Breaking Bonds, Forming Bonds

By nlcaelum

Author's Dedications:

This fic goes out to all my readers who have the tendency to repost snippets of my fics everywhere and everywhere. Especially fB. Also, the title of the fic goes out to my Oriental Magic, ahem, I mean, Chemistry teacher in Y3.

Different real-life references go out to my Y2 History and Y3 Project teachers, and Y1-4 Language Arts teachers, as various as they are. Always inspiring.

~Introduction~
~Excelsior~

"It's been 72 hours, sire. Where is the lady of Tenebrae engaged to thee, my lord?"

Noctis heard his Chief of Staff's clear, crisp, New English accented-speech through the intercom. With all the missing R's. Quite the opposite of the Japanese people he was speaking to this very morning, who had flown to Caelum from Los Angeles early in the morning to discuss the possibility of replacing Penn and Grand Central's station management systems with the newest JR MARS or something like that. Oh, whatever, he thought.

Caelum and Tenebrae were created in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War, where North America was split into 4 quadrants, with their own rulers and political systems. The Northwest up to California became a social democracy, a warmer Sweden if you would.

The South and inner areas became the Republic of America, and a Republic it was in every sense of the world, and highly conservative.

The Blue Atlantic states would split into Caelum and Tenebrae, along the very coasts of the Hudson. This meant that Tenebrae, loyal to France, was way larger than Caelum, with only New England and New York, and as Scotch as it got.

After the Cold War, the two states finally recreated the United States, together with the two others – but losing Alaska in the process. Still, the Caelum and Fleuret families were allowed to retain vestiges of their powers – in the form of the governorships of New York and New Jersey respectively.

And Noctis Lucis Caelum and Stella Nox Fleuret would be arranged to marry next spring.

In this hot, hot summer however, things weren't going as well as they should have been. Not that Stella and Noctis could not get along – on the contrary, they had known each other since way before.

Rather, it was the rebuilding efforts that were the problem: different people with different ideas in the State Assemblies squabbling in one of the buildings left standing: The New York Times building. The paper itself had since moved into one of Rockefeller's remaining buildings that were vacated just before the war by the Japanese – totally taking over the tower.

And if one thing positive came out of it, it was that of the 5 boroughs of New York, only Manhattan was hit, along with Newark. Which also meant that the New York Subway was, for once, finally untangled, and for the first time in more than a century, actually a comfortable ride, with a European-style system that was the envy of other cities in America. And the PATH was replaced with… another subway line. But it went thru Penn and Grand Central for once.

"…Bill S. 13891, an act to approve and support the marriage of Noctis Lucis Caelum and Stella Nox Fleuret."

The bill was one of the few that did not emerge from committee, but was in any case expected to pass. Like the 911 Responders Bill 9 years ago. Of course, that was shockingly defeated by the GOPs. NY-9 was remembered for that bill. He would be remembered for this too. By revealing the biggest scandal in post Cold War history.

"People, I have the unenviable job of revealing something about Lady Fleuret, and what she was seen doing in Rockaway Beach. Last night, it was seen by NYPD that Lady Fleuret and an unidentified girl were seen committing acts of gross indecency under the influence of illegal substances, including acts of intercourse."

NY-3 responded, in agreement. "NYPD has ID'd the other lady as a resident of Long Beach, Nassau. She has revealed that she is a homosexual, and has been involved in a hidden relationship with Lady Fleuret." He rambled on, saying how unwise it was to repeal the illegality of homosexuality in New York State, and called on other governors not to make the same mistake – lest their marriages be destroyed by it, and the yada yada.

In this joint hearing, convened by the president to "celebrate the happy wedding", it seemed as though no-one really bothered, staring at their iPhone 4SSes and Androids. In truth, they were twittering away.

In the distance, a mockingbird tweeted.

"Did you hear that bird tweeting? It's time to wake up, Stell!" The pink-haired girl was shaking the blonde.

A/N: Ok people, you've got the intro, what my setting is like, and I'm glad that I got this out of the way.

Excelsior is the state motto of New York.

There are A LOT OF JAPANESE IN LA. So I just made they fly from there instead of Tokyo.

JR MARS is an actual system used by Japan Rail. Only that it's more for ticketing. ^^

S 3891 is the (failed) 911 Responders Bill's number. I got lazy.

NY-9 and NY-3 bickered during above mentioned bill's debate – but I'm assuming different Congress members in the same place. From the same parties.

Mockingbird? Remember Literature classes? Or Language Arts?

Pink-haired girl: Who will it be?

Oh and I do intend to get Noct hitched sooner or later.