a/n: chapter 6!! alright, before reading on ahead, I have to tell you guys first that this chapter contains one of the things that SE has given us as one of the character overviews of Stella Nox Fleuret. That's right, I'm talking about Fencing. What is it? Well, basically, two people (same sexes only) fight against each other using a sword with blunt tips. The loser of the duel is determined by five touches from the rapier (weapon) on the upper torso of the opponent only. Whew.. A short definition but hopefully it helped!
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read, review & enjoy! i'm trying my best to upload a new chapter at least 2 days after the last update. the reason why i wasn't able to upload quickly the last time was because i was *sniff* grounded. anyways, i'm (trying my best) to be a good girl now so i can get myself back to the pc again. hahaha. :D
Disclaimer: Square Enix Co., owns FFVXIII!!
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"Oblivious Fate"
By: rorudesu-chan
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Chapter 6: Inverted Impressions, Part I- The Prince
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A long, monotonous chime tolled through the halls of Regius. It was already lunch hour and youthful sovereigns scampered the corridors, heading directly towards the university's air conditioned cafeteria. Amongst the crowd of well-pampered royals, strode the Caelum Prince and his posse of spirited individuals. Just like what the alpha male of a pack would do towards his fellow wolves, Noctis ambled ahead of Lacertus, Celer and Salsus, unconsciously aware of his leading action.
As the foursome bunch headed towards the last corridor before the cafeteria's entrance door, cheers and howls dominated the atmosphere which immediately aroused the curiosity of the Prince and his companions. Celer walked hurriedly towards the annex building followed by Lacertus and Noctis. It took a few seconds before the reluctant Salsus trailed as well and joined the boisterous crowd, seeing that he has no other options at hand. The group entered the annex area of Regius and saw that the gathered students have been enthralled by an outstanding match of Fencing. The ruffled haired boy excitingly led his companions up the stairs located in one side of the building. After a few minutes of squeezing through the hailing crowd of monarchs-in-training, Noctis and his gang finally managed to settle themselves near the bleacher's railings. Their bird's eye view of the occurring match was definitely something to cheer about.
"This must be women's division, Celer!" Lacertus exclaimed beneath the wailing crowd.
"Yeah, it would seem so! I wonder which one of them is Eucrece?" Celer yelled his question as he bounced his gaze between the long haired girls whose heavy, wire-mesh masks concealed their identities.
"It must be that one in the black jacket-armor. Eucrece is known to have always worn black in her fencing matches." The glasses wearing Salsus suddenly stated in a raised tone as he pointed at the charging girl on the right.
"You're probably right, Sal! Good thing one of them is in black and the other is in white."
"Yeah! At least we can now distinguish them. Apparently, both of them are blondes!" Celer responded to his scar faced pal as they both cheered for the heated match.
Amidst the howls and wails of the duel's audience, Noctis calmly observed the match as he rested his elbows upon the railings of the bleachers. His cobalt irises flickered surprisingly at the sight of the scoreboard rested upon the scorekeeper's table. Eucrece and her unknown contender were only a touch away from their respective defeats.
Things were getting more pumped up now as the cheers and yells rose concurrently in volume. Black was about to aim for a touch on White's left arm but her attack was viciously blocked by her opponent's rapier blade. Swiftly, White targeted for Black's upper torso but Black managed to bend to one side and clash her weapon with White's. Eucrece, the fencer in black, quickly hauled herself backwards as she posed on guard.
"You're pretty good yourself for a first timer." Eucrece scoffed her words beneath her oval, wire-mesh mask.
The opponent in a white, nylon jacket crafted an obscured smile as she gracefully brandished her rapier with her right gloved hand. "It must be beginner's luck."
"Is that so?" Eucrece jeered at her impressive foe with a laugh. "I don't believe in luck that's why if you don't mind, I'd like to crush it in front of you! Kyaaa!!!"
"Please, be my guest!"
As the blonde haired Eucrece and her opponent lunged furiously towards each other, the blades of their rapier clanged as sparks of friction flew. White attempted to strike a blow on Black's left shoulder but she briskly dodged it as she pulled herself to the side. Seeing that there was an opening for Black to hit White while the arm that held her blunted sword was currently suspended in air, she fiercely took that chance. But White had a very keen eye, thus clearly seeing through Black's attempted touch which would directly end the duel. So with her free arm, she supported her weight as her hand leaned upon the floor while her body bent sideward. Before Black could avoid anything that her vision wasn't able to perceive well, she felt a rounded tip touching her neck just below the jaw line.
And with that, the ferocious Fencing match drew to a close. The score was four to five, White to Black.
Cheering voices screamed wildly within the four corners of the annex building as Celer and Lacertus joined in the shocking wave of conclusion. Almost every young royalty present there was surprised as Eucrece, their number one female fencer, was defeated for the first time by a very talented yet unknown persona. Salsus remained taciturn throughout the match but secretly joined in the wailing as well as the fencing duel concluded in an unforeseen end. Meanwhile, Noctis managed to keep a calm and sedated demeanor all throughout the match. Although he was frankly quite surprised on how a well-renowned fencer suddenly got defeated by a mysterious opponent, the ash spiked Prince believed it wasn't something to be meticulously shaken about. Noctis stood within his overjoyed buddies as he gazed blankly upon the two female competitors who still haven't taken their masks off.
"That… was a good match." Eucrece panted lightly as she held out a hand to her opponent who was lying half-way down upon the floor.
"It certainly was." Her blonde haired challenger reached out for Eucrece's hand as she was hoisted back to her feet. The audience cried out more cheers towards the female fencers who not only showed a magnificent duel, but an epitome of good sportsmanship as well.
The skilled Eucrece gently removed her mask as she stared towards her opponent who began to take off her gloves first. "Well come on, take that thing off your head. Let others recognize the face of the person who has defeated me for the first time!"
The fencer in a white protector comprehended with Eucrece's request as she gently impaled the rapier on the floor. Her hands slowly lifted her mask off her head as strands of golden hair fell back gently to her sides.
"You were a really great opponent, Stella."
"The same thing goes back to you, Eucrece." The vivacious Tenebraean smiled at the contented Eucrece who gave her a generous handshake which Stella politely responded to.
The Caelum Prince who stood high on the bleachers assured himself that there wasn't anything in this match that could possibly astonish him completely. But that was until now. Noctis' dark, cobalt eyes reacted instantly at the sight of the girl who was revealed to be the prominent fencer who overwhelmed an elite Regius player. Even if he refused to admit it, deep within the recesses of his conscience, he was impressed… very impressed.
Noctis always had the intuition that Stella had a very feminine disposition which was why he suggested that she try-out for cheerleading when they passed by the school's squad during the campus tour. But the charcoal haired Prince quickly recalled that the blonde Ambassador rejected cheerleading as her type of activity. Back then he asked her, out of curiousity, what she did instead. But her answer was abruptly interrupted by a desperate squeal from one of his so-called fan girls. Whether he knew what her activity was or not, Noctis always thought it would be something that couldn't possibly grab his interest. But that excellent fencing match did catch his attention and so did Stella being the fencer who engaged herself in that marvelous combat. From that point onwards, the young heir realized that the Tenebraean Ambassador wasn't just a girl whose wit strangely riveted him, she was also someone who had surprises bursting in secrecy.
As the crowd of aristocrats continued to shout out their awes in the air, Noctis smirked coolly before leaving the railings. Salsus noticed the Prince's departure and followed him, leaving the other two to find out their absence.
"Hey Noct!"
"Leaving already, buddy?" Celer added to Lacertus' remark as they both trailed the withdrawn monarch.
"Lunch is almost over and we still haven't eaten yet." Noctis responded as they walked behind the students who were still submerged in amazement from the match.
Stella smiled politely at the audience who seemed to be praising her and Eucrece as if they were some kind of heroic, world-famous sovereigns. But as the blonde Tenebraean gazed at the cheering spectators, her beautiful azure pupils were only trying to pin itself to a certain Prince whose attractive demeanor painted an intriguing mystery. Stella darted her eyes upon the stairs that connected to the building's bleachers and there at last she spotted Noctis accompanied by his posse. For a brief moment, as Noctis strolled down the flight of steps, he took a glimpse at the cheerful Ambassador who was also looking at him but surprisingly not with an endearing smile. Rather, Stella's lips were pressed together and her lovely face pictured some kind of confusion and sadness. But this happened very shortly as the charming Tenebraean quickly grinned at Noctis who was quite far away from where she stood. The Caelum Prince immediately spun his head away as his bashful disposition took over him once again.
As Noctis left the annex building, his mind not only toyed with his changed impression towards Stella but it fiddled with the facade he saw when she looked at him beneath the rowdy figures of students. It was the very first time he saw that kind of expression from her. He didn't know exactly what feeling Stella wanted him to recognize but the young Prince realized that he'd probably find it out sooner or later.
The amazed spectator of blue bloods slowly dispersed out of the fencing building and tried to catch their lunch with the remaining minutes left in the clock. While alone in the changing room, Stella neatly folded the protective jacket she wore during the match and arranged it properly together with the other fencing clothing. As she was about to return her borrowed rapier to its proper casing, the candid faced diplomat suddenly cogitate about something.
Stella wondered why she only smiled after she realized Noctis was already glancing back at her. She also pondered if the bashful Prince noticed her sullen look. Stella didn't know why she showed such unusual presence and why her face only turned out like that the moment she saw him after the fencing duel. As she held the tip of the weapon with her right hand, the dull edged sword quickly slipped directly into its case below before Stella could return the weapon. Her face silently twitched in pain as she questioned how a blunt rapier tip could possibly cut the top of her middle finger. The layered haired Ambassador stared at the oozing small amount of blood that dripped slowly as she fathomed upon an answer.
The reason why she gazed at Noctis with a peculiar look was maybe because he was the Prince whom she had to fight with very soon. Stella wasn't quite certain if a fight will be a necessity. But somehow, she robustly felt deep down that this mission wouldn't end without her hand upon her kingdom's rapier, held against Noctis' throat.
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a/n:lol! this is the shortest chapter i've uploaded so far. anyways, i hope you guys liked this chap! please tell me what you think of it, okay? i missed those people who weren't able to give me their reviews in the previous chapter. Yeah, you know who you are. :D Hmm... This makes me wonder if my fic's getting boring or what. Review! Thanks!