Reviews:
ZZ960107: Finally u updated so happy right now yay, I'm feeling crazy a bit XD
Reply: oh my, *note to self: make sure to never make Zizi crazy*
XChromeHeartsX: I love this story! I just had to make an account to say that 'cause it's that awesome. I hope you update soon, 'cause now I'm addicted to this story and I'd be REALLY disappointed if you didn't!
Reply: *sniff sniff* y-you made an account because of my story? *becomes determined* then I promise to make this story as badass as I possibly can!
A/N: I officially have a plan in mind up until chapter 12. All I gotta do is write it and watch the show. Hehe.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
/-/-/+_+\-\-\
The White Knights
The sunlight streamed into the window of the train cart as it ran its course through the Tokyo Settlement. The sound of another train barely warned the occupants of the cart before the light was blocked by a train similar to their own except heading in the opposite direction.
"I've never left the Tokyo Settlement before! This is so cool!" Shirley said as she gazed excitedly out the window once more after the train had passed. She then grabbed her long orange hair and put it up into a ponytail before getting a pocky stick and bringing it to her lips. C.C., who sat beside Milly in a red shirt and light blue capris, smiled mischievously.
"I'm sure you wish Schneizel could have come with us, don't you?" Everyone chuckled as Shirley blushed and sputtered.
"Don't be so shy," Milly said as she nudged C.C. playfully with her blue clothed elbow. "We can spend the entire night talking!" Shirley's blush remained even as she nibbled on the forgotten stick.
"We can talk about all the guys we like from school!" the blonde added as she fixed the hem of her blue dress.
"Then you'll probably have a lot to talk about, Madame President," L.L. said as he looked up from the book in his hands. The gray pants, purple shirt, and black vest complimented L.L.'s pale skin and amethyst eyes quite nicely. Milly shrugged as she looked out the window with a look of 'helplessness'.
"Who could say?"
Before L.L. could reply with a ready sarcastic remark, the entire cabin was shrouded in darkness and Nina's loud gasp was clearly heard even over the sound of the train moving. When it the lights of the cabin turned on, they were all staring at the mousy girl in concern. It was Milly who reached out to her.
"Nina, it's okay. There are a lot of Britannian tourists at Lake Kawaguchi so it'll be fine." The other three girls couldn't see the small frowns that marred both L.L. and C.C.'s faces before it was quickly wiped off with their concern. "Don't be afraid."
"True, it's not like it's the ghettos," L.L. said as he pushed a strand of hair away from his face and behind an ear.
Nina stared at him in surprise before looking down at her clenched fists that held on tightly to her salmon pink blouse and baggy brown pants. "Yes…but…"
"Don't worry; we'll be with you the entire time!"
"Thanks," Nina said as she began to relax once more.
It was only C.C. that noticed the slight blush on the smiling girl's cheeks. They all turned when another gasp filled the room. Their eyes were immediately captured by the scene the window held. Buildings and a forest dotted the landscape beautifully. Yet the crown jewel was Mount Fuji. The mountaintop was capped in ice while a metal casing covered its right side. The soft looking clouds practically melted into the view. At that moment, the sky seemed so vast and full of possibilities.
…
Schneizel watched with some amusement as the former Elevens explored the new base. He smiled underneath the white mask as he remembered how he had managed to get from a noble he had been playing chess with. The blonde had been able to walk away with a tidy sum of money as well as the rather large transport vehicle that they were now in.
"How did you get this?" Ohgi asked as if he had been reading his mind.
"I borrowed it from a rather generous noble who owed me a small favor," Schneizel said while the voice modulator modified his voice. He nearly laughed outright at the Japanese man's expression.
"So you basically just asked for it?"
"Don't worry, there is no price tag." Ohgi continued to look at him with suspicion shadowing his eyes but he was quickly distracted by one of his exploring comrades.
"What? It's got a second floor?"
Schneizel, instead of paying attention to their unimportant opinions, let his gaze wonder. The color may need to be changed; it's already giving me a headache. Though the gold and purple will have to stay. Though the outside definitely needs a new paint job. "Hey look! It even has a TV!" The rest of the Japanese men and woman gathered in what could be considered the living room as the one with glasses sat down and picked up the remote. Schneizel was too busy being bored, he nearly missed what was being said. That is, until something caught his attention.
"From the student council…?" Kallen said as she gasped lightly. This caused Schneizel to focus on the screen itself. His purple eyes widened from underneath his mask. There was a group of Britannian hostages in what seemed to be a dark store room. There seemed to be five Japanese men; all of them holding a gun to the hostages. There, amongst the crowd, Schneizel was able to pick out the faces of Milly, Shirley, Nina, C.C. and L.L.
His heart nearly stopped beating in his chest.
…
"I'm Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front. This stand that we're taking is for the freedom of Japan and our countrymen. Even though you are not soldiers you are still Britannians!" Milly held on tightly to Nina who hid her face in the blonde's breast, trembling in utter terror. Both C.C. and Shirley pressed closely to L.L. who was on his knees, practically growling underneath his breath.
They had been on their way to their rooms when L.L. noticed that something was up with some of the male staff members. They all seemed to jump slightly at every noise made and though most of them looked Britannian, L.L. was able to realize that they weren't Britannians at all. To the surprise of the girls, he swung an arm over Shirley and Milly and began to laugh rather loudly while leading them to the closest exit. Under his breath, L.L. asked them to just play along. He was a bit surprised when they did but was glad. He didn't need to look to know that C.C. was following them with Nina in tow. They had been so close to the door, only a few more steps to freedom, when two burly Japanese men decided to walk in their way. And that was how their stay at Lake Kawaguchi had started.
"—and oppress us! Sit still, shut up, and you'll stay alive! If you don't well…I'm sure you can imagine what comes after," the Japanese man, Kusakabe, said while ending his little speech with a loud laugh.
"…bastard…" L.L. whispered under his breath. Thankfully the men didn't seem to hear.
…
"I don't know whether to feel happy or sad. I mean, their pride's been hurt because of us and now they're resorting to this? This is suicide! There's just no way they're getting out of this one alive!"
Schneizel's eyes drew away from the screen as he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and checked the screen only to be surprised to see Rivalz's name across the top. The blonde pressed the deny button wishing that he could tell his friend the truth. He could already hear Rivalz cursing his name as he slams his phone down after hearing his voicemail. I know…but…
…
"Since we can't enter the hotel through the air or the water, our only option of a possible hostage rescue mission is to get in through the main utilities tunnel. It runs directly underneath the conventions center hotel." Cornelia frowned as she thought of all the failures so far while the old looking man continued on.
"The plan is to go in through this route, destroy the foundation block and submerge the hotel. Since it was designed to handle supply deliveries, it should be able to handle Sutherlands."
The viceroy stared at the man hard. "And what if the enemy has taken precautions?" the looked like he had been expecting her to ask.
"It should be no problem, Your Highness." Cornelia, not wanting to waste a moment, approved the plan and the man immediately rushed out of the room.
A good ten minutes passed before another officer came into the room. "The three Sutherlands we had sent in have been wiped out, Your Highness."
"Wiped out!? How!? Answer me you fool!" The purple haired princess was practically shaking in anger and frustration.
"It seems that they have modified an old Glasgow into a linear canon!"
"Then there's no way we can break through!"
"What do we do now!?"
"If we release the political prisoners as they demand then—!"
"We can't show weakness to terrorists!" Cornelia shouted over the men as they begun to panic. At her voice, they all shut up and watched her as she gritted her teeth. She was quietly reminded by Guilford about Euphemia's safety being their number one priority.
"It seems that the terrorists have yet to find out that the princess is one of their hostages. She went in disguise since she was just observing so her name wouldn't be on the list of guests. If they find out that she's there, they will undoubtedly use her as a bargaining tool.
…
Suzaku stood in his orange uniform and simply watched the hotel. He vaguely heard the lapping of the water as it rushed towards the shore before leaving just as quickly. "Can't the special core offer any assistance with the rescue operation?" Suzaku asked quietly as if he didn't want to break the silence. The silence stayed a while longer before Lloyd answered his question.
"I've already asked but we are in a regular unit and they don't recognize our chain of command. Besides…" Lloyd trailed off silently as he threw a rock. It managed to skip three times before sinking underneath the small blue waves of the magnificent lake. They all knew why they weren't letting the special core in on the operation. It caused even Cecile to wince and bite her lip in frustration.
"They don't want to entrust the operation to an Eleven, is that right?" Suzaku, though stated like a question, was not a question at all.
"I am quite sure you understand that Princess Cornelia is quite discriminatory about Britannians and Numbers."
"So the Japanese are still not being accepted into your system." The two scientists had to wince at Suzaku's tone of voice. His face was quite blank but his voice was hard; cold.
"But Suzaku, if you weren't being accepted, then why do we have the Honorary Britannian System? Please, just calm down. They'll need us when they have no other option left. We just have to be patient." The tension in Suzaku's shoulders melted away as he released a huge sigh.
…
Schneizel stared at the small TV in a room with a small frown marring his face. He watched as Mr. Fenette talked about his daughter and how she went with her friends to sight see. He mentioned how evil the terrorists may be to even dare think of hurting a girl as sweet as Shirley. Schneizel simply had to agree to that. We need to organize before fighting them again. But, we're not ready yet!
No, we can't just sit here and do nothing either. Knowing Cornelia, she would gladly sacrifice the hostages. But that leads me to the next mystery. Why hasn't she? Schneizel was quickly brought out of his musings by the sound of Kallen entering the room.
"Infinite, what will happen to the hostages?"
"Eventually, there would be no point in keeping them around."
"…yes, I guess you're right…"
…
Suzaku stared at the live monitors while Cecile did whatever she had to inside the cockpit. He could vaguely hear voices outside but paid them no mind. Right now, all he could think about were L.L. and C.C. Were they okay? Did the terrorists do anything to them? These questions were driving him crazy.
"Those student hostages, they're your friends from school, aren't they Suzaku?" Cecile said, trying to fill in the silence. "They're still negotiating so let's not give up hope. Nothing is set in stone."
"I have faith in the system, Ms. Cecile. I prefer systems over individualistic emotions." Cecile felt her heart being weighed down as she realized what Suzaku was saying but said nothing in reply. She merely stared at the back of the boys curly haired head. That is until he called her name.
"Ms. Cecile. Look!"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Suzaku quickly zoomed in on the top of the hotel where several men were standing. Several of them were in what seemed to be a uniform while another one was in a plain blue shirt. That man had his hands behind his back, as if they were tied.
"That's…" Cecile gasped and put her hands to her mouth.
"Oh my god…what are they going to do to him!?"
"Don't…don't do it…"
Suzaku's yell was an echo of that screaming man as he fell to his death.
"NO!"
…
"This is their warning? Barbarians!" Darlton said as he, Guilford, and Princess Cornelia walked down the brightly lit corridor. The light managed to make the walls look like a light blue while their shadows were turned into a darker shade of blue.
"For now, we can negotiate just to get the women and children out," Guilford said this while fixing his glasses on his face.
"No! Once you give in to their demands, you begin to legitimize terrorism!"
"Viceroy! It's Infinite! We've received a message from him!"
…
Schneizel watched as Sutherlands surrounded the camera van and shined lights on them. He was increasingly grateful that he didn't lose balance when they came to a jerking stop as Cornelia and two other Sutherlands appeared in front of them. Cornelia, as much as I'd love to get revenge from our time at Shinjuku, you are much too useful to me alive. If you do what I predicted, the power of the kings won't be needed. The purple eyed boy watched as Cornelia stood up and brought out a rather large and expensive looking shotgun.
"We meet again, Infinite. Are you a part of the Japan Liberation Front? Or maybe you intend to help us? Either way, our problems take priority over yours at the moment. And so for the death of my half-brother, Clovis, I shall take my revenge right here!"
"Cornelia!" Schneizel said as the wind slightly ruffled his cape. "Clovis who is dead? Or Euphemia who is alive?" Schneizel smirked as he noticed the older princess's look of utter surprise. My suspicions seem to be correct. She always did dote on her. And now she is paying the price for it. But, it is now in my favor. "It is in my power to save her for you."
"What do you mean? I have no idea as to what you are talking about." Cornelia yelled as the wind picked up once more.
"I said that I am able to save her! But only if you let me…" They all waited for the Viceroy's response but Schneizel already knew the answer.
…
"Wonderful! I would like to thank you for that lovely order!" Lloyd quickly turned off the monitor and turned to both Suzaku and Cecile. "Ahaha! They said you have the green light Lancelot! They've ordered us to charge right into that linear canon in the tunnel!"
"Wait a second!" Cecile said as she glared down at Lloyd. "You mean to tell me that they're using him as a distraction to make an opening for them!?" Lloyd's smile widened maniacally.
"Exactly! They plan on using the confusion to send in the Royal Guards!"
"But Lloyd! I don't thin—!"
"Ms. Cecile! Please let me do this. If it helps save the hostages, then I will gladly do this! If the Lancelot and I are needed and it will give the hostages a chance to escape then I am ready and willing!" Suzaku stared down before looking into Cecile's pale blue eyes. "Even if it means being a decoy."
Cecile stayed staring at her little boy before leaning over and unplugging the wires that were attached to some monitors. "Okay, just be careful."
After she left, Suzaku closed the cockpit door and plugged in the activation key. He quickly typed in the password and watched as the screens fully awakened. The moment he put in the ear piece, he was able to hear the voices of people shouting over one another. "Warrant Officer Kururugi, here is a guideline for your mission. According to prime search, the hostages are located somewhere on the hotel's middle floor and are believed to be locked inside a food storage room. Advance prototype weapon, Z01-Lancelot will use the utilities tunnel to move under the hotel.
"Once on site, you will destroy the foundation block and submerge the building. The area with the hostages should hold out for eight minutes. Hostage rescue and mop up of the terrorists will be handled by other units." As Cecile spoke, Suzaku felt the Lancelot being lifted up to the air and moved in a direction; which direction that was, he did not know.
"You will be using the VARIS to destroy the foundation. Set the impact rail to 'Anti Material Level 3'." The moment Cecile stopped talking, Lloyd's voice came on.
"The only variable is that pesky linear canon waiting for you down there. The space is tight in the tunnel so the Lancelot will only have a forty seven point eight percent evasion rate."
"Are we really going through with this?"
"Yup! Make sure you both pull out of there, Suzaku~! Lancelot might be wrecked otherwise and that would be completely unacceptable!" This certainly caught Suzaku's attention.
"Before it's too late!?" When all he received was a hum, Suzaku realized what Lloyd meant by that. "Okay…understood, sir…"
As he was lowered into the opening of the tunnel, he was reminded of an invitation.
"Hey Suzaku! Milly, Nina, C.C., L.L. and I are going to Lake Kawaguchi on Sunday. Wanna join us?" The sun was setting and he needed to go back to base and get a few tests out of the way. He was about to say 'yes' when he remembered about a practice run for the Lancelot.
"Sorry, Shirley, but I have to work that day," Suzaku said. "Wait, did you say that C.C. and L.L. were going?" Shirley looked surprised before nodding.
"Yeah, they weren't originally going but the principal told them that they had to. Why do you ask?" Suzaku smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh no reason. It's just that they seemed to be irritated by me as of late. Ever since the other day when I fell on you." Shirley's eyes widened before a blush came over her cheeks.
"O-Oh, yeah, well….I guess that it's still too bad that you can't come," Shirley said while trying to keep the memory of their rather compromising position. "Maybe next time."
"But thank you for inviting me, Shirley. I really appreciate it. I hope all of you have a good time." With that, he had turned and walked away.
Once Lancelot touched the floor of the utilities tunnel, Suzaku positioned the Lancelot into its launch stance.
"Twelve seconds to operation start. Commencing count down."
…
They were all completely miserable. They were hungry, thirsty, and the coolness of the store room was causing them to shiver. By now, L.L. and stopped grinding his teeth and glaring at the Japanese men that surrounded them. Now he was merely holding on tightly to C.C. who had a death grip on his waist. He guessed that Milly could barely breathe from the way she tried to ease Nina's hands away from her every few minutes. It didn't exactly help that the terrorists were circling them which caused the poor girl to tighten her grip every time they passed. And finally, one just had to pause near her. In the man's defense, Nina had picked the worst possible time to express just how racist she was.
"A—an Eleven…"
If he had been any less classy, L.L. would have face-palmed. Thankfully, C.C. had been able to express her disappointment in the form of letting her face hit his chest and releasing a groan. The men in his boring uniform looked pissed.
"What did you say?" L.L. then began to glare once more when the rude man pointed his gun to the poor girl who practically shrieked. "We are NOT Elevens! We're Japanese, damnit!"
"Yes we are aware of that, sir! Now just leave her alone, today hasn't been very relaxing if you know what I mean!" C.C. yelled from her place beside L.L.
"Then correct her! We're not called Elevens!"
Shirley then decided to enter in their conversation. "Fine! We'll correct her!"
"How dare you speak that way to me!?" The five students cringed as they realized that the man was about to blow. "You three come with me! I'll make sure to teach to a lesson you'll never forget!" The moment he felt C.C. tense up beside him was the moment he realized that the man had also been talking to C.C.
"Now wait a minute!" L.L. said as he slowly stood up. He pushed away the fear that pulsed in his chest as the gun was pointed at him. Instead he glared at the Japanese man in front of him.
"No, you sit your ass down before I blow a new hole in you, pretty boy!" The man reached down and grabbed Nina, hauling her to her feet as she practically screamed into his ear.
"No! Let me go!"
"Hey! Let her go!" L.L. said as he reached out to stop the man. Instead, another soldier came and gave him a punch that knocked him flat on his ass and see stars. He could vaguely hear Nina screams, along with C.C., Shirley, and Milly's voices asking him if he was okay. He pushed away their searching hands and sat up. The world began to spin but he stood up, albeit slowly. He could feel the eyes on him but didn't care. L.L. wiped at his wet lip and looked down to see blood on his pale hand.
"I said let her go."
Even Nina stopped her crying as they all watched as L.L. practically signed his death certificate. The raven refused to struggle as he was grabbed by his rather expensive purple shirt and practically lifted up into the air. Instead, he stared coolly down at the man. He didn't even flinch as he was given another blow, this one to his gut. L.L. prepared for the next one when a voice called out. This one sounded feminine and when he looked, it was the pink haired girl he had seen when they first entered the lobby earlier that day.
"Stop it!"
"Who the hell are you!?" The guy immediately released L.L. who merely collapsed onto the floor; not expecting to be let go seemed to do that to you if the sound of Nina falling was anything to go by.
"I demand that you take me to your leader right now, understand!?" L.L. used this opportunity to ignore the girls' pleas to stay still and crawled over to Nina who was staring in shock at the pink haired girl in shock. "You are addressing Euphemia li Britannia, the Third Princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia." By the time Euphemia turned her eyes to them, L.L. was already leading Nina back to their group with an arm around her. "Are the two of you alright?" L.L. smiled while he nudged Nina who continued to stare at the princess.
"Uh, y-yes…"
…
"Lancelot now launching!" Suzaku sped down the tunnel with determination lighting up his eyes. Before long, he was able to see the canon only to have it go off. The Lancelot's shadow danced on the walls as it moved forward only to reverse in an effort to dodge the shrapnel.
…
The moment they felt the slightest breeze, Cecile, Lloyd, and along with many other scientists ducked down. The moment they did, a large blast of air came up through the opening of the tunnel, bringing up debris with it. "I warned to about this, Lloyd!" Cecile said as she held on to a desk with one hand while the other covered her head. Lloyd himself gave a shaky smile as he remained crouched down with both hands covering his head.
"He doesn't want to play decoy! He's going for the gold!
…
"Calm yourselves!" Schneizel yelled as he shot two of the Japanese officers that came running in. "The Colonel committed suicide after realizing how futile this mission was." It was then when he noticed the pink haired girl that was surrounded by the terrorists in a white dress and a yellow sweater. "Euphemia…I am guessing that you revealed yourself for the commoners." Her expression revealed it all. "I see that you have not changed."
…
Suzaku continued his charge as more shrapnel flew his way. He quickly activated his energy shields while grabbing the VARIS from its place behind him. He felt himself smile as he realized that the shield could take on the amount of destructive force given to him by the canon.
"Heh, L.L. would give me an earful if he knew that I was gambling on that…"
It was when he saw what looked like guns rise up from the side of the canon that he felt the smile slip. "Ms. Cecile, it's time for me to use the VARIS." The panic in the blue haired woman's voice was obvious.
"No! You could get killed!" Suzaku activated the shield as more shots came his way; the sparks were flying as he passed them and deflected the lethal pieces of metal. "There's no room for me to evade, Ms. Cecile!" Just as he said this, one of the deflected pieces flew up from his shield and hit the roof of the tunnel. The dust and debris that flew down gave Suzaku some coverage. "I'll risk getting blasted if it means getting the first shot!"
The smoke cleared just as Suzaku managed to take aim with the blue rifle. The canon was only a few meters as the Japanese boy continued his charge. Suzaku watched in the second that it happened as the canon was fired. At that moment, he fired the VARIS and watched as the blue bullet of energy blasted away the shrapnel that had been released as well as the canon and the Japanese men inside. Suzaku gritted his teeth as he used the opening made by the blast to jump up and out of the water. For a quick second, Suzaku simply stared at the sight before him. Who knew the Lancelot could jump so high? He thought before aiming the VARIS at the barely visible foundation block.
…
L.L. glared at the Japanese men as he realized several things. The first was that Princess Euphemia was probably the reason that the Britannian military was not making a move. The second was that they were probably getting rid of hostages as warnings if the last eight people were anything to go by. And the third was that he was next if the Japanese man glaring at him had anything to say about it.
And then the building began to shake.
"What the hell!?" Perfect opportunity.
L.L. jumped to his feet. The terrorist barely had enough time to look when L.L. pushed the muzzle of the rifle away and grabbed the butt of it. By the time he finally realized what was happening, L.L. had kicked him in the nuts so hard, he blacked out the next second. Feeling extremely accomplished, he turned and aimed the lethal gun towards one of the remaining two armed men. He saw from the corner of his eye as C.C. threw herself on the ground, shot her leg up, and kicked the soldier's knee in. The man immediately let go of weapon which literally fell on her now exposed stomach. Without bothering to get comfortable, C.C. grabbed the long weapon, rolled on to her stomach, and aimed the rifle to the remaining armed soldier.
"Please put the gun down, sir," L.L. said in a rather commanding voice. With shaky hands, the dark haired man carefully put down weapon and kicked it.
Right to his downed buddy that had his knee kicked in. L.L. barely had enough time to drop his own gun and push Milly on to her back when the entire building began to shake and fall. A single gunshot rang but was drowned out by the sound of people screaming. He vaguely knew who the shot came from. He could only watch with sick satisfaction as the door was blown open and the debris hit an already dead soldier along with his two companions.
…
Schneizel felt as if the Knightmare outside, in the friggin air, was staring at him. He quickly pressed the detonation button that was in his hand and watched as the glass exploded outward.
…
Suzaku gasped as the images of the building exploding filled his monitors as he landed on the bridge just beyond the now useless gate to the hotel. "L.L.!" He yelled as he jumped over the gate and into the cloud that now surrounded the area where the hotel was supposed to be. He could vaguely hear Lloyd and Cecile's yells over his ear piece.
The closer he got, the further the hotel seemed to pull away from him. It was only when he heard splashing when he realized that the great building was falling backwards. The moment it fell completely, Suzaku stopped his pursuit. They…they can't be alive…not after that… Suzaku stayed silent even as he heard Cecile and Lloyd yelling in his ear, asking him if he was alright. The fire blazed in his monitors but he didn't really see them.
Tears welled up in his eyes and blurred his world as he bit his lip in order to feel something. "I…I couldn't rescue them…" he said with a broken voice. "Th-they're dead…I failed!" Suzaku slammed a gloved fist into the side of the cockpit. "L.L.!"
…
"All of the hostages from the hotel are safe and sound." Schneizel stared at the camera coolly even though it wasn't visible. He had made sure that he had a spare Infinite outfit on hand since there was just simply no way of cleaning the one he had had on in time for their debut.
"I return them to you, completely unharmed."
…
Suzaku, tears streaming down his face, smiled as he found the face(s) he had been looking for. "They're fine," he said before slumping bonelessly against the seat. "He's fine…"
…
"People! Fear us! Or rally behind us! We…are the White Knights! We fight for those who cannot fight for themselves!" Schneizel smirked, knowing that, by now, everyone was watching.
"The Japan Liberation Front took innocent civilians hostage and then mercilessly began executing them. This was a selfish and meaningless act. Therefore, they have been punished. Just as Clovis had been murdered for his order to kill countless Elevens. We cannot let such cruelty to be carried out and so we made him pay for his actions.
"The only ones who should kill…are those prepared to be killed! Where ever the strong abuse their power and attack the powerless, we shall appear again. No matter how mighty—how formidable or opponent may be." Schneizel threw back a side of the white cape and felt as if the world was already at his feet.
"Those of you with power: fear us." He threw back the other side. "Those of you without it: rally behind us!"
"We, the White Knights, shall stand in judgment of this world!"
…
It was a whirlwind after Infinite's official debut of the 'White Knights'. And one of the worst headaches L.L. has ever received. After being taken in to a "secure" location (read as: the space between two ambulance cars), sent to an ambulance to receive medical help, had half his face covered in what really was a huge bandage while having an elastic bandage to be wrapped around his abdominal area ("just in case" apparently), after being treated he was then kicked out of car so "other patients could be treated". One of the few good moments came in the form of a call. From Schneizel.
"L.L.!" The boy just had to cringe as he heard his name being yelled into his ear. After about a minute's worth of yelling, L.L. finally had a chance to talk back.
"Schneizel, just breath. C.C., Milly, Shirley, Nina, and I are all perfectly fine. The most is a couple of bruises and hurt prides." L.L. couldn't help the smile that came as he heard Schneizel sigh in relief.
"Thank god. I was so worried. Rivalz was too! God…if those bastards had done anything to hurt you I would just…" L.L. realized just how worried the blonde had been; mostly because he cursed.
"Hey Schneizel…we're okay, I promise," L.L. said in a soft voice as he cupped the phone in his hand.
"I—I know it's just that—!" L.L. didn't get to hear the rest of what he had to say.
A blue haired woman, rushing off to who knows where, bumped into him; causing the phone to be knocked out of his hands and onto the floor. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" The woman turned around and faced him with an apologetic look on her face.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I was in a rush and I just didn't see you there!"
L.L. sighed as he picked up the phone that had ended the call to Schneizel. "No, I'm sorry that I had to hold you up. I guess I'm just grumpy because Suzaku hasn't called me." He added that last part offhandedly but would be glad later on. Like in five minutes.
"Wait, did you say Suzaku? As in Suzaku Kururugi?" L.L. blinked up in surprise.
"Uh yes, but how do you know Suzaku exactly? I don't think I caught your name either…" the light blue eyed woman blinked in surprise before smiling and holding out her hand.
"Oh! Yes! Of course! My name is Cecile Croomy and I am part of the Special Core. If you want…Suzaku is taking a break right now so it would be a good time to meet with him." L.L. flashed her his polite smile and nodded.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble…" Cecile flashed L.L. a smile of her own before leading him to a more military controlled area of the shore. There, standing in all its glory, was a white Knightmare. Its structure didn't seem drastically different from that of Sutherlands yet was obviously in a class of its own.
And there beside it, was what seemed to be two temporary walls connected to each other and a single chair in between them. Suzaku was sitting on said chair looking beyond exhausted. And in his flight suit.
"Suzaku! You have a friend here to see you!" Suzaku's head jerked up in surprise and he stared into L.L.'s amethyst orbs.
"L.L.?" Suzaku stood up and ran up to the pale boy, giving him hug. One that L.L. did not return. This caused Suzaku to pull back and look at the deathly blank stare he was receiving in return.
"So Suzaku, is that how an engineer's outfit look like? It looks a little tight but I guess I can't say anything about the uniforms the military hands out now, can I?" Cecile did not help matters much.
"What are you talking about? Suzaku isn't an engineer! He's actually one of our best Knightmare pilots!" Cecile then put a finger to her chin and looked up at the sky in thought. "But, now that I think about, I never asked you for your name."
L.L. was still blank faced when he replied. "My name is L.L. Kururugi. It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Croomy." Cecile was nearly floored.
"YOU'RE L.L.!?"
At the sound of her shocked voice, L.L. turned and faced the woman. "From the sound of that, I'm guessing Suzaku has mentioned me. I'm also guessing that he's mentioned C.C." Cecile nodded, looking at him in shock.
"He couldn't stop talking about you guys when I first picked him up from the streets…" It was L.L.'s turn to be surprised.
"D-does that mean you are his care taker?" Cecile nodded while she remembered the first day she had met Suzaku.
"Yeah, he was a scrawny boy. And he kept on talking about to other people named C.C. and L.L." Cecile was then surprised even more when L.L. turned his back to the guilty and embarrassed looking Suzaku and gave her a deep bow.
"Thank you of taking care of him, Ms. Croomy. I'm sure that our Suzaku would have been lost to us if it hadn't been for you." Cecile took a step back and shook her head.
"Oh! It was nothing like that! I just…I couldn't just leave him there."
L.L. looked up and continued to smile. "Yes, but some people would have left him there. I can tell that you are a kind woman, Ms. Cecile Croomy. The world needs people like you." Cecile smiled before taking L.L.'s hand and Suzaku's and joining them together.
"No, the world needs more people like the two of you." Suzaku and L.L. stared at her in surprise before looking down at their joined hands then up to each other's faces. They searched and must have found what they were looking for because their faces softened into something special and their fingers tightened around each other's.
"Yoo-hoo! You simply cannot forget about this lovely lady!" Lloyd said as he walked towards them with C.C.'s hand in his. He lifted up and gave her a twirl while C.C. laughed as she did so. L.L. and Suzaku smiled as well and held out a hand towards her which she gracefully grabbed. "There definitely needs to be more people like her!"
/-/-/+_+\-\-\
Comments:
Finito! Wow, this chapter came in at third place for longest chapter! The first being chapter 7 and the second being chapter 1. I am especially thankful to all the people who have supported and read this story up top this chapter. I know the updates are long drawn out and don't really differentiate much from the canon but I feel like it will be worth it! Q _ Q So please don't leave.
REVIEW por favor!
