I Can't Stop Loving You
Chapter One: A New Recruit
Geez, I've already written the first four chapters of this story ... I meant to have it published earlier, but there's been so much going on! A girl got run over and killed right in front of my school the other day (she was a student) and one of my friends was 5 feet away when it happened. So, yeah, I've been trying to cheer people up, but I ended up bawling my ass off last night as I helped set up for the memorial. Oh, okay, okay, disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Suikoden 3 ... but I DID get the game for my birthday.
Geddoe and his team eyed the newcomer with ample suspicion. She'd arrived quite unexpectedly before them in Vinay del Zexay; they'd been on their way to the Zexen forest when she'd confronted them. She was very tall, about 5'8 or 5'9, with long chestnut brown hair tied back in a ponytail and cobalt blue eyes. Outfitted in samurai gi with gauntlets up to her elbows, she carried a backpack, a small sleeping bag and a naginata. "Are you the 12th unit of the Southern Frontier Force? ... 'Cause if you're not, I give up."
"We are ..." Queen said slowly.
The girl sighed, looking greatly relieved. "Oh ... good. So you must be Captain Ghetto."
"It's Geddoe, actually ...." he mumbled.
"Right, right. Anyway, I'm Crystelle of the Syaoran clan. Headquarters wanted me to join your team. Oh, and y'all can call me Crys."
"What kind of word is THAT?" Ace asked of Joker, who simply shrugged.
"I thought the current head of the Syaoran clan had two sons older than his daughter," Geddoe remarked. "Why'd they send you?"
Her cheerful smile was replaced by an irritated frown. "I've been sent because I have to undergo a test to see if I'm fit to lead the clan. Besides, I'm a better fighter than all of my brothers combined! So if YOU have a problem, you can burn in hell."
"Alright, alright, it's fine. I'm Queen. This is Joker, and that creep over there is Ace. Oh, and that's Jacques. He's shy."
Jacques rolled his eyes. "Well, it's nice to meetcha. I'll be accompanying y'all on your missions for a while."
"Can you use that thing, little girl?" Ace asked in a condescending tone.
"Please," she grumbled. "I've been studying naginata-jitsu since I was five. And I'm not a little girl. I'm seventeen."
"You shouldn't have said that," Queen warned. "He'll go for anyone who's older than sixteen."
"I will not!" he protested. "I have no interest in flat-chested giants!"
Crys' face turned red with anger. She sighed a moment later, however, and quickly calmed herself. Her youthful smile returned once again. "Okay, so where're y'all headed?"
"Throught the forest, to Great Hollow."
"Oh, to see the Lizard Clan?! Wow, I've never seen a Lizard before!"
It was Ace's turn to sigh. "Geez, and we have to drag HER along?"
They reached the forest quickly; Geddoe was forcing his team to move at a fast pace. He didn't want to be caught in the wilderness at nightfall Ð there were rumors of horrible monsters in the forest. Although the others were constantly asking Crys questions, he found their conversation amusing rather than irritating.
"Why do you think headquarters wanted you to come along with us?" Queen inquired.
"Dunno. My whole family was really surprised, especially me. But if it counts as my mission to prove my worth, I don't really care."
"Do you ever get mistaken for a boy?"
Queen glared at Ace sharply. "Don't be so rude!" she hissed. "This girl is one of us now!"
"Ass ..." Crys mumbled. She turned to look at Jacques. "Hey, prettyboy, don't you ever talk?"
"Mm-hmm."
She sighed in reply. "What a bunch of freaks ..." she whispered to herself, careful not to let anyone hear her.
"Hey, look! It's Brass Castle!" Ace suddenly exclaimed. True enough, they'd exited the forest and made it to the stronghold of the ironhead federation. The team seemed less than enthusiastic, save for Ace; he was the only one with fond memories of the place. "Ah, this takes me back ..."
"Save it!" Joker growled. He pushed past his "counterpart" and into the town.
"What a crappy place," Crys commented as they walked through the castle.
"Do you have anything nice to say about ANYTHING?" Ace demanded.
"I could ask you the same thing," was the irritated response.
"Look, you two, let's try to be civil to each other, okay?" Queen interrupted, playing the peacemaker.
Crys fell into pace with Jacques. "So, have you been traveling with these guys long?"
"No."
"Ah, so you're sort of a newbie, too. What's the captain like? Is he a jerk like the old pervert, or really nice like the chick and the old man?"
"Neither, really."
She looked at him for a moment. "Not really much of a talker, huh?" She smiled warmly at him. "Well, it doesn't matter. At least you won't interrupt me when I'm talking, right?"
"I guess not."
"Well, if I get too chatty, feel free to just punch me or something, okay? That's about the only way I'll shut up."
Jacques smiled. Barely. "I don't mind."
"Great! I really like being able to rattle off about nothing in particular and not getting yelled at by my brothers. The only other person besides you that doesn't seem to mind is my papa." Ace snickered at the word. "CRAM it!"
A horse suddenly flew by, knocking Crys off her feet and onto the ground with a sickening thud. "Ow, my ASS!" she groaned, not bothering to get up as she rubbed her lower back.
"Geez, watch where you're going!" Joker said to the mounted blue-haired elf that had nearly run her over. "You could kill somebody!"
"Yeah, JERK!" Crys growled. Jacques offered a hand to help her up, but she ignored it and got to her feet on her own; he simply shrugged.
"Perhaps the little wench should watch herself, not to mention her tongue," he replied in a pretentious tone. "An outsider shouldn't speak to one of the Six Mighty Knights of Zexen in such a manner."
"I have half a mind to beat your face in, you Ð" she began slowly, but Queen held a hand up to silence her. Crys merely folded her arms across her chest and glared at the arrogant elf.
"We're sorry for her language, Sir Roland. She's rather ... uncouth, and doesn't know how to speak to authority. Please forgive her."
Roland looked down his nose at the irate girl and snorted in disgust. "I see I was wrong to expect a Grasslander to have any manners," he growled, then rode off.
"You can't speak to high-ranking officials like that, kiddo!" Ace hissed. Crys simply rolled her eyes. "You're lucky we were here. They'll beat the hell out of you for threats like that!"
"Come on, let's go," Geddoe interjected calmly. Crys made a mental note to spend the rest of her life hating that stupid elf ... and to stare at Jacques when he wasn't looking. Lordy, he was hot.
Okay, okay, so it's nothing special ... yet. Don't worry, it'll get less boring in the next chapter. In the meantime, go read some Xenogears fics. They're really good ... but steer clear of "A Song for Valkyrie." I wrote that one, and it sucks. I'm not just saying that, either Ð it really, really SUCKS.
Chapter One: A New Recruit
Geez, I've already written the first four chapters of this story ... I meant to have it published earlier, but there's been so much going on! A girl got run over and killed right in front of my school the other day (she was a student) and one of my friends was 5 feet away when it happened. So, yeah, I've been trying to cheer people up, but I ended up bawling my ass off last night as I helped set up for the memorial. Oh, okay, okay, disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Suikoden 3 ... but I DID get the game for my birthday.
Geddoe and his team eyed the newcomer with ample suspicion. She'd arrived quite unexpectedly before them in Vinay del Zexay; they'd been on their way to the Zexen forest when she'd confronted them. She was very tall, about 5'8 or 5'9, with long chestnut brown hair tied back in a ponytail and cobalt blue eyes. Outfitted in samurai gi with gauntlets up to her elbows, she carried a backpack, a small sleeping bag and a naginata. "Are you the 12th unit of the Southern Frontier Force? ... 'Cause if you're not, I give up."
"We are ..." Queen said slowly.
The girl sighed, looking greatly relieved. "Oh ... good. So you must be Captain Ghetto."
"It's Geddoe, actually ...." he mumbled.
"Right, right. Anyway, I'm Crystelle of the Syaoran clan. Headquarters wanted me to join your team. Oh, and y'all can call me Crys."
"What kind of word is THAT?" Ace asked of Joker, who simply shrugged.
"I thought the current head of the Syaoran clan had two sons older than his daughter," Geddoe remarked. "Why'd they send you?"
Her cheerful smile was replaced by an irritated frown. "I've been sent because I have to undergo a test to see if I'm fit to lead the clan. Besides, I'm a better fighter than all of my brothers combined! So if YOU have a problem, you can burn in hell."
"Alright, alright, it's fine. I'm Queen. This is Joker, and that creep over there is Ace. Oh, and that's Jacques. He's shy."
Jacques rolled his eyes. "Well, it's nice to meetcha. I'll be accompanying y'all on your missions for a while."
"Can you use that thing, little girl?" Ace asked in a condescending tone.
"Please," she grumbled. "I've been studying naginata-jitsu since I was five. And I'm not a little girl. I'm seventeen."
"You shouldn't have said that," Queen warned. "He'll go for anyone who's older than sixteen."
"I will not!" he protested. "I have no interest in flat-chested giants!"
Crys' face turned red with anger. She sighed a moment later, however, and quickly calmed herself. Her youthful smile returned once again. "Okay, so where're y'all headed?"
"Throught the forest, to Great Hollow."
"Oh, to see the Lizard Clan?! Wow, I've never seen a Lizard before!"
It was Ace's turn to sigh. "Geez, and we have to drag HER along?"
They reached the forest quickly; Geddoe was forcing his team to move at a fast pace. He didn't want to be caught in the wilderness at nightfall Ð there were rumors of horrible monsters in the forest. Although the others were constantly asking Crys questions, he found their conversation amusing rather than irritating.
"Why do you think headquarters wanted you to come along with us?" Queen inquired.
"Dunno. My whole family was really surprised, especially me. But if it counts as my mission to prove my worth, I don't really care."
"Do you ever get mistaken for a boy?"
Queen glared at Ace sharply. "Don't be so rude!" she hissed. "This girl is one of us now!"
"Ass ..." Crys mumbled. She turned to look at Jacques. "Hey, prettyboy, don't you ever talk?"
"Mm-hmm."
She sighed in reply. "What a bunch of freaks ..." she whispered to herself, careful not to let anyone hear her.
"Hey, look! It's Brass Castle!" Ace suddenly exclaimed. True enough, they'd exited the forest and made it to the stronghold of the ironhead federation. The team seemed less than enthusiastic, save for Ace; he was the only one with fond memories of the place. "Ah, this takes me back ..."
"Save it!" Joker growled. He pushed past his "counterpart" and into the town.
"What a crappy place," Crys commented as they walked through the castle.
"Do you have anything nice to say about ANYTHING?" Ace demanded.
"I could ask you the same thing," was the irritated response.
"Look, you two, let's try to be civil to each other, okay?" Queen interrupted, playing the peacemaker.
Crys fell into pace with Jacques. "So, have you been traveling with these guys long?"
"No."
"Ah, so you're sort of a newbie, too. What's the captain like? Is he a jerk like the old pervert, or really nice like the chick and the old man?"
"Neither, really."
She looked at him for a moment. "Not really much of a talker, huh?" She smiled warmly at him. "Well, it doesn't matter. At least you won't interrupt me when I'm talking, right?"
"I guess not."
"Well, if I get too chatty, feel free to just punch me or something, okay? That's about the only way I'll shut up."
Jacques smiled. Barely. "I don't mind."
"Great! I really like being able to rattle off about nothing in particular and not getting yelled at by my brothers. The only other person besides you that doesn't seem to mind is my papa." Ace snickered at the word. "CRAM it!"
A horse suddenly flew by, knocking Crys off her feet and onto the ground with a sickening thud. "Ow, my ASS!" she groaned, not bothering to get up as she rubbed her lower back.
"Geez, watch where you're going!" Joker said to the mounted blue-haired elf that had nearly run her over. "You could kill somebody!"
"Yeah, JERK!" Crys growled. Jacques offered a hand to help her up, but she ignored it and got to her feet on her own; he simply shrugged.
"Perhaps the little wench should watch herself, not to mention her tongue," he replied in a pretentious tone. "An outsider shouldn't speak to one of the Six Mighty Knights of Zexen in such a manner."
"I have half a mind to beat your face in, you Ð" she began slowly, but Queen held a hand up to silence her. Crys merely folded her arms across her chest and glared at the arrogant elf.
"We're sorry for her language, Sir Roland. She's rather ... uncouth, and doesn't know how to speak to authority. Please forgive her."
Roland looked down his nose at the irate girl and snorted in disgust. "I see I was wrong to expect a Grasslander to have any manners," he growled, then rode off.
"You can't speak to high-ranking officials like that, kiddo!" Ace hissed. Crys simply rolled her eyes. "You're lucky we were here. They'll beat the hell out of you for threats like that!"
"Come on, let's go," Geddoe interjected calmly. Crys made a mental note to spend the rest of her life hating that stupid elf ... and to stare at Jacques when he wasn't looking. Lordy, he was hot.
Okay, okay, so it's nothing special ... yet. Don't worry, it'll get less boring in the next chapter. In the meantime, go read some Xenogears fics. They're really good ... but steer clear of "A Song for Valkyrie." I wrote that one, and it sucks. I'm not just saying that, either Ð it really, really SUCKS.