Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy Type-0 or any related production. This is based off of the work of Tetsuya Nomura and owned by Square Enix Holdings and HexaDrive. Please support the official release
Author's notes: This takes place after the death of Kurasame at big bridge but before the offensive to the Kingdom of Concordia's capital. So put it around chapters 6-7 of the games and war.
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King took a deep breath as he looked at the door across the hallway before checking to make sure that the hall was empty.
This was the fourth women's room he had tried.
The first by the library one had a pair of girls from class Four who upon realizing a man was breaking into their domicile, threw lightning bolts at him.
The second one by the chocobo ranch has been empty save for a lot of mud and organic matter that was worse than mud.
The third had Mutsuki Chiharano inside of it who threw a tantrum thinking King would 'molest her blooming female form' before trying to blow him up. That was why his pants were missing a leg.
After ensuring the coast was clear, he enter the ladies room by the terrace. It was just past mid-day. Most people liked to move around the balcony that had one of the best views in Academia earlier or later in the day or at lunch time. Lunch had ended an hour ago and sunset was still three away. The likelihood of being caught was slim, but still possible.
He pushed the door open and though he heard something.
After pausing a second to think King put the plan into motion.
He walked over to the sink, washed his hands and dried them before returning to the door. The King of Class Zero opened and closed the door out without existing and stood still, breathing in the calm even fashion he used when shooting.
He heard it again. A light sniffle coming from the second stall in. Of course it wouldn't be the first stall. The one closes to the door would be the chose for those that were in a hurry. The last was for those that wanted privacy. The middle two seldom used.
With the practiced steps of one who had been trained to fight since he was seven, King silently stepped up to the stall door and knocked softly. "Seven." He said, trying not to sound like a stalker.
He could hear the occupant let out a breath and the door burst open. If he wasn't ready for it, King would likely have been stabbed by the chain sword.
"What do you want?" Seven demanded, her voice far more severe than normal and her appearance less then pristine. While she looked better in the summer uniform then King did in his, there were several water marks on the collar and cape. Her gloves were also missing, stuffed into a pocket of her skirt haphazardly.
King held his hands up both to placate her… and to summon his two guns if needed. "I am here to listen. That is all." King emphasized the last word as he saw the telltale twitch of Seven's wrist meaning she was about to switch from blade to whip.
Seven glared at him for a few seconds before relenting and dismissing her weapon.
"What's there to talk about?" She asked in resignation. "I took a chance, it didn't pan out. End of story."
"For starters… what really happened because Cinque was being vague and the rumors are untrustworthy."
"Rumors?" Seven asked in disgust before muttering to herself "Of course there will be rumors. Anytime call Zero does anything people talk."
King muttered an affirmation before looking around. "Is there a place to sit?"
Seven moved out of the stall and sat in a corner away from all the rooms furnishings. "Here's as good a place as any."
Most other people might have tried to change venue rather than having what could be an indepth conversation in a women's rest room, but the children of Dr. Al-Rashia had been in worst areas so he just shrugged it off and set down near Seven, leaving a inches between as a sign of respect. Duce and Jack had always been the ones to prefer physical contact while Seven, Ace and Sice were on the other side of the spectrum.
"What are they saying?" Seven asked as she pulled her legs up to her chest in an unusual sign of vulnerability. Trying to make herself smaller and less noticeable then normal.
"It doesn't matter what they say, all that matters is what transpired." King responded evenly. In his eyes, they rest of Academia could stuff it. Just like after the Queen of Concordia's death. He needed no outside justification to prove his existence.
Seven took a deep breath. She would forgo any flower language or details and get straight to the point. "I was working with Aki Manahara. You know, from class ONE."
King nodded in acknowledgement. He know of Aki a fair amount but had little interaction with her. He knew her sister Fuyu better as Class FOUR operated in a medical capacity while class ONE was more combat oriented and Summoning. Class ZERO rarely needed help fighting in the field.
"Well I have been helping her and a few others from ONE with a side project for the Armory. A way of mixing Milites and our magic to make a wide area magic super charger. Sort of an opposite Crystal Jammer. To allow for the rest of the school whose powers are blocked by the Crystal Jammer to fight for a short time even under its influence."
Again King nodded. Mother had mentioned the idea one or twice since the war began but he never game much through to it. Both because he and most of class ZERO didn't need it. But also because in order to understand the Crystal Jammers, someone had to capture them intact. Something that had yet to happen.
"We were finishing up an experiment that was supposed to fail… when it didn't. Or I should say not completely. The magic from the crystal was blocked, but when it was not, the spells were more powerful without any MP put into it." Seven was on a roll at this point and King let her continue.
"Trey and Queen were almost jumping out of their skins and Aki… she had this smile on her face that…"
King filled in the black. "You said something."
Seven looked at him and her hand flicked in the way that would summon her whip sword again.
King powered through it, intent on saying his piece before his surrogate sister secured him. "You were high on the euphoria of a breakthrough and said something that made it awkward." King finished.
Seven looked away. "I kissed her."
That would make things uncomfterable.
"Aki didn't say anything. She just stood there like she was petrified. I realized what I did and I ran. I mean, body outside of the ten core members of ZERO know I am interested in women. And I go and do something like that." Seven looked back at her feet. "She looked so radiant and everyone was hugging. So I kissed her on the cheek."
"That wouldn't be enough to force you into hiding though." King deduced. Seven doesn't hide from a social misstep. There was something more.
"Some of the other people. Mostly other class ONE members saw it as well. They… cornered me about it. Forced question about my sexuality. Made it seem like it was wrong or something." She looked to King. "Is it?"
King hated this. Seven was a strong woman. One that he had counted on for years to help him keep their more rumbustious siblings in line when Mother wasn't available. This shift didn't fit her personality. However… "I don't know." He admitted. Seven's face dropped. She was looking for exoneration and didn't get it. King however wasn't done. "You're asking a question about sexuality to a person who had never been in a relationship. So no. I don't know if it's wrong or right. All I know…" He looked at Seven. "Is that people have been struggling with that question for centuries. There are many viewpoints, some of which are none too forgiving." He paused. "I also know that people are jealous of us. Class ZERO. Jealous of our abilities and uniqueness. Just like when it was believed we killed the Queen of Concordia. And several in class ONE are angry at us. They think we have taking their spot as best class in the school."
Seven listened to him in silence.
"However rather then strive to improve themselves, they just look down upon us and say that were are freaks to make up for their own shortcomings. Let them. I don't need them to define who we of class ZERO are. And neither should you."
"They might believe that what you did was wrong for some reason. Or they might just be looking for a way to hurt you because of that jealousy. But they are not you Seven. Following Mother you are the strongest woman I know. No matter who you care for. And if they have a problem with it, then they can come to our class. Because I know all of Class ZERO will stand with our sister. Like we always have and always will."
Seven hummed in agreement as her tense frame relaxed. She leaded into King like so many of Dr. Al-Rashia children had at different points. Relying on his determination to be the framework from which they could ground themselves when the world got difficult to handle. A foundation from which the others could build upon.
"Why haven't you been in a relationship?" Seven asked.
King let out a low chuckle that reverberated through the room. "With who?" He responded with what could pass as sarcasm. "We've been around people old enough to be our parents for the last ten years before coming to Academia. So unless you are implying I should have started something with Dr. forty-something I haven't had many opportunities to go on a date."
Seven realized an opening and seized upon it. "And none of Mother's other children didn anything for you?" She asked. Making sure to not look at his face lest her smile give away hear teasing.
"These is someone." King responded to Seven's surprise. "But we don't… play for the same team I believe is the phrase."
Seven move so she could look at him. "Don't tell me it's Nine."
King only had three real facial expressions. Neutral, which to most people looked like he was glowering. Smile, which was much like neutral only he was showing teeth in a manor resembling a hyena. And the final one was Brick Face. Coined by Jack because it made King 'look like he was about to drop a brick'. This was deffinatly a brick face moment. Just what Seven was looking for.
"It is isn't it." She laughed slightly at her own joke. "I though that Cinque was merely misinterpreting your friendship."
"It's not Nine." King muttered through grinding teeth.
Seven let out a final chuckle as she leaned back against the wall. "I know. It's just so rare for you to lose your composer I had to try."
They sat like that for a good half hour. Their backs against the wall in a comfortable silence. Finally King looked down to see that Seven had fallen asleep. Using the wall and himself as a prop to keep her from falling down.
Sighing the young man pulled out a small communication device. Dialing a number he muttered into it before hanging up. A few minutes later, Deuce came into the restroom. She helped King pick up the sleeping Seven and after the young lady was in his arms… Number two opened all the doors between the bathroom and the dorm Seven shared with Queen.
Upon entering Queen turned form her book to see King depositing Seven on the empty bed.
As King made to leave Deuce take off Seven's shoes and make her comftrable, Queen followed the taller man out.
"I heard something interesting happened today." She began. Her arms crossed.
"Hm?" King responded. He was never one for words and all that talking with Seven had tired him out.
"Nine and Cinque were down at the training area with some members of Class One. There was a good deal of screaming and what looked several human shaped impressions on the ground." Queen went silent for a moment to let King defend himself. When he didn't she prompted, "Is there something I should know about?"
"Nope." King responded as he pushed himself off the wall. "I'm sure Nine and Cinque were merely care of some trash."
Queen readjusted her glasses. "Just so long as none of this gets back to Mother." She cautioned before returning to her shared room. After the door shut King went in the opposite direction towards the room he shared with Jack and Nine.
Inside Nine was getting ready for a shower. His body covered in dust.
"We got it taken care of, yo." Nine said as he was his roommate and best friend. "Nobody will be talking about Seven's little thing for a while. Although Trey had to prevent Cinque from killing this one moron ya know."
"Thanks." King responded handing Nine a towel.
"Corse." Nine said as accepted the cloth. A nice black eye forming on the tallest member of class ZERO's face. "Nobody messes with one of us without paying the price." Nine then walked out of the room, leaving King alone.
The gunner took off his shoes and laid back on his bed.
He hadn't been lying to Seven about being attracted to someone. She just didn't realize who.
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In his mind King fled back in time to when he was only nine years old.
Mother had been angry. Truly angry. Something had went wrong in a Consortium of Eight meeting. She had returned to their training grounds in a fury.
King had just begun to learn about how to use the two handguns that would one day become his primary weapons. When Mother had entered, he tried to sooth her only for Dr. Al -Rashia to snap at him. Saying that it was taking him 28 seconds to fully load a clip when his past incarnations had been about to do it in 20. She had then ordered King to keep practicing until he could do in under 20 seconds and stormed out.
King had done as told. Working well past midnight to try and meet the unreasonable request. Even as his fingers bled from the work he still powered through.
It was somewhere past 3 in the morning when someone finally came for him.
"Hey." The girl said as King powered through another round of loading. Only to come up short at 23 seconds.
When she didn't receive a response the girl tried again. "Hello!"
Still King didn't react. Determined that the next one would be successful.
Just as he was about to reset the stopwatch the girl's hand grabbed him.
"What do you want Seven?" King almost wined. He was too tired for interruptions.
"I came to get you." She responded flatly.
King didn't look at her. "I have to do this." He responded trying to shake Seven's hand away.
But the girl wouldn't let up. "Mother left hours ago to fix whatever the problem was. I'm sure when she gets back she'll tell you everything is ok."
"But she didn't yet." King shot back in frustration. "Mother told me to do something and I CAN'T!" He took a deep calming breath. "I can't let her down Seven."
Seven moved the empty ammunition clip from King's hands. "You're just going to hurt yourself. And what will Mother say then."
"That I'm not good enough." King responded. The worst fear any of Dr. Al-Rashia children had was to not live up to her expectations.
"And destroying your hands to meet an unreasonable goal is just as bad." Seven countered. "Just… stop for a few minutes. Take a break. Have you even had dinner?"
"No." King grudgingly admitted.
"Then lets get you something to eat." Seven pulled him away from the table covered with hundreds of clips of ammunition and down to what passed as the kitchen in the research institute.
She set him down on a chair and pulled some leftovers out. By the time she turned back the boy King was asleep at the table. Smiling like an older sister Seven merely returned the food and got a blanket before joining him on the chair.
Arecia Al-Rashia found them both there the next morning as well as over 600 fully loaded clips of ammunition. She couldn't help but smile at the cute scene as well as berate herself. She should never have taken her anger out on the children. HER children. It was just so frustrating dealing with the same small minded fools over and over every cycle. She'd make it up to all of them later, with particular mention to King.
Dr. Al-Rashia left them sleep.
King had woken with a start later and upon seeing Seven still beside him before looking around and seeing that all of Mother's children were around them in sleeping bags and blankets. It was a sight King would carry with him for the rest of his life. One that he would kill and die protecting.
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In the present day King got off his bed before walking over to the small desk in the corner.
Pulling a book entitled "Memory Capsule: the forget proof record of my family" from the top cabinet the King of Class ZERO began to write.
Tem. XXIV 825
Entry 2120
Seven had a rough one today.
Author's notes:
This entire story out of a though that after the battle of Big Bridge and the loss of Kurasame someone in class Zero would become paranoid about forgetting the rest of the class or be forgotten in turn. So while memories are very transient, a written record would not be.
The rest fell into place after seeing Seven and King interacting with Bomb girl/Mutsuki and the secret ending of the game where Class Zero exists in a world without the crystal and Sice's faulty love confession.
I did like Final Fantasy Type-0 however it felt like they spent far too much time trying to build the world's background and setting but forgot to develop characters for that world. So why not make some of my own.
I also am worried I made Seven a bit too emotionally fragile but I could not think of another way to present the story. I apologize if it seem to OOC.
Hope you enjoy it.