Romance of a Failed Knight
Authors note: A new month, a new chapter. Actually, my birthday is this month, so as a present to myself, I will be posting chapter 3 on my birthday. Anyways, here's chapter 2, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of Chivalry of a Failed Knight; neither the characters nor plot
Chapter 2: Graduation of a Failed Knight
As Ikki woke up, he began to sit up, but quickly laid back down as his entire body protested, sending a wave of pain throughout his entire body. There wasn't a muscle in his body that wasn't sore. Being awakened by her fiancé's sudden movements, Stella turned to face Ikki; eyes still closed, and gave him a tight hug. "Good morning champ," she said through a yawn. Even smiling at his fiancé's tired state hurt Ikki, but he couldn't help it, he just found her to be too adorable in that state. As soon as Stella tightened their embrace, Ikki went stiff and nearly cried out in pain, but held it in. Noticing Ikki's reaction Stella opened her eyes to see her fiancé in a good deal of distress and loosened the tightness of her embrace. "What's wrong sweetie, you're not hurt are you?!" She asked with both panic and concern. Ikki couldn't help but laugh at this, despite him knowing it was going to hurt like hell, he didn't fight it. As the pain gradually grew from his laughter he began to take in long slow breaths to help calm him.
After his laughing fit subsided, he told Stella, "No, I'm not hurt, just exceedingly sore." "Oh, well what's sore" Stella inquired. He simply replied, "Everything" She laughed at this and re-informed him, "Well, that's what you get for exerting yourself to that extent. Speaking of which, that was pretty reckless, using as much effort as you did with Tohka freshman year in that one second, but this time using it over the span of fifteen seconds." Though she light-heartedly scolded him now, back after the battle she was in tears as he had collapsed after his victory. She knew what just one second of that effort did to him, and here he had used it for a full fifteen seconds. She honestly didn't know if he would leave without any serious or permanent injuries.
Bringing her back to the present, Ikki laughed before addressing her. "Maybe so, but I think it was worth it" As he said this he gestured with a slight nod of his head, directing her attention to a trophy on his desk reading, "Seven Star Sword Festival Champion: Ikki Kurogane" Stella merely sighed before saying, "I know that you were able to defeat Kuraudo and win the tournament because you took that risk. What I don't understand is why you used it for as long as you did. You know first hand the effects of exerting that much effort in just one second, but you went and did it for fifteen seconds. There is no way you could've known you would come out unscathed. What would you have done if you were left with a serious or permanent injury? Did you even think about how that would affect me, or was the only thing you were focused on was winning?"
Ikki could clearly hear the frustration in her tone as she began questioning him, but it soon turned to one of a scared child. Knowing his actions caused her to feel the way she did, Ikki decided that she deserved the truth behind his actions. Taking a breath to both gain his fiancé's attention and to prepare himself for what he was about to confess, Ikki began, "The truth is Stella, the only thing on my mind during the tournament was winning." Stella's heart sunk at hearing her fiancé's brutally honest words. She turned away from him and got up, getting ready to run out of the door. She didn't want to be there any longer, it was too painful. She had never felt like Ikki disregarded her feelings until now. It was something she hated and never wanted to experience. Before she could take a single step towards the door, she was stopped as Ikki got in front of her, excruciating pain could clearly be seen on his face. Before she could say anything, she found herself in a tight embrace.
"What are you doing you idiot! Why are you up and moving when it clearly pains you?!" Stella fussed at him. "Because you didn't let me finish, and you need to… no, you deserve to hear the truth, all of it." Ikki said with conviction in his voice. Not giving his fiancé time to respond so she couldn't protest, he continued. "Yes it's true that I was only focused on winning the tournament, but I was only focused on winning for YOU"
Confused at what she just heard, Stella asked him, "Why? You know that I don't care if you win or lose. All that matters to me is that you stay here, beside me." He didn't hesitate in his answer, and never faltered while addressing her. "Because, you deserve someone who can always be by your side. If I didn't win, and in turn didn't graduate, then I couldn't do the only thing I want to, that being to be with you every minute of my life. If in order to achieve that I have to risk my life then so be it. Stella, there is nothing that I wouldn't do to be beside you, and make you happy. I know that if it's for your happiness then my life is worth betting. I say this because I won't allow myself to die for your happiness, if I did then you wouldn't be happy, and that defeats the purpose of me risking my life in the first place" He gave her a warm smile as he finished his answer.
"You sure do know how to make a girl feel important" Stella replied as her face became flushed. Ikki replied with the same smile as before, which seemed to have gotten even brighter. "Well, not just any…" Ikki began, looking at the floor, before a sharp pain cut him off. This pain, however, was only on the surface, so it didn't stem from his soreness. When he opened his eyes and faced his fiancé, he saw that her right hand was stretched across her body, her hand open and a little red, not unlike his cheek. She had slapped him. Before he reacted to this sudden act, Ikki noticed one more thing about Stella; though she was angry, as it was evident on her face, she also had tears that started to flow down her cheeks.
"Idiot! Don't you ever think about doing something like that again!" Stella told him in a raised voice, but not quite yelling. "You think I care about you graduating. Ikki, I don't give a damn if you drop out! As long as you're beside me then that's all that matters to me. Even if you hadn't graduated, I would have stayed by your side. You're always there for me when I need you, and you need to know I'll be there for you when you need me. Even if I have to drop out before graduating and repeat a year to be with you, then so be it. Just don't risk your life like that. Promise me. I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you." There was a quick pause before Stella continued, "What I do know is that a world without you isn't a world worth living in, so please, don't leave me."
With that Stella lost the composure she had tried so hard to keep. She buried her head into Ikki's shoulder and began to softly cry. She instinctively pulled him into an embrace, then immediately realized that she was undoubtedly causing him pain. Before she could end the embrace, Ikki pulled her back into a firm embrace. She loved it when he held her like this. It was tight which let her know that he didn't want her anywhere else but in his arms. At the same time, however, it was a gentle, caring embrace. The gentle side of his embrace let her know that he loved her and that she was the most important person in the world to him.
Remembering that her fiancé was probably in pain she asked, "Why are you hugging me like this when you know it only hurts?" He answered in a whisper, "Because this pain is nothing compared to that." Not understanding what he meant, Stella pressed forward with her questioning, "What's that?" His answer comforted her and let her know that he understood where she was coming from. "The pain of thinking of being separated from you. Even being separated by mere distance is a living hell for me, but that can be fixed, death, however, is something that can't be remedied. " He took a deep breath and swallowed his pride before continuing, "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Stella. I thought I was doing what was best for you. I now see that I was being selfish and my vision was clouded by my own desires. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Idiot", Stella whispered. "I don't want your apology, I want YOU." Tears began to flow down her cheeks once again. "The only thing that matters to me is that you come back to me safe and sound." She gained a bit more composure and continued, "That's what I want. No, that's what I need, and as my fiancé it is your duty to tend to my needs." Knowing damn well that she was right he submitted to her will once again. "Very well princess" He said as a smile pulled at his lips. He then put one of his hands on her cheek, tracing circles around it with his thumb in a comforting manor. With his other hand he wiped her tears away.
Stella's cheeks turned red as she heard him call her princess. She looked up to say something, but was never given the chance to speak. He caught her lips with his own and began to kiss her tenderly. Her heart fluttered and she felt like she was on cloud nine. After a brief moment of being caught off guard, she eventually eased into the kiss like she always did. Despite sudden displays of love and adoration like this being common between the two, she never got used to them, and she was honestly glad for that.
Walking him backwards towards there bed, she turned him around and pushed him onto the bed, forgetting the pain he was in. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Ikki; I completely forgot you were sore. Are you okay?" She asked, worried he might be upset at her. He gestured for her to come closer, and when she did he grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, wrapping her in another embrace. "What are you doing?" Stella inquired. "If you keep doing things like this you wont get any better." He smirked as he answered her, "True, but right now I want to be close to you more than anything, including getting better from this soreness." She merely sighed and told him "You really are stubborn aren't you." A blissful smile graced her lips as she laid her head on his chest.
Not too long after resting her head on Ikki's chest, Stella drifted off to sleep. It had been an emotionally draining morning for both of them, but it appeared to have taken a greater toll on Stella. Ikki looked down at his sleeping angel and saw that she wore a smile as she slept. In turn he smiled, happy that she was feeling better and close to him. He wanted to sleep, but graduation was in a few hours and he didn't want either of them to miss it. Despite this being the case, all he cared about was right then and there, him holding his one true love, watching her sleep peacefully. Without realizing it, he began to succumb to the pulls of slumber, eventually falling asleep as well. With his arms still around her, a smile formed across his face. Even in his sleep he knew he was where he belonged and wanted to be, with Stella by his side, or in this case sleeping on top of him.
Ikki opened his eyes, his vision still blurry from sleeping. He noticed there was a figure above him that offered a smile as it spoke. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Ikki would've knocked the figure out with a well placed punch had it not been for Stella still sleeping on top of him and the fact that he recognized the voice.
"What the hell are you doing here Alice!?" Ikki then thought to himself then posed a question. "Wait a second, I know I locked the door before turning in for the night, how the hell did you get in here?" Alice responded sarcastically, "My how cold of you, treating me like an unwanted guest." Ikki replied with a smirk, "That's because you are" Alice paid no mind to this and continued, "Well I'm hurt that you can't remember that I can move between shadows. I mean I know of your Ittou Shura, though I do wish to know more about your Ittou Shura of the night" He chuckled after that last part. Even knowing Alice only meant this as a joke, it still sent a shiver down his spine. "Get out Alice" Ikki said sternly.
"Fine, fine, I'm going. Just thought I'd let you know that graduation is in an hour." Alice reminded him before disappearing into a shadow. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit!' Ikki thought to himself. The first thing he did was wake Stella up. Even though he was rushed and a bit upset from the events this morning, he still woke her up gently. 'Wait…' He thought to himself, 'How the hell is she still asleep after something like that!? Oh whatever, I guess it doesn't matter right now. Right now I need to get her up and start getting ready.'
He gently rubbed her back with one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. Somehow Stella was able to sleep through the whole Alice ordeal earlier, but the gentle touch of her fiancé was all that was needed to pry her from the grips of slumber. "Good morning dear." Stella said half asleep, brushing some hair to her side. Seeing his fiancé like this made Ikki smile and momentarily forget the situation they were in, but only for a moment. "Stella, we need to get up and get ready, graduation is in less than an hour." Ikki informed her calmly.
A moment of silence passed before the words Ikki spoke finally registered in her mind. Jumping up, Stella scanned the room for a few choice items. After collecting these choice items she ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower. While Stella was in the shower, Ikki searched through their closet for their caps and gowns. After he found them he laid them out over the back of the couch, just as Stella stepped out of the shower in nothing but a towel. Much like the day they first met, Ikki couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She snapped at him, "Hey! Keep getting ready. There'll be plenty of eye candy later." She said with a smirk. Ikki resumed getting ready after apologizing. He entered the shower while Stella began to get dressed.
While Stella was getting dressed she was startled by a scream coming from her fiancé followed by an explanation for the source of his out burst. "How the hell can you shower in this lava!?" Stella laughed to herself. Though Ikki never really complained, if he was caught off guard, every once in a while he'd have an outburst unlike his normal levelheaded self. She loved it when he gave these reactions; she honestly found them adorable.
After finishing getting dressed, the duo rushed towards the door, Stella close on Ikki's heels. Before reaching the door, one of the legs of the coffee table caught Stella's right foot. Ikki heard a hitch in her step and turned to see his fiancé getting ready to have a very close relationship with the ground. Ikki immediately sprang to her aid, catching her in his arms, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "Be careful. I don't want to be late for graduation either, but your safety is more important than being punctual." Ikki told Stella as he still held her. Stella, face flushed, replied, "Okay, I will. Thank you prince." Becoming flustered as well, Ikki, after regaining proper brain function, merely replied, " Of course, anything for your safety." With that the duo opened the door and made a run for the concert hall that had been added when they were third years.
They arrived at the rear entrance and were greeted by Yuuri-Chan, gesturing them to hurry inside. Luckily for them, they made it with just a few seconds to spare. They got to their respective seats. Though the rest of the class was alphabetically organized, they were together. "No doubt the work of Kurono, I don't know what her motives are this time, but I won't complain, after all she did put me beside you." Ikki said with a warm, reassuring smile, grabbing Stella's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Offering a smile back, she just enjoyed holding his hand and being close to him. The lights dimmed, signaling the start of the ceremony. The two then sat down, hands still interlocked, eager for the start of the ceremony.
Yuuri-Chan made her way to a podium on the left side of the stage and adjusted the microphone so it was just below her chin. She began, "Parents, siblings, and friends, thank you for joining us today in celebrating the graduation of this year's senior class (I couldn't find the year, sorry if it was provided and I missed it). It brings me great pleasure to send these students off to continue their lives as young adul" Yuuri-Chan would've said as young adults had she not thrown up a liter of blood, causing some spectators to either cover their eyes or lose consciousness all together. After regaining her composure and wiping away the blood from her mouth she continued, "Before the ceremony proceeds we will hear a few words from the school director, Kurono Shinguuji."
As Kurono made her way to the podium she shot a smirk in Ikki's direction. As soon as he saw this, Ikki's stomach knotted up. He didn't know what she was up to, but he had a feeling that he was going to be dragged into it against his will. He found out all too soon how right he was. She began in a calm, even tone as usual, "Fathers and mothers; brothers and sisters; as well as others, thank you for joining us on this joyous occasion. This ceremony will not follow the procedures of an ordinary graduation, rather I'm going to take it in a slightly different direction." The audience looked to one another, confused as to what Kurono could've meant. She paid no mind to the confusion and continued. "This would be the point in most graduations where the valedictorian would be called out to say a few choice words, however, I would like to call up a young man who is far from what one would call a valedictorian." After finishing that sentence, she once again turned towards Ikki. His fear of Kurono having a plan involving him was unfolding before his very eyes and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Knowing Ikki's father would show up to graduation for Shizuku, Kurono planned to display the rank-F knight as the accomplished individual he was despite his shortcomings in the field of magic. She wanted to show him how much of a fatherly fuck-up he was, and here was the literal and metaphorical stage where she could do that unopposed. She began to speak, not even trying to hide the smirk anymore. "This young man, despite not being gifted in the field of magic, fought all the opposition that didn't believe in him." She glared daggers at Ikki's father as she said this before returning to her speech. "This young man, despite being discriminated by nearly all of the school, never acted upon any provocation that was directed towards him. The only action he took was to work hard everyday with everything he had in order to overcome the obstacles that life had placed before him. The results of his hard work and dedication are evident before you today. This young man is graduating as a rank-F knight, surrounded by friends who support him, and even a fiancé who loves him just as much as he loves her." Upon hearing this, both Ikki's and Stella felt the blood rushing to their cheeks.
Before either of them could think about hiding, they were both directly addressed by Kurono, "Why are you still sitting down, come on up here champ, and bring that lovely fiancé of yours with you." Still holding hands, cheeks still flushed, they made their way down to where Kurono was. They were both taken aback at what Kurono did next. Before they knew it, they were both wrapped in a tight embrace. Though Kurono would never say it out right, she had become rather fond of Ikki. She was honestly sad to see him go, but at the same time happy at how much he had grown. Not to say that she didn't like Stella, quite the opposite actually, she thought she was an outstanding young woman and was glad to have made her acquaintance.
After ending their embrace the crowd erupted into a round of applause, including the graduating students behind them. Ikki looked at Kurono and noticed that unlike when he first met her, that he could actually get a read her. Ikki and Stella returned to their seats and graduation continued without a hitch, and least the ceremony did. After they were dismissed, Ikki and Stella went to talk to Kurono, Ikki knew something was on her mind and wanted to see if she was all right.
When they found her Ikki walked up to her first. He asked "Miss Shinguuji, is everything okay? You seem a bit off." She was surprised that Ikki was able to pick up that anything was wrong with her, but then again, that boy was always full of surprises, not unlike her. She didn't try to cover it up and admitted, " Yeah, I'm just a bit sad to see you go. Life was so dull and boring until you showed up. I fear that now that you're graduating my life will return to where it had been before." He reassured her, "Don't worry Miss Shinguuji, this is far from our last meeting, we're not that easy to get rid of." He teased. "I mean you will come to our wedding, won't you?" Ikki asked a bit sad that he thought that Kurono didn't want to attend his wedding. He was grateful to her from the bottom of his heart; not just for giving him a chance to graduate, but also for deciding to room Stella with him. Had it not been for her he might not be where he is today, graduating despite being a rank-f, with a fiancé he could only dream of being his.
Kurono honestly didn't expect to be invited to their wedding. She thought that they thought that she only brought trouble their way and wouldn't want her there. She voiced her thoughts in a low voice, "You want me at your wedding?" Ikki looked at Stella and let her answer Kurono's question. "Of course we want you at our wedding! If it hadn't been for you then the two of us would've never met, at least in the manner we did, but had we not, we might not be here like this today. Also, I know you think that we think of you as troublesome and such, but you're wrong. Yes, you scheme and find ways to throw curve balls our way, but that has made these years all the more fun. Our wedding just wouldn't feel right if you weren't there." Stella answered as she offered Kurono a smile.
Unable to respond, the seemingly always-levelheaded director felt the tears starting to fall across her cheeks. She was so happy that they wanted her at their wedding. Finally gaining the composure to speak, she addressed the couple with a smile, "I would love to attend your wedding! I am so proud of the both of you. Both of you have grown so much as individuals and together. Also, stop with the formalities, you've graduated, so please, call me Kurono." The duo offered her a smile and answered her in unison, "Okay, Kurono." Kurono snickered at this and teased them. "Goodness, you two already sound like an old married couple." Before either of them could respond, they were interrupted by a cold, even voice. One recognized immediately by Ikki and Kurono, but left Stella a bit confused.
"Ikki, may I have a word with you in private?" A tall, well dressed man asked Ikki. Ikki responded calmly, "Hello father, and no you cannot. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to me and my fiancé." Stella immediately hated this man with every fiber of her being. Upon hearing that this man was Ikki's father a fiery, as in actual flames, aura appeared around her. Seeing his fiancé getting worked up he just merely squeezed her hand that was still in his and she immediately calmed down.
"So be it. Can we step out, I still wish to have this conversation in a more private place" Ikki's father asked while looking for the nearest exit. Ikki looked first to Stella who just nodded, then to Kurono who spoke. "Are you sure about this Ikki?" Ikki just nodded at her and gave her a reassuring smile. He then addressed his father, "I have no objections; lead the way." With that his father walked towards the nearest exit, his son and fiancé not far behind him. Kurono watched as the three disappeared behind a door at the end of the aisle at the far right of the stage, and wished that all would turn out well. Unfortunately for the duo, Kurono's wish wouldn't come true that day.
Author's Note: Wow, that chapter took longer than I had hoped. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed it. Also, please don't hesitate to PM me with comments or suggestions.
Well I feel awkward. Here I am writing this while in the middle of writing ch.4 when I realized, I never resolved Ikki's soreness. I guess he ran it off, yeah let's go with that (Insert nervous laughter) Anyways, hope that doesn't bother too many of you, but I fear if I go back to these chapters too much I won't return to where I was. I hope y'all can forgive me.
So, what does Ikki's father need to talk about? Could he have possibly swallowed his pride, or does he have a similar message to that of episode 11 (Where he told Ikki he didn't want him to accomplish anything)? This and more will unravel in the next chapter. So, until then, stay you my friends.