," Kallen shrugged, but a smirk was still present on her face.

"We've all missed you Number Two," Coran said, patting Suzaku on the back.

"Anyway, now that that's out of our system," Rivalz said, suddenly looking at Suzaku almost accusingly, "bro, why didn't you tell us you had a thing for Princess Euphemia?"

"Wh-" Suzaku sputtered and his face turned tomato red, "Wha-What are you talking about?!"

"You can't fool us, Suzaku," Rai grinned, "Plus, I may or may not have hacked into the Lancelot's communication system halfway through your little love confession. A pretty decent one too if you ask me."

Milly chortled, "So was that your plan to change the system? Marry into the royal family?"

Kallen continued smirking, shrugging again, "Well that does sound like a good idea on paper, but you know all those royal assholes would have a field day with that."

Rai chuckled, "Still, I'd love to see the looks on all their faces if Suzaku and Euphemia did marry."

"Guys!" Suzaku whined, covering his face to hide his blush. He felt absolutely mortified.

"Leave him alone, everyone!" Shirley scolded them, "He literally just got back and we're teasing him already?"

"Yeah!" Nunnally joined in before turning to Suzaku again, "You don't have to listen to them Suzaku, I think you and Euphie would be a great couple!"

"I have been curious to research a couple of Earth's marriage customs for a while," Coran added in, stroking his chin in thought, "If you're planning to propose soon, please inform me."

Though Coran hadn't meant to, this did elicit another round of chuckles from the group. Even Lelouch.

Suzaku sighed, but a smile was spread across his face as he looked up at them.

"It's good to be back."

#Fanfiction #Code Geass #Voltron #lelouch lamperouge #milly ashford #suzaku kururugi #kallen kozuki #shirley fenette #rai #rivalz cardemonde #coran #allura #euphemia li britannia #schneizel el britannia #crossover

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maideninorange · 10 months

Note

Touch FumiIyo! (I really gotta do one of the prompts you sent me back in April someday, you have been writing me a good deal of FumiIyo from these requests after all~)

(Ah, take your time! They're there for when ya feel like it!)

3. Touch

Iyozane looked the upside-down Fumikado up and down, their hands on their hips with a very unamused expression on their face.

They weren't quite sure how they were able to get stuck in a modified youkai trap, but somehow, that wasn't completely unexpected knowing them.

"So how did you get stuck in here this time?" They finally asked once Fumikado started to squirm under their gaze.

"So the trap caught that blasted scoundrel, ya know? Didn't even know what hit them until they walked right into it!"

Iyozane nodded. Tsugumi had suggested modifying the various youkai traps in the surrounding forest to catch them, so that didn't shock them. That did nothing to explain why Fumikado had their leg bound by a rope and their arms bound together with some sort of sticky adhesive though.

"And how are you here and not them?"

Then, they see the look in their eyes they always get when they realized they screwed up, "Well...I maybe forgot to add the sealing magic to the amber. So they kinda sorta swapped places with me and...Yeah..."

And there's today's screw up. Iyozane let out a long sigh, facepalming hard. Tsugumi is no doubt going to give them an earful for forgetting the most critical component of the trap.

But quite frankly, that's the least of their worries right now. After all, that villain in black has quite the penchant for not leaving things well alone. As far as they know, they could be heading back even as they speak with some nasty plan already in mind.

As if reading their mind, Fumikado chuckled nervously, "So uh... Iyozane, would ya mind helping me out here?"

"You can't get out yourself?"

"My arms are stuck!" They whine, "So please, can you just get me down now?"

"...Might as well." Someone had to. The mental image of their idiotic boss being tortured was not one they wanted to see the reality of, in their opinion.

So Iyozane got to work, floating up to help with the amber binds. They whimper a little as they use a little chilling magic to solidify it, not wanting to touch them anymore than they had to.

Unsurprisingly, Fumikado began to struggle against the sensation. It wasn't a pleasure one, no doubt.

What did surprise them was when the rope abruptly snapped, sending both of them toppling to the ground. With Fumikado right on top of them of course.

Rats. On the plus side, that along with the effects of their magic were enough to break the amber, freeing them fully.

"I'm free!!!" Fumikado looked down at them. They then wince, "Ooh... You alright there, Iyozane?"

Iyozane nodded mindlessly. The touch of Fumikado's bare skin against theirs was enough to make their brain short circuit. They didn't even resist as they pull them up to their wobbly feet.

How embarrassing. Iyozane looks away, hoping Fumikado didn't notice. The touch felt good, they must admit...

But even so, seeing Shitodo Kuroji armed with some needle and a certain snake right behind them was enough to make Iyozane shriek in terror. They can only hope they and Fumikado can get away in time...

#ask and you shall receive (writing requests)#len'en #len'en project #fujiwara no iyozane #taira no fumikado #(not tagging Kuroji because they don't get even a speaking line here lol)#this prompt stumped me for a little bit #but then I figured making Fumikado a badass in distress would be enough to make them and Iyo touch lol #(because I usually distress Iyozane in these thingies)#kinda got a little dark there near the end #but that's what happens when I put ya on a time limit lol #not my best work #but it's still fun #(or at least I think so)#boater and brawns (fumiiyo)#forming an empire is hard (new emperor team)#tw needles #(right at the end but it's still a mention (

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kunoichi-ume · 4 years

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30 Uncommon Character Development Questions: Noara Starspark

No one asked, but I wanted to do these for Noara. Writing the last little bit has been a struggle (between new job, this quarantine stuff and the fucking earthquake it’s a wonder I can concentrate on anything) so making myself think about these questions is a good exercise. Plus it was a good reason to use this beautiful sketch that @dingoat‘s Ahuska did of my beautiful Jedi girl.

30 Uncommon Character Development Questions and because I did all 30 of them I put it under the cut, just to be polite.

What position does your character sleep in? ( i.e; stomach, side, back, etc. ) Describe why they do this — optional. In a bed that is in a safe location, as much ‘hers’ as any bed ever is, Noara is a starfish. Stretching out across the surface, wrapping the blanket around her limbs, moving in reaction to whatever is happening in her mind. In the field? She doesn’t move much, sleeping lightly enough to wake if anything about her environment changes. It’s not about getting a good night’s sleep in that situation, just getting enough rest to keep going.

Does your character have any noteworthy features? Freckles? Dimples? A scar somewhere unusual? etc. Noara has a noticeable scar on her right cheek but few people look close enough to see the claw mark scars on her neck that she received at the same time. The wounds there were thankfully not as deep as the one on her face.

Does your character have an accent? What does it sound like? Not really, she grew up on a planet that isn’t known for any particular accent and speaks a fairly basic form of Basic with little deviation/special pronunciations.

Do they have any verbal tics? Do they have trouble pronouncing certain words or getting their thoughts across clearly? When she is flustered or nervous she doesn’t quite stutter but she has a hard time getting the words out and will often start to say one and then have to stop midword to change it because it’s not the one she wanted to say.

What are their chief tension areas? Her shoulders and lower back. She tries her best to present an image of a strong, mature Jedi Master that is capable to carry the heavy responsibilities given to her.

If you were to pick one song — and only one song — to describe your character, what would it be and why? Choosing just one is hard, I have a whole playlist for her and most of them could work as the “one” song to sum Noara up but I think I need to go with Brighter by Patent Pending. It is a great mix of being optimistic about the future but also jaded and weighed down by the past, which is very Noara. She has a hard time dealing with everything that has happened to her but refuses to let it define her and never looses sight of the hope that life will get better.

How does your character perceive themselves? Positive? Negative? Neutral? She tends more toward the negative. Noara has no illusions about her lot in life, she is important to a lot of people but not because of who she is - just for what she can do. Her abilities are far more valued than she is for just being herself. Depending on the version of her this is more extreme, in I’ve Got You she is very convinced her abilities are the only why people are around her, in Jedi Sitters she feels like she is a failure as a Jedi because of what happened when she was under the Emperor’s control (and the very fact she was able to being manipulated so completely) and my Sith version of her that I don’t talk about as much as I would like to has no illusions that anyone cares about her until a very stubborn Mandalorian/Republic spy Fynta enters her life.

Are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts? Quick for sure, she is pretty impulsive actually. When she has time to sort through her thoughts she usually ends up second guessing and doubting herself. Gotta make those choices before her insecurities can catch up.

Does your character dream or are their nights filled with an empty blackness? Describe a dream they’ve had or a night they couldn’t sleep and what they did to preoccupy their time. This one also depends a bit on which version of Noara. In I’ve Got You she doesn’t dream often, or even deal with nightmares, until Valkorian decides it’s a good way to try and manipulate her. Jedi Sitters Noara has constant nightmares and avoids sleep as much as possible, staying up later with caf or meditating until she passes out from exhaustion. Sith Noara’s life is a nightmare, why would sleeping be any different?

If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation? It would be a major trial for Noara to ever be on a subway, it would be very triggering for her claustrophobia. Busses only work because she can see out the windows, doesn’t feel as trapped as she would knowing she was inside a tunnel underground.

What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like? Noara trusts in the Force but has never been a very religion driven person. She knows the Force is there, and what it does, but big questions like “how did life begin?” don’t really concern her much. Scholars can figure that out as far as she is concerned.

Describe 5 unusual characteristics your muse has.

Despite being a virginal space monk, she loves romance stories - especially ones with hot scenes she can live vicariously through;

Rarely sits in a chair the way it’s meant to be sat in, like perched on the back of a chair or couch, lying on a couch so her head hangs off the cushion and her feet are draped over the back, both feet folded underneath her when on a bench type seat;

Exercises almost obsessively, always working out because sitting still is difficult for her unless she has something to occupy her mind;

Taps her fingers, shakes her leg or fiddles with her thumbs when feeling impatient or anxious;

Wears dark purple makeup in a traditional Nabooian style because it makes her feel like she belongs somewhere, like she had a home at some point, and she doesn’t openly acknowledge the reason being that she has no idea where she is from and feelings like she is missing part of herself by not knowing.

Have they ever been so overwhelmed they had to stop and take a break from something? Yes, it usually ends up with her chasing the bottom of a bottle or working out until she can’t go on anymore.

Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo? This is such a hard choice for her, Noara likes having people at her back but hates the idea someone could get hurt if she messes up or isn’t fast enough.

Can they multi-task or must they focus on one subject at a time? She is very tunnel minded when it comes to a task, until that one is done she doesn’t really notice the other things she needs to do and often gets overwhelmed if there are too many things to do all at the same time.

What are their best school subjects? What are their worst? List five of each.

Best: Physical Education, Technology/mechanics, Languages, Flight/piloting, Literature.

Worst: History, Philosophy, Biology, Home Economics like sewing/cooking, Math.

Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? How do they handle big crowds of people? Extrovert, even if she has to force it sometimes. She likes crowds because the focus isn’t going to be on her when there are lots of other people around.

Are they a leader, do they prefer to follow, or would they rather just stay on the sidelines altogether? Noara is in a weird place where this is concerned. She leads, because people look to her for it, because the Jedi Council assigns leadership positions to her, but in almost every case she thinks there is someone else would would be better qualified.

If your character was suddenly challenged, would they rather run away or stay and fight? Noara is a fighter through and through, sometimes to her own detriment, but running away is never her first, second or even third choice. Lana getting her out of the spire was a test of the Sith’s patience in every way.

If your character was allowed to murder one person without any consequences, who would that person be and why? This depends on the version of Noara.

In I’ve Got You that was the Emperor, but she would never consider that murder. It’s justice and he earned it.

In Jedi Sitters she would give anything to be able to kill the Sith who controlled and abused her after the Emperor “gifted” her to him.

Sith Noara would kill… well most people she has interactions with, but Darth Ira who stole her from the Jedi would be at the top of that list.

Your character has been granted 3 wishes; what would they wish for and why?

First she would wish for peace between the Empire and the Republic - even with magical wishes she doesn’t think they could ever merge into one collation but if the Empire and Sith could see reason and stop the needless violence she would be satisfied.

Second, Noara would ask for the ability to save all the people under her protection - failing to keep someone safe who trusted her is devastating every time it happens.

Third she would want to know her family, who they are, where they are, why they let her go.

Does your character trust people right off the bat or does it take them some time to warm up to someone? It depends how well she can read them through the Force. If she can feel their sincerity she trusts fairly easily, even when the person is a Sith like Lana. If someone is shielding their intentions from her she is very cautious about them.

Do they prefer romance or affection? What is the quickest way to your character’s heart? Affection. Romance for so long is such an unattainable concept to her but affection is rare, something that makes her want to reach out to the person offering it and never let go. Touch starvation is very much something Noara deals with before she has a certain Mando to cuddle next to at every possible opportunity.

Does your character have any enemies? If so, who and why? The Emperor, Valkorian, comes to mind. Most Sith would see her as their enemy as well.

Do they have any weird bedroom habits? Any unusual kinks? Because so much of her life is making choices and giving orders she doesn’t feel qualified to give, she likes letting someone else take charge. She isn’t a sub in every encounter, but Torian having his way with her - and giving her firm directions - is a sure way to get her going.

How does your character prepare for bed? Do they sleep at all or can they stay awake for days on end without trouble? When on her ship or whatever location is serving as a home base at the time, she cleans her face and lets her hair down, changed into pajamas if she doesn't expect a sudden awakening. In the field she doesn’t do much other than assure herself she found a safeish location though her preference is to use an energy stim or two and stay awake and aware - something she has done for days at a time before finally crashing.

If your character had one thing to say to their parents before they died, what would it be? Why didn’t you keep me?

Are they afraid of death? Do they have any regrets? Before Torian, no. She never questioned that she would become one with the Force and it would be a more peaceful existence than her life was. After, and especially after learning his people’s thoughts about the afterlife, she has many doubts about what she believes and if they would be together again. Regrets are a big problem for her, no matter how she feels about death she is going to have plenty of those.

Does your character get restless when things are too quiet or do they favour solitude and silence? Why? So restless! Noara always needs to be doing something, even if it’s meditation. If her mind or body doesn’t have something to do she gets anxious.

Finally; if your character was forced to eat one thing for the rest of their life, what would they choose and why? Well most of her life she has eaten prepacked field rations, the Star Wars equivalent of MREs. So making a responsible, balanced choice she would say those. She needs the nutrition to keep up with both her active lifestyle and maintain her muscle mass. As a petite woman with a high metabolism she has to be conscious of what she eats to keep herself in good condition. Idealistically? Cake, with the loophole that it can be ANY kind of cake. She enjoys sweets and they are such a rare treat for her, the idea of getting to try lots of different varieties and flavors would be very tempting.

#swtor #Jedi Knight #OC: Noara Starspark

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rainsonata · 4 years

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Doppelgänger 7/15

Chapter 07: Bystander

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 7,009

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

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Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

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Knight Emperor

Shadowed silhouettes danced in succession, too fast for Knight to keep up. Flashes of royal blue and cyan chased one another between the ashy trees set ablaze. None of them were human. Ishtar darted to the side with spears shot from her hands with Chevalier at her heels, acting as her shield and means of offense with his gun blade at hand. The two moved together as a single unit, synchronized with a single target in sight.

Blinding light sheared through the dark demonic forest with an intensity in reminiscence of the El. Knight’s chest fluttered in response to the familiar warmth of the energy source emitting from a man clad in white. Long strands of hair rested over the man’s shoulders. The El had influenced every part of Richter with the priest utilizing his own set of spears to counter Ishtar’s. Blades expanding from Richter’s fingertips to be used as a projectile.

“Using spears to compensate for lack of ranged skills,” a voice drawled. “I suppose that man does more than talk about the El.”

Knight sat next to Mad Paradox - not that he had an option. The chains dangling from Mad Paradox’s back moved of their own will. They tightened their grip when Knight pulled on them, fighting to remove himself away from them and their owner. Paradox snickered when Knight asked how long they would remain here and ruffled the redhead’s hair with a toothy grin.

His wrists ached from the chains constricting close to his skin. There were at least three or four of them, it was hard to tell. They bunched up in knots and clung to him, sometimes playfully waving in the air.

The gold pendulum Richter held between his fingers swung as he summoned additional spears to combat Chevalier from above. Chevalier spun around to launch a bullet at the defending priest, bringing his gun blade into closer range with Ishtar by his side. Blue sparks exploded with flames emitting from Ishtar’s palms to force Richter to back away.

Knight held his knees close to his body and leaned his head forward. It was hard to watch the people he considered family fighting a familiar face, even if he had never met them in person. The injuries inflicted by both parties left his mouth dry with pain in the back of his throat.

“How do you know he’s Ain?” Knight asked.

He squinted at the blue haired man on the hologram screens created by Paradox. They were surrounded by four screens. It was like they were there where the fight had taken place. The fight was recorded by one of Paradox’s drones, hidden discreetly between shrubs to be unnoticed by his friends. How could he be so close to them, yet couldn’t touch them and let them know he was there?

Paradox noticed the knight’s interest in the priest and smirked, “I’ve met enough of them to know it’s him, even when his hair looks like toothpaste. They’re all the same.”

“Does that mean I’m the same?” Knight frowned.

“As much as I am to your Add.”

There was no doubt in his mind he was talking to Add. His mannerisms remained reserved and offered little for Knight to work with. Past and future? Paradox kept his lips sealed, never offering more information than necessary.

But he wasn’t Doom Bringer.

It wasn’t fair when the time traveler held a gleam in his eyes and an all-knowing smile when Knight said something like he knew something the redhead didn’t. He sometimes looked at Knight like he was talking to someone else, his eyes wavering into black scleras in angry flashes. Pieces erratically chipped off Paradox’s body from time to time, threatening to pull the man apart. Knight was sure Paradox would crumble before the man forced himself together and bared sharp teeth as if in pain.

What happened to turn Paradox into what barely resembled humanity?

Ishtar shouted something to Chevalier with urgency from how tense her muscles were. Hands forming into fists and legs apart with a raised finger at Richter with betrayal reflecting off her eyes. Chevalier held her back with one arm and shook his head, whispering into her ear. Knight couldn’t read their lips. Both turned to Richter dashing to them and crouched over with a blade piercing into Chevalier.

“Ciel, no!” Knight and Ishtar screamed.

Ishtar mirrored her companion in clutching over her chest. Jets of black ink beside Chevalier’s red, seeping through her clothes under red lightning from the many moons. Ishtar growled, clenching her teeth and summoned an arsenal of spears. Reaching from her back, the former ruler extended her blades and pointed them at the priest. Pain and rage escaped from her lips as the forest was filled with light.

A powerful wind blew past them. Pulling Chevalier up with her shoulder used as support, blue fireflies appeared around the two. A hoard of spirits formed before them before she and Chevalier had them charge into Richter. Pebbles trembled to the spears crashing down, locking Richter’s limbs into places and restricting the priest from further movement. The blue haired man looked at the former ruler with glassy eyes.

Ishtar stood over the priest and bit her lips when she looked over to Chevalier’s physical state.

“Is this what you do with your friends?” Knight looked away.

“What are you talking about?” Paradox asked.

“Do you make them fight each other like this?”

“I don’t have friends.”

“You must have someone,” Knight searched for weakness in the other’s expression. His skin was like alabaster, dented with a pronounced facial lines from the permanent frown Paradox had if he wasn’t laughing like a maniac.

“Do you mean the El Losers like yours?” Paradox leaned his head back. “Sure, if you want to call people that want to kill each other ‘friends’.”

Knight winced. Did he want to know what Paradox’s team was like? He chose not to probe further. Talking about another El Search Party wasn’t going to give him the information he needed to learn more about this man.

“Then why come to us?” Knight kept his voice even, “If we’re all the same, then you wouldn’t want to see us.”

“You’re smarter than the last one,” he mused. “Pity you don’t use that brain more often.”

“Did you kidnap me so you could insult me?” Knight fumed.

“A wonderful idea, but there are stupider people I can choose for that.” Paradox showed his teeth, “I was bored.”

Bored.

This entire mess. Switching swords and making other teams see each other as the enemy. All because of one man? Knight looked at Paradox for clues of this being a joke, but the tall man only giggled for an answer. He had the power to manipulate time and this is what he used it for? For entertainment? It took Knight soothing himself with calming words to keep his mind clear. What could make a man use his powers for something so petty?

Even if Knight wasn’t even sure what kind of history Paradox or Doom Bringer had, it couldn’t have been a pleasant one if they chose the life of following the El Search Party. Their group attracted those with hard lives, those that seeked for something better than what they already had. Paradox held the same sad-eyed look Bringer had when he thought no one was looking. A longing gaze, one that thought about the what-if’s many times until the sun rose. Knight once had the same look when he stayed up wondering if his father and sister would return from the war. He had his friends, but who did Paradox have? Bringer never spoke about having a family, so did that make Paradox the same?

“You’re lonely,” Knight realized.

He felt the grip around his body loosen as soon as those words left his lips. The chains shriveled, leaving Knight enough room to move his arms and pull himself out from its grip. Paradox’s shoulders shook and staring past the bangs that fell over his face. Paradox let out a humorless laugh when he realized Knight was still there and was no longer bound into his spot.

“And people call me delusional,” Paradox scoffed. “You have mistaken and are projecting yourself onto a person you barely know.”

“You’re still Add.”

“If you want to compare me to a brute.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Knight groaned, “Doesn’t it bother you watching people you know fight each other?”

He shrugged, “It happened in multiple dimensions. Your problems are nothing new to me.”

“Why do you even have these powers?” Knight waved his hands, “The only person who can control time and space is Glave-”

“Don’t speak of that man,” Paradox hissed.

“Didn’t he help you learn more about Henir?”

“Don’t assume what happened in your dimension is the same as ours,” the time traveler sneered. “Mention that man again and you won’t learn what happens to your friends.”

So there was something between him and Glave. Knight didn’t recall Bringer having a relation with the gatekeeper beyond exchanging snide comments, but maybe things were more personal for Paradox. Things that made the time traveler uncomfortable to share with others and recoil with threats.

It was the first outward sign of frustration he had heard from Paradox since they first met. Tufts of hair stood up from his roots and his eyes flickered black with venom in his voice. His pale cheeks were patched with tinges of red, his lips curled down into a frown and a hardened expression.

“You said you wouldn’t kill me.” Knight looked at him in the eye, refusing to blink. His anger didn’t scare Knight, but it was the raw emotions that caught him off guard. It was a contrast to the shy quiet persona he had in child form.

“I won’t kill you, but I can keep you from dying.” Paradox said with a Cheshire grin.

Knight had no doubt the man could do that. He was alive by a narrow margin because of Paradox’s strange abilities.

His mannerisms and the way he talked wasn’t any different than Glave’s. He held up his head and held a coy smile when Knight thought he held the pieces to better understand the time traveler. Paradox was an enigma. His answers brought in more questions into wondering what kind of man twisted his body beyond recognition for abilities only gods dreamed of.

“Time… is unforgiving.” Paradox said, “it moves on without waiting for you. I defied that and now I’m past the laws of time and space.”

“Is that why you look like a child?” Knight thought about the man’s unstable body, forever broken apart and forced back together. It was alien and was hardly what he considered to be living. There was fear, but mostly pity in the man’s existence.

Paradox didn’t answer.

“Are you keeping me here forever?” Knight asked.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Paradox rolled his eyes. “I’m just borrowing you for a few hours.”

Knight pulled out Rune’s sword from his bag and pointed it at the strange man that shared Bringer’s face. “I need to get back to my friends. Now.”

“Resorting back to brute force, how typical.” Paradox snorted, “You do everything to save their sorry asses after so many times, only for them only create more problems right after. Don’t you ever get tired of it all?”

“I need them.”

“Or do they need you?” The man stretched his arms out to show bright colored gloves, “Placing all responsibilities on a child. They’re as stupid as the ones from my universe.”

“You don’t know them,” Knight snarled.

Knight didn’t need the reminder of being a young leader. At first, it was by default because it was only him, Aether, and Daybreaker. As their party grew, the foolish headstrong leader grew into his armor and no longer struggled picking up the sword his sister left behind. It was only because of his friends and dumb luck that they were successful in making it this far. Did his friends really need him? Knight no longer lived in his sister’s shadow, but he still felt like the child left behind Ruben by his father and sister to answer the call to war.

He didn’t lower his blade. The red runes on the blade sparked in response to his El resonance, but he didn’t strike. He saw Rune use it to summon flames in combination to the sword techniques both of them have learned from their sisters.

“I’m more than their leader,” Knight said. “I’m their friend. What will it take for you to let me go?”

“Negotiating with a blade pointed at me. I guess you’re more than talk.” With a dark chuckle, Paradox folded his arms in with Dynamo flying around him in an uneven disarray. “How about you entertain me? We have all the time in the world.”

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Ishtar

A small figure appeared in the fog with her tail flicking to the side as the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. They were not home, but the former demon monarch recognized the familiar presence of demonic energy. It was like walking through the Sander swamps if each step dragged their footsteps further down until they were left without enough stamina to continue on without being devoured by leeches or demons. Luckily for Chevalier, Ishtar was one of the two. Aether was less than impressed when the butler suggested cooking them.

The longer they stayed in Demon Realm, the more accustomed the El Search Party was to fighting in the dark among demons. She had no doubt that this was their advantage. Rune’s party was slower and unfamiliar with demon territory, struggling to keep up with them and clearly not used to the Dark El’s presence. It took more effort for them to inflict damage on them.

Pain injected into her chest. Sharp ice traveled through her veins, fading in and out in succession. Her vision split into two before meeting at the center again as she blinked rapidly to the sound of his voice.

“Lu?” Chevalier’s face came into view.

Gripping her wrist with a gloved hand, Ishtar winced with one eye shut with the other glancing at the blue-haired man. Chevalier mirrored her action with his eyes unfocused from the shared pain. Was it her or Chevalier? The visible gash on Chevalier’s arm indicated the latter.

“So the brat could still fight,” Ishtar breathed without humor.

Despite being covered in bandages and outnumbered, Richter could stand his ground. Tranquil rage pierced through his gaze with the celestial quick to read their movements. He and the opposite party had split their group into separate routes. They must have known this would be a challenging fight if they saw them as a threat.

Splitting power over two parties was good in reducing pain, but that meant sharing it and the additional complications that came with forming contracts with another person. The bond between Ishtar and the man she had grown to view as her equal was something that could not be described with the limited vocabulary in Elrian culture. It wasn’t just physical pain they shared, but emotional bonds chained between the two. Her anger against Richter for breaking loose with accusations at them were felt by Chevalier and his frustration with the ongoing fight was shared by her.

“I’m sorry,” Chevalier said with guilt, covering the gash on his chest with one hand. “I wasn’t being careful.”

Ishtar shook her head, already reaching for the potion in her pouch and bringing it to her friend. “Don’t bear the guilt by yourself. Both of us have underestimated him.”

Chevalier applied pressure to the injury with his hand over a torn piece of cloth, breathing heavy breathes as Ishtar administered the potion. A combination of the potion and being half demon sped up the healing process, his muscles contracting in pain and forcing Chevalier to lower himself. His face turned pale as he tucked his head down and choked on his own saliva.

If only Bluhen was here, Ishtar breathed heavily in unison with the other. Medication of that dosage might have been too much for Chevalier. She placed her hand over his shoulders and did what she could to circulate her power over to alleviate the pain. Ishtar was better at taking in the pain than most humans were. Even if Chevalier was half-demon, she didn’t want him to go through this alone.

She had Chevalier nibble on a Sander jerky while she unraveled a bandage roll and quickly patched him up. Ishtar would have offered him more, but she didn’t want to run the risk of having Chevalier consume more than he could handle when they were freshly out of a battle. She took it as a good sign when the butler showed appetite and downed the dried meat with as much enthusiasm as one could for food of mysterious origin. It was a good thing that the dark elves offered them supplies and ration in the last stop. They were running out of medicine and provisions before Knight offered them peace.

“Good thing Raven packed these,” Chevalier noted between bites.

“You enjoy eating that?” Ishtar let out a weak laugh, “Talking like this after you gave me a scare. You really are a child.”

“Anything tastes great after that close call,” he shrugged and shoved the rest of the Sander jerky in his mouth. “And I’m not a child.”

Ishtar wiped a tear and turned her head to where their attacker laid. Spears pinned Richter down by the clothing hems, limbs spread out with an emotionless face staring up to the starlit sky. Long tangled hair sprawled on the grassy floor with the celestial’s lips quivering and mouthing words of prayer in an extinct language humans no longer spoke.

“Don’t speak of me as if I’m dead,” Richter uttered.

“Don’t talk as if you didn’t try to kill Ciel!” Ishtar glared back.

“I did not intend to kill,” the priest said with equal iciness.

It took every ounce of self-control not to stomp over and tell off Richter to swim with the mermaids. Ishtar felt Chevalier peering into the back of her head. His worrisome nature seeped into the back of her unconsciousness even as she struggled to push it away. Chevalier was such a mother hen when it involved her and their teammates. It was sweet, but bothersome when she wanted a clear mind. She threw a look at Chevalier to stop.

Blue light sparked from the celestial with no concern for his physical being, if Richter held the concept of being one. Daggers extended between his fingertips as the priest used them as projectiles with skill that one could hope to achieve - not that Ishtar was subpar and couldn’t keep up with him, hmph.

It was hard to believe the man was the same as Bluhen. His impulsive tactics ran the risk of injuring himself and others yet he head no fear for each strike he made against his opponents. Clean distinct movements from the priest’s spears before light flashed from above.

Placing her palm over Chevalier forehead, Ishtar managed a smile when she discovered that it was still warm. His breaths were shallow, but at an even tempo. They were lucky that Richter inflicted shallow cuts just short of Chevalier’s vital organs. With a few hours of rest, he was going to be okay.

Richter fought by concentrating and creating bursts of energy at the end of his spears, not too different from how Ishtar’s methods. Having the technique deflected on them was a surprise Ishtar wasn’t prepared for.

“If you’re not trying to kill us, then what are you trying to achieve?” Ishtar demanded. “You were specifically targeting us when we had two additional teammates with us.”

“As if I would give away my objective to demons,” Richter sneered.

“You are not in a position to talk,” Chevalier crouched over one knee in trying to get up despite the protesting pain. He used his gunblade as a makeshift crutch to push himself onto his feet and looked down at the celestial. “You’re out of stamina and we have disarmed you. Do you not recognize us as your friends?”

“Sharing their faces doesn’t make us friends,” Richter said. “They are not friends, they are colleagues.”

How cold, Ishtar thought. She already knew that Bluhen wasn’t human - how could he be when the priest had unnatural stamina and possessed powers that were closer to those of a God than organic? Richter was more vocal about his distaste for demons, but the way he talked about his teammates reminded her of the demonic view of keeping one’s allies at an arm’s distance.

“Then tell us why you’re going around with our friend’s sword.” Ishtar pulled the great sword from Richter’s belt. Light and adept for battle, the piece of El sculpted in the handle glowed faintly when she held it up to catch Knight’s scent mixed with ashes. It smelled recent. There was a fire involved.

“I know you don’t like us,” Chevalier said. “Rightfully so after you saw us taking your Elsword, but we need answers too. Where is ours? We may be demons, but we know where our loyalties lie once people have proven their worth. Let us win yours.”

“I already said I don’t know.” he said. “I have not met him. He is not with the El Search Party.”

Richter gave up wriggling under the pressure of multiple blades pressing against his skin. Emotionless in seeing doppelgangers of his teammates, he stared at Chevalier with lips tucked down into a permanent flat line. The expression was too much like Bluhen’s when forced to hold a conversation with her or Chevalier, dulled facial lines edged with a hint of annoyance. For all the right reasons, Richter was not pleased in his position and being forced to comply with the enemy. His once pristine clothes turned to an ashen gray and his blue stole reduced to tatters.

“Yours?” Chevalier asked, “and the sword-”

“Lying on the floor,” a strand of hair flipped to the left side of his face. Richter directed his gaze to Ishtar, “I don’t give answers to demons. Elsword placed trust in you and you let him down by losing him.”

“You lost your Elsword too! Ugh! What is your problem?” Ishtar groaned, “you’re even worse than Ain!”

“I am Ain,” he said.

“You know what I mean!” She shrieked.

“Lu,” Chevalier rubbed his forehead. “You’re making things worse.”

“He’s the one insulting us and we have to take it lying down?”

“You made me lie down,” Richter said lying down.

Ishtar leered at the priest, questioning if this man was Bluhen’s counterpart. Where were the cheeky comments and jabs that came with them? His blinks gave away confusion set with seriousness in his expression, thin lines forming around his facial features. Richter’s pendulum was placed away from his reach, although that was more for show because Ishtar was sure he could manipulate the El without one.

This was no good, Ishtar sighed. It was better to let Chevalier talk things out with Richter before letting her anger get the better of her. Chevalier was good at letting people speak their minds and saying the right thing to ease their defenses. It was a skill not many possessed and she was grateful to have him by her side.

What she was now was a far cry from her reign as the Steel Queen, but that didn’t mean Ishtar was safe from losing her patience to spoiled children like Richter. If she was her former cruel self, she would have forced Richter down on his knees, but that would have disappointed Chevalier and Ishtar promised to be a better person for him and for the El Search Party’s sake. Bluhen at the very least knew when to keep his distance when pushing people too far. Richter was probing balloons with pin needles.

“It’s true we lost Elsword, but we’re doing what we can to get him back.” Chevalier asked, “You must care about yours a lot to be fighting us.”

“I made a promise to protect him,” Richter said. “To lose him is to diminish my purpose. I did not sense demonic energy when I found the sword. What is Elsword doing with you?”

“It was his choice to come with us,” Chevalier explained. “He said he would help us find our Elsword.”

“Elsword… willingly joined?” Betrayal appeared on his features.

“I don’t know the specifics, but Elesis thinks it’s out of guilt.” Ishtar added, “Rune looked okay when I last saw him.”

“When did you find the sword?” Chevalier inspected Richter’s state. His wounds were already closing at an increasing speed, bruises turning into a yellowish tone.

“Right before you interfered and took Elsword,” annoyance came back into Richter’s tone as soon as the topic moved away from Rune.

“They caught us with Rune as soon as we saw them with the sword,” Ishtar thought aloud. “This is all well-placed.”

Chevalier caught on quickly, “you think we have been manipulated?”

“It won’t be the first time,” she said with disapproval. Ishtar hovered over to snap her fingers, releasing the spears from holding Richter down. “We can’t make you believe us, but I can promise you no harm will come to your Elsword.”

“Do you have an idea who might be involved in this?” Chevalier asked.

She shook her head, “I’m not sure. It might not be someone we know.”

Their reputation has been building up enough for demons to speak of them. It would not surprise Ishtar if Knight’s kidnapper was someone of another world where news of their achievements have reached them. She needed time to think about who could be a culprit. This wasn’t something they could solve by themselves.

“What do we do with him?” Chevalier gestured Richter.

“You can talk to your friends, can’t you?” Ishtar asked.

“And if I do?” Richter turned his face away.

“I want you to pass the message about what we discussed.” Ishtar elaborated, “If we can track Elsword’s steps, we might find him and perhaps the culprit. We need everyone to work together so we can outnumber them.”

“You sound like Elsword,” Chevalier teased.

“Guess the kid rubbed off on me,” she laughed.

Richter remained lying on his back, eyelashes fluttering as the celestial’s chest heaved up with quiet breaths. Clawing the grass with his hands, he rolled to the side and crawled on his fours. He pulled himself up and gasped when he discovered gashes forming over his skin, bright red painted over porcelain. Dried sweat and chapped lips and without his teammates, Richter looked lost. He looked at his gloves smeared with dirt and dried blood with dull eyes.

“You said Elsword is fine?” Richter asked.

“He’s with Aisha, Chung, and the others.” Ishtar confirmed, “You can talk to him when we meet up.”

“Surprising that even demons have some sense,” Richter uttered. A thin smirk formed on his lips to give little room for misinterpretation on his feelings about the demon duo. What an imprudent child. So rude!

Ishtar turned her head away from Richter so she could listen to Chevalier talk about a new recipe he discovered. The priest with hair the color of human toothpaste looked at them with uncertainty, holding a silent debate of how much he could trust them. Whether or not he could trust them, they shared a goal in finding their leaders and that was enough for Ishtar to let Richter follow them.

-----------------------------------------------

Oz Sorcerer

Oz was beginning to think the Demon Realm was nothing more than a field of spider lilies overcrowding fruit candy colored grass. She saw no less than three carnivorous plants passing by after circling around the same trees dozens of times. Angkor stupidly flocked over to a budding plant in bat form before Oz pulled it away from being swallowed whole. It was already bad enough that Rune was pulled off his feet and kidnapped like a fairy tale princess. She did not want to spend her afternoon or whatever it was forcing man-sized plants to vomit Angkor back up.

The mist made it impossible to see beyond a few footsteps in front of her, leaving the dark mage tapping her foot and resting with elbow over her staff with lowered eyelids. Oz had one hand in front of her face, feeling her way through the mist and using Angkor to see further. The demon bat squeaked and flew against the wind.

Almost immediately in front of her was Devi. Dressed in a cocktail dress with that ridiculous swallowtail reaching the floor, Oz was grateful that the older woman dressed in bright colors to make it easier to follow her. One foot placed over the other, Devi surveyed the dense fog, unaffected by its presence and kept her head high with piercing eyes. She ran a gloved finger over the trees and sniffed them, canines peering from her lips with a thoughtful expression.

“Are you sure they’re here?” Oz peeked over Devi’s bare shoulders, “I don’t see them.”

“No doubt about it,” Devi lifted her head up. There was no trace of doubt in the martial artist’s voice and posture. “They must have picked up something good.”

“You mean Elsword?” Oz asked.

“Not him, but I can smell four people.” Timoria said from behind, “You smell it too, right Ciel?”

“You’re the one who can do that, not me.” Abysser laughed.

“They are close,” Devi pointed at the set of footprints in front of her. They were fresh. “Eun senses them too.”

How come she got stuck with the crazy girl and two demons? Oz ignored Angkor tugging her hat for attention and lowered her hat to cover her eyes. Not that she was lacking in confidence or any of that, but being outpaced by three people with supernatural senses was annoying. But still, if that was what it would take to track down Rune’s kidnappers, she couldn’t complain. These were the same three people that made it possible for their survival in Demon Realm. Timoria was familiar with demons and knew how to talk to them without the risk of angering them. Abysser knew how to survive in the harsh climate with his knowledge in culinary arts and in herbs. Devi had inhuman strength and her… pig-headedness.

Lady Luck was by their side for them to catch the other El Search Party walking through the forest with hushed voices. If Oz’s teammates had strange clothing choices, the opposite had it worse. All but one team member were dressed in white, which was easy to spot even among the mist. Oz spied Dominator’s counterpart as part of the group and a gray-haired man dressed in an oversized coat. She heard someone call him Ain earlier. Rune wasn’t with them, but Oz knew they could lead them back to the red-haired boy. Their Chung and Elesis were dressed differently than Phantom and Flame. Oz was unsure what to make out of that minor detail, but hoped that it didn’t lead to a rougher fight.

“Where are they?” Oz strained her eyes past the trees in search of four human-shaped figures.

Steep mountains came into view, rising past the clouds as the fog lifted from the ground. The place smelled of dried pine trees and gravel. Grass became bare and the floor turned dark and damp from the rain the night before - or was that morning? It was difficult for Oz to understand the day and night cycle in the territory so different from Elrios’. Each of the moons in Demon Realm rotated in different angles and sometimes they appeared in the sky with one of the suns. Oz stopped when she saw the endless darkness below her feet and stepped back with panic. Angkor pulled on the back of her skirt to stop her from falling.

When Oz found her footing and turned to face her teammates, Devi’s hair flared and her spear was held up in offense. She saw Timoria and Abysser ready their weapons in her peripheral vision. A white-haired man in a coat pulled over his shoulders was covered in tattoos with sparks flying out of six weapons with pointed ends.

“Following us all the way here?” Doom Bringer cracked his knuckles, “you really are stupid.”

Without the fog, Oz saw that they were at the entrance of a crystal cavern. Demonic energy radiated from the interiors and her first thought was to scream at her teammates not to go. She heard cries and shrieks coming from the inside. Those demons felt stronger than the ones they encountered earlier. Were these the ones that took Rune away?

Behind Bringer were three familiar faces. They stood at the edge of the pit with Bringer covering his left eye and baring his teeth in a wide grin, holding back laughter to the sight of their odd four-man team. It was strange to see the Nasod reliant scientist wear so much black when Dominator expressed offense to the suggestion of wearing anything other than white and purple. Oz almost didn’t notice him until he spoke up because he blended in so well with the purple crystals growing from the cavern’s opening.

“You’re making us sound like criminals,” Empire Sword chided the brawler. A woman in red, she wore her hair into a high ponytail and sported high iron-clad boots. She wielded her claymore and had a serious expression in contrast to Flame Lord’s.

“As if what we’re doing doesn’t make us suspicious,” Bringer snorted.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Bluhen smiled. It was bizarre to see an emotion Ain’s face other than solemn or mildly content. What a strange reaction to being confronted by enemies.

“As a matter of fact, there is.” Devi’s lips curled into a smirk, “you know where Elsword is.”

“So what if we do?” Bringer taunted them, “What are you going to do about that?”

“Rune spoke about you,” Empire’s eyes fell over the flattering black dress covering the older woman’s curves. There was confusion in her face and unnatural hesitance in the once confident knight. Her voice faltered ever so slightly when they made eye contact, “Are you Ara?”

“My friends call me that,” Devi giggled a girlish laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. “But you can call me Devi.”

What was Devi trying to pull? Oz threw a dirty look at Devi and mouthed her to hurry up with the talk, but her signals went unnoticed. Ugh, they were supposed to intimidate the other El Search Party, not seduce them. Devi was caught up talking to the woman that looked so much like Flame and smiling when Empire lost her composure mid-sentence.

“We’re... not looking for a fight,” Empire said unconvincingly.

“What if that’s why we’re here?” Devi pursed her lips into a feigned pout and hugged her spear, “Surely you can make time for us together, can’t you?”

“Is it your intention to lead us to the demons?” Oz shoved her to the side and forced herself into the conversation. She did not have time for this.

“You noticed,” a blond man in white-armor nodded with approval. Crusader said, “Ain felt something in there and thinks Elsword might be there.”

Oz directed her scowl to Crusader and questioned the validity of his statement, searching for a brow out of place or holding out his stern expression longer than necessary. Why was it that Rune came back but the other Elsword had gone missing? Were they suggesting Knight was stupid enough to wander into a demon infested cave by himself or was kidnapped by demons? Angkor whispered into her ear earlier about this place. Demons called it Shadow Vein. The cavern contained energy similar to that of the Dark El and housed demons that made the ones invading Velder look like children.

“So you’re keeping ours hostage until you find yours?” Abysser asked.

“I know it looks bad, but that’s not what we’re doing.” Crusader turned pink.

“Then what is it?” Devi asked. “A replacement for the one you lost?”

“It’s not like that!” Empire snapped.

Empire kept her body lowered, moving backwards and keeping her distance from Devi with her back hunched over. Her posture and legwork were akin to Furious Blade, keeping her legs apart for balance and letting herself stay at an arm’s length from the enemy. She crossed her legs over to the left when Devi moved towards her, forming a circle and away from the martial artist. Muscles tensed with the claymore over her shoulder, Empire’s eyes did not leave Devi. Empire bit the bottom of her lips and her shoulders shook in a silent rage.

“Elsword cannot be replaced,” Bluhen agreed. “But I can attest that Rune had agreed to help us find Elsword and this is the place he suggested.”

“Yet you kept him away with the other group,” Timoria noted.

Bringer said, “if he’s anything like Elbrat, he’ll start feeling sorry for demons and surrender himself to them.”

“His kindness is the only reason why you’re here,” Bluhen directed his words to Bringer with a forced smile.

Oz looked between the two men and winced. This was worse than watching Dominator explain to Richter the purpose of sarcasm after half of the scientist’s remarks flew over the priest’s head. Bringer’s cheeks turned pink and mumbled an excuse, something about idiot redheads and impulsiveness. She could sympathize with that.

Pebbles elevated from the ground. Dust scattered around Oz’s feet in correspondence to the sound of high heeled shoes sliding over stoned surface. Sprinting with her dress tucked around her legs, Devi leaped into the air with her spear over her head. Amber light engulfed Devi as she channeled high levels of energy from her palms. She twirled her weapon, grasping the handle with both hands and swinging it from below.

Empire leaped back, clawing the floor with one hand. It was enough time for her to catch her breath before dashing forward with a battle cry. Sparks rained from her blade as she made contact and blocked Devi’s attack. Red braids flicked to the side of her face with the rest of her ponytail. She pulled Devi down with her boots and used her claymore to press her weight against the older woman.

“What was that?” Devi cackled, “I expected more from you! Don’t be shy, I’m eager to see more of you!”

Devi’s hair fanned down her back. Her feet pranced against the rough cavern’s surface with the familiarity of a swordsman and his blade. She lifted herself off the ground with her spear and performed a backflip, pulling her weight and creating friction in blocking Empire’s attack from above. Devi pushed her leg back and bared a wide grin.

Empire withdrew back and lowered her body to knock Devi off her feet and brought her to the floor. Crimson marked over her armor, trickling down the red knight’s forearm and staining her gauntlets in blood. She kept her weight back and leaned over Devi with an ire expression. Her claymore was gingerly placed at Devi’s chin with heavy breathes.

“I already told you,” Empire said. “Elsword is safe!”

“No doubt about that,” Devi caressed the side of Empire’s face with tenderness reserved for Flame. “Ele would never let harm come to him. I came here to see you.”

“I’m not your Elesis,” Empire glowered. “We don’t have to fight.”

“Too late to say that when you put your blade over me. You were prepared for a fight and took the time to gather your strongest teammates.” Devi looked at the team of four and laughed without humor. “They won’t even listen to each other.”

“This guy disagrees with everything I say!” Bringer glared at Bluhen.

“It’s hard to work with someone who’s ancient and doesn’t listen,” Bluhen let out an exasperated sigh but laughed.

“What did you call me?” Bringer growled.

“Not now, guys!” Crusader shook his head, “We still need to find Elsword!”

Crusader locked Bringer’s arms from behind to stop the brawler from trying to punch Bluhen. Bringer let out a stream of curses at the guardian of Hamel while Bluhen snickered. Without an apparent leader, the entire set up was nothing less than chaotic. Oz couldn’t believe she and the others were dreading this fight after extensive planning. This battle was going to be a cinch! Angkor giggled beside her as if it sensed their advantage.

Energy orbs formed around Devi and her eyes flickered red. She pulled her body lower and pulled on claymore, tossing it in the air and smirked at the look of shock on Empire’s face.

“How can you find Elsword if you can’t even work together? We’ll help you find the boy.” Devi added with a sly smile, “if you can defeat us as a team. Show me what a leader looks like.”

Not that Oz understood Devi’s fascination in meeting Empire, but she had played with the idea of meeting the rest of the El Search Party’s counterparts when Dominator explained the concept of alternate universes. She mused that if she was to meet Knight, she would have had high expectations for him too because he was Rune’s alternate. Rune acted like a knucklehead, but he had a perpetual intuition that made it possible to come this far into their journey without casualties. Oz couldn’t help but be curious to whether that was the same for Knight if his teammates made this much effort to retrieve him.

Empire sighed and readied her blade, “Very well. As a knight, I won’t deny a challenge. You’ll keep your word?”

“I can promise you that this will be more than a petty sparring match.” Devi let out a soft chuckle and her hair turned snow white. Streaks of white formed into a furry of tails behind Devi with red eyes matching Empire’s. “Show me why the knights chose you.”

----------------------------

Author Notes: Thank you @dezimaton for always beta reading my stuff and screaming at me as our favorite trash messes with the cute mc. MP is *chef kisses*. Will KE ever stop getting bullied? Maybe. Chapters will be released slowly because life and responsibilities are keeping me occupied. Thank you for being so patient. Please leave comments because they help motivate me to write. I love reading everyone’s reactions and you have no idea how much it helped me decide to continue writing this series.

#elsword #eltag #mywriting #my writing #Elsword fanfiction #Elboy (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)#it's been 84 years hi I'm back updating the fic #doppelganger

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