Saber Dolls G

A Saber Marionette Fanfiction

By BG-57

Program 07: Ascension

Lorelei sat at a computer terminal dressed in a starched lab coat over a green smock, her hair braided behind her back. She sighed and took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to look. A silver haired Marionette loomed eerily over her.

"My Lady I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour," said Tamasaburo.

Lorelei's smile looked strained. "Not at all Tamasaburo. Is there a problem?"

She shook her head. "No. There is an incoming message for you from Gartlant."

Lorelei nodded. "Can you put it through?"

Tamasaburo pushed a button the wall. A wooden framework with paper panes retracted exposing a large trapezoidal screen. A blue haired Marionette's face appeared on the screen.

"Luchs!" said Lorelei cheerfully.

Luchs smiled shyly. "I'm sorry to disturb you so late Lady Lorelei, but Young Master couldn't wait."

Lorelei frowned. "Young Master?"

She saw a young boy step in front of Luchs but all she could see of him was his eyes and the top of his head.

"Hi there, Auntie Lorelei!" said the boy.

Lorelei blinked. "What?"

Luchs discreetly lifted the boy so Lorelei could see the rest of his face. Lorelei gasped.

"Lord.Faust?" she asked.

He laughed. "Sorta. I'm his clone. Pleased to meet you."

"He actually made a clone of himself?" she asked.

Luchs shook her head and held the boy close. "He was created as a part of a plot to take over Gartlant."

"But Grandpa wants me to be the next ruler of Gartlant," said Young Faust, "Would you be able to come to Gartlant to attend the ceremony of ascension?"

Lorelei smiled and bowed. "I would be honored Lord Faust. On one condition."

He brightened. "Really? What?"

"Can you please not call me 'Auntie'?" she asked, her smile straining again.

He rubbed his head nervously. "Sorry Miss Lorelei."

"Not at all." she replied.

"Thanks again Auntie!" he said, "Goodnight!"

The screen went dark. Lorelei slumped into her chair.

"Do I look like some old maid?" she asked sighing.

"My Lady?" asked Tamasaburo.

She waved a hand in the air. "Forget it."

Tamasaburo bowed and left.

Lorelei leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling.

"Still, the Young Faust is so cute!"

A young man lay sprawled out diagonally across a futon on a tatami floor. He was snoring loudly until he was poked in the arm.

"Hey Otaru!"

Otaru grumbled and turned over. He got poked again.

"Otaru, wake up!"

Otaru groggily opened his eyes to see a cheerful blue haired Marionette with big green eyes staring down at him. From his point of view she was upside down and almost nose to nose with him.

"Yaaaah!" he yelped, jumping up and backing away from her.

"Lime I told you not to do that!" he admonished.

She flinched and closed both her eyes. She then cautiously peeked out of one eye again.

"But Otaru, I wanted to show you something!" Lime said brightly, brandishing a piece of paper.

"What is it?" he asked sighing.

Her mouth opened but no words came out. She began laughing nervously.

"I dunno! But I got it in the mail, and I wanted you to see it first!" she said holding it out to him.

Otaru took it and inspected it. It was a plain white envelope embossed with a red and gold wax seal. Imbedded in the middle was "GFXI".

"Faust!" said Otaru sharply.

"Really?" asked Lime taking it back and opening it. She read through the letter quickly.

"What does it say?" asked Otaru.

"'You are cordially invited to attend the ascension of Lord Gelhardt von Faust the Eleventh. It will be held in Gartlant on May the 17th,'" said Lime, looking lost.

"The Eleventh?" repeated Otaru, his hands on his hips.

Lime nodded. "Maybe the Bad Faust that tried to take the Japonesguar sent this."

Otaru shook his head. "I don't think he could have survived. But why did he invite just you?"

"Master Otaru, you have mail!" called out a slim purple haired Marionette.

She handed him a letter identical to Lime's.

"Thanks Cherry," said Otaru glancing over the seal, "Did you happen to get one too?"

Cherry blushed and leaned up against him. "Yes Master! Isn't it romantic, getting an invitation together to a social event? Just the two of us!"

Otaru turned red.

"I got one too!" said Lime, holding up her invitation to Cherry's face.

Cherry blinked at it. "You did?"

"Hey Otaru, you seen this?" asked a tall buxom red-haired Marionette holding a letter as she walked in through a sliding door.

"Not you too Bloodberry?" said Cherry wearily.

"I got one too!" said a small boy with wavy golden locks following Bloodberry. He looked very dapper in shorts and a silk shirt with a ruffle at the collar.

"I got one too Yumeji!" said Lime happily.

Cherry slumped onto her knees.

"It's not fair!" she said, on the verge of tears.

"Guess what I have!" asked a young man who looked like an older version of Yumeji. He was dressed in baggy pants a loud lavender shirt and a large bow tie. He brandished a letter and smirked.

Otaru sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Bloodberry, could you get Hanagata out of here? It's too early in the day for him."

"Sure thing Otaru!" said Bloodberry as she hefted Hanagata over her shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!" demanded Hanagata petulantly.

"Any time of day is too early for you Little Hana," she said carrying him out.

"Don't call me that!" was the last thing they heard him say.

Panther ran with intense concentration through the woods. When she reached top of a hill she could see the Summer Residence in the valley below. She was wearing a black jogging suit with white trim and a red eyepatch over her right eye. She took a towel from the red duffel bag slung over her shoulder and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked at the trail behind her and sighed. A minute later Young Faust came into view. He stopped next to her and dropped to his knees, panting from exhaustion.

"You're still too slow Young Master!" admonished Panther.

He looked up at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Panther.you're too.fast for me."

She reached into her duffel bag and handed him a bottle of water. "Here."

He greedily took a swig. He then looked at her again in wonderment at the towel now draped around her shoulders.

She looked uneasy. "What is it?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm just amazed you can sweat."

She blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"Well, you're a Marionette," he said standing up, "But you can eat and sleep and everything!"

"We're supposed to be replace human females," said Panther looking off to one side sadly, "Well, we were."

"Yeah but it must be so cool to be a Marionette!" he said spreading out his arms, "You're so strong and tough!"

She looked back to him her visible blue eye wavering. "It's not as great as you think Young Master."

He frowned a bit. "I don't understand."

She took the water bottle from him and patted his head. "Never mind, let's get going!"

They ran down the hill together toward the valley. As they reached the end of the meandering path they reached the outer perimeter of the Summer Residence. They passed by the junkyard and reached the back exit. Far above them Faust stared down at them as they entered the building.

"Have you told them yet Lord Faust?"

Faust turned from the window to regard Soemon sitting at a long table surrounded on three sides by long windows.

"No," he said reflectively, "The time isn't right."

Soemon made a tent of his fingers. "There isn't much time left."

Faust began to pace restlessly. Finally he stopped and put his hands on the back of the chair across the table from Soemon.

"I have to leave Gartlant," he said intensely, "Hess is still on the loose and there's no telling what he's up to."

"Agreed," said Soemon leaning on a hand.

"Besides, there only needs to be one Faust in Gartlant," he said sadly.

Someon sighed quietly. "And what of the Saber Dolls?"

"They can do whatever they want to," said Faust.

"But your predecessor created them with a need to serve you," retorted Soemon, "So do they really have any choice?"

"Perhaps not," said Faust with a grim smile, "But at least they can choose to accompany me or to remain in Gartlant with the Eleventh."

"We are slaves to fate," said Soemon philosophically, "But they don't have to be."

Faust shook his head. "I can't reprogram them now that they've made so much progress."

"What if they all choose the Eleventh?" asked Soemon.

"I doubt Tiger will," said Faust, "But if it happens it will be for the best."

"I'll look after them and the Eleventh for you," said Soemon.

Faust nodded. "Thank you."

Soemon watched him leave the room with an expression of concern.

"But who will look after you my Lord?" he asked himself.

"Otaru, can you explain something to me?" asked Hanagata.

Otaru looked at him from the opposite bench in the back of Hanagata's limousine.

"Yeah, what is it?" he asked idly watching the buildings sweep past.

"Why is it that I have generously donated the use of my vehicle for this outing and yet I am denied the pleasure of sitting next to you?" demanded Hanagata dramatically.

"Cause you lost at rock-paper-scissors," said Bloodberry cheerfully from Otaru's right.

"Lime lost as well," added Cherry from Otaru's left.

Hanagata looked at Lime who was sitting next to him. She had her back to him, her face pressed against the window.

"Wow, Gartlant is a lot cleaner this time!" she said in amazement.

"I'll sit next you brother!" said Yumeji happily from Hanagata's other side.

Hanagata folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. "What a consolation."

"No funny billboards of Faust though!" said Lime.

"Yeah too bad we can't decorate them anymore!" said Bloodberry grinning impishly.

"Otaru, don't they like Faust anymore?" asked Lime, looking sad.

Otaru shrugged. "Some of them do, some don't."

They drove on in silence for a while. The car came to a stop in front of a huge black building in the center of Gartlant: the Kanzlei.

"Oh goody, we're here!" said Hanagata jumping out.

They all clambered out and stared up at the gargantuan structure, designed to not so much dominate the skyline but crush it.

"It doesn't look any different," said Otaru shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun with his hand.

Hanagata turned to see a young boy with blond hair inspecting his car.

"Hey kid, get away from there!" he yelled.

The boy jumped, startled. "Oh, I'm sorry Sir!"

Hanagata put a finger to his lips. "Shh! We're about to meet Lord Faust!"

The boy blinked a bit then nodded. He stood politely off to one side and watched the main entrance along with the others.

"How rude to keep us waiting!" griped Hanagata.

The main doors opened and they saw the Saber Dolls standing there. They were dressed in the black military uniforms: Tiger in a jacket and baggy pants, Luchs in a short skirt and long coat, and Panther in a white blouse and pantaloons. They walked down the stairs and stopped before Otaru.

"Otaru Mamiya," said Luchs.

He grinned and held up a hand. "Yo Luchs."

"Thank you for accepting Young Master's invitation," said Tiger warmly.

"Welcome to Gartlant," said Panther with a smirk.

"Tiger!" yelled Lime, nearly tackling her with a hug.

Tiger managed to regain her balance. "Hello Lime," she said with a smile.

"I missed you!" said Lime, starting to bawl.

"Now, don't cause a scene," said Otaru.

"I missed you too," said Tiger holding Lime close.

"So where's this Lord Faust the Eleventh?" demanded Hanagata impatiently.

Panther looked down next to him. Everyone followed her gaze to the boy with blond hair.

"Hi there!" he said sheepishly.

"Honestly, what are you doing Young Master?" asked Luchs with her hands on her hips.

"Waiting for Lord Faust," he replied cheerfully.

Hanagata's jaw dropped. "You're Lord Faust!"

The boy nodded. "Pleased to meet you."

Hanagata put his arm across his forehead and fainted. No one caught him.

Young Faust and the Saber Dolls led them down a long corridor into a massive room. At one end of the room Soemon stood with Koyuki. On the other side stood Lord Faust and Lorelei flanked by Baiko and Tamasaburo. In the middle stood Grandpa and Mikey.

"Everyone's here!" said Young Faust.

"Goodness what a handsome young man you are!" said Lorelei.

"Thanks Auntie!" he said too quickly, "I mean Miss Lorelei!"

Lorelei laughed politely. "He really is too darling!"

"Isn't he though?" asked Luchs, scooping Young Faust into an embrace, "You just want to squeeze the stuffing out of him!"

She gradually became aware of the presence of everyone's stares. She blushed furiously and set him back down.

"Well that was scary," said Hanagata.

"Knock it Little Hana!" snapped Bloodberry.

"Don't call me little!" he retorted.

"I'm sorry Master," said Luchs to Faust.

He shook his head. "It's fine Luchs."

"It's another part of being human," said Lorelei, "I think it's great."

"They're all great!" said Young Faust, taking Tiger and Panther's hands in his own.

Tiger smiled down at him. "You're too kind Young Master."

Panther seemed to choked up to speak.

Grandpa nodded. "Otaru, good to see you again."

Otaru waved. "Same here. Hi Mikey."

"Hi big brother," said Mikey shyly, "Thanks for the cookies Cherry."

"Anytime!" replied Cherry happily.

Grandpa coughed. "Well, we can begin now."

They took seats in a row across the middle of the room. Young Faust glanced to Lord Faust who nodded to him. He walked up to a large podium on a dais with red carpeting. Soemon brought over a chair for him to stand on behind the podium. As Young Faust climbed up onto it Grandpa and Soemon stood behind him on either side. Ceiling mounted cameras focused on him.

"We'll be live in two minutes," said Mikey.

Young Faust looked to the Saber Dolls.

"You can do it," said Luchs.

"We're all proud of you," said Tiger.

"Give 'em hell!" said Panther.

The red lights on the cameras lit up and Young Faust unfurled a piece of paper and began to carefully read from it.

"Citizens of Gartlant, you know that we have had a glorious 300 years of history. And for all those years the clones of Faust have been looking after you. While they have made Gartlant what it is today, something has been lost. We have lost free will. That is why I, Gelhardt von Faust the Eleventh, promise to respect your individual dreams and desires. If it pleases you, you may elect me as the next Fuhrer of Gartlant. Until then the Provisional council and Regent Soemon will oversee our great nation. Thank you."

Everyone in the room applauded as the cameras snapped off.

"That will be broadcast all over Gartlant an hour from now, right before your presentation," said Soemon.

"There's already quite a crowd waiting outside the Kanzlei," said Grandpa.

"They all want to see you!" said Mikey.

Young Faust nodded, still looking a little nervous. "I don't like making speeches."

Luchs put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "You did fine Young Master!"

He smiled up at her.

Lord Faust stood to one side, looking troubled.

"Hey Faust," said Otaru.

"Otaru Mamiya," he replied, "You should be on your guard."

Otaru frowned. "What's up?"

"I'm trying to locate Hess," said Faust, "I fear he may have some plan that may involve you and your Marionettes."

Otaru nodded gravely. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Never take your Marionettes for granted," he said as he watched the Saber Dolls sadly.

The crowd waiting outside the Kanzlei was immense and it was growing by the minutes. Thousands thronged the streets on every side, trying to catch a glimpse of their new ruler. Thirty stories up Grandpa and Soemon walked onto a balcony overlooking the main square. In the room behind them stood the others.

Young Faust looked pale and nervous.

"Don't worry Eleventh," said Faust, "Just say what is in your heart."

He looked up at Faust. "Thank you."

Faust looked puzzled. "For what?"

"For being here," said Young Faust, "I owe you my life."

Faust knelt in front of him. "Fuhrer, no matter what I will always protect you."

The Saber dolls knelt behind him.

"We will do anything for you Master," said Tiger.

"Thanks," said Young Faust, starting to cry.

Luchs stood up and dried his eyes with a hankerchief. "Now there, you want to look nice when the people of Garlant see you."

"Show them what you're made of Young Master!" said Panther ruffling his hair.

"Cut that out Panther!" he said.

"Make us proud," said Faust.

Young Faust nodded and walked out onto the balcony. The Saber Dolls followed him. Faust turned to Lorelei and Otaru.

"I realize now that Gartlant is no longer mine to control," he said quietly, "I will entrust the city's care to the Eleventh."

"What will you do?" asked Lorelei with concern.

"There are many things I need to take care of," he replied, "I must go now."

"I understand Faust." Said Otaru, "If you need my help, just ask."

"I will," he said as he left.

Faust walked through a pair of double doors then down a hallway. He opened a small door and started walking down a staircase. When he was down two flights he heard the door above him open with a bang.

"Lord Faust!" called out Panther.

He looked up. "Panther?" he asked.

She jumped down two stories to the landing he was on. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Master how could you leave us?" she demanded.

He shook his head. "You do not have to follow me anymore."

They heard the sound of footsteps above them. Luchs and Tiger joined them.

"You're leaving?" asked Tiger, grasping his coat.

He took her hand. "Yes, I have to deal with Hess. I am responsible for whatever destruction he causes."

She nodded. "Wherever you go, my Lord, I will always be at your side!"

Luchs sighed. "Master I cannot go. Young Master need me and I need him."

Faust nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. "Of course. I'm counting on you to look after him."

"My Lord!" she said, embracing him.

Panther hugged Faust as well.

He placed his hand across the back of her head. "Panther I'm sorry to do this to you. I really am.."

"I don't know who to follow!" she said sobbing, "Please tell me!"

"I can't," he said, "You have to let your heart decide."

She looked up and met his gaze. "My Lord.I.."

"There is no wrong choice here," said Tiger, "Both Masters need our help."

Panther released Faust and looked to Tiger.

"You'd better not let anything happen to Lord Faust!" she snapped.

Tiger smiled. "Of course Panther. Take good care of Young Master."

Tiger, Luchs, and Panther all embraced each other. Then Tiger walked over to Lord Faust.

"Luchs, Panther, I am proud of both you," said Faust stiffly, "I leave the Eleventh to you."

"You have to come back when you're done!" said Luchs, "He needs a father!"

Faust nodded. "I promise."

Panther and Luchs watched as Tiger and Faust descended the staircase and exited several stories below. They turned to look at each other.

"So Tiger gets Lord Faust," said Luchs sadly.

"It was inevitable," said Panther, "I can't keep up with her."

Luchs nodded. "You may be right."

Panther smirked. "But you'd better keep your mitts of Young Faust!"

Luchs blushed. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Panther made her way up the staircase. "Oh nothing!"

Luchs sighed and followed her up the stairs towards the door. The door that led them back to Lord Faust.

-The End-