Anime All-Stars:

FIRST

Frankly, this work is a first of firsts. This is the first work that I am submitting on this site, and it is still the first of a three-part project. Well, at least that's what I have on mind. I have a tendency to… Well, never mind.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters I feature here…and I say 'feature' because, for some insane idea of mine, I have decided to borrow just the facial (and maybe quite coincidentally, some personality) characteristics of the aforementioned anime characters.

Characters (appearing on this short introductory chapter):

Cagalli Yula Athla (of Gundam Seed) as EULA GRAY

Zero Kiriyuu (of Vampire Knight) as RYUU SUMI

Ichihara Yuuko (of xxxHolic) as YUUKO SUMI

Sebastian Michaels (of Kuroshitsuji) as SEBASTIAN interestingly, I see him as still playing the role of a butler of sorts, and I have borrowed his first name too, like Yuuko…

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CHAPTER 1- FIRST MEETING

A bright light… Then, a woman stepped out of nothingness onto land. Location: somewhere in northern Japan.

Eula Gray shivered slightly as she studied her surroundings. The night sky still looks the same, she thought.

The sound of leaves rustling… She looked to her right. A man in tailored clothing approached her.

"Miss Gray", he greeted with a smile. He held up a shawl with his hand and he helped her wrap it around herself. He then led her through a narrow path between tall and thick trees. She wondered what they were called.

As she embraced the thick shawl even tighter around her, she snuck a look at him. This man, no matter where you place him, is always handsome, she thought with a grin. He sensed her looking at him, and he smiled at her once more. "Yes, my lady?"

She pouted a little, and stopped. "I told you before, didn't I? Once we're on Earth, you are to call me by my first name."

He furrowed his brow a little. Then, he sighed. "You're right. Eula", he said, a soft smile on his lips.

She beamed at him and hooked her arm with his.

"Miss-I mean, Eula, what are you-? ", he started to say, as she tried to pull him to match her pace.

"It's fine, Sebastian. We're no longer in our world anymore."

He seemed to consider her for a moment. He flashed that smile of his again. "You're right. We're not."

Ryuu Sumi heard the footsteps as clearly as he heard his own heart beating. Enhanced senses were just one of the gifts that were born to him, one of the few pureblood Lucian noblemen born on Earth.

He sighed as loudly as he could. It was sure to be quite tiresome. A princess coming to live with them? Babysitting royalty was nowhere near his wish list. Not that he believed in wishes coming true. What were his parents thinking?

He clenched a fist. Of course, he knew what his parents were thinking. He could so easily read them. They wanted the prestige of the Earl's name. After all, her family was one of the three reigning royal families in Lucien. The Sumi clan? They had lived too long on Earth, and most of their kin had bred with the humans. Those who did were immediately cut off from the main family, but still the numbers of noblemen mixing with humans were increasing. For while they were in Lucien, they were just normal citizens; in other words, they considered themselves second-rate people. However, on Earth, with their gifts, they can live in luxury and not worry about the inborn inferiority that comes with the caste system.

He wasn't fool enough to fall for humans, but his parents were important ambassadors on Earth, entrusted with the duty to keep the peace between the two worlds. Only a few chosen powerful and honorable humans knew of their existence, but it was enough to make the duty important enough for them to stay for the length of their respective terms (the normal term for an ambassador is 20 human years). He had no choice but to be born, and continue to be raised, here in this world.

He headed down the stairs, but decided at the last moment to stay hidden and observe the newcomer for a while.

The front door opened. The royal servant, Sebastian, walked through a few steps before stopping and bowing to the waist.

"May I present, the Lady Eula Alexandra Gray, the second child of King Alexandre and Queen Julianne Gray."

He tightened his grip on the railing.

A girl in a splendid green dress walked through, head held high, gold eyes shining as if daring the whole world to deny her existence.

So this was the celebrated princess, huh? Well, she certainly was not as beautiful as they said she was.

"Ah! Eula-sama! Welcome!" His mother, Yuuko Sumi, graciously threw her arms around her.

She laughed and patted her on the back. "I'm very excited to see this world. I expect you'll guide me through the customs here, Madame Yuuko."

Yuuko drew back and clicked her tongue. "No, dear, that won't do. Please, call me 'Yuuko-san'. 'Madame' makes me sound awfully old."

Eula smiled. "Okay, Yuuko-san."

She seemed to sense his presence then, and she stared hard at his direction.

He sighed. As expected, the royal family cannot be looked down on. He emerged from the shadows and calmly walked to his mother's side.

A man with shocking silver hair walked forward, a blood-red gem glinting at his ear.

Yuuko-san glanced at him. "Oh, Ryuu. Were you home all this time? Why didn't you join me earlier?" She threw her arms around his neck and fondly ruffled his hair. He was tall in Earth standards, but his mother easily topped him by an inch or so. "Your highness, you must pardon this rude young man. He's my only son, Ryuu."

Eula could see mild irritation reflected from his violet eyes. He stopped his mother's hand.

Then he quite suddenly knelt before her.

Yuuko was in shock. Her son knelt? Ha! This was certainly a first! His pride was as huge as the sky, so why was he lowering himself for her? She looked at the princess with a new light. Well, whatever his son was thinking, she won't be able to know until he makes his intentions known.

And a giddy thought came to her.

Sebastian furrowed his brow. It was the second time he did so today.

The boy, Ryuu Sumi, took Eula's hand and gently pressed it to his lips. Sebastian suddenly had an unwelcome vision of the two of them, and he decided without hesitation that he would do whatever it takes to keep the vision from becoming a reality.

He had a lot of tension about him, as if he were made of coils that were about to snap any minute. She could only tell this because of her natural gifts, and even then, it only registered to her like a low pulse, an uncertain intuition. She felt a little uneasy about it.

This man is almost impossible to read.

He looked up at her and gave her a cool smile (for it wasn't disturbingly cold, yet neither can it be called warm). Then, he got up, and Eula never saw him again for the rest of the night.

END

Well, this was a short one… More characters coming up! And, if you can, please suggest some antagonists for this project. Comments are also welcome.

THANKS!