A/n: Here's the full summary:
As a Lieutenant Colonel of the Barsburg Military, she grew up without faith in anything other than what she could do herself - there was no god, no demons, no angels - but when tragedy strikes and she loses the most important person in her life she must face her inner turmoil and take responsibility for her elder sister's four children whom she has never even met. Now she must choose between the Military or what's left of her family, but along the way she receives help from the most unlikely sources...
Take care,
-SugarLandBabyGirl
Chapter One
Warm midday golden-saffron sunlight leisurely danced across a spacious room. Although the room was big enough to hold at least twenty bodies comfortably, it lacked many of the proper furnishings and all of the walls save for two, were nothing but overloaded bookshelves from floor to ceiling. The two walls that were exempt were the double-door entrance and the large wall sized bay window, which overlooked the outside training grounds of the Barsburg Military Academy. In front of the window sat an empty, yet comfortable sized oaken desk and a vacant black high-back office chair. The whole room was impossibly tidy, not even one of the many books or scrolls were even a centimeter off alignment. The room was so orderly that it seemed almost impossible to imagine that someone used it nearly every day.
Quiet footfalls from military issued boots and muffled voices could be heard through the closed double-doors. "I have the reports for the nineteen passing students, Lieutenant Colonel Liese. Would you like to review them now or later?" A jovial, almost giddy male voice asked loudly as the doors were opened and two tall figures entered the room. The taller of the two entered first, while the second closed the door behind them. "Now is fine, Major Xonel." A calm, yet authoritative female's voice replied. "Yes Sir!" The cheerful Major mock saluted his superior with a teasing smile before placing the papers in the Lieutenant Colonel's outstretched and gloveless hand.
The Lieutenant Colonel made no motion of acknowledging or reproaching the Major for his inappropriate, child-like behavior as she slid behind her desk and sat down. Immediately she opened the first of the nineteen folders and began to look over the new hopefuls, her calm gunmetal blue irises scrutinized every word upon the papers. Meanwhile Major Xonel began to rifle through the rest of the papers that had been sent to the Lieutenant Colonel. He made odd faces at some of them, while others he took the liberty of crumpling into paper balls before playfully chunking them at the trashcan across the room, missing the mark more so than not.
After a few minutes the sloe-eyed Major came upon a small white envelope, with only the Lieutenant Colonel's full name written elegantly in dark ink. There was no return address or any other blemish upon the pristine paper to tell who it was from or where it had come from. The Major's brow wrinkled in confusion causing his midnight purple bangs to cast a shadow over his eyes, before he shrugged his shoulders carelessly and flipped the envelope over and opened it. Inside was a letter almost two full pages long, along with a small slip of paper with a different person's handwriting on it. Curiosity got the better of the Major and he began to read the letter. After just gazing over a few sentences the Major's eyes widened substantially and the rest of the papers in his arms fell to the floor in a messy heap.
Lieutenant Colonel Liese had just begun reading over the fourth candidate's paper when she heard the rustling of fluttering of papers and a soft plop. The noisy Major was oddly quiet, so she spared a quick glance from the papers in her hand only to see the midnight purple haired Major glancing sadly from her to the papers in his hand. Her brow crinkled in confusion as she watched the man open his mouth to speak, only to shut it immediately afterwards. "What is it, Major Xonel?" She asked coolly after a few minutes of watching the man attempt to speak, but cut himself short before the words even had time to form in his throat.
The Major made a choking sound, before he opened his mouth in an attempt to speak once more. "I-it's a letter for you." He stuttered out, his voice unusually soft and devoid of any joyful emotions. "Who is it from?" The Lieutenant Colonel asked confused. She received no answer as the Major glanced back down at the words only he could discern with a remorseful expression, before he mutely stepped up to the inquiring woman's desk and handed her the letter. The gunmetal blue eyed Lieutenant Colonel frowned and watched the Major for a few moments before her eyes dropped to read the letter.
The Major watched behind shadow cast eyes as the Lieutenant Colonel's eyes darkened and the hand holding the letter began to tremble. "I'm deeply sorry Lieutenant Colonel. I'll take my leave now." The onyx eyed Major whispered, before stiffly saluting his superior and leaving the room. As the doors clicked shut behind him, the Major bent his head and slammed his eyes shut when he heard a soft, muffled thump. The Major bit harshly into his lip and for almost an hour he stood like a statue guard in front of her doors, making sure no one disturbed the silently mourning Lieutenant Colonel.
A few minutes before an hour had passed since he gave her the letter the doors began to open from the inside and the Major moved to stand against the wall. His face was somber and showed the pain he felt, but when the Lieutenant Colonel emerged all he saw was an emotionless face. If he had not know her for so long and so well he would have guessed that the news hadn't distressed the six foot tall Lieutenant Colonel at all, but he saw that the envelope the letter had arrived in was clutched in her fist like a lifeline. She said nothing as she passed him, but the Major silently fell in step behind her.
Several minutes later they arrived at their destination. The Lieutenant Colonel knocked on the closed doors twice before waiting for permission to enter. It took a moment before a voice answered to call them in. The Lieutenant Colonel wasted no time in adhering to the call and before the Major could blink they were standing in the crowded room. By the time his vision focused he saw that the Lieutenant Colonel was already in front of the desk completely ignoring the rooms other occupants.
"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel Liese, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you for awhile. Have you already chosen the recruits you want in your battalion?" An older male voice chuckled good-naturedly, before the laughter slowly began to die and the Major knew without even looking that the smile on the man's lips was already dropping from his face. "What's wrong Lieutenant Colonel Liese?" Chairman Miroku asked with an almost worried tone at seeing how dark and steely the female Lieutenant Colonel's face and eyes where.
"I'm sorry to disturb you during a meeting Chairman Miroku, but something important has come up and I wish to take my leave early." The cool even tone of the Lieutenant Colonel sent shivers down the Major's spine as her voice entered his ears. He was certain that at least a couple others in the room were disturbed by the woman's well-controlled tone. It was times like that which made him realize just who he was serving under. There was only one other person, besides the Lieutenant Colonel who could cause the blood in his veins to instantly freeze and that man, along with all of his fanatically faithful subordinates were currently standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Lieutenant Colonel herself. How she could stand beside the cold and merciless amethyst eyed man and not show an ounce of emotion was beyond him.
"It is an imperative something then, Lieutenant Colonel Liese?" The ruby eyed chairman asked, his eyes were piercing yet the Lieutenant Colonel didn't even blink. "Yes it is Chairman Miroku. If you permit my leave, then I will assure you my return will be no more than five days from now." The gunmetal blue eyed woman guaranteed, as all eyes fell on her form. The elderly chairman propped his elbows on his desk, linked his gloved fingers and stared long and hard at the iceberg of a woman that stood before him. She held his gaze firmly, almost as if she were trying to make him bend to her will with just her gaze.
"You may take your leave Lieutenant Colonel, however I expect you to turn in the names of which cadets you have chosen in no less than two hours after your immediate return." The chairman's tone was strict and his offer as unyielding as the Lieutenant Colonel's gaze. The woman nodded her acceptance of the Chairman's terms, before she thanked the elderly man, saluted and swiftly left the room. The midnight purple haired Major grudgingly saluted to the amethyst eyed man before he followed after the Lieutenant Colonel hearing the annoyingly cheery voice of his rival speak just as the doors closed behind him. "Well, she hasn't changed at all, has she Aya-tan?"
Major Juskoe Xonel quickly caught up to the lengthy strides of the Lieutenant Colonel, but had to walk faster in order to keep up, due to his shorter height. At five foot eleven inches tall and weighing one-hundred and fifty-nine pounds, set on a medium built frame the Major was not a small man by any means, but the Lieutenant Colonel was six foot even and weighed roughly around one-hundred and forty-eight pounds. She was no pixy, even though she was imperially slender and had all the customary womanly traits all of the weight was finely developed muscles. The military issued uniform did her no justice, but the Major knew she liked it that way. If people underestimated her prowess because of what they couldn't see then that was their mistake and she would use it against them.
"Major Xonel," The Lieutenant Colonel's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "I'm leaving you in charge of my battalion, however unless someone of higher rank than I orders the battalion to be moved out you are to stay here. However, if someone does order them to move out you are to contact me immediately." The Major snapped to a proper salute as hard gunmetal blue eyes landed on him. "Yes Sir." The Lieutenant Colonel nodded and he dropped all formalities as they entered the Lieutenant Colonel's office.
"Are you taking an imperial hawkzile?" The Major asked, as the woman straightened the papers on her desk before filing them in one of her desk drawers. "You're going to the 7th District, if they even think you're from the imperial military they won't let you in." He continued, even as the busy woman completely ignored his every word. "Will you not allow me to go with you? Two is better than one-" He tried to argue for her safety only to have her turn on him with deadly eyes and a soft voice laced with suppressed anger.
"Major Xonel, you are over stepping your bounds. I am a member of the Barsburg Military and I have personal business in the 7th District as to which they cannot say a word against me or touch me for that matter. I will be going as a Lieutenant Colonel of the Barsburg Military and I will be using an imperial hawkzile. You Major, will stay and do as I have ordered." The Major could do nothing but nod his head and accept her wishes. "Yes Sir." He saluted, before following her lead and picking up the papers he had let fall to the floor earlier. When the room was returned to its former neatness the Lieutenant Colonel left for the waiting hawkzile taking the white cloak the Major had insisted she wear, so she wouldn't stand out so badly amongst the crowd.