A note to everyone: I'm sorry if that first chapter confused many of you but I was doing an experimented idea. Sadly, that resulted in failure.

Chapter two: Join the army!

Previously "Join the few, the proud the knights!"

We back up to see a large flyer posted in the bulletin board of a seemingly large hallway. A young man was hefting a backpack and moving toward his locker. He grudgingly opened the lock and recovered most of his things for what would be the last time...

The young man was recently expelled from his high school. This young man's name was Jack Russell. His stylish brown hair was rather popular with the girls and was constantly the center of attention, what sealed the deal with his hair was those handsome brown eyes that seemed to melt off the girls hearts and infuriate their boyfriends.

Sadly, this attention was also the reason for his expulsion. He had gotten in one too many fights within the school and it wasn't his fault! Just because the guy's girlfriend broke off their relationship, he had to assume Jack was somehow responsible. Jack nodded and laughed a bit, he was actually a bit responsible as she constantly flirted with him and he tried to ignore her back, just to see her expression. Though because of the many fights occurring during Jack's attendance and Jack's record of being the boy with the most recorded fights in the school's history, the Principal, a man named only as Mr. Godwin, was forced to expel Jack and the school council barred him from any other schools within the boy's vicinity. Simply put, Jack had no future...

Jack sighed, he closed his locker...no the school's locker for one last time and came face to face with a young girl. Jack smiled nervously at the young girl's glare and thought about it before he decided to risk bodily harm. Jack opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off angrily.

"Jack Russell!" She stated heatedly, and Jack gulped. Having an angry best/girlfriend was not a good thing. Even though she came from a prominent family, Jack Russell's best/girlfriend, Ridley Silverlake had a fiery temper that matched her father's obnoxious one. Jack knew she wasn't really mad, but until she cooled down, Ridley wouldn't let him off the hook.

"Ridley, I-" Ridley shut him up with a glare from underneath him. Even though she was younger by three weeks, Ridley was the leader of their relationship...even though he started the relationship.

"Jack Russell, how could this happen! You couldn't control your hormones and now you've gotten expelled! What happened, where's the promise we both made to each other?" Ridley said with sad eyes. At the sight of her eyes, Jack nodded sadly as he broke one of the most important promises to each of them. It seemed so long ago...and it was!

flashback: 7 years ago

A young Jack was busily running down the hall to find his first friend to where she said they would meet. Jack had only known Ridley for about three years and was her only companion during these awkward school years, He was her best friend and she, believe it or not, was his first true friend. He finally arrived at an old swing set further away from where most of the new shinier equipment were there for the rest of the children.

There she was, on one of the old swings. Her golden hair held up by two ribbons into two pigtails that looked adorable on her. Her green eyes showed happiness as well as impatience at Jack's tardiness.

"You're late Jack!" Ridley scolded lightheartedly but smiled at her friend's clumsy smile. Jack Russell had been her first friend, and while he wasn't always the smartest of friends, Jack was always at her side whenever she needed him and that's what kept their relationship strong. Ridley looked around nervously and looked at Jack, who was patiently waiting for her to say why they would meet here today. She cleared her throat, a trait Jack knew when she was nervous, and spoke

"Jack, I-I wanted to talk to you about something." Ridley paused and Jack nodded. "I don't know where we will go once school is done and I'm scared." Ridley said this quietly but Jack heard every word of it. Jack waited until she had her courage back and she spoke again.

"Jack, my father wants me to go another school, a private school. It's the Vareth institute for the gifted, but I don't want to go! I want for us to stay together but I'm afraid what my dad has to say. I need your advice, what should I do?" She said in one breath before looking at the ground, almost expecting a hole to swallow her whole and get her away from her friend. Laughing mentally, Jack smiled and put his hand on Ridley's shaking shoulder to which she looked into his eyes, almost expecting a reprimand. However, Jack spoke softly while enveloping her in a hug. Ridley calmed a bit while hugging him, it seemed to keep her from freaking out most of the time.

"Ridley, I want us to be together so talk to your dad and convince him to go the local high school. That way, you and I won't have to separate!"Ridley smiled at Jack's simple solutions and laughed quietly. Ridley, being at the top of the class, was friends with Jack, the class idiot. However they seemed to ignore that

Ridley was the daughter of the rich politician Jasne Colton. She was living with her father when Ridley's mother passed away from an unknown sickness and it devastated her father greatly. Jasne unfortunately soon learned to mourn by doting on his only daughter by giving whatever she wished. Having been raised by her mother while her father was gathering support for him in the elections, she was taught modesty and asked for very little.

However, Ridley's modesty can contradict what her father's overeagerness can do. For instance, when Ridley was seven and asked for a treehouse on her birthday, Jasne mistook it for a plea of wanting a building. So he built a large building and presented it to his daughter, but when Ridley told him that she just wanted a treehouse, he panicked at the now useless building. After all, it cost the taxpayers a lot of money! He could have gotten sacked!

To cover up his mistake, he hastily decided to give the building to the city and had declared an act of public service. The people fortunately bought that and made use of the building by using it as an orphanage for children who lost their parents. Ridley, despite her young age, was saddened by the Children's future home.

Ridley wasn't ignorant, at least not to this matter. The children were saddened by the loss of their parents and who could blame them? There was a war going on and the factions weren't backing down. At first, the presidency took no heed as the Olacion order simply gathered their things and left toward the savannah plains south of Radiata City. The group simply said that it was finding one of their own. Ridley didn't understand but understood years later...it only got worse as the people foolishly elected a most arrogant prat named, Star E. Stern...

Next came the bookish scholars of the Vareth institute for the gifted and the wise. The group hadn't always been at odds with the presidency but President Stern, an imbecile of a president, was pressuring heavy taxes on them. Finally, they were fed up and left the city, leaving them without a school.. Ridley remembered most of the student's shadowed faces as the school closed down and how the teachers left with a smile as President Stern was booted off in favor of the new political leader, Jiorus the IV.

Ridley was shaken off memory lane by Jack's constant list of ideas about how to get her dad out of his latest plan for her daughter.

"Oh, how about you fake your death and then runaway with me! We can live off the land..." Ridley sighed and punched him on the arm, making him shut up.

"Jack, no matter where we go, just promise that we will always be together, ok?" Jack seemed unsure and started to protest but Ridley persisted.

"Ok, Jack? Please...just do this." Jack seemed hesitant but smiled and nodded.

"Sure, we will always be together!" Ridley smiled and stuck her hand in his and gently squeezed. She smiled lightly at her friend's red-hued face.

"Ok! Promise!"

end flashback

Jack looked up slightly to see that Ridley was...crying? Jack eyes widened, she was crying! Jack hugged her fiercely as Ridley tried futilely to get away but settled on blushing while crying into Jack's arms. She hiccuped a bit as she sobbed into him, each sob breaking Jack's heart bit by bit. Ridley finally stopped and looked up, still blushing at Jack, perhaps she was embarrassed? She was usually strong willed. She gently shook off her boyfriend's arms and started to speak quietly, looking at him with her beautiful eyes, at least in Jack's opinion.

"J-jack, but what will happen? To us? To..me?" She asked mostly to herself and was dismayed to hear a sound that both of them will hoped to never hear again.

"Ridley!" An older man than them exclaimed. The annoying man (to them) had tan skin, and the only hair he had was tied in a ponytail. He had an odd obsession over wearing purple but he wore it and made it look not as gay as Jack so bluntly stated. Ridley groaned, it was her old boyfriend, Cross.

Cross Ward. Well, let's say he doesn't have all of his cards. He is a major smoker and had his fair share of drinking problems as well. He wasn't always like this, as he was a timid boy which Ridley had her second kiss with,(the first accidentally being Jack). After that fiasco, Cross had always flaunted Ridley in front of everyone once Ridley agreed to one date and he suddenly took the path he was now: A smoking, drinking loser. His "Rep" was having the school police carting him away when he crashed the principal's car into the east wing of the school's library, he was arrested and was led away in handcuffs while proclaiming his love for Ridley when they broke up earlier that week.

Now he was back.

Ridley noticed that he seemed deliriously happy, not a good sign. He had this look when he convinced Jack and Ridley to hate each other for four months while Cross controlled every move that Ridley did, which she thought at the time, was for her overall being. Jack was about to argue with Ridley later that day when he eavesdropped on Cross and his band smoking cohorts as he spilled his plans to permanently separate Jack from Ridley's life with one more major lie about them. Jack quickly retreated to where Ridley was and asked to talk to her. She refused at first, but gave in as she saw the uncharacteristic serious glint in Jack's eyes. At first, she didn't believe him as she was told Cross' lies but as Ridley listened to Jack's words, she slowly saw the truth about the lies that Cross told. Ridley didn't say a word as she left Jack alone, thinking he had failed but was proven wrong when Ridley came back with a glow that he hadn't saw in a long time: His best friend was back.

A few months after Cross' embarrassing arrest, Jack and Ridley's bond was stronger than ever! Jack was holding on Ridley's arm, sometimes linked and rumors about them dating were flying around in school. The rumors were not to the pleasure of potential seekers of the fair Ridley's hand and had tried on several occasions to separate the two but all failed. Each finally blurted out their feelings with a simple, but powerful, "I love you!" to each other while walking home from school. The entire school believed that it was peer pressure, but Jack and Ridley proved otherwise...

Truth be told, Jack and Ridley fell in love with each other around the beginning of their high school years, but fearing rejection, each pursued different people. Jack was dating a girl named Elena and Ridley was dating Cross. Jack broke up with Elena after realizing that he was hitting on her twin sister, Adina and Ridley...well she caught Cross making out with her senior friend, Natalie. Natalie didn't know that Ridley and Cross were dating and slapped Cross in the face while apologizing to Ridley before running off in tears. Her best friend, a large boy named Leonard chased after her looking remarkably happy.

Almost the entire school knew about Leonard's crush on Natalie but Natalie seemed oblivious to them and him. Nevertheless, Leonard stuck by Natalie as she joined the knights and was happy when she made him second in command for her squad, the Violet Chevre.

Ridley knew from Jack that his father was proclaimed missing in action when he and his squad of commandos, the Blanc Chevalier, were caught in an explosion from the Gold Olacion's secret weapon: Project Enjela (Ridley found out from her father's loud murmurings one night) Jack was devastated and lived with his sister and mother until she passed away from exhaustion working the fields that are now desert land from an unnatural rise in temperatures from the land...

She once saw a picture of Jack's homeland when it was all green with trees and grass and not desert and hot sand like now. It had fertile farmlands and trees blessed the neatly dug dirt roads. Now it was pure pavement where the roads were and dying tree stumps where the trees were. Jack's home still had farmland, his whole town did in fact, but hardly anyone lives there anymore. From last she heard from Jack, his sister and a couple of people live there, vainly trying to save their farms...

Which brings us back to our point which was deterred from...Cross Ward was back and he was smiling...never a good sign...

"Ridley, my love! I'm back, I really missed you!" Cross said hugging her while Ridley looked disgusted and Jack looked...jealous? Well he had a right to be, HE was her Boyfriend after all...

"C-cross! What the..." Ridley stammered as Cross nearly proceeded to kiss her like she was his girlfriend. Jack, needless to say, was pissed.

WHAM! A flying fist from Jack connected with Cross' jaw and fight ensued. Cross was being beaten to the ground by Jack but not without a fierce fight back. Ridley was screaming for them to stop but was secretly rooting for Jack. Unfortunately for Jack, who wanted to beat Cross some more and fortunately for Cross, who was trying to salvage his coined "good looks", Principal Godwin and several police officers were already restraining Jack and was carting him off with Cross in tow. Ridley only stood in shock as her boyfriend and best friend was being carted off to the slammer with Cross...

It was a long ride to the Radiata holding station. The police had found it productive to place three stages of their police force and had built three guard stations around the cities' main points: The Tria Region, the Dova Region, The Adien Region and one other station was currently being built to the eastern exit: The Jiorus Region, in honor of their president...Jack scoffed, the region belonged to the Green Void society and called it something different... He was suddenly yanked from the back of the squad car and was rushed to Sector Three, the holding cells for the criminals such as Jack and Cross.

"Alright, in you go! No trouble from you or else!" A large man shoved Jack into a holding cell and Cross into another with Cross shouting at them "You can't do this to me! Do you know who I am!" His answer was a forceful slam of the steel door and laughing by the guard as he walked away. All was silent for Jack as he thought of Ridley and what her father would do to him now that he had a chance at him.

Jasne Colton was never fond of Jack as he thought him a threat between him and Ridley, but didn't do anything about it because he was Ridley's "Guy" as she called him, Jack didn't mind but Jasne on the other hand...suddenly, a slam and some hurried footsteps while the man was talking excitedly and laughing harshly was coming up the path to the station's holding cells and stopped to greet Cross who was by then looking really happy by the tone of the idiot's voice. The footsteps were getting closer and he found himself face to face with Ridley's father, Jasne and he looked like he found his prey...

"I knew it! I knew it! I finally found proof that this was the menace to society! Ah, the plan was perfect!" Jasne laughed like he won, and by the looks of it, he did. Jack was confused and voiced it with one word.

"Plan?" Jasne stopped laughing enough to give a sneer and then replaced it with an evil smile, it had a hint of victory and with the plan that Jack heard about, it no doubt concerned him and Cross...

"Ah yes! Well, what could it hurt? My plan has succeeded and soon, you'll be in the army! Dying heroically for your country!" Jack's eyes widened in shock, how could they!

"What! How could you...what about Ridley?" Jack asked, horrified. If possible, Jasne's smile got wider. He seemed to full of mirth.

"I had Cross hit on Ridley, knowing that you would take the bait." Jasne said to Jack with a whisper. Jack's eyes widened even more, if possible. Jasne laughed at the state that was Jack Russell.

"Well, I know that my time is up, just as yours will be in...oh, say four hours?" Jasne guffawed and shouted an order to prison guard. Jack didn't need to hear what was said as the guard flashed by him in a hurry and a few moments later, Cross was looking triumphant at his release and smirked in victory at Jack before striding off, laughing with Jasne about something.

'Bloody suck up...' Jack thought before sighing at his fate, what would his sister think of him now? Adele was always there for him to control his temper for others but as of late, he had been ignoring her. It seemed that jail made you reflect on the people that had been part of your life as Jack concluded. It seemed that your dooming fate made you redemptive for another chance but knew deep inside, that you wouldn't have a chance to do so...

Jack once knew that joining the knights was a time of great honor; it was so when his father joined, and it was done when the knight's organizer, Larks Cordall, initiated it. When Jack was young, he spent time with his father and mother and Adele as he shared stories of how military life was when he had earned his leave from skirmishes with his target, the Blue Vareth. Now, he dreaded joining the knights. Rather, it was known as the army...

The army was infamous for forcing certain criminals and captured guild members in order to fight and die for them. They did it so willingly, from what the local paper, The Knight Gazette said but some knew better...though Jack only heard vague rumors...

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(Radiata Knights recruitment office: Dynas' office)

Meet Dynas Stone, 2nd in command to Larks Cordall and 1st class general to the Radiata Knights. He was currently reviewing some applicants of potential soldiers dropped off by them or by their families when a beep from his computer notified him of something. Dynas turned to his computer and found another e-mail from his lower subordinate, Ganz Rothschild asking him about using his commanding powers...again.

Dynas sighed, Ganz was the child of his superior when he was in a squad of soldiers. Dynas was in fact, the subordinate of one Captain Gawain Rothschild: Leader of the Rouge Lion air and vehicle squadron that was once a factor of the Radiata Knights. 'However' Dynas thought after a moment, his face pained as he drew some of the most horrifying memories. 'I won't think about it, must find a way to stop...'

Another beep was heard and Dynas groaned, fearing it was another question from his superior's son, but was proven wrong as he read the title on the piece of mail he received. Looking at the sender's name, Dynas was sure it came from those politicians working inside the government trying to dump more petty thieves and small time criminals onto his army and into hell itself.

He looked at the profile of his next charge and he gasped. Dynas thought he was looking at another inmate but this had broken his expectations. He swiftly ran out of the office and into the holding cell of one Jack Russell, son of Cairn Russell...

Well, how does this look like? Please try and review with any suggestions you might have. Thanks for your time.

Terra Ace.