Episode III: Crossroads of Fate
Chapter 1-3:

Friendly Chatting

Only a few hours had passed when the soft, warm twinkling sunlight and crept over the horizon and pierced the translucent frame that stood in its lofty perch above the barracks' floor. Lutz winced as he curled in the other direction to avoid its gaze. Meanwhile, Elizabeth had quietly rose from her bed frame; stretching her arms high above and behind her head as she yawned heavily. Hungry, she moved into the kitchen for her shot at cooking; a task she had not undertook in some time. It mattered not, because she wanted to make it especially for her new guest. Tip-toeing through the noiseless carpet, Elizabeth pulled the large eggshell flavored curtain past the work room, blocking any further sunlight from entering and bothering her worn-out sibling. Succeeding in stealthily making it into the kitchen, she started to make a big breakfast for the two of them, with hushed quips from Frederick along the way. The aroma of sizzling fat and the melody of its crackle finally roused Lutz from his drowsy dreams and into the land of the conscious. Slouching and sliding his way into the kitchen, he pulled a chair away from the table as he sat on it and grunted in salutation to greet the morning and his sister.

"Hey there, sleepy-head" Elizabeth cooed. Lutz grunted again. "I made this all myself, I hope you like it!" A panicked look struck Lutz's face as he nervously grabbed a strip of grilled koltova meat which he then placed on his plate next to his poached egg. Taking a bite from the bacon, it was awfully crunchy and the flavor was all but gone from it. It had the same consistency as tree bark. Respectfully, he nodded as he took another bite. "So do you like it?" He nodded once more in affirmation. "Oh, good. I was hoping that I didn't lose my touch, seeing I haven't cooked in a while….So…How have things been? I haven't seen you in years…"

"I'm sorry about that…I've been incredibly selfish…" Lutz eventually spoke after downing more of his fruit juice that was sold pre-made from various fruit across Gurhal; in hopes of washing down the chalky after-taste.

"…No, it's okay…I don't think I understand how you feel…But I want to help you as much as I can…"

"I don't need any help." Elizabeth's expression turned sour and melancholy on hearing the statement. Worried and remorseful, he tried to amend his statement. "…I don't want you to get hurt. This is something that I alone must do; no one else needs to help me with my suffering. You all have your own problems to worry about."

"…You don't have to do this all alone you know…"

"…Is that why you joined the Guardians?"

"…It was that obvious, huh?"

"Well…You are a really caring person, it's natural that you wanted to help people; me of all people especially, seeing how I confided all my problems with you."

"I mean, I wanted to stop feeling so worthless…And I felt bad that you wouldn't tell me what was bothering you…I figured it hurt too much that you didn't want to worry us."

"But you aren't worthless, Elizabeth." A brief silence interrupted their conversation as they passed glances with each other sheepishly.

"So…You got a mustache now I see!"

"Umm, yes. I do. Why bring it up?"

"I dunno, makes you look older…more mature, but it still has your geeky flair."

"You're the geek."

"I know, hehehe."

"So, how does it feel to be a Guardian then?"

"It feels great! For once, I feel like everything that I'm doing is helping a much greater cause. I have great friends and tons of respect from my colleagues. I'm always happy now!"

"That's great Elizabeth, I'm so proud of you." Another intermittent pause soon followed.

"…Is there any chance you'll stop this crazy chase?"

"…No. I can't…Not yet. I want to see this through to the end. I need to know the truth above all else, be it strewn by death or the murderous "vigilante's"."

"I guess there is no convincing you otherwise…Not like I can stop you either…Just remember Lutz…you have people who care about you…People that would be lost without you…I would be besides myself if something happened to you…If I lost you…I…I…" She grimaced as she began to silently sob.

"No. No more tears, I hate to see cry…I'm sorry…I know…I just…I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt. I want this man behind bars or in the ground. I won't feel like we are safe otherwise…As long as that man lives…Travesty will continue to plague us…Alright, that's it. Here, put out your hand" he said, placing his own out on the table. As Elizabeth reached out, Lutz leaned forward and grabbed that hand and her other with both of his own. "I promise you, you will not lose me. I will make sure that I will keep us safe and that man will be punished for his crimes. Okay?" Elizabeth sniffed before nodding.

"…Just remember that this door is always open for you…You know, should you need a place to stay or rest. Same goes for Rachel…Oh speaking of which; I have an idea! Before you inevitability leave us again, we should go check in on her. I bet she would love to see that you are still alive!"

"That sounds like a good idea. When did you want to go?"

"We can go a bit later. First, I want you meet my friends that I've made since I joined the Guardians! Let's go see Paisley first. C'mon!" Elizabeth snickered, retracting her hands from his tender grasp only to seize one of his arms, dragging him out of the barracks and across the hall to Paisley's residence.

After having to be exhaustively dragged halfway across the system and back, they eventually returned to their old apartment in Targus City by late afternoon. Strolling up to the seven floor apartment building, Lutz was smiling as he continued to tell a story that was making Elizabeth chuckle and giggle whilst they walked. Most of the tenants had locked up for the night already but a few were still roaming the halls while they were performing various tidbits like laundry. An old man that lived three rooms over from Rachel's was climbing the staircase that they were currently in when he stopped to gander at Elizabeth.

"Well, if it isn't little Miss Elizabeth. Fancy seeing you here after joining the Guardians. Come to visit Rachel again?" he spoke in a warm, cheery voice.

"Yes I have, Mr. Ezekiel" she chirped.

"Who's your friend?"

"You mean you don't recognize him? It's Lutz!"

"Ohhh…You've gotten so tall Lutz. And you grew a mustache too! Quite the handsome character you've become. How have things been with you?"

"They've been good; more or less…" Lutz misinformed.

"Ah, good, good. Say, Elizabeth, have you met my son, Gregory, yet?"

"No I haven't Mr. Ezekiel, what division is he in?" Elizabeth asked.

"He is in the Mobile Defense Force."

"Ah, I was recently moved into that division. Maybe I'll see him someday."

"Tell him I said hello if you do." He waved them to move up on ahead with his right hand as his left was still holding on to the guard rail. "Go on now kids; I shant keep you any longer. Your sister must miss you both terribly." They accepted his proposition and flew past their old neighbor and made it to sixth floor. As Elizabeth raised her hand above her head and balled it into a fist to knock on the door, Lutz rushed forth to open it without warning.

"No, Lutz; wait! I don't think that's…"

The door opened to reveal the old apartment, except it was different somehow. The T.V. was to the left of the window and the arm chair was missing. The couch was bigger and of a different shade, lying adjacent to the right wall to face the new position of the T.V. Behind the couch was a multi-leveled shelf with a surround system on it and next to that was a clear blue table top covered with drink coasters with a plant and lamp residing to its sides. The kitchen was the same, remaining untouched with the glass table neatly rearranged with two candles in the middle and fancy place settings with fine silverware and plates resting on top of them. The door to bathroom to his right was closed but the door to the Rachel's bedroom was open. The closet and his old room were also shut to the left. Lutz didn't need to go into Rachel's bedroom to find her though. If the couch was in the same position as it used to be, it wouldn't be so bad. But its new position gave him a full view of what was transpiring. Rachel was home alright, on the couch. She wasn't wearing her normal set of blouses though. In fact, she wasn't anything at all from the waist up, as was the girl who was lying on top of her. In one swift motion, he quickly slammed the door and stared into it blankly; his shoulders stiffly locked upright and his cheeks a fiery crimson.

"Real smooth Lutz…" She knocked on the door a few minutes later when Rachel then bade them to come in. Seeing who it was who so rudely burst into the apartment, tears broke out as she sprang off of the couch and embraced her brother.

"Oh my goodness Lutz! I thought I would never see you again!" she squealed.

"You know honey, if you wanted to join in, you could have asked" the other girl sarcastically enticed.

"Oh hush Beatrice, he didn't know" Rachel chastised.

"I, uh, I…" he stammered.

"See, you probably scarred him for life with that kind of talk."

"What? He's never seen a topless girl before?" Beatrice continued.

"He probably didn't want to see his sister in the same position."

"…Can we stop talking about this?" Lutz finally interrupted.

"Yes, please…It's getting embarrassing" Elizabeth added.

"Sorry. Please, come, come! Sit at the table. We were having a romantic night together, but the meal I prepared should be enough for all of us" Rachel pleaded.

"Oh, excellent that should get the taste of…" Lutz blurted out before looking to Elizabeth before he finished his statement. "…Get the taste of that pudding out of my mouth…You should tell Delilah that her cooking could use some work…" Rachel smacked Lutz on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You know what it was for." Elizabeth and Beatrice looked at each other as they shared a mutual shrug.

"So how have you guys faired since the SEED invasion?" Lutz beseeched, after placing his fork down.

"Well, most of the cities have been well-protected thanks to the AMF. But because the Guardians have been thrown into full swing against them, looting has gone up quite a bit around here. Even this building was affected. How about you two?" Rachel explained.

"Since the SEED, I was reassigned to the Mobile Defense Force…" Elizabeth mumbled.

"Oh I see. How is that working out for you?"

"…It's terrifying, honestly. I haven't had to really work so far without Morganna, so it has been bearable, but…I'm still waiting for that mission that will be too much for me to handle alone…"

"Don't worry, Elizabeth. I know you can do it. You're a strong person. You always think of a way to fix any problem anyway. How about you Lutz? Did you get that man yet?" Lutz sighed before responding. "…No…He keeps getting away…Last time I saw him, he told me that I wasn't strong enough to know the truth yet. He's hiding something…"

"You said that this place was looted?" Elizabeth inquired a little later.

"Yeah, most of the second floor was ransacked by four guys in one night. A few people got hurt trying to defend themselves. I hope that they didn't do anything else to the people down there" Beatrice postulated. A buzzing, electronic reverberation sudden echoed throughout the room, resonating from Elizabeth. A small communication device formed around the left side of her head which she pressed into her ear with her left palm.

"Uh-huh…Okay, I'll be there soon" Elizabeth muttered.

"What was that about?" Rachel questioned.

"I got a call. I need to go back to the Guardians Branch for an assignment. We'll go and leave you two to your evening."

"No please, Lutz doesn't have to leave so soon. It's okay!"

"Well, I still have to go, sorry."

"Alright then, Elizabeth. It was great to see you again. Take care and please stay safe."

"I'll try." After a hug was exchanged with everyone, Elizabeth left. An hour or so later, night cast its long, creeping shadow completely over the sleepless capital. Figuring it was his time to leave, Lutz bid his goodbyes with the two lovers and departed to renew his inquisition with the demon arsonist. Once outside, however, he chanced upon two suspicious-looking men. They passed him by without a second glance until a second pair bumped into him. One of them turned around and flipped him the bird when Lutz gave him a look. They were heading over to the apartment building. He has never seen them before; the probability that they were tenants was very slim. Putting his hand in his coat pocket, he found that his Meseta card was missing. A second later, there was screaming coming from the sixth floor. With all haste, he took out his Raygun and ran back into the complex. Panting, he had made it back onto the sixth level; running to his family's apartment, he noticed that they had already broken into three other rooms. To his dismay, he saw that the door to Rachel's room was unhinged and ajar. Standing in the entryway with his pistol held at his side, he saw them. There they were, holding Rachel and Beatrice hostage with a dagger while the other two pilfered the remaining rooms.

"Wait right there, chump. Otherwise, the girls get it the business end!" one of the thugs warned, licking the side of Rachel's face. One of the men came out of Rachel's room and shot Lutz on sight. It stung like hell, but his miserable aim only managed to graze his left arm. Seizing the opportunity, he fell to the floor. Once he hit the floor, he shot both of the men in the foot. Grasping their feet in pain, Rachel and Beatrice dove to the floor as Lutz blew the three of them out of the apartment in a conical gust of wind from the wind Technique Nazan. The fall wouldn't kill them, but it would definitely render them unless for the time being. The fourth had emerged from the bathroom only to be electrocuted from Zonde.

"Oh, thank you Lutz! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rachel and Beatrice screeched, crying as they ran up to strangle him with their frightened arms. He brushed them aside as they were worsening the pain from his wound.

"These the same guys from before?" he called.

"They have to be, based on what people were saying" Beatrice answered.

"Good. You shouldn't have to worry about these guys causing any more problems then. Make sure you call some Guardians over here, if someone hasn't already. I have to leave quickly. If I'm caught quickly, I'll probably be imprisoned as well…"

"What, why? What about your arm?!" Rachel screamed.

"There is no time to explain. Let's just say I've done a few things I'm not proud of to chase this man. As for my arm, it's just as scratch. I'll be fine. Good night; again" Lutz finalized. He dragged the paralyzed yet still conscious man by his hem of his coat, his head smashing into each step as he descended the staircase. Placing him on the grassy lawn next to his cronies, he clasped his wound again with his right arm. "What the hell is wrong with you guys? The entire system is in danger and this is how you guys act? Worthless scum…Using utter chaos for your own selfish personal gain…" A Guardians Flyer quickly glided overhead in the sky until it quickly turned around to find a landing spot: his cue to leave. Using Resta to seal up the wound so that he wouldn't bleed any more red onto his already red jacket, he dashed away from the scene and into the murky alleyways.