CARONO: Gracing Time
Chrono Haralown had arrived thirty minutes ahead of schedule.
Entering through the massive front gate of the Church, he alighted from his transport and proceeds to the main building on foot. All around him, several other visitors of the church were whispering and pointing fingers at him.
Unlike Hayate and the rest of her 'family', Chrono never did felt the need to conceal his identity from the public nor does he believe that the distaste of others should be any reason to feel embarrassed about it. Both Hayate and Signum had tried to persuade him several times to wear the brown robe that the Church has given them should they wish to visit, but not once did he pay heed to them.
The Esquires (apprentice knights) on duty around the courtyard salute respectfully as he passes by. This is not the first time the Admiral cum Enforcer had came to the church so they weren't surprise to see him in his formal attire or his barrier jacket. Though despite their polite behavior, Chrono had more than one occasion over heard them passing remarks about him when they thought he was out of earshot.
"It's him again…"
"Who? That mage in black?"
"Yes him… Who else would be showing off their…"
"Why can't he understand that it's making the visitors feel…!"
"We shouldn't have to take this lying down! I'm going to go up to him and…!"
" Don't! I heard he's a high level mage from a friend of mine working at the Bureau…!"
" Not only that, he seems to be pretty high up on the food chain there as well…"
"What?! You serious…?!"
Chrono rolled his eyes and sighed, wondering who was it that spoke of the so-called 'northern hospitality' in the first place. No matter, Chrono has long accepted that all humans, regardless of race or religion, would always have feelings of doubt and distaste for things they can't accept. He knows it's rather hypocritical of him, seeing as how he himself refuses to follow their way in favor of the one he's more familiar with.
Ignoring the harsh eyes of everyone around, he make his way towards the main chapel where he knows is the location of the head office of the Saint Church. Entering the chapel, he was greeted by a drastic change in the surrounding temperature. The internal design of the building allows it to remain cool on the inside, despite suffering an intense heat wave on the outside.
Looking around, Chrono could make out several nuns busy with their individual tasks, though none of them resembles Schach, who is in charge of this particular area.
Schach is also one of the few people here who are comfortable with his decision to not conceal his identity when entering church grounds. As simple as it sounds, it was one of the reasons why Chrono likes dealing with her whenever he comes for business-related purposes.
Another reason was because she was the only one who could make his best friend break out of his carefree state just by being in the same room. And very often does she tell him embarrassing stories about Acous' childhood, all of which Chrono had committed to memory and would use without remorse or hesitation should he ever hear word of Acous spreading rumors again about the private training sessions that Chrono gave to Fate back when they were younger.
That said, he never did get a straight answer out of Acous about what he was doing sneaking into Schach's room on several occasions when he was…
"Can I help you sir?" asked one of the nuns who happened to notice him standing there.
Breaking out of his train of thoughts, Chrono was about to answer her when another voice came from across the room.
"It's okay, Sister Rhianne," said a woman with short whitish-grey hair, as she rushes towards them. "I'll handle this."
Rhianne bowed politely to the both of them and returned to her duties.
"My name is Knight Rizel," the woman offered her hand. "I was instructed by Sister Schach to escort an officer from the Administrative Bureau, I assume you would be him?"
"That is correct," Chrono shook her hand as he introduced himself "Chrono Haralown."
"Ahhh… I've heard a lot about you, Admiral Haralown…" Rizel smiled.
"Is that so?"
"You might not have realized it, but you're quite infamous around here…" The female knight laughed light-heartedly.
"For what reasons?" Chrono asked curiously.
"Well for one thing, we don't get many visitors from the Bureau," Rizel eyed his uniform as she smirked.
"Oh?"
"And a few months ago, there had been word going around about a 'black mage' who would stand out among the crowds with suspicious intentions…"
"'Black'? I thought that colour code went to someone else already…" Chrono mused about a certain girl.
"Some others refer to him as the 'bluebird' that comes and goes as he wish…"
"That's a first," Chrono admitted. "I've been called a lot of things-"
(Flashback)
"Chrono, you mother-!!!" screamed Yuuno.
(Flashback)
"Chro-suke!" Lotte jumped at him.
(Flashback)
"YOU BAST-!!" Vita swings her hammer violently.
(Flashback)
"Kawaii…!" Amy squeezed him.
(Flashback)
"Defiler!" Accused Signum as she loads another cartridge.
(Flashback)
"Onii-channn…!" Hayate teased.
(Flashback)
"'Onii-channn'…?" Nanoha blinked.
(Flashback)
"Onii-channn…" Fate blushed.
(End of Flashbacks)
"… But 'bluebird'?" said Chrono as he tried to shake off the recent flashbacks as well as an unexplained shudder. "Where do they get that from?"
"In any case, I was told to bring you to the head office," Rizel coughed to clear her throat. "Please follow me…"
The two of them cross the hall to two wooden doors on the far right side of the room. Chrono decides to ask her something else.
"By the way, where is Sch-?" he quickly corrected himself, knowing how most Knights frowned upon such informality. "I mean, Sister Schach? She's my usual escort."
"Sister Schach is accompanying Knight Signum to the joint investigation conference," Rizel answered. "They won't be back for quite some time…"
"Signum? I never figure her to be the type to sit through long and boring meetings…" Chrono replied with a tone of amusement, completely forgotten about his promise with himself to remain formal.
"Yes well… Let's not keep the lady waiting," Said the female Knight while raising her eyebrows. "Shall we, Enforcer…?"
"Lead the way." Chrono said firmly, and the two of them disappeared behind a closed door.
Once their footsteps could no longer be heard, the remaining sisters in the hall quickly gathered together in excitement.
"So who is he? This is the first time I've seen someone dress like that…"
"I don't know, all I could make out is that he came here to see the lady…."
"I'm surprised that he didn't reprimand Rizel for not referring to him by his rank…"
"Actually I've hear some rumors about him from the others…"
"Seriously?!"
"I'm still unclear about the details though…"
"Just tell us already!"
"Well, all I know for sure is that he's been coming to the church very often for the last six months. Every time he's here, he only looks for-"
"-Knight Carim?" Rizel entered the room cautiously after knocking for several seconds with no response.
Carim's office has been the same ever since he first came to see her here years ago. Everything was neatly placed in order. Her desk was a lot like a small-scaled model of a city with files, books, pens and other items placed in their respective areas, which have been designated according to usage frequency, space effectiveness, and probably a bit of decorative value.
As expected of the blond woman, she has always been one to value her appearances in front of others. Not saying that she's vain of course, but rather she believes that such simple habits would give a little bit of peace and comfort to those who visits her, reliving some of their tension.
Carim has always had that gift to make people very comfortable in her presence. Though ironically, she was quite a worrywart herself.
Ah well, it comes with the job description… In that sense, both Carim and Chrono are very much alike.
"Hmmm, that's strange," Rizel wondered out loud. "Miss Gracia is usually in her office at around this time…"
Indeed, there were signs of her being in the room just recently. The most obvious being the half emptied cup of tea on the white round table beside the window, Chrono remembers how she had told him before that it's her favorite place to relax in her office. Another being the open curtains, she only closes them if she's going to be away for long time. Carim has always been fussy about those… But not as fussy as when someone forgets to push in the chairs.
And then there's…
"Admiral?"
Chrono shook his head quickly to interrupt his train of thoughts.
"As I was saying, if you don't mind waiting here," Knight Rizel seems to be trying to hide a grin. "I'll go and look for her."
"Please do," Chrono nodded, "Don't worry about me, I am familiar with the place."
"Of course you are…"
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing, please excuse me…" Rizel hastily replied as she exits the room.
Chrono waited a few seconds after the door had close to hear if her footsteps was moving away from the door. Once he was satisfied, he let out a big sigh as he took off his uniform's jacket and tosses it over one of the chairs near the white table.
It was very unsightly of him, but at that moment he didn't really care. The weather outside was also unbelievably hot, he wonders if he had winded up on the wrong side of the continent. He was amazed how he had managed to keep his 'cool' in front of all those people on his way here.
"It was a stupid idea to be wearing that uniform to begin with…" Chrono sighed again. "I don't know what I was thinking letting him convinced me like that…"
Earlier today, Acous had strongly insisted, without giving any real reasons, that Chrono should wear his formal attire when he visits the head of the Saint Church.
("Trust me." Acous winked.
"What does that even mean?!" Chrono exploded)
Try as he might, Chrono couldn't get an answer out of the investigator that isn't an awkward body gesture, or a complex and well encrypted quote from an ancient, alien philosopher.
The Admiral then made a mental note to ask Acous's 'nanny' later for tips on how to break him.
Looking at the time, there was still at least twenty minutes before the official time he was to see her. But as always, he ends up being extra early without even trying. It came to a point where Carim had once set the meeting time to be an hour later, just so she was given enough time to get ready.
Chrono ended up arriving forty minutes before the ACTUAL meeting-time and was kicked out of the Church's premises by Carim so that she could finish her bath.
With plenty of time to pass, he went to one of the cupboards to take another teacup and poured himself some tea from the pot that was already on the table.
With one slip he could tell that it was made by Carim herself.
Most of the time, Schach would be the one who is responsible for the beverages, it probably due to years of practice that she has become quite a skillful brewer. So much so that she could create the perfect drink for each different individual according to their separate taste. Carim's tea on the hand, lacks several key points when compared to Schach's.
Mainly the ability to not kill off the drinker's taste buds.
For all her great qualities, Carim was downright horrific when it comes to culinary skills. The most infamous of all being her teas.
Even though she said it wasn't that bad, she couldn't cover up the fact that twenty Esquires were brought in to the infirmary one fine day due to suspicious circumstances. It doesn't affect Chrono too much though, unlike everybody else he wasn't very fond of sweet stuff to begin with. Though even he couldn't deny that she could have 'lighten' it up a little.
After that incident, Schach convinced Carim to leave that job to her, but occasionally she does try to improve on it.
"Ah well, it's the thought that counts…" Chrono smiled.
With the tea cup in hand, he walked towards the window to look at the view of the northern landscape.
Chrono took a slip as he mumbled to himself, "She would definitely make a good-"
…And nearly choked on the tea.
Carim took in a deep breath of fresh air.
After being stuck in her office for the better part of the morning, the simple action of breathing different oxygen is enough to refresh her weary body.
With the exception of the higher than usual temperature, the day is just simply beautiful. In all the years she had spent growing up in the church, she never did get used to the magnificent of the surrounding landscape. As childish as it sounds, she really does feel as if she's living in one of those fairy-tale places that she grew up listening to throughout her childhood.
Below her, she could see several young children playing with each other cheerfully. Without realizing it, she begins to smile and giggled lightly at their antics.
Carim remembers how she, Schach, and Acous used to play catch around the courtyard when they were a lot younger. Both Carim and Schach would rig the straws so that Acous would usually ends up being the 'seeker'.
Of course, had they known about his rare skill back then, they wouldn't have done so.
For many years it's been just the three of them. She had thought that her world was already complete, that she wouldn't need- No, that there couldn't be anything else for her.
Then one fine day eight years ago, a teenage boy with dark hair and a cute little girl came to the church.
It was the first time she had seen members of the Bureau. Schach told her that they had found another Ancient Velka user and are here to introduce her to the Saint Church.
The girl has light blue eyes, within them Carim saw both shyness and curiosity. When she finally talked, everyone was surprised how well mannered she was for someone of her age. She was very intelligent with her words and wasn't afraid to correct people if they misunderstood her. Needless to say, Carim was very impressed.
And apparently, so was Acous. But because Schach was there, he didn't get very far with whatever it was he wanted to say or do.
It wasn't till the next day that they found out that she was the mistress of the legendary Book of Night Sky. From then onwards, she became apart of their little circle.
Her companion however, was a boy full of surprises.
From the way he talks, she could tell that he was all too familiar when it comes to dealing with adults and business-like discussions. He carries an air of confidence and was very calm and composed when he explains his predicament and proposal and unlike the little girl, he was much more forceful with his persuasions. It wouldn't bothered her so much except for the fact that he was of a rather young.
Carim didn't like this type of people. They spent their entire lives dedicated to their work, starting from a very young age. As they grow up, they'll soon forget the little things in life, the only things that truly matter to them are the words of their superiors. Everything would just be business as usual to them. Even to a point where life is just a statistic.
But during the several days they spent living at the church, she had observed several times how he behaves around his ward. The way he takes cares of the girl completely contradicts her earlier assessment of him. Then again, it could be due to years of raising his younger siblings, a force of habit. Or many it was because he had been ordered to do so by his commanding officer.
After all, an ancient Velka user is an extremely valuable 'find' for the Bureau.
Later she found out from the girl that he was in fact, until recently, an only child and that bring her here was something that he had approved.
"So that means that his kindness is not a result of conditioning, but rather…"Looking at the time, Carim guessed that the dear Admiral must have reached the main entrance by now, despite the fact that it's still fifteen minutes before their agreed time.
She had arranged for Schach to follow Signum to one of those long and boring meetings, and had her assigned the task of escorting the 'Bluebird' to the newcomer Rizel, who was known to have a habit of poking people verbally. Who knows? Maybe he'll be too caught up in some kind of exchange to notice the time.
At first she was worried that Rizel might not recognize him, but then she cursed her silliness when she realized it's probably not that hard to spot him, considering all the rumors going round about him.
She had thought of trying to lock the entire area in a field spell in an attempt to deter his coming, but that would probably be more of an inconvenience than a solution. So she decided that a much simpler, though childish, solution is to hide somewhere else till then.
She REALLY doesn't feel like working anytime soon.
Looking off at the horizon, Carim stood up and dusted herself off as she sub-consciously lets out a 'Chrono'-style sigh.
"Hopefully Chrono-kun doesn't find me anytime soon…" Carim spoke absent-mindedly.
"Sorry to disappoint then,"
"Yea- Wahhh!?!"
"Careful!"
Everything happened within a flash of the moment. Still maintaining his composure while adrenaline pumped into his system, Chrono quickly reacted by diving after Carim when she slipped off the edge and in less than a second, caught her in mid air.
Bridal-style.
"That was close…" Chrono lets out a sigh of relief as he adjust his balance with her. "You alright?"
"Yeah… Thanks." Carim tried to calm herself down from the excitement.
After ten seconds of floating in the air silently, Carim finally spoke again.
"Chrono?"
"Hmm?"
"I can fly too you know?" She pointed out.
"Yes." Chrono nodded.
"So can you put me down now?" Carim asked politely.
"Soon, it's not everyday I get to do this." He replied honestly. "Carrying the director of the Saint Church is a new one for me…"
"Careful, Admiral…" Carim said slyly, "That could be considered sexual harassment…"
"Fine fine…" Chrono drifted back to the rooftop and place her down gently.
"Much oblige kind sir." She smiled.
"You know me, I'm always willing to lend a 'hand'…" Chrono nodded sagely.
"I don't suppose you could forget it ever happened?"
"Enforcers are trained to have excellent memories."
The two of them stared at each for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.
"I see you haven't changed a bit, Admiral Chrono…" Carim chuckled.
"And I probably never will," Chrono replied with a smile. "But the same could be said for you, Knight Carim."
Not wanting to slip again, the two of them chose a nice spot in the shade to sit down.
"So tell me, what exactly is the revered lady Graica doing on the roof of the church?" Chrono smirked.
"It's not about the roof." Carim shot back. "It just so happen that this time-"
"I'm sure it's not, so why are you here now then?" Chrono interrupted.
"Avoiding persistence men who just insist on bothering women," She poked him with her finger for good measure. "But mostly because it's has a great view of the surrounding…"
"Is that so? What kind of scenery were you looking a-"
Then he noticed the children running around below him.
"Hmmm… So you have a habit of targeting little children from a distance?" Chrono raised his eyebrow. "That's rather unexpected…"
"Must you make it sound so wrong?"
"I'm just saying it as it is."
"No silly, that's not it." Carim sighed, "Do you never enjoy the beauty of things around you?"
"Well, I do notice them if that's what you're saying…" Chrono looked ahead. "But it's more like I could never understand them…"
"It's not meant to be understood, Chrono" said Carim. "Well, not in the way you're thinking that is…"
"I guess…" Chrono shrugged.
"Heh… They were right about you being a stiff," The female knight laughed politely. "You should get out more often, and you should also try eating more sweet food."
"What does that got to do with anything?" Her statement surprised Chrono.
"It just does." Now it's her turn to nod sagely. "It's the only thing you're missing that makes you a better person."
"Now that's just-"Then the former Enforcer remembered. "Wait, you've been talking to Hayate haven't you?"
Carim grinned. "Any reason why she would refer to you as 'Onii-chan'?"
"She does?" Chrono lied. "I had no idea…"
"Then what's with the red face?" Carim teased.
"Fine fine…" But not willing to let her 'win', Chrono countered. "But shouldn't you be thankful that I don't like sweet stuff? After all, it takes a very special kind of person to drink that…"
"What do you-" Then she gasped. "You found it?!"
"The evidence was in plain sight." Chrono teased. "It's not like I needed a warrant."
"H-How was it?" She asked shyly.
"Depends on what you're going to use it for, frankly I don't mind another pest killer on the market…"
"Chrono!"
"I'm just kidding, it's fine really… In fact, it's a reasonable improvement from the first few..."
"You're really cruel you know," Carim sighed. "Playing with a girl's feelings like that…"
"Habit…" Chrono realized what he had said. "SO!! How's your little sister and her crew coming along?"
"Huh? Oh, they're doing great…" Carim smiled, and what had slipped was forgotten. "Hayate-chan sends a report every week to keep me updated."
"Eh? That's nice, I haven't even spoke to them for quite awhile now…"
"It can't be helped." Carim said sympathetically. "Mages of your caliber are usually posted to the troubled zones… Most of which are very far from Mid-Childa…"
"Then I suppose I should be thankful to you, for pulling me out of there right?"
"I expect nothing short of eternal gratitude, Admiral…"
"I'll think long and hard about it… Back on the topic of Riot Force Six, I'm rather concerned about their shortage of manpower. Especially in terms of combat personnel…" Chrono said worriedly
"Ah well, there're many complications in that matter…"
"But isn't it a bit risky relying on only two small teams?"
"Quantity isn't everything." Carim replied. "Hayate said it herself."
"Maybe, but quantity is sometimes a quality by itself." Chrono pointed out. "And considering the enemy is using rather easily manufacturable war machines, it's not difficult to be caught off guard."
"Even if you say that, there's nothing we can do about it." Carim sighed. "It's hard enough to convince the Board to allow five AAA+ and higher personnel on one division."
"Sometimes I don't know what those old relics are thinking…"
"Now now…" Carim laughed. "Besides, you're too much of a worrywart. They did fine during their last few missions didn't they?"
"A pot to a kettle, Knight Carim…" Chrono replied half-heartedly. "But I guessed you're right… Still, I can't help being uncomfortable with their situation, even if they aren't themselves."
"Heh? I would never figure you to be the type that worries about his subordinates…" Carim said slyly. "What happened to the serious and strict working attitude of Chrono Haralown that I've heard about?"
"Nothing but pure rumors spread by someone who has too much time on their hands…" Chrono answered confidently. "These people most likely hang out around hotels while trying to match-make their friends and flirt with pseudo little sisters."
"That's interesting, cause this came from a separate source… Not my usual." Carim smiled innocently.
"A man of high status is bound to be envied upon by many," Chrono smirked. "But whatever I may be, at least I'm not that evil enough to use my underlings as test subjects."
"Whatever could you mean?" Carim asked sweetly "In any case, I doubt you had never abuse your power before…"
"Nonsense, I have always… "
(Flashback)
"What? There's all? I already know about their secret meetings!" Chrono stared in disbelief. "We have to do better people, what am I paying you for?"
"To baby-sit your baby-sitter." Zafira sighed. "In fact, it's about time for her afternoon nap…"
"You don't pay me." Acous said cheerfully. "And if I don't recall wrongly, you still owe me from that bet…"
"YOU KIDNAPPED ME!" Yuuno yelled. "I remember the binding, the gagging, the shoveling into a box…!"
"Oh yeah…" Chrono smiled at that memory. "But that's no reason to not do better…."
"LIKE HELL WE COULD! Besides, why can't you just asked them yourself?!" Yuuno scowled. "Two of them are your teachers and another two are your family!"
"Yuuno, You just don't get how this works…"
"What does that even mean?!"
(End of Flashback)
"…Respected the wishes of the men and women working for me." Chrono said firmly without hesitation.
"I'm sure you do…" Carim raised her eyebrow at him.
"As expected of the revered Knight Carim, you understood me very well…"
And as expected of Chrono, he got himself a playful slap on the shoulder.
After a few moments of peaceful silence and scenery observing, Carim decides that she needs to confront him with the true purpose of calling him here. It's uncomfortable for her to even talk about it, but she feels that he should know about this from her now then to find out himself later.
"Chrono…I need to tell to you about something…"
"What? A love confession all of a sudden?"
"That's not it!" Carim quickly replied with a red face.
Taking a deep breath, she tries this again.
"Are you familiar with 'Oblivion'?" She asked cautiously.
Chrono raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, it's one of the code words that Naval Command use to instruct which particular offensive maneuver a fleet is to take... 'Oblivion' is the code word for a full scale orbitary bombardment of a very large designated area."
"But it can only be given when the CrisCon (Crisis Condition) of the area have fallen to 'Lambda', 'Sigma' or 'Omega' level." Chrono continued. "When order for 'Oblivion' has been issued, every Warships and Battlecruisers in the fleet fires their long range and/or extreme range magic cannons… This includes the Arc-en-ciel if necessary."
"The scariest part about 'Oblivion' is that when the order is given, the attack is to commence immediately… "
"… Whether a not any civilians or friendly forces are still in the area." Carim finished for him.
A few seconds of tense silence passed before Chrono spoke again.
"Carim, what is this about?" Chrono asked, though he already has his suspicions.
She looked him in the eyes, "High council has be very seriously considering it as an option to a massive drone invasion scenario."
"In the capital city?!" Chrono exclaimed, "Ten years ago you would get your rear packed into a box and ship off to some remote outpost for suggesting that!"
"I know, but for some reason, Scaglietti has gotten the lot of them all spook… Or at least, that's what it feels like to me…" Carim said with a troubled look. "They've began recalling two fleets back from the outer perimeters of planet Pollux's and Rigel's borders…"
"And it was just one month ago when they claim that our forces there are vital to keeping the peace and cannot under any circumstances be removed…" Chrono rolled his eyes and sighed. "But maybe I'm just worrying too much again. After all, to use 'Oblivion' in a civilian populated area, the CrisCon would have to be at 'Sigma' level. And with our Aces in the area-"
"That's the other problem," Carim was very unease about something. "They're pushing to allow the order to be carried out under 'Theta' level…"
"WHAT?!?!" Chrono yelled. "That's not even a Code Red statis!"
"From my point of view, they seem to be planning on using this opportunity to replace the Generals in Ground Center who they had been locking horns with for years." Carim spoke with obvious distaste. "There's already one First Admiral supporting this idea, and two more are being pressured into it…"
"Unbelievable…" Chrono shook his head, but then he realized the true meaning of this. "There's something else isn't there? You didn't call me all the way here to just tell me that…"
Carim kept quiet and avoided eye contact.
"I'm only a Third Admiral, that means that I have no say in board meetings. Which means there's nothing I can do about their decisions… But you already know that, so you couldn't be expecting it from me."
"You're a smart man, Chrono…" Carim smiled sadly.
"There's one more thing about 'Oblivion' that I've almost forgotten." Chrono mimicked her looks. "It could only be carried out by an Admiral."
"… The other directors agreed, that should this be implemented, you would be the one responsible for overseeing it." Carim confessed.
"Why?"
"The usual, manpower restrains… You're the only available Third Admiral. All the others were already locked in Class one Lost Logia cases, and the two Commodores they've called back don't have the Arc-en-ciel…"
A few seconds passed before Chrono spoke again.
"Who else other than the board members know about this?"
"No one," Carim replied. "And technically, you're not supposed to know either."
Chrono remained silent.
"You know how this works Chrono, Ground Center contains the defense codes to not only the whole of Mid-Childa, but to every other Military headquarters in the administrated worlds." Carim felt guilty about having to force this onto him. "If things really go that far south, those codes cannot be acquired by the enemy. If not even more lives would be at risk when our entire defense line has been compromised. "
Chrono turned his head to face her.
"Later in the afternoon, Hayate will be bringing Fate and Nanoha over…" Carim looked away. "It's about time we tell them about the prophecy…"
"Yeah…"
"We should also let them know of the likelihood of 'Oblivion'… It's against logical judgment but I feel that they deserved to know."
"They don't need to know." Said Chrono.
"I don't think it's fair to them that-!" Carim was frustrated by his reply.
"You misunderstood," Chrono shook his head, "They don't need to know because it won't happen."
"Not even you can make that promise, Chrono…" Carim shook her head. "High council seems rather determined, and once declared, nobody can call off the attack…"
"You're right, I can't stop the order from being given," Chrono spoke with determination. "But I can disobey it."
"What?! But…!" Carim was genuinely surprised.
"There's no way I'm going to carry out a messed up order like that," Chrono looked her in the eye.
"It isn't that simple! Disobeying a direct executive order from High Council would cost you your career!" She desperately tried to get through to him. "If there's one thing they hate the most, its insubordination."
"So be it. But I'm not leaving anyone behind to die." Chrono smiled wryly. "Even if it means going down there and dragging them out myself."
"Which would also get you court marshaled by G.A.S assuming they somehow survived, you know how testy they are about the Bureau interfering with them…" Carim sighed heavily.
"You don't get it, Carim" Chrono shook his head "I've made a promise to myself a long time ago to protect the present and the future… This includes the people in it."
"The council would never comprehend the value of a single life. They would never understand how one person could have that much of an impact to the big picture. To them, they're nothing more than a number on a page, expendable."
"You can't blame them Chrono… They're all just fighting for the greater good," Carim defended with little conviction in her heart. "Every one of us is… In our own individual ways."
"The 'greater good', huh?" Chrono smiled wryly.
The knight gave him a puzzled look.
"I don't want to do it, Carim…" Chrono replied the unasked question. "Sacrificing people for the 'greater good'… It'll never stop, and sooner or later we'll run out of people to sacrifice."
Carim was speechless, she had never expected him to have said something like that.
"That was the last lesson that mother had taught me," Chrono explained. "It wasn't long after I became an Enforcer that I was assigned to her ship."
"During one dangerous mission, my mother risked her own life to safe one communication officer who was trapped and pinned down. As a result, She was wounded in several places and was hospitalized for a full week. "
"With the first chance I get, I screamed, yelled, and demanded an explanation as to why the captain of the ship needed to save just one live, when her life was the most valuable one of them all." Chrono reminisced.
"What did she replied?" Carim asked politely.
Chrono laughed softly as he told her…
"…Calm down, Chrono." Lindy laughed at her tantruming son. "I'm trying to teach you something it's taken all my life to realized…I'm giving you the chance to not make the same mistake I did…"
"After all, a life isn't something you just write off the way you do with magic…"
"At that time, I couldn't understand her, I don't see how just one person could be of great enough value than the lives and safety of a hundred more…. Isn't it necessary sometimes to sacrifice the live of a few for the greater good?"
"But after meeting with Nanoha, Fate and Hayate, and seeing what they've done… " Chrono looked into the distance. "I now understand my mother's desire to save every person she could. I know the difference that one person could make to change the future."
"But you cannot be sure of that," said Carim. "You don't know what the future-"
"That's the point, isn't it?" He winked at her. "I don't know what the future would bring. That's why I have to do what I can to save every person. Today. Now."
It's at that very moment, Carim felt a very warm feeling beneath her skin.
The man next to her was a Chrono that she had never seen before, a Chrono that she had heard no rumor of, A Chrono that is everything she had never expect.
Though in a way, she had long expected the unexpected from him. Ever since that fateful day they first met all those years ago, where he had shown unexpected, but genuine kindness to a little girl.
…It comes from deep within his heart after all. Smiled Carim as she remembered her internal monologue earlier on before a 'little bird' sneaked up on her.
"Of course, I'm not an idealist. I know that I can't truly save every single one of them…" He quickly added. "But I'll be damned if I don't do everything in my power to try just because it's easier that way, or that they were labeled as an 'acceptable' loss-"
The sound of clapping interrupted his words.
"Very impressive, Chrono…" Carim was positively glowing. "If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken you for a knight!"
"Y-You think too highly of me," Chrono tried to keep a straight face. "I'm first and fore most a military man. And with all due respect, 'Honor' is usually secondary to completing the mission."
"Maybe, but you're a soldier with more moral value than most of the knights I've seen in my lifetime." Carim's eyes sparkled as she speaks. "And that just makes me appreciate you even more!"
"I-I…!" Chrono fights to control his blush. He took a deep breath before trying again.
"Please, I'm trying to be serious here…"
"Haha… Lindy was right about you going all out your way to not be cute…" Carim winked playfully "Though in a way, that part of you is sort of cute…"
Chrono replied with a raised eyebrow. "Careful, Director… That could be considered sexual harassment…"
"Fine fine… " Carim sighed. "But there's still one more issue to address…"
"Which is…?"
"How to stop you from coming so obscenely early."
"Hmmm, that is a problem indeed…" Chrono smirked. "Any suggestions?"
"Well I could always have you thrown out." Carim smiled innocently.
"Hmm, good one…" Chrono admitted. "But I can just break my way in later…"
"Chrono! You would break into a maiden's room to satisfy your own desires?" Carim gasped. "That's rather unexpected…"
"Must you make it sound so wrong?"
"I'm just saying it as it is." Carim said teasingly.
"Sure you are…" Chrono offered his hand. "In any case, let's head back and continue this in your office; it would be troublesome for me if you slipped again…"
"It was an accident." Carim sighed, but still took the offer.
As they walked along the edge, Chrono noticed that she was sniggering to herself.
"What is it?"
"No wonder the three of them likes you so much…"
"Huh?"
"Your three aces," Carim winked. "I've heard from Hayate how you've been supporting them throughout their careers…"
"Haha, I'm not as good as they make me sound…" Chrono's voice softens.
"You're being modest again!" Carim laughed, but she detected that something was wrong.
"Really, when it comes to helping those three…" Chrono spoke barely above a whisper. "All I can do…"
(Flashback)
The bench they sat together in began to turn white from the snow.
In the midst of it all, she smiled with tears falling freely from her eyes, her golden hair somehow seems to glow angelically with the descending snow…
(Flashback)
On the sofa where he helped carried her to, she poured a heart out for the second time in her life. Deciding that nothing could be more important right now, he sat down beside her and place her head on his shoulder.
Clutching tightly the album of the memories that was left to her…
(Flashback)
It pains him beyond words to see her like that, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
Covered with bandages, the young girl was apologizing non-stop as she cried in his arms…
(End of Flashback)
"… Is to make them cry."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing," Chrono assured her. "Just the ridiculously hot sun and me standing under it."
"I see… Well then, let's go back in, shall we?"
"After you," He bowed politely.
"Yup, you would make an excellent knight!" Carim clapped her hands together.
"Not. Interested."
Returning back to her office, the two of them sat on opposite sides of that white round table.
"But really, it's an interesting sight, you in a uniform…"
(Till next time…)
Author's note: Okay, a little something of the story.
To comfirm what's on everyone's mind, yes I don't like Chrono being married. No, I'm not delusional enough to block out the marriage, but I'm doing whatever I can and exploiting what ever loopholes and possibilities that I can find.
Now about Chrono/Carim, assuming he wasn't... 'Tied down', I would think that the two of them would make an interesting, and rather classy and stylish couple base on their personally, though I admit alot is made up of assumptions. I say that their relationship works alot like Benawi and Urutori from the series "Utawarerumono" if you're familiar with it. Hell, even their professions are about the same! And not to mention the hair colour (and length)!
On to the technical side. I use the term 'CrisCon' is use to state the combat situation of an area, it runs from 'Blue' (Alpha, Beta, Gamma), to 'Yellow' (Delta, Eta, Theta), and finally 'Red' (Lambda, Sigma, Omega). 'Blue' statis represent that the Bureau is in good control of the reigon, with the exception of smaller crimes going about. 'Yellow' statis represent that the Bureau's control over the area is being contested. 'Red' alert means that the situation has turn south and that it's spiraling out of their hands. The different levels states the severity of the situation.
Also, "Third Admiral" means "Rear-Admiral", so you can work your way up with the others...
Till next time!