First of all: thank you for not giving up on me, and waiting for another chapter.

I am terribly sorry for the late update. Do you feel better if I confess I feel guilty about not writing? With each and every review, new follower or new favorite I couldn't help but berate myself. I found a new addiction. Harry Potter x anime fanfictions.
Some that I feel worth mentioning and recommending are: Mrs InsaneOne – Haunted (Natsume's Book of Friends); Tango Dancer - Dawn of the Moonfang (Bleach); Eradona - Bleach and the Half Blood Prince (Bleach); exaigon - A Prince? (Half Prince); Laora - Penance (Fullmetal Alchemist).
Feel free to send me a PM if you think there are brilliant crossovers I should read!

I hope the length and quality can make it up to you, have fun reading!
If you come across typo's, grammar errors or just plain gibberish, please do point it out.
Thanks in advance.

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Mirage

For some reason, Ceo couldn't help but curse his superior; Knight-Captain Sun. Who did that obnoxiously two-faced man think who he was? Any day now he would get a breakdown at the mere sight of a form. No, if there was anyone to curse, it was his teenage self. Desperate for any help with the 'flirting' - a phenomenon he still didn't quite get - he had actually let himself become Grisia's personal paperwork-slave. Needless to say, once someone was tricked into Grisia's devious ways there was no escaping. Those who actually got to know this particular side of the loving, good and caring perfect Sun Knight were all regretting the missteps they may have made along the way that led them to be at Grisia Sun's mercy.

Waiting for whatever he was scheming next felt like drowning in a swamp - a swamp that makes you feel like you have lost all your dignity before drowning, that is. Normally the Storm Knight would carry his burden with grace, not falling into petty behavior that consisted out of cursing everything remotely related to Knight-Captain Sun.

It just so happened to be that Ceo returned to the temple a few days ago. He had been away for three weeks encouraging a group that was on strike, as such was expected from the carefree Storm Knight that should approve of everything that was even remotely related to the word 'freedom'. There was just one little problem: taking (duty-bound) leave for three weeks meant he had to do about a month's paperwork from his own Storm Knight platoon, naturally from the Sun Knight platoon, but also all the temple-related paperwork addressed to Knight-Captain Sun regarding pretty much everything.

Often Ceo could fall back on Adair for the reliable vice-captain would sacrifice himself as per usual and manage to do about half of the paperwork that actually belonged to Knight-Captain Sun... But the last three weeks had been tremendously busy for Adair as well. Apparently there had been an awful lot of necromancy activity - which required to whole Sun Knight Platoon to emerge onto the scene - not to mention the fact that Knight-Captain Sun had sent Adair on all kinds of personal missions. This resulted of course in horrifying stacks of paperwork - higher than they were broad - waiting for poor Ceo to stamp them in Grisia's name at the bottom of every single page.

After three full days, two full nights and liters of espresso the Storm Knight had finally ended his self-inflicted seclusion from the outside world. Finally he had managed to catch-up in three weeks worth of the hated paperwork. Internally, he was partying like mad at the thought of finally seeing his long lost friend again: his bed. But first he had to eat a decent meal, otherwise there was no chance he could get himself to leave his bed tomorrow morning – that would be unacceptable, tomorrow was a big day for the country, and their soon-to-be-King. He would have to be present, just like all the other holy Knights.

His fatigue from the all nighters was overwhelming - the basic instincts kicked in. And getting food was his priority. So when Ceo left his office and dragged himself through the corridors, he was in no state of mind to notice how eerily empty they were. The only question that had Ceo wondering at the moment was if anything he had written down the last 24 hours could have possibly consisted out of coherent sentences. He figured if they couldn't decipher the gibberish he'd get the reports back... With enough delay for him to get his well deserved rest.

"...orm...?"

"Storm?"

"Knight-Captain Storm?"

Ceo Storm blinked to see he was not alone. After a bit of focusing, he recognized the blur as the man he had been cursing not too long ago, Grisia Sun. Ceo wasn't sure if his eyes had completely focused, or if his mind was playing tricks on him. He couldn't quite figure out if this was a tête-à-tête or not.

When he first laid his eyes upon him, he was positive he was seeing a mirage. Such a beautiful male couldn't be real. Elves simply weren't this breathtaking. He closed his eyes. A mirage was a very plausible explanation. The constant overload of reports had taken away far too many sleeping hours. He had been working far too long, and this time it resulted not only in a nauseating headache, but also in being delirious which obviously caused this mesmerizing mirage. He opened his eyes again. How peculiar, the mirage was still there. Normally the mirage would go away if he blinked. Ceo's face lost all color of the little it had left. This was serious. He had to lay down and rest immediately, that would be the only remedy.

What if he died of lack of sleep? The Storm Knight was positive that his teacher would search for and find a very capable necromancer in order to raise him back from the dead, just to give him a royal trashing for tarnishing the Storm Knight's carefree image. The only legitimate way for any Storm Knight in office to die, was in the arms of a woman. Until he would find a woman graced with the name 'Lack of Sleep', to give her credit for his 'wonderful' death, he'd have to survive. No, no matter the circumstances, death was never an option. Without somebody properly doing all the dreaded paperwork, it was only a matter of time before the whole holy temple would stop functioning. Aw, the headache...

Still blankly staring at the mirage - or nowhere in particular, since he was the only one to see the mirage - Ceo managed to speak.

"Knight-Captain Sun, I am not feeling too well, please excuse me today." Then something funny happened. The mirage leaned closer to him, and showed an expression full of curiosity. This was very strange, normally mirages were just there. The mirage frowned and looked at Knight-Captain Sun. The last thing Ceo Storm expected, was that the mirage would speak with a voice on par with his beauty. Mesmerizing, and sweet like honey.

"Rather a rude fellow, isn't he? Are all your knights like that?" It was almost as if the mirage was real. What could otherwise be the cause of the sinister smile he just received from his superior, Knight-Captain Sun?

"The God of Light has bestowed a rich diversity of people upon me to lead. Though His benevolence is sometimes shown in queer ways, I gratefully embrace my fellow Knights." Knight-Captain Sun clearly meant to insult the Storm Knight, but the latter was just too worn out to actually hear the insult.

Too worn out might have been the wrong explanation though. Knight-Captain Sun didn't look directly at the Storm Knight, so why would he bother to try to understand? However, this situation needed to be analyzed. If Knight-Captain Sun wasn't speaking to him, who would possibly be the one listening? There was nobody here but him and Knight-Captain Sun. Unless... the mirage was real?

Before the Storm Knight could fully comprehend how rude he had been by assuming the beautiful elf in front of him was a mirage, Knight-Captain Sun directed his attention to him. It happened too fast, or maybe the deadly tired Storm Knight was just too slow. Whichever the cause was, the result was the same: he hadn't been able to interrupt Knight-Captain Sun and ask for simplified English for he himself could barely manage to produce coherent sentences at this point. How could he possibly understand what somebody else had to say, especially if they talked as long-winded as Knight-Captain Sun?

"I thank the benevolent God of Light that He has guided brother Storm towards us. I am sure the God of Light will be pleased to know I try to teach His benevolence as He would. Therefore brother Storm, I urge you to come along with us, enlightened by His guidance, and admire the beauty of nature He has blessed us with." The bright, ominous smile Knight-Captain Sun directed at him immediately sent shivers down his spine. Ceo was positive Knight-Captain Sun would want to strangle him if he'd ask him to rephrase that sentence. Ceo was at the verge of braking down and crying his eyes out. He how could he possibly decipher this?

The mirage must have seen the tears welling in the knight's green eyes. Apparently he understood Ceo's problem. He smiled kindly at the Storm Knight, and spoke once more with that mesmerizing, husky voice of his.

"You are just the man he was looking for. He won't reprimand you this time. But you have to come with us to the garden." Not only his voice was sweet as honey, apparently his character too. Who would have thought there would be anyone but Adair kind and observant enough to decipher that wretched language for him when he couldn't figure it out anymore?

"Thank you." Storm said, with heartfelt gratitude. The mirage gave him an easy going smile.

"You're welcome." It wasn't a mirage, but surely an angel. He had to get to know this man better.

'So much for food', Ceo thought. Remembering the ominous smile Knight-Captain Sun had directed at him only moments ago didn't take a genius to figure out it was better to do as told. Obediently he followed the two down the halls towards the temple garden. Even though he was dead tired, even though his sight was still a bit blurred, and even though he could hardly think straight anymore, he put all his effort in analyzing the situation.

Who was this elf, to be able to have such an animated conversation with Knight-Captain Sun? To the best of his knowledge, only Knight-Captain Sun's vice-captain Adair, Knight-Captain Judgment, and he himself - when he was clear headed of course - could fully understand the nuances of his speech, polluted by references to the God of Light.

And how come this elf was clearly no albino - he had a light skin but definitely a tint - but did have dark elf futures? His hair was as white as untouched snow, and his eyes were red, just like blood. His skin however, wasn't black like ebony. Or coal. His skin was shaded just like it was seen on the prettiest white elf maidens one could ever come across.

To the best of his knowledge white and dark elfs mixed like water and oil would. It was considered impossible to see a dark elf above the surface and live to tell the tale. For white elfs even more so. How could the two races ever have a love child? Or would this elf be a child of rape? Out casted by his mothers white elf clan because his existence reminded them of a day that should be forgotten? This particular elf seemed good humored though. No wrath despite the fact that he was abandoned? Could it be the elf had inherited his mother's ethos?

Even though this was all speculation, the elf clearly possessed dark and holy elements. The amount of elements were easily noticed, even for the untrained eye. So why was this elf with dark elements allowed in the inner circles of the holy temple? Could this possibly have to do with the rumor heard a few weeks ago? The rumor about the Sun Knight being surrounded by dark elements? Who was the Sun Knight associating with? Could it be true that the one who was spotted by Blaze while preforming Dark magic truly was Knight-Captain Sun? Or would Grisia sprout nonsense like he always did? Something along the lines of 'embrace all brothers and sisters, for they are all born under the protection of the God of Light'?

But more importantly, why did this mesmerizing elf with unrivaled beauty seem to enamor the Storm Knight more than any female had ever done? Why did he feel like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to divert it's inevitable destiny? He felt compelled to get to know this beautiful elf better. To hear words spoken with the captivating voice he had heard moments before. The voice which made him wonder if it's sound was solely meant to hypnotize him. But these last few questions made sure to raise a far more important question.

'Could it be... That I, Ceo Storm, the thirty-eighth generation Storm Knight, feel attracted to men? Sure my eyes might have wandered to some fellow knights before... But never did I realize... Never did I feel an urge this strong... Could this be the reason why I have never felt comfortable with all the ladies my teacher acquainted me with? Could this be the reason I never felt like turning my head as I, the Storm Knight, am supposed to? This should be taken to the grave. If my teacher finds out, he'll murder me. As a student I already aggravated him too much, but if he hears a rumor like this...'

Fatigue and pessimism may flock together like birds of a feather but both weren't exactly expressions fit for the Storm Knight's face. He was widely regarded as the upbeat, carefree and footloose charmer and he would rather die than be the Storm Knight generation to break this very image. Even though any other human being would have a face distorted by worry, he managed to paste a laid back smile upon his face. A real achievement, considering the things he thought about, walking behind Knight-Captain Sun, and the mirage-like elf.

With the laid back smile pasted on his face the Storm Knight was the last to enter the inner-temple garden. He almost stumbled at what he saw. The serene place he secretly called his oasis, a place which was normally empty, was now filled with people. Among them there were certain individuals that he didn't recognize as holy knights. Some of them even had dark elements, but more importantly: there were women in a place no female cleric was allowed. Reflexively he gave the two women he saw a wink. Luckily the youngest one seemed too young to legally flirt with, and the older one walked arm in arm with what he presumed to be her husband. He sighed of relief. This meant he wasn't obligated to walk up to either of them and casually flirt with them.

Ceo could be immersed in a conversation with the beautiful elf without a single worry in the world. He turned towards the elf and prayed the conversation would go smoothly.

"I still haven't introduced myself, have I?" Unconsciously he gave the elf one of those smiles he had practiced for years, a smile for the most entrancing ladies he would come across.

"No you haven't, but the Sun Knight did. You are the Storm Knight, am I correct?" The elf too, had a confident smile, as if he was used to handling people fawning over him. Ceo's heart ached a bit when he heard the ever mesmerizing voice when the elf spoke again.

"But he didn't introduce me, did he? I am Prince." 'His name is Prince... How fitting.' Ceo was happy to finally hear the the name of the object of his newly formed adoration. There was one thing Ceo didn't like though, he had been introduced by the name everyone knew him with. It felt like there was a distance between the two of them. He wanted Prince to use his given name to speak to him.

"Ceo Storm. My given name is Ceo. Please don't be so distant when you speak to me?" It wasn't meant to sound like pleading, but Ceo felt like he did. For a second he wasn't sure if he was about to be ridiculed when Prince responded with a wide grin. Luckily he wasn't.

"Ceo it is. Hey, Ceo, let me introduce you to my crew." Ceo didn't even have the chance to silently congratulate himself for the pleasant way he was talking with the beautiful Prince, because he was already pointing at people, and rambling about them.

"...nauseatingly sweet couple over there is known as the Wandering Couple. The bloke is nicknamed the Wandering Overlord of the Western Continent. His name is Neurotic. His wife is called DanDan. If you have a question, for the love of the God of Light, ask DanDan. Neurotic doesn't know how to cut tot the chase, it takes him about 15 minutes to answer a yes-or-no question." When the couple saw the two of them looking they waved happily while saying a few words. The words had to be carried too far, for the relatively soft voice they spoke with. Ceo didn't know if he heard them correctly. Was Ceo, a man, just called pretty by the two them? He didn't get a chance to contemplate this, because Prince clearly wasn't finished.

"Over there, the man in the corner, wearing black? Cold Fox. The fellow has an aversion of speaking. At my castle you are deemed an eloquent speaker if you get him to answer you when you try to strike a conversation. His silent treatment makes him an excellent bodyguard though. He's a warrior, just like Neurotic and I. The problem is, he has trouble finding sparring partners. Everyone is afraid of him." Cold Fox made eye contact with Prince and gave a barley invisible nod. He did however, disregard Ceo completely even though Ceo was standing right next to Prince.

"Kong Kong? Kong Kong! Where are you? Argh... Where is that bloke? He is impossible at times like this!"

It was clear that Prince was searching for a person. The Storm Knight didn't get it though. They were standing in a square garden; one could assume you didn't have to search for people, for everybody was standing in plain sight.

"Here my lord."

Ceo didn't know what hit him. Where did that man come from? It was as if he materialized out of thin air. Was this Demos Cloud's long lost brother? Even though Ceo was completely bewildered by his conduct, Prince seemed to find this most normal.

"Ah, there you are. Show your face to the Storm Knight here... Good, you are dismissed."

"Yes my lord."

"That was Kong Kong. Even though he is a rouge, I prefer to call him my scout. He is an excellent scout, for the record. It's hard to find one that's more talented than he is. Can't say much about him as a person though. Originally he's part of the team of a good friend of mine, but I didn't spend too much time with him one-on-one. I did spar with him once, a long time ago. He's got gall when he fights, I like that." Even though Prince seemed to be content about Kong Kong, Ceo didn't know what to think when he saw him happily talking with the Blaze Knight a few moments later. They weren't alike, were they? The repair bills of doors would shoot through the roof if they had to accommodate another hurricane like that.

Prince smiled happily when he saw Ceo's frown. Apparently he thought Ceo was wondering about Kong Kong's fighting prowess. Could this prince-like Prince possibly have the natural happy-go-lucky attitude which Ceo always tried to achieve? Prince pointed again.

"Do you see that incredibly huge Wolf-man talking with that haughty looking man? His name is Ugly Wolf, but we prefer to call him Wolf-dage. He is intelligent, and proficient in holy magic. But the awesome part is: he also knows a lot of first aid stuff without using holy magic. Not to mention he is a brilliant strategist." The wolf-man easily towered over the Moon Knight, being long enough to have a conversation with actual eye contact. And apparently he could stand the Moon Knight's narcissism. The Storm Knight smiled upon this sight. This way, Knight-Captain Moon didn't have to be a loner at parties like these...

Ceo was abruptly awoken from his daydreams when he noticed another knee-melting beauty of a man standing in front of him. A shiver went down Ceo's spine. The shiver wasn't triggered by the man's unearthly to-die-for beauty, but his expression. Cold anger was visible in his eyes. The man felt like the personification of the word 'danger'. His appearance didn't help him on this matter. The man resembled the textbook picture of a demon, and with the dark element almost visible to the naked eye, Ceo didn't doubt he was. Ceo met eyes with the demon once more. His eyes showed intelligence, and a desire to kill. Ceo gulped.

The combination of those penetrating purple eyes, and the raven back hair made him a completely different beauty from Prince, but nevertheless could he equally stand next to Prince without a single soul complaining. The expression of this new, unknown beauty wasn't exactly alluring or knee-melting. With a voice cold enough to put the Ice Knight to eternal shame, but with underlying tension as if he were a predator advancing on it's prey he began to speak.

"I believe we haven't been officially introduced yet, have we? I am Guiliastes, and whom are you, to be so casually speaking with his royal highness Prince?" Disdain was evident in his voice. Never before had Ceo Strom received a look as if he were less than the dirt under one's boot.

"I am the Storm Knight, and I wish not to spoken to so rudely within the grounds of my own home. Who are you to Prince, to assume you can interfere in his conversation with me?"

"I died for him, and I am living for him once more. His smile makes it worth it. I am his most devoted follower, his original team member, the one whom designed and coordinated the construction of his city. I stand next to him when he is on stage. If I need to, I am his stress relieve, or the one he can confide in whenever he needs me."

Clearly embarrassed with Guiliastes' detailed love declaration, Prince turned a lovely shade of red. With his thumb and index finger he slowly massaged his forehead, the rest of his hand blocking his eyes. Prince was so tense, that the two bickering men wondered if they really did see the air crackling. With nothing more than a low hiss he spoke a threat with that ever seductive voice of his.

"If you like pain that much, you can just say so, instead of embarrassing me to the point where I want to beat you up." Prince ignored the love declaration and rejected the gay demon with such ease that it left the Storm Knight baffled. Ceo's initial amazement at the way the two unearthly beauties interacted with each other quickly left for a feeling of triumph which showed upon his face. It made Guiliastes look even more lovelorn than he initially did. He glomped onto Prince while making another ridiculous statement of everlasting love.

"I am sorry, I am so sorry, but when there is competition I can't help myself like this. I love you with whole my being, and you know it. Please allow me into your heart. Please grant me more than the friendship we have now. I beg you, please consider it. I love you so much. I am so sorry."

It was clear Prince wasn't sorry. Not often had the Storm Knight witnessed such excessive physical abuse. Nobody present at the party had expected to come across such abhorring behavior on this occasion. Slowly laughter and talking died out as people looked frightened and shocked at the sudden display of the fearsome temper the elf had. Maybe he was related to a black elf after all... Even the Judgment Knight seemed a bit unsure what to do.

Prince's companions were the only ones that remained completely unfazed by the bloodshed, by the sickeningly way the elf showed his displeasure. They even dared to intervene. Not even bothering to let go of his wife, Neurotic marched towards Prince. The little girl Ceo had winked at when he had entered the garden came rushing forward, as if she saw no one else but Prince. When the three of them had approached him the couple kept it's distance, but the little girl boldly stepped over Guiliastes and crossed her arms.

"Prince-gege, stop this immediately! You are crossing the line. We can't have you killing him." She displayed an authoritative, angry frown.

"Look at him, do you see what you have done? And here we were, thinking we were finally over and done with that kind of behavior. You let us down. You'll make your brother worry again. What am I saying? You'll make everyone worry again. Just stop it." She sounded genuinely upset and concerned, and the girls words did have a tremendous effect on Prince.

When Prince looked down at the demon, now bruised and with several broken bones, the demon smiled at him before he fainted. It had been the same loving and adoring smile he had given Prince earlier. Immediately tears welled in the blood-colored eyes of the elf. Did the Storm Knight see regret flicker in Prince's eyes? The demon might have been rude to the Storm Knight, but he felt sympathy for him. The elf showed remorse, but Ceo could not imagine how the demon could keep loving an elf that treated him so badly.

The elf, now with tears in his eyes, quivered from emotion. As if he were a little child he pointed at Guiliastes and cried out that the unconscious demon did 'it' again. At this point Neurotic frowned as he stepped forward.

"Blood Elf."

"Don't call me Blood Elf."

"Try and say that again after you look at what you did with your bare hands, Blood Elf."

"Hmmpf." Prince crossed his arms.

"If you're angry, you're going to spar with Cold Fox and Kong Kong and me. That was the deal, remember? Didn't you agree to those conditions on the last briefing? I don't want Lolidragon to skin me alive when we come back. She is so deadly accurate with those knives of her..." Quickly Kong Kong spoke up.

"Blaze Knight, could you kindly show us to the training grounds so we can spar with Prince until he has calmed down a bit?" Before the Blaze Knight could answer, the Judgment Knight stepped up.

"I'll lead you there. I am quite interested in his abilities." Clearly the Judgment Knight was hoping for a new man with the guts to spar with him, regardless of character. Only after the five men had left the inner temple gardens everybody dared to breathe again.

The Sun Knight quickly hurried towards Guiliastes in order to heal him, but when he got closer to Guiliastes in order to leave everyone in awe with his advanced healing powers he was shocked once again, together with his fellow Knights. The Wolf-man was already bathing the demon in strong healing light, without muttering a single word. This was a display of extraordinary talent. The calculating look on Knight-Captain Sun's face wasn't unnoticed by the Storm Knight. Clearly he was already contemplating how to exploit the situation.

An unhealthy cough came from the slowly healing demon. The little girl squatted down in front of him and smiled.

"Hi Gui-gege, did you have a nice nap?"

"Doll... What happened? Where's Prince?"

"Wolf-gege has been healing you for about a minute now. Make an educated guess, Gui-gege."

"Urgh, what did I do, Doll?"

Doll gave an innocent smile that clearly said she didn't know. The Storm Knight thought this was a nice moment for him to join the conversation.

"I was talking with Prince. He was telling me about you guys - his team mates - and suddenly I see Guiliastes here in front of me, giving me a stare of 230 degrees Kelvin, asking who I think I am to talk to Prince. The next thing I know is that he glomps to Prince, declaring his ever lasting love... And well... Prince beat the living daylight out of him. We all saw that."

"Yes... It's all coming back... But I don't like the way you describe our encounter." Gui was glaring again.

Doll's big eyes showed pity.

"You guys were doing great when you refrained from those love declarations. I thought it was understood between the both of you. Why did you fall back into your previous behavior?"

"Because the Storm Knight over there" - another frosty glare was directed at the Storm Knight - "was shamelessly flirting with Prince."

'I was flirting with Prince?' Ceo was baffled, but then again, all the present holy knights were shocked at that statement. The Storm Knight didn't know if he had ever felt this bad. He couldn't manage his ever carefree smile anymore. Ceo felt like disappearing from the planet, never to be seen again.

"Don't tell me I am imagining things. I know what I saw. His eyes showed desire."

Gui threw the astonished holy Knights and especially the Storm Knight an angry look. The latter was surprised he could feel even more horrible than he already did. He could forget his fatigue when he was happily chatting with Prince, but now it came rushing back to him.

"This isn't the first time another man openly goes for Prince, but that's not the point. Any living soul who thinks they can get Prince for themselves will face my wrath. He's mine. That wretched childhood friend of his is a different story altogether, but why should I allow someone new to step into his life and let him claim my spot? That's preposterous!"

"Gui? Do yourself a favor, will you?"

"Wolf-dage?"

"Do yourself a favor by ignoring these kind of situations in the future. You are not only hurting yourself, but you are hurting Prince as well."

Ceo was genuinely surprised when he saw the demon's face twist in pain after the wolf-man spoke those words. The demon however, didn't say another word and stalked away, out of the garden.

Of all the people present, no one dared to speak. Doll turned to the people and gave a little bow. With a smile she spoke as if she were nowhere near the young age her body had, and as if diplomacy was her second nature.

"I am truly sorry for the scene you had to witness. But please don't worry too much. This can be considered a daily occurrence. So please don't let their exaggerated conduct ruin this happy occasion." After Doll saw everyone began to socialize once again she turned to Knight-Captain Sun.

When everyone went back to socializing with the guests, Ceo realized he was standing alone, and felt horrible about what happened. Without excusing himself, Ceo left for the long lost friend whom would never betray him: his bed.

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Questions for the kind reviewers: What would you like to read about next? What kind of confrontations are you waiting for? But most importantly: did you like this chapter at all, and if you did, what did you like best? Thanks in advance,